Ok, I had this whole post written last week but it was based on us going camping. We ended up canceling our camping trip for various reasons including things like the chance for rain was looking pretty high (and still is for Sunday), both Darryl and I have been fighting nasty colds - the thought of even trying to prep for camping is more then I want to do even today as I write this on Wednesday - no one likes to camp while sick and my husband is coming off a long stretch of work meaning by Friday at about 4:00 he is done. Spent. Has nothing left. How does one set up a campsite when there is nothing left? Last year when we camped, he took the Friday off which made a huge difference but, we couldn't do that this time since he is taking a week+ off for vacation in just over two weeks! We are planning our next camping trip and it WILL include him taking Friday off and I think we might have to throw in a trip in September just for fun ;-)
We've decided to make this a fun family weekend anyway including the boys (Josh, Nate AND Darryl) doing backyard camping on Saturday evening. (I am going to sleep inside, in my bed, in the A/C HA).
So, here's our plan for the next week:
Friday - Darryl and I both realized this week that we NEED some gillin' to happen around here so we will be having Hamburgers, Homemade Potato Salad, and "Ken's" fruit salad. I may or may not pick up some corn on the cob at the store since Nate has been asking for it.
Saturday - Brats/Hotdogs and left over salads from the night before for lunch and then Marinated Steaks, Jacki's Asian Slaw, and Baked Beans for dinner
Sunday - Darryl has a concert at a local festival so we are going to head that direction for the day. I plan on putting Chicken Philly stuff in the crock pot before we leave so we can have sandwiches and leftover salads/sides from the weekend for dinner. This is a new recipe I have been wanting to try!
Monday - Another new recipe that looks good - Crock-Pot Chicken and Noodles over mashed potatoes with broccoli.
Tuesday - Tacos. I saw an Avocado dressing on Pinterest I want to mix up and try too.
Wednesday - Darryl has practice so the boys and I will fend for ourselves. Maybe leftovers, Maybe a pizza, maybe running out for dinner.
Thursday - I'm not 100% sure yet. I have a big roast to use in the freezer and have a recipe I remember seeing that I need to find to try . . some type of balsamic pulled beef recipe; or maybe leftovers depending on how the fridge looks; or maybe something else. I usually have to make a store run mid-week for milk/bread so I can always pick something up.
I also have a new cookie recipe to try - I had it at a banquet and was just given the recipe. As I recall, I could have eaten the entire pan but didn't want to make a scene :-) They are a "bar" cookie which are my favorite in the summer since the oven only has to be on for a few minutes. Our other "big" dessert will be S'more's around the camp fire on Saturday evening (and then in the microwave with the leftovers all week HA!)
It's hard to believe that when I post the next Weekly Menu, it will take us up to vacation. We cannot wait!!
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
June Craft Goals
So, I'm going to go on the low-down for Craft goals this month. I usually post photos and list all of the great projects I want to complete but this month, as I've already talked about a few times, we have a busy month ahead so I'm not going to be getting a lot of new crafts done. I want to get our towel beach blanket sown together and work on some things for traveling but beyond that . . .well, not planning a whole lot more :-)
I realize I didn't really have to post this but since I've done a post every month, I didn't want to miss June ! I promise to share any crafts I DO complete this month!
I realize I didn't really have to post this but since I've done a post every month, I didn't want to miss June ! I promise to share any crafts I DO complete this month!
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Too Cute Not Too Toot!
Check out this great towel tutorial from Stolen Moments. I love how cute and simple the towels look; and that they are just towels . . . nothing more, nothing less :-)
Ok, I am sharing this mainly because it is a Anne of Green Gables Recipe but also because I love fresh new drink ideas. Check out this fantastic (looking) Lemonade recipe over at Simply So Good.
Tater Tots and Jell-O share a lot of ideas for Father's Day. This questionnaire is one of my favorites.
Here is another printable for Father's Day from Creative Homemakers.
This is an idea I'm throwing in my my "Birthday Board" ideas - this would look so cool hanging in our archway for the birthday kid. The idea comes from Bobble Head Baby.
That's all for this week!
Monday, June 3, 2013
Summer Preschool - Our Bucket List
Summer bucket lists are always a big thing in bloggy land. Now that my kids are getting older, I wanted to make one as a jumping off point for our summer. I started out with my list, then I asked the kids if there were things they wanted to do. Eventually, I hope the boys will plan most of this list.
