{Not} Living Vicariously

Meal Planning week of February 19th

I need to back up some . . . as plans changed.

Friday: Shepherd's Pie made from leftovers of my birthday dinner from my mom.

Saturday: Rick's BBQ as my brother wanted some good Southern Barbecue for his birthday. I had not had Rick's and it was pretty good.

Sunday: Ryan and Aaron are making two different types of Chicken Tikka Masala and we will be taste testing the difference.

Monday: The Melting Pot for their Mardi Gras special (and to celebrate our birthdays)

Tuesday: C.O.R.N. because there are lots of bits and pieces that need to be eaten up after company.

Wednesday: Tilapia - I'm debating a few new recipes

Thursday: either more leftovers (if there are still some) or Chicken and Black Bean burritos

Friday: dinner with friends, not sure of the menu

Saturday: dinner with friends, not sure of the menu

Plus we have lots of recipes to post over on Two Happy Bellies as we've gotten far behind.

Happy 40th Birthday to me - 40 by 40 update

Well, I definitely didn't accomplish all I set out to do this past year. However I made a much bigger dent in my list than I expected and look forward to continued momentum in learning and growing and doing. Bold indicates "not yet accomplished" and Italics indicates "considered done." The ones that don't have either? Those need more work before I can consider them complete. And some of these are going to turn into practices . . .

1. Find geocaches in the eight states that border TN. Completed 09.24.11.
2. Eat meatless 1+ times a week (preferably 2+ times regularly).
3. Take a ride in a hot air balloon. We’ve started investigating places and prices. This starts my next list of things to accomplish the year I am 40.
4. Learn to make Granny's divinity. Does it count if I tried on my own and failed miserably, but played “sous chef” to my sister-in-law and it worked perfectly? We won’t talk about the fact that she had never made it before but has no fear in the kitchen so candy making is “just done” and not fussed over. I say I still have some work on this goal.
5. Take a train trip somewhere. Ditto the hot air balloon ride.
6. Make my own cheese.
7. Hike one hundred miles. I have no clue how many miles I hiked in the past year, but it sure wasn’t 100. My knee acting up for so long really put a limit on how much hiking we could do so now that I’m back treating it properly I have high hopes for reaching this goal this year.
8. Eat from my garden.
9. Camp out at least overnight. I have now camped out in a tent twice.
10. Find a church home.
11. Organize garage.
12. Refresh the blog(s). Both of them have a new design and now that I’ve played around some, I foresee more updates in the future. For now though, I’m happy.
13. Find a cooking software I like. (I think. I have found the software and am playing around with the trial period. This one may show back up but hoping it won’t.)
14. Build a bigger back deck. This one is hard. I want a bigger back deck, yet I also want to screen it in. And I’m not ready to make some of the firm decisions that will need to be made before we start. So I continue to research what I want before jumping in with both feet.
15. Find a place to swim again. Joined the Y and I am loving the deep water aerobics. Used to take water aerobics years ago and even became a certified instructor – but never taught. Deep water aerobics is even more fun! I have not started doing laps again though.
16. Go berry picking. Waited too long, next year.
17. Add flex and strength to my cardio. I have no excuse, none at all.
18. Get a new camera.
19. Plant wildflowers. Um, yeah. I have all the seed ready to be planted. Just didn’t get to it so will be doing that as soon as appropriate based on our zone.
20. Put up a bat house. Bought the bat house, have not put it up. Will get to that soon. Still, the hard part is done so counting this one.
21. Take Aaron to Clingman’s Dome.
22. Visit Fall Creek Falls.
23. Take Lindy to the ocean. Hah! I haven’t even taken ME to the ocean. I still want to do this though. So it is staying around for the new 40 things to do while 40 list.
24. Take a class in something. Took my cheese making class.
25. Try five new foods. I have: quinoa, bisque, ceviche, risotto, and veal. Quinoa and risotto are definitely sticking around. While the others are good, they will probably remain restaurant food for me.
26. Take a random road trip with no destination in mind. I have (RE)discovered that I’m not so good with the spontaneous. This one has been next to impossible. However, I’m determined. Even if the trip is planned (so I can take some comfort in knowing it is coming), surely I can be spontaneous in where we go?
27. Discover a new restaurant (Capitol Grille).
28. Make a margherita pizza from homemade dough, with homemade cheese and homemade sauce, and use fresh basil from our garden. I've made the cheese now, however I waited too late to use fresh basil and tomatoes from our garden so next summer definitely!
29. Climb a tree. Where are all the good climbing trees now?
30. Visit the Nashville Zoo.
31. Go canoeing. We own a canoe. It just needs new seats installed before we can actually use it.
32. Plant a tree. This will not be a weeping willow after much research on how they can affect water lines - it is now a smoke tree and planted.
33. Make gelato. While recipe claimed to be gelato - I found it to be more sorbet tasting - still looking for one to try at home.
34. Get a hot stone massage.
35. De-clutter the office. We have de-cluttered and re-cluttered more times than I care to count. What does this say about me?
36. Get a craft corner set up.
37. Learn to use my miter saw. At one point I thought I'd be proficient with my jigsaw by now and was going to "swap" out my goal. Didn't get to that one either.
38. Weed my book boxes.
39. Start a joint travel map. We’ve bought the map, haven't actually hung it yet though and definitely haven’t started marking any travels on it. However, I’m considering this one accomplished.
40. See Rock City.

