Wednesday, January 4, 2012

It's a New Year... 2012!

Yes, i am part of that group of people who spends the last month of the old year thinking about how i can improve myself in the new year...

Yes, i always include health related concerns (must lose weight! must exercise more!),
but this year i'm doing things differently by making myself public!
I scrolled through my old posts to discover that i have drafts of similar post for both January 2010 and January 2011, but failed to both finish and publish them.

This will be a work in progress, so i hope you (my 12 loyal followers!) will stick with me! :)


RESOLUTIONS FOR THE YEAR 2012
1. Try one new recipe a week
a friend suggested that i create a new website or blog, but in terms on resolution number 2 (it's coming up next!), i decided to add my menu as a regular post to this blog
2. Finish what i've started
i am very enthusiastic about trying new things (knitting, crocheting, quilting), but i find my life gets in the way of my leisure time (aforementioned craft hobbies, reading, relaxing, etc.). i have more unfinished projects (including this blog to which i owe a year of updates) than i know what to do with, but it's time to do something about that. when i asked my dear husband what he wanted for Christmas, he asked if i could finish the quilt that i started for him in 2004... ugh! in all fairness, i did finish the top in time for his birthday 2004, but i'm not good at binding and having twins in 2005 and moving 5 times since then has gotten in the way of me learning how to do it properly! well, there are two beautiful quilt shops in Juneau and it is time that i learn how to do a proper binding [after i finish the laundry, the dishes, take my ice skating class, go snow shoeing with a friend, finish the baby blankets i started while pregnant with my dear daughters... you get the picture! ;) ]. in all seriousness, that quilt is going to be my first project that i am going to finish (after i take a hat knitting class tomorrow night... i just can't help myself!)
3. i have another, but in interest of #2, i'm going to publish what i have so far and return later... remember... work in progress :)

On the table in... January

sunday, january 1st
dinner at the V's: pulled pork, double fried fries, and birthday cake
despite me coming home with strep throat, it was a great night! ;)

january 2nd
too sick to cook
poor neglected family ate leftovers

january 3rd
chicken, biscuit n' gravy casserole
a cold weather fav in our house
i couldn't find a link, but i took the recipe from the Rachel Ray magazine

january 4th
jambasta
another Rachel Ray recipe
it's good the first night, but the leftovers taste even better

january 5th
pork and veggie burritos
another Rachel Ray creation
delicious with guacamole and sour cream as garnish!

january 6th
a quick and healthy dinner... love broccoli in my dinners

january 7th
pizza and tv with my girls :)

sunday, january 8th
first new recipe of the new year... pierogies!
Wow... What an adventure that was! I made potato stuffed pierogies with brown butter... Yum!! I had fun with the pierogies, but am looking forward to trying a different recipe... A friend just sent me her mom's pierogi recipe today, so i think i will try that one next time. I liked the filling on it's own (i'm going to serve them Tuesday as leftover mashed potatoes), but didn't love the dough. I also didn't love the amount of filling suggested... Hence all the leftover filling... I think that i prefer smaller pierogies. I'm not sure if it was me or the recipe... More recipes and more practice will tell. :)

january 9th
leftovers

january 10th
delicious topped with sour cream

january 11th
take out from Seong's
Bill had to work late, so he ended up bringing home sushi!

january 12th
leftover mashed potatoes - oops! forgot to serve these!!
the chicken was good, but no where near "fried"
i loved the green beans... the recipe says they take 50 minutes... i would say 30 (including 10 minutes prep time and 20 minutes cooke time)

january 13th
january 14th
we have been invited to dinner at the C's for gourmet style ham sandwiches :)

sunday, january 15th
it is ridiculously cold here... yes, i live in Alaska, but it's a temperate rainforest, not the frozen tundra... brrr! not much better on a cold day than chili and cornbread... warmed us right up!!

january 16th
oh my... this was better than i remembered! only thing missing: margaritas!!

