Taco Soup Recipe

My husband does BJJ two to three nights a week, and he doesn't get home until nine or ten at night. On those nights, I usually try to fix a meal in the slow cooker or something easily re-heated. That way, I can eat at a reasonable hour and he can eat when he gets home (if he wants). Also, we have plenty of leftovers. One of my favorite go-to recipes for these days is Taco Soup. I found the recipe last year in an old issue of Food Network magazine that I had gotten at a book sale for $.10. (Seriously, if your town has book sales at the local library, check it out. I got hardcover books for $.50, paperbacks for $.25, and magazines for $.10. You can easily walk out of there with a box of books for about $3.) Anyway, this recipe is super easy, and to quote my husband: "F---ing delicious,"

I slightly modified the original recipe in the magazine to suit me and my husband. You really can't screw this up too much, so if you want more or less of a certain food in it, it won't ruin the final result. The amounts I use are enough for four big bowls, so just add and subtract as desired.

You'll Need:
Ground beef (we use 1 lb of it)
One can of corn
One chopped onion (any kind, I use yellow)
One can chili beans One package taco seasoning mix
One can of diced tomatoes
Shredded cheese as a topping if you want
Crackers (also optional as a topping. Matt and I actually like Fritos with ours)

To Make:



Brown the beef, cooking the onion in with it. Meanwhile, add the chili beans, tomatoes, and corn into a large pot. (I puree my tomatoes because neither my husband or I like the consistency of tomatoes, but we like the taste. Yeah, we're weird. You can add them whole if you like. Actually, the original recipe called for that). Don't add the taco seasoning yet. I found that if you add it too early, it can get kind of clumpy. Using one of the empty cans of corn or beans, fill it will water and add that to the pot. (Use more or less depending on how "soupy" you want it. My husband likes his thicker, so we have to find a compromise.) When the meat and onions are done, add them. Now you can pour the taco seasoning it. Stir it up real good and let it simmer for awhile. Really, just until the corn and beans are done. That's it. You can also do this in the slow cooker. Just add everything and let it cook for a few hours.

I hope I explained that easily enough. I'm doing it completely by memory. :)

Products Review in Blue

School started this week, and as I may have mentioned before, it's been about 10 years since I've taken a (legit) college class. I'm lucky enough to be able to use my husband's VA benefits to go back to school for free. I'm going to a local community college to get an Associate's Degree in Paralegal technology. A lot of time when I mention this, people will say: "Oh, are you going to go to law school?" Puh-leeze. Since when does everyone on the planet have to be an over achiever? If I wanted to be an attorney, I'd go to law school. But I don't want to be a lawyer. I have a philosophy: "I want to work to live, not live to work." I'm very excited and a little nervous. This is a field I never saw myself getting into. Frankly, my attempts to find a career have been a serious of epic fails. I was honestly beginning to wonder if I had a "niche" that would equal a steady pay-check. But Matthew (my hubby) has been going to school for free anyway, and his GI Bill was just sitting there, so he offered it to me. I'm hopeful that this will finally help me achieve the ever elusive goal of having a job I'm proud to talk about (or put on Facebook). Anyway, while I was trying to think of something to blog about, I realized I had a lost of recent purchases in the color theme of blue. So I thought I'd do short product reviews of things I love that just happen to be... azul.

First, Skechers GoRun. Fitness has always been another thing I've really struggled with. I'll go through periods of time where I will work out consistently (and usually see results), but it usually never lasts. Before I got pregnant, I decided that I wanted to make running a hobby AND a fitness routine. I just picked it; it sounded like something I'd like if I stuck to it. And, of course, that's the problem. Sticking to it. After my son was born, my husband and I both got Skechers because they were on sale (and we're both terrible impulse shoppers). Luckily, I really, REALLY like these shoes. They are very light and VERY comfortable. The shape of them forces you to run "right", and according to my husband (a fitness expert), that's a good thing. He loves his, too. I have this exact color. I've recently decided that fitness shoes should be in bright colors. It's more fun that way.

I saw this brush on Pinterest (where else) and had to try it. It's a little pricey for a hair brush in my opinion (about $12 at Target) but I've actually decided it's worth the price! I have very thick hair, and usually I don't even bother to use a blow dryer. Takes to damn long. The claim of this brush is that it can remove up to 30% of the water in your hair. I don't know about the 30%, but my hair is defiantly drying faster with the use of this brush. It's become an everyday tool for me.

Next is this cute Tiffany blue iPhone case by elago. I had been looking at it for awhile, but it was $15 with shipping on Amazon, and I had to ask myself if it was worth $15 since it's really only for decoration and not protection of my phone. I love it, though. It's slim, so my phone isn't bulky, and it still shows off iPhone's stylish frame. It's not impact resistant, but along with a screen protector, it's protects my phone for scratches and dirt.

