Busy, busy, busy

Life has been pretty busy lately with a new puppy in the house. I am constantly chasing her around the house.. following.. making sure she isn't using the bathroom or chewing something up.

Lately she has found the love to go downstairs... I am getting a work out going up and down up and down up and down the stairs.. (We should probably get a gate...ha)

She is doing good with potty training.. just a few accidents here and there.. We are having problems though with crate training. She whines and whines and whines and whines.

Any suggestions?

We are also looking at taking her to puppy training, so maybe that will help us with some tools... sitting, staying, laying... :D

Baby girl! :D

We finally pulled out the deep fryer! Nathan wanted to make wings. He bought a bag of chicken wings. He then coated them with flower, and put them in the deep fryer. (320 degrees for 12 minutes)

This is what they looked like out of the deep fryer! He then coated them with bbq sauce (we used honey barbeque) And he put them in the oven on warm to stay warm as he made the other ones!

The finished product! YUM!

So if you have a deep fryer you should try it out! We are going to try funnel cakes sometime soon!

She wanted to help with the laundry... Decided to pick up the dryer sheet!

Both of them sleeping together... Near each other! :D

On a walk.. She picked up a stick to take with us!

Sleepy bears!

The entire family! (The best we could do)

So I leave you with one last picture of the two getting closer to each other!

Giveaway!!

I wanted to do a quick post about a giveaway a friend of mine is doing on her blog!

It's a great offer!!!

She is giving away.......

an ITUNES GIFTCARD!!!

I mean come on. Who couldn't use/want an ITUNES giftcard!!

I know there are several songs that I would love to buy, but without the ITUNES giftcard there is no way I will get it!

So head on over to Amy's Blog and enter!!

** More about the puppy and cat coming up later in the day :D

Milo and Otis

Well as you may be able to figure out by the title...

Yes we have adopted a puppy!

Nathan and I had been looking online at area shelters at puppies.

We found our puppy, and just couldn't resist. But we just didn't know if we should.

We waited, and looked again the next day and saw that her sister had been adopted.

We freaked out a bit, and decided we needed to figure out if we wanted her.

So we crunched numbers, and really thought about it!

And yesterday we went to go get her!! They almost scared us, and said that she was on hold for someone.... It was close.

So we took her shopping yesterday after we got her at Petco! It was so much fun!!

She slept last night great in her crate! :D

This morning Nathan and I both had to be gone, so she was here alone. Well of course when I came home around 11:30pm she had an accident in her crate...

Let the fun begin!

Well my afternoon became interesting!

Here she is playing around... Check out Max in the background!

Isn't she so cute!! :D

Max still looking at her

As you can see all Max does it stare at her.

He hisses a lot, and does a deep growl which they say is expected. Samantha of course just wants to play with him.... He doesn't feel the same right now.

So I have been monitoring both of them for the past 8 hours. Along with doing laundry and cooking.... It's almost like having a baby.

But it is fun!!! We have had fun playing with toys.. And laying on the couch. She likes to lay right next to me. She also loves being everywhere I am. So when I was cooking she was laying right there in the middle of the kitchen with me!

It has been a blast. Max is starting to come around. While we were sitting on the couch Max has started to come around. He is starting to sit where he normally sits! :D

I hope they become like Milo and Otis!!

So now I not only have recipes to post, but also the life of the del Rio pets!! :D

Any advice? Potty training, Cat/Dog bonding, chewing??

More Recipes!!! :D

So since I last posted I have cooked a few more meals that I would love to share with you! We also had a great weekend with nice weather!

So Wednesday I went on my fellow bloggers blog, and looked for some new recipes! So far I haven't cooked the same thing twice yet! Which is exciting!!! :D

So I gathered a few recipes for this weekend/week, and now I am sharing them with you!

Thursday night I cooked Paul Deans Shrimp & Wild Rice casserole! I got the recipe off of Kelly's Recipe Blog

It is really good and so easy:

1 8 ounce package wild rice

1 lb. medium shrimp (I get the frozen shrimp and the small shrimp)

2 tbs butter

1/2 green bell pepper chopped

1/2 onion chopped

1 (10 3/4) condensed cream of mushroom

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

salt & pepper

1. Cook rice (minus 1/4 cup water) drain and cool

2. bring 2 cups & 1/2 tbs salt (boil) and cook shrimp for 1 min (drain & set aside)

3. Heat butter in sauce pan & saute pepper and onion until soft (5 min)

4. Preheat oven 350

5. Large bowl combine rice, soup, 1 1/2 cheese, shrimp, & veg.

6. Put in casserole dish and add 1/2 cup cheese

7. Bake for 30 min.

Nathan LOVED it, so that's always good!

