Mmmm I can smell that all the way down the road...

Cooking...its one of those things that we do just about every night. I tend to get in a rut and do the same sort of things every week so my husbands new goal for me...I mean my new goal is to do a new recipe once a week. I really am planning on sticking with it but for today I wanted to share one of my favorite recipes that I make regularly and one that I grew up with at home. Lasagna and an easy recipe too!

1/2 lb ground beef
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 pkg lasagna noodles
15 oz ricotta cheese
12 oz mozzarella cheese

Brown beef and drain. Add sauce, water and the salt and bring to a boil.

Layer
hot sauce
uncooked noodles
ricotta cheese
mozzarella cheese
Repeat and end with sauce.

Cover with foil and bake at 375 for one hour. Let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes, sprinkle on the parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Makes great for left over lunches as well and my hubby is always glad for something easy and yummy he can heat up quick while at work!

Growing up my mom always made with cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese so if you'd like to try something different and go with cottage cheese just substitute for 1 cup of cottage cheese. :)

So what are some of your favorite recipes??

Hope everyone has a great weekend and check back Monday for something new from Val!

I got a new toy!

I know I'm probably 5 year too late but I finally got on the bandwagon and picked up one of those fancy die cutting machines. I'm hoping that it will get me back into scrap booking again which has fallen to the wayside this past year. I also love the idea that I can cut vinyl with it. I have seen so many cute projects with the vinyl being used. I did have to promise hubby on a stack of scriptures that I promise not to decorate the entire house with vinyl sayings and crafts. I promised him only half. :) After much research I came up with this one. The Silhouette SD.

The great thing about it is, no cartridges to buy. I can hook it up to my computer and print anything to it! Love that idea!

I also have been chompin at the bit for the garage sale season to start. Since it is still February I've had to do with the thrift stores. I found this huge round plate at a thrift store the other day in a very ugly shade of yellow gold. (sorry no before pictures. I really do need to get better at that!)

I got my trusty spray paint out in an glossy ivory color and gave it several coats. It came with it's own easel but it seemed flimsy so I shopped the house until I found another one.

Then I got to play with my new toy and came up with this.

I love it! . I have been having a hard time trying to fill the space above them since Christmas is over, and this is perfect for above my cabinets!

I gotta go play with my new toy now but check back on Friday for another great post from Alycia!

The Olympics

I am a huge fan of the Olympics! I love when its that time again and we get to enjoy them! Its something that we enjoy doing as a family too and its always a good conversation topic with others. I'm always so intrigued by these athletes and the talents that they have. Its amazing to me how the snowboarders can catch so much air and land it, the downhill skiers can ski so fast and how the skaters can can be that coordinated while on skates! With that said I may envy their talent but not all of the pressure they have on themselves to perform well. Not to mention this only comes around every 4 years!

One of my favorite events to watch is the Men's Speed Skating. I may have a little crush on Apollo Anton Ohno...just don't tell my hubby that. :)

I want to know. Have you been watching the Olympics? What are your favorite events to watch??

What's for Dinner?

One of my New Years Resolutions was to try a new recipe once a week. It's actually been a lot of fun and has shown my family that that there is more than just meat and potatoes. Some of them have been disasters, but some have actually become family favorites. Last night I tried a recipe from Sandra Lee's semi-homemade cookbook, which honestly, is how I cook a lot of the time. I'd love to prepare some of those yummy but complicated meals but I just don't have the patience or time to do it most days, so this works for me.

Last night I made Italian Baked Pork Chops. They actually turned out pretty good if I do say so myself and most of my family gave them the thumbs up as well. (Tyler's Pork Chop remained naked and free of any weird toppings) Here is the recipe. It's pretty easy to make and doesn't take long to cook either. Sorry, I didn't take any pics. Next time I adventure into the kitchen I will try and remember. Enjoy!

Italian Baked Pork Chops -Sandra Lee cookbook

1 TBSP Dijon Mustard
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp italian seasoning
4 pork center loin chops
salt and pepper
1/2 cup shredded parmesean cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line baking sheet with kitchen parchment. (I only had foil) set aside.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, oil,and italian seasoning. Season pork chops with salt and pepper, then brush both sides of the chops with mustard mixture. Press parmesean cheese into both sides of chops.

3. Place chops on prepared baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until just cooked through.

The family actually liked these so it went into the thumbs up pile. Yay! We have a winner.

Put that on the list

A few years back while on a girls trip in Seattle I bought these books. At that time I wasn't a huge reader and if the first page hadn't gripped me then I would usually put it back on the book shelf. I know what your thinking...uh hello....at least give it a chapter or two! I love to read but always had a hard time knowing what books to either buy or check out at the library. Also I never really gave the books a chance. I would read a few pages, space out and then think of something else I'd rather be doing. Fast forward a few years and I am now a huge reading addict! I also love reading in the bathtub until I'm a prune and my husband is wondering if I've drowned! Sophie Kinsella books are hilarious. Depending on the book it may take a few chapters for you to really get into it but then you'll be hooked! At the moment I'm reading The Undomestic Goddess. I am always on the search for a good book nowadays and I want to know what your reading! And NO magazines don't count! :)

A few of my other favorites I've read or reread lately (yes I enjoy rereading but depends on the book).

Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks
Can You Keep A Secret by Sophie Kinsella
Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
The Twilight Saga (reread all of the books for the 4th time...yes I realize I am obsessed!)

