2.18.2012

Downsizing...

I am a total couponer. Not so much now, but in the past I have collected quite a “hoard”. When the topic of moving came up, my first thought was…oh my gosh, we’re going to have to move everything…including the hoard. While our pantry/linen closets house nowhere near the amount of backup supplies that you see on “Extreme couponing”, we still have a decent supply. While it’s somewhat comforting to know that if we moved everything, we wouldn’t have to worry about grocery shopping for a while, the moving part is pretty daunting. So I had to make a decision…we had to downsize. Over the next few weeks, I’m committing myself to using as much of our pantry backstock as I possibly can. I’m going to research, get a little creative, and be quite adventurous in order to use up food that we otherwise would probably never eat (let’s be honest here).
I had to admit, this is a double winner…not only will we be decreasing the amount of crap we have to move…but we’ll be saving money by not going out to eat. Hooray! Right now, every dollar counts.
So tonight I began this mission with chicken quesadillas. I had a package of tortillas that were teetering on the edge of stale…and tons of frozen Costco chicken. I found hundreds of recipes online…but when I ventured into the pantry, I discovered we were totally out of black beans…I hate it when that happens. Solution?? Progresso’s southwestern chicken soup. I’ll be honest, I hated this soup as a soup. It was thin and blah…but it served its purpose tonight.
First, I threw 4 frozen chicken tenderloins (if you haven’t tried costco’s frozen chicken tenderloins…run to Costco, like right now, and get a bag… they are worth every drime) in a skillet and sprinkled them with fajita seasoning. Once they were browned on both sides, I poured the soup over top and simmered it, stirring almost constantly, until there was very little liquid left. The southwestern chicken soup worked great for quesadillas because it’s literally every ingredient you would need…chicken, rice, black beans…you get the picture. I guess if you were out of chicken, you could use just the soup. We like our quesadillas packed pretty full…so I opted to add more chicken. Once the liquid was gone from the soup, I laid 4 of the tortillas on a baking sheet with half of the tortilla hanging off. I divided/spooned the mixture equally into the four tortillas, sprinkled with cheese, folded and threw them in the oven on 350 for 5-6 minutes. Every recipe I found recommended quartering the tortillas once they come out of the oven, but that wasn’t going to work this time. I instead opted for cutting them normally and serving with a dollop of sour cream. Not exactly gourmet cuisine but hey, it was decent and it was free!
I can’t wait to share with you my next creations in my pantry downsizing mission!

2.16.2012

Redefining Home


This is home to me. While I've lived only 2 years of my 24 there (so far)...I call the Outer Banks of North Carolina home. Anyone who's ever had the privilege of walking on these serene beaches will tell you, there's nowhere on earth like it. 
My husband and I are currently in the process of trying to move "home". Right now our lives are on hold...a reality that I have to re-accept on a daily basis. We are constantly hitting speed bumps on our road home...and at times I feel like giving up...but I can't. 
My definition of home has changed a lot over the past two years. We moved back to my hometown a little over two years ago in hopes of making a "better life" for ourselves. Our "better life", at the time, seemed to be dependent on financial security, family, and general stability. An interesting thing has happened though, nothing has turned out like we planned it. I realize now that it all boils down to our definition of home. I looked at a place that I had once called home, and expected it to fit the needs of my husband and I, like it had my entire life. 
I now know better. 
This time of waiting has opened my eyes to what home really means. To me, being home means willing to downsize and move into a house that isn't quite my ideal home, in order to wake up every morning in the place that holds my heart. It means giving up conveniences in order to walk next to my husband down the stretch of beach pictured above. It means saying goodbye to the people I've known my whole life, to be with the people who love the same place I love. 
  I've never been more ready..to go home

2.14.2012

Going the extra mile...

I had every intention of sharing my super crafty Valentine’s Day project with you…but AT&t has decided it has better things to do than find the pictures I sent to my mobile locker three hours ago. *2 days until my new phone comes!* so... Moving on from my temporary childish fit, and onto my original post…
I love crafty Valentine’s Day gifts! Don’t get me wrong, who doesn’t love chocolates and flowers? But there’s something about going that extra mile, doing something that says, I love you…and I’ve taken the time to really know you. I’m so blessed to have a hubby who knows me. My wonderful husband surprised me yesterday with three bouquets of different flowers. No, they weren’t red long-stemmed roses and no, they weren’t in a gorgeous vase. But my dear husband has taken the time to learn that one of my secret hobbies is floral design and that I love piecing together funky flower arrangements from my favorite flowers. Store-bought arrangements bore me!
My husband and I have been married for 3 years. Our first valentine’s day together was in our little, studio apartment. We were broke. No, beyond broke. I’d like to tell you that we’ve come a long way since that tiny apartment, and in some ways we have. We’re still broke though. That’s why I love crafty, meaningful gift ideas. This year’s gift for the hubby?...a handmade “10 things I LOVE about you” booklet. I’ve seen variations of this idea all over the internet and I think it’s adorable. It pushed me out of my box and made me really focus on the specific attributes of my husband that I adore. I’m totally biased, but I feel like it’s a great gift idea…not even just for Valentine’s Day but for any day! We all need little reminders sometimes!
I hope you all have a wonderful valentine’s day and don’t forget to take time out to go the extra mile every day. 

2.12.2012

The first of oh so many posts...


Let’s face it, I’ve never been good at introductions. I can ramble for hours and hours about nothing at all, but introducing myself to the blogging world, not so much. So let’s just cut through the “grand opening” ribbon and move on. Sound like a plan? Fantastic.
I have the tendency of writing a blog, or Facebook note, or (for those of you who appreciate throwbacks) Myspace post, as though I’m already in the middle of a conversation with whomever my particular audience happens to be. I can promise you that this blog will be the same. So, if you’re looking for Pulitzer Prize quality work, you should probably move on. If you’re looking for a sarcastically humorous glimpse into the chaotic life of a 24 year old housewife…you’re in the right place! I can’t promise you perfection but I can promise you entertainmentJ.
So…here goes…
As I’m writing this, my husband and I are house hunting. We have been married for a little over 3 years and this will be our 5th time moving. No, we’re not military…we’re just gluttons for chaos, apparently. This time is different though. This time there’s an insane amount of anxiety and waiting…neither of which I handle well. Anyone who’s ever purchased a house should be able to sympathize. It’s a form of legal torture. So, why am I sharing this with you? Because this is situation is the driving force behind Sunny Side of the Beach. Insomnia is a wonderful thing in that it forces you to reach out and connect to the other 13 people who might be up at 4 AM watching reruns of Frasier and infomercials for things no one could ever possibly need.
If you read my “About Me”, you already know that I am an aspiring “domestic diva”. From the time I was 14, I’ve been drawn to anything having to do with homemaking. I guess it’s my calling…my passion in life. Some people have passions for sports or other various hobbies…my passion is anything having to do with making a home. I’ve been a loyal Pottery Barn addict for 10 years, I’ve watched hours of Martha Stewart, and I’ve recently become hardcore addicted to Pinterest. Anyone else with me? It’s like a drug!
I have my favorite blogs that I’m obsessed with. I love the idea of sharing tips/knowledge and also sharing your life with other people. The internet is our generations town square. It’s where people connect…and the beauty of it is that you’re not just limited to people you know. You’re able to connect with people all over the world with the same interest, same situations, same struggles as you. So many years into having the internet, and it still amazes me! That’s my goal with Sunny Side of the Beach. To connect with all the other women out there going through the same things I’m going through. Life seems so much sunnier when you have people to go through it with!
So, why Sunny Side of the Beach? Funny story. Every single fantastic blog name that I could come up with was taken! Seriously! I thought and I thought, I agonized, and I fought with myself over and over again…and finally decided on Sunny Side of the Beach. It just fits…it fits my life right now. You see, my husband and I are moving back to the beach…back to the one place on earth that we were created for. Right now, our world seems anything but sunny. We’re struggling. We’re stressed…and we’re exhausted. But we keep going. Why? Because I know that one day in the not too distant future, we’ll have our home, on the sunny side of the beach.