Blogger Archives – Page 15 of 15

To My PD Girl…

October 3, 2015 Leave a Comment

Dearest PD Girl,

Today marks one month since you have been gone. You went on to glory exactly one year to the day after meeting Jordyn for the first time in person. I believe it’s safe to say September 3rd will always be remembered as a cherished and emotional day for many people who were so close to you. If I am being completely honest it still hasn’t quite hit me that you’re gone. I would imagine this is what people mean when they talk about a disconnection between our hearts and our minds. My heart knows you’re gone, but I don’t think my mind has caught up just yet.

In the midst of all the craziness and planning going on while we were home, believe it or not I only cried twice. You would be proud of me! LOL. The truth is, I didn’t cry as much, or become as emotional, because all I could think about was how HILARIOUS you were. I was so busy replaying memories of you doing and/or saying funny things I couldn’t do much outside of laugh. I know you saw how loved you truly were by the number of people who showed up to your memorial, and had so many beautiful and funny stories to share about you. I didn’t even realize how many of my own family members and friends you had touched over time until the beautiful condolence messages and phone calls poured in.

A month sounds like a long time, but in actuality it’s much shorter than we realize. Four weeks translates to thirty days, and reminds us how fresh everything still is, and will be for some time. But it’s okay for us to be sad sometimes. It’s okay to let out a long cry or spend a day to ourselves in deep thought, because that is what you do when you lose someone who has made a major impact on your life. However, to remember you, and the spirit of who you were, I am going to share some of my favorite P.D. Girl memories with my readers. I even have a few pictures to go with some of these memories. (I don’t wanna hear it PD Girl! I can hear you cursing me out for sharing your pictures with strangers LOL)

I’m already laughing at this picture. PD, Toni and I, took a trip to California in the summer of 2011 to see a test launch Kris had been part of for the United States Air Force. Kris and I were acting a fool as usual when we noticed PD standing like this on the statue. In the midst of Kris and I playing around, PD couldn’t get her leg down and was yelling “Kris…I can’t get my leg down…Kris…I’m stuck!” LMAO! We still aren’t quite sure why Pd thought this was a good idea in the first place.

This picture was taken at Longhorn Steakhouse the night before Jon left for basic training. This memory makes me laugh because I remember this was originally supposed to be a picture of just you and Jon, but I jumped in at last-minute. When I yelled “wait, I wanna be in the picture too!” You said to me “don’t nobody want you in this picture little ugly girl!” Hahahaha! But look at nice the picture is even with me in it PD Girl!

This story isn’t specifically from our wedding day, but this picture is perfect because anytime I used to tell cute lovey dovey stories about Kris, or referred to him by some adorable name, your classic response was “So! Nobody cares about y’all..” LOL. We love you too, PD.

*These next few stories don’t have pictures to accompany them but they’re just as hilarious*

When I was in sixth grade and hospitalized for viral meningitis, you came to see me in the hospital multiple times. You actually drove us home from the hospital once I was discharged too. But what I do remember was your first visit to the hospital and your reaction to my hair not being combed. You said to my Mom “Kim, why you got my baby in here looking like this.” LOL. You then pulled a comb out of your purse and put my hair in two french braids :-).
In college I loved getting frozen custard from a place named, Andy’s, downtown Evanston. When I would walk over to Andy’s to get a concrete mixer or shake of some sort, you always made sure to tell me to bring something back for you. Considering you were diabetic, I would tell you I couldn’t bring you anything, and Toni would say the same thing. You would proceed to tell us how much you couldn’t stand either of us and turn your head to not face us anymore. LMAO.
This last story isn’t one that happened on one occasion. I used to always give you kisses whether you wanted them or not. I would say to you “I think you want me to give you some kisses PD Girl. Come on over here and get these kisses.” You would beg me not to kiss you as I walked towards you with my lips puckered up, and kiss you on your forehead and cheeks multiple times. It only took you a few years to realize my kisses weren’t going to stop which means you stopped fighting me and accepted your life LOL.

