2010 Goals (April Update)

It feels like I just updated you, but I really haven't done this since February (lol). Lots of things have been going on and there are even a couple of *new* goals on this year's list.

On deck for 2010:

Workout 3x a week for at least 6 months.
This has COMPLETELY fallen by the wayside. I really want to do better and am going to. It is imperative that I develop a habit of working out, and if I have to force feed it, I will. ::giggles::

Visit Europe
We're flying out June 4th! Our eDocs are printed, the ship has been scoped out, and I've started thinking about packing lists and plane necessities. I'm planning to dedicate several posts to this very soon.

Host a holiday dinner
No update on this item. Still in the plan though. I feel like I'm going to have to remind everyone that I'm planning to do Thanksgiving much closer to November though - lol.

Bake bread from scratch - Done!

Complete my PhD
I'm actually way ahead of schedule on this item. I submitted my IRB application in February and my studies were approved in March. Then I hit the ground running. My data collection that was supposed to go through this summer is done done done (in my best Chrisette Michele impersonation). But this development has completely shaken up my timeline. While I was originally planning to finish in time for a December graduation, I am now trying to finish this summer. Summer graduation is July 31st, and my dissertation would need to be completed the first part of that month. I think I can do it. I'm just waiting to hear back from my committee before I fully commit. There are so many things to do; its kinda awesome and overwhelming at the same time.

Make homemade jam/learn to can something - Done!

Learn to knit or crochet
I still wanna do this. Definitely in the later part of the year. No real update - lol.

Cook 1 vegetarian meal a week for 1 month - Done!

Take a wine tasting course with Hubs
No update here. I think my Groupon expires in July, so I give this some thought. Maybe we can go sometime next month.

Plant an herb garden
Done! But I havent blogged about it yet. I'm still waiting to see if my herbs make it. (spoiler alert!) I planted thyme, rosemary and sweet basil, but didint realize that my kitchen does NOT get alot of sun. Now the herbs are in the sunroom and it takes both me and Hubs to remember to open the blinds and shed some light on them. So we'll have to see about this. Still a done though.


Experience Disney with Hubs
We got our tickets (!) and will be going in the second half of the year. Right now its going to be a road trip with Naima + Bakari (Bakima), so definitely after Europe, and after Bakima moves in August. Remember, at last update Hubs and I were signed up with Disney and the HandsOn network to Give a Day so that we could Get a Day at Disney. I signed us up to help with a Saturday enrichment program at a city elementary school. Three hours of our time for free Disney tix...totally worthwhile.

Complete a tour on Rock Band
This one makes me sad. Between everything that we always have going on, I havent had a chance to spend much time on my Rockband career. Still keeping hope alive on this one for this year.

Host an adult slumber party with my girlfriends
No update on this one yet either. In fact, I haven't even started to discuss possible dates with the ladies yet. I better get on that.

*New* Have at least $1000 in our Emergency Fund
This kinda speaks for itself. We're almost halfway there, and I'd like to be done with this by the end of the year at the very latest.

*New* Plan or coordinate another bride's wedding
As many of you already know, Bakima is getting married! And they asked me to be their wedding planner! Technically, this probably belongs on the 2011 list, since the event is scheduled for September 2010, but I figured I'd throw it on here now since we've alwready started working on it. Once we get the venue contract signed, I'm going to start campaigning for Naima to write another guest post about it. Hmm, I guess the cat's out the bag now...Naima, you've been warned - lol.

♥

WW Wednesday 4/28/10

Spotted: DvF for Kindle

When I got Calliope (my Kindle), I knew she needed a case. In fact, I was unwilling to let her leave the house without one. But in an effort to be practical (and introduce her to the elements as quickly as possible), I went ahead and got a standard case. But its so boring. Especially, when compared to something like this new gem from Diane von Furstenburg:

{found here}

Black and white on the outside. Bright happy pink on the inside. The only thing that would make this more perfect is if she had put her Hearts print on it like my suitcase. Yes, I have a heart suitcase that is as fab as you imagine it to be - lol. So pretty, but so impractical. Available 5/7/2010.

♥

Know your interest rate(s)

Lately, a lot of my disposable income has been going toward my credit cards. I have an uncomfortable amount of credit card debt that I am feverishly trying to pay down before we get a house and/or a baby. And before my student loan payments kick in. This is in addition to some fairly aggressive savings goals and a European vacation (that were leaving for in oh... 38 days). Rough? Yes. Impossible? Of course not.

