I got this recipe from my new favorite cookbook, Fix-it and Forget-it 5 ingredient favorites. It's all about slow cooker recipes and ever recipe has 5 ingredients or less. You'd think that would be limiting but so far I've enjoyed every recipe I've tried. I am all about the slow cooker when it starts to get cold so this book has been absolutely perfect for me! 

Mexican Chili

• 1 lb ground beef, cooked
• 1 can corn
• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 cup chunky picante sauce
• 1 envelope dry taco seasoning

Mix all ingredients in your slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours (or if you're me and make it late, high for 2 hours). Serve with corn chips. Garnish with shredded cheese, sliced olives, sour cream, salsa, or anything else you like.

xo Sue

I've seen variations of this recipe in books and on blogs so I don't really know who to credit it to. I'm just going to say it's one of those recipes everyone should have in their back pocket for a day when they just don't want to cook but they want hot (non-fast) food. It takes 2 minutes to throw together, 10 or so to bake, and it's perfect for two people. 

Turkey Roll Ups

• 16 slices of turkey*
• 4 slices of swiss cheese*
• 1 can pillsbury crescent rolls

Layer 2 slices of turkey and half a slice of swiss cheese on one crescent roll dough. Roll it up. Cook as directed on the crescent roll package. 

See how easy that is? I make it probably once a week. With a lot of variations.

*I suggest turkey & swiss because that has been my favorite combo so far. Aaron and I have tried turkey, ham, chicken, and roast beef as the meats, and swiss, american, provolone, and pepper jack for the cheeses. We switch up the combo and try new things every time to keep the meal interesting. Once with the roast beef we even added some au jus. Be creative!

xo Sue

Happy Birthday to the love of my life. This sexy man is 27 today. He makes it look good!

xo Sue

I'm starting a maternity series. I've been thinking about it for a while and now I'm really going to do it. Basically just thoughts on pregnancy and motherhood and random things that I want to share. There are always so many things going on in my head that I sometimes have a hard time straightening them out into coherent ramblings but it's something I'm working on. Don't worry though, there will still be plenty of non-baby related ramblings.

One thing I've been thinking about lately is maternity clothes. I know, it's almost a dirty word. Except it doesn't need to be! I'll be honest, living in Japan severely limits my options when it comes to maternity clothes. The only place on base I have to shop has 2 racks of maternity clothes and trust me, they're the ones you'd rather avoid. Off base they don't believe in maternity clothes. Seriously, I see Japanese babies all the time but I've only ever seen 2 or 3 pregnant Japanese women out in public. Explain to me where the babies all come from because I know the stork doesn't deliver here. So my options are online shopping or searching my closet for things that will work.

Luckily my closet is a pretty great place to go for options. At least it is while I'm still small enough to fit into things. I'm going to go on strike from leaving my house when I hit 7 months and no longer fit into anything but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. Before I got pregnant I rarely bought/wore clothes that were actually tight on my stomach. I prefer a looser, more freeing look. And the good part of that is Baby Girl fits right up under those shirts that were always flowing before. The tricky part is making myself actually look pregnant and not just like I put on a few extra pounds and I'm trying to hide it.

I in no way claim to be a fashionista. I'm kind of the opposite. I know how to look cute, I even do it occasionally, but I'm such a no-fuss girl most days. I want to share the things I've discovered and the cute outfits I've fashioned myself because every pregnant girl should be able to look good and feel good even if she spent the morning bowing to the porcelain gods.

Since I feel like I've rambled long enough I'm just going to share some pics now. Next time I'll point out some of my tips/tricks to making your baby bump cute. Everything but the jeans come from my pre-pregnancy wardrobe. These are both outfits I wore out last week and I got so many compliments both times. It really encouraged me in my attempt to dress like a cute mama and not the tired old lady I feel like most days. And those jeans are my all time favorite maternity purchase. They're so great that they'll get their own post. Another day of course.

dress: forever 21 (about 4 years ago) // shoes: japanese boutique // brooch: jerseymaids // bracelet: jezebel charms

sweater: wet seal // jeans: old navy // shoes: wet seal // belt: who knows // camera necklace: japanese boutique

As a totally random side note, the dress I wore last weekend to the Air Force Ball was not a maternity dress. It was just a pretty thing full of sparkles that I wanted to wear. So I bought it in a size up and let the material hug my baby bump. Embrace the bump!

PS Please ignore my very boring backdrop. I'm not a fashion blogger. Not even a little bit.

xo Sue

Aaron and I went to the Air Force Ball this weekend. It was fancy and fun and I got to dress up. Plus my baby girl made for a cute accessory bump. Usually I'd feel self conscious about wearing a dress that hugs all my curves but with her popping out I felt pretty great. 

xo Sue

Like most things I've posted lately, this is my version of a DIY I thought would be fun. I LOVED making this tunic. It was very easy and turned out so cute. I wear it when I want to be a little dressy, but not so much that I actually want a dress. Does that make any sense? It does to me. I got the tutorial from one of my favorite creative inspiration blogs, A Beautiful Mess. The instructions are quite easy.

• Start by buying 2 yards of jersery fabric. My BFF Jess brought this with her from the States when she came to visit back in August because it's nearly impossible to find here in Japan. 
• Use a model (we used me since I'm the one it was for) and drape the fabric how you want it to go. Make sure it's fairly even in the front, although you can trim it up if you need to.
• Mark your arm placement and cut arm holes- a 5 inch straight slit for each side.
• Trim up the edges and hemline so they look pretty, straight or curvy, it's up to you.

Simple & cute. My favs when it comes to maternity clothes.

xo Sue

Aaron's favorite treat in the world is peanut butter cups so when I found this recipe on Pinterest I had to try it out. They were a definite hit! And (like always) so easy. Admittedly, my peanut butter cups didn't turn out as pretty as the ones from the original poster but they tasted so yummy that I don't think Aaron noticed.

Peanut Butter Cups 

• 16 oz semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened
• 1/4 cup+2 Tbsp confectioner's sugar

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with cupcake liners. Melt half the chocolate (double broiler or microwave). Divide the chocolate evenly between the 12 cups. Drop the pan on the counter repeatedly to flatten the chocolate out. Freeze for 15 minutes. Whip peanut butter, butter, and sugar together until it's smooth. Divide the peanut butter mixture evenly between the 12 cups. Drop the pan on the counter repeatedly to flatten the chocolate out. Freeze for 15 minutes. Melt the other half of the chocolate. Divide evenly between the cups. Drop the pan on the counter repeatedly to flatten the chocolate out. Refrigerate your finished cups.

xo Sue

Samurai Village

There is so much history here. It was peaceful, beautiful, and simply wonderful to visit.

xo Sue

As always, I modified. But this broccoli cheese soup was delicious and the best part- I threw it in my crock pot and just left it. I absolutely love my crock pot. Love love love. And now that I'm pregnant and have no energy to cook it's getting more use than ever. Love.

Broccoli Cheese Soup

• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 can (10 oz) cream of chicken soup
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 lb Velveeta cheese, cubed
• 1 package (10 oz) frozen broccoli

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low 3-4 hours.

xo Sue

I'm not really a fan of store bought salsa so I decided to try this recipe I found on Pinterest. It claims to be a copycat of Chili's restaurant salsa. It was yummy but I think it's a stretch to call it a copycat. Chili's is definitely better. After my first try I modified it just a bit to fit my taste and then I ate the entire bowl by myself. Don't worry, Aaron doesn't like salsa so he didn't mind.

Homemade Salsa

• 2 cans (14.5 oz) whole tomatoes, drained
• 3-4 whole jalepeños 
• 1/2 yellow onion, quartered
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp lime juice

Put all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Enjoy!

xo Sue