Spontaneous Musing

Cooking Away My CSA

2009-08-03T22:15:00.000-07:00

I've been really bad about posting lately. Probably a combination of things....but I have been doing a good job using our CSA veggies we have been getting weekly. So I thought I'd just make a quick post of some the things I've been making with them.

Grilled Salmon with homemade pesto sauce. This was so easy. All you need to do is put in a food processor as much Basil as you want (CSA ingedient) add some grated Parmesan cheese, and some pine nuts, then slowly add olive oil while pulsing. Then I also made a green salad with strawberries (both CSA ingedients) and roasted tomatoes on the grill with the Salmon. Then drizzle salad and tomates with a good quality balsamic.

Here is another idea for Salmon. Grown up "fish-sticks" adapted from a Giadia food network recipe. Rinse and dry the Salmon, then slice it into sticks. Next dredge it into a seasoned flour mixture (salt, pepper, flour) then into an egg wash and finally into a one-to-one mixture of seasoned breadcrumbs and grated parmesean cheese. Drizzle pan and top of sticks with a little bit of olive oil and bake at 450 for about 15 minutes. I served with the same pesto made the night before with mayo mixed in (to make it creamy and go further). It is also served with Risotto and sauteed Rainbow Chard and garlic with EVOO.

Enjoy!

Cooking Away My CSA

2009-06-28T11:38:00.000-07:00

Check out the delivery this week from Liberty Heights Fresh and stay tuned for what I'm making with it this week!

Feta Topped Lamb Burgers with Liberty Heights Fresh Beet and Arugula Salad

2009-05-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

This weeks Liberty Heights delivery brought some of my favorite things. I am an avid Feta lover and have recently been enjoying lamb. This week I decided to make lamb burgers for my family and they were a HUGE hit! I patted out the ground lamb (Morgan Valley Lamb) into patties and pan fried it over medium heat in a bit of olive oil. Then I topped it with just a little Rockhill Creamery desert red feta. This feta has such a nice flavor that really complements the lamb. I give it high marks, if you are a feta lover like I am and live in Utah pick up a piece of this cheese at Liberty Heights Fresh.

I mixed some Italian flat leaf parsley with regular mayo and red onions, topped with arugula and served it all on a ciabatta roll.

Also as beets are in season and were included in this weeks pickup as well I made a Beet and Arugula Salad that turned out very nicely. The recipe is slightly adapted from this Liberty Heights Recipe. I wanted to use shallots instead of red onions because I already had a lot of strong flavors going on with the lamb, feta, and arugula. The shallots played a nice background roll. Also, make sure you marinate the shallots with the beets for a beautiful red color.

Beet and arugula salad

1 lb baby red beets (save the tops for later!)
2 cups arugula, cleaned
1 shallot sliced as thin as possible
2 tablespoons port vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil (use a good quality oil)
1 tablespoon chives, chopped
2 teaspoon Italian flat leaf parsley

1. Rinse the beets and coat lightly with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, wrap in aluminum foil and roast in a 375 degree oven until tender, or a knife effortlessly slips in and out of the beet. (You can do all of this if you want, but I just rinsed and roasted since I was throwing away the skin anyway). Allow to cool completely then peel the skin off between two paper towels. Cut into small wedges and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil into the vinegar. Gently stir in the herbs to combine. Pour some of the dressing over the beet wedges and shallots and allow to marinate for about ten minutes. Toss with arugula and season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

Vegetarian Salad with Roasted Zucchini and Portobello Mushrooms

2009-04-25T20:18:00.000-07:00

For dinner I was thinking about one of my favorite veggie sandwiches from Whole Foods. It is served with cooled roasted portobello mushrooms and generous portions of roasted zucchini sliced right down the middle.

I also got a recipe from Liberty Heights Fresh that I wanted to try. The only addition I made was adding some lemon juice to freshen it up and add a bit of acidity.

Creamy herb dressing

1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1 scallion
1/2 cup sour cream (or crème fraiche)
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 garlic clove
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

*I added lemon juice as well

1. Put parsley, dill, scallion, and garlic in food processor and chop until fine. Add crème fraiche, yogurt, olive oil and salt and pepper and process to combine.

*This dressing can be made a few hours before serving and can keep for about a week.

I cut the zucchini length-wise in about 4 slices each and roasted the portobellos whole as well as some red onion slices in white truffle infused olive oil (thanks Matt!), a sprinkling salt and pepper in a 400 degree oven until soft throughout (be careful to not make it too soft!).

