Menu Plan: FOUR Weeks Until Summer!

Four more weeks.  This just gets better and better.  The downside, however, to getting so close to the end of the school year, is that we gradually begin to see less and less of my husband.  For engineers, crunch time isn't just finals week, it's also the week before finals when all the projects and reports are due :/  So we won't be seeing much of Daddy in the weeks to come.  BUT, once it's over, it's ALL over and he will be home ALL THE TIME!  YAY!

Sooo...this week's menu looks like this:

• Slow Cooked Pot Roast and Brown Gravy - I grew up hating roast, but made this recipe once over the summer and it was pretty good!  I need beef broth and I plan to pick up some veggies at the Farmer's Market, but after that I should be set.  We have several roasts in the freezer thanks to our 1/8th of a cow!  I put one in the refrigerator to thaw on Friday, so I'm hoping it's ready early next week.
• Quesadillas - A friend of mine once made me quesadillas out of left over roast meat and they were DELICIOUS!  All she did was heat the meat in a sauce pan and add some Ro-Tel from a can to give it some extra flavor.  Yummy!  And, if we don't use all the meat, I'll wrap some up and throw them in the freezer.  They will make great, quick lunches for me at work. I don't think I need anything from the store for this meal.
• Spaghetti - this was on the list last week, but we replaced it with leftovers one evening. Quick and easy.  We also got into the habit of using half beef and half sausage when making spaghetti because sausage is so much cheaper.  Now it seems strange to just use beef! I made soft bread sticks last weekend and put them in the freezer, so this will probably be one of the evenings where we need to eat quick.
• Egg Rolls - Yum.  I only make these a few times a year because they are a lot of work, but they are SO DELICIOUS!  I dug the fryer out of the basement last week for homemade french fries, so I figured I'd keep it upstairs and make these, too.  I'm going to half the recipe, though (we can never eat the whole recipe) and save the remains for a crab rangoon recipe that I've had my eye on.  Maybe next week!

*SIDENOTE* Chinese food is not like this in China.  In China, there are small helpings of meat and large helpings of rice and vegetables.  They hardly ever use any dairy and they do not fry things in grease (unless, of course, you are in a Western restaurant). And none of the Chinese I encountered had the slightest idea what crab rangoon was.  Interesting.

Great Idea (Not Mine)

This week at school one of our student's moms brought in a copy of Dr. Seuss' Oh, the Places You'll Go! She asked us to write a message to her daughter on the inside cover.  Great idea, right?

I opened it up to find a place to sign it, and found that there were messages already in it.  I kept looking and started to get goosebumps.  I found her kindergarten, first, second - all her teachers from the past seven years had signed this book.  This mother had started in kindergarten and given it to every one of her daughter's teachers at the conclusion of every school year so they could write a note.  I believe her plan is to surprise her daughter with it when she graduates.

WHATAGREATIDEA!

I told my husband about it, and he agreed that was something we needed to do for our kids.  And, coincidentally, my favorite money-saving website listed a sweet deal on them this week through Amazon.  So we bought two.  I'm going to have Charlie's daycare provider sign it for this year!

I know I'm a little ahead of the game, but that's how I like to roll. :)

Menu: 5 Weeks Till Summer!

That's right, baby - five more weeks.  And technically, if you don't count this week, it's only four.  Uh huh.

Sooo...this week's menu looks like this:

• Tacos - Since buying our 1/8th of a cow, we are enjoying, fresh, lean, range-fed, hormone-free beef!  Throw in some taco seasoning and voila!  Delicious, quick, and easy. And, since I'm late getting this post up, I already made it and doubled the recipe for my husband's sister's family who is moving this week. I know when my kitchen is packed up, it's a pain to worry about dinner!
• Ham and Cheese Rolls - Every time I ask my husband to pick a meal for the week, he picks this one.  It's loosely based on this recipe, but with ham and cheese instead of beef and cabbage.
• Burgers & Fries - I will probably do potato wedges instead of fries.  If I do fries, I dig our fryer out of the basement and fry potatoes on the porch so my house doesn't stink like oil.  However, it's supposed to be stinking cold this week.  So I think I'll pass and just go for potato wedges.  I don't have a link for this recipe, but it's super easy and (assuming I remember), I'll post it.
• Spaghetti - Quick and easy.  It will probably be our Wednesday night meal, and since I made soft bread sticks over the weekend, we have those in the freezer, too!

As we were eating our tacos last night, my husband's comment to me was that it is so much easier to eat at home when there is food.  :) Seems like an obvious statement, but it is SO TRUE.  Planning ahead, knowing exactly what meals I'm going to make each night and buying the stuff for them the weekend before really helps eliminate the temptation to go out to eat.

Yard Sale 2013: Week 1

This week I went with some friends to a major neighborhood sale.  I had yoga at church at 9, which meant I only had about two hours to really hit the sales.  This being my first week of the season, I went a bit overboard, but I'm not worrying too much about it because I saved so much on grocery from last week!

1.Thomas the Train PJs - $1 My son LOVES Thomas the Train. It's how we've gotten him in the habit of "making water" in the potty - he has a sticker chart and he gets a train each time he gets 5 stickers.  So I was pretty excited when I saw these.  They were size 4T, in great shape, and they fit perfectly!
2. Mr. Potato Head - $2 To my knowledge, my son has never played with a Mr. Potato Head, but I thought he would LOVE it.  Sure enough, when I got it home, he played with it for over an hour STRAIGHT!

3. Adorable 12-month outfit - $2 This is something I normally wouldn't buy.  My target price for clothes is $.25 per, and I will usually go for $.50 if I really like it, but this was something I decided my daughter had to have.  So. Stinking. Cute.

4. 12 month pants - $.25-$.50 per Our 6-month-old is already in size 9 months, so I went ahead and picked up some 12 month pants. I got 4 pair of jeans and 3 pair of cords.  Not bad.
5. 9 month sleeper - $.50 It's light-weight, and adorable!
6. 9-12 month tops - $.25-$.50 per I got 5 tops, including a heavy sweater for winter and a lovely Jayhawk onsie.  She's grown out of the other ones, so this was a must-have.

7. 4T PJs - $1 per These, along with the Thomas jammies in the first pic, were purchased from the same sale and in great shape.  The Thomas ones are short-sleeved and have shorts that go with them and will be perfect for this summer!
8. 4T Cords - $2 per These were more expensive than I normally spend, but they are Gap and Old Navy brand, in great condition, and adorable.  I have a thing for cords, and these were perfect.
9. 4T Superman Tee - $1 It was an impulse buy.  He has a long-sleeved one and loves it, so I threw it in with my other stuff from this lady.

10. 6-12 month swimsuit - $2 This was my FAVORITE purchase of the day.  Isn't it adorable?  I already bought her a swimsuit for this summer, but as we plan to be at the pool 4-5 times a week this summer, we could use a backup.  This is Gymboree and in GREAT shape!  So excited about this one!

11. 4T Footed Sleepers - $2 per  Heading into summer, we obviously aren't experiencing a need for thermal footed pajamas.  But we love sleepers, and these are Carter's, in great condition, and will come in very useful in the fall and winter months, so I got them.

12. Newborn Sleeper - $.50 Okay, so this is obviously too small for my girl, but I have a baby shower for a friend in a few weeks and thought they needed this. :)

So all in all, I thought it was a great opening weekend!

TOTAL = (approx.) $25.00

At first I was a little disappointed, feeling like I had spent too much money (after all, I only saved $15 at the grocery store), but I thought about how far $25 would go at the store, or even at a consignment sale.  That and the fact that my husband thought it was all well worth $25 made me feel much better. :)

*I may or may not have also purchased a funnel cake from a Boy Scout troop fundraiser.  And spilled powdered sugar down my front while trying to drive and eat at the same time.

Project: Making Baby Food

*Note: I know my picture quality sucks.  I have the lowest version of the iPhone and have never taken time to research any of the cool picture-taking aps that make your photos cool.  Any suggestions would be appreciated!

There is much to be said for the convenience of store-bought baby food, particularly when one is out and about.  No need to refrigerate, disposable container, quick and easy.  But since we feed our baby frozen breast milk, which is neither quick nor easy, I figure we can swing homemade baby food, too.  I put up a post on FB asking for suggestions on how to go about this task, and I got responses that made me think "That's all there is to it? Seriously?"  So here was my first attempt.

Step 1: Directions
A few friends recommended this site which said to steam fresh or frozen green beans, add water, and puree.  I think I can handle that.

Step 2: Gather Materials

A saucepan, a steamer basket, and green beans.  (I went with frozen this time because they are less work.  I'd like to go with fresh next time.) 

Step 3: Steam and Puree
I steamed the green beans until they were super-soft.  Then I removed them from the basket and put them in my Magic Bullet. 

(If you do not have a Magic Bullet, I highly recommend it.  I don't know how much they cost, but if you can get one used or on sale, they are AWESOME!  I use it all the time.)  I check the consistency and add water as needed until it is very runny.

Step 4: Freeze
Someone suggested freezing them in ice cube trays, which are one-ounce servings - brilliant!  Although I wasn't sure how I was going to neatly get the baby food into the ice cube trays.  So I rigged a sandwich baggie as my pour-er.  Whatever - it worked!

As you can see, I started out nice and neat, but by the end it got a little messy.  Oh well - it will taste the same in the end.

Step 5: Store
After a few hours in the freezer, I removed the tray:

 And cracked them into individual servings.  I placed them in a freezer bag, labeled them, and voila!

So easy and simple - why didn't I try this back when I had my son?  I had so much more time then (though I didn't think that at the time - if only I had known!)  I'm thinking I will try carrots next, and then maybe sweet potatoes, now that the Farmer's Market is open!

Kindle Book: Divergent

 Divergent

by Veronica Roth

Length: 487 pages

Format: Kindle book
Price: $8.99

Author Website: http://veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com/

Basic Premise: In this future society, all 16-year-olds choose to which "faction," or societal group, they would like to belong - the one they were born into, or one for which they must qualify.  When Beatrice Prior's amplitude test shows that she is divergent, she is confused, and no one will tell her what it means.  As she selects her faction and goes through training to qualify, the dangerous meaning of divergent begins to become clear...

My Take: 6.5 out of 10 (scale here)
(Can I take another moment to say how much I love my Kindle?  I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!)

I found this premise to be very interesting indeed.  There are five factions, each with a dominant value - Dauntless, which values bravery, Erudite, which values intelligence, Amity, which values peaceful relationships, Candor, which values honesty, and Abegnation, which values selflessness.  Abegnation, the faction from which our heroine hails, is home to the selfless, and as they are the most selfless, they are the government.  When Beatrice's aptitude tests shows that she is divergent, she is told to tell no one, but no one will explain why.  She chooses to transfer into another faction, which reminded me of the Amish when children choose to leave.  It doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's a big deal.  I liked the protagonist, but nearly all the decisions she made, particularly at the beginning of the book, were the exact opposite of what I would have chosen.  Made for interesting reading. 

Overall, I was not a fan of the writing style.  It seemed like the author took the characters a little too seriously - everything was so dramatic, which was fine, but often the drama didn't extend to the circumstance.  It also felt choppy to me, but to be fair, I read it in choppy bits over an extended period of time, so that could be why.  I will probably rent the movie when it comes out - or maybe go see it if I have a gift card or a pass, but I don't think I'll be reading book 2.

Happy Birthday to Me

My birthday was Friday, and as expected, it was wonderful.
 
It started out a little rushed - any time Lucy wakes up before I leave I try to get her fed and back to sleep by the time I leave so Rick can keep sleeping, but it didn't happen.  I did get to have some quality time with her before I rushed Charlie out the door though, so that was a plus.  Once I got to school, kids literally bombarded me with cards, candy, and "Happy Birthday"s:

 They were so sweet.  They sang and everything.  One student had asked me what my favorite animal was the day before, and when I told her it was a lion, she brought me a GIANT poster-sized drawing she had done herself of a lion.  It clearly took her a long time and was very thoughtful.  Wish I had remembered to take a picture of it.

And, every year Rick's grandpa sends me a "Birthday Pome."  This year, it was:

Roses are Red.

Most think they are Cool.

Thanks to our sweet Randi………

FOR IMPROVING THE GENE POOL!  !  !

Happy Birthday, you sweet girl….

We love you.

How sweet.  Rick's grandma emailed me, too.  They always remember.  His grandparents are among the most generous, giving, and caring people who exist.  I love them dearly.

When I got home, it turned out Rick had arranged for the kids to go to Grandma's long enough for us to have dinner.  We played and got some pictures before we left the house:

 Aren't they so adorable???

We went to Olive Garden since we had a gift card left over from Christmas.  They have this new thing where you can pay $12.95 and get two entrees - one to eat and one to take with you.  It's kind of like their endless pasta.  Since my fettuccine Alfredo costs $11.65 anyway, it seemed like a pretty good deal to pay $1.30 more and have lunch for the next day, so that's what we did.

We picked up the kids, put them to bed, and watched Argo.  It was very good, but I really don't do well with intense movies.  I was stressed the whole time.

Saturday Charlie and I went to the Farmer's Market and hit a few yard sales.  Lucy and I ran a few errands, and Rick and I cleaned the house.  Then we went to his parents' for my birthday dinner.  Charlie was VERY excited about cake, but we made it clear to him that he would not be getting any cake if he didn't eat dinner.  He ate TWO hot dogs, several strawberries and some pineapple (a GREAT performance from this boy!) before he even started on chips.  I was so proud of him.  He helped me blow out my candles, and then he ate a (small) piece of cake and two (small) helpings of vanilla ice cream.  (I love that he chooses vanilla over chocolate - just like his mommy!)

He also helped me open my gifts.  I got some checks :), a gift card to Beauty Brands, and a 6 month membership to Bonkers for Charlie.  I was really excited about this last one because it will be something fun to do when it's hot outside this summer, and let's face it, I would never take him if I had to pay.

It was a wonderful weekend.  Thanks to all!

Menu Planning with $50

As I mentioned in my last menu post, we are returning to our $50/week budget (which we deviated from since Christmas).  Last week, we made a list of only the things we really needed, and the fact that Aldi has had gallons of milk on sale for $1.99 combined with the 1/8 of a cow we just put in our freezer, last week we were able to spend less than our budget.  In fact, we have a $10 carry-over from last week!  YAY!  (And props to my husband, who did last week's shopping.)   That's turning out to be really good, because this is our week to buy formula.  Our daughter is still drinking breast milk (and we still have a freezer-full of the glorious stuff in the basement), but we keep formula with us for emergencies and in case she needs a top-off.  Formula is SO STINKING EXPENSIVE - I am so glad we're not buying cans of the stuff every week!  And it's healthier for little Miss anyway.  So win win.

The other exciting thing about this week's trip to the store is that we get to start tying baby food!  I hope to spend some time this weekend doing some research on how to make your own, because that stuff is expensive too, and it's about to be a great time of year for fresh produce!  But in the mean time, I'm trying to plan meals this week that will use up what we have:

• Chicken Noodle Soup - I love love love this recipe, and my husband won't eat soup when it gets warm, so I need to hurry up and make this before it gets too warm.  Right now I'm planning to put it on while we're at church tomorrow so it will be ready when we get home.  I'll use some of the meat for the recipe and freeze the rest for a future meal.  I have everything I need for this recipe!
• Chicken Enchiladas - I put this on the menu last time and never made it.  I believe I have ALL the ingredients for enchiladas, including the chicken from the above recipe,  so I don't need to buy a thing!
• Spaghetti - we made this last week and cooked up enough beef/sausage for a second meal.  I will use that and cook spaghetti noodles that we already have, which means I don't need to buy anything for this meal either!  I may make these bread sticks this weekend and freeze them.  They are time-consuming, but oh-so-yummy and cheap!
• Grilled Cheese & Ravioli - our quick meal for the week - another meal for which I don't need to buy anything!

