6 Bags In...

Okay, update on my 40 bags in 40 days.  I'm not stopping long enough to post pictures, but I am stopping long enough to eat lunch.  So, while I eat (and right at this moment, it's incredibly hot!), I will update.

I kind of hate the system I've done so far.  I've been like a room whore.  I'm jumping from room to room.  It's not neccessarily a bad thing, I just don't have that sense of accomplishment in one particular area of the house.  Good news is it still looks nice from the outside!  Because we cleaned a lot last weekend, it still looks good.  I'm just going through the stuff now.

Last night I embarked on a pretty big project (that didn't get done until midnight!).  But I don't want to share, because I haven't even told Whit yet! :)   He'll see this weekend.  I will say it's pretty awesome and I love it!!!  I also re-organized the piano books on my shelf last night.  This morning, I reorganized and cleaned out the pots and pans and found a solutions for the pan lids.  I used a basket for those (which I already had, thank you very much!).  I cleaned out all the kitchen drawers and got rid of some stuff I rarely use.  I also cleaned under the master bathroom sinks and our cologne shelf.  I got rid of cologne that we never wear (or scrunching hair gel that I got when I was a senior in high school... yeah.)

After lunch, my schedule leads me to the craft room, which has been on my groan list for many, many months.  It's almost too overwhelming.  But we'll start with the closet.  That way, if I run out of time (or get bored, frustrated or tired) I can move away from it without disrupting the beauty of a some-what cleaned room.

Here is a few pictures of my before...

40 Bags in 40 Days-- Day 1

One of my Facebook friends shared a Lent challenge called "40 Bags in 40 Days".  The idea behind is very basic.  You fill up 40 bags of trash or charitable items in 40 days.  It is supposed to be from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday.  You can choose the sizes of your bags-- I'm not really sure that's really the purpose. The main idea is to rid your house of clutter and trash and things you don't love or use.  

Yesterday, the appraiser came so I took half the day off.  Let me remind you the house has been cleaned before she came-- but now is the perfect time to de-clutter!  Because the house is so clean, it's easy to make the progress.  I simply clean out what I'm supposed to and it's magically still nice looking!  So, now the bathroom looks great inside the cabinets and out!  I think I'm going to paint in there this Spring Break as well.

Here is a little bit about the bathroom.  I guess I'm sharing my personal stuff too, but oh well!  We're all girls!

My drawer that I keep my hair stuff in, toothbrush/toothpaste and miscellaneous stuff... 

<---- Before

I put in two baskets.  The first (yellow) is for my hair stuff (pony-tail holders, brushes, combs)

The second (blue) is make up, tootbrush/toothpaste and contact cases.

<----   After  

Under the sink in the hallway bathroom.

<---- Before

<----   After  

The bottom drawer.  Lots of panty liners that McCoy likes to 

take out and scatter throughout the house.

<---- Before

<----   After  

In addition to the hallway bathroom, I also cleaned under the kitchen sink, cleared off the hallway linen closet's floor, got rid of some pool floaties, and cleaned out the piano bench.

I have before pictures to add, but didn't get around to taking the after, so I'll post those for another time.

Join Me in Spring Cleaning

In conjunction with February's focus: Budget and Bills, we looked into re-financing our house.  It's only been 3 years, so starting over wasn't a big deal.  We are more interested in saving money each month so we can pay off our loans and credit card debt.  If everything works out perfectly (fingers crossed) we will save nearly $250 a month!  Think of all we can do with that!

But we need to get the house appraised.  I asked several people on my Facebook status, how clean should it be and got several responses.  Some saying that it doesn't need to be that clean to repainting the baseboards!  So, Mom and Dad graciously took McCoy after church so Whit and I could "clean sweep" our house.  We got a lot done in a very short amount of time although I have to give props to Whit because his motivation and mad cleaning skills prevailed as I was whining and wanting to lay down around hour two.  Good job, Whit!

We did a lot to the house, but most of it was stuff that I just "put away" or found a spot for.  There are several areas of the house that really need some spring cleaning.

So I am extending an invitation to you!  Join me in a spring cleaning party!  I'll give you a plan for each week and then follow up on what I've accomplished (or failed to complete!).  Join me and we will get rid of clutter, clean dust and cobwebs, and enjoy living a more simple life.

I vow to get rid of stuff that I don't love or need.  I vow to clean out the "groanable" areas of my house and I will publish what they are so that I can be held accountable.  And yes, my car is a part of my house!  I don't have a deadline for this because I'm guessing it will go well into the summer months.

So here is my list (yes, a list!!!)
De-clutter:

Basement-- Computer room.  This room needs to be purged, really.  Too many books, computer stuff that I don't even know if it works, and little stuff that I've gathered throughout high school and college and the first few years of marriage.  I'm going to make that closet shine!  (As best I can).

Craft Room-- This one is tough one.  I'm thinking of getting rid of MOST of the stuff in this room and here is why.  This room is so cluttered that it will take years of throwing stuff away or donating it to get it cleared.  I want to eventually get rid of everything in here because it will most likely be our next child's bedroom.  And I want to do it before we starting trying so that when if I do get pregnant again, I won't be moving and scrambling around to get things done while I'm doing so many other things.  I want to move the table and craft stuff downstairs to the office.  That will take some figuring out though because as previously stated that room is cluttered too.  I have some stuff that I hate to give away simply because I either paid a lot of money for, or I made it.  Needless to say, the closet is stuffed full-- but at this point in time, you can walk through it, although it's tight!

My closet-- of course, getting rid of clothes I don't wear

Whit's closet-- of course, pulling teeth to get Whit to get rid of clothes he doesn't wear

Closet in hallway-- of course, getting rid of coats and *gasp* games we don't ever play!

Bathrooms-- this just needs to be purged as well-- mostly my stuff

Garage-- I feel like I just need to put this on here just because...

Van-- cleaning and getting rid of junk.

Speaking of cleaning cars (that is this month's focus), I have like four rubbermaids full of stuff that has been taken out of various cars.  Like from last summer.  I really need to de-clutter my car!

Okay, that's enough!

The Pit in Pictures

MARCH-- Clean out the car!
So in order for me to be held accountable, I am posting pictures of the Pit.  Embarrassing, you bet?  Motivating?  Even more!

Check back soon to see pictures of a fresh, newly cleaned, non-pitted out van!

The Pit

Yes, I'm referring to my car.

It's always been so dirty!  Not just the outside-- actually thankful for the rain we had on Sunday, the car is no longer dirty-dirty.  It's only partly dirty. :)

No, the inside.  It's horrid.  I claim I live out of my car.  And when I upgraded to a van this past summer, I vowed to keep this car clean!  My vow lasted all of five days.  And my excuse?  "Life happens."  "That's what you get when you have kid(s)."  "I am so busy."  "I don't want to use up my family time cleaning my car." BLAH, BLAH, BLAH!!!

FlyLady.net says you should clean out your car every Friday.  Friday is desginated to refreshed up the car, check the car seats, throw away empty soda cans and fast-food cups, and to clean out your purse.  Luckily for me, I haven't been carrying a purse for a while.  My purse is my diaper bag (or vice versa).

Here are some tricks I have done (very inconsistantly):

• Between the front two seats, using the hand rests, I have placed a Wal-mart/target bag to collect trash (Target bags are the best, they are thick!)
• Throw away loose trash every time I fill up with gas
• When going into a store or a building, throw some trash away

But right now I have in my car:

• Some of McCoy's dirty clothes
• at least two pairs of shoes (Mac)
• TOYS!  Too many toys!  My kid doesn't even need a toy while riding in the car.
• two cups from the KU Football game Whit and I went to in like November....
• Valentine's day candy
• receipts, receipts, receipts
• a wintery coat
• bed sheets
• baby wipes... lots
• notebooks
• binders
• paperwork
• programs from various piano stuff
• water bottles 

It's just plain pitted out.  I need to invest an afternoon and get it cleaned!  So, this month is dedicated to cleaning out my car and KEEPING IT THAT WAY!  And no, I'm not going to wait until March 31 to clean it out.  I'm going to do it soon.  Check back as I hope to have before and after pictures of The Pit.

HotSpots

I have FlyLady to thank again for this term.  HotSpots are places that collect crap.  No matter how much you clean, it's always dirty.  Unfortunately for me, I have like twenty.  I'm going to try and list them here.

• Kitchen counters
• Snack bar
• Kitchen table
• Couches
• Stairs
• Rocking chair in my bedroom
• Dresser
• Piano bench and top of the piano

That's a lot of HotSpots.  I will need to get rid of all the clutter first so that I can concentrate on keeping them clean and clear for the month of January (and hopefully the whole year-- if the plan works.)  And because I don't work well under pressure, I'm going to chose two HotSpots a day to clean them up.  It's really important that once they are clean, they stay clean.  Perhaps, I should start with the one that is less likely to continue being dirty-- like the stairs.  My worse area is the kitchen counters, snack bar and kitchen table.  Those things just can't stay clean.  Well, I'm sure with intention, they could stay clean. 

