it's hard to rely on my good intentions...

...when the end of the school/activities year is upon me and there are several other projects going on simultaneously. do i pick the worst time to engage in personal endeavors? you bet.

we've had a garage sale. and preparations for the garage sale. organizing and tossing stuff. sick kids. running to school. dance. gymnastics. music. making up missed dance, gymnastics and music sessions. you know - typical stuff.

so, you'll be happy to know i didn't completely slack off with my barefoot contessa recipe replicating in these couple of weeks...
i only dropped the ball last week. ;-)
and that was upon discovering the dish i picked to make required me to make a trip to the grocery store for fish. i wasn't feeling the grocery store vibe with the other errands and things that needed my attention.

c'est la vie.

i'll be chatting about what i have made, so far, in the next series of posts...hopefully, every few days as i have time to jot down my notes on what i did and how things turned out.

so, without further adieu...

i tried making the chicken salad sandwhich recipe from back to basics, being a complete chicken myself, knowing i was heading into a "busier than normal" schedule and needing something totally easy. this recipe fit the bit. and, it's nice to know that easy doesn't mean "it's going to taste mediocre". on the contrary. the flavor was fantastic.

my personal notes on it: i'm not a huge mayo fan. normally, large quantities of mayo sends shivers down my spine. i find fingernails on a chalkboard more appealing than the though of someone glopping mayo on a BLT sandwhich, dumping it over cucumber salad or dipping their finger in a container of mayo to take a taste (which, no joke, my daughter did the other week and i almost tossed...).

ketchup, however, completely different story...

and, when i say "large quantities" of mayo, i mean anything over a few tablespoons in a recipe. so, this was a little bit of a challenge. the recipe called for 3/4 cup. i had light greek yogurt on hand and some fat free sour cream. no mayo in the house. the recipe still turned out great and i don't feel like the flavor was compromised with the reduced fat and fat free condiments. i think part of that was due to roasting the chicken with generous amounts of salt and pepper as chicken is basically a bland piece of meat when you straight cook it. the fresh tarragon leaves were essential in that flavor boost, too, so if you can help it, don't skimp there.

and, because i'm a baker, i made ina's chocolate chunk cookies. you can find this in her barefoot contessa parties! book. i couldn't resist taking a picture of these beauties. i have always struggled finding a good chocolate chip cookie recipe. mainly because i feel like the cookies flatten out, flatter than a pancake, in the oven while they're baking. i like "plump" and soft chocolate chip cookies. when i make the nestle recipe, they're flatter than flat and crisp. which, granted, some people like. and, i've always altered chocolate chip cookie recipes by throwing blended oats into my flour. at that point, i feel like i'm making a neiman marcus cookie rather than a classic chocolate chip.

you get the picture.

or do you?



ina's recipe for chocolate chip - oops...i mean, "chunk", cookies did not disappoint. they were soft and chewy and stayed that way for days. and, yes, the cookies survived the house for more than days...a good week. i omitted the walnuts due to a member of our household being allergic to them. they still rocked.

i'll continue my recent barefoot contessa exploits soon. my kids need help playing fairy dress-up right now...and i'm a little scared that my son is donning wings and trying to fit sequined shoes on his feet.

my (culinary) hero.

This lady:

is my hero of the kitchen. I've watched Barefoot Contessa for years. My kids know her by name (well, does the name "Barefoot Contessa" count?). (Hmmm...this is a touch embarrassing, I suppose). I think Ina's truly fantastic.

Why?

Because she makes everything in the kitchen truly effortless.

Now, yes, of course cooking and baking are effortless tasks when you have a whole crew at your disposal, setting up everything, measuring out the ingredients, cleaning the dishes and pots you used to prepare the meal, putting them away, having a kitchen the size of a small home at your disposal...

And, I suppose it helps not having little children tugging at your leg or hiding behind you because one child is teasing the other, while you're using sharp implements at the counter...

And, surely, there's no crying or the need to break up fights every few minutes as you're trying to calmly saute something on the hot stove.

Okay, okay...

My point is, even with all that going on, I - you, whomever - can pull these meals off even with Armageddon occurring all around.

And, to me, that's an awesome thing.

So, this is where the whole "Barefoot in the Kitchen" blip at the top of my blog comes into play...

I'm going to be preparing a couple of Ina's recipes (yes, Ina and I are on a first-name basis, here - hehehe) each week. I may have a photo, I may not, but what I will definitely have is my honest opinion of the recipe - was it hard to prepare? Was it satisfying? Garbage-worthy? So, it's, in part, a personal challenge. I'm really the baker of the household. My husband is the cook. This allows me the ability to prove to myself that I can cook. And, that I can make some of these trickier meals. And, that I have a little "Barefoot Contessa" in me, too.

Stay tuned...

his big day.

big day.
big bed.
big boy.

hard to believe dude is ready to go into a regular bed.
when i was pregnant with my daughter, i can remember the vast number of people who told me how fast time flies by with kids. and, before you know it, they're grown.
and, i can also remember the crazy, restless nights with a newborn. the regular feedings. the nap "scheduling" - and that phase is gone so quickly. but, when you're going through it, it's like an eternity.
{and let's face it...the inability to get a solid night's sleep never really goes away}.
and, here we are, the next phase...

one last look at the crib before the last night of sleep in it.

one last nap...

one last storytime with the crib in his room...

dude...you promised you wouldn't grow up...

no...wait...that was my daughter...and she obviously didn't keep that promise. ;-)

of course, as soon as the bed arrived and was set up, both kids started acting appropriately with it:

yep, here too...

still processing all of the excitement...

so, when jim took the crib down, i was basically throwing dinner together. and, i was OK with not being around for that part of the process. for me, it's hard letting the baby thing go.

because, now it's the big time... (and, mickey mouse sheets)...

he's ready...

(placing a quick call to the grandparents first...from the bed...)

our first storytime in the "big boy bed"...

and, we're ready to roll.

i would've sworn a million times over that he wouldn't stay in bed that first night...we made it to three nights before dude processed the concept of "free range" and got out of the bed to roam. still, we're getting there.

now, if he would only pass out within a half hour of lights out...one can dream, i suppose...

do stop back in a few days. more in a little project i've cooked up. ;-) enjoy the rest of the weekend!

very sad today.

pardon the appearance of my blog. it has been my intention for a long time to revamp it...so it's undergoing a bit of that.

and, it's also been my intention to engage in some kind of fascinating, life-altering endeavors that would draw in a crowd of dedicated followers...

then i decided, really...what is there that i do that can be deemed riveting enough to lure people here and read about the everyday stuff in my life?

(i can assure you...i have come up with zilch in answer to that question).

so, in the next few days/weeks (hoping it won't be as long as the latter indicates) i hope to share with you some stuff that i'm currently working on...such as why i've added the little blip: "barefoot in my kitchen" to the header of my blog...

maybe post a few photos too...of things that make me totally smile...

and share with you the zaney, little stories behind photos like this:

and this:

okay...so...onto why i'm a bit sad today. long story short, the cute, little dude you see in the picture above has decided (unbelievably without consulting me first on the matter) to grow up and move out of the crib. yes, tonight is his last night sleeping in his crib. tonight is, perhaps, the last night i will be able to have a normal evening for a long while. tomorrow we will welcome "big boy furniture". and the "big boy bed". i fully expect he will not be staying in the bed after the lights are turned out and we leave the room. not exactly sure what the over/under will be on the number of times he will get out of bed and leave his room. i'm pretty sure i will be dedicating a lot of time breaking from whatever i spend my evenings trying to get done, getting up and putting him back in the bed. over.and.over.again.

regardless, it's a huge step. and, i lucked out with my daughter who, maybe, got out of bed a handful of times her first few nights in her "big girl bed". Lord help me, i'm getting my fair share the second time around for what i did not endure during the first round.

love him anyway.

however, i may be muttering passionately over the next few nights...weeks...whatever...until we've made the transition.

*sniff*sniff*

more later...

glory be, glory be...

girl scout cookies are back!

good timing, too, because i just noticed i was dangerously low on thin mints - one roll left in the freezer. just imagine if i had run out of them completely? i shudder to think of that potential discovery. and, we somehow, miraculously, nurse those boxes for a whole year. it amazes me when we do it. but, i believe my steady baking throughout the year helps us hold off on single-sitting consumption and rapid depletion of what we buy.

lemonades and thanks-a-lots are also household favorites for our little crewcuts. eating a great meal is often rewarded with one of these tasty treats.

so, huge thanks to my neighbor who stopped by yesterday at prime insanity hour in my house {i.e. after 5 p.m. - otherwise known as the "witching" hour around these parts...}. i may have been elbow deep in kneading pie dough and crumb topping; but, the interruption for something of this magnitude is welcomed anytime.

Now thoughts.

There you go.
No frills blog banner for the new year.
At least, simple-as-can-be for right now...
As always, time is a precious commodity.

If you happen to stop by, Happy New Year to you. =)

Somewhere, rattling around in my head I have a list of resolutions.
I could bore you with them now, but I think I may wait until later to do that.

