Updates

I have not been writing much lately. I know I am slacking. Things are just scary now at work and even more scary from a recent announcement today. Still nothing confirmed but will be soon. I still am doing my no spend challenge and but failed this weekend. I bought new running shorts and a cheap dress from Ross. I know I should have but it was probably my depressive state that drove me to do it. No more going forward....except for the $25 off I have at Ann Taylor Loft.

Last week Tony and I ate dinner at home Friday night. Our local Earth Fare has free wine testing every other Friday night on the patio with live music. We stopped off for the wine tasting after dinner and then headed out to a movie. With my Visa signature card we get one free movie ticket in June and July when we buy one. I talked Tony into seeing Bridesmaids. It was so funny.

Saturday I made steak, garlic and rosemary potatoes, and blueberry cheese cake cups. Earth Fare had their Fillet Mignon on sale 50% off. If you are not familiar with Earth Fare they are our local organic food store. This meat was fresh right from the butcher. Probably slaughtered the cow that morning. It is originally $25 a pound. This was a treat for me since I have not eaten red meat in probably six months. This steak really was the best we ever had. I went back Sunday to pick up six more cuts to freeze. I did not take pictures of the steak but did of the potatoes and cheese cake. I will add pictures later.

Garlic and Rosemary Potatoes

Ingredients:

About 2 pounds red potatoes

3 cloves are garlic crushed

2 tablespoons rosemary

Salt

Pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the potatoes into quarters. Spray a 8 1/2 x 11 baking dish with cooking spray. Add potatoes. Stir in olive oil, garlic cloves, and rosemary. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook for about 45 minutes to an hour. Check at the 45 minute mark by putting a fork into the potatoes. If it is soft they are done. Cook time will depend on how big your potatoes are.

Garlic Rosemary Potatoes

For the blueberry cheese cake cup cakes I used a recipe from Gina's Skinny Taste. She used Blackberries in her recipe but I love blueberries. http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/05/lemon-cheesecake-yogurt-cups.html

Blueberry Cheese Cake Cups

Sunday I made the Ole Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas. Part of the reason why I have not been posting new recipes if I really like some of recent ones I tried out. This weekend I will be making the Greek Turkey burgers for my friends.

Thought for the Day

How does Anderson Cooper keep a straight face when saying "headline from today, Wiener lets it all hang out."

No Spend Challenge Is Back....

....Only this time it is NOT a challenge; it is a requirement.

Those of you that know where I work and listen to the news know about the possible rumors. I am not stating any more than what you can read online. If this does happen it will be my 4th merger. I pray to God it does not go through but I am doing the steps I need to prepare myself.

Until I know what is going on all spending is halted. It is just too bad Tony and I did not know this before our trip to Savannah. I do not want to find myself in the unemployment line just after having blown money on things we do not need. Sorry everyone...this also includes gifts. I just cannot afford to take that risk now and every $25 I would have spent on the next so many gifts is going to mean a lot to my budget if I am not working.

This may even mean Tastefully Simple goes as well. I love being a consultant and getting the discount but with the expenses it takes to be a consultant I just barely break even.

I really, really love my job but I have to be realistic if this does happen. Best case scenario if my job is eliminated is I will be put on the merger team. With 5 years of experience working on back merger activities it would be stupid if I did not get that opportunity. Truth is I am terrified of ending back up in the unemployment line. While I did enjoy the three months off I had last year it is also a scary and stressful time. I really wanted this company to be the one I retire from and I hope it still is. Even with everything that is going on I still am very happy I left the last job I was at.

I look back at how hard I worked through college and where I am today. Never in my life did I think with a master's degree I would be facing the same job cuts and hardship as people with no degree. Then adding to the sting is now being over qualified for most of the jobs out there. Right now I am going to bust my butt in my job and hope to ride out the storm. Cross your fingers for me.

On a brighter note: today's weigh in 129.6.

Where Target is Failing

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal discusses problems Target is having with their brand identity. Are they a cheap retailer or are they a chic low cost store? How about they ask the consumer to explain what they have done wrong.

I used to love to go into Target and look around. But last year when I was unemployed I did some price comparisons and found they are not very good on prices.

Groceries: Target was anywhere from 5 to 25% higher on their prices compared to Walmart. I did not just spot check a few items. My list was over 150 items long and compared prices to Walmart, BJ’s, and Lowes’ Foods. Walmart beat out each retailer on just about every item except for the items I can buy in bulk at BJ’s. Bulk is a more expensive upfront cost but the unit price is cheaper. I also had enough information to know if using a coupon at Walmart was still cheaper than using the same coupon at Lowes’ where it is doubled. Another problem I found at the Target where I use in Brier Creek is many of the items on the shelf are expired! Yogurt is their worst offender.

Health and Beauty Items: Target still was more expensive with their health and beauty items but they do have a few Target brand items I like. The Target brand eye make up remover is very good compared to the Neutrogena. I tried the Walmart version in the past and it stung my eyes. Both for about the same price give or take a few pennies. Target brand make up remover cloths are very nice too. Again Walmart failed in this area. I also found with the Target brand multi-vitamins they are they only brand that do not make me vomit.

Clothing: Once in a while I still will surf through the clothing section at Target but maybe buy a handful of things a year. Where Target is failing here is their quality versus the prices is not very good. Their women’s Mossimo t-shirts are the same price as the ones from Ann Taylor Loft’s when they are on sale. Ann Taylor’s quality is far better. Their swimwear is the same price as swimwear in Victoria’s Secret. I cannot compare Walmart’s section because I do not ever visit their clothing area.

