Reflections

I have been sitting here wondering what to write since it has been such a long time since I have really posted anything and I starting remembering the happenings of 2010.

• Fun birthday parties for the kids
• Mr. Man turned 50 and we had great fun putting together a "birthday book" for him
• My sister turned 50 and we had great fun putting together a gift of 50 things for her
• Mr. Man and I celebrated 10 years of marriage by getting away for the weekend
• My mom and sister came to visit
• Spent time with some awesome family members throughout the year
• Found out a niece on my side of the family is expecting her first child
• Found out a niece on Mr. Man's side of the family is expecting her first child
• Rejoiced in the birth of a baby to another niece and nephew
• Reconnected with great people
• Made new friends
• Hosted several events at our home
• Watched our kids growing up into amazing little people
• Staying connected with wonderful people 
• and many, many more! Too many to name here. We are truly blessed. 

I am looking forward to seeing what 2011 brings to us!

Friday Recipe - Loaded Breakfast Potato

I'm sure we've all had a loaded baked potato, with sour cream and cheese or maybe chili and cheese or even one of my favorites, broccoli cheese soup! But here is a little twist on that. It doesn't happen often in my house, but occasionally I will make too many baked potatoes for dinner leaving us with one or two stranded baked potatoes. The next morning I like to take that baked potato, warm it up in the microwave, then cut it in half and smash it a little. Top it with a little butter, one scrambled egg, some cheese, crumbled bacon bits, and a little salsa. This is so yummy!

Loaded Breakfast Potato (makes 1 serving)
INGREDIENTS:
1 baked potato
slab of butter (as much or little as you like)
1 slice of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 egg, scrambled
sprinkling of cheese
spoonful of salsa
sour cream 

Warm up baked potato in microwave. Cut it in half lengthwise. Smash out the potato a little bit. Top with a butter. Top with egg and bacon. Then add cheese and finally top it off with a little salsa and sour cream if you desire. Eat up and enjoy!

Friday Recipe - Hot cocoa

What could be better than a little cup of hot cocoa on Christmas Eve. This year, we are planning to get in our PJ's, watch a Christmas movie (my vote is for Polar Express) and sip some hot cocoa!

This recipe has become a new family favorite in my house. I found the recipe here and we love it! I also mixed some up to give as gifts this year to neighbors, teachers, co-workers, etc. **I really like how she decorated the little bags to give her cocoa as gifts. I wasn't that creative though!

Hot Cocoa
INGREDIENTS:
2 c powdered sugar
1 c Hershey's cocoa
2 1/2 c powdered milk (processed to a fine powder)
1 tsp salt
1 Tbls flour

Mix everything together and store in an air-tight container. To serve, put 1/3 of the mixture in a cup and fill with hot water. Stir and enjoy!

To give this as a gift, I measured out 1/3 measurements into a Ziploc baggie. I put enough in each bag so the receiver could make 3-4 cups from each bag. I then made up some little tags on the computer and attached it to the bag that said "To serve: Put 1/3 cup of cocoa into a cup. Fill the cup with hot water. Stir and enjoy!"

Friday Recipe - Chocolate Peanut Clusters

These are so easy and one of my favorite holiday treats. It makes quite a bit so these are good to give as gifts to neighbors, co-workers or teachers.

Chocolate Peanut Clusters
INGREDIENTS:
1 package (1 lb 8 oz) chocolate almond bark
1 package (11.5 oz) semi sweet chocolate chips
1 package (11.5 oz) milk chocolate chips
3 containers (12 oz each) Spanish peanuts

Melt chocolate almond bark in microwave according to package directions. Add in chocolate chips and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring well after each 30 seconds, until chips are fully melted. Stir in peanuts and mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let sit until hardened. Store in an airtight container.

Our weekend in review

Saturday we went to a Candy Cane festival at a local candy factory. We had so much fun. They had hay rides, train rides, games, caroling, food and of course after the factory tour you got to shop in the candy store! We won tons of candy canes at the games and we shopped for more candy after that. This place makes Mitchell Sweets..... a homemade melt-in-your-mouth marshmallow wrapped in caramel. MMM MMMMM MMMMM goooood! I only bought one... I should've bought ten! (My butt wouldn't appreciate that I suppose!)

After that we went home and worked on Christmas present wrapping. Then I headed out to the grocery store and some present shopping.

Spirit made them dinner since Mr. Man and I weren't hungry. He decided on chicken noodle soup (from a can) and peaches (from a can). Had I not been there he wouldn't have added the water to the soup and would've tried to microwave it in the can, but other than that he did it by himself. While he "made" dinner, Lady Bug made pink lemonade for them to drink.

After that we popped popcorn and watched some Christmas movies.Good times, good memory-making!

Sunday the kids went to an ornament exchange party after church and they also got to make gingerbread houses. They had SO much fun doing this! Lady Bug got a broken ornament and was disappointed, but handled it well. She didn't make a big stink, she just smiled and set it down. I could tell she was disappointed though. One of the mom's there gave her an ornament, she said she had an extra one so she let Lady Bug have it.

Over all a good weekend! I love our family time together!

Friday Recipe - Green Mint Bark

This recipe is from Taste of Home. It is very easy to make and very festive for this time of year!

Green Mint Bark
Original from Taste of Home - December/January 2010
1 pkg (10-12 oz) white baking chips
12 oz green candy coating disks (I actually melted down some white almond bark and added in green food coloring)
1 tsp peppermint extract
2-3 crushed candy canes

Line a 13 x 9 baking sheet with foil; set aside. In a microwave, melt chips; starting at 30 second intervals and stir after each then continue at 30 second intervals until smooth. Spread into prepared baking sheet. Set aside to harden, you can place this in the refrigerator for a few minutes until it hardens.

In a microwave, melt green candy coating disks; starting at 30 second intervals and stir after each then continue at 30 second intervals until smooth. Stir in extract. Spread over white layer; sprinkle with crushed candy canes.

Chill for 10 minutes or until firm. Break into pieces. Store in an air tight container.

New tradition

Although last year Mr. Man started his shopping earlier than normal, we still ended up (because of financial reasons) busting butt at the last minute to get everyone a gift (some of which was for our very own children!) Last year I read somewhere that a woman gives her kids four gifts each:

1. Something they want
2. Something they need
3. Something to wear
4. Something to read

I didn't read that until I was already well into shopping mode and so it didn't work out last year. This year we decided to give that a try for each kid. It will hopefully simplify the shopping and figuring out what to get each kid and trying to keep it fair (blah blah blah!).

Another "tradition" that my friend told me about was how she buys a different wrapping paper for each person in the house. She wraps presents in one kind per person and doesn't label the packages, this way the kids have no idea whose is whose under the tree until Christmas morning! I was going to try that, but that didn't pan out so maybe next year I will do that!

UPDATE**

Lefty's award was for "Exceptional Attitude".....

I am proud of him, he is a good boy and has great character. He can be my difficult one at home though and sometimes I wonder if the teachers get all of his good stuff! I know this isn't true, but there are times I have to wonder.

Phew...

I picked up the kids from school Friday and both boys immediately hand me notes from the teacher. I read Lefty's first and his says that he is getting an award on Tuesday (it doesn't say what the award is for) and Spirit's says he has been argumentative, refusing to do assignments and back talking.

This is where I say parenting stinks. How can be so excited for one and so irritated at the other. *sigh*

So, I say nothing about either note and shove them in my purse. When Mr. Man gets home from work I show him both notes. He had the same reaction I did.

Lefty is slightly concerned about his note and keeps asking what it was about. We finally tell him he is getting an award on Tuesday and we talk to him about how proud we are of him.

Just before bed on Friday we have a little talk with Spirit about the note and he says "I have no idea what she is talking about." Mr. Man and I, in unison, say "I do! You've been like that at home all week!" He hangs his head. Mr. Man says he isn't quite prepared to hand out a punishment (which we will later discover may have been the best idea!) and lets Spirit know that he better have a perfect attitude all day Saturday. Mr. Man had to work and I was having a baking day with some friends so Spirit was informed there better not be ANY issues Saturday. There wasn't. He was an angel. If I said I needed his help, there was no eye-rolling, no stomping, no attitude. If he asked for something and I said "no." he let it go at no. It was a very pleasant day.

