Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays #13

***There are 2 areas to link to, please link to the appropriate area.  Thanks!***
Welcome to Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays!  I can't believe another week has passed by!  This past week was a very busy one for me.  I've been preoccupied with planning my baby sister's baby shower.  Can't wait to show you some of the fun decorations I've been making. She is in town for the week, so my posts will be few and far between as I will be an hour away from home for the majority of the week.

Usually I feature posts from the previous week's Anti-Procrastination Party, and I will, just not today.  Be looking for a post coming up, featuring some of my favorite link ups from last weeks AP Party posts sometime in the next few days.

If you are new to AP Tuesdays, you can click here to read about what we do and why.  You can also check out the ongoing Doozie to-do list I have going on, too bad baby shower planning was not on there, it would have felt good to have crossed SOMETHING off!!:)

<center><a href="http://amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p32/Amysb1975/7393129504_TCNCj.jpg" /></a></center>

All right, let's get to linking!

Looking forward to seeing what you all have been up to!!

Be encouraged, Be Inspired, And Get Something Done!

***Stop And Read Before Linking!***

I will have 2 different themes for you to link to.  Please choose the correct theme, or I will need to delete your link.  Thanks!

**FYI--The "Anti-Procrastination Themed" Links get almost 3 times as many clicks as the "Flexible Themed" Links do.  People really seem to be looking for encouragement, inspiration and ideas of how to GET THINGS DONE!    Keep the great links coming, our party got over 4,000 clicks last week!!
*Oh, and if you are a tweeter, hitting the tweet box at the bottom will help get the word out.

***"Anti-Procrastination" Themed:***

~things you want to accomplish (lists, goals)
~things you did accomplish, that you have wanted to accomplish for awhile (before and afters are great!)
~thoughts on procrastination/ways you beat procrastination

***"Flexible Themed"***

~crafts
~projects
~recipes

Growing Herbs In Containers

dill & parsley

I love to use fresh herbs in my cooking, and I love growing herbs in containers!!  I can't believe how much money I can save by growing my own herbs, especially when I start them from seed myself.  This year I started my basil from seed, but now that I am a bit more brave, I will be starting many more from seed next year.

I found this galvanized bucket at a local thrift store for a couple bucks-score! I made sure it had plenty of drainage holes by using a large nail and hammer to punch through at least 7 holes in the bottom.  I have some clay pot shards in the bottom to help with drainage, then filled it with Organic Miracle Grow potting soil.

thyme

lettuce, chives & parley

I bought parsley, thyme, rosemary, dill and chives.  I also managed to fit 3 heads of lettuce in there.  The lettuce did not take off as quickly as the ones in my square foot garden, it is either lack of room or lack of sun.  This pot sits on my front porch, which gets about 4 hours of full sun a day.  My parsley is very happy, I think it is time to dig out a parsley pesto recipe that I happened upon a few weeks ago.  Hope I can find it in my mess of bookmarks!

basil

I am also growing basil in a separate pot, which I started from seed.  It was super easy, I just put some seeds in some potting soil, kept them moist and covered with plastic until they sprouted, then let them get strong (with at least one pair of true leaves) sitting on the window sill in my sunroom.  I planted some in this small pot, and transplanted some into my garden.  I can't wait to make pesto and pair them with my home grown tomatoes (if I can keep my tomatoes growing...so far so good.)

rosemary

Even if gardening isn't your thing, growing herbs is easy and rewarding and it may be something you'd like to try.  I'll be posting on how I use my fresh herbs in the near future.
This post is linked to:
Trash To Treasure @ Reinvented
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays @ Coastal Charm
Show And Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home

Steps To Healthy Living

photo credit

A few months ago I had the honor of doing a guest post on "The Mother Huddle."  It was such an honor and I had great fun sharing my thoughts over at Destri's blog.   Destri is a pretty special lady, one I consider a friend despite the fact that we have never met in person.

The guest post was titled "Steps I Have Taken To Bring A More Healthful Approach Into My Home."

As the beginning of summer approaches, I am already feeling the pull of unhealthy choices when it comes to food.  BBQ's, quick dinners at grandpa's pool, lemonade full of HFCS, the ice cream truck...I don't know about you, but for us summer brings a bunch more opportunities for healthful eating to go right out the window.  I do and will lighten up a bit during the summer when it comes to eating healthy, but I also want to keep in mind the good habits we have established and continue to pursue them.  Rereading the post I wrote for The Mother Huddle will help me do just that!

Steps I have taken to bring a more wholesome approach into my home:

We Follow These Rules:

• Try to eat like our grandparents did, before convenience foods came about.
• No high fructose corn syrup!  Studies show that this stuff causes confusion in the area of the brain that tells your body that you are full. It makes you crave more sweets! This is just one of many reasons to avoid it. Also, we found that it was triggering my youngest daughter’s asthma.  Since changing our eating habits, she is off all inhalers!  Yippee!!
• No hydrogenated oils/trans fats and use only healthful oils (olive oil, coconut oil)
• Think brown, not white (whole wheat flour, whole grain pasta, brown rice, 100% whole wheat breads, etc)
• Stay away from foods if the ingredient list is long and full of words we can’t pronounce.
• No more buying white sugar! We replaced it with natural sweeteners like maple syrup, honey, sucanat (rapadura), & stevia.

We Make Snacks Count By:

• Making homemade treats containing ingredients that are beneficial to the body (we loveMudballs)
• Having veggie fun! I cut up bright colored veggies into bite-sized pieces, fill a 6 cup muffin tin with a different vegetable in each cup, serve with toothpicks.  If I only have 4 types of vegetables, I’ll fill the 2 remaining cups with dip and toothpicks.
• Eating fruit as our dessert.  I see my 3 girls (age 10, 9 and 7) eye the beautiful bowl of blueberries thawing on the table during dinner, excited to eat ‘em for dessert!  They also love frozen cherries, grapes, peaches, mangoes, melons, and pineapple.  We eat them all just slightly thawed.
• Making homemade popcorn in the microwave using a brown paper lunch bag. My girls love this and do it themselves.  Big money saver!
• Adding veggies to our fruit smoothies.  A large handful of fresh spinach disappears when blended into our sweet fruit smoothies.
• Using leftover smoothies to make popsicles.  These are delish, and yes, they are the same smoothies that have spinach in them!  These type of real fruit/yogurt popsicles are so costly at the store.  Its amazing how inexpensive and easy it is to make your own!  If you don’t have molds, use paper cups and wooden craft sticks.
• Staying away from empty calories–even treats can be beneficial to the body (dark chocolate, desserts with fruit/oats in them, ice cream topped with fresh fruit, whole wheat brownies)

We Are Going Greener:

• We got rid of harsh chemical cleaners.  I use a vinegar and water spray for just about everything, and have simple recipes to make my own laundry detergent, dish washing detergent and liquid hand/body soap. (this saves us a TON of money, and I believe some of those chemicals contributed to my daughters past issues with asthma, so we are saving money on medical bills, too!)
• We drink from reusable water bottles, keeping them in the refrigerator so they are cold and ready to drink.
• We got rid of most plastic storage containers and use different sized mason jars instead.  I love how they look in my pantry, freezer and refrigerator.  They make it easy to see what is inside, and they look orderly.
• If it comes in a package, I ask myself “Can I make this homemade?” It is almost always more healthful and saves on the packaging (pancake mix, granola bars)  I buy many ingredients from bulk bins and put them in mason jars when I get home.

Taking steps for more wholesome homes can be overwhelming, so be encouraged that these changes did not come overnight for us, nor do we do it all perfectly. We eat our share of junk food and sugar outside our 4 walls, (and even inside them on the weekends), so it ends up being about 80/20,

which I am comfortable with. It has been a step by step journey,

one I will never regret starting as I see such huge changes in the health of my family.

This post is linked to:
The Finer Things Friday @ The Finer Things
Home And Family Friday @ Home Is Where My Story Begins
Its A Hodgepodge Friday @ Its A Hodgepodge Life
Tips Me Tuesday @ The Tip Junkie
30 Minute Blog Challenge @ Steady Mom
Motivate Me Monday @ Keeping It Simple

My Child Speaks Truth

I woke up, with a bunch of  "what -if's" and "I should's" and "I gotta do's" on my brain.  Swirling around, affecting my joy.  I hustled the kids off to school and came home, walked through my dining room and looked up to see this note left by my 9 year old on our family white board.

She is really into cursive writing, and has going around the house leaving evidence of practice everywhere. I'm so glad she decided to practice this morning. This little note of hers stopped me in my tracks and gave me a priceless gift today--truth and perspective.

Khat khatao by Aradhna. "Aradhna" means worship.  
 The sounds of sitar and guitar merge to create a new global instrument that blends unusual rhythmic patterns with the dipping and soaring of the vocals. listeners sense a deep devotion and connection to the yeshu revealed in the holy scriptures.

Here is a delightful video of another little one speaking truth, a three year old singing about where to put our burdens.

Links I Like #2

Monogram Labels Template | Martha Stewart. I used these today to make a banner to hang at my sisters baby shower.  I am excited to have found them, there are so many things you can do with them!  I'd like to print the whole alphabet out on neutral colored paper (each letter comes 6 to a page for printing) and just have them on hand to top packages or use as a mason jar topper.

Their favorite treat | Traveling Light.  How brilliant!  Little mini cubes of frozen yogurt on a toothpick.  My girls would love this!

Blueberry Soup | How Sweet It Is. Oh. Yum.  I want this now.  Over vanilla ice cream, please.

How To Cut Your Own Bangs/Fringe | Kandee Johnson.  If you have swoopy bangs and want to save some money, you must check this out.  I am a hairstylist and completely agree with everything she says.  I love Kandee, she cracks me up.

Quick Clean + Printable Checklist | Clean Momma. If you need to clean up in a hurry, this checklist will help you stay on track.

Want Financial Peace? Read This Book | Beauty Divine.  This is my lil' sisters blog.  I am so proud of her and her growth when it comes to managing money.  Not an easy lesson to learn, and there are many, many people out there that have yet to learn it!  Great job, Laurie!

Oatmeal Whole Wheat Quick Bread

I'm super happy about this recipe.  We were having spaghetti for dinner and I really wanted some bread to go with it, but only had about 30 minutes.  I found this recipe and it was so easy and really tasty!  I will be making it often!

Oatmeal Whole Wheat Quick Bread
1 cup rolled oats
11/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
11/2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used coconut oil)
1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Grind oatmeal in a food processor or blender.  In a large bowl, combine oatmeal, flour, baking powder and salt.  In a separate bowl, dissolve honey in oil, then stir in the milk.  (I mixed the milk, coconut oil and honey in a one cup glass measure and microwaved it until the coconut oil melted (the cold milk made it into a solid state, so I needed to liquify it).  Combine both mixtures and stir until a soft dough is formed.  Form the dough into a ball (I had to add a bit more flour) and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.
3. Bake in preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped.
This post is linked to:
Show Off Your Stuff @ Fireflies & Jellybeans
Make It  From Scratch

Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays #12 + Giveaway results!!!

***There are 2 areas to link to, please link to the appropriate area.  Thanks!***

It's time to announce the winner!  Thank you all for your support of my first giveaway, it was great fun to use the generator at random.org to help me find a winner!

And the winner is....

*Nikki* @ The Nest

Nikki completed all the actions for 4 entries and it looks like it paid off!!

Congrats, Nikki.  Watch for "Simplify" in your inbox and enjoy!

 
Click here to visit Becoming Minimalist.

For those of you who entered the giveaway and are still interested in "Simplify," then just click the link above to visit Becoming Minimalist.

Now on to our 12th Anti-Procrastination Tuesday!  I have been busier then ever lately,

 preparing for my girls to get out of school, 

blogging, 

keeping up friend and family haircuts, 

gardening, 

staying busy with church and ministry, 

and preparing to throw my baby sister a baby shower!!  

I'm gonna go take a quick peek at my doozy list and see if by chance I've accomplished anything on it!  I'll be right back...

...ok I'm back!  Here is what I was able to cross off.  It has been a few weeks since I have told you what I have accomplished so there was more than I thought!

1. Made a master chore list

2. Reorganized storage area in basement

3. Cleaned behind refrigerator and stove

4. Cleaned mini blinds

5. Did a giveaway

I have a feeling as school lets out and lazy summer days hit, I will be happy to even get one thing off the list each week! C'mon summer!!

 Featured Posts:

 
<a href="http://www.amy-newnostalgia.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p32/Amysb1975/3032373667_7c7e803b43-3.jpg" border="0" alt="New Nostalgia" /></a>

Her story is an amazing one full of perseverance, inspiration & hope.

The Ultimate DYI @Decore To Adore

Another practical post full of great tips.

Odds & Ends @ Our Lives

I just loved her before and after pictures.  Isn't is so cheery?  Great job, Cathy!

Office Revamp @ Check It Off

More great before and after pics, and a teaser at the end!
Little Boy Room Redo @ Yoga Girl

I loved this post!  We will now be having a summer family meeting and making our own summer list!

Purposely Scheduled Summer @ The Denton Sanatorium

I LOVED these and will be using this idea to decorate for my sisters baby shower!

Paper Blooms In My Living Room @ Bare Feet On The Dashboard

 
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All right, let's get to linking!
Looking forward to seeing what you all have been up to!!

Be encouraged, Be Inspired, And Get Something Done!
***Stop And Read Before Linking!***

I will have 2 different themes for you to link to.  Please choose the correct theme, or I will need to delete your link.  Thanks!

*Oh, and if you are a tweeter, hitting the tweet box at the bottom will help get the word out.

***"Anti-Procrastination" Themed:***

~things you want to accomplish (lists, goals)
~things you did accomplish
~thoughts on procrastination/ways you beat procrastination

***"Flexible Themed"***

~crafts
~projects
~recipes

The Best Recipe I've Ever Messed Up +Chewy Granola Bars

Hmm, what to call this recipe??  I kinda messed up a chewy granola bar recipe and ended up with absolutely awesome oatmeal, chocolate, peanut butter heaven!!  How is that for a name??

I've been on the lookout for a gooey, chewy granola bar recipe.  I checked out some of my favorite sites, and I should have known Heavenly Homemaker's has been on the same hunt.  She, too, wanted one with no corn syrup, and of course, she came up with one.  It is one I really want to try again so I can do it right and experience her true recipe, but oh my, am I glad I messed it up because the concoction it made was DELISH!

I will give you my "oh so good, messed up version", then I will post her chewy granola bar recipe so you can experience both.

Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter No-Bake Candy Bars
*it is sorta like a chocolate oatmeal no bake cookie, but extra creamy and special.  it almost reminds me of fudge, but with the added texture of the oats and occasional chewy sweetness of the dried cranberries--yum!
**I doubled her recipe

1 cup peanut butter
2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil (no substitutes, this is what gives its creamy texture and flavor)
2 cups oats (not instant)
1 1/4 cups mini chocolate chips
3/4 cup dried cranberries

In a medium sized saucepan, melt together peanut butter, honey and coconut oil.

Remove from heat and add oats, chocolate chips and dried cranberries.  Stir until combined and chocolate chips are melted.

Spread into a 9x13 pan.  Refrigerate until hardened, about an hour.  Store in refrigerator. 

Want to know more about coconut oil and its health benefits?  Read my post about it here.

Here is Heavenly Homemaker's 

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil (or another oil of your choice)
1 cup oats
1 cup TOTAL of any combination of: sesame seeds, coconut flakes, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips

In a medium sized saucepan, melt together peanut butter, honey and coconut oil.