Well yesterday, I was doing some shopping online and checking my credit card balances. I had just shaved off a nice little chunk on my AmEx and was plotting my next move. I briefly considered just paying it off, since I had the money, but ultimately settled for planning to pay several more chunks over the next few months so that I could save a little more vacation spending money. While checking the balance, something told me to check the interest rate. I thought it was around 8 or 10% but wasn’t sure. The minimum payments had slowly been creeping up, and I’d never really stopped to find out why. Since I don’t actively use this card, and the balance should have been relatively constant, I should have known the interest rate was the culprit. When I finally investigated, I almost spit out my coffee.

It was 24 percent.

I could. not. believe it. When in the world did 24% happen?

I want you to know that I immediately paid that balance. The WHOLE THING. There was no way the bank was getting any more interest from me on this account. I felt like I was being robbed. And the worst part is that I really didn’t know how long it had been going on.

Paying the balance in one fell swoop, before I had planned to was bittersweet. While I didn’t like parting with my hard-saved money like that, I do rather enjoy seeing another zero balance when I log into my online banking.

So I guess this is kinda a cautionary tale. If you’re carrying some credit card debt (like most people I know are), make sure you’re aware of the terms you’re borrowing under (‘cause you know credit cards are basically loans, right?). Don’t get caught for the okey-doke, for even a little while, like I did.

♥

Must Make Monday: Peach Crunch Cake Recipe

I am always looking for a quick and easy dessert that can be made with items I'm likely to have in my pantry. Call me wierd, but I almost always have a couple boxes of brownie mix, cake mix, various flowers and sugars hanging out in my pantry. I discovered this recipe one afternoon at work (while making my grocery list - score!) and opted to pick up a can of peaches, just in case I had time to throw this together. It took me about 2 weeks to get around to it, but its definitely a keeper.

This cake, courtesy of the immensely talented Bakerella, is essentially a dump cake. Its very similar to the Pumpkin Pie Cake I blogged about last fall. I wont say you cant mess this up, but I have a hard time imagining that you could. I recommend you go ahead the ingredients on your next shopping trip so you'll be ready when your next hankering for simple baked goodness appears.

♥

Ingredients
1 big can (28 oz) can of sliced peaches in light syrup
1 package yellow cake mix
1 stick butter (1/2 cup), cut into 16 pieces
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (I use pecans)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Layer ingredients in a 13 x 9 dish, in order starting with the peaches (juice and all). Bake for about 40 minutes.Serve warm or cold...with or without ice cream.

♥

J Heart P: ...til about 10:50am

Previously: girlparty in the bridal suite, time to put on the dress

Around 10:20 we left bridal suite to meet the Hyatt Place shuttle. I had arranged for the guys and the girls to (separately) take the hotel shuttle over to the venue. The boys were ordered instructed to be downstairs at 10:20 to meet the shuttle. We came down in time to hop on around 10:35. Chelsey left a little ahread of us so that she could snap a few pre-ceremony pics.


Our venue was absolutely perfect. Its an old church that is now a theater for the performing arts, right in the middle of West Palm Beach's favorite place to eat, live and shop. Cute cute cute.


My hostess team and Coordinator (my fab Godmommy) arrived around 10 to start on their various pre-ceremony tasks. The guests were scheduled to start arriving around 10:30. I'm not sure what time they actually showed up, and since I'm always afraid of people arriving before you're ready, I told the team to have the bathroom baskets and guestbook out as early as 10:20. Anal, I know.


This is Hub's awesome Aunt Phyllis signing the guest book (and smiling at the photos). Sidenote: Aunt Phyllis is gangsta..in a good way. She and MamaD are sisters-in-law, and have both been married almost 30 years. Definitely one of my favorite Auntie-in-Laws. Our guest book was a hit! It hung out on a table with the programs, positioned right where people entered the venue. It was a simple and elegant set-up; exactly what I envisioned.


If I had to guess, I'd say this picture was taken right around the time the doors were closed. See, I was adamant that our ceremony start on time. Belligerently adamant. I refused to have people waltzing into our large but intimate ceremony all late and was prepared to (have the hostesses) make an example out of someone if needed. I also didn't want them walking on our aisle runner before we had a chance to, so I had our florist line the side closest to the aisle with white ribbon and hydrangeas.  Again, simple and elegant. Oh, and effective. Guests were asked to arrive and be seated 10 minutes prior to ceremony start. The hostesses were closing the doors (per my instructions) at 10:50. Yeah...I know that was kinda gangsta.

But we started on time.

♥

Emergency Fund

I've been thinking about emergency funds alot lately. Particularly where ours should live and how much it should have in it. Note: this money is in addition to what lives in our savings accounts. It would be solely for use during an emergency situation, and will hopefully sit untouched for a very very very long time.

As far as how much it should have in it, in a perfect world, ours would have about $10K. But seeing that 10K was almost half of our wedding budget, and we have a laundry list of other savings/paying goals, 10K is not going to happen. So that got me to thinking about a more attainable goal. Like $1000. Granted, that wouldn't go terribly far, but it could handle some small-ish, unplanned car repair or our insurance deductibles. It could also purchase me a fab new laptop if mine suddenly decides to jump off the curb (which would be a total emergency for me and my dissertation). I imagine that as we move along - buy a home, have some kiddos - we'll need to move closer to the 10K. Until then, I think it'll be okay.

I pretty much have the location part figured out. I know us. This money needs to be out of sight yet reachable - so that we aren't tempted, but can access it if we need it. A few years ago I opened up a formerly high-interest bearing ING Savings account. We can thank the economic downturn for the emphasis on formerly. But anyway, storing our money with ING lets us earn a little money (and I do mean little), while only being about 2 business days away if we needed it.

Ahh, the joys of getting older and trying to be responsible...

How about you? Do you have an emergency fund? If so, H=how did you decide how much to stash in it?

♥

WW Wednesday 4/21/10

Must Make Monday: Southern-Style Baked Beans Recipe

I've always wanted to learn to make good baked beans. Like the one's you have when you eat out. Thick and tender, with bits of onion. Sweet from brown sugar, but still a little tangy. The perfect complement to barbecue. Well, last month, Naima and Bakari hosted a small fish fry and Hubs volunteered us to bring potato salad...from Walmart.

[insert incredulous gasp here]

Once I shut down that Walmart nonsense and offered to make some from scratch, I volunteered to bring baked beans as an accompaniment. Despite Naima not liking baked beans (or any bean, for that matter), I decided that since Bakari, Hubs and I like them, 3 out of 4 would have to do. Because baked beans were made to hang out with potato salad and fried fish.

This recipe is primarily courtesy of The Pioneer Woman. I only discovered her a few months ago, but she makes some seriously tasty food. Her original recipe serves 18, so I did some creative hacking and adapted this for 4-6. Not surprisingly, bacon is a stand out star in this show. And honestly, I think the bacon is what ultimately got Naima to try these beans. She loved them. And we did too.

♥

Ingredients
3 slices thick-cut bacon, halved
1 small onion, cut into small dice
1/4 medium green pepper, cut into small dice
1 large can (28 oz) pork and beans
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1.5 tbs cup distilled or cider vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard

Directions
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Fry bacon in large, deep sauté pan skillet until bacon has partially cooked and released about 1/4 cup drippings. Remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towels. Add onions and peppers to drippings in pan and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans and remaining ingredients bring to a simmer. (If skillet is not large enough, add beans and heat to a simmer then transfer to a large bowl and stir in remaining ingredients). Pour flavored beans into a greased smallish (e.g. 1-2 quart) baking dish. Top with bacon, then bake until beans are bubbly and sauce is the consistency of pancake syrup, about 2 hours. Let stand to thicken slightly and serve.

Serves 4-6

Strawberry Jam

"Jam, whoa jam." -- Guy

Last Thursday I decided to make strawberry jam. Who knows why. But I do know that strawberries are very reasonable right now, and this batch of jam cost me about $3. I know you're probably thinking "Why would I bother making it when I can BUY jam for $3?" Well, because the homemade stuff tastes better. End of story.

Just kidding! I wouldn't leave you hanging like that. I've come equipped with pics and an easy peasy recipe to follow.

The ingredients: strawberries, sugar and lemon juice. MamaP turned me on to this Minute Maid juice. Its super cheap and can be found in the freezer section. I always have a bottle in my fridge and one in my freezer.

Gotta remove the tops. I probably could have removed a little less top, but ah well.

