happy birthday mom!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

I hope your day was as fabulous as you are!!

I love you!!

broomball

Last night our ABF rented out the Galleria Ice Skating Rink to play some late night broomball. We had the rink rented out from 11:15-12:15, so it was a very late night for me. Normally I don't stay up late on Friday nights, but this was well worth it!!

It was a lot harder than it looked, but I some how managed to score one goal. Matt, on the other hand, scored a plethora for his team.

A fun night was definitely had by all!!

favorite shopping spots

Show us Your Life Friday

{Favorite Shopping Spots}

I have always been a quantity vs. quality kind of clothes shopper. I would much rather have a closet full of clothes that I will get rid of after a few seasons, than have designer clothes that last forever. I get tired of my clothes and I like to change it up.

That's why I shop at...

and

and anywhere there is a clearance section.

I love a good deal!!

Where you do shop??

finger lickin' good

I decided to bust out my Pioneer Woman cookbook tonight.

I made chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy.

I love her cookbook because she gives pictures for every step of the recipe. Her tip for the chicken fried steak was to have four plate stations.

Here are my four plates:

1. the seasoned meat

2. the egg/milk mixture

3. the flour mixture

4. the ready to cook meat

In her cookbook she says, "You're doing it right if you're hands get really messy."

I guess I was doing it right!!
Frying food has always scared me. I had never fried anything until tonight.
My husband posted on Facebook & Twitter that I make a mean chicken fried steak, so it looks like this won't be my last time to fry something!!

If you don't have the Pioneer Woman's cookbook, it's worth the investment just for this recipe!!

january desktop

Here is my desktop background for the month of January.

Every month Shabby Princess has a free desktop calendar template.

It is so quick and easy to download, you should check it out.

I just love my cute little desktop background each month!!

top ten reasons i meal plan

And, ten reasons why you should meal plan too!!

(in no particular order)

10. It makes my Sunday afternoon grocery store trips so quick and easy.

9. I can come home from school late and still get a great meal on the table by 6:00.

8. I don't have to think when I come home what we will have for dinner.

7. I save money because I rarely have to make random trips to the grocery store to pick up a couple of things at full price.

6. We don't go out to eat much because I always have something planned.

5. We never end up eating crap for dinner because I always have something planned.

4. It helps me try new recipes.

3. It's one less thing I have to think about during the week.

2. I actually think it's fun!!

1. It gives me something to blog about each Monday, and now that I've added a MckLinky it gives me some great new ideas!!

Join in on the fun next week for Meal Planning Monday!!

i forgot the jelly

Tonight I made spaghetti for dinner and it just didn't taste right.

Matt thought it tasted fine, but I just ate my bread and called that dinner. It just wasn't even worth eating to me.

I couldn't figure out why it didn't taste right until I remembered that I forgot my secret ingredient.

GRAPE JELLY!!!

Yup, grape jelly. I forgot to put grape jelly in my spaghetti sauce.

All you have to do is mix a can of Hunt's Traditional Spaghetti Sauce, a spoonful of parmesan, ground beef or meatballs, and a heaping spoonful of grape jelly.

You'll never want to eat spaghetti without grape jelly after you try it!!

meal planning monday

Thanks to those of you who linked up last week. I enjoyed reading what some of you were making. I plan on trying some of your recipes in the next couple of weeks. Sometimes I get in a rut of what I make, so it's nice to get fresh new ideas from other people!! Feel free to link up again this week!!

Monday: Spaghetti & Meat Sauce, French Bread, and Salad

Tuesday: Crescent Chicken and Veggies

Wednesday: Veggie Quesadillas & Homemade Hot Sauce

Thursday: PW's Chicken Fried Steak, PW's Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans

Friday: BLT Sandwiches & Chips

Saturday Brunch: Eggs & Sausage Crescent Wraps

Saturday Dinner: Out or Something Quick & Easy

Sunday Lunch: Chili Cheese Wraps

Sunday Dinner: Mom's Birthday Dinner @ Our House

And a big thanks to Ricci for letting me steal your cute little button this week. I have plans to make my own button that matches my blog, but I don't have photoshop loaded back onto my computer since the crash, so who knows when I'll get around to it. For now I'll be using Ricci's cute button!!

dating groups

Our ABF does a thing called "dating groups." Every two weeks we are paired up with two couples. We have two weeks to get together with them and go out on a "date." Just like we all dated to get to know our spouse, we are dating other couples to get to know them as well. This has really been a fun way to get to know all the people in our class. And it sure is fun to always have a group date on our calendar every other week!

