That was my sister’s comment on facebook earlier in the week.
I started thinking about the word “reinvent” and liked it.
It seemed to fit my house – new carpet, new closet, new shower door, new coat of paint for Will’s room. Some things were planned; others, like the old shower door that shattered, were not.
I would have to say, though, that William’s room was one of the most time consuming. Having to remove everything for carpet replacement – and a new closet to yet be installed – made for some pretty grueling games of “Keep or Toss?” But it was time to move from a high school inspired bedroom to a more mature young man’s room. Time to reinvent.
(With the eventuality of it becoming a guest room in the future, of course!)
“Reinvent” seemed to also fit my new anxiety to organize and minimalize – my sister’s closet, my own drawers, my piles of paperwork. (Still haven’t made it to my own closet yet!) Somehow, after spending the time with my sister and her closet – and being so pleased at how it turned out – I saw her own transformation happen, too. Couldn’t that happen to me?
I was encouraged to try some of that on my own home. I began to paint doors that “just needed it.” Every time I saw something in a drawer or my closet that I hadn’t worn in a long while, it went into the “give-away bag.” When that was full, the “give-away bag” went right into the garage so that I couldn’t rethink anything. I went through piles of cooking magazines, dating back more than a few holidays and relived Christmas puddings, Thanksgiving leftovers and even last Independence Day’s glorious picnic suggestions! And then there were decorating suggestions for all that cleared out space I had made! Time to reinvent.
(Eventually I will get to my closet!)
The motivation continued – not to drastically change but to tweak here and there. Make things better, fresher, than before.
“Reinvent” seemed to fit my changing life. I have a child…er, young lady, graduating college this spring. The other two are still working on getting their degrees, looking towards their future. Time for my future – taking more walks, spending more time with Husband, sending invitations to get together with friends. Basically – having a little control over where I go next.
Yes, it is time to reinvent. it sounds better than “spring cleaning” and it encompasses so much more. There are books to read, photos to put in albums, flowers in the garden to tend, parties to plan. So much to do!! But I’ll start small and begin with the next cabinet that needs cleaning out. Or make that phone call to a friend. Or maybe just finish this post before I start dinner!
One step at a time.
One of the beauties of going through all those cooking magazines, was inspiration to try a few new recipes. With Geena allergic to peanuts, I tend to stay away from anything with nuts while she is home. But since that won’t happen for another 6 weeks, it seemed a perfect time to try a peanut butter cookie bar recipe with Reese’s on top. And William truly loves peanut butter!
PEANUT BUTTER CUP BLONDIES
This recipe came from Cooking Light, their September 2011 issue: http://www.cookinglight.com/food/recipe-finder/brownie-recipes-00412000072574/page5.html
It promised 20 minutes to get into the oven and that was pretty true; it was easy to make. It also said it made 20 servings out of a 9″ square pan and I wondered about that – I thought it would make more like 9 servings. However, these cookie bars are really rich, so a smaller cut bar is a good idea. Lastly, I had added extra peanut butter chips I just happened to have on hand – and that was good, maybe another reason they came out so rich – but it took longer to bake that way.
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cream peanut butter (can use crunchy for a different texture)
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 tablespoons 2% milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
4 (.75ounce) peanut butter cups, coarsely chopped (I used mini peanut butter cups)
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt, stirring well with whisk.
Combine peanut butter, milk, vanilla, and eggs, stirring well. (I used a fork) Add to flour mixture until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. (Mine came out almost like a cookie dough.)
Scrape batter into a 9″ square pan (they used metal, I had a glass one – another reason my cooking time was off??) that is lightly coated with cooking spray. Press the peanut butter cup pieces into the batter.
Bake for 19 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs clinging. Cool in pan on a wire rack.
under the cape honeysuckle 