I could go on for days telling stories and reminiscing about how much you were and still are a part of my life. I had my own relationship with you and I am so thankful for that. I loved being able to talk to you about any and everything going on in my life and knowing you would give me straight to the chase, honest advice. That advice although honest, was always filled with love. When we cleaned your closet out I took this sweater of yours with me as my PD moment. It fits and looks perfect.

I will miss being able to give you forehead kisses when I see you or listen for one of your many hilarious comments about any and everything, but I’m at peace because I know you’re at peace. You are in a place where there is no more pain and suffering, but tons of love and happiness. Thanks for being an amazing extended Grandma, and beautiful person to know. You have blessed my life by being in it and for that and many other things I want to say, thank you. We all love and miss you more than words could ever express. At the end of it all I just want you to know you will always be and I will always love my PD Girl <3

Brie <3

[10.03.15]

All Posts, Dear Diary

Baker Orchard

September 30, 2015 Leave a Comment

Earlier this month my husband, daughter and I, went to visit the Baker Orchard in Centuria, WI. My (pretty much) brother-in-law, Ryan, his family owns the orchard. Ryan’s family lives in Minnesota, and since we were going to pass through Minnesota on our drive back to Montana from Illinois, we made plans to stop in Minnesota, and spend time with Ryan and his family. During our brief, yet fun stay with his family, we decided to go to their apple orchard and spend the day there. I happen to LOVE apple orchards, and knew it would be the perfect fall activity to wind down from a pretty hectic two weeks at home, in Illinois.

It was the perfect day to spend at the apple orchard. Seventy degrees, sunny, and not too crowded. We were able to check out the gallery filled with so many beautiful hand-made arts and crafts. In addition to the arts and crafts, there were yummy non perishable food items for sale as well, in the gallery. We bought a bottle of pure maple syrup, and Mexican hot chocolate to bring home with us. After we finished our shopping and tour of the gallery, we wandered out to the field and ate some extremely deliciously juicy apples. Jordyn had her first fresh picked apple that day, as well as, fresh cherry tomatoes from the garden that Uncle Ryan shared with her :-).

Here’s another picture of Jordyn thoroughly enjoying herself, running around the orchard, soaking up the fresh air.

By the end of the day we took a ride out to the “peace garden” and completely understood why it was called the peace garden. It was too beautiful to be able to describe in words, but it is truly a snap shot of how perfect God’s green earth can be. Kris, Ryan, Jordyn and I walked around the “peace garden”, took some beautiful and a few not so beautiful pictures while we were there LOL.

We ended the amazing trip to the Baker Orchard having drinks, eating food, and plenty of laughs with Ryan and his family. There were even a few games that took place. This was Kris’ first time at an apple orchard and it’s pretty safe to say enjoyed himself as much as I did. We ended the trip the only way you should end a trip as fun-filled as this one – with an awesome group selfie..

Thank you for the amazing hospitality you all showed us while we were in Minnesota. We had such a great time, and look forward to going back and spending more time with all of you. It’s very rare you meet people in person for the first time and feel like you’ve known them for years. Thanks for being amazing! We love and miss you all.

Brie <3

[09.30.15]

All Posts, Dear Diary

A Huge Birthday Thank You

September 28, 2015 Leave a Comment

Yesterday was my 27th golden birthday. Not only have I been blessed to see another year, but I had such an amazing day of being spoiled by my husband and baby girl. I received a massage, brunch in bed, a family walk, alone time to blog, and a delicious shrimp scampi alfredo made by my chef-boyardee husband. Here’s a picture of my oh so yummy breakfast plate 🙂

In addition to all of this spoiling; my Mom sent me my annual beautiful birthday flowers, I shared food and laughter with my Montana friends on Saturday evening, many loved ones posted special pictures/messages on social media for me, and I received so many text messages, phone calls, face time calls, and social media birthday wishes filled with nothing but love and happiness. Receiving love for my birthday on these platforms isn’t anything new, but as each year passes I learn to appreciate and be so thankful for those of you who take the time out of your day to send so much love my way. We grow up to learn exactly how precious time is in our lives, and for people to chose to spend their time on me means the world.

Twenty-six was a beautiful year filled with more ups than downs, and I can only imagine what golden year twenty-seven has in store for me. In the mean time, I pray and speak into existence this year brings blessings, grace, joy, love, prosperity, and wisdom. Not only for me, but for my loved ones as well.

Thank you again for all of the birthday love. You are all amazing and I love you all!

Brie <3

[09.28.15]

All Posts, Dear Diary, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes

Grilled Potato-Veggie Pouches

September 8, 2015 Comment : 1

Summer is coming to a close, but I had to share a recently discovered, grilled favorite in the Jamieson household. I have read multiple articles suggesting summer grilled pouch recipes on Pinterest, but none of the ingredients really caught my attention. We decided to grill a few weekends ago, and I decided to attempt my own concoction of ingredients in a foil packet to throw on the grill with the chicken. Well, considering I’m sharing the recipe, and it’s now a favorite in our home, it’s pretty safe to say the concoction was a hit! Here are the step by step instructions to make your own yummy grilled potato-veggie pouches.

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 30 mins | Serves: 5

15 Baby Red Potatoes

1 large Red Onion

1 Green Bell Pepper

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 Orange Bell Pepper

1/4 cup Olive Oil

5 (individual) Tbsp Butter

Salt, Pepper, & Garlic powder

Heavy Duty Foil

Step 1:

Wash your bell peppers and potatoes. Cut your baby potatoes into halves, and your bell peppers and onion into slightly larger than quarter sized pieces.

Step 2:

Place all of your cut up potatoes and vegetables into a large enough container (with a lid), drizzle your olive oil and seasonings over the potatoes and vegetables in the container. Cover the container with the lid, and shake everything together to coat the potatoes and veggies in the olive oil and seasonings.

Step 3:

Tear off five decently sized pieces of foil and lay them on the counter. Evenly spoon the potato and veggie mixture in the middle of each piece of foil. Cut 1 tablespoon of butter in half, and place both pieces into separate parts of the potato veggie pouches. Repeat this for the remaining 4 pouches.

Step 4:

With your potatoes and vegetables in the center of the foil, close the foil by bringing the ends up to meet and crunch them together. Here is a picture of my lovely husband demonstrating what the pouches should look like when they’re closed and ready for the grill.

Step 5:

Put the pouches on the grill for about half an hour (or until desired tenderness). Once they are finished, leave them closed for another 3-5 minutes to finish cooking in the foil/cool down a little. We like to serve our pouches with shredded mild cheddar cheese melted on top.

Enjoy your yummy grilled potato-veggie pouches!

Brie <3

[09.08.15]

All Posts, Dear Diary, Dinner, Recipes

Ground Turkey Stroganoff

August 18, 2015 Comment : 1

This is by far my favorite recipe to date, because it is one I completely made from scratch, on my own. I asked my husband what he wanted for dinner one night and he said he wanted stroganoff. I had already taken ground turkey out to thaw earlier that day, and wondered how a stroganoff would taste using ground turkey instead of beef. I decided to go through my pantry and refrigerator to see if I had ingredients I could use to make a stroganoff. I’ve never made stroganoff from scratch before, but I’ve gotten pretty good in the kitchen learning what pairs well together, and goes into making base sauces for popular recipes.

So I decided to give it a try, and to say my husband and I were impressed is an understatement. He was a little scared of how it was going to taste considering I winged the recipe LOL. Of course when you make a recipe from scratch you have to make it at least one more time to figure out the exact measurements and ingredients. The second time around was just as good the first attempt, which means it’s only right I share it with my readers. If you decide to give it a try, leave me a comment and let me know how you like it and/or what you changed to make it your own. 🙂

Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 30 mins | Serves: 4

1 lbs. – Ground Turkey

3 cups – Beef Broth

1/4 cup – Sour Cream

2 oz. – Cream Cheese

1 – Beef Bouillon Cube

1/2 pint – Heavy Cream

3 Tbsp – Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 – Medium Onion

4 cups – Egg Noodles

1 Tbsp – Minced Garlic

Salt and Pepper (to taste)

*optional*

1 cup Diced Mushrooms

Step 1:

In a skillet on medium high heat, using your olive oil, brown your diced onions (mushrooms) and garlic for about 2-3 minutes. Once they have cooked some add your ground turkey and cook until it has completely. If you don’t want your sauce to be thinner, drain your ground turkey and sit it to the side. If not, leave your ground turkey in the skillet to the side.

