I used to be afraid of spaghetti squash.

I was afraid of spaghetti squash.

I was intrigued, sure.  I mean goreous golden strands that look like buttery lovely pasta?

But I mean, it's not pasta and it's WEIRD that it seems like pasta.

WEIRD, I say.

But, I did it.  I not only tried some, I roasted & shredded it mysef.  And oh, the shredding.  The sweet sweet shredding.  Funnest thing ever.

Don't be a fool like I was!  Make this.  Make it soon or you'll forget & then you'll try it years later & kick yourself in the butt when you realize how long you could have been eating deliciousness healthy.

And it's EASY too.

Buy one of these.

Cut it in half, scrape the seeds out with a spoon.  Then roast in the oven {cut side down} at 425 degrees for 30-45 minutes.  I did end up adding a bit of water to the pan.

I let mine cool a little bit, then you take two forks and kind of rake the squash.  All of the strands will pull apart nice and fluffy.

And you end up with a big giant bowl of yum.

I made a chicken marsala to put over the top {which was really good}, but really you could just toss with a little olive oil and garlic if you wanted to keep it simple.  I am going to make this again.  and again.  and probably again.  Because it works for me!

Visit the other great tips at WFMW hosted by We Are THAT Family.  And if you're not a total dork like me and you already know the deliciousness that is spaghetti squash, tell me how YOU prepare it.  I'd love to get some new recipes!

WFMW - Reusable Coffee Filters

We are by far NOT the greenest household on the block.  We have old {leaky} windows, we run too many loads of laundry, we keep trying, but we've yet to break our paper towel habit, and until a few weeks ago we didn't have a dishwasher.  We're not perfect.  But we do try to buy local, we take bags to the grocery, we do a little gardening, we compost, and we recycle.  Baby steps.

One baby step that we love is our re-usable coffee filter.  We are a coffee drinking household, a pot, sometimes two each day.  Several years ago we came across a reusable coffee filter and were intrigued.  We haven't looked back. As a highly conservative estimation, we've saved at least 1,000 coffee filters.  So explore the possibilities, won't you?  Sure, it's just a small thing, but small things lead to big things and that works for me!

If you're interested in other tips, check out Works For Me Wednesday over at We Are THAT Family!

Your Book Recommendations Please! - WFMW {Backwards Edition}

This is theme week on Works For Me Wednesday.  It is a backwards edition where I ask YOU a question instead of providing a tip of my own. 

I am in serious need of some new reading material.  Serious.  Need.

Right now I'm reading Obsolete by Anna James Grossman and another book that I am saving for a post of its own because it is making me smile that much.  Some books I love and recommend highly are Memoires of a Geisha, the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanavitch, The Year of Living Biblicly by AJ Jacobs, The Idiot Girls Action Adventure Club by Laurie Notaro, Lottery by Patricia Wood, Freakonomics, the Harry Potter series, and The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer.  So yeah, a little bit of everything!  Oh, and I *may* have a secret addiction to the Gossip Girl book series too.

Tell me what to read next, your favorites, books you loved and would recommend to your best friend!  I'm so looking forward to hearing your suggestions.

WFMW - Meals for New Moms

One of the most fabulous gifts we were given after coming home with Finnegan was several weeks worth of meals.  It started in the hospital, my mom would bring us lunches and dinners from favorite restaurants so we weren't subjected to the horrendous hospital food.  Then we came home and lovely friends would stop over with a day or two of meals, often something that could be frozen if we didn't want to eat it that night.  My Meme made us sloppy joes, Suz brought an unbelievable Greek salad, my mom made pork tenderloin & fabulous green salad, Annie dropped off a lasagne and on and on with delicious meals, most homemade.  They included desserts, side dishes, sometimes breakfast items for the next morning and if we were lucky they stayed and held Finnegan and we actually sat down to a hot meal together.  It was heartfelt, amazingly helpful, and gave us one less thing to worry about in our sleep deprived crazy new parent state.  It was bliss.  Pure bliss.

