I wear RED!
The boys have been itching and twitching to go to the town library and today was the perfect day. Actually this weekend was a library weekend. Chaz, Topher and I went yesterday while Chris and Edmund were camping and then we were back again today. There are always plenty of new books to discover!
This time we came home with:
- 2nd Chance by James Patterson
- The New Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen
- The Gluten-Free Gourmet Cooks Fast and Healthy by Bette Hagman
- Kid Style Nature Crafts by Gwen Diehm and Terry Krautwurst
- Texas Toys and Games by The Texas Folklore Society
- Tall in the Saddle by Anne Carter and David McPhail
- Eating the Plates: A Pilgrim Book of Food and Manners by Lucille Recht Penner
- Mayflower 1620 by the Plimoth Plantation
- Daily Life in the Pilgrim Colony 1636 by Paul Erikson
- We Gather Together: Celebrating the Harvest Season by Wendy Pfeffer
As well as several books on Greek Heroes and Mythology, a few on Squanto and a Calvin and Hobbes that have all been spirited off to various bedrooms for an afternoon of reading (before I had the chance to make note of the titles).
I love going to the library with the boys. They find a topic they are interested in and gather as many books as they can. Sometimes we study the same subject for several weeks before moving on to something new and equally exciting.
Chris and Edmund are off tomorrow for another night of camping with the Boy Scouts. Chaz, Topher and I have big plans for a very lazy weekend!
I'm back in the full swing of things once again! Meals are planned ahead, groceries are bought once a week (no more daily trips to the store) and dinner is on the table with out any last minute scurrying. For those of you following along at home, here's what for dinner this week.
Sunday
Beer Roasted Pork Shoulder with Pan Drippings Gravy
Crispy New Potatoes
Sauteed Red Cabbage
Monday
Parchment Baked Pesto Salmon and Vegetables
Quinoa
Tuesday
Mushroom and Garlic Frittata
Wednesday
Chunky Green Chili
Creamy Polenta
Thursday
Curried Vegetable Soup with Turkey Meatballs
Friday
Cumin Spiced Chicken and Pears
Steamed Green Beans
Saturday
Leftovers
We are 3 months in to this project so it's time for a little update. There are so many that are "in process" but these are the ones that I can confidently mark as done or on the way.
1. Find a Pediatric Ophthalmologist for Topher - done! and new glasses have been ordered
3. Join a book club - done! joined 2, actually
9. Read 5 books on my bookshelf that I have not yet read - in process! 1 book read
11. Correspond (phone, email, post) with Alison at least every other week - in process!
21. Put $2 a week (143 weeks) in my jar - in process! $24 so far
22. Sell something that I have made - done! Emily Tarantino Creates
23. Print business cards - done!
24. Design labels - done!
25. Purchase bakery boxes - on hold (rethinking my need of these)
26. Look in to a Flickr Pro account - done! and registered
42. Use the “green bags” for grocery shopping - in process! so far so good
54. Go to the rodeo - done!
71. Find a new Weight Watcher’s meeting - done!
86. Find a local farmers market - done! looking for a CSA now
95. Learn to crochet - in process! making granny squares for this
Anyone else have a list??
One of my favorite things to wear is a simple cotton shirt. I always roll the sleeves three times, making them about 3/4's length and perfect for staying out of the way while I go about my day. Sometimes I wear them alone. Sometimes I wear them with a little cami underneath. Sometimes they are solid. Sometimes a print. Sometimes even a stretch cotton. One thing is the same though, they always make me feel comfortable.
This one is probably my favorite. It's soft and broken in. It always comes out of the laundry ready for another wearing - no ironing needed! This is my "go-to" shirt, for sure.
I just realized that I've had this one for almost 20 years! It's still in perfect condition, too. (I still have the wide-wale corduroy skirt that I bought to go with the shirt. It's also in great condition. I just need to whittle my waist a bit so I can actually breathe while wearing it!)
See more of the Self Portrait Challenge here.
My boys love to help in the kitchen. They get excited about making their own sloppy PB&J's, they love the independence of pouring their milk and cereal, but most of all, they love to help make dinner.
This Saturday was Chaz's day in the kitchen. He was in charge of dinner from start to finish. He sat with his cookbooks and poured over them searching for just the right recipes. He picked out his meal and did a great job creating a nice balance and made sure all his dishes went well together.
Of the three, he is the one that enjoys being in the kitchen the most. He watches the cooking shows and takes notes. He saves his money for cookbooks. He's thinking of become a chef.
Our Menu
Garlic and Herb Angel Hair
Sesame Broccoli
Pumpkin Squares
Next was making his grocery list. He wrote everything down that he was going to need and then he and I looked through the panty and crossed off those things we already had. He and I took the rest of the list to the market. He was so proud of himself! He had his own cart and his own grocery bag. Very grown up and very independent. He carefully looked over the items he was selecting and made sure he picked exactly the one he wanted. It was not a quick trip to the store but it was a very good one.
Chaz was so happy to do somethings that he hadn't before. He cracked the eggs all on his own and didn't get any bit of shell in the mix.
He sauteed the garlic all on his own. Neither he nor the garlic were burned.
The meal was wonderful! Made even more special because of all that went in to it. Chaz was pleased with himself. I'm so proud of him!
It was a simple meal but it was a feast!
My Fall Swap package arrived this weekend. There were 80+ people signed up for this swap and partners were assigned randomly. I just happened to get matched up with someone who lives in the next town over from me! I wish I had paid closer attention in statistics class so I could figure the odds on that one! (we didn't already know each other so it didn't matter)
Robin sent a very lovely book, The Seasonal Home by Kristin Perers. This went right on the coffee table - I'll be flipping through it a lot, I'm sure! She also sent an acorn ornament (I love acorns!), a little lavender sachet, pressed leaves and flowers, a real acorn (it went right to the nature bowl!) and beads, ribbons and pom-poms along with instructions to make a funky necklace. Thank you Robin!
My package will go out tomorrow so I'll post a picture at the end of the week.
Edmund has his end-of-season baseball party last night. This one was held at a small casual family style restaurant. Once again, the boys had a good time.
In addition to handing out the trophies to the team, the team gave trophies to the coaches (which included Chris). The coaches "trophy" was a ball signed by the entire team on a stand that looked like a bronzed baseball glove. It was a really nice gesture and Chris was caught completely by surprise.
Chaz's team didn't have an official end-of-season party. The coach was going out of town so he handed out the trophies last week after a late game. That was fine with us. While we are a family that really loves our baseball, this season was a tough one and we were all happy to see it come to an end. We were on the verge of some major sports burn-out.
Baseball season has officially ended and last night Topher's team celebrated with a little party at Peter Piper Pizza. This place is any kid's dream come true - pizza, games, prizes... being loud indoors. All this plus cake and trophies, too.
The boys had loads of fun. Chris and I enjoyed ourselves. Topher was WIRED! All in all, it wasn't a bad way to spend a Thursday evening.
The boys were so excited about Halloween yesterday. Especially Topher-- "Oooo i'm so excited! I can't even WAIT!" I think he loves that he gets to walk around the neighborhood talking to people.
I had spent my weekend alone sewing costumes. Only two though. Topher insisted that he had to have a store bought costume this year. Topher ended up with a 'Dragon Ninja" costume which was a very happy compromise. He had asked to be Spiderman but I have a no mask rule. He was thrilled and spent much of the afternoon perfecting his Ninja moves.
Chaz always comes up with some sort of a clever, sometimes off the wall, costume idea. Last year he was a tornado. This year he was a Mad Scientist complete with "electrified hair" and blue prints for his secret invention rolled up in his pocket. I sacrificed a pair of sunglasses to help complete the look. I made his lab coat using a bathrobe pattern and substituting snaps for the ties and adding some extra pockets.
Edmund wanted something scary. We decided on a bit of a cross between the Grim Reaper and his idea of a Dementor from Harry Potter. I made the cape long so it dragged on the ground which was a bit of a bother in all the excitement (his friend kept stepping on it) but made for a great effect. It really billowed out behind him at times giving the illusion that he was almost floating just above the ground. The cape will get a lot of use, I'm sure. The boys have decided it would be perfect for Darth Sidious.
We went around the neighborhood with one of neighbors which was nice. It gave us a chance to chat and get to know each other a little more while walking with the boys. It was especially nice not to have to bundle up under or over our costumes! (I wore a t-shirt!). We filled our bags, came home, sorted candy, took baths and the two youngest of us were in bed all by 8:30. Perfect!
I hope your night was just as perfect.
My meal planning system has been working for me. We've had a Mom approved dinner on the table (or in the picnic basket, as the case may be) each night with out any last minute frenzies. YES! I'm so much happier and the family is well fed- everybody wins!
Sunday, they boys came home from the woods dirty, tired and hungry. I greeted them with a feast. The smells from the kitchen got their mouths watering and I was barely able to hold them off until dinner was ready.
Tonight we had a quick and fun meal to get us ready for a night of trick-or-treating. Theme dinners are a little silly at times but so much fun, too.
Saturday, Chaz cooks. He's planned the menu, picked the recipes and made his grocery list. It's going to be good, I'm sure of it.
Sunday
Roast Chicken
Roasted Root Vegetables
Pennsylvania Dutch Tea Rolls
Sour Cream Apple Pie with Streusel Topping
Monday
Sauerkraut with Bacon and Apples
Grilled Sausages
Tuesday
Chicken Soup with Mushrooms
Spinach, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Wednesday Halloween!
Mummy Dogs
Hallow-bean Salad
Surprise Orange Milk Shakes
Thursday and Friday
Baseball Team Parties
Saturday Chaz Cooks!
Garlic and Herb Angel Hair
Sesame Broccoli
Pumpkin Squares
Baseball season is coming to a close. Something that has us all cheering for a wide variety of reasons. Major League Baseball finished it's season last night with a very exciting 4 game sweep by the Red Sox (I was on the edge of my seat!) We are celebrating today and some of us can happily go to bed a little earlier now.
Little League Baseball is wrapping up tomorrow night. It's been a fun season but it's been a very hectic and overwhelming season. We are all looking forward to a little more freedom. The boys are looking forward to being able to just play. So often this Fall, they haven't been able to go out an run and play and just be. There were always games and practices to rush off to. We have two more games tonight and our final game tomorrow. Then there will be more celebrating.
A few of my favorite photos from the season:
Topher playing for the Hooks.
Edmund playing for the River Cats.
Chaz playing for the White Sox.
And just so you know - only 153 days until the official start of baseball season!
Chris and the boys are off to the woods for a weekend of camping with the Cub Scouts. I'm staying behind and I've got my own plans for the weekend. I can't wait!
Have a great weekend!
Last night was our Cub Scout Pack's annual "Feller Cake Bake". The boys always really look forward to this event. There are several categories and this year they thought they might try to win "Smallest Cake" so they made cupcakes. They each made the same basic design - skulls - but they made them as individual as they are.
Edmund's eyes were Junior Mints, the nose was 2 chocolate chips nestled closely together and he drew teeth that were a bit vampire-ish. Chaz also used the Junior Mints and chocolate chips, however he sunk them in so just the little round bottoms showed and then he made big monkey lips. Topher opted for smaller M&M eyes, only 1 chocolate chip for the nose and a more traditional skeleton mouth. They did a great job!
There were a lot of great entries, including a very realistic looking kitty litter cake! (that one took "Most Disgusting"). The boys did not win "Smallest Cake". Would you believe there was a cake the size of a thimble?? I think it may have been a little mound of frosting with a sprinkle on top. It was very cute.
We did not come home empty handed, though. The boys ended up with "Judge's Choice"! Chris and I had to nudge the boys to go up to get their award. I think they were in disbelief! We came home very excited, very proud and already planning next year's entry.
I'm getting back in to the cooking and meal planning groove. (Finally!) The kids have been helping a bit too, suggesting meals and even planning an entire meal on their own - complete with a shopping list. They are learning.
The boys are saving their dinner menus for now. They plan on doing the cooking on those nights so we are waiting for the chaos of their baseball season to end (soon!!)
This week:
Sunday
Grilled Chicken and Mozzarella Ravioli
Browned Butter and Garlic Sauce
Green Salad
Monday
Grilled Fish Tacos
Tuesday
Asparagus Orzotto
Wednesday
Thai Style Pork
Basmati Rice
Steamed Broccoli and Cauliflower
Thursday
Turkey Samosas
Chopped Salad Cups
Friday and Saturday
Chris is taking the boys camping with the Cub Scouts. I'm on my own!
*
Tonight's dinner was wonderful! It was also pretty simple and on the table within about 30 minutes (a big plus!). It uses orzo instead of rice to cut down on the cooking time.
Asparagus Orzotto
from Vegetarian Times
3 cups vegetable broth
1 Tbls olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 lbs asparagus cut in to 1 inch pieces
1 lb orzo pasta
2/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil cut in to thin strips
1 Tbls butter
Place the broth and 3 cups of water in a large glass measuring cup and heat to boiling in the microwave, about 5 minutes.
Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute 6 minutes, until tender. Add asparagus and saute about 2 minutes until bright green.
Stir in orzo and toss to coat with oil, about 2 minutes. Stir in wine and cook about 3 minutes or until liquid is almost completely absorbed, stirring constantly. Pour in 1 cup of hot broth. Cook until liquid is mostly absorbed, stirring constantly. Continue to add broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until absorbed before adding more. Stir in Parmasan cheese, butter and basil. Season with salt and pepper.
Enjoy!
It's a little odd for us to make a trip to the pumpkin patch wearing shorts and sandals. Usually we are bundled up wearing hats, mittens and coats, clutching warm cups of hot cider and bracing ourselves against the damp wind that bites our noses. We have a new home so we have new adventures.
So far this year, we have made the trip out to the pumpkin patch twice. We've gone on hay rides (and then suffered from countless chigger bites!), explored the corn maze, played in the pumpkin house, looked at (but did not feed) the horses, snacked on fresh kettle corn and carefully hunted for just the right pumpkins.
If they could, I think the boys would go to the pumpkin patch every weekend in October!
Carved tree.
Chaz and Topher being silly! (Edmund sitting behind them)
The boys.
Topher's pumpkin.
We came home with 3 large pumpkins, 2 small pumpkins, 4 bags of kettle corn, 2 jars of homemade zucchini bread and butter pickles and 1 jar of homemade fig preserves. As well as a little dirty, a little tired and very happy.
I've been playing around with a few project ideas lately. Some are hits and some (unfortunately) are misses need more tweaking.
A couple of my recent hits are these fabric corsages. I just love them! One is made with felt, a little fabric yo-yo, and some baby rick rack and the other is fabric scraps cut in strips. Both are topped with a pretty little button. These were sent off to two very special people and I hope they have fun with them. Another picture here
I know I'll be making more of these. I see Fall fabrics, or even Christmas colors. The possibilities are endless. Maybe I'll add some to the shop.
UGH! UGH! UGH! My blog header suddenly just dissapeared! I can't figure out how to get it back - nothing I do seems to work. If there is anyone that might be able to offer up some words of wisdom, I would really really appreciate it!
In the mean time, I'm very very frustrated!
Here's a wonderful recipe from last week's menu. It was a HUGE hit with everyone! Chris and I had a little Sake with ours. So good!
Seared Beef Soup
8 oz angel hair pasta, cooked al dente
1.25 lbs beef sirlion cut in 1 in pieces
2 Tbls olive oil
10 oz sliced mushrooms (your favorite variety)
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups beef stock
3 Tbls soy sauce
2 tsp rice wine vinegar
2 carrots, julliened
1/2 head Napa cabbage, shredded
2 scallions thinly sliced
1 cup bean sprouts
Season beef with a little salt and pepper and 1 Tbls olive oil. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, sear beef until nicely browned. Remove the beef and set it aside. Reduce the heat to medium, add remaining oil, mushrooms and garlic. Cook until tender, scraping up any browned beef bits. Add stock, soy sauce, and vinegar and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in carrots, cabbage, scallions and bean sprouts. Then add beef and noodles.
Enjoy!
Dinner has been a real struggle around here lately. I just can't seem to get back in to a good meal planning routine. The boys are all playing Fall baseball and they have pretty intense schedules (another issue I have!). We have to eat on the go 5(!) nights a week and the other two nights usually have to be quick cook meals. Because of this, I am making far too many trips to the grocery store which, really, is just a waste of my time (and more money spent than is necessary).
I've been given a few well intentioned tricks and tips but they all involve frozen meals and take-out. I just can't do that - especially not 5 times a week! Dinner time is so important to me - it's family time. and I NEED to cook for my family.