Sunday was a busy day and we were gone all.day.long. But, again, the attitude was excellent with Spirit. But, we had to address the letter. So Sunday night we sat him down. Mr. Man asked him to just tell us exactly what was going on, being completely honest with us no matter what the answer. Spirit said off the bat "well, I was bad. I didn't think I was as bad as she said though. I was having a bad week and I think she was stressed out." **I need to insert here that the teacher, Ms. L, is a student teacher. This year there is the regular teacher, Mr. S, and TWO student teachers. Last week Mr. S was substituting in another class and the other student teacher was out sick so that left Ms. L alone so chances are she was a tad bit stressed.** So as we talked more with Spirit about why his week was bad and what we do going forward it was all a very good conversation. Letting it rest over the weekend was a good idea, he got to spend time reflecting on it and we got time to calm down a bit. We talked to him for probably 30-45 minutes and he really opened up about stuff that has been bothering him and we had no idea. We were able to help him work through some of it (or at least I think we were).

I made Spirit write Ms. L an apology letter and I wrote her a letter as well. I didn't tell Spirit what to write, but I read his letter before he left for school. He only wrote 3 lines, but it said "I am sorry for being bad last week. I will try hard to be good today. I'm sorry for being rude." I thought that was all pretty good and I was satisfied with it. I am anxious to see how today goes.

Other than all that we had a great weekend and my baking day was successful!

Friday Recipe - Easy Peasy Cream Filled Cookies

This is a true love in my house! I make a batch of these little boogers up and they are gone in a day or so! My friend actually posted this recipe on Facebook several months ago and as soon as I saw it I knew I needed to try it!

Easy Peasy Cream Filled Cookies
INGREDIENTS:
1 box Devil's Food Cake mix
1 small package of instant chocolate pudding
1 container of white frosting

Follow the directions for the cake mix EXCEPT add in only 3/4 c water. Mix well. Add in pudding mix and stir until well blended.

Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet. They will flatten out like cookies. Try to make them all the same size so they will be uniform when you fill them with frosting.

Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes. Let cool completely on the parchment paper.

*NOTE: It is better to over cook these than to under cook!

After these have cooled completely, take one and put frosting on the underside of it (use as much or as little as you would like) and then top with another cookie. Repeat until you have all the cookies loaded up with frosting.

You can also add a little food coloring to the frosting for holidays (orange for the Fall, red and green for Christmas, etc.)

The first of December

So I find myself sitting here wanting to write about something and I really have nothing I can share. Sure, I have some stories swirling in my head, but none are blog-worthy.

I can't believe it is December One! WOW! Time flies I guess, whether you want it to or not! I started working on Christmas cards and decided to do a Christmas letter, which I haven't done in a while. Now to be sure to get them addressed and mailed off in time!

The kids are anxious for winter break and all the good that comes along with that (like opening presents!) so they have 2 weeks of school before the break and they are counting down the days.

I have said it before, but Lefty is a very good gift-giver. He apparently has been listening to what his brother and sister wanted for Christmas and so last Friday he asked me to take him shopping, even though I didn't feel great I did take him to one store. He knew exactly what he was getting so we were in and out fairly quickly. He did a great job picking stuff out and also spent wisely! Spirit, on the other hand, hasn't mentioned shopping for anyone except himself. *sigh* We are working on that. As I typed that I realized he has mentioned MY gift... he knows what he wants to make me for Christmas! We started working on our handmade gifts too and they are coming out nicely.

Spirit has a choir concert next week that he is quite nervous about. He gives a concert to the school during school hours and then again for parents that night. He said he is afraid because of all the "millions of people" that will be there. I don't think it will be that many so he should be better off than he is expecting!

Ok, so this may not be blog-worthy and my sister will probably kill me, but I have laughed all day about this. I was talking to my sis on the phone last night and she says "Oh, hold on, I need to order my Starbucks" as I am listening I hear "Welcome to Starbucks. What can we make for you today?" and my sister says "HI! this is Stephanie" and the woman through the speaker says "Hi Stephanie, see you at the window!" -- Are you kidding me? Can you say ADDICT? I am still laughing. SO funny and SO my sister!

Hope you having a great day and a great week! Happy December!

Our long weekend - recapped

The kids were out of school last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I only worked a half day on Wednesday and my generous boss let me off Thursday (naturally) and Friday too! Mr. Man had to work all day Wednesday and Friday as well.

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house, having some of my in-laws over - with my family included we had 14 people! It was a nice time with lots of amazing food!

I ended up not feeling well Thursday night and chalked it up to having had to get up early that day to start cooking, but turns out I was getting a cold! Booooooooo. I slept a lot on Friday and was officially back in bed by 7:30 pm. I felt much better Saturday! We put up Christmas decorations on Saturday and got all the Thanksgiving stuff packed away. Why is that you always find one last piece AFTER you put everything back in storage. As we were hauling out Christmas stuff I found a Thanksgiving centerpiece that had gotten pushed aside somehow!

Sunday was a colder one and so the kids and I hunkered in the house while Mr. Man braved the cold to go to a football game.

My boys have asked if they can cook during the week. They asked if they could work together and cook dinner and dessert three times per week. I am afraid they will quickly lose interest at 3 days per week so I have encouraged them to start out with one day per week and then we can add days as they get more comfortable in the kitchen (don't you like the way I said that? What I really mean is I don't want to eat spaghetti or mac-n-cheese 3 times per week!) Friday, when I was sick, they cooked spaghetti (with supervision of course) and then Lefty created a dessert (that I will admit I was scared of, but it tasted great!). Then I heard them discussing this week's menu - chicken with crushed graham crackers (barf!) so we have encouraged them to do something different! They will be making tuna noodle casserole instead. Although I look forward to a night off from cooking, I do know it will come with lots of  faith and lots of water to flush it down with!

Friday Recipe - French Silk Chocolate Pie

This is rich, but oh so divine!

French Silk Chocolate Pie
INGREDIENTS:
1 unfilled oreo cookie crust
3 oz (3 squares) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 c butter, softened
1 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
whipped cream

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate; cool. In a large bowl cream butter; gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Blend in cooled chocolate and vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating at medium speed for 5 minutes after each egg. Pour into crust. Refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving. Garnish with whipped topping and chocolate sprinkles. Store in refrigerator.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

I hope your day is filled with lots of good food and good company!

Friday Recipe - Homemade Dinner Rolls

This is my mother-in-law's recipe for dinner rolls. They take about 2 hours or so to make. Keep in mind some of that time is letting the dough rise, so you are not slaving over the rolls for 2 hours. I often start them and then go off and do other things. But you will need to plan for 2 hours for these if you want them for dinner.

Something you can do also, is double the recipe and then bake a batch just until right before they brown. Then let the partially cooked rolls cool completely. Place rolls in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for about 45 minutes until solid. Then place rolls in large Ziploc bags and freeze until ready to use. You can then place the rolls from freezer onto a cookie sheet and continue to bake until golden (about 10 minutes or so). This way you save some time later if you need to and only bake the number of rolls you need.

HOMEMADE DINNER ROLLS
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c oil
1 c milk, hot
1 egg, beaten
1/2 tsp salt
2 pkg yeast
1 c warm water
Approximately 7 c flour (either bread flour or all purpose flour)

Mix sugar and oil together in a bowl. Add milk to sugar mixture and stir well. Add egg and salt to sugar mixture. Mix yeast with water and stir until dissolved. Add flour, 1 c at a time, until desired consistency (it should be a little sticky but not too gooey. Cover and let rise to doubled in size.

Form dough into balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Dough balls can be placed closely together. I use a 13x9 jelly roll pan and get 35 dough balls on it. Cover and let the dough balls rise again for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place cookie sheet in preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Conferences

We had parent teacher conferences for the kids last week.

First we went to Lady Bug's. She is doing well, she is one of two top readers in her class. The teacher tells us she has no problems with her and spends time just trying to keep her challenged.

Then we went to Lefty's. He loves to write and she had him read his "Small Moment in Time" story where they were to write about a small moment that meant a lot to them. Lefty wrote a page and a half about buying our new car. She commented on how he had remembered a lot of details - she joked the only detail he left out was what our interest rate was! Not really a "small moment" but he really did have a lot of details and it was well written. He is excelling in all areas. The school does a thing where they group kids by ability and each teacher takes a group. So Lefty is only in his "homeroom" class for a short bit each day. I think the grouping thing is good because then each kid is able to work at their level, whether that be high, low or average.

Then it was off to Spirit's. Spirit's teacher had him conduct the conference, calling it "Student-Led Conferences". I am not sure the purpose of this, but it seemed to work ok. So Spirit had a file of papers and gave us a report of things he is learning and showed us some of his favorite papers. Then we asked the teacher to join us so we could ask a few things. I have been concerned with Spirit because he is extra hard on himself. If he doesn't get a 100%, but gets a 99% then he gets depressed and down on himself. So the teacher talked with him about that and we are hoping to improve his self confidence somehow.

Thanksgiving to do's

Being prepared is the only way to be for any holiday party! Last year I made notes on what worked and what didn't for me and kept these in my "Holiday Notebook".

Here is what my to-do's look like for this year:

Wednesday 11/10:
*Make guest list and start making calls to invite everyone.


Saturday 11/13:
 *Make menu. Decide what guests should bring and what I will provide.

Wednesday 11/17:
*Start making calls to confirm who is coming. Discuss what dish people are bringing. Keep a list of who is bringing what.

Thursday 11/18:
*Continue making calls to confirm who is coming and what dish they are bringing. Keep a list of confirmations/dishes.

Saturday 11/20:

*Make mashed potatoes. Freeze.

*Make pecan bars. Store in airtight container until Thanksgiving.

Sunday 11/21:

*Put turkey in fridge to start thawing.

Monday 11/22:

*Start cleaning house. Plan to do one or two rooms thoroughly.

Tuesday 11/23:

*Pull mashed potatoes from freezer and place them in the fridge to start thawing out.

*Make napkin rings and place cards.

*Work on cleaning one or two more rooms thoroughly.

Wednesday 11/24:

*Make sweet potato casserole. Place in fridge after cooking.

*Make stuffing. Store in airtight container overnight.

*Finish cleaning house thoroughly.

Thursday 11/25:

7:30 am - Bake muffins and cut up some fresh fruit.

8:00 am - Clean out thawed turkey. Stuff turkey and preheat oven.

8:30 am - Turkey in the oven!

9:00 am - Feed family breakfast (overnight bubble bread and fresh fruit)

9:30 am - Put mashed potatoes in Crock-pot on low (need to warm for 3-4 hours)

11:00 am - Put together veggie and relish tray.

11:20 am - Prepare smoked salmon spread. Serve with crackers.

11:30 am - Start setting table and set out munchies.

1:00 pm - Warm sweet potato casserole in microwave.

1:15 pm - Make green bean casserole

1:30 pm - Pull turkey from oven and let "rest" for 10-15 minutes before carving.

1:30ish pm - Make gravy using turkey juices

2:15ish pm - Gather everyone around table and EAT UP!!!!

Before serving pumpkin pie give yourself 20 minutes to make fresh, homemade whipped topping.

Friday Recipe - Beef over Noodles

I found this recipe here about 2 years ago and I added the noodles to our version and added in a little more water. We love it and eat it a lot! Anything I can throw in a Crock Pot is one of my favorites!

Beef over Noodles
INGREDIENTS:
2 to 2 1/2 lbs boneless beef chuck roast
1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
1 envelope dry Italian dressing mix
1 envelope dry brown gravy mix
1 c water

GRAVY:
1 Tbls flour
1/2 c water

1 package egg noodles

Place roast in slow cooker.

In a small bowl, combine the salad dressing and gravy mixes. Stir in 1 c water. Pour over meat. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours or until the meat is tender, but not dry.

Cook egg noodles according to package directions.

Remove roast to platter.

Pour cooking juices in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Mix together flour and 1/2 c water in a small bowl and whisk together. When juices come to a boil, pour flour-water into pan and stir constantly until juices thicken.

Slice meat into pieces and serve with gravy over cooked egg noodles.

Friday Recipe - Best Whipped cream

When I was young my dad always made fresh whipped cream for pies and desserts. It was the BEST! Now I carry on this tradition, especially at Thanksgiving time.

Best Whipped Cream
INGREDIENTS:
1 carton heavy whipping cream
4 Tbls confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

Chill bowl, cream and beaters in freezer for 10 minutes. Beat all ingredients on medium speed for 20 minutes or until stiff peaks form.

Make-ahead mashed potatoes

This is an excellent way to save some time on Thanksgiving day! Make your mashed potatoes up to 2 weeks prior to Thanksgiving. I make mine the weekend before, freeze and then pull them out to thaw 2-3 days prior to Thanksgiving. They taste just as good as if you made them that day. **Note: You can just make your potatoes the same way you always do, but this is the way I like to make mashed potatoes**

Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes
INGREDIENTS:
8 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
3/4 c sour cream
1/2 stick of butter
3/4 c milk (adding in more as needed)
salt and pepper to taste

Put potatoes in large pot of cold water. Bring water to a boil (adding in a little salt if you wish). Cook for about 25 minutes or until tender. Drain off water and put the potatoes back into the pot. Mash potatoes with masher or use a hand-held mixer. Add in cream cheese, sour cream, butter, milk and salt and pepper. Mash again until thoroughly whipped. Spoon into a large freezer-safe container.

THANKSGIVING:
Two or three days before Thanksgiving put the container of frozen potatoes in the fridge to thaw.

On Thanksgiving day, spray the inside of the Crock-pot with cooking spray. Add potatoes. Put a few dabs of butter on top of potatoes. Cover and warm on low for 4-5 hours.

Sit back and enjoy your company!

Holiday Swap

I love participating and hosting swaps. They are the funnest things ever!!! Who doesn't like getting a package in the mail? That is what swaps do - you send someone something and someone sends you something. Win win situation!!


Click here to read about this super awesome, super all-about-mom, Christmas Stocking Swap. Basically, you will sign up, be paired up with someone and send that person a Christmas Stocking. How fun is that? So go over here, read all about it and then sign up (I did!)

Fall break recap

Al though the kids and Mr. Man had last week off from work and school, I did not. Every morning while they slowly rolled out of bed and casually ate breakfast, I was busy getting ready for work, eating breakfast and making my lunch.

They had a busy, eventful, but overall wonderful week! Thankfully I was able to take part in some of it too!

Monday - some cousins and grandma & grandpa came over to help make a million more pints of applesauce. We freeze it and so with what we made earlier in the year and this batch we will have enough to last us until next summer! I love homemade applesauce!

Tuesday - we went to the football stadium for some trick or treating. It was FREEZING cold and the kids were less than thrilled to stop and take pictures, but they did their best to smile through the shivers.

 Wednesday - after I got off work we picked up the new dog.

Thursday - the kids went with Mr. Man car shopping and almost bought me a new car, but there was a slight problem with it so it had to go to the shop!

Friday - got called from the dealer car was done in shop so Mr. Man and kids went back to the dealership and bought a car! We now are selling our van (which hasn't been running well for several months) and I am the proud owner of a new-to-me car!

Saturday - went to an Air Force Academy vs Utah football game!

Sunday - trick or treating. Spirit went as a football player, Lefty was a cop and Lady Bug was a cowgirl. I didn't get a good picture of Spirit alone, but he was the same thing he was when we went to the football stadium.

Disclaimer

The more I write on here the more I feel like I shouldn't. Each post offends SOMEONE somewhere. I started this blog as a way to journal the fun and funny things my kids say and do. I also wanted friends and family who don't live close to be able to read about what we are doing as a family. My original plan was to maybe someday turn it into a book (there are some great sites out there that do this for you!) But, you can't please everyone all the time and so often I get emailed about how I have offended someone.

You know what? I write as a journal and not to please anyone or everyone. The definition of the word Journal is "A personal record of occurrences, experiences, and reflections kept on a regular basis; a diary." A PERSONAL RECORD... hmm interesting! There have been some things I just chose not to post because I knew someone would be offended which sort of defeats the purpose of a journal. I know when I was a kid a journal or a diary was private and the only person  you worried about reading it was your mom or your siblings, but when I am blogging it becomes quite public (so public I can't even imagine all the people who have access to my journal!) I get that, I get that I need to be careful which is why I don't post certain things and why I keep our names private, but those who read this know who we are.

Friends and family have passed along this blog to other friends and family and I am always surprised to bump into someone I haven't talked to in a while and they tell me how they've been reading my blog..... Really? I am glad people can keep up on our doings, but in "real life" no one is ever going to be 100% accepting of the things I say or do or the way I may act at times, so why is it different when I write on my blog? Am I supposed to become someone else to write on my own blog? I think not! This is MY blog and I can post what I want to and what I feel like I want captured.

I am putting my disclaimer now that I may or may not offend you. My intention is not to offend. I may say things you don't agree with. My family may go to an event you wouldn't. We may let our kids do things you don't let your kids (or not let our kids do something that you would), but this is MY blog and if I offend  you then you are welcome to not read that post or not read this blog ever again, that is YOUR prerogative just like it is MY prerogative to say what I want on here. If you want to have a civil discussion with me about something then that is fine and I am open to listen, but I don't appreciate hateful emails or comments posted by "anonymous" people who aren't big enough to tell me who they are.

Thank you very  much for listening!

Now back to your regularly scheduled posts! :-)

Book Review - Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo

Wow. This book is wonderful. Written by a young boy's father about a terrifying experience the family went through when the boy was nearly 4 years old. The boy almost died and had to undergo emergency surgery during which he ultimately got to see Heaven and Jesus.

The boy doesn't immediately tell his family about his experience, he is only four. But later, he starts sharing details, little by little about his experience and he starts telling his family things he could have no way of knowing unless he did indeed go to heaven. He tells his dad how he saw him praying in a room in the hospital - there would be no way he would know that because he was "asleep" on the operating table. Or when he tells his mom he met his other sister - a baby she miscarried when she was two months pregnant.

This is a great story and well written. It keeps you interested from page 1 through to the very end.

Friday Recipe - Pasta Primavera with grilled chicken

This is a recipe that has been in "Recipes to Try" file that I tore out of a Taste of Home magazine. I changed up their recipe by adding chicken and a couple more veggies so here is my version of this recipe:

Pasta Primavera with Grilled Chicken
INGREDIENTS:
2 c uncooked garden trio rotini pasta
1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces
3 medium carrots, cut into thin strips
1 small zucchini, cut into small pieces
2 tsp olive oil
2 cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 c grated parmesan
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
1/4 tsp pepper
6-8 Chicken breasts, grilled

Cook pasta according to package directions.

In a large skillet, saute asparagus and carrots in oil until crisp tender. Add in zucchini and cook for another minute or so. Add in tomatoes and garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in cheese, cream and pepper. Drain pasta; toss with veggie mixture. Top with a grilled chicken breast and little bit more parmesan cheese.

Latest addition to our family

A few months ago our dog, Gidget, got away and we never got her back. We have been dog-less since. Gidget was a cute dog, but high strung (she had Chihuahua and Jack Russell in her so that should explain a lot!)

The kids have wanted to get another for dog but we have been hesitant. Then the other day my friend contacted me about her dog. They have had this dog for 4 years and have loved him so much, but now as her kids get older and aren't home as much and everyone is running here, there and everywhere she felt like poor little Miles wasn't get as much attention as he deserved. She asked if we would want to take him into our home. I talked it over with Mr. Man (who happens to LOVE Pugs) and he agreed. We picked up little Miles yesterday afternoon and he adjusted fairly easily. My kids smothered him at first so we had to tell them to give him some time to explore and adjust. He has a calm personality and adores the kids. Lady Bug has a tendency to scare dogs to where they nip at her, but Miles has been so patient with her! He is very loving to everyone and thrives on attention (which my kids are more than happy to give him!), but he really loves Mr. Man - following him everywhere!

So here is a picture of our new member - he is so ugly he is adorable!

Fall break

This week the kids are on Fall Break from school so Mr. Man took the week off to be with them. They wanted to go camping, but we woke up this morning to wet, cold, rainy weather. The forecast for later in the week looks more promising. We have had weeks of 80 degree weather and then the week of vacation for them is yucky. Mr. Man is more disappointed than the kids are, although the kids are quite sad too.

This morning we got up in a leisurely manner and took our time getting ready. We ate breakfast together, we looked at some pictures together, we chatted as a family about nothingness. It was a great morning. Made me wish that I could stay home with them all day, but I had to come on in to the office. But today I get off at 3:00 so that will be a nice afternoon with the family!

I am thinking of making some chicken enchiladas for dinner... YUM!

Overall the kids and I had a great weekend even though Mr. Man had to work all weekend. Spent some time with great friends and that was fun.

Looking forward to a good week with the family this week! We got finally got a camera so I will try to get some pictures posted soon! We played around with the camera over the weekend but we just took some silly pictures - nothing worth posting! Lady Bug took my picture and I told her it was so bad I was going to delete it and she said "Why? You don't have 10 chins in that picture." Gee thanks honey!!!

Friday Recipe - Feather Light Muffins

I believe this recipe originally came from Taste of Home, but I got it from my friend years ago. I love these (especially warm... mm mmmmm mmmm)!

Feather Light Muffins
INGREDIENTS:
1/3 c shortening
1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 c cake flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 c milk

Topping:
1/2 c sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c butter, melted

Cream shortening, sugar and egg in a bowl. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Let cool 3-4 minutes. Meanwhile, combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll warm muffins in melted butter and then in sugar mixture. I serve mine warm, but they are good cold too.

Lady Bug is hilarious!

As we were getting ready to leave the house this morning Lady Bug said something that she found completely funny to the point she was laying on the floor laughing. Being that she is 5 years old, what she said (which I can't even recall what it was) was really not all that funny so the rest of us didn't laugh. She stops laughing, looks up at me and says with a very serious look "I just LOVE being hilarious!"

I replied with "You do, huh?"

And her response was a classic one:  "welllllllll, I am pretty hilarious you know!"

Works For Me Wednesday - Save those containers

If you will be hosting Thanksgiving at your house this year start saving your sour cream, cottage cheese and any other container that comes with a lid and is reusable. You can use these containers to send home left overs with guests and/or store your left overs in your fridge. If you send them with others and don't get them back, then you aren't at any real loss.

I have a large bin in my garage that I throw all these containers into and then will load up the dishwasher just before Thanksgiving to wash them all up!

This works for me! Click here for lots of other tips, tricks and recipes!

Getting a good work out!

I wish I were referring to me... but no, I am speaking of my poor car!

This is what a typical week looks like for my car:

MONDAY:
7:30 am - Drive husband to bus stop
7:40 am - Back to the house for a break
8:30 am - Drive kids to school
8:40 am - Drive to work
9:00 am - Rest in parking lot
12:00 pm - Lunch and errands
1:00 pm - Rest in parking lot
3:00 pm - Drive to pick up kids from school
4:45 pm - Drive to pick up husband from work
5:30 pm - Home to rest

TUESDAY:

7:30 am - Drive husband to bus stop
7:40 am - Back to the house for a break
7:55 am - Drive Spirit to extracurricular activity at school
8:30 am - Drive Lefty and Lady Bug to school
8:40 am - Drive to work
9:00 am - Rest in parking lot
12:00 pm - Lunch and errands
1:00 pm - Rest in parking lot
2:30 pm - Office errands
3:30 pm - Rest in parking lot
5:00 pm - Drive to pick up kids from school
5:30 pm - Take Spirit to his writing class (he is learning to write a book)
5:40 pm - Drive to pick up husband from bus stop
6:25 pm - Drive to pick up Spirit from writing class
6:45 pm - Home to rest

WEDNESDAY:

7:30 am - Drive husband to bus stop
7:40 am - Back to the house for a break
7:55 am - Drive Lefty to extracurricular activity at school

8:30 am - Drive Spirit and Lady Bug to school
8:40 am - Drive to work
9:00 am - Rest in parking lot
12:00 pm - Lunch and errands

1:00 pm - Rest in parking lot
3:00 pm - Drive to pick up kids from school
4:45 pm - Drive to pick up husband from work
5:30 pm - Home to rest

THURSDAY:
7:20 am - Drive Spirit to Choir practice
7:30 am - Drive husband to bus stop
7:40 am - Back to the house for a break
8:30 am - Drive Lefty and Lady Bug to school
8:40 am - Drive to work
9:00 am - Rest in parking lot
12:00 pm - Lunch and errands

1:00 pm - Rest in parking lot
5:00 pm - Drive to pick up kids from school
5:30 pm - Drive to pick up husband from bus stop
5:55 pm - Home to rest
 
FRIDAY:
7:30 am - Drive husband to bus stop
7:40 am - Back to the house for a break

8:30 am - Drive kids to school
8:40 am - Drive to work
9:00 am - Rest in parking lot
12:00 pm - Lunch and errands

1:00 pm - Rest in parking lot
3:00 pm - Drive to pick up kids from school
4:45 pm - Drive to pick up husband from work
5:30 pm - Home to rest

There are days that I feel like I just barely get in the house and get my coat off before I have to put the coat back on and get back in the car! sheesh.

Crazy Hair Day

The kids had crazy hair day at school. Both the boys have buzz hair cuts so it is hard to do anything crazy with it other than to color it! So that is what we did!

Lady Bug colored hers plus she wore a headband that has some green "hair". Spirit colored his black and then also wore a pom-pom in a hat and Lefty just colored his red.

Sorry the pictures are so small. I took them with a camera phone and if I make them any bigger they get fuzzy.

Today is...

I have mentioned on here before about my baby Wesley who died before we got to know him, so tonight I will be lighting a candle in his honor and for all babies that have gone on to heaven already. I am asking you to do the same.

You can read Wesley's story here.

Friday Recipe - Breaded Ranch Chicken

This is one of Lefty's favorites.

Breaded Ranch Chicken
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 c crushed cornflakes
3/4 c grated Parmesan cheese
1 envelope dry ranch dressing mix
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 c melted butter

In a shallow bowl combine cornflakes, parmesan and dressing mix. Dip chicken in melted butter; then roll in cornflakes to coat. Place in a greased 13x9x2 baking dish. Bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.

a few updates

1. I have lost 20 pounds but now seem to have plateaued and can't get the number to go down. I am not giving up yet.When I started this journey my goal was to lose 25 by Thanksgiving. That gave 4 months to do that. Thanksgiving is still a ways off and I only have that 5 pounds left to reach that goal. The 2nd part of the challenge to myself was to start back up in January and try to get to another goal weight by summer.

2. Spirit was tested in school to see his reading level. We already knew he was above the district average in math and reading but they wanted to see exactly where his reading level is - 9th grade reading level! I am so proud of him. Both he and Lefty read books all weekend {it was a dreary, rainy weekend... perfect for snuggling under a blanket and reading}.

3. This Friday, October 15th, is National Pregnancy, Infant Loss Remembrance Day and Mr. Man and I are on a volunteer team to coordinate a candle light service. This is the first one hosted here in our hometown (there are several all over the world) so we aren't sure how it will turn out! If you know some one or have experienced a miscarriage or stillborn or infant loss please light a candle for one hour at 7:00 pm on October 15. They say if everyone does this there will be a constant wave of light around the world in honor of the babies taken from us too soon.

4. Lady Bug and I have battled every day for over a week about her wardrobe. I am ALL ABOUT letting kids pick out the clothes for themselves, whether they match or look good or not. BUT I draw the line when it is 47 degrees outside and she wants to wear shorts, a t-shirt and flip-flops. So she cries, I yell and eventually I win! Today, was a much more peaceful day. We discussed the clothes last night. I told her to lay out her outfit and I would come take a look. She had a pair of shorts laying there but just as I was walking in she told me "I think it will be too cold for shorts so I decided to get some pants." She chose some capris, but that is fine with me. We woke up to wind and rain and extremely chilly. She left wearing the capris, a t-shirt with a sweatshirt over top and socks and tennis shoes. Then she added a coat and gloves before we walked out the door. Phew. No tears from either one of us today! Victory!!

Friday Recipe - Onion Roasted Red Potatoes

These are a good side dish to almost any meat.

Onion Roasted Red Potatoes
INGREDIENTS:
1 (1 oz) envelope dry onion soup mix
2 lbs red potatoes, halved
1/3 c olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large plastic bag, combine the soup mix, red potatoes and olive oil. Close the bag and shake until potatoes are fully covered. Pour potatoes into a medium baking dish; bake 40 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring occasionally.

Fall finally arrived!

Our weekend weather was finally fall-like. We have been running in the 90's through last Friday! Insane I tell you, insane! But this weekend was sunny and warm, not hot though! It was perfect!
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The kids raked some leaves this weekend - they were hoping to get enough to jump in, but that didn't happen!
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I made vegetable soup and served it with crusty bread. YUM!
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I decided to take a month-long challenge to make my home a haven. I know I need to work on ME and I am hoping this challenge will help bring peace to our home. There are a lot of things that brought me to this decision. The issues with Spirit lately got me thinking. I also got to thinking about a friend of mine who is having some issues with her two boys, and I wondered if it is the parenting or is it the child? I then read on my sister's blog about a boy who who pulled the fire alarm and felt so terrible after ward that he writes letters to the fire department apologizing. It got me thinking - did his parents do something differently in raising him? Maybe, maybe not. But either way, I know I need to work on who I am and how I react and think in order to be a better example for my kids. {note: I also am premenstrual this week which doesn't help a thing!}
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I was speaking with a friend of mine last night about some family relationships that are sour right now. She told me to just keep trying to reconcile and if it doesn't work out then I know I did all I could to make it right and then I let it go. Sometimes I feel like I try and try and this person just doesn't want to reconcile and continues to find things to be upset with me about. When do I say enough is enough? Maybe right now. Enough!
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Lady Bug and I cleaned her closet and dresser to get rid of summer and bring in the fall stuff! she was so thrilled! I had been given some clothes from a friend and there are some super cute things in there! Lady Bug tried everything on and couldn't wait to wear a "new" outfit today to school!
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I was asked by Lady Bug's teacher today how she is doing with her reading. After we talked a bit, she said that Lady Bug failed an assessment test - she said she is surprised because she knows Lady Bug is reading quite well. There are only 2 kids reading at a high level in the class and one is Lady Bug. So the teacher wanted to know how I feel she is doing. I told her she is reading cereal boxes and other books (besides the ones she brings home from school) so I know she can do it. She said she will talk with her today and maybe Lady Bug just wasn't focusing during the assessment and they will re-assess her.
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I was also asked by Lady Bug's teacher today if I would be willing to make calls to parents to encourage volunteering in the classroom. She said she has asked but hasn't gotten any responses so she thinks maybe if I call and tell parents how fun it is to be in the classroom they might agree to it! We'll see. Hee!
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One more thing about Fall - as I walked the kids to school, it was chilly! YAY! AND we had to turn our heater on for the first time this morning! I am loving it!

Friday Recipe - Apple Muffins

I like to make these in the fall and take them to co-workers and have Mr. Man take some to his co-workers too!

Apple Muffins
INGREDIENTS:
TOPPING:
1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 c all-purpose flour
1/4 c unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon

MUFFINS:
1 1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
2/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 c buttermilk
2 c diced, peeled firm tart apples (such as Spy or Granny Smith)

Topping: In a small bowl toss together sugar, flour, butter and cinnamon until crumbly; set aside.

Muffins: In a large bowl whisk together brown sugar, oil, egg and vanilla until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir in oil mixture into flour mixture alternately with buttermilk. Fold in apples, mixing just until combined. Spoon into greased muffin cups filling 3/4 full. Sprinkle topping over evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and tops spring back.

My little criminal

Spirit got sent to the principal's office yesterday. *sigh* He claims a kid kept punching him in the lunch line so he turned around and said "If you don't stop I will bring a knife tomorrow!" A little girl behind them in line went and told a teacher.
Now this isn't the first time we have had this issue. When Spirit was in 1st grade he accidentally brought his pocket knife that his uncle gave him for Christmas and a little girl saw it and told the teacher. Mr. Man had to go to the school to pick up the knife from the principal. The principal said to Mr. Man "I need you to tell me that he didn't mean to do this." Mr. Man said "I can't say that because I have NO idea why he brought it." So the principal said "Just tell me he didn't mean to." So Mr. Man said "ok. he didn't mean to." She then said "Thank you. If you don't tell me that, by law I have to put this incident on his criminal record." 

So here we are again, this time I feel it is different. The first time I don't think he meant to take it to school. This time he got so angry (which is what I can't  understand) and threatened such violence. I asked him if he thought he'd really bring one and he hesitatingly said "no."

There was a teacher who saw what happened and her story doesn't make Spirit's at all. She says the kids were pushing each other and rough housing when the kid behind him fell and shoved into Spirit. She says Spirit turned around and immediately said he would bring a knife. 

Mr. Man and I tried and tried to understand him last night. Has this kid bothered him before? Are other kids picking on him? Why did he get so angry? He doesn't have any answers for any of it. I don't understand.

I think there needs to be a consequence for saying that and being sent to the principal's office, but at the same time I have no idea how to punish this. He can't say things like that and get that angry. The principal made him call his dad from her office so she told Mr. Man that she felt that was enough punishment right there. But, I am not so sure.

Some days parenting really bites.

This n that...

Mr. Man has been on vacation for 11 days and today he goes back to work. He gave himself a long to-do list that he wanted to get accomplished over the week. I think he put a small dent in his to-do list,  but got a lot done. (his to-do list was entirely too long for an 11 day vacation!)

He painted my family room (need to find a camera so I can take some pictures) - it looks so beautiful! I chose the color and then as soon as he started painting I was worried I chose too dark of a color, but once it was all done I was in love! It looks wonderful! We also rearranged the furniture and added a desk down there. I will get pictures (one way or another) and post them here as soon as I can.

He also refinished a desk that has been out in my garage for ages, this is the one we moved into the family room. This is supposed to be MY desk, we'll see how long it takes for my kids to move in!

The kids were out of school Friday so they went to our friends house and picked apples! They had a great time! I've made apple bread and apple muffins! It made the house smell SO wonderful this weekend - very fall-like!

I love all seasons as they come (and go), but I have to admit that fall is my very favorite season of them all! I love the weather, the changing colors in the trees, the holidays it brings, the fact that I can snuggle inside my house on a cold evening and craft to my hearts content, all the baking I can do and not heat up the house, the homemade soups I get to make and on and on and on! I just plain LOVE fall!