Again, another list-- call me the List-Making-Queen!!  (And apparently I'm also the queen of the ----- dash.)

Jan. 1-- Kitchen table and couches

Jan. 2-- Kitchen counters and rocking chair

Jan. 3-- Dresser and stairs

Jan, 4-- Piano area and snack bar

I'll tell you what, I'll cross them off when I complete it.  And just for some accountability, I'll also put the REAL date next to it. Haha!

And as I type this post, McCoy is taking ALL the paper out of the recycling bin.  Yup.

Food Waste Wednesday

This was another bad week.  I am ashamed to say that we just don’t eat leftovers.  I know I should, but I don’t want them again for lunch—most of the time.  Sometimes when Dad or Mom cooks a great meal, I love eating it over and over again.  But normally, when I cook, eh, it’s just okay.  So here is what was wasted this week:

• heavy whipping cream
• 5 cup salad (sorry, Mom!)
• Homemade chicken noodle soup
• Graduate meals (two)
• Chicken and Noodles
• Leftovers from Luigi’s
• Half a Dr. Pepper (sigh, Whit)
• milk
• pie
• half a can of dog food

 

Yup, I suck.

The Projects

It seems that I always try and do something while on summer holiday.  I love the fact that I can devote 8 weeks to something for me.  Of course, I realize how much harder it is with a baby, but nonetheless, I have chosen a project to devote my summer to.  My devotion: cleaning my house.  Yes, that's right... cleaning my house.  I'm not just talking about the occasional pick up the toys, papers and trash... I mean, clean.  To do this, I sought the advice of the FlyLady, which I've blogged about previously.

Her program is very simple, although it is very confusing at the beginning.  I have taken things from her program and adapted them to my own lifestyle.  For example, I have more staminia then just 15 minutes a day, so I decided to tackle two rooms at 15 minutes a day.  Sounds like nothing, right?  But each day, it adds up... quickly.  And I don't feel like I have wasted my whole day cleaning.

My favorite love/hate room is the kitchen.  It just seems like crap collects and NEVER leaves this room.  When I started the program, we were in Zone 2: the Kitchen.  When I read this, I was relieved.  Perfect.  I can tackle my monster right away.  But of course, it still needs work.  Just because each week is spent focusing on a different zone, you still have to keep it up!  Here is the plan-- de-clutter (aka clean) for 15 minutes, then do Kelly's mission of the day.  Last week in the kitchen was: Monday-- wipe the tops of the cabinets, and clean the top of the fridge (YUCK!!), Tuesday-- wipe all the fronts of the cabinet doors,  Wednesday-- clean out the fridge and throw away expired and leftover foods (ahem, yucky!), Thursday-- SCRUB the countertops (including what's underneath them, aka the toaster, the breadbox, etc), and Friday-- sweep and mop the kitchen floor.  My kitchen looks IMMACULATE!  (well, I didn't do the snack bar, but hey, 15 minutes a day can't get you everywhere!!!)

I feel a sense of pride having stuck with her plan for the week.  I did it!  And even Whit noticed, which is saying a lot.  This week we are in Zone 3-- Bathrooms and One Extra Bedroom (I'm doing McCoy's room and dun, dun, dun.... the Craft Room).  I'm hoping that Whit will notice and be uber excited for me!

I'm also using Cozi to help me CROSS it off!  My life is all about cleaning right now... so you better put that plate in the dishwasher folks!!!

I Think I'm In Love

I think I'm in love. With FlyLady.net. Yes, it's a cyber-person. I am in love with someone I've never met, never seen, and never talked to. But she/he is my hero.

This is right up my alley. Lists upon lists, schedules upon schedules, and cleaning to perfection to the nth degree. This is my new cleaning life. I just hope that I'm this hyped up about FlyLady in about... two weeks. So far, I've done everything I'm supposed to do (according to who??) for the first three days.

