Laughter, rest, repeat.

I can't explain how amazing it was to have FOUR whole days off to enjoy with friends and family. It was like hitting the big RESET button on my soul.

We normally spend Thanksgiving day with my Dad's side of the family, but he's currently on vacation so we switched it up this year and spent it with my mom's side of the family! My mom is still in Maine on her nursing assignment, so we all missed her, but we had a great time! The day was full of family, one deep fried turkey and one roasted, tons of homemade sides, board games and way too much laughter!

Say hello to Pioneer Woman herself ;)

Thursday, after all the time with family was over, we headed to a few stores and got some fun deals, and stayed out WAY too late. Friday we got a LOT done. We felt like real adults ;) we visited Caleb's grandma in the morning, de-cluttered, donated stuff' we seriously got rid of so much junk in our house! We crashed HARD that evening and watched a movie, and seriously passed out on the couch around 9:30!

Saturday, after throwing MORE stuff away and doing an insane amount of laundry, we watched the OSU game and phew! It was a nail biter! Luckily, we pulled out a win against the team from up North ;) and then we were in full on CHRISTMAS MODE! We decorated for a good hour or two and just had ourselves a blast. It's always one of my favorite traditions with Caleb, bringing up all the decorations from the basement and finding new places for them!

Olaf and that sign may or may not be my favorite decoration ever.

My girl Lyndsie was in town and reached out last minute to see if I was free for dinner! I'm so glad I went, even though I was exhausted from decorating, because she and I don't get much time together anymore and we laughed our heads off for hours.

Sunday was deemed the laziest day of our lives; and I kind of loved it. Once we got home from church we witnessed one of the saddest Bengals losses in history (so THAT obviously wasn't fun), but it kept us glued to the couch. We watched an insane amount of Impractical Jokers after that - we're hooked - and had cinnamon rolls for dinner...go ahead, judge us. But we literally didn't do anything but park it on the couch most of the day.

I am so thankful for time off with Caleb! We don't get that much anymore and it was much needed. I really hope everyone had a fantastic break and got to spend it with those you love the most!!

Feeling refreshed + some goals

I'm finally feeling like myself again. This week, I've really started watching the foods I put into my body, I've been focused more on exercise and getting my daily steps in, and I've been cooking nearly every night. Oh, and I cut off 4 inches of hair last night (which I haven't done in years)!

I call this the Claire Dunphey

Something just kind of hit me over the weekend, that all the things I say "would make me happier", I could actually be doing. The only person stopping me, was me.

For instance, I claim to love reading, yet never make the time for it. Caleb and I cannot say no to our local used book sales, and we end up leaving with about 20 new books every time. We physically have no more room on our bookshelves, so they are flowing over into our bedroom nightstands and desk. Yet, what's the point in continuing to buy them if they just sit there?! SO, I'm challenging myself to start/finish a new book this month. I'd ask you all for recommendations but I already have too many to think straight :)

So here are my goals for the month of February:
Curl my hair a few times. I love the way it looks curled yet I never make time for it. So here's to waking up a couple times to practice more!

Exercise. Whether that means waking up before the sun to get in an hour of cardio, walking on my lunch break, running at night, etc., I'm not going to be too selective! Just want to be as active as possible, every day.

Order a new photo book. Well, my FIRST photo book. I really want to make our wedding album. I know, 2.5 years later... blah blah blah. Now that I finally have free time, there's NO excuse.

Cook some new recipes. Pinterest has literally been my BFF this week, and with guests coming over on Monday, I want to step up my game :)

Date the heck out of Caleb. We have so much free time this month and I don't want to let it slip away before its gone. We don't have a wedding until March, and then starting in April it gets a little crazy again. So, I want to soak up every evening/day/etc. that I get with my man!!

Do our taxes. We are so much more prepared than we were last year and I'm ready to pay these silly taxes so we can get on with our debt snowball! We are praying to be out of debt by mid-Spring!

Organize and clean our bedroom. Somehow our bedroom turned into more of a catch-all for all of our laundry, books, etc.! I want our bedroom to feel more relaxing... not stress inducing! ;)

I hope everyone has a great Thursday. SMILE! The weekend is almost here!!

These are like magic. No literally.

One of my all time favorite desserts growing up were Magic Cookie Bars. I can remember making these with my Nanny at a crazy young age. They are one of the EASIEST things to bake in the entire world, but TASTES out of this world. I'm sure you already know the recipe, or have at least heard to these, but in case you've never had these... RUN, don't walk, to the nearest grocery store and pick up the following ingredients;

1/2 cup melted butter/margarine
 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips/morsels
1 cup butterscotch chips/morsels (I added these instead of 2 cups chocolate chips, but that's just my preference)

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (but only 325 if you're using a glass dish) & coat 13x9" pan with non-stick spray.
-Combine the graham cracker crust and the melted butter, then press it into your pan...no worries, it should be a thin layer!
-Pour the condensed milk evenly over the crumb layer, then the morsels, coconut and nuts. Then press into the pan lightly with a fork.
-Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool and then ENJOY!