Step 2:

In a separate pot, on medium high heat, combine the following ingredients: beef broth, butter, sour cream, heavy cream, beef bouillon cube, Worcestershire sauce, and cream cheese. Whisk and stir until all ingredients have combined into a smooth creamy sauce.

Step 3:
Add your egg noodles to the sauce mixture and let cook for 7-10 minutes or until slighty soft. One your noodles have softened, add your ground turkey and onion mixture to the pot. Stir until all of the ingredients have combined. Cover the pot and let the stroganoff simmer for 15 more minutes, or until it thickens.

Step 4:

Dish your food and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Dinner is ready to be served.

Enjoy your tasty meal!

Brie <3

[08.18.15]

All Posts, Dear Diary, Family Love

See You Later, Grandma & Auntie Maya!

August 3, 2015 Comments : 2

This past weekend, we said “see you later”, to my Mom and sister, Maya. They left Saturday morning to head back to the Chicagoland area. (They almost stayed a few extra nights if we hadn’t made their train within minutes of it leaving lol).

We’ve had the pleasure of spending close to two months with my youngest sister, Maya, a.k.a. Jordyn’s, Auntie Maya. She came back to Montana with us from our Chicago trip, for a majority of the summer, before she had to go back and prepare for school. As always, it was so nice to have her here to spend time with us and be an amazing helper around the house. Little Miss Jordyn, loves having her Auntie Maya around to beat up and love at the same time. The picture collage below should give you a pretty idea of how their relationship works…LOL!

To be fair, they had many adorable moments, as well. Jordyn would get SO excited in the morning when Auntie Maya woke up, and came downstairs. She would let out a little squeal and dance to show her excitement. They also spent a lot of time just being together watching movies, or strolling around base/town looking adorable. For example, the picture below shows a little bit of their cuteness :-).

My Mom got here two weeks after Maya, Jordyn and I returned from Chicago. As usual, she came with gifts (foods and spices we can’t get here in Montana) and outside of being the usual big help she was with Jordyn, she made us curry shrimp, oxtail, and powder buns (Belizean pastry) within her two-week visit. Needless to say, she’s the best, and not only do Kris and I love her, but so do our stomachs and taste buds haha. There were so many mornings I woke up, and Jordyn was awake, changed, fed, and downstairs hanging out with her Grandma, while they let me sleep in, and relax. Reminded me of the two weeks my Mom spent here in Montana around this exact same time, last year. She was so helpful with Jordyn so Kris and I could sleep in some mornings, or catch a nap if we had the opportunity. As much as I know she loves spending time with us (about 10% of the reason she comes to visit) and Jordyn (about 90% of the reason she comes to visit LOL) we love and enjoy her being around just as much, if not more. Jordyn loves her Granny (as I like to call her) and you can tell by how much she loves to yell at her Granny to pick her up or share her food LOL.

When you live so far away from family, spending time together is even more cherished. The hardest part of coming from a large, close-knit family, and living so far away, is loving people so deeply and not being able to see them whenever you want. We all managed not to cry this time around (it’s a miracle), because we know we will get to see each other again next month. We are stopping in Chicago on our way to and from the east coast, in September, for a friend’s wedding/to see friends. If we were unsure of the next time we would get to see each other I’m sure it would’ve been waterworks at the Shelby train station haha.

I’m so happy you guys made it back safely. We love and miss you already. Looking forward to seeing you guys next month, and can’t wait to make even more memories next summer! 😉

Brie <3

[08.03.15]