I have my list of books I've read and also want to read but at the moment it grew legs and has escaped from me!

So what's on your list?

Do over

Hello my bloggy friends. Due to the lovely and kind flu that has visited my family this past week, I confess that I have nothing prepared for you today. Don't worry I have a do over post from my family blog that I'd liked to share with you. Just don't mind the dates because it's from post I did last year! So enjoy and I promise to have something fun for next week. Alycia has friday's post so don't forget to check out what she has on her mind. :)

I know, I know! You just can't believe it can you? I finally finished Tyler's blanket. It only took 6 weeks, but I did get it done before his bday last week. I figured by the time I finish it he'll be on to some other favorite but luckily he still likes Star Wars. I don't know why but for some reason I've been all crafty lately. For my moms bday I sanded and repainted and then sanded again to look shabby, an old window. I'm bummed though because I forgot to take a picture of that before I gave it to her. Here's a pic of Tyler's blanket.
Then I've been wanting to do this for a long time in Mackenzie's room and I've had this material forever so this weekend while hubby was gone I finally recovered her stool in this polka dot material. Her room is pink and brown. I also have a pillow that I"m going to recover in the same material.

Also in my to try book (I'm a nerd, I know. I actually have notebooks that I keep ideas in, like crafty ideas, and one for recipes to try, and of course since we are remoldeling our kitchen soon, one for that too) anyway in my craft book I saw an idea where they took a magnetic board and covered it in a cute fabric and then used as a message board in their kitchen. TOO CUTE! So anyway while I was at Wally world I picked up a three dollar 8x10 dry/erase board and tried it out with the left over material. See how cute it turned out if I do say so myself. lol I added some ribbon to the back and a little bow to the front and added some buttons to the magnets and now Kenzie has a cute little message board in her room for under 5 bucks.

So there ya go! My little projects for the month. March is coming up soon, what are YOU going to be working on?

TOYS GALORE?

I watch 2 little girls everyday on top of my two and let me tell you... my living room is a disaster! It wouldn't be so bad but we live in a 1200 sq ft home and the walls were starting to close in on us.

Does your toy situation need to improve?  Ask yourself the following questions.  Do you dislike the amount of toys that your children have?
Have you stepped on GI JOE'S or Barbie dolls?
Spend A lot of time coaxing your kids to pick up toys?
Have you ever wanted to take all of the toys and Goodwill them?
Do your kids have so many books that they haven't read all of them?
Do you want to change "the toy situation" but have no idea where to start?
Well.... If you answered yes to any of these then please read on.......
I FINALLY found a system that WORKS....( for me at least). I have tried the toy rotation before and I don't have the time to sort through toys. Here is what you do: Go out and buy 3 to 6 totes (Wal-Mart, target, Kmart etc.) I bought 3 of them for $15.00. Also a must is wipes containers or small shoe containers( I bought mine at Costco) I also used 3. I took an hour one evening and separated all of the kids toys. I separated all of the hot wheels and train sets and divided them between the 3 shoe boxes. I took 5-10 books in each tote, as well as… baseballs, games, activities for my 1 year old and activities for my 2 year old.
I keep 2 totes in my master bedroom and switch them out everyday. The other tote stays in my living room. I don't keep toys in my kids bedroom because I need to help them with sharing.

This system helps in sooo many ways now.

• I don't have as much toys to pick up each night with the kids and they love this part too!
• Toys that the kids don't play with stay in the tote so it's easy for me to evaluate what I can send to Goodwill. (if something goes untouched for a couple weeks, I know they don't need it)
• When I first started to do this I was surprised at how much they play with their toys now. The less toys you keep in your totes the better.  More options are overwhelming for them.
• If you have WAY too many toys to fit in 5 or 6 totes this system still makes it easier to rotate some out and evaluate what your child hasn't asked to play with.
• your kids will only play with the toys in each tote every couple of days so they love to see the toys they have been missing. (you don’t realize what ya got till it’s gone.. right?)

EXTRA TIPS:

• keep the toys that aren't in totes in a locked cabinet or put away so your child can come and ask you for them. (this also helps toddlers to learn to communicate) you can tailor this system for older kids too. Keep a draw pile of toys on a certain shelf and ask them to put toys that they have used on a different shelf.... this way you can see what toys are left behind and not used.
• remember to put a game in each tote so your more likely to play a game as a family.
• you don't have to do it all at once
• remember that toys are just "things" and less is more
• have your children help you donate things when it is time to start weeding through the toys.

BEFORE:  TOYS TOYS TOYS

 

AFTER:  SOOOO MUCH BETTER!

 

below:  this is all I have in that corner now

Hula hoopin' myself slim

A few years ago my mom was working out at Curves. While working out there she was introduced to a 3 pound or so hula hoop! She bought me one and I loved it! I used it but when I got pregnant it made its way to the storage shed. I am happy to report that it is out of storage and being used once again! I love this thing. You can order them here and its a great little work out for your waist. 10 minutes in the morning and 10 minutes at night and there you have it! I suggest cutting it by half the first week or so and building up to the 10 minutes. Yes 10 minutes doesn't seem like much but it does give your waist a work out and you will be a little sore in that area (believe me) :) This morning I measured myself and I'm just going to put it out there...33 inches is my starting weight and periodically I'll be sharing what it is when my waist is going down. No I don't believe I'm fat, I think I am average but I would like to firm up a bit!! Who wouldn't, right? Has anyone ever heard of this before???