Nifty Nique's Everyday

Menu for week 8/17 - 8/23

Nique — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 23:47:00 GMT

This last week went so very fast. This last week both Dustin and I had good friends visit, we got to check out the outdoor market in Gruene and even hosted a family dinner. Dustin's mom and her side of the family are cookers! Its great (ok a little intimidating but great). There is normally a dinner hosted once a week somewhere. Well since we got our dining room chairs we could finally have people over. I made my standard spinach lasagna and roasted garlic focaccia. It turned out wonderful! Anyways on to the menu...

Monday - Lemon Chicken with Couscous

Tuesday - Pot Roast

Wednesday - Marinated Brisket with Mashed Potatoes

Thursday - Sausage with creamy corn fries

Friday - Ham and Pasta Casserole

The weekend is a little up in the air. Dustin's sister is flying in from Nashville so I'm sure there will be several family dinners. So we'll see how the menu truly plays out.

Spinach and Bacon Stuffed Chicken

Nique — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 23:45:00 GMT

Alright gang, I don't brag often but I'm bragging today! I have always loved eating out. Partly because I don't have to do anything and partly because I have never felt like my cooking was up to par. But in the last 8 months I feel I've grown in leaps and bounds. This meal topped everything.

Stuffed Chicken (I only made two breast so double or triple accordingly)

4oz Cream Cheese (we buy the fat free kind)
Clove of roasted garlic (I roast a head a week and throw it in everything)
1/3 package of frozen spinach (drain spinach throughly)
2 slices of thick cut bacon
2 Chicken breasts
Season with pepper, cajun seasoning or whatever else looks yummy

Cook bacon till crispy, crumble. Mix with cream cheese, garlic, spinach, and spices. Slice chicken breast down the middle, don't cut through. Pound chicken thin and flat (it helps to cook it evenly and quickly). Stuff chicken with half the mixture. Heat a skillet with olive oil. Sear chicken on both sides until you get a golden crust, about 4 minutes per side. Throw chicken on a pan (preferably on a wire rack if possible) in a hot oven (375ish) and finish cooking, about 10-15 minutes. The insides will be melted and bubbling.

Broken Spaghetti Risotto (This one I "stole" from Rachael Ray, this is my version)

8oz angel hair spaghetti
1 can chicken stock (we buy low sodium fat free stock, but you can play with it)
1 Tbsp butter
Couple Tbsp shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 Onion, chopped very small

In a saucepan heat butter. Break spaghetti into small pieces and toast in the butter (the spaghetti will begin to brown, but don't burn!). Add onions so they can start to cook. Once spaghetti starts to brown add stock in a bit at a time. Stir constantly as the noodles begin to soak up the stock, add more. You will use the whole can. The stirring will help break down some of the starch and the sauce will thicken. I added a couple tablespoons of Parmesan right before serving. You can use half stock/half water, or stock and wine. Also you can season the risotto with whatever you have around, fresh or dried herbs, dried mushrooms or anything else your imagination can come up with. Enjoy!

Menu Plan for 8/10 - 8/16

Nique — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:51:00 GMT

Well my first week at work was killer on my menu. I did good on Monday! I even premade the lasagna so all I had to do was throw it in the oven. Well then Tuesday and Wednesday I got home within minutes of Dustin. Thursday he actually had a day off. So this week's menu is about ease and as always saving money. Most of the meals can be made in 30 minutes or less. So if we got home around the same time its still only 30 minutes till dinner.

Monday - Sliced Ham and roasted potatoes

Tuesday - Grilled sausage and homemade mac n' cheese

Wednesday - Stuffed Chicken and broken spaghetti risotto (a Rachael Ray recipe, the queen of thirty minute meals!)

Thursday - Lasagna Raviolis (this will be an experiment with leftover egg roll wrappers)

Friday - Night out

Saturday - Creamy Gnocchi and Garlic pull apart bread

Sunday - Pizza

The shrimp we had gotten an amazing deal on! It was 16-20 count for $4.99 a pound. We bought two pounds and have made four meals. This is the last of the shrimp. The ham was a meal deal at HEB. Buy a ham and get a whole bunch of stuff free. The ham was $20 and we got six bags out of it. But we got $15 worth of free stuff. I'll tell you about the garlic pull apart bread and lasagna raviolis for sure.

