Book in Progress: The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

I am halfway through Rebecca Wells' 2009 novel, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder. The title itself is a mouthful. I have read her Ya Ya trilogy ((Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, Little Altars Everywhere, and Ya-Yas in Bloom) and after loving one, disliking one and feeling somewhere in between on the last, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read her newest book.

However, am really enjoying the characters in this book. I like the way Wells writes from the point of view of a child, as she did in the Ya Ya books. Since I haven't finished the book yet, I can't give my complete impression of the book, but already in the past 7 days I have twice found myself poring over its pages and crying my eyes out over it at a restaurant during lunch. (A guilty pleasure--lunch and book somewhere else.) The good kind of tears. A good kind of book so far.

Image from HarperCollins.com

Cooking Powered by the Sun

Solar Hot Pot by Solar Houshold Energy

The other day, Thalia told me that her class had a special guest-- a parent who owns a solar oven that she and her family built themselves. They cooked homemade granola in the solar oven, which the kids thought was pretty cool. Well I thought the idea was pretty cool too.

Yesterday I researched solar ovens online, knowing very little about them. I already knew that you could craft one out of a pizza box and some foil, a great Girl Scout project idea or something to do with your kids when they're bored. But I didn't know anything about solar ovens that are for sale for camping or everyday use. I was curious.

This is what I learned: Solar ovens, which are almost unbelievably simple in their design, are definitely under-appreciated for what they can do. Yes, they cook food and boil water with nothing but the rays of the sun, year round, which are totally and completely free. But beyond that, I never thought about how solar ovens could be used in places where fuel needed to cook a meal costs more than the food itself. It never occurred to me that a solar pot could make the difference between drinkable water and contaminated water that causes disease. Even more significant, the fuel sources used in many countries give off extremely toxic smoke, which contributes to global warming. In countries where wood is the primary source of fuel, deserts exist where trees once grew. Over half of the world's population rely on wood, animal dung and crop residue as fuel to cook their food. A solar oven can change much of that.

I was thrilled to know that the profit from solar ovens sold in North America and other "developed" countries fund many more that are sent to countries that can desperately use them. It was heartwarming to read a personal testimonial from a Haitian woman about the different foods she could cook in her new oven. Haitians needed these ovens before due to deforestation, and now, post-earthquake, with practically no resources or infrastructure, they can use them more than ever.

So what started out as search for photos of these ovens and some recipes ended up as a completely eye-opening experience for me. I will never underestimate our sun's power again.

FoodieLicious: Tyler Florence's Galumpkis

I did not grow up eating stuffed cabbage rolls. Distinctly non-Asian and not "American" enough either. Our meals were either uber-Filipino or really mediocre American kiddie foods. Like Pancit or Hot Dogs. Kare-Kare or Hamburger Helper. Cabbage rolls were too "ethnic."

I first discovered a recipe for cabbage rolls in 1998 when I bought a slow cooker recipe book to go along with our recently received Crock-Pot. We registered for it ($10 at Target!) for our wedding. Stuffed Cabbage Rolls is one of those recipes that sounds gross when you say it out loud but seems more intriguing when you read the list of ingredients. And complicated too; you have to actually roll up the filling in leaves of cabbage. But I was up to the challenge! I made them at night, and slow-cooked them for hours. They were delish when they were finally done! And as with many slow-cooked foods, they looked kind of pale. I mean, the main ingredient was cabbage!

Fast forward about seven years, and I was watching my then-favorite Food Network show and caring for an infant at home. Tyler Florence's Food 911 featured an Eastern European version of stuffed cabbage rolls called galumpkis. The other recipe I had made was more of a German style with sauerkraut in it. Tyler's recipe had a sweet and sour tomato sauce. Also, his recipe is baked in the oven, not slow-cooked. Again, very intriguing. Again, lots of work. But totally worth it.

I am in the mood for Cabbage Rolls again, although the moment will probably pass before I get to HEB Central Market for the ingredients! Here is the recipe for anyone who wants to try it. It's comfort food that I never grew up with but wish that I had!

