Edmund's Shoes

Edmund went camping with the Boy Scouts this weekend. Oh boy did they have fun!

Handy Man

The replacement part for my oven came! It was a joyful day, for sure. I was so excited to get the package, I think I may have startled the poor mail carrier! Chris got right to work and in no time flat, he had that oven working perfectly, again! First order of business, clean the darn thing! Then I think, perhaps, cookies need to be made.

Homework

Topher recently brought home a family homework assignment.

We were supposed to decorate this 3 foot 'kid' cut out to represent him. We had a tough time at first (not everyone was on the same page with this) but once we got in to it, it was quite fun!

We cut the front off an old pair of jeans that were quite holey in the knees. We made a "shirt" out of some fabric from the stash and glued a few buttons on the front. A belt was made from ribbon and the buckle is cardboard and a piece of pasta covered in foil. Paper cowboy boots, yarn hair and pipe cleaner glasses complete the look!

Topher has asked for a matching shirt!

Menu + A Recipe

The lower heating element in my oven stopped working. It's an easy fix but the part had to be ordered. While I wait, my crock-pot is getting a real work out. I love using my crock-pot but I have a hard time finding a variety of recipes for it. It's seems there are a lot of soup or bean recipes (which I love but the kids start to complain) or 'chicken in a cream of something soup' recipes (which all taste the same to me). I'm on a mission to find some new recipes to add to my collection.

Sunday
Lentil Soup
Crusty Bread
Chive Butter

Monday
Taco Soup
Tortilla Strips
Green Salad

Tuesday
Sweet and Sour Turkey Meatballs
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Sauteed Napa Cabbage

Wednesday
Sesame Teriyaki Chicken Thighs/Tofu
Quinoa Salad with Orange Vinaigrette

Thursday
Pasta Salad with Roasted Red Peppers
White Bean Crostini

Friday
Shrimp and Grits
Green Salad

Saturday
Leftovers

****

Taco Soup

This crock-pot recipe is a favorite of ours. I love it because it is so quick and easy, using things that I normally have on hand and the kids love it because it's like a taco in a bowl! It makes a lot and it freezes beautifully.

1 1/2 pounds ground meat (lean beef or turkey)
1 cup chopped red onion
1 envelope of taco seasoning (I use a Tbls of my own)
1 envelope of Ranch dressing mix (I use 1 Tbls of my own)
2 (15 oz) cans of whole kernel corn, undrained (I use frozen)
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, undrained
1 (15 oz) can black beans, undrained
2 (10 oz) cans of Rotel Chili Fixin's (I like this kind of Rotel for this recipe because of the extra seasonings)
12 oz light beer
1 1/2 cups of water

Cook the beef and the onions together in a medium skillet. Drain.
Combine meat mixture and the rest of the ingredients in a 5-6 quart crock-pot. Cook on low 5-6 hours.
Top with shredded cheese, diced avocado, chopped scallions, sour cream or what ever you prefer.

Makes 16 cups

Date Night

Chris and I were able to sneak away for a little while last night and go on a date. It's been too long since just the two of us went out. We had dessert and conversation with out lots of little interruptions. It was very nice and really needed. He had peach cobbler and I had blackberry.

Sick Day

Topher is home sick again today. Yesterday I kept him home - he was up all night coughing, sneezing and very stuffy. Today is pretty much the same. The flu has really been going around so I feel very blessed that we are just battling an icky cold.

Our days have been filled with things like:

-chicken noodle soup at 9:30am - eaten from the thermos because it's better that way
-many glasses of pulpy orange juice
-Curious George (the movie) - 3 times!
-drawing pictures of George
-Lara Croft
-several chapters of "Little House in the Big Woods"
-a floor littered with used tissues
-watching for the school bus to bring his brothers home (3 hours too early!)
-singing lots of made up songs
-playing secret agent and taking top secret pictures with my camera (him)
-wiping fingerprints off the camera lens when he forgets to be careful (me)
-finding Waldo
-building elaborate castles
-pretending to take a quick nap

Oh it's been fun having him home!

An Interview

1 ... 2 ... 3


I was sent this fun little meme recently and thought I would share it. If you decide to answer it, too, let me know. I'd love to see your answers!

Copy this note, ask your child the questions and write them down exactly how he or she responds.

Interviewed: Topher age 8

1. What is something mom always says to you?
"Go clean your room"

2. What makes mom happy?
"When I give her a bunch of hugs"

3. What makes mom sad?
"When I get hurt"

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
"When she tickles me, of course!"

5. What was your mom like as a child?
"I have no idea. I wasn't alive then"

6. How old is your mom?
"You know how old you are, Mom!"

7. How tall is your mom?
"I have no idea. 5 feet tall, maybe?"

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
"Be with me"

9. What does your mom do when you're not around
"I don't know, I'm not there."

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
"Having the best kids in the world"

11. What is your mom really good at?
"Cooking, of course!"

12. What is your mom not very good at?
"No way, nothing!"

13. What does your mom do for her job?
"She doesn't have one"

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
"Lasagna"

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
"She makes really good food"

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
"The mother from the Jetsons"

17. What do you and your mom do together?
"Snuggle up"

18. How are you and your mom the same?
"We are both in the same family and we both like lasagna"

19. How are you and your mom different?
"She's a girl and I'm a boy"

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
"Because she kisses me a lot!"

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go
"Home"

A (New) Favorite Meal!

for my sister, Alison

I made a great Indian inspired dinner recently and I promised my sister I would share the recipes. I have finally gotten around to writing them up.

Easy Curried Beans
Potato and Pea Samosas
Roasted Cauliflower

I made the curried beans using Christmas Limas from Rancho Gordo. They are big (huge!) dark beans with a bit of a nutty flavor and they cooked up so nice and creamy. I think the beans were even better as leftovers, too. We had them over Basmati rice for lunch.

My grocery didn't have fresh cauliflower so I took a chance with frozen. I thawed a bag of flowerets and then tossed with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. I spread it on a sheet pan and roasted at 425º, stirring occasionally. I don't remember how long, though. Just until it started to get caramelized. The frozen cauliflower worked really well.

The boys loved the samosas the best. There were a few left over and they were gobbled up at breakfast.

Potato and Pea Samosas

1 cup mashed potatoes (either use left over or cook a potato and mash)
1/2 cup petite peas
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp curry powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 sheet puff pastery
1 egg

Mix together the potato, peas, cumin, and curry powder. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Roll out the puff pastry sheet to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut in to 16 squares. Place about 1 Tbls of filling in the center of each square. Dampen the edges of the dough and then fold one corner over to the opposite side forming a triangle. Seal edges. Transfer to a baking sheet. Beat the egg in a small bowl and brush across the tops of the samosas.

Bake at 350º for 25 minutes or until golden brown.

If you make them, let me know what you think.

Day 28

Day 27

Day 26

Requested dinner:

Hamburgers with lettuce, tomato and bacon
Homemade onion rings
Tangy baked beans
Apple pie with vanilla ice cream

12!

Edmund is 12! - nearly a teenager!

A Few of My Favorite Things
By Edmund

Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Food: Anything with bacon!
Favorite Musical Group: Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne
Favorite Song: "Crazy Train" by Ozzy Osbourne, "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses, "TNT" by AC/DC, "Love in an Elevator" by Aerosmith
Favorite Movie: The Star Wars series
Favorite Sport: Skateboarding
Favorite Season: Summer
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Strawberry or Moosetracks
Favorite Subject in School: English
Favorite Number: 3
Favorite Holiday: 4th of July
Favorite Game: Monopoly
Favorite Hobby/Past Time: Drawing and Skateboarding
Favorite Book: "My Side of the Mountain" by Jean Craighead George and "In Ned's Head" by Soren Olsson
Favorite Toy: Tech Deck
Favorite Animal: Elephant

Day 25

Day 24

Making our favorite salad dressing. Recipe originally found here.

Day 23

Day 22

Day 21

Day 20

Day 19

Day 18