Ropa Vieja

Nique — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 14:37:00 GMT

Let me start by saying Ropa Vieja is generally beef. And generally the meat and spices are cooked together. But as always I am trying to be creative and make our money stretch as far as possible. I had gotten pork at $1 per lb. I had already cooked and shredded the meat. So please do not take this recipe as an authentic recipe.

3/4 lb shredded pork
1/2 cup water
1/2 can of tomato paste
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 red pepper, sliced

Seasoned with cumin, red pepper flakes, chili powder, paprika.

I tossed all the ingredients into a pot and simmered. This is not meant to be a super spicy dish. Dustin likes heat and I don't. So we learn to compromise. Season with more heat if you'd like. You can add jalapenos or other peppers. Add more water or paste for more "gravy". Spoon meat and juices over rice. Serve with sour cream, avocados and whatever you have hanging around. We happened to have green onions and limes. Enjoy!

Stretching you Meat

Nique — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:38:00 GMT

Let's talk a little bit about saving money! These days this seems to be everyone's favorite subject. The economy has brought to light things some of us have done for years. It is so fun to share these tips with others. My hope would be even as the economy rebounds that many of us (to include a new group of thirfty students) will continue to life smartly and thrifty. That we will teach our children patience, balance and self control with their money and lives. That we would understand less really is more, that family time is more important than over extending our credit cards and mortgages. Oh the big hope I have for our future!

Our first saving tip is making meat a side note. Dustin is a man's man. He wants meat at every meal. If we can have several types in the same meal he is in hog heaven (sometimes literally). But meat is expensive. So I do several things to make this stretch. We buy in bulk to start. When I get home from the store I immediately portion things out when I can. Hamburger or chicken breasts get packaged into quart size freezer bags and they are labeled and put into the freezer. Two weeks ago I bought a huge pork tenderloin. It was on a huge sale. $5 for 5 lbs. Yep $1 a pound for center cut amazing pork tenderloin. I wish we had a deep freeze and I would have bought several.

I cut this into a couple pieces. I cut out two smaller pieces to cook up in the oven for sliced pork. Each of those pieces turned out to be rough 3/4 of a pound. Then the large piece and all the extra cuts were thrown into the crock pot with 1/2 a can of Coke and some water. The Coke helps breakdown any connective tissue. I don't season it at all. That way we can use the meat in a variety of dishes. After 6 hours or so on low the meat will shred beautifully. Don't over cook. The Coke will continue breaking down the meat until its mushy.

After the meat is cooled in gets portioned into freezer bags too. This worked out to four bags. So that is six portions of meat from a $5 piece. Less than $1 a meal!!! We had sliced roasted pork with mashed potatoes and gravy, pulled pork sandwiches, pork enchilada casserole, ropa vieja and pork egg rolls so far. We have one more roast and actually one more bag of shredded meat. I only used half the bag for enchiladas and half for the egg rolls. We have some nights that meat is the focus, like our roast night. But when I'm combining meat in pastas or casseroles I use less. The egg rolls didn't take much at all so I used maybe 1/3 of the bag. Then 2/3 went into the casserole. Just cause you stuffed a bag full of meat doesn't mean you have to use the whole thing. Skimping too much will bring an uproar in my house. But as a general rule of thumb is meat should be 1/4 to 1/3 of your plate. Grains, pasta, veggies, and other side dishes should make up the rest of the plate.

Menu Plan for 8/3 - 8/9

Nique — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 03:00:00 GMT

Well gang, I had just wrote about homemaking. It is such an important focus and I truly believe that. However that being said, I start full time tomorrow at a new position. Dustin and I decided that it was very important for me to have health insurance and for us to be able to pay off our debt. As I've talked about before I have two credit cards, a student loan and a hefty car payment. Dustin also has a large car payment and a small amount on a credit card from the move and what not. So I am back to juggling work and home life. We both desire for me to stay at home full time but this is better for our family right now... Maybe someday we'll be blessed to have rug rats running around and I can be a stay at home mommy. With our debts paid off and maybe even a down payment for a house life would be more relaxing to focus on fun money and not debt money. Long winded entrance to the menu huh? Ok without further delay...

