Day 29: Where I've travelled

I've been to quite a few places! I'm on the run so I can't post too many pics, but I'll list them out!

1. Outer Banks, NC - We have gone there every summer as far back as I can remember. It's one of my favorite places in the world!
2. Florida - Orlando (thanks to Disney World) and Tampa (where my older sister lives). I spent a week in Tampa after I graduated high school, it was memorable to say the least!
3. Paradise Island, Bahamas - We went there when I was a kid, then again when I was 19. I got engaged there!
4. St. Lucia - My husband and I spent our honeymoon there. It was beautiful and we want to go back again soon!
5. Texas - I lived there for about 4 years when my husband was in the Army.
6. Georgia - I lived in Augusta for 6 months.
7. Myrtle Beach, SC - I've vacationed there twice.
8. Las Vegas, NV - My sister got married there!
9. New York - Manhattan and Long Island. 
10. Kentucky - We had a dancing function there every summer when I was a kid and clogging with my family.
11. West Virginia - More clogging stuff!

There are a few places I'd love to go to! Here they are:

1. Australia
2. Italy
3. Germany
4. Bahamas (again)
5. St. Lucia (again)
6. Cancun

See where other bloggers have ventured here. Where have you gone?

Day 28: What I'm Looking Forward To

I'm looking forward to a lot of things! I could go on and on about this, so I'll make it into what I'm looking forward to this year.

• Closing on our new home
• Decorating and organizing the new home
• Going back to school in the fall
• Family vacation to OBX in August
• Dylan experiencing the beach
• Logan starting 1st grade
• My cousin's wedding in Orlando
• My birthday

What are you looking forward to? 

See what the future holds for others here!

Day 27: A Favorite Recipe

Oops! I missed a day. This beautiful Memorial Day weekend has me booked! 


Chili Lime Flank Steak & Spicy Rice with Shrimp


Unfortunately I don't have an amazing picture to go with this yummy recipe, but I can assure you that it's delicious! I make the rice (sans shrimp) separately at least 3 times per month. The zest of the lime gives this steak rub amazing flavor, I highly recommend this dish!

Ingredients

• 2 to 2 1/4 pounds flank steak
• 1 1/2 tablespoons grill seasoning, a palm full and a half
• 1 tablespoons dark Mexican chili powder, a palm full
• 1 lime, zested
• Cooking spray or oil to coat grill or grill pan
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup white rice
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons hot sauce, eyeball it
• 1 pound small to medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro leaves or flat-leaf parsley
• Salt
• 2 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, sliced
• 2 Hass avocados, halved, scooped from skin and sliced
• 1/2 lemon
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso Asadero

Directions

Preheat outdoor grill or indoor grill pan to high. Rub the meat with a mixture of grill seasoning, chili powder and the lime zest. Let meat stand 10 minutes. Grease grill surface then add meat and cook 7 to 8 minutes on the first side, 5 to 6 minutes on the flip side for medium doneness.

For the rice, heat a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Add butter, and when melted add rice and toast for a couple of minutes. Add the onion, bell pepper, jalapeno and garlic and cook for a few minutes to begin to soften the veggies. Add stock and raise heat to bring up to a bubble. Stir in the tomato paste and hot sauce. Reduce heat to simmer, cover the pot and cook 18 minutes, until rice is tender. Add shrimp to the pot in the last 5 minutes of cooking. The shrimp will steam on top of the rice. Cook the shrimp until pink and firm. Combine the seafood and cilantro into the rice and season with salt, to taste.

Season sliced tomatoes with salt and dress the avocado with lemon juice. Make 4 stacks alternating the tomatoes with avocado and onions.

Slice the steaks and serve on a bed of shrimp rice, the guacamole stacks alongside. Garnish the guacamole stacks with cheese crumbles.

Day 26: An Old Photo of Myself

This is the oldest picture I have of myself on my computer. I'm the one in the cool purple pants!


See some others here.

Day 25: Blogs I Love

Today's post is supposed to be 5 blogs I love. I don't really have 5 that I frequent, guess I'm still new to the blogging scene. The blogs I follow are:

1. tabi happy: My sister's blog. 
2. iheart organizing: She gives me so many great ideas! She's my idol.
3. A Little Tipsy: Lots of cool ideas, recipes, and fun things to do.
4. Modern Parents/Messy Kids: Another great blog for fun kiddo things.

That's it. Guess I'm one short. 

What are your favorites? Find some new ones here!

Day 24: My Favorite Childhood Book(s)

BSC Little Sister!

It's hard for me to pick just one book, so I'll pick a series. I loved the Babysitter's Club Little Sister books by Ann M. Martin. I had every single one of them and read them all at least 5 times each. I liked the regular Babysitter's Club books, too, but these were easier for me to get into, I think because I was about the same age as the characters, while the BSC books were of older girls. 


I wish I had time to read like I used to.


What was your favorite childhood book? I'd love to hear! Wanna see what others had to say? Go see!

Day 23: My Dream Job

I love my job right now, even though I work part-time. I love being able to stay home with my kiddos and also get some adult interaction 2 (sometimes 3) days a week. 


But it's not my dream job.


I'm going back to school in the fall to finish out some prerequisites to get into nursing school! I'm attempting becoming an RN, but I don't want to stop there. I want to get my BSN, then my MSN (Masters of Science in Nursing) to become a nurse practitioner. It's a step-by-step process, so it'll take some time, but I'm hopeful! 


What do others want to do? Check it out!