Then if you feel up to it, make your sister in law take random photos of you while doing all of the above ;)

PLEASE tell me you've tried these before?! & if not, tell me when you do, and what you thought!!! Happy hump day!!

Can a girl get some help?! Meal planning 101.

I feel like with all these resources out there, and the fact that I've been married well over a year now, I should be some sort of wizard at cooking for Caleb and I by now. I don't know what it is, I just haven't grasped onto the concept of cooking for two every single night, having all the right ingredients when I DO actually have the time to cook, and even just that, finding the time. I feel like I need to be better at making my time right after work specifically about my marriage. Half the time we cook together, and then we can enjoy a dinner together at the table! However, Caleb and I have crazy schedules (both with work + personal commitments) so some weeks, we're not home long enough to cook a giant meal and actually enjoy it.

Remember this post last year about how I'd never used my crock pot? Yeah, so I wrote that on August 29th, and here we are...nearly a year later. Still haven't used it. I will be honest, I'm getting MUCH better at cooking in general, everything I've made us, we've loved, and following a (hard) recipe is even proving to not be so terrible... its just the PREP-work that I need help with.

I will say though, last night I made Mediterranean stuffed zucchini and EEK, it was amazing. Guys, at one point I looked down and realized I had a towel on my shoulder, Caleb looked up and said "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, a CHEF!", we cracked up, but for real?? These things were so good we went back for seconds and thirds, and I don't care how silly it was that I'm still proud of myself. I have actual freak-outs about how I don't think I'm a great "housewife" so I'm giving myself 7 golden stars for last nights dinner ;)

Pampered Chef creates wonders. This made my job so much easier last night!

How do you ladies meal plan? Is Pinterest your best friend each Sunday afternoon? Or do you literally sit at your kitchen table and write down ingredients from your fav cookbooks and just go for it?! I just need a little direction because I feel like its my organizational process (the part before the a actual cooking) thats just NOT that great. Also, while you're at it, I could use some yummy side dish ideas. Thanks, in advance!!!

I DID IT!

I freaking did it, you guys.

I COOKED.

Like, a real, fresh meal.

Not "just add water" or "microwave for 45 seconds, then stir"... like, I chopped things, I diced things, I PREHEATED MY OVEN! I followed a hard (if you ask me) recipe! I was a spaz the entire time that dang quinoa was cooking but I did it, and on my first try.

I have had so many people give me recipes and I always threw out the ones that had more than around 3 ingredients...I'm lame, I know. Until last night...I put on my big girl pants, and picked up some ingredients to make Pizza Quinoa Casserole! My SIL did a blog post on this a couple weeks ago and I read it religiously on the iPad while cooking/chopping/dicing!

I can't believe it turns into a puffy cloud of goodness after just a few minutes!!

We added mushrooms cause we lovvvvve them here in this household.

All of that turned into THIS heavenly amazingness (yep, its a word)!

There is literally enough leftover for an army (okay, or maybe just 5 or 6 pre-packed lunches to take to work all week)!! I was so proud of myself, and Caleb just knew it. I think the smell radiating from the kitchen made him so happy, he was thrilled to take my picture when I asked :)

I'll definitely be making this again and again!

"Finally, my wife cooked something GOOD!" -what I assume Caleb is thinking.

So you ladies out there too scared to cook... DO IT! You won't be sorry. Although I'm pretty sure I'm the last one to this party, as you all have been telling me for MONTHS to just try real cooking, that I'd surprise myself...and I sure did. I even spent a couple hours earlier this week looking through multiple cookbooks and am so glad to say I found 4 more BRAND NEW RECIPES to try. Woohoo!

What's your favorite cold-weather meal?

"Sorry I can't cook like Marie!"

The title of this post is one only my husband, and two of our great friends will understand (and I hope they are laughing right now).

You see, one of the beautiful ladies I asked to be in my wedding, Marie, is like Super-Mom. She can keep a clean home, volunteer for church like crazy, raise the cutest little gal on planet earth a 3 year old beauty, and cook like a beast. Remember my first bridal shower? All that amazing food in those shots? She did those. Remember those nights I'd babysit Nora and she would leave food out for us and it was just something she whipped up quick?!...Yeah, I was envious.

& I totally still am.

