Thinking of warm days

I get an itch to be back in the garden right around this time of year. So I start flipping through seed catalogs and browsing garden sites while I start compiling a mental shopping list. The Fella really got into helping me in the garden last year because he was able to plant about 10 different varieties of hot peppers. He was a happy man, a very happy man. In fact, he got a dehydrator for Christmas to preserve peppers from this years harvest.

There is a hitch in the plan. We usually go back to the large house in Chattanooga during the summer so that we have lots of land to work on. This summer though, the Fella is teaching at Vanderbilt and I will be in my last semester of college. So we are going to try our hand at container gardening on our small but sunny balcony.

My list:

jalapenos

small hot peppers

lettuce

tomatoes

cilantro

basil

rosemarry

thyme

cucumbers?

It is probably a little to ambitious since we don't have a huge amount of room, but I am so used to a large garden. At least its something to think about on cold days.

anyone have any thoughts on container gardening?

A New Year, A New List of Goals

I love this time of year, no really I do. I feel like I am passed all the crazy stress of the holidays and for me, and The Fella, it is back to school. I enjoy having a routine and a plan for the day, week, month, etc. My favorite part of the new year is going to the store to pick a new calendar. I can easily spend an hour opening each agenda and looking over, assessing what works for me and what doesn't and then finally, achingly making my decision.

I mentioned this aspect of the new year to a friend of mine over lunch the other day and she shared with me that she feels the same way. She then told me that she puts a stick note on the front page of the calendar with a list of her goals for the year. She says this way she is reminded every day of the things she wants to accomplish. I am excited to adopt her stratagey.

My list for the year:

• Transition to a cash system for groceries.
• Exercise 5 days a week
• Must be better about calling the Grandmother
• wash all dishes before going to bed
• I swear I'm gonna do my Christmas shopping earlier this year ;)
• try to be a better blogger

What are your goals for the year?

Monday: Goal Day

*Well, next weeks goal is to get it posted on time. I've had a terrible tummy bug the last two days.

Personal:

1. I want to finish my English Final ahead of schedule
2. Read two chapters for pleasure
3. download a Christmas book for the holidays
4. Wrap gifts and update the gift spreadsheet, yeah I have a gift spreadsheet, don't you?
5. lose 1 pound

Domestic:

1.  get control over the clutter invading our home
2. make yummy gifts for the secretaries of the History Department
3. try 1 new recipe
4. organize my recipe bookmarked list....yeah right, it grows by the hour

Economic:

1. research best way to invest in stocks
2. research Roth IRA
3. Earn a $5 Amazon gift card from Swagbucks

It's hot in the kitchen

It is cold here. I don't want to go outside, or the grocery store, or in the office to find my phone for delivery.

What I do want is lunch. I always have food on the brain so it helps to satisfy that craving at least 4-5 times a day. My favorite lunch at present is a big plate of roasted veggies. Hey, it keeps me warm with the oven going for 40 minutes! Since there is minimal oil and it "is" veggies, I feel good about myself and my healthy plate of food. yeah right!

I use what I have in the house. This week it has been: asparagus, potatoes, and mushrooms.

Recipe:
1 large russet potatoe, diced  into 1/2 inch cubes
1/2 cup asparagus, sliced into 2 inch pieces
1/4 cup mushrooms, rough chop
1.5 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon steak seasoning

Preheat the oven to 425*F.
Chop up your veggies and put into a bowl.
Pour olive oil and spices over veggies.
toss to coat.
bake for 35-40 minutes based on your oven.

Monday: Goal Day

Personal:

1. Share a home-cooked, non hectic dinner with The Fella
2. Walk 5 miles
3. Read 3 chapters in Social Blunders (when you are in school any reading for fun is hard to fit in!)
4. Lose 1 pound

Domestic:

1. Vaccum
2. Deep Clean master bathroom
3. Stick to the meal plan
4. prep for the party Friday...before Friday morning

Economics:

1. Check on 401K
2. Earn $5 Amazon gift card on Swagbucks
3. Plan out Christmas gifts

Education:

1. homework
2. extra credit
3. study for LR final

In the land of Beer...

This week the fella and I are in North Carolina, the land of craft beer. We are both two very happy people. I didn't drink beer until I met Fella, I was a scotch drinker, nice and neat (pun intended). He told me, if you haven't found a beer you like, you haven't tried enough. So true.

It is time to bake

I am traveling out of town for Thanksgiving. That fact did not stop me from agreeing to make 1 pie, 1 cheesecake, 2 side dishes, and 3 dozen homemade yeast rolls with honey butter. Have I lost me mind? Of course I have, and to top it off I am baking a 5 layer birthday cake.

What else is a woman suppose to do on a rainy, cold Sunday afternoon?