This round we were paired up with....

The Davis': Eric & Julie (and Toby the dog)

and The Hutchison's: Michelle & David

Eric and Julie are huge Colts fans so they invited us to their house last night for desserts, games, and of course the Colts game. A great time was had by all!!

skatin' with peyton

Yesterday we headed down to Sherman for our nephew, Peyton's 9th Birthday Party.

The party was at a Sherden Roller Rink. Matt said it hadn't change one bit since he was a kid.

Our other little nephew, Preston, was quite the little entertainer on his skates. He couldn't quite figure out how to stay on his feet.

Our niece, Emma, somehow talked Grandaddy into skating with him. He was a brave man. Matt and I didn't even roller skate.

We were too busy loving on our sweet little nephew, Ethan.

Too cute!! Doesn't my husband look good with a baby??

long time no see

Friday night I met up with Erin, one of my best friends and roommates from college, for dinner at Fireside Pies.

Erin was in town with her Mom and Aunt for Market in Dallas. I hadn't seen Erin since my wedding almost 15 months ago, so it was so great to catch up with her. Erin is one of those friends that you just pick right back up where you left off.

Erin and I met very early in our freshman year. We were friends all through college and even stood in each others weddings. Here's some of the good times we've had together!!

Erin, let's not wait this long to see each other again!! Love you girl!!

weight loss, diet tips, work-out ideas

Show us Your Life Friday

{Weight Loss & Diet Tips and Work-Out Ideas}

When I was in college, I definitely gained the freshman 15 plus some. All through college my weight was a roller coaster going up and down by the day. As soon as I graduated college I miraculously lost it all. I say miraculously because I wasn't really trying to lose weight. I think I lost weight because I was out of the unhealthy college lifestyle. I got back down to the size and weight I was as a sophomore in high school. I have kept the weight off and actually maintain my weight (give or take a pound or two) for the past 2 years.

Here's some of the things I've done to help keep the weight off.

To-Go Boxes- When we go to restaurants, I always ask for a to-go box at the beginning of the meal. I put half of the meal in the box then eat the rest, this way I'm not tempted to keep eating on what I know I don't need. (I haven't done this in a while, but I did this alot right out of college)

Biggest Loser- I love watching this show. It's so inspiring and I actually get some great tips from Jillian and Bob.

30-Day Shred- This work-out, lead by Jillian Michaels is a 25 minute full body work-out. Amazing. That's all I have to say.

Lose-it- This is an application on my iPhone that I use to keep track of what I'm eating. I don't always use it, but it's a great way to look up how many calories are in different foods. You can also set goals and record to your weight each day to see how much you have lost.

No seconds- When we eat at home, I try to fill my plate up once with healthy portions and not go back for seconds.

Hop over to Kelly's Korner to see some other great ideas.

peanut butter

I made some peanut butter treats for me and Matt to snack on while we watched Up tonight!

I decided to let Izzie try some peanut butter for the first time. I think she liked it!!

blessing book

Each day, we are given the choice to either judge or value our spouse and their differences. When we choose to bless our spouse, we are choosing to value them. The word "bless" literally means to "add value to a person's life".

My parents did a Bible Study this past fall and were asked to start a "Blessing Book" as a part of their study. They loved doing it so much that my Mom put a "Blessing Book" in my stocking for Matt and I to do as well.

On our nightstand sits our little "Blessing Book."

On the inside of the book it reads......

"Write your spouse a blessing each day and leave this Blessing Book in a place where they will find it. It can be a simple thank you for something they have done, a quality you love or admire about them, a compliment, a private joke only the two of you understand, or even a favorite memory you share. Have fun!!"

I can not tell you how much we have enjoyed doing this. My husband does such a good job of verbally telling me how much he loves and appreciates me, but I love seeing it written. And I know that I will treasure having this book forever. I look forward to the days that I get to see what he writes to me and I know he feels the same way.

Our "Blessing Book" has already been such a blessing to us.

If you want to bless your spouse in this same way, just go grab a little notebook and get started today. I promise you that your marriage will be blessed because of it!!

pressure cooker

My grandma cooks with a pressure cooker all the time. I've always been jealous of how quick she can boil her chicken and how tender her meat gets, but my Mom has kind of scared to cook with a pressure cooker. My grandma always told my Mom growing up to not open the pressure cooker before all the pressure was out or it would blow beans all the way to the ceiling.

