haphazard musings

on entertaining and easy meals

i thought i might start a new segment on the blog called "on [insert topic here]" to tell you what lindsay thinks about certain things.  so i am starting with entertaining and easy meals.

first of all, i love to entertain.  i love having people over.  i love cooking food for them.  i love using all my dishes to cook the meal and then serve the meal.  i love when it can be a little formal (presentation wise) but super casual in feel. 

if you were to ask my mother where i got that love, she would (i think) tell you it wasn't from her.  not that she doesn't enjoy company, not that she doesn't enjoy good food, but it's just not something she loves to do. 

i think the key to my happy love of entertaining is that i don't let it stress me out! 

i use simple recipes that are guaranteed to be really good and everyone will love. 
nothing in my house is fancy - period. 
and everyone who comes over gets the real "frasier experience".

my house is rarely ever magazine cover ready and it almost always looks lived in, but i figure as long as there isn't mud on the floor or wet slimy chicken goobers on the counters, we're good. :)

but there may be a giant bowl of chicken bones...

isn't that disgusting?!? :)

my table is very simple to set and thanks to the parents on the Frasier side, we have an awesome table that seats 12 (and lots of pretty dishes)!

my recipes are easy and simple (which is the key for me...i don't love complicated, it just makes more mess to clean up later, and trust me my messes are big wnough without complicated.)

last time we had our small group (12 people - not really that small but we love them all), i made roasted chicken legs (aka Pollo Asado) from here.  i love me some pioneer woman.

step 1. make a marinade and have your hubby squeeze the life and juice out of lemons and limes and oranges. 

put a few rinds down the sink and turn on your disposal and your whole kitchen will smell yummy!!!

step 2.  put the marinade on the chicken.  refridgerate overnight.

step 3.  arrange all 36 drumsticks on baking sheets.

doesn't uncooked chicken look disgusting.

step 4.  turn them over half way through cooking, then serve 'em up and let everyone shred their own for their tacos!  (don't forget to take a picture - everyone showed up and i got distracted.) 

step 5.  check your oven for a lost chicken leg.  sometimes they like to jump ship.  otherwise you end up with a disgustingly charred mess the next time you pre-heat your oven.  which may or may not have happened to me.  which also may or may not mean it was there for three or four days just chillin.  so gross.

in my opionion the key to loving entertaining is to keep it simple. 

repeat that to yourself over and over: simple is good.

so there you go.  easy entertaining by lindsay. :)

and just because they looked pretty in the under-cabinet lighting the wonderful hubs installed:

 

 

 

how to make a rainy week happy.

in an effort to continue to choose joy in my life, i will now show you the things that make me joyful this week!

1. a little snuggle time with those little cheeks!!!

2. tree faces.

3. a whole street full of springtime blooms.

4. my umbrella that is full of beautiful pink, green, teal, blue and yellow happy polka dots makes me feel like i could do this:

source

do you just LOVE Mary Poppins? i always have.  maybe i need a spoonful of sugar.  :)

5. this guy!

for a whole bunch of reasons, but mostly becaue he doesn't know how to take a "normal" picture.

6.  coffee with friends who are always willing to share and listen and keep it real!

7. 96 days til we go here!

thanks mom and dad for the photo. :)  Hawaii my friends! wahoo.

8. rain.  ask any farmer or rancher in your life and they will tell you: a week of rain can never be a bad thing!  a full pond is a happy pond.

what made you joy-filled this week?

 

 

what started out to be

a nice little walk turned out to be a nice little mountain climb.

we were visiting Ryan's grandparents in Sabetha this weekend.  It's about 3 hours from here.  They live on a century farm there.  Pretty cool.

But on Saturday I went exploring aka walking.  Ryan asked which way I was going and I said south. 

He said, "Ok, but there will be a couple hills." 

I said, "Good deal."

Little did I know that I could train for the mountain section of the Tour de France in Sabetha, KS.  But that is what it felt like I was doing.

Finley and I were both pooped after about half a mile.  The hills were huge and not to mention the 30 mile an hour winds blowing dirt into my sweaty face.  I was quite dirty when I had completed my 4.4 miles.

anyway...here is what we saw on our walk (I took my phone in case I got lost or couldn't make it back to the house because I forgot I had to turn around....)

hill #1

i like to take pictures through things...is that weird?

doesn't that picture make you feel like you just went back in time about 100 years?  or more?

side bar: speaking of going back in time, have you seen "Midnight in Paris"?  such a good movie!  and if you didn't have the travel bug before you watched it, you will after.

i love, love, love this old crumbling bridge.  the sign even says it can handle a one ton truck...doesn't look like it to me.  i stepped carefully... :)

almost there...can you see the farm in the background?  just left of center there is a white spot and a cluster of trees...that's the farm.  i love that finley's ears and tongue are blowing in the wind - that's how windy it was.

we went and measured how far i went and found out i did about 4.5 miles.  not a bad hike.  i always enjoy exploring new places.  maybe next time i will go north and explore the state of Nebraska...

or maybe not. 

