the week's go by

It's been many days since I blogged. I've been pretty busy, but at the same time, don't have much new to talk about.
I had a birthday since my last post. I am  now the big 3-6. I'm officially in my late 30's. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Usually on my birthdays I get depressed. Especially after I hit 30. I think it was because I felt like I hadn't accomplished anything. I didn' t like where I was in my life and thought I should have done more by that age. This year I didn't feel that way.I have a wonderful husband, a great house, and I got a new car, thanks Cody. I'm still not in the job I want, never have been. However, this year I'm doing something to fix that. Hopefully by the time I turn 39 I will have just graduated the Surgery Technician program and I'll have a good job that I love. A goal.... That's something I've never really set for myself before. I've had dreams and desires, but a goal is more productive. A goal includes a "do by" date.
Things are going pretty well with school so far. I'm actually understanding and retaining anatomy & physiology. I can't take credit entirely for that. My prof is awesome. If you ever need A&P I highly recommend Dr. Low at Jacksonville College. He's the best.

The next two weekend should be pretty relaxing. No home Aggie games until October 15th. I'd made a plan with my cousin to go flying tomorrow, but Cody has to work. Work ruins all your fun. Oh well, maybe another weekend.

I guess that's all there is to talk about today. I'm stumped for a recipe today. So I'll leave you with something simple and Fall-ish.

Fruit in the Middle Cake

Buy a boxed cake mix. Butter or Yellow
Mix according to box directions
Add a can of fruit pie filling. I prefer apple or peach. I also suggest chopping the large fruit chunks into smaller pieces. Mix it all together, pour into greased Bundt pan or loaf pan, or 9x13 pan.
Bake at 375 for at least 35 minutes. Maybe longer. It's fabulously moist and tastey. I also sprinkle with a little cinnamon/sugar before baking. Enjoy with a cup of coffee.

God's blessings to you all and thanks for stopping by. :)

GAMEDAY

Today is the first gameday of the season. Yes, there was a game 2 weeks ago, but we were unable to attend as it was a Sunday evening event. So today is our first trip to College Station since November of last year. The weather should be pretty nice. The high will only be around 93. That's not too bad. The sun will set not too shortly after the game starts and it's always breezy up in the stratosphere where our seats are.
Not only is it the game I'm excited about, it's the chance to take my new car out for a road trip. I am so happy with it. I love it. In case some of you haven't already heard, Cody and I got a 2011 Ford Edge Limited. It's fabulous. I recommend everyone have one. Mine is Tuxedo Black Metallic with a chocolate and black leather interior. It's got more bells and whistles than I care to mention one by one. Let me just say, it's awesome!!! Feeling so blessed to be able to have gotten it.

A little update on school:
I had my first Anatomy & Physiology test yesterday morning. I made a 90. I think we get a 1 point curve because someone smarty britches made a 99. I guess I'm happy with that. I am a little disappointed because I drew a couple of complete blanks on two of the easier questions. But, I can't complain about an A.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Time to get up and let this whining dog out.

God's blessings to you all and thanks for stopping by!

Just Tuesday

I didn't realize it had been so many days since I'd blogged. Honestly, I haven't had a whole lot to say.
Not much new going on.
I do want to mention that my father-in-law is in Longview in the hospital on IV fluids. The doctors aren't sure what's wrong but he hasn't been feeling quite up to par lately. He's had a fever, no appetite, and just down for a few days. Hopefully they'll figure it out soon and he can get home soon.
I guess the only other thing going on is school and work. I have my first real A&P test on Friday. Trying not to get too overwhelmed with that.
Yesterday, I stopped and peeked in at a Ford Edge. Well, it gave me the bug so I went and looked this morning. Let me just say, if you want a new or used car go see the best salesman ever, Joe Walton, at Randall Dodge in Henderson. He is wonderful! He'll find exactly what you want. So, I'm going tomorrow to pick my new one up. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. It will be the nicest car I'll ever own. I just can't wait. I'm calling it my early birthday present. Cody is probably calling it my birthday, Christmas, Valentine's, Anniversary present. We'll get it just in time to drive it down to College Station Saturday to the Aggie game. YAY!
I don't have a recipe in mind today to share. I will share this little tidbit. Do you ever have those itchy labels in your pants? The best way I've seen to take care of them is a band-aid. It works wonders. Just stick it over the label and the itch is gone! Also, this came up talking to my mom the other day. She and I both use those Purex 3 in 1 washer/dryer sheets. She said she had small loads but hated to waste a whole sheet for such a small load. I told her I always take a pair of scissors and cut them in half lengthwise. That way I get the washing detergent, softener and static guard and you don't waste a whole sheet.
So those are the tips for today.
I hope everyone has a great Tuesday.