january 17th
so easy, so delicious! i roasted 2 chickens, so there is lots of wonderfully flavorful meat for sandwiches and another recipe!!

january 18th
leftovers

january 19th
mozzarella stuffed meatballs and pasta

january 20th
dinner at the Buoy Deck

january 21st
we've been invited to dinner at the B's :)
dinner and dessert was, in a word, yum!

sunday, january 22nd
new recipe: baked penne with spinach and sundried tomatoes and oreo cheesecake cupcakes
easy and nutritious... the recipe is for 4 casseroles, so i halved it... feeding 4 adults, i still have leftovers!

january 23rd
new recipe: i think this counts... we bought some noodles at Costco... threw together some of the leftover chicken, random vegetables, a little stir fry sauce, and voila... a yummy dinner magically appears ;)

january 24th
jambalaya
using my fav mix and leftover pork

january 25th
lobster bisque and artisan sourdough bread from Wild Oven


this is going to be interesting... Bill is going away for 10 days... am i going to eat better for my blog, or actually admit to how terribly i eat when he's away? ;)


january 26th
breakfast for dinner!
an easy standby and new recipe!!
new recipe: "waffles of insane greatness"
the waffles were good, but no better than Bisquick... trying another recipe this weekend!

january 27th
pizza with friends

january 28th
leftovers

january 29th
breakfast, for breakfast
leftovers for dinner
M&M did not care for these waffles... I thought they were okay... Friday's recipe was better.
The batter was strangely lumpy (was i afraid to over mix? was it adding the melted butter?); and although the waffles were crisp once they emerged from the waffles maker, they quickly turned soggy. I wish i hadn't, but i made a double recipe. Maybe freezing and toasting these waffles will make them better... At least they will be crispy on the outside!

january 30th
tortellini soup
i subbed a leek and a shallot for the onion... looking forward to tasting the new twist!

january 31st
made this: baked penne (see jan 22nd)
the recipe comes from an article on a recipe swap... the ingredients make enough for 4 casseroles... i made a double... time to use up the rest!
ate this: leftovers!


My goal for the month/year: 1 new recipe each week
New recipes tried in January: 10

Goal achieved: yes and no... Technically, i skipped the first week. As i ended up in the er with strep throat, i am going to cut myself some slack! I am excited that i have added 8 new recipes to my growing menu collection (i won't be saving the waffles recipes and will continue to search for a new one!)

When i announced my goal on facebook earlier in the month, i had several friends send recipe suggestions... I am going to try them in the coming month! Thank you for dining with us, keep the recipes coming! ;)

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

M+M Daily Faves: January 2012

Sunday, January 1st
MN: watching Rudolph's Shiny New Year and going to the V's for dinner
MR: going to the V's for dinner

We had big plans to ski today, but got a late start and decided that the girls needed a day at home to play! They stayed in their pjs and played, watched a show, and played some more. If it hadn't been for a last minute dinner invite, i doubt M&M would have shed their pj's at all!! Thanks to the V Family for inviting us over to celebrate the New Year and A's birthday... Happy Birthday, A, it was so much fun to celebrate with you again this year!!!


Monday, January 2nd
MN: ice skating
MR: coming home from skating and seeing my mommy

Late yesterday afternoon my throat started to feel scratchy... Being cold season i didn't think much of it until i woke up in the middle of the night sweating... Ugh! As i don't have a doctor yet (and i don't think any doctors in town were open anyway), it was off to the ER for us. After one and half hours (not too bad of a wait, and it let me catch up on my words with friends games), i walked out with a strep throat diagnosis and a prescription. This is my third bout of strep throat in 13 months... Not sure what's going on with that, but it brings my to revealing a New Year's Resolution: Taking Care of Myself (this includes: making time for hobbies [quilting, knitting, cross stitch, reading], getting outside [walking Kodiak, taking hikes, trying cross country skiing and snow shoeing, making use of our season pass at Eaglecrest], eating right [eating like i make my kiddos eat: fruit and or veggies at every meal], getting more sleep [as i like to wake up early, i should go to bed early!], and finally [well, that's not an exclusive list, but i'm currently out of ideas!] finding a health practitioner that i like and feel comfortable with [not easy when you move as often as i have lately]). Of course, i'm going to wait until i feel better to tackle this! ;)

As i was asleep on the couch, Bill took the girls to the Open Skate yesterday afternoon... They all skated for more and one and half hours and came home with kisses for me and pink cheeks!!