When I look for a cheap cute dress Target is the last place I go. My normal stops for clothing are Kohl’s, Ann Taylor Loft, Ross, and Macy’s. For a brand loyal customer like me Target’s prices will have to be incredibly lower or extremely cute for me to even consider buying clothes from Target.

Oh, if you are a Kohl’s shopper and ever pay full price for anything in their store you need to be added to Anderson Cooper ridiculous list. Everything in their store will go on sale at some point in time.

House wares: By far the worst section in Target. Most of their items are rarely ever on sale and you can find the same item at Kohl’s. Kohl’s may have the same item priced higher BUT Kohl’s always puts things on sale and if you are a great customer like I am, I receive coupons all the time for 10-30% off above and beyond the sale price. Kohl’s comes out to be a better deal. Same goes for Kohl’s versus Walmart.

Black Friday: Ever stop into Target on Black Friday? Well don’t bother. While other retailers are offering anywhere from 30-60% off Christmas décor Target is normally only offering 10%.

Pharmacy: The only place I still stop at in Target. The only reason I go to this pharmacy is because once a month Target has a $10 gift card on new prescriptions. I then use that gift card to buy items that are on sale or buy my eye make up remover and facial cloths.

Electronics: Another place I do not even bother with. HH Gregg and Best Buy are only a mile from the Target I shop at. They have better prices, more options, and better quality.

Credit Card: Target offers 5% off all purchases used with their Target credit card. I am not a fan of store credit cards but do have a Kohl’s and Macy’s card because the rewards are so amazing – of course I pay it off every month. Why in the world would I have a Target credit card to only save 5%? Kohl’s goes up to 30% on their cards depending on the timing. My Macy’s card I get 20% off and $20 off a $50 purchase every month! Target is failing with their credit card perks. A 5% savings using their card is not justified when their groceries are 5-25% higher than Walmart.

Bottom line for me: Target used to be a great place to shop. Then, as stated in the article, their strategies started confusing consumers. Prices went up while quality remained neutral, and their savings programs do not even compare to other retailers. My few suggestions for Target: (1) lower their prices to Walmart’s level or even lower, (2) match the quality of the clothing to the price, meaning lower the price of the cloths, (3) bigger sales, and (4) better credit card rewards. Their profits per item may sink but if people buy more because of lower prices their overall profits increase, therefore, putting them back in steady competition with other retailers.

http://finance.yahoo.com/family-home/article/112885/target-retailer-cachet-wsj

More Savannah Pictures

Blogger was being a pain in the butt. Here are more pictures from Savannah.



Whitefield Square



Tybee Island Boggy Boarding

Preparing our to-go drinks for walking

Love the live oak trees that cover the streets

Savannah

This past weekend my original plans were to go camping with the dogs. The dogs love camping but the weather has been unbelievable hot so camping would not work out. Tony and I decided to change our plans and wend to Savannah instead. We took off of work Friday and had a nice three day weekend there. I was our first time visiting Savannah. Every time we went to Charleston we always heard people comparing the two cities as if they are competition. I disagree so much with comparing the two cities. They are completely different.



Outside the famous fountain in Savannah



We arrived on Friday afternoon. After checking into the hotel we went downtown. We took ride on a rickshaw for an hour. Our tour guide showed us around the historic area. It was nice to do that right away so Tony and I knew where to walk to. We had pizza along the river. The buildings on the river are so neat. They are made of cobblestone probably still from the early 1800’s. Friday night around 9 we took a private carriage ride through Savannah. We have done the group carriage rides in Charleston and I have to say the private tour is the way to go. You do pay twice as much but it is so worth it.

Saturday we went to Tybee Island in the morning. I love the beaches of Georgia and South Carolina. The water seems calmer than the North Carolina beaches. I love being able to go out with the boggy board and just float around. Tony however likes the NC beaches better. He likes the waves to ride in with the boggy board. There were box jellyfish everywhere on the beach. They are clear so you cannot spot them in the water and are some of the most venomous jellyfish out there. I am so glad we did not get stung. We also saw a dead horseshoe crab on the beach. The thing was about the size of a basketball!

Saturday afternoon we went back downtown and we realized we can drink in the streets! Savannah must be one of the only cities I have been to where it is legal to have a to-go cup and wonder the streets. Rather than paying bar fees I put a bottle of wine I brought from home in my purse and we filled up along the way. Must have looked funny when I pulled out my bottle and filled up outside the frozen yogurt shop. We just walked the streets on Saturday. It was extremely hot out – around 100 degrees. The wine, meds, and heat made me a bit cranky. We ate dinner at a tapas bar. I am not really a fan of them. You have to order a few items off the menu because they are “sample” size and each item on the menu costs what a regular meal is. Never going to one of those places again.

Sorrel-Weed House

Orb in the bottom right corner

We wondered upon a tour of the most haunted house, Sorrel-Weed house, in Savannah where one woman committed suicide and the other was murdered. There were teenagers on the tour and I wanted to duct tape their mouths shut. It ruined the tour. I did catch some orbs with my camera. The way to distinguish between orbs and dust is dust is see-through and orbs will have a glow and are not see through. After the tour we stopped for drinks at The Pink House in the basement. Very neat atmosphere.



Walking on Bay Street



One of my favorite homes in Savannah

 

These homes did not look like it but they are actually from the 1880's.



Sunday we went back downtown after checking out and drove through the neighborhoods. There are so many neat homes. I love how the streets are filled with the live oak trees. We ate lunch at the Pirate House. A real house pirates hung out at and some even died in there. Food was OK but the building was really neat inside.

Tony outside the Pirate House

Memorial Weekend

I have so much to write about but not a lot of time! I am very busy in my job and that is a good thing. Except today I was very overwhelmed. I have a lot to do before I take off on Friday. I had hardly any time to pee today let alone get all my work done.

Our Memorial weekend was very busy. Friday we were going to do dinner and a movie but Tony did not get home until around 7. He took his motorcycle to work and we had a bad storm. I made grilled chicken salads for us instead and we watched Blue Valentine through Netflix. It was an OK movie.

Saturday we went for a grill out at our friends parent's house. I really wanted to get in on the volley ball in the pool but the water was too cold for me. I will say I was happy to strut my stuff in my bikini since my skinny friends are pregnant. This will be the only time my waist is smaller than theirs and they have the excuse of being pregnant. I will take it though.

Sunday we did a day trip to Carolina Beach. Just after we left our house we were almost hit by a drunk driver that flew into our lane. Tony had to go onto an off ramp to avoid him. We were probably only inches away from colliding. The drunk driver then almost hit two other cars. It was so scary. I am glad Tony was alert or he would have not seen them coming. The beach was pretty packed as we had expected. The water was a little cool but did feel good once you got in. I did a really bad job at applying sun block so I have burnt patches all over.

Monday we took the Harley to a park in Apex for a picnic. I prepared bruchetta, cheese and crackers, Greek olives, grapes, nuts, and wine. It was a great idea but it ended up being about 98 degrees out. There were ticks all over our blanket. I saw more ticks that day than in the 6 years I have been in NC. Once we got home I was so hot I stripped down to nothing and laid under our fan. I was on the verge of heat stroke and started getting nauseated. It was not fun. No more bike rides for me in the heat. The rest of the day Tony and I relaxed.

Forgiveness Update

Last week Tanya and I talked on the phone for over an hour. It seemed like we picked back up where we left off. It was so nice to hear her voice again. A lot has happened this last year in her life. She just accepted a job in Florida and is leaving Wisconsin. When we were still talking last year she was searching for jobs by me so we could be close to each other. I feel like suck a jack ass. I missed out on my friend moving by me. I am happy she is moving to Florida though. After a few years in North Carolina there are days I think I did not move far enough south. I will have to take a long weekend each year to visit her since it is such a short plane ride away. I am so happy to have my friend back.

Learning to Forgive

We all have hard lessons to learn in life. One of the biggest lessons is learning how to forgive a person that hurt you and apologize for when you hurt them.

As some of you may recall the fight I had with my friend Tanya last June that ended pretty badly. We did not speak for months and around September she reached out to Tony through facebook since I blocked her. She apologized and I did not respond and she tried again in December. I responded but still not sure what to do. Fast forward to last month. I was looking through some pictures and came across some of Tanya and me when she visited. Since our fight I really missed emailing her, talking to her, everything. She was the first person I told practically everything to. I told Tony how much I missed her and he suggested I send her an email to see if she still wants to work it out. She did respond and does want to work it out. I was surprised since I ignored her other emails she would even still want to try to work it out.

We have been communicating through email the last two days. It is not like it used to be but we will get there someday. I plan on talking to her Wednesday night. We both said horrible things to each other we did not mean at the time and we both feel terribly bad. Admitting when I am wrong or when I go too far is not easy for me. I hope our conversation goes well tomorrow because I really miss my best friend. I really miss the one person I could tell everything to.

Remake of the Tuna Noodle Casserole

Saturday night I spent 45 minutes making Tony’s tuna noodle casserole. Since I was working so hard on his meal he wanted to make me something to return the favor. Picture below shows Tony’s tuna noodle casserole for his dinner…mine…Morning Star Farm corn dogs from the box.

Tuna Noodle Casserole

I modified the Skinny Tuna Noodle Casserole I made last month and added my own gourmet twist to this recipe. The last time I followed her recipe Tony liked it but it was also lacking some flavor. This recipe is no longer low in fat since I use Swiss cheese and Dutch goat cheese. Tony loves his cheese and even wanted more than what I added! I hate the smell of tuna. The goat cheese takes over the tuna smell and actually makes tuna casserole smell amazing. This recipe also has more onion than the original since Tony loves onions. Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients:
- 6 oz penne pasta
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 large onion, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 3/4 cups fat free chicken broth
- 1 cup 1% milk or soy milk
- 1 oz sherry 1
- 10 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 1/2 cups frozen petite peas (thawed)
- 2 (5 oz) cans tuna in water
- 1 ½ tsp onion salt
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tbs Garlic Garlic – from Tastefully Simple - add 3 more garlic cloves if you do not have this item.
- ¾ cup shredded reduced fat sharp cheddar
- 1 cup  shredded Dutch goat cheese
- 1 ½ cups shredded Swiss Cheese
- butter flavored cooking spray
- 2 slices of rye bread – toasted and ground into bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Lightly spray 9 x 12 casserole with butter flavored cooking spray.

Cook noodles in salted water until al dente, or slightly undercooked by 2 minutes. Set aside. Melt the butter in a large deep skillet. Add onions and garlic cloves and cook on medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and stir well, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes on medium-low heat.

Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until well combined, increasing heat to medium and whisking well for 30 seconds, then add the milk and bring to a boil. When boiling, add sherry, mushrooms and petite peas, adjust salt and pepper to taste and simmer on medium, mixing occasionally until it thickens (about 6-7 minutes). Add drained tuna, stirring another minute. Add in onion salt, Garlic Garlic, salt, and pepper.

Remove from heat and add reduced fat sharp cheddar, goat cheese, and 1 cup of the Swiss cheese and mix well until it melts. Add the noodles to the sauce and mix well until evenly coated. Pour into casserole and top with remaining Swiss cheese and breadcrumbs. If desired, top with more ground pepper and salt. Spray a little more cooking spray and top and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes.

Place under the broiler a few minutes to get the crumbs crisp (careful not to burn).