Monday - Grilled Sausage Links with Fried Okra and Salad

Tuesday - Spinach Lasagna (roll over from last week)

Wednesday - Turkey, Avacado, Bacon Paninis with Oven Fries

Thursday - Ham and Veggie Mac n' Cheese

Friday - Ropa Vieja (Mexican tomato pork dish... I'll post the recipe for that one)

Saturday - Crispy Honey Shrimp and Stir Fried Veggies

Sunday - Night Out

So hopefully its a smooth transition back into the working world. And I will continue to bring fun new recipes.

A thought on Homemaking

Nique — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:49:32 GMT

Those of you that have known me for a while have seen my passion for homemaking. I've desired to be a great homemaker since I can remember. It has always been my heart to take care of my family through food, chores, crafts and emotional strength. I don't have any one thing I can say that made me this way. But this move has changed me a little.

We moved almost six weeks ago. My whole goal has been to find a new job. Something I want to do instead of a job I have to do. But I found myself depressed that it has taken so long. Instead of feeling blessed that I get to be a full time homemaker for the time being. I spend my days reading, crafting and cleaning. I have a healthy meal on the table when Dustin gets home. I can handle the grocery shopping and all the errands that Dustin would not enjoy. He is 100% free to focus on work. He still works 5-6 days a week in 10-12 hour shifts. He works outside in 105 degree weather for a good part of his day. And here I have been at home pouting that I can't find a job I want.

So today I woke up with a little bit different thought. I searched the internet for stay at home wives. Read tips on what they do all day. And these women are amazing. One talked about how household management is much like hotel management. Things need to be neat and orderly, healthy dinner on the table. But more than that a household manager is in charge of the long term well being of her family. To make sure not only that her family's daily needs are met but also their long term dreams, hopes and goals. She is the single tie of her family. Without her members may live there own life and pass each other by.

I have a lot to think about. Money is not the only thing that should concern us. Would my family or your family be healther with a full time house manager? Do you need to help supplement your family's income? Is your calling outside of the home?

We are going to be talking more on this subject, since this is where I am in my life. No official change of plans at this time at this time. I don't have the green light from D to stay at home permnately... yet. But even with a job outside of the home I am in charge of my home. Right now I just have extra time to go the extra mile.

Menu Planning Mondays

Nique — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 13:32:00 GMT

So I am finally ready to get back into sharing my menus! Dustin and I had to throw out a good amount of food for the move. We actually had to part with most of our furniture, some kitchen stuff, and a bunch of other stuff at the last minute. It was just us packing the trailer and we just couldn't fit all of our stuff. We didn't have cooler room to save what was in the fridge. We just didn't have space to keep everything in our pantry. I worked out menus to use as much as possible of our little stock. But it also meant we got to start almost from scratch when we got here. I put the tips I have gotten from the blog community about stocking up on things while they are on sale and with coupons. So we have a great stock pile. It has saved so much money. We were lucky on sales the first couple weeks, which was great cause the last two weeks the sales have been really disappointing. But anyways... short story long, we are eating great and I'm ready to share.

Monday - Pork Tenderloin with Broken Spaghetti Risotto (I saw it on Rachael Ray)

Tuesday - Chicken Salad

Wednesday - Spinach Lasagna

Thursday - BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Friday - Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Saturday - Shrimp Stir Fry and Homemade Eggrolls

Sunday - Dinner out!

There we go. I'll be sharing recipes for a couple things this week. I also need to find a fun dessert to try this week. Enjoy!

Bacon Cheeseburger Meatloaf

Nique — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:15:00 GMT

Alright gang, this recipe is Food Network inspired. Paula Deen to be specific. Since I'm not working I've had far too much time to myself. I have been able to check out all the shows I have wanted. You can probably find her recipe on the Food Network page, but this is my verison.

1 pound ground chuck
1 big carrot, diced
2-3 stalks of celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, chopped fine
1/2 seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 milk
8oz cheddar cheese, cubed
4-8 strips of bacon
Creole Seasoning
Red Pepper
Onion Powder
Salt and Pepper
BBQ Sauce

Sautee carrot, celery and onion is a small amount of oil. Add garlic after a couple minutes and continue to cook until all veggies are softened.

In a large bowl combined ground chuck, breadcrumbs, milk, and veggies. (Some people use eggs as a binder for the meat. I like the moisture that comes from the breadcrumb and milk mixture, but use whatever you are comfortable with). Season as you like. I seasoned as I normally would a regular meatloaf, since the goal was not to make a massive hamburger patty. Once all these ingredients are mixed well add in your cubed cheese.

