38.

If you guys recall, a while back I was trying to read the book Throw Out Fifty Things by Gail Blanke. I say trying because I never did get through it. I couldn't. I tried, but I just couldn't. She was a rambler. A hard to follow rambler. Yes, I know I'm a rambler too, but believe it or not she was worse. Anyway, great concept, but the book itself wasn't for me.

Fast forward four weeks.......

As I was reading a scrapbooking magazine a few days ago, I came across a layout where someone had taken the basic concept of Gail's book of clearing out the clutter but instead challenged herself to eliminate 39 negative things from her life. Thirty nine things she could do with out; thirty nine things she thought were holding her back. She chose the number 39 as that was her age with her ultimate goal being to have her life clutter free by the time she turned 40. She then scrapped a page about her goal..... How cool is that concept?!

So, being that it's New Year's and it's my usual goal setting time, I have opted to go a different route this year. Now keep in mind, this is huge for me to sway from my norm......it was a decision that wasn't taken lightly...... But I, Jennifer Rebecca Schires, the hard core type A person that I am, have decided to take on this scrapbookers challenge for myself for 2010. (now you know my middle name, you lucky person you! not many people do.)

Instead of setting my traditional goals this year, I will be challenging myself to eliminate 38 negative things from my life. (and now you know my age if you didn't already!) I doubt I'll have time to do much reading this year anyway, and since we're rejoining the Y I'm hoping to automatically lose my extra weight as well as train for a 5K this summer so no "official" goals even needed to be set. The way I see it, what have I got to lose? Absolutely nothing. But I sure feel like I have a lot to gain! (and it won't be weight thank you very much! or cavities from stress eating m&m's all day!)

With any luck I'll gain some self esteem. Or some much needed "me" time. Or a clean and completely organized house. Or some finished scrapbooks. Or dare I say a church home? With any luck I'll gain 38 positive things in 2010.!

I do have to say, I thought thinking of 38 things would be easy. Ha! Famous last words. It was downright, tough. For a while there I had even considered just stopping at 20 but I felt like that totally negated the point so I hung in there and came up with a list of 38. Of course I devoured a bag of Skittles as I made my list.....but that's another post!

Good Tip!

Well here's a nifty household tip! Compliments of Real Simple.

This Is Awesome!

Marty and I will be doing this to our townhouse next year! Wouldn't our neighbors just love us?!

Sweet Potatoes.

I must be getting old....Between my new found interest in all things rustic and well loved looking and getting excited to purchase such items....to eating foods that are made mainly from wheat and bran....I have been craving and looking for Sweet Potato recipes. My search has netted me two that sound tasty and easy.

Butter Pecan Sweet Potatoes
8 medium sweet potatoes (5 lbs.)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
coarse salt
2 Tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
2 Tbsp. light brown sugar
1/3 c. pecan pieces
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel potatoes and halve lengthwise; slice crosswise 1/2 inch thick. On a baking sheet, toss potatoes with olive oil; season with coarse salt. Transfer half the potatoes to a second baking sheet; cook both sheets until potatoes are tender, tossing occasionally, 25-30 minutes. Cool; cover and refrigerate. About 15 minutes before ready to serve sprinkle with butter, brown sugar, pecan pieces, and cayenne pepper, dividing evenly. Bake until sugar is caramelized and hard, about 10 minutes. Gently toss; serve immediately.

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Caramelized Onions & Parmesan
6 medium sweet potatoes (baked, then sliced)
1 tbsp butter
4 large yellow onions
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp coarse salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
½ cup shaved parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450. Bake potatoes until tender (about 45 minutes) Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet. Add onions, cook until soft (about 15 minutes). Sprinkle with sugar, salt &pepper, and toss to coat. Continue cooking on low heat to caramelize the onions (about 40 minutes). Stir in balsamic vinegar and remove from heat. Layer potatoes in a serving dish, top with onions and parmesan and serve.

(You could put them in the oven to keep them warm~ the cheese should melt nicely over the potatoes if you do this)

I know I've been a little recipe heavy the last few posts here, sorry. But that's my frame of mind right now. It's cold outside so noone wants to get out much, our schedules are slowing down a bit, and the holidays are just about over. In my world it's time to do some nesting. And some cooking!

Teacher Gifts.

All right, so here are what Meghan and Noah are giving their teachers this year. Real exciting, huh? I struggle with what to give teachers. You usually don't get to really know them on a personal level, I hate to spend a lot, and with 20 plus other kids giving them gifts it's hard to know what to do. So I opted for the homemade route this year. It was quick. It was totally easy. Very inexpensive. But yet; thoughtful.