I let the veggies cool a bit and then cut to the sizes I wanted. While they were cooling I cut thin slices of fennel bulb and tossed with dressing and baby romaine. Finally I added the veggies and crumbled some local Beehive Cheese Company Emigrant cheese (what they call a thankful mistake) a hybrid of parmigian and cheddar which produced a sweet, tangy, fruity, and creamy delight. I would have to agree it was a thankful mistake! One of my favorites from Beehive Cheese Compay to date.

I didn't serve it with any bread which I normally would, because I made punitions for dessert. Recipe and pics might be included in an upcoming post.

Enjoy!

Halibut with Golden Turnips and Sweet-and-Sour Cucumber Salad

2009-04-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

I've never had Golden Turnips before. They were interesting, tasted kind of like an earthy potato with sweetness and bitterness all mixed in. I thought they were quite enjoyable. The recipe was slightly adapted from the Liberty Heights Fresh Recipe. The only thing I changed was dicing up the turnips (for a quicker boil time and presentation) and omitting the mint. I just don't like mint in my food much unless it is dessert or a drink. If you don't have parsley substitute carrot-tops from last weeks delivery. You probably won't be able to taste the difference at all.

Also in an effort to use up some more of the fresh dill I made Sweet-and-Sour Cucumbers With Fresh Dill from Epicurious.com. I have a thing for freshly quick pickled things lately (just ask my family). Luckily Braeden also loves all things pickled.

The Halibut was just rubbed with Gray Sea Salt with Herbs de Provence and popped into the toaster over. Yes you heard me right, the toaster oven. Now that Corey and Aubrie showed me how to use it I use it for EVERYTHING! Thanks guys, the fan feature is great!! It is also served with a couple of Crumb Brother's Bakery crostinis.

Enjoy!

Nutrious Berry and Carrot-Top Smoothie

2009-04-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

I figured since I can get my family to drink the Odwalla "green drink" on the right I could easy get them to drink the one on the left. Recipe is for 1 serving so double or triple for the amount of servings you need.

3/4 cup frozen berries (I used raspberries and blueberries)
6 oz. low-fat vanilla yogurt (I like Dannon Light N' Fit)
1/2 c. orange juice
2 tablespoons instant nonfat dry milk powder
carrot-tops

I put in all the carrot tops from last week's Liberty Height's Fresh delivery. It was a lot. I'm not going to say that you can't taste them, because you can but it tastes fresh a lot like parsley. Apparently there is a lot of controversy I did not know about when eating carrot-tops. I've eaten them before and never had a problem and today I drank a very large quantity so I'll let you know if there are any problems, but I'm not concerned. If you are, don't try this recipe or just omit the healthy part :)

New Mexico Green Chili Enchiladas

2009-04-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had some New Mexico comfort food, green chili enchiladas. I was thrilled last week when there was a large container of Arlo's green chili powder from New Mexico in the Liberty Heights Fresh SFF.

I was in the mood for comfort food and had to make something with ingredients on hand as I didn't plan ahead....surprising I know!

I sauteed the Taylor Made Pork, Fresh Ground Pork (this weeks basket), with 1 1/2 Organic Spring Onions (last weeks basket), three cloves of garlic, a heavy amount of Arlo's green chili powder (last weeks basket), salt and pepper. If you don't like it too spicy, don't go too heavy handed on the Arlo's green chili powder. After it cooked down I added a bag of frozen corn and canned pinto beans (gasp!), and half a can of Hatch's Enchilada Sauce. I thought it was green until after I opened it (which I would have preferred, but just went with it since it was now open :)

I cooked up some tortillas, and then filled with the stuffing and some cheese (whatever you have on hand) then rolled them into a glass 9x13 pan, with a little enchilada sauce spread on the bottom to prevent as much sticking. Top with cheese (if you have any left which I didn't) and pop in the oven until bubbly and hot. I topped with Organic Cilantro (this weeks basket) and served with Organic Valencia Oranges (this weeks basket). I love serving pork with oranges, it's the perfect combination The rest of the filling will make a reincarnation later this week as part of a taco salad. Enjoy!

Liberty Heights Fresh

2009-04-18T12:19:00.000-07:00

For dinner I picked up a nice piece of Salmon and a couple of small sweet potatoes from Whole Foods to go with the ingredients we already had in our Liberty Heights Fresh SFF basket.