Fall ball is winding down, our schedules are easing up, the weather is cooling off (just slightly) and I'm starting to get my mojo back. I printed a copy of the week's calendar (I keep our calendar on the computer, color coded and always open) and marked the types of meals we need each night - on the go, quick cook, crockpot, etc. Then I pulled out a couple of my favorite, never-let-me-down cookbooks and filled it in. Finally, I made a grocery list from my menu. The menu is posted on the fridge and I am able to look at it each morning and figure out what I can prep ahead while I clean up the breakfast dishes. So far, so good! I'm also going to keep my weekly menus in a notebook so I can refer back to them. Less work for me later!
*If anyone has an tips, tricks or meal suggestions (especially on the go ideas), I would really love them!
Here is this week's menu:
Sunday
Chili Cheese Dogs
Fries
Raw Veggies
Monday
Roasted Corn and Veggie Quesadillas
Tossed Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
Tuesday
Salisbury Steaks with Wild Mushroom and Onion Gravy
Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Asparagus
Wednesday
Pizza Night
Thursday
Pretzel Crusted Chicken Tenders with
Chipotle Dipping Sauce
Roasted Veggie Chips
Friday
Barley Beef Soup
Buttermilk Potato Bread
Saturday
Our plans were up in the air until last night. I'll figure this one out today.
The shop is now officially open for business! I am so very excited about this new adventure. I've started small but I've got plans....
Please stop by, say "hi" and let me know what you think.
Today was library day again. I'm still making the trip alone. Don't worry about the boys, though. They visit the library one, sometimes two, days a week at school. Our schedule will ease up (it's fall baseball season) in just a few weeks and we will be able to resume our family visits. (yay!)
I'm really trying to get caught up on my book club reading right now. (It's a struggle.) With this in mind, I came home with just one book today. My library haul for the week is simply Complete Guide to Embroidery Stitches by Reader's Digest. It's been quite a few years since I've done any real embroidery but I recently felt very inspired by so many wonderful embroidered pieces that I have been seeing. I started a small project and then decided to refresh myself with some of the "fancier" stitches.
This one is going on my wish list.
Another pattern from Amy's book. Have I mentioned that I really love this book?! I actually wasn't planning on getting this book at all. I don't have babies or little girls to sew for and I figured I already knew how to make napkins and aprons and such. However, every time I ventured over to the book store, I found myself flipping through it. Then I started looking at all the great finished projects posted in the flickr pool. Well one thing always leads to another and in this case, that means I, of course, bought the book.
This is the Scalloped Baby Blanket made to throw across the couch. I used 1 1/2 yards of 45 inch wide cotton with flannel between the layers. This made it just the right size for snuggling up. I didn't preshrink my fabric before sewing, opting instead to wash it after it was completed. The blanket came out out all crinkly and soft. I'm planning on making a few several more -- for the livingroom, for gifts, as a picnic blanket, etc...
My baby is 7 today! I suppose he's not really a "baby" anymore - but he's still my baby!
The weather here in Texas may not say "Fall" but the calendar does and that has got me thinking about corduroy. It's much too hot for corduroy clothing but a new bag is just the thing. This was made using the Charming Handbag pattern from Amy Karol's book, Bend-the-Rules Sewing. (I LOVE this book!)
I enlarged the pattern by 150% to make it just a bit bigger. (Not a lot bigger but enough) I also added a divided pocket inside. I made it to fit my cell phone but my phone kind up pulls the lining down in a funny way. It's still a handy little pocket though. I made the straps the length specified and when the bag cinches up, it fits perfectly over my shoulder. (Oh and the velvet ribbon is not as bright as it appears in the photos)
I really like this bag and I am sure I'll be making more!
(action shot -- at baseball practice)
The boys are thrilled that we now live in a neighborhood (as opposed to just a house on a street). We have sidewalks here and bike paths and a playground around the corner. There are also a lot of other kids in the neighborhood and very little traffic. (another welcome change for us!).
Most afternoons my bell rings and someone is looking for Edmund. These boys travel in a pack and I love seeing them out there. They are always up to something. Sometimes it's a touch football game across the front yards or maybe a game of pick up basketball in a driveway. It might be baseball in the cul-de-sac or just bikes and scooters around the neighborhood.
It doesn't really matter what they are doing, though. They are being boys and they are having fun!
