Our Christmas- 2010

My sister and mom came over Christmas eve and spent the night with us.

Christmas morning started out with Kale and Lindsay making a wonderful breakfast. It has always been our tradition that Lindsay make chocolate chip pancakes, but this year she made french toast and it was delish.

Kale whipping up the potatoes with onions and peppers.

After breakfast we opened presents and got ready to head down to my grandparents house for lunch and more presents!!

As you can see it was starting to snow while we were at my grandparents. Since we live about 30 minutes north of them we left early and headed home. Here are a few shots with the grandparents right before we left. Sadly, I didn't get any cousin, aunt and uncle shots.

When we got home Kale and I ventured out on the roads and went to his dad's side of the family to celebrate, eat, and open gifts. The roads weren't bad at all and it was still just sleeting/freezing raining that night with only a little snow on the grass and houses.

But, this is what we woke up to the next morning!!!

It was sooo beautiful!!! Thank you Lord for such a wonderful Christmas surprise!!!

Overall, Christmas was fabulous. We spent it with our family and loved every minute of it.

Merry Christmas 2010

Kale and I finally graduated this year and I thought what better way to sum up our year than a graduation picture!!! So, that's exactly what I did. I love it because it wasn't posed. Kale's mom was just shooting pictures and this was one of them. I think it is so cute!!!

October was...

Baking cupcakes for a halloween party...so fun

Hanging out with my dear friends.

Going to a wedding where my husband discovered he liked to dress up only if his outfit includes a bowtie. :0)

Being blessed beyond what I deserve. My sweet volunteers at church gave me a surprise appreciation lunch!!!!

And lastly hanging out with a man who can make me madder than anyone else, but who can also make me laugh harder and love harder than anyone else.

GAME DAY!!!

I know it's Wednesday, but I wanted to remember this weekend so here it is.

On Saturday Kale and I went to the Georgia Tech game. We had so much fun!!! And won so that made it that much better. :0) We got to Atlanta about 1:00 and tailgated until the game at 3:30. After the game we met up with some people for dinner.

I don't know what my sunglasses are doing in this picture.

(these pics were taken with my phone, still no camera)

The field after we made a touch down.

We had such a good time at the game and as an added bonus we didn't even have to pay for the tickets. The friend who bought them for us wouldn't let us pay for them. It was such a nice surprise!!!

Monday's Meals

I love sharing recipes!!! So I decided to link up to "A love worth waiting for..." again and share another favorite!!! Hope you enjoy.

Enchiladas

1 pound ground beef

1 package of Taco seasoning

1 can red enchilada red sauce

1 can refried beans

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

10 flour tortillas

Barely coat the bottom of baking dish with enchilada sauce. Place the rest of the sauce in a bowl and set aside. Cook ground beef and add seasoning and cook according to package directions.

Spread a little refried beans on tortillas. Top beans with cooked taco meat. Top meat with cheese. Fold in sides and role. Dip enchilada in sauce red sauce bowl. Place in baking dish. Repeat until all tortillas are gone. Pour remainder of sauce on enchiladas and top with the rest of the cheese. Bake for 25-35 minutes at 375. until cheese is melted and sauce bubbly.

I usually serve with Uncle Ben's mexican rice and chips and salsa. Yum!!!

Monday's Meals - A Love Worth Waiting For

I know it's not Monday, but I thought I would join in on Monday's Meals from "A Love Worth Waiting For" . I love getting knew recipes and thought I would share one of my favorites.

It is soooo easy and sooo good. Enjoy.....

Chicken Caesar Tetrazzini

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, boiled and shredded

1 box of favorite pasta ( angel hair works best)

1 can chicken broth

1 bottle creamy caesar dressing

1 can 4 oz mushrooms ( optional-I leave these out)

1 cup shredded colby jack cheese

3 tbls. of dry bread crumbs

In large mixing bowl, combine shredded chicken, broth, dressing, cheese, and mushrooms. Stir. Add in cooked pasta. Stir all together. Pour mixture into 9X13 baking dish. Sprinkle with a tad of cheese or parm. and top with bread crumbs. Bake 350 for 30 minutes.

Johnny Appleseed

In Kindergarten Fall means Apples!!!

And apples mean Johnny Appleseed!!!

