My Resolutions

At the beginning of each year, I like to make a list of resolutions.  I like to post them here, publicly and check back in on them once a month to keep myself on track.  These weren't random resolutions.  I made them for a reason.  By checking back once a month, I am keeping myself honest.  They're written down, and I'm holding myself accountable for them!

1) Exercise More.  
My goal was to get out to exercise for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.  It's been very cold, and the roads have been dangerous out here. If we count shoveling snow, we can say that I've averaged 30 minutes a day, 3 days a week.  Must do better next month.

2) Lose 10 pounds.
2 pounds lost this month! 

3) Remodel the Hall Bathroom.
This is a repeat from last year.

4) Finish oldest child's quilt.
The quilt is pinned!  Who-Hoo!  I'll be putting it into the quilting hoop later on today!

5) Clean and organize the Family Room in the basement.
Bag of trash after bag of trash, after Goodwill Runs.  Most of this room is clean now.  I'm wading my way through papers.  I still have to go through and organize the bookshelves.  It's the librarian in me - I have always kept those books in order by subject.  Now that I can actually get to the shelves, the books will soon be organized.  Unfortunately, it looks as if there's lots of little stuff that needs to be sorted out on the shelves, too.

6) Cut back on the time I spend on Social Media.
I'm only looking at social media now first thing in the morning, when I'm waiting for my husband to get through the bathroom, and at lunch time.  Now that I've cut back on how much time I spent on Facebook, I'm realizing just how little people actually have to say. 

7) Read 75 books this year.


I'm making some serious progress on this.  I've been blogging about each of the books I've read in this challenge as I go.  I have a page dedicated to the books I'm reading this year.  You can find it on the right hand side of this page, listed as "2015 Book Challenge".  I have 7 books that I have reviewed in the month of January, with one more that I've completed and need to review next week. I have two more books from work sitting on the kitchen table, ready for me to read next. 

8) Get out of debt.
Working on it. 

9) Spend more time with my family
Always a priority, and it gets harder and harder as the kids go off to college and get lives of their own.  The semester began last weekend, and the boys went back to school.  For most of the month of January, we had a fantastic time together and enjoyed each other's company no end.

10)  365 Grateful
I will continue to find a way to be thankful for the things I have.  There are a lot of awful things that happen, but I will focus on the positive.  You can lose yourself in negativity.  I've been posting pictures on Flickr, and some on here.  Any way I can find to keep myself positive!

11) Replace the car that was totaled.
It needs to be done, even in the midst of paying off loans, a bathroom that needs to be remodeled, and college expenses.  Our Civic has 225,000 miles on it.  It's a great car, and we keep up to date on the maintenance, but by God, do we need to make certain we have a back up plan!  The van doesn't have nearly as many miles on it, but putting gas in that behemoth is expensive. 

12) I will maintain my friendships.
I've done this!  I've had lunch with friends twice, and I got in touch with two other friends- not for good reasons, each of them lost a parent this month.  I called them each after the funeral to talk to them, and took them a gift card for a local restaurant so that they can get out for dinner and get away from home for a while.

13) Have a few more adventures this year.
We went to Savannah earlier this month while the boys were home from school.  Lovely city!

14) Craft More
Finished (more or less, still need to bind the edge) my Christmas Quilt project!
The original idea was to finish 12 projects in 1 year.  One down!

How are you doing on your resolutions this year?

Christmas Quilt

The quilt!  (Okay, wall hanging), edges cut and ready to close.

Several years ago, I bought a lovely Christmas Quilt panel that was designed by one of my favorite artists- Laurel Burch.  I bought a pair of cat earrings that she had made about 25 years ago, and I've been an avid fan of her work since then.  

I found the material at a great little quilt shop, Patches Quilting, a locally owned and operated business.  You know, I'm all about supporting local businesses whenever and wherever I can.  

Anyway, I bought the fabric panel, but neglected to buy anything to back it with at the time.  

This past November, I ventured back to Patches and found a fabulous fabric- solid black with small gold dots that would pair well with the fabric.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I laid pinned the fabrics and batting together, and began quilting.

I know that there are sewing machines out there that quilt, but for right now, I wanted to hand quilt this piece.  I hand quilted the baby blankets for all of the children, and I plan to hand quilt the blankets that I am giving them for graduation.

I finished the quilting earlier this week.  Today, I cut the edges down so that I can sew the edges closed.  I'm trying to decide whether I'm going to close the edges with quilt binding, or if I'm going to turn the edges in and sew them together.  I'm still not certain which one I'll do, but I do have a month or so to decide.

In order to cut the edges, I used a straight edge metal ruler and my fabric scissors.  The ruler itself is the width that I want for the border, so it was a perfect match.  I lined up one edge of the ruler against the bottom edge of the red band that surrounds the quilt pattern and cut evenly.

Edge of quilt, straight edge, and scissors.

One note about fabric scissors - dedicate one pair to fabric, and only to fabric.  The scissors need to be sharp and cutting anything else with your scissors - paper, cardboard, tape, will dull the scissors and they will pull the threads at the edge of the fabric and cause some serious fraying of your very expensive fabric, and even more lovingly quilted materials! I've had my scissors for longer than I've been married.  When the kids were born and I quit doing small crafty work, quilting, etc, I locked my sewing scissors up (along with my straight edge ruler, rotary cutter, and needles) into a box with a lock and several packets of silica gel to prevent rusting.  Everything went up on a top shelf.  When I broke into the sewing stuff again 5 years ago, everything was in perfect condition and I didn't have to purchase new supplies.

The very nice thing about this fabric is that the design is already woven into the fabric.  There was no piecing or sewing of small parts.  The only thing I did was to hand quilt it- I traced around the outlines of each of the designs, as well as outlined the borders on the quilt.

Now that I'm looking a little bit more at this quilt, I'm leaning towards closing the edges with quilt binding.

A close up of the bird tree- center panel.

The bird ornament.

That Does It..

I found this in a journal I kept when I was subbing:

I was subbing in a class of kindergarteners yesterday.

We'd had a very interesting morning.  And I don't mean interesting in a good way. 

As we got ready for centers in the afternoon, the kids were all sitting angelically with their hands raised, ready to be chosen first to go to centers. 

I looked at them and said, "You guys know how this goes.  The first people I'm going to choose first are those people who've been trying hard all day, doing their best job, and showing their pride."

