When will I learn that I absolutely, 100% do not want to cook dinner when the boys are gone? Every single time I say I will cook a few meals and then, dinner rolls around and that is the last thing I want to do! Oh well, at least I have most of what I need for this coming week!
I also had the realization that I need to do some prep for when Darryl has back surgery. We'll have two weeks without the kids between VBS at my parents, days in the hospital and then the first week home after surgery. There is no way we (I) can eat out every night HA! So, I want some crock pot meals that are all inclusive or just need some pasta cooked to add to it. So, now I need to start thinking that way and get some stuff in the freezer.
On to the coming week.
Friday - BBQ Pork Chops, Corn, Rice and Rolls
Saturday - Chick-Fil-Lay Nuggets and Fries
Sunday - Today is my mom's birthday so we are heading to my parents. There is actually a big Memorial Day Cook-out at a friends house so we are all hanging out there for part of the day. I'm going to take some sort of salad for my dish to pass - not 100% sure what kind I'm going to take yet . . .maybe a simple marinated veggie salad with broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, olives and feta cheese :-)
Monday - We'll be grilling. Either at my parents if we stay over or at home :-) I'm REALLY hungry for a super good burger!!
Tuesday - Swiss Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and Rolls. This is one of the dishes I had planned for last week that we never cooked ;-)
Wednesday - Grilled Pork Chops, some sort of potato and some sort of veggie with some bread.
Thursday - It's Soccer :-) Grabbing something after the game is such an easy thing to do :-)
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Simplify - Become "unbusy"
I recently came across an aritlce that was very well written called A Helpful Guide to Becoming Unbusy. I just realized as I was writing this that I'm reading a book by this blog author called "Clutterfree with Kids". He's got great ideas and really hits on the basics to living a more simple and "unbusy" life.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Monday!
Last week I posted about some things I wanted to get done while the kids were away. I thought I would share some bullet points of where we are at in the process.
* My husband had hernia surgery this past Thursday. It was a long day. We left home at 9:00 am and got home around 7:00 pm. Really, sitting around the hospital for hours should not be tiring, but it is for some odd reason. I got to enjoy a quiet lunch in the Hospital Cafe, which was surprisingly good and so inexpensive - we should just "eat out" there more often HA! I also was able to get a fabulous foo-foo coffee from Starbucks while waiting. I tried hard not to laugh at my husband when I was finally able to see him after surgery but he is quite funny when he is drugged up :-) He did have a fabulous nurse AND it was a very slow day in the post-op so we got to stay longer than normal which was actually a good thing.
* I know I had thought about painting and setting up a new entertainment center but, on Friday, I was exhausted. Since a week ago Thursday I haven't slept well thanks to some unexpected hot and humid days (our room is very stuffy and hot even with a window open!) and then sleeping on the couch one night followed by the day mentioned above . . .I didn't feel like doing much. I did manage a quick trip to the store to get some groceries but otherwise, we hung out at home all day and, yes, I did nothing. It felt good.
* Saturday I considered going to the garden center but . . .I didn't. I even thought about going to town and wandering the mall but ultimately, I was tired. Darryl was still in a lot of pain so really, we just hung out. I watched a lot of HGTV and Food Network while he napped
* Sunday . . well, repeat of the above HA! We did sit out on the back porch in the sun for a bit in the afternoon but otherwise, we were 100% lazy. Darryl was still in quite a bit of pain so we just . . ..enjoyed hanging out together.
Do you see how much I've gotten done? LOL Oh well, Today a little reality comes back with babysitting so I'm going to actually work on some things like scrapbooking and homeschooling. My printer took a lightening his last week so am waiting for my new one to arrive on Tuesday which means . . no printing :-) That really cramps my style .. . .since I am a huge list maker and love to print stuff!
We are missing these two little boys this week. The older they get, the more fun they are so when they are gone, well, we miss them :-) Don't get me wrong, the break is also great but they are just so darn cute!!
* My husband had hernia surgery this past Thursday. It was a long day. We left home at 9:00 am and got home around 7:00 pm. Really, sitting around the hospital for hours should not be tiring, but it is for some odd reason. I got to enjoy a quiet lunch in the Hospital Cafe, which was surprisingly good and so inexpensive - we should just "eat out" there more often HA! I also was able to get a fabulous foo-foo coffee from Starbucks while waiting. I tried hard not to laugh at my husband when I was finally able to see him after surgery but he is quite funny when he is drugged up :-) He did have a fabulous nurse AND it was a very slow day in the post-op so we got to stay longer than normal which was actually a good thing.
* I know I had thought about painting and setting up a new entertainment center but, on Friday, I was exhausted. Since a week ago Thursday I haven't slept well thanks to some unexpected hot and humid days (our room is very stuffy and hot even with a window open!) and then sleeping on the couch one night followed by the day mentioned above . . .I didn't feel like doing much. I did manage a quick trip to the store to get some groceries but otherwise, we hung out at home all day and, yes, I did nothing. It felt good.
* Saturday I considered going to the garden center but . . .I didn't. I even thought about going to town and wandering the mall but ultimately, I was tired. Darryl was still in a lot of pain so really, we just hung out. I watched a lot of HGTV and Food Network while he napped
* Sunday . . well, repeat of the above HA! We did sit out on the back porch in the sun for a bit in the afternoon but otherwise, we were 100% lazy. Darryl was still in quite a bit of pain so we just . . ..enjoyed hanging out together.
Do you see how much I've gotten done? LOL Oh well, Today a little reality comes back with babysitting so I'm going to actually work on some things like scrapbooking and homeschooling. My printer took a lightening his last week so am waiting for my new one to arrive on Tuesday which means . . no printing :-) That really cramps my style .. . .since I am a huge list maker and love to print stuff!
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Things my Kids Say
Nate comes up with some awesome sayings:
* "Mom, it is hotter than a jacket out here!"
* "Mom, it is hotter than a hot chair!"
Josh came out of his room one night and said, "Just one more thing mom, I love you and . . .make sure and get enough sleep!" This was done 1 1/2 hours AFTER he went to bed so I think HE is the one that needs to get enough sleep!
We had storms recently during the day and it was fun to watch Josh, who is scared of storms at night, say things like, "It's ok, it's just the sun fighting with the clouds to shine." Or to Nate who was scared of the thunder, "Don't worry Nate, you don't have to be scared, I'm right here with you." Now, if only he would do that at night when it storms instead of crawling in bed with me HA!
Another peek into Nate's imagination - he likes to smell things and tell me what he smells. The other day he told me that I smelled like shirts, Josh smelled like pants, Darryl smelled like hair and he smelled like noses. Or he has told me that China smells like the number 6. The kid comes up with stuff that just makes me go, "WHAT???" LOL
Nate was putting some puzzles together and brought me some pieces. He informed me that white cats are called Cats and all other colored cats are kittens. I love how he thinks ;-)
The boys have not had great weather for soccer. This past Thursday it was cold and damp. Josh informed the coach that "This was not soccer weather and he was allergic to the cold". Then he told my mom that "it was so cold he couldn't breath" :-)
* "Mom, it is hotter than a jacket out here!"
* "Mom, it is hotter than a hot chair!"
Josh came out of his room one night and said, "Just one more thing mom, I love you and . . .make sure and get enough sleep!" This was done 1 1/2 hours AFTER he went to bed so I think HE is the one that needs to get enough sleep!
We had storms recently during the day and it was fun to watch Josh, who is scared of storms at night, say things like, "It's ok, it's just the sun fighting with the clouds to shine." Or to Nate who was scared of the thunder, "Don't worry Nate, you don't have to be scared, I'm right here with you." Now, if only he would do that at night when it storms instead of crawling in bed with me HA!
Another peek into Nate's imagination - he likes to smell things and tell me what he smells. The other day he told me that I smelled like shirts, Josh smelled like pants, Darryl smelled like hair and he smelled like noses. Or he has told me that China smells like the number 6. The kid comes up with stuff that just makes me go, "WHAT???" LOL
Nate was putting some puzzles together and brought me some pieces. He informed me that white cats are called Cats and all other colored cats are kittens. I love how he thinks ;-)
The boys have not had great weather for soccer. This past Thursday it was cold and damp. Josh informed the coach that "This was not soccer weather and he was allergic to the cold". Then he told my mom that "it was so cold he couldn't breath" :-)
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Bike Helment Fun
Last weekend was a beautiful, sunny, way too hot warm weekend so we spent some time outside on Saturday working on bikes. I was able to pick up a fantastic bike for the boys from a friend for, well, a steal to be quite honest. It was a little bigger than I thought it was so our plan of putting training wheels on it did not go as planned.
We went through three sets of training wheels trying to get them on the new bike only one pair worked and they barely worked. I made multiple trips to the store to buy and return training wheels before we just gave up! They have to learn to ride without training wheels before they can ride the new bike.
Waiting patiently to ride his new bike.
We thought the training wheels were all set and then Nate starting riding it . .. oops!
Trying once again to fix the bike.
On one of the trips to the store, the boys came with me and discovered some awesome bake helmets. They were not on the purchase list but they were just too cute to not buy. Josh even wore his while playing Pac Man . . just to be safe!
Amazingly, we convinced the child totally against change, Josh, to start riding a bike without training wheels. I'm still not sure how that happened but it did. We took the training wheels off the tiny bike and Josh actually managed to almost pedal and keep his feet off the ground.
This picture made me bust out laughing when I downloaded it from the camera. Who is that kid in the background? LOLOL What a goofball!
And a glimpse of spring :-) My flowers are slowly starting to open . . .making me realize how sad my little flower garden areas are and that they need some work!
Friday, May 16, 2014
Food Friday - Scalloped Potatoes
Scalloped Potatoes
adapted from The Pioneer Woman
A few weeks ago I was looking for something to make as a side dish and remembered seeing an episode of The Pioneer Woman where she made some awesome scalloped potatoes. Now, I grew up on the Betty Crocker version and that, for real, is the only version I've ever made. I've never been totally happy with that version but hey, it's potatoes and ham so who's complaining? Well, let me tell you, this recipe is THE best Scalloped Potato recipe I have ever had and I didn't even include ham in it since I didn't have any! The potatoes came out perfectly cooked and (drum roll please) there was no watery liquid in the baking dish! Instead the sauce was think and cheese and oh so good! I'm kinda sad that I won't make this again until the fall it was so good!
adapted from The Pioneer Woman
A few weeks ago I was looking for something to make as a side dish and remembered seeing an episode of The Pioneer Woman where she made some awesome scalloped potatoes. Now, I grew up on the Betty Crocker version and that, for real, is the only version I've ever made. I've never been totally happy with that version but hey, it's potatoes and ham so who's complaining? Well, let me tell you, this recipe is THE best Scalloped Potato recipe I have ever had and I didn't even include ham in it since I didn't have any! The potatoes came out perfectly cooked and (drum roll please) there was no watery liquid in the baking dish! Instead the sauce was think and cheese and oh so good! I'm kinda sad that I won't make this again until the fall it was so good!
Ingredients
- 3 pounds Russet Or Yukon Gold Potatoes, Washed Thoroughly
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 whole Yellow Onion, Diced
- 3 cups Diced Ham
- 1-1/2 cup Half-and-half
- 1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup Flour
- Black Pepper To Taste
- 1 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
- 1 cup Grated Monterey Jack Cheese
- Chopped Parsley (optional)
Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a large casserole dish.
Heat butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they start to turn translucent. Add ham and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat and set aside.
Combine half-and-half and cream in a microwave-safe container and nuke for a minute or so, until no longer cold. Whisk in flour and black pepper until totally combined. Set aside. (You may add salt, but cheese and ham are salty, so add sparingly.)
Combine the two grated cheeses. Set aside.
Using a mandoline or slicer, slice potatoes into 1/8-inch slices (very thin.) Layer 1/3 of the potato slices in the buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle on 1/3 of the ham/onion mixture, then 1/3 of the cheese, then pour on 1/3 of the cream mixture.
Repeat this twice more, ending with a sprinkling of cheese and a pouring on of the rest of the cream mixture. Cover dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes at least, or until bubbly and hot.
Cut into squares and serve. Sprinkle on chopped parsley if you'd like!
(Note: To speed along the process a bit, you may boil sliced potatoes for 3 to 5 minutes before assembling the casserole. Just drain and slightly cool before assembling.)
Heat butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they start to turn translucent. Add ham and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat and set aside.
Combine half-and-half and cream in a microwave-safe container and nuke for a minute or so, until no longer cold. Whisk in flour and black pepper until totally combined. Set aside. (You may add salt, but cheese and ham are salty, so add sparingly.)
Combine the two grated cheeses. Set aside.
Using a mandoline or slicer, slice potatoes into 1/8-inch slices (very thin.) Layer 1/3 of the potato slices in the buttered casserole dish. Sprinkle on 1/3 of the ham/onion mixture, then 1/3 of the cheese, then pour on 1/3 of the cream mixture.
Repeat this twice more, ending with a sprinkling of cheese and a pouring on of the rest of the cream mixture. Cover dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes at least, or until bubbly and hot.
Cut into squares and serve. Sprinkle on chopped parsley if you'd like!
(Note: To speed along the process a bit, you may boil sliced potatoes for 3 to 5 minutes before assembling the casserole. Just drain and slightly cool before assembling.)
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Weekly Menu
So last week, when I went shopping, I amazed myself. Between coupons, special deals and a small gift card, I saved $100.00 on the groceries. There were a lot of Buy One/Get one offers that just happened to be on stuff I buy weekly so I was able to stock up a little. I also changed my menu planning concept slightly - I started by picking out the best meat deals for 4 meals that I needed and then went from there. I ended up getting some nice steaks to marinade and grill, pork chops and chicken!
This next week we will be Kidless - you know what that means! I don't cook much :-)
Friday - Darryl will be recovering from minor surgery on Thursday. I don't plan on cooking - we'll get Subway or something simple.
Saturday - Thursday - Here are the general ideas for what we'll be eating this week :-)
- We do plan on eating out I would say four nights which includes Thursday night after Soccer. :-)
- Steaks on the grill with veggies, potato and garlic bread
- Swiss Steak, Mashed potatoes, and veggie
-Some other meat that I can get at a good deal, a veggie, bread and maybe corn or something
So, that's it :-) Simple, Simple, Simple!
This next week we will be Kidless - you know what that means! I don't cook much :-)
Friday - Darryl will be recovering from minor surgery on Thursday. I don't plan on cooking - we'll get Subway or something simple.
Saturday - Thursday - Here are the general ideas for what we'll be eating this week :-)
- We do plan on eating out I would say four nights which includes Thursday night after Soccer. :-)
- Steaks on the grill with veggies, potato and garlic bread
- Swiss Steak, Mashed potatoes, and veggie
-Some other meat that I can get at a good deal, a veggie, bread and maybe corn or something
So, that's it :-) Simple, Simple, Simple!
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