Cooking like a big kid...

The past few years, I became quite the chef. I frequently posted my culinary creations on the blog. It was in a very small kitchen, with limited food resources that I successfully became this self-proclaimed chef. One would think, now that I am back in America, with a large kitchen, and ample food resources, my culinary creations would be multiplying, but surprisingly they are not. Ryan has become the grill master, and between his grilling skills and our desire to try out the new restaurants in the area, my cooking has been set aside. Last week, I decided I needed to get back in the kitchen, and actually make something. I took inspiration from our local Fresh Market, and their monthly inspirational meal. With my new kitchen, I couldn't help thinking to myself, "I'm cooking like a big kid."

Nothing says, "Welcome home, love, like a batch of chocolate chip cookies." And nothing makes you feel more like a big kid than using a KitchenAid mixer (thanks, Mom and Dad). 

No more tiny, Russian oven. I can actually use full size baking pans again!

Macy's a pretty big deal with her bed. She can monitor all activity in the kitchen, anxiously waiting for any floor clean up duties. 

Working on the salad for dinner.

I would say I was very successful with my Fresh Market meal.
Looks just as good as the picture.

I have been asked to post pictures of the house on the blog, but I am waiting for our sea shipment to arrive. I want to have more things on the walls before I start posting pictures. Plus, Ryan and I have been super busy building various pieces for the house. Everything is coming together very nicely, and our house is quickly becoming our home. Our sea shipment is scheduled to arrive in the port of New Orleans tomorrow (the 31st), hopefully customs does not take too long. If all goes well, we should have our sea shipment delivered next week!

Cutting it close...

I said I would continue the blog after moving to Louisiana, and I promise I will, but it seems I am slacking. I thought about the blog today, decided to check it out, and realized it has been almost a month since my last post! It seems like just a week ago I was typing a post, but I am wrong, I haven't blogged at all during the month of July, and I am cutting it close, but we can't let July feel left out.

Ryan and I have kept ourselves very busy. Since the last post, we have said goodbye to our good friends Tim and Kate, welcomed Ryan's family to our home, celebrated the Fourth of July with an amazing display of fireworks. We definitely tested the HOA regulations with our fireworks display, but no complaints were heard.

During the week Ryan's family was with us, we did a few home projects. The biggest involved assembling our patio furniture. We also experienced some of Louisiana's finest alligators during a swamp tour.

Hot dogs and marshmallows, they couldn't get enough.
We were told marshmallows look like turtle eggs, and alligators like turtle eggs.
 

Ryan loves working around the house. We decided not to hire a lawn service, and I said I would not mind mowing the lawn, but Ryan is having too much fun. Our lawn is a huge upgrade from the tiny, weed patch in Russia. Ryan has also become quite the carpenter, and I have become quite the designer. We are currently working on furniture for our guest bedroom. I am saving all pictures until the project is complete. I really enjoying designing the pieces, and I love Ryan's excitement each time I explain the new project. He accepts each new project as another reason to buy more tools (we may need to add on to our garage, or include a shed in our project line up).

My last post included my vehicle, Nola, but at the time I did not have any pictures of Ryan's Jeep. I would like to introduce Cajun. He is a super fun vehicle, and the perfect choice for Louisiana. It seems every weekend we take the top off, and it makes for a good transport vehicle for all our project materials.

Good thing the top comes off, otherwise we would not have been able to get our fire pit home.
Identify the problem, find the solution. 

Cajun also proved himself very useful when we decided to visit our local seafood market. We decided to purchase super fresh shrimp (already dead), and super fresh crab (still alive).

How can you identify a Midwesterner living in Louisiana?
Look for the girl holding a bag of shrimp out the window so the nasty juice doesn't drip inside the vehicle. 

Dinner, not friends for Macy.
Ryan handled the cooking, I stayed clear. 

If my lack of posts have not been proof enough, Ryan and I really are making the most of being back in the States. We are enjoying all our projects around the house. I have decided the best test for a marriage is telling the wife to design a project, handing the husband an assortment of power tools, and telling them to build the project together.

We love the opportunity to see family and friends more often. I mentioned earlier Ryan's family came to visit, and my parents are planning a trip in October. Ryan and I also hopped back on a plane last week, I know, I said I was done with flying after all the plane trips during our time in Russia, but my good friend Jessica was getting married. Ryan and I flew to Chicago, spent a couple days with family and friends, visited my family, and then Indianapolis for Jessica and Brian's wedding! I must admit, O'Hare is a much happier place when you are not trying to juggle 4 pieces of luggage by yourself. I could really get use to short, domestic flights, and not packing your life into pieces of luggage. I guess it's a good thing, because Ryan and I have sat down and planned a couple trips for the remainder of this year.

I was going to actually have a post without a picture of Macy, but I think she could sense it. She decided to do as much as she possibly could to bring attention to herself. Apparently she had an itch on her back, and since I was typing away, she decided to handle it. 

I failed to capture the picture when she paused, looked up at me with her "What?" look.