Random

*I go back to work tomorrow.  I am READY!!  I'm actually kind of excited.  I like my routines, what can I say.  

*I got one of those letter boards that are everywhere.  I got a small one though and put it on our cork board in the kitchen below our family calendar.  Clearly, I'm having fun with it (and I might have too much time on my hands ha ha)

All quotes from TV shows ha ha.  Some of them won't make sense especially if you don't watch the TV shows (Bob's Burgers, Scrubs, Parks & Rec, Friends, etc.).  But it makes me smile. 

*Have you ever tried baked tacos?  If you haven't, please try baked tacos.  Basically, you put the meat (already cooked) and cheese in the shell, pop them in the oven for 10 minutes or so, then they come out and the meat and cheese stays put and is all melty and delicious.  Then you can top with your other cold toppings.  They are really good!

*A couple weeks ago, we went to a store here called 'Pen and Pad'.  My husband has been getting his fountain pens at this store for years.  Anyways, I noticed that the only journal type books they carried were Paperchase and Rhodia.  I asked the owner if they carried Leuchtturm journals and she said 'nope and I never will'.  So of course I asked why and she said out of Moleskins, Leuchtturms, and Rhodias, the Rhodias are by far the best when it comes to binding and paper.  So of course I had to try it out.  And then I promptly moved my bullet journal over to the Rhodia book.  The paper is great and the cover is super soft (although I put my bullet journal into another cover type thing).

I also tried out a couple of 'disposable' fountain pens.  I'm liking those too.  

*We booked a rental car in Iceland.  A Toyota something or other.  It was interesting.  We did a bunch of research on rental car companies and insurance. It is still up in the air whether or not we need to purchase 'sand and ash' insurance (from volcanoes of course).  Fun!

*I also emailed the hosts of our Air B&B about bedding (you bring your own sheets, or they charge you for use of linens).  Anyways, I was wondering about the size and she emailed me back in meters.  So I had to figure that out, but of course there was no real answers online (for real) so I'm just going to bring a set of King sheets and we'll tuck if we have to.  Then I can use them at home too.

That's all!

Addition Update #2

We're 6 weeks in to our addition.  The hope is to have it done by the end of April (hopefully).

I haven't been great about taking pictures, but I try to snap a few when I notice major progress.

Concrete!

Walls!

So I just snap these pictures from my car because I have social anxiety and I don't want the workers to see me taking pictures.  The struggle is real!

These next two I snapped yesterday.  We have a roof!!!

So far, so good!  I think it's looking great.  My mother-in-law's front door and window can be seen, and she'll also have sliding glass doors on the other side.

The original plan was to keep the existing brick along the two existing walls (seen in the first addition update I did last month) so she would have two brick walls IN her kitchen.  But then my husband thought it might be better to use that brick for the OUTSIDE of the addition, so that the brick would match our house completely (as opposed to having NEW brick that might not match great).  We had a family meeting and decided that we all loved that idea.  We want this addition to look like it was originally built with the house 50 years ago.  :)  So we want it to look like it's own little separate place, but like it was original to the house.  Does that make sense? 

So anyways, the contractors have removed all of the brick and will use it to brick the outside.  And my mother-in-law will have four regular drywall-walls (like my construction speak?? Ha ha) instead of two drywall-walls and two brick walls.  This will make her kitchen even lighter too (and warmer).

So that's the latest!  The workers come every day (sometimes even on Saturdays).  It's loud, but that's to be expected.  They want to get it done soon too!

Meal Planning

Let's talk meal planning!  I have discovered that meal planning--grocery shopping--budgeting--all while trying to eat healthy-- can almost be a full-time job.  I'm going to share what has been working for me.

Meal planning is kind of like laundry.  It never goes away.  It's ALWAYS something that will need to be done.  

Here is my process.

I plan meals 2 weeks at a time (I'm talking dinner here).  I plan 4-5 meals each week (we eat leftovers and usually go out once a week).  I first look at my 'Freezer Inventory' book to see what we have in our freezers.

I try to buy meat on sale and stock up.  And occasionally we will get large bags of meatballs or other things at Costco that take us a while to use up.

So first I see if there's anything in our freezer that I can use (and there always is).

Then I build the rest of the meal around it.  Tonight, for example, we are having spaghetti and meatballs, because we have a partial bag of frozen meatballs leftover from our Superbowl gathering.  

If I can't think of anything off the top of my head to make with what we have, then I use my cookbooks and the Internet.  This takes maybe 30 minutes IF you don't get distracted.

Once I have my two weeks planned, I write it all down on my monthly calendar (just a cheap one I found at Target):

On the far right hand side of the calendar, I write what I need to get at the store to complete the meals.

I shop on Friday for the week.  I meal plan for TWO weeks, but I shop just one week at a time.  And Sunday is my meal prep/batch cooking day.

For breakfast, I make either overnight oats or make sure to stick an oatmeal packet in my lunch box.  My husband usually eats instant grits (he eats breakfast at home).  Breakfast is easy.

For lunches, I try to do EVERYTHING I possibly can to make it as easy as possible to pack lunches in the morning.

This week, I made salads.  I chopped romaine hearts (the 3-pack from Trader Joe's), then added a veggie mix of kale, brussel sprouts, cabbage (also from Trader Joe's).  I cooked up a pound of ground turkey seasoned with taco seasoning.  Then chopped some green peppers.  I then added dressing and shredded cheese.  And that was our 'main course' for lunches for the week.

Sometimes I'll do sandwiches.  Other times it's leftovers.  I try to do it all the night before though so that I'm not scrambling around in the morning.  

I also de-package all yogurts, cheese, etc. so they are easy to grab and add to our lunch boxes.

But that's just for lunch.

For dinners, it's a bit different.  I try to prep everything I can for each meal on Sunday, including chopping veggies, defrosting the appropriate meat, etc.  And anything that I can prep ahead of time (like a casserole or something), I will do that also.  I also will make some shredded chicken if we're out and usually some hard boiled eggs.  I make a huge mess and it takes anywhere from 1-3 hours, but I'm usually done by noon and have the rest of the day to relax and not have to worry about what we're going to eat for the week.

I write down what we're having for the week on our menu board:

Here's a few other tips:

*get some food prep containers.  I got the ones in the picture above from Wal-Mart.  They are decent in size, and are microwave and dishwasher safe.  They are lightweight.  And it's not a tragedy if they get lost or accidentally thrown out.  We use glass containers too, but I like to use those for leftovers that we are eating at home.

*After you make your grocery list, number it.  So anything that's refrigerated I put a '1' by.  All produce is '2'.  All frozen '3'.  Canned goods '4'.  Snacks '5'.  Etc.  It sounds crazy, but this saves SO MUCH TIME at the grocery store.  There's no more wondering way back to the frozen section because you've forgotten something.  I suppose you could write your list in order by category, but I never do that.  I scribble it all down as I'm deciding on recipes, then number it.

*If you use coupons, pull out the appropriate ones and put them in your wallet before you go to the store.  I also look at my Target Cartwheel and see if there's anything on my list that I can save on.  This also saves me time in the store.

*Go to the store as early as possible.  Sunday mornings at Target are wonderful.  :)  Sometimes I will also have to go to Smith's (which is only 5 blocks from us) to pick up something that Target doesn't have, and it is also super quiet in the mornings.  The aisles are clear and there's no lines.  It just makes it a more pleasant experience.

So that's how I do it.  It might sound complicated, but I prefer to do as much batch cooking/meal prepping as I can.  We eat out WAY less when I plan and prepare.  It saves money and time!

Instant Pot

I can't believe I haven't blogged yet about the wonderful, wonderful item that is the Instant Pot.

I got it in December (I think?) but they were wildly popular before then.  I was a little late on the Instant Pot bandwagon.  But I am SO GLAD I got it.

Basically, it's this magical pot that does a whole bunch of things.  In ONE pot.  Most people (me included) use it specifically for the pressure cooker option.  Imagine being able to cook chicken breasts (from frozen) in 8 minutes.  Or cook pasta in 2 minutes.

The Instant Pot can do it.  Although, the times are a *bit* deceiving, because the cook times don't include the time it takes for the pot to reach pressure (usually 10 minutes or so).  But it is still faster and WAY easier.  It can also be a slow-cooker.

