Crockpot Smothered Pork Chops and Rice
6 pork chops
1 pkg fresh mozzerella cheese
1 pkg white button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bag fresh spinach
1 1/2 c uncooked brown rice
1 1/2 c water
1 can great northern beans
1 qt fresh canned tomatoes, pureed
1 tbsp ground cumin
Dash of cayenne pepper
Mix rice, beans, pureed tomatoes, water, cumin, and cayenne in crock pot. In a deep skillet or saucepan, heat oil. Add onions and mushrooms and saute until tender. Add spinach and cook until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and stir in salt and garlic powder. Place pork chops in crock pot on top of tomato and rice mixture. Top with spinach/mushroom/onion mixture. Slice mozzarella and top the chops and spinach mushroom. Cover and cook on low 6 hours or until chops are done.
Breakfast Sausage I love sausage, but at times the sausage I get from the store is too spicy or too bland, so I prefer to make my own. This sausage can be mixed up and frozen or used right away.
1 lb ground pork, chicken, or turkey
1/4 c diced red onion (you can use whatever you have on hand, but I prefer red for this recipe)
1 clove minced garlic (to save time, I usually buy the jarred, pre-minced garlic)
1 pinch (or more, depending on preference) ground cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground oregano
salt and pepper
Mix all ingredients together. Form into patties and pan fry, or crumble and fry as you would hamburger.
Fudge
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c chopped walnuts (optional)
butter
Use butter to grease 8x8 or 9x9 pan. Over med-low heat in a med sauce pan, melt together chocolate chips with milk. When mixture is melted and smooth, remove from heat. Mix in vanilla and nuts, if using. Mix thoroughly. Pour into greased pan, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thoroughly cooled.
**If you're feeling adventurous (or not sharing with kids) add 1 tbsp Amaretto, Kahlua, or other hard liquor. The fudge will also be a little softer.**
Cream Cheese Bars
2 cans crescent rolls (I prefer butter flavored)
2 8oz blocks cream cheese, softened
1 c + 1/4 c sugar, divided
1 egg, separated
1 tsp cinnamon
Grease 9x13 pan and preheat oven to 350. Unroll one can crescent rolls into bottom of pans. Pinch together all seams, creating a bottom crust. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 c sugar, and egg yolk. Mix with electric mixer until thoroughly combined. Spread on top of crescent crust. Unroll other can of crescent rolls onto waxed paper. Pinch together all seams to make top crust. Flip on top of cream cheese filling. Beat egg white until foamy and brush onto top crust. Mix cinnamon and remaining sugar and sprinkle on top. Bake 20-25 minutes or until top is golden brown.
Ham and Swiss Stuffed Pork Roast
3 1/2 lb pork roast
12 slices ham lunch meat
3 slices Swiss cheese (I cut them from an 8oz block - cutting them the long way)
Salt
Pepper
Preheat oven to 425. Cut 3 long slits into the roast going the "long way." Wrap each slice of cheese with 4 slices ham. Stuff one wrapped slice in each of the 3 slits. Tie roast together to hold cheese/ham in the roast. Season on all sides with salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes at 425. Reduce heat to 350, bake approx 45 minutes or until cooked through. Let rest 10 minutes before removing string and slicing.
Rice and Milk
1 1/2 c rice
6 cups milk
cinnamon (to taste)
sugar (to taste)
1 c raisins (optional)
Put all ingredients except raisins into a crock pot. Cook on high 3 hours. Add raisins, then reduce heat to low for 5 hours. Stir occasionally. Add more milk as necessary. Serve as dessert or breakfast. (can make it at night to be ready for breakfast, just leave set on low all night.)
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Sick Day
No, not me. My kids. Both of them.
Last night I sent Beau to bed at 8 instead of her normal 8:30. All through Christmas break, I let her stay up a little bit later than normal, just because it was vacation. About 10, when I went to bed, Scrappy and hubby were watching Monster Jams - I knew there was no hope of getting Scrappy to bed as long as it was on, so I left him to Daddy's discretion.
Beau called me into her room to complain that her tummy hurt. Did it hurt like she had to use the bathroom, or like she was hungry, or like she was going to be sick? She didn't know, so I told her to try to use the bathroom. Nope, that wasn't it. "I think maybe I might throw up. I don't know." Better safe than sorry - I put her on the couch with my wash bucket, just in case. Scrappy got mad when I turned off the TV, but I told him he could snuggle with Mommy for a little bit in Mommy's bed and we'd watch monster trucks in the morning.
I did no more than walk out the living room when I heard Beau start retching. As she ran to the bathroom, with her head half in the bucket, she missed and arfed on the floor. Thankfully my husband had gotten aggravated with the kids spilling on the carpet in the living room and had ripped it up. The hardwood is so much easier to clean.
This morning she still had a fever so I kept her home from school. I must admit, I was really looking forward to her going back today. Those two can only spend so much time together, cooped up in the house, before they start to drive each other (and me) crazy and start fighting like cats and dogs. And they just can't resolve anything between the two of them - they need Mom's intervention.
