The At-Home Life

Ants!

2008-05-06T13:12:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago I noticed small black ants crawling around in my dining room. I vacuumed, mopped, put down black pepper around the door frame and windows and...moved them into the kitchen. So when Hubby got home, we waged all out war on the ants. First, deep cleaning. Second, caulking some places (around some cabinets, the counter) we saw the ants hiding. Third, bug spray, carefully applied where needed. And voila, the ants were gone.

Now we have large, black, ant-looking bugs with wings in the kitchen.

A small amount of watching these bugs lead me to the culprit - a drafty window. Many of the windows in our house are (most likely) the house's original windows, and the ones in the kitchen are no exception. They are drafty, but until today I didn't know it was because the glass in one of the windows is at least one-half inch away from the frame at the bottom. The bugs were flying in and out of my kitchen through there.

So, I caulked it. Caulked it good.

Now I have caulk on my finger, but the bugs are gone (I vacuumed up the ones that were already in the kitchen) and I am victorious.

The return of Menu Plan Monday...for me

2008-05-05T09:15:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since I've participated in Menu Plan Monday, but I really need to get back into the swing of it. Hubby is home from his Army training (Yay!), but since he got home we've been eating out. A lot. It's bad on the budget and the waistline. I'm also trying to cook out of my pantry and freezer this week. Anyway, onto the menu.

Monday - Chicken florentine casserole, rice, veggie, bread
Tuesday - Crockpot tamale pie, rice, bread
Wednesday - Baked ham, scalloped potatoes, crockpot macaroni and cheese (recipe at end of post), veggie, rolls
Thursday - Crockpot lentil soup, bread
Friday - Noodles with ham and mushrooms, veggie, bread
Saturday - Scrambled eggs with ham, muffins/toast
Sunday - Potato soup, bread

Crockpot Mac 'n' Cheese

3 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I use cheddar and mozzarella or jack)

2 eggs, beaten

1 (12-oz) can evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups milk

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp dry mustard

1/2 tsp black pepper

8 oz small shell pasta, uncooked

Whisk together eggs, milks and seasonings. Stir in pasta and 3 cups cheese. Pour into a greased crockpot, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook on LOW 4 hours or until pasta is tender.

For more menu plans and menu planning tips, head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Earthquake!

2008-04-18T10:33:00.002-04:00

This morning (5:40 or so) I was awakened by the bed shaking. Before I figured out what was happening, it was over and I was laying back down to go back to sleep. After a moment I heard little feet on the bedroom stairs and into the room pops Little Boy.

"Mama, something's shaking our beds and we want to know if we can watch a movie."

So I went downstair to tuck them back in, let them know they were not to get out of bed, and reasure them that whatever it was had passed. It was sometime around then that the word "earthquake" popped into my head, so I flipped on the tv and sure enough, the boys and I had felt an earthquake. In Indiana.

Man.

Hubby is so missing out on the exciting things.

Earthquake shakes Indiana, startles area residents
April 18, 2008 08:28 AM EDT
More on WISHTV.com
(The Republic/Wire Reports) - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 struck the Midwest at 5:30 a.m. today, startling residents across Bartholomew and surrounding counties who felt their houses rattle.
The USGS Web site says the quake was centered near West Salem, Illinois, or about 40 miles northwest of Evansville, Indiana.
The earthquake was felt as far north as Kokomo, Rochester and Warsaw in Indiana, as well as in Evansville and Indianapolis. It shook tall buildings in downtown Indianapolis.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage in Bartholomew County.
Local dispatchers were flooded with calls in a 45 minute period from 5:38 a.m. until 6:15 a.m.
The four dispatchers on duty received 132 calls from residents with concerns ranging from an aircraft crash to a pipeline explosion, said Ed Reuter, director of Bartholomew County Emergency Operations Center.
"There was no idea what was going on," Reuter said.
He said he was at home asleep and thought a truck had hit his house.
At one point, all 20 incoming 911 and administrative lines were ringing.
"They couldn't keep up with all 20 lines going at once," Reuter said.
The Indiana State Police post in Versailles, which covers Decatur County, has issued a release saying no official reports of damage have been received.
Florence Finley of Edinburgh said the quake awoke her with concerns that someone might have broken into her house.
Finley, who lives alone, said she had her bedroom door shut and heard noise throughout her house.
"Then all the sudden, it felt like someone trying to get through my bedroom door," Finley said. "Then my bed started shaking. It really scared me."
Finley said she checked up and down her hallway for intruders and turned on the television to see the breaking news.
"It kind of relieved me that no one was in my house," she said.
Janet Howe, who lives in a mobile home at Candlelight Village, said she and her husband were awake talking when the quake hit.
"I thought my dog was under the chair scratching, so I turned around to yell at her, and she was just looking at me all puzzled," Howe said. "Then I thought maybe some wild creature had gotten in."
She said she saw no damage to the mobile homes around Candlelight.
"It was rocking and rolling there for a few seconds," Howe said.