Here's my list:
1. Go to the beach 5 times
2. Go to the Free Fair
3. Take the family Geocaching
4. Visit the Zoo
5. Visit the Splash Park
6. Make Homemade Lemonade
7. Go Fishing (ok, maybe just the boys HA)
8. Visit the Drive-in
9. Go to Mooville
10. Visit Alligator Park
11. Go to the kids part at Meijer Gardens
12. Learn to ride bikes
13. Plant Sunflowers
14. Learn new outside games
15. Learn how to hit a ball
16. Learn how to play soccer
17. Make cupcakes together
18. Go to the park
19. Make a scrapbook of our summer
20. Catch Fireflies
21. Wash the truck together
22. Stay overnight at a hotel
23. See a movie
24. Have a picnic
25 Paint a canvas
26. Make a bird feeder
27. Go to a baseball game
This is what the kids came up with:
Nate only had one item on his Bucket List - to play with lots of bouncy balls. So, I told him we would have to pick up some more balls, all different sizes. That made him happy.
Josh, on the other hand, had a very interesting list.
1. Playworld (aka the Play, Play, Play, Bounce and Play place)
2. Eat in Restaurant - specifically McDonald's For Chicken and Fries
3. Eat McDonald's in the truck
4. Play at the park
5. Get another dinner in the truck
6. Rest at home one day
7. Go to the playground
8. Eat at Applebees
9. Go inside where Daddy works
10. Go inside a big building
11. Go to the flower place
Yes, Josh likes restaurants and food. Can you tell? I honestly think we can accomplish all of what is on the kid's lists. Mine is a little more "out there" but we'll see !!
Here's my list:
1. Go to the beach 5 times
2. Go to the Free Fair
3. Take the family Geocaching
4. Visit the Zoo
5. Visit the Splash Park
6. Make Homemade Lemonade
7. Go Fishing (ok, maybe just the boys HA)
8. Visit the Drive-in
9. Go to Mooville
10. Visit Alligator Park
11. Go to the kids part at Meijer Gardens
12. Learn to ride bikes
13. Plant Sunflowers
14. Learn new outside games
15. Learn how to hit a ball
16. Learn how to play soccer
17. Make cupcakes together
18. Go to the park
19. Make a scrapbook of our summer
20. Catch Fireflies
21. Wash the truck together
22. Stay overnight at a hotel
23. See a movie
24. Have a picnic
25 Paint a canvas
26. Make a bird feeder
27. Go to a baseball game
This is what the kids came up with:
Nate only had one item on his Bucket List - to play with lots of bouncy balls. So, I told him we would have to pick up some more balls, all different sizes. That made him happy.
Josh, on the other hand, had a very interesting list.
1. Playworld (aka the Play, Play, Play, Bounce and Play place)
2. Eat in Restaurant - specifically McDonald's For Chicken and Fries
3. Eat McDonald's in the truck
4. Play at the park
5. Get another dinner in the truck
6. Rest at home one day
7. Go to the playground
8. Eat at Applebees
9. Go inside where Daddy works
10. Go inside a big building
11. Go to the flower place
Yes, Josh likes restaurants and food. Can you tell? I honestly think we can accomplish all of what is on the kid's lists. Mine is a little more "out there" but we'll see !!
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Good Morning Girls
Several years ago I was introduced to a Group called Good Morning Girls. It's a great accountability group that has grown by leaps and bounds and how covers many countries.
Well, the Summer session is getting ready to start tomorrow and it is a book study.
I'm really looking forward to this study for two reasons. 1) The topic really interests me and I'm looking forward to learning through this book 2) I need to get back into my quiet time; I hit a stumbling block of, well, getting bored with what I was doing.
As I've done in the past, I'll try and share along the way on this book study but there is still time to join. Just click HERE to get all of the info and the book is available in an e-version so you can order it today and have it to start tomorrow!
Saturday, June 1, 2013
June Goals
June. Can you believe it? Half the year is almost gone and I feel like we just were waking up on New Years Day! Seriously, this year is just flying by.
I recently sat down and made a "brain" list for the last part of May. Basically I took all of May's goals, some misc things that had been sitting on my to do list forever, and ideas from my 100-1001 list and just made one master list. I knew I wouldn't complete it but figured it would become my June goal list. I kinda flounder a bit in May because I started babysitting again and had to get into a new routine/plan. Honestly, I'm still working on that - the house is a zoo most days so I spend a lot of time in the kitchen or dining room where it isn't so crazy. With that said, I have instituted a new concept for the boys (all three of them) and that is "Chime Time Clean up Time". Every day when the clock chimes 11:00 and 4:00, they have to stop what they are doing and clean up EVERYTHING - putting everything back in it's proper home and making sure the floor in their room, the living room and the classroom is cleaned up. We do it in the morning to keep me from going insane by 1:00 in the afternoon and we do it at 4:00 because I feel that it is only fair that the munchkin help clean up before he goes home. We've only done it for a week and it really has helped.
So, here's what is on my radar for June.
Craft Related Plans
1. Organize my scrapbook paper bag - it got accedently dumped one day by my husband and I haven't taken time to fix it since that time.