The next recipe I made on Friday night was Tortilla soup! Oh my gosh the best recipe, and NO WORK!!!

All you need is:

1 can corn (drained) 1 can rotel large can of chicken taco seasoning 1 can kidney beans

small can diced green chiles 1 can stewed tomatoes 1 packet ranch mix

1 can chicken broth

All you do is combined the ingredients in a crock pot and cook for 6-8 hours!

Nathan loved this one too. I accidently got the hot can of rotel, so HE really liked it where me on the other hand could have used the mild rotel... But it wasn't to bad.

Nathan even said it was probably his favorite tortilla soup!!! :D

Saturday I went to lunch with some girls Leah and Samantha! They both go to Ouachita, and are both EEE's so we got together for lunch and talked! It was great to catch up with them!! :D

I then met Nathan, Zach, and Jess in Bella Vista at the disc golf course! It is a really neat sport if you have never played before.

Sunday after church we were able to go to lunch with Sarah and Mitch another couple from our Sunday School class! It was fun to go hang out with another couple!!

Tonight we are having Swiss Stuffing Chicken.. I also got this from Kelly's Recipe blog!

It is SOO easy!! :D

You need:

4 large chicken breasts

6 oz mozzarella or swiss cheese

1 can cream of chicken

1/4 cup white cooking wine

salt & pepper

1 cup herb flavored crushed up pepperidge farm stuffing mix

1/2 stick butter, melted

1. Preheat oven 350

2. Place uncooked chicken in shallow buttered casserole dish

3. Layer cheese on top.

4. Mix soup, wine, salt, pepper

5. Pour over cheese

6. Sprinkle stuffing mix on top & drizzle with melted butter

7. Bake for 1 hour

As you can see it really takes nothing to make this GREAT meal!! :D

I have a few more recipes that I got from other bloggers that I will share later on when I make them!

If you are in the NWA area this weekend than you should head over to First Baptist Bentonville. We are having the wife of a guy from Selah for a Mugs and Muffins event. It's free, and she is speaking to the women of the church. Head over to Kelly's blog to watch the video (grab a tissue), and see the flyer! Click Here!

Hope you are having a great week!!! :D

Show Us Your Life - Alma Mater!

So today is show us your alma mater over at kellyskorner.blogspot.com

I normally don't link up on her show us your life things because I don't really have a whole lot to say about them, but I figured I could definately talk about my alma mater especially since I just graduated in December. So it is fresh on my mind.

I went to the same school that Kelly went to: Ouachita (wash-i-taw) Baptist Universtiy in Arkadelphia! So enjoy my pictures as I reminisce! :D

I am still really close to all of my girl friends from school. Several of them were in my wedding this past January! I love that when we get together we are still as close as we always have been!

All of my friends senior year decided to go on a cruise! It was so much fun to hang with friends!

Homecoming is a big deal at Ouachita too. This is some of my good friends at the game.

(yes I have an Auburn blanket!!! :D)

TWIRP is another big thing at Ouachita. (The Women is Required to Pay) The girls take the guys out on fun little nights at school. There are different nights like 50s, 80s, Barn party, etc.

I was able to share my engagement with my club (kinda like a sorority) We did what we called a "blow out" They pass a candle around/sing a song and when the candle gets to you then you blow it out! :D

Tiger Tunes is a big deal at Ouachita. The clubs choose a them, and then rewrite lyrics to songs and perform it. (It's kinda like Baylor Sing if you have heard of it) One of the best things at Ouachita! :D

All of my pledge sisters on our first letter day :D

I was a lil sis of the guys club on campus KX!

I love remembering the fun I had at Ouachita. It was the best choice for me. My brother and sister n law both went there. I looked in to it, and wasn't sure if I wanted to go there because my brother went there, but when I visited it felt like home. It was 4 hours away the perfect distance, and small enough were I didn't feel like another number.