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Galumpkis)
From Tyler Florence's Food 911 on the Food Network

Yield: about 1 dozen

Sweet and Sour Tomato Sauce:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
1 1/2 quarts crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cabbage Rolls:
1 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Splash dry red wine
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground pork
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups steamed white rice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large heads green cabbage, about 3 pounds each


To make the sauce:
Coat a 3-quart saucepan with the oil and place over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and sugar; simmer, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
Place a skillet over medium heat and coat with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Sauté the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes, until soft. Stir in the tomato paste, a splash of wine, parsley, and 1/2 cup of the prepared sweet and sour tomato sauce, mix to incorporate and then take it off the heat. Combine the ground meat in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg, the cooked rice, and the sauteed onion mixture. Toss the filling together with your hands to combine, season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Remove the large, damaged outer leaves from the cabbages and set aside. Cut out the cores of the cabbages with a sharp knife and carefully pull off all the rest of the leaves, keeping them whole and as undamaged as possible, (get rid of all the small leaves and use them for coleslaw or whatever.) Blanch the cabbage leaves in the pot of boiling water for 5 minutes, or until pliable. Run the leaves under cool water then lay them out so you can assess just how many blankets you have to wrap up the filling. Next, carefully cut out the center vein from the leaves so they will be easier to roll up. Take the reserved big outer leaves and lay them on the bottom of a casserole pan, let part of the leaves hang out the sides of the pan. This insulation will prevent the cabbage rolls from burning on the bottom when baked. Use all the good looking leaves to make the cabbage rolls. Put about 1/2 cup of the meat filling in the center of the cabbage and starting at what was the stem-end, fold the sides in and roll up the cabbage to enclose the filling. Place the cabbage rolls side by side in rows, seam-side down, in a casserole pan.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Pour the remaining sweet and sour tomato sauce over the cabbage rolls. Fold the hanging leaves over the top to enclose and keep the moisture in. Drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake for 1 hour until the meat is cooked.

My Notes: In the TV show, he uses a larger, leafy green cabbage that I think is called Savoy. Much easier to roll because they're so much bigger. Also, I think the 1 1/4 cup of EVOO might be a typo on the Food Network's website; I use however much oil I think I need, which is always much less.

Creative Writing 101: The Small Stuff

"Don't sweat the small stuff" means...

nothing to me! Ha! Because in my world, it's all small stuff. I think one of my biggest strengths is my ability to focus on the tiniest of details in all things. Whether or not they matter. I can't not do so; it's who I am!

I married someone who is the opposite of me, whose strength lies in seeing the big picture. We're a good team that way.

My strength is also a curse sometimes. I can get really bogged down in pointless minutiae. I expect perfection when I shouldn't. So, yes, I really shouldn't sweat the small stuff at times. But it's a challenge to do so!

Blog prompt from Imagination Prompt Generator

52 Blessings: Health

I've come to the conclusion that "good health" is all relative. I found out last week that I'll be having a double surgery in a few weeks' time. Minor, low risk procedures for the most part, but still requiring the necessary pre-op prep, a trip to the hospital and an overnight stay. Today, at my third visit to a doctor in a week, my ob/gyn told me I would likely need additional surgery in the next 5 years or so as well. Then he told me I was "very healthy." I found that last comment amusing and full of irony.

Healthy. Am I? I notice every little ache and pain that I experience. I notice if it's something that comes and goes regularly or if it's something out of the blue. I notice the way I feel when something seems off, not quite right. Moreover, I've been diagnosed with at least four different chronic conditions/syndromes in the past 4 years. Some are managed ok with meds, some are not. The pains, the little twinges, the changes in my body that I can't control are always there in the background. Honestly, I wouldn't have called myself "very" healthy.

But really, am I? I am healthy enough to hop out of bed each morning. I can drive myself in my car wherever I need to go. I can work out (if I choose). I don't have food allergies and can eat anything (although I shouldn't). I can (for now) decorate cakes with intricate detail and designs. My mind is sharp enough to allow me to do (most) of the things I need to do on a daily basis, things that my family and others count on me to do. I can enjoy the little things in life that make it meaningful. I'm alive!

So yes, I am counting my health, even as it is now, as one of my many blessings. One that I have not been thankful enough for. God has surely blessed me with the health I have for a reason. And I am grateful.

