a new little lady & some home construction

isnt she darling?

she just makes my heart melt.

her name is roxanne (roxy for short)

& she's the newest addition to our rambunctious little family.

we picked her up at our local humane society & we couldnt be happier.

she really wasnt a planned adoption, but when we saw her, we both isntantly fell in love with her.

we should consider her more a horse than anything else.

this picture (taken saturday), is her at 7-8 WEEKS!

shes gonna be a horse for real.

lets say shes our anniversary gift to ourselves.

thats right, today is our one year anniversay.

time flies when you are having fun. or not so much fun.

anyway, little chickadee found herself in the puppy hospital today.

she was terribly sick all night long & tomorrow or wednesday we should have finally confirmation if its anything to be concerned about..  she gets to come home tonight, but with very strict diet & some meds. no yummy treats or normal puppy fun for this playful ball of fur.

and as far as pictures go, she will start appearing alot in the blog & instagram feed.

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home construction.

front yard is complete!

double yippie yay for me! & husband!

i will post pictures soon & all of what we did.

with our new addition and super sick lady, i didnt get anything accomplished this weekend.

eh well, thats what weeknights are for.

oh and as far as tonight, husband and i will be eating a very "low-key" anniversay meal at home, due to our sick child, followed up with our anniversay "topper" cake & probably baseball.

happy monday!

backstreet's back. alright! well not quite..

but i am!  did anyone else get that 1990's boy band reference??

cheersbethani.bigcartel.com

so i've talked to a few people about reopening the shop, but a few changes have been made.  i moved platforms.  well i still have my shop at etsy, but its on permanent vacation mode.  i'm now using big cartel. theres alot more perks over there, plus the customizations to the store are endless.

right now i've got a handful of items listed, but more are coming soon, including a couple headbands. even that rosette will be available for purchase here in the next couple of days.  stockpiling them, before i release it for purchase; also will have different colors available.

happy shopping! oh and tell your friends. i will be ever so thankful you did!

coming together like puzzle pieces

owning a home is a constant project.  it never seems that everything is "exactly" how you want things.  husband and i knew this before we moved.  and everyday we get a great reminder of that.

our home was a bank owned foreclosure.  and typically those mean lots and lots of projects. however, we did get lucky with the fact that the bank had a company come in and paint, lay new carpet, fix things, before it was put on the market.  we couldnt have gotten luckier.  doing lots of work on the inside is hard enough, but our yard was in dire need of immediate TLC.

everything was so green. and so husband and i have been spending numerous hours revamping our front yard to make it more warm, welcoming & actually give off the impression that people live there.  its starting to come together bit by bit.  we should have taken up stock in all stores that cater to home improvement and landscape needs.  after this weekend we should been finished with the front yard & be able to start on the back, which by the current situation will take a lot more time. 

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i finally got around to unpacking my catch all room.  my sewing, crafting, etsy room.. ladies only, because all the men i know have no desire to craft or sew.  its more sports, yard work & drinking beer.

i have a couple more boxes to unpack and organize & then the shop will be back open.  between the moving & everything else that has gone on the last couple months, my shop has really fallen far behind. i'm deeply apologetic to those that i had to & still am issuing refunds to due to the move. not to mention the fact that my printer went on the fritz and was putting blue ink all over everything.

but as far as the shop is concerned, with all my new "space", its going to allow me so many more opportunities. plus i'm going to be changing up what i'm going to be selling.  still will have a few paper good options, but not like what has been currently offered.  my free time is fixing to be cut really thin due to the implentation of a new computer system at work (lots of overtime!!) so i will not be offering any custom/personalized items.  everything for sale will be as is items.

one of my very first sewing projects. not my best, but i was super proud!

to go along with my handful of paper good items, i'm going to be reintroducing my sewn goods.  i've been browsing and learning (way of pictures) on how to master a bunch of different techniques, which shot up a lot of new, fun & quirky things for the shop. think clutches, totes, headbands & awesome clippies.

more details and photos of all that stuff coming within the next couple of weeks i hope.

a recipe - french dip crescents

if you dont already know, french dips are absolutely one of my most favorite foods and things that exist on this planet.  i dont know what it is about them that i love so much but they make me salivate just thinking about them.  it possibly could be the jus-jus juice. 

and since im such a die-hard pinterest & recipe fan, i thought it was about time i found my own recipe to make these little wonders at home. and boy did i find a recipe.  not only are they beyond easy to make, they made me wish i had bought more roast beef to make more. but then i would have really made myself look like a hoglette.




courtesy of

i actually was so excited about my cute little french dips, i didnt even take pictures of them or think about it til they were gone.  fail on that note.. next time i will, because there will be many more next times of this recipe.