God's blessings to you all and thanks for stopping by.

The state's on fire!

I can't believe all of the wildfires burning right here in East Texas. You hear about fires fairly frequently. Usually in California, or recently in New Mexico and West Texas, but for me it's "wow, that's awful for them". It never occured to me that it could happen right here in our own back yards.
I came home last weekend to smoke about 3 acres from my own back yard. People, that was scary. The closer we got to the house the thicker the smoke got and it was nerve-racking. It wasn't a large fire, but any fire that close to your home causes you to get a little jumpy inside. I walked around thinking to myself, "if someone knocks on my door and tells me to evacuate, what will I take with me?" When it came down to it, what would you take with you? All sorts of things went through my mind. Pictures? That's sort of an unnecessary concept now. Almost every picture you own is backed up digitally isn't it? Jewelry? I don't have all that much. The most important piece I own is already on my finger. I realized I am more practical than sentimental. There are few things in my home that couldn't be replaced. Would I want to replace them? Absolutely not. I learned from Hurricane Katrina that starting over from scratch is expensive.
The first things that came to my mind were my sweet pets. I started planning in my head: we'll strap the kennel in the back of Cody's truck, put the dogs in there. I'll put the cats in the car in whatever I can find, probably a box. I'll grab the filing box with birth certificates, marriage license, insurance cards and phone numbers, take the one wedding album I have, not for the pictures but for the special way they were arranged by my brother, grab the laptop and pack a bag of clothes.
It seemed all I could think about for about an hour and a half. Then I noticed the smoke cloud wasn't growing anymore. It was actually decreasing in size and intensity and I could go to bed and rest well.
I think when you've experienced total material loss it gives you an entirely different perspective on your things. I also think that as a child of God I know what is and isn't important. I would be terribly upset to lose this home Cody and I bought together only 17 month ago. It's our first home. I would be frustrated and somewhat heartbroken to have to be displaced and "homeless". BUT I know that no matter what happens to my possessions God will make a way! He has before and he would again! As long as I have those who love me I'd never be "homeless".
The reason I talk about this today is that it is all around us. Smoke everywhere! Everytime I turn on the news or check my FB page, there is a new post about a new fire. I think we should stop and think about those people having to make those decisions now. What do I grab? What do I need? What can I save from the fire?
How many of those people don't have God's peace to say "if I lose it, I'll still be ok"?
It was hard for me 6 years ago when Katrina took all of my possessions. I left my rental house in Longbeach, MS with what would fit in a little Nissan truck, and let me tell you, with 2 dogs, that's not much. It didn't occur to me that I might not get to go back there and keep the things I had collected over the past 30 years. But I didn't get to do that. I tried to salvage what I could. What didn't get washed away or drowned in salt water. In 100 degree heat, there's not much to salvage in the water. I literally ended up with the clothes on my back. As scary as all of that was, it was the best thing that ever happened to me. I was living a life unpleasing to God in everyway. If He hadn't forced me to flee back to Carthage, TX, I would have stayed there and continued in my lifestyle, that in no way reflected Him. I would have never joined First Baptist Church. I would have never met the man of my dreams in Cody Williams. What seemed to be life ending was really life-altering in a mighty and wonderful way!
So think about those people you see on the news. Pray for them and their safety, but also realize this may be God's way of bringing them back "home" to Him! That's how it worked out for me.

God's blessings to you all and thanks for stopping by!

Could Fall have arrived?

I know everyone has noticed and is thoroughly enjoying these wonderful Autumn temperatures. This is my absolute favorite time of year. Use to, it was because I knew my birthday was coming soon, NOW, it's in spite of my birthday coming. lol
This is the type of weather that makes me feel alive and productive. I want to bake, sew, be crafty, play with the dogs outside, all of those things. I feel energized.
But, since it stinks so badly outside due to the outbreak of fires surrounding my home, it's hard to breathe too deeply out there.
And the baking will have to hold off until I can do some last minute studying. I have my first medical terminology test today. I can take it anytime before 7:00 pm. I'm going to knock it out early and get it out of the way.
Once I finish I'm going to make some banana bread this afternoon. I have 5 bananas getting softer by the second. I think that will be my recipe for the day.