For the Salmon, I just chopped up some fresh Organic Dill (included in basket) and rubbed it directly onto the Salmon along with some Gray Sea Salt with Herbs de Provence. I then topped with thin slices of Organic Meyer Lemon (included in last weeks basket). The lemons kept the Salmon nice and moist. To finish I broiled it in the oven.

I then tossed some Organic Fennel (last weeks basket) chopped, olive oil, salt and pepper on a sheet pan with the Organic White Cauliflower (this weeks basket). I then roasted it in the oven turning every 5 minutes or so.

A quick, easy, and healthy dinner. The boys even liked it!

Liberty Heights Fresh

2009-04-17T19:42:00.001-07:00

This weeks SFF delivery from Liberty Heights Fresh was amazing! You can read about their program here if you are interested.

I have so many ideas about what I am going to make with the bounty. I have to say we have been trying so many new vegetables and local products than ever before. Last night I made lamb curry with the meat selection last week and added some delicious mushrooms (Thanks Rob the mushroom man) that I picked up at Tony Caputo's Saturday morning local vendor fair. Check out this weeks goods.

While waiting for dinner to cook we snacked on THE BEST citrus ever. I think I'm in love and they are as delicious as they are cute. Organic Pixie Mandarins, Powey, CA.

Tuesday's Truths

2009-04-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

So I am going to steal this idea from my sister. I always look forward to her Tuesday's Truth blog posts.

The truth is...I'm angry about a lot of things.
The truth is...I never saw myself parenting a child older than 5 or myself being older than 30
The truth is...I often feel overwhelmed
The truth is...I'm going to be very busy with doctor and dentist appointments the next two weeks
The truth is...Tuesday is my favorite day of the week
The truth is...I think about taking a mental health day at least twice a week (maybe I am mental)
The truth is...I could eat Pretzel Time every day
The truth is...I think I would love to be a truck driver, then I could listen to more audiobooks

What Job Market?

2009-03-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

I'm stressed.

Things are changing so much at work and it feels like so many companies out there are pretty much using the "suck it up" attitude because right now the people are not the ones with the power. I dislike this shift where it feels like (in many, many companies) everyone is disposable because there are so many people without a job at all.

Have you looked at the job market recently? There is seriously nothing out there. So I guess for the next couple of years what is there to do but suck it up. Hopefully it will eventually shift back to employers and employees having a good work/life balance.

Let's hope.

Obama's Official Inaugural Luncheon by the Home Cook

2009-01-21T15:49:00.000-08:00

I'm really bad at making family traditions. Sometimes I wonder what memories Braeden will have when he grows up. I have a hard time making a big fuss over Holidays when honestly I'd rather just go on a trip and skip the whole thing.

I want Braeden to have fond memories of growing up even though maybe they are strange memories and aren't the same kind every other child in the world has of Christmas morning (well hopefully there are a couple of those too). I've always thought it important that he knows where he came from--that Ryan and I are more that just "Braeden's Parents" so I make a big deal of him knowing who we are as individuals as well.

Today was an important day to me. More important than the spelling and arithmetic that Braeden should have sat through. I kept him home from school and we had an amazing day together. We watched the entire festivities of the Inauguration and then made the official Inauguration Luncheon. You can download all of the recipes here:

http://inaugural.senate.gov/luncheon/index.cfm

(Although I would say making it all in one day was quite exhausting. I would probably break it up into a few different meals next time.)

Seafood Stew

"A Brace of American Birds" Duck served with Sour Cherry Chutney and Molasses Sweet Potatoes and "Winter Vegetables" (although I don't consider Asparagus or beans winter vegetables).

Apple Cinnamon Sponge Cake and Sweet Cream Glace

We had a great time cooking together and talking about what an important day in history this is. After everything was finished we talked about what he learned today. He said "not much" but then proceeded to tell me for a good half an hour more than I ever would have thought he could have absorbed in one day (who was there, what they said, what they did, what it looked like, the musical numbers, etc.) from George Bush to "President-elect Obama who is now President Obama and Michelle" to "Vice President Joe Biden."

To sum it up, here is to hoping he remembers it. If not that's ok because I am happy.

Like I Said Spontaneous Musing

2009-01-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

I always thought it was strange that my husband had obsessions where he wanted to know/buy/have everything to do with a certain thing. When he was younger it was dinosaurs, then birds, then geeky sci-fi stuff that I don't even know enough about to describe what it is. For a while (ages 18-20) it was me. Then he moved on to gadgets of all sorts, coffee, gadgets, clothes, gadgets, shoes, gadgets, etc.

I had a realization today. I'm the same way I just never really saw it before. The problem with my obsessions is that it takes a LONG time for me to move on to a new category. One of the first was scrapbooking (this lasted a good 8+years). As I sorted through a few things today I realized how much money, time, and SPACE I have wasted on this hobby. Sure I have some cute scrapbooks that I made, but was it really worth it? When I add up the paper, stickers, and supplies that I'll never use but was sure I had to stock pile because I was "saving money" by buying it now when it was on sale instead of just buying the sheet I needed when I was making the page I don't even want to know the hundreds/low thousands of dollars I spent. It would have been so much more fun and easier if I just bought the sheets I needed as I went.

Apparently I didn't have a clue that this was a problem. I moved on to perfumes, makeup, and bath & body products. As I look around myself I know it is out of control but I still feel the need to buy more because of the "rare" "hard-to-find" "limited edition" nature of everything that is put out. I HAVE to stockpile my favorites, besides with eBay now available I always had the excuse that I could sell those "rare" hard-to-find" "limited edition" products and I did. Alot. But I still have an insane amount that I can't part with. It is an addiction. Sure there are worse addictions, but I have been in such denial. When I find a large amount of a highly coveted candle and can make $1,000 in an afternoon of work it doesn't help. (This amount of money was a one time thing) but I have made a lot of money off of eBay. It makes me feel like everything I own in this category is free because all the money I have made has pretty much gone to buy me products. When I really look around though and think about it I cannot believe the insane amount of money I have spent on all these things and I feel like I cannot stop.

As I move on to another category without having quite given up the last one I KNOW I would trade all that scrapbook stuff for a nice Le Creuset, and maybe an assortment of good olive oils, oh and have you seen that new Kramer collection by Shun? *serious sarcasm*

I just don't know where to go from here! Like I said spontaneous musing.

And a Few More of My Favorite Things

2008-12-20T22:45:00.001-08:00

So I found out that Nike makes amazing workout clothes. I found this great pair of yoga pants at the Nordstrom Rack(NR) about a year or so ago and want to wear them every day. The problem with finding something at the NR you love is you will never be able to locate it again. After fruitless internet searches and checking the NR constantly I gave up. Luckily though I found these other GREAT Nike perfect Dri-FIT pants .

The style is called 'Perfect Fit' and they were 40% off. Slightly flared with small side slits. Great material and a bit of a band at the top, slight compression to hold your tummy in. I also love that they come in actual sizes instead of S, M, L to cover who knows what. I am not going to tell you I bought four pair and have been living in them ever since :)

The next item on my list is the Supermarket Diet Cookbook.

I LOVE this cookbook. The recipes are very healthy, most take only about 30 minutes, there is a large variety, and they taste amazing! We use this cookbook when we aren't dieting just for balanced easy meals. We all give a quick star rating (out of 5 stars) right on the recipe page so we can remember how much we liked each recipe. If you are looking for some new recipes seriously give this book a try and just don't think about the name.

My last favorite thing for today would have to be my little dog Huxley.

I had no idea how much I would love having a little dog around to play with and cuddle. I'm not going to lie--he is a lot of work. I think he has been really good for my depression though. When we got him late last year I was going to "tolerate" him for Braeden and Ryan's sake. I really was not that excited. I was completely wrong. He won me over.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

2008-12-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

Marvis Toothpaste:

This is a fun little luxury that makes me happy every day and night. While it seems a little on the expensive side, when you think about how long a tube of toothpaste lasts, it is totally affordable. I discovered Marvis toothpaste a few years ago and haven't found anything I like better. The cool retro tube with the handcrafted screw top makes leaving it out on the counter ok. The different flavors are great for mixing it up a bit.

My favorite is the Jasmin Mint (a little bit minty and a little bit floral), followed by a tie for Aquatic Mint & Classic Strong Mint. The only one I didn't really care for was the Ginger Mint, which surprised me because I am a bit fan of ginger. It was a little strong and burned my mouth a little bit. Beauty.com has free shipping on any order right now and you also get to pick 3 free samples. They carry the Marvis toothpastes regular size so you can get a full sizes tube for as little as $9 shipped!

