Birds a Sign of Change & DIY Kit Arrival

Yesterday was a very nice day.  The weather in the end was “make me happy” nice.  Since I love to bird watch – it was a great day for that.  Lots of migrating birds both to and fro…  Favorite of the day was the Baltimore Oriole.  He stopped by my yard to eat some of the fruit off my trees. Loved the surprise of seeing him. This is not the best picture – but he was loving the fruit on the tree!  I also had the opportunity to view a Mocking Bird. Unfortunately he was too far on the out skirts of my yard to get a good picture.  I will so miss these guys during the winter.  Saw two signs that winter is on its way – the White-crowned Sparrow and the Dark-eyed Juncos have found there way to my yard.  Oh well, I will have to face that winter is coming, even if I would prefer it doesn’t.

If you read this blog you know I am a big fan of Pinterest. Well if you use the site you may want to check out  Brit + Co.

She decided to create kits  based on DIY ideas found on Pinterest.  I thought this was a fabulous idea, so I immediately subscribed. There is a cost – her sight spells it out.  I received my first kit yesterday. Very excited to find out it is all the supplies to make these balloon lights.   I really like this idea when I came across it on Pinterest – I pinned it, but the problem was I could not find the blinking lights.  Well now I don’t have to look any more. I am doing this for my Christmas party.

It is football Sunday so we know what that means…  Have a fantastic Sunday!

College Visits, Football Sunday & Happy Columbus Day

Friday – my youngest and I visited a couple of colleges.  It is always a nice time of year to visit colleges in upstate New York.  My favorite was Utica college.  Though it is on the smaller side, it offered the program my son was looking for.  Bonus –  it also has a swim team.  Not sure what he is thinking yet, but we will find out soon.

Yesterday was Sunday and for me that means football. I am an avid New England Patriots fan.  Would not matter where I lived, they are the team for me.  I have been following them since the Mid 80’s, so I have been there through the bad as well as the good times.  My football game was the 4 pm game, so that gave me time to get a little crocheting done.  I have been working on a afghan.  I found the pattern on this website.  I decided to do my own thing and add an additional color.  I will post the completed project once it is done.  These are pictures of where I was at the beginning of football afternoon and then what I had done at the end.  Progress – right!

Squares before

Squares After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love having a Monday holiday.  It seems to make the entire weekend much better.  For me it is a relaxing, catching up on some chores kind of day.  Here  it is a little chilly, so my dinner choice is comfort food.  Planning on meatloaf, mac & cheese, salad and cornbread.  I have found a few good recipes for mac & cheese on Pinterest.  I have a good recipe from my Mom, but I love to try others when I can.  I also like to use whatever cheese I have on hand.  This time I added a little smoked Gouda.   I also made my own breadcrumbs using some left over rolls I made.  I am hoping the family likes it!  Back to reality tomorrow.  Enjoy the rest of today!

Michelle

Cravebox – politics banned!

Today is Wednesday – normally a nothing kind of night, middle of the week boring.  This week it has taken on new meaning.  The presidential debate is on.  No, I am not going to get political here.  You will vote for who you vote for.  The important thing is -that you vote!  Well others in my family have different opinions and they are very into debates, etc.  Me, I look for an escape.  Don’t get me wrong, I think it is important that you gain knowledge so you know what you are voting for.  But I can figure that out early on and not much they say in these debates will change my opinion.  Wasted TV time.

So what do I do?  I turn to my favorite TV channels – HGTV or FoodNetwork.  I love their shows and the commercials do not include political ads – a big bonus as far as I am concerned!  Plus – I can learn a thing or two.

Today I was excited because I received my first Cravebox.  I mentioned that I was expecting this in my last post.  I was quite excited to receive it.  My guess about the book was correct, so I know I am very excited about reading it.  If you want to read the first few pages as I did, go to Amazon. I also received a package of licorice from Natural Vines.  I have had licorice before, mostly form the grocery store.  Well, I have to tell you, there is a BIG difference.  This licorice is soft and very flavorful.  I had my son try it as well and he agreed. Another part of the box was a very cute bracelet from Alexa’s Angels, it spelled out Gratitude.  When I look at it, it does make me think about what I am thankful for.  Go to their website.  They have a lot of great gift ideas there. The last (but not least) sample in the box was a bag of soy nut mix.  I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about this one.  I am pleased to announce that it was good.  The bag had soy nuts, but also included a little bit of chocolate.  The combination made this work.  It was also the perfect snack size.  I will be buying from Crum Creek Mills again.

This may seem like an advertisement – but it isn’t totally (though to be honest, I want to be selected for more boxes…).  I am very impressed with what I received from Cravebox.  The products I received are definitely things I will use and seek to purchase in the future.

Book Lover's Cravebox Image

Well, I am off to read my book and eat my snacks.  Hope I get picked again soon!

Michelle

End of September

Well, today is September 30th.  It is amazing to me how quickly this year has gone by.  I swear it was the beginning of summer yesterday…  Well this day is always melancholy for me.  My mother passed 6 years ago today.  I miss her very much.  She was such an inspiration and I have to credit her for the best parts of who I am today. It is also because of her that I love all the various things that I do.

On to other things…  I learned last week that I have been picked to receive the book lovers cravebox.  I can’t wait. It should arrive this week.  I will let you know what I think after I read the book.  They were giving away hints on twitter, so I think I know what the book is and I have a feeling I am going to like it.  They also send a long a few other products to enjoy while reading the book.  All the products they send are new to the market, so I will get to be one of the first to test them.  If this kind of thing interests you, you should look into it.

Image Image As always I have been busy cooking and trying many of the new recipes I find on pinterest.  I love that site, if you don’t belong, you should.  I also like to try the recipes that I find in People Magazine.  Yes I said People magazine.

I tried this recipe by Maggie Gyllenhaal.  It was delicious.  It was made with arugula, ribbons of zucchini, pine nuts, parmesan cheese and an oil & lemon vinaigrette.  I can’t seem to find the recipe online – but here is a scanned version.

Mine doesn’t look quite the same, but be assured, it tasted delicious.  Try it while you can still get fresh local zucchini.

I think I will spend the rest of this rainy day working on a few craft projects and watching football.  Happy end of September.

Michelle

Klout

While working my way through all that is the internet these days – I came across a site called Klout.  Did you know that if you blog, tweet, facebook etc – you have a Klout rating?  This was news to me.

It started because I decided to join Cravebox.  This is a site where you get a chance to test new products and give opinions.  I like to that kind of thing, so I was all over this.  Part of signing up and being eligible to participate is a survey where you list your blog, facebook info etc.  They also have a place for you to enter your Klout rating.  Well I had to google this because I had never heard of such a thing.  So off to the Klout website I go and fill out another survey with similar information and Klout comes up with my rating…

I got a 41 out of 100 rating.  I get excited, that is pretty good isn’t it?  Well come to find out – it is average – LOL.  Well I hope that Cravebox finds my average rating good enough for their standards.

Cravebox image of a gift box

Back to Reality

I have recently returned from vacation in Cancun.  My husband and I went there to celebrate our 20th anniversary.  We had a great time.  I must say that Cancun surpassed my expectations.  I was expecting it to be like Fort Myers during Spring Break… You know, loud rowdy college students, drinking too much. That was not the case.  I can’t mention the fabulous weather enough.  One of my favorite pictures – taken from my beach chair at about 9 am. Image

The other great thing about Cancun was the food.  I love Mexican food and you can’t really get it any more authentic.  I tried everything I could.  One of my favorite things, which I am going to have to try to figure out the recipe for, was Red Snapper Ceviche.  I had this on the last day.  We were on the way to the airport and stopped at the Ritz Carlton for lunch.  It was so fresh and delicious.  From the title of the dish I know it had red snapper, mango, jicima, as well as the obvious citrus flavors. I also believe it had pepper of some kind – not hot, as the dish was not spicy.  Anyone out there have a good ceviche recipe to share?

Anyway – back to the real world of work and all the rest.  I know the memories will keep me going and last a little while longer…

Ziplist.com Oscar Party Contest

Hey – I mentioned ziplist in a previous post, well they are having an Oscar Party contest on Pinterest.  I entered and surprise, surprise, I am a finalist.  The thing I need though, repins or likes.  I have selected some recipes and games etc. that I would do, if I were having an Oscar Party.

Visit my board here and like or repin please.  If you don’t do anything else – go to ziplist and see what I was talking about in my previous post!

Organizing Life & Other Ideas…

One of my resolutions for 2012 was to try to be my organized.  I am sorry to admit that I am not very organized at all.  I try to be, but I usually fail miserably.  I think that Pinterest is going to help me with that.

Organizing ideas - using a pegboard

I have found so many great ideas on how to organize everything.  This weekend, I put a couple of those ideas to work.  Below I bought a pegboard from a nearby chain hardware store.  The whole piece cost $15.  What you see here is about 1/3 of it.  The rest will find a use in another room, or possibly the garage.  I was able to remove a lot of clutter from my desk.  This has made it easier to find things when I need them.  Yeah.  I also feel more productive when I can find the desktop.  Previously I (accidentally – still learning this blog stuff) posted a picture of my new folder organizer – a dish drainer.  It is such a great idea and I had one that I had bought, but was too small to hold the amount of dishes it needed to hold.  Yes I keep everything, just visit my basement sometime…

Another idea for re-purposing items, is to make a purse out of a place mat.  I got the idea from my sister in law.  You really do not need to have much sewing knowledge to to this.  It is so easy a beginner can do this without a problem.

Place mat Purses

Here is a picture of 2 that I made.  All you need is one place mat for each – I bought mine a Target and they were maybe $1/each.  Some coordinating ribbon and handles –  I bought mine at Joanne’s Fabrics but any craft store probably carries these.  Stitch on the ribbon, or fuse it, your choice.  Sew up the sides, add the handles and you have a purse.  You of course can get more fancy and add things, pockets, etc.  But for a beginner, this is an easy project as is…

Enjoy! – Michelle

Trying New Recipes

Last night I tried a recipe I found on Pinterest.  I changed it a little to work with what I had on hand.

On the note of recipes, if you are a collector like I am, you might be interested in Ziplist.  It is a service that allows you to save recipes you find online, to a recipe box.  From the recipe box you can select recipes you are interested in and create a shopping list from them.  I have folders and files of recipes I cut out from magazines.  The only problem with that, I can never find the one I want when I am looking for it.  I will admit, I am really unorganized when it comes to my recipe collection.  One day…

Anyway,  Ziplist keeps my recipes in one place and I can search for the one I want in multiple ways.  I can do this from any place that I can access the internet.  Sure beats carrying my recipe folders with me everywhere!  The one downside (if you want to call it that) is the website you are getting the recipe from, also needs to belong to Ziplist.  I think it is getting more popular as I am finding more blogs and sites that offer the ability to save the recipe to Ziplist.

Ziplist screenshotZiplist screenshot

Pictures from Ziplist 1st one is the grocery list section, the 2nd is the recipe section.  Check it out, you’ll like it.

OK now onto the recipe for Taco Salad that I made for dinner last night.

1 lb ground beef
1 can ranch style beans (I used Bush’s Grillin’ Beans – Black Bean Fiesta)
1 pkt Taco Seasoning

The key to this recipe is the dressing.

1 cup mayo
4 oz cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 tsp onion powder (instead of the above seasonings I used 1 1/2 tsp of Paula Deen’s House Seasoning, it is a blend of the same seasonings)

For the dressing – put all the ingredients in a blender and pulse until combined.  Then let it sit in the fridge until ready to serve.

For the meat  – brown the ground beef in a skillet.  Drain.  Add the taco seasoning, stir to make sure it is well absorbed.  Add the canned beans and simmer for about 10 mins or until the beans are heated through.

To serve – I heated up 2 tortillas, in a 375 degree oven for about 5 mins,  in the shell pans (picture below).  I added lettuce, chopped tomatoes and the ground beef mix, sprinkled some cheese (I used a shredded Mexican cheese mix, found in most grocery stores) and topped with the dressing.  That is all there is to it.  Really easy and delicious.

I found the original recipe at the Becoming Betty Blog, above is my take on it.

Taco Shell PansFinished Taco Salad

I hope you enjoy!