For the last 107 hours, my left hand has been a little heavier.  Now, I know I'm not the first person, and I'm certainly not the last, but man oh man, is being a "Fiance" a really different experience.  It's like a second full time job!  The questions you have to dodge: When is it?  What are your colors?  What kind of dress do you want?  Will there be a band?  Is it indoors or out?  What will be your first song?  What kind of cake? Where are you going on your honeymoon?  There is so much to consider and think about.
Obviously, I grew up fantasizing about this day, and all the details, both large and small- but for it really to be happening is a whole new emotion.  I've found myself crying, for no other reason than I am over the moon excited to have and to hold, love and to cherish, my very best friend- for the rest of our lives.  I literally become a blubbering mess- unable to use my words, and make the most play-doh inspired faces anyone has ever seen. 
So in addition to the business blog, I'm considering a personal blog to track my adventure to the alter! Keep your eyes peeled for more to come!



The Future Mrs. Doherty

This week has been a really crazy one- and it's only halfway over!!  Evidently, even though we've only been engaged for just under 100 hours the questions are already flowing in; Who's in your wedding party? Have you picked a date?  What are your colors? What kind of dress do you want?  What are you going to do for your bachelorette party? On top of building and maintaining my own business, I can't seem to rope my mind back in to reality and completing the normal daily tasks!
So yesterday, after a long day of clients, and 2 trips to the jewelers (for resizing- HUGE thanks to Nasr in Plymouth, Eddie did it in about 2.5 hours- everyone else was quoting 2-3 DAYS!! http://www.nasrdiamonds.com/) I hadn't even THOUGHT about what we were going to have for dinner! I knew that there was chicken in the fridge, but hadn't gotten around to going to the store, and my kitchen mirrors that of Old Mother Hubbard right now. 

After last week's adventure with the pork and tomato soup, I had an idea... 
Into my skillet I poured 1 can of Campbell's Broccoli & Cheddar Soup, and 1 can of milk.  After everything had heated up and was a normal "soup" consistency, I tossed in my salt & peppered chicken breasts. 
That's when I started up a small pot of water- I love carbs: bread, pasta, rice- a meal is not complete for me without my carbs.  So when that water was ready, in went my spiral pasta pieces. 
After turning my chicken that was being cooked up in the soup, I also added to the skillet 1.5 cups of frozen peas and onions (you can use any frozen veggies you have on hand, peas were the only ones I could find in my freezer). 
The soup didn't stay soupy long enough- I had intended on it being a more gravy texture, I'm sure I could have added more milk to thin it out, it more or less turned into clumps that held the peas and onions together.  Because the chicken was cooked up in so much liquid, it was very moist, with a hint of the soup flavoring. 
The entire dinner took less than 25 minutes to make- the chicken took a little longer because I wanted to be sure it was cooked all the way through.  It probably would have cooked up faster had I covered my skillet, but I was anxious to keep an eye on my creation!
The end result- 2 very full, very tired bellies on the couch, ready for an early night!  Dinner doesn't need to take hours to prepare, and it definitely doesn't need to take tons of work and ingredients. 

What are some quick dinner ideas you've used in the past?

Stacy Mafera
703 304 4067
www.ErrandsEtcetera.biz
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Valentine's Day has always been a very special day for me- single or taken, I love to show appreciation for those in my life that have made a visible difference.  While I do think it's important to express love everyday, sometimes the one day check in to re-focus is nice.  Since Rick and I are so low key, and really just a couple of homebodies at the end of a busy day, I was thrilled to come home and create a special dinner for him. 
I spent all week thinking about what I could make to really "Wow" him; he's been eating my cooking for almost three years, so I don't have too many surprises left up my sleeves.  But none the less, I was determined to try something new, and hit it out of the park... well, not to toot my own horn, but "Toot, toot!" Baked stuffed Chicken Breasts can now go into the rotation of delicious, and fairly simple meals to make!

Here's how the masterpiece was created:

Start by preheating the oven to 375*

While that's heating up, flatten your chicken breasts (I put mine on a cutting board, covered them with saran wrap and proceeded to beat them with a rolling pin).

In a small bowl mix together a large handful of spinach (after first cooking it to "welted" for two minutes in the microwave), about a half cup of sour cream, and a handful of your favorite cheese.  After the standard, I got creative, I minced up 2 cloves of garlic, chopped a quarter cup of fresh red pepper, broccoli, and mushrooms (had I thought of it, I would have added sun dried tomatoes too!), and mashed that up with my spinach cheese blend.
Taking a tennis ball sized scoop and putting it in the middle of the chicken was the hardest part- I didn't want to use too much stuffing, but I also didn't want any left over.  After stuffing and rolling, I wrapped each breast with two slices of turkey bacon and secured my creation with two toothpicks each.





Bake the chicken for 35 minutes, and then increase the temperature to 500* for the last 15 minutes. 

Not only was this dish super easy to make, but it was limited hands on time- which allowed me to create a great table scape (that would be decorated with the most gorgeous bunch of flowers), and to write a special Valentine's Day poem for my man. 




(I don't know why it's sideways, but it's still amazing!)

Did you make a special dinner?  How do you make time to celebrate your love?

Stacy
www.ErrandsEtcetera.biz
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What are you doing with the kids for school vacation?  Many families will visit the Children's and Science Museum, stop by the Aquarium, and maybe check out their local libraries, and of course, burn some energy at the local indoor mall playground.  While all of these trips can be beneficial, they can also be filled with chaos and stress.  Instead of waiting in lines to see special exhibits and battling with public transportation, think outside of the box and check out some local events happening near you during vacation week!

Growing up, my school winter vacations were always spent at the Blue Hills (http://ski-bluehills.com/), learning to ski and making friends.  I was spoiled- my father has worked there since before I can remember.  Every year, they offer two ski camps for kids the first one in December, and the second in February.  The camp is open to kids aged 7-15 from beginners to advanced skiers welcome.  Included with the camp is a crazy hat day, a race day, and the end off the week is an awards ceremony for all of the participants.  I made some of the greatest friends, while being outside in the fresh air, getting exercise, AND working on my pole plants!   

 
(That's my Dad on the right- If you stop by make sure you say "Hi, Mike!")

Do your little ones love history and pretending?  Why not take a drive to the Plimouth Plantation (http://www.plimoth.org/) where they have daily events such as plays,  music programs, indoor and outdoor activities to keep the kiddies engaged!

Got a comedian on your hands?  Let them test their skills at ImprovBoston (http://www.improvboston.com/) next week!  Learning techniques that will help them not only on but also off the stage as well.  This sounds awesome... I wish I knew about this when I was growing up, not that I was funny, or wanted to be the star of a show- but it just seems out of the box awesome. 

I never took gymnastics growing up; it didn't really interest me- but I did love the trampoline; which is why Sky Zone Sports sounds so awesome (http://www.everett.skyzonesports.com/).  Instead of being told to practice form on the horse, kids are allowed to jump around all day!  This sounds like it would have been right up my alley!

I love the Zoo- when I lived in DC, the Zoo was a free and majestic place to visit- I was a Nanny and would pack up the three kids and bring them there twice a month.  During school vacation, the zoo would be packed with tourists and families all trying to see the animals.  Which is why the South Shore Natural Science Center (http://www.ssnsc.org/about/ssnsc/) seems like it's a great hidden adventure. 

Vacation weeks always tend to go by too quickly- don't let those five days go by without doing something interactive to create a lasting memory for your little one(s).  While taking five day trips might not be possible, try to schedule at least one, and then let your kiddo's creative juices flow- acting out what they learned, or drawing picture of their favorite part of the day. 

What have you got planned for next week?

Stacy
www.ErrandsEtcetera.biz
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Hashtags. Tweet. Share. Like. Follow. Fan. DM. Check In to be the Mayor.  Pinning.  Trending.  

Had you said any of these words or phrases to me just five years ago, I would have replied with a blank stare and a question mark bubble floating over head.  Fast forward to 2012, and you can't even go into CVS without over hearing someone say:

"Did you see her status?" 
"Do you follow them on Twitter?" 
"I found it on Pinterest."

Being a small business owner, having a pulse on society and what's trending is ultra important.  Knowing inexpensive ways to market yourself to the masses is priceless as well.  I have several people in circle that I've given social media lessons to; all from setting up a face book fan page, to entering contacts into email campaign programs, and teaching them how to effectively use twitter and other popular outlets to freely showcase their business. 
Social Media works.  I'm proof.  Here are a few of my favorite stories about how SM has helped EE grow. 

A few years ago, when I was just starting out, I got a voicemail from an unknown number.  The girl on the other end sounded frazzled.  Her boyfriend was studying for the bar exam, he lived about an hour away.  She knew she couldn't drive all the way out there- but still wanted him to know she was thinking of him.  So, she wanted me to bring him his favorite blueberry pie from a nearby restaurant and bring it to him as a special surprise (totally sweet, right?)... well we got to talking, and I said, "So how did you hear of me?"  and she said "Oh, I'm good friends with Heather." Now, here's where things get interesting.  Heather and I were really good friends in junior high, and then, as teenagers do, grew apart.  I hadn't seen or talked to her in over ten years- but we were connected through FaceBook, so she knew what I was up to.  There have been two other instances where people have said "Heather said I should call you."  As an update, she and I did connect last year over a glass of wine, and just as great friends do, it didn't feel like we missed a moment.

I'm always hesitant to open DM's from people I either don't know, or haven't talked to in years on FaceBook. I always just assume it's spam.  Similar to the previous story, I had a message from a long, lost high school friend, Colleen about two years ago.  Her boyfriend's Grandmother had suddenly died and at the last minute he was going to make the long drive to Canada on his own.  She, similar to the first story, wanted her guy to know she felt awful about not being able to make the trip, so she asked me to put together a road pack- including his favorite snacks, and a few nutritious items for the long haul.  

I'm happy to report that I've been really good about staying on track with my fitness goals for the year (disclaimer- there was a 10 day stretch where I didn't visit the gym, OR walk the dog- but I did manage to at least eat healthy and stay physically active with client work).  I do owe some of that to the MyFitnessPal.com app on my iPhone.  I'm able to track what I eat and drink as well as record exercises (even cooking and cleaning are listed as cardio activities!), follow my habits and patterns and see where I can improve or incorporate healthy choices.  Because I'm fairly competitive, I love this app; it lets me connect with friends, see into their lives, check out what they've been eating and doing for workouts, and know that I have them to hold me accountable. 
Last week, when the EFlirtExpert (www.EflirtExpert.com) was in town, and I was just coming out of my 10 day refuge from the gym, we decided to hit the mats- literally.  Of all the activities we've done together, we've NEVER worked out as a team- sure, we've danced over cocktails, walked through the mall, and even texted across the country while on treadmills, but we've never together face to face worked out.  In honor of taking true advantage of having her in town, I wanted to show her off to all of my fabulous local friends... so I brought her to Alicia, of A Healthy Balance (www.AHealthyBalanceInc.com) for bootcamp.  My friend, the Expert is a total yoga and walking fanatic- she's always in and out of classes in NYC and hustling along the busy streets walking up a storm. 
At this point I do need to say that I had taken a break from AHB for no reason other than time constraints; and for the last six months have been relying on my own workouts and patterns at the gym to keep me in physical shape.  When you get comfortable in a workout, as I had, it's hard to try and introduce new workouts to your agenda.  I became stuck in a rut- feeling great about having worked out, but not feeling any burn, and I had lost the creativity to try new things.
Alicia's boot camp consists of 45 minutes of strength and conditioning work outs.  There are no machines (other than the one you bring with you).  The only things used during your time there could include a yoga mat, resistance band,a step or bench (chair level) and more than likely some free weights.  Bootcamp workouts include 60 second intervals at each "station," where you're working towards time, not towards quantity, and you're alerted when it's halfway through- just for your personal knowledge, or to switch sides (depending on what you're working on).  Everyone in the group does each station twice, and then another set of workouts are introduced.  Workouts include everything from planks, to wall sits, (gasp) burpees, duckwalks, rowing exercises and so much more.
We took the class a week ago, Tuesday, and by Friday, I had just started to feel normal again (sitting, standing, walking up stairs had proven to be a challenge post workout), I can assure you that my city gal pal was suffering the same side effects... however, here we are the following week, and guess who was at bootcamp under Sgt. Alicia's orders this past Tuesday night?  I sure was, and though I'm not as sore as I was last week, I know it's because I was more prepared and remembered to afterwards!
One of the most important things to me is my health and wellness (I'll pretend I didn't eat 4 cinnamon buns last Saturday morning for breakfast), and because of that, working out and eating right are top priorities for me.  When I'm not making time for those things, I can feel myself getting anxious and unnerved.  I love AHB because it doesn't matter how much time I'm away, I don't feel self conscious about working out, I'm always welcomed back with a smile and a great playlist to accompany my sweat session. 
How do you unwind when feeling stressed out?  Do you make time to workout- how often?

-Stacy
703 304 4067
www.ErrandsEtcetera.biz