Beaver Crossing

I saw the cutest thing yesterday. I was on my way home from work and in a very busy section of the road two beavers were trying to cross. One of them already made it across and you could see the fear in her eye's as she was watching her mate try to cross in the busy traffic. He made it to the other side and immediately the two pressed their faces together as if they were kissing. Really amazing how you can see fear and love in the actions of animals.

Weight Loss Update

Lately I have been a bit scared to get on the scale. For over a month I have been at a plateau, hanging around 133 – 134. I just did not want to get on the scale for more disappointment. Yesterday I got on the scale and weighted in at 132.2. Yippy! Minus implants that is 128.2. I am only two pounds away from the weight I was at in Curacao last year. I would like to be that same weight when Tony and I are in Aruba. Only three more months to get there. The bigger challenge is making it 8 months on weight watchers. The longest I ever went on weight watchers straight is 5 months. That is where I am at right now. Normally I give up counting points and rely on myself to maintain my weight but after about 4 or 5 months a few pounds are back. Sometimes not a big deal, but those few pounds turning into 10 then 15 over a 9 months to a year. I do not want to go back to counting on my own and then come Aruba time I put on 5 pounds. Five pounds might not be a big deal for a lot of people but on my small frame it is for me. Five more pounds means larger butt dimples, thighs that rub together, a giggly stomach, no cheek bone definition…yes really all of that from just five pounds.

My knee has been feeling so great lately. There are still times it hurts when I really give it in karate. I am starting to think it is as good as it is going to get. I can no longer use my knee as an excuse any more in karate. My instructor is pushing my limits now so I get comfortable again. Hurts at the time but I know I will thank him later. I know I need to do a better job since I am going to have my black belt soon. Even with my knee problems I still need to perform like a solid black belt…not an injured one.

Getting Married Too Young

Since William and Kate married I see more and more articles about the benefits of waiting to get married until you are older. Over the years I experienced criticism and the gasping look from people when the find out how young I was when I got married. The biggest question I get is “what did your parents think?” Even more of a shocking look when I tell them they were fine with it and married at the same age as Tony and me. Even worse when we first got engaged, the first question to cross people’s mind (some even said it out loud) was is she pregnant?

Background
When Tony and I got married I had just turned 19 and he was about to turn 24. There is about a 5 year age difference between us. We met when I was 17 and started dating when I was 18. Three months after we were dating he asked me to marry him. Tony and I never talked about marriage. Going into the relationship we both thought we were going to date for a few months and move onto our separate ways. I never expected Tony to fall completely in love with me. So much so that when he first said it my reaction was “no you don’t”. I was not one of those young girls that started planning my wedding when I was a child. Marriage was never on my mind. I had just started college and had a long road ahead of me. So when Tony popped the question (no ring in hand) I did not take him completely seriously until the next day he said we needed to go ring shopping. So why at my age, having never thought about marriage, would I jump down the isle with a man I was only dating for three months? Because we both just knew we were soul mates. Even my mom did. She and a lady she worked with were making bets on when he would ask me. As said above my parents were the same age when they got married and now have been married for over 35 years.

Waiting to Discover Yourself
What I do not like are people these days passing judgment on those that get married young. Not everyone is at the same maturity level when they are 19, 20, even 30. I was very mature for my age. If I had not married Tony when I did where would my life be? I would have turned down my soul mate to, as they say in the articles, find myself…discover who I am? These articles argue that you are not the same person as you are when you are 18 and 28. What they fail to mention is you are not the same person at 28 as you are 38 or 48 or 58! So how long do you need to discover yourself? One of the best parts of marriage is growing as a couple. You still develop your individuality and the best part is you have your spouse there to cheer you on.

Experience
These articles out there with age comes experience hence why you should wait to get married. What experiences are we talking about here? My single girlfriends have slim pickings when it comes to great men in their late 20’s and early 30’s. Most of them are set in their ways, many have children from previous relationships, they set very high standards, some already married and divorced, and others are damaged and not trustworthy because of their “experiences” in previous relationships. Not saying ever man or woman out there is like this but many of them are. Why in the world would I put myself through that because I needed to discover who I am? Instead I followed my heart and knew at 18 years Tony was going to be my husband for the rest of my life. In the past 10 years we shared so many wonderful experiences, vacations, and just life in general. I do not think I would have had all of those if it was not for Tony.

Financial Stability
Another reason recent articles want people to wait to get married is so they are financially stable. Finances being the number one reason for divorce I can see their reasoning but do not agree with it. Unlike most married couples we chose not to have children right away which contributes to the financial instability of couples that marry young. So many people think your finances will fall into place when you have kids but the reality is it does not and for many the credit card bills that are unmanageable.

When I was 20 Tony and I were able to buy our first home. It was nothing extravagant but we were able to get a start building equity. Two years later when we moved to NC we bought our second home when I was 22 and he was 27. We got a jump start into financial stability. Luckily it was all before the housing crash. We were smart enough at that age to know we should not spend more than we can afford and smart enough to know not to take out a variable rate mortgage. Right now we are under a 15 year fixed rate mortgage at 3.75%. Thanks to our long payment history, great credit scores, and zero credit card debt we were able to achieve that rate. We do use credit cards to build our history but pay them off every month. So where are the babies since we achieved financial stability? We have not decided if parenthood is for us. Right now we really are enjoying each other.

Our Struggles
This is not to say Tony and I did not have our fare share of struggles given we married so young. But getting married right away is what also helped us from walking out on the relationship. I could not imagine being with someone for 5 years without marriage and then one day they just had enough and walk out. We made a commitment to each other. For better or for worse; for rich or for poor. We take the vows we made very seriously. Some of the stuff we went through in our marriage I think many people would have walked out on. We never dealt with infidelity but the death of my brother, moving across country, and family issues would have most people filing for divorce.

