Sunday, September 22, 2013

Goals for last week
Personal
1. Wake up by 7:30 at least 5 days this week
2. Finish Reading: Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House, Dark Tide, The Ghost Map, Read 3 Chapters of A History of England (by Keith Feiling)

Homemaking Goals
3. Work at least 20 minutes a day on craft projects
4. Try 1 new recipe


Goals for this week
Personal
1. Wake up by 7:30 at least 5 days this week
2. Finish Reading: Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House, A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World, Family Matters, Read 3 Chapters of A History of England (by Keith Feiling)



Homemaking Goals
3. Work at least 20 minutes a day on craft projects
4. Try 1 new recipe

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Crafting Wednesdays!

Sorry I didn't get this posted earlier this morning---this whole week seems to just be moving really fast.

Here's the progress I've made (not too much I know)

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Goals for the Week 9/15

Well last week was an epic fail for goals. I wasn't home for a couple days (was helping some relatives clear a bunch of junk out of their house) so I didn't accomplish anything on my list. The good news is that because I wasn't home, nearly all the recipes I planned for last week will be used for this week, so we had a really cheap grocery trip on Friday!

Goals for last week
Personal
1. Wake up by 7:30 at least 5 days this week
2. Finish Reading: Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House, Dark Tide, The Ghost Map, Read 3 Chapters of A History of England (by Keith Feiling)

Homemaking Goals
3. Work at least 20 minutes a day on craft projects
4. Try 1 new recipe


Goals for this week
Personal
1. Wake up by 7:30 at least 5 days this week
2. Finish Reading: Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House, Dark Tide, The Ghost Map, Read 3 Chapters of A History of England (by Keith Feiling)

Homemaking Goals
3. Work at least 20 minutes a day on craft projects
4. Try 1 new recipe


How did you do with your goals this week?

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Crafting Wednesdays!

Here's an update on the cross stitch I've been working on for the past few weeks. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to devote as much time to it as I'd like to.




What projects are you working on this week?

Monday, September 9, 2013

Menu Plan Mondays!

Here's what we'll be eating this week!

Monday: Pork Roast and Yorkshire Pudding
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Gorgonzola Linguine with Toasted Walnuts
Thursday: Southwestern Chicken Scallopini
Friday: Tater Tot Casserole 
Saturday and Sunday: Assorted leftovers

What does your menu plan look like this week?

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Goals for the Week 9/8

Goals for last week:

Personal
1. Wake up by 7:30 at least 5 days this week (Only managed 3 days this week
2. Finish Reading  Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House, Middlesex, Slaughterhouse V, Read 3 Chapters of  A History of England (By Keith Feiling)

Homemaking Goals
3. Work at least 20 minutes a day on craft projects
4. Try 1 new recipe



Goals for this week
Personal
1. Wake up by 7:30 at least 5 days this week
2. Finish Reading: Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House, Dark Tide, The Ghost Map, Read 3 Chapters of A History of England (by Keith Feiling)

Homemaking Goals
3. Work at least 20 minutes a day on craft projects
4. Try 1 new recipe

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Crafting Wednesday

Here's an update on the cross-stitch I've been working on for the past few weeks. I hope to finish it soon!



What craft projects have you been working on this week?


Monday, September 2, 2013

Menu Plan Mondays

Happy Labor Day! We're just coming off of a week of nearly 90* temperatures, I'm looking forward to the cooler weather.

Here's what we'll be eating this week!

Monday: Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Lasagna
Tuesday: Chicken Marsala
Wednesday: Cheesy Hot Beef Sandwiches
Thursday: Pizza Dipping Sticks
Friday:Red Beans and Rice
Saturday and Sunday: Assorted leftovers

What does your menu look like this week?




Sunday, September 1, 2013

Goals for the week of 9/1/13

Goals for last week:

Personal
1. Wake up by 7:30 at least 5 days this week (Only managed 2 this week---it was rather hot out and I didn't sleep well.
2. Finish Reading  Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House, The Secret Life of Bees,
 Middlesex 

Homemaking Goals
3. Work at least 20 minutes a day on craft projects
4. Try 1 new recipe



Goals for this week
Personal
1. Wake up by 7:30 at least 5 days this week
2. Finish Reading: Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House, Middlesex, Slaughterhouse V, Read 3 Chapters of A History of England (by Keith Feiling)

Homemaking Goals
3. Work at least 20 minutes a day on craft projects
4. Try 1 new recipe

Friday, August 30, 2013

Chicken and Biscuits

This week, I tried making Chicken and Biscuits, doing a variation on Chickens in the Road's Recipe.

For my version, I used a bag of frozen mixed vegetables (green beans, carrots, and corn). I also only used 8 biscuits, and used the kind from the can instead of doing homemade (was in a bit of a hurry). Should have probably used a few more, but I didn't think a second can of biscuits would fit in the pan. I actually accidentally forgot to include the chicken, but it really wasn't noticeable---the cream of chicken and the spices were flavorful enough. It tasted wonderful, and I definitely recommend this recipe!


Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Crafting Wednesday

Here's an update on my progress for the week!



I've made quite a bit of progress in this last week, but I do think I'll need to go out and get some non nickel-plated needles. I'm allergic to nickel, and the amount of sewing I've been doing has caused the skin on my fingers to peel, which is rather uncomfortable. The hot weather isn't helping the issue either. Do you have any favorite non nickel-plated sewing needles? Share the brands below!!

Monday, August 26, 2013

Menu Plan: Week of 8/26

Here's what we'll be eating this week!

Monday Moroccan Spiced Chicken
Tuesday Beef and Green Chili Enchiladas
Wednesday Apple Pie Pork Chops
Thursday Grilled Chicken with Tomato Basil Buter
Friday Chicken and Biscuits
Saturday and Sunday: Assorted Leftovers


What are you eating this week? Share in the comments

Sunday, August 25, 2013

Goals for the week 8/25

Last week's goals (strikethrough means I've accomplished it)

Personal
1. Wake up by 7:30 at least 5 days this week (Only managed 3!)
2. Finish Reading:
Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping HouseThe Catcher in the Rye , The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Homemaking Goals
3. Work at least 20 minutes a day on craft projects
4. Try 1 new recipe



Goals for this week:

Personal
1. Wake up by 7:30 at least 5 days this week
2. Finish Reading  Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House, The Secret Life of Bees,
 Middlesex 

Homemaking Goals
3. Work at least 20 minutes a day on craft projects
4. Try 1 new recipe

Friday, August 23, 2013

Southwestern Chicken Black Bean Soup recipe

The new recipe we tried this week was "Southwestern Chicken Black Bean Soup". Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a photo of it, as it all disappeared before I got the chance. The recipe is as follows:

1 lb chicken breast---cooked and diced
1 (15 oz) can black beans
1 jalepeno pepper (or other pepper of your choice)
3 cloves garlic
28 oz chicken broth
3 cups corn
2 cups rice
cilantro
pepper
salt
chili powder
Mexican blend cheese (to taste)


Dice the jalepeno pepper and garlic and saute them in the bottom of a dutch oven with a bit of oil. Once the pepper is soft, add the rest of the ingredients (except cheese). Bring mixture to boil, then simmer, uncovered for 30-35 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with shredded cheese.

We also made some tortilla crisps to serve with it. You'll need:
4-5 Flour tortillas
Vegetable oil
Chili powder
pepper
salt

Cut the tortillas into eighths and brush vegetable oil on both sides. Sprinkle with chili powder, salt, and pepper to taste. Place onto indoor grill and grill for about 3-4 minutes (check after 2.5 minutes to see if they're crispy enough). If you don't have an indoor grill, you can heat them in a pan.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Crafting Wednesday

Here's an update on the cross stitch I'm working on. I have a bad habit of starting projects and then moving on to new ones after a short period of time, so my goal is to completely finish this piece and then I can start (and finish) a new project, then finish another one in my pile of unfinished ones, then do another new one etc. I think I have about 4 or 5 that are partially finished. I decided to finish this unfinished one first since it was stamped cross stitch and smaller than some of the other ones so it'd be a faster finish.

Anyway, here's the progress so far on it:


Monday, August 19, 2013

Menu Plan Week of 8/19

Hello all,
here is what we'll be eating for dinners this week!

Monday: Chicken Packets
Tuesday: Grilled Lemon Herb Pork Chops
Wednesday: Cheesy BBQ Beef Casserole
Thursday: Southwestern Black Bean Soup
Friday: Easy Bean and Kielbasa Soup.
Saturday and Sunday: Assorted leftovers


What does your menu plan look like? Post in the comments below!



Sunday, August 18, 2013

Goals for the Week and an update

I'm going to be starting a few new features here on Forever Learning including:


Goal Setting Sundays---I'll put up some weekly goals of mine and see how I've done on the previous week's goals

Menu Plan Mondays---Here's what we'll be eating this week

Craft Time Wednesdays---I'll give you all a glimpse of what I'm working on, whether it is knitting, cross stitch, sewing, or other crafts

Recipe Friday---I'll post a recipe that I've made during the week (hopefully with lots of pictures!)

Book Review Saturday---I'll post a review of a book I've finished recently.

So without further ado, let's get on to the Goals for the Week:

Personal Goals:
1. Wake up by 7:30 at least 5 days this week.
2. Finish Reading:
Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping HouseThe Catcher in the Rye , The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals

Homemaking Goals:
3. Work at least 20 minutes a day on craft projects
4. Try 1 new recipe





Sunday, July 14, 2013

Summer learning

Well, it's been quite a while since I last posted. I'm going to try to get better about posting more frequently.

Anyway, in addition to reading quite a few books, I've been watching a couple of online lecture courses. There are a whole bunch of colleges that offer free online courses, including Yale, MIT, and many others. I've also been watching documentaries, right now I'm watching one called "The Celts" on Hulu. It is quite interesting.

I do need to be more disciplined in what I'm learning though, I tend to watch a bit of this, read a bit of that, without ever really getting anywhere.