Happy Leap Day! :)
I'm not doing anything super special today. E tu?
With the way the calendar falls, I actually have an 'extra' week for my cleaning chart. I'm through the 4 weeks of Feb. With the end of one month in the middle of the week and a full 4 weeks in March, I have a 'leap' week.
Extra time.
What will I do with it? Use it wisely? Squander it? Wash the bathroom floors that I've been putting off? We'll see.
The nice (surprising) thing about this whole chart is tasks are SMALL and the goals attainable. For example, on Sunday, we had some extra time ... and I was all "Let's clean out the fridge." As in, let's take all the stuff off of the shelves and wipe them down. The bonus is any items hiding in the back that needed to go ... they WENT.
In all, it took probably 15 minutes (however, I only did the shelves, I didn't clean out the door yet). I'll do the door later this week. it will take me another 15 minutes. But that was all we did in the 'cleaning' realm for that day. And with knowing that is ALL we were going to do, Erik seems more willing to help. I confess, I am ALSO more willing to clean if it's the only task on the agenda.
I'm an organized person (for the most part), but I don't consider myself to be totally OCD (Erik will probably laugh at reading this) ... but this chart, it REALLY has been helpful in keeping me on task. Even though I started it in December, it's been a great addition to 2012.
Cheers!
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Mini Pizzas!
Oooooh, how good this is! I don't have a photo to share, but GO HERE to check out this awesome recipe for mini pizzas. It's SO super-easy.
I took it to a social gathering last night as a snack and it was a HUGE hit!
For me, the best part of this recipe was its use of tortillas for the crust. Genius! I used my red sauce recipe (I added some diced tomatoes to it, though) .... and omitted some of the spices from the top recipe b/c of food reactions. But the red sauce itself was perfectly good!
For the mini pizzas, you put them in a muffin tin to bake. If you wanted to make these for kids, use a smaller cookie cutter in mini-muffin tins. Seriously, perfect size!
(I found this recipe on Pinterest .... and lately a lot of people have been asking in general 'do you do ANYTHING you see/like from Pinterest?' .... for me, some of it is just dreaming big. But this recipe is a great example of something I found, tried, love and will absolutely add to my hand bag of culinary tricks). :)
I took it to a social gathering last night as a snack and it was a HUGE hit!
For me, the best part of this recipe was its use of tortillas for the crust. Genius! I used my red sauce recipe (I added some diced tomatoes to it, though) .... and omitted some of the spices from the top recipe b/c of food reactions. But the red sauce itself was perfectly good!
For the mini pizzas, you put them in a muffin tin to bake. If you wanted to make these for kids, use a smaller cookie cutter in mini-muffin tins. Seriously, perfect size!
(I found this recipe on Pinterest .... and lately a lot of people have been asking in general 'do you do ANYTHING you see/like from Pinterest?' .... for me, some of it is just dreaming big. But this recipe is a great example of something I found, tried, love and will absolutely add to my hand bag of culinary tricks). :)
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Organizing meal plans?
One of my blog friends, Michelle, mentioned in a blog post that she plans her meals for an entire month at a time. Seriously. I thought she was nuts. Off her rocker. Who on the planet is that organized? Not me. That's for SURE!
Yet I continued to struggle with making things last-minute for dinner.
At one point, I'd tried doing it one week at a time, but it just didn't seem to work. *frustrating*
I *think* I've been able to find a happy-medium. I will sit down and go through the recipes we like and ask Erik what he wants to eat over the next 2 weeks. If he has a special request, I'll make it happen. A little direction is helpful. Then I'll fill in.
Oh, and when Erik is off, he takes care of dinner. And I don't plan for Saturday nights either. So I usually only have to come up w/ about 4 meals/week. Or 3 if I want to make something big and plan for leftovers. :)
(no, the colors don't mean anything, it's just me going through post-its).
Here's the MAJOR up side to things: It has VASTLY simplified grocery shopping.
I'll put meals with fresh ingredients, or ones that will wilt/expire more quickly in week 1. If I have a partial ingredient left over from the first week, I'll find a recipe to use the rest of it in week 2. AND it means we have 2 "big" grocery trips/month. Ahhh, bliss! We will usually have to go for milk on the 'other' week, but it's a quick in-and-out dash and it's over. :)
Previously, we'd go for groceries about every 10 days or so, and would just sort of dawdle. No real plans. With a list of what we're eating, I can be sure I have the specific ingredients which is WAY nice.
Now, here's a question for the peanut gallery. I put the main dish on a little sticky note tab thing and stick it on the day. I do this so I can move it around if I need to. If I write it on the actual calendar, I'd end up moving things around and erasing and using arrows ... it'd get confusing.
