Yesterday, I baked several dozen snickerdoodles for book club. What I didn't mention is that I left them in the oven too long, and they came out crunchy. I like my cookies soft. I could have easily dumped them, run to the store, and bought something to serve my guests.
But that offends my sensibility. Instead? I put all the cookies into a large plastic bowl with a lid, along with three slices of bread. By evening, several of them had softened up. The leftovers that I took to a potluck lunch? Beautifully soft.
Friday, August 31, 2007
Book Club
I'm fortunate to live in a town with an excellent public library. Not only do they have 100's of board books you can check out for the children, but they have thousands of films, in DVD and VHS formats, both entertaining and educational.
My favorite feature of our public library is a Book Club program. The requirements? Be a cardholder in good standing who is part of a community book club. The perks? You can check out fifteen copies of a book for six weeks' time. They have many sets to choose from, all of which are wonderful books, many award-winners, both fiction and nonfiction. There are even a few plays and sets of poetry.
Last night, we held our first discussion, and it was a success! We had eight lovely women come, who enjoyed snickerdoodles and discussion. Nothing fancy, just a clean house and a book to talk about. The snack, of course, was less of a requirement and more for my own personal delight, as I love to bake.
This will be a monthly occasion I'm definitely looking forward to! An entertaining evening that was very economical thanks to this library program.
My favorite feature of our public library is a Book Club program. The requirements? Be a cardholder in good standing who is part of a community book club. The perks? You can check out fifteen copies of a book for six weeks' time. They have many sets to choose from, all of which are wonderful books, many award-winners, both fiction and nonfiction. There are even a few plays and sets of poetry.
Last night, we held our first discussion, and it was a success! We had eight lovely women come, who enjoyed snickerdoodles and discussion. Nothing fancy, just a clean house and a book to talk about. The snack, of course, was less of a requirement and more for my own personal delight, as I love to bake.
This will be a monthly occasion I'm definitely looking forward to! An entertaining evening that was very economical thanks to this library program.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
$37,000 List
The $37,000 list is a concept I learned from reading the biography of Mary Kay Ash (founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics). The principle is that every day you make a list of the six most important things to do, and then number them from most important to least important. Then, you do your best to accomplish them one at a time.
Today's list:
1) Find a baby-sitter and attend my meeting
2) Shower and get dressed, shoes and makeup
3) Clean the bathroom
4) Do the dishes
5) Arrange refreshments for book club tonight
6) Go to the library and pick up the next book club set
So far I've found a baby-sitter (the meeting is this afternoon) and I've cleaned the bathroom in preparation for the meeting tonight. The baby goes down for a nap in about 45 minutes, then I will shower and get dressed for the day. I'll also get started on those dishes! When he wakes up, we'll probably go outside to play, or perhaps for a walk. Today will be a good day.
My daily reward, if I finish all of my tasks and he's still napping (usually his second nap) then I take some time to read or to work on my latest craft project.
Today's list:
1) Find a baby-sitter and attend my meeting
2) Shower and get dressed, shoes and makeup
3) Clean the bathroom
4) Do the dishes
5) Arrange refreshments for book club tonight
6) Go to the library and pick up the next book club set
So far I've found a baby-sitter (the meeting is this afternoon) and I've cleaned the bathroom in preparation for the meeting tonight. The baby goes down for a nap in about 45 minutes, then I will shower and get dressed for the day. I'll also get started on those dishes! When he wakes up, we'll probably go outside to play, or perhaps for a walk. Today will be a good day.
My daily reward, if I finish all of my tasks and he's still napping (usually his second nap) then I take some time to read or to work on my latest craft project.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
A New Budget
I've always been lousy at budgeting. I even took a Personal & Family Finance course in college; it taught me how to create a budget, but I hated doing it. It never turned out even remotely close to what I planned.
The idea there was to estimate how much money would be coming in; then you allocate money to all the important things (bills, tithes, rent, etc.) and then allocate the rest of it to your other pre-determined categories. I did it for two months. Two months was the required length of time to get full credit on the assignment.
Instead, I've decided to handle things paycheck by paycheck. I'll write down how much comes in. Then, I'll subtract the givens. We have our given expenses divided into two categories; half of them are set up to automatically take place the first two weeks of the month, and the remainder we take care of the last weeks of the month. This will give me a good idea of what's left to play with.
I can vary our grocery bill quite a lot by paying attention to how much we have to work with. My hope is that I'll not only see exactly where money is going, but have a lot more control over it.
I'll let you know how it goes.
The idea there was to estimate how much money would be coming in; then you allocate money to all the important things (bills, tithes, rent, etc.) and then allocate the rest of it to your other pre-determined categories. I did it for two months. Two months was the required length of time to get full credit on the assignment.
Instead, I've decided to handle things paycheck by paycheck. I'll write down how much comes in. Then, I'll subtract the givens. We have our given expenses divided into two categories; half of them are set up to automatically take place the first two weeks of the month, and the remainder we take care of the last weeks of the month. This will give me a good idea of what's left to play with.
