New Car!!

We went to Schenectady today and traded in our car.

They gave us 4500 for the trade in, 3000 rebate and we gave $600 cash then the guys haggled a bit. The car was 18k and we paid 10 after taxes. It was quite entertaining watching a car salesman try to sell to an ex car salesman who knows ALL the tricks!

We did have an 05 Hyundai Elantra and now own an 09 Kia Optima.

Hyundia's and Kia's are very similar and the Optima is a Kia version of a Hyundai Sonota which we were also thinking about. It is bigger then our Elantra and we ended up paying over 1000 less then we did on the Elantra!! Our payments are 230 bucks vs 370 for the Elantra(which was paid off in March)

The pics are pretty bad because it was dark in the garage, we didn't get home until 9:30. I'll take new ones in the daytime when I can. It is a metallic brownish cocoa colour. The trunk is freaking HUGE!! It is a lot roomier then the Elantra.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Read more...

Roasted Garlic Tomato and Sausage Pasta

I saw this recipe on Cooking This and That and immediately though, Chris will love this! I am not big on sausage but have started putting hot Italian sausage in my meatballs and don't mind it too much on pizza. I hoped this pasta would be as good for me as it would be for Chris. He saw the recipe and insisted I make it immediately!

1 box of small pasta, she suggested penne but we used rotini
1 large head garlic, top sliced off
1 can of fire roasted tomatos (she used grape tomatoes cut in half, roasted with the rest of the veggies)
1 large red onion, quartered and layers separated
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
large pinches of kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
8 ounces hot Italian sausage, bulk or remove the casing.
extra virgin olive oil
large handful of grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced
fresh basil to garnish

Instructions quoted from Cooking This and That

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil.

Place the garlic, tomatoes, and onion on the baking sheet. Whisk together the vinegar and olive oil in a small bowl and use a pastry brush to spread over vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-35 minutes, or until garlic is browned and mushy and other vegetables are slightly charred.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage and cook thoroughly; remove to a paper towel to drain. Wipe out skillet with paper towel.

Once vegetables are done, remove from oven and transfer to skillet the sausage was cooked in. Remove the garlic cloves from the skin. (You may need to wait a little bit for the garlic to cool enough to handle.) Mash the garlic and tomatoes if desired with a fork.

Add pasta, sausage, and Parmesan cheese to skillet. Mix until pasta is coated, adding extra olive oil as needed. Gently mix in the mozzarella and garnish with basil. Transfer to a large bowl and serve immediately.

Read more...

What a birthday!

On July 28th, I turned 30.

We didn't do anything for my birthday because Chris's accounting dept screwed up the expense cheque he was suppose to get. It was suppose to be a normal day at home but turned into a very abnormal evening!

After the kids went to bed, Chris was using my facebook account to play games. He is too cool for an account of his own *insert eye roll here*. While he was playing, I got a FB friend request on my phone from...Chris Boggie! I laughed and started to tease him about finally getting his own account. He said he didn't and had no idea what I was talking about. I brought up the request on the computer and saw that my Sister in Law and a random woman named Denise, I added the day before were mutual friends with this Chris Boggie. Imposer? Stalker posing as my husband?? I had to find out. I added him and send a simple message asking who he was and if he was some distant relative. He responded with a simple "I think so".

Hmmm...

A few minutes later I got a long detailed message from the mutual friend mystery woman named Denise. She explained who she was and shockingly, who Chris Boggie was. Her fiance who was seeking out his long lost father. His father who happens to be my Father in Law.

I told Chris, this man says he is your brother. He was a little "eh" at first and knowing my husband I didn't push the issue. I responded back to Denise that we would need more time to let all of this soak in.

After everyone has recovered from the shock, emails flying every which way between my mother in law, my husband, Denise and this "new" Chris Boggie, we are so pleased to have new family members and are excited to get to know each other.

Chris was apprehensive at first but has embraced his older brother and we are planning a trip to their home in North Carolina sometime in September.

I should turn 30 more often!

Read more...