28 Day Organizing Challenge - The Before Pictures

I'm a new fan of I'm an Organizing Junkie and I've signed myself up for the 28 Day Organizing Challenge. My husband and I have several goals for getting the house organized this year, but the first task I have taken on is the master closet. I'm throwing embarrassment to the wind by sharing a few "before" pictures, so that you can see the mess.

Overall plan: make the master closet an organized and attractive place. The closet will house my clothes and there will also be some space for sewing craft supplies to be stored when not in use.

Back story: My husband and I have made an honest attempt at sharing the closet for the past year or so, but in order to avoid some stress in the marriage, we've decided that our clothes-space is best left separate. My husband will be assuming the office closet again.

Before Pic 1: The barely-able-to-walk-in closet. My clothes on the left, hubby's on the right and a big ole mess in the middle.

Before Pic #2: Close up of the wire cubes that seemed like a good organizing idea at the time...

Before Pick #3: My side of the closet. That's a big Rubbermaid tub full of maternity clothes. Yeah, my daughter is 4 1/2 - I'm thinking that it's time that this gets moved to the attic!

Before Pick #4: Hi. My name is Kristi and I have a shoe organization problem.

Wish me (us) luck! I already spent some time in this space last weekend and am getting excited about the finished product.

Any big organization goals that you're taking on this year?

Menu Plan Monday

Here's what's on our menu for this week:

Monday: Chili
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday (a family favorite and new tradition)
Wednesday: Pizza Night (family night with my parents)
Thursday: Chicken and Broccoli skillet meal
Friday: Minestrone Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Saturday: Brushetta Chicken
Sunday: Valentine's Day! Bow Ties Romano (hubby's favorite)

Hope that you all have a great week!

The Sandcastle

The Sandcastle by Iris Murdoch

Product Description:
318 pages
Chatto & Windus (Sep. 1964)
Library Copy

Amazon.com Synopsis:
The quiet life of schoolmaster Bill Mor and his wife Nan is disturbed when a young woman, Rain Carter, arrives at the school to paint the portrait of the headmaster. Mor, hoping to enter politics, becomes aware of new desires. A complex battle develops, involving love, guilt, magic, art and political ambition. Mor's teenage children and their mother fight discreetly and ruthlessly against the invader. The Head, himself enchanted, advises Mor to seize the girl and run. The final decision rests with Rain. Can a 'great love' be purchased at too high a price?

My Thoughts:
This was the second book by Iris Murdoch that I have read and I was again impressed by the depth of her characters. I enjoyed the interesting love story that was told, and found myself torn between cheering for the institution of marriage and hoping for the opportunity to find happiness. I did not quite understand the back story for Mor's daughter Felicity and how that related to the overall novel - this seemed a bit of a distraction. Overall, I thought that the book was very good and was pleased with another Murdoch read.

On a side note... This was a book borrowed from the library, which is something that I haven't done in many years. The book was first checked out in June of 1978 - when I was two years old. I found myself wondering how many people had read that same book in the past 31 years. I'm sure that there were many that contributed to the torn and stained pages it holds, and I think that the age of the book provided a little nostalgia to the experience. I am going to work hard and try to balance my love for new books and filling my personal shelves, with taking advantage of the library and the unique experience those books have to offer.

Menu Plan Monday - First Time

I'm participating in my first Menu Plan Monday, which is hosted by I'm an Organizing Junkie. This is actually something that I have been trying to do each week for the past year, in order to bring some sense of order to our busy evenings. By the time I get off of work at 5:30 and suffer a 20-30 minute commute, there is not much time for meal planning on the fly. Before I head to the grocery store on the weekend, I try to scour the pantry and freezer for available options, and then plan the week out accordingly.

Here's what's on our menu for this week:

Monday: Baked Ziti
Tuesday: Taco Tuesday (a family favorite and new tradition)
Wednesday: Pizza Night (a.k.a. my night off, and a chance for our family to spend time with my Mom, Dad, sister and her family)
Thursday: Pork Chops, Brown Rice and Green Beans
Friday: Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
Saturday: TGIFriday's Chicken Broccoli Alfredo meal
Sunday: Spaghetti

Hope that you all have a great week!

Savory Saturday: Herb Braised Chicken Thighs

Recently, I signed up to receive daily emails from SavingDinner.com. Every once in a while, Leanne Ely includes a recipe. The following recipe for braised chicken thighs looked like a perfect Sunday dinner, so I tried it last week. The meal was such a hit that a leftover repeat on Monday night was welcomed. (And we don't normally do leftovers!) Even my picky 4 year-old loved the chicken and potatoes. If you try the recipe, let me know what you think!

Herb Braised Chicken Thighs
Serves 6
Source: Saving Dinner


3 tablespoons flour
3 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
12 skinless chicken thighs
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cups (2-inch-thick) sliced carrots
2 large onions, cut into wedges
2 1/4 cups low sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup dry white wine
2 1/4 pounds small red potatoes, quartered

1. Combine first 6 ingredients (flour through pepper) in a large zip-top plastic bag.
2. Add chicken; seal bag, shaking to coat.
3. Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat.
4. Add chicken and remaining flour mixture to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.
5. Add carrot and onion; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Add broth, wine and potatoes; bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat and simmer for 35 minutes or until chicken is done and vegetables are tender.

