Two Week Menu

Wednesday: Pinto Beans with ham and corn bread

Thursday: Fiesta Salad using leftover pintos

Friday: Hot Dogs, chips, and slaw

Saturday: Homemade pizza and salad

Sunday: Pioneer Woman's Beef Stew

Monday: Pork chops, homemade mac n' cheese, salad or something green

Tuesday: Spaghetti

Wednesday: Paula Dean's Chicken n' Dumplings

Thursday: Paula Dean's Sausage and grits and something green

Friday: Paula Dean's Beef stroganoff (do you see a Paula Dean pattern??)

Saturday: Leftovers!!    

 

Happy Mama Moment

Last night Matt and I were playing with Lego's in his room while listening to the radio. We typically listen to KSBJ, a local Christian station. He calls it the Jesus music station. There was a song playing and Matt asked me if that was true. I wasn't even paying attention to the music, so I asked him what he was talking about. He said, "The world is crying out. Can that really happen? How can the world cry out?"

I had to explain to him that it meant people on earth crying out from hurting, not the actual ground. It was an expression. I gave him different examples but I think they were too abstract. Then we talked about the earthquake in Haiti. He has seen so many pictures and heard us talk about it so much that I figured he could understand the point. I tried to explain that when it happened, there were thousands of people crying out to God for help. He understood my point, but then he said something that really surprised me. He said "Well it's good that God talked to you and Daddy's hearts so you could go help them."

Wow. Sometimes I wonder what's going on (if anything other than Lego's and Wii) in his little head and then he says something like that.

Me? Really?

Anyone sign up for a gym membership at the first of the year? Well, we were the weirdos who canceled their membership. Richard convinced me to quit the gym and start running with him.

Now, let me stop you right here and say I am not a runner. Never have been. When we had to run laps outside in junior high PE, I would hide at the bottom of the hill to rest so my teacher couldn't see me. I have never been a fan of running and haven't been able to last longer then about three minutes.

About two weeks ago I finally started. We bought me a pair of new shoes since my old ones were worn out (that was my number one excuse when he would ask me) and Richard downloaded the Nike Plus app to my phone. The first couple of times we did it as a family. Matt rode his bike, Richard ran next to him, and I trailed waaaaay in the back. Last Saturday, I got the bright idea to run without Richard while Matt rode his bike.

Big mistake.

I thought I was going to die by the end. Poor Matt had to keep stopping because I would end up so far behind. Needless to say, it was a very short outing.

This past Monday I finally hit a milestone, I ran for a solid half mile! I was so pumped. I know a half mile doesn't sound like much, but it is for me. The funniest part was after I ended my workout session with my Nike app, Tracy Morgan's voice came on my phone and congratulated me. He said something about getting a glass of chocolate milk. I had no idea this was going to happen and was very, very surprised! I'm sure the look on my face was priceless.

I am proud to announce that I had another break through tonight.

Drum roll please....

I ran for one whole mile!! WoooHooo!!! When I hit my mile, I was all but dancing down the street. My neighbors were out and I wanted to run up and hug them and scream "I just ran a mile!" I decided to walk past them and wave instead. I did jump up and down with Richard and chant "I ran a mile" like a fool for a few minutes. I am so excited because this is something I have wanted to do, but never felt like I could.

My goal is to run the Blue Bell 5K Fun Run in April. The great thing about this race is that you get to eat all the ice cream you want at the end!

Weekly Menu - The Turkey Edition

I know I am completely ignoring the holiday wrap up post, but it seems like the only way for me to get back to blogging. Writing about the holidays feels really overwhelming and I am not sure where to start. Writing out my menu seems much more manageable and way more beneficial . I know my boys will thank me since I have a plan.

I bought a 13# turkey back at Thanksgiving for $3. I decided to get the bad boy out of the freezer and finally tackle roasting a turkey. Did I mention I have never roasted a turkey on my own? I can decorate cakes, make cake pops until the cows come home, and bake awesome crusty french bread from scratch, but I cannot cook a turkey.

Anyways, I perused through the Food Network website until I found a simple recipe. Since it was pretty much like roasting a chicken, it was crowned the winner. The recipe was simple and easy. If you can roast a chicken, you can do this.

I am pleased to announce, it turned out beautiful! And it tasted great! I was a little worried I was going to have a National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation turkey. Remember when they carved into the gorgeous turkey, it cracked open and was empty from overcooking.

It's not the most flattering picture, but I wanted proof that I finally cooked a turkey.

So, with no further ado (is that even how you spell it??), I give you my leftover turkey menu.

Monday - Roast turkey, garlic mashed potatoes, and salad

Tuesday - Turkey Pot Pie (this was a first too and it was more of turkey pot soup) the recipe can be found in the January Food Network issue

Wednesday - green turkey enchiladas, salad and bacon sauteed green beans

Thursday - Rotel turkey soup: I am winging this and Richard is helping because this is his brain child. We are going to boiled down the carcass, get the bones out, all normal chicken soup ingredients and a can of Rotel.

Friday - Homemade B-B-Q Turkey Pizza and salad

Saturday - Hopefully, a really good Mexican restaurant. But, if we must, turkey club sandwiches and oven fries.

S'more Fun

We still have cooties at our house. More specifically, strep. This is the second time in 3 months Matt has had it! I think this time is worse. He woke up this morning crying because his throat was burning. He has also ran high fever (103+) and thrown up for three nights in a row! We will all be so glad when it has run it's course. Please pray that he recovers very very soon and Richard and I do not get it!

I wanted to share some cute pictures from the other night (pre-strep).

That's right. We are roasting marshmallows and making S'mores. Matt has this wacky idea that every time we build a fire in the fireplace, we should roast marshmallows. I have no idea where he got this idea. Couldn't be from his S'more crazy mother.

Did you notice the Legos strewn all over the fireplace? Life doesn't get much better then building in front of a cozy fire and eating toasted marshmallows.

Sick Boy, Cake Pops, and Catalogues

So much for the pures party tonight; Matt woke up this morning sick. Kindergarten has been tough on this little guy. He has had strep, some kind of weird virus, and 2 stomach bugs since the start of school. As I type, he is passed out on the couch. I'm not sure what he has, but it is nasty.

I'm glad he is sick now and not next week. Next week is the last week of the semester and, as we all know, it is the best. Parties, Christmas games and coloring sheets, and who knows what other fun.

Speaking of next week, I have 16 dozen cake pop orders to fill. God is so good. I also have a school party to help and bake for and the purse party was rescheduled for Monday. It will be a crazy week.

Tonight is The Office Christmas party episode. Hooray!! This is the one show we both love to watch. Even if you are not a regular Office viewer, the Christmas party episodes always have something for everyone.

Also, did you know that Williams and Sonoma mail out a Christmas catalogue? I didn't, but I got one yesterday. Even though I cannot afford anything, I love flipping through it. It's kind of like a grownup version of the Sears Christmas catalogue from when I was a kid. Do you remember those? My brother and I would take turns circling things for our list. I always loved the robots, Easy Bake ovens, and dollhouses. I know, what a odd combination. As I got older, I quit circling and started making collages with all the things I wanted. How sad is that.

Not surprising, Matt's equivalent is the Lego catalogue. He drags it around like it is some kind of NY Times best-seller.

A Box of Hope

Guess who? I kind of fell of the blogging planet AGAIN! All is well and if I don't flake out, I have some good stories and pics to share. Anyways, on with the show.

About a month ago I signed up to host a purse party through Heartline Ministries in Haiti. I was put on a waiting list, I think I was number 16, and finally received my box of purses after Thanksgiving. It felt like Christmas morning when I found it on my front porch! I couldn't wait to get it inside and see all the beautiful creations. However, I wasn't prepared for the emotional reaction I would have.

As I was pulling out and admiring purse after purse, it hit me. These were not just purses, this was hope for a woman in Haiti. Each purse represents one woman's journey. Her journey for a better life for her family. They represent her love and dedication to learn a skill so she can rise above abject poverty. They represent determination, pride, and freedom.

I'm sure this is not a shock to any of you, but I ended up in tears.

I am having my purse party on Thursday evening and can't wait. I cannot wait to introduce my friends to this amazing organization, Heartline Ministries. I cannot wait to introduce them to the women who made the purses. My favorite thing about the purse is the tag on the inside; it is signed by the artist. But it gets even better, you can go to their website, find the artist, and read her bio. This way, you can see who you are directly helping. Isn't that awesome!