The First Sunday--Thoughts on a New Year and Dinners for the Next Week

    Sunday night. The first Sunday of the year. The Christmas decorations are all put away and the living room seems so bare now. Almost empty. Except for the tree. haha We still have to take the tree out of the stand and take it to the dumpster. But aside from that, all traces of the holidays have been packed back up for another year.

    The girls are in bed and fast asleep. Nate and I have had our Sunday chili (what in the world are we going to eat on Sundays once football is over?? haha) and are now settled in watching the night game. Oh, and playing Words with Friends with each other.

    While the game is on and my head is turned in the general direction of the television, my thoughts are about the new year. I'm looking forward to a new year. New year, new memories. I'm going to do my best to make the most of the year:

• I know I want to lose weight because I've reached a point where I just don't like the way I feel. I've been thinking about setting a year-long goal with the hopes of being half-way there by June which is when my wedding anniversary is. :) 
• And I was thinking about targeting two or three things on my bucket list to accomplish this year. Like learning a new langauge, go skydiving, and I haven't decided on the third.
• And then there is the question of taking classes to finish a degree. I've applied to the Art Institutes before (and been accepted) to get a culinary degree, but we got hung up on paying for it. Do we try AI again? Or should I start small and work on my associates at the local community college online?
• And I'd like to be more proactive regarding my culinary interests and enter some baking contests. There are a number of them around, it's just a matter of getting my butt motivated. I'd actually like to enter the NC State Fair's contests in the fall this year...of course I've been talking about this for a couple years now, but I'd actually like to DO it this year.
• And of course keep working on saving money. But let's face it, that is something we all want to do all of the time. So that sort of counts...but it's always at the back of my mind...so maybe not really. :)
• And as a really personal goal, I want to work on becoming a better person. I feel this one is pretty self explanatory. :)
• And last, but most definitely not least, I want to be active with my girls. I want to take the to local museums, go to the pool a lot when it gets warmer, take them to the beach, visit the aquariums on the coast, check out the lakes and parks we have in the area (and there are quite a few), well, I think you get the idea on this one.

So to say that I am excited about the new year is probably an understatement. :)

    But more on the forefront of my thoughts would be events in the near future that involve food. For instance, the impending Superbowl. Yes, I know, we don't even know who is going to the big game. But that doesn't mean I can't start getting excited about the possibilities of the food I'll bring to Nate's parents' house. Let's take a moment to remember the awesome themed food from last year's Superbowl Lineup. Fun times. :) So I know I will be making the piggie cookies again--only with the appropriate teams represented. :)

    And then there are two birthday parties coming up that I could be making cakes for. One is for the daughter of a friend...and I'm not 100% sure if she wants me to bake the cake or not. I offered and couldn't help getting excited about the possibilities as I thought about it later. The birthday girl will be turning 6 and they are thinking about a guitar cake. How fun would that be?!? I've started thinking about an electric guitar with purples, pinks, and blacks. And stars. And some silver glitter. And then what do I do for the strings? Fondant rolled really thin? Anyway, so I've offered to make it. But if she decides not to have me help, no hurt feelings.
    Now I did say two birthday parties in the near future. Nate's birthday is the beginning of March and I usually start thinking about it after the holidays. So now I'm trying to decide what to do to celebrate his birthday and then what kind of cake to make. Do I go with childhood cartoons again? Or perhaps since he loves to read, decorate a pile of books? Oooo! Or a pile of books with a cup of coffee on top! Or I could scale it back and a decorate a layered cake. :) I've still got time though...but now you understand why I like to start thinking about it early. :)

    Alright, I think I've rambled on enough for one post-- that and I have to set my alarm for the morning for the first time in over a week. ::cringe:: So I will leave you with thoughts of dinners coming up this week. :)

Monday: Spinach, Bacon & Swiss Quiche -- the recipe is for Spinach & Swiss Quiche that I found in Recipe.com magazine.

Tuesday: Tortellini and Brussels Sprouts -- Kyleigh can NOT stop asking for the sprouts again. If I hadn't given birth to her, I wouldn't believe she is my kid. haha

Wednesday: Breakfast for dinner -- Waffles!

Thursday: Soup and Sammies -- Barley soup.

Friday: Pizza and a Movie Night of course! :)

Saturday: Meat Loaf -- I've made meat loaf before after finding a recipe for it, I'll give the recipe a go. :)

Let's make it a great week y'all!!