..For February 1st! Valentine's Day is just around the corner and it can't get here soon enough! I mean, don't get me wrong I love Christmas too but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Valentine's Day! Why? Well, I'm glad you asked! Reason 1: I get to spoil the hubby and kiddos every day in Feb all the way up until the big day. Reason 2: I think it's the only day out of the year that I get flowers. (Most years). Nothing beats a vase full of flowers on the kitchen table!
What are your favorite Valentine's Day traditions?
We (a little more I and a little less we), like to do a count down. I wrap 14 gifts and the kids and hubby get one a day. I know its not very creative, but I think it adds some fun to the holiday!
Love,
Susan
Showing posts with label Colorado. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colorado. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Monday, January 14, 2013
Attempt one FAILED...Moving on...
The flu came rushing through our house and now that everyone has had their turn at being sick it's time to get back to a normal schedule! (Thank goodness!) I missed out on half of the month and half of my goal for organizing the house, so now I am really getting down to business! So here are a few posts all wrapped into one:
1. The first thing that I did was went through the house and cleaned it. I washed walls, baseboards, light fixtures, blinds, did all of the laundry, EVERYTHING! I felt that if I was going to tear apart the house and put it all back together, it should probably be clean to begin with.
2. My next step was to get rid of things that we don't use or want anymore. Last month, right before Christmas, my wonderful Husband purged all of the broken items. (So luckily I didn't have to do much of that). I boxed up everything that we had too many of or just plain didn't use and I am planning on having a garage sale once the weather is bearable here. (If you price as you go, a garage sale is cake later. Might as well do it now instead of having to go through it all again right?). This one was hard because I tend to find things and think I will use it, but I forced myself to get rid of it if I didn't use it in the last year.
3. The next task (that I am still working on) is to go through everything that we have stored. We plan to move at least one more time in our lives and I have moved these storage items from house to house, only to put it back into storage. So, what's the point in keeping it? A lot of what I have kept are baby clothes and while I am not ready to part with all of it, I realized that I can part with A LOT of it and still have PLENTY for our 7 month old and #4 (we just found out that we are expecting again...YAY! =D).
This is as far as I have gotten so far, and I will try to update more regularly as well. The BEST place to find organizing tips is Pinterest! (oh so addicting)! This is what sparked the cleaning and organizing and I definitely plan to use some of the ideas from there. Thanks for putting up with my lack of posting...more to come. I PROMISE! =D
Love,
Susan
1. The first thing that I did was went through the house and cleaned it. I washed walls, baseboards, light fixtures, blinds, did all of the laundry, EVERYTHING! I felt that if I was going to tear apart the house and put it all back together, it should probably be clean to begin with.
2. My next step was to get rid of things that we don't use or want anymore. Last month, right before Christmas, my wonderful Husband purged all of the broken items. (So luckily I didn't have to do much of that). I boxed up everything that we had too many of or just plain didn't use and I am planning on having a garage sale once the weather is bearable here. (If you price as you go, a garage sale is cake later. Might as well do it now instead of having to go through it all again right?). This one was hard because I tend to find things and think I will use it, but I forced myself to get rid of it if I didn't use it in the last year.
3. The next task (that I am still working on) is to go through everything that we have stored. We plan to move at least one more time in our lives and I have moved these storage items from house to house, only to put it back into storage. So, what's the point in keeping it? A lot of what I have kept are baby clothes and while I am not ready to part with all of it, I realized that I can part with A LOT of it and still have PLENTY for our 7 month old and #4 (we just found out that we are expecting again...YAY! =D).
This is as far as I have gotten so far, and I will try to update more regularly as well. The BEST place to find organizing tips is Pinterest! (oh so addicting)! This is what sparked the cleaning and organizing and I definitely plan to use some of the ideas from there. Thanks for putting up with my lack of posting...more to come. I PROMISE! =D
Love,
Susan
Monday, December 31, 2012
Happy New Year.....2013, Here we come!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I don't know about you, but I am ready to pack up 2012 and run full speed ahead into 2013! Everyone always has high hopes when they make their New Year's Resolutions (me included), but rarely stick to them....So, my first resolution is to stick to all of my resolutions! Every year I resolve to do something that I have put off, to be something that I think I should be (or to not be something that I shouldn't be), to do this, do that and I always fail! I sat down and reflected on why I always fail and I came to the conclusion that it is because they are empty resolutions. They don't mean enough to me to follow through with, so this year I am making those that resolutions that mean something to me and to my family. So here goes:
1. To be a better wife, mom, daughter and friend.
^--To be quite honest, if this is the ONLY resolution that I stick to this year I will be more than happy.
2. To be more efficient.
^--#1 and #2 are really tied together. In order for me to be a better mom and wife, I need to step up my efficiency and organization.
3. To loose the baby weight.
^--Yes, I know, cliche! But, its an honest goal. I know that I will feel better all around and it doesn't hurt to want to look good for the hubs. =D
To kick off my resolutions, and the real reason for this post, I will start by organizing my house day by day, room by room. I will post before and after pictures and day by day progress for those who want to follow along and do the same with their homes! So stay tuned for Susan's version of "30 Days to an Organized (AND FUNCTIONAL) Home!"
I hope everyone has a safe holiday and a fun night!!
(Photo Credit: http://marian16rox.tumblr.com/post/9437391488 )
--Susan
1. To be a better wife, mom, daughter and friend.
^--To be quite honest, if this is the ONLY resolution that I stick to this year I will be more than happy.
2. To be more efficient.
^--#1 and #2 are really tied together. In order for me to be a better mom and wife, I need to step up my efficiency and organization.
3. To loose the baby weight.
^--Yes, I know, cliche! But, its an honest goal. I know that I will feel better all around and it doesn't hurt to want to look good for the hubs. =D
To kick off my resolutions, and the real reason for this post, I will start by organizing my house day by day, room by room. I will post before and after pictures and day by day progress for those who want to follow along and do the same with their homes! So stay tuned for Susan's version of "30 Days to an Organized (AND FUNCTIONAL) Home!"
I hope everyone has a safe holiday and a fun night!!
(Photo Credit: http://marian16rox.tumblr.com/post/9437391488 )
--Susan
Sunday, August 26, 2012
How to avoid a cooking burnout!
Hello all! I hope that everyone is enjoying this beautiful weather we are having! (And I hope that FL isn't floating yet)!
Over the summer I have had the luxury of taking a cooking break...some days. I just haven't felt like cooking and I needed some inspiration to get back in the game. Do you ever feel like everything you make is boring and just don't have the motivation to cook? That's where I was at! While the break was nice, it was getting costly and my kids weren't eating as healthy as they could. And let's just face it, nothing beats a home cooked meal! Here are some tips that I have learned to avoid burning out:
*Take a break every once in awhile! See if the hubby will cook, or designate so many days a month to eating out.
*Have a "left over buffet" night! Take out all the delicious goodies from the fridge and let everyone choose what they want to eat. This is also a great way to avoid having food spoil in the fridge (if it even lasts that long in your house, I know that it goes pretty quickly here).
*Bust out your crock pot! I LOVE my crock pot....It's the best of both worlds! Throw in all of your ingredients and let the crock pot do all the work for you. An easy way to have a delicious home cooked meal after a long day!
*Have a few previously cooked freezer meals on hand. This is a good way to think ahead for those nights that you just don't want to cook at all! Just warm them up in the oven and serve...whew, that was easy!
*Add variety! I have one cookbook that is my all time favorite, but I feel like we have made everything in the book over and over again! While it's okay to have favorites, don't be afraid to try something new. Who knows, it might become a favorite!
*Add a BBQ night in there when it's nice out! I love the grill almost as much as my crock pot! My kitchen isn't a thousand degrees and the kids love hanging out with me while I grill.
*Let the kids help! My kiddos love to help in the kitchen and sometimes it's nice to have an extra hand or two! So, after we look over our weekly menu we get everything we need out and get to work! They feel pretty important when they can sit down and say "I helped make this!".
I hope that these little tips help you to avoid the burnout and get back in the kitchen. I will be posting some of our favorite family recipes soon...SO STAY TUNED for some yummyness!!
Over the summer I have had the luxury of taking a cooking break...some days. I just haven't felt like cooking and I needed some inspiration to get back in the game. Do you ever feel like everything you make is boring and just don't have the motivation to cook? That's where I was at! While the break was nice, it was getting costly and my kids weren't eating as healthy as they could. And let's just face it, nothing beats a home cooked meal! Here are some tips that I have learned to avoid burning out:
*Take a break every once in awhile! See if the hubby will cook, or designate so many days a month to eating out.
*Have a "left over buffet" night! Take out all the delicious goodies from the fridge and let everyone choose what they want to eat. This is also a great way to avoid having food spoil in the fridge (if it even lasts that long in your house, I know that it goes pretty quickly here).
