"I Love" Sunday's v.57

**  Last Sunday (after sharing my previous "IL" S post) my friend Sarah and I worked together to try out this new recipe for Cheeseburger Cups. I shared the recipe and my thoughts on it this past Tuesday!

** Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which meant Mem was at home with me. I didn't feel like leaving unless I had too, so instead, I decided to share with you my 25 Before 25!

** Thursday brought all of my stuff from Germany! It was so nice to see all of my belongings again after so long of only having what was in my suitcase. And not a moment too soon because Friday brought "Winter Storm Jonas" to North Carolina, where everything pretty much shut down. There was a lot of rain and ice and my winter clothes were much appreciated. I had to scrape a lot of people's windshields (because I was the only person with a scraper) when we had to move the cars in the apartment complex due to falling branches. On Thursday, Sarah and her kids came to visit us and hang out with Amy and I while we waited on my stuff to arrive. I got some snuggles with the littlest member of our group.

** Wednesday evening brought another job interview (although this one was more promising then the last one). Now I am just waiting to hear back (the winter storm kind of threw off the waiting timeline). Wish me luck you guys! My little family is optimistic because she said she was doing a background check immediately after the interview was over, so let's hope that is a good sign. (I have nothing to worry about in a background check)

** Today, Mem and I ventured out of the house so I could make a Target run. I am participating in a grey Valentines Day card swap and I needed to get my supplies. That was quite a little adventure for us. We spent a while searching for some good geeky related items as well as searching through the dollar bin (which is my favorite area.... but kind of dangerous cuz I can spend some serious money on the dollar bin!)

** The other night I got to have a Skype call with my best friend of over 10 years. We haven't really talked much since our Disney trip, other then a few random Facebook exchanges here and there. This is fine because we always pick right back up like nothing happened. Well, this call was mainly to work out the details for a group cosplay that we're working on, which is always fun for us. She is a great seamstress (I am still learning) and a great cosplayer!

.: Link Love :.

This week I wanted to share some additional awesome links that I really love!

** This post from Kimi Who on How To Be a Good Blog Sponsor - I've been looking into sponsoring other blogs as well as creating my own sponsorship program, and I think this is a good read and a good place to start!

** Through some blog reading I was introduce to Chelsie at Life with Rosie. She shared this post about The Negative Side of Blogging Culture that I really agreed with. It seems like some bloggers whole goal is to rag on other bloggers and leave nasty comments just because they don't agree with something that a particular blogger said. We need to stop being mean to each other and start supporting each other. This was a good read (and a nice introduction to a new-to-me blogger!

** This is an awesome Star Wars Nail Art video from Nerdy Mermaid. She is crazy talented and I really wish that I knew how to do stuff like this!

.: Little Loves :.

|| HGTV | Dr. Pepper | Travelers Notebook's | Geek Girls x Blogger FB Group | creativity | Jenny Penton's Katch channel (since I keep missing her periscopes) | having my stuff | crochet ||

What are you loving from this past week?

Recipe: Cheeseburger Cups

Hello dearest friends!

Today I wanted to share with you a recipe that I tried this past Sunday night as part of my 25 Before 25.

Ingredients:

1 lb. meat

1/2 cup ketchup

1 tsp worstishire sauce

1 tbsp mustard

2 tbsp brown sugar

biscuits

shredded cheese

desired toppings (tomato, lettace, ect)

Prep and Cook:

1. Brown the meat and drain

2. Mix the rest of the ingredients in with the meat

3. Spray the biscuit pans with some non-stick spray, line the pan with biscuits, and fill the cups with the meat.

4. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees fahrenheit

5. Top with cheese

6. Bake for 5 minutes

7. Cover with desired toppings and serve

Personnel opinion: My little family prefers ground turkey to ground beef, so that is just a personal preference. The only thing I wasn't sure of (or fond of) was the brown sugar. Maybe it's different if you use ground beef instead, but I won't be using the brown sugar the next time I make this since we use turkey. 

Have you tried this recipe?

Any thoughts?

25 Before 25

So I am a little bit behind on this, but seeing as how I have only been 24 since November... but I like challenges! (Like I don't have enough stuff going on....)

1. Get settled // I really just need to get settled in a place. My household goods have arrived from Germany, which is good to know. However, I really need to get this job situation settled to make sure I can keep my current apartment. I need to get actual stuff for a house (couches and tables and what not). It's all stressing me out.

2. 10 new recipes // I really like to cook, and now that I have the ability to do so, I really need to start trying new recipes and expanding on my personal recipe book. I can bake chicken (tonight we're trying something new and marinating the chicken before baking it - I usually rub seasonings on it). Amy (the lovely woman I am living with until my stuff gets in) says I can experiment any time that I want to). Even once I get settled in my apartment, we still live in the same complex, so we can continue hanging out together.

3. 25 new books // I love to read but have been slacking lately. I've been reading tons of blogs, but not enough books. I need to expand my book collection (digital or hard copy).

4. 10 college classes // I told you guys that I will be starting school here soon. I am just waiting on my high school transcripts and a transfer credit evaluation as well as waiting for the next class opening. I'm hoping I can complete a lot of classes!

5. Grow my following // At least 100 followers on my Bloglovin', 150 Twitter followers, 400 Instagram followers, and 50 followers on my Facebook page. I also want to start a blog newsletter with at least 50 subscribers.

6. Travel somewhere new // I dunno where this might be, but I want to travel to some place I have never been, either a new city or a new state.

7. Attend a Blog Conference // Seems kind of simple, but I would love to attend a blogging conference and make new blog friends.

8. Attend MetroCon 2016 // This is the biggest Anime Convention in Tampa, Florida. I went a couple years ago and I would love to go again. My best friend wants to do some group cosplays that I would love to participate in!

9. Attend Mickey's Not So Spooky Halloween // I've heard nothing but good things about this event and it combines my two favorite things... Disney and Halloween! I have also been told you see more of Jack and Sally during this time.... which I would absolutely love!

10. Better define my blog style // I know that I am more of a Lifestyle blog that focuses on a few different topics (geek, spoonie life, recipes, crafts, DIY, and memory keeping) and I want to focus more on those topics. I want to build up the posts under these topics.

11. Sell some hand decorated inserts // I really enjoy the Travelers Notebook's and the community around these amazing little items. I want to sell some hand decorated inserts... at least 5!

12. Take part in a craft fair // My best friend Sarah and I used to go to craft fairs all the time to try to sell our handmade crafts. I'm hoping that we can do that again this year! We make a variety of crafts and you can check that out here.

13. Build up savings $2K // I had a good amount of money in my savings, but things kept coming up when I moved home, so the amount of money in my savings has been serious depleted. I really want to rebuild my savings to a comfortable amount.

14. Earn an income from my blog // This one is pretty self explanatory I think. I want to do sponsorship and advertising, and make this blog into a community. Eventually (probably not this year) I would like to move to blogging full time.

15. Make my own graphics // My father is a computer programer and he's pretty awesome at making pretty stuff. I want to learn how to make and code my own graphics and maybe even build a simple layout. I want to make my own graphics and maybe start selling some simple graphics.

16. Volunteer // Now that I am at a more permanent address, I want to find someplace to volunteer my time if possible. Either on base ( I'm near Fort Bragg ) or at least within the Fayetteville area.

17. 10 New Books // I want to read 10 new to me books. I love to read and I haven't been reading nearly as much as I have wanted too.

18. 10 New Movies // I also want to watch 10 new to me. Luckily there are a lot of new movies coming out in theater this year, although there are some movies that are already out or have been out that I can watch.

19. 5 sessions // I want to hose at least 5 separate sessions for my photography business. Since I am stateside now, I am more willing to travel to other cities or states to have some photography sessions. I can't wait to focus more on photography! If you're interested in my work, please let me know! I want to build my following on my photography business as well... which is going to be a lot of work. At least now I am stateside and can work on this!

20. Host or find a NC Blogger meet-up // I want to find other bloggers in my area that I can get to know and just talk with. Most of my favorite bloggers are well outside my state lines (some are in another country) and I would love to meet bloggers that are a little more local.

21. Build my stock photo collection // I am realizing how important stock photography is becoming for bloggers and I think that I could create my own stock photography collection. I might even offer them for a small fee or solely for my community here on the blog. We'll see what happens here!

22. Craft Space // I want to create a perfect for me craft space where I can do everything that I want too. You guys know that I have a varied craft interest (sewing, photography, drawing/ painting, memory keeping, crochet, tulle bows/ tutu's... etc) and I would love to have a dedicated space JUST to my craft stuff!

23. Halloween Party // Halloween is my favorite holiday (you guys should know this already) and I've always wanted to host a Halloween party for some of my closest friends. I am hoping that I can do that this year.

24. Eat healthier // I finally have a kitchen in which to cook... which means I want to eat out less and eat healthier. This kind of goes along with me wanting to make new recipes.

25. Get in shape //  This goes along with number 24... although there isn't really a final point to this goal like the others (no set number or what not). I just want to feel better in my own skin. I haven't worked out in a while because of my profile with the Army and I want to get back into that. Amy and I joined a gym before the new year and we are going to have to keep each other accountable, which I think will be really helpful!

Do you guys have any more goals with a specific time line?