Weekly Menu

Do you ever wonder why you plan?  I do!  Actually, this last week wasn't too bad but there were some changes.  Due to having one vehicle right now, I couldn't go to the store during the day last Monday (or this coming Monday) so I had to get creative for dinner.  I happened across a recipe on Pinterest and had everything for it, so I made it.  I'll share the recipe later :-) Along those lines, for my own benefit and future planning, I'm going to include a link to last week MENU and then let you know what we actually ate (I know, you are thrilled, aren't you).

Monday - Mexican Chicken in the crock-pot (new recipe) and homemade bread
Tuesday - Strogenoff, Salad, and Green Beans
Wednesday -Tacos with chips and salsa
Thursday - Ham and Cheese Quiche and Hashbrowns
Friday -  Kids - Grilled Cheese; Us out (Darryl decided at the last minute to take Saturday off after all so we ordered in!!)
Saturday - Spaghetti and garlic bread
Sunday - Gone :-) 

This coming week is b.u.s.y. (well, at least for me!).  Monday I have practice, Tuesday is Ladies Meeting, Wednesday the kids have program practice, Thursday I am going to a Ladies Tea with a friend and . . .then I crash!!  Meals need to be easy, that's for sure!!

Monday - Crock pot chicken, Sweet potato Casserole, Roasted Green beans

Tuesday - Mac and Cheese and chips.  For the ladies meeting I'm going to make a Spinach dip wreath and Pumpkin Crunch. (Tonight I leave the house at 5:00 to take Nate for pictures at 5:30, ladies meeting at 6:30 and than grocery shopping - I'm already tired!)

Wednesday -Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin, Twice Baked Potatoes and Sauted Cabbage

Thursday -Lasagna, garlic Bread

Friday - Chinese Chicken and Broccoli, Baked Crab Ragoon and Fried Rice

Saturday - Baked Teriyaki Chicken, Cheesy Cauliflower Bake, 4th of July salad

Sunday - Roast, Potatoes and Carrots

Holiday Traditions

Today over at Kellys Korner it is "Show us your life" Friday and the topic of the day is . .. Holiday Traditions.

Traditions are so much fun because they build excitement each year.  I find that they are just as fun for me as they are for my kids, especially now the boys are starting to get old enough to remember things from year to year.

Our Traditions:

1) Grinch Countdown Calendar - This is a new tradition that I wrote about "HERE".  I look forward to doing this with the boys for as many years as they will allow me to do it, and then maybe a few more because I've heard that teenagers SAY they don't like something but they really do :-)

2) Advent Study - This year we are doing Truth in the Tinsel because it is the perfect age level for my kids.  The tradition isn't so much what we do but rather that we do something to study the Advent - the reason for the season.

3) Decorating the Boys Trees - This is also a new tradition - the boys each have a tree in their room and I discovered that they love decorating their own tree so we are going to make it a tradition to do this with them - maybe as early as Thanksgiving night :-)

4) Our Tree - Our Tradition is to go the weekend of Thanksgiving and cut down our tree.  We have a certain Tree Farm we go to and then stop at a favorite restaurant on our way home. We then put the tree up while watching "Home Alone" and having something fun to eat.  As you read "HERE" our "tradition" did not go well this year - but at least we have a tree.

5) Lights - The boys LOVE Christmas Lights and so do we!  We take time to drive around and find lights- usually while we are out doing other things.  It's just so much fun! 

6) Christmas Eve - Most years, we spend Christmas at my parents.  If that is the case, we go to their Christmas Eve service.  Then we return to their house for snacks and the boys get to open one gift.  They get PJ's and one toy or book (and maybe slippers).  I like to include a toy so there is some element of surprise :-)  Then, they put on their PJ's and we attempt to read "The Night Before Christmas" before they go to bed!

7) Christmas Morning - The tradition is to open Stockings before breakfast but with the boys so young still, we've found it easier to Eat Breakfast first instead of trying to tear them away from Toys :-)  Breakfast is cooked by the men and is normally Eggs, Bacon, Toast, Cinnamon Rolls and Orange Julius.  It is supper yummy!.  When we open gifts, we open one at a time so that everyone can see what the other person received plus it makes the morning last longer :-)

8) Frankenmuth- I almost forgot!  Even though we have been unable to go the last two years, we do have a tradition of going to Frankenmuth the weekend before Thanksgiving.  We like to browse the Christmas Shop and pick out a few new ornaments plus enjoy a fabulous dinner . Honestly, we didn't go this year because it was also "Deer Hunters Widow Weekend" - we went once by mistake on that weekend and it is PACKED so we skipped this year. 

I do have ideas for future Traditions to add in as the boys get older:

1) Shoe boxes - I plan on putting together Operation Christmas Child Shoebox with the boys.  I wanted to do it this year but it just didn't work and I didn't plan well for it.  Hopefully we can start it next year.

