Playing a Little Catch Up - Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese

I think I'm going to take a little break from blogging during the weekends.

During the week, I don't really get to see my husband very much. I teach dance Monday and Thursday nights and we have church on Wednesdays. Tuesday nights we normally don't have anything, but I have to get up early on Wednesday mornings, so I try to be in bed by 9:30 (sometimes by 8:00. I like my sleep!). After all of that, it just doesn't leave me much time to spend with Chris. So, I am now dedicating as much time as I can to my wonderful husband each weekend.

Unless it's guy-time. I will not be dedicating my time to that. I will instead be dedicating it to a pedicure and some new clothes.

Since I didn't write anything over the weekend, here's what took place:

Our small town team lost Friday night, 35-13. It was okay though! They played very hard, the other team was just a little bigger and a little faster. Or a lot bigger and a lot faster. Either way, they still made us very proud!

UGA beat LSU!! That was definitely an exciting game. A little too exciting, but I can handle it if we end up winning. I feel like when you lose after such a nail-biter, you feel like you wasted 4 hours of your life.

Maybe that's a woman thing, though. I doubt men find watching any kind of football a waste.

Chris and I also watched Oblivion last night. I was even more confused at the end of the movie than I was in the beginning. Great acting, interesting story, not-so-great execution and conclusion. Unless you're into stories that befuddle (like that 'big' word I used?) you and leave some questions un-answered, I wouldn't recommend it. 

This weekend, I decided to cook. That's kind of a rare thing since I usually only cook during the week, but we ate fast food soo much last week, and I really didn't want to spend anymore money in a drive-thru line, so I headed into the kitchen on a Saturday afternoon.

I didn't cook a ton when I lived with my parents because, well, my mom and dad are pretty much awesome cooks. I did do a little bit of cooking towards my last years under their roof, but normally mom picked out the recipe and did the shopping, so all I had to do was follow the directions.

Or go to Wal-Mart or by Zaxby's and buy already-cooked food. Yes, I admit, I did do that on occasion. Don't judge.

By the time I left home this past summer, I knew how to read a recipe and how to brown ground beef. Oh, and cook pasta. I knew how to do that. Fish and chicken? Not so much, unless all I had to do was put it on a pan and pop it in the oven or put it in a crock pot and let it simmer all day. Cooking either one raw just wasn't something I was prepared to do, but I was willing to try.

After a couple times of trial and error, I can finally cook up some mean salmon and some not-dried-out chicken.

I say all of this to now tell you that I am now a little obsessed with cooking recipes that call for cooked chicken, just because I'm a little proud that I can now do it. And I also love buffalo-sauce flavoring. I can only take so much heat before I need a gallon of milk to put out the fire in my mouth, but if it's covered in buffalo sauce, I am willing to put my taste buds in jeopardy.

I pinned a recipe for Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese on Pinterest the other day (as you can tell from my other posts, I'm a little obsessed with this awesome website), and I decided to give it a try since it sounded like a football-season food, and it combines my love for buffalo sauce with my new obsession with cooking chicken.

Oh.

My.

Goodness.

So good. Just, so daggum good.

I've already typed out a ton on this entry, so I will just give you the >>link<<. But it is seriously one of the best, and fairly simple recipes I've used! I had everything on hand, and I used Ritz crackers instead of Panko crumbs to top it off, which made this recipe even better. I boiled three chicken breasts for about 15 minutes, and they turned out so juicy. SO much better than the way I cooked it in this recipe from last week.

And, to top it off, it was a hit with the hubby too! We used ranch dressing to help balance out some of the heat, but I think I might try bleu cheese dressing with some bleu cheese crumbles sprinkled on top to give it a little different flavor. Maybe even throw some celery in it too. So many possibilities!

 

 

Here's our awesome plates with the Hidden Valley Light Ranch and Texas Pete Buffalo Sauce I used (they were still on the counter so I thought I'd throw it into the picture too).

 

Tonight, we're eating frozen pizza, instant mashed potatoes, and Kraft Mac N Cheese.

 

Hey, it's still cooking at home! Just little shortcuts to make a little easier, and to give me more time to hang out with my hot husband :) 

 

Happy Monday, Y'all!

Just a Small Town School

Harlem High School Baccalaureate 2007

Oh goodness, it's hard to believe this picture was taken over six years ago. I remember wishing I was in high school, then wishing I could graduate. Now I catch myself wishing I could spend one more Friday during football season there.

I graduated from a small town school. Everyone knows everyone, and, unless you moved in randomly, you're probably related to one or five people there.

But seriously. Everyone knows everyone.

When I was in school, there were four high schools in our county. Rumors had it that Harlem was about 50/50 with ethnicity percentage, and 100% redneck. We were also the school that, when you told someone you were a student there, they always apologized and had pity on me.

We were the ugly red-headed step-child of Columbia County.

I say we were, but in some ways, we still are.

When I graduated, we had about 1200 students enrolled. My graduated class had about 250 seniors in it (give or take a few, it's been too long I can't remember), and we were in class AAA for the GHSA sanctions. We were, and still are, the smallest school in the county. Financial support was pretty much relied on our teachers and coaches holding fundraisers, because we were also the poorest school. I'm not saying that we were poor! But I am saying that's how well endowed the other three schools were. Especially one that will remain un-named (does anyone hear any howling?).

If it wasn't bad enough, we also never scored very well on any testing.

Since I have graduated, another school was built in the county that affected Harlem greatly. It took a huge chunk out of our school and replaced it with some from the more rich and elite school of the county. The enrollment went from around 1200 to about 800 or less, which then dropped us to AA. When the re-zoning was taking place, a lot of people refused to go to Harlem. They moved, they pulled strings, they put down other relatives' addresses, anything they could do to not go to Harlem. There were even protests. Many left Harlem and went to the new school, even though they were not a part of the re-zoning. Someone from the more elite school even questioned a dad to see if he was really serious about sending his child to 'that' school. She mentioned it to the wrong person, because he was a graduate of Harlem High.
Needless to say, we weren't very well liked around here. All of our support had to come from those within the school and our wonderful Board of Education representative, because we weren't getting much more from the rest of the county.

I don't understand why, but people hated us.

So, there's the negative, not-so-awesome parts of being a graduate of a small town school. Here's the reasons I wouldn't trade my Harlem Bulldog pride for anything else.

Like I said, I graduated with around 250 other seniors. I knew every person that walked across the stage with me, or at least I knew of them. The majority of them were in at least one of my classes throughout my high school career, and the rest I knew from lunch, from sporting events, or through other friends. I feel like there's not many schools, at least in this county, that can say that.

Every single teacher I had cared about me and my education. Even teachers that I never had, they still cared. It's not easy to teach at Harlem, but I think that's what makes the teachers there so incredible.

After the re-zoning, our test scores improved greatly. In fact, if I am not mistaken, in at least one subject we were the highest in the county. Either way, test scores improved by a great deal.

After the re-zoning, it affected our sports greatly, especially football. We went two seasons with only two wins total. People kept saying that it was the coaching, they should be fired, and if 'so and so' coached instead, we would have winning seasons. If you know me at all, you know my daddy coaches football at Harlem, so hearing these things were very hurtful. Especially since some came from so-called 'friends of the family.'

This season, we are 4-0. And not just scraping-by 4-0. It's stomping-the-other-team-to-the-ground 4-0. I have never seen so much pride in the little town of Harlem like I have now. Everyone is SO excited for our team. They played Social Circle last week and won 38-6. Once they got back in the town of Harlem, they had a police escort to the high school. At the high school, there were parents and fans awaiting their arrival with horns and shouts to welcome them home.

I'm tearing up as I write this.

I have been there for the days when people had nothing but awful things to say about a school that has played such a huge part in my life. After all, my dad has been at Harlem since 1981, so I had no choice but to love Harlem Dogs like I love my UGA Dawgs. I have heard the 'I'm sorry you're at Harlem,' 'I could never go to Harlem,' 'It's not as hard to get good grades at Harlem than it is at the other schools,' and 'The coaches should be fired because they do not care about winning here at Harlem.' By the way, there is a man at Harlem that is still trying to get the coaches fired, even though they're winning. I have had to stand by my dad, my mom, and my sisters while people trash talk us. I have seen the front page covers of The Augusta Chronicle and the Columbia News Times when Harlem has lost by a great number, and I've read the small, barely-there columns when we have actually done well. I've noticed the other schools in the county getting more publicity, just because they are somehow the 'pride' of Columbia County. And I'm not just talking about football! Ask our softball parents, they'll tell you too.

But I was there for the first time Harlem entered the football playoffs in who knows how many years. I was there when Harlem beat Evans High on their own turf the first time we played them in years, and we charged the field and celebrated while the Evans fans we stunned in their bleachers. I was there when Harlem baseball won the region at Cross Creek in 2008, something that we had gotten close but just couldn't achieve in a long time. I was there when we won our first football game in two years on our homecoming, and seeing the coaches faces and knowing that the struggles were finally paying off. And now I'm here to witness this small town school finally get some pride back, and finally get some well-deserved attention.

We may be the red-headed step-child of Columbia County, but I would never trade in my red and black for black and gold, maroon and silver, and not for green and yellow.

I could not be more proud of the school that I have the honor and privilege of calling my alma-mater, and I could not be more happy for this small town phoenix that is finally rising from the ashes of disrespect and defeat.

I hope this school spirit never fades, but that we can continue it on, no matter what I winning record might be.

Gosh, I can't believe I cried actual tears while writing this.

I'm hoping Chris and I will go to the game tonight and watch our Dogs go 5-0, and I cannot wait to dress our little ones up in the future and hear them shout, 'Go Dogs!'

Let that victory bell ring loud tonight, Dogs! We. Are. Harlem!

5 Love Languages

The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman

I'm not sure if you have read this book or not, but I highly recommend it. Even if you are single, still read it.

But seriously, go get it today. Right now, if you can. It's that good.

Before Chris and I got married, I had heard so many wonderful things about The 5 Love Languages and how it can transform your relationship/marriage with your partner. Me, being the 'I don't want to be left out' kind of girl, I went to our local Lifeway Christian Bookstore and bought a copy. I decided to read it before Chris, and it was something that I had a hard time putting down. It's amazing how well Gary Chapman captures each love language and describes it in a way that you understand and say to yourself, 'that's why I/Chris have/has been acting that way!'

If you are not familiar with the book, Chapman takes 5 ways of showing love that we all desire:

1.) Words of Affirmation
2.) Acts of Service
3.) Receiving Gifts
4.) Quality Time
5.) Physical Touch

He describes what each love language means and examples of why this action shows us strong love. At the end of the book, you take a short quiz to see which love language appeals to you more and places them in order from strongest to weakest.

He also talks about a 'love bank' that we all have, in which every action either deposits or withdrawals love.

After Chris and I both read it, we shared our love languages with each other. Mine were Quality Time first, Physical Touch second. Chris's were Physical Touch, then Quality Time.

I felt like we were pretty spot-on with that outcome. I knew mine would be quality time, and I was 99.9% sure Chris's would be physical touch.

It's been about 4 months or so since we've read it, and I feel that my love language has changed a bit. Especially since I'm finally settling into the wife role.

As you can tell from the name of my blog, I am a wife, a nanny, and a dance teacher. It's a fairly full plate.

I don't handle full plates very well. At all. Just ask my poor husband, who gets to hear how I don't handle full plates well on a regular basis.

It's not the I don't love what I do! I absolutely love being a nanny and being a dance teacher, and I have been preparing myself to be a wife since I was in middle school. But adding the three together and then throwing in a dirty house just isn't always the greatest combination. At least for me, it's not.

I have found that quality time with Chris is definitely the greatest way I feel love. Last night, we grabbed some Wing Stop, sat in our living room with the TV off, and enjoyed a meal together without hearing Big Bang Theory in the background. And, of course, I love holding his hand and cuddling with him. If you're married, I'm sure you know other ways we use physical touch to show love, but I have kids that read this blog, so we'll just leave it at that.

But lately, the other three love languages have been creeping up and screaming, 'we need to be shown love too!'

The big one is Acts of Service. It has appeared like a huge defensive lineman trying to make his presence known by sacking me, and then burying me into the ground.

Okay. So maybe that was a stupid analogy. But you get the point.

Our largest fight as husband and wife came because of this language. I don't even know why I started feeling this way all of a sudden, but it made it's point that it was not going anywhere until it was met.

So what's the point of telling this long and drawn-out story? I'm getting to it, I promise.

Although The 5 Love Languages book makes one very aware of the different ways love should be met and the two that need to be met more than the others, you can't deny the ones that came in 3rd, 4th, and 5th, or they will remind you that they have been neglected for far too long.

Why should you read this book? If you're married or in a relationship, it is an eye-opener on how to love your spouse/partner even better and in ways that they desire. If you're single, it reveals how you will feel love the strongest and to become aware of how to love others. Not only can you apply this to romantic relationships, but it also works with relationships with loved ones and even friends.

To sum it up, it helps you to love others better and stronger, while understanding what fills up your 'love bank.'
Chris and I talked about it last night, and we decided that vacuuming the house and doing the dishes were no longer on my list of things to do, that he will be taking those things over until I am able to become a homemaker. It's amazing how giving up vacuuming and dishes lifted so much stress off of my shoulders, and made me fall even more in love with my husband.

Did I mention that Chris also gave me money to go shopping?

Yep, my love bank is quite full. Now time to plan on how to return the favor... ;)

Beauty Pageant Talk

I thought I would start this entry off with a parody of Toddlers and Tiaras, just because I find it to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen in my entire life. If you do not know who Makenzie is, here's a link to check out her segment.

I have been hearing a lot lately about the recent ban on beauty pageants for children under the age of 16 in France, and it has many people asking if the same should be done here in the U.S.

Since I am a fairly opinionated person, I thought I would weigh in on the topic.

The awareness of this young beauty pageant world came into light for the first time (that I can remember) due to the mysterious death of JonBenet Ramsey. Of course, the pageant was not at the forefront of this awful event, but I remember the reporters mentioning that she was a pageant girl.

But we all know where the recent debates over the harm-versus-good of children's beauty pageants came from. The TLC show, Toddlers and Tiaras.

I have to be honest, I actually enjoy watching this show. Sometimes I watch it for the amazing fact that these mamas will do just about anything to have their child win, and how they have raised some spoiled children. But I also watch it to see these little girls perform and absolutely love what they do.

I am not a huge fan of all of the glitz and spray tans and heavy makeup, but I have to ask myself, what's the difference between doing this for a pageant and doing it for a dance competition?

Now, at our studio, we definitely do not require spray tans and false teeth, but our seven and eight year olds do not completely look like seven and eight year olds on the stage. They have the heavy makeup, the flashy costumes and the false eyelashes. They have the big jewelry, the 'facials' and the strutting across the stage. They perform a lot like these pageant girls do.

I don't think the main problem is the actual pageant. I think it is what we are teaching these girls participating.

I make a huge effort for my girls to know and understand that each competition score is based on three judges opinions, and that is it. I am not fully concerned with what the judges think (although I always want them to score high!), but if they have fun and did their absolute best instead. I never want a student of mine to think their approval comes from a win. It comes from them leaving everything they have on that stage and they entertain the audience with their God-given talent of dance. Disappointment from not placing high is okay! In fact, that's good. But a rotten, spoiled-brat attitude is not allowed in my books. And our parents agree, which goes such a long way as a teacher. Knowing that my parents are giving them constructive criticism and also encouraging words instead of either belittling them or telling them the judges just don't know what they're talking about, makes my job a little easier.

That's what has left such an awful taste in our mouths about this pageant world. Not the ridiculous makeup and the huge dresses (even though I do think it has played a factor), but the attitude these moms and girls have.

You have the moms who scream and yell at their child and place so much pressure on them to win Ultimate Grand Supreme, so if they fail, their precious little girl feels like they are ugly and a failure. Then, on the opposite end, you have the moms who let their child run all over them and call the shots. The daughter is the one screaming and yelling, acting like a spoiled rotten child. And when they don't win, they have an attitude that they deserve better, which then causes them to be very rude to other contestants. Neither one of these scenarios are healthy, and it ruins what was once a more innocent hobby these girls have. Instead of these girls being celebrated for their beauty that The Lord gives each and every little girl, they walk away either crushed and feeling unattractive, or feeling they are entitled with a better-than-all attitude.

So should this be banned here in the U.S.?

Absolutely not.

This is not a government issue. This is a parenting issue. Period.

Parents are given the responsibility to teach their children the difference between right and wrong. This includes the right, gracious attitude to have and the wrong, destructive attitude to avoid in every single situation we face in life.

Including pageants and dance competitions.

So, wrapping this little rant up, I am against banning these beauty pageants here. It doesn't solve the parenting issue America faces.

I am actually hoping my husband and I have a little girl so I can enter her in some pageants. I'm thinking we will go down the 'natural pageant' route though, especially since Chris said he will not go to watch our daughter all made up like the girls on television.

I imagine if we have a little girl, though, Chris will do absolutely anything she wants. At least I'm hoping so :)

Casserole Love - Poppy Seed Chicken

Yesterday may have been the longest Monday of my life. I don't really know why either.

My day was not out of the ordinary. I got up at 6:40am, fixed me a cup of coffee, kissed my husband bye (the lucky man gets to sleep in later than me), then drove twenty-five minutes to go nanny. I left there at 4:45pm and went to dance at 5:15pm, finished at 7:30pm, then headed home to cook.

Maybe it's because I had the brilliant idea of trying a new recipe that required me to cook chicken before I even started assembling the casserole. We didn't eat until after 9:00pm. By the time we finished eating, I could barely keep my eyes opened.

And I still needed to get a shower.

I apologize now for anyone who brushes by me and smells a tiny bit of an odor. Sleep was more important last night than smelling nice.

Anyways, the reason for my little rant above was to state that I made a new casserole! I really am trying to give my poor husband some variety besides pizza and ground beef. So, I decided to make something that my mom used to make all of the time, and I always enjoyed it. A lot of you can probably remember having this dish at home growing up, as well. I feel like this is a classic recipe that I hope to keep perfecting throughout the years.

The recipe I used is originally from Six Sisters Stuff (here's the link!), but, of course, I found it on Pinterest.

I tell you, if it wasn't for Pinterest, I would have been the most lost bride, would be a lost wife, and will definitely be a lost mom. I. Love. Pinterest.

Here's the recipe:

2 cups chicken, cooked and diced
2 cups Ritz crackers, crushed - I ended up adding some more last minute
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds
1 (10.75 oz) can cream of chicken soup
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon minced garlic (optional)
1 Tablespoon lemon juice (optional) - I only used the garlic, which I DO NOT recommend. Do all three or none at all. Garlic was waayyy too strong and it needed the others to dilute it some

I cooked the chicken in a skillet/frying pan (I'm still trying to figure out exactly what that pan is), which may not have been the best way. It took a while and I kept getting the pan too hot, so the chicken was sticking. I've heard of boiling the chicken, but I've never attempted that, so I just stuck with what I knew.

1.) Once the chicken is cooked, dice it up into small bite-size pieces.
2.) Mix chicken, cream of chicken soup, and sour cream together in one bowl. If you decide to use the optional ingredients, mix them in with the chicken as well.
3.) In another bowl, mix Ritz crackers, melted butter and poppy seeds.
4.) Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
5.) Pour the chicken mixture in, then top with the buttery Ritz crackers.
6.) Cover with foil and place in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
7.) Take foil off and place back in the oven for another 15 minutes.
8.) Enjoy!

Doesn't it look yummy? It really was good! Except for the garlic. I could've repelled Dracula in Transylvania from our house in Augusta. It was that bad. My sweet husband didn't complain about the garlic-overload at all, though. In fact, he even tried to tell me that it wasn't super strong because of the Ritz crackers.

I knew there was a reason I snatched him up as soon as I could!

So, anyways, I do believe this recipe could become a favorite of ours. So easy and delicious.

Does anyone else have any tips and ideas on how to perfect this? Or any ingredients you add and/or exchange from the ones I used?

I'm going to grab me a Lunchable now. All of this talk about food is making me hungry.

Bringing Back Memories

I took the sweet little boy I nanny to Wal-Mart today to pick up a few things, and I decided to play some toddler music on Pandora along the way. Low and behold, the song Skinnamarink came on.

Needless to say, I sang it loud and proud.

My absolute favorite show growing up was The Elephant Show. Saying it was my absolute favorite is, actually, quite an understatement. Just ask my poor daddy, who would probably run out of the house screaming if he heard this song once again.

My sweet Granny would set the VCR (no DVR back then!) to record the show since I did not wake up in time to watch it when it came on. I had five or six VHS tapes full of The Elephant Show. It was one of the most amazing parts of my childhood that I wish I could re-visit.

This show left such an impact on me, I even taught this song to my Sunshine Choir group at church when I was four or five. And we performed it in front of the congregation. With the hand motions and all.

Boom.

After a while, my tapes started disappearing. Some even had some football on them (I wonder who did that...). But the memories I have of watching that wonderful Nick Jr. show in my parents' bedroom and in our living room will last a lifetime.

Does anyone else remember this show? I feel like I am the only person who watched this, but the show lasted for quite a few seasons, so apparently there were more watching this awesome show than just this girl!

When the Music (and talent) Fades

Me at our 2007 NEXSTAR Dance Competition

This was me back in my competitive dancing years. I like to look back at this picture and remember that I was, at one time, able to do that without pulling a muscle or throwing my back out. Oh, the days of being able to move like that.

I know I talk like I'm 50 years old and that the picture was taken 'such a long time ago,' but if you were ever a competitive dancer for many years, and then you graduated and/or quit, you understand why I would make that sort of statement.

You never realize how in-shape you are, until you stop doing it every day.

I still dance some (kind of have to when you teach), but my pre-schoolers and my mini competition team do not require of me to move like I used to, so my body doesn't respond to jumping like that quite like it did before.

