Staying Busy

A few weeks ago Jay and I were lucky enough to inherit a bread machine - how cool is that?! Jay's grandparents no longer needed theirs so we were happy enough to take it off their hands ;0). Me being someone who loves all things carbs (it's definitely my weakness), a bread machine is seriously my kind of tool to have. We couldn't wait to try it out so after a little internet searching we found a recipe for some honey whole wheat bread. I figured I would probably end up eating a large amount of it so might as well try to make it healthy!

Our first two attempts came out a little bit small but the four hour wait was worth it regardless. That, and the way it made our house smell... wow! I could make bread every day if only to keep that yummy smell around 24/7 :0). We will definitely be making lots more homemade bread - it's too easy not too!

Besides our efforts at baking, I also did a quick crochet project for a friend. One i think many of you may appreciate because it has to do with protecting the love of your life - your friendly e-reader! Our family has a Nook Color and as quickly as we got it we spent way too much on a cover from Barnes and Noble. My friend Chanelle on the other hand geniously asked me to crochet her a cover, and although I instantly kicked myself for not thinking of making my own e-reader one, I obliged and made her this!

 

All she requested was that it be blue, green and purple. Other than that, I got to come up with whatever I thought would work for her needs. I found this pattern for a Kindle Fire cover but midway through decided I had something better in mind. I'm pretty excited with how it came out and luckily her Kindle fits perfectly inside. Now it's protected from anything that can scratch it inside her purse!! It was a fun little project to  distract me from the fact that i'm battling a cold right now but really, I'd do anything for those I love whether I'm in tip-top shape or not. 

Now, to finish Mockingjay, the last of the Hunger Games Trilogy. Eeeek!

Our Valentino's Day

Valentine's Day has never really been a holiday Jay and I go all out for. Most years' we barely even remember to get each other cards. That's why this year felt so special; because we really made the effort to make it that way.

We had homemade dinner shared with our little one (although dinner with him makes every night special). Pasta with chicken and mushrooms in a wine and whiskey sauce - YUM!

A glass of my favorite wine

And a thoughtful gift from my special guy.

My dad used to give me Disney movies for VDay gifts when I was a little girl and I absolutely LOVE how Jay carried on the tradition. Plus he got bonus points for having got me one of my favorites :0)

Finally, Jay got to open his gift from me. 

An album of pictures I had done especially for him. 

Here's a glimpse at some of the pictures I'm willing to share from inside :0) 

A friend from high school started a company called The Pretty Committee and her, along with K.Mari Photography, did my hair, AMAZING makeup and took boudoir-ish photos especially for Valentine's Day. The whole experience was nothing short of memorable but I never once felt out of my comfort zone - which is saying a lot given the circumstances. I was lucky to have my side kick, Chanelle there for support too. 

All in all, it wound up being the best gift I could have ever given Jay. He definitely wasn't expecting it but he seems proud to have gotten it.  And it ended up being as much a gift for Jay as it was for me too. One where I could celebrate having lost all of my baby weight and feel proud and confident about the place I am at now in my life. It's a good feeling. 

Better than the gifts though, this Valentine's Day taught me a very important lesson. That maybe the "every-now-and-then" concept of being romantic is what makes it feel so much more special. And to really appreciate it when it finally makes an appearance :0)

Hope you all had a Happy Valentine's Day too! XOXO

Happy 28, Jay!

It's become a tradition for us to spend Jay's birthday in Angel Fire, and this year was our third year doing so. It's perfect for everyone because we get to spend a little family time together while Jay and our friends also get to snowboard and let loose. This year was less about the partying though and more about celebrating what's important - the birthday boy!! Here's a sneak peak into our awesome weekend getaway :0)

Some of the sweetest friends made it up for the occasion. 

SO glad to have them be a part of Jay's special weekend :0)

These four tore it up on the slopes of Angel Fire and from what I hear they had a great time! 

Regardless of what he says, Jay is an AWESOME snowboarder - one of the best i'd say :0). 

This is at the top of Nitro in Angel Fire - a run that you actually have to hike to.

Homemade lasagna was waiting for him when he got home.

And a homemade lemon cake too - complete with an improvised birthday candle. 

It wouldn't be right not being able to make a wish and blow out your birthday candle! 

And I love how Vincent looked so willing to help ;0) 

Cards and presents completed the evening 

and by 8pm the three of us were fast asleep.

Jay was even snoring way before Vincent had settled down for the night.

Too much birthday fun I guess ;0)

One of the best parts of the weekend though... 

It snowed! 

What a great send off for our drive home to ABQ. 

**Here's to wishing my special guy the best year ever - one where all your hopes and dreams come true. 

I feel so lucky to be the girl you chose to spend your birthdays with.

Vincent and I are lucky to have you to celebrate and can't wait to celebrate many many more. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABE, I love you mostest <3

Spicing Up Dinner

On any average week one can almost guarantee that we eat pasta for dinner at least one night. Our favorite go-to dish is penne pasta with jarred vodka sauce and a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. It's so easy for us to just throw together and it actually tastes quite good. If I had the time, I wouldn't mind making my own vodka sauce but why bother when we already like the one we get from the store? In an effort to save time, this works for us. We sometimes pair our meal with a salad but we almost always pair it with some of my favorites, crescent rolls. This week, our pasta night fell on Tuesday. And since i'm home on Tuesdays I decided to spice it up a little by making something extra. Spicy spinach-stuffed mushrooms!

