Neinast Life At Its Finest!

Insta Friday - 16

2012-02-09T21:15:00.000-06:00

are you joining in with the #febphotoaday challenge?

I missed out on january but thought it looked fun. here's what I have so far:

1. my view (traveling again) 2. words (guilty pleasure) 3. hands (driving my awesome rental)

4. 10 p.m. (on the road with my favorite travelin' partner) (missed 10 a.m.) 5. dinner (always a fav) 6. buttons (livin' the hotel life) 7. sun shine (a check worth double of what I was expecting) 8. door (outside/inside) 8. stranger (I technically missed the day for stranger, but this seems to fit :)

check out life rearranged for more instafridays!

The #1 Rule For Men.

2012-02-08T20:49:00.000-06:00

Thanks for all of your sweet comments from yesterday! I'll do a more thorough soon with all the details, but for now, enjoy the first of what I'm sure will be many funny stories over the coming months!

Several weeks ago Cody and I had a conversation that went like this:

me: Bummer, I've got a fair on Valentine's Day. Looks like we won't be together.
cody: Really? I've got one on my birthday too. No celebrating for us.

Missing both his birthday and Valentine's day just seemed too sad, so I decided to crash his traveling, tag along with him and do some high school visits while Cody did his thing at his fair. This is definitely the perk of us both being recruiters. We split the travel cost, work during the day, then play at night in the great San Antone! Plus, I get to sleep in the car this way :)

On Monday, I was finished with my visit and had thought I had a few minutes to spare before needing to pick Cody up, so I figured, what better place to spend the time at than Forever 21? (side note: F21 has some fabulous bright colors right now. they are speaking my love language!) Just as I entered the dressing room to try on a large stack, Cody calls to say he's finished and ready for me to pick him up. I hurry through trying stuff on, find a few items I need but don't have time to wait in the long line. Plus, this F21 had a large selection of guy's clothes, so I knew Cody would want to come back.

I found one of the guy's workers near the front desk and asked if he would hold the items. Here is our conversation:

me: Excuse me, can y'all hold items?
worker: Well, yes, we can, but only for like 30 minutes to an hour. Really, you'd probably have a better chance just hiding it somewhere, but you didn't hear that from me.
me: Oh really? Ok, well I need to run across town to go pick up my husband and I am definitely coming back, I just don't have time to check out right now.
worker: (looking around) Well, we are pretty busy right now, I don't think they'll notice if it's there for more than an hour. Plus, you're pregnant right? They can't put the pregnant lady's clothes back!

Y'all.

For real.

Now, I'll give you that I was wearing a baby doll dress that even on the skinniest of all ladies, just has a pouffy look to it. But right now, I'l definitely looking more like I need to lay off the donuts and not so much like I'm with child. I told Cody the story and we got a good laugh out of it on the way back to F21. Once there, I headed up to the counter to grab my clothes.

As if the man didn't make the biggest mistake of all time by asking a lady if she was pregnant, on the tag to hold my clothes, he definitely wrote to hold the clothes for Abby +1, then in big letters across the bottom: SHE'S PREGGO!

Looks like I might be retiring that dress for right now :)

{I saved the tag but seem to have lost it in the abyss of my purse sadly. Here's hoping I'll find it soon!}

Ten. {happy birthday cody!}

2012-02-07T18:30:00.001-06:00

I still remember the butterflies in my stomach like it was yesterday. An evening of primping, cleaning and cooking finally lead to this moment: our first time celebrating Cody's birthday officially as a couple.

I pulled out all the stops to make his favorite meal that night: mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, fried chicken (store bought, I'm not that good people!) and spice cake. I'd been listening over the previous weeks to create the perfect menu and apparently I did something right, because he later said that that was the night he knew I was the one.

We're now celebrating his birthday again and it's hard to believe that it's been 5 years since that special night. I truly can't believe how far we've come, the ups, downs, joys and difficulties we've faced together. There is no one else I would rather have by my side to walk in this life and I certainly can't think of a better way to celebrate with Cody today.

Happy birthday babe! I can't wait for our next adventure together!

{and now you know why the blog has been so quiet!}

Is This Thing On?

2012-02-01T20:23:00.000-06:00

Y'all. I have become a horrible blogger lately. And really all I have to offer is excuses: traveling for work, prepping for a large garage sale, and mainly, a busy evening schedule where Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday all have stuff going on. Important stuff, mind you, but man, I'm pooped by the time Thursday rolls around! Here's hoping I'll find my time and blogging groove again soon!

