An Update on Life

It is officially winter! We have snow on the ground (that hopefully won't melt), the Christmas tree is lit, and of course our utility bill just increased by $100... yep, winter must be here! I have a love hate relationship with this season. Love the snow and the joy that comes with the Christmas season, but can't stand the windy days that give you chills even when you are bundled, and of course I never actually appreciate paying my heat bill. On the bright side, I am thankful to be living in a home that has heat, even if it can be a struggle to pay.

The past few months have been kind of rough as our income has decreased substantially.  Thankfully we have not fallen behind on any bills.  We have had to put over $100 into each of our cars, which has not been fun. I had a leaking gas line in the engine area (not something to put off fixing) and today we brought Jarrett's car in to get the tires rotated so it's ready for our trip next week and ended up having to put new tires on his car. At least I have been putting extra into savings!

We are also approaching the 3rd trimester... that means Baby will be here in 3 months! We have been working hard to hang sheet rock and get the room painted, now we just need to get the carpet put in. I am hoping to be done at one of my jobs the end of January, this will save us gas money, and since I only work 17 hours a week there, we won't be losing too much income... AND I have been saving up my paid time off that we will be able to get once I'm done! My other job I will be working at through February unless I am told otherwise, but so far it has been a good pregnancy, so we are praying that no complications arise.

After the baby comes I am hoping to be a stay at home mom. We realize that this will be tough, but do not want to have our child in day care. We have been continually sharing Shaklee, as this is how we are hoping to help support our family. Please take a look at our website! I have also taken time over the past month or so to pick up a hobby that had been pushed aside a long time ago.

As I will be taking the spring semester off and finishing my A.A. next fall, I figured I would have more time to have a hobby since I am not going to be studying and working. So I have been knitting and crocheting A LOT! I have mostly been making Christmas gifts, but in between I have also been making some items for the Etsy shop I plan to open sometime after Christmas (hopefully in time for the new year!) I will keep you all posted and let you know when it officially opens. I plan to have several knitted, crocheted, and other handmade items for sale!

Oh, and I also plan to blog more once the new year starts...maybe it will be a resolution :)

FAB Friday

Today is a day off...both work AND school! I am going to clean my house a little and enjoy the sunshine! 

I work Saturday and Sunday afternoon, so we do not have much planned for the weekend.

I want to share an update on our car search...

I emailed the dealership that was selling the Saturn VUE on Tuesday.  I heard back from the guy on Wednesday morning that they were bringing the car to International Falls for someone who was interested. I started searching some more and praying more about this.  I emailed him again this morning and he said he didn't hear anything and would let me know as soon as he did... 15 mins later I get an email saying it did not sell and will be back in town tomorrow.  So we plan to go for a test drive tomorrow!!! 

(here is the VUE we are looking at)

I forgot to take a pic of dinner the other day, but here is the recipe

Salsa Chicken:

2 lbs chicken breasts
6 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 jar of your favorite salsa
couscous 
sour cream
shredded cheese

Cut chicken into 1" cubes and put in a gallon Ziplock bag.  Add seasoning and shake until coated.  Dump contents of bag into Crock Pot and pour jar of salsa over the top (I personally love to use Archer Farms Organic Chipotle salsa!) Cook on low for 7-9 hours.  Serve over couscous and top with sour cream and cheese if desired.

P.S. - I entered this recipe in a give away at Envy My Cooking