Saturday, March 31, 2012

Don't Let Them See You Coming...


Yes... camocondom.com

Why couldn't I think of that? 

Little to my disappointment, the condom itself is not actually camoflague.. just the wrapper. But still, freakin' awesome HILARIOUS! 

Shirt logo... available in different colors!
Second shirt logo.. also available in different colors!

Be protected the fun way!!!


I am still cracking up... I just had to share this with my wonderful blog-followers!!!



Thursday, March 29, 2012

...whatcha' can't have.

Why is it exactly you always want what you can't have??


Not only do I want a pink convertible Ford F250... I want a job, in the health sciences/medical field, where I can write, give advice, and make a difference in my patients life. 


I really have a passion for writing, so there is journalism. But they kind of job I'd like being a journalist doesn't really involve that much contact with society. 


Then there is my overwhelming opinion and love for giving my advice. It would tickle me silly to be able to be a therapist of some sort so I could help children/families/ couples during crisis or major life changes. I feel that my recent experiences would be helpful in that area. 


Not that money is a deciding factor when I pursue a career, but seeing family members struggle financially makes me want to strive that much more to have a well paying job that I love. 


I have no earthly idea why the last few days that I have worried myself silly over what I want to do when I graduate high school. I'm just a 9th grader, but I am just terrified of failure. I love to make people proud. 


I guess I just need to be a Family & Marriage Therapist whom runs an advice column in the local paper. 


I know this is a small shot, but I'll still take it... I'm really unaware if anyone except my friends read my blog. So, throwing out what I'm about to could be pointless. If anyone that reads my blog has a history in Journalism or Psychology, I would love to communicate via email so I could receive any advice whomever is willing to offer me. I guess I am looking for how to get my feet wet in either area, steps needed to take to earn atleast a Bachelor's degree in either field, and of course the things you personally enjoy doing the job you do.


Also, if anyone has interests like myself, and you now have a career you love.. I would love to hear about your journey in finding the right line of work for you!


Thanks.



Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Men Fish... Women Catch!

Today was the book definition of a good day!: Arrived at school around 9:10, found out my Algebra ll grade for first quarter was a 96 (that's my report card grade!), spent the afternoon fishing with my sweetie & his wonderful mom Michelle, went to dinner with my dad, shopped around for decorations for our house, then ended the evening with some hot Krispy Kreme donuts...

This simple girl has got it made. 

A lot of times we think our life is absolute crap. I try not to complain often but I know I have lately. But to be honest, I have it made. As long as I stay in school I won't have to get a job, I live in a beautiful house on the lake, I have an outstanding family, and amazing friends. Sometimes, I admit, it seems as the world is against you. It isn't, I promise. If you are in a warm & loving home, are healthy, and have clothes on your body... life is good. 

Never say "I hate my life, "My life sucks," "Everyone hates me," "Life couldn't get any worse"... because it could get worse, it could suck eventually. If you're on the computer reading my blog right now...I bet your in a warm/safe building, because, well, you're on the Internet. 

Always remember... it could get worse. Be thankful for what you do have. Let the good times out number the bad. Don't be a 'Debby Downer!" :)

Yes, I'm aware... I look rough. 

This is a descendant of Nemo... 

Hey Ty, the camera is up...not down :)

Okay, enough making me look good...
Tyler did catch a few... actually, a lot.
:)


Such a handsome babe ;)
No ideas, I've got dibs forever!





Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Spaghetti WHAT?

Can you say "Spaghetti Sand-which??"
Amazingly tasty second-day leftover spaghetti entree! 




Mmmm... mouthwatering
& simple!!! 

Leftover spaghetti from last nights dinner??
Want to change/spice things up a bit?? 