Form meat on a sheet pan. I know Paula set the meat on top of bread to soak up the excessive grease. I didn't but might try this in the future. We generally get 85/15 or leaner meat, but with the cheese it had a good amount of grease that covered the pan. Cover formed meat with strips of uncooked bacon. Then top with BBQ sauce. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes or so.

I served with garlic and green onion mashed potatoes! Enjoy.

Nerdy Tips

Nique — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:53:00 GMT

So I've shared my nerdy Excel spreadsheets on coupons and my price lists. I have not kept up on my coupon sheet. What I found is the receipts don't always list what coupons I used and it became a burden to keep up. So nice try, but fail on the coupon list. The price list I keep updating. It is nice to see what is a good price for the things I buy. When I started I had no clue that $1.69 a pound for chicken breast was a good deal or paying $2.79 a pound wasn't. It has saved us a ton of money, just figuring out when to buy and when to change the menu and do without.

So two new spreadsheets I'm working on... One is a reciept list. In Excel I've been recording each reciept. What I bought, how much I paid and if I can remember the coupons or specials. Then the other is writing down what each meal costs me. With the receipt list, I can go back and figure out exactly what everything cost. We aren't close to bragging that every meal costs $3 or anything crazy. We still splurge on fun snacks and have meals that cost $10 for just the two of us. But it helps bring to light some of our spending. Did we really need beans and rice with our tacos? Did I really use that much cheese? How can we reuse the leftover veggies? It gives me time to look over the meal, what can be done better, what I can do so Dustin doesn't have to eat the same food tomorrow for lunch.

On Monday I'll get back to sharing our menus for the week. I'll continue to share fun recipes, but also try to share the costs and tips on the planning, coupon use and the recreations for what the leftovers will become.

Blueberry Focaccia

Nique — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:06:00 GMT

I am now surrounded by amazing cooks. In Nashville I got to pretend that I was a good cook, because my friends didn't cook. But now Dustin's mom, aunt, cousins... everyone cooks. And they are great!!! Which is good, since there is always good food. But I lost a little of myself. So in order to redeem myself a little bit, I had to find "my dish". Something that was great that I could bring to family food days. I found this recipe in a Woman's Day magazine. I changed it up just a little bit. This is something I feel great about bringing and everyone loves it!!!

1/2 cup sugar

2 Tbsp grated lemon zest

3 - 3 1/2 cups flour

1 packet of rapid rise active yeast

3/4 tsp salt

1 1/4 cup milk (the recipe calls for whole milk, I used 1%)

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups blueberries

Lemon extract

1. Mix sugar and zest together thoroughly.

2. In a large bowl mix 1/3 cup of the lemon sugar, 3 cups of the flour, the yeast annd salt, until blended.

3. Heat milk in microwave for 1 1/2 minutes or until temperature is 130 degrees. (I added a dash of lemon extract to the milk)

4. Add milk, egg and butter to dry ingredients. Mix with spatula until a soft, sticky dough forms.

5. Scrap dough onto a floured surface and knead up to a 1/2 cup of flour into the dough. Let dough rest 20 minutes.

6. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Divide dough in half. Stretch one half of the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Scatter with half of the blueberries and the remaining lemon sugar. Stretch out the remaining dough to fit on top. Press the edges together. Cover with a towel and place in warm area. Let rise for 45 - 60 minutes.

7. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Dimple the surface of the loaf. Scatter the remaining blueberries of top. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool slightly on wire rack.

*** The recipe says use half the sugar in the middle of the loaf and half on top. I put all of it in the middle and made a powered sugar icing. Powdered sugar, milk and lemon extract.

Enjoy! I don't care for blueberries, so I'm hoping to try raspberries or something else.

I'm finally back!

Nique — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:26:00 GMT

Well Gang,

Its been a crazy 6 weeks. I'm so sorry to just leave you hanging like that. Thanks for sticking with me. I'll give you a brief recap of the move and then we will almost start fresh. I've learned so much over the last couple weeks that I am excited to share new saving ideas and many new recipes. So here we go...

Dustin had come to Texas to interview for a new position two months ago. It seems like forever... The company he interviewed couldn't hire him because his step-dad was employed there. But he impressed the guy so much he said he would help Dustin get something here. Well that was enough for Dustin. His mom, step-dad and little sister live here, he has some extended family here and its near where he grew up. He is a Texan for sure. Even though job details were scetchy he decided it was best for us as a family. We are ready to set roots down and be in it for the long haul. It was fun and exciting packing and preparing for this great new life! Dustin's mom was a great blessing, she check out houses for us and we rented without ever seeing the place we are in.