Remove from heat and add one cup of oats.  Choose your favorite combination of coconut flakes, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, dried fruit and mini chocolate chips, to equal a total of ONE CUP. (She just got out her one cup measuring cup and poured in the ingredients until the cup was full.) Pour in and stir well.

Spread mixture into a 8x8 or 9 x 4 inch pan.

Chill for 2 hours, then cut into bars.

Wrap in plastic wrap for a quick grab and go snack!

I can't wait to try it again.  I tasted the mixture after adding the oats and before adding the last cup of my "combination" and it was peanut buttery goodness.  I "messed" this recipe up by adding so many chocolate chips and not enough of the other fillers.  They melted right away (even though I let the mixture cool quite awhile) and completely changed the peanut butter flavor to a rich and creamy chocolate-y flavor.  Next time if I add any chocolate chips, it will be just a few and maybe sprinkled on top so they won't melt into the batter.

I hope this post was not confusing, because I am so very excited about both recipes!  I know I will be making the first one on a regular basis, and I'll let you know how I do when I re-try the chewy granola bar recipe.
This post is linked to:
Toot Your Horn Tuesday @ A Silly Little Sparrow
Tempt My Tummy Tuesday @ Blessed By Grace
Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple

Swiss Chard From My Garden

This photo was taken about a week 1/2 ago.  You would not believe the size of the swiss chard leaves now!  I have been very pleased with how fast and easy it is to grow swiss chard.  I've enjoyed it raw, cut up in a salad,(using the lettuce pictured above), and just recently I learned how to cook it.  

 I scoured the internet looking for ways to cook swiss chard.  I have heard stories of swiss chard tasting bitter once cooked, so I was skeptical that I would like it, much less my kids!

I found a recipe at Simply Recipes,  (recipe below). It caught my eye because it was simple and easy to prepare, plus the author had this to say about it:

" I never liked Swiss chard, until several years ago I had some that had been freshly picked from a friend's garden. It was so sweet and buttery I couldn't believe it was actually Swiss chard. It was then I learned that freshness was the key determinant to whether chard was delectable or detestable."  

"Sweet" and "butter" is all I had to hear to get motivated to cook up these garden greens.  

I think swiss chard is such a beautiful vegetable!  The stalks come in different colors and the leaves are such an amazing bright green.   The stalks remind me of celery, but a bit more bitter.  I didn't care for the stalks, but I liked looking at them!

These nine, good sized leaves cooked down to one palm sized serving of chard.  I was flabbergasted!  Guess I need to plant more next year!  Can you imagine the content of vitamins and antioxidants in that one palm full of cooked chard??  Impressive.

Nutritional Profile

Swiss chard is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E and dietary fiber. It is a very good source of copper, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and protein. In addition, Swiss chard is a good source of phosphorus, vitamin B1, zinc, folate, biotin, niacin and pantothenic acid.

Here is the palm full of the finished product.  I loved it.  It was mild, sweet and buttery.  I told my girls that I made it for me, but I would let them have a taste.  They skeptically tried a small bite, and within seconds I had 2 (my oldest one was not into the texture) little bird mouth hanging open for more bites. Now that excites me!

Here is the recipe:

Swiss Chard Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard
• 1 small clove garlic, sliced
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp water
• Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon butter
• Salt

METHOD

1 Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Remove the toughest third of the stalk, discard or save for another recipe (such as this Swiss chard ribs with cream and pasta). Roughly chop the leaves into inch-wide strips.

2 Heat a saucepan on a medium heat setting, add olive oil, a few small slices of garlic and the crushed red pepper. Sauté for about a minute. Add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Cover. Check after about 5 minutes. If it looks dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Flip the leaves over in the pan, so that what was on the bottom, is now on the top. Cover again. Check for doneness after another 5 minutes (remove a piece and taste it). Add salt to taste, and a small amount of butter. Remove the swiss chard to a serving dish.

This post is linked to:
Made It Monday @ The Persimmon Perch
Just Something I Whipped Up @ The Girl Creative
Making The World Cuter Monday @ Making The World Cuter
Tasty Tuesdays @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Links I Like

Paint Old Baking Pans For Storage | Natalie Jost. Oh how I love this project.  I love it when junky turns beautiful!

Strawberry Freezer Jam | Make It From Scratch. I am excited to take my girls to a nearby strawberry patch so we can make some jam!  I wonder how Pure Whole Cane Sugar/Rapadura would do with jam making?  Anyone know?

Rapadura? Sucanat? Turbinado? Raw Cane Sugar? | Quirky Cooking. Different types of sugar got you confused?

Start Your Day By Eating A Frog | Simple Mom. The idea is to do the worst thing on your plate first thing in the morning, & the rest of your day should be quite enjoyable!

Empty Your Brain | The Key To Productivity. I need to start doing this again.  Like...now.

Control Your Web Time | Minutes Please. I need to start doing this.  Like...now.

Updo: Cute Braided Bun With Ribbon | Adopt a 'Do. If you have little girls and want some fun ideas for their hair, this site is for you.

Almond Joy Chocolate Bark | Elana's Pantry. I have a mother-in-law who loves coconut, and a mom who's favorite candy bar is Almond Joy.  Gonna have to make this for them sometime!

Do It Yourself Party Favors | Giver's Log.  One of my absolute favorite blogs.  When I saw this post my eyes got wide, so many beautiful images in one post. 52 party favor ideas, most would make such great little gifts for all kinds of occasions. (like end of the year teacher gifts!)

***Would you mind letting me know if I should make "Links I Like" a regular feature here at New Nostalgia?  They would be random links, I just have so many "likes!"
This post linked to:
I'm Loving It @ Tidy Mom

My First Giveaway

Tuesday, I announced my first Giveaway here at New Nostalgia.  I will be combining the comment entries from Tuesday's post with any comment entries left on this post for the final drawing on May 24.

I am very pleased to be able to give away "Simplify" ~ an ebook by Joshua Becker.   

Do You Know What A Minimalist Is?  Well, here is your chance to meet one!

From "Simplify"

"Since choosing to simplify his life two years ago, Joshua has encouraged hundreds of thousand of others around the world to pursue minimalism in their life through his blog: www.becomingminimalist.com.  As one of today's leading proponents of "rational minimalism," joshua presents 7 principles that will help guide the reader into a practice of simplicity that works for their unique, individual lifestyle.  You will enjoy his unique blend of illustrative stories, theoretical principle, and practical application.  After all, if this typical family of four living in the suburbs can simplify their life, so can you!"

I absolutely loved reading this ebook!  It was an easy read full of many practical tips on how to live life more simply. I jive with his idea of "rational minimalism," which for me, gives permission to pursue minimalism, even though I am wired to love beauty, creativity and warmth in my home.  Minimalism was something that was appealing to me, yet the typical thoughts of a stark and empty home freaked me out a bit! Joshua's idea of "rational minimalism" struck a cord with me, it allows for one to have their own style of minimalism, which just makes sense-- especially when one has a family with kids!  Yes, more people means more stuff, but as I learned in the book, it is possible and so rewarding to be intentional in the things you decide to keep or to buy. As Joshua says in the book "minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value, and the removal of anything that distracts us from it." Love that.

So on to the giveaway!

To enter this GIVEAWAY, 

Visit Becoming Minimalist then...
1. First entry...come back here and tell me that you did.

**If you are interested in having more chances to win, here are ways you can increase your number of entries, up to 4! (use a separate comment for each entry)**

2. Second entry...mention the giveaway on facebook and leave me your link as an additional comment.

3. Third entry...tweet about the giveaway and leave a comment and your link or Twitter username.

4. Fourth entry...blog about this giveaway and leave a comment telling me you did

Entries accepted through Monday May 24th.  I will select a winner using Random.org and I will announce the winner next tuesday at "Anti-Procrastination Tuesdays!"  Good luck!

If you would like to skip the giveaway, and just purchase the ebook, then Click here to visit Becoming Minimalist.