Dinner

we are having fried cornmeal mush and homemade hashbrowns and onions for dinner.  i feel like we are living through the depression.  at least its going to be tasty.

Turkey, Noodles, and Mashed Potatoes! Oh My!

well, you all remember how well i did on my new years resolution of trying new recipes...  turns out its expensive to make two new recipes each week.  who knew?  anyways, i wanted to post about our dinner tonight because my good friend amanda from washington asked for my recipe.  its nice to hear that someone still reads our blog.  i will have to be better about updating from now on.  our meal tonight was inspired by our lack of funds and our need to make food and meals last for a while.  i bought a medium sized turkey breast and a bag of potatoes, those are the only things aside from the basics that you will need for this recipe.  the turkey was extremely easy.  put the turkey into the crockpot and fill up to half way and no more than three quarters of the way with water.  turn the turkey on low and leave overnight or during the day while at work.  when you wake up or return home your house will smell great and your turkey well practically fall off the bone.  michael took care of the potatoes for me, peeling three potatoes and cutting them into medium sized cubes, the smaller the cubes, the quicked the cook time.  cover the potato cubes in water and bring to boil.  continue to boil potatoes until they are tender and ready to mash,eight to twelve minutes.  mash potatoes with a heaping tablespoon of butter, a little milk, and a healthy dash of salt and pepper to your tastes.  for the noodles, scramble three to four eggs in a medium mixing bowl.  add flour to the egg until you form a dough that you can work with your hands without being too sticky.  roll dough onto a floured surface as thin or thick as you would like your noodles.  use a pizza cutter to cut strips into the though to form noodles.  seperate and toss noodles to fluff them.  allow noodles to sit out and dry for an hour or two, i made them the night before and they ended up a little too tough, i would make them the day you plan to eat them.  to cook noodles, scoop out two cups of broth from turkey crockpot.  add noodles to the saucepan, add more water to make sure noodles are mostly covered.  the flour on the outside of the noodles will mix with the broth and create your gravy.  i tried maiking gravy a different way, but it didnt work, so we used noodle goo as gravy.  taste noodles to ensure that they are cooked through.  serve everything with a little salt and pepper.  hope you enjoy this homecooked meal.  a special thanks to grandma for the recipe and guidance in my cooking endeavors.  talk to you all again soon.

A Little Bit About Me

i know youre tired of reading while i complain about jobs.  so if you dont want to hear it, go ahead and find another website to visit.  i know everyone means well and wants to help.  i know everyone wants us to have jobs, but we are struggling.  all this is is a vent.  if it comes down to it, we have ways to pay our bills.  im not going to accept money from you, because im too proud to do so.  i have stock and would rather sell that or take out a loan.  i dont want help or pity, i want us both to have jobs.  if you dont have a job to offer us, i dont want to hear about it.  i dobnt want to hear that cessna is hiring, because you arent offering a job.  ugh.  i wish i could pay my bills every month without this stress.  grrr...

A Great Day!

We were very busy today! Glenn and Linda came down for the day because they hadn't seen our apartment yet since we moved to Wichita. So they came down and we had some lunch. They got to see our girls again, who continue to grow every day. The girls enjoyed the extra company and were a little ornery around lunch. Gabby did what she always does and peed on the floor, so she spent a good deal or time in her kennel. After lunch we went to the Sedgwick County Zoo to show Glenn and Linda what they were missing in the puny little zoo in Topeka. I think they had a good time. I know I did. It'a been a while since Michael and I have been to the zoo. We bought our membership about 6-8 weeks ago, but haven't gone since because of the hot weather. Since the weather only got up to 102 today it was a much cooler day for the zoo, still pretty warm, but getting better. After the zoo we drove around and showed Glenn and Linda some more of our favorite things and places here in town. We decided on Logan's Roadhouse for dinner. It was delicious! After dinner they headed back to Topeka and Michael and I got ready for MTW (Music Theatre of Wichita). We went and saw The Little Mermaid tonight with Mama, Sis, Grandma H, and Aunt Darlene. It was a fun show! Next year's shows look really good as well, I'm hoping we can go see Fiddler on the Roof. In the mean time, Young Frankenstein is coming to Wichita in the off season, maybe I can swing some tickets as a Christmas present. :) Well, that's about all I have. :) Just wanted to update you all on our nice day. Now I have to go to sleep because I've got a busy week ahead! Details to follow! Much love and goodnight!

Life Outside of Jobs

hey friends.  seems like all ive been posting about all summer is our job searches.  so this post will not talk about our jobs at all, but instead will focus on life here in wichita and what we have been up to this summer.  as you might have seen in  a previous post, we got a new puppy in the middle of june.  her name is gabby and she is a pointer mix.  gabby will be four months old in a couple of days.  shes been lots of fun and a great addition to our family.  her and harlee get along great and love each others company.  gabby learned sit and down very quickly, then our teaching slacked off, so we need to work on training her some more.  we put some bells by the door and gabby is learning to ring them when she needs to go outside to potty.  the crate training is getting better easier every day.  shes a great puppy and a wonderful addition to our family.  we have also been spending a lot of time with sis and adam this summer.  i forgot how much i love being close to sis and being able to hang out with her frequently.  we have dinner together once a week, all four of us, at either of our houses.  its a fun time to get together and hang out, sometimes we play board games too, which is always fun.  for a lot of the summer our thursday nights meant wine bar, appetizers, and a free movie downtown in old town.  we would go and enjoy some drinks, get a cheese plate or various other appetizers, then head next door to watch a free movie put on by the people who do the tallgrass film festival in october.  we saw some good movies this summer, like the birdcage and the crying game.  and we saw some not so good movies like the third man.  but at least it got us out of the house and didnt cost too much.  the summer heat has been brutal, we want to find a dog park for the girls, but itks too hot to be out for very long, so well have to wait until the fall for that one.  speaking of the fall, we will be joining the wichita catbackers then so that we have a group of other kstate alumni to get together with to watch games.  we are looking forward to having other kstate fans to get rowdy with.  my colleague tracy, my fourth grade coteacher, came to visit this summer.  it was great to see her and to catch up with her.  its not going to be the same this year not teaching with her.  i hope we will still get several opportunities to see each other this year and to hang out, i miss working with her already.  well, i think thats about all we have been doing this summer.  im sorry we arent more entertaining.  i hope you all are doing well.  stay tuned for more info as michael continues to look for a job.  we love you all.  thanks for your thoughts and prayers as we have moved here to wichita, we are enjoying it.

Another Opportunity

well folks, im here again to update you on the job front.  i have been working at the jewelry store for a little over two weeks.  im learning a lot about the pieces in the store and the jewelry industry as a whole.  its not extremely hard work, most of the time im standing around waiting for people to come in, or inspecting pieces, or cleaning pieces.  i get three percent commission on sales also.  so far ive sold a two hundred dollar mens wedding ring, an eight hundred dollar necklace, and a four hundred dollar watch.  that brings my commission to about fourty dollars.  not much, but it does help a little.  i will start my para job in august when school starts.  hopefully i will get my paperwork finished this week, then be ready to go for the start of the year.  as for michael, hes applied for over two hundred jobs in just the month of july.  hes been working tirelessly to find something.  it was humbling for him when he had to start applying to places like home depot and best buy, but hes still trying.  this morning he got a call from a drill bit company in ponca city, oklahoma who would like him to come down for an interview.  they are a division of slumberger who is a tough but great engineering company.  of course, i have mixed feelings about this job.  i want him to have a job, but i dont enjoy the thought of my husband living an hour and a half away for the next ten months.  however, i know many military spouses and other people who have to deal with their spouses being gone for significant amounts of time, and when you look at it that way, an hour and a half doesnt seem so bad.  anyways, please be in pray for us.  we would take anything at this point.  i will keep you updated.  much love, jen