Pink Retro & Some Good Books

I didn't blog yesterday because I didn't feel like it. I think I'm battling the winter blues, although ironically it no longer feels like winter outside. Just inside myself.

So onward to yesterday's topic, Retail Love, and today's as well.

Yubz Retro Handset for Mobile Phones
Photo from Yubz.com

This cute handset has been on my secret wishlist for several months now. It's adorable and useful! I hate using my cell phone all the time but wouldn't mind it as much if I had this retro handset. In pink. I love that it can rest on your shoulder just like old-school phones did. The only thing is they don't seem to sell it for my particular cell phone (yet). Although I've sent a few emails politely requesting that they add an adapter for mine! Meanwhile, I'll just continue to covet one until I get a new phone or they add my current one.

The Book Nook (is that too cutesy and dumb-sounding?)

So what's on my nightstand these nights (and days)? I started Nora Roberts' Key Trilogy during the summer, got really into books 1 and 2, and then real life got in the way. I didn't pick up book 3 until last week, and I'm remembering now what I liked about this particular series.

I've only been reading Nora Roberts for about two years, despite the fact that she always has a new bestseller out as well as rereleases of dozens and dozens more of her older titles. She writes romances as Nora Roberts, her real name, and murder mysteries as J.D. Robb. With the exception of her MacGregor series, which I somehow ended up reading while in London 10 years ago, I purposely avoided reading her books since for the better part of eight years because I just couldn't believe that anyone who could churn out new novels that quickly would be any good. Ha! Her books are generally great, and she excels at creating believable characters who you want to know more about. I particularly enjoy her trilogies and series, where the characters recur and you really get to know them quite well over several novels.

Although I am a few chapters shy of finishing the Key Trilogy, what I liked most about it are the quirky female protagonists (Malory, Dana and Zoe) in each book, the female bonding among them across the series, and the fact that magic, sorcery and otherworldly souls are intricately involved in the storylines. And the males, as always in good romances, are exactly the kinds of males you dream of but at the same time are also regular "guys" with their typical endearing foibles. Another thing about this particular trilogy is that you don't necessarily know how Roberts will take you to the preordained happily ever after that all romance novels must have. I like that element of suspense. So excuse me while I go finish my book!

FoodieLicious: 1980s Jello Blocks

Today's recipe features a taste of my childhood. Jello Squares or Finger Jello is what I think we called them, but not entirely sure. In any case, these were the staple finger-food dessert that my Mom made for several years for potlucks, summer get-togethers, birthday celebrations and classroom parties. Unlike regular Jello, the Blocks were extremely firm and would hold their shape forever and could be picked up and eaten by hand. I loved when she would make several flavors of Jello Blocks at once and serve them as a rainbow, a shimmering, scrumptious display in the eyes of a child.

About nine months ago, I was feeling nostalgic for Jello Blocks and looked up the recipe online. They are also called Knox Blox, which refers to to the ingredient that makes them extra-firm. I'm pretty sure this is the recipe my Mom used as well. Kraft Foods touts a 'Jello Jigglers' recipe, but it's not the same thing--too jiggly.

Knox Blox Finger Jello
from Cooks.com

3 pkg. Knox gelatin
4 sm. (3 oz.) boxes Jello (any flavor)
4 c. boiling water

Put Jello and Knox gelatin into a bowl. Add water and stir until
dissolved. Pour into 9x13 inch pan. Cool in refrigerator. When firm, cut into squares.

Jello disappeared from my life when my teenage tastes changed. It resurfaced into my life during college with the simple recipe of Jello + Water + Vodka + tiny plastic salsa containers from Taco Cabana = Jello Shots! And since college, Jello gelatin has been pretty much off the radar. I think I was last served Jello at the hospital when I delivered my youngest child. Interestingly enough, I haven't seen Finger Jello at any kids' parties in the last 8 years either.

Jello Blocks popped into my head today when Thalia, Carys and I were at Luby's. The girls were eating their super-jiggly Jello cubes desserts, and I mentioned how much I loved Jello when I was a kid. I told them I had an even better recipe that they would love too. We're going to make Jello Blocks soon, and Carys has already requested Peach.

Oh Jello, how I've missed you and I didn't even know it!

