What's For Dinner?

As a newlywed wife coming straight off a ramen noodle and cereal diet in college, the task of preparing dinner for my food-lovin husband was more than a little scary for me. Add that fear on top of my OCD personality and we were left with quite a dilemma. My solution? A menu board. A way for me to stay organize, grocery shop efficiently, and please the hubby's belly. I knew that I needed a plan for the week, I wanted Adam's input on the meals, and I needed a way to stay organized with all the details of meal planning such as remembering to pull out the frozen chicken to de-thaw while I'm still in my 5am coma,  and actually turning on the crock-pot once you have placed items in it, etc.  (Holy run-on sentence!! ) 
Here's what I came up with...

I designed this little baby using binder clips, an old canvas (flipped over), some ribbon, card stock, and some index cards. All things I had lying around the house, which is a major plus. It sits on our kitchen counter, where I can glance at it every day before I leave for work.

We choose our meals on Sunday out of my recipe books, I write the meal down on strips of index cards and attach them to the day of the week, I then pull the recipes from by cookbooks and place them in the "Recipe" folder to be easily accessible during the week while I'm brewing up our supper.

So far this system has saved me lots of headaches and helped me to feel quite productive in the kitchen. It also gives Adam a lot of input, since he does have to eat the crap food delights I prepare. Though we don't always stick perfectly to the menu, I always know what ingredients I have on hand and can cook on the weekend if we happened to skip it during the week. I am going to start posting some of my favorite recipes soon, but to keep you satisfied, here are a list of websites I frequent to gather recipe inspiration from...

The Pioneer Woman

Tasty Kitchen

Big Girls, Small Kitchen

Picky Palate

Cheap, Healthy, Good

So do you keep meals organized somehow? Bon Apetit! Enjoy!!

A Little Face Lift...

For 10 months now, I have been looking at this eye sore...

 And a close up...

Isn't she pretty? I think NOT! The hubs and I finally decided to give our front flower bed a major overhaul. Through lots of potting soil, mulch, and a few hours at our local nursery, we ended up with a lovely and welcoming entrance to casa Kizziah. See for yourself...

I must confess I did very little of the work. I mostly just bossed him around supervised the project, while Adam did all of the manual labor. I'm so lucky, right? We decided to go with Aztec grass along the front, Japanese dwarf mock orange bushes staggered in the middle, and finally Red ties along the back. I love all the contrasting colors and how it frames the front of the house without covering up the front windows and seating area. I also love that all of these plants are year-round bloomers and don't need to be re-planted every year or covered in the winter. Major plus for this girl with absolutely no green thumb! A close up shot....

So there you have it...some brand new landscaping. Here's to hoping I'll be a little more diligent about blog posting in March!!

You Tube Tuesday: Take Twelve

So, yeah, it's technically Wednesday, but I was lazy busy yesterday and forgot to post this A.MAZING video. My favorite and oh-so-talented little sis found this precious girl on the internet and I just had to share it with you all. She is not only super talented, but also super adorable! Hope you enjoy Maria's cover of Lady Gaga's "Born this Way." I personally think she does it better than Gaga!

Love Day...

First of all, have you missed me? We have been without internet for about a week and a half...ugh!! For the record, I hate all internet companies! It seems no matter which state I am, they are all awful. With that being said, I'm back to blogging! Yay! I know you are all jumping for joy!! :) 

So with my minor blip in internet service I couldn't even post pictures from my most dreaded favorite Holiday, Valentine's Day. I actually really don't enjoy the holiday. Not because I have been scarred by any horrible past experience, I guess I'm just a hopeless romantic and would much rather get a lovely gift on the random 3rd Wednesday of the month than on a set "expected" day. Does that make since? Anyway, boy does my hubby know me well. Here's a look at my D-day V-day present...

A candy bouquet!! So much better than roses!! I'm a lucky woman!

Macy was feeling the love too...

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day or S.A.D. day (single's awareness day) as my student's so lovingly refer to it...

You Tube Tuesday: Take Eleven

This video is not only precious, but so funny too! This little girl has learned at a young age what is appropriate "attire" for boys to see her in, and she is so very smart!!  This is the segment from the Bonnie Hunt show, which I think is cute, but there is also a full-length audio recording if you are interested...

Feliz Cumpleanos

Today's post goes out to my one of a kind hubby on his 31st birthday. I am unbelievably blessed to have married such a wonderfully selfless, Godly man who for some reason has decided to love me back :) We have had a whirl-wind birthday weekend complete with a hay ride, bonfire, spaghetti dinner, a bout with the stomach bug, and wonderful gifts from the wonderful people in our lives. 

For those of you who know my Adam, you know that being celebrated is not something he has always been accustomed too. Growing up in a children's home, and being essentially parent-less, birthdays haven't always been a big deal in his life. Well time for that to change. Here's to you Adam!! My best friend, and partner in life. I celebrate you for all you are and all you will become. You light up my life, bring me infinite joy, and hold my hand as we navigate this newlywed journey together. You are amazing, handsome, smart, and HILARIOUS!! I can't imagine my life without you.

Happy Birthday!! 

I love you now and forever. 

 

That's What He said 3

I'm sorry I've been a little out of commission this week! We have been rearranging the junk room office, resulting in no internet for the week. So now back to our regular scheduled programming. 

To Get One's Hair Cute; adjective

1. To get chewed out

2. To get the raw end of the deal

Context:

Adam: I had a meeting with the boss man today. 

Me: Oh yeah? How did it go?

Adam: Well, I took a hair cut.