Football Season

I got some kind of stomach virus last weekend that knocked me off my feet for most of 3-4 days. After a week, my digestive system is starting to get back to normal and my appetite may be coming back! I can't remember the last time I've been sick like that and am so glad to be feeling better. Being sick definitely threw my week off course and thus, it's been very quiet here! 

 Go Redskins!

Football season is upon us! We love football at out house. And by we, I really mean my husband.


I have a really hard time following football. I see big guys running with the football and that's about as far as I get.

On the flip side, I really enjoy football snacks. Oh yeah! Dips, little weinies in sauce, cheese and crackers, stuffed jalapenos, meatballs, dips... did I mention dips? I love them all. I don't have any trouble at all following football snacks!

If only "football snacks" was a sport. I'd be a most loyal fan!

Well, this year I decided I would not be left behind during football season. I would try to learn a little more about football so maybe, just maybe, I could have at least an elementary knowledge of the game. I know just enough to enjoy watching baseball, basketball and hockey. Surely I could learn about football too!

I'd seen "women's guides to football" at bookstores in the past so I did an Amazon search. Then took my findings to my library to see what they had. I ended up with a generic Football For Dummies and Get Your Own Damn Beer, I'm Watching The Game: A Woman's Guide To Loving Pro Football.

So I don't condone the language in the title of the latter book but it was the only "women's guide" my library had. Besides, it's proven to be a very good read so far! And quite the conversation starter for anyone who sees the book!

I can't guarantee that I'll turn into a big football fan or that I'll retain a lot about the game. But I'm making an effort... and I'm sure I'll learn something!

Do you enjoy watching football or are you there for the snacks?

Inspiration for wreath from here and here.

Our Anniversary Dinner

Instead of going out to eat for our 5th anniversary, I opted to cook a special dinner at home.

Shrimp isn't often seen on the McFrugals grocery list, but an anniversary calls for celebration. The occasional splurge makes living the frugal life more worthwhile, I believe.

Because my pantry and freezer shelves are pretty well-stocked, I was able to devote a good share of our weekly grocery budget to buying some special items for the celebration.

 The Menu:
--Shrimp Scampi served over spaghetti **
--Whole-Grain French bread**
--Spinach salad with grape tomatoes, olives and feta cheese
--Sparkling white grape juice

**Recipes at the end of this post.

I found a 12 ounce bag of cooked shrimp for $3.49 and a bottle of sparkling white grape juice for $2.49 at Aldi. While there, I also picked up a bag of spinach for $1.99 and a pint of grape tomatoes for $1.49. I had everything else on hand.

This made a very nice dinner for around $10.00, give or take. Obviously, we did not eat the whole bag of spinach at one setting. :-) If I do say so myself, this was every bit as delicious as eating at a nice restaurant and was a fraction of the price!

Shrimp Scampi

This was a new recipe that I received from my sister. Since we have similar tastes and I know she is a fantastic cook, I trusted her when she said that this was really really good! And she was right. This was awesome!!

I used one 12 ounce package of already cooked shrimp instead of the 2 pounds raw shrimp the recipe calls for. We liked the extra sauce which we used for dipping  the homemade crusty French bread.

1 c. butter
2 T. prepared Dijon mustard
1 T. lemon juice
1 T. chopped garlic
1 T. chopped fresh parsley or 1 t. dried parsley
2 lbs medium raw shrimp, shelled, deveined, with tails attached

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine everything but the shrimp, and remove when the butter is melted.
Put shrimp in a shallow baking dish, and pour the butter mixture over the shrimp.
Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until the shrimp are pink and opaque.

Serve over pasta or as an appetizer with toasty bread. I used the above mentioned bag of already cooked shrimp so instead of baking it for 15 minutes, I baked it just until the shrimp were heated through, about 10 minutes.

Makes 4-6 servings


Whole-Grain French Bread
If you're new to baking bread, I suggest you start with French bread. It's easy to make and you don't need any bread pans, just a  cookie sheet.

Here I've updated my favorite French Bread recipe from the Not Just Beans cookbook to include freshly ground whole wheat flour. If you don't have access to a grain mill, you can use store-bought whole wheat flour.

This recipe makes 2 small loaves or 1 large loaf. You decide. 

1 pkg. or 1 tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
1 cup warm water(110-115 degrees)
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups freshly ground whole wheat flour. I used Hard Red wheat for this batch and it turned out great. Hard White wheat would work well, too.
1 - 1 1/2 cups unbleached flour
4 teaspoons Vital Wheat Gluten or other dough enhancer, optional


In a bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water. Add oil and salt and enough flour and the gluten to make a stiff(a little sticky though) dough. Knead 10 minutes on a floured board. (If you have a heavy duty mixer, dissolve yeast and water in mixer bowl. Add oil and salt and mix at low speed for a little bit. Then add flour and gluten to make a stiff dough(for best results, dough should be relatively easy to handle but still a little on the sticky side.) Mix on medium to high speed for 5-8 minutes or little longer until dough is mixed well.)
Place in a greased bowl, turning once. Let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 -2 hours. Punch down and let rest 15 minutes. Divide dough in half. Roll each half on a greased surface into a 15-inch long log. Place on greased cookie sheets and make 5 slashes with a sharp knife diagonally across tops. Let rise until double, about 1 hour.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped.

Optional: Mix a beaten egg and 2 tablespoons milk together to make an egg wash. Brush this mixture over  the unbaked loaves before the second rising. This gives the bread a "shiny" finish when baked.

I often will skip the egg wash and just butter the tops of the loaves after baking or leave them plain. Either way is good!

**For more Frugal Friday reading, visit Life As Mom!

 **Thanks for visiting my blog today! Please enter my giveaway while you're here. It's open through midnight tonight, Friday, October 9.

Five Years Of Wedded Bliss (Or Something Like That)

Happy Anniversary, Sweetie!

I promise I will love you all the seasons of my life and be thankful for the beauty of sharing them with you.

~From a card Andy gave me before we were married. 

Summer of Picnics #3 & #4

I'm a bit behind on recording our summer picnics. We were so busy in June that we didn't go on even one picnic. And last weekend, our date was to Chick-fil-a. Hopefully, we'll get back to our picnic schedule this week.

In the meantime, here are the details on our two last picnics from May. Yes, May...I told you I was slow here. :-)I'm almost embarrassed to be posting them now but I guess it's better late than never!

For picnic #3, we decided to try a small park in town that we hadn't been to yet. When we arrived, only a few people were there for what looked to be baseball practice. We set up our picnic and began to eat. A few minutes later, park security came and told us that they were getting ready to lock up the park and would we please finish up? It was only a little after 7 pm, but we packed up and went on home. About a mile down the road, it began to storm so we would've had to leave our picnic early anyways!

On the menu:
--white bean salad with crostini
--cheese and crackers
--grapes
--Hershey's 100 calorie chocolate covered pretzels

Picnic #4 took place in our living room since we got rained out on Memorial Day. This is proof that you can have a picnic anywhere!


Our menu:
--chicken salad sandwiches(recipe below)
--carrot sticks
--tortilla chips
--watermelon

Mary Ann's Chicken Salad with fruit and nuts

This is more of a guide than an actual recipe as everything is added to taste. It is so yummy; one of our favorites!I concocted this simple recipe after something similar was served at one of my bridal showers.

--chopped cooked chicken
--sliced red grapes or apples
--walnuts or pecans-I like them chopped but still pretty chunky.
--chopped celery
--chopped onion, if desired
--mayonnaise
--yellow mustard
--garlic powder
--salt
--curry powder, if desired

Mix first 5 ingredients in bowl. Add a couple spoonfuls of mayo until the right consistency. I don't like it too runny, so I put in less or add more chunky stuff. Add a squirt of yellow mustard then stir in small amounts of the remaining spices. Unless you really like curry powder, add only a tiny bit of it. I like to add just a smidgen to add a different flavor. Taste and adjust seasonings until just right.

