Laugh Out Loud

A very short post today ladies and gents but this is one to surely get you laughing out loud!

One of my girlfriends found this website and sent it out to about 4 of us. We all know which ones we are (I am definitely the "PIZZA IS LIFE!" one and the "When I Get Ready to Shakira" among many, many others). It puts a smile on your face and a good laugh when you have either done these, or can send them to your friends who have done them.

Sit back, relax, and laugh your ass off!

http://whatshouldbetchescallme.tumblr.com

With love and pearls,
Ashley

Chicken Parm Casserole

I totally am not doing this "recipe" post right but I had to upload this picture of my dinner last night! It was soooo good. My hunny and I made our own version of a chicken parm casserole.

I don't have the exact recipe or pictures of the steps (sorry guys I decided to do this after we made it!) but here are the basics:

Cook pasta according to directions until it is al dente (not totally soft) since it will cook more in the oven.

Cut the skinless chicken breasts into small pieces (nugget size). Bread them using eggs, flour, and breadcrumbs. Then put in a skillet with oil to cook them. They should cook until they are no longer pink inside but not until they are completely done since you will be putting them in the oven.

Heat up pasta sauce.

Once everything is warm, get out a casserole dish. Put sauce in first, then pasta, then chicken, then top with mozzarella cheese & parmesan cheese. Repeat layers.

Cook in the oven uncovered for about 20 minutes (or until the cheese melts and everything is hot).

Enjoy!!

I promise to do a proper recipe post next time!

With love and pearls,
Ashley

The Fine Line Between Love and War

Sometimes relationships can just be so hard. One moment you feel like you're on Cloud 9 and the next, you feel like you are stuck in a black hole that you can't dig yourself out of. Sometimes you don't even know when it got so bad. All of a sudden, a fight about a family event turns into "I'm so bored, there's no spontaneity, this relationship is one-sided, there's no intimacy, I'm not appreciated". Where do you go from there? The person expressing those thoughts feels a bit better after they are said, but the person on the receiving end begins to think everything they do is wrong. That the basic existence of them is now a burden to the other.

How can one partner have so much ill-will towards the other? Why do these feelings develop? Can they come overnight? Can stress from your job affect your outlook on your relationship? Can that stress overpower the good things you have? How can one side have all of these things brewing while the other has no idea? Is it common to go from one feeling to the next? Does everyone in the world have these relationship problems or is it just me? Am I really that awful of a person where everything I do seems to be the wrong decision? Is it even possible to recover from this or is it the beginning of the end? Will one partner always be walking on eggshells afraid to upset the other? Will every fight from this point out continue to be this bad? Will things ever go back to happier times? How long does the entire relationship just feel like an act?

So many thoughts, emotions and results play around in your head. You don't know which ending your story will have. You hope for the best but should you prepare for the worst? One day you seem to be fine and coping. The next day you can't help but cry continuously. Is reality setting in or is it the fear of what will happen?

Clearly now I am in a dark place. I'm sure there are others out there as well going through something similar. Hopefully these thoughts will help us get through this tough time: