To-Do Lists and Monday Meal Plan

I love lists. (Cue Modern Family: “She can make lists for days.”) And I’m always looking for ways to fine-tune my organization, schedule and list management. But, you know what? I keep coming back to the basic paper calendar sheet. To me, it really is the best organization system. I think I need the visual reminders or something. Anyway, I’ve come across the coolest little organization tools and wanted to share them with you.

For broad-scope to-do items – such as, appointments, calls, errands, visits, etc. that need to be made or done soon but not necessarily tomorrow – I recommend the “Ultimate To-Do List” which I found on RealSimple.com. To download the document, click here.

For daily and weekly organization, I highly recommend the Week at A Glance and Daily Log from A Holy Experience blog. I love, love, love these documents because they allow me to put all the mundane to-do items in one place without forgetting about my “bigger picture” focuses, like relationships I want to work on and/or a place for a memory verse. For her explanation on the purpose of each section and to download, click here.  

Here’s my Week:

I lead a very fascinating life. Ha! So, I fill this out every Sunday night and post on our cupboard. I think hubby likes it, too, because it helps him keep track of his on-the-go family.

Ok, now for some fun stuff…recipes, recipes, recipes!

(Click on titles for links to recipe)

My newest favorite breakfast:

Cinnamon Sugar Waffle “Fingers” – you AND the kids will gobble these up, I promise! And so easy!!

A tasty soup:

Zesty Chicken Tortellini – this recipe is designed for you to make and freeze for future use. We ate half and froze the other half. It’ll make for a quick and easy dinner on a busy night. Two birds with one stone!

For dessert:

Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownie Bars – Pumpkin, chocolate, cheesecake…”these are a few of my favorite things”…I made these this weekend on our stay-at-home-in-our-pjs Saturday. These brownie bars are very moist and cakelike, but not too sweet (despite what you’d think by the name). Great with vanilla ice cream. See the temptation below…

Have a great week!

Running The Race

Note to self: DO NOT go to Target after your Zumba workout class, when your hair is matted to your head with sweat and you probably slightly smell, even though you’re certain no one you know will be at Target at 9:45 am and you only need to run in and buy a gallon of milk and “a red Ninja guy” --- because that is EXACTLY when you will run into your perfectly-put-together-Mother acquaintance friend and her equally put-together husband. And you’ll smile while awkwardly explaining how you just came from working out and you're running into Target to buy a gallon of milk before the afternoon rush and, oh yeah, you also need to buy a toy for your kid because you just bribed him to sit still so you could take a workout class; all the while judging yourself (for them) because you know how awful you must look – and maybe smell.

Seriously, when will I ever learn?!

I've been at this job for a few years now and still some days I feel like my world is spiraling out of control. Not in a Lindsay Lohan kind of way, more like “I can’t keep up with the laundry and dishes and – oh no! are we already out of milk again?! - and rush to this and then go to that” kind of way. Especially lately, where marathon days have turned into marathon weeks and now a marathon-style month.

The constant rushing and demands and “Mommy, mommy, mommy,” is enough to make me start fantasizing about my get-away car and calculating how quickly I can make it across the border into Canada, where I can start fresh and live the rest of my days working as a librarian in a very, very, very quiet library.

But, then I’m reminded of this verse: “Do you know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24 NIV

While I’m certain Paul was discussing something much bigger than my pile of dishes in the kitchen sink, I find comfort and encouragement in this verse. I can run in this crazy race called life and will do so to win the prize. In this case, the prize being a happy and healthy family and knowing I poured my heart and soul into my kids. Even though sometimes my life (and/or myself) is messy, I must keep going and strive for my goals, yet knowing that I can lean on my Heavenly Father for strength, encouragement and help.

To me, this video is perfect physical example of that encouragement, love and grace…

We watched this video at church this past week and I was so inspired by it. It's funny and amazing how God sends encouragement our way when we need it. 

Southern Comfort Food

I don’t mean to boast but my Chicken Pot Pie recipe is WONDERFUL. It’s one of my favorite comfort food meals, especially on cold wintry night. We had such a night this past weekend. Bill had the day off so I was able to spend some time in the kitchen making this meal. My original inspiration for this recipe is from the Chicken Pot Pie recipe in “The Lady& Sons Savannah Country Cookbook Collection” by Paula Deen (an awesome cookbook, btw), but I’ve made a few changes and taken a few shortcuts. I still consider it homemade and think it’s a heck of a lot better than those frozen pot pies!

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

2 skinless and boneless chicken breasts, cooked (I usually boil) and cut into 1-inch chunks

1 can of Cheddar cheese soup

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

½ cup of milk

½ of a medium onion diced and sautéed in 1tbsp butter for five minutes until soft

¾ cup of peas

2 carrots cooked (steamed) and diced into small pieces

1 package of refrigerated pie crust

salt and pepper to taste

As you can see, there is some prep work with this recipe – between cooking the chicken and veggies – but after that work, there isn’t much else to it.

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take pie crust out of fridge and bring to room temperature, about 15 minutes.

2) In a large sauce pan, heat the soups and milk, stirring with a whisk to blend. Stir in the chicken, onions, peas, carrots and salt and pepper. Cook until mixture boils, stirring often (don't burn!). Remove from the heat.

3) Follow the instructions on the pie crust. Press bottom crust into a 9-inch glass pie pan, fill with the chicken mixture, top with remaining crust, flute edges and cut four slits on top.

4) Bake in the oven for 45 minutes until crust is golden brown. After 15 minutes of cooking, put foil around the edges of the crust to prevent burning.

Delicious!!

Keeping with a Southern theme, I recommend Mississippi Mud Brownies for dessert.

Homemade:

Mississippi Mud Bars

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1 cup milk

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup water

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups chopped and toasted pecans

3 cups miniature marshmallows

Mississippi Mud Frosting (see below)

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 15x11 jelly roll pan.

2) In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in milk, cocoa, water, and eggs. Bring to boil over medium heat (watch for burning), whisking constantly. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

3) In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, and baking soda. Pour butter mixture over sugar mixture and whisk until combined. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately sprinkle marshmallows and pecans over hot cake.

Mississippi Mud Bar Frosting

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla

4 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1) In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in milk, cocoa, and vanilla. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in confectioners' sugar until smooth.

2) Pour hot icing over cake. Spread with a knife if needed. Cool then cut into squares.

Or, take a shortcut:

No judgment here.

Enjoy!!

Resolutions and Secrets of Adulthood

Regardless of how one might feel about New Year’s resolutions, I do believe there is a certain spirit of renewal during the month of January. It’s a fresh start and a chance to regroup, refocus and set out plans for the upcoming months and year. I’ve set some New Year’s resolutions that I hope will help guide the course of this year. According to this article, statistically speaking, “you are 10 times more likely to change by making a New Year’s resolution compared to non-resolvers with the identical goals and comparable motivation to change.” Well, that’s encouragement enough for me!

Speaking of resolutions, “The Happiness Project” by Gretchen Rubin is, in my opinion, the perfect book to read in January because it’s filled with so many great ideas, quotes, inspirations and resolutions. Basically, she dedicates a year to fine-tuning her life to increase her happiness. It’s simple things that any of us can do. If you’re interested or curious, she even has an online Happiness Toolbox, filled with ideas to create your own Happiness Project. Out of need and desperation, I unknowingly created my own Happiness Project a few years ago and I’m a happier person for it now.

Some of my favorite parts of the book were the author’s various lists, including: True Rules, Personal Commandments and Secrets of Adulthood, among others. They are insightful, yet humorous, and completely relatable.

Just for fun (yes, this is what I consider fun!), I decided to create my own list of ideas, theories, quotes and lessons learned that have proven true and effective for me. I'm lumping it all under Secrets of Adulthood because these are things I "had to learn the hard way."

Secrets of Adulthood

·      Never give to receive.

·      You can’t have it all.

·      If it’s worth doing, it won’t be easy.

·      With age comes wisdom.

·      Accept people for who they are.

·      Always do your best.

·      If there is a conflict between your heart and mind, follow your mind.

·      Splurge on the basics, skimp on the accessories.

·      Broaden your horizons with new people, new places, new music, etc.

·      The days are long but the years are short.

·      It really is the little things in life that make you happy.

·      Prayer does work.

·      Treat your friends like family and your family like friends.

·      I can eat small amounts of chocolate every day and not get fat.

·      You’re never too old to dance.

·      Hard work will always be noticed and rewarded.

·      If you think you can’t, you won’t.

·      Mindful eating habits and regular exercise are the easiest and quickest ways to maintain happiness and beat the blues.

·      Coffee makes me a better person.

·      I’m happiest when I’m most productive.

I’m hoping to grow this list over time. I know I still have many lessons to learn.

As it has been said, “When the student is ready, the teacher appears.”  

New Year, New Adventures

We spent New Years Day going on a family adventure. It was a beautifully sunny winter day, the kind of day that MUST be spent outside. Plus, I felt it was important to start the year doing something special and fun with the kids. 

We headed to the local mountain range, the Franklin Mountains. We decided to hike up the Ron Coleman Trail (can be accessed from McKelligon Canyon Road). The trail goes to the top of the mountain but our goal was the small cave about halfway up the trail. The kids were awesome, they climbed and walked the entire way, and we made it to our goal.

We made it! (Unfortunately, some local "artists" made it to the cave before us.)

Just down the street is the Wyler Aerial Tramway (McKinley Avenue). We’ve been talking about going on the tram since we arrived in El Paso but we never made it. I was not exactly motivated to go because – call me crazy – I don’t particularly like the idea of hanging from a wire over a mountain ridge. But, I wasn’t going to let some weird quirk about myself prevent our family fun. 

It's a lot scarier looking in person!

Yeah, I was playing it cool.

It wasn’t so bad. The tram wasn’t wobbly and it was only a short four-minute trip up the mountain. And the view from the top was completely worth it. It’s a 360-degree view of 7,000 square miles that includes three states and two nations. Without planning it, we arrived at the beginning of the sunset, making it even more beautiful and amazing. I wish these photos could truly convey the beauty. 

Next time, I'm hiking it! And see those tall buildings past the mountain ridge? That's Downtown El Paso. Isn't it cute?!

And I even opened my eyes on the tram ride down! Yay, me!

It was the perfect day. Here’s to another year of adventures and fun!