Pork Tacos

We tried a new recipe today for pork tacos, and I loved it! I found it here at Skinny Mom.

What I loved the most was the fact that I could just dump it in my crockpot and it was done when I got home from church today. The pork was so tender that it fell apart when I tried to take it out to shred it. It was so yummy.

The only thing I did differently was omitting the jalapeno and the salt. I didn't take as much care in selecting my salsa as I should have (for sodium content) but next time I'll do better.

I give this recipe a 4.5 out of 5! We will definitely be making it again.



Dresser Makeover

Over spring break, my husband and I repainted some old dressers.

I had a tall dresser and two side tables that came from my grandparents' house. They didn't match and were really outdated.

I was inspired by somethings I pinned on Pinterest. Here are my inspirations:

I thought...I could totally do that...and this is what we did!

 Our comforter has this geometric design on it. So I found an image online that matched and cut out a stencil on my cricut for the side tables.

For the tall dresser, I used our projector to make the images different sizes and traced them onto the dresser.

 

We added new drawer pulls, and they look good as new!

What do you think? I'm really pleased at how they turned out.

Home Made Velveeta

I've been struggling with still using Velveeta for a while now, but I've found the cure for it! 

I found a recipe online for a Velveeta substitute which is basically cheddar cheese, powdered milk, water, and unflavored gelatin. 

I used it in my cheesy vegetable medley and it was really good. I didn't hardly notice a difference, other than it tasted better (to me) than Velveeta. I figured up the nutritional values for this home made Velveeta, but I lost it. If I remember correctly, it had less than half of the sodium of the stuff from the store.

The only thing that you need to make sure is that you seal it really well in a ziplock bag after it has solidified. Also, keep an eye on how long you keep it in the fridge. It doesn't keep as long as Velveeta (which is right up there with Twinkies in surviving the apocalypse), but if stored well, it stays good for a long while.

I have other home made substitutes that I hope to share with you all soon! Have you tried any home made substitutes lately?

Dancing in the Car

So, I maintain the belief that life can be really hard some days. And sometimes you gotta do whatever helps to get you through the day. For me, that's blasting music in my car and dancing.

There are some people that make me feel a total idiot about it. I can't help that when I hear "I'm Every Woman" I crank up the volume, sing a the top of my lungs (with the windows closed, mind you), and dance in my car at red lights. I try not to pay attention to the cars next to me because their reaction kills my good mood. I get pointed and stared at like an alien.Yes, I know I asked for it and I probably look like a total idiot. 

SpongeBob = total idiot

But to all of you out there trying to ruin the one thing that helps me get through those hard days, I say screw you, sir. 

Stop judging me. 

 

Love/Hate Relationship

Sleep and I have a Love/Hate relationship. I love Sleep, and it thoroughly hates Me. I think my hubby gets annoyed sometimes. I'm always so tired but not sleepy when it comes time for bed. So I lay there in the dark and talk to him, and I'm sure that all he wants to do is sleep (I want to sleep, too!). Then when he wakes up in the middle of the night, his wife is missing. 

In the wee hours of the night, I pass time by pinteresting. We are looking forward to the possibility of moving into a new, larger apartment next month, and I am convinced that I'm going to crazy organize our new apartment so it stays clean and so it will look like we have a lot of space (a large portion of our current living room has been taken up by a desk, computer, and office chair). I've found some awesome stuff. To see what I've pinned click here. 

With the rest of my sleepless nights, I've been reading archived posts from The Bloggess. She is incredibly funny. I feel really guilty when I start uncontrollably laughing. I can only imagine the hubby waking up to my hysterical laughing and being totally freaked out. 

Anyways, I don't know where I'm going with this post.

What do you do when you can't sleep??

I like to read...

When classes ended for me, almost a month ago, I vowed not to use my brain during winter break. Let me explain...

When you're in graduate school and read 100+ pages a week for classes, you don't have much time for leisurely reading. I can't really read for fun, because reading is an engulfing experience for me. I get so wrapped up in the world from my book that its hard to break away from my alternate reality (at least this is true when its a really good book). So I'm immersing myself in books during my break.

 So far, I'm on my third book this break.

I've read: 

and

I'm currently reading

Its the prequel to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. After this one, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters is on the docket.

What books are on your reading list this year?