Spread on crackers, bread or serve a spoonful on a bed of lettuce.

Our cherished dog Rock joined us. I believe that he was hoping for a bite of people food but we ate it all ourselves. We're just selfish like that. ;-)


Our picnic entertainment: Nascar's Coca-Cola 600.


Fun times!

Picnic tip: Be flexible!

Summer Of Picnics #2

For our second picnic of the season, we traveled a long distance to our front porch!

I've been wanting a table for our porch for a while. A table makes for a nice place to sit and eat and also gives a charming cottage look. We found a sturdy card table at a yard sale this spring. The only problem was that the top is damaged and needs to be covered to look nice.:-) We went ahead and brought it home since I would use a tablecloth anyways! For $5, it will serve us well until we find something nicer.

All that to say, we ate at our front porch table for this picnic!

Because we weren't going anywhere, I didn't bother packing our meal in a basket. Instead, I just filled our plates and took them outside.


A candle and wild rose decorated our table.

The menu:
--Ham and Swiss quiche
--Salad
--Sliced strawberries
--Chocolate Chip-Raspberry cookies

Simple and sweet!

We definitely will be eating outside more this summer!

Summer of Picnics #1

For my husband and I, picnics are a favorite date activity. When we were dating, we often went on picnic dates. Our favorite picnic spot in those days was the lake at Furman University. We whiled away many Saturday afternoons there.

These days it seems that going on picnics requires a bit more intentional planning. Maybe it's because we don't often have that many afternoons to while away anymore. There's yard work to do, a house to clean, always something to be done!

This summer I'm determined to dust off the picnic basket(s) and go on many picnics with my sweetie!

I'm planning on a picnic once a week. That may seem ambitious, but I figure that if I shoot for one a week, we should at least actually do a picnic at least twice a month that way. Instead of other years when we vowed to go on lots of picnics again and ended up going on one or none at all.

Picnics can be had just about anywhere and can be very easy on the budget. They can be simple or a bit more extravagant. I like to make our picnics a bit on the charming side because it's fun! A wicker basket, pretty tablecloth or old-fashioned picnic blanket and some fun foods can do a lot to add a touch of beauty to a simple lunch.

For our first picnic of the season, we headed out to a local garden just minutes from our house. Using ingredients that I had on hand, I packed a simple supper of egg salad sandwiches, veggie chips, cheese cubes, homemade pickles, celery sticks and brownies.

I've never used these silicone cupcake cups(a gift) for baking, but I've found that they are great for dividing small bits of food and condiments in larger lunch containers.

There are no tables at this garden but plenty of benches and wide retaining walls to sit on comfortably and set out a picnic on.

This garden is a prime spot for photo shoots. Often we'll see wedding photos being taken. This particular evening was "Prom Central". It took us a bit to find a spot away from the cameras so we settled in on a brick amphitheater-type stage away from the center of the garden.

The food was good and the scenery quite lovely!










Picnics. For us, they're definitely a finer thing!

**This post is part of Amy's Finer Things Friday!

Our Valentine's Day

We had a nice Valentine's day. My husband took me to downtown Salisbury, NC to spend the day poking around. We spent approximately 6 hours in a 3 block radius just checking out bookstores, thrift shops and antique stores. We didn't buy a whole lot but enjoyed the time spent together. This is an activity that we enjoyed often when we were dating, but has kind of gone by the wayside since the wedding. I admit that at first I didn't want to go away on Saturday. All of last week, it seemed that I just kept falling further and further behind in my tasks and things I needed to do. I thought I needed to spend a day at home working and catching up. (I'm a really fun wife, aren't I?!?) But I am glad I went. It was refreshing to spend a day with no schedule.

