4everMom

Meal Plan February 3, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:35:00 +0000

There's so much talk on the news lately about this winter, or more precisely, non-winter. Personally, I'm loving it. I used to like snow. I used to not mind cold. I used to look forward to winter-like weather. Then, I became the grown up. I learned that winter brings with it power outages, risks of trees falling, ice dams and literal rivers running through my children's bedrooms, leaking windows and doors from aforementioned ice damming...I'm done. As far as I'm concerned this is the best! winter! ever!! and I hope it sets a standard for years to come.

There has been a lot of topsy-turvy-ness going on in our lives lately. Jacob and Julianna have each missed a day or two of school lately being sick, but fortunately not-too-sick. Honestly it was right on the borderline whether to send them or not, they certainly didn't have symptoms that were expressly forbidden to be in school with, it was just really nice to be able to have the option to keep them home when they're feeling punk. I'm thankful to have that choice in my life. Mark's been out of town on unexpected business trips...all this to say meal planning has been a joke. Yes, I've planned; yes, I've shopped; it's just that everything gets rearranged seemingly constantly and we haven't been using what I've planned/shopped for. Such is life. I'm learning to just go with it.

I discovered this week that a specialty grocery store in our community delivers! I am beyond excited. It has the potential to really make my life a lot easier. They charge $5 or it's free w/ a $100 order; they offer same-day delivery, it really is wonderful. I may not use it a lot in the short term, Jacob's taking a writing class near a specialty market we enjoy a lot, but once it's over it will be awesome to have this option.

The next couple of weeks, knocking on wood, here's what I'll be making around here:

Friday: leftover crockpot chicken sandwiches or out, not sure which will win out yet.
Saturday lunch: out or crockpot sandwiches, whichever didn't happen Friday.
Saturday dinner: homemade pizza**
Sunday lunch: Date! (Jacob and Julianna will be busy with a youth group activity, Mark and I will squeeze in a quick date.)
Sunday evening: Super Bowl! *Yawn*, actually, but it's a good excuse for "fun food". Only problem is I'm not really in the mood to cook 'fun food', it does tend to be labor-intensive, but I'll most likely suck it up and just do it. I know I'll be happy I did. Emeril's Roasted Asian wings, Pioneer Woman's potato skins,
Monday (dance night): chicken finger wraps
Tuesday (piano): Confetti Chicken, salad or green beans, Brussels Sprouts
Wednesday (dance night): Meatloaf, parsleyed potatoes, glazed carrots
Thursday: Macadamia and Panko Crusted cod w/orange butter sauce, rice pilaf w/apricots, sugar snap peas

Friday: Steak sandwiches, oven fries
Saturday: out
Sunday evening: spaghetti w/meat sauce, bread
Monday (dance): Chicken Noodle Soup, wheat bread
Tuesday (piano & Valentine's Day): Trisha Yearwood stuffed bell peppers, salad, bread
Wednesday (Brownies, dance): Oven-fried Chicken, sweet potatoes, Brussels Sprouts/cauliflower
Thursday: Tyler Florence's Fish Sandwiches, potato chips, cut-up veggies

Extra Recipes I'll be Making: Chocolate Granola Bars, Homemade pudding pops, Double Chocolate PB Ice Cream, Marshmallow Frosted Brownies (making for Julianna's brownie troop), Homemade Pizza rolls, Mini-Quiche. Whew, that sounds like a lot of junk, doesn't it? Well, I'm hoping the granola bars will be mostly healthy; the pudding pops will be shared amongst 6 kids so they'll each have one then they're gone; the ice cream is pure indulgence, at least I hope. :) I'll work on making snacks the rest of the days ultra-healthy.

Hope you have a good week. Check out other meal plans at Org Junkie's.

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:56:00 +0000

Organizing Junkie

This week was full of twists and turns, as life is apt to be. Several meals got rearranged, others bumped to a future time. We had unexpected leftovers, Mark traveled out of town two days, life happened. Next week, our meal plan looks like this:

Friday: ~~Turkey and Dumplings, cauliflower~~
Saturday lunch: l~~eftover buffet (does that sound better than plain old leftovers??)~~
Saturday dinner: B~~BQ Cheeseburgers, oven fries, milkshake~~
Sunday lunch: ~~Italian Antipasta Salad, Fried Ravioli~~
Sunday dinner:
Monday (dance):
Tuesday (piano):
Wednesday (dance):
Thursday: ~~Chorizo and Scrambled Egg Breakfast Tacos, home fries~~
Friday--Rebekah home!! Yay! Crockpot chicken sandwiches, Fritos, apples
Saturday lunch (jacob writing class): North Market
Saturday dinner: Gyros, tzatziki sauce, cut up veggies, cut up fruit
Sunday lunch: Homemade Pizza**
Sunday dinner: Tomato soup, grilled cheese
Monday (dance): Chef's Salads, no bake cookies, Focaccia
Tuesday (piano): Mom's Sweet and Sour Chicken, rice, green beans
Wednesday (dentist appts., dance): Crockpot chicken sandwiches
Thursday: Turkey Roulade (leftover from Thanksgiving), mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, broccoli
Friday: Homemade Pizza

Bumped:
Macadamia and Panko Crusted cod w/orange butter sauce, rice pilaf w/apricots and pecans, green beans
Meatloaf, parsleyed potatoes, glazed carrots
Chicken Cacciatore (from the freezer)

Monday Meanderings...Jan. 23

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:15:00 +0000

Family, Fun, Food. That pretty much describes our weekend. Oh, we didn't get to see all our family, that would have been wonderful, I miss seeing my mom and dad; I miss Jason & Lori, Matt & Lily, which is kind of ridiculous because they literally live rightthere; I miss Rebekah terribly (though she'll be home Friday!!!); but we did thoroughly enjoy the four of us and that's priceless.

Friday night I was finishing working and making dinner (news flash: make turkey stock out of your Thanksgiving turkey carcass then turn it into turkey & dumplings; yummy, frugal, fabulous!); I knew Mark hadn't had a chance to go to the gym yet, (he's really trying to get there regularly and strengthen those core muscles which will hopefully strengthen his back) so I asked him if he'd like to run over. Jacob and Julianna decided to go with him and swim for an hour. Bonus! I finished up working and finished reading a book (I'm working on the Harmony series by Philip Gulley, a 7 book series centering around a Quaker pastor) while I babysat dinner. Bliss. May I add there's nothing like serving dinner to people who have just spent an hour involved in vigorous physical activity, boy did they appreciate that meal!

Saturday I got up and headed out to the grocery store, the kids did homework and practiced piano, and Mark cleaned some. After all the groceries were put away we ran a few errands, came home and just relaxed. While we were chilling, I read an article in Midwest Living about a nearby town, Granville, Ohio. It sounded really neat, it's not too far, about 40 minutes and we considered running out there to check it out. In the end though we decided the kids were happily playing, happy to be chill and we'd file it away for another time. I'd been craving a good burger and a shake, a meal that for 4 can easily set you back $50 so we decided to make that for dinner. Yum! A bacon cheddar cheeseburger with shoestring onion rings on top, baked oven fries (the healthy item on the menu!) and homemade malted milkshakes. What a great way to end the evening. After bedtime Mark and I spent some time hanging out together, something we don't pause to do nearly enough. It was a perfect ending to a perfect day.

Sunday we were up and at 'em early for church and Sunday School. I'd love it if it didn't start quite so early, but it truly does make me feel like my day's off to a good start. For lunch Sunday I made toasted ravioli and Mark pulled together an antipasta starring some artisan salami's I had bought to sample the day before. We all enjoyed that meal so much! Sure, the food was good, but what was really great was the sitting together, comparing notes on the food, talking over what's going on in our lives, connecting with each other. (BTW, new recipes, and they really were wonderful. We all agreed we need to have them again, soon. I highly recommend. I've wanted to make the ravioli literally for years and always been intimidated by it. No need. Easy and delicious, win-win.) Sunday afternoon we had a rousing game of Carcassonne, definitely our best one yet, I think we're getting the hang of it, followed by Apples to Apples Jr. Hard to put in words how much I recommend this one, so easy, yet so much fun! A few loads of laundry got done in there too, enabling me to keep up on my one to two loads a day which is really making a huge difference; the days of doing 10 loads just to catch up have disappeared! We were all still so full from lunch we decided against dinner, making Sunday truly easy and relaxing. Julianna would want me to be sure to mention she won both games. :)

Sunday evening ended the way Sundays always do around here, we clean out the guinea pigs, pack up the backpacks, Julianna spends forever in the bath. :) We put away laundry, straighten the clutter, mentally and physically prepare for the week ahead.

I love weekends like this. They really restore the soul. Our next 6 weekends have plans and activities; good things, things that will definitely be enjoyed, but busy nonetheless. Weekends like this past one give me the boost I need to recharge and gear up for the busy times.

Hope your weekend was restorative too.

Meal Plan January 20, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 13:47:00 +0000


Organizing Junkie

So, I think I was meant to be rich...
I don't mind meal planning, the shopping makes me crazy but that's a time issue, (if I were rich, I wouldn't be working, there wouldn't be a time issue), but then ~~often~~ sometimes during the week when it's actually time to make dinner, I just don't feel like it. Or, I don't feel like putting the work into what I planned, or, whatever. Still, I will admit the plan helps keep me on track, I just wish I had a magic ball that would tell me what I'm actually going to be in the mood for each night of the week. :) What does any of that have to do with being rich? No clue, lost my train of thought. Still, pretty sure that's how it was meant to be. :)

Anyone relate?

Anyway, here's the plan for the next two weeks:

Friday: Turkey and Dumplings, cauliflower
Saturday lunch: leftover buffet (does that sound better than plain old leftovers??)
Saturday dinner: BBQ Cheeseburgers, oven fries, milkshakes
Sunday lunch: Italian Antipasta Salad, Fried Ravioli
Sunday dinner: Chorizo and Scrambled Egg Breakfast Tacos, home fries
Monday (dance): Chef's Salads, bread
Tuesday (piano): Chef's Salads for piano, no bake cookies; Chicken Cacciatore (from the freezer), Focaccia
Wednesday (dance): Meatloaf, parsleyed potatoes, glazed carrots
Thursday: Macadamia and Panko Crusted cod w/orange butter sauce, rice pilaf w/apricots and pecans, green beans
Friday--Rebekah home!! Yay! Crockpot chicken sandwiches, Fritos, apples
Saturday lunch (jacob writing class): North Market
Saturday dinner: Homemade Pizza**
Sunday lunch: Gyros, tzatziki sauce, cut up veggies, cut up fruit
Sunday dinner: Tomato soup, grilled cheese
Monday (dance): leftovers/pot luck
Tuesday (piano): Mom's Sweet and Sour Chicken, rice, sugar snap peas
Wednesday (dentist appts., dance): Crockpot chicken sandwiches
Thursday: Turkey Roulade (leftover from Thanksgiving), mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, broccoli
Friday: Homemade Pizza

** I'm trying out my new Artisan Bread and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day. I'm excited to give it a go. On those inevitable, I don't want to cook what I had planned, or it's not going to work, or whatever nights, when we're brainstorming what to do about dinner Jacob often says, "Homemade pizza!", with lots of enthusiasm. He has no clue that it doesn't just magically appear. :) Maybe, just maybe, with this book that could actually be a possibility. We'll see. I'll let you know what I think.

Friday's Favorite Five January 20

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 02:06:00 +0000

Living to Tell the Story

Five Favorite Things...

Julianna. I am so proud of her. So proud. She auditioned for a solo part in the dance studio's big June production. Unfortunately, she did not receive a part, and a lot of her dance friends did. When she found out she was terribly disappointed. I am so proud of how she's handling it though. She cried. Of course she did. It was definitely something she wanted very, very much. She cuddled up with me and was just sad for a while. Understandable. But then, then she drew on her inner reserves and she went off to play. She's doing okay. As I tucked her into bed she told me she was still disappointed. I told her I understood that. How could she not be? Still, I am so proud of her. She's showing me her strength. How resilient she is. How healthy she is. I am so proud to be her mom. She's disappointed, we both definitely wish it had gone another way, yet even in the face of such sadness she's demonstrating grace and strength. I'm lucky to be her mom.
Hair products! (Switching gears here) A couple of months ago when I got my hair done I decided to bite the bullet and invest in a salon shampoo and conditioner for my hair. My stylist has always maintained that it would help me maintain my color and reduce the fading that was occurring. Not a good feeling to spend a fortune on your hair and feel like it's a different color in two weeks and a different color altogether in four. I was skeptical, to say the least, that it could make much difference, after all, I used good products, I thought. Well, 9 weeks later, I have seen the light. While it doesn't make a dent in regrowth (darn!), my hair did maintain it's salon color. Worth the money.
My stand mixer. I have so many "toys" in my kitchen given to me by my parents. My mixer might be the small appliance I use the most...cookies, cakes, bread, you name it. I love to cook, I love making treats for my family, but most of all, I love the feeling I get every time I use it and I think of all the love it was given to me with. My parents are very supportive of me, my hopes, my dreams, and it warms my heart to feel that love and think of it every time I'm going about my normal tasks.
Reading. I get incredible joy and release from reading. I'm a voracious reader and will read anywhere from 2-5 books a week. It's such a pleasure! What a wonderful gift in my life to have the joy of reading. Maeve Binchy, Robyn Carr, Sherryl Woods, Sophie Kinsella, Debbie Macomber, I'm sure they're are many, many more, but these are some of my favorite authors currently.
Being a mom, my way. There's a lot of debate out there about what makes a good mother. I've got some very strong feelings on that subject, believe me. When I made the decision many, many, many years ago to become a mom, I had some pretty definite ideas about what that needed to look like for me. I am so thankful that, for the most part; and unfortunately, don't get me wrong, I'm in no way saying I'm a perfect mom, far from it; but for the most part, I've gotten to do this parenting gig exactly the way I want. When my kids snuggle up with me at the end of the day; when one of my kids has good news/bad news/questions, whatever, they want to share and they reach out to me; when I look back at my parenting journey, I am so proud, happy, blessed, pleased that I've gotten to do this my way. Most of the time I think I've got some pretty good instincts as to what will work for me, for our family, and I'm exceedingly thankful that I've been able to, and chosen to, follow them.

That's it. It's been an incredibly long day, and much as I admire my little girl's resiliency, I'm not there yet. I'm still very disappointed for her. I'm worried about some friendship issues she's experiencing. (Is walking up to a 9 year old and telling her to knock it off in no uncertain terms really off limits??) I'm exhausted from helping the 11 year old with homework that shouldn't be anywhere near as difficult as it was simply because he's terrified, unfortunately justifiably, that he's going to get marked down, yelled at, called on the carpet, for some ridiculous, inconsequential reasons. I'm tired of merely "getting by", falling more and more in the hole all the time, yet incredibly thankful that we are getting by, that the hole is there to fall into sometimes, for all the good that we do have in our lives. It's been a long week, but we're getting there, the weekend's just hours away. :)

Have a good one.

Warriors

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:24:00 +0000

If you have a 9-12 year old, chances are good you may have heard about The Warriors book series. Jacob, and a lot of his friends, absolutely love them. Jacob inhales the books, but that's really only the beginning. They play Warriors on the playground, he spends hours inventing new characters and drawing them, it permeates much of what he thinks about and chooses to do.

Now, I've allowed him to start a blog based on them, Nightstar Warrior Cat's Blog. www.nightstarwarriorcat.blogspot.com

If you know someone who's a fan of The Warriors, check it out!

Help! What Makes You Smile?

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 01:28:00 +0000

I have a friend from Julianna's dance classes, who unexpectedly lost her husband a year and a half ago. She's having a tough time, this time of year is always tough. You've got the holidays, which are very hard when you're grieving, then his birthday was in December, their anniversary was today, her birthday's Monday. I'd like to do something for her--to give her a gift for her birthday.

What makes you smile?

She has two girls, one 9, one around 14.

Any thoughts on a gift someone could hand you that you would really enjoy?

Resolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 18:41:00 +0000

I'm getting slightly better at living positively. Unfortunately it's still more of a one step forward, one (two?) step(s) back kind of thing... but I'm trying and I can see progress, so there's that...

I did have one more resolution for the upcoming year. Mark absolutely loves jambalaya and gumbo. I'm determined to learn to make a jambalaya he can enjoy. If that goes well, and if I can enjoy it as well, then I'll attempt gumbo. Honestly, neither one of these thrill me, but that's not what it's about. One of the skills I bring to our marriage, our life, is my cooking chops. I want to exercise them and use them to learn to make something that brings joy to the one who brings me so much joy.

So...I'm starting with jambalaya. Mark loves Cheesecake Factory's version, it has chicken and shrimp in it. I'll be researching and scouring for a recipe to start with. If you've got one you love, please pass it along. At this point I need all the help I can get.

(I'm very embarrassed and ashamed to admit I still haven't made him the apple dumplings. Ugh. How can that even be possible? I've made him lots of other things, including special things for his birthday, but I haven't made those and they're taking on a life of their own. I need to get to that. Soon. Is there something you've been meaning to do for someone you love that you let life get in the way?)

Friday's Favorite Five January 6

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 14:11:00 +0000

Living to Tell the Story

So, my year of living positively...how's it going? I'm making progress, I think. Tuesday, really the first day of the new year for me, as that's the day it was back to school and work for everyone, went really, really well. Yay! I thought. How easy is this going to be? Look at me! Well, as you can probably guess, change is never that easy. Wednesday was harder. Wednesday I found myself slipping into old habits. I had woken up at 4:00, could not fall back asleep, and I think that was at least in part responsible for my down-ness. Just realizing that helped. Of course, it was very late in the day when I realized it, but...

Even with being slightly down and frustrated I still made some progress. Mark had some news he was very excited about. As soon as I heard it my mind started the negative tape. The 'yeah buts'. Thankfully, they never made it from my brain to my mouth to his heart. I'm not to the point where I stop thinking them yet, but I was happy to have stopped short of expressing them. Baby steps.

Today, in short order as I am off to the grocery store for part one of my shopping, (Do you shop at multiple stores? Sometimes I think it's insane, but I really can't seem to figure out a way around it. It is what it is, I guess.) five of my favorite things:

Guinea Pigs. Who knew? Having kids for 27 years we've had our share of pets, that's for sure. Cats, dogs, turtles, fish, hermit crabs, hamsters and gerbils, we've had them. We had never made the leap to guinea pigs though. What took us so long?? Julianna's big Christmas wish from Santa was for a guinea pig. Santa came through. He brought the cage, all the supplies, and a giftcard to purchase a pig from a local pet store. We actually ended up getting two. Two kids, it made sense to me. Plus, I figured if the novelty wore off they'd at least have each other to keep them company. I'm thinking I shouldn't have worried. They're delightfully engaging, very social. Easy to take care of, so far it's working out great. I'm actually glad she asked for, and got them.
Cookbooks! I have an addiction. I admit it. I thoroughly love to get cookbooks. I have way too many, but I just can't seem (don't want) to stop. I belong to The Good Cook**, a cookbook club. I fulfilled my member obligations long ago and now a few times a year they offer almost all of their books for $8-$10. That's when they become irresistible. Plus, family recognizes my addiction and knows that a good cookbook is an excellent gift. I'm an avid reader but I don't buy the books I read, I read them too quickly and tend not to re-read. Cookbooks are different however. A good cookbook I'll read over and over again. I'll read. I'll browse. I'll reference. I love them. It used to really embarrass me, but then I realized it's okay. Cooking, you may have guessed, is something I take a lot of pride in, it's a hobby. It's what I love. Cookbooks are a natural extension of that facet of my personality. Current favorites from my newest books: Flour, All About Roasting, Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in 5 Minutes a Day, The Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, and My Family Table. Yup, definitely an addiction.
Laundry. Stick with me. Trust me, there are many times this would end up on my 5 least favorite things list. This week has been different however. This week I got all caught up over the weekend and I have maintained it all week! I've done 2-3 loads everyday and this morning I didn't even have enough for a whole load. What an incredible feeling. Now, I just need the universe to stay on an even keel so I can keep it up.
Mild winter weather. 'Nuf said. I'm sure it's causing problems for a lot of industries, but I am absolutely loving the lack of snow, ice and problems.
Mexican food for dinner. Yum! Jacob and Julianna are both having friends over that are staying for dinner, so I'm making a feast. Chicken and ground beef tacos, a new mexican rice recipe from my Cook's Illustrated Cookbook, black beans, plus plenty of planned leftovers for a couple more mexican-leaning meals in the next week. Mexican's probably my favorite cuisine right now.

Well, off to the to-do list. I hope things are going well in your world and that you're finding lots of favorite things. Check out other people's favorite five's at Susanne's.

**This is an affiliate link. However, do not join this club unless cookbooks really are your thing. You will not really see a benefit unless you stay in for a long time and buy lots of cookbooks down the road, cheap, after you fulfill your obligation. If you're a person to join, jump through the hoops you need to then quit, it will not be worth it to you.

Meal Plan January 5, 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 02:31:00 +0000

Organizing Junkie

Our cupboards are bare! The fridge is even barer. We're in a state not usually seen around here, thank goodness. Add to that the fact that the kids have a four day week this week, a four day week next week and a four day week the next week, and I decided I need to be as organized as possible for the next two weeks meal plans. I am thrilled that we've got some three day weekends coming up, even though Mark and I will still be working, it will be lovely to have J&J here, it just makes me want to plan carefully so that I'm prepared to have fun on their days off, not be doing the "what's for dinner" scramble.

I'm also trying to use up some things from the freezer and to be smart about leftovers. Hopefully I can make a dent in the grocery bill, or at least keep it in the budget range. I haven't grocery shopped in two weeks and I'll be grocery shopping for two weeks. This one could hurt. :)

Thursday: Minestrone (from the freezer), Focaccia (from Flour cookbook--I got 2 copies for Christmas, it's awesome!
Friday (J&J have friends for dinner): Ground beef and chicken tacos; mexican rice with charred tomatoes, chiles and onion; black beans
Saturday lunch: Club Sandwiches, chips
Saturday dinner (Matt & Lil): Sloppy Joes, tater tots, cut up veggies, fruit
Sunday brunch: out
Sunday dinner: date
Monday (dance, book club): Southwestern chicken salads
Tuesday (piano): Bakes Potatoes w/taco toppings, rice krispie treats
Wednesday (brownies, dance):
Thursday: Cincinnati Chili, garlic bread
Friday (no school): Green Enchiladas, rice, refried beans
Saturday lunch: ??
Saturday dinner: Crockpot Beef Sandwiches, chips, apples/veggies
Sunday lunch (Mark work): pot luck
Sunday supper: pizza?
Monday (no school, dance): leftovers, pot luck
Tuesday (piano, hair appt.) crockpot lemon chicken, best roasted potatoes ever, glazed carrots
Wednesday (dance): Turkey & Dumplings (carcass from freezer to make stock, leftover Thanksgiving turkey), broccoli, applesauce, dinner rolls
Thursday: Salmon patties, buttered noodles, creamed peas
Friday: Chicken Cacciatore (freezer), sourdough bread, pasta or polenta

What's your favorite dinner to make this time of year?

:)

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:35:00 +0000

As part of my concerted effort to find my happy:

Enjoy!

Science Fair!

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:32:00 +0000

Okay, it's that time of year, my annual plea for help with the science fair. I need projects that are engaging, appropriate for a 9 or 11 year old, are not made up of a bunch of stuff I would have absolutely no idea where to buy, and in the case of Jacob (11) are (is?) a controlled experiment.

Thoughts?

Please?

I really do stink at this. Somehow my children are highly motivated and excited once again, but I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. We've looked at books, I've poured over websites, I still really have nothing.

Help!!!!

2012...The Year of Living Positively

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 01:47:00 +0000

First of all, thank you for the supportive comments and emails. It's nice to know so many people understand and even nicer to have all the offers of a supportive ear, or I guess in this case, a supportive set of eyes. I truly appreciate it and offer it right back at you. I'm always but an email away as well.

How's 2012 treating you? So far, around here, it's going pretty well. I'm not sure I've ever felt as rested and revived as I do right at this moment. I'm about as ready for real life to return tomorrow as I could ever hope to be. Our Christmas break, while much shorter than I would have preferred was actually wonderful in every way. We stayed up too late; slept late in the mornings; ate too much stuff that wasn't good for us and too much of it not prepared at home; played; neglected almost every household chore except the necessities--laundry, dishes and an occasional swipe at the bathroom with a cleaning wipe; and it greatly benefited all of us.

Yesterday, Mark and I celebrated our 28th anniversary. Twenty-eight. Doesn't that just sound like forever?? Thankfully I mean that in a good way. I've spent a lot of time thinking about what marriage brings to me, and it's a long, long list. It's funny, I always thought we'd been happy together, and we are. I always thought we'd last, and knocking on wood, we are. I could never have appreciated all the little things that I love about marriage though...you know, the things no one could ever really tell you about marriage because you never would have believed it. It's hard for me to put into words, but I am so thankful to get to share my life with Mark. I'm so thankful to have someone to share my life with. Someone who helps make all of life's messes and trials and tribulations not so messy and trial-some and tribulatory. I know, that's not a word, but you get the idea. Anyway, 28 years. I'll not take anything for granted, life's taught me that much, but I'm thinking we've gotten into a rhythm here and I thoroughly count my blessings for him.

*****************************************************************

So, back to 2012. Are you making resolutions? I am, well one anyway. A very important one. Important to me. 2012 is going to be the year I remember how to live positively. [I can't tell you how much it scares me to write this, please Universe, I am not meaning to tempt fate here, pinky swear.]

Somewhere along the way, with all the bumps, pit-stops, and gut-busting-pot-holes we've encountered, I've lost my natural optimism. Somewhere along the way I've started seeing the glass as half-empty, I've learned to anticipate that the worst is going to happen, even worse, I'm started spreading that negative attitude. I'm drawing a line in the sand. That's never who I've been before, it's not who I want to be now.

I always used to believe that if the only problems you had in your life were financial, you were pretty lucky. The last year or two has made me rethink that. I've focused way too much on our financial temperature and not focused anywhere near enough on all the good things that are going on. I'm going to actively work to focus on all the good, good things in my life and let the rest go.

We're all healthy, at least in all the big ways.
We all get along.
We all love each other.
Our son and his family are wonderful, a blessing in every way, the fact that they would choose to live close to us is a blessing beyond measure.
Our daughter is successfully making her way towards adulthood and is staying the great person that she is. I enjoyed having her home on break thoroughly and while I will miss her like crazy now that she's back at school, I'm also blessed that she and I will work hard at staying close.
Jacob and Julianna are a blessing I never expected to have and I thank God every day that he granted me four children. I'm so glad that I get to share my life with little people who have so much of life yet to experience.
Mark, I've already carried on a bit about that one, but definitely one of my blessings.
My parents are healthy, happy and very involved in our lives.
We have a home. Not just a house, not just a building, but a cozy, warm home to share and grow in.
We have everything we truly need and many, many things we simply want.
This list could go on for pages.

It's a start. I'm going to make 2012 the year I got my happy back. What are you hoping 2012 will be?

Sounds of Silence

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 22:07:00 +0000

Anonymous. Remember the days? Back when no one even really knew for sure what a blog was, let alone that you might have one. When you watched your statistics and hoped for more and more readers. Then...

Then, you realized people you knew read your blog. Your friends, your family, maybe even your employer...

Slowly, that's silencing me.

Do I write about a difficulty with work? Not a good idea.

Do I write about what it's like to watch my parents getting older? How painful it is? How much it scares me? How much I'm not ready to lose them?

Do I write about Mark's work situation? I know, I have in the past, probably too much. It no longer seems wise, if indeed it ever was.

Do I write about how Rebekah just left, and I miss her already and I'm grieving that I know our days of having her here are numbered and I don't know how to handle that?

Do I write about something between Mark and I?

My writing can no longer be about me or for me and I don't really know how to deal with that. There are lots of things I'm struggling with, I just don't feel comfortable sharing them here anymore. Unfortunately, some of the most supportive friendships I have in my life are with my online friends, so that leaves me in a difficult, dark, silent spot. I'm guessing by the lack of updating on a lot of your blogs a lot of you are going through a similar situation.

So...I'm here. I'm mostly all right. Dealing with things that are difficult to talk about, especially where they can be read by others involved. I'm not sure what the answer is. I just wanted to take a minute to say what's going on...

Slow-Cooker Lemon-Garlic Chicken

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 02:12:00 +0000


Image from the kitchn

Win! Win! Win! Recently, while spending far too much time on Pinterest (I love it!!), I discovered an intriguing recipe for lemon-garlic chicken made in the crockpot. I bookmarked it and kept it in the back of my mind, I knew it wouldn't be long before I would want to try it. Today was the day.

See? Tuesdays. Chaos!

Tuesdays are a crazy day for me. Always. I work. J&J have piano and I make dinner for two families. I love the arrangement, I'm grateful for the arrangement, but lately 3:00 on a Tuesday finds me going a bit crazy with chaos and I've been searching for recipes that will be both delicious and bring a bit of peace. I need things that are gluten-free, preferably that can be made ahead. This recipe fits the bill perfectly.

Jacob actually requested seconds, and Jacob is not a protein eater. It is very rare for Jacob to eat one serving of protein, it's truly practically unheard of for him to ask for seconds. Not only that, he also asked me if I'll be sure to make it again--soon!

The recipe's a bit fussy at the beginning, not a problem for me as I usually have more time at the beginning of the day, plus it's the so-called fussiness that brings in the flavor.

Slow Cooker Lemon-Garlic Chicken
Mix a teaspoon or so of kosher salt with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add in some thyme, the recipe calls for fresh, next time I won't bother with that expense. For something that cooks this long and slow it's a waste. I'll go with a teaspoon of dry thyme. Add in 3 cloves of garlic, crushed. Stir together and go to town with your chicken, put it under the skin, massage it into the skin, everywhere. (Just use as much chicken as you need for your family, if you don't have enough mix, make more!)

Now, warm a tablespoon or so of olive oil in a skillet. I use my magical cast iron. Brown the chicken well. Don't rush. This imparts a lot of flavor to the finished dish. Let it get good and crispy with the skin rendering it's fat.

Place the chicken in a slow cooker.

Mix together 3T of fresh lemon juice (save the lemon rinds, you'll need them!), 2 T soy sauce, and 1/4 cup chicken broth or 1/4 cup water and a teaspoon or so of Better than Bouillon.

Now, here's another big flavor boost, take that lemon-soy mixture and pour it into the skillet you browned the chicken in and stir up all those yummy bits from the bottom of the skillet. (Bonus! It makes the pan easy to clean too!)

Pour it into the slow cooker over the chicken. Add half a head or so of garlic cloves, peeled. Throw in the lemon rinds. If you're using fresh thyme (and don't, really, it is a waste in a slow cooker), throw some more sprigs in too.

Cook on high for 4 hours (or low for 6-8. Potato, potahto). When done, I transferred the chicken and garlic to an oven-safe dish and popped it into a hot oven (400 degrees, I pan-roasted new potatoes to serve with the chicken--halved new potatoes, olive oil, kosher salt, pepper in the cast-iron skillet for an hour and a half or so--heaven!!)

Anyway, pop it into a hot oven and cook 15 minutes or so, until the chicken is a lovely golden color. This last step is completely optional, I don't think it's necessary, but I did it and I enjoyed what it brought to the final product.

Serve.

That's it. I told you, easy-peasy and delicious. It really doesn't get better than that.

Two slow cookers, dinner for two families. Easy, yummy, delicious and time to clean up the kitchen long before dinner. Definitely a dish we'll make again and again.

Stone Soup and a Really, Really Yummy Country Bread

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 14:34:00 +0000

Okay, this isn't really stone soup, but oh my goodness is it close. Really close. Literally making a delicious soup out of what I once considered garbage. I cringe when I think of all the years I carelessly pitched the turkey carcass, good-bye and good riddance. Now, it's vying for my favorite food of Thankgiving.

We're still trying to think of a name for this soup. Mark loves Cream of Carcass. Me? Not so much. Still, no matter what we call it, we all love it. Five people that enjoy the same homemade soup, in this family is definitely a win!

Now, I will admit this is not simply a soup made from garbage, a lot of really good stuff goes into it. Still, the biggest flavor boost comes from the turkey carcass and for years, that was garbage. Then, one day, I stumbled on Follow Your Bliss' Turkey Soup and I've been making a modified version ever since. Give it a try, I bet you'll love it.

[Sorry this is probably too late for a lot of you, I'll try to remember to repost next year. Still, a lot of people have turkey for Christmas, save your carcass! You can also use chicken bones, just keep a bag of them in the freezer till you've got a lot!]

For me, this soup is a 'use what you got' kind of thing. I took my turkey carcass, broken in pieces to make it easy to fit in the pot (use a big pot, I made the dreaded mistake of having to move to a bigger pot, necessitating washing two pots. *sigh*)

Add in a couple of carrots broken in pieces, a stalk or two of celery, a couple of small onions, halved. I happened to have some lemon thyme on hand, so I threw that in along with a bay leaf. Add some peppercorns (or ground pepper), some salt, 4 quarts of water, and let it go.

Yesterday was one of those days where I barely left the house, so I let mine simmer a good long time. It can take it. After it simmers (a really, really slow simmer) a while, take the bones out, take the meat off the bone and reserve, throw the bones back in and cook and cook and cook.

Sometimes I cook it two hours total, sometimes I cook it 4, 6 or even 8. Whatever fits.

When you're done, strain it well. (Don't forget to save all that luscious broth you've made, yes, I have started to strain it without a pot underneath.)

I strain mine a couple of times through a fine mesh strainer. I like a nice clear broth.

When you've got your stock to the point you want it, reserve it while you saute a couple of chopped up carrots, some chopped celery, chopped onion, whatever sounds good, in a couple of tablespoons of butter. (Warning: this is not a low-cal product, but boy is it good!)

When your veggies are crisp-tender, add a couple of tablespoons of flour. Saute that a couple of minutes, stirring constantly, to take out the 'raw flour' taste. Slowly stir your broth/stock back in. Next, add about 3/4 of a cup of wild rice and your turkey meat. Let is simmer 45 minutes or so, or until your rice is cooked to your liking.

Now, and you could skip this part, but it truly is what elevates this soup, add in 2 cups of half and half and warm through. Yuuuummmy!

Your (stone) soup is ready. Delicious. Yes, it takes a while, but it's almost all hands-off. It's perfect for when your just going to be home puttering, doing laundry, whatever. It needs your presence but not much hand-holding.

Sorry there's not really a money shot, last night was a dance night and by the time we get home it's stories and bed, no time for taking pictures. I did snag a picture of the leftovers this morning for you, straight out of the camera and straight out of the fridge!

With the soup, I made what could be the best bread I've ever made. So exciting! I was even more excited because this bread is leavened almost exclusively with sourdough starter, there's only a pinch of yeast in it. I've been cultivating my starter for months and months, but I've never been truly confident that it would work, the recipes I've used it in use plenty of yeast as back-up. Not really what I wanted, but I was too intimidated to go for a true sourdough recipe. Now, I won't look back. Again, no money shot, but here's a pic of what's leftover this morning. I'd like to point out this recipe makes two loaves, and this is what's left. Not much. It was that good.

Even before dinner we all could not stop eating this bread. The two little girls I watch love homemade bread fresh from the oven and they helped scarf some up too.

This recipe is easy-peasy, if you've been wanting a terrific country bread, give it a try. It's from the book Flour by Joanne Chang. Definitely on my Christmas list! There's a recipe for starter in the book, I simply used my fed starter.

Country Bread
1 1/2 cups (360 grams) water, at body temp
2 cups (280 grams) AP flour, plus 2-3 T for baking
2 cups (300 grams) bread flour
12 ounces (300 grams) bread sponge (sourdough starter)
pinch of active dry yeast (I used a pinch of instant yeast)
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. sugar
cornmeal for the baking sheet (I didn't have any, so I used parchment paper)

In a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook (there are hand instructions in the book), mix together the water, 2 cups of AP flour and bread flour on low for about a minute. Cover the bowl with a piece of plastic wrap and let sit about 10 minutes. This is an autolyse.

On medium-low speed, add the starter, yeast, salt and sugar to the autolyse and mix 3-4 minutes until it's all incorporated. The dough should be somewhat sticky but smooth and feel like an 'earlobe'. (My starter is much wetter than in the book, I had to add a bit more flour to get there--the book indicates you add flour if you need it stiffer, water to make it looser.)

Lightly oil a large bowl. Transfer dough to oiled bowl, turn to coat with oil. Lightly cover with oiled plastic wrap or a lint-free towel. Set aside in a warm environment (78-82 degrees is ideal, I put it in my oven with the light on), for 2-3 hours. The dough will rise a little bit (the book indicates not a lot, mine did decently), and it will feel a little loose, relaxed and somewhat sticky.

Flour your hands and work surface and turn dough out. Divide in two, shape into a ball (instructions, if needed, are in the book), (at this point you can cover shaped loaves and store in fridge overnight. Remove the next day and proceed, I simply proceeded.)

Sprinkle cornmeal on a baking sheet to keep from sticking (I put them on parchment), and place on sheet, spacing at least 3 inches apart. Cover loosely with greased plastic wrap completely and let sit at room temp 2-3 hours, or until loosened up and "relaxed". (No idea what that means.)

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 500 degrees. Make sure you allow enough time for oven to come to temp. (I put my stone in the oven as well, and preheated for an hour.)

Sprinkle tops of loaves with 2-3 T of AP flour. Slash loaves with a knife and place on baking sheet in the oven. I transferred the loaves, on the parchment, to my stone. Place a rimmed baking sheet or shallow pan filled with about 2 cups of water on the oven rack below the bread. The steam creates a moist environment for the bread. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until dark golden brown and done. (Mine were starting to seriously burn at 25 minutes. No clue why. My oven could run hot, it could have been the stone. No clue. Next time I will start checking at 18-20 minutes.)

Transfer loaves to wire racks and let cool at least an hour before serving. Once they've cooled completely store in a paper bag. Plastic will ruin the nice chewy texture. Keeps at room temp 2-3 days (so they say, ours won't last that long). Can also be frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap.

Give these a try, they truly are very easy and made for a wonderful comfort-meal dinner, especially welcoming on a cold, rainy day.

Thanksgiving Meal Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 02:05:00 +0000

Yes, I know not two hours ago I said I'd be taking a break...what can I say, a woman's prerogative and all that. I want to take a minute to document what I'm making for Thanksgiving this year. It's nice to have a record so when I look back down the road I can remember what I did and where the recipe came from.

This year, on Thanksgiving, we're having:

While we watch the Macy's Parade:
Quick breads: Cranberry-Orange Bread, Lemon Poppy-Seed Muffins, and Maple Pecan Sweet Potato Muffins. The two muffins are both from the book Great Coffe Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More by Carole Walter.

I'm also probably going to make little mini-quiches, because I love them. :)

Later on, as we move on to football, I'll put out a few cheeses, a salami, a meat stick, and some fruit.

Finally, The Meal.

Roast Turkey (brined) w/gravy
Stuffed Turkey breast (maybe this one, but I'm going to add sausage and use sourdough)
Pepperidge Farm Stuffing (in a regular & vegetarian style)
Pioneer Woman's cranberry sauce
Mashed Potatoes
The Holy Grail of Sweet Potatoes
Crockpot Green Beans cooked with ham hocks
Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta
Sweet Potato Rolls
Cornbread

Squash Casserole
Orange Jello Salad
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Vanilla and Cinnamon Ice Cream and Whipped Cream

After all that, I expect us all to be in a food coma for hours.

Hope your Thanksgiving feels blessed.

Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 23:07:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving! I am going to do my best to adhere to a break. This is going to be a hectic, crazy, wonderful week and, while I've loads to do, I am also determined to enjoy every minute of it. I'm also going to endeavor to live every minute of it. Therefore, something has to give. Multiple somethings, most likely, but one of the big ones is going to be being online and/or blogging. Hopefully, you won't see me around for a week or so.

Where will I be? Well...I've tons of cleaning I'm hoping to do, some last minute grocery shopping, putting our family room back together, picking Rebekah up from school, working, baking, cooking, hosting Thanksgiving, seeing a movie, spending time with family, including my wonderful kids, grandkids and parents, not to mention my terrific hubby...you get the point. It's probably going to look a lot like the wonderful chaos a lot of you will have going on, I hope so anyway.

I'll be back to recap it all when I pause to catch my breath, most likely in a week or so.

Take care. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and wherever you are, whatever you do, I hope you're able to feel truly blessed.

Friday's Favorite Five Nov. 18

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:15:00 +0000

One of the things I enjoy most about participating in Susanne's Friday's Fave Five is that I think about it all week long. Little things and big things that happen during the week make me pause and think. That's a good thing.

Busy morning, it's finally Friday and I've boatloads to do as I've been excelling in my personal super-power lately--procrastinating. Yesterday it really hit me that Holy! Cow! Thanksgiving's right around the corner and I had better. get. busy!!

Five things that made me especially happy this week:

My cast iron skillet. I love it. I absolutely adore my All-Clad and there truly is nothing like it. There are several pans I'm planning on buying some day, but for many things you just can't beat a cast iron skillet. Last night's pork chops browned up absolutely beautifully in it, I use my big one so often I never put it away, it resides on the top of my stove almost all the time.

1. Bonus!! After cooking your pork chops, transfer them to a plate and tent with foil. Pour ½ cup of orange juice into the pan and stir up all the crunchy bits from the bottom to deglaze. Stir in 1 tsp. Dijon mustard, ½-1tsp. crushed rosemary, and 1T brown sugar. Simmer a couple of minutes until the sauce reduces and is syrupy. Wonderful!

My own personal pest-management company. I may not have been experienced enough when my hubby asked me to marry him to look down the road at the trials and tribulations life would bring, but when they rear their little furry heads and wiggle their whiskers and drive me crazy with their ceaseless chewing, it's awesome to be able to say, "honey, there's a mouse in the house, would you please get rid of it?", and know that he will. *shudder* No baiting or disposing of things for me.
Fall. We have had an absolutely beautiful fall. Mild temps, sunshiny days filled with billowy clouds, cozy, rainy days, it's been awesome!
My children's eating habits. Two nights ago they honest-to-goodness fought over finishing the green beans--as in they each wanted more than they thought they would get. Last night it was cauliflower, they were clamoring to grab the "best" carmalized pieces. As I was prepping dinner last night I was slicing up a pear to put in with the cauliflower (browned butter + cauliflower + pear + sage = really, really good) Jacob came up and started snatching pieces. Jacob, my child who previously I could not have gotten to even taste a pear if I had paid him, was inhaling it. Then, he asked for one in his lunch today. Woohoo! Also, Jacob prefers whole grain bread, the more seeds and stuff, the more fiber-y, the better. My eating habits may not always be what they should, I promise you will never catch me lingering over dinner with my head in the vegetable bowl, but at least I've managed to raise little people that will never think of vegetables and healthy foods as punishment.
New carpet in the family room. Super-thick, super-soft, super new. :) Now, and really we should have seen this coming, we Mark will be doing an impromptu, super-quick, paint job to completely freshen up the room. I ordered a vinyl rubbings set about family that I had seen on Pinterest

and, though I know it most likely will not be completely done before

Thanksgiving, I think the room's going to be wonderfully inviting when we are done.

**Oh my goodness! Blogger's killing me today with wonky fonts. Sorry. I've tried to fix it, but it's just not feeling it. Sorry.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Help! Cleaning Question

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 19:51:00 +0000

I posted this one on Facebook too, I'm desperate y'all. I'm cleaning for Thanksgiving (I know! I'm shocked too!), and our furniture is, well, dirty. I'm talking arms of chairs, banisters, railings, etc. Wood. What do you do? Furniture polish is not doing it. I have no idea how to get this stuff clean.

Anyone??

Help!

Please.

There could be a piece of pie in it for you. ;)

Family Values

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 04:57:00 +0000

Jacob: Mom, can I talk to you, I have a problem.

Me: Sure, honey, what's up? (Expecting anything at all...you just never know what's going to follow.)

Jacob: That new boy at school. He's making me uncomfortable, he's pretty fast. I don't even know his last initial and he's already inviting me to spend the night...I mean, I don't even know him. I'm afraid though if I tell him he's moving too fast and I want him to slow down it will hurt his feelings.

Me: Yeah, you're right, it's too fast and it might hurt his feelings to say that. You can always blame things on me, just tell him there's no way your mom will let you do that. That you're not even going to be allowed to play at his house until I know more about him and know him better. Don't worry sweetheart, it's true, there's no way I would let that happen.

Jacob: Thanks. I mean, I've never even spent the night at _______'s house, and we're really good friends. I need to get to know him better, much better.

Me: Yup, no problem. It's not going to happen.

Jacob: Thanks, Mom

It's so nice when your kids know your values, respect your values, depend on your values. Hopefully this little boy will turn out to be a great kid and a good friend. At this point however, all we know is that he's being raised in a home with very different rules and values (not just illustrated by this conversation, there are other things), and slow's definitely going to be the name of the game. It was a nice reminder how much my kids count on Mark and I to have their back.

Help! Hunger Games WWYD Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 05:24:00 +0000

So, one of the tricky parts of parenting academically advanced kids is that they're often light years ahead of their chronological age. For example, Jacob has the math reasoning abilities of an 11th grader and the reading level of an 11th/12th grader. It makes things tricky. Yes, we've been down this road before, but either I've blocked it out and moved on or, more likely, literature is just different now. At least the literature he's interested in.

He'd like to read The Hunger Games and I Am Number 4. I'm having a difficult time knowing what to do. I've never read either, honestly they're not my thing and I'd rather not read them, but it makes it difficult to evaluate the appropriateness of them. It'd be much easier to have him stick with books that are age appropriate, and he does read a fair amount of those (he's super-excited to get Diary of a Wimpy Kid tomorrow), but he craves higher reading level material with more in-depth story development.

Any advice? Familiarity? Opinions?

I'm fairly certain, from what I've seen on Common Sense Media that there's no sex to worry about, (he is 11!), but of course that's not all there is to be concerned about. I worry about the subject matter being too upsetting, I worry about the violence, though, he loves the 39 Clues and the Percy Jackson series and those have more than their share. I've never been big on censoring what our kids read, we've tried to leave it at what fits their comfort level, but for some reason in this case, I'm struggling with that.

Help! What do you think?

(Julianna's right around the corner of this issue, but I'm apt to be more familiar with the material or more willing to read it myself first. I really don't have a lot of interest in the genres that grab Jacob.)

Monday, Monday

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:11:00 +0000

We just had a terrific weekend, I'd like to propose that 3-day weekends be the rule, not the exception. So restorative for the soul.

Friday, after I worked half a day, I took J&J to see Jack & Jill. Do. Not. Bother. Wow! Seriously bad movie. Thankfully, about halfway through it, the fog cleared and I realized Jacob wasn't enjoying it, Julianna wasn't enjoying it, I certainly wasn't enjoying it, what were we doing there? I asked Jacob and Julianna if they wanted to leave, they did, so we did. It didn't feel good to waste the time and money on a bad movie, but it did feel good to make a better choice. Jacob had had an appt. Friday morning, we went to lunch, left the movie, and hit the library. We were all looking forward to having Matt & Lil spend the night Friday night, but unfortunately, Lily got sick at the last minute. We were sad, but able to turn it into a good 'make the best of things' learning situation and we headed out to a local outdoor mall and window shopped and had dinner. We had a lovely time and the kids learned that even when plans go astray, things can still work out in a good way. An important lesson for us all.

Saturday, Lily was still sick. Jason generously offered to still babysit Jacob and Julianna so we could keep our plans to go see the show Rebekah was directing, but we decided instead to all go see Rebekah. We had such a great time. She's a terrific kid. Instead of doing the same-old, same-old on our trips to Athens, we decided to head to W Va, and see where we could find to go to lunch there. Even with a wrong turn and going 60 miles out of our way, we had a fabulous time. I love our family. It's hard to believe the quarter's almost over and she'll be home in a week!

Sunday brought Sunday School and program practice and way too many errands. Julianna also had her first 3 1/2 hour Nutcracker rehearsal. Looong day for her, that's for sure! It's funny how if I laid out the day for you, two trips to a toy store, a trip to a Teacher store, a trip to an Art & Education store, 2 different grocery stores, a trip to a specialty store, stop at Panera, out for "dunch", a Cub Scout committee meeting and an oil change, the day would probably sound tedious and long. Fortunately, we all had fun and it was just, well, good. It's funny to me what a difference the iPhone makes. Jacob had to go with me to one of the grocery stores last night and to pick up Julianna. That could have been no fun at all for him, instead, he had a ball, listening to all kinds of songs, he even had quite a conversation with the man at the meat counter over the awesomeness of American Pie. When he woke up this morning he told me how much fun he had last night listening to all the different music. My iPhone works its way into our lives more and more every day.

If you're local, check out Piada. Yesterday we were looking for something reasonably priced, quick, different, and good. Fortunately, Piada met every criteria. It's from the founders of Chipotle, and it is to italian "street food" what Chipotle is to mexican food. You choose from pasta, a wrap, or a salad. Then, you go down the line and choose your protein, sauce/dressing, veggie add-ons, etc. Jacob had pasta with Alfredo, artichokes, and crispy chicken (think Parmesan). He liked it, though the Alfredo was too rich for as much as they had on it. Julianna, much less adventuresome, had pasta with Pomodoro sauce (deemed too "spicy" though I did not notice that), grilled chicken, and stole a lot of Mark's zucchini and yellow squash. I had a wrap with angel hair in it (I know! I couldn't imagine it either, but the girl at the counter recommended it and it was really good), the pomodoro sauce from Julianna's pasta that was too much for her, creamy parmesan dressing, steak, feta, mozzarella and parmesan, spinach, artichokes, peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, mushrooms--are you hearing this? Plenty of fresh veggies, where else do you get at a fast food restaurant? We all enjoyed it. Best of all, the bill for the four of us, even with getting a couple of breadsticks for those who wanted them, to share, was under $24.00. We'll definitely be going back.

Well, that's the wrap up. I've got a lot percolating in my head I'm hoping to post in the next week or so. I hope you had a good weekend too. As I sad, weekends are definitely restorative to my soul and I'm very aware what a blessing that is.

Friday's Favorite Five

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 02:52:00 +0000

I'm so incredibly tired tonight. Mentally tired. Spiritually tired. Completely spent. It's hard, with so much evil in the world to keep moving forward. The Penn State scandal just sickens me, literally. I do not understand any of it. I will not waste my time trying to figure out how a man sexually assaults little boys, I know that is inexplicable, but I do not understand how so many men ignored it and failed those boys. How do they look in the mirror every day? Seriously? How do you witness a 10 year old boy being raped and leave? Not call the police? How? How do you hear about that and not call the police? How do you not punch the guys lights out? I do not understand.

A woman in our neighborhood had a close "friend" with stage 4 cancer. Months to live. She "generously" organized a fund raiser and a fund to help the family with medical expenses. Then, she helped herself to $11,000 of the fund. How do you do that? I do not understand. I am so sorry for the woman with cancer and the money that may have made things that much easier for her family, but I'm also terribly sorry for the woman who took the money's 4 children. What will kids be like to them at school? The story is all over the local news.

So many things I do not understand.

But, because I can not stay in bed all my days with my blankets pulled up over my head, no matter how tempting it may seem some days, I'm forcing myself to find 5 Favorite Things. I need to focus on the positive, it's really the only choice we have, isn't it?

Jason & Lori close by. It's hard to put into words what a blessing this is. How it feels like you've done something really right when your child, and your child's wife, would willingly choose to live literally around the corner. Jacob and Julianna walk to school almost every day with Matthew. I was driving home from conferences tonight, saw Jason outside, and was able to stop and chat for a bit. Such. a. blessing.
Speaking of conferences, I had 4 today. Four times I got to hear how well my children are doing, what a delight they are, how well things are going in every way. They're smart, they get along well with others, they have good work ethics, they're polite and respectful. I am so lucky.
Thanksgiving. It's coming fast. We're hosting and everyone's coming. We are so blessed. I spend lots of time almost every day perusing recipes, making lists, planning. I love Thanksgiving. I love cooking it, I love having family here, I love how much my kids look forward to it, I love that Rebekah will be home for it, and I love the Thanksgiving Day parade. I love that dinner will cook all day, with people popping in and out of the kitchen, nibbling, helping. I love that after dinner there will be a huge mess and everyone will jump in and help and talk and share. It will be wonderful.
My washer and dryer. Can you imagine not owning a washer and dryer? I realize there's an inherent arrogance in even asking the question. I am so lucky. I do so much laundry every week. Crazy amounts of laundry. My life is infinitely easier that my laundry room is steps away and doesn't involve getting in a car, or worse, walking long distances. I love the brand-name laundry detergents I use in way too generous quantities. I love Downy fabric softener that I use in every load. I love dressing my family in clean, soft, sweet smelling clothes that help make them feel good about themselves and sends a message to the world that someone cares about them.
Falling back. I love this time change. I even love that it gets dark early, though I'll admit on dance nights I wish it wasn't quite so dark, quite so early. I love that my kids go to bed earlier, happily, and that everyone finds it easier to get up in the morning. It won't last long, we will adjust, but for now, it's wonderful.

Well, I do feel somewhat better. It's always good to stop and look at the bright side. Check out Susanne's at Living to Tell the Story for more Friday Favorite Five's.

Quick! Question Thankgsiving WWYD Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Mom24) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 12:42:00 +0000

So, we're hosting Thanksgiving. We always do, we love to. We all look forward to it, if not all year, at least months in advance, perusing recipes, making decisions, thinking, thinking, thinking how to make as close to perfect of a Thanksgiving meal as we can.

This year the big conundrum is trying to decide what turkey to get.

Our choices:
A. Supermarket turkey--Riverside, Butterball, Honeysuckle White, etc.

Advantages: cheap (relatively), decent taste, can get a really big one!
Disadvantages: can't be brined, raised in not great conditions, possible use of antibiotics, must thaw for days and days and there's always the "is it thawed or isn't it" dance, not to mention numerous turkey baths on Thanksgiving morning after it doesn't thaw in a week!

B. Amish turkey from local, somewhat-specialty, store:

Advantages: can be brined, perhaps a step up from supermarket turkey, can get big one, perhaps not as big, will not need thawed, no antibiotics, fresh
Disadvantages: not free-range, grain fed, more expensive than cheap turkey, paying more for same thing, albeit not frozen??

C. Free-range, vegetarian fed, primo turkey

Advantages: taste(?), can be brined, raised in as good of conditions as a Thanksgiving turkey is going to get, no antibiotics or growth hormones, pure, unadulterated turkey, fresh
Disadvantages: Cost! Two and a half times supermarket turkey! would be a small(ish) turkey!

We are foodies around here, this meal is important to us, we want it to be good. Memorable. Yummy. We don't do big, fancy parties, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah are the two times we really try to shine. For some people, turkey's turkey, yawn, why are you talking about this; but for us, it's a big decision. Yes, there will be a ton of food, and there's certainly no guarantee it will be good, but we want to do everything we can to make it a meal worthy of the celebration.

What do you think? Does it really matter? Will an expensive, primo turkey really have the potential to taste better? Is it worth it?

Tell me!