2.27.2012

bbq pulled pork. recipe.

As I promised earlier today here is the delicious recipe for some pulled pork that I made yesterday. Sorry, I'm not a food photographer and every time I attempt it my food just doesn't look good at all so with that being said just trust me and try it for yourself!

BBQ Pulled Pork

butt roast (as big as you need for the number of people you're feeding)
onion powder
garlic powder
ground mustard
McCormick Pork Rub
McCormick BBQ Seasoning
Otts Sweet Hickory BBQ sauce
one can of Diet Coke

Coat the meat in all of the powdered seasonings and rubs. When I say coat it I mean really coat it! Rub all of those flavors in. I added the pork rub and the BBQ seasoning first and then added not near as much of the garlic, onion, and mustard. Now toss it in to a crock pot and add half of a bottle of the BBQ sauce.  Then pour in the Diet Coke. I used a pair of tongs and flipped the meat over at this point to make sure the sauce really did reach all sides of the meat. My meat cooked on low for 7 hours before I used a fork and shredded it, I am not sure how much the meat weighed but it was a pretty big piece. I shredded the pork (so easily!!) with a fork and put it back in to the crock pot. I left it on low for about another hour until we ate it.

Any of the name brand ingredients can most definitely be switched out. I loved the combination that I used though! Although, I talked to a friend at work today and she said she had heard of using a can of rootbeer and I think that might be good too! There's always next time!

 Yummmy!

Try it out and let me know how it works for you!

wonderful weekend.

Hey there strangers! So sorry its been a while! Our Internet was out for a few days and then this weekend I took advantage of having Chris home with me both days! It was so wonderful! Chris wasn't feeling real well on Saturday so we made it a lazy day and slept in and then laid around all day! I did make a trip to Michaels to use up a birthday gift card and got some really cute decor items and a couple of little craft projects I'll be tackling this week! I'm excited about Spring and pretty colors so that's what I'm focusing on with snacks!

Yesterday, we went to church together for the first time in a month or so (with his schedule and then me being out of town we've been heading to church solo!) and it is just so wonderful worshiping and learning with my husband! After church we headed to a near by river in hopes to catch some fish... well the fishing hole was fishless but the weather was perfect and our sweet pup was happy to splash around and play fetch with random sticks! What a gorgeous day to play outside! I can't wait until Baby Wescoat is here so we can go for walks and raise this little one to love the outdoors too!

We had some great friends over for dinner last night. I made pulled pork for the first time and it was yummy!! I will put the recipe up later this evening! It was great to catch up with friends and just relax together plus I cleaned my house up for them so now I don't have to stress about it tonight!

Oh! I'm 16 weeks (and one day) now! Wow! Where has time gone! We go for a check up on Wednesday and then the next appointment will be the ultrasound to find out the gender! Goodness! I am getting (way past) excited!

Tune in for that recipe tonight! It was delicious!!

Have a blessed Monday and be a blessing to someone else!
Sorry about the phone pics I haven't uploaded my pictures from my camera, I'll do that tonight too!

Giveaway Winner

Congratulations Patricia for winning the $15 Amazon Gift Card!

Email me by Tuesday night at 8:00pm to claim your prize!

kleemar10(at)gmail(dot)com

2.22.2012

30 Followers Giveaway!



I AM SO EXCITED! We have reached 30 followers! And to celebrate I will be giving away a $15 Amazon Gift Card!
 I am so thrilled! I have been blogging for just over a year on Constant Comfort and I'm really excited that more people are following now!

The giveaway is going to be very simple! Leave me a comment telling what you most look for in a blog before you become a  regular reader. (You must be a follower too!)

For an extra entry refer someone else to follow my blog and have them comment and tell who referred them!

Good luck! The giveaway will end at 5:00pm (Central Time) on Friday February 24!

2.21.2012

Booty Buns Giveaway Check It Out!

Measuring Flowers did an excellent review on Booty Buns cloth diapers and is giving a giveaway too!

I'm so anxious to start ordering and hopefully making cloth diapers on my own but these giveaways are sure a great opportunity to get started!

Good luck!

2.15.2012

Baby Wescoat: 14 weeks... photos!



Last night while Firefighter Hubby was at the station I got the camera and tripod out and took some bump photos! I definitely enjoy taking pictures of other things and people much more but I know I'll enjoy looking back on these too!

What are some things you look back on during your pregnancy and wish you would have documented or changed the way you did them?

versatile blogger award.

Thank you Mommy to a little lady[bug] for awarding me this award!