Because we have a few favorites/staples, I re-use some of the stickies. But they're starting to lose their stick. Or peel or whatever ... I'm looking for a solution to this. Help? I'd like to be able to put on/take off the tag. I really only need to write on it once, but I'd like to be able to move it around as much as possible. On paper.
Anyone have a good idea/solution for me?
Yet I continued to struggle with making things last-minute for dinner.
At one point, I'd tried doing it one week at a time, but it just didn't seem to work. *frustrating*
I *think* I've been able to find a happy-medium. I will sit down and go through the recipes we like and ask Erik what he wants to eat over the next 2 weeks. If he has a special request, I'll make it happen. A little direction is helpful. Then I'll fill in.
Oh, and when Erik is off, he takes care of dinner. And I don't plan for Saturday nights either. So I usually only have to come up w/ about 4 meals/week. Or 3 if I want to make something big and plan for leftovers. :)
(no, the colors don't mean anything, it's just me going through post-its).
Here's the MAJOR up side to things: It has VASTLY simplified grocery shopping.
I'll put meals with fresh ingredients, or ones that will wilt/expire more quickly in week 1. If I have a partial ingredient left over from the first week, I'll find a recipe to use the rest of it in week 2. AND it means we have 2 "big" grocery trips/month. Ahhh, bliss! We will usually have to go for milk on the 'other' week, but it's a quick in-and-out dash and it's over. :)
Previously, we'd go for groceries about every 10 days or so, and would just sort of dawdle. No real plans. With a list of what we're eating, I can be sure I have the specific ingredients which is WAY nice.
Now, here's a question for the peanut gallery. I put the main dish on a little sticky note tab thing and stick it on the day. I do this so I can move it around if I need to. If I write it on the actual calendar, I'd end up moving things around and erasing and using arrows ... it'd get confusing.
Because we have a few favorites/staples, I re-use some of the stickies. But they're starting to lose their stick. Or peel or whatever ... I'm looking for a solution to this. Help? I'd like to be able to put on/take off the tag. I really only need to write on it once, but I'd like to be able to move it around as much as possible. On paper.
Anyone have a good idea/solution for me?
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Smoothie Talkin' :)
Previously, I talked about making smoothies HERE.
How much I enjoy a good smoothie. :)
Here is my latest version:
1.5 c. frozen* strawberries (might want to let them thaw a little; sometimes hard to process if totally rock-hard solid)
1/2 c. frozen* blueberries
1/4 - 1/2 c. plain greek yogurt
dash of honey (optional)
*Notice how I don't add ice in my smoothie? It's b/c I get the frozen component from frozen fruit.
Lately, I've been adding some SURPRISE ingredients:
1/2 c. cooked sweet potato (usually left over from dinner)
-OR-
handfull of baby carrots
The sweet potato gives lots of extra nutrients w/o adding flavor. The carrot, you can taste it a bit more. There is virtually no color change b/c of the strawberries/blueberries.
Put into food processor, blend until smooth. This makes about 3-4 servings, depending on size.
Favorite toppings/sides/mix-ins:
walnuts
graham cracker squares (dip + eat)
granola
crushed almonds
Teddy Grahams (for kids)
The crumbles in the bottom of your bag of cereal.
Some of my friends have more adventuresome tastes.
Yes, that smoothie is GREEN.
I've heard these are good combos:
Frozen mango/pineapple/tropical fruit mix
about 1 c. fresh spinach
orange juice
The word on the street is that you taste the tropical part and not the spinach. I might even add some mint into mine. Just b/c it's green :)
Some other fun smoothie add-ins: mangos, papayas, cherries and peaches. You will notice I omitted bananas. It's not because I'm a hater; it's because my body doesn't process them well. :( They're a great add-in for smoothies, too, though.
I'm curious how other veggies might go in. I'd probably stick with ones that wouldn't add too much flavor/taste, wuch as: cooked sweet potato or cooked cauliflower .... any other suggestions for veggies I could add in here?
How much I enjoy a good smoothie. :)
Here is my latest version:
1.5 c. frozen* strawberries (might want to let them thaw a little; sometimes hard to process if totally rock-hard solid)
1/2 c. frozen* blueberries
1/4 - 1/2 c. plain greek yogurt
dash of honey (optional)
*Notice how I don't add ice in my smoothie? It's b/c I get the frozen component from frozen fruit.
Lately, I've been adding some SURPRISE ingredients:
1/2 c. cooked sweet potato (usually left over from dinner)
-OR-
handfull of baby carrots
The sweet potato gives lots of extra nutrients w/o adding flavor. The carrot, you can taste it a bit more. There is virtually no color change b/c of the strawberries/blueberries.
Put into food processor, blend until smooth. This makes about 3-4 servings, depending on size.
Favorite toppings/sides/mix-ins:
walnuts
graham cracker squares (dip + eat)
granola
crushed almonds
Teddy Grahams (for kids)
The crumbles in the bottom of your bag of cereal.
Some of my friends have more adventuresome tastes.
Yes, that smoothie is GREEN.
I've heard these are good combos:
Frozen mango/pineapple/tropical fruit mix
about 1 c. fresh spinach
orange juice
The word on the street is that you taste the tropical part and not the spinach. I might even add some mint into mine. Just b/c it's green :)
Some other fun smoothie add-ins: mangos, papayas, cherries and peaches. You will notice I omitted bananas. It's not because I'm a hater; it's because my body doesn't process them well. :( They're a great add-in for smoothies, too, though.
I'm curious how other veggies might go in. I'd probably stick with ones that wouldn't add too much flavor/taste, wuch as: cooked sweet potato or cooked cauliflower .... any other suggestions for veggies I could add in here?
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
The Domino Effect
You know how it goes. Yes, you. The homeowners. You know how home projects go. You do ONE TINY thing like tear out the wall between your kitchen and dining room and then other projects spiral from that one tiny action.
About 2.5 years ago, I tore out a wall. I was done looking at it. It gave me the stink eye most days. And I was tired of its attitude. Its sass. So I showed it who was boss.
This is what was left:
Yes, that's a hole, and yet is is in our kitchen/dining floor. We just step over it and pretend it's all finished and pretty. Seriously.
Over the years, Erik has said "I'd like to get rid of or cover the tile in the kitchen and get rid of the carpet in the dining room." For YEARS he's said this. Well, Erik is the thinker and I'm the DO-er in this marriage. I finally said ENOUGH! We are going to do this.
It started with us thinking we'd have the hardwood floors refinished. Under our entire kitchen/dining/living room area.
After some consulting with floor people who know more about this than I do, though, it seems the tile in our kitchen could be a problem. Even if we are able to get it up, the floors are probably hopelessly damaged. :( Which makes me sad, sad, sad.
One day, Erik said to me "Maybe we just re-do the floors in the kitchen/dining room and leave the carpet in the living room." I don't have any problem with that. In fact, it'll make the kitchen/dining project MUCH easier! We'll just move appliances into the living room and not have to take them out of the house, along with the couch. This seems like a genius idea!
So now, we're just having the floors in the kitchen/dining done. Project got smaller, right? Maybe.
Think back to the above photo. Notice the hole? It contains a vent. The only vent that went into the kitchen. We certainly don't HAVE to have a vent in the kitchen, but we probably should for the comfort factor.
For the past few weeks, we've had heating/air/duct people tromping in and out to look, see and give quotes for moving this vent. The dog thinks it's Christmas, with so many people coming in to bark at and to sniff.
I *think* we've nailed down who will be doing the duct work, and later this week we'll nail down details on the floors. Sigh. But this has been a process.
I will be so glad when it's all done.
Oh, but the domino effect. We can't forget. So, since we're having the floors done, it makes sense to paint the walls before we care if we drip anything on the floors. In both the kitchen and dining rooms. Did I mention I have not sanded down and re-mudded the big hole in the wall? Yes, I will have to do that BEFORE any priming or painting is done.
Seriously, some days I think I need to have my mental health checked.
So, dear blog readers, if you feel like I'm neglecting this blog in any manner, it's because I am drowning in the domino effect of taking out a wall and deciding to put in a new floor.
It all sounds so easy. Right?
Riiiiiiiiiight.
About 2.5 years ago, I tore out a wall. I was done looking at it. It gave me the stink eye most days. And I was tired of its attitude. Its sass. So I showed it who was boss.
This is what was left:
Yes, that's a hole, and yet is is in our kitchen/dining floor. We just step over it and pretend it's all finished and pretty. Seriously.
Over the years, Erik has said "I'd like to get rid of or cover the tile in the kitchen and get rid of the carpet in the dining room." For YEARS he's said this. Well, Erik is the thinker and I'm the DO-er in this marriage. I finally said ENOUGH! We are going to do this.
It started with us thinking we'd have the hardwood floors refinished. Under our entire kitchen/dining/living room area.
After some consulting with floor people who know more about this than I do, though, it seems the tile in our kitchen could be a problem. Even if we are able to get it up, the floors are probably hopelessly damaged. :( Which makes me sad, sad, sad.
One day, Erik said to me "Maybe we just re-do the floors in the kitchen/dining room and leave the carpet in the living room." I don't have any problem with that. In fact, it'll make the kitchen/dining project MUCH easier! We'll just move appliances into the living room and not have to take them out of the house, along with the couch. This seems like a genius idea!
So now, we're just having the floors in the kitchen/dining done. Project got smaller, right? Maybe.
Think back to the above photo. Notice the hole? It contains a vent. The only vent that went into the kitchen. We certainly don't HAVE to have a vent in the kitchen, but we probably should for the comfort factor.
For the past few weeks, we've had heating/air/duct people tromping in and out to look, see and give quotes for moving this vent. The dog thinks it's Christmas, with so many people coming in to bark at and to sniff.
I *think* we've nailed down who will be doing the duct work, and later this week we'll nail down details on the floors. Sigh. But this has been a process.
I will be so glad when it's all done.
Oh, but the domino effect. We can't forget. So, since we're having the floors done, it makes sense to paint the walls before we care if we drip anything on the floors. In both the kitchen and dining rooms. Did I mention I have not sanded down and re-mudded the big hole in the wall? Yes, I will have to do that BEFORE any priming or painting is done.
Seriously, some days I think I need to have my mental health checked.
So, dear blog readers, if you feel like I'm neglecting this blog in any manner, it's because I am drowning in the domino effect of taking out a wall and deciding to put in a new floor.
It all sounds so easy. Right?
Riiiiiiiiiight.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Quote, unquote
Back in journalism school, I DO remember putting together a notebook of city numbers/contacts, but I surely had no clue what each department did. It's been great to apply that to my daily living, because it's been insanely handy!
When I took a job reporting for a small newspaper, covering city government, I didn't know what I was getting into. At all. Honestly, I'm sure I didn't expect to be able to take/translate any of the experience(s) into my daily life. I didn't even know how my notebook of city numbers would relate to my job. Oh boy. Did.It.Ever!
Yet now, 3.5 years later, I'm still able to apply things I learned.
• Knowing who in the city to call when a tree falls across the road in the middle of a nasty storm. Seriously, before watching the city government at work, I would have had NO CLUE. Now I know to call the Public Works department. And call them sooner rather than later. They care b/c they look out for the streets, and if a tree with a diameter of 4 feet is blocking a rod, they want to know about it.
• Bidding it out. The city had hundreds of projects and they'd give the specs and take sealed bids. Now, I'm nowhere near that fancy, but the bidding process was a valuable one to watch. Back when we were taking a portion of our tree out of the backyard, I called 4-6 different places and asked them to come give me a quote. The prices were vastly different, and I'm not sure if I'd have called so many before my days of observing city government. Yet after learning about the bidding/quote process, I was unapologetic about asking people to come and look and bid. We're doing the same now with some duct work, and I expect the prices will range as vastly as our tree did. Yet having several offers on the table will be nice.
• Recycling services. We outgrew our first recycling bin pretty quickly, and since our city takes care of recycling, I knew to head to Public Works and ask them about it.
• Gripes about taxes. Unnamed people in my life will gripe about the city government being irresponsible with tax stuff ... then talk about the school district. Um, while they're both government-related things, if you go to the city and cry to them about building a new school, they won't care. I was able to tell this person they were barking up the wrong tree and direct them to the School Board. The number of taxing agencies in each city is crazy. From the School Board to the City to the County to the Library to the Airport Authority .... those are the few that come to mind off the top of my head. And they EACH can levy/impose taxes.
Alright. This concludes today's randomness.
When I took a job reporting for a small newspaper, covering city government, I didn't know what I was getting into. At all. Honestly, I'm sure I didn't expect to be able to take/translate any of the experience(s) into my daily life. I didn't even know how my notebook of city numbers would relate to my job. Oh boy. Did.It.Ever!
Yet now, 3.5 years later, I'm still able to apply things I learned.
• Knowing who in the city to call when a tree falls across the road in the middle of a nasty storm. Seriously, before watching the city government at work, I would have had NO CLUE. Now I know to call the Public Works department. And call them sooner rather than later. They care b/c they look out for the streets, and if a tree with a diameter of 4 feet is blocking a rod, they want to know about it.
