my word for 2013....

I don't often jump on the bandwagon of New Year's resolutions.....

it's just too easy to set unrealistic goals and expectations and 

never meet them.

How many people make New Year's resolutions only to forget where they put the list the following week?  Guilty!  I know that I have done it!

We commit to exercising regularly....dieting....getting out of debt....quitting 
smoking....organizing our house!

There's a reason plastic containers and exercise equipment go on sale the first week of January!  Somehow, in the date...January 1, 2013, we see new beginnings....hope....a fresh start.

But, how often, come March, the exercise equipment is collecting dust in a 
corner....the plastic bins are empty and missing lids and our credit card 
statement sits unopened on the desk for fear of seeing the actual bill.

Last year, I watched a lot of bloggers choose a "word of the year". 

I didn't pick one because I just couldn't think of a word that I could fulfill.

I didn't want to look back in a year and think.....oh yeah, that's right, I picked 
a word of the year...oops, forgot about that!

Recently, I've been reading the book Unglued by Lysa TerKeurst and it 
has really been challenging me....in a good way.

As I have been reading, I think that I found my word for 2013......

Too many times we expect that by giving our unmet expectations and goals a new name.....resolutions......we somehow think that they'll miraculously be accomplished.

Instead, this year, I just want to see progress.....a slower measure of movement forward.

I may not organize my entire house....that overwhelms me to a point where I just don't know where to begin.  Instead, I can organize my pantry....progress.

I may still lose my temper, get annoyed, and yell at my kids, but I am going to do it less......and those 

times when I make the right choice, I am going to mark that as....progress.

I have the tendency to over-commit and then find myself overwhelmed....I'm 

going to start with one thing to drop from my busy schedule....progress.

Do you want to join me this year.....a new year that will be marked with progress.

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"Gourmet" Muffins from a $0.50 Mix

I am a bit embarrassed to confess this, but there are moments when I 

feel like I just don't have time to even cream butter and sugar together....

The pace of this season in my life feels a little frantic, so making an array

of home-baked good feels like an unreachable goal, but my kids love

sweets and treats.

The other night, I looked in my fridge and saw half of a bag of cranberries

left over and I remembered that I had one of those $0.50 blueberry muffin mixes.

Now, on their own, the muffin mixes can be gross, but with a few "extra" ingredients, I realized that I can make "gourmet" muffins!

Take 1 package of your dry muffin mix....

Add-ins:

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk (this was an original ingredient from the package)

1 egg

1/3-1/2 cup flour

1/2 bag of cranberries

sugar for sprinking

I just mixed in all the extras but the cranberries.  Add enough flour to

make a thick, almost paste-like consistency.

Add in the cranberries and spoon into muffin papers.

I then like to sprinkle about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sugar over the top of the muffins.

Bake at 425 degrees about 15-18 minutes, just until the tops are brown.

You'll end up with "homemade" muffins in no time.......and no creaming involved!!

Do you have any creative "shortcuts"??

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