Image is of Jello Jigglers because I couldn't find a good one of Finger Jello! From Kraft Foods' website

Creative Writing 101: Ten Favorite Scents

 

I blew off my creative writing prompt on Friday night because I was too tired to even turn on the computer! So here is my creative writing bit, prompted by Imagination Prompt Generator:

My 10 favorite scents or smells (in no particular order):

1. tropical fruity scents, especially on candles
2. cinnabons
3. garlic
4. freshly laundered sheets and towels
5. coffee
6. roses
7. honeysuckle
8. gardenias
9. new batch of fudge at the fudge factory
10. spring air

Whew! That was easy until I got to #9, and then I ran out of favorites! But I do love spring.

52 Blessings: Food

Thursdays will now feature 52 Blessings, every week for 52 weeks! I am borrowing the idea from Tracy Kosofsky's Resistance is Futile blog. Last year she scrapped a '52 Blessings' mini-album highlighting one of her blessings each week. I loved the idea last year, but just didn't have time for it, so this year I'm making time. The blessings won't be in any particular order, not in order of importance for sure as every blessing is important!


My blessing for this week: Food. There are two absolutely full refrigerators in my house right now. How lucky I am to have fresh, healthy and affordable food available to me whenever I want. And to have so many food choices each day. Yesterday I complained to myself that there was so much food in the fridge that I couldn't fit it all in; how fortunate I am to be grumbling about something as wonderful as that.

Book Nook: Tinsel

Image from www.hankstuever.com

About a month ago, I requested that the San Antonio Public Library purchase a copy of Hank Stuever's new book Tinsel because I wanted to read it. I could have bought it myself, but wasn't sure if it was the kind of book I'd want to read and reread over and over again. (It isn't.) The nice librarians at the SAPL must have liked my suggestion because in just a few weeks they contacted me to let me know my book was ready to be picked up and borrowed!

It's a bit difficult to tell you what Tinsel is about. Tinsel is a book that seems to touch on everything in modern society. Ostensibly, it's about Christmas in America in the 21st century. Specifically, it focuses on Christmas in Frisco, Texas, in the years right before the current recession. Frisco is in some ways is like every other suburb of a major American city and other ways distinctly different. It's about suburbia, mega-churches, "keeping up with the Joneses," consumerism, "made in China," families, genuineness and finding meaning in a holiday that celebrates an event that may or may not have happened exactly as we have been taught to believe it did.

I loved the book. I would recommend it to anyone because it's about so many things, not just Christmas. Just as Christmas itself is never solely about the birth of baby Jesus. I learned so much.

I learned so many new things about shopping and the retail sector, some of which I wish I didn't know. I learned that even as we're herded into lines that snake around big box stores in the wee hours of Black Friday, there is joy and humor to be found among those who are there. We may be programmed, and not so subtly, to be there, but we can still enjoy it.

I learned that Americans invest so much emotional work and energy into "believing" at Christmastime. Believing that a miracle will happen for someone who needs one. Believing that Santa is real, or at least making him real for their children, even if they don't want to believe anymore. Believing that decorating for Christmas serves a higher purpose. Believing that all their spending and giving will make them feel better about themselves and others.

I learned that I'm glad that I don't live in Frisco. That surprised me. One word that kept popping up in my head as I read Stuever's descriptions of Frisco was 'sterile.' I may grumble about where I live now, but I don't know if I could handle the shiny newness and perfection of a community that grew up so quickly in the middle of nothing and nowhere. There's obviously some of that in any new community, but it seems even more intensified in Stuever's Frisco.

I laughed and even cried through Tinsel. There's just enough snark here and there to make you laugh out loud. (And Stuever does a masterful job of not turning his book into a total snark-fest given some of the stuff he witnessed for three years in a row.) There is also sadness, the kind that calls for a Christmas-sized miracle to make better.

I hope Stuever tackles something else about modern American life in his next book. I'll never think about Christmas the same way again and I'm glad for it.

FoodieLicious: Tyler Florence's Mac & Cheese

The blog schedule is doing me in already, only 2 days into the new blog year! I posted today's topic yesterday and forgot all about Monday's food bit. *sigh* Is this a bad sign?!

Anyway, here is yesterday's topic today:

Tyler Florence's Mamma's Mac and Cheese
from the Food Network's Food 911

1 pound elbow macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 cups plus 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar

Cook the macaroni in boiling water for about 10 minutes until tender but still firm. Drain well and set aside.
In a deep skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour to make a roux and cook, stirring, to remove any lumps. Pour in the milk and cook until the mixture is thick and smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 cups Cheddar and continue to cook until melted. Add the cooked macaroni and stir. Transfer the mixture to a 2-quart casserole dish. Bake in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 20 minutes. Remove the casserole from oven, top with remaining 1/2-cup cheese. Bake for an additional 5 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

My notes: I like to use garlic salt in place of regular salt. I also add a squirt of yellow mustard for "color." For a twist, I sometimes substitute half of the cheddar with another good melting cheese.

Thalia's drawing of her favorite food

This is my kids' favorite comfort food that I make. It's a kid-friendly mac & cheese, unlike other recipes I have that call for cayenne pepper and other "exotic" ingredients. I have served it countless times ever since I got the recipe in 2004 at birthday parties, holiday celebrations and potlucks. Even the adults like it!

I also heart Tyler Florence! (Although I've noticed he's not as cute as he was in the Food 911 episodes due to the extra weight he's packed on since then. Occupational hazard, I'm sure.) Nevertheless, he's a great cook.

Hope someone else tries and loves this one too!

Post-Holiday Shopaholic

I have a large Rubbermaid tub, okay several, filled with gifts that I buy throughout the year for Christmas and other important holidays. I would estimate that a large percentage of these gifts are purchased in the days immediately following a major holiday. No one loves a good after-Christmas sale as much as I do!

I used to shop post-holiday with very much enthusiasm but very little strategy, and would sometimes regret these purchases about 11 months later. I once got so caught up in the "everything's 75% off!!!" hysteria at Target after Christmas that I filled up two carts with stuff--Christmas cards, ornaments, wrapping paper, bows, gift baskets of coffee and tea, tree-shaped soaps, gift tins, Santa socks, etc. I pretty much bought out the store, except that I didn't need quite that many decorations or gifts. I eventually did use or "gift" most of the great stuff I bought that day, although it took a few years of gift-planning and giving to just the right person who would appreciate them.

Nowadays, my birthday, Christmas and other holiday shopping is much more streamlined and well thought out compared to those early years. I keep a spread-sheet where I record everything I buy to give to others as soon as I bring them home. This (almost) eliminates the "Oh, I already bought her a gift!" surprise months later. I buy birthday gifts throughout the year, whether or not a friend's birthday is coming up, if something just reminds me of her and it's on sale. (Then I buy her another gift with the extra money I saved!) I wrap 90% of our Christmas gifts by Veteran's Day (just some random date I picked out about 10 years ago and have stuck to it) and label them so I know who they're for. I also wrap birthday gifts two to three months in advance; this always cheers me up if I'm blue, to know that I'm planning for someone's special day.

Here are two successful shopping strategies that I've used in the past few years, now that I have school-aged kids and their friends are also past the toddler years:

1) Holiday Gifts for Kids-- I no longer buy toys to give our close kid friends like I used to. Too confusing to remember who had what or what I'd already given the year before! And getting more and more expensive as our friends' families expanded in size as ours did as well. My big idea: Christmas books for the kids. I love Christmas books, as I've already mentioned, and love even more giving them to other families. And the best part is they always go on sale at bookstores nationwide and online after Christmas! A few days after Christmas last month, Carys and I had so much fun selecting several books each for the kids on our Christmas list. Board books for the chubby hands little ones who are just discovering words, holiday puzzle books and Mad-Libs for the beginning readers, and really cool chapter books set at Christmastime for the older kiddos. And since they are all on sale when I buy them, I just buy more of them to give! Books, by the way, are not cheap. A mere paperback for kids can set you back up to $10. So books on sale are always a good thing. The only sad thing was having to pack them away in the Rubbermaid box until November!

