Goals for the Week & Update

I'm a bit of a compulsive list maker.  But when it comes to actually getting things done, I'm a huge procrastinator!  Still, I'm going to start setting goals for myself.  Hopefully, publishing them here will help keep me motivated.  We'll see.  

Here's how I did this past week.  Not too bad, but not great.

1. Spend time with my little sister.  We're going to go see Puss in Boots on Thursday so this should be no problem.
2. Spend time with my friend.  She's newly affianced and everyone could use someone to vent to about wedding planning.  I sure did!  Since she was one of my bridesmaids she certainly heard a lot of it from me!
3. Learn to crochet.  My friend promised to teach me.
4. Research invitations and design 5 prototypes.  I've been blessed with the task of making my friend's wedding invitations (squeal).   This didn't happen.  I spoke with my friend and we're waiting until after Thanksgiving to start talking about invites.  Since they haven't even set a date yet I still have a lot of time to work on this.
5. Purchase necessary tools/materials to make invitations, crocheted pieces, and Etsy stuff.
6. Crochet a hat for my niece.  Fail.  I'll work on that this week.
7. Crochet a scarf for my sister-in-law.   I'm almost done with this.  I'm so excited- it's the first crochet project that I will have completed.
8. Solidify a time for ReStore to drop off newly purchased hutch.   Epic fail.  Don't get me started.
9. Sign paperwork at my parents' house so that my father can sell our old van.
10. Email Caleb a financial status report.   Yikes, this didn't even enter my brain.  I'll have to work on that this week.
11. Record video for Wednesday's craft.

If I have time, I'd like start on some of my goals for next week as well:

1. Finish Christmas cards
2. Map out blog entries for November & December
3. Spend time with my friend.  Won't happen- she's going home for Thanksgiving.
4. Call 2 old friends who I haven't talked to in far too long.
5. Record tutorials for cards & post on YouTube.
6. Make plans to babysit overnight
7. Post items on Etsy.
8. Purchase all Christmas gifts for my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and niece.  Wrap them.
9. Spend time with family over the weekend.
10. Help make dinner on Thanksgiving.

Overall, I'm pretty disappointed with myself.  Most of my goals were very easy but I still didn't accomplish everything.  I am only working 2 days this week so I have no excuse for not getting everything done. ;)

Reflections on an Untidy Life

I recently read an article from the blog Imperfect Homemaking that really made me think.  The article was all about having a spot for everything in your home.

I know that sounds like such as obvious, simple concept but take a minute to really think about what it means.  I have never lived a lifestyle where there was a place for everything.  I have been blessed to always live in excess.  As a child, my bedroom was usually full of stuff.  I even remember my mother getting fed up with the condition of my room and cleaning it by putting everything in garbage bags and throwing the stuff out.  I never felt deprived after her cleaning binges- I even thanked her once.

It is obvious that I have never lived my life by this simple concept: everything has a home.  I have always just made piles upon piles of stuff.  It has added unnecessary chaos to my life.  As I am gearing up in hopes of a child, it has become clear that my piles of junk must go.  If they don't there will be no place for my kid or his/her stuff!

I am making a commitment to follow by this simple creed.  Everything will have a place.  If it doesn't have a home I need to find one or get rid of it.  If I bring in a new object there needs to be a home for it, otherwise I can't bring it home.  This should help with curbing my shopping, too!

I will take this rule to heart while I'm cleaning out my hot spots.  I'll have to give each piece careful consideration before I decide to keep it.  Wish me luck!

Will you take this pledge with me?

Gearing Up for the Holidays Series- Gift Ideas

We're getting close to the holidays.  Can you feel it?  Do you have your decorations up already?  Yeah, me neither.  Still, I'm trying to be happy and cheerful despite the challenges of this past year.

