I'm back!

Ahhhh.... I'm back! I'm back!

Last week was a busy week of Birthday fun, work, mom visiting and wisdom tooth pain. All of those things contributed to distractions from blogging but I'm back and I have some fun posts coming. So today, lets play catch up and I'll also give you a little sneak peak of what's to come!

Last week I had my 24th birthday and was blessed with so much love from friends and family. This year my birthday fell in the middle of a busy work week and one of the only things I really wanted to do was eat my favorite dessert, CHEESECAKE! So Brandon took me to The Cheesecake Factory for the cheesecake I was craving.

Just looking at this picture makes my mouth water and wish I could have it for lunch today! 

Some more Birthday fun included my mom making a last minute trip down to visit so we could do some birthday shopping! While she was visiting, my brother and I figured we had to surprise her by having him show up and spend the weekend with us. My mom was utterly shocked and we all loved spending time cooking, going to the movies and having a Modern Family Marathon.
                                                                                     
In other news, a few weeks ago, I was hired as an Office Assistant at Shade Tree Films (the film company Brandon is working for; check them out). The office is currently having a lamp building competition. We have not done our final reveal yet, but here is a sneak peak of what I did for mine.

Once we do our big reveal, I will post a tutorial on my homemade lamp!

I also have a couple new easy recipes I can't wait to share with you; Baked French Fries and Karleene's Krazy Easy Chili.

There's so much fun to come!

Maci K

Enchilada Casserole

When I had originally planned what most of my blogs would consist of, I thought I would stretch myself and post many home projects and organizational projects. This is still my goal, however, considering our tight financial situation, many of the projects I thought I would be posting would probably cost us more than either of us would like. So instead, I find myself posting things that are a part of our life every day(and a part of our budget) and something I love equally... FOOD!

Much of my love for food must be credited to my parents. They are self proclaimed foodies, just as Brandon and I are. They're constantly inspiring me to try not only new but healthier options as well. Growing up, food was always an excuse for all of us to spend time together, cooking in the kitchen. When Brandon and I were first dating my parents did not hesitate to included Brandon into the cooking of almost every meal we had over there. It simply became a part of all of our time together. Therefore, it only seems natural that I have a great excitement and passion for food. Food connects me to those that I love the most! I love any opportunity or excuse to cook with or for others. Are you sensing my passion?

This recipe I am sharing with you is credited to my brilliant mother who is always trying to reinvent or create new or old recipes that are easy, fresh and healthy. Most everyone LOVES enchiladas, right?! They are oooey, goooey and oh so cheesey! What's not to love? They usually take a bit more time than most of us have and ultimately end up falling apart. This enchilada recipe only includes 6 simple ingredients!

Ingredients: 

Cheese of your choice

Chicken (or your choice of meat/no meant at all)

Corn Tortillas

1 Large Green/Red Canned Enchillada Sauce

Sour Cream and Sliced Avocado (for garnish)

To Create: Begin by cooking your choice of meat. If cooking chicken, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, then lightly season your raw chicken with salt and pepper (maybe a bit a of garlic powder if you would like) then place the chicken into the oven for 20-25 minutes. Once fully cooked shred chicken with a fork. 

In a 8"x8" baking dish place a layer of tortillas followed by chicken, sauce then cheese. Repeat once more finishing with a gorgeous layer of cheese.

Finally, place your cassorole in your 400 degree oven for 25 minutes. Once finished baking, plate a (reasonable) portion on each plate, finishing with a dollop of sour cream and a few slices of avocado... That's it!!! Promise. This is a dish that is sure to please. 

Enjoy!

Maci K

Happy Belated-Labor Day!

Happy belated-Labor Day!

I don't know about you but I always love Labor Day Weekend. I love it probably for different reasons than most. Labor day is the mark of the end of Summer, which for some, it can be slightly depressing. It means the last barbecues, the last pool time and the last of the hot Summer sun. Now don't get me wrong I love all of those things and I get sad to see them go to. But for me its whats to come after labor day that excites me!

I don't know if its because I am a September baby but I absolutely adore Fall. I love everything that comes with fall; the delicious smelling candles, pumpkin spice latte's, the time change, the cooler weather, wearing layers, season premiers of my favorite TV shows, football season... I could keep going with this list but I'm afraid I have already bored you.

