Some Food and Stuff

My original plan for this post was to keep a food diary for a week to share with you, the reader. I've been planning out meals pretty well lately (for the most part) and I know some of my just-getting-started friends might like to know some handy, easy recipes that I'm currently making.

Plus, Mama always seems to be asking what I've been making lately... :)

*Quick Side Note*

If you haven't tried meal planning, you REALLY should. Take the 20 minutes you would have spent on Facebook after dinner and just get on it! You'll be glad you did. The evening becomes to much easier when you don't have to come up with a grand idea for dinner, or ponder if you actually have all the ingredients to make it. The biggest bonus, however, is how much you'll save on groceries. If you start planning your meals, you'll buy less and waste less at the same time!

*Back to the main feature...*

Without further ado, here are just a few things I've made lately (in no particular order):

Grilled Ham Steak and Sweet Peppers

I bought the ham steak to make a ham and cheese frittata, but when we got our new grill, Hubby was ready and rearing to test it out. The grill we got was very small, but perfect for the two of us.

Adam wrapped mesquite chips in foil and set it on top of the burner. This gave the ham and peppers a rich, smoky flavor. The flames came up and charred it just a little on the edges, crisping the skin on the outside, and bringing out the juicy flavors inside. Ham steak is something that I never ate growing up, but it makes for a cheap meal for two. The steak is less than $5, and makes up a filling meal when matched with the peppers. We're definitely going to try this one again!

Chili and Cornbread Muffins

I absolutely LOVE my crockpot. Since we often go home on our lunch break, I can throw everything together on lunch and it's ready when we come home! This is a pretty basic chili recipe, so it doesn't take very long to put together. I brown the ground beef and onions, pour in some kidney beans, tomatoes, etc. throw in a generous amount of spices and it's done. I make the cornbread from scratch as well, since we already have most of the ingredients sitting in our cupboard. This meal was awesome because it was easy, cheap, and tasty!

*To make this even easier I use a crock pot liner. They ca usually be found in the grocery store with the plastic baggies, plastic wrap, etc.

Chicken Salad on a Kaiser Bun 

Believe it or not, this sandwich was a result of left-overs. The night before I was feeling particularly lazy, and bought some fried chicken and potato salad for dinner from the grocery store. The amount that they give you is enough for 4 people, so I took the other 2 peoples' worth of chicken and made chicken salad! I shredded up the chicken, cut up some celery, added some mayo, spices, and viola! Lunch! Pair it with some chips and a kosher dill pickle, and you've got yourself and easy, tasty meal.

Buffalo Chicken Breast and Colby Jack Cheese on an Everything Bagel

Buffalo chicken breast was on sale at the deli this week, so I made sure to pick some up. This sandwich features a veggie cream cheese spread, along with the chicken and Colby Jack cheese. I was able to throw this together with things we already had in the fridge, and it was especially yummy!

Adam's Awesome Breakfast Bowl

This is pretty much my favorite breakfast ever. Actually, it's my favorite thing that Hubby makes for us, period. The delicious, slightly greasy bowl of heaven before you is a mix of fried potatoes, eggs, bacon, cheese, salsa, cilantro, mushrooms, peppers, and other various things we have sitting around. This bowl makes for a great brunch item on those Sundays or Saturdays when we have time to cook. 

Black and Bleu Burgers

Every time we go to Applebee's, I open up the menu, and Adam laughs at me. Instantly, I know why. He's laughing because I may be looking at the menu, but he knows that I know what I want-

a black and bleu burger.

Ah yes, the black and bleu. The tang of the bleu cheese coupled with grilled onions, chipotle mayo, and salty bacon on a grilled bun is plain irresistible. I like these so much that Hubby found a copycat recipe and made it for me. It was just as good as it is at Applebee's! Although these burgers weren't cheap to make, they were an awesome splurge item, and we'll definitely have them again sometime.

So there you have it. Just a few of the meals we've been making on the cheap. What are some favorite meals of yours to make that are inexpensive? Any fun finds that have become staples? I'm always looking for new ideas, and I'm sure everyone else would love to know too!