2) A Christmas Play - Before kids, Darryl and I would try to attend a concert or play around Christmas and we'd like to get back into it as the kids get older.  Just something fun to see that is about Christmas. 

3) Christmas Cookies - Every year I have a goal to make Christmas Cookies and take them to the neighbors.  Last year I got close but the last few recipes bombed so I gave up :-) Maybe it will happen this year!

For now, I think that's it. The great thing about traditions is that you can always add more!

Food Friday . .. On Thursday - Crock Pot Ham

I decided to post a recipe today because tomorrow I will be participating in "Show us your life Friday".  :-)

Crock Pot Ham
adapted from Cookbook Recipes

As I wrote about recently, I hosted Thanksgiving dinner and my main responsibility was the meat.  Instead of doing a gigantic turkey (which the one I made was 19 pounds and MORE than enough!), I also wanted to do a Ham.  I had seen this recipe floating around on Pinterest and had also heard from several others that tried it and said it was fantastic.  I figured what better time to try a new recipe than when the "whole" family is coming over, right? ;-/  Thankfully it turned out wonderfully.  I will say, I probably should have pulled it out of the crock pot about an earlier than planned but it was still super flavorful.  I used the left overs in Scalloped Potatoes and also I threw the last bits of it into Kraft Mac and Cheese and it was fabulous.  One last word of advice, make sure your ham fits in your crock pot.  Mine was "this close" to not fitting!  This ham received rave reviews from everyone which made me very happy!

Ingredients
1 ham, precooked, bone-in, spiral cut
1 cup brown sugar
1 small can pineapple tidbits

Directions:
Place 1 cup of brown sugar in the bottom of the crock pot
Place ham on top of brown sugar and add the pineapple bits with juice.  Sprinkle more brown sugar on top.
Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours


 

Our Christmas Tree

 On Thursday, November 30th, we loaded up and headed out to get our tree.  Now, there is a little back story I'd like to share before going on further because this years Christmas Tree adventure is not the normal "Tradition".  We actually planned to get our Christmas Tree the day after Thanksgiving. My husband had the day off, it was cold, blustery day with snow flurries - perfect Christmas Tree Cutting and Decorating weather.  We loaded everyone up and headed out on the 40 minute drive to our favorite Christmas Tree Farm.  Singing songs, laughing and then it happened.  I heard a cough from one of the kids - a cough that makes my stomach clench because I know what is coming.  I threw off my seat belt, flipped around in my seat and . . .the puke started.  Not from just one kid but from both, at the same time as my husband is driving 70 MPH down the expressway.  I'm sure it was only a mile but it seemed like an eternity until he got to an exit, pulled off, and I could get out of the car.  I won't go into details but any day I hold puke in my hand, it is not a good day.  I had packed nothing for the boys as far as change of clothes but we still had to strip them down to diapers out in the freezing wind, wrap them each in a t-shirt of Darryl's that happened to be in the back of the truck.  Then wrapped one in a blanket and one in Darryl's coat before strapping them back in.  I was thankful for my jacket I had not worn in the truck because I also had to remove a shirt and put that coat on standing by the side of the road.  We turned around and headed back home, treeless.  At that point, we just figured we would go get our tree on the following Thursday, since Darryl would have the day off.  On Saturday afternoon, Darryl called from work and said, "Well, come and get me, the car is dead".  Never words you want to hear!  I needed to the truck on Sunday so, we got up at 3:00, got the boys up and loaded in the truck and kinda joked about the light covering of snow.  As we headed out, we noticed that our road was pretty slick but figured once we got to the expressway it would be fine.  We got on the expressway and it was a solid, thick sheet of ice.  Darryl got off at the next exit and we went back home.  So now, we REALLY didn't know when to get a tree.  He would have to work on Thursday since he had to take Sunday off.  On Friday, November 30th, he called in the afternoon and suggested we head out and get the tree after he got home.  That is what we did.  As we were driving there, he asked when they closed and I replied, "Dusk" to which he said, "You mean like now?".  Well, it was kinda "dusky".  We kept going on good faith.  As we came to the road we had to turn on I saw the sign that said they closed at 5:00 . . it was 5:15.  We kept going just in case and when we got the Tree Farm - that sign said "Dusk" and there were actually a few cars still there.  We had about 30 minutes top to find a tree . . in fading light.  Not the best conditions but at that point, we just needed a tree :-)

 Here we are, heading out to find the perfect tree.  Josh was pulling the tree wagon - he loves to help.

 Nathan had his HEART set on getting a little tree and as we started walking through the rows of tree, he came across this little tree and told me that it was HIS special tree. He started to try to pull it out of the ground he loved it so much.  I had to explain to him that we couldn't cut it down and we needed to find a big tree.  He asked for this tree before we left and again on Saturday.  Even on Saturday night he said that he hoped his tree would grow big so we could bring it home.  How cute is that?

This is our tree.  With the boys all in front of it before it was cut down.  By the point the boys were getting cold and were ready to head back.  They were beyond thrilled to watch it be shaken, drilled, and wrapped though :-)

Our normal tradition after cutting down a tree is to go to our favorite Local Cajun Restaurant but, it was late and we were all just hungry (and that favorite place tends to run a little slow when busy) so we took the boys to their new favorite place - a Chinese Buffet that is actually pretty good (and the boys eat free so we can eat for less than $20.00).  The boys really enjoy being able to go up and pick out their own food including things like finger jell-o, and fruit.  Plus they get ice cream :-)

It was pretty late by the time we got home so we got the boys into bed and decided to finish the tree on Saturday.

 Saturday morning.   I had one very impatient four year old.  I could not figure out why he kept pushing me to get in the shower on Saturday morning but I figured it out when I got out.  I walked into the living room and found him decorating the tree.  No lights or anything yet.  He told me that he couldn't wait to decorate it because he would be "too tired tonight to do it". HA!  He decorated and undecorated it throughout the day.  At one point, Nate started dumping out one box of ornaments; I told him to stop and he said that he had to play with them.  When I then told them they weren't toys, he said, "Really, mom, they aren't?  hehehehe

 FINALLY, the lights The boys were beyond excited to "help". 

 The lights :-)  I should have tested out our lights a little earlier . .. we lost a strand and could have really used just "one more".

 Starting with last year, my goal is to pick out an ornament for each of the boys that is a reminder of something from their year.  This year, Josh's ornament is this Airplane.  He loves them.  Remember, we went to watch the planes for his birthday?  He has asked to even ride in one because he loves them so much.

 Nate's ornament is a dinosaur - it kinda blends in with the tree.  When Nate saw it he asked a very important question - "Can I play with it mom?"  I knew then that it was the perfect pick for him!

The boys decorated 90% of the tree and I love it.  It is the perfect tree.

We figured since all of our normal traditions were thrown out the window concerning the tree, we would just continue with that plan.  Normally, we watch Home Alone while decorating the tree - we only had about 40 minutes before bedtime so we tossed that idea out.  Plus we usually have some fun food - Darryl picked up a pizza on his way home.  I figured at this point, our tree is up and beautifully decorated so now, we can get back to our traditions :-)

Too Cute Not To Toot!

I'm on the lookout for great Christmas Crafts as you will see in this post :-)

This first idea from Ten Kids and a Dog is one I truly love because I can hang it on my wall for the holidays.  When I see ideas like this it makes me want to do them every year and see how their artist "flare" changes BUT we WILL do this one this year.  It's easy and my kids always want to paint!

The next idea is from Lily Fashion and is not only a great idea to do with your kids but would also make a great Sunday School gift or gift for a Christian School Party (which is what she used them for, I believe). 

Another great idea for something to hang on the wall, this one from Handprint and Footprint Art and uses one of my favorite things - Handprints of my kids!

Moving away from the Christmas craft idea for a month, I saw this tutorial over at Miss Kopy Kat and had to share.  I love these type of wreaths and I think it is probably cheaper to make one than to buy one . . ..

Finally, a great tutorial with recipes from The Pioneer Woman.
She shares a great tutorial on how to REALLY decorate Christmas cookies plus shares a tried and true recipe for sugar cookie dough.  I'll be honest, with my kids ages right now, I'll probably be using store bought cookie dough and simple frosting but I love this idea for down the road :-) 

Happy Crafting :-)

Life on Purpose

Yes, it is that time once again.  Time to think about 2013. Goals, planning, calendars, lists - all of the things that make a planner, like myself, happy.  A new year is a fresh start; a time to pick up again what we may have been successful with the year before or maybe, we dropped the ball.  Either way, it's a new beginning and, you know how it goes - if you fail to plan; you plan to fail.

Last Tuesday night I gathered with a group of women - a few I know well, some I meet at only gatherings like this and several new faces - to get a "pep talk" about being intentional with ourselves and our families and then actually have about 1 1/2 hours to plan for next year.

I'd like to share some of those ideas with you via photos.  If you would like an actually copy of any document, just leave me your e-mail address and I will send them as attachments.

