This Crazy Amazing Life

How do I help half a world away?

2011-03-15T09:29:00.001-05:00

A little less than a year ago my hometown, Nashville, TN, experienced devastating flooding. In one weekend we had unprecedented rain fall that our rivers couldn't hold. However, that weekend we received very little national press coverage, because that same weekend the Gulf Oil Spill began. Living in one of the hardest hit areas, yet blessed to be high enough up on a hill that our house was not affected, we had no power, spotty cell service, and were stuck in our neighborhood. That first night, a friend of a friend spent the night on our couch because he couldn't get home. Too many of the roads were washed out.

As I was sending texts and posting Facebook updates, I began to realize from the responses from friends and family around the country that they had no idea what was going on. I was not the only one coming to this realization and on May 4th Patten Fuqua, a local "hockey blogger" posted this on the Section 303 site. We had pulled together to help one another, and we were all in this together. From this post the three simple words "We are Nashville" became the rallying cry as we rolled up our sleeves and began to rebuild, and before long "We are Nashville" t-shirts and bumper stickers were being sold to raise money for the relief effort.

As shirts sold out, and then sold out again. Cool People Care who was selling the shirts began posting updates on Facebook. It was exciting and comforting to see that orders were coming in from all over country to support our relief.

Fast Forward to Friday morning and waking up to watching the unprecedented Earthquake and subsequent Tsunami in Japan. And let's be honest, many of us were paralyzed that morning with shock as we watched footage of the devastation. As I drove my girls to preschool that morning, I counted at least 3 "We are Nashville" bumper stickers, and tearing up, in my mind I thought "We are Japan."

While in contrast the Japanese disaster has received a great deal of media coverage, which it deserves, similarly to the Nashville story, it has continually been reported that there is a sense that the people of Japan have an attitude they are all in this together, and every time I hear that I think "We are Japan."

This morning, as I started reading email and checking Facebook updates, when I came across this post from Faithful Provisons about t-shirts from My Shirt Helps. I was excited to see that someone was making a shirt that the sales of which would help with the relief effort in Japan.

I love the thought put into the design of this shirt. If you've ever read Sadako and the 1000 Paper Cranes then you know that the crane is symbol of healing and hope for the Japanese culture.

These shirts are available at this time for pre-order from My Shirt Helps.

Are there other ways to help? Of course there are. I will be the first to admit that this is one of the easier ways to offer aid to Japan, but for so many of us Japan is half a world away, and we don't know where to begin. This shirt offers us a place to start, and after all, we are Nashville and we are Japan, and we are al called to "Do all the good [we] can."

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"Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as you ever can."

~John Wesley

Meal Plan Monday

2011-03-14T12:15:00.000-05:00

It seems like every time I write this post I start with "We've got another busy week this week." I guess the question is when we ever won't have a crazy week. This week, however, we have enough things going on in the evening that I have finally broken down and written assigned each meal to a specific day of the week. If you've been following these posts you probably know that I always plan for about 5 meals for the week, and then I just figure it out each night. I think planning this way, may help me stay better on top of things like remembering to thaw chicken ahead of time.

Here is my plan for this week --

Monday – Spaghetti with Roasted Chicken and Marinara (Host my friends for a "girls night in")

Tuesday – Lemon Roasted Chicken

Wednesday – Single-Serve Spinach Quiche (After we get home from serving at our church that night for Room in the Inn)

Thursday – Take-Out (Soccer Practice runs from 5:30-6:30)

Friday – Vegetarian Fajitas/Quesadillas (Keeping Fridays Vegetarian for Lent)

Saturday – Birthday Party (We are celebrating my nephew's 3rd Birthday Party)

Sunday – Beef Empanadas with corn, black bean, and tomato salad

I’m also planning to make some homemade peanut butter granola bars with my girls. I am looking for a healthy on-the-go snack for them, and it’s really hard to find something that’s not full of high fructose corn syrup, trans fats, and preservatives. I am excited to try these out, and I’ll let you know how they go.

Meal Plan Monday

2011-03-07T15:36:00.000-06:00

We have another busy week this week, and I'm struggling to figure out how we're going to fit it all in. But you know that preparing healthy meals for my family is important to me. This week nearly all the recipes I'm making for dinner came from the America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook. I am a HUGE fan of the America's Test Kitchen cookbooks because they exhaustively test each and every recipe before going to publication. I highly recommend this cookbook to anyone who wants to cook healthier meals for themselves and their families.

Easy Stuffed Pork Loin with Broccoli and Wild Rice

Sweet and Sour Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry with White Rice

Penne with Chicken, Asparagus, and Lemon

Grilled Cheese with Tomato and Lentil Soup

Fried Polenta Sticks with Marinara Dipping Sauce and Sauteed Zuchini and Summer Squash

Meal Time Madness

2011-02-07T13:19:00.001-06:00

This week I am trying to use up a few freezer meals that I still have lingering in the back of the freezer. I also have one carry-over meal from last week that we didn't end up making due to an unexpected appointment. This week we also have several nights where we will be out of the house at dinner time when we will either eat out or at church.

Here's my plan for this week:
Kale Bruschetta on Homemade Ciabatta rolls with grilled chicken
Strawberry Fields Salad with Grilled Chicken
Apricot Glazed Chicken Tenders with Rice and mixed veggies
Honey Glazed Pork Chops with Rice, Homemade Applesauce, and Broccoli

I'm always looking for new ideas and would love to hear what you are making!

Meal Time Madness

2011-01-31T22:01:00.001-06:00

WOW! So I missed posting our plan for last week. We had a Pantry/Freezer week last week, since I had already maxed out our grocery budget for the month. We did pretty well, but as we got to the end of the week, I was really beginning to struggle with ideas, and I was wishing I had done a little more planning.

I am so glad to be starting fresh with a new month tomorrow and new meal plan for this week. Although, I really can't believe how late I am getting this up. You would have thought writing this meal plan was rocket science! Here's my plan for this week:

Penne with Mini Meatballs
Sweet and Spicy London Broil with steak fries and oven roasted asparagus
Asian Marinated Drummettes with Rice and Broccoli
Stovetop Chicken Fajitas
Pan-Grilled Chicken Breast with Grapes&Thyme and homemade bread
Kale Bruschetta with grilled chicken

I'm always looking for new ideas. I would love to know what you're having!

Meal Time Madness

2011-01-17T09:50:00.000-06:00

I just finished planning my meals for this week, and I am very excited at how much I already have on hand. More than eight months after I lost my freezer stockpile to the power outage caused by the floods in Nashville in early May. It took me a long time to even want to start socking ahead again, and then I had to get back into the habit of looking for deals and meal planning based on what was on sale at the grocery store. Here's the list:

Chicken Tortilla Soup (We never made this one last week)
Franksdogs (a version of a hotdog that the husband and I loved when studying abroad in Denmark in college)
Zuchini and Hamburger Casserole
Make your own Pizza Night
Spicy Chicken with Rice and Broccoli

I am always looking for new ideas, so I would love to know what you are planning this week.

Twice is Still Nice

2011-01-11T15:01:00.000-06:00

When I was in high school, before I went clothes shopping, my mom asked me if I wanted a few really nice things or a lot of cheaper things. To be honest, my immediate reaction was, "I want a lot of really nice things." If asked that same question today, I think that would still be my answer but now most of the clothing I buy is for my girls. At the same time, as a stay at home mom, I have to be passionate about finding ways to save money. So how do I reconcile having a closet full of really nice clothes for my girls while at the same time saving money: I shop seasonal consignment sales.

Believe it or not, the Spring and Summer consignment sales begin in February, which means it's time to start looking for the sales in your area and deciding which ones you might want to shop. It also means that it's already time to sign up as a consignor or volunteer, and if you do sign up to consign then it's time to start looking through your kids' toys, clothes, and gear and figuring out what you are ready to pass along to someone else.

If you've been following this blog then you may have seen my previous posts on why I love consignment sales so much, but I thought it was worth repeating my TOP THREE reasons

1) THEY'RE CHARITABLE! The majority benefit churches, schools, or other non-profit organizations. Even the sales run by individuals often donate at least a portion of their proceeds to a chosen charity.

2) THEY'RE GREEN! Consignment sales are a great way to recycle perfectly good used clothing.

3) THEY'RE CHEAP! Clothing (and toys for that matter) are generally priced 50% or more below the original retail price. I have gotten so used to consingment sale prices on clothes that these days I can even get sticker shock from the prices on clothing at Target and Walmart.

I'm planning to do a series of posts to help you prepare for consignment sale shopping. Check back often or Subscribe to This Crazy Amazing Life by Email so you don't miss an update.

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Live in the Greater Nashville Area? Check out Julie King's website Consigning Time for great information and a calendar of all the seasonal sales in the area.

If you live outside the Nashville Area, to find sales in your area, check out the the Kids Consignment Sales website. Click on "Seasonal Sales" in the menu on your left and then choose your state.

If only it hadn't been 2:00 AM...

2011-01-10T12:48:00.000-06:00

With a big (well for Nashville anyway) snowstorm headed our way last night, I had the feeling that my daughters' preschool would be closed today. What you may not know is that my older daughter LOVES school. She actually loves anything that takes her out of the house. With that in mind, I wanted to prepare her for the fact that there was a snow storm on the way, and she would probably be spending Monday at home rather than with her friends and teachers at school. I told her that even though it hadn't started snowing yet, there might be a lot of snow on the ground when she woke up.

WOW!

Instead of going to sleep, I am pretty sure she laid in bed all night waiting for the snow to start. When I went in to check on her 4 hours later, she was laying there with eyes-wide-open just staring at the ceiling. The next thing I knew she was out of bed and changing into "warmer" pj's. Putting her back to bed, I told her that she needed to go right to sleep. It was approaching midnight after all.

A couple hours later around 2:00AM a woke up and sat bolt-right up in bed. I could hear both girls talking to one another. They share a bedroom, so we are used to hearing this start at some point between 5:00 and 6:00 each morning, but not at 2:00. When I walked across the hall I saw one of the sweetest sights I've ever seen, if only it hadn't been 2:00AM:

Both girls
sitting on one bed
snuggled together
blinds raised
watching the snow
quietly talking and giggling

If only it hadn't been 2:00AM.

What a sweet sight, and yet we had to break it up.
Discipline the older one.
Get both back to sleep.

Sigh...

Meal Time Madness

2011-01-10T10:18:00.000-06:00

As part of my new commitment to getting back to contributing to this blog as well as getting back to getting my life in order, I am so happy to be posting my meal plan for this week. I just hope I am able to get to the store (we supposedly have a BIG snow storm headed our way) to get some of the fresh items I need to make these meals come together. If not we may have to improvise during the first part of this week.

I'm also trying something new this week: Double Duty Cooking. I will be making extra chicken one night and then re-inventing it the next night into a completely new meal.

Here's my plan for the week:
Pan Roasted Chicken Breasts with Lemon Jus, Broccoli, and Fresh Bread
Chicken & Rice Casserole with Lemon & Parmesan
Chicken Chiliquiles
Baked Penne & Sausage Supper
Chicken Tortilla Soup
Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad

I am always looking for new meal ideas, and I would love to know what your plans are for this week. I would love for you to link up your meal plan for this week or leave a comment below.

A New Committment

2011-01-06T21:31:00.000-06:00

I had several motivations when I started this blog a little more than a year ago. I wanted an outlet where I could write insights, joys, & frustrations from my everyday life. I wanted a place where I could share all that I was learning about balancing all the demands of life as a wife, mom, chef, chauffeur, housekeeper, seamstress, etc. Finally, I wanted a place that could help to keep me accountable as I work to get and stay organized in this crazy amazing life.

As 2010 wore on and the demands grew greater and greater, I found myself less and less likely to find time to post. At the same time, I became less and less organized. For the first time in years I was no longer making meal plans. I was no longer writing to do lists. I was basically doing whatever I needed to do to get by, but I wasn't doing anything as well as I could have if I'd been more organized and had a better plan.

I have a lot of goals for 2011, but what I have realized is there is no way for me to accomplish all of my other goals I am going to have to make sure that I get back on top of taking time to make a game plan, and I am going to share this game plan here. This blog will be one source of accountability, as I look for and find joy in the midst of crazy.

Join the National Consumer Panel

2010-07-12T12:19:00.000-05:00

Have you ever heard of the National Consumer Panel? It is the new name for the Nielsen Homescan Consumer Panel. Well, a few months ago, I found out about it through a post on Faithful Provisions. I wanted to check it out, so I went to the website. I found out that they were looking for panel members in my zip code, and I immediately signed up. I was put on a waiting list as I waited for a FREE scanner to become available, but that only took about a month.

Now that I am a member of the panel I am responsible for tracking my purchases each time I go shopping. It's really easy. I just keep my scanner in the kitchen, so I can scan items right when I get home. After each shopping trip I just scan the barcodes of the items, enter any coupons I used, and the total amount I spent. Then once a week, I transmit my data to the NCP.

But you may be wondering why I would take the time to scan all my purchases. Time is definitely a precious commodity, and scanning does add a little extra time to getting everything put away. Well, the answer is simple. NCP rewards you for your participation. Each time you transmit your purchases and each time you complete an online survey, you are rewarded with points. These points can be used to get all sorts of gifts from the Homescan gift catalog. Gift points values range from 9,000 for a wallet to 315,000 for an XBOX 360. Most of the gift options fall somewhere in between. In just about 3 months I have already accrued more than 5,000 points, and the longer you are a member the more points you get for participation.

If you think you would the National Consumer Panel sounds like something you would like to participate in then check out the website. Don't get discouraged if you get waitlisted for a little while. It doesn't take long. Also, don't get discouraged if your zip code doesn't qualify this time around. Keep checking back, because they may need another person in your area soon.

Crazy Amazing Consigning

2010-06-30T20:42:00.000-05:00

It's that time again!!!! The Fall/Winter consignment sales are just around the corner and will be in full swing by the end of July. Several sales (especially my favorite) still haven't posted dates and/or locations, so I am waiting to post my calendar until I have all the necessary information.

If you plan to consign this season make sure that you are taking the time now to press and hang the clothes and clean the toys you plan to sell. It's easier if you do a little at a time, otherwise you may find yourself up all night the night before drop-off.

If you found a sale (or sales) that you enjoyed shopping at last season, plan to get involved this season either by consigning with them or volunteering to work. Honestly this season, I may not have much to consign. I am however, planning to volunteer again for my favorite sales. Remember, at most sales volunteers shop even earlier than consignors.

While I am compiling my Consignment Sale Calendar, check out my Shopping Tips post from last season.

More than Crazy

2010-06-30T20:29:00.000-05:00

Two days ago, I woke up with a a great sense of peace. Finally these last two months that have been so jam-packed full were over, and I could finally take some time to breathe. I have a tendency to overbook myself, but this has been ridiculous.

I am excited to get back to normal crazy in the coming weeks.

Seriously!

2010-06-02T19:19:00.000-05:00

Let’s just say that I may have taken on a bit too much when I decided to begin this blog just before starting a new job at one of our local universities. By the end of the semester, life was definitely getting more and more crazy and less and less amazing. I was only working part-time, but balancing work-life and mom-life was proving to be more difficult than I had anticipated.

The most difficult aspect of my job was the fact that every week was different because I was at the mercy of both the student teachers who I was mentoring and the schools where they were placed. This made it difficult for me to find a weekly routine that worked both me and my family, and by the end of the semester, the weekly schedule (meal planning on Sunday, grocery shopping on Monday, etc.) had completely fallen apart.

With no weekly routine, it seemed like I lost all ability to plan ahead. This translated into letting a number of things slide including writing on this blog. I can’t even count the number of times I had something to write about, but either couldn’t find the time or was too exhausted to get it posted. However, I’M BACK am excited to turn my attention back to finding the balance between crazy and amazing and sharing it with you here.

Meal Time Madness

2010-04-12T15:41:00.000-05:00

So I have my plan for my meals for the week, but it doesn't look like I am going to make it to the store today before dinner since my little one just went down for a late nap. I guess I'll have to get creative tonight with whatever is in the house.

Here is my plan for the week:
Southwestern Style Roast Chicken, Spanish Rice, and Broccoli
Chicken Potstickers (making extra to freeze) and White Rice
Pesto Butter Stuffed Chicken Breasts and Sauteed Zucchini
Chimichangas (from the freezer)
Chipotle Chiken Rolls with Avacado Dipping Sauce and Salsa

Do you have a plan for this week?

Drop Everything and Read!

2010-04-10T13:05:00.000-05:00

I just got a new FREE book in the mail from Book Sneeze, and I wanted to share it with y'all!

If I Could Ask God Anything: Awesome Bible Answers for Curious Kids

by Kathryn Slattery

A great addition to a book collection for any family with children, If I Could Ask God Anything: Awesome Bible Answers for Curious Kids by Katherine Slattery uses Biblical references to answer more than 150 questions kids (and adults) might have about Christianity. These questions are organized into 11 different categories including God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, The Bible, Christianity, Prayer, The Church, Christian Seasons and Holidays, Being a Christian Here and Now, Being a Christian Forever and Ever, and Big Questions. The book itself is well written and the author offers concise Biblically derived answers that cites numerous passages. This is a perfect book for any family with children, but it seems especially geared towards children of elementary school-age.

Do All the Good You Can

2010-04-05T16:26:00.000-05:00

I have a new series of posts that I am going to start writing based on the quote above by John Wesley. My primary love language is gifting, so I am always trying to find simple and inexpensive ways to spread joy to others. This is my first post in the series.

A few months ago when I attended the Faithful Provisions Grocery Savings Workshop, I heard Kelly repeatedly say that military families were allowed to use expired coupons. I had only been couponing a couple of months at that point, but I had already had to toss a number of expired coupons in the recycling bin.

As the sister of an Iraq war veteran who was stationed in Germany before and after his deployment to Baghdad, I decided to look into giving away coupons to military families. I found out that only military families who are stationed abroad are able to use the expired coupons, and they can only use them for up to 3 months past the expiration date. This means that it is important to get the expired coupons in the mail just as soon as you can.

Last month was my first month to send expired coupons abroad. I chose to send them to Baumholder, the military base in Germany where my brother had once been stationed, but there are a great number of U.S. military bases throughout the world to choose from. Just make sure to sort your coupons into two labeled zip-lock bags -- one for food and one for non-food items. Toss them in a manila envelope and ship it via parcel post to save money.

If you have more questions about this check out these sites for more information:

Overseas Coupon Program

Grocery Saving Tips

Meal Time Madness

2010-04-04T20:55:00.000-05:00

After about a month and a half of not taking the time to plan out my meals, I am jumping back on the meal-plan bandwagon. While I have been meal planning since sophomore year of college, I usually quit for month here or there only to find myself stressed out and eating left-over sugar cookies on the run instead of sitting down to eat a healthy meal. At the same time, we have A LOT of stuff in the freezer. I still haven't been successful at the one day freeze-a-rama, but I have found a few hours here or there to make things and freeze. This week we will be primarily eating meals from the freezer accompanied by some fresh produce. As always, I am only planning 5 dinners, because for some reason something always comes up or we have left-overs one or two nights instead of cooking.

Breakfasts:
Cereal
Granola Bars
Fresh Fruit

Lunches:
BLT's
Soup
Cheese and Crackers
Salad
Fresh Fruit

Dinners:
Empanadas (from freezer)
Lasagna Rolls (from freezer)
Bratwurst, Egg Noodles, & Broccoli
Chipotle Chicken Rolls
Honey Nut Chicken Sticks

I will also be making a Maple Streusel Coffee Cake for the teachers at my daughter's school.

What's your plan for this week?

Where Have I Been?

2010-03-28T20:20:00.000-05:00

Wow what a month March turned out to be!

My husband traveled for business four consecutive weeks, and I found myself too exhausted to write by the time I got the girls down each night. At the same time, I was really feeling like I had little to share. I wasn't writing meal plans because I really don't like to cook for just me and my two-year-old. At the same time, I am still working as a supervisor for four student teachers from one of the local universities, as well as starting up with my "summer gig" of sewing pillows for a local wedding planner who uses them for decorations at the receptions she plans. If I had shared anything over the past few weeks, my posts would have been about how much I was failing at maintaining so many facets of my life.

Let's just say that I am heading into April exhausted from a super-busy March. I am hoping that I can do a better job of maintaining the systems I have in place to keep my days running smoothly. I'm looking forward to finding rest in this Holy Week and celebration of Easter next Sunday.

What was I thinking...

2010-03-09T12:03:00.000-06:00

So I know that you all read my grand plan for freezer cooking last week. I think that I was a little ambitious with what I thought I could get done in the time I had available. I did not have any days that I could set aside to devote to cooking, and since I worked 3 days, had 3 volunteer commitments, 1 consignment sale to shop, and my husband was out of town for most of the week, getting much of anything completed in the kitchen just didn't happen.

I was able to make the baked mac&cheese, lasagna roll-ups, and taco meat and get those in the freezer, but the rest I haven't even attempted to tackle and its been more than a week. To be honest, I haven't even made it to the grocery store to get all of the ingredients I need! YIKES!

I am still hoping to get a few more things made and in the freezer this week. I am focusing on our breakfast items (Healthy Breakfast Cookies and Flax Seed Waffles) as well as a few more dinners. I'll keep you posted!

Drop Everything and Read!

2010-03-09T00:00:00.000-06:00

One of my resolutions this year was to find time to read more, and recently I joined Book Sneeze where I can free books on all sorts of topics that I may never have found otherwise. I got my first Book Sneeze book in the mail this past Friday and read nearly all of it that evening. Below is my review. I have reviews of some other books in the works as well.

John Bunyan

by Kevin Belmonte

One of the installments in the Christian Encounters series, this biography of John Bunyan is a celebration of his life and his work by author Kevin Belmonte. The book traces Bunyan’s life from his early childhood to his Christian enlightenment and subsequent imprisonment for refusing to conform to the demands of the Church of England. These experiences would all serve to inform his great literary work The Pilgrim’s Progress, which would later influence great authors from George Elliot to Jane Austen to Harriet Beecher Stowe and was one of the only books Abraham Lincoln owned as a child. Throughout the book, Belmonte uses a very admiring tone of John Bunyan and his life’s work. As I read, I found myself surprised that I had never heard of John Bunyan or had the opportunity to read The Pilgrim’s Progress. This book is probably best suited for readers interested in English and/or Christian Literature.

My "Make-Ahead and Freeze" Plan for March

2010-02-27T18:16:00.000-06:00

Ever since baby girl #2 was born, I have tried to keep at least a few homemade, ready-to-heat meals in the freezer. With a toddler running around and an infant on my hip, I am usually exhausted by the time I start to think about having to cook dinner. And let's face it, 4-6PM are often acid hours for both mom and the kids making getting dinner on the table that much more of a struggle.

Along the way, I found that if I just doubled the meal I was making on the nights I had time to cook then I could get a dinner on the table for tonight and have freeze the other half for a night when I really needed an easy evening. This worked well for a little while until I went back to work part-time. Now I have more evenings when I need to be able just pop something in the oven, and the freezer is looking a little bare. At the same time, there are several mornings a week now that we are up and out the door super early, and I need healthy ready-to-go breakfast options.

Y'all have seen me reference both Kelly @Faithful Provisions and FishMama @Life as Mom in previous posts. As I have been following their blogs, I have been inspired to attempt something completely new: A Once-a-Month Freezer Cooking Day.

This will be my first real attempt at setting aside some time at the beginning of the month to stock my freezer with meals and meal components that I can easily pull from after a super-busy day. Here is my plan:

Dinners:
Personal-Sized Pizza Crusts (Regular and Whole Wheat)
Lasagna Roll-ups
Taco Meat
Chicken Pot-stickers
Baked Mac&Cheese
Chicken Parmesan Stromboli
Chimichangas

Breakfasts:
Breakfast Cookies (Thanks for the recipe FishMama!)
Flax Seed Waffles

Extras
Garlic Bread

Baby Food
Butternut Squash & Apple
Apple, Pear, & Blueberry
Sweet Potato, Carrot, & Broccoli
First Chicken Casserole
Banana Berry

I am not sure if I am being a bit ambitious for my first attempt at a Freezer Baking Day. Hopefully if I can devise a really good working plan for the next few days, I can get it all done and have a good stockpile for the month of March. As I work on the recipes I will plan to post recipes and steps as well as helpful hints I learn along the way.

If you are interested in having a freezer cooking day of your own, check out the following articles for some inspiration and some how-to help:

How I plan my Freezer Cooking Day @ Money Saving Mom

Freezer Cooking Basics @ Life as Mom

Freezer Food Safety @ Freeze Happy

Helpful Tools for Freezing @ Freeze Happy

Consignment Sale Spotlight

2010-02-23T21:44:00.000-06:00

I wanted you all to know about favorite consignment sale of them all. Little Sprouts, an upscale and boutique only consignment sale, is artfully run making it a joy to shop at, consign with, and volunteer for. I actually love this sale so much that I was shopping at it on my due date with my 2nd pregnancy when my water broke! (Don't worry! I made it to the hospital.)

I love shopping at this sale because I don't have to dig through the worn-out, $1, Walmart shirts to find the super cute clothes that I prefer my daughters to wear. The sale website makes it easy to know exactly what to expect with long lists of both "accepted" and "not accepted" brands.

If you read my previous entry on successful shopping tips then you know that I recommend getting involved with sales that you like. I like this one so much that I have always found ways to get in for the very first presale. In the past I have cooked meals, put together racks, and lent tables, and this week I will be working the 1/2 price sale day just so I can get in for the earliest presale possible.

If you are in the area I strongly suggest you check out this sale. To all my Nashville friends: It is worth the drive out to Franklin. TRUST ME!

Here's the info you need:

Little Sprouts

Public Sale Dates
February 26th 9:00AM-6:00PM
February 27th 9:00AM-3:00PM
February 28th 1:00PM-5:00PM (1/2 Price)

Location
1725 Columbia Ave., Franklin TN
A few doors down from JumpZone

Sidelined...

2010-02-23T14:40:00.000-06:00

Food Poisoning this weekend knocked me right out of the game. I spent most of Saturday in a bad mod because I didn't feel well and most of Sunday immobile on the couch because I was so dehydrated that my whole body ached. YUCK! YUCK! YUCK!

All that to say, I have spent the last two days trying to get back on top of all the things that I let slide over the weekend. Keep your eyes posted for another post later this evening...

Cheering on Team USA

2010-02-16T10:22:00.000-06:00

I'm just going to come clean here and admit that I am a total geek for the Olympics. For as long as I can remember, I have paused life as much as possible to be able to camp out at home and watch Team USA take on the world. I even remember staying up way past my bedtime at the age of 8 to watch the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea. So far this year, the snow and ice on the ground as well as having two sick kids at home has helped me in this endeavor.

While I have never really considered myself an athlete, I have always enjoyed celebrating the athletic achievements of others. Several of my close childhood friends were and still are amazing athletes and are living crazy amazing lives of there own in pursuit of their own athletic achievements. I recently took the Clifton Strengths Finder through our church and I found out that one of my strengths is "maximizer" which means that I like to use my strengths while at the same time spending time with other people who use their strengths. This applies even if their strengths are not the same as my own. When I am around people who are pursuing their own goals then I am inspired to more diligently and faithfully pursue my own.

I think the greatest thing about the Olympics is its multiple layers. Yesterday, I teared up as I watched a cross country skier from Brazil complete the Women's 10k. She didn't finish anywhere close to the medals, but she didn't finish last. Simply finishing the race was a meaningful accomplishment for her. I think there is something so inspiring about a person who is so dedicated to pursuing her own personal best regardless of whether they have any hope at a medal.

Of course, more than anything when I watch the Olympics I am watching to cheer on Team USA. Skiing, snowboarding, skating, hockey, and yes even curling, I watch it all while keeping a close eye on the medal count. In fact, I love hockey probably more than any true southern girl should, but I am totally stoked that 6 of the players from our local NHL team are playing on their respective national teams including one, Ryan Suter, on Team USA.

For the duration of the Vancouver Olympics I am going to include the Team USA Updates and Overall Medal count in the sidebar of this blog. I will also have the Hockey Updates just below any new post.

Meal Time Madness

2010-02-15T15:31:00.000-06:00

Without realizing it, last week's meals came completely from my pantry. About halfway through the week I was very thankful that I already had all the ingredients for the meals I was making because both girls have been sick, and I did not have the opportunity to make it to the grocery store.

My girls still are not 100%, so I still haven't made my grocery run for the week. Thankfully a few of the meals this week are actually pantry meals too.

Breakfasts
Cereal
Eggs and Toast
Yogurt with Wheat Germ

Lunches
Soup
Leftovers

Snacks
Grapes
Bananas
Cheese

Dinners
Sweet and Sour Sesame Chicken
Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops with Orzo and Broccoli
Pan Grilled Chicken with Steamed Veggies and Pasta
Chipotle Chicken Rolls with Avocado Dipping Sauce
Pizza Night -- Blackened Chicken Pizza & Mexican Supreme Pizza

The last 3 recipes on the list (Chipotle Chicken Rolls and both Pizza Recipes) are all from various Rachael Ray cookbooks. I like her recipes a lot because they leave a lot of room for creativity. I often change up the spices and/or ingredients a little bit. The blackened chicken pizza recipe is a favorite in our house, but I don't think I've made it the same way twice.

How is meal planning going for you? Are you able to stick to your plan? What do you have planned for this week?

Crazy Amazing Consignment Shopping

2010-02-10T20:33:00.000-06:00

As you know from my previous posts, I love shopping for my daughters' clothing at seasonal consignment sales. However, while "retail is for sissies" as Jennifer the owner of the Once Around the Block sale says, then consignment shopping has a definite competitive sport quality. After several years of shopping these sales, I have come up with some tips that may help you get the most out of your consignment shopping experience.

1. Bring a Basket
You are likely to find a lot of really great stuff from toys to clothes to baby gear at a consignment sale. The easiest way to keep up with your loot is to bring some kind of shopping basket or bag with you. I generally bring the largest laundry basket I have with me, but I have even seen women pushing strollers (sans children of course) piled high with clothes.
2. Bring a Buddy
This is especially helpful if you are shopping for more than one child. I like to bring my mom with me. I make lists of what I am looking for, and she takes one list. While I head to one clothing size, she heads to the other.
3. Grab It
If you see something you like grab it. Remember, this isn't Macy's. There aren't 5 of the same item in the size you need, so if you pass it up chances are someone else will grab it. Once you have looked through everything available, find one of the discard racks and look at what you have grabbed. Pick out your favorite things and put everything that you decide you don't want back on the discard rack.
4. Leave your kids at home
You know how hard it is to concentrate when you are trying to attend to your children. If at all possible plan to leave your children at home while you are shopping so that you can focus on the great deals to be had.
5. Shop Early
Of the many sales that are in my area, I have narrowed it down to my 10 favorite sales. These 10 have divided into three categories: Shop Only, Consign, & Volunteer/Barter. The more involved you get with a sale the earlier you get shop meaning the better selection you get. I volunteer and consign with my 2 favorite sales and I consign with 3 others. This means that I get to shop at pre-sales before they open to the public. The other 5 I only shop at, but I still show up for the opening of the public sale.
6. Don't Get Overwhelmed
As I said before, consignment shopping is competitive, ESPECIALLY pre-sale shopping. I told one friend that it's kind of like shopping at Best Buy on Black Friday. You better be prepared. My best advice is to hit up sales on the public dates first to hone your skills. Once you feel more confident, get more involved so that you can get into the pre-sales.

Do you love consignment shopping too? What success tips do you have?

Meal Time Madness

2010-02-08T16:22:00.001-06:00

I found last week that when I didn't post my meal plan, I was less organized and had a harder time getting to the grocery store. It just may have had something to do with the 6 inches of snow on the ground, but my take-away lesson was that I need to keep up with the practice of posting my menu plan just as I did during the January pantry challenge.

Breakfasts
Cereal
Eggs and Toast
Yogurt with Wheat Germ

Lunches
Soup
Leftovers

Snacks
Grapes
Bananas
Cheese

Dinners
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Chicken Cutlets with Grapes and Thyme
Pretzel-Crusted Chicken Tenders
Homemade Pizzas
Empanadas

What are you planning this week?

Make-Ahead and Freeze

2010-02-02T12:31:00.000-06:00

Ever since baby girl #2 came along, I have really had to find creative ways to get a good, healthy, home-cooked meal on the table each night for dinner. As you know by now, I prefer the homemade over the prepackaged. Not only do I avoid a lot of the salt and preservatives that are in prepackaged foods when you make it yourself, but I also find that I prefer the way homemade meals taste.

For the past six months I have been experimenting with make-ahead and freeze recipes that I can easily pop in the oven to have ready in time for dinner. I have had some great success so far with some recipes and at least one total failure that resulted in having to utilize the oven's self-cleaning process.

At the same time, I have started learning more about moms like Kelly at Faithful Provisions and FishMama at Life as Mom who take a few days at the first of the month to prepare a number of meals and snacks for their families. In the past, when I have made meals to freeze, I have just found an hour here or there. I have not been as organized and proactive at setting aside a few days to get this done. This week I have several recipes I would like to make, but I know that I am not able to devote two full days.

I am planning to post my recipes as I cook. I am also planning to make this a regular feature on this blog. Check back soon. There should be at least one recipe posted by Friday. In the mean time you can check out my one-serving spinach quiche recipe.

Finding Joy in the Midst of Crazy

2010-02-01T22:12:00.000-06:00

The past 2 weeks have been completely overwhelming. Between my primary job as full-time mom and my part-time job as a mentor for student teachers, I have dealt with emotional ups and downs from the passing of two great men (my grandfather and the director of summer camp I attended) who each had a profound impact on my life. My husband also traveled to Texas and back, and he and both girls are not feeling 100% right now. We also had a big (for Tennessee) snow storm over the weekend. Schools have been closed since last Friday and are already called off for tomorrow (Tuesday) which is making it difficult for me to fulfill the requirements of my new part-time job.

At the same time, I am still trying to settle into a routine with this new job. I am feeling like I am somewhat at the beck and call of the student teachers that I am mentoring. I had hoped to work out a routine for observing and conferencing with them, but so far this hasn't happened. I am the first to admit that I don't do well without a routine. I'm not really a strict schedule person, but I like to have a general plan for each day of the week. Before I began this job this Monday would have looked pretty similar to last Monday, etc.

Now that I am trying to fit my job requirements into my weekly routine, I am finding it difficult to keep up with all my regular wife and mommy responsibilities. Today I found myself frustrated while trying to meal plan for the week and make my grocery list, something I typically do over the weekend. Normally, I grocery shop on Mondays, but I am now just hoping to fit that in to Tuesday.

This week is just as busy as (if not busier than) last week. All day today I have felt a good deal of stress about all that needs to get done, but my goal for this week is to find joy in midst of the crazy.

Pantry Challenge -- Week 3 Check-in

2010-01-24T21:42:00.000-06:00

At this point I'm not really sure that I can really say that I am still doing the pantry challenge. I am planning my meals from what we have in the pantry, but, between Harris Teeter Super Doubles and the upcoming Mix & Match specials at Kroger, I have had a really hard time passing up the great deals that have been available at the grocery stores this month. I have been planning all of my meals from the freezer and pantry, but I have definitely found myself replenishing the pantry with the deals that I am finding. I am just not sure that I have been at this long enough to pass up the deals.

This week past week we spent $88 on groceries. Part of the money spent this week went to the purchase of soup for my husband. He eats a can of Chicken Gumbo or Chicken and Sausage Progresso soup each day for lunch, so when Publix has Progresso soup on a BOGO sale and I have 10 Progresso coupons, we can't pass up that deal.

Below is our menu plan for this week.

WEEK FOUR

Chicken Fajitas with Saffron Rice

Crock Pot Pot Roast

Spicy Pan-Grilled Pork Chops with Egg Noodles and Broccoli

Cranberry Glazed Chicken with Cornbread and Salad

Throughout the month of January, I have been able to cut our grocery spending down by about $200. This morning sitting in church I felt very called to take at least a portion that savings and use it towards the Haitian Earthquake relief effort. That will be one of my projects this week.

Crazy Amazing Consignment Calendar

2010-01-20T19:48:00.000-06:00

Prior to the beginning of each consignment sale season, I put together a calendar to keep all of the dates straight. This year I have been anxiously awaiting for my favorite sales to post their dates on their websites. After several years of heading out all over town to shop at the a bunch of different sales, I have narrowed down my list to my 10 favorite sales. I don't always make it to all ten each season, but these are the 10 in my area that I think are worth going to. Trust me, I have been to a lot more that I have crossed off my list.

Not all consignment sales are created equal. Some are much better run and better organized than others. Some of the sales listed on the calendar I only shop at, others I consign with, and my favorites I volunteer for. There are definite advantages to both consigning and volunteering.

Below is a copy of the calendar I will be using to keep track of the sales in my area this year. If you would like a MS Word copy that includes links to all of the sales websites leave a comment and I will email you a copy. If you are not in my area, remember to check out the KCS website to find sales near you.

Successful Consignment Sale Shopping Tips -- Coming Soon

Pantry Challenge -- Week 2 Check-in

2010-01-16T14:28:00.000-06:00

So...

As y'all know from my previous post this past week was Super Doubles at Harris Teeter, which kind of knocked me off the pantry challenge wagon. I ended up spending a total of $101.33 on groceries this week, which truly is no more than my regular weekly budget was only a few months ago, and I got A LOT more food than I would have in the past. (I was even able to get 6 Danimals yogurt 6-packs for under $4 to donate to the Preston Taylor Ministries, the local after-school program where I used to work and still volunteer when I can.) But, the whole point of the Pantry Challenge was to use what I already had on hand and avoid stocking up. Oh well...

This week my goal is to get back in-line with the pantry challenge and only buy perishable goods and to only restock things that we need and can't make it through the week without. I will primarily be buying milk, fruit, and vegetables. I also have to restock our pantry with extra-virgin olive oil. We ran out at the end of the week, and I use it in nearly everything I cook. I am also planning to buy some cans of soup for my husband to take to work with him for lunch. I'm trying to keep this weeks spending to $40, but since 25% of that will go to the olive oil alone it might be a little difficult.

