Tasty Tuesday on Monday- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

After having my co-worker's homemade chicken noodle soup, I was inspired to make my own! I pretty much made up my own recipe and it turned out delicious. I made enough so that I could freeze a large container of it for later in the year too. This recipe makes A LOT of soup!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
Lemon Pepper Seasoning
Parsley Flakes
Garlic Salt
4 large carrots, diced
1 bundle of celery, diced
3 chicken flavor bouillon cubes
1 can chicken broth
1 onion, diced
Salt & Pepper
2 Bags of Egg Noodles

Directions:
1. Wash chicken and clean out the insides, pat dry. Rub chicken with lemon pepper seasoning and sprinkle with parsley flakes. I did not measure the amounts...just did a light coating over whole chicken.


2. Fill stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add whole chicken to boiling water, place lid on pot and let boil on medium for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. I sprinkled in some more lemon pepper seasoning and a little garlic salt while it was boiling.


3. While chicken is cooking in the pot, chop up the carrots, celery and onions. Use as much or as little as you like. Put off to the side until chicken is cooked.


4. The chicken is ready when the meat is literally falling off the bone. Take it out of the water and set to the side. Add carrots, celery and onion to boiling water. Also, add the can of chicken stock and the 3 cubes of bouillon. Stir and let cook at medium heat. While all that is cooking, begin to shred the chicken. I used my hands and just pulled all of the meat off the bones and placed in a bowl to cool. By the time you finish, you will have a TON of shredded chicken pieces.


5. Add the 2 bags of egg noodles to the boiling water/soup mix. Continue to let boil for approximately 8-10 minutes then add in the shredded chicken. Stir, sprinkle in some more lemon pepper seasoning, parsley flakes, garlic salt and salt and pepper. Replace lid and let simmer for 20 minutes.

6. ENJOY!

Where were you when the world stopped turning?

I remember exactly where I was when I first heard about the first plane flying into the World Trade Center's North Tower. It was almost 9:00 AM on Tuesday, September 11, 2001...I was in the cafeteria at Palm Beach Atlantic University getting cereal and a banana before my 9:30 class. There was a TV right above my head where I was standing. I noticed it got quite and everyone was watching the TV and that is when I saw the first tower on fire. I knew it was bad but honestly, I knew nothing about the World Trade Centers and thought it was just a random freak accident so I watched for a minute then went on my way. I ate breakfast and went on to class. I went to my 9:30 class and knew something was wrong. Half the class was out, a couple people were crying and the teacher was not there. That is when someone in the class said that another plane hit the other tower and there was talk of this being a terrorist attack and there were probably more coming. Our teacher finally showed up and made an announcement about the attacks, said a prayer and told us that all classes were canceled for the rest of the day. The rest of the day was spent glued to the TV. We learned a plane crashed into the Pentagon and another crashed in a field outside of Pittsburgh. That night, my church, First Baptist Church of West Palm Beach, held a prayer service for all the victims and the others affected by these attacks. I remember my roommate, Vanessa, and I going and sitting with my parents, holding hands and praying...

This Sunday will be the 10 year anniversary of that day. Many of the TV channels have already started showing 9/11 documentaries and programs and this weekend will be filled with more. I am so thankful for all the men and women out there who have fought, are fighting and will fight in the future for our freedom and to protect our country. God Bless America!







Do you remember where you were and what you were doing that morning?

Product Review- Lavanila Healthy Body Butter

Every once in awhile my mother-in-law buys these beauty gift sets for me. They usually include 10-15 products, all small to medium sizes and range in everything from lotion to makeup to hair products. Well, over the weekend I got to see her and she gave me a new bag full of goodies! One of the products in this one was a tube of Lavanila Healthy Body Butter. I AM IN LOVE.



I have tried every lotion and body butter under the sun and there is nothing that compares to this lotion. The smell is lavender vanilla, which normally I would not really care for too much, but this smells amazing. It is light and refreshing, not overpowering. I put it on after I get out of the shower around 6 AM and I can still smell it on my skin in the afternoon. It is not really thick and heavy like most body butters and it does not leave your skin greasy at all. My skin is soft, smooth and smells delicious!

And even better, all Lavanila products are created with natural and organic ingredients. There are no harsh chemicals in the products. Founders Danielle Raynor and Lauren DiGiorolamo both suffered from allergies due to harsh chemicals and synthetic fragrance found in their beauty products. Lauren and Danielle set out to design a luxury line of products full of natural ingredients and free from everything else. They succeeded, let me tell you. They sell all sorts of body products...sunscreen, baby products, deodorant, lotions, lip balm and more.

My hubby LOVES the way this smells! That is always a plus =)

See all their products here- http://www.lavanila.com/
Or go to Sephora in your local mall. I just found out they sell their products there!

Goodbye to all the other lotions and creams out there...this is my new favorite! =)

Pinterest Wednesday- Fall Love

Guess what today is?! Pinteresting Wednesday!! As always, I am linking up with my fellow Houston blogger, Michelle at The Vintage Apple, for Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesdays! This week is all about Fall! It is finally not 110 degrees here in
Houston, the Pumpkin Spice Latte is back at Starbucks and I have my Pumpkin Roll scentsy bars making my house smell delicious :) I am SO ready for Fall...so, here are some of my favorite Fall inspired finds this week on Pinterest!














*Find me on Pinterest here- http://pinterest.com/lesliebrooke/

Happy Fall & Happy Pinning!

Texas is on fire...

Not only are we going through the worst drought in history, but now a large part of Texas is on fire. The extreme drought conditions mixed with high winds over the weekend have sparked major fires all over our state. Over 1000 homes have been completely lost so far, hundreds of animals killed and there is no end in sight as of this afternoon. I walked out of my house near downtown Houston this morning and smelled the smoke and saw a thick haze in the air. Please pray for our state and all the families that have lost everything...

Labor Day Weekend Recap

It is always so hard to go back to work after having 3 1/2 days off. I don't know about you but I could have used another day or 2 off!

I love weekends like the one I just had...no big plans but plenty of time to get some things done and plenty of time to just lay around and do nothing. Friday, we did nothing. I got off work at 2 and went to Michael's to get all the supplies I needed to make my first wreath then I sat on the couch for hours just cutting ribbon and working on the wreath. Chris and I watched TV, made pork chops for dinner and went to sleep early. Saturday morning he cooked breakfast for us then headed to College Station with is best friend for the first A&M home game. I spent the entire day in The Woodlands with my parents. My Mom and I shopped in Market Street and Picket Fences then I showed them our wedding video. We had dinner at Outback and I was home and in bed reading by 9 PM. I am half way through with Mockingjay, the 3rd and final book of the Hunger Games trilogy. It is SO SO SO good!!

Sunday I got to spend 6 hours at The Trellis Spa at The Houstonian. I was in HEAVEN! My father-in-law and brother-in-law got me a gift certificate for my birthday that included a full day of spa treatments. I got there early and sat in the sauna for 15 minutes, floated in the float pool for 30 minutes, then had a 1 hour massage, a 1 hour Glycolic Peel and facial, lunch & mimosas, a manicure and pedicure and a makeover! AAAAMAZING!!! Everyone kept saying I should find a friend to do it with me but I was perfectly fine doing it by myself and having some quality "me" time :)


Since my makeup was all done there was no way I was just going to sit at home with nothing to do so I went to my friend Sandee's apartment and we went to dinner at Yard House. Monday I spent 3 hours in the morning making homemade chicken noodle soup...I am so happy with the way it turned out. It was delicious and I made enough to last for a year I think! I will post a step by step recipe with pictures later this week. I almost finished my first wreath too. It is a Halloween ribbon wreath for the front door. I have to finish a couple things on it tonight and will take a picture to post tomorrow. Up next is an A&M wreath and a Christmas wreath. Thanks to Pinterest I am a little obsessed with wreaths lately...
Anyways, hubby finally came home from College Station...AND A&M KILLED SMU on Saturday night so he is super happy :)

Hope you had a fun, long weekend too! Cheers to a short work week!

HaPpY SePtEmBeR!

I don't know about you but I am SO happy to see August go bye-bye! I am ready for the Fall and September is one step closer.

I am excited that September starts off with a 3 day weekend. Hubby will head to College Station tomorrow for the first A&M home game of the season so I will have most of the weekend to myself. I am spending the day in The Woodlands tomorrow, spa day at the Houstonian on Sunday(thanks to my father-in-law & brother-in-law), dinner and a movie with my friend, Sandee, Sunday night and Monday will be filled with some house projects I have been putting off for weeks. And I plan on spending every free second I have finishing "Catching Fire" and starting "Mockingjay." These are the 2nd & 3rd books in the Hunger Games trilogy. I am obsessed with these books...I can hardly put the books down because they are so good but at the same time I don't want them to end.

September is going to be a fun, busy month. The weekend of the 17th & 18th we will be in College Station for hubby's fraternity's Alumni weekend. Several of our best friends are going to be there too so that will be a lot of fun. I head to Los Angeles on Monday the 19th and I am so excited. I have never been to LA before! I am going for work but I plan on spending every night seeing everything I possibly can. I want to see it all...Rodeo Dr., Hollywood, all the celeb spots, the beach, etc. If you have any tips or suggestions, please leave a comment or email me! And finally, the weekend of the 24th & 25th will be spend in Dallas with 2 of my favorite girlfriends celebrating their birthdays!

