This Awesome Life

A new project

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:58:00 +0000

This is a re-usable tote bag that I made from a used feed sack. I've seen them around and wanted to give a shot at making one myself. It was easy breezy, took about 45 minutes for my first attempt. I have a trunk full of feed sacks ready to go, so any free time I might have will go to these. :)

Groupon

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 13:38:00 +0000

If you haven't signed up for Groupon yet, you should. Today's deal (San Antonio area) has a deal for Rita's Natural Food Market in New Braunfels - $10 to buy $20 of groceries. I don't know about you, but I never walk out of there for less than $20.

There are great deals on Groupon every day - and the more you use it, the more Groupon bucks you earn to buy more Groupons with! AND if you get your friends to sign up, you can earn even more.

I went on today to buy the Rita's deal, prepared to spend the $10, and discovered that I have a credit because of passing the word around. This made me very happy!

SO - click here, sign up, and pass the word around! Enjoy!

Groupon is available everywhere, not just in TX, so when you sign up, just put your city in! It costs you nothing to join and the benefits a many.

Here are two of my favorite things...

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:34:00 +0000

Hello!

I have a TON of homework to do and I am always finding new and sometimes unusual ways to procrastinate, BUT I wanted to share a couple of my most recent favorite recipes - both from blogs. They are both sure fire ways to make standard foods that can sometimes be tricky.

Behold: How to make PERFECT brown rice. Read this from Pinch My Salt. It will forever change the way you cook brown rice. Trust me. :)

Fluffy Whole Wheat Biscuits. You ask yourself, what? Whole wheat biscuits? Fluffy? Try them and see. I've made these several times and they are absolutely fantastic with peach jam. Or raspberry. Or fig. Or scrambled eggs...you get the picture. Don't let the vegan thing scare you. You can always substitute with butter and milk if you have to. :) Enjoy!!!!

OK - off to hit the political journals for an article that I can write a two page response to. This little distraction was fun while it lasted.

Love to y'all!

Howdy-Do, Buckaroos!

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 14:31:00 +0000

Hello!

I wanted to check in with a little update on school and everything.

December, I completed my 2nd semester back at school. Everything went well, and I got an A in government and a C in History. C sounds bad BUT since I had attempted History before (a couple of times) I aimed for a C and got it. I worked really hard for it, too!

Since I coasted relatively smoothly through two semesters of taking two classes, I decided that in the spring semester, I'd give four classes a try. So, here I am, beginning week three, and it's a lot of hard work, a whole lot of reading and time management, but it's going well so far. I'm taking government 2 and history 2, both in person at the SAC satellite campus here in town, and I am taking world geography and intro to education online. I am really enjoying the online courses (esp. edu) because of the interactions with classmates and the professor.

Next week, I have to go to SA to pick up my internship paperwork so I can spend some time in a classroom other than mine learning lesson planning and teaching from another perspective. (Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to use my classroom for it because PPCD wasn't an option).

*****

Running has become a new passion to me. Since doing the Couch to 5K program last year, it has become a part of my life. It seems like my body craves it and I get antsy when I don't make it out. On the off days when I can't make it to the gym, I've been doing yoga. I got a great DVD called Yoga for Athletes which has 16 different sports to choose from (including running) - each sport has 12 different yoga sessions from 20-75 minutes targeting different areas that are important for the sport you choose. It's been helping me a LOT. I generally run appx 3.5 miles, three times a week. My running space is limited where I live and it gets boring sometimes, but the time to myself is priceless. My running playlist is awesome so getting out to run is a real treat.

*****

The kids are doing awesome. Olivia has blossomed into an amazing young lady now that she is in middle school. I am amazed at her every day. She is taking better care of herself, yet not falling into fads and trends that are prevalent in middle school. She is excelling in all areas and has been reunited with friends she made in the early years of elementary school.

Sophia has blossomed as well. I think after Olivia left the elementary school, Sophia has (in a way) come out of her shell and taken on some really cool activities such as choir club and student council along with library shelf elf. Her grades are awesome and she has been blessed with one of the most awesome teachers I have ever known. This has been a very exciting year for Sophia.

Danny is having a great time in 1st grade. He just had a birthday and we celebrated with (you guessed it) SUSHI! Lol! Teachers and staff at school are always praising him on his good attitude, desire to learn, and always making good choices. Those are words that warm a momma's heart!

