Almost Done with the Karma Tank...

First of all, Kudos to Blogger for finally making pictures easier to insert where you want them.  That's helpful.  So, here's the tank...I love this close up of the herringbone pattern it uses:

 

And, here's my little cutie:

Veggie Pizza

So easy.  Bake cresent rolls flat for the crust, spread with cream cheese, sprinkle with garlic salt, top with veggies.  Ta Da!

Knitting Progress

Here we have a iPod cozy (that's a fun word), a hat for Jordan, a hat for Colin...if it ever makes it to Germany, and a hat for Lani...with the same Germany stipulation.  Hopefully it has, otherwise, suprise, Lani!

Tip: The 5 Minute Lunch Miracle

We are getting up way too fricking early these days trying to get Steph to school by 7:30, a half hour away (with 6 kids in tow) so I came up with this idea of spending just a few minutes each day on creating lunch items (or, just taking them out of the packaging...that takes work too...sort of). 

Then I have a box (the "Lunch Box"--catchy name, eh?) full of these items.  The idea is that the kids can grab several items and have a lunch ready in no time.  They can even make a sandwich and still pull it together in less than 5 minutes.  And on the days we have one minute, they just grab and go.  Very helpful.

And yes, those are graham crackers with frosting inside.  Did you ever eat those as a kid?  Why do they taste better after sitting in the fridge overnight?  I had a roommate in college, Wendy, that taught me the graham cracker yumminess.

Recipe: Sausage with Potato Pasta

 

Potato Pasta (it has some fancy name...Perigolies?  Pergiolies? I don't know.  It's pasta with potatoes inside and is surprisingly good.  And way to carb it up, eh?)

Veggie Sausage.  I like the links from Morning Star better than the Tofurky Italian...those are too spicy for me.

Mushrooms.

Saute it all in some butter and in about 10 minutes, dinner's ready. Voila!

Recipe: Raw chocolate chia energy bars

These are so yummy.  And healthy too!

Don't be scared.  Sometimes healthy and yummy looks like that.  I ate them too fast to get a finished photo.

Ingredients
1 1/2 c Pitted dates (I just used the date bits at good earth and soaked them in water)
1/3 c Cacoa powder
1/3 c Chia seeds
1/2 t Vanilla extract
1/4 t Almond extract
1 c Slivered almonds
1 Oat flour for dusting

Preparation
Process dates, then add all but almonds. Process. Add almonds. Process. Spread on waxed paper. Chill over night. Cut into bars.

 And these are the date bits that I get from Good Earth.

Recipe: Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Butterballs

Prep. time (min):10
Cooking time (min):10
Servings:24

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup Cold butter
1/4 to 1/3 cup Mini chocolate chips (or go crazy if you are a chocolate lover...the original said 1 cup!  bleck!)
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup Powdered sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon

Preparation
Mix first dry ingredients together. Mix in butter with a pastry blender. Add chips and vanilla. Bake at 400• for 7-9 minutes. After cooling on rack for 25 minutes, roll in mixture of remaining sugar & cinnamon.

Me Time

I've decided that blog time is me time. It nourishes my soul. Plus, since I happen to be something of a whirlwind, I like to leave a trail so I can remember what I've been up to. And, I like to know I've been doing SOMETHING productive. If I don't see it, I'm liable to forget. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say. So...first...the push-ups report. Sadly, I had a wicked cold/sinus infection that knocked me off the wagon. There was no way anything involving tipping my head forward was going to happen. I'm better now and ready to start again except for two things...laziness and a general dislike of exercise, uh-um...I started on too hard a level and I don't know how to reset my iPod app on the easier one (so I'll actually do it) and my wrists are killing me each time. A sculptor really values her wrists. So, we'll see. If I don't decide to continue with the pushups, I'll switch over to 100 squats (which catches my interest more anyway) and do these 6 minute workouts.

We'll see. I have been walking on warm days with Jordan. I find it's great to go...about now...later afternoon when the kids are in the living room (bouncing off the walls?) enjoying themselves noisily. Suddenly I'm much more motivated to get out of the house...go figure.

Next, I'm going to figure out labels on this thing because I like to talk about a lot of different subjects and having several blogs is confusing for me. I do better if I put everything in one place. But I'll have labels to sort for you...if you just want sculpting or knitting info or whatever. Any tips on how to make a side widget for that are welcome.

Oh...hey...never saw that Show All button by the labels before. That will make life easier!

Speaking of goals (I guess that was my topic in a round about way), here's a cute little PDF on Goals and Manifesting.