I am off to have a pumpkin spice latte.... another fabulous thing about Fall! 

Friday Recipe - Fudgy Filled S'More Brownies

These brownies are so yummy and fairly easy to throw together (if you have read many of my recipes you know I am all about EASY!) We took some of these to the kids teachers and every one of them said these were amazing!

Fudgy Filled S'More Brownies
INGREDIENTS:
1 box brownie mix (and the ingredients called for on the box)
4-5 graham crackers
2-3 Hershey chocolate bars
12-15 big marshmallows

Line a 9x9 baking pan with foil. Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix brownies according to package. Pour half the batter in the lined baking pan.

Place graham crackers in a single layer over the brownie batter.

Top the graham crackers with chocolate bars.

Place marshmallows on top of chocolate bars.

Pour remaining batter over top of marshmallows.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. Because of all the melted chocolate bars, these won't test "done" as normal so just stick a toothpick in the center and if it comes out mostly clean then the brownies are done.

Let these cool completely (otherwise they are impossible to cut!) - like several hours of cooling! The chocolate stays a tad gooey, even after cooling, making these so divine! Grab a glass of cold milk and wolf down one (or two!)

**NOTE: May substitute chocolate bars with peanut butter cups instead.

Book Review - The King's Christmas List

When I read the book's back cover I thought this would be a perfect book to teach kids the importance of Christmas. Here is what the back cover reads:

Emma couldn’t wait to go to the King’s birthday party, but what should she bring? Emma and her little dog

Shu-Shu were thrilled to be invited to the King’s birthday party. But what do you get a King for his birthday? 

Emma and Shu-Shu have no gift, but they bring the Christmas cake they made with Mom and put 

on their Sunday best as they dash to the King’s carriage. And of course, 

Emma couldn’t go anywhere without her beloved Cherry-Bear. 

On the way, they have encounters that lead them to bestow their cake, winter-cape, 

and even Cherry-Bear, on others. Now they’re chilly, rumpled, and empty-handed—

what will the King think? Emma frets, but when they finally meet the King at his palace, 

they discover they gave the King exactly what he wanted.

Children and parents will be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas, 

and that the greatest gifts we can offer to the Savior are gifts to the least of his 

brothers and sisters (based on Matthew 25:40). 

Families will be able to go online and be directed to notable charities to give their own gift to the King.

After reading the book to my kids, ages 9, 8 and 5, I felt like maybe the "lesson" or "moral" of the story was a bit over my 5 year old's head and my 8 year old only got it after I did some explaining. My 9 year old completely understood the message in the book and he is even talking about what we can do this Christmas to help those less fortunate. But, the book is written for children 4-8 and my 5 and 8 year old didn't completely get the message. Emma and her dog travel to a different world, or dimension which I found a little hard to explain to the younger kids. My 5 year old asked several questions during the reading that clearly told me she was confused, she was confused about why the dog said he couldn't talk but he is was talking and why they went to a different place that Emma didn't know. This was a great book for my 9 year old though.

I absolutely adored the illustrations in this book. There were times I caught myself not reading, but admiring the pictures instead. My 5 year old daughter thoroughly enjoyed the pictures and I felt like she "connected" with Emma (the main character of the book).

I will be honest, I found the last lines of the book and the last pages of the book a bit over the top pushing little kids into talking to their parents about joining World Vision and donating money to this cause. I am all for helping, but I find it offensive when an organization uses my innocent kids into pushing me into something.

Weekend recap

My husband has asked me to visit with a doctor - wanna know why? Welllllllll, we signed up to walk in the Alzheimers Memory Walk for this past Saturday morning. I proceeded to also schedule a hair and eye appointment for Saturday. When Mr. Man reminded me that we were committed to the walk already I called the eye doctor first. THAT was when I realized the humor in it. I explained to the receptionist that I had forgotten all about the charity walk for Alzheimers I was scheduled to walk in. The receptionist laughed. It took me back for a brief moment and then I realized what I had said! We both laughed!

Anyway, Saturday's weather was perfect for a 5k. We all walked together as a family and I thought for sure little Lady Bug wouldn't make it the full way on her own. but she only asked to be carried the last little bit. We had a great time!

Mr. Man and the boys spent the afternoon refinishing an old oak desk. We have had it in the garage in pieces for years (probably 4 years) and finally they got to work on it. I am so excited because it will be MY desk. I can do with it what I want. I can decorate it how I want. I can leave it a mess if I want or clean it if I want! I am SO excited to get my own space again!

Yesterday Mr. Man and I went to the season opening game for the Denver Broncos! I had a ton of fun, but it was so hot! 91 degrees! Ick! Can't wait until he invites me to another game!

I promised Lady Bug we would make cookies for her teacher so at 8:30 last night I made "Fudge Filled S'more Brownies" - they are the BOMB (I know because I had one for breakfast!)-- but I had a hard time packaging them up for Lady Bug to take with her to school - hopefully they made it ok. The fudge was oozing out the sides a little bit

Friday Recipe - Honey Butter

I like to serve honey butter with cornbread, but it works on regular rolls too. Every now and then I make a cinnamon honey butter version which is good on rolls too!

Honey Butter
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 c butter, at room temperature (let it sit out for 30 minutes or so)
1/4 c honey

Mix together butter and honey in a small bowl. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

**For Cinnamon Honey Butter:
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 c butter, at room temperature
1/4 c honey
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of salt

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.

Book Review - Outlive Your Life by Max Lucado

I absolutely loved this book! I always enjoy reading Max Lucado books anyway, but this one hit home for me in a big way. I have been thinking a lot lately about what kind of legacy will I leave behind when I die? Will people remember me for anything that I did? At this point I haven't done a whole lot.

This book is a big reminder of what kinds of people God used in the Bible - they weren't the smartest or richest, but the "average Joe" just like me. Max Lucado forces you to look at situations and encourages you to do something. The end of the book has some discussion questions and some "Ideas for Action" that are little things to get you to ACT and make some changes, for instance Chapter 14s "Ideas for Action":
                     *Make a new rule for the next two months: No one sits alone. When you enter any room, resist the urge to sit where you always sit and with the people you always join. 

He encourages you to scan the room and look for someone sitting alone and choose to sit with them. This is really out of my comfort zone, but I will definitely be trying this out. I know I always appreciate it when someone sits by me and I am all alone.

This was a great read and easy to read. I plan to re-read it and then take my action steps!

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com, a book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Odds - n - ends

I have mentioned before that I am trying to lose weight - I am happy to announce I am 9 pounds away from my original goal which means I have lost 15 pounds so far! I am SO excited!

I say "original goal" because I really thought this goal would take me a lot longer to reach and so after I hit my original goal I plan to evaluate how I am feeling and see if I want to lose more. Based on the Body Mass Index for me I could "technically" lose another 10-15 pounds beyond my "original goal weight". So we'll see how far I take this. I can't wait to get to my original goal first though! That will be a glorious day!

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Last night as I was making dinner the kids were all outside playing. Lady Bug came running in crying. I asked what had happened and she said that the boys were teaching her bad things. "Like what?" I asked and her response . . . . . . . . .

"They want me to say please!"

{Shutter at the horror of it all!}

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Spirit is having a little bit of a struggle in school this year. The work is harder, the expectations are more intense and he has greater responsibilities in class and keeping track of assignments (I am told this is to prep for middle school in 2 years). He will make it ok, but it is a bigger adjustment than we expected.

Friday Recipe - Zucchini Corn Fritters

Oh so yummy! A good way to use up zucchini you've grown (or been so graciously been given by your neighbors - my neighbors give us tons of fresh veggies from their garden!)

Zucchini Corn Fritters
INGREDIENTS:
2 c flour
1 Tbls baking powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 c sugar
1/2 tsp salt
pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten
1 c milk
1/4 c melted butter
2 c grated zucchini
1 1/2 c fresh corn kernels cut from cob
1 c shredded cheddar cheese
oil for frying

Stir together flour, baking powder, cumin, sugar, salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and butter. Stir egg mixture into dry ingredients. Stir in zucchini, corn and cheese and mix well.

Warm oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls into hot oil. Fry until crisp and brown, turning once.

Our LONG weekend in review

I love getting the extra day off from work/school to just hang out. We had a great weekend!

Friday night, Mr. Man and I had a date night. We went to one of our favorite little places and got TERRIBLE service so we left after only getting our drinks (it took her 20 minutes to get those to us) so we decided to leave there and go  to another favorite little restaurant. We had some wonderful Mexican food (just so happens I had eaten at this joint for lunch that day too!).

