Freezer Meals

Well, I just posted this picture on Facebook, and several people wanted me to share my recipes (that were already tested!).

Here is the list of Frozen Crock Pot Meals that I have made before:

• Salsa Chicken
• Mexican Soup (one of my favorites)
• Honey, I Fed the Kid Dump Meal  (this is not a crock pot meal, but a make ahead meal that you grill)
• Healthy BBQ Chicken For Crock Pot
• Italian Chicken for Crock Pot
• Slow Cooker Veggie Beef Soup with Okra (didn't like this one much, but still have a bag or two in the freezer.  So maybe I'll give it another shot).
• Vegetarian Chili (Okay, this one was not a Freeze Ahead kind of meal, but I made it then froze the rest of it for another meal).

So what I do is make two or three bags of each recipe for the freezer.  Most of the time, I just make it ahead, or sometimes I do the "make one for dinner and one for the freezer".  Those meals are a little different, but only because they do not use the crock pot.

For those "Make one for dinner and one for the freezer" meals, I have done:

• Pasta Crab Casserole
• Meatloaf
• Falfafel
• Meatballs (these do go in the crock pot, but I have to freeze them separately from the sauce).
• Low-Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach (this one is GOOD)
• Chicken Tetrazzini

Anyone not familiar with Pepperplate.com really should give it a try!  It is the best thing since sliced bread!  Since I do a lot of my menu planning/grocery-list-making on the computer, this is just great for me.  Plus, they have FREE apps for the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.  If your friends are on there, you can share recipes just by sending them to your friends and they show up in your recipe box.  Let me know if you use pepperplate and I can send you the recipes.  But I will just post the recipes here as well.

Salsa Chicken

CATEGORIES

 slow cooker, frozen meal

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INGREDIENTS

• • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 jar of your favorite salsa
  • 1 can black beans (drained)
  • 1 can corn (drained)

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INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 4-6 hours. Shred chicken with two forks just before serving. Serve with tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese.
  2. ~This meal can easily be frozen. Add all ingredients to a ziploc bag and freeze. To cook, place frozen ingredients in crock pot and cook low 6-8 hours. So simple
  3. Read more: http://www.kids-meal-ideas.com/crock-pot-freezer-meals.html#ixzz1ZGmtNvTX

Mexican Soup

CATEGORIES

 slow cooker, frozen meal

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INGREDIENTS

• • 1 can of chicken broth
  • 1 can of green beans
  • 1 can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 can corn
  • 1 can beans (any kind)
  • 3 chicken breasts (you can toss them in frozen)
  • 1 packet taco seasoning

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Throw into a gallon size freezer bag and toss in freezer.
2. When you want to cook it, throw it in, cook it on low until you can shred the chicken (6-7 hours).

• Honey, I Fed The Kids Chicken Meal (Dump Meal)

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  INGREDIENTS

  • • 2 chicken breasts
    • 1/2 cups apple juice
    • 1 teaspoons garlic
    • 2 TBS cup honey
    • Salt & Pepper to taste
    • make 4 bags worth

  ---

  INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Thaw.
  2. Remove chicken from marinade. Discard leftover marinade.
  3. Grill chicken breasts over medium heat until completely cooked, flipping once. Will need to cook about 7 minutes per side.

  Healthy BBQ Chicken For Crock Pot

  Frozen Meals for Crock Pot

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  INGREDIENTS

  • • (2) Green Peppers Cut into Slices split between 2 bags
    • (1) Red Pepper Cut into Slices-split between bags
    • (1) Zucchini Chopped and split between bags
    • (3) Onions Chopped and split between bags
    • (6) Red Potatoes Chopped and split between bags (you can also use Sweet Potatoes)
    • (4) Garlic Cloves Chopped & Split Between bags
    • (4) Chicken Breasts Split between bags (I cut each breast in half again)
    • (1/2) TBSP Quick Cooking Tapioca per bag
    • (1) 15 oz can of Tomato Sauce Split Between bags
    • (1) TBSP of Brown Sugar per bag
    • (1) TBSP Worcestershire per bag
    • (1) TBSP Mustard per Bag
    • (1/4) tsp Salt per bag

  ---

  INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours. Serve over Rice or Egg Noodles.

