Clay Cross

This past Sunday we had a gentleman from our church dedicate himself to the Lord on his birthday. Following the church service we had a birthday party for him and I wanted to give him a little something to commemorate his day. I had recently been in our local Hallmark store (which I LOVE!) and saw a small clay cross that was sort of what I wanted - but not quite. So, I decided to make one.

First I started out with some black Fimo clay - the kind you bake in the oven to harden. The hardest part about working with this clay is the first step which is called conditioning. Basically playing with it until it gets warm and soft and easy to mold. Then the next step is to shape it into what you need, in this case a cross.

Next, I wanted some texture. There are a ton of ways to do this and it can be as simple as poking at it with a stick. I wanted something a little classier - but not too feminine. I have a bunch of Fiskars plastic texture plates and used two, one design for the front and one for the back. I placed my clay between the two plates and smooshed it.

Now I needed some color. You can just leave it the color it is, it can also be painted after it's baked. I wanted something a little iridescent that wasn't as girly as glitter. These are fine powders - like eye shadow, that just brush on and then bake into the clay. I also should mention before going further - if you want to hang your cross - be sure to poke the hole into it before baking!!

Then comes the baking. The instructions are on the wrapper of the clay when you purchase it. This one was to bake for 30 minutes is a 230 F degree oven. My oven doesn't show 230 so I just aimed for close enough.  I bake my clay on a tile that I found somewhere and once the buzzer goes off I leave the whole thing in the oven to cool completely.

Doesn't it look pretty now that it's been baked? My favorite part is the embellishing. I have some copper wire that matches the copper color powder I used and I found a variety of beads that match the green and blue colors as well. I wrap the wire around and add beads as I go until I like the looks of it. I use the wire as a hanger as well and secure in a couple of spots with some clear glue (I like E6000 for jewelry and clay).

Now it's all done and ready to wrap and give away! I may need to make a few more of these for Christmas presents, it turned out really pretty. Please let me know if you have an questions I can help with - don't be afraid to try and make something with clay - it's pretty cheap and easy to work with!

After School Snack

Well, we're a month into the school year and I'm already hunting for new lunch ideas and after school snacks. AJ is always starving as soon as he comes home, so there is no doing homework until the belly has been satiated.

One of our favorite snacks is popcorn. I've owned a Whirley-Pop for years now and recommend it to all of my friends and family. Once you've had popcorn made this way, you can't go pack to the microwave style. Not to mention the fact that it is so much cheaper and better for you.

So once you have a Whirley-pop you need some unpopped popcorn, some canola oil and the magic secret ingredient - Uncle Bob's popcorn salt. That's all that's needed for ultimate deliciousness - no butter, no additional salt, nada.

Well .....

Unless you are like AJ and I and like to experiment with your popcorn. Our new favorite popcorn flavor is "fish food". Okay, that's just what we call it around here because that's what it looks like. It's Japanese rice seasoning and is a requirement in this house for rice, most veggies and now popcorn!

Here's the fish food we added, it should be in the Asian section of your grocery store -

If seaweed isn't your thing, check out Uncle Bob's for tons of other popcorn seasonings. We like cheddar, white cheddar, jalapeno, and ranch. (In Tucson they are on the NW corner of Speedway and Columbus otherwise check their website above.) AJ's second favorite popcorn flavor is Taco Seasoning, we buy it in the canister now instead of by the packet.

So, experiment with your kids and try to find some new kind of flavor you can add to your popcorn to make it a bit more interesting. I'm going for curry powder on my next bowl! :0)

Keeping Busy

It's Saturday. I would have liked to sleep in, but that isn't going to be my Saturday mornings for awhile. I signed up to take a few free classes on base to become a little more knowledgeable about using Microsoft office. The classes are from 8am to 5pm pretty much killing my entire Saturday but it's free so I can't really complain. The teacher has a great accent (Spanish) and is fun to listen to and he has a sense of humor which is nice. (Brian would be lost as he probably would not be able to understand a word this guy is saying :0) The classes are for Word, Excel, Publisher and PowerPoint. The first half of the class is beginning and then the afternoon is intermediate.

Well, I'm typing this during my beginning Word class, so you can probably guess as to how interesting I'm finding this. I am self taught so thought I could pick up some cool tips, however I didn't know how much would be covered in the beginning portion - so wasn't comfortable with skipping it.

Yea - I should have skipped it.