I hear one little voice say "That's it, I'm screwed."

Kale

image: www.eatingwell.com

Kale.  It's what in season right now - but how do you eat it?  I will cut it up and put it into salads and
my scrambled eggs, and I've even been known to put a few handfuls into my smoothies this time of year.

I know that it is extremely healthy, listed on many websites as full of fantastic vitamins that will help your body fight cancer.

But cooking it?  I've always struggled with how to cook it.  I am always on the lookout for new and different recipes that taste good.

I found this recipe for Portuguese Kale and Red Bean Soup in Eating Well Magazine.  We made it for dinner.  Oh my stars, was it fantastic!!!

Since daughter is a vegetarian, we made this as a vegetarian soup.  Instead of chicken broth, we used vegetable broth, and omitted the sausage entirely.  We also cooked up a little bit of brown rice separately and then each person added it to their own bowl according to their own taste before adding their own soup.

Book Review - Earthbound

This fantastic book was a great read.  Below is the book review that I posted on my Young Adult Literature Blog, Books for Teens, which you can find here: http://librarynut-booksforteens.blogspot.com/.  This is the second book I've read in the series, but it's the FIRST book in the series.  If you haven't read Earthquake yet, it is definitely worth reading this book FIRST.  :)  I enjoyed both books no end... can't wait for the next one in the series! 


Pike, Aprilynn.  Earthbound.  2014.  Penguin Group, New York.

 Hardcover$17.99,  ISBN:978-1-59514-650-2.

Book Talk:
Tavia's life has taken an unexpected turn for the worst.  The only survivor of a plane crash that killed both of her parents, she is living a quiet life in New England, attempting to recover from her injuries when things begin to get decidedly weird.

Her friend Benson, who works at the library, has been her constant companion and friend throughout this ordeal.  He has listened to her, held her confidences, and encouraged her when things seem like they are at their lowest point.

She is seeing a therapist - Liz - who is helping her deal with the traumatic fall out of her accident.

And she is living with a step-aunt and her husband- Reese and Jay- that she met once, at a funeral 10 years before.

Her new life is as far from normal as anything could ever be when she begins to have visions of a mysterious man who seems as if he's from a time 200 years in the past.  He appears to her, encourages her to follow him, and talks to her.

A stranger in town, Sunglasses Guy, begins following her around.  Wherever she goes, there he is.  He's outside of the therapists' office, outside of the physical therapist's office, and outside of her home.

Through it all, Quinn becomes a constant presence, encouraging her, attempting to lure her away from her life.

Coming home early from an appointment one day, Tavia hears Reese speaking with Liz on the phone, and realizes that they are speaking about her. Hearing just enough to fear for her safety, Tavia decides to make a run for her life.

Running from her foster parents and sunglasses guy, Tavia decides to chase after Quinn.  She wants to find out why he is haunting her visions, her dreams, and appearing wherever she goes.

But the truth could be more than she can handle...

Chased by two warring factions of Earthbounds, running from Sunglasses Guy, and running towards she knows not what with Quinn, Tavia clings to Benson for security, warmth, and love.

But, is everything as it seems?

This non-stop thrill ride will keep you gripping the edge of your seat from beginning to end.
Unexpected plot twists, as well as a love triangle you will never expect will keep you guessing from beginning to end!

Reviewer's Note:
I read the middle book, Earthquake, before this book.  While I knew what happened next, I was blown away by some of the unexpected turns that the plot took in the first book that had not been elaborated upon in the second book.  Even better, as I was reading the book, I kept finding myself saying "NO!!! Don't you see what he's doing here?"

Excellent, excellent read!  Well worth the time!

Author's Web Site:
http://www.aprilynnepike.com/

Some Accomplishments

It's been a few days since I've posted.  Sorry about that.  Daughter is busy applying for scholarships left and right - and doing so requires access to the computer.  Since we only have one computer at home, we've been letting her use that one as much as she needs.  Here's hoping that at least one of them comes back with something!

I did manage to get oldest son's quilt pinned last week.  I am working on another project at the moment that I hope to have finished by the end of the week.  His quilt will be the next up.  His graduation from college is in May - 4 years after the date I had intended to finish it.  Even worse?  I still need to make one for daughter and haven't even found the fabric for hers yet.  *sigh*.  I let myself get too far behind on these projects.

I always plan our dinner menu out a week in advance, make a list, and shop accordingly.  Unfortunately, I have not been as diligent about working on lunch and breakfast menus.  I went grocery shopping Saturday evening.  Sunday afternoon, I set about preparing quick, easy, little thought required breakfasts and lunches.

For breakfast, I prepared my favorite oatmeal in single serve size mason jars.  Into each jar, I placed 1/2 cup of oatmeal, brown sugar and cinnamon, chopped pecans, and chopped dried cranberries and dried apples.  It took me 5 minutes- and most of that time was spent in rough chopping the apples and cranberries.

I also cut up veggies to use in scrambled eggs.  Into single serving size containers, I added some baby kale, mushrooms, bell pepper, and red onion.  So, first thing in the morning, all I have to do is add the chopped veggies to a swirl of olive oil and saute them before adding eggs.  An extra serving of veggies with no effort!

Five containers of salad in a jar were made and stored for lunch.  This week's salads feature some baby kale, red onions, corn kernels, and frozen peas.

Since I was in my Martha Stewart mode, I went ahead and made a double batch of granola and peanut butter balls.  Both of these are great snacks, full of protein that will hold me over until meal time without causing a sugar crash.  One of my favorite snacks is granola with yogurt. 

Hopefully, the handy snacks, healthy breakfasts, and the knowledge that I have a prepared lunch on hand will cut down on my fast food and snacking binges when I let myself get too hungry.  That never ends well, as I find myself in a funk of sugar highs and sugar crashes when that happens.

As I write this, the North East Corridor of the United States is under a blizzard warning.  They are expecting up to 36 inches of snow in the next day or so.  If you live in that area, stay safe!
(We are very fortunate to be missing this one- less than 200 miles from the blizzard line to our house.  That's a very close call.)

Juliette Gordon Low

While we were in Savannah, we stopped by the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouting.

I was a Girl Scout for 5 years when I was growing up, and I enjoyed every minute of it.  Camping, cookie sales, lock ins, you name it, I loved it!  I dropped out of Girl Scouts when I started Junior High School, but I always looked fondly back upon my Girl Scout experience.

