Stay Tuned...

I am going on vacation today for a week, so I won't be posting anything until next Wednesday. Keep watching though because next week I plan on introducing all of you to the new revolution in bug spray! I will also have some yummy recipes with pictures! Have a great weekend everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

The Long Road Home

Tomorrow Seth and I embark on our last vacation before we will be a family of four. We are headed to Maine to visit Seth's family. Seth's sister is getting married on September 4th and since I won't be able to travel, Seth has decided that he won't be traveling either, which I appreciate more than words can express. I hate to miss her wedding, but am really looking forward to visiting with her and her fiance this weekend.

Since Seth and I have been together, just over 2 years, he has been trying to find a way to bring us all "home". He loves his family and the life he had growing up in Maine and wants our kids to have the same kind of life. I think Seth sees a lot of himself in Adrien when it comes to imagination and finding ways to make things work and problem solving. I would love to move back east and look forward to it. We would be close to my parents as well as his whole family.

My family has always been very important to me as well. No matter how many times I have left or where I have gone, I have always been able to come home. Before my parents moved to New York a couple years ago, my parents, sister, Adrien and I all lived in the same house, for a number of years. It was hard at times, but it was even harder when we all went in different directions.

Adrien, baby, Seth and I will make our way back "home" some day. For now we are loving the visits and the chance to spread our wings and find our own way as a family.

The Countdown Begins

Ok, there are actually a couple of countdowns going on. First one is the 2 days until we get to Maine to visit my in-laws. Second is the 3 days until my parents bring Adrien to Maine so that we can have him come home with us. Third is there are only 9 weeks left until my due date. Right now I have to say that I am most excited to see Adrien.

When my parents moved to New York, Adrien started to stay with them for the majority of summer break. Essentially to help me with daycare costs and of course because they miss having him under the same roof. This summer was the first that I have been a stay at home mom and since I haven't had anyone to mother, it has been particularly long. I am ready for him to be home. I also am looking forward to spending some quality time with him before the baby gets here.

Speaking of the baby getting here...I am really excited for that too. I am a little nervous that all of the things that I already know we have going on (football, cub scouts) are going to have to be put on hold while I adjust. Seth is a great dad, but I am quickly learning how to schedule and make sure things get done since his job is very demanding. There will be a lot of adjusting for everyone. The thought of bringing a new person home with us is really exciting though.

What are you counting down to?

Did I Pick the Right Name?

When I found I was pregnant with my son, my grandmother told me that when I pick his name I needed to stick my head out the door and yell it really loudly down the street to see how it sounded. I never did that, but I did say all of the names out loud several times using different tones of voice or while making all kinds of faces because undoubtedly at some point in his life I would use one of the tones of voice or be saying (yelling) his name making a ridiculous face. I knew what I wanted to name my son as soon as I knew he was a he. Adrien Michael. That would be his name. If he had been a she, then his name would have been Lily Ryan, which is what I will name my baby this time if our baby is a girl.

I named my blog Where Ever You Hang Your Hat because in the last nine months I have moved A LOT. I have moved my whole life, except not as frequently as the last few months. When Seth and I met, we were both in Nebraska City. After his job in Nebraska, Seth was assigned to a plant in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, for a YEAR... While he was in Canada he came "home" to Nebraska City when he could, we got married in Massachusetts in June and when his year was up in Canada, he moved to the next job in San Antonio, Texas. I quit my job as a Police Officer and Adrien and I moved to Texas with Seth. We decided that "home" was wherever we all lived together. Wherever Seth takes his boots off after work is our family's home. In May of this year, Seth moved to Hastings, Nebraska for the next job. Adrien and I stayed in San Antonio for a few more weeks so that he could finish school and football. From there, I flew Adrien out to my mom and dad (Nana and Pap) for summer vacation. On the Sunday that I left New York, my dad and I got up at 4:00am, he drove me to the airport for my 6:30 flight and I landed in San Antonio at 1:30pm. At 3:30pm I got in my car and drove to Hastings, Nebraska. I was ready to be home and at 4:00am on Monday I was there. I suppose I could have named my blog "Wherever you take your boots off" but, I didn't think of that til now. I read another blog (www.practiceofmadness.com) that posed the question "Why Did You Give Your Blog a Particular Name? What Does it Say About Your Blog and You?" This is my answer to that.

Home has always been where family is, whether that is your actual blood family or friends or a lovely combination of both. Call it whatever you like but Where Ever You Hang Your Hat is where home will be.

Wordless Wednesday-My Family

Where Ever You Hang Your Hat: Summertime Eats

Where Ever You Hang Your Hat: Summertime Eats: "Ok people, here it is, my favorite summer foods! Let us start with dessert...My favorite dessert is called Lemon Lush. My mom used to make ..."

