Monday, January 31, 2011

Now What?

I finally made it to Wal-Mart. Guess what? No Progresso Chicken Enchilada Soup. They were completely out, and several other varieties were dangerously low. (I guess people are getting ready for the big freeze tomorrow night.) I checked and double-checked for something I could substitute, but the only thing that came even close was Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup. I bought two cans, which is slightly more than the one can of Progresso, but I'm not sure what I want to do with it.

Do I make the recipe as directed, substituting the new soup? Or do I make my own recipe up using the new soup and some of the basic ingredients from the original recipe? I've got a little while to think on it before it's time to start getting it ready. I do know I don't want to rearrange my menu right now.

Hmmmmm...

Menu Plan Monday: January 31

Well, I changed up a few things from last week's original plan, but I still haven't made it to Wal-Mart to get a few of the things I need from there, including the Progress Chicken Enchilada soup I need for a new recipe I want to try. So that's carrying over to this week. Tonight, in fact. We've got some nasty weather forecast for tomorrow through Thursday, and if I don't want to have to get out in it - and if I don't want my elderly cat to die of starvation - I have to go today. :oP

Here's the plan for this week:

Monday
Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole
chips, guacamole, & salsa

In spite of all the not-so-rave reviews of this recipe, I plan to try this at least once. The picture looks too good not to! And who's to say their tastes are the same as mine?

Tuesday
hot dogs
chips
fruit
(regardless of whether we have basketball practice or not)

Wednesday
Chicken & Dumplings
green beans
salad

Thursday
leftovers

Friday
Lasagna
Caesar salad
garlic bread

My mother-in-law told me she wants me to make lasagna for them sometime, and since they're coming for Jacob's birthday weekend - and it's one of Jacob's favorites - I thought this would be the perfect time for it.

Saturday
Out for Jacob's birthday supper.

Super Bowl Sunday - and Jacob's birthday
Low-Cal/Low-Fat Mozzarella Sticks (from Rocco DiSpirito's new cookbook Now Eat This!)
Cocktail Sausages in BBQ sauce
chips & guacamole, maybe some queso
???

I need to decide what else will make fun party foods for us that night...

So that makes two new recipes this week! Woohoo! We'll see if they'll become new family favorites.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Foiled!

Well, I tried to get my ideal shot of "Trees" for the current Photo Friday challenge, but the weather didn't cooperate with me. Of course, the one evening with a beautiful sunset (which was what I intended to get) was the one I spent driving the boys to basketball practice. We got there early enough so I could scout the school yard for the perfect tree against the perfect backdrop, but there were too many houses, power lines, etc., cluttering everything.

We went out this afternoon since it was so nice out, but the light wasn't right for what I wanted. And the trees in our neighborhood are too young to get anything majestic.

I'll keep looking and trying for that ideal photo, but since today is the deadline for posting on Trees, I used something from last month at the Dallas Arboretum. You can find it here.

Trees

December trees, Dallas Arboretum


This challenge made me look at trees in winter in a completely different way. I started noticing the way the early morning and late afternoon light casts the trunks and branches in varying degrees of shadow, which would make a great black & white image. I noticed the range of green shades in the cedar trees. I saw the actual challenge in the challenge.

My ideal picture for this is barren trees against a brilliant sunset, but in the time alloted for this challenge, the conditions haven't been right. I wasn't able to get out with my camera on the few sunny evenings we've had, and the evenings I was free, the weather didn't cooperate. I will eventually get the shot I want, but not right now.

Instead I chose a photo from a beautiful afternoon at the Dallas Arboretum a few days before Christmas.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

A Change of (Meal) Plans

Well, I finally found the recipe I was looking for: Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole. It looks delicious!

It didn't get rave reviews from people who commented on the website. Most of them say the cooking time needed to be longer and it needs more flavor. I'm willing to try it as is the first time around, then tweak it as my taste buds lead me. (That's the way I do with most recipes. Rarely do I make anything the "original" way.) Oh, and I read that the sodium content is really high. I have a feeling the Progresso soup is the culprit, so I'll see what other options I might have.

