Tuesday, July 27, 2010

31 Days To Build A Better Blog - Day 5

Today's challenge is all about communicating with our community. The task is to email a reader. I have emailed readers in the past when there is something specific I want to talk to them about in private. I would rather carry on a chat in my comments section or visit readers back at their blog if they have one, leaving a comment there. But by writing an email and trying to let them know by reaching out just a little bit more to say thank you.

The reader's that I emailed for this challenge are so special because them following me in their busy lives, when in a world today you have a thousand little things to do and yet they make time for me and my blog. This means a lot to me.

I emailed

Judy at cutest-little-things her blog is so sweet and so fun to read. I hope you enjoy her as much as I do.

Dawn at bee and rose. She is a stay at home busy mom of two and she is living a life of a women with a husband that is terminally ill, she like myself knows and understands how precious life truly is but still follows and reads my blog and that means the world to me.

Kate at mommy monologues She is a stay at home mom working on her masters in social services. Her and I have so much in common with the things that she loves to do when she isn't being a mommy and wife. Kate is so funny through her writing and it means so much that she read and follows my blog.

Thank you ladies for reading my blog. :) It means so much!

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

Chinese Chicken Salad

Ingredients

   * 4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided
   * 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil, divided
   * 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
   * 1/2 head napa cabbage, thinly shredded (about 6 cups)
   * 1/4 head red cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)
   * 1 large carrot, shredded (about 2 cups)
   * 3 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced, greens included (about 1/2 cup)
   * 1 (8-ounce) can sliced water chestnuts
   * 1 (11-ounce) can Mandarin oranges in water, drained
   * 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
   * 1 teaspoon minced garlic
   * 1 teaspoon minced ginger
   * 2 tablespoons canola oil
   * 2 tablespoons brown sugar
   * 1 1/2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce or chili sauce
   * 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and brush onto chicken breasts. Arrange in a baking dish and bake until juices run clear, about 13 to15 minutes. Remove from oven, cool completely, and cut into 1/4-inch slices.

In a large bowl, combine Napa cabbage, red cabbage, carrot, scallions, water chestnuts, Mandarin orange and sliced chicken. In a separate bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, ginger, oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, brown sugar and chili sauce. Pour dressing over salad and toss to combine. Divide among bowls and top each serving with 2 teaspoons toasted almonds.

Chicken Summer Rolls

These crunchy Vietnamese-style rolls are healthy and light, and the addition of rice makes them filling. They're gluten-free, but anyone -- even adults -- will love them.
Ingredients

   * 1/4 cup rice vinegar, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons
   * 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
   * 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (from a rotisserie or other leftover chicken)
   * 1 medium-large carrot, shredded (about 1 cup)
   * 12 (8 1/2-inch) rice paper wrappers (See note)
   * 1/3 English cucumber or 1 kirby cucumber, peeled, julienned, about 1 cup
   * 4 scallions (white and green parts) finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
   * 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, basil or cilantro
   * About 12 Boston lettuce leaves
   * 1/2 cup cooked brown or white rice
   * 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
   * 2 tablespoons soy sauce
   * 3 tablespoons water

Whisk 1/4 cup rice vinegar with 2 teaspoons sugar in a medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Add chicken and carrot, season with salt to taste, set aside.

Fill a large bowl with warm water. Working with 2 sheets of rice paper at a time (keep others covered with a barely damp cloth to prevent curling), immerse papers in the warm water until slightly softened (about 15 seconds). Remove and spread out on a clean surface or cutting board. Pat dry with a towel to remove excess water. Lay 2 pieces of lettuce over the bottom third of the rice paper, leaving about 1/2-inch clear on edges. Place about 1/3 cup chicken and carrot mixture on the lettuce, top with 4 to 5 pieces cucumber, scallion, several mint leaves and about 1 heaping tablespoon of rice. Roll up the paper halfway into a cylinder. Fold both edges in to tuck while continuing to roll the paper to seal. Place the rolls on a plate covered with a damp towel so they stay moist as you prepare the remaining rolls. Cut rolls in half and wrap in plastic wrap or place in an air-tight container.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the peanut butter with the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoon rice vinegar, 2 teaspoons sugar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and water until smooth. Put sauce in sealed containers.

Tuck rolls and sauce into a lunch sack with a cold pack and send off to school.

Note: Edible rice papers are sold in Asian food aisle in supermarkets or Asian markets.

Time Saving Tip: Use leftover rice from Chinese takeout to make these quicker. Make them the night before or prep all ingredients including chicken and carrot mixture so in the morning you just need to roll.

Meet me Monday!!!!!

1. What were your school colors?

My school colors were purple and gold. I found it fun that my Mom and Dad and both sets of Grandparents were all Purple and Gold and all North Kitsap Vikings.

I can't wait for when Hub's and I have a child that will go to North as well.

2. What's the best compliment you ever received?

Usually, the best compliments I get are the from the people that come to my house. I try to always have my home ready for anyone to stop in and visit. Its a nice feeling another thing I love to have people comment on is the parties that I throw. I love to entertain and I am prideful of the parties I throw.

3. Do you buy cheap or expensive toilet paper?

One thing I think we all hate is when your finger pokes through the cheap toilet paper.....

I am an expensive TP girl all. the. way.

My bottom is much too special for that crap =)

I am a Kleenex Cottonelle girl...and nothing else.

(Hey...that should be the Kleenex saying...dontcha think? "Kleenex baby...and nothing less." Gosh. I'm a marketing genius.)

4. Have you ever had a surprise party thrown for you? Or have you had one for someone else?

No one has done one for me and I have wanted one my entire life. :)

I threw a party for many of my friends! I want to do one for my Hub's I think he deserves it for being such an amazing hub's even when I get mad at him it never lasts long! :)

So I think we will both have to do a surprise parties...for eachother. I just need to take my control issues and give that part of my life up.

5. What is one material possession that you "can't live without"?

Wow only one huh?

I would have to say...........................

"I Can't live without"...my laptop.

It has to be my one material possession I can't live without!

To not be able to talk to the outside world. I could still skype, write my blog, get on facebook, and send email's. So I am going with my lap top... heck it holds all my music and all my pictures. IT's a must for my life! <3

Saturday, July 24, 2010

The 31 Days to Build A Better Blog Challenge - Day 4

The task today is to figure out what our niche is and to visit other successful blogs in the same niche to see what they are doing well.

Trying to figure out what the "niche" would be for photography, travel, art, writing, diet coke, decorating my house, scrapbooking, being a live of the land diva & growing my garden, extremely fond of my DVR and lusting for my own iPads. The adventures of become parents both through the traditional and the un-traditional.

I finally figured that my niche is bloggers who write about the things that put there lives out there for us all to enjoy.... the ones that have the passion to live life to the fullest and want to share it with others.

I found this with many other bloggers like me. They encourage me in so many ways. They touch my life and I am sure many other lives out there. I love that there is a connection with other women in the cyber world where they share and become the best of friends and a part of a community. In our lives where we might never have taken or been given the chance to become friends in the outside world, but because we do blog we do find friends out there that daily touch our lives. I love these bloggers they mean the world to me.
Running away? I'll help you pack.
Six Cherries On Top
stacys random thoughts
gerberdays

31 Day Build A Better Blog Challenge - Day Three

Task - Promote A Blog Post

ProBlogger makes a great suggestion to promote specific blog posts instead of the blog as a whole. I do that on Twitter, Facebook,

I find that most of my traffic comes from Google Search or from comments I have left on other people's blogs. My most consistent followers have come from the SITS community. I also have just begun to spend more time on The BlogFrog. It's through SITS and BlogFrog that I learned about the #31DBBB. I also post on my other blog The Girl About Town.
A few things I want to try in the future...

* Blogging Directories
* Blog link up's
* More giveaways
* I want to do events and blog about them.
* Give more time to do Hotel Reviews and have them do contests to stay there after.
* Have a guest blogger and do a bunch of guest blogging.
*Go to blogher 2011 :)
* Host and put together a West Coast Seattle bloggers get together. ( any ladies that read this that would like to help leave me a comment)
* Do more Crafty stuff and link it to my esty store. :)

Here is the blog I would love for you to all check out!!!!!
These lovely ladies are what makes me happy about blogging they up lift me and make know that my blogging is great and people really read what I have to say!

the boston lady.
The Princess and the sweetpea.
The Daily Mom Diaries
This mom loves
maigirlz

Friday, July 23, 2010

31 Day Build A Better Blog Challenge - Day Two

Write a List Post

Today's challenge task is to post a list. I love lists...especially any kind of top ten list. I've done lists before but really want to do a different type of list I have done before.

This is the a list of things I would like to do for a bucket list.....for Travel......

1) I would like to Go down Hwy 101 with Chris.
2) See New York during Christmas time.
3) Go to Hawaii....
4) go on a cruise to a tropical place.
5) Visit every baseball stadium in the USA for my Hub's 40th birthday.... he is almost 32.
6) Take my Hub's to San Fransico, so he can see why its my favorite city.
7) Back pack Europe for 6 months.
8) Go to France and spend our ten year Anniversary there!!!
9) Go to Boston and see where Hub's lived when he was little. ( meet the Goodrich side of the family)
10) Travel the entire East Coast.
11) Go to England and go to all the places my family came from.
12) travel by car to all the states and become campground host's to help our expenses.
13) Go on the Eat Love Pray trip.
14) Do a vacation to a warm tropical beach and do nothing planned.
15) Travel China and come home with a baby :)

31 Day Build A Better Blog Challenge - Day One

The Elevator Pitch

The point of an elevator pitch is to be able to briefly describe your blog, project, book etc in the time it takes to ride an elevator (about 30 seconds or 100-150 words)

My blog is about the things that are going around in my community and my life. That I put a light in others worlds, I live and share a piece of myself....writing, art, photography, travel, love, diet coke, journaling, farmers markets, and living as much as I can decorating my home and playing in my garden with my hub's and fur babies trying to be as green as I can be, and trying to write that first book.

The best thing about blogging is that I can go out each day with camera in hand and look for things that bring that special something into my life and then I get to share it with all of you!