My menu for the coming week has to change slightly because our Sunday School Chili Cook-off is actually taking place during week 4, not week 3. These changes are reflected below:

WEEK THREE

Chicken Taco Grande

Super Pot Roast

Grilled Chicken Breast with Vegetable Soup

Penne with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes with added Chicken Breast

Chicken Pesto Spaghetti with Zucchini and Squash Ribbons

WEEK FOUR

Chicken & Corn "Beanless" Chili (for our Sunday School Chili Cook-off Potluck)

Chicken Fajitas with Saffron Rice

Spicy Grilled Chicken Breasts with Rice and Broccoli

Cranberry Glazed Chicken with cornbread and salad

Spicy Pan-Grilled Pork Chops with Egg Noodles and Broccoli

Can you tell we like broccoli?

Hopefully, all this planning will mean we stick to the menu. This past week was crazy as I went back to work part-time, but we were still really disciplined and managed to make sure that we made everything that I had planned and nothing went to waste. I'll be heading to the grocery store(s) tomorrow to pick-up the fresh items I need for the week. I'm determined to stick to just what is on my list this week.

Twice is Nice

2010-01-14T21:24:00.001-06:00

Growing up my mom and one of her best friends ran a children's consignment sale out of our house. Twice a year we had to give up our playroom and our garage as they began to fill-up with clothing and toys. I remember that when I was a child, I despised those sale weeks. Not only was my mom SUPER busy, but I was also limited to where I could play. My mom quit running the sale about the time I started middle school. By that time, I wore uniforms to school, so shopping for clothes was very different than when I was younger.

To be honest, I hadn't really thought much about consignment sales over the years until I was pregnant with my older daughter. At the time, I was constantly checking Craigslist to look for great deals on baby gear. One day, I came across a post for a consignment sale that was being held by a PTA to benefit a local elementary.

After that first experience with consignment sales as a mom I was hooked, and I began seeking out more sales in my area. Thankfully, I am in an area that has A LOT of sales, so I have the opportunity to go to a bunch. (To find consignment sales in your area check out the KCS website and click on "seasonal sales.")

Why do I love consignment sales so much?
1) THEY'RE CHARITABLE! The majority benefit churches, schools, or other non-profit organizations. Even the sales run by individuals often donate at least a portion of their proceeds to a chosen charity.
2) THEY'RE GREEN! Consignment sales are a great way to recycle perfectly good used clothing.
3) THEY'RE CHEAP! Clothing (and toys for that matter) are generally priced 50% or more below the original retail price. I have gotten so used to consingment sale prices on clothes that these days I can even get sticker shock from the prices on clothing at Target and Walmart.

This post is the first of a series I am starting on consignment sales. I am also planning posts on consignment sale tips as well as profiles of the local sales that I love.

Pantry Challenge Week 1 Check-in

2010-01-09T16:12:00.000-06:00

Okay...

It's been a week since I started the Pantry Challenge along with Kelly @Faithful Provisions and FishMama @ LifeasMom. I am happy to report that my grocery spending for last week came in at $65, which is about 35% below my normal spending!

I have pretty much stuck to my plan for week 1 of the challenge. Additionally, I was able to make biscuits for dinner with my friends on Monday night (we have a really informal potluck each week) and 16 mini-loaves of Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread for the "Bread for the Journey" program for visitors to my church. I also have one carry over meal (Cheez-It Chicken Tenders) from last week that we never made. We had so much food from the recipes that I made that we actually had to have a left-over night and eat some left-overs for lunches so that nothing would go to waste.

I had not intended to do any stocking-up this month while doing this challenge, BUT on Wednesday Harris Teeter (one of our local grocery stores) anounced Super Double coupons this week, meaning that they were planning to double any coupon $1.98 or less. Well, I couldn't pass that up, so today I ended up spending $57 stocking-up. I may head back tomorrow to get a few more baby items for the little one while the sale is still going on.

I am also going to revise my week 2 menu to better reflect what I have on hand. I think I can also go ahead and plan for week 3.

WEEK TWO

Cheez-It Chicken Tenders with Salad

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders with Salad

Parmesan Crusted Porkchops with broccoli and rice

Santa Fe Chicken with Spanish Rice and Black Beans

Pizza Night

WEEK THREE

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili (Sunday School Chili Cook-off Potluck)

Chicken Taco Grande

Super Pot Roast

Grilled Chicken Breast and Vegetable Soup

Penne with Asparagus and Cherry Tomatoes with added Chicen Breast

This week is going to be really busy as I head back to work part-time. My husband I are going to be learning how to juggle two with new demands on my time. Hopefully, the planning I have done so far this month will keep us on track.

Hi-Ho! Hi-Ho!...

2010-01-07T18:25:00.000-06:00

It's back to work I go!

Since my first child was born in June of 2007, I have been exceptionally fortunate to have the opportunity to stay home and raise my girls. When my older daughter was almost 7 months old, I did go back to work part-time (4 afternoons a week) as an after-school reading tutor for low-income children in Kindergarten-3rd grade. Because my second child was due right at the beginning of this school year, I knew I would not be able to continue with that.

On Monday I am heading back to work part-time. Don't get me wrong, I love being a mom, but I also appreciate the opportunity to put all that education to good use as well as contribute to my family's bottom line. I also know that I am a better and happier mom when I have the opportunity to do something for myself (and yes working is something I would consider doing for myself). I am super excited about this job opportunity that basically fell into my lap thanks to a great friend, but at the same time, I am a little nervous about working outside of the house and away from the girls one or two days a week.

Since making the jump from one to two kids, I think I have gotten to a point in our house of managing controlled chaos. We've developed pretty good daily and weekly routines that seem to be working, but all of that is about to get thrown a little off kilter.

There is no way I would be able to work at all without the support of some amazing family members who are willing to watch my girls when I am working.

How do you manage full-time parenthood with part-time commitments (job, volunteer activities, etc.)?

Each day is (and will continue to be) a daily search to find ways to alleviate stress and discover joy.

The Pantry Challenge

2010-01-02T12:19:00.000-06:00

I have been working for about 2 months on lowering my monthly grocery bill. Thanks to help from Kelly at Faithful Provisions I have been able to slightly lower my bill while getting about twice as much food as I normally would. Through Kelly's blog I found the Life as Mom blog.

I recently started following FishMama on her blog Life as Mom. This month she decided to challenge herself to using up some of the reserves she has in her pantry and freezer before she makes/buys anything else. I have done this before for a week here or there, heading to the grocery store only for milk and a few fresh produce. When I first read FishMama's plan, I thought there is no way that I can go a whole month with what I have on hand already in the house.

Well, after taking stock of pantry and freezer last night and thumbing threw several different cookbooks, I have already have two weeks worth of meals planned out. I will need a few fresh ingredients each week to make these come together. After two weeks I am going to again take stock of where I stand and what we have left. My hope is that I can get another two weeks out of my pantry and freezer.

Here are my meals planned for the next two weeks:

WEEK ONE

Lemon Roasted Chicken with Broccoli and Rice

Cheez-It Chicken Tenders with Salad

Empanadas

Creamy Penny Pomodoro

Buffalo Turkey Burgers

WEEK TWO

Pecan Crusted Chicken Tenders with Salad

Balsamic Glazed Pork Chops with Broccoli and Rice

Super Pot Roast

Cranberry Glazed Chicken with Wild Rice and Salad

Santa Fe Chicken with Spanish Rice and Salad

I usually only plan about 5 meals a week. It seems like if I plan for more at least one meal doesn't get made.

Breakfast will be either eggs and whole wheat toast or cereal (which we have plenty of on hand). For lunch I've got frozen spinach quiche and lots of soup, and we always sandwich fixings on hand.

Have you ever done anything like this? Do you think you could do it for a whole month?

Life as Mom: Eat from the Pantry Challenge - Join Us!