I did want to pop in to offer a quick Works For Me Wednesday tip! Personally, I believe that God created Diet Dr Pepper on his day of rest. {It's that good in my book people!} But, um, I know that consuming as much of it as I have been can't really be all that good for me. So I've been working this year on increasing the amount of water I drink every day. My old method of keeping track of my water was just waiting till I felt like a fish and then calling it good, but it wasn't quite the most accurate way to do it. {Mostly because I got one cup done and called it good.} Luckily my friend Sarah came to my rescue and gave me a fabulous tip. She said she keeps 4 rubber bands on her water cup and removes one each time she empties it. That way she has an easy, quick and most importantly, accurate count of how much water she's had in one day! Personally, I like to see my accomplishments adding up, so I add a rubber band on my cup once I finish the cup. Either way, it's a great way to keep track of how much water you're taking in!

Check out We Are THAT Family for more WFMW. And hopefully, check back here for more blog posts to come :)

Hot Potatoes.

2012-01-29T20:11:00.000-06:00

Confession: I pin a lot but don't follow through with recipes or projects much.

Any one else out there the same way?

It's not for a lack of desire, but well, I mean, even some of the easy stuff looks kinda time consuming. And, well, I just haven't made myself find the time!

Cody and I were both gone last week traveling for work. It was a really great week because we got to spend time with family, but, being gone all week means that we eat out. A lot. So by Friday night, even though I had no desire to cook, I knew for the sake of our wallet and waist line I really needed to make something for dinner. There was a slight problem, as it had been almost 2 weeks since I'd been to the grocery store, but I thought, surely I can make it work, right?

Lucky for me, this was one of the first pins I saw when I pulled up Pinterest. Once I saw the picture, I knew it had to be a part of our dinner!

Source: mommyimhungry.blogspot.com via Abby on Pinterest

Here's the original recipe found here:

4 large baking potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices (I used Russet and Yukon)
1/4 cup melted butter
salt and pepper to taste
2 TBL crushed garlic
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chopped green onions
sour cream

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Brush both side of potato slices with butter, add salt, pepper and garlic; place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned on both sides, turning once (I forgot to turn them, they were fine).

When potatoes are ready, top with bacon, cheese, and green onion; continue baking until the cheese has melted (I just turned the oven off and let the heat melt it all). Serve with sour cream if desired.

Here's the changes I made:

I actually only had 2 potatoes, which ended up being the perfect amount for Cody and I, plus a few left overs. I thinly sliced margarine and dotted it across the pan, then heavily seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic. I then baked for 25 mins, turning once after 15. I only used 4 slices of bacon. While the potatoes were cooking, I cut off a small amount of onions and sauteed in margarine. I then topped the potatoes as she described, though I only covered my portion with onions.

Verdict?

SO. So. So. Delicious. For real.

These are really easy to make and oh so super delicious. These will definitely be something that I make again. If you're looking for something to finally make that you pinned, I hope you'll start with these!

Insta Friday - 15

2012-01-26T21:12:00.000-06:00

this message was on a calendar my mom gave me and i loved the message - god spared no enthusiasm for you!

here's a great way to keep track of your water consumption - stick a rubber band on it each time you finish a glass! it makes it much easier to count :)

a cute bandaid makes any knife cut feel better.

it was only after i got back to work that i realized i brought left overs.

not even good candy choices helped me bribe students to come to my table at a high school lunch visit.

my new piece of furniture, pretty painted and waiting for new knobs!

kota, being extremely cuddly and lovey, knowing we were probably about ready to get rid of him

donut stop. the best thing about canyon, tx. the cherry donut will change. your. life.

that's a sneak peek into my week! what did you see this week?

check out more insta-fridays with life rearranged!

Spice Cake Mix Cookies

2012-01-19T17:35:00.002-06:00

I think I've professed my love for Cake Mix Cookies here on the blog before, but I have to rave about them again. This is hands down, the easiest, quickest and one of the most delicious cookie recipes I have on hand.

We were in charge of hosting our small group this week and I hate hosting empty handed. Snacks are certainly not required to host, but it's one of the few times I actually have a chance to make something sweet, plus I think our house feels more homey when you've got something baking! I am so thankful I ended up making these, as it's probably the best cake mix cookie I've made to date. I know. It's a bold statement, but these babies live up to it!

Here's the basic recipe:

Cake Mix Cookies

1 box cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 C oil

Mix all ingredients. Either drop balls onto cookie sheet and bake 375 for 6-8 minutes, or press into a 9x13 and bake 350 for 15-20 minutes.

Now, if I'm doing a chocolate cake mix, I usually drop it into ball shape and make cookies. If you under bake the chocolate cookies just a hair so them come out gooey, well, it's delicious. Anything else though, I really like to press it into the pan and add extra toppings.

For this recipe, I used a Spice Cake mix and patted it into my greased 9x13. I then topped it with a generous sprinkling of crushed pecans and patted these into the dough. Bake as directed and the immediately ice with cream cheese frosting once it's out of the oven.

Y'all. I had people going back for seconds, thirds AND fourths on these cookies. That's how good they are! And the best thing is, I started the baking process around 6:43 and still had them out to serve by 7:05 when our small group was arriving! Add these to your "must make list" today!

Diggin' Deep Animal Style

2012-01-18T15:57:00.001-06:00

{have you done your part to stop SOPA? do your part now!}

On to another week of diggin' to the depths of my closet! I have to admit, getting ready in the morning seems to take a little bit longer and a little more effort. I am still tempted to go to my "easy" outfits. And, let's be honest, I wore my denim shirt this week. It's certainly easy and it's not a piece that's seen the depths of my closet. {Check out previous WIWW to see it practically every single week!} I did at least pair it up with some new {old} items, so that counts, right?

shirt: walmart
skirt: loft (dd item)
belt: express
shoes: clarks via dillards (dd item)

I'll tell you up front, even as I put this outfit together, I knew there was no way I was going to get rid of any of these pieces. Loft is my favorite store and I will take some major holes and a falling apart item before I'll part with it! And with the shoes, I got this for Christmas either last year or the year before and just love them. The problem is that I got in the habit of wearing flats during travel season and I haven't really transitioned back yet. So, everything about this outfit is still a keeper in my book. I felt very put together in it and will definitely reach for these D.D. items more often!

shirt: walmart
skirt: loft
tights: ??
shoes: gianni bini via dillards

I actually planned on wearing this shirt with a bright colored skirt for a more fun look today, but it was just a no go. I ended up throwing this together last minute and... I think I'm in love. For real. I love the look of dark tights into dark shoes. {you can make fun of me and call them panty hose if you want. tomato/tohmahto. I'm not really a fan of the sheer panty hose, but give me some big thick tights and I could wear them every day!} It's hard to put my finger on exactly what it was, but I just felt very chic and put together in this outfit. You are sure to see more of it in the coming days!

So there's my outfits for this week! Did anyone else take the challenge and pull out some items from your closet that haven't seen the light of day in a while? And, are they tights or panty hose to you? :)

I'm linking up with The Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday!

Mini Apple Pies

2012-01-15T18:04:00.000-06:00

You know what makes for the best lazy Saturday morning? When your husband is out of town so not only do you get to sleep in as late as you want, but once you wake up, you have full control of the tv remote. Which leads to you watching the opener of The Pioneer Woman's new season of her cooking show. Which leads to you craving apple pie at 9:30 in the morning.

This story could also be titled, "If you give a girl a tv remote..."

Then I logged into Pinterest and saw this recipe for apple pie and I knew my day would not be complete without it. Lucky for me, apple pie just happens to be the husband's favorite dessert, so by making them for his homecoming, I would win major wife points AND satisfy my own cravings.

Here's the ingredients you need, all based off of what I had on hand in my kitchen:
pie crust {full package}
2 apples
flour {not pictured}
sugar {not pictured}
salt
cinnamon
nutmeg
butter
3 in. pans

I started by preparing the apples. Cut into quarters {remove seeds}, then into slices, then into little bite size pieces.

Once those are cut, make a mixture of

1 tbls. flour
5 tbls. sugar
generous dumping of cinnamon
dash of salt {I think the PW did this, so I thought, why not?!}
dash of nutmeg

Add apples to mixture and mix well.

Leave those to marinade while you work on the crust.

Roll the dough out. I used a plastic knife to very very lightly cut around my pans since I didn't have any type of cookie cutter to use. As you can see, I really should have gone bigger to make them fully fit in the pan, but I'm ok with how these turned out so that I could have more pies.

Add the apple mixture into the pans, then use left over crust to create toppings. These definitely could have been "prettier" had I taken more time to work on the strips, but I wasn't really all that concerned with prettiness just for us. {The full covered top is totally mine. More crust, yes please!}

{off subject: see how the back of the photo is in focus and the front is blurry? Shout out to my parents for my new lens that makes that shot possible. It is awesome!}

Top with a little bit of butter, then bake at 425 for 15-18 minutes. I started checking mine at 10 minutes and added time from there.

Remove from pan and enjoy!

Super easy. Delicious. A definite new favorite in the Neinast household!

recipe adapted from here

How To Unknowingly Make Your Husband Look Like A Rockstar.

2012-01-12T21:54:00.000-06:00

1. Take picture of the flowers he brought you. Title it "out with the old. in with the new. thanks cody!"

2. Post said picture on instagram, twitter and facebook.

3. Get comments about what a great husband he is and many questions about how to train their husbands so well.

4. Realize that by saying, out with the old, and showing a picture of dead flowers, people think that those were the flowers your husband brought you last week and now he brought you even more.

5. Debate telling the world that those flowers were actually 4+ years old that I had been displaying in my office and I had no other vase to put the new flowers in that he brought me, so I took a picture so that I wouldn't feel guilty throwing them out. Realize that despite the fact that the flowers were special at one point {like, maybe from our engagement night or a big moment during our relationship} it's ok to throw them away because I can't remember why he got them.

6. Decide to keep quiet about how old the flowers are and let people think he's just that great of a husband!

7. Because he totally is!

check out life rearranged for more insta- fridays!

{Review} Why Women Need Fat

2012-01-12T21:32:00.002-06:00

It's that time of the year ago: a new year means new resolutions. I don't know about you, but I really can't remember the last time that one of my new year's resolutions did not involve losing weight and getting healthy. Obviously my long term string of making the same resolution shows you how well I probably stuck to my commitment throughout the year, huh?

This year is no different, but I'm at least taking a different approach to it. I had the chance to read Why Women Need Fat: How "Healthy" Food Makes Us Gain Excess Weight and the Surprising Solution to Losing It Forever by William D. Lassek, M.D. and Steven J.C. Gaulin, Ph.D.

I have to be honest, the first two parts were a little too scientific and statistical for me. Personally, I am the type that wants you to just lay out the plan for me and tell me what I need to do and eat to lose weight and then I want to jump right in and get started. Given my track record for how many years I’ve made the same resolution to get healthy and lose weight though, that plan might not be working for me. I do want this year to be different, so I’m trying to remember that the scientific information is important and understanding it will help me to better implement this plan.

Part Three was my favorite section to read. It covers topics such as why dieting doesn’t work, how to determine what your weight should be and what we need to do different with our eating habits. We need to step away from our excessive use of corn oil and low-fat foods and use the real stuff: eggs, dairy, olive oil, meats, fresh fruits and veggies. These are what our bodies truly need to for a nutritious diet.

It’s going to take some work to incorporate this into my eating. I’ve been accustomed to a low-fat diet for a long time! How do you approach dieting? Do you think full fat foods could be what has been missing from yours? Feel free to join the BlogHer discussion over Why Women Need Fat!

Disclosure: I was compensated for this review from the BlogHer Book Club. All opinions are my own.

Diggin' Deep

2012-01-10T21:20:00.000-06:00

I have a problem y'all.

Over the holiday I spent a good portion of one of my days cleaning out and organizing my closet. {If I were a good blogger I would show you a before and after. I'm too prideful to show you that it still isn't all that great. Sorry.} Despite my efforts to get my closet in shape, it because very obvious that my unorganized closet stems from one source: I have way too many clothes.

For real.

I'm actually slightly embarrassed by the problem. I was talking to my friend Leslie {who house sat for us over the holiday} about it and she said, "Well, I hung some clothes up in there and I noticed you certainly have a lot of options!" Bless her heart. She's too good of a Southern woman to say, "Yes, yes woman, you certainly have too many clothes. PURGE."

And it's not like I haven't tried to purge. I really have. Part of the problem comes from the fact that I haven't really changed sizes in several years. Things that I bought several years ago still fit and I still like the items, so I can't bring myself to get rid of them. Plus, I know that I do have some pieces that I bought {or my mom bought for me!} that were more expensive, so knowing how much they cost almost makes it seem unbearable to get rid of them.

Here I sit with a closet packed full of wonderful clothes, yet if I really took a closer look at it, I'm probably only wearing about 1/4 of what I own. Leslie suggested I try Kendi's 30 for 30 challenge, but I told her I really need the opposite, I need to stay away from the same pieces I wear every week!

So, I'm doing just that and creating a challenge for myself:

It's really a simple challenge: every week I'm trying to wear 2 or 3 outfits using pieces that I haven't worn in a while to see if I still like the items and truly want to keep them in my closet. I've got two outfits that I'm about to show you and it's amazing how actually putting the pieces on and wearing them in public totally changed how I felt about the items as compared to when I just see them on the hanger.

Take this first outfit: {the skirt is the main item I haven't worn in a while}

I bought my jean jacket to be more fitted for t-shirt and tanks. It's really not made to be worn with a sweater. So I already felt slightly "puffy" and self conscious when I was wearing it, but I knew I needed to wear this skirt to start the challenge. So, I'm rocking the skirt all day thinking it's a decent outfit and then we get home to take pictures. Oh. My. Goodness. It was only in SEEING the photos of this skirt that I realize that this was just bad. I've got hips and the skirts just hits at the wrong length so that it makes me look wider and doesn't flatter my curves at all. Honestly, I didn't want to post these photos at all, but this is the reason I'm digging into my closet. I've held onto this skirt because I know I paid a good amount for it at a boutique in my hometown, but now I know that it's just not for me. To the consignment store it goes! Because I actually wore it out, I know that it's just not right for my body type and I have no qualms about getting rid of it. Diggin' Deep Success #1.

