Get It Together: Thinking Of You

At the beginning of each year I think of a few small things I want to add to my life to help me make the most of it. This year, one thing I want to work on is taking the time to reach out to my friends in a non-electronic way.

I came up with an idea to keep on top of this without it becoming an overwhelming task or just one more thing I have to do.

Each month I am going to pick five friends and send them a hand written note. I will pick a theme for that month and each card will go with that theme.

I read that January is Tea Month so my first five friends are receiving a tea bag along with their note.

Each month I will share with you all what my theme is and maybe it will serve as inspiration to you.

Now, how am I going to do this without it becoming just one more thing? Simple.

It all starts with knowing where everything is. I have my stamps and address labels in a bin on my desk. When I run low on stamps I jump right out to usps.com and order more so I never am left empty handed.

I have a stack of note cards that I have accumulated over the years that I am pulling from. I will now no longer feel guilty when I see cute cards at a craft fair because I will have a use for them! (Bonus!)

I add it to my To Do List for a Saturday mid-month and I keep a list in my personal note book of who I sent cards to this month. Throughout the month, if I think of someone to add I can quickly jot that down. This month my list was made up of a few friends with birthdays and a few friends I don't see often at all and one friend who just has so much on her plate I knew a little note would make her day.

And that's it! Let me know if you were inspired and if so, what theme did you pick?

Get It Together: The Skimm

With all the thing going on in my life right now... Oh, who am I kidding? With all of the things going on in my life always... Better yet. With all of the things going on in all of our lives always...

I feel like I get behind on what is happening in the world. 

Yes, I have the Today Show on in the background when I am getting ready for my day but I am often multitasking and miss a lot of what is being said.

Unless the puppy is on. Then I am 100% engaged. 

When I came across this news service the other day called The Skimm I knew it was for me. 

They send you an email with the highlights of the days happenings in national news. Each highlight is about a paragraph and it contains a link to a deeper story or a related story if the reader would like more info. 

I have added 5 minutes to my morning computer routine (responding to personal emails, checking in on the checking account and paying some bills...) and now I feel like I know what is going on in the world. 

I encourage you to sign up for the subscription and get the Skimm. 

I was not paid or compensated in any way for this recommendation. 

What's for Dinner: A Stack of Waffles

I made a stack of waffles this morning. Most went in the freezer for quick breakfast now that we are back to school.

 This recipe is a good base. Add lemon and blueberries to change it up.

Yield 5 waffles...
2 large eggs
2 cups all purpose flour (or 1 cup ap flour and 1 cup whole wheat or some combo but keep in mind that the whole wheat flour is on the dryer side and may change the consistency of your waffles.)
1 1/2 cup milk
4 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together until smooth. Pour about 1/2 cups batter in heated waffle iron.

Top with syrup or berries. Enjoy!

To store, place waffles in a freezer bag and place in your freezer. To reheat, place one waffle at a time in microwave for about 60 seconds. 

What's For Dinner: Greek Salad

Back to work and school after 16 days off and we jumped in with both feet. Late night at the office for me, double hockey practice for Heidi, errands for Shawn means we needed a quick dinner.

I threw together a Greek Salad with the leftover Prime Rib. Kalamata olives. Banana peppers. Feta cheese. Home made Greek dressing.

Here is the dressing recipe:...
3/4 tsp basil
2 cloves garlic diced
1/2 tsp onion powder
3/4 tsp oregano
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
Put everything in a jar, shake well, let stand 10 minutes and enjoy!