As I said in my earlier post, Caleb and I have committed to a (mostly) debt-free Christmas.  To do this means I have to get creative with my gifts.  I will be making some of my gifts as well as giving experiential gifts.  For instance, I gave my grandmother a certificate for a meal out with me for her birthday.  I ended up taking out both of my grandparents, who no longer drive and miss eating out which they used to do a lot.  We went to Applebee's, which was pretty inexpensive, and we had a blast.  I don't see my grandparents as much as I'd like, so this was a real treat for all of us.  So, I will be giving both of grandparents a gift certificate for a meal out with me for Christmas.  I am sure all 3 of us will be looking forward to the dinners.  The added bonus of these gifts?  I don't have to put out any money right now.  We'll probably go once in January and once in February, which will be much easier to absorb into my regular budget.

Other great, inexpensive experiential gifts that you can give as gift certificates:
1. A homemade meal, delivered to your door step
2. A lesson on applying makeup ('ll probably be giving this to my young cousin)
3. A free night of babysitting
4. A night out- dinner and a movie
5. Yard work (raking leaves, mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, etc.)
6. A batch of brownies, cookies, salsa, or anything else you're good at making
7. A free lesson at something you're good at (baking, cooking, drawing, crocheting, etc.)
8. A mani/pedi

That leads me to the topic of homemade gifts.  Sadly, most of my family does not appreciate homemade gifts.  I once gave a basket with homemade pasta sauce, breadsticks, and dried pasta to my aunt for Christmas.  I thought this was great since she doesn't like to cook very much.  I went over to her house over a YEAR later and saw the basket in their kitchen.  They hadn't even used the dried pasta.  My mom is no better- I made her a beautiful, hand-knotted, grey pearl necklace.  I've never seen her wear it.

Then again, there are a couple of gems.  I made a fleece hat with ears and a matching scarf for my young cousin last year and she loved it.  I usually give my in-laws homemade pasta sauce but I didn't last year.  My mother-in-law looked at me and said, "Where is our spaghetti sauce and salsa?"  I'll never again disregard how much some people appreciate homemade gifts!

Needless to say, homemade gifts are something I have to thing long and hard about.  There are a ton of homemade food gifts out there but they just don't work for my family.  Crafts and random bits are worthless as well.  My dad doesn't want a tie made out of old fabric and my mother doesn't want spoons dipped in chocolate that she can use as coffee stirrers.  While making gifts is an inexpensive way to gift, I still want the gifts to be thoughtful and enjoyed by the recipient.  Here's what I've decided to make this year:

1.  For all of the ladies in my family- a pack of 12 homemade cards that they can use later on.  The cards will include 1 card for each of the following holidays: Valentine's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas, wedding anniversary.  There will also be 3 female birthday cards and 3 male birthday cards.
2.  Homemade canned salsa for my father, uncle, and father-in-law.  I'm known by all who know me for my salsa and these guys love it.
3.  Homemade canned spaghetti sauce for my mother-in-law.
4.  Root beer samplers for my father-in-law and Caleb (okay, this isn't exactly homemade).
5.  Makeup brush holder like the ones at Sephora (filled with lip gloss and lotion) for my cousin

That's all I've got so far.  I'd love to hear your favorite homemade gifts are and what you intend to give this year.

Hot Spot #1 Update & Moving on to Hot Spot #2

I was so excited to make this my first hot spot.  While I didn't declutter as much as I'd have liked, I did identify a couple of items to go.  The rest I intend to wait until our new hutch arrives to see what does and does not fit.

That's right, the hutch has still not arrived.  I had made arrangements for the hutch to be delivered to our house last Saturday but nobody showed up.  Now the earliest I'll be able to get it is the weekend after Thanksgiving.  :(

In the meantime, our kitchen looks like this.

Ugh.  Even I can't stand it!

Since this hot spot is at a standstill until our new furniture arrives, I've decided to move on to Hot Spot #2- the pantry.

