Cardmaking day and Balsamic Chicken and Roasted Broccoli

One of our main goals this year is doing what we can for the earth.  

Easy one... carrying our reusable cups when we go out. Dude has done this one for years... me, not so much. This is the year to really change and do what we say we  do. (saves money too)

And reusable straws.  These used to be very popular in the '70's and we did have them in our house back in the day. Let's bring 'em back.  

I will be making travel bags for them so I can carry them in my purse.  These were our stocking stuffers this year for my kids.

Today was cardmaking day.  My friend Sherri teaches us new skills and then I go home and recreate what I have learned. 

Here is what I created today from class . 

Then I came home and quickly made two from my stash using the technique from the heart card. 

I looked through my papers.

And came up with these...

Dinner tonight -  Balsamic Chicken and Roasted Broccoli 

I find I eat way too much cheese and sugar.  This year I am challenging myself to no sugar, cheese and dairy on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I am not going to lie, I thought I was starving! I wasn't but.... I need to create healthier habits.

Here is the cast of players:

These chicken breasts are so large I will cut them next time to be thinner four breasts. 

I made a marinade and put them in the fridge for 30- to hour but even 10 minutes will do. 

Into the oven it goes!

The marinade is :

1/4 cup of olive oil

2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 garlic cloves or more

2 tsp of dried oregano 

salt and pepper

Mix all together. Pour half over the chicken and chill. Use the rest over the broccoli.

In a larger baking pan put broccoli, tomatoes and onions on one side. Pour the rest of marinade over the vegetables.

Bake it all in one pan. 

Preheat oven to 400*.  Bake for 30 minutes or temp of the meat is 165*F at it's thickest part. (We are a stickler for this!)

peace 

Day 7 on the Jesse Tree, Creating Day with the Girls and St Ambrose

Today is the Feast of St Ambrose and is the patron saint of beekeepers.

I got out many of my bee friends and Norman help selected a few for display today. 

Legend has it that when Ambrose was an infant, a swarm of bees settled in his mouth leaving a single drop of honey, said to be a sign he would become someone with a great sense of speaking . His preaching was reported to be sweet as honey.

I have been a beekeeper most of my life learning first from my dad and later in life on my own.

Here is my Dad raising bees in North Carolina. 

 This year was the first year we did not raise bees. We have lost them every year since  we moved here. I live in NC and in Denver and never lost a hive. Now we live on the edge of a alfalfa field that gets sprayed by plane every year, a few times a year and I think that has killed off our bees each year. 

We will rescue or get someone who has bees to rescue a swarm but we won't be buying any more packages of bees. 

Most of the day was spent with my best friends.  We gathered for a little food and alot of creating. 

I made winter pajama pants for Dude.  I got all but the drawstring and hem done. I will share that with you tomorrow. 

I got a gift of a new skeleton friend  and I named Fiona.  She will get glammed-up on a later day. 

Susan set forth with making paper gingerbread houses that looked adorable. 

I can't show most of what we did since a bunch are Christmas presents. 

A little after 3pm me and Fiona made the long trek home. We got home just in time to go to mass. 

After mass it was our town's annual Chili Supper. 

It was very good and filling. 

Time to head home. I had just enough time to make today's Jesse Tree Ornament.  Someone asked what is a Jesse Tree? Well the tradition is very old - dates back to the middle ages.  The term Jesse comes from The Bible Isaiah 11:1  "Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit." Jesse is the father of King David. The savior was to come from David’s family line. It is the family tree of Jesus and each passage guides us to prepare for the coming of the Messiah. 

December 7 - Jacob: Genesis 25:19-34; 28:10-18 Symbol: ladder 

¹⁰ Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Harran. ¹¹ When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. ¹² He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. ¹³ There above it^[a] stood the Lord, and he said: “I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. ¹⁴ Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.^{[b] 15} I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Here is the ornament I came up with- made with toothpicks and old jewelry stars. 

That's it for today. 

peace 

Earth Day recylcing and more

It was a great weekend of family and more.  We were able to see most of our kids.  They are an awesome and fun bunch. 

I didn't get as much done as I would have liked but I did get enough done.  It will just leave a couple for tomorrow.  Today is Earth Day and people who know me know I love to recycle. 

I had an instant coffee jar, a magazine,  a friend gave me a vodka bottle and said "do something with it", and a pair of jeans. 

Here is where I began... 

Leftover instant coffee jar and the magazine. 

My dad taught me this one. When we were kids he gave us each a clear drinking glass and told us to cut something out of the Sunday comics.  We decoupage them to our glass and from then on it was our glass. Today, I cut a picture from a magazine and decoupage on the glass and filled the jar with  leftover dried beans. 

Next was the vodka bottle.  I took it outside and put it upside down on a stick.  Then spray painted it silver.  I decoupage a heart doily, added some trim and hot clued some leftover jewelry.

I like the way it turned out.  

Dandelion Jelly - yep, I finally got to the dandelion tea I made the other day and made it into jelly.   Remember these? 

While the jelly cooled I went out to read and be with Molly for a bit and go for a walk with Dude.

Then a quick shake for lunch. 

Quick protein shake for lunch - peanut butter and jelly

2 Tablespoons dried peanut butter protein
2 Tablespoons strawberry jam
2 heaping tablespoons plain yogurt
1 cup ice
1 cup almond milk

Blend everything in a blend.  Ohso good.


Dinner for today (pulled pork was put in the crockpot) and for tomorrow (beans). 

That's about all I could get into one day after a grandson's football game.  I am exhausted but can't wait to read. 

Tomorrow will be ....

Recycling Jeans - egg apron... I started them. Plus more. 

Starting Christmas early - recycling a dictionary.

Making wool drier balls for Christmas.

Don't forget your prayers. 

peace