Earthquake: 'My heart is still pounding,' area resident says
April 18, 2008 08:24 AM EDT
JOHNSON COUNTY, Ind. (The Johnson County Daily Journal) - An earthquake jolted Central Indiana this morning, waking residents and shaking homes.
Aftershocks are being reported.
No damage has been reported in Indiana after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 struck the midwest Friday morning.
Morgantown resident Brenda Maulden felt the earthquake as she was reading the newspaper and called the experience scary.
"I've lived in Central Indiana all my life and this is the third time I've felt a quake," she wrote in a 6 a.m. e-mail to the Daily Journal.
"The rumbling started small at first, and I heard objects rattling in the cabinets. Then it intensified and the whole house shuttered," she wrote.
She said the earthquake woke her husband up.
"Fifteen minutes later and my heart is still pounding. Feeling a quake is something that you don't forget," she wrote.
The Johnson County Sheriff's Office reported getting numerous phone calls after the quake. As of 7:30 a.m., no one had reported any damage, according to the sheriff's office.
The U.S. Geological Survey Web site said the quake was centered near West Salem, Illinois, or about 40 miles northwest of Evansville, Indiana.
Authorities in Evansville, Vincennes and Terre Haute said they recieved no reports of damage or injuries.
``The things on my curio were rattling and the water in the fish bowl was splashing,' said Seymour waitress Kelly Bolte. ``It felt like the dog was running through the house.'
Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. Todd Ringle of the Evansville post said he was shaken out of his bed by the earthquake.
Another Evansville resident said he felt a rolling motion from the earthquake.
The earthquake was felt as far away as South Bend and Fort Wayne in Indiana. It shook tall buildings and rattled windows in downtown Indianapolis.

To tide you over

2008-04-17T11:32:00.001-04:00

Just in case anyone actually stops by here, I thought I'd post a little something to see. Life's been hectic and I haven't had much time to blog lately.

My Escapee

2008-04-10T10:42:00.002-04:00

I came downstairs this morning to find the Princess waiting for me in the living room. She somehow escaped her crib this morning for the first time. I'm not sure how she did it. The slats in her crib are completely smooth instead of that Jenny Lind style. I'm also not sure how she hit the ground because had she fallen off the side of the crib she would have hurt herself and I'd have heard her crying, but I don't think she could have scaled the side of the crib. It's a mystery.

MPM : April 5 - 11

2008-04-06T17:57:00.007-04:00

Another week without Hubby, and we have quite a bit of lunchmeat and leftovers in the fridge to eat through, so this week I've tried to plan meals that won't make many leftovers. At the bottom of the post is one of my go-to recipes for bread in the breadmaker. For more menus and menu planning tips, visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Saturday - Pizza at my parents
Sunday - Sandwiches
Monday - L/O chicken and rice, bread, green beans
Tuesday - Mushroom burgers, potato wedges, veggie
Wednesday - Lentil quiche, bread, veggie
Thursday - Fish fillets, mashed potatoes, bread, veggie
Friday - Cauliflower soup, bread

Flax and Sunflower Seed Bread

1 1/3 cups water
2 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 cups whole wheat flour

1/3 cup rye flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1 teaspoon breadmaker or instant yeast

Layer all ingredients in breadmaker, starting with water and ending with yeast. Do not put yeast and salt together. Select basic white cycle or dough cycle. If using basic white cycle, remove loaf from breadmaker when machine beeps and cool on rack. If using dough cycle, when machine beeps remove dough, kneed briefly to de-gas, and form into a loaf. Place in a 9-in loaf pan, cover and allow to rise until double, about 30 minutes. Bake in a 350* oven for 25-40 minutes, or until bottom of loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

MPM : 29 March - 4 April

2008-03-31T09:00:00.006-04:00

It's Monday again, so it's time for Menu Plan Monday, hosted by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Head over there if you want to see more menus and menu planning tips.

Hubby is still gone, so we're doing another week of kid-friendly dining at my house. Frankly, all this kid-friendly stuff is both fun and boring. I know how to cook all of it and it's all easy stuff, but at the same time none of it is a culinary challenge. I wonder how long it's going to take to get back into the swing of cooking when Hubby gets home. Anyway, on to the menu.

Saturday - Out to Olive Garden with a friend
Sunday - Dinner at my sister-in-law's house
Monday - Baked fish, spicy rice pilaf, cooked carrots, bread
Tuesday - Chicken and gravy, rice, veggie, bread
Wednesday - Potato soup (recipe at end of post), bread
Thursday - Spaghetti with this sauce, bread
Friday - 1-Dish chicken pot pie, parmesan rice

This soup recipe is something my mom made all the time when I was a kid, but I never made until recently. I've vowed to have it more often because 1) it's easy, 2) it's cheap, 3) it tastes so yummy!

Easiest Potato Soup Ever

5 pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

water

salt and pepper

Put potatoes, onion and garlic in a soup pot and add water to just cover. Turn heat to medium-high, cover pot and bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer until potatoes are fall-apart tender, about 30 minutes. Do Not Drain! Turn heat off and mash potatoes in pot until soup is the consistancy you want. Salt and pepper to taste. I like to top each bowl with cheese.

On a visit to the doctor's office

2008-03-28T21:36:00.002-04:00

We had to go to the doctor today for Little Boy. His eye has been red and a little swollen for two days now, and I was afraid he had pinkeye. He doesn't have pinkeye, but he does have an eye infection and we were given a round of antibiotic drops to clear it up, which were not all that easy to come by as apparently grocery store pharmacies don't carry this kind of drops. Anyway, I want to end this post with a comment from Little Boy himself.

Doctor : What's wrong with your eye?
LB : It got some red in it!
Doctor : Where do you think it came from?
LB : I think I fell down too much last week.

You Can Childproof Your Home, But They'll Still Get In

2008-03-27T13:31:00.003-04:00

From introduction:

Child development professionals categorize children into two main
groups:
(A) Naturally compliant, obedient, well-mannered children
(B)
Yours

You Can Childproof Your Home, but They'll Still Get In by Dave Meurer is a very funny book. Meurer is just a dad, not a "parenting professional", and instead of giving a lot of advice that doesn't work with the average family he relays stories of his own children growing up and gives the occasional bit of parenting wisdom, such as praying for your kids. Some of the chapters are funnier than others, and a few (like the chapter on how he dealt with the tragedy of September 11th) aren't funny at all, but this is still a good book to read when you need a quick laugh about this job of parenting.

Other books by Dave Muerer:
Good Spousekeeping
If You Want Breakfast in Bed, Sleep in the Kitchen

Flowers From My Beloved

2008-03-25T09:49:00.003-04:00

Yesterday morning afforded me a wonderful suprise - a vase of bright yellow daffoldils just about to open. My immediate thought upon seeing them was, as it always is, "Who sent me flowers?" And then I felt dumb.

Every time he'd been deployed, Hubby has managed to get flowers sent to me at some point during his absence so I wouldn't feel too alone. This time I know who his helper was because I saw my sister-in-law's name on the line next to mine on the florist's delivery sheet.

Sadly, I can't show you a picture of my beautiful flowers because the batteries I found for my camera are allowing me to take one picture per battery change, and I can't find any more. I did take some pictures, though, with the camera and my cell phone, to show Hubby when he gets home.

One week down, four more (and hopefully no more than that, but who knows) to go.

MPM : March 22 - 28

2008-03-24T09:40:00.000-04:00

Welcome to another Menu Plan Monday, hosted by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie! Like last week, my menu is very kid-friendly because Hubby is out of town with the Army Nat'l Guard. I plan my menus from Saturday until Friday because I like to grocery shop on Fridays.

Saturday - family birthday party
Sunday - Easter dinner at my parents' house
Monday - Vegetable beef soup, bread
Tuesday - Creamed tuna and peas, rice, bread
Wednesday - Chicken stroganoff, rice, veggie, bread
Thursday - Spaghetti with this sauce, garlic toast, veggie
Friday - Lentil quiche, bread, veggie

And here is a recipe for one of my kid's favorite breakfast treats, raisin bran muffins.

Raisin Bran Muffins

1 1/2 cups wheat bran OR 3/4 cup wheat bran and 3/4 cup oat bran
1 cup buttermilk OR 1 cup milk with 1 Tbsp vinegar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins

Mix together bran and buttermilk and let stand for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 375* and grease muffin tin. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir oil, egg, sugar and vanilla into bran mixture until well combined, then stir in flour mixture. Stir in raisins and spoon the batter into muffin cups. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center muffin comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.

Saturday Stirrings - Cauliflower & Cheese Soup

2008-03-22T10:20:00.000-04:00

This is one of my family's absolute favorite recipes. Soup is always good during the winter and early spring (although we eat it all year 'round) and it's a great way to eat your veggies. There's a bit of prep work in this recipe, but it's worth it.

Cauliflower & Cheese Soup

1 head cauliflower, chopped

3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

3 carrots, peeled and diced

3-4 stalks celery, diced

1 medium onion, minced fine

1 Tbsp garlic, minced

2 tsp thyme

3 cans chicken broth

1 can evaporated milk

2 cups cheese (I use cheddar, but almost any kind works)

Mix all ingredients except milk and cheese in a dutch oven or stockpot. Cover, bring to a boil and cook until potatoes and carrots are very tender, about 40 minutes. Mash veggies with a potato masher until only small chunks remain. Stir in milk and cheese, stirring until cheese melts, then taste. Season with salt and pepper as you like and thin with milk if needed.

For more recipes, including a really cool cookie recipe to teach kids about Easter, visit It Coulda' Been Worse.

Book Review - Tiger Lillie

2008-03-21T16:40:00.003-04:00

This is my first time trying to review a book, so please bear with me.

Tiger Lillie by Lisa Samson centers around Lillie Bauer, a thirty-two year old single Christian woman who runs a wedding planning service called Extreme Weddings. She wants to get married herself, but bad dates and memories of an old flame have kept her from finding "the one". As the book progresses, she deals with concern and fears for her sister (whose own story is told in flashbacks), facing the memories of her old boyfriend and the emotions that go with them, and finding both friendship and love with an interesting set of characters.

This is the second time I've read this book, and I loved it both time. The comparison between Lillie's parent's loving marriage and her sister's abusive marriage is striking, and Samson lets the reader draw it themselves instead of making obvious comments. As Lillie's sister tells her story through flashbacks the book builds a good amount of suspense, leading to a bittersweet ending.

Other books by Lisa Samson:
Women's Intuition
Quaker Summer
Embrace Me

Spring Reading 2008

2008-03-20T12:04:00.004-04:00

Katrina over at Callapidder Days is hosting a Spring Reading Thing 2008, challenging bloggers to post the books we want to read during spring (20 March through 19 June) and possibly review them when we're finished. Since I read a lot anyway, and since Hubby just left for his training with the National Guard and gave me a lot of totally free evenings, this is something I can easily participate in. Here's my list, in no order at all.

- Tiger Lilly by Lisa Samson. I've read this before and actually started it last night. This is an amazing book by an amazing author. Finished.
- A Grief Observed by C. S. Lewis. I started this once and we moved half-way through my reading, it got packed and I never finished it.
- Reflections on the Psalms by C. S. Lewis. Another book I've read before, this one is a real thinker (like most of his books) and I feel compelled to read it again.
- Miss Invisible by Laura Jensen Walker. I started it, got about two chapters in, then put it down. I'm going to finish it. Finished.
- You Can Childproof Your Home, But They'll Still Get In by Dave Meurer. Finished.
- Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I love this book and read it often.
- Motherhood: The Guilt That Keeps On Giving by Julie Ann Barnhill. Finished.
- The Potluck Club Takes the Cake by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson. I've read the first two and enjoyed them, and this one will finish out the series. Finished.
- The Book of Jane by Anne Dayton and May Vanderbuilt. Finished.
- Donkeys Still Talk: Hearing God's Voice When You're Not Listening by Virelle Kidder

Happy Reading, everyone!

Living in God's House

2008-03-18T09:13:00.000-04:00

Little Boy and I had an interesting conversation yesterday, one of those conversations that make me think "God bless the childen's workers at my church!" and also marvel at how kids can move back and forth between topics.

LB : We live in God's house!
Me : (Smile and give him a huge hug)
LB : Where does God live?
Me : God lives in heaven, and He is also here with us.
LB : Where does Jesus live?
Me : Jesus lives in Heaven, but you know what? He also lives in our hearts.
LB : Where does that car live?
Me : That car lives on the floor there.

Well. Now you know.

MPM : March 15 - 21

2008-03-17T10:14:00.004-04:00

Welcome to another Menu Plan Monday, hosted by Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie! Hubby is leaving with the Army for five weeks this week, so this week's menu (and menus for weeks after) is mainly kid-friendly foods. And wouldn't you know that I'd get sick right before I'm going to be alone with my kids? Well, that's just the way it goes. Anyway, onto the menu.

Saturday - Burritos (recipe at bottom of post)
Sunday - Pizza
Monday - Hamburger hot dish for kids, L/O burritos for adults, bread, veggie
Tuesday - Moroccan lentil soup, bread
Wednesday - 1-Dish cheese pizza, parmesan rice, veggie
Thursday - Macaroni and cheese, bread, veggie
Friday - Creamed tuna and peas, rice, bread, potatoes

Hubby and I call this dish burritos, but I have no idea if that is the correct term for them. All I know is that they are a big hit at my house. Sometimes I get lazy and make the filling, then spoon it over rice instead of filling tortillas. I always have leftover filling, too. This recipe is very open to changes - you can leave out ingredients, add or sub ingredients at will. Sometimes I omit the meat but use two cans of beans, sometimes I add a handful of frozen corn.

Burritos

8 - 10 flour tortillas, burrito size

4 chicken breasts

1 Tbsp oil

1 bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic, minced

2 tsp chili powder

1 can black or pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup cooked rice

1 - 1 1/2 cups salsa

1 can green chiles

1 can red enchilada sauce

1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar or cheddar blend)

Poach chicken in a large skillet until done, then drain and shred. Dry skillet out (I just let mine sit on the hot burner for a few minutes) and add oil, pepper, onion and garlic. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion begins to soften. Add chili powder and cook for another minute, then all chicken, beans, rice, salsa and chiles. If the mixture seems too dry, add more salsa. Stir well and cook over low heat for 15 minutes to give it time for the flavors to meld.

Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Using a slotted spoon and about 1/2 cup of filling, spread filling down the center of each tortilla, rolling them up and placing them in the baking dish as you go (otherwise they get hard to move). If you fill 8 and still have room in the dish, use the other 2 tortillas. Pour enchilada sauce over top and bake in a 350* oven until hot, about 20 minutes. Top with cheese and bake another 5 minutes, or until cheese it melted. Let sit 10 minutes before eating for easier serving.

Saturday Stirrings - Crockpot Chili with Beans

2008-03-15T13:20:00.006-04:00

I've been making this chili recipe for years, and it's one of my family's favorite recipes. It's a fairly general midwest chili recipe. If you don't like beans they can be omitted, as Hubby and I found the last time I made it because I forgot to throw the beans in.

Crockpot Chili with Beans

1 lb ground beef or turkey

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 can (15 oz) chili beans, undrained OR pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed

Brown meat in a skillet until cooked through. Mix meat and all ingredients except beans in a medium crockpot and cook on LOW 6-8 hours, until onion is tender. Stir in beans and let cook another 15 minutes, or until beans are hot through.

For more recipes, head over to It Coulda' Been Worse for Saturday Stirrings.

WFMW - Breakfast Recipes

2008-03-12T05:51:00.005-04:00

My children and Hubby would gladly eat the same things for breakfast over and over - eggs, scrambled or fried; oatmeal; pancakes from the Betty Crocker cookbook; cereal; cream of wheat. I, however, tire of cooking the same things again and again, so I am in a constant search for interesting breakfast recipes. For Works for Me Wednesday, I'm going to share some of my family's favorites.

