And the winners are………..

I’m so excited to announce that we have THREE winners for the GIVEAWAY…..this is so much fun I want to give something away every week. But, you’re wondering, “Nicole, I thought there were just two winners?”

Well, that’s sorta-kinda-right and sorta-kinda-wrong. The wonderful and gracious Margaret Feinberg is offering her recently released Hungry For God to TWO winners.

And the winners are……..
CHRISTINE CROCKER and DAVID SMITH

Christine and David have been contacted via email (check your email, please!) and should receive their book soon.

So what’s up with this third winner?

Well, since you asked, I’m giving away a THIRD copy of Hungry For God. You see, I reserved and purchased a copy before it even went on sale. And, because Margaret is THAT awesome and cool, she autographed it before mailing it to me.

A couple of weeks ago, when I met Margaret in person, she gave me another copy with a personal note and her autograph. I don’t have the conscience knowing that I have an extra copy of this EXTRAORDINARY book in my possession so I must give it away. Someone else must enjoy this too.

The third winner is RICK MILLER.

Mr. Miller, please check your email too!!!

Giveaways are so much fun, I really appreciate everyone participating! I’m looking for sponsors and items to share with my readers. I’m also taking your comments, suggestions, and feedback.

One suggestion I’ve received is more “guy-friendly” items.

What? Guys don’t want a skin smoother and bubble bath?!

OK. I’ll work on that make it happen. Geesh.

As always, your comments and feedback are beneficial. Keep them coming.

HAPPY SUNDAY, Y’ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hostess & Roper’s Wife

For those of you who were with me yesterday, I’m proud to announce that darn To-Do List got accomplished today, except for one load of laundry (which is in the washer now) and final cooking and preparations for tomorrow evening’s dinner. Oh, and I’ll run the vacuum one more time tomorrow afternoon….you know, just in case.

After cleaning the house and going to the grocery, I came home and starting prepping for tomorrow’s dinner. I made the spinach dip and juiced a bag of lemons for lemonade and oranges for orangeade; then, I chopped vegetables for the kabobs. I love kabobs, they’re so colorful and easy to make.

Here’s a quad of bell peppers – yellow, red, orange and green – plus red onion and pineapple.

 

 

When I assemble the kabobs tomorrow, I’m also adding whole mushrooms and chunks of chicken, pork, and large shrimp.

YUM!

Kevin got home from work and just as he was changing into comfortable clothes, his phone rang. A few minutes later he was walking out the door in his boots and jeans. I made the assumption the cowboy church had changed their roping schedule.

I was right.

Since I had been home most of the day, I figured I’d drive over to the roping pen. Plus, this was a great excuse for me to take pictures. I promised the Husband I wouldn’t plaster my blog with pictures of him. Yeah, whatever.

 

 

I’m really concerned with Blue’s camera fetish. He’s becoming more and more photogenic. As soon as I got out of my car and he saw me, it was like he was looking for the camera. He knows he’s handsome and he wants everybody else to know it too. Silly horse.

 

 

This little guy (girl?) was just chilling.

 

 

I thought this was a nice action shot, unfortunately you’re unable to see Kevin’s rope under the steer because of the dust. Oh well.

 

 

Amongst the many titles and hats I wear, Equipment Manager is one of them. I wish I had a quarter for every rope I’ve handled in the past eight years. Unfortunately, ropes are not contained to the horse trailer or roping pen. Kevin has a practice dummy that is “household size” and proudly sits in our living room. Welcome to my life as a Roper’s Wife!

 

 

I made a deal with the steers tonight. I promised to capture their best features and they agreed to be on their best behavior and not shower me with dirt and other “mud-like” substances. We both held up our end of the bargain.

 

 

I’m incredibly jealous of these boots. Not only are they a lovely cherry-red, but they’re also square-toe.

Whomever is working in the pens, they should dress appropriate to the surroundings and current weather conditions. Obviously, when working near cattle it’s a good idea to have your feet covered, you’re likely to step in sh…STUFF that’s wet, slimy, and stinky. I speak from experience. When it’s 2409834973 degrees outside, one might wear shorts too, as the Chute Boss did tonight.

 

 

Another catch for the Husband.

 

Better get in bed early tonight, I’ve got a busy day tomorrow.

Goodnight, Y’all.

Today’s high hopes and epic failures

I had a long list of to-do’s to do today.

