Krispy Kreme Challenge

I think most of you know my love for doughnuts, not just any doughnut but a Krispy Kreme doughnut (NOT Dunkin DoNots).  And you may also remember this. Well I read about The Krispy Kreme Challenge from my "friend" Kate (I just stalk her blog really).

I think this is going to be a must do for 2013!  Who's in!?!?

Copycat Alfredo Sauce

Mark loves him some Olive Garden.  (Funny how never had it before I came into his life, poor baby had a very sheltered childhood.) Anyway, he mentions every once in a while "man, I wish you could make OG's Alfredo sauce. We'd never have to go there again!"  So I googled some recipes a while back and took a stab at it last night.  

Jackpot! I'm purty durn sure we're closer than we've ever been.

I would probably add an 8oz cream cheese and nix the butter next time.


You should try it too! It would have been better with the salad....I'll try that next.

Wine and Easel

We had a date night a few months ago at Wine and Easel and I'll just say, this painting was much better than some of the others I've done. It was fun that the guys joined us but I thought what in the world am I going to do with 2 of the same paintings?? I haven't even done anything with my previous paintings.

I have to say my palm fronds are amazing!

The finished masterpieces!

New Recipe

Pinterest did it again! Tonight we tried a new recipe, Lasagna Soup, which sounds strange to me but it was DE-lish!  I had pinned it on Pinterest and found out a friend of mine actually tried it. I'm GREAT at saving/printing/pinning new recipes but NOT so great about actually trying them. I do try new recipes but I definitely have more new recipes that I haven't tried than tried.

I'm thankful that Mark is pretty good about being a guinea pig for my new recipes. I often have to keep some of the ingredients a secret but as long as he likes the final product, we're good!

So score - Lasagna Soup! Try it! I have a feeling it's going to be great leftover for lunch too.

Game Time

We have come to love a good game night. The newest game for us is Sequence. It's a game of strategy, teams and concentration. It is a fun game but definitely makes you think. You have been aware and watching every move. We have many great nights playing with our neighbors.

Some more of our favorites are Catch Phrase, Apples to Apples and even Uno.

Speaking of games............HUNGER GAMES!!  Ohhh, I loved the books and CANNOT wait for the movie on IMAX next Friday! Woot!

Saving the Moola

This year Mark and I are on a very strict household budget. I'm not saying there isn't any play money and we're going to have a boring year, we're just really watching more of what we spend and planning for the future. We sat down during the week we were off between Christmas and New Years to make our budget. As we did that I took it upon myself to see every way we could save. I surprised myself when I felt like I hit the jackpot with these savings (even though they may be minimal).

• We lowered our cell phone bill by decreasing our monthly minutes. (Savings of $35)
• We received a promotional card for discounted garbage pickup from a competitor. So I called our supplier and they ended up matching the deal from the other guys. (Savings of $24)
• We called Comcast (several times) and ended up getting a GREAT deal from them. (Savings of $90)

We've done great so far and can't wait to see our progress come the end of the year!

I've also become quite the "point nazi."  I love me some hotel points (such as Marriott, Hilton or Starwood), frequent flyer miles/points, credit card points/cash back, Qdoba and PetSmart, and even frequent customer punch cards at Blue Coast Burrito or Sweet CeCe's. I've even come to love the points at Home Depot for gas discounts. 

This only helps with our budgeting!  Thank goodness Mark is on board!

Photo 21: In My Bag

Well, I think I've officially become a roller.

I have had a few short trips lately in which I was able to carry on my luggage. So I tried the roller technique and I might be hooked. Silly, but it seems to work........for now anyway.  You should try it.

Or you could try the toss and shove technique, which Mark recommends. Toss everything in and shove it so the lid will close, no organization, definitely no rolling. That's the reason we can't share bags when we travel. ugh.