Decision

I have made the decision to combine my blogs. I have thought and thought about this and I hope I am doing the right thing, but of course I can always come back to this one if I decide to, right? So this blog has moved to Click here! I hope you visit me there.
I will continue to follow my schedule here and I will also link back to here from my other blog. This is my recipe book. I may from time to time add some recipes also. But for now visit:
http://www.lifeslittlegarden.blogspot.com/

15 minutes

Well, my house is clean. I do a small load or 2 of laundry every morning & iron as it comes out of the dryer, so my laundry is done for today. It doesn't take much when it is just 2 of us if I keep up with it. I worked on some mending today for my 15 minutes instead of decluttering. Then for the 5 minute mission, I dusted my dining room light fixture & my table & chairs from top to bottom. Of course there are little things that have to be done besides this, but these 15 minutes of decluttering and 5 minute missions really add up at the end of the week. My husband called and ask me out for supper so we ate mexican tonight. I was really glad because I wanted to get started on some sewing that I had planned to do tonight.

If you have never looked at the flylady plan or if you haven't done it in a while, here is a reminder to give you a jump start. She says you are never behind, just jump in right where you are. Whatever plan works for you is great. My best friend Vicki introduced me to flylady and I love it. I find it works, when I do it so that is why I am talking about it so much. It makes me accountable to myself. It really works and give me more time for myself. I just can't wait to get up tomorrow because it is "desk day" for me. You see, I know exactly what I have to do tomorrow. It really works. Remember, if we fail to plan, we plan to fail.

Don't forget to check out my other blog!

Little by Little

Today is the day that I did my 1 hour blessing (per flylady) in my home. I try not to leave on the day I do this. Some of you that work outside the home might have to do this on a Saturday when you aren't going somewhere. It makes it much easier. We are usually gone all weekend so that is not a "off day" for me. Every other week I add another hour and do my basement but not today. So I turned my music on (on this blog) and dusted, vacuumed, swept, mopped & cleaned bathrooms all in one hour. The key is to turn your timer on & some good music and don't get sidetracked. Getting sidetracked is my problem but I am working on it. During this hour I always do a load of washing that includes my sheets so once the hour is up, my bed is made with clean fresh sheets. I usually also do a 15 minute declutter or deep cleaning chore, but I am not doing that today. The mission that I am working on this week (per Kelly on flylady) is the dining room, entrance to your home, & the front porch. You just do a small part of this mission because you have all week to do this. This only took me about 5 minutes. Today I swept my porches and shook my mats off while the snow fell. It was so pretty today. I just wish it would keep on coming! We live across a mountain from town and when it snows. they often close the mountain road. I would love to get snowed in tomorrow with my "sweet hubby." Supper is cooking on the stove, house is clean, laundry & ironing is done so I am hoping to get some sewing done tonight. Little by little, it will get done. At my age, I am trying to make things a little easier on myself. I am just trying to learn how not to work myself to death and enjoy life a little bit more by planning. Dave Ramsey says: "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." This is so true.

Check out my other blog for more. I may end up combining these 2 blogs. I will let you know if I do.

Cooking, Flylady & More

Can you tell I am trying to do a little more on this blog about the home? This is mainly for me. When I get sidetracked like I do so many times I can come on here and get myself back on schedule. Flylady is a very important tool for me. I am not great at it but I love the concept. I used to work all day and never accomplish anything. Now I concentrate on smaller bits of time because I never know where my life is going to go on any certain day. That is why I have changed the title of the blog to Cooking & More. My "sweet granny" (95 years old) is one that really encourages me to get on a schedule. For her, Friday is wash day. There is no other day that is wash day and that is that. She said she has a routine and she follows it. My "sweet Mom" is another model that I follow after. Her home is so organized and even if she says it is dusty, you can not tell it because she has it so clutter free. My Mom works full time and still manages to keep everything done. Now if you talk to her- she says nothing is done. She does work a little too much at it but whatever works for her. I truly admire her life. Another person that is an example to me is my "sweet best friend", Vicki. She is the one that introduced me to the Flylady concept. But I have to say the #1 person that has taught me the most is my "sweet honey". There are not many men that are as neat as my husband. He expects no less than the best. It used to get on my nerves when he would tell me to put something up where it goes instead of laying it down only to have to pick it up later. But honestly he has taught me more over the past 30 years than I can say. I can honestly say I have never had to pick up after this man. He takes care of himself. I love & respect him so much.

This past week I concentrated on my livingroom (zone 5 per Flylady) along with 15 minutes a day of decluttering or deep cleaning. Yesterday, me & my "sweet grandaughter" Alyssa spent our 15 minutes cleaning out the refrigerator and emptying the dishwasher. I also made our dessert for the weekend - a Hummingbird Cake. You can find the recipe under my Dessert label. Today, my 15 minutes was concentrating on my pantry shelves. My "sweet honey" smoked 2 deer roasts and they were delicious. I had made some Chicken & dumplings & a salad also. My "sweet daughter" Maranda & her boyfriend, Lane made some rice krispy treats. That is their specialty. They have a lot of fun together. It sure sounds like we like to eat a lot, doesn't it?

Next week I will be working on our entrance, front porch & Dining room. (Zone 1 per Flylady) along with 15 min. a day of decluttering or deep cleaning. Hopefully, I will get a lot of sewing done too. My sewing progress will be on my other blog, Lifes Little Garden. I will let you know how it goes. Remember this is more for me than for anyone else. I need lots of help.

Tomorrow is leftovers, movie, sewing & popcorn, after church of course!

Monica's Blueberry Muffins

2 Cups SR Flour

1/4 Sugar

1 Tbsp. Baking Powder

1/2 Tsp. Salt
1 Cup Milk

1/4 C. Vegetable Oil

1 Large Egg (slightly beaten)

1 Cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Combine First 4 things & stir. Make a well & pour the rest of the ingredients (except berries) into the hole. Stir until moistened. Then add blueberries. Pour into muffin tin. Bake 400 degrees 20-25 minutes. Enjoy!

Shannon's Easy Lasagna

My blogging buddy Connie made lasagna the other night and it looked so good. I mentioned it to my "Sweet daughter," Shannon & she had a recipe that she thought I would like. I am not normally a lasagna person but she assured me that I would like this because most have sausage in it and this one did not. She was right. I had extra ricotta so I put it on top with the shredded cheese. This is delicious and very easy.

1 lb. ground beef (I use ground turkey)

32 oz. thick spaghetti sauce

1 1/2 c. water

2 c. (15 oz. container) Ricotta or sm. curd cottage cheese

3 c. (12 oz.) shredded Mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1/4 c. chopped parsley (optional)

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

8 oz. lasagna, uncooked
Brown meat in 3 quart saucepan; drain off excess fat. Add sauce and water; simmer about 10 minutes. Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl, except lasagna noodles, for filling. Pour about 1 cup sauce on bottom of 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan. Layer 3 pieces of uncooked lasagna over sauce; cover with about 1 1/2 cups sauce. Spread 1/2 of cheese filling over sauce. Repeat layers of lasagna, sauce, and cheese filling. Top with layer of lasagna and remaining sauce. I put shredding chees on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 60 minutes. Remove foil; bake about 10 minutes longer. Allow to stand about 10 minutes before cutting for easier handling. 8 to 10 servings.
Lasagna will expand to fill empty spaces.

Note: Make sure to cover with foil. If you don't, your lasagna will be extra dry.

Creamy Bacon Bites

Creamy Bacon Bites (Pampered Chef)


1 package, 8 oz., cream cheese
4 bacon slices, cooked, drained,and crumbled ( I cooked mine in the microwave)
2 Tbsp. chopped onion
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 package, 8 oz., refrigerated crescent rolls
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine cheese, bacon, onion and pepper.
Separate crescent roll dough into 2 rectangles, press seams and perforations together with fingers to seal.
Spread cream cheese mixture onto rectangles, roll up, starting with longest sides.
Press seams together to seal, cut each roll into 16 slices, place cut side down on grease baking sheet.
Bake 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown