A Year Out

March 14. A year ago this very DAY, Hubs and I arrived to our new home in Arizona. Wow.

It's hard to believe a year has gone by since we packed up our life in the big yellow Penske and ventured out to our new lives here.

We didn't really know what to expect with life at our first Air Force Base, a new state to teach in for me, and just a new state altogether for the both of us... dry, cacti, scorpions... (which we've yet to see any in our casa - fingers crossed!).

We are so thankful for our family and friends who continue to love and support us from back home. Especially Josh, who helped us to get out here in the first place. We really couldn't have gotten out here without you man. It meant the world to us.

I was excited about this new adventure with Brad, especially to be out on our own... to be doing our own thing. I wasn't sure what to expect though or if I would really enjoy it as much as I wanted to. But like I was telling Hubs the other night, I'm going to be so sad when the time comes for us to leave Arizona for our next assignment. I have so loved our time here along with the friends and Arizona family we have found in the Air Force and even in some of my co-workers.

Happy one year to us today and here's to another! I'll leave you all with the first picture we took of our lovely home :)

Saying Goodbye

During my two weeks in Ohio with Brad in May, we were able to spend Memorial Day weekend with my maternal grandparents in my hometown of Findlay, OH. Grandpa Reamsnyder wasn't at his best when we visited... he had recently taken a small fall and couldn't walk or do too much on his own.

He is a man I've always loved and looked up to. He fought for our country with the USCG as well as the Army in WWII. He was one of the first to land in Okinawa. He had a great time telling Brad stories from his time there, show him 'souvenirs' he took from Japanese soldiers, and weapons he used to defend himself. Needless to say, my husband was in awe and fascinated the first time meeting my Grandpa shortly after we were married in August 2011.

It's hard saying goodbye to family, but I know he's in a better place now.

Love you, Grandpa.

Stuffed Shells

I picked this one up during my years at App,  and it's always been one of my favorites. I had yet to make it for Brad since we've been married (which shocked me a little!) so I decided to whip it up the other night. PLEASE try this, you won't regret it!

Ingredients:

• 1 box jumbo shells
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 block of cream cheese
• 1 jar taco sauce
• 1 jar salsa
• Shredded Cheese

Directions: 

• Brown beef, drain and mix in cream cheese until melted together.

I added diced peppers to it too since I had some on hand!
Also, this time I used ground turkey instead of beef.. yum!

• Boil shells until soft; drain. (cool slightly.. they're hot!)

• Fill shells with beef and cream cheese mix using a spoon.

• Cover bottom of a 9X13 dish with salsa, place filled shells on top of salsa.

• Spoon taco sauce into shells.

• Cover with cheese and heat at 125 degrees for 20 minutes or until cheese melts.

• EAT THEM UP!

Hope you enjoy this dish! :)

Phonics Phones

I owe this all to Pinterest. (Which I feel is the basis for most people's 'craftyness' these days lol) I went to the actual blog it was from though, which is classroomdiy.com. On her post she has a video guide, but I'll put everthing here too :)

What you need:

• 3/4" PVC pipe (it comes in 10' sections)
• 3/4" PVC elbow joints (they do come in packs of 10... very handy and a smidge cheaper!)
• AWESOME duct tape

Before I left Lowe's, I had a nice man cut my PVC pipe into 4" pieces (gave me 30 total pieces) instead of 3.5" like on classroomdiy.com. Only reason I did 4" was so I would have 30 whole pieces with no awkward leftover parts. :) If you tell them you're a teacher the guys in there are always happy to help! The man who cut the PVC for me was from Statesville, NC.. of all places! AND he and his wife live in the same neighborhood we are in out in Surprise. SMALL world.

Also, Make sure you get enough elbow joints. I got 3 packs of 10... annd realized when I got home that I would need 3 more packs of 10. I'll be going back tomorrow.

What to do:

• Put an elbow joint on each end of the 4" piece.
• Hubby suggested some glue to secure it, but we figured out quickly that they fit on nice and snug!
• Thennn wrap with duct tape!
  

the duct tape colors i picked out :)

It's really that simple. Please please make these for your room if you have a young little class!

Bistro Chicken

I get emails from Kraft every now and again with recipes and whatnot. A couple days ago I got this one for Easy Bistro Chicken. I think it'll be something we revisit for sure. It's super easy and delicious! I'll give you the recipe like it was on Kraft.. but I didn't use mushrooms (because I'm not a fan) and we left out the bacon because we were out and someone (me) forgot to get it at the store.

Ingredients

• 2 tsp. oil
• 3 c sliced fresh mushrooms (its hard for me to even type that.. ick)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1/4 c Italian Dressing
• 3 tbsp. tomato paste
• 4 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb)
• 1 c shredded mozzarella
• 2 slices cooked bacon, chopped

Directions

• Heat oil in large skillet on med-high heat. Add (mushrooms) and onion; Cook 5 min. stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, dressing and tomato paste.
• Add chicken; cover. Simmer on med-low heat 12 min or until chicken is done
• Top with cheese and bacon; simmer uncovered 5 min or until cheese is melted.

I served our Bistro Chicken with couscous (mainly because it's super fast) and a salad! Yum!