Fast forward 25 years, and my own daughter joined her first Girl Scout Troop, as a Brownie.  I was not the leader, I was a cookie mom.  Several years later, when the girls were teens, and scouting was hard, the old leaders dropped out, and we were left with a choice: Disband the troop or lead a troop?
I opted to lead.

So, now, here it is 2015, and I have finally made it to the birthplace of scouting's founder.  Girl Scouts has always spent time honoring Juliette (Daisy), but I'd never really had a true appreciation for her, and her determination, until I visited her house.

In many ways, she reminds me of myself.  Stubborn.  Determined.  Unfortunately for her, she was born in an era when women were expected to become devoted wives, and dedicate themselves solely to their husbands.  There were very few opportunities for women to receive an education or make a difference in the world.  Oh, if she had been born 100 years later, the things she would have done!

While touring the house, we were shown art work that she had done.  When she and her husband were sent to England for several years, she wanted to take family portraits with her to hang, as was the custom at that time.  Since there were none that the family was willing to take off of the walls to give to her, she took old cast off portraits from the attic and repainted the faces to look like her family.  Honest to goodness, the portraits were very well done.

The china painting that she had on display was beautiful.  Fine, full of detail, and of better quality than most I have seen from that era.

Sculpture.  Oh my heavens, could that woman sculpt! 

Wood Burning.  She had several old, plain pieces of furniture that she wanted to dress up.  She took a stencil and a wood burner and stenciled in a new design on the drawer fronts of a dresser that was on display in the house.

Daisy didn't begin the Girl Scouts until late in life.  Her marriage had ended in divorce.  She'd had no children, and there was nothing for her to do with her time or energy.  Despondent, she sat at dinner one night and poured out her troubles to a man sitting next to her at a dinner party.  His name was Baden Powell, and he had recently started a movement called the Boy Scouts.  He told her of how he'd had girls attempt to join his group, and of the 2 girls who had managed to successfully infiltrate the boy scouts for over a year before being discovered.  The need for an equivalent program for girls was pronounced.

Daisy went home, and called her friend and announced “Come right over!” “I've got something for the girls of Savannah and all America and all the world and we're going to start it tonight!”.  

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Say what you will about the scouting movement, but at that time in history, a distinct organization that focused on educating women, and encouraging women to do more, learn more, and find out more, was a desperately needed jolt.

Determined to make a difference, Daisy began a movement which has continued on for over 100 years and encouraged young girls to grow, learn, explore, and reach out to their full potential.

Pretty awesome legacy, don't you think?

(Wish I could show you pictures of her art work, but photography was prohibited in the home itself, and I am unable to find any images that are freely available on the web.)

Book Review - The Cat Who Sniffed Glue

Set in tranquil Moose County, The Cat Who Sniffs Glue is a delightful, light little mystery that involves the death of a banker and his wife pits Qwill and his cats- Koko and Yum Yum a run for his money. While the book does not offer any unexpected plot twists, it does off a glimpse into a simpler way of life.

The Cat Who mysteries reflect a simpler time, and a simpler way of life.  This book was originally published in 1988.  Braun published over 20 Cat Who...  mysteries.  Her first Cat Who books were published in the 60's, but she stopped writing them after she published the first two books because her editors were demanding more sex, and Braun did not want to lower her books to this level.  She began publishing the books again when she retired from newspaper writing.

I've always enjoyed the very simple way of life and time.  Moose County is an idyllic little world in the middle of all of our own insanity.  I like to imagine that their is a place somewhere in this world where libraries have cats roaming through the stacks, the newspaper prints news stories about wild turkeys, and the towns have crazy little names and crazy little stories.

Random Pictures

We recently ventured to Savannah, Georgia. Here are some pictures from our trip:

A beautiful greenway down by the river. 

The Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist. 

So, do you know the scene in Forest Gump where Tom Hanks is sitting on a bench, telling a lady the story of his life?  That was filmed in Savannah. We were in the square (below, sorry, it's a panorama shot). We were trying to figure out where the bench was located in the square, so I asked Siri. You can see the answer to my query above. Siri needs to do some research!  Meanwhile, the panorama shows the entire square. I can go back home and look to see where the bench was located. 

A stylish dog with sunglasses!

We ventured out to one of the barrier islands. Gorgeous wetlands!

Statue down by the river. Paddle wheel? It's beautiful!

Trail hike on that barrier island.  

The Savannah River & the bridge. Georgia is in the foreground, Savannah in the background. 

Savannah is such a beautiful city!

The Tipping Point - Book Review

Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point.

2002. Back Bay Books/ Little, Brown and Company.  A Hachette Book Group. New York, New York. 

ISBN: 978/0-316-34662-7. 

In The Tipping Point, Gladwell examines the power one or two people can have in exacting big change in the world around them - if they are the right person. 

There are 3 types of people who can exact change in the world around them:  Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen. 

Connectors are people who easily travel between different spheres of the world around them. They travel between groups easily, and connect people from one group to another with ease.  

Mavens are those people who are always on the edge of a trend or a deal. They do thorough research on their topic of interest and will tell anyone willing to listen of the great and marvelous deals or new products that are available. 

Salesmen naturally and easily sell their products to the world around them. 

Keeping the 3 personality types in mind, Gladwell explores business models that successfully use this knowledge to push a fashion trend, the popularity of a new product, or a drop in the crime rate. 

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. The in depth look at how the crime problem in New York City during the 80's was brought under control was fascinating. The unique business model of Gore Associates is worth taking the time to look through.

With case study after case study, Gladwell makes a compelling argument about "the tipping point", and the magic number - 150 - that tips events and ideas. 

National Parks Free Admission

On Monday, Jan. 19, the National Park Service will be waiving admission fees to all of the National Parks!

For more information about the parks closest to you, check out http://www.nps.gov/index.htm.

Enjoy a day in the park!

Zenith - Book Review

Strasser, Dirk.  Zenith: The First Book of Ascension.  1993.  Monumental Press.

Kindle Edition, $.99


You are about to embark upon a journey.  Not just any journey, but an Ascension to the summit of The Mountain.  Every set of male twins must undertake this journey beginning at the Zenith (Summer Solstice) of their 18th year.  Each twin has one year to finish their journey, and must reach the summit of the mountain before the next summer Zenith.

We begin our journey with Atreu the Ascender.  He and his twin are both taking the journey to the top of the mountain, but each must take their own journey.  The trail and trials that each twin must face are unique to that twin.  Atreu and his brother, Teyth begin their journey during the Zenith.  They spend the first few days together, and then they each go their separate ways.  They hope to meet once or twice over the year in cities where their path overlaps, but the chances are, they will not see each other again until the next year.

The mountain that the Ascenders must climb is tall, and it dominates life in and around the villages that lie in and on the mountain.  Atreu will visit many of these villages, and learn many new customs, on his way up the mountain.

Throughout the course of his journey, Atreu will find many teachers.  Some have been placed deliberately in his path by the holy orders.  Some are unintentional teachers, who will teach him new ways of thinking and relating to the world around him.

However, there are unexpected challenges and dangers along the way.  Unfortunately, war is brewing across the countryside.  The Faemir are restless, and they will do whatever it takes to win.  While the Maelir, who live around the base of the mountain revere the Ascenders and help them in every way possible, the Faemir are not above stopping the Ascenders and preventing them from reaching the summit.

The very land itself is distressed, as unexpected cracks and pillars of land suddenly appear out of nowhere to block the path of the traveler.

I enjoyed this book!  I am intrigued by the thought of a great journey that must be faced - alone - at the age of 18.  After all, isn't life a journey that we basically face, alone, with constant danger, snares, and entanglements along the way?  We are fortunate to find good friends along the way who share our journey and help us to reach our goals along the way.

Disclosure Notice:  Mini-Van mom is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program.  The picture of the book cover, above is a link to my Amazon Affiliates account.  Your purchase through this program will support this site.  Thank you for supporting Mini-Van Mom.

A Birthday Lamp

Oldest child's birthday is last week, and I made him a lamp for his birthday.

No, I didn't decide to take up pottery and cast a lamp on a wheel!

A friend of mine found this project on Pinterest, and made one for her son.  She posted the completed picture on her Facebook page, and I thought it would make a unique present for the kid who just turned 22.

I found the lamp base and shade at Target.  The top portion, that has the light bulb fixture detaches from the base, which is basically a giant 5 gallon jar.

As I've been cleaning out the house, I've taken all of the odds and ends of toys that belonged to him and put them in the jar.  These are the little toys that I knew he really enjoyed playing with when he was little, and they had survived our move 8 years ago.

I think it's a pretty cool memento of his childhood. As an added bonus, I got some of the extra stuff that had been laying around the basement cleaned up, and I also sorted through some stuff that has been sitting around, collecting dust for a while now!

Some Frugal Accomplishments

We're in the midst of birthday season... my husband, mother in law, children, mother, and brother in law all have birthdays this month.  With all of the constant celebrations, it can be difficult to contain our spending, so I do my best to celebrate any savings that I can come up with this month!

For the kids' and husbands' birthdays, I always make a cake from scratch.  We've had German Chocolate and Lemon Cake, as well as a giant Cookie Cake.  It's not a huge savings, but it's a nice touch that lets everyone know that they are special, and they get something special for their birthday.

I made taco soup over the weekend.  We were running low on the taco seasoning that I make from scratch, so I tripled the recipe and added it to the container.  I buy my spices in bulk, so it really is cheaper to mix up my own spices. PLUS, I know that there aren't any other hidden ingredients mixed into my spice mixes. I save my spice mix in a large container that had previously held spices.

I also mixed up a new batch of apple pie spice.  I love oatmeal with apple pie spices!  When I cook my oatmeal, I will mix in some applesauce while it's heating, and then add 1/4 tsp. of the spices.  If I've got any dehydrated apples sitting around, I will add them to my oatmeal before I add the water.

It's been very cold out here, so I decided to warm up the house.  I made a batch of veggie broth.  The house smelled great, and it felt warmer!  After several hours of simmering, I strained the broth through a colander and froze the contents into muffin tins to make cubes.  Any kind of broth cubes add flavor to food.  By using my own broth cubes, I pay pennies for my ingredients, and I can use these cubes in place of bullion cubes at a later date.  My batch of veggie broth made us a wonderful soup one night, and I froze 40 individual muffin-size cubes to use later.

Salads in a Jar
Last week, I made a week's worth of salads for lunch and stored them in mason jars.  Each jar was lunch for one day.  I layered in what I had on hand - lettuce, carrots, celery, ham, cheese, frozen peas.  I thought it was great.  The salad I had on Friday was just as tasty as the one I had on Monday.  Success! 

I have noticed something, though.  Several websites and blogs are now pushing "recipes" for salad in a jar.  I've been looking at them, and I'm a bit hesitant to try one of the recipes.  Honestly, the entire idea for a salad in a jar was to save money.  By using up veggies I keep in my fridge, and adding anything extra I might have laying around the house (I found sunflower seeds on Thursday and added them Thursday and Friday.), I feel like I am keeping my costs down.  If I have to go out and track down more ingredients, or buy any specialty ingredients, am I really saving anything on my bottom line?  I don't know - it's a question you'll have to ask yourself.

Electricity
We received our electricity bill in the mail this week.  We save over $700 over this time last year!  I'd love to tell you that was because we heated exclusively with wood, or because I found some magic trick, or that our smart meter finally did it's job.  But no, the reality is that our temperatures this winter have been significantly warmer than this time last year.  We have lowered the heat in the house by a few degress, so now all of the thermostats sit at 65*. 

Textbooks
The book lists are in!  We hit up the Used Book Stores in the area over the weekend.  Hooray!  We found a couple of the books on the list!  We paid $20 for each of them.  I know, $40 seems like a lot, but when you're looking at a final textbook bill of over $800, I am thrilled to save any money we possibly can on the bottom line!

It doesn't seem like a lot, but each one of these small things does, over time save money and reduce the bottom line.  And that's what it's all about!

Stay warm and safe!

Taco Soup

We made a huge crock pot of taco soup for dinner over the weekend.  We had leftovers.  Enough for me to make enchiladas by wrapping them up into corn tortillas, put them into a 9 x 13 pan, and covered it all with the enchilada sauce I had leftover from the enchilada sauce I made this past week.  I covered the pan with foil, labeled it, and put it into the freezer so that we'll have a quick and easy dinner some other day.

Taco Soup

1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 pablano pepper, diced
2 green peppers, diced
1 large red onion, diced
1 tsp. garlic
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
3 cups of water
3 veggie bullion cubes
2 TBSP taco seasoning mix (I use the recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/taco-seasoning-i/)
1 can corn
1 can fire roasted tomatoes

1. In a skillet, saute the jalapeno, pablano, green peppers, red onion and garlic until the onions are soft.
2. In the crock pot, combine the pepper mixture with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

Serve with tortilla chips.

If you want to make this a meat based recipe:

Raw meat: cook the meat in a skillet, then pick up with step #1 above. 

Cooked meat: dice the meat, and add it to the crock pot along with the other ingredients.

In the crock pot!

With Cheese!  This one is mine!

Secrets of Self-Healing

Maoshing, Ni.  Secrets of Self-Healing.  2008.  Avery Press, a division of Penguin Publishing, New York, NY.

Hardcover, $24.95.  ISBN: 978-1-58333-296-2.

Book Review:

The Secrets of Self-Healing is a very quick look at the field of Traditional Chinese Medicine.  Dr. Mao is a doctor of Chinese Medicine, with an established practice.

Dr. Mao asserts that within us, we have the ability to heal many of our common ailments, by balancing our energy and eating the proper foods and nutrition.  A healthy body, healthy spirit, and balanced life are crucial for your well being.  Any imbalance in these spheres will lead to sickness as your body fights to regain balance.

The first half of this book is a quick look at the five elements and how they impact your life.
Special attention is paid to the importance of a balanced spiritual life and the role of excellent nutrition.  He touches upon the importance of a cleaning the clutter out of our homes, and the importance of living in harmony with the world around us.

In the second half of his book, Dr. Mao takes a look at individual ailments, and what can be done at home to help yourself heal.

Throughout the book, Dr. Mao stresses that Eastern and Western Medicine are complimentary, and need to work together to solve the most serious illnesses we face.

I really enjoyed the book. I've been working on improving my eating habits.  I found out some fantastic tips on which foods work better for me.  I also found some solid, hands on strategies that will help me focus more on keeping myself healthy and moving as I age.

Disclosure Notice:  Mini-Van mom is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program.  The picture of the book cover, above is a link to my Amazon Affiliates account.  Your purchase through this program will support this site.  Thank you for supporting Mini-Van Mom.

A Veggie Tray

We had dinner at our house on Christmas Eve.  The week before,  my MIL asked what she could bring over to the house for dinner.

I told her that everything was pretty much in check.  She insisted that she had to bring something, so I suggested she bring a veggie tray.  "You're coming over at 1, and we're not eating until 6," I said.  "If anyone gets hungry, they can nibble on the veggie tray while they're waiting for dinner."  No problem she said.  I was thinking she'd run to the grocery store and pick  up a veggie tray, with all of the veggies washed and precut.  All you have to do is take off the cover and eat.  Easy, right?

Christmas Eve arrives, and my husband goes to her house to pick her up and bring her back here, and this is what he finds:

I'm not certain you can appreciate the full extent of what's here.  There is a file folder box, a cooler, and 2 reusable cloth bags on the counter, plus a larger cooler and another box on the floor.

She brought 4 heads of cabbage, 8 of lettuce, 6 pounds of bell pepper, 5 pounds of cherry tomatoes,10 pounds of celery, 10 pounds of carrots, and one can of pineapple tidbits.

We had 6 people for dinner.  The 5 of us, plus her.  

When she arrived, she began slicing and peeling the veggies.  She even told me I had to help her.

I stared at the pile for a while - keep in mind - I NEED that space where everything is to finish prepping dinner.

"Ummm..... what are we going to do with the cabbage?"  I stupidly asked.

"Cut it into wedges.  You need to lose weight, and for that,  you need cabbage wedges"

"I'm happy with my weight right now.  I don't eat raw cabbage."

She looked at me and said "Well, I still need help peeling and slicing all of these vegetables."

"Why didn't you bring a tray?"  I asked.  "They sell them at the grocery store.  $20, all the work is already done."

"Oh, but those are too expensive," she replied.  "Buying the vegetables this way was cheaper."

Right.  Because 4 heads of cabbage, 8 heads of lettuce, 6 pounds of bell peppers, 5 pounds of cherry tomatoes, and 10 pounds of celery and carrots are known for being cheap.  MUCH less than $20.

I sighed heavily, because I'd done most of my prep work ahead of time. I still had to assemble things, but I despise peeling and chopping, so I tend to do a lot of it at once, and I tend to do it ahead of time.  

We finished peeling and chopping all of the veggies less than an hour before I put dinner on the table.  

After she left, I found the receipt for all of the veggies.

Well over $50.  

Vegetarian Enchiladas

It was very icy on Tuesday night, and I really didn't feel like braving the roads to head out and pick something up for dinner.  I scrounged some things out of my cabinets and refrigerator and put together the most amazing vegetarian enchiladas, ever.  These are not smothered in cheese--my husband and daughter are allergic to dairy products.  These are the honest to goodness, amazingly tasty enchiladas that we had for dinner!  Easy, fast, and on the table within 45 minutes.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 medium red pepper, diced
1 heaping tsp. minced garlic
1 can of chopped green chiles
1 28 ounce can corn kernels
1 32 ounce can of vegetarian refried beans
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
corn tortillas
Enchilada Sauce - recipe follows

1) Pre-heat the oven to 350*.
2) Saute the bell peppers, garlic and onion in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
3) As the onions begin to turn translucent, add the corn and the green chiles.  Stir together, mixing thoroughly.
4) Add the refried beans.  The mixture will be very thick, and can burn easily.  Keep heat on med-low, and stir frequently.
5) Add cumin, salt, and pepper. (Adjust accordingly if you like it spicier or milder.)
6) Lower the heat, and allow the mixture to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat when time is finished.

While the bean mixture is simmering, make the enchilada sauce.  Sure, you can buy the stuff in cans at the store, but this is better for you, and doesn't take long to make.  (Recipe follows this.)

Cover the bottom of the cooking pan with a layer of enchilada sauce.

One at a time, spread each corn tortilla with about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture.  Spread the mixture down the middle of each tortilla.  Roll the tortilla up, and place it, seam side down, in the pan.
(note- the corn tortillas WILL break apart.  That's okay. They're all going to snuggle up against each other in the pan, anyway.)