I've:

Shined my sink (even used an old toothbrush to clean around the faucets!)
Got dressed to my shoes (even though I did this before I met her)
Laid out my clothes for the next day
Did my before bedtime routine (this includes, laying out the clothes, brushing my teeth, shining my sink, and getting McCoy's bags ready for the next day)
Did my morning routine (this includes-- putting washed dishes away, getting dressed to the shoes, shower and clean the bathroom while you're in there)

Wow. This doesn't even sound like a whole lot, but as my best friend- FlyLady always says, "Baby steps! Baby steps!" I love her. She is the greatest.

I will be going to bed soon. Of course, after I finish my "before bedtime routine". Tonight, I'm throwing in a Hot Spot Cleanse (only 2 minutes! That's it!) I'm going to like this... especially if I can keep it up.

Go Tenessa! It's your birthday! You Rock! Go Tenessa! (doing the arm circle movement with fists clenched tightly... you know the one I'm talking about!!)

Poof! Probably in like twenty years I'll have a clean house (at this rate!!!)

Every Second Counts, Every Minute Matters, Every Hour is Important

This is NO WAY, shape or form against what my mother and I talked about when I got home from Rezound tonight. I promise, Momma. I'm not mad or sad or angry about our conversation-- it just made me think about time.

Time is so funny. I have been accused before (not just by my mommy) that I spend my time in an un-prioritized way. So, I want to prove to myself that I actually do more than just play on the computer, blog, take pictures, watch tv or eat. I want to prove to myself that I'm doing what I say I'm doing. Every second counts, every minute matters, every hour is important. How can I say that I don't have time  to do something that is necessary for my family or the up-keep of my household.  I don't have time to do the dishes; I don't have time to clean the floors; I don't have time  to mop the kitchen floor; I don't have time to run to the bank, or fold the laundry or, or, or.  The list will go on.

I have done this assignment before.  I did it once for a class (now I can't remember which one).  I know that Dr. Johnson was our teacher and for one week, we were to record EVERYTHING we did.  This was to prove that people say they too busy to get stuff done and they don't have time for anything.  This was to prove that they have the same 24 hours as the rest of us.  So, maybe it's time that I re-visit this little assignment.  I will get myself a little notebook (don't worry, Whit, I will use one I already have.  There is no need to buy a fresh one, although I'd like to!) and I will record what I'm doing for every 15 minutes of a week (let's try for the rest of the work week-- maybe I can remember what I did today, but we'll just start tonight). This is to prove what?  That I really am busy?  Or that I really don't have the time to the necessary stuff I need to?  Or to prove to myself that I need to re-visit the way I spend my time?  I think we shall find out!

(Just a little side note-- don't you think it's funny that I'm excited about giving myself a homework assignment?  I think someone  is ready to go back to schhoooooooolllll!!!) :)

Now, should I post every night?  Or wait until next week and post the entire thing?  Let's try every night... I think that will hold me more accountable.

Again, I want to stress that my mom loves me and that she is not scolding or yelling at me about time... I love my mother and I think she knows exactly what I need, when I need it.  Thank you, Mother!

Almost April

April's "Be a Better Me" is all about teaching. It's appropriate because it's almost the end of the year. About this time of the year, I begin to keep my eye on the prize-- summertime. But that's really not the prize. The real prize is the amount of growth each student has made since the beginning of the year. In music class, it's about instilling the love and appreciation for the art and understanding how it relates to their lives. The prize is about the students-- not about me. So April is dedicated to becoming a better teacher.

Here is a list of things I need to do in order to improve my teaching (of course, this list is predominantly endless, every teacher can improve on their teaching-- this is just a simple "rough draft"):
1. organize better (CLEAN THAT DESK!)
2. plan (find a better lesson plan layout and implement next year!)
3. communication skills (including parents.... scary!!)
4. hold students accountable
5. use active learning (well, duh! This is quite easy in music class)
6. get kids motivated (band and choir could use some attention in this area-- the little kiddos, not so much!)
7. take courses to better my understanding (planning on taking Orff Level II this summer at Baker for graduate credit!)

I was going to try and make a list of ten, but I can't think of more. I'll list more as I think of them.

My first number to tackle is of course, number 1! I need to clean! I took mom's little handheld vacuum cleaner to school so I can clean out all the instruments. They are so dusty! They should call my room the Dust Bowl! I already took them all off the top of the shelf and windex'ed that nice and clean. I'm just working on the insides of the shelves. I want to get it nice and organized while I'm cleaning. The Sopranos on the top, altos in the middles shelves and of course, the basses on the bottom. This will make it easier to teach different sizes. I also need to COMPLETELY strip aways EVERYTHING on my desk, and basically start new. There are so many dust bunnies on my desk, it's making me sneeze! Piles and piles of papers and things that DON'T BELONG there! Becoming more organized and clean is one of the first steps!

I will try and take before and after pictures so you can see the progress (and by you, I mean cyber world... since I have no idea who actually reads this blog!).

Planning-- it takes time, and I feel like I'm out of the loop since I missed October, November and December. I have already done better with lesson plans and actually following them. Sometimes I mess up and decide I don't want to do a certain activity with a grade level, but for the most part I will plan better.

I have the best job in the world! I work with teachers who care, students who are respectable and accountable and a building that has technology that is out of this world. I will improve!





****These are pictures that I took at the beginning of the school year. They should not be considered when looking at before and after photos.****

Whit and I Have a Date!

Tomorrow.

A lovely phone call from "BOE FT.LVN" (according to my cell phone)

An awesome text from KCTV 5.

We are out of school tomorrow due to "inclement weather."

YEA! A snow day!

Oh great. That's right. I told Whit if we didn't have school tomorrow, we would clean the house... top to bottom.

Okay, bring it on! I'm ready!

Here's what we/I plan on doing tomorrow:

**General Cleaning**
1. start/finish the laundry
2. pack up the decorations on the mantel (I'm not going to say WHAT the decorations are of... I'll leave that up to your imagination.)
3. vacuum stairs
4. sweep/mop entry ways
5. take down wreath from the window above the stairs

**Living Room**
1. piano area
2. pick up
3. dust
4. vacuum living room and hallways
5. organize bookshelf
6. hallway bathroom
a. shower/tub
b. toilet
c. sweep/mop
d. counters
e. mirror
f. under the sink
g. McCoy's tub
h. trash

**Master Bedroom**
1. put clothes away
2. clean the dresser
3. clean the closet
4. vacuum
5. bathroom
a. shower
b. toilet
c. sweep/mop
d. counters
e. mirror
f. under the sink
h. trash

**Kitchen**
1. dishes
2. clean off table
3. sweep/mop
4. clean off counters
5. put away Christmas/winter dishes
6. go through magazines
7. put recycling downstairs
8. water plants
9. replace light bulbs

**McCoy's Room**
1. put clothes away
2. clean out crib
3. sort out closet/clothes
4. dust
5. vacuum

**Basement**
1. empty boxes from office
2. put some school stuff in the trunk of my car (to take to school)
3. dust
4. put up mattress (eh, maybe...)
5. vacuum
6. pick up
7. trash (laundry room trash and recycling)

**Craft Room**
1. pick up... (we may run out of time... this is a HUGE undertaking!)
2. vacuum
3. organize craft supplies

Fascination with Organization

I talk the talk, but I don't walk the walk.

I have been uptight about "everything in its place" for years. I get married, and BAM! I loose my focus. Maybe making the journey to couple has made me less worried and stressed out about the little things in life-- maybe I'm looking at the big picture more. I can't keep anything organized!

I want to call one of those shows on TLC or HGTV and have them re-do my life, make it organized again. I feel like the most un-organized places in my house are the kitchen, bathrooms, the piano and my bedroom (closet and dressers). I get this urge every once and awhile to reorganize, and then for about a month, it's wonderful! But then something doesn't get put back in its place and havoc.

Wanting to be organized doesn't mean every little thing has to be. I already do a pretty good job in McCoy's room. My diapers are all lined up in his drawers, most of his clothes are neatly hung up or in drawers, and I'm keeping a running plastic tote of clothes he's already outgrown. Underneath the stairs, in the basement, we put some shelves up to help with the "large appliances" that take up too much room in our kitchen. These are ones we don't use very often-- the bread machine, the Fry Daddy, the coffee maker, large cake and bundt pans, etc. So, that is very organized right now. I also have a very organized system for paying bills. It's very easy to follow payments and it works well for me. I'm also very organized about getting McCoy's bottles ready and having a good system for that. Other areas of the house and my life are also very organized. So, I'm not completely unorganized.


I wish this was my closet!!

I sometimes just look around and say, "gosh, that looks like crap!" I guess that's what keeps me motivated. But when is enough, enough? I don't want to spend my entire life re-organizing something just because it wasn't kept nicely. So, once its clean, it must stay that way. Then I'll be on the road to success-- and less organizing. Maybe I'll put that on my list to do next year! Or maybe that falls under the cateogory of being a better wife/ or mother?? If it does, I'm not going to be able to get that done in ten days! Maybe I'll wait until "Be a Better Mother".

Tis the Season to... ORGANIZE!

Okay, Christmas Day is nearly over (that's another blog on it's own-- later, later). It's time to make a plan. Let's organize!

Today, I was "tied up" (pumping) and looking through a magazine. The cover says, "Get Organized! 50+ ways to --Pare Down, Cut Clutter, Store More" etc, etc, etc. Okay, this is it. This is the kick in the butt I need. So I started reading like a motivated little Tenessa does. Well, it seems now-a-days, you must read a magazine near a computer. They are FULL of web addresses that show awesome sites. These sites are wonderfully helpful. And one must visit them all, of course. So, what used to take about an hour of reading/browsing through a magazine, now takes days! :)

Here is a website that has inspired me at the 8th hour in the night: Perfect Box Instructions. Now I'm sure you are wondering what I'm going to do with "perfect sized boxes". Well, I don't know. BUT! I can do so much! I was thinking for starters, I would organize my junk drawer. I need to clean it out and keep only what I need in there (who needs 50 gazillion magnets anyhow?) and make little dividers. I also want to make boxes for McCoy's socks, slippers and shoes for his hanging basket holder in his closet. And maybe my own socks. I won't be getting that fancy stuff though, I'm thinking cardboard will do and some strong glue-- maybe rubber cement or duco cement? We'll try it out and see what works. I have gobs of fabric that isn't being used. What better way to use my fun fabric?

Okay, sometimes my ambition is larger than life, but hey, we can always set goals. It's what keeps me entertained!

New's Years Resoltions. Coming soon!

Saturday.... aww...

Well, here it is. Saturday, at 8:30. No where to be, nothing on my to-do list, no one asking me to go here or there, or finish this or that. I am relaxing.

YEA RIGHT!

I can't do that! Not even if I tried. I have all day to sleep in and what time did I get up? 8:00! That's not sleeping in! What happened to the good ol' days of sleeping in until 11 or 12? I'll tell you where they went. They went away about 5 years ago. But that's alright. I know my body is preparing for something better. I'm going to need to function on minimal sleep and honestly, I think I can do it! For the last two months, I have been getting up at 5:30 a.m. and running errands/work/stuff that needs to be done until bedtime around 10:30 or 11:00 p.m. And that is while I'm getting nice and fat with a squirming baby boy who only wants to play all day (in my belly, that is).

So for today-- my first day of nothing-ness in a while, I think I'll make this following to do list:

1. put out the rest of the fall decorations
2. fix my iPod stuff
3. go to Michael's and get that pumpkin light up thing for Whit
4. do the laundry (baby laundry, that is. Who cares aobut mine and Whits?!)
5. tidy up the kitchen
6. pay the bills
7. catch up on Multi-Piano
8. paint the baby's shelves (green??)
9. gather up Rezound polos and clothes
10. relax!

I had to get to 10. You know a list is not complete wihtout at least 10 things on there. Let's see how much I actually do. And if I don't do it, oh well! Because this is a Saturday that I don't have to do ANYTHING!!

Spaetzle, Ham and Mushrooms & Balsamic Chicken Breasts

Tomorrow's dinner plan--

"For a mouth watering casserole, combine cooked Spaetzle with sauteed quartered mushrooms, onions, and diced ham in a baking dish. Top with bread rumbs moisentened in melted butter. Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes."

Cleaning out my pantry and found only three things to throw away. Not bad. I have bread crumbs that will officially expire in December 2009, but this recipe calls for bread crumbs. How perfect can that get! I have canned mushrooms, but I think I might stop by the grocery store tomorrow afternoon and pick up some fresh. I know fresh mushrooms taste better than canned.

Whit gave tonight's dinner 4 out of 5 stars... Balsmic chicken with rice and garden fresh green beans. I will update this post with the recipe that I got out of HEALTHY COOKING magazine by Taste of Home. I cooked healthy! :)

balsamic chicken breats
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 oz. each)
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, pepper and salt. Add chicken, one piece at a time, and shake to coat.
2. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken in oil over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.
3. In the same pan, cook onion until tender. Add water, stirring to loosen browned bits. Ad the vinegar, thyme and rosemary; cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until sauce is slightly thickened. Serve with chicken.




My organized pantry: