Where is spring!

So New Hampshire got hit with a bunch of more snow today. Yuck! Im ready for spring!

So here I am up to my eyeballs in snow

My parents are here :

Yup, Siesta Key Florida. How jealous am I! They are staying at an Interlakes Properties Resort http://www.inter-lakesproperties.com/ Ron and I stayed there last year and had such a wonderful time! And man do I wish I was there now!

I know I should be doing homework but Bailey and I took some time out to play in the snow. We were going to go thrifting but since the weather was so yucky we decided to stay home. Bailey loves the snow.

Then he heard the plow.....

and chased it.... Yup I had to run down the street after him (in my Pajamas no less) and my lucky day half the neighborhood was out shoveling. #1 reason not to stay in your pajamas until 11am. So here he is after I scolded him and made him go inside.

Maple Glazed Apple Stuffed Pork Chops

I am on my February vacation right now so I have time to make an elaborate meal (okay elaborate to me!) My hubby and I are picky eaters but we love this recipe! We had it tonight with rice and garlic sauteed green beans yum yum!

I am connecting to Beauty and Bedlam http://beautyandbedlam.com/ Tasty Tuesday!

Maple Glazed Apple Stuffed Pork Chops

2 Tsp. Butter

1 Cup of stuffing mix (I use Stove Top)

1/2 Cup finely chopped apple

2 medium sized pork chops

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 Tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Melt butter in large non-stick skillet on med heat

3. Add apple cook and stir 3 min or until tender

4. Prepare stuffing mix as directed on package, stir in cooked apple.

5. Pound pork chops thin

6. Press stuffing mixture onto one side of meat

7. Roll up jelly roll style.

8. If needed tie closed with butchers twine. ( I usually don't need to)

9. Spray small roasting pan with non-stick spray.

10. Mix syrup, mustard, and rosemary.

11. Spoon evenly over meat.

12. Bake 30-45min (check meat to make sure it is fully cooked before serving)

Harvest Hills Thrift Shop

Bailey is my black lab and also my thrifting partner in crime when my mom is not around!

He loves to ride in the car and especially visit Harvest Hills Animal Shelter/Thrift Shop.

Harvest Hill is out of the way so we dont get there too too often but we did find some great stuff there this week:

Chalkboard/cord board (before and afters to come shortly)

Great homemade soaps

Decorating Books

Prizes for my kiddos at school

and we ALMOST came home with this guy:

I torture myself everytime I go and go visit the doggies. This guy was super cute his name was Lurch and man was he huge! The woman told me he was close to 200lb. Bailey and I thought he would be a wonderful addition to our family, until the volunteer at Harvest Hills told me he didn't like male dogs. Well that was the end of that. Isnt he cute though!

Valentine's Day Clearence

So I had to go hit up the Valentine's Day clearence at Walmart.

I found some great stuff at 50% off. This was may favorite find at $5.00:

Yup a real Orchid. I've never had an Orchid before and heard that they can be quite tricky to keep. I figured for $5.00 if it dies it dies. Bailey (our black lab) and I also did some thrifting a few days ago at our favorite thrift store Nine Lives Thrift Store (Harvest Hills Animal Shelter). Bailey came from the Humane Society and what a great way to donate money by buying from their thrift store. I found some great stuff. Blog to follow :)

Snow Day

So I know all you in the south have been getting hit with snow but us in NH have been bone dry. Im not really complaining. I use to loovee snowdays I mean really love them. Im a teacher and I just loved when everyone at school would start the humm... "are we going to have a snow day tomorrow?" This year I do NOT love them. My school district decided to redo our high school (yahoo!) but in order to maximize the summer work period we are getting out June 4th (another yahoo!) but all of the snow days we have will be made up on Saturdays (YUCK!). Let me tell you a 6 day school week makes me ill and grouchy. So in NH we are suppose to get snow tomorrow. Maybe i'll make the trek out to some of my favorite thrift shops, we'll see or just lunch with one of my favorite gals (who is also a teacher).

Tasty Tuesday

I am connecting to http://beautyandbedlam.com/ Tasty Tuesday.

I wish I could say im a fabulous cook, but im still learning. My mother is a wonderful cook and im hoping those genes will rub off on me eventually.

I found this recipe on the web, and since hubby and I are super picky eaters we love it. I dont think its that great for you, but it sure is tasty.

Anniversary Chicken

Here's what you need :
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 1/2 cup teriyaki basting sauce
- 1/2 cup Ranch-style salad dressing
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1/2 (3 ounce) can bacon bits [I used about 6-7 pieces of real bacon]
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Here's how you make it :
Pre-heat over to 350
First, I cooked the bacon & set it aside
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts, and saute 4 to 5 minutes each side, until lightly browned.
Place browned chicken breasts in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush with teriyaki sauce.
Then, spoon on Ranch salad dressing.
Sprinkle with cheese
Then sprinkle bacon
Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Garnish with parsley

SERVE!!

Our House Is A Very Very Very Fine House

So hubby and I were talking about our house today. We have done alot of work to our house since we bought it in Dec. 2007. Some of this work was not schedule (our flooding basement which is now a beautiful family room), and some was: installed a pellet stove, painted our cabinets in the kitchen, laid down laminate flooring in the kitchen, installed granite countertop, added new washer and dryer and added new lighting in the kitchen.

Sometimes I get angry at our house (when the water heater blows up after a year of use) or when our roof starts leaking.

But overall I have to say I love it. Here are a few pictures of my favorite spots.

My Kitchen... The before and afters. Sorry I dont have better befores where you can really see the nasty lanoliem and ugly carpet in the dining. room.

Our living room.. I think one of the reasons I bought this house was for the built in bookcases.

TJ Maxx

So I convinced hubby that I Needed (it was an emergency :) )to go to TJ Maxx and check out their boot selection. Im in huge need of new high heeled knee high boots.

Unfortuneately there were no high heeled boots to be found but... I found some other great deals on the clearence rack!

• Seven Jeans (not to get confused with the brand Seven for Mankind.) I love love love these jeans they always fit me soo well and they're usually $29.99 but today I found them for $10.00!
• Wicked cute Bandolino sling backs with a pointy toe and cute bow on the front. The 6 1/2 was $10.00 but the 7 1/2 was $15.00 (bizzarre to me) so of course I needed the 7 1/2 so i dragged both sets of shoes up to the register. The sales girl didn't seem impressed but told me this once she would give me the 7 1/2 size for $10.00
• Last but not least a chocolate brown sleeveless shirt with a scoop neck. Super cute $7.00

I have always had a love for TJ Maxx. Before my thrifting days I spent alot of time (and money) there. I dont visit there as much as I like to find cheaper deals, but still have to stop in every once in a while.

So for $27.00 I had a great trip. Pictures to follow!

Happy Super Bowl