I have made a plan!

Posted on by January 18, 2011

Okay work-out buddy…here’s my report for today…I’ve made a plan!  Hey, I said I was trying to get organized.  The first step was inspired by some super-duper cool checklists by Clean Mama.  I need baby-steps, so I wasn’t quite ready to commit to the whole set…but am DEFINITELY considering them.  I am going to spend some of my ‘free’ time perusing her blog for tips on organizing my ‘housework’ time.  This is a guide for me to follow daily…maybe if it is staring me in the face, with some time expectations, I can stick to it!

This is what my current plan looks like:

Now, this is just a start for me…but I have started off right, well kinda 🙂 I keep thinking it is Monday…but alas, it is Tuesday!  I have made my meal plan for the week (and everything above…so proud of myself for working out!), so I’ll squeeze the floors in when I finish this.  Which just made me realize I did not allocate any time for blogging…hmmmm…right now it will be in with my ‘free’ time (the blank spaces).  I left Saturdays open and we have called our family fun time “Sunday Funday” for as long as Ethan could understand that weekends typically mean no work for Mommy & Daddy.

I also want to seriously cut-back on TV watching here, so I’m hoping that I can wean them off progressively.  The afternoon ‘free time’ is intended to be sans TV, but can include Wii for now. 

Wish me luck in this endeavor!  I will continue to update on my progress :).

Today’s secret revealed…I have scheduled bath nights…not every night…my kids have very dry skin & I think every night is overkill, but this is also flexible…if they are all sweaty & dirty then I bathe them, but honestly bathing the 4 of them is a daunting task…it is really bad when it is mani/pedi night.  One day they’ll do it all on their own, right???

I Need a Work-out Buddy

Posted on by January 17, 2011

Both literally & figuratively…I’m REALLY bad at self-discipline.  That is the ‘character word of the month’ for the boys’ school…SELF-DISCIPLINE.  I really need to lead by example…maybe I should email the guidance teacher and ask her to send me her curriculum on this topic…surely I could make something intended for a first grader work.  I am so bad at this on so many levels…it is really what all of the issues I have with house keeping, fitness, & diet boil down to.  I can effectively talk myself out of most any task.  I don’t like self-help books, or Dr. Phil…so I’m gonna have to figure this one out on my own. 

I am motivated by results…so maybe focusing on one small area is the way to go.  Maybe my BFF will be my ‘workout buddy’…maybe we can get together, make a list of what we want to accomplish & ask each other about our progress during our daily chats.  Maybe I need a big board to hang in my laundry room that has my goals on it, so I can check them off.

What motivates you?  If anyone out there has suggestions on how I can do this…PLEASE comment with your suggestions!

Today’s secret revealed…I need a reward system for my goals, like those jeans I’ve been wanting for 2 years…if I can get down to say a 27, then I get to buy them.  I need to think of a reward for house keeping efforts…

Winter Maintenance

Posted on by January 17, 2011

Let me start this by saying that I think I may have the only husband in the world that regularly tells his wife that she ‘is not high-maintenance enough’.  I really think he is playing with fire, but we’ll save the extinguisher for later.  He is on his way home from an unusual business trip that took him south of the Equator…he went to Peru, where it is summer…while I have been snowed in, he got a sunburn LOL.  He asked me as we chatted on Skype “have you run out of nail polish?  ’cause those toes need some attention before I get home.”  Now you may think that this is sexist and blah…blah…blah, but I expect him to do manly things like use power tools & take the trash out…so I see no problem with him expecting me to paint my toes (even in the winter).  I did tell him that it is too cold to walk around while the paint dries…he offered varied solutions, none of which were as good as what I came up with. 

So this is (shamefully) what my toes looked like when he left…

I know…awful…I could never have gotten away with this in Phoenix, where flip-flops are a year-round wardrobe staple.  Now I really wish I had bought those UGG flip-flops I saw at Last Chance, now I understand what they’re for.

So, to comfortably do a home pedi in the winter…where it is frigidly cold (despite the heat being on)…you’re gonna need a few things…

In the dish is a mixture of (very) coarse Kosher salt…any coarse salt will do…I bought this particular kind & it ended up being way to coarse for cooking (for me, anyway)…but it makes a spectacular scrub.  I mix it with some olive oil, or sometimes my favorite massage oil (Tranquility by Aura Cacia), today was olive oil.  Wondering what the deal is with the socks & scissors?

I originally did this over the summer, because I couldn’t stand wearing full socks to bed…but my heels were a mess from the pool.  I slathered my foot with the thickest cream I could find & put some of these on before bed.  You can probably buy them all nice and pretty for this very purpose, but trying to save a little $$ & who doesn’t have an old pair of socks that could be used for better purposes?