Ingredients

1/2 pound deli roast beef, thinly sliced

4 slices provolone cheese

4 tsp horseradish sauce or Ranch dressing

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls

1 packet Au Jus Gravy mix

How to:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Separate crescent rolls into 8 triangles. Spread 1/2 teaspoon horseradish sauce or Ranch dressing on each crescent. Top each crescent with 1/2 slice provolone cheese and roast beef. Roll up crescents and place on baking sheet. Bake for approximately 15 minutes or until golden brown.

While crescents are baking, make Au Jus according to directions on packet.

Serve with french fries or chips.

This recipe was superb!!!!  Alot of people talked about how they are slightly soggy, but typically french dips get that way with the cheese and au-jus, so yeah I'm not complaining at all. & husband totally loved the recipe as well, so thumbs up from us!

little notes #7

the first "city" i get to on my drive in the morning

dear traffic,

for some reason you have been alot worse this week than any other week. whats the deal.  no wrecks, no stalled vehicles, nothing.  hopefully next week you change your mind and decide to cooperate with us commuters who travel over an hour to get home. 

dear budget bytes,

you are the coolest website i have found in a long long time.  not only do you give us great cost reducing recipes show how much each serving costs, but you have a recipe for just about everything i could possibly want to cook or bake. thank you for being so awesome.  if you havent checked out budget bytes before, you should do so soon.. you wont be sorry.

dear okra plants,

you are growing so fast!! i cant wait until the day when my first okra pieces are available for the picking.  husband will be thrilled. as will i.  i mean afterall, fried &/or pickled okra are one of my favorites!!

dear kitties,

i seem to write to you three quite a bit. but here recently, well since you have adjusted to yalls new home, it seems as though nighttime is no longer for sleeping. its for playing with each other, playing games in the mini-blinds, or getting into places or things that arent for kitties. 3 and 4 am are not acceptable waking hours for any normal person. so please for the sanity of husband and i, please sleep like good children.  we are begging you.

have an awesome weekend friends! husband and i are going to twisted root tomorrow for a birthday party & my mouth is already salivating for one of their burgers.  depending on the weather, we might get some yardwork done. 

send something good

happy wednesday thursday everyone! 

see how i tired i am? putting us behind a day and all.

anyway, there are three awesome ladies, who are hosting this super rocking package swap.

they are gentri, kaitlyn & kristy

and i signed up to be a part of it. 

the way it works, you are given a person to "stalk" on their blog; learn about them, and then buy them fun things to send to them. best part?! its like secret santa. nobody knows who has who.

today is all about getting to know your package receiver and letting your package giver know more about you. things you like, things you dont

so here goes 10 super fun things that i love

1. new york city - its such a magical place

2. nail polish

3. taking pictures of things

4. french country inspired decor

5. roadtrips & being outside

6. cutesy animals like birds, kitties, deer, elephants, etc.

7. all colors except yellow & bright orange.

8. fun little knick knacks for the home

9. cooking & baking

10. baseball - especially the texas rangers.

my list could go on and on, but we would be here forever.

hope this helps!

thanks in advance my secret friend!

hump day happiness

a few things i'm loving on this 18th day of april.  

food pins on pinterest

rainbow fruit skewers

cheeseburger eggrolls

i must say i have a healthy addiction to pinterest.  mainly the food section.  it makes finding recipes and meal ideas more exciting than just coming up with them on your own or googling for hours on end.  plus theres pictures. yummy pictures.  these two items are just a couple of the recipes i've added to my must do list. 

have pinterest? lets be friends!!

you can find me here

pallet garden

via

really hoping to accomplish this little project in the next couple of weeks for our backyard.  rather than leaving natural wood brown, i plan on adding some color to mine.  thanks to my brother who has pallets readily available to him.