One of the first things you need is a blank 2013 calendar.  Don't buy a fancy one for this since this is your planning calendar - you can usually find free, blank calendar's online and just print from there.  I would suggest using both a pen and a pencil.  Use your pen to fill in "set in stone" items like birthdays, school dates, or events already on your calendar, confirmed.  Use your pencil to fill in the things you want to happen such as family vacation, having a summer cook out etc.  You could even pencil in dates that occur every year such as Christmas Programs and Family Parties based on the date they are normally held so at least you have an idea of what is going on in any given month.  This allows you the freedom to plan your year now to ensure that your family comes first.  Maybe you even want to take one month and totally block it out as a "family month" (Like July) where nothing else happens that month except things with your family - a very laid back summer month.  My husband's family thinks I'm an over planner, I think, because I start asking about the family Christmas party in June .  .. when really, I'd like it on the calender in January so that it has a sure place.  This year is a great example - I asked several months ago and was told that no one wanted to talk about it yet.  So I told my husband I was just going to plan our holidays and they would have to work around us.  Guess when the big family dinner is?? The end of January.  We could have had it on the 8th of December but since it was just discussed a week ago it was felt that was too soon.  See why planning ahead is such a good thing???

Another great planning document is called "Fifty Great Dates".  This is a list of Things you want to do, People you want to spend time with, places you want to go, tasks you want to complete, foods you want to cook and more.  Brainstorm and just throw everything on here - then, take this list and back it up to your calendar above and plug it all in (in pencil). This allows you to see that in March you want to actually make corned beef and cabbage this year for St. Patrick's Day. (Yep, did it once and once was enough!) If you have kids that are upper elementary and above, give them this document and ask them to fill it out too - you can then pick items from each list to try and accomplish too.

The month-by-month plan is one of my favorites.  This is the place I write down all of the "big" items I need to remember in each month.  For example, in January I write down "Plan Darryl's birthday; Clean the basement".  Then in February I'll writhe, "Darryl's birthday; Valentines day" etc.  If I noticed one month is packed too full, I'll see if there is anything that can get pushed to another month to relieve some of the "pressure" on my calendar.  Pull this list out and the end of each month and look ahead so you can plan your month accordingly.

Most of the time planning is something that is proactive - planning for what is coming up.  This next document is new one to me this year and is REactive - looking back at the previous month.  It is way to look at each month and ask yourself the following:  In (January) we ... celebrate, eat, maintain, keep appointments, shop for, and prepare for.  I think that this first year, it is a place for me to make notes about what happened in each category including notes on what did and did not work and the financial aspect of those items.  Next year it will be a great stepping stone for my planning because I will see what we actually did last year instead of trying to remember. One of the ladies suggested modifying this for holidays to say "For Halloween we - Prepare, decorated, eat/bake, create, host/celebrate, Wrap it up".  I really like that idea because I tend to not always remember what we do year to year. (Don't you love the little hand? I had a helper!)

The last document is called "Life on Purpose" lists.  It is list of everything from Twelve Household Projects you would like to complete to Four things to do for "me", to dates you would like to have with each of your kids and your sweetie plus more! It is a great planning list and again, back this up to your calendar.  If one of your dates with you child is to go ice skating on a pond - obviously that needs to be scheduled in the winter.  If you don't plan for it, it won't happen.

One last challenge that I will actually be talking about on a different date is I "joined up" with a bunch of the women to write out 101 (goals) I want to accomplish in 1001 (days) - Known as 101 in 1001.  Yes, I have my list and you'll see at least some of it later but for now, this is the tease.  (Aren't I mean?)  I'm also working on my 2013 Theme Word and, something new, a Study Topic for the year - something to focus on learning about all year long.

Are you a planner?  If so, you understand this post completely; if you aren't, you probably think I'm crazy and that's ok :-)

Countdown with The Grinch

Last year I came across this great idea for a Christmas Countdown from Chica and Jo and shared it in a Too Cute Not To Toot

Of all of the various countdown ideas I found this is the one that really stuck with me and is the one I knew I wanted to do with my kids.  Why?  Because it is based on a fun book!!  Now, I purchased the over door shoe holder several months ago but, as is normal, I set it aside and didn't get around to doing anything with it until this past week. I used Green Ribbon around the outside and red sparkly ribbon on the holders.  I'm really happy with how it turned out.

Here is what mine looks like :-)  In the blog link above you will find the printable 24 cards with the story on them.  From there, I used my Cricut and cut out the numbers (but you could also use stickers or just markers) and, because I want to use this for years to come, I laminated all of the cards.

Here is a sample of the cards.

Lets be honest, buying 2 (and sometimes 3) little gifts can be expensive even at the dollar store.  Instead of doing fancy things each day, I picked one day each week for a bigger item.  Then I looked for things that were in bags (candy, army men, play dough) that I could put on multiple days (I.e. they get a little package with candy once a week, some army guys once a week, and a small tub of play dough once a week).  In the weeks to come, I'll be sharing what they opened each day.  For wrapping?  I just used tissue or crepe paper, depending on the item!  It's cheap and easy to use!

I could not find that grinch doll anywhere (I should have bought it last year when I first looked at this idea!).  For now, I made this stick puppet and will keep an eye out for a small Grinch Doll because I think it is much cuter to have that guy stuffed in the pocket!