incredible.

i believe in the saying, "good things come to those who wait."

actually I would revise that to incredible things come to those who wait....

this post does not have fun pictures and cute stories

just plain, simple, and to the point.

i was blessed to get a job for this school year, i will be a first year teacher

and

mark was blessed to get a new job as well

im proud of mark, proud of myself and proud of us...life is good

we are two very happy peas in a pod, well three peas if you include cooper :)

just proves to you that incredible things really do come to those who wait!

Our Home: Before and After

Mark and I started the process of looking for a home back in March.  The process was stressful but fast.  It went by a lot faster than I thought it would and we were lucky to find a house so quickly.  By the end of May we closed on our first home.  We were one of the lucky ones who found an approved short sale so we were able to get our home quite fast.  It was a great deal and a home where me and Mark can start a family. 

The home was in pretty good condition, there were a few things here and there that needed to be changed but it was pretty much just cosmetics that needed to be changed.  Without further ado here our pictures of our home, before and after :)

This is the outside of our home, the only thing that we changed is we painted the shutters and everything that is hunter green to a berry color (Came out a little more pink than anticipated but I love it!)

They were using this as a TV room (Before)

We made it into a comfy office (After)

This was their kitchen (Before)

We made it more colorful! :)

This is the family room (Before)

We made it neutral with greenish/gray couches! That blanket is where Cooper likes to sleep during the day when we are gone (After)

This is the downstairs bathroom (Before)

(After)

Shared master bath (Before)

We did light gray with black and white decor (After)

I actually did not take any before pictures of the bedrooms.  The master bedroom was a yellow color and the spare bedrooms were beige and dark blue.  Here is how they look now!

This is the master bedroom (with Marks dream bed! (King size that is!)

The spare bedroom pictures did not come out as good but they are painted a blue/green color, this will be our babies room when the time comes since we can decorate with pink if a girl and blue if a boy, and a beige for our other spare bedroom!

All and all it was a lot of work and there are still things that need to be done and decorations that need to be bought and put up but overall we love it and we are slowly making it home for us! :) So, if you are ever in the area please come visit....I will cook for you! :)

Steak and Potatoes

Once again I am back to post another recipe.  Although this one is not so much a recipe as in another way to cook!  I cooked us steak and roasted potatoes, the only problem was.....NO GRILL.  I used a stove-top grilling pan and the oven.  First up....Potato!

Oven Roasted Potatoes

4 potatoes sliced into quarters

Olive oil

Parsley

Salt and pepper

Preheat Oven to 400 degrees

1. Wash and cut potatoes into quarter slices, you can peel them if you want but I prefer the skins on (added nutrition! :)

2. Put on baking pan

3. Coat in olive oil

4. Put some salt and pepper on

5. Bake for 30 minutes until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside

Steak

1. Heat up stove top grilling pan dry until it is super hot

2. Season steaks, I used salt and pepper

3. Place steaks on grill pan, about 2 minutes on each side

4. Place in the oven with potatoes (on a different rack of course!)

5. Cook until you get desired temperature.  I cooked for about 10 minutes (It was a little too long but at 6 minutes they were still really red inside)

I served the steak with sauteed mushrooms on top......Here is my end result!

I served this with a package of the steamfresh mixed vegetables...a perfect summer meal!

Honeymoon Part 2

Riviera Maya

So we left behind our beloved Cozumel, jumped back on the ferry, and headed over to Riviera Maya.  We stayed at another all-inclusive adults only resort.  This place was HUGE compared to Cozumel.  Cozumel had about 80 suites and The El Dorado Royale had about 750!  It had like 9 restaurants, 10 pools....it was crazy!

This was a view from the lobby of the resort.  No way could you see all of it in one picture like you could have at the resort in Cozumel

Our room here was also quite amazing.  We did not do the swim up suite here but we did have an ocean view jacuzzi suite!

Our jacuzzi!

Our wonderful bed! It was coooommmmmfy!

View from our balcony.  This was the activity pool.  We played water volleyball and Mark dominated on Water Polo...

While in Riviera Maya we did not do as much as we did in Cozumel (I think we were a little depressed to be leaving such an awesome place and awesome people), but we did manage to get in a couple things!  We did a couples massage.  It was called the Romantic Journey.  We each got an 80 minute massage followed by a 20 minute facial.  Mark does not like facials so he was going to get a full body exfoliation, needless to say, they messed up and I got the exfoliation and Mark got the facial.  Right when the ladies left after we were done, we just looked at each other and started cracking up.  Mark looked like his face had a pound of butter on it, with his hair all sticking up, and I have exfoliation all over my body. It was quite funny.

