Author Archives: Kristy Nicole

Amazon Subscribe and Save Review

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I am pressed for time. Yeah, right, aren’t we all, but I do work outside the home, and I have a young daughter. I’d rather spend time reading her books than strapping her into the car for a long trip to the grocery or mall. I’ve significantly reduced my time at stores by using Amazon’s new Subscribe and Save program.

I first found it while shopping for diapers. I can tell the store how often/how many packages I want and I never have to think of it again. If I’m running low, I can have the delivery sent early; if I have too much, I can delay or skip a shipment. It is intuitively customizable and can be changed at any time. As if that isn’t enough, there is always free shipping AND the item is 15% off of regular price. I’ve never bought a diaper in a brick and mortar store.

After the success with diapers, I added more and more subscriptions for items I use frequently, from detergent that’s hard to find locally to nutritious whole grains for my baby. I currently subscribe to 14 different items.

As for prices, I have (of course) created a spreadsheet to calculate the prices versus the regular grocery store. As you can see, not every price is better. So I make sure that my subscriptions are those that won the cost war.

What about environmental impact? Well, the UPS guy drives past here every day anyway, so I’m actually saving fuel by not driving to the store as often. That detergent I can’t find easily is at a store that’s a 30-minute drive from my house and would consume about a gallon of gas per trip. And about all the packaging? Well, most quantities are by the case, so they are delivered in the manufacturer’s original packaging. I recycle every bit of the cardboard and packing plastics.

Just a few downsides… while the packaging is recycled, there have been occasions when it’s out of hand. Of note was this package. I was pretty excited when I saw the big box: six feet long, three feet tall, and a foot wide. I thought it was a gift from someone. But no, it was the result of my purchase of a cord channeling kit, with dimensions of 3’ long by two inches wide by half an inch thick. This is a ridiculous waste.

Also, I can’t use manufacturer’s coupons. For things like diapers, this can be up to $5. There should be a place to enter the UPC from these coupons.

I absolutely love the program and would recommend it to anyone.

The Grateful Journal

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Wow, my last post was depressing! As I was puttering around the house and cleaning this weekend, I found a journal that my mother had given me. It’s a blank book with the goal of writing 5 things that made me happy. It’s meant to be daily but I would find myself leaving the journal on a side table for a day, a week, a year (oo! Look! Something shiny!).

It’s so old that it’s fun to review and reflect. I also recall that even if it was a hokey Oprah thing, it still worked. I still could find five things on bad days, and the good days were glowing with happiness. So I’m going to dust off the journal and start again. I know it won’t happen every day, but I’m going to do it when I think of it.

For fun, I’ll post them on my blog, and also an old entry just for kicks.

Today’s Five

A delicious, authentic Indian meal prepared by someone I love

Carlton taking over for diaper changing at five in the morning

Ainsley’s soft little hand on my back

My sister’s sacrifice to move closer to me so our kids can be like siblings

My brother’s unflagging enthusiasm

Archive Five:

Um, yeah, I already can’t find the book. Oops.

Happiness

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I can’t explain it.

My job: the one I’ve dreamed of having since college.

My car: a wonderful surprise gift- the car I never thought I’d have.

My house: let’s face it, I’m living in my dream home.

My family: parents, brother, sister: check, check, check.  All are great friends.

My husband: a great dad and wonderful to me.

My daughter: you’re kidding asking this one, right? She is perfect.

My bank account: not empty.

So why the malaise?  Why the inability to move?  I feel guilty even feeling down.  I have it better than 99% of the earth’s population and here I am feeling lonely and depressed.  I just wanted to stay in bed today.  What a waste of time it is to be so sad for no good reason.  Maybe it’s because I’m overly dramatic, or maybe it’s because I’ve been in denial about my dog’s health for quite some time now.

Normally I don’t publish my whiny days on my blog but I do feel that it’s overtaking me.  I have about 30 fun posts to write but my fingers aren’t typing those.

OK.  Back to work.

Day to Serve

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My company is hoping to set some world records for volunteerism today.  There are 38 sites across the globe teaming together to help make our communities better.  In Indianapolis alone, more than NINE THOUSAND of us are scheduled to work on local projects.

Please please don’t let it rain!

Mother’s Day

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It’s my first official Mother’s Day.  However, last year, I was already 6 months pregnant and let me tell you, being a mom was already affecting me.

What strikes me most is how much more I value my own mom.  She’s always been great and I have always been good friends with her.  I guess I just didn’t realize the depth of her sacrifices and how hard this job really is.  She is such a smart and wonderful person and she raised three kids in some very difficult times.

Finally, and this is the hard part…I guess I don’t feel like that great of a mom.  I feel like I do the minimum required.  Yes, I read to her and I make her food and I keep her safe, but I thought that I’d feel much more satisfied with my own performance.  When I make a meal, I can pretty objectively tell if it’s any good. True, my daughter isn’t a plate of nachos, but I think what I’m saying is that I am usually a decent judge of how I’m doing.

So the fact that I’m so blah about my performance makes me think I really am just doing the minimum.  I wish I thought I were a great mom like everyone says I am.  But I feel more like the one who lives in mediocrity.  Is it OK to give her salty crackers?  Will too much cow’s milk (once she turns one year old) cause hormone problems?  Can I give her anxiety if I keep her room too neat?  Am I spoiling her with all the applesauce when I’m too tired to put forth the effort to feed her avocado?  Does she need a bath more often?  Will she wish she had a different mommy?

I guess that’s all.  I realize this post is quite a downer compared to most, and I almost didn’t post it.  But it’s true and so I’m clicking “publish.”

Vegetable Stroganoff

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Have I touted the delicious benefits of Farm Fresh Delivery? I receive a bin of fresh, seasonal, organic fruits and vegetables every week. They offer a standard selection that varies by week; also, they allow for modifications and substitutions if you don’t want a rutabaga and would prefer oranges.

I love that the bin comes with recipes for using the stuff. For example, I had never eaten fennel, and the fennel salad recipe was simple, healthful, and delicious. I’m licking my own produce section.

On the negative side, you can’t pick your own items, so you may get an apple with a mushy spot. And I’ve found that the shelf life for organics is half what it was for chemically-enhanced produce. Also, the website for updating produce is not the easiest to navigate. Not only do I have a short window to adjust the bin, if I miss the window, I have no clue what they are sending me! Difficult for menu planning.

OK enough. On to the recipe. I was inspired by a bunch of things I found in my bin this week and some potatoes from last week.

Add

2T butter and
1T olive oil

To a skillet on medium-high heat. While the butter foams, chop and add

One small yellow onion.

After onion has started to turn golden, add

One small bunch rainbow carrots (see note below)

One pound porcini or other mushrooms, chunked into quarters

Reduce heat to medium and stir occasionally until mushrooms have given up their water and all vegetables are golden. Add

3T whole wheat flour

and stir until mixture has cracker-y consistency and flour is turning gold. Deglaze the pan with

4T good red wine (I used cabernet). Slowly add

One teaspoon No-Beef stock base, dissolved in one cup warm water

1/2t black pepper
2t coarsely chopped parsley
2t finely chopped fresh rosemary.

Stir frequently. Once mixture has thickened (about 3 minutes), add

1/2c fat-free yogurt and
1/2c heavy cream (I know, these two ingredients are an oxymoron).

Simmer until thickened. Serve over garlic mashed potatoes.

I had fun inventing this recipe. You’ll note that there’s no salt added. That’s because the only drawback to the No-Beef base is that it is a bit too salty.

The purple carrots add a beautiful color to a sauce that could have been brownish grey. Hey, Pasta Queen, have you ever licked a purple carrot? (I promise that’s not as bad as it sounds!!!!)

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Taste: [rate 3.5]
Ease: [rate 3]

I Feel the Earth! Move! Under my Feet

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So I’m feeding the baby, and I hear the house creak a little, no big deal.  Then, I get the sense that the cat is getting on the back of my chair.  Except neither cat is allowed in the baby’s room, and the door is closed.   My chair starts shaking very rhythmicaly and I keep looking around for who’s doing it.

I finished feeding Ainsley, put her to bed, and checked the internet.  There were no updates about any tremors…so my irrational side took over.  I was afraid.  Yes, folks, I have an irrational fear of ghosts.  I hate this fear, but I cannot use my rational brain to overcome it.  Isn’t that ridiculous?
Luckily the local news had a breaking news story about it, so I only had to worry for about 5 minutes.  I felt like I could be one of those idiots they interview: “golly gee, I thunk it was my great uncle tellin’ me he made it to heaven okay.  Thought they only had earthquakes in California.”

OK, I’m tired and need to work.  Have a great day.