I guess I have some teaching to do

Princess: Mom, you know we don't have a garden in the back.

Me: Oh yeah?

Princess: It's just soil and dirt.

Me: We are planting tomatoes this weekend.

Princess: Oh. Can we plant pickle seeds?

3 months old

Just like that. Before my eyes she is transforming daily. The tiny slender fingers are getting fuller and longer. The mop of hair has thinned and lightened a bit. The tiny rosebud lips are still luscious, and they upturn frequently to give us grins and laughs. Her diaper size is larger, and so are our hearts. Gosh, we love this little sweet thing. Can't believe it's been 3 months!

Menu Plan Monday

Don't those rolls look yummy? Yeah, that was our Sunday dinner. So good. I have that Better Homes and Gardens red plaid cookbook that everyone has but I always forget to check it. I get so caught up in finding great recipes online that I don't think about going to that basic resource. Those are the rolls from that book and they are delicious. I made them twice last week. The recipe calls for 1/3 cup butter and I'm going to try to cut it to 1/4 cup to see if we still like them. If it works I will be making them even more!

Here is the plan for this week:

Monday: Pizza pasta casserole

Tuesday: Cheeseburgers with baked fries

Wednesday: Ham and scalloped potatoes

Thursday: Pancakes and bacon

Friday: Chicken broccoli ziti

Saturday: Cheesy casserole (recipe below)

Sunday: family get together

Cheesy Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
4 cups milk
½ cup flour
2 cup grated cheese
6 cups cooked noodles, or 12 oz pkg
2 cups peas
salt & pepper


Preheat oven to 350
Brown ground beef and onion; drain and set aside. Combine milk and flour in a saucepan until smooth. Add the cheese and cook over low heat till cheese is melted and sauce has thickened. Add in other ingredients, pour into casserole dish. Bake for 1 hour, or till bubbly.

Monday Meanderings

So many things to think about today. I know I've mentioned this so many times, but I truly love Mondays. Really. I am always at the top of my game at the start of every week. I always feel renewed and optimistic. I have the physical and mental energy to tackle life, whereas at the end of the week I am totally depleted - body, mind and spirit.


To-do today:
*family room cleaned/vacuumed
*kitchen cleaned
*wipe down cupboard doors
*wipe down fridge before grocery trip (I always forget this till I go to put away all the food!)
*plan menus for the week
*plan grocery shopping
*clear off computer desk - neverending battle of paper/stuff!
*decide between the Jazz game tonight (that they will lose) and watching 24 (that can be watched on demand online anytime). Hmmmm.


And to be done this week:
*shop around for better life insurance rates (I think we pay too much for my healthy, non-smoking hubby)
*cash reimbursement checks at the bank (put the money aside for Jedi's bday next week)
*review new chores for the oldest boys - get their input and see if anything needs tweaking
*finish organizing new craft area
*figure out a way to give the sewing machine a permanent home on the craft table (yes, I'm loving it that much)
*buy sandals for two oldest children
*freecycle some stuff
*clear winter clothes out of Princess' drawers
*clear garden area for weekend planting
*pray we actually get edible veggies
*be ever grateful for the kids' help while they are off track!

Thrift store decorating

Oh, paint. How I love paint. What a change it can make.

First up is a darling little cabinet that I got for $1.50. Add black acrylic paint, mod podge, a random piece of scrapbook paper. SO much better.

Before:

After:

And these cute candle holders I picked up for $1. They were an icky bronzey color. Sorry no before pic on this one. I used some creamy paint, and when it was half dry I used a paper towel on the top surface to remove most of the paint to give it an old rubbed finish.

Next up - my scrap area that is almost organized. I'm even adding a little decor in there, too!

Expand your frugal thoughts this week at The Shabby Nest and Life as a MOM. Join the fun!

Wednesday night sunset

Decor Style

I've had trouble defining my personal style for a while now. I came across this interesting style quiz on another site, Sproost . It takes just a minute.

