Becoming myself

It's been just under a year since my last post and my life has completely changed since then. These changes are a huge part of the reason I stopped posting and eventually made my blogs private. My world pretty much came crashing down around me and for a while it was all I could do to make it through the day.
   
Shortly after my last post AJ and I separated. We are now it the process of getting divorced... we're simply waiting to be able to finalize the paperwork (we have to wait 6 months).   
         
Not to worry though, I'm much better now. I've moved on and even found someone new. Data is my goofy, amazing "old man". He makes me smile and laugh constantly. More importantly he knows how important it is for me to be my own person, and he pushes me to not only see that, but strive for it. He wants me to become a better person, a strong, independent, and unique woman, not for him, but for myself.              
 
That's where my blog comes in, this is going to be my way of pushing myself to do just that. This is going to be where I chronicle becoming the woman I want to be, that strong, unique, and independent woman who values herself above all else. I plan to do all the things I've always wanted and needed to do for myself, and write about it here.   
   
This blog is the start of all that, but what else do I have on my list? Let's see:   
      

• Writing regularly (both blogging, personal journal, as well as fiction)
• Photography
• Cook and shop for groceries more often
• Make a budget (and stick to it)
• Buy my own car
• Work towards being debt free
• Increase my credit score
• Start college classes

This is the just the beginning and I'm pretty excited to see where it leads. Here's to becoming myself!

Clean House and Chocolate cake

With all the cleaning I've been doing to get ready for my husbands return, I haven't done any posting! I'm pleased to say that I have gotten everything cleaned up for the most part. I have to clean out the car still. All I have left in the house is vacuuming, sweeping and mopping, and organizing the stuff in a box I hadn't unpacked yet! Such a big improvement!!

I've also been cooking regularly! I bought two new cookbooks that I'm loving: Everything Meals on a Budget Cookbook and Anyone Can Cook. Now I've been cooking since I was 9 (give or take a couple years), so I don't really need a extremely basic cookbook like these, but I think they're great cookbooks anyway. I've done most of my meal plans using them. I plan on getting several more, but a little later. I would like to get Anyone Can Bake as well.

Speaking of baking, I had the urge to bake some kinda desert, but I don't have cookie sheets or cake pans, or anything like that, so I googled stove top dessert recipes. I stumbled across a nifty recipe I just had to try: 5-Minute Chocolate Cake! You make it in the microwave in a coffee mug. It's really yummy too. Forget those Betty Crocker Warm Delights! This has it topped for sure. It's light and fluffy, and really chocolaty! It calls for chocolate chips, but I used Dove Chocolate cut up in pieces... yuuum! Unfortunately it all fell to the bottom, but that's ok, I'll just have a chocolate heart attack at the end!

Here's the recipe so its all in one place:

• coffee mug
• 4 tablespoons flour
  
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
• 2 tablespoons whisked egg  (1 egg is too much, 1 egg white is too eggy, 1 yolk is too dense, but 2 tbls is just )right!
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 3 tablespoons chocolate chips
• splash vanilla (or other flavoring - try peppermint or cinnamon)

Add all of the dry ingredients to the mug and mix. Add the egg and combine well. It gets pretty pasty at the point, Stir in milk and oil. Add chocolate chips and splash of vanilla. Stir well.

Microwave for 3 minutes in a 1000w oven, or 4 minutes in a 700w oven. It will start to crown over the top of the mug. Don't panic! It will collapse once the heat stops.

For more fudgelike cake, omit egg. In place of chocolate chips, you can use small pieces of chocolate candy or candy bar.

Making Progress

Yesterday I caught the cleaning bug finally! I had a nightmare about my husband and my dirty house (worse then him just seeing it) that totally freaked me out and kinda lit a fire under me. Thanks to that I have the majority of the clutter/trash cleaned up in the kitchen, dinning room, and bar area. I also did dishes. I'm planning to tackle my living room today sometime (after I find out what's up with the Alice in Wonderland plans).

My weekend to do list:

Inventory Panty/Fridge/Freezer (and make a spread sheet)
Make a meal plan (at least dinner M-F)
Get rid of expired coupons in binder
Find/clip new coupons and organize
Take out all trash

It's gonna be a busy weekend, hopefully I can get it all done! I have movie plans tonight (Alice in Wonderland!!!) as I mentioned earlier, as well as lunch/dinner (or dinner/dinner, not sure, one meal each) with a buddy. It'll be a hectic weekend, but hopefully fun!!