Before we left, I made heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast and served them with strawberries.(Forgot to take pictures.) Yum! In the evening, Andy took me to Olive Garden. We had part of a gift card, a coupon and some gift money to use, so we came out pretty good. They were crazily busy but a meal there is always worth the wait!. Our waiter sang us an Italian love song. Turns out he sings opera. It was beautiful!

I had planned to cook a nice steak dinner for us at home for Valentine's day. Since we went out, I moved the meal to one night this week. It will be just as special then. After all, Valentine's isn't the only day to do special things!

Fireproof: Have You Seen It?

We went to see the movie Fireproof this weekend.

If you haven't seen it, you need to go!

We loved it!

This movie was made by the same folks who did Facing The Giants(which I also highly recommend). Fireproof is about marriage and has a strong Biblical message throughout. The story is gripping and very real to life.

It was so wonderful to be able to view such an edifying film at the movie theater.

You've got to see this movie!

If you've seen it, what did you think of Fireproof?

Our Weekend

For our anniversary, we spent the weekend at a cottage in Western North Carolina. I don't think the leaves were at their peak for color but it was still quite beautiful.

We stayed in the same place where we went last year. Maybe we'll go again next year, too! We do really like it there. The picture above is the view of the lake and woods from the cottage. The cottage is on private property next to our hosts' home. The cottage is divided into two private suites which include a small kitchen and living and dining areas. It is private and so quiet but within easy driving distance of various attractions.

We are not big into tourist traps or extreme sports so we like the quiet of a more rural area. We were able to go to the fall festival at the John C. Campbell Folk School. It was so cool! What a neat place. Many many craft booths and demonstrations. There were handmade baskets, wooden bowls,quilts, paintings, soaps, honey and beeswax candles, pottery, wood carving, etc. So many wonderful things to see! We spent a good 3-4 hours there just walking around checking everything out.

We had such a nice time just spending quiet time away from our normal schedules. I read several books while my husband enjoyed the wonders of more than basic cable.:-)

On our way home on Monday, we stopped in Hendersonville, North Carolina and bought apples. I got four big bags of seconds for $3 a bag which will be used primarily for applesauce and maybe some apple butter. Then we got two regular bags of apples for eating at $6 a bag. So guess what I'll be doing this weekend? :-) I also got 3 cute pumpkins. Right now they are serving as decorations for my mantle; next they will be cooked and put into yummy baked goods!

I've been playing catch-up from a couple of hectic weeks. Soon this blog will be back to regular programming, I hope!

I Still Do

Today we celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary, sweetie!

If you'd like to see more wedding photos, go here. Enjoy!

Three Years

Happy Anniversary, Andy! I love you!

"I promise I will love you all the seasons of my life and be thankful for the beauty of just sharing them with you." -from a card given before we were married

More of our pictures and wedding details can be found here.

Blog Tea Party- Celebrating Marriage!

We were married almost 2 1/2 years ago on October 2, 2004. It was a very special and beautiful wedding. As far as weddings go, I don't think it was the most beautiful and definitely not the most extravagant. But it had many of the small touches that we wanted and was certainly "our own". My husband is a gifted musician and song-writer, so music was a huge part of our day. He also has a gorgeous singing voice, and sang an original song to me at the wedding-the same song that he sang to me when he proposed. :-) That was my favorite part and now he sings me that song on our anniversary each year. To signify the importance of keeping Christ first in our relationship and marriage, we decided to do communion together instead of the traditional unity candles. A friend sang "The Lord's Prayer" while we took communion and prayed together. We wanted the wedding to be meaningful and really focus on marriage God's way, instead of a quick "necessary" ceremony before the party!

