I'm a proud big sister!

Tonight I went to a wonderful, yet odd event. Wonderful because it was honoring my sister and odd because of the people who shared. Julie had her first graduation (there is another one in Jan) from Empire College. She finished her certificate in Legal Office Administration. I am SO proud of her. She did so well that she received an outstanding student award at the graduation. That was awesome, but the ceremony in general was extremely long and the speeches were kind of strange. Someone near us asked if the president had had a few glasses of wine with his dinner because he was having trouble reading his cards. At one point Danika (who spent the majority of the time running around the lobby) just started saying "bye, bye" repeatedly in the middle of a speech. I think that speech was by the mayor of Santa Rosa. :o) It was funny. The guy behind us looked at her and said, "yeah I want to go home too." (!!) Hilarious!!

Anyway, here are some pictures from the graduation. We are all so proud of Julie and all of her accomplishments!

Yay Julie!!!

Before Danika got bored.

When she wasn't running around in the lobby she was keeping busy :o)

Proud Family!

Love you Jules!

Art blog

As I've said in previous posts I'm getting into looking at blogs about all sorts of things. I found this cool elementary art blog. They have some great ideas. Check it out!

Art Lessons for Kids

Tasty

Well as Rachel Ray would say...

Yum-o!

I just cooked lunch for my family and it turned out wonderfully. I was trying something new and cooking with wine. You have to try this recipe. It was easy, easy, easy. The only thing I'm facing now is finding other recipes to use the wine in. I have a lot left over and I'm not a fan of the taste when just drinking it. Cooked it is wonderful though.

I don't have a picture of the meal, because my family devoured it. But you can look at it at the website where I found it. Here it is!

Chicken Marsala

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour for coating
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - pounded 1/4 inch thick
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup Marsala wine
• 1/4 cup cooking sherry

Directions:

1. In a shallow dish or bowl, mix together the flour, salt, pepper and oregano. Coat chicken pieces in flour mixture.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter in oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the pan, and lightly brown. Turn over chicken pieces, and add mushrooms. Pour in wine and sherry. Cover skillet; simmer chicken 10 minutes, turning once, until no longer pink and juices run clear.

I'm kinda funny because I go through fazes of cooking and baking. I'll cook and love it and then get lazy and not cook. I'm sure it drives my mother nuts. I've been thinking a lot more about cooking though since I am moving out in a week. I want to eat healthy and cook meals for myself, but I think cooking for one person can be a challenge. I'm keeping my eyes opened for good recipes and cook books that will work for me. This recipe might not be the best for just one person, but I'll cook it for my family for sure.

Food!!

Lately I've enjoyed looking at craft and food blogs. This is one that Kate Brown showed me. I love it! Mostly because it shows pictures. I need to see pictures of food in order to be interested in it. :o) www.tastespotting.com directs you to personal blogs with recipes. There are a few ads that you might have to say "no thanks" to, but the ideas on the site are worth it!

Here is one of the great ideas I found on the web site.

This might look like dirt, but it is actually a great idea!

Here is the link for this great idea. It is for coffee. I am planning on trying this. It is especially a good idea for someone who does not have a coffee maker. Since I am planning on moving out soon and my new place doesn't really have room for a coffee maker I am going to give this a try.

Pictures soon to come of my little apartment/granny unit. I move in next month!!

Quilting

I am trying something new. I have decided to make baby quilts for my friends. It started out when I made one for Danika when she was born. I think it is such a special thing. So when I found out my friend Kelley was going to have a baby this summer (any day now) I got busy working on a quilt for her new little girl. It is definitely challenging and I am no where near an expert, but I find it enjoyable. I did have a little trouble with one of the fabrics I chose, but I got over it eventually. :o)

This is the quilt I made for Kelley's baby. Kelley helped me pick out the fabric which made it even more special. She couldn't wait to see what it turned out like. She studied interior design so has a good eye for colors and patterns. And the colors she picked out go with her baby's room. I am so excited for her sweet little girl to be wrapped up in this blanket.