My brother stopped to visit bright and early at 7am before he headed west again. He had to see his favorite older sister (only older sister) and niece and nephew before he left. Hubby and I were both surprise that Scraps wasn't up yet - he's usually our alarm clock at 6:30 or earlier. Mean Mommy had to go wake him up. Poor baby, he had a fever too :(
After Uncle had riled the kids up and left, I tried to get them to settle down a little because I did not want to spend my day scrubbing up their messes. She had a couple slices of toast for breakfast, and he ate a little dry cereal. He crawled up on my lap and snuggled most of the morning while she played her hangman handheld video game. I let them watch cartoons all day and gave up on trying to watch anything that wasn't animated. Scrappy ended up napping on me for about an hour and a half... and would wake up every time I tried laying him down. It's just a shame that I couldn't fall asleep myself :)
Tomorrow, she is definitely going back to school - since about 10 minutes after I called her in, she wanted to run around and play. NOPE! Sick day = keep your butt parked on the couch and rest. It's not supposed to be fun staying home sick. (She wasn't too happy when her brother got to play Wii, but she had been quite argumentative yesterday and lost her privileges for today.)
He really likes his monster truck game. And he can't go too far lately without Big Bear (original, I know)
I have a ton of things to do tomorrow since I didn't leave the house at all today... Hopefully the kids are both feeling 'normal.'
And I think I'm going to change my name tomorrow too.... I think this week my kids wore out the names "Mom," "Mommy," and "Mo-om!"
Last night I sent Beau to bed at 8 instead of her normal 8:30. All through Christmas break, I let her stay up a little bit later than normal, just because it was vacation. About 10, when I went to bed, Scrappy and hubby were watching Monster Jams - I knew there was no hope of getting Scrappy to bed as long as it was on, so I left him to Daddy's discretion.
Beau called me into her room to complain that her tummy hurt. Did it hurt like she had to use the bathroom, or like she was hungry, or like she was going to be sick? She didn't know, so I told her to try to use the bathroom. Nope, that wasn't it. "I think maybe I might throw up. I don't know." Better safe than sorry - I put her on the couch with my wash bucket, just in case. Scrappy got mad when I turned off the TV, but I told him he could snuggle with Mommy for a little bit in Mommy's bed and we'd watch monster trucks in the morning.
I did no more than walk out the living room when I heard Beau start retching. As she ran to the bathroom, with her head half in the bucket, she missed and arfed on the floor. Thankfully my husband had gotten aggravated with the kids spilling on the carpet in the living room and had ripped it up. The hardwood is so much easier to clean.
This morning she still had a fever so I kept her home from school. I must admit, I was really looking forward to her going back today. Those two can only spend so much time together, cooped up in the house, before they start to drive each other (and me) crazy and start fighting like cats and dogs. And they just can't resolve anything between the two of them - they need Mom's intervention.
My brother stopped to visit bright and early at 7am before he headed west again. He had to see his favorite older sister (only older sister) and niece and nephew before he left. Hubby and I were both surprise that Scraps wasn't up yet - he's usually our alarm clock at 6:30 or earlier. Mean Mommy had to go wake him up. Poor baby, he had a fever too :(
After Uncle had riled the kids up and left, I tried to get them to settle down a little because I did not want to spend my day scrubbing up their messes. She had a couple slices of toast for breakfast, and he ate a little dry cereal. He crawled up on my lap and snuggled most of the morning while she played her hangman handheld video game. I let them watch cartoons all day and gave up on trying to watch anything that wasn't animated. Scrappy ended up napping on me for about an hour and a half... and would wake up every time I tried laying him down. It's just a shame that I couldn't fall asleep myself :)
Tomorrow, she is definitely going back to school - since about 10 minutes after I called her in, she wanted to run around and play. NOPE! Sick day = keep your butt parked on the couch and rest. It's not supposed to be fun staying home sick. (She wasn't too happy when her brother got to play Wii, but she had been quite argumentative yesterday and lost her privileges for today.)
He really likes his monster truck game. And he can't go too far lately without Big Bear (original, I know)
I have a ton of things to do tomorrow since I didn't leave the house at all today... Hopefully the kids are both feeling 'normal.'
And I think I'm going to change my name tomorrow too.... I think this week my kids wore out the names "Mom," "Mommy," and "Mo-om!"
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Happy New Year!!
We enjoyed our quiet New Year's Eve at home. Maybe we're getting old, but we enjoyed spending time with just our kids. The forecast was for wind and rain, and sure enough, we finally got snow! 50 degrees, raining, on Dec 31 in Minnesota? Not normal. But today - about 10 degrees, snow, and awful wind on Jan 1? Perfectly normal. Mother Nature has worse mood swings than anyone I know!
I love cooking with my hubby so much! We cooked a nice dinner together - turkey, stuffing, scalloped corn, baked potatoes, and turkey gravy. Very yum!! I cleaned up the dishes afterwards while he cleaned the rest of the meat off the turkey. There were only a few pans I left to soak overnights so they would be easier to clean in the morning. I put the turkey carcass in the crock pot on low overnight. It smelled so good this morning!! I learned my lesson from before about trying to can chicken stock - I froze my turkey stock. Not bad - I got 15 cups of stock!!
Normally we go to a movie New Year's Day - it's a tradition that I've been trying to keep with my kids. Unfortunately with today's weather, I don't think we're going to be leaving the house at all. We are getting things done around the house though. I did about 50 minutes on my Fit. Hubby and I cleaned out the toy box so the kids have room to store some of their new toys. Some of it we threw out, some of it we bagged up to donate to the Epilepsy Foundation. I still have a ton of totes to go through in the garage. Maybe at least get through some of the bags/totes of clothes so I can wash whatever I want to take to the consignment store next week..... There is a 50 piece limit - I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to make a second appointment!!