If you fail to plan...

2009-12-31T21:54:00.000-06:00

New Years Day is always a chance for new beginnings. (You know this if you've ever been to the gym the first Monday in January.) There's something about beginning a new year that makes me want to re-evaluate how I have lived my life in the previous year and commit to making changes for the better.

I spent 9 summers of my life at a Christian summer camp for girls in the mountains of North Carolina. Each morning at the end of breakfast, one of the camp directors would talk to us about goal setting. He would always say, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail," and writing down your goals was the first step to achieving them. With this in mind, I am not only going to write down my goals for 2010, I am going to post them here for everyone to read. I think that making my new year's goals public just might keep me more accountable to them than if I just wrote them down and kept them by my bedside.

Goals for 2010 (in no particular order)

1. Exercise. A healthy mom is a happy mom.

2. Eat Better. I definitely picked up some bad eating habits during pregnancy #2 and its time to break those and get back to eating well.

3. Drink More Water.

4. Read More. I love to read, but I find myself choosing to do other things in the little spare time I have.

5. Get Organized and Stay That Way. I tend to be good at creating organizational systems just not at maintaining them. Maintenance is the key this year.

6. Continue "Greening" my life.

7. Save more money. I am definitely a spender, but I am learning to spend more wisely on the essentials so we have more left over for savings, charitable giving, and fun.

8. Find more time for Friends.

9. Learn to say No (occasionally).

10. Remember that Matthew 22:37-39 should inform all that I do. Am I loving God and loving people (ALL people)?

Waste Not

2009-12-28T13:05:00.001-06:00

This Christmas season, I did A LOT of baking. In fact, I have done so much baking that I have nearly used up a 25 pound bag of flour that I picked up at Costco just after Thanksgiving. Between Christmas cookies and pies, my stand mixer, food processor, and oven have been going almost non-stop.

I decided to make apple pies to share at two different get-togethers with friends and family. At the same time, I have been experimenting with the idea of making things ahead and popping them in the freezer until I am ready to use them, so I actually ended up making 3 pies (two have been eaten, but one is still in my freezer). Because apple pies require two crusts each, I had to make 3 recipes of pie crust.

When you buy pie crust at the store, it is usually already pre-measured and pre-cut in a pretty little circle that will fit your pie plate. However, when you make your own pie crust there is always some left over when you cut out the circle for your pie plate.

In the past when I have cut off the excess crust I have just thrown out whatever I didn't use, but I have really been trying to cut back on waste recently so I decided to keep the excess dough from each pie crust. Once I was finished making all the apple pies I realized I had enough left-over dough to make at least one more pie, but I didn't need another pie. That was when I got the idea to make a quiche; however, my husband is not a fan of quiche.

I knew that making a whole quiche would also be wasteful because there was no way I could eat the whole thing all by myself before it went bad. That's when I got the idea to make single serve quiche using my standard size muffin tins. I was able to make 22 quiche with the crust dough that I had left-over.

Single-Serve Spinach Quiche (12)
Pie Crust
1 Muffin cup liner
Pam
1 10oz pkg. Frozen Spinach, thawed
1/2 stick (4 TBSP) Butter
2 tsp. Lemon Juice
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 cup shredded swiss cheese
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400.

Roll the pie crust dough out as you would to make a full sized pie or quiche. Flatten a muffin cup liner and lay it on dough. Using a sharp knife, cut around muffin cup liner leaving about 1/2 inch of excess. Repeat until you have made 12 crusts.

Grease a twelve-cup muffin tin with Pam. Place one piece of dough in each muffin cup and prick the bottom several times with a fork.

Bake in preheated oven for about 10 minutes. You will probably notice that the crust shrinks up a little bit when baked. After 10 minutes, remove from oven, and reduce oven heat to 375.

Melt butter in a large frying pan. Saute spinach in butter for 2 to 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and garlic. Continue cooking 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and put 1 TBSP spinach in each crust. Divide cheese up evenly between crusts.

In a large mixing bowl, beat together cream, egg, salt, and pepper. Pour 2 to 3 tsp. of egg mixture over spinach in each crust.

Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until filling is set.

Remove from oven and let cool in pan on wire racks. Once the quiche are cool enough to handle, remove them from the pan and let cool completely on wire racks.

TO FREEZE: Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Place quiche in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Freeze for 4 to 6 hours. Put frozen quiche in a ziplock freezer bag.

TO REHEAT: Preheat oven to 375. Place desired number of quiche on a baking sheet. Bake 20-22 minutes or until heated through.

It's the Final Countdown...

2009-12-21T18:59:00.000-06:00

Each year Christmas seems to sneak-up on me, this year especially. A week ago, I felt like I had all the time in the world to get things in order and check off items on my to-do list. Now, I find myself wishing there were 36 hours in a day.

I have a lot of unfinished, half-started projects around the house this year. I only put out half of my decorations, and even that has seemed to take forever. I have to admit that sometimes my DIY mentality gets the best of me, and I end up trying to do too much myself. That's why I was so thankful to read Fish Mama's post this morning. (Life as Mom: More Important than Your To-Do List)

Focusing on what is truly more important than your to do list is definitely one way to Alleviate Stress and Discover Joy. Sometimes I just need a little reminder from someone else.

Candy Cane Bath Salts Follow-up

2009-12-21T16:36:00.000-06:00

So as promised in my very first post on this blog, I wanted to share with you the finished Candy Cane Bath Salts gift-jars.
My oldest daughter (who is only 2 1/2 years old) and I had so much fun making these for her teachers and as hostess gifts for friends having get-togethers this season.

I used my stand mixer fitted with the paddle to mix the two kinds of salt together along with the glycerin and peppermint essential oil (and red food coloring for 1/2 the mixture). Then, I helped my daughter fill the 16oz wide-mouthed canning jars that we bought using a funnel and a 1/4 cup measuring cup alternating between the white and the red.

Making SIMPLE, homemade, inexpensive gifts together as family is just one way I have found to alleviate stress and find joy this holiday season.

Tis the Season for Baking

2009-12-15T22:48:00.000-06:00

You've probably already figured out from my previous posts that I love spending time working in my kitchen. Based on the stories my mom tells me, I've had this love of kitchen projects all my life, even creating (barely edible) recipes at the age of 4 for my preschool teachers. You've also probably gathered that I have a penchant for the homemade, especially around the holidays.

Last week I began looking ahead at the days leading up to Christmas and realized that the closer we get to the actual day the busier I become. From-scratch baking can be time consuming, so I decided to get a jump start and assemble my pies now so I can pop them in the freezer and pull them out on Christmas eve to bake.

I have been making my own pie crusts ever since the semester in college when I studied abroad in Copenhagen. It was the fall of 2001, and at the beginning of November the other American students and I began to plan to host a traditional thanksgiving feast for our fellow Danish students. The only problem was that there's no such thing as Pillsbury Pie Crust in the Copenhagen grocery stores. We had an American store that we could shop at that promised a shipment of pie crusts, but as Thanksgiving Day got closer, I realized the shipment was not going to come in time to bake for the big day. I don't really remember how I made the pie crusts by hand for that dinner, but they worked! When I got back stateside, I started looking for true instructions on how to make pie crust. I figured if I could make it work it Copenhagen with few tools and no pie pans (I had to use springform pans), then I could make it work at home.

The Perfect Pie Crust (Every Time!)
2 sticks of butter
3 oz. Ice Water (approximate measurement)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. sugar

The most important thing to know about making your own pie crust is that all the ingredients need to be COLD.

The first thing I do when making a homemade pie crust is to cut the butter up into little chunks, put them on a plate, wrap it in plastic wrap, and put it in the freezer while I get everything else ready.

Next, I fill a measuring cup with water and put several ice cubes in it.