Load the berries into your food chopper or processor (or just cut them up kinda small). 

I'm a little anal, so I cut them in half before throwing them in my chopper.

Love this little chopper! It was a gift from MamaP (as is a good bit of my kitchen gear).  I think she got it for like $5 from Walgreens - lol.

 Throw your berries in a skillet with the sugar and lemon juice. Give it a good stir and cook over medium heat.

After about 15 minutes it will look like this. Watch it though - bubbles are good, but in moderation.

That spot in the middle is where I stuck my spoon. If I had thought about it I would have made a heart.  But you can see that my jam is clearly staying put. Its ready!

I served the still warm jam that night over biscuits. Yup, just jam and biscuits for dinner. No pics because we kinda ate them before I remembered I should snap a picture. So you'll have to use your imagination...or make your own batch. Mmmmm, jam.

Ingredients:
1 Quart Strawberries (about 4 cups)
1/2 Cup Sugar
2 Tbsps Fresh Lemon Juice

Directions
1. Clean and hull the strawberries, then put them into a food processor until they are coarsely chopped. Don't over chop them, they should still be chunky.
2. Place the chopped strawberries into a skillet and stir in the sugar and lemon juice
3. Cook the ingredients over medium heat, about 10-15 minutes. The jam should be thick enough that if you move a spoon through it, it leaves a path, and there should be bubbles all over the surface.
4. Transfer to a jam jar and let cool.

♥

WW Wednesday 4/14/10

J Heart P: Time to Put on the Dress

*Due to some technical difficulties, some of you may be reading this for the second time. Sorry!!*

Previously: girl party in the bridal suite

Last I left off, my hair and makeup were done and all the 'maids were dressed. And we were on schedule (!). For the sake of the budget, we asked our photographer Chelsey to arrive at 10am. Her first order of business: formal dress photos!

::swoon::

She also snapped a nice pic of the 'maids gifts that were stashed in a corner. I spent a good bit of planning time plotting my 'maids gifts. I mean I went back and forth about them and ultimately decided that while almost everyone would get the same thing, they'd be as personalized as possible. Every maid received: a resuable shopping tote with their initial on it (pictured above), a small clutch, teal and kiwi earrings, a silver bracelet with a heart charm, and one of my bridesmaid's emergency kits.

Interestingly, as much thought as I put into them, I almost forgot to give them out! They were out of sight (on purpose) and it wasn't until I was almost dressed that I remembered. See, that's what happens when you don't put stuff on your day-of timeline - lol.

There was lots of smiling and hugging. They loved them!

Now it was time to get dressed. Wait, no. I should say now it was time for my dress elves MdOH Dani and MnOH Krissi to go to work. You'd think they had a meeting to strategize or something. It was so quick and painless. The smoothest thing ever. Seriously, all I had to do was do what they told me to do....

...and the next thing I knew, I was in that dress. It was so fast, you wouldnt know that my dress had a corset AND fully-functional buttons going up the back. I had read somewhere that knitting needles would help tremendously with buttons, and I think they did. The whole thing was like magic. Not a single hair out of place, not a bit of makeup smudged. You'd think they did this professionally. I'm still in awe just thinking about it.

How fun is this shoe shot? Flat shoes are so me, and having my toes out all day ended up being so comfy! However, I should have picked up on how heavy my dress was - it got really hot underneath and picking it all up was more than a notion. More on that later though.

Althea my stylist ended up on veil duty. Idunno who normally handles that part, but it made sense for Althea to place the veil since she had placed everything else on my head that day - hehehe.

Dress, check. Vera Bradley clutch in wedding colors, check. Engagement ring on right hand, check.

Quick kiss from MamaP, check. Sidenote: I think this is one of MamaP's favorite ways to kiss me. I have several pictures of us, just like this, through the years. She's so cute.

Right after this picture was taken, I shouted out my final pre-departure time check request. Since the girls had taken my phone, I had to keep asking what time it was so that we stayed on schedule (always the planner). As I suspected it was time to go. So we all hopped in the elevator...

..and emerged in the lobby so that we could take the 10 minute ride over to the venue.

It was time to get married, and I was ready! ♥

[all photos courtesy of our fab photographer Chelsey!]

