Game Week

Well it's game week. And not just any game week... but FIRST game week! The Lovable Luttrell's have stepped up to the plate to throw the first game week party for the Alabama game!! Though we are a split family, between Alabama and FSU, J has a little more game support and it's pretty much 1 to 80!

Not Only is it game week but it's also my husband's birthday! Needless to say there will be a lot of cooking and baking this week and little mini projects around the house to get it "family" ready!!

I have a new recipe to try for the game... Jalapeno bacon poppers Click here for the recipe. The other half is bound to love these as much as my stuffed mushrooms and buffalo dip, though I wouldn't dare let a game and birthday go by without buffalo dip :)

Cheesecake of course is also in order... just not sure if I'm doing a chocolate cheesecake or strawberry. We shall see.

Also this week I start 3rd and 4th graders at AWANA. Wish me luck, I wanted the cubbies (3 yr. olds), but I'm sure there is a a reason for me moving.. Always a plan. Hope everyone's week is as blessed and busy as mine!

Home sweet OUR home

Ahhh, our home is finally really starting to feel like OUR HOME! We have painted every single wall with what colors we wanted and redone the floors in every room except our master... that's for later :)

It's amazing to see our little hosue turn into, Mr & Mrs' Luttrell's home.
We almost finished all the hardwood floors this weekend. I trim is the last thing, got the nail gun in the trunk. So here is the change from our closing date less than a year ago.

I thought this would be more dramatic.. this isn't even our stuff, but what the house looked like when we first saw it. :)
Painted walls, carpet and padding up, baseboards painted and 1/4 round up.
Padding down
Wood floors, I need a better camera, our wood isn't red :)

Rhinos.. :)

I wanted to share a quick thought before a busy weekend. We are finally doing our hardwood in our home this weekend. The final BIG PROJECT for a while! I'll post later about that :)

For now, some of you may know that my Dad went to Guatamala recently with our church. Mission work is absolutely amazing, I was forutnate enough to go to Mexico a couple of years ago and believe me, it changes your life. I don't believe it's for everyone, but if you ever get the chance to go or have any questions, let's talk. Or I can put you in touch with my Dad. He's been to Czech and Mexico and now Guatamala.

Guatamala was Dad's experience and again I'd be happy to share his stories or let you talk with him, but I want to share what their mission lead explained upon their return. They shared some stories but their message was to tell other people about God. The bible says "Go and tell others about Jesus." Matthew 28:19. Terrall is awesome with words and said "This is God's plan, there is no plan B." I love it and it rings daily since his statement.

Why am I posting this?... I'm getting to it :) Some may find that church is not important, but it really allows experts on the word to break it down for you.

OK FINE STORY TIME:
Terrell led the mission (he did mine as well). He a great speaker. Here is his story.
The Rhino:
The Rhino can gain speeds up to 35 miles per hour. He compared this to a squirrel in the street, maxes out at about 25 MPH. That's fast for a heavy rhino. The catch is, they can only see 35 feet ahead of them. When a rhino charges and runs, he is running by faith, if you will. Can you imagine running at that kind of speed and only seeing 35 feet ahead of you? That's about 2 cars length.
Their motto all week was, run like a Rhino!

A lot is going on in my family's company and we continue to act on faith. Small leaps of faith and large leaps of faith, but every leap is by faith.

Hookie!

Well today was my day off... well I had overtime and since I'm salary I don't get paid. So I'll stay home :)

We finally have a place to eat. My amazing Grandparents bought us our first "REAL" piece of furniture. Norma. the lady that owns the place we got married and Norma's restaurants, has a saying in her kitchen that the kitchen is the heart of the home. Where families dine together, friends gather and (at least at my house) the "talks" happen. I'm so excited to finally have a "presentation" place.



Tonight we are dining like royalty. Justin finished his first week at his desk job so he got to pick. Steaks (chicken for me) and mashed potatoes :)
Have a great weekend everyone!!

A little DIY yourself.. BALLS

Actually the Luttrell home is in DIY crazy mode right now. I'll post more about the guest bath and other things later, it's giving me anxiety just thinking about it :)

It's been driving me crazy lately that we don't have pictures and decorations up in the house yet. If you have ever been to my room at prior to homeownerhip, you know I surround myself with pictures of family, friends and favorite places and decorations in general makes me feel at home and cozy. One thing that has been urking me is this beautiful Apothacary jar I have from my wedding. I tried to get decorations for my wedding that I could reuse in my new home (wedding everyday). Well this jar was filled with candy orange slices on my candy bar and has been empty since the wedding... NO MORE!

The jar has sat over my kitchen cabinets for a while... I have a LARGE space up there and I had a vision of simple decorative brown balls to fill it. OMG what a pain... I looked at Hobby Lobby, Micheals, Jo Ann's and even Walmart.. Those things are expensive and I could not find what I wanted... SO PROJECT ERIN IS BACK!
You'll need:
*Styrofome balls... I did varying sizes because the shape of my jar.
*Spray paint
*Shish-ka-bob sticks
*Spray adhesive
*Moss or whatever you want to cover

I stuck the balls in the ground to make it easier to handle. (night time pic sorry)

Let them dry a little and lay them on newspaper to dry over night

Once dry, cover the balls in spray adhesive

Crunch the moss on, continue spraying adhesive if it's not sticking like you want it.

They look a little messy, mine aren't in "touch range". I trimmed them a little, but I didn't need them perfect

AHHH!!! Yay. This is exactly what I wanted in my kitchen and it cost me under $25.00

Slow cooker = life saver

Last night we had Taco Stew... one of Mr. Luttrell's favorites. I always run out of time at home so I bring all the ingredients to work and let it sit in the back. Everyone always gets upset and wants to eat it :) I've given out the recipe and everyone just loves it. I figured I would share!


YUM!

Ingredients:
1/2 onion (or less) chopped
1 16-oz can black beans
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 16-oz can corn (drain)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
2 14-oz cans dices tomatoes with chilies
1 packet taco seasoning
2 chicken breast (I like the pack of chicken strips b/c they are easier to shred)
chopped jalapeno (if you like it hot)

Mix everything but the chicken together in a crock pot. Lay the chicken (yes raw) on top and cover. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4. 30 minutes before eating take out the chicken and shred it up, then add back so it can soak up the juices.

Add sour cream, salsa and cheese. Server with tortilla chips if desired.

It's so good and it makes a lot so you have left overs for lunch or dinner the next day.

The couple that sweats together..... cries together?

Well, it's true!! Newly weds pack on the pounds.. at least in our case. So, this week starts P90X and Clean Eating. Talk about numb shoulders, OUCH!
Anywho, now starts meal planning extreme and good old "clean" home cooking :)
Monday- Jap Burgers and asparagus with watermelon for dessert.
Tuesday- Teryaki Chicken with broccoli and pineapple
Wednesday- Clean Taco Stew
Thursday- Baked whole wheat penne and chicken italian sausage. Baked Apples for dessert
Friday- Grilled chicken salad with mardarin oranges, cranberries, strawberries and almonds with a little goat chesse
Saturday- Grilled shrimp and steamed broccoli


Lots of protein and veggies

Wish us luck. Tomorrow is Plyos! Yikes