It's a mad mad world!

I can't believe that it has been over a month since I last wrote something. I know it has been crazy at work and that leaves me exhausted when I get home so I spend my time playing with Smiley and doing something crazy like laundry but still over a month! Bad Ashley - no cookie for me!

Like I said above things have been crazy at work so I've barely had time to take a bathroom break or even have lunch let alone write in my blog. Now that is has calmed down again I can share all my wonderful thoughts with all of you lucky people. Missed me? Thought so.

We are now in March so lets do a recap of how I'm doing with my New Years Resolutions (blah ha ha).

1. Learn at least 12 words in German and to be able to use them in a conversation properly.

- My BIL has been very good to me by helping remind me of my counting 0-10 in German (even corrected my spelling errors that I posted previously). He even gave me at least 2 phrases to practice. Well I have been a bad girl and haven't been practicing or asking for more phrases. We are in month 3 so I need another phrase from him.

2. Bring my lunch to work 4 days a week.

- I have been a good girl on this one. Only 2 times have I bought lunch twice and brought the remaining days. I have also been better at bringing my breakfast all 5 days to work so I can treat myself to Starbucks every once in a while to go with my breakfast. So kudos to me. Just need to keep on track with this (I've even inspired on of my co-workers. He is striving for the same as I but only seems to have succeed with one day a week for his lunch bringing. Baby steps I tell him).

3. Play for 60 minutes a day.


- Yea this hasn't happened. I'm lucky if I manage to get to do much more than the regular house hold work (which I'm not doing well at). Smiley is moving and shaking (but no she isn't doing the Harlem Shake) these days. She has discovered balance and is walking all over the place. My exercise usually consists of me chasing after her). Sadly I see the results every day and it brings me down all the time.

4. Drink water every day.


- No progress here - oh sure I'm great at instilling water for Smiley but me, not happening.

5. Buy a plant and keep it alive all year long.

- Spring is coming so I've been eyeballing the plants that are slowly being brought out. Will have to pick my victim, I mean plant here very soon.


6. Try one new recipe a week.

- I have been pretty good about this. I established Sunday Dinners at my house for the family and if I don't try a new recipe I try a new method of cooking or a new side dish or a new spin on an old favorite. So this is going pretty good. Have to really get back to trying a new dish each week.

7. Try one new food a month.

- This hasn't been a success. I did try Korean BBQ with B-man this past week and it was "interesting". So that counts as trying a new food. Sadly it is my first new food of the year. Must be more open.

8. Find a way to bring in more cha-ching for my family.

- Signed up for online surveys that are supposed to pay either cash or gift cards but it takes several surveys before you even get a $10 gift card. Humm - still looking for new ways to make money. Thinking of a yard sale in the spring.

9. Save more money.

- Need to do this more. Was doing ok with $50 per pay period but I've switched to paying that money to my crazy credit card bills instead. Need to get back to this. I also want to take all the change we have around the house and put it in the change thing at my bank for Smiley's savings account. Just need to do it. Maybe one day when I'm off and can run to the bank.

10. Be a better wifey.

- Not sure I'm doing that well. I'm so tired all the time, we never get to cuddle or have alone time because of our schedules, my working late, being sick, Smiley time takes over, or just being tired all the time.

11. De-crap my house.


- Still need to work on this. See yard sale idea above for possibly ways of doing this.

12. Let my inner Martha Stewart shine.

- I have my dragon counted cross stitch but every time I think I'll start it, I just don't. I come up with an excuse not to do it and do something else. Like take a nap or do laundry.

On a happier note, I mentioned about Smiley is walking. She really is getting better with her balance and I love her face when she takes off. So cute. She has also become clingy to me. She is saying "ma ma" but doesn't connect it to me. Oh and she loves to drop her sippy cup and then say "uh oh". So cute. 

Pinterest was my friend . . .

On Sunday Pinterest became my good friend. In my quest this year to try new foods I made 2 recipes off of Pinterest.

The first recipe was spinach lasagna rolls (roll ups). I got the recipe on Pinterest from this link: http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2011/04/spinach-lasagna-rolls.html

I will tell you first that I don't like Ricotta so I replaced it with cream cheese. One word of advice - spray the foil with your favorite oil spray to keep the cheese from sticking. Oh and I had to put the dish under the broiler for few minutes to get it nice brown and bubbly. So what was the verdict. I though it was interesting. B-man, my BIL and my sister liked it, my sister even went back for seconds but the biggest test was . . . Smiley liked it too. Might try this one again.

And here is a picture of the left overs (only because I forgot to take a picture before we ate):

My second recipe was from Pinterest also it was the Pomegranate syrup. I got the recipe from this link: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/simply-sweet-pomegranate-syrup/?socsrc=bhgpin121912pomegranatesyrup&crlt.pid=camp.uZDK4wfB

It was so easy to make and truth be told I haven't tried it yet only because I don't have any Gingerale in the house and that is what I'm planning on mixing it with.

Here is the final result:

I also turned to Pinterest for a non food link this weekend too. It was something called the sock bun that creates soft curls in your hair overnight. Here is the link: http://aspottedpony.com/for-moms/how-to-use-a-sock-to-get-beautiful-curly-hair-without-heat/1517/. Well it didn't work for me. First off I am positive you have to have long hair - not medium length hair like I have. Second the act of putting the hair in the bun is hard. Second all but the ends fell out of the bun and all I had was frizzy ends - not what I was looking for.

Also the hubby and I went to a new restaurant on Saturday night for dinner - a French restaurant. My meal was interesting. B-man enjoyed his. He had a whole lobster and french fries. Yep that was what was on the menu. Oh and it was too cute to have him ask me what frites were (thanks to my mother I at least know that much even though I never took French).

So how'z you doin?

Ok so I'm checking in on my New Year Resolutions (NYR) and so far this is how things are going:

1) I've been reminded of how to say 0-10 in German (can't spell properly yet but baby steps). I also know how to say "How are you?". My most recent phrase is about asking where the bathroom is . . . which is a start one for me. Don't have it down yet. So progress is being made - woo hoo.

2)  I have a confession - last week I goofed. I bought my lunch 2 times instead of just one. Sad face.

3) Haven't really been doing this as much as I would like. Oh sure I'm playing with Smiley but we are confined to a small space. This weekend was supposed to be nice (LIAR Mr. Weatherman) and we were going to go to a park. NOT!!!

4) I've only been drinking water when I have choir (Monday evenings and Sunday mornings). Sad face.

5) Still need to get a plant. Come on spring so I can roam around Home Depot and Loews.

6) I'm totally on plan with this. I've made 1 new Pinterest recipe and 2 recipes for Sunday dinners for the family. They agreed to be my taste testers. Also I made a new cake recipe that was yummy.

7) Need to still do this. Haven't really had the opportunity yet so need to find something.

8) More $$$ - no luck yet.

9) I've started putting money away in the savings account so I'm doing good.

10) Need to schedule date night for this month.

11) Done a little decrapping (that totally doesn't sound good) as we put the Christmas Stuff away - cleaned a little bit in Smiley's room too.

12) I sorted the thread to my dragon project - keep forgetting to find my hoop so I can start.

So how are you doing with your resolutions?

And we are off . . .

I tried a new recipe today from Pinterest . . . Italian Baked Shrimp

I'm not much of a shrimp person so I had to get another opinion on how they turned out. First off I would say that this recipe is very very easy. The only thing I changed was I cooked them for longer than the allotted 15 minutes. I baked it for another 10 minutes and even threw the broiler on. What can I say, I needed them to be more pink before I felt comfortable eating them and serving them.

Here is the link to Pinterest if you want to try it for yourself . . . I thought it was OK but then again as I said I'm not much of a shrimp person but I had Smiley's BFF over and D liked them a lot. She eats more seafood than I do so she is a better judge of the recipe.

http://pinterest.com/pin/92886811036308642

Sprechen Sie Deutsch?

The first New Years Resolution I had posted this year was to learn at least 12 words in German and be able to use them in a a conversation properly. So last night I put the challenge to my BIL to help me in this endeavour. He says learning a phrase is better but we shall see. I do know a few words so far which are:

LINKS - Left
RECHTS - Right
EINE - One
ZWEI - Two
DREI - Three
VIER - Four
FÜNF- Five
SECHS - Six
SIEBEN - Seven
ACHT - Eight
NEUN - Nine
ZEHN - Ten


Do I know how to spell them, nope? I had to look them up for posting but at least when I'm asked I can answer in German.


So JR gave me this phrase to work on for this month . . . Wie geht es Ihnen? Any takers on what this is? Bueller?... Bueller?... Bueller? It means HOW ARE YOU? I had to write it down phonetically so I can pronounce it properly. Oh and we were discussing "Good morning - Good afternoon - Good evening - Good night" = "Guten Morgen - Guten Tag - Guten Aben -  Guten Nacht".