2. Erase tabs on my picture dividers
3. Organize Memorabilia for each year so it is ready to go in the scrapbooks
4. Finish up the boys albums including ordering the last bits and pieces
5. Finish up2008 album - just page protectors - hoping to be able to order enough to finish this album :-)
6. Finish up my first blogging book and budget to order it
7. Birthday Board - MUST get moving on this :-) - Clean out the bin downstairs and get a new one that is clear; make the birthday banner that is in one of my posts
8. Finish saving photos from Memory Manager; delete stuff off of my computer; install new updated programs
9. Make our chore chart and get moving on that concept (tied into our new daily pick up times above)
10. Read Sections 1 and 2 in "How to photography your baby" and do it!!!
11. Make a list of 100 things about me
12. Finish up the John Deere blanket - which will be Nate's truck blanket
13. Purchase racks to hold 2-3 scrapbooks on the wall in the living room
14. Make Seatbelt pillows
15. Make two summer wreaths
16. Quite books - complete the barn page
17. Make Boo Boo Bunnies
18. Make Beach towel blanket
19. Get letters for "Wash your hands" sign
20. Get H-L and decorate them for my ABC Wall
Travel/Vacation
1. Read through Disney stuff and make a goal date to take the boys
2. Go through camping stuff and start packing
3. Pick up all needed supplies for this camping trip
4. Make Travel bags for our vacation
5. Print off maps/daily stuff/budget/ etc for our vacation
6. Pick our anniversary get away weekend
7. Look at reasonable ideas for our vacation in November so we can start saving
Paperwork
1. Do Feb-May gas receipts (got a little behind on work paperwork oops!)
2. Get Dental Insurance
3. Order Word a day calender
4. Subscribe to our local paper
5. Make one $25.00 payment on the truck
Homeschool
1. Plan our June and July calender (yes this should be done but since I'm writing my goals a week earlier then this will post . . this still needs to get done!)
2. Go through our school bins and clean them out
3. Print out 4 theme units to use this summer on rainy days
4. Put together about 8-10 crafts to be able to pull out on any given day
5. CLean out the "junk" basket in our classroom
6. Check out the Alligator Sanctuary and Mooville for a fun trip
7. Prep our calendar for next school year to complete all of our lessons.
Yardwork
1. Weed by the garage and lay down mulch. Find something to plant under the crab apple tree - maybe a few Hostas.
2. Clean out the patio "bed" - would like to plant something there that is hardy and pretty.
3. Power wash the house
4. Paint the house (at least part of it - not sure how far we will get in June)
5. Plan out something new for the front of the house so we can maybe plant some stuff this fall
Organization
1. Finish the basement - my nemesis. It isn't for lack of trying, trust me.
2. Set up the play room (the boys are asking for it all the time)
3. Organize our tax documents in our file
4. Put together the car organization kit
5. Organize our DVD's.
Classroom-to-Office area transformation
1. Get carpet laid (someone is giving us nice carpet that they are replacing in their home so we just have to have it "laid".)
2. Measure, measure, and measure for what I want in there and then budget it out at IKEA. Can't WAIT to be able to get my stuff.
Home Projects - a lot of thinking more than anything
1. The Living Room - we've lived in this house for 10 years and I'm ready for a change :-) I have ideas of what I want but I want to really put together my idea board so we can tackle this project this winter. Need to really budget this project out starting with flooring (Yikes!)
2. The kitchen - need to do the countertops and the floor. :-) I have prices for them but have time to save since we don't do major indoor work in the summer - too hot!! (Paint never ever dries in this house in the summer!)
Lots and Lots on the radar this month. I like to have lots to choose from knowing when I start that I won't get it all done. Especially with a camping trip and a vacation thrown in (Which means any project that costs money most likely will get put off . . and just planned for . . except maybe painting the house - we have to get moving on that one! )
I recently sat down and made a "brain" list for the last part of May. Basically I took all of May's goals, some misc things that had been sitting on my to do list forever, and ideas from my 100-1001 list and just made one master list. I knew I wouldn't complete it but figured it would become my June goal list. I kinda flounder a bit in May because I started babysitting again and had to get into a new routine/plan. Honestly, I'm still working on that - the house is a zoo most days so I spend a lot of time in the kitchen or dining room where it isn't so crazy. With that said, I have instituted a new concept for the boys (all three of them) and that is "Chime Time Clean up Time". Every day when the clock chimes 11:00 and 4:00, they have to stop what they are doing and clean up EVERYTHING - putting everything back in it's proper home and making sure the floor in their room, the living room and the classroom is cleaned up. We do it in the morning to keep me from going insane by 1:00 in the afternoon and we do it at 4:00 because I feel that it is only fair that the munchkin help clean up before he goes home. We've only done it for a week and it really has helped.
So, here's what is on my radar for June.
Craft Related Plans
1. Organize my scrapbook paper bag - it got accedently dumped one day by my husband and I haven't taken time to fix it since that time.
