This was such a wonderful weekend, our first in quite some time that we had absolutely no softball games or practices! Don’t get me wrong, we all love softball, but it was nice to have a weekend to get caught up around the house a bit and still have time to sit back and relax. I was able to get some much needed cleaning done and even rediscovered my kitchen island underneath all the stack of mail and magazines that had accumulated over the past couple of months. I got to spend time working on my other computer, finally getting it reconnected and up & running so my daughter and I no longer have to fight over my laptop! It was such a beautiful day too, a high of 78 yesterday! I went outside a couple of times and looked longingly at our backyard which I’m beginning to think needs some landscaping updates.
Of course, the nice weather ended and today is super windy and cold, so I now have time to sit indoors and plan my strategy for my yard. I’m not very good at yard work and planting, I definitely can use help, but it can be very expensive hiring people to do landscape work. I’m really thinking of starting with a smaller project in one corner of our yard where I believe a small tree has died. Weekend Project is a software program that can help me plot and plan exactly what I want to do with PlantFinder™ which suggests plants automatically based on where I live. It focuses on smaller household projects that can be completed in a weekend rather than something as big as a whole house remodel.
The Weekend Projectsoftware features tips from TV personality and interior designer Kristan Cunningham from HGTV and The Rachel Ray show as well as more in-depth how to information from other home professionals. What I find really cool is that, while planning bushes, trees and plants, I can include a picture of my home in my design plan to see how the end result will actually look! That can save me from making an expensive landscaping mistake!
Wanted to post this earlier, but time got away from me. I ran a couple of errands this morning after dropping my daughter off at school and before working my morning shift. When I got off work at noon I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few items and just got home and ate some lunch. So, I’m finally sitting down to write my favorite post of the week, Four Foods on Friday.
Without further ado, here are this weeks questions and my answers:
1. How do you make mashed potatoes? I peel and cut up potatoes and boil them until they are soft. I add milk, butter and salt and beat with my mixer until all the lumps are gone and they are creamy in texture.
2. What do you wash pots and pans with? Some pots I put in the dishwasher, others I was in hot water with Palmolive dish soap and a soft dishrag.
3. Name something red in your refrigerator right now. Strawberry jam.
4. Do you prefer to use boullion cubes or the boullion powder mix? I prefer powder, I can never seem to get the cubes to dissolve all the way!
Thursday is one of several days during the week that I find it difficult to plan a decent dinner. My daughter gets home from school just after 4 in the afternoon. She immediately begins working on homework (usually) and at 5:15, we head out for a 45 minute drive to the softball fields for weekly practice. Practice is 2-3 hours long, then we drive the 45 minutes back home and by the time we get home it’s 8:30 or 9. Too late for me to be cooking, much less eating. If I eat that late I won’t be able to sleep.
Lately, I’ve just been making sandwiches or buying sandwiches on the way. Of course, if we buy sandwiches, that means money from our dining out budget and I’d rather be spending that money on some other dining experience, but sandwiches are easy to eat in the car!
So, I was in Kroger the other day buying sandwich stuff and I noticed a new product in the refrigerated lunch meat section of the store that I’d never seen before, Fix Quix from Buddig and they come in 3 flavors, Grilled Chicken, Oven-Roasted Turkey, and Smoked Ham. These are ready to eat right out of the package or they can be added to my own recipes (or yours!).
I have to tell you too, I’ve been diagnosed with high cholesterol, so I always have to watch pre-packaged food items because they tend to be high in trans-fats, sodium and calories. Fix Quix is low in calories and low in fat with ZERO trans fat! I can add them to some whole wheat pasta for a quick take-along pasta salad, make a quick wrap sandwich or put them over some greens for a healthy salad. Any of these ideas can be eaten on the go so we can all have a nutritious meal that has the protein my daughter needs (and none of the fats that I don’t) before practice.
I know I have readers from all over the U.S. and internationally, so I hate to say this, but right now, if you’re wondering where to buy, this product is only available in Arizona, Missouri (St. Louis) and Texas. I do hope it becomes more widely available because I know many families have time crunches similar to mine and can use this product!
We eat a lot of rice in our household and I love the smell and flavor of Basmati rice. I purchase the Texmati brand of rice regularly and I have to say how surprised I was after my most recent purchase. Check out the size difference in these two containers!
That’s right, the volume has been downsized but the price stayed the same! One more product taking advantage of the consumer, thinking no one would notice. Come on Texmati, we’re not stupid!
If you’ve ever dreamed of traveling the world, there is definitely no better time than the present! British Airways has put the World on sale and it’s a great time to take advantage of some spectacular fares and packages.
Seriously, depending on where in the world you’d like to go, there are fares from as low as $229 each way from New York to London and back. Add a hotel to the mix and you can get a package rate for as little as $659! British Airways has flights from Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa and Washington D.C. They fly internationally to cities around the world including London, Cairo, Dubai, Hong Kong, Madrid, Mulan and Nairobi to name just a few.
It’s been many years since I’ve flown to an international destination, but British Airways was always one of my favorite airlines to fly. They have impeccable service, comfortable flights (ergonomic seats even!) and they even include meals in the price of a ticket. They also don’t charge extra for a blanket or pillow and they do their very best to make their customers comfortable throughout their flight.
I would love to take my daughter to Kenya. I’ve shown her photos from my trip there when I was her age. I went with my parents on a photographic safari and it is by far, one of my favorite trips of all time. I would love to give her the same experience.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?
To take advantage of this “world sale”, just book your tickets by November 19,2009 and travel November 17, 2009 – March 28, 2010 (excluding December 21-23 2009) and March 29 – May 23, 2010, except for travel to India where the travel periods are November 17 – December 10, 2009 and December 25, 2009 – May 23, 2010.