Am I serious? Am I really creating a 40 to do while 40 list?? Or am I just going to try to finish off the rest that have yet to be done??? I don’t know yet.

All the Money in the World

Laura Vanderkam's new title - All the Money in the World (9781591844570) - caught my eye because of it's subtitle:  What the Happiest People Know about Getting and Spending. While many books focus on cutting out luxuries in order to have more money, Vanderkam states that happy people enjoy their luxuries and yet make good choices. Starting with the (very good) question: “If you had all the money in the world - - not literally, but all you wanted - - what would you change about your life?” After mentioning the obvious, some move on to aspirational, and even philanthropical. This exercise can be eye-opening. If your biggest complaint is emptying the dishwasher, how much would it cost to pay someone else to do it? Say it is walking the dog . . . or cleaning the bathrooms . . . or even driving to work. From there you can decide what you would have to give up in order to pay that someone else to do it or change your life so that it is no longer necessary. 

I once had a teacher who convinced us to figure out how much money we brought home from working one hour of our job. Then, every time we went shopping and went to buy something we wanted, not needed, to figure out how many hours we needed to work to pay for that something. I brought home far fewer impulse purchases after that. Similarly, Vanderkam takes the principle that money is only “a tool, a means to acquiring, doing, and taking care of things that bring us joy” and convinces the reader to come along and ponder with her.

In addition, Vanderkam takes a hard look at retirement and how it is a fairly new principle in terms of society. Do we really need to save for retirment if we can enjoy whatever we are doing enough that we are happy to continue doing this even during our "golden years?" Not only has she provided me with lots of food for thought, I'm now interested in reading her previous book: 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think.

Standard disclaimer: I get to see advance copies of books through my job, however this review was unsolicited and unpaid for . . . opinions are completely my own.

Menu Planning week of February 12th

Sunday: more leftovers (there was an abundance of food leftover from yesterday's tea)

Monday: we're making sloppy joes for a new mom and saving some for us, with that we'll have sweet potato fries and a baked bean recipe I can't find even with my fancy new search engine . . . I'll have to post that one later

Tuesday: some sort of steak (Aaron is in charge of the meat), baked risotto, sauteed Brussels sprouts (two new recipes we're excited to try), plus possibly something else - depends on how inspired I am after a full day's work

Wednesday: King Ranch Chicken Casserole - not sure on sides yet

Thursday: hoping my mother will make me a pot roast with carrots and potatoes and all the stuff from my childhood

Friday: birthday outing for me

Saturday: birthday outing for my brother

That's right, my brother is also coming to town and we'll be celebrating both of us having a birthday.

