Pin it? Do it! Week #1 : Lasagna. Garfield would approve.

You know when it seems like things are just meant to be?  I came across this link-up "Pinterest Kitchen" just yesterday.

THE SAME DAY I decided I needed to start telling ya'll about pins I have completed.  Like my BBF {Best Bloggie Friend...just came up with that, pretty great, right?  Pretty sure someone else came up with it first, but I am going with it for now},  Tracey at Control the Chaos does.

I could probably fill my entire blog with these posts, seeing as how I currently have 65 boards and 1929 pins.  Geesh.

Pin much?

So anyways... I made a few crock-pot dishes.  I love me the crock-pot {or slow cooker}, don't you?
Both of the recipes were featured by Yes, Teacher.   Here is the pin from her bloggie home:

Source: yesteachercrafts.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Included in that collage are: Mac and Cheese (more on that soon), Enchiladas, Lasagna, Taco Chicken Bowls, Baked Potato Soup, and French Onion Soup.

{Side note: I am pretty sure I made that Baked Potato Soup last month.  It turned out like mashed potatoes.  At least for me (But, I MAY be culinary challenged).  Not bad. But not soup.}

Now, lets get down to business.
Lasagna.  Num.

That's my picture.  Here's the one from the original recipe web-site {click there if you want said recipe}.

Source: tablespoon.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Let's just say mine didn't look that pretty once I served it.  BUT, then I 'm not a food blogger or food stylist for that matter.  Although that would be a fun job.

I'd give this about an 8 out of 10.

Here is the dealio.  In a lot of these recipe it calls for pasta sauce.  Here is the quandary.

1. We don't like the prepared pasta sauce in Europe. {They add peppers.  Ick.  At least to us.}
2. We could get good ole' Ragu at Costco {yay, love Scotland!}, but my husband doesn't like it {picky boy}. 
3. Said picky boy has issues {think allergies} with whole tomatoes, so can't use stewed tomatoes, etc. to make my own pasta sauce. 
4. So I use pureed tomatoes and add my own seasoning. 

This time, I didn't add enough seasoning, so the only reason this recipe is getting an 8 instead of a 10 is due to my mis-seasoning.  

Next up: 

Mac and Cheese. 

Source: thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

I made this last night in honor of J#4's {my daughter} birthday.  

I didn't take any photos.  It was bad.  I am quite sure it was likely my fault somehow.  I used lower-fat cheese {what can I say? I'm trying to win a game people!}.  And our crock-put is ultrasonic.  It cooks EVERYTHING really fast.  

This one gets about a 2 out of 10.  At least the birthday girl had a few bites.  

But then we moved onto cake. 

That made everyone happy.  

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Linking up with: 

Challenge Wednesday #19

It's Challenge Wednesday again folks!  And when I challenge Tracey...well, she doesn't take it lightly.  You'll see what I mean in a second.  


I am excited it was her Wednesday for a challenge, because today is J#4's FIRST BIRTHDAY!!  


So, I am going to spend the day celebrating her, and will report back tomorrow. 


But for now, read on!


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Hi. I'm Tracey. I write at Control the Chaos. Jen is my friend, and on Wednesdays we take turns challenging each other in a variety of ways.


Last week, Jen posed this challenge:
"Tell me what your favorite fictional book of all time is and why.  Because that will be my next read."  


This question was much harder than I thought it would be, and still, I haven't settled on just one. I tried, I really did. But the best I can do is give you some top choices in different genres. 


I tend to read older works of fiction, but a newer series I recently read and loved is The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I could not put them down and read all three within a couple weeks, which is unusual for me, Mrs. Slow Poke Reader. Husband put it best when he said these books got him reading modern fiction again, which is something both of us had gotten away from in recent months. In the spirit of full disclosure, there are some rather adult themes in this book, and yes, it is relevant to the story because it helps define the main character.