Know that you understand my excitement for Fall, we happened to have a not so typical Labor Day but it was perfect for me! Here in the Inland Empire, we were blessed on Labor Day with a break from the heat; we had one single day of overcast skies and rain! However it was still 90 degrees but that didn't matter, we cranked our AC snuggled up with a blanket and watch movies all day! It was a great way to welcome what is to come this fall.

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day weekend with your friends and family.

Maci K

A Healthy, Easy and Quick Meal

The title of this post is no illusion; it is the absolute, honest truth! This meal is the simplest meal I quite possibly, have ever put together. It is 100% guilt free but the flavor is incredibly delicious! Can you tell I am so excited to share this with you? Honestly, it isn't even a specific recipe and it may not even be new to you but I am still excited to let you all in on this great meal!

Drum roll please!................. Its Spicy Tilapia with Israeli Couscous and Zucchini and Yellow Squash! Here is the "recipe", which serves 2.

Ingredients:

 2 4oz Pieces of Tilapia

Cayenne Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes

Garlic Powder

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt/Pepper

1 tbsp Butter

1 1/4 Chicken Broth

2 Zucchini

1 Yellow Squash

Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating prep your zucchini and yellow squash by rinsing and slicing length wise; then place on a baking sheet and brush lightly with EVOO and sprinkle salt and pepper. 

Next prepare the tilapia by brushing it lightly with EVOO and rub cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place prepared tilapia on a baking sheet,

Place both zucchini/yellow squash and fish in the oven for 15 minutes.

While waiting for the fish and veggies boil 1 1/4 cups of chicken broth then add butter, a dash of red pepper flakes and garlic powder; then stir in 1 cup of Israeli couscous. Cover and let simmer for 8-10 minutes. You may need to stir occasionally to prevent couscous from sticking. 

Thats it! Simply plate and you have a delicious, guilt free meal, full of flavor! ( We did have a bit of couscous left over so you can of course make necessary changes.)

Hope you all have a great Labor Day Weekend!

Maci K

Wine Box as a Herb Garden

I am taking a short break from my "chores" to share with you all my new project. A while ago Brandon was given a few empty Wine Boxes to use as home decor. We currently are using two of them as storage for extra electrical cords, DVD's that do not have cases and controllers/accessories for the PS3.

 

The third box, we placed in the awkward space between our cabinets and our ceiling because we were eventually going to use it along with other decorative items to make the space look like it actually served a purpose. Instead... Jack the Cat quickly made it his new bed. He was in heaven. It was high and tight place for him to sleep peacefully.

(Sorry for the fuzzy picture but it was the only one we have of him actually in the box.)

So for the past few weeks, Brandon and I let Jack enjoy his cozy bed. But recently, we noticed he was acting out more and due to the placement of the box he thought he had free roam of the kitchen; which was driving me crazy! We began finding cat hair in the kitchen and we had finally had enough of it. A few days ago Brandon took down the box and reminded me that months ago I mentioned that I wanted to use the extra wine box as a small planter box.

If we owned a home, I would love to have a nice vegetable garden but for now a small herb garden will do. I am really excited for this little project! Now, I need to do a little research about the herbs I would like to plant. Let me know if you have any suggestions!

Maci K

Casual Friday

Happy Friday all!

In the spirit of Friday I would like to keep this post rather casual with a few of my random thoughts. Please buckle your seat belts because I have no idea where we might end up by the end of this post.

This morning while I was enjoying my daily cup of joe, catching up on the blogs I follow, I noticed Jack was going crazy by our back door. This usually means there is something exciting outside that he is planning his imaginary (since he is not allowed outside) attack against. Sure enough there was a creepy crawly lizard on our back patio. In order for you to understand the types of lizards we deal with here, I had to include a picture of this beast, that I like to call a mini dinosaur.

The way these mini dino's crawl is terrifying yet completely fascinating. I am pretty sure we have a few living underneath that stack of boxes.

I love reading magazines! I have a few to get caught up on at the moment, but in the midst of my daily activities and reading the many blogs I follow, I find that the magazines often are put on the back burner of my reading list.

With the growing popularity of blogs, I wonder what the future holds for magazines. This leads me to a conversation I often have with Brandon, paper books vs. digital books. I have heard talk of many schools considering using iPads or other forms digital tablets to store all textbooks instead of purchasing multiple hard copies of text books. I can't help but question this because I am a tactical kinesthetic learner (who also struggles with dyslexia). As a kinesthetic learner and a dyslexic I need to physically touch the pages of a book and actively read in order to better retain the information I am reading. This concerns me for children who struggle with the same types of learning disabilities that I have. This could lead me to a whole other conversation of school teaching systems and how they are set up for only one type of learner but I can save that for another time. Ultimately, what I am getting at, is I love to actually hold a book or magazine and flip through it as a relaxing activity.

As if reading my magazines, and blogs weren't enough I am also currently reading The Furious Longing of God by Brennan Manning. You may ask, how in the world do you have enough time to read all of these things?! My friends, remember, I am currently unemployed (looking for a job in a new town) and do not do well with so much spare time. So I have found myself reading more than I ever have in my life. This book is such an EASY read and I promise it has something in it for everyone! I told Brandon yesterday that this book has "Smacked me in the face", it is so good. During my second or third year at Vanguard, Brennan Manning came to the school and spoke for numerous chapels. I only wish I could go back a few years and sit in on those chapels again with the appreciation I would have for him today. He is a man with great life experiences and great wisdom. He writes so honestly and genuinely, while reminding us of Christ's longing for us. The theme though out the book is based on Song of Solomon 7:10 (NASB),

"I am my Beloved's,

and his desire is for me."

Such a simple concept yet so hard for us to accept.

I am done with my random ramblings for today. That wasn't too bad was it? It was wordier than I had planned. I hope all of you have a great, relaxing weekend!

Maci K

Make Organizing Fun

I don't know about you but I love to organize! Whether it is a closet, a pantry or a desk, I love the feeling of accomplishment and peace afterwords. I have pretty much always been this way, I was the girl in elementary school situating my pencil box, binders and paper so perfectly that the other kids probably thought I was crazy. I have had friends through out the years ask me to help them organize closets. When I wanted to make a little extra money my mom (who is very organized) would asked me to re-arrange and re-organize the kitchen to make it more efficient. I think you get the picture, I love it!

For those of you who do not enjoy organization like I do, you probably know the final product will be good and will allow you to live your life more simply, but you find the process grueling. It's okay! I understand, not everyone shares my love for organizing.  Trust me, occasionally, I will get overwhelmed by certain projects. For example, since we moved almost 4 weeks ago, I have had every box unpacked and organized with everything in its place... except... this lonely box.

It is our box of office/desk supplies, as well as our old junk drawer odds and ends. I'm sure a lot of it needs to be thrown out as well as our new apartment does not have a specified place for all of these things, so I am having to get a little creative. Its has just been one of those tasks that I keep pushing off and pushing off but that box has been staring at me and haunting me every day I sit down to watch TV or sit at our desk.

Soooo... Yesterday, while I was at Target, I was browsing through almost every isle and I found these "Fashion File Folders" for $4.99 (mine are a slightly different design yet very similar). When I saw these I was instantly inspired to tackle this awful box.

This afternoon, while writing this post, I have been working on getting rid of old paper work and the unnecessary odds and ends; I am now reminded of why I was putting this project off. But I must say I keep pushing through because I am so excited to use my new adorable file folders and put them in a great woven basket. I still have a bit of work to complete this project such as labels to place on each tab and a bag to go through with B but here is the semi-finished product!

 

I only wish you could feel what I feel when I look at this basket of file folders! This little bit of my organizational heaven! It was such an affordable change! Trust me there is more that I would love to do with this space, however these small changes buy me (and Brandon) time before we want to make the more costly changes.

If there was one point for those who hate organizing to take away from this post, it would be; Make organizing fun! Whether you use a woven wood basket or a metal basket or "fashion file folders"; make a small purchase that will help YOU enjoy organizing your space.

Always feel free to share with me your thoughts, suggestions or even your own projects you have tackled or need to tackle.

Maci K