Tag: Small Success

Small Success: Back to the Kitchen

franciscanmom5 Comments

Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

Catholic-Mom-Small-Success-720x340-Dark-Blue-Border

I’ve been taking advantage of the lack of rehearsals, performances and other outside-the-house commitments over the last few days to get a long-neglected chore completed and doing a lot of baking (and recipe blogging! I’d had a 2-week unplanned hiatus from my cooking blog, but I more than made up for that this week.)

First, the chore. I’ll start my Walk of Shame by admitting that when I took all the ornaments off the Christmas tree, I put them straight into a box and a shopping bag and never wrapped them up to protect them in storage. Then that box and bag sat on top of the storage bins where the ornaments belong–right behind my front door–for two solid months. Yesterday I bit the bullet, turned on “Property Brothers” on HGTV (that channel is my guilty pleasure) and got every last ornament packed away properly in just 1 1/2 episodes.

That’s one of those chores that just gets put off and put off for no good reason and stares you in the face and makes you feel awful about your housekeeping abilities until you get it done.

And then, the baking (a little cooking, too!) I wanted to put my mom’s Irish soda bread recipe up for St. Patrick’s Day. I didn’t bake one this year because only Hubs and I eat it and this recipe makes a huge soda bread.

granma-scones-and-teaInstead, this morning I made Irish biscuits for breakfast. YUM. In this photo they look more like scones, but Granma made them two ways: sliced like scones or as drop biscuits, which is what I did this morning because I was feeling lazy and they taste equally delicious either way.

File Mar 16, 4 31 09 PM

Yesterday I tried a new bread recipe that was a total hit! One of my cousins shared a link to a recipe for a certain type of bread that’s only made in the corner of Ireland where Granma grew up. I’ll be sharing that recipe on Saturday at Cook and Count.

irish tea brack

Want some more Irish baking ideas? Try Tea Brack (and use good strong tea, like Irish breakfast, to make it!)

And a decidedly NOT Irish cooking success came when I wound up with over 6 cups of mashed potatoes after my daughter decided to try to make pierogi over the weekend while I was at the theatre. The first pierogi didn’t work so she abandoned the effort but saved the potatoes. What was I going to do with all of those?

pierogi lasagna (13) C

That’s Pierogi Lasagna right there, and you’ll find the recipe tomorrow at Cook and Count. Perfect for your Meatless Friday and a frugal way to use up those mashed potatoes!

It’s felt good to be back in the kitchen cooking (and back at the desk, writing about cooking) after being so busy at the theatre. No more rehearsals until after Easter vacation, when TheKid starts gearing up for Pippin at the high school he’ll be attending next year. He can’t wait!

Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!

Small Success: Showtime!

franciscanmom2 Comments

Small Success dark blue outline 800x800Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

I’ve spent two days this week at the community theatre as a stagehand for TheKid’s show. If you’ve never been a stagehand, let me tell you that it’s a tougher job than you might think. There’s squeezing into small spaces, moving quickly and precisely during short blackouts, and doing a large part of your job in the dark while dodging cast members in (sometimes large) costumes who are trying to get to their places for the next scene.

Today they designated me Substitute Stage Manger for some crazy reason, and I had a young apprentice who wanted to help, so I decided that he’d be the Props-meister, and he did a great job taking care of some small but very important details during each show.

There were no Confetti Malfunctions.

I love this set! It opens up for the Beast's castle. And check out the tiny little mouse hole!
I love this set! It opens up for the Beast’s castle. And check out the tiny little mouse hole!

Last weekend I ran the box office (as I will do again this weekend) and so far the register has balanced each time.

AND I’ve coordinated the food donations for Saturday afternoon’s cast party. I’m bringing a slow cooker full of vodka pasta and a batch of Oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies, because the kids love those and it’s become a tradition.

We celebrated TheKid’s birthday (Sunday) and his Confirmation (Monday).

I’m almost caught up on the laundry. We’re not talking about the state of the rest of the house, but costume pieces needed to be washed yesterday, and I’m going to need that “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” T-shirt clean for weekend box-office wear.

I’m about ready to stop juggling now, but it’s (mostly) been a great time, except for that little bit on Tuesday morning when I had a Near Occasion of Intimidation resulting from contact with someone who has that kind of personality that intimidates me.

Oh yeah, and that part today when I turned around too quickly after moving the set and ran SMACK into a piece that sticks out. That’ll leave a mark…

Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!

Small Success: A Better than Average Day

franciscanmom2 Comments

Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

Yesterday, one of the writers from CatholicMom concluded an email, “I hope you’re having a better than average Wednesday.”

And thinking about it, I was! It was a pretty good day and I’d gotten quite a bit done.

–I found our copy of Veritatis Splendor that a friend mentioned she was hoping to read and remembered to bring it to Mass to pass along to her.

–My trip to the thrift shop to search for costume pieces for TheKid for his upcoming show (he’s Cogsworth in Beauty and the Beast) was a success! He needed brown dress pants and I also picked up a belt, because he can’t take his regular belt and leave it at the theatre for 3 weeks in his costume box. If he does, he’ll be out of uniform at school. I found both those items, and the pants had the Half-Price Tag Color of the Day, so for $5.50 I got two like-new items. And after the show, I’ll donate those pants back to Goodwill, since it’s not too likely that he’ll want to wear brown dress pants anywhere.

–I remembered to pick up the book TheKid had on reserve at the library before that hold expired.

–I fixed my guitar tuner (I think) after I didn’t put it away in the right place and a piece of the mount broke off. Hot-glue gun for the win–and plenty of motivation to put it back where it belongs next time.

–And on Monday, when I was booted offline thanks to a Comcast nationwide internet outage, I cleaned out a closet where we keep games no one plays. Some are trash, some will be donated to school and some (new in their shrink wrap) will be saved for Toys for Tots next Christmas. What did I do with the closet space? I put all the diabetes stuff in one place. We get 3 months of supplies at a time, and that takes up a lot of space. It’s good to have it all together and sorted out so that we use things in the correct order and don’t wind up with expired test strips.

Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!

Small Success: Spiffy

franciscanmom1 Comment

Small Success dark blue outline 800x800Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

This morning’s mad scramble went down without inordinate yelling on my part. There was a little, but it was deserved. TheKid told me Monday while we were in the car that he needed 2 baby pictures to bring to school for a bulletin-board display. He did not specify the due date, just saying it was “soon.” And then he didn’t mention it again, so we both forgot about it until he woke up THIS morning.

May I just say that it’s hard to scrape up baby pictures for a child born squarely in the digital-camera age? After tearing a closet apart, I finally found 10 for him to choose from.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

I still stand by the part where I yelled at him for not telling me about this when we were at home, before the assignment was due; if I’d even known yesterday afternoon I could have sent the exact photo he wanted (shown above) to CVS to be printed.

Also, looking at photos of a certain cute but mischievous toddler does tend to reduce the irritation at his teenage self…just a bit. But WHY do they think that telling you that they need stuff when you’re nowhere near the point of delivery will go anywhere toward making sure they get said stuff?

I finally got the Christmas decorations down. All but one last thing that I just noticed as I looked toward the dining room. Now I have to figure out where my daughter put the box for that; she’s the one who put the decorations up this year.

I also have to put all the stuff back in the closet that I took out when I was looking for baby pictures. Lucky me.

Cook and Count logoAnd I spiffed up the look of my cooking blog. I definitely like it better this way, and it’s much easier to find the recipes you want.

Finally, a note from my morning. I’ve been baking a few slices of bacon each day for TheKid’s breakfast, with an extra slice or two for me and TheDad. But TheKid is always trying to poach TheDad’s bacon.

TheKid: “Dad, did you eat the bacon?”
TheDad: “Yes! Thanks!”
Me: “Don’t thank him for not eating bacon that wasn’t his to eat…”

Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!

© 2016 Barb Szyszkiewicz

Small Success: Healing in Progress

franciscanmom4 Comments

Small Success dark blue outline 800x800Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

I used to count it a success if I made the time in the week to get to the gym for a walk on the treadmill, or to get outside for a good brisk walk (it’s 9/10 of a mile around my block, so with a little extra pass by the neighbor’s house, I can make it an easy mile).

And then I injured a tendon in my foot and was assigned, just before Thanksgiving, to wear a very stylish walking boot for six weeks—from morning ‘til night. No exceptions.

das bootI told TheKid that if he caught me walking around without that boot, I’d pay him a dollar.

I wore the boot to Thankgiving dinner, Mass on Sundays and Christmas Day, a concert I was playing in (hey, it’s black, so it blended in with concert dress), and New Year’s Eve. I wore it all the time.

I couldn’t climb up and down stepladders and stools wearing this boot, so I had to let go of my own personal Christmastime point of pride: stringing 1500+ lights on the Christmas tree. My daughter did the lights. There are under 1000 lights on the tree this year but it still looks beautiful, and I’m happy that my daughter was willing and able to do the job I couldn’t do.

I couldn’t go to the mall and do the Christmas shopping, but that’s why I have Amazon Prime, and my husband and the kids picked up the slack and went to the store for me.

The other day, the doctor said I can transition out of the boot. I only need to wear it after lunch until bedtime, through Sunday, and then I can leave it off completely. However, I must wear good supportive sneakers at all times for 5 weeks.

Even to Mass on Sundays. That’ll look lovely.

Also, I’m supposed to be sedentary when I’m out of the boot, which is why I waited until after lunch to go grocery shopping yesterday.

This doctor is not a mom. He has no idea about what moms consider “sedentary.” For me, it means I sit when I’m not cooking, doing laundry, running errands, or cleaning—though I’ve farmed out a good deal of cleaning and lowered my standards there. I’m pretty sure my doctor does not intend for me to spend an hour or more on my feet each evening, cooking and then cleaning up afterward. I should probably plan some slow-cooker meals for next week.

I stuck with the boot for 6 weeks; I’m hoping to stick to sedentary-and-sneakers for 5. I’m avoiding foot surgery, and that’s a success. I’m accepting help from Hubs and the kids, which is hard for me to do, so that’s a success.

God did not send me a foot injury, but he did put me in a place where I can survive off my feet (sort of) for several weeks. My kids are older now; one teenager and two young adults (only one of whom lives here). And I’m not teaching, so I’m not standing all day as part of my job. (No, there will not be a standing desk in my future anytime soon.)

I’m healing. I’m delegating. And I’m letting things go. Success!

Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!

Small Success: Still Walking

franciscanmom3 Comments

Small Success dark blue outline 800x800Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

  • I finally bit the bullet and completed the outline I was writing for a book project I’d been asked to participate in. I think the scariest part was actually OPENING THE FILE. Once I got going, it just flowed. Now I’m waiting for input from my cowriters, and then I’ll get it submitted.
  • I haven’t killed myself yet, walking around in this boot. I did discover that it works well to carry things in a basket with a handle that I can loop my arm through, since I’m a bit off balance in this thing.
  • I walked away and left my 19-year-old daughter to her own devices as she carved our post-Thanksgiving turkey on Saturday. When you’re carving poultry, there is no room for micromanagement. It wasn’t going to end well, so I had to just let go and leave her to it. While she did observe that she’ll probably never have a career as a surgeon, I think she did just fine (and the turkey was delicious.)

Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!

Small Success: Musical Wake-up Call

franciscanmom1 Comment

Small Success dark blue outline 800x800Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

First things first. You need to go over and read Sherry Antonetti’s post that explains why Small Success is such an important thing. There’s not always a lot of participation, but it’s good to do the writing, to reflect on what goes right, to be grateful.

I’ve made my mornings a little easier by coming up with a way to get TheKid out of bed that involves a lot less yelling. His alarm goes off; he ignores it. I call for him 5 minutes later; he ignores me. 5 minutes after that, I head in with my Secret Weapon: my tablet with a Spotify playlist I’ve titled “Teenage Musical Torture.” Here it is, for your listening…um…pleasure.

My friends on Facebook helped me craft the playlist. My criteria specified that I had to be able to put up with the song, so some suggestions were denied because of that.

It’s good, though. He’s laughing, not grumpy, when he gets out of bed.

I find that anything by the Brady Bunch works particularly well. “Disco Duck” is also quite effective.

In other news, both the Big Kids have come home for dinner this week. Not on the same night, but they both came home for dinner. That’s a family success.

And I remembered to buy a set of Advent candles. Let this serve as your reminder, moms: Advent begins in 10 days! Go get some candles!

Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!

 

Monday Recap: November 16, 2015

franciscanmomLeave a comment

Monday Recap-What I've been writing

There’s been a whole lot of cooking going on this week at Cook and Count, with plenty of new recipes–plus some Tech Talk and a Small Success at CatholicMom. And don’t forget my Sunday Series for Diabetes Awareness Month.

At CatholicMom.com

conquering twitter in 10 minutes a day coverTech Talk: Conquering Twitter in 10 Minutes a Day

Your Twitter account isn’t going to grow itself. If you’d like to learn to use Twitter to better promote your business, organization or project, try the lessons in Katharine Grubb’s new ebook, Conquering Twitter in 10 Minutes a Day. I road-tested the advice in this ebook and described the results.

 

 

Small Success dark blue outline 800x800Small Success Thursday: Better Late than Never Edition

Standing in once again for the usual Small Success hostess.

At Cook and Count

double choc mm cookies T C (8)

Giant Double Chocolate M&M Cookies

pork chop cider mustard roasted veg (2)T C

Roasted Vegetables with Apples

pork chop cider mustard roasted veg (6)T C

Pork Chops with Apple Cider-Mustard Glaze

Giant sugar cookies with sprinkles (8)cT

Giant Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles

FF-spice-FB

Frugal Fridays: DIY Spice Blends

measuring devices (1)c

What’s Different about Cooking for Diabetics?
The answer just might surprise you!

Small Success in Standard Time

franciscanmomLeave a comment

Small Success dark blue outline 800x800Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

The big success here is that I’m still functional, 4 days into the switch to Standard Time. I haven’t gotten to bed before 10:30 on any night since Friday (and I wake up at 5:15); right now it’s just before 2 PM and I’m ready to pack it in. It’s an early bedtime for me tonight!

I had a different type of morning today: I took two trains in to Philadelphia and headed over to Reading Terminal Market to meet author Julie McElmurry, who was in town for a conference. I reviewed her book about a month ago, and it was good to meet her in person over coffee from Old City Coffee Company. We chatted about writing, blogging, and social media (of course!) Wished I could have stayed longer.

My “Mom Finds All the Lost Things” radar kicked in and led me to TheKid’s missing jacket yesterday, so I was the hero of the day there. Bigger success: I refrained from mentioning that if he’d made his bed the day before like I told him to do, he would have found it stuffed between the bed and the wall.

2015-10-31 18.23.23Best success: my family and I had a great time at the Notre Dame football game. Thanks to our neighbor, we scored an extra ticket so we could all go. The Irish won (YAY!) Do you think it was my ND fleece, or my leprechaun T-shirt, or maybe my lucky scarf that did the trick? No matter; they defeated Temple, who hadn’t lose a game yet this season, and are now in the top 5.

Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!

Small Success: 6 More Months

franciscanmom5 Comments

Small Success dark blue outline 800x800Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

I purposely waited to do this today. Early this morning, as soon as TheKid got on the school bus (a Small Success in his own right, given his track record for making the bus), Hubs and I headed off to the cancer center for his checkup.

I had a container with 2 dozen cookies in hand, to thank the radiology staff who helped us through all the craziness with the needed referrals (thank you, ever-changing rules regarding who gets to provide what service for which patient…)

Yesterday, in the middle of all those awful moments when I was told Hubs wouldn’t be able to have the tests because of some insurance snafu, I cried. And then I prayed. I knew I wasn’t getting anywhere on my own with this. I prayed before I made the next phone call I had to make. One Memorare Express Novena (9 Memorares plus a bonus one in thanksgiving) and a plea to St. Jude later, I dialed the phone, sat around on hold for a few minutes, then disconnected the call when my call-waiting showed Hubs’ primary physician was dialing in–to tell us that he could, indeed, have the tests today.

THERE IS NO WAY THAT WAS A COINCIDENCE. And yesterday was the feast of St. Jude, you know.

double chocolate cranberry cookies (3)My new friend in radiology was happy for the cookies and immediately gave me her email address so she could get the recipe. By the time Hubs was done with his CT scan, she’d printed it out.

The oncologist gave Hubs’ test results two thumbs up, so we’re all set for the next 6 months.

We had to stop back at radiology to take care of a few details before we left. I was annoyed at the inconvenience–we’d already been there almost 4 hours and I’d had enough. But back we went, and I sat down to wait.

And someone called my name. It was my favorite cashier from ShopRite. She and her husband go to our church, and he’s been quite sick recently. Today, he walked out of the X-Ray department looking better than I’ve seen him in weeks. He’d gotten a good report. We rejoiced together.

There are not a lot of good reports in cancer centers. There are not a lot of people leaving there with smiles on their faces. Today we, and our friends, did just that.

Share your Small Successes at CatholicMom.com by joining the linkup in the bottom of today’s post. No blog? List yours in the comments box!