I have been a blog slacker...

BUT I have not been slacking on keeping track of my goals and pushing forward!

I know, I have been horrible at keeping the blog updated, but it doesn't mean I haven't been working hard! So I will try to update you all (or the 2-3 people who will read this haha) on what's been going on in the upcoming days.

One of my goals was to learn more about photography. No, I don't plan on ever becoming a professional, but yes, I would love for my everyday pictures to be amazing!

I have now taken 2 classes with Michael Lamb, who was my wedding photographer and teaches classes every week. The 1st week (Basic SLR), I learned a lot about my camera, lighting, and how to get certain effects using the preset settings available on my camera (i.e. night landscape, portrait, etc.). That was very interesting and so helpful!

But the the 2nd class came (Advanced SLR) and that is when the confusion set in! It was like a physics class! We were talking about our ISO settings, aperature, shutter speeds, white balance, etc. I understood most of it, but I knew I would need a LOT of practice before I'd be completely comfortable with getting off of Auto mode in any situation.

Fortunately, the weekend right after my 2nd class, we had the girls' photo shoot for our youth ladies at church. I came along as a leader to help (there were two "official" cameras shooting) but I also brought my camera to test a few things. I must say, most of my shots came out way overexposed but once I got home, I figured out why and how I would fix it next time! Here are a few of the shots I took that day (I did some editing to help with the overexposure in most cases).

These are by far not the best pictures I've ever seen but I'm happy that at least I'm trying something new :o)

Pictured are Jillo, Stephanie, Brooks, Arianna, and Cece.

 

 
My upcoming posts will be about organization, keeping my house cleaner, being healthier, and giving more!

On to another goal - reading more!

So far, I've only written about my "cooking more" goal. As I continue to try to do so, I am also trying to throw in a few more things for the month of February!

I have begun to read a book we received as a wedding gift (when I say I have begun, I literally just read the introduction). No, I have not read a book since we have been married. Yes, that is embarrassing to admit. It's called Covenant Marriage by Gary Chapman. Even if I don't have it on my list of goals for this year, one goal I have is to always be working to improve our marriage!

Here are some excerpts I highlighted.

"For those who are married, marriage becomes the second most important relationship in life, the first and most important being one's relationship with God. Man's relationship with God is of utmost importance because it transcends time, and it greatly influences all relationships."

This is so true. The closer I get to God, the better my relationships with others are. To be completely open and honest, I feel like there was a time in my life (in college especially) when I felt closer to God. I think I have let the "busy-ness" of my everyday life get in the way and I intend to change that because not only is my reationship with God of utmost importance, but since it influences the rest of my relationships, it would make that part of my life even better!

Another thing I highlighted was: "Communication and intimacy are two of the most important aspects of developing a growing marriage." I'm understanding more and more each day of being married that communication is even more important to me than I thought it was. And I think it's especially important for me as a woman! Women get together and talk. You rarely see guys calling each other and wanting to go talk over a cup of coffee. They want to go shoot guns or see a movie or ride go-karts. We want to go sit at a cafe and chat and catch up!

Sadly, it's easy to start thinking that once you get married, you don't have to "get to know" each other anymore. And I think that because of this, we assume the other knows us well enough that we don't need to communicate our wants, needs, dreams, fears, etc. It's so important though! Whether you have been married for 2 months or 20 years, it's still important to communicate. Asking questions is probably the best way to start such a conversation, and it will make the other person really feel like what they have to say and their opinions matter, even after you've said "I do"!

I also liked this: "The secular concept of love focuses on feelings. In the Bible, love is not basically a feeling but an attitude expressed in an appropriate behavior. It is the attitude that chooces to build up another, to put their interest above your own interest. Love is something you choose to do."

I've known that love is not just a "feeling" but is actually a "choice" since before Isaac and I ever met. But I can say that I get it now more than ever! He still makes me feel warm and fuzzy and giddy all the time but I must say that once in a while, if it were up to my feelings, I wouldn't be the most loving wife... but even if I don't feel those warm fuzzy feelings, I know that I love him no matter what kind of mood I may be in that day because I choose to do so! How do you choose to love someone when you don't feel like it? I just remind myself constantly of why I love him. Whether it is because he is super selfless and loves helping others, or because he does little things to make my life easier and more stress-free, I remind myself of some of the reasons I married him to begin with!

Finally, I read: "Our love and intimacy may provide the strongest attraction to the non-Christian world--a world that desperately seeks love. Jesus said: All people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another. (John 13:35)"

The next couple chapters are about a covenant marriage versus a contract marriage. Can't wait to see what I find out and how I can be a better wife!

Warm and Comforting Roasted Tomato Soup

This was the perfect meal on a cold week night after a really crazy and stressful day at work last week.

And with all the tomatoes, it's got plenty of antioxidants and is somewhat healthy! We fixed that by making super yummy grilled cheese sandwiches (with some of the yummy deli meat we had used last week for the calzones we made).

This is NOT the quickest of easiest meal to make so I just want to warn you that unless you REALLY want to try it, I'd skip this one if you're in a hurry or really busy!

Here's how you make it.

Ingredients

• 6 cups (3 pints) cherry tomatoes (we used 2 pints and it made 4 large servings)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 cup chopped onion (we didn't use this and it was fine without it since we don't like onions)
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme (also skipped this cause we didn't have any at the house!)
• 1 cup whipping cream

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°. On a baking sheet, combine the cherry tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the salt and pepper. Toss the ingredients to coat evenly and spread them in a single layer. Roast the tomatoes until they are shriveled with brown spots, about 35 to 45 minutes.
2. In a large pot, heat the butter and the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the broth, the thyme, and the roasted tomatoes, including any liquid on the baking sheet. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes.
3. Using a food processor or blender, puree the soup until it's smooth. Return it to the pot and stir in the cream. Without letting the soup boil, warm it over medium heat, stirring often, until steaming. Add salt and pepper, if necessary.
4. Ladle the soup into bowls. We garnished ours with some fresh parmesan. Makes about 10 cups (that was 4 servings for us since it wasn't a side, but a meal).

Nutritional Information:

Per serving of Roasted Tomato Soup with Grilled-Cheese Croutons (1 cup and 6 croutons): Calories 272 Total Fat 21 g (33% DV) Saturated Fat 12 g (58% DV) Cholesterol 55 mg (18% DV) Sodium 978 mg (41% DV) Total Carbohydrate 16 g (5% DV) Fiber 2g (8% DV) Sugars 6g Protein 5 g (10% DV) Vitamin A 1344 IU (27% DV) Vitamin C 25 mg (41% DV) Percent daily values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

 
Source: http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/roasted-tomato-soup-699298/

Ham and potato casserole

I know, so far I've only written about recipes... it's a start though, right? This didn't help toward my goal of being healthiery... but hey, I'm saving money AND cooking more! Well... in this case, I didn't cook it, my sweet husband did!

I asked him to cook the potatoes and hard boil the eggs, and came home to an entire casserole in the oven with NO trace of him having cooked in the kitchen... yes, he also emptied the dishwasher AND loaded the dirty dishes in there. I am blessed!

We had ham a couple of days ago and have a bunch of it left so I looked up a few recipes... I might make a quiche Saturday morning, yum!

After a rough day at work, this was the perfect comfort food... I mean, potatoes, ham, and eggs just scream comfort to me! We thought the eggs would make it weird (more like an egg salad) but it actually added great flavor! Okay, enough chit-chat, here's the recipe!

Prep time: 25 min.
Cooking time: 30 min.
Makes: 6 servings
 

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) sour cream
• 4 ounces process cheese (Velveeta), cubed
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded Colby cheese
• 8 hard-cooked eggs
• 3 cups cubed cooked potatoes
• 2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
• 2 tablespoons dried minced onion
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 

Directions

• In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Cook and stir for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cheeses. Cook and stir over low heat just until cheese is melted (mixture will be thick). Remove from the heat. Stir in the eggs, potatoes, ham, onion and parsley.
• Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 30-35 minutes or until bubbly and edges are golden brown. 

Nutritional Facts 1 serving (1 piece) equals 594 calories, 39 g fat (22 g saturated fat), 398 mg cholesterol, 1,522 mg sodium, 26 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 29 g protein.

Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Ham--n--Potato-Casserole

Flavorful and simple linguine

Isaac and I only had about 40 minutes between me getting home from work and having to leave for youth last night so we made this really simple linguine and it was so delicious even Isaac, who isn't normally a big fan of pasta, gobbled it up in no time!

He cooked the pasta so I'm not sure how much he put in there compared to what the recipe calls for but we had leftovers and the whole thing probably cost less than $4 to make!


Ingredients:
-1/2 pound linguine pasta
-2 tablespoons salted butter
-1/4 cup heavy cream
-1/2 clove garlic, finely minced
-lots of salt & pepper, to taste {we used a good bit of salt but didn't need to add a lot of pepper}
-1/2 cup reserved cooking liquid from pasta {optional, we didn't need this}
-3/4 cup freshly grated parmigianno reggiano {use the real stuff!}
-fresh parsley, for garnish {optional, we didn't use any}

Directions:
Bring large pot of water up to boil. Sprinkle in a generous amount of salt and stir in pasta. Cook linguine until al dente and drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Place linguine back into hot pot and stir in butter, cream, garlic, salt, pepper and cheese until butter and cheese start to melt and create a sauce. Pour in some pasta water to get the sauce to the consistency you want {We actually didn't need to do this}. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly. Pour onto serving platter and top with fresh parsley and more grated cheese.

Source: http://www.laurenslatest.com/parmesan-garlic-linguine-super-easy/

Super Easy Calzone Rolls!

I decided it was time to get started on being better about saving money and cooking more. I get home from work around 5:50 so I never have tons of time to cook before we get really hungry so we started with something quick tonight since Isaac came back from the grocery store at the same time I got home myself.

These calzone rolls were delicious and really easy to make.

Hands-On Time: 10min

Cook Time: 20min 

Ready In: 30min

Yield: 6-8

Cost: $8 + marinara we already had

Ingredients:

• 1 Pillsbury Crescent Roll
• 1/3 pound sliced ham (got the kind from the deli, it was so fresh and flavorful)
• 1/4 pound sliced hard salami (also got it sliced fresh at the deli) 
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup jarred marinara sauce

Directions

1. Roll out dough rectangle about 8 inches by 12 inches.
2. Layer ham and salami down the center.
3. Top meats with 1 cup shredded mozzarella for each roll.
4. Fold short ends of each loaf in about 1/2 inch and seal. Roll from the long sides and pinch well to seal the entire loaf.
5. Bake, seam side down on a greased baking sheet in a 350 degree F oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Cut roll into 8 slices and serve with marinara for dipping.

So there ya go! Simple, quick, inexpensive, and delicious :o) It is also really filling, we only ate about 2/3 of it for dinner so we have leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

Source: http://family.go.com/food/pkg-family-approved-recipes/recipe-642631-easy-calzone-rolls-t/

New year, better me!

I've been thinking about starting a blog for a few months now and hadn't begun until now because I wanted to make sure that I would keep it up and commit to writing out posts.

My reason for doing so is that I have so many goals for bettering my life and I realize that unless I write them down (I love making to-do lists!) and share them to people who will hopefully keep me accountable and ask me how I am doing in these areas, I probably will end 2012 in the same spot I am in today on January 2nd.

I want this blog to inspire, give hints and tips on cooking, organization, finances, and help me learn new things to share!

Here are a few of my goals for this year. A lot of these relate back to each other in some way:

Cook more - Isaac and I are constantly sitting at home not knowing what to eat for dinner. This will change this year because I will start doing some meal planning! The goal is to try at least 52 new recipes (1 for each week of the year). I will be posting recipes!

Learn to knit - My grandma Mamie taught me basic knitting when I was young and I'd love to pick it back up and make pretty scarves, hats, baby blankets, etc!

Pray more - Prayer gets things done, so if there's anything I want to change, I need to hit my knees a lot more! And I want to draw closer to God more than I have ever been before!

Organize! Thanks to Pinterest my OCD side, I've been itching to get my house even more organized than it is now. My goal is to have at least 5 new organization and storage systems by the end of the year. Closets, garage, cabinets, laundry room, etc. will be perfect for next year :o)

Give better gifts - I love to put a lot of thought into gifts but for 2012, I would rather spend a little less money but spend more time on giving homemade & thoughtful instead of generic & expensive. Hoping to do so for baby showers, weddings, birthdays, and Christmas!

Learn about photography - My sweet husband gave me a great Nikon Coolpix P500 for my birthday/anniversary gift last year. The camera is great, but I have SO much to learn! As of right now, I only use it on one setting: auto. This WILL change this year!

Have a cleaner house - I read a woman's blog who keeps her house constantly clean by doing 15 minutes of cleaning each day. Seems so easy but it's just a metter of getting started! This way, I don't have to spend 3 hours cleaning on a Saturday!

Be more adventurous and spontaneous - Isaac, my husband, is very spontaneous and would love to just take a random day trip or do an activity we've never done before. But I am such a "planner" that I have a hard time doing something "on a whim". But without children in our lives, what better time to be adventurous than this very period of time in our lives?

Read more - All throughout my childhood and college, I loved to read. But I guess I have gotten lazy and a lot of times I sit mindlessly in front of the TV for hours watching a Project Runway Marathon (which is what I am doing at the moment). So I'd love to read at least 4 books this year.

Be healthier - I'm not looking to lose weight, but I'd love to boost up my energy level and just general health by eating better foods (more fruits and vegetables especially) and exercising more (nothing hardcore, just getting off my behind and walking the dog)

Spend more time with loved ones - My friends all know I love to throw a party. I want to do more of that! I love game nights, movie nights, and just random reasons to have a bunch of people over and spending time together! I also want to have family over more often. Our house is smaller than pretty much everyone else's in Isaac and I'd families so we very rarely have family fun at our house. I'd love to change that!

Save more money - I've always been more of a "saver" than a "spender". When Isaac and I got married, I tried to do a budget and after a few months, I just couldn't keep up with both of our expenses so I just quit! We still managed to save up enough for a new car (well, technically 2 new cars, but that's another story) but we would really like to be smarter with our money this year.

Go somewhere I’ve never been. This one speaks for itself. Whether it is in the U.S. or somewhere else around the world, I really want to take advantage of us not having children to travel somewhere new!

Give more! This doesn't necessarily mean more money, but I'd like to give more of my time and resources to better someone else's life! Every volunteer for a couple of things through ScanSource but there are so many other opportunities to give of my time so I'd love to do more of that.

Learn to sew. I finally got the sewing machine I wanted for Christmas (thanks, Mom and Dad!). I used to have basic sewing skills but it's been a while since I've sewn anything so I'd really like to get better at it again and not only fix hems or rips, but make a few articles of clothing!

I don't expect that everyone I know will read everything I post, but I hope that some of this will inspire others to do the same and not change who you are, but improve on the person you have been until now.