2) Teacher Gifts--This may not be much of an issue for those whose kids go to very small schools or have few teachers. However, my kids go to an elementary school with upwards of 1,100 kids. Lots of kids = lots of teachers! When you factor in the number of rotation teachers (art, gym, music, etc.) and specialists in addition to their homeroom teachers, that's alot of teachers. Each of my children are taught by 10 teachers or specialists. When I was growing up, my brother and I always gave gifts to our teachers at Christmas. I loved picking out the boxes of Whitman's Sampler or French pastille candy tins for my teachers. I did this through high school! Even the teachers I didn't like. (That whole Asians-respecting-elders thing.)

Thalia and Carys love giving to their teachers as well. Each year, we start weeks ahead and make hand-made Christmas cards for each teacher. This year was quite a challenge for Carys, going from three pre-school teachers from last year to this year's 10! Card-fatigue set in quickly! Thalia decided to make scrapbooked cards for her teachers using my scrapbooking supplies such as buttons, ribbons, glitter, pop-ups, etc. They looked great! (She gets it from me.)

On my end, I am in charge of selecting gifts for the 9 rotation/specialist teachers and 2 homeroom teachers without breaking the bank! And I like the girls to be part of the process, so they go with me in search of fabulous treats at fabulous prices. Our go-to store: Michael's. Hooray for the $1 bins at Michael's! For the past four years after Christmas, we've found awesome office supplies to give as gifts to the teachers. Some years they've been holiday themed (ie. Mary Engelbreit Christmas) and some years not (last year's colorful flower motif). We've found decorative binder clips, post-it notes, notepads, magnets and purse-size tissue packs, all of which a teacher friend has confirmed they can all use more of! And since they're 50 cents instead of $1 each we buy several of each and mix and match for each teacher, creating a useful gift with zero calories. I like to think that months later, when they're reaching for a binder clip in their desk, they think of our family!

Creative Writing 101

One thing I want to accomplish TODAY is...

to finish putting away Christmas at my house, or at least get a little closer! We have two Christmas trees, the "fancy" tree in the music room, and the "family" tree in the living room. And between the two trees between 250-300 ornaments perhaps? Each ornament is wrapped in bubble wrap or tissue paper and put away in larger ornament boxes or individually boxed when necessary. That takes TIME.

In addition, Christmas explodes into almost every room of our house, including the bathrooms, so everything must be rounded up again and packed away. At the beginning of the holiday season, I pack away our "everyday" decor, such as picture frames, vases, candles, etc. and replace them with their Christmas counterparts. It's nice to have a break from the everyday stuff around the house but a pain to have to pack/repack!

The Christmas linens and kitchen and hand towels are thankfully already washed and ready to repack, as are the girls' holiday toys and books. Christmas cards are already taken down from the card holder, although I left up all the photos from friends and relatives--too cute to put away! Dylan already took down the outdoor decor a week ago, so it's just Christmas-y inside the house. I've already packed up too the after-Christmas sale items I've been stockpiling for the past week and a half!

Putting away Christmas is always a little bit sad for me. Decorating for Christmas is like creating a whole new work of art in your house, and then taking it all down destroys your lovely creation . . . until next Christmas.

Today's blog prompt from Imagination Prompt Generator! Thank goodness it was an easy one! (Image from Imagination Prompt Generator website)

Getting It Together

Happy 2010! Yesterday was Epiphany, the Twelfth Day of Christmas and the end of a long holiday season, so I feel like new year is starting over (for me at least) today. My holiday decorations are half-way put away, so Christmas lingers on a few more days at my house.

I've long thought that this meandering, floundering blog of mine lacked some organization and direction. Just as children supposedly crave order and structure, so does my blog-child. So I'm giving it what it wants/needs: a schedule! Just like my own kids. hahaha

For those of you who by chance visit regularly, here's the lineup of what to expect:

Mondays: Foodie Fun
Tuesdays: Product Reviews (a.k.a. Shopping) or alternately, Penny Pinches
Wednesday: Book Nook
Thursdays: 52 Blessings
Fridays: Creative Writing 101

Ambitious? Yes. Obviously this requires that I blog every day during the week. I've tried this before, with mixed results, as a result of blog challenges or blog prompts. The road to you-know-where is paved with good intentions such as these, but at least it will be fun trying!

So, starting tomorrow, my blog goes all organized! Even if no one actually reads the posts, I'll feel like I've accomplished something: the illusion of order in some aspect of my life.