Is it Monday Again???

It is amazing how fast a week goes by. Where did the time go?

Well, it's that time again. Diet Challenge check-in. I'm not feeling very motivated and I'm not doing all that great. Just another 1/2 pound loss to report. At this rate, I will be on a diet f-o-r-e-v-e-r!!!

Today's recipe will be a Southwestern Rice Salad. Perhaps this is why I am not losing weight, huh? LOL

2-3 chicken breasts
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 cup salsa
2-1/2 cups rice
1 cup of canned drained & rinsed black beans
1 red bell pepper, diced
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup julienned green onions
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 to 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
clove of garlic, minced

Sprinkle both sides of the chicken breasts with the chili powder. Place the chicken in a plastic bag along with 1/2 cup of the salsa. Seal the bag and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

In a bowl, combine rice, beans, bell pepper, cheese, green onions and cilantro. Combine remaining 1/2 cup salsa, oil and garlic; mix well. Add to rice mixture; toss well. Cover; refrigerate until serving time. Remove chicken breasts from marinade and grill. (Discard marinade) Cut into 1/2-inch cubes or shred and add it to the salad mixture. Toss and serve.

Enjoy!

I have said it before and I will say it again, I love how blogging has given me the opportunity to meet people from all over the U.S. and the world. It came to me shortly after I started blogging that if there are quilters and crafters with blogs in my country, it must be the same of every country in the world. After countless google searches, I have found so many creative bloggers. And, there are also many who have found me. One of them is Flavia. Flavia lives in Italy and she so happens to have a blog. She recently mentioned to me that she was going to try her hand at the folded hexagon needlebook and today she emailed me with a picture of what she made. All you hexagon lovers out there are going to love her interpretation of the hexagon needlebook. Her blog is written in Italian and I don't think that she speaks much English, if any. I have been communicating with her with my broken Italian and with the help of an online translator. Even if you don't speak Italian, it is worth a visit to her blog to see the beautiful things that she makes.

I cannot begin to tell you just how enthused I am about quilters and crafters who live in other countries. I plan to start featuring some of the wonderful blogs of the international community starting next month. Even though we all do not speak the same language, we can still learn so much from each other.

On another note, whenever I travel, I worry about messing up my makeup brushes. I don't have the heart to just toss them into my makeup bag where their bristles will be ruined. Anyone who treasures their brushes, whether it be for makeup or for painting, strives to take extra measures to protect and preserve them. Something as simple as a brush roll works wonders. I recently tossed my old brush roll and made a new one.

This is my new brush roll in the open position...


With the flap covering the bristles...


Folded and tied with a ribbon closure...

It is called a brush roll because it is meant to be rolled up. I prefer to fold mine in thirds because it stays flat and easily stores in my makeup bag.

I hope you all are having a wonderful day! Take care.

Aloha!