So that is pretty good start to learning German (resolution #1 or #eine).


For my second resolution I said to bring my lunch to work 4 out of the 5 days. Well I only work 3 days this week and so far for the 2 days I have been here at work I have brought my lunch. Since I'm off tomorrow and will probably grab a bite to eat out after Smiley's appointment I will have to bring my lunch on Friday too.

Ok well that is all for now. I'll check back in a few days with my progress.

One year makes a huge difference

Christmas 2012 has come and gone (well not if you look at my living room) and I had to reflect on how different this Christmas was verses last Christmas. Christmas 2011 we were home recovering and trying to figure each other out. This year she was all over the place with wonder and exploration. I can only imagine what Christmas 2013 will be like.

Christmas 2011

Christmas 2012

Wishing you and yours a very happy and safe new year!

My bad!!!!!!!

So I know it has been over a months since I have posted anything so MY BAD! Things get a big crazy for me around this time of year (yes all the way back since November - it actually starts in October) so I opt for sleep and or actually doing my job (damn day job gets in the way every time) instead of posting. I promise next year I'll be better.

That leads me to start thinking of my 2013 resolutions. Maybe if I actually write them down and post them then I can be held accountable for them over the year and maybe just maybe if I check in every months to post how I'm doing I might actually stick to them . . . well some of them . . . maybe one or two . . . OK OK at least 1.

OK should I put down as my first resolution . . . hum maybe world peace, nah Miss America has that one down pat. Um um maybe I could keep us from going over that fiscal cliff, yea right I'm lucky if I balance my checkbook anymore. OK OK seriously here are my 2013 resolutions:

1. Learn at least 12 words in German and to be able to use them in a conversation properly. That's one a month so that should be doable provided that JR is willing to teach me and work with me.

2. Bring my lunch to work 4 days a week. That gives me the opportunity to treat myself at least once a week to something yummy. . . Whole Paycheck anyone?

3. Play for 60 minutes a day. Oh sure I'm ripping off the NFL with all their creative commercials - love the one with Cam Newton and the kid. ("Be drafted first," "Become Quarterback for the Panthers," "Be your mom's favorite player," and the best one "I'm just warming up my arm"). Maybe if I strive to do that everyday both Smiley and I will benefit from the exercise.

4. Drink water every day. OMG that is gonna be the hardest one. I know I know most people are shaking their heads at me but I don't like water. I never have, even when I was playing softball and volleyball - I don't like water. It takes an effort for me to drink it. Blah. I know it is good for me and blah blah blah, I just don't like it. The only time you will probably willingly catch me drinking water is when I sing.

5. Buy a plant and keep it alive all year long. My mother was gracious enough to pass along to me in my DNA the ability to kill a plant. I love plants and flowers yet I can't keep them alive. My FIL has a gift when it comes to plants that B-man seems to have inherited so between the 3 of us maybe I can do that. Now I just have to figure out what I am going to get. I have to keep in mind a curious 1 year old, a nose 4 year old cat (he's the most destructive) and well my black thumb. I'll take suggestions.

6. Try one new recipe a week. I love to cook but haven't really had the time or energy over the last year. So I'll make something brand new once a week and even try to get pictures up on my blog with a review.

7. Try one new food a month. B-man loves to tease me when I see something that I don't want to try that I say "I'm not eating that" (picture a 4 year old with her arms crossed - yep it looks and sounds like that).

8. Find a way to bring in more cha-ching for my family. Gotta find a way to get more money into my bank account (legally that is) than in the last year. Kids are expensive!!!

9. Save more money. I need to go back to putting X amount from each paycheck into my savings and not touching it. On top of that - need to stop using the credit cards. Been so bad about that this past year.

10. Be a better wifey. I love my B-man so much and I don't show him/tell him enough I think. Need to find the time and energy to spend more one on one time with him.

11. De-crap my house. Oh sure I could say De-Clutter but De-Crap I think is more accurate. Now a hoarder I am not, a pack rat I am. I have things that just need to go to the trash that I keep saying "oh this needs to go and that needs to go" but damn it, it never goes.

12. Let my inner Martha Stewart shine. I love crafty things but I don't do enough of them. I just got this great counted cross-stitch dragon that I am excited to get started on. Need to make that a priority. Then I'll find another project to work on.

OK so that is 12 resolutions or more like goals for the year of 2013. Maybe I'll come up with more before the year is out but I truthfully wouldn't hold your breath on that one. Feel free to share your resolutions if you want and maybe we can keep each other on task for the new year. Buddy system right?