Recipes | Black Beans and Rice

I found this budget friendly and great lunch idea from a health magazine a few years back. At first I was a little hesitant about trying it because I'm not big on black beans, but at the time I was willing to try anything that would save me money. After adding a few spices and extra veggies it became one of my favorite meal for lunch that gets me full without feeling bloated in the end.

What You'll Need:

• Brown Rice
• Can of Black Beans
• Choice of Spices (I used chopped dry onion and garlic powder)
• Can of diced tomato* or Salsa

This makes a lot so it's perfect to refrigerate and heat up for lunch during the week.

1. Start by cooking about one cup of rice (usually yields 3-4 servings after cooked) according to instructions.
2. Strain any extra water out and put back in the sauce pan, set burner on low and return it to the stove top. 
3. Strain the black beans and mix into the rice.
4. Add in your spices; I usually guess the amount, but I'd say I use about two teaspoons of dry onion and teaspoon of garlic powder.
5. If you want to keep it simple strain the chopped tomatoes in with everything or to spice it up mix in about 1/4cup salsa. 
6. Mix well and let sit for a minute or so until everything is warmed up.
7. Finish with a little bit of sour cream.
8. Enjoy!

*if you don't like pieces of tomato in your rice feel free to use tomato paste instead

New Years Resolutions

Save More Money. I'm generally good with money but sometimes those few trips to the store (i.e Walmart) tend to add up at the end of the month. I want to manage my money and find a way to save more. My three major things I'm saving for is a down payment on a car, new and bigger television, and another tattoo as a graduation gift to myself this summer. 

Have More Faith. As a Christian when times get tough I look to God to give me the strength to get through it all, but sometimes I just stress myself out. I'm a very critical person who likes to know what is ahead and plan things out, so when it doesn't I panic and get overwhelmed. I need to remember that God is there for me when things go wrong and that I don't have to go it alone.

Read More. The only time I read any more is when I have to do a book report for class and even then I find myself missing just reading for fun. My grandmother lent me The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo plus the next book The Girl Who Played with Fire so I'll kick off with those. I also have a stack of books I got when my friend Casey and I would visit the used book store downtown that I would really like to read. 

Get Back On Track. I need to get back on track when it comes to eating healthy and exercising. I was doing so well at school but now I need to make a plan that works with  my life now instead of back then. By doing so I can be more focused and more likely to stay on track. 

Do More for the Blog. I would love to do more articles or more posts in general. Maybe take more photos, write more personal post and do more style/outfit ones. Also it'd be great to work with other blogs to do articles on my blog that way I can share some of my favorites with you and get my blog out in the world a bit.

Work On Craft'n Bettie. There is so much I want to do with my little etsy shop! There are a lot of pieces I'm bringing in and some going out for good, but the most part I found what I want the store to be and I want to stick with it. I also want to expand it an add accessories such as vintage/upcycled purse, hair accessories and other fashion accessories. Maybe even later in the year start making my own metal charms but that's a different story.

Thrift More. I don't go thrifting nearly as much as when I was a teenager and I really want to get back to checking out stores regularly. Now I know I mentioned saving more and how can I save if I spend it going to thrift stores? Well I don't buy junk and I'm really good at saying no when a piece is cheap but would just be put in storage or it being what I want and out of my budget. In a way it'll keep me from spending too much on the vintage pieces I want like a mountain/forest paint by numbers or a mid century credenza.

Finish Projects. Last but not least I want to finish some of my projects like decorating the bedroom and the vintage wall in the living room. I got some of the small ones done before Christmas but I want to get the big projects done before the summer time!

I'll be working on New Years Eve and so will le boyfriend so we don't have anything major planned. It might just turn out like last year, a few mike hard lemonades, pizza and sitting in the drive way watching fireworks. What are some of your resolutions or plans for the new year? Feel free to link them!!

Holly Jolly Christmas

As much stressing out that I was doing before Christmas yesterday was the total opposite! Even though we had to go to two different places that day and us running late in the morning it was a great day. I still have some family and friends to visit for the holidays but the last few days were filled with plenty of food, sweets and family time.

Friday I spent basically all my time baking sugar cookies until I went to work then came home and finished decorating them. I tried my hand at homemade frosting again (my first time was a bad experience) and it turned out so well. On Christmas Eve we went to my great Grandma's for Christmas dinner as always. It was fun and we all had a good time. Then Christmas day started with church service and then lunch at my Grandparents. Instead of turkey we did things a little different and had everyone bring in BBQ from where they lived in NC. After opening presents we headed down to Dustin's Grandparents for Christmas dinner and had turkey and all the fixin's. We hung out and listened to everyone play guitar, including Dustin, and just talked. It was a great day and I am kind of sad to see it over but so excited for next Sunday! I hope everyone had a good day :)

p.s- more pictures to come!

Holiday Wishes!

A Christmas morning from long ago

I'm going to be uber busy baking and working until Christmas and just wanted to take some time to wish everyone a  Happy Christmukkahwanzaa and hope everyone has a safe time! Well I guess I need to roll up my sleeves and make some sugar cookies :)

Catching Up

One thing that sucks about having your friends live far away is when they live in a different state. Luckily my friend Casey extended her visit here and I got to do some catching up with her in our old "stomping ground"...The Waffle House.

We spent basically all our time there when we were sixteen; talking, drinking coffee and eating hash browns. We all would load up in my tiny car and hang out for a while before going to the Good Will or the Habitat Store. 

We met some interesting people there and collected a bunch of interesting stories. Oh to be a teenager again!

As per usual we found an interesting pairing near the book section at Good Will and found a bunch of sequined sweater/cardigans. 

It was so nice to get to hang out with Casey again and get to just sit down an talk (which is why I didn't take so many photos). I hate she lives so far away but I'm so glad she likes her new home so I'm happy for her! 

Vintage Finds

This isn't a vintage find that I stumbled upon  but more of a gift from my Mother. I did find one of these guys at the thrift store for $1 but he needed to be repainted and it would have cost too much to get his other half. My Mom found these on one of her finds and was going to give it as a gift. She noticed one of the tales was missing so she gave it to me early instead.

As you can see I've yet again moved the antique wall around. I had a paint by numbers, which was my first, but it was winter theme and I just want a neutral one either mountain theme or in the wood kind of feel to it. If anyone is interested in a paint by numbers swap let me know! Hope everyone has a great weekend!