Dinner Idea: Southwest Mac n Cheese

Tonight I cooked and served up my most original recipe yet: Southwest Mac n Cheese.

I LOVE mac n cheese. So when I saw a recipe with a similar title in a cookbook I love, I just HAD to give it a try.  Problem was, I didn't appreciate that recipe enough. :)  It had ingredients I didn't think were wholesome enough, and it seemed kind of... boring. But the IDEA was excellent!

So, I took my own regular homemade mac n cheese recipe and added a bunch of delicious things to it--black beans, corn, chili peppers, and bell peppers.  I also added chili powder and just a bit of seasoning salt to bring out the flavors.  In the end it needed a bit more flavor from the spices, but this recipe was a great start!

I was just playing around with it tonight, in terms of quantities, so I didn't take any accurate measurements.  I'll make this recipe again in a few weeks and actually measure things, so I can post a recipe for everyone to enjoy!

Daisy

Jason, Peanut and I have added a new member to our family!

Meet Daisy!

...She's currently driving me bonkers, but she's certainly brought more laughter into our home.  Poor Peanut is just glad when she has a moment without a dog in her face!  But they're adjusting.  I don't think Daisy had ever seen a cat before Peanut, and she seems to wonder, why won't this thing play with me?!

Daisy is a 6 month old Corgi.  She came to us fully trained, which is awesome. :)  It's definitely a challenge having a dog in an apartment--having to take her outside every few hours, take her on walks, etc.  We aren't used to having to do all that for a pet! Neither of us has had a dog in quite some time.

Still, we're enjoying her, and she seems content.

So if anyone has dogs and needs a playdate, let me know! Daisy would be thrilled to have another dog to rough around with!

Trying New Things

It's been a while since I've posted. Sorry about that.

Sometimes life throws you a curveball, and that's hard enough to deal with, without having a blog to worry about. :) But hopefully I'll get back into the swing of things.

I'm a person of many and varied interests. One new thing I've decided to try is selling collectibles.

Of course, I had to choose an area of focus, so I chose Domo! He's quite popular right now, and I lucked out recently finding some clearance-priced Domos.  So I'm attempting to sell them at fair prices--more than what I paid, less than retail price (depending on the particular outlet).

Interested in Domo? I have postings on ebay and Craigslist! I'm selling (at the moment) a couple of plushes and some tiny Domo figures that are pretty rare! I lucked out finding those!

Know someone who is interested in Domo? Please refer them to me! :) I'm not sure how this will all pan out, it's just an experiment, but I thought it'd be fun to try!

In other news, I'm FINALLY nearing the end of my spring apartment cleaning/organizing.  The place is looking much better and feeling more cozy.

In my next post, I'll introduce you to our newest family member!

Miramont Castle: Black N White

I like how this one came out, despite using a non-fancy camera.

Miramont Castle, Manitou Springs, CO

Photo: Garden of the Gods B&W

I love black and white photography. :) I took this one today (1/13/12) at Garden of the Gods. I think it came out quite well!

Live With No Regrets

Today the world lost a special young guy. This song he wrote and sang touches my heart with a message of how I want to live my life.

A year ago tomorrow, Jason's (my husband) dad also passed away. So lots of remembering going on right now. Reflecting on life and living it in a way that brings glory to God. I want to live my life in a way that leaves no regrets.

The Lord can call us home at any time. As Shawn was fighting for his life in Utah, I sat playing a computer game on Facebook. Even at the time I realized how trivial that was, and even though I was praying as I mindlessly clicked the mouse button, part of me wondered if I could be doing something even better. Of course, there's always something better to be doing, although the Lord wouldn't frown upon a relaxing activity like a game as long as it does not consume my day.

Tomorrow, I get to wake up to another day, more than likely. Shawn does not. Curt Kisner does not. How can I spend my tomorrow in a way that, if the Lord were to call me home tomorrow night, I would be satisfied with what I've done and what I leave behind?

Frugality: Money Saving Ideas

Yesterday I posted a Facebook status asking for ways people save money and practice frugality in general. I was surprised at the amount of responses I received! Some were things I definitely already know and practice, others were brand new! But I'm going to share them all so anyone else who is interested can get new ideas!

1. Coupons!

2. Make your own coffee at home and avoid going to coffee shops.

3. Take your lunch to work and don't eat out.

4. coordinate shopping trips to save gas.

5. Use a grocery list when shopping and buy only what's on the list.

6. Cut cable.

7. Buy generic brands over name brands.

8. Get your personal finances in order (visit sites like The Simple Dollar for good advice!)

9. Plan your meals around grocery ads and what's on sale.

10. visit totallyfreestuff.com to pick up free samples and such.

11. Use the 10-second/30-day rules before making purchases.

12. Grow your own garden.

13. Use towels/cloth napkins rather than paper towels.

14. Line-dry clothes.

15. Watch TV less (or not at all!)

16. Bike or walk when possible instead of driving.

17. make your own laundry detergent

18. avoid buying soft drinks

19. use CFL lightbulbs

20. simplify your cell phone plan

21. use a water filter rather than buying bottled water

22. use a cash-only system for purchases to limit your spending

23. don't eat out!

24. create a personal budget

25. Find entertainment that is very inexpensive or free.

Over the next month or so I plan on elaborating on each of these topics. Some of them I haven't tried myself (yet). I will do a bit of research into each one, and if I have time I will try it before I post on it-if not I'll write a later post on what happened!

I want to investigate the practicality as well as frugality of each of these awesome ideas. Feel free to comment and let me know what works (and doesn't!) for you!