Our Saturday Fishing Adventure

J and I got to enjoy some fishing this weekend. His weekends are busy right now with work. However, he had Saturday off.

We spent at least 3 hours fishing at the lake by our house. J found us a great new spot! The weather was beautiful as well.




We caught several Bluegills, but they were very small. We could have brought two of them home, but we decided to release them. J DID catch a decently sized Catfish though! We brought it home and fried it using this recipe:

Pan-Fried Catfish Recipe

Vegetable Oil, Olive Oil, or Butter (your choice)
4 medium freshwater catfish fillets*
1 cup cold milk
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 to 3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red (cayenne) pepper
Lemon wedges

Rinse the fillets under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. In a pie place, lay fillets and pour milk over the top. In another pie plate, combine cornmeal, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Remove the fillets one at a time from the milk and roll in the cornmeal mixture to coat evenly; place on a large platter to dry. leaving space between them. Let dry at least 5 minutes.

Heat the oil or butter in a large skillet. Add the coated catfish fillets and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, sprinkling additional salt on the catfish after each turn. Cook until golden brown and fish flakes easily with a fork. Drain on paper towels. After draining, place the fillets on another platter covered with paper towels; place in preheated oven to keep warm while frying the remaining fillets. The fillets will remain hot and crisp for as long as 35 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 4 servings.

Insanity Week 5

My friends and I are currently on week 5 of the Insanity Workout. During week 5, you are focusing on your core throughout the entire week.

During normal weeks of the workout, you rotate through 4 different workout routines. However, we are repeating the same workout the entire 6 days of this week's program. (Reminder: Each week you are to work out 6 days and rest on the 7th.) The workout we are doing focuses on cardio using your core and balance. While we may not be as out of breath, it certainly isn't an easier workout. We are really having to focus on using our core to maintain balance through some of the more advanced exercises.

My diet hasn't been as strong as it needed to be this past week (Hey, can you blame me? It was my birthday!), so I'm focusing on bringing back the diet in conjunction with my workouts.

Once this week is over, we start the MUCH harder workouts for the last 3 weeks of the program. Although a bit nervous, I am very much looking forward to the results I will get throughout these last three weeks.

Best Birthday so Far!!!

My wonderful sister-in-law and brother invited our whole family to their home to celebrate my grandfather's and my birthday this past Saturday.

We enjoyed great food and even better company while watching our college football team play a great game! They had got some fantastic barbecue and munchies for us all to enjoy!

At half-time they had my Grandfather and I sit down to open presents. Once we were done, they started singing "Happy Birthday" while bringing out our birthday cake.

I decided to take a picture of the cake before blowing the candles out. As soon as I took the picture, I looked again down at the cake and saw.....



Of COURSE I started SCREEEAMING and jumping up and down!!! My brother and Sister-in-Law are having a baby!!! Everyone was crying/hugging/you name it! Obviously we are all VERY excited for them!!!!!

Best Birthday Cake EVER!!!

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The Next day, I drove home to relax and spend the day with the hubs for my birthday. He had THESE waiting for me! Beautiful Pink and Red Roses!!!



Later that night, my husband and I, along with his dance partner went out to celebrate with great food and wonderful cheesecake!

Date your Spouse!

I'm all about continuing to date your spouse after you get married! I mean, you're married now.....this is when things get REALLY good!=)

My husband's career as a dance professional can sometimes limit the nights and weekends we have together. I've always liked looking at these sites for fun creative ideas when we're a little short on time.

Here are my current three favorite websites that advocate this idea of "dating your spouse." I've got comments on each site included as well!

For Fun Creative Date Ideas, visit: The Dating Divas
This website has really...and I mean REALLY fun creative date ideas. The ideas are very original! The ideas range from not costing anything at all, to ideas you may save for special occasions. There are also really cute ideas on showing your spouse that you love them. The gals are also women of integrity. It's a great blog read all around!

Got $30 for your Date Night this Week? Visit: $30 Date Night
Visit this site for ideas that are all around $30. These dates are also creative!

For a Variety Cheap/Fun/Creative/Meaningful Date Nights, visit: Project 52 from the creator of simplymodernmom.com.
I recently came across this blog from another marriage blog that I read. It's BRILLIANT! This Project 52 was inspired by the author of this great website, simplymodernmom.com. She and her husband wrote up a contract stating they would have a new original date idea (ranging from cheap/creative to special occasion) one night a week for a whole year! If you click on the link, you'll be able to visit all of the blog posts she has written on this project. I like this site especially because it has ideas for all types of budgets!

Have a great weekend! Go have yourself a nice date!

Insanity Update - Week 4

Currently, my friend and I are on week 4 of the program.

It still amazes me at how the workouts are still hard. We can definitely feel that we are able to get through the workouts easier.....yet they still kick our butts!

I feel better. I also feel like I'm losing some weight with the program. I can't tell much visually. However, my dance instructor, husband, and friend (friend who is doing the workout with me) can tell the difference. We are following the program instructions exactly by working out 6 days a week and resting on the 7th day.

The workouts are so hard. I find myself wondering if I'd lose more calories if I was a little more in shape. Does that make sense? Like, if I was in better shape, I'd be able to do the routines faster and harder. I guess that goes with any extreme workout. My friend and I are verbally encouraging each other through the entire workout to keep going even though we get tired. It's a great experience!

We have one more week of the first month to complete. In week 5, we have a whole different workout to do.

Once the 6th week starts, we have an entire set of new workouts we get to do throughout the remainder of the program.

Wish us luck!

Two Years...and counting!

A few weekends ago, J and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Jonathan introduced me to one of his favorite things....camping.

We camped at a lovely site by the lake that weekend and had a great time!









After we returned, we had a nice dinner (on the actual date of our anniversary) followed by our anniversary tradition of champagne and chocolate covered strawberries! Yum! (They didn't last 5 minutes!!)

I must be insane....

...because my friend (and dance instructor at our dance studio) are currently working through the Insanity workout.

She and I have both traditionally worked out 3-4 days a week on top of our dancing. However, we decided recently that we needed an extra boost....a BIG boost!

As an early birthday present to myself, I purchased the Insanity workout. This is an extreme cardio workout program that uses max interval training. The program lasts for 60 days. After completing the 60 days, you can use the program however you like. After the 60 days are up, I plan on using the Insanity workouts three days a week then bringing back my strength training for two days a week alongside 30 minute cardio workouts. I also plan on implementing the 60 day program again throughout various parts of the year.



Although we have been regulars at the gym, this is most definitely challenging! My friend and I have found ourselves to be quite out of breath halfway through the WARM up!

We are currently on week two and are starting to see results. The workouts continue to be challenging, but we are continuing to fight through them. This is one of the most physically demanding things we have ever done, but we are proud to be getting through it (even though we are SORE!).

This is definitely not a workout for those not currently considered "physically active." It's quite strenuous. The creators of the program advise users to consider another program before using Insanity if in fact they are not currently physically active.

Link to Check Out the Insanity Workouts