I haven't been posting these lately, but today I was butterflying a Black Angus roast for tonight's dinner and I just knew I had to post. I think this is the first time I've butterflied a roast. My family had better like what I'm making tonight, because it was not cheap! I have a feeling they will like it though.
Monday: Steak Rolls Florentine, mashed potatoes with gravy, and veggies.
Tuesday: Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan, garlic bread, veggies & salad
Wednesday: Swedish Meatballs, noodles, and veggies (I hope I remembered to buy egg noodles... but for some reason, I don't think I did).
Thursday: Spaghetti with homemade spaghetti sauce, garlic bread, veggies & salad
Friday: BLT's (Panini Style), with cream of chicken soup
Saturday Morning I am going to pick up my Angel Food Box. I already planned out my April Menu so I could use all the things I'm getting from the Angel Food box. But then we are going to a Bed & Breakfast for Saturday & Sunday. Andy and I have been talking about doing a bed and breakfast for a looooong time. We were hoping to go last year for our 10 year anniversary, but that didn't happen. We've been saving all our Christmas and Birthday money that we would have spent on each other and the money we received from my parents in order to be able to go, so we're a year late as our Anniversary is a week from Friday. We'll drop the kids off at my parents and head out. So, Saturday and Sunday will be dining out. Hopefully we can find some good deals so we can stretch our dollars a little bit. Can't wait!
Monday, March 21, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
Pretty Cool!
We've been working on an Entryway System since the end of December. I found this really killer site called ana-white.com that had tons of really cool woodworking projects. I'd been looking around at entryway systems because our little entryway bench wasn't cutting it. Everything I found cost so much money - even the things that I didn't LOVE. Of course I came across a few that I did totally LOVE, but they were $1000 or more and it was something that I wasn't even going to consider. But when I found her site, I found exactly what I was looking for. It was a locker entryway system and she had several options for the bottom benches - ones with shelves to put shoes on and ones with cubbies with drawers. I knew right away that I wanted the one with drawers. As I was going through trying to decide exactly what I wanted to do, I also came across an Entryway mail sort and charging station. I knew that would be something that would come in handy for us. So, I decided that was what we were going to do.
Here's a link to the site where I chose my design: http://ana-white.com/category/plans/plancollections/braden-entryway-collection
I went and figured out what size pieces we needed, and if we had certain lengths of wood, what we could cut from each piece. We went to Home Depot and got all the lumber and a few other supplies and headed home with our supplies, eager to get started on the project.
I got started on measuring all of the cuts that needed to be made. Andy took each piece into the work room and began making the cuts. He cut every single piece where I had specified. He was working with a hand circular saw and a jig saw, so we didn't have any fancy equipment. The sizes were probably off a little, but he did a pretty good job measuring them up and I must say I did a pretty good job measuring the cuts. Once we had everything cut up, I was looking at everything and labeling all the pieces of wood so we'd know what went where and which piece was a top piece, side piece, trim, etc.
As I worked on that, I realized that the Drawer Bench that I had printed directions for were different than the ones that were supposed to go to the lockers and the mail and charging station, and the sizes were different! At first I was freaking out. I thought that I might have to go and buy all new materials for the drawers. But as I looked at it, I realized we could cut down the horizontal boards - there were just a few cuts that I needed to change, and that wasn't bad. I labeled the directions as well as the pieces of wood. Andy and I worked together to put some of the together. We ended up doing a little bit here and there. After I did the initial stuff, and we worked together on piecing some of the items together, I left Andy to do some of it on his own. I didn't want to be hovering, but the space was a little small, so I wanted to give him space to work on it. It got worked on a little here and a little there. And then there would be a week or so that nothing would get done. Then a little more. When we got to the painting part, Andy actually did most of the priming. He did a good job priming, but he used the brush a lot, and I thought it could be done faster with the roller, so I stepped in and helped. I think Andy was surprised at how fast it went when we used the roller. I started working on it with him, and we finished the painting relatively quickly.
When the painting was done, it was time to put the drawers in the drawer cubbies. We (or I should say Andy) had to put the drawer slides on and put the drawers in and then put the drawer face on the drawer and the drawer pull on the drawer front. The first one actually went on really easily! It was awesome! So Andy brought it upstairs and we had the mail sorting and charging station on top of one of the drawer cubbies and then we put the lockers on the floor until Andy was able to finish the other two drawers.
That's when we ran into problems. The drawers weren't square enough, and they were also a little off in the measurements, I think - not much. Just a little. Enough to where Andy had to go and buy a planer and plane down the sides a little bit. Of course this scraped off a bunch of paint on the outsides of the drawers... but you can only see those outside of the drawers when the drawers are open. Andy got it so that the drawers could fit in the cubby and was able to put the drawer face and handles on. He brought those upstairs and he got some mending plates that permanently attach the tops to the drawers in the back. He put those on and we got them pushed back against the wall, and they are done! Well, mostly done. I will have to go back and do some touch-up painting on the fronts and then on the inside drawers where he had to plane them. He also had to plane one of the tops of the drawer face and will have to go back and plane one of the other ones.
It doesn't look professional. And if you stand next to it and scrutinize it, you can see plenty of flaws. But it actually looks really cool. And our coats and stuff are going to be so much better organized. The kids will come home from school and will be able to take their coats off and put them right in their own cubby. Since they won't have to deal with trying to compete for hooks, they should be much better about hanging coats up as soon as they get home. And they each have their own place for their backpacks. And each of the kids and I have bins for our hats and gloves. Andy will still use the coat closet. He's not in and out and in and out as much as the kids and I are, so it will be okay with him still using the closet. He never used the bench we had before.
 |
| This picture looks a little distorted because I tried to get kind of close. |
 |
| I think we're going to move that picture that is hanging on the wall and find a nice mirror to put there. |
 |
| Even though it's homemade, it's sturdy enough to hold Andy and the boys. The kids will be able to sit on the edge and put their shoes on if they need to. |
Kindle
So, on January 31st, I finally had enough Amazon gift cards and Chase Rewards to get my Kindle. I've been saving up for it for a while, so I talked it over with Andy and went ahead and placed the order.
I went ahead with the regular Kindle with WiFi and not the one with 3G because I figured since I will most likely only be ordering books, I would be able to find a place to upload my books pretty easily.
Anyway, as I said, I placed my order on January 31st. I got a confirmation that stated that the Kindle would be here the very next day. I thought that was an error, but I was hopeful that it would get here.
Of course, February 1st was when the Chicago Blizzard of 2011 occurred. It started mildly around 1:30 in the afternoon and progressed until when Andy went to pick the kids up from school it was coming down pretty hard. Despite the weather, I kept looking outside for the UPS truck to see if I was lucky enough to have my package arrive. Unfortunately it did not arrive and at 9:00PM, I gave up all hope that it would arrive.
Now I hoped that it would arrive the next day - February 2 and that UPS would be delivering despite the weather. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky. I kept checking my UPS tracking, the UPS website and outside every chance I could get. I was so anxious for this to arrive, since I was originally notified that it could come as early as February 1st. Alas, UPS's website indicated that service to my zip code was not being delivered. On to the next day.
February 3rd came a new notice was posted on the UPS website stating that because of the freezing weather, service would not be provided to my zip code either. It was day two of Snow Day for our schools and again, I would not receive my highly anticipated delivery.
On Friday, February 4, the kids were back in school and delivery service was being resumed in my zip code delivery zone. Again, I waited with baited breath. Every time I heard the sound of a truck, I rushed to the window and peeked outside. The kids were dropped off at school, I did my morning routine, and then headed to the grocery store. As much as I wanted to wait for my package, I knew I had to do my normal routine, and since I didn't get to go shopping on Thursday because of the Snow Day, I had to get it done on Friday. Then the kids were picked up from school and we got them started on homework.