Then moving came, oh my goodness!!! It was just D and I. I've always had my family to help me (and with 6 brothers that was a great help). But this time we were on our own. It brought me to breaking point so many times. Then the 16 hour drive here. I thought I was never gonna stop crying.

Well four weeks since we quit our jobs and neither of us is working still. Things didn't quite work out as smoothly as we would have hoped, but it was an experience. We had never had two days off in a row together. Dustin worked 70 hour weeks and wasn't around a ton. We quit our jobs and have had nothing but each other for four weeks. It was tough at times but we have had a great rest between Nashville and digging in here in New Braunfels, TX. Dustin will start working this week, and I have started looking for some work too. Here is a picture of our living/dining/kitchen.

And here is a Texas sunset! From our front porch.

That is a little recap of the last couple weeks. I'll be posting regularly now that I have internet at the house. I missed you guys.

Moving

Nique — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 16:00:00 GMT

So you may have noticed that I didn't put a menu last week. That I haven't posted anything. Well I've been a little busy this week. Dustin has decided to move our family to San Antonio, TX! There are some new work opportunites for him there, as well as he has a good amount of relatives around the area, including his mom, sister and grandma. So we are a week into our two week count down. I've packed up my craft room, and really anything that we don't use on a regular basis. I've spent this week using up as much of the stuff in the fridge and freezer as I can. I hosted a huge yard sale yesterday. Today all the leftover yard sale stuff is being donated to Goodwill. Both of us have gave our notice at work, but that means last week and until Wednesday this week, we are working our normal schedules and packing at night. Its exhausting. I haven't done dishes in days, gross!!! You can barely move around our house with all the boxes cramped everywhere.
But on the flip side... This move is super exciting for us. Dustin works in the car business. I know the news makes it sound like every dealership is failing or about to close. But this simply is not the case. Dustin even only being 23 is one of the best in the region!!! He is amazing at his job and this move will be rewarding him for his talents. I don't have a job lined up yet in Texas. We aren't sure what I'll do yet. There is a chance I won't need to work, or at least not work full time. We are discussing me going back to school to finish my degree. But as always my focus will be on setting up our home and making sure Dustin is taken care of completely, so he can focus on his job and providing for our family.
Well that is what is going on in my neck of the woods. Since I've never been to San Antonio I don't know what to expect. I don't know when we'll have internet hooked up or if there is a library close. I'll try to keep you guys in the loop or at least when we get settled let you know how it went.

Couscous Salad

Nique — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 18:49:48 GMT

This is a light summer salad! Start with plain cooked couscous. Couscous is a tiny round pasta. I buy this in bulk because I love it!! It costs around $6 for a container that will make roughly 40 servings. That is $0.15 a serving. It can be seasoned in numerous different ways.

Today I threw some leftovers in. I had some fresh parsley, frozen peas, red onions and some chickpeas. Then I added some Italian dressing, not even two tablespoons and some Parmesan cheese. This one is served cold and with the chickpeas it was loaded with protein.

Couscous - $0.30
Chickpeas - $0.50
Peas - $0.50
Parsley - $0.05
Italian dressing - Free (I had a coupon making this bottle free)
Parmesan - $0.15
Red Onion - $0.25

Total - $1.75, this was plenty of food for me. Dustin had some fruit and chips also so maybe round it to $2.50. But pretty good for a light summer lunch.

Big Sandwich Recipe

Nique — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:19:06 GMT

So I thought I'd explained the Big Sandwich just a bit. This was not thrifty, but it was a fun nice dinner to enjoy!

We started with a round asiago focaccia from Panera bread. I then made a roasted garlic, spinach, and parmesan cream cheese spread. Topped it with Roasted Turkey, Bacon and smoked Provolone. Baked it all in the oven!!!

It was delicious! I would probably next time leave the spinach spread out and just use avacados.

Bread - $3.29
Turkey - $9.95
Bacon - $1.00
Provolone - $1.00
Cream Cheese - $.50
Spinach - $.75
Garlic - $1.00
Spices - $.05

Yep that is a grand total of $17.54. Not including the chips and pineapple. This fed 3 people. Not thrify but very delicious and still less than going out to eat.

Cheap Date Night - Fail

Nique — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 02:09:00 GMT

Sorry for the delay on this, I was telling my mom this story and she said "You should put that on your blog'. My mom is the most amazing women on the planet. I can't say enough about the blessing she is to me. But that is for another time (maybe someday I'll convince her to guess post... hint hint Momma). Anyways on to my story.

Since I worked Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Dustin decided to treat me to a date night. When he got off work we went to dinner at PF Changs. We had a coupon for Free Lettuce Wraps (my favorite!!!) with a purchase of an entree. When we go to dinner, we generally get one appetizer and one entree and split them. We generally have leftovers even then. Well today we went even further and both got water. We got the bill and it was $13.89! We had plenty of food, got to go to a nice restaurant and stayed thrifty.

After dinner we went on the Shelby Street Bridge. Its a great walking bridge near downtown Nashville. The bridge goes over the river and is super peaceful. Well I get the brillant idea to stop at Ben and Jerry's. Dustin and I love their sorbet. Since the only one in town is near by, we head over there. We didn't really look at the menu, just ordered two scoop cones. Total $12.39... What??!!! Here we had been so thrifty with dinner and dessert completely blew it. When did ice cream become so expensive? Well live and learn I guess. Next time, sorbet at home. It was a nice night none the less.

Menu for June 1 - 7

Nique — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:14:00 GMT

Well my first week of working at night went ok. I worked Thursday, Friday and Saturday. So Dustin was on his own for dinner those nights (yeah Hot Pockets three nights in a row!). And I was too exhausted to cook on Sunday. So needless to say our menu got jacked up a bit. We went out to PF Changs on Sunday night!! We used this coupon, for free lettuce wraps with an entree purchase. This week I only work on Saturday night, so I can plan a little better.

Monday - Monte Cristos and Fries

Tuesday - Big Sandwich (I'll post the details later, but I got a big round Foccacia at Panera this weekend and planned on a cross between a pizza and sandwich)

Wednesday - Chicken Patties and Tortellinis (I've been trying to squeeze this one in for three weeks, let's cross our fingers)

Thursday - Hot Dogs, Baked Beans and Salad

Friday - Spaghetti Pie (Again I'll have to post this, I don't know what else to call it)

Saturday - I'm working

Sunday - Not sure yet...

There we go! I will be posting a recipe for a chickpea couscous I made this weekend shortly. Stay tuned for more recipes and ideas.

99 Things on the Wall

Nique — Sat, 30 May 2009 15:24:00 GMT

I saw this meme on Better is Life, so I thought I’d join in. All the items in bold on the list are things that I have done at some point in my life.

1. Started your own blog (huge work in progress)

2. Slept under the stars (I've been on several camping trips)

3. Played in a band (in elementary school)

4. Visited Hawaii (best pineapple I've ever had)

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain (I lived in Colorado for 11 years, I've climbed 8 14,000 footers)

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo 9heck no, I'd clear the place out)

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (Knitting, crocheting, quilting, and several other things, great thing about homeschooling. I love learning)

15. Adopted a child (5 of my 6 younger brothers are adopted, so props to my parents, but no kids for me...yet)

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables (My parents used to have a garden that I helped with a tiny bit and D and I are growing jalepenos now)

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight (Probably, Ed my 22 year old brother and I fought a ton, pillows were involved at times)

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill (I had a huge project for my Interior Design class)

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon (I've done a couple 5k races but not a marathon)

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset (Although they seemed to be more colorful in Colorado)

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community (I lived in PA for the first 12 years of my life, I love the Amish farmer's markets)

36. Taught yourself a new language (only bits and pieces of Spanish, French and Sign lanuage)

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (I don't lack anything thing I need)

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing (I've done it indoors and true rock climbing)

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karoke (Oh fun times)

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (I've bought meals to go and given it to homeless people)

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (Its actually kind of scary with the dark dark water)

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (Snorkeling)

52. Kissed in the rain (I love to walk in the rain!!!)

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business (We haven't fully launched but Entourage Equities LLC is a legal business now)

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen (Food Pantry and Animal shelter but not soup kitchen)

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies (Nope, I have all brothers and never was a Girl Scout)

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason (a couple times!)

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check (Yes, two in high school. Never again though)

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (My mom still has my blankie)

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone (My toe, but no fun cast or anything)

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car (I have always been againist buying new, but I got backed into a corner and ended up loving my new Jeep)

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper (Twice, once was the Front Page!)

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox (in my ears, nose, down my throat... I still have scars and I never scratched them)

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous (Taylor Swift, Gretchen Wilson, Gary Allan, and Bucky Covington...Can you tell I live in Nashville?)

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Please leave me a comment if you want to participate so I can see your answers! It’s guaranteed to be more exciting than mine! {smile}

Second Job

Nique — Thu, 28 May 2009 13:34:00 GMT

I've talked about Dave Ramsey before with you guys. Well let me fill you in on what is going on currently with our pay down Nique's debt plan. I don't really like to talk specific numbers just because it makes people uncomfortable. So I'll warn you now, I'm gonna talk some numbers so feel free to skip this post if that makes you uncomfortable.

Insert cute picture for those to opt out of reading numbers

Dustin and I keep completely different accounts. We do not share bank accounts, car loans, credit cards, even rent and utilities are not joint. This can be agrued both ways I'm sure, but I'm a big advacit of do what works for your family. Dustin works in the financing business so he sees the devastation that joint accounts that are not maintained well create. And for the very point that I track every dollar and he has never wrote anything down in a register... ever! I would go nuts. Another reason is Dustin make more money than me, he pays for his personal debt (really that is jsut a car) and all our basic needs. My income is simply for my massive amount of debt and everyday things (like gas, eating out or shopping).

My income pays my debt off. I'm about to turn 25 and between my car, student loans, and two credit cards I have amassed a good deal of debt. Today this stands at $42,500. This is less than the national average, but for me its crippling. My minimum payments are $717 a month, almost $200 of which are interest payments. It started when I was 19 and got my first credit card. I was so good! I'd buy gas and pay it off every month. It all started creeping up on me. At its peak I owed $50,000. I have really focused on getting this paid down.

I put away the credit cards in Feburary of this year and have not touched them since. I wrote about the general Dave Ramsey plan here if you want to read more about my pay down plan. I've cut out most of my "fun" money. Getting out from this debt is important to me and worth the sacrifice now. But even at this pace I won't pay off my debt for roughly 4 years. This is all well and good however I wanted to blast thing debt out of the water.

So I have taken on a second job. Its a couple nights a week waitressing. This is a huge decision for Dustin and I. I have dinner on the table every night when he gets home. I do all the cleaning, and yes I mean all of it. I'm the one Dustin counts on to take care of everything while he is at work (mind you Dustin works 75+ hours a week). This week I work Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. Which means my menu plan for the week is shot, but it also means D will come home to a dark, lonely house and have to fix his own dinner. But this is what we are willing to do. Being under a huge debt is a burden to me. My income could be going to decorating our home, to friends or family in need, to a vacation fund, or maybe free me up not to work full time, who knows. So this summer is already gearing up to be exhausting but worthwhile. I'll keep you guys informed through the process. I don't think anyone can "do it all". I'll have nights that I'm too exhausted to move and Dustin will offer to order Chinese. I'll share the downs with you, but I also forsee some great ups! I hope to have at least one credit card paid off by the end of summer!

So here is to a crazy new adventure in Nifty Nique's Everyday!

Memorial Day BBQ

Nique — Wed, 27 May 2009 02:40:27 GMT

This is a day late, but here we go. Dustin had to work most of the holiday weekend (the car business doesn't believe in time off), but we were able to grill out with Mark and Ashley (my BBF). The boys didn't get off work till 9pm or so. So it was already dark and everyone was very hungry. We grilled steak, corn on the cob and made veggie pockets.

After washing and chopping the potatoes, I microwaved them for 5 minutes. I knew it would be late when we finally got to grilling and grilled potatoes take a long time. By micowaving them to almost done, they can get thrown on the grill while the steaks cook and be warm and delicious. The packets also had zuchinni and onions. They were seasoned with Rosemary, salt, pepper and a little cajun seasoning. Folded up ready for transport!

Also I pre-boiled the corn, wrapped it with salt, pepper and butter!

There is my big sexy man grilling!!!

The steak was seasoned with pepper and Adobe seasonings. It was super great. Some margaritas, beers, and hot tubing!!!! Great Memorial Day celebration. Which was brought to us through the many men and women that scarifice their lives everyday to continue to keep our great country safe! Thank you for giving for the greater good!