Whelmed Part 2

So yesterday I admitted that I was feeling just a bit overwhelmed . . . well today I came home to this

and this

not to mention this

and a glass of wine (not pictured). I have the best husband!

Picture #3 is a magnetic on your fridge vase that was in my stocking at Christmas. Thanks Santa.

Whelmed

Chastity: I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever be just whelmed?
Bianca: I think you can in Europe.
10 Things I Hate About You

I am definitely feeling overwhelmed lately.

I volunteered to make some food for a ladies' tea at church this coming Saturday. It turned into me being in charge of creating the menu, finding and organizing volunteers to help, and shopping for the food we decided to purchase. Luckily I have Aaron and his mad skills. We are making 240 scones, homemade devonshire cream (the cheating type), and fruit salad for 70.

Once we get past Saturday, I have a co-worker who just had a baby and I promised to bring her dinner Monday night to help out. Well, that and to meet the baby also.

My parents and brother are coming to town sometime next week and I'm not sure what day my parents are arriving or what time my brother's flight comes in on Friday. However I know there will be some memorable meals while they are here.

In addition to all that, I do have this full time job which is being a bit more than full time right now. Ten hour days are not unusual and a couple of new contracts thrown into the mix as well as some people out (see co-worker with baby and someone who just gave notice) means we are all hunkered down. Luckily I work with a great group and no one person is being asked to carry the workload.

Needless to say, I'm overwhelmed and just trying to breathe. (Do you think this has anything to do with me choosing to focus on abundance this year? Was that a jinx like asking God for patience?? If I change my focus word now will I feel guilty???)

Meal Planning week of February 5th

I've missed this - especially as I've noticed a lot more haphazardness to our meals. So, for this week:

Sunday: baked empanadas using this meat for our filling

Monday: poppy seed chicken casserole with roasted Brussels sprouts

Tuesday: leftovers

Wednesday: tilapia with broccoli

Thursday: a new recipe with pork chops in the slow cooker

Friday: chicken and black bean pizza

Saturday: leftovers again

We're doing a lot of familiar recipes this week because I am in charge of the food for a ladies' tea at church this coming Saturday. As a result I have volunteered Aaron to help me with much of that food. Even though I've been able to share the workload with a lot of other women, we will be making 200 or so scones this week as well as Devonshire cream. We needed an easy week in the kitchen!

For the Love of Picture Books - Patricelli

Yay for Leslie Patricelli and another adorable story with her unnamed little girl. Following up on Higher! Higher! (9780763632410), Faster! Faster! (9780763654733) has Little Girl and Daddy back in the park. When Daddy gives her a ride on his back, she asks for Fast! An active imagination offers Daddy as a slew of animals from dogs to eagles to dolphins always going faster and faster. However when poor Daddy wears out and becomes a turtle, the little girl gives her Daddy a break. “You’re fast, Daddy!” With the repetitive text Patricelli does so well, eager toddlers will “read” this one along with you and then be happy to home to “read” it to you and others. Cheery acrylic illustrations carry well. Bottom line is, if you have a toddler and don’t know Leslie Patricelli’s work, you owe it to yourself to take a look. You will have a new friend.

Standard disclaimer: I get to see advance copies of books through my job, however this review was unsolicited and unpaid for . . . opinions are completely my own.

After five years and one month

I decided it was finally time for that face lift I've been promising NLV. And that would be one of the reasons my posting has been light lately. Most of my computer time has been spent playing around with the different designs. Now that I realize how fun it is, I just might have to switch it up more often.

Here's to more time spent {Not} Living Vicariously!

Branford Marsalis at the Schermerhorn

Last night we fulfilled one of my long time wishes - to see Branford Marsalis play live. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a disappointment. The caberet style seating was overcrowded on the main floor, people came and went all through the evening (which is disturbing when seating is as close as it was), and he really wasn't good at interacting with the audience from stage. In fact, half the time we couldn't even understand what he was saying. And while the music was great, selections were rarely announced and were not the ones I would have preferred. Overall, I'm glad we went and I don't feel the need to see him again.

At least we had a "date" night. Something we really need to do more often . . .