When we were in serious trouble I was in a depression from the death of my brother and he was deeply depressed because he was missing his family after we moved across the country. Didn’t help they called all the time asking when HE was moving back, with or without me. Since we each had our own issues we were dealing with we were not there to help each other. After over a year of being miserable we sought out help through a psychologist. She really helped us repair our marriage and get back on track. Why am I so honest about this? Because every marriage has issues and if you are in trouble I do not want you to be afraid to seek help from a psychologist. If you sit back and say everything has been perfect you are full of shit.

What We Do and Did Right
We did not jump right into having kids. This may work for some people but for Tony and me not having children right away has done wonders for our marriage. We are happily settled with our four furry ones.

I did not quit school. Another speculation that was out there when Tony and I got engaged was whether or not I would finish college. Well I finished alright, along with two other degrees. Tony supported me the whole way – 8 years worth.

We did not let other people define what it is to be married. Most people think you get married, you have kids, you see your family ever weekend, etc. It took a while but we discovered what makes us happy as a couple. Other people’s opinions, including our parent’s, are not welcome.

When we knew our marriage was in trouble we went for help rather than rushing to a lawyers office. At the time we were in trouble I never would have thought our marriage would be as close to perfect as it is today.

We fixed our finances. Everyone makes financial mistakes and we were some of them too when we first got engaged. It did not take long for us to realize what happened and we quickly jumped on board to fix it right away. We do not live beyond our means and if one of us lost a job we would be OK – which you all should know we have been there.

We both still have our own individuality. Tony has his guy’s nights, guy Harley rides, and guys camping trips. I have karate and girl time. Being able to be an individual is so important to a marriage.

We find things we like to do together. I like riding with Tony when I have time. We enjoy mini vacations and long vacations together. We like camping, board games, movies, hiking, among many other things. There really no better evening than dinner at home, snuggling on the couch, and watching a movie with popcorn.

Now that we are planning our vow renewal for our 10 year anniversary in Aruba I really have never felt so close to my husband. I am excited to renew our vows after 10 years since we were so young when we married. Now we get two great experiences. Marriage as young adults and vow renewal as established adults. If I had to go back in time and do it all over again I would. I do not regret one bit getting married young.

Closing Statement
Getting married young is not for everyone; neither is getting married older. If you know your partner is the right person for you don’t hold off because people are telling you that you need to discover yourself or think there is something better out there. It is better to marry the right person at the wrong time than the wrong person at the right time. You know what is right for you regardless of age. Enjoy the great times, fight like hell during the bad times, and never give up on your version about what it means to be happy.

Vow Renewal - More Details

I am thrilled to report we found Tony’s vow renewal clothes. We found the perfect white collard shirt from Macy’s along with kaki colored linen pants. We bought two pairs because we are not sure which one to go with yet. Tony also bought new leather flip flops from Clarks. 


Pants: shown in white; purchased in kaki. $29.98

 


Shirt. Sale: $15.47



Tony's flip flops. Sale: $39.99

I am not going to put the dress I am wearing on my blog because I want it to be a surprise for Tony. However here are the shoes I am wearing. I know Tony will not search for the dress since he wants to be surprised as well. So for those of you wondering go to anntaylor.com. Select weddings and events. Select cocktail dresses. It is the strapless petal dress in ivory.




Picture of shoes I am going to wear with my dress
AK. $69 - $20 Macy's coupon = $49

 

The camera arrived on Saturday. I am so thrilled with it. I have a lot to learn about how to use the DSLR camera. So far the picture quality is great. I highly recommend Beachcamera.com. This is the third camera I bought from them and it arrived in two days. They have the best prices out there. Buying all these new items for our vacation makes it so exciting! I think all we have left to buy is our snorkeling gear.
We have to give the wedding coordinator 50% down to save the date. I am happy about that since it helps Tony and I phase our expenses for this trip.

Sorry no new recipes lately. I have been sticking with some of the recent ones I made that Tony and I love. I made the Greek Turkey Burgers yesterday and attempted grilling on my own. Normally I prepare the meal and Tony grills. Well I am not touching the grill again. I burned the burgers.

Vow Renewal Plans

Our vow renewal plans are coming around. I reserved the date with the coordinator in Aruba. It feels like Tony and I are planning our wedding as if we were getting married today. Just the way we would do it – alone on the beach. The part I am excited about the most is the pictures that will be taken. The photographer we had at our wedding 10 years ago was so out of touch with the latest technology. Everyone is so stiff in our pictures and every photo is taken like a portrait.

My dress came in earlier this week. It fits perfect. Maybe a little snug in the chest but am sure if I drop another two or three pounds it will fit even better. I found my shoes from Macy’s. I bought ivory wedge sandals. I was afraid nice flip flops still would not look good with my dress and I cannot do heals on the beach. Thought about the barefoot idea but the sand will probably be steaming.

We are going to have the vow renewal ceremony just before sunset. It will make for some beautiful pictures. We get a hours worth of photography in our package. After the pictures and ceremony are over with we are getting dropped off at a restaurant near our hotel. They have tables right on the beach. Not talking about deck seating. Our feet will actually be in the sand.

It is going to be so hard not to get tan lines before our vow renewal. We arrive on Monday and our ceremony is on Thursday. I am sure we are going to have a lot of beach and snorkel time in before Thursday. I found a cheap strapless bikini through Victoria’s Secret but it will only be good for tanning on the beach. If I snorkel in that people probably will get a show when the top comes down. I can just see Tony waiting for that to happen with our underwater camera. We also decided we should probably buy our own snorkel gear. We love snorkeling. What the hotel charge for a day rental is what it would cost for us to buy our own.

