Monday, November 29, 2010

Weekend Update

Well, the Hanns had a pretty great weekend. Tyson's sister got married! It was so beautiful, and everyone had a great time. I can't wait to see the photographer's pictures! For once I didn't take any photos all weekend.

Random thought I had today: I want to write a book. Maybe memoirs of my experiences in subbing. I think there's potential. Tyson asked me who would buy it, and I didn't really have an answer. Oh well. I still think I will read some memoirs to see what makes one quality. Any suggestions?

Next Sunday, Tyson is running in the Dallas half marathon. He did a long run today (10 miles + the two 1.55 mile runs he takes Brody on every day), and has requested to bulk up on pasta this week. So we are having tortellini, spaghetti, and then Tyson's holiday work party at an Italian restaurant on Thursday. I don't know if we'll actually eat all that pasta, but that's what is planned for now. With lots of vegetables. :)

Well Brody and Tyson are both sleeping soundly in the living room. I think Brody fell asleep from exhaustion; his ear infection flared up again and he goes nuts when we give him ear drops. It's actually pretty comical.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving from the Hanns! (Tyson did not want to take this picture; he was still agitated about the basketball game.)

This year we are thankful for:
Hailey :: good health 
Brody :: a full house to get lots of attention this weekend
Tyson :: Sheldor

My dad wanted to add that he is thankful for HEB and homemade truffles.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Christmas decor!

 This afternoon I took a few pictures of our Christmas decorations. We usually hang our wreath to the front door like normal people, but because we live in an apartment complex, Tyson wants to tie it to the hangar. We don't have anything for that yet, so we're enjoying it on our guest room door. I really like the festiveness it brings so far :o)
 Due to our lack of fireplace, I hung our stockings from the shelf above our TV. It's pretty much the hub of our apartment, so it works. My 'H' fell off in transit this year, so I need to figure out how to reattach that. And find a stocking for Brody!
 This was a wedding present, and I absolutely love it. It's a wind up carousel-type thing, and plays "O Holy Night" and lights up.

A Christmas present from my aunt and uncle a few years ago. Another favorite to bring out and enjoy for the season.

A must have to put me in the holiday mood!

 Not Christmas-y, but this has been on our bar this fall and I love it! My friend Val gave me the owl pitcher for my birthday this year. :)

Monday, November 22, 2010

Well, it's 9:30 on a Monday evening, and my husband and puppy are both sound asleep and snoring. The past two weeks have zoomed by, and it's hard to believe it's only a few days away from being Thanksgiving. I set up most of our Christmas decorations this afternoon (we don't have that many), minus the tree. I even hung up our stockings...had to improvise since we don't have a fireplace. They are hanging from a shelf above our television. I'll have to take a picture soon. :o)

This past weekend was one of my favorites we've had in quite some time. Started out with the always tasty Banger Burgers at Harvey Washbangers, followed by a thoroughly amazing football game at Kyle Field (excuse the cell phone picture). To top of the awesomeness, we saw HP7 at Studio Movie Grill on Sunday afternoon. I can't wait for the last movie now!!

Time for my bedtime too...must rest up to deal with the frenzy of the last day of school before a break tomorrow!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Lazy.

I have been so blog lazy lately! Most of my free time lately seems to go into hitting "refresh" on the substitute website to look for a job while lounging with Brody in front of the tv. Or cleaning up around the apartment. Or battling the many sicknesses I've had the past two weeks. Or napping. But mainly looking for new sub jobs. Sad, but true. I need to spend more time crafting--I'm making part of Tyson's birthday present this year!

I made taco soup last week, and I had forgotten how much I love making soups to eat throughout the week. I need to find some new recipes, but Tyson stipulates that there must be a meaty protein in it. Maybe a good chicken noodle or tortilla soup? Side note: I'm also looking for a risotto recipe. Anyone have one? I had an awesome risotto in Hawaii and am feeling nostalgic. Anyways, here's how I make my taco soup (and it's sooo good and easy!), which I adapted from my old roommate Lauren. She doesn't read my blog so I'm not going to thank her. ;o)

Taco Soup
about 1 lb. ground beef (or however much I happen to have from other recipes)
2 T. chili powder
1 t. cumin
1 t. coriander
1/2 t. oregano
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
salt, to taste
(in place of the above spices you could add a packet of taco seasoning, but trust me--this is way yummier)
packet of ranch dressing
can whole kernel corn, drained (or frozen if you have it)
can black beans, drained and rinsed
can pinto or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cans rotel or diced tomatoes with chiles (or whatever flavorings you prefer--there's a few to choose from), blended a little for Tyson (I prefer to not blend, but he doesn't like the chunkier texture)
1 30 oz. can crushed tomatoes
one of those small cans of tomato paste (I don't always add this. Just depends on my mood.)
chicken stock, beef stock, or water, to taste

In a large pot or french/dutch oven, brown meat on medium high and drain drippings. Add seasonings and mix well to let cook another 30 seconds to one minute. Add everything else, including chicken or beef stock or water until desired consistency is reached, and turn down heat to medium-ish to simmer about 15 minutes, or until heated through. We like it pretty thick and hearty. Top with tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa...whatever you like!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Quick Update

Happy Monday! It is happy for me, because tomorrow is my last day (for awhile at least) at a school I've been at for a little over a week straight. I'm actually attending another district's sub training later this week, as long as my A&M transcript gets here before Wednesday. I'm also excited because I'm finally starting to feel better after about two weeks of being sick. Which means I can go get my flu shot! I tried to get it last week, but I had forgotten that you can't be sick.

I ordered a batch of photos recently from Persnickety Prints (some wedding photos to frame plus a few layouts to check out the quality) and they were quite excellent. If you are looking for a new photo printing place, I highly recommend Persnickety. They have awesome customer service--somehow my order got marked for pickup (they're located in Utah), and they noticed my billing address and emailed me to make sure it was right. I had already emailed them the night before though and it was taken care of super fast (and easily)! Plus the quality is really great--my mom was initially skeptical of digital scrapbooking, but was surprised how clear the layouts turned out.

Menu Planning Monday
monday :: baked potato night
tuesday :: red beans + rice
wednesday :: chinese leftovers
thursday :: undecided, probably taco soup or possibly chicken parmesan bundles or BLRs
friday :: out of town for OU game!