I think I need a list

I feel busy.   I feel as if I am in danger of making the same mistake that I make every year.   I have learned over the years.  I am creative thinker, and sometimes a creative doer.   I have tons of ideas that never come to fruition.

Last fall, I wanted to experiment with soups.   I make a pretty great baked potato soup, but I would like to expand my horizons into different kinds of soup.  Never happened.  Before I thought about experimenting with soups, flowers were starting to bloom on the trees.   Time just gets away from me.  I am not sure who takes it.  

I meant this year to be different, and I have made clear definite steps to make that happen.  The first and main thing, I have been doing is actually doing or planning to do. 

Here is a prime example.   Last year Justin and I had talk about doing the Grid Iron Trail Run.  It is a football themed 5k with obstacles, and you get to represent your college team.  It sounds like so much fun.  But we never signed up, and then never did it.    This year, we still wanted to do it, so I signed up in January.  With may be a bit excessive for a race in August, but we are signed up and ready to do it. 

Another example, I didn’t even make it to the beach last year.  I love the beach; it is simply one of my favorite places to be.  Didn’t make a plan to go to the beach, so I didn’t go. Knew I wanted to go this year and I wanted to spend some time with LeighAnne, so we planned a trip to the beach in February.  A little soon, but it is on the books and I am excited.

Same story, with our anniversary, already booked a weekend away.

Same story with a concert that we wanted see, I have already booked tickets to see KISS and Motley Crue in July.  I even prepaid the parking.

So real progress has been made, but I got to make sure the little things don’t slip by.    So I am making a list of little things.  Little things that I want to do this year.  I can’t post my whole list here, since it includes birthday ideas, anniversary ideas, and Holiday ideas.  But I can give you a taste of the list.

-        Sew a dress from a pattern

-        Make a pumpkin roll

-        Finish my 4^th of July skirt before the 4^th of July

-        Cook lamb for a special dinner

-        Knit a sweater

-        Get my Etsy store up and running

 My list is going to be kind of long.   But I think it will give me some direction.  I am hoping that it will keep this year from flying by and leaving me with a list of things that I wanted to do but never got around to.   I think this list and planning ahead is going to make this the best year yet.  I have got some fun stuff planned.

I am looking forward to it.

Me, Megan, & Myrna

Twice in one week? Yep!

If you are a faithful reader of my blog, then you remember a post about a battle between me and my sewing machine, Myrna.  Well, I would like to retract that post, and issue a letter of apology to Myrna. 

That apology follows here:

Dear Myrna,

I would like to apologize for my behavior.  I realize that I spent a few hours working with you, and then gave up because the “tension” was messed up.  I told everyone that the problem was you, and not me. I just knew the problem was your fault, and not the fault a beginner sewer.  I know that my only experience with a sewing machine was in Home Ec class.  I was working on an old beat up machine, making a not completely square pillow.   I had a lot of problems with that machine, and I assume that all machines were exactly the same.  I was mistaken. 

I just knew you were plotting against me, so I called in reinforcements.  Megan.  She has sewn many things in her life, and I thought she would be the perfect person to tame you.   She kept talking about how cool and nice of a machine you were.  And I thought, you just wait to see the stunt she pulls!   She sat down with you and your cryptic instruction book and began the set up process. Megan asked me if I used the bobbin that came with the machine, and I said, “No, I ignored that part and used the prefilled bobbins I bought.  They look the same.”   Megan said we should wind our own bobbin and I agreed.  It would not have surprised me,  if Myrna was that fickle.   I sat there watching intently thinking to myself. Yep, I did that.  I put the bobbin in correctly.  Yep, I threaded the needle just like that.  See, it wasn’t my fault.  Then Megan read, “Turn hand wheel towards you to pick up the bobbin thread”.  Immediately, I knew that I had NOT done this before.  And I also knew that of course Myrna can’t sew properly, if I don’t pick up the bobbin thread.  Duh!   Myrna may be a new machine with fancy gadgets, but she still has the basic needs, like a bobbin thread.

I began to realize the err of my ways, and I began to be hopeful.  I had this cushion that I desperately wanted to cover.  I don’t entirely blame this on the cats, but I do a little.

Myrna, I found the most perfect fabric this past weekend, and bought it even though you and I were still at odds.  Megan helped with the design and the pinning.  Or I should say Cooper, Daphne, and Megan helped me with the designing and pinning.

And she left the sewing to me.  I worked on it, cautiously checking my stitches to make sure I was still on track.  The seams weren’t entirely straight, but I am sure that had a lot to with me and not you, Myrna.

Then I sewed some fancy corners.  This was a breeze thanks to you, Myrna.

And when I put the cover on the cushion, it was beautiful.  I could not have done this without you. 

So again, I am sorry for my accusations and the rumors I started about you.  If you will forgive me, I think we could have a very happy and fun friendship.

 I think chair needs some interesting pillows, and I know that you and I can do it! I look forward to the many ideas I have for us. 

Love,

Brittany

Green Smoothie Revolution

It has been awhile.  I have been busy.  I realize that is no excuse to not blog, but that is the reason I have been MIA.  I have some great blog topics that I have yet to write about.  I need to tell you about BaconFest!  But I forgot to take pics, but I could post the recipes that I used.  I will think about doing a post on that later this week.  But today I would like to tell you about my first real green smoothie.

I am sure you have heard about the green smoothie revolution.  I have avoided it or paid little attention to it for quite awhile.  But when a friend started talking about how much she loved green smoothies. It made me curious. Very curious. 

So I began to do some research.  The benefits that people claim from green smoothies are simply astounding.  People claim that green smoothies are responsible for increased energy, weight loss, curing diabetes and high blood pressure.  You name it, and it appears that green smoothies can do it.  I find all of this a little too good to be true.    But I consider the ingredients: vegetables, greens, and fruit.  At its worst, it is a salad with no dressing.  So what can it hurt to try?  Nothing.

I decided if I was going to try it.  I was going to give it a good first try.  I decided I needed to invest in a blender.  A strong blender.  So I bought the Ninja N600, six blades and 1000 watts of power.   This weekend, I gave it a little try on a green smoothie.  And I was impressed. 

So this morning was the first real test, could I drink green smoothies on a daily basis.  I had a powerful blender, ton of fruits, and a big bag of spinach.

Here is what happened.

I started with

2 cups/handfuls of spinach

8 strawberries

2 bananas

2 cups of water

And I liquefied it.  It was a light green color.  This made a little over a quart of smoothie.  I had half of it for breakfast, and I brought half to work for my afternoon snack. 

First thoughts:

-Very nice consistency.  The only thing that stood out was the strawberry seeds, and you can expect that.

-It was tasty.  You could only taste the fruit.

-Only 151 for my morning portion.  Not too bad.

-It was easy to make.  And cleanup was a breeze. Important for early mornings, late to work mornings, and lazy mornings.

I think the first morning smoothie was a success.  I am curious to see if my body will actually crave the greens, like smoothie drinkers claim.  So far, so good.   I will report my findings.

Until next time, Stay classy.

Teeny Tiny Adventure

My sister visited me this week, and it was a swell time.   It seems like every time she visits we get caught up in this great baking scheme.  This is what happened last time she was here.  We made a million cake pops.  You remember. 

Well, I am proud to say that we only got caught up in a teeny tiny baking scheme.  We were browsing around Bed, Bath, and Beyond, discussing all the products and things that we want to buy in the future for our dream homes and kitchens.  During our second stroll through the baking section, I came across these tiny tart pans and I was instantly hooked.  I have been wanting to experience with tarts.  I even added a tart pan to my Amazon Wishlist.  But with big tart pan my epic problem is still an issue. 

This is the issue. I love to experiment, and would love to work on my baking skills.  BUT.... Justin doesn’t really like sweets.  Now I know what you feminists are thinking, does it matter that Justin doesn’t really like sweets.  The answer, No, it doesn’t.  However, if I make a whole cake and Justin only eats a slice, who is going to eat the rest of the cake??  Right, Me.  And that is the reason I don’t do a lot of baking.  But these tiny tarts pans may just be the answer to my dilemma.

These are tiny, and you can make three tops and bottoms with one regular pie crust, and put any kind of filling in these.  Pretty amazing, right? 

The perfect portion size for one teeny tiny dessert.   Pretty cool.  Pretty tasty.  Pretty perfect.

I know, I need to work on my drizzling.

Don't Give Up On Me

I know what you are thinking.  You are thinking that I have been slacking.  You are incorrect. 

I have something really great coming off the needles for you to see.
And something really great that is going on the needles tomorrow.

And two crochet things that are so cute, that you will probably want to tear out your eyes after viewing because the cuteness in unbearable.

Patience is a virtue.

Be patient, my friends.

At Least Friday is Here!

I wish I could tell you that I have been homemaking up a storm, and have an excellent blog post for you today.  But that is not the case; I have only cooked 3 meals this week.   None of them new recipes or anything fun, and none of them were really blog worthy.

 Shoot, Justin didn’t even eat one of them.  It was a roasted chicken breast, and he didn’t care for the marinade that I used.   Now most wives would have hurt feelings over this.  Something that they worked on, and their husbands wouldn’t eat it.  And to be completely honest and not lie on my own blog, I was starting to feel a little bad about myself, but then Justin reminded me.  That I have made him many meals over the last eight years we have been together.  Some were really awesome.  Some were epic fails.  And this is only the second time that he did not eat it.  Yes, my husband is honest.  But he is also a very good sport.  And I really appreciate both of these qualities.

On another topic, I have been looking for inspiration for yarn projects.  I am excited about a few that are tossing around in my brain.  And I am really looking forward to showing all of you those.   But this is an idea that has already gotten out of my head and into the hands of a very excited Mother to Be. 

Beware....  This may be the cutest thing I have ever made. 

It is a newborn suit.  Would be absolutely perfect for newborn pics

Looking for ideas on what other animals I could make?  What do you think?

I will be better next week, and have more exciting things to blog about.

Indoor Grill Party!

We are definitely anxious for warmer weather here.  Mother Nature has been teasing us with brief glimpses of warmer weather, and yesterday was a perfect example of her teasing.  In case you are in Atlanta and you stayed under a rock yesterday, let me tell you, the weather was amazing.  Justin and I knew that the weather was not around for good, so we celebrated in a way that mirrors Mother Nature’s temporary ways.

We decided to have and indoor grill party.  We decided that we would have the BBQ classics.  We already had chicken marinating.  We picked up some shrimp to grill.  We also got my favorite, squash, to grill.  And to top the meal off, we decided to make fresh squeezed lemonade.

I started making the simple syrup over the stove.  You just mix approximately a cup and half of water with a cup of sugar and cook until the sugar is completely dissolved.  While this is on the stove, start squeezing those lemons.  We bought a pack of ten, and that is about how much you will need.  I left two lemons unsqueezed to slice and throw into the finished lemonade.    Then you throw the lemon juice, simple syrup, and about 4 cups of water to dilute.  Throw the other two lemons in and refrigerate. 

It was a great meal.  Super delicious!  The lemonade was so refreshing!!!

Squash and chicken on the grill!

Shrimp grilled with butter and cajun seasoning!

Some bacon on the grill!

Mother Nature make up your mind, and bring us summer!!!