Pictures! And goals! But mostly, pictures!

Lo and behold, I can access pictures from my phone again!  I'm so excited it has almost thrown me off my plan for this post.  I wanted to update my new year's goals so far:

Honey does not like the Cone of Shame.  But now she's spayed.

Writing:  Be here more often.  Well, I have been here more often.  I like the style of the lightning round post.  The problem lately has been getting computer access.  I think I'm going to have to start posting from my kindle, because I am the last in line to the computer.


The best $.99 I've spent at Party City lately.  He really knows how to rock the 'stache.

Fitness:  Go to the Y; walk the dog.  Getting to the gym is tough when you're trying to bring the whole family.  I am looking at our schedule and finding places where I can sneak off by myself to get in a work out.  And that dog?  We had to curtail her activity for the week after she was spayed, but we're back making the laps around the neighborhood.  We also found a dog training facility that has a weekly "social hour" for puppies.  Yes, I know how ridiculous this all sounds.  But between the car rides there and back (she gets carsick) and the socializing, she was worn OUT.  Money well spent in my book.

And why not jump for joy in the church kitchen?

 Reading: Blurb what I read.  I only read about four books in January.  That's a slow month for me.  But I did write blurbs in my moleskine, so victory!

We are in the midst of a kitchen re-do.

 Home: Take pictures; print pictures. Plan the weekends.   Pictures...not so much.  I have been making dreamy/practical lists for each weekend.  I enjoy crossing things off the list.

Finished Object!  The Honey Cowl.

 Kitchen: Try one new recipe per month; let the kids help with the fun cooking.  I totally rocked the new recipes in January.  In January, we tried Coffee-Rubbed Rib Eye, Tuscan Lemon Chicken, Chicken Tacos, Straw & Hay with Gorgonzola, and Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage.  Several of these recipes were variations on things I've already made.  The chicken dishes will probably go into the regular rotation around here.  I did get lots of pushback from the kids over some of this month's dinners.  This week, I let each kid choose the dinner for one night.   They chose chicken and rice soup, calzones, and burgers.  I'm trying to keep it from being a chicken nugget buffet.

Here's Honey's finished object--a Kong genius toy. We're getting our money back.

So there was January.  I'm going to go make my dreamy/practical list next.  It's not snowing here yet, but I'm pretty sure that "shovel the sidewalk" will be on my practical list for the weekend.

Lightning round

The fine ladies over at Mason-Dixon Knitting are trying their hands at Lightning Round posting.  I'm on board with that strategy for now.  So it's quick and dirty--no links, no pictures (mostly because my technical difficulties continue).  This style will help me with my goal to be here more often. 

I made two new recipes since I was last here.  First, the Coffee-Rubbed Rib Eye from this month's Bon Appetit.  I didn't have all of the ingredients (Aleppo Pepper, anyone?  And no ground ginger in the spice rack, but since the kids don't love ginger, no biggie.)  But it was mighty tasty.  And I didn't set off the smoke alarm this weekend, so bonus!

The other recipe was Ina Garten's Tuscan Lemon Chicken.  I made one and prepped one and popped it in the freezer for another time.  I love it when I have my act together enough to make meals ahead. 

Those Mason-Dixon ladies are also giving me a hankering to cast on for a Honey Cowl.  Look it up on ravelry.  Now if I could get my Honey puppy to cooperate by not trying to eat the yarn...couch knitting is a thing of the past for now!

After I shuffle the oldest child off to bed, I think I'm going to re-watch the Downton Abbey season premiere again.  It surely needs a second viewing!