Fill each corn tortilla with the bean mixture, snugging the enchiladas up against each other, until the pan is full.  I usually have enough space left at the top of my pan to add 2 more enchiladas.  I use it.  I fill every available space with enchiladas.

Cover the entire mixture with more enchilada sauce.  If you made your sauce from scratch, don't use the entire pan!  You'll drown these guys!  Instead, Use about a cup to a cup and a half of sauce, spread evenly across the entire pan.

Put the entire yummy mixture into the oven and let it bake for 15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Note- If you want to punch this up, or stretch it out, add a cup of cooked rice to the bean mixture after the mix is cooked, but before you layer into the tortillas.  Stir thoroughly to incorporate before you spread it into the tortillas.

If you really want cheese on your enchiladas, add it to the pan, over top of the sauce, before you put it into the oven.


Enchilada Sauce
Make sure you have all of the ingredients measured and lined up before you begin!
 
Olive oil- enough to cover the bottom of the pan.  Rachael Ray would say "a turn of the pan".
2 TBSP Cornstarch
1/3 cup chili powder
3 cups veggie broth
14 ounce can tomato sauce  (or whatever size that is - not the small, 8 ounce can, but the next size up)
1 TBSP cumin
1 TBSP oregano

• In a sauce pan over med heat, stir the olive oil and cornstarch together until the cornstarch begins to brown.  You're toasting it.  It should take about a minute - keep a very close eye on it so it doesn't burn!
• Add the chili powder, stir constantly for another minute.  Remember, you're toasting the spices to bring out their full flavor.
• Add 3 cups of veggie broth  (I used 3 cups of water and 3 vegetable bullion cubes.)
• Add the tomato sauce, cumin, and oregano, stirring to make certain all of the spices are incorporated into the liquid.
• Bring everything to a boil, stirring frequently. (You can raise the heat here, if you need to.)
• Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 Note- last one, I promise!  If I had any veggie broth cubes left over, I would have used 3 or 4 of them here.  I would have thawed them in the microwave before beginning the sauce.  If it didn't measure up to the full 3 cups, I'd add water to the thawed broth cubes to make 3 cups.)

Snow

It is so beautiful, yet so treacherous.

Yesterday morning, it began snowing just as rush hour started.  Unfortunately for us, the weather was such that the snow hit the pretreated roads, melted, and then flash froze.

Talk about a fun commute!

Most schools around here delayed 2 hours, and then closed.

I attempted to get to work.  It took me half an hour to go two miles.  The main road South was closed.
My alternate route South was closed.  The back, back, back way was closed due to accidents.

I finally gave up and headed home.  I found out once I got back that my place of employment had closed for the day.  *sigh* wish I'd known that before I headed out!

The good news is, I made it safely home, without an accident.  I was able to spend the day with two of my kids.

What about the third one?  He's in Phoenix.  He sent me weather updates and pictures.  Remind me why I told him to text me and let me know how he was doing?

Snow on my Autumn Joy Sedum.

 

 

We really didn't get that much snow, considering how much havoc it caused.

A view down my street.  I took this at 3 pm - still no snow plow!

Berries in the snow.  I tried to capture a picture of the birds flitting around on this bush, but they didn't cooperate with me!

Eathquake

Book #2 of the 2015 challenge!  This is a YA book, I'm cross-posting this review from my YA blog.  You can see the post on my YA blog here: Earthquake Review


Pike, Aprilynne.  Earthquake.  2014. Penguin Group, New York, NY.
Hardcover, $17.99, ISBN: 978-1-59514-652-6.

Book Talk:

Tavia was in an airplane accident a few years ago.  The sole survivor of the flight, she remembers very little.  What she does remember is earth shattering:

She is Earthbound.  An eternal being, who reincarnates every time she dies.  Unfortunately, she can not recall her past lives until she finds a piece of her past that will remind her of who she is and all of the memories of her past lives.  Unfortunately, because of the airplane crash, she is only able to remember the most immediate past life with Logan.

Somewhere on the planet is her eternal partner.  Logan is out there, somewhere, also equally unaware of who he is, and his past life.

Someone is trying to kill her.  The airplane crash that killed 255 people was meant to kill her.

She remembered her most recent past life with Logan, from 200 years ago, when she touched a necklace that he had given her.  Somehow, she must find Logan and reawaken his memories.  And she needs to do it before the people who are trying to kill her succeed and kill either her, Logan, or both of them.

Running constantly from danger into danger, not knowing who she can trust, Tavia finally finds Logan - only to have them both captured by the Reduciata before Logan's memories are restored.

While being held in the prison of the Reduciata, they are rescued by the rival faction of Earthbounds- the Curatoria.  But, has she really been rescued, or is she just being held prisoner in a more elaborate trap?

Meanwhile, a virus is destroying earth.  The people, the land, and the monuments are all disappearing at an alarming rate.  Tavia is the only person who can find the cure to stop the ultimate destruction of the planet and all who live here.

While Tavia races to find the cure to her virus, she discovers a secret - a dangerous secret that she has kept hidden from herself and from Logan over several past lives.  It's a secret that has had her killed several different times in the last 200 years, and the reason why an airplane was crashed to the ground.

Can Tavia remember what the secret is before she is killed, again?

Can she find the cure to the virus and save the Earth and it's inhabitants?

Will Logan remember who she is in time?

Can she remember the past lives that have remained hidden from her?

Author's Web Site:
http://www.aprilynnepike.com/

Reviewer's Note:
Fantastic, riveting read!  Several unexpected plot twists and turns, loved them all!
This is the second of a series.  I have not read the first in the series, but the book stands alone.
I do feel a need to go back and read the first book in order to answer a few plot questions I had from the second book, but I am so glad that the author did not dwell on plot from the first book.  She gave enough information to keep the plot flowing, but I'm really curious about what happened first.

Disclosure Notice:  Mini-Van mom is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program.  The picture of the book cover, above is a link to my Amazon Affiliates account.  Your purchase through this program will support this site.  Thank you for supporting Mini-Van Mom.

The Money Suckers

Late last year, I set up an awesome spread sheet to figure out exactly where our money was going.  It was frittering away, and I wasn't sure exactly how to account for it all.  (You can see that post here: http://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/2014/10/spreadsheet.html)

The largest expenses, by far, are for electricity, gas, and food.

Electricity
We have electric baseboard heat in our house.  Electric baseboard heat can be ridiculously expensive.  As a result, we heat primarily with wood- when we are home, or going to be home for a while.  I want to talk a little bit about heating with wood. While everyone thinks this is the "cheap" or "easy" way to heat, there is a considerable amount of labor involved in cutting the wood, stacking the wood, and maintaining the fire.  A wood fire does not keep itself going. You have to feed wood into the fire every so often, and you have to have a knowledge of how to work the flue and dampers in order to get the most heat from your fire.  You also have to be home to maintain the fire.  If you are at work, you are not heating the house with a wood fire.  The baseboard heat is going to kick in because you have to keep the house heated at some level, or your pipes will burst.  In addition to the labor, there is also some cash expenditure involved with cleaning your chimney- an annual chore that will help prevent the buildup of creosote and help lessen the chance of a chimney fire.

So, even though we heat primarily with wood, we still have some expenses with heat because the heat will kick on in the middle of the night after the fire dies down, and during the morning while I am at work.  After some serious thought, we turned our thermostats in the house down to 65*.  This does keep our house on the chilly side when we are not home, but it is warm enough to keep the pipes from bursting and to keep the cats warm.

Gas
Not much we can do with this one.  We are subject to the whims of the oil companies and their gas prices.  Right now, with gas prices as low as they are, that's a very good thing for my bottom line.  Even so, we still do all we can to keep our gas expenses low.  We combine errands.  If the stores I am looking for are all in one shopping center, I will park in front of the place where I expect to have the largest load coming out.  (Usually the grocery store.)  I'll walk through the rest of the center, get what's on my list, and walk back to the car to put it in the trunk.  I finish at the grocery store (or wherever I expect my largest run to be) and then walk the cart out to the car.  Right now, I'm carpooling to work with middle child to save us both on gas expenses.  When we drive long distances, we take the Civic if we can.  That car still gets phenomenal gas mileage, which helps keep our bottom line as low as possible.


Food
This is another big surprise.  Not that it's a huge expense, but where that money is going.  I do plan our meals out in advance.  I shop the sales.  I do freezer cooking.  Yes, sometimes I do spend a little more in order to buy directly from our local farmers, but I usually buy from them in bulk.  I then can or freeze the entire bushel of whatever it is so I have it on hand to use later.

Where the expense came in is around lunch and snack time.  MY lunch and snack time.

When I was subbing, I would pack my lunch.  I knew that I was going to be in the school for an entire day, and I packed accordingly.  The problem came around mid-afternoon - about the time the kids went to specials and before dismissal.  I was headachey and hungry.  I found myself hitting up the snack or soda machine more often than I'd like to admit. 

When I got this job, I thought that my bad habits would change, but no, they really didn't.  I only work until noon now.  My intention is to grab lunch when I get home.

The reality is that I am  up at 6 am, eat breakfast at 6:30, and get back home between 12:30 and 1:00.  I am starved by the time I get home.  Even worse, this job has an actual cafeteria and snack bar.  Literally less than 100 steps from where I work, you've got the cash register for the snack bar.  And they've got a couple of tasty goodies in there that my mind will start dwelling on around 10:00 if I haven't had enough for breakfast.  Some days, when I leave here, I just break down and stop at the fast food place down the street.  Yep.  That's where our money is going.  $10 for snacks alone one week.  (It's those damn dark chocolate coconut things that are killing me.) 

In an effort to help with that hunger issue, I thought through a new plan of attack this week.  I am preparing as much of my snacks and lunch as possible a few days before.  Yesterday, I made peanut butter balls and granola.  Both of these are quick and easy snacks to grab.  I have apple slices and peanut butter for when I leave work.  A quick snack that I can grab after my shift is over, and enough to keep hunger at bay until I get home.

For lunch, I packed a layered salad in mason jars.  I don't know if you remember, but years ago a certain fast food chain packed easy to go salads in large plastic drinking cups.  You'd pour the dressing over top of the lettuce, but the lid back on the cup, shake it up, and then eat.  This is my version of that thought.  I layered lettuce, carrots, bell pepper, onions, celery, and peas in my salad.  I am curious to see how these salads hold up.  I only made 2.  We'll see how they taste two days out.
I'm not planning on taking these salads to work with me.  I'm planning on having them waiting in the fridge for me when I get home.

I also packed up a couple of quick microwave meals.  Using leftover taco meat (1 meal) and leftover beans and rice (1 meal), I combined the leftovers, and then wrapped them in corn tortillas.  I then put them in my little glass freezer containers, covered them with enchilada sauce and cheese, put the lids on , and froze them.  They're supposed to be single serving size.  My plan is to take them out in the morning before I go to work and then thaw them in the refrigerator, so that all they need is a quick shot in the microwave to heat them up.

We'll see how this works out. 

Mindful Eating

Bays, Jan Chozen, MD.  Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food.  2009.  Shambhala.  Boston and London.

Softcover, $18.95.  ISBN: 978-1-59030-531-7.

My Review:

Mindful Eating takes a very close look at the tendency of Americans to follow the three G's when it comes to food: gobble, gulp, and go.  We eat our food without tasting it, and we eat more of our food than we intend to because of the mindless practices we have attached to the consumption of food.

Through the course of this book, Dr. Bays takes the reader through a series of exercises, mediations, and conversations that will challenge the reader to look closely at their relationship with food.  From challenging the way we approach food now, to challenging us to change the way we approach our food, the reader will find thought provoking exercises that will cause them to change the way they approach meals and eating.

How do you approach your food?  Is it stuff to be consumed quickly so that you can get on to the next item on your list?  Is it a meal for the senses, from the delightful, thoughtful presentation of food on a beautiful plate, eaten slowly and savored for the tastes and textures that were prepared just for you, the eater, to enjoy?

The guided meditations on the CD will help the reader focus more squarely on food, and the issues surrounding food, and help you to become a more mindful eater.

Dr. Bays does not promise that you will lose weight by reading this book!  However, you will gain some wisdom about what your body is asking you for, and how much it really needs.

Disclosure Notice:  Mini-Van mom is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program.  The picture of the book cover, above is a link to my Amazon Affiliates account.  Your purchase through this program will support this site.  Thank you for supporting Mini-Van Mom.