Hope yall have a fun & safe holiday weekend!! xo

4 Years Ago Today..........

Chris and I had our first date :) I can not believe we have been together for 4 years! Time has flown by and now we have almost been married for 4 months.

I remember this day 4 years ago.... I was really nervous all day. I had not seen Chris since the night of August 24th when me and my girlfriends were out in downtown Houston for a birthday party.

A little background- Chris and I actually grew up together. We both grew up in The Woodlands and graduated from TWHS. We had a lot of mutual friends but we never really knew each other. Fast forward to August 2007. I am back in The Woodlands and Chris is in Houston and MySpace is the cool thing. One day in the middle of August I get a friend request from Chris. He sent me a message a couple days later just saying hey and telling me that if I was ever out in Houston to let him know. We messaged back and forth for several days and exchanged #'s. All over MySpace. Awesome. So, on August 24th, 2007 it was one of my best friends, Jenn from www.downwiththedearmores.blogspot.com, birthdays! A group of us took a limo from The Woodlands into Houston to go out. We bounced around a couple places and ended up at Escobar in Midtown. Chris and I had been texting that day and he had told me him and his friends would be out in Midtown so maybe we could all meet up. Well, how convenient that Escobar was right next door to Whiskey Creek where he was :) I swear I did not plan that....
I think at some point I left my girlfriends and went over to Whiskey Creek to meet him...I remember being so nervous to finally officially meet him for the first time. I dropped my license when I was trying to give it to the door guy and saw Chris for the first time since May 2000. He taught me how to 2-step that night...it was to James Otto's "Just Got Started Loving You" and we had our first kiss on the dance floor of Whiskey Creek.

After that night I was not really sure what would happen...I wondered if he would call, if I would ever see him again, all the typical thoughts most girls have after meeting someone. Thankfully he called me the next day! He said he wanted to come take me out so we planned on getting together on Sept. 1st.

So, back to September 1, 2007....I was so nervous all day. I had not really done the dating thing in a LONG time so I felt like I was going on my first date ever. He came to pick me up and he took me to Jasper's where he had made dinner reservations. We had a great dinner but I was so nervous that I actually had to excuse myself to the bathroom 2 times so I could throw up!!!! SERIOUSLY! We walked over to Cru Wine Bar after dinner for a couple glasses of wine but I had to go to the bathroom and throw up again! It was awful. I did not want him to know that he made me so excited & nervous that I threw up thru most of our date (I did tell him about that months later, ha!). He drove me home later that night and all I could think was "Oh great, I ruined that...like he will ever call me again. He probably thinks I am such a weirdo for having to go to the bathroom so much"

Lucky for me, he gave me another chance :)

These past 4 years have been the best years of my life...he has made me so happy and I am so blessed to have him in my life, for the rest of my life!!

Wedding Highlights Video!!

We finally got our wedding video(dvd) this week and I have already watched it 5 times =) Our package included a highlights video, the entire ceremony and the entire reception. The highlights is perfect to send to friends & family because it is just highlights (duh) of the whole day and it is put to 3 songs we used in our wedding. So, here it is for you to see!! =) I tried to just upload it so it showed up on my blog but I have no clue what I am doing...so, here is the link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOepHcN_ddU&feature=youtu.be&hd=1


Our videographers were AMAZING!!! They have a really awesome editing style...it looks like a movie! If you live in the Houston area and planning your wedding or any other event you should definitely look into using them... Here is their information-

Video By Robot- http://www.videobyrobot.com/
They are also on Facebook.
You can see our video and others that they have done on their FB page or on You Tube!

We almost did not get a videographer for our wedding but I am SO SO SO happy we did. This is something I will always have to look back on. Also, alot of our out of town family could not come so this will be perfect to send them so they can get a glimpse into our special day :)

Pinterest Wednesday- DIY projects

Happy Wednesday and happy last day of August! I am linking up with Michelle @ The Vintage Apple (www.thevintageapple.com) again for Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!
These are some of my favorite DIY finds the past couple of weeks.






A map of where we met, married and live! I plan on making this over the weekend :)


DIY pillows...love all of these!


Cut up your wedding invitation into strips and place in glass ball ornament. This would be a great gift for newlyweds!


Perfect for all my earrings & necklaces!


Monogrammed Pumpkin for Fall decoration. I WILL be making this.


We used this song in our slide show at our Rehearsal Dinner! It would be cute on a big wall surrounded by wedding pictures...Hmm, maybe in our next house!

That's it for now! Sorry for not providing links to each one...my computer won't let me do that. But find me on Pinterest here and you will see all these on my DIY board... http://pinterest.com/lesliebrooke/