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I have found myself longing, pining and almost begging to go back in time 10 to 12 years ago! Somebody slap me, those times were some of the hardest times, financially. We were in college just recently moved back to Texas. I had no friends and really did not care to be in TEXAS, either. Things were so hard for us, we had WArrior who was just under a year old and we were going back to college. We had just left the security of living rent free in one of my parents apartments, Mr. Incredible was driving a truck for my parents and I was working part time for Campbell Plastics, which made side molding and parts for Ford cars. My mom would take care of Warrior. I worked the graveyard shift and LOVED it! Anyway, Mr. Incredible and I decided that having a daddy gone all the time was not something we wanted for our family. Mr. Incredible had felt it best to go back to Texas to get his education. Hind sight is 20/20 because probably many issues would have been better had we stayed in NY continued to work and gone back to college there. So, we had just come off of a big Christmas and a trip to Hawaii. Which was all paid through cash but we had no cash saved for our 5k moving cost, from NY to Texas. Also, we had not expected the astronomical hit that we would be expected to pay in taxes as an independent contractor, along with paying OUT of STATE tuition for college and books. :can you say Stupid!: We went from making 65k to making 12k a year! and having MORE bills than we had EVER had before. We were faced with rent, first and last payments, we never paid rent. Car insurance went up, tuition, books, We both went to jobs that paid both of us lelss together than what one of us were making previously. We survived. Through the pure grace of God, we survived. OK, This has gotten way off track!
I have an addiction to recipes and cooking. Martha Stewart was my idol. I have every book she has ever put out and I lived by her faithfully. In Texas, I baked, cooked etc. NO money but presentation was everything and I loved making exquisite foods and dishes. I had 2 best friends while I was there, their husbands were in secure well paying careers. WE got together every weekend while our husbands golfed and we cooked and entertained and through extravagant parties. One friend would throw parties for partners and clients for people in her husbands firm. I got to feed my frenzy and love on their pocketbook! Mr. Incredible finally graduated and we were hired or offered a job a full year prior to graduating! Everything pended on that final piece of paper. WOOHOO, he graduated and we were hired by one of the top accounting firms. At the time, it was the Big 6, Price Waterhouse had given us a job and offered the first light at the end of the tunnel. We lived in Texas a year after and an opportunity to transfer to the NYC, Manhattan offer was available, with a pay increase. This move brought us closer to my side of the family. We moved to a beautiful town called Somerville, NJ. I took many opportunities to go to fine restraunts and expand more on cooking and entertaining. There it offered opportunities to go to restraunts and talk to chefs and have them teach and prepare a dinner and you could critique etc. I loved to make mouth watering dishes. I had 2 children and they were so easy to manage at this stage of life. I love cooking. But, I don't like to cook everyday dinners, the mundane or the ordinary. I wanted and like to cook the impressive and the extraordinary. That is my love! Do you know that I have never made a casserole but maybe 3 times in my entire life. I am not fond of eating leftovers, I would rather ditch them. HOWEVER!!!!I have lived in NC for almost 10 years and I my youngest is 7 yrs old. Having child number 4 really did me in, and having health issues after also. I have not made a fancy meal or dessert within that time. It all seems but a memory. I miss having the time and the desire to truly cook and get out of the pre made, frozen junk. I feel the urge of the old me beginning to surface. I think it is about time to open Martha's kitchen again. LOL