As you might have imagined, I really enjoy reading other people's blogs. There is only so much you can do when you hit that 2:00 pm slump and are waiting for the caffeine to kick in. My sister in law sent me this blog and it is awesome!! I am always looking for new things to cook, and tonight, I may have made Mike's favorite dinner so far. It was so easy, and it was delicious!
So, I am giving y'all this blog just in case you are sitting at work trying to figure out what in the world to make for dinner. Tonight I stood in line at the grocery store for AN HOUR. Why? You may be wondering? Well, there is a chance that we could have freezing rain starting around noon tomorrow. Everyone was out of their house stocking up. I loved it! I read an entire People magazine while I was waiting in line and did not mind for a minute. Now I am just hoping that we actually get a snow day!
So, try these recipes. Tonight we had the chicken tenders and they were wonderful!!
http://yummyloveonabudget.blogspot.com/
http://yummyloveonabudget.blogspot.com/
Monday, January 31, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
It All Began With a Birthday...
Yes, I have been out of commission recently. Mike had a birthday Jan. 20, and I was all prepared to write about it. I even have pictures! However, the birthday took a turn for the worst!
To begin, Mike and I love birthdays. Between the two of us, we probably celebrate our birthdays for two weeks out of the year. Why not celebrate you or someone you love for as long as you can? Mike's birthday was on a Thursday this year, which of course meant that he had class until 10 pm. I made a cake:
And we opened presents:
We celebrated Friday night by going to get some Mexican food, and then Saturday night we had reservations at a wonderful little French restaurant called, Cadot. For Christmas, Julia and Laura got us a gift certificate to this restaurant, and it worked out perfectly that we were able to use this to celebrate Mike's birthday! I wanted to take pictures of all the wonderful food, but Mike informed me that was embarrassing...I will tell you, we had escargot, soup, salad, duck and rack of lamb. We even had a souffle for dessert!
It was a great dinner, and on my way back from the restroom, I heard a couple of people speaking French. Well, I dabbled in French in high school in college (read: I have the worst southern accent and am horrible at languages.) Regardless, I got really excited and attempted to jump in this conversation. "Bonjour!" It ended up with Chef Cadot sitting down with us, buying Mike and I a glass of wine and talking to us a little bit about opening the restaurant.
After dinner we headed home. As any normal person decides at 1 am, I wanted to change the sheets. I had been meaning to do this for several days and just hadn't gotten around to it. I went into the laundry room and grabbed the sheets out of the dryer. As I was walking out, I tripped over the laundry basket and somehow either fell onto the doorknob, or fell without any arms to break my fall. I hit the left side of my ribs and lay on the floor writhing in pain. Yes. So, what do you do if you have broken/bruised a rib? Well, after you get done convincing yourself that your rib is broken and has also punctured your lung, and your husband has informed you that you probably would not be speaking or breathing properly if this had occurred, you wait. There is nothing you can do. So no, I haven't been to the doctor. I have been taking A LOT of Advil and trying to keep my body stable, which is hard to do as I am antsy and clutsy. Regardless, that is where I have been.
So, I am trying to take it easy this weekend and rest up. My mom is actually in town with one of her best friends and we have gotten to see them some, but that is a whole other post. I will keep you updated!!!
To begin, Mike and I love birthdays. Between the two of us, we probably celebrate our birthdays for two weeks out of the year. Why not celebrate you or someone you love for as long as you can? Mike's birthday was on a Thursday this year, which of course meant that he had class until 10 pm. I made a cake:
And we opened presents:
We celebrated Friday night by going to get some Mexican food, and then Saturday night we had reservations at a wonderful little French restaurant called, Cadot. For Christmas, Julia and Laura got us a gift certificate to this restaurant, and it worked out perfectly that we were able to use this to celebrate Mike's birthday! I wanted to take pictures of all the wonderful food, but Mike informed me that was embarrassing...I will tell you, we had escargot, soup, salad, duck and rack of lamb. We even had a souffle for dessert!
It was a great dinner, and on my way back from the restroom, I heard a couple of people speaking French. Well, I dabbled in French in high school in college (read: I have the worst southern accent and am horrible at languages.) Regardless, I got really excited and attempted to jump in this conversation. "Bonjour!" It ended up with Chef Cadot sitting down with us, buying Mike and I a glass of wine and talking to us a little bit about opening the restaurant.
