Last week came and gone

Well folks.........last week came and gone and I never managed to post. Ack...........I can't believe it. So what does this mean??? It means I need to set up a designated time each day to post.

Share my recipe Sunday- Easy Vegetable Minestrone Soup

Easy Vegetable Minestrone Soup with Garlic Bread

1 tsp Canola Oil
· 1 large onion
· 2 stalks celery
· 2-3 carrots
· 2 tsp prepared garlic (from a jar)
· 4 cups (900 ml) Vegetable Broth, Low-Sodium
· 1 can diced tomatoes (14 oz / 398 ml)
· 1 can mixed beans (19 oz / 540 ml)
· 2 tbsp tomato paste
· 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
· 1/8 tsp fresh pepper
· 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
· 1/4 cup basil pesto (from a jar)
· Water

· 1 x baguette or French loaf
· 2 tbsp butter (1 tbsp per side)
· 1/2 tsp garlic powder
· 1/2 tsp parsley flakes
· 2 cups macaroni

Directions:
1. Take out equipment and ingredients.
2. In the morning:
3. Heat oil in a large stove-top pot at med-high. You can also omit the oil and prepare this soup in a slow cooker.
4. Finely chop onion adding to pot as you cut.
5. Slice celery and carrots thinly and add to pot as you cut.
6. Add garlic.
7. Gradually add vegetable stock, tomatoes, mixed beans, tomato paste, spices, Parmesan cheese and pesto.
8. Cover with lid and simmer on low heat until dinner.
9. When you get home for dinner:
10. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Fill a large stove-top pot with water and bring to a boil for macaroni.
11. Meanwhile: Slice bread lengthwise, lightly butter and sprinkle with garlic powder and parsley.
12. Put bread in oven butter side up and turn oven off.
13. Add macaroni to boiling water. Set timer for 7 minutes. Once macaroni is ready, rinse and set aside.
14. Serve macaroni in the bottom of each bowl and pour hot soup overtop.
15. YUUMMMM!!!! Don't forget to take the bread out!

Organizing Tip for the Home Office

Home Office

In the office there are many items that you can use to organize that don't cost alot of money either.

This week's suggestion:

Use an old shoebox covered with wall paper samples, scrapbooking paper, or fabric to hold chargers for all the electronics in the house (especially cell phones and pagers) with holes cut out for the cords. You will never lose another charger again!

I'm back...........and posting again

Hi everyone, I'm back and ready to be posting again.

I am going to set myself up with a schedule for my posting....

Sunday: Organizing Tip
Monday: Meal Plan for the Week,
Tuesday: Decorating Tip
Wednesday: New Recipe
Thursday: Housekeeping Tip
Friday: Money Saving Tip
Saturday: Organizing Article

What color is your mind?

Your Mind is Blue

Of all the mind types, yours is the most mellow. You tend to be in a meditative state most of the time. You don't try to think away your troubles. Your thoughts are realistic, fresh, and honest. You truly see things as how they are. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about your friends, your surroundings, and your life.

http://www.blogthings.com/whatcolorisyourmindquiz/">What Color Is Your Mind?

The lazy days of summer

1. What is your favorite summer drink? Lemonade, ice tea, pepsi (everything with ice)
2. What is the best summer sport to play? tennis
3. What’s the best summer sport to watch? I love sports, maybe baseball, swimming, track and field, etc. Thank goodness for the olympics
4. Do you like the ocean, the pool or the lake? Definately the ocean
5. Some folks drink whiskey in the winter and gin, tequila (margaritas) or rum drinks in the summer. Does you alcohol of choice change? margaritas and pineapple rum
6. What is your favorite summer song? Anything by the beach boys
7. What was your best summer growing up? How old were you and why was it best? All my summers were fun, maybe the year my younger brother was born
8. Have you ever had a summer romance that you knew would end? Just at camp one year when I was 13
9. How old were you when you first went skinny-dipping? Who were you with? Friends, 15 years old I think

Debt-Proof Living Summer Olympics

Part of my inspiration came from Mary Hunt’s Debt-Proof Living (DPL) Summer Olympics. You challenge yourself to a personal financial project (your event or events) that you start when the Olympics begin on Aug. 8 and finish before they end on Aug. 24. I remember when Hunt hosted a similar event in 2006, hundreds of people participated. You can get on board by : http://www.moneyrulesdebtstinks.com/?p=356#comment-6743