Friend Makin Monday

2009

Friend Makin Mondays

Today is Monday so it is time for Friend Makin Mondays!!This week's task is to answer some personal questions about our daily lives so here are the questions and my answers.


1. Do you cook every night?
No, it is seldom that I really cook. After cooking every night for 35 years, I have retired from cooking. It is one of the perks of living alone. When I have family or friends over then I full-out cook. In fact, this Saturday I am having a Julia Child dinner party where the kitchen will get a real workout.


2. What kind of laundry detergent do you use & why?
Tide . It is the only kind I have found for high-efficiency washers. I wish Costco had one.

3. Do you do laundry every day or loads at a time?
I do about two loads at a time. When my children were home I did all the wash on Fridays and it was nice to have it all done at once.

4. How often do you eat out per week?
Two or three times a week. I usually eat only half and bring the rest home and have it later.


5. Where do you usually eat out?
My favorite is Mexican food called Cafe Rio. I also love the turkey at Kneaders and the sandwiches at Hagerman's


6. What is your favorite retail store?
♥Target♥

7. What's your favorite thing to drink?
I am really trying to stick with water but Tropicana has a delicious light lemonade with only 5 calories and no sugar.


8. Do you take vitamins? What kind?
Yes. I take Arbonne's supplements with vitamins, minerals and calcium.


9. What percentage of the household chores to you do?
Unfortunately 100. --A disadvantage of living alone.


10. Do your children do chores? {Or will they, did they, etc}
Yes, we always had chore charts and they grew up complaining about all the work they had to do. The youngest one is certain we had her just so I wouldn't have to vacuum! But, they all learned how to work and have their children learning the same.

11. Do you go to church?
Yes, faithfully every Sunday for three hours.

12. Do you have a housework schedule?
I just made a new one for this fall--it starts soon:)

13. Do you keep a working budget?
In general, yes. Specifically, no.

14. What do you do at night as a family?
Somehow at night it seems I am still trying to get through my to-do list and by the time I sit down it is time to go to bed.

15. How do you prepare yourself for a new week?
I like to plan out my week so I usually write events and tasks for the next week as they come up and if they are not on it then I review it and add to it on Saturday. Monday morning I make detailed lists and write in the calendar if they are not already there.

16. What do your mornings look like?
I get up, make my bed, get dressed, and begin that to do list. Soon I will add work-out to that list.

17. What time do you get up in the mornings?
Between 6 and 6:30

18. What time do you go to bed at night?
I begin getting ready about 10:30. It usually takes me half an hour before I get into bed and then I read.

19. How do you manage all of the paperwork that floods into your household? {bills, school work, magazines, ads, etc}
I learned a long time ago not to bring in junk mail so I look through it at the mailbox and go right to trash can with anything that does not concern me. I used to look through all the coupons but found that that was just a waste of time since I seldom used the items they pertained to. I also used to look through all the magazines and flyers but now give myself permission to toss them knowing that another one from that same company would be coming soon. This was especially helpful as it gets closer to Christmas and mailboxes are loaded with catalogues. I also call and cancel a lot of ones that I never use so that I don't get them anymore. I feel it is such a waste of paper.
The bills I open, get rid of the fillers in them, write the due date on the outside of the envelope and put them in my bill payer box. I have limited my magazine subscriptions to about 4. After I read each one (it may take me 6 months) I tear out what I want to keep and toss it as well.

20. How do you keep your household organized? {calendars, charts, etc}
I keep a desk calendar and a larger monthly calendar on my desk. On the side of the larger one is an empty space that I use for any phone numbers that I need for that month or new names and phone numbers--like a repairman. I also have my daily to do pad which is divided into these catagories: to do, calls, errands, and letters. That way I can organize my day and can see at a glance what needs to be done and where I need to go.
The bigger monetary bills, like taxes due, I put on my yahoo calendar so it comes to my e-mail to remind me a week before it is due. It has taken me a long time to come up with this system and I hope this is helpful to some of you who are younger and wondering how to balance it all.
To check out other's answers click here.
Have a wonderful week as we progress into September!

Foodie Friday--Basil Pesto

Pesto

With summer gardens laden with beefy tomatoes it is the perfect time to make Pesto from the wonderful basil growing there too. This is a time tested recipe that I've been making for many years. It comes from the Silver Palate Cookbook which says, "The first batch of pesto--that marvelous Genoese basil sauce for pasta--officially welcomes summer back to our kitchen."

2 cups fresh basil leaves, thoroughly washed and patted dry (I pack in 2 cups worth)
4 good size garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
1 cup shelled walnuts
1 cup best-quality olive oil
1 cup freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated imported Romano cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1. Combine the basil, garlic and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor--or halve the recipe and use a blender--and chop
2. Leave the motor running and add the olive oil in a slow steady stream.3. Shut the motor off, add the cheese, a big pinch of salt and a liberal grinding of pepper. Process briefly to combine, then scrape out into a bowl and cover until ready to use.
Makes 2 cups, enough to sauce 2 pounds of pasta.I put it into 2 one-cup canning jars. I give one away and keep the other to enjoy. This is so simple and can be made in less than 10 minutes if you have all the ingredients ready.
Pesto Possibilities:
-Mix 2 T. pesto with 2 T. creme fraiche or sour cream, and dollop into your favorite summer soup.
- Whisk 1 T. pesto into 4 eggs as you scramble them
-Season mayonnaise with a Tablespoon or two of pesto when making potato salad
-Brush broiled chicken with pesto to taste about 10 minutes before the end of cookig time. Serve with fresh tomatoes

Enjoy!

To see other wonderful food ideas click here to visit Foodie Friday hosted by Michael at Designs by Gollum.

Stretching Your Clothing Dollar

In this time of economic worry there are a few things you can do to help keep the money in your wallet. Sometimes this involves learning new things or just using your imagination. Here are a list of a few ideas that might help and save you money that you might have spent on alterations:
1. Learn how to shorten-hem that pair of pants that are too long. Since attaching the original hem on a pair of jeans is the fashionable thing now, learn how to do it. It isn't hard and you can save yourself anywhere from $12-20 by doing it yourself. A really good website with step-by-step pictures is: www.daciaray.com2. You can also lengthen a skirt by adding another tier or layer as this one was with a layer of gathered lace to extend the length.
3. Learn to mend--a rip in a seam, a hole in a pair of pants, or lace that has become loose from an article of clothing. A basic sewing book from the library would have instructions and pictures or if you know someone else who sews enlist their help to teach you.
4. Embellish something you already own to make it more stylish and give you longer wear.
This T-shirt was given new life by stitching on a colorful flower of different fabrics.
5. Repurpose an article of clothing that you don't need.(a) These wool purses are made from 100% wool sweaters that have been felted (shrunk). A great video clip showing how to make them can be found on www.studio5.ksl.com (search Felted Wool Sweater Totes)(b) The inspiration for this sweater was in a mail-order catalogue for about $100. This cardigan was purchased in a local chain store for about $20.00 then the flowers were added (from an old sweater) and embroidered on to it for the same look.(c) Sometimes a piece of clothing can be used as a "scrapbook" like this sweatshirt by stitching pictures and word memories from a favorite vacation. You can buy special paper in an office supply store that will transfer images from paper onto fabric that can then be stitched onto the sweatshirt.
(d) Sometimes you have outgrown or it is out of style and you can make it into something else. This Halloween vest was transformed into a Halloween pillow very quickly with only two seams.

I hope this has helped get you thinking about ways to save. Have a wonderful day!

Friend Makin' Monday

Friend Makin Monday's are back with Amber hosting. Today we are to tell 10 things that I Loved About This Summer. This is a perfect one for me as summer is my favorite time of the year. So here goes in no particular order:
1. Heat. I can honestly say that I love to be warm and have not really complained about our 100+ heat we have had lately. (Well, maybe once or twice:) The flowers love it, I love it and could live with heat all year. Maybe I live in the wrong part of the world!2. Having family around. All three of my daughter's were able to visit this summer with their cute families. I feel like a mother hen loving gathering all my chicks around me.3. Picnics and BBQ's. What tastes better than hamburgers (chicken, steak) on the grill or potato salad on a red checked tablecloth? Our canyons near me provide the perfect setting for enjoying a little nature hike and a picnic not to mention:
4. S'mores by a campfire. Isn't it nice that something that you ate and loved as a kid has stayed the same and not been "improved" by some large corporation trying to make money?
5. Wearing sandals and capris. It is so easy to pack fewer clothes for vacation with simpler, smaller amounts of fabric in the outfit.6. Parades. I love the 4th of July with all it's bright colors and pomp and circumstance with parade and fireworks. I loved just happening on the small town parade one Saturday coming home from the gravel pits. Great clown, marching bands, floats--I love the whole thing.7.Swimming at the pool during the day and Warm summer nights where you can leave your doors open and hear the crickets chirping and feel the soft breeze as you sleep.
8. I love the warm floors on your feet when you wake up.9. I love having friends visit and go exploring places that you probably wouldn't take the time to go, but enjoying it so much.
10. I love watching my plants grow from one morning to the next. There seems to be some extra in the water here where I can actually see the progress each day. Maybe because nature knows the growing season is short and she had better push the growth every night. Right now I have sunflowers that I planted really late and it is a race to see if they will have time to grow enough to bloom before the heat resides. I check them every day and they are just beginning to form the bud for the flowers. I think they will make it.

I could go on and on and I know when I read other posts I will think "I should have put that too" but, you can read them and see if your favorite things are listed by clicking here.I hope your summer has been wonderful. Mine has!