Banana Nut Bread
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Mix baking powder, soda, salt, flour. Cream butter and add sugar gradually. Add eggs, one at a time. Mix thoroughly. Add bananas to dry mixture. Gradually add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Add nuts and pur into a well-greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45-60 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand in pan 10 mintues. Remove and cool completely. Be careful not to take out of the oven too soon. Perform test in center to be sure it's done, otherwise it will fall!!!

For any of you that are interested in Scentsy products, the new catalog is out. I have to say there are some beautiful new warmers and some wonderful scents available for fall. Old favorites like Autumn Sunset and Honey Pear Cider, both wonderfully fallish scents, and new fragrances like Pumpkin Marshmallow and Whiteout. If you're interested give me a call, shoot me an email, or visit my site: juliewilliams10.scentsy.us

Get out and enjoy the cool weather. This is East Texas. You never know how long it will last.

God's blessing to you all and thanks for stopping by :-)

Saturday!

Today is Saturday. It's fast becoming my favorite day of the week. Sleeping in until 7:30. Lounging around. Doing homework and eating breakfast. It's a beautiful thing.
I am so excited about my new gizmos and gadgets I got for the house. You know you're getting old when these things excite you. Although I prefer the term Mature!
I got a new set of glass Pyrex. So sick of those nasty plastic ones. Cody ordered me a garage door opener! YAY! No more getting out to open the door and straining my back. And the rain, if that ever happens again. ALSO, I got a keypad door lock. It's fabulous. When we moved into this house last year there was no key for the back door, so we always had to walk around to the front door. Now I can come in the back and don't have to fumble for my keys.
These are simple things. It's the little things that make your life easier.
This morning I've made bread pudding. It is so good. It's Leann Marshall's recipe so you know it's GOOD! I made it for the sweetest Mother-In-Law I know. Bea Williams' birthday is tomorrow and we're having birthday pizza and bread pudding.
So, today's recipe is Leann Marshall's bread pudding.

BREAD PUDDING

2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups milk
loaf of french bread, leftover donuts or rolls
Nutmeg to taste
SAUCE
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
Preheat oven to 350 and place 2 Tablespoons of butter in a 9x13 to melt while oven is heating.
In a large bowl combine 2 cups sugar, 4 eggs, vanilla, and milk. Tear bread in medium chunks and stir in milk/sugar mixture. Pour into 9x13 and sprinkle with nutmeg.
In a sauce pan combine 1 cup or sugar, 1 egg over medium heat. Add cut butter and heat on medium/low heat until fully melted. Once melted, allow to bubble and remove from heat. Add 1 tsp of vanilla and pour over bread in the casserole dish.
Bake for 45 minutes.
ENJOY!!

God's blessings to you and thanks for stopping by! (jamee ;) )

this and that

I had my first lecture yesterday in Anatomy and Physiology. I will go ahead and say, Dr. Low is awesome. He speaks on a level I can understand. He doesn't teach with the assumption that you should know the material already. He's a "real" teacher and I think I'm going to like his class a lot.
I've been moving right along on my medical terminology. Doing pretty well. I have a feeling my trouble class will be Texas Government. I really don't care to learn anything about government. I have 3 tests and an article assignment for that class. That will make up the entirety of my grade. So far, I haven't found the first article to use. Yes, I've been looking.
Today's agenda: studying, chiropractor's appointment, and work at 5:00. I think somewhere in that mix I'm going to try to fit in a haircut. I need a touch-up. Of course, I am so unpredictable, I may come out with a bob. You never can tell. I enjoy the fun, swishy, sassiness of a bob. Keep in touch and I'll keep you posted.
Yesterday I decided to come home after my stretching and cracking (chiropractor visit), instead of trying to kill 5 hours in Tyler. That could only be expensive. So when I got home, I unloaded a few groceries from my trunk and turned to find a beautiful golden staring at me. Castle and Lemon had managed to squeeze through the gate of the fenced area of the yard where we left them and were loose in the yard. Who knows how long they'd been out. They may have come out when they saw me drive up, either way, glad I came home to get them back in the house. Of course I had to bathe them first. Lemon's bottom was a filthy, muddy mess, and they both stunk. Now they are fresh and fluffy and clean.

