Spritzer Mocktail

What is purple but tastes like watermelon?   This drink does.

I made this non-alcoholic drink for our New Year's Eve celebration, but would probably be more appropriate for April Fool's Day due to its deceptive taste - my family was sure it had watermelon in it.

Items used:

• 1 can frozen Grape Juice
• 2 liter bottle of Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale 

In a pitcher, mix the can of Grape Juice and fill the can it came in 3 times with the ginger ale and mix it together, chill and serve.   If they don't have the Canada Dry Green Tea Ginger Ale in your area, you might try mixing ginger ale and green tea together with the grape juice if you would like to try it.

Corn Dog Muffins

Would be good for breakfast, lunch or supper and great for kids as it is "portable". .

I found this recipe over at http://potsandplots.wordpress.com/2009/11/21/corn-dog-muffins/ and adapted it for our New Years Dinner.  The original recipe calls for 2 boxes of Jiffy cornbread mix, but my son is not a big fan of cornbread, so I used 1 box of cornbread and 1 box of baking mix.  Also I used Smoked Links instead of hot dogs. 














Makes 18 muffins
Ingredients:

• 2 boxes Jiffy mix cornbread (or 1 box cornbread & 1 box baking mix)
  
• 1 can creamed corn
• 2 eggs (or 1/2 cup egg substitute)
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 package of hot dogs or smoked links
• Paper baking cups or non-stick spray coating
  

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix the Jiffy mix, creamed corn, eggs, and milk until well combined.  Put the mixture into the baking cups or muffin tins sprayed with non-stick coating until it is half way full.

Cut up the hotdog or smoked links into bite sized pieces and put several pieces into each muffin cup. 













Put in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes.  Remove from oven and allow to cool a few minutes before serving.  Store any unused muffins in the refrigerator.

2010 Goofy Pipecleaner Glasses

Goofy glasses make for great fun!
 
This is a very simple project that only takes a few minutes and creates memorable times and photos.  This is based on a tutorial over at Make and Takes for the kids sized version:

http://www.makeandtakes.com/celebrate-2010-with-some-goofy-glasses
As my son is 16, I had to upsize the project:

• 7 pipecleaners
• Craft Scissors

Shape 4 pipe cleaners, 1 for each number, into "2010".  Fold 2 pipe cleaners in half and and shape each into an earpiece. 

 

Cut the remaining pipe cleaner to connect the number together - as it was too uncomfortable with having the "1" over the nose, I cut a longer piece (about the length of my thumb) to shape into a piece to go over the nose.

New Year's Resolutions for 2010

1.  Do something nice for someone else every day.

2.  Do something creative or crafty at least once a week. 


3.  Try a new recipe, preferably something healthy, at least twice a month.  
4.  Participate in Project 365 - Take-A-Photo-A-Day
I learned of Project 365 Thrifty Little Blog where she shared she had participated this past year and shared a few of her photos along with changes that have happened in her life over the past year.  While I don't feel inspired to write something personal every day (or sometimes even once in awhile), taking a picture everyday is doable. Here is tutorial over at Photojojo - Photojojo's Tutorial for Project 365 Take- A-Photo-A-Day.
I am starting a new blog for this project over at KMOM14 365 Day - Take-A-Photo A Day Project

5.  Participate in Wardrobe Refashion
I have signed up to participate for 2 months over at Wardrobe Re-fashion where you pledge to not buy any "new" clothing for a period of 2, 4, 6 months or life and instead pledge to update and refashion pre-owned/loved items during the term of the contract.  I am only signing up for 2 months for now as I have a 16 year old teen boy that just doesn't wear the the stuff I have refashioned for him and he is going to need some new jeans, although they do have a "Get out of Refashionista Jail" that you can use just once during the term of the contract and I don't want to end up on "parole".   You also need to post once a week on the blog what you have been up to.  You can still sign up for January 1st up until December 31st here.
Wardrobe Refashion Sign-Up

6.  Learn HTML 
The internet had not even been invented when I last took any sort of computer programming class, even then, the class was theory and we had to sign up for lab time as the cost to have them in every classroom.  I want to be able to at least revise the coding so everything doesn't look jabberwocked when I publish it.

7.  Be More Active, Eat More Healthy and Lose 25 lbs.Just want to as healthy as I can.  


8.  Find A Job
Actually, this is the top priority, I just hate job hunting so it is going last on this list.  The company that I had worked for the last 5 years shut down the local branch in October so I am actively seeking employment.  Unemployment in the area runs 9-10% and competition for jobs stiff when there are any openings.  


To get a better chance of at least making the interview pile more often I plan on taking measures of improving that, such as revamping my resume, check into proficiency tests (I have already had some through JobWorks  and passed all of them, but maybe there are more I could take) and/or additional training to that will make me more marketable.  I miss interacting with people everyday, the challenges and opportunities that a full time job brings and I don't think I can handle daytime TV much longer.