Naturally Optimistic

I've been trying for the past several months to do a weekly meal plan. I absolutely HATE the words "what do you want for dinner?" so it's much better if I think about this once and have all the appropriate groceries on hand (with one or two "back ups" just in case we're REALLY not in the mood for something in the plan when that day arrives). This makes it much easier for deciding what to have for dinner too. If Steve asks that awful question and I say "I don't know" then we go back and forth and back and forth and often what I suggest gets shot down. But if he asks and I say "we're having Potato Corn Chowder (which we're having tonight) then he usually says "oh, okay." MUCH less stress. I don't know why that was a big stressor, but it was! Anyway - Last week's plan was this: Monday - Homemade Pizza w/Salad Tuesday - Quick & Easy Italian Meatball Soup (from the new cookbook - MUCH better than the navy bean ...

In my neverending quest to clean out our house I've decided it's time to let Martha go. I have a box of VERY HEAVY MSL mags (some dating back to '96!) that has been moved with me from Duluth to Hollywood back to Duluth and it's beginning to seem unnecessary to me. I don't look at them, I can't enjoy them, I can't move the box they're in! So, I'm going through each one and tearing out each page that I want - whether it's recipes, craft projects, decorating ideas, tips or just pretty pictures. I'm finding that I can recycle about 90% of each magazine and everything that I actually MIGHT use is going into a binder. I thought it would be harder, but it's been a lot of fun actually, and I'm excited to be re-inspired by some ideas. This is a big step for Miss Pack Rat Carrie!!