One of my favorite things to do in September is celebrate Johnny Appleseed's birthday by making applesauce and doing all sorts of fun apple activites. The kids love it and it is a great way to create real life experiences for the kids.

Sugar, Butter, chopped up apples, a little bit of water,and cinnamon is all you need.

Cook on high for about 4 hours and viola, APPLESAUCE!! It really is so good. :0)

My next favorite apple activity to do is apple painting. Just cut an apple in half, paint it, and stamp it down on paper.

We made color patterns with our apples. So fun!!!!

Love fall, love apples, love my job!!!! :0)

Life with the Ledford's- Football Tailgate Recipe

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE football season and fall!!! My husband and I have been counting down the days for the season to start.

I love making all sorts of dips for the games. Our favorite by far is this cheese dip. It is simple and so yummy!!!! Kale's mom gave me the recipe when we first got married. It has been a family favorite for a long time.

Cheese Dip

1lb. Velveeta cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1/2 lb. pork sausage ( or ground beef), cooked and drained

1 can Rotel

You can add Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup with a little milk or water to make the dip creamier.

Microwave or put in crock pot.

I usually put it in the crock pot with milk and Cream of Mushroom.

Serve with tortilla chips.

(I stole this picture from the Velveeta website.;) )

Full Weekend Fun!!!

Kale and I have had a full weekend filled with fun. Friday night we went to Mellow Mushroom to meet my dad. The pizza is sooooo good there. We ordered the Cosmic Karma pizza and I could literally eat it everyday. I am a lover of all pizza ,but this one really takes the cake.

Love, Love, Love!!!!

Saturday we went to Commerce to the outlet malls. I got some new jeans from Gap and two cute tops from Jcrew. This one is my favorite.

I have had this neclace since Christmas and it matches the shirt perfectly. Can't wait to wear it with some cute pants. I figure I can wear this shirt into the fall with a cute cardigan over it.

Saturday night we went to eat mexican with my family. My little cousin got a scholarship to play football for Gardner Webb and he was home for the weekend. It was good to see him. He seems so grown up now. :0) After dinner Kale and I went over to some friends house. We played "Catch Phrase" and had the best time. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

This morning was church and I have to go back later for a meeting, so I think I am going to take a quick nap. ;0) We are starting new small groups in a couple of weeks and I am really excited. I want God to stretch me even more than he has been over the past couple of weeks.

Well, off to nap. Looking forward to a good week!!!

VEGGIES!!!

One thing that I love about the summer months is all the fresh veggies!!! Kale's family has a HUGE garden every year. His dad always brings us stuff like green beans, squash, zucchini, corn, tomatoes, watermelon, okra, potatoes, and all sorts of other fruits and vegetables.

I have also been participating in an organic food co-op. A group of people get together and order organic produce and other organic food items that are delivered every week. Kale and I are really trying to eat healthier and this forces me to use vegetables in my cooking that I normally would not use. Also, it is helping me eat not so much sugar and carbs to hopefully help with project baby. :0) It is surprisingly not that expensive for organic and I really like finding recipes to match the produce.

I can't believe it is almost September!!!! Next year I want to learn how to can things like spaghetti sauce, salsa, soup, etc...

Oh My Word...

...where have I been? Well, busy that's where. Here are a few things that have been happening over the past few weeks.

• School started two weeks ago. I have a really sweet class. I only have 14 this year so that is a huge blessing!!!!
• My graduate classes started back up again. Basically I have 2 huge projects due by the end of October and then I will be done!!! Yay!!!!!!!!
• I finally finished the desk. More pictures to come.
• I am on the hunt for two chairs in my living room and am planning a small master bathroom redo.
• Went to the doctor again a couple of weeks ago. Found out my insulin level was a little high when he did blood work. Now I am on new medicine.
• My camera is broken and I am very sad!!! I am on the hunt for a new one. Hopefully picture taking will resume very soon.

And lastly...

• God and I have been going round and round the last couple of weeks. I have been in such a weird place, but I am thankful for a God who loves me enough to put up with me even when I am being a stubborn baby!!! :0) I'll write more about this soon. I want to remember every step of this journey.

Well, thats all I can think of for now. I'll try to post more later this week.

Number 7 On My Summer To Do List

When I started this blog I contemplated whether or not to share some aspects of my life. I didn't want my blog to be defined by any one thing, so I shied away from one thing in particular that I didn't really want to share. But recently after a lot of prayer and thought I finally came to the realization that if I don't share no one will know what the Lord is doing for me and my husband, or the miracles He is performing in our lives. And He will perform miracles of that I am sure.