Marie is one of the sweetest women I know. When we first started dating, I was excited to introduce Caleb to her and her awesome husband, Josh. There was one point we'd hang out with them nearly every week and it never failed she had something amazing on the dinner table. ALL HOME MADE. Then Caleb and I got married, and the cooking skills weren't flowing like magic from my fingertips like I'd once thought they would. I remember one night in particular, Caleb getting hilariously irritated with me because I could barely cook ground beef the right way...and I threw my hands up and yelled...

WELL! SORRY I'M NOT MARIE!!!

...& there I was, feeling bad for myself. Wanting sympathy from my husband to tell me "no, don't say that, you ARE a great cook...". I probably looked like the psycho housewives I make fun of on TV all the time. I'm just picturing myself right now, looking back at that moment, in slow motion...dropping the wooden spatula in the sink, throwing my arms up, surrendering that I'd never be a good cook.

Well I'm here to report, I'M LEARNING (and I haven't ever said that silly little statement again, cause I'm me. & I'm awesome just the way I am)

I've actually been cooking on my own like 4 times a week and its becoming FUN! Much to Caleb's surprise, I'm remembering to lay the meat out to thaw almost every morning. Even if its not some huge, lavish meal...its something I MADE.

Tonight, Josh and Marie (and their adorable little girl) are coming over tonight for dinner, and she's offered to cook dinner WITH me, to show me just how easy those crazy looking recipes can be. You have no idea how happy this makes me. I can totally cook regular things, but we're making some sort of Pad Thai meal, and typically, anything that requires garlic/powders, count me out. I'm excited to venture out of my comfort zone and LEARN. Watch out for this one, friends...she'll have her own cookbook in no time.

So, here's to you, Marie! Thanks for offering to help brush me up on basic skills.

I'll be a pro in no time.

Happy "its almost Friday" day!

I can't even use my own crock-pot.

As embarrassing as it is to admit that, its kind of true. 

I've literally not used it...not once! I am DYING to use it, but a wee bit intimidated.

So anyway, Caleb and I did some of our meal planning on both Monday and Tuesday night and we went grocery shopping in our newest Kroger Marketplace last night. It was aaaamazing.

We made a whole list, and I took my pen, and literally checked things off my list. It was AWESOME. Felt great...then we get home, unpack all of our groceries... and I kiiind of realized I missed a main ingredient I'd need for my new crock-pot recipe.

The meat.

Is this a joke?!

It's almost like my subconscious is telling me "you can't do this, you can't cook"...and sadly, I'm starting to believe it. There was even a point last night when Caleb and I were shopping, looked at each other, and one of us said "are we ever going to be able to cook well?" Ha!

At this point, it was 8PM...we had been at the grocery store all stinking night. SO you know what I made for dinner once we finally got home? Freaking waffles.

PLEASE. SOMEONE TELL ME THEY'VE BEEN THROUGH THIS!

We've only been married for  3 months, and so I know there is still hope I can turn into my grandma who makes the best family meals every single night...

right?!

I've talked to a couple close friends about help with simple meals (because with starting to run, I do NOT feel like spending an hour+ prepping my dinner), so if anyone has ANY advice...please.
Let me have 'em!

Drool alert.

Since its the week of love...

Yesterday I was on Ali's blog about my favorite Valentines Day everrrrrr, it reminded me of how awesome it is to have a man who can cook so well.

If you didn't happen to read what was on Ali's blog... I talked a little bit about the amazing seafood lasagna he made for me. I know what you're thinking, seafood lasagna?!?!! But no, there is NO red sauce in it. None allowed!!

& yes, we each made one on vacation for my family (this was a few short days after he proposed...!!!)

Yeah the recipe called for a whoooole lotta onion!

We had so much fun baking together that night. Hopefully its always that fun! It got me thinking about my favorite foods of ALL TIME. Since food is basically the way to my heart, & since Insanity won't allow me to eat TOO much of my favorite greasy/fatty foods, this blog post will have to suffice:

Obviously, ice cream. Preferably in the following flavors; peppermint stick, cake batter, chocolate chip cookie dough, mint chocolate chip, oooor cookies and cream.

Duh, chicken wings. In buffalo, or sweet bbq. Is your mouth watering yet!??!?

OMGGGG. Chick Fil A chicken nuggets. I truly believe these are sent from heaven. Add a little polynesian sauce and I've got it made.

Crab legs. Okay now I'm about to cheat on my "diet"... I was all over these like nobody's business. If you look closely, I even have some crab meat on my chest. Really?!

Cinnamon rolls. I'm not sure how you CAN'T love these.

In case you didn't get the hint up there... our amaazing seafood lasagna. MMM!

Again, with the ice cream...

& I may or may not have saved the BEST for last....

Cream cheese wontons!

My goodness. Enough with the food! I'm gaining weight just looking at all of it.

Happy FAT Tuesday everybodddyyy.. Stay healthy ;)