Service Group Summer Projects

Service Group Update

Summer has been busy for our 10 Club Service Group. We meet once a month for a 2 hour service project which has been planned by one of the members. It provides a time for wonderful fellowship and at the same time we are giving service to our community. We have a great time. It is called the 10 club because we each contribute $10.00 each month. This money is used for the next month's project. Some months our project does not involve any money so that money is added to the following month's reserve. It is simple, and it works for us.
In May we sorted donated pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies for a company which packages them and sends them to needed places in the US and third world countries. Our efforts that day were being sent to Florida. We sorted through 2 pallets which were dumped onto this long table.In June we assembled 35 activity kits for children whose stay in a local hospital will be long term.
Some of the items were coloring books, foam shapes, card games, crayons, markers, stickers, play doh, die cuts, little figurines,
and each one had a stuffed animal on top. There were boxes for boys and girls. We labeled each and tied each one with a ribbon. They were later delivered to the hospital which was amazed at all the items we were able to put into each box.
JulyIn July we began with a lovely brunch at one of our member's home.
Then we went to the state capitol building where we cleaned the very tall (11') statues.
We also secured many framed pictures on the walls with museum tape.We worked on two floors.
Then we were treated to our very own private tour of the capitol by one of our members who is a docent there. We walked the halls where history was made, saw the court chambers and heard the history of the building. It was a very productive and informative morning.
August
We assembled 240 sandwiches--peanut butter and jelly, (some of us had forgotten how to make these!)
We also made turkey and cheese and ham with cheese.The sandwiches were each put into a zip lock bag then all were put back into the bread wrapper.
These were taken that same day to a local homeless shelter where they were gladly accepted and immediately provided to men, women, and children who were appreciative of a sandwich meal.
It has been a productive summer in this sense. Just 2 hours a month can make a difference!

I hope your summer is going well too.

Foodie Friday--It's A Wrap

Foodie Friday-It's a Wrap

I'd like to share with you today two recipes for tortilla wraps that I tasted at a friend's home after our service group meeting. The wraps are made using spinach tortillas each with a scrumptious filling. Normally I don't care for curry, but this has just enough to give it a great flavor without overpowering it. The turkey is delicious with it's cranberry too.
Curry Chicken Wraps
4 lobs chicken tenders
1 1/2 c. mayonnaise
3 T. curry
4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/3 c. mustard
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. raisins
spinach wraps
Cook frozen tenders in their own juices for 10-12 minutes in a covered pot on the stove. Cool. In a bowl combine all other ingredients. Fold in chicken using a fork. Add raisins, fill wraps and roll. Cut in thirds. (You can make ahead and refridgerate in plastic wrap before cutting.)

Turkey Wraps
2 lbs. shaved deli turkey breast
8 oz. cream cheese
1 can cranberry sauce
1/2 small red onion, diced
sprouts and lettuce (optional)
spinach wraps

Spread a thin coat of cream cheese over at least half of the wrap then add a layer of he cranberry sauce. Then sprinkle the diced red onion. Add turkey to the center of the wrap and salt and pepper. Top with sprouts and/or lettuce if desired. Roll it all. Place in refrigerator. When ready to serve, cut in thirds on an angle.

These were served with a pasta salad, fresh blackberries and strawberries and Meltaway cookies with a frozen Raspberry parfait for dessert. Delicious. Thanks Larraine! For more mouth-watering recipes check out Designs by Gollum here.

Camera-Captured Summertime Activities

Camera-Captured Summertime Activities
Sometimes we wonder where our time has gone, especially this summer. It is a good thing that we can record events with our camera so that we can answer that for ourselves. Here are some events I captured with family and friends--fun times and times for memories.1. My sweet aunt, Gladys (89), and I had a beautiful drive north to my sister, Kaye's, home. We helped her celebrate her birthday by taking her to lunch at a lovely restaurant up one of the canyons near her home. (I won't tell how old she is, only that she looks 25!).
This is the birthday girl complete with a darling apron and birthday crown. She is in her livingroom that is filled with all things memorable and fun including the family portrait mantle with it's inscription "Be Warm Inside and Out", two loveseats that she recovered from our mom's home, tea cup collections, hand stitched pillows, decoupaged Girl's Time (on the easel) and other fun and quirky things. Everything has a story. It is always a treat to go there to see what she has done lately. She is a very talented and fun sister.
Barbara and I took a little trip to an old Inn where my husband and I spent our honeymoon many years ago and enjoyed the gardens there. We took the plunge and sat in the natural mineral springs that are on the property. Something that neither one of us had done before. Doesn't she look amazing! She is an inspiration to me of perseverance and patience having stuck with her diet since last November!
I pressed her into service to redecorate the guest room while she was staying in it. So it went from French Country to Cottage Beachy in the course of one week. Of course, we found time to make some crafts before she went home too. She is making a Danger cosmetic bag out of danger tape and duct tape.
The craft room found cute Maddy making a banner for her bedroom back home too.
It is so nice to have spent time with those you love. I hope your summer is filled with the people you enjoy being with too.