Happy New Year! January 2010

I can't believe it's the New Year and a New Decade! My husband and I were talking and if you think about it at the close of this decade I will be 35 years old. That's crazy! But I don't want to focus on the long term right now, just the short term this month!

I restarted my focus on getting healthier and eating better yesterday morning. Counting those points, its time consuming but it will all be worth it! I made yummy red beans and rice last night for dinner with cheese biscuits. It was so yummy and surprisingly light in points. Basically just sausage and beans are the only calories included the rest is seasoning and vegetables. I really want to focus and keep maintaining a healthy life for Adam, Isabella and myself.

I want to make sure I go to the community gym three times a week. I need to sweat, exercise makes me happy, after the fact! Never while I'm actually doing it.

Save some more money for Bella's first b-day next month. I can't wait to have her first party it will be so much fun. Start planning for it and get the invitations out by the 23rd. That will give everyone 2 weeks to respond.

Start using my new budget software. Adam and I are going to Cost Co today to pick up Quicken! I've wanted it for like a year and I am just know going to buy it. Hopefully it will work well and it will help us track our savings more.

Start Isabella's official college fund. Were talking to a financial advisor next week about a 529 plan.

Lots of little things hopefully it will all go well. I hope everyone has time and energy to accomplish their goals for the month and the year! Start small and work up to the bigger picture!

Our New Apartment Pictures (lots of pics)

This is a comprehensive look at my new apartment. Sorry it's so many pictures we just wanted the family that probably won't see it to know what it looks like.

The plaque that greets you when you enter our house

Our staircase those are our stocking hanging from the dining room wall

View from our patio

My great kitchen, I love it because I can know watch tv or a movie while cooking or doing dishes.

Our Christmas Tree in our dining room area

Living room where we hang out most.

The Tv and office computer area.

My fabulous walk-in closet

My long vanity and sink area

We have large shower and bathtub too!

Our dresser

our lovely bookcase

Our bed, our room is a little bare because we need more pictures for it!

My favorite part of Bellas bathroom her shower curtain hooks. They are so cute! Pink and purple like crystals.

Bells' colorful bathroom, I still need to add a piece of art or somthing on the wall

I finally get to display her name that I made while pregnant, a little late is better than never.

Bells' rocking chair where we read and eat most nights.

Picture less picture frames that I made for her and her cousin Carina in PA. I plan on putting pictures in this week.

Her Christmas little people nativity scene


The man cave where Adam dwells when he wants away from baby and me.

The beer fridge that Adam insisted on.

Great Pizza Recipe

Mexican Pizza

I made this Sunday night and it was awesome so I thought I would share with everyone. It's really easy and it looks really cool too, I made my own crust but of course you don't have to. I wish I had taken a picture of it. Maybe next time.

Ingredients
1 pizza crust
large can of refried beans
2 cups of cheese
taco meat (I used a 1/2 lb, then added 1/2 a packet of taco seasoning for flavor)
1 small can black sliced olives
1 1/2 c sour cream
leftover taco seasoning mix

Directions
Preheat oven 400 degrees.

First I browned the meat and then drained it. I put it all back in the pan and added half a packet of taco seasoning mix with some water and let it condense down normally takes 5-7 mins. Next warm up the beans, and grate the cheese. Also drain the can of olives, set aside. When everything is prepared first layer the beans on the bottom of the crust, then goes all the cheese, then the prepared meat, and can of olives. Place in oven for approximately 12 mins or until all the cheese is good and melty.

While the pizza is cooking take your sour cream and stir in the remaining taco seasoning or if you don't like a lot of spice enough for flavor and color. Next place sour cream mixture in a small sandwich bag when you pull out the pizza you'll cut a small whole in the corner of bag to allow for the mixture to slowly ooze out so that you can apply to pizza in a zig zag pattern. Makes it very cute.

31 Days to the New Year

31 days before the end of the first decade of the 21st century. When you think of the coming New Year in these terms it's kind of crazy. Do you remember where you were a decade ago? Do you remember what you were hoping, planning, dreaming to achieve in your life? Were you successful or did life intervene and your goals went by the waste side?



I know a decade ago when we entered the millennium I was still in High School and was looking forward to college with no clear definite goals for what to do for work. So I think my last decade was fairly productive. I graduated high school, graduated college with a BA, got married, finished my teaching credential and had a baby. Two of my major life changes, the addition of the husband and baby, where both happy surprises, God has blessed me infinitely over the last decade. I can only hope that the next decade is just as fun and productive with many new and exciting twists and turns.

So what do you hope to accomplish in the next decade? Do you want to be improved in some way? Do you want to be healthier? or skinnier? better wife? richer? living a simpler life? better Christian? Know your friends on a deeper level? or overall just be a better person? Contribute to the world in some way? There are so many things a person can do in their life in a decade, what do you want to do?

Selling online

How many of you have ever tried to sell stuff online. It's so time consuming to post everything; then it seems like almost no one ever actually buys what you post. Adam and I have posted many things on Craig's list but out of all the people who respond saying they are interested only like 1/2 of that actually comes to fruition and I am able to sell a product. I just posted a bunch of items on Craig's list in hopes of selling for Christmas time.



Why are people so flaky online? My husband calls most of them snowflakes. If you're going to call someone and say your going to look at their furniture or other items why can't they actually do it? Don't they know someones waiting for them? Did their Mom teach them better than that? I drove from my house to my friends house, who is holding onto my dinning room furniture because it doesn't fit in my apartment, on Saturday so that someone could look at it and they didn't show up. I spent an hour driving to their house $4.75 in tolls to make sure I was on time and nothing. Not even a courteous I've changed my mind. Who does that to people?

We did finally sell one thing group of products that we've had forever to a guy the other night, which was awesome lets hope I can sell the rest of the stuff in the next few weeks. With Craig's List you have to be persistent to sell you items!

Christmas

I enjoy the Christmas/Holiday Season, but like many people I'm always thinking about the "commercialization" of Christmas. So I pose the question to you all, how do you keep the season's reason in the forefront? Now that I have my daughter I wonder how do I balance Jesus and Santa.

Many have asked me why even incorporate Santa because of the argument of "if Santa is fake, maybe Jesus is too?" Many people think kids won't be able to differentiate between the fake Santa and the real Jesus. I don't think it would that difficult because many kids learn the difference between fake television, movies and video games while still understanding the real things that happen in the world too. Why not Santa and Jesus? Plus it's not like as a parent I'm bringing up Santa in July or any other time of the year, whereas Jesus will hopefully be someone we talk about all year round. So I ask why do so many Christians have an issue with Santa Clause now a days?

Are kids need ways to relate to other non-Christians and this is one of the two times in the year when people are more open to Jesus and his story. You never know you kids just may introduce Jesus to a non-believer because they first begin with the story of Santa Clause.

Second issue with Christmas how do you budget for Christmas. I know for me I think about putting away money all year round to afford a nice Christmas. What do you do? Plus what hap pens when you go over budget? Do you change your gift giving strategy or do you bring out the plastic?

New Moon Was AWESOME!

New Moon was incredible! I was so happy that I was able to watch the midnight showing it was so Fun! It was so much better than the first movie Twilight! I think it had to do with the difference between having an independent director for Twilight and a more mainstream director for New Moon. I hope Eclipse can be better than New Moon because that is my favorite book.

Kristen Stew was awesome with the emotional zombie-ness of Bella during Edward's absence. And Jacob WOW he was beyond belief with the character he was a.) gorgeous b.) incredibly believable as Jacob I think he may as well be a little sunshine himself c.) great actor for age d.) he was ripped for the movie I kept having to chant to myself he's underage he's underage!

All in All 5 out of 5 stars and I can't wait to see it again and again!

Seriously he's 17?