Haiti: Our Video

I finally got our mission trip video finished and uploaded. Hooray! We have signed up to return next July but I wish I was going back tomorrow.

The country and the people have forever found a place in my heart.

Mwe remen Ayaiti.

*Don't forget to pause the music at the bottom before you start the video.

Growing Up

My big kindergartner went to the school library today and checked out his very first book. He chose Brave Mole by Lynne Jonell. The cover has a picture of a mole wearing a construction hat and vest while holding a shovel. It's very cute and "says Matt" all over it.

I'm not sure why, but it made me a little teary to think my boy is old enough to go to the library all by himself. That was one of my favorite outings while he was at home, going to the library.

I went last week without Matt and enjoyed the freedom to browse but I did miss my boy!


**After I typed this, I went to Amazon so I could find a picture of the cover. I was surprised when I read the description. This will be fun trying to explain to Matt! Below is the description.

Jonell (Mommy, Go Away!) here reenacts the events of September 11 through the eyes of an animal who perhaps can help young readers to shoulder their fears. Mole wears a hard-hat, carries a lunch pail and lives in a burrow with his molewife and babymole. Softly shaded pastels portray their warm haven filled with comfy chairs and braided rugs. When Mole tells Babymole a bedtime story about dragons, Babymole asks, "Will a dragon come to get me, Daddy?" "No, Son." Mole says. "Dragons are far away from my little babymole." But the very next day, two terrifying dragons destroy the tallest molehills in the city. From a sheltered spot amidst the wreckage, Mole feels called to return and help others. Jonell plants a spiritual undercurrent with references to Mole's prayers to an Overmole. She draws a contrast between Mole (as an "ordinary mole") and the "Bigmoles" and "Smartmoles" that emphasizes the importance of everyday heroes, yet youngsters may not understand the social distinction or the idea of working-class firefighters, police officers and others rescuing elite stockbrokers. The stronger theme underscores the tenuous reassurance between father and son: upon Mole's return home that night, Babymole asks, "Will I get to go fight the dragons, Daddy?" "No," replies Mole. "We grown-ups will fight them for you." Images of the moles fleeing the fire and the dragons' attack may make this best suited for reading with an adult, as well as for children who already know about the events of that day. Ages 5-up.

What's Cookin'

Monday - Meat loaf, mashed potatoes, and zucchini saute

Tuesday - Chicken and Dumplings (we are going to pretend like it is cold)

Wednesday - Grilled steaks, salad, and cheddar scalloped potatoes (new recipe)

Thursday - Bean and Green Enchiladas (new recipe) and salad

Friday - Hot dogs or grilled cheese since it's a football game night

Saturday- eat out or make pizza

Sunday - Small group - Chicken Spaghetti (from the Pioneer Woman; I LOVE this recipe!!)

Dinner Tonight

Tonight I made crock pot pork chops and sauteed broccolini. It was a home run! The boys were all but licking their plates. Since there was some interest on facebook for the recipe, I thought I would share here too.

Pork Chops

In a crock pot:

Layer chops (I used 6), sliced onion, and Lawry's Season Salt.

Cover with about a cup of vegetable broth.

Cook on low until tender. (8 hours for me today)

Broccolini

Crisp 2 pieces of bacon in skillet ( are you surprised I brought bacon in??)

Add one bunch of trimmed brocollin and stir. Cook for about a minute.

Drizzle some EVOO, coarse salt, cracked pepper, and garlic powder. Stir and cook about 5 more minutes.

Add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of liquid. (I used broth from pork chops today). Stir and cover.

Cook until desired doneness.

The boys LOVED this meal. It was so flavorful, easy, and cheap. I got the chops on sale and paired with sliced bread. The whole meal might of cost $7. Not bad for a family of 3 with leftovers.

In case you were wondering what the crack broccolini is, this is what it looks like. We prefer it over broccoli. It seems to be milder, tender, and a more versatile version of broccoli. Do you like how I pretend to sound all knowledgeable??

(Oh, by the way Suzy, I can't wait to try to bean dip idea. I love fritos and bean dip! That was a favorite in my childhood home except it was the nasty canned kind. Can you give me any ratios in regards to beans and milk?)

What's Cookin'

I thought I better get back into the swing of things and begin posting my weekly menu. Remember when used to do that waaaayyy back?? I'm not sure what happened, life I guess, but my cooking has become pretty stale and unorganized. Hopefully, this habit will get me back on track and make meal times a little more interesting.

Monday - homemade lasagna and salad (I'm excited because I haven't cooked this in FOREVER!)

Tuesday - pork chops in the crock pot and sauteed bocollini

Wednesday - oven roasted chicken breast (the easiest way to cook chicken!) mashed potatoes and green beans

Thursday - pinto beans, rice, and cornbread

Friday - homemade pizzas (using leftover lasagna sauce) and salad

Saturday - ?? I want to recycle the beans but am tired of burritos and quesadilas. Any suggestions??

Remember when I made blueberry and spinach hamburgers? Maybe I should bring those back for some meal-time excitement. Ha!

Ramble

Do you ever feel like you are stuck in the spin cycle of your washing machine? That is how I feel today. I have had so much on my to-do list today that my head is spinning.

I was at Wal-Mart by 8 o'clock this morning and I have to say, it was a pleasant experience. For some unknown reason, the Wal-Mart in my town is not a very fun place to shop. I'm sure all of you are saying it's like that everywhere, but trust me, it is worse here. I have been to Wal-Marts all over the country and I have yet to encounter one that is worse then this one. Anyways, enough Wal-Mart venting.

Because of my weird shopping tendencies, I usually only buy nonperishable at Wal-Mart ( I don't care for their meat and produce). I really only needed a big stash of wash clothes but ended up buying cleaning supplies and lunch/snack foods too. I also bought one of Matt's Christmas presents. I found a huge Star Wars Lego set he has been drooling over for a couple of months on clearance. Score!

Next, I had to run to Pet-Co and pick up cat and dog food. Luckily their food was on sale and I had coupons. Another score! While there, I started chatting with another mom and ended up inviting her to MOPS and our church. I hope she comes because she seemed really nice.

After Pet-Co came Hobby Lobby. At this point I needed a break and stopped at Starbucks. I had to finalize my grocery list. After my trip to Wal-Mart, I needed to reorganize and add some things.

Finally, I made it to Kroger and finished up. Then I got home around noon, unloaded all twenty zillion bags, put everything away, and gave my kitchen the evil eye because it is a nightmare. I should take a picture.

The kitchen is still a mess because I had to call about 30 ladies to remind them about working at MOPS tomorrow. Then I decided I needed a cup of coffee and now I am sitting here typing this. I will do anything to avoid the disaster in my kitchen.

Anyone else avoiding any "cleaning" disasters??

Saw 'em Off!!

It is finally official.

My husband has said it for years.

There is no arguing now.

I am the world's worst Aggie.

The dreadful Longhorn birthday cake.

It actually turned out much better then I thought. The night before I realized I didn't know how to make burnt orange, lol. I didn't even have anything in my house to compare to. So, I guess I'm not that horrible of an Aggie after all. I asked for some advice on facebook and received some interesting comments.

The cake was much more difficult then I anticipated. All the straight lines and burnt orange color almost drove me batty. But the cow head turned out nice didn't it?? I tried a technique called frozen butter cream transfer and it was a success.

It was a blast to make and I am thinking of making another one at Thanksgiving, but A&M, for the big game. My sister in law's hubby is a die-hard Aggie (I think he bleeds maroon) and I think they would get a kick out of it.