In sickness & health...

I have been plagued with illness for almost a week which is why I haven't posted in a while.
The good news is I'm feeling about 75% percent better, and my cough is almost completely gone.  I even slept through most of last night without that annoying throat tickle waking me up every 15  minutes.  Hallelujah.

 I've been sleeping on the couch the past few nights so I don't disturb Jimmy with my not-so-subtle ailment.  I've almost polished off an entire box of tissues.  In fact, I'm surprised that there's any left.  It's the Mary Poppins bag of tissues.

Moving on to healthier & maybe even happier topics...

This month marks 1 year of having our apartment, which means our lease is officially up.  But we'll probably be here at least another six months.
Jimmy and I have started the process of getting pre-qualified for a house.
With me being self-employed, we do face some obstacles so there's a few things we need to do to get our ducks in a row.  We're hoping to have everything in place within the next few months.  Who knows, maybe we'll be putting down our down payment this year.  We've been looking at some houses in our price range and it's definitely a sellers market out there because it's slim pickings.  One moment we find something that we like, and the next it's already under contract.  Go figure.



I didn't get to cook much lately due to my being ill, and Jimmy has been working late so we've had a lot of take-out.  I wish more places around here delivered besides pizza and the 2 restaurants that are conveniently nearby, but I never seem to want their food.
Jimmy attempted to make kabobs last night for the first time...i'll just say it's a work in progress.  You'll get it right next time babe!
I'll hopefully be up to cooking this weekend and here are some of the recipes I'm looking at trying:

crock pot loaded baked potato soup though I'll definitely need to cut the recipe down!
Chicken & Dumplings
Brussels sprouts with garlic aioli
Chile Colorado Burritos

As always, I'll let you know how they turn out!

Change...and food :)

"The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking." - Albert Einstein

I believe 2013 has a lot of change in store for not only me, but for many of the people around me.  

Jimmy and I came to a decision recently and it's definitely life changing.  It's a decision that is mostly mine, as it affects me the most.  Hubs is just my support system :)
This decision (which I probably won't reveal until I've told others that should know first-NO, I'm NOT pregnant either), will hopefully allow the hubs and I to better reach our goals for our future and our future as a family.  It's both exciting and terrifying.  

All that being said, there are a couple of new changes going on in the Godde household that I can tell you about.  

In my efforts to be more financially independent, I've started my own Scentsy Business.  Another "job",  you say? Yes.  So I will now be running my Dance Studio, running my Tastefully Simple business, and now Scentsy.  I do have a lot going on, but with the amount of time needed to run my Dance Studio, Direct Sales is a nice way to bring in some extra money that I can do on my own time.  

Jimmy is going back to school next month! I'm so proud of him.  It's been about 2 or 3 years since he ended his last Certificate program.  This time he will be doing another Certificate program (and possibly finish his AA-we'll see where he is in his career at the end of the semester).  This program will get him where he wants to be, now that he knows exactly (almost exactly) want he wants out of his career. 

New cars & things

Hubs has had his eye on a new truck for quite a while now.  And by new I mean new-to-him.  I've decided that when it come to vehicles, he gets bored very easily.  I'm sure he'll be that way until he someday gets his dream car. 

Someone recently offered to buy Hubs current truck without us even formally putting it up for sale.  So, of course, he sold it.  And tonight he bought another truck with the money he made off the truck he sold.

I think this one is the same year (which means it's a gazillion years old 11 years old), but it makes Hubs happy so I'm happy :) In all actuality, this truck may be the same year but it's a vast improvement.  This truck is bigger, has 4 wheel drive, and has power windows and locks...which is a first for him :p
I even like it! Though I'm scared to drive it because it is SO BIG.  It really is probably not that big.  But anything bigger than my mid-sized SUV seems gigantic.

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I've been off work the last couple of weeks and I've definitely been enjoying myself.  I've taken the time to get our place organized again, especially after the holiday festivities, and I've been cooking A LOT.  Oh how I missed cooking.

Tonight I made this:

Baked Mac & Cheese with kale & bacon....and oh my YUM! Even the hubs went crazy for it and had two helpings :) The kale makes me feel less guilty, and it added a nice extra something.

Ingredients*:

1 lb. macaroni
3 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup flour
3 cups whole milk
8 ounces sharp white cheddar, grated
1 ounce Parmesan, finely grated ( I added a little extra since we LOVE Parmesan)
dash nutmeg
dash cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt, or according to personal preference
6 ounces center cut bacon or pancetta, cooked and crumbled
3 1/2 ounces fresh kale, chopped (about a half a bunch)
1/2 cup crushed homemade breadcrumbs
*the original recipe I found also called for garlic and onion.  I don't believe those ingredients belong in Mac & Cheese so I omitted them.  If you want to add it in, saute it in the butter before you add the flour.*

Directions:

Cook pasta one to two minutes less than package instructions. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, cut the bacon pieces in half vertically, then into small bite sized pieces. Cook until crispy. Then drain, and set aside.

In a large French or Dutch oven, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook over medium heat till golden. Slowly whisk in the milk while cooking over medium heat.

Stir in the sharp white cheddar and Parmesan cheeses whisking until melted and creamy. Add the nutmeg, cayenne, black pepper, and salt (if desired). Bring to a slow simmer, and then stir in the pasta, bacon, and kale.

Transfer the pasta mixture to a 3 1/2 quart oven safe casserole dish or cast iron pan. Sprinkle the top with the breadcrumbs. Bake at 375 degrees F on the center rack in the oven for 10-20 minutes, or until the mixture is hot and bubbly. Serve immediately.

While we were waiting for this to finish, I made some Kale Chips for the first time....

Word to the wise: DO NOT use the Pampered Chef Chip Maker for this...I almost blew up the microwave.  Yes, I actually had to blow out flames.  Luckily, the chip maker survived, as did most of the kale chips.  But I'm assuming that the Kale is too thin to successfully make chips in the microwave.

Instead, I made the rest in the oven.  It took a little longer, but all of our appliances are still alive and well :) And bonus, Hubs LOVED the chips.  I worried if he would because it didn't seem like his thing but he said there were delicious! Which of course means I made even more.  Anything to make sure we eat healthy.

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After dinner Hubs fell asleep on the couch and I cleaned up while I watched watched How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days. Poor guy has only been back to work for 3 days and is already wiped out.  But he also got called in to work overtime this weekend which means he has to wake up tomorrow and Sunday at 3:30 am.  I'm just glad it's not me!

Now I sit here writing this while I watch Sleepless in Seattle.  Gotta love the movies they play on TV on Friday nights.

Tomorrow I have a very exciting day of laundry planned.  I know you're jealous.  Then I will be making Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower that I found on Pinterest.  Not sure what else yet, but I'm excited to try it.  I'll let you know how we like it!

2013: Thirteen GOALS for the New Year

I know a lot of people think "13" is a superstitious number, but for everybody's sake I hope 2013 brings nothing but love, happiness, and success. 

As we wash away 2012, Jimmy (my hubs) and I have decided to make Thirteen Goals for 2013. 

We're making GOALS because both of us hate the word "resolution".

Resolution:  something that is resolved <made a resolution to mend my ways> 
Goal: the end toward which effort is directed 

To me, "Goal" just sounds more promising.  Plus, everyone already breaks their "resolutions" most of the time.  So this is my effort to take a different approach.  I'll keep you updated on how it turns out.

Here they are, our Thirteen Goals for 2013 (in no particular order):

1. To be more Budget Friendly in our spending.  We have gotten stuck in the routine of buying things just because it's more convenient.  Our biggest problem: FOOD.  Hubby and I LOVE to eat.  And a lot of times we'll go out to dinner after a long day of work because it's easier.  A LOT  TOO MUCH money has gone into this bad habit.  Our solution: To make more slow cooker meals and actually use the groceries we buy before they go bad and we have to throw them out .  It's terrible how much food goes to waste at our tiny apartment.  Which brings me to Goal #2

2. Make more meals at home/ Eat out less. I will be posting recipes that we find we like (and I'm open to suggestions as well!), as I do love cooking.  Just usually not after getting home from work at 8pm.  Jimmy helps out with cooking when he can- isn't that awesome? :)

3. Healthier Eating.  I feel like we have a lot of food related goals.  But this one is just as important. We will be trying to cut out as many processed foods as possible (sometimes it's hard to avoid), incorporating more fruits and vegetables into our meals, and...NO. MORE. SODA.  ::sigh:: This is one thing I always struggle with...Soda.  I believe I have a serious Dr. Pepper addiction.  Sometimes Sprite too.   For hubs, it's beer.  Both are bad.  And both are slowly exiting our fridge, hopefully never to return (except maybe special occasions).

4. Get organized and stay organized. Our work schedules make it difficult to stay on top of certain tasks.  And once we let one thing go, others aren't far behind. This year we plan to be more organized in keeping our place up.  Certain days for laundry, shopping, etc. 

5. Pray together more. We have been married almost 7 months, and this is something we've yet to do together.  I'm almost ashamed to admit that.  But we know this is something that will greatly benefit us in our relationship. 

6.  Pay down my debt. Yes, MY debt.  I have debt that I've yet to pay off from opening my business almost 4 years ago.  I'm hoping that with our budgeting better (#1), I can make a nice dent in what I owe.  Which will help with # 7...

7. Start the house hunting process.  Hubs and I want to be able to get pre-qualified this year so we can begin the search for our dream home! We definitely don't want to start our little family until we have a larger place.  And a place where our neighbors are more than 4 feet away. 

8. Keep God in the center of our everyday life.  This is something we were a lot better at in the beginning of our relationship almost 5 years ago.  As time has passed, we have let our busy lives get in the way of our relationship with Him. 

9. Exercise more.  This one goes along with being more healthy.  In our efforts to shed some poundage, we know exercise has to be a factor in that.  We've both gotten less active with our jobs, so we need to incorporate a routine outside of work.  I plan on starting with more walking and jogging around our complex.  Hubs  wants to join a gym. 

10.  Sunday Fun-day.  In the past, we've had Sunday as our "Fun" day together.  It's a day we both have off work (usually), so we use the opportunity to go to church, followed by breakfast or lunch.  Then we will do something together.  Possibly going to a movie, or just cuddling on the couch at home :) The past few months have been so crazy that we haven't been able to do this, but we hope to bring this lovely tradition back! It's a great way to continue getting to know each other, and how we can be there for each other in our busy lives. 

11.  Read & write more.  This one is just for me. Before I opened my business in 2009, I read and wrote ALL THE TIME.  It's amazing how much time owning a business takes.  It's seriously cut into my reading and writing time. I plan to make time this year... In fact, this blog is part of this goal :)

12.  Finish the unfinished projects. This is one I've given to my lovely husband.  Love you, hubs!

 
 13. Communicate, communicate, communicate. I know that communication will always be a work in progress as our lives change.  The hubs and I are finding that the communication levels really do change when you get married.  Especially since we didn't live together first.  Marriage is a work in progress and we are loving every minute of it!


There you have it.  Our Thirteen Goals for 2013.  Thanks for reading!

What are your Goals this year?