Good Things This Week (& Last)

I got to travel and hang out with some really awesome women in my industry.  I mean, it was to go to a conference full of men, but still, a great time.  I also hired a tech, which has finally allowed me to do engineering work again and I am so, so relieved to have help.  I finally get to be an engineer again!

Three new recipes this week that I will definitely be making again:

Sesame Glazed Salmon and Green Beans – This was fast and easy, plus delicious.  Great ‘fancy’ dinner at home.  I think this food blog might be a new favorite, because the next recipe is also from there…

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili – This was also fast and easy to prepare, and was great as dinner and the next day for lunch.  I used black beans instead of pinto beans, and an extra chicken breast and 1 can of cannellini beans, rather than 2 cans.  I also cut the cumin to 1 tsp, and cut the cayenne and black pepper because my kiddos don’t like too much heat.  I topped it with cheese, avocado, and crumbled tortilla chips.

Turkey Sage Meatball Sandwiches – This is a recipe I tore out of some magazine (don’t know which) and tastes like Thanksgiving dinner in a meatball.  In the future, I might serve it as a meatloaf with a side of mashed sweet potatoes.

I started using a new budgeting tool, www.calendarbudget.com because after 16 years as a working professional and being paid twice a month, I am now paid every other week.  I had no idea how to budget or spend getting paid this way.  I also didn’t realize how big of a difference it makes in my ability to manage money.  This tool doesn’t store any of my bank information, but I can upload expenditures that I download from my bank.  I can visually see my expected expenditures and incoming money at any point I choose.  This means I can plan when we go on vacation based on when we hit our savings goal.  Or I can decide when I need to budget clothing purchases for the family.  I love it and my anxiety over watching the ups/downs in our checking account is gone.

We have finally ‘cut the cable cord’ and dropped DirecTV, since we watch everything almost exclusively on Netflix through our AppleTV.  I am now discovering all of the other options on AppleTV besides Netflix.  PBS Independent Lens Documentaries are some of my most favorite.  They are thought provoking and incredibly well-done.  No Mas Bebes and The Black Panthers:  Vanguard of the Revolution are the most recent two that I watched.  I am shocked, and angry, and in disbelief at the number of things I never learned.  Both of these documentaries are must-sees for everyone.

I am super, super excited to go see the play, All The Way tomorrow night.  All about passing the Civil Rights Act.  Lyndon B. Johnson.  Martin Luther King Jr.  Yes.