I love meeting other people that have gone to Ouachita because we all have similar stories to share with each other, or we know what the other person is talking about when we mention something that happens on campus!

It was the best choice for me, and it will be a choice I will never regret. I love the memories and the friends that it has left me with! :D

I LOVE TEACHING!! :D

So this is going to be just a simple post.. No pictures and no recipes.

It's just about what's been going on in my life, and some fun things that happen while I'm at school!

As most of you know I majored in Early Childhood Education which certifies me to teach PreK through 4th grade. I have started subbing this semester due to lack of jobs up here. I hope to be able to get a job come August though.

But I have been able to sub in several classrooms. (1st, kindergarten, 4th)

I enjoy going in to the classroom, and see the students look at me really weird.

I also enjoy telling the students my name.. Mrs. del Rio

Some students have a hard time saying Mrs. del Rio (esp the younger ones)

It comes out Mrs. delro, Mrs. dielo... it's pretty funny

But today I was in fourth grade and those kids were able to say it.

I even had some boys in the back start saying my name over and over with a spanish accent and rolling their R's.. ha.

I also have several students tell me that I look really young. They ask if I am a teenager. They tell me I'm pretty. I had one student tell me another student thought I was cute.

I taught last week in Kindergarten, and today I saw those students again in the hallway. Their faces lit up! This really made my day. They were happy to see me, and didn't hate me!

I also had one of my students today ask me if I was teaching their class again any time soon because I was the best substitute she had ever had. It really made my day!

I really enjoy teaching, and miss being in the classroom. Subbing is a great way for me to be back in the classroom doing what God has called me to do! :D

I then headed to Walmart today... Man am I the only one out there who gets frustrated at the grocery store. It's not just Walmart it's any place. I feel like I go around in circles to get everything I need. I forgot something in the back of the store when I was back there, and now I am in the front. Or I search for a specific item, and can't find it after I have gone all over the store. I wish there was an easier way to get everything I need. Any suggestions?

Life is pretty great right now though. Can't complain. I get to cook every night for my husband. I get to teach often (sometimes I wish more). I get to still spend time with my family because we are still in the same town. Life's great :D

*More recipes to come soon. Cooking some new things.

And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I Corinthians 13:13

Valentines Day???

So Big Bang Theory is one of my favorite TV shows. I truly enjoy watching it, and so does Nathan. It is so funny. It's a great show because we both think it's hilarious... but at different parts in the show. We have seasons one and two, and decided to get season three with an Amazon gift card we have. If finally came in the mail yesterday!!! :D

So this Valentine's Day, I thought wasn't going to be that special. Nathan had to work until 8pm and ended up being later..like 9pm, so I figured it would be the usual day at our place. But I decided to try to make it a little special. So I had already decided to make chicken casserole because I had been out all day with my mom. I decided to spruce up the house, and make it look nice for him!

Chicken Casserole!

Very simple:

chicken breasts (about 3) cream of chicken, 1/2 a container of sour cream (the big one), Ritz crackers

Boil the chicken breasts in a pot until done. Cut into small pieces and put in the bottom of the pan you will cook it in. Mix in the cream of chicken can and sour cream. Spread across bottom. Cover with crumbled ritz crackers. Put in oven (on about 350) Watch until it starts to boil!

The table set up!

The "simple" dinner I prepared for Nathan! I used our wedding Napkins with our names on it for fun! :D

Nathan and I on Valentines day!!!

The beautiful flowers Nathan surprised me with! My favorite red gerbera daisies! :D

I got this awesome candle for Valentine's day from my mom!! It fills up the entire house! And for every candle bought a child gets food!

You can kinda see the flower in my hair!

Here is a picture of the flower in my hair!

So we had a pretty simple, but good Valentine's day. I realized that Valentine's day gets pretty simple when you get married. You no longer have to impress the person you love with all these gadgets, but just with your simple love... Don't get me wrong it's great to give the spectacular gifts to show your love, but sometimes it's just the simple things that count :D

I loved spending the first valentine's day with my husband at home together!

Guacamole, snacks, and flowers!

So here is a post about a bunch of RANDOM stuff. A lot are fun simple food recipes/snacks. So I hope you enjoy!

