Last weekend Justin and I had a garage sale with his family. Now you're probably saying to yourself that there is no way a couple that has been married for less than two years already has enough stuff for a garage sale. Well, you would be wrong! I wish I would have taken a picture of our garage right after we moved in. Let's put it this way...one of our builder's contractors asked if we had downsized houses?!?!?! You've seen the show Hoarders?! Well, that's pretty much how bad it was!
Some things were very easy to get rid of...clothes that we never wore, cheap wall decorations that we had bought just to have something up on our walls, mismatched dishes and pots and pans that were accumulated over the years, etc. But some things were really tough to part with. And, it is really, really hard to put a price tag on something you own, that has been part of your life. I was trying to think "What would I personally pay for this item?" But even that was tough because obviously I bought it the first time and paid full price for it.
I tried to stay focused on what selling all of our old items meant...#1. We would actually be able to use our garage to park our cars inside! #2. Money to go and buy new things for our house! Parting with things and pricing eventually became a little easier once I had my goals in mind.
Garage sales are so weird to me. We had some really nice stuff for sale, like a barely used vacuum cleaner, nice drinking glasses, brand new crock pot, etc. that no one bought and hardly even looked at. And then the things that looked like junk were gone in the first hour! I guess one man's trash is another man's treasure, or something like that! And don't even get me started on the people that would haggle with you and try and nickel and dime you on every single item! Hello! It's a new wardrobe full of name-brand items for $10...try and go to those stores and buy one thing for $10!
But after the week of preparing for the sale, hours of pricing items and getting everything set up, and dealing with a bunch of crazy folks, it was worth it. We made some pretty good cash and are going to use our earnings to finally buy blinds for our windows! It's kind of weird walking around your house and knowing that all the neighbors could peep in the windows and see you! And, we may even be able to park in our garage soon! Now you can't put a price on that!!! I've never had a garage, so I'm pretty excited about it! It's the little things in life... :)
Friday, March 18, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
NO SWEETS FOR YOU!!!!
So today is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent (the 40 days before Easter). I almost always give up sweets for my Lenten sacrifice. I never was a big sweets fan when I was a kid. Maybe we just didn't have them in the house much, but I never really asked for candy or begged for the super duper chocolate cereal with marshmellows. I think my sweet tooth developed when I went to college. My roommates and I would do Cold Stone ice cream runs to celebrate finishing exams we had studied weeks for, we would get Blizzards while we talked about guy problems, we would buy cookie dough just because (and it usually didn't get baked, we just ate it raw). And that's where it all began...my love for sweets! So for the next 40 days there will be no cookies, candy, donuts, cake, brownies, and of course no ice cream (which is my favorite!). :(
Since we're on the topic of food...I finally cooked a real meal in my new kitchen! I got this recipe for Chicken with Orange-Pecan Rice from the Pillsbury website. It was really easy, and very good (even reheated as left-overs!). Here it is:
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 package (6.2 oz) fast-cooking long-grain and wild rice mix
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup chopped pecans
3 tablespoons sweetened dried cranberries
boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3/4 lbs)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat over to 350 deg. Spray 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.
2. In pan, mix 1/2 cup of the rice, 1/2 of the seasoning packet from rice mix, orange juice, pecans, and cranberries. Place chicken on rice mixture; sprinkle with paprika.
3. Cover with foil. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Remove foil, stir and bake an additional 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and juice of chicken is clean when center of thickest part is cut (165 deg.).
Note: Be sure to use the fast-cooking rice mix for this recipe. The regular type will take too long to cook.
Here is the website link if you want to read reviews: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/chicken-with-orange-pecan-rice/a4626eb5-6636-4d71-8fd5-1ba41f00fbdf/
Now, I had a little over a pound of chicken, so I used the whole box of rice and seasoning packet (plus I really like rice!). I thought this meant I should add a little more orange juice, but apparently you don't have to do that! I let my chicken cook an additional 15-20 minutes, but the liquid just would not absorb. So I served the dish with a slotted spoon and threw out all the extra liquid. My chicken was a little dry since I cooked it extra long, but it was still prety tasty. Even Justin liked it and said it was good enough to make again! But next time I won't go so orange juice crazy!!! ;) So give this recipe a try some time.
Happy Ash Wednesday to you! And, if you're giving up anything for Lent or focusing on trying to do something better in your life, I wish you lots of luck...stay strong! I think on top of giving up sweets (oh it's just so hard to even say that!), I'm also going to try and work on being more positive. I let things get to me too easily and bring me down, so I'm going to try and work on having a more positive outlook on every aspect of my life.
~Jade
Oh, and go back and re-read the title to this post. For those of you out there that love the show Seinfeld as much as I do, please know that the title is supposed to be said in the Soup Nazi's voice. Hehe!
Since we're on the topic of food...I finally cooked a real meal in my new kitchen! I got this recipe for Chicken with Orange-Pecan Rice from the Pillsbury website. It was really easy, and very good (even reheated as left-overs!). Here it is:
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 package (6.2 oz) fast-cooking long-grain and wild rice mix
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup chopped pecans
3 tablespoons sweetened dried cranberries
boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 3/4 lbs)
1/4 teaspoon paprika
DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat over to 350 deg. Spray 8-inch square pan with cooking spray.
2. In pan, mix 1/2 cup of the rice, 1/2 of the seasoning packet from rice mix, orange juice, pecans, and cranberries. Place chicken on rice mixture; sprinkle with paprika.
3. Cover with foil. Bake 30 to 35 minutes. Remove foil, stir and bake an additional 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and juice of chicken is clean when center of thickest part is cut (165 deg.).
Note: Be sure to use the fast-cooking rice mix for this recipe. The regular type will take too long to cook.
Here is the website link if you want to read reviews: http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/chicken-with-orange-pecan-rice/a4626eb5-6636-4d71-8fd5-1ba41f00fbdf/
Now, I had a little over a pound of chicken, so I used the whole box of rice and seasoning packet (plus I really like rice!). I thought this meant I should add a little more orange juice, but apparently you don't have to do that! I let my chicken cook an additional 15-20 minutes, but the liquid just would not absorb. So I served the dish with a slotted spoon and threw out all the extra liquid. My chicken was a little dry since I cooked it extra long, but it was still prety tasty. Even Justin liked it and said it was good enough to make again! But next time I won't go so orange juice crazy!!! ;) So give this recipe a try some time.
Happy Ash Wednesday to you! And, if you're giving up anything for Lent or focusing on trying to do something better in your life, I wish you lots of luck...stay strong! I think on top of giving up sweets (oh it's just so hard to even say that!), I'm also going to try and work on being more positive. I let things get to me too easily and bring me down, so I'm going to try and work on having a more positive outlook on every aspect of my life.
~Jade
Oh, and go back and re-read the title to this post. For those of you out there that love the show Seinfeld as much as I do, please know that the title is supposed to be said in the Soup Nazi's voice. Hehe!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A Little Girl In A Man's World
My parents got divorced when I was in middle school. I was the first kid in my class whose parents were splitting up. At that age, no one wants to be seen as being different or weird, so I kept our family problems to myself and didn't even tell my two best friends. My little sister and I were raised by our mother, the most amazing woman in the world. She worked so hard; she sacrificed and gave up so much so that my sister and I could go to private school, play club volleyball, go to school dances, so we could be normal kids.
Although we didn't have a lot of money, we had so much love! And even though she couldn't give me all the materialistic things teenage girls want, she gave me so much more. She was my biggest supporter, my number one fan who always believed in me (even when I didn't believe in myself) and constantly told me to dream big. She didn't finish college before she got married, so she always stressed the importance of going to school and getting a good education. She wanted us to be able to provide for our families if we were ever in the same situation.
I worked hard in school to get good grades, and I graduated as salutatorian of my class. I decided to go to college and pursue a degree engineering. I applied to school's all over the U.S. and decided to go to the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO and study environmental engineering. This was my first time leaving the only home I had ever known, leaving my mom and my little sister to go to a brand new school, new city, new state where I knew absolutely no one. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life.
Before I left home, my mom gave me a magnet with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson on it. "Do not follow where the path may lead - Go instead, where there is no path, and leave a trail." As you can tell from this blog, that quote has a very special meaning to me. I still have the magnet (almost 11 years later!); I carried it with me to every house I lived in while I was in college. And now, I have it at my desk where I can see it everyday I come to work.
Being a young, female engineer is hard. I am the only female engineer at my work and there are days that I definitely struggle. Today is one of those days. I question my decision to become an engineer and wonder what life would be like if I had chosen a different career path. I loved what I learned in school, but I guess I just imagined things would be different once I started my career. I don't know...I guess everyone goes through little funks at their jobs too. But on days like today, I repeat the Emerson quote in my head and it reminds me how I got to where I am. I can hear my mother's encouraging words and I remember why I am here. I did not spend all those sleepless nights studying for exams and finishing projects in college for nothing! Although there is not an easy path laid out before me, I know it will all be worth it!
P.S. I know this isn't the kind of posts you were probably expecting from me. We are so busy just trying to unpack and get things organized at the house that I haven't had any time to start a project and haven't even cooked a real meal yet...but they're coming soon, so please hang in there! :) I just figured in the mean time, I could give a little background about me. Plus I always feel better after expressing my feelings. Have a wonderful day!
Although we didn't have a lot of money, we had so much love! And even though she couldn't give me all the materialistic things teenage girls want, she gave me so much more. She was my biggest supporter, my number one fan who always believed in me (even when I didn't believe in myself) and constantly told me to dream big. She didn't finish college before she got married, so she always stressed the importance of going to school and getting a good education. She wanted us to be able to provide for our families if we were ever in the same situation.
I worked hard in school to get good grades, and I graduated as salutatorian of my class. I decided to go to college and pursue a degree engineering. I applied to school's all over the U.S. and decided to go to the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, CO and study environmental engineering. This was my first time leaving the only home I had ever known, leaving my mom and my little sister to go to a brand new school, new city, new state where I knew absolutely no one. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my life.
Before I left home, my mom gave me a magnet with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson on it. "Do not follow where the path may lead - Go instead, where there is no path, and leave a trail." As you can tell from this blog, that quote has a very special meaning to me. I still have the magnet (almost 11 years later!); I carried it with me to every house I lived in while I was in college. And now, I have it at my desk where I can see it everyday I come to work.
Being a young, female engineer is hard. I am the only female engineer at my work and there are days that I definitely struggle. Today is one of those days. I question my decision to become an engineer and wonder what life would be like if I had chosen a different career path. I loved what I learned in school, but I guess I just imagined things would be different once I started my career. I don't know...I guess everyone goes through little funks at their jobs too. But on days like today, I repeat the Emerson quote in my head and it reminds me how I got to where I am. I can hear my mother's encouraging words and I remember why I am here. I did not spend all those sleepless nights studying for exams and finishing projects in college for nothing! Although there is not an easy path laid out before me, I know it will all be worth it!
P.S. I know this isn't the kind of posts you were probably expecting from me. We are so busy just trying to unpack and get things organized at the house that I haven't had any time to start a project and haven't even cooked a real meal yet...but they're coming soon, so please hang in there! :) I just figured in the mean time, I could give a little background about me. Plus I always feel better after expressing my feelings. Have a wonderful day!
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