Baked Oatmeal

3 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup dried fruit (cranberries, raisins, cherries, etc)

Preheat oven to 350*. In a large bowl, mix together rolled oats, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Combine milk, eggs, butter and vanilla in a small bowl, then stir into the oat mixture. Stir in fruit. Spread in a greased 13x9-in baking dish and bake for 40 minutes.

Oatmeal Pancakes

2 cups dry oatmeal
2 cups buttermilk
2 medium eggs
2 tablespoons oil
1/2 cup flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Start this recipe the night before. In a large bowl, stir oatmeal and buttermilk together, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next morning, beat remaining ingredients into oatmeal with a wire wisk. Use 1/4 cup batter per pancake and fry on a hot griddle. The batter will be thick, so you may want to spread it with a spoon.

Egg Casserole

8 slices bread

8 large eggs

4 cups milk

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 pound breakfast sausage

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp pepper

Start this recipe the night before. Cook sausage until no longer pink, drain and let cool. Cut bread into cubes. In a large bowl, wisk together eggs, milk and seasonings. Stir in bread cubes, sausage and cheese until combined. Pour into a greased 13x9-in baking dish, cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight. To bake, heat oven to 325* and bake for 10 minutes covered, then remove foil and bake for 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before eating.

Yummy, different breakfast ideas Work for Me! To see what works for other people, visit Rocks In My Dryer.

MPM : March 8 - 14

2008-03-10T10:36:00.004-04:00

Well, it's another Monday morning, which means it's time for me to post my menu. We've got a pretty boring week ahead of us, so I'm planning a lot of family favorite recipes to get us through to the weekend.

Saturday - Spaghetti with this sauce, bread
Sunday - Leftovers
Monday - Black bean soup (recipe at the end of post), rice, cornbread
Tuesday - Split pea soup, bread
Wednesday - Stroganoff, egg noodles, lemon-pepper green beans, bread
Thursday - Moroccan lentil soup, rice, bread
Friday - Salmon patties, broccoli carrot casserole, bread
Optional Main Dishes - Lentil quiche, Sausage chowder, Potato soup

This black bean soup recipe is one of my family's favorite meals and it's so easy to throw together. I serve it over rice.

Black Bean Soup in the Crockpot

2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes OR diced tomatoes with green chiles

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth

1 can (11 oz) Mexicorn OR 1 1/2 cups frozen corn

2 cans chopped green chiles

1 small onion, diced

2-3 tbsp chili powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 - 1 tsp minced garlic

Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on LOW 5-6 hours or until hot.

For more menus, head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie.

WFMW - Backwards Edition - Favorite Recipes

2008-03-05T10:40:00.006-05:00

This week, I don't have a question burning within me to ask the blogging world, but I still want to participate. I'm always looking for new, interesting recipes to cook for my family, who will eat (almost) anything I put in front of them. So, if you've read this far, leave me your favorite recipe! It can be for anything : baking, crock pot, main dish, side dish, dessert or any other type of recipe. My family thanks you for broadening their culinary horizons.

To help other people with their questions, head over to Rocks In My Dryer.

MPM : March 1-6

2008-03-02T12:39:00.007-05:00

We had to have several leftover nights last week, plus dinner out on Saturday and a few other minor changes in the plan, so this week's menu looks very similar to last week's menu.

Saturday - Out to dinner for our anniversary, sandwiches for the kids
Sunday - Sloppy joe squares, potato salad, peas
Monday - Lentil chili, rice, cornbread
Tuesday - Sausage chowder, rolls, veggie
Wednesday - Broccoli and wild rice soup, bread, veggie
Thursday - Split pea dahl, rice, cornbread
Friday - 1-Dish pizza, garlic toast, parmesan rice, veggie
Optional Main Dishes - Hamburger buddy, Crockpot lentil soup, Black bean soup

For more menu ideas, head over to Organizing Junkie.

In which I complain about my hair

2008-02-29T07:15:00.006-05:00

Since I was a kid, I've hated my hair. I know that puts me in a group of millions of American women, but I really do. I have "natural curl", which has become "natural wave" as I've gotten older, but I also have very frizzy hair and am not sure what to do about it, so I usually end up throwing my hair into a ponytail. Each and every day. Yes, ma'am, I do. I wish I could pull off this style:

I do try. I have a straightener that I use on a semi-regular basis, as well as a plethora of styling gels, foams, cremes and other things. And yet, I have not found the secret to straight, shiny hair.

The other problem I'm having now is that I have long breaks between haircuts. I don't plan it this way, I just forget to go or we don't have the money, but either way I end up going for months between haircuts. Consequently, my hair is long enough that I am feeling the urge to hack off five or six inches with a pair of scissors and let Hubby try to even it out when he gets home.

Sigh.

WFMW - Creating an online cookbook

2008-02-27T11:18:00.002-05:00

I read a lot of cooking blogs and am always coming across recipes that make me say (sometimes in my head but usually out loud) "I think my family would like that." I quickly got tired of having a "recipe box" on Allrecipes.com, Kraft.com and several other websites as well as a file on my computer of recipes from blogs. So I began keeping a cookbook online using del.icio.us.

