wordless wednesday: love is in the air.

menu monday mania: week 4

outside it's been cold, wet & very very rainy. i know, not exactly that big a deal. but when you live in southern california, it is a HUGE deal. really & truly, we are not equipped for this kind of inclement weather. & just to prove that point, i now have a pool in my backyard, where there wasn't one before. currently, the sun is shining & the skies are blue (hallelujah!). but, they are forecasting even more rain to come. so, this week's menu is made up almost entirely of comfort food... hopefully a hot & tasty meal will be the perfect cure for all our weather woes. if anything, making the noodles for our soup will keep the boys busy for at least one afternoon.

monday: chicken & rice
tuesday: home made chicken noodle soup
wednesday: home made pizza
thursday: chicken enchildas
friday: baked tortellini

as always..... what are you having for dinner this week?

wordless wednesday: here comes trouble.

have you met my friend?

okay, this is probably random, but i just had to share. sure, it might be the bar keepers friend, but the stuff is seriously my BEST friend. to be honest, i don't know who first introduced me to bar keepers friend, although i'm going to credit my mom - she's pretty much all-knowing. if you haven't had the good fortune of meeting bar keepers friend yet, don't be afraid to introduce yourself, you'll be thanking me, i swear! the stuff is amazing. although it sounds like some super duper, top secret, cocktail hour ingredient, it's anything but. it's more like a super duper, top secret, cleaning machine. it works on pretty much anything & everything... porcelain sinks, bathtubs, tile walls, countertops, cooktops, cookware (it's the only way to keep my pots & pans looking shine-y & new), stainless steel, chrome, copper, brass, fiberglass, cement, ceramic tile, grout & more. (i've even used it on a painted wood surface to remove permanent marker!) really & truly, the stuff is amazing! & to think it only costs about $3 and can be found at most major retail, grocery and drug stores. although i'm sure it is a "bar keepers friend," it's definitely a mother's best friend.

menu monday mania: week 3

it's monday... & i haven't forgotten - time for menu monday mania. this week's menu is just a wee bit different. i'm currently counting down until the the big race. yep! in just less than 3 weeks i will be lacing up my shoes & running 26.2 miles. ay crumba! to tell you the truth, i'm not exactly looking forward to the big day. & although the old fable tells us that "slow & steady wins the race," i'm hear to tell you, that's a pack of lies. so i'll be working hard these next couple of weeks, trying to increase my speed just a bit. in the mean time, i'm also going to be doing all i can "nutritionally" to give me that extra needed edge i so desperately need. over the next few weeks i'll be turning to good 'ole dr. oz, to help with my meal planning needs. so without further ado, here is week three of menu monday mania (courtesy of dr. oz)...

* monday: asian salmon with brown rice pilaf
* tuesday: stuffed whole wheat pizza (we couldn't give up our weekly pizza entirely)
* wednesday: mediterranean chicken with tomato, olives & herbed white beans
* thursday: royal pasta primavera provencale
* friday: apricot chicken and green beans with almond slivers

so what are YOU having for dinner this week? (be sure to link up to YOUR menu monday post, or simply comment with your meal plan.) any last minute marathoning tips you want to pass along?

domesticated bliss.

today, i tied on my apron, put on my pearls, slipped into my favorite pair of heels & channeled my inner june (as in my grandma june... not june cleaver) & baked bread. i had to take this little lady out for her inaugural mission. & nothing beats the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the air. grandma june would be so proud.

wordless wednesday: winter wonderland

park city, ut

menu monday mania: week 2

one week down. how's everyone doing? still keeping those resolutions? still feeling good about the new year? school starts this week. the decorations are all down. i guess it's true, the holidays really are over.

so are you ready for this week's menu? my shopping list is complete, the meals are planned. i'm crossing my fingers that my family will be eating a home-cooked meal nearly every night this week. & any leftovers will head to work with my hubby, for lunch.

just like last week, i'm encouraging YOU to share your menu plans with me, i definitely need all the ideas i can get. so leave a comment with your menu plan, or, even better, post your menus on your own blog & just leave a link here. &, without further ado, here is week two of menu monday mania...

* monday: zesty crockpot chicken
* tuesday: taco soup
* wednesday: home made pizza (thanks to everyone for all the fabulous dough recipes. i'm definitely trying each & every one of them out. i am, however, still looking for a homemade recipe for sauce... anyone? anyone?)
* thursday: hash
* friday: chicken pizza packets

wahoo! i kinda impressed with myself (obviously, it doesn't take much). 5 more meals, planned. although, you may or may not have noticed, i don't have any "sides" listed. to be honest, i haven't quite worked up to that yet. picking & planning side dishes is just as hard, as planning the meals themselves. & remember, i'm baby stepping here. planning the meals, is a HUGE accomplishment. i'm hoping to work up to side dishes in a month or so. in the meantime,  how do YOU handle side dishes? do you have a side or even possibly multiple sides with every dinner? do you match the "sides" to your meal, or do you have several "sides" that you just rotate through? do you do "sides" & a salad, or just a "side" or just a salad?

looking forward to once again checking out your meal plans.... don't let me down. remember my family needs to eat, & i need ideas.

new year resolutions.

 image via flickr.

have you noticed? it's a new year. twenty ten. yep! i don't know about you, but it kinda snuck up on me. over the past few days i've been working on my resolutions. but frankly it's hard. & bound to be disappointing. honestly, i don't think i'm ready for any disappointment quite yet. i'd rather twenty ten be a year of opportunity. so instead of making a list of things i'm going to do, that deep-inside i know i probably won't,  i thought i'd make a list of things that i will not do in 2010, in no particular order.

* i will not pretend i'm super mom.
* i will not stop crafting.
* i will not stop saying hell & damn, but i can promise you - that's the worst of it.
* i will not cut my own bangs. 
* i will not stop loving the target $1 aisle.
* i will not stop blogging, although i won't promise that it will be daily.
* i will not maintain my eyebrows on my own.
* i will not use my husband's razor to shave my legs.
* i will not stop wishing i had a maid & a cook.
* i will not be afraid to get dirty.
* i will not stop going to disneyland weekly.
* i will not forget the truths about motherhood. 
* i will not stop traveling. (even if i never travel past utah, at least i'm traveling.)
* i will not let life get me down.
* i will not let having children, stop me from snowboarding.
* i will not become a professional karaoke-er.
* i will not leave the toilet seat up.
* i will not be afraid of being real.
* i will not stop reading.
* i will not stop eating dessert.
* i will not stop wishing i could sleep more.
* i will not stop running, biking, swimming,or exercising in genearl.
* i will not be afraid to be me.
* i will not stop making spontaneous purchases.
* i will not stop ohhhing & ahhhing over my little girl.
* i will not stop eating cookies for breakfast.
* i will not stop trying to break my addiction.

so what will you not do in 2010?

wordless wednesday: my morning on the mountain

snowbird, ut

i'm a maxxinista.

with a little help from heather bailey, i turned my $7 tj maxx find, into something worthy of hanging on my wall. i love a good refashion that's both quick & easy. what have you re-purposed lately?

menu monday mania: week 1

happy new year! welcome to 2010! i don't know about you, but i'm still adjusting to the new year. i've got lots of new ideas, big plans, & plenty of resolutions. the first goal on my list involves dinner time. as you may or may not know, i don't mind cooking at all, in fact i kinda enjoy it. but, what i don't like is the actual decision process - coming up with what to actually make for dinner. but that's gonna change. 2010 is the time for a new me & a new meal plan. each & every monday i am going to be posting my weekly meal plan. i know, it isn't exactly a new or novel concept, but i'm hoping that being held accountable is going to be the motivating factor i need, to get my butt in gear, to actually do the work, & sit down to make a weekly menu plan.

i'm betting you already plan your menus. i highly doubt this a new concept to anyone, but me. if you do, i'm going to encourage you to post your menus here too. or, even better, post your menus on your own blog, & just leave a link here. i know i could use all the meal ideas i could get, & would love to know what some of your family favorites are. so, without further ado, here is week one of menu monday mania...

* monday: crock pot chicken tacos
* tuesday: chicken tortellini soup
* wednesday: home made pizza (i need YOUR help with this one. anyone have any recipe suggestions for dough or sauce?)
* thursday: meatball "hero" sandwiches
* friday: creamy chicken roll-ups

so there you have it. a collection of 5 yummy meals my family is going to eat this week. & to be perfectly honest it wasn't all that hard. although, i'm a little worried i may have used up all my tasty recipes the first week out. hopefully, one or maybe even two of you, will play along with my little game. i'm definitely in need of some new ideas for next week!