Wanna know what's for supper???

#flatschallenge

2011-05-19T00:43:00.001-04:00

So, I'm taking the Flats Challenge. I'm not concerned about using flats at all. Not even worried about pins! I used flats and pins exclusively for my (now 5yo) daughter. My concern is not so much with the washing either. It's the drying. Thankfully this is the appropriate time of year to line dry. However, I've decided to make this as much of a challenge as I can.

How you ask? I'm mostly going to use things that can be found local to me. Either cheap or free.

Diapers:

Gerber (trash) flats
scrap fabric flat
WalMart flour sack towels (buying tomorrow)
homemade detergent (will post recipe tomorrow)
clothesline and pins from dollar store
well used (donated to me) covers
homemade ($2.00) wool longies
pins bought at dollar store
rubber gloves bought at hannaford

Menu Plan Monday!

2010-07-19T21:18:00.000-04:00

Monday: BLT's and chips (simple for just me and the DH as the kids are having supper elsewhere)
Tuesday: Lettuce Tacos (the teens fave. He has requested this be a weekly meal)
Wednesday: Spaghetti and sauce
Thursday: French Toast Sandwiches
Friday: Salad
Saturday: BBQ Chicken on the grill
Sunday: Stir-fry

Menu Plan Monday!

2010-05-16T23:32:00.000-04:00

I took a long hiatus from blogging and haven't the foggiest idea why. Sorry to the four of you who follow me. I'll try to blog more. But I make no guarantees. K?

This week I wanted to try to stick to using what we already have as much as possible. Trying to save a bit of money on the grocery bill. (Please pray this works!)

Monday: Jenn's Out Of This World Spaghetti and Meatballs

Tuesday: Black Beans and Rice

Wednesday: Lettuce Tacos

Thursday: Vegetarian Brown Rice Sushi Rolls and something... Any ideas?

Friday: Macaroni Pizza Casserole

Saturday: Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers and tossed salad

Sunday: Grilled Cheese and Rice, tomato and cumin soup

I'll have to buy a couple things like fresh veggies but the budget should work if I can bring myself to STICK TO THE PLAN!!! (again- please pray...)

So I'm pregnant...

2010-02-07T16:10:00.000-05:00

Wow...

Baby is due on Oct 17th. And I'm gonna need to get some maternity clothes really soon. ACK!

Re-Use, Re-Purpose, Up-Cycle! (part one)

2010-01-25T13:35:00.000-05:00

So, I wanted to do some re-organizing in my house so things wouldn't be all over the place (namely the floor). I thought at first that I might have to buy some storage bins and new bookshelves. But I was wrong. *Hooray!*

First up- This is 4yo dd's old toybox-

It has been emptied out, turned around, and placed in the living room for it's new purpose.

It's now shoe storage! I had origionally had all the shoes in individual baskets. But they were hard to get to (under the computer desk) and people forgot which basket was theirs. ugh. So they now go in this box under the window. And if they can't find their shoes- no longer my problem.

But what to do with the baskets that used to hold the shoes???

Well, here's what I did with one of them.

As far as dd's toys- She got a new, larger toybox made by her Pepere for Christmas. Normally I despise toyboxes as my kiddos tend to acquire small toys with many pieces. Those don't do well with a large toybox. So I used a small cubbie from another room to try to organize the toybox. See?

I did more than just this, but I have errands to run, so I'll have to post the rest tomorrow.

Menu Plan Monday- Jan 25

2010-01-25T12:12:00.000-05:00

I flubbed but I fixed it. I forgot to defrost the chicken. So Rubber Chicken has been moved from Monday-Wednesday to Wednesday-Friday. Also we were supposed to have pizza last night but the kids and I went to my bff house for her dd's birthday party. (*sniff* My baby is EIGHT!) Anyway- we ended up staying for supper so pizza was not had. And ~*BONUS*~ I got a new recipe from my bff that we will be possibly using next week. It had no name, so I decided to call it "Tuffy-Mac". Is very much yum. Anyhow- on to this weeks menu!

Monday: Better'n Manwich (recipe at bottom of post), green beans and garlic bread

Tuesday: Chicken Broccoli Bake

Wednesday: Rubber Chicken Day 1 (scroll to bottom of page)

Thursday: Rubber Chicken Day 2

Friday: Rubber Chicken Day 3

Saturday: Pull apart Pizza

Sunday: Spaghetti

Better'n Manwich

1lb ground meat
½C bbq sauce
Salsa

Brown meat. Drain if you wish.
Add bbq sauce and enough salsa to make the consistency you like your sloppy joes.
Serve on buns and enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday- Jan 18

2010-01-18T15:37:00.000-05:00

HOORAY!!! It's

I actually have meals planned for the next few weeks. All centered around stuff we already have here. This way we will only have to replenish supplies.

Monday- Breakfast for supper

Tuesday- Tuna Pea Wiggle (recipe below)

Wednesday- Kielbasa, pierogies, and green beans

Thursday- Veggie nuggets and Sweet potato fries

Friday- Amanda's "Famous" Meatloaf (recipe below), mashed potatoes and corn

Saturday- Chop Suey (recipe below)

Sunday- Pizza (most likely homemade- if so I'll post the recipe)

Tuna Pea Wiggle

1 can tuna (drained)
1 can peas (drained)
2T butter
1T (heaping) flour
½C milk (more if needed)
salt & pepper

Melt butter in skillet. Add flour. Mix til smooth and simmer 1 min. Add milk, salt & pepper. Stir.
Mix and add more milk til it reaches the consistency of gravy. Stir in tuna and peas. Cook til tuna is flaked well and topping is warm.
Serve over mashed potatoes, noodles, rice, or whatever you choose.

Amanda's "Famous" Meatloaf

I came up with this recipe accidentally. I had run out of crackers and needed to find a replacement. I have had people all over the area ask for this recipe. Hope you like it!

1 lb ground meat
1C dry stuffing mix
1 egg
1 can tomato soup

Mix together meat, stuffing, egg and half a can of soup. (put the other half on the fridge)
Plop mixture into loaf pan and cook at 350° for 1 hour. My dad likes to mix the drippings with the leftover soup and pour that over his meatloaf.

Chop Suey (Dads recipe he got from my aunt)

1 lb hamburg
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato soup
black pepper
1 box casserole elbows

Cook elbows as directed. Drain. Brown hamburg in same pot you used for elbows. Do not drain. Add soup, tomatoes and pepper. Simmer and stir until hot. Mix in elbows. Serve.

Apparently I use this recipe A LOT. The poor index card it's written on is full of grease stains and is severely warped. But as long as I can read it- I'm calling it good. Someday soon I'll have to write it on a new card. *sniff* This recipe has gotten me through many a teary night. I don't eat ice cream when I'm upset. I make chop suey.

Wow. It's been MONTHS!

2010-01-16T01:34:00.001-05:00

So, we're just over 2 weeks into the new year and I haven't blogged in about 3 months. Ah well, I'll try to get back into it.

I was just looking at my last entry on the Love dare. Some things have changed, some- not so much. But a little at a time and it will all get done, right? Progress- Not perfection as FlyLady says.

So I've copied and pasted a portion of that last entry below and have added updates accordingly-

1. I need to be more serious about Flying so I will have more time for me and for my family. (stress)

As of the beginning of this year I have been doing much better with my FLYing attempts. Laundry is reasonable, Dishes are usually done before I go to bed (and always by me without complaint). And from what I gather from the comments of the men in the house- I'm much more tolerable to be around. YAY for progress!

2. I need to get Family Rules completely set up so there can be more peace in our home.(stress)

We've decided against using Family Rules. That being said, we have found a system that works for us. Though it's not really a "system" per se. More just a way we decided to go about things. We're leaning more toward natural consequences. For instance- if ds doesn't bring his dirty laundry downstairs- I don't wash it. Then he has nothing to wear. A gentle reminder that bringing his laundry down is his responsibility is usually all that's needed. I've even caught him *GASP* DOING HIS OWN LAUNDRY!!! He doesn't separate it properly and tends to wash half a load of laundry on the large load setting wich irks his mother beyond belief... But he's figuring it all out. :)

3. I need to wake at a reasonable time on a more regular basis so I will have more time to do the needed things in my home and have time to play. And most importantly to make my husband happy. (selfishness)

I have been getting up earlier than I was, but still not as early as I should. "Then why are you blogging at 1:00am???" Because I just had to get this out there. Simple as that. I'm still working on it. I may even put up a post as to how I'm doing this. I don't know yet.

4. I need to make time each day to be with my husband. To just be us. (selfishness)

I have not worked on this. Not at all. Not even a tiny bit. And yet, somehow, it's happening. Not every day, though. But definately more than it was. Maybe it's the rest of the stuff changing that is helping this to change?

I've also not done anything past day 8, I believe, in the love dare. I have the book. I think it fell under the bed. ~~I may or may not get back to that.~~ I will get back to that. I'm just not sure when. But I won't let my marriage fall apart by not doing it.

And I should let you in on a not-so-secret secret. We're trying for a BABY!

And on that note- I bid you all goodnight.

Love Dare Day 6

2009-10-20T23:12:00.001-04:00

Day 6: Love is not irritable.
Choose today to react to tough circumstances in your marriage in loving ways instead of with irritation. Begin by making a list below of areas where you need to add margin to your schedule. Then list any wrong motivations that you need to release from your life.

I've taken "making a list below of areas where you need to add margin to your schedule" to mean that I need to look at what I can do in my life to make more time for me and my family.

1. I need to be more serious about Flying so I will have more time for me and for my family. (stress)
2. I need to get Family Rules completely set up so there can be more peace in our home.(stress)
3. I need to wake at a reasonable time on a more regular basis so I will have more time to do the needed things in my home and have time to play. And most importantly to make my husband happy. (selfishness)
4. I need to make time each day to be with my husband. To just be us. (selfishness)

As far as wrong motivations...
Bitterness and perfectionism are my big ones. Actually most of the time my perfectionism leads to my bitterness. I hate that I am this way. And I want to change. So, what do you do to change this? FlyLady. She will help me let go of my perfectionism and therefore much of my bitterness. A bit at a time. Just like the love dare. So really- My list of four things will help me all around. The first two will help to bring the stress level in the house down. The last two will help me show my husband that I know it's not all about me.

As far as the first part of todays dare- yes I completed it. There was a big blow-up with my husband and son over celery. Particularly the ants on a log variety. I won't get into the nitty gritty of it all as I feel it was a ridiculous thing for either of them to get upset about. But I will tell you the end result.

My husband asked if the love dare could be used on other family members besides your spouse. I kid you not. And the creepy thing is- I had been talking to my bff about that posibility earlier today. Scary. While you obviously can't follow it to a T with anyone other than your spouse I'm sure you could change just a few of the dares to fit with a child, a parent, a sibling, etc.

So I told him as much and then suggested the possibility of me going through the book to find and change the dares that need to be changed to reflect a parent-child relationship.

What could have resulted in the whole house screaming became a point where we may have found a solution. What do you all think of changing the love dare to work on other relationships?

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Day 3, 4 &5

2009-10-19T23:51:00.001-04:00

Wow. i think i slacked on blogging. LOL

Anyhow- to update the love dare

Day 3: Love is not selfish
Buy your spouse something that says, "I was thinking of you, today."

Well, I did but I didn't. I tried really hard. Thought about it all day. What would he really love to get? What does he really need? I couldn't think of anything... Then when I announced that I was going to the store to get razors he asked me to pick some up for him, too. I got to the store and took forever to decide whether or not he preferred the power razors. Decided he did and then when getting to the car I felt I had cheated him out of Day 3. So off to another store I went to buy the last piece of his anniversary present. I get that home and realize I got the wrong thing. urgh! Try again Amanda. So did I complete day 3 or not?

Day 4: Love is thoughtful
Contact your spouse sometime during the business of the day. Have no agenda other than asking how he or she is doing and if there is anything you could do for them.

Day 4 was really easy but I put an extra spin on it. Contact him during the day just because? I do that fairly often anyway. So I added asking if he needed any particular laundry done. Uniforms... yes he says he needs uniforms washed. Easy enough. And later I redeemed myself for Day 3 at the craft fair. I was supposed to only pick up useful things. Nothing that is 'just decorative'. But then I saw a sign that said, "Faith Will See Us Through". Very fitting with the love dare. So I agonized over it... For a good long time. Finally I asked my bff how I could justify purchasing it. To which she says, "Call it an anniversary gift for the both of you and explain that it's a reminder of the love dare" (or something to that effect). BINGO! And he loved it. (Or he seemed to) It's hanging above the tv, directly accross from the couch. This way we are guaranteed to see it each day.

Day 5: Love is not rude
Ask your spouse to tell you three things that cause him or her to be uncomfortable or irritated with you. You must do so without attacking them or justifying your behavior. This is from their perspective only.

This one I kind of cheated on. But didn't. I wrote him a quick note asking him to list three things that irritate him about me. When he finished writing I read them. Then I sat there with him and thought about the things he wrote. Inside I was screaming, "But this! But that!" But I refused to say any of it. His feelings are his feelings. I need to respect that. And these are things I should work on. Because they are bothering the one I love.

I wonder if he'll do the dare on me???

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Day 2: Love is Kind... completed???

2009-10-17T01:34:00.000-04:00

So, dh and I watched fireproof with my bff and her husband. We all teared up or cried. Dh says he didn't but I think that's only cuz there was another guy in the room. He's normally one to get teary-eyed at movies.

During the movie my bff told her dh that I was doing the love dare with my dh. I hadn't told him. oops.

So the movie was done and my bff said she was going to get the book and do the love dare with her dh. Wow. I really thought they'd see the movie and say, "yeah, sure. might work for others but not for us" I'm proud of her.

We got home and dh and I were talking about Fireproof and the love dare and he pipes up, "so what day are you on?" And I had to tell him how long it took me to get through day one. He laughed. I laughed, too, but was somewhat hurt. I fought hard to get through day one. And then I realized I might not accomplish day two. I still had no idea what I was going to do for the "unexpected gesture".

He must have seen me think it because he followed it with, "You've already completed day 2."

What??? How???

"When I woke you up this morning and said your coffee was ready you came right down."

That was 10:00am. I *SHOULD* be up