Archive for August, 2009

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Last Week’s Meals

August 25, 2009

Last weeks meal recap…..

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Monday- Pot Roast, Simply Recipes

VERY basic ingredients and SO quick to throw together, I thought this pot roast wouldn’t have enough flavor. But, my friends, it did! Was DELICIOUS! Loved it. Served it with the carrots that roasted in the juices along with some cous cous. Great Meal.

Tuesday- Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts, Ina Garten, with side salad

The Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts…they were good, but not amazing or anything. I think I’ll definitely go for this recipe again, but maybe put my own spin on things…maybe try a different cheese and throw a bit more flavor it. Good, but not amazing. Worth trying though! And, I’ll definitely look it up again….they were so easy and still pretty good!

Wednesday- Coq Au Vin, The Pioneer Woman

Awesome. Although I made the mistake of overlooking the fact that AFTER you cooked the chicken in the skillet, you had to THEN bake the chicken in the oven for over an hour (WHOOPS!), it was still delicious (although we didn’t eat until about nine ‘o clock at night!!) Wondeful flavor…but, what doesn’t have wonderful flavor when bacon is involved!!

This dish does take a bit of time for preparation and bakes for a while, but it is TOTALLY worth it! So good!!

Thursday- (Community Group, food for 10 peeps)- BBQ Pulled Beef Sandwiches

Another great dish! The slow cooking of the beef was super easy and simple. The BBQ sauce was a bit too tomato-y for my taste, but a bit more vinegar and additional spices did the trick to making it more tasty! I think I just liked the idea of making your own BBQ sauce,…but in all honesty, it probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference if you had just poured in a bottle of store bought BBQ sauce. So, if all else fails,…go for that. But, the sandwiches were DELICIOUS as well as the best chocolate sheet cake ever, which I’ve made before!

Friday- Potato Bacon Torte, Melissa Darabian

Totally didn’t feel like making the homemade pie crust (I got lazy) so, I ended up making a crustless Potato Bacon Torte with rosemary instead of thyme and sharp cheddar instead of guyere….also added in some chopped green onions. This was good, but more like a gourmet scalloped potato dish. If i had gone for the crust, I’m sure it would have been a bit more like a main course dish.

Now to plan this weeks meals,…a little behind!

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Posted in Random | 1 Comment »

Stationary for a Jewell,…

August 18, 2009

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A month or so back I completed a stationary order for a sweet, sweet girl across the country.

Nicole stumbled upon my website and emailed me with a request for baby stationary. Of course I said yes, not knowing that I would also find a new friend in it all.

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You know how you meet some people and immediately know you’ll just click… this is how Nicole was. She was so sweet from the start, with such a kind demeanor.

Maybe it’s because we can relate,…both sharing in the fact that we run small businesses. Nicole is the owner of “Jewell Videos”; a business that produces “celebration videos”, which are “DVD-based video production[s] that presents a series of pictures and/or memorabilia set to music”. Definitely something you’ll want to check out, especially if you’re planning a wedding!!

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Or maybe we clicked because we are both in the same stage of life. Me with my new baby, Ruby, and her expecting one so very soon!

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There are many reasons why I enjoyed working with Nicole and, what I do know for a fact, is that I hope we continue to keep in touch…especially with her cute baby on the way (I’m sure we can share in the joys and adjustments of a precious, new baby)!

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Posted in Lydia's Pen and Paper | Leave a Comment »

This Week’s Menu

August 18, 2009

I’m trying to put a little organization back into my life.

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I figured one of the ways I can do this is through planning our meals each week. I know this won’t happen perfectly each week, oh no,…not perfectly at all!! But, I figured with us being part of a local CSA and now having meat and eggs as part of our monthly pick up (Whoo hoo! A new addition to our CSA!), I need to make sure I’m using everything we receive each week (instead of it going bad and not getting used). I have realized that most days we figure out what we’re having for dinner 30 minutes before we make it. It ends up that, most of the time, we’re not using the fresh fruits and vegetables we have on hand, nor are we using the loads of organic, grass fed beef and free range chickens we have in our freezer. Yes, I know it’s pathetic…so, that’s where the weekly meals comes in.

My hope is that each week, I’ll write out the meals for the week, followed by links. If I get around to it (hopefully!), I’ll write notes on the recipes I loved and those that I wasn’t so fond of. I’m figuring this will be great for my organization of good recipes I find. A lot of times, I try a recipe on a website, but then the next time I think of making it, forget where the recipe came from. Hopefully this will help me out!

So here goes,….

Monday- Pot Roast (on the stove right now as I type this…smells good), Simply Recipes

Tuesday- Tomato and Goat Cheese Tarts, Ina Garten, with side salad

*saw this on the food network last night,…looked pretty good!

Wednesday- Coq Au Vin, The Pioneer Woman

*I have a chicken in the freezer and am over roasting….figured I’d try something new!

Thursday- (Community Group, food for 10 peeps)-

*still undecided, but thinking of BBQ pulled pork sandwiches with homemade coleslaw.

Friday- Potato Bacon Torte, with Cafe Green Salad, Melissa Darabian

*another food network viewing…wanting to try out one of her recipes!

We’ll see how it goes!! Wish me luck!

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Posted in Lydia's Food and Feasts | 2 Comments »

Stationary, Invitations, and Announcements

August 14, 2009

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I’ve been keeping busy!  A handful of invitations, announcements, and stationary have been in the works AND completed within these past few months.

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I haven’t been able to keep up with everything!

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But during this next week, I plan to post more detailed pictures of each job.

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More posts coming soon,… I promise!

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Posted in Lydia's Crafts and Creations, Lydia's Pen and Paper | 1 Comment »

Lovin’ the Lovey’s

August 5, 2009

Do you ever feel like you spend so much time doing so many things, but never accomplish any one thing? I’ve felt that way, so much lately. I spend my day running around doing a little bit of everything, but not one solid task. That may be my plight for the rest of my life as a mother, but I’m realizing that I need to at least accomplish one significant task each day,… at least for my own sanity.

I know as each day passes, I do accomplish something significant, taking care of Little Miss Ruby. That is precious, but I have to admit that it helps my own well being to feel like I’m completing other tasks at hand. Does that make sense?

Maybe I’ll come to terms eventually, knowing that I’m never going to get the things I want to get done, all in one shot. There’s ALWAYS going to be a to-do list running off the pages and I’m never going to be able to check all of my boxes off, but for now,…I’m just going to make “loveys”. HA!

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These “lovey’s” are just too fun to make! I can’t get enough of them.

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I love doing crafty, artsy, creative things, but those things just take time, you know? I love that I’ve found these “lovey’s”. Something that I can do AND complete in time to feel like I’ve accomplished something in my day. They seriously take about an hour to make, start to finish.

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I made this specific one for a friends baby shower.

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Including a matching burp cloth. Too cute. I have to give Ashley props for the burp cloth. She made me a bunch for my baby shower and I got the idea from her!

So, my friends, if all else fails and your feeling defeated by that to-do list in hand, make a “lovey”! It’s sure to brighten your day!

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Posted in Lydia's Crafts and Creations, Sewing | 5 Comments »

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