The next one is Excel and I will probably be a little slower in that class as I don't use it much. The last class I am taking is Publisher, I'm really excited for that one as I am still going to do the newsletter for AJ's school's PTA. I'm skipping the PowerPoint class entirely in favor of camping with my cute little cub scout. :0)

Oh well, it's funny to listen to the people around me learning how to do things and making discoveries. Hopefully this afternoon will be a little more interesting for me and I'll hear a few nuggets of wisdom. One nice thing is I got a HUGE instruction book that is MINE! Seriously, it's like 300 pages and is put out by Pima Community College and is pretty self explanatory so I could use it much easier than using Microsoft's awful help feature.

Back in School!

Yea, I just did a little happy dance.

I'm so glad that school is back in session. No, I don't hate my kid or not like being with him - but a brief absence and pursuing separate interests make for a better relationship in the end. I would have liked to homeschool and thought about it often while AJ was younger - then we started the process of learning and teaching and figured out each of us are better doing things more traditionally. I enjoy seeing how much he learns day to day while he is away, and when it comes to helping with homework I am much more patient than if I were taking on the task of teaching him myself. Plus, him being an only means that our social circle would be much smaller and I think he needs the social aspect of school even more than the academic education.

My SIL is sending her little ones to school soon and asked about lunches. Ugh, the bane of my morning - making lunch for school. I'm getting better about not being in such a rut but it is hard to come up with something day to day to send that doesn't require much refrigeration, no heating and no cooking. If AJ were at home with me each day he'd live on grilled sandwiches and eggs. Not really an option for the lunch box.

I started out when AJ was in Kinder with seeing how much responsibility he could handle. Could he bring a lunch box to and from school each day and not forget or lose it somewhere (this took us a long time to master and I threatened him with having to use a Hannah Montana lunchbox when he forgot his regular one!). Then I added a sandwich holder (one of those plastic ones shaped like a sandwich with a lid - great for not squishing the PB&J). Once he was managing that I added in an ice pack, then another container that had to be returned and not thrown out. Now he's older and I can trust him with more so we are going from plastic spoons to the real thing and thermos like containers for meals and drinks.

AJ, thankfully, would be happy eating pretty much the same thing everyday and so I don't vary it much. A sandwich of some sort (PB&J, lunch meat and cheese, wraps on tortillas, cheese and crackers), chips and a drink are in every lunch then I try to add one or two more small items. I have a hard time with fruit because most (oranges, apples, peaches, nectarines, bananas) are either too big, get bruised too easily or you can't cut them up before hand; so we save those for snack at home. I do send lots of berries, grapes, melon, dried fruit, applesauce and fruit cups. Some days I send a veggie - but those are usually pre-dinner snacks because I know if he runs out of time at school or just isn't hungry those are the first casualties. If I do send veggies he likes baby carrots, cucumbers, cut up red and yellow peppers, jicama, cauliflower, celery with cream cheese or PB. Baby food jars and plastic containers are the perfect size for a bit of ranch dip.

Fun things that he likes:
Cheese cubes and ham with pretzel sticks to skewer them
sushi rolls
inside out cupcakes/muffins (bake and cut through the middle, frost and put the top back on - less messy)
zucchini or carrot cake/bread
trail mixes
pudding cups
Nachos (baggie of chips, small container with salsa and sour cream or cheese)
frozen yogurt (thaws by lunchtime)
mixed nuts
popcorn (sprinkle with taco seasoning)
pickles (individual packs or wrapped in foil)
dry cereal
cheese sticks
gold fish crackers
and he always likes any kind of granola bar, fruit snacks, cookies, crackers, etc. I try to find ones that are lower in sugar and a little better for him - but he's a kid!

I'm going to try and introduce more variety this year with some warmed up foods in a thermos and see how that goes over. Please comment and add any ideas that work for your family!!

Oh and here are pictures and links to an article from Real Simple (my favorite magazine!!) Loved this idea and am going to start doing something similar!

One for the fridge. From RealSimple.com.

One for the pantry. From RealSimple.com.

Nearly Vacation!

Sorry it's been so long since I last posted, life sped up all of a sudden and I'm lagging behind. It's the heat, I'm blaming it all on the heat.

This week AJ has been at his Grandparents house and so during the day it's been quiet around here, you'd think I'd get a lot done - but my inner procrastinator refused to let me do much besides read during the day and stay out of the heat. My 18th Anniversary is coming up on Saturday and so Brian and I took the opportunity to have an entire week celebration rather than trying to squish it all into one night. Dinner out one night, movie out another, a trip to Bookmans one evening and staying in another. It was nice to catch up with each other and figure out where we are headed next. (Figuratively not literally, we DO NOT have orders and have no intentions of seeking any!)