My Opa and I are having a contest now. Today is the day one of our contest. We're going see who can lose the most by June 1st when he comes home. The minimum we HAVE to go for is 10 pounds. I'm hoping to double that. We'll see what happens - but this year is going to be my year - I'm going to make it the best I can!!!
I love cooking with my hubby so much! We cooked a nice dinner together - turkey, stuffing, scalloped corn, baked potatoes, and turkey gravy. Very yum!! I cleaned up the dishes afterwards while he cleaned the rest of the meat off the turkey. There were only a few pans I left to soak overnights so they would be easier to clean in the morning. I put the turkey carcass in the crock pot on low overnight. It smelled so good this morning!! I learned my lesson from before about trying to can chicken stock - I froze my turkey stock. Not bad - I got 15 cups of stock!!
Normally we go to a movie New Year's Day - it's a tradition that I've been trying to keep with my kids. Unfortunately with today's weather, I don't think we're going to be leaving the house at all. We are getting things done around the house though. I did about 50 minutes on my Fit. Hubby and I cleaned out the toy box so the kids have room to store some of their new toys. Some of it we threw out, some of it we bagged up to donate to the Epilepsy Foundation. I still have a ton of totes to go through in the garage. Maybe at least get through some of the bags/totes of clothes so I can wash whatever I want to take to the consignment store next week..... There is a 50 piece limit - I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to make a second appointment!!
My Opa and I are having a contest now. Today is the day one of our contest. We're going see who can lose the most by June 1st when he comes home. The minimum we HAVE to go for is 10 pounds. I'm hoping to double that. We'll see what happens - but this year is going to be my year - I'm going to make it the best I can!!!
Friday, December 30, 2011
Checking things off
Yesterday was a much more motivating day - well, at least the morning was! As normal, I start my Thursday morning with my TOPS meeting. I gained 1.25 lbs this week, but I guess that's not too bad considering it was over Christmas. Coulda been worse!!! Especially if I wouldn't have had my workouts in! I didn't get them everyday, but did get them more often than not. I was just a couple pounds short of my 25 pound year-end goal - I finished the year's meetings down a total of 22.5 pounds. Not bad considering I was pregnant most of that time! Time to think about what my goal should be for the next year since we do a 'rededication' at the first January meeting. I definitely want to hit the 25 pound mark before my 1 year anniversary with TOPS, which is March 24 (Beau's birthday!)
**When I was getting ready to go to my TOPS meeting, I went out to start the car and realized I didn't have my Bluetooth with. I had left it on the counter since the battery was dead. Since I was going to be in the car, I prefer to use it so my hands are free. I went back in the house and was looking all over the counter and couldn't find it at first. Then I found an old key chain that had been hanging on the hooks over the counter. The key chain was laying on my Bluetooth. It was a Guardian Angel key chain. I think someone was leaving me a sign that he knew I was thinking of him :) **
I got a lot done yesterday too!! I went to my favorite consignment store, where I thought I had about $6 on credit, cuz Scrappy needs another pair of jeans (I recently realized having only 1 pair of jeans is not sufficient for him since khakis don't match everything and sweatpants aren't always appropriate.) Turns out I had over $10 - a nice surprise! Since it is the end of the year, she cut me a check for my credits, which I used to pay for his jeans ($5 for a pair of almost new Wranglers? Works for me!) I made an appointment while I was there to bring some stuff in next week. I was surprised she got me in so soon since it's normally 1-2 months out!! She's looking for 'springtime' stuff, and will always take jeans. Since cleaning out my storage unit, I've found a lot of clothes that didn't sell at my past garage sales. These things would be perfect to take up there - just have to make sure they're washed first. And she has a limit of 50 items per appointment, so once I sort through the clothes I'll have to count what I have. I know I'll need to make an appointment to take in some summer stuff, maybe a second appointment for spring stuff and/or jeans. My appointment is for January 5. The Epilepsy Foundation will be picking up on January 4, so anything I'm not taking to consignment is going to them. Hubby reminded me to go through the stuff up to 2T so that if/when we have another little one, we have some clothes for him/her. I found a few old onesies belonging to Scraps that I'm going to hold on to. I have an 18 gallon tote full of maternity and baby clothes along with other miscellaneous items, like bottles, liners, pumping equipment, etc.
After the consignment shop, I headed to pay the balance on the property taxes and picked up the other 5 cans of Scrappy's DuoCal. Went to Shopko to pick up his prescription, but turns out insurance won't cover the saline nebulizer solution. It's only $19 for 100 vials though. Too bad I only had $5 on me though, so I couldn't pick it up.
I called hubby as I was leaving town to see if he had plans for lunch since I was coming to town to get the kids. He didn't so he ordered pizzas to be ready when I got to town since Grammy and Opa had treated us last week and since they had watched the kids. I told hubby I had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon, so just asked if he stop and pick up the meds on his way home. (As it turned out, insurance wouldn't cover mine prescription either, so they had to find a generic and order it in for next day delivery.)
I've been having a lot of pain in my side, next to where my incision is, and there doesn't seem to be any logical reason. There's no redness and there's no actual injury (cut, rash, anything). And I didn't know if my incision was healing since I've had a yeast infection in the skin around it. My doc was out, so I saw is Physician's Assistant. The yeast infection seems to be clearing up, there is one small spot on my incision that is still open, but looks ok, and he couldn't feel or see anything that would leave him to believe I had an infection. He thinks the pain is due to nerve damage from the surgery. We are going to try a topical cream to see if that helps. If it doesn't, then we'll try with a pill. I told him I just need something to get through until I have my next OB appointment at Mayo on January 10. So we'll see what happens. (I'll have to wait until hubby gets home though. I have anxiety issues when driving in bad weather - it started raining about the time I went to bed last night, and now has turned to snow. Which means the roads are slick. And there are too many idiots out there. He can just pick it up on his way home - hopefully!)
By the time we got home, I just wanted to relax. I was exhausted, but I'm sure it's because I had such awful heartburn I didn't get to bed until after 2, then Scraps woke me up at 6:30. I love my kids, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I just wish they would sleep - or at least let me sleep. I was trying to nap while they were watching cartoons and putting puzzles together, but every time I closed my eyes, all I hear is "Mo-om!" as Beau loves to make it into a 2 syllable word. Grrr. I didn't do anything after getting home except to make supper then lounge again in my recliner. After hubby got home, I did nap a little bit, then read a little before heading to bed. My whole body just ached and I didn't know why - just hoped I wasn't getting sick!!
I guess missing a workout really does show! I didn't do my workout Wednesday because of the all the work with the freezer/refrigerator, and yesterday was too busy and I was too tired. This morning the kids were begging to play their Monster Jams Wii game, so I figured I better get my workout done before they take over the TV. I used it as bribery for treatments this morning too :) So while Scrappy did his vest, I did 51 minutes on the Fit Plus - and I was sweating :) And my body feels SO much better - especially my back!!
I need to get lunch going for the kids - we're having leftovers. Going to make an easy supper too - a Banquet family meal we have in the freezer. Then I can get a little more done around the house today without having to worry about making a mess or taking much time on supper. Have a lot of sorting to do before the EF comes to pick up! (Plus, since they take stuff in garbage bags, I'll be cleaning out some totes so I have more of them to use for other things!!)
**When I was getting ready to go to my TOPS meeting, I went out to start the car and realized I didn't have my Bluetooth with. I had left it on the counter since the battery was dead. Since I was going to be in the car, I prefer to use it so my hands are free. I went back in the house and was looking all over the counter and couldn't find it at first. Then I found an old key chain that had been hanging on the hooks over the counter. The key chain was laying on my Bluetooth. It was a Guardian Angel key chain. I think someone was leaving me a sign that he knew I was thinking of him :) **
I got a lot done yesterday too!! I went to my favorite consignment store, where I thought I had about $6 on credit, cuz Scrappy needs another pair of jeans (I recently realized having only 1 pair of jeans is not sufficient for him since khakis don't match everything and sweatpants aren't always appropriate.) Turns out I had over $10 - a nice surprise! Since it is the end of the year, she cut me a check for my credits, which I used to pay for his jeans ($5 for a pair of almost new Wranglers? Works for me!) I made an appointment while I was there to bring some stuff in next week. I was surprised she got me in so soon since it's normally 1-2 months out!! She's looking for 'springtime' stuff, and will always take jeans. Since cleaning out my storage unit, I've found a lot of clothes that didn't sell at my past garage sales. These things would be perfect to take up there - just have to make sure they're washed first. And she has a limit of 50 items per appointment, so once I sort through the clothes I'll have to count what I have. I know I'll need to make an appointment to take in some summer stuff, maybe a second appointment for spring stuff and/or jeans. My appointment is for January 5. The Epilepsy Foundation will be picking up on January 4, so anything I'm not taking to consignment is going to them. Hubby reminded me to go through the stuff up to 2T so that if/when we have another little one, we have some clothes for him/her. I found a few old onesies belonging to Scraps that I'm going to hold on to. I have an 18 gallon tote full of maternity and baby clothes along with other miscellaneous items, like bottles, liners, pumping equipment, etc.
After the consignment shop, I headed to pay the balance on the property taxes and picked up the other 5 cans of Scrappy's DuoCal. Went to Shopko to pick up his prescription, but turns out insurance won't cover the saline nebulizer solution. It's only $19 for 100 vials though. Too bad I only had $5 on me though, so I couldn't pick it up.
I called hubby as I was leaving town to see if he had plans for lunch since I was coming to town to get the kids. He didn't so he ordered pizzas to be ready when I got to town since Grammy and Opa had treated us last week and since they had watched the kids. I told hubby I had a doctor's appointment in the afternoon, so just asked if he stop and pick up the meds on his way home. (As it turned out, insurance wouldn't cover mine prescription either, so they had to find a generic and order it in for next day delivery.)
I've been having a lot of pain in my side, next to where my incision is, and there doesn't seem to be any logical reason. There's no redness and there's no actual injury (cut, rash, anything). And I didn't know if my incision was healing since I've had a yeast infection in the skin around it. My doc was out, so I saw is Physician's Assistant. The yeast infection seems to be clearing up, there is one small spot on my incision that is still open, but looks ok, and he couldn't feel or see anything that would leave him to believe I had an infection. He thinks the pain is due to nerve damage from the surgery. We are going to try a topical cream to see if that helps. If it doesn't, then we'll try with a pill. I told him I just need something to get through until I have my next OB appointment at Mayo on January 10. So we'll see what happens. (I'll have to wait until hubby gets home though. I have anxiety issues when driving in bad weather - it started raining about the time I went to bed last night, and now has turned to snow. Which means the roads are slick. And there are too many idiots out there. He can just pick it up on his way home - hopefully!)
