Week 5: Day 31

Adult Orange Julius AKA Dreamcicle

Adult Orange Julius

AKA

Dreamcicle

Ingredient List:

• Orange Juice
• Heavy Whipping Cream
• Dr. McGillicuddy's Vanilla Schnapps
• Metal Spoon

Directions:

• Fill a glass with ice.
• Add 1oz Vanilla Cuddy
• Fill almost to the rim with orange juice.  Mix well.
• Using a metal spoon, which is turned over, slowly pour the heavy whipping cream over the back of the spoon to carefully float the cream on top.  (It will taste the same if you decide not to float the cream, however, it just looks prettier that way.)
• Garnish with an orange slice.

These make a perfect weekend morning beverage.  In the summer, we actually blend them to make it more like an Orange Julius.

As you will see this week, Dr. McGillicuddy's Vanilla Schnapps is a favorite around here, because there are TONS of drinks that can be made with it!

"Do these pants make my butt look big?  Heck No!  Everyone knows the mirror adds at least 10lbs!"

Week 5: Day 30

Blood Mary

Bloody Mary



Ingredient List:

• 2 tbs Claussen pickle juice
• 2 Dashes of Worcestershire Sauce
• Dash of Celery Seed
• Dash of All Season Salt
• Dash of Ground Pepper
• Dash of Hot Sauce (optional)
• 1oz Vodka
• V8 Original Vegetable Juice
• Garnish with:
• Claussen pickle spear
• Garlic stuffed olives
• Green olives
• A combination of pickles and olives.

Directions:

1. Fill a large glass with ice.
2. You can choose to salt the rim with All Season Salt (Lawry's) by pouring lime juice on a plate, placing the rim in the juice, them dipping the rim in All Season Salt, which is poured on a seperate plate.
3. Add pickle juice, Worcestershire sauce, celery seed, all season salt, ground pepper, hot sauce and vodka.
4. Fill the remain part of the glass with V8. 
5. Stir.

Now I know many people like those flavored vodkas, but I assure you, plain is just as good as the bacon flavor vodka, plus there are many more uses for plain vodka, than bacon!  Our local winery, Cedar Ridge, makes a great vodka!

The pickle juice MUST be Claussen's.  It just won't taste the same!  I promise!  I keep an empty jar in the fridge that I add to when we finish up a jar of pickles.  (Not that I would ever drink it straight from the jar!  There is no proof of that!)

I love V8 verses regular tomato juice because it is thicker!  I really love the consistency.  If you must use a mix, Major Peters is THE best!  However, you can make 2 1/2 drinks out of one bottle and it costs twice as much! 

If you are going to go heavy on the seasoning, which I always do, the only exception is the celery seed.  A dash is really all you need because it's gritty and strong.

"These are super healthy because the alcohol burns all the calories out, right?!"

Week 5: Day 29



Coffee & Irish Cream

 Irish Cream

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

• 1 1/4 cups organic sugar
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

In a large sauce pan whisk sugar and cocoa powder until most lumps are gone.  Add water and salt and bring to a boil, stirring frequently.  After sauce is thick, remove from heat and let cool 5 min.  Add vanilla extract and stir.

Homemade Irish Cream

• 1 1/3 cup of Irish Whiskey (I used Jameson)
• 14oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 or 3 tbs of homemade chocolate syrup
• 1 tsp instant coffee granules
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract

Mix everything in a blender until well mixed.  Store in a glass container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. 

"What grey hair?  Those are my distinguished highlights."

Week 5: Libations and Lies

So this weeks theme is going to focus around some of my favorite adult beverages and lies I tell myself, some good, some bad.

Bartending has become quite a distinguished profession in the sense that mixed drinks are no longer called "mixed drinks", they are called "libations".  Bartenders are no longer called "bartenders", they are "mixologists" or "tapsters" or "tapstress".    It's crazy!

Accoding to Merriam-Webster  :

Definition of LIBATION

1. Definition
1. a: an act of pouring a liquid as a sacrifice (as to a deity)   
2. b: a liquid (as wine) used in a libation
2. Definition
1. a: an act or instance of drinking often ceremoniously   
2. b: beverage; especially: a drink containing alcohol

I found that definiton to be EXTREMELY interesting from the Christian perspective and the movement of Christianity when it was young.  Most believed in Greek or Roman Gods, like Dionysus, who was the God of wine.  So it's easy to see why Christians saw/see that drinking was/is a sin.

Definition of LIE

1. to make an untrue statement with intent to deceive
2. to create a false or misleading impression

So stay tuned for recipes and lies I like to tell myself!

Week 4: Day 28, Saturday



Day 28:  Bunkbed Tent

• 4:44am:  I am up because of my back, and sitting on the couch working on my updates.
• 7:05am:  Jason up out of bed and making coffee.
• 7:30am:  Kids up and getting breakfast, I'm on my 2nd cup of coffee.  Jason and I discussing whether or not to exchange my Nook Tablet, just because it's acting kind of weird.  We decide I should, just because I've had it for a few weeks.
• 8:15am:  Libby polishing her nails for her birthday party today, and I'm helping Maison with his math.
• 8:30am:  Confessions from last night unfold.  Apparently Jason let the kids slide down the stairs on the crib mattress as long as they promised not to do it while I was around!  Found out my folks came over last night and shared stories about how I used to slide down the stairs in my sleeping bag, which I totally denied!  (Actually my brother and I used to jump down the stairs onto the beanbag chairs, until they exploded one night!)
• 9:00am:  Homework done for now.  Jason, Izzy, and I get done so we can take the loft over to Papa, take Papa's truck back, get our van, and exchange the Nook.  Maison and Libby decide to stay home.  Head out and fill truck with gas.
• 9:30am:  Arrive at Papa's.  Go in and chat for a minute.
• 9:45am:  In the van and heading down to Barnes and Noble with Jason and Izzy.  Jason calls home to check on the kids.
• 10:00am:  Arrive at Barnes and Noble and exchange the Nook for a new one.  No questions asked!  AWESOME!
• 10:30am:  Head over to Wally to pick up a few things I can't or don't like to buy at Fareway, like toilet paper, and personal products.
• 11:30am:  Hit McDonald's drive thru for the kids and Jason.  I breakdown and get an eggnog shake and fries.  I feel like I deserve it since my back is KILLING me!
• 12:00pm:  Arrive home and everyone chowing down on Donald's.  I start slowly putting things away!  Turn on the Cyclone basketball game.
• 1:20pm:  Jason takes Libby to her birthday party.  I continue to lay in bed, hoping my back will be better soon!  I think I fall in and out of sleep.
• 3:00pm:  Jason picks Libby up from her party.  Libby goes in and takes a nap and Izzy just pretends.
• 4:00pm:  I head out with Maison to buy him a new book that he really wants.  We secretly stalk a girl that has the one and only copy of the book.  As soon as she puts it down, we snatch it up and run for the registers.  Didn't want her to change her mind!
• 5:30pm:  Head into the liquor store to pick up items for my week 5 theme.
• 5:45pm:  Head into Fareway and pick up some things for our family movie night.
• 6:15pm:  Arrive home.  Get groceries put away.  Everyone in their relaxation clothes and dinner is carried downstairs.
• Bagel bites (for the kids)
• Pulled Pork sandwiches
• Coleslaw
• 6 Bean salad
• Chips
• Salsa
• Fresh fruit
• 7:00pm:  We put in Real Steel.
• 10:35pm:  Real Steel over.  Man, that was an AWESOME movie!  Clean up basement and get everyone into bed.
• 11:15pm:  Internet down and Jason goes downstairs and resets the router instead of the modem, so I  proceed to figure out how to secure our network.
• 1:15am:  Seriously frustrated because I think the router is just not what it should be anymore.  It's 8 years old, and for technology, I think it has well out-lived its life expectancy!
• 1:30am:  Warming up heating pad and heading to bed!  I hope my back is better tomorrow!

Week 4: Day 27, Friday

Day 27:  Bunkbeds

• 6:30am:  Alarm goes off, and for once this week I feel like I am ready to get up and go!  Jason up out of bed and heads to the gym.  I get myself dressed for the gym, get coffee brewing, make the bed, let the poochies out, and feed the poochies breakfast.
• 7:00am:  The Allen kids are up and out of bed.  Breakfast made, and the kids decide they want hot lunch AGAIN this week.  This must be a new record!  Libby is very adamant about trying the crispy fish sandwich, because "it looks so delicious."  (I think it's a safe bet we all know how that's going to turn out, but I praise her for trying something new.)
• 7:25am:  Jason home from the gym, I have my mug full of coffee, and the poochies on their leashes. 
• 7:30am:  I am heading out the door to take the poochies to the vet and leave Jason to manage getting everyone ready for school and dropped off.
• 8:00am:  Arrive at the vet's office.  Eating disorder Danni out-weighs Gretta by a full pound!  It's crazy how one pound on a small dog can visibly look so different!  Both dogs get 3 shots and 80 some dollars later, I am out the door heading home.
• 8:20am:  I call Jason and ask if he got everyone where they needed.  I was a little disappointed that he didn't have to use the old "tuck and roll" method when dropping the kids off at school!  We agree to meet at the house so I can drop the dogs off, switch cars with him, grab my gym stuff and then we can head our separate ways.
• 8:35am:  Arrive home.  Refill my coffee, grab my gym stuff, give Jason a smoochie, jump in the van and head to the gym.
• 8:45am:  Check in at the gym, drop Izzy off at the daycare, and head upstairs to get my "GirlFit" on.
• 9:00am:  My workout ladies are all ready, however we end up waiting for the intern who has our workout for about 15 to 20min.  She is a no show, so we move to plan B.
• 9:25am:  WOD 4 Rounds for Time
• 400 meter run
• 30 walking lunges
• 20 kettlebell swings
• 10 wall balls or squats
• 5 burpees
• 10:05am:  Stretch and kick myself for letting my abs go on my last few wall balls.  Nothing like catching a 20lb ball with your back arched!  That is so going to hurt later!
• 10:20am:  Zumba Deb talks me into a little spin on the bike!
• 10:30am:  Jess comes up and saves me from the bike because Izzy is ready to go home!
• 10:45am:  Heading home.
• 11:00am:  Arrive home, grab a quick lunch with Izzy and get myself into the shower.
• 11:45am:  Put Izzy's clothes back on and head over to my Mom and Dad's house to borrow the truck to go get the new bunkbeds for the girls!
• 12:00pm:  Arrive at Grama & Papa's.  Papa feeds Izzy an orange, banana, and some jello.
• 1:20pm:  We leave Grama & Papa's and head out to the shop to pick up Jason.
• 1:35pm:  Arrive at the shop and Jason is not ready to leave.  I watch the guys work on their display.
• 2:00pm:  Jason decides to take the truck up to Cedar Rapids to get the beds with Izzy because she fell asleep and I decide to head to Fareway and pick up a few things for dinner since I never made it to the store today.  My back is definitely NOT good!
• 2:40pm:  I head over to school to pick the kids up.  It is really snowing now!
• 3:00pm:  The kids hop into the car and we head home.  I put the groceries away and climb up into bed, hoping my back will feel better.  It has NEVER hurt like this before.  I think I could possible cry.
• 3:20pm:  Jason home with the beds and excitement fills the house.  I haven't seen 3 kids more helpful in a long time.  I try to get up and look like I'm helping, but I don't really think I'm fooling anyone!
• 4:00pm:  I start getting ready for my ladies meeting.  I straightened my hair and change my clothes a half dozen times before I finally decide on something.
• 5:20pm:  Jason has enough help to get those beds finished without me!  They are almost already done!  Izzy is officially reading the instructions to Jason, Libby is reading a book to everyone while they work, and Maison is putting together anything he can get his hands on whether or not they actually go together!
• 6:00pm:  Arrive at Outback and enjoy a nice quiet dinner with my 5 lady friends.  It is SO nice to be around adult conversation.
• 8:00pm:  It is snowing again and I make my way to Jason's car.  I'm really thinking I might die or my spine is going to shoot out my backside at any moment!  HOLY COW!
• 8:30pm:  I am home, hobbling to the bedroom, trying to take my clothes off with out bending my back and get my jammies on.
• 8:35pm:  I go to check on the kids, because no one has come to greet me since I have been home.  They have a fort all built on the bunkbeds and are having a GREAT time!  All 3 kids plan on sleeping in there together.   Usually Izzy sleeps alone in their room, and Libby sleeps on the floor in Maison's room.  It's awesome to see the girls excited to be in a room together.
• 9:00pm:  I attempt to slide into bed without crying.  I get in a position that seems doable and wipe away the tears.
• 9:05pm:  Izzy comes in to tell us that she "hurted her foot".  Jason gives it a kiss and we send her on her way.
• 9:15pm:  Izzy comes in to let us know that Maison "hurted her toe".  Jason gives it a kiss and makes the announcement that everyone needs to stay in bed or they have to go to their own room...which the girls are already in their rooms and so really Maison would be the only one that would have to move and he is the only one that is trying to sleep.  I am praying Jason's threat works because it really doesn't make much sense.
• 9:30pm:  No one comes back into our room, so I think it worked.  I finally fall asleep.
• 1:10am:  The dogs whining because they want out.  I can't move, so I wake up Jason and he lets them out.
• 4:44am:  I hear tires skid out the back and really can't sleep because my back is KILLING me, so I get up.
• 4:50am:  I grab the laptop and work on finishing this entry!  It's done!

Week 4: Day 26, Thursday

• 6:30am:  Alarm goes off.  I close my eyes for what feels like only a few minutes, but is actually 1/2 hour!
• 7:00am:  Jump out of bed.  Get everyone some breakfast.  Unload dishwasher.
• 7:15am:  Kids brushing teeth.  I check the lunch menu and to my relief, it's something they will eat!  No lunches made today!
• 7:30am:  Izzy comes out of her room fully dressed, including her snow boots!  There is no way Jason is taking the kids to school today without her!  Kitchen cleaned up.  Coffee brewing.
• 7:45am:  I enjoy a nice hot sip of my Peppermint Vanilla coffee topped with Peppermint Mocha Coffeemate.  YUMMY!  Get myself dressed, make bed, and get kids to tidy up rooms because today is cleaning day.
• 8:00am:  Jason loads all kids up in the van and drives them to school.  I head down to the computer to finish editing photos from yesterday and get my blog entry and FaceBook entry uploaded for yesterday.
• 8:25am:  Jason home with Izzy.  I get my gym bag ready, refill my coffee, and grab my water bottle and head to the gym.
• 8:35am:  Arrive at gym.  Get Izzy checked in at the daycare, grab my towel and head upstairs.  Chat with my friend Amy for a few minutes, and head to Kettlebells.
• 8:45am:  Take a look at Steph's camera and give her a few hints on settings for her camera.
• 9:15am:  Stretching out for class.  Hoping my muscles will loosen a little.  Yesterday, was painful.
• 9:30am:  All ladies at class and ready to go.
• 10:30am:  Class over and I decide to do a few more pull-ups, because my goal is to be able to do at least one!
• 10:45am:  Grab Izzy from the daycare and head home.
• 11:00am:  Arrive home and get Izzy and I something to eat.  And begin my cleaning!
• 1:15pm:  Take a break from cleaning and update this entry up until this point.
• 1:50pm:  Leave to get kids from school.
• 2:00pm:  Burn some microwave popcorn.  I haven't made it in so long, I forgot how!  We always pop our own!  Who thought it would be that hard!
• 2:10pm:  Papa Schmidt stopped by to see the kids.
• 2:30pm:  Papa leaves and the kids get to their homework.  Maison and Libby complete ixl, spelling, and math.  I continue to clean.
• 5:15pm:  Jason home, upstairs is clean except for mopping the kitchen floor.  We start making dinner.  Soup and grilled cheese it is.
• 6:05pm:  Take Libby to dance.
• 6:15pm:  Home to continue cleaning.  Almost done with the basement.
• 6:50pm:  I leave to pick up Libby from dance and Jason takes Maison to his pack meeting.
• 7:05pm:  The girls and I are home and I vacuum the basement and clean out the vacuum cleaner.
• 8:00pm:  Girls in their jammies after showers,  and Jason and Maison arrive home shortly after.  I finally get the kitchen floor vacuumed and mopped.  Time to get everyone settled down and ready for bed.
• 8:30pm:  All children in their rooms, hopefully falling asleep.  Jason and I head downstairs to catch up on a couple of the shows we recorded.
• 9:30pm:  I can't take anymore and head up to bed.  Hopefully I will be asleep soon too!  Tomorrow is Friday!

Week 4: Day 25, Wednesday

• 6:30am:  Alarm goes off.  I'm just not ready to get up.  After the dog issues last night, I didn't get much sleep! 
• 7:00am:  Kids up and getting breakfast.  I REALLY don't want to make lunch again today, so I talk them into eating hot lunch at school!
• 7:15am:  Coffee is made finally!  Take a couple of sips, and get the last load out of the dryer and get it folded.
• 7:30am:  Taking the sheets off of our bed and geting them into the washer.  Put clean sheets on the bed.  (I am so looking forward to sleeping in the clean sheets!  There is truly nothing like it.)
• 7:45am:  Get myself dressed and ready for the gym.  Frantically trying to locate everything I need.  Get Izzy dressed, which doesn't go well this morning.
• 8:10am:  Load everyone into the van.  Get all of my stuff into the van, which includes a hot cup of coffee!  Head to school.
• 8:20am:  Get everyone to school, in just the nick of time!  Head to the gym.
• 8:25am:  I really hate parking to the right!  For some reason I just can't judge the distance.  So I attempted to park within the yellow lines 3 times before I am evenly spaced.  I should have just moved to a different spot, but this one was SOOO close to the door!
• 8:35am:  Get checked in at the gym and take Izzy to the daycare.  Get her all situated, grab my workout towel and head upstairs.
• 8:40am:  Get my shoes and bandanna on and begin setting up for today's workout!  It was the "The Dirty 30".  Which is 30 reps of the following:
• Wall Balls
• Kettlebell Swings
• Box Jumps
• Jumping Pull ups
• High Pulls or One Arm Swings
• Push ups
• Dumb Bell Sit up & Press
• Hang Clean Push Press
• Burpees
• 9:20am:  Start "Dirty 30".  Holy cow, this is a TON of shoulder work.  Time I get to the burpees, my left shoulder is completely cramped up!  OUCH!
• 10:30am:  Pick up Izzy from the daycare and head home.
• 10:45am:  Arrive home, help Izzy out of her clothes and finish up yesterday's pictures and post.  Unfortunately things are not working on Blogger like I want, so I have to import pictures a different way, which takes entirely way too much time!
• 11:30am:  Get Izzy and I some lunch.
• 12:00pm:  Kitchen cleaned up, Izzy playing with blocks, and me heading to the shower.
• 12:30pm:  Out of the shower and hear some commotion.  The dog was on the bar counter, which she had jumped from the table to the bar stool to the counter and ate the leftovers that I was going to make for dinner.  Called Jason and complained, he listened, and we decided it would be pizza for dinner.  SILVER LINING!
• 1:00pm:  Izzy and I are dressed and heading out the door to pick up a couple of things at West Music that Maison needs before his concert tonight.  Talked with Jason and he set up a vet appointment for Friday and also got some info on dogs with eating disorders!  I have never seen a dog eat like Danni.  It's absolutely insane.  She will literally eat so much, it comes out the other end!
• 2:00pm:  Leave Coralville and head back to North Liberty, stopping off at Fareway to get more cereal and milk.  Picked up a couple of impulse items as well.
• 2:45pm:  Head over to Penn to pick up the kids.  They are really slow getting out today.
• 3:05pm:  Arrive home.  Get everyone unloaded and inside.  Bring garbage cans and recycling bin back into the garage.
• 3:10pm:  Help Libby with homework, help Maison get his brace on his viola, manage to get Izzy's pants off and a pull-up on while she remained sleeping, put groceries away, and reminded Maison to work on homework.
• 4:15pm:  Ordered pizza for dinner.  Helped Maison with homework, updated blog for today.
• 4:50pm:  Pizza here!  Everyone at the table ready to chow down!
• 5:15pm:  Clean up kitchen, wash dishes by hand since I forgot to run dishwasher.  Help Maison pick out something to wear for his first orchestra concert.
• 6:00pm:  Get everyone else ready to go, fix my pony, let the neighbor's dog out one last time.
• 6:30pm:  Poochies in their kennel and everyone loaded up to go to Maison's concert.
• 6:50pm:  Arrive at West High School, find a place to park and head in.
• 7:00pm:  Maison up on stage, tuning his viola.  Grammy Shari, Papa Ed, Jason, Libby, Izzy, and I patiently waiting for the concert to begin.
• 7:10pm:  Eyes welling up with tears of joy!
• 8:40pm:  Concert is over.  3 songs each played by 4th, 5th, 6th, and Junior High students.  It was amazing to see where they start in 4th grade and what they sound like only 3 years later!  CRAZY!
• 9:05pm:  Everyone home, heading in and getting jammies on.
• 9:20pm:  All bedroom doors closed, kids hopefully falling asleep, Jason reading his nightly Cyclone Fanatic Boards, and I hopefully dosing off soon!  Here's to hoping I'm not too sore tomorrow! 

Week 4: Day 24, Tuesday

• 6:30am:  Alarm goes off and instead of getting up right away, I curl up to Jay and snuggle.  My upper back and traps SUPER sore from the 2 workouts yesterday!
• 7:00am:  Maison waves to me and heads out to the kitchen to for breakfast.  I roll my lazy, sore, self out of bed and head to the kitchen too.
• 7:15am:  Libby out of bed and in the kitchen for breakfast.  I check the school lunch menu because I am really not feeling like making lunches this morning.  I talk Libby into the alternate, which is a state fair corn dog; and Maison into regular, which is a hamburger!  YES!
• 7:20am:  Coffee made, which I NEED this morning.
• 7:30am:  Kids brushing teeth while I'm in our closet sorting laundry.  Man, where did all these clothes come from?  The littlest one doesn't wear any, and Jason wears the same jeans all week!
• 7:45am:  Beds made, rooms tidied, and everyone is getting their things ready for school.  (This all done during an encore presentation of the impromptu dance party last night, which included the hit "Funky Town".)
• 8:00am:  Maison goes out to start Jason's car.  Man I love the winter, because I get to spend some extra time with Jason and his help makes me feel so much better!
• 8:02am:  Jason was exercising his manliness this morning by instructing me to be at his office ready to go to Cedar Rapids by 9:30am.  (I like when he wears his big boy pants!)
• 8:05am:  Hugs given to all and kids out the door!  Izzy is sad because she had her tank top on, her undies, red socks, and snowboots and was ready to go too!
• 8:10am:  I head downstairs to work on yesterday's photo and to finish up the final touches on the blog entry.
• 8:45am:  Mad dash upstairs to clean up, get Squizzy dressed, and the poochies in their kennel.
• 9:15am:  Out the door and heading to the shop.
• 9:30am:  I am waiting outside promptly at 9:30am!  I actually made it!
• 10:00am:  Arrive a Denver Mattress to check out bunk beds for the girls.  I can't take Izzy sneaking into our room any more!  She is still in her crib, minus the railing, but is obviously too big for it!
• 10:45am:  Leave Denver Mattress empty handed and zip over to Menards.  Izzy and I wait in the van.
• 11:00am:  Head to Slumberland.  We actually find what we are looking for at a reasonable price, buy it, and head back to the shop.
• 11:30am:  Pit stop and McDonalds cause sissy wants chicken and fries.  I breakdown and get an eggnog shake and fries for myself, and a number 2 for Jason.
• 11:45am:  Arrive back at Country, drop Jason off and head home.
• 12:00pm:  Come home and get laundry started!  This is going to take forever!
• 12:15pm:  Look through photos and begin blog entry for today.  Trying to figure out how to best document today.
• 1:00pm:  Sissy needs "Nacks".  So I make her a bowl of yellow and red tomatoes with some cut up mozzarella.
• 1:15pm:  Clean up kitchen and living room.  Change loads of laundry.  Go through fridge and purge rotten stuff.  Get garbage loaded up and into the can.  Think about bills, but just don't want to do it!
• 2:00pm:  Snuggle with Sissy.  I think she is coming down with her first cold so far this season.  She is clingy today, but I don't mind!  Pretty soon she won't want to cling and I will be alone :(
• 2:50pm:  Realize I am late to pick up the kids, don't bother dressing her and jump into the van.
• 3:00pm:  Pull up to school and receive "the look" from the kids.  Realize that Libby has forgotten her snow stuff in the gym and send her and Maison back in to get it.
• 3:05pm:  Head home.
• 3:15pm:  Arrive home only to realize Maison forgot his viola at school.  So we go back and get it.
• 3:20pm:  Arrive back at school.  Park illegally in the fire lane.  I run in to grab the viola and stop in the office to inquire about a sweatshirt order we didn't receive.
• 3:35pm:  Arrive home and get everyone a snack.  Begin homework.  Switch loads, and clean up from the tornado that walks in the house everyday after school.
• 4:15pm:  Send the kids outside for some fresh air.  Switch loads.  Begin dinner prep.  Call Jason because I miss him today.  (It must have been the early morning cuddling)
• 5:00pm:  Jason and I enjoy a nice quiet dinner while the kids play outside.
• 5:20pm:  Kids inside and dinner fixed for them.
• 5:45pm:  Clean up kitchen, kids finishing up homework, Maison practicing his viola.
• 6:15pm:  Everyone in their comfy clothes.  Watch a couple of recorded episodes of American Idol.
• 8:30pm:  Everyone in bed relaxing.  Jason and I watch Hidden City.
• 9:00pm:  Everyone hopefully sleeping soon.
• 11:00pm:  Awoke by one of the poochies whining and banging on the kennel.  Let them out.  Put them back in their kennel.
• 11:18pm:  Laughing because one of the dogs has some serious noisey gas!  3 LOUD toots were let!  Hoping to fall asleep soon!

Week 4: Day 23, Monday

• 4:30am:  Get up and get ready to head to the gym.
• 4:50am:  Leave for the gym, it's actually 36 degrees and misting.  This probably isn't a good thing!
• 5:00am:  Arrive at the gym, check in and head upstairs.
• 5:03am:  Take a few pictures and yak it up with friends.
• 5:15am:  Kettlebell Class
• 6:35am:  Head home.  Now it's pretty much icing and the streets are slick!  Slide off the road into the shoulder, check my underpants, and begin my journey home again!
• 6:45am:  Home!  Get Jason up so he can head to the gym.
• 7:00am:  Wake the kids, make breakfast, lunches, and get everything together for school, clean up kitchen.
• 7:50am:  Jason calls on his way home from the gym and asks me to make him a shake.
• 8:00am:  Load everyone into Jason's car so he can take kids to school.
• 8:05am:  Cube 2 loaves of gluten free bread for stuffing later tonight for dinner.
• 8:35am:  But cubed bread into oven and clean up kitchen again.
• 8:50am:  Get clothes on Squizzy
• 9:05am:  Head back to the gym to get my "GirlFit" on!
• 10:52am:  Head home from gym.
• 11:00am:  Shower and dress.
• 11:35am:  Make some lunch for Squizzy and I, and clean up kitchen.
• 12:00pm:  Put Squizzy's clothes back on again.
• 12:10pm:  Head down to get oil changed.
• 1:35pm:  Learn that the dipstick didn't have any oil on it!  GREAT!
• 2:25pm:  Leave with new oil and head to get kids from school.
• 2:50pm:  Pick everyone up, head home, grab viola and a snack and head to orchestra practice.
• 3:20pm:  Drop Maison off at the Junior High for orchestra practice
• 3:30pm:  Come home and get turkey in the oven, listen to Libby read, go over spelling, and help her with her math all while getting celery, onions, chives, sage, and thyme chopped for the dressing.
• 4:20pm:  Leave to get Maison from orchestra, allowing littlest sissy to go in her t-shirt and undies because I did not have time to dress her because I lost track of time.
• 4:30pm:  Pick up Maison and head over to Fareway to pick up more chives and wine.
• 4:50pm:  Arrive home and unload all kids, their things, and my groceries.
• 5:05pm:  Start sauteing onions and celery.  Recruit Jason to help peel potatoes.
• 5:17pm:  Add herbs and saute another 2 minutes.  Add that mixture to the bowl with my bread cubes.  Add 1 cup of gluten free chicken broth, and 2 beaten eggs.  Mix everything together.  Jason gets potatoes in their pot and on the oven.  Spray a 9x13 pan and get dressing spread evenly in the pan.
• 5:19pm:  Get the dressing in the oven.
• 5:20pm:  While getting the green beans ready to steam, and impromptu dance party breaks out and I break out the wine.
• 5:45pm:  Turkey and stuffing come out of the oven.  Potatoes go into the mixer, and the green beans steam.
• 5:50pm:  Gravy is made while the beans are steaming, and potatoes whipped with butter, half and half, and cream cheese.
• 6:10pm:  We sit down for dinner, beginning with a prayer from Jason, followed by some additions for Mickey "Pouce" and cho cho "rains" from Izzy.
• 6:45pm:  Everyone done eating and the clean up commences.  Kids leave table to get jammies on.  Maison completes 10min of ixl and 1 page of his spelling packet.
• 6:46pm:  I lay my carcass on the couch and watch and heckle my loving hubby while he cleans up the kitchen.
• 7:15pm:  Clean up completed.
• 7:20pm:  Everyone is in their relaxation clothes, Kids head downstairs while Maison practices his viola.
• 7:45pm:  Kids playing, while Jason and I catch up.
• 8:00pm:  Izzy is wrangled up and put in her jammies and in her bed.  I lay down and turn the t.v. on while trying to stay awake.
• 9:00pm:  Everyone in bed and hopefully falling asleep soon.  Then it starts all over tomorrow.  I was supposed to pay bills today, but that didn't happen!  It gets moved to tomorrow.

Week 4: Day 22, Sunday

Day 22

• 5:58am:  Kicked in the back by a crazy, snoring buzzsaw, 3 year old that apparently crawled into our bed at somepoint in the night.
• 6:00am:  Let the 2 poochies outside for potty, closed the creeky bedroom door, let the poochies back inside, fought the poochies for a spot on the couch, covered up with my favorite tattered quilt and continued reading "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter"
• 6:30am:  Went down into the office to edit 3 day's worth of photos and update both my facebook page and my blog page.
• 8:00am:  My hubby surprised me with hot coffee and a warmed up egg bake!  Devoured promptly!
• 10:10am:  Published everything on-line that need published.
• 10:15am:  Went to my favortie sites and uploaded new templates and actions.  Spent quite sometime organizing my files on the computer, so everything is in 2 nice neat places!  Backed everything up to the external hard drive!
• 11:00am:  Caught myself up on this blog entry to this point.  Warming up my coffee and trying to decide if I should shower now or later.  It's decided...later.
• 11:05am:  Making Sloppy Joes for dinner.  Clean up kitchen, realizing I don't have the things I need to make homemade gluten free beer bread.
• 12:35pm:  Jump in the shower and clean up for the day.
• 1:15pm:  Make a list and head down to Coralville to the store.
• 1:25pm:  Find a spot in the parking lot and brave all of the craziness on a Sunday afternoon at the store!
• 2:35pm:  Arrive home to find the livingroom a complete mess!
• 3:30pm:  Livingroom cleaned up, groceries put away, and preparing to make bread.
• 3:45pm:  Bread is in the bread maker.
• 4:00pm:  Play a couple of games of Angry Birds with Izzy.  Man, she is way better at that silly game than me!  She beat a level that I have been stuck on FOREVER!  Watch a little football with Jason too.
• 5:05pm:  Start making dinner for the kids since 2 of them won't eat what I have made.  Libby has 3 sloppy joes and one grilled cheese.  Maison has 2 grilled cheese, and Izzy has one grilled cheese.  I make Jason a grilled sloppy cheese, which he claims is AWESOME!  I eat 1 sloppy on my homemade bread.
• 6:00pm:  Maison heads downstairs to practice his viola and I begin cleaning up the kitchen.
• 7:00pm:  Soak feet and repaint toenails.
• 8:00pm:  Watch "Once Upon a Time" with the kids and enjoy a cup of hot tea.
• 9:00pm:  Kids to bed, and me to read a little more of "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter", then hitting the sack!  4:30am is going to come way too early!

Week 4: A Day in the Life

I am super proud that I have stuck with this for 3 weeks, thus far.  I am wondering if I am going to run out of ideas...hmmmm.

I think this week's theme will center around my life this week.  I will attempt to document each day as it happens.  Sometimes I feel as though people think staying at home is all Soaps and Bon-Bon's but I assure you it's much MUCH more than that!  Here's to a busy and interesting week!

Day 21

So today was the big day!  Again, speed is never something Maison strives for, but he ALWAYS enters a category.  This year's categories were:  Best Use of Scouting Theme, Best Hawkeye Theme, Most Patriotic, and Scout Favorite.  Maison decided to shoot for Most Patriotic, which he one!  It worked out well because his Den had 4 boys in the race.  Each Rank (Tiger, Cub, Wolf, Bear, Webelos 1, Webelos 2) is award a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place for speed.  So everyone in his Den received an award!  Everyone went home a winner!

 

Day 20

Today was the weigh-in.  The boys decided to leave it as is and send it down the track without any extra added weight.  Maison realized a few years ago that speed wasn't/isn't everything! 

He is way more into the creative aspect of the competition than the mechanics.  For the past few years it has worked well for him!  Can't wait to see how this year turns out!

Day 19

YIKES!  We had a mini catastrophe last night after my post!  It seems that our littlest one thought Uncle SpongeBob Squarepants needed a little more paint!  Needless to say, the car was mostly blue!

Fortunately because the paint was still wet, Maison was able to wipe most of it off with a paper towel!  WHEW!  It need very little touch-up and a crisis was averted!  I haven't seen that kid so close to a meltdown like that in quite some time!

He is all ready for wheels and the weigh-in!

Day 18

Tonight the fun begins.  Now that the car is primed and painted, the decorating begins!  Maison found a picture of Uncle Sam on the Internet for his inspiration. 

Using some painter's tape, we taped off all of the areas NOT to be painted, and started with white.  Maison let that dry for a while, peeled all of the tape off, and re-taped for the red.  Painted all of the red areas and then let that dry.  The final tape and paint was for all of the blue areas. 

He lets it dry overnight and then it will be on to the finer details tomorrow!

Day 17

Tonight Maison applied 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of SpongeBob yellow.  By morning it will be ready for him to pencil on his design.

I thinks he is still trying to decide between a basketball player or Uncle Sam.  Unfortunately if he goes with a basketball player, it will have to be a Hawkeye player, which for those that know us...well...that probably isn't an option.  The Statue of Liberty would be a cool option too.  At least Maison has narrowed it down to going for the Most Patriotic category.

Day 16

Here is what the car looks like fresh out of the box before any work has been done.  It is a blank canvas.  Priming begins soon!

Day 15

Here is a picture of Maison's previous Pinewood Derby cars.


White Car:  Maison's First Year

SpongeBob:  Maison's Second Year.  He won Scout's Favorite Award

SpongeBob Scoutpants:  Maison's Third Year.  He won Best Scouting Theme

Week 3: The Pinewood Derby

On your marks...get set...GO!

This week's theme is going to center around Maison's Pinewood Derby.  We have been doing this for a few years now, and we have learned a very important lesson...NEVER try to be the fastest car!  Our eyes were opened to the world of Derby races our very first year.  We let Maison pretty much build and paint his very own car, and we were super proud of him!  However on weigh-in night it was apparent that quite a few kids did not build their own car!  Needless to say, we all left that night a little disappointed!

However, we came up with a plan that has seemed to workout very well for him since.  He gave up on trying to be the fastest and focused on winning a more "doable" category.  Every year there are other categories that can be entered and won.  Examples include:  Best Hawkeye Car, Most Patriotic, Best Scout Theme, Scout's Favorite, etc.  The first year, Maison decided to go with a SpongeBob car and it won the Scout's Favorite Award.  Each scout casts a vote for his favorite, and no one can vote for their own.  Last year Maison focused on The Best Scout Theme and won that as well.  He is not sure what SpongeBob will be this year, but he'll start his process this week!  Can't wait to see what he has up his sleeve!

Comfort Foods Done Better?: Borscht Soup

Alright, this concludes my week of comfort foods.  Despite all of the extra calories, to my delight, my midsection hasn't suffered a bit!

This soup recipe is a family one that was given to my Grandma from her mother, passed down to my Mom from her Mom, and now passed down to me.  I'm sure it has changed some over the years, but either way, it is super delicious.

Borscht Soup

Schaffer/Fischer/Schmidt/Allen Family Recipe

Ingredient List

• 4 cans of organic beef broth
• 6 cans of water
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tea strainer of pickling spices
• 4 to 5 medium red potatoes, cubed
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 3 to 4 stalks of celery, sliced
• 1 head of cabbage, shredded
• 1 lb carrots peeled and sliced
• 1 large can of whole tomatoes and it's juice
• 3/4 cup rice or barley (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place all of the ingredients into a stock pot and bring to a boil, including the bay leaves and tea strainer.  With the tomatoes, I always squish them with my hands to break them down a bit.  Be sure to add the juice from the can.
2. Simmer on low for about 4 hours or until veggies are cooked through.
3. You might have to add water or tomato juice to keep veggies covered while cooking.  I keep the lid of the pot delicately balanced half way on, just so it doesn't boil the entire time and make the potatoes stick to the bottom of the pot.  Be sure to use the vent fan as this pot will put out some serious steam!
4. During the last hour of cooking you can add rice or barley if you want.  I sometimes use rice, but due to my allergy, I can't use barley.  It just gives it a little more texture and calories if you need it.
5. Remove from heat and serve.  My Grandma always adds a little heavy whipping cream, maybe a tablespoon to her bowl, "to thicken it up", which it doesn't, but it does add a delicious little something to it!

 

 



Comfort Foods Done Better?: Hot Cocoa & Peppermint Whipped Cream

There is nothing better than waking up on a chilly morning and warming up with a chocolaty cup of hot cocoa topped with peppermint whipped cream!  This is completely gluten free and all natural/organic!

Hot Cocoa

Ingredient List

• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 cups half and half
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips
• 3/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Directions

1. Place all ingredients into a sauce pan, bring to a gentle boil while stirring.
2. Remove from heat and pour hot cocoa into your favorite mugs
3. Makes 4 oz servings.

Peppermint Whipped Cream

Ingredient List

• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tbs peppermint extract
• 1tsp sugar

Directions

1. Beat cream until thick.
2. Add peppermint and sugar.
3. Fold into cream.
4. Dollop on top of hot cocoa and enjoy!

 





Comfort Foods Done Better? Caramel Rolls

So I am the first to admit that this recipe is neither gluten free nor better for you despite the fact it was made with mostly organic products.  I can assure you, they are made with lots of love and the kids really look forward to the surprise rolls in the morning.



Today is the official first snowfall/storm of the season, and I thought it would be a perfect time to surprise them with warm gooey caramel rolls for breakfast!

Caramel Rolls

Ingredient List

• Frozen Rhoads Cinnamon rolls
• 2 tbs of butter
• 3/4 cup of brown sugar
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. The night before, spray a 9x12 cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Place 6 rolls in the pan equally spaced and place a towel over the pan.  Let rise at least 8 hours.
3. The following day, preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. While oven is warming, bring butter, brown sugar, and heavy whipping cream to a low boil and remove from heat.
5. Pour caramel over rolls.
6. Bake for about 30 mins or until rolls are golden brown.
7. When rolls come out of oven, flip onto a cookie sheet so caramel is now on top.
8. ENJOY!

Comfort Foods Done Better?: Pot Roast, Potatoes, & Carrots

Nothing says "Comfort Food" better than something cooked in the crockpot.  I look forward to this meal every fall because it's so easy, so delicious, and so warm and toasty!  Jason especially likes coming home and smelling it the minute he gets out of the car.

Roast, Potatoes, & Carrots

Ingredient List

*1 package of B sized red potato or 5 to 6 regular red potatoes, scrubbed well with skins
*1 1lb package of baby carrots
*1 medium yellow onion, sliced
*1 green pepper, sliced
*1 chuck roast
*2 bay leaves
*1/2 tsp course ground pepper, divided
*1/2 tsp kosher sea salt, divided
*1/2 tsp garlic salt, divided
*1/2 tsp onion powder, divided
*1 large crockpot

Directions

1. Add around 2 cups water to the crockpot first.
2. Add bay leaves
3. Scrub potatoes well and add to the crockpot.
4. Next add 1 lbs of baby carrots on top of potatoes.
5. Season potatoes and carrots with 1/4 tsp of the above spices.
6. Season both sides of the roast with the remaining spices and add to the crockpot.
7. Add thinly sliced onions and green peppers to the areas on either side of the roast as well as on top.
8. Cook on Low for 8 to 10 hours or on High for 4 to 6 hours.
9. Remove, slice, and enjoy!

Comfort Foods Done Better?: Spicy Chicken Wings & Potato Wedges

Spicy Chicken Wings and Potato Wedges

Not only is this a great comfort food, but it is also great for Super Bowl Parties or a Friday night movie night with the kids by the t.v.!  Be sure to wash it all down with an ice cold gluten free beer like Redbridge!

Spicy Chicken Wings

Ingredient List

• 20 Chicken wings (drums and wings)
• 2 tbs hot sauce (Check the label for things you can't pronounce and avoid those that contain things that scare you!)
• 1/4 cup butter (Organic Valley)
• 1 tbs cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp celery seed

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees or warm up grill.
2. If using oven, place chicken on a cookie sheet sprayed with organic cooking oil.
3. Bake in oven for 30 min or until cooked through and crispy. While chicken is cooking, prepare sauce.
4. If using grill, place directly on grill and cook until done and crispy.  While chicken is grilling, prepare sauce.
5. Combine hot sauce, butter, vinegar, paprika, cayenne, black pepper, garlic powder, and celery seed in a small sauce pan.
6. Set over low heat, mixing until butter is melted and combined; simmer for 5 minutes and remove from heat.
7. When wings are done, dip in sauce to coat well, then shake off excess and return to cookie sheet or grill.
8. Reduce grill or oven temperature to 250 degrees and give wings another 15 min.
9. Toss wings in remaining sauce after you remove from oven and serve.

