{creating everyday}

What's Cooking - 01.16.12 Edition

2012-01-16T12:16:00.003-06:00

Another year is here, and now I have yet another chance to plan healthy meals for my family. At least, thats my goal most of the time. We don't eat 100% organic, whole grain, gluten-free meals. I fully admit that there are days where I cook using canned foods, pasturized stuff, and/or even cream-based soups.

When those days arrive and I need to get something ready in a flash, more often than not, it came from a can (at least partially). And... really, I'm totally okay with that.

Anyway... now that I've got that off of my chest... here's what I'm planning to serve my family this week:

CrockPot Thai Chicken Taco's - from January/February 2012 issue of Clean Eating Magazine
Filipino Adobe Chicken with Brown Rice
Crock Pot Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes & Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts
Baked Pork Chops with Broccoli Cauliflower with Garlic & Lemon
Gyro Burger's with Tzatziki and oven baked french fries
King Ranch Chicken with black beans and salsa rice

What are you making this week?

Sometimes I…………………..

2012-01-03T21:06:00.001-06:00

Source: http://www.coxandcox.co.uk

Jeanne Oliver (of Jeanne Oliver Designs fame) shared a post today about the things she sometimes wishes. It really was fun to read the things that she shared. She invited her readers to do the same. So with that... here are my "sometimes".

Sometimes I…………………..

...wish I didn't care about what other people think of me.

...want to be a Broadway performer.

...wish I had paid more attention in college.

...and more attention to things like debt and brilliant people.

...want to lay in my toasty bed, reading books instead of taking care of life.

...wish there was a way I could guarantee that nothing tragic would happen to Steve or Fred.

...want to really, REALLY, be able to play my guitar.

...and piano.

...wish I could go back to my 20 year old self, and smack the *&^%^ out of her, knocking her into reality (and out of stupidity).

...wish I loved to excersize.

.. or even enjoy being healthy. Really healthy.

...and not enjoy drinking Diet Coke so much.

...want to repierce my nose (for the third time!), and get a cool tattoo.

...wish I could somehow convince someone else to handle the yuck and frustration of potty training.

...wish I was more confident of myself.

...want to start completely over (but with my hot husband and smashing son).

....wish I had not experienced or seen so many wonderful things and historical events as a child and teenager.

...wish that I wasn't so blunt and sarcastic.

...wish I could create, and create, and create and have others just want to own it for themselves. :)

***************************************

Now it is your turn.

Sometimes I…………………..

Merry CHRISTmas!

2011-12-25T17:22:00.004-06:00

Of course... they've not been mailed. And, true to my own personal habit... they'll be late. BUT, they ARE ready to be dropped off at the Post Office tomorrow!

May we all remember the reason for the season, and be a bit kinder to each other.

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

What's Cooking - 12/3 Edition

2011-12-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

I've GOT to get back on track with planning out our menu's and publishing them to my blog. I am WAY more apt to follow a meal plan if it's public. Weird... but it works.

This week's Bountiful Basket was packed full of great foods. I am excited about the foods I've planned to cook (which is kind of important if I'm going to actually make them!)

Here's a photo of what we got in our basket this week:

Photo by Brandi Hall (a fellow Justin BB participant)

We received broccoli, a bunch of radishes, a handful of cucumbers, a pineapple, lots of persimmons, tomatoes, oranges, onions, several green bell peppers, butter lettuce, blackberries, apples, and pears.

Here's what I'm planning to serve this week:

~ Meatloaf, baked potatoes, and sauteed cabbage
~ Broccoli and chicken with brown rice
~ Pear, cucumber, radish, persimmon, pineapple with mixed green salad. Served with broiled salmon.
~ Brown rice and quinoa stuffed green peppers. Served with steamed broccoli
~ Enchiladas made with a sauce that will include the tomatoes and onions.
~ Two nights leftovers somewhere along the line.

I'm also going to bake a few loaves of pumpkin banana bread, honey whole wheat multi grain bread and one batch of chocolate peanut butter rice krispie rolls. I want to have at least one lunch of marinated cucumber salad. However, we're expecting some yucky weather this week. So, I expect to eat some belly filling food like beans and rice! HEAVENLY!

What are you making this week?

What are you making this week?

2011 Ales Family Thanksgiving Menu

2011-11-22T00:12:00.001-06:00

I'm 99% sure that the above is what we're having. What about you? What are you having for your Thanksgiving dinner?

P.S. A huge thank you to Anything but Perfect for the printable freebie that I used for my graphic above. Get yours free on her blog here!

30 Days to an Attitude of Gratitude: Day 4

2011-11-04T09:18:00.002-05:00

Today, I am grateful that, because of my husbands hard work, we have the money to buy groceries and the money to buy ingredients to make things we don't need to eat to survive.

To many of us, that's such a small simple thing. We probably take it for granted. I know I have.

Last night, I was baking cookies to take over to a friend who's got the icks running through her house. Her little guy is sick, but generally will eat "Cookie Lady" cookies (he couldn't say my name. He knows me as Freddy's Mommy too though!).

As I was making the dough, I got side tracked talking with Fred and Steve. (For the life of me, I can't remember what we were talking about), and had the sugars, butter, eggs, and vanilla all mixed together. I started adding the dry ingredients, and turned the mixer on. On High.

I made a lovely mess. All over myself. All over the kitchen. Batter in my flour container (why did I not put the lid back on? Lesson learned!) There was batter and flour everywhere. I'm actually STILL finding it, and in the oddest of places too. Anyway...

The point is, I am so grateful that I have the ingredients on hand to make something that isn't necessary, but is nice to have. I am grateful that because of budgeting (not my forte) and because of my husbands hard work, we are able to have these things on hand and that we don't have to financially struggle to have them handy.

I am grateful that I don't stay up at night wondering where our next meal is going to come from.

I am grateful that I am able to share meals with family and friends, and while it is not gourmet or high end, I don't have to worry about whether it's going to break my budget.

I am grateful that I live in a country where I can have food storage for an emergency, and that it's okay to keep a full pantry. (Believe it or not, you can't do that in every country. It's actually illegal in many!)

Are you participating in any type of Gratitude challenge this month? Please let me know, I'd LOVE to read your posts too!

Thank you to Kerri Bradford of Kerri Bradford Studio for permission to use her "The Dailies" and "This + That: Gratitude" kits in my button and graphic design for this series!

30 Days to an Attitude of Gratitude: Day 3

2011-11-03T08:35:00.000-05:00

Today, I am grateful for my home.

When I say "home" I am referring to the place in which my family resides, not our house. (However, I am grateful for our house!)

When I was a teenager, I remember being asked what I was most scared of - in the whole world.

I was terrified of not having somewhere to go. Being stranded, and not being able to get to where my family was, or just not having somewhere to go that was where I belonged.

I grew up living overseas because of my fathers awesome career with the United States Air Force. We moved every 3-4 years. The longest place we were stationed was Berlin, Germany and that was 4 years. So, when people ask me where I'm from, I didn't have a hometown. I couldn't say I was from a particular state (though I was born in one state, and lived for a bit in another when I was in 5th grade), or even a town.

I've lived in two states, for longer than any other state in the United States. I lived in Ohio for 6 years - and living in one area for that long was quite a feat. However, I have lived in Texas for... get this... hold on to your drawers... 9 years.

I know, you're thinking... 9 years. That's something to be proud of?

For me, it is. It really, really is.

Source

I am officially from Texas. I'm a Texan (I can even fake a great accent!). Even more so, I love the town I live in. I love that it's small enough that I can get straight to the Mayor or our City Manager (literally within minutes!). I love that I remember "back when" that shopping center, housing development, highway, school, etc, was a field. I love that I can remember when some of the kids around me really were kids (and now some of them are married, are graduating from college, or are even just getting into high school).

I am grateful that I have a place, a location, to call home.

I am incredibly grateful that I have a place where I feel (mostly) that I belong. This is where I need to be, with my sweet little family, and in a community where I feel like I am contributing, building roots, building relationships, and getting to know others who are here too.

I am grateful that my heart is here, that my home is here, and that I am here.

Are you participating in any type of Gratitude challenge this month? Please let me know, I'd LOVE to read your posts too!

Thank you to Kerri Bradford of Kerri Bradford Studio for permission to use her "The Dailies" and "This + That: Gratitude" kits in my button and graphic design for this series!

30 Days to an Attitude of Gratitude: Day 2

2011-11-02T09:39:00.000-05:00

Today, I am grateful for my husband Steve.

When I was a young woman, I remember writing letters to my future husband. In these letters, I shared my dreams and aspirations for our courtship, relationship, and many, many illogical wants (hey, I was 14!). I could never of imagined what an incredible man I would be blessed with many, MANY years later. (I married later in life and was an Old Maid according to typical LDS cultural standards.)

I am grateful that Steve is openly loving and smoochy with me.

I am grateful that he tries to make sure that I know he thinks I'm attractive.

I am grateful that Steve wants the best for our financial future. I love that he thinks about preparing for our future - now, and that he is so focused on it.

I am grateful, I adore, and I appreciate, that Steve works SO hard for us so that I can stay home with our son.

I feel bad, but appreciate, that Steve tells me it's "okay" when I fail at goals I've set. He reminds me that no one is perfect and that I can try again.

I am grateful that he supports me in my creative endeavors and other pursuits.

I am grateful that he challenges me to do better financially. (and I try - oh how I try! But I get easily distracted!)

I am grateful that he thinks I'm a good cook, and that he acknowledges that he forgets what a "good thing he has" in me as a wife that prepares and cooks meals for him.

I am grateful that when he see's I'm having a trying day, he'll send me off to have some "alone" time and he'll take care of our son.

I am grateful that he helps around the house. He does it more than I feel like he should, but he reminds me that we are a team and that we can make anything work if we work together to accomplish it.

I am grateful that he is always willing to serve others.

I am grateful that he is such an incredible father to our son, and that he is teaching Freddy how to love and respect women.

I am SO grateful for Steve!

Are you participating in any type of Gratitude challenge this month? I'd LOVE to read your posts too!

Thank you to Kerri Bradford of Kerri Bradford Studio for permission to use her "The Dailies" and "This + That: Gratitude" kits in my button and graphic design for this series!

30 Days to an Attitude of Gratitude: Day 1

2011-11-01T22:28:00.000-05:00

This month, I am working on focusing on the many things I have to be grateful for. I'm calling it "30 Days to an Attitude of Gratitude." I know I have much to be grateful for, much of which I overlook. It is my hope that I can remember these things, and focus on the many positives I have in my life!

Today, I am grateful for my son, Freddy. Really, I am.

On days like today, where for a brief moment I would have gladly given him away to any stranger (Today was a doozy of a challenging day.), I am grateful that I have him in my life.

I am grateful for the sweet moments, for his tender hugs and nightly rituals (and how they seem to grow longer each night - hug, kiss, noses x 3, chin, forehead, cheek, cheek, ear, ear, and now eye, eye!).

I am grateful for the "want Baby Freddy's" moments when he wants to be snuggled like a baby.

I love it when he busts out into song... with a toy microphone (and without too), how he talks about his best friend, how he thinks he's convincing me to do something, or trying to convince me that something is not stinking in his diaper.

I love how he thinks he's waking me up with a kiss on the cheek and a "time to get up Mommy!"(no, it couldn't possibly be the knocking on my bedroom door.... no way!).

I love it when he talks about his days at preschool and the things they're learning. (it's especially fun when he thinks he's teaching me these things too. Who knew a cookie was a circle?? Or that the letter B sounds like buh. Amazing!!)

I love it when he is so proud of himself when he puts something into the garbage can for me, or when he puts the wipes away, or when he puts his dishes into the sink, or when he tries to wipe the kitchen counters. He is so pleased with himself!

I love it when we are driving home from church and he tells me what they learned in the nursery. He loves to share which of his friends were there, and what Sister Skinner taught them. He loves to tell us how he runs and runs, and then sings and sings.

I love how pleased he is when he see's his art projects hung on the fridge, window, or on the art wall. He gets so tickled to see something that he created displayed. I LOVE that!! I can't wait to have bits and pieces of my son's (or childrens) artwork all over our home!

I love his memory! This kid can remember the tiniest comment you made 3 weeks ago about a treat, trip, or other fun thing. Just the other day he asked me for something, that I had purchased and immediately hidden from him in a cabinet we don't use, 4 weeks ago. He remember exactly what I had gotten (and no substitute would suffice), and where we had gotten it.

I adore the little conversations we have, the words he's recognizing and using (though, not always correctly!), and the inflection he gives in his comments. His honesty humbles me.

I'll never forget wondering if the Lord would give me the opportunity to have a child with my husband, Steve. For a very, very long time it didn't look like it would happen. Fortunately, we are blessed that it did. Our lives will never be the same.

We would love to have many more children, but if we are only able to have one, I'll be forever eternally grateful that we are blessed to have Fred.

Are you participating in any type of Gratitude challenge this month? I'd LOVE to read your posts too!

Thank you to Kerri Bradford of Kerri Bradford Studio for permission to use her "The Dailies" and "This + That: Gratitude" kits in my button and graphic design for this series!

Teaching: Shine Banner Class

2011-10-20T09:52:00.001-05:00

Next Saturday, I have the privilege of traveling up to Oklahoma City to teach at the Paper Crown. I so very much enjoy my time up there! Cindy has such a delightful store, and her customers are amazing. The level of creativity and artistry demonstrated in the stores decor and classes inspires me to no end.

I'll be teaching a basic, introductory soldering class Saturday morning and a new, intermediate, class that afternoon - a soldered banner! Here's a photo and the class description:

Do you ever have those moments when your family is driving you bonkers? When your "friends" feel like your biggest foe? When you're at the park, and someone is trying to small talk your child? It's in those very moments that I need a reminder to shine. Shine through the adversity and challenges and meet them head on! So with that in mind, I designed and created this sweet banner to display and remind me to meet those challenges head on.

In this quick paced class you'll create a create a large 5 lettered soldered bunting banner, using a 5 letter word that is special to you. The glass we'll be using has been custom hand cut and finished especially for this class. Additional glass will be available for purchase if you would like to create a longer word. This class is geared towards participants who have previous soldering experience and know how to wrap, solder, and attach jump rings.

In addition to a soldering station (tile, iron, stand, solder, flux & brush, clothespins/clamps, sponge, burnisher, hemostat & glass cleaner), students will need to bring the following supplies with them: hand towel, paper cutter, scissors, pencil, glitter glue, flat nosed jewelry pliers. Feel free to bring any small jewelry bits and baubles also to customize your banner! Please come prepared with what word you would like to use, as we'll be cutting them during class. (Basic soldering kits can be purchased here from Robin on etsy. You'll definitely want to add a pair of bent nosed hemostats to help with jump rings if you don't have one already)

If you'd like to join us, give Cindy a call at (405) 848-2389! It's going to be a day of fun!

What Is Real Right Now

2011-10-09T22:42:00.002-05:00

Recently, Ali Edwards did a post titled What Is Real Right Now. I really love how she documented the bits and pieces of her life - and kept it totally real. I think I want to add it as an occasional topic for me too. It would really be a great way of keeping things documented.

So, here's my first What Is Real Right Now post....

What is Real Right Now: After church today, I put Fred down for a short "quiet time", and laid myself down on the couch for a super quick nap. Two and a half hours later I woke up. So much for a short nap! Fortunately, Fred still hasn't mastered opening his bedroom door (it's the pulling of the door that has him stumped), and he was fast asleep. I felt guilty, but got over it quick. When I texted my mom to tell her about it, she said... "Welcome to being fallible. I'm sure he survived." You know what, we all did!

What is Real Right Now: I have zero motivation or energy. It's so odd for me. Normally, if I was to rate my energy on a scale of 1-10, I'd say that I'm usually an 8 or even a 9. Lately, I feel like I'm on a 4, maybe even a 3. My house isn't getting tidy (I'm real, it's probably never ever going to be perfectly clean), and I am not feeling motivated or energized enough to even accomplish my normal tasks. I don't feel motivated to do things that normally I lvoe to I've never felt this way before, even when my iron and vitamin levels were at their lowest. Have you ever been there?

What is Real Right Now: Fred is adorable. Not that I'm partial or anything!! I am SO glad that we were able to have him. Don't get me wrong, he challenges me on a daily basis (really... flat out challenges me....), but we work through it and end our days on high notes. He loves to "read" his books, paint pictures, and sing. Oh my... how my heart soars when he sings. Right now, his favorite songs are "I am a Child of God" and "Hakuna Matata!" (Believe it or not, we actually bought a VCR a few weeks back. I know... I hang my head in both shame and surprise! I have dozens of original Disney cartoons on VHS though, and we are definitely enjoying them!) He's a whopping 39" tall, which makes him just over a foot shorter than me. That is NOT fair. My two year old isn't supposed to be taller than me before he hits puberty, let alone kindergarten!

What is Real Right Now: Steve rocks. He works SO hard for us, and still manages to find time to play with Fred every day. I mean... fully interactive play. He is not a passive father and interacts with Fred in the funnest ways. They both put together a mean Duplo rocket... or car garage... or space shuttle... the list could go on and on. The cutest thing they've been doing lately, is right before we go to put Fred to bed for the night, Steve takes him out to our back yard and they lay on a blanket looking at the stars (and plane lights as they fly overhead). It really just tickles my heart to see their relationship and how incredible Steve is with our son.

What is Real Right Now: We are at the tail end of renovating our half bathroom, on the downstairs level of the house. I will be SO excited when it's done. Not because the wall paper will be gone, but because it is SO hard to bust upstairs when I need to relieve myself when I've got a shadow in tow. I'm more afraid of him falling on the stairs, or getting into something he shouldn't when I'm taking care of business. So... we normally make the trek together - sometimes making it JUST in time.

What is Real Right Now: My fall garden is growing like crazy! Nothing has grown to a harvest stage yet, but if growth is any indicator, my fall garden will definitely be better than my summer one. Anyone else in the same boat?

Follow Up: What's Cooking - 10/1 Edition

2011-10-03T21:19:00.001-05:00

Goodness, thank you for your sweet comments about our menu plan for this week. You tickled my heart with your kindness!!

Many of you asked what the different vegetables were in our "Asian Pack". It's easier for me to just label each of the items, rather than try to explain it. So, here you go!

So far, our menu planning is right on target! Sunday's taco's were a HUGE hit! I highly recommend them, especially if you have a super busy day planned!

Plus, a cool new tip I learned... if you need to shred meat (chicken, pork, beef, etc) and you have a stand mixer... toss the meat (after it's been slow cooked) into your bowl with the beater attachment and turn it on. The beater will shred your meat perfectly!

(I'll be honest, I was hesitant to try it and thought that doing it would be lazy. But, Sunday night, I was trying to get the rest of our dinner finished when it was time to shred the chicken. So, I popped it into my mixer bowl and set it to go on low. Shazam... super fast and perfectly shredded chicken! Hoooray!)

There you go - a breakdown of the Bountiful Baskets Asian Pack for this week (don't forget - contents can vary from week to week!)

Thanks for visiting!