To make one of your own, go to del.icio.us and make a username and password, then download the buttons. They go straight to the top of your browser page. Then, start tagging pages! When you find a recipe you want to keep, click on your tag button and type some tags in. For instance, I tagged this recipe for Chili Pasta with the tags chili, pasta, beef, tomatoes, beans, maindish. After getting some tags, go into your del.icio.us favorites page, scroll down to the bottom and click on bundle tags. Then you can click on your tags and put them together in bundles, using titles like "Cookbook", "Meats", "Recipes", or whatever you want. You can also add people to your network. Here is my page.

Keeping on online cookbook works for me! For more ideas, head on over to Rocks In My Dryer.

Stress, stress, stress!

2008-02-26T11:48:00.006-05:00

Homebuying is stressful, and Hubby and I haven't even put an offer on a house yet.

Past experience - About a year ago, we moved 800 miles north after Hubby got out of the military. We decided it would be a good idea to look for a home to buy instead of continuing our 6 year long tradition of renting. We found a house, fell in love, only to find out that the property tax was two times the amount listed on the MLS and we could not afford the house. After we made an offer and it was accepted, folks. We managed to get out of that deal, but it left us somewhat gun-shy.

So now, this is the situation we are in. We found a house that we for-the-most-part like. It's a little small, but it's in our price range and has a bunch of new stuff, including carpet. After seeing that one, our agent took us to see another house that is more expensive, but oh my word. It's wonderful. It has a huge kitchen, a large yard for the kids, and two of the bedrooms are already decorated, one for a boy and one for a girl. It's just lovely.

But, as I mentioned, we are somewhat shy about this house buying stuff. Hubby and I are not allowing ourselves to fall in love with either of these houses. We are trying to look at this as more of a "we have the opportunity to buy a house, but we don't have to actually buy either of them" instead of "oh wow don't we love this house and can't we see our kids running around in the backyard", the second view leading to inevitable heartbreak. If we do get one of these houses, I think the thing I'll be most excited about is that all the stress that comes with buying a house will be gone.

MPM - 23 Feb-1 March

2008-02-25T11:37:00.002-05:00

I'm putting in a leftover night this week because last week we ended up having leftovers twice. I always plan to just have leftover night when we have enough food in the fridge to justify one, but with all the soups I cooked last week we ended up with a huge collection of leftovers. My menu starts on Saturday because Friday is my shopping day.

Saturday - Chili, cornbread, noodles
Sunday - Pizza
Monday - Split pea dahl, rice, cornbread
Tuesday - Hamburger hot dish, garlic toast, veggie
Wednesday - Lentil quiche, parmesan rice, veggie
Thursday - Sloppy joe squares, potato salad, peas
Friday - Broccoli and wild rice soup, bread, latkes
Optional Main Dishes - Lentil tacos, Hamburger buddy, Smoked sausage chowder

For more menus, hop on over to Organizing Junkie.

MPM - Menu for 16 Feb - 22 Feb

2008-02-18T07:09:00.000-05:00

I've started beginning my menus on Saturday because Friday is my grocery shopping day, so the first few meals in this menu have already come and gone for my family. I'm including some optional main dishes at the end of the menu to deal with complaints from family members, days where I've run out of time to make a specific meal, or days I just don't want to cook the planned main dish. I didn't use some of last week's meals because of illness striking our house, so the optional dishes are from last week's menu.

Saturday - Spaghetti, garlic toast, salad
Sunday - Out to Chili's
Monday - Sausage and lentil soup, rolls, peas
Tuesday - Red lentil curry, rice, tortillas
Wednesday - Hamburger buddy, chile cheese polenta, veggie
Thursday - Hot dog chowder, rolls, veggie
Friday - Friendship soup, bread
Optional Main Dishes - Chicken florentine casserole, Tamale pie, Lentil cakes

For more menus and menu planning tips, visit Laura at Organizing Junkie.

More Weight Loss Adventures

2008-02-14T11:33:00.003-05:00

As of today, I'm down a little more than 15 pounds. This is very exciting for me, but somewhat scary, too. I have a tendancy to loose 10-15 pounds and then get lax in my calorie counting (and have a celebratory meal...or ten) and go right back up. I was down to 222.2 pounds last month, yet at the begining of this month I weighed 230 pounds. Today I am 222.6 pounds. Hopefully, at the end of the month I'll be even lower.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-02-11T10:23:00.000-05:00

I have to plan my menu for this week using things I already have in the house, as the first paycheck of the month is always stretched thin around here. These are mainly meals that I've planned for other weeks and not gotten around to making for one reason or another. I'm including a few optional main dishes at the end of the menu, since you never know when someone will object to one of the meals I've planned and I like to be prepared.

Monday - Navy bean soup, cornbread
Tuesday - Lentil chili, rice, cornbread, peas
Wednesday - Salmon patties, rice pilaf, bread, broccoli
Thursday - Chicken florentine casserole, corn, bread
Friday - Lentil cakes, bread, veggie medley
Saturday - Pinto beans, rice, tortillas
Sunday - Tamale pie, corn, peas
Optional Main Dishes - Tuna and rice salad, Black bean soup

For more menus and meal planning ideas, check out Laura at Organizing Junkie.

In which I deal with a potty training fiasco at church

2008-02-10T11:09:00.000-05:00

Normally I would not blog on Sunday because of the family commitments, the time with Hubby, the time spent at church, yadda yadda yadda. But since I am currently sitting in my house alone, except for Little Boy who is sitting on the potty, I thought I'd take a moment and tell you about my morning.