You will also need polish…plan on MINIMUM of 4 coats…don’t you want it to last for more than a day or two???  You must do a base coat, 2 coats of color, & a top coat.  I must confess that I am a polish snob.  OPI is my absolute favorite, I get it when its buy 2 get 1 free at ULTA.  I chose a nude shade, that doesn’t show wear as fast.  My favorites are Skinny Dippin’ in Lake Michigan (pictured), Lincoln Park after Dark, You Don’t Know Jaques, and Malagra Wine.  Fabulous colors & fun names!

So now you’ll want to put some very warm water in your tub & get to scrubbin’ (take your old polish off first).  Apply a generous amount of your scrub (I guess you could buy one of these, too…but again, my way is cheaper) & rub around on all surfaces.  Concentrate on your heels & any rough spots.

I like to grab a handful & scrub my hands while I’m at it.  Then rinse off with warm water…no need for soap, you want the oil to remain.  Dry your hooves, they should be nice and silky now.  One important step is to go over your nails with a fresh bit of polish remover…it gets the oil off so your polish will stick better.  Now paint ’em!  4 coats…don’t skimp!  In 2 weeks when your toes still look good, you’ll be thanking me. 

Scrubbed & polished toes are happy toes…and make for a happy hubby, in this house anyway.  I think I left my toes in the warm water for too long…they look all wrinkley…or maybe I’m just gettin’ old.

Now, my better advice would be to head over to www.spatimenow.com & get one of those mega-deals on a fabulous pedi by a real professional…but remember I’ve been snowed in, so that was out of the question for me…and I have a husband with some expectations to pick up at the airport (if I can make it out of the driveway).

Today’s secret revealed…I’m really embarassed of the way my toes looked in the first picture, and one of the apps I use on Facebook (Networked Blogs) highlights the first picture of the post…that’s why the snowy scene starts things off LOL.

That Little Extra

Posted on by January 17, 2011

That is all it takes to go from ordinary to extrodinary.  Looking back on today, a few ordinary things ended up being quite extrodinary. 

Coffee filters are quite ordinary things…never thought much of them, outside of their usual purpose.  I started making a wreath, made from ordinary white coffee filters…it is quite extaordinary, the transformation.  You can learn how to make one of the coffee filter wreaths over at The Nesting Place.  I normally would put a picture here, but I’m less than a quarter of the way done…I had to stop to feed the hungry monkeys.  Maybe tomorrow I can go back in & add the pictures.

Tacos…I made tacos for dinner tonight.  Fast becoming the kids’ 2nd favorite, right behind…you guessed it spaghetti.  Tacos are a seemingly ordinary choice for dinner…I actually can’t believe I’m writing about them, because as I was making them I was thinking ‘I should be taking pictures…just in case I happen to write about them…Snow Day part trois’…but those monkeys were hungry & I was in a hurry, so my apologies for the lack of illustration.  The tacos we make in my family have become kinda legendary…I, of course, have my own little twist ;).  We do the taco meat like any normal family (we use a packet).  We use good ol’ shredded cheese.  The extra comes in with the shells and the lettuce.  We fry our shells, I fry mine ’til they are super crispy…fall into pieces when you take a bite…crispy goodness!  Freshly fried taco shells are extraordinary.  We also top it all off with a ‘salad’…mine usually consists of lettuce (iceberg or romaine), tomatoes, & sometimes some cilantro…all of it chopped fairly fine…it has to sit on the top, you know.  All of this goes in a bowl…we toss it with vinegar (I like the red wine variety, but any will do), salt & pepper, sometimes a squeeze of lime juice, and some oil (again, I like olive oil…but whatever you have will work).  I don’t know which of the two are the key ‘extra’, but I never make mine without both…sometimes my shells are flat (less effort), sometimes perfectly curved…sometimes the salad’s only veggie is lettuce…but it always has the ‘dressing’.  You really should try it sometime.

I saved the best, most extraordinary part of the day for last.  At Sunday school during advent E’s teacher had him decorate a gift box.  She sent instructions to me as to how it should be filled.  I was to record on paper any time I saw E do something extra special…on Christmas morning he was to open it, read them, and me explain what a gift he is.  Well, I didn’t want to leave the other kids out, so I started jotting down little things that I noticed them doing that were extra special.  On Christmas morning we forgot this little box…it was on top of the China cabinet (I didn’t want him to peek).  E noticed it today.  So we sat down, and through tears I read each of them.  They are so extraordinary.  I believe that they genuinely GOT what this little exercise was intended to do…I hugged, kissed, and told each of them what a gift they are.  So an ordinary box, with ordinary pieces of paper, became the most extraordinary part of my day.

Today’s secret revealed…I cry every single time I read The Giving Tree.

Snow Day…part deux

Posted on by January 17, 2011

Well, I’m still livin’ in a winter wonderland.  Looked the same outside, with the exceptions of no snow falling and a fresh coat of ice over everything.  Our street looks like you could ice skate on it…so the dilemma was: what am I cooking today???  I indulged myself with the chicken ‘n dumplins (only baby girl & I ate those…no surprise there!)…so I needed something that would make all of the restless natives happy.  SPAGHETTI!!!!  There is not an eater picky enough in this house to object to this delightfully easy dish…it is my go-to dinner…anytime of year.  Ya know how somethings just scream winter and some summer?  Well spaghetti works any day of the year in this house…I make it, no joke, about once a week!  My ‘recipe’, if you can call it that, is a conglomeration of several, very special women’s method…with my own twists & tweaks (of course!).  I don’t think I have EVER made it the same way twice, so as I go through my method…keep that in mind :).

I start by chopping some onion…I usually buy sweet onions, but any variety will do :).

Chop ’em fine or chunky…we like it somewhere in between…then toss them in a deep pot with some olive oil over medium heat and let them do their thing.  While they are working, I brown up some hamburger meat, seasoned with a little salt & pepper.

As the onions become translucent toss in whatever amount of garlic you see fit…I buy big containers already minced (I know, fresh, fresh, fresh is best…but I have 4 little kids runnin’ around!)…don’t burn the garlic!  Now toss in a ‘palmful’ (to use Rachel Ray’s method of measurement) of your favorite blend of Italian seasoning (yep, I buy big containers of this, too).

…yep, that much will do!  Toss it in the pot…give it a stir…

I let the dried herbs work a minute with the hot oil…I think maybe it helps release the flavors?  Maybe I just like the way that sounds…Now time to add in the meat…I have used Italian sausage before, but picky little E wasn’t havin’ that, so now just hamburger for us!  Vegans cover your eyes!

Again, I let them work for a bit before adding the crushed tomatoes in.  Now, I have found that when I use Italian crushed tomatoes (usually with basil)…darling husband notices the difference…in a really good way.  These are a little more cost-wise, but really make a difference in the sauce.  I have used several brands of the Italian variety…same results.  These are the ones I brought home this week.  I haven’t found a special tomato sauce, so I buy whatever is on sale.

I add the crushed tomatoes first, usually 2 for a batch this size (I used 2 pounds of meat) and one of the tomato sauce…I save the 3rd can of crushed so that if I need to ‘stretch’ the sauce in a day or two, I can add that in…already has some seasoning :).

Keep it coming…you know the texture you’re looking for…smooth but chunky, right???  Give it a taste to check the salt & pepper quotient…add accordingly.

That’s what I’m talkin’ about!  I love this stuff!  Now, you know me…I like to take it one more step…so I use whatever shredded or shred-able cheese I have (I prefer mozzarella, which I had a chunk of tonight…happy dance!)

Mmmmmmm…are you thinking “wonder why she put it in a pie dish”???  Oh yes…keep walking with me…

Oh no she didn’t…Oh YES I DID!  Yep, stuck it under the broiler (I used my handy dandy toaster oven tonight, just seems less of an event than firing up the reactors)…leave it until the cheese is all bubbly & browned…Ethan calls it pizza-spaghetti…I call it delish!  (thanks, Rachel for another 😉 ).  I am currently slightly obsessed with fresh Italian parsley, so I chopped a little and sprinkled it on top…pretty, too!

Now I have to share a funny little story…back in my working days, I had a long day with work & kids’ activities…I thought I would whip up a quickie noodles & sauce (like, from a jar)…E was having none of that…he said “what’s wrong with this spaghetti???”  I replied “I had to make the quick kind, we’ve had a busy evening”…he says “Mom, from now on, I only want SLOW spaghetti”…for several months anytime I said we were having spaghetti, he always wanted clarification “is it the slow kind?”…never again have I made the quickie kind…I heart that kid!

Today’s secret revealed…you want your hamburger meat to be that fine texture, rather than big clumps?  Use a potato masher while you cook it to squish it around…another handy dandy tip from Aunt ‘Chelle!

Snow Day…Cinnamon Rolls

Posted on by January 10, 2011

So this is what I woke up to this morning…a wonderful winter wonderland! 