I decided to get over my Mom's fear and ask for a pressure cooker for Christmas!!

Nonnie gave me one for Christmas, but I had no idea how to use it. And I was actually a little bit scared. She came over tonight and helped me boil some chicken in my new pressure cooker. We didn't blow any chicken onto the ceiling and I think I'll be able to use it on my own next time.

Thanks Nonnie for helping me learn how to use my pressure cooker tonight.

Mom- if you need a lesson on how to use a pressure cooker, come on over!!

ER

Do you know who these people are??

The cast of ER.

Let me be more specific, the cast of ER Season 3 which is very different from the cast of ER Season 15.

I was looking for a picture of the cast of ER and I found this one...

......and I didn't recognize one single person.

For the last couple months we have been getting ER on Netflix. We love it!! But obviously we have a looooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnng way to go if we haven't even met the characters that finish the show.

3 seasons down....only 12 more to go!!!

meal planning monday & a MckLinky

I've decided to add a MckLinky at the bottom of this post if you would like to link up to my Meal Planning Monday. I have no idea if anyone will link up, but I thought I would give it a try. I love getting new ideas for meals from other blogs, so I would love to see what you are having for dinner this week too!!

Monday: Cheese Tortellini with Italian Sausage, Green Beans, & Garlic Bread

Tuesday: Crock Pot Chicken Soft Tacos

Wednesday: Dinner with The Henrys

Thursday: Pasta Fajoli Soup w/ French Bread

Friday: Matt-leftovers Katy-Out with Erin

Saturday Breakfast: Banana Nut Muffins

Saturday Lunch: Chipotle w/ Matt's Family

Saturday Dinner: Out with Friends

Sunday Lunch: Corny Dogs & Curly Fries

Sunday Dinner: Taco Casserole

$800 later....

I got my computer back on Wednesday with everything back on it!!

TaylorMark successfully retrieved all my data and Apple replace my hard drive.

Fortunately, my computer was still under warranty, so I got my hard drive replaced for free. Part of my keyboard was peeling off, so they even replaced that too. Unfortunately, it cost us $800 to get all my data back.

It absolutely killed me to pay $800, but I think it was worth it not to lose all my pictures.

I have already backed up everything onto an external hard drive and I'm working on setting up a Flickr account. If my computer ever crashes again, I'll be prepared!! I definitely learned my lesson the hard/expensive way this time.

show us how you live fridays

Every Friday, Kelly's Korner she host a Blog Carnival called Show Us Your Life. It started out as just showing each room in your house, but it has evolves to literally just showing/blogging about a specific topic. I always wanted to do it last year, but I just never got around to it. I'm going to try to participate in all of them this year. So from here on out my Friday posts, will be a part of Show Us Your Life.

{New Years Resolutions}

re:post

Last year I made quite a few New Years Resolutions. I was actually able to keep all but a couple of them. I didn't resolve to anything huge or out of the ordinary. They were all simple things that I knew I could do. I just wanted to type them out so I would hold myself accountable. I plan to do the same thing this year.

I know it looks like I have a ton of New Year's Resolutions but they are just small things.

Here are my resolutions for 2010.....

I want to back up all my pictures, music and documents to an external hard drive and also back them up some where else.

I want to find new ways to work out, since we canceled our gym membership this year.

I want to read my 365 day devotional daily.

I want to write in our Blessings Book daily.

(I'll blog later about our Blessings Book)

I want to have people over for dinner more often.

I want to comment more on other people's blogs. I love getting comments, but I'm so lazy and never comment on anyone else's blog.

I want to continue learning more about digital scrapbooking & photography.

I want to finish some decorating projects so my house can be completely decorated.

I want to learn how to sew.

I want to have my Christmas shopping and Christmas cards done before Thanksgiving.

I want to make new stockings.

I want to keep my house, my classroom, and my computer more organized.

I want to simplify my life and enjoy every moment of 2010.

And since I'm retyping this post, I think I might add a few more while I'm at it!!

*I want to try to stop biting my nails.

*I want to keep my grocery bill under $300 a month, preferably around $250.

*I want to keep my car clean.

*I want to participate Show Us Your Life Fridays!!

bathroom curtain

My Mom put a certifcate in my stocking that said....

"Good for one custom green & brown valence"

Made by Mom & Installed by Dad

I cashed in my certificate and here's what I got.....

Thanks Mom for the cute valence! I love i!!

words with friends

Matt and I have a new obsession on our iPhone

Words With Friends

We were immediately hooked, the second we started playing. It's basically like Virtual Scrabble.

If you have an iPhone, get Words With Friends, and play a game with me.

My username is katylink.

(P.S. Notice who is winning in the game I have picured!!)

guess what starts tonight??

I can't wait! I stinkin' love this show. It really is the best reality show out there. (Much better than last night's quality TV!!)And I'm so excited that it's couples again. I like the couples shows better than individuals.

Any one else out there a Biggest Loser fan??

super cheesy

The first show of Bachelor or Bachelorette always makes me laugh because somehow they keep coming up with cheesy pick up lines.

This season seemed to be super cheesy.....

How does it feel to talk to the woman you are going to marry?

What do you feel about "Kisseme"? Florida that is.

Do you want kids.....like right now....with me?

Hook 'em Horns?

You better fasten your seatbelt, cuz it's gonna be a bumpy road?

A Flight attendant costume?

Motorcyle Gloves?

Pretend Fiance?

Soil from Texas?

Double Sided Coin?

Jake & Ashley Spinner?

Chloe dog might get to go home with her Daddy?

Aviator Glasses?

Do you have a registry for these guys?

A Peacock Feather?

Jelly Bean girl?

But "You can land your plane on my landing strip anytime".......oh my word. That was just over the top.

I like Tenley. Who do you like?

(And I actually typed this before he gave her the first impresson rose.)

i give in...

I always say I'm not going to watch the next season.......but I always do.

Any Bachelor fans out there??

meal planning monday

Monday: Chicken Spaghetti, Brocolli, & Rolls

Tuesday: Sweedish Meatballs, Rice, Steamed Squash, Rolls

Wednesday: Leftover Roast Carrots and Potatoes from Nonnie's

Thursday: Leftovers from Mom's House

Friday: Taco Soup & Tortilla Chip

Saturday Breakfast: Cinnamon Toast

Saturday Lunch: Sonic

Saturday Dinner: PW's Cowboy Calzones with marinara Sauce

Sunday Lunch: Lunch with Mom

Sunday Dinner: Homemade Tin Star Club Tacos

barbecue cupcakes

I made these for dinner on Friday night. I thought they were delcious, however my husband did not agree. I don't understand why he didn't like them. They are basically a mix between a barbecue sandwich and a Sloppy Joe, but much better than a Sloppy Joe. (I hate Sloppy Joe's.)

Here is the recipe if you are interested in trying them....

Barbecue Cupcakes

1/2 lb ground beef

1/2 cup ketchup

1 T mustard

2 T brown sugar
can of biscuits

shredded cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown the beef and drain. Mix ketchup, mustard and brown sugar in a bowl to make a barbecue sauce. Add the beef to the sauce and stir. Form each biscuit into a cup in the muffin tin. Spoon the meat into the cups and sprinkle cheese on top. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the biscuits look done.

baby bryson

We didn't have any New Years Eve Plans on Thursday, so we decided to take dinner to some friends who just had a baby. I made Lasangna Roll-Ups for them. That is definitely going to be a staple meal in The Link Home. It's s easy to make. The full recipe was plenty for both us and The Fants to eat.

While we were at The Fants house we got to meet sweet Baby Bryson who was just born December 21st. He is absolutely precious. He just balled up in my arms when I held him. I could have held him forever.

You can go check out Kristin's blog to see more of sweet Baby Bryson!!

new years resolutions

Last year I made quite a few New Years Resolutions. I was actually able to keep all but a couple of them. I didn't resolve to anything huge or out of the ordinary. They were all simple things that I knew I could do. I just wanted to type them out so I would hold myself accountable. I plan to do the same thing this year.

I know it looks like I have a ton of New Year's Resolutions but they are just small things.

Here are my resolutions for 2010.....

I want to back up all my pictures, music and documents to an external hard drive and also back them up some where else.

I want to find new ways to work out, since we canceled our gym membership this year.

I want to read my 365 day devotional daily.

I want to write in our Blessings Book daily.

(I'll blog later about our Blessings Book)

I want to have people over for dinner more often.

I want to comment more on other people's blogs. I love getting comments, but I'm so lazy and never comment on anyone else's blog.

I want to continue learning more about digital scrapbooking & photography.

I want to finish some decorating projects so my house can be completely decorated.

I want to learn how to sew.

I want to have my Christmas shopping and Christmas cards done before Thanksgiving.

I want to make new stockings.

I want to keep my house, my classroom, and my computer more organized.

I want to simplify my life and enjoy every moment of 2010.