Monday Motivation

5 Things That Made Me Happy This Week

1. A sunny 72 degree Saturday.

2. Olive Garden. We hadn't been there for 2 years, I think. Since hubs hates it there.

3. Spending time with good friends.

4. Date night/ movie night with the hubs. We watched the movie "Snatched" It was funny.

5. Happy Mail. I got my Plant Lady shirt from Magnolia Market. I can't have it until our anniversary though because it's a present.

Nail Files. Week # 323

Today I am wearing China Glaze~Jamaican Out. It's kind of a frosty red. I don't wear reds a lot. It's pretty though.

Friday Favorites

One
smores.

Two:
This guy. He's been funny lately.

Three:
Kizmet. It just nice having her around. She always makes me laugh. Notice that she won't look directly at the camera.

Four:
Freedom & alone time. I will have that on Monday. It will be nice to get things done. 8:00 Monday morning, I'll be doing a Happy dance.

Five:
Wells, Maine. Where we are going for 2 nights in June for my birthday. We'll also be going to Ogunquit & York beach.

Photos from the internet.

Stuff & Things

* So Spring break/April vacation is almost over. I have to say that I am a little bit happy about that. It's so hard to get things done with the hubs & Drama Queen home. They are always calling my name every time I sit down & try to get something done.

* Anthony & I both had our hair trimmed yesterday. I always feel better when I have my hair trimmed. It's been 6 months since I had my hair trimmed. The ends of my hair always end up feeling like brillo & look horrible after a few months. We have well water & I think that has a lot to do with it.

* I booked the hotel for Maine for my Birthday in June. I'm looking forward to getting away. I booked an apt with a balcony, but we might change it to just a regular room (because it's cheaper) & stay a 2nd night.

* Hubs cut down some trees in front of our house. It look so bare. We bought 2 purple lilac bushes yesterday & he planted them today. They will flower this year, so that will be nice. It should be in a few weeks. I love the smell of lilacs. Growing up we had 3 lilac trees. 2 purple & 1 white tree. I think things are a little behind because of the cold weather. It looks like some of my daffodils aren't going to bloom, but the 1s on the side of the house will.

Wordless Wednesday~Curly hair

Tasty Tuesday~Baked Macaroni & Cheese

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

 

 Recipe & photo from Yankee magazine. New England Today food.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3-1/2 cups elbow macaroni, about 6 cups cooked
• 4 to 6 tablespoons butter
• 1 1/2 cups coarse bread crumbs, approximately
• 10 to 12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• salt and pepper to taste (remember, cheese is quite salty)
• 1 cup milk

Instructions

Cook the macaroni according to package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water. Grease (with butter) bottom and sides of a 2-quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Put in a layer of macaroni, sprinkle with cheese, dot with butter, salt, and pepper. Repeat until all ingredients are used up, ending with layer of cheese. Add milk. Sprinkle a good layer of bread crumbs over the top; dot with butter.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes.

Mommy & Me Monday

The nice weather is finally here. It was like 62 out today. I didn't get to do too much outside. I had to go food shopping, but it was nice with the windows rolled down while I was driving. It definitely gets you in a good mood. Yay for sunshine.

My Survey & Olive Garden

 I started doing surveys on My survey a few months ago. You earn points for doing surveys. I decided that I wanted a $50 Olive garden gift card, so I finally cashed it in & we went to eat on Saturday night. Next I am going to get a Sephora gift card. The surveys are easy & some are kind of fun. Check it out.

Nail Files. Week # 322

This week I am wearing Sally Hansen Insta-Dri~Just in Wine. It's a pretty color. Some wine colors don't look that great with my skin, but this 1 does. I wish they had more of a color selection for the Insta-dri polishes.

Friday Favorites

1. Rimmel Insta flawless radiant primer. I like this stuff a lot. I got it a few weeks ago. I think it does make you look radiant.

2. Brownie in a mug. The Drama Queen picked this out the last time she went food shopping with me. I finally got around to trying it last week & it's really good. It doesn't fill your mug much though. I feel like you need a little mini tea party mug for this. haha. But it really was enough to fill you. We were out of whip cream that day, but that would be really yummy on it.

 3. That we are officially on vacation for the next week. I guess I should say Staycation. Hubs & T are off. If there is a nice day we might do a day trip or some other fun things.

Stuff & Things

 

* Next week is school vacation for T & Anthony is taking the week off. It will finally be at least 60 out. I'm looking forward to it.

* This weeks mail has been slow, but there are 3 things that I know are on the way, so that makes me happy.

* I made a yummy mac & cheese recipe last night. We all loved it & I'll be posting it on Tasty Tuesday next week.

* The beginning of this week was rough, so I'm glad that this week is almost over. Hopefully the weekend & next week will be better.

* I got some things on my to-do list done that I've been putting off. I brought my cat to the vet for his yearly check up & brought T to the dentist (she hadn't been for a year). I also made a dentist appointment for me to have my crown finished. I still need to make yearly check ups for T & me too.

Wordless Wednesday-New Hammock

Things that I'm looking forward to this Spring.

1. Getting our garden going. I love seeing it grow & take over the garden. I love picking weeds & using the veggies in salads & the herbs in spaghetti sauce.

2. Getting out & walking & biking.
3. Next week is school vacation week & Anthony has it off too. So I'm hoping it will be nice out & we can go to a rail trail & ride our bikes or go on a day trip.
4. I'm going to plant some perennials in the front of the house. It will be nice seeing them come up every year.
5. Our 12 year wedding anniversary on May 30th.
6. Going to Tara's dance recital, the beginning of June.
7. Having my hair trimmed. We all need our hair done this next week.

Mommy & Me Monday (Flashback)

This is from August of 2012. We were in Virginia at a hotel. I had lost some pics from that trip & found them a few years ago in 1 of my folders on the computer.

Lights, not just for the Holidays

Tips for Dealing with Stress

 -Find a relaxing/calming essential oil & rub it on your wrists & neck. There is also jewelry that you can buy with lava beads & apply the oil to those. I have a few bracelets & a necklace like that. A few calming essential oils are lavender, rose, vanilla & chamomile.

-Take 5 deep breaths.
-Write down your worries before bed. Things that are stressing you out & you are overthinking. It helps to write things down. Write in a journal if you can at night time because I think it helps you not dwell on things that are bothering you, when you are trying to sleep.
-I'm really into crystals. There are calming crystals like amethyst, rose quartz & sodalite.
-Have a cup of chamomile tea or warm milk. I like warm almond milk with honey & cinnamon.
-Take a bath with epsom salts or a warm shower & add lavender essential oil to the tub.
-Do yoga or meditate.
-Read a book.
-Take a walk.
-Do 1 of your favorite hobbies, crafts, watch a funny movie or tv show. Do something to get your mind off of things.

Nail Files. Week # 321

This week I am wearing Sally Hansen~Color Foil Rose copper. It's pretty. It's a rosey metallic polish. I want to wear some different polishes.

Stuff & Things

*Yesterday I had a rental car because my car had a recall on the airbag. So it was fun driving a different car. It was a Subaru Legacy, 2017. My car is a Subaru Outback Impreza sport, 2007. Big difference. This rental car you just push a button & it starts. It had the back up screen, bluetooth, sunroof, Sirius radio & some other things. Tara wanted me to buy it & save my car for her someday. I don't have the $ to buy a new car. I think it will be a while before I get a new car.

*I went to Dollar tree, a different 1 that I had never been to & I bought a bunch of stuff. I spent $16 there, the most I ever spent there. I'm going to do a Haul video soon. I got a bunch of stickers for scrapbooking.

*This year is going by so fast. We're getting papers on classroom placements for next year already. Before you know it, it will be Summer vacation. We got a paper on a Summer camp already too.

*I've been trying to be more crafty. I bought some iron on letters & made a shirt that said But First Mascara. But the letters are already coming off. I also tried to make some address labels, but they came out not lined up right. I guess I need to practice with them. At least I'm trying different things even if they don't come out so good. I won't give up, I'll try them again & get them to work. I want to make a Spring wreath, so I bought some flowers & a plain wreath. I want to do a diy video for You tube.

Wordless Wednesday~My Kids

Tasty Tuesday~Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta

Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta

 Recipe by 365 Days of slow cooking

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

•   Cook Time: 3 minutes (plus time to build pressure and a 5 minutes NPR)
•   Yield: 5 servings
•   Category: Pasta
•   Method: Instant Pot

Description

Curly pasta is enveloped in a creamy parmesan, basil and cream cheese sauce with bites of sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and tender chunks of chicken. 

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Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
• 8 oz cavatappi noodles (you can also use cellentani noodles or elbow macaroni)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 (8 oz) jar sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed, drained and chopped 
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 Tbsp fresh chopped basil (or 2 Tbsp of basil in the squeeze tube or 1 tsp dried basil)
• 2-3 cup baby spinach

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Instructions

1. Add the chicken, noodles, broth and butter to the Instant Pot. Try to cover the noodles as much as possible with the liquid. Cover the pot and secure the lid. Make sure valve is set to “sealing.” Set the manual pressure cook button to 3 minutes.
2. When the timer beeps let the pot sit for 5 more minutes (the display will start counting up). Move the valve to “venting.” If foam starts coming out move it back to sealing and wait a few minutes to try again. Once all the pressure is release, remove the lid.
3. Turn the pot to the saute function. Stir in the garlic powder, cream cheese and milk. There will seem to be a lot of liquid in the pot but don’t worry. Once the cream cheese is melted add in the Parmesan and stir until melted. Add in the sun dried tomatoes, salt, pepper, basil and finally the spinach. Stir until the spinach is cooked down.
4. Scoop the pasta onto plates and serve.

Notes

This recipe can easily be doubled. The only thing that might be a problem is the pasta releasing foam into the valve when you try to do a quick release. Just let the pressure release naturally for a while until steam comes out clear without foam.
I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.
The noodles: I used curly cavatappi noodles that I bought at Kroger. I love their shape! You can also use cellentani noodles or elbow macaroni noodles.
The chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts that were uncooked. Before adding them to the Instant Pot I cut them into bite size cubes. I prefer to cut the chicken into cubes when the chicken is partially frozen. You can also use cooked and cubed chicken in this recipe if you already have it on hand. You could even use rotisserie chicken.
Sun dried tomatoes: I had a hard time finding sun dried tomatoes at the grocery store. But they are a MUST in this recipe. Sun-dried tomatoes have an intense sweet-tart flavor that’s much more potent than fresh tomatoes.
Parmesan: I used pre-grated parmesan that I bought at Costco in a big bag. You can grate your own parmesan or also use the stuff in the green can (although I don’t think that would taste as good).
Basil: I used 2 tablespoons of the basil in the refrigerated squeeze tube. You can use 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped basil or if all else fails you can add in 1 teaspoon of dried basil.
Spinach: I used fresh baby spinach and just stirred it in at the end. You could also use frozen spinach that has been thawed and squeezed of excess moisture.

Monday Motivation

Getting Healthy

 I've been wanting to eat healthier & get more exercise. I got a Garmin fitbit for Christmas, so I've been wearing that, but have had a hard time getting to 10,000 steps. At my old job there was a contest to win a day off or something like that, so we all wore pedometers & walked all over the place. We didn't win, but I hit 10,000 steps everyday with that. My main thing is wanting to get out & walk. So hopefully within the next week I can start doing that. It was only 41 degrees today.
 The next thing is food. I want to start making smoothies, but I am picky. Orange juice makes me nauseous & I only like strawberries, blueberries & bananas for fruit. Yogurt doesn't agree with my stomach, so I'll probably use almond milk. I found this recipe that I want to make this week.

Healthy Chocolate Banana Smoothie

Prep time: 5 minutes
Servings: 2 people

Ingredients:

1 cup Almond Breeze chocolate milk
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 frozen bananas
1 handful of baby spinach about 1/4 cup

Instructions:

1. In a blender add the chocolate almond milk, unsweetened cocoa powder, frozen banana slices and baby spinach.
2. Blend until thick and smooth.
3. Serve and enjoy immediately.

The better weather is coming someday. I know it will. haha. So I want to fit into my Summer clothes. I saw my nutritionist about a year or year & 1/2 ago & she gave me a folder with notes. I need to find that. I never even really looked at it. So I'm hoping to get ideas of food to eat.

Happy Mail

I'm really behind in letters. I write letters every day too. I've gotten a lot of happy mail the past few weeks. It makes me so happy. I love sending happy mail too & making people happy. Writing letters relaxes me & makes me really happy. I've been doing swaps every Sunday. That's been fun too.

Nail Files. Week # 320

I have on a new polish that I got this week. It is Salon Perfect~Mer-made of Money. I love the color, but I kind of thought maybe I shouldn't get it. I've gotten the Neon pop 1s before & they always chip really fast. So I had a feeling that it wasn't a good idea. But I loved the color, so I got it & yes it chips really fast. I probably won't be wearing it much because I hate dealing with chipping polish. So this will probably be the last Neon pop polish that I will buy. At least it isn't expensive.

TBB Asks~All Things Spring

1. What 3 colors remind you of Spring? Green, Yellow & pink.
2. What is the first thing that you add to your wardrobe in the Spring? Sandals or flip flops when it's warm enough.
3. What is the 1st wardrobe item you ditch in Spring? Scratchy sweaters
4. Who mows the grass where you live? My husband mows the lawn. I'm allergic to grass.
5. What's Spring like where you live? Everyone wants to get outside after such a long Winter. So people are out walking & biking. Going to the park to walk or the rail trail that we have in town.
6. What's your fave thing about Spring? The warmer weather & flowers blooming.
7. Are you a Spring cleaner? Yes, I've been doing lots of Spring cleaning the past month. Destashing, donating & throwing away & also dusting & vacuuming.
8. Are you a baseball fan? No. I don't like any sports.
9. Tulips or daffodils? I like tulips because they come in pink & purple, but we have daffodils in our yard. They are the first flowers that come up in the Spring in our yard.
10. Favorite outdoor Spring activity? Going for walks.
11. Flowers in the ground or in pots? We start them in pots & then plant them, but we keep some flowers in pots on the deck.
12. Favorite bird? Dove (I use to have a pet dove).
13. Car wash or wash vehicles at home? Wash vehicles at home, but it's been so cold here lately that I'm thinking of going to the car wash to get all the salt & sand off of the car.
14. When do you pull out your sandals? Usually in May. It takes forever to warm up here & I'm always cold especially my feet.