I made Pioneer Woman’s Chicken ‘n Dumplins last night, so I’ll be having those again for lunch AND dinner tonight…SO YUMMY!…in this kind of weather I can’t help but cook SOMETHING, so cinnamon rolls it was this morning.  I do have 4, patient for their age, but not patient enough for made-from-scratch children…who, this snowy morning, were crazy excited to go out to play!  I popped open a can…but not a can of pre-made cinnamon rolls…these are WAY better!

The players:

Yep, crescent rolls!  Flakey & delicious 🙂  I used to be able to find the ‘crescent creations’ that saved me the step of pressing those seams together…so if you can find them, get ’em!  I unroll & press the seams together on a sheet of waxed paper (can’t live without this stuff!).  I spread some softened butter all over before I sprinkle heavily with brown sugar, light or dark…doesn’t matter.

and spread around…

now, sprinkle with cinnamon…alot or a little…whatever you’re feeling…

now sprinkle with chocolate chips…I like semi-sweet mini chips…I also added some toasted pecans to this batch…

YUMMMMM!  Now you’re gonna roll ’em up…roll ’em up…

At this point, I like to stick ’em in the freezer for a few…makes slicing much easier.  When you’re ready, unroll & start slicing…I get 6 out of one can of crescents…I start with a slice in the middle…

Then make three on either side of the middle slice…

And throw ’em in the pan, er…buttered dish 🙂

Then bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes…I brushed mine with melted butter after 15ish 🙂

So warm, gooey & delicious…and EASY!  Yummy enough that they need no icing (unless you really wanna make some, surely it wouldn’t hurt…the natives were getting restless here 😉 )

And once the boys went out to play in the snow…a quiet cup of coffee (reheated, of course) and a couple of those pecan filled cinnamon rolls…I’m in my own little wonderland!

Today’s secret revealed…the media coverage of this storm got me a little anxious…I haven’t had to worry about this in nearly a decade…I went crazy stocking up on food, so we should be good for a week or two LOL…I should be used to this by next winter 🙂  Happy Snow Day!

And the Winner Is…

Posted on by January 10, 2011

So, I had these grand plans that I would have so many entries that I would need a sophisticated-make my life easier-random comment picker thingys…but as it turns out only seven ladies were smart enough to enter, so I made it easier on myself by putting your names in a hat, this hat:

There they are…don’t you think this was easier than trying to figure out a new ‘plug-in’?  I sure do!

Then I had to give it a little shake, just to mix ’em up good ;)…good luck wishes were wished…

I picked one…

and then another…

And the winners are…drumroll please (think Christmas Vacation, please)…

CONGRATS GIRLS!  I hope you have a fabulous spaaaaaaaaah day & that you spread the word about www.spatimenow.com !  Groovy Spa Deals 24/7!  I will be be emailing both of you with how to claim your prize!!!

Transformation 2011…House to Home

Posted on by January 17, 2011

We’ve been in this house, what I like to call my ‘realistic dream house’…for about 7 months now. I have been plugging along trying to impose our style, making it feel like home…we’re getting there, but still have a loooooooong way to go. Let me preface all of this by saying that I was a working mom for most of my ‘mom years’, this move has transformed me into a SAHM…I am truly loving it, unbelievably grateful for the opportunity I have been given. As a working mom, I used the excuse of ‘I work, have four kids, and don’t have time for the house’. So now, I don’t have the ‘I work’ excuse…the house is my work (well, part of it anyway). I have said over & over that I am a ‘not-so-good-housekeeper’, but I am really making efforts to change that.

So I have some goals for my HOME this year:

  1. CUT THE CLUTTER! Oh my, we are clutter makers…all 6 of us…and now that I’m at home most of the time, it really bothers me! The following is a photo I’m not proud of, but it is reality…this is what our ‘breakfast bar’ looks like most of the time…how can I utilize this when it is consumed by clutter???  See the shelves way in the background…orderly, no clutter…I try to focus on those LOL.
  2. I want to continue with my current decorating tirade…I have been scouring discount places for interesting pieces I can add here & there.  My very awesome aunt came across some uber cool antique books for FREE (my favorite price) that helped me fill some of those bookcases…they are MUCH bigger than they appear.
  3. The kids’ rooms…right now I try to stay out of them as much as possible…I wear blinders when I tuck them in at night (not literally, I’m just sayin’ DANG! They can make a mess FAST!).  I do this for my sanity.  I want them to be responsible, take care of their things, and put them where they belong when they are done…I really believe that this is karma coming back to haunt me (sorry Mom!).  Again a shameful picture, this is the playroom that we recently allowed E to move into…he desperately wants his own space, but this is where their TV is, so what do I do???  Suggestions PLEASE!
  4. The upstairs of my closet…yep, you read that right…my closet has an upstairs.  You access it through an upstairs door (a stairway would be AWESOME, but you can’t have it all LOL).  I want this to be my work area, right now it is a storage area…you guessed it…CLUTTER!  I need my husband to add some power outlets up there so Martha & Mabel can work for me in that space (my sewing machine & glue gun), fortunately he’s a pretty handy guy so that shouldn’t be too much to ask.
  5. Have more living plants.  If you’ve been here before, you know I love to cook…I want herbs at my disposal.  I have a brown thumb (it used to be black, so I’m making progress)…I have successfully grown thyme from seed, and am ready to give basil & flat-leaf parsley a try.  I need LOTS, because I love to cook with them.  I love the way living plants make the house feel, more homey & alive…and I have a sense of accomplishment in keeping them alive 😉  See…here are the plants I have successfully kept alive for several months…one is the wooly-booger plant (another treasure from Aunt ‘Chelle).

