What I’ve Been Cooking for Dinner

by Kyla

Happy Wednesday, Friends! In this post last week, I shared that Dillon and I have been eating really well in our first month of marriage. I have taken great care each week to plan delicious, healthy meals that we both enjoy. I have so enjoyed the process! Inspired by this post, today I’m sharing what I’ve been cooking for dinner for the past few weeks.

We’ve been trying lots of new meals to find our favorites. As we settle even more into our routine, I plan to have more repeats throughout the month. Most noteworthy of our dinners so far were the pineapple chicken quesadillas – yum! I created the recipe as I went and will share it soon. In the meantime, enjoy a look into the delicious food that’s been on the table at the Shattuck home!

What I've Been Cooking for Dinner - Zucchini Corn Chowder

via Little Broken

Week 1
Sunday, July 2 – Caribbean Jerk Chicken Tacos with Mango Salsa (Skinny Taste)
Monday, July 3 – Summer Fresh Corn and Zucchini Chowder
Tuesday, July 4 – Picnic Chicken, Baked Beans, and Corn on the Cob
Wednesday, July 5 – Slow-Cooker Sante Fe Chicken (Skinny Taste)
Thursday, July 6 – Roasted peppers and onions with Italian chicken sausage
Friday, July 7 – Thursday leftovers tossed with protein pasta and parmesan
Saturday, July 8 – Dinner out

Week 2
Sunday, July 9 – Pineapple chicken quesadillas with mango salsa and black beans
Monday, July 10 – Tuscan Panzanella Salad with Grilled Garlic Bread (Skinny Taste)
Tuesday, July 11 – Chicken Philly Cheesesteaks (Skinny Taste)
Wednesday, July 12 – Chicken Hand Rolls (we use ground chicken instead of pork)
Thursday, July 13 – Dinner out for me, leftovers for him
Friday, July 14 – Protein pasta with sausage, peppers, onions, and baby spinach
Saturday, July 15 – Leftovers

Week 3
Sunday, July 16th – Dinner with family
Monday, July 17th – Crock Pot Chili (we used ground chicken instead of beef)
Tuesday, July 18th – Dinner out with family
Wednesday, July 19th – Leftover chili and sweet potatoes
Thursday, July 20th – Chimichurri Chicken with Roasted Potatoes
Friday, July 21st – Persian Turkey Burgers (Skinny Taste)
Saturday, July 22nd – Leftovers or dinner out

Visit this Pinterest board for more of our dinner inspiration!

The First Things We Bought for Our Apartment

by Kyla

Happy Monday, Y’all! Today I am sharing the first things we bought for our apartment. Even though I tried to be an informed bride by asking around and reading articles, this was unchartered territory for me. Dillon and I chose to not move in together until the day we got married, which meant we didn’t combine all our possessions until our wedding day. We were fortunate to have the keys to our apartment a few weeks early. We took care to fill our space with basic needs (and some wants) during those weeks.  While we’d both lived away at college after high school, we both moved directly into our apartment from our family homes.


As a result, we basically moved into our apartment with the bare bones necessities that one should have for a home. Confession: we still haven’t purchased our own flatware set. We received most of our household essentials at my bridal shower, but there are some pieces that remain unfulfilled. Thankfully, we were blessed with gift cards to fill in the gaps!

Our space is small (about 650 square feet), but even the tiniest space can feel barren if left unfurnished. We were blessed to have a couch and bed from our parents, but that was all for furniture. As you can see from the photo above, our couch set is a spring green color which is not my preference – but I’m grateful to have been gifted it! I would eventually like to purchase a neutral couch instead.

As we first got settled into our apartment, I kept a list of items to purchase from Target and Walmart. After receiving the keys to our apartment, we spent most of that first week making multiple trips to both stores for essentials. I’ve organized the list into categories for quick reference. Enjoy!

Decorative
— curtains and curtain rods
— pretty hand towels
— a candle

Functional
— pantry shelving and bins
— dish soap, sponges, and a sponge holder
— trash cans for the kitchen and bathroom
— trash bags in varying sizes (bathroom, beneath the kitchen sink, and tall kitchen)
— toilet paper and paper towels
— basic seasonings

Furniture
— bookshelf
— accent cabinet
— a nice dining table and chairs (This came about a month later. We used a folding table in the interim.)
— nightstands

What are the first things you purchased for your first apartment or home?

I Earned a 100 on My First Graphic Design Assignment!

by Kyla

As I shared in this post last month, I resumed college coursework this month towards my BA in Graphic Design. My course began last week and y’all, I had to shake the dust off as I started my first graphic design assignment.

Two and half years have passed since I completed my first degree so it’s been a bit since I had homework. I planned ahead last week and completed the readings and preliminary assignment early. However, I didn’t complete my last weekly assignment until the last few hours before it was due last weekend. The prompt really stumped me! Our instructor asked us to come up with a business name for our own imaginative design business. She advised us to consider our ideal market – which for me would be small business and creative entrepreneurs in the South. The caveat was that the name couldn’t be our own name (which is good, because I have already staked claim over the business name ‘Kyla Mary’!) and it couldn’t be an existing business name.

my first graphic design assignment

I consulted this book in the process of brainstorming!

I originally planned to use ‘Hive and Harvest’ because I appreciate business names that follow the ‘Word and Word’ formula. The words sounded timeless and veered away from being trendy, which I liked. Sadly, that name was taken by an Australian honey company. In fact, my next several ideas were taken too!  It must be meant to be that I use my own name in real life. I ultimately came up with the name ‘Forage and Foundry’, which has a nice ring to it! We will be using this business name throughout the entire term, ultimately building our final project around it. I’m excited to share that I earned a 100 on the first assignment!

It’s tricky to take a foundational graphic design course after working as a professional designer for the past few years.  The content is pretty simple compared to what I’ve done, and the assignments are attached to a rubric. I’m used to working for myself and serving my clients without rules, but I am choosing to embrace this challenge. Ultimately, I am so thankful for the opportunity to take college coursework toward a degree in design! It is a huge blessing to be able to do this in a way that works for Dillon and I and our budget – I am truly blessed!