Wii Fit:

While this is not really hard, sweaty workout material, it works for me. The games are fun and don't take too long. You can use it just long enough for a quick body test (about 5 minutes or less) to see how you are doing with weight, BMI, balance, etc. I really like the aerobics, the yoga, and the balance games.

It's also just a good place to keep track of your progress as you set weight loss goals. It graphs your progress so you can see how far you have come. It's nice because you can password protect your profile so no one else can see your actual weight and BMI (great when you have an eight-year-old who likes to tell the world things you don't want them to know).

I love how it asks the other members of your family questions about you when they are using it like, "how does micabee's posture look recently?"

Whole Foods

This year I have really enjoyed shopping at our local Whole Foods. The variety, consistency, and just beautiful food options just make me happy. I also like purchasing locally produced items when possible and this is a great place to do this especially during the colder seasons when the farmer's market is closed. ALL of the eggs at whole foods are free range and affordable. Also, the 365 brand (Whole Foods Private Brand) is a great value and you can buy almost anything in this brand. Whole foods believes in fair trade and humane animal treatment.

If you need a creative gift idea this season, this really caught my eye. Purchase a Feed 100 bag for $30. The next part is taken from the whole foods blog.

"The Bag
Designed solely for Whole Foods Market, the FEED 100 reusable bag is made of organic cotton and natural burlap and is produced with a commitment to ensuring fair treatment of workers, livable wages, overtime pay and safe, clean working environments. It is a lightweight, fresh white tote that collapses easily into its base, which is a zippered rectangular burlap pouch emblazoned with the FEED logo and the number 100. An eco-friendly fashion statement that helps educate people about hunger and what we can do to alleviate it. It’s perfect to use for your groceries and for about 50 million other things too.

The Good
Each bag purchased provides 100 nutritious meals to hungry school age children in Rwanda through the United Nation World Food Program’s School Feeding Program. In 1994, Rwanda lost 800,000 men, women and children to genocide; as a result, the nation’s economy and social structures were decimated. School feeding is one of the most effective solutions to stopping hunger and breaking the poverty cycle. Since 2003, the World Food Program has provided free, nutritious school lunches to Rwanda’s children in 300 schools in the most food-deprived areas. Each hot, nutrient-rich meal draws boys and girls to school, helps them learn, and may be the only meal they have all day. School attendance has grown from 63 percent to 93 percent, and to help close the educational gender gap, girls with good attendance may receive extra rations to take home to their families. Girls with just a few years of education have fewer children, have them later in life, and are better prepared to care for and educate them.

The Cost
When a Whole Foods Market customer buys a FEED 100 bag, $10 is donated by the FEED Foundation to the World Food Program’s Rwanda School Feeding operation, with the remainder going to cover the costs of making the bag and oversight of the program by the FEED Foundation. The bags are produced with high-quality, 100% organic cotton and natural burlap. All FEED bags are made as eco-friendly and fairly as possible in audited and certified fair labor facilities. To further help the initiative, Whole Foods Market is not making any profit on these bags – in fact many of our stores are offering this bag for a special price of $25 for the holiday season – kicking in our own donation to help feed hungry children. If you aren’t close to one of our stores, check out online ordering through FEED."

Stay tuned for more of my favorite things this year!

Punishment Soup

2008-12-02T22:48:00.000-08:00

Braeden forgot his homework at school again today. His teacher is very chill about all things so it's not really a big deal to him. I really don't know what we are going to do next year though if he gets a normal teacher.

I have tried to not worry about it too much this year, but Ryan had had enough today when Braeden forgot it again. I decided that he would have to do something else so he found a book and he copied one of the pages in it with his best handwriting.

This is something we should probably do more since he completes his homework in 5 minutes because it is so easy for him. His writing definitely could use some work.

I'm always amazed at how he doesn't mind at all when he has to do something because he got in trouble. He just smiles and says ok and then does it without complaining. He just lets it roll right off of him. I think he likes getting in trouble more than not getting in trouble because he has the awful guilt like I have. If he can do something that he thinks remedies or is a punishment for what he did, he is happy to do it.

This can make life frustrating sometimes when conversations go like this:

"Go to your room"
"Ok, I was feeling like reading anyway"

"No reading"
"Well I'm pretty tired and need a little nap"

"No Wii for a week"
"That's ok, in 8 days I can play the Wii again, I think I'll just go play with the dog."

