I LOVE Football! I love Saturdays! And I love Hot/Spicy Food!
I found this recipe on Sandra Lee's website. It's delicious and perfect for tailgating or watching football on the couch.
I'm sure Sandra's turn out a lot prettier than mine, but they still taste good!
Ingredients:
12 large jalapeno peppers
4 Cheddar cheese sticks
24 pieces center-cut bacon (we use turkey bacon)
1 tablespoon chili powder

Directions:

2.Cut about 1/2-inch off the top each jalapeno pepper. Take the top pieces that you just cut off, cut the sides off and reserve, discarding the middle stem pieces. These will be used to plug the open end of each pepper to help keep the cheese from melting out. Using a straight peeler, scrape out the seeds and ribs from the inside of each of the peppers.

3.Slice each cheese stick into pieces that are just slightly shorter than the jalapenos. Stuff a pepper with a piece of cheese. Take the reserved side pieces and place them into the open end of the pepper, covering the cheese and plugging the hole. Take a piece of bacon and wrap the pepper from the bottom end to the top end, making sure to secure the "plug" at the top end. Take a second piece of bacon and lay it down on a clean work surface. Roll up the pepper so that it is almost completely covered in bacon and secure with a toothpick. Repeat with the remaining peppers, cheese, bacon and toothpicks. Sprinkle each with chili powder.

4.Place on the grill, cover and cook over indirect heat until the bacon is crispy, 15 to 20 minutes, making sure to turn every 3 to 4 minutes.

"Happy Birthday Rhia!"- Sang to the tune of  "Happy Birthday Jesus!".... don't ask why?!

Today is one of my very dear friend's birthdays. She is so special to me. We made it all the way through undergrad and grad school together. Without her, I don't think I would have graduated- seriously! We live way too far apart now. Maybe one day we will live in the same state! How wonderful would that be?!?!?!?

Her and her husband just bought a new house, so I thought I would make some things for her office (she has a fabulous business called rhiDESIGN). She is so creative and I love to receive hand made things from her, so I decided to make her something. What was I thinking? I found an inspiration picture on Pinterest.

My turned out nothing like this. What went wrong? lol! Maybe next time, I should just send her a 30X40 canvas. SIKE!

But, there is a tradition that Rhia and I have... for every holiday, we give crosses. I'm really not sure how that started either. LOL! Anyways, I made her one.
I wouldn't be who I am today without my sweet friend Rhia! Rhia, thanks for being such an inspiration to me. You are blessing to the Lee family (as well as Zak and Juneau). Thank you for being an example of a godly woman in my life. Continue to be obedient to His calling!
I love you and I miss you sooooooo much!

Total, I have a few pics to post that are from a variety of things.... no special theme today.

I have been selling some items on Etsy! I sell a lot of Distressed Wooden Letters. I sent this one off last week.

I'm so thankful for the postal service. I LOVE to send mail, but I also LOVE to receive mail! Thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law for this fun care package. There was a little something for everyone (including Valkyrie, our child... a 3 year old toddler trapped in a dog's body).  Her nickname is Doggie America by the way. lol!

I also received this picture from one of my Etsy clients. I did a custom order for her. I'm so pleased with how it turned out. She is too!

I had a client who requested custom stationery for her family... and her last name happens to be the same as mine. tee hee hee!  Her and her husband wanted something simple and classy.

I have a friend who sent me a pic she found on Pinterest. She loved the words and texture of the painting, but she wanted it a lot larger. So, I hope I made her dreams come true with this painting. lol!

I didn't have any gray paint readily available, so I mixed a custom color. I would like to call this one "Roberts Gray"- (I will probably never be able to make this exact color again, so enjoy it!)  This painting was a lot of fun to do, but a little challenging. I wanted to give her the texture she wanted, so I tried a few things, including tea bag staining. I thought it was the perfect idea until I saw it after it dried. It wasn't dark enough. My next option....  Antique Stain. It was darker and still provided some texture. I left it at that.

Take a look at the final product. I think I need one of these for my house. It's one of my favorite hymns.

That doesn't mean what you probably think it means. Let's just say this week hasn't been "as sweet as pie". But it hasn't been too terrible either. Usually when there is stressful week in the Lee household, we have some sort of dessert to make it better. This week, it's apple pie... my husband's favorite! I know it's probably not the healthiest way to end a week, but when you have a crazy schedule like our house does, you do what you gotta do. lol!

I remember the first time I made an apple pie for my husband... it took FOREVER! It was definitely made with love! I made the pie crust from scratch. What was I thinking? I was newly married and had no clue. Now, after talking with my husband's grandmother (a fantastic baker and cook), I found the secret- Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust! I didn't believe her at first. I thought everything she made was from scratch. She laughed when I told her I made mine from scratch. "Oh honey, I just buy mine at the grocery store already made." Thanks Granny...now you tell me! I can now make apple pie in about 15 minutes (minus the baking time).