Danny Sr and I just celebrated our 12th anniversary in December - 12 happy years and counting! I love to tell the girls all the romantic things their dad did for me in our early years. It's not that I want them to eventually choose someone just like their dad when they become interested in boys (trust me, I am not advocating it, I just want them to have expectations when the time comes) but I do want them to choose someone who truly cares about them as a person and chooses to do things to make them feel special and happy.

I hope all is going great for you, my blogland friends!

Until next time....Adios!

The Plastic Ring

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 14:45:00 +0000

In my Government class, I have a classmate who is close to my age (maybe couple years younger) who is a single mom with three kids. She and I sit near each other and have struck up a little friendship over the last 8 weeks.

She wears a little plastic ring on her right index finger. It's the kind of ring that comes out of the $.25 vending machines. I always thought it was kinda cute that she wore it so I asked her about it one day. She said when her (now) 13 year old son was 4 years old, he got it from a quarter machine at a pizza place. He opened it and gave it to her, telling her how much he loved her. She told him that she'd never, ever take it off.

It has been on her hand for 9 years, and counting.

Doesn't that just warm your heart?

There truly is nothing humanly stronger than the love of a mother.

Itchy Fingers

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 21:46:00 +0000

This glorious fall weather has my fingers itching to create something! Searched a bunch of patterns and came up with something beautiful and fairly quick. Can't wait to get started!

When it is complete, I will try to post pics. : )

Don't ask me why this is message is so vague.

Blahg

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 01:56:00 +0000

It has been way too long since I have posted on this here blog. It seems like most of my previous posts were apologetically introduced as having been a long time and blah blah blah. I guess that will once again be the case! HA!

A new school year has begun and life around here has gone from leisurely and relaxed to full on pedal to the metal. The summer was great. A friend and I did the "Couch to 5K" program. Yes, it is true. I literally went from my couch to running my first 5K this past Saturday. Yeeha! That has been a fun journey.

When school let out, we discovered the lovely Netflix on demand disc that you can play in the Wii. We sure got our money's worth from our membership. We spent many (and I mean MANY) hours watching every episode of "Heroes," "Nurse Jackie," and "Dexter." My favorite is ol' "Dexter" but we had to be careful watching that because the kids were as drawn to it as we were but we had to keep shooing them out of the room because it is highly inappropriate. I ended up going to bed way too late during summer vacation! HA!

In the end of July, we took our first family vacation in four years. We went to visit my family in Maine and Canada. Fifteen days of eating, swimming, playing, eating, eating, and did I mention, eating? I tried to exercise ONCE and didn't try again. I just went back to eating some more. Hehe! Luckily I was able to get back into the swing of things upon our return to sweltering Texas. The weather in Maine was mostly in the 70's by day and 40's to 50's by night.

It was fantastic to see my family after four years. My grandparents are my favorite people in the world besides my kids and it was simply precious to be in their presence. I cherished every second with them. And it was kinda nice to be spoiled for a little while! They fed us lobster and freshly caught fresh water trout, along with many other Canadian treats such as ployes and creton.

The children had a blast swimming, kayaking, hiking, boat riding and tubing (not our S. TX kind of "toobing" - it's hooking up a tube and pulling it behind a boat). There was no cable TV and limited Wii playing, leaving us plenty of time for outdoor activity. They enjoyed THEIR grandmother as I enjoyed my grandparents, which was a rare treat due to the distance between us. Olivia swam with a family of ducks - a momma and 6 babies! The kids even got to swim in the lake with their great-grandfather. What an experience!

When we returned from Maine, we immediately fell into the pre-school rush. The very next week I went back to work, and the kids started school a week later. First day of school for the children was also my first day of college classes for the fall semester. AHHHH! Talk about 0-60 in 5.2!!!

Cooking has taken the back burner (get it? HAHA!). I have been preparing simple meals such as sandwiches, chicken, and spaghetti. Nothing gourmet or fancy. Usually when I get home from work, I pass out for about 30 minutes before I can function, which means I have less time to prepare meals in a timely manner. That's OK. No one here is malnourished or anything. We still manage to eat healthy, just not as much variety these days.

College classes are in full swing. Government and US History are on the menu. I have tried US History before and never could digest it. Twice, actually. This professor is really interesting and is making this more interesting than I ever remember it. Gov't, on the other hand, although the professor is amazing and completely excited and fired up about it, is killing me!!! The info just doesn't stick to my brain. Could the brain be where Teflon originated? Hmmm. Possibly.

Well, here is wishing you a terrific Labor Day holiday weekend. If you haven't given up on reading this silly blog yet, thanks for sticking with it. Meanwhile I will try to come up with something more than just a story about me me me. LOL!

Peace out, YO!

I gobbled it down faster than I could get a pic...

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 01:07:00 +0000

I made some stir fry bok choy this evening. It was so good! I don't have a pic, so you'll have to trust me on how gorgeous it looked on my plate. Here's the recipe:

1/2 head of bok choy, cleaned and sliced into 1" slices, still wet from washing
1 T coconut oil
1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed
2 slices ginger, finely minced
2-3 t Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/2 t toasted sesame oil

Heat oil in a skillet, add garlic and ginger, stir for about a minute. Add bok choy, stir for a minute or two. Add Braggs and sesame oil, stir fry till greens are wilted, about a minute more.

Plate it up and enjoy! I sprinkled a little salt and crushed red pepper on top, just to season it a little more, but that is according to taste.

Have you heard of GROUPON???

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 15:37:00 +0000

I just discovered Groupon. If you haven't heard about it, it is worth checking out and signing up! Every day a new deal is offered from your nearest city. You sign up and receive the deal in your inbox every day. Recent deals in San Antonio include a year family membership to the McNay art museum for $29! I also saw a set of 10 90 minute yoga sessions for $24, a savings of $106! There are food coupons, salon and spa, membersips, and more. For every person you refer, you get groupon bucks so sign up following this link: http://www.groupon.com/r/uu1590989 and start referring your family and friends! You can't go wrong!
Enjoy!!!

Lemony Succotash Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:07:00 +0000

Spring fever has gotten a hold of me! I have been craving a bright and fresh cold salad to munch on during this perfect time of year, so I came up with this salad today. It is delicious!

For the salad:
8 oz frozen sweet yellow corn, thawed
8 oz frozen lima beans, thawed
8 oz frozen soybeans, thawed
1 red bell pepper, chopped (or 1/2 of a very large one)
4 green onions,
chopped flat leaf parsley, minced

For the dressing:
zest and juice of two lemons
2 t honey
2 t dijon mustard
dash of garlic powder
sea salt coarse
ground black pepper
1/3-1/2 c olive oil

Mix salad ingredents together in a pretty bowl. : ) In a separate bowl, whisk together lemon through seasoning, then add olive oil in a steady stream while whisking. This will emulsify the ingredients to a beautiful lemony dressing. Pour dressing over salad and stir thoroughly but gently. Let sit in the fridge or eat right away. Enjoy!

Awhile...again

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 02:08:00 +0000

I keep meaning to blog more regularly, but....

So here it is. I am six weeks into my first semester back in school. I am taking English Comp II and General Psychology. Both are great! I am loving being back in school. There is a lot of reading/research/and writing, but that's OK. I am learning a lot and my love for reading has been reawakened.

The hard part is the long days. I get up pretty early and on Tuesday and Wednesday I don't get home till 9:30, 9:45. So from Wednesday on, I am pretty exhausted. Again, that's OK because the light at the end of the veeerrryyy long tunnel will be well worth the hard work and exhaustion.

The family is doing great. Dad (who has always played a very active part in our family) has been incredibly helpful and has been picking up the slack. I appreciate him so much!

We went to the Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christie for Valentine's Day. The weather was perfect and the kids had a blast. That was our first semi-local road trip, and it went great. The kids ooohed and ahhed the whole time. I will *try* to post some pics soon!

Gonna plant some cooler weather crops this weekend and prepare for the spring planting during the 3rd week of March. I also plan to get some more baby chicks the first weekend of Spring Break. Move over, Farmville! Welcome to Esquedaville!

Well, love to you all!

Until next time.....

Grab Bag

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:50:00 +0000

Well, Hello! It's been a while since I have done some real blogging. I was kinda miffed at the situation which inspired the post in November. I wanted to blog in December, but time constraints and other situations prevented me from an all out blog post. So here I go, with a variety of topics. Some good, some bad. All catching up.

It's a new year and I am going to try to get back into regular blogging. I always feel topics bubbling up in my mind, but by the time I am by the computer, the words have been lost in the never ending whirlwind that occupies my brain.

So many things have happened in the last couple of months. I am still loving my job as a teacher's aide at my kids' school. Being there has inspired me to work on getting back into school and pursuing my degree in elementary education. Today, I went to the local San Antonio satellite campus to take care of the business of registering for classes, discussing what I need to take/retake. I found out that I am closer to an associates degree than I thought I was. That's good. I also discovered that I don't need to take this test that I thought I needed. That was great! The best news is that the Pell Grant paid my tuition in full and there is enough leftover for me to purchase any books that I need.

Now for the not so wonderful family news. On Halloween, a freecycler was giving away a puppy. He was a half chihuahua, half poodle mix named Jack. We were the first to respond to the post, so arrangements were made and on November 1st, we adopted a new furry family member. Jack was perfect for us in every way. He got along great with our other dogs and was incredibly patient and gentle with the kids. He was very playful and oh so cute! Our family immediately fell in love with the little guy. He stole our hearts quicker than a pickpocket! Sadly Jack snuck out of our home on New Year's Eve afternoon, amidst the chaos of 4 little cousins running amok. He darted into the street and was struck by a car. We have been reeling ever since. It has taken almost a full week for smiles to return to our faces. Our heart strings have been pulled, tugged, and unravelled. We have cried enough collective tears to fill a bath tub. I could go on and on about the grief that we have been experiencing, but I won't.

Do you know this is the first year that I didn't sit down and compose a list of goals and resolutions? Our life was turned upside down on NYE so I never got around to it. And you know what? That's OK. I don't think I will. I want to continually improve on all aspects in my life but I don't want it to be a resolution reserved for New Year's. I am hoping to constantly live my life purposefully and lovingly. Always.

Oh, another thing that has happened since my last regular post. Danny and I celebrated our 11th anniversary. Eleven years! Wow! In the last week, during this period of grief and sadness, our family has grown closer together. I have fallen deeper in love with this strong, beautiful man that I married. Seeing him love and protect and comfort out children (and me) has been so wonderful. Gosh, he is an amazing man. How in the world did I ever manage to catch such a great guy? I am so lucky, so blessed. I thank God every day for Danny. He's the bomb!

Well, enough playing catch up for one evening. I will try to blog more. It will be good practice for writing papers for college! HA!

Love y'all!

Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 20:22:00 +0000

I want to wish each and every one of you (YES! I mean EVERYONE) a wonderful, joyous and fulfilling holiday season.

May you and yours never let the spirit of this beautiful season slip away.

May you embrace each other with loving hugs, tender kisses, and lots of quality time together.

May you joyfully remember the special times you have shared with your loved ones who have departed the earth this year and before.

May you be abounding in patience and grace with your families, friends, and strangers during the hectic times.

May love fill your minds, hearts, and souls to the point of feeling like you will overflow, and then may you overflow with love and spill it all over the place!

May the LORD bless you and protect you. May the LORD smile on you and be gracious to you. May the LORD show you His favor and give you His peace. Num 6:24-26

Love to you, my friends!

?????

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:36:00 +0000

Dear readers,

Something has come to my attention.

Folks have been visiting my blog and taking my words to such unusual extremes, reporting back to others and attacking my character. This has been done by folks I thought were my friends. I created this blog as a record of things that go on in my life. It covers things I am interested in, such as knitting, food, my family, and my spiritual thoughts. My intentions have never been to create controversy. Simply to share myself, because that is what I do.

If you don't like what you read (I can handle that), don't read it. If you intend to cause trouble for me (this is not right, and you know it), I hereby uninvite you from this site. Unless you choose to bring up your problems with me, directly, rather than the option you have chosen, you are not welcome here.

Really, you can think what you want of me, your thoughts are your own (like mine are) but I would thank you to end this attack on my character.

I don't really have anything else to say on this matter.

My New Church

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 23:12:00 +0000

No. It's not what you may be thinking. Haven't relocated to a different set of four walls dedicated to Sunday morning worship services.