Gosh, that’s a lot of t-o-d-o. I’m so sorry.

I was supposed to clean the kitchen, empty the dishwasher, do loads of laundry (yes, plural on the laundry), de-clutter the living room and dining room tables, vacuum, mop, and dust the furniture.

I’m hosting a dinner party Friday evening for the Haiti mission team members and other guests, about 15 people in all. I’m not concerned about the food prep or the cooking or even setting the table, but my house is a mess and I desperately needed to get my butt in gear. Afterall, I didn’t have to go to work today!

To the n-th degree, I am an excellent list-maker. However, I’m an epic failure in the business of completing to-do lists.

I’m adding this to my Bucket List. Need to work on that.

Hmmph.

First, I slept till 10:34 am. Then, from the bed, I went straight to the couch to log-in to Facebook and Twitter.

I like to pretend I’m THAT important…yeah right.

About noon, I warmed up the leftovers and enjoyed my very dee-lish pot roast. After lunch, I unloaded the dishwasher and started the dryer (for the third time, with the same clothes inside). Then, I spent the next two hours gawking (literally) at Foodgawker.com for recipes and dishes to make Friday evening.

My contributions for Friday’s dinner: several appetizers, mixed-grill kabobs, cupcakes (with sprinkles, of course), iced tea and soft drinks. Everyone is supposed to bring a vegetable or salad, potluck style. Nothing fancy, but you know me, I’ll try to play hostess-with-the-mostess.

I’m hoping Friday’s get-together will go better than the last one.

At 3:00, I got bored so I took a shower AND folded the clothes in the dryer. I started the washer too. (Wow, my productivity level just soared a gabillion-zillion levels.)

While Kevin was feeding the horses, I went outside to water the ferns and saw a really bright green and blue bug flying around the chaise lounge-chair. I went inside to grab my fancy-schmancy camera. Don’t know what it is…but he was bright and colorful.

Kevin ate dinner and I pretended to be The Next Food Network Star. I found some tilapia filets in the freezer and sautéed them in a pan with a splash of olive oil. Alongside long-grain rice, drizzled with a nice sauce, the fish made for a quick, simple, and tasty meal. I’ll have leftovers tomorrow too.

Oh gosh, tomorrow will be here really soon.

Why am I still up? Am I crazy?

Don’t answer that.

Not only do I have to complete all those things on today’s to-do list, but I must go to the grocery too. How will I find the time?!

Wish me luck…I’m gonna need all I can get!

Super Simple Pot Roast

Summer has officially started. HIP HIP HOORAY!!! To celebrate, I fixed one of Kevin’s favorite meals (what’s up with that?!): pot roast and mashed tators. It’s not at all summer-y, but the A/C is down, the ceiling fan’s on high, and it’s kinda chilly in here!

I chose this particular meal for its convenience. Today was the last day of school for teachers and I was hoping I’d get home early but I honestly didn’t want to cook. As it turns out, Kevin got home and before he even came inside, he cranked the Dodge and loaded Blue into the trailer. Husband or no husband, bon appetit to me!

I went to bed last night later than I should have. To make matters worse, I had to be at school for an extra-early faculty meeting and then a day of hurry-up-and-wait. I won’t bore you with the mundane details of my day except for this: I survived my first year of  teaching middle school. I’m celebrating with a hearty dinner and an evening of controlling the TV remote by watching The Housewives. It’s good to be me!

This pot roast is SUPER easy. If you can plug-in a Crock-Pot, you can make this meal.  

This post isn’t a formal recipe. Prior to leaving this morning, this was my routine (note: I haven’t been to the grocery in two weeks, so these are all “staples” in my pantry):

• plugged in the Crock-Pot
• add one large carton of beef stock and one large carton of chicken stock
• one package of Knorr’s vegetable seasoning mix
• splash or two of Whats-this-here sauce (that’s what I call Worcestershire, don’t hate me)
• teaspoon of minced garlic
• teaspoon of beef base
• couple of teaspoons of cornstarch
• add the roast
• set the Crock-Pot to LOW, cover, and let the magic begin

As soon as I got home, about 7-8 hours later, I set the Crock-Pot to WARM. The meat was falling apart, which is perfect. I boiled potatoes for mashed tators, made gravy, and baked biscuits. Just as the husband was clankety-ing (boots + spurs + tile floor = clankety clank clank) out the door to the roping pen, I enjoyed dinner.

It was deeeee-lish.

Obviously.

Photoshop for Dummies – Nicole’s version

Whomever decided the last day of school for students should be on a Monday is NOT very bright. Needless to say, my students and I were not as productive as we have been throughout the year. Besides, out of 141 students, only 14 showed up for my classes today. I had a History Channel video playing that some watched, but others were reading, drawing, or quietly talking to their friends.

As you know, Kevin bought me a very nice digital SLR camera (Nikon D5000) a couple of weeks ago and aside from trying to learn photography tricks, I’m also trying to learn Photoshop. I used this program back in college about a day-and-a-half. I got frustrated, didn’t understand the concept (very much like InDesign), and stopped paying attention to Miss Hannah. That was really stupid on my part. I finally grasped the concept of page layout and design for InDesign, but I never tried my hands at Photoshop again.

Until today.

I can’t explain in technical terms what I’ve done, except to say I pressed two buttons and changed a setting. It’s got something to do with layers, a fancy term in Photoshop that I don’t completely understand but I can follow step-by-step directions fairly well.

My Photoshop teacher has been none other than The Pioneer Woman. She’s quite amazing. Even if you don’t care about Photoshop, her pictures are amazing, her confessions are priceless, her family is beautiful, her home is extraordinary, and if that doesn’t suit your fancy, she’s got two Bassett Hounds that rule the roost. Literally. She has LOTS of material on her blog, including tips and techniques for Photoshop, including this one that I used tonight on the photos below. Check out these BEFORE and AFTER photos of mine….I’m impressed, even if nobody else is.

Dulce and her green shoes BEFORE

 

Dulce and her green shoes AFTER

I’m so impressed with myself – HOW COOL IS THIS?!?! I’m easily amused…moving on.

Rain gauge on the fence BEFORE

Rain gauge on the fence AFTER

I loved this rain gauge photograph before. After the edits, it’s amazing.

A close-up of Blue BEFORE

A close-up of Blue AFTER

OK, I’m done bragging on myself.

By the way, if you know tips, or techniques that I could master, please share the knowedge. I’m desparately trying to learn camera and photography-related .

How did I get to 100 posts?

The last six months have been quite the journey. This blog began with a few recipes and some random stories I wanted to share about my life. I never dreamt 27 & Counting would turn into a daily part of my life.

So, how did I get to 100 posts?

 

I posted this and indulged in a pity party.

Kevin and I decided to embark on an adventure at the beginning of the year……seven weeks later our master bathroom was remodeled. 

I made a Bucket List for 2011.

You like red velvet cake? You like brownies? I made these for a New Year’s Eve get-together.

February brought extreme winter weather to North Texas, including record-breaking snow and ice. I didn’t mind the extra days of paid vacation. Here’s a recap of Day 3.

On Day 4 of the 2011 Snow Storm, I ventured outside only to fall on my butt. It was an epic moment. If nothing else, it looked like Christmas!

There were no wardrobe malfunctions at our Super Bowl Party.

Nominated my favorite professor in Kentucky, Dr. O’Keeffe, for an award with Kentucky Monthly magazine.

Participated in my first-ever fashion event with Every Body Every Wear with this red sweater blazer. I was quite proud of myself. So was The Coastal Chicster.

I found Etsy.

I stepped down as Director of Youth Ministries for Genesis Youth Group. It was the right decision.

I successfully administered a standardized test. It was the most boring day of my life.

I shared a photo taken by Cris Bingham, my very talented uncle.

An angry parent yelled and screamed at me. The next day, I went home to Kentucky and drank my Daddy’s homemade wine.

Reinvented my late Papaw George’s messy-and-sloppy-but-oh-so-good BBQ chicken recipe.

Kevin and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary March 31.

Took my shoes off and supported One Day Without Shoes, a TOMS Shoes event.

My best friend, Kimberly and I spent the day in Gruene (pronounced green).

Said goodbye to my friend and golf buddy, Lori McKenzie. RIP Spanky. (her nickname after spankin’ several good drives right down the middle of the fairway!)

Shared my rooster collection.

Discovered the BEST cinnamon toast. Oh. Em. Gee.

Took a trip to the ER.

Thanked the teachers and educators who’ve made an impact on my life.