• Bidding it out. The city had hundreds of projects and they'd give the specs and take sealed bids. Now, I'm nowhere near that fancy, but the bidding process was a valuable one to watch. Back when we were taking a portion of our tree out of the backyard, I called 4-6 different places and asked them to come give me a quote. The prices were vastly different, and I'm not sure if I'd have called so many before my days of observing city government. Yet after learning about the bidding/quote process, I was unapologetic about asking people to come and look and bid. We're doing the same now with some duct work, and I expect the prices will range as vastly as our tree did. Yet having several offers on the table will be nice.
• Recycling services. We outgrew our first recycling bin pretty quickly, and since our city takes care of recycling, I knew to head to Public Works and ask them about it.
• Gripes about taxes. Unnamed people in my life will gripe about the city government being irresponsible with tax stuff ... then talk about the school district. Um, while they're both government-related things, if you go to the city and cry to them about building a new school, they won't care. I was able to tell this person they were barking up the wrong tree and direct them to the School Board. The number of taxing agencies in each city is crazy. From the School Board to the City to the County to the Library to the Airport Authority .... those are the few that come to mind off the top of my head. And they EACH can levy/impose taxes.
Alright. This concludes today's randomness.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Colorado, 2011 — Part 5
On the trip, we had a bit of auto trouble. Let me say this: People in Colorado don't seem as friendly/helpful as people in Kansas. When photographing in Kansas, especially somewhere a bit rural, I will often have people stop and ask if I need a lift or if my car has died. We were on our way up the mountain, on a very narrow road and our vehicle went pooey. Know what? NO ONE stopped to ask if we needed help. NO ONE. Stinkers.
With the vehicle out of commission for a day or two, Erik did the only sensible thing possible: We drank our way through Estes Park.
Erik will tell you their brewery was OK, but not fabulous.
We had far better luck with the wine, though.
Loved this.
This place was quaint.
This is the other place in town to taste wine (don't remember the name). We got a nice bottle of Riesling there.
With the vehicle out of commission for a day or two, Erik did the only sensible thing possible: We drank our way through Estes Park.
Erik will tell you their brewery was OK, but not fabulous.
We had far better luck with the wine, though.
Loved this.
This place was quaint.
This is the other place in town to taste wine (don't remember the name). We got a nice bottle of Riesling there.
Colorado, 2011 — Part 4
Just odds & ends here.
The name of this place made me giggle. The food was pretty good, too. :)
Found this in a local shop. Loving it.
We walked into town one day via the golf course. Encountered some wildlife.
They were seriously chillin' in the middle of the golf course, and people were just playing around them.
Either Erik is trying to feed something to a ground squirrel with tongs, or he's trying to catch a ground squirrel with tongs to grill it up. Either is entirely possible.
The name of this place made me giggle. The food was pretty good, too. :)
Found this in a local shop. Loving it.
We walked into town one day via the golf course. Encountered some wildlife.
They were seriously chillin' in the middle of the golf course, and people were just playing around them.
Either Erik is trying to feed something to a ground squirrel with tongs, or he's trying to catch a ground squirrel with tongs to grill it up. Either is entirely possible.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Colorado, 2011 — Part 3
We spent an afternoon at the Stanley Hotel.
Let me tell you a little story. When we were little, my family vacationed in Estes Park. We stayed at the Stanley. I think I knew there was a book related to it, but not much else. I had yet to read "The Shining."
See these keys? The hotel used the keys at that time. Now they have electric cards. When we stayed there as kids, there were the keys, though.
One afternoon, I went into our room, but things were all moved around. I thought my obnoxious brothers moved the furniture. Which annoyed me. Until I looked around and didn't see any of my stuff in there. At all. I looked at the door and realized the key had let me into the wrong room. I totally freaked out and slept in the closet that night. No joke.
Love this wall! So pretty! Love the differing sizes of frames. Just fantastic. And as a side note, this is where Dumb & Dumber was filmed. :)
Oh yes, couldn't forget this! Erik's cousin recommended the Historic Ghost & History Tour at the Stanley. My family was a bit skeptical, but in the end, I think it completely rocked. They have college-aged kids who are in/around the theater come in, and our guide was freakin' awesome! I'd strongly recommend it to anyone! Of course, if you have small kids, the tour is LONG and might not be a good use of their time/energy.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Colorado, 2011 — Part 2
We went down the mountain a bit. I'm not sure where we were, but it was beautiful.
Pretty, pretty, pretty.
Don't ask.
Seriously.
Really nice walking path.
Beautiful.
And guess WHO was crawling in the bushes, taking photos? NOT ME!
PHOTO TIP: Switch your camera to a manual setting and FORCe the flash. With the baseball caps on, out faces would have been in shadow otherwise.
You can see a bit of the flash in mom's sunglasses (2nd from right). But don't we look well exposed?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)