Taking Stock of That Turkey

It's Thanksgiving week, which for a lot of people means TURKEY! We made a turkey this past weekend to share with family, and in the end I found myself with a lot of turkey meat and a juicy, oversized carcass. Disgusting, I know. But in the spirit of using every little bit, we divvied up the meat, froze some for later and shared several containers full with family. Then I was just left with a large bird who wasn't quite ready to meet the trash can. In the easiest move ever, I made 2 quarts of gorgeous golden turkey stock. Here's how I did it.

Crock Pot Turkey Stock

leftover turkey carcass

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tbsp turkey pan drippings

2 tbsp dried rosemary

2 tbsp celery seed spice

2 bay leaves

2 tbsp Lawry's Seasoning Salt

water to cover

Place the turkey and seasonings in a 6-qt. crockpot and fill with enough water to cover the bird completely. You may have to hack the bird up a bit to fit. Simmer on low overnight. Strain stock, discarding all solids, and use within a week or freeze for later use.

This stock is going to be perfect with that leftover frozen turkey meat in soups or a delicious turkey pot pie in the coming weeks. So much tastier than canned, and none of that precious turkey went to waste. If you have some fresh carrots, celery and onions laying around, chop up some of those and add that too -- it'll will only enhance the flavors more!

Q&A with Kate: Centsational!

I'm thrilled to be bringing you this week's Q&A -- it's from my very favorite blog Centsational Girl. I've been drooling over Kate's gorgeous home and elegant projects for long time, and I eagerly look forward to each new post. I hope you enjoy this sneak peek into Kate's life, and definitely check out her beautiful blog!

Blog Name: Centsational Girl

Blog URL: www.centsationalgirl.com

Location: Sonoma County, California

How long have you been blogging? Since Feb 2009

How did you get into blogging? I started reading some of the pioneering blogs on home improvement, then thought it would be fun to write my own story of remodeling, renovation and DIY projects.

Something your readers should know: I have a great passion for home decorating, nesting, fixing up and staging homes. I never get tired of working on projects and writing about them. But more than anything, I really love the holidays, and I have a great lineup of crafts and home decorating projects scheduled for the end of November. I'll be doing "Twelve Days of Christmas Decorating" starting the day after Thanksgiving. I hope your readers will follow along and perhaps be inspired!

Five things you love: Great interior design, fabric stores, my tool cabinet, red wine and being a mom.

Biggest pet peeve: Anything that wastes my time unnecessarily for no good reason at all.

How old were you when you started using your skills? I began decorating and home improvement in my mid twenties when my husband and I built our first house. I've been obsessed with it ever since!

How do you accomplish tasks with small children at home? My 5-year-old is in kindergarten, and my 3-year-old is in preschool 4 mornings a week, so that is when I shop for supplies and run errands. In the afternoons, after taking them for some exercise, I try to spend an hour or two working on my project of the day. I blog at night after they go to bed.

Top five must-have tools: Staple gun, power screwdriver, hot glue gun, a level, and a spray paint gun!

Favorite house project: Anything that involves paint or fabric -- my two favorite tools for sprucing up a space.

Most challenging project: Adding on to our home through the cold rainy winter. I don't recommend it!

Any total project disasters? I've worked on over a dozen crafts or projects for hours only to step back and say "That's just not good enough!" So yes, there are plenty of projects I consider "failures."

Got any recommendations for beginners? Find what you love and stick with it. Do you love scrapbooking and cardmaking? Decorative painting? Crochet or quilting? Graphic arts? Fixing up furniture? Flipping homes? My best advice is to ask yourself what you'd really like to do and just go for it without fear of failure. It's only when we challenge ourselves that we really bring our very best creativity. I'm still learning to challenge myself everyday!

My Holiday Shopping Plan

A friend asked me to write this post after hearing how I plan my holiday shopping throughout the year. I'm one of those people -- the ones who shop all year long for Christmas. But I have never lost a package I stashed, forgotten what I got for someone, or gone overbudget. Here's how I do it.

The Christmas Account

About two years ago, I set up a separate checking account that is the designated Christmas account. Every month, a little cash is automatically transfered to the Christmas account, and we never miss it from the main budget. I have a debit card that I carry for that account, so whenever I see a great gift for someone on our list, I can buy it with designated Christmas money instead of worrying about how it fits into our monthly budget. I can buy what I need whenever I find the perfect thing, and often during a great sale. Having the debit card also allows me to shop on the Internet without using a regular credit card, and having all the Christmas gifts paid for from one account (with it's fixed budget) keeps me on target and allows me to see at a glance how much I've spent. But if I'm buying all year long, how do I keep track of what I've bought?

The Christmas Spreadsheet

I'm a nerd who loves a good spreadsheet. Six years ago I set up a simple spreadsheet in Excel listing everyone I'm shopping for, how much I can spend, and then columns for what I've bought and how much I've spent. The spreadsheet totals automatically, so all I have to do is add my purchases in. I carry a printed copy of it in my purse when I'm shopping, so I always know what I've bought, who I'm still shopping for, and where I'm at budget-wise. It's my inventory, so to speak. Each year I just add a new worksheet to the same spreadsheet, which allows me to go back and look at previous years, to check what my budgets were last year and to make sure I don't get someone the same gift two years in a row! Good record-keeping is the key to organized holiday shopping and keeping yourself on track. Now, where do I actually store all the gifts I'm buying months in advance?

The Gift Closet

I'm very lucky when it comes to storage space. Last year my husband built me a gift closet to store all my loot in, which means I never have to run around looking for a gift I stashed six months ago. I store all my finds in the gift closet -- Christmas and birthday gifts for specific people as well as general gifts for those last-minute birthday parties. The most important part of the gift closet goes back to the spreadsheet though. Nothing goes in that closet without getting listed on the spreadsheet, otherwise the threat of falling into the gifting blackhole is still there. I may have to get a little more James Bond about the whole thing when my oldest figures out what I've got stored in there, but it works great right now. If you don't have closet space for gifts, you can use storage bins under the bed or in the basement or garage.

So there you have it, my holiday shopping arsenal. Planning all year long takes the pressure off the holidays so I can enjoy them, and it becomes more about the hunt for the perfect gift than trying to tackle my whole list in a frenzy on Christmas Eve. Happy Holiday Shopping everyone!

Digital Inspiration

I started my graphic design career as magazine layout designer, and magazines remain one of my very favorite things. I love the smooth glossy paper, the bright colors and the sheer variety of topics magazines cover. You can find a magazine that covers any topic you can imagine. My household subscribes to 15-20 magazines a month at any given time -- I know that's neither green nor simple, but it's one of my indulgences, and as cheap as magazine subscriptions are, it's an indulgence I can afford to actually partake in.

As I flip through my magazines, I'm always finding some bit of inspiration to tear out -- particularly when it comes to photos of gorgeous rooms and interior design or organizing ideas. I just can't help myself. I struggled for years with how to organize all the ripped-out magazine pages I collected. First I taped them all into a big artist's spiral-bound pad. Then I tried a tickler file. Then I tried putting them in sheet protectors in a binder. Nothing suited me. I wanted the pages organized by room, in way that was easy to add new additions to, and preferably in a format that I could carry with me if I was shopping.

Finally I stumbled on an idea that works perfectly for me. I started scanning the pages into the computer as jpgs, and organizing them into a digital "filing cabinet." I have the jpgs organized into folders by room or subject (living room, kitchen, bath, Christmas, kids, etc.) I can easily add new pages without rearranging anything, and the files are easy to back up or share. Once the pages are scanned, they go into the recycle bin, so I don't have any paper to organize or store. And the best part? Since they're jpgs, I can load them into my iPhone as a photo album to carry with me!

Of course, digitizing works for just about anything paper you want to save -- from paper files to your kids' artwork to recipes. Scanners are pretty inexpensive these days. If you don't have one, definitely consider adding one to your holiday wish list.

How Do You Do It???

I've been sick recently with Shingles (ugh!) and haven't had the energy or creativity to come up with a blog post. I didn't want to leave you all hanging, so I asked my friend Tracy from Baby Spit is the New Black to fill in for me while I recover. Thanks so much Tracy!!!

One question I get asked a lot as a mom of 4 kids with a husband who travels is “How do you do it?” The “it” in that sentence can refer to any number of things. They can mean keeping my house clean, or staying organized, or just plain keeping my sanity. Since the overall “theme” of Modern*Simplicity is to help lead a better, more organized life (at least that is what I get from it) I thought I might address a little bit of “how I do it.”

1) Utilize technology: I’ve got a Roomba, a Scooba, a bread maker, a crock pot, a washer, a dryer, a dishwasher, automatic toilet bowl cleaners and probably more that I’m not thinking of. All of these things work without me having to monitor them or do anything past the initial button pushing or installation. It makes it easy to get some things done without having to actually do much of anything. I especially love setting them off at night, so when I get up in the morning, my family room is vacuumed, the kitchen is mopped and the bread is made. Not all of it has to cost as much as a dishwasher or a Roomba...my bread maker was FREE from Freecycle!

2) Schedule, schedule, schedule: I have very specific days that I do things. Every Wednesday, for example, is when I wash the clothes for the 2 oldest kids. Wash, dry, fold, put away. Every Friday I clean the downstairs bathroom. Every Sunday I grocery shop (when Husband is home so I can go kidless. Whee!)

3) Routine, routine, routine: We’re pretty predictable around here and it works to our advantage. Home from school, snack and relax, homework, playing, bath, dinner, goodnight show and bedtime. Bedtime routines are pajamas, brush teeth, stories, songs, interesting facts from the day and lights out. We start early and we don’t hurry. I find that rushing makes the kids dig their heels in in protest. Taking our time leads to smooth sailing.

4) Keep my humor: I try very hard to remember that in 20 years, most of it just won’t matter. Heck, most of it won’t matter next week! If I don’t put the cushions back on the couch, it won’t matter. If I don’t make my son pick up his blocks, or make my oldest daughter put away her Barbies or make my toddler eat her dinner, well, tomorrow is another day. And, like my baby, I try to find the humor and laughter in the small things. Remembering to enjoy my life while I’m living my life makes it me a happier mom/wife/person.

All those things together, while they may not make life easy, they do make it easier. And easier is something we could all use!

The Halloween Book!

One of my very favorite October traditions is taking my boys to a local pumpkin patch in their Halloween costumes and taking LOTS of photos of them. I started doing this when my oldest son was born -- he was 2 months old at his first pumpkin patch photo shoot, and of course I dressed him as a pumpkin. The next year we went to a larger patch, and our boy was dressed as his best buddy Tigger. The next year, he was a frog, and I was starting to amass a stack of pumpkin patch pictures that I really wanted to show off. And so the pinnacle of my favorite fall tradition was born: the Halloween Book.

I went to Target and got a plain black linen photo album with a little cutout window, where I placed a photo of a jack-o-lantern. I put my pumpkin patch photos in, with a little note for each year for the kid's age and costume description, and I found a place of prestige for my album on the mantle. The next year, I had 2 sons to take to the patch, and photos of Baby Pooh and Bigger Tigger made their way into the pages. My older son suddenly discovered the book, and now enjoys flipping through the pages, giggling at how silly he looked as a froggie and how much his own pix as a baby pumpkin look like his baby brother. I just sent the photos of this year's Firefigher and his puppy Dalmatian to Target to print, so I can add those photos to the pages tonight. I know the Firefighter will be eager to help me put them in.

My own Halloween Book is a simple black linen album. But here are some adorable photo album ideas for you to start your own Halloween Book tradition -- even if you don't do a pumpkin patch, a book dedicated just to your child's Halloween costuming adventures would be a wonderful keepsake for years to come.

From Little Yellow Bicycle

 From Etsy 

From Etsy 

 

Q&A with Tracy: SuperMom!

I'm starting a new feature where I pick some of my favorite bloggers and do a Q&A with them. I hope you enjoy learning about some blogs you may not know about as well as meeting some of my blogger friends! This Q&A is with my friend Tracy from Baby Spit is the New Black. With 4 kids and a husband who travels frequently for business, Tracy is definitely a SuperMom! Enjoy!

Your blog name: Baby Spit is the New Black

Your blog address: http://www.outnumberedbythekids.blogspot.com/

Your hometown: Sacramento, California

How long have you been blogging? Since January of 2009

How did you get into blogging? I had several friends with blogs, and I loved to read them. It was nice to be able to kind of keep in touch and know what was going on with them even if the only time I had to catch up was after midnight. I can't call and chat at that time, but I can read their blogs. Then my friend, Lisa, was going to do this picture a day for a year project and that got me thinking about blogging the everyday events of our house and it just kind of went from there.

3 things readers need to know about you or your blog:

1) I think I can give the appearance of really having it all together. I totally don't. I'm disorganized to a fault. I'm working on that. If you look at my Recipe of the Week you'll see that it really should be more like Recipe of the Month. I rarely change it on time. It's just one of those things I can't always get to. If I were better organized I probably could get to it as I should.

2) Often when I blog a list or an inner thought, it's because life is BORING and no one wants to read about how I changed 5 poopy diapers yesterday or that I have to do my laundry.

3) I'm addicted to decorating blogs and, although I will NEVER be as talented as some of those women, I do aspire to try some of their projects and then blog about them (while giving credit and blog links to the original creators, of course). So I can see the course of my blog content maybe including some new things very soon.

I'm adding one: 4) My blog is called "Baby Spit is the New Black" because when I was trying to decide what to name it, I realized that I am always covered in some kind of kid-oriented substance. And many of my mom friends are the same, to the point where we go to Target without realizing that we have peanut butter smeared on our pants legs and baby spit on our shoulders. Kid grime is an accessory, and so the name was born.

List 5 things you LOVE (about ANYTHING):

I love my BFF -- I'd lose my sanity without her.

I love my Mom -- she is my biggest cheerleader and support.

I love chocolate (a little too much).

I love my crock pot and my bread maker.

I love my family.

It's supposed to be 5 things I love, but I cannot leave off my online sisters. They know who they are.

Your biggest pet peeve: ooooh. That's a good one. Does it sound snotty if I say "stupid people"? It does, doesn't it? OK, I'll say bad drivers, especially people who drive UNDER the speed limit.

You write about your kids a lot. Who is your audience? Is your blog for you, your kids, your extended family, or someone else? As it turns out, my audience is mostly other moms, but I started writing it for myself and for my kids so that I would remember all the little things that are so easily forgotten and so that they would have some stories of their childhoods "on paper."

How old are each of your kids right now? Curly is 6, StinkyMan is 4, Peanut is 2 and BabyGirl is 1.

What's your very favorite thing about each of your kids (just ONE for each kid!)?

Just one? Yikes. OK, ummmmm:

Curly's creativity

StinkyMan's big heart

Peanut's sunshiny-ness

BabyGirl's fearlessness

How do you decide which things get blogged? Do you ever wonder if your kids will read all this later and ask, "why on earth did you print that about me?!" If something makes me laugh, it gets written 9 times out of 10. If I think other people can relate to it, that's even better. And if it's something I want to be sure to remember, to blogspot it goes.

I do sometimes wonder if they will be mortified or angry with me (like when Peanut colored some body parts that aren't usually mentioned on a family blog) but you know, I figure one day, when they have kids of their own, they'll laugh and thank me. Plus I don't use their real names so there is always plausible deniablity!

I have a friend who passed away this past summer and sometimes when I don't feel like blogging, I think of her girls and how they would probably love to have her memories and thoughts written down. It really keeps me going.

If I remember correctly, your blog originally started as a Blog365 project. Have you been blogging daily this year? Does the Deal of the Day help you remember to blog daily?

Yeah, I think 365 lasted about 2 days. There just aren't enough hours in the day to get it all done. And like I said before, life isn't always exciting and no one cares about every inner thought I have, so it quickly went by the wayside. But the DOTD really does force me (and readers) to check in daily. It's an accountability thing for me and a way to keep readers coming back.

How do you choose your "Deal of the Day"?

I scour bargain sites and deal blogs, and sometimes I get suggestions from friends. I choose the ones that are the most interesting to me. Sometimes I'll find one that I'm not so interested in, but that I know would be really popular with my friends or other mothers, so I'll use it anyway.

You have 4 kids and a husband who travels frequently. How do you keep everyone organized and on track for school, extracurriculars, etc.? I have a giant dry erase calendar with every stupid thing written on it. There is nothing I don't put on there because I won't remember on my own. And I have a lot of help from my parents, especially my mom.

Name your favorite home management tip to help other busy moms:

For the big kids: when they come home with their backpacks, take out their folders right away, and read and sign and repack what needs to be returned immediately. Otherwise you will put it on the counter and forget all about it or remember it as you are racing to get out the door in the morning.

For the little kids: Don't run out. Always stock one extra of what you use. If you use diapers, consider yourself "out" when you are using your 2nd to last pack and have one full pack left. Same with baby medicine. Get some more the minute you crack open the one you have. You don't want to be caught without it when you need it at 2am! This is something I'm trying to do more and more myself. Now if I could just get myself to do this with groceries I'd never have to make an emergency run to the store!