1) Toss noodles & sauce in oven-proof dish
2) Cover top in cheese (whichever you prefer)
3) Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes
4) Get two slices of bread
5) Butter and sprinkle Garlic Salt on one side of bread
6) Toss on pan when there is 6 minutes left on the 'Baked 'Spaghetti'

*Let cool for a few seconds
**Put a scoop of baked spaghetti on your garlic toast

PRESTO! Yummy meal :)





Monday, March 26, 2012

Sugar & Spice


Sundrop Pound Cake 
Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken


Today, I will offer you two very unique recipes which are originated down here below the Mason Dixon Line! Hope you enjoy! :) 
*Sundrop Pound cake is a pound cake whom's secret ingredient is Sundrop! Sundrop is a soda which was thrown together in Missouri, but marketed in Southern States.
*Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken is a recipe for baked chicken that I stumbled across on Pinterest. It's unique flavor owes itself to the garlic/chili powder, brown sugar, and bacon! 

May this post expose the inner Paula Dean in all of us!!
...Or should I say Rachael Ray?? ;)

I apologize in advance for the poor quality photos... they are captured through my iPhone!

Sundrop Pound Cake 


3 cups sugar 
1/2 cup of shortening 
5 eggs
1 tsp lemon extract 
2 sticks margarine 
3 cups of plain all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla 
6 oz of Sundrop 


1. Cream sugar, margarine & shortening together 

2. Add flour & eggs- beat until blended 


3. Add vanilla & lemon flavoring 
4. Add sundrop last 

5. Bake in tube pan for 1 hour & 15 minutes @ 325 degrees 

DO NOT: Open your oven UNTIL timer has went off! Doing so may result in your cake falling!!!
Make sure you spray your pan very well, especially the tube part, before putting the batter in! Also, don't remove your baked cake until you're sure it is cool!
**Please note: the taller tube pan you use, the shorter your pound cake will be... So if you wish to have a taller cake, use a shorter tube pan. 


I'm making two of these Sundrop pound cakes, using my Aunt Alicia's recipe, for a school club I participate in, FCCLA (Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America). They are working at Habitat for Humanity tomorrow afternoon. I am unable to attend tomorrow's event, so this was my way of helping out in the only way I could! 
Enjoy!! 
*BTW: There is an icing recipe that goes along with this cake. My instructions were to make in an icing-less desert so I did not include the icing recipe in this blog entry. Although, if you plan on making this recipe & would like the icing recipe that accommodates this cake, please email me at rbell4unc@yahoo.com !!



Black is the original recipe... Red is my changes, based on ingredients I had handy & only cooking for myself tonight. 
Sweet and Spicy Bacon Chicken
4 chicken breasts cut in thirds (12 pieces) 
 *2 chicken breast, cut in half
Bacon slices 
*Turkey bacon slices
salt and pepper to taste
garlic powder 
*I think it's garlic powder, the label has been removed
chili powder N/A ... there goes the spicy, I think? 
brown sugar

Cut each breast into 3 (2) pieces, season all the chicken with the spices, then wrap a bacon slice around each piece, roll in brown sugar and place into an oven proof dish....make sure you have some olive oil in the dish too, like 2 or 3 tablespoons is fine {I skipped this since I grilled them.  I honestly think you could coat your dish with nonstick cooking spray instead to save a few calories}.  
I am grilling mine, because my oven is occupied by my pound cake(s)!!!

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and bacon is nice and brown and crispy.  Delicious served with mashed potatoes with some of the gravy from the chicken drizzled on top.
**Also great on the grill!  No juices to drizzle on anything, but still delicious! 
15 minutes on one side.. flip, 10 on the other side.
Idahoan Instant Mashed Potatoes are amazing... which is what I am using!

I have never made this particular twist of chicken, although I have baked chicken quite frequently!  Fingers crossed...



Looks delicious...!
OMG! Delicious is an understatement!!!

Recipe for chicken comes from Mel's Kitchen Cafe



I hope you love these opposite yet mouthwatering dishes as I did!! Let me know how yours turned out!




Sunday, March 25, 2012

Life's a Garden...

...Dig it! -Joe Dirt

Hello lovelies! I hope my remodeling marveled everyone, considering it took me a mere two hours! I am not technologically advanced! & I'm cheap. So finding free pages was not an easy task. 

Upon my new style, comes a new 'mindset' on how I should manage my blog!
After reading helpful tips on maintaining a successful blog, one in particular stood out to me...

2. Blog often.
Whether you write a sixteen-paragraph essay about the cosmic implications of a free market system, a one-paragraph description of what happens to your soul when you walk into your godforsaken laundry room, or a simple photo and caption, consider your blog a precious bloom that requires daily nurturing.
And watering.
If you water a plant once every two weeks, it will shrivel.
Unless that plant is a cactus, and then it would thrive.
And to tell you the truth, I really can’t figure out how a cactus fits into this analogy, so forget I brought it up.         -http://thepioneerwoman.com

My blog is now a precious flower that needs constant TLC. 
"Rural Rach" is my garden... and I'm digging it!

Hope you love what I've done with the place... I was due for some new mulch!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Spring Cleaning!

Spring has sprung early this year! Perfect for a winter-hating gal like myself!


The best thing about spring cleaning for me is re-discovering all the presh clothing items I had pushed to the back of my closet and forgot about! I always forget about my skirts. Since they are short, they don't hang down.. so I never see them :( But no fear! They have made their way back into my wardrobe! 


I don't know about y'all but I have the biggest issue with my necklaces, long and short, tangling themselves up! ... Gathering material I've collected due to my southern lifestyle, I fixed my awful problem.. :) I can totally hook anyone up if they dig my idea!






Also, another thing that has made me feel super cool... I learned how to curl my hair with a straighter!! Exciting, yes! For real, double yes!! Recently, my Enzo Miliano Clipless Curling Iron died. For some reason, my curly hair refuses to curl with a normal curling iron, so the clipless curling wand is the BOMB! Since I am cheap and refuse to buy another from money out of my own pocket, I began the search for another technique. Kate, from http://www.thesmallthingsblog.com, helped me end my quest! Huge success!!
Look of curls differ slightly.. probably because of cuts & textures! 
The link about will direct you to Kate's tutorial on how to curl your hair with a flat iron!



Another big excitement, my sissy Regan found & bought her perfect prom dress! May 5th, Patrick & Regan will go to ERHS' 2012 PROM! Super exciting! Proud of ya twinny! (:


Enjoy this picturesque Carolina weather! 


Friday, March 16, 2012

Cheers to the Freakin' Weekend!

Wow... What a stressful week! I've learned several things, my favorite has been a little simile my drivers education mentor has shared.. "Speeding is like being pregnant, you either are pregnant or you're not. You can't be just a little bit pregnant. So you're either speeding or you aren't." With that said, go the speed limit & use protection. :)
Three Best Things of my Week...
1) Driving on the open road, legally.
2) Being able to bust out my kapris and summer tops.
3) Having my relationship successfully reach the 10 month mark! Love you, Tyler♥


The only downfalls of this week would be receiving a 97 on a project completed by Ashton & myself. Your probably wondering why this is a 'downfall'... well a group of girls I don't particularly care for made a 98. In my defense my project was way better.




Have a dapper weekend! :)


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Double Digits!

Ten months with the most amazing guy out there & fourteen-& a half years old, which means today's the day I venture into the driving section of Drivers Education!(: Super exciting day. Two things to remember: if you try to steal my boy friend id have to kill you at this point, & if you live in the Rowan County area, stay off the road from 2:30-5:30! Hopefully the rain won't ruin my curled hair!(: XOXO, have a splendid day my loves!
- Rachel, via iPhone


PS: How bout Ben picking Courtney? Big WTF thought to that choice. Buy hey, with that hair cut how could he make a descent decision?? Bless him. I wonder what Emily is thinking about this?? :)

Monday, March 12, 2012

Live Like You're Dying (:0

This weekend was tough. I couldn't really express the high emotions overwhelming my family over the weekend. Saturday was my aunt Michele's birthday. It was super difficult. Saturday I held it together fairly well, but Sunday morning at church it was all I could do to hold it together. It was rough! The second most emotional day of the year. The first being the anniversary of her death, which happens to be April 24th.


I hope you partied in heaven... (:0


Happy Birthday Brenda Michele Moore Helms.. love & miss you♥


Thursday, March 8, 2012

Girls Only ;)

Attention all of my beautiful blog follows, that are ladies! (The guys are beautiful too, lol!) I have came across the most AWESOME app! I reckon you can get it on any smart phone. I personally discovered it on the apple app store. I came across this free app but searching 'Period Tracker'; it was the second result that surfaced. After reading the reviews, I decided to give it a shot. Any girl that tries to keep track of their period knows it is a pain, basically. If you don't keep track, rather you're sexually active or not, you should keep track. I have attempted to track mine for who knows how long. NO ONE wants to ruin their panties, I don't care who you are. Victoria Secret or Fruit of the Loom, panties should not go through that kind of torture! So... with this handy-dandy period tracker, called Period Diary (P.D) you will know when everything will go down. Upon opening up the app, I first entered my last cycle. Then you can enter your symptoms and moods you're experiencing now. When you put in your last cycle, it creates your personal calendar. The calendar tells you when your next cycle should come, when your days for being most fertile are, and the next day you will release an egg for your next cycle. Great, I know. I am tickled to death! Best thing about it, it is so easy to use. I also set up the 'password' feature, so no one can go creepin' through my period information! Seriously girls, this app is awesome! 
                          
  Pink =Period Days
  Orange Circle= fertile days
  Pink Circle= ovulation day                               Unlock screen when you first click on app!
Upon opening app! ;

Go....DOWNLOAD...ASAP!!!
You're welcome :)

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

JSYK...

Random ' just so you know' entry...
When I do not attend church on Sunday morning, the days following are completely *you know what word in thinking of, so insert it here*. No matter of I miss church due to being elsewhere in the state, or accidentally over sleeping...the days following are awful! I should wear a sign saying "I'm in a very bad mood, try to make it worse", because in someway people are interpreting that feeling within me, and attempting the challenge. Me wearing that sign would save a lot of folks the steam they let out while trying to determine the challenge I am offering them. I'm basically trying to say, the past two days have been awful! From anger spells to crying its just been bad! Maybe it's PMS, which conveniently doubles as 'Pissed at Men Syndrome'... mainly because Mad Cow Disease was already taken. I happen to fall into these categories. So my diagnosis for my extremely bad mood this week is Lack-of-Jesus (solely my fault) & Mad-Cow-Disease (all you Mother Nature, all you!) A Bible & some Midol, please??



Monday, March 5, 2012

Holy Cow! What a Weekend...

Mornin' readers! Blogging from my iPhone 4 this morning, on my way to ERHS!!; I'm sure you're all looking dapper on this chill NC Monday morning! This past weekend was crazy! Saturday I spent my afternoon in the Rowan Regional Medical center with my cousin, Chassidy! She unfortunately has a broken foot! OUCH :( Saturday night I slumber-partied with family friend Heather, while her husband was in Raleigh with my dad. Sunday, Heather, her friend Melissa, Tyler & myself went to the Dixie Deer Classic in Raleigh where my dad & the Ezy Climb crew were! Ezy Climb sold a surprising amount of products. I had a shopping weakness & purchased a 60 dollar pair of jeans along with a 25 dollar shirt... Something I NEVER do! Tyler purchased a shirt reading 'Go Green, Shoot Naked.' Lol, he would :) I should mention that we spotted 23 mullets within 3ish hours. Gotta love the South!
On our way back we made a stop at Heathers parents house! I surely enjoyed them(: Non-stop laugher makes for a great evening. I hope all my fabulous blog followers have a great day :) Go learn something....!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Dreary Day Funtivities!

Fun crafts & activities to do on a rainy-cloudy day in North Carolina :)



 make a date night to-do jar! 

make scrapbook paper clipboards! give your clipboard a sassy makeover!

make coasters out of scrabble pieces!

make a wreath! key idea: only use things in your house! -cocktail umbrellas, coffee filters, etc.

bake brownies, shove a stick in it, and lather with icing :)

orrrrr.... if you're not crafty...
watch Jenna Marbles videos to get a great ab workout 
(not referring to crunches, laughing only!)

enjoy your crafty-yummy-cozy day!