Wisdom

It's College and Career Week at our elementary school and the 2nd graders were asked to describe a good college student. Thankful that Mason has such a great example in his oldest sister who seems to have mastered all eight items on the list. I hate thinking of the day when these gems no longer come home in the backpack.

Chicken Florentine

This is one of my families favorite recipes.  I've made a few changes from the original I was given several years ago, using fresh spinach instead of frozen and cutting the chicken into smaller pieces. It's so easy to throw together on a busy weeknight but also has fantastic dinner-party appeal.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 - 5 cups pasta sauce
2 cups cream or half & half
2 cups fresh spinach, julienned
freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 box of pasta, prepared

Cut chicken into chunks and place in a sprayed 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with garlic powder, salt and pepper.

In a separate dish, combine sauce, cream or half & half and spinach. I use a combination of 1/2 cup of cream and 1 1/2 cups of half & half. Using all cream is fantastic, but not quite as healthy. Pour the entire mixture over the chicken. Bake at 375*, uncovered for about 40 - 45 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and chicken is cooked completely. Top with parmesan cheese and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve hot over pasta.

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Motivation for this week -

(right click the picture to save as an 8x10 print)

I love the message from President Gordon B. Hinckley's April 1995 Conference talk which goes perfectly with my 2014 motto: A Year of More.

Happy Monday!

More

I struggled at the start of 2014 with how I should approach my goal setting, mainly because I've never been a good goal-setter. Or maybe (like many) I'm just not a very good goal-keeper. As I pondered my usual list of annual goals the word MORE kept popping in my head. A word telling me that I needed to do more than I did in 2013; to be more; to give more. Because more is always moving in the right direction.

I've come up with four areas of focus for this new year:

* I need to be more motivated, telling myself daily that I can be successful, even though I'm not (and will never be) perfect.
* I need to be more organized - with my schedule, with my time and (especially) with my home.
* I need to be more focused on what really matters in my life - my relationships. People are always more important.
* I need to have more endurance - pushing forward and not giving up, even when I (inevitably) fall short.



I look forward to sharing my 2014 journey on this new blog!

A New Blog

I'm excited to introduce my new blog:

A name reflecting eight members of my family - four happy pairs; A name reflecting my preference for even numbers - because all things (and people) are better when they have a partner; A name reflecting a fruit that I simply adore.

I'm excited to share posts with you that reflect my love of literature, creativity, food and motherhood.

Happy Reading!