A freshly baked one of these will be waiting for my husband this evening:
I have tried about 5 or 6 different apple pie recipes, but there is nothing like the recipe off the side of the pie crust box. I have a feeling Pillsbury has tested it out quite a few times to get it exactly right. Oh and if you have something against refrigerated pie crust- oh well! Make your own from scratch, but this sister needs all the help she can get!

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 Box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts

Filling:
6 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (6 medium)- Fiji apples are my favorite for this recipe
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly against side and bottom.
2. In large bowl, gently mix filling ingredients; spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust edge pressing edges together to seal; flute.  Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust.
3. Bake 40-45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown.  Cover edge of crust with 2-3 inch wide strips of foil after first 15-20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning.  Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours before serving.

-Our family can never wait 2 hours!

Enjoy some apple pie to end your week- stressful or not!

I can't take credit for this recipe. I watched Rachel Ray make it on one of her shows, but it has become a favorite in our household. (I think she calls it something else, but Americana Italiana is shorter.)

Ingredients:
6 slices peppered bacon
1 box whole wheat penne pasta (cooked)
1 can fire roasted tomatoes (28 oz.)
2 medium red onions (chopped)
3 cloves of garlic
1 container of chicken stock
Fresh parsley and basil
Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese (shredded)

1. Heat up Olive Oil.
2. Cut up bacon and add to skillet. After about 3 minutes, add onions and garlic.
3. When onions are soft, add chicken stock and tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Add pasta, parsley, and basil.
5. Top with cheese.


I hope this makes it to your dinner table tonight! Enjoy!

I made this card for my friend that is deployed. I found the fun templates on Creature Comforts Blog.... but added a little more love to it! Check out the blog and make something for someone you care about!

If you're wondering what in the world you're going to do with the old cell phone laying in the junk drawer... I have a solution for you.
My mother-in-law and father-in-law are going on a mission trip to Brazil next summer. They are raising money by collecting old cell phones.... I know EVERYBODY has at least one laying around the house. They would love your support and donation!

Mail your cell phones to:
Harpeth Heights Baptist Church
8063 Hwy 100
Nashville, TN 37221

I just mailed mine in!

I LOVE Etsy. I have a couple of items listed on Etsy for sale, but not everything I offer.
I received an order on Etsy for a custom wooden name.  The name also needed to stand alone. Meaning, it wasn't going to lean against anything or be hung on a wall.... a Challenge, but I'm always up for a challenge. :) I've never done this before (exactly like this), but the customer was very patient with me.
She sent me a font that she liked... Primitive. So I tried my best to get close.  "The more rustic/primitive you can make them look, the better!"

Here's a look at the final result:

I found this awesome wire basket at Savers last month. I thought it would be great for holding my big cooking utensils on my kitchen counter... however, the salmon color did not match the color scheme in my kitchen. I turned to my handy-dandy friend.... SPRAY PAINT. I had some left over from a previous project. Total cost for project: $2.99.

Here are some invitations I recently did for a client. She is getting married this fall at Thorncrown Chapel. I can't wait for the BIG day!!

I have NEW Facebook Profile Pic! Check it out!

Here are a few of my favorites from the Roach's family session.

Last Wednesday, I finished one of the hardest projects I've ever worked on. One large picture with several hundred people, combination of 11 separate pictures, taken 4 different days. I'm tired just thinking about it. :)
My husband's boss wanted a picture of his squadron. This is not a common picture taken by the Air Force. So, my husband volunteered me for the job. It was such an honor to take this picture. I had it finished just in time to give it to the Major before his deployment this week. He loved the picture....I was so worried it wasn't going to be what he envisioned.

Take a look at my favorite squadron in the Air Force:

In between the two senior sessions (Daniel and Caleb) last week, we had a fun mini session. The boys brought their matching Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle shirts and were ready for some awesome actions shots. They channeled their inner "Ninja Turtle" and pretty much did EVERYTHING asked of them... and more.

Oh, and in case you didn't know.... I was a HUGE Ninja Turtle Fan when I was younger. That's probably really weird considering I'm a girl. LOL! I had the sleeping bag, lunch box, and movies (back then, there were VHS).

Here are a couple of favorites from our time together.

Last weekend, I flew to Minot, ND to spend time with Caleb and his family. Caleb is a senior at Minot High School this year. It was an honor to be able to take his senior pictures. Caleb and his family are very special to us. They will forever be part of our family... no matter how far apart we are.

Caleb, I am so proud of you. Continue to do well in school. Be the godly example God has called you to be. Last but not least, good luck choosing a college- any school would be lucky to have you! :)