Get in the Zone - Catch up time!

I have to say, last week was a bit crazy.  My son got sick while me and the hubs were on a date (poor babysitter) and that led into a most hectic weekend.  I feel like it took DAYS to get that puke stink out!

Therefore, I didn't get to my zone chores like I wanted, which was the kitchen, which needed work BADLY!  So I tackled some problem areas because they really couldn't wait till the next cycle.

Since none of my babies use bottles :-( I went ahead and cleared those out weeks ago.  We used the Dr. Brown's bottles, which if you don't know, work great but have like a thousand parts.  After getting rid of all of those bottles and probably 20 baby spoons and various other baby feeding supplies, I had a whole drawer and a shelf of new space to use!

I feel blessed to have a TON of drawer and cabinet space in my small Riverside bungalow, but wow, I have accumulated a lot of stuff!  It is the most loathsome chore to clean out these cabs and drawers, but it really isn't time-consuming, so just suck it up and do it.  You will be glad you did.

 It's amazing the fun stuff you find when you clean out that drawer of useless kitchen gadgets.  My mom gave me these little decorate spoons years ago, now they have a new home over my ugly stove :)

 Wow! I'm decorating! In my kitchen no less!  Find creative and non-cluttering ways to display a few special items in your kitchen, your kitchen needs pretties too :)

 Ah, a clean and organized silverware drawer...does anyone know how all those crumbs and nastiness gets in your drawers?  No clue, but it's gross!

 My gadget drawer.  Now I don't know how I am justifying the THREE sets of measuring cups and I think I want to order these.  I mean the definition of cuteness!

 I think I've shown you my cereal box storage solution before, but here it is in action in my junk drawer.  This works for any drawer that holds small things, maybe even a makeup drawer :)  It isn't pretty, but its cheap and free storage that really works!

Now just for fun, I bought some more pretties for my kitchen.  I have these in yellow and green and they will go on my "plate wall" which is in progress :)  Note the adorable mouse salt and pepper shaker set.  He has been in my hubs family forever and I am dying to take it to Antiques Roadshow where I am certain they will tell me it is worth $1,000...well not really but it would be fun!

Organizing in the kitchen is really rewarding, because it really does simplify things and make your time in the kitchen more pleasant.  Remember 15 minutes here and there REALLY goes a long way, so get to it!

Now onto this week's zone, the master bedroom.  This is the most challenging room in our house because it has zero storage and since we don't have a lot of storage anyways, it all seems to end up in our room.  But I have noticed a difference since I did the MB last month, so here we go again.  Definitely less dust this time around!

You know the saying "Take a picture, it lasts longer", well here are photos of my clean room, because you know this can't possibly last.

 My hubby's dresser is like the bane of my existence!

 Ok seriously, who were we kidding about having a real plant in the room...much better now.  BTW the gargoyles are not my idea.

 Didn't do a good job make the bed (I think the kiddies just bounced on it) but there is nothing on the chest, so that's what counts!

 My craft area.  Really not that bad, considering my lack of options.  It is what it is and at least I can find everything.  All the de-cluttering over the last couple months has really helped me pare down my stash.

 My dresser and closet.  I asked the hubs for a closet door after taking this photo.

 This is what is left of our clutter situation.  We haven't hung our pictures in our living room yet (I think I said this 3 months ago too), but this little area hides behind my door most of the time.  I am hoping that my in-laws surprise trip will inspire the hubby to PUT THEM ON THE WALL!

Well, that was a lot, but I have posted all of this in the hopes of inspiring YOU to get in those clutter spots and take control!  If you don't use it, you don't need it!  Even if you have 15 closets, you can get a handle on the stuff and make your life more streamlined.  Because after all, you can't take it with you in the end.

What's for Dinner Tuesday...uh...Wednesday?

Well we were supposed to have this today, but we had it yesterday.  I forgot to pull out my big bulk pack of chicken for Tuesday's dinner and the 1 lb of ground beef was much easier to thaw quickly.  The awesome thing about this meal is that it cooks in 5-6 hours, which worked perfectly since I figured out I had not thawed the chicken around 11:30.

Some of the girls were actually talking about crock pot meals at bible study Tuesday, so this meal is quite suitable, being that it is a crock pot meal :) How convenient!

Today's recipe is Slow Cooker Hungarian Goulash from Fix It and Forget It Lightly.  Another thing I like about this dish is that you can fix it in a bind as we all have most of the ingredients in our pantry right now for this.  I just had to buy some ground beef and rice.

Here's what you need:

Hungarian Goulash - Slow Cooker Style

1 lb extra lean ground beef

1 large onion, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup ketchup

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp brown sugar

1-1 1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1 cup water

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup cold water

Place meat in the slow cooker and cover with the sliced onions.

Combine garlic, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, salt, paprika, dry mustard, and 1 cup of water in a bowl and pour over the meat.

Cook on low 5-6 hours.

After 5-6 hours, dissolve the flour in the 1/4 cup of cold water.  Stir into meat mixture.

Cook on high for 10-15 minutes, or until thickened.

Serve over noodles or rice.  Make sure to add a veggie, a fresh salad would be really nice with this.

I wish I had some after photos, it becomes nice and thick.  My kids were apparently dying of starvation by 5pm and I was rushing getting their plates together.  It came out really nice, the hubs really loved it!

Now on a side note.  I have two small children and it is a known fact that kids like all their food separate and not all mixed together.  They may not be jazzed about a goulash.  Don't let that keep you from enjoying!  Serve for your child with the rice or noodles separate from the goulash.  Only give a small amount of goulash and make sure there are at least two fruits or veggies on their plate too (all in separate compartments).  If you are concerned about their protein intake you can always throw a few canned kidney beans (or whatever bean you have) on the side as well.  We shouldn't be afraid to let them try new things, but make it as not scary as possible :)  

This works for me, it may not work for you, but we have noticed a BIG difference since really sticking to the compartment plate method. 

Valentines Day Fun!

We had a really fun morning today.  A friend of mine invited us to a toddler valentines day party at her house and we had so much fun.  

 Yummies for goody bags.  Don't you love Target!

Cute printables I found online

All ready to go!

I was going to make pink, heart-shaped pancakes this morning for the kids...but alas the only color I DID NOT have was red.  So had to scratch that. Maybe next year.

I did attempt a v-day photo shoot, but of course they weren't quite cooperative.  Still got some cute pics and apparently the fence on the side of the house is a really great background.

 It must have been a plane...

 Playtime at Luke and Bella's.  So much fun!

Hope everyone has had a great valentines day so far!

Because He Loves Us

I think we all have weeks where we just totally blow it.  Life is just no fun sometimes.  Last week was that week.  After a failed attempt at potty training my 2.5 year old son, both of my children decided to go in to complete brat mode.  Yep I said it, my kids were brats last week and boy was I a brat too!  Did I go straight to the Lord in prayer, nope, I stewed in my brattiness.

So I went to church on Sunday and it was nice because my little ones were NOT with me.  Boy that sounds bad. But it gave me time to think.  The Lord reminded me to read Hosea (Someone at Onething said we should really delve into Hosea). 

If you don't know the background on Hosea he is the prophet that the Lord called to take a prostitute as a wife and love her as though she was pure.  God made Hosea an example to the Israelites of the relationship between Israel and the Lord.  They were in DEEP sin at the time.  BUT as always, God had a plan to draw His people back to Himself.

The first few chapters are like "eek, ouch, really?"  There were some SERIOUS judgments coming their way.

 ¹ “Hear this, you priests!
   Pay attention, you Israelites!
Listen, royal house!
   This judgment is against you:
You have been a snare at Mizpah,
   a net spread out on Tabor.
² The rebels are knee-deep in slaughter.
   I will discipline all of them.
³ I know all about Ephraim;
   Israel is not hidden from me.
Ephraim, you have now turned to prostitution;
   Israel is corrupt.

 ⁴ “Their deeds do not permit them
   to return to their God.
A spirit of prostitution is in their heart;
   they do not acknowledge the LORD.
⁵ Israel’s arrogance testifies against them;
   the Israelites, even Ephraim, stumble in their sin;
   Judah also stumbles with them.
⁶ When they go with their flocks and herds
   to seek the LORD,
they will not find him;
   he has withdrawn himself from them.
⁷ They are unfaithful to the LORD;
   they give birth to illegitimate children.
When they celebrate their New Moon feasts,
   he will devour^[a] their fields. 

Hosea 5:1-7

That is some intense stuff.  But a couple chapters earlier we see the heart of the Lord towards the children of Israel, we know that He wishes to draw them in to Himself.

 ¹⁴ “Therefore I am now going to allure her;
   I will lead her into the wilderness
   and speak tenderly to her.
¹⁵ There I will give her back her vineyards,
   and will make the Valley of Achor^[b] a door of hope.
There she will respond^[c] as in the days of her youth,
   as in the day she came up out of Egypt.

 ¹⁶ “In that day,” declares the LORD,
   “you will call me ‘my husband’;
   you will no longer call me ‘my master.^[d]’
¹⁷ I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;
   no longer will their names be invoked.
¹⁸ In that day I will make a covenant for them
   with the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
   and the creatures that move along the ground.
Bow and sword and battle
   I will abolish from the land,
   so that all may lie down in safety.
¹⁹ I will betroth you to me forever;
   I will betroth you in^[e] righteousness and justice,
   in^[f] love and compassion.
²⁰ I will betroth you in^[g] faithfulness,

   and you will acknowledge the LORD. 

Hosea 2:14-20

I love where it says "that you will call me my Husband and no longer my Master".  How incredible that He so delights in us that even though we are terrible and bratty and even in the terrible depths of sin like the Israelites were, that he doesn't want us to come to Him with the intent of trying to earn our way back in His favor, he doesn't want us to come as servants initially, but as lovers of Him., and OUT of that love comes the heart of a true servant.

God was ready to wipe them out, not because he was angry AT them, but he was angry at their sin.  He is JEALOUS for us and will remove whatever is in the way of loving Him.  Sometimes it hurts and we may not realize that certain things are actually keeping us from loving Him.

It does feel at times like the Lord is trying to wipe you out (like with terrible toddlers), but is He really just trying to wipe SOMETHING OUT of you, not necessarily you (if that makes any sense).

Things are definitely clearer in the light of His grace and mercy and I love that He is ALWAYS faithful to reveal Himself to us and that He chooses to acknowledge our weak love and loves us in our weakness and not despite it.

This is a spontaneous song from the Onething 09 CD.  Yep, you have to listen to all 6 minutes :) Sometimes we need to remember that He REALLY does love us, even in our brattiness.  Just make sure to turn off my player at the bottom before you play this one.

Zone Cleaning

Ok, so we are in Zone 2 - The Kitchen from the 7th-11th.  I have been in caught up in another failed attempt at potty training and completely forgot...so now I'm playing catch-up.  I have several cabinets that desperately need a clean-out.  I have tons of bottles and other baby feeding supplies that need to be gotten rid of and one tupperware cabinet that is horrifying!

Last night my chicken had to be in the oven for 15 minutes and the kids were asleep so I tackled underneath my sink.  Well, one of my two sinks, my vegetable sink is FAR worse, we will save that for today :)

 It doesn't LOOK that bad, but when I took everything out, the nastiness leftover was quite gross...

 My "disinfecting spray" collection?  I have two more cans too! I think I have a problem...when the $1.50 Qs come out Publix usually has these on BOGO soon after, making them practically free...you know I can't resist practically free!  I am going to donate some to my husband's men's bathroom at his office...apparently someone there has a "poopy" problem...

This is the end result, it doesn't look too different from the before (you would have to see the grossness I wiped out, ick!).  Got rid of some things that didn't belong and sometimes its just good to see what you have and don't have.  And apparently it gets really gross.  So now to work on the other areas...yay...

So if you are following the Flylady, how is your zone cleaning going?  And a question.  How do you clean your oven?  What product works quickly, easily and with no fumes?

What's for Dinner Wednesday?

I have been working to lose these last 13 lbs (Go AWAY already!), so I have been tracking my food and counting points, Weight Watchers style.  Why?  Cause it works.  Can't lose weight and keep it off unless you completely change the way you eat forever.  I love that Weight Watchers TEACHES you how to eat well for life.

Anyways, enough preaching about weight-loss...

Tonight I am making a real family fave, Weight Watchers Pan Seared Chicken with Garlic Sauce served up with some rice pilaf (yep, more rice pilaf) and asparagus.  This stuff is like chicken kicked up times a thousand.  Super simple and REALLY good.

Now I'm cooking this at 2:30 so I can go to the gym later and so I can snag a piece for my salad I'm about to eat :) I'm not doing pics for the asparagus, but I will tell you what I do for asparagus.

Ingredients

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp dried rosemary

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 lb. uncooked chicken breasts

1 tsp olive oil

12 medium garlic cloves, halved

1 cup FF, reduced-sodium chicken broth
A large OVEN-PROOF skillet

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Go ahead and start whatever rice dish you are going to make.  This chicken dish goes kinda fast.

Combine first five ingredients in a small bowl.  Sprinkle both sides of the chicken with herb mixture. (TIP - sprinkle chicken with herbs on one side, transfer to hot skillet with seasoned side down and season the other side once in the pan).

 

Heat oil in a large skillet. Sear for two minutes on each side.  Grab your halved garlic cloves, yep its a LOT of garlic :)

 Sprinkle the garlic around the chicken and then put 3/4 cup of the chicken broth in the pan.

 Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until chicken is done.

 This is the yumminess :) WARNING - the pan will be REALLY hot so keep a potholder on the handle at ALL TIMES!

Transfer the chicken to a plate and add the remaining 1/4 cup of chicken broth and mash the garlic with a fork.  Use this sauce to pour over the chicken, rice or everything on your plate :)

Now for the asparagus.  If you don't know what to do with it just chop the woody ends off and lay on a cookie sheet.  Drizzle with some EVOO and sprinkle with salt.  Pop in the oven at 400 (a good time would be after you have pulled out the chicken while you are prepping the sauce).  Cook for just a few minutes, until the asparagus is a little floppy.

Enjoy!

Keepin' it Fresh

I love buying produce at the farmer's market :) I live close to several, but I really like going to FRAM the Farmers Market at the Riverside Arts Market.  I live in a wonderful area of town called Riverside-Avondale.  It's artsy, eclectic, historic and lots of fun.  I love that I can wake up on a Saturday morning and walk (or go for a quick drive) to the Farmer's Market and get my produce for the week.  It's a great way to support your local farmers and community.  Plus, you usually get excellent produce.

I hit Reeds Groves' stand weekly.  They have the best deals on produce and it is always amazing.  Their huge bunches of romaine lettuce are so delicious and $1!  I spent $11 on the produce above (minus one apple that Leonard is munching on now).  Not too shabby.  I haven't exactly figured out if I am saving any money, but for the quality, it is totally worth it. 

So if you are in Jax, make your way over to one of our many farmers markets, support local farmers and get some yummy produce :)  If you are somewhere else, do a little research, no matter where you live there is usually a farmer's market.

Have a wonderful day!