What We've Been Doing

I thought I would share the fun we've been having without the kids here :-)

I don't have a ton of photos but Darryl and I have had a lot of fun!  On Friday, once parents left with the boys and the parents of the extra kids pick them up, Darryl and I headed for town.  We had reservations at PF Changs - a resturant we had never eaten at but had heard so much about that we finally decided to try.  First I'll say, it was good food . . kind of unique but good.  We got egg rolls which were not the best I've had but weren't awful either.  I also ordered some Crab Rangoons which were actually the best part of my entire meal.  Dinner was good but not nearly as good as the hype.  How's that for a middle of the road review?  After dinner we went to see a movie - We saw Book Thief which was a really, really good movie.  Yes, we also enjoyed popcorn and lemonade :-) 

Saturday morning we slept in (such a rarity!) and hung at home.  I had to run to the grocery store and then we got ready for this . . ..

 We attended a wedding for a "kid" we've known for 12 years.  He and Darryl have been friends for all of those years and it was such a privilege to attend.  We got to hang out with all of the folks that Darryl used to work with and it was just plain fun.  I can chalk this up as one of the most enjoyable weddings we've attended in a long time.  And no, I did not take my camera.  I told myself that I wasn't going to take it to weddings anymore unless it was an immediate family member and guess what?  It was SOOO nice to not take photos!

Sunday was a totally 100% "veg" day.  Sleeping in; hanging out in PJ's all day; Watching football without interruption.  We did receive news part way through the day that a Pastor friend of ours had passed away from a massive stroke suffered just that morning.  He was 46 and leaves behind his wife and 6 kids.  Not what we were expecting at all.  It is still a little surreal.

Monday morning I took Darryl to work so I could have the truck.  After coming back home (he goes to work at 3:30 AM) I will admit that I got a Sausage Biscuit from McDonald's on the way in because my stomach was growling and I was so glad I did.  Why?  Because when I got home, I crawled into bed, snuggled under the covers and went to sleep without being hungry.  It was such a relaxing sleep . . .something I seldom get it seems!  I got up and got ready to head out for a day on my own!  My first stop was lunch at Grand Traverse Pie Company - my all time favorite lunch place.  From there I started shopping :-) 

 This lamp is my favorite purchase.  See, Nate's lamp broke months a year ago and I just have never found one that I liked to replace it.  I promised myself that I WOULD get him one this week while he is gone.  So, while at Target I found this awesome Dinosaur lamp.  It's my favorite item because I know he is going to be so excited when he sees it! (Mom, don't show this him please! ;-) LOL)

Some more of my treasures!  I had to much fun wondering through Target, Hobby Lobby, Bed Bath and Beyond and more. 

My new decor for the door thanks to Hobby Lobby.

And finally this.  My poor truck is stranded outside of the garage.  Why?  Well, my garage door is broken :-(  When I was leaving home today I noticed the door did not shut so I hit the button again and noticed the door was a little crooked.  Once we got home, Darryl checked it out and one of the giant springs broke.  We have had this happen once before years ago and it is fixable but this time it has also bend some of the metal pieces that hold it all together so I'm not sure what it will entail to fix it.  I'm just thankful it happened after I got out of the driveway . . .that spring is a lethal weapon AND I would have been unable to get out of the garage. 

For the record, my Christmas decor is still outside.  Maybe it will come down today ;-)

Homeschool Corner

As I mentioned last week, we are having a lot of fun learning in different ways and we started out this past week with a "winner".   Are you ready?

 Yes, we learned about Static Electricity.  On Sunday morning while I was . . . .well, still resting in bed . . .they decided to unzip one of the bean bags to see what it looked like on the inside.  They discovered it looked like snow and decided to create a snow storm.  It was everywhere.  I really couldn't (and didn't) get mad especially when Nate looked at me and said, "Mom, you don't have to say it, I won't do this again."

 The good news is that my boys love to vacuum and begged and begged to vacuum so I let them.  Two hours later we were done.  Granted, little bean bag pieces of puke showed up the entire week in the oddest places like in the sink, on my desk, in our lunches . . ..

 We also learned that grape Popsicles turn months purple (except by the time we got the picture most of it was gone!)

And that if we put our hand closer to the camera, it is blurry.  (And that "white" Popscicles taste really good . . .kinda like Lemonade.)

And, finally, we learned how to turn a table upside down and use it to do gymnastics.  Josh did this too but I was unable to get a photo. 

