So, still settling into the Texas world. We really like it so far though. There’s so much shopping so close by that its really nice. In Cullman, we had Wal Mart, Books A Million, a very small Jcpenney, Belk, TJMax, and Big Lots and that was pretty much it. We had to drive 45 minutes or longer to get to most other stores. Here within a 5 mile radius we have Best Buy, Wal Mart, Sams Club, Super Target, Babies R Us, Toys R Us, Bath and Body Works, Bed Bath and Beyond, World Market, Pier 1, Pottery Barn, Lowes, Home Depot, AMC Movie Theater, Cinemark Movie Theater, more restaurants than I can even count, Michael’s, Hobby Lobby, the list goes on and on and on…I’m getting a bit spoiled by it all. Not that we are spending money in all these places, but sure is nice to have the options nearby!
The house we live in is actually a duplex…it was built in 1983 but its actually pretty nice for the money. Its about 1300sq ft. The kitchen stove is probably the worst part of it actually, and all the brass/old style lighting fixtures…but its nothing that we can’t live with for the time being. I’m getting used to the ceramic tile everywhere, but it is a white color so it shows all the dirt you can imagine, but it just makes me more diligent about keeping it clean!
In other news, Travis caught up with an old friend out here. Back in 1999 Travis was out here on a contract job for almost a year. One of the guys he worked with still lives out here, named Jimmy. Travis met up with him yesterday for lunch. I was really glad he got to get together with him again and catch up. We hope to have him and his wife come up for dinner one night soon too.
Chance is doing good…but he’s showing some signs of an older age dog. He’s really having a hard time hearing lately and some days he moves much slower than others. I just ordered him a new collar with his name and phone number embroidered into it so he won’t jingle so much at night anymore…I think his jingling collar scared even him the other day!
I also have been experimenting with some recipes. I made a really yummy chicken casserole this past Monday and made homemade corn chowder last night. We went to the McKinney Farmer’s Market and it was great! We bought fresh eggs, fresh corn, a homemade caramel dip made from organic milk, and 2 Dublin Dr. Peppers that are made with real cane sugar! We are trying to lay off of soda and high fructose corn syrup a lot these days, but we have really enjoyed the Pepsi Throwback soda, Mountain Dew throwback soda, and these Dublin Dr. Peppers! You pay a little more for them, but they are not nearly as processed as other sodas. I’ve been trying to explore more information about nutrition lately and its eye opening when you really look into it! Like do a search about plastic and see how much information you can find! Especially heating plastic in the microwave and washing it in the dishwasher…we have started using more glassware! Better for the environment and better for our health as well.
Okay, so enough rambling…here are my recipes first…
Chicken Casserole
-3 boneless, skinless chicken breast preferably a brand without added hormones and preservatives
-1/2 stick of unsalted butter
-1 roll of hint of salt of Ritz crackers crushed
-1 family size can of cream of chicken soup
- 1 tbsp celtic sea salt
- about 6 cups of water
- 1 24oz. container light sour cream

1. Boil chicken in 6 cups of water for about 25 to 30 minutes, let cool about 10 minutes or so after you drain it and then pull it apart and set aside.
2. Whisk together the cream of chicken soup and sour cream…I only used about 16oz. of sour cream. Add salt to the mixture and the chicken. Mix together well. You can also add pepper if you like.
3. Pour into a 9×13 lightly greased baking dish and sprinkle the Ritz cracker crumbs over the top and pour the melted butter over the crumbs.
4. Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.

Corn chowder:
-2 cups fresh or frozen niblet corn (if using fresh boil the corn for a bit and then cut off the ear.
-3 cups half and half
-2 cups red potatoes, cut into cubes with skin still on
-1/2 cup of chopped onion (optional) sauteed in butter and 3 tbsps of flour
-1/2 cup of chopped celery (optional)
-2 1/2 cups water
-2 tsp. salt
-2 tsp. pepper
-1 14oz can creamed corn

-Place all ingredients except half and half in pot and whisk together. Simmer covered for 30 minutes. Remove cover and add half and half and simmer on low another 15 minutes. Let set about 10 minutes. You can top with shredded cheese or more salt and pepper.

And here are some cute photos and some photos of the house…

So, in the road in life, we have learned that our road is going to be more traveled than perhaps most, hence…Orlando, Vegas, Cullman, and now Frisco! We had a few hiccups on our most recent move that have yet again made me stop, think, and appreciate what we do have. I guess the adventure really began last Tuesday when we had to do the mad dash to have the mini van to drive to Dallas. Travis had to rent the van in his name with his credit card, did this stop me from driving down to pick up the van? Nope. Did Travis have to make a mad dash with our wonderful friend Ramonia to get the van before noon? Yes! Did we get the van and enjoy it? Absolultely, it was such a smooth journey, the girls loved riding in the van and Chance had plenty of space as well! The next hiccup was actually on unloading day and a few things were damaged, but nothing severely until…this past weekend we discovered that the dryer had a 4 prong outlet and the wall only had a 3 prong…turned out to be an easy fix, we just changed the cords essentially. Got it plugged in, went to start with the washing machine and it not only leaked, but sprays everywhere! So, the washing machine was broke sometime during the move. And it has been interesting trying to figure out when, how, and if the moving company is going to reimburse us for this! Needless to say though, things are going overall well. I have to remember to be appreciative of all the things we do have and be confident and positive on all aspects of life! Our house in Cullman will sell very soon…Anya will have lots of new friends in school and continue doing so well in her education…Arwen will not hurt herself on the new ceramic tile floors that are throughout our new home and even if someone tells us that we are in the “ghetto” area of Frisco (don’t believe it, Frisco is too new of an area to have any kind of ghetto), I still need to appreciate the fact that we have a home with a fenced yard and air conditioning which is more than what a lot of people have…
Plus, we are blessed with two sweet, healthy little girls, a large protective dog, and Travis still has a wonderful job!
One fun thing to mention is that Anya lost her first top tooth in Arkansas last Wednesday! The tooth fairy somehow managed to find us at the La Quinta Inn though!