We are going separate ways soon as AJ and myself are leaving soon for a vacation in CA. Brian has too many work commitments right now to be able to take that amount of time off so he's staying home and working while we bask in the coastal 60 degree weather. (I know, don't hate me.)

It always amazes me the amount of stuff that needs to be done before one can leave for anything longer than a weekend. Leaving Brian behind also makes it so that I feel responsible to make sure he is taken care of while I'm gone. To him that means food.  So I've spent a part of this week making meals to stock up the freezer so I know he will have no chance to starve while I'm gone. I usually do everything in a protein group to make it easier on myself and this time I chose ground beef. Everything started from that and so he knows that when he goes out to eat or whatever, order chicken. Sometimes I choose chicken as my protein, especially if I know he's been wanting Taco Bell - making sure he gets a variety.

This time I cooked up 2 lbs of ground beef and 1 lb of pork sausage and from that made a batch of chili, a batch of taco meat for tacos and burritos, and a couple of trays of baked spaghetti. I make them into smaller portions to freeze so that he's only eating it for one or two days instead of one big batch that would last a week. I use foil pans so there isn't much to clean up and write the instructions right on top of the foil so he knows exactly how to heat it up.

When I do chicken I usually make chicken fajitas, a white chicken chili, chicken Doritos casserole and something like chicken and rice. These types of meals are great to make if you know you are going to be busy soon or to put away for a friend who's sick or having a baby.

Off to foggy and cool northern CA to hang with my brother, parents and grandma and hopefully eat my weight in crab and seafood. :0)

Grilled Pizza

YUM - right?? What, you've never tried it?? It seems like few of my friends have and it's really fairly easy. So here it is - grilled pizza 101.

I made my crust but it is not necessary. You can use the canned stuff, frozen and thawed bread dough, buy it from a pizza place you like, or easily from scratch. I only had whole wheat flour and so that's what I made, whole wheat pizza crust. I tried out this recipe to see how I liked it, I will be changing it next time I make it - but it is a good basic to start.

First take 1 teaspoon of yeast and add it to 2 cups of warm water and about a tablespoon of sugar. This "blooms" the yeast and gets it ready to work. If you don't see any action going on in your bowl, your yeast may have died. RIP

If it seems to be active, a little bubbly, etc. add 1 cup of flour and blend together.

Add another 3 cups of flour, make sure the dough is not really sticky.

This is enough for two large pizzas. If you only need one you can refrigerate or freeze half of it for another time. Place your dough in an oiled bowl and set aside for about 90 minutes to rise..... use a large enough bowl.... not like this:

On a floured counter roll out your dough, it's so much easier to make 2 smaller pizzas than trying to fight with a larger one.

Not that I did that, but trust me, it's much much easier!! Place the dough onto a stone, cutting board, cookie sheet or pizza pan. If you are using something with a lip, like my pizza pan, just flip it over and use the back side. It makes getting it onto the grill a lot smoother. Your pizza crust doesn't need an edge either, just roll it flat.

Once the crust is ready you can go and get the grill going and then line up all your toppings. You want everything ready to go since this is a pretty quick process. Here are some of my toppings ready to go:

Remember that cooking a pizza on the grill is much different than in an oven, you aren't really "cooking" the toppings, just heating them and melting the cheese. Anything that you would want to cook a bit you need to do that first. I also like the sauce to go on warm to help the process along, so I heat it before spooning it on.

I wanted some sweet onions and peppers on mine, but not raw - so I cooked them up and had them ready to go.

Once everything is laid out and your grill is hot - get your pizza dough ready to go. I use a mug with some olive oil and my tongs with a paper towel to wipe down the grill - also on the crust itself, don't want anything sticking!

Once your dough is on the grill, don't walk away. It'll happen quick! The dough will bubble up a bit and the underneath side will get a bit crunchy, a few grill marks and some yummy dark areas.

Pull it off and close up the grill to keep in the heat. Now top the side you just cooked.

I like doing sauce then a bit of cheese, the other toppings and finishing off with a bit more cheese.

Put it back on the grill and close the lid, keep checking for the cheese to get melty and the bottom to get browned and yummy!!

Enjoy!!!

What do you think?

Poor Brian. My hubby has to work with young kids all day long. Not young like in grade school, young like early 20's but often with the maturity of grade school kids. When did it become okay for everything to be handed over to people and you not have to work for anything?? The entitlement mentality is rampant and doesn't seem to be getting better, but worse. It isn't about just things anymore either (wanting more than you can afford, expecting people to support you, etc.), it's an attitude that's permeating every part of their lives. Since when did it become acceptable for people to stop "doing for themselves" and relying on others to take care of them completely?