*Bust out your crock pot! I LOVE my crock pot....It's the best of both worlds! Throw in all of your ingredients and let the crock pot do all the work for you. An easy way to have a delicious home cooked meal after a long day!
*Have a few previously cooked freezer meals on hand. This is a good way to think ahead for those nights that you just don't want to cook at all! Just warm them up in the oven and serve...whew, that was easy!
*Add variety! I have one cookbook that is my all time favorite, but I feel like we have made everything in the book over and over again! While it's okay to have favorites, don't be afraid to try something new. Who knows, it might become a favorite!
*Add a BBQ night in there when it's nice out! I love the grill almost as much as my crock pot! My kitchen isn't a thousand degrees and the kids love hanging out with me while I grill.
*Let the kids help! My kiddos love to help in the kitchen and sometimes it's nice to have an extra hand or two! So, after we look over our weekly menu we get everything we need out and get to work! They feel pretty important when they can sit down and say "I helped make this!".
I hope that these little tips help you to avoid the burnout and get back in the kitchen. I will be posting some of our favorite family recipes soon...SO STAY TUNED for some yummyness!!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Get the most out of your produce...Tips to make them last longer!!!
If you are anything like me you stock up weekly on your produce! I get the majority of my produce from Tampa Bay Organics ( www.tampabayorganics.com ) Its a fantastic home delivery service in the Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough counties (Florida) Every Friday I receive an email with what to expect in my box on Tuesday of the following week ( We receive the large box, seeing how I am borderline vegetarian). I can then log in and substitute or add to my order. Each week there is an assortment of Fruits and veggies (of the normal varities, ie : apples, oranges, bananas, carrots, celery, etc.) But usually ever week its something you would never expect ie: Dandelion greens, Kabocha squash, Kiwiberries etc. It has allowed the Double A's aka Picky and pickier to try new things because they are so excited to be apart of the washing and putting away of all the produce! We then can hunt up a fun recipe for our new items and go from there which in turn they want to try it because they helped!!!
I always have a plethera of fresh herbs and "salad" items. These items tend to go bad quickly so I have complied some of my "tricks of the trade" for making your produce last the longest and some to help you be able to enjoy them sooner by escalating the ripening!!! Enjoy!!!
LETTUCE
1st off is lettuce whether it be romaine, Boston Bibb, or red leaf this tip works for them all. When you receive your lettuce be sure to seperate and wash and spin dry each leaf. Then by simply wrapping the leaves in a Dish towel and placing it in your crisper drawer it should last a good 7-10 days.
MUSHROOMS
Always store your mushrooms in a paper bag, Do not clean your mushrooms until just before using them. When cleaning take a damp dish towel and gently wipe the mushrooms clean. Do not submerge them in water as mushrooms will absorb the water.
HERBS
Parsley
Fresh cut your parsley and Place it in a short rocks glass with water in the refrigerator. Just as you would fresh flowers on the dining room table.
Cilantro , Basil, Rosemary, etc.
Place your fresh cut herbs each in a freezer or paper bag with a paper towel and expel all excess air. The paper towel will absorb any moisture, therefore keeping your herbs fresher longer.
Sometimes, when we pick our produce at the market, it has not ripened to perfection yet so I have a few tricks to ripen your produce to perfection at home. These are sure fire tips to getting the best out of our yummy jewels.
Avacados
Avacados are very easy to ripen if they are too hard when you purchase simply place them in a brown paper bag and put in a warm spot, On top of the refrigerator works the best, for a day or so and you will have delicous perfectly ripened avacados in just a few hours. The gases from the avacado and the brown paper bag cause a reaction to ripen the fruit faster.
DO YOU HAVE TIPS AND TRICKS?! Email them to us @ 2NaturallyTwistedMoms@gmail.com
Or if you have any suggestions or these tips didnt work for your produce!!!
Have a great day!!!!
~Opal
The Florida half of 2NTM
I always have a plethera of fresh herbs and "salad" items. These items tend to go bad quickly so I have complied some of my "tricks of the trade" for making your produce last the longest and some to help you be able to enjoy them sooner by escalating the ripening!!! Enjoy!!!
LETTUCE
1st off is lettuce whether it be romaine, Boston Bibb, or red leaf this tip works for them all. When you receive your lettuce be sure to seperate and wash and spin dry each leaf. Then by simply wrapping the leaves in a Dish towel and placing it in your crisper drawer it should last a good 7-10 days.
MUSHROOMS
Always store your mushrooms in a paper bag, Do not clean your mushrooms until just before using them. When cleaning take a damp dish towel and gently wipe the mushrooms clean. Do not submerge them in water as mushrooms will absorb the water.
HERBS
Parsley
Fresh cut your parsley and Place it in a short rocks glass with water in the refrigerator. Just as you would fresh flowers on the dining room table.
Cilantro , Basil, Rosemary, etc.
Place your fresh cut herbs each in a freezer or paper bag with a paper towel and expel all excess air. The paper towel will absorb any moisture, therefore keeping your herbs fresher longer.
Sometimes, when we pick our produce at the market, it has not ripened to perfection yet so I have a few tricks to ripen your produce to perfection at home. These are sure fire tips to getting the best out of our yummy jewels.
Avacados
Avacados are very easy to ripen if they are too hard when you purchase simply place them in a brown paper bag and put in a warm spot, On top of the refrigerator works the best, for a day or so and you will have delicous perfectly ripened avacados in just a few hours. The gases from the avacado and the brown paper bag cause a reaction to ripen the fruit faster.
DO YOU HAVE TIPS AND TRICKS?! Email them to us @ 2NaturallyTwistedMoms@gmail.com
Or if you have any suggestions or these tips didnt work for your produce!!!
Have a great day!!!!
~Opal
The Florida half of 2NTM
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Who wants to win something from 2NTM?
Oh yeah you read that correctly!!!! We have a challenge for you all....... A recipe off!!!
Do you have the best kept secret recipe in the whole wide world? Well here is your chance to share and possibly win a spice box from 2NTM's favorite Spice shop!!!
ENTRY RULES
We will be accepting 4 submissions for each category!
Categories are as follows:
Breakfast
Snacks
Dinners
Desserts
Submissions must be made to 2naturallytwistedmoms@gmail.com no later then Sunday April 1st @ 5pm
Your submission must be a full recipe and include a picture ( no more than 2 pictures please) and in the subject line please put "Recipe contest: category" the category depends on your recipe if your recipe is a dessert it should look as follows : Recipe contest: Desserts
Please include your name, phone #, mailing address and email address in your emailed submission so we can ensure the winners get their prizes!!! ( We will only be posting your recipe name, your first name and your city and state with your recipe) Also please include a small photo of yourself!!!
All recipes will be posted on Tuesday, April 3rd.
Judging
Judging will be up to you and how many people you get to leave a comment with your recipe title and name on your recipe's category. (So tell everyone you know to get their vote in!!! and make sure they like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/2NaturallyTwistedMoms ) Voting will last until Friday April 5th at 12 midnight. Final tally of votes will be done on Saturday April 6th and winners will be posted that day around 5 pm.
This contest is not scientific!!!!
Winners will receive their prizes with in 2-4 weeks of close of contest.
The winner from each category will receive a Spice box tailored to each category from 2NTM's favorite Spice shop. There is no prize for 2nd, 3rd or 4th places in each category. The winner will have a small bio written about them by 2NTM when the winner is announced!!!
PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR SUBMISSIONS QUICK AND EASY AND KID FRIENDLY, BECAUSE AFTER ALL THAT IS WHO EATS OUR COOKING RIGHT?!
PLEASE HAVE FUN AND LETS KEEP IT CLEAN AND BE GOOD SPORTS!!!!
HAPPY COOKING ALL, BUENO APPETITO!!!
Do you have the best kept secret recipe in the whole wide world? Well here is your chance to share and possibly win a spice box from 2NTM's favorite Spice shop!!!
ENTRY RULES
We will be accepting 4 submissions for each category!
Categories are as follows:
Breakfast
Snacks
Dinners
Desserts
Submissions must be made to 2naturallytwistedmoms@gmail.com no later then Sunday April 1st @ 5pm
Your submission must be a full recipe and include a picture ( no more than 2 pictures please) and in the subject line please put "Recipe contest: category" the category depends on your recipe if your recipe is a dessert it should look as follows : Recipe contest: Desserts
Please include your name, phone #, mailing address and email address in your emailed submission so we can ensure the winners get their prizes!!! ( We will only be posting your recipe name, your first name and your city and state with your recipe) Also please include a small photo of yourself!!!
All recipes will be posted on Tuesday, April 3rd.
Judging
Judging will be up to you and how many people you get to leave a comment with your recipe title and name on your recipe's category. (So tell everyone you know to get their vote in!!! and make sure they like us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/2NaturallyTwistedMoms ) Voting will last until Friday April 5th at 12 midnight. Final tally of votes will be done on Saturday April 6th and winners will be posted that day around 5 pm.
This contest is not scientific!!!!
Winners will receive their prizes with in 2-4 weeks of close of contest.
Prizes
The winner from each category will receive a Spice box tailored to each category from 2NTM's favorite Spice shop. There is no prize for 2nd, 3rd or 4th places in each category. The winner will have a small bio written about them by 2NTM when the winner is announced!!!
PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR SUBMISSIONS QUICK AND EASY AND KID FRIENDLY, BECAUSE AFTER ALL THAT IS WHO EATS OUR COOKING RIGHT?!
PLEASE HAVE FUN AND LETS KEEP IT CLEAN AND BE GOOD SPORTS!!!!
HAPPY COOKING ALL, BUENO APPETITO!!!
Whew! Having fun is hard work!
Good morning and happy Tuesday! It has been a chaotic but
fun weekend around here and I think we spent Monday recovering from all of the
fun! LOL. Last week our handsome little man turned 3….3!! (I still can’t
believe that he is already 3 years old!) Well, since he is a Cars fanatic we
had a Cars themed birthday party for him on Saturday. He was ecstatic! As soon
as DH hung his “Happy Birthday” banner he was running all around the house
saying “My birfday is here! My birfday is here!” I think that it was a huge
success, we had a house full of people, a kitchen full of amazing food and AJ
had a smile from ear to ear the entire day! (Now we just have to get the Thank
You notes done! LOL).
 |
| The outside of the invite |
 |
| And it pops up! (I wish I could take the credit for thinking this up, but I found it on another website...and now I can't remember which site it was. Once I do I will give credit where it is due =D). |
 |
| The birthday boy and his gift from Mom, Dad and Sissy! |
 |
| Sissy was due for a new bike too and Aj needed someone to ride with! |
 |
| Some of the party go'ers and the DH! |
On Sunday we thought it would be fun to take the kiddos to
Disney on Ice. So, the entire family made a trip to the Event Center to enjoy a
magical evening together. (The hubby, kids, me, my mom, brother, aunt, uncle and
4 of our wonderful cousins all came together for the event.) After watching it,
I have to say that it is worth the price of the ticket and the effort of
packing in two kiddos. They both watched in awe the entire time and at the end
they were able to high five all of the characters as they skated off the ice! J
even enrolled in ice skating lessons after watching it, she has decided that
she wants to be a Figure Skater and work for Disney when she grows up. I think
that it will be interesting to watch her go from beginner to pro (and knowing
her, it won’t take her very long to get there!)
 |
| Mickey and Minnie on the Ice |
 |
Well, that was our excitement for the weekend! I hope that
everyone enjoyed the sunshine and beautiful weather; I know that we did and we
won’t be spending very much time inside this week. =D
Susan
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Ready...Set...Garden!
Spring is finally here! It’s not as warm in Colorado as it
is in Florida, but I’ll take this weather over the snow any day! We are already
planning our garden, and we can’t wait until we can go out back and pick some
fresh fruits and veggies. If you live in a colder climate that still has the potential
of freezing (like we do) then starting your plants indoors is usually advised.
For most they need to be started indoors 4-6 weeks before they are ready to be
transplanted. A trip to Home Depot is all you need to get started; they have
everything that you could ever need. We picked out our seeds and our indoor
mini greenhouse. These greenhouses are the most practical way to go; they are
easy on your budget and easy to use. (And since I usually have two helpers on
hand at all times it makes it a lot easier when the mess or potential mess is
contained). For smaller plants, such as herbs you can use egg cartons and
potting soil to plant them in. (We are planting our herbs in smaller containers so that we can keep them indoors or outdoors). Just make sure that you poke holes in the bottom
for drainage. Planting your own herbs is the best way to save money and always
have them on hand while cooking, or dry them for later. If you are fortunate
enough to live where the danger of freezing has already passed then you can
plant them directly into the ground, the seed packs usually has a guide for
when to plant each one. (Each plant varies). Hope this helps and happy
gardening!
 |
| Here are our seeds that we picked to plant |
 |
| Left rows do not have any water added, center rows have just the water added and the right rows have water and the seeds added. |
 |
| All done! Now we wait patiently for everything to sprout! |
Susan
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