52 Questions: #3

Princess K here!
It's that time of the week: 52 QUESTIONS IN 52 WEEKS!

Question Number 3: Tell me about your father (his name, birth date, birthplace, parents, etc.) Can you share some memories you have of your father?

My dad is Jason Dansby. He was born in Alabama and his parents are Johnny and Beth Dansby. He has two siblings: Sarah and John. My dad's birthday is December 15th and he is going to be 49 years old this year.

The best (and most obnoxcious) memory of my dad is how he used to "sing us awake" when we were younger. Yes, this sounds pleasent and rather sweet but...my siblings and I are not morning people. My dad would tip toe into our room and start singing, "School day, school day, good ole golden rule day" (*shudders*) My sister and I shared a room through most of our childhood and we would both cry out, "OH DEAR SWEET GOD, NO! STOP THE SINGING!" as we dove from the bed.

To this day, whenever I stay at my parents house, my dad feels the need to sing to me in the morning. Of course now, I have leaned the power of coffee so it isn't quite so bad.

Share some stories or memories about your dad!

Until next time,
Princess K

RIP: Minnie

Sometimes, life as a Primcess, even a self-proclaimed one, can be really hard. There are instances where you are forced to remember how fragile everything in your world is and that things happen that are out of your control and the only thing you can do is try to move forward. 

This was Minnie. She was three years old and she passed away today. 

I got Minnie from a lawyer in downtown Houston, TX. He had made a post on craigslist for some kittens that he had found in an empty lot next to his office. When I went to pick her up, she was so small that I had to bottle feed her for a week. 

Originally, I had been looking for a male cat, with the intention of naming him Figaro. (From the Mozart opera, Marraige of Figaro, and from Disney's Pinnochio.) When I saw this little diva though, it was love at first sight.  Well, for me; honestly, she wasn't too fond of me for a while. 

Minnie got into a lot of trouble. She peed on my school backpack within the first 4 hours I had her. (I never got the smell out, either.) She had a penchant for knocking over cups of water and climbing in cabinets. 

In my first house in Louisiana, she actually ripped a hole through the wall and spent the night in a tree behind the house. After that, she made a game out if escaping from the house and making me crazy with worry. 

Minnie was a spoiled, pretentious, little cat who loved to cuddle and torment my dog, Mickey. 

And I love her. A lot. 

Until next time, 

Princess K

Disney's Big Hero 6: New Trailer

So, Disney has released a new trailer for the much anticipated film, Big Hero 6. This will be the 54th full-length, animated feature from the Disney Animation Studios.

Judging from the trailer, I think this will be a complete turn around from 2013's Frozen, which continues to maintain its huge following. (Complete with a complete take over of Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort this summer!)
Where Frozen was geared towards girls and is full of catchy tunes (I'm sure we are all tired of Queen Elsa's little song, hm?...or not! HAHA!), Big Hero 6 will definitely be a movie "for the boys," but I believe that this film will speak to just about anyone.

Big Hero 6 hits theaters this November.

Leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Until next time,
Princess K

52 Questions: #2

Welcome back to the blog!
I am continuing with the 52 Questions series I began last Monday. Now, on with the show!

Question Number 2: When and where were you born? Describe your home, your neighborhood and the town you grew up in.

Ah, childhood. Memories....at the corners of my mind....misty water colored MEMORIIIIIEEESSS!!!!....Ahem, forgive me. It's early and my Streisand felt the need to emerge. 

Now, I, Princess K, was born in the magical land of...South Alabama, on a sunny Wednesday in May a little over 23 years ago. My first home was in a small town named Eufaula. (Pronounced: You-fall-ah. Like, "You falla down the stairs!") Fun fact: Eufaula is the "self-proclaimed" Big Bass Capital of the World.

There it is! Some people may recognize Eufaula if they drove through the scenic "Historic District." This lovely stretch of road was featured in the film Sweet Home Alabama. (Sadly, I am unable to find a clip to link...) Full of antebellum houses and history, Eufaula is a visual walk through a history lecture...if it was maintained better. The town is beautiful, but small. Classic small town; everyone knows everyone and their business. You can't go to the gas station without bumping into 5 people who know you or your parents. In some ways, that was kind of nice. In others...eh.

My first home was on the outskirts of town, in a growing subdivision that, at the time, had only 5-7 homes. (Now, its huge!) It was so spacious in fact, that we kept our pony in the backyard. (Yes, Princess K had a pony as a little girl. Be jealous.) My grand-mother's church was right next door and every Saturday (Seventh Day Adventists) my sister and older brother would wave and scream, "Welcome to Sabbath School!" to all the little church folks. (I'm feeling all nostalgic here. *sniff*)

I have lived in many more places in Alabama throughout my life. I've also lived in Houston, Texas and now in Lousiana with plans to see and experience more of this fine country. My first memories of a "home" though, will always be in Eufaula, in that little house.

Share the memories of your first home in the comments below!

Until next time,
Princess K

NEW HARRY POTTER STORY!!!

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!!!!

J.K. ROWLING HAS PUBLISHED A NEW SHORT STORY ONLINE! GO READ IT! NOW!
http://mic.com/articles/93087/j-k-rowling-just-released-a-new-harry-potter-story-online?utm_source=policymicFB&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=social

Ok.....read it?
Wasn't it awesome?! It's been so long since Harry was that little boy under the stairs. *sniff* And.....did you catch the "possible" teaser of a new book coming out July 31st?! :D

Leave a comment about what you thought!

52 Questions: #1

Hello all!

I was perusing through Pinterest the other day when I found this great list. "52 Questions in 52 Weeks." Sadly, the list has since been deleted, so I don't have a link to share. :(

HOWEVER, I did manage to copy and paste this list into a document in my Google drive! "Yay" for being a little neurotic and not just pinning it! :D

So, over the next year, I am going to answer one question each week. I will also add a link to my About the Princess page so you, my lovely readers, can read these questions and answers again.

AHEM!

Question #1: What is your full name? Why did you parents give you that name?

Ah, what a great way to start off. (As you can recall in my first post, I HATE trying to figure out how to start things.)

My name is Karleigh Mary-Beth Dansby. (Although, this time next year I will be a Hanie!)

My mother named me Karleigh after Carly Simon, the singer. My gran, however, claims my mother got the idea from her after she said that the Oscar Meyer bologna girl (ya know, from the 80s) was also named Carly. Either way, the spelling...eh, there is no real story behind that. When I was a kid, I was so fed up with my siblings finding key chains and such in stores with THEIR names on them. So, I figured, "Hey! If my name is never gonna be on a key chain, I might as well make it awesome!"...so I begged my mother to let me change my name to Anastasia....yeah, just like the Russian Grand Duchess. (FYI: I didn't actually get it changed, thankfully!)

My middle name is a combination of two close relatives. Beth is for my grand mother on my father's side. Originally, that was supposed to be it: Karleigh Beth. But, being the little maniac I am, I decided to grace the world with my presence on the birthday of my dear Aunt May. So, since she has to share a birthday with me now, my mother decided to combine them and VIOLA! Mary-Beth.

Now, as for my blogging name, that was all my idea. Haha! I love Princesses. For real. My childhood love for the Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov was just the beginning.

When I was trying to think of a blogging name, I tried several different things at first. (Anastasia was NOT one of them.) My name (*yawn*), a completely new name, famous character names, etc. Finally, I thought to myself, "What do I want to be? What do I want to do?" The resounding (and illogical) answer: be a princess. But how? Since I am not "actual" or "recognized" royalty (logistics and such) in this or any country (on this planet), and that I am not the biggest fan of taking things too seriously, (Casual) Princess K was thrown into the mix and...well, you are reading this blog so you know.

Feel free to share your own answers to this question in the comments below!

Until next time,

Princess K

Cooking Princess: Italian Egg Drop Soup

Hello again all!
We are back with our first informational post! I am starting off this blogging adventure with a little recipe I tried out recently thanks to this:

The 400 Calorie Fix! A free gift I received from Rodale publishing (I also signed up for a year's subscription to Prevention magazine.) This little beauty is chock full of recipes and meal plans, all under 400 calories each. It even has items for when you want fast food or dinner at a nice restaurant.

The first recipe I decided to try was the Italian Egg Drop Soup.

Yes, that is grilled cheese alongside this great dish. Even with all that bread this was STILL about 400 calories!

So, first we have some ingredients you will need:

 Some chopped onion, carrot, and spinach.

 I threw in a little Rotini pasta for some texture.

 Chicken broth (low sodium for me!)

And finally some eggs!

This wasn't in the directions but a little wine while cooking was required.

Now, I made a mistake right off the bat. Oops! I was supposed to saute the veggies before dumping them into my chicken broth and boiling but...yeah, I'm a dunce. (Will definitely remember that little step next time!)
Once I had some boiling goodness happening...

 I had to let that baby boil for 10 minutes.

BUSY THY SELF!

Then, I had to add the pasta. I also let that boil and bubble for about another ten minutes.

Cat picture time! :D Minnie is super excited, can't you tell?

BUSY THY SELF! (I got to the best part when I needed to start my eggs!)

While my pasta was cooking, and I was recovering from the trauma dealt to me at the hands of a paper back,  I decided to go ahead and whisk my eggs and left over chicken broth together in a small bowl.

The recipe calls for a little Parmesan cheese to top so I went ahead and whisked that in, too. I think it made my soup just a tiny bit thicker (and way more tasty!)

Whisk it! Whisk it real good!
After a few minutes, my soup was ready...and delicious! Jeremy loved it too and even had some the next day for lunch.

This recipe was easy to make, very tasty, and healthy!
Feel free to check out the full recipe below and leave comments or questions.

Happy cooking and until next time,

 Princess K

Italian Egg Drop Soup (400 calorie fix)

Here is what you need:

- 6 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth

- 2 large carrots finely chopped

- 1 small onion finely chopped

- 1 cup frozen spinach

- 1/2 cup small cut pasta ( I used orzo)

- 3 eggs

- 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese

1. Finely chopped carrots and onion.

2. Add tiny bit of oil or cooking spray to your  pot ( just so the veggies don't stick) and heat pot on a medium-high heat. Add carrots and onions and saute for 2-3 mins.

3. Next add 5.5 cups of the broth and the cup of spinach. Bring to a boil.

4. Once a boil has begun, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Add pasta to the soup and cook according to the package directions.

6. Whisk together the eggs and remaining 1/2 cup broth. 

7. Bring the soup to a boil. Stir in the egg mixture, stirring constantly. The egg should form fine strands. (some of my egg formed strands... but not all of it. still tasted great :)

8. Top each bowl with 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste.