Happy Homemade

So I conquered another homemade quest. Homemade bodywash. WHOO HOO! There are a certain number of things that I detest paying for at the grocery store. The list includes (but is not limited to) toilet paper, paper towels, body wash, shampoo (not necessarily conditioner bc for me it lasts F-O-R-E-V-E-R) and cleaning products. I'm taking each one on, a little at a time so that I can try to recreate something that's a little cleaner all around; for us, for our home and the earth. My family seems to think I'm a hippie at heart. I'm okay with that. As I run out of one of my grocery list violaters, I see if I can come up with something to take it's place. Pinterest is fabulous for these kinds of things and you can check out my HAPPY list of things that I'm planning to or have already tried under these two boards. Cleanting and Homemade Spa. So last night my DH helped me along with my current project. Here's what you'll need...thank you to a great gal over at Living, Loving & Laughing for sharing her experience and her superfantastically easy recipe.

I doubled her recipe for one batch-this is what I did...

1 gallon distilled water
2 bars of soap, all natural of course
2 T Vegetable glycerin, I found mine at Natural Grocers and easily found online here

First I grated the soap. Luckily I used the lavender soap for the photo op because after I finished grating the orange vanilla flavored soap, it looked like a poor pile of gloppy shredded cheese and NOT appealing whatsoever.

I poured the distilled water in a large stockpot. Then I added the vegetable glycerin and shredded soap. I heated it just enough to melt the soap and then I poured it into my jars. I was worried since it had such a watery consistency but this morning it was much more congealed. I'm so excited because me and my kiddos have such sensitive skin so it will be great peace of mind knowing that its simple, clean and earth friendly.

I did a little breakdown for price comparison
2 bars soap (3.44 each) $6.88
2 gallons distilled water (2.00 each) $4.00
Vegetable glycerin (only 2 T per batch) $3.24 for 4oz

I made two batches and each made 5 quarts each. So I spent roughly $14.12 for supplies and the vegetable glyerin will probably last 3-4 batches. So for $14.20 I made a little more than 320 ounces making my body wash about .044 per ouce. WHOO HOO! That's versus .248 cents for a typical store brand. I'll take that!

My tex mex chicken conglomeration

My goal for the summer is to compound and condense my pantry. I am forever running to the store for my bi-weekly trip only to pick up something that I bypassed in my prelist checking or simply finding it buried among other things. So I'm cooking to the pantry. I pull out things and I'm throwing things together bad and good and seeing what works out. Today it was a breezy 90 degree day so we trekked over to the zoo for a quick trip. I knew cooking would be out since the heat always zaps us so I threw something in the crockpot. LIterally. I pulled out stuff from the fridge and my pantry and whipped up 'somethin' good'. Good enough for us to want to make again so I wanted to post about it. I had some chicken breast in the fridge that were thawed so I for sure, wanted to use them up. Plus I have an abundance of black beans (why- I'm clueless) and I've been on a corn kick, salsa kick and spicy kick. Glad that all worked out when I threw all of the team together. We all know that's not always the case. Being that I've been on a salsa, spicy kick, I had to make my 3 ingredient salsa to go along with! I went to a picnic at my cousins's new house last weekend and his wife, SO WONDERFUL, made this INCREDIBLY easy and super delish salsa (my one food vice-HA LOL! Yeah right!) I figured it was a good day for easy, fast and convenient. That being said, I didn't want to give up on flavor, health and family either. Check it out! This lends itself to being very adaptable to what you have on hand too! Try it out!

Tex Mex Crock Pot Chicken

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breast

3/4 c Fat free sour cream

1 can rotel

1 can black beans

1 can corn, drained

1/2 jar salsa

Cheese for topping, opt.

Stir in sour cream and rotel together. Layer in crock pot chicken, sour cream mixture, black beans, corn, onion slices and top with salsa. I cooked on low for 4-5 hours and on high for 1 hour.

3 Ingredient Salsa

3 cans Rotel

1 large bunch cilantro

1 T minced garlic

Blend or process until desired consistency,

YUM!

Points-Yes I keep track

Thinking about this post I recall a conversation I overheard. My husband is listening while the friend is sharing the following..."well I don't understand why they don't keep score anymore. I want my kids to know who won and who had the bigger score." While I don't necessarily agree it came to mind when I sat down to post. I recently joined the weight watcher bandwagon and I have to read every label (already do anyway) so that I can figure the total points value per serving of everything I put into my mouth. Now I have to track and log my points which are in essence the food I take in, boiled down to a point target that I can reach but not cross at the end of every day. So today after our monthly Costco trip and grocery get we are well stocked and I can finally craft up a storm in my favorite art of cooking. Whenever the fridge is stocked and full of goodies I have to admit that this MUST be what an artist feels like when they have a palette full of paint and a brand new, fresh white canvas in their midst. I get this childish giddiness that nearly resembles the night before Christmas and I quickly rub my hands together so I can snatch up the first foodie idea I can while the ideas roll around my head knocking into one another. The idea didn't quite seem "mona lisa" more like a palette practice of the color wheel but we made crock pot Chicken tacos and they were simply amazing. And when it's as easy as this it (almost) makes me feel guilty-but not quite

Crock pot Chicken Tacos

3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 packet of taco seasoning (I make my own-see below)
1/2-1 c salsa
1/4 c water

Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low 4-6 hours

For dessert I was craving lemony goodness. I'm sure you have all heard of the weight watcher diet soda cakes. IF not check this out or this.


Tonight I made these lemon cupcakes using the following recipe:

Lemon WW cupcakes

1 pkg Lemon Cake mix
1 can diet 7-up

Mix ingredients together in a bowl. Bake according to package directions. (Mine were about 17 minutes at 350 degrees.) For icing if you're trying to keep points low, I top mine with Fat free cool whip (2 T) for zippo points. Whoo hooo yummmmmmmmMMM! Just the right amount of sweet and lemon. You won't believe how terrific these are. You've gotta try them! I think I might try these in the summer and keep them in the fridge for a fresh and cool sweet treat!


Homemade Taco Seasoning
(I usually quadruple this so that I can have plenty on hand. I hate buying the packets!)
1 T chili powder
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/4 t crushed red pepper
1/4 t oregano
1/2 t paprika (I sometimes use smoked for flavor)
1 1/2 t cumin
1 t sea salt
1 t black pepper

Mix all together. I use about 2 T per pound when cooking. Enjoy!

I'm not afraid of the big Green Monster

So we're off to a good start in 2012. I'm at home with kiddos today because our daycare gal is down with the flu. NO good. I'm PRAYING the kids don't get it. Part of my news years continuum (didn't feel fair calling it a resolution since it's not new) is continuing the healthier diet and lifestyle and the resolution is to fully declutter the household. When you have kids, it's like secret elves frequent your house when you're sleeping and after you leave and they add new piles to the ones you already have and then all of a sudden !POOF! you have clutter. I feel like it's everywhere and beginning to take over. OUT YOU GO CLUTTER! OUT! I've taken on the kitchen, dining room and I'm not off to the kids' rooms. Those will take longer. Plus I've been through nearly half the storage bins in the garage. YUCK. By far not my favorite activity but very fulfilling when I can put only half back and know that it's downsized, cleaned and ORGANIZED. Can I get a WOOT WOOT!?! So on to the yummy part, I tried the Green monster smoothie the other day and I wasn't just pleasantly surprised. I was BLOWN away at how good it was. Keep telling yourself GREEN milkshake, GREEN milkshake! If you can get past the green, it's by far one of the best smoothies I've ever made. It's very filling, healthy and my kids will drink it so it's definitely a keeper in our kitch!

To begin you will need
Two large handfuls of organic spinach
1 frozen banana
1- 1 1/2 c almond milk (or your choice of milk)
2 T nut butter
1-2 T Flax seed
1 T Agave syrup (optional)
handful of ice



Put all ingredients in the blender and blend that bad boy UP!




After blending pour into cups and serve. I've been putting these in my insultated starbucks to-go cups and drinking my breakfast on my way to work. If I can get my kids and DH to drink this you've seriously got to give it a try! Drink up!

New Kitchen Toy

Ok so we officially started the Christmas shopping extravaganza this past Sunday. You should of seen me and the DH, we were practically skipping through Target. We definitely felt like the Clauses for sure but part of the reason (a big part) of going to Target was because of this little beauty. In this week's ad they were only 16.99. EEEEK HALF price for a drool-worthy cutie tootie crock pot! I had to have it. Luckily I had the great luck of having a crock pot that was in good need of replacing so I had reasonable ammunition for the purchase of this one!!!


Of course since I bought it Sunday I had to use it right away! Here's what I tried and it was so creamy and scrumptious! MUST TRY!

Crock POt Italian Chicken

4 skinless boneless chicken breasts
2 cans cream of chicken soup (98% less sodium)
1 block cream cheese
1 envelope packet good seasons italian dressing mix

Place chicken in bottom of crock. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over chicken. Cook on low 6-8 hours and serve over pasta. YUM! Oh so yummy!

With this dish I felt the need for some major veggies to coincide with the load of carbs

Sweet Succotash

1 T grapeseed oil
2 bunches green onions

Saute the onion in oil until just brown. Add

1 bag cascadian farms organic frozen corn
1 bag cascadian farms organic frozen edamama (shelled)
1 large orange or red bell pepper roughly chopped
shake of salt
couple shakes of black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 c broth 1 t cornstarch

Add in veggies to onions. Stir broth and veggies together and pour over mixture. Cook over low heat about 10 minutes until broth thickens.

Leave it and LOVE it

I love my crock pot more than words can express. IT's like a magic little pot of cooking goodness. I just throw some things inside and it works its wonders while I'm away. Sounds like a little bit of magic to me. I tossed this in this morning and LOVED the way this turned out. My MIL recommended this recipe from Kraft the other day and I just obsess about anything with A1 in it. I could *almost* drink the stuff. I love the tanginess, a little peppery and zing. It should be called SHAzAAM sauce or something. A1 is good but I bet SHAzAAM was their second choice. So try this out. It's really yummy. I served it over plain whole grain penne but I think next time I might try it over egg noodles just to see.

A1 stew & sauce

1 package of stew meat
1/4 c A1 sauce
1/4 c water
1 small onion chopped
1 regular can diced tomatoes in juice
2 T flour

Combine all in crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours. Serve over noodles of choice.

Cherry Coke Salad

I definitely hit a nerve yesterday posting Cherry Coke Salad on the menu. Is there such thing? Yes and if you like cherry jello, fruit, cherries and bites full of fizzy wiggly deliciousness, then this is the 'salad' for you. I think salad is used a bit loosely here. It's more of a dessert jello dish. But it comes from The Best of Postal Recipes. This book was a staple in my husband's family menu's and I was so glad to happen upon a copy one day. It holds within all those awesome family reunion, picnic, some comfort food, one-of-a-kind goodies. Cherry coke salad is one of them and while it's definitely a treat, it's still a Foster fave. I've cut back on the sugar and used sugar free jello and even tried diet coke. Of course, I always add more fruit and my own mix of what I have. Just make it to your liking and enjoy each one of those fabulous fizzy bites!

Cherry Coke Salad

1 can pitted cherries
1 c sugar
1/2 c water
2 sm boxes cherry jello
2 c chilled coke
1 c walnuts (opt.)
1 sm can crushed pineapple

Put cherries, sugar, and water in saucepan and bring to boil. Pour in dry gelatin and stir. Remove from heat and let cool. Stir in cola, nuts and pineapple. Pour into a large dish or bowl and chill until set.

Farmer's Casserole and Menu Monday

Trying some new things this week for something different for the many bored palates.

Tonight: Farmer's Casserole, Cherry coke salad
Tuesday: Potato Soup & homemade biscuits (pushing the wrong dinner for weather but hey, they're predicting rain. (Notta Nicegirl "As if that matters in Kansas.") Dang! Who was that?!
Wednesday: Philly Sandwiches
Thursday: Hamburgers on grill, corn on cob, Cherry coke salad
Friday: FFY-getting ready for the big birthday party!

The farmer's casserole is simply a mundane excuse for breakfast at dinner, an all around family fave. I love all ingredients and the combo of them marrying around together. Plus, casserole's are just home-y and delicious in their own right.

Farmer's Casserole (breakfast casserole whatever)

1 package hash browns (I used the cubed O'Brien style but it calls for shredded)
(I threw in some leftover grilled potatoes too)
1 package cubed ham
1/2 onion diced
8 eggs
S & P to taste
1 1/2 c cheddar cheese
1- 5 oz can evaporated milk

In 9x13 pan, spray with Pam. Layer hash browns, then ham, cheese & onion. Whisk eggs, milk and S & P. Pour over layers. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

For the Darling Diva I made a individual version of this in a ramekin and used 3 T of rice milk to one egg.

Eat up and enjoy the Spring!

Crock pot love

Shame on me for not posting more often. Moving on. I have this supersonic love for my crock pot and sadly it's home is on my kitchen floor due to lack of cabinet and counter space. It used to be housed on my kitchen shelf in the garage (extension of my cabinets) but I got tired of up and downing the stairs every day or every other. I have a severe affinity for kitchen galore (gadgets, serving trays, plates and fun mania that I can use when I have my pals over) and it never ceases to amaze me at how much stuff I have in this room. Oh well. I love it and don't care. I'm trying a new recipe today and now can't find the webpage. DANG! (winks to Jerm! That was for you mofo) I love all the ingredients here independently and together I thought shazam! This ought to be fantastic! So we're giving it a whirl.

Crock pot chicken

3-4 chicken breasts
1 can Health Valley organic cream of chicken soup
1- 8 oz package fat free cream cheese
1 packet Good Seasons Italian Seasoning/Dressing mix

Place chicken in crock pot and with hand mixer, combine remaining ingredients. Pour over chicken and cook on low 8 hours. Enjoy friends~!

Chicken Pesto Pasta

This is a staple in our house. It's an easy one pot meal and so tasty! I'm filling in at Darling Diva's daycare this week. Yes I'm a teacher and a classroom full of 25 1st graders DOES NOT intimidate me but a roomful of 6 under 2!? Whoa seriously a completely different universe. Whoa is all I can say. Let's just say at 8:20 pm tonight and I wish I was in bed and I'm a night owl. Trying to be better at blogging and keeping up so here I am, plugging away. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do. Plus it's easy to disguise those veggies in so go ahead and throw them in.



Chicken Pesto Pasta

3-4 chicken breast cut up in 1 in pieces
1 pkg Good Seasons italian seasoning
Cooking oil

In hot skillet, add chicken to oil and season with Good Seasons.

1 pkg fettuccini or linguine

Cook this according to pkg directions while chicken is cooking.

Once chicken is cooked through add

1/2 c pesto
1/2 c sharp cheddar, shredded
1/2 c light italian dressing
couple shakes crushed red pepper
1 can corn drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained

Stir in pasta and cook an additional 4-5 minutes on low until heated through.

Start swirling those forks folks!

Crop mania! My very own subway art!

So I'm heading off to a crop in April and I thought I'd try out the whole subway art using scrapbook mania. While it took a while, I'm completely addicted. We'll be wearing these proudly across our backs. I'm sure people will be unconsciously following us trying to read what they say. But hey, it's something fellow scrappers will completely understand. Here's what I came up with:



Enjoy!

PS. If you want this, I'd be happy to email it to you!

Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad (homemade!)

So I'm a total sucker for those darn boxed pasta salads. I hate to admit that since we're trying diligently to get away from boxed foods. If I can make it, I usually do. I've been away for some time trying new recipes, some good, some NOT. Well my new venture was to make my own, healthier version of the bacon ranch version of this. It was a success! I had all the ingredients on hand and while the amount of mayo was whew a LOT, I feel that using a fat free version or a much healther mayo will do just the trick.


Ingredients

I box pasta of your choice, cooked, drained, cooled
1 c mayo (I used 1/2 c fat free mayo, 1/2 c grapeseed vegannaise)
1 pkt dry ranch mix
4-6 slices bacon cooked, crumbled
1/2 can peas
2 cucumbers
1/2 bag baby carrots, shredded
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes halved and quartered
1/4 t garlic powder
black pepper to taste
*1/2 c shredded cheddar (I omitted this)
*(I used the veggies I had on hand so you can add or substitute what you like.)

Whisk mayo, ranch and seasonings. Stir veggies into pasta. Stir in dressing mix & cheese if using. Serve. Lovely!

Nothin' like No Bakes!

So tonight our neighbor is having a party and invited us and the kids over to hang out with their friends. It's the family friendly event! So excited to go-you know why? Because we have the greatest neighbors (and I get to cook of course!). It will be so hard when that day comes when we have to part from them. We've been so lucky to have the kind of neighbors we do. They're constantly calling me...."Hey there, we have Bertie (my 4 lbs yorkie) she must've gotten out again." Lucky me, she just runs to their house. She has identity issues I think and her brain tells her that she's really a doberman and she thinks it's her duty in life to run the neighborhood and well...the whole dog and pony show every day. She has shifts of yard watch where she runs at a full sprint out the back door and once around the entire back yard barking and then she comes in as if to say, "Yeah mom, I told them that I'm still here and I'm still the boss. PANT PANT PANT." This duty is of high importance and if not completed a minimum of ten times throughout the day, I get a little pat on the leg with a semi-shaking (with excitement and anticipation) mini paw. I digress because this is really about my neighbors and cookies but I can't help myself. Look how cute- er um ferocious she is!



So anyway, without my neighbors and their ever faithful phone calls, I wouldn't still have my little peanut around. They're just great. They have great kids who help out all the time. They help shovel snow, mow grass, rent equipment, and the like. You can't beat 'em. So tonight, I'm taking some treats over and they can't just be any treats. They get the good stuff. They don't get leftovers. They get fresh from the oven, still warm, the tedious bakes. I go all out for them because they deserve it. So tonight, they get these little beauts! I happen to know these are one of their fave's.



Here's the recipe if you have a hankering.

Chocolate No Bakes

In saucepan add:

1 stick butter (real stuff)
1/2 c cocoa
1/2 c milk
2 c sugar

Whisk until it's smooth. Continue to heat until it's bubbly. Just watch it because it will boil over. I know from experience. While it's heating put this in a large bowl:

1/2 c peanut butter (I like smooth and creamy but you could also use chunky)
3 c oatmeal

Once the chocolate mixture has boiled (careful not to burn) pour over contents in bowl. Stir until well incorporated. Drop by scoopful onto wax or parchment paper. Allow to cool.

**Note-these do not turn out or harden correctly when it's very humid out. These are great to make in the fall, winter or when it's fairly cool.

Go make some and enjoy with friends!

Ice (Snow) Cream

Since we're literally snowed in, I thought why not make use of the pretty powder? I knew you could use snow to make ice cream but I've never done it and found the EASIEST recipe! Here's what you need:



5 c FRESH WHITE snow
1 c milk (we use rice milk so our little cupcake could enjoy) but also made a batch for ourselves. Not going to run out of snow any time soon.
1/2 c sugar (next time I'm going to try using agave but may have to cut back to 1/4c)
1/2 t vanilla

Mix milk, sugar and vanilla until sugar is almost dissolved. Slowly add snow. I used a whisk and it worked nicely. While this was thick, it wasn't
quite as thick as ice cream. It's more like a milkshake but still delicious and fun! So go out and make some!

Quick Dinner-Crock pot recipe

So I was cramming for a dinner idea yesterday and was going to try a small turkey in the crock pot but it was frozen solid so that was a no go. I had to come up with something quick because I was off to a Thirty-one party. I found some pork chops in the freezer, I had some left over onion from earlier in the week and some Italian dressing (always a winner) so I threw it all in the crock pot. Here's what I did

Italian Pork Chops

In crock pot I put 3 frozen pork chops

I added about a 1/2 cup of chicken broth
1/2 c Italian dressing (I use light done right by Kraft)
1/2 an onion rough cut
salt and pepper to taste

I cooked on low for about 6-7 hours and it was DELICIOUS! My DH made a squash casserole and it was more like a dessert. We told Ava it was ice cream and she ate the whole pile on her plate. It seemed like it was time consuming but squash usually is so while this part may not be quick-it was worth it.

Squash Casserole

1 squash, mashed (so peel it, scrape out seeds and boil until fork won't stick & mash)
2-3 eggs beaten
1/2 c milk (we used rice milk)
1/3 c butter (we didn't use this much more like 2 T)
2 T coconut
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t vanilla
1 c sugar (again didn't use this much about a heaping 1/4th c)

Mix all ingredients into mashed squash and spread into small baking dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

It really is dessert like but kid approved!

Daughters

I saw this post this morning and thought, "Yeah, that pretty much sums it up for me too." My two year old, my sweet little innocent two year old....(*Insert sigh here*) is just....what's the word? Challenging? She definitely knows how to push the buttons, the wrong ones I might add, push the envelope, cross the line and cry or scream in just the right decibel that gets me in panic OMGNOTTHATCRYohgoodgodpleasedon'tkeepscreaming mode. She definitely challenges me as a mom and while I know it's a phase, I keep thinking to myself that I shouldn't wish it away. Pretty soon, she'll be walking out the door to her car going off to prom. I realize these traits are what make her the strong, independent daughter I was hoping and praying for but it also gives me pause. A minute to reflect, or relish, that my husband and I created her. She's ours. NO one elses. NO ONE'S. She's our daughter and we are molding her into what she is to become. That's crazy. I mean no pressure or anything right?! We are building this little girl into a person that will be outside our home one day making her mark. Good grief. The past few days have been heavy in that they really don't stay little and they won't depend on you forever. This is so sad so while I hate to admit, I appreciate those little fits just a tiny little bit. It means that she's still here, under my roof, depending on Chris and I to help her, hold her and show her the fullest extent of our love for her. Just thinking to myself how lucky I am.

The Dazzling Rainbow Surprise Cake

Just your typical birthday cake, right? Pretty plain and boring, right? Wrong! It held a terrific surprise inside! See for yourself...




It was quite the process but it was worth every minute! I wanted to make a fun cake for Miss Ava and wanted her to have a fun birthday cake. She had her own personal cupcake for the occasion which was also layered and dazzling. She of course wouldn't touch it but she did, however, eat 90% of it using just her mouth. We're a little OCD around here and we're okay with it.





Anywho, I saw this cake and had to make it myself. It was involved yes and a little time consuming but I figured out my groove quickly and made it start to finish in about 2 hours. Nap time is about right! I'm going to tell you how to make your own, in whatever color scheme you choose here.

Supplies:

2 cake mixes of your choice. I used Duncan Hines classic yellow
1 if not 2 8 in cake pans
cooking spray or wilton cake release
plastic wrap
food coloring
icing

Make the cake according to pkg instructions. I made one at a time but would have made both had I known I'd need both. Spray or coat pan. I started with red and scooped out 1 1/2 c batter into a bowl. Add the coloring and mix well. Pour into pan. These needed to bake in my oven about 17 minutes. This might vary depending on your oven. I allowed the cake to cool in the pan 10 minutes and then let cool on wire rack. While it was cooling I baked another layer (& color) and once I pulled this next layer out, I wrapped the cooling layer in plastic wrap and put in freezer. This makes frosting a breeze and I'll be doing this FROM NOW ON.



So in the end I had this...



NOTE: I made this cake the day before the party.

The morning of the big party day I pulled the layers out of the freezer. They were rock hard so I was a little worried. I unwrapped each layer and put the first layer on my cake stand. I iced each layer and had this...



I decided that because I wanted to make the inside of the cake the surprise that I wanted to do little to the outside of the cake as far as decorating goes. I kept the sprinkles and decor to a minimum. My dear little girl loved her layered cake and I hope yours does too! These would be great for game day! I think I may have to try my hand at a crimson and blue cake? Whatdya think?

Meal planning Monday

Each week I try to plan meals with DH so that I'm not standing at the fridge or oven wondering what in the world I'm going to make for dinner. I get great pleasure from meal planning. I enjoy reading and scouring my neverending abundance of cook books for something that will tickle my tastebuds and make the kids and dad happy. So here's what this week looks like:

Monday: Sandwich night (lots of leftovers from birthday party!)

Tuesday: Lemonade Chicken, scalloped potatoes and smoothies

Wednesday: whatever goes wed. This night we try to eat up leftovers or have an FFY night

Thursday: Pork Chops & Rice in CP, jello salad (my Aunt Mary recipe which is hilarious to me bc I don't have an Aunt Mary). Ok I'm delirious.

Friday: Butternut Squash soup with apples, Grilled Chicken Salad, rice pudding

Sat/Sun: I dont usually cook on Saturday's as a general rule unless I'm craving some kitch time.

Sun: one of my absolute fave's- Pot Roast in the CP

I'll post recipes later!

(yeah not a great week-it's Thursday and I'm posting for my Meal Plan Monday. While typing over 20 spelling errors. Make that 21.)

Ringing In

Well it's been great 2010~ Sad to see you go but excited to see what 2011 has in store. I feel like this year is going to bring about many changes, some good, some difficult, some that will challenge me to my inner core. I'm ready though. I feel like I'm ready to grab life by the (*ahem*) balls and face him head on. I've decided to set some goals for this year, quite a good handful actually....I feel like typing them is the same as writing them so I help you'll hold me to them. I'd like to first and foremost, find employment. The education system in bleak in the hope that I could find and hold onto a full-time teaching position. While I'm never going to give up home because that is my all-time dream to teach, I can't put all my eggs in the basket on that one. I'd like to find something where I feel like I am contributing and where I am valued as part of the whole. I'd like to start a shop on etsy and begin to share my love of crafts and creating with others. I've begun a healthy and quite progressive plan of running a 5k and am going to work towards a marathon for next year-it's got to be small steps but steps with purpose. Let me tell you, I've got a row to hoe there but again, I'm ready. I'm turning 30 in 4 days and I'm not quite sure how to feel. At first I wanted to skip the day altogether but I think that I need to start my thirties with a bang so here's to that! I hope that I can continue to build a strong relationship and bond with both of my kiddos. With one being super strong-willed and one being a cuddle-lover I want to balance my attention to both in that I can demonstrate the gift of love in a way that will teach them that is above all else, our greatest gift to one another. This is a lot and it's lofty but I believe it's doable. I wish the best for you as well. I hope this year brings you joy, laughter, and it brings you your wishes and grants you lessons that only life can so graciously teach. I hope that 2011 is full of moments, memories, ups and downs that will brings you closer to who your are and closer to those you love. All my best to you. 2011, here I come....

DIY-ing

So lately I've been in major clean out, clean up and spiffy up mode. I LOVE to DIY when I can and something that I do usually about once a week is thrift. I frequent local thrift stores and peruse and when the day is good, I'll find a good little treasure. My latest a sewing table complete with a powder blue sewing machine, parts, instruction booklet and box all included for $20. I'll take that! Another recent project was this little beaut that I got at Salvation for $8 and then got an additional 25% off! Ha! So I came across this fun little website called Skip to My Lou where each Monday there are a TON of crafty little DIY's that you can see and do each with it's own little tutorial and how-to. I live for these, these little to-do's that I can whip up and create on my own. Makes me feel accomplished. So I ran across this on my morning Monday peruse and it was a light bulb moment (pun intended) and also a total GOTTAHAVEITICANDOTHAT moment. So I did it. My DH offered his meek electrical experise and we went from "good grief that's hideous" to "wow that's terrific!" in our humble little kitchen. See for yourself! What kinds of DIY's do you like to do? (pics above show finished product, what you need, and the 'before' of our project).