Per Serving: 390 calories, 7g Fat, 35g Protein, 43g Carbohydrate, 5g Dietary Fiber, 107mg Cholesterol, 866mg Sodium.
Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch, 4 Lean Meat, 1 1/2 Vegetable, 1/2 Fat.
Points: 8


Enjoy!

The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls

Product Description:
304 pages
Simon & Schuster (Jan. 2006)
Personal Copy

Borders Synopsis: The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir of resilience and redemption, and a revelatory look into a family at once deeply dysfunctional and uniquely vibrant. When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family.

The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.

My thoughts: Never have I enjoyed a book so much, but wanted it to be over so quickly. I was awed by the Walls children, I experienced hate and a lack of understanding for their parents and I cringed so frequently because the book was not a very creative story, but it was real. The strength that Jeannette and her siblings showed was heroic and I was so very happy to reach the end, to know that the children turned out for the better, despite all of the many ways that the cards had been stacked against them. The Glass Castle was everything that the reviews suggested that it would be.

Your turn: Have you read The Glass Castle yet? Did it spark any emotions for you?

The Blue Handbag

The Blue Handbag by Fiona Robyn

Product Information:

320 pages

Snowbooks, UK Open Market Ed (Aug. 2009)

Personal Copy

Amazon.com synopsis: After forty years of happy marriage, Leonard thought he knew his wife Rose as well as he knew himself. It's only after her sudden death that he finds her old handbag, which contains a mystery he can't ignore. Accompanied by Lily, his wife's childhood friend, Leonard becomes a reluctant detective as his whole life starts to unravel! "The Blue Handbag" is steeped in a quiet poetry which reminds us to take pleasure from the ordinary details of life - reading stories to our children, sharing silence with our friend over a beer, enjoying the plants Leonard tends for a living - and never to take anything for granted.

My thoughts: I truly enjoyed The Blue Handbag. Robyn's depiction of Leonard's life after his wife's death was so lifelike, his memories so raw. There was one page that had me completely engrossed, on the verge of tears, and I was brought back to reality by two words: Spaghetti Bolognese. I laughed in surprise - there was such an immediate and wonderful transition from such a beautifully convincing past, to a ordinary present. Thankfully, I did not anticipate how the story would unfold, and I was very pleased by the ending. The story made me wish for a local pub, dream about a beautiful garden, and hug my husband a little tighter.

I'm looking forward to enjoying Robyn's first book The Letters very soon, and I'm looking forward to participating in the Blogsplash for her new book Thaw on March 1st. If you haven't yet signed up to participate, find out more about it here.

Your turn: Ever been snapped quickly back to reality, or experienced an unexpected (but enjoyable) jump by an author that left you reeling?

The Bell

I am a week or so overdue in reviewing The Bell by Iris Murdoch.

Product Information:

320 pages

Pengion Classics, 2nd Edition (Nov. 2001)

Personal Copy

Amazon.com Synopsis: A lay community of thoroughly mixed-up people is encamped outside Imber Abbey, home of an order of sequestered nuns. A new bell is being installed when suddenly the old bell, a legendary symbol of religion and magic, is rediscovered. And then things begin to change. Meanwhile the wise old Abbess watches and prays and exercises discreet authority. And everyone, or almost everyone, hopes to be saved, whatever that may mean. Originally published in 1958, this funny, sad, and moving novel is about religion, sex, and the fight between good and evil.

My thoughts: I think that I may have found a new author to love. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I purchased the Book Lust Journal, whose author Nancy Pearl recommended Murdoch. I was not disappointed. The writing was superb and I became engrossed by the characters Michael and Dora. Michael, whose character you may dislike on moral grounds, still sparked compassion from me. And Dora, poor Dora, I longed for her to be strong and make the right decisions.

Two quotes which stood out to me:

The talk of lovers who have just declared their love is one of life's most
sweet delights. Each vies with the other in humility, in amazement at being so
valued.

This quote brought me back to the early days of dating my husband. Nothing feels better than knowing that you are loved. Although that love still continues on, sometimes I long for a few hours of that 'young love' once again.

One must perform the lower act which one can manage and sustain; not the higher act which one bungles.

I struggle with this concept - how are we to learn and do new things, if we don't try that higher act, which we might just bungle? But I have to admit, it is often easier to maintain the status quo.

I was pleased with how Murdoch summed up the story for all of the characters and I am now searching for my next choice of Murdoch's 25 remaining novels.

Nighttime DC Stroll

Catching Up

Rbelle over an An Empty Page reminded me today that a lot happens when you take an extended leave from blogging. Thought that I would take a quick minute to post a few pictures from an amazing work opportunity I had in April...Hong Kong!

Tian Tan Budda in Ngong Ping, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. This site had to be one of the most peaceful and breathtaking places I have ever been in my life. Regardless of your faith, or your name for God, you can't help but feel connected here.

Me - ready to make the trek up the 268 steps to get to the base of the Buddha statue.

View from Victoria Peak - overloking Kowloon and Hong Kong Islands and Victoria Harbour.

At the Avenue of the Stars in Hong Kong. Overlooking Victoria Harbour.