So here goes...

Kale and I have been trying for almost two years to have a baby. At first it was no big deal, but obviously over time I began to get concerned. I have cried more over the past year than I ever have. I have been angry, jealous, and down right mean at times due to the fact that we just can't seem to get pregnant. I have been very insecure about the whole thing and honestly until just recently I haven't opened up to many people about it. For some reason I wanted to keep it a secret like it was something bad and part of me kept thinking/ hoping that "this would be the month" and I wouldn't have to even share our struggle. Month after month nothing happened, so a couple of months ago I made an appointment with a new doctor. I also have come to a place where I can share and let others in. I know that there is a reason for this and some crazy plan that is best for us and our future family is in the works. I want people to know that no one else could have orchestrated it other that my Lord and Savior!!!

I have to be honest...sharing this is going to be very scary for me. I am the girl who takes care of everyone else and doesn't always let others take care of me...but I know that is one of the many reasons for this journey, to let go and trust in the Forever love of Jesus. I know that He is faithful and that His love endures forever and ever!!!! I will cling to that and his promises.

So, number 7 on my summer to do list hasn't been checked off yet, but then again summer is over !! ;0)

Home Sweet Home and Other Happenings!!!

Well...I had great plans for lots of pictures of our vacation, but then my camera broke on Tuesday night. So Sad!!! The first two pics are the last I could salvage and the others are from my phone.

Mom and sis at an amazing burger place called Poe's Tavern. Fabulous food!!!

Tuesday night we went to an amazing Mexican restaurant and then went to a Charleston Riverdogs game. AKA Charleston's minor league baseball team. My husband is obsessed with all things sports so we obliged and ended up having a great time.

Kale, Seriously..?

Here we are at the game.

The last couple of days were spent reading by the ocean or pool and eating until we couldn't eat another thing. We had such a great time!!! Can't wait to go back.

Now...its back to real life. This will be my first week without school. I am glad but at the same time I am in the homestretch before pre-planning the first week of August, so it will be busy. I am just going to try to enjoy my last couple of weeks, get some stuff done at home and get ready for school.

In other news...I am slowly making progress on my summer to do list. So far I have gone to the beach and read some great books. My bedding looks good, but there are a couple of finishing touches that still need to be done. I will post pictures soon. I have also started working on the desk and should have it done by next week. I am still working on the sewing lessons, so hopefully I will be able to squeeze it in before school starts. We shall see!!! :0)

Beach Trip 2010 - Days 1 and 2

We arrived in Isle of Palms, SC. on Saturday. So far it has been so fun!!!! Our first night here we went to a restaurant called Fleets Landing. It was delicious but the wait was really long!!!! Kale hates to take pictures so excuse his ridiculous faces!! HA ha!!!!

View from our balcony

One of Kales many ridiculous faces!! :0)

Below we were waiting for our table. At least there was a pretty view while we waited. :0)

On Sunday we hung out at the beach all day and then went and watched fire works at Patriots Point. The fireworks were beautiful!!! We got really lucky and didn't have to wait in traffic when we left. Somehow we by passed the madness and escaped just in time.

Lindsay and I waiting for the fireworks to begin.

Kale and I (finally a half smile)

This was the battleship that the fireworks were set off from. The USS Yorktown is huge. It was so fun celebrating our nations birthday with a tour of a battleship.

More to come.....

Fun Weekend!!

This weekend my sister, Lindsay came for a visit!! It was so good to see her. She lives in Charleston, SC. and we haven't gotten to see each other in a while. Lindsay's birthday is May 23, but we didn't get to celebrate with her, so we had a surprise "post" birthday party when she came in on Saturday night. My family came over for a hot dogs, hamburgers, cake and homemade ice cream. YUM YUM!!!

Here is Linds blowing out her candles.

Kale grilling the hot dogs and hamburgers.

Lindsay and I

The food table

Sunday we celebrated with Kale's family and dad at lunch. Then we went down to Mellow Mushroom and ate pizza with my dad for dinner. Lindsay left Monday. :0( I was sad, but excited because we are going to visit her in about 2 weeks for 7 days in Charleston. Can't wait!!!