Menu Plan Monday

Another week fastly approaches and once again I have noo idea what to put on my menu! I have a hard time this time of the year, it is so easy when it is winter and dh is home every night. I can plan bigger meals and lots of casseroles and such. When the weather starts getting nicer, we may just throw burgers on the grill and cut up some fresh veggies.( I don't do the grilling, so its hard when he doesn't get home until later sometimes) Oh well, at least I plan to have these things on hand so I am prepared, right?

Last weeks new recipes went over well. Kid friendly and my family liked them so thanks to you all that I found recipes from!

Here's this week:

Monday: Taco Bake - one of my kids favorite

Tuesday: Grilled Pork Chops, mushroom rice, string beans

Wednesday: Spaghetti, meat balls, salad, garlic bread

Thursday: Bacon Wrapped Beef steaks - grilled, pasta salad, corn on the cob

Friday: Tator Tot Casserole - Jason's favorite

Saturday: BBQ Ribs, cheesy potatoes, mixed vegetables

Sunday: My baby's 2nd birthday party! - Shredded chicken sandwiches, chips, assorted salads, grape salad and of course cake and ice cream!

Dessert for the week: I have been wanting chocolate peanut butter chip cookies, so we will probably make up a batch of those this week!

Have a great week and check out Lauras blog for other menus!

7 Favorite Songs

KC posted this the other day and I have really been thinking about it. This is a hard one. To pick my top 7 songs. I love music. Always have to have it on and really think just hearing a good song and having a little dance session does wonders for my stress level! I listen to a variety of music and really it all just depends on my mood.

1. Don't Happen Twice - Kenny Chesney
2. Born to Fly - Sara Evans
3. Gotta be Something More - Sugarland
4. Who Am I - Casting Crowns
5. Right Here - Jeremy Camp
6. From this Moment - Shania Twain
7. Some Days you gotta Dance - Dixie Chicks

I could list on and on. These are some of my favorite artists and I could probably list every Kenny Chesney song as my fave. The first 3 artists are all going to be in concert together this summer. On a Saturday (summer shows are always like on a Thursday and dh can't take off work) at a nearby football field. I was soo excited when I heard, do you think we could get tickets??? Nope. Bill was even willing to spend $150 a piece for them. (we usually won't spend more than $50 a ticket) Hoping somehow before the show we just come on to some. Hey - a girl can wish!

I like lots of different. I could be in a The Cure or Depeche Mode mood( going back to high school) I love music from the 80's and early 90's, I like Rob Thomas, Maroon 5, Gwen Steffanni, oh and her husband Gavin Rossdales group Bush. I like Casting Crowns, Warren Barfield , Jeremy Camp I could go on and on, like I said it all depends on my mood.

The other question she had was do you listen to the music based on the music or the lyrics. I would say if I like the beat then I'll listen closer and see what it has to say.

So what about you? Are you a tried and true rock n' roller? Do you get your groove on to some funky 80's beat? Do Share. I'd love to see what's on your I pod that will never be removed! If you read this I invite you to tell me your 7 favorite songs. If you play along - please let me know!

Menu Plan Monday

Hello and Happy Monday! I am working on this post late Sunday night as I am anticipating weather like we had this weekend (absolutely perfect) and I am planning on being super productive today! I will be back on later in the day to check out other menus for some inspiration. I did some research on some of the MPM blogs that I read and thought we might go ahead and have a brand new recipe week. Here it goes, I'll let ya know how they go over!

Monday: Slow Cooker Beef and Bean Burritos. I got this recipe from Rona over at Berry-Morins Bits and Tips.

Tuesday: Shrimp Fried Rice this recipe is from Barb, SFO at Mom's Fridge.

Wednesday: Restaurant style chicken tenders with honey mustard sauce, Cole slaw and cheesy potato salad. From Carrie :o) over at My Lil' Corner of the World.

Thursday: Steak, baked potatoes and salad. No, I know this isn't a new recipe, but I was inspired by Annie over at my life as Annie. I have been wanting some good steak on the grill. mmmm I could go for some right now!

Friday: Ordering pizza. Okay not something new and exciting, but hey- maybe I will order something crazy like vegetables on it ? I just might - you never know!

Saturday: Slow cooker pineapple pork roast which I saw on Dana's blog and I believe she noticed it first on Laura's blog. Anyhow, looks yummy and although I usually don't do crock pot meals on the weekend. It might be nice to just hang out and enjoy the family Saturday instead of messing around in the kitchen!:)

So there is my planning for the week. I believe our dessert for the week will be snicker doodles. Ethan loves anything Cinnamon and he hasn't picked something in a while, so his pick is it!

Have a great week and hopefully lots of yummy meals!

For more menu ideas check out I'm an organizing junkie!

Rainbow Cookies

We were in the grocery store the other day walking past the bakery and we saw multi-colored cookies. Elena immediately wanted them. The girls were going to a babysitter the next day and Elena wanted to bring a treat to share. Now I am one of those people who rarely buys baked goods. I will attempt to make anything. so having no idea how I was gonna make these cookies multi-colored without the colors mixing together I set out on my mission. I couldn't find a specific recipe so I just used a drop sugar cookie one. Divided the batter in 4 parts and colored each part differently. grabbed a little dollop of each color and softly rolled them so they would stick. Baked them until just barely set. Perfect play-doh cookies! Elena kept going in the kitchen and staring at her treat to share. I was so happy that they turned out and although not yummy looking on my standards. The batch didn't last long here or at the sitters!

Thursday Thirteen

I had a bit of a rough time this past week and have found myself getting frustrated over little things with the kids, so I thought I would make a list to remind me why I am truly grateful to be given the best job ever!

Refresh myself just a bit!

Thirteen Things I love about being a mom.

1. I always wanted to be a mom. Couldn't wait until I had a family of my own!

2. I love how when the kids are not feeling well, only mommy can make them feel better

3. I love when I see those smiles of true happiness over something little I did - like make them their favorite dinner.

4. I love being able to stay home with them and give them that security that I am always here.

5. First smiles, first steps, first words. All major things in the life of a mommy.

6. First day of bringing a new baby home. Especially when I brought Ethan home, I knew my life would be better than ever. (I am tearing up even as I type that!)

7. Starting fun traditions with each child and knowing that something so little can mean the world to them.

8. Knowing that God has trusted me enough to bless me with 4 little angels to take care of for him. That is such a great honor!

9. To watch how Jason has went from being an adorable toddler (I joke that I fell in love with him, before his father;)to a handsome young man. He takes such pride in his sports and school work and it's awesome to see where he is heading.

10. I love to see how Ethan grows each day in his love of art and music, how he enjoys his mom helping at school and teaching in Awana. That he is growing into his own person, but still likes his mommy to be close and involved (yes, I am creating a mommas boy- so hard not to do :p )

11. For my independent little Elena. It is so refreshing to spend time with her. She is such a little grown up and although doesn't go full force into everything, she carefully selects what she does with her time. Her teachers say she is a joy to have in class and she truly is a joy to have in my life! She looks at life in such a sweet and loving way, I have to stop and look through her view sometimes and it makes life so much better!

12. My little Natalie. Even though she is approaching the terrible twos, even when she is being naughty, she is so subtle and sweet. She truly makes me laugh every day. In her expressions, in her tiniest amount of speech (she doesn't really talk) She is my sweetest little baby and most likely my last so she can stay this size forever if she likes!

13. There have been so many babies born lately, I love to remember each of the kids birth stories over and over. Amazing how you can remember every detail of those days. I could tell you everything I ate, what I was wearing, what the weather was like.Every detail. Those days stand still in time in my mind. Wonderful, truly wonderful I hope I never forget them :)

Wordless Wednesday - Jason our teenager - He's 13!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

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Break Time and Nightmares

This past week was a crazy one. Ethan and Elena were on Spring Break. It was the first year that this really affected us. When they are in preschool they are only gone a few hours. It is amazing to me how having just one kid home everyday changes the dynamics of things in the house. So in my quest to keep my kids from driving me crazy with boredom, I scheduled the week up. Oh I do believe I should of scheduled just a tad of downtime in there!! We had school friends over, we had cousins spend the night on two of the nights, birthday parties. Lots of time spent with people. I do so love to spend time with others, but this Monday could not come soon enough!! As I dropped Ethan off at school today it was such a relief to get back into my weekly groove.
The thought that keeps lingering in the back of my mind is that summer is right around the corner! AHHHHH! No, I enjoy having all my kids home and being with them, I just am turning into one of those people that gets a little off when my house constantly looks like a tornado and we are always on the go with no time to stop and clean up, you know? We keep toying with the idea of selling and building a new house and that idea just keeps getting pushed further into the future. I just cannot imagine trying to keep this place show ready with these little maniacs underfoot!
The other thing going on this past few days is a bit strange, Everyone in our house has been having nightmares. We haven't changed the time of day we eat dinner, or had any new foods. Just weird. What else is weird is the story of the week. (Elena usually wants the same story reread a million times) The story this week is the Berenstain Bears and the Bad Dream. Elena has been in our bed due to nightmares, Ethan has been in our bed because of dreams of scary ghosts, Bill woke up having weird dreams and I had a dream the other night that won't leave me alone.

I dreamt that I met a new friend and we really clicked. She offered to watch Elena for me when I had something to do with the baby. Well when Elena came home she had on different clothes and I started questioning her about different things. It turns out this girl, let her boyfriend come over and he molested my baby!!! Oh I woke up almost sick. Where did that dream come from? I ran into her room and just held her. My heart goes out to anyone who ever has had to deal with that. I try so hard to protect my kids. That dream just made me think so much about how easily they can be subjected to hurt. I pray they never will have to endure anything of that nature, but it makes you think about how trusting you can be with your dearest ones. I talk to all of the kids often about what to do or say if someone does anything inappropriate to them. I just hope and pray they never have to use it!!

So here we are in a brand new week. I am not posting my meal plan this week as it has nothing new on it. Just my boring old menu. I am gonna try and check out some of the other meal plans and put together a fairly new menu next week. Well my tornado of a house with all of it's dirty laundry, dusty shelves and smudgy windows is calling me.. Better tend to it!

Wordless Wednesday - A Fun Ride

As always for more interesting wordless wednesday posts, go here or check out 5 minutes for mom!!

Menu Plan Monday

Last week I completely missed mpm! It's hard to believe how easily you can get into a menu rut! I sat there looking at my week and had no idea what to put on it! Nothing was popping out at me. I just went out and stocked the freezer so I have ample menus I could choose from but do you think I could think of something? Nope, Nada. Zip.. Luckily with Easter being yesterday and having a ham dinner here we have some leftovers that have helped me with this decision this week. Now I am still working on tonight's meal and any suggestions would be welcome! My MIL brought over rolls for yesterday in this big bread bowl.

We didn't eat it and I thought maybe I would put like a pot pie or something in it. But I don't want it to get soggy. I am gonna peruse some recipe options and see if I can come up with something. It was a pretty bread display. I'm sure I will find something to do with it.

So that was Monday, here is the rest of our week.

TUESDAY: Ham and 15 bean soup, corn bread twists

WEDNESDAY: Beef Roast with Veggies

THURSDAY: Beef and Noodles, Green beans (leftover beef from roast)

FRIDAY: Spaghetti, meat balls salad and garlic bread

SATURDAY: My stepsons 13th b-day. Dinner out his choice.
SUNDAY: my ss and both sister in laws b-day dinner at Aunt's house.

As far as dessert for the week. I believe it will be cake, cake and more cake!

2 meals I don't have to cook this week! Gotta love that:) Have a blessed week and Happy MPM!

Be sure to check out Laura's blog for more menu planning ideas!

I've been Egged!

Ok, maybe not quite the traditional prankster way of being Egged. Thank Goodness! Yesterday morning my neighbor is calling me at 8AM to tell me their is a shiny gift bag on my porch. (I don't believe she put it there, she is just a a bit nosey.) So I go out to get it and there is a bag with this sign in it. (see below) plus a little one that says you've been egged. There is a ceramic egg, a candle, an Easter potholder, a package of marshmallow peeps and some other Easter candies. Along with it it has some Bible verses and instructions on how to pass on the Easter Joy. You in turn are to 'EGG' somone else's house. Pass on the ceramic egg, but fill another package with treats and deliver it to someone's door without them knowing who sent it. Kind of a nice little start to our morning I must say. I have a feeling who the trickster is, but the kids had fun thinking of who we would do this to next. So whoever you are, if I am correct. Thank you and Happy Easter!

Some pretty heavy stuff

This last few days have been one of those times of curiosity and questioning from my 6 year old. Questions we have been so lucky not to have to deal with answering yet have now surfaced. I am so thankful that I had a moment to ask the Lord for help with my answers instead of him catching me in the middle of making dinner with a screaming toddler hanging from my legs. The first one I was hit with was How do we get all the food in the world? How do all the plants, trees keep growing and how are new ones made? okay those were easy ones, didn't have to think to hard about how I would word those. Pretty basic nature stuff. Farmers, seeds, etc. etc. Of course asking those questions about reproduction naturally lead to the next question of How come there are soo many people, how do babies get in Mommy's bellies? Where do babies come from? Oh boy! There it is. It's out there.... How much can I tell him that will satisfy his inquiry without going into much detail. Luckily I was able to get around it without having to say a word about the actual act. YAY!! When I thought we were done with all the deep answers to lives biggest mysteries he asks "MOM is there REALLY an Easter bunny?? I left that one entirely up to him ;p I was worn out from the last question :)

Wordless Wednesday - Hippity-Hoppity Easter is on its way!

To check out more wordless wednesdays click here or go to 5 minutes for mom!

Contest

Lindsay at Splat Designs is having a blog design contest. Visit her site and sign Mr. Linky by April 1st to be included in the drawing. If you win, this is what you get...A custom template with colors, textures, sidebar categories, and a signature added to your blog.

Fun Friday meme

I've been tagged by Stacey for this fun little meme.
1. What time did you get up this morning? About 7:00 AM
2. Diamonds or pearls? DIAMONDS
3. What was the last film you saw in the cinema? Norbit, we actually went to see music & lyrics and were sold tickets to the wrong film. Too late to change movies.
4.What is your favorite tv show? American Idol
5. What did you have for breakfast? Did I eat breakfast? Oh! a few peanut butter m&m cookies. nice and healthy :)
6. What is your middle name? Lee
7. What is your favorite cuisine? It's a tie between Italian and mexican
8. What foods do you dislike? There are quite a few foods I dislike, I am pretty picky.
9. What are your favorite chips? Chocolate
10. What is your favorite CD at the moment? I don't listen to whole CDs I download songs online individually.
11. What kind of car do you drive? Dodge Durango
12. Favorite sandwich? Hamburger straight from the grill with lettuce and tomato on a toasted bun
13. What characteristics can't you stand? dishonesty
14. What are your favorite clothes? Jeans and a V-neck t-shirt, or capris and white tennies or sandles
15. If you could go anywhere on vacation where would it be? Someplace warm and secluded with just my husband
16. Wore at sixteen? I don't remember
17. Where would you want to retire? On the road. We want to travel when we retire
18. Favorite time of day? Early morning before the whole world wakes up.
19. Where were you born? In Ohio
20. Favorite events to watch? I like to go to Indians and Browns games
21. Coke or Pepsi? Coke
22. Beavers or Ducks? What kind of crazy question is this??
23. Are you a morning person or night owl? morning person
24. Pedicures or manicures? Pedicures
25. What did you want to be when you were little? An artist, until I discovered I had no artistic talents.
26. What is your best childhood memory? Way to many to pick from, mostly Holidays with extended family.
27. Ever been to Africa? No
28. Ever been toilet papering? yes
29. Been in a car accident? yes- a few too many
30. Favorite day of the week? They all kind of blend together. Are there different days in the week? I would say Sunday since I usually have everyone together on that day.
31. Favorite flower? purple petunias
32. Favorite restaurant? Macaroni Grill
33.Favorite ice cream? Moose Tracks
34. Favorite fast food restaurant? Wendy's
35. How many times did you fail your driver's test? None! Almost perfect score:)
36. From whom did you get your last e-mail? Haven't checked e-mail today, I think the last one I opened was from Shaunda yesterday.
37. What store would you like to max out your credit card? Target, Kohl's
or Old Navy. Although I don't use credit cards. All my shopping is done with cold hard cash :) Soo glad we have all those stores close to us now! :)
38. Last person you went to dinner with? husband and kids at Casa Fiesta
39.What are you listening to right now? My quiet house since everyone is sleeping:)
40. What is your favorite color? purple
41. How many tattoos do you have? none
42. How many are you sending this e-mail to? Anyone who reads my blog
43. What time did you finish this blog entry? 10:31 Pm
44. Favorite magazine? Family Fun.
45. Coffee or tea? Coffee! Oh how I miss my coffee. I was doing great, not even wanting it and now Easter is almost here. 9 more days and I can have it again! Whoo hoo!
46. Do you tan easily or burn? burn, then tan I was trying to catch some rays today. Beautiful!
47. Do you color your hair? Every 5 months a different color!
48. What is the first car you ever purchased without your parents assistance?1984 Dodge Aries, Grey with an awesome AM radio.
49What is your most dreaded household chore? cleaning in general is dreaded to me. hee, hee. I'll say laundry because it NEVER goes away!
50. Who do you tag to do this meme? I'll pick Rachel. see if she is up for the challenge

Thursday Thirteen

Okay I always see these and thought since I am so excited for spring to be here I will share 13 things that I love about it!

Thirteen Things I love about SPRING

1. I love to wake up and hear the birds chirpping outside my window just inviting me to get up and start the day.

2. I love the way a warm sunny day feels after being cold for so long.

3. I love my flowers peeking through the ground and start to bloom.

4. I love being able to start getting outside and taking walks - my favorite way to get some excercise.

5. I love my kids being able to play outside and get their energy out -cabin fever is noo fun.

6. I love the first time being able to fire up the grill and cook outside. Food always tastes better when it's grilled.

7. I love being able to open all the windows and just let the breeze blow through the house.

8. Something about spring makes me want to clean the whole house. It feels so good to get all the winter junk out.

9. My husband just planted a flowering pear tree for me last year, so I am anxious to see if it blooms this year.

10. My husband goes back to work. I really do love having him home, but I know he enjoys his job and likes to get back into his groove.

11. Watching the whole world turn from brown and gray to green and colorful.

12. The smell of a fresh spring rain

13. I love the whole Easter celebration with the family. It is so awesome to know what new life in Jesus REALLY is all about.

Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesday, check here or visit 5 minutes for mom!

Menu Plan Monday

Hello! Happy Monday! This one will be a quick one as I have two girls begging to go outside to play!

Last week the new recipies were great! I will definetely be making them again.

Here is this week:

Monday: Chicken fajitas, rice

Tuesday: mini meatloafs trying this from KC, mashed potatoes, corn

Wednesday: Sloppy joe wagon wheels trying this from Palmtreefanatic, mixed veggies

Thursday:pizza, salad

Friday: Birthday party - dinner there

Saturday: hamburgers on the grill, pasta salad fresh veggies

Sunday: Spaghetti, meatballs

Don't forget to check out Laura's blog!

I did it!

I did it! Yay! I finally finished a book! A whole book. Not a magazine or an article. AND it was a book for ME. Not a parenting book not a romance novel or mystery. Something that made me think and feel and study my bible! I know our church did this together a few years ago when it came out, and I followed for most of it, but that was during Elena's pneumonia bouts and we missed a lot of church back then. So at the beginning of this year I made a plan to read The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. But I was just so happy that I finished it I had to share it with the world!

Wordless Wednesday (3/21/07) Spring has Sprung!

For more wordless Wednesday go here or check out 5 minutes for mom.

Thinking Spring

I am thrilled that spring will officially be here tomorrow:) This momma definitely is developing a severe case of cabin fever. I didn't realize how ready for the unthawing I was until we had that teasing of warm weather last week. We spent an entire afternoon outside! Ate lunch on the deck and just soaked up as much as we could. Got out the stroller and walked two days in a row. It was so nice just to have some sunshine on my face, a quiet baby in tow just chucking it around town. So peaceful. So enjoyable. I am anxious for the sunny days also to help keep things with my workouts fresh. There is nothing more fulfilling than getting a good workout in while enjoying mother nature. Walking/jogging is one of my favorite ways to stay healthy and get back in shape.


I give soooo much credit to people who diet. Who regularly watch the calories and or foods they eat each day. I totally don't want to be braggy, but I just have always been able to stay about the same weight as long as I kept up with workouts. I am not much of a big eater. I never had to crash diet, but I have always had to workout. This truly is the first time since having kids that I have struggled to lose weight. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I have had three kids and am sliding into my 30's. So in my desperate attempt to lose these last 10 pounds, I went down to a 1200 calorie diet. I did a decent job - despite the fact I was STARVING!- I lasted a whole week :( I was stressing so much because the last weigh in at MOPS didn't go well. Scale stayed the same, so I was grasping for some additional push. I think with trying to maintain my workouts and still going without coffee (which might I add has been going well up until the past 2 days. I am starting to want it again and find myself counting down the days until Easter.) I was trying to do too many things to change myself at the same time. Too much for this already multitasking momma. So I decided to just really pay attention to portion size and really focus on making healthier choices in what I eat. I started to feel better about things a few days ago when I put on a pair of jeans I have worn quite regularly were very loose!! I have been living in my track pants and such lately so I was so, so happy to make this discovery! YAY!!


So the weather this next week is calling for 50's, 60's with some rain. Hopefully the rain holds off enough for us to get out and do some trekking about. Time to fire up the old double jogger!:)

Come on Spring!