I'm going to put this off until the weekend because I'm lazy and I don't feel like going by the grocery store to get my soup. :oP We have other options to carry us through this week, so I'm going to ditch my plan and change things up a bit:

Wednesday
Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
Roasted Cauliflower
Caesar Salad

Thursday
breakfast burritos
fruit

Saturday
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
chips & guacamole

It's nothing drastic; just saving some time here and there. Still I can't wait to try it for myself. At least I'll be placated by getting to have my cauliflower tomorrow night!

Menu Plan Monday: January 24

I'm a little late with this week's menu. I forgot to check a recipe for Mexican Chicken Casserole before I went to the grocery store, so I'm missing some ingredients for that. Then there's the little conundrum where I saw a different recipe for it that looked great, only I can't seem to find it anywhere: magazines, internet, email, etc. I'll give it one more shot, then I'll have to decide if I want to go with the old favorite or try something new on my own.

Last week's two new recipes and one old one that I had forgotten about were hits all around. I might have put a bit much pepper in the pork chop casserole, because the leftover potatoes and carrots were SPICY! I like spicy, but these were really HOT! The carrot orzo was a hit with everyone except Jacob, who chose to eat raw carrots with Ranch dressing as one of his sides. The best of all was the roasted cauliflower. The boys raved about it at first, but the new wore off pretty quickly and the decided it was just okay. Billy and I absolutely loved it. I didn't get my fill of it, so I bought another head of cauliflower to fit in somewhere this week.

Monday
Baked Potato Soup

The boys decided they don't like this anymore. Caleb's not wild about potatoes, and Jacob decided he doesn't like chunks in his soup - unless it's broccoli cheese soup. Billy and I love it, though, especially after I started using full fat sour cream in it instead of low fat. The way it melts and blends into the soup makes such a world of difference! We were the only two who ate it last night, and there's only enough left for me to have for lunch today.

Tuesday
hot dogs
chips
fruit

It's basketball practice night. Just a few more weeks...

Wednesday
breakfast burritos
fruit
roasted cauliflower? (It doesn't really fit, but I WANT it!)

Thursday
Mexican Chicken Casserole
chips & guacamole

Friday
leftovers or sandwiches

Saturday
Chicken & Dumplings
Caesar salad
roasted cauliflower? (It would fit better here, but I have to wait so long...)

Sunday
leftovers or sandwiches (AWANA night)

For more menu plan ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Now to find that lost (or imagined?) recipe...

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Intentional Appreciation

I enjoy participating in the Photo Friday challenges. Last year I balked at the Self-Portrait 2010 assignment (Ugh!) and ended up not joining in any of the remaining challenges for the rest of the year. This year I plan to participate every week, if possible.

Friday's assignment for this week is Trees. My first thought was Trees? In January? How boring - unless they're covered in ice or snow! I started trying to think of tree pictures I've taken in the past: last year's February snow; spring blossoms; crepe myrtles in full color; reds, golds, and oranges of fall. Then I realized it's called a challenge for a reason. Taking beautiful pictures of trees is easy when they're full and beautiful. It's when they're hanging onto to dead brown leaves or completely bare that they're more difficult to photograph well.

Looking at it that way has changed the way I look at trees now. When I was driving home late Friday afternoon, the sun low in the sky behind me, I noticed the play of light and shadows on the trunks and branches and thought what beautiful black & white photos that would make. Then I noticed how the afternoon sun brought out the different shades of dark green in the cedar trees that are prevalent here. For the entire 25-minute ride to the boys' basketball games Saturday, I looked at the trees along the way instead of reading my book. I noticed how the morning light, like that in the late afternoon, highlighted portions of the trunks and branches and left other parts in deep shadow. I saw reflections of trees in pools of water and small ponds.

Then I realized what I want my representation of Trees for this Photo Friday challenge to be. It will take more effort on my part than just stepping outside and taking pictures in my yard. It will require me to search for just the right tree in just the right location at just the right time - and in just the right conditions. I have a few days left. Stay tuned.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Real Simple: Shopping List Organizer

When I used my iPhone as my phone/organizer/toy, I had a grocery list program that I used faithfully. I could scroll through the alphabetized list of items and touch the things I needed to add to my list. When I was shopping, I could use just the grocery list portion and tap things off as I put them in my cart. There were a few more features, like adding recipes to create grocery lists and emailing lists, but I didn't use those.

Once I got a new, more simple phone, I'd sometimes forget to take my iPhone grocery list with me. That's not a great thing considering I grocery shop once a week. I don't like having to rely on my memory for all the groceries I need for the week - especially when I have two boys "helping" me.

