Bring It On

Hello. My name is Sarah and I'm in love with my vacuum cleaner. We have a lot of hardwood floors in our house. I love them... I really do, but my trusty old broom and dustpan weren't cutting it for me anymore. In general, household cleaning fads and gimmicks don't take hold of me too easily and I like to stick with the basics. Pine-Sol, a bucket and a mop, Ajax, and vinegar have always done the trick. I don't care how good of a sweeper you are, unless you have mysterious powers, you just can't completely clean a messy floor with a broom.

Enter the Shark Stick Vac. Possibly the best $20 I've ever spent, and I'm not even kidding. This lightweight baby sucks it all up, no problem. I'd love to hear from someone who doesn't love this vacuum, because I don't think that they could possibly exist. It may look and sound cheap, but it is quality with a capital Q.

Bring on the dirt, sand, and pet hair, Springtime... the Johnson house is armed and waiting.

Urban Amish | Part 3

Is it too late to give my brother a wedding present if he's been married for almost a year and a half? If you're new around these parts or if you've forgotten, I'm not shy about my feelings toward the actual quilting of a quilt (aka the bane of my existence). I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love everything involved in making a quilt except the quilting part. So here's to the happy couple...who got married January 5... of 2008.

¡Que Sabrosa!

Are you sick of winter yet? I am. I'm yearning for meals on the back porch, the smell of burgers on the grill, and friends outside feasting on summer's bounty. While admittedly, I'm a huge fan of hearty winter meals, I occasionally need to escape south of the border. You and I may not be living our lives in the good old sun right now, but our taste buds can be, right?!

Well señoritas, aquí está....Spicy-Lime Chicken Fajitas. Impress your guests or family with this doozie!

For marinade, combine the lime juice, sugar, oregano, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. I know that combination may sound strange to some ears (as it did to mine), but trust me on this one. Let chicken marinade for 30 minutes.

Chop up peppers and onion into 1/4 inch slices and fry over medium heat.

When chicken has set in marinade for 30 minutes, cook in frying pan over medium/high heat. Please do not to overcook or dry out your chicken. Serve with tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream, and guacamole. Now imagine you are on a beach in Mexico living the life of a well-fed vagabond. Go on, try it!

Spicy-Lime Chicken Fajitas
(serves 4)

Ingredients
3 chicken breasts
3 limes
2 TBSP sugar
2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 onions
3 TBSP olive oil
3 bell peppers (red, green, yellow)

Directions
1. Cut chicken into slices and let marinate with sugar, limes, oregano, cayenne, and cinnamon (30 minutes).
2. Chop peppers and onions into 1/4 inch slices.
3. Cook marinated chicken in frying pan.
4. Saute peppers and onions in a separate pan.

International Entourage

Remember that little Swedish flicka I made a few months ago? Well, now she's got an international entourage of friends. I couldn't help myself! Through a boutique at a work conference last month, several of my girls sold - so I was pleasantly surprised. Here's the lineup:

I'll spare you all the pictures, but here are some head shots. Alaska, Congo, Sweden, Norway, Korea, and Colombia. I've got a Dutch girl in the works, but I'm a little stuck on her hat. Oh yeah, and I can't forget India... I so need more time in the day.