My knees hurt if I jump too much. It doesn't take much anymore for me to become short of breath. My back would prefer to remain upright instead of being contorted in all different ways. And my ankles, my poor ankles, are barely strong enough to keep me walking without rolling one (or both) of them over. 

Oh, but what I would give to be able to walk back on that stage and dance like I never stopped. You don't appreciate a talent that you have until you cannot perform that talent anymore. I'm sure if I worked out and stretched for some time, I would be able to move and dance without feeling like I need to be pushed off the floor in a gurney. 

But not like I used to. 

I could walk onto the dance floor, bust out some second turns (those are consecutive turns with one leg stretch out to the side), finish with a double pirouette, land beautifully, and still be able to walk without the room spinning around. Not sure I can get that back.

If I could give advice to kids and teens about their talents and abilities, it would be this: never take it for granted. Enjoy every second of every minute of every moment you get to share your talent, whether it be a theatrical stage or a baseball diamond. You just never know when the moment will come when you can no longer be the athlete or performer that you are now.

I didn't anticipate the day when I would no longer be able to jump like that, but that day has come. And it is very depressing.

But, on the bright side, I am able to do some mean struts and 'facials' still. I'm not sure that part of me will ever go away. 

Oh the Joys of Womanhood

I love being a girl.

No, seriously. I absolutely love it.

Growing up, the only kids I hung out with were boys. If you know me fairly well, you will know that I have three little sisters who are 18, 15, and 12. I am 24. Doing the math, that puts me six years, nine and a half years, and 12 years older than them. That's quite a distance! So, until they became the age of being fun, I played with my two cousins. They lived next door, and they were only a year and a half older and ten months younger, so we had much more in common and much more fun together than my sisters and I did.

As you can probably imagine, I was a little bit of a tomboy back then. I loved bugs, snakes, baseball, hunting, fishing, and pretty much anything else a boy would enjoy. I still had dolls, a kitchenette, frilly dresses and Mary Jane shoes, and I enjoyed them very much, but I was perfectly happy swinging a bat in my cousins' front yard or slapping a puck in their garage.

Then puberty hit.

Instead of getting down and dirty, I was putting on makeup and trying to fix my hair. The bugs and the snakes were no longer awesome, but they were gross and needed to disappear from the face of the earth. I still enjoyed swinging a bat and being the water girl for the local high school (my dad was a coach), but I wanted to do it while trying to gain the attention of the cute guys.

I prefer this girly-ness much more than being a tomboy.

Until I get fat.

Being a woman causes this up-and-down crazy train of weight gain to magically appear when it is the least convenient.

One day, your pants fit and your tummy looks flat in a white shirt. The next day, you have an 18-wheeler-worthy spare tire around your mid section that not even a girdle made of titanium could hold it all in.

Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration, but if you're a woman, you get where I'm coming from.

I am having a spare tire kind of week. Even wearing a black shirt with a ruffle-like design on the front can't hide this bulge I've got going on. It's just down-right depressing.

So what's the logical thing to do when I feel fat and get depressed?

Eat more.

I just can't help it. I love eating just about as much as I love being a girl. And not so much of the healthy stuff, but the processed, full of calories, little morsels of goodness (as you can tell in my Big Macs and Cracker Stackers entry). I do enjoy a good fruit smoothie or a veggie platter, but, let's be honest, drive-thru junk food are just so much easier. And sometimes cheaper.

So, to sum up how I'm feeling this week: I'm much fatter than normal, but I still want some potato chips. And pizza. And a large coke. Then go work out for 15 minutes to make me feel a little better.

Oh, the joys of being a woman.

A Piece of Advice

I thought you'd might be interested to know that I got McDonald's yesterday! Unfortunately, I had taken out some ground beef because I had intended to cook last night (Hamburger Helper is staple in our pantry), and I forgot to put it back in to the fridge before we went to bed. I woke up at 5:30 this morning with a slight panic, because I had just realized what I had done, but it was too late.

Still not sure how I remembered at 5:30am while dead asleep.

Needless to say, the ground beef is now in the trash can. It is very sad, because ground beef is a precious thing in our house since we use it so much, but we must move on.

So I guess we will be eating chicken tonight. Unless my husband decides to take me out... ;)

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Chris and I volunteer at a local church in the children's ministry. I used to work there last year (which is the hardest but the most rewarding job I have ever had!), but I have been involved as a volunteer for quite a few years now. I'm so excited that this Sunday we will officially join and call it our church home, especially since we have been in this 'church-limbo' for so long. Floating between churches, even if they we either mine or his childhood church, just didn't feel like our own. Finally, we have 'our' church. I'm just beyond excited about this!!