Yesterday I bought our first DSLR camera. It is a cheaper entry level DSLR camera for us. Our point and shoots work fine but it is going to be nice to have a great camera for portrait pictures and scenery. Our point and shoot is an underwater camera by Olympus. It takes amazing underwater pictures but really lacks quality of indoor photography. Also the water tends to leave spots on the lense.

Next item to buy is Tony’s pants and shirt for our vow renewal. I am thinking linen pants, a white shirt, and leather flip flops. We are going to go looking tonight after dinner.

I am so excited for our trip and now regret not making it longer. I do not think five days will be enough. Just will make us want to come back to the Caribbean soon…like that is really a bad thing. If Tony and I had the money and the balls I know we would move to an island. It just fits our laid back personality.

Earning Some Extra Cash

I finally had my garage sale this past weekend. It was a little slow compared to previous years because the million dollar homes not far from where I live had a huge sale going on as well. I still made $250 that will be used towards our vacation in Aruba. I may hold another one next month for the rest of my stuff since there was not that great of a turn out this year.

I did some more negotiating with my bills. My promotion I had with my phone service through Time Warner was up so my bill jumped up $15 a month. I called them and was able to get under a new promotion for my internet service so that dropped my bill $20 a month for a year. I still may call DirecTV and see where I can cut back as well. In the summer Tony and I do not watch much TV so it does not make sense to pay $100 a month for something we hardly use.

My friend Elissa got together with her coworkers and placed a Tastefully Simple order. I am so thankful she did that for me. I have another party in a little less than two weeks and am hoping for good sales. Tony and I need all the extra cash we can earn for our wedding vow renewal. Yes! I just announced it. Tony and I decided to renew our wedding vows in Aruba on the beach. It does come with a hefty price tag since there is not a lot of competition on a small island. We were originally looking for a photographer but with how much the photographer costs we decide why not just do the vow renewal. It is our 10 year anniversary so we want to do it up right. This does mean we have to put off some other projects around the house. The covered patio we were planning on finishing this year probably will not happen until late fall or spring next year now. We do have some of the material bought already but it will have to sit there until we can afford to do the roof right.

Men – Stop Wearing Carpi Pants!

I do now know what it is but for some ungodly reason the fashion industry created extra long shorts on men that look like Capri pants. They are extra baggy, men pair them with sneakers and white socks, and there is probably about an inch or two between the sock and shorts. Please stop wearing these. You look like a complete douche bag. I saw a guy sporting this look yesterday on my way into work. It took everything for me not to open my mouth and tell him how ridiculous he looks. Your shorts should land somewhere around your knee. In exhibit A below I've seen men wear shorts even lower and baggier than this.


Exhibit A: Male Capri Pants - You look stupid

While I am on the topic lets discuss what it is with the extremely over sized pants. I remember baggy pants in high school. I even wore them during that horrid fashion era but now these morons are actually pulling them all the way down to the bottom of their butts. WTF? No one wants to see your underwear or your ass crack. Even funnier is how these idiots have to walk to keep their pants from falling completely down. Get a group of them together and it looks like march of the penguins.

Exhibit B: With how low those are lets hope the front of his boxers do not open up.

Easter Celebration

Friday we met up with Tony's cousin Paul and his wife Emi. We have not seen them since summer of 2008. It was nice to visit with them again. They live in Washington DC and were passing through.

Tony and I celebrated Easter on Saturday night with his Aunt, Uncle, and cousins. Tony's Aunt and Uncle are from Maine, one cousin lives in Charleston with her boyfriend, and the other cousin also lives in DC. I did not do a Easter style dinner. I made pulled pork, pasta salad, bread with dipping oil, and Hungry Girl's banana cream pie. The pie was really good for a low fat banana cream pie. It better have been good since I dropped the whisk on my toe and burned myself. Very nice blister!

Link to Banana Cream Pie: http://www.hungry-girl.com/chew/show/1925

Sunday Tony and I relaxed around the house. He went for a ride with is friends during the day and I laid out hoping to get my first tan of the year. That plan was quickly interrupted by wasps flying every where. I hate those things! For whatever reason they love our hammock. I was out for an hour with SPF 4 on. No tan. Not even a dash of color on my porcelain skin. I should have stayed out another hour but I was so scared of burning. We took Sydney and Jack hiking at Eno River State Park. I would love to take Oscar with but he just cannot make those rigid hikes. Sydney barley can with her old age.

I did give in to my no spend challenge this weekend. I bought a $13 cardigan at BJ's. Not upset I did because that was on my list of things to buy next month since mine have holes about to be worn in the elbows.

Extreme Couponing

I use coupons all the time when shopping. I probably save around $100 - $150 a month on groceries. Mom told me about Extreme Couponing so I had to record it. These people are f'ing crazy. One episode I watched the lady had around $1800 in groceries and paid around $103 for it. She bought about 70 things of mustard because it came to 39 cents. Who needs 70 mustards and how in the world are you going to use it before it expires?! I maybe use one or two a year. Why not just buy 2 or 5 but 70? Instead she spent and extra $25 on mustard she did not need and will likely spoil. Oh, and I just loved how she had to constantly touch up her make up for her image. Make up does not cover up crazy. I did not see any fresh fruits or vegetables except for the lady that had a coupon for bananas.