I think it is time to get back to book learning .. oh wait, the kids are gone this week :-)

Things My Kids Say

*One morning, when the boys got up, they walked into the bathroom and Josh had something in his month - it was a cough drop.  He said he had a cough.  Then told me Nate never got coughs.  That is when Nate piped up and said, "The little people that live in Josh get sick and make HIM sick but the people that live inside of me, mom, never ever make me sick."  I wasn't sure whether to laugh or . . .maybe be more than a little worried that they think they have "people" living inside of them.


Apparently my kids weren't very creative this week because that is all I have!

The Kids Are Gone, The Kids are Gone!

Ok, maybe I'm little too excited but the boys have gone on a sleepover (a multiple day sleepover) to Papa and Nana's house.  They haven't been gone for a few days since just before Thanksgiving so I'm ready for a break.  Don't get me wrong, the older they get the more I miss them when they are gone but, lets get real, a 4 and 5 year old are pretty demanding AND extremely active. 

As is normally the case, I like to plan some things while the kids are gone and this is no exception!

1) Friday -(by the time you read this - these things should be done!)  the kids leave on Friday afternoon.  I have one goal for the afternoon and that is to get the Christmas decor down outside.  I probably would have done it earlier but I didn't want helpers.  I know, I know, that is terrible ;-)  But, I can take it all down in about 15 minutes by myself but with helpers it takes about 2 hours PLUS they would want to play in the snow when we were done.    Once the extra kids leave, my husband and I are heading out for the evening on a date (my gift to him -a date a month!) We are going out to dinner and to see a movie (I think!).  We may go to the bookstore too depending on time.

2) Saturday (Today!) - Ready, I'm going to sleep in ;-)  Ahhhhhhh!!!!  Then I'm going to scrapbook.  That's right.  Scrapbook.  We have a wedding to go to late afternoon/evening but until it is time to get ready I can actually get some things accomplished.

3) Sunday - Ready?  I'm going to watch football and scrapbook :-)  I'm so excited to get to do some of my hobbies!

4) Monday - Unbeknownst to me when I planned this time without the kids, the extra kids won't be here today!  So, Darryl's gift to me is giving me one day out by myself each month.  Today is my day.  I'm going to take Darryl to work, come home and go back to bed for awhile before heading into town for the day to window shop, do some returns and then meet my husband for dinner before we head home. 

5) Tuesday - Ok, today I need to get something done.  That is really putting away the Christmas Decor.  When we undecorated, I threw everything into bins but not neatly and it is all piled downstairs.  I'm going to get everything in the right bin and pick up the basement.  It shouldn't take more than about an hour or so.

6) Wednesday and Thursday - Depends on when the boys come home.  Not anything major planned.  :-)

Lets see how much scrapbooking I can get done this weekend!

Food Friday - Tenderloin Sandwiches

Tenderloin Sandwiches
adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Okey, this is the beef that was used for our Sandwiches - I guess I never got a photo of an actual Sandwich!  This was another one of our appetizers for Christmas Eve and they were so good.  I learned something . . .I went to the store and asked if they had any Beef Tenderloin (thinking it would look like a pork tenderloin) well, thankfully the meat guy was very nice and showed me where one was and then said, most people refer to it as a Filet or Filet Mignon.  OHHHHH So that is why it was $5000 for that roast (ok not quite but you get the idea HA).  I ended up picking a different cut of beef that was much less expensive; next time I would buy a sirloin, though, so it would be more tender.  I served the Hawaiian Rolls with these to use as buns and we had Honey DIjon Mustard, little corn cobs (like you see in Chinese food) and block olives as topping.  Next time I would make a good coleslaw to use as the topping instead.

Ingredients

2 whole beef tenderloins, trimmed (trimmed weight 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup crushed tri-colored peppercorns
Dinner rolls, for serving
Grainy brown mustard, for serving
Horseradish sauce, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Brush the tenderloins with the olive oil and then roll in the crushed peppercorns. Place the meat on a roasting pan and roast for 20 to 25 minutes. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before thinly slicing.

Serve with dinner rolls, grainy mustard and horseradish sauce.