It looks intimidating, but I swear it's not.  Once you cook your first meal in it you will no longer be scared.

Here's just a few of the things I've made:

Chicken Taco Soup
Italian Zuppa Tuscana
Beef Stew
Chicken Breasts
Mississippi Pot Roast
Lasagna
Chicken pasta & mushrooms
Rice (all kinds)
Hard Boiled Eggs
Banana Bread
Red Beans & Rice
Mixed Berry Jam

And I know I'm forgetting some things.  You can literally make anything in it!  I think my favorite part is that you have just ONE pot to clean up at the end.  So if a recipe calls for sautéing vegetables or bacon first, you do it in the same pot (using the sauté function of course).  It's just so easy.

There are TONS of Instant Pot recipes online.  The cookbooks are slowly coming out.  I got one at Costco, and just last week I found another one on the bargain shelf at Barnes and Noble (Cooking Light Instant Pot).  They both have been useful.

I use it at LEAST once or twice a week.  Usually when I'm doing my batch cooking for the week.  Every two weeks I'll use it to make a batch of chicken breasts and then I'll shred them (using my hand mixer....it's so much easier this way).  I freeze half of the shredded chicken and then we use the rest during the week.  I either top it with salads or make chicken salad.

Anyways, this is my plug for the Instant Pot.  I believe the cheapest place to find it is on Amazon.  And they sometimes go on sale at Target.  I would get the 'Instant Pot' brand.  The 6-quart.  That seems to be the most popular and is the 'original'. 

Paper

To say that I've been getting bored is somewhat of an understatement.

I mean...don't get me wrong, I have loved being able to relax and recover and not having to go to work for 4 weeks has been nice.

But I am not one to lay around all day and watch tv, or even read for that matter.  Usually when I'm reading I'm waiting on something or multitasking (like stirring on the stove while reading a book, for example).  Or waiting for my Instant Pot to finish 'Natural Releasing".  Anyways, my point is, I have to have projects.  Especially when I'm on week 4 of being off of work.

So one of my projects this week was my paper.  Before we moved, I did a pretty good job of purging our paperwork.  We've gone paperless on most everything, but there are some things that we still need to keep.  

And when we were buying this house and selling our old one, LOADS of paperwork was created.  And I didn't have the time during the middle of our move to sort everything.

And then when we moved, I just sort of shoved everything in the cabinets under our desk.

So this week, I went through EVERY sheet of paper in every folder, every binder, etc.  I was ruthless.  I got rid of a lot of things (especially moving related stuff, not to be confused with house stuff).

I cleaned up my husband's 'Public Talk Outlines' binder.  I made a 'Taxes' binder (we keep 8 years worth).  And I updated my 'Misc.' binder, and also created a new 'Mortgage' binder, with all of our house paperwork in it.

I've discussed my hatred for hanging file folders/systems before, but just in case you missed it, here's why I don't like them.  It's too easy to save WAY more than you need.  Things get lost.  Labeling is a pain.  You need either a drawer specially made for hanging file folders OR some kind of cardboard contraption for the folders.  They get stuffed full.  They curve.  They fall apart.  Etc.  They're just not for me.

So I use binders.  It kind of forces you to be ruthless, because you can only fit so much into a binder.  Plus, they can be stored anywhere.  We don't have a separate filing cabinet or anything, I just stored the binders in the cabinets under our desk.

I do have some 'working' folders also.  I created a 'Surgery' folder to contain all of my 'active' surgery paperwork (EOBs, notes, bills, etc.).  And I have an Iceland folder.  But those will both go away eventually.

I get the plastic-type folders.  NEVER buy paper folders if you can help it.  They fall apart extremely easily.  The plastic type ones are so much better.  And as you can see from my multiple labels above, they are reusable.

So that's one project down!

February Reads

One star = did not like it at all

Two stars = eh, it was okay

Three stars = liked it

Four stars = really, really liked it

Five stars = absolutely loved it

1-Star (0)

2-Stars (4)

**Daily Rituals (Non-Fiction, Mason Curry)
I had high hopes for this book because it seems that everyone in the bookstagram/blogging world raves about it.  But….I was bored.  The book chronicles the daily rituals of ‘artists’ (mostly authors).  However, I had never heard of 75% of the artists in the book.  And honestly….their daily rituals were pretty boring.  (I’m not quite sure what I was expecting ha ha)

(Book, donated to LFL)

**Goodbye, Things (Non-Fiction, Fumio Sasaki)

Minimalism is HUGE right now.  And while I agree with some of the aspects of it, some people take it to the extreme (like this guy).  Not for me.

