Menu for the week!

Back to menu planning - I've been doing it, just not posting it. It's such a habit for me, I'm not sure what I'd do without a plan for the week!

Monday - hamburgers, spinach dip, corn (from the summer - yum!)
Tuesday - fish tacos, refried beans, canned salsa (from summer)
Wednesday - roast, sourdough bread
Thursday - chicken fried rice
Friday - homemade pizza
Saturday - out
Sunday - ham and beans, cornbread

Easy and all family favorites!

Yogurt - not a success

Well, my yogurt was a failure. Bummer I know. I'm not sure what went wrong - it smells and tastes like yogurt but it's just liquid - it never gelled up. I even tried straining it - no go. I may save part of it to add to smoothies, but I'll have to give the actual yogurt making another go I guess.

Next up - working on my photobook - I know I can't mess that one up (hopefully I didn't just jinx myself)!

Completion and Adventures - 2011

I know it's been a while - what can I say, the holidays happened! Then starting off the New Year on the right foot, etc.

But today I'm back and going to update you a bit on what I've been doing.

Instead of specific "resolutions" for this year, I've decided I want it to be the year of "Completion and Adventures". I often plan a "theme" for the year - for example last year was the year of "The Weekend Getaway".

So what do I mean by that? Really two big "goals" and hopefully many of the things I do will help guide me towards them.

First - completion. There are so many projects and ideas I have started and never finished - or maybe just thought about but never took the next step. I made a list of them and will start chipping away - one a month or so until they are finished. These tend to be concrete items like:

- create a blogging plan
- publish my book (yes, I have written a book on saving money)
- complete my Fall 2010 photo book (woefully behind - this is typically done in Nov)
- get through some of my reading list
- clean up and organize the household (tackling a bit at a time)
- organize my groupons/ eversave/ etc. deals (don't want to miss any)
- take on more responsibility at work and increase my annual rating (and bonus)
- analyze and best manage my timeshares/ airline & hotel points/ etc.

You get the idea. I just made a big list and am "scheduling" one or two for each month of the year. Some of them will appear multiple months (like reading and cleaning), but many I will be able to just do and then check off.

On the list for this month are the fall photo book, get through some reading, clean and organize the kitchen (half finished) and organize the coupons.

The second part of my "theme" is "adventures." This is also very broad - it encompasses many of the things I've always wanted to try (mild adventures though they may be) as well as taking advantage of new opportunities that come my way. I started this one with a list of things I've always wanted to try and have tentatively "scheduled" at least one a month. I'm also taking advantage of groupons or other deals for unusual things that sound like fun but I wouldn't normally try. For instance I just bought a deal for an "art and wine" night - you take an art class while enjoying a special related cocktail for the evening.

A few items on the list:

- making homemade chai mix
- making yogurt
- running a 5K
- go snowshoeing
- take a wine class

and on and on . . . right now I have some milk in the crockpot to make yogurt with. It seems simple but I've always been too much of a chicken to try it. Isn't that silly? Afraid to make yogurt?

So, look for more posts on these topics and join me on some of my successes, failures and adventures in 2011!