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If we're being honest....

26 June 2013

 
Well folks. I've been putting off writing this post for a few weeks now, but when I started blogging I wanted to a) be honest about the goings-on in our life and b) wanted to record things that happened, as accurately as they've happened.
 
We've had a really tough time with this new house. We closed exactly two months ago today, and have faced problem after problem. We're starting to feel like this house is cursed, and even worse, that this is not the house we were meant to have. How we missed so many bright flashing signs, is still beyond our comprehension. I can't get into too many details because this is turning into a legal situation, but I will share some photos of what we are currently dealing with.
 
 
 
 
 
 











We are dealing with water in our basement essentially every.single.time it rains. This house "supposedly" never got rain. Since it was built in 1959, they got water in the basement once. I call bullshit. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.
 
Yes, I'm pissed. Beyond pissed. This house was perfect for us. It had everything we wanted. Our finished basement is a huge part of our living space. Having it threatened by water every time it rains, basically makes the space unlivable. I won't/can't get into all the details, but suffice it to say that this is not something we care to deal with. The cost to fix this problem is in the thousands of dollars.

We obviously need to fix this problem before we can move forward with any decisions. But sadly, this house is no longer our "forever" home, and we talk about moving, and how soon we can sell and move on with our lives.

It makes me sad that this experience, that was supposed to be so fun and exciting, has been ruined. Wish us luck!!!


New Look and New Link-up!

25 June 2013

Y'all, I am SO excited that my new blog design is up!! What do you guys think???

I found Laura of Sophie and Rory through Etsy, and I loved that she did custom work. After filling out a questionnaire and emailing back and forth a few times, she sent me the first draft. And totally knocked it out of the park! It was exactly what I wanted, and I feel like it is so "me". Crisp and fresh with a touch of nautical. Perfect. If any of my blogger friends are interested in having their blog re-designed, I highly recommend her! You can check out her Etsy shop here.

Something else I am uber excited about for this month, is my first ever Cara Box link-up. I've been following Kaitlyn of Wifessionals for a couple of months now, and I always look forward to her posts. She does a monthly box exchange, and it gives you the opportunity to meet and connect with other bloggers and get an awesome gift box. Each month has a different theme, and the theme for July is "Nautical", which again, is SO up my alley! I knew this was the month I wanted to jump on board and participate in.

I started blogging just for the heck of it, but it is quickly becoming more than just an online journal, and I am loving all the sweet, wonderful friends I am making :)

Four Years

22 June 2013

It's kinda crazy to think, but today is our four year dating anniversary! It feels like it was just yesterday, but so long ago at the same time. Time really does fly! :)












These are just a few photos from our first year together, it's crazy how much younger we look! Haha :)

We had a pretty lowkey day, we will now be celebrating our anniversary on our wedding date, September 1, but it's still nice to acknowledge what the day is. Honestly, if we celebrated the day we met, got engaged, said I love you, started dating, ect .... I'd have a post like this every other week :)


Recipes I'm Loving Lately

19 June 2013

I'm finally getting the hang of this whole "rotating meals" thing. For the longest time, I never liked making the same thing twice. Or if I did, months had to go by in between. I think I was afraid Keith might start getting sick of things? I'm weird, I know.

Anyway, now that we're feeling pretty settled in our house and starting to fall into a routine, I'm starting to fall in love with some very specific recipes. These have somehow creeped into our monthly rotation.

I love them because a) they are quick and easy b) they are budget-friendly and c) they are DELISH.

1. Crockpot Salsa Chicken. Having a crockpot is seriously a godsend. I throw a bunch of stuff in it when I leave for work and come home to a fully prepared meal. It's *almost* as good as if I had a personal chef :)

I make my own adjustments to this -- I don't used canned cream-of-anything soup (because it's not gluten free), so I make my own and add it. I also make my own taco seasoning, I just add ground cumin, chili powder (lots of it!), garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper.

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When I get home, I put a cup of rice in the rice cooker and cook up some frozen corn. If you really want to add bulk to this recipe, you could add a can of black beans and a can of corn for the last hour and let it heat through. You could use less chicken this way, and stretch your meal. Keith loved it, so I think it's definitely something I'll be making more often.

2. The best made-from-scratch-sauce in the world. I'm not kidding. Do yourself a favor and go and make this!

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This sauce was so good, I just wanted to stand over the stove and eat it straight out of the pot. Even Keith, who admittedly does not love Italian food, was commenting on how great our kitchen smelled! Neither of us are huge fans of stewed tomatoes, so I used my immersion blender to blend most of them up. I also left out the mushrooms because we aren't mushroom lovers either, but I'm thinking about adding them next time and using the immersion blender to make them barely noticeable. I served it with gluten-free pasta and a garden salad. There was even enough leftover that I was able to freeze and will pull out on another busy "what are we going to have?" kind of a night!

3. I just call this next one "Ground Turkey Stir-Fry" but the technical name for it is "Szechuan Green Beans with Ground Turkey" . It is so fast and easy to make and super yummy!



 We love ground turkey and I use it in place of ground beef all the time. I don't measure out the ingredients, I just keeping adding until it tastes just right. We like food that has a bit of a "kick" to it! We also made this one night with chicken and it tasted amazing as well. I serve it with steamed brown rice for an extra bit of healthy :)

So yeah, I'm thinking that these three recipes are going to be around for awhile! Now if only I could find 23 more, my monthly menu would be complete :)

Marriage. Soon.

17 June 2013

The wedding part is over .... the champagne has been drank, the band has packed up and the bride and groom have left for their honeymoon. 

Now what's left are the memories of the love and support that filled the room, and wrapped itself around you. Now, comes marriage. The day in and day out of forever with your best friend. 

To love for a lifetime takes talent.



















I feel so privileged to have been a part of this day. Meghan is one of my dearest friends, and her new husband adores her and makes her smile and that, is what love stories are made of. You find the one that makes you, a better you. I wish them lots of love, laughter and karaoke. Oh and babies. Lots of adorable babies :) Preferably soon.