What I've Been Up To Lately (and what's coming)

So! Lately I have had my nose in a lot of busy places. I've been setting up my very first sponsorship, from the absolutely delightful Kate over at FtGR. I've posed her with a wonderful question for her guest post coming sometime in the February future, and I'm anxious in awaiting to see just what her response will be. Stay tuned! I am really excited to get my blog out there to connect further with others!

I've also found some phenomenal recipes as of late. I made these Lasagna Roll-ups, and they were absolutely decadent! I really loved them because they were made with chicken, and I'm really a chicken over beef girl any day of the week. They were light and creamy without being ungodly rich.

I also love them because they were something I could make with my husband. He and I absolutely love cooking and baking together. He's my sous chef. With this, I laid out the noodles, he filled them, and I rolled them and put them in the pan. It's something I highly recommend to do whenever possible, cooking with your spouse. It brings you closer, and in the end you've ended up with a dish that you both can take pride in making. And he has made sure I never lose this recipe, because he went back for three helpings! I felt rather accomplished.

Another recipe we conquered last night was these absolutely drool worthy Caramel Apple Cookies. They weren't too difficult to make, and it was again, another thing my husband and I did together. He loves drop cookies ever since I first introduced them to him. We can work in and over and around each other like pros by now, and we bang those puppies out. Which was a good thing, because this batter makes so many cookies!

My cookies turned out a bit darker in the frosting department because I used dark brown sugar. But they are still awesomely good. By the way, if you don't have powdered sugar or aren't a fan of the frosting aspect, just dunking these cookies into the caramel reduction you make as a base is super nummy! We just couldn't wait. The cookies themselves aren't too sweet, but paired with that awesome topping, they make the perfect cookie. Plus the texture is so soft and nice!

What's Coming Up:

♥Keep an eye out for guest posts from Alison and Kate!
♥My guest post over at FtGR will be coming up at some point in February, and I'm thinking of doing an organization box for my craft supplies I've been working on for a bit now. So keep peepers peeled!
♥I have been drafted to attempt to make a power rangers hoodie my husband saw via facebook being sold somewhere. I've never made a hoodie before, but I found a pretty simple and good looking tutorial I think I can follow. My only fear is going to be trying to make sure I get the pattern right. And well, I don't think I'll have enough money to cover a full lining material, but I've already told him that, and he's ok with it. So! Hopefully I will have a successful blog post to tell y'all about it soon!

And to close...

What I've Learned This Week:
week being a -loose- term

•A little initiative goes a long way.
I've already secured two guest posts for my blog within the span of two days, and have connected with some really wonderful ladies!

•It's okay to speak my mind. It's not the end of the world if I upset someone.
I have a consistent issue with fighting not to disappoint people or make them unhappy. This week I had a very real conversation with my sister, and frankly, she's decided not to speak with me for a time now. And I found...that's okay. Because she learned what I thought, what I felt, and I firmly believe it'll turn out all right.

•If someone decides they don't need me, then they didn't deserve my contribution.
I will admit, most of my interaction with people on a daily basis outside of my select circle of support in real life (whom I wouldn't trade for anything), is through the wide world of the Internet. Lately, some of the things I felt as points of pride were relieved from my helping. And I was really upset at first. But I've come to realize, that it's okay, and that it's not the end of the world. It just shows me where I stand, and I can move from there.

•Some of the best moments in life happen when you're doing nothing
My husband and I had a good friend of ours over last night, and we had a really good time. We almost always have a good time. And frankly, we don't do anything. We hang out, chat, tell stories, and generally goof off. We all get into the weirdest situations, and they're made hilarious by the fact that we're all so cool about them.

•Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.
I have bad days, I realize this, where I feel like my contributions to the world were absolutely nothing for that day, and if I erased it from my life, nothing of value would be lost. I expressed this to my mother, and basically, she told me it was ... crap.. and that I had people who depended on my being there, each and every day. That just by being me, and loving the way I do, I contribute to the spinning of this world each and every day for at least a handful of people. It made me realize that you don't have to be great to be memorable, and you don't have to be perfect to be loved.

With love,