One year and counting

It has been a little over a year since I have decided to create a list and complete it. In one year we have done a lot and there are still a lot of things that I want to complete.

I do need to keep posting more regularly and I am starting to see that I have more time to do things now that the babies play more independantly.

Currently, I am finding my creative side again!! I missed it. I have finished the drawing/sketching the sihoulette portrait of Madelyn and Grace that I started. Now I just have to paint and seal it. I am all done cutting the fabric for Madelyn's quilt and I hope to sew that while she is gone on a camping trip in the next few weeks. I have also started a scrap block quilt for my mom. I hope to have this done for her by Christmas. I am also working on my Christmas cards - that are clean simple designs. This makes it easy for mass production.

As time passes my kids tastes change. I started a Dinsey mural in my daughters playroom when we moved back into our house - since then Madelyn and Grace have decided to no share a room and toy room is now Madelyn's. Madelyn's new room is going to have a Tiedyed/Peace theme. The wall that the mural is drawn on is now going to be covered with tiedyed fabric wallpaper. So, I am not sure how to go about this part of my challenge. Either I start a new mural or I nix this from this list....I will ponder this for awhile. Also with the girls bedding projects that I started some time back (rather bought the stuff for it) is not being used for their original plans. I am lucky that I did not start Madelyns pillowcases - as now she is not interested in High School Musical anymore. So hers are going to be dyed for her new room. Grace's tinkerbell sheets were started and I think I can still finish those for her as she is young and likes anything girly.

To the weight part of this challenge. I had a very hard time with the Weight Watchers points - I spent too much time durning the day calculating points. With working and the kids and a busy schedule I need to try a different method. I know I need to limit my portions and be more active. I may try the weight watchers again, hopefully I will stick to it.

I hope that I can start posting some of these yummy recipes that I have found. It is canning season again so once all of that is done I will try to post them :)

I am glad that I am still actively trying to complete this challenge even if I am not posting as often as I'd like to. As I go through this next year I hope to accomplish more - I want to see more items in blue in the sidebar.

Thanks for the support!!

I have started my weight loss journey. I weighted in at 155....not happy with that at all. I know that is not considered 'fat' by any means but I have a cupcake top above my pants line and I hate it. I am okay from the ribcage up and the knee caps down...so I need to work on my middle. I did some reseach and I am following the weight watchers point system based on what I have found on the internet. I am on a 21 point diet. Yesterday I earned 3 activity points and had to use one weekly point because of eating a small ice cream cone with the girls. All in all I feel good. I was a little bummed that I did went over my points by 1. I also noticed that although I had the urge to snack I was not really hungery. Working from home and food being at hands reach I believe has caused me to eat just to eat. Which was not a problem 10 yrs ago...it just is now. I will have been doing the weight watchers point system 1 week on Thursday - so I will post then with the thoughts of my week!!!

Months: 9, Weeks: 40

That is how long I have been on my zero day challenge!! Part of me is pretty proud of myself and part of me is a little discouraged with myself. I say this because I think I have made a pretty good start to my list - but then I think I should have more done already.

Today I am going to spend a little time telling you what I have been doing, what is in the works etc. I am trying to get back into the swing of posting to my stamping/crafty blog. Because it has been hard for me to post weekly to it, I changed the guidelines to that particular line item. My goals is to post 143 times prior to the deadline instead of weekly. It will balance out to be the same number of posts. I did post today.

Over my upcoming vacation I am planning to do either scrapbook or make some christmas or upcoming birthday cards. Speaking of birthday cards - I have changed the guidelines to be something more realistic. Instead of 15, I have changed it to 5 (Matt and Kids) - they are what are most important to me. If I make other birthday cards - yeah for me! There is not reason to stress myself over cards that very few appreciate!

Family Game/Movie night is still a hit here - it tends to be more movies than games - but I think over all it equals out. Geocaching is awesome and great exercise. We have gone out twice and found caches both times. The girls are excited to do this more and I enjoy it too. It can get frustrating when you walk in circles and the darn tootin cache is litterly right under your nose. We have placed a trackable cache in memory of Papaw! The girls hope to see it travel to every state as they would have loved to travel with him. It will be great to see where Rocky the Raccoon ends up next. He has been picked up from the cache we put him in and he is on his way to a new location!

Speaking of traveling - in June we are planning a vacation to the UP of Michigan for a camping trip. We are also new owers of a permanent campsite in Andover Ohio and we will be spending a lot of time there this summer - we can not wait!

