I grew up in a VERY clean house--everything was always in place. My husband, on the other hand, did not. Now, I wasn't there, but over the eight years I've been with my hubby, I've come to realize that keeping a clean, clutter free home was not something that was made a priority during his formative years. Thus, there is a constant struggle in my home over organization and what each of us considers clean and I have been losing this struggle, especially since we've added a little addition to our family. I can't take it anymore. We've been blessed with a larger-than-we-need-f0r-n0w home with a lot of closets and lots of space and those closets and space have quickly filled up with "stuff". Sometimes I feel like I'm suffocating in my own house from all of our "stuff". I feel like I'm being weighed down and it is affecting every part of me. I want it out.
I was reading an article the other day about reorganizing your home in 7 days. This article suggested tackling one room/project a day for a week so that the overwhelming task of reorganizing an entire house doesn't seem impossible. I'm doing it!
I started yesterday and I've decided to clean/organize the house from top to bottom--literally. I started upstairs in our bedroom, which includes a bathroom and a fairly large closet. I didn't finish our room yesterday (afterall, I still have a baby to take care of) and I recognize that my project may take more than a week, but I'm committed to it because I refuse to raise my son in a home of clutter. I refuse to allow him to think that it's acceptable. And I refuse to let him leave my house when he's grown up to have his wife teach him how to clean.
The husband and I had a few good, lengthy conversations about this, and he's agreed (finally!) that this is indeed important. So what I need now is prayer. Pray that I will be diligent in my task and prayer that the hubby will continue to support my efforts and be mindful about what he's agreed to.
I'm starting to feel the weight lift off of my shoulders...
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tasty Tuesday: Steak Kabobs with Coconut Rice
I made these steak kabobs for dinner the other night and paired them with a fragrant coconut rice. The result? Delish! This is a super easy meal to make!
Steak Kabobs Ingredients:
1.25-1.5 lbs steak, cubed (I used round steak)
2 medium green peppers, cut into medium size chunks
8-10 mushrooms, halved
1 medium red onion, cut into medium size chunks
Salt, Pepper, and Steak Seasoning, all to taste
Directions:
Preheat your grill.
Season your steak with steak seasoning or the marinade/seasoning of your choice. Cut the steak into evenly sized cubes. Set aside.
Prepare your vegetables according to the ingredient list above.
It's time to skewer your kabobs! I prefer to skewer the meat and vegetables in a pattern, but you can skewer them however you'd like, just have fun with it. Season with salt and pepper before placing on the grill.
Cooking time will vary depending on your grill temperature, the thickness of your meat and veggies and your preferred meat doneness. I grilled my kabobs for 8-10 minutes on medium high heat, rotating them once.
Coconut Rice:
This super simple rice is delicious and it is the perfect pairing for grilled kabobs!
Ingredients:
1 cup Jasmine or Basmati rice (I used Jasmine rice)
1 14.5 oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup coconut flake
Directions:
Bring the coconut milk, sugar and salt to a SLOW boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. When the milk comes to a boil pour in the rice and coconut flake and cook for 10-12 minutes as you continue to stir the mixture frequently so that it does not burn. The mixture may begin to absorb all of the coconut milk before the rice is tender. If needed, add water a little bit at a time to the cooking rice until the rice is done. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.
Enjoy!
Steak Kabobs Ingredients:
1.25-1.5 lbs steak, cubed (I used round steak)
2 medium green peppers, cut into medium size chunks
8-10 mushrooms, halved
1 medium red onion, cut into medium size chunks
Salt, Pepper, and Steak Seasoning, all to taste
Directions:
Preheat your grill.
Season your steak with steak seasoning or the marinade/seasoning of your choice. Cut the steak into evenly sized cubes. Set aside.
Prepare your vegetables according to the ingredient list above.
It's time to skewer your kabobs! I prefer to skewer the meat and vegetables in a pattern, but you can skewer them however you'd like, just have fun with it. Season with salt and pepper before placing on the grill.
Cooking time will vary depending on your grill temperature, the thickness of your meat and veggies and your preferred meat doneness. I grilled my kabobs for 8-10 minutes on medium high heat, rotating them once.
Here's how my kabobs looked when they were done
Coconut Rice:
This super simple rice is delicious and it is the perfect pairing for grilled kabobs!
Ingredients:
1 cup Jasmine or Basmati rice (I used Jasmine rice)
1 14.5 oz can coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 cup coconut flake
Directions:
Bring the coconut milk, sugar and salt to a SLOW boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. When the milk comes to a boil pour in the rice and coconut flake and cook for 10-12 minutes as you continue to stir the mixture frequently so that it does not burn. The mixture may begin to absorb all of the coconut milk before the rice is tender. If needed, add water a little bit at a time to the cooking rice until the rice is done. Garnish with fresh cilantro if desired.
Steak Kabobs with Coconut Rice
Enjoy!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Back from vacation!
We're ba-aaack!
Adam, Aiden and I spent nine glorious days in FL and boy am I tired! Why is it that so many of us seem to need a vacation after our vacation?! Here's how our trip went from beginning to end:
Adam dropped Aiden and me off at the airport a week ago Monday. I was so nervous to fly with the boy but he was soooo good. (I really should give him more credit!) Adam joined us in FL on Tuesday evening and we had a few beautiful days at the beach and the pool, getting sun, having fun in the water, and just relaxing.
Beach bum! Notice the bottle...he just fed Aiden
Having fun with Grammy
The boy LOVES the water...He kept licking the salt off of his hands and fingers. It was hysterical! And a little gross...
Beautiful Vanderbilt Beach in Naples, FL
He was obsessed with my Mom's beach hat
On the cruise
Manatee Zone
A $12 million house on the water....just gorgeous!
Beautiful sunset
On Sunday, after Adam left, I called him to let him know that he forgot our pillows and I wasn't able to fit them in my suitcase. He hadn't gone far and he was backtracking to get them, but it was getting late and since he had a 12 hour drive ahead of him, he decided that he'd stay in a hotel that night instead of driving straight through. To make a long story short, we decided that Aiden and I would go with Adam instead of flying home the next day and we'd go to Disney World on the way back, extending our vacation by a couple of days. What an unexpected treat! :)
Mommy and Aiden on Main Street, USA
Daddy and Aiden on Main Street, USA
Cinderella's Castle...it never gets old! :)
I think we have some video of Aiden in the water and at Disney but I'm still tired from spending 3 full days at Disney plus the looooong drive home. Sorry for the short commentary, but this is one tired Momma!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
My first Mother's Day
This past Sunday was such a sweet day for me...It was my first Mother's Day! My Mother's Day celebration actually started on Saturday. Adam went to a childhood friend's wedding in Wake Forest, NC (I didn't go because we didn't have anyone to watch Aiden and the wedding started too late to bring him) so Aiden and I went to Portrait Innovations to get our picture taken together. While we were waiting for our pictures to be printed we went on our first solo dinner date together. This is how I described it to Adam via text message that night:
My actual Mother's Day (Sunday) was a very nice, relaxing family day. It started off with me receiving a beautiful ring from Adam and Aiden (if you look closely at the front side it says "MOM").
Our afternoon plans were to go to Firebird's for a late lunch and then we wanted to head over to Adventure Landing to play mini-golf, but we have a baby, so those plans didn't exactly pan out. We got to Firebirds around 2:45, thinking we'd go at a time when it wouldn't be as busy, but there was still a 45 minute wait--not happening with a 10 month old. We wound up eating at Five Guys instead. Then on our way over to Adventure Landing Aiden fell asleep. Needless to say we didn't play mini-golf! Instead we went over to Lowe's and Adam sat with Aiden in the card while I bought some hanging baskets for the shepards hook I bought for my backyard.
Me: "Aiden and I went to Jason's Deli on a date."
Adam: "Did he pay?"
Me: "No, I paid...and he flirted with other women throughout dinner..."
Adam: "That's not very gentleman like!"
Here's the pictures that Aiden and I took together:
My actual Mother's Day (Sunday) was a very nice, relaxing family day. It started off with me receiving a beautiful ring from Adam and Aiden (if you look closely at the front side it says "MOM").
Our afternoon plans were to go to Firebird's for a late lunch and then we wanted to head over to Adventure Landing to play mini-golf, but we have a baby, so those plans didn't exactly pan out. We got to Firebirds around 2:45, thinking we'd go at a time when it wouldn't be as busy, but there was still a 45 minute wait--not happening with a 10 month old. We wound up eating at Five Guys instead. Then on our way over to Adventure Landing Aiden fell asleep. Needless to say we didn't play mini-golf! Instead we went over to Lowe's and Adam sat with Aiden in the card while I bought some hanging baskets for the shepards hook I bought for my backyard.No, it wasn't what we planned but it was a wonderful day. I am indeed beyond blessed to be a mother.
Tasty Tuesday (One day late...)
I haven't been quite the domestic diva that I would like to be lately...I've been feeling kind of blah, and when I get like that I don't want to do more than I HAVE to do (being that I'm the mommy of a 10 and 1/2 month old boy, there's plenty I have to do...). I need to get out of this slump of quick dinners and spotty housekeeping...
I really do like to cook, but this past week I can't seems to motivate myself.
So, in honor of needing to give myself a swift quick in the pants, here's a recipe that gets rave reviews everytime I make it:
Tuscan Beef Soup:
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained (ground Italian Sausage would also be fab with this!)
2 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans, (14.5 oz each) beef broth
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups water
1 can (15oz) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped unpeeled zucchini
1 cup frozen cut green beans, partially thawed
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients, except kidney beans, zucchini, green beans, parsley, and grated cheese in a pot. Stir well, cook until potatoes are almost cooked through then stir in kidney beans, zucchini, green beans, and parsley. Cook until all ingredients are hot.
Garnish with grated cheese and extra parsley.
Tip:
This can also be made in your slow cooker! Use your "soup" preset (or cook on low for 6 hours) and then add the remaining ingredients and switch to high for one more hour. (7 hours total)
I really do like to cook, but this past week I can't seems to motivate myself.
So, in honor of needing to give myself a swift quick in the pants, here's a recipe that gets rave reviews everytime I make it:
Tuscan Beef Soup:
1 lb ground beef, cooked and drained (ground Italian Sausage would also be fab with this!)
2 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cans, (14.5 oz each) beef broth
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups water
1 can (15oz) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup chopped unpeeled zucchini
1 cup frozen cut green beans, partially thawed
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
Shredded Parmesan cheese
Combine all ingredients, except kidney beans, zucchini, green beans, parsley, and grated cheese in a pot. Stir well, cook until potatoes are almost cooked through then stir in kidney beans, zucchini, green beans, and parsley. Cook until all ingredients are hot.
Garnish with grated cheese and extra parsley.
Tip:
This can also be made in your slow cooker! Use your "soup" preset (or cook on low for 6 hours) and then add the remaining ingredients and switch to high for one more hour. (7 hours total)
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