(FREE Hoopla audio book)

**The Great Gatsby (Fiction, F. Scott Fitzgerald)

Hmm.  This was a re-read.  I remember reading it in high school and really enjoying it.  I think I even read it a couple of times!  But this time….I was soooooo bored.  Nick (the narrator) was the only likeable character in the story, however the story is not about Nick.  It is about the mysterious Jay Gatsby and his obsession with his neighbor, Daisy Buchanan.  Who are both incredibly unlikable characters (in my opinion).  So while Nick was an actual character (Daisy’s cousin), he felt just completely like, well, a narrator.  A boring one at that.  I do plan to watch the movie though.  I have a couple other Fitzgerald novels on my shelf, now I’m afraid to read them!  I need to stop comparing Fitzgerald to Hemingway (who I love).  

(Book, donated to LFL)

**Magic Hour (Fiction, Kristin Hannah)

The OLD Kristin Hannah used to write mostly 'fluff', although I had heard that this one was more substantial than her other fluffy books (remember, these were all BEFORE 'The Nightengale' and 'The Great Alone').  The story was okay, but just...missing a lot.  And the ending was very abrupt.  However, I still LOVE Kristin Hannah and am glad she is not writing fluff anymore.

(Book, donated to LFL)

3-Stars (5)

***Sleep Revolution (Non-Fiction, Arianna Huffington)

This book was mostly aimed at people who get less than 7-8 hours of sleep each night BY CHOICE.  At least, that’s what I thought.  You know, people who work late, stay up late, and then get up for a 5:00 a.m. workout.  It doesn’t focus so much on people like me, who STRIVE to get 7 – 8 hours of sleep per night, but struggle to get 6 (not by choice).  However, this book still gets 3 stars because it is a wealth of information on the subject and it does contain very helpful advice about healthy sleep habits and interesting tidbits (did you know that Tom Brady goes to bed every night at 8:30?)  I look forward to reading her other book on my shelf (Thrive).

(Book, donated to LFL)

***I Let You Go (Fiction, Claire Mackintosh)

I picked up this book at the Dallas Airport on my way to Memphis in December.  This is one of those books where halfway through you’re hit with a ‘WHATTTTTTT’ moment.  And I like that.  It’s a mystery, but not like a ‘who done it’ kind of mystery.  A little fluffy at times, but I still enjoyed it.

(Book, donated to LFL)

***Brain on Fire (Non-Fiction, Susannah Cahalan)

This one was good.  What I got from it is that you MUST be your own advocate when it comes to your health.  And if you don’t have the mental capacity to do so, then your family must step up.  Susannah’s parents fought for her and would not just ‘accept’ the countless misdiagnoses she had been given.  And because they did, she got the correct diagnosis and the correct treatment.

(Book, donated to LFL)

***The Year of Less (Non-Fiction, Cait Flanders)

This is a memoir of sorts about a Canadian woman who stopped shopping, gave away 70% of her stuff, lived on less than half of her income, and basically changed her whole life in one year.  But it was substantial…she had a big drinking problem (that’s where most of her money was going) and she tackles that, eating, relationship issues, etc.  I enjoyed it, she was very REAL about her struggles.

(FREE Hoopla audio book)

***Commonwealth (Fiction, Ann Patchett)

Ann Patchett is just an EXCELLENT writer.  Bel Canto, Run, State of Wonder….oh….State of Wonder was SO GOOD.  Commonwealth….not my favorite by her.  However, I still gave it 3 stars just for the writing and for the first chapter alone.  In the first chapter she describes a party in Southern California in 1964 so incredibly vividly that I could almost taste the oranges and gin.  But…..the story was kind of all over the place for me and there were a LOT of people to keep track of.  Basically, the book follows 6 adult children that are step-siblings as a result of a single incident that happened at the above mentioned party.  So while I wasn’t captivated by this book (as I was her others), it’s still a three star read for me because of her phenomenal story-telling skills.

(Book, donated to LFL)

4-Stars (2)

 ****Beartown (Fiction, Fredrik Backman)

I've only ever read one other book by Backman, A Man Called Ove.  I liked it okay, but it was nothing earth-shattering.  I've heard the same about his other books as well, with one exception:  Beartown.  Now....I'll just say this now....this book has some swearing.  And some other things (think....high school boys locker room talk).  Triggers galore.  Which is why I didn't give it five stars.  The whole time I was reading it, I just kept thinking, this CAN'T be the same author that wrote A Man Called Ove!  His writing is AMAZING.  There were so many times that I wish I had my highlighter on me so I could highlight some passages.  

The premise of the book is a small Norwegian or Danish town (it doesn't really specify) that lives/breathes/dies hockey.  And then a tragedy occurs that puts everything and everyone in jeopardy.  There is LOADS of hockey stuff in the book, but you do NOT have to know a lot about hockey to enjoy this book.  I am a 'hockey wife' (meaning...we subscribe to the NHL Network and when the Blackhawks are playing, they trump all other television programs.)  I know more about hockey than I ever thought I would.  But, again, you don't need to know about hockey to enjoy this book.  It was amazing.  I look forward to his next one.

(Book, keeper)

****A Simplified Life (Non-Fiction, Emily Ley)

I enjoy books about housekeeping, simplifying, etc.  This one was nice because it's actually kind of a workbook as well.  Although I didn't fill anything in, I did highlight some things that I thought were great tips.  It's a very easy read.

(Book, keeper)

5-Stars (2)

*****I Could Chew On This (Non-Fiction, Francesco Marciuliano)

This was a fantastically quirky book that my brother and sister-in-law sent me.  It's a book of poems written from a dog's perspective.  It was laugh out loud funny.  The poems would start off all serious and you would think that they were going to make you cry and be sad, but then all of the sudden they took a turn and were hilarious.  It was brilliant!

(Book, keeper)

*****The Little Grumpy Cat That Wouldn't (Fiction, Little Golden Book)

This one was one that my sister sent me.  It was fantastic because the Little Grumpy Cat was of course grumpy throughout the whole thing and you think that by the end she will become happy or something but she doesn't!  Which makes it fantastic.  The Little Grumpy Cat remains the Little Grumpy Cat.  Awesome!

(Book, keeper)

Total Books Read:  13 (6 fiction, 7 non-fiction)

Formats

E-Books: 0

Audio Hoopla: 2

Audio CD: 0

Real Books:  11 

Abandoned books: 0

I was actually surprised that I didn't get through more books this month, especially because of my surgery and down-time.  But it turns out that the first week and a half after my surgery I was still taking my pain killers and I was drowsy and just wanted to watch TV.  I actually think that next month my count will be higher.  I am off work the rest of this week and all of next week as well, so I plan to make a dent in that library stack I picked up!

How to Make a Dry Erase Menu Board

Last week I got a little board and decided to do something kind of crafty.

I made a dry erase menu board for our kitchen counter.  It was extremely easy and took about 15 minutes.

I picked up an 8x10 picture frame from Home Goods.  Then I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up some patterned paper.  I wanted something pretty, but not too dark.  I also got two different kind of stickers...one package of capital letters, and one package of lowercase letters.

Patterned paper usually comes in 12x12 size, so I had to cut it down to fit the frame.  I just took the paper that comes with the frame to use as a template.

Then I added the stickers.  I just put 'Dinner' across the top and SMTWTFS down the left side.  I didn't make it too difficult, I just eyeballed it.

Then I just slipped it into the frame.

All that was left was getting a dry erase marker.  Dry-erase markers work perfectly on glass!

I chose this one (Target) that came with a little eraser on the tip.

I would suggest only using black.  On glass, other colors won't show up very well.

And then I filled in my menu for the week!  Last week was different because we had 3 meals delivered to us by different people.  But it was still helpful because I knew what family was coming on what night.  And as you can see, the black marker worked great!

Super easy project....total cost was $20.  $10 for the frame and $10 for the stickers and paper.  It could be hung on the wall too I suppose, but I just set it on our countertop.

That's it!