Consumption
4/20/2011 - Posted by Nicole - 0 comments
I revealed yesterday that we will be moving back to Tejas this summer, but realized I forgot to mention when. We will hit the road for home on May 16, 2012. Yes, that's right, we have less than 1 month before we vacate our precious little Colorado home and as with any move there's LOTS to do. 

The first thing I wanted to ensure was that we get rid of a bunch of the items currently lingering in our fridge, freezer, and pantry. I was inspired by this entry from Sherry over at Young House Love, my uber favorite blog to follow. So yesterday we made a list of all things food in order to diminish our grocery bill and our stash and to ultimately lighten the load when we move. 


Here's what we've got to go through:







Breakfast options:
Cream of Wheat
Oatmeal
Grits
Cinnamon Rolls
Homemade banana nut bread
Bisquick (for pancakes or biscuits)
Greek Yogurt


Lunch/Dinner components:
African potatoes- 2 servings
Chicken- 6 breasts
Tilapia- 4 fillets
Whole Wheat Penne- 1 box
Brown rice- 2 boxes
Pasta sauce- 1/2 bottle
Quinoa- 1 1/2 servings
Lasagna noodles- 3/4 box
Edamame
Frozen corn


Condiments/canned goods:
Canned chicken/tuna- 6 cans
Black beans- 1 can
Cream of broccoli- 1 can
Cream of celery- 1 can
Diced tomatoes- 1 can
Tomato soup- 2 cans


Fresh fruits/veggies:
Carrots- 2 bags!
Lettuce
Butternut squash
Tomato
Mango
Oranges
Apple
Pears


Snacks:
Hummus
Crackers
Almonds
Lots of baking stuff!!


So we took this list and created the following list of meals for the next week:


Tuesday- African potatoes and rice
Wednesday- Stuffed Red Peppers
Thursday- Chicken stir fry
Friday- Italian tilapia with pasta and asparagus
Saturday- Lasagna with warm pear salad


I am also planning on making a carrot cake to get rid of our hoard of carrots; Michael will be making fresh juice all week to whittle down the collection of oranges; and I made an awesome mango smoothie to utilize the mango and all of my remaining Greek yogurt. 


In just one day, we have already started to obliterate our list, and we should only have to buy a few things to get us through the week. WOO HOO for forward progress!




Making it Official
4/19/2011 - Posted by Nicole - 1 comments
For the past few months, I've had a hard time generating blog entries, because much of what we've been discussing and pursuing has related to a recently publicly revealed decision: WE'RE MOVING BACK TO TEXAS!






The decision to return has a great deal to do with the end of Michael's commitment to the Army Reserves. When he left active duty to join the Reserves, he was granted a decreased time commitment (from four years to two) as well as stability, meaning he wasn't eligible for deployment during his entire stint in the Reserves. This has been such a blessing, as one 15-month deployment was quite challenging and something we'd rather not revisit. 


Michael's required Reserve commitment, and thus the end of his stabilization, ends this September. If he were to resign with the Reserves, or any other faction of the Army, he would again be eligible for deployment, a risk we just aren't willing to take. In light of the resulting decrease in both pay and benefits, we would have a hard time maintaining our lifestyle here... so, sayonara, Army... and Colorado. 


Add to that, the opportunity for Michael to work for his dad's manufacturing company, A. C. Horn & Co., and the answer to where we'll start our next stage of life was easy: The Big D!




We are currently working out the details of where exactly we'll be living, but we're most interested in the Lakewood and Lake Highlands areas of Dallas. We'll be sure to keep you updated on where we finally land, but for now we're working on packing up all of our things here and saying goodbye to the wonderful friends we've made in Summit County over the past two years. Colorado will always have a special place in my heart.


Songs for Japan
4/01/2011 - Posted by Nicole - 0 comments
My heart goes out to the people of Japan, including our American soldiers who are currently serving overseas and assisting in the clean-up efforts.


As I was browsing music on iTunes tonight, I discovered a fantastic album that has been compiled by dozens of artists all in support of the Japanese Red Cross. There are 38 songs on a single album for only $9.99. 






Check it out!