Part of Hubby's job is to inform people of appointments needed, training required, testing dates, etc. He sends out emails requesting that people come into his office to sign for things to show accountability. The most frustrating part of his day is repeating himself over and over to people who refuse to think for themselves and take personal accountability for themselves. They want to be told verbally what do to and when, they do not want to have to read it for themselves. They want reminders sent out, because they don't feel they need to be responsible. If they have a question, they want the answer to be given to them without putting forth any effort to figure it out.  And if they miss an appointment, don't listen to instructions, or don't find the answer to the question they had - It's NOT their Fault!! It's always someone else's fault, always.

So why the rant you may ask? Because I see it in my own son, every day. That entitlement mentality rears it's ugly head. My job, is to beat it out of him, often. When it comes to homework, he wants me to tell him how to do it instead of reading the directions himself. Playing a video game, he wants help as soon as he is stuck before attempting to try. He wants to be told what his chores are everyday! So my new phrase is "What do you think?" I use it often and for everything. I refuse to play into this mentality when I know he is capable of doing it himself. (I used to ask him "Where's your brain?" but that seemed a bit harsh :0)

Just the other day we are out at lunch, invited by friends, and there are balloons everywhere. He of course asks me for one. The answer I give is NO. It's not his birthday, he has balloons at home, he is not entitled to one.  He asks why he can't have one and I respond "Why do you think?" he thinks about it for awhile and comes up with the same reasons I have. We get in the car to leave and he tries to tell me that his friends got balloons even though he didn't. I told him that if it was that important he should have taken care of it himself.

 "How could you have gotten a balloon?" I ask.

"I asked you but you said no." sulky voice included.

"Wasn't my balloon to give you" I reply.

"I could have asked our waitress?" He asks timidly.

"What do you think?"

I will get rid of this ugly entitlement monster yet!! Please, get rid of any living in your house and do the world a favor. Maybe we can have a generation of kids who think for themselves, take responsibility for that which is given to them and show accountability for themselves. Crazy, I know!!

Me and my Mayo

I've slowly been coming to the realization that I have an unhealthy relationship with my Mayo. First, it's not just any mayo - it's gotta be Best Food's (or Hellman's when we are East of ol' Miss) Real Mayonnaise. I've tried other brands, I've tried light and the one made with olive oil - nope, gotta have the real stuff!! And if you mention Miracle Whip, you are dead to me. (except for my best friend, she's weird and allowed). It's not a substitute for mayo, it's nothing like mayo and it's disgusting!!

I began to realize my mayo habit was different from others when I got married. The first time I made dinner for my hubby and served it with a slice of bread smothered with mayo and saw the look on his face, I realized this might not be considered normal to everyone. He was expecting something like bread with butter on it! I don't make these for him anymore and rarely for myself, although there are certain dishes (mostly tomato based) where I just need to have my bread and mayo!

I learned very young that I like ranch dressing on my french fries... although mayo works just great as well. I got lots of strange looks until I went overseas and discovered that I am not the only one!! Lots of people eat their french fries with mayo! And on hot dogs as well - so there!!! Not as weird as I was once told.

I make breakfast burritos and put mayo on the tortilla (eggs and mayo go soooo good together!), I use mayo on the outside of my grilled cheese sandwiches (cooks up to a crispy yummy goodness), and my fruit salads are made with a mayo dressing (yes, mayo and bananas work well together).

In our house we don't use cheese to make veggies more palatable - I make a mayo/mustard/garlic salt dip for them just like my mom did. It is especially good for artichokes, asparagus, cauliflower, mixed frozen veggies, squash... okay, just about everything! Fish is especially yummy when baked under mayo, and coating sticks to chicken much better with mayo instead of an egg wash.

Every time I see pictures of jell-o, it's always topped with cool whip. Blech. Doesn't anyone else eat their jell-o desserts with mayonnaise??

My latest find is peanut butter and mayo sandwiches or crackers. Don't judge!! Give it a try. I also just found out that in Japan they like their margarita glasses rimmed with mayo instead of salt. Anyone up to trying a mayogaria with me?

Weekly Menu

Getting this done late! I was sick over the weekend and then Brian came down with it hard yesterday. He didn't feel like dinner and the kiddo and I had a bucket of popcorn at the movies (Rio) - so dinner was breakfast burritos! Love those kind of nights!

Breakfast Burritos

Orange sweet&sour shrimp over rice
Spinach and orange salad

BBQ pulled pork sammies
taters
fruit salad

Orange-spiced chicken
rice
veggie kabobs

Grilled Pizza

Brats!!