Let's see. Today's recipe/tip will be:

Crock Pot Chicken
1 whole chicken
whole or baby carrots
new potatoes or russets
little flour
seasoning of choice, salt
rice or egg noodles
Set your whole chicken in the crock pot in at least an inch of water. Add carrots and potatoes. Sprinkle your seasoning, I tend to use the Watkin's onion & garlic pepper, and salt and close the lid. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Once the chicken is done, Take the broth from the chicken and put in a small sauce pan. Add a little flour and whisk until thick. Serve the chicken, veggies, and gravy over rice or egg noodles.
It's really easy, especially if you use minute rice. And it's a good idea to keep a can of broth in case you don't have enough liquid from your chicken.
I like this recipe because I only have to do about 10 mintues of prep work altogether.

God's blessings to you and thanks for stopping by.

Busy Sunday

Ok, so today's post is going to be short and sweet.
We went to church. Heard a fabulous sermon from Dr. Tilley. Went to eat a whole lotta food at Bea & Norvil's. Got to see a whole lotta family. It was good to see Terry and Marja and Kellie and the kids. We haven't seen them in a while.
There were a total of between 45&50 people there. It's hard to count with everyone moving around.
And here's the sweet part, we had wonderful desserts, including birthday cake.
Now, I'm trying to get in a little medical term studying and prepare for my first real A&P class tomorrow. I hope my professor doesn't blow my mind.

Oh yea, another sweet thing: I got the most precious kisses from Luke. He is a doll. Can't wait to see him again soon.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend.

God's blessings on you and thanks for stopping by!

Saturday morning

It's finally here. You know what I'm talking about people. Saturday morning. The time when you're suppose to sleep in, be lazy, and just do whatever you want. Well, I was awake at 6:30. Cody had to go to Carthage to help put up Steve's fence. He's such a sweet brother to go help. And of course, since I was awake I don't actually sleep any longer. Lemon is wanting attention too. That's not condusive to rest either.
I've got to get up and moving around. I need to get to the grocery store-ICK- and get the stuff I need to make a hashbrown casserole for tomorrow's Williams' Sunday Lunch. There are suppose to be about 40-50 people there tomorrow. I guess I should probably double the recipe. After that I have to swing by and get the September birthdays cake from Snowflake. If you've never had a cake from Snowflake Bakery, consider this your official suggestion. They are wonderful. Leslie does an amazing job. So yummy.
Since there are 8 birthdays in the month of September, we celebrate them all at once. And we're tacking on the the 1 year old's from this past week. Luke and Sarina just turned a year old, already! Can't wait to see them dig into their cakes.
After all of my morning running around, I'll have to cook the casserole and then get myself ready to go back to TJC this afternoon. Cody and I are going to watch Hali and the Fillies play some more volleyball. They did a really good job yesterday. They beat Laredo in the first 3 games, but struggled a little with San Jac. Mostly made some little mistakes. It was enough to give San Jac a 3 game - 2 game win. I'm not sure who they play today. One game at 1:00 and the other at 5:00.
Sometime today I need to also do some studying. Those medical terms aren't going to memorize themselves.

I guess since I mentioned the casserole, that will be my recipe/tip for today.
Creamy Potato Casserole
24 oz. of frozen hash brown potatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 Tablespoon chopped onioin
1 cup grated cheddar
salt and pepper to taste
Thaw potatoes at room temperature. Add all other ingredients except grated cheese. Pour into buttered 9x9. Top with cheese. Cover and bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake another 10.
That's it. Pretty simple and so very yummy. It ought to be. It IS a Bea Williams original.

I hope you all have a great Saturday. Go find something to do.

God's blessings on you and thanks for stopping by!

Day 2

So I've been thinking throughout the day..."what will I blog about tonight?" Unfortunately nothing profound came to my brain so I decided to start with one of my favorite "go-to" recipes... Get your paper and pen.
Easy Chicken Burritos
1 can of chicken breast
1 can of corn mostly drained
1 can of black beans drained
1 cup of salsa
Heat the above items in a skillet, serve in warmed tortilla, top with grated cheddar cheese and a dollup of sour cream.
That's it. Of course the purpose of this recipe is to be simple and quick, and cheap. By all means if you have left over chicken from the night before, chop that up and throw it in. If you have pintos in the pantry and not black beans, use that! If you have Ro-tel in the can and no salsa, use that! I think you get the picture. It is fabulous. So yummy. So filling. Such a big skillet full. It really does make quite a bit.