FINALLY, while they were working on their homework, UPS finally arrived at my doorstep. Ryan opened the door and retrieved my package from outside. Everything that I had ordered was there. I had ordered a Kindle reading light, a case and the Kindle. It was all there! I opened that baby up right then and there, plugged it in to charge, and I was ready to go with my Kindle.
Yay. Yay. Yay!
I have already downloaded probably about 180 books so far. I'm trying to read the classics, and I have subscribed to a blog on my reader that notifies me whenever free and bargain books are available. All of them have been free so far. As I get more gift cards, I will start purchasing some of the books - especially ones that I am really interested in reading. I'll still check out books from the library (I checked out 3 earlier this month and have read 2 of them), and I'll still probably purchase regular books once in a while.
But it has been super convenient for me to have my Kindle. I only have to carry around one small book-size device with me, yet I can have many books on my Kindle. I can stop at any given time and easily open back to the very spot I was reading in seconds. The pages that I am reading usually contain less content than a regular book and the screen shows only one side of the book, so finding my place tends to be easier than when I was reading paper books. And putting the device on the exercise equipment at the gym is much easier to read than trying to read a book and keep the book from closing while trying to work on the equipment.
If anyone has ever thought about getting an eReader, I highly recommend it! Some eReaders allow you to check out books from the library for free for a short period of time. (That might be some time down the road). I totally, totally love it!
I went ahead with the regular Kindle with WiFi and not the one with 3G because I figured since I will most likely only be ordering books, I would be able to find a place to upload my books pretty easily.
Anyway, as I said, I placed my order on January 31st. I got a confirmation that stated that the Kindle would be here the very next day. I thought that was an error, but I was hopeful that it would get here.
Of course, February 1st was when the Chicago Blizzard of 2011 occurred. It started mildly around 1:30 in the afternoon and progressed until when Andy went to pick the kids up from school it was coming down pretty hard. Despite the weather, I kept looking outside for the UPS truck to see if I was lucky enough to have my package arrive. Unfortunately it did not arrive and at 9:00PM, I gave up all hope that it would arrive.
Now I hoped that it would arrive the next day - February 2 and that UPS would be delivering despite the weather. Unfortunately, I was not so lucky. I kept checking my UPS tracking, the UPS website and outside every chance I could get. I was so anxious for this to arrive, since I was originally notified that it could come as early as February 1st. Alas, UPS's website indicated that service to my zip code was not being delivered. On to the next day.
February 3rd came a new notice was posted on the UPS website stating that because of the freezing weather, service would not be provided to my zip code either. It was day two of Snow Day for our schools and again, I would not receive my highly anticipated delivery.
On Friday, February 4, the kids were back in school and delivery service was being resumed in my zip code delivery zone. Again, I waited with baited breath. Every time I heard the sound of a truck, I rushed to the window and peeked outside. The kids were dropped off at school, I did my morning routine, and then headed to the grocery store. As much as I wanted to wait for my package, I knew I had to do my normal routine, and since I didn't get to go shopping on Thursday because of the Snow Day, I had to get it done on Friday. Then the kids were picked up from school and we got them started on homework.
FINALLY, while they were working on their homework, UPS finally arrived at my doorstep. Ryan opened the door and retrieved my package from outside. Everything that I had ordered was there. I had ordered a Kindle reading light, a case and the Kindle. It was all there! I opened that baby up right then and there, plugged it in to charge, and I was ready to go with my Kindle.
Yay. Yay. Yay!
I have already downloaded probably about 180 books so far. I'm trying to read the classics, and I have subscribed to a blog on my reader that notifies me whenever free and bargain books are available. All of them have been free so far. As I get more gift cards, I will start purchasing some of the books - especially ones that I am really interested in reading. I'll still check out books from the library (I checked out 3 earlier this month and have read 2 of them), and I'll still probably purchase regular books once in a while.
But it has been super convenient for me to have my Kindle. I only have to carry around one small book-size device with me, yet I can have many books on my Kindle. I can stop at any given time and easily open back to the very spot I was reading in seconds. The pages that I am reading usually contain less content than a regular book and the screen shows only one side of the book, so finding my place tends to be easier than when I was reading paper books. And putting the device on the exercise equipment at the gym is much easier to read than trying to read a book and keep the book from closing while trying to work on the equipment.
If anyone has ever thought about getting an eReader, I highly recommend it! Some eReaders allow you to check out books from the library for free for a short period of time. (That might be some time down the road). I totally, totally love it!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
St. Patrick's Day
So, what do you do on St. Patrick's Day, especially when you have a sweet tooth and you've done your grocery shopping for the day and prepared for the festivities?
You make something sweet! I found a recipe online for Grasshopper Brownies. They looked really good and I only needed to pick up two things in order to make them because I had the rest of the ingredients on hand.
First, you get a brownie mix, or make them from scratch. I find that brownie mix is sometimes so inexpensive, that I tend to pick up the mix. The scratch ones are good, but for this, I just wanted to do quick. When I have more time, I'll do brownies from scratch. Anyway, I picked up a box of Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix.
So first thing - make your brownie mix as directed on the box. It says to place it in an 8x8 baking pan, but I wasn't paying attention, so I put it in a 9x13 pan. Next time I will do it in an 8x8 pan because spreading the mint topping on a 9x13 was harder.
Let cool and then place in the refrigerator to chill.
In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, mix together the ingredients for the mint layer.
Mix 1/3 cup butter or margarine.
Add 2 to 2-1/4 cups powdered sugar
Add 1/2 tsp mint or peppermint extract
Add about 3-4 drops of green food coloring
Mix until well blended and a smooth, spreadable consistency. It should be thicker than normal icing, but a little thinner than the inside of an oreo cookie. (Yes, it tastes very similar!!)
Spread the mint layer onto the chilled brownies using a plastic spatula or frosting spreader. I used my Pampered Chef Spreader. I had to wet the spreader every now and then because the mint layer was really thick. I think if I had the 8x8 pan, it might have spread a little easier, because it would have been thicker.
Then you take 1-1/2 cups of mini chocolate chips and you sprinkle them over the mint layer and spread them out to cover the mint layer. Gently press the mint layer. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or toss it into the freezer for 10 if you are pressed for time. If you plan to chill them longer, cover with foil before chilling.
Serve chilled.
Enjoy!!!
We sure did!!
You make something sweet! I found a recipe online for Grasshopper Brownies. They looked really good and I only needed to pick up two things in order to make them because I had the rest of the ingredients on hand.
First, you get a brownie mix, or make them from scratch. I find that brownie mix is sometimes so inexpensive, that I tend to pick up the mix. The scratch ones are good, but for this, I just wanted to do quick. When I have more time, I'll do brownies from scratch. Anyway, I picked up a box of Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix.
So first thing - make your brownie mix as directed on the box. It says to place it in an 8x8 baking pan, but I wasn't paying attention, so I put it in a 9x13 pan. Next time I will do it in an 8x8 pan because spreading the mint topping on a 9x13 was harder.Let cool and then place in the refrigerator to chill.
In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, mix together the ingredients for the mint layer.
Mix 1/3 cup butter or margarine.
Add 2 to 2-1/4 cups powdered sugar
Add 1/2 tsp mint or peppermint extract
Add about 3-4 drops of green food coloring
Mix until well blended and a smooth, spreadable consistency. It should be thicker than normal icing, but a little thinner than the inside of an oreo cookie. (Yes, it tastes very similar!!)
Spread the mint layer onto the chilled brownies using a plastic spatula or frosting spreader. I used my Pampered Chef Spreader. I had to wet the spreader every now and then because the mint layer was really thick. I think if I had the 8x8 pan, it might have spread a little easier, because it would have been thicker. 
Then you take 1-1/2 cups of mini chocolate chips and you sprinkle them over the mint layer and spread them out to cover the mint layer. Gently press the mint layer. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or toss it into the freezer for 10 if you are pressed for time. If you plan to chill them longer, cover with foil before chilling.
Serve chilled.
Enjoy!!!
We sure did!!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Psalm 18
Today in my Women's Bible Study, we had a group time and individual worship. For Ash Wednesday they had several stations for people to spend some time in reflection on God's word. They had a room for prayer, a room for reading and writing and reflecting on God's word and another room with some items with instructions on how to reflect on them and use the items in a symbolic way. I chose to go in the room with books and passages for reflection.
When I came in, most people were already in there and had picked up the books. One of the books that was remaining was a book on Psalms. I went ahead and picked it up. It was bookmarked in several places with yellow sticky tabs, so I went to those places and read the passages or at least parts of the passages.
Then I remembered that the director of Women's Ministries had preached on Psalm 18 last year, and I missed her sermon because I believe I was serving with our children's area. So, I decided to look in the book and see what it said about Psalm 18. Below is a link to the passage, which can be read in any version of the bible.
Psalm 18
And below is the paraphrase I read in the book that I picked up. I just loved the way that this book worded the passage. What a wonderful paraphrase.
Psalm 18
It is no wonder that I love You, O God.
You have granted me a security that I could never find among the things of this world.
You have erased from my life the fear of death.
What follows the grave is not my fearful concern.
The traumatic experiences of this life cannot destroy me.
You are never out of reach but are ever aware of my problems and conflicts.
How great and all-powerful is my God!
The quaking of the earth,
the shaking of the mountains,
the blackness of the night,
the beauty of the heavens,
the lightning that crisscrosses our skies,
the oceans that lash against our shores:
this and much more bear witness to the majesty of my God.
And this is the God who is concerned about me.
He reaches into my distraught life to heal my wounds.
He encompasses me with eternal love.
He abides with me even in the midst of conflict or calamity.
He sets me free from self-idolatry so I may serve His creatures about me.
He shields me from the forces that are intent on my destruction.
I am His delight and hearts desire.
It is no wonder, O God, that I love You.
Can there be any God but this God that I love?
He surrounds me with His strength and clothes me with His grace.
He puts into my hands gifts to relay to others.
He entrusts me to carry them out.
He ordains me as His son and servant destined to accomplish His purposes amongst the people of this world.
It is thus that I celebrate God's presence in my life and world.
God is not dead; He lives.
I rejoice in His concern and love for me.
I will proclaim, O Lord, Your praises to anyone who will listen to me.
I will sing and shout and dance in the joy of knowing that You are my God.
Can I just say wow? The first couple lines of this paraphrase stood out to me. I have always felt a security about things because of my trust in God. My faith in Him has erased from my life the fear of death. I am not afraid of what will happen when I die. I know for certain that I will be with Him in Heaven, and my faith in Him gives me that confidence and helps me to be at peace with trials and tribulations that I experience in life. It is such a comfort to have that peace, and it's really neat to see scripture paraphrased in a way that says how I feel. I never actually realized that is what that passage was saying. I love the simple language used in this paraphrase. It really gives a new light to what I have read. I hope that it speaks to someone else in the same way it speaks to me.
When I came in, most people were already in there and had picked up the books. One of the books that was remaining was a book on Psalms. I went ahead and picked it up. It was bookmarked in several places with yellow sticky tabs, so I went to those places and read the passages or at least parts of the passages.
Then I remembered that the director of Women's Ministries had preached on Psalm 18 last year, and I missed her sermon because I believe I was serving with our children's area. So, I decided to look in the book and see what it said about Psalm 18. Below is a link to the passage, which can be read in any version of the bible.
Psalm 18
And below is the paraphrase I read in the book that I picked up. I just loved the way that this book worded the passage. What a wonderful paraphrase.
Psalm 18
It is no wonder that I love You, O God.
You have granted me a security that I could never find among the things of this world.
You have erased from my life the fear of death.
What follows the grave is not my fearful concern.
The traumatic experiences of this life cannot destroy me.
You are never out of reach but are ever aware of my problems and conflicts.
How great and all-powerful is my God!