Every once in a while I go through and reorganize my pantry.  The biggest challenge is that I am constantly reassessing what I actually want our pantry to hold.  Right now it holds all of our pastas, larger canned goods, baking supplies, canning supplies, excess glasses, wine, and the liquor that doesn't fit in our liquor cabinet.

So, the first step is for me to figure out what I want our pantry to hold.  Once the new hutch is in place I intend to move the wine rack and liquor cabinet into the kitchen, which should free up some room in the pantry.  It will also hopefully encourage us to drink or share our stash of wine and liquor.  My goal is not have any more liquor than what can be contained within our liquor cabinet.  We'll see how this goes!

With the wine and liquor out of the cabinet, I'd like to make room for whatever china won't fit into the new hutch.  These pieces are an absolute must keep since 1) they were wedding gifts, 2) I use them for all parties/meals we host, and 3) I love them!  This is also true of all of our glassware.  I readily admit we have a ton. {Insert picture of glasses}  But I've used all of these over the years.  When you're inviting a lot of people to your home for a holiday party you do need that many glasses!  Sometimes I use plastic, but most of the time I don't.

I'll also continue to store all of my baking supplies in the pantry.  The other food stuffs are all up for discussion.

As part of this overhaul, I'm also going to do a couple of things: fix the bottom hinge that has been broken since we moved in (*blush*) and add some hooks to the back of the door for my mops and broom.  I also want to add some pretty wallpaper to the inside walls.

The next couple of weeks will be pretty hectic, to we'll see how successful I am at actually finishing this hot spot before the holidays end.  I will keep updating, showing my shame, which should help encourage me to finish this quickly.  :)

Goals for the Week

I'm a bit of a compulsive list maker.  But when it comes to actually getting things done, I'm a huge procrastinator!  Still, I'm going to start setting goals for myself.  Hopefully, publishing them here will help keep me motivated.  We'll see.  Here's my goals for this week:

1. Spend time with my little sister.  We're going to go see Puss in Boots on Thursday so this should be no problem.
2. Spend time with my friend.  She's newly affianced and everyone could use someone to vent to about wedding planning.  I sure did!  Since she was one of my bridesmaids she certainly heard a lot of it from me!
3. Learn to crochet.  My friend promised to teach me.
4. Research invitations and design 5 prototypes.  I've been blessed with the task of making my friend's wedding invitations (squeal).
5. Purchase necessary tools/materials to make invitations, crocheted pieces, and Etsy stuff.
6. Crochet a hat for my niece.
7. Crochet a scarf for my sister-in-law.
8. Solidify a time for ReStore to drop off newly purchased hutch.
9. Sign paperwork at my parents' house so that my father can sell our old van.
10. Email Caleb a financial status report.
11. Record video for Wednesday's craft.

If I have time, I'd like start on some of my goals for next week as well:

1. Finish Christmas cards
2. Map out blog entries for November & December
3. Spend time with my friend.
4. Call 2 old friends who I haven't talked to in far too long.
5. Record tutorials for cards & post on YouTube.
6. Make plans to babysit overnight
7. Post items on Etsy.
8. Purchase all Christmas gifts for my brother-in-law, sister-in-law, and niece.  Wrap them.
9. Spend time with family over the weekend.
10. Help make dinner on Thanksgiving.

Gearing Up for the Holidays Series- Go Debt Free

I don't know about you, but I have the holidays on the brain.  I always start thinking about the holidays in August because I have to in order to be ready in time.  I have a small extended family that always celebrates the holidays together.  This means I need to buy Christmas presents for all 14 of them, not including my husband and friends.  In previous years, we have opted to use credit cards to pay for gifts.  Caleb and I have hated doing this and 2 years ago we decided to stop using credit cards.  As on now, the only 2 cards we use are my Kohls card and our Chase credit card.  I use my Kohls card during my infrequent runs to Kohls and the Chase card is only used for emergencies.  We've haven't charged a dime on it in over 18 months, but we're still a ways from paying it off.  Once we do, the only card we'll use is my Kohls (because I like getting 15% off when I use it).

Last year I committed to a debt-free Christmas.  I didn't have any money saved up so this was especially hard.  Our only saving grace was that we both had a 3rd pay check in December which almost completely went towards Christmas.  Going debt-free was incredibly challenging but it was the best decision we could have made.  There were no regrets come December 26th.  We didn't add to our debts, which we've been working towards paying off for several years.  We still have a couple of years to go and incurring more debt would only have prolonged our struggle.

Needless to say, we'll be doing another debt-free Christmas this year (well, mostly, which I'll explain).  Let me outline some of the ways I am going to accomplish this:

1.  Evaluate what items I already have to give as gifts.  I typically purchase items throughout the year for my in-laws since they are easy to buy for.  I keep my eye out for gifts for others, but I don't purchase a lot.
2.  Start figuring out gift ideas in August.  Most of my gift ideas are already set.
3.  Start purchasing gift certificates slowly.  Spend a portion of each pay check on gifts (we have lots of birthdays in the fall so most of this up until November has been focused on birthdays).  We're only giving out a couple of gift certificates, so this works well.
4.  Start making homemade gifts.
5.  Start purchasing gifts and/or dry food stuffs for parties as they go on sale over the next several months.
6.  Go to stores like Marshalls and pick up fancy hand lotions and other nice gifts that could be used as filler gifts for family members and friends.
7.  NOT set an amount of money on each person, but set an overall budget.  I like to have roughly the same amount of gifts per person instead of spending a set amount on each person.  This gives me some flexibility when gifting.  For instance, I found an unopenned item at my local Goodwill that was PERFECT for my father-in-law.  He loved it and still keeps it on his living room table to look at.  It cost me $4.99.  I also picked him up some gourmet coffees at Aldi's and made a root beer sampler for him.  I spend more on my mother-in-law, but I still gave her 3 presents.  Despite the difference in how much we spend, I think they equally enjoyed their presents.
8. Use my Kohls card to purchase several select items as Kohls.  Since Kohls carries nice baby clothes and they are often on sale, I'll use my Kohls card to purchase those.  Other items I may purchase there: jewelry for my sister-in-law and/or grandmother, slippers for Caleb, and a nice top or sweater for my other grandmother.  While we won't pay these off immediately, I'll will be able to pay off the card within a couple of months.
9.  Tell our families proudly that we intend to have another debt-free Christmas- right before I ask them what they would like.

I hope this post helps you have a debt-free Christmas.  The holidays are supposed to be a time for sharing time with your family and friends, not stressing about bills but it so often ends up being that.  By being realistic and truthful with your family and friends you can mitigate some of the worrying and focus on spending time with your loved ones.  Even if you have a lot of people to buy gifts for and don't have a cent already saved up, you can still have a great holiday season.

Weekly Menu- Pantry Challenge Edition

I typically do the bulk of my grocery shopping once every two weeks.  On the off week, I usually only pick up a couple of extras, such as fish, fruit, etc.

This is supposed to be the week that I go grocery shopping.  However, I spent way more money that usual on food this pay period.  It started with a large shopping trip at Aldi's, was followed by another large shopping trip at Price Chopper, and ended with more take-out and dining out that planned.  Sigh.

So this means that there will be no grocery shopping this week.  The fridge and freezers are full, not to mention the cupboards and pantry.  With that in mind, I've decided that this week will be a pantry challenge.  I won't buy any groceries for the entire week.  We will only eat what we already have (which is a heck of a lot) with the intent of saving a couple of bucks and using up stuff in the house.  I suspect I will have to be a little creative, but I don't expect to have too much difficulty coming up with meals for the week.

Weekly Menu:

Breakfasts: I'll be making up fruit smoothies to use up the frozen fruit, Kefir, and mango juice that are lingering in my fridge.  I also have 2 bagels left from last week that we'll eat Monday morning.