 

Weekly Menu

We ate good food last week.  Even though Darryl ate Sliced Turkey Breast on top of Spaghetti Noodles w/ Olive Oil and mixed vegetables about 4 times this week the rest of us ate good LOL  Oh well, they can't all be winners.  He didn't want to eat the Chili because  Chili powdered messes with his gut so that meant he didn't eat Taco's either.  Then he was supposed to go to his sisters on Saturday but due to a not great forecast, he came home . . .and he can't eat pizza which is what I was cooking.  That Turkey breast was a life saver for him!

So this week is a little different because the kids are going on a sleep over to papa and nana's house.  I tend to take it "easy" when the kids are gone - it's my break too so not cooking is HIGH on my list!  Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoy cooking but I probably spend the equivalent of 3-4 hours in the kitchen every day between cooking meals, getting snacks and washing dishes.  When I can get a break from that I do!

Friday - The kids leave today.  This is our date night so we are heading into town to go out to dinner.  At the writing of this, we are going to PF Changs.  We have never been there but love Chinese food.  I'm so excited to just go out to dinner!!

Saturday - Today we have a wedding so we'll be eating at the reception.  I hope the food is good :-)

Sunday - I will probably go out and get something - we know what things Darryl can eat now (Like Subway) and will take advantage of that.  I think that some eggs, toast, and bacon sounds good for brunch.

Monday - I didn't realize that I wouldn't be babysitting today due to the kids parents not having to work.  Soooo . . .I'm heading to town for my day out!!!  Whoo Whoo!  I'll have to take Darryl to work but then I can come home, go back to bed, sleep in, get up and head into town to wonder Hobby Lobby, Wonder through the Mall, get lunch, do some returns, and pick up Darryl from work and go to dinner.

Tuesday-Thursday:  I'm not even planning these days right now.  My kids are coming home Wednesday or Thursday so we'll play it by ear.  I think I will pick up some good bread at Panara while I'm out on Monday and just have stuff for Panini's for dinner on Tuesday . .. and maybe Wednesday.  I'm thinking I might throw one of the Turkey's I have in the freezer in the oven on Thursday that way we'll have lots of meat to use for dishes next week!

That's it for this week :-) 

What I'm Reading

The main reason I'm doing this post on Wednesdays is to coincide with the Book Study over at The Living Women Well Blog.  I plan on sharing what I learned through that book study over the past week but also give an update on any other books I'm reading off of the Book List.

Women Living Well - Chapter 1
This first chapter deals with the basic concept of getting back into the word.  I've always been a strong starter when it comes to daily devotions and prayer but then life gets in the way.  One of the questions asked in the study was what is your biggest obstacle to getting into the word and, mine, quite honestly, is laziness.  I hate getting out of bed in the morning so I don't get up 15 minutes earlier; then I say I will do my "quiet time" (is there really quite time in a house with kids?) while I eat breakfast . . .but I tend to want to play on the computer instead.  I'm working on that!  Two things I've committed to do this week is to 1)Display my weekly memory verse in the kitchen since I spend 3/4's of my life in there anyway and 2)Put my prayer list in the shower - I have 15 minutes every morning where I can pray. . .without interruption!  I'm looking forward to reading chapters 2 and 3 throughout the rest of this week.


"7"
This book is a little different then I expected just because it is actually a blog that was printed into a book.  The first chapter was on food.  The author took a challenge to eat only 7 foods for one month.  While I respect the fact that she only ate those 7 foods throughout the entire month (which meant no seasonings except Salt and Pepper and only water to drink) it is not something I feel  any need to do.  Maybe if I was single or if it was just Darryl and I . .. no, not even then ;-)  Instead, I did feel challenge to give up something for a certain time frame.  I'm going to give it more thought and decide if that is something I really feel like doing.

Chapter 2 focused on clothes.  The author picked out 7 items and wore them for an entire month.  Ok, I'm not doing that HA!  In reality, my little family doesn't have tons of clothes.  I personally have very few but what I'm still hanging on to is lots of shoes so I plan on cleaning those out and just keeping what I wear.

Chapter 3 is one I really like because it focuses on our THINGS!  This is where "simplify" comes into play.  She, at first, challenged herself to get rid of 7 things a day but after her clothing experiment in Chapter 2, she cleaned out her closet on the first day and cleaned out over 200 things.  So, instead she focused on what she could clean out each week.  This is really a Flylady technique - she does the 27 Fling Boogie at least once a week - where you have pick up 27 things and either trash them, donate them, or put them in their rightful home.


"The Power of a Positive Mom"
I've reread the first chapter (since I've read it before) but didn't get any further than that this week.