My sudden obsession with Tiffany blue continued with this stunning color by China Glaze. This is for Audrey, which I wore with another bright color in a previous post. It's really a lovely color and I'm glad I found it. And because I'm a bargain shopper, I found my bottle on Amazon for under full price.

Internet crack aka Pinterest

A while ago, someone introduced me to my newest internet obsession: Pinterest. This site is so awesome, and in all seriousness is a great tool for organizing ideas. So great, in fact, that I don't know what I would do if the site ever went down. I've tried several recipes and completed numerous projects I've discovered on there since then. It's also a treasure trove of DIY ideas. Today I thought I'd share some of the projects I've completed for my home.

When I first found this adorable decal, the Pinterest link just went to an image. I was bummed, because it would have looked PERFECT in my son's room. I had one empty wall I was looking to fill, and I wanted this for it. :( But wait! After some searching, I found an actual link to the Etsy site to buy it!! Which I did, and had my husband help me put it on Micah's wall. It's too cute. If you're interested, I got the decal here.

This was actually the very first Pinterest project I did. It's so easy and cute (and inexpensive, most importantly). My baby's room has a dino theme, but I was kind of surprised to find a lack of dino decor, at least some that didn't cost a fortune. My husband and I finished these DIY cuties in a day. Yes, my husband is crafty AND manly. They look great in Micah's room. Here is the blog where I found the tutorial.

Ok. So, this wreath is one of my personal favorite finished projects. It cost less than $10 at Hobby Lobby to make. It's literally a vine wreath (about $4) and a box of those little paper umbrellas ($5ish). I stuck the umbrellas into the wreath, no glue required (though it might be a good idea; they aren't completely immobile but I haven't lost one yet). Even though my husband described it as "Margarita-ville threw up in here", I still love it. You can check out the blog post I used here.

I have a lot more projects to share, but I also have other pressing responsibilities to get to. I have my first face-to-face college course in almost 10 years tonight. Not nervous, excited. If I got a degree once, I can do it again. However, the last time I didn't have to make sure a 7-month-old had all he needed BEFORE I left him in the capable hand's of his father. Wish us luck :)

Three Manis & and Intro

I've tried to start a blog more times than I can count. It goes well at first, but pretty soon my posts happen less and less frequently until I stop all together. Part of the problem, I think, is that I tried to pigeon hole my blog(s) into a "theme". I'd think "Oh, I love to crochet," so I'd start a blog about crochet. But, I don't crochet all the time, and I like other things, too. So I started a blog about writing, but again, I don't write all the time. And so on and so forth. This time, I'm going to stick allll those things together into one random mess. Hopefully, however, it's a random mess I can keep up with. I love makeup and beauty, even though I don't wear makeup or even attempt to get beautiful every day. I have a seven month old, you see, and if we have no plans or need to leave the house that day, the biggest thing I'll accomplish is a shower. Thanks to Pinterest (internet crack), I've found and been scoping a lot of nail polish blogs, and it renewed my love of manis and pedis. For years and years I was a die-hard advocate of acrylic nails. I'd get them done every two weeks. They looked fantastic, don't get me wrong, and I love the girl that did my nails. But it's really expensive, and I realize now that I can't justify the cost. Unfortunately, when I leave my nails bare, I bite them like crazy. To solve this problem, I've been religiously keeping them painted for the last several years. It prevents me from gnawing them off, and it's one thing on me that will be done up even if I don't even wash my hair. Here are a few of the manis I've had on in the last few weeks. The photos are not professional at all (I took them with my iPhone), and I'm by no means an expert. My cuticles are a mess and I haven't perfected a good clean up method.

First is China Glaze Flip Flop Fantasy and CG's For Audrey on my accent nail. FFF was a LOT brighter than I expected, but it's a great summer color. By the way, I used to think the idea of an "accent nail" was really dumb. Now I'm kind of into it. It allows me to do something fun with my nails without committing to the full ten fingers looking the same. While I think nail art is really cool and I'm super impressed with the talent (and patience) people must have to do it, it's not my thing.

Next is OPI's Ruble for your Thoughts with OPI Black Crackle on my ring finger. Of the three I've photographed, this is my least favorite. I guess it looked better when I imagined it, but once I got it on my nails it just looked like I slammed my ring fingers in a door or something. I was too lazy (and busy) to change it, so it stayed until it started to chip. Looking back, I think it would have looked better if I had painted all of my nails black and then done the accent nail the way it is.

Finally I have a Sally Hansen polish called Black Out (I think) with OPI's Brand New Skates layered on top. When I first got BNS, I was bummed that it was so sheer, but when I realized I could layer it with a different color, I was stoked. I know, it seems silly that I didn't think of it before. Once I finished this mani, I was pretty pleased, but then realized it sort of looks just like OPI's Baby it's Coal Outside, which I also have. Oh well. I might try it over purple next.