6 Things Your Husband Needs To Hear From You

We know what we need from our husbands, and as women, that list can be quite long. We expect them to tell us how beautiful we are or notice when we have done something new to our hair, but how good are we about telling them what it is they need to hear?

I am far from perfect, but I really to try to be sensitive to his needs instead of just getting upset when he doesn’t meet mine. Below is a list of 6 things you should be expressing to your man whenever possible. This isn’t an all-inclusive list, but I believe it hits some of the high points.

1. No matter what is going on in your marriage that day, let him know you love him. Being angry with each other is no excuse to let this one slide. Not only that, but you need to let him know that you admire him for all he does for you and your family and you still want him. Tell him how happy you are that you chose to marry him and nothing is going to change that.

2. Let him know that you have his back. He needs to know that you support him and really believe in him. Men love to know that you trust in their ability to lead their family and that you are going to stand beside him through it all.

3. Don’t forget to commend him for a job well done. Just because he is the man of the house, doesn’t mean it’s his duty to “bring home the bacon”. Tell him how proud you are of all the hard work, travel, and long days he puts in. Or how amazing the raised garden bed he built you turned out. Just like you want to be acknowledged for all that you do, so does your husband.

4. Whether he has just returned home from work, or a day out running errands, make sure to ask him how his day was/is going. Show an interest in his life apart from you.

5. Ok ladies, this is a tough one… ADMIT FAULT! When you are wrong, tell him you are sorry and that you are wrong. No one is right all the time (just most of itJ). This is a really big deal and it shows him that you take your marriage and his feelings seriously.

6. Just say thank you. So what if it’s “his job” to take out the trash, mow the lawn, wash the cars, etc. When he does it tell him thank you. Don’t be ungrateful or take him for granted. Everyone needs to know that their efforts don’t go unnoticed or unappreciated.

Crock Pot Queso

Crock Pot Queso

Looking for the perfect queso to make for Monday night football? Look no further! This dip is sure to be a winner in your house or anyone else’s for that matter. And since you are making it in the crock pot, you can always bake some hot wings at the same time.

Ingredients:

·        1 lb. ground beef (or turkey)

·        1 packet 1 package McCormick® Taco Seasoning Mix

·        3/4 cup water

·        2 cans (10 oz each) Ro*Tel® Original Diced Tomatoes & Green Chilies, undrained

·        1 lb. (16 oz.) VELVEETA®

Directions:

Brown ground beef on medium heat in a medium saucepan. Once cooked through drain fat. Add water and taco seasoning to meat and simmer for 4 minutes.

While meat is simmering, cut Velveeta into 1/2” cubes. Add cheese, Rotel, and finished taco meat to crockpot.  Cook on Low for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

For more easy and delicious game day recipes, check out my posts for Hot Wings and Buffalo Chicken Dip! (pictured below)

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip

There are many different recipes out there for buffalo chicken dip and I have tried quite a few of them. As good as they were I just wasn’t super crazy about it so I decided to come up with my own.

This dip is always a crowd pleaser and perfect for eating in front of the TV with the game on! Perfect for serving with tortilla chips, crackers, or even veggies!

Ingredients:

·        3 cups shredded cooked chicken

·        1 (8 oz. pkg.) cream cheese, softened

·        1 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce

·        1 cup ranch dressing

·        1 cup Fiesta Blend shredded cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.

Mix together ranch, hot sauce, and softened cream cheese in a medium bowl. Once combined, stir in shredded chicken and shredded cheese. Spoon into shallow 1 quart baking dish.

Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through. Stir and serve hot.  

For more easy and delicious game day recipes, check out my posts for Hot Wings (pictured above with dip) and my infamous Queso! 

Perfect Game Day Hot Wings

Perfect Game Day Hot Wings

It’s football season again at last!!! I just love getting together with friends to watch the game and have a few drinks. But what football gathering is complete without wings?

These wings are a legend in my family, as well with some of my closest friends, but they are not for the faint at heart. We like our wings to be hot, not just have a little kick. I am warning you though… these hot wings are addicting.  

Ingredients:

·        3lbs Bone-in chicken wings and drums

·        1 ½ cups Italian Dressing

·        1 (32 fl oz) Bottle Louisiana Hot Sauce, divided

·        ½ (2 fl oz) Bottle Tabasco Original

Directions:

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the ¾ bottle of Louisiana hot sauce and the Tabasco. Set aside.

In a large container with a lid, lightly coat wings with the Italian dressing. This coating allows the hot sauce to better adhere to the wings. Next, pour the hot sauce mixture over the wings and seal with the lid. Shake the container well to ensure and even coating. Allow the wings to marinate for at least two hours. *** For best results (and spicier wings), I recommend marinating in the refrigerator overnight. ***

Once wings have been marinated for the desired amount of time, preheat oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Remove wings from marinade and place in a greased 9x13” glass baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes then turn wings over. Brush with remaining Louisiana hot sauce and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes. 

For more easy and delicious game day recipes, check out my posts for Buffalo Chicken Dip (pictured above with wings) and my infamous Queso! 

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WTH am I suppose to do now?

I kept thinking that if I woke up each day and "chose happiness" then by putting good vibes into the world  my life would tart to turn around for the better. Well, life just bitch slapped me back into reality. I had almost two whole days this weekend where I felt normal and even though I was hurting this morning when I woke up I was still happy and thankful for those two days. Then my phone rang... and suddenly my positive attitude and good vibes couldn't save me. I didn't have to worry about getting up for work, because I no longer had a job. I wasn't the only one either. The worst part is, I loved my job. I was damn good at it too! It's not like I was fired for being lazy or because I sucked at it. I was laid off because they lost their biggest contract and the company no longer has the funds to keeps myself, and some others, on the payroll. 

We pay almost $400 biweekly so that I can have the health insurance I need for whatever is wrong with me. That and groceries is all my job could pay for and were still barely skating by. Now what are we supposed to do? It's not like I can file for disability when my joke of a doctor hasn't figured out what the hell is wrong with me. She's more interested in trying to be my drug dealer than anything else. No diagnosis means no government assistance. I'm not healthy enough to go get a normal 9-5 job outside of the home. My husband felt like he had to carry it all on his shoulders before I even lost my job... how is he going to feel now? Is he going to start to resent me like I've seen in so many other marriages... when I keep pulling him further and further into debt with my mystery disease and inability to work a regular job? 

I keep thinking, how will we stay afloat? Keep the house? Pay for food? There are so many what ifs and uncertainties flowing through my head right now. The one thing I do know, is I'm a fighter. I may go down, but I will go down swinging. My husband and I were planning to invest in a really good camera in the next couple of months to earn some extra money with photography, but how do I convince him to still give it a shot?  Or at least invest in getting my real estate license like I asked him at the beginning of the year? The way I see it,  you either take a leap of faith or you surrender to defeat. What other option is there? We can't survive on his income alone and true work from home jobs are hard to come by. I'm not a pyramid scheme kinda girl either. I just don't see selling the same stuff every stay at home mom sells is going to get me very far. There's not even a client base because everyone already sells it. My crafting side "business" makes next to nothing, but then again I haven't really invested much time and money into it. I have mostly been doing it for fun. 

I have no freaking idea what I'm going to do at this point. Today I'm just trying to keep from feeling like such a failure. That's a dangerous place to let a mind go. For now I'm going to say a little prayer. Hopefully after a little of vodka and a good night's sleep, things will look better in the morning. 

Today I will choose happiness

I have really been slacking lately and I apologize. Sometimes life gets a little crazy and time gets away from me. All the sudden I look up and two whole weeks has passed! Hopefully I will get my act together over the next couple of days. 
I feel like I have been really uninspired and unmotivated as of late. I started the pain journal and I hated it. Who really wants to read all that depressing crap? Hell, I don't even want to write it! Sitting here tonight I realized I need to stop focusing on what is wrong with me and start focusing on what's right and the rest will follow. All of the negativity needs to be purged from my life. No one can do that for me and if I do nothing, then nothing will change. I have to make the decision each and every day, that no matter how I feel or what is thrown my way, today will be a good day. I will choose to be happy today. 
I think at some point or another we all get so caught up in the details of our lives that we forget to enjoy ourselves. Ourselves, our jobs, our kids, our spouses, and our God. We all need a reminder at times that we can't control the world, but we can control how we chose to react to it. And today, I choose happiness.