A Few Fantastic Finds

This might be the most random post to hit our blog, so fasten your seatbelts...

I hate January. I apologize for the bluntness of that comment or if your birthday is in January. It's just a dreary, depressing, nothing-to-look-forward-to month for me. Christmas is over. There's a strange pressure of starting a new year. Spring is still far away. It's STILL cold. I could go on and on but I will stop there and move on to a few things I discovered over the last month that I just couldn't help but share and made January suck less. :)

And it's February now. Praise the Lord!

Discovery #1: Crockpot Lasagna

I have become completely consumed and obsessed with crockpot and casserole recipes lately. It's partly due to the fact that I get home at 6:30PM, which doesn't leave any time to actually cook a meal (other than Mac & Cheese, chili out of a can, or eggs and toast, which to most people don't qualify as "cooked meals" anyway.) But let's be honest, it's also due in part to me just wanting pure, good ol' comfort food during this gray season. :) I have found numerous recipes that my three-year-old nephew could probably make successfully -- they are that easy -- but that are also GOOD! We made this one and it turned out awesome... and who the heck knew you could make lasagna in a crockpot?! Not this girl!

1 lb. ground beef

29 oz. can tomato sauce

8 oz. package lasagna noodles, uncooked

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cups cottage cheese

1. Spray the interior of the cooker with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Brown the ground beef in a large non-stick skillet (add seasoning if desired.) Drain off drippings.

3. Stir in tomato sauce. Mix well.

4. Spread 1/4 of the meat sauce on the bottom of the slow cooker.

5. Arrange 1/3 of the uncooked noodles over the sauce. You can break them up to fit better.

6. Combine the cheeses in a bowl. Spoon 1/3 of the cheese over the noodles.

7. Repeat these layers twice.

8. Top with remaining sauce.

9. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.

BOOM! Done! Easy peasy! Yummmmmmyy.....

Discovery #2: The King's Speech

We don't go see movies in the theater very often since it's so expensive, but every once in a while there will be a flick that sparks my curiosity enough to bite the bullet. I planned our date night this week and made dinner and went and saw The King's Speech. Brilliant, I tell you! When a movie can combine history, culture, and humor with an interesting story line and phenomenal acting, I am an instant fan. There are too many movies out there lately where you feel dumber after watching them and it feels like you just wasted two hours of your life -- so annoying, right?! If you need a great movie to watch or a date night to plan, welp, here you go!

Discovery #3: Unconventional Ways to Save Money

I am not a huge coupon queen, although I wish I was better at it. I know people who are crazy about it and save hundreds (and even thousands) of dollars. Maybe one day I'll get there...

This one is kind of cheating because I discovered this a few months ago, but if you have not yet heard of Groupon, I suggest you look into it and sign up! Here is the rundown: you get a daily email with a local deal of up to 90% off a product or service, you can either purchase it or delete it, and that's it. I end up deleting them more often than not, but I have purchased quite a few that were just too good to pass up. Examples:

• I spent $25 to get $50 to Nordstrom Rack.
• I spent $12 to get $25 at Fringe & Fray (vintage clothing store).
• I spent $5 to get $10 to Kalico Kitchen.

You get the idea...

And another quick discovery I made was finding discounts/coupons for monthly prescriptions, completely unrelated to Groupon. I can't take credit for this one -- my Mom told me about it because I was whining about how much my birth control (sorry it that's too much information, but whatever) costs me each month. Even with insurance, I pay $50 every month. It's a conspiracy, I tell you!

I digress...

By simply typing "NuvaRing Coupon" into Google, I found a legitimate $15 off coupon through the first website that came up. So every month I am now paying $35 instead of $50. Not earth-shattering, but still better than nothing! My Mom got one prescription down from $50 to zero each month.

Discovery #4: Another Great Blog to Read

I am really weird when it comes to my daily routine. Almost every single morning I will check my email and then check the list of all the blogs I keep up with and read new entries if I have time. Most of the blogs I read are authored by people I know, but some aren't. I think this totally freaks my husband out. "Why are you reading about someone's life when you don't even know them? Isn't that creepy?" Well, baby, in sickness and in health, right?! :)

I randomly came across a blog called Enjoying The Small Things which is written by a gal down in Florida with two little girls. Her second daughter is a year old and was born with Down Syndrome. Kelle, the author of the blog, is so real and genuine with her story and her day-to-day life... it's so inspiring to hear someone be that open and honest and REAL about being a mom. And let's be honest, we've all asked ourselves and talked about it with our spouses: What if you had a child with Down Syndrome? Or special needs? How would you deal? Or another fun question: Are you a horrible person if you want to know beforehand whether or not your unborn baby has any of these issues? Kelle wrote the most unbelievable birth story of her second daughter -- read it here -- that actually brought me to tears. TEARS, people. Unbelievable. So unbelievable, in fact, it made me think about wanting to be a mom someday. If you know me at all, that is a monumental statement.

I am a sucker for a blog with excellent photographs, but an even bigger sucker for a blog with real, talented writing. Kelle's blog has both. And seeing that the blog is close to reaching 7 million views, I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in this new obsession. If you need something beautifully authentic to read and view (or you're just bored at work), you must check out this blog.

If you managed to make it through the random vomit-of-thoughts I just had, well, good for you. That is one fine accomplishment! I promise my next post will have some structure and meaning to it. I've just been feeling like life is much more enjoyable lately when I find a great deal, a thought-provoking movie, an inspiring read, or an easy recipe that doesn't taste like feet. So I thought I'd share those glimpses of sunshine in case February is to you as January was to me. :)