Going Green - This has been a topic of conversation in our house lately. This is because we are hoping to sell this house and build a new one in about 5 years. We are going to look into building a 'Green' home. I am going to looking to grant/gov't programs to see if there is funding for such projects. We have heard that there was. To become more environmently friendly home and eat healthier we are now raising our own chickens for eggs (less packaging and better quality eggs) and have a great start to a garden (no chemicals, better fruits and veggies)! We have 7 hens and 1 rooster we believe. The girls love them and they are so tame - they love when we go in the coop to visit. In the garden we have planted so far - strawberries, potatoes, lettuce, onions, beans, squash, zuchinni, tomatoes, broccoli and cucumbers. I still plan to add pumpkin, watermelon, honey dew, cantalope and pickling cucumbers!

Date nights - they are coming together and Matt and I have enjoyed our time together - some nights is just us staying up until the wee hours watching movies! Its great! I will be glad for more time with him once all these projects are completed....but are you ever done with projects?

I am almost done purging for the yard sale - we are tentatively scheduled for June! I can not wait to get this stuff out of the house!! I belive the twins rooms is almost done and what is left is our bedroom. I was going to do the kitchen - but then it turned out that most of the 'extra' went to the camper - it is nice that we have found a use for it and we did not have to buy too much additional things! I have two flower bed by my patio. We pulled up the plants in the one and moved them to the other as there was little in both. One is now a garden and the other is full of flowers. I am so glad that we have one decent flower bed going. We are working on the beds in the front of the house and we will be done!!!

Are you bored yet? Well I have posted a 'missing persons' add on Facebook for my bioligical father - here. I got a response from a lady and she says she knows him - its a long story and now after her messaging me she has never told me anything about him. I am bummed - I feel so close. I will keep bugging this person until she either gives me a response or tells me to hit the road.
Becoming more Frugal is a big thing for me - I want me money to go as far as possible. Coupon clipping is a big thing around here (for me) - I love the weeks where I am saving about $90 or more! I have also done surveys and look for free things online that we as a family can use. I love finding coupons for free things!

Lastly, I am thinking it will be hard to do any Aflec paperwork - my job has switched them out with another company. But I am looking into that. And some of those books that have been collecting dust are getting read - that 9 hour ride to Michigan should help me with that!

Please see my pictures below:

These are our Hens - the Rooster is in there too - but I can not pick him out from the photo.
Their names are Ashley (black hen) Cheesecake (white hen) Rocky and Bullwinkle (gray/black hens) Chocolate, Brownie, Carmel and Praliene (are the red hens/rooster).

These are the 3 BIG pigs....they eat everything....We didn't name them.

This is our new camper - its getting a make over right now.

The potatoes are poking out.

The Garden - some plants are doing well - some have about drowned with all the rain that we have been getting.

Madelyns Giant Cabbage - its for a scholarship programs that she is growing it for.

The new flower bed - with very beat down plants - hopefully in a few weeks I can get a better photo.

Happy New Year! It's about time I get on here and update! (I know its late!)

I have completed 3 more tasks on my list - made a quilt, went one month with no pop and we served Thanksgiving dinner at a soup kitchen.

Grace's quilt!

These are the girls on Thanksgiving eating after their hard work in the Soup Kitchen.

I have also made a bunch of yummy cookies and recipes! I will be sharing them in the next post!

A lot has been going on and I am finally getting the oppourtunity to catch up with this blog and my challenges.

Firstly, I have made a decision for my volunteering - I have choose to give my time to Hospice. Matt's father passed away on Nov 2 and this process with cancer has deeply touched us. He fought long and hard all the way to the end. Then my father survived colon and skin cancer only to later date from complications from a cancer they called a colangiocarcinoma - he had a cancer in his bile duct system that spread to his liver. Both him and my father in law were in the care of Hospice in their final days. This only feels like the best choice for me.

Also, we have to of my challenges in the works to finish out this year - we will be serving in a soup kitchen on Thanksgiving - something the girls seem egar to do. And we are doing the samatians purse gift charity for Christmas. Madelyn and Grace will each buy for a child thier age and we will send it off to be given for Christmas.

I am currently 20 days into 1 month with no pop - some days have been real hard with the lack of sleep and the fact that I do not drink coffee - pop was my caffine. I am about ready to crack this week and I have had little to no sleep in the last few days as the babies have been sick and up all night. Hopefully I can make it 10 more days!

I got my first Pedicure today - I have missed out on a lot - I will have to make sure that I afford myself this luxury more often.

Here a few of the recipes that I have used and the family really liked since I last posted recipes:

Fried Rice

2 cups enriched white rice
4 cups water
2/3 cup chopped baby carrots
1/2 cup frozen green peas
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
soy sauce to taste
sesame oil, to taste (optional)

Directions:
In a saucepan, combine rice and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
In a small saucepan, boil carrots in water about 3 to 5 minutes. Drop peas into boiling water, and drain.
Heat wok over high heat. Pour in oil, then stir in carrots and peas; cook about 30 seconds. Crack in eggs, stirring quickly to scramble eggs with vegetables. Stir in cooked rice. Shake in soy sauce, and toss rice to coat. Drizzle with sesame oil, and toss again.

Baked Teriyaki Chicken

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs

Directions:
In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Place chicken pieces in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Brush chicken with the sauce. Turn pieces over, and brush again.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, and bake for another 30 minutes, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Brush with sauce every 10 minutes during cooking.

Sage Pork Chops

2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 center cut bone-in pork chops
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup water
2 cubes beef bouillon

Directions:
Combine the salt, sage and black pepper in a small bowl and rub on both sides of the chops. Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium high heat and saute the chops for 5 minutes per side, or until well browned.
Meanwhile, in a separate small saucepan over high heat, combine the water and the bouillon and stir until bouillon dissolves. Add this to the chops, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer chops for 45 minutes.

I did it! I used the crock pot everyday for 1 week (minus 1 day - we have leftover day in our house).
These are the dishes I made:
-roasted turkey
-roasted chicken
-shaghetti sauce
-pulled pork
-chili
-pot roast

This project actually made my life much easier last week - I threw the stuff in and left it alone - it made this week hard for planning what to make for dinner cause I am cooking again. I think the part that is hard is the fact that I knew I was using the crockpot all week, I knew I was throwing things in and leaving them - So I preplanned!! Preplanning is the key here - every other day I am thinking at noon - shoot I still have to get something out for dinner!! I think I have some options here - I know of OMAC (once a month cooking) that I think will be a new challenge for me on my next list :)

Recipes

I have been cooking up a storm making new foods for my family! With great success they are not that picky anymore!! Or maybe - I can cook :) I am going to share a few recipes that I have been meaning to post for the last couple weeks.

This first one was a new weekly recipe - and it also ended up being a new fish dish that the family likes:
Broiled Tilapia Parmesan
Ingredients:
1/2 cut Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 T mayonnaise
2T fresh lemon juice
1/4 t dried basil
1/4 t black pepper
1/8 t onion powder
1/8 t celery salt
2 lbs tilapia fillets

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the parmesan cheese, butter, mayo and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celer salt. Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

The second recipe I am posting here is the Homemade (canned) Apple Pie filling - I doubt I will ever buy canned apple pie filling again:
Canned Apple Pie Filling
Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups with sugar
1 cup cornstarch
2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
2 t salt
10 cups water
3 T lemon juice
6 lbs apples

Directions:
1. Peel, core, and slice apples. Pour lemon juice over the apples.
2. In a large pan mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add salt and water and mix well. Bring to a boil, cook until thick and bubbly. Turn down on low - keep filling hot.
3. In steralized jars, pack apple slices into each jar leaving a 1/2 head space.
4. Fill jars with hot syrup - using a plastic knife to work the bubble out.
5. Please steralized lids on jars, process 20 minutes.

Lastly, I think I finally mastered the peanut cookie. My kids and husband love them. They are soft, peanut buttery and YUMMY!! These ingrediants make what would be a double batch. The key to these to truely bake them until the are just starting to turn brown. They may not look done but they are and they will be real soft.

Peanut Buttery Cookies
2 c butter
18 oz peanut butter
2 c sugar
2 c brown sugar
4 eggs
2 T vanilla
2 sm boxes vanilla pudding mix
5 cups flour
2 t baking powder
2 t baking soda
1 t salt
1 bag peanut butter chips

1. Cream together butter, peanut butter, sugars and eggs in a large bowl. Then add the vanilla and pudding mix.
2. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder and soda and salt. Stir into batter. Add peanut butter chips. Refridgerate for 1 hour.
3. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and place onto a baking sheet. Flatten balls with fork tines in a criss cross pattern.
4. Bake in a preheated over at 375 degrees for about 8-10 minutes - or just until the cookies start to brown, do not overbake.