My absence from blogland hasn't been lonely. I have been absent from other parts of my life, too, including attending Sunday morning services. All this since I have begun my new job, coincidentally at the same time our former pastor resigned from our church. That in itself is not the reason, just happen to have some crazy timing.

I have been feeling more and more inspired to write a post about what has been going on in this here corner of the world, and tonight is the night. I have a long list of chores/duties ahead of me, but this has been bubbling up inside of me and I need to let it out.

My new church is the world in which I live. It has always been that way, to a point, but now, since I have a job, I have a new perspective on it. Please, if you are reading this, I am not trying to sound pious, sinless, or anything. I am making my way through this world, one step at a time, stumbling, coasting, soaring, tripping, just like everyone else. This post is to share what I have been experiencing since I have joined the workforce.

I haven't worked since 1998, at a paid job where I am away from the house. Raising my 3 kiddos till they began school - that was the single most wonderful thing that I ever dedicated my time to.

Now that I am working a full time job, early to bed, early to rise, I have a different perspective on the week. Evenings are hectic. I arrive home to collapse on the couch for 45 minutes or so, or until it's time to cook dinner. I cook, do any tidying that needs to be done, serve dinner, and then wash dishes (or Honey does, or sometimes the kids). Anyways, by the time all that is over, it's time for making our lunches for the next day, ironing, setting out clothes, signing agendas, so on and so forth. Then, tuck in the kids, say prayers, and collapse in my own bed.

Saturday mornings, we get up, do some cleaning around the house, inside and out, and get ready for some T-Ball, cheer the boy as he gives it his best shot, visit with Grandpa, eat somewhere in between all that. Come home, finish cleaning then collapse.

Sunday mornings, we have been sleeping in, staying in our jammies, having nice big family breakfasts (usually something really special) and hanging out. We play chess, bananagrams, Wii, we talk, joke, watch movies, whatever. But we do it together. Since we have no place to go, we are in no hurry, and we enjoy each other so much more than we ever did before! We are all functioning together as a family unit, we are all much more relaxed, and we laugh and smile all day long. It is bliss. And you know what? God is as present in our lives, our home on a Sunday morning as He is in church amongst great numbers of believers.

In certain ways, I sort of feel bad that this has taken precedence over attending Sunday services. I almost feel a social obligation to gather up the family and go. But in other ways, I feel so free and blessed to take this time and be in love with my family with no obligations.

I know that there are so many (I once felt this way, until quite recently) that say we should attend services, to spend time among other believers, worshipping, singing songs of praise, listening to sermons that help us to learn and grow. Well, I spend time with other believers, in a much more connected and intimate atmosphere, every single day. I sing songs of praise when I arrive at school during the most breathtaking sunrises you can imagine. I thank God every moment for the blessings of hundreds of precious children whose lives I intentionally bring love into (and whose lives enrich mine to no end), whether they need it or not. I worship God by giving extra love and affection to little ones who show up to school angry and wild and tired and excited. I gaze into the eyes of my little special needs babies and thank God for how they will always be so innocent, so normal compared to the rest of us. I walk through the halls, looking for downcast eyes so I can tell them how beautiful, how precious and wonderful they are, to bring a smile to a sad face. I put every bit of myself into everything I do. I have never felt more fulfilled, more content, more spirit filled, than I have in the last several weeks.

I miss a lot of my friends that I used to only see on Sunday mornings. However, the ones that I was closest connected to, the ones who I consider to be my family, I still see, call, text, IM, on a very regular basis. I still have community. I still read, learn, research, listen.

The bible verse that I have been striving to live by is Romans 12:1-2 - " And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

Peace and love to you as you go about your weeks!
XOXOX

Our First Day of School!

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:23:00 +0000

Some worthy notes of preparation

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:12:00 +0000

OK, so I have been getting ready for the upcoming week by preparing some foods that will make breakfast easier for my busy little family.

I have been researching making homemade granola bars. I read an article a couple of weeks ago that highlighted a few different healthy, nourishing bar recipes, but I couldn't find the page (nor could I remember the site!). I typed Granola Bars in the Windows Live search engine, and the second recipe caught my fancy. Click here to see it. They are in the cooling stage right now, but as far as I can tell, they are delicious! I didn't have sunflower seeds or peanuts, so substituted sliced almonds and flax seeds and sesame seeds. I also used dark muscovado sugar instead of brown sugar. The latest batch of local raw honey that I have is so delicious that I could drink it, so it was a nice touch. I forgot to add vanilla and salt, but I am OK with that because I enjoy the flavors of all the ingredients. For the dried fruit, I used dates.

Next on the to-do list: cook a pound of local, nitrite free bacon. The plan is to cook it and let it cool, place in a container in the fridge and heat and eat as needed. The only bummer is, we have a hen setting on a nest and there have been no eggs! (Note to self: add eggs to my grocery list).

Homemade yogurt is in the fridge. I don't make it too often, only when we don't drink our 3 gallons of raw milk in two weeks, or if some of it starts to sour. It makes the best yogurt and the girls love it. The girls and I also love oatmeal, so we can soak it over night and eat in the morning.

There is a problem. Danny Jr doesn't like bacon or yogurt or smoothies or oatmeal. He does like granola bars, but he needs another option. I am thinking, bean and cheese burritos. I can make the beans ahead of time, assemble the burritos, keep in freezer and place in the fridge the night before. Hmmm. I am brainstorming as I type. I can make some pancakes ahead of time, too. These re-heat well, and the kids can do it themselves.

Do any of you out there have any tips or hints concerning healthy food preparation for families on the go? I am new at this work thing, but I don't want to give up our healthy eating habits for it. Please comment on this post with your ideas!

It begins....

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 22:26:00 +0000

Tomorrow is the first day that students go to school! Last week was team building, meetings, and preparation for the school year.

The school year begins! My baby goes to kindergarten, and I go to work. The girls both got the teachers they wanted (no pulling strings on my part, either!). DJ's classroom is across the hall and two doors down from the classroom I'll be in. Hope I can go to the boo-hoo breakfast! I'll need it!

All this time in a school environment has encouraged me to start planning on going back to school to earn my degree. There are two options that I am considering, and will do some soul searching to decide which direction to take. Who knows, maybe in the end I'll do them both. But that won't be for years!

Have a nice week! I'll try to blog once in a while!

This is it!

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 21:42:00 +0000

Reality is setting in! Eleven years as a stay at home mom are officially over. Tomorrow morning, at 8 AM, I start my new job as a teacher's aide. It's a week full of team building, meetings, and preparation for the upcoming start of school. I am anxious, thrilled, nervous, and excited. Above all, though, I am extremely grateful.

I will keep you updated!

I HEART My Friends!

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:56:00 +0000

Need I say more?

A New Chapter in the life of...

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 21:01:00 +0000

In the last few months, I have been exploring several different "themes" to the next chapter of my life.I have made many different status plans ranging from ideas of starting my own business to a restaurant job in a highly acclaimed local restaurant, to my most recent and FINAL decision.

Last fall, I put in a resume at my children's school (KRE) to be a teacher's assistant. At the time, there was an opening in the bilingual program, which, ultimately I did not get because I am not fluent enough in Spanish. That turned out to be OK, as I embraced the opportunity to spend the last several months at home alone with my baby boy, before school let out and the girls came home for summer.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard about a job at the River House Tea Room in Gruene. I applied for it, and was hired! Even though I lack kitchen experience and formal chef training, the chef felt comfortable with me and decided to give me a chance. The first day to work was yesterday, Tuesday evening. We prepped and tested and developed recipes to introduce for the upcoming breakfast menu (she didn't serve b'fast before, only lunch 6 days and dinner on two days. This morning I went in and really proved myself to be an asset to the kitchen crew, working alongside two incredibly talented and experienced chefs. What an opportunity!

Two days ago (Monday) I received a call from the secretary at Klein Rd, inquiring for the principal if I was still interested in applying for a teacher's aide position! Imagine the nerves I was experiencing! I interviewed yesterday, on my way in to my first day at the other job, leaving there with the promise of an answer today.

I got my answer! I was offered the job as an aide in the PPCD program, special ed in the Pre-K classroom. Next week, I attend Paraprofessional Course in San Antonio from Tuesday through Friday, and I start work the following week! I get to be with my children, at their school, with their schedule. WOW! How blessed I feel right now.

I am so looking forward to being able to bring a smile into the PPCD children's lives, to spend days with them, loving on them and helping them to be independent and to learn life skills.

In case you are wondering, I called the chef and explained to her what happened, and she was so beautifully gracious, and ensured me that I could still have a job there if the school job doesn't work out. WOW.

I thank you all for your patience, support, and encouragement. HUGS!!!

As promised

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:18:00 +0000

Last Thursday was my last time to do the CSA veggie delivery. So sad. The weather has been excruciatingly hot around here, leaving our local farms with parched lands, not enough water to feed their crops hydrated, and no veggies that want to grow in this heat! Even the hot weather loving crops are slowing down.

In my last CSA bag were 3 big sweet onions, 3 purple onions, an eggplant, and 3 or 4 beautiful zucchinis. Each week I try to do something different with the squash and zucchini, and today was something new and original.

Here is the recipe for Baked Stuffed Zucchini Boats:

2 long zucchini, or 3 -4 smaller ones
1 lb ground beef
1 c uncooked brown rice, prepared according to package directions (about 3 c cooked)
1 small onion, chopped
1 t garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 c chicken broth, water, or water plus 2 t bouillon powder or cubes
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2-1 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut zucchini in half lengthwise. With a spoon, scoop out soft center and set pulp aside. Place zucchini, cut side down on a microwave safe plate, add 2 T water and cook in microwave for 4-6 minutes, depending on size. You may have to do this in two batches. Place in a 9X13 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray.

Brown beef in skillet along with chopped onions, garlic, garlic powder, and Cajun seasoning. Drain. Add to cooked brown rice, stir till combined. Beat egg in a separate bowl - add a scoop of the mixture to the beaten egg, stir (this is to temper the egg) and add back to meat/rice mixture. Spoon mixture into the hollowed out zucchini, heaping all the extra mixture on top and in between boats.

In a blender, combine 1 14.5 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and 1 c water or broth. Blend till thoroughly combined and smooth. Pour over the zucchini boats. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Enjoy! We had a salad on the side, which was a nice accompaniment.

The entire family devoured this! There are no leftovers. Even my dear brother in law, who HATES zucchini, loved this!

Bringing Back the Meal Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 02:18:00 +0000

I fell away from doing the weekly menu planning around the beginning of the year sometime. Guess I got busy, or distracted, or something! Since school is (gasp!) three weeks away, and I am about to be gainfully employed (starting Tuesday) I am going to make a huge effort to get my life more organized. This will start, of course, with my menu plan.

For the week of August 2 - August 8, my menu plan (excluding breakfast for now, till school starts) is:

Sunday - salad and baked potato
Monday - baked stuffed zucchini boats, salad
Tuesday - pot roast, potatoes and carrots
Wednesday - posole (my favorite!)
Thursday - grilled chicken and vegetables with wild rice pilaf
Friday - My birthday! I'm not cooking!!!!
Saturday - going to see Julie and Julia followed by dinner at La Madelaine!

Tuesday is a crock pot meal because it is my first day at the new job, starting at 5 PM (followed by 6 AM Wednesday)! The kids, Grandma and Dad will be able to eat dinner and have an easy time of cleaning up.

I will try to remember to take a photo and post the recipe for the baked stuffed zucchini boats tomorrow as I work on it. Think - same kinda filling as in stuffed cabbage or peppers.

My new place to post the menu plans here at home is on my little upright freezer in the kitchen. It is centrally located and highly visible. I write on it with dry erase markers, which easily wash off.

Have a wonderful week! I will post Wednesday to let you know how my first day went!

Language?

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:16:00 +0000

Danny Jr came up to me the other day, asking, "Mom, what language is BARF? Is it English or Spanish? Because PUKE is English, and BARF means PUKE, but what language is it?"

I tell you, the boy is a critical thinker!

Gourmet

noreply@blogger.com (Mellie_Blogs) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 13:05:00 +0000

Yesterday, on the way home from the bowling alley, we stopped at a local fast food joint for a snack to offset the unimaginable hunger that ensued during the one hour stay at the bowling alley (we were positioned directly in front of the snack bar, where the smell of frito pie and french fries continually wafted in our direction).

Olivia decided on getting mozzarella cheese sticks for her snack.

One bite in, she said, "Mom. When I bite into these cheese sticks, they are so delicious and cheesy and melty. It's like I am eating gourmet food!"

The girl isn't hard to impress!