LB is newly trained to go #2 in the potty instead of pullups. This was a long and hard-fought road for all of us, and quite a victory that the three of us (Hubby, LB and myself) claim jointly. Sometimes, however, there are small screwups. This was one of those mornings.

I was sitting in my Sunday School class, embroiled in a fairly heated discussion, when the lady who runs the nursury at that time came to the door.

"Little Boy needs help in the bathroom, and I can't do it because I've got all these kids."

So I get up and go to the boy's bathroom in the downstairs of the church and see my son standing there, naked from the waist down, with pants, shoes and dirty underwear on the floor.

"I tried to go potty but nothing was coming out."

Which means that the child walked from the bathroom to the nursury room, down a hallway and past a stairway, with nothing on his lower half, and delivered that message to the lady in the nursury. I know that because I know my son, and that's just what he does when he has a message of this sort to proclaim.

Very luckily, we live less than two minutes walking from the church, so I told him to put his pants and shoes back on, rounded up a plastic bag for the undies, relayed a message to Hubby, and took LB home to use the bathroom and get clean clothes.

Does this stuff happen to other people?

A Go-To Lunch

2008-02-08T11:39:00.001-05:00

I love having easy recipes for lunches around for when I don't have leftovers to feed the kids before Big Boy catches his bus to kindergarten. Here's one of our favorites.

Creamed Tuna and Peas

adapted from Hillbilly Housewife

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup flour

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tsp garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp pepper

2 cups milk

1 can tuna, drained

1 cup frozen peas

Cooked rice

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, cook until soft and fragrant. Stir in flour, mustard and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes. Slowly stir in milk and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Stir in tuna and peas and cook until peas are hot through. Serve over rice.

If you don't use salted butter you will want to add some salt to this before serving. Taste and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

In the Army National Guard...

2008-02-07T10:16:00.000-05:00

Hubby is officially a soldier in the Army National Guard now. He was sworn in yesterday. I don't know if this will be a huge change for us or not, but we both have military experience. Last July he got out of the active Air Force, where we'd been for 6 years. My kids are awful excited about it, though, because of all the treats daddy brought home from the recruiter. Recruiters need to dress/accessorize the entire family. When we joined the Air Force we were given shirts, keychains and a backpack. Last night Hubby came home with a shirt for each of us (mine is PINK!), 2 miniature basketballs and 2 matchbox cars for the kids.

A conversation I had with Big Boy about said cars :

BB - "Look, Subway. Eat fresh!"
Me - "No, it says National Guard."
"No, I'm talking about Subway eat fresh."
"But it says National Guard. Why are you talking about Subway?"
He hands me the car and points, and yes, it says Subway in tiny letters under where National Guard is written on the car.
Hubby - "Well, look at that!"
BB - "I told you guys. Say 'oooh'."

Works for Me Wednesday - Online Shopping Edition

2008-02-05T13:20:00.001-05:00

Today's themed Works for Me Wednesday is about favorite online stores. Here are mine.

Old Navy - I mainly window shop here because I have a hard time buying clothes for myself online. I also like to look at what they have to decide if I need to get anything for The Princess because their clothes fit little girls so darn well.

The Children's Place shop on Amazon - They list clothes that are discounted by less than 25%, 25-50%, 50-75% and more than 75%. I've gotten lots of clothes for the kids through them at a huge discount off the original price, and they have $5 shipping regardless of how much you buy.

Etsy - I just love looking at the different things people make, especially the handmade soaps. There are so many pretty things being sold there that I tell myself I'll buy when I have extra money (ha ha).

That's it. I don't do a lot of online shopping, but those are the stores that Work for Me. To get more tips about online stores, visit Rocks In My Dryer.

It's Been a While...

2008-02-05T08:25:00.000-05:00

We lost our internet connection for a while, and even after I was able to get back on the internet it was slow and unreliable for a short time. Blah. It's back now, but now The Princess and I are sick. I wanted to get back into the habit of working on the blog, though, so here is a totally uninteresting post and a picture.

That's Hubby and Big Boy walking along the beach just north of Jacksonville, Florida a few years ago. Can you see my son's legs walking with his father?

Adventures in Weight Loss

2008-01-21T08:10:00.000-05:00

One of my New Year's resolutions this year was to loose weight. I want to loose at least the amount of weight I put on after Big Boy was born 6 years ago, which would be about 70 pounds. It would be nice to loose a little more, but I'll be happy with that. Anyway, my scale has a feature that remembers what I weighed the last time I stepped on the scale, and it's a good thing that it does. I turned the scale on this morning and it said the last time I weighed (Friday, I think) I was 226.6 pounds. When it read 00.0, I stood on the scale. It read 205.6. A loss of 21 pounds over the weekend.

After my reaction of "Yay!" I realized that was wrong and re-weighed myself. My actual weight it 224.8 pounds. I checked twice. I still can't figure out what happened with that first weighing, though.

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

2008-01-16T15:05:00.001-05:00

This is such an easy soup to throw together, and it's made out of ingredients that are in a lot of people's pantries, including mine. I put whole chicken breasts in and shredded the meat when they were done, but you could chop them before stirring them into the slowcooker. I served this spooned over rice with cornbread.

