Learning to be patient and appreciating the things I have

Good morning! Hope everyone's week went well. Mine wasn't that bad, but let me recap on what's been going on.

In November I got a phone call for an interview to work at an arts and craft store, which was surprising because for two years I've had a difficult time getting a job, or at least going in for an interview. I went in for the interview and they wanted me to come in, the next day, for the orientation. I got the job a week before Thanksgiving, so it's been a learning experience. Started off as a temp job, but earlier this month I was told that they wanted to keep me, so I was happy when they told me that.

I've always pictured myself working a Monday-Friday, 9-5 kind of job, but things can't always go our way. I know that God has blessed me in so many different ways and from not having a job for two years, to now having this little part-time job is amazing. At the same time it drives me crazy, because for four years I always said that I DID NOT want to go back to retail. Everything from the crazy hours to being called in on your days off was and still is something that I don't like. But I'm trying to see it like this: I have a job. It's not permanent, I'm still going to keep looking for a full-time job, but for now I have a job and it's paying the bills. I'm not stressing out and having migraines every day like I was a year ago. So that's a good thing! : )

On top of top, my fiance and I have been going to church together and also doing bible study. So I think that's something that has helped me a lot, especially when it comes to being patient and being positive, but most importantly, not losing faith. So I'm looking forward to being more involved with this church.

Now I'm going to relax, maybe finish crocheting my infinity scarf, before going to work today. I hope you guys are having a fun Saturday...take care!

Angelica

Happy Thanksgiving!

Good morning! I hope everyone's having a good start to their Thanksgiving Day. I definitely can't wait to see how this day turns out. It never fails, there always has to be someone who ruins it for everyone else, BUT I'm going to stay positive and enjoy this day.

Yesterday, my mom and I had fun prepping up everything:

-Turkey's ready to go
-Pies are done (1 no bake pumpkin pie and 2 baked pumpkin pies)
-Table is set

Hubby cooked some greens last night.....and it is delicious! The apartment smelled so good and it tastes good, too, so I'm hoping everyone likes it.

Today I have to do some last minute things:

-Make a salad
-Make the dressing

My older sister was going to come over with my nieces, but they're sick, so that's a bummer. I'm hoping they get better soon.

I'm just thankful that my mom has all that energy in her to prep the turkey and cook everything today. Hopefully I can get her to stop and let us, her kids, do the cleaning. Let's see how that turns out.

Have a great day!

Angelica

What's up my peeps?!!!

LOL...I hope everyone's doing good. I seem to be falling behind on my posts, but its been a neverending roller coaster here at la casa de Crocheted Cookies. So to give you guys a quick recap, here goes.

In late September I was working at a manufacturing company, temp job, which was good because I needed the money, but it was bad on my health. Getting up at 3AM is something I'm not use to and by the time I got home and made dinner, I wound up getting 3-4 hours of sleep. My allergies were kicking my butt, because the warehouse was so dusty, and that also contributed to the lack of sleep. I was experiencing everything from stuffy nose, running nose, sneezing, etc. It was horrible : (

In the end, the company had to let me go because of my attendance, which by the way I'm not the type to go to work late or miss out on a lot of days. But let me tell you that days after being let go I was starting to feel a lot better, health wise. It's been a little difficult starting from square one all over again. I'm always praying for doors to start opening up, because I could use it right about now.

For now I'm going to try to work on organizing the blog, that way I can post more often, so bear with me as I'm going through these ups and downs. This blog means a lot to me and I want to be able to share recipes, give you a little glance as to what's going on in my world, and also get to know people in the blog world. So here's to starting a new chapter, if I can call it that : )

Take care!
Angelica

When one door closes, another one opens up.

Hey guys! How's everything going? Sorry I've been MIA, but Monday and Tuesday were busy days for me. I spent both days visiting temp agencies, so by the time I was done I was exhausted. But the good news is that I start a temp position on Monday....at 6am! So this ought to be interesting.

Well, I can't forget about my little getting to know me from A-Z, so today I'm doing letters C, D, and E. Enjoy!!!

C

Chicago: Born and raised. It will always be home.
Coffee: I've been drinking it since I was a teenager and I love it! One cup every morning makes me a happy girl :)
Cooking: My mom taught me how to cook when, I don't know, I was 12 or 13 and I thank her sooo much for doing that. It's something I love doing and I love sharing ideas with her or my sister.
Christmas: Who doesn't love it???? Decorating the tree and the windows, the music, hot cocoa....it makes me feel like a kid all over again.
Crocheting: This is another thing my mom taught me. I always have fun making stuff, whether it's hats, scarves, or gloves...I just love it!
Cheesecake: Yum!
Chipotle: The burrito bowl is my favorite!
Cats: I just love them.

D
Dunkin Donuts
Dogs: As you can see, I love both cats and dogs, but it's only because I grew up having both as pets.

E
Can't think of anything at the moment. If I do, then I'll write something down.

I hope everyone's having a great evening. I'm going to start making dinner and then relax. So I'll talk to you later.

Angelica

Chicken Fajitas

Hope everyone had an awesome Labor Day weekend! Ours wasn't that bad, except that it would've been fun if everyone pitched in when it came to grilling/cooking/bringing the food. I'm the type who loves to plan things out, only because it makes things run smoothly. Plus I don't like waiting until the last minute, which is what happened on Monday. My brother and his girlfriend waited until Sunday to buy the food they were going to cook, even though they said they were going to buy everything on Friday. So that resulted in us having to wait until Monday to buy our half of the groceries.

The plan was to take turns grilling the food, which everyone agreed on doing, but it ended up being us (Hubby and I) cooking EVERY THING. I didn't want my mom doing anything, I just wanted her to relax, but she didn't...lol! Everyone ate, we talked, and laughed, but when it came down to cleaning up the mess my brother and his gf went to their rooms (they live with my mom), so Hubby and I got stuck cleaning up. I mean, seriously??!!! That really upset me, because I wanted to give my mom a day off from doing the cooking and the cleaning, but that didn't happen. I'm just glad that day is over.

So yesterday I ended up making something quick and easy, which happened to be a repeat from last week. I cooked some chicken fajitas, minus the rice, but it was still good : ) Hubby works late on Tuesday and Wednesdays, so I try to cook something quick, only because I don't like eating real late.

Chicken Fajitas
Source: Food Network

1/4 cup vegetable oil, divided
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Dash hot sauce
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds meat (I used boneless, skinless chicken breast)
2 medium onion, halved and sliced lengthwise
1 green bell pepper, sliced
*1 red bell pepper, sliced
8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
*1 lime, juiced, for topping
Sour cream, for topping
*Salsa, for topping
*Guacamole, for topping
*Cheddar cheese, shredded, for topping

* = I didn't use these ingredients

1. Using your favorite skillet or nonstick pan, add the veggie oil and lemon juice, and let it simmer for a little. Add the chicken and cook that for about 15-20 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and hot sauce. 

2. Slice the bell pepper and onions, and add that to the chicken, along with some salt and black pepper. Continue cooking until the chicken is cooked all the way through.

3. Wrap the tortillas in a paper towel and warm them in the microwave for about 1 minute. Once the tortillas are warm you are ready to eat!

4. I topped my fajitas with sour cream, which was enough for me, but you can top it with anything. 

Now, with this recipe I made a few changes, only because I wanted to cook something that was quick and easy. I didn't marinate the chicken, I just threw everything in the pot and it was still delicious. If you click on the link you'll see that steak or shrimp can be used instead of chicken. So I hope you enjoy!

Angelica

Hi everyone!

This has been a busy week. I was at my mom's earlier this week, doing laundry and taking her to a doctor's appointment, she's doing well and everything looks good. On top of that I've been making dinner really late (not good!), so by the time I sat down on the sofa to watch tv I was ready to go to bed.

My job hunt is still the same. I took last week off from looking for work because when I start looking I don't stop, and sometimes that can be stressful. So, I started the hunt yesterday. Pray that I get a phone call or an email.

I can't believe today's the last day of August!!! All I've been thinking about is Autumn, tea, hot cocoa, soup...you name it! I LOVE Fall, it's my favorite season. It also makes me think about crocheting. During the summer I'll crochet something here and there, but it's really uncomfortable, so I tend to wait until it's chilly outside. I guess you can say that Fall kind of inspires me a little, so I'm definitely looking forward to making some things (fingerless gloves, scarves, hats, etc.). Do you guys have any hobbies? What are they (crocheting, knitting, making jewelry)?

Now to the good part: dinner! Here's what we ate this week, and let me tell ya, these were some delicious dishes and I'm definitely making them again, especially the Bourbon Chicken.

-Monday: Chicken fajitas with rice (recipe coming soon)
-Tuesday: Chicken stir fry
-Wednesday: we ate out
-Thursday: Bourbon Chicken with rice (recipe coming soon)

Did you guys notice that everything I've cooked this week had one common ingredient? I actually meant to do that. I felt that chicken wasn't going to be too expensive, plus I already had a menu set up that called for a lot of chicken, so there was no backing out. Another thing is that I've been really grateful to have a mom who's been helping us out a lot. She'll either buy us groceries or she'll make dinner and save us some leftovers, so on Tuesday she actually bought us some frozen chicken stir fry. All I did was add more chicken and stir fry veggies. Today I think we're going to have some catfish. How am I going to prepare it? I'm not sure. I usually bake my fish, which is always good, but we'll see what Hubby's in the mood for.

I hope all of you guys have a safe Labor Day weekend. We're probably going to head to my mom's and bbq, that's if it doesn't rain on Monday...lol. Take care!

Angelica

Recap pt. 2

Sorry for the long blog hiatus, but this last month has been an emotional roller coaster for me. Now don't get me wrong, I want this blog to be about my love for cooking, baking, trying different things and visiting new places, but I also want it to be a place where I can share my thoughts. So here goes.

A year and a half ago I was laid off from my temp job. The place I was working at was the same place I worked at for four years as a student worker. I thought that having stability, good reviews, and the recommendations would've helped me land a full time job, but that didn't happen. Unemployment benefits ended last month and let me tell you, when I found out that I couldn't keep collecting unemployment I was devastated. I was so nervous because I didn't know how my fiance was going to take it (he has a full time job, but what I was getting helped us out a little). All I thought about was how were we going to pay the bills and if we were going to have enough money to buy groceries. Sometimes I just want to give up, because looking for a job has been difficult and it has been stressing me out!

On top of that, I found out that I had PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome). All the research I did on PCOS scares me a little. I mean, how many more obstacles am I going to face??? All I want to do is scream and cry!

BUT on the bright side we started going to bible study. We met new people and we're getting to know more every week, which is a good thing. It's not something I'm use to doing, but it's been helping me get closer to God and build a stronger, loving relationship with Him.

I know God has something good in store for me, and even though I can be impatient I have to learn how to trust Him and understand that things happen for a reason.

Angelica