I've decided to look at this decluttering thing more as seven things a week than one thing a day. And at this point, it's a lot more about cleaning up than about getting rid of actual stuff - we're not so good at, say, taking the recycling out of the bathroom on a regular basis. So maybe this will help!
Anyway, last week I either gave away, tossed, or added to the Goodwill box (which will someday make it to Goodwill):
1. Five boxes to a friend that's moving
2. bubble and foam wrap to the same friend
3. two old light fixtures
4. four pairs of unworn underwear that will never fit me (washed them before I tried them so I couldn't return them, darn it all!)
5. a book I finished with and will never read again
6. a pile of toothpaste boxes off the bathroom counter
7. some perfectly good skin care products that I will never use
All in all, a good first week!
Monday, August 25, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
365 days of decluttering
Just ran across this blog posting, and I'm taking the challenge!
That's right. Starting today, for the next 365 days, I'm going to donate, recycle, or toss one unused thing from my house. Granted, I may take a few weeks off in, oh, December or so, but I'll have to get rid of multiple stuff (like that box of stuff to go to Goodwill that's been sitting by the front door for weeks) on other days to make up for it!
Today, I started with the alumni magazines I know I'll never read...
That's right. Starting today, for the next 365 days, I'm going to donate, recycle, or toss one unused thing from my house. Granted, I may take a few weeks off in, oh, December or so, but I'll have to get rid of multiple stuff (like that box of stuff to go to Goodwill that's been sitting by the front door for weeks) on other days to make up for it!
Today, I started with the alumni magazines I know I'll never read...
Monday, August 11, 2008
Cheddar-Bacon Muffins
I haven't posted a recipe for a while, and Amy's been going through withdrawals, so here's one I made today. Even hubby likes these, and he doesn't like muffins. They'd be perfect with a big bowl of potato soup on a cold winter's night (yes, I know it's 80 degrees outside - a girl can dream, can't she???).
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shredded cheddar (medium works just fine, but sharp gives it that extra zip)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (gives it a little heat, but not too much)
1 tbsp. dried minced onion
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cooked, crumbled bacon (sometimes I cook up some bacon and keep it in the freezer for this, other times I just use bacon bits (the real stuff, not the Bacos).
In a large bowl, combine first 8 ingredients. Add eggs, milk and oil all at once, stir just to combine. Mix in bacon. Spoon into greased muffin tins (about 2/3 full or so), and bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
You can also make this into squares by pouring into a greased 9x12 pan and baking for 35 minutes or so, until your toothpick comes out clean.
I always store these in the fridge - I don't know if that's necessary or not, but leaving something with cheese and bacon out on the counter gives me the heebeejeebees!
Enjoy!
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shredded cheddar (medium works just fine, but sharp gives it that extra zip)
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (gives it a little heat, but not too much)
1 tbsp. dried minced onion
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup cooked, crumbled bacon (sometimes I cook up some bacon and keep it in the freezer for this, other times I just use bacon bits (the real stuff, not the Bacos).
In a large bowl, combine first 8 ingredients. Add eggs, milk and oil all at once, stir just to combine. Mix in bacon. Spoon into greased muffin tins (about 2/3 full or so), and bake at 375 for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
You can also make this into squares by pouring into a greased 9x12 pan and baking for 35 minutes or so, until your toothpick comes out clean.
I always store these in the fridge - I don't know if that's necessary or not, but leaving something with cheese and bacon out on the counter gives me the heebeejeebees!
Enjoy!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Getting Ready
Phew - time is flying by! I've had a couple of comments about how I should be blogging my pregnancy and all, but really, these days I'm lucky if I get on the computer for 20 minutes a day, which almost gives me time to clear out all my junk mail! So my apologies for being MIA, but things are going well.
It's hard to believe, but we're more than halfway there. I'm 21 weeks along now, so in 17 - 21 weeks we'll have a little one in our arms. For those of you who haven't heard, it's a girl - we found out a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Caitlyn Claire, and I don't expect that to change unless she suddenly sprouts a penis!
We've been hard at work getting things ready - hubby got the nesting instinct so bad I'm beginning to think it's just going to pass me right by! We've painted the nursery (periwinkle blue and purple) except for the trim, bought our furniture and crib bedding, and have already started accepting hand-me-downs from friends and family who have been waiting for this for years (literally) and are eager to get stuff out of their closets and attics!