When you receive this award there are 3 things that you are asked to do:1. Thank the person who nominated you with a back link to their blog.
2. List 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 15 newly discovered or fondly followed blogs

Seven Things about Mrs. Kayla Lee
1. I married my best friend in October 2011.
2. We're now expecting our first child on August 12, 2012. I'm already so in love with this little child.
3. My dream as a child was to grow up and be a baby sitter and I'd totally be ok with that still.
4. I cheered for 11 years and coached for a few too. I had a serious passion for cheerleading.
5. I have an amazing Savior named Jesus, He died for my sins and your sins too.
6. I want to do more craft projects but at the time I spend more time looking at ideas than making them happen.
7. I have a huge fear of the dark and large bodies of water. I try to act cool though and hide them both pretty well.


My 15 Nominations for the Versatile Blogger Award!
1. A Blossoming Homestead
2. Alphabet Soup
3. in every season
4. Moving on Up
5. MOPPY'S MUSINGS
6. simple thoughts
7. Where Your Treasure Is
8. Farmgirl Paints
9. Fire Wife Katie
10. Mrs. Wills Kindergarten
11. DIVAS AND DREAMS
12. I Heart Naptime
13. deal seaking mom
14. Kevin and Amanda
15. The Pendelton House

2.14.2012

true love.

Disclaimer: I found something like this and made my own. The idea is not an original from me.

Happy Valentines Day! As much as it makes me happy that I have a wonderful husband that loves me plus great family and friends, I am most thankful that God loved me enough to send his Son to die on the cross for me.
For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whosoever believe in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

my own biscuit recipe.




Kayla's Biscuits
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients well with a whisk. Add in the butter and it will begin to make crumbs. Once that is  well mixed add in the milk and stir it until it forms a ball. I used a plastic cutting board that is generously floured and set the ball of dough right in the middle. Let this set for a couple of minutes and then knead the dough until its soft enough to work with. Add flour to your cutting board again and pat the dough out to about 1/2 inches. Use a biscuit cutter or a cookie cutter (I chose heart in honor of Valentines Day!) and cut the biscuits out. Add the biscuits to a greased cookie sheet and bake for 13 minutes. This recipe will make about 10 biscuits.

Sorry about the directions I am not a recipe writer for sure! I adapted the recipe from another one I saw and ours turned out great!! We had them with gravy for breakfast but they'd be great with jelly or just as a quick and easy bread for a side dish for dinner as well. Hope you enjoy them as much as we did!

2.12.2012

random acts of kindness.


I have a fun idea for this Valentines Week! Our Pastor spoke a few weeks ago about random acts of kindness and then today on Matthew 6:1-8. The passage and sermon was on giving to the needy because its the right thing to do and to pray in your closet because we pray to talk to God and not for the attention of others. I find my self doing things for the praise of it rather than truly out of the kindness of my own heart.

I want to challenge you to do at least one RAK (Random Act of Kindness) each day this week! I have found some fun ideas such as putting a dollar in a vending machine and then taping the note to the front, putting a quarter in one of the kiddie toy or candy machines, paying for the person behind you in a drive thru. But there are also tons of things that don't require money and you may not be able to leave a note for and thats ok too! Such as saying hello with a smile as you pass someone that looks like they need a pick me up, holding the door open, offering a few hours of free babysitting to a mom in need, and the list goes on!

Here's the challenge! Print off the cards at the bottom of the post and go and be kind! BUT... please come back and leave comments on how you did it! I can't wait to hear! I'll compile all of the ideas together and share them in a post!

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."
Matthew 6:1-4 ESV
These will download as a JPG so you can just add it in to a document and adjust the size and print!

2.11.2012

Baby Wescoat: 14 weeks! (tomorrow!)

I'm on a roll this morning so I thought I'd give a quick update on Baby Wescoat! I'm going to change it up this time because nothing big is changing from week to week at this point so I feel like all of those update posts have been the same.

I am still feeling great! I cannot thank God enough for blessing me with the health throughout the 1st trimester that he has. I haven't had an ounce of morning sickness (once I got over the initial shock of being pregnant. I'm pretty sure the first week I was sick with shock and shear fear!) and other than a couple weeks of being exhausted my energy has been good too! I've had a few days of some pretty severe cramping but after talking to the doctor I'm so happy to hear that its a-ok and a good sign of my body adjusting and growing.

14 weeks! Yep, that means today is our last day in the first trimester! Thats so incredibly exciting to me and ridiculously terrifying all at the same time! That means we are 6 weeks away from being able to find out the gender, 13 weeks away from the third trimester, and 6 months away from meeting our baby. I believe I'm beginning to slowly wrap my mind around the fact that we are having a baby, I will be a mom.

For someone who has always wanted to be a mom you would have thought I would have been much more excited from the beginning. Honestly, it took me a good week to really be excited at all. I was so scared. We found out we were pregnant exactly 2 months after we got married. We had joked about getting pregnant right away but very seriously talked about waiting until we were more comfortable financially and until we had some time by ourselves, just to be husband and wife. I told Chris that I finally had him as mine and I wasn't ready to share him!

As the shock subsided and the reality slowly, slowly sunk it I really did begin to be excited. I still have days that I wonder how in the world this will all work and days that I just want to cry because there are so many things I thought we'd do before we had a child but then when I think about rocking our sweet Gift from God, hearing "momma" or "dadda" for the first time, and seeing our families with our baby all of the fears and hesitation leave and pure joy and anticipation totally takes over.

Lord, help us to seek you in all of the plans we begin to make for our child. Help me to remember that you are always in control and this child is a gift from You. Thank you for blessing me with a sweet husband that comforts me when I'm scared and is excited for our child when I struggle to be. Help us to be the Godly parents you intend for us to and to seek you as we prepare for this role. 
Here's what the little one is up to at week 14:
"This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb."

Baby Wescoat is the size of a lemon. Measuring 3 1/2 inches from head to rump!

Valentine's Day - 50's style!

Yesterday was the "Spring Party" at the elementary school I work at and it was 50's themed. I really wanted to dress up but didn't think I had any 50's inspired clothing. But when I went to my parents house last weekend I saw a poodle skirt hanging in their basement. Perfect!

It was really fun getting in costume and seeing so many of the sweet kiddos and other staff members dressed up too! I SO wish I could share pictures of some kids who were dressed up, especially from our classroom! But here's a few photos of my sweet friend Sarah and I.

Check out that baby bump!!

cleaning.

As much as I wish I was a neat freak I'm just not. I struggle keeping the house picked up, let alone clean.  A few months back I saw this cleaning chart on Pinterest that really caught my eye. It was a daily list of things to do to keep your house virtually deep cleaned in only 30 minutes a day. I worked on making my own list of daily chores for a couple of weeks and ended up with this chart. This coming week will be my first week doing the list but its probably going to be a few weeks before it really works because I have to get caught up from all of the cleaning that hasn't been going on. I find myself keeping the rooms that people see picked up, vacuumed, or mopped pretty well but then our bedroom stays a disaster! I think the chart will be good for me. I'm definitely a visual person and a list person so seeing my list should work well. Wish me luck!

What are your cleaning tricks and tips? I'd love to hear them! I feel like I could use all the help I can get!

2.08.2012

sweet treats.

Chris and I are both home this evening! It's fantastic! He had the day off so we have been able to spend the entire evening together! To celebrate I made some yummy (and quite pretty) chocolate covered strawberries! I actually had never made them before but I think this will be happening much more. Seriously, so simple yet so delicious!


2.07.2012

wife of a firefighter.

Being a wife is such an exciting adventure but being the wife of a firefighter is a whole adventure in itself! I am so proud of Chris and his TWO firefighting jobs. He is gone for 24 hours at one station and goes directly to the next station for 12 hours so that means two long evenings by myself back to back. I get kind of freaked out being by myself all the time which is why I am very thankful for our sweet pup Dakota to keep me company!

When I am missing Chris and wishing he was home it really gets me thinking about the other spouses of firefighters that are in the same boat that I am. It sure does help to know he is helping the community and even saving lives. I also think about the military spouses out there who have loved ones overseas for much more than two nights. I absolutely cannot imagine having to be away from Chris for months at a time, praying for his safety all the time.

The phrase "distance makes the heart grow fonder" is so true. I adore Chris and fall more and more in love with him all the time but knowing we have less time together definitely makes us value that time more and more.

Any of you wives that have a husband away for one reason or another I feel for you! How do you cope with the loneliness or adapt to a new routine?

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalm 18:2

2.06.2012

Baby Wescoat: 13 Weeks! (new due date...again!)

Baby Wescoat is the size of a peach!
Well, we have ANOTHER new due date, August 12! Supposedly this will be the last one until little one decided the day on his/her own! At least, it was moved up this time rather than back, one day... I'll take it! :)


How far along? 13 weeks and 2 days!
Total Weight gain: 1 pound
Maternity Clothes? nope, but definitely starting to get a little bump
Stretch marks? no, and I bought lotion for that last night, hoping to keep them away
Sleep? definitely getting better! no more sleeping on my belly though!
Best moment from last week: our doctor's appointment. We got to hear our sweet little baby's heartbeat and got a great report from the doctor!
Miss anything? not really, just happy to be so healthy!
Movement? not yet, but the doctor said I might start feeling something before I go back in four weeks. SO excited!
Food cravings? nope. I'm back to pretty normal eating habits
Anything making me sick? no, so blessed to be so healthy!
Gender? 7 more weeks and we can find out! EEEK!
Labor Signs? nope!
Wedding rings still on? oh yea!
Happy or Moody? happy! I get a little weepy sometimes over petty things (and sometimes big things) but I hear thats to be expected ;)
Looking forward to? knowing the gender! Seriously, I'm getting so excited!

Here's what our litte one is up to this week! :)

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce.