New Beginnings!

Happy Friday Eve everyone!

This week has been an exciting week for us. Last Thursday my husband and I went apartment hunting, and we found the one we liked!!!! Since we had a budget, we knew what we were looking for, but we only got to look at two apartments, which is ok because we ended up loving the second apartment we saw. Big living room and dining room, the kitchen is smaller than the one we had before, BUT there's plenty of counter space. It's a vintage building, but who cares! LOL  We feel that God was there the whole time because all I thought about was having people from church over and doing prayer groups, bible study, etc. There's parking space and lots of places to go to in the area. Plus, I'll only be 8-9 minutes away from my mom.

We filled out the application and just had to wait until everything was checked and verified. It wasn't until Monday when my husband got a phone call from the office that manages the apartment building. Everything was ok, but they couldn't verify his job (that always happens, don't know why). He took care of everything that same day and I get a phone call from him later that day saying that we were approved!

We'll be moving in April 1, but we were given the green light to start bringing our stuff over at the end of the month. So I'm super excited and thanking God every day for this blessing. It's been a major roller coaster living at my mom's, but I got to learn a lot (and still am) about having patience and letting God do his job. Let the countdown begin! : )

Angelica

Meatless Monday

Hi everyone! What a crazy weekend this has been! I hope your weekend went well : )

My little nephew spent the weekend at Abuela’s*, which is always fun, but he’s teething and was congested, so he was Mr. Cranky Pants Saturday and Sunday. Other than that, I LOVE it when he’s with us. He makes us laugh, he loves playing around with Tio’s phone or watching something on Netflix, aaaaaand my husband and I get to practice for when we have our own kids. 

All I get to hear when he's here is him laughing or crying, toys all over the floor, but when he goes back home and the whole house is quiet, it makes me sad. But I always look forward to his next visit : )

*My husband and I have been staying at my mom’s for 10 months now and we are going to start looking at apartments….AGAIN! It took us a long time to sit down and go over our budget, but we did it and I’m hoping we stick to it. I’m giving everything to God and trusting Him that this will work. I’ll keep you guys posted! : )

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I've been working on a meal plan for a couple of month now and this year I want to stick to it. Maybe tweak it every now and then. So Mondays will be Meatless Mondays, and the recipe I picked was Iowa Girl Eat's Bean Burgers.

I made this recipe last summer and it was delicious! With buns and without, on a salad, or by itself. Sadly, I didn't take a picture, but here's what goes in it:

Bean Burgers

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can black beans

3 T plain yogurt

1/3 c bread crumbs

1 t oregano

1/4 t cayenne

1/4 t paprika

1/4 t cumin

1/2 t salt

1 bunch of cilantro

juice of 1 lime (I used about 1 T of lime juice)

canola oil

1. In a food processor take half of the garbanzo beans and half of the black beans, yogurt, bread crumbs, oregano, cayenne, paprika, cumin, salt, cilantro, lime juice and mix well.

2. Once that's mixed well, add the other half of your beans to that and mash it with a potato masher in a bowl. 

3. Add some canola oil to your pan and let that heat up while you're forming your bean burgers. Cook them for about 10-15 minutes, until nicely browned on each side. 

I like to melt cheese on mine and eat it like that or with a salad. Enjoy!

Angelica

 

This is my year!

Man…January seems to be going by real fast. But I can’t complain! : )

2013 has left me with this feeling of making some huge changes. I know, I know…people always do that when the new year starts, but this time it’s for real!

It’s perfect timing, for me, because my mom is out of town and that gives me more time to focus on myself and prioritize things. There's a reason why I want  have to do this, because if I don't start somewhere things are just going to keep going downhill.

*****

For years I would go months without having my period, or the days I did get it it was pretty heavy and the cramps were bad. Now I bet there are women out there who would say that that's normal, but it isn't. About 2-3 years ago, I’ve been doing some research and I wanted to know what all these symptoms that I have meant. Everything I read…every symptom…I had it. I had PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome). To know that I’ve been dealing with this for 17 years, it just left me…..I just couldn’t believe it. 

I go see my gyno and he tells me the same thing....I have PCOS. The doctor, of course, has me on the pill for a couple years, that doesn’t fix it, and then has me on some other stuff, that doesn’t fix it…here comes October 2013 and I’m about to have my FIRST outpatient surgery!

My husband and I have been talking about wanting kids for a couple of years now and after we got married, we definitely want to start a family. When I told my doctor that haven’t had a “regular” period and that I’ve been bleeding for months, almost a year, that’s when he suggested that I have a D & C/laparoscopy. Oh, boy! Was I nervous. I was freaking out because I’ve never gotten general anesthesia, so every wild and crazy thought was crossing my mind. I’m just glad it took a couple of hours and I was able to go home after that. I DO NOT like hospitals, and that hospital bed is uncomfortable. 

Two weeks later, I go see my doctor to get the stitches removed, and after talking to him for a while the doctor said that we can definitely start trying to have kids, but he was giving us 6 month. Now don’t forget, what he temporarily fixed would come back, so he threw out there that if trying to conceive naturally doesn’t work, he’ll refer us to a fertility specialist. Say what?!!! It’s been difficult. I feel like I’m back in the same boat and I choose not to go through the same procedure again. So I spent the last month and a half doing more research on PCOS and how to treat it in a more natural way. I honestly don’t want to be putting a bunch of crap in my body. I don’t want to slap a band-aid on PCOS. What my body’s going through, it’s not fair. It’s embarrassing. I’m tired of it!!!!!!!!!

So this year, I need to make some changes, especially for my health. I know that God has a baby boy or girl for us, and I pray every day that this will go away. 

Angelica

2013

Wow…two more weeks and we’ll be saying goodbye to 2013. Can you believe that?

This year has brought my husband and I some good and not so good things:

-We welcomed my new baby nephew in April. He is the cutest thing ever!!!!

-We had to move out of our apartment, which we didn’t want to do, but it had to be done.

-My oldest sister and I got married in August. Yay!!! My husband and I tied the knot two weeks after she did. I’m really happy that we get to celebrate our anniversaries in the same month. : )

-My job hunt is still the same. Interviews come and go, and nothing. To those who lost their jobs and are still looking, I’m praying for you guys. I’ve met people who have been without a job for almost 5 or 6 years. I don’t know how you can do it, because it would drive me crazy, but I do pray that good things come your way.

-We celebrated one year of being members of a new church. I’m excited for another year and building a better, and much stronger relationship with God.

-Had a procedure, in October, to see how bad my PCOS is (I’ll talk more about that another day). I’m praying that we’re able to start a family soon.

-Last, but not least, we bought a new car a couple of weeks ago, and we LOVE it!!!

So it’s been a combination of things, but I can’t complain. It might sound like I am, especially with the not so good bad things that has happened to us this year. The important thing is that I’m here, waking up every day to something new, something different. I know that when one door closes, another one opens. I just have to be patient and trust God.

Have a wonderful week!

Angelica

Prepping for Spring!

That's all I do when I'm at home...lol. Well, that's not the only thing I like to do, but when I'm off from work and spending the entire day at home, that's the only time I have to tidy up the place. If it's not putting laundry away, I'm sweeping the floors and cleaning the bathroom (yuk!). That's just one of the many things my mom taught me and I like it! Now there are days when I want my fiance to help me, but overall, I like doing it myself. And with Spring around the corner, that motivates me even more to clean up, donate stuff, and throw stuff out.

Speaking of Spring, I was excited with the whole daylight savings time. I know some people hate it, but I love it!!! It can be 6pm and the sun's still out. It just makes me think about warm weather, bbq's, going for walks, you name it. I have to start planning my little garden, which happens to be mom's backyard...lol! Unless I can manage to get a little spot, with plenty of sunlight, here in my living room. My mom had rosemary, peppers, eggplant, and tomato. She...had...a...blast! I had basil, lots and lots of basil, but I wasn't able to use it all, so that kind of sucked. I'm hoping we can do the same thing this year, but with less basil...lol. I'm super excited!

What do you like the most about Spring?

Take care!

Angelica

Morning! I hope everyone's doing well. Tuesday was a busy and snowy day. Our morning was planned out: get our taxes done and then come home and relax for the rest of the day, but that didn't happen. Our car was acting up a little bit Monday night, so we thought we can just get our taxes done and come home quick, and take care of the car the next day. I wasn't going to be driving around in the middle of a snowstorm. Are you kidding me???!!!!

We decided to get the oil changed first, but the car was still acting up (battery light kept turning on), so we take it to this shop near our place and it turns out that it's the alternator....dun, dun, dun. The best thing is that the shop had the part and they were able to fix it right then and there, but we did not have the money :(   The guys at the shop told us to bring the car later that week, so they were charging the battery, but all I kept thinking about was to call my mom. My fiance said to give it a shot, so I called her to see if she was able to help us out, even though I don't like doing that. She, of course, said yes.

So we got our car fixed and we were able to get our taxes done...thank God!

We ended up getting 9 inches of snow! I was disappointed because I wanted it to continue snowing on Wednesday, with the hopes of not having to go in to work, but that didn't happen...oh well. Work wasn't bad, plus we got out a little early. I was just glad to come home at a decent time and be able to watch a couple of shows on the DVR.

Today, we're going to bible study. I'll be going to the women's bible study and then he'll be going to the men's bible study. So hopefully I get to see some new faces : )   I've been slacking off on going to bible study, especially on my days off, and that's not what I want to be doing. So I'm hoping that going there today gets me out of this funk and I can continue to go.

I hope you guys have a good day....take care!

Angelica

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