Tuesday, January 3rd
MN: seeing my teacher and all my school friends
MR: playing upstairs

In a strange calendar play, today (not yesterday) was back to school for my girlies. It was a strangely quiet day for me (i spent most of it on the couch), but they sure livened up the place with their arrival home this afternoon. Being around those two makes me want to feel better!


Wednesday, January 4th
MN: sledding at gym time
MR: Daisies

It started out as a snowy morning, so lucky MN got to have gym class outside in the snow! The forecast does not look promising for MR's gym class tomorrow, but she's taking it in stride.

Today was the first Daisy meeting of the new year. On the agenda: cookie sales! Both girls have set ridiculous goals of selling 2012 boxes each (the prize for selling 2012 boxes is an ipad, and of course they want to raise money for the mommy/daughter sleepover in May), but mom is starting with a goal of 12 to earn the patch. Any body want to buy some cookies? ;)


Thursday, January 5th
MN: watching my movie in class
MR: music lessons

Today, a documentary film maker visited MN's class. He took some video of the class, and then let them watch it. MN was pretty excited to see herself on the big screen! What a ham!!

Today was the first music lesson of 2012. The girls have been taking guitar and piano (MR) lessons since fall 2010. They had great teachers in Germany, but i really love the approach their new teacher (yes, we found one person to teach both piano and guitar!) has taken with them (learning cords and notes, learning to understand music and read it, not just play it). We don't get too many songs (yet), but the house is filled with music! :)


Friday, January 6th
MN+MR: Daddy!

Daddy had to work late, but arrived home just in time to say prayers and tuck the girls in.


Saturday, January 7th
MN: Derby Car building and birthday party
MR: N's birthday party

Today was a very busy day... It started with our first session of Race Rats (a 2 hour a Saturday, 10 week ski program) and boy was the weather awesome (so, not awesome! it was so windy two of the four chair lift were closed!!), then we drove to a Derby Car workshop (the Boy Scouts have invited to Girl Scouts to participate in the Pinewood Derby), then we ran errands, finally arriving home to unload the car, and then had the pleasure of private swim session at the local pool to celebrate a friend's birthday! Skiing was awesome and awful all at the same time, errands aren't always fun, but the Derby Car building was so much fun and N's birthday party was a fantastically relaxing end to an overcrowded day. Happy Birthday, N! Thanks so much for inviting us to celebrate with you!!


Sunday, January 8th
MN: going to the play place
MR: selling GS cookies

Our first trip to the gym this year means play time with friends!

We celebrated the GS Cookie Kick Off on Friday and started selling cookies today after church... MR had a blast... She is quite the little sales woman!


Monday, January 9th
MN+MR: selling GS Cookies!


Tuesday, January 10th
MN+MR: selling cookies to the Admiral


Wednesday, January 11th
MN+MR: Daddy coming home

Bill had to work late (again) today (it's happened a lot lately)... I tried to cheer the girls up with breakfast for dinner (crispy bacon and pancakes with chocolate chips and whipped cream), but nothing put as big a smile on their faces as Daddy did when he walked in the door.


