Crockpots are a gift from God...

So right after fluffy kittens, and coffee, a crockpot would probably fall next on my list of favorite things. It is so far one of the most used items that my husband and I received for our wedding. We love it! My husband is an FS3, which means that his job at the station here is to feed all the wonderful coastguardsmen/women. He loves it, and the people love him(and his food ;) One thing that we have been working on is proportions. I did a lot of cooking at home, before we were married, for my family. I have been used to making enough to feed 6 people, give them seconds, and at least have enough leftover for three people to have lunch the next day. At A-school, G (and his 6 classmates) were cooking for the whole training facility and would be cranking out meals for 600-800 people daily. It's considerably less pressure now that he's at this station, only needing to cook 2 meals for about 15-20 people and maybe a handful of dinners for those staying later. But when it comes to home, it's just two of us...and sometimes the amount of leftovers is a bit overwhelming. I mean, as much as I loved the beef stew I cooked up last week(thank you crockpot) I have enough leftover for about a week and half in my fridge/freezer. I recently searched "meal planning" on pinterest and have been gleaning things here and there. There is one site in particular that I found, giving you the grocery list you will need for shopping, and making sure to keep your meals somewhat diverse throughout the week so you're not stuck eating chicken every night of your life. But I discovered a problem half way through making my first meal off the list for "week 1". The way things were being tossed together, just didn't make sense to me.

 I've been spoiled by super delicious food all my life. My father expresses his love and relieves stress by cooking and releasing his inner italian(yes, he actually is italian) and I have been blessed to inherit his gift of eyeballing ingredients and being able to tell what's missing by smelling and stealing tastes. That is actually one of the many reasons I adore crockpot meals. You can put a dash of this, dollop of that, and and really big squeeze of the other thing and after hours of marinating together, you get tender and meat and veggies and usually a super bangin' sauce to boot! Which is fantastic for days like today when I'm tired of leftovers, but don't particularly have time to find a recipe for the oven or stovetop, and have too much to clean around the house and really don't feel like cleaning up after a lot of kitchen prep. 

Previously mentioned Beef Stew...currently still in my fridge.

"What do you want for dinner?"

I voiced into the echoing part 

of the kitchen,

and as the R syllable

bravely dove off my lips

I realized

that there would not be anyone

to catch him.

-Tyler Knott Gregson, Chasers of the Light

I didn't realize how much cleaning there would be around here. Between my husband, who is not in the clean-as-you-go mindset, myself, and the two cats who revel in empty boxes and paper grocery bags...and the bachelor pad I walked into when I finally got down here; that mixed with getting things ready for another move across the apartment complex at the end of the month, things seem to be in a constant state of upheaval and boxes. IT will all change when we move. Our current apartment was originally meant for short term vacation rentals and therefore is fully furnished. Our next one is actually meant for the long haul, and therefore requires all the comfy living amenities. Initially there will be nothing to clutter any space except for the clothing we own. Slowly the few possessions that G has to ship from his last duty station, and all of my belongings which is odds and ends including a kitchen table, sans chairs, and a few bookshelves, will make their way into our empty, little home. In a way it will be nice. We will be able to fill the nooks and crannies of the apartment with things that live and breathe our personas. Our books, our bedding, random wall hangings with quotes about coffee or star wars. We'll take an overnight trip to the ikea that's like four hours away and pick out couches and kitchen chairs that WE actually like, and slowly our house will be filled and eventually become a cozy, lived-in, home :) 

A short 3-4 minute walk behind our complex brings us to a beautifully secluded stretch of the OBX.
Here we see waves rolling in. You can't tell much from the picture, but the swells are about 9 feet, a result of hurricane Joaquin making it's way up the coast.