Social Media Etiquette: My Take on Things

By now, almost everyone is engaged with social media in one form or another. Even the most anti-technology Grandmas are getting on Facebook so that they can see photos of their grandkids. As social media has grown, so have the unspoken (though not always followed) "rules" for posting and interacting with others. So, for those of you who feel like you struggle to know right from wrong, here are some tips on how to stay appropriate, interesting, and awesome on social media:

1) NEVER TYPE IN ALL CAPS, BECAUSE IT MAKES IT LOOK LIKE YOU'RE YELLING EVERYTHING.

This relevant comic brought to you by the Oatmeal. Go visit and laugh! http://theoatmeal.com/

To demonstrate the atrocity that is caps lock, part of the following elaboration to the above statement will be typed in all caps.

WHEN WE READ A BOOK, WE OFTEN USE PUNCTUATION, SPACING AND WORDING TO DETERMINE THE TONE AND MEANING OF A TEXT. WE DO THE SAME THING IN SOCIAL MEDIA, BUT MORE IN-DEPTH. SINCE IT'S AN INFORMAL PLATFORM, WE CAN USE CAPITALS, ITALICS, BOLD TEXT, FONT, EMOTICONS, SPACING, AND A PLETHORA OF OTHER THINGS TO EXPRESS TONE THROUGH TEXT.

For example, the following two statements are changed by the simple edition of an emoticon and an ellipse,  OH AND DON'T FORGET CAPS LOCK.

"YOU'RE SUCH A KNUCKLE-HEAD!"        vs.        "You're such a knuckle-head... :P"

The first statement would be said to someone after a major screw-up, and implies that the other person is in BIG trouble (notice the use of caps right there)! The second is more of a snide remark you would send to a friend after she told you she lost her keys for the third time today.

So please, folks, use your caps lock responsibly.

PS

If you're one of those people who needs to type in caps to see better, there are accessibility options that can help with that :)

2) Don't be a TMI-er... please... for the sake of others. 

It's amazing to me what some people post online. Things like:

"Well it looks like I got the all clear from the GYNO today! Who wants to go hit the club with me!?!! ROFLOL!!!11"

Personal information is just that... personal. The internet does not need to know what color your phlegm is, or that you just lost track of the toenail you clipped, or even what kind of dump you just took. Here is an example where one TMI-er eloquently shares with us his/her pooping struggles:

On a more serious note, be sure not to share OTHER people's personal information either. If someone has a major life event, don't post about it before they do. You'll either steal their thunder, or worse, share something they didn't want all of Facebook to know.

If someone is your baby-daddy, you are going to break up with your girlfriend, or you're about to do something else major that involves an intimate conversation with another person, chances are that you really shouldn't post it on social media.

Also, please do them a favor and have that conversation in person. Social media is for casual interaction, not life-altering conversations.

3) You have spell check, grammar check, and a full keyboard. Please use real words and proper grammar. 

Everyone is human, and we're all going to make typographical errors every once in a while. Using the wrong homophone (things like "to, too, two" and "you're and your" or "they're, their, and there") is understandable. Misspelling words like immunoelectrophoresis  or even things like definitely (some people mean definitely and say "defiantly") is ok.

 Bt weN ur tYpin lik DIs...

just... no... please, stop.  

Remember, your post doesn't have to be 100% perfect, but making sure the way you write things isn't distracting from the actual text is always a good thing.

4) Please, keep it PG-13.

This rule is one that some people would probably argue with. You have a right to share whatever you want on Facebook, or any other social media platform, but you should always assume that anyone can see it. You never know who your mutual friends are, or when a potential employer (or current employer) is going to stalk you on Facebook. It's scary, but I believe that as a general rule you should assume that anything you put on your profile could be seen by anyone, anywhere, anytime. That includes kids, your grandma, your in-laws, and many other people you wouldn't want to leave with a bad impression of your character. 

WARNING: The following example contains some words that might make your grandmother blush.

Besides the fact that this rule covers your butt "just incase", keeping it PG-13 also ensures that you're keeping it classy. And let's be real, who doesn't want to be classy?

5) Try to be just a little sensitive, please.

The following Tweet demonstrates what we call "social insensitivity": 

Not everyone has perfect tact, but if you just do a little bit of reflection before you post, you might realize that what you thought was funny might be taking it just a little too far.

The sensitivity rule also applies to sharing. If there is an important, life-changing event in your life, please make sure your loved ones know before Facebook does.

Yeah... that's kinda awkward...

If you're not sure if what you're posting would be ill-received or tactless, you may want to reconsider posting it. 

In Conclusion...

The five offenses above are only a few of the blunders people make on social media. It may seem scary, and after reading this you may be afraid to post anything because you're convinced you'll mess something up. But fear not, friends. With a little common sense, a dash of thought, and just a pinch of good judgement, you'll be interacting on social media with the best of 'em!

What are your favorite social media etiquette guidelines? What annoys you on social media? Leave a comment below!

ALL THE NEW THINGS

It seems like for the past year or so, things (BIG things) have been constantly changing. Maybe life will never stop changing, but at least I can always count on things being exciting :) As an update, here are some pretty major new things that have happened lately

NEW JOB

Okay, so most of you know about this one already. A few weeks ago I started at Graphic Publications as an Account Manager/Digital Sales specialist. As it seems, I'm also quickly being defined as the social media "expert" on the block. Who knew? I've been helping our company with it's social media strategy, as well as putting together a strategy that we will use to help our clients.

In the sales department, starting from square one can be... interesting. Most of the account managers seem like they're always very busy going on sales calls, or talking with clients, or scheduling meetings with said clients. However, many of those account managers also have clients lists and connections that go back several years. I have to keep reminding myself that it's okay that I don't have a contact sheet a mile long yet, that it takes time to get there. Despite starting from square one, I feel like I'm making some headway and starting to really understand the process. Rome wasn't built in a day, and I surely won't know every nook and cranny of a company that's been around 40 years by next week. I'm excited to continue to learn some new things, make new connections, and share my social media knowledge with others!

NEW DWELLING

While I'm tempted to say "new home", it doesn't quite feel like home yet. Our boxes are scattered around, the kitchen is only half-unpacked, and there are plenty of things that just don't quite have a place yet. I've had a lot of people say "You're moving, again?", and trust me, I've asked myself the same question.

Truth is, there are a lot of nice things about our new home. There wasn't much of a reason to stay in Holmesville anymore, since we work closer to Millersburg and there's isn't much of anything there in the first place. Now we're 1.5 miles from work, and we're right in town, which has a set of conveniences all its own. The house itself is a triplex, but the neighbors are pleasant and it's in a nice neighborhood. There are two floors, a beautiful bannister, a nice, big kitchen, and large living area as well. I'll have to post photos after we get settled in because the photos I originally took aren't very good, but here's a preview!

The entryway. Notice the lovely bannister!

Big closet in the bedroom

The office

Little bench in the big closet

Actual bedroom

It doesn't look real glamorous now, but don't worry, we'll get there ;) 

NEW (used) CAR!

Last fall, Hubby and I decided to start working our way out of debt for good. We're still young, and we hope to start building our future now. As Dave Ramsay would say...

"Live like no one else so that you can LIVE like no one else."

So we sold the truck to get ourselves down to one vehicle, and tried to refinance the car we had (our Avenger). Refinancing wasn't an option, so we tried to trade it in and get into a different car with a better loan. After going to several dealerships and being told "no" many times, we finally found someone willing to work with us. If you need to find a car and you're anywhere near Coshocton or Zaynesville, go see Jeff Drennen. I've never seen a dealer work that hard to get someone into a car, even after they've been pre-approved and then denied anyway. They even raised the amount they gave us on our trade to get the loan approved!

Poking out of the sunroof on our 2008 Charger

After all was said and done, we ended up with a better car than we had before and in a better financial position. Now we'll be able to pay more on the principal every month and continue on our journey to being debt-free!

When I think about all of the awesome things that have been happening, I can't help but feel like we're spoiled. While I work as hard as I can to achieve my goals and help create a better life for Hubby and myself, I certainly don't think I've worked hard enough to have truly earned everything we've been given lately. At this point, it seems the only way to show my gratitude is to work even harder to use what I've been given to bring God glory, and give more generously than ever before.

Because to be honest, it's all His anyway :)