The Flu

I posted a few days ago about the flu, and a young friend of ours who died of the flu last week.

The CDC has now declared this year's flu strain to be at epidemic levels.

You can read more about it here:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/12/31/cdc-child-deaths-flu-influenza/21104671/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/12/30/this-seasons-flu-activity-has-reached-the-epidemic-threshold-the-cdc-says/

I wrote about this last week, but I want to repeat it, this flu is a killer.

If you or your kids are sick, stay home.

Push lots of fluids.

If you need groceries or meds, consider using a drive through, friend, or online delivery service to minimize the impact you have on the environment around you, and to hopefully help stop the flu from spreading.  I was at Wal-Mart yesterday and saw a good 40 people, hacking, wheezing, and barely able to stand hanging around the pharmacy.  As soon as I saw them, I turned around and left.  I don't particularly want to do battle with the flu.


If you are healthy, what can you do to stay healthy?

Stay away from places where lots of people gather.

Get exercise.  If you can get out in this weather and walk, do so.

Keep drinking lots of water.  Help your body flush the toxins out.

WASH YOUR HANDS.  Let me repeat that again:  WASH YOUR HANDS.  Every time you pass a sink, every time you use the bathroom, every time you use a shared surface.  (keyboard, doorknob, shopping cart handle.)

DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE.  Again, I'm going to repeat it: DON'T TOUCH YOUR FACE.  The mucus membranes around your eyes and nose are primary entry points for viruses.  Keep your hands away from your face.  (Admit it, your nose itches now, doesn't it?  Little itchy eye thing going on now, right?)

You can read my post from last week, along with tips from the CDC, telling you when to go to the hospital, and how to fight the flu here: http://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/2014/12/this-years-flu-strain.html.

Tamiflu, if you can find it, will help lessen the symptoms of the flu.  In order for it to be effective, it must be begun within 48 hours of the symptoms presenting. 

Be aware that if you go to the ER, Doctor's Office, or Urgent Care center, you will be asked to wear a mask.  Just do it.  You don't want to spread what you have to others who are not yet sick, and you don't want to pick up something new, on top of what you already have.  The mask is for everyone's protection.  (Yep, people are complaining about having to wear a mask in the ER.)

My Resolutions for 2015

Last year, I accomplished over half of the resolutions I put forward.  I kept a list here, on my blog, and I checked back monthly.  Why?  Because by reminding myself every month of my list, I found that I did a better job of keeping myself on track.

So, I present my list of resolutions for 2015.  A few of them are carryovers from last year.  *sigh*.  I still need to accomplish them.

1) Exercise More.  
Last year, I set the goal of running a 5K by the end of the year.  365 days later, full of excuses and reasons, I did NOT run.  So, this year, I have the goal of exercising more.  5 out of 7 days a week, I will get at least 30 minutes of exercise.  I will walk, swim, hike, or bike, but I will find a way to get 30 minutes of exercise.  I know that should be 60 minutes, but I really want to set a small, easily attainable goal.

2) Lose 10 pounds.
Last year, I set this goal and lost 20 pounds.  I gained 2 of them back over the holidays, which really isn't bad!  This year's goal is to lose another 10 pounds.

3) Remodel the Hall Bathroom.
This is a repeat from last year.

4) Finish oldest child's quilt.
Another repeat from last year.  I have to top pieced, and the bottom cut to size.  I need to get the batting and pin the entire shebang together and start quilting it.  Goal: have it finished for his graduation in May.

5) Clean and organize the Family Room in the basement.

6) Cut back on the time I spend on Social Media.
I spend entirely too much time on Social Media over the course of the day, and it is beginning to cut into my real life.  WHY AM I DOING THIS???  I am only going to check my Social Media accounts once per day - at lunchtime, when I get home from work.  I never needed social media before now, and only in the last 5 years did I begin using social media.  In the last year- WHAM!  I seem to have let it take over my life.

7) Read 75 books this year.
Kind of a nifty thought, isn't it?  I began a career in a new field this year, and I do need to read more in my field than I have been.  I also keep a blog of young adult literature.  With my return to a "normal" (read not substitute teaching) I have not been keeping that blog as updated as I would like.  This year, I want to return to reading more YA literature and reviewing it on my blog.   Actually, maybe I should also think about blogging the books I read for work on a separate blog.  It would help keep me on track!

8) Get out of debt.
I think this dream belongs to all of us, doesn't it?  No mortgage, no credit card bills, no car payments. With most of our credit cards having been compromised last year, we skipped over to a mostly cash based system and are working on paying off debts from credit cards and from husband's car accident- all while meeting college expenses for the kids.  Can it be done?  We paid off one card completely last week.  Still more debt to go, but I really don't like having debt.

9) Spend more time with my family.
Always a priority, and it gets harder and harder as the kids go off to college and get lives of their own.

10)  365 Grateful
I will continue to find a way to be thankful for the things I have.  There are a lot of awful things that happen, but I will focus on the positive.  You can lose yourself in negativity.

11) Replace the car that was totaled.
It needs to be done, even in the midst of paying off loans, a bathroom that needs to be remodeled, and college expenses.  Our Civic has 225,000 miles on it.  It's a great car, and we keep up to date on the maintenance, but by God, do we need to make certain we have a back up plan!  The van doesn't have nearly as many miles on it, but putting gas in that behemoth is expensive. 

12) I will maintain my friendships.
Each week, I am going to call, write, or get together with a friend.  It's too easy to let friendships fall away as we keep busy in our own lives.  I need to make certain that I keep in touch with these wonderful people.  Facebook helps some- I know a little of what is going on with them, and we do chat a lot together.  But nothing, no nothing compares to sitting down face to face and talking and laughing with each other.  Most of my friends are at the same place I am in my life now- having children in high school and headed off to college. 

13) Have a few more adventures this year.
Within the budget, of course. 

14) Craft More
I used to craft a lot.  I enjoy working with my fingers and hands.  For some reason, that has fallen by the wayside this year.  (Look at goal #4 - finishing oldest child's quilt.)  I will finish one craft project- from beginning to end, each month. 

This ought to be fun!  I don't know how many of these I'll actually manage to accomplish this year, but I'm looking forward to trying!

Seriously, read 75 books AND finish 12 craft projects this year?  Am I nuts?