Lunches:  We'll work on eating up leftovers.  If we run out, I'll make Tuna Noodle Salad.

Dinners:

Monday: Fish w/ Rice & Asparagus

Tuesday: Frozen pizza, after a movie with my little sister

Wednesday: Dinner w/ Sara at her house

Thursday: Chicken Chili (moved from last week)

Friday: Fish sticks w/ Corn & Mashed Potatoes

Saturday: Visiting NH w/ family

Sunday: Visiting NH w/family

Another month gone..

We found out yesterday that we're not pregnant.  This came as no surprise.  We had to cancel our IUI at the very last minute.  Still, it was painful to hear that once again we've been unsuccessful at getting pregnant.

We drove to Virginia this past weekend and while we were driving we talked about a bunch of things including our finances and our fertility plans.  We've decided to try for 2 more months until the end of the year.  If we're not pregnant by then, we're going to take a break.

The past 6 months have been truly horrible.  You don't know how emotionally traumatizing this journey is until you experience it for yourself.  I'm tired of the drugs, the shots, and the seemingly endless doctor appointments.  I'm tired of paying month after month medical bills for unsuccessful tries.  I'm tired of the sympathetic tone in my nurse's voice when she tells me that this wasn't our month.  I'm especially tired of how positive she is that we'll eventually be successful.

I know that I have a lot to be joyful about.  My niece was born this year.  My cousin's son is due in December.  We've traveled a lot this year.  One of my best friends just got engaged last week and I'm the one who gets to hear all of the details.  My beautiful husband turned 30.  We have a home we own, steady employment, and a healthy family.  And still, I can barely bring myself to be excited that the holidays are coming.  For the first year since we moved into our condo we didn't have a Halloween party.  I've already told some friends that I'm not doing a holiday party, although that may change.  Right now, I just wish I could fast forward to January 2nd.

Recipe Wednesday

Every Wednesday I share a craft or recipe that I have recently made.  Most of these items are originals, but I will always give attributes when they are due.


This Wednesday I will share with you a recipe that has been sitting in my mind for a while.  It's one of those great fall dinners that just begs to be made on a cold night.  Sausage and sweet potatoes lend it savory and sweet notes, while the herbs give it an earthy quality.
One note- my soup ended up curdling.  I think this was because I let it come to a boil, which usually curdles cream.  It looked kind of gross (hence no pictures), but the taste, texture, and overall creaminess of the soup wasn't compromised at all.


Sausage & Sweet Potato Soup


1lb Italian sausage (I used spicy Italian, but I think sweet would be better)
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced in 1/2 inch cubes
5 c. chicken stock
1 c. half and half cream
1 Tbsp dried thyme
1 Tbsp dried rosemary

In a large pot, remove the sausage from its casing and cook until nicely browned, breaking the meat apart as it cooks.  Remove the cooked meat.  Add sweet potatoes and saute in the fat that was rendered from the sausage under the sweet potatoes are browned.  Remove the potatoes and discard the leftover fat.  Return the sausage and sweet potatoes to the pot and add the chicken stock and herbs.  You could add salt and pepper if you'd like, but the sausage already had so much seasoning that I didn't need to add any.  Let soup come to a boil and cook for 20 minutes.  Lower heat and add in half and half.  Heat it gently for 5 minutes or until the soup becomes hot again.

That's it-  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Weekly Menu- Revised

So... after posting my menu, I went to the grocery store to pick up a couple of items... and came out with a  lot more than I planned.  I'm bummed that I went over our targeted budget, but I'm giving myself some slack.  You see, I did something really stupid.  I went to a store I don't usually go to.  I normally go to Shoprite for the couple of items I can't get at Aldi's.  Instead I went to Price Chopper.  And they were having a Grand Re-Opening Sale.  And they had such a better selection of fish than Shoprite.  I think I've found my new fish grocer.