I saw an interesting possible solution to that in my January copy of Real Simple magazine. They developed a downloadable weekly menu plan/shopping list organizer where you write your menu down one side, then fill in the ingredients you'll need in the adjacent columns (fresh produce, dairy and refrigerated, etc.).

This week is the second time I'm using it, so I'm still undecided.

Pros:
*weekly menu at a glance
*ingredients are categorized
*can post on refrigerator for easy viewing

Cons:
*paper rather than electronic
*weekdays only; no weekends
*wasted white space where no ingredients need to be purchased

Another con, though with my own system instead of theirs, is having to color code things to get from different stores. ALDI is my main grocery store, but because they're so small and limited, there are some things I need to get from Wal-Mart. When Brookshire's is having a good sale, I like to stop by there for a few things as well. What I like about my old iPhone list is that if I didn't get something at one place, it stayed on the list until I was able to get it somewhere else. With this way, I have to hang on to a piece of paper - either in the depths of my purse, in a book (in the depths of my purse), or in my jeans pocket where it runs a risk of being washed and dried...

The pro with that, though, is I don't shop at multiple stores most weeks. I don't plan my menu around what's on sale at Brookshire's; I just pick up supplemental things or staples here and there when I can get a great deal on them.

Time will tell. I'm willing to continue with using their list/organizer for another 2 weeks, at which time I'll revisit the topic to see if the pros outweigh the cons. Right now they seem fairly balanced.

Do you plan weekly menus? How do you organize your grocery shopping? I'd love to hear your ideas!

January 2011 Book List

And so begins another year of reading...

I enjoyed keeping up with the books I read last year. It's nice to be able to look back at what I read - since I often forget - and see what the books were about and what I thought about them. I'm going to continue that tradition this year. I do have a new "guideline" for my personal reading this year: read one classic each month. I wonder what 12 I'll read...

1. Outwitting Housework by Nancy Rosenberg

I'm interested in organizing things in my life right now, making things simpler, smoother. When I saw this on the library shelf, I knew I couldn't pass it up. And what better time to get this under control than the beginning of the year?

I don't recall anything really ground-breaking for me in this book, but it was a great reminder of some things I know but don't always do. And it's also nice to know that some of things I am doing are also being done by someone who has her housework ducks in a nice, neat row.

The basic idea of the book is to find your trouble spots and pare them down. Too much clutter? Rosenberg provides several options for getting rid of it. Too little time? She gives short lists of quick room pick-ups to help freshen things up when you're in a hurry. She covers everything from maintaining the different rooms in your house (garage included!) to yardwork, from pet care - and wear and tear - to being ready to entertain for any occasion. She even includes tips on keeping holiday stress to a minimum, from decorating and parties to gift-giving.

While it's not a book I'd want to take up space on my own bookshelf, it's good to know where I can find it if I need a refresher course.

2. Emma by Jane Austen

In keeping with my reading goal of one classic per month, I'm happy to say I completed this one with a few days to spare. For a while I thought maybe I should have chosen something a little less daunting. Reading early 18th century British English can be a little time-consuming. Several times I had to read a line or a passage two or three times to grasp the meaning. Still, I love the story, having become familiar with it through various viewings of Emma and, in a sense, Clueless.

Most of the major characters were so well-written, I could picture them in my head. Some of them truly got on my nerves, most notably Miss Bates and her insufferable rambling chatter about nothing and everything. Mr. Woodhouse made me feel tired with all his worrying about the general health of himself and everyone around him. And Frank Churchill, trying to cover his great secret with Miss Fairfax, seemed over-the-top silly at times.

Knowing how Mr. Knightley wins in the end, I couldn't help pulling for him right from the beginning. Still, when he finally declared his feelings for Emma, and she declared hers, I was on the edge of my seat.

I think I'll choose something a little shorter for next month, as I'm already behind on getting my third book for January read. Maybe I'll even revisit an old favorite from my high school days like Lord of the Flies or Silas Marner. The Scarlet Letter is on my must-read list, but it's a little lengthy so I'll save it for later on.

Monday, January 17, 2011

Human Form

swimming lessons, July 2010


And here it is in B/W...

