It's time to check in and report on my February goals. There were several of you at the beginning of the month that thought you'd enjoy doing something similar; if you did, I'd love for you to post about your own goals for this month and leave a link here in the comments.
February ended up being a pretty successful month in terms of getting things accomplished, although there were some things that weren't fully completed or that got put off until the last minute. This ended up being a really busy month at work, with a lot of traveling and evening commitments, which cut into the time I had to accomplish these things. My three classes also kept me really busy with assignments and some longer projects. Anyway, enough excuses...here's the progress:
put scrapbooking items up for sale
I've finally gotten rid of almost all my paper scrapbooking supplies. I do have one last kit left; if anyone is interested in purchasing it, the price is $25.00 (which includes shipping, via Priority Mail). Here's a photo, and there are more details listed in the photo album here:
I've finally gotten rid of almost all my paper scrapbooking supplies. I do have one last kit left; if anyone is interested in purchasing it, the price is $25.00 (which includes shipping, via Priority Mail). Here's a photo, and there are more details listed in the photo album here:
read 8 books from bookshelves
I'm continuing to make good progress here. Although I did purchase a couple of new books this month, the pile I have ready to take to McKay's Books in Nashville keeps getting bigger and bigger (plus I still have store credit there, so I'm excited about doing some swapping). There were several good reads on my list this month, but two really stood out above the rest:
The Book of Lost Things, John Connelly (5 stars)
Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, Kirsten Miller (5 stars)
It Takes a Worried Man, Brendan Halpin (4 stars)
The Reader, Bernard Schlink (4 stars)
Maps and Legends, Michael Chabon (3 stars)
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen (3 stars)
The Land of Women, Regina McBride (3 stars)
Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, Charles J. Shields (3 stars)
Rumors: A Luxe Novel, Anna Godbersen (3 stars)
I'm continuing to make good progress here. Although I did purchase a couple of new books this month, the pile I have ready to take to McKay's Books in Nashville keeps getting bigger and bigger (plus I still have store credit there, so I'm excited about doing some swapping). There were several good reads on my list this month, but two really stood out above the rest:
The Book of Lost Things, John Connelly (5 stars)
Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, Kirsten Miller (5 stars)
It Takes a Worried Man, Brendan Halpin (4 stars)
The Reader, Bernard Schlink (4 stars)
Maps and Legends, Michael Chabon (3 stars)
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen (3 stars)
The Land of Women, Regina McBride (3 stars)
Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, Charles J. Shields (3 stars)
Rumors: A Luxe Novel, Anna Godbersen (3 stars)
try 3 new recipes (including one crockpot recipe)
We didn't get around to trying any crockpot recipes, but I did check out several recipe books from the library, and I've marked a number of new recipes for upcoming months. I've already posted about our Little House supper here, but I wanted to share another recipe that is really really simple but is one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. We're big fans of eating breakfast for supper around here, especially when we're in a hurry or just can't think of anything else to cook, so this recipe was a hit with everyone (but especially with me and Cass).
Fried-Egg-Topped Sandwiches
(taken from Martha Stewart Living Anual Recipes 2004)
8 slices good quality white bread (we used sourdough bread by Pepperidge Farms)
4 ounces fontina, Gruyere, or mozzarella cheese (we went with the mozz)
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, coursely chopped, plus more for garnish (we just used some Italian seasoning that we had on hand in the spice cabinet)
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons milk
6 large eggs
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1. Cut bread slices into 8 rounds with a 3 3/4-inch cookie cutter. Top half of the slices with cheese, dividing evenly; sprinkle with oregano, salt, and pepper. Place remaining bread rounds on top; press gently to adhere.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and 2 eggs. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dip sandwiches, one at a time, into egg mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl; transfer to skillet. Cook until golden and cheese has melted, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to serving plates.
3. Wipe skillet with paper towel. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Crack remaining 4 eggs into skillet, one at a time. Fry until egg whites are just set, about 2 minutes. Carefully place an egg on each sandwich. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with oregano, and serve.
What we thought: This was a great recipe, really simple but nice and filling. I prefer my eggs fried hard, but aside from that, we didn't modify the recipe much. This is definitely something we'll be using as a go-to recipe; what I like is how flexible it is. I can picture this as a perfect brunch menu item, and it's something that could easily be "fancied" up.