 

101 in 1001 Days

Well kids, I have the final update on my 101 in 1001 Days.  

I managed to finish 53 things on the list.  Which seems a little sad, but also seems kind of good.  I did over half the things and started a few more than that.  

It turns out that some of the things were a little beyond my control, but it was fun to see what I accomplished.  I will have to make a new list.  It may not be so long, some of the things were just to fill out the 101 things, but another list coming soon. 

What should be on my new list?

Lindsay’s 101 in 1001 Days

 

Start date: Monday, January 19, 2009

Finish date: Monday, October 17, 2011

 

Personal / Being healthy

1.      Make some really long term goals.

2.      Run a 5K. (Emma Creek Classic - 4.24.10)

3.      Run a 10K. (Easter Sun Run - 4.23.11)

4.      Stick to my read the Bible in a year plan.

5.      Start & keep a prayer journal – at least once a week. (0/143)

6.      Play on a rec league team

7.      Pray more often.

8.      Workout 4 days a week for a month. (4/4) (06.10)

9.      Eat more fruits and veggies.

10.  Eat out less.

11.  Floss.

12.  Get new glasses. (5.6.09)

13.  Remember reusable shopping bags when going shopping.

14.  Work on praying for specific things and for His will.

15.  Listen for God’s instruction to take on a project or to create a project.

16.  Share my faith with someone.

17.  Have a better attitude about work.

 

Financial

18.  Make weekly dinner plans.

19.  Increase our monetary giving.

20.  Learn to save.

21.  Double our savings/investments.

22.  Put away at least $100 a month. (33/33)

23.  Buy a digital SLR camera. (04.10.10)

24.  Stick to the budget.

25.  Buy a new computer – a MAC.

26.  Buy an original piece of art. (Mexico - 2.26.10)

27.  Make a list before going to the store – every time.

 

Family & Friends

28.  Explore & choose a way for us to invest in the family ranch.

29.  Increase the size of our family.

30.  Write one letter or personal note to a friend or family member each month. (25/33)

31.  Update the blog regularly…not just once a month.

32.  Take a Saturday to spend in McPherson with the girls shopping & exploring. (12.09)

33.  Take time to call friends that don’t live here. 

34.  Host a fancy dinner party.

35.  Host a marathon game night.

36.  Take a class at Wichita Center for the Arts with Mom.

37.  Celebrate our 4^th anniversary! (01.06.11)

38.  Pray for our small group once a week.

39.  Send cards and presents on time!

40.  Bathe Finley once a month. (20/33)

41.  Have a movie marathon with friends and popcorn (the good kind). (Jill - Jane Austen - 04.10)

42.  Make breakfast/brunch ten times. (9/10)

 

The House

43.  Make a cleaning schedule.

44.  Stick to the cleaning schedule.

45.  Finish decorating the house.

46.  Plant both flowerbeds.  (6.09)

47.  Touch up the paint job in the living room.  (4.4.09)

48.  Plant 2 trees. (2/2) (4.18.10)

49.  Decorate above the cabinets.

50.  Make sense of the basement. (3.28.09, Sept 2011)

51.  Tile the bathrooms and kitchen.  (01.18.10)

52.  Fold and put laundry away when its clean.

53.  Keep fresh flowers in the house for a whole month. (12.09)

 

Just Because 

54.  Spend six weekends without TV. (6/6)

55.  Catch, tag, & weigh a calf alone. (summer 2011)

56.  Hand make all family & friend birthday cards.

57.  Finish college scrapbook.

58.  Go on a picnic – with the blanket and the basket from our wedding.

59.  Take more pictures.

60.  Spend a weekend with all the girls from college.  (Tiff’s Bachelorette – 4.4.09)

61.  Baby-sit for friends so they can have a night out. (Lakey’s 4.24.09 – 4.25.09)

62.  Paint a painting to frame.

63.  Get a pet fish.

64.  Watch a Sunset. (02.21, 02.22, 02.23, 02.24.10)

65.  Watch a Sunrise.

66.  Fill up with one tank of gas, pick a direction, see where we end up.

67.  Start our own holiday traditions.

68.  Organize craft supplies.  (3.28.09)

69.  “Create” a crafting room.