scenic drives

driving home in the afternoons has been rather refreshing once i get past the city.  all the trees, natural vegetation and animals that i get to see on my route makes for a very relaxing drive, giving me time just to soak up all God's natural beauty on the Earth.  plus lots of just thinking time - reflecting on the day i just had + things ahead of me.  some days i just want to pull over and take pictures of everything, but i probably could spend hours doing that, so maybe that will be a weekend activity. 

what items on todays happiness list?

a little squeal + a lot of yardwork

totally awesome deli sign i captured while in nyc

while watching smash (my current favorite show!!) last night, tom & sam were going out and this deli sign comes into focus & i let a little squeal.  why?  because i remember taking this exact picture when i was in new york & all those giddy exciting feelings came back of my experience there.   husband thinks im slightly crazy..

i so yearn to go back some time for a longer period and get to explore even more than when i did several years ago & consume more amazing foods than known to man (including corner cart food!)  now its just convincing husband its a terrific idea & gathering the funds for it.  

when i wasnt squealing like a little schoolgirl about signs in super awesome cities, husband, my brother, SIL, and i were busting tail in our yard, trying to make it better homes & garden magazine worthy.  we are miles away from that status, but we managed to get lots accomplished.

our little garden box was nothing but a dirt heap when we moved in.  we turned the old soil, added new soil, and planted a bunch of fun garden items.  jalapenos, lavendar, rosemary & some cutesy flowers now call it home. i also added a new coat of paint to the garden box.  its bright aqua. just like that flower pot above. 

a diy tip that i live by?? something still in good shape, but you just dont like it?  spray paint!! it gives your items a whole new feel plus saves you a fortune...

that flower pot?? it was sitting out on someones curb with 2 others. perfectly good condition, just needed a new coat of paint.  so i adopted them & made them beautiful.. the other two are going to be poppy red...

one of other projects has been ripping out these super awful bushes that took up residence in our front flower beds. they were terrible.  hadn't been trimmed or anything.  so we teamed up and ripped out the first of several bushes this weekend & replaced with some texas, drought friendly plants.  the remodel of that flower bed really opened up the walkway & you can even see the house number now. 

next up is the flower bed in front of our bay window, which has all the other hideous bushes.  ugh, can't wait for them to be gone.  plus contiuous TLC on the yard itself.  it was overtaken by weeds.  so we are currently trying to get rid of them, plus "healing" our good grass as well as covering the dead spots. 

have an terrific landscape tips??? we would love to know them..

a recipe: slow cooker barbeque beef

this past weekend was such an awesome weekend! 

husband and i got so much yard work accomplished that we couldnt top high-fiving one another. another post will reveal a few of our little projects that we completed. i must say being a homeowner has been a pretty rocking feeling with all the fun things we get to put our skills towards.

my brother, wife and their two kids came over and helped us out tremendously!!  so in true bethani fashion, i decided to cook something super delicious to:

1.) feed our super hungry bellies after a long hardworking day

&

2.) a way to say thanks for all their help.

i thought and thought and finally decided on:

slow cooker barbeque beef

i found this recipe through my mom on pinterest. she has made this once before and i love, love, loved it. so did husband.  and not only does the recipe leave you with tons of leftovers, but it also can be used in a bunch of different ways.

Ingredients:

Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef

Makes enough meat to stuff 30 tacos

4 chipotle peppers (from a can) plus all the adobo sauce it sits in

1 bunch cilantro, chopped

1 red onion, peeled and cut into large chunks

1 head garlic, peeled and cloves smashed

5 dry bay leaves

2 teaspoons ground cloves

1 tablespoon kosher salt

Juice of 4 limes

1/2 cup cider vinegar

5 to 7 pounds beef brisket

4 to 6 cups beef or chicken stock

How to:

Stir together chipotle peppers and sauce, cilantro, red onion, garlic, clove, salt, lime juice, and cider vinegar in the insert of a slow cooker (if you have a food processor, pulse till combined first before adding). Place the brisket on top of this mixture. (I like to cut my brisket in two pieces so it fits better in the slow cooker.) Add stock to cover the meat and place bay leaves on top. Use tongs to move the meat around gently to combine everything and put the lid on.

Cook on HIGH for 4 hours. Once finished, turn crock pot to WARM and let sit for 6 to 8 hours.

 

Remove meat from slow cooker and place on rimmed baking sheet. Use two forks to pull the meat apart. Discard the fat, if desired. If you plan on frying it again before use, the small fat bits are extra tasty and should be kept! Place shredded beef in large bowl and ladle cooking liquid over the top a few scoops at a time. You want the meat to hold the liquid but not swim in it.

To keep it warm for guests you can return it to your slow cooker after you have removed the remaining liquid. That liquid is extra tasty and can be frozen into ice cube-sized portions to be used in other dishes later, if you so desire. Serve with fresh tortillas, onion, cilantro, and salsa.

Ours made enough for everyone plus I have a whole brisket left for leftovers throughout the week!! Last night, I decided to make something else with some of the brisket as a quick meal for husband and i so we went with:

brisket egg scramble

i hope everyone had a super awesome weekend!! 

stay tuned this week for part 1 of our yard's overhaul

plus some other fun stuff!

color board: poppy red + pool aqua

this weekend is our first real weekend in our new home & i can't wait to get started on our list of to-do projects.  first up is our landscape.  all i can say is oye vey! 

my list: lots and lots of color!!

our landscape right now is nothing but green. everywhere! while green is much better than dead, a little goes a long way. and we have more than enough. so this weekend we are taking out a few bushes & giving them to my brother, as well as putting some colorful things in their places.  while husband & my dear brother are tackling bushes, my sister in law & i will be sprucing up pots & planter boxes. 

and the color combo couldnt get any better.  poppy red + poolside aqua! 

stayed tuned for all the changes we make, along with some fun diy ideas that i've come across. 

hope you all have had a fantastic weekend week and are having a terrific thursday! cant you tell im jumping ahead just a little.

life lately // according to betty

waiting on the moving truck to arrive // our first load after signing

the kitchen is coming together // my new scenic route

abstract floral // walking park

you can find me on instagram - @cheersbethani

and did you win the modcloth + adspace giveaway?? find out here...

really? a mcdonalds?

our apartment is beginning to become more and more cluttered.  boxes stacked anywhere theres a spot & our poor kitties are hunkering down under anything that protect them from the chaos.  i keep telling myself only 4 more days. only 3 more days.  only 2 more days! and we will be on our way.

i got us checked in early with the uhaul people.  and i had to list myself as a driver. really people? i am the last person who should be driving one of your uhaul trucks.  i'm a honda civic girl.  not a uhaul girl.  maybe a personal truck. but seriously? a 14' truck that can take out any structure, car, pedestrian in seconds flat? i dont think so! thats husbands job. my job? loading & hauling kitties. thats my job.

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in other news... i'm so freaking sick of hearing about this stupid woman in maryland who supposedly won the mega millions.  really lady? produce the freaking ticket already!  and why on earth would any intelligent person "hide it" at their place of employment??  riddle me that batman. if i won or a group of me and my friends, family whatever won, you can bet my sweet butt i would have already made my way to austin to get my prize, hired a lawyer, everything.

this woman is such a moron. and everyday its something different.  i bought the ticket; i didnt buy the ticket, someone bought it for me.  i won; i dont know if won.  i hid it at work. get your story together. and the fact you have seven children & single working at a mcdonalds saying something.  birth control lady!! its possible they are all from the same father, etc, etc, but based on everything else, i'm not buying that either.

and dont even get me started on her lottery pool work business. yikes! someones getting really screwed there. its called a copier & john hancocks people. 

okay off my box now.

have a terrific day friends.  next time you hear from me, i will be a home owner & already moved in. eeps!

twinkling lights & busy crosswalks

saturday we spent the afternoon & evening with my brother and his wife.  we found ourselves downtown, drinking some cold beers & being silly.  it was a great way to spend a saturday night.

and yes thats an oreo next to my beer. totally random. totally hilarious. but thats for another time.

our home: the light is getting brighter

what has seemed like a long and tedious journey is finally almost complete...  moving day is saturday!!!!

so this week im going to be sparce in the blog world.  lots to do at work & home.  so hang tight.  there may be a post during the week, but not everyday.   oh and our modcloth winner will be announced friday.. which is perfect, since we close friday... nice celebration post.