I am in complete agreement with the result. No wonder I have trouble - I'm equally two things. "Your personal style is a mix of 2 specific styles: 50% Classic - 50% Cottage Chic"

Take the quiz and let me know how you scored!

Spring yumminess

A huge bowl of berries. A bit of sugar. A packet of no-cook pectin. We get to enjoy this goodness for a good long while. Or till the kids finish it all on their toast tomorrow.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Kids Favorite Pork Chops, twice-baked potatoes, pierogies
Tuesday: Crockpot cheeseburgers (browned ground beef with onions and velveeta; serve on buns)
Wednesday: Chili Dogs with baked fries
Thursday: Beef Stroganoff
Friday: Chicken Spaghetti (recipe below)
Saturday: sandwiches/leftovers
Sunday: Ham, mashed potatoes, broccoli


Italian Chicken Spaghetti
3-4 chicken breasts in the crock pot
mix 1 Pkg. dry Italian dressing mix with 1 cup water, pour over the chicken and cook 3-4 hrs (low) until breasts are cooked

Take chicken out and add
2- 8 oz softened cream cheese
2- cream of chicken soup

Mix it up, cut the chicken into chunks and put it back in pot.
Let cook another hour, put over rice or favorite noodles.

Loosening up

Here is an excerpt from Heavenly Homemakers, a blog I occasionally read.

Here are some of the lies Satan has told me in the past few weeks: “I’m not doing enough for my kids”… “I just can’t keep up with everything I need to do”… “Being a good help-meet to my husband is just SO hard”…

Oh, Satan is just so convincing. He wants me to try to be Superwoman…knowing that I will always fail.

I have to always be on guard to tell the difference between Satan’s lies and God’s truth.

When I start to recognize that I’m believing Satan’s lies about my life…I seriously tell Satan to Shut-Up! and Get Out! (We don’t say shut-up at our house…but I feel they are appropriate words to say to the Deceiver.) I then ask God to fill my heart with truth instead. Ah, it is so freeing. Just recognizing that I’m being lied to is SO FREEING!!!!

I mentioned my recent struggles to a friend of mine who told me, “Oh Laura. I’ve had a Superwoman cape in my closet for years. It just doesn’t fit. Through the years, every time I’ve pulled it out and tried it on…it just doesn’t fit. I’ve stopped trying to wear it.”

Hmm. My Superwoman cape doesn’t fit either. Every time I try to wear it I trip over it and fall on my face. I’d best leave it in the back of my closet. (or burn it!)

And…God’s truth is this: I don’t need to be a Superwoman. I simply need to be His.

I am learning how true this is. Day by day. Baby steps. I, too, keep trying on that cape that I really wanted to make fit. But as each day as a mother of 5 goes by I am coming to terms with the fact that there are more fun things out there than wearing that silly cape. I am finding real JOY in my current role. More than ever! I can feel my soul evolving and I enjoy it. And it's bigger than a matter of dishes or making beds. Those things help my sanity a bit, but they don't bring me the full joy I'm seeking. Most of the journey has involved me being patient with myself. That's something I had been unwilling to do up to this point.

SO, a lot of discovery in the 11 weeks since this beautiful baby has come into my life. Maybe I'll have it all together by the time she is aware of things. Or maybe I won't, and that's ok too.

Happy Easter

So the weekend was just as fun as the rest of the week. My little sister wanted to host an Easter Egg hunt for my kids, isn't she great? They had lots of fun looking all over my parents' yard.

Hey - who put their eggs on the baby???



We colored eggs, of course!

Hubby and I went to the Jazz game. Wicked loss, Grrrrrrr.

The Easter Bunny paid a visit.

Here's the "before":

And the "after".

And the kids were green/blue this year for their Easter colors. Here's miss chubby Rosebud.

Here is Rosebud with my sister's baby, Sugar, who is 6 weeks younger.