Author: Rachel Atwell

Hi! I'm Rachel and I write at www.AtwellAdventures.com!
Monthly Goals

february 2014 goals

Rachel Atwell3 Comments

I’m excited about February.  It’s a smaller month, but BIG in celebrations for us! And I’m not talking about the Superbowl…

We’ve got ourseventh month-a-versiary, Valentines Day, and most importantly, G’s birthday!  In addition to the celebrations, here are a few goals…

  • finish furniture projects (console, small bookcase, desk, side table, dresser)
  • complete couch to 5k training
  • start and finish book four
  • research (timeline, cost, tools) online and local sewing and calligraphy classes for my 101 in 1001
  • invite and host neighbors for dinner
  • start working on 2013 photo book

I feel momentum going into February so I’m excited! Much of that momentum has to do with almost completing all of my January goals!  It’s nice to start a new month with a clean slate!

  • complete two painting projects – COMPLETE – I actually completed three painting projects!
  • establish and stay within our revised budget – we established the new budget but went over with a few projects around the house
  • purchase bookshelves for living room – COMPLETE – see it here
  • organize guest bedroom, closet, and laundry room – COMPLETE – this is the most visually satisfying – thank goodness for organization and floors you can see!
  • try a small group or Sunday School at a new church – COMPLETE – we started going to a Sunday School class and start the small group this week!
  • start and finish book three – COMPLETE – I also finished book two, since I had a little bit left at the beginning of January

The only one thing I couldn’t cross off was staying within our budget.  We were working on a few projects that required us to spend a little more than our normal budget {note: our monthly budget is less than our income, so although we spent more than we would have liked, we didn’t spend more than we had}.

What are you working on in February?

High Five for Friday

high five for friday

Rachel Atwell2 Comments

Oh hey last day of January 2014! You sure did get here fast.

It’s been a great week to finish out this month. Here are some of the reasons why!

1. I went to my first wedding of 2014 and wore pajama pants.  Thanks for the invite, Sean and Catherine!

2. Snow day! It’s not often we have one of these and actually see snow!

3. We were accepted as members of Berea Baptist Church! So excited!

4. A new, easy dinner was added to the Atwell recipe book!

5. Tomorrow I finish week four of my Couch to 5k training!

See you all next week! Can’t wait to share the projects I finished this month and what’s in store for February! Have a great weekend!

In the Kitchen

easy barbecue chicken

Rachel Atwell2 Comments

When I’m planning out meals for the upcoming week, I also try to look at the weather report.  I guess my thought is, if its too warm outside, I’m not going to want cook {or eat} something really heavy and hot like a baked pasta. Everyone does this right?  🙂

So last week when I checked the forecast and saw that we might be getting snow, I planned on making crockpot barbecue chicken. When the forecast was right and the snow started falling, I was happy to have all things on hand for this meal.  Bonus: it might have been the easiest thing I’ve ever made.

To make this all you need is a crockpot, barbecue sauce, and chicken {I use frozen tenderloins}.  See, I told you this was going to be easy.

First you’ll want to spray down your crockpot with cooking spray. This will make clean up faster {and that’s always a win in my book}. Once you’ve done that go ahead and turn your crock pot timer to 8 hours and set it on the low setting.  Next, use your favorite barbecue sauce and pour it in the bottom of the crockpot {note: it won’t cover the base; I used about 1/4 cup}. Once you’ve got your sauce base, lay your chicken on top and then add more sauce {be more generous with your sauce this time}. After 7.5 hours, while the chicken is still in the crockpot, shred the meat {it will shred easily}. Once finished shredding, let it cook for 30 more minutes so that it soaks up the remaining sauce.

We ate our chicken with roasted potatoes and a cucumber salad; warm and filling for our snow day!