70.  Go to a Farmer’s Market

71.  Buy a pair of red shoes. (01.23.10)

72.  Plant a garden.  (5.9.09)

 

Travel

73.  Go on the Frasier Farms trail ride with Ryan.

74.  Get a new stamp in my passport. (Mexico - 02.21.10, China 07.2012)

75.  Go on a family trip – the whole family. (Scheduled - July 2012)

76.  Go skiing. (Winter Park - March 2011)

77.  Go on a weekend getaway.

78.  Camp – using only what I can carry in my backpack.

79.  Spend day at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

80.  Take an out-of-state trip with Ryan.  (College Station, TX 2.19.09)

81.  Visit our friends that don’t live in Newton. (April 2011)

82.  Visit four unique Kansas attractions. (4/4) 

                 Botanica – Wichita (5.9.09)
                       Boot Hill – Dodge City (6.19.09)
                       BoBo Drive In – Topeka (9.26.09)
                      Coronado Heights - Lindsbourgh (04.18.10)

83.  Visit our grandparents twice. (2/2) (June 2010)

 

Learn something

84.  Read one book per month (5 of which Ryan can choose). (33/33)

Confessions of a Shopaholic, Imperial Woman, One Tuesday Morning, Beyond Tuesday Morning, Angels and Demons, Book of Job, Utopia, New Atlantis, Paper Bodies, The Lost Symbol, Love Walked In, Pride and Prejudice, The Help, The Last Song (ryan), Jane Austen Ruined My Life (ryan), The Age Curve, Little Bee, Belong To Me, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire, Pudd'nhead Wilson, Maggie, The Red Badge of Courage, Conjure Woman, The Hermaphrodite, The Girl Who Shook the Hornet's Next, Emma, stopped listing them...

85.  Learn patience. This one might be a life long thing...

86.  Take a hunter’s safety course.

87.  Learn to play Clare de Lune on the piano. (5.16.09 started-failed :)

88.  Make a school plan – and start.  3.13.09

89.  Try one new ethnic recipe. (Chinese food)

90.  Learn to compose pictures for framing.  (6.09)

91.  Re-cover the dining room chairs.

92.  Learn a new craft technique.

93.  Refresh my water coloring skills.

94.  Watch a new sport.  (01.30.09 Hockey)

95.  Watch an opera.          

96.  Go to the ballet.

97.  Practice the piano at least once a week.

98.  Make one new recipe a month.

99.  Read a book that’s written in French.

100. Read the news (paper or internet) every day for a month.

101. Learn to love openly.  I think this one is also a life long work in progress.

 

 

i feel a little silly

disclaimer: after watching the whole movie as an adult, i realize that is not what one would consider quality content.  i just don't think i noticed most of it as the young naive high school girl that i was.  so watch with discretion (the clip below, however, is totally appropriate!). :)

about this post.  but i wanted to share one of my favorite songs from a movie with you. :)

i was making a playlist on youtube today while i was catching up on some office work and came across it.

seriously, it's embarrassing that I love this song.  but ever since high school, when i first saw this movie, i loved it.  

the movie

seriously, one of the best-worst movies ever.  and sadly and embarrassingly i love it.

the song

 

what is your favorite best-worst movie?

what songs do you love that i should add to my playlist?

sometimes it's the little things.

In honor of my new outlook I thought I would star off March right.

So yesterday, the first day of March, here are the little things that made me happy.

1. I got to share some peanut m&m's with my "little sister" Destiny after she took a really hard test.  It's never too early to learn that a little chocolate can make a big difference. :)

ps.  I saw the new m&m commercial while getting ready this morning.  i just crack up. "oh it's that kind of party!"

2. When Destiny and I went back to math class, an interesting conversation occurred:

        Student 1 (to me): "Are you in high school?" 
        Me: "Oh my!"
        Student 2 (to student 1): "No way, she's in college!"
        Me: "Oh gracious me, I am 28, but you girls sure know how to make a girl's week!"

Can I show you the high school me?  Promise not to laugh at my corney picture. :)

(yep, turtle neck sitting in a clam shell on the beach...hmmm...)

3. Yesterday it was nearly 70 degrees!  I love the cold weather, but sometimes a girl needs a little sunshine on her face.  

and so do puppies...he was terribly excited.  barked at every person and dog we saw...so annoying.

4. Because it was lovely, I delivered posters for work for more than 1 hour.  Lots of people to talk to and warm breezes to catch.

5. I had a random memory of my brother and I (I think) figuring out how to say our names backwards...weird.  Mine was and is...

Yasdnil madacam, now Yasdnil reisarf

5. I ran!  In shorts (look out for my glaringly white legs when you are on the street here in Newton).  I think I went 4 miles, not all at once, but in intervals which are apparently my new favorite thing.  And here, I use the term "favorite" loosely.

6. I got a sweet note in the mail (like with a stamp) from someone that I see all the time.  Seriously that is the best.

need some new note cards, i love these!

from Paper Source

7. Words of truth, spoken outloud. 

Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.  Pslam 62:8 

8. A scrubbed and bleached, purged, vaccuumed, and dusted bedroom, bathroom, and closet.  Hello dresser top, nice to see you again!

Hope the first day of your month was as good as mine!