  • Italian Chicken in The Crock Pot

    Crock Pot

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    INGREDIENTS

    • • 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
      • 16 Ounce Bottle of Italian Dressing (I used non fat)
      • 1/2 Cup of Parmesan Cheese
      • 1 packet Italian Seasoning
      • 4 to 6 Potatoes scrubbed cut in half or wedges (you can peel if desired)
      • 1/2 bag of mini carrots

    ---

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Spray crock with Pam
    2. Squirt a small amount of Italian dressing at bottom of crock-pot.
    3. Place two chicken breasts in crock.
    4. Pour some of the Italian dressing on the chicken.
    5. Sprinkle half of cheese onto the chicken.
    6. Sprinkle Italian seasoning onto the chicken.
    7. Place next two chicken breasts into crock-pot, if possible not directly on top of the first breasts.
    8. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of chicken.
    9. Pour carrots on top
    10. Pour more of the Italian dressing on top of chicken and carrots.
    11. Sprinkle Italian seasoning onto the chicken and carrots.
    12. Place potatoes on top.
    13. Pour the remaining Italian dressing on the potatoes.Sprinkle Italian seasoning on the potatoes.Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

    
    

    
    

    ALLRECIPES.COM
    

    Slow Cooker Veggie-Beef Soup with Okra

    YIELD

     4 servings

    ACTIVE TIME

     20 Min

    TOTAL TIME

     4 Hrs 20 Min

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    INGREDIENTS

    • • 1 pound ground beef
      • 1/4 cup onion, chopped
      • 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
      • 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian diced tomatoes, drained
      • 1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
      • 1 cup sliced fresh or frozen okra
      • 2 potatoes, peeled and chopped
      • 1 tablespoon ketchup
      • salt and pepper to taste

    ---

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef and onion until beef is evenly brown and onion is tender. Drain grease.
    2. In a slow cooker, mix the beef and onion, diced tomatoes, Italian diced tomatoes, vegetables, okra, potatoes, ketchup, salt, and pepper. Pour in enough water to cover.
    3. Cover slow cooker, and cook 4 hours on Low.

    
    

    Vegetarian Chili

    CATEGORIES

     vegetarian

    ---

    INGREDIENTS

    • • 1 (11 ounce) can condensed black bean soup (or canned black beans in juice)
      • 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans , drained and rinsed
      • 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans , drained and rinsed (sometimes I use lentils)
      • 1 (16 ounce) can vegetarian baked beans
      • 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chopped tomato puree (I use large 29 oz. can crushed tomatoes)
      • 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn , drained
      • 1 onion , chopped
      • 1 green bell pepper , chopped
      • 2 zucchini , chopped
      • 2 stalks celery , chopped
      • 2 garlic cloves , chopped
      • 1 (4 ounce) can diced chilies
      • 1 to 2 jalapeno , chopped (depending on how much heat you want)
      • 1 tablespoon chili powder
      • 2 teaspoons cumin
      • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
      • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
      • 1 tablespoon dried basil
      • 1 tablespoon cilantro (optional)
      • Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/grannys-slow-cooker-vegetarian-chili-51140#ixzz1k1SsF8mM

    ---

    INSTRUCTIONS

    1. In a saucepan, saute the onion, bell pepper, zucchini, and celery for about 5 minutes.
    2. In a slow cooker, combine black bean soup, kidney beans, garbanzo beans, baked beans, tomatoes, corn, onion, bell pepper, zucchini, jalapeno, chilies, and celery.
    3. Season with garlic, chili powder, cumin, parsley, oregano, basil (and cilantro if using).
    4. Cook for about 6 hours on low.
    5. Serve with tortillas, cornbread, rice, or French bread.
    6. Enjoy!
    7. This freezes well!
    8. Leftovers are good on top of nachos!
    9. Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/grannys-slow-cooker-vegetarian-chili-51140#ixzz1k1Sz72At

    
    

    Let me know if you try any of these and what you think!  I also tend to add several veggies that I have on-hand... so sometimes I alter the recipe.  

    
    

    Seriously, I made those six meals in about an hour and a half.... Easy!

Holiday De-Briefing (the attempt to making Christmas a little more organized for 2012)

Organized Christmas

1. What worked this Holiday season?  I think having the three Christmases (one on Christmas Eve, one at Mom’s house and then one at our house for the Martins) worked well.  Although next year, Christmas Eve will be on Monday night and we might not be able to make church... it worked well this year because it fell on a Saturday.

2. What was the worst aspect of preparing for the holiday?  Can you avoid it this year?  I think I had too many places to write down the presents that we purchased.  I had an app on my phone and I made a cool notebook (that I didn't end up using much).  I need to stick to one place to write things down (probably my phone would work better than a notebook, because I always have my phone with me.)

3. Were you satisfied with your family’s level of giving?  How can next year more closely reflect your family values?  I need to stick to a budget.  Spell it out in plain and simple words!  And then stick to it!  I did it the year before, but because I spent most of the year buying presents, I didn’t use cash the whole time.  I also spent a lot of money online this year (which was EXCELLENT!)  Maybe I can get out a third of the total money to be spent out in January, a third in May and the rest in November... that might work. Maybe make more homemade gifts??

4. How well did your household function this year?  Were you calm and cozy or stressed out?  What improvements can be made for next year?  I think I was pretty calm and cozy!

5. Honesty time: Did you enjoy your holiday?  Yes!  Having McCoy excited about Christmas was worth all of the hype!  I love it that he is excited and loves the holidays!  Opening presents was fun and made it much more merrier!

Name Change

I was in need of a name change. My blog has been called "Tenessa" ever since I started it and it sucks.  It's so boring.

So I thought about my life.  I strive for Harmony.  I strive to create peace within my family and friends.  I'm a peacemaker by nature-- always the first to say I'm sorry and always initiating re-kindling friendships.  I live in harmony most of the time.

But enter McCoy.  And music.  And work.  And family.  And mama chores.  And messy houses.  And laundry.  And Rezound.  And my go-to attitude.  My always-wanting-to-be-in-the-middle, never-wanting-to-miss-out attitude and you get Jumbled.  My life was once organized, but is now jumbled.  I strive for perfection, but I only get jumbled, dissonant chords.  It's okay, though, because I've accepted the fact that I don't live a perfect life.  No one does.  And no one will ever be able to.

I know that I live in chaos and I will do what I can do make it harmonious.  

It's Jumbled Harmony.

I'm A Little Behind

Most of the time, I look around and think to myself, "Wow, you really need to step it up!  You have lost the skill of _____ (fill in the blank)."  Things I've lost:
- taking pictures
- making food
- caring for my house
- organizing in bills/money and at school
- health watch
- posting pictures and/or blog posts
- staying in touch
- making a list and sticking to it

Now, I know what you are thinking, "Give yourself some credit."  Well, I'm about to cut the bull crap and get back on track.

Today for breakfast, I drank a protein shake.  Super easy to make, and if I ever get a half gallon of milk at school, there will be no reason I can't make one every day.  I'm trying to skip lunch (but I had about four Reese's Peanut Butter Cups....).  No lunch.  And no more candy for the rest of the day!

I made a list.  I'm trying to get to it... after I blog! :)

I haven't posted pictures on Facebook in a while, except for those random Mobile Pictures I sent every-other-day.  I'm posting them now.

I am going to budget and make a menu plan for next week.  And I'm going to try my hand at Freezer Crock Pot Meals.  I'm going to.  I have to if I want to make dinner, (which I haven't in about, oh, five weeks).

Here.

And that was just from about three weeks' worth of pictures.  I want to take time to take more.  And I will.

Guess What I'm Doing?!

I'm making my Christmas list of presents that I want to give, give, give!!!

I plan on having EVERYTHING wrapped and ready to go by November.

I plan on having EVERYTHING bought/made/planned by July!

Why, might you ask?  Because I'm tired of having my life be this unorganized mess.  I used to be so organized and faithful with all my "stuff".  Today, I'm more like a zombie, running around thinking I have better excuses than the Mom next door.  Well, I don't.  I have to buck up, shut up, and change my ways.  

My new phone has amazing capabilities!  I love it so much!  And I hope it makes my life much easier.  One thing I downloaded was an application for Christmas list shopping.  This will keep a list of everything I've already bought (a bunch of stuff from the after-Christmas sales).  I also put in there a couple of things I plan on making for the kids (Whit's side of the family).  A good friend of mine was pregnant at the same time I was and since her due date was so close to Christmas, she decided to have everything done by July in order to concentrate on the new baby.  I thought that it was such a great idea!  I don't have to have the excuse of having a kid in order to have Christmas done by July.  So, I thought, why not!? 

I'm pretty sure that I will see something in a store and go, "Ooh, ooh, ooh!  Whit would love that!"  or "McCoy needs new shoes!" but for the most part, I'm hoping to be done this summer.  I will have all summer to plan, plan, plan and of course, shop, shop, shop!  

So if I usually buy a gift for you, would you please send me your Christmas lists? ;)

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...

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.

The Menu

Several people have been posting on my Facebook status's or links about my menu planning.  So I thought I would blog about it.

In attempt to focus on Budgets and Bills this month (February), I have made myself a very strict rule.  I will make a menu plan.  I will stick with it.  I will shop for ONLY those items that I need for my menu plan.  There will be NO impulse shopping.  I will NOT throw things into the cart because they look delicious or I can't live with it.  

I have been making a menu plan for about 2 months now.  At first, I took very small steps-- what are we going to eat for the rest of this week?  I wrote it down on our calendar on the fridge.  Then I went out and bought the stuff I needed.  It worked!  We kept with it.  I think one of the reasons the first couple of weeks worked for us, I scheduled in a day to eat out.  We were in the habit of eating out two or three times a week-- when I didn't feel like cooking or was at a loss for what to cook.  So, without quitting that "cold turkey", I wrote it down-- we would have a "date night" once a week, usually on Fridays.  There were a couple of times that we change our date night to Tuesday or Thursday instead but that wasn't a big deal.

This past week, I decided to take another step.  Instead of menu planning for the week, I was going to plan for the two weeks and have only one shopping trip.  When I made my menu plan, I put in there the days that I knew we weren't going to be having dinner (Sunday dinners at my parents' house, etc). and then went shopping.  Since I have only been doing this menu planning/shopping plan for a couple of months, I have no idea what I spend a week on groceries.  So, I just started somewhere.  Okay, $50.00 a week-- let's try that.  So, for two weeks, that would be $100.00.  So, I went to the store this weekend, and came home with $117.00 worth of groceries.  Not bad!  I bought a few things that weren't on my list.  Some ready-to-eat meals (like Chicken Viola) and some extra hamburger and chicken (both on sale!).  So, the money wasn't spent on candy or ice cream or something else that didn't hold some nutritional value or wasn't on the menu plan.

I had 3 snow days last week.  During those snow days that I was supposedly "snowed in", I made an inventory list of all of my groceries.  Pretty much everything that is edible in our house.  I made lists on the computer (using Cozi) and separated it into different pantry lists.  I have the "Pantry Inventory", "Baking Inventory", "Fridge Inventory" and the "Freezer Inventory".  I used the Cozi website and re-titled the Shopping Lists to fit my needs.  So, from there I used subtitles (if anyone is interested, you need to type your subtitle, for example-- CANNED GOODS, all in caps, and it will create a subtitle).  

