Monday, May 27, 2013

Menu Monday

Monday - Homemade Pizza
Tuesday - Chicken Stir-Fry
Wednesday - Hot Dogs
Thursday - Sausage Stuffed Shells
Friday - Pan Chicken
Saturday - Deli Sandwiches
Sunday - Leftovers

Mostly I followed my plan. I picked up some ground italian sausage and used that for that stuffed shells. We ended up getting deli meat which we ate quite of bit of Saturday/Sunday.

Monday - Take-out
Tuesday - Homemade Hot Pockets
Wednesday - Pancakes
Thursday - Something Fast and Easy
Friday - Spaghetti
Saturday - Peppercini Beef Pizza
Sunday - Grilled Chicken

Thursday we might be heading out to Anaya's softball game again, which means eating dinner on the road on the way out there.

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Project Life 2013: Week 19

Week 19: May 6 - 12

Love love love this project. I am so happy to be keeping up with my memory keeping without having to pick and choose only a few stories to tell. I get to tell all our stories, easily, without spending FOREVER making pages.

I took a couple more 6 month pictures of my adorable nephew on Monday, love the one of him looking up at the camera. Our neighborhood Ice Cream truck driver knows that we're a sucker for overpriced ice cream cone and came by at least once a day during the weekend.

wk19-a
On Tuesday, Claire school had a field trip to a local farm/park. Claire LOVES this place. We go multiple times during the summer, this year she is obsessed with the idea of going fishing there. I'm not looking forward to that experience since I would be the one putting bait on the hook - yuck!

The back of the insert includes some pictures from the part of the weekend while we had Anaya. Since it was Mother's Day weekend, she went back to her mom's late Saturday night to spend Mother's Day with her mom (as she should).

wk19-b
The next page is just some pictures from Mother's Day here. We spent the day with my mom. My brother smoked a brisket and Justin & my dad brought sides so that none of the moms had to cook.

Friday, May 24, 2013

Right Now...

Right now... we've been re-watching Bones starting with Season 1, so far we're halfway through Season 2.

Right now... I've been so happy to see my garden growing. I actually have some tomato flowers blooming!

Right now... I'm trying to make going to the gym a habit (at least 4 times a week).

Right now... Claire is all done with school and Anaya has 4 more days, then it is summer time! I'm trying to figure out some fun things to around town.

Right now... we're watching a lot of Scooby-Doo. Claire LOVES it.

Right now... Anaya is playing softball again, she loves it and is enjoying the season so much!

Right now... we have become bird watchers again. Our new birdfeeder is awesome and the birdies love the food that we fill it with.

Right now... I've been reading about Elise Blaha decorating her new house and it is motivating me to figure out what I want to do with my house.

Monday, May 20, 2013

Menu Monday

Monday - Wendy's
Tuesday - Arby's
Wednesday - Frozen Leftovers
Thursday - Deli Sandwichs
Friday - Breakfast Casserole
Saturday - Deli Sandwiches
Sunday - Dinner w/ My Mom

I completely FAILED at going to the grocery store this week. Which left us with fast food during the first few days (mostly because we were being LAZY). I didn't even actually cook anything until Friday. Next week will be better...because we can't get much worse.
Monday - Homemade Pizza
Tuesday - Chicken Stir-Fry
Wednesday - Leftovers
Thursday - Beef Stuffed Shells
Friday - Chicken Enchiladas
Saturday - Hot Dogs/Bratwurst
Sunday - Pockets

We're already on track since I actually went to the grocery store on Sunday afternoon!

Friday, May 17, 2013

Around here

5-17c
5-17d
School is almost out for the year! Less than a week for Claire and two more weeks for Anaya. I'm really looking forward to summer. We've already signed Claire up for swim lessons and we got a family swim pass so that we can go to the pool, without having to stay long enough to make it worth the daily price. The Ice Cream man already knows our cul-de-sace and the one across from ours will buy Ice Cream and makes at least one trip through Friday, Saturday & Sunday.

We actually planted our vegetable garden this year. I ended up buying two tomato plants at the Farmer's Market but everything else is from seed. I'm so excited to see what will actually grow. I still need to plant the garden beans, but I'll probably get that done this weekend.