Nathan's favorite thing to make recently is guacamole! I decided to share his recipe for it since there are several different ways to make it. We make it the way the guy on our honeymoon made it for us!

After you get the avocados out of the shell (We usually use 1 or 2) But depending on how much you want to make will affect how many you use. Mash it up in a bowl. We don't mash it real hard because we like it still a little chunky not pasty.

Cut about 4 slices of a tomato (or more if you like a lot of tomato) And mix in with the avacados.

Add about half a white onion, and a fresh jalepino

This picture also shows one of my favorite knives. We got it as a wedding gift, and it came with 4 different knives for different things. This is one of them. It cuts awesome! It's some japanese knife (purkomachi)

Add a few drops of hot sauce... (He would add more if I liked things spicy)

Add cilantro and fresh squeezed lime!

The final guacamole mixture!

Enjoy!

Nathan and I one snow day!! :D

This is probably my favorite dessert to make and take places (so I don't eat them all myself) Oreo balls!!!!

They are really simple. You need a package of oreos, a block of cream cheese, and almond bark.

You crush the oreos into a bowl, and then mix in the cream cheese until it becomes one big ball. I put it in the refrigerator for a little bit to help it not be as sticky. I pull it out of the refrigerator, and melt the almond bark (an entire thing of it) I roll the oreo mixture into little balls and dip them in the almond bark. (Be careful with the almond bark... You can easily burn it) After I have all of them made I stick them in the freezer to help them harden. THEN ENJOY!!! :D

Here is another sweet snack I made. It's really simple. Pop a bag of popcorn (mine had butter in it) then melt some blocks of almond bark. (I did 6 blocks for 2 smalls bags of popcorn) Drizzle over the popcorn then add then m&ms. It's so good! :D

Here is a flower I made to go in your hair... I'll post a picture tomorrow of it actually in my hair. I can't figure out if I'm in LOVE with it... It was kinda a trial and error thing, so maybe next time I make it the flower will be better. But for the first time I think it's ok!

We are headed over for breakfast (Nathan has never had breakfast for dinner) and mexican train dominoes tonight with my family!

I love mexican train dominoes!

What are some of your favorite games to play with your family?

And does your family eat breakfast for dinner or is it strictly only for breakfast or brunch?

Another wonderful snow day!

Well it is another snowy day in beautiful NWA. It was been fun relaxing today with my husband. We have taken it easy. We ate breakfast/lunch... Watched the final Star Wars movie... wahoo I've fulfilled the wife duty... (and they weren't as bad as I thought).. We went and played in the snow, and are now relaxing. Here's some pictures + a recipe from the other night!

This is a picture of the hamburger casserole I made the other night. It is a really simple meal.

You need: Hamburger meat, french cut style green beans, tomato soup, american cheese, and mashed potatoes (I use the boxed mashed potatoes)

You brown the meat then mix the green beans and tomato soup. You spread it out in a dish I used a pyrex dish, but it was spread thin so next time I'm going to use a smaller dish. You put a layer of cheese on top (like the above picture) then you top it with mashed potatoes. You put it in the oven at 350 until it starts to bubble!

Really easy!!!! :D

This is Nathan making breakfast this morning on our griddle... Bacon and pancakes. He then made himself some friend eggs.

Me getting ready to go out in the snow... Ignore that I look hideous (but I was warm):D

A picture from our front door. My car was gone....

Picture of ruler out in the snow.... It measured like 13", but we think it wasn't touching the ground.... They predicted 2" to 4" ha... Supposedly other places got more... Like 22"....

Smiley face from the snow on my car!

Nathan in a pile of snow

We tried the cool jumping pictures... but clearly this is the best we got. I felt like I was getting so high off the ground...

Max out in the snow.. He was having to hop to get back to the house

I also got the privilege to sub yesterday. It was fun to be back in the classroom. I really love it. One really cool thing that the teacher did was had the students wear tshirts with their names on the front and back (she just hand wrote them on a white tshirt) This was a huge help for me with knowing names. She may have used them for field trips too, but I was so thankful for them!! :D teachers out there this may be an idea you could use!

It has been another exciting snow day around good ole NWA. I'm so ready for spring, but it has been nice to have my husband at home!!! :D

Hope everyone is staying warm!