Around Town: Budget-Friendly Hometown Summer Activity Inspiration

This summer we're spending quality time together as a family and participating in the 2013 Summer Bucket List Challenge to ensure we do. Often people think summer means expensive trips. It doesn't have to be that. Join me and others tonight, Wednesday, May 22 2013 at 6:00PM Pacific/8:00PM Central/9:00PM Eastern on Pinterest for a dose of inspiration.
 

 

Want to spend quality time together and have the chance to win amazing prizes? Oh... and participate for FREE? There's still time to join us. So far, over 3,100 families have taken the Summer Bucket List Challenge. Simply register and you'll get tips for creating your list and staying motivated while having the chance to get prizes.
 

How are you spending your summer?
Join our Pin Party tonight and show us!
 

Along with me, Jenny of The Happy Family Movement; Ellie of Creative Geekery Blog; Jennifer of Jennifer Witt | The Blog; Anna-Leigh of My Lens is Ruby Red; Casey of Phreckle Face Photography; Megan of Prairie & Co; Michelle of Table for Five; and Amy of The Connection We Share will be pinning fun things to do.
 

Never participated in a pinning party before? Here's what to do.

• Follow the Summer Bucket List Inspiration Pinterest board.
• Start thinking of places and activities that you want to share/pin.
• Be on Pinterest a few minutes before 6:00PM Pacific/8:00PM Central/9:00PM Eastern tonight Wednesday, May 22, 2013.
• At 6:00PM Pacific/8:00PM Central/9:00PM Eastern tonight start pinning your places and activities with this hashtag: #happyfamilysummer.

Unable to make the party? No worries. Check out the Summer Bucket List Inspiration Pinterest board at your leisure for inspiration.
 

Ciao Bella!

Eden!

 

P.S. Are you following The Road to The Good Life on Google Reader? Don't wait until July 1st when Google Reader shuts down to chose a new RSS reader. Consider making the switch to Bloglovin today. Follow my blog with Bloglovin.

 

Credits: Layout designed by Elle Petrov of Creative Geekery Blog for The Happy Family Movement and used with permission.

A Good Life Snapshot: This Heart of Mine

One of the first people I met in person at Alt Summit SLC was Amy Christie of This Heart of Mine. We first chatted at the Hello Social and then I saw her everywhere throughout the conference. I'm a big believer in coincidences not just randomly happening. And when she started #NowHereThis I knew you would want to meet her too.
 

 

Amy's personality fills any room she's in. Her blog, "the place where all the things [she] love[s] come together," captures this and often brightens my day. If you haven't met her yet, after reading her interview, head over to her welcome page and settle in for awhile. Be cautioned that your face might hurt a little from smiling so much.
 

1. How do you define The Good Life?
The Good Life is a mix of it all - the good, the bad, work, play, joy, pain, learning, teaching, crying, laughing. The Good Life is being fulfilled by who and what you fill your life with. The Good Life is figuring out what makes you happy and making it happen. The Good Life is loving it all.
 

 

2. Do you think it's possible to pursue The Good Life? Why or why not?
Definitely. We can all pursue what makes us happy, what brings us joy. I not only think it's possible but I think it's our responsibility. I believe that life is a gift and we must do our best with that life. But pursuing does not mean that everything is going to be perfect or work out the way we think it will. Pursing is a battle. It's working for it every day. Some days are sunshine and rainbows, others are a face plant in the dirt. For me, knowing anything is possible keeps me fighting.
 

 

3. Do you think you have The Good Life? If yes, when did you learn this?
Yes, I do have The Good Life. Of course. I am inordinately blessed. Even if creative pursuits weren't possible, I know my circumstances afford me a comfortable existence and for that I am always grateful. But I do. It's not always pretty or fun but it is Good.
 

 

4. How has blogging helped you recognize The Good Life?
I am a creative person through and through and blogging has helped give place to my creative pursuits. After my daughter was born, I felt myself kind of slipping away into the responsibilities of motherhood. With the blog, I had a little structure, aspirations and goals, more encouragement to let my creativity out. I feel more complete being creative. Plus, there is a lot of learning that goes into the whole process. I love learning new things, stretching my brain so that part brings me joy as well.
 

 

5. Do you have any tips you'd like to share with others?
Figure out what you want, what is really important, and move towards that. Focus on the small steps so the big ones aren't so daunting. Be patient with yourself and others. And try to love it all.
 

Ciao Bella!

Eden!

 

P.S. Are you following The Road to The Good Life on Google Reader? Don't wait until July 1st when Google Reader shuts down to chose a new RSS reader. Consider making the switch to Bloglovin today. Follow my blog with Bloglovin.

 

Credits: All layouts designed by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life. All images taken by Amy Christie of This Heart of Mine and used with permission. A Good Life Snapshot is a monthly series featuring a DIY or lifestyle blogger I follow and who I admire.

Sunday Sayings: Second Chances

It's easy to critique. To armchair quarterback. To reflect. It's harder to start. To go for it. To push through. This week's mantra is for those times when the start is rocky and we don't yet see the summit.
 

 

One of my favorite movies is Hope Floats with Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick Jr. I don't know why exactly I love it and its soundtrack, but I do. Maybe I love it so much because it was filmed in Texas when I lived there, and because I saw Sandra Bullock once in the produce aisle at my local Randall's. Or, maybe it's stayed in my DVD collection across multiple states because when I first watched it I was in need of a second chance of hope. That might explain why one of three quotes (you'll have to wait until another day for the others) that's always stuck with me is about chances:
 

"You think life goes on forever?
You think behind every chance there's another chance and
another one and another one?
It's the worse kind of extravagance the way you spend your chances ... ."
 

What got me thinking about chances? Sheryl Sandberg's Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead and Amy Christie of This Heart of Mine. I interviewed Amy, a fellow creative, for this month's A Good Life Snapshot (stop by tomorrow for the full interview) and she shared this about her pursuit of the good life: "Some days are sunshine and rainbows, others are a face plant in the dirt. For me, knowing anything is possible keeps me fighting."
 

Recently I've had a few days where in my mind I've planted my face in the dirt. Branching out in a new direction. Stretching outside my comfort zone. Trying to do it all. In whatever I do I keep expecting perfection, even when attempting something new. I forget that it takes a few face plants before steps are sure and one can run. Amy's words reminded me not to be so hard on myself and keep going. After all, what's a little dirt?
 

Therefore, this week's saying is:
 

Believe in second chances. Give yourself one.
 

 

Do you believe in second chances?
Do you grant them to yourself?
 

Ciao Bella!

Eden!

 

P.S. Are you following The Road to The Good Life on Google Reader? Don't wait until July 1st when Google Reader shuts down to chose a new RSS reader. Consider making the switch to Bloglovin today. Follow my blog with Bloglovin.

 

Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.
 
Sunday Sayings is a weekly series, published every Sunday, featuring an inspirational quote or a motto along with an anecdote of why I chose it.
 
This post contains affiliate links. I feature products that I own or that I am considering purchasing. All opinions presented are my own.

Font Fun: Stocking Up and Fresh from the Kitchen of Labels

In college, I always had a freezer bursting at the seams with homemade bean soups and sauces. And, for awhile, cubes and I had a fully stocked freezer. Then, pregnancy happened and I had no energy after a full day to cook. Now, a year after Gates was born, I feel like we're getting the hang of things. How do I know? Our freezer is almost full.
 

 

Little did my husband or I know how last month's theme, Local Eating, would impact our lives. Now, in all fairness, my mindful eating kick started last month when I challenged myself to a Spring HaveNotWant Challenge and realized the majority of our unnecessary expenditures were from ordering delivery multiple times a week.
 

Once we ran the numbers of a CSA box, we realized we'd be getting higher quality produce for less than we were spending at our local Safeway. We immediately decided it made sense both for the Local Eating theme and our budget cutting to sign up through Farmigo at cubes' office. At the same time, I mentally committed to wanting nothing to go to waste. My thinking was that we're not really saving money if we're composting the majority of our purchases each week. (Later in the month we switched to a CSA box from LolaBee's Harvest.)
 

Have you committed to a CSA box?
Did it change your life?
 

 

Committing to eat everything that arrives to your door is a tall order. We made it to week three without wasting anything from the first three boxes. This was tough the first week; accomplished only with a marathon session of stock making and vegetable braising. The second week required no heroics. The third week involved three afternoons of stock and soup making and we now have an almost full freezer full of stocks and soups. The fourth week we were traveling so some of the items spoiled before we returned from New York.
 

As I'm getting ready to share stocks and soups with friends and family (in exchange for watching Gates), it was time to create labels that identified what was in the container and when it was made. To save supplies, I created a label inspired by the Whopper burger boxes from Burger King that I could use for different types of stocks. If you'd like to use the labels in your kitchen, you can download them here.
 

 

Bon Appetit!

Eden!

 

P.S. Are you following The Road to The Good Life on Google Reader? Don't wait until July 1st when Google Reader shuts down to chose a new RSS reader. Consider making the switch to Bloglovin today. Follow my blog with Bloglovin.

 

Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.
 
Font Fun is a monthly series showcasing a roundup of free fonts or featuring a free printable with a favorite font.
 
Get the Fonts: Silhouettes of Rooster and Hen: Birds of a Feather from Dafont.com (personal use only). Silhouettes of Sheep, Cow, Rooster, and Hen: Farm and Wild Animals from Dafont.com (personal use only); Various Fruit and Vegetable Outlines: FOOD! from FontSpace (commercial use permitted); Mushroom and Carrot Dingbat: Tombats Four from FontSpace (commercial use permitted). Outline of Fish: Efon from FontSpace (commercial use permitted).

Recipe: Stroganoff

When you get stressed, what do you reach for? Me? I go for comfort food, specifically those meals my mom made when I was growing up and was studying for and worrying about an upcoming test. For a few years now, I've been on a mission to recreate some of her dishes. Today I share one of the dishes I've finally perfected.
 

 

Recently I was craving my mom's Beef Stroganoff. She used to make it a couple of nights after she served the family roast for dinner. I have yet to be able to get a roast moist enough that it doesn't get tough when used as leftovers in stroganoff, so I was excited to come across a recipe that I can make successfully. How does this recipe do? It gets a 3 out of 3 according to my three criteria: budget friendly, super easy to make, and flavorful.

• Cost: $14.50 for four servings, or $3.63 a person.
• Effort: Medium. The only trick with this recipe is not burning the flour or curdling the sour cream.
• Taste: Great, very close to the original dairy meal I was trying to replicate. Resist the temptation to substitute Ground Chuck for Ground Bison, the gaminess of the bison is what gives the dish its rich flavor.

Stroganoff

Ingredients (makes four servings)

• 1/2 lb Wide egg noodles or Pappardelle
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 medium Onion, diced
• 1/2 lb fresh Mushrooms, sliced
• 1 lb Ground Bison or 1/2 to 3/4 lb Medium rare steak, sliced across the grain
• 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 pinches Nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 2 Tablespoons All-Purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups Beef stock (if using leftover steak or roast, 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup Tofutti Sour Supreme Better than Sour Cream

 

Instructions

1. Prepare noodles according to package.
2. Heat olive oil in heavy bottom pot over medium heat.
3. Saute onions until soft.
4. Add mushrooms and saute until they have given off their liquid and are slightly brown.
5. If using raw ground bison, add meat to pot. Stir often to break up meat, until browned, about 5 minutes.
6. Add Worcestershire sauce, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
7. Add flour and cook 1 minute, stirring often to take care not to burn the flour.
8. If using leftover steak, add.
9. Stir in stock and simmer, stirring frequently until thickened.
10. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream.
11. Return pot to medium heat and cook until heated through.
12. Add cooked noodles and toss until coated with sauce.

Have you remade a childhood favorite?
 

Bon Appetit!

Eden!

 

P.S. Are you following The Road to The Good Life on Google Reader? Don't wait until July 1st when Google Reader shuts down to chose a new RSS reader. Consider making the switch to Bloglovin today. Follow my blog with Bloglovin.

 

Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.