Chris helps with the tech part of the Wednesday night program and I help with the worship. I love getting there early so I can have some time to talk to this amazing group of women that are so real and so encouraging, you just can't help but want to be around them. At least I can't.

One of the women, whom Chris and I are close to her and her family, told me one of the best pieces of advice, which I have heard before, but she just put it into a whole different perspective.

'Don't talk bad about your husband to anyone, no matter what. While you will wake up the next day and may forget that anything was wrong, the person you gossiped to about your husband will not forget so easily and may change their opinion about him.'

Wow. Just... Wow.

I have heard this advice before in other books and different blogs, but I have never heard it like this. I know you want to take opportunities to build your husband up, whether or not he hears it. But to think that what you say could stain his reputation to someone? That's very strong and so convicting.

Now I'm not saying I go and gossip about my husband and de-grade him to anyone by any means! I love my husband very much and couldn't imagine life without him by my side. But he's not perfect. I'm not perfect. And when things are not perfect, we like to share with others why they are not perfect.

I admit, I may have vented a little about how hard it is to understand Chris and the way he thinks. And I may have shared that we have had a couple of fights recently. There's a possibility that I have stated that I just don't always know what to do to help him understand the way I feel as well. But I'm a woman, that's what I do!

But not anymore. Well, I'm going to try to not do it anymore.

I am all for confiding in someone who knows you and your spouse very well about your hardships and seeking wisdom and advice, but just venting about it to whoever will listen is gossip and it's destructive. My husband is too valuable to me to do that. He means too much to me to risk his respect just for me to get my feelings out.

After this piece of advice was given to me, I started re-evaluating my relationship with Chris. I cannot promise you that, even after my revelation, I have been the wife my husband needs and desires, but I have become aware of the wife I need to, no, have to be for Chris, and there is no longer an excuse for being anything less.

Although we've only been married for a little over a month, I feel like I have already grown as a wife. I definitely do not claim to have this 'wifey' thing under control (I did let an entire pound of meat spoil and go to waste), but I do understand what being a Godly, respectable, supporting wife looks like, and I hope and pray that I can be a beacon of that to all I come in contact with.

This is one of my favorite picture of my husband and I (taken by our sweet friend, Meg). I feel like the way I am looking at Chris in this picture is the way I always have: out of absolute love and adornment. But let's be honest, it isn't always shown on the exterior of me. I don't want anyone to ever think that they way I looked at Chris here is not the way I look at him now, and giving them a reason to assume that is devastating to me. I never want to tarnish this moment with the stain of disrespect for my husband, and from this day forward, I will do my best to love my husband beyond the frustrations and imperfections. I will respect my husband enough to not give someone a reason to change their opinion of him

Isn't he just so darn good looking in this picture? I am such a lucky girl, and I sure do love him so!!

Big Macs and Cracker Stackers

I have this small obsession with McDonald's and Lunchables.

Okay. It's a pretty big obsession.

One of the highlights of my week last week was finding out the new building that is being constructed right down the road from our house is, in face, a McDonald's. I will now be 2 miles from one instead of 3. *insert Hallelujah chorus here*

I went grocery shopping this past Friday (very long overdue!), and saw that the real Lunchables, not the off brand, were on sale for $1 a piece. I bought 8. I would've bought more, but I was afraid my husband would be a little upset that I spent more money on cracker stackers than I did on, well, anything else I bought.

Here is why these two gifts from Heaven are so delectable to me:

Growing up, my mom cooked almost every meal, especially dinner. But occasionally, we would go out to eat. We never went to sit-down restaurant (would you try taking a 12 year old, 6 year old, 2 year old, and a newborn to a sit-down? Yeah, me neither), and Chic-Fil-A was a SUPER special treat, so where did we go?

You guessed it. McDonald's.

It is still ingrained in my head that McDonald's is a treat. Don't get me wrong! It wasn't like it was a twice-a-year thing, but it definitely wasn't a twice-a-week thing. I can still remember the excitement of knowing we were going. I would anticipate it for days if I knew we would be going grocery shopping or to a doctor's appointment, because I knew there was a strong chance we would be making a trip through the drive-thru (again, would you take 4 young kids inside McDonald's?). Even at 24, this excitement still exists, only difference is I now have a driver's license and a pay check, which entitles me to go whenever I want to.

I used to get Lunchables when I was an only child for a snack and sometimes for school. When my sisters came along, that was four mouths that wanted Lunchables. And regular Lunchables wouldn't do, you HAD to have the ones with the chocolate treat and the Capri-Sun. So, the solution to wanting the more expensive ones was to not get them at all. It was probably also due to the fact that we would eat them all in one day. So, once again, Lunchables were a treat. Any time my mom said I could pick out a Lunchable for whatever reason was a major life-moment to me.

I know, it's weird. But hey! That's how I'm wired. Funny how the brain latches on to certain things like this and won't let go.

There's partial bad news for me now. My husband is not a fan of McDonald's, and a Lunchable does nothing to satisfy his hunger. He will be sweet enough to eat McDonald's with me every once in a while or make a special trip just for me (especially when I offer to pay for it), and he goes along with my Lunchable-buying mania for now, but his love for these two wonderful food-options is not near as strong as mine. I am not going to lie, it does break my heart a little, especially about the McDonald's. I could seriously eat a Big Mac and a cracker stacker every single day, but since my husband does not agree, I now have included other options into my daily diet.

My arteries should probably thank my husband for his non-compliance. I'm sure they greatly appreciate it.

Casserole Love - Sour Cream Noodle Bake (Pioneer Woman)

Now that I am a wife, I feel like it is my duty to start cooking for my husband instead of going out to eat every night.

A lot easier said than done.

I thought the choice of where to eat each night was a daunting task, but it is nothing compared to figuring out what to cook for dinner. At least the restaurants will have all of the ingredients for whatever I have a taste for.

Fortunately, my husband will eat just about anything (score!), so I know that pretty much whatever I cook, he will enjoy. For instance, one of his favorite meals is Prego alfredo sauce, canned chicken, and spaghetti noodles. That's it. Now, I know that is not the healthiest meal in the world, and I try to minimalize how many times I cook it, but after working for 10-11 hours and finally arriving home at 7:30 at night, healthy is not exactly on the top of my priority list. Not proud of it, but let's be honest, bedtime with my husband sounds a lot better than making this meal from scratch to 'health-ify' it (like how I created my own word there?).

Enough of my rant about that, back to the post.

Casseroles are my go-to now, mainly because they are super easy with normal ingredients that I usually have on hand. This particular casserole I found on Pinterest, and it is ridiculously good! It's originally from The Pioneer Woman (link here), and is a perfect casserole to fit into our busy schedules. It's seven ingredients, salt and pepper, one casserole dish and an oven, which makes for two very happy and full individuals.

All you need is...

1-1/4 pound Ground Chuck (I used 1 pound of Ground Beef instead- still very yummy!)

1 can 15-ounces Tomato Sauce

1/2 teaspoon Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

8 ounces, weight Egg Noodles (I use egg-less)

1/2 cup Sour Cream

1-1/4 cup Small Curd Cottage Cheese

1/2 cup Sliced Green Onions (I use 1/4 cup instead, they can have a VERY STRONG affect on the flavor of the casserole)

1 cup Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese (my husband does not like sharp cheese, so I used mild instead)

Simple instructions...
1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2.) Slice Green Onions
3.) Boil the Water, add Noodles, drain
4.) Brown the Ground Chuck/Beef, mix in Tomato Sauce, salt, plenty of pepper, and let simmer
5.)Mix together the Sour Cream and Cream Cheese, add to the Noodles, mix in Green Onions
6.) Layer half of Noodle mixture, Meat mixture, then 1/2 of cheese in a 13x9 pan. Repeat layering
7.) Bake for 20 minutes
8.) Enjoy!



This picture is of the first time I cooked it, before it had placed it in the oven. I didn't have a 13x9 pan, so I had to improvise. I call that 'Newlywed Problems.'

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Oh Mondays...

There is something about the word 'Monday' that just makes me want to crawl back in bed and not get up until it's Tuesday. Why is it that Monday is so dreadful? I guess, maybe, because it means that the weekend is officially over, and it seems so far away to finally reach Friday afternoon once again. Last night, while laying in bed with my husband, I refused to go to sleep. I knew closing my eyes would mean I was letting go of the weekend and having to embrace the awful-ness of my alarm clock going off at 6:22 the next morning. Even if I don't have to wake up early, I still do not like Mondays. So what should I do to make this Monday better? Start a blog. A blog that is completely random and full of my thoughts, even if absolutely no one reads it. Tracking my journey as a wife to a handsome man, a nanny to a sweet little boy, and a dance teacher to many beautiful little girls, I'm excited to start this walk and see where my life ends up. Maybe Mondays won't be so incredibly awful anymore...but I doubt it. Oh well :)