While the butter and the water are chilling, I measure the rest of the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. I then close the lid of the food processor and pulse the machine a few times.

Now it's time to add the butter. I take the butter out of the freezer and put it right into the food processor. I run the food processor until butter is all cut into the flour and the mixture resembles a coarse meal.

The last step is adding the water. This is the least precise part of the process, but its also very important to get it right. I remove the ice cubes from the measuring cup and pour off the water until I have about 1/2 a cup of water. I then turn on the machine again and slowly pour the water through the opening. I add just enough water for the dough to come together (you don't want to add too much or it will be too sticky). I usually end up with about 1oz of water left in the measuring cup, so I use approximately 3oz each time.

Remove the dough from the food processor bowl and divide it in half. Make two round discs, wrap them in plastic wrap, and pop them in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

I'm currently looking into ways to make these ahead of time and pop them in the freezer, so that I have great pie crust ready when I need it. That will definitely be a way to Alleviate Stress and Find Joy!

Baking Day 2009

2009-12-13T22:07:00.000-06:00

So I know I said that I would be packaging up cookies that I collected at the Cookie Exchange Party to pass along to neighbors, but it turns out my family and I sampled a few too many, and there weren't enough left make really nice gifts from.

Thankfully, my sisters-in-law and I took a cue from my mother-in-law and her sister. For the past several years we have gotten together one Saturday in December for what can only be described as a baking marathon. Just to give you an idea, here's the list of everything we made:

Capuccino Truffles
Oreo Truffles
Peppermint Bark
Kourembiedes (Greek Snowball Cookies)
Orange-Cranberry Slices
White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
Almond Spritz
Browned Butter Spritz
Nutty Orange-Chocolate Holiday Logs
Mint Chocolate Delights
Monster Cookies

This year we all seemed to hit the same snag at least once during the day: each one of us burned something. Perhaps the lesson there is the classic "haste makes waste." We were so busy trying to get everything completed, that we weren't always as focused as we should have been on the oven. We had also intended to also make gingerbread cookies, but we simply ran out of time. I guess we all could have gotten upset over the little snafus that we encountered, but we didn't. We laughed off the failures of the day and enjoyed the successes.

I was able to pack up great mixed boxes of cookies that my husband and older daughter delivered to our neighbors this afternoon.

Just one more day of finding ways to Alleviate Stress and Discover Joy!

The Blessing of the Bread Machine

2009-12-08T21:00:00.000-06:00

Have you ever actually read the ingredients list on a loaf of bread at the grocery store. I was reading a book about 4 years ago that suggested that to me, and I was shocked. High fructose corn syrup and synthetic chemical (unpronounceable) preservatives made up the majority of the list, so I decided to start buying locally baked bread with wholesome natural ingredients. But those loaves could cost as much as $5, and I couldn't spend that much just on bread each week.

I remembered that one of our wedding gifts had been a bread machine. I decided that the best way to know what was in the bread that I was eating and feeding my family was to simply make it myself with the help of my bread machine. Trust me, there is no way that I would have the time to bake homemade bread without one, but I have found that it's pretty easy to bake at least one loaf of bread each week. It used to be a Sunday Evening routine for me before we had kids, but now I'll get it done whenever I have the 5 minutes it takes to assemble the ingredients + the 3+ hours it takes to finish (I never leave while the machine is on). As I am typing right now I am loving the fact that my house smells great right thanks to the bread I have baking in the bread machine.

I am a big whole grain fanatic. I actually prefer the heartier, nuttier flavors of whole grains to the their processed, refined white flour counterparts. One of my absolute favorite bread machine recipes is one for Honey 100% Whole Wheat Organic Bread that I created by tweaking some other recipes that I already had.

Honey 100% Whole Wheat Organic Bread
(1.5 pound loaf)

3/4 cup Water
3/4 cup Milk
2 Tbsp Vegetable or Canola oil
1/4 cup organic honey

4 cups Whole Wheat flour (I use Bob's Red Mill Organic Flour)
3 tbsp. Wheat Gluten (Again, I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tbsp. + 1/2 tsp. Fleischman's Bread Machine yeast

Assemble the ingredients in the pan. Set the machine for the Whole Wheat cycle, 1.5lb. loaf, and medium crust. Hit start.

When the machine beeps at the end of the cycle promptly remove the pan. I let the bread sit in the pan on a cooling rack for about 10 minutes before removing the bread from the pan and placing on the cooling rack to cool completely. It is easiest to slice once it has cooled down.

Baking healthy homemade bread is just one more way I take a little bit of the stress out and add a little bit of joy in to our everyday lives.

Cookie Swap Party 2009

2009-12-05T22:16:00.000-06:00

This afternoon I hosted a cookie swap party with my sister-in-law. It's a somewhat new Christmas tradition I started last year after hearing about them for the first time about two years ago. I remember thinking, "What a great idea!" The holiday season is so crazy with church activities, parties, performances, and shopping that it's often hard to get a really big group to come. The past two years I have sent out more than thirty invitations via Evite.com, and I've never had more than 10 guests simply because this season is so crazy. Evite is a great way to do invites for this kind of party because each guest can RSVP with what kind of cookie she are planning to make, so you easily avoid duplicates.

Here are the rules I send out in the Evite:
Cookie Swap Rules:
1. Bake: Please choose a favorite HOLIDAY cookie recipe to bake and share with the group. All cookies should be homemade and Christmas themed. Please bake 10-12 dozen cookies to swap.
2. Bring: Arrange your cookies in a basket or on a platter and print out enough copies of your recipe to share with everyone.
3. Swap: Each guest will take home a selection of cookies to share with their families during the holiday season. Don't forget to bring a large container with you, so that you can easily carry home your cookie collection.

After munching on appetizers and hanging out chatting for awhile, we all wen down the line and picked out about a dozen of each cookie. It's a great way to have a variety of Christmas cookies on hand for your family without feeling like you have to make a bunch of different recipes yourself. At the same time, I certainly don't need 10 dozen cookies in my house. Talk about winter-weight-gain! So I take the cookies that I collect at the party and keep some of each for my family, and then I put together boxes of cookies to pass along as gifts to my neighbors. I may even put together two boxes for my daughter's preschool teachers this year.

I already have ideas for how to make next year's cookie swap party even better. I'm pretty sure next year we'll have it at night and hang out in pj's. I love hosting this party because it's just one more way for me to take a little bit of stress out and add a little joy in.

Surviving the Christmas Season

2009-12-03T20:27:00.001-06:00

As I am sitting down to begin writing this first post for this blog, I am wondering just how much the craziness of the holiday season has to do with me feeling like I need to start this blog. I kind of feel like I have been on a carnival ride that has been steadily gaining speed since Halloween and since Thanksgiving has hit warp speed. Every year I try to plan ahead and tackle as much as I can before Advent begins, but I still often find myself caught in the whirlwind of the season. Never mind the fact that this really should be a quiet, contemplative period focused on the true meaning of the season.

One of the biggest stresses of the Christmas season is of course finding (and affording!) the perfect gifts for everyone on my list. I have long been a fan of creating gifts in jar. As a first grade teacher, I even wrapped a measurement unit around making Gingerbread Cookie Mix in a jar with my students to give as gifts to their parents. Now that I'm the one with several teacher gifts to give as well as a hand full of hostess gifts, I've once again decided to create jarred gifts that are both cute and economical, but I'm also planning to shake it up a bit this year. Instead of making cookie mix, I'm planning to make Candy Cane Bath Salts in a Jar thanks to the recipe I got from the Organized Christmas website. My favorite thing about this gift is that my two-year-old will be able to help me assemble each jar of bath salts for her teachers. My second favorite thing is that these gifts should cost me less than $2 each. Here's to hoping that keeping these gifts budget friendly while spending time together as a family to make them will help to take a little bit of stress out and add a little bit of joy in.

Pictures to come once they're complete!