Cooking...

This picture is not of me...but I do look pretty fabulous attempting to cooking.

So I think my least favorite thing about marriage is the whole cooking/food department.  Don't get me wrong, I love food, I love eating good food and I love baking.  But all the responsibilities that come along with making a meal seriously stresses me out.  Don't get me wrong, I've come along way from when we first got married considering that my cooking arsenal consisted of spaghetti, grilled cheese and cake box cookies.  I'm slowly adding new favorites and things that I can cook somewhat easily.  But I worry every time that I try something new that it won't come out right or that Geoff won't like it.  Geoff has been such a trooper.  He will eat literally anything that I cook, even if it is inedible, and he is always so supportive and encouraging.  

Grocery shopping is the worst.  Since I really don't like grocery shopping I try to plan to make a trip every two weeks.  So making sure I plan and buy everything I need for meals takes quite a bit of preparation.  I also feel like it is my responsibility to save us as much money as possible when it comes to groceries.  I'm trying to coupon, but does it give anyone else heart palpitations? I've read all the blogs, scavenged all the web sites, watch all the shows, but somehow it just hasn't clicked like I think it should.  I just don't get how these ladies on TV can save so much and I can only save a little.  Someday maybe I can be like that....

I guess the whole purpose of this post was just to get some things off my chest, and maybe see if anyone else feels this way?  I can't be the only, right? Maybe I'm feeling this way because I'm coming off an almost two week cooking hiatus thanks to my wonderful Family while we were visiting for the holidays.  I am always open for tips so if anyone has any super secret meal planning/grocery shopping/cooking tips they would like to share with this new chef/wife I'd really appreciate.  In all of the marriage counseling we did, I did not get prepared for this! 

Just a little extra: Roscoe has been rrreeeaaallly whiny and stubborn lately.  He turns two on Sunday and I think we are entering the basset hound version of the terrible twos. 

First Christmas as a Karhoff

This was an especially exciting Christmas for Geoff and I since it was our first Christmas as a married couple.  We enjoyed every moment of it!  I had to work at school up until December 22 (yuck!).  This meant that I also had to work on my Birthday, December 21, but it turned out to be a pretty fantastic Birthday.  Geoff woke me up to him and Roscoe singing happy birthday to me with my first Birthday present of the day.  When I got out to my car, some hunky stud had already scraped off the frost from my windows and had a diet coke and another Birthday card waiting for me inside.  School was fun and I got sang to me a times.  I even had one class make me a birthday card, probably my favorite card this year!  Geoff surprised me with Subway for lunch and took me shopping and out to dinner, to Chili's!, that evening.

Geoff and I on my Birthday

We took off to Joplin after I was done with school on December 22 and spend Friday with my parents in Joplin.  Then we took off, yet again, Friday evening to head down to Ada to see my Grandparents and the Brileys.  We were both really excited to see them since we hadn't seen them since the wedding.  I think this was the longest I had gone without seeing them.  I was definitely having Grammy withdraws!  We had a great visit with everyone and wish it was longer.  The only bummer was Papa was put in the hospital on Christmas Eve with an infection in his leg, he is doing better and taking medication, and the doctors do not seem to have concerns with any other serious issues to stem from this, its just a bummer to be in the hospital on Christmas.  Luckily we were able to get to spend some time with him.  For now we just have to pray for a speedy recovery for him from Nebraska.

Celebrating our birthdays with my family.

My cousin Danielle was able to ride back to Joplin with us on December 26th to meet Josh, Geoff's best friend from college.  We were again, super pumped to spend time with the two of them before they took off to Illinois to ring in the New Year.  And of course we had a great time hanging out with them! We also got to see Kirk and Peggy for a little while and hear about their adventures in Florida with Grandma and Aunt Ann.  Definitely a trip Geoff and I want to take very soon!

Sadly, we had to head back to Lincoln on December 29, but we had to get home to get ready to have our good friends Josh and Nicole come visit us for Geoff's Birthday! We spent all day hanging out, going to basketball games, shopping, eating and celebrating Geoff's Birthday and the New Year on December 31st.  This was our second year to ring in the New Year with them and hope that this tradition continues!

Geoff's Birthday Cake: Chocolate Mayonnaise that I made.  I only had 24 birthday candles so I improvised to make 25. 

As you can see, its been a pretty busy week and a half.  Good thing I do not go back to school until Friday for a work day and then kids come on Monday.  I am going to need these next few days to recover from the Holidays!

Happy 2012 from the Karhoffs!

Capitol City

Last weekend, it was finally "warm" enough for Geoff and I to walk around outside without having to wear multiple layers.  And by warm I mean sunny and upper 30s.  After a week filled with snow, highs in the low 20s, and lots and lots of wool sock and long underwear, this was a heat wave to us northern newbies.  So we spent our Saturday afternoon discovering new stores downtown and checking out the capitol.  I have said from day one we need to go visit the capitol.  Here is a fun fact for you, I've never visited a state capitol, so I was kinda like a little kid.  We seep the capitol on a daily basis, but I didn't realize how big it actually was until we were up close.  Being a public building, it is open every day, so we walked right on in.  I found it odd that we didn't have to pass security of any type.  In fact it wasn't until we were leaving that we even saw a security guard of any type.  We decided to opt out of a tour on this day and caught a bit of a tour in progress with a boyscout group where we learned some interesting facts.  We got to see the State Christmas tree which had an ornament from each county in the state.  The building was soo ornate and full of marble and details, details, details!!

The Capitol with the Occupy Lincoln Camp.  Haha silly teepee!!

Statue of Abraham Lincoln with the Gettysburg Address on the background.  Pretty neat. 

Us with the Christmas Tree

This chandelier weighs as much as a Volkswagen Bug! 

The ceilings were so neat!!

We had a great day.  And we truly love living in Lincoln.  There is so much to do.  We discover something new nearly everywhere we go.  We just wish we were closer to our family and friends.  Especially this time of year, I realize how we took for granted having all of our family and friends so close to us.  I'm looking forward to going home for Christmas more than ever!!

Roscoe, We're Not in Missouri Anymore

Its hard to believe we are going on our 6th month of living here in Lincoln! While we miss our families and friends back in Joplin, we are truly loving the opportunity God has given us in Lincoln.  I think back to our first week here and so many things have changed.  We have living room and bedroom furniture, I have a job, we have a Church, I can successfully navigate to pretty much anywhere I want to go in town, we've learned that you don't go downtown on game days, even for a little bit and that when people ask you about or talk to you about the Huskers you just stand there and smile and nod your head.  Even though we are in the "midwest" you don't have the southern hospitality or charm like in Joplin.  People aren't going to invite the new people in town over for dinner and a slice a pie, but they aren't going to be completely rude either.  Although, we are slowly starting to make some progress in the friend department.  We got invited over to someone's house for lunch next Sunday after church!  Woot!!!

We've also learned that people know how to handle winter around here.  Its become a joke between Geoff and I that it isn't "cold" outside but "brisk."  Each morning the weather man reports of mornings starting in the the low 30s and getting up into the 40s and that its "going to be brisk out today," while back in Joplin that would just be plain cold.  Although, this week we are learning a new type of cold.  Mornings in the single digits and hoping to make it past freezing by the end of the day!  This justifies a "cold" day to the weather men here.  And with cold weather comes the debate of indoor or outdoor recess.  Back in Joplin we wouldn't go out unless in was about 32 degress; here we're out as long as it is above ZERO!!! Even if snow is on the ground, we are outside!!  I learned this today, and boy was it an experience.  Snow and recess do not mix, no matter what the circumstances are! 

Speaking of snow, we got our first snowfall of the year on Saturday!!  And although I hate it for recess purposes, I just love snow!  It is so pretty.  I told Geoff that it makes everything look like a Christmas card!  Plus, the roads got cleared off and were ready to go the next day.  I can handle snow when its cleaned off like it is here!  Roscoe on the other hand, now that's a different story.  He does not enjoy the snow, bless his little hound dog heart.