Since those days two and a half years ago, I have had the pleasure of delivering beef & black bean enchiladas, pasta & sauce with garlic bread and salad, and beef stew to my friends in those first days home with their new babies.  I get to witness those exhausted, appreciative smiles as a warm meal is put into their hands and it makes me happy that I can do something small to help ease them into their new reality.  Tomorrow I get to see TWO of those happy faces as I deliver my chicken gyros, tzatziki, orzo pasta salad, & fruit salad to Colin James and his happy parents & big brother and Matilda Mei and her loving parents and gaggle of siblings.  It is quite a Christmas gift to me to have two new little ones that I get to oooh and ahhhh over... and promptly return to their parents!

If you haven't ever taken a dinner over to a new parent, I encourage you to do so.  And if you have, please leave a comment for me telling me what great dish you've taken.  It's always fun to have new items in my meal delivering arsenal!  If you've enjoyed this tip, head over to Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family & read other great ideas!

Happy Wednesday!

House Sitter Gift & Preparation - WFMW

We're leaving for our California adventure {see here for all of theFAB guest posters who will be delighting you daily} and my sister has graciously offered to house sit for us while we're away.  It's a pretty big undertaking to care for Dexter and Monty, plus the house while we're gone, so we wanted to do a little something nice for her.

Here are my tips for nice things to do for your house sitter:

1. Stock your fridge, freezer, & pantry with items that your house sitter enjoys.  Ask for their favorite cereal, beverages, & snacks.  Then, make sure you have milk, juice, bread, etc... also.
2. Clean {does this really need to be stated?} your house.  Pay special attention to the bathroom, putting out fresh towels & toiletries.  Put clean sheets on the bed your house sitter will be staying in.  Vacuum, dust, & pick up.  It doesn't need to be immaculate, but it does need to be clean.
3. A small gift is a nice thing to also leave.  We chose to leave a $15 gift card to the movie store near our house & a special present that I can't reveal just yet because she may read this before she arrives tomorrow.  Some other gift ideas?  You could leave cash for a pizza, you could get a gift card for fast food near you, you could prep a meal and leave it in the fridge or freezer, any small token is great.
4. Leave notes on how to use the tv, dvd player, washing machine, programmable thermostat, coffee/espresso machine, or anything else that might be complicated to change, turn on, etc... 
5. Leave a list of emergency contacts.  Your cell number, a relative in town, & vet numbers are a good place to start.
6. Last, but in my opinion, the most important.  Leave a heartfelt thank you note.  It doesn't have to be long, jut enough to convey your appreciation for their help.

Finally, enjoy your vacation, knowing that your house & your house sitter are being taken care of!

Would you like more awesome tips?  Hop on over to We are THAT Family for Works For Me Wednesday. 

WFMW: Merging Traditions.

I started dating Dave during the Thanksgiving holiday only neither of us were really sure it was technically dating so much as he really liked me and I finally let him make out with me and then I took him to my work prom {aka: Holiday semi-formal dinner dance} and he danced like a jackass in front of the VP of my division and about every other company officer in attendance after a glass or two of scotch and we had the best time.  And then, we went to the bar all dressed up and I met his friends and he sang Bye Bye Bye in karoke, which I can never remember which one of the boy bands sings, but it was AWFUL and they did the hand motions and everything and I was pretty sure he was, in fact, gay and I laughed so hard that my face hurt the next day.  That first Christmas, I took him to meet my family and my mother and sister both told me that he was the man I would marry, but I was a commitment-phobe so I thought for sure they were lunatics and assured them that they were certifiable and I was not going to marry him.  And then BAM two years later, Thanksgiving brought an amazing and perfect ring to my finger and I'm still not even sure what the heck I was thinking because he still dances like a jackass and sprained his ankle this year at his sister's wedding while we were dancing to Shook Me All Night Long because well, we were kidless for the night and still, after all these years, have an amazingly good time together. 

Where was I?  Oh right, I tell you all of this because, while he was an amazing man and I fell for him, we come from VASTLY different Christmas traditions.  And I think because we were thrown into each other's holiday fire so early in our dating {Hello!  A month into dating??!?!} it made it even more pronounced, glaring in fact.  His family is a Norman Rockwell painting and mine is National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  I'm not even kidding.  I am pretty sure he wanted to run screaming from the house as the political debates began and the frenzy of dogs and kids and laughter and insanity ensued.  I wanted to run screaming from the house when everyone went quietly to the perfectly set table and made small talk and I and didn't sleep most of the night thanks to his Oma's super charged coffee, which he had failed to warn me about.  It was bizarre and uncomfortable for both of us.  But we got through it.  Barely.

The first year we were married, we sat down together and talked about what we both expected from the holidays.  We made decisions about how we could successfully spend time with each side of the family and have the time to enjoy it.  Did we want to alternate years with each family?  Did we want to go to our own family events without the other one?  Did we want to cut dinner with my family or with his?  Was it important to him to attend church with his family?  Was it important to wake up Christmas morning at my dad's house or would it be fine to just join everyone in the morning?   We talked about Christmas traditions, what was important to each of us, and it made more sense.  That year, we both enjoyed spending time with each others families a lot more.  We understood what the important pieces were and we made sure to accomodate each other to achieve a balance and have a good time together.  And you know, now the differences aren't so glaring.  Dave sees the sweet, family loving side to the Griswalds and I see that there is a little twinkle of mischief in the eye of his Norman Rockwell painting.  It's amazing what a little talking & compromise can do, and that works for me us.

Want tons of great holiday tips?  Head over to We Are That Family for Works For Me Wednesday!

H1N1 Vaccine (WFMW) & Brain Dump Randomness

OK, I'm likely opening up a whole can of Works for Me Wednesday worms here.  Please head over to We are THAT Family for more fabulousness.  If you choose to comment on the vaccine, I would ask that you are respectful of everyone's {personal} decision on this matter.  Onward...

Yesterday, we spent five hours waiting to get the H1N1 vaccine.  It was a last minute decision to get down there so we took off without having made provisions for waiting that long with a two and a half year old during what is supposed to be his naptime.  Yeah.  Aside from the excruciatingly long wait, the Ohio Health Department in Wood County did an amazing job of keeping everyone informed about what was going on, the levels of the amount of vaccines available {the mist was readily available, the shot was limited} and even brought out bags of snacks & tissues, etc... to keep hundreds of people comfortable during the wait.  Thankfully, it was a gorgeous day to be outside and the kids had a great time running around on the grass getting all of their energy out.  I wish I had thought to bring my camera to document the process, but sadly I didn't. 

We went with the mist even though we had the choice, it was painless, we've had zero side effects, and though it is a live virus, it's also thimerosol free.  There is a weird swing going on right now with negative information regarding the vaccine, but quite honestly I feel really good about our decision to vaccinate.  H1N1 seems to be rampant in our area of the country and knowing friends that have been going through it, it is something I'd like to take every precaution to avoid if possible.  I fully realize that the vaccine isn't a guarantee, but it is a precaution just like washing our hands {which we also do} on a regular basis.   My husband and I read a lot of information before making that decision and I would encourage everyone to do the same.

So what are your H1N1 vaccine plans?


And on to the brain dump randomness...

• Why is it not possible to get out of Target for less than $40?  Ever.  Seriously.  And mostly it's well over that!  Target you crazy bastard of lovely items, please stop being so awesome and filled with wonderful things.
• I am really considering purchasing the GoGo Kidz for our trip to California.  Though, it bugs me to no end when people spell things with a Z instead of an S.  I ask you... is this something that should preclude me from purchasing?
• I have been dying to make quiche, so that is my plan for dinner tomorrow night if I can get my ass in gear.  I love serving it with a green salad & homemade vinagerette.
• The "Balloon Boy" story really pisses me off.  Ummm great thing to teach your children, lying to get on a reality tv show.  And the whole alien abduction thing?  Sweet.
• The husband is on a business trip this week & I sleep better when he's gone.  Is that terrible or what?
• I am working my way through my 101 Things in 1001 Days list!  I'm also going to get the book The Next Thing On My List thanks to Katie's Random Post.
• I can not wait to spend a weekend with my sisters... yep, that's right... I'm dragging along Lyndsey to Kentucky to see Elise.  I feel badly for Dave and the insanity he's going to endure with the three of us. 
• Finn is obsessed with monsters lately and I'm not quite sure where he's getting that.  He keeps telling me that he's afraid of the bad monsters in the basement.  Not fun.  Right now we're telling him that monsters don't live in the basement and that they don't exist.  Any ideas on how to fix this?
• Breakups suck, not only for the people going through it, but for everyone else who has to watch.  {Love you both tremendously.}

Whew.  Ifyou're still reading, thank you for letting me get all of that out!  I promise not to blog whilst waiting for the Advil PM to kick in ever again that often. 

Happy Wednesday!

Make SAVING Automatic - WFMW

If the current state of the economy hasn't convinced you that you should start saving, what is it that will convince you?  I've heard more excuses than you can imagine from my friends.  But, I don't have any money!  I always mean to save, but I forget!  We don't have any money left at the end of the month!  We had *insert excuse here* come up and couldn't save.  The kids needed *insert item here* and we had to buy that. 

No excuses. Make saving automatic.  If it helps you along, make it feel like you're making any other payment.  Once you make it painful to spend that money psychologically, you'll find that it gets so much easier to make that money grow!

How do we do it? 

First, the mechanics.  We use Virtual Bank for our money market savings account. {If you'd like a referral, send me an email sowonderfulsomarvelous (at) gmail... we both earn $20.}  You can use any of the online banking options that are out there, I encourage you to take a look at all of the options and choose the best for you and your family.  I have several friends that rave about ING Direct.  The reason I love an online banking option is that it puts the cash *just* out of reach enough that you have to think about spending it, just make sure when you are looking at your options that it is federally insured.  It generally takes 2-3 business days for a transfer back into our checking account from our VB account.

Second, put it into action.  Set up an automatic payment.  You can do this daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, etc... the more often you deposit the better compound interest works for you.  And with that small action, you can just forget about it.  The money will be automatically taken out of your account each week, month, etc...

If money is tight in your household, start with just $5 per week.  Every little bit counts and you can always add more when it is possible. 

Saving automatically works for me!

For all of the other fabulous tips, check out Works for me Wednesday over at the always fabulous We Are THAT Family. 

Keeping Wood Floors Clean - WFMW

Welcome to the cleaning tip version of Works For Me Wednesday.  To view all of the FABULOUS cleaning tips this week, head over to The Cleaning Edition at We Are THAT Family!

{image via Windex}

My secret to keeping my 92 year old wood floors sparkling?  I use a soft cloth dustmop {I have a Libeman} on them at least once a week and/or vacuum {make sure to turn off the brush!}  Then,  once a month I wash them with a solution of windex and warm water.  I think the best way to do it is on hands and knees with a soft cloth, but I've been known to use a mop from time to time too.  I just put maybe a cup in with 3-4 gallons of warm water.  I can't take credit for this tip though... my step-mom has her own cleaning company and she was the one that taught me this one!  This solution also works on my kitchen floors which are the snap in place engineered stuff.

Want some more crazy cleaning fun?  See the garage clean out before and after.  Visit my Monica closet.

And in keeping with full disclosure, I am quite sure that Windex doesn't know who I am or that I am blogging about their product, so no, this isn't a paid gig. 

Free Movies WFMW

There is a chill in the air around here, fall is upon us in this area of the country.  We're on the go a lot in the summer, but in the fall and winter we like to slow down and do more around the house.  That means catching up on the new fall shows, hosting game nights, and watching movies & tv shows that we don't get because we're a cable-free house.  {Another thing that Ash, my bloggy BFF and I have in common!}

Just a little aside because I get asked lots of questions about going cable free... Yes, it was a little difficult to give up cable when I first did it about 9 years ago.  No, we don't miss it.  Yes, Finn watches TV, PBS Kids has amazing programming.  We have all of the major stations NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, and PBS.  Each of those has 3 digital signals apiece, usually a "weather" station, old programming {similar to TBS}, and their regular programming.  PBS has their regular station, Create {with programming similar to HGTV}, and PBS Kids, so that is what we watch most.

So back to my WFMW tip!  Here is the big secret to FREE movies... the local library!  That's right, the library!  They carry most movies, tv shows, etc. that are released.  We have borrowed everything from entire seasons of Entourage {LOVE} to Elmo's World to our current obsession, The Tudors.  FOR FREE! 

Not many people realize, unless they are regular library users, that you can get more than just documentaries and old stuff at the library.  Take advantage of this community provided service and keep some cash in your pocket!  Check with your local library on their rules, but ours allows you to keep new releases for two weeks, older movies can even be renewed online and you can hang on to them for a month.

This post is a part of Works For Me Wednesday over at We Are THAT Family.  Head over there to link up and/or check out the best hints, tips, and ideas on the web. 

Happy reading & happy Wednesday!

WFMW: Finally figuring out Google Reader!

I am resistant to change.  Once I'm through it, I embrace it like nobody's business, but it's hard to get me there.  Enter Google Reader.  So many peeps told me to try it.  *Cough*Jen Amy Britt Em Bunny *Cough*  Hello... I don't even Twitter!  It took me FOREVER to Facebook and then my blogging went by the wayside thanks to that little addiction addition to my online time.  {Love to Kimesha!}  So no thank you Google Reader! 

Anyway, I've always had most of my daily reads in my blogroll and didn't see the need for Reader, that is until I got my own fancy domain name and POOF for some reason my blogroll disappeared.  Wait for it... yes... DISAPPEARED!  I know that I'm a little dramatic, but once I stopped hyperventiling and freaking out Dave worked his magic mojo (not THAT magic mojo... get your mind out of the gutter) and POOF got me a screen shot of it so I could begin slowly re-adding.  Well, with that help came the lecture about why I didn't have a back up copy somewhere, alas I had to force myself to embrace the idea of Reader.  And as you will notice the short blog list over there in my sidebar, I've embraced it so much that the blogroll has been put on the backburner.

I would also like to take this short interlude to say I am an idiot for not embracing it sooner!  I LOVE Google Reader!  Like, love love, not just sort of love.

I really am not an expert, but here is a nudge from me to go explore a bit yourself.  I have added some great new blogs to my list of daily reads thanks to the SUGGESTIONS feature.  AWESOME if I do say so myself that it finds things you might like and it's not entirely random... they pick things I actually like!  I love that you can STAR A POST (for your own personal favorites), you can LIKE A POST (can be seen by others), and you can SHARE A POST (send it to your friends) if it is something you want to pass on.  I can even put a NOTE on it!  It tells me what I've read, what is ready to be read and I don't even have to think about it.  Swoon!

So, the only thing I'm not super thrilled-a-potumus with is the fact that I think it kind of strips the personality out of the blog a bit.  Sure pics come through, but I really love seeing headers and color and the personality of the blog I am reading, a simple click through (clicking on the blog name takes you directly to the blog) and that solves the issues of leaving comments also.

If you want to see the other loveliness that is Works for me Wednesday, head over to We Are THAT Family and check it out! 

And if you get your Reader figured out (or you are already a pro), you're more than welcome to add So Wonderful, So Marvelous to your list of reads with just a click of an RSS button over there on my sidebar.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!