Needless to say, we picked up a bunch of fish as well as some things that were on sale.  Because I bought so much stuff, I've had to tweak my menu for this week.

Weekly Menu:

Breakfasts: Bagels w/ butter and fruit (either bananas or star fruit)

Lunches:  So far, it's been leftovers.  The rest of the week will be chef salads.

Dinners:

Monday: Fish w/ Fried Rice & Tomato/Onion Salad

Tuesday: Dinner w/ Sara- Porkchops w/ Sauerkraut & Potato Pancakes

Wednesday: Dinner @ Mom & Dad's (got moved from last week)

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Fried Fish w/ Cheesy Beer Pasta & Salad

Saturday: Gaming w/ Buddies in NJ, so takeout 

Sunday: Roast Chicken w/ Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans

Weekly Menu

I typically do the bulk of my grocery shopping once every two weeks.  On the off week, I usually only pick up a couple of extras, such as fish, fruit, etc.

This week is my "off" week and I'm going to try to use up some stuff in the cupboards.  I have loads of beans, pasta, and frozen proteins so I won't have any problem coming up with delicious meals for the week.  I am going to stop by the grocery store tonight and pick up some odds and ends.  I am trying to stick to a $150 budget every 2 weeks, but that's not happening since I spent $160 last week.  Since I had accidentally budgeted $350 this pay check for food (instead of splitting it in half) I have enough to cover the couple of items I need to pick up.

Weekly Menu:

Breakfasts: I'll be making up fruit smoothies to use up the frozen fruit and Kefir that are lingering in my fridge.

Lunches:  We'll be eating a couple of things this week: Chef Salads and Tuna Noodle Salads.  Yum!

Dinners:

Monday: Fish w/ Fried Rice & Tomato/Onion Salad
Tuesday: Porkchops w/ Sauerkraut & Potato Pancakes
Wednesday: Dinner @ Mom & Dad's (got moved from last week)
Thursday: Dinner w/ Sara- not sure if we're eating in or going out yet
Friday: Chicken Chili
Saturday: Gaming w/ Buddies in NJ, so takeout 
Sunday: Roast Chicken Breasts w/ Mashed Potatoes & Green Beans

Hot Spot #1: Kitchen Shelves

There is a very specific reason why this is my first hot spot. While these shelves have worked well for the past 2 or 3 years, I'm just not feeling them any more. I am looking forward to painting my kitchen next spring and the industrial look of the shelves won't work with the updated decor (not that they really match now). I have other places I can use these very sturdy shelves, so they won't go to waste.

Besides the look of the shelves, I'm also unhappy about how much space they take up and that there is not closed storage. I entertain frequently and I have to wash all of my glasses every time before my guests arrive because dust settles of the clean glasses. I'm hoping that my next storage solution will be a little more traditional, have closed areas, and take up a little less space. Because I'm downsizing, it will also force me to get rid of stuff I don't use which is an added bonus and the overall goal of cleaning my hot spots.

Luckily, I've decided on just the thing. It's an incredibly dated and ugly, huge buffet.  Come the spring, this will also be painted. I'm not sure what color it'll be painted. I'm thinking I may go all out and paint this in a bright magenta or yellow to accent my teal kitchen and white cabinets. What do you think?

I've always wanted one of these and I am very fortunate to have a ReStore nearby. ReStore is the most amazing store. It is run by Habitat for Humanity so you know you're money is going to a good cause. Most of the furniture in the store is donated, which means excellent quality, older stuff. This cabinet costs $75. I know- what a great deal!!! Anywhere else, a used buffet of this quality and size would cost well over $200.  I'm just hoping it doesn't sell before I can get to the store.

This lovely monster is still big enough to fit most of my stuff, which makes me happy. But, it is definitely smaller so there will be some hard decisions to be made. Sob. But that's my overall goal so I will do my best to purge, purge, purge.

I'll let you know next week how I did, along with before and after pictures.