I'm looking for something fun to make for the 4th of July.... not sure yet. I also need to buy some Popsicle molds!!

Lego Head

Yesterday was AJ's 8th Birthday party. It was an extremely busy day as we had the last day of our Fine Arts Camp, the party and then the first performance of "Under God's Sea in 3D". AJ asked to do a lego party so two days ago I started looking for some ideas. There are a TON of great cake ideas out there that don't look too hard to pull off, but I wanted to do cupcakes. Square and rectangle cupcakes are not easy though, so I needed something that wasn't a Lego Brick.

I came across an image of these Lego heads that were soooo cute!! However, they were made with cake balls and I've done those before and they are a lot of work. So I started to look for another way to do these. I saw another site that said they could be done with marshmallows. YES!!! So that's how I ended up doing these little guys. I used them as cupcake toppers instead of just pops, they were a huge hit!!

These cute guys start with just a few supplies:

Large marshmallows, lollipop sticks, candy melts, black food coloring, a paintbrush, sharp knife, circle cutter and some cornstarch or powdered sugar.

First cut the marshmallow in thirds, using one half for the top of the head was just too tall.

Use the powdered sugar or cornstarch to help the sticky marshmallow not stick to the metal knife or circle cutter. I used the bottom of one of my decorating tips to cut out the center.

Do not plan on doing anything else like answering the phone or the door for awhile, this is a really sticky process!!

Use the sticky bottom of the cut marshmallow to attach it to a large marshmallow, center it as best you can.

Get your little army all lined up and ready to be impaled. This is great for taking out your frustration on all the little guys that have ended up under your feet for years! My son swears that he doesn't leave them for me to step on - so they must have their own vendetta against me!

Next you get to drown them! Place the candy melts into your microwave and follow the directions to get them  melted down and ready for dipping - be careful not to overdo it.

Now, drown your little heads making sure to give them a good coat and get rid of most of the excess so that they will be nice and smooth.

Set them up in a drying rack to dry thoroughly. A block of Styrofoam or floral foam would work great for this. I had to search to find something that would work since I hadn't thought that far ahead!

Next comes the fun part. Their faces! I had AJ go and collect up a bunch of his guys to give me a few examples to work with. I know they make markers that are for edibles that probably would have worked, I didn't find any though. So I bought a jar of black food coloring and a new micro-small paintbrush (wash before using!) These will go into my decorating box with my bags and tips.

Get creative, and have some fun!! I don't like raw marshmallows and these actually were really really good! I made lemon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and cut the sticks in half before inserting them as toppers. I think that packaging them individually as lollipops would have been cute party favors!

Eating out

Have you noticed the blogs lately about staying in and not eating out? I think I've read three different blog posts in just the last couple of days, one even issuing a challenge to not eat out for 30 days. This is a great idea, especially if 1) you are trying to lose weight 2) you are trying to save money or 3) it's become a bad habit to "just go out" or "pick up something" because you haven't planned ahead. Personally though, I would never accept this type of challenge!!

I cook most nights and we go out to eat occasionally - more than some - less than others. Sometimes fast food, sometimes a nice sit down place. For us, going out is a treat - something we plan for and something we enjoy doing as a family. It is worked into our budget and we try to save money by looking for those places with free kids meals, coupons, gift certificates, etc.

I always know when Brian comes home from a deployment that he is going to want certain home cooked meals as well as eating out at some favorite spots.  I bought certificates from restaurants.com right before he came home $2 for a $25 certificate. Your bill has to be $35 to use it, but for the three of us at dinner - that's hardly a problem.

Sometimes I like to go out just because it's nice to have choices and have someone else be the chef, waitress, dishwasher besides yours truly. So, as long as you're not struggling with the one or all of the three reasons for not going out above, don't let someone look down on you because you like a nice night out. Plan it out, budget it, and enjoy it guilt free!!

Because no matter what recipe you try - they will never taste exactly like Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay biscuits!!

A boy's Hope Chest

I had a hope chest growing up. This one in fact. It's a concept that sounds outdated, but in reality is extremely practical. It was a gift for my 13th birthday along with a list of what it was soon to be filled with. Now, I didn't sit around at night embroidering linens by the light of an oil lamp and dreaming of my future husband, but I did spend many hours filling my hope chest preparing for the day I would move out of my parents home. I kept the list with me and every time my mom and I went to a yard sale, thrift store, or just found a great sale, we would try to check off something on the list. By the time I was ready to move out of my parents house and into an apartment - my hope chest had turned into a hope shed!