Another important tidbit about our wedding is that we paid for both the wedding and honeymoon debt-free. This meant that we had no bills arriving after we got home from our honeymoon. This meant a lot of extra "do-it-ourselves" preparation for the wedding, but the freedom was so totally worth it. We spent approximately $1500 for a wedding and reception for 200 guests. (This included renting a facility.) We would not have been able to pull this off without the overwhelming support from our friends and family. Many of our friends offered their services(food, wedding cake, music, pastor, my hair, photography and videography, etc.) in lieu of wedding gifts which was wonderful. I think the only services we paid full-price for was flowers and we went very light on those, enjoying the simplicity of candles and greenery(borrowed silk plants and ficus trees) instead of flowers as decorations.
A close-up of my bouquet. The bridesmaids flowers were blue and yellow and both mothers and all the grandmothers carried a single yellow rose.
My Dad and I right before he walked me down the aisle. I sewed my own wedding gown, which was 2 piece and sewn out of silk dupioni. It was very simple in design but had a vintage feel to it that I loved! The headpiece belonged to my mother-in-law and the veil was from my sister-in-law(They both used the headpiece at their weddings). The trim on my dress and the flowers and pearls on the headpiece looked almost like they had been made to match. Stuck into my bouquet was my mom's lace handkerchief. I loved having something from both of our mothers. It added a special touch.
Finally! The wedding's over! We walked out to Rebecca St. James' song-Side By Side. Different, but we liked it! Notice the clumps of rose petals that our 3 year old niece "sprinkled" on the carpet on her way down the aisle. She took her role as flower girl very seriously and was literally picking the last pieces of petals out of the bottom of the basket by the time she got to the front of the church!
A friend made us this cake as a wedding gift. Although it turned out slightly different than the picture in a wedding book, I loved the all-white "hat box" style. For food, we had a dessert reception which featured mostly home-made family favorites.

God has been so faithful to us in the past 4 years or so, really our whole lives, as we can see how He carefully planned for us to meet and to be together. God continues to grow our love for each other and carefully fashion each of us into the perfect mate for the other! Something that stood out to us from our wedding was when the pastor said that in marriage each new day is another day to choose to love, to respect, to honor, to forgive our spouses, or to choose not to love, not to respect, not to honor, or not to forgive. With God's help we hope to choose to love, respect, honor and forgive each other for the rest of our lives!
A dear lady wrote to me in a bridal shower card- "Marriage is a garden that requires our care, our time and trust in a Living God. It yields the best friend you will ever have, the best growth opportunities to stretch... and the best spirit opportunities. God smiles when we seek to serve each other."

Thanks for "attending my wedding" today! To see more "Celebrating Marriage" posts, please visit The Homespun Heart. Thanks to Monica for hosting this fun event for us!

How To Pray For Your Husband

I came across this article/list as an about-to-be-married woman and continue to find it excellent and useful. This was written by Sandy Day and taken from the book The Best of the Proverbs 31 Ministry. Along this same subject, I also highly recommend the book The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian.

How To Pray For Your Husband

Sunday: That he would become a holy man, a man of prayer, mature in the Lord, growing in his knowledge of God and daily seeking Him with all his heart. (I Thessalonians 5:23; Colossians 4:12: Ephesians 1:18-19; Ephesians 3:16-19; Psalm 119:1-2)

Monday: That he would learn to take every thought captive, to not be conformed to the world's thinking, but to think scripturally. (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:5)

Tuesday: That his self-image would be a reflection of the Lord's thoughts toward him. (Ephesians 1:17-19; Romans 12:3; Psalm 139)

Wednesday: That he would become a called man, not driven, with well thought-through and prayed-through goals in life. (I Corinthians 9:24-27)

Thursday: That he would stand firm against the schemes of the devil and resist Satan in all circumstances. (Ephesians 6:10-18; James 4:7)

Friday: That the fruit of the Spirit would be exhibited more and more in his life. That he would learn to love as God commanded. (Galatians 5:22-23; I Corinthians 13:4-7; Romans 12:8-10)

Saturday: That the Lord would protect him, guarding his course. That he would learn to manage his time well. (Proverbs 2:8; Ephesians 5:15)