3-4 chicken breasts

1 can enchilada sauce

1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes

2 small or 1 large onion, chopped

1 tsp minced garlic

1 can diced green chiles

1 (14.5 oz) can chicken broth (I used 1 1/2 cups water and 2 tsp chicken Better than Bullion)

2 cups water

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

10 oz frozen corn

1 bay leaf

1/2 tsp pepper

1 can beans (black or pinto), rinsed and drained

Mix all ingredients in a medium slowcooker and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours, or until chicken is done. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese and sour cream.

Works For Me Wednesday - Hanging Sheets

2008-01-16T10:16:00.000-05:00

With 1 crib, 2 twin beds, and a king size bed, we have a lot of sheets in this house. Especially since some of the relatives love to give the boys sets of character sheets for Christmas. Unfortunately, we recently moved into a house with almost no closet space, certainly not enough for the sheets to be folded and stacked in a closet. So, I hang my sheets on hangers in the closet of the room they belong in, like some people store tablecloths. I take each sheet, fold it in half the long way until it fits on my hanger, stack it with the sheet that goes with it (folded the same way), then pull the set of sheets through the hanger and hang it in the closet. I usually add the matching pillowcases, too. This also helps my boys see what sheets are available without pulling over a huge stack of folded sheets. It Works for Me!

For more great ideas, head on over to Rocks In My Dryer.

I Dream of Guitars

2008-01-15T07:46:00.000-05:00

More specifically, a Squier Bullet® Strat®. I'm in love, which is odd, seeing as how I can't play to save my life. See, here's the situation. Mama wants to learn to play the guitar. Mama has an acoustic guitar that she's owned since she was about 16. Mama found a website with free guitar lessons. Mama then found that, when she practices mentioned acoustic guitar, she wakes The Princess and Little Boy during their naptime, which is a huge no-no. One night, as I was pouring this tale of woe out to Hubby, his response was...

"Why don't we get you a cheap electric and set of headphones?"

Why, Hubby, you are brilliant!

In my looking for a cheap electric, I've stubbled across this guitar.

I'm in love. Absolute love. Now I just have to find some of that extra money people I've heard people talk about, and I'm good to go.

Backwards Works for Me Wednesday

2008-01-09T07:40:00.000-05:00

Today is a backwards WFMW over at Rocks In My Dryer. I've been reading these on various blogs for a while now, but this is the first time I've participated - because it's the first time I've had a blog to participate with - so I hope I do it right.

My question is about potty training an older child. Little Boy is 4.5 years old and is completely trained when it comes to peeing in the potty. It's going #2 that we're having a problem with. It seems like he'd much rather go in this underwear than in the potty, and it's frustrating beyond belief. How do I deal with this, and how do I teach him to use the potty instead?

Now That I Have a New Cable

2008-01-08T08:52:00.000-05:00

The replacement cable to connect my camera to my computer arrived yesterday, so I was finally able to take pictures off the camera that I've been storing there since before we moved into our current house in September. Here are a few pictures I've taken.

These trees are across a parking lot from my house. This was taken in October.

And this was taken in December.

My plan with these photos is to take pictures of the same trees when they grow buds in spring and then again when they are fully green in summer, then make a collage for my wall.

The Air I Breathe

2008-01-07T08:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I was a singer in our evening church service. One of the songs we sang was a favorite of mine, Breathe. Here are the lyrics.

This is the air I breathe

Your holy presence living in me

This is my daily bread

Your very word spoken to me

And I, I'm desperate for you

And I, I'm lost without you

Singing those lyrics, which always touch me, got me to thinking about my relationship with God. I understand the idea of being desperate for God. I know what being lost is like. I've been there, I've done that. But, to be honest, I have no idea what it's like to depend on God as I depend on air or my daily bread. What would it be like for me to give myself over to Him that truely? I don't know, but I'm going to find out.

Lentil and Corn Quiche

2008-01-02T16:16:00.001-05:00

It may sound like an odd dish, but lentil and corn quiche is one of my children's favorite meals. it's healthy, filling, has many possible variations, and is easy to put together for lunch or dinner.

Lentil and Corn Quiche

2 Tbsp oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 Tbsp chopped garlic

2 cups water

1/2 cup lentils, picked over and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp ground mustard

1 tomato, chopped

Preheat oven to 375*. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender. Add water and lentils, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. While lentils are cooking, beat eggs, milk, salt, pepper, oregano and mustard until well combined. Spread corn on top of lentils in a single layer, recover and cook another 5 minutes. Drain lentil mixture, then spread in a greased 9-inch pie plate and top with tomato. Pour egg mixture over the lentils and bake for 45 minutes, or until center is set.

*Variations and Additions - You can add cheese to this dish by sprinkling shredded cheese over the lentils before adding the eggs. Any frozen veggie can be substituted for the corn, or a mixture of veggies can be used. Peas and broccoli both work well. Italian seasoning, rosemary, thyme, or any seasoning you like can be used in place of the oregano. The tomato can be left out if you don't like tomatoes.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-01T11:47:00.000-05:00

What better day to start a new blog than January 1st?

I am the stay at home mom of 3 kids, Big Boy (age 6), Little Boy (age 4) and The Princess (age 2) and the wife of Hubby, the love of my life, for 8 years. This blog is going to be about things in my life as a SAHM - cooking, cleaning, childcare, marriage and anything else that pops into my head to talk about. I hope anyone who stops by to read enjoys it!