Jumped, screamed, yelled, and clapped during the 137th running of the Kentucky Derby. My horse did not win.

Wrote an apology letter to the housecleaning fairy. My house was VERY dirty.

Hosted my first giveaway.

Extended a special birthday wish to my bestie, Kimberly.

While some thought the world would end with the Rapture, I was in Austin drinking wine and eating delicious food.

Encouraged my blog readers to wear protection.

Santa came early this year and brought me a special gift.

I met my favorite author and reviewed her latest book. She’s also sponsoring my second giveaway.

There ya go, one hundred posts and I haven’t run out of things to say. I wonder what the next 100 posts will bring?!

Quinceanera – you’re an adult now

Congratulations, Dulce Maria Noriega.

 

She looked beautiful at her Quinceanera!

I’m so thankful and appreciative to the family for allowing me to be a part of Dulce’s 15th birthday celebration. I’m so proud of her and the woman she’s becoming. Her smile radiates the room and the green shoes make me laugh.

Of course, the day wouldn’t be complete unless Dulce is texting!!

The entire Quinceanera ceremony and reception was Skype’d. Dulce’s older sister lives in London and her grandparents live in Mexico. What an awesome and incredible gift the Internet brings to family and friends around the globe! That’s sooooooooo cool.

Yes, Dulce is on her cell phone. Actually, I think she was talking to her sister in London.

Do you think I “cheesed” enough?!

It wasn’t until Sunday morning that Dulce and I realized we had not taken a full body-shot of us all dressed up. We decided that we’re going to have to do it all over again just so we can get a GOOD picture together.

The ceremony was beautiful (kudos to Rev. L and Rev. Clint), everybody did a great job!

I think I smiled during the entire service. I’m so proud of Dulce and the group of young people that gathered to support and celebrate with her. I couldn’t help but gleam with pride for them. They are so supportive of each other.

I may not be the youth director anymore, but these kids (they’re younger than me, so I can call them that!) hold my heart forever. Look at these brillant faces - filled with  happiness, joy, and love for their friend.

I’m so proud of these kids. They make me smile, they make me laugh, and they dance like nobody’s watching!

I’m really sad I missed their “Thriller” dance for Dulce (she’s a HUGE Michael Jackson fan), but I had to make a quick trip to Fort Worth and get donated items for the Haiti mission trip. Oh well, I’ll catch somebody’s video!!!!

“100th” post….In Their Own Words

Wow, my 100th post! I’m doing something a little different and I hope you like it.

I asked my students to write a letter to future students, offering suggestions and insight about me, my classroom, the subject, etc. It was a risky activity, but the majority took it seriously and provided sound advice, honest feedback, accurate observations, and shared general info for surviving my class!

 

Advice for future students in Mrs. Hutchison’s class:

• “Expect work, but not without rewards (she plays Pandora).”
• “You should come to learn and not to play or goof off.”
• “Be prepared for anything.”
• “She’s always smiling but if she’s not, something is wrong or someone is making her mad.”
• “She loves to talk about Kentucky.”
• “She may be hard on you and hold you to high expectations, but it’s for your own good.”
• “Her class is VERY demanding and requires LOTS of effort on your part.”
• “Do not get her mad or she’ll go Lady Hulk on you.”
• “She writes really straight on the Promethean board.”
• “Mrs. Hutchison is a fair teacher. She doesn’t tolerate disrespect.”
• “Mrs.Hutchison’s personality is good even though many students I know describe her as mean. She wants her students to work hard so they earn success everywhere in real life.”
• “She is not mean, she just wants you to do your best.”
• “She doesn’t do extra credit so you better do the work.”
• “She could possibly be one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. She believes in you all the time.”
• “Mrs. Hutchison has that look that says get to work on her face everyday. It’s like she is choking you with her eyes….be a pain in the butt like me so she won’t be bored.”
• “Mrs. Hutchison is an amazing teacher! She’s funny, smart, and loves kids!”
• “DON’T CHEAT! I copied my friend thinking Mrs. Hutchison wouldn’t notice. She did and I got a zero. I was mad at myself.”
• “Keep her books straight….she likes them in neat stacks.”
• “If you misbehave she WILL contact your mother. (I speak from experience.)”
• “Mrs. Hutchison will push you really hard, but she’s a really good teacher.”
• “She has an awesome sense of humor and treats you like an adult.”
• “Your grade is a direct reflection of your efforts, she does not ‘give’ you anything.”
• “Bring your own stuff, she’s not Wal-Mart.”
• “You may call her “Miss H” if you can’t pronounce her name correctly.”
• “Miss H will get sick or faint if she don’t eat. Do good and try your best in her class every single day. Don’t give up and keep looking forward because it will benefit you.”
• “Get ready to work…even the first day of class.”
• “Be nice to Mrs.Hutchison, she’s old.”
• “Mrs.Hutchison will give you a test the first day of school. The answers are: she’s allergic to milk, has two horses, is married, and she’s 27 years old.”
• “My advice to you in Mrs.Hutchison’s class is to never give up and do your best and work. I’m telling you, it pays off in the future. I wanted to give up in the beginning of the year because I started with a 58. I did a horrible thing by not caring and giving up but Mrs. H encouraged me to stay focused and I’m proud to say I now have a 91 in her class!”
• “When you walk through the door, you’ll notice Mrs. Hutchison’s smile.”
• “Don’t lie to Mrs.Hutchison, she will catch you.”
• “You can hear Mrs.Hutchison’s country twang all the way down the hall.”
• “Mrs.H is from Kentucky, but she doesn’t like Kentucky Fried Chicken. Isn’t that weird?”
• “You have to work really hard or you’ll FAIL her class, just like I did the first semester. The second semester I started going to tutoring and working hard so I passed.”
• “When Mrs.H has a sub, behave. She will find out about EVERYTHING.”
• “She is so a Kentucky girl, and she doesn’t like cheese and that is not cool because I like cheese and my favorite cheese is cheddar and she hates cheddar cheese and I am mad at her….have your shirt tucked at all times and pull up your pants and don’t say bad words.”
• “She helps you with a question but doesn’t give you the answer.”
• “When you’re tired of her talking, just look at her and think about something else.”
• “She majored in journalism. This means she loves to read and write and you’ll do a lot of that.”
• “Mrs. Hutchison is to the point and on top of it.”
• “If you make her mad, she’ll forgive you in 3 minutes. That belly she has isn’t just filled with food, it has nice stuff in it too.”
• “I broke her pencil sharpener, I’m ashamed of myself.”
• “When Mrs.Hutchison says ‘don’t waste time,’ don’t waste your time.”
• “She has really good handwriting but she says it’s sloppy compared to her father’s.”
• “When she sneezes, it sounds funny.”
• “Mrs.Hutchison doesn’t allow cheating or misbehavior.”
• “If you misbehave in another teacher’s room, they’ll send you to Mrs.Hutchison and she will make you write a paragraph about responsibility, maturity, and respect. You’ll write it a million times. Bring lots of paper and a sharp pencil.”
• “Even though she’s from Kentucky, she don’t eat KFC. That’s like me not eating tacos and I’m Mexican.”
• “Her laugh sounds like a dying hyena.”

 

There you have it. In their own words, honest and accurate. They’re correct about my tolerance, expectations, and sneeze volume. Their infatuation with Kentucky Fried Chicken cracks me up.

If I accomplished nothing else, my first year’s students now say Y’ALL. 

new design for significant milestone

Hey friends,

This is more of a note than a post but I want to assure everyone that this is the same ol’ blog, only redesigned. 

*note: the comments link is at the top now, under the post title and the pages are above just like before – not much has changed except the design theme

I bit the bullet and purchased a “premium” blog theme template today. After yelling, cussing, and nearly throwing the laptop out the window, I have pages, widgets, and menus in the right order.

What do you think of the new design?

I’m still working on my 100th post (yippeee!!), so don’t be surprised if things are quiet until Friday afternoon, or even the weekend. I’m at the mercy of my students to help me with this significant blogging milestone, but if things don’t go as planned, I have a post ready – just in case!

Don’t forget the GIVEAWAY ends June 11 at midnight. Add your comment to the post; then, invite your friends to participate. If you promote the event on Facebook or Twitter, you earn additional entries. Good luck!

Also, my friend @mafeinberg just released a new book called #HungryforGod. It’s available on Amazon.com in paperback and Kindle format. Check it out: http://mar.cta.gs/00y

Blessings to you and yours!

Related articles

• GIVEAWAY – ends 06.11.11 (mrshutchison.wordpress.com)
• Hungry For God (a review) (mrshutchison.wordpress.com)