Chipotle Dipping Sauce

Dipping Sauce Ingredients

• 1/2 cup homemade mayo
• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• lime juice to taste

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor or Magic Bullet until mixed well.
2. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Sweet Potato Wedges

Ingredient List

• 4 to 6 medium-sized sweet potatoes cut lengthwise into spears
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 kosher sea salt
• 1/2 ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 
2. Cover 2 cookie sheets with aluminum foil
3. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper.
4. Spread out evenly on cookie sheets, making sure not to crowd the spears.
5. Turn potatoes once or twice during baking.  Bake 30-40 minutes or until potatoes are done and slightly crispy.

Comfort Foods Done Better?: Homeade Gluten Free Bread & Chicken Salad

Okay, so I admit that I have never really been a big fan of kitchen gadgets, just because I really don't have room for them. I always feel like the novelty wears off and I end up making a trip to Goodwill.  I have done that with the pizza stone, a juicer, handheld mixer, handheld whipper, snowcone maker, electric teapot, etc.  I have really tried to minimize.  The following list is/are the only essentials I NEED and USE regularly!
Kitchen Essentials

1. Food Processor
2. Breadman Bread Machine
3. Kitchenaid mixer
4. Crockpot
5. Magic Bullet

So on with my comfort food number 2.  My hubby really turned me on to chicken salad.  I have to admit that I have never been a fan of mixing fruit and meat, let alone mixing those with nuts or even mayo for that matter.  I have always been a Miracle Whip kind of gal!  But I promise, you will love this one!  I catch myself eating it right out of the bowl!

 Homemade Mayo

Ingredient List

• 1 large egg, brought to room temperature
• 1 1/2 tbs lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp mustard powder
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup avocado oil
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1tsp white vinegar (optional)

Directions

1. Combine egg, lemon juice, mustard, and white pepper in food processor and blend until frothy.
2. Using the drip hole in the top of the processor, drizzle the oil in drop by drop.  DO NOT rush this process!  You'll end up with scrambled eggs and oil!
3. If you need to add more zip, add 1 tsp of white vinegar.

Chicken Salad

Ingredient List

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup celery, finely chopped
• 1 small red onion, minced
• 1 cup green or red seedless grapes or both, sliced
• 2 tbs Dijon mustard
• 1/8 tsp kosher sea salt
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 1/2 ground black pepper
• 1 cup mayo
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat casserole dish with organic cooking spray.
2. Place chicken breasts in dish, sprinkle with ground black pepper and kosher sea salt over the top and cook uncovered for about 45min.
3. Remove chicken from oven and let cool.
4. Mix all other ingredients in large bowl.
5. Once chicken has cooled, roughly chop and combine with all other ingredients.

Homemade Gluten Free Bread
I used a mix "Bread From Anna".  I made the following changes to the mix.  This can be made either in the oven or in a bread machine using the gluten free setting.

1. Use 2 whole large eggs and 2 large egg whites.
2. Increase oil to 1/3 cup.
3. Use 2 tbs of honey instead of sugar.

Gluten Free:  Homemade Bread and Chicken Salad

Comfort Foods Done Better?: Ham & Potato Casserole

Some people might call this "Party Potatoes" or even "Scalloped Ham & Potatoes", but no matter what you call it, it's warm, cheesy, delicious, all natural/organic, gluten free, and delicious!
Please feel free to use or adjust this recipe however you need too.  I know that many Mom's work, and don't always have time to make things from scratch, but if you can find the time, it is well worth it!

Ingredient List

*All of the items below are certified gluten free and organic*

• 2 lbs potatoes (Thinly sliced or shredded, my new food processor was awesome for this!)
• 1 tsp kosher sea salt
• 1 small yellow onion diced
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1 box of condensed cream of chicken soup (Pacific Natural Foods)
• 1 pint sour cream (Kalona SuperNatural)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar (Organic Valley)
• Diced ham (Use as much as you want.  We had ham the night before, so we added quite a bit.)
• 4 tbs butter (Organic Valley) melted
• 2 cups crushed cornflakes (Southern Homestyle Corn Flake Crumbs)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. In a large bowl combine all of the above ingredients, except for the butter and crushed cornflakes. 
3. Spray a 9x13 with organic cooking spray.   
4. Add ingredients and smooth over the top with a spatula. 
5. In a microwavable bowl, melt butter.  Add crushed cornflakes to the butter and mix until  moistened. 
6. Spread cornflake mixture on top of casserole.
7. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour.  If you use the brand of cornflake crumbs above, note that they will not brown like traditional cornflakes.
8. Take out of the oven and enjoy!

Week 2: Comfort Foods Done Better?

Who doesn't love comfort foods?  We all do!  The problem with comfort foods is they are often full of all the stuff we should eat...processed cheeses, fats, sugar, everything that makes them delicious!
This year as a family we are making more changes for the better.  We don't keep much of anything that is overly processed in the house, but when it gets cold, it is often hard to stick to that!  We want warm, cheesey, and filling foods.  Who wants to eat a salad when it's 24 degrees out?  Not this family!
With all of that said, I will attempt to bring comfort foods into a more healthy state.  They will still be loaded with calories, but at least they will be gluten free, limited dye content, natural/organic, delicious, and of couse Allen Family approved!

Anything Goes: Day 7

My "Cycones"

Anything Goes: Day 6

Pile-O-Poochies

Anything Goes: Day 5

She Looks Like an Angel

Anything Goes: Day 4

Gretta Poochie

Anything Goes: Day 3

Daddy Showing Izzy How to Wear Her New Boy

Anything Goes: Day 2

Magic Kingdom

Anything Goes: Day 1

Hollywood Studios
Indiana Jones Stunt Show

Project 366

Okay folks.  I hope I am not biting off more than I can chew, but I am starting the biggest project I think I have ever taken on; Project 366.  I will taking and posting 1 photo per day for 1 year!

My plan is to try to theme each week in hopes that it will having shooting things out of the ordinary, while also giving my creativity a stretch!  So here it goes.

Week 1:  Anything Goes