I can vary our grocery bill quite a lot by paying attention to how much we have to work with. My hope is that I'll not only see exactly where money is going, but have a lot more control over it.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Pasta Primavera
Here's a tasty and frugal recipe that was a real pleaser this weekend!
Pasta Primavera
2 ribs celery
2 carrots
1 small onion
5 ripe tomatoes
Chop and add vegetables to 2-qt saucepan. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the following:
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. After 5 minutes, add 1 Tbsp oil (olive or vegetable) and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until carrots are tender.
Toss with cooked pasta (I did betweeen 6 and 8 oz, which seemed a good amount to feed 4-6 people)
Delicious, and cheap!
Pasta Primavera
2 ribs celery
2 carrots
1 small onion
5 ripe tomatoes
Chop and add vegetables to 2-qt saucepan. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the following:
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. After 5 minutes, add 1 Tbsp oil (olive or vegetable) and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes or until carrots are tender.
Toss with cooked pasta (I did betweeen 6 and 8 oz, which seemed a good amount to feed 4-6 people)
Delicious, and cheap!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Simple Rules for Tidying
This morning, I went over to a friend's house when our husbands met up to carpool to work. I was amazed at her efficiency in whipping her house back into shape after hosting a couple for dinner last night, and then hosting a "chocolate fountain" party for the ladies of the neighborhood. In less than one hour, she managed to pacify her 6-month-old daughter and keep her happy, do all of her dishes, vacuumed, and tidied her entire house. It was left looking spotless, save the few toys on the floor that her daughter was enjoying. Her secret? Everything has a place!
Imagine: such a simple concept has a profound impact on her housekeeping. She can tidy her entire apartment in under 15 minutes, no matter how messy, because she can look at something and immediately know where it's supposed to go. Whenever something comes into her home, she does her best to immediately find a place for it. If there's nowhere for it to live, she either parts with it or parts with something else in it's place.
I'd like to implement this concept more thoroughly for my home, because at the moment it feels like I have piles of things that, instead of being put away, simply migrate from spot to spot. The goal for today, then, is to deal with the clutter on and surrounding my desk, finding a place for things. Anything that isn't important enough to have a place will be leaving today!
Imagine: such a simple concept has a profound impact on her housekeeping. She can tidy her entire apartment in under 15 minutes, no matter how messy, because she can look at something and immediately know where it's supposed to go. Whenever something comes into her home, she does her best to immediately find a place for it. If there's nowhere for it to live, she either parts with it or parts with something else in it's place.
I'd like to implement this concept more thoroughly for my home, because at the moment it feels like I have piles of things that, instead of being put away, simply migrate from spot to spot. The goal for today, then, is to deal with the clutter on and surrounding my desk, finding a place for things. Anything that isn't important enough to have a place will be leaving today!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
On improving the world around you
"Never suppress a generous thought." --Sister Camilla Kimball
I had a generous thought on Monday, and I'm so glad that I didn't just ignore it. The day seems so much brighter when I take the time to be kind to others.
I had a generous thought on Monday, and I'm so glad that I didn't just ignore it. The day seems so much brighter when I take the time to be kind to others.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Lesson Number 1
When I make a plan for dinner, I should double check the pantry to make sure I have all the ingredients I need.
Tonight, I was short 8 oz. of tomato sauce, and it really threw me for a loop. I was tired, the baby was fussy, the husband was tired, and I had no brain power left to suddenly make something completely different.
It turned out all right. We didn't go out to eat, despite the temptation. We ended up cutting up hot dogs, cooking them in about a cup of spaghetti sauce, and tossing it with whole wheat angel hair pasta served with fruit on the side. Not bad all in all, it was actually quite tasty, but I was so upset that I couldn't try out the recipe I had planned to make.
Obviously, the pantry needs some work. (And some restocking!)
Meal cost: less than $2.50
Tonight, I was short 8 oz. of tomato sauce, and it really threw me for a loop. I was tired, the baby was fussy, the husband was tired, and I had no brain power left to suddenly make something completely different.
It turned out all right. We didn't go out to eat, despite the temptation. We ended up cutting up hot dogs, cooking them in about a cup of spaghetti sauce, and tossing it with whole wheat angel hair pasta served with fruit on the side. Not bad all in all, it was actually quite tasty, but I was so upset that I couldn't try out the recipe I had planned to make.
Obviously, the pantry needs some work. (And some restocking!)
Meal cost: less than $2.50
I'll return here someday
In the meantime, I think I'll try to make my home a place where I feel as happy as I did on this hillside in Germany.
Too Much Drama!
There is, by far, too much drama in my world these days. Therefore in order to combat my desire to gossip, I have decided to put more energy into making this blog what I want it to be.
As we all know, blogs live or die based on their content and the devotion of their creators. My goals for this particular blog are to chronicle my attempts to become a better homemaker, to live within our limited college student budget, and to find joy in my life as it is. If it's not joyful, then I'd better find a way to put some joy in it!
As we all know, blogs live or die based on their content and the devotion of their creators. My goals for this particular blog are to chronicle my attempts to become a better homemaker, to live within our limited college student budget, and to find joy in my life as it is. If it's not joyful, then I'd better find a way to put some joy in it!
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