Outfit number two: {the shirt and blazer are DD items}

This blazer certainly doesn't photograph well, but I promise it's polka dotted and not psychedelic like the pictures make it look! I bought this Gap Outlet many a year ago {as, our town hasn't had a Gap Outlet since probably 2007} when blazers were first starting to make a comeback. Honestly, I probably doubted my decision from the moment I brought it home, but I've carried it with me for many years. I have great visions of it being a fun twist on the professional blazer, but the problem is that it's not as fitted for a woman as it should be. So unless I wear it with a belt on the outside, I end up with just a boxy figure. While I felt comfortable in the outfit and do feel like the blazer looked good on me, I don't think that I will wear it enough to justify keeping it.

As far as the shirt goes, I can't believe this, but it's actually almost TEN years old. {I know, that alone should probably be reason enough to get rid of it.} I wore it to my senior awards ceremony, wow! This is another piece that I know my mom spent a great deal of money on, plus a cowl/turtle neck is a really flattering look for me. So, despite the fact that I haven't worn it in ages, I still hung on to it. I do feel like it looked good under this jacket, but once I put it back on I realize that it's just a tad bit too short for me.

So, on my first Diggin' Deep attempt, I've found 3 pieces of clothing that I've always thought I couldn't get rid of that I'm actually going to be able to take to the consignment store. Thus allowing me to free up some closet space and I'll be making money off of it! Sounds like a win-win situation to me!

What's your closet like? Do you keep it nice, organized with room to spare or are you full to the brim like me? Maybe you'll consider joining me for Diggin' Deep next week :)

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy for WIWW

And That's A Wrap.

2012-01-08T20:59:00.000-06:00

Welp. That about sums our weekend up pretty well.

I love a weekend that is just productive enough so you feel good about yourself when you go back to work, but not so overly done that you don't feel like you relaxed any over the weekend. I did laundry, grocery shopped {side note: if you go on Sunday evening, Walmart will be out of eggs. It will be a desperate search for the one uncracked case.} cleaned the kitchen, and enjoyed plenty of down time with the hubs. I think I'm ready for another work week. {And the snow day would just be the icing on the cake!}

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On a much more serious note... are y'all watching the Bachelor? :) I deleted it from our DVR a couple of seasons ago and honestly haven't missed it. {I am not being high and mighty people, I am not above it, I just have other show's I'd rather watch} But after Monday night, I saw some pretty funny tweets that intrigued me. Like, it seems as if they really pulled out all of the stops finding the crazies for this season. So today when I saw that it was being replayed, I recorded it and might be jumping back on the Bachelor train.

Do you watch the Bachelor? Who is your favorite lady this season? And do you like her because she's normal, or because she's "special?"

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Stay tuned for posts about organization, pinning and the depths of my closet. I'm hoping you will have some good tips for me! Have a great week!

Insta {catchup} Friday

2012-01-05T21:37:00.005-06:00

I spent the holiday walking around going, "What day is it again?" and had some poor cell service at times, so I wasn't able to fully share some of my holiday photos. Here's a look back at our past couple of weeks:

we had a crazy, heavy snow which resulted in a fun White Christmas. like, 12 inches in a few hours. crazy.
cody tebowing. naturally.
playing wahoo at my grandmother's house. guess who won? {me of course!}
me: then and now {10 years ago, yikes!}
the snow did not deter kota from enjoying the window rolled down
my family's traditional christmas eve meal. keepin' it klassy. {don't worry, this tradition will not change!}
a flat tire makes for a long drive home. it was even bigger than we imagined!
kota, sulking because of jealousy
sophie, in my lap. the source of kota's jealousy

you know you're an adult when you get lint brushes for christmas!
telling kota to be quiet and behave.
below: he actually obeyed me!
cleaning out my closet on my last day of vacation. such a boring, adult act
my new piece of furniture with my christmas money!trying to decide on a color,currently leaning towards gold!
cody really loves me, he let me eat this in the car on the way home! {don't get any ideas, I just love pickles that much!}
my new onion goggles
one of my christmas presents. they go with every outfit it seems!

and that {kinda!} catches you up on our holidays! check out life rearranged for more insta fridays!

Easy Lemon Garlic Pasta

2012-01-03T13:09:00.000-06:00

Right now I'm doing a grand inner debate. Do I nap? Watch a movie? Go to Target? Start a craft project? So many options to choose from, all because I'm trying to pretend like today isn't our last day of vacation. Don't get me wrong, I have a great job and great co-workers, but going back from a two week break is always a little sad. At least it's only a 3 day work week!

I made this recipe for dinner the other night. I saw it on Pinterest before we left for the holiday, but didn't have any plans to cook while I was gone so I had to wait to make it. It's quick, easy, cheap and delicious, all requirements for meals here around the Neinast household.

Here's a general idea what you need, though this is a very loose translation as it's a lot of guessing and eyeballing:

dry spaghetti {I used whole wheat}
grated parmesan (I used a 4 cheese blend)
olive oil {I poured about a 3 in circle in my pan}
mince garlic {I used several spoonfuls}
lemon {I used 1 whole one}
5-6 basil leaves, or dry like me if you forget to buy them at the store

While your spaghetti is boiling, add a generous portion of olive oil and minced garlic to a pan and saute until the edges turn light brown. Remove from heat {we'll come back to this.} Cut your lemon in half to have ready. Add a couple of shakes of basil to the olive oil/garlic mix and stir together. Once your pasta is cooked, drain and add to the pan with olive oil. Mix well, then add cheese to your liking, then mix again. Squeeze the lemons over the pasta and mix one final time. Dish into bowls and top with crushed pepper as desired.

Just a warning... the cheese kinda got clumpy and didn't really melt and mix in as well as I thought it would. Next time I might let each individual add their own cheese. I also added extra lemon to mine. The more the merrier, right? I served this with delicious clearance bread from Walmart {.84!} and also tried out a Johnny Carino's Olive Oil dip. I'll link to it, but the recipe was a bust. Probably because I kinda made due with what we had and used minced garlic, not the head of garlic like it called for. Live and learn.

All in all, a great recipe that will make it into our dinner rotations!

Here's a link for the original recipe.

Black Eyed Peas- Abby Style

2012-01-02T13:40:00.001-06:00

Let me just be real honest here and put up a disclaimer. You're about to see several recipes come through in the next couple of days that are going to leave you saying: "Where did Abby go and why did Paula Deen take over her blog?!" Never fear, it's still me! My parents gave me a new dutch over, a fantastic knife set and the best pair of onion goggles for Christmas and it truly seems to have revolutionized my cooking. I'm now three for three for fantastic meals in the past three days and I just had to share them here. Even though it's "technically" the new year now, I'm still counting them for last year's resolution to try new recipes. Hope you enjoy!

My mom was always a firm believer that we needed to eat our black eyed peas on New Year's day to bring us good luck. Some years we had a beans and rice type soup meal and others the beans were just a small side dish. Really, all I remember is that black eyed peas really aren't my favorite, so I'd eat my one spoonful and move on to something better. Since getting married, I haven't really put much emphasis on making sure we get our beans, mainly due to selfishness. There are just other things I would rather eat!!

Once again, this year I probably would have just let the tradition pass us on by, but after seeing too many a tweets about everyone getting their BEP and luck in for the new year, I started feeling guilty. So I concocted a recipe in my head and sent Cody to the store for supplies. Would you believe the store was out of BEP's on New Year's Day? Apparently you're supposed to plan ahead for this meal. Luckily Cody found a stock boy who was very slowly refilling the shelves {as in, picking up 2 cans off the crate at the end of the aisle, walking to the middle, putting them on the shelf, then walking back down to the end. I'm sure his employers appreciate his speed!} and was able to get 2 cans from him to save our meal!

Here's what you'll need:
2 cans black eyed peas, undrained
1 large can green chilies
1 pound ground hot sausage {the breakfast kind}
Broth

While the sausage was cooking, I made my cornbread and had it ready to go in the oven, though I didn't put it in yet. I put the beans and chilies in a pot to start warming them up and added salt, lots of pepper and minced garlic to season. Once the sausage was done, I added it directly into the beans pot and added roughly 1 1/2 to 2 cups of broth, just to make sure it didn't dry out. I let it simmer together for the 15 minutes while the cornbread was cooking.

Y'all. I do not like the taste of black eyed peas, yet I will totally make these again. They were delicious! {full disclaimer, I added ketchup to my beans. I believe it's what took the recipe over the edge :} If you're looking for an easy, cheap {roughly $5 and we'll get at least 4 servings out of it} meal, try this one out!

Looks like the Neinasts will have more than their fair share of luck this year!

Baby's Got Her Onion Goggles On.

2012-01-01T19:33:00.000-06:00

While opening our stockings with my family, I received one of my most interesting gifts today. I have to admit I was a little stumped when I first pulled it out. I consider myself a pretty fashion forward person and, well, um, these glasses didn't really seem to match my style. {see bottom left picture to get an idea of what I first saw} Then I thought my mom was maybe trying to help me be a little more athletic and got me glasses I could wear outside while working out or maybe go skiing, but that's not really my thing either. Finally, I read the package and realized just what the gift was: Onion Goggles!

Here's the description from Amazon:

Say goodbye to tearing, stinging, irritated eyes when chopping, mincing, dicing and slicing onions and their relatives—leeks, scallions and chives. Wearing the stylish and comfortable Onion Goggles will protect the eyes from irritating onion vapors. The soft foam seal keeps out the nasty onion vapors. When onions are cut, an enzyme called sulfoxide lyase and sulfuric compounds are released from the broken cells. When exposed to air, they react with one another to form a vapor. As this vapor evaporates, it irritates our eyes and causes us to cry.

Basically, you wear them when choppin' onions to keep you from crying!