The quaking of the earth,
the shaking of the mountains,
the blackness of the night,
the beauty of the heavens,
the lightning that crisscrosses our skies,
the oceans that lash against our shores:
this and much more bear witness to the majesty of my God.
And this is the God who is concerned about me.
He reaches into my distraught life to heal my wounds.
He encompasses me with eternal love.
He abides with me even in the midst of conflict or calamity.
He sets me free from self-idolatry so I may serve His creatures about me.
He shields me from the forces that are intent on my destruction.
I am His delight and hearts desire.
It is no wonder, O God, that I love You.
Can there be any God but this God that I love?
He surrounds me with His strength and clothes me with His grace.
He puts into my hands gifts to relay to others.
He entrusts me to carry them out.
He ordains me as His son and servant destined to accomplish His purposes amongst the people of this world.
It is thus that I celebrate God's presence in my life and world.
God is not dead; He lives.
I rejoice in His concern and love for me.
I will proclaim, O Lord, Your praises to anyone who will listen to me.
I will sing and shout and dance in the joy of knowing that You are my God.
Can I just say wow? The first couple lines of this paraphrase stood out to me. I have always felt a security about things because of my trust in God. My faith in Him has erased from my life the fear of death. I am not afraid of what will happen when I die. I know for certain that I will be with Him in Heaven, and my faith in Him gives me that confidence and helps me to be at peace with trials and tribulations that I experience in life. It is such a comfort to have that peace, and it's really neat to see scripture paraphrased in a way that says how I feel. I never actually realized that is what that passage was saying. I love the simple language used in this paraphrase. It really gives a new light to what I have read. I hope that it speaks to someone else in the same way it speaks to me.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Dr. Seuss
Wednesday morning, on the way to church, Delaney asked me, "Mommy, if I give you half of my money, can we go to McDonald's after church?" I didn't tell her that we would or wouldn't, but I considered it because she asked in such a sweet way, she didn't have a sense of entitlement and she was willing to give me half of her money (which I wouldn't have taken anyway). After church, I did take her to McDonald's, and she was so excited and so appreciative. I really enjoyed the way she showed gratitude while we were there. She savored her lunch, and enjoyed her happy meal toy, and danced like the Barbie Fairie toy that she got in her Happy Meal. It really was adorable.
Then we went to across the street to Aldi's to buy cake mix and frosting so we could make a Birthday cake for Dr. Seuss. As we were driving into the parking lot, and I told Delaney what we were doing she said, "Mommy, this is the BEST day of my life. You are doing everything that I wanted to do."
I said, "I love your sweet little heart."
She said, "I don't have a sweet little heart. I have a BIG heart." Then she started making blowing sounds and said, "I'm blowing my heart to you, because I love you so much, and you're the best mom!"
I love it!
We got home and made the cake. I let Delaney help me, and even showed her how to crack an egg. She said, "I never did this before." And she again said that it was the best day of her life. I love her exuberance. We got a yellow cake mix and I ended up putting yellow food coloring in it to make the yellow pop even more. Delaney wanted pink frosting, so I put pink food coloring in the frosting. She was so excited. I baked the cakes and we were able to take them out before we had to go pick the boys up from school.
Friday, Zane brought home a mini magazine that had directions on how to make Green Eggs and Ham. He asked if we could make it on Saturday morning. We didn't have any Ham, but we made it with sausage. The kids liked it.
 |
| 1. First you break 2 eggs into a bowl. We did 6. |
 | ||
| 2. Get your green food coloring. Add | 1 drop per egg. |
 |
| 3. Carefully stir the food coloring taking care not to break the yolk. |
 |
| 4. Fry in pan. I did't try to separate them |
 |
| 5. Cook until done - we ended up flipping them over to make sure the yolks were completely cooked through. |
 |
| Zane's Green Eggs and Sausage |
 |
| Ryan's Green Eggs and Sausage |
 |
| Delaney's Green Eggs and Sausage |
 |
| My Green eggs and Sausage |
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The kids enjoying their Dr. Seuss Birthday Special Green Eggs and Sausage Breakfast. |
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)