After dinner we headed home. As any normal person decides at 1 am, I wanted to change the sheets. I had been meaning to do this for several days and just hadn't gotten around to it. I went into the laundry room and grabbed the sheets out of the dryer. As I was walking out, I tripped over the laundry basket and somehow either fell onto the doorknob, or fell without any arms to break my fall. I hit the left side of my ribs and lay on the floor writhing in pain. Yes. So, what do you do if you have broken/bruised a rib? Well, after you get done convincing yourself that your rib is broken and has also punctured your lung, and your husband has informed you that you probably would not be speaking or breathing properly if this had occurred, you wait. There is nothing you can do. So no, I haven't been to the doctor. I have been taking A LOT of Advil and trying to keep my body stable, which is hard to do as I am antsy and clutsy. Regardless, that is where I have been.
So, I am trying to take it easy this weekend and rest up. My mom is actually in town with one of her best friends and we have gotten to see them some, but that is a whole other post. I will keep you updated!!!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Budget Cuts
Right before we got married, several people told me that there are generally three things newlyweds fight about: money, sex and in-laws. Now, some things are just too private for even THIS blog, so I am going to tell you about how Mike and I are trying to come to terms with different "budgeting" ideas. It's a very odd feeling to go from having your "own" money that you can spend without asking anyone, to merging into "our" money where another person must be considered before that debit card slides through the machine. I will admit, although my parents attempted to teach my financial responsibility, I think I was a slow learner. We actually started getting a monthly budget when we were 10, and when the money was out, it was out. This included our clothes, going out with friends, etc. I was always out of money about 10 days in, while my middle sister seemed to be building her 401K in the coffee can in her room. (Apparently, you can never start too early.)
When I left the nest, I discovered this amazing thing - the credit card. You mean I can walk into Banana Republic, buy an entire season's worth of clothes and it is not going to affect my bank account? I can tell you, I learned the hard way not to get store credit cards (with 25% interest rates...) Regardless, it has been interesting to see how these financial beliefs have played out in our marriage.
I have suddenly become very frugal on certain things. It drives me nuts when there are lights left on in rooms that we are not in.(Yes, I am my father's daughter. In fact, we used to get fined $1 if we left the light or stereo on in our rooms.) Mike and I are enjoying our first winter together where the energy bill comes out of our budget. The thermostat is constantly being pushed up or down by one of us. I keep telling Mike to layer up, while he tells me that it's abnormal to sit with two blankets and a sweatshirt on whenever I am in the house. (I still really want a snuggie...) Believe me, I have my own issues. I will tell you, I can't remember the last time I bought a new piece of clothing. I am feeling very out of touch with whatever is going on in the fashion industry right now, but thankfully my mother in law saved me over Christmas and got some things so I am not embarrassed to go out in public.
The first time that I went to get my hair cut and highlighted, Mike almost had a heart attack. He never realized just how much it costs to maintain this high level of beauty :-) Manicures and pedicures were cut out a long time ago, but I refuse to let my hair be two different colors. The great thing is, Mike ran this conversation by several of our newly married friends. My favorite reply so far has been by one of his groomsmen: "Don't even try to fight this one. The hair is non-negotiable." Of course, Mike continued to argue the point, but I think my window of opportunity may still be open! (Besides, when he is arguing that wings are a necessity, I do think there is a little wiggle room!)
Aside from that, I am trying very hard to do all those things that people suggest you do to save money. Make the grocery list before I go to the store, cut out the salon shampoo and stick with the drug store brands..any tips are welcome! I am not a coupon cutter - never have been, and probably never will be. (Just a warning.) But, we are definitely trying to cut as many corners as we can...if that means that we sleep under 2 comforters, that is just the way it is going to have to be. I mean, we do live in Texas, y'all!
When I left the nest, I discovered this amazing thing - the credit card. You mean I can walk into Banana Republic, buy an entire season's worth of clothes and it is not going to affect my bank account? I can tell you, I learned the hard way not to get store credit cards (with 25% interest rates...) Regardless, it has been interesting to see how these financial beliefs have played out in our marriage.
I have suddenly become very frugal on certain things. It drives me nuts when there are lights left on in rooms that we are not in.(Yes, I am my father's daughter. In fact, we used to get fined $1 if we left the light or stereo on in our rooms.) Mike and I are enjoying our first winter together where the energy bill comes out of our budget. The thermostat is constantly being pushed up or down by one of us. I keep telling Mike to layer up, while he tells me that it's abnormal to sit with two blankets and a sweatshirt on whenever I am in the house. (I still really want a snuggie...) Believe me, I have my own issues. I will tell you, I can't remember the last time I bought a new piece of clothing. I am feeling very out of touch with whatever is going on in the fashion industry right now, but thankfully my mother in law saved me over Christmas and got some things so I am not embarrassed to go out in public.
The first time that I went to get my hair cut and highlighted, Mike almost had a heart attack. He never realized just how much it costs to maintain this high level of beauty :-) Manicures and pedicures were cut out a long time ago, but I refuse to let my hair be two different colors. The great thing is, Mike ran this conversation by several of our newly married friends. My favorite reply so far has been by one of his groomsmen: "Don't even try to fight this one. The hair is non-negotiable." Of course, Mike continued to argue the point, but I think my window of opportunity may still be open! (Besides, when he is arguing that wings are a necessity, I do think there is a little wiggle room!)
Aside from that, I am trying very hard to do all those things that people suggest you do to save money. Make the grocery list before I go to the store, cut out the salon shampoo and stick with the drug store brands..any tips are welcome! I am not a coupon cutter - never have been, and probably never will be. (Just a warning.) But, we are definitely trying to cut as many corners as we can...if that means that we sleep under 2 comforters, that is just the way it is going to have to be. I mean, we do live in Texas, y'all!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Happy New Year!!
Before I launch into Christmas Vacation 2010, CONGRATULATIONS to Emily and Nouhou on their little boy, Indihi. Emily and I have known each other since we were 2 years old, and she is very much a sister to me. Indihi was born in New York on December 22nd, right before a major blizzard. Truly a Christmas gift; he is just adorable!! Now we are just waiting on Rachel's little girl to come in February. A real year of babies!
Now, a Blackburn/Cherbonneau Christmas. I feel like we have been traveling for months, but it was only a week and a half! Mike and I headed to ALABAMA (and yes, I did throw my hands up in the air when we passed the state line) on the 22nd, planning to arrive for dinner. The fact that we weren't packed or ready to go that morning did not factor into our plans. We rolled in around midnight. Thankfully, my sweet mother, who I had not seen in six months, waited up for us.
I think Mike had a good time on his first Christmas away...he got some good loot and taught my family how incredibly competitive he can get over a game of dominoes. It was so nice to spend the holidays with him though. This is the first time in our entire dating career that we have spent Christmas or Thanksgiving together! I just wasn't willing to give it up. A few things I know Mike is not looking forward to next year:
1) The family "after dinner walk" on Christmas....I think my father made it longer this year, and I KNOW he added in a hill/mountain. Was this to prove that he is still the head of the household? We'll never know. What I do know - it was snowing this year as we trudged through the neighborhood.
2)Our entire family waking up at 8 am to open presents. We don't mess around on Christmas. I love my sleep, but I can tell you, I still can't fall asleep on Christmas Eve. It is just too exciting! I love watching our family open things we have specifically picked out for them, and am proud of my sisters (and myself) for slowly learning to attempt to hide our disdain when we open something that is "so not for us." PS - I did get the Julia Child's 2 Volume Cookbook...I will let you know how that goes. Maybe after we lose that holiday weight :-)
Hopefully, there are some things that Mike was happy with. I always love it when our entire family gets together...there is a lot of joking, laughing and always, wine. Apparently now, there is also dominoes, Jersey style.
On the 26th, we loaded up again (minus Lullabelle - she is quite the traveler, but not up for 3 massive dogs.) We were in Atlanta in time for a lobster feast. I am always amazed with Mike's mother. She sets a table like you are in a 5 star restaurant every time we eat. I accidentally filled my water goblet with wine....that's embarrassing! My new sister in law is pregnant with a little girl, and we had so much fun watching my little nephew run around. I really enjoyed spending time with their family, even though it was only a few days. We opened presents over a period of one evening and one morning, and I got some great things!
Mike's father is called the Riddler, and this is almost specific to Christmas. Each year, he hides at least one present among the presents that have been opened. During one of Mrs. C's first Christmases with Mr. C, he gave her a box of Cracker Jacks, informing her that he heard pregnant women liked Cracker Jacks. (She was pregnant.) She put that box, unopened, in the pantry for several months stating that she did not, in fact, like Cracker Jacks, and that the old wive's tale was false. When her father came over a few months later, he opened the box for a snack and found a gold ring inside! Mr. C never said a word.
This year, when everyone finished opening presents, Mr. C looked around and said, "Let's determine who was most likely tricked this year." Everyone's head turned to me. After some tough searching,and a lot of help from Mike, I found several great gift certificates.
Ok, finally - I haven't gotten to tell you about meeting all my friends babies!! We kept trying to meet for lunch, and everyone's schedule (mainly mine) kept fluctuating. We finally planned to get up early from Atlanta and drive back to Birmingham in time for lunch. Wouldn't you know, as we were leaving the house, we noted that traffic was at a standstill. As we crept along, we heard on the traffic radio that a BRUSH FIRE had started, and the ramp to get onto the highway was closed. This only happens to us. However, I was able to see each of those babies individually, and they are absolutely adorable. So sorry Ellen, that I kept trying to wake Kate up...she's just so freaking cute! Emily, I am sorry that my father called sweet Harper, who was dressed all in pink, a boy. I was mortified. Rachel, you look absolutely adorable!! I can only hope that when I am pregnant I look as cute as you!
So. We are back in Texas and looking forward to this year. I think it is going to be a great one! Lots of resolutions already...just waiting to see how long I can keep them. Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and is ready to embrace 2011!
Now, a Blackburn/Cherbonneau Christmas. I feel like we have been traveling for months, but it was only a week and a half! Mike and I headed to ALABAMA (and yes, I did throw my hands up in the air when we passed the state line) on the 22nd, planning to arrive for dinner. The fact that we weren't packed or ready to go that morning did not factor into our plans. We rolled in around midnight. Thankfully, my sweet mother, who I had not seen in six months, waited up for us.
I think Mike had a good time on his first Christmas away...he got some good loot and taught my family how incredibly competitive he can get over a game of dominoes. It was so nice to spend the holidays with him though. This is the first time in our entire dating career that we have spent Christmas or Thanksgiving together! I just wasn't willing to give it up. A few things I know Mike is not looking forward to next year:
1) The family "after dinner walk" on Christmas....I think my father made it longer this year, and I KNOW he added in a hill/mountain. Was this to prove that he is still the head of the household? We'll never know. What I do know - it was snowing this year as we trudged through the neighborhood.
2)Our entire family waking up at 8 am to open presents. We don't mess around on Christmas. I love my sleep, but I can tell you, I still can't fall asleep on Christmas Eve. It is just too exciting! I love watching our family open things we have specifically picked out for them, and am proud of my sisters (and myself) for slowly learning to attempt to hide our disdain when we open something that is "so not for us." PS - I did get the Julia Child's 2 Volume Cookbook...I will let you know how that goes. Maybe after we lose that holiday weight :-)
Hopefully, there are some things that Mike was happy with. I always love it when our entire family gets together...there is a lot of joking, laughing and always, wine. Apparently now, there is also dominoes, Jersey style.
On the 26th, we loaded up again (minus Lullabelle - she is quite the traveler, but not up for 3 massive dogs.) We were in Atlanta in time for a lobster feast. I am always amazed with Mike's mother. She sets a table like you are in a 5 star restaurant every time we eat. I accidentally filled my water goblet with wine....that's embarrassing! My new sister in law is pregnant with a little girl, and we had so much fun watching my little nephew run around. I really enjoyed spending time with their family, even though it was only a few days. We opened presents over a period of one evening and one morning, and I got some great things!
Mike's father is called the Riddler, and this is almost specific to Christmas. Each year, he hides at least one present among the presents that have been opened. During one of Mrs. C's first Christmases with Mr. C, he gave her a box of Cracker Jacks, informing her that he heard pregnant women liked Cracker Jacks. (She was pregnant.) She put that box, unopened, in the pantry for several months stating that she did not, in fact, like Cracker Jacks, and that the old wive's tale was false. When her father came over a few months later, he opened the box for a snack and found a gold ring inside! Mr. C never said a word.
This year, when everyone finished opening presents, Mr. C looked around and said, "Let's determine who was most likely tricked this year." Everyone's head turned to me. After some tough searching,and a lot of help from Mike, I found several great gift certificates.
Ok, finally - I haven't gotten to tell you about meeting all my friends babies!! We kept trying to meet for lunch, and everyone's schedule (mainly mine) kept fluctuating. We finally planned to get up early from Atlanta and drive back to Birmingham in time for lunch. Wouldn't you know, as we were leaving the house, we noted that traffic was at a standstill. As we crept along, we heard on the traffic radio that a BRUSH FIRE had started, and the ramp to get onto the highway was closed. This only happens to us. However, I was able to see each of those babies individually, and they are absolutely adorable. So sorry Ellen, that I kept trying to wake Kate up...she's just so freaking cute! Emily, I am sorry that my father called sweet Harper, who was dressed all in pink, a boy. I was mortified. Rachel, you look absolutely adorable!! I can only hope that when I am pregnant I look as cute as you!
So. We are back in Texas and looking forward to this year. I think it is going to be a great one! Lots of resolutions already...just waiting to see how long I can keep them. Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and is ready to embrace 2011!
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