5-17b
5-17a
Anaya got Claire hooked on the Scooby-Doo, Mystery Incorporated cartoon, possibly not the most appropriate cartoon for a 4 year old, but not terrible. Then I checked out Seasons 1 & 2 of the original Scooby Doo from the library.

I joined a gym in April and have been faithfully going 4 times per week. Sometimes after my workout I treat myself to a Candy Bar Craving Smoothie, so yummy and it will fill me up until 3 or 4 in the afternoon!

Anaya is playing softball again. She has games twice a week in the evening, but we haven't gone to any yet. Once Claire is out of school so we don't have to worry as much about getting her to bed on time, we'll probably make the trek out there to see at least a couple of games.

5-17f
5-17e

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Project Life 2013: Week 18

Week 18: April 29 - May 5

Just a story, not related to the week of PL that I'm posting pictures about: This past Saturday, Project Life kits arrived at my local Hobby Lobby as soon as I knew they were there, I dragged the kids to there in hopes of getting a signed one. As were standing there and I am debating which kit to get (there weren't any signed ones), Anaya asks me, "So, why are you into Project Life all the sudden?" At which point I had to explain that it wasn't "all the sudden" it was just that this is the first time we've been able to buy it in a store!

wk18-c
This is how I plan out a project life spread. I pull out a drawing tablet (6x8") and I write a list of events that happened during the week that I KNOW I want to include. Then I sit down at my computer somewhere between Sunday night and the following Sunday night and select which pictures I want to include. Then I draw out the spread in my little 6x8 inch drawing tablet. I draw out any inserts that I'll use, mark where each picture goes and sometimes find another related picture to fill in a hole. I verify that I got all of the events - sometimes if I only have pictures from something on my phone, I'll forget. Then I drag all of my pictures into photoshop. All at once and then I wait for it to actually open them all in photoshop. Since I know at this point what sizes I need to crop each picture, it is easy to go through do any color correcting/lightening/darkening and cropping that needs to be done. I also add any text that I want on the pictures at this point. Then I upload and order them (I use my local grocery store) and then I forget about it all until I get the email saying to pick them up. Since I have my sketch, it is easy to sit down with the pictures, my kit and my drawing tablet and stick the pictures in the slots.

wk18-a
This week was crazy weather week. In the 80s on Tuesday, snowing and in the 30s on Thursday (IN MAY!). When I got home from work, Claire was insistent that we needed to go outside in the snow. We went out and I attempted to cover my garden with a sheet, then Claire said too cold, go inside.

wk18-b
On Saturday we went to a birthday party for the son of a friend. He had it at Pump It Up an inflatables play place. Claire cried for 20-30 minutes of the 2 hr party. Then we took Hudson's 6 month pictures on Sunday. He's such a big boy! And then one of our cats, Reeses, snuggled herself into a wicker basket that we use for dirty towels and I took pictures...then Claire had to get in the pictures too.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Friendship Bread: Sour Dough Variation

I read the book, Friendship Bread, a couple of months ago. Then I asked my mom for a starter, I've had one before but I got rid of it because I was done with baking every 10 days. Anyways, now I have one again and I have been experimenting with different recipes. I've gotten a lot of them from Friendship Bread Kitchen.

When it was time to bake the bread last Thursday, I decided to try the Rustic Sour Dough variation. Something a little different that wasn't a sweet bread. And it turned out delicious. I didn't think it really tasted like sour dough bread, but it was good. I read the comments and left the sugar out of the actual bread, so the only sweetness was from the starter.

bread

I divided my dough into three pans because I was worried about overflowing the pans. But I ended up with pretty short loaves, they definitely rose, but if I'd only made two loaves, I could've used it for sandwiches.

Monday, May 13, 2013

Menu Monday

Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - Chicken Stir-Fry
Wednesday - Breakfast Casserole
Thursday - Beef Stuffed Shells
Friday - Sausage & Peppers w/ Spaghetti
Saturday - Visiting the In-Laws
Sunday - Chicken Enchiladas

I have been pretty bad about menu-planning. I *sometimes* end up making a plan, but not early enough in the week to make it worthwhile.