I bought the tins last year when Christmas items were 75% off at Target. This tin came complete with sugar cookie mix that didn't expire until Obama was out of office and the snowman cookie cutter. These little guys were just too cute to pass up so I bought several. Now, since we all know I'm not a baker, I didn't take advantage of the cookie mix but I did make some White Chocolate Popcorn to put inside.

White Chocolate Popcorn
1 1/2 bags of microwave popcorn, popped
1 bag of white chocolate chips

Melt chips in large bowl in the microwave. Add popcorn. Mix till popcorn is evenly coated. Spread on wax paper till hardened. Break apart and enjoy!

This has got to be my new favorite go to token gift. It's unique yet super simple and insanely inexpensive. Now let's just hope Miss Kautz and Mrs Jakubiec like chocolate and popcorn! Oh, and while we're at it, let's hope Target as an abundance of tins left this year. I would love to buy more!

New Popcorn Recipe!!!

Found a new popcorn recipe to try.........I'm thinking this would be a great New Year's Eve snack myself....

Chocolate Peanut Butter Popcorn:
1/2-1 c. popped popcorn (microwave is fine)
1 c. peanut butter
1 c. corn syrup
1 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
Chopped peanuts (optional)
1/2 bag of chocolate chips, melted (optional)

In a sauce pan boil the corn syrup and sugar for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until peanut butter is melted. Add chopped nuts. Pop popcorn and remove any unpopped kernels. Pour peanut butter sauce over popcorn. Lay popcorn on a cookie sheet. Meanwhile melt chocolate chips until smooth; drizzle over the popcorn as desired. Serve warm or cold.

Yum-O!

Haven't posted a recipe for a while so here you go......

Best Creamy Penne Pasta
7 ½ tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons chopped garlic
3 ¾ tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 ¼ cup chicken broth
2 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
1 ¼ cup milk
2 ½ tablespoons dijon mustard
5 tsp. rosemary
1 ¼ tsp. salt
1 ¼ tsp. thyme
¾ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 ½ cups parmesan cheese
2 cooked chicken breasts cut in bite size pieces
6 slices of bacon cooked cut into pieces
17.5 oz. of penne pasta, cooked

In large saucepan, melt butter and sweat garlic. Meanwhile in a small saucepan, dissolve cornstarch in small amount of chicken broth. Once dissolved, combine all sauce ingredients EXCEPT FOR CHEESE in the large saucepan. Stir with a whisk to combine and let simmer about 10 minutes or until thickened. Next add the parmesan cheese and set aside. Layer cooked pasta with chicken and bacon in casserole dish. Spoon sauce over top. Top with additional 1/4 c.parmesan cheese mixed with paprika (for color) and cook at 475 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until bubbly.

Little Miss.

This is Addie's ensemble today. What she's looking for I'm not sure. I'd be willing to bet she was looking for Meghan's cell phone. But Addie glommed onto these treasures at 8:30 this morning and has yet to put them down. She ate lunch with the hat on the table and the purse slung on her arm. She even took these beloved items to Walmart. The best part has been watching her wearing her get up while pushing the stroller with the items pictured around the house chatting as she goes. She's such a honey! And to think we were so close to losing her.

golly I sure hope nothing is missing out of Meghan's purse?!

Oh Addie.

You just have to wonder what she thought she was doing!

Facing Reality.

For the past year I have been struggling with the idea of what I think I should be doing, what I'd like to be doing and facing the reality of not being able to do either because the fact of the matter is they aren't me. I'm trying to be someone I'm not. And unsuccessfully I might add!

I want to be the mom and wife who makes uber cute and utterly practical crafts for her family and house~ the handmade fabric coasters that totally coordinate with my decor, the crayon roll crayon holder so Addie can color while we're out and about, the super cute hair accessories to go with Addie's wildly fun hair, or my all time favorite Baby Legs. My list of "want to create" projects goes on and on.

If you remember way back last February or March I had set a goal to try to create something each week. It seemed like a good idea. It seemed doable. But when it came down to it, all I got out of it was a lot of frustration and a lot of undue stress. So I am thinking I am obviously not the kind of mom who makes uber cute things.

I want to be the wife who is so responsible and practical with money. I want to be the mom who gets $75.00 worth of groceries for $6.00. But after countless hours of deal searching, coupon printing/clipping and list making and only walking away with a migraine each time, I was told by Marty to stop. That if I am going to get this stressed over it, it isn't worth it. Isn't it?