2. Erase tabs on my picture dividers
3. Organize Memorabilia for each year so it is ready to go in the scrapbooks
4. Finish up the boys albums including ordering the last bits and pieces
5. Finish up2008 album - just page protectors - hoping to be able to order enough to finish this album :-)
6. Finish up my first blogging book and budget to order it
7. Birthday Board - MUST get moving on this :-) - Clean out the bin downstairs and get a new one that is clear; make the birthday banner that is in one of my posts
8. Finish saving photos from Memory Manager; delete stuff off of my computer; install new updated programs
9. Make our chore chart and get moving on that concept (tied into our new daily pick up times above)
10. Read Sections 1 and 2 in "How to photography your baby" and do it!!!
11. Make a list of 100 things about me
12. Finish up the John Deere blanket - which will be Nate's truck blanket
13. Purchase racks to hold 2-3 scrapbooks on the wall in the living room
14. Make Seatbelt pillows
15. Make two summer wreaths
16. Quite books - complete the barn page
17. Make Boo Boo Bunnies
18. Make Beach towel blanket
19. Get letters for "Wash your hands" sign
20. Get H-L and decorate them for my ABC Wall
Travel/Vacation
1. Read through Disney stuff and make a goal date to take the boys
2. Go through camping stuff and start packing
3. Pick up all needed supplies for this camping trip
4. Make Travel bags for our vacation
5. Print off maps/daily stuff/budget/ etc for our vacation
6. Pick our anniversary get away weekend
7. Look at reasonable ideas for our vacation in November so we can start saving
Paperwork
1. Do Feb-May gas receipts (got a little behind on work paperwork oops!)
2. Get Dental Insurance
3. Order Word a day calender
4. Subscribe to our local paper
5. Make one $25.00 payment on the truck
Homeschool
1. Plan our June and July calender (yes this should be done but since I'm writing my goals a week earlier then this will post . . this still needs to get done!)
2. Go through our school bins and clean them out
3. Print out 4 theme units to use this summer on rainy days
4. Put together about 8-10 crafts to be able to pull out on any given day
5. CLean out the "junk" basket in our classroom
6. Check out the Alligator Sanctuary and Mooville for a fun trip
7. Prep our calendar for next school year to complete all of our lessons.
Yardwork
1. Weed by the garage and lay down mulch. Find something to plant under the crab apple tree - maybe a few Hostas.
2. Clean out the patio "bed" - would like to plant something there that is hardy and pretty.
3. Power wash the house
4. Paint the house (at least part of it - not sure how far we will get in June)
5. Plan out something new for the front of the house so we can maybe plant some stuff this fall
Organization
1. Finish the basement - my nemesis. It isn't for lack of trying, trust me.
2. Set up the play room (the boys are asking for it all the time)
3. Organize our tax documents in our file
4. Put together the car organization kit
5. Organize our DVD's.
Classroom-to-Office area transformation
1. Get carpet laid (someone is giving us nice carpet that they are replacing in their home so we just have to have it "laid".)
2. Measure, measure, and measure for what I want in there and then budget it out at IKEA. Can't WAIT to be able to get my stuff.
Home Projects - a lot of thinking more than anything
1. The Living Room - we've lived in this house for 10 years and I'm ready for a change :-) I have ideas of what I want but I want to really put together my idea board so we can tackle this project this winter. Need to really budget this project out starting with flooring (Yikes!)
2. The kitchen - need to do the countertops and the floor. :-) I have prices for them but have time to save since we don't do major indoor work in the summer - too hot!! (Paint never ever dries in this house in the summer!)
Lots and Lots on the radar this month. I like to have lots to choose from knowing when I start that I won't get it all done. Especially with a camping trip and a vacation thrown in (Which means any project that costs money most likely will get put off . . and just planned for . . except maybe painting the house - we have to get moving on that one! )
Friday, May 31, 2013
Food Friday - Cranberry Punch
Cranberry Punch
adapted from Cafe Zupas
Isn't that pretty? Plus it is Oh, so good! I love a good "punch" or mixed drink and am always on the look out for something simple yet tasty. This fits that bill. I mix up the juice portion and put it in a jug in the fridge, then, when I want a drink, fill a glass about 2/3 full of the juice and had about 1/3 of some Sprite Zero and it is perfect. I also really like a good punch that doesn't call for ice cream/sherbet. Yes, I love both of those in a punch but sometimes a nice cool, crisp, non-creamy, drink sure is nice!
Cranberry Punch
32 oz. cranberry juice
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
2 cups ginger ale
Mix all ingredients and serve.
adapted from Cafe Zupas
Cranberry Punch
32 oz. cranberry juice
1 cup orange juice
1 cup pineapple juice
2 cups ginger ale
Mix all ingredients and serve.
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