"If you complain so much about that for dinner, I'm making Punishment Soup (split-pea soup)"
"Mom, this is the most delicious punishment soup ever, can I have it again tomorrow?"

To this day he still talks about how much he likes "Punishment Soup"

With the frustration also comes something more. Something I can't explain that just makes me happy for him. Happy that no matter what comes his way in life he can turn Pea soup into a delicious meal.

101 in 1001

2008-11-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

Fitness/Health

1. Do my back exercises 3 times per week (0/429)

2. Use the Wii Fit 3 times per week (0/429)

3. Lose 10 lbs. 5 times (0/5)

4. Cardio Workout 2 times per week (0/286)

5. Eat at least one whole piece of fruit per day (0/1001)

6. Eat at least one fresh vegetable per day (0/1001)

7. Not eat any fast food for a month 6 times (0/6)

Exercising My Brain

8. Listen to at least 60 hours of Spanish language CD’s (0/60)

9. Beat my personal best score at Scramble

10. Go to the library once a week (0/143)

11. Read a book for at least 20 minutes every day (0/1001)

12. Read 30 books (0/30)

13. Read all of the Harry Potter books (0/7)

14. Read 10 books recommended by 10 of the most important people in my life (Important people, please to not rec. religious material) (0/10)

15. Make a blog post at least once a week (0/143)

16. Take either the LSAT or the GMAT

No More Excuses

17. Go to the dentist & take Braeden to the dentist annually (0/6)

18. Take Braeden to the dermatologist

19. Get glasses

20. Have a family picture taken twice(0/2)

21. Make a will

22. Purchase an additional life insurance policy

23. Invite my mother-in-law to see our place and have lunch at a restaurant she can eat at

Improving Culinary Skills

24. Make a pie from scratch

25. Make every recipe in one of my cookbooks

26. Make one recipe out of every cookbook I own, if I do not make a recipe out of it donate the cookbook to charity at the end of the challenge

27. Make one of the recipes I see on the Food Network

28. Can something

29. Master the soufflé

30. Be able to execute a signature dessert and signature dish

Bad Habits Die Hard

31. Change my sheets every Saturday or Sunday (0/143)

32. Don’t leave my clothes on the bathroom floor (0/1001)

33. Floss my teeth every night (0/1001)

34. Do laundry at least twice a week so it doesn’t pile up so much (0/286)

35. Do my nails at least once a week (0/143)

36. Pay off all of my credit cards

37. Pay off $1000 dollars toward one of my student loans

38. Get all of my film developed

39. Send Christmas cards out

40. Whiten my teeth with GoSmile

41. Spend at least $50 on groceries once a week (basically force myself to grocery shop for more than milk and eggs once a week) (0/143)

Outside My Comfort Zone

42. Go through a car wash by myself

43. Rent a car NOT from Enterprise

44. Take golf lessons

45. Go skiing

46. Hire someone to clean my house at least twice (0/2)

47. Find 50 new songs I like and put them on my ipod myself (0/50)

Acquiring things I need

48. Buy a nicer digital camera

49. Buy a knee pad and use it for work

Cutting Down on the Consumerism & the Clutter

50. Finish and not replace 50 beauty products (0/50)

51. Use up 50 candles (0/40)

52. Use up 3 perfumes (0/3)

53. Use up 5 body sprays (0/5)

54. Use up 150 sample sizes (0/150)

55. Sell 50 things I ALREADY own on eBay (0/50)

56. Get rid of 40 pieces of clothing (0/40)

57. Not purchase any candles for 6 months (0/2)

58. Not purchase shower gel or lotion for 30 consecutive days twelve times (0/12)

59. Deal with everything on my swap list, either swap it, give it away, throw it away, or use it up

Let’s Be Sociable

60. Visit my Grandma’s for no reason (0/10)

61. Hold an open invite Scrabble weekend

62. Play a game with Braeden once a week (0/143)

63. Play a game with Braeden on the Wii all the way through

64. Have a mommy day or evening with Braeden once a month (0/33)

65. Leave comments on blogs I read (0/2000)

66. Play each board game we own and donate any that weren’t played at the end of the challenge

67. Email my Grandma at least once a month (0/33)

68. Talk to, write, or email an old friend once a month (0/33)

Misc. Oddities

69. Mail a secret to Post Secret

70. Laser hair removal

71. Sell a greeting card

72. Plan and carry out a fun staycation

73. Not complain about $5 cups of coffee 10 times (0/10)

74. Not use my computer one day per month (0/33)

75. Take a day off of work and only spend it playing on my computer, reading, watching TV, and pampering myself

76. Use coupons and rebates to get 100 items we need and use for free (0/100)

I’m Local! Or Loco?