Menu Plan Monday: January 17

So I keep saying I want to try a new recipe, but then I forget to make out the next week's menu until just before I leave for our errands and grocery trip. After I get home and am putting things away, I realize I did it again. Or rather didn't do it again. So this week, we will not be trying anything new. Again. Right now, while I'm thinking about it, I need to go ahead and put down something new for next week's menu and start my grocery list... (I'm trying it out for a few weeks instead of my usual iPhone shopping list. I just don't like having to waste paper for this...)

Monday
baked rotini
salad

Tuesday
hot dogs (basketball practice)

Wednesday
pork chop casserole (onions, potatoes, and carrots)
steamed broccoli

Thursday
blackened tilapia
roasted cauliflower
carrot orzo

Friday
leftovers

Saturday
sandwiches/hot dogs/leftovers (home team night)

Sunday
sandwiches/hot dogs/cereal (AWANA night)

As I look back over my menu, I see we are having two "sort-of" new things. The pork chop casserole is Mama's recipe, which I've made before, but it's been several years. I'm not sure if the boys will like it or not...

The second "new" thing is roasted cauliflower. I tried making it once before, but it was from my own thoughts on how it should be - and it wasn't great. This time I have a recipe to follow! I'm sooooo hoping it will be like the roasted cauliflower I've had at both Fadi's and Ali Baba's (local Mediterranean restaurants).

If they're hits, I'll add the recipes to my recipe blog.

Friday, January 21 -
Well, duh! The carrot orzo was another new recipe, one I clipped from a magazine a few months ago. I ended up with three new recipes after all!

All three were big hits with the family. I especially loved the roasted cauliflower - and it
did turn out restaurant quality!

For more menu plans, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Photo Friday: Suburbia

my neighorhood, February 2010


I'm almost late on last week's Photo Friday challenge. Last year I got a late start, posted several on one day to play catch-up, then balked at the self-portrait challenge and gave up. Then I got busy and never got around to doing any more. Never mind that I never cataloged several months worth of pictures...until recently. And I haven't quite finished with that. That's next week's project: to finish.

Anyway, this is my representation of "suburbia". This week's snowfall reminded me of some pics I took back in February when we got about a foot of snow, so I went that route instead.

Warm wishes...

Monday, January 10, 2011

Menu Plan Monday: January 10

Well, this week's menu isn't as "adventurous" as I'd wanted it to be, but maybe I can do that next week... Still, there are a few things on here we haven't had in a while. And since I'm trying to keep up with Cooking Light's challenge to add 3 veggies (and fruits) a day, I've got something else to shoot for. Oh, and I get them in throughout the day, not just at supper. (BTW, I've had a minimum of 3 servings of fruit/veggies a day since Friday!)

Monday
Crock Pot chicken with onions and mushroom gravy
rice
glazed carrots
salad

Tuesday
sandwiches/hot dogs for basketball practice night

Wednesday
black bean quesadillas
chips with salsa and guacamole

Thursday
sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches on English muffins
fruit

Friday
leftovers

Saturday
??? My parents will likely be in town to see the boys play basketball, so we'll either go out to eat or we'll cook something here, to be determined later.

Sunday
sandwiches for AWANA night

For more menu plans, many of them more interesting than mine..., visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Snow on a Fence


my side yard


*The Facebook photography group I'm a member of (2011 - A Photographic Journey) has issued this month's challenge for all photos to be submitted in black & white.

We had a measurable snowfall today! It fell for about 3 hours and left us with about two inches. It's a wet snow and the ground isn't terribly cold, so it'll most likely be gone by noon tomorrow.

Friday, January 7, 2011

Bamboo Shoots


bamboo forest at the Dallas Arboretum



When I saw the emptiness of this bamboo stalk, it reminded me of our old yard in Haughton. There was a little grove of bamboo at the edge of our property that grew like wildfire. The first time Billy cut it back, he burned the stalks in the backyard. The heat built up intense pressure in the hollow sections of the bamboo and caused them to explode, which sounded like gunfire.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Cooking Light: Healthy Habit 1: Veggie Up

For this year, Cooking Light is focusing on one healthy habit each month. January's challenge is to add 3 servings of vegetables (and fruits) each day.

This will indeed be a challenge for me, but one I'm up for. In my weekly menu planning, I typically focus on the main dish and scrounge up what sides I can find. Sometimes I'm good about buying frozen broccoli or fresh spinach or apples, but you can only eat so much of that day after day. I need to liven things up a bit!

Last night we had vegetable soup, and we'll finish the leftovers tomorrow night. Other than that, we haven't had many vegetables - and no fruit. We ran out of apples right before Christmas; then the boys finished off the clementines shortly after. I've forgotten to buy more fruit the last few times I've been to the grocery store, but today I stopped by Brookshire's and bought two 5-lb. bags of grapefruit that were on sale.

This month, I will start the new habit of intentionally planning - and buying - vegetables for side dishes for our evening meals. I will also buy a variety of fruit for the boys and me to have with our lunches. It's harder this time of year when not much is fresh, but canned will work for now. I'll just make sure the fruit is in its own juice, not heavy syrup. And since tomorrow is grocery day, I better get to making my menu!

Cooking Light: What They're Stickin' in the Chicken

"Poultry's Salty Little Secret" - Jan/Feb 2011

According to the article, "about one-third of the fresh chicken found in supermarket meat cases has been synthetically saturated with a mix of water, salt, and other additives via needle injections and high-pressure vacuum tumbling." Designed to make the meat juicier and more tender, it also increases the sodium content by nearly 1000%. (Yes, that's one thousand.)

While some sodium is naturally-occurring in chicken (which never occurred to me...), it's minimal - often less than 75 mg per 4-oz. serving. "Enhanced" chicken can have as high as 440 mg per 4-oz. serving. This is still significantly lower than the RDA of 2,300 mg of sodium, but is it necessary?

I rarely buy fresh chicken from the meat counter. Instead I buy a large bag of individually frozen, skinless, boneless chicken breasts. I don't know if they're available without the added "broth solution", as some companies call it. I checked the two bags in my freezer (from different companies) and they both have additional sodium, about 200 mg per 4-oz. serving.

Now that I'm aware of it, I can reduce the amount of salt I add to my chicken dishes. I know most prepackaged foods have higher sodium contents than making similar dishes from scratch, and I typically stay away from them. Still, I want to keep my sodium intake lower. I can always tell when I've had too much because my hands swell. (That's typical after eating out, as opposed cooking my own food.)

Next time I'm shopping for chicken, I'll be sure to read the label closely to make sure the chicken I'm getting has just a small amount of extra sodium added, if any at all.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Cooking Light: Deciphering Food Labels

"The Fuzzy Math of Food Labels" - Jan/Feb 2011

One little quiz cleared up many things for me, or at least brought them to my attention.

1. When you read food labels, pay close attention to the serving size.
I usually take note of that, but I don't always follow it. The main time I notice it is when a small portion has a lot of calories. Then I tend to avoid it.

2. Manufacturers determine snack portions.
According to an article in the NY Times last year, "Standard serving sizes were created by the F.D.A. in the early 1990s, partly to make it easier to compare the nutritional values of different products. Congress required that the serving sizes match what people actually ate. To determine that, the F.D.A. evaluated data from surveys of Americans’ eating habits taken in the 1970s and 1980s."

But many manufacturers package their products in larger than one-serving sizes. For example, one Otis Spunkmeyer Cheese Strudel muffin is two servings. The nutritional information specifies that, but most people are going to see one muffin, think one serving, and eat the whole thing, thinking they're getting 220 calories instead of 440.

And take Lay's Classic Potato Chips - you know, you can't eat just one. But can you stop at just 15? That's one serving (150 calories) in a multi-serving bag.

3. Ingredient lists go by weight, not volume.
This was a surprise to me! I always thought ingredients were listed according to amount. If sugar or corn syrup was listed first, I thought it was the main ingredient. Instead, it's listed first because it weighs more than the other ingredients. I threw out a box of mediocre-tasting dark chocolate cherry granola bars because I checked the ingredient list (after I bought it) and saw that high fructose corn syrup was listed first. Compare that to the oats, which is probably the main ingredient but weighs considerably less. Less even than the chocolate chunks.

So now as I shop for groceries and read labels, there are all these new things to keep in mind. It can be mind-boggling! And while I still want to avoid high fructose corn syrup (as well as hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated goop), I don't have to fret so much if it's listed later in the ingredient list.

Menu Plan Monday: January 3

Monday
meatless spaghetti, green beans, garlic bread

Tuesday
Happy 19th anniversary to Billy and me! We'll most likely grab a quick bite between basketball practices since there's an hour in between them this week. The first practice is too early for supper; the second one will be too late.

Wednesday
"frambled" egg, sausage, and cheese on English muffins

Thursday
vegetable soup, corn bread

Friday
leftovers

Saturday
It's home team night, so we'll have a quick bite to eat: hot dogs/sandwiches.

Sunday
We're back to AWANA this week, so it'll be sandwich/cereal night when we get back home.

Next week I'd like to try one new recipe. I haven't decided what just yet, but I'll be on the lookout for one.

For more weekly meal plans, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Codes

As part of my blogging this year, I want to write about things I read (other than books) and things I watch - things that make me think. Since I'll be writing about things from the two magazines I subscribe to, as well as some of my favorite television programs, I want to note them in the titles of my posts. I've decided to use a sort of code instead of the whole name.

Cooking Light - CL
Real Simple - RS
Biggest Loser - BL
American Idol - AI
Meal Plan Monday - MPM
Photo Friday - PF

As I find other things I'll be blogging about regularly, I'll determine a code for them and add them to this list.

Now if you're a sporadic reader (and have read this post), you'll be able to glance at the blog titles for each month and skip over the ones that don't interest you.

January 21
Update: The codes aren't working. They're confusing me! I'll just start posting the full titles.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

2011 Goals

It's that time again. Time to set my goals for the upcoming year. After doing fairly well with last year's goals, I'm feeling pretty confident about this year!

1. Bible Study
I want to be more consistent in my personal Bible study. Typically I only do it if I get up "in time" in the morning - except for days I wash my hair because that takes longer... And except for the summer when I tend to sleep in... Lame excuses. I don't need to let my schedule (or lack of one at times...) dictate the time I spend in God's Word.

2. Weight Loss
Last year I succeeded in losing 10 pounds - and keeping it off. It was a slow process, but at least I didn't yo-yo through it all. It was fairly consistent. This year I'd like to lose 10 more pounds, with an ultimate goal of 20 (though that may take two years instead of one). Last year I managed to grasp the concept of portion control - and actually start doing it. This year I want to continue with that and add in some form of regular exercise, not sporadic like I did last year. I have several options: walking, stabiility ball, Jillian DVD, bicycling, sports with the boys, swimming, etc. I just need to stick with something.

3. Cooking
Last year I learned to make baklava, and I made my first real cheesecake. This year I'd like to learn to make a few new things. I want to take at least one class at Central Market. I'd like to learn to make savory crepes like the ones at La Madeleine. I have two other things that fall within this category:
*trying new recipes from the Cooking Light magazine that Lindsay got me a subscription to, and
*modifying my favorite recipes to make them lower in fat and calories. For this I plan to use the help of Rocco DiSpirito and his Now Eat This! cookbook.

4. Photography
I failed miserably at my photography goals last year. I still want to sell some images through a stock photo site, and I still want to decorate my home with pictures Billy and I have taken. I want to be more timely in downloading pictures from my cameras and getting through the processes to get them filed away in iPhoto. (I currently have 8 months worth to work on right now. That daunting task keeps scaring me away, and the more I put it off, the worse it gets.) This year I have some accountability, though. My friend Debra, a professional photographer, created a Facebook page to challenge her professional and hobbyist photographer friends to hone their skills through either a 365 or 52 project. I've opted for one photo a week and have set up a blog for just that (Project 52). As guidebooks/textbooks, I'll be using my new photography book, 50 Photo Projects by Lee Frost, as well as two others by Tom Ang: Digital Photography Masterclass and How to Photograph Absolutely Everthing. I also plan to get back into the Photo Friday meme - and maybe the weekly topics for it will coincide with my "assignments" from my books...

5. Reading
I read 44 books last year! This year I'd like to read at least 36 (3 a month), and I want to read 12 classics. I didn't read many in high school, and I don't want to miss out on some potentially great literature.

6. Blogging
I was much better about blogging last year. Well, in the number of posts at least. Content was okay, but I relied heavily on memes for that instead of real life. This year I want to blog more about life in general. I will continue to blog about the books I read, but I also want to blog about things I find in my Real Simple and Cooking Light magazines. I might even blog about American Idol and Biggest Loser.

I think that's probably enough for this year. Most of my list centers around things I already do; I just need to do them better.