A couple other modern fiction works that are rather entertaining:

• A Prayer for Owen Meany: lighthearted but not completely predictable
• A Confederacy of Dunces: laugh out loud, other people in the room will think you are crazy, funny
• The Unconsoled, Never Let Me Go, and The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro: fantastic. I think The Remains of the Day might be the most famous, but I loved them all.
• I am currently reading The Help, and it is turning out to be quite the page turner.

As far as more classic literature is concerned (read: before GenX), here are a couple of my top picks:

• All of John Steinbeck's books, although Of Mice and Men continues to be my favorite
• To Kill A Mockingbird: Harper Lee (psst, the movie is good too)

Fantasy books - I know you aren't a fan, but these books conjure warm memories of my childhood, watching my dad read and re-read his tattered copies:

• The Hobbit: JRR Tolkien
• Chronicles of Narnia: CS Lewis

And even though you asked for fiction, I'm going to throw in my two absolute all time favorite non-fiction books as well:

• Gift From The Sea: Anne Morrow Lindbergh was Charles' Lindbergh's wife, and her collection of essays is, in a word, breathtaking
• Traveling Mercies: Anne Lamott is a crazy California hippie who has been down all sorts of roads. She is without a doubt my favorite author, and I've read every one of her books to date. Her nonfiction ramblings are the best, though, and I find myself eating up every. single. word.

And that, my friend, is my list of fantastic books. And I am 100% sure I will wake up at 2AM realizing I forgot a biggie. Oh well, there's always next week.

Speaking of...for next week I want you to share what kinds of fruits and veggies you've been incorporating into your diet recently, because I happen to know you are trying to eat at least five servings a day. Sooo, what are your favorites? Got a recipe you can share? Or at least how you like to eat them? Raw? Steamed? Drizzled in butter? Dunked in dressing? Smoothie? Hmmm?


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Well, friends, if you can't find a good book to try in that list...well, you're just hopeless.

Kidding!  Kidding, of course.

And the fun part?  I've only read one of those {The Help...loved it!}.  So I have some reading to do! 

A Blurry Life.

Siblings. 


I am so amazed at how J#3 and J#4 are forming a relationship.  Playing together.  Fighting over toys.  Fighting for attention.  

But the most fascinating part of watching them develop is watching their individual personalities develop. 


First, there is J#3.  

He is a lounger.  He could sit around watching movies or t.v. all day if I let him.  Which I don't. 


{Of course.}  


He is quite a bit like me, to be honest.  


Then, there is J#4. 

This one.  She can watch cartoons for a bit, but then she needs to play.  Needs to be doing something else.  And the amazing thing?  She actually uses toys for the proper use, like trying to put the pieces in this toy.  And if that doesn't work, just opening the top to get them in.  {Why am I so surprised?  Because J#3 didn't do that at her age...maybe that's a boy thing?}


So J#3 reminds me of her dad.  Dude can't sit still much.  And can find a solution for just about any problem.


I want both the kiddos to be like my husband, J#1, when it comes to their level of activity.  Well, I want them to be like him in general, but I have some not-so-bad traits myself.  


So anyways...I find myself allowing J#3 to be a lazy two year old.  And that is not a good thing.  Why? 


Well, because I am being lazy.  

Source: pinterest.com via Jenny on Pinterest

I'll admit, January was a tough month for me. There isn't a lot of sunlight {or sun for that matter} in Scotland in January.  That makes me grumpy.  And unmotivated.  


But January is over. 

Source: imgfave.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Live in the present, I will. 


And I will make sure my kiddos do too. 

Even if it is a little blurry.  


Well, it should be blurry.  


Because we won't just be sitting around.  

Day 9.

First of all, I wanted to thank everyone who provided encouragement last week.  It means SO much to me, and I am so glad that you are all with me on this journey.

Accountability is a HUGE thing for me, and the fact that I know that people are watching and reading here will keep me going.

Source: flickr.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Oh...and that prize at the end of this four week Game On game.

But, mostly it's you.

So I am sure you are wondering how the week went, right?

Pretty darn good, if I may say so myself.  First off, I had nearly a perfect score for our game.  I only lost one point.  How did I do that?  Well, I weighed myself on Thursday morning (you are allowed to weigh yourself ONLY once per day), and I was up from the day before.

TIME OUT.  This is why a person should ONLY weigh themselves once a week...or not weigh yourself at all and go by your clothes {but that wouldn't work for this game}.

Anyhow, I was up.  After eating within my points and exercising for four days straight.  Grrr, right?  So, I weighed myself again, thinking the scale must have been wrong.  What happened?  The weight went UP again!  Clearly, my punishment for losing that one darn point and thinking there was something wrong with the scale.

Source: confident-beautiful-motivated.tumblr.com via Jenny on Pinterest

Weight check-in:
Starting weight: 214.8
Goal weight for week (1%): 212.6
End weight:  211. 2

No pictures, peeps.

Source: Uploaded by user via Jenny on Pinterest

Which means you can expect pics in about three months.

So, this week my goal will be 209.1.  My other goal?  To ENJOY my meal off and day off, but not INDULGE too much.

Game ON!


Linking up this week:

200 posts?!

This, my friends, is my 200th post.

One of the items on my bucket list is to have a blog for one year.  That would have actually been back on January 4. But, I felt like I wasn't really IN this until at least April (probably later).  But with 200 posts?

I'm crossing the "year of an active blog" off my list.

Source: honey-and-bee.tumblr.com via Jenny on Pinterest

And I'll continue to tell my story.  And be happy.

Blogs...the new book?

I have this list of 100 books that I want to finish reading.  See it up there?  Up along the top of the page?  I'll read them too.  But...I am often pulled away.


By blogs.


I am on a never ending cycle.


I find blogs I like, and a few that I love.  And I keep finding more and more to read. And then my google reader list of blogs becomes overwhelming, so I unsubscribe to a bunch.  But then I find NEW (to me) blogs to follow.  And so on and so on.


There are a few that remain constant.  A few that I have read since I discovered this blog world, about a year ago.


And then there are a few that I find (the ones that I mentioned loving above?), that I read from the beginning.  And they read like a book.


In the last few weeks I have found two that I wake up each morning hoping they have posted something...






Laura is quite literally a hollywood housewife.  Her husband is the mind behind the Jacka*s series (and more), and she started her time in California as a production assistant on movies and television.  Which would lead me to believe that I wouldn't be able to identify with her.  at. all.   But, quite the contrary.  I am amazed at how down-to-earth she is.  


And get this.  I linked up to her blog with my post about my "one word" for the year.  And she came to my blog and commented.  For realz.   The times where the link-up hosts actually visit my blog?  Few and far between.  And then actually comment?  Slim to none.   


Love her.  She is funny, a mom of two, and has interesting and varied posts.  Right now she is in the middle of a story about her faith.  If you have a minute or two, check her out.   


The other awesome blog I am addicted to right now?  

Momastery.    You know that "Don't Carpe Diem" post that has been very quickly been finding its way around Facebook, Twitter and the like?  First published on Momastery.  I went to check it out, and then stayed.  


Glennon has one of the most intriguing and inspiring (to me) stories that I have heard in a LONG time.  Seriously, read her story on her "about me" page.   What she created with her blog is a community, a network of friends...and I hope with the new found fame that her "Don't Carpe Diem" post garnered, that doesn't change for them.  


Alright...so there you go.  A few new blogs to add to your reader.   


You're welcome.  

Challenge Wednesday #18: Whatcha Readin'?

So, last week Tracey asked me the following question: What are you reading right now, how do you like it, and do you have any reading recommendations for us?


And, this week, on Tracey's blog, Control the Chaos, I am telling you all what I am reading right now, and what a few of my favorite books {that I got back to read more than once} are.    Oh, and Tracey offers a great book recommendation too! 


You better click on over and check it out!