I've started our first baby registry. Feels a little early, but people have been asking, so I guess I should get on board. I'll do one more, so people have two stores to choose from. Registering is really difficult, since we'll have so many people giving us things. I have no idea what we're going to get so I have no idea what we'll still need! I know my hormones are seriously at play when it comes to this, because, while I'm so excited (and truly grateful) that we have so many generous people in our lives who can't wait to shower us with the things their children no longer need, it kind of takes the magic out of registering because I don't get to have the fun of looking at all the options and figuring out what I like best, like I did when we did our wedding registry. Of course, that makes me sound like an ungrateful selfish cow but, like I said, let's blame it on the hormones. Heck, we're blaming just about everything on the hormones these days!
On the whole, everything is going really, really well. Caitlyn is healthy, and she must be strong - I'm getting kicked A LOT, which is pretty darn cool! I just wish she'd flip over sometimes so I can get it somewhere besides my bladder, but I'm living with it. We have another ultrasound on August 22, to check her growth (since I'm a "fluffy" person, shall we say, my weight gain or lack thereof isn't a good growth indicator, so the doctor's doing it with ultrasounds. I don't know if that's common or not - used to be you only got one ultrasound in a pregnancy, but the people I know have been all over the map in recent years).
That's it for now - later gaters!
It's hard to believe, but we're more than halfway there. I'm 21 weeks along now, so in 17 - 21 weeks we'll have a little one in our arms. For those of you who haven't heard, it's a girl - we found out a couple of weeks ago. Her name is Caitlyn Claire, and I don't expect that to change unless she suddenly sprouts a penis!
We've been hard at work getting things ready - hubby got the nesting instinct so bad I'm beginning to think it's just going to pass me right by! We've painted the nursery (periwinkle blue and purple) except for the trim, bought our furniture and crib bedding, and have already started accepting hand-me-downs from friends and family who have been waiting for this for years (literally) and are eager to get stuff out of their closets and attics!
I've started our first baby registry. Feels a little early, but people have been asking, so I guess I should get on board. I'll do one more, so people have two stores to choose from. Registering is really difficult, since we'll have so many people giving us things. I have no idea what we're going to get so I have no idea what we'll still need! I know my hormones are seriously at play when it comes to this, because, while I'm so excited (and truly grateful) that we have so many generous people in our lives who can't wait to shower us with the things their children no longer need, it kind of takes the magic out of registering because I don't get to have the fun of looking at all the options and figuring out what I like best, like I did when we did our wedding registry. Of course, that makes me sound like an ungrateful selfish cow but, like I said, let's blame it on the hormones. Heck, we're blaming just about everything on the hormones these days!
On the whole, everything is going really, really well. Caitlyn is healthy, and she must be strong - I'm getting kicked A LOT, which is pretty darn cool! I just wish she'd flip over sometimes so I can get it somewhere besides my bladder, but I'm living with it. We have another ultrasound on August 22, to check her growth (since I'm a "fluffy" person, shall we say, my weight gain or lack thereof isn't a good growth indicator, so the doctor's doing it with ultrasounds. I don't know if that's common or not - used to be you only got one ultrasound in a pregnancy, but the people I know have been all over the map in recent years).
That's it for now - later gaters!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
First of the Season...
First harvest...
First visit to the farmer's market -
First laundry on the line!
Happy Saturday, everyone!
First visit to the farmer's market -
First laundry on the line!
Happy Saturday, everyone!
Saturday, May 31, 2008
I guess it's time I spill the beans...
Wow. Guess I haven't blogged in a while, huh? Sorry about that. I've been, um, a little busy. Yeah, busy, that's it.
Ok, fine, you all know me better than that. LIES! It's all lies!
Truth be told, well,
I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
True story! After two and a half years of trying, waiting, trying, waiting, screwing with my hormones and trying some more, waiting, and finally all but giving up, it happened. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 13 weeks ago.
I have proof! Here's a picture:
Yep, there's a peanut in there! That's an old picture now, taken at seven weeks. Anyway, I'm due December 6, which is just about the worst time to have a birthday in our families (simply because between the two families, I think we already have seven birthdays, plus a couple of friends' birthdays, plus Christmas, in November and December), but hey - we're not complaining!
So my big excuse for not blogging? Well, first it was too early to tell anyone, and I didn't have anything else to talk about. Then, I was sick. Oh, and I pretty much can't stay awake past 9:00 anymore, so blogging had to take a back seat. Then, my computer died. So now I have to share with darling hubby, which pretty much means kicking him off one of his games if I want to get online (like now, he's off watching Fantastic 4 on TV so I took over the internet). But, we're working that out!
At this point, all is well - and I'll keep you posted!
Ok, fine, you all know me better than that. LIES! It's all lies!
Truth be told, well,
I'M PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
True story! After two and a half years of trying, waiting, trying, waiting, screwing with my hormones and trying some more, waiting, and finally all but giving up, it happened. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 13 weeks ago.
I have proof! Here's a picture:
Yep, there's a peanut in there! That's an old picture now, taken at seven weeks. Anyway, I'm due December 6, which is just about the worst time to have a birthday in our families (simply because between the two families, I think we already have seven birthdays, plus a couple of friends' birthdays, plus Christmas, in November and December), but hey - we're not complaining!
So my big excuse for not blogging? Well, first it was too early to tell anyone, and I didn't have anything else to talk about. Then, I was sick. Oh, and I pretty much can't stay awake past 9:00 anymore, so blogging had to take a back seat. Then, my computer died. So now I have to share with darling hubby, which pretty much means kicking him off one of his games if I want to get online (like now, he's off watching Fantastic 4 on TV so I took over the internet). But, we're working that out!
At this point, all is well - and I'll keep you posted!
Monday, April 28, 2008
Chicken Corn Chowder
I made this for dinner last night, and now have leftovers for several lunches this week. So easy, and so good!
4 chicken tenderloins
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cans creamed corn
2 large potatoes, diced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons cold water
In your soup pot, saute the chicken in the oil until they are brown on both sides. Remove and dice. Add the butter to the pot, then add the onion and saute until it starts to brown (I like to add a pinch of salt to this step if I'm using unsalted butter).
Add the garlic, corn, potatoes, chicken broth, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Heat just until boiling; reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked, about 15 minutes.
Add the milk and diced chicken and heat five minutes more. Check your seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Mix the cornstarch and cold water and add to the pot. Continue to cook until slightly thickened, about five more minutes.
4 chicken tenderloins
2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 cans creamed corn
2 large potatoes, diced
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 can evaporated milk
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons cold water
In your soup pot, saute the chicken in the oil until they are brown on both sides. Remove and dice. Add the butter to the pot, then add the onion and saute until it starts to brown (I like to add a pinch of salt to this step if I'm using unsalted butter).
Add the garlic, corn, potatoes, chicken broth, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Heat just until boiling; reduce heat and simmer until the potatoes are cooked, about 15 minutes.
Add the milk and diced chicken and heat five minutes more. Check your seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary. Mix the cornstarch and cold water and add to the pot. Continue to cook until slightly thickened, about five more minutes.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Someday...
Someday, I'm sure, I'll have something to say again. For now...
It's too cold to plant anything new.
I've been too busy to try any new recipes.
I'm still recovering from our big event at work last week, so I've been too tired to think of creative things to blog about.
In short, nothing exciting is happening in my life at the moment and I don't really have anything to blog about!
It's too cold to plant anything new.
I've been too busy to try any new recipes.
I'm still recovering from our big event at work last week, so I've been too tired to think of creative things to blog about.
In short, nothing exciting is happening in my life at the moment and I don't really have anything to blog about!
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
I've died and gone to 80s heaven
Apparently, the rumors are true - the original loves of my life - Danny, Donnie, Joe, Jon and Jordan, are getting back together. That's right, a New Kids on the Block reunion! WOO HOO!!!
http://music.msn.com/music/blockwatch?GT1=7702
There was a time when, believe it or not, I loved them more than Johnny Depp...
Ok, I'm pathetic. And I don't care who knows!
http://music.msn.com/music/blockwatch?GT1=7702
There was a time when, believe it or not, I loved them more than Johnny Depp...
Ok, I'm pathetic. And I don't care who knows!
Sunday, March 30, 2008
My first quilt
It's my first quilt! Made for my dear friend Heidi, who is expecting a little girl in a couple of weeks.
The nursery is purple so it will go perfectly with that. You can't see the top two rows in the picture here, but they're identical to the bottom two (I gave it to her at her shower yesterday, and meant to take a picture with it hanging on the line beforehand, so I could get the whole thing in, but I ran out of time so you get the idea).
I haven't decided yet if I enjoyed making it or not. I certainly enjoyed parts of it, but as for the overall experience, well, the jury's still out on that. I must say I did love the final product though!
The nursery is purple so it will go perfectly with that. You can't see the top two rows in the picture here, but they're identical to the bottom two (I gave it to her at her shower yesterday, and meant to take a picture with it hanging on the line beforehand, so I could get the whole thing in, but I ran out of time so you get the idea).
I haven't decided yet if I enjoyed making it or not. I certainly enjoyed parts of it, but as for the overall experience, well, the jury's still out on that. I must say I did love the final product though!
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