40 x 40 - Not a complete Fail

Last week I turned 40, which is really not that traumatic as most people think.  It probably helps that I'm the youngest of 4 kids which means that all of my brothers turned 40 LONG before I did (and, dare I say it, one is even knocking on the door of 50 .. now THAT's old! HA!) I should also mention that all of my sisters-in-law are also older than me so being the last of the group to hit "big" numbers kinda makes it anti-climatic. 

When I first started this blog way back in the day, one of the trends I noticed on other blogs was writing goal lists such as "30 x 30", 40 x40, or even 101 in 1001 (101 goals in 1001 days) so it got me thinking at the time that I had about 1 1/2 years to accomplish 40 things on my to do list.  Now that I'm past that mile stone, I thought I'd do a full recap of what I accomplished, what I didn't, what I couldn't and what I wish I had completed.  This will probably be a slightly long post so skip it if you would like :-)

The Final Update:

1. Make a Rag Quilt - I can honestly say that when I wrote this list I was positive that I would get this done.  Well, that didn't happen.  This is still something I would like to accomplish . . . eventually.

2. Learn to Belly Dance - I never did order the disc I found, not sure why, but I still want to accomplish this eventually too.

3. Take a Ballroom dancing class with my husband - This is just not the time to accomplish this idea.  We live too far from town and with little kids it's hard to do something in the evening.  Maybe someday but I'm ok if it never happens too.

4. Be Completely current on all scrapbooking projects - THIS IS DONE!! WHOO WHOO!!  I still have pages to print but they are done and that is all that matters.  I'm currently working on March 2012.  Yes, you read that right.  I have pages printed through September 2009 and in an album.  The company I use for page prints has a sale twice a year - the next one is in September so I plan on saving money through then and order as many pages as I have money - with the sale I'll be able to get at least 25-30 pages "free". 

5.  Finish my first quilt -- This is done and I love seeing it :-)

6.  Eat in the 1913 Room - This restaurant closed.  I can be honest and say that after looking more at the menu for the place I did not want to go.  Instead we went to Charlie's Crab and loved it. 

7.  Learn to make the perfect cheesecake - This one seemed so easy HA  I just never made one . . .how lame is that??

8.  Reach my goal weight - Oh well.  We can't win them all!!

9.  Read through the Bible in the year - I never made it all the way through but I did make it further than I ever had before. 

10.  Plant a Vegetable garden - Done!!

11.  Can beets, pickles, tomatoes, salsa and jam - Done!

12.  Re-learn Claire Delune on the piano - I did work on this but never spent the time that I really needed to on it.  Practicing piano is just now making it back into the priority list.

13.  Go to a regular seasons Lions Game - Tickets are so expensive . . . one day we'll go!

14.  Go to a bra specialist - Done (guess what, you can do it at home and get the same measurement.  This really wasn't that big of a deal)

15.  Renovate my kitchen from top to bottom - I ended up dividing my kitchen into a few phases and phase one is almost done so I'm counting this as DONE!!!

16.  Put myself on a bone morrow transplant list - still need to do this. 

17.  Attend a Sandy Patty concert - Still waiting for her to come in concert somewhere local.

18.  Walk on the treadmill 4 days a week for three months - I thought about it, does that count???

19.  Be making $1000.00 a month from home - I thought this would be "easy" but everything I've looked into hs not worked.  I'm still working to find that one thing that will help us out!

20.  Take a cooking class - I'm still looking . . ..

21.  Tae a photography class - DONE!

22.  Learn to make jewelry - This is one project I just didn't get into . . I'd still like to do it but right now I have other projects that take my time and money.

23.  Ride on one of the two Great Lake Boats - I looked into this a few times but it just didn't work into our plans .

24.  Take a train to Chicago and stay overnight downtown - this is STILL on the list. 

25.  See Wicked - this one is also STILL on the list!

26.  See the Rockettes live - if they come back to Grand Rapids, I will go!

27.  Watch the Harlem Globetrotters in person -I'm hoping that maybe this coming January we can go - the boys will be big enough to enjoy it now.

28.  Sew an Apron - I got one for Christmas - that was easier than sewing :-)

29.  Cook clean for one week - Tried it. . .well read about it . . not happening HA!

30.  Attend a concert in the Park - Darryl's schedule just hasn't allowed this to happen but I'm hopeful we can do it this coming summer.

31.  Do a sole sensations treatment on my feet - if there is ever a spa in Michigan that does this, I will figure out how to get it done!

32. Join a Book Club - Done!  Not my favorite thing though.

33.  Get a German Shepherd - We still plan to do this - the timing just hasn't been right.

34.  Invite Lisa LaPlante for dinner - I tried; she declined.

35.  Make Three specific photo books - I made some progress on this but it isn't done.

36.  Learn CPR - DONE!

37.  Eat at the longest breakfast table in Battle Creek - I am planning to do it this summer - we have a family party that day but it will only take us about 30 minutes out of our way so I plan on doing both!

38.  Potty Train both of my children - Apparently my boys can read, saw this and said "NO WAY MOM!"   Now I'm just hoping they are out of diapers by the time they leave home :-/

39.  Win a Makeover from one of our local stations - I tried.  many times.

40.  Take my husband to see the Christmas lights and ride the train at Crossroads Village - He did ride the train but we have not make it to see the lights!

So, that's it.  I do plan on writing a new list .. now sure how I will "theme" it yet but I'm working on it . .. something to work towards.  What can I say? I'm a planner!

Carry Me To The Cross

The other day, while driving to get the boys haircut, I heard this song on the radio by Kutless.  I've always been a Kutless fan and this song did not disappoint. 

Weekly Menu - April 27th

Last week I had quite a few new recipes to try out.  One I shared on Friday and another one I hope to share next week.  These all came from searching Pinterest so in true Pinterest style I did want to share one that wasn't so great.  The recipe comes from Just Get off your Butt and Bake and is for Crock Pot Chicken Cordon Bleu.  One of my goals this summer is to use my crock pot alot so I'm trying to experiment with recipes like this one.

So, I want to say first that this recipe tasted fine.  It just didn't really blow my socks off.  My "thing" with crock pot meals is that I shouldn't have to do all of the work first and this one required a lot of prep.  Now, if there are tons of steps, then it had better rock my world.  See I had to 1)Pound the chicken 2)wrap the chicken (which is not as easy as it sounds 3)brown the chicken 4) make the sauce.  WHEW  Too much work!!  Oh well - they can't all be winners, right?

So now for this coming week.  We are coming up on a vacation so this week I'm trying to cut way back on my grocery budget to allow for some extra money on vacation. 

Saturday: My kids are going to hang with my mother-in-law while Darryl and I go out for the day for my Birthday (which was Friday)

Sunday:  This is going to be a "simple" day as I have a concert in the afternoon and don't want to have to squeeze in cooking around getting ready.  I'm planning Pot Pies for Darryl and I and Chicken Noodle Soup for the kids.

Monday: Oven BBQ Chicken Thighs, Beefy Noodles, and Corn (Remember - I said I was going to make this every week HA!)

Tuesday: Simple Spaghetti and Garlic Bread with Green Beans.  (Simple just means open a jar - not home made.  If I can get 1/4 pound of ground beef, I'll add a that to the jar otherwise it will be meatless)

Wednesday: Pancakes and Bacon

Thursday: The second bag of Teryiaki Chicken that I made last week, Rice, and Rolls

Friday: Chicken Tenders, Mac and Cheese, and Peas

Saturday:  Normally I don't go past Friday but in planning the grocery list this week I want to include Saturday and Sunday before we leave.  We are going to do Burgers on the grill and Corn on the Cob

Sunday: I've planned breakfast - Biscuits and Gravy - since I can make the gravy on Saturday.  We'll eat this, clean up and head out!!!   

Food Friday - Homemade Shake-n-Bake Pork Chops

I mentioned last week that I found some of my Pinterest recipes that I wanted to try and this is one of them.  The blog named this "The Best Pork Chop Recipe Ever". . .I changed the name because it really did remind me of good ol' Shake-N-Bake. 

Homemade Shake-n-Bake Pork Chops
adapted from Crazy Horse Ghost

This is a great recipe.  I cooked mine at 350 degrees for 1 hour and they turned out perfectly.  I noticed that on the original post that the suggestion was made to shake off the extra Ranch Dressing but I didn't notice any problems with mine - they turned out crunchy. 

For Your Pork Chop Recipe You Will Need.
1. Ranch Dressing In A Bottle.
2. 3 Cups Fine Dry Italian Bread Crumbs.
3. 1 Small Package Dry Italian Dressing Mix.
4. 2 Tablespoons Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese.
5. 1 Tablespoon Dry Powdered Garlic.
6. 6 Large Loin Pork Chops.

You will want to mix ingredients 2 - 5 in a large bowl and mix together very well. Now pour a layer of ranch dressing out into a plate. Take one pork chop at a time and coat it on the plate with ranch dressing and then put the pork chop with the ranch dressing on it into the large bowl with the bread crumbs and coat it well on all sides. Add more ranch dressing to the plate if you need to.
Have your tin foil lined baking pan setting there ready. Spray the tinfoil with vegetable cooking spray. Place your breaded pork chops onto the tinfoil covered pan and once you have all your pork chops on the pan place it into the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until the thick part of your pork chops reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees. As soon as your pork chops are done remove from the pan and serve as soon as possible.

I served this with baked potatoes, Macaroni and Cheese, Pickles and Olives. 

What I'm Reading - for Real

I figured it is time to get back to sharing some books! 

On Little Wings by REgina Sirois is a fantastic book.  It is one of those books that reads like you are in the story and you become part of the family.  It is a story of a young girl who discovers a photo that opens up her family history and sends her on an adventure to restore many hurts.  I will say that as well written as it is there were a few slow places that I had to get through and the end, sorry to say, I found slightly anti-climatic after the build-up throughout the book.  I wanted more and didn't get it but maybe she'll write more later. 

Just recently I started reading Saving Hope by Margaret Daley.  The premise is surrounding a large prostitution ring in Texas that targets young girls.  The main character in the book runs a home that takes these girls in and tries to help them recreate their lives.  Several of the girls begin to face some desperate situations and a Texas Ranger becomes involved in solving the case.  So far it is a pretty good book - it isn't as well written as some but I haven't stopped reading it yet :-)

I actually have some non-Kindle books that I'm going to read next - my mom brought me a book in one of my favorite series along with another book she said she couldn't put down. 

A Wedding Day

Several weeks ago, I had the privilege of attending a wedding for a good friend.  Jeremy, the groom, and I have known each other for close to 20 years so, needless to say, to be able to watch him marry his true love was a joy.  On a side note, this was the first big event I attended since getting my new camera and I was thrilled to be able to "play"! 

The did something I've never seen for the Unity Ceremony; they did a Unity Tree.  Yes, that is a live tree and, instead of lighting candles, when it was time for the Unity portion of the service, they each poured a vase of dirt onto the base of the tree.  The pastor talked about how the roots of tree grow deeper through the years and, when it is watered, it bears fruit each year and gets stronger.   I'm assuming that they planted it in their yard but who knows!

I love all of the creative ideas people use now for the ends of pews.  Personally, I made big white, green and gold bows and loved them but, had I known about this idea with the frames, I might have used it.  The bride found this idea on Pinterest and it was too cute.  Each frame held a photo of the bride or groom.  Such an adorable way to show off photos. 

 I had to include photos of the couple :-)  I love this last one above - this was after they had poured the dirt on the tree, while a song was being sung, they took time to pray. (At least that is what I think they are doing!)

 I'm not sure if you can see the little frames on her flowers in this photo but those frames held photos of special people that are no longer here, such as the groom's dad. This is another idea that she found on Pinterest and, after looking through her posts on some of her wedding boards, I think she also got the idea for her bouquet from there as well. 

 The kiss (of course - a favorite photo of everyone!!) and the big celebration when they were pronounced husband and wife. 

 I know that the bride spent a lot of time creating these table numbers and she was so excited about them!!  Can you guess where she found this idea?  (ummm Pinterest).  The bonus is that their Monogram ("B) on the front is attached with velcro so it can be removed and then be used by someone else.

 These were the centerpieces on the table.  Again, her inspiration came from Pinterest - but not one specific idea that I found.  They were beautiful and simple.

As is popular right now, they did a cupcake stand for dessert.  What they did differently was that they did the "famous" cake feeding activity before the meal was served.  That way, once people were done eating, they could just get cake. 

They did some other great things during the reception - the bridal party was introduced and each couple did something creative as they entered.  The bride and groom walked in with big glasses and the bride showing off her awesome green tennies.

When they got to the center, on the dance floor, a song started and they danced an awesome routine.  I mean, it was fantastic and everyone loved it.  I wish I could have recorded it.

One last thing that the bride has done that is really truly one of the best ideas I've heard.  All of those things she used - the frames for the photos on the pews, the items for the centerpieces - from vases to the mirrors, the lanterns that hung from the ceiling at the reception . .. she sold it all on Craig's List.  She listed it the week after the wedding and most of it was gone within a week.  Such a smart idea!!

Too Cute Not To Toot

So, folks, I'm digging for new ideas!!!  Lets see how we do!

One of those "out there" projects I've wanted to put together are quiet bags for the boys - bags full of fun stuff to do to keep them quiet or to entertain them in the car, at the doctor, or even if we are at some one's home.  I love this idea that was shared over at Craftomaniac for using up Easter eggs (did I share this idea already???).  Well, even if I did - the tutorial here is fantastic so I'm sharing it anyway!

A friend of mine posted this next idea in facebook and it is from Chez Beeper Bebe.  Even though it is for something she has created and sells in her Etsy store, I love the idea.  You could easily modify this to make it something you could make at home.

Wow, this is really a dry spell.  I'm just not finding the ideas that inspire me lately.  I've run into this a few times in the past and it usually happens when there is a BIG space between holidays.  Oh well!!  At least I have less projects to want to make :-)