There are some awesome pros to this website and system I've created.  For starters, I know exactly what I have in my cupboards!  I even went to the extreme with the product information.  For example, one of my entries looks like this:

         tomato paste-- 4 (6 oz.) cans

The reason I wrote that information is to help me in my menu planning.  Which  brings me to my next fabulous pro about this system.  I can access this information from ANYWHERE!  And when I say, ANYWHERE, I mean A-N-Y-W-H-E-R-E!!  I can access it from my home computer (which is where I do all my cooking, duh!), I can access it from my school computer (which is where I do a lot of my menu browsing and planning), I can access it from my parents' house (which is where I do a lot of "stealing" of ingredients!) or best of all, my cell phone (which is where I look when I shop!).  Now I don't have to call Whit and ask him how many cans of Cream of Mushroom soup I have in the pantry.  Now I don't have to wait to get home to make my shopping list.

Okay, so I know there is that one horrible thing though-- keeping it updated.  I know, it will be hard to remember to take off a can of fruit cocktail after we eat, or to say that the ranch dressing is almost gone.  But if I keep up with the menu planning, I will be able to know what I have on hand and what I don't.  Even if I don't keep it 100% updated, at least I will have a starting point.

I also want to try and post what my menu will be for the two-weeks (as you see I have another page for it on my blog.).  This way, I can also access the blog from anywhere (phone, school, home) and now exactly what I'm planning on cooking.

You know me, I love organization.  And this just seems to fit me.  Stayed tuned for my Home Organizational Notebook.  I've been working on that for a couple of weeks.

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.

Food Waste Wednesday

I'm proud to say, nothing was wasted this week.  At least I didn't throw anything away.  I'm sure there are many leftovers that are past their prime, but this week-- nothing.  :)

This Week's Focus Nov. 22-27

In attempt to become more organized, here is this week's focus: 


November 22-27
- write a meaningful blog post. :)
- pack up Halloween decorations
- decorate and clean my kitchen table
- sweep and mop the kitchen and dining room
- DISINFECT the trash cans (especially the diaper pail!  YUCK!!!)  I read here about putting coffee grounds in the bottom of the pail that absorb the odor and makes it smell like Starbucks!  Yes, please!  I went to the store last week and got a can of the DARKEST roast I could find. :)  :::::::crossing fingers:::::::::
- prepare a Christmas wish list for McCoy and me
- bake my pies
- family fun day on Wednesday
- game night/movie night at MeMa's on Wednesday night
- Christmas cards and pictures
- Christmas tree up???
- put baby clothes in the attic?

Big 'to-do' list this week, but we'll see how much actually gets done.  I think I'll go back and cross off the things I actually did last time I wrote a blog about this.

And because no blog is complete without a photo, here is a cute one:

Food Waste Wednesday

Okay, this week wasn't much better.  Maybe it is because I'm cleaning out my pantry (last week, it was the fridge-- next week, the freezer).  I have had some canned food in there that expired in 2008!!  Yea, that means I moved it from the old house to the new one... and it might have even been expired then.  Hopefully after this next week, it should be normal-- as in, no food waste at all.

**If you are a starving child in Africa, I sincerely apologize for my lack of concern for others in this food waste.  I'm really trying to be better.

Food Waste Wednesday-- Week 2

This week we wasted: 

-several cans of soup, vegetables, tomatoes, pizza sauce

-corn chowder dry mix (had no date on it, but I KNOW I've had it since the old house)

-about three pieces of broken lasagna noodles

-half a box of pancake mix 

Okay, bad, I know.  But it will get better??

This Week's Focus

I'm going to start something new.  Every Monday I will be typing a list of things that I want to focus on during the week.  This can be like a "to-do" list for the entire week.  I also want to start doing Food Waste Friday.  So check back on Friday for a *nasty* picture of my food waste-- and read more about 


November 8-14


In the area of cleanliness:

• Clean the kitchen
• Clean and decorate the kitchen table
• Clean my night stand area
• Finish up laundry
• Put away laundry

In the area of work:

• Make a backdrop for the 3rd grade program
• Go to the store for miscellaneous items
• Make soup for Friday's PLC

In the area taking care of the family (ie wifely duties):

• Pay the bills
• Go to the bank (to deposit the daycare check)
• Drop off my car at the Honda place
• Go Christmas Shopping
• Make a cake for Whit's birthday (on Tuesday)
• Wrap his presents

So there you have it.  Check back to see if any (hopefully all) is accomplished! 

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!!!)

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