Cooking Challenge- April Results

Another month is almost over and that means checking out how I did on my cooking challenge. This month got a little busy with school wrapping up (papers and finals out the wazoo!), so I focused on trying out pins that I've pinned and haven't done anything with instead of trying new cooking techniques. 

Bacon Wrapped Chicken from Artsy Fartsy Mama

This was Dave and I's favorite dish of the whole month. It was fairly easy to cook and was really good. We'll definitely be cooking this again. I mean bacon AND cream cheese? How can you go wrong?

Easy Green Beans, Chicken and Potatoes from Mama Say What?!

This dish was pretty good, and clearly it was super simple to make. I would say I'd make it again however shortly after consuming this meal Dave and I were both *ahem* indisposed of. I'm assuming probably from all the butter, but I can't be 100% sure.  Either way I'm not risking it and making it again. 

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole from The Seasoned Mom

Dave really liked this, I wasn't so much a fan of it. I thought it was a bit bland but Dave's all about the stuffing (he'd eat Stove Top all day every day). If I did make it again, I'd probably fill up on salad or something and only make it since Dave liked it. 

That's what I tried this month. Did you try out any pins this month?

Cooking Challenge March Results

This month was the month of meal prep. I've always wanted to spend a day creating meals for breakfast or lunch for the week, in part so that I didn't have to spend all my money on breakfast and lunch, but also to be able to control what I eat a little better. 

Pins I Tried: 

Low Carb Egg Muffins

Not only were these "muffins" delicious, but they were fairly healthy AND I got to use my muffin tin for the first time. This was definitely something I'll make again, they were super easy. 

Breakfast Burritos

I have a confession. When done right, I love (LOVE) McDonald's breakfast burritos. I have been wanting to make my own for a while and finally got around to it this month. Not only was it fairly easy to make, but I made a ton in a very short time. Dave loves grabbing these in the morning and has even forgotten to take out our dinner for the night (practically every morning) because he sees these and forgets to. These aren't as good as McDonald's burritos (when they're done right), but at least I know I'm getting a good burrito every time. 

Chicken BLT Avocado Salad

This recipe is another favorite of Dave's. I originally made it for myself and then he tried some and practically half of it was gone when it went to make my lunch the next morning. Between this recipe and the muffins I also got more practice with cooking bacon, which I rarely do. 

Recipes ripped out of magazines I finally made:

Bobby Dean's One Pan Roasted Chicken and Broccoli

Healthy, easy and I finally got to use my roasting pan (another thing I've never used before), and it was delicious.  I'm really liking this cooking challenge. 

So far I've learned quite a few techniques but I've also learned that I have too many items in my kitchen that I've never used. I'm glad I'm finally getting around to using them. Maybe I'll start incorporating the use of unused kitchen items into my challenge? 

15 in '15 March Update

As of this month I am halfway through the reading challenge, even with an extra book thrown in the mix, unless you count the fact that I didn't finish two of them....anyway, here's what I read from the challenge list this month:

A Discovery of Witches

This book started out so slow, like first 200 pages slow but once it started to pick up, I really enjoyed it. It took me a while to get through this book, probably because it had such a slow start. It reminded me a bit too much of Twilight which made me not like this book as much as I probably would if I hadn't thought that. I'm interested enough to pick up the second book eventually and see where the story goes. 

Insurgent

It took me a full year to pick up the second book in the Divergent series and I have no idea why because I really enjoyed the first one. The second book was just as good as the first and since I finished it just in time for the movie to be released, it'll all be fresh in my mind to see how the film adapts the story. 

Here's the complete list (links will go to the post that I wrote about the book):

1. Sharp Objects
2. TV Gods
3. A Discovery of Witches
4. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
5. The Serpent of Venice
6. I Don't Know What You Know Me From
7. Big Fish
8. Orange is the New Black
9. American Gods
10. Dead Until Dark
11. The Great Gatsby
12. The Glass Castle
13. Pride and Prejudice
14. Insurgent
15. The Clan of the Cave Bear
16. Paddle Your Own Canoe

I would love to hear about what you read this month!

I'm on Goodreads, if you'd like to add me.

15 in '15 February Update

I used to have a problem with putting a book down if I didn't enjoy it. I felt like all books that I started had to be finished. Now, I give each book I start a fair chance. Each book gets about 100 pages to catch me, and if I don't like it I don't finish it. So far this year I haven't finished two books on my list and I wondered if technically that was cheating since I didn't finish them. But the more I think about it, the more that I realize that a.) I don't care b.) I gave it a fair shot and that's all that matters. 

American Gods

I know my friend Sherrie is going to be disappointed in this but I couldn't finish American Gods. I really like Neil Gaiman and I've enjoyed all his other books I've read, and this one definitely has not turned me off of reading future Gaiman novels, however I did not like this book. I gave it a good 150 pages and I found myself dreading picking it up. To me, that's a surefire sign to abandon it. 

Like most typical Gaiman novels, it was very dark. I'm slightly intrigued to know specifically what the book was about and how it ends, but I'd rather someone tell me than to have to pick it up again. 

I Don't Know What You Know Me From

Although it would have been nice to read some stories about antics on set, or stories about her costars, I didn't expect to read anything like that from Greer. She doesn't play everyone's best friend in movies because she's a blabber. With that being said, I did still enjoy her stories and thought this book was a good read. Ironically enough, Greer comes off as being your friend who just happens to be sharing some memories over a cup of coffee or tea, which I really liked. It definitely endeared me towards her. 

Here's the complete list (links will go to the post that I wrote about the book):

1. Sharp Objects
2. TV Gods
3. A Discovery of Witches
4. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
5. The Serpent of Venice
6. I Don't Know What You Know Me From
7. Big Fish
8. Orange is the New Black
9. American Gods
10. Dead Until Dark
11. The Great Gatsby
12. The Glass Castle
13. Pride and Prejudice
14. Insurgent
15. The Clan of the Cave Bear
16. Paddle Your Own Canoe

I would love to hear about what you read this month!

I'm on Goodreads, if you'd like to add me.

Cooking Challenge February Results

If you need a quick refresher, I challenged myself this year to expand my cooking horizons and each month use pins/recipes I've gathered along the way and also try out different cooking techniques that I've avoided so far in my life. Here's the results for this month:

Pins I tried:

Meatball Sub Bubble Up Bake

This recipe was okay. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either. I probably won't make it again, but it was very simple to make. My main issue with this dish was that the biscuits were too sweet and that kind of ruined it for me. Also the middle wasn't cooked all the way through which I could easily fix by leaving it in longer but it was very tough to gauge whether or not the middle was done. 

One Pan Skillet Lasagna

This pin on the other hand was delicious. I learned the hard way that it was probably easier to just cut the casing off of Italian sausage and cook it that way versus the way I did it which was cooking the sausage in the casing and then trying to cut it up after the fact and throwing it back in the pan. I always like to make things harder for myself. 

Lastly, for Valentines Day I decided to try my hand at cheesecake. I used this recipe from Philadelphia cream cheese.

Cooking technique tackled: Using my springform pan (I've owned it for at least 8 years and this was the first time I used it!), baking a cake/crust from "scratch"

The results: When I was first making the graham cracker crust, I misread the ingredient list and thought it read 1 and 1/3 cup melted butter which lead to a ridiculous melted butter mess. Three packs of graham crackers later, I realized the error of my ways and sent Dave out to buy more graham crackers since I used them all up trying to salvage this mess:

The good news is that when I attempted the crust a second time, it turned out good. There weren't any other issues and the cheesecake turned out delicious!

What did you cook this month?

15 in '15- January Update

I may know how to read, but apparently I don't know how to count. I didn't realize until I started to write this post that I chose 16 books for 2015. No worries, I always like bonus rounds. 

The gist of 16 in '15 is simple. I'm going to read a lot more than 16 books in 2015 but I'd like to make it a point to read these books in particular. 

Pride and Prejudice

I've only ever said twice in my life that a movie was better than it's book. Both times I uttered this phrase was during the past month. This was one of those books. It's not that P&P was a bad book, it's just not what I enjoy reading. I understand that this book is a classic and I can see why but I just could not enjoy it. I attempted to read it and couldn't so I borrowed the audio book from the library and even that I couldn't finish so I watched the movie. I enjoyed watching the movie but I just could not with this book. Sorry guys!

Big Fish

The second time I uttered that phrase was during this book. I think I have to confess that Big Fish happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time. The book wasn't bad at all and I would still recommend it to others, its just that the movie and it's characters resonated more with me than the book did. The book seemed a bit scattered and I don't think that it had the same magic to it that the movie did. It's a short book and a quick read, maybe if I hadn't seen the movie first I would have enjoyed it more. 

Paddle Your Own Canoe

I think Chelsea Handler's books ruined me for all celebrity memoirs because they always fall short of my expectations. Nick Offermans' book is broken down into two parts in each chapter. The first part is the memoir and the second is lessons/advice. Honestly, I skipped over the second part of each chapter, it was too long winded and didn't interest me. It was really sweet hearing him talk about how he met his wife Megan Mullally, but the book wasn't as funny as I'd hope it would be.

Sharp Objects

Gillian Flynn has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I loved Gone Girl and Sharp Objects was no different. I was hooked on this book and finished it in two days. Flynn writes very dark novels so as much as I want to pick up Dark Places, I'm pacing myself for now for two reasons: 1. to break up the darkness with some humor/lightheartedness 2. because once I'm done her third book I'll have nothing to look forward to from her. This was definitely my favorite read from this month. 

Here's the complete list (links in this post will take you to the book, future posts will link to the post that I wrote about the book):

1. Sharp Objects
2. TV Gods
3. A Discovery of Witches
4. The Thousand Dollar Tan Line
5. The Serpent of Venice
6. I Don't Know What You Know Me From
7. Big Fish
8. Orange is the New Black
9. American Gods
10. Dead Until Dark
11. The Great Gatsby
12. The Glass Castle
13. Pride and Prejudice
14. Insurgent
15. The Clan of the Cave Bear
16. Paddle Your Own Canoe

Cooking Challenge

I hate new years resolutions. I never make them because I know I'll break them.I have decided, however, to challenge myself this year on one thing. I have this habit where I collect recipes, whether its on pinterest or magazines, and then hang on to them doing nothing with them. 

This year I've decided that at least once a month I'm going to try to cook something new from the arsenal of recipes I've collected. Ones I like I'll jot down in my recipe journal, others I'll toss or unpin. I'll also share with you the good, the bad, and the ugly. 

I haven't really ever had a massive cooking disaster on my hands. I think that is in part to the fact that I tend to avoid complicated recipes. There are a few things I know I'm terrible at, working with dough being one of those things, but I can't keep avoiding them and then pinning/saving recipes that use them. 

It is my hope that this year with this cooking challenge, I'll finally step out of my comfort zone a little and create new things, or at least I'll have a few good stories to share. 

Have you created any challenges or resolutions for yourself this year? 

Blogmopolitan Quiz

I saw this pop up the first time Two Thirds Hazel posted one of these quizzes and wanted to join in but for some odd reason was to chicken to. No excuses this time! If you want to join in on the fun, grab the quiz here. 

100 Happy Days

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know back in January I took on the 100 Happy Days challenge. My 100th day was up on April 12th and looking back, I have mixed feelings about the challenge. Namely the length. 100 days is a really long time to do something daily and there were times where it got to be tedious. 

I appreciated what the challenge taught me, which is finding happiness in my day to day life and not just in the big moments. I probably learned that lesson around day 50 and could have done without the last 50 days. That isn't to say that I don't look back on the pictures and enjoy them, but as I was doing the challenge it went from "man I'm having such a bad day...oh wait no I'm not. This makes me happy, I guess today wasn't so bad" to "this and this made me happy today...I guess I need to post something, what day is it? Am I done this challenge yet?"

I still recommend everyone take on the challenge with one little twist: When you learn the moral of the story, it's okay to stop there. 

Here are some of my favorite pictures of the last 50 days of the challenge. 

Halfway There

52 days ago I decided to take up the 100 Happy Days Challenge. Reflecting back on the first half of this challenge, I noticed a few things:

::I didn't post as many pictures of my cats that I thought::

 I counted and came up with 11 posts about Nibbler and Squishee, that's only about 20%. Not too shabby considering they make me happy everyday.

::Some days I had to fake it to make it::

There were certain days that I struggled to find something "original" or "unique" that made me happy. Sometimes it was because I was just in a sour mood and forgot the whole concept of the challenge, other times it was just a slow "news" day. 

The thing that I have to keep reminding myself is that this challenge isn't for anyone else except for me. No offense to you guys, but I'm not doing this to entertain you, I'm doing this to try to understand happiness as a daily concept and not through random things. 

However, with that being said....

::Choosing a challenge where it helps if you stay busy is kinda hard to do in the middle of winter and all you want to do is hibernate::

When winter hits, I hibernate. Don't most us? That means that most days consists of waking up, going to work, staying at work over lunch and reading a book, coming home and reading more, cuddling my cats (and Dave), watching TV and then going to bed. This routine is not conducive to posting really awesome, different pictures everyday.

The first 50 days have been challenging but fun. I definitely think that I've gotten better about finding happiness on a daily basis, but I'm not quite there yet. I still have 48 days to go, so we'll see! 

And now for a few of my favorites so far:

If you want to see my progress, follow me on Instagram. Also, if you are taking on the challenge, let me know, I'd love to see what makes you happy!

100 Days of Happiness

Over the weekend, I read a Buzzfeed article about the 100 Happy Days challenge and I was inspired to try it out.  I find more often than not, there are days when I struggle with being happy because I'm focusing on the bad things and not seeing the little things that bring me joy. 

100 Happy Days states: We live in times when super-busy schedules have become something to boast about. While the speed of life increases, there is less and less time to enjoy the moment that you are in. The ability to appreciate the moment, the environment and yourself in it, is the base for the bridge towards long term happiness of any human being.

I'm hoping that by focusing on one little thing each day that makes me happy, I can condition myself to be happy not through materialistic things like, "I got a new shirt!" but through things like, "Dave made this pizza tonight and it was really good!" That isn't to say that one or two of the photos I post won't be about a new shirt or hairstyle, but I'm hoping to focus more on the happiness aspect. I want to be more aware of when I am happy in that moment versus when I'm sad and then look back on the fact that I was happy and didn't appreciate it. 

I decided to take up this challenge via my Instagram, so if you'd like to follow my progress, make sure you're following my Instagram profile. And if you are inspired to take up the challenge for yourself, let me know! I would love to experience the #100happydays challenge with others!

Blogtember: Something Old

Share a photo of something old. Maybe something that has personal history for you, that was passed down to you, and that has special meaning to you. Tell us about it and why it's special. ................................................................................................... A few months ago I lost one of my grandmothers. It was a tough one (when aren't they, right?) because it was completely unexpected. It was my ex-step dad's mother and even though we weren't "blood" relatives, we still treated each other like family. She always made it clear that I would be her granddaughter no matter what. 
The "something old" I decided to share today was a picture of her and her first husband that she gave to me when I was sixteen. 

The really odd thing is that for the past twelve years it has sat on my bookshelf, something I was aware of but never stopped to really notice. That is, until the Wednesday before her passing. I was driving home one day and thought of the picture and questioned whether or not it truly belonged to me, if I was something I was supposed to hang on to or not. So I called my mom and explained all this to her. My mom said that Grandmom Maxine gave it to me and that she always considered me one of her own so it was exactly where it should be. 

That Sunday she was gone. 

This tiny little picture frame has suddenly become so much more to me. It holds the memories and the life of a woman that I cared so much about. It's no longer a little trinket on my bookshelf, its my reminder that I was blessed to be a part of such an amazing woman's life, someone I'll never forget. 

I'll never forget her smile, the way she said "oh Pickle" when I said something she found amusing, her laugh, her mistakes, her perfections....her. When I pass by the picture I stop every time.

It's my little connection to her. 

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Blogtember: Facebook Rant

An anonymous letter to your Facebook friends. Be as snarky as you'd like. (but don't include people's real names.)  .............................................................................. Okay, so normally I prefer to stay positive on this blog, but for today's prompt, I will make an exception. I felt these e-cards said it better than I ever could.

Someone seriously tried using this excuse on me. I might have been born at night, but it wasn't last night!

Kind of a pet peeve of mine. I don't mind seeing one every now and then but this crap literally fills my feed everyday. Get Pinterest people!!

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Blogtember: Coffee Shop..or a Lack Thereof

Go to a coffee shop. Order a favorite drink. Write about what makes you happy and what makes you sad. Or write about anything you'd like! Bonus points for including a photo from the coffee shop. (I recommend downloading Ommwriter and bringing headphones along!) *if you can't make it to a coffee shop, at least leave your usual space and write someplace new.

.................................................................................................

I woke up to this song playing on my alarm this morning and it made me feel so nostalgic for a simpler life. The life I had with Dave before school, before work, before...becoming a big girl? When my main worry was when I was going to hang out with him next. Since it was so early in the morning, I kind of forgot all about it.

So here I am sitting in my spare bedroom looking at my bookcase (because I don't think I have any cool coffee shops near me and even if I did I didn't  have time to get to them this week), listening to music, wondering what I was going to write about and that same song comes on again and I am reminded of that yearning for a life where I didn't have to worry so much.
Don't get me wrong guys. I love my life. Some aspects of it? Not so much, but I wouldn't trade anything that I have. My life with Dave, Nibbler and Squishee is something I would never give up. However, I can't help but sometimes wish my life was still simple. 
Just a simple life where I wake up and my only worry is how soon I can get home to my family. 
So why does this particular song evoke such an emotion from me? Well, when Dave and I started dating this song from the same band was a popular song on the radio and it reminded me of that time where I didn't have so many responsibilities and I realized that with life getting in the way, I've lost the ability to do the one thing that I love the most in this world which is spending time with Dave and the boys. I can't wait for school to be done so I don't feel so trapped by the constraints of life. I'll have more of a choice with my schedule, with my job, with life in general. It would just be nice to have a choice, and right now I feel like I don't. 
And on that note, I'll let Gwen finish out this post. 

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Blogtember: Mistakes were had

Write about a time you screwed up - a mistake you made

.......................................................

The hair.  Oh Lordy, my hair. Did anyone else's mom make a big deal out of picture day? My mom acted like it was our wedding day, like we were never going to have our picture taken again so this had to be perfect. She insisted on doing my hair and my sister's ridiculously over the top and put us in fancy outfits, so we had to walk around like idiots all day. At least I  felt like that. I'm pretty sure my sister loved the limelight. My mother also insisted we do this on the first day of school too. Every year she tortured me with her traditions, until I realized I could say no to my mother. Then it was jeans and flat, frizzy hair like every other kid.
Anyway.....
The outfit...seriously my eyes!!! They're bleeding!
The necklace.
Do you want to know why I'm missing my two front teeth? Because they foresaw this picture occurring and didn't want none of that ish, so they jumped ship. 

Just kidding. I think I was a cute kid. Although I do have to say, this outfit HAS GOT TO GO.        Follow: BLOGLOVIN ::  FACEBOOK     

Blogtember: Book Review

 Review a book, place, or product. .............................................

This was one of those books I wished had never ended. Just like Harry Potter. 

So the gist of the book is that it is the year 2044, and the world is a terrible place. The only solace that most people can take comfort in is a virtual reality that takes place in the OASIS. People can plug in to go to school, earn money, meet people, live the life that they cannot live in the real world. The creator of the OASIS has willed his entire enormous fortune to the one person who can discover hidden easter eggs within OASIS, all of which carries an 80's theme. Protagonist Wade Watts stumbles upon the first hidden clue and chaos ensues as people scramble to be the first to discover all the clues and amass the fortune.

I seriously did not want this book to end. I waged an inner battle every time I picked the book up, willing myself not to read it so I would have something to hold on to, but not being able to control NOT reading it because I had to know what happened next. There are a ton of 80's references in this book, only about 60% of which I got, but it didn't matter because the story and the premise were good enough to stand on their own, the 80's references were just good visual aids. I also loved how this book pulled me into another world. It was a nice little escape. 

Looking for something new and unique to read? You have to check out this book.

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Blogtember: Life Lately

A "life lately" post. What you're up to, how you're feeling, how you're doing on your goals, etc. Bonus points for great photos!

..................................................................

I wrote a "Currently" post back in June, so I figured I'd follow that same guideline for today. Here goes nothing...

::Purchasing::

A few months ago, I had my makeup done by Ulta and they used this bronzer on me. I've been wanting to get it for a while, but it's on the pricey side. I finally picked one up Friday and I'm loving it. Plus you smell like chocolate all day. I love chocolate!!

Just bought this shirt, waiting for it to come in the mail. I'm hoping it looks good on me. Peter pan collars are hit or miss with me. So far the ones I've bought have been a miss. We shall see!

Bonus? Got it at 40% off!

::Looking Forward to::

The end of this school semester. Seriously guys, I'm over it. I love school but it's time to be done with my undergrad degree and move on to my certification. 

::Listening to::

The Civil Wars. I heard "The One that Got Away" on an ABC Family promo and instantly fell in love. A few other favorites are "Tip of my Tongue" and "Poison and Wine".

::Reading::

I just finished Animal Farm, I have to say it wasn't a favorite of mine, and I'm re-reading 1984 for the Teen Book Club. I'm also in the middle of Beowulf for my literature class. I would love to have a book on this list that I'm currently reading on a personal level but that's not happening right now, although I wish it was.

::Watching::

Third season of Walking Dead on demand. I love being able to watch shows back to back to back and not have to wait a week in between episodes. Did that for the first three seasons of Game of Thrones. Only problem is? When you're done, it's like coming off an addiction. 

::Making me Happy::

Life. 

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Blogtember: Comfort

React to this term: comfort. 

...................................................... This was a tough one. There are tons of things that come to mind when I think of comfort. But I can only spout off about the amazing-ness that is mashed potatoes and chicken gravy before you're like what the heck is wrong with this girl? 
Which by the way, AMAZING!! 
I'm going to keep it short and sweet. There are many things that brings me comfort, but it's the love of my cats that really brings me comfort at any given moment. On a rough day, all I have to do is think about them and everything is a little bit better.

 Because waking up to this cuddling you, will make the start to any day good.

And because there is nothing better than your cats preventing you from doing anything but cuddle in the morning when you really need to get ready for work.  Follow: BLOGLOVIN ::  FACEBOOK