So those are my goals, and for now I’m stickin’ to ’em…I will update my progress, it will keep me motivated…my blog is like a work-out buddy…something to be accountable to (other than my procrastinating self.)

Today’s secret revealed:  I don’t think I can kill the wooly-booger plant, even if I tried…but it is a confidence booster…you know, like those jeans that look great on you regardless of the 5-10 you gained over the holiday?  Gotta love a confidence booster!

  

My First GIVEAWAY!

Posted on by January 10, 2011

Pardon my excitement, but I am a bit giddy over doing my first ever GIVEAWAY!  I hope this is the first of many!

Let’s talk about the New Year for a moment…resolution time.  I have a short list of resolutions, I try to make them attainable…so as not to beat myself up throughout the new year over my lack of living up to my own lofty expectations.  Last year my ‘me’ resolution was to be more fashionable…nearly 15 years of being a nurse and 4 kids had impacted the amount of time I put into my daily appearance…which, in turn, impacted how I felt about myself.  This resolution was inspired by the birthday gift my mom gave me last year…a shopping spree, guided by the ALWAYS fashionable Shelby (one of my dearest Arizona friends)…that was sooooo much fun & having a fresh wardrobe WITH accessories really made me stop & realize that I felt so much better when I put a little thought into what I was wearing.

This year, I have a short list of resolutions…the ‘me’ resolution this year is to take a little ‘me’ time and pamper myself here and there.  The economy is awful, we are definitely feeling the pinch, but I am going to try to occasionally pamper myself despite the belt-tightening.

I know you are thinking…GET TO THE GIVEAWAY ALREADY!  So there is this FABULOUS website www.SpaTimeNow.com that offers luxury spa treatments for GROOVY DEALS!  I am giving away 2 SpaTimeNow Dollars, each for $50!  There are requirements to win, of course 😉

  1. Go over to facebook and “like” SpaTimeNow.com here
  2. write on their wall that you were sent over by ‘the Southern Girl’
  3. come back here and tell me what kind of spa treatment you will use that $50 for!
  4. This Giveaway closes on SATURDAY JANUARY 8th at 11:59pm  and winners will be announced on Sunday January 9th!

Don’t worry if there isn’t a spa in your area yet…the STN dollars do not expire and they are adding new spas in new places constantly!  You can even request that your favorite spa be added to their site!

Just so you know, this GIVEAWAY is riddled with nepotism…I have a special relationship with the founder…she’s my MOM :)…but that still means $50 in fabulous spa treatments for the lucky winners!  Don’t forget to become a member over at www.SpaTimeNow.com you can stay up-to-date on the GROOVY DEALS 24/7!  You will be amazed at what you can get with $50 by using www.SpaTimeNow.com !

Graceful Goodness

Posted on by January 4, 2011

First, I am very new to following LIFE IN GRACE , to be honest it was tragedy that led me there via The Nester.  I was blown away by Edie’s reaction as told by Nester:

“what a christmas gift i’ve been given.  my children are all safe with not so much as a singed strand of  hair.  the mercy of Christ is boundless.”

This left me speechless, in the face of tragedy she focuses on the gift she has been given…I can only pray that I would be so graceful…so fortunate.  I cried as I read Edie’s account of the days that led up to the fire, the sequence of events that saved everyone, and the days that followed.  I wish I could do something to help, but these words are all I can offer…I will pray for all of you.  From what I have read from your friends, you bring joy wherever you go…you are an inspiration to us all!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDIE!  Wishing you all of the happiness life can bring!

Join in the Birthday FUN!  I love surprise parties!!!

Today’s Secret Revealed…Being graceful does not mean that you don’t trip over your own feet.

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