77. Go to 30 new restaurants and write review for them (0/30)

78. See 10 Sundance movies (0/10)

79. Go to 30 local events (0/30)

80. Go to the zoo

81. Join a CSA

82. Eat only made in/grown in Utah food for 1 week

83. Take Braeden to Utah Olympic Park in Park City

84. Go Camping

Travel

85. Get a passport

86. Take Braeden to California

87. Travel outside of the United States for the first time

88. Travel somewhere I don’t have to for work (driving)

Service

89. Leave a 100% tip for excellent service

90. Volunteer at Braeden’s school 3 times (0/3)

91. Be a poll worker

92. Participate in the Food Stamp Challenge & donate the money we would have spent on food for the week to a worthy cause

93. Donate blood

94. Take a raw food class and make something from it for my Mother-in-law

95. Donate to a cause I believe in 6 times and Ryan believes in 6 times (0/12)

Professional Growth

96. Ask for a LinkedIn recommendation 3 times (0/3)

97. Update my professional resume 5 times (0/5)

98. Learn the names of 500 Kroger employees

99. Add 20 people to my professional network

100. Send in my receipts for work every month (0/33)

101. Know all store numbers associated with each of my stores

Making it Count

2008-11-29T17:39:00.000-08:00

I have struggled with this idea of 101 in 1001. I have a hard time making goals because I really beat myself up over failing at something. I have mulled this over, thought about, written, and revised my possible list for a couple of months now. During this time I have found myself thinking about and actually completing a few things that had been on my "to do list" in my mind for years. I found that writing them down and admitting what I really needed to and wanted to do made a big difference to me.

I'm giving myself permission here and now to do my best but not beat myself up if everything doesn't get completed 100%. Yes, I was the child who wouldn't sign the "I won't do drugs" pact in Primary because I thought it would be so much worse if I used drugs and said I wouldn't than if I just used drugs. Don't even ask how crazy my teachers thought I was!

So here is the premise of 101 in 1001

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Some common goal setting tips:
1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focussed. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.

5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

2008-11-19T17:47:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about going back to school for a long time. The problem is that I really hate wasting money and time on something that I am not 100% sure about. The moment I decided I was going to go to college in the first place went something like this. (This is honestly one of the defining moments in my life).

Me a buyer at a Kid to Kid (kind of like a consignment shop except the merchandise is purchased outright from the people who bring it in so a buying mistake means the store eats the loss). Space is tight in the store and there is never enough room to put everything.

Me talking to my boss:

Me: "You know, that plastic toy chest you purchased has been sitting for 2 months"

Boss: "Well maybe it is priced a little high but it still should be moving"

Me: "I don't think we should purchase any large items that we can't price so low as to move them in less than a week"

Boss: "We do really well on large items"

Me: "It doesn't make sense when you consider we have many large items that have been sitting for over 2 months. If you calculate just the cost to store them for those 2 months by taking the rent and dividing it by the number of square feet in the building to get a cost per square foot, then multiplying that by it by the 4 square feet it is taking up (Prime location by the way so it should actually be more) and then add in its portion of utilities, plus the time to process and clean the item we have already essentially lost money."

Boss: "Well it doesn't work like that. We do really well on big items"

At this point I just gave up and decided I needed to go to college. I was wasting my life and could at least do better than this.

So knowing exactly what I wanted to do and 4 years 121 credits later (needed 120 to graduate) I was a college graduate.

The problem is that this time things haven't been so clear cut. I don't want to waste time and money and not know if the opportunity cost is worth it. I think I would like going back to school, but would I like my career options after the schooling is done or am I just avoiding the inevitable (working at something I don't want to do) for a couple more years?

Proud to be an American

2008-11-06T16:21:00.000-08:00

Work has been extremely busy lately so I am MIA in the blogger world. I just had to find a quick moment to comment about the election.

While I realize that not everyone feels the same joy that I felt when Senator Obama became President Elect Obama I think that most people can feel the historical significance of this election. I am proud to be a citizen of the United States of America tonight and am thrilled to see what the next four years are going to bring.

I have heard so much cynicism about Obama and what change is really going to happen. While I don't agree with every single issue that Obama stands for, I have been a big supporter of his from the beginning. I will stand by my vote for the next four years and realize that everything is not going to be perfect, but put my trust in what I felt was right. I hope that both parties can work together and make this an even greater United States of America.

McCain Praises eBay for Creating Jobs

2008-10-07T19:11:00.000-07:00

I had to laugh out loud when McCain praised eBay for creating so many jobs, during the debate today. I think that was a huge oversight with eBay being all over the news by announcing that they will cut jobs by 10 percent even though third quarter profits still exceeded expectations.

Also McCain mentioned former eBay exec Meg Whitman as possible Treasury Secretary pick.

Quoting a New York Times article written August 3, 2008 by Mark Leibovich,

“I do understand the importance of the computer,” Mr. McCain reassured in The San Francisco Chronicle last week. “I understand the importance of the blogs.” He said, “I am forcing myself — let me put it this way, I am using the computer more and more every day.” But keeping up with technology “doesn’t mean that I have to e-mail people,” he said. “Now, I read e-mails.” The staff is “constantly showing them to me as the news breaks during the day.”

Hmm, I don't want the President of the United States to be less informed on companies he continues to praise than I am because of not being able to check CNN, MSNBC, Yahoo, and Google.

Out of Touch.

Peace Please

2008-09-18T03:07:00.000-07:00

I just decided it's official.
No, I didn't go to the doctor.
It's official because I've been through it before.
Many times.

The whole can't sleep.
Exhaustion everyday.
No patience.
Acting crazy.
Things constantly on my mind.
Every worry.
The did I pay this bill, did I put my ipod on the floor, what if I forgot something important.
The subjecting my family to it all.
And nothing ever being good enough.

Depression is here again. Hopefully it knows it has already overstayed its welcome for the majority of the last 10 years and not stay.

Please don't stay, I'm begging.
Peace please.

Sea of Negativity

2008-09-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

A part of me is gone
Lost in a Sea of Negativity
On a journey through the harsh reality that is life
Traveling companions with posers who snuck in so quietly then just became
Part of the Sea of Negativity
That journeys with a part stolen from me

Christmas in September

2008-09-09T20:05:00.000-07:00

I was going to write a whole post about this, but it has already been done so I may as well not duplicate the efforts (shock I know!) so if you want to read about how Santa turned out not to be real go here.

Christmas just is not going to be the same this year. Although one thing I do have to add that my sister and I laughed about was how he had been doing his own research in the limited way he could. One night of reading the Polar Express, the next night watching the movie, and then the inevitable.

More Month Than Money

2008-09-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

We all know that payday is a great day. The problem that we have in our family is that we (quoting my boss here) always seem to have "more month than money." It isn't really about the money, it's just that we don't manage the disposable part too well. We usually spend most of it in the first 3 days-week after we get paid (on a good week). It is really fun for those couple of days, but then the rest of the time is miserable which puts us in the cycle of can't wait for payday and then spend, spend, spend all over again. I don't know if we are the only ones like this, but here I am airing our dirty laundry.

Anyway, Friday was payday so naturally we have had a great few days, soon to be followed by misery I guess :)

There was the Salt Lake Downtown Farmers Market again where this week we picked up heirloom tomatoes , peaches, pears, blackberries, raspberry freezer jam, fresh salsa, corn-on-the-cob, peppers, sage, apples, Tony Caputo's Market Viola (imported from Italy) olive oil and aged parmigiano reggiano, Crumb Brother's Bakery Whole Wheat & Sourdough breads. All of this paired with some fresh fruit grown by my dad. It has been a sensory feast around here the last couple of days. I wish every day could be like this.

Today we hit up target for the Kashi 4/$11 + for every 4 you get a $5 gift card. Kashi is healthy, delicious, and made in Utah. It is one of the best packaged foods (for the protein and nutrients) you can buy. Run, don't walk to Target to take advantage of this pricing. I have never seen Kashi this low before. We seriously stocked up. (I am known to do this when there is a really good price hence my son calling lines in books aisles and letting me know we were out of stock of cheerios at two-years-old).

We also went to an interesting BBQ place called Q4U which deserves a post all by itself so stay tuned.

Oh yeah, we can't forget the other large purchase after payday called filling up our gas tank. Crazy that!

So if you have any great FREE ideas for the next week where we have plenty of month left leave me a comment.