Cooking. "Eating burnt suppers the whole first year, And askin' for seconds to keep her from tearin' up. Yeah, man, that's The Good Stuff." Yep, that Kenny Chesney song pretty much described us :) The first year and a half we lived in our house Hub and I mostly ate TV dinners for lunch and dinner or, since Hub worked evenings, I would eat at my parents and bring him home a plate nightly. Then I moved on to learn how to cook basic meals- pasta with meatballs became our number one favorite. Easy, and I could change it up with different sauces. Fast forward to today, 2 years and 10 months since we moved in our home. I'm finally getting the hang of it! I'm so ready to learn- I thought before I'd NEVER learn how to cook and had absolutely no desire to (I think this was the actual problem). I'm now starting to enjoy picking out new recipes, planning meals, grocery shopping, and pretending to be a chef. I've mentioned this before- but my goal is to try out two new recipes each week. So far, I've been doing well! I'm heading into my fourth week, and all meals have been a success. I also like to try recipes that will throw in an ingredient I've never used before. Foodie Hub is loving it!
Photography. I love viewing the awesome awesome photos of professional and amateur photographers in the blog-world. I wish I could take photos like that. I wish I took a photography class, maybe one day I will?. This would be my niche if I had one. For now I'll just continue taking pictures of events, family, friends and editing them for my own enjoyment! But I do hope to learn more- skills- one day, and be able to take great photos.
Creativity. Scrap-booking is about as creative as I have ever pushed myself. I dabbled in that since the age of 14 when I received a kit as a gift. I stopped last year. It really was fun, a good hobby. I love looking back at my books. I don't know if I'll pick it up again or not...it gets expensive buying all the materials, and slightly time-consuming. And, well, I love Shutterfly :)
I've seen so many DIY projects that I'm interested in. Hopefully, I can get up the courage to tackle
Decorating. How I would I love to re-decorate most rooms in my house! With the exterior of the house soon to be re-done (thanks hail storm!) I'm itching to start a makeover inside. Now all I need is a little extra cash and ideas that will work for the areas. I'll be on the look out ;)
Baby goods. I have so many new ideas for whenever I have a little one. From nursery decor to the tiniest of accessories, how will I be able to pass up sooo many cute things?
Stories. I've read so many heartfelt stories about how family's have handled or are handling life's hardships. Most of these, unthinkable. But these amazing people stay strong and push through while sharing their journey with the world. It makes me realize that every single day is a blessing. I now want and try to be a better human being, wife, daughter, sister, aunt, friend. I try not to get mad at the little things anymore. I judge less, you never know. I love more. And, I appreciate everything and everyone I have in my life.
I'm loving all this motivation & inspiration!
Happenings.
Good News: Our roof was delivered! Which means we will have a whole new roof SOON! Still waiting for the siding and shutters.
Not So Good News: Kali is at now to Applejack K9 Academy for two weeks :( She's showing a bit of possessive aggression towards the other dogs. Nothing too serious, but it needs to be corrected. Applejack's is a wonderful family-run facility and I'm very optimistic about it. They've trained our other dogs (for basic leash training). And, I volunteered there for awhile when I was younger. I know she'll do great, Kali is a smart smart girl. My family hates to do this to her but it is for the best. She's already loved so much that it feels like she's been always been apart of the family, and it's hard to leave her. I wish I could fast forward two weeks!
Great News: A two week fast forward would also be super because we're headed to NYC Labor Day Weekend!! I'm SO excited. As a first-timer I'm sure it will be a feast for the eyes! I want to see as much as I can in the short time frame we're there. I have a penciled itinerary of what we want to do, but I'm taking it lightly, because I know it won't go as planned!
That's all. For now. (Sorry so long!)