Summertime Eats

Ok people, here it is, my favorite summer foods! Let us start with dessert...My favorite dessert is called Lemon Lush. My mom used to make it and I think she got the recipe from my Aunt Linda. For those of you who may think, "Well, I don't really like lemon..." I don't like lemon desserts for the most part, but I LOVE this stuff. Here is the recipe:

Lemon Lush

2 Cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup of chopped pecans
6 tablespoons melted margarine
1 small tub (13oz) Cool Whip, divided
1 cup powdered sugar
1 8oz package of cream cheese softened
2 small boxes of instant lemon pudding
3 cups COLD milk

Crust: combine the graham cracker crumbs, pecans and melted margarine and press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan. I usually use a stiff spatula to press the mixture down so it is well packed.

Cream Cheese mixture: Mix 1 cup of Cool Whip with cream cheese and powdered sugar until well combined. This is the hard part and it never looks pretty when I do it, using a warm spatula, spread this mixture over the graham cracker crust. I try and make it as pretty as possible. The crust will want to pull up when you lift the spatula, even if it doesn't look as pretty as you like, trust me, people will still eat it!

Pudding: Mix the 2 boxes of lemon pudding with the COLD milk and pour over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate until pudding is set.

When the pudding has set completely cover with the rest of the Cool Whip. This dessert does need to be refrigerated, so keep that in mind. Most importantly, ENJOY!

One of my favorite things about summer time is GRILLING!!! You don't make nearly as many dishes to wash when you grill. :) One of my favorite meals to make on the grill is Shish KaBobs! My favorite part about "KaBobing" is that you can use whatever you want to make them. You pick what meat you want to use, or don't use any, you pick the veggies and you pick the marinade. Here is what I use when I KaBob:

1 bottle of Kraft Zesty Italian salad dressing
1 each red, orange, yellow bell pepper and green pepper
1 small sweet onion
1 package of whole mushrooms
1 package of grape or cherry tomatoes
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 lb uncooked tail on shrimp

Preheat your grill to medium heat and if you are using bamboo skewers, get them soaking.
Cut the peppers and onion into 1 inch chunks, clean off the mushrooms and remove the stems and rinse off the tomatoes. Put all of these into a quart size zipper bag and put in enough of the Italian dressing to marinate the veggies.
Cut the chicken into 1 inch cubes and place into a zipper bag and some dressing to that too
Same with the shrimp, zipper bag and dressing.
Marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Put the ingredients on the skewers in whatever order you like. Keep in mind that it doesn't take the shrimp nearly as long to cook as the chicken. Throw your KaBobs on the grill and cook them until the chicken and shrimp are fully cooked.

I usually make some Rice-a-Roni Rice Pilaf to go with and enjoy!

These are some of my favorite summertime eats. I hope everyone has a great Tuesday!

The Joys of Home Ownership

This weekend Seth and I spent our time replacing the tub surround at the house we own in Nebraska City. When we first moved in, there were sliding doors on the bathtub and I hate having doors on the tub. My mom was visiting and helping me move and we decided to remove the doors. Anywho, while we were removing the tracks off the side of the tub surround, we broke it. Oops! So, our first project as homeowners was to replace the tub surround and fixtures (might as well tackle the whole thing at once, right?) so that we could shower. As most home improvement projects go, the was a LOT more wrong than could be seen from just a crack on the surround. We ended up having to replace the drywall and the walls weren't straight or level and just one thing after another. Seth was so irritated. Well, this time was no different.

Thankfully, we have some great friends who put us up for the night and even bought us dinner (Thanks Meg and Amber). Despite all of the hard work and dreadfully hot weather, we had a great weekend. I am hoping to get back to Neb City for a visit and not just work.

Hopefully, today will be uneventful and tomorrow I will share a recipe for my FAVORITE summer time dessert!!!

Unpacking and other homemaking to do's

Seth moved here to Hastings about a month before I did. He packed our trailer from our apartment in San Antonio and headed north. Well, I am still unpacking and trying to get our house to be a home. I have been slowly getting things done. Unfortunately for me, I am going to have to learn a more organized way of packing. I have items from the kitchen in a box with bathroom, living room and bedroom stuff. Every box I open is like starting a new adventure, which may be why it is taking me so long. I am not feeling so adventurous in my 7th month of pregnancy. I do feel like moving my new dining room tables and chairs from the garage to the dining room. Crazy, right? I hope everyone has a great weekend and wish me luck!

Greetings and Salutations!

I want to start off by introducing myself. My name is Sarah and I am a 27 year old stay at home mom with an 8 year old son, Adrien, and a baby due in September. I have been married to the love of my life, Seth, for just over a year now and what a year it has been!

I hope to bring a little bit of joy to everyone who reads this with recipes, ideas, and random thoughts (which I happen to have a lot of)!