Can you tell this is Jay's plate?

If you're a mushroom lover like I am then, then you will absolutely love this recipe. It's from Pioneer Woman, my go-to gal for tons and tons of delicious food ideas - and this definitely was. You can find the recipe here.
For additional Pioneer Woman recipes that our familyeats on a regular basis, see the list below. You definitely won't be sorry to try any of them.

The Perfect Pot Roast - This is perfect for Sunday dinner. a short prep time, a long cook time and some GOOD eating.
The Best Lasagna Ever - and it really is. The only thing for me is I don't like sausage. Not to worry though, I substituted the sausage for mushrooms and WOW, it was truly the best lasagna ever.
Penne a la Betsy - I've made this twice already and both times there were no left overs. It's that good.
Chicken and Dumplings - Chicken and Dumplings is one of my all-time favorite comfort foods. EVER. And this recipes brings it home for sure. If you're in a time crunch, there's ways to short cut the recipe. Like using a store bought rotisserie chicken instead of cutting and cooking the chicken yourself, but either way it's sooooo gooooood.
My Most Favorite Burger - Only thing we did different to our burger was add a little avacado because we had to use ours up. It was amazing. Although I do think it would still be amazing without it ;0).

**P.S. Sometimes I have to cut her recipes in half because after all, it is just the two of us and she's normally cooking for six. Unless it's the pasta. Then Jay counts as 4 servings and we can normally finish it off. Just so you know ;0)**
Bon Appétit!!

Back to School

It’s one of the things I’m really good at. You know, changing my mind. And if you know me at all, you know this to be a true statement. Especially when it comes to answering the question “What do I want to be when I grow up..” because I don’t think I’ve ever really known. Until now.

When I first started college I thought I wanted to be a nurse. Then I realized that if someone came in with even the littlest hang nail i’d run away screaming. It definitely isn’t the job for me and I’m so glad I found that out sooner than later and didn’t waste too much time going down that road.

So, in order to just pick a major that would get me through college, and hopefully a job once I popped out the other side, I went to business school. I figured it would allow me the freedom to do a multitude of things once I was a working person, which is good because I tend to like to venture off and want to try new things. But the problem is, I never venture into things that co-exist together. In fact, after I graduated from UNM I thought I would venture into cosmetology. That doesn’t make sense to people who aren’t me, I’m sure, but I’ve always loved doing hair, could always do my own hair and often did my friends hair growing up, so it seemed like something worth trying. Even if it has nothing to do with business. And I really am glad I tried it. But again, it wasn’t for me. So i never finished. I like to call myself a beauty school drop out just because it makes me happy :0)

Now, after having graduated with my business degree, been working in my finance position for two years, having tried cosmetology school and found it wasn’t for me, and having become a mommy along the way, I think I’ve finally figured it out!!

No more business or cosmetology. Instead, I’m going back to get my Masters in Elementary Education! Again, I’m sure it doesn’t make sense. But for me, it does. And here’s why..

The last four years I’ve been tutoring in a program called ABQ Reads. If you don’t know what that is, it’s a program developed by the ABQ chamber of commerce that brings in outside volunteers to work with kindergartners several times a week in order to help develop their reading and writing skills. The schools who utilize this program are Title I schools - or lower income schools. Most students there are English as a Second Language students, which means they come in only knowing how to speak Spanish. And trust me, it can get tricky. In fact, the school I tutor at happens to be the elementary school that I went to and I absolutely love being able to work with the students there. It's like home for me. Recently, I began working in a 1st - 2nd grade classroom too, just to gain more experience and see if this really is something I think I could be good at, and to be honest with you, I never feel like leaving. The children come from extremely hard backgrounds, but to watch them light up as they begin to understand whatever it is they’re learning, well that’s what it’s all about. To be the person who gives a child their confidence in reading or writing or math or to even just be their way of escape for a couple of hours in order to learn about the world in a safe and comfortable environment - I don’t think it gets any better than that. I know it’s not easy, and I see that now that I’ve spent some time in an actual classroom, but the reward is too big to pass up. And I’m not going to. So today, I dropped this off to the College of Education:

My Admissions packet for the Master’s of Elementary Education with Alternative Route for K-8 Licensure Program. It took me months to get everything that I needed and I’m crossing my fingers it gets me in. I debated about whether or not I even wanted to blog about this because of the possibility I don’t get in, but I’m taking the risk anyway. Because if I don’t get in now, I will try until I do. For once I feel passionate about something and I can’t wait to make this dream a reality. 

 Wish me luck!

And for a little inspiration... I found this quote the other day from Steve Jobs. To say it made me feel good about my decision is an understatement, and it came at the most perfect time. Funny how life sometimes shows you things just when you need them. 

In my own words, we should never be afraid to do what it is we truly love, or settle for things we don't.