Thursday, January 12th
MN: going on our field trip
MR: having Daddy come in for sharing time

Today was MN's field trip to the Capital Building and the Charter School. We took the bus to the Capital, admired students' artwork from around the state that is displayed in the building (including self portraits done by MN's class!), enjoyed a tour of a few of the offices and chambers, and received a state pin from the Office of the Governor. We then walked a few blocks from the Capital to the Charter School to have lunch with our Cross Town Buddies, sing a few songs, and play some games. A busy, wet, fun filled day!

MR's class has a schedule for sharing and today was MR's day... She wanted to share Daddy! I wasn't able to attend (as i was on the field trip with MN's class), but i did catch the end and both seemed to have a great time!! MR is following a great sharing tradition... When Bill was in school, he shared his baby sister and his cousins!!! ;)


Friday, January 13th
MN: climbing the cargo net in gym and D's art lesson and A coming over
MR: A coming over to play and being with my family

A last minuted playdate on a Friday afternoon... A nice way to start the long weekend!


Saturday, January 14th
MN+MR: skiing and going to the C's for dinner

It was freezing on the mountain today, but the girls made it through their whole lesson today! We had a yummy lunch and a few post lunch runs... We then enjoyed a fun evening with friends. Thanks, C family, for hosting a fun night!!


Sunday, January 15th
MN+MR: going to the play place

Despite the cold, we headed off to church bright and early and then hit the gym. Bill and i got to watch sea lions frolicking in the channel while we worked out, and M+M got to play with friends... It was a great day to stay inside and enjoy the view!


Monday, January 16th
MN: coming home from skiing
MR: getting home

Not sure what we were thinking, but we went skiing today! It was reported to be -2 at the base and -7 (not including wind chill) at the top. We did 2 runs, then ducked inside to warm up with hot chocolate. We headed back out and took 2 more runs, including our first to the top of the mountain with the girls! Crazy, cold fun!!


Tuesday, January 17th
MN: meeting Blackberry and skating
MR: ice skating

Wednesday, January 18th
MN+MR: Daisies!

Thursday, January 19th
MN: Daddy's wind dance
MR: making P's birthday card

Friday, January 20th
MN+MR: going to the Buoy Deck and Fro-Yo!

Saturday, January 21st
MN+MR: going to the B's for dinner and a movie

Thanks, B Family, for a delicious dinner and awesome evening!


Sunday, January 22nd
MN+MR: having the F's over to play

Today we invited friends over to watch the Giants game. (We're Patriot and Steeler fans at heart, but were rooting for the Giants for Grandpa!) While the adults enjoyed a nail biter, the kiddos played, and played, and played, and played some more. Thanks, F Family, for helping us root on the Giants this afternoon!


Monday, January 23rd
MN: playdate with M
MR: tickle fight

Tuesday, January 24th
MN+MR: skating with all our friends and having L+C over for hot chocolate

Wednesday, January 25th
MN: practicing to cross country ski in pe
MR: spending the afternoon with Daddy

Thursday, January 26th
MN: waffles for dinner
MR: mommy

Friday, January 27th
MN+MR: dinner with the B's
Tonight, we had to check in for the Pinewood Derby tomorrow... We met our friends out for pizza beforehand... It was a new pizza place for me... M&M ate more than usual, J picked a delicious pizza, the kids had fun, i got to enjoy some adult conversation, and our Derby cars made weight the first time... A great night all around!

Saturday, January 28th
MN+MR: Pinewood Derby
We raced from the mountain to arrive both late and early for the Pinewood Derby (we were early for the originally scheduled time, late for the revised time!), but we made it!! Thanks to our fearless Daisy Leader L for holding the race for us!!! The cars the girls made were awesome... There was a shoe and an owl... So creative... It gave M&M lots of ideas for next year!!!! Congrats to J and H who took 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place! (yes, 2 kiddos took first through third... not sure how that happened; but, boy, were their cars fast!)

Sunday, January 29th
MN+MR: getting our toe nails painted!

Monday, January 30th
MN: art class
MR: having mommy in my class today

Tuesday, January 31st
MN: painting
MR: being with mommy