What's Cooking - October 1st Edition

2011-10-01T22:29:00.002-05:00

Despite the sun rising and setting each day, I'm still in shock that October is here. With it, we finally have some cool weather and respite from the summer heat.It couldn't have come fast enough!

I am so enjoying eating cool season foods! (As a side note, Steve thinks the concept of seasonal/temperature outside foods is nuts. For example, in my mind we would eat thicker, warmer foods - like chowders and casseroles - during cooler weather. He doesn't see why I wouldn't plan them year round. What say you?)

I've been bookmarking blogs and the recipe's I want to try for ages. This week's menu is full of them! Hooray for me - easy planning!

Here's a photo of what we got in todays Bountiful Basket order:

Our produce basket was heavy on juicy ripe pears, lemons and kiwi. So lemonade and several fruit breads/desserts are in the works too.

This week, I added the "Asian Pack" to our produce order, so we're eating lots of Asian inspired meals. I'm so hungry right now, and they all sound delicious!

Here's what I'm planning to serve my family over the next two weeks.

Sunday: Slow Cooker Chicken Taco's with black beans, rice, and mexican roasted corn
Monday: Asian Wonton Salad (I add napa cabbage too)
Tuesday: Chicken Tikka Masala with white rice and naan
Wednesday: Leftovers!!
Thursday: Tortellini Sausage Soup with homemade whole wheat rolls
Friday: Satay Chicken and Veggie Stir Fry (with bok choy, eggplant, bean sprouts, carrots, celery, onions and whatever else sounds good!) with brown rice
Saturday: Shepherds Pie and green salad
Sunday: Greek Chicken & Potatoes
Monday: Leftovers!
Tuesday: Chicken Curry Fried Rice and Pot Stickers
Wednesday: Black Bean Tortilla Soup (freezer!) and quesadillas
Thursday: Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken (or Pork)
Friday: Leftovers!
Saturday: Grilled Pizza with tomatoes, basil and homemade mozzarella cheese

Desserts: Pear Galettes & Berry Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream
Lunches: Salads, Quesadillas, Sandwiches, Cheese & Crackers, and leftovers!!

That's about it! What are you planning to cook?

What's Cooking - September 20th Edition

2011-09-21T09:40:00.000-05:00

Ahhh! It's SO nice to be home again! While I had an absolutely delightful time in Minneapolis at The Creative Connection Event and BlogHer Handmade (more about both of them later) it's always good to be back home with my own bed and schedule to try and get back on target with.

Steve picked up our Bountiful Basket produce basket for me while I was gone. It looked a little thinner than normal, but we'll work it out.

Here's what I'm planning to serve this week:

Monday: We were at my mother's home, and we dined on her deliciousness!
Tuesday: Homemade grilled pizza with homemade mozzarella cheese, basil, tomatoes, and pepperoni
Wednesday: Sesame green beans, mini potstickers, and beef and broccoli with white rice
Thursday: Grilled steak with oven roasted vegetables (squash, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and onions)
Friday: Taco Salads with black beans, avacado, tomato, romaine, and whatever else I find in the fridge.
Saturday: Spaghetti
Sunday: Roasted pork with potatoes (yay for crockpots!)

What are you cooking this week?

What's Cooking - September 5th Edition

2011-09-05T10:49:00.002-05:00

The heat of the summer has me beat. As I sat down to plan out our menu plan for the next week, I couldn't help but wish for cooler temperatures. While I do enjoy (and have even come to love) living in North Texas, this summer has been crazy hot. (I think it's been that way everywhere though!)

Saturday, after I picked up our produce basket from the co-op, I wrote out our menu plan (2 weeks even!) and dreamed about the food I'd love to enjoy if it wasn't so broiling hot outside. While I didn't put my cooler weather ideas onto our menu, I did make sure to stock up on the pantry ingredients so that I'm ready to go when that coolness FINALLY comes to town.

And, believe it or not, it arrived today.

HOOOORAY! The windows are open, the ceiling fans are on, and the air conditioner is off. I couldn't be more pleased!!

I mentioned briefly that I planned our menu for two weeks. I will be out of town for close to a week of those two weeks (BlogHer Handmade/The Creative Connection Event). It's important to me to plan ahead so that that there is plenty of food (and a plan) for my husband to enjoy while I'm gone.

Below is a photograph of what we received in this week's Bountiful Basket (our produce basket). There is a LOT of food! Check out those potatoes, and the grapes were small (the kind that are used for raisins!).

This week, I opted to get the "Mexican Pack" which added the bounty below!

With that in mind, here's what I'm planning to serve my family for the next few weeks:

Monday: Hamburgers, Potato Salad, Frog Eye Salad, Green Salad
Tuesday: Green salad with grilled steak
Wednesday: Baked pork chops, oven roasted potatoes & cauliflower
Thursday: Pasta tossed with spinach, tomatoes, pine nuts and parmesan cheese
Friday: Grilled Pizza with fresh basil, tomatoes and mozzerella
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Crockpot roasted chicken with vegetables
Monday: Bean and grilled veggie burritos with tomatillo salsa and guacamole
Tuesday: Thai chicken curry fried rice
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Sourdough, irish cheddar and spinach panini's with basil pesto
Friday: Order out (whatever he'd like really)
Saturday: Chicken & Rice Casserole
Sunday: Leftovers

With all that planned out, and several of my favorite "cooler" weather meals already stocked up, I think we're in good shape for a while.

What about you? What are you planning to serve at your house?

What's Cooking - August 28th Edition

2011-08-29T19:49:00.000-05:00

Last weekend, we had the glorious opportunity to travel down to south Texas into the Rio Grande Valley and visit my parents, sister, and her children. Sitting at my parents dining room table with the ones I adore, and enjoying my mother's incredible cooking was both a blessing and a delight. How I adore sitting down to family dinners, dinners with those I care about, and even dinners with those I'm eager to get to know. There is something wonderful about sitting around a table with others and enjoying a meal with them.

Bonding together over a meal, discussing lives and life's challenges. Enjoying the textures, flavors, and varying combinations - all of which selected by whomever prepared the meal. There is somewhat of an art in planning and preparing meals. My mother is amazing at it.

Truly she is.

Someday, I'll be as great as she is.

And I'll keep on working on it to make sure that it happens.

Here's what I'm planning to serve this week:

Monday: Green Chile Chicken Enchilada Lasagna (I don't roll my enchiladas, I layer them like lasagna. It's how my Mommy does it, so I do too)
Tuesday: Beef Stroganoff and Green Salad
Wednesday: Grilled Sausage with Sauerkraut
Thursday: Roasted Pork Chops with Spicy Peach BBQ Sauce and mashed potatoes
Friday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (Basil Pesto, Irish Cheddar Cheese on Sourdough Bread) and Tomato Soup
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Burrito-Fest!

What are you cooking this week?

Adventures in Gardening: Sowing my Fall Garden

2011-08-24T00:56:00.001-05:00

Starting a garden in the hellacious heat of this past summer was not so brilliant. But, how was I to know that we'd have record high temperatures for record long stretches?

I watered religiously, used organic fertilizers and organic pesticides/sprays and ended up with a whole lot of not a lot.

Seriously. I ended up with a dozen or more yellow sunburst tomatoes, 1 zucchini, 1 roma tomato, 1 little tiny jalapeno (that was bitter, not hot), and enough basil to make several batches of pesto.

Really, I was expecting a lot more. While I am disappointed in my first go-around, I'm not giving up. I learned a lot about what I should do (keep trying, what a squash bug is, what a squash borer is, and definitely trim & cage tomato plants) and even more about what not to do (overcrowd). I didn't get to can my own garden fresh salsa, but I did get to make and freeze enough pesto to last us for a very, very long time.

A few weeks ago I took a fall gardening class at one of the many local garden centers and learned a lot. I'm glad I went because the staff member who taught was very educated in horticulture, and was incredibly willing and excited to share her knowledge with us. She set us up with the information and know how to have a successful fall garden.

Now it's up to me to make it happen.

Since the moment I returned home from the fall gardening class, I've been working on my beds and getting them prepared for fall. I hand tilled fertilizer and compost, added even more compost (very rich), and added several other nutrients to the soil. Then, I let it rest.

Yep, just rest and wait it out for a week.

The following week, it was time to get going. I've planted all of the seeds, plated and caged the transplants (tomatoes), and watered. Tomorrow I'll put down a layer of alfalfa hay to try and hold in some moisture since our Texas sun and heat is so harsh. Here are two of the three beds:

Hopefully I'll find my green thumb, and will have a much better fall harvest than summer.

What's up with the third bed?

Well, I'm staggering our planting. I don't want everything to be ready at once, and would like to stretch out some of our home grown produce as much as possible. I'll share photos of that bed when I get it down (in 2-3 weeks or so).

That's it for my fall garden so far. I'm learning, and really enjoying the learning part. I never ever would have imagined myself as a gardener and one who really REALLY enjoys it. Yes, it can be back bending and painful work, but the rewards are great. I expect (and hope) that our fall harvest will be very rewarding.

Only time and work will tell!

Are you gardening at home? What are you doing, and what are your greatest success tips?

What's Cooking - August 22nd Edition

2011-08-22T00:15:00.000-05:00

This summer we've all experienced record setting high temperatures, and for longer periods than in the past. I am thrilled to report, that in my area of North Texas it has finally started to cool down a bit.

Hallelujah!!

I've been spending more time with Fred outside in the sunshine, and we've been busy catching up on our sidewalk (and driveway) chalk art. This little man of mine loves to play with colors. And his momma couldn't be more happy!

This week, we got an AWESOME load of produce in our co-op basket. Hooray! We received strawberries, plums, peaches, pears, grapes, cantelope, romaine lettuce, corn, tomatoes, and broccoli. This week I also took advantage of the option of purchasing a 30lb bag of Hatch Green Chile peppers. (I'm a Hatch Chile Pepper fan - in a HUGE way!)

So, as you can imagine, I'm planning to be eating a LOT of chile peppers this week.

Sunday: Hatch Chile Pesto Pasta (This is the Pesto recipe I used since CM stopped sharing this recipe. Their loss. This is a KEEPER!)
Monday: Hatch Macaroni & Cheese with grilled brats or hotdogs
Tuesday: Naked Chicken Nuggets, oven fries, steamed broccoli
Wednesday: Chicken Enchiladas (with chile sauce!), roasted corn, cilantro rice and peach cobbler
Thursday: Leftovers or green salad with broiled salmon
Friday: Grilled chicken with peach bbq sauce and pasta (or green salad)
Saturday: Black Bean Nacho's with Hatch Green Chile Queso
Sunday: Chicken Burrito Bowls with chiles instead of jalapeno's

What are you cooking this week?

Adventures in Homemaking: Laundry Soap

2011-08-17T00:02:00.004-05:00

Over the last few years, I've read about others making their own laundry detergent.

I'll be honest. I thought they were crazy.

Photo Credit: One more Moore Blog

I first read about it here, here and more recently here.

And yet, I'm trying it too. Why not? It's definitely cheaper to make it yourself, it appears to be easy to make and if it cleans as well (and is better for our machines and our environment), it seems that I'd be stupid not to at least give it a shot. I researched about the pro's and con's. I checked into the reliability with front loading washers, and read more reviews.

And, so I did.

I checked around and read more stories of others making their own detergent. (It did not surprise me in the slightest to find out that the Duggars make theirs. If I had that many bodies to do laundry for, I'd likely just buy the factory where detergent is made. Keeping up with the laundry of 3 bodies is more than I can normally handle anyway!)

I went a little wild and changed up the "recipe's" I read and added OxyClean. (I've got a REALLY hard working man in my house, who tends to get a wee bit greasy and grimy at work. So, I wanted the extra stain removing power.)

Here's my recipe

2 Fels-Naptha soap bars, grated
2 cups Borax
2 cups Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (not baking soda!)
1 cup OxyClean

I mixed it all up, ran it through my food processor to get a finer grain (the soap bars are easy to grate, but I wanted a smaller granule), and then popped it into a plastic pitcher from Wal-mart. (I would have used a glass jar, but I didn't have one large enough available).

Easy peasy! 2 tablespoons per load is all it takes and it saves my budget about 20 cents with each load I do (our store bought name brand detergent runs me about $0.29 per load). It took about 30 minutes to make (with grating the soap and all). I'm thinking it's a win/win for us.

So far, everything that I've washed has come out just dandy! Toddler hand prints and jazz, towels, and work clothes all look and smell great!

Up next... maybe... probably... but not definitely... dishwasher detergent!

A funny tidbit... so my sister-in-law Kimberlee, was over while I was mixing everything up and she asked me what I was doing. I explained it... and her first comment was... something to the effect that I've gone "too far" with all of "this" and that I needed to make changes in other places.

Once I explained it to her, she didn't think it was THAT strange, but still felt it was odd.

I agree that it's not the "norm" and that perhaps compared to others it was definitely odd. I've been odd my whole life, and I've become (mostly) okay with it. I see this as learning a skill that may someday help my family when we are in a tight spot financially, or a skill that I can maybe share with someone else who might need the help. Heaven knows that we're seeing more and more of our friends, family, and neighbors going through hard times financially. And... having extra knowledge is something I can always keep and not worry about having to organize. :)

What's Cooking - August 13th Edition

2011-08-13T23:20:00.042-05:00

Last week, I followed our menu plan quite well. We didn't necessarily eat the meals I shared on the days I planned them for, but we did eat all of the meals.

That equals a huge success in my book!

This week, I'm really trying to focus on eating our produce, and on eating the foods I've been stock piling in our freezers.

Yes, freezers.

We have a standard freezer that's part of our side-by-side refrigerator, and a second chest style freezer in the garage. I am VERY lucky, I know!

(I love hiding my treats in the garage freezer!)

((Until someone else finds my stash, and then I get ticked that they invaded my space. Blarg!)

Anyway, here's what I'm planning to have this week!

Sunday: Barbeque beef brisket sandwiches, jalapeno cilantro coleslaw & cheesy potatoes (or chips depending on my mood/energy)
Monday: Beans and Rice with corn bread waffles(one of my favorite dinners!!)
Tuesday: Baked Spaghetti
Wednesday: Chicken tortilla soup
Thursday: Curry chicken fried rice and chicken curry samosa's
Friday: Greek style gyros, green salad (I think this will end up a greek veggie salad) and french fries. (It's Kimberlee's birthday, so she gets to pick out what she'd like me to make for her dinner. It's either this or greek feta stuffed hamburgers.)
Saturday: Homemade macaroni & cheese & leftover green salad

What are you making this week?

What's Cooking - August 6th Edition

2011-08-06T14:02:00.000-05:00

I'm determined to eat healthier. We just need to. It's not that we don't eat healthy, when compared to many of our friends, we definitely do.

But, we can do better.

Getting our produce from Bountiful Baskets definitely helps, because it's here, and I don't want it to go to waste.

I hate it when food goes to waste. I feel like I'm throwing money right down the drain, and I don't have (nor would I want) to have the kind of money that just goes down that way.

Our basket this week is plentiful! So much yumminess! Little new potatoes, roma tomatoes, thin tender asparagus, romaine lettuce, celery, red peppers, pluots, peaches, pears, cantaloupe, pickling cucumbers and bananas were all included. I can't beat that for $15 at my grocery store!

So, here's what I am planning to serve to my family this week:

Sunday: Bruschetta salad (tomatoes, basil, onions, garlic and fresh mozzerella cheese tossed with whole wheat pasta and dressed with just a smidge of extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice) and grilled chicken.
Monday: Potato, bacon and asparagus fritatta
Tuesday: Baked ravioli, ciabatta bread and a green veggie salad
Wednesday: Blackened tilapia with seasoned rice served with a green salad
Thursday: Chipotle-style burritos
Friday: Kielbasa and stir fried veggies with white rice
Saturday: Leftovers

I'll be doing a LOT of baking over the next few days, as a friend and I are co-hostessing a playdate/book baby shower for a mutual friend. Our friend is having her second baby, and repeatedly said she didn't need anything. Well, in my world babies are cause for celebrating! So, we decided it would be fun for our friends to get together and shower her (and her 3 year old son) with everyones favorite children's books. Most of us have children all about the same age, they were invited also. So, now it's a play date, but with a purpose!

The theme for our refreshments is "Milk & Cookies". I've been going to town baking all kinds of different cookies to have. So far, I'm planning to have chocolate chip, peanut butter, and chocolate chocolate chip cookies. We're also going to have old fashioned sour cream drop cookies, cranberry walnut oatmeal cookies,(probably my favorite!), and pumpkin cookies.

I'm thinking I definitely have enough cookies for our little group! It's a good thing I thought ahead and have little bags for the mothers to package up cookies to take home with them. We definitely don't need all of them here at my house!

That's what's cookin' at my house. What's cookin' at yours?

What's Cooking - August 1st Edition

2011-08-02T02:33:00.002-05:00

WOW! It's been a month since I've shared our menu plans.

Sorry!

Here's what we're having this week:

Monday: Braised Beef Brisket with cheesy potatoes and roasted corn
Tuesday: Brisket sandwiches with cilantro jalapeno slaw and chips
Wednesday: Corn chowder and green salad
Thursday: Spaghetti
Friday: Baked Potatoes and green salad
Saturday: Cowboy nachos or brisket tacos
Sunday: Pizza!

Did you catch the theme of this week?

Brisket.

I made a huge mistake. I purchased a 15 pound brisket at a killer price a month or so ago. Instead of cutting it into managable pieces (or at least pieces that my family could eat for one meal), I put the whole thing into our freezer, as in... in one piece.

It was a big brisket.

I am pretty sure I could feed my entire neighborhood with this sucker.

And still have enough left to freeze for several other meals.

Gah!

What are you having for dinner this week?

Happy Thoughts....

2011-07-28T16:11:00.002-05:00

Well, it's way past time that I figure out what these changes Blogger made to their back end, so that I can update you on the front end. Right?

Right!

(Did you know Blogger made HUGE changes on how everything looks on the back end? Meaning, the way I post and everything is completely new! Not knocking it, I'm just learning what it is that I need to re-learn. And, yes, Andrea.... I am thinking about making the big move over to WordPress. I hear you. :) )

Loralee (who makes me laugh more than not), shared 10 things that are making her happy right now. And, invited others to do the same.

Sounds good to me!

So, here are 10 things that are making me happy (in no particular order)...

1. My incredible, hunky, hard working, and loving husband. He works VERY hard for us and I am grateful for him and the sacrifices he makes so that I can stay home with our little man. He supports me in everything I do, encourages me to improve myself (especially the ability to budget... ah hem), he loves me, and is willing to help me out with my harebrained ideas. That man was made for me. I'm so glad that we're together!

2. My little man (though definitely entrenched in the terrible 2's), Fred. He never ceases to amaze me with his never ending need of celery, raisins, and goldfishies, his ever expanding vocabulary and budding grammar knowledge and sentence structures. His love of music makes my heart sing, and his continual requests for tickling and car races make me grin from ear to ear.

3. My garden. Though, I lept in with 9 feet and went completely balls-to-the wall, without any real knowledge of what I was doing, it is actually starting to work out. I mean, we are eating things that I grew. That I planted, watered, fertilized, trimmed, organically treated, and babied. It amazes me! And... I have had more failures in my first garden than successes, but I've tried to learn from my mistakes and am already planning our fall/winter garden and the changes we're going to make for next spring. It kind of cracks me up that I find so much happiness in seeing something grow from a seedling into something that is tangible and that we can eat. (Ironically, the zucchini shown is the ONLY one that made it out of our garden. I lost the zuch plants to the dastardly squash borers. Fortunately, I was able to save the summer squash - but barely!)

4. My mother. We totally did not, in any way or stretch of the imagination, get along when I was a teen (and even as a younger adult). I really did not appreciate or respect her as I should have. I do regret it now, and have expressed my deepest apologies to her on multiple occasions. She actually just left my home, a few hours ago, after coming to help me reorganize my kitchen. Yes, you read that right reorganize my KITCHEN. She is the only person in the whole world that I knew I could call on, who would be able to help me whittle down the ridunkulous collection of kitchen gadgets, pans, stoneware I had amassed and get what I had remaining into a more tidy and organized method. My kitchen is immaculately organized, and several friends have already come over to go through and take that which I am alleviating myself of. My mom is amazing, and I am not only grateful that she was able, and willing, to come and help, but that she did so willingly and with love.

5. Friends. Isn't it interesting how we begin to collect and amass our friends? I have work friends, creative friends, friends I've met through play groups (or moms of other friends), family friends, my husbands friends wives, church friends, friends from before I moved to the US, college friends, post-college friends... all kinds of friends. I am so grateful for them, and each of the different roles they play in my life. Admittedly, I am terrible at maintaining contact with friends. I meet them at various avenues in my life, and then afterwards have a difficult time continuing that relationship. I am so grateful to the several who continue to email me, checking in, and pulling me out of my comfort zone. My heart is full of gratitude.

6. This will sound cryptic, but I am so happy that I live in a country that is full of those who have taken the time to educate themselves in medicine, medical technologies, and have made the decision to have a career using these skills and talents. I am grateful that they are available for me when the need arises and that they are able to assist me when the need arises. Having this access gives me immense peace of mind which makes me happy!

7. Air Conditioning. Good golly... I was just telling my mom how grateful I am that I was born when I was because I don't know how I would be able to handle living without air conditioning. With the crazy heat everyone is experiencing around the country (here in my part of Texas, we hit a record for the most consecutive days where the temperature has been at or over 100 degrees!), I'm sure we're all grateful. Having an air conditioned house and car make me VERY happy.

8. Diet Coke. Yes, I know I have said (and I still do plan on) quitting my Diet Coke habit. But, seriously... a cold Diet Coke just makes me happy. It just does. And for right now, I am 100% okay with that.

9. Art and the ability to create. Seriously... I LOVE making things. Tangible things. Not tangible things. Doodling, drawing, painting, melting crayons (and I made a COOL piece of wall art with crayons - like the one shown - this week for the play room), using Copic markers, sewing, making jewelry, making cards, cooking, really... any kind of creating/making things with my hands... just makes me all kinds of happy.

10. Music. Music has the power to brighten and darken my day with only a few short measures. Music is something I need in my life. I love listening to other perform, I adore watching Broadway (and like) performances. I love the feeling of creating music, and playing to my hearts content. I LOVE teaching Fred songs, and adore hearing him sing his own versions. I love music. Plain and simple. It makes me crazy happy!

So, there you have it! 10 things that make me happy!

What are 10 things that make you happy?

I really would like to know, you know!

Adventures in Gardening...

2011-07-02T12:24:00.000-05:00

Steve and Fred helped to hook me up with a garden for Mother's Day this year.

Steve (oh so strong and mighty!!) dug the beds.

It wasn't a small feat.

Here in North Texas, our soil is mostly rocks.

Big huge, honkin' rocks.
And clay.

Lots and Lots and LOTS of clay.
Anyway, he used his super human man strength and started digging our gardening beds. (With a bunch of little super toddler help!)

We decided to go with a square foot gardening plan,with a few adjustments. We purchased our raised bed gardening frames at a local superstore. The plan was for 2 raised beds.

It turned out that the frames I bought weren't part of the square foot gardening plan. They measured 40"x40" square.

So a few adjustments had to be made. No problem. Right?

Not so much.

It turns out that when I went shopping, I didn't pay enough attention, and thought that I could just pop one tomato plant into each square foot spot. You know how it is, right? You're at the garden center looking at all of the wonderful vegetable plants and dreaming of the fabulousness that your garden will be - if you buy these plants.

And buy I did.

16 tomato plants, 3 basil plants, 6 pepper plants, 2 zucchini plants, 2 summer squash plants, 3 cucumber plants, 2 fennel plants, 2 cilantro plants, 1dill plant.

Isn't that just enough for 2 raised square foot garden beds? More like enough for 5 raised garden beds. But, I didn't realize that yet.

It's a good thing this is a learning experience.

Learning I am!!

Making this long story short(er)... here's what I did.

I begged Steve to dig a 3rd bed, and he did.

I put 9 tomato plants in that bed (oh what a novice I am!!), and planted everything else in the other two beds.

Everything went swimmingly... until EVERYTHING started to grow.

Well mostly.

I'll finish up this tale in another episode... because believe me... there is much more to tell. (and a whole lot more belly laughs at my inexperience too!)

Goodbye and GOOD Riddance to June 2011!

2011-07-01T00:40:00.000-05:00

Have you ever had one of those months that you can't wait to see end?

For me, it's this month - June 2011 (well for another hour or so!).

It's been a month full of medical challenges. I don't normally like to wallow in the mire, but I need a moment to vent, even if it is here on my blog.

I got to start (and end!!) the month with two rather evasive and somewhat painful procedures. Yay.
I got to have a double root canal. Double Yay!
Today, I "got" to have 5 dysplastic moles removed, and four lentigines frozen off.

There were also regular other challenges that added extra ~~irritation~~ blah to the month.

I got a painful sunburn all over my lower back (I'm blaming it on a new swimsuit, and my not thinking about applying sunscreen there.) Boo!
Shea and Debbie moved back home to California. Boo!

Fortunately, there was quite a bit of greatness in the month to bring me both mental and physical relief!

My parents, and sister (with her 4 children) came to visit for a few days. We had a blast visiting Going Bonkers in Lewisville, Lego Land in Grapevine, and the Fort Worth Children's Museum (obviously in Fort Worth). Yay!
We celebrated Steve's 3rd father's day with his favorite foods and the opportunity to get whatever he wanted as a gift. YAY! (for him!!)
I had the pleasure of spending a long weekend with 55 wonderful women at the amazing "Art of Spring" put on by Debbie and Shea of A Gilded Life. Our weekend included going to Canton (on a luxury tour bus at that), taking a wonderful day-long bird making class by Lesa Daily (which she is known for), and a second day-long class with Shea and Debbie making a multi-strand watch (or bracelet - it was up to the creator!) We were spoiled with the culinary skill and prowress of Sarah Keenan and her fun assistant Jenny Brogdon. I love these weekends so much, and am sad to say (that in case you haven't heard) this was the last one to be held in the gorgeous church Shea and Debbie used to live in. So sad!
I've been decluttering our home with a mad and furious pace. It wasn't that we had a LOT of anything, but I had enough little things here and there that just needed to go. I am hoping to be "done" with saving things for a 'just in case' time, or keeping things around because they're fun or cool - even if I won't use them.
As part of my decluttering efforts, my studio is actually almost 100% tidy and 80% organized! Hooray! I'll be blogging about that soon over on my organizing blog (which is in a very sad need of updating!). Yay!
My garden is flourishing, and we've been able to enjoy it's small bounty. I'm eager for the day when we can harvest a full grown tomato (rather than a small cherry one) or a full grown zucchini (remind me of that when/if I whine that we have too much of it!). Yay!

Looking back at what's happened this month, there have definitely been more positives than negatives. It's interesting sometimes how the negatives can overshadow the positive.

Off to a positive, and happy July!!

Right Now I'm....

2011-06-28T13:54:00.001-05:00

Photo by Jennifer Wolsey Photography

Melissa Bolton (of Designher Brands and Adored Before fame) posted something to her blog today that caused me to pause and think.

How many of my Facebook "friends" do I really know? I mean... know.

I have several categories of "friends", one of which includes "unknown" because let's face it... sometimes we have no clue who it is that is sending us a friend request. I accept all requests because I don't know if it's for work, or if its for play.

I am pleased to report that for the most part, I know many of my friends and I "know of" many of the others.

That being said, I'd LOVE to know more about all of them!

Melissa posted several prompts, answered them and then asked that some of us do the same. She said something that has really, really stuck in my mind.

"...I have always maintained that every single person has something of worth to share with the world..."

I love that! There is something of worth that every single person on this planet has to share with the world.

Here are my responses to Melissa's prompts. I'd love it if you would copy and paste the same prompts to your blog and share yourself with us too.

Really, I would love it!

Right now, I’m:

Wearing ~ yoga pants and a "freebie" UNT huge t-shirt.

Drinking ~ Sugar Free Rockstar. (I forgot to put Diet Coke in the fridge and it was there!)

Listening To ~ Fred, upstairs in his room, yelling and trying to convince me he doesn't need a nap.

Wondering ~ what today's results will be. (I'm having another procedure done later this afternoon. To say I'm both incredibly nervous and calm at the same time is an oxymoron, but it is what it is.)

Thinking ~ how blessed I am to be so loved and with friends who both get and support me.

Feeling ~ a bit nervous, but calm that all will work out according to His will.

Wishing ~ my art room/studio was better organized so that I could pop up there and create in the small snippets of free time I have. I'm also wishing I wasn't such a "collector" and could really get into and love a simpler way of living. (I'm getting there!!)

Hoping ~ I get the laundry folded and actually put away.

Planning on ~ taking Fred to the park, despite the Texas heat.

Aggravated by ~ people who refuse to see the positive in life or who constantly complain (even about the things they offer to do).

Most passionate about ~ cooking, sharing with others, and loving my family.

Wanting ~ to be the best person I can be.I am enough, right now - today. I don't need to compare myself to others and measure myself to them. It is okay to not be like others, and to enjoy myself as I am.

Dreaming Of ~ a relaxing family vacation.

Wishing I was ~ free of debt, guilt and these last few pounds.*

Wanting to be ~ more organized* and better at self control.

Needing ~ just a bit more time in each day (or better time management skills-ha)*.

Trying to ~ figure out ways to both be a great mother to my gorgeous son and still feel like I'm maintaining my own identity.

Wanting to try ~ more home improvement projects, and expanding the garden.

Most thankful for ~ My family. I am incredibly blessed with not one, or two families but three. (My family, my husbands family, and my birth/biological family)

Giving up on ~ worrying what everyone else thinks. My husband often reminds me that the only opinions and things that matter are within our family and the walls of our home. The world, our "friends" and others opinions really do not matter.

Interestingly, many of Melissa's responses to her prompts were very same answers I would have also given. Most of them I went ahead and changed. However, the ones marked with an asterisk are her initial answers that I completely agree with and feel the same about.

What's Cookin' - June 26th Edition

2011-06-26T21:57:00.000-05:00

I'm changing things up.

Shocking right?

I mean, when have I ever been one to keep things going the way that I originally plan to?

(Ask my mom... she'll agree. Consistancy and I are not friends.)

Anyway, I'm going back to calling my menu plan posts "What's Cookin'"

I just like it better that way.
Also, instead of assigning meals to days, I'm going to just make a list of meals. (There's less pressure for me to make sure I make it on the day I designate. I'm all about less pressure!!)

With all that being said, here's what I'm planning to serve this week. (My goal is to plan our menu around what we get in our weekly produce basket I order from Bountiful Baskets and from the food stockpiled in the pantry and freezer. I supplement the produce we need from a local farmers market and the rest from local grocery stores.)

Dinners:

Pan Seared Tilapia, Grilled Cabbage and Roasted Corn.
Grilled Tandoori Chicken Skewers with Yogurt Sauce and Jasmine Rice
Chicken Lime Tacos, Mexican Rice, Black Beans & Mango Salsa
Tex Mex Stuffed Poblano Peppers and Mexican Gray Squash
Layered Caribbean Chicken Salad
Beef Lettuce Wraps & Veggie Spring Rolls (both totally from the freezer section of a local grocery store... the lettuce is fresh though!)

Lunches:

Quesadilla's (Veggie, Chicken, or Black Bean)
Cabbage and Egg Noodles
PB&J
Green Salad with Tomatillo Ranch Salad Dressing and Grilled Chicken

Breakfasts:

Mango, Orange, Plum and/or Peach Smoothies
Yogurt with Tropical Granola
Fruit Loops (Keepin' it real around here folks!)

Snacks:

Plums, Apples, Peaches, Carrot Sticks, or any other fruit not needed for a recipe
Celery with Peanut Butter

Desserts:

Spring Lime Tea Cookies (they'll be frozen for later enjoyment)
Apple Strudel (I have a LOT of apples that I need to use up!

Preserving/Dehydrating: Celery, green onions, apples, and a few peaches (I'm really making a conscious effort to not have anything go to waste. That being said, there are times where we've just not made it through everything we've received in our Bountiful Baskets Food co-op basket. So, if I've had it in the fridge for 2 weeks, off to my preserving plan it goes! :) )

That's all I've got... what'cha think about that??

The Delights of Allergies...

2011-06-22T08:13:00.003-05:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
If you've ever lived in, visted, or known anyone who lives in North Texas, you have heard about the delights of allergies.
Except, that they aren't delightful.
At all.
I'm not kidding. I hate allergies.
But, yet I live in North Texas where when the wind blows everything from just about everywhere in our great nation blows into town and promptly parks itself in my sinuses.
I've taken many different medications over the years to try and thwart the effects of these delights. Some of them prescription strength and some over the counter. (Speaking of which... are you as amazed as I am at the cost of prescription medications? SHOCKING! But, when I stop to think about the time, money, brilliance, and science that has gone into creating these little amazing pills, I realize that really, it's not SO bad.. It sucks for my wallet, but I'd rather be with the invention than without!!)
Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin, and all of the "D" versions too.
In recent years, I've been lucky enough to have a family member work for Walgreens. That means, I get to enjoy the hookup of discounts. (Which, in reality, are nice but not necessary. I find that Walgreens has great prices on their medications!)
And, on the rare occasion, a drug delivery. (Does that make her my dealer?)
Anyway, last spring, I was desperate for sinus relief and I didn't have the energy to haul myself and Little Man to the store to hook myself up.
And so my dealer arrived with 24 hour relief WAL-ITIN D.
At first, I was leery to take a generic brand medication. I thought it wasn't the same as the name brand, and that perhaps somewhere the same ingredients (or ingredients that do the same thing) wouldn't be comparable.
But, I was desperate for relief, and grateful that I didn't have to jet to the store. (Really, the store should have been grateful too, because I was not looking pretty).
So, I took it, and long story short... I love it.
So much so that every 15 days I'm there buying another box (thank you meth heads for making sure that yet another over-the-counter medication has to be monitored).
A few things I learned about store brand, generic version medications...

Most contain the same active ingredients as other national brands.
Have a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Visit http://www.walgreens.com/walgr… to learn more about Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products.

Something else I recently learned about Walgreens specifically is that a purchase of any of their Walgreens Brand Health & Wellness Products supports bringing preventive wellness services to local communities through the Walgreens Way to Well Fund™. The Walgreens Way to Well Fund™ will provide free preventive health tests as well as other health and wellness services and education to local communities. Some of those services will include preventive health tests through the National Urban League Health & Wellness Tour and vouchers redeemable in select stores.
Anyway...
Long story short, living in North Texas has it's benefits (flip flops on Christmas day, fresh salsa anytime, and Sonic to name a short few), but it also has it's drawbacks.
Allergies.
But, thanks to amazing drugs, like Wal-itin D, I can survive without being congested, itchy, and without scratching my eyes out.
P.S. Several bloggers are doing giveaways on their blog. If you're inclined, check it out!

Snot... No! Really! Snot!

2011-06-17T22:21:00.002-05:00

I wrote this post while participating in a blog tour conducted by Clever Girls Collective on behalf of Children's Claritin®. I have been compensated for my time commitment to the program.

What is it with kids and snot?

I'm talking boogers, not attitude.

It's GORGEOUS outside (that was this morning!!). No really!

There was a slight breeze which is made the morning heat bearable (dare I say.... enjoyable?)

And yet... there my beautiful, gorgeous, little hunk of a man is.

With boogers dripping down his face. Talk about gorgeous.

GROSS!

I quickly realized that I'd forgotten to give him his morning allergy medication.

Yep, he takes it every morning. (right along with his chewable dinosaur vitamins. He growls for them too!)

One more YAY! for living in North Texas.

Allergies are such fun. Aren't they?!.

Fortunately, Claritin for kids makes it work. No really, Little Man even notices it.

I'll ask him if he needs help with his nose, and he'll respond with .... "Yes Mommy. No Care-tin. Take Care-tin now peas."

He takes his dosage, and about 30 minutes later we're good to go.

Claritin shared this great guide for Mom's who are dealing with kids and allergies.

Here's to hoping you don't need (or have) to deal with snot!!

Clear to Enjoy Spring: The Allergy Guide for Moms and Kids

View more presentations from Children's Claritin

For more tips on relieving allergies, visit www.Facebook.com/Claritin. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

What's Cookin'

2011-06-13T00:12:00.002-05:00

Here I am, on SUNDAY, finishing up our menu plan for the coming week. Color me proud of myself.

For reals.

Lately, my family has been ordering a produce basket from Bountiful Baskets and it has been amazing.

I've been telling EVERYONE who'll listen about them, and everyone around me is so tired of listening (or they're thanking me and ordering baskets for their family).

No kickbacks or discounts for me... they're a co-op, not a business.

And I love that about them.

Anywho, my goal is to plan our menu around what we recieve in our basket.

So far, so good!

Here's what we got in our basket on Saturday:

Not my image! Click on it to go to it's source (But we did receive the same produce in our basket!)

Not my image! It's from the blog "4PeastsSake" Click on it to go to it's source (But we did receive the same produce in our basket!)

We had spinach, romaine lettuce, bananas, pears, peaches, apples, watermelon, cantaloupe, sweet peppers, artichokes, yellow peppers, onions, and tomatoes.

All for $15!

I'm also a huge fan of their add-ons. This week, we also added the sourdough bread (5 loaves for $10), tropical granola, 24lbs of apricots ($20), and two super delicious cakes.

In the past we've purchased their honey wheat bread and the 9-grain wheat bread. Both were 5 loaves for $10. We freeze 4 of the loaves and just pull them out when we need them. It is the best bread (aside from homemade) we've ever had and you can't beat the price. It's not a smushy bread and it's not hard. It is firm and tender... and is brilliant toasted!

I digress... back to our menu plan for the week...

Here's what I'm planning to make:

Monday: Stuffed artichokes and green salad with sweet peppers, feta cheese, tomatoes and pears.
Tuesday: Grilled pork chops with apricot chutney served with brown rice
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Potato, onion & yellow pepper frittata with piave cheese
Friday: Chicken & shrimp jambalaya
Saturday: Leftovers
Sunday: Spaghetti Casserole
Dessert: Apricot Ice Cream
Snack Options: Watermelon, cantelope, and mango apricot salsa with baked tortilla crisps (baked in our oven)
Lunch Options: Yogurt, Apples & Cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, homemade tomato soup (with evaporated milk instead of the cream)
Breakfast Optionss: Eggs, yogurt, granola, toast

Here's to a great week, that's hopefully full of delicious healthy food!

Maintaining Creative Friendships...

2011-06-10T22:33:00.000-05:00

Thank you to Yahoo! Mail for sponsoring this post about staying connected. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Over the years, I've been able to attend several really incredible art events. At these events, I've learned skills and techniques that I didn't know beforehand and I've also met some of my most favorite people ever. On a few really, REALLY, lucky occasions I've been able to maintain these relationships and branch them into friendships.

Real friendships.

I love that, and I really believe that email helps build those friendships. None of the friendships I've developed are with people who live close to me. The closest one lives at least 40 miles away.

That's a lotta miles, friend!

Fortunately, the big huge world of the 'ole www (that's World Wide Web), provides a way for us to maintain a relationship and communication with each other.

It's called email.

You know what that is, right? :)

(Though, I will be the first to admit, I still tend to be horrible at always responding to emails. Even if they are from some of my most favorite people EVER.)

This past weekend, I participated in and attended The Art of Spring, which was the very last event the wonderful women of A Gilded Life will be hostessing in their Church.

Yes, I said Church.

Doesn't everyone host events in churches? Or better yet, live in them?

Well THEY do! (DID rather....)

I had the absolute BEST time. I was able to hang out with my 'peeps', see some of my absolute most favorite people EVER, and get to know a whole slew of new people too!

People who GET me.

I mean, REALLY get me. (They don't get all huffy when they see that I consider myself a Gilded Girl. 'Cause they KNOW what it means... and I'm not just being a snob!)

(Photo from Jackie Peter's Blog)

They get the need to create. They get the urge to gather (and hoard) vintage art, baubles, and ephemera. They totally understand why I have separate tools for fine jewelry making rather than using the very same tools to solder or to repair furniture.

I know you know what I mean.

I've got a really great post mostly written with some of the awesomeness that we enjoyed that weekend (I've actually scheduled writing it into my busy calendar!!!), so hold on to your britches... It's a comin'!!

The point I want to get to is this...

Even though I don't live very close to any of these friends, we are able to maintain connections with each other via email.

We email about our lives, about jalepeno's that co-workers left on our desks (Yes, Charlotte... you ARE a hot mamma!), about ridiculous things people say or do, about what we're wearing (and what we should NOT be wearing), about art projects, art inspirations, and even better.... SALES!!

We email about hardships, joyous occasions, challenges, and successes. We talk about the work we're submitting for publication (and getting honest feedback on it), about the opportunities to have our businesses grow, about the thrills of seeing our work in print (and available at a local bookstore for everyone to see), and about the challenges of not getting our work selected.

Many times we email about the things we don't want to have completely public (otherwise we'd be reading about it on each others blogs or on that amazing place called Facebook), and that we want to discuss amongst those we hold close to our heart.

Email is a wonderful thing.

Truely it is.

(Now, if only I could find a way (or even a better system) to read my email AND reply to it on my smart phone. I'm telling you ... though technology is phenomenal, it's also a curse!!)

P.S. For the record... I've used Yahoo! email for over 20 years.
P.P.S. Now I feel old.

What's Cookin'

2011-06-07T13:14:00.002-05:00

I have got to get back on target with blogging!

'Cause at the moment... saying I sucketh isn't even the tip of the iceberg!

I'm going to do this.

Really I am!

I have several half written blog posts about my new garden (already eating parts of it!!), our playroom decor/redesign, recipe makeovers (into healthier choices), my soldered house class in Oklahoma, my canning adventures, the most recent A Gilded Life event, and several different crafting projects!

In any respect, here's my menu plan for what's left of this week:

Tuesday: Veggie laden pasta salad with grilled chicken and garlic bread
Wednesday: Grilled mozzarella cheese, tomato, arugula, and pesto sandwiches on ciabatta buns (and leftover pasta salad) - MY FAVORITE!
Thursday: Meatloaf (freezer) & mashed potatoes with oven roasted cauliflower
Friday: Grilled fish and veggies with brown rice
Saturday: Oven fried chicken and roasted new potatoes
Sunday: Peanut butter pesto & chicken pizza (It's a Steve creation... sounds gross but is SO good!)
Dessert: Upside Down Pineapple cake
New Recipe: Pineapple Pretzel Salad (sounds interesting...)
Breakfast Choices: Plain Greek yogurt (seasoned with agave and a bit of mexican vanilla), homemade granola, toast, eggs, fruit, or starve.
Lunch Choices: Tacos, quesadillas, taquitos (clearly I enjoy Mexican food, and it is EASY), pb&j, ramen (which I love with broccoli), or a hotdog (for the boy).

That's all I got folks! What'cha think about that?

What's Cookin' & Giveaway!

2011-05-17T09:45:00.002-05:00

*** Update: Blogger was down last week, and when their repairs were made all comments were deleted. So, I'm reopening this giveaway until Thursday, May 19th. ***

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FRESCHETTA®. All opinions are 100% mine.

The sun is out, and spring is definitely heading into summer for those of us living in North Texas. The weather is starting to bring out it's heat (we're usually in the upper 90's nowadays), and the lovely spring storms too (muggy, anyone??).

So, what I'm getting at is, as I planned this week's menu my goal was 1 - not to heat up the house too much, and 2 - keep it easy.

Plus, I'm trying to spend every waking minute de-stashing my house. Simplifying our life seems so much easier than dealing with stuff.

With that being said, here's what we're having for dinner this week

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and roasted asparagus
Chopped Salad with grilled chicken
Fajita's
Quesadilla's (made with our fajita leftovers)
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (ciabatta, aged cheddar, peso, and arugala - LOVE!)
Shrimp Macaroni & Cheese (Pre-Made Freezer Dinner)
FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™ Chicken Bianca Pizza

Yes, I whole heartedly admit to buying pre-made pizza's and serving them to my family. They're FAST and EASY and DELICIOUS. Recently, I was offered the opportunity to try one of FRESCHETTA's pizza's.

Picking just one was hard. I prefer thin crusts, and lots of veggie toppings. While Steve loves pepperoni and meat lover style pizzas on thick crusts. So, we decided to try two - the FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™ Chicken Bianca Pizza and the Brick Oven Pepperoni Pizza.

We were both pleasantly pleased and we'll definitely be adding them into our regular menu rotation/plan. (As a side note, I loved their packaging. No thick bulky box to try and cram into a space in my freezer. The packaging was thin and easy to open. Win!)

Fortunately for you, I was also given the opportunity to share a coupon with one of you for your own FRESCHETTA® Simply…Inspired™Pizza - so that you can try one out for yourself! There are 8 different flavor varieties, so there's definitely something for everyone! Visit freschettasimplyinspired.com to learn more about their eight great-tasting varieties, and find which flavor is simply… you! (P.S. I also get to send a bamboo cutting board with the coupon - SWEET!!)

Entering is easy! I know my time is precious, so I value yours too! Simply leave a comment on this post with your favorite summer meal idea. That's it! I'll choose a winner on Friday, May 13th.

P.S. Freschetta will be giving away $2 coupons towards the purchase of their pizza's on Facebook. Friend them to get in on that deal!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of FRESCHETTA®. I was sent a coupon in exchange for sharing my opinion which is 100% mine.

Email... Oh How I Love Thee...

2011-05-13T14:27:00.002-05:00

It's hard to remember my life without it.

For the record, I do remember a time (so maybe I was like...5) when email wasn't in existence. (No, really, it was more like my later years of high school. I remember when my mom first got a dial up internet connection into our home in Miesenbach, Germany).

But then, I moved to the United States, and thanks to the awesomness of the computer lab at school, I learned about the internet and even more about a wonderful invention called electronic mail.

Through this fantastic invention (do you remember when Vice President Gore claimed to have invented the internet? I still find that ridiculously hilarious!), I was able to maintain communication with my parents (who still lived in Germany), sharing my college experiences with them, and even more importantly - ask for more money.

As the years have gone on, email has been an integral part of my life.

Really, it has.

It's how my birth mother and I communicated when we were first united. I loved it because it gave me the opportunity to get to know her, but on my time and on my terms. It was easy and simple to do - just type out what I wanted to know, answer her questions, and hit send.

And then, wait for a response back.

No more stamps and waiting for the post office to get my envelope to me. Just boot up the computer and open my email program.

I've always used Yahoo! for email. It's always been good to me. A few years ago, I even upgraded my free email to Yahoo!Mail Plus so that I'd have more memory and less ads. It was worth every cent I spent on it (and continue to spend on it each year as I renew it).

10 years ago this past September 11th, I was traveling on my first (of many) solo business trip. My flight took off without a hitch and soon we were enroute. As we all know, and will forever remember, any flight in the air was grounded due to the tragic events caused by ruthless people.

During this time, it was near impossible to get a phone call out. Landlines were slammed, and mobile phones couldn't get connections out.

The one thing that didn't fail me, and that helped me get word to my huge family and friends was email.

Through email I was able to quickly share that my flight had been grounded, that I was in Atlanta, Georgia, and then relay my experiences with everyone, and in one message rather than having to replay the scene a gazillion times.

Email helped me maintain my sanity, and find comfort during a time of tragedy, stress, and loss.

To this day, the first thing I tend to do every morning, is check my email.

I can't imagine my life without it!!

Miter Me Baby.....

2011-04-20T21:27:00.000-05:00

I'm working on the finishing touches of getting the class kits ready for my upcoming classes in Oklahoma City, at the fabulous Paper Crown store.

I even pulled out our miter saw and cut the wood for the bases of the soldered houses in my "Home Sweet Home" class.

All.

By.

Myself.

No joke.

I measured twice, and cut once.

Hoooray for me!

I am so looking forward to this class, and getting to just be with the friends who "get" me.

I know, that you know what I mean.

That is, if you're crafty/creative too.

The weekend after next, Paper Crown will be holding one of their famous "Glitter Market" events. I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate. I won't physically be there (well, I'm 95% sure I won't be there. Life has a strange way of changing up lately), but my work will be there.

A small selection anyway.

I've been BUSY working on things here at home, and haven't had the time I wish I had to dedicate to creating exclusively for Glitter Market. I'm going to keep working though, and send a few things via my favorite courier, FedEx.

Those are some fast moving people.

P.S. If you're one of my students in my "Home Sweet Home" class, be sure to bring the tools mentioned here. You're going to need them!

P.P.S. I got out a belt sander and sanded each base too. All by myself. I know... I am A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!

P.P.P.S. If you are a female, and you use power tools all the time, please do not burst my bubble. :) Thank you!

Paper Crown: Home Sweet Home! (Updated!)

2011-04-11T09:20:00.002-05:00

(When I originally shared this post, I was having technical difficulties with the photo. I've fixed it and am re-posting so that those of you who missed it, can see it now. XOXO!)

I always look forward to my visits with the fabulous women at the Paper Crown in Oklahoma City. It's such an awesome store, and their patrons are positive, creative, and loaded with wonderful attitudes. I've never left, without a smile.

EVER.

It's almost like coming home.

Almost!

Towards the end of April (April 23rd), I'll be visiting again, and this time teaching a new class - Home Sweet Home!

I think you'll agree, it's not your ordinary home! Isn't it sweet?!

This sweet home is constructed with glass and assembled with solder! A flame-less tealight candle is inside lighting up the internal art and designs from each student. I love how the art inside can be changed out with each season, or special family events. (Doesn't the window look delicate? I love the way the paper lace lights up!)

This project will be completed during our 6 hour class! Yes, SIX hours! It is a lengthy class, but a one hour break has been scheduled in. (It probably will not take you the full class time to complete this project, but I scheduled it in, just in case. I want everyone to leave with a completed project!) So, be sure to dress comfy and feel free to bring a lunch (or pop out to eat!). Light snacks and treats will be provided.

If you're interested in joining us for this fun class, contact the Paper Crown at 405.848.2389 (This class is an advanced class. Attendance in both my beginner and intermediate classes is required in order to attend Home Sweet Home.)

Each student will need to bring the following supplies with them: paper trimmer, scissors, wet & dry adhesives, pencil, ruler, extra fine black sharpie marker, tile work surface, soldering iron & stand, flux & brush, lead-free solder, sal block, burnishing tool, clamps, and bent nosed hemostats.

What's Cookin'

2011-04-11T00:51:00.001-05:00

It's Menu Planning Monday again...

Funny how it always arrives, and on time at that.

Every week.

Last weeks meal plan was fantastic. We stayed right on the path, and didn't eat out. We also managed to eat what I had planned, on the day I had it planned to be eaten.

That's a huge win here at my house.

Something I did, that I thought was clever, was to use the broth that was created in my potato/greenbean/ham dish (really it is tasty! It's something my friends would make in Ohio, and I've grown to love it. Fresh produce at it's finest.).

Anyway, I took the flavorful broth (the ham added a LOT of flavor), tossed in a bag of split peas, and let it cook for a while. Ta-Da! Split pea soup!! Hoooray! That is at least two more dinners I can freeze for later use! (Food Saver to the rescue!)

Here's what I'm planning to serve this week.

Monday - Turkey quesadillas or Turkey ala King (We had roasted turkey on Sunday, so I'm trying to use up the leftovers)
Tuesday - Leftovers!
Wednesday - Satay chicken, steamed rice, some kind of veggie side, and Pioneer Woman's Pig Cake
Thursday - Grilled pork chops, baked potatoes, corn
Friday - Grilled salmon burgers and a simple pasta caprese salad
Saturday - Spaghetti, meatballs (or a simple meat sauce) & garlic bread
Sunday - Pizza!

I'm trying to focus on using what food I have stashed in the freezer.
I have 10.5 pounds of frozen chicken breasts.
Yes, I did it on purpose. It's in 3 bags.
But, why do I have them in there, if I don't make a plan to use them.
I know that if I don't make a plan for them, they'll end up living in there forever and getting freezer burn.
Which kind of defeats the point.

Cooking: Healthy Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

2011-04-06T15:38:00.000-05:00

Many of my friends think it's crazy that I make as much bread as I do.

My family just loves it.

And honestly, homemade bread is WAY better than store bought (mostly!).

So about half of the time, I bake our bread.

I love to eat it in the morning as toast. I think it's probably the best toasting bread I've ever had.

Fred even eats it as part of his "sammich".

The recipe I use has been passed down from person to person, friend to friend, for what I can tell has been a LONG time.

I gained the recipe when Melody shared it on Facebook almost two years ago. She got the recipe from Maria who got it from Kay.

I love recipes with a history.

Especially if they're yummy recipes.

Even better if they're healthy too!

So without any further adu, here's the recipe!

Healthy Homemade Whole Wheat Bread

INGREDIENTS:

3 1/2 cups quite warm water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup gluten flour (this is important! I get it at Sprouts, a local farmers market store)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup honey
1 cup wheat bran
4-5 cups ground whole wheat
2 Tbsp. yeast
approx 1/2 cup regular all-purpose flour
Non-stick cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

Put the warm water into a large bowl (if you're using a stand mixer, I just put it into my mixer bowl). Add the salt, gluten flour, oil, honey, and wheat bran. Using a whisk attachment, mix it for a minute or so. Change your attachment to the dough hook, and add the whole wheat flour. Mix it together until the flour is mostly incorporated into the dough, then add the yeast.

Mix the ingredients together until everything is evenly incorporated, and then start adding the regular flour, just until the dough pulls away from the edge of the bowl.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place it on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into the number of desired loaves. Spray your hands with your non-stick cooking spray, and form the divided dough into loaves. Be careful not to handle the dough too much.

Place the dough into pans that have been sprayed with your non-stick cooking spray. Cover the pans with a towel and let the dough raise until the dough reaches the top of the pan.

Put the loaf pans into a cold oven. Turn the oven to 350 degrees and bake for approximately 30-40 minutes.

Remove bread from pans immediately and cool on cooling rack.

Recipe Notes:

I like to change up the grains in our bread. Today's bread is a combination of wheat bran, oat bran, ground flax, and spelt. It's yummy! The spelt gives it a bit of a nutty crunch and reminds me of German bread. (I don't change any of the other ingredients... I just add a bit here and there. Generally around 1/4 cup or 1/2 cup - depending on the grain consistency - to the liquid in the beginning
This recipe makes three small loaves, or 2 larger loaves. I keep them small. I freeze two of them once they are REALLY cool, so that we always (mostly) have homemade bread ready to eat.

What's Cookin'! (eeeerrr... Tuesday?!?)

2011-04-05T23:50:00.001-05:00

I had really great intentions of sharing our menu plan on Monday.

Heck, I even planned it all out on Sunday!

But, Monday was supposed to be a traveling day for us. We were going to fly down and visit with my parents (and this awesome place I like to call The Island).

Alas, as we were parking our vehicle at the airport, I got a call from my mother letting us know that the youngest of my sisters bebe's had strep throat and several other ickies.

And so it was that we didn't go down to The Island.

I'd be flat out lying if I said I wasn't disapointed, but sometimes these things cannot be helped.

And I'm doing my best to keep a happy face about the whole thing.

One good thing is that I won't be a lobster. (The sun and I do not mix... even when I wear the highest level of sunscreen I can get.)

Last week, I did a GREAT job keeping our menu going and actually following it.
I even worked REALLY hard to make sure that we didn't leave any produce in the fridge while we were going to be on vaca.
(That means, I had NOTHING available when we decided to have a staycation.)

So, with a few groceries purchased, here's what we're eating this week!!

Monday - Chicken & Rice
Tuesday - Beef Fajita's
Wednesday - Green Beans, New Potatoes and Diced Ham - All cooked together! (one of my favorite spring time meals!)
Thursday - Grilled Chicken, Cheesy Potatoes,
Friday - Leftovers (or Broiled Tilapia served with steamed veggies)
Saturday - Burgers & Oven Fries
Sunday - Pizza!! (Or a freezer dinner)

A note from last week's menu...

Both the Shepherds Pie and the Shrimp Macaroni and Cheese recipes I used made enough food to each fill a 9"x13" pan. I don't know about your family, but my little family can't eat that much in one meal (and really... as delicious as it was, I wouldn't want to eat it for 5 days to get it all consumed. YUCK). So, I froze two pans (in 5"x7" disposable aluminum pans), so that we'll have them for another day.

I love doing this for two reasons...

I have a quick and homemade dinner to use if I don't feel like cooking. HOORAY!
I have a quick and homemade dinner to take to a friend when they may be in need (you know, like when your friend has a family emergency, has the flu, isn't feeling well, or ... just when someone needs it). I love knowing that I have something handy 'just in case'.

That's all!

Swapping: Glitter My Day's Bird Swap

2011-03-31T14:22:00.000-05:00

Though I don't normally participate in swaps, I briefly forgot my resolution and signed up to participate in Jennifer's Bird Swap. In the past, I've participated in swaps and haven't done anything with the items I've created or received. Rather than keeping things stuck in my studio, as "inspiration" (or sometimes dust collectors), I try to only participate in swaps that will end up being something I"ll physically utilize or use. This one fits the bill! :)

Our instructions were to each to create 8 birds dimensional hanging birds, that were 5-8" long and wide in shabby chic or vintage colors.

I had such fun, and a few technical difficulties, creating my puffy birds. I purchased a pattern on etsy after seeing the sweet birds on several of my friends blogs. But, when I made my first one, it was SO small. It definitely didn't meet the size requirement - AND I had already cut ALL of the pieces. To top it off, the fabrics I had selected were very, VERY me, but were not vintage or shabby chic colors. (I don't always read the instructions all of the way through! tee hee hee)

Alas, back to the drawing board I went!
Fortunately, all was not lost. I significantly enlarged the pattern and got back to work. I found some fabrics that I felt were shabby in color (light pink, white, green and blues), and I cut each bird piece out of a different fabric. When they were stitched together I loved what I had! Heaven! But, I felt like my little bird needed a bit of something... so I added bits of lace to create wings. The lace was sprayed with mica mist to give it some bling. I thought about adding a crown to each one, but after cutting out several different ones out of different materials, I decided to leave them without head gear.
My birds got packaged up and sent to our hostess, Jennifer.

Today, my swap package arrived back from Jennifer complete with everyone elses contributions. It was such fun to look at how each person interpreted the theme and created their birds.

Here they all are for your viewing pleasure!(Each photo is linked to the artists blog)

Hope included the tag below as part of her packaging. It was SO gorgeous that I had to add it to my spring display! I love the sweet nest with mica sprinkled (kind of like morning dew!) and the sweet pearl "eggs" tucked into the nest. It's SO sweet! Thanks Hope!

Jennifer, thanks for hostessing this fun swap!

What's Cookin'

2011-03-28T14:18:00.001-05:00

In the past, it's been widely known that I plan our menu's a month in advance. Rather, I used to plan our menu's a month in advance. Currently, I plan out our menu's weekly or bi-weekly.

Monthly planning worked out BRILLIANTLY for us when I was working. I always had the ingredients on hand to make what we had planned out, and it saved us boo-kooz of money. However, now that I'm home all the time, I find the need to get out of the house.

While I do spend the majority of our "escape" time at local parks, sometimes going to the grocery store fills the need.

In my menu planning experience, I've realized two important things. It's important to plan "leftover" meals, if your family isn't large (mine is small), and if what you're making is more than your family can healthfully consume in one sitting. Scheduling the "leftover" night, eliminates the need to buy additional groceries/ingredients for another meal, and keeps things moving along in my fridge. (Rather than sitting there rotting away because I forgot it was there, or what have you.) Another option, if it works with your meal, is to freeze it and save it for later.

So, here's what I'm planning to serve this week! (I'm even trying to link to the recipes - or at least a recipe close to what I make!)

Monday - Wendy's style Chili and Easy Cheesy Drop Biscuits
Tuesday - Shepherds Pie (I'm planning to divide the pie into 2 9"x9" dishes so that one can be frozen for another day)
Wednesday - Spaghetti and Meatballs with Garlic Bread Knots
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - Grilled Salmon, rice pilaf, and steamed veggies
Saturday - Crockpot Chicken Taco's
Sunday - Leftovers or Pizza (whichever is available!)

Breakfast Options - Steel cut Oatmeal with Fresh Fruit, Breakfast Taco's, English Muffins, Greek Yogurt with Fresh Fruit, Cold Cereal

Lunch Options - Chicken Nuggets, Panini's, Greek Yogurt with Fresh Fruit, Kraft Mac & Hotdogs, Sandwiches, Green Salad

Snack Options: Fresh Fruit, Vegetable Sticks, Goldfish Crackers, Applesauce, Popcorn

Dessert Options: Banana Pudding, Chocolate Chip Cookies or possibly even this Fruit & Berry Tart

So, there are plenty of options for all of our eating needs this week.

What are you planning to eat/cook this week?

Paper Crown: Home Sweet Home! (Updated!)

2011-03-28T09:59:00.000-05:00

(When I originally shared this post, I was having technical difficulties with the photo. I've fixed it and am re-posting so that those of you who missed it, can see it now. XOXO!)

I always look forward to my visits with the fabulous women at the Paper Crown in Oklahoma City. It's such an awesome store, and their patrons are positive, creative, and loaded with wonderful attitudes. I've never left, without a smile.

EVER.

It's almost like coming home.

Almost!

Towards the end of April (April 23rd), I'll be visiting again, and this time teaching a new class - Home Sweet Home!

I think you'll agree, it's not your ordinary home! Isn't it sweet?!

This sweet home is constructed with glass and assembled with solder! A flame-less tealight candle is inside lighting up the internal art and designs from each student. I love how the art inside can be changed out with each season, or special family events. (Doesn't the window look delicate? I love the way the paper lace lights up!)

This project will be completed during our 6 hour class! Yes, SIX hours! It is a lengthy class, but a one hour break has been scheduled in. So, be sure to dress comfy and feel free to bring a lunch (or pop out to eat!). Light snacks and treats will be provided.

If you're interested in joining us for this fun class, contact the Paper Crown at 405.848.2389 (This class is an advanced class. Attendance in both my beginner and intermediate classes is required in order to attend Home Sweet Home.)

Each student will need to bring the following supplies with them: paper trimmer, scissors, wet & dry adhesives, pencil, ruler, extra fine black sharpie marker, tile work surface, soldering iron & stand, flux & brush, lead-free solder, sal block, burnishing tool, clamps, and bent nosed hemostats.

Cooking: Orange Creamsicle Cake

2011-03-21T22:41:00.000-05:00

Each week, my family gets together (or tries to!) and we have an activity. In my family, no activity is the same without a treat of some sort. Granted, the treat can be as simple as a few Skittles, or something equally easy. However, me being the person I am, normally bake something.

This week, I wanted to make something sweet, simple and refreshing. Orange Creamsicle Cake.

I had heard of it from several friends, but had never had it for myself. And, of course, no one I knew had the recipe. So, I did a bit of searching online, and put together a recipe by combining a few of what I found, and then added a few things that I thought would make it "mine". Here is my version - SUPER simple, completely pantry available, and really refreshing. (Yes, I used a boxed cake mix. I'm okay with that!!)

I forgot to take a photo and asked Steve to take the rest with him to work. YOIKES!!

INGREDIENTS:

18 ounce yellow cake mix
3 eggs (or as called for by your cake mix)
1/3 cup oil (or as called for by your cake mix)
1 (4 ounce) package orange flavored gelatin (like Jell-o)
1 (4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 teaspoons orange flavoring
1 (8 ounce) container whipped topping (like Cool Whip)

DIRECTIONS:

Mix cake and bake as directed, adding 1 teaspoon of orange flavoring to the batter.

Make orange gelatin, using 1 cup of water (1/2 of what is called for).

Poke holes in the hot cake, with the handle of a wooden spoon.

Pour gelatin over cake and cool.

Mix pudding mix with milk, vanilla, and remaining orange flavoring. Mix the pudding mixture with the whipped topping and spread on your cooled cake.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Bloggers Day of Silence....

2011-03-18T09:46:00.000-05:00

Still Trying More New Things...

2011-03-12T22:30:00.000-06:00

When I started writing about the new things I have been trying out, I didn't realize there were so many of them. I really did think there were just a couple of them.

But, there is much more!

Now that I'm a stay-at-home mommy, full time, our monthly income has been drastically slashed.

That means, my craft and hobby funds have also been drastically slashed.

Fortunately, I've been doing quite well with my craft purchase challenge, or lack of them. I have, however, purchased several things to utilize in classes.

One of the huge bummers in our budget change, is that I won't be able to attend the art events that I have in the past.

Aside from socializing with friends who "get" me, the thing that draws me to art events is learning. I attend to learn techniques and skills that I can take home and apply into other methods for myself. I love being right there with my friends and seeing our instructors create art right in front of us. I love that I can literally see, peering over their shoulder, or in front of them. It's one of my most favorite ways.

One of the ways I've been able to meet this need, and yet not leave home, is to participate in online art courses.

There are some REALLY fabulous classes available online - and they are AWESOME.

I've already shared that I took (I'm still working on finishing!) Soul Restoration with the Brave Girls Club (there's another class starting on April 5th). It is the best course I've ever taken for myself (I can't say was, because I have a few things to do before I'm done). It was fun too! Don't get me wrong, it was HARD work. But, it was worth everything I sacrificed to do it. I learned so much about myself and about art.
I love it!

Another class I am taking (smack in the middle of, actually) is the She Art Workshop by Christy Tomlinson of Scarlet Lime. This is probably, the most inclusive art class I've ever taken.

I have learned SO much and I've loved every minute of it. Christy really takes you right into her studio, and shows you exactly how she creates. She's created and shared over a dozen video's of her creating, and demonstrating how she gets the effects she does. She shares her techniques, supplies, and methods.

(How many artists not only share exactly HOW they create their ART, but teach you how to do it, and share the exact products they used???)

In this class, Christy shares how she creates everything to do with her "girls". I'm talking hair, body, face - everything.

I love that she shares technique video's showing you how to create various backgrounds - using what you probably already have in your craft stash (so you know shes not sharing all of this JUST to make a buck - but I will tell you that the prices she has on her site are fantastic. I can't beat her price on canvas's ANYWHERE). I love that through this class, I am putting more of an effort to utilize the mountain of scrapbooking papers and products I already own, rather than feeling pressured to go out and shop for more.

There's even a community where you can post questions (which Christy, herself, answers!), and a Flickr group to share your art with other attendee's.

In short, though I am unable to attend most of the art events that I have in years past, I don't feel like I'm missing out entirely. I'm able to learn new techniques and create new art right from the comfort of my own home. (Another awesome plus is that I don't have to worry about finding a "cute" outfit to wear, or getting gifts together. I can wear what I want and gift myself!! Tee Hee Hee!!)

If you're interested in learning Christy's techniques (you will NOT be disapointed!), she is opening the classroom on April 11th, for additional students. That means that you can join us; have full access to all three weeks worth of classes, join the flickr group, chat in the community, and be able to participate in the class at YOUR OWN PACE!! The classroom is staying open for 3 months, so you'll have plenty of time to enjoy the class, and rewatch the video's (like me!) and enjoy the content! So, check it out! I think you'll love it!

I need to take some better photos of my "girls" and share them - soon! I promise! Soon!!

On a side note, many of you have asked, so rather than feeding the fire, I wanted to make sure you knew that this will be the first year that I have not attended Silver Bella. I've been to all 5 of the previous events! I have really enjoyed myself in years past, and have REALLY enjoy the friendships I have created over the years through the event.

I am, however, planning to attend Art of Spring in June (it's local, and how could I NOT support anything Shea and Debbie do!!) and The Creative Connection Event held in Minneapolis in September. Be sure to visit the event site and sign up for updates! It's going to be an amazing event!!

Trying New Things...

2011-03-09T09:30:00.005-06:00

Thank you to P&G’s Have You Tried This Yet? program and Kroger for sponsoring my writing about trying new things and breaking out of my everyday routine. Click here to find great savings on high-performing P&G products at a Kroger store near you. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Back to my new things...

So, I'll be 100% honest.

I thought that I would have oodles of time when I became a stay-at-home mom.

Oodles.

So much that I really thought my house would be immaculate, the laundry would always be kept up, my son would be incredibly well behaved and calm 100% of the time, I would wake at the same hour I did to get ready for work, but would spend that time being physically active and getting myself ready to start the day with a healthy start. I also thought I would be absolutely bored out of my mind and would spend the majority of my time creating or focusing on civic causes and helping out my community.

Boy, was I wrong.

100% wrong.

In every freaking way.

EVERY WAY.

During the transitional period between no longer being part of the corporate world and moving into being at home with my little man, I created and fed several habits that are proving to be difficult to break.

One of them is being attached to my computer.

Granted, I was ALWAYS on a computer when I was part of the corporate world (yes, even after hours at home... I was always checking in and working on things from my home). So, when I started staying home, it was part of my natural day to be attached to technology and up to date all of the time.

As I mentioned yesterday, I am really working hard on "unplugging".

It is hard people.

Like... I feel a bit lost, and disconnected.

But, in a strange way, I like it.

Another thing I am working hard to change, is my level of physical activity.

It is important to me that we (his father and I, and as a family) set a good example for him and let him see that we're active.

Hanging out at home cleaning, or playing at the park with him isn't setting the example I'd like.

So, I started taking Zumba at my city's recreation center. They say it's like a dance party and I have to agree with that. Especially if you remember dances where everyone was doing their own thing, trying desperately to follow the cool person's moves (in my classes case, that would be our instructor), but everyone was clumsy and trying to figure things out. (We're getting better!!)

It's definitely a fast paced, multi-cultural dance inspired (mostly Latin though), exhilarating workout.

I LOVE it.

But, it hurts.

If you knew me growing up, you might remember that I was known for my lack of ... grace.

No joke.

I have tripped over invisible things on countless occasions.Completely embarrassing. But, for the most part, I have gotten over my clumsiness.

My parents used to tell me that I had natural rythmn.

Until... I tried to learn how to line dance.

Do you remember a line dance called the Electric Slide?

It took me three years to get that one down. I'm not kidding.Three freaking years. And then it wasn't a "cool" dance anymore, and instead was relegated to being a wedding dance.

So, though I really do LOVE to dance, I am not very good at it. It's a great thing that Fred doesn't know I am not good at it, because he and I can get our groove on for hours at home. He does his own thing too. I love it!

The point I'm desperately trying to get to is this...

I'm trying new things to make me a better me.

Zumba is one of them.

Even if it hurts.

And, it HURTS people. My thighs are aching in ways they have never EVER ached in. (Including when my personal trainer - aka Satan's Son - would push me to do things I didn't think were humanly possible. And I ached - oh how I ached - afterwords). I know the pain is good, and that it means my body is doing things it just isn't used to doing - and that THIS IS GOOD for me. But, it's still pain.

I love Zumba so much, that I even purchased it for our Wii.

Maybe now I can practice and not be the dork in our class who does everything backwards and looks like a fool. (Maybe Fred can teach me a thing or two!)

Unplugging...

2011-03-08T00:59:00.000-06:00

I'm working hard to create new habits and trying new (to me) things.

Creating healthy and beneficial habits are increasingly important to me.

One of the things I'm working on is trying to not be so attached to technology and the internet.

This means... keeping off of my smart phone, and off of my computer.

I'm "unplugging."

It's a whole lot harder than I ever thought it would be.

For real.

Really, for real.

But, I am getting much more done in my home, and that is really more important. I have set several times a day where I sit down and can check things online, and respond to pressing issues.

I even remember to set a timer.

Yep, a real timer.

For real.

So, if you find me away from the 'net or taking longer to respond to emails, that's why.

I will respond to you though! I promise!

It just might take a bit longer than you're used to.

Coming tomorrow is a post about other new things I'm trying out.

One of them has quite literally caused me a lot of pain.

A LOT.

No joke. Two days later and I'm still in pain.

Fun Times & Notes from Paper Crown

2011-02-27T22:09:00.000-06:00

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of traveling up to Oklahoma City, and teaching/visiting with my friends at Paper Crown. I so much enjoy the ladies I've met, and the friends I've made up there. I always leave feeling uplifted and wishing I lived closer.

Before, during and after each of my soldering classes, we talked about several art events, sites, and classes. So much so, that instead of spelling out or writing down the links, I promised I'd share them here on my blog.

So... here's what we talked about!

Brave Girls Camp - I have not attended this camp, but am hopeful to attend in the future. I have heard NOTHING but amazing things about this event, the team who puts it together, and the life affirming changes that occur in the lives of those who attend it. It is on my bucket list.
Soul Restoration - I just read that if you register for the April Soul Restoration I class, or the Soul Restoration II class (which starts in June) by March 1st, you could win one really amazing prize!! I am planning to take Soul Restoration II to continue my "restoration" process. I gained a LOT during the first class (as we talked about), and it helped me realize and recognize many key areas in my life. I can honestly say, that this class did help me change my life. For real.
A Gilded Life - My friends Shea and Debbie who live in a gothic style Methodist church, that they worked to renovate. They and their incredible studio is currently in this month's issue of Where Women Create.
Scarlet Lime Kit Club and the She Art online mixed media class - This is where I referred you guys to get canvas's, neo color crayons, and awesomely coordinated kits. Registration for the She Art class closes tonight, and class starts tomorrow!
Art of Spring - The event by the gals at A Gilded Life. The event is completely sold out. I am SO sorry!
The Creative Connection Event - If I could only attend one event each year, this is the one I would choose - hands down! I will be there!!
Gilded Girl Stash Society - The high end, vintage inspired monthly kit we talked about. Currently, the society is completely sold out. But, I have it on good authority that a few new spots are being added next month! If you're interested, ask to be put on the waiting list!
Paper Cowgirl - This is an art event held in Waxahachie, Texas each June. It's organized by Cindy and her team. Mendy Mitrani is teaching the digital art class we talked about. This is the event that Ann Denise will also be teaching at.
Digital Editing/Scrapbooking Classes - Hands down, the best online digi-scrapping/how to edit photos class I've taken is at Scrapbook Alchemy, a site owned and operated by Jessica Sprague.
Little Light Studio - I learned 90% of my blog design skills by taking Wilna's Bling Out Your Blog class.

I think that's all of topics we discussed! If I missed anything, shoot me a message and I'll add it! And, to think that with all the fun discussions we had, you all soldered too!

All of the class photos are courtesy of Jackie Peters, Oklahoma's Premier Paper Artist. She is really one heck of amazing artist and teacher. She also has a very, very inspiring blog. LOVE that girl!

P.P.S. To the group of women that I had the absolute pleasure of dining with on Friday night... I had an amazing time! Thank you!!!!

Soldering Student Supplies

2011-02-17T19:10:00.000-06:00

Next weekend, I have the pleasure of driving up to Oklahoma City and teaching once again at the infamous Paper Crown. During this trip, I will be teaching an introductory/basic soldering class and an intermediate class.

I can't wait!

I love the girls at Paper Crown.

They're smart and SO fun! (And Cindy keeps Diet Coke stocked in the fridge. Hello! HEAVEN!)

Anyway... all of the supplies and art needed for my introductory/basic class are included in the cost of the class.

'Cause that's how I roll.

However, Intermediate students need to bring their basic soldering supplies with them. (I'll take care of everything else)

Just in case you're one of my Intermediate students, and you don't have your supply kit yet, I'm going to share where I get all my stuff.

Robin with Glass Supplies on etsy is awesome. She really is. I wish I got SOME KIND of kickback or perk for sending you to her, but I don't.

Bummer.

But, I keep sending friends and students to her because she really really is awesome.

Her customer service and prices are phenomenal. (She also refunds shipping if it turns out that your package ships for less than you were charged.)

And, that just can't be beat.

Ever. ( I will ALWAYS stick by great customer service. Always!)

So, with that, these are the items that Intermediate students need to bring with them to class.

TileWork Surface (at least 12"x12" in size, but a prefer a 12"x18" one. Pick one up at your local Home Supply store.. ie Lowe's or Home Depot. Any tile will do.)
Soldering Iron* (I prefer, after much MUCH trial and error, the Weller 100)
Soldering Iron Stand*
Flux & Flux Brush*
Lead-Free Solder* (I use DGS)
Salammoniac Block (Sal Block)*
Burnishing Tool* (a Fid or a wide orange stick will work)
Clamps (I use wooden clothespins)
Bent Nosed Hemostats*

Everything marked with an asterix (*) can be found on Robin's etsy store. She has generously listed several complete kits with the items I recommend to my basic/introductory students. The only thing you need to add to the kit is the bent nosed hemostat. However, I suggest that if you are placing an order for a kit (or basic supplies), you also order additional glass (1"x1" and 1.5"x1.5" are the most popular sizes. 2"x3" makes awesome ornaments and gifts) and copper tapes to save on shipping and 'waiting time' (I'm an impatient kind of girl). We will be using the 1/2" black backed, 1/2" silver backed copper tapes and the scalloped/wavy edged tape in the intermediate class.

That's about it! If you have any questions, comment to this post (making sure I have a way to respond back to you, please) and I'll get your questions answered as soon as I can.

See you soon!

I am So Behind...

2011-02-01T01:27:00.001-06:00

I have to admit it.

Keeping it in, isn't going to make me feel better. Nor is it going to help me move forward.

I am so, so, SO behind.

I have blog posts planned out, but nothing accomplished.

I have organization to report back on, but alas.. no photos prepared.

I have opted to spend my "creative time" on other things, and as such am even MORE behind with my Soul Restoration work.

Freddy - My Seasoned Traveler!

However, I did travel down to south Texas to visit with my parents, brother, sister, and her children.

When I was younger (like 20 years younger), I used to want 6 or 7 kids. Yeah.

Addyson - 3 years old

I don't know how my sister handles her 4. She's amazing (and they are super cute!)

When I ask her how she is able to do it all... she said...

I don't do it all, it just looks like I do and... you do what you've gotta do.

Fake it 'till you make it.

So, I'm faking it.

Nothing is done. I am behind. WAY behind.. and not just in my ghetto bootie either.

I am behind, but rest assured, I am going to get caught up.

Five Fantastic Bloggers

2011-01-25T23:57:00.002-06:00

Thanks to Trop 50 for sponsoring my writing about fabulous bloggers. This year Trop50 is granting 50 fabulous wishes. Click here to enter for a chance to win $1,000 to help grant a friend's wish!

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Being a "Blogger" can be a wonderful thing. You get the opportunity to put something out there into the big World Wide Web and hope that it reaches someone who appreciates what you write, and someone who get's what you're talking about.

Today, I want to share five blogs that are my very first to read each morning (with fingers crossed that they've posted overnight). These blogs are written by women who have lived life, who share their experiences, who are continually uplifting, and who make me want to be a better woman.

1. Life. By Hand written by Rebecca Sower

If you've ever met Rebecca, I know you'd agree that her personality is one of sweet kindness. She is a wonderfully soft spoken, yet strong woman who is sure of herself. Her blog is full of gorgeous photos of both her home, her studio, and her art. She shares uplifting thoughts and encouraging words. Much of her recent time has been spent teaching women of Haiti to hand make items which can be used to earn a living.

I have an incredible amount of respect and admiration for Rebecca. I invite you to visit her, feel her warmth, and enjoy her sweetness.

From Amy's Blog

2. inspire co. written by Amy Powers

Amy Powers lives in a life full of color, with a heavy dose of whimsy and it is reflected in her blog. She shares examples of how she incorporates creativity and fun into her life and with her family. She has shared her experiences with foster care, the ideas she has for her sons birthday parties, how she decorates her home (I feel like I want to hang out for a bit and enjoy it! So, I'm trying to incorporate some of her style into my not-so-stylish home!), her wonderful finds (who knew beets could be so tasty! I mean it!), and her all around generous spirit.

Amy is also the Editor and Producer of Inspired Ideas - a FREE magazine! It is one of the BEST creative magazines I have seen in quite a while. I wholeheartedly recommend that you stop by her blog and check out the last issue. I am not kidding when I say I've read it at least half a dozen times. It really is THAT good.

3. A Nest with a View written by Robin Thomas

Robin Thomas is someone I want to be when I grow up. She is a no-nonsense kind of woman with a wicked sense of humor that I adore. Robin writes with a wise and open heart, sharing the experiences and lessons that have made her into the woman she is today. She shares her art (and it is GORGEOUS), her creations, her humor, and her sweet friendship with Jemellia (her "bird" - and I am SO very jealous!!).

Robin is someone I love to be around, and I feel like I can be myself with. She is thought provoking in her choice of words, her photos are always beautiful, and her heart is pure.

4. no big dill written by Katy Dill

Katy is one of those women whose life appears to be a whole lot of fun. Her love of sewing and fostering sewing in others is admirable and encouraging. I love to read about her travels, about her 5 beautiful daughters (all with lovely clever names like Pearl, Clover, Divine, Azure, and Olive), and about the creative ways she puts coordinating outfits together for herself and her daughters. Katy's photos are artistically composed and normally include either herself or one of her beautiful daughters. Each time I read one of her posts about food (Olive Oil testing), or about sewing (Her Girdy Belt? OHMYHECK!), or about her travels, I want to go and experience it for myself too.

(P.S. I was fortunate enough to enjoy Katy for a brief while when her husband and family lived here in North Texas. Steve and I remember them with much fondness and want to incorporate much of how their family "works" into our family too).

5. Good Grief Girdie by Jackie Peters

Jackie is another fabulously creative woman who currently lives in Oklahoma. I recently got to meet Jackie for the first time, when I attended Silver Bella. I didn't know it then, but Jackie is one amazing woman and I eagerly anticipate every time she updates. Her posts are full of her creative work, and she literally shares them with her blog readers on a regular basis! Jackie also posts beautiful and thought out tutorials on her blog. For those of you in Oklahoma City, she also teaches mixed media art classes at a premier paper arts store. Personally, I really love seeing the items she puts together for her students (custom name tags - HELLLOO!), and the recipes of the dishes she bakes and brings to them too. Seeing Jackie's love for teaching and enjoyment of her students encourages me to be a better instructor.

There are many, many, many more! There are scores of women (and men) who have inspired me, guided me, encouraged me, and have helped me travel along my crazy path of life. I could, quite literally, type for weeks, and never get around to spotlighting everyone!

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Don't forget to enter the 50 Fabulous Wishes contest for a chance to win $1,000 to support a friend's wish. I was selected for this Tropicana Trop50 sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do. I received compensation to use and facilitate my post.

Starting a New and Not Looking Back...

2011-01-12T21:48:00.000-06:00

So, I'm pretty sure everyone who is part of my life (even if you're just a blog reader) knows by now that I'm taking Soul Restoration, an online class by Brave Girls Club.

I can already recognize a difference in myself.

Nuts, isn't it?

One of the things that has stuck with me so far, more than anything (and we're on day 2 here friends), is that one needs to accept things as they are. With no blame. With no shame. With no complaining.

My life (and the condition of my "house") are mine alone. And what they are at this moment in my life... is what it is.

It is up to me to change my life.

Starting today.

I saw the flick below on Stacy Julian's blog today. And, it is spot on for how I'm feeling.

It's time to move on.

To not look back. (and really... I am not going to be Lot's life... )

To start a new.

And I am determined to do it.

P.S. While I will be sharing insights and points from my Soul Restoration class here on my blog, I won't be sharing most of the art and projects I create. Many of them are already intensely personal, and I do not want to cheapen my experience by sharing it here. Some things are just meant to be kept to myself. Thank you for your support!

Restoring my Soul...

2011-01-11T22:36:00.002-06:00

Today is the day.

It's the start of [what I believe will be an amazing, and much needed journey to] restoring my soul.

First things first, burning the fears we might have.

I have a lot of fears.

A whole lot.

But I have written many of them down, and have burned them in our fireplace.

A fresh start.

I have faith and trust that this process will work.

I have seen the changes that have happened in the lives of friends and women who I look up to and admire, after they've attended Brave Girls Camp.

I am taking Soul Restoration just for me.

But I believe that by restoring me, I will be a better mother, wife, and daughter.

Maybe even a better friend too.

And I am hoping to restore myself back to the happy me I once was.

Believe it or not... I used to be a VERY happy person almost all of the time. So happy in fact that my co-workers called me "The Happy Girl" and they loved me for it.

Somewhere along the line, I lost that part of me.

I need it back.

P.S. Not that I know this from personal (recent) experience or anything... but I would not suggest putting a piece of paper into the fireplace, and then realize that the flue is not open. Because then, (not that I know this) you might think that the gas knob is the flue knob... and you might turn it... which actually might turn on the gas.... and then you might have a HUGE ball of fire in the fireplace with NO where to escape to. And... then you would be VERY grateful that it was just one piece of paper that was initially put into the fireplace. (Not that I know any of this from personal experience or anything... and since I don't know this from personal experience... I didn't take a photo once the glass doors were shut.)

What a Difference 11 Days Can Make.....

2011-01-11T09:43:00.000-06:00

When I set my goals for the year (err... I'm really hoping they'll become "lifestyle" changes and not just year long goals that go by the wayside on 1/1/2012), I didn't realize how great they really would be for me.

And really, for my family too.

My studio is well underway to becoming a tidy haven again. How I've missed the peace I can find in a tidy creative space. I can get in there, make things (AND tidy up my mess), and feel refreshed. I can hang out in there and know that when my adventuring son stops in (his room is RIGHT across the hall), he's not going to impale himself on a glue stick. He enjoys bringing his sweet (to him) treasures in (make that lots of little matchbox cars and Thomas the Train friends) and playing with them on the floor. Really... it's heavenly.

I've done well with some of my other goals as well. I'm pleased!

A few interesting things that surprised me while working on organizing paper in my studio this week:

Apparently I have a huge affinity for the color green. I have twice the amount of 12x12 cardstock than any other color. Green is quickly followed by blue and then yellow. Honestly, I knew I liked the color green, but thought I preferred red to it. Hmm. And, I am honestly shocked by yellow. It is a bright happy color for sure, and I must have continued to subconsciously purchase it for cheeriness.
Another observation is that I did not realize the huge number of differing adhesives that are available on the market. One day, I decided to review the adhesives I had in my "unopened" bin. (These are glues, glue sticks, sprays, tapes, and other types of adhesives that I procured for later use). Dude. I had 69 different kinds of adhesives. Different. Kinds. (I'm not even going to go into how many duplicates I had of those 69. SCARY day.) I'm bummed thinking about how many of them have dried up. (Yes, for the record, some dry adhesives do dry to a point where they are no longer usable.
It's a very good thing that I'm trying to not purchase any craft or hobby supplies this year. It's definitely a GREAT thing that I'm really trying to not purchase any patterned paper. I have a sorting method that works well for me and when sorting out patterned papers, I realized I have entirely too many pieces of paper with just stripes or dots on them. For real. I also have a HUGE affinity for the scrapbooking manufacturer Scenic Route. I have by far more of their papers than any other manufacturer. Time for a clean out there, for sure.

I've realized that I will never use quite a bit of what I have. As I go through things, I'm setting aside the things I know I will never use but are in new condition. I haven't decided what I'm going do to with them yet, but seperating them out from the rest of the items is helpful. It reminds me that I set a great goal for the year (more on the guilt of the goal later) and that I am on the right track.

Be sure to check in on my goal blog (Organizing my Life...One Week at a Time) to see how I did this week with organizing and to see the photos. I think it's quite impressive!

What's Cookin'? January 2010

2011-01-02T14:08:00.000-06:00

I intend to have our family menu plan ready to share on the first of each month. Today's the 2nd, so that's not too bad, right? I'm trying to learn how to imbed hyperlinks into graphics so that you can click on a date and see the recipe I'm using for that meal (if it's available online).

Yes, I try to plan my menu's a month at a time. It's easier for me, and when I was working it was the only way I could get everything done. I try to do the bulk of my shopping at once (all non-perishable and frozen items) and then shop every other week for perishable items.

Without any futher adu, here is this month's menu!

Here's how I figure out what we're having each month...

I have 14 slips of paper with food categories on them (Mexican, Soup, Italian, New, etc).

I also have a spreadsheet (compiled from several years of menu plans) that lists our favorite meals and what we've had that worked out well for us. Each of those meals have been categorized into the types mentioned above. The category of "New" is either a recipe I've been given, or one that we've found and would like to try.

I draw a piece of paper, pick something from the category and write it in for the day. That piece of paper gets set aside until all 14 have been used. Then, they all go back into the bowl to re-select for the next 14 days, and so forth.

Next month, I'll share how I handle doing the grocery shopping for everything and how I keep it all straight.

What are your favorite meals to fix for your family, or to have?

Clean Slates and Fresh Canvas'

2011-01-01T10:27:00.002-06:00

There's just something about a new year, and a clean slate that makes me feel good. Granted, a clean slate doesn't erase the actions from the previous year, but knowing that the future is currently clean with the canvas ready to be worked on gives me hope. (You'd think that I'd see each day the same way. Hmmm... something to think about!)

With the new year, and aside from the enormous challenge I'm undertaking this year, I've also set a few other creative goals for 2011.

I want to push myself to create something at least once a week. I'd love to create something every day, and I may be able to do that on a small scale (in a tag, card, or other small item), but I have other priorities. So, if I can do something at least once a week, I'll be happy.
I would like to introduce a series of online soldering classes. I've been working on the functionality and feasibility for a while. I think I may have finally found an answer to the limitations I was encountering.
As hard as this is going to be, I am going to limit the number of art events/retreats I attend and classes I take. Now that I'm a SAHM, it's even harder to find the time, finances, and care for my little man. I will be balancing our family schedule now more than ever. I'm already mentally starting to feel the loss of missing out on the fun! But, I know it's for the best.
I want to do better about sharing our bi-monthly/monthly menu plans and sharing the recipe's for them. I have plans on how I'd like to utilize the page features here within Blogger, to make it much easier for you to navigate. So many of you have asked questions about how I make it work for my family, and how my system flows. I'd like to make sure I share what I do.
This year, I want to participate along with and support my creative friends in their blog challenges. One of the challenges I am planning to participate in is Jemellia's Style Stitches. Are you?

Another thing I am excited about in 2011 is an online course taught by Melody Ross of Brave Girls Club. It's called Soul Restoration and starts on January 11. Several of my art friends and I are in a small group together. The plan is to support and encourage each other through the course, but enjoy each others company most of all! (Are you taking Soul Restoration? If you're local, we'd love to have you join our group!)

Finally, the next thing I'm excited about in 2011 is a club that my friends over at A Gilded Life have put together called "Gilded Girl Stash Society". From what I've seen, it is going to be an amazing, over the top club that is in true Gilded Girl fashion.

What are you looking forward to and what are your creative goals for 2011?

A New Year... a HUGE Challenge

2011-01-01T07:30:00.000-06:00

(Be forewarned, this is a long post, with many personally revealing flaws within myself. It.Is.LONG.)

Wow.

It's 2011 already.

Already!

I feel like 2010 just whizzed by me, and when I look back over what we did during the year, it seems like a lot, but also so little.

I'm hoping that 2011 is a banner year for me, full of personal accomplishment, goal achieving, overcoming lifelong obstacles, and a new financial freedom.

I've set several goals, most of which I'm keeping to myself. (There's nothing worse than someone reminding you of your failure if you don't meet them.)

One of the goals I've set is intertwined with other goals set to assure that I meet it. Achieving them will likely take up most of my blogging time over the next 12 months.

I would, really truly, like to go a full year without purchasing any crafting supplies.

I know that to many of my creative friends, this likely sounds like blasphemy and not likely to be achieved. I also know that several of you are wondering why on earth I would set such a redunkulous (love the word - deal with it) goal.

I've been handling our budget for the last few months, and when I realized the amount of money I've spent on creative supplies, I am astounded. Really in awe of myself. There is no reasonable explanation, at least nothing that sounds really realistically reasonable to me. I have a room overflowing (quite literally) with of things I don't use, but think that I love.I have boxes, bins, and shopping bags of new items that have never been opened or used stacked, piled, and laying around.

Honestly, it is embarrassing. I've taken photos to document the current state of chaos but I'm not sure I am willing to share them with the world. Though many of my friends laugh and joke about their "rooms" looking like an episode of Hoarders, I really feel like my room honestly is. Right down to the internal causes and issues that bring others to the world of hoarding. (In hindsight, it would be wise to share one photo, so that you have an idea of the level of support I will need to accomplish this feat.)

I truly have an internal urge to purchase things I like, but don't need and may certainly never use. I can't really explain it other than I just HAVE to HAVE these things. I am not proud to admit this, but I have gone to extreme lengths to acquire some of this stuff. Admitting this overwhelming need is also embarrassing - but oddly freeing as well.

Of course, this need poses several immediate issues. First, now that we are a one-income family (and really, before too), it puts an unnecessary strain on our budget. While funds may have been allocated to fill the "need" (note, the need not the want), the amount of money I've spent exceeds the allocation. Second, I have so many things that I don't know what I have or where to find them if I wanted to use them anytime in the near future. Third, really... (and this is rhetorical question, not a question for which I need a response)... how healthy is it to feed your desires every time you have them? Third, I feel that I am by far less creative when I have everything at my disposal.

One of the challenges I know I will face is finding ways to "get around" my goal. I know this will be a challenge because I am already thinking of ways to accomplish it. With that in mind, I have set a few caveats that need to be met prior to any purchases being made.

Everything in my art room/studio/scrapbooking/craft room must be put away. This means, every box must be identified, every bag opened the items put into their place, every stacked bin emptied. In short, the room must be organized.
I cannot already own something that will do the same task. For instance... I will not purchase a set of rub-on's if I have a rubber stamp that does the same task. I will not purchase a glue stick because it smells better than another, if I have a glue stick that will work. I will not purchase an embossing template or metal die, if I have the same shape pattern electronically.
If both of the above are met, the final caveat is that I must be using the item within the next two weeks. Gone are the days of purchasing things to collect them.

I need to rid myself of the need to "have" things, and bring back (or bring forward) the need to create everyday.

At this point, aside from thinking I have lost my ever loving mind (which I assure you, I have not), you may be wondering how on Earth I plan to accomplish such a high and lofty goal. Here's what I'm thinking (so far):

I'm going to take organizing my studio (and my home) one week at a time. It's a big project. I'm going to set weekly goals and tasks that I need to accomplish within that time. If you're interested, you can follow me along that journey on another blog I've created and have titled "Organizing my Life... One Week at a Time." I plan to take before photos, after photos, and share what I did to meet my goal. Once I have my studio completed, I plan to move onto the rest of my home. (My "room" is completely different from the rest of my home. My husband would have left me years ago if I had kept house the same as I have maintained my "room".)
I am going to blog when I have the urge to purchase something, if only to journal out my feelings and get down to the very root cause as to why I have this insane urge.

So, that's it folks. A year long challenge for 2011 unlike anything I've ever tried to accomplish before. I know that it will be the most difficult challenge yet, but I also know it will yield great benefits for my family, for my creativity, and most importantly, for my mind.

Favorite Things, Day 14: My Incredible, Amazing, and Awesome Parents

2010-12-14T12:15:00.000-06:00

During the month of December, I am setting a goal to post each day with one of my favorite somethings. It could be a favorite food, a favorite thing, a favorite person, a favorite blog, a favorite handmade thing, a favorite place... really a favorite any and everything! Join me as I review my favorites during December 2010! I'd love to read about your favorites too!

If you've had the chance to meet, hang out with, or just plain enjoy my parents you know whey they're some of my favorite people. Ever.

Ever. Ever. Ever.

Granted, growing up my mom and I did not read from the same page. Like many pre-teens, teenagers, and young adults I had ~~better~~ different ideas when compared to those of my parents (specifically my mom).

Now that I've ~~matured~~ aged, I can see how the ideas my parents had so many years ago, would have made my life much easier. If only I had chosen to follow them.

Live and learn right?

Today marks my parents 37th wedding anniversary. 37 years! Amazing in today's world, isn't it?!?

They're both so amazing. Truly.

My mom can whip up an incredible meal out of thin air - err well maybe out of her pantry. (Well let's be real... I did pay attention when she taught how to keep a well stocked pantry). She can plan an event, and have it go off without a hitch, with her eyes closed. She can organize and run an organization without breaking a sweat. Mom can sing a strong alto, play the piano and organ, she can lead the congregation, or direct the choir. She can sew anything you need overnight. (ummm.. not that I have ever, ever, EVER been guilty of only giving her short, emergency deadlines or anything!) She is one hell of an incredible woman. No joke.

My dad is pretty snazzy too. After retiring from the Air Force after a long successful career, he decided to go back to college and get another degree, but in counseling this time. (The joke in our family is that he's been counseling us for years - whether we wanted it or not. Now, people pay him for it. Maybe we should have paid attention all those years). So, now he's a counselor. He's always been REALLY into music. He can sing a bad (as in good) tenor, and a strong bass. He can also lead a congregation in song, or direct a choir. He plays the guitar, trumpet, harmonica, and several other instruments. He really can be good at listening to your issues and giving advice (even if you're just wanting to vent).

I love to listen to my parents sing. I mean LOVE it. I love listening to them harmonizing with each other, and watching them queue each other as to when they'll take a solo part or when they should sing together. It's beautiful. Really.

My parents have always welcomed anyone and everyone (well with a few exceptions) into their home. "There's always room/food/space/love for one more" is something I've heard come out of my mothers mouth, on more than several occasions. (Even when I would show up for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner with soldiers or co-workers with me... without giving her any notice... again... not that I am guilty of it...)

Growing up, my parents set an excellent example of what a good relationship and marriage should be. Right down to kissing in front of everyone.

Yes, everyone. Even my friends.

Back then I thought it was disgusting.

Looking back, it really was sweet. It was important to my parents that all of us children knew that they loved each other.

You did NOT talk disrepectfully to my mother if my father was anywhere around.

By around, I meant... in the country.

'Cause if you did... he would scare the tar out of you. That man has a way of making sure that his kids (and anyone else around us) knows that you do NOT disrespect his wife.

Or you'll have him to deal with.

Dealing with my dad is NOT pleasant. Nor is he physical in any way. But, he has a way making sure you know what he is talking about, and getting his point across, with his voice.

If you know him now, it's hard to imagine he can be that way. I'm sure if you crossed his path with disrespect for my mother, you would know.

So, just don't try it. 'kay?

'Cause my Daddy taught me to protect my mother. And I really don't want to scare or hurt you.

Favorite Things, Day 12: Clean Slates & New Beginnings

2010-12-12T23:54:00.000-06:00

Image from moderatemeans.blogspot.com

It's getting close to the time where most people will be setting new goals for the upcoming new year. Choosing which direction their lives will take, and the things they hope to accomplish in the following 12 months.

Oftentimes, I can be found reflecting on my life, on where I am in life, how I got to where I am in life, and where I want to go with my life.

It drives my husband nuts.

Really it does.

But the thought of a clean slate gives me hope.

Hope that I can start over, and eliminate mistakes I've made in the past.

In reality, the mistakes I've made have shaped me into I am today - good and bad. Take it or not, we all make them. Some are bigger than others, some cause damage and some don't. But, none of us are perfect, despite our wishes.

Over the last few months, my life has taken a dramatic change. For as long as I can remember, I've been a working woman. I've been the worker bee, and the boss bitch. I've worked more hours than I care to recall and I have put relationships aside to achieve professional tasks and imagined goals.

Now, I find myself in a new role. The role of a stay at home mom. Sometimes I wonder if I can do it and to be frank - I wonder if it will be "enough" for me. It sounds horrible to me, to think that being a mommy to my wonderful little boy and a wife to my amazing husband might not be "enough" for me. I'll be honest, I'm a bit worried about it.

As a result of this change, lots of other facets of my life and activities will also have to change. I'm in the process of determining how that's going to work out. My focus in life is going to have to be on my family first, and me second.

I'm a selfish person.

Really, I am.

This is going to be a hard adjustment for me. But, I think that in the end, I will be MUCH much better for it. I'm working on setting new goals and aspirations for myself. I'm working on determining what these goals will do for me and how I'll go about seeing them to fruition.

Clean slates are good things, they're great things even. But, they can be scary too!

Favorite Things: Day 11: Berlin, Germany

2010-12-11T08:00:00.002-06:00

I was very, very fortunate to grow up living overseas in Germany. My father served our country as a member of the U.S. Air Force. He had a couple of different jobs with the Air Force (Hospital Administrator and OSI Officer), and was often on TDY (Temporary Duty or what is now referred to as Deployed) but because of his service, our family led an amazing life. We were able to travel and experience many different cultures. Granted, I did not appreciate it nearly as much as I wish I had (nor did I pay a fig of attention to the things I would almost DIE to see/do now), but I do remember the experiences.

The most amazing place we lived was Berlin Germany. We were stationed there from 1987 - 1991. We went shopping in East Berlin prior to The Wall falling, we visited with escapee's, we sang Happy 200th Birthday to the city of Berlin for President Reagan, we danced on The Wall the night it "fell" and chipped at it for ages.

Berlin was the city that my parents first let me discover on my own, or with my friends. Prior to The Wall falling, we couldn't get out of the city (West Berlin was surrounded by The Wall), and my parents figured we couldn't get lost.

I think Berlin was where I discovered most of myself, and set goals to achieve later in life.

I've visited Berlin several times since The Fall, and it has changed greatly. It is definitely not the Berlin it was when I lived there. Different and wonderful too. But different all the same.

Where is your favorite city?

Favorite Things, Day 10: Girlfriends

2010-12-10T08:13:00.003-06:00


Image from decipheringcait.blogspot.com

I love having girl friends. The kind of friends that you can hang with, and be yourself with.

I am blessed to have many different groups of girl friends.

I have crafty girl friends.

I have mommy girl friends.

I have "pre-marriage" girl friends.

I have work girl friends.

I have pre-Texas girl friends.

I have girl friends that began as my husbands guy friends wives, but have grown into being my friends also.

Occasionally, but not normally, individuals from the different groups intermingle. It's not that they wouldn't get along, it's mostly that they're all from different parts of my life and it's somewhat easier to keep them all separate.

They all have different skill sets. Some don't cook and some cook a lot. Some don't enjoy being parents and others love it more than anything else. Some feel the need to tear the other girl friends down, or say hurtful things, because they feel bad about themselves (or are even jealous of them). Some hate crafting or creating while others can't help but be doing it all of the time. They are all different and I love them all fiercely.

Tonight I'm having a group of friends over for a Christmas Cookie exchange. This group of friends began as my husbands friends wives (and girl friends) and slowly more women have been introduced to the circle. They are all so wonderful and different. I am really looking forward to tonights fun!

Do you have different groups of girl friends? Do they ever interact with each other?

Favorite Things, Day 9: Sonic Drinks

2010-12-09T09:00:00.003-06:00

Yes. I admit it. Even though I am getting much better in my ~~addiction, craving...~~ err.... constant purchasing of Sonic beverages.

Usually, I cannot create without a Route 44 Diet Coke with extra, extra ice.

I used to purchase it so frequently that the staff at my local Sonic will ask me if I want my "usual". They know my car. Scary!

They've brought out a new drink for the holidays that I also love. It's called their Holiday Spiced Hot Chocolate. It's awesome! (Just make sure that if you order it, you request that they stir it extra long. I've purchased it twice - not from my local spot - and have had mix chunks in it. YUCK!)

P.S. In the past, I've even ordered several extra cups of ice to store in my freezer.

P.P.S. Now that my anemia is somewhat under control, I don't crave ice as much any longer. I thought that the whole ice craving thing was a joke, but it's not! When my iron levels are jacked up, I crave ice. Now I have a sure fire way to know that things are jacked up! Wooo hooo!

Favorite Things, Day 8: Chick Flicks

2010-12-08T08:55:00.013-06:00

There is something special about chick flicks. I know that a few of my girlfriends detest them - but I adore them. I really do! I can watch them over and over again. I've added many of them to my collection and much to my husbands dismay. (He's of the mind that they should be watched once and then never again.)

With that, I am sharing a few of my favorite Chick Flicks!

Love Actually - Yes, this is a "holiday" movie. I love it. I think Hugh Grant is endearing and the musical score is brilliant. I'm often found singing the songs for several days after watching it. Colin Firth is also a favorite actor of mine - and he's in this as well. Swoon!
Emma - How can you go wrong with a movie based on a Jane Austen novel. LOVE it!
Sense and Sensibility - Yes, another Hugh Grant movie. AND... another BBC one at that too!
Pride & Prejudice - This is the movie that made me fall in love with BBC movies and Colin Firth. Forever and ever I will watch it again and again. Amen!
Pretty Woman - Julia Roberts is brilliant!
Notting Hill - I love Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant together in this movie. It makes me laugh so much!
My Big Fat Greek Wedding - This is HILARIOUS! I will never look at Windex the same.
Two Week's Notice - Sandra Bullock is probably one of my all-time favorite actresses. And... Hugh Grant co-stars with her here. Automatically, I love it!
The Notebook - Such a sweet story of long term love.
Anne of Green Gables - The spit fire in Anne (with an 'e') has remained part of me from the time that I watched this for the first time, maybe 20 years ago.

Favorite Things, Day 7: Simple Improvements

2010-12-07T07:43:00.000-06:00

Don't you love it when something that you already thought was wonderful gets a tweak that makes it even better? That's how I feel about my Kitchenaid Mixer. My wonderful in-laws purchased it for me as a Christmas gift a few years ago, and I have used it non-stop. I honestly don't know how I managed to do the amount of cooking I used to do, without it. (For the record, I'm confident that my friends and family love it too - without it they wouldn't get as much of the yummy food that they get now!)

With it, I don't have to stand around holding a hand mixer - I can be far more productive. Thanks to the attachments, several of my bread recipes can be machine kneaded rather than hand kneaded (HOOORAY for my hands!). Frosting's can be creamed and whipped in (what seems like) no time at all. I really do love my stand mixer.

As wonderful as it is, I found something that makes using it even easier. Really, it's a simple improvement, but man does it make using it so very much easier. The improvement, was to add scrapers to the side of the beater so that the bowl is literally scraped as it is beating/stirring. They call it the Beater Blade. LOVE it!

I recently discovered another improvement that kicks this one up a notch! It's a scraper beater with several scrapers on it. Brilliant idea, Watson! It's being added to my Christmas Wish List for sure!

Check out this wisk improvement. How clever! Another thing for my wish list for sure!

Do you have any tools that make your life easier?

Don't forget! There's still time to enter my giveaway!

Favorite Things, Day 6: Music & a Giveaway!

2010-12-06T22:52:00.004-06:00

Today's favorite is so, SO important to me. It is one of my all-time favorite things EVER.

For real and seriously.

I love music. Totally, completely, and fully.

I am a huge believer of music and the power it has over moods.

For example... when I'm in a bad mood and I know that listening to negative music (for me, it's mostly hard rock, and some rap music) adds, or feeds into, my bad mood. Sometimes it evens makes me madder.

But, if I listen to happy, uplifting, or otherwise positive music, my anger or bad mood dissipates.

I believe the same actions to be true, when applied to negativity in homes.

Positive Music = Happy Home. Negative Music = Unhappy Home.

Always... without fail. (However, it's up to each person/family to determine what their happy or unhappy music is for them.)

I have lots of favorite artists, and favorite songs. I have several "stations" on Pandora that I love and adore. I love that my son, Fred, loves music too and can often be heard singing too.

Nothing gets me into the holiday and/or Christmas spirit like some awesome Christmas music! I've been jamming away to the Backstreet Boys Christmas Album (don't judge!), both of Mariah Carey's albums, and even the Glee Christmas Album. HEAVEN!!

One of my non-holiday favorite artists is Mindy Gledhill. The voice she shares on her second album, Anchor, is my favorite and speaks directly to my heart. It puts me into a happy, bee-bopping mood. I listened to it several times as I drove to Oklahoma City this past weekend. And, not one bad driver got on my nerves!

Her music is happy, uplifting, upbeat, and screams POSITIVITY!!! Hooooray! It is hard for me to determine which song on Anchor, is my favorite. So many of them feel as if I could have written them. Word for word!

For example, the title song "Anchor" reminds me of the relationship I have with my husband (he is definitely an anchor for me!):

Photo taken by Wendy Whitacre

When all the world is spinning ‘round
Like a red balloon way up in the clouds
And my feet will not stay on the ground
You anchor me back down

There are those who think that I’m strange
They would box me up and tell me to change
But you hold me close and softly say
That you wouldn’t have me any other way

"All About Your Heart" is how I feel about my son. He doesn't have any scars (yet) though:

Oh, I’ve loved you from the start
In every single way
And more each passing day
You are brighter than the stars
Believe me when I say
It’s not about your scars
It’s all about your heart

There are several other songs that speak right to my heart and life. I really do just love this album. (For the record, Fred bee bops to them too!)

I really want to share this album with one of you - so it's going to be a giveaway today. I'll order it on Mindy's website and have it sent directly to one of you! I'm also going to include one of my NEW necklaces (another post for another day!) that is completely holiday inspired!!! Oh happy day! You'll love it - You will! I promise!

Leave a comment on THIS POST (not on Facebook) and tell me what you're looking forward to most this holiday season. Simple, right?

That's not all! If you blog, tweet or Facebook about this giveaway, you can come back for another chance to win, just leave me another comment and tell me you blogged, tweeted or Facebook'ed about the giveaway! Come on, this will be so much fun!

Tell your friends...we're giving away some happy music!

*I'll draw a winner ON FRIDAY, December 10th, so you've got time to spread the word and enter up to FOUR times!

Funny story... When I was in 8th grade and our family was living in Berlin I was a member of the choir at my school. I was part of the soprano section and loved it.

And I do mean LOVED it. Mr Kelb rocked it as a choir director.

But, when I entered 9th grade, I decided to leave choir and begin my career as a world renowned flutist by joining the beginning band. There was only one beginning band, and as it happened... my sister Bekki, (in 8th grade that year) decided she was also going to be start a career as a flutist also. Hmmpfh. And... as luck would have it my brother, Robert (in 6th grade that year), was so "advanced" in his studies that the elementary school decided that it would be in their/his best interests to permit him to accelerate and also join the beginning band, but as a saxophone player.

Double Hmmpfh.

Yes, 3 Beste children... all in different grade levels.... and all in the same class.

Poor, poor Mr. Kelb. (He was the only music instructor at our school.) I mean, having 1 Beste child is a challenge in and of itself. But to have 3? Dude, there is a very special place in heaven for that man. (If you've ever been to a Beste dinner / Beste comedy show, you KNOW what I'm talking about.)

I'll be honest. Due to the amount of competition between the 3 of us, I took the highest road of all, and purposely did not practice or study anything (other than a hot percussionist) that term. I mean... someone had to "not be the best" and I decided to take that role so that the other two could become the world renowned players of our family.* I ended that term with the grade of Fabulous. Yep... Fabulous it was.

Mr. Kelb shared a bit of wisdom with me at the end of our term. He thought I was "meant" to be a singer, not a flutist. I can't say that I disagreed. I moved back to choir.

Over the years, I've been SO blessed to participate in many, many choirs. And I have LOVED every one of them. I've loved the opportunities I've had to take voice lessons, with some instructors that have helped me find that inner American Idol (you know that everyone has one hiding, right?)

Favorite Things, Day 5: Inspiring Thoughts, Blog Posts, and Art Classes

2010-12-05T08:57:00.000-06:00

Like many of you, I love to read blogs. I have several hundred set up in Google Reader and check in several times a day to see if there are any updates. Also like many of you, I subscribe to oodles of emails (many of them though, are deleted after a quick overview). However, there is one email I always read and sometimes several times too. < I don't know how they do it, but it always seems to be exactly what I need to hear that day.

I'm referring to the Brave Girls Club "Daily Truth" emails. They all feature bird artwork, and are positive, reaffirming messages to women.

I am a strong, passionate believer in the power of women and in the power we can do as women when we work together. Nothing frustrates me more than when women compete with each other and let the ugliness come out. That's one of the things I love about these messages; they are encouraging and uplifting. Each message features a new bird, which is usually artwork from another subscriber. LOVE that!

Daily Truths are one of my all-time favorite daily emails. For real. And they are FREE people! You can subscribe here, and view their archives here!

Something else that I love, which the Brave Girls Club is doing, is an online workshop titled "Soul Restoration". It's a 6-week workshop which you can do at your own pace, on your schedule. The curriculum is based off of their wildly successful Brave Girls Camp Retreats (someday, I WILL attend one. I am determined to do it!). Several of us have formed a "group" with me as the Group Leader. We plan to get together on occasion, share each others company, and what we've been working on with our Soul Restoration Workshop. We'd love to have you join our group! All you need to do is put my name down as your Group Leader when you register.

Join me tomorrow! I have another favorite lined up - complete with a giveaway!!!

Favorite Things, Day 4: Good Recipes

2010-12-04T08:44:00.000-06:00

I know you'll be shocked to know this, but I love to cook. Really - I do. I love, love, love it.

While, there are many parts and facets I love about cooking (accoutrements, ingredients, processes, science and don't even get me started on enjoying the bounty/benefits!), it's all important to have a good base starting recipe (for whatever it is that you're making). Over the years, I've relied on my mothers (she is an amazing cook!) recipes as my base/starting recipes, and then I've made them my own. It's not even that I've improved them or anything, it's that I worked to make them "mine". They're not better, just different.

It's the holiday season, and everyone seems enjoy fudge during the holidays. So, when I knew I'd be bringing refreshments for my classes this weekend at Paper Crown in Oklahoma City, fudge was the first thing I knew I'd be bringing with me. I made Peanut Butter Ribbon Fudge, Creamy Chocolate Walnut Fudge, and White Candy Cane Fudge.

They were a hit!

More than thought they'd be too!

And I was thrilled! (More about how fabulous my classes have been later!)

I had loads of compliments, and several requests for the recipes. So, I knew I had to share them here.

I hope you enjoy them - and even MORE importantly, that you try to make them for yourself! The recipe's can all be halved, and made in a 8"x8" dish, rather than making a 9"x13" pan full ('cause, let me tell you. That is a LOT of fudge!!)

Peanut Butter Ribbon Fudge

Ingredients:

1 cup butter

4-1/2 cups brown sugar

1 cup milk

1-1/2 cups peanut butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

7 cups confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and milk. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Pour over confectioners' sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat until smooth; pour into an 9”x13” inch dish. Chill until firm and cut into squares.

Candy Cane Fudge

INGREDIENTS:

4 (10 ounce) packages vanilla baking chips

2 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

1-1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

3 cups crushed candy canes (approximately 24 regular candy canes)

2 dashes red or green food coloring

Directions:

Line an 9”x13” baking pan with aluminum foil, and grease the foil. Combine the vanilla chips and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir frequently until almost melted, remove from heat and continue to stir until smooth. When chips are completely melted, stir in the peppermint extract, food coloring, and candy canes.

Spread evenly in the bottom of the prepared pan. Chill for 2 hours, then cut into squares.

Creamy Chocolate Walnut Fudge

INGREDIENTS:

2 (7 ounce) jars marshmallow creme

2-1/2 cups white sugar

1-1/4 cups evaporated milk

1/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups milk chocolate chips

3 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped nuts

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

Line a 9”x13” inch pan with aluminum foil. Set aside. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine marshmallow cream, sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt. Bring to a full boil, and cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and pour in semisweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan. Chill in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm.

Favorite Things, Day 3: Warm Fuzzy Socks!

2010-12-03T06:00:00.002-06:00

When we purchased the house we're currently living in, several huge projects immediately commenced. 90% of them were not by choice (gotta love when the inspector doesn't find the issues and his liability is limited to the cost of the inspection!), but by need. During the course of the projects, the carpets and other flooring were removed from every square inch of our first/entry floor.

I remember seeing friends homes that had their entire home tiled, rather than wood, laminate, or carpet. I also remember thinking that it was brilliant, as it would be easy to maintain. I think that it was then, that with that thought, I ~~fought~~ requested to tile our entire first floor. And, it IS easy to maintain! (except for those grout lines. Dude. It sucks to try and scrub those suckers every once in a while)

Did you know I'm anemic?

And that one of the major side effects/characteristics of anemia is ALWAYS being cold?

Yup! It's true.

You do know that tile floors aren't generally heated, right? (Yes, I realize that we could have opted to have heating elements installed beneath the tiles. However, this is Texas ya'll. We're not supposed to be cold!)

Which is what brings me to today's favorite thing... Warm Fuzzy Socks. No joke. I think I have at least half a dozen pairs (probably more like a dozen) and I ~~live in~~ wear them constantly in the fall/winter months. They are my link to keeping warm (or at least keeping my feet off of the cold tile floors).

I don't know what I'd do without my warm fuzzy socks (well, really.. in reality... I'd likely be wearing house shoes all of the time instead). I'm glad I don't have to worry about it. Currently, they're out in full force at every department and superstore I've been to. I think I'll add a few more pairs to the collection!

Favorite Things, Day 2: Cheese!

2010-12-02T00:37:00.044-06:00

It's true. Cheese is my "thing". My go-to when I'm down, when I'm happy, when I'm in a celebratory mood, or pretty much any time. It's one of the things my in-laws comment on when they come to visit - the amount of, and selection of cheeses in my fridge.

I'm pretty sure that I could live on cheese alone.

And for a VERY long time.

I love a good grilled cheese (I can't decide if my favorite combination is fresh mozzarella and sliced tomatoes on sour dough bread or if it's a good aged Irish Cheddar on a good artisan bread. They're both delicious!)

I love a good cheese fondue.

Thanks to someone who may (or may not) remain anonymous, I now have a love (make that incessant need to eat) triple cream Brie. Prior to enjoying it with them, I thought the mold was gross.

I love eating cheese with crackers, with a good quality salami, or just by itself.

Do you know what a cheeseball is? Someone (who is also the anonymous person above) didn't know what one was. I love them too and especially around the holidays. Do you have a favorite cheeseball or cheeseball recipe?

I love cheese stuffed into things it shouldn't be stuffed into.

I love a good mac and cheese. Thanks to Bobby Flay, I've been craving Lobster Mac & Cheese. (The winning recipe used marscapone cheese in their sauce - hello YUMMY!)

For my Thanksgiving guests, I made the awesome Apricot Brie Tarts that were recently shared over on the Brave Girl blog. I cannot confirm or deny that most of them were consumed by the chef.

And really, I'm okay with that. She deserved them! (P.S. they were DELICIOUS!!)

P.S. One thing I don't love about cheese. The side effects. You know what I'm talking about.

Favorite Things, Day 1: French General Jewelery Kits

2010-12-01T07:17:00.001-06:00

Over the last few weeks, as I've been ~~recuperating~~ resting from the fun and good times of Silver Bella 2010, I've made an effort to carve out a wee bit of creative time for myself.

I don't know about you, but I know that for me, creative time is what de-stresses me and brings me back to my Happy Place. (Do you have a happy place too?)

I don't often have a grundle of time available, that would allow me to design a project and complete it in one sitting. As such, I love creating using kits, or other "pre-packaged" supplies. They make my life easy, and in the end I feel like I've accomplished something. Even if I didn't have anything to do with the design of the project or piece I basically just assembled.

The amazing kits from Kaari Meng, and her team at French General, always ALWAYS put me into my Happy Place. Each of the jewelry kits I've purchased, has included everything necessary or needed (with the exception of a few basic tools and handy jewelry adhesive) to complete a beautiful piece within a small time period. The quality of the supplies provided are as good as you can get, and knowing that several of the bits included are custom created, or French, or even incredibly vintage (as in from the 1800's!!), makes my heart smile.Each time I wear one of the pieces I've put together, compliments are shared.

There is much more to French General, than just jewelry and kits. Kaari has authored 5 books and has contributed to several more, has an incredible fabric line with Moda, and so much more! Kaari travels to the south of France with groups of women to participate in a Chateau Getaway.

Check out the jewelry kits at French General. Something tells me, that you'll be glad you did!

December Plans!

2010-11-30T17:21:00.000-06:00

Over the years, I've had such fun reading other blogging friends blogs, and finding out their favorite things. So many of these things have become favorites of mine also.

This year during the month of December, even if only for myself, I am setting a goal to post each day with one of my favorite somethings. It could be a favorite food, a favorite thing, a favorite person, a favorite blog, a favorite handmade thing, a favorite place... really a favorite any and everything!

Join me as I review my favorites during December 2010! I'd love to read about your favorites too!

Thanksgiving 2010: The Menu Plan

2010-11-23T00:45:00.002-06:00

Oh my stars and bananas - Thanksgiving is just a few days away! WOW! I've had our menu planned for some time, and believe it or not... I made assignments and others are bringing food too! I KNOW! Shut the BARN DOOR! I have always been all... gung ho Martha Stewart and have insisted on making almost everything myself.

Why?

I don't know. Because, believe me (and if you've done the cooking, you KNOW what I mean) no one gets or appreciates the incredible amount of work it takes to get it all done.

So, hooray! I've set aside my own personal "inner Martha" and will be enjoying the fact that others will be enjoying the pleasure of helping get our incredible meal prepared and on the table. HOOOORAY!

Without any further adu, here's our grand menu!

Pre-Dinner (really late lunch):

Cheese Plate
Veggie Plate
Sausage Balls

Dinner:

Turkey & Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Crockpot Stuffing
Macaroni & Cheese
Cranberry Chutney
Green Bean Casserole
Frog Eye Salad
Corn Casserole
Shrimp Salad
Rolls

Dessert:

Pumpkin Pie
The Stuff that Heather Makes (aka The Stuff that My Mother Makes)
Coconut Cream Pie
Something Else... not sure what yet

I do believe we have all of the bases covered, and with the group we have joining us this year (19 as of right now), we've got a need to have plenty of food available! Good times with lots of food - fingers crossed!

Ooooooklahoma: Soldering Classes at Paper Crown!

2010-11-23T00:30:00.000-06:00

It's true! It's true!

I am coming to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to teach soldering classes at Paper Crown next month, and I CAN'T wait! Quite honestly, my first impression (make that my first trip) to Oklahoma was not the greatest. For real. It's a doozy of a story (one I'm sure I'll share with the fabulous ladies there), and I am SO looking forward to having a better experience! Some of my most favorite creative friends live in Oklahoma, so it HAS to have some wonderfulness in it. I just KNOW it.

I'm teaching two basic classes and one intermediate class. The greatest thing about these classes? ALL of the supplies and necessities are included - YES, included! Gotta love being able to go to a class and not having to worry about packing a thing! (Of course, if you're coming, and you already own a soldering kit, I'd bring it with you - just to speed up your own soldering!) Check out all of the details on their blog.

Robin (my source for almost everything soldering related) has been incredible, and has set up a listing that has everything I talk about and use in my basic class. It's got everything you need to get going, and even to make a bunch of charms of your very own! Plus... If you don't already own a kit, I'm pretty confident that once you learn how to solder, you're going to LOVE it!

I am SO hoping to visit with some of the incredibly awesome Oklahoma Bella's while I'm there. They're the sweetest bunch of ladies, with the hugest hearts and loads of creativity. And... I'll tell you what - they are so welcoming and sweet. LOVE that!

Silver Bella 2010: I'm back! Post Coming Soon!

2010-11-18T21:08:00.001-06:00

I can't believe that another Silver Bella has come and gone! I had such fun and have so much to share with you!

But, alas, I have family flying in from out of town on Saturday, and I need to focus my attention on getting my home into tip-top shape. So, my post will have to wait.

But, I have invited my Bella friends to share their blog posts here too!

If you're a Bella and have posted to your blog about Silver Bella 2010, please link below so that we can read your post!

I'll be back soon with mine!

Silver Bella 2010: I'm On My Way!

2010-11-05T23:02:00.005-05:00

Next week, I'll make my annual trek to the Old Market area of Omaha, Nebraska to attend Silver Bella. I can't wait!

I am attending classes taught by some really creative women, who have designed projects to both inspire and push us creatively. I'll be creating a piece of art with Lisa Kaus, a gorgeous fairy cage with Kelly Lynn Yeary (dude, I have enjoyed her creativity since before Silver Bella 2006!), a delightfully vintage bracelet with the french vintage jewelry maven Kaari Meng, a teacup friend with Beth Quinn (I have one of her ORIGINAL pieces... created before she found her spot with her "she" line), and soldering away with the queen of all things soldered, Sally Jean. I, along with the entire student body, will have the joy of attending a group class with the grand madame of Silver Bella, Mrs. Teresa McFayden.

To say I am REALLY looking forward to next week would be a gross understatement!

I have the privilege of swapping with others who "get" me and who enjoy creating along "like" directions. This year, I am participating in the following swaps...

Silver Bella Souvenier Journal Swap hostessed by Jill Sibbald
Custom Canvas Art Swap hostessed by Sheila Rumney
The Love Chapter Swap hostessed by Lynn Lebsack and Karla Steele
Upcycled Treasures Swap hostessed by Susan Reaney
2nd Annual "Queen of Arts" Swap hostessed by Shea Fragoso and Debbie Murray

As you can tell, I am going to be among some seriously amazing and creative women! I am so darn excited! I really am looking forward to going, being among some of my greatest friends, and just be-ing.

Do you know what I mean by "be-ing?" I can go and just be... no pressures (other than those that i put upon myself) and I can go, forget about the challenges and struggles of daily life and just do my "thing" with women who get and INSPIRE me. I love it! I'll get to hang out with her, her , her and her. We'll get to listen to her as our esteemed guest speaker. And... she'll be there and so will she, she, she, she, she, she, she, she, she and she. Well, in honesty, there are over 150 attendee's this year, so there's going to be LOTS of she's who'll be there and I am looking forward to being with each and every one of them!

I have got to get busy packing my bags, finishing my supply gathering (which means rifling through my studio to find it all), and getting things situated at home so that we're ready to fly the coop and begin the adventure!

8 Years Ago...

2010-09-25T12:00:00.015-05:00

My life completely changed 8 years ago today.

I am definitely not the same person today, as I was then. For.sure. I believe I have changed for the better.

Every year, I'm asked if I'll write an update about Dylan, adoption, and answer adoption focused questions. I didn't last year. No, there wasn't any one reason why I didn't. But, this year I am. So many of you have written me and have shared your beautiful adoption stories. Adoption really is a beautiful and wonderful thing. I'm grateful to those of you who have shared your experiences, they touch my heart and in a way, reaffirm my decision to place my beautiful and perfect son for adoption almost 8 years ago.

A few years ago, I shared an in-depth post about my experience with adoption - both as an adopted child and as a birth parent. It remains as my #1 viewed post, over the last few years. Below are updated answers to your questions, and answers to the most frequently asked questions (if they were not answered in my previous posts).

It is my hope, that my answers be used to share my personal experience with adoption. I know that adoption is a bit different for everyone. It touches lives in different ways, and each of us interpret situations differently. These are my personal opinions, thoughts, and feelings.

~ Do you regret your decision?
I cannot say that I don't think about how my life would be today if Dylan was part of it - as I do reflect on it from time to time. However, I do not regret my decision. I do however regret the situation I found myself in; a situation completely created by myself and my lack of appropriate decisions.

I remain confident that I did the absolute right thing for Dylan. The decision wasn't about me, it was then and remains today, about him.

~ How do you deal with it emotionally?
I find that I end up packing the month of September with oodles of projects, tasks, and other busyness to avoid thinking about "it". I am fantastic at blocking out difficult emotions and conversations. I am brilliant at sarcasm and at poking at myself to avoid dealing with the real feelings of it all.

Now that Fred is part of our family, it is somewhat easier. Mother's Day isn't nearly as painful - and is actually more of a celebration than a reminder of history.

~ Has your decision to place Dylan, changed or influenced how you raise your son, Fred?
I can't really say that it has changed how we're raising Fred. We work to give him as much love, attention, and fun as we can (and without completely spoiling him). However, I am more aware of developmental stages and milestones he should be and is meeting than I would be if I had not had Dylan.

Dylan was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome a few years ago. Studies are inconclusive as to what causes it and whether it is environmental or genetic. As such, I have tried to inform myself of the signs, arm myself with accurate studies, and prepare myself with possible treatments should Fred be diagnosed also. I am somewhat over reactive to anything that can possibly be seen as a potential "sign". I know that early intervention is the key, so I am greatly aware so that I can get him the assistance he could possibly need.

I do wonder if Dylan did the same things as Fred does. If he scrunches up his nose at the same things, or if he laughs a certain way too. I suppose they are the same similarities that parents any parent would notice between their children.

~ Do you communicate with his parents? Do you get to see photos of your son?
I don't communicate with Dylan's parents. Would I like to? Yes - in annual updates so that I know what's going on in their lives. I do not receive photos or other updates.

~ Has the communication plan that you arranged with his parents, prior to placement, worked out? Would you change original plan?
Well, quite honestly, the communication plan we arranged has not worked out as I thought it would. Our original plan was for annual updates after his first birthday. I'm not sure what changed, or what brought it about. Am I sad? Well, I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. However, as I mentioned above, the decision I made was not about me. So, if I pushed the subject and contacted our adoption agency, I am sure I could get the updates I was promised. However, that would mean that I am putting myself above Dylan and his family. It is more important to me that his family focus on their family relationship than focusing on updating me on their family relationship.

Would I change the original plan? No.

~ Do you do anything special on his birthday? What about his "Gotcha Day"?
I don't do anything specifically special on September 25th or September 27th. I do make sure I have plans for both days so that I'm busy without time to dwell on the choice I made. Of course, I think of him often and soak up my memory of the incredibly strong spiritual experience that this placement day was. Dwelling on the emotions and actions of the few days I had with him, is incredibly emotionally overwhelming and causes me to weep buckets. So, I choose to not dwell on them and instead focus on others. I do write him a letter each year, updating him on me and on the changes I think he has likely made (going by standards for ages, etc), and sharing my thoughts on him in general. The letters are in a journal that his parents gave me at placement. Someday those letters may find their way to Dylan. Someday those letter might find themselves no where. Who knows?

~ What kind of relationship do you have with your birth parents?
My relationship with Sheri remains a friendship - almost like an older sister. I continue to be grateful for the decision she made to place me and for the amazing family and life experiences I've had because of it.

~ Will you and your husband pursue adoption?
We would love to add one or two little people to our family. If they join us by adoption - we'd be overjoyed!

~ Have your feelings on adoption changed?
I'm sure that over the years, as others share their adoption stories with me, and as my life develops my feelings on adoption change a bit here and there. I still believe that adoption is an amazing and wonderful thing.

So many families are created. Women become mothers. Men become fathers. Children get parents. Families are made. Yes, all of these things could occur without the gift and blessing of adoption. But, adoption makes it so much sweeter.

Preview of Coming Attractions...

2010-09-24T14:49:00.000-05:00

With so much going on, and so many different posts I want to share, here's a tickler list for me to manage what I want to post about in the near(est) future...

THE CREATIVE CONNECTION event
Annual Adoption Question and Answer Post
Pantry Re-Organization (which may turn into a "show me your pantry" blog hop)
Blog Redesign Unveiling
My determined attempt at chocolate dipped salted toffee and salted caramels!
October's Menu Plan (and an update to how August worked out and what we did for September)
Silver Bella 2010 Swap Preparations

This and oh so much more!

Cooking: Green Chilie Chicken Soup

2010-08-27T22:42:00.004-05:00

Every year, a local grocery store, Central Market, has an event called Hatch Fest and it lasts for about two weeks. I look VERY forward to it each year. Hatch chilies are one of my most favorite foods. I do not enjoy desserts made with hatch chilies, but will eat just about anything else. If you can dream it up, they probably sell it at CM during Hatch Week.

That being said, in their cafe (love it!), they serve dishes that feature hatch Chiles too. I've been a few times this fest, and so far my all time favorite dish has been their Chile Chicken Soup. It's creamy, light, is loaded with pieces of chilies, and has nice bite size pieces of chicken. Of course, Central Market does not sell or distribute this recipe (even after I offered an insane amount of money for it to both the deli and cafe managers - it was THAT good). So, I set out to try and create it myself.

I am happy to report, that my version was VERY close to the one I was served at CM, and good enough for me to not even think about making any additional changes to satisfy my taste buds. It is a simple recipe, that really only took about 10 minutes to get going and 30 minutes to simmer. Here you go - enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 C Butter or Margarine (Smart Balance is what I used)

3/4 C All-Purpose Flour (I was out of regular so I used wheat - the color was just a bit off)

2 C Milk (I used one large can of evaporated, and then added regular to make up the difference)

4 C Chicken Broth (that's one box, if you're using store bought)

2 C Cooked, boneless and skinless chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces

3/4 C Chopped Green Chile Peppers (if you roasted or froze your own into ice cubes, use at least 8 of them)

1/2 C Potato Flakes or Buds

1 tsp garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot melt butter or margarine. Add flour and stir the resulting paste over medium heat. Add the milk and chicken broth and whip to eliminate any lumps. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer. Add the chicken. Add the chopped green chiles, potato flakes, salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Stir well and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes and serve.