I'm already thinking about starting AJ's hope chest. A hope chest for a boy? Why not! It seems like people are getting married later and later these days, most likely he will be moving out and into a dorm or apartment and will need to have practical things to set these up. Even if he does get married right away, what are the chances that the girl would have a hope chest, it being such an antiquated idea these days. If they both have one, their lives begin together that much easier. Choices!

So what goes into a hope chest? Especially one for a boy. Certainly not the embroidered linens and rag rugs from long ago. :0) The great thing about starting early is that you have time to save money, shop well and don't have to settle for the dollar store items that you'd find in most dorms. Knives and pots can be expensive, buying them a piece at a time means better quality and they don't have to match!

Here is a basic list that I'll be working on for AJ now, I'm sure it will grow and change as time goes on. You can also add items as interests develop, such as baking items, bbq tools, a chess set. Fancier gadgets can be added now or later. A rice cooker or garlic press aren't essential when starting out. This is just the basics, if I could think of something else that could be used I left it off the list for now (ie. a whisk, a fork will do just fine for now). Most are practical items, but be sure to include a few sentimental items as well, your boy may not appreciate it right away - but someday maybe his wife will!

Kitchen
1qt, 2qt, 4 qt saucepans with lids
4 qt dutch oven
6" and 12" skillet
Pizza pan/stone
Cookie sheet
Baking pan, 8x8 and 9x13
pie dish (can be used as a small shallow baking dish)
metal colander (also can be used as a steamer)
Knives - chef's, chopping, paring, serrated bread
2 cutting boards
can opener
pizza cutter
grater
ice cream scoop
scissors
spatulas, scrappers
wooden spoons
flipper spatula
2 cup glass measuring cup
set of measuring cups
set of measuring spoons
coffee maker
toaster oven
mixer
hot pads/oven mitts
assorted dish cloths and kitchen towels
Utensils, bread knifes, teaspoons, tablespoons, forks, etc. at least 4 each
cups - 4
glasses - 4
bowls - 4
dinner plates and bread plates -4 each

Bedroom/Bathroom
Linens
blankets
towels

Larger Items
trash can
dust buster
tool chest with basic tools (hammer, screwdrivers, pliers, measuring tape, wrench, assorted nails and screws, etc.)

Sentimental Items
Family Pictures
Family cookbook
Baby blanket
Yearbooks
Family Bible/Genealogy
treasured Christmas ornaments

This list is in no way complete, but it's a good working basic list to start with. Add to it as needed and I'm sure by the time your young man is ready to move out into the world he'll be appreciative of the head start he's got!!

Is that a deadline I hear approaching?

I've recently discovered that I am NOT good without a project in mind and a deadline to meet. I seem to just wander aimlessly through my life and not really accomplishing anything. I think that may also be why I can't live without my lists. It's a way of recording several small projects with a deadline. Usually a few things on my list don't get done and get moved to the next list, but that's okay - at least they are out there and identified. I'm a deadline junkie, I need that rush to get something done!

I walked into my craft room the other day. I have a project I need to work on for a friend, but with family visiting right now it's too much to get into. I just kind of stood there, glancing around and had really no idea what to do. I can always think of a million things I want to do, but without a specific need or project in mind, it seems like an indulgent waste of time. I don't have a swap lined up, I don't have a card that needs to get made, I'm not ready to plan AJ's birthday yet although I really need to. I had nothing to motivate me to get it done NOW. I need a deadline! Something I'm working to beat. I want to win.

So I find a cleaning challenge (31 days to clean) and friends to keep me accountable, or invite friends and family over - that's always motivating! I join a book club to keep me on track. I'll go online and find a swap to join or class to take. Soon I'll have deadlines to meet and once again all will be right in my world.

Happy New Year!!

Well, here I go, starting again. It's like New Years... again.

Do you make resolutions? Do you keep them? For how long? I do every year and I don't think I've ever made it out of January. Now, I never go about it the "right way" with a clear and defined resolution. One I can easily define, the steps broken down into manageable and realistic goals and obstacles envisioned and solutions planned. Nope, my resolutions are "lose weight" and "get healthy".

The trouble is, I know what I need to do. I just don't like to do it. I have a condition called Poly-cystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). One of the symptoms is that I am "pre-diabetic" and it is nearly impossible for me to lose weight without very specific factors being in place. It's what I like to call the perfect triad. I have to have all three things in place and if one of them is not working or non-existent, then I feel like I'm just wasting my time.

The first of the three in the perfect triad is my diet. I should avoid carbs for the most part. I love carbs. No, I LOVE love love love carbs. Anything with sugar is my friend and I would rather have fresh baked bread than pretty much anything else. Beyond Bread is like a crack house for an recovering addict - I just don't go. I fantasize of going. I don't overeat, I just don't eat the right foods. I can get all my calories for a day in carbs quite easily. So, I need to watch those, eat breakfast and stay away from my trigger foods.

The second part is exercise. I hate it. I have never gotten the "endorphin high" I hear about and I think it's a big fat lie. The only reason I see for running is if there is a man with a chain saw and a hockey mask behind me - even then, how fast can he be? He's gotta carry that big heavy chain saw! I am also hot by nature and don't see any reason to make myself any hotter, I live in Tucson. and sweating sucks.

The third and final part of the trifecta is the medicine. I need to take metformin which is a drug for people with type 2 diabetes and has been shown to reduce the symptoms of people with PCOS. Metformin is an evil, vile drug that my body hates with all of it's being. It makes me nauseous, and gives my gastrointestinal tract a workout that, in itself, should cause me to lose weight. Lots and lots of weight. It isn't at all particular about when or where it decides to take it's fiendishness out on my body. I've started and stopped this drug so many times in the last 15 years I couldn't even begin to tally it.

All of that said.....

Once again, I am making a resolution to start to "get healthy" and "lose weight". This time I will be writing down my goal, breaking it into smaller steps and working the plan. The perfect triad is in place. That and the strength of prayer are all I have. Pray for me or wish me luck, I'll let you know periodically how it's going!

TV time

Well, the kiddo is off at camp for a few days and so hubby and I have the TV all to ourselves. Sometimes watching the same shows, sometimes not. I don't usually like just sitting and watching TV, it just feels unproductive and lazy. I usually am working on something; lists for things I need to do, writing in journal or to a friend, FB and e-mail, sometimes stitching (I've tried the crochet/knitting things but I can't concentrate). Are you able to sit and watch in contentment or do you feel the need to keep busy doing something else?

I'd decided I hadn't been practicing enough and that I needed to start again - so this seems like a good time to begin!! ...

Lemon heavenly goodness

That's what my husband wants to re-name these Lemon Pull-Aparts. Oh my goodness, they are just scrumptious. I got them off of a blog and I can't find who's blog it is! I've done searches on all the ones I read and even did a couple of google searches and still can't find who to give credit to.


But these are too good not to share!! So, if this recipe belongs to you or came off of your blog - please let me know so I can give you credit, link back to your blog and just basically profess my everlasting gratitude for this recipe!!


One note on the lemon zest - don't skip this part!! You need the lemon zesty sugar. This isn't pretty lemon zest in long curly ribbons, if you have one use a microplane - you want this to be grated small like the sugar so it all mixes in well.

Lemon Pull-Aparts

Rolls:
12 Rhodes dinner rolls, thawed but still cold
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice (I used half of the lemon)

Cut rolls in half and place in a greased 9×13″ pan. Drizzle with the melted butter. Mix lemon zest and sugar together in a small bowl. Sprinkle HALF of the lemon sugar mixture over the rolls. Cover and let raise till doubled. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture on top. Bake at 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Remove from pan. Combine glaze ingredients. Drizzle over rolls while still warm.

These did not last long at all - not the entire day anyway and that was just for the three of us. Yes, they are that good.

Weekly Menu

Well, last weeks menu ended up all over the place! I did okay the first half of the week, but then we got to fish taco night (which I was really looking forward to!) and two things happened. The first was I didn't have any cabbage/cole slaw which is what I like on my fish tacos and I wasn't going shopping. Second, I got a surprise delivery to sample and evaluate a family style frozen meal. Yea, dinner! 


On Thursday I had to clean my fridge/freezer for my cleaning challenge. Wow. No, really - wow. The fridge was no big deal since I had tackled that beast before Brian came home from his deployment so I just needed to toss, organize and wipe out. The freezer I had passed over. Mistake, big mistake, HUGE. There were things at the bottom that I cannot claim were even once upon a time viable. I cleared out everything, threw away what I couldn't identify or justify, and went to town. Now, the cleaning challenge suggested using baking soda in water as a mixture for this task. I'm all for being green and natural and non-toxic, but there are times when that just isn't going to cut it. This needed heavy duty artillery in the form of good old PineSol. I got it cleaned, rinsed and everything put away without too much damage. I did find a few things that made me question my previous system (or lack thereof) for freezing and using frozen items. Although, I was quite pleased that the Pumpkin Bread from Xmas '09 thawed beautifully and was delicious.


We did end up at Arby's on Thursday night after going to the Planetarium. Due to what I found in the freezer Friday and Saturday night dinners were altered to use up some other finds that Indiana Jones would have not been surprised to find. Me, on the other hand.... yeah, I'll be developing a system for retrieving frozen items in a more timely manner.


So, it's a new week and I need to feed the family...


Italian filled shells - manicotti style


Fish Tacos (I'll be going shopping so should have everything this time!)


Carnita Enchiladas 


Grilled Pizza (gotta get this in there somewhere!)


A chicken dinner... fried? grilled? baked? Crock'd? I don't know this one yet, still looking for a new recipe to try out. Got a good one I can try???

Basic Idea?

Why I Hate “New, Unique” Money Tips

I read this article (click above) off of a FB post from The Happy Housewife. At first reading I completely agreed - stick to the basics, they are basics for a reason, no need to re-invent good financial advise. Then I read through it again and realized.... he got the basic premise wrong! How can you write an article about sticking with the basics and then not get the basics right?

The basic idea is this article is:

"Spend less than you earn — invest the difference. That’s all you need to know. The rest is developing the mindset and skills to make these things happen."

It sounded great when you read it right? Here's why it's wrong - the correct mindset: Earn, save, spend what you have to and then invest the difference. Did you catch that extra little bit? Do you know why those four little letters are the most important part?

Most everyone has the same nature. We get money, we spend money and then if there is money left over we think great!! and save it, invest it, or treat ourselves. Then the next month comes along and back in that little part of your mind you remember you had money leftover last month. So this month you earn, you spend and maybe you splurge a bit more and there is a little less money left over at the end of the month. If you are waiting until after the spending part of the formula before you are saving/investing your money you are doing it all wrong!

If you want to get out of debt, if you want to save money for an emergency fund or vacation, if you want to invest in your future - you do it first, NOT LAST. It is too easy to not have money leftover at the end of the month, especially if an emergency or such comes up. Instead, when those earnings come in, you first take out a set amount for giving, an amount to save, an amount to invest - whatever is left is what you get to spend.

And yes, then the equation is really simple and basic - spend less than what you have. If after that there is money leftover... call me and let me know how you did it, and then save it for a rainy day.

Child Labor

I love that AJ is getting old enough to be my minion. Sounds horrible doesn't it - but what is the point of having a child if not for some free labor? Well, scratch that. The labor is no where even close to being free! It's actually the most expensive labor ever if you factor in that to get it we are completely responsible for clothing, feeding, schooling and raising said little minion. There is also the fact that he has learned that for a little extra effort, Mom is willing to pay!

I am working on the 31 day cleaning challenge and skipped day three because Brian was having surgery and I knew I would not be doing much. I carried it over into day four and got AJ to help me complete both tasks. As he's wiping down the lower cabinets for me, he reminds me of a project he helped me with last year that I paid him to do and of course, the money that he earns working for Nonni when we visit.

Thankfully, I remembered that he is able to take money for a general store at the camp he is leaving for on Monday. I was going to give him an envelope with $5 anyway - but he doesn't know that! So I explained that for his help this weekend doing chores and helping with Dad he'd get $5 to take with him to camp. Most Excited Kid Ever! :0) I guess it's time to start doing an allowance for him instead of just handing over our loose change.

Why did I do it???

I'm crazy. I know this. My family all knows this. My friends know this (most are too kind to actually say it).

I was loitering around FB and saw a post by a friend from high school about a new book club that is starting up. It's for the Classics and they are starting with The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. I think that last year they released a movie based on the book, I haven't seen it - but it put the book on my radar screen as something I was interested in. I don't know if I've actually read the book, or if I just know a lot about it from pieces of info picked up here and there. I know several people who are in the group and I don't want to miss out - So I joined.

I know. I know! I wasn't going to! I mean, it's not like I have the book sitting on my shelf. Oh, wait - I have a kindle ... and most of the classics are free downloads..... Yep, got it.

Now, I'm also reading The Girl Who Played with Fire and have another book in that series still. Then a friend lent me The Hunger Games and I really want to get into that series. I'm also currently doing 31 days to clean which is kind of like a bible study mixed into a cleaning guide for your house. Oh, and I'm reading the Prairie Girl's Guide to life, a book on art journaling, countless blogs and fanfiction. My head is soon to explode. I don't have any problems skipping from book to book and am able to pick right up where I left off - so it doesn't bother me to have more than a few books going at a time. But even I must admit - this is getting a little crazy.

So, what are you reading?

Is it any good? Can I borrow it?  ..... help me, I can't stop......