Thanksgiving

Yesterday, my husband and I did the most rebellious thing we could for a holiday - spent it together with just the two of us.  The last few weeks have been hard, with little time to spend together, if at all, so this was just what we needed.  I did most of the work in the kitchen, which was OK.  I thought I'd share my Thanksgiving Menu, which of course left TONS of leftovers for just the two of us, but that was partially intentional.  Most of the recipes were taken from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook my MIL got us a while back.  I'm finding the recipes are basic enough for me to follow, but still add my own ideas to.

* Appetizer: Baked brie with craisins

1 8oz brie, cut in half horizontally (making two wheels). Fill with about a tablespoon on melted butter, about a tablespoon of brown sugar, cinnamon to taste and about about a 8th to 6th of a cup of craisins. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Served with crackers.

* Turkey: Followed Fannie Farmers directions (mostly)

Rinsed and dried outside of turkey. Filled cavity with peeled & sliced onions and sprigs of parsley. Put salt & pepper on the outside, then rubbed butter on the outside. Put it, breast side up onto a parchment paper covered rack in a baking pan, and made a tin foil tent for the top of the breasts. Cooked for a few hours at 350, until it got to 180 according to the thermometer. We basted it every 20 minutes with butter and then the drippings in the pan. This came out super moist and yummy.

* Stuffing: Stove top.  Totally cheated.  It was eh.  I'm not a big stuffing fan to begin with, but my husband loves it.  Meh.  Next time i'll do it from scratch too.

* Potatoes: Roasted yukon gold, russet and sweet potatoes with rosemary and thyme.

This is one of those i can make anytime and do a thousand ways and they come out awesome. Cut up potatoes into bite size-ish chunks. Use what ever kind you like. I like to do a mixture for flavor and texture, but you don't have to be so fancy. I used 3 large potatoes and half a bag of tiny potatoes, enough to make a single layer (mostly) in a casserole dish. Drizzle olive oil and spices (i used rosemary and thyme, but there are no rules about it). Stick in the oven until tender. I usually cook these at a higher temperature, but since the turkey was hogging the oven, they were at 350 and took a little over an hour.

* Veggie: Asparagus, pretty much just like the potatoes.  Washed it, broke off the bottoms since they're not tasty and arranged on a cookie sheet.  Drizzled olive oil, then rosemary and thyme (keeping the flavor profiles together!) and stuck in the oven for about 15-20 minutes at 350.  Tasty and simple!

* Gravy: Followed Fannie Farmer's advice and used the pan drippings and flour.  This was the husband's big contribution.  Although he wanted to get fancy i encouraged him to keep things simple.  He rushed a little, so things were a little thin but still tasted awesome.

* Pumpkin bread with chocolate chips: Used the Fannie Farmer pumpkin bread recipe and added chocolate chips instead of nuts, because dear husband is not a fan of nuts.

* Apple pie (of course!): Again, Fannie Farmer for the dough and basics, but had a little fun with spices.  Used a nice mix of apples that gave some good texture and a little tartness.  I don't like totally uniform apple pies.  With the leftover dough i made some flower cut outs, which made me happy.  She didn't mention doing an eggwash on the top of the pie, but i always grew up doing so, for browning and shine, so i did.

Overall everything came out great (except the stuffing).  I'm really proud of myself and think next year we may host thanksgiving!

RTM and conference planning

I am a member of an organization which runs an annual conference.  This year I was conference chair, so I had a lot of different components to manage.  Given the size of the conference (this year about 315 registrants), we have a small organizing team (less than 10).  This means there are a lot of tasks that don't have an obvious person responsible, particularly the last month when things are coming together fast & furious.  After the conference we get a ton of feedback (solicited and not) and of course, it all needs to be followed up on, and remembered for the next year.

This is where Remember The Milk comes into play.  RTM fits nicely in a Getting Things Done sort of system, but it doesn't have to be used only in that fashion.

First off, I have two lists - TBC 2011 and TBC 2012.  This lets me keep track if something is associated with this year or next year's conference, an important distinction!  (Shortly before the conference I also made a separate list - TBC Packing, this was meant more as a classic checklist so I didn't forget my toothbrush or socks.)

I don't use the Priority feature in RTM much, however, one cool thing is items with the highest priorities (those marked 1) live at the top of your list all the time, so I use that to have my goal(s) there, happily reminding me of what I want to accomplish.  Sometimes I will use lower priorities (2 or 3) to define smaller goals or more specific targets.  An example for this would be:

Main Goal: To throw an incredible conference that changes lives, welcomes everyone and still manages to financially break even.
Sub Goal: Continue improving our accessibility efforts
Sub Goal: Reach attendance of 350 people.
Sub Goal: Get 20 vendors


No, they're not really S.M.A.R.T. goals, but they work for my standards and keep me motivated when i see them.  It also helps steer me when i have a decision to make.  You could replace goals with a mission statement or whatever drives you.

Next up are specific tasks.  These are individual items that need to happen, and in keeping with GTD, are single step processes.  For example, Update bio page for Roscoe's edits, or Email organizers about art space.  I also use tasks as a way of tracking ideas, which may otherwise fall on a Someday/Maybe list (ex. Get an organization debit/credit card?).

RTM lets you associate all kinds of useful stuff with a task.  The first is a date.  Some i use as hard deadlines, for example, getting an ad to another group before their event.  Others help me create my plan for my weekly work sessions or what needs to go on that month's meeting agenda.  Ideas that are far our i may just date with the first day of the month they are relevant, so i can later refine when they actually need to happen.

Another helpful data piece is location.  This saves me a lot of stress because of smart lists, something i'll talk about more in another post.  Anything i need to buy is associated with the store i need to get it at.  Next time I'm at that store, i check my phone, see the list and get what i need.  It also helps me remember what items we have in storage, saving us from buying something twice, critical on a limited budget!  There are also things we can't do until we're at the venue, and those are tagged as such, so i can immediately set people to go do when we're setting up.

Although there are not a lot of repeating tasks with conference organizing, there are some, and RTM allows you to schedule them with various frequencies.  Since those are sometimes the things that fall off the radar, it's pretty helpful.

I don't always use the time estimate feature, but particularly when i'm deciding if i can do something that day or if it should wait until my weekly work session or the weekend, it's a helpful measure.  It also helps me decide if i need to delegate to someone else.

The most helpful feature are tags.  Here is where the brilliance of RTM really shows.  Say i've delegated a task to someone.  I tag it with their name and waiting.  When i'm adding my agenda items, i look for items tagged waiting, and can ask next time we meet for a status update.  I tag updates to the site with website so i can make multiple edits in one sitting, rather than in bits and pieces, wasting time.  Same with calls or emails, doing like with like tasks helps me be more efficient.  In classic GTD, i also use NA for Next Action for items i can do as soon as i have the time/resource needed.

There is also a notes feature, which i use sparingly.  When we get an idea, or have a concrete step such as "invite presenters we really want" i will use the notes to keep a list of the specific people we have in mind.  Likewise for "determine panels to include".  This keeps my list cleaner and lets me brainstorm a little clearer.

Fail

OK, OK, 30 days of Thankfulness was a fail.  I should know better than trying to do something that requires daily attention during November, when Transcending Boundaries is happening.

On a positive note, the event went swimmingly, and I'm back to a worker bee role soon.  In other news, Dear Husband didn't do much of my usual tasks during my absence, so this week will be a more intense Home Awesome Hour, and maybe I'll write about that.  Also, RTM is helping me prep for an event a whole year away!  So there.

30 days of thankfulness (5)

Day 5 in my 30 days of thankfulness


5) My own bed. Last night i was finally able to sleep in my own bed. Although I'm incredibly thankful for my friends allowing me to stay in their home the last week, my own bed feels so wonderful. I'm thankful the power (and heat) are back and I can return to my normal routines.

30 days of thankfulness (4)

Day 4 in my 30 days of thankfulness


4) Community. Yesterday I attended a workshop in Boston with a friend. The presenters came simply because they were asked, and didn't ask for a fee, just travel & a place to stay. The other attendees shared materials, knowledge, transportation and worked together, raising the knowledge of everyone in the room. I'm thankful for the opportunity to be with other folks and share passions.

30 days of thankfulness (3)

Day 3 in my 30 days of thankfulness

3) Silliness. This morning i woke up to "Dolly, go to sleep, laurel is going to wake up soon".  Dear Husband sends me instant messages with robot noises to simulate kisses when he's away. The boy Love-in-Law & i have a symbiotic relationship based on french fries. Brother tells me in order to truly express our family tradition we need to fall down a steep hill at Granny's house. I laugh a lot, because i'm surrounded by people who aren't afraid to be silly. Even when life is scary or hard, those little breaks make me smile and fill my heart with joy.

30 days of thankfulness (2)

Day 2 in my 30 days of thankfulness

And then you can go to numbers, that's infinite!

2) Helpful reminders.  This picture came up on my facebook feed yesterday and it made me smile a lot.  It's the type of thing I need to take to heart, as I often worry about being 'right', sometimes to the point of inaction.  So today I'm thankful for the random things that make me smile and remind me things really are OK.  I can try new things, make mistakes and the world won't end.  That's a pretty big thing to be thankful for too!

30 days of thankfulness (1)

I will be doing the 30 Days of Thanks (but one day late) here.  I think it's a great excuse to ensure I blog AND a great way for me to remember the wonderful that is the world i live in.  So enjoy!


1) Random acts of kindness. I usually bring my lunches, but since i'm staying in Springfield that's trickier. Today for lunch I walked over to the Big Y and got a sandwich. No big deal, but since i don't normally shop there, i don't have a card. The lady in front of me, still putting her groceries in bags, heard me and let me use hers. I saved a few cents, which was no big deal, but still, with all the stress locally, it was a warm fuzzy.

Trust & Productivity

One of the things that is critical in GTD is trusting your system.  You have to really believe in your collection systems, or you won't use them.  When that breaks down, the system breaks down.  You have to know something will be in the right folder, or on your calendar, because if you lose faith, you will quit using it.

I'm having a faith issue with a different collection point - my freezer.  Once again, we are out power, so far for  about 36 hours and counting.  Although I live in a fairly urban/suburban area, I also live on a tree-lined street in southern New England, and the weather can be harsh.  In the past several years we've lost all of our cold food more than once, and it's heart breaking.  I haven't gotten too far into OAMC (once-a-month cooking) and this is precisely why.  I can't trust that we will have consistent power to keep too much in the freezer!

I'm not sure how to bridge this gap, short of buying a generator.  Although I can do my best to keep things full with ice and not open the freezer when the power is off, I don't really feel like potentially exposing myself or my family to contaminated food.

Ideas on how do learn to trust my freezer?  See this from a different perspective?

Laptop Lunchbox

I love my Laptop Lunchbox.  Packing a lunch can save you lots of money, ZenHabits posits as much as $3,000 per year.  Although I understand why some folks need to go out to purchase lunch (socialization, anti-socialization, lunch meetings, etc) I prefer packing my own when I can.

The Laptop Lunchbox system is sort of American Bento.  It's a box with interchangeable compartments, that divide the space up into 1 large and 2 small or 2 medium and 2 small spaces (although you can get creative about that).  There is also a designated spot for utensils, and it comes with a fork and spoon.  It also fits neatly in a desk drawer (or under my desk drawers).  With a system like this you could make ahead several lunches and store them in the fridge (or just components) to save time.  You're also helping the environment by not using single-use containers, like plastic bags

I have a nightly habit of packing my lunch as I make dinner.  Although sometimes I can't help it, I try not to pack the same thing every day, so I don't get bored.  Favorites are salad, leftovers or sandwiches as a main component, with apples, pears, mandarin oranges or grapes as one side and goldfish crackers or gummy fruit as a second side (OK, I do sort of eat like a kid).  I also like this lunchbox because it is very helpful for portion control.  On salad days I sometimes wish it was a little bigger, however, usually I pack the right amount of food for me.  Since I am not my ideal weight, every little trick that helps me eat better is good!

In-Boxes

"First, if it's on your mind, your mind isn't clear. Anything you consider unfinished in any way must be captured in a trusted system outside of your mind, or what I call a collection bucket, that you know you'll come back to regularly and sort through."

David Allen, "Getting Things Done and the Art of Stress-free Productivity"

One of the reasons that the GTD (Getting Things Done) system works for me is that I have a lot of ideas and information coming at me.  My brain was always full with my to-do lists and ideas, but I often was forgetting things.  I didn't have a go to place for recording things, so sometimes they'd be in my personal email, sometimes in my work email, sometimes on a scrap of paper, but often just lost in my mind.  Later I'd be frustrated trying to remember that thing I was supposed to do, or feel stressed at 10PM, hoping to remember about the thing at work the next day.

In GTD, you create collection buckets.  These are physical or electronic in-boxes that allow you to place all your Stuff.  You can (and should) have more than one collection bucket, but not so many that things get lost.  My collection buckets are:

• My personal email
• My work email
• My 43 folder/tickler system at home
• My physical inbox at work
• My Remember The Milk inbox
• A bin we keep in the dining room

I purposely mixed up home & work items because they do blend.  In theory, every idea and to-do goes in one of these, sometimes moving from one to another.  

Although I own a smart phone, I try not to be entirely dependent upon it for recording things.  At my workdesk I ensure there is scrap paper & sticky notes for me to quickly jot down information.  Throughout my house in locations I frequent are pens and sticky notes.  I also carry a small Moleskin in my purse, so when I am out & about I don't lose something.  The reality is not everything is electronic - incoming mail, receipts, broken doo-hickeys, keys, whatnots all can be put into this system.  

There is a LOT more to GTD than simply collecting everything into a few easily accessed locations, but it is a first step.  Forcing myself to collect ideas, has helped me dramatically, both as far as my stress level and productivity.

Apple Crisp (Gluten Free!)

I live in central Connecticut, and, like the rest of New England, we're in quality apple season.  It seems like someone brings in a bag from some orchard every week to the office to share, and the grocery store is full of different varieties.  I'm looking forward to another trip to my favorite local orchard soon.  

Saturday had a meeting of the gender/sexuality/relationships conference I organize, and to be both a good guest (it was at the home of some friends) and good leader, I try to bring some food to the meetings.  One of the residents is avoiding gluten and doesn't do much dairy.  Also, I had bags of apples, so a crisp it was!  

I vaguely based my recipe from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook my MIL bought us a while ago.  

1) Grease a baking dish.  You could use something like Earth Balance if you wanted to do this totally vegan.

2) Peel & slice up apples.  I did wedges, but think next time I will do more chunks.  I used about 8 apples with 3 different varieties.  Toss them in the baking dish with a little lemon juice, and sprinkle about 1/3 cup water over them.

3) The crisp part was 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup almond meal, 1/4 cup rice flour, a little salt, cinnamon, 1/4 cup crushed walnuts and 1/4 cup sliced almonds mixed up with a stick of butter to create a coarse topping.  I did it by hand, but you could use a pastry blender if you hand one.  Honestly, I didn't measure the nuts, so those are estimates.  This is not an exact science recipe.

4) I baked it at 375 for about an hour.  It could of gone a little longer but I ran out of time.  I liked the nuts as much as I like oats, and the different flours added a certain richness.  

This crisp was enough of a success where there was only 1 serving left, and dibs had already been claimed when I left.  I'll definitely continue to experiment with this dish, but I think I have a good base.

Project List

Part of Getting Things Done is maintaining project lists with next actions.  I keep my lists in Remember the Milk, but I thought I'd also keep a public list here for curious readers.  I'll try and keep this relatively up to date.


Current Projects

• Garage reorganization
• Stack Repair
• Butler Book
• MsC 2012 (attendee)
• Half Marathon Training
• Transcending Boundaries Conference 2012 (staff)
• Arisia 2013 (staff/attendee)

Future Projects

• Guest Room Refinishing
• Laundry Room Vent
• Window Repair (Attic)

Archived Projects

• Williamstown Trip
• Bootblack Intensive (Attendee)
• Cousin's Baby Shower
• LLC (Applicant)
• Leprechaun's Boots
• Remediation Cost Estimate
• Transcending Boundaries Conference 2011 (Chair)
• Arisia 2012 (Panelist/Attendee)
• CAD Workgroup
• Christmas Eve Party
• Christmas Gifts
• Genealogy Research

Bagel Chips

Nom Nom Snack!

My spouse likes bagels for breakfasts.  And lunches.  And snacks.  He works out of state, so he's only home a few days a week.  As a result, I'm often left with stale bagels, which aren't so delicious.  He used to buy some pre-sliced ones that taste like bread, not bagels.  Since I've been taking over the grocery shopping, I've been getting ones from the bakery, but they go stale even faster.  I don't like throwing stuff out.

Solution?  Bagel Chips!  These are wicked easy to make and kind of fun!

1) Heat up your oven to 425-450 Fahrenheit.  These are not an exact sort of thing, but you want the oven hot.

2) Slice up bagels about 1/4 of an inch.  If you want thinner, do it!

3) Apply Olive Oil, or butter, or any sort of oil you enjoy to each side of the slices.  You want a thin coat so that any spices you apply will stick and things won't just burn in the oven.

4) Add some spices!  You probably want to go with whatever flavor bagel you're using, but there are no rules. I did more cinnamon and maple sugar on cinnamon raisin bagel and a pre-made garlic-kick spice mix (garlic, onion salt, and pepper) on a wheat bagel.  Next time I think I'll do some more mild garlicy ones, maybe even with a little cheese.

5) Put them on a cookie sheet in the oven for a few minutes.  I use Sil-Pat sheets, so things don't stick, but you may want to use tin foil if you don't want to clean up much.  I kept mine in the oven for about 15 minutes total, flipping over halfway through.

6) Enjoy warm or store in a dry container.

Launch Pad

My Launch Pad

One idea that FlyLady, and many other people recommend for helping make your day to day life easier is creating a launch pad.  A launch pad is a designated spot where you keep the things you need every day, so you're not looking for your keys or phone.  A launch pad also helps you remember to bring that report or change of clothes when your schedule is a little different.  This is something you sort of have to teach yourself to create as a habit.  If you don't make it a routine things won't always be in the same place.

My launch pad is the top of my radiator in the kitchen (see the picture).  It's above my cat's food, so I see it every morning and night when I feed him, and it is close to the back door, which is how I normally come and go.

In the morning, when I make my breakfast, I also place my lunchbox there, so it's with my purse.  I haven't forgotten my lunch yet!  I try to put anything I'll need to bring with my when I go out at my launch pad.  Still, I haven't made this habit 100% yet, but that's OK.  I just need to keep trying!

Weekday Morning Routine

Working full time means I need to be in the office for 8 AM, sometimes earlier.  Luckily, I live 10-15 minutes from the office, depending on traffic, most of which is based around the middle school, which happens to be located on the end of my street.  I enjoy feeling productive in the morning, but really enjoy the quiet that comes with the start of the day as well.  My typical morning routine lasts about 50 minutes and looks like this:

• 10 minute snooze I know, some folks are very anti-snooze button, but I enjoy the few minutes of slowly coming to start the day.
• Make the bed I always forget how much nicer the room looks, and how good it feels at night to climb into bed when it's already made.  Also, when you make it every day it's easier to keep making it every day.
• Bathroom time All that important stuff like teeth brushing and doing my hair.  I also do a Swish & Swipe every morning.  If there is one habit worth doing, it's this.  It keeps my vanity and toilet super clean.  I usually use a cleaning wipe rather than a rag, because I like the disinfectant, but it doesn't matter.  Sometimes I will clean around the tub as well, but only if the vanity is already pretty clean.
• Get dressed I've been laying out my clothes the night before, usually right after I do the next day's agenda.  This has really helped me with laundry and saving time, as I'm not looking for something in the dark or that pair of jeans only to find they're in the wash.  
• Feed the cat Seriously, if I missed this he won't let me forget.
• Clean the litter box Doing this daily started as a pain, but it only takes 3-5 minutes tops.  I keep a stash of bags next to it, so I just scoop and carry to the trash.  It also makes the house smell better.
• Eat breakfast & check today's plan When I make my breakfast I also take my lunch out of the fridge and stick it next to my purse, so I don't forget it.  My morning review includes my Remember the Milk list for items that are due that day, Google Calendar for appointments and my daily folder (already stashed on the table!). I also use this time to check on social networking sites, post happy birthdays to friends and read email.  In the winter I sometimes get blue, so I turn on my "magic light" to help boost my mood.
• Clean up breakfast & GO!  I make a rule of ensuring I've cleaned up my dishes before I go to work, so I don't come home to the cat having dragged a yogurt lid around the house.

First Go!

For the past month I've been back on the GTD (that's Getting Things Done) train and having great success. And I've actually been incorporating a FlyLady type system for managing my home as well. This is the first time I've been able to get them both going at once. I decided I would start blogging about my adventures in trying to be more domestic, and how it blends with my geeky nature. So thanks for reading this blog and I hope you'll enjoy as I build it!