Summer Time, Crazy Time

It has been along time since I have posted on my blog.  June was a crazy month for me and didn't have much spare time.  Now, July is almost over and Fall is just around the corner.  I have had a terrific summer with family, friends, boating, visiting friends in Raleigh and family in Cincinnati.  My birthday was June 28th and I was 28 :) I had a terrific birthday and got a new bicycle, tennis racket, new Vera, shoes and some money :)  Then three days after my birthday......I had a terrible bike accident and broke my wrist and tore cartilage :(  SOOO.......I have been in a cast (right one of course) so typing, writing, cooking, etc. has been a challenge for me, but thank GOD I have done ok !!!  I can't get it wet, so that has been the really hard part because I love water.  We just got back from vacation and not being able to get in the ocean or go all the way under water in the pool, was awful, but I still had a great time with my WONDERFUL husband.  He has been such a wonderful help.  I get the cast off Aug 2nd, but will have to wear a split 90% of the time.  I will be back to posting more soon......It is just hard and I try to limit myself and save typing for work because my hand gets tired after awhile. 

However, I did post some pics of a new recipe.  This is my twist of Antipasta Salad.  I used two jars of Olive Medley (Napa Valley Bistro), pan-seered some asparagus (in garlic, EVOO and pepper), red onion (sliced), cherry tomatoes, pancitto wrapped in mozzarella and basil (buy at store, sliced) and then tossed with Italian dressing (tablespoon) and grated Parmesan.  It was tasty !!!

Try this recipe before the summer is over because it is great this time of year.  I hope everyone is having a blessed, SAFE summer and I will be in touch soon :)

Spread Your Wings and Fly

Last night was my Dad's B-day !! I took my camera so I could get pictures, well my hubby took the camera outside to get a few snapshots. There was a baby bird that just fell out of its nest when we walked in the yard. Here are a few pictures of the Mama Bird feeding her baby. I thought these were fascinating pictures for a couple reasons.  1) My husband takes great photos.  I love to take pictures, but he definitely has an eye for it.  2) I started to think about the different types of animals and how they "learn" in comparison to humans.  It is amazing, it isn't that much different.  A mother bird will feed and protect her baby at all cost.  It was amazing to watch the mother bird watch her baby and make sure nothing bothered it.  My dad's dog actually went after the baby bird and the mother came down from the fence and pecked the dog until he became scarce.  After the mother fed her young, it tried to fly.  It took some time, but finally made it a few feet further each time.  This picture made me realize humans are the same way.  A mother will watch over her baby and feed them, but at some point, we all have to spread our wings and fly !!  With a little bit of support and encouragement we can all soar :)  Do what makes you happy in life.                                

I am not sure how this ties in to my post, but he took this picture too and I thought it was beautiful, so I wanted to share !!

Happy 70th Birthday

                                 Anderson Kids and  Anderson  Grandkids !!!

Today is my Dad's 70th Birthday !!!  My Dad has 6 kids, but I am the baby :)  I have 4 sisters and 1 brother.  We were all together (first time in years) except 1 sister was unable to make it.  We had spaghetti, salad, green beans, garlic bread and of course CaKe -n- IcE CrEaM!!! 

Here are some pics from our evening....

                                                    
Dad and Brother Stephen                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                   

      Hubby Teaching Ayla that WVU RuLeS !!

Ayla helping pawpaw open gifts :)

Ayla is always posing for the camera :) 

My sister Les and her son Brennan <3

Dad blowing out the "70"

We all had a wondeful time !!!  We wish Dad a Happy 70th Birthday.  There is nothing better than getting together as a family and making one another smile :)

Getting to Know You, Sunday

1. If a person has a booger in their nose. and you can see it, do you tell them? Absolutely !!!


2. What are you passionate about? Cooking and Finances :)

3. How long have you been blogging? About 6 mths. (close to it)

4. What is your favorite "summer" drink? I really love strawberry sweet tea and lemon slush :)

5. What is your favorite type of music? Contemporary Christian

6. Something I do before I go to bed is......? Put my retainer in my mouth (have to keep my teeth straight :)

7. My Summer vacation plans are...? I am trying to talk my hubby into St. Lucia or somewhere tropical....

8. My favorite must have, can't live without, beauty product is? My lip gloss !! I am simple girl :)

StrawBlue Berry Cake !

Here is my creation for a Church
function tomorrow evening.  I thought it was really pretty and wanted to share.  It would be great for July 4th !! I used a Pillsbury White Cake Mix (baked per directions on box).  I baked in 2 round cake pans.  I did a filling in between the layers.  I used some red food coloring in my icing (Pillsbury, white) and chopped "fresh" strawberries for the center.  Then I icing the rest of the cake !!  I put some blueberries in the middle and sliced some strawberries to put around the cake.  I also put a little bit of graham cracker around the cake for a light dusting :) I thought it was super pretty and hope everyone will enjoy it !! We are having a dinner to support the FCA (Fellow Christian Athletes) with guest speaker, Doc Holiday (Marshall University Coach) !! I hope you will try this recipe :)  Not only is it pretty, but it taste pretty darn good too !!!

Not Saving Could Cost You Money?

Building a savings cushion is a crucial thing to do.  My boss has taught me to keep “my age” in the bank. This is one of the best pieces of financial advice I have received! Get your age in the bank and don’t touch it unless it is an emergency.  Some people think “Why save, you can’t take it with you,” which is true, but if you don’t save you won’t go anywhere either. There are unexpected things that happen in our lives such as death, divorce, disability, illness, birth, home repairs, etc. which cost money and if you don’t have it then you are in trouble my friend.

The average single person makes around 46,000 a year and a dual earning household makes 67,000 a year.  A single person for example making $46,000 a year will pay on average (annually) $9000 for rent/mortgage, $4800 for food, $960 for gas and $3600 for a car payment.  Once you pay taxes you really only get $36,000 a year and with these expenses, it equals out to over 50% of your earnings.  These are just the necessities to live.  Once you calculate insurance, eating out, entertainment, household products, etc. there is not much left.  If you have an unexpected event, you will need that cushion.  Some people will just put on their credit card, but then that will end up costing you more money in the long run.  You cannot finance your way to being wealthy!! So start saving and manage your money.   

Saving by Cooking

Savings is a word I often use nowadays.  I have worked since I was 15 years old. When I was in college, I worked and had a decent paying job, but I didn’t save any money. I spent any extra after bills on unnecessary things.  My background is in finance, so I knew better, but I was young and stupid.  Now, my husband and I save like crazy.  We always put 10% into our savings and we live on a budget.  If you are disciplined and cautious about what you spend, you will see your savings grow.  There are many ways to save, but cooking for less is one of them. 

The first thing to do is use coupons.  Some people think they are too good to use coupons, well, I am not ashamed to say, I use them.  Some people also think the only way to get coupons is by mail (in the weekend newspapers).  I have news for you, there are tons of free coupon sites.  I like couponmom.com the best.  I am not a Mom, but this site offers tons of savings on groceries, diapers, home cleaning supplies, etc.  They even offer free samples on new products. All you need is an email address and printer.

Also, come up with a menu.  It can be hard to cook for two people.  I use to find myself throwing out more than we would eat.  Create a weekly menu. I understand it can be hard to stick with, but if you stick to at least 4 out of the 7 days you will save money on the grocery bill.  Here are a few tricks I use.

Two Meals from One Chicken

For your first meal, put a whole chicken in a crock pot and cook it all day.  Not only is this easy, but it is delicious.  You can serve 2-4 people from this, plus save the rest of the meat for chicken enchiladas, casserole, pizza, sandwiches, alfredo or other recipes.  A whole chicken is very inexpensive so by using this method you will save.

Buy Meat on Sale

Grocery stores will run specials on their meat.  If I see chicken breasts on sale, pork loin, fish, etc. I will buy extra and freeze it for use at a later time. 

Freezing Meals

Next time you make spaghetti, freeze half of it.  I use to save leftovers in the refrigerator thinking we would eat it later in the week, but I would throw it in the trash. Now, I freeze half of it.  This saves time on making dinner, plus I got two meals out of one.  You can do this with soup, casseroles, lasagna, just to name a few.

The reason I am sharing this with you is because it today’s economy it is so important to save money.  If you can save money by cooking and reducing your grocery bill, do it.