We have our staples, of course, but those shouldn't cost more than $15.  A can of formula will run us about that much, which means we will have $35 to spend on baby food.  Obviously we won't be buying that much, but I will probably buy quite a bit more than I need so I won't have to buy next week.

**Edit: I spent $15 at the grocery store buying one thing of baby food, fruit, veggies, cereal, and a few other tidbits.  That means $35 left over!  I can do this!

Baby Shower Jungle Style

My cousin is having her first baby next month, and of course I wanted to throw her a shower.  I invited my aunt and my cousin's brother's girlfriend Dessa to help.  Little did I know when I asked that Dessa happens to be a creativity diva.  She was like, "What's the theme?" and I was like, "Theme? What's a theme? Don't we just put out food and bring gifts?"  Oh, no no no.  We need a theme.  Since the invites had zebras on them, we decided to do a jungle theme.  (I, being true to my cheap self, ordered these invitations from York Photo because they were on sale.)

We settled on a jungle theme.  Check out the super sweet pics below:

See the savannah grass in the background?  Dessa clipped some from a field near her house and mounted them in cardboard.  Then she took gift bag filler and sprinkled it over the cardboard.  Genius.  And check out the hippo in the middle.  Somehow I didn't get a close-up of it, but how adorable is that?  A watermellon carved to look like a hippo with its mouth open.  I never could have done it, but it sure is cute!

The elephant droppings were also all Dessa, as were the adorable and oh-so-appropriate zebra-striped chargers.

 My aunt used pineapple sherbert ice cream, pineapple juice, and 7up for the punch at the "Watering Hole."

And the "Mud Pit" was my one contribution to the table.  I borrowed this fondue pot from a friend at work (thanks Chelsea!), but I was a little nervous about making fondue since it was my first time.  I found a simple recipe online (8 oz heavy whipping cream, 12 oz dark chocolate, whisk together on medium heat, transfer to fondue pot) and it worked like a charm. :)

Now THIS was my favorite part.  We took long, skinny baguettes and made sandwiches out of them, and then we cut them and arranged them in the shape of a snake slithering over the table.  Dessa used toothpicks and olives to make the eyes and cut a tomato to make the tongue.  So cute!

She also drew this adorable elephant and an equally adorable lion, which I somehow did not get on camera.

And these were my two crafty endeavors for the shower.  This diaper cake:

 Which was actually harder than I figured it would be.  I have made several, but they have all been for girls.  I wasn't sure what to put on one for a boy!  If you look closely, you'll see that there are a few "diapers" with patterns on them.  They are actually burp rags that my mother enhanced by sewing on some jungle-y fabric.  I decided that you can never have too much soap, lotion, and baby shampoo, so that's what I put in the diaper cake.  The top is a bottle-brush.

 And this...

 Was my second attempt.  I posted about making something similar for my niece last summer, and because the E was such a pain, I went to great lengths to find a different E.  No bueno.  I had to do the same E, and if you look closely, you'll notice the lines are not straight in some places.  And if you were to flip it over, it is an absolute mess on the back.  Oh well.  I leave the real crafty work up to the pros, like Stacy over at Ziggy Tails, who made this for baby Eli:

Utterly adorable.  I can't wait to see him in these!  I also gave her this

stuffed with baby items for her baby boy.  I love this bag.  I wish I had had one when I had my baby boy!

It was a super fun day.  Thanks, ladies!

Mini Vaycay Part 2: Children's Museum

Because it was less than 30 degrees outside, we were unable to go to the Omaha Zoo.  I was pretty disappointed, but someone suggested we try the Omaha Children's Museum.

It was a MAD HOUSE - seriously, every kid in Omaha must have been there - but Charlie had a blast.  There were several sections, but we spent most of our time in the play area and the science area.

This was a water feature...not sure what they were supposed to be doing, but he was having fun anyway.

He LOVED pushing the kid-sized grocery cart around!

And Daddy and Lucy had fun too :)

We had a great time.  It was kind of expensive, but not much more than we would have spent at the zoo. It was vacation, and Charlie was having a great time.