January Review

The first month of 2011 is basically over. And what a busy month! I owe a few posts about our adventures, but for now, here's how my resolutions are going.

R1: I wrote Grandma S once and went out with Grandma O twice. Both visits with GO were birthday related, but I figure the second time counts since I haven't ever gone to breakfast with her on her big day (because in the past I have been working).

R2: For the first half of the month, Zoey and I weren't together, so we didn't walk. When we got back home from our adventures, I had a nasty cough. And it was cold. Usually colds and the cold don't bother me, but this cough didn't appreciate cold air and would send me into a coughing fit. So, I waited until the cough was gone to start with our walks. That only left us the last week of the month to walk. I think she likes going on walks again.

R3: While on our cruise, I did run two days for a total of 4 miles (146 to go!). I would have run more often, but on port days I did plenty of swimming in the ocean and was too tired to do much more physical activity.

R4: I made 6 new recipes! I made:

Chicken Pasta Florentine - This was ok. Not very flavorful, but not bad either.

Boston Market Meatloaf - For meatloaf it was pretty good. I don't like meatloaf. Ben loves Boston Market's, so I gave it a try. While eating it, I was apologizing for never making meatloaf. Turns out Ben isn't really a fan either, but he just happens to like Boston Market's. So, I guess I don't have to make it again.

Spiced Halibut and Broccoli-Quinoa Pilaf - The fish was just ok. But the pilaf was great! Recipes were from RealSimple magazine.

Impossibly Good Chicken - I think that if it had a different name, I would have liked it better. It was good, but I was expecting awesome. Recipe from a Rachel Ray cookbook I have.

Hungarian Goulash - This is in the crock-pot for tonight. It's from my Forget It crock-pot cookbook.

It's a New Year

After taking last year off from New Year Resolutions, I'm ready to have some again. In no particular order...

Resolution 1 - Be More Involved With My Grandmas

While making krumkake this year, I realized that I don't spend nearly enough time with my Grandma O. I see her at birthdays and holidays and krumkake making days, but other than that, I rarely see or talk with her. This is just plain silliness. And it has got to stop. Neither of them are getting any younger, and I really should take advantage of their time. The plan is to talk or get together with my GO once a month, not including family functions. Since my GS lives in MO I plan to write to her once a month and plan a road trip to visit her (probably in the summer so I don't need to worry about snow and ice).

Resolution 2 - Walk the Dog

Back before I had Adelyn, I walked Zoey every M-F before getting ready for work. I loved having some quiet alone time with her. And she loved sniffing everything. Since Adelyn was born, I have been a major slacker. Those of you who are moms can relate, I'm sure, to how much a baby can throw off your routine. My plan is to walk Zoey 5 times a week, except for when she or I are out of town.

Resolution 3 - Run!

Two years ago, my resolution was to run 100 miles. And I did it. Then I was too pregnant to run. I really want to get back into running. I like it. I thought about just setting my goal at 100 again since last year I didn't run much at all. But I feel like running should be easier now that I don't work outside of the home. ??? So, the plan is to run 150 miles.

Resolution 4 - Be Creative in the Kitchen

Two years ago I also had a goal of making 2 new recipes a month. It was fun to try out new dishes and not have the same thing all the time. This time, the plan is to make 5 new recipes a month (2 is just way too easy). As part of this, I plan to start using some of my cookbooks that I rarely use. The other day I was looking for a recipe and realized that I have a lot of cookbooks with great sounding recipes that I never even look at.

I feel like there was another one, but I can't think of what it was. So, we'll just go with this list.