Spotted: Personalized Wire Hangers

[source]

Normally I don't get excited about wire hangers, but just look at them! Made by Etsy seller LilaFrances and found via Heather at We Met in a Bar, these suckers make me swoon. I'm pretty sure they're made for wedding dresses and/or lingerie. Perfect for those coveted wedding dress pictures (wait, people don't have pro pics taken of their lingerie, right?). Since I'm past that (and my dress will soon be leaving the building), luckily they also come with just a heart or wee-sized for little one's.

[source]

[source]

I really wanna find a reason to get one of these.

♥

Must Make Monday: Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad Recipe

A few weeks ago I co-hosted a baby shower at work. I was primarily in charge of favors and decor, but I wanted to help Lisa (my co-host) with something on the food side. Namely something with meat in it, as she and the then mommy-to-be are vegetarians. For some reason I got it in my head that chicken salad would be perfect and that I'd serve it on sliced rolls for mini sandwiches. I know, I know. Just making more work for myself. Since it was for a work event I wanted it to be relatively easy, but still kinda impressive and exceptionally tasty. This chicken salad from Annie's Eats delivered on all fronts.

In a perfect world I'd have some of this made every week for my lunches. But since I don't live in a perfect world, I'll have to settle for sharing it with you (hehehe, you're totally welcome).

Oh, by the way, this is definitely one of those "tailor to your tastes" recipes. If you don't do nuts (like Hubs, though it didn't stop him from sampling it), or cranberries, or chicken even, simply substitute them or leave them out.

♥

Ingredients
4 cups of cubed cooked chicken
1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped (I skipped toasting them)
1 rib celery, finely diced
2-4 tbsp. finely minced onion
1 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup light mayonnaise
1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt
3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. minced flat-leaf parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions
Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl. Mix well until thoroughly combined. Adjust shallot and seasonings to taste. Transfer to an air-tight container and refrigerate for 30 minutes or more to allow flavors to meld. Serve.

Snapshot Sunday: New Car

Snapshot Sunday: my newest blog feature. One picture, one paragraph, one quick glimpse into the goings on in Smithville. Enjoy!

If you follow us on Twitter or are our friends on Facebook, then this is old news. But for everyone else, a few weeks ago we bought Hubs a new-to-us Dodge Charger. This is the first time time either of us has purchased a car (MamaP purchased Ash for me), and I was incredibly nervous. We went to Carmax and thankfully didn't feel pressured to buy at any time. The car has low mileage and is only 2 years old - overall, a pretty good deal. Not to mention Hubs loves it to pieces. That above all else makes it completely worthwhile. See that look on his face? Its priceless.

♥

Must Make Monday: Peach Cobbler Muffin Recipe

I'm thinking of starting a new feature on the blog...well, actually several. Partly to motivate me to post, partly to organize the posts a bit. Naturally, there needs to be a place for my recipes that I keep saying you must make, so right now they're moving to Mondays. Lets just play the scheduling thing by ear, kay?

Last Tuesday I made Peach Cobbler muffins. Tuesday evening, Hubs had one. It took him a curiously long time to respond, but when he did, he swooned. And grinned. And told me I was the best wife on the planet. And then he got slightly irate becuase he thought I'd been holding out on him (I hadn't). And then told me that these were the best muffins ever, and that I only needed to make these from now on. The next morning he called me at work. Not to talk about his day, or ask how mine was going but to find out what he had to do to get me to make more of these muffins.

I've created a monster. ::sigh::

I must admit that the muffins are good. Reaalllly good. So good that I willingly agreed to make another batch for the Smiths during our Easter visit. Hubs had hyped them up, and they delivered in a major way. Thankfully one of their best features is that MamaD (my mommy-inlaw) already had everything but the oats and peaches (which I brought with me). Even with her expired baking powder (smh), they turned out great.

If you enjoy peach cobbler, but would maybe like the flavors for breakfast, this is your muffin. I also think that baked apples or even mixed berries would be nice as a muffin-izing of apple pie or berry cobbler.

Peach cobbler + muffin = yum.

♥

Ingredients
1 1/4 cup self rising flour
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
29 ounce can peaches, drained well and chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions
Prepare muffin pan by spraying with Pam or using muffin liners. In large bowl, mix flour, brown sugar, oats and cinnamon. In separate bowl, mix beaten eggs, peaches, oil and vanilla. Pour egg mixture all at once into flour mixture: stir just until flour is moistened. Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes at 400 degrees or until tested done. Makes one dozen.