This is something I do want to share with you. My mother-in-law forwarded to me. I felt there were some interesting truths.

{Be forewarned...it's lengthy}.

2010 Handbook

HEALTH

1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games.
7. Read more books than you did in 2009.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

PERSONALITY:

11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or worry over things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake.
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

SOCIETY:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

LIFE:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy!

I guess the Happy part is what hit me. That and comparing your current situation to other people. I wasn't thrilled to ring in the new year. Partly because there are some things I have to deal with for the first couple of months and I'm not entirely thrilled about them. I've been going through this "why me?" coupled with a "how am I going to do this?" phase and I'm just ready to jump this mega-hurdle and be done with it. And, there are a number of reasons I can't elaborate on the situation.

And, yes, I know I need to drink plenty of water, as stated in #1, as I currently drink a pitifully low amount.

I do sincerely wish everyone a great 2010. And, I hope to write more soon. =)

in summary...

i'm looking at the date of my last post and the lapse of time does not connect. because it seems like that was practically yesterday.
and, it's not exactly surprising that it's been as long as it has since i'm one of the worst bloggers around {in case you are wondering, this honorary status applies to more than just blogging...let's talk facebook, email, etc.}.
so here i am, a week out from thanksgiving. and, here's what i've been up to...

i spent last week getting my butt kicked fighting a cold. not fun. especially, not when you're in charge of two little kids and can't hug and kiss them like crazy because you're so darn nervous about getting them sick too. my daughter is phasing out her naps, but i made her take them every day last week and basically passed out to try to recoup before the afternoon and evening stretch. it would be nice if i could get a flu shot, but those are annoyingly scarce. i'm sure by the time i can get one, it'll pretty much be pointless to do so.

said cold killed my ability to do my faithful morning treadmill runs. well. more like massively put a crimp in my ability to pull off a 4-mile run with relative ease. i've spent this week pitifully trying to work back to where i was, but it has proven difficult. i'm hoping that this week will be better.

i'm always on pie-duty for the family turkey-bird dinner. i planned the pies...now i have to make them. it'll involve some daily prep to make it less of a project. one of my friends asked me to help her bake up one of my pumpkin streusel pies for her family, so we need to figure out when that's going to happen next week. on the roster, though, for next thursday: caramel apple pie with crumb topping, streusel pumpkin pie, toffee pecan pie. all homemade with homemade crust. yum.

i was able to finish another scrapbook page earlier this week. it felt fabulous to get it done. now on to the next one. since i have a hard time blocking off time to be able to just sit and push around papers and be creative, i do it in stages...mostly when i'm making trips to the basement to put things away or clean...or work out. i'll walk by my desk, rearrange and pull out things...it some how slowly comes together. i'd like more time to actually sit and work on these things. i'm getting ready to order some more pictures - a whole other project in itself whenever i do it. because i don't just order pictures to scrap with...i order updated pictures for the frames and collages around the house, for my husband's office, for family members...considerable thought and time go into this purchasing process.

work has been good. getting ready to head into the holiday season...which is where the insanity of people in the world of retail-shopping is magnified ten-fold. i now get to wear a walkie-talkie while i'm on the sales floor. interesting. even more interesting trying to get the ear bud to stay in my ear and a challenge even more so to try to move my head as i normally would...but i know i end up looking like i have some sort of crazy-neck problem. i'm silently hoping i don't get too many grinches this year, but they are always out there and you just kind of have to grin-and-bear-it {while silently cursing to yourself and vowing to reward your good efforts with a nightcap later on}.

miss playing around with photography practice. want to get back into it, but getting side-tracked by a lot of things in general. hopefully we'll be planting shubbery tomorrow after we completely tore out all the landscaping around our house over the summer. {i vaguely remember when weekends didn't involve housework and waking up before 7 a.m. this is a very distant memory, lol}.

also just started my next bookclub book, To Kill A Mockingbird. love this book. loved it in high school. couldn't believe some of the ladies in bookclub never read it. so, i had to put it on the "to read" list and here we finally are. within the first few pages, i was reminded why i love this book. i'm having the girls compile a list of books they would like to read - we're getting ready to pick out a few months worth of books {a task we immensely enjoy}.

and, can i just say again...wow...a week out from thanksgiving. i've been bad lately with this inability to keep track of my days...and this kind of proves it. i'm even more shocked that next month is december. christmas. the shopping and preparation that still needs to be done. and shortly after that my son turns 2 and birthday festivities to plan. a new year. new resolutions. {i find that being able to keep my sanity relatively in tact to be a good, solid aspiration for the upcoming new year, but i digress...}.

so, no wonder it feels like only days since i've last updated the old blog...