That will be the handy tip/recipe for today. I have quite a few. Don't miss them in upcoming posts.

To change the subject entirely...
I start my anatomy & physiology class tomorrow at Jacksonville College. I'm trying not to be too nervous. It is a small campus, so I'm assuming that will translate into small classes, which will, in turn, translate into more personal attention and a good grade. An "A" would be perfection! (FRIENDS reference) I'll be A&P'ing on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from now until December 9 or something close to that.
After class tomorrow I'm going to drive to TJC to watch my wonderful niece Hali play some Panola Volleyball. I'm kind of excited. She's an upperclassman, in the junior college world, and will hopefully get some good hits. So I'll go to class at Jacksonville in the morning with my Panola Volleyball shirt on. Hopefully I don't get off on the wrong paw with my professor.

My second little tidbit I'd like to share is borrowed from my husband, who borrowed it from 1Kings.


God's Ways: Ordinary and Miraculous

1 Kings 17:2-7

God declared, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," (Isa. 55:8). And in fact, one of the biggest frustrations of the Christian life has to do with a lack of understanding about God's ways. There are times when we could really use a miracle, and yet He does not come through for us. Unmet expectations lead to confusion, disappointment, and even anger. Why did God let me down?

There are two schools of thought regarding the miraculous. Some people don't believe God works miracles at all, while others are convinced that if He's not doing the miraculous every day, then something is wrong with their faith. We need a balanced perspective, which we find in the Bible.

God works in both supernatural and ordinary ways, and He determines the method. Elijah ate food miraculously delivered by ravens, but his water supply from a brook was completely natural. When the water dried up, the Lord could have made more spring from the ground, but He didn't.

Sometimes God uses ordinary means to move us in a new direction. The curtailment of his water supply opened the door for Elijah's next "assignment." When the Lord withholds miraculous intervention and lets your brook dry up, He has something else planned for you.

Seeing the work of God in the miraculous is easy, but He's just as involved in the commonplace aspects of life as He is in any supernatural event. Look for His "fingerprint" in the day's mundane activities. He is there, opening and closing doors, drying up one opportunity but initiating another.

For more biblical teaching and resources from Dr. Charles Stanley, please visit www.intouch.org.

I have to brag on my husband for a minute. He sent me this in an email yesterday with the subject line: You are "His" fingerprint to me.


How awesome is he?! It was so timely, as all of God's messages are.  So I hope that it touches you now as it did me yesterday, and again today as I reread it.
It would appear something profound came up after all. :-)


God's blessings on you and thank you for stopping by.

First post...EVER

You've all seen those movies and t.v. shows. You know, the one with the narration by some woman who seems to be full of opinions and ideas. And they always sound so put together and "with it". Well that's me, except for the put together and "with it" part. I love those women. You've seen "Julie & Julia". She's full of thoughts and ideas and she decides to put them in a blog. I am in no way committing to a bazillion recipes in a year BUT this blog will be about whatever. I want to put my thoughts, however lame or insightful they may be, my favorite recipes, I have a few, and borrow thoughts and recipes from other women who are much more interesting than myself.
So be prepared, if you're going to read this blog, there will be up's and down's. I can guarantee it. It just depends on my hormones and my mood on any given day. There will be great food ideas and recipes. I'm always in a food mood. And there may even be some sewing thoughts thrown in from time to time.
Today, there's just going to be the introductions.
I am Julie Williams. Or as my little blonde princess friend likes to call me: Julie Willyumz.
I am a fairly newlywed. I've been married for a year, 3 months and 2 days...ish. I married the most perfect man for me. He gets me. And he even thinks I'm funny, or at the very least he pretends to think I'm funny. And that's more impressive than really believing it because it's harder to do. We have two sweet, very hairy, golden retriever; Castle, who will be 2 soon, and Sweet little Lemon. She's 20 weeks. Oh, and the two outside cats: Phoebe and Ursula. Yes, those are FRIENDS characters.

Eventually we hope to add a baby or two to the Williams home, but for now, this is our family.

If you're reading this now, I want your input. Most likely I'll use what you say to help fill another blogging day. I want cooking tips and ideas. I want stories of your kids and the sweet & funny things they do. I am starting back to school at the ripe old age of 35 and 11 months. Might as well call it 36. So this will most likely be my outlet. Pay no attention to the errors in grammar or spelling, and more than that, punctuation.,;!?

Until next time....