We tried another recipe from the same book, with not-so-stellar results.
Corn and Couscous Salad
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
1 tablespoon white-wine or sherry vingear
course salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup couscous
1 cup boiling water
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion, diced (we used a white onion, since we couldn't find any sweet onions in season)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red chile, minced (optional -- we left this out of the recipe)
3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 cobs)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together curry powder, mustard, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in 3 tablespoons oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified. Set aside.
2. Place couscous in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over couscous; stir to combine. Cover with a plate; let steam until water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; set aside.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring, until softenend, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and chile; cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add corn, and cook until bright yellow and just tender, about 2 minutes. Stir corn mixture into couscous. Add curry vinaigrette and cilantro, and toss to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.
What we thought: None of us cared for this. The corn and couscous together would have been okay, but we just really didn't like the curry vinaigrette. The curry and mustard combo just weren't the right flavors for us; we plan on experimenting with this to see if we can come up with something we like better. It's almost as though the curry vinaigrette just wasn't strong enough; the corn and couscous combination is naturally fairly bland, so the vinaigrette really needs a strong flavor, I think.
We didn't get around to trying any crockpot recipes, but I did check out several recipe books from the library, and I've marked a number of new recipes for upcoming months. I've already posted about our Little House supper here, but I wanted to share another recipe that is really really simple but is one of the most delicious things I've ever eaten. We're big fans of eating breakfast for supper around here, especially when we're in a hurry or just can't think of anything else to cook, so this recipe was a hit with everyone (but especially with me and Cass).
Fried-Egg-Topped Sandwiches
(taken from Martha Stewart Living Anual Recipes 2004)
8 slices good quality white bread (we used sourdough bread by Pepperidge Farms)
4 ounces fontina, Gruyere, or mozzarella cheese (we went with the mozz)
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, coursely chopped, plus more for garnish (we just used some Italian seasoning that we had on hand in the spice cabinet)
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons milk
6 large eggs
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1. Cut bread slices into 8 rounds with a 3 3/4-inch cookie cutter. Top half of the slices with cheese, dividing evenly; sprinkle with oregano, salt, and pepper. Place remaining bread rounds on top; press gently to adhere.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together milk and 2 eggs. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Dip sandwiches, one at a time, into egg mixture, letting excess drip back into bowl; transfer to skillet. Cook until golden and cheese has melted, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to serving plates.
3. Wipe skillet with paper towel. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Crack remaining 4 eggs into skillet, one at a time. Fry until egg whites are just set, about 2 minutes. Carefully place an egg on each sandwich. Season with salt and pepper, garnish with oregano, and serve.
What we thought: This was a great recipe, really simple but nice and filling. I prefer my eggs fried hard, but aside from that, we didn't modify the recipe much. This is definitely something we'll be using as a go-to recipe; what I like is how flexible it is. I can picture this as a perfect brunch menu item, and it's something that could easily be "fancied" up.
We tried another recipe from the same book, with not-so-stellar results.
Corn and Couscous Salad
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 teaspoons grainy mustard
1 tablespoon white-wine or sherry vingear
course salt and freshly ground pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup couscous
1 cup boiling water
1 Vidalia or other sweet onion, diced (we used a white onion, since we couldn't find any sweet onions in season)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 red chile, minced (optional -- we left this out of the recipe)
3 cups fresh corn kernels (about 4 cobs)
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together curry powder, mustard, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk in 3 tablespoons oil in a slow, steady stream until emulsified. Set aside.
2. Place couscous in a large bowl. Pour boiling water over couscous; stir to combine. Cover with a plate; let steam until water is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; set aside.
3. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring, until softenend, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic and chile; cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add corn, and cook until bright yellow and just tender, about 2 minutes. Stir corn mixture into couscous. Add curry vinaigrette and cilantro, and toss to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.
What we thought: None of us cared for this. The corn and couscous together would have been okay, but we just really didn't like the curry vinaigrette. The curry and mustard combo just weren't the right flavors for us; we plan on experimenting with this to see if we can come up with something we like better. It's almost as though the curry vinaigrette just wasn't strong enough; the corn and couscous combination is naturally fairly bland, so the vinaigrette really needs a strong flavor, I think.
create emergency kits for house and car
This is still in progress. I've almost completed our food and water stores (I have a couple more things I need to grab at the grocery), and I need to go through the house and just pull everything together. I plan on doing a longer post about this once I get it completed, so look for that in mid-March.
This is still in progress. I've almost completed our food and water stores (I have a couple more things I need to grab at the grocery), and I need to go through the house and just pull everything together. I plan on doing a longer post about this once I get it completed, so look for that in mid-March.
place seed catalog orders
That's done. Again, this is something I want to devote a longer post to, so I'll be updating with a sketch of our garden plans and a list of what we're planting in a few weeks.
That's done. Again, this is something I want to devote a longer post to, so I'll be updating with a sketch of our garden plans and a list of what we're planting in a few weeks.
embroider cloth napkins and jacket
I just keep putting the embroidery projects off. This is something I still want to work on, though, so I'm going to just add it to March's list. I just didn't get time to do as much crafting as I would've liked to do this month.
I just keep putting the embroidery projects off. This is something I still want to work on, though, so I'm going to just add it to March's list. I just didn't get time to do as much crafting as I would've liked to do this month.
finish knitting Cass and Chris's scarves
I finished Cass and Cami's scarves, and I cast on for Chris's scarf just a day or so ago.
I finished Cass and Cami's scarves, and I cast on for Chris's scarf just a day or so ago.
save $120 for treadmill purchase
Done. Actually, we were able to save the full amount, so we are going this week to pick up our new treadmill. Now I just have to find a place to put it; the place I had chosen currently contains a weight bench, so we're going to have to do some rearranging. I'll do a longer post about the weight bench and what it means in a few days. There've definitely been some changes happening around here. :)
Done. Actually, we were able to save the full amount, so we are going this week to pick up our new treadmill. Now I just have to find a place to put it; the place I had chosen currently contains a weight bench, so we're going to have to do some rearranging. I'll do a longer post about the weight bench and what it means in a few days. There've definitely been some changes happening around here. :)
make dr appointment and get thyroid regulated
The doctor's appointment is sort of made. I couldn't get in with the new endocrinologist that I wanted to see until I got a primary physician referral, so I had to set up a doctor's appointment here in Murray first. My regular doctor retired last year, and I've just never gotten around to finding a new doctor here in Murray, so this kick-started that process. Looks like it will be mid-April at least, however, before I can see the endocrinologist -- he's a busy guy. But at least I've got the process started.
The doctor's appointment is sort of made. I couldn't get in with the new endocrinologist that I wanted to see until I got a primary physician referral, so I had to set up a doctor's appointment here in Murray first. My regular doctor retired last year, and I've just never gotten around to finding a new doctor here in Murray, so this kick-started that process. Looks like it will be mid-April at least, however, before I can see the endocrinologist -- he's a busy guy. But at least I've got the process started.
get hair cut and colored
Nothing like waiting until the last minute. I just finished coloring my hair this evening; I got it cut a few days ago during my lunch break. Everyone seems to like it, though Cami told me that my hair looked a lot like Willy Wonka's hair (I will admit that when the hairdresser styled it, she curled the ends under much more than I would've done, and it did sorta look like Willy Wonka hair...eek!) Nothing fancy -- just a simple bob with a darker brown haircolor (that looks slightly reddish in the light, it seems).
and just for the sake of comparison... ;)
I'll be back tomorrow with my new goals for March. The new March reading list is up now -- enjoy.
Nothing like waiting until the last minute. I just finished coloring my hair this evening; I got it cut a few days ago during my lunch break. Everyone seems to like it, though Cami told me that my hair looked a lot like Willy Wonka's hair (I will admit that when the hairdresser styled it, she curled the ends under much more than I would've done, and it did sorta look like Willy Wonka hair...eek!) Nothing fancy -- just a simple bob with a darker brown haircolor (that looks slightly reddish in the light, it seems).
and just for the sake of comparison... ;)
I'll be back tomorrow with my new goals for March. The new March reading list is up now -- enjoy.
Your canvas and that poem are just delightful and so meaningful, thanks for sharing!