I'm thinking there has to be a way for me to do it. I see all those great shopping adventures posted on people's blogs all the time, so the deals are out there. I'm thinking I want to do this so that we can have the extra cash for all the things we want to do like buy a new couch (Sorry Mary) or rip out our carpet without dipping into our savings. I'm thinking I want to do this so we can take a extra vacation or two just because. (I really want to take the kids to Disney World and Marty to the Black Hills) So I am being completely stubborn and refusing to give up on this couponing thing. But the reality is........I'm not coupon savvy and I need to accept it. And I am most definitely not the most fiscally responsible person in the world.

In spite of recent attempts, I'm not a baker. I'm not a crafter. I'm not a skilled couponer. I need to accept that reality and move on. Whew.....I feel better already!

The BEST Idea!

This has got to be the best idea I have heard in a long long time....Especially for those of us who aren't bakers.

Buy Keebler cookies that Target has on a great deal right now, (they're on sale for $2.00, buy five and get a $5.00 gift card) and some White Chocolate chips to melt and viola! Instant Christmas cookies that you didn't have to actually bake! How crazy good is that?! Click here to be taken to A Thrifty Mom's blog so you can see how she did it.

Ah! I'm so inspired! The kids and I may be doing this for our holiday baking this year......we'll add it to our repitoir of slice and bake cookies and chocolate dipped pretzels. The kids will be so excited! There's hope for me yet!!!!!

I'm thinking these would make great neighbor or teacher gifts.....wrap them in a little celophane bag tied with ribbon and a Christmas cookie cutter...... super easy and super cute! I don't know about you, but I am loving all the awesome ideas people are thinking up during this Great Recession.....

Drag....Drop.....Print...

Yep. I bit the bullet. I have gone digital. Don't get me wrong, I still like the idea of traditional scrapbooks, I just don't have the time to sit down and create a page. Or twenty. Besides, everything is going digital these days (can you say Kindle??!! dare I dream?!). Not to mention I have such a close knit relationship with my laptop (just ask Marty!) it seems only natural to take my scrapbooking to the next level.

Actually, I am going hybrid. I'll be combining digital pages with actual scrapbooking products. I love my tools too much to quit entirely. Going hybrid gives me the best of both worlds~ I can quickly complete pages (in triplicate even) allowing me to always be caught up, while still nurturing my creative side. There are so many features and benefits it's hard not to go digital!

I can order my pages in the quantity I want. I can order pages in smaller sizes so no more huge clunky albums taking up precious much needed space. (the new 8x8 size will fit nicely on the kids' bedroom shelves) I can scrapbook anywhere, anytime. But best of all, I will be saving money. It's a win win situation that I am totally in love with!

Can You Say.....

HAPPY MONDAY!!!!!!

Well......

Well......so it would seem that my winter jackets from last year don't fit anymore. That's a fine how do you do. Not to mention a stiff dose of reality. Sadly, the scale reflected exactly what my jackets said......Not sure what to do about this unfortunate situation.....I've never actually had to try to lose weight before so I'm not sure where to begin.......

I did get out and walk today......maybe an extra day of working out each week will help......or maybe I need to increase the intensity of my workouts......or maybe I need to stop eating those oh so good Grandpa cookies......or the buttery popcorn that I love so so much......or all those yummy carbs I crave so often....I don't know.......

It'll be a challenge....but I'm always up for a challenge.....I just wish it wasn't this......well, darn I guess this means I can't blame the dryer for shrinking my shirts anymore, huh?

Today.

FOR TODAY........

Outside my window... It's snowing!!!!
I am thinking... About too many things to list
I am thankful for... My family, our home, the kids' school
From the kitchen... Ah.....nothing. It's take out tonight, baby!
I am wearing... Jeans, layering tee and sweater
I am creating... Trying to finish a scrapbook page
I am going... To Target and Walgreens
I am reading... See side bar
I am hoping... To put up some Christmas decorations tonight
I am hearing... The kids playing Wii and Christmas Music
Around the house... Don't look! It's a mess!
One of my favorite things... Weekends, cozy nights at home
A few plans for the rest of the week...Church tomorrow, A Creative Memories Open House tomorrow, Archivers for a make and take tomorrow, errands tonight, maybe a Redbox rental?

Salad.

All right so tell me this pasta salad doesn't just sound good.......

Chicken Pasta Salad
4 cups cooked penne pasta
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1 pkg. (4 oz.) crumbled feta cheese
1 cup prepared Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix
1/3 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, cut into strips
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped sundried tomatoes (not oil packed)
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, grilled or broiled, cut into 1/4 inch slices

Toss all ingredients together then season as desired. Serve warm or chilled. Makes 7 1/2 cups.

All right, so maybe it isn't exactly a Minnesota winter comfort food, but I can eat salad year round. I especially love when I can make big batches of salads like this and eat off it for a week. Makes lunchtime go soooo much smoother for me.