We also went on an excursion. It was called XPLOR.  We did zip lining through the trees, about an hours worth...it was crazy!  If Mark wasnt there, I would have stopped after the first zipline because I was so freaked out, but I kept going for him :)  We rode ATV's and did some underground river swimming.  It was pretty crazy.  It was an awesome experience but we were exhausted afterwards!

Okay Okay...go ahead and laugh....we both look like we are special people here!  They make you wear a helmet throughout the facility no matter what you are doing.  It was caves full of stalactacites!

Inside XPLOR, the whole thing is underground.  You zipline right through that waterfall there!

To end our awesome honeymoon we enjoyed a candlelight dinner on the beach.  Our travel agent (Barb) gave us vouchers for a free candlelight dinner! Or else it would have been 140.00!  It was calm and peaceful and it was a great end to our trip!

Menu, winelist, and view of the ocean!

Ring shot once again!

Happy Honeymoon to us!

By the time our honeymoon ended we were excited to go home!  We ate way to much, relax too often, and were ready to get back into the swing of being husband and wife! (You can see in the last pic we looked like we gained about 15 pounds! haha)  Overall, it was a great honeymoon and well worth every penny :)

Honeymoon Part 1

                                       

Cozumel

Our honeymoon journey began with a 8:35 flight out of O'hare Airport.  I hate flying and so my morning started out with an upset stomach because I was nervous to fly.  Turns out the flight to Cancun wasn't too bad at all!  We landed safely at noon and then we headed to the ferry to head over to the island of Cozumel.

This is the ferry that took us over! It's huge. I was expecting a little wooden boat like The Oregan Trail! :)

Once we got to Cozumel we checked into the Aura Grand Bay Wyndam.  It is an all-inclusive adults only resort.  When we arrived they gave us champagne with a cherry on the bottom.  When we entered our room there was a bottle of champagne and fruit waiting for us.  The room was breathtaking!

This is a view of the room looking from the sitting area.  The room was gigantic! The big hole with the blinds is where the bathtub is! They had a bathtub and a open shower...it was awesome!

Our bed.  It was so comfortable like you were sleeping on clouds.  The light in the headboard was turned on for us at night when they came to our room and did turn down service while we were at dinner.  These people were good!

This is the balcony.  We went all out here and had a swim up suite.  There was a bed on the balcony and we could just walk right into the pool...it was well worth it!

Next thing I must talk about is food.  The food here was not as good as Riviera Maya but was still fantastic.  Since it was all inclusive we ate, and ate, and ate some more!  We would have breakfast, then have some pico de gallo and guacamole by the pool, maybe some nachos, lunch, then dinner.  We ate non-stop!

Our breakfast usually consisted of egg-white omelettes with fresh spinach and muchrooms (Mark opted for ham and mushroom and he also always ordered another meal with his like french toast or pancakes!)

One great thing about Cozumel is the water. It is crystal clear.  You could be in forty foot deep water and be able to see the bottom.  It looked as if you could stand.  The hotel had its own pier and you could get snorkling gear for free there and just snorkel off the pier.  It was awesome and breathtaking.  Here is the view of our pier, we saw this everyday, all day! (We even rented a waverunner one day and took it out into the blue!)

This was a view from breakfast one morning :)

This was when we were walking down the pier.  You just jumped in wherever and could snorkel! Jealous yet?! :)

Next was the pool.  There were two pools but we stayed by this one everyday because it was the pool that was attached the lazy river that went right by our room!  The view was unimaginable.  To sit there everyday and just look out from the pool to the ocean was inspiring.

Missing this place right about NOW!

I have a minor obession with my feet and even more so now that I have a tattoo on one!  Mark and I always laid on this pool bed...it was comfy!

Although it did rain from time to time, almost every day.  It would be random.  It could be completely sunny there and it would downpour!  Even so we did not let it bother us, we enjoyed Cozumel rain or shine!  We met a great couple there, Andrew and Weslyn, that we did some activities with.  It was fun to hang out with another couple and enjoy some sites!  First up.....Moped rental.  We took these scooters around the island.  We literally drove around the whole island!  Mark and I leading and Andrew and Weslyn close behind!

This picture just shows how much fun we were having!  We laughed the whole time! We were talking about how we felt like we were on Dumb and Dumber when they are riding the scooter in the freezing cold.  It did start to rain when I was driving!

Thats Mark and I along with Andrew.  The boys were feeling the need for speed! ha!

We also went snorkling with them where we saw a gigantic green eel (looked like it came right out of The Little Mermaid), a sea turtle (Just like Crush from Nemo! Just huge!), barracudas, and everyone else but me saw a 7 foot shark!  It was awesome!

Our second to last day there we met some great people.  We had a whole crew of us from all around the United States (but mostly from down south).  When it came time for Mark and I to leave the island, I must admit, we were a little depressed to be leaving such great people!  We were just getting started!

All of us, minus me cause I'm taking the pic, at the pool.  That lady in the background decided she wanted to join us right before the pic! haha

Overall, it was a great start to our honeymoon.  We soon packed our bags and were off to another great destination! Riviera Maya.....

Here are some extra pics from our trip to Cozumel....

Must do ring shots on your honeymoon!  These were after dinner drinks we had one night....

Could not get over the towel animals...I think I had a snail, dog, and swan....

Mr. and Mrs. Humbert :)

Chicken, Chicken, Chicken

I have grown up eating a LOT of chicken (thanks mom!) We would have chicken ALL the time at my parents house. There was a point I believe where me and my siblings boycotted my mom making chicken because we were eating it so often! We've had fried chicken, shake and bake chicken, lemon pepper chicken, barbeque chicken and so on and so forth. Mark is a HUGE fan of chicken, he cooks a big bag of chicken and eats it during the week at work. I wanted to make chicken one night for dinner but wanted to do something different. As I looked for chicken recipes this one caught my eye. If you like chicken and cheese, with some spice this one is for you!

Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Breasts

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or more depending on how many you are feeding)

1/4 pound blue cheese (I despise blue cheese so I used Mozzerella, use any cheese you want!)

Salt

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 stick of unsalted butter (I used 1/3 of a stick to cut down on fat)

2 tablespoons hotsauce (I used Lousiana Hot Sauce and I probably used 1/4 cup)

2 tablespoons vinegar

Celery, sliced thin to serve

***

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees

2. Pound out your chicken until it is thin. Split up cheese between each chicken breast. Lay the cheese on one side of the chicken breast

3. Fold chicken and close the sides on end with toothpicks, season with salt and pepper

4. Heat oil in non stick, oven safe skillet over medium heat and sear the chicken on both sides until browned (about 4-5 minutes)

5. Put chicken into oven until it is cooked through (about 10-12 minutes)

6. In a small pot, add the butter, hot sauce, and vinegar and cook over low heat until bubbling Pour half the sauce over the chicken and let cook for 1 more minute.

7. Remove the toothpicks and serve with the extra sauce and garnish with the celery

***

Unfortunately I do not have a picture of this one. I didn't think to take a picture. I will take pictures of my recipes from now on. This chicken was great! We served with farmer's market fresh corn and the cob and steamed zucchini and asparagus. It was just the right amount of spice and the cheese gets all gooey and good!

***

Recipe from foodnetwork.com

Frittata's

As I am slowing moving into my new life as a wife I am finding joy in things that I never have really LOVED until now! One thing I have become slightly obsessed with is cooking. I love looking up recipes, trying new things, and tasting food that I made on my own. It may have something to do with the fact that I was blessed with many great kitchen appliances, pots and pans, and gadgets for my bridal showers, they definitely make cooking easier! On that note, here is a great recipe.

Asparagus and Mushroom Frittata

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound fresh asparagus cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

6 eggs (I used 3 eggs and 3 egg whites)

1 tablespoon water

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/2 cup cheese (any kind really)

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2. Melt butter and add olive oil and asparagus to an oven safe skillet over medium heat

3. Cook till tender then add mushrooms and cook 5 more minutes

4. In a medium bowl whisk eggs, water, and thyme. Pour into the skillet and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 5 minutes

5. Transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake 10-15 minutes, until eggs are no longer runny. Top mixture with your cheese and keep in oven until cheese is melted and browned

In the end you will end up with something looking like this:

This recipe is great for a quick meal! It only takes 10 minutes to prepare and its done in 30 minutes or less! It tasted great! Mark and I were not huge fans of the thyme in it but overall it was great! I also made a breakfast frittata for Mark, his mom and Stephanie and it was sooooo good. I used turkey bacon (just cut and cook the bacon and then continue with the recipe) You can really put anything you want in it. If you try it, let me know how you like it!

This recipe was taken from allrecipes.com

I'm back...

With just something a little different.....

I am officially Mrs. Kristin Humbert!

Mark and I were married on July 16th, 2010 on a hot summer day. It was beautiful and memorable and I will never forget that day. I am proud and happy to be Mark's wife!

In other news, today I officially changed my name. It was a painless process that did not take to long. I've been a Demski girl for almost 26 years and to change my last name was emotional! (But what's new with that? I'm always emotional!) We've been married for a little over two weeks but it seems a lot more real when you see your new name on your driver's license! I have a lot to share and a lot of pictures from our honeymoon but my computer is broken so that will have to wait. Also to come, recipes from a new wife that is loving to cook for her husband with all her new kitchenware! :)

Until then here is a sneak peek of professional pictures from the best photographer, Beth! Check out a slideshow of pictures at bethlaurrenphotography.blogspot.com