By the time we got home, I just wanted to relax. I was exhausted, but I'm sure it's because I had such awful heartburn I didn't get to bed until after 2, then Scraps woke me up at 6:30. I love my kids, don't get me wrong, but sometimes I just wish they would sleep - or at least let me sleep. I was trying to nap while they were watching cartoons and putting puzzles together, but every time I closed my eyes, all I hear is "Mo-om!" as Beau loves to make it into a 2 syllable word. Grrr. I didn't do anything after getting home except to make supper then lounge again in my recliner. After hubby got home, I did nap a little bit, then read a little before heading to bed. My whole body just ached and I didn't know why - just hoped I wasn't getting sick!!
I guess missing a workout really does show! I didn't do my workout Wednesday because of the all the work with the freezer/refrigerator, and yesterday was too busy and I was too tired. This morning the kids were begging to play their Monster Jams Wii game, so I figured I better get my workout done before they take over the TV. I used it as bribery for treatments this morning too :) So while Scrappy did his vest, I did 51 minutes on the Fit Plus - and I was sweating :) And my body feels SO much better - especially my back!!
I need to get lunch going for the kids - we're having leftovers. Going to make an easy supper too - a Banquet family meal we have in the freezer. Then I can get a little more done around the house today without having to worry about making a mess or taking much time on supper. Have a lot of sorting to do before the EF comes to pick up! (Plus, since they take stuff in garbage bags, I'll be cleaning out some totes so I have more of them to use for other things!!)
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
What has gotten into me?
Geez, my to-do list hasn't been getting checked off like it should be... and believe me, it's a LONG to-do list!! I'm really good at making lists of what needs to be done, just not so good at getting it done.
Yesterday I thought I was on a roll!! The kids and I were up at a decent time. We had to be out of the house by 815 to go to our WIC appointment and pick up Scrappy's PediaSure, drop off the last part of the property tax payment at the courthouse, get pull-ups for the little man, then get a few groceries and pick up a receipt from a client. Pretty simple to do since I had to have the kids out anyway. Just one trip and get everything done. Right?
Yeah right. Things are never that easy.
Got to the WIC appointment a few minutes early. The receptionist looked at me funny when I told her I had an appointment. The Public Health Nurse I was supposed to see was working in her office and wasn't prepared to see anyone. Just my luck, right? Um, WRONG! My appointment was actually supposed to be today - maybe I should have looked at my calendar before I left the house? Haha but that would be too easy! She still saw me, the appointment just ended up taking a little bit longer than normal. We also got Scrappy's 297 cans of PediaSure (3 month supply) and 1 can of DuoCal - they'd call when the other 5 cans come in.
Ok, done there. Hubby forgot to leave me the check for the property taxes, but that's ok, just postpone that errand until... today... tomorrow... Off to Walgreens for their brand pull-ups - we find that they work better than the name brand and we don't really care for the WalMart generics. WalMart's don't seem to contain Scrappy's messiness - way too many blowouts! We try to stock up on them when they're on sale. Since they weren't, I only picked up one package. Of course, all I hear throughout the store from Scraps is "Mommy, I want a balloon!! I want a Spongebob balloon!" I dragged him toward the checkout. Beau is following me with "Mom, can we get a treat? We want a snack. Please?" Nope, just getting pull-ups and going! While we're standing at the checkout, Beau starts chasing Scrappy around the store. Then he decides he wants to examine everything conveniently placed near the checkout that would attract a child's attention. Couldn't wait to leave!!!
Grocery store - LAST place to stop! Needed the WIC necessities, along with the veggies and fruit. And it never hurts to check the quick sale cooler since I was going to Nelson's. I've discovered that shopping for meat there is best when I go between 8 and 10am weekdays. Usually they have just marked down all of the "Reduced for Quick Sale" meats - all the meat that is close to expiration date. I've found some pretty good deals there! On this trip, I picked up a 2-pack of split chicken breasts, 2 1-lb packages of pork cutlets, a pork roast, 3 2-packs of chicken leg and thigh quarters, and a 4-pack of chicken thighs. All of this meat was only about $15. Pretty good deal!! I put everything right into the freezer so it would keep. Really wish my vacuum sealer worked so I could prolong the life of the food. The other big savings there? Frozen veggies. 1 lb bags for only $0.68. I had a WIC voucher for $10 in fruits and veggies, so this was an awesome buy!!!
I was trying the pantry challenge last week. That wasn't working too well for us since my husband doesn't always like it when I experiment. He usually tries what I make, but that doesn't mean he likes it. And I've noticed leftovers haven't been getting eaten at our house lately. I don't know why.... They like the food the first time around. They never had a problem with leftovers before. With the kids, I can put out what I want them to eat and that's all they get. With hubby, if he doesn't like what I make, he can make his own food (and often does).
I'm still trying to cook just with what's in the house. There are a few things here and there we need but I'm trying to make due without making a special trip to the store. Last night, leftovers were the menu. Tonight, breakfast for supper :) Pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, and kiwi. Scraps had banana instead of kiwi. The kids love syrup on their pancakes, but I opted for homemade pumpkin butter - sooo yum without being over sweet!
So what did I get done today? Nothing on my to-do list, and really seems like not much overall, but feels like I worked my butt off, which I kinda did (and I'm counting it as some exercise just in case I don't get my workout in!!) I defrosted and inventoried my 7 cubic foot chest freezer, hauling all the food out to the garage to keep it cold until I refilled the freezer. I scrubbed it all out with bleach and warm water and made a huge mess on the floor, but oh well! While the basement freezer was chilling again, before I filled it, I decided to clean out the upstairs freezer so I could have more useful food up here, and inventoried what was in there too. Then I figured, well, since I cleaned the freezer, I might as well clean out the fridge too. I don't know the last time that was done! Originally I was just going to clean out the old food. That turned into taking out all the shelves and drawers and scrubbing the inside of the fridge, complete with peeling some caramel off the bottom of the inside. (Don't ask me how that got there!! I haven't the slightest idea!) Man does my fridge look empty!
The rest of my house is a mess. I need to get it straightened up somewhat before hubby gets home. It's gonna be another late night for him at work again tonight. He says he'll be home earlier tomorrow so I can get some of my paperwork done since I can't seem to get much done with the kids here. It's funny, but I can actually get more done when Beau is at school and I just have Scraps home.....
Got a pleasant surprise from the hubs the other day. I jokingly asked how he liked my blog, not thinking that he had actually read it. To my surprise, I found out he has been reading it. He said he wanted to see how my day had gone.
Awwww, isn't that sweet :)
Yesterday I thought I was on a roll!! The kids and I were up at a decent time. We had to be out of the house by 815 to go to our WIC appointment and pick up Scrappy's PediaSure, drop off the last part of the property tax payment at the courthouse, get pull-ups for the little man, then get a few groceries and pick up a receipt from a client. Pretty simple to do since I had to have the kids out anyway. Just one trip and get everything done. Right?
Yeah right. Things are never that easy.
Got to the WIC appointment a few minutes early. The receptionist looked at me funny when I told her I had an appointment. The Public Health Nurse I was supposed to see was working in her office and wasn't prepared to see anyone. Just my luck, right? Um, WRONG! My appointment was actually supposed to be today - maybe I should have looked at my calendar before I left the house? Haha but that would be too easy! She still saw me, the appointment just ended up taking a little bit longer than normal. We also got Scrappy's 297 cans of PediaSure (3 month supply) and 1 can of DuoCal - they'd call when the other 5 cans come in.
Ok, done there. Hubby forgot to leave me the check for the property taxes, but that's ok, just postpone that errand until... today... tomorrow... Off to Walgreens for their brand pull-ups - we find that they work better than the name brand and we don't really care for the WalMart generics. WalMart's don't seem to contain Scrappy's messiness - way too many blowouts! We try to stock up on them when they're on sale. Since they weren't, I only picked up one package. Of course, all I hear throughout the store from Scraps is "Mommy, I want a balloon!! I want a Spongebob balloon!" I dragged him toward the checkout. Beau is following me with "Mom, can we get a treat? We want a snack. Please?" Nope, just getting pull-ups and going! While we're standing at the checkout, Beau starts chasing Scrappy around the store. Then he decides he wants to examine everything conveniently placed near the checkout that would attract a child's attention. Couldn't wait to leave!!!
Grocery store - LAST place to stop! Needed the WIC necessities, along with the veggies and fruit. And it never hurts to check the quick sale cooler since I was going to Nelson's. I've discovered that shopping for meat there is best when I go between 8 and 10am weekdays. Usually they have just marked down all of the "Reduced for Quick Sale" meats - all the meat that is close to expiration date. I've found some pretty good deals there! On this trip, I picked up a 2-pack of split chicken breasts, 2 1-lb packages of pork cutlets, a pork roast, 3 2-packs of chicken leg and thigh quarters, and a 4-pack of chicken thighs. All of this meat was only about $15. Pretty good deal!! I put everything right into the freezer so it would keep. Really wish my vacuum sealer worked so I could prolong the life of the food. The other big savings there? Frozen veggies. 1 lb bags for only $0.68. I had a WIC voucher for $10 in fruits and veggies, so this was an awesome buy!!!
I was trying the pantry challenge last week. That wasn't working too well for us since my husband doesn't always like it when I experiment. He usually tries what I make, but that doesn't mean he likes it. And I've noticed leftovers haven't been getting eaten at our house lately. I don't know why.... They like the food the first time around. They never had a problem with leftovers before. With the kids, I can put out what I want them to eat and that's all they get. With hubby, if he doesn't like what I make, he can make his own food (and often does).
I'm still trying to cook just with what's in the house. There are a few things here and there we need but I'm trying to make due without making a special trip to the store. Last night, leftovers were the menu. Tonight, breakfast for supper :) Pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, and kiwi. Scraps had banana instead of kiwi. The kids love syrup on their pancakes, but I opted for homemade pumpkin butter - sooo yum without being over sweet!
So what did I get done today? Nothing on my to-do list, and really seems like not much overall, but feels like I worked my butt off, which I kinda did (and I'm counting it as some exercise just in case I don't get my workout in!!) I defrosted and inventoried my 7 cubic foot chest freezer, hauling all the food out to the garage to keep it cold until I refilled the freezer. I scrubbed it all out with bleach and warm water and made a huge mess on the floor, but oh well! While the basement freezer was chilling again, before I filled it, I decided to clean out the upstairs freezer so I could have more useful food up here, and inventoried what was in there too. Then I figured, well, since I cleaned the freezer, I might as well clean out the fridge too. I don't know the last time that was done! Originally I was just going to clean out the old food. That turned into taking out all the shelves and drawers and scrubbing the inside of the fridge, complete with peeling some caramel off the bottom of the inside. (Don't ask me how that got there!! I haven't the slightest idea!) Man does my fridge look empty!
The rest of my house is a mess. I need to get it straightened up somewhat before hubby gets home. It's gonna be another late night for him at work again tonight. He says he'll be home earlier tomorrow so I can get some of my paperwork done since I can't seem to get much done with the kids here. It's funny, but I can actually get more done when Beau is at school and I just have Scraps home.....
Got a pleasant surprise from the hubs the other day. I jokingly asked how he liked my blog, not thinking that he had actually read it. To my surprise, I found out he has been reading it. He said he wanted to see how my day had gone.
Awwww, isn't that sweet :)
Monday, December 26, 2011
Christmas
It's the day after. Everything is simmering down. For the next week I have both children home. We may be getting to go play outside later this week because of the unusually warm Minnesota weather - it's been over 40 degrees!! A Christmas without snow makes it difficult to get into the Christmas spirit though. I haven't been feeling it much this year.
However, I am happy to know I am partially responsible for giving someone the best Christmas present they wanted: My mom wanted all 4 of us kids together for a picture, and also our kids and significant others. It's the first time all of us kids have been together (other than Little Warrior's funeral, but that was not the time or place to do it) since my husband and I got married a little over 4 years ago. Here we are (and yes, most of us are in pajamas since that was the theme this year. My hoodie and pj pants were the best I was going to be able to do.... hubby passed on the pj idea):
I know the two pictures look almost the same, but as I was checking them out, I noticed something interesting. Look in the first picture, you may notice some floating spots or orbs in the picture and one right above my husband's head. In the second picture, we see the orbs again, and this time there is one right on my stomach.
Now, I'm not majorly superstitious, but I've learned that there are signs in life and it's a matter of if we choose to see or not to see them. Like I had said last week, I believe that the sun coming out to shine was a sign that our Little Warrior was watching over us and knew we were there to visit him. I think the orbs in these two pictures are there for a reason. I think it's his way of letting us know that he knows we're thinking about him and he was there with us. I think God lets those special people close to us give us signs that they're ok and they're watching over us when we need that comfort and peace. I told my mom that I thought it was sign from him, and she thinks so too. When I asked my husband about the orbs, he laughed at me and told me that people would think he was strange if he said what he thought. But that's because he agreed with me and thought the same. We have our own guardian angel watching over us.
I spent a somewhat 'lazy' day today with Scrappy hanging out at home. Beau spent the night having a sleepover with our cousins and rode home with Daddy when he got off work. Wait - I take back that 'lazy' comment. I don't think getting 1 1/2 hour workout in counts as lazy, even though it was fun and it was with my new Wii Fit Plus game. My stomach (someday possibly to be known as my 'abs' - if they truly are buried in there somewhere!!! lol!!) is a little sore from working those muscles. I've been hesitant to do any abdominal exercises for the past few weeks, but since it's been 6 weeks since my surgery, I thought it should be ok now to try at least a little. Especially since I consider that to be one of my 'problem areas.'
Since both kids are home for the next week, I have a lot less running to do on a daily basis. I do have an appointment tomorrow morning, and since we'll be out we need to drop off some payments and run to the grocery store for milk. I try to only make one trip out, or go when I pick Beau up or drop her off at school I try to get all my running done then and schedule appointments accordingly. It really makes things easier if I already have Scrappy in the car and don't have to get him out and in the house, take off his coat, hat, and boots, then put them all back on 15 minutes later.
I also told Beau that we need to sort through and get rid of some of her and Scrappy's old toys. They got plenty of new toys for Christmas, so some things have to go to make room for the new. They have WAY too many toys. When I have my garage sale in the spring, there are going to be PLENTY of toys to go. I'm not going to bother with all the stuffed animals and a lot of the small stuff. Thankfully the Epilepsy Foundation will be picking up next week, so hopefully I can get a bag or a few bags out for them.
**Note to self - (Since I'm thinking of it right now, I'm gonna write it so I don't forget)... After the 1st of the year, I am going to need to keep better documentation of a few things for tax purposes, especially because of my business. I need mileage for both vehicles as of January 1. I'm going to keep a binder with all of Scrappy's medical appointments at Mayo since we can write off the mileage on those too. I'm also going to create a file for donations since I'll be doing a lot of sorting out and we'll be donating quite a bit. I need to print out the kids' care sheets too so I have a copy of those on hand for 'emergency reasons' - you never know what's going to happen! And I suppose I should call to check on the deeds for our cemetery plots. I thought we would have gotten them by now..... hmmmm....
Well, there's a lot on my plate for tomorrow... Wish sleeping in was on the list, but that's not in Scrappy's book.... Hopefully after some cleaning, some time with Zumba will be on my plate!!
However, I am happy to know I am partially responsible for giving someone the best Christmas present they wanted: My mom wanted all 4 of us kids together for a picture, and also our kids and significant others. It's the first time all of us kids have been together (other than Little Warrior's funeral, but that was not the time or place to do it) since my husband and I got married a little over 4 years ago. Here we are (and yes, most of us are in pajamas since that was the theme this year. My hoodie and pj pants were the best I was going to be able to do.... hubby passed on the pj idea):
I know the two pictures look almost the same, but as I was checking them out, I noticed something interesting. Look in the first picture, you may notice some floating spots or orbs in the picture and one right above my husband's head. In the second picture, we see the orbs again, and this time there is one right on my stomach.
Now, I'm not majorly superstitious, but I've learned that there are signs in life and it's a matter of if we choose to see or not to see them. Like I had said last week, I believe that the sun coming out to shine was a sign that our Little Warrior was watching over us and knew we were there to visit him. I think the orbs in these two pictures are there for a reason. I think it's his way of letting us know that he knows we're thinking about him and he was there with us. I think God lets those special people close to us give us signs that they're ok and they're watching over us when we need that comfort and peace. I told my mom that I thought it was sign from him, and she thinks so too. When I asked my husband about the orbs, he laughed at me and told me that people would think he was strange if he said what he thought. But that's because he agreed with me and thought the same. We have our own guardian angel watching over us.
I spent a somewhat 'lazy' day today with Scrappy hanging out at home. Beau spent the night having a sleepover with our cousins and rode home with Daddy when he got off work. Wait - I take back that 'lazy' comment. I don't think getting 1 1/2 hour workout in counts as lazy, even though it was fun and it was with my new Wii Fit Plus game. My stomach (someday possibly to be known as my 'abs' - if they truly are buried in there somewhere!!! lol!!) is a little sore from working those muscles. I've been hesitant to do any abdominal exercises for the past few weeks, but since it's been 6 weeks since my surgery, I thought it should be ok now to try at least a little. Especially since I consider that to be one of my 'problem areas.'
Since both kids are home for the next week, I have a lot less running to do on a daily basis. I do have an appointment tomorrow morning, and since we'll be out we need to drop off some payments and run to the grocery store for milk. I try to only make one trip out, or go when I pick Beau up or drop her off at school I try to get all my running done then and schedule appointments accordingly. It really makes things easier if I already have Scrappy in the car and don't have to get him out and in the house, take off his coat, hat, and boots, then put them all back on 15 minutes later.
I also told Beau that we need to sort through and get rid of some of her and Scrappy's old toys. They got plenty of new toys for Christmas, so some things have to go to make room for the new. They have WAY too many toys. When I have my garage sale in the spring, there are going to be PLENTY of toys to go. I'm not going to bother with all the stuffed animals and a lot of the small stuff. Thankfully the Epilepsy Foundation will be picking up next week, so hopefully I can get a bag or a few bags out for them.
**Note to self - (Since I'm thinking of it right now, I'm gonna write it so I don't forget)... After the 1st of the year, I am going to need to keep better documentation of a few things for tax purposes, especially because of my business. I need mileage for both vehicles as of January 1. I'm going to keep a binder with all of Scrappy's medical appointments at Mayo since we can write off the mileage on those too. I'm also going to create a file for donations since I'll be doing a lot of sorting out and we'll be donating quite a bit. I need to print out the kids' care sheets too so I have a copy of those on hand for 'emergency reasons' - you never know what's going to happen! And I suppose I should call to check on the deeds for our cemetery plots. I thought we would have gotten them by now..... hmmmm....
Well, there's a lot on my plate for tomorrow... Wish sleeping in was on the list, but that's not in Scrappy's book.... Hopefully after some cleaning, some time with Zumba will be on my plate!!
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Christmas Eve
We had to run to the store this morning so I could get a few things I needed to make goodies to take to my aunt's tonight. We also decided we're going to Christmas Eve service at 4pm today so we don't have to fight with the kids tomorrow to get them away from their toys. Pastor said both services will be the same. Plus, with there not being Sunday School, I think the kids will be more cooperative this afternoon.
So what easy treats am I taking today? My super easy fudge - one batch with nuts, one without (I honestly don't remember where I got the recipe from) and a pan of cream cheese bars that I got the recipe from a former coworker. Oh yes, I will be posting the recipes :) Breakfast tomorrow will be Amish baked oatmeal with bananas and raisins since I can mix it up tonight and just bake it in the morning.
We are trying to decide exactly how to keep with our usual tradition. I always let the kids open one present on Christmas Eve. For the past few years, we just spent a quiet Christmas Eve at our house. So the dilemma - do we let the kids open a present before we go to my aunt's, or after we get home? It's not unusual for the party to last into the wee hours of the morning. Being the party poopers with 2 young kids, our plan is to be home around 8:30 or 9. We still have more presents to wrap and I'm sure the kids will be up pretty early. We have Scrappy's treatments to do too, which adds another half hour to the schedule. I wonder which of the kids will be up first? (My bet is on Scraps - he rarely sleeps past 7!)
Hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas Eve!!
So what easy treats am I taking today? My super easy fudge - one batch with nuts, one without (I honestly don't remember where I got the recipe from) and a pan of cream cheese bars that I got the recipe from a former coworker. Oh yes, I will be posting the recipes :) Breakfast tomorrow will be Amish baked oatmeal with bananas and raisins since I can mix it up tonight and just bake it in the morning.
We are trying to decide exactly how to keep with our usual tradition. I always let the kids open one present on Christmas Eve. For the past few years, we just spent a quiet Christmas Eve at our house. So the dilemma - do we let the kids open a present before we go to my aunt's, or after we get home? It's not unusual for the party to last into the wee hours of the morning. Being the party poopers with 2 young kids, our plan is to be home around 8:30 or 9. We still have more presents to wrap and I'm sure the kids will be up pretty early. We have Scrappy's treatments to do too, which adds another half hour to the schedule. I wonder which of the kids will be up first? (My bet is on Scraps - he rarely sleeps past 7!)
Hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas Eve!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)