Saturday was errand day and then I had a birthday dinner party for a friend of mine while the kids and JR hung out.

Sunday we went to church then headed off to a farm that is about 2 hours from our house. We picked fresh apples to make applesauce and apple jelly.

Monday was spent making the applesauce and jelly. We started at 9:00 am and didn't finish until about 8:30 pm. Then we spent another hour or so sweeping, mopping and scrubbing the kitchen from our mess! Phew. That makes for a long day. I told my husband that we took "Labor" day literally and labored all day!

{Side note: It was Labor Day 13 years ago that I went to a BBQ at my now Mother-in-law's house and met my now husband!}

I hope you all had a great long weekend!

Friday Recipe - Cobb Salad Hoagies

I found this recipe here and it is such a wonderful summer time dish. I changed the recipe a tad to fit my families likes so below is the way we like it.

Cobb Salad Hoagies (4 sandwiches)
INGREDIENTS:

1 1/3 c cooked chicken or turkey, cubed
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
4 slices bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
1 avocado, peeled and diced
4 Boston lettuce leaves (I use romaine)
4 hoagie buns, split, hollowed out and lightly toasted
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
Ranch dressing

In a medium bowl combine the chicken, tomatoes, and bacon. Pour just enough dressing over chicken mixture and toss to coat. Gently fold in avocado pieces. Place lettuce leaves on the bottom halves of the hollowed-out hoagie buns. Spoon chicken mixture atop. Sprinkle with chopped eggs. Top with bun halves.

**NOTE: Since I didn't make the dressing called for in the original recipe I wasn't sure how much dressing to use so I just put enough Ranch dressing in the chicken mixture to coat it a bit, not too much but not to little either.

Letter to man who borrowed my pen

Dear Man-at-grocery-store-who-asked-to-borrow-my-pen:

Although I generously and graciously gave you my pen that you asked for to write your check and although you promised to give it back when you were done, thank you for NOT giving me my pen back.

As I stood behind you in line and glanced at the items in your cart I noticed you had several disturbing items. For instance the many bottles and boxes of "lice killing" items along with the lubricants and condoms, not to mention vegetable oil and whipped cream in a can (no doubt you were cooking a great dessert when you got home) were all a little bit odd considering there were no real food items to speak of. Then as you started putting the items on the conveyor belt I noticed you also had some hemorrhoid cream and wipes and a tube of anti-itch cream.

So dear sir, thank you so much for not keeping your promise to return my pen. I can live without it.

Hope your evening was splendid and I just wonder if your "date" knew about all the items you bought?

Meal Plan for the week of August 28 - September 3

SATURDAY:
Breakfast - Eggs / toast / bacon
Lunch - Quesadillas / fruit
Dinner - grilled burgers / fruit salad / chips

SUNDAY:
Breakfast -Cereal
Lunch - eating out
Dinner - Spaghetti / garlic toast / salad / cake for dessert

MONDAY:

Breakfast -  Cereal
Lunch - Pizza rolls / carrot sticks / graham crackers / apple slices
Dinner - Cabbage rolls / cottage cheese / green beans

TUESDAY:

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Parmesan noodles / cucumber slices / fruit roll-up / apple slices
Dinner - Pancakes / bacon / eggs

WEDNESDAY:

Breakfast - Pancakes
Lunch -BLT wrap sandwich / chips / orange / cookie
Dinner - Au gratin sausage skillet

THURSDAY:

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Spaghetti / carrot sticks / fruit / graham crackers
Dinner - Goulash / corn / bread

FRIDAY:

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Turkey sandwich / fruit / chips / cookie
Dinner - Eating out

3 days in

Lady Bug has been in kindergarten since Wednesday. The first day she was a little nervous, but no tears. She came home super excited to go back the next day and carried on about how much she loves her teacher!

Thursday morning after breakfast I sent her up to get dressed. I could hear her sobbing in her room so I went in to check on her. She said she didn't want to go to school. When I probed her some more she said she just wants to be with the boys. I said that I knew the boys were able to see her throughout the day and then she said "well, I just want to be WITH you guys." I explained I would be going to work and the boys would be at the school with her. Nope, that didn't fix it.

Then we walked over to the school and she cried the whole way, with each step she cried a little harder and clung harder to my leg. By the time we got to the place her class lines up, she was in full blown hyperventilation and crying! The teacher literally had to pull her off my leg! I felt horrible. The teacher called me at home last night and told me that Lady Bug had a great day and had stopped crying by the time they got into the classroom. When we picked her up she told me what a great day she had and told me everything they did {of course recess is a huge hit!}

This morning there wasn't one tear and she marched right up the line and waved goodbye!

Now with the weekend in the way I am hoping Monday goes smoothly!

Friday Recipe - Breakfast Piggies

My kids love these. I love them because they are easy and I can make them and as everyone gets up and about they can grab one or two or three - sometimes we are grabbing them as we are rushing out the door! Good school day breakfast.

Breakfast Piggies
INGREDIENTS:
1 (10 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 (16 oz) pkg breakfast sausage links

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. Separate crescent rolls. Wrap sausage link into triangle crescents. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

My weighloss journey

I have tried SO many things to lose weight, but the truth of the matter is that I LOVE good food. And by "good food" I mean all the bad stuff - cheese, french fries, potato chips, soda, etc. I have always told myself I would NEVER go up in my pants size and when that day came I would have to figure something out.

Well folks, that day came. At the beginning of summer I pulled out all last year's summer stuff and ... well, ummmm... nothing was fitting the same. About 5 of my skirts wouldn't go up over my hips. WHAT? That dumb dryer must have shrunk these things. Ok, ok, I knew that couldn't happen. So that meant I needed to figure something else out because I would NOT be going up in my pants/skirt size. Not going to happen.

I started doing "Portion Control". I used a salad size plate and took my smaller portions of food and when it was gone I did not allow myself seconds. I also cut back on pop and sugary foods. This was the hardest for me I think. I love having a pop with my lunch. I didn't cut it out all together or I feared I would binge on it or something later. So I just tried to have more water and once in a while have a soda. I up'd my intake of whole grains and cut back on the pastas and breads (I LOVE both of those and that was extremely hard on me.)

I will not tell you my beginning weight because that isn't a number I want to share on the world wide web, but I will tell  you that so far I have lost 12 pounds in 4 weeks. I lost it slowly, but lost it nonetheless. It was hard not to get discouraged when I felt as though I was starving myself with the small portions and yet nothing was going away. {For the record I was in no way starving, but I sure did miss my cheese and pasta and bread - to the point of dreaming of cheese pizza and grilled cheese sandwiches!) But I stuck it out (thanks to supportive friends and family) and eventually it started dripping off little by little. In the 4 weeks I have been doing this I have also been exercising. I walk 3 miles every day or I do the walk three times per week and then do a video at home two times per week.

I am still sticking to the portion control and all that until I reach my goal weight.

I will keep you posted.

My baby is in Kindergarten

I dropped off little Lady Bug at school for her first day of Kindergarten. She was SO ready! She marched in with her back pack and as we stood outside she kept asking me when she could go to her classroom. As we walked closer towards the classroom after the school bell rang, she looked a little nervous, but she never cried or anything.

The teacher had all the kids sit on the carpet square. Then she talked a little bit about attendance and calling a student in absent and a few of her classroom rules. Then she asked all of us parents to go to the cafeteria for "Kleenex & Coffee". {which is funny because I started this event last year and also coordinated it again this year}.

Kleenex & Coffee is a nice event because parents can go have a cup of coffee (Thanks to Starbucks for their help with that donation!) and grab a donut (thanks to our local grocery store for help with the 6 dozen donuts!). We have some of the district "mental health" staff available to talk to parents and help them with this momentous time in their lives. I noticed lots of mommas crying (and even a couple dads too). The parents can ask general questions (so many of them don't understand where to pick up their child, or even what time school lets out, some had questions about lunch time and the before/after school program) so there are a few staff members available. It is a really nice event and I am pleased to be coordinating and hosting it each year. I plan to do it again next year as well, and the year after that and the next year too!

Because I was hosting this event I didn't really cry that much until after I was driving away from the school, then I had a melt down! I also got weepy over my lunch hour talking with some friends about it. Lady Bug just doesn't seem big enough to be heading off to kindergarten, but I guess she is!

This momma is watching the clock for when I get to go get the kids from school, and especially can't wait to hear about Lady Bug's first day!

You can't call him Your Honor

My boss heard back already today that he did not get the judgeship (he applied for 3 positions and only interviewed for one so far). This is good news for me.

Business has been a little slow however, so he cut my hours from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Monday - Friday to a somewhat wonky schedule: I will now work M-W-F 9:00 am - 3:00 pm and Tu-Th 9:00 am - 5:00 pm. This means that I will be able to pick up my kids 3 out of the 5 days per week! This is exciting for all of us! My boss did indicate that the hour change may be temporary and when business picks back up he will resume my regular schedule again.

This cut in hours doesn't affect my take home pay, necessarily, because I will be saving money from not having to pay for after-school care. It basically will be a wash in the end. IF he ends up and needs to cut more of my hours then I might need to get worried, but so far so good.

Back To School

Well, summer is over (it went by just a tad bit too fast if you ask me!) and the kids head back to school today - well, the boys do and Lady Bug starts on Wednesday.

The school hours changed this year so instead of starting at 8:00 and going until 2:30, they will start at 8:45 and go until 3:15. The boys are excited that they get to sleep in a little this year and I am excited that they get out a little later. 2:30 seems to come so quickly after 8:00! :-)

Spirit is going into FOURTH grade....eek - where did all the time go? Didn't he just start kindergarten? Wow. Lefty is starting THIRD grade - I will say it again, time moves way too quickly! Then there is Lady Bug, who is excited and a tad scared all at the same time to be starting kindergarten!

We had back to school night on Friday and got to meet the teachers and see the classrooms. It was neat to have a little one-on-one with each teacher and see where the kids will sit, etc.

In 1st grade Lefty had a best bud, but they got separated in 2nd grade and we discovered that they are in the same class again this year so Lefty is very excited about that!

Here's hoping for another GREAT school year!

P.S. - I will probably be shedding a lot of tears on Wednesday as my baby starts kindergarten - I am trying not to think of that right now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Other News:
My boss has an interview today for ONE of the judge positions he applied for (he applied for 3 total). So I may or may not know more about my job in the next couple of weeks -- I will keep you posted.

Meal Plan for August 21 - 27

SATURDAY:
Breakfast - Overnight Bubble Bread / Smoky bacon wraps / fruit / eggs
Lunch - Chili dogs / fruit
Dinner - Crock pot black bean salsa chicken / rice

SUNDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Beenie Weenies / Fruit salad
Dinner - French Dip/ corn / applesauce

MONDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Orzo salad
Dinner - Cabbage Buns / green beans / cottage cheese

TUESDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Turkey Pita sandwiches / chips / fruit
Dinner - Grilled chicken / steamed veggies / twice baked potatoes

WEDNESDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Left overs
Dinner - Spaghetti / salad / garlic toast

THURSDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Grilled cheese / chips / fruit
Dinner - Waffles / Bacon / Eggs / Fruit

FRIDAY:
Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Spaghetti / cucumber slices / fruit
Dinner - F.F.Y. - Fend For Yourself (This is where momma cleans out the fridge! No more left overs! Which means we may all end up with a different looking plate to empty out those left over containers!)

Friday Recipe - Mexican Pizzas

We tried these a few months ago and they were really good. Mr. Man actually came up with this, only he rolled them up. The problem with rolling them up is you can't fill them as full or they rip and fall apart so then we decided to cut them into triangles and eat them flat. We also have made two layers which works well for the adults, but it is a little too much food for my little one, she just gets one layer.

Mexican Pizzas
INGREDIENTS:
1 (16 oz) can refried beans
1 lb ground beef
1 (1.25 oz) package taco seasoning mix
1 Tbls vegetable oil
corn tortillas (figure on 1-2 per person)
TOPPINGS - such as cheese, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, chopped green onions, sliced jalapenos (the jarred kind used for nachos), avocado slices, sliced black olives, salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Warm up beans in a saucepan.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef, then stir in seasoning packet following packet directions.

Place a small amount of oil in a skillet and heat the oil. Place one corn tortilla in the skillet. Cook for 15 seconds then flip and cook another 15 seconds. Repeat for all tortillas. Drain on paper towels.

Arrange cooked tortillas on a foil-lined (for easier clean up) cookie sheet. Spread a thin layer of beans, then beef and cheese. If doing a double layer one, add a second cooked tortilla on top of cheese and add beans, beef and cheese.

Bake tortillas in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Add whatever toppings you'd like and then eat up.

A little of this and that!

* We still haven't found the camera. :-(

* I have been dieting and exercising and have lost 10 pounds in 3 weeks! YAY! I say "diet", but really I am watching portions and paying more attention to what I eat. I have been walking 3 miles nearly every day too. Only 14 pounds more to go until I get to my goal weight!

* I am on vacation from work this week! We didn't have daycare for this week so I am using vacation time to stay home. It works perfect because the kids start school next week and so I plan to use this week to prepare for next week, we are readjusting bedtime routines so we are going to bed at a decent hour and we will organize all the school supplies, etc. We also made a "to-do" list for this week of things the kids want to do with me! Today we are going to see a movie! Good times!

* In the last week we have deep cleaned and rearranged the family room a little bit, I love how it feels in there. We also deep cleaned Spirit's room - looks awesome! Over the weekend we deep cleaned and rearranged Lefty's room and I made the bottom bunk of his bed into a fort -- it looks awesome (wish I had a camera to show you pictures). This week I am going to work on Lady Bug's room and one thing I plan to do with her is switch dressers with her. The one she has is just so big for her tiny room, so I will take it and give her the one I have been using. Hopefully that opens up her room a little bit for her.

* Due to no camera, I guess I will be asking for a new camera for Christmas. :-(

* I am enjoying the cooler weather we are having - cool mornings and cooler evenings! I just love it.

* We had a garage sale this past Saturday and really did quite well! I didn't think we would do as well as we did! At the sale I made a comment about using the money to buy a new chair for our family room and Spirit said "Mom, maybe you should buy our school supplies." - Since when did he become so practical?

Meal Plan for August 14 - 20

I know I haven't posted a meal plan in ages, but with summer we ate out a bunch or we were eating light or eating in shifts and so it just got so hard to even plan my weekly menus that I knew there was no way I could post anything!

But now that summer is winding down and things are settling down in the house too I think I can post our weekly menu again, at least for the time being! I love summer and all the activities it brings but I also enjoy when we slow down again. School will be starting up for us in about a week - the 23rd the boys start and Lady Bug starts on the 25th!

So, here we go with this weeks menu plan - the first of many more to come!

SATURDAY:
Breakfast - Eggs Italiano / fresh fruit / blueberry bundt cake
Lunch - Gazpacho / crusty bread / strawberry pie
Dinner - Grilled Chicken breasts / au gratin potatoes / bacon wrapped asparagus

SUNDAY:

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Left overs
Dinner - Grilled shrimp pesto salad / crusty rolls

MONDAY:

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Gazpacho
Dinner - Mac n cheese / peas

TUESDAY:

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Sandwich wraps/ fruit
Dinner - Pasta bake / garlic bread / salad

WEDNESDAY:

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Chili dogs / fruit
Dinner -  Sausage, potato and bell pepper medley / fruit salad

THURSDAY:

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Left overs
Dinner - Grilled salmon / steamed veggies / rice

FRIDAY:

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Sandwich wraps / fruit salad
Dinner - Spicy mango chicken with sweet potatoes (new recipe)

Friday Recipe - Eggs Italiano

This is a tasty and filling breakfast using poached eggs and fresh veggies over an English muffin.

Eggs Italiano (serves 4)
INGREDIENTS:
4 eggs (I actually made more because I made 2 eggs for Mr. Man)
1 medium yellow summer squash, cubed
1 medium green zucchini, cubed
1 small onion, diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
basil
salt and pepper to taste
1 avocado, sliced
 Parmesan cheese
4 whole wheat English muffins, toasted

Heat olive oil in skillet. Add in garlic, squash, zucchini and onion. Cook until veggies are tender, but not too soft. Add in tomato and cook only long enough to warm up tomato.Season with salt and pepper and a little basil. Remove skillet from heat.

To poach your eggs: In a tall sided skillet add 2" of water. Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add in 1/4 c of vinegar and reduce heat to a simmer -- the water should be steaming and small bubbles should come up from the bottom of the pan. Crack each egg into a small bowl, cup or soup ladle and slip them one at a time into the simmering water, taking care not to break the yolks. Cook for 4 minutes for soft set, 5 minutes for medium set and 8 minutes for hard set. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggs to a clean kitchen towel to drain.

Place the 2 halves of the English muffin on a plate. Top with the veggies. Place eggs on top of veggies then add your slices of avocado. To finish this off sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top.

I like to serve this with ham on the side and a little coffee cake to wash it all down with! This is a great brunch meal.

**NOTE: You could also serve this with fried eggs if you prefer.