Mandarin Orange and Pecan Salad

Hi everyone!

I am so glad to be back, and to be sharing my new favorite salad recipe with you all today!  I love spring time.  It's perfect weather for cookouts and fun salads.  I recently went to a dinner at my parent's church, and I had this salad.  It is my new favorite, so I thought I would share it with you (With permission from the creator, of course!).

Mandarin Orange and Pecan Salad

(Clickable/Printable Recipe Link Above)

Salad Romaine Lettuce 1 Cup Mandarin Oranges 1/4 Cup Toasted Pecans Dressing  1/4 Cup Vinegar 1 Cup Oil 1/2 Cup Sugar 1 tsp. Dry Mustard 1/2 small red onion (diced fine) Toss lettuce, oranges, and pecans. Mix dressing contents in a shake-able container.  Shake well before pouring over salad.   (Dressing will make more than enough for more than one bunch of lettuce.) This is the easiest, and freshest salad I have had in a very long time.  I hope your family loves it just as much as mine does! I like to link up at these awesome places! Thank you so much for reading!  Have a fantastic week!

House To-Do List

This time every year my husband is "re-evaluated" in his Unit.  There are only so many positions for his rank to fill, and if there is not a spot for him then we will be told it's time for us to move.  We have been stationed at our current station for 11 years now, so if it's time to go you can only imagine how much "stuff" we have.  Oh my!!  So, I am gearing up and cleaning out TONS of stuff.  In addition to cleaning out stuff, I have also been looking at the house though a buyers eyes, and that list is just as long as the one to clean out.  We will be finding out about the possible move within the next month, so I have a ton to get done pretty quickly.

My solution to this list?  Put it up for the whole world to see, and hope that it keeps a fire lit under my tush to complete it!  HA.  I will be making a page at the top of my blog for my house to-do list, too.  I will keep it updated from there, with dates and links to the posts I do clearing off my list.  Sound like a good plan?  I hope so!

Kitchen:
Paint Ceiling
Cover paneled walls
Paint
Back splash
New flooring
New curtain
New decor

Living room:
Crown molding
New flooring

Boys room:
Closet doors
Closet shelving
Ceiling light

Master bath:
Small floor shelving

Outside:
Flower beds
Mulch
Flowers
Waterproof top for kids play set
Table for porch
Rug for porch

Riley's room:
Rod for closet
Ceiling light
Paint touch up

Kids bath:
Re-caulk tub
Fix shelf in closet
New decor
Towel hooks

I wish I could say that I will complete one room at a time, from top to bottom, but that will not happen I'm sure.  So you can be sure to expect tidbits here and there from the list. Sorry!

How do you tackle your house to-do list?  All the pointers I can have will help. :)

Book Review (Delirium Series)

I have found a new love!  Reading!  I have never been a reader.  But last year after watching The Hunger Games I couldn't wait for another movie to see what would happen.  So, I started reading that series.  Fast forward a few months, and I have so many book series read that I have surprised myself.

Since I have never been a reader, I wasn't sure where to go after The Hunger Games.  I missed those characters so much, I wasn't sure what to read to help that heartbreak that it was over.  Lucky for me, I found out about What should I read next.  I typed in my series, then it gave me a list of books I may like that are similar to The Hunger Games.

Since I was so lost as to what to read next, I figured others may be as well.  So, I am going to start doing some book reviews of things I read.  Here is the first!

Delirium Series by Lauren Oliver.  This is considered a YA (Young Adult).

This series is about a girl, Lena, who lives in a world where love is a "disease".  The Government has come up with a way to keep people from catching this disease by administering a medicine.  In addition to the medicine, that will be administered at the age of 18, people are also "matched" based on tests with someone to be their wife/husband.  They are told what jobs they will do, as well as how many children they are expected to have.  Lena believes in this world.  Until one day she meets a boy, and falls in love.  The only way to not be administered this medicine, is to go into the "wilds" and live freely. 

Pandemonium picks up with Lena in the "wilds".  Over time, she is drawn into the resistance where others have decided to take back their city's and government and prove that love is not a bad thing.  Lena's new life is hard, but she loves it.  Although she is not able to forget her loved ones she left behind.

Requiem is the last book in the series.  The resistance is larger than ever, and they are planning a huge attack on all of the major cities in the world.  Lena is brought back to where it all began with her choice to leave her life.

I have tried to keep the major points and characters out of the review.  I've never done one of these before, and I don't want to give away the good stuff!

There are in depth characters throughout the books.  There is love.  There is fighting.  There is heartbreak.  There is happiness.  And there are reunions.  My only complaint is the foul language that is used at times.

Overall, I loved this series.  I love how Lena starts off a young girl who knows basically nothing of the world, but becomes a fighter who stands for what she believes in at the end. 