I didn't have any onion chopping to do while at home, but I was finally able to test these bad boys out last night for our New Year's Eve dinner. I'll be honest, I feel slightly silly in them and I wasn't sure they could really help, but they seriously work! The onion I chopped was super, super strong {like I thought it was going to make Cody cry in the next room} but I didn't shed one tear! If you cook a lot with onions and are tired of the tears, you might want to make this your next gadget you purchase! My mom purchased them at a local store, but I found them online at Amazon for the same price. {apparently they come in five different colors!}

You'll never view onion chopping the same! :)

Goodbye 2011!

2011-12-31T16:03:00.000-06:00

I can hardly believe that we're about to say goodbye to another year. Seriously, the older I get the quicker the days seem to fly by. While I still feel like we're recouping from the holidays {as seen by the fact that earlier today, Cody said he texted my dad so he wouldn't bother him at work. I reminded him it's SATURDAY} and we haven't quite began to fully reflect over this past year and what we hope comes with 2012, I do know that we are both saying without a doubt that this past year was a much better year overall for us.

2010 was a hard year and we certainly we not sad to see it go. 2011 brought much celebrating though, with my first {new} happy heart day, cancer-free parents and grandparents, Cody finishing his master's and starting a new job, and settling in at a new church. We have been so abundantly blessed this year in many different ways and I am thankful for how the Lord has provided for us, challenged us and reminded us of His presence.

Here's hoping 2012 brings just as much joy and celebration!
Happy New Year!

Book Review: The Magic Room

2011-12-29T18:28:00.000-06:00

Here's a little known fact that some of you blog followers may not know: I purchased my wedding dress before Cody and I were actually engaged. And we're not talking a week or so before, we're talking almost a solid three months before he proposed.

Cody and I were talking about getting engaged and I believe my parents knew that he was "the one," so one day when I was home during the summer my mom booked us an appointment at David's Bridal and off we went. I wore a fake ring to play the part and we had a grand 'ole time. I actually only tried on three dresses in all and my wedding dress was the clear winner. We went to lunch, talked about it, my mom called my dad to talk about it, then she laid it out carefully: "Abby, we have money set aside for a wedding and can get this for you, but if something happens between you and Cody, are you sure this is still the gown for you?" I knew it my heart it was what I had always dreamed of and we drove home that day with my wedding dress.

Would you believe that a few weeks later I brought Cody home to meet my extended family and we had the worst weekend of our whole relationship? Oh man, it was rough! So rough that once we were back in Abilene, I left to go hang out with friends in the metroplex to recoup for the weekend and think over our relationship. Unbeknownst to me, Cody recouped from the horrible weekend by buying my engagement ring! The difference in men and women, huh?

Despite the rough weekend that followed, I still have such sweet memories of shopping for my wedding dress for my mom, along with the many fitting appointments and accessorizing that are a apart of this process. It's been well over three years since we got married (and almost five years since we bought the dress!) and I still would choose it all over again!

Recently I had a chance to read The Magic Room by Jeffrey Zaslow. Here's a description of the book:

You may not have heard of Fowler, Michigan, much less Becker's Bridal. But for the thousands of women who have stepped inside, Becker's is the site of some of the most important moments of their lives-moments that speak to us all. Housed in a former bank, the boutique owners transformed the vault into a "magic room," with soft church lighting, a circular pedestal, and mirrors that make lifelong dreams come true.

Illuminating the poignant aspects of a woman's journey to the altar, The Magic Room tells the stories of memorable women on the brink of commitment. Run by the same family for years, Becker's has witnessed transformations in how America views the institution of marriage; some of the shop's clientele are becoming stepmothers, or starting married life for a second time. In The Girls from Ames, beloved author Jeffrey Zaslow used friendships to explore the emotional lives of women. In The Magic Room, he turns his perceptive eye to weddings and weaves together secrets, memories and family tales to explore the hopes and dreams we have for our daughters.

This book is definitely an interesting read for mothers and daughters. It will make you laugh and cry as you read the personal stories woven throughout the book, as well as make your reflect back on your own experience or future expectations of wedding dress shopping. It does have more facts and statistics than I expected it to, but still makes for an easy, enjoyable read!

Who did you take to go wedding dress shopping? Was it easy to know which one was "The One?" And am I the only girl out there who bought her dress before she received the ring? :)

Join the discussion about The Magic Room at BlogHer, where it’s the latest selection from the BlogHer Book Club!

I was provided with an electronic copy of The Magic Room to read and review as well as compensation for my time, courtesy of BlogHer and Penguin Books. All opinions, as always, are my own.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:34:00.000-06:00

may the joy of the good news of Jesus Christ be with you this Christmas and throughout the coming year!

Insta- Friday {Littlefield Edition}

2011-12-23T17:14:00.000-06:00

we're officially off and celebrating the holidays with family! here are some peeks into cody's home town:

a very proud cody in front of a replica of the world's tallest windmill
littlefield is hometown to waylon jennings and they are proud of it. there's a street named after him, a fantastic mural and it's all over the water tower. tell me again, who is from littlefield?

isn't that just pure onery-ness? i'm afraid i'll pay for cody's childhood through my own children!
in case you didn't know, it's rather flat in the panhandle
kota on our drive home
and, unrelated to littlefield, the purse my secret santa at work made me. i am in love!

check out more insta-fridays at life rearranged!

{things will be quiet around here as we're enjoying our family for the holidays. i hope you all have a very merry christmas! i'll pop back in soon enough... right now we're working on a sausage ball recipe review and competition. i know, such exciting lives we live! merry christmas!}

Count Count Count.

2011-12-20T16:00:00.000-06:00

Sigh. There are currently 17 items to do on my list before we leave town. You know, small things like, wrap all of our present, deep clean the house so it's presentable for friends to stay in it while we're gone (amazing how things don't bother me for us, yet I can't let friends see it!) address Christmas cards, have Cody fix the disposal that I clogged up and finish up some last minute gifts. Shouldn't take much time at all, huh?

Cody and I have been going non-stop for the past week and a half it seems, with events including a women's ministry dinner at the church, leadership meetings, Sunday School Christmas party, Small Group Christmas party, Christmas Cookie decorating party and 2 graduation parties last weekend. I have to admit, I think we're party-ied out! Luckily though, we have a 3 day work week and then we're off for two glorious weeks! Even though our holidays will be packed full of traveling, family and lots of eating, it's still so nice to know you have the freedom to relax during the busyness!

Here are some pictures from all of our parties - Enjoy!

{christmas cookie party. let's be honest, the majority of my pictures were of madeline - i limited myself to two here!}

{sunday school - a country christmas, complete with hay ride & smores!}

{small group christmas - photo booth fun!}

Insta-Friday 14

2011-12-16T16:42:00.000-06:00

had a lunch date with cody & enjoyed christmas carols

he's all about the details

ignored cleaning the house to cuddle with this guy

made a special birthday treat for a friend and then she didn't show up to the party. it would have been wrong to let it go to waste.

pulled out my master's gown for a friend to wear this week. debated wearing my hood all day too.

fed ex goes a little overboard when it comes to temporary passwords

red velvet cake cookies with peppermint cream cheese icing. yum!

headed to our 3rd annual christmas cookie decorating party. a well balanced meal is a must before hand.

decisions decisions.

the finished product.

last weeks insta-friday
check out life rearranged for more insta fridays!

Baja Chicken Crescent Roll Cups

2011-12-14T22:00:00.000-06:00

I realized the other night that Christmas is almost here, which means it will soon be 2012, which means it's time to take a look at my previous New Year's Resolutions. Mainly, that one where I said I wanted to try 2 new recipes a month. I think I'm doing ok on how many I've made, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to have one last push of a few new recipes just for safe measure.

This is a very, very loose adaptation of a meal we had the other night at Sarah's house. She actually served us Baja Chicken tacos. Because she is my ultimate Betty Crocker friend, she actually boiled her chicken, shredded it, mixed in the sauce, and served it with taco shells, tortillas, black beans, corn, avocado and cheese. I didn't plan far enough in advance to have tortillas or avocados on hand, so I had to adapt to what we had in the fridge.

Here's what you need:

{not pictured, bag of steamers corn as I didn't have any in a can}

I am not Betty Crocker, so I used canned chicken. I did add black pepper and garlic powder to it in hopes that it would give it a more homemade taste. {I know, what was I thinking?!? Like that would happen. Ha!} I then added drained and rinsed black beans and the corn to the chicken and mixed it all in together.

Next, add 2 parts Ranch for every one part BBQ sauce to the mixture. I didn't measure this out, just poured some in, mixed it all together, tasted then added a little more as all of the chicken wasn't covered.

After that is mixed, take your crescent rolls and spread in the pan to create a cup.

Fill each cup with chicken mixture.

Bake according to the crescent package directions. {I actually set my timer for 2 minutes less, put cheese on the cups and then put it back in to melt the cheese. You could probably do this from the beginning, but I didn't want it to get crispy.}

Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

This is a super easy recipe that will definitely become a regular in our house! Even though it only made 8 crescent cups, we've got a good deal of the chicken mixture leftover to enjoy for lunches!

Thanks Sarah for inspiring our meal tonight!

{after looking over this post, I realize that all of my pictures look like poor product placement for great value products! ha!}

Christmas Orders!

2011-12-14T12:35:00.000-06:00

If you're looking for a few last minute, super affordable Christmas gifts for the special people in your life, make sure you get your Etsy order placed by Tuesday, December 20 to guarantee that it will ship out in time to make it to you for Christmas! I will be leaving the shop open during the holiday, but after the 20th, items will not ship out until the 29th!

Head on over to place your order today! Don't forget to use the code DECEMBER to get 10% off your order!

*Neinast* Life At Its Finest!