There is a reason this show comes on TV after Hoarders. These people are hoarders and let their couponing take over their house. I have one shelf and my pantry for items I buy on sale. Items I know I need. Not 100 things of Excedrin PM because they are free. These people have an addiction to how much they can save and in doing so buy way more than they need. The two shows I watched none of these people donated to charity. Another lady bough 90 bags of croutons because they were free. What in the world are you going to do with 90 bags of croutons that expire in 6 months? I did not see any decent meals these people can make. Lots of sugary cereal for the kids. I completely understand stocking up on laundry detergent, toilet paper, paper towels, and other cleaning supplies if they come out to be nearly free BUT they should not take over your house and your living space. There will always be more coupons in the future so 100 things of paper towel is unnecessary. One lady even stored them in a shower! Even deodorant has an expiration date.

My take on this is couponing is great when done within reason. Buy what you need and if there is a great sale there is no need to buy 100 of each item. Depending on the item maybe max it out at 5, 20, or even 30. There will always be more coupons and another sale. Do not let the feeling of how much you saved overtake reality and over take your house. I like to cook and have homemade meals. I like variety. I like fresh fruits and vegetables. No way could I eat like these people.

Engagement Chicken

I am sure many of you have seen the stories lately about the engagement chicken by Glamour Magazine. Women claim to become engaged after making this chicken for their boyfriend. This leaves me with five words: “Are you f'ing kidding me?” I mean come on! Were these women shit cooks prior to making this easy recipe? Men are simple but they do not think “oh that was a great chicken my girlfriend cooked; I need to propose now.” Around 70 women got engaged after making this chicken. What they fail to mention is how many tried and how many of these couples were already discussing marriage.

When Tony and I got engaged I do not think I cooked much for him. I was very young and inexperienced in the kitchen. I think at that time the only thing I cooked for him came out of a box but I cooked it in my underwear. We were only dating for three months before he popped the question. What attracted Tony to me as his future wife was my nurturing instinct yet bad girl attitude. I had my first tattoo before we were dating. We had great chemistry. Tony knew I was very young and probably not ready for marriage but saw a young woman with a good head on her shoulders, a woman that does not take anyone’s crap, a woman that can take care of him when he is sick, a woman that wants to have fun in this journey we call life, and many other things.

It takes more than a chicken to get a man to marry you. You need to have the qualities he is looking for and the undeniable chemistry.

April No Spend Update

I am still doing great with my April No Spend Challenge. Another weekend down and no unnecessary spending. I did buy my nieces birthday gifts and some wrinkle creams but still not unnecessary. I am starting not to miss shopping and definitely do not miss that feeling of guilt after I bought too much stuff. I am not falling for the coupons retailers send me. Before I would not pass up 15, 20, even 30% off and Kohls or Macys but now I realize while it is a great discount, I do not need anything. With all the cutting back I've been doing it does look like Tony and I will be able to buy the rest of the materials for our covered porch this month. He also has been putting in a lot of overtime to help pay for the recent vet bills and and taxes. We are so lucky Tony has the ability to put in overtime and that he is willing to do it for the family. I am so grateful to him for everything he has been doing lately.

I participated in a Mary Kay, Thirty-One, and Tastefully Simple open house on Sunday. For a small party my sales were not bad and I have one party booked out of it. Possibly one more. For about 3 hours worth of work I made $60 put had to put about half of that back into the party kit for the next party. It sounds like the party I am going to have next month is going to be huge. My friend Leigh and I are going to do a combined show again. It is nice to give people a variety for shopping.

Tuna Noodle Casserole and Pina Colada Cupcakes

Saturday I made Pina Colada cupcakes and Tuna Noodle Casserole from Gina's Skinny Taste. The cupcakes were so easy. I bought sugar free yellow cake mix and a 20 oz can of crushed pineapple. Mix the two together and follow the cup cake directions on the box. They are fine without the frosting or with. Tony helped me make the cupcakes and in doing so probably ate about five cupcakes worth of batter. Tony does not like coconut so he did not use the frosting. Instead of low fat cream cheese I used fat free. Follow the link below to the recipe.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/04/pina-colada-cupcakes.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+weightwatcherspointsrecipes+%28Gina%27s+Skinny+Recipes%29

For the Tuna Noodle Casserole Tony found it hard to believe this was low fat. The only thing I changed in it was I added some shredded Swiss cheese to the top of it. I was shredding the cheese for the Tastefully Simple Spinach and Artichoke dip and had some left over. Tony loved the added Swiss on the top.

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/01/skinny-tuna-noodle-casserole.html

Change in Vacation Plans

Well Savannah is off the vacation plan for now. We were supposed to go there in a month for a four day weekend but our poor little boy Oscar has an ulcer in his eye and a few days later they had to remove two teeth when doing his dental cleaning. That blew the vacation budget for next month. I am fine with it since we are going to Aruba for our anniversary and we just had the Charleston trip. We can always visit Savannah in the fall and maybe gas will be cheaper by then. Looks like we will be taking the dogs camping in place of Savannah. They LOVE camping and did not get to go last year so this should be fun for them.

Good-Bye All My Children

This morning on the news they announced All My Children will be canceled in September. I have been addicted to this show since 2000 and remember my mom watching it when I was a kid. I will say in the last couple of months the story lines have gotten horrible and it leaves me fast forwarding through most of the show. How many more times can someone be kidnapped, go crazy, kill someone, get married, screw someone else’s partners, etc. Even with these bad moments of writing I still follow the show.

When Tony heard the announcement this morning he practically was jumping for joy and had a hard time controlling his excitement. I watch the show while I exercise every night I am home. It is the last thing he wants to exercise to. Maybe we can agree on some DVR’ed comedies to watch together while we work out.

My Rude Monday Morning Awakening

I park on the 6^th floor of the parking garage at work and take the stairs down and back up for a little added exercise. My Monday morning was mad a very bad Monday morning when I got to the 4^th floor to realize a homeless person shit on the landing. It was one of those moments you think there is no way that really is what I am seeing. Not sure I will be taking the stairs anymore.

April No Spend and Weight Up Date

Other than the few items Tony bought me last week, my no spend challenge this month has been going great. There was a jacket on sale at BJ’s I tried on but put it back on the rack. A year ago I would have bought it without even thinking twice. I am pretty proud of myself with how well I am doing. Saturday I went to The Southern Women’s Show with a friend and Tony went to the Cigar Expo with her husband. While in there I did not even think about spending money on anything. Pat on the back for me. However next month when I allow myself to buy something it is going to be new cardigans for work. I wear them everyday since the office is cold and I am wearing out the elbows.

I did not try out any new recipes this weekend. I really love the Greek Turkey burgers I made a few months back and made those Saturday. If you have not tried this recipe yet you really need to. They are amazing. I’ve been focusing more on eating what we have to keep our grocery bill down this month. I do have a large stock of nonperishable items and meat in the freezer.

I am down to 133.8 pounds now! I am only 3 more away from my lightest last year. Now I have to lose another weight watcher point though. I am already hungry enough the way it is and to lose another point is going to be hard. Really I would deduct the point at 130 pounds but my implants weigh about 4 pounds so my real weight is 129.8. Once I get to a comfortable weight I would not mind trying the Mediterranean diet which focuses on healthy oils, nuts, greens, and seafood – which I will not be eating the seafood.

Three years ago or so I asked Sprint to block picture mail and internet access on our phones since we do not have that plan. Yes I am too cheap to have internet on my phone. Lately I noticed we were getting billed for picture mail. They were small charges so I never really paid much attention to it. Tony and I never even receive notification we received picture mail so we do not know who was sending it to us. I went back through two years worth of Sprint bills online and found in November 2009 we started getting billed for picture mail again. Over the about year and a half it came to $7 in charges. Not a whole lot but I was mad we were being billed for them especially since we were not receiving notifications. I called Sprint to find out what was going on and my contract changed in 2009 and they did not roll over the internet and picture mail block. She credited me $75! I would have been happy with a $7 credit. Thank you Sprint!

Surprise for Me

Tony had a nice surprise for me. Saturday morning he helped me clean and the said he would go grocery shopping with me. But before we left he said we had one stop to make at Macy’s to buy me a dress! I was surprised he read the blog post and so quickly wanted to buy me the dress. We went to Macy’s and unfortunately the dress was not what it looked like on line. I looked like a cow in it. Not form fitting at all. Tony did not want me to leave empty handed and we continued to look for a dress with no luck. I ended up going to practical route and bought a pair of dress pants, jeans, and a shirt on sale. With my weight loss jeans and dress pants are in high demand. The shirt was something Tony really liked and insisted I try it on. He loved it so we bought it. The total cost for the three items came to about what the dress would have cost. Not sure if this counts against my April no spend challenge but I know this was important for Tony to do for me. He really was surprised I did not pick out a different dress and went with practicality.

We really did have an amazing weekend together. Friday we ate at our favorite Asian restaurant and then went to Black Belt Friday at Karate International. It is a promotion ceremony for the black belts and a performance show. Really fun to watch. Hard to believe but the next one I may be performing in it as a black belt!

Saturday after we finished cleaning and shopping we spent the rest of the day just chilling around the house and watching our favorite show, Ghost Adventures. It was a very relaxing day together and definitely one we needed.

Sunday was our landscaping day. It was pretty nice outside. We planted a few more bushes and trees…like we really need any more. Our back yard really has to be one of the best in our neighborhood. We put in more Cyprus trees that will eventually grow and provide more privacy. The deer were also eating some of the bushes we planted in front of our fence so we replaced some of them with bushes they do not like. I can’t wait until our grass is green again.

Ole Southwestern Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

I just submitted this recipe to Tastefully Simple. This was so amazing! One enchilada will have you so full! I served it with Tastefully Simple Taco Cheese Ball that I made with fat free cream cheese, Tastefully Simple Simple Salsa, and low fat tortilla chips.

Ole Southwestern Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas


Ingredients:
1 ½ pound chicken breasts (about two breasts)
½ of a Green Pepper - sliced
½ cup chopped Onion
3 tsp Simply Southwest Seasoning & Rub
¼ cup water
1 can black beans – drained and rinsed
Ole Ole Fiesta Sauce
2 cups Weight Watchers Mexican cheese
6 low carb tortilla wraps - I used Ole Xtreme Wellness high fiber low carb

Some of the ingredients I used.
The two cans of tomatoes are for the Simple Salsa mix

Directions:

1. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Add chicken breasts, sliced green pepper, chopped onion, Simply Southwest Seasoning & Rub, and water. Cook on low for about 5 hours. Remove slower cooker mix and shred chicken.

Chicken, peppers, onions, and seasoning in the slow cooker

2. Spray a large cooking pan with cooking spray. Add shredded chicken mix, 1 1/3 cup cheese, black beans, and 1/3 cup plus 1 tbs Ole Ole Fiesta Sauce. Cook on medium heat for about 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted.

3. Coat 8x11 baking dish with cooking spray. Add enchilada mix to tortilla wraps. About ¼ cup per wrap. Place in 1 baking dish.

4. Drizzle remaining Ole Ole Fiesta Sauce over the enchiladas. Top with remaining 2/3 cup cheese. Cover with tin foil.
5. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

6. Top with your favorite topping such as Simple Salsa, sour cream, jalapenos, lettuce etc.

The finished product

Per Enchilada
Calories: 294
Fat: 7
Fiber: 15.5
Protien: 28
Carbs: 37.5
WW Points: 5
Points +: 7