If you have read this series, please leave a comment!  I want to talk about the ending so bad!  HAHA 

What book series have you read recently and loved?  I need more recommendations!

I like to link up here.

   

Friends suck....

Today has been a horrible day.  This week has been very trying.  My eyes have been opened yet again at how much friends can suck.  Not all friends, of course.  But there are only very few people in life that you will be able to really call true friends.  I have to say, at this point in my life, I'm scared that all of my true friends have already been made.  And I'm also scared to say that I will only ever be able to count those true friends on one hand.  Five fingers, each representing a true friend.

Source: tumblr.com via Christy on Pinterest

I'm trying to get used to this.  But, I have to say, I do not like it.  I want to believe the movies.  I want to believe that there are people out there than can be the best of best friends.  Those that will be there through thick and thin, no matter what.  I'm having the hardest time realizing that God often removes someone from my life for a reason.  And to think before I chase after them.  I cherish my friends.  I do my very best to be the kind of friend in the movies.  And I keep a very small group of what I consider close and true friends.  I do this to keep from getting hurt....or so I have thought.  Yet, I keep getting hurt.

Source: charlotteromance.tumblr.com via Christy on Pinterest

This week I have realized I am too giving. I try so hard to do for others, what I would want others to do for me.  I have a servants heart.  I get this from my parents.  I was taught that if at all possible, you give someone the shirt off of your back if they need it.  And I live my life by this.  I realized today that I still need to be able to set boundaries for myself, and for my family.  Being a caring person, and being a giving person is great.  But, you have to know when someone is taking advantage of you.  And you have to know when too much is too much.

 

 

 

Source: Uploaded by user via Christy on Pinterest

I feel like God is working with me and my friendships.  I'm not sure if I will ever be done with this lesson, but I sure hope I finish soon.  Every friendship that I have found out sucks, I learn something different.  And I'm thankful for that.  But at some point, I'm hoping that I will have learned all that I can.  I am learning these lessons that God is teaching me, but I have also been shutting myself off from other new friendships.  I am scared to make new friends.  I am scared to give of myself again.  Will I ever get past this?

Source: imgfave.com via Christy on Pinterest

I sure hope so.  Until then, I am going to trust God. I am going to pray.  I am going to cry.  I am going to heal.  And hopefully, at some point, I am going to open my heart to more friendships.  Even though I know I could be hurt again.  This is the meaning of life, right?  To live, and grow, and learn, and trust, and get hurt, and move on?  It is time for me to do all of these things.  And it hurts.  Growing is hard.  But it is needed.  Everyone must do it.  Sometimes we just aren't ready for it.  Tonight, I have to be ready.  It is time.  I just hope life and my heart will give me a few days to mourn yet another friendship that has ended.  Friends suck....

Car Emergency Kit (With printable list)

Hi friends!!

The past few months I have been thinking about emergency preparedness for my family.  I have never really thought about it, and here lately with the news coverage, and everything going on with our world I decided it was time to get something going.  In today's uncertainty I believe it is best to be prepared.

Since this is all so new to me, I decided to start with our vehicles.  We do not buy new vehicles.  Only used ones for us.  And no matter how "new" they are, things can still go wrong and you can still be broken down in unknown areas.  We do have a great service though our insurance in case this happens, but what if it takes a few hours for someone to get to us?  This past fall that happened to us.  We were one hour from home, and our car broke down.  We had to wait about 2 hours before anyone came to get the car, and a friend came to pick the kids and I us.  During this time the family got hungry and thirsty.   They were also bored.  Now, we will be prepared for that!

 

I started by making a detailed list of every possible thing that we may need if we were stranded in our car for a few hours. I know it could happen during the day, as well as at night. So I tried to be prepared for either scenario.

 

After making my list, I went through the house and gathered things that I already had on hand that we wouldn't miss if it were in the car. By doing this I marked off about half of our list right from the jump.  Next I went through and highlighted what I could get at Dollar Tree.  After gathering what I could there, I hit up our Target and finished the list out there. 

 

I made sure to have medicines and things like that.  Toilet paper...with kids you never know! ;)  Food and water.  I also found some awesome head lamps in Targets camping area on clearance for $5 a piece!  Score!!  I figured these would come in handy if it were night time, and we needed our hands to be free while still being able to see.

I found a decent sized small tote at Target to keep all of the supplies in, and it will go in the back of my truck.  I believe it was only $7.

I will also change some of the products when the seasons change.  Just to keep the food within expiration date, and the products changed out from summer items and winter items.

If you would like to see a detailed and printable list by clicking on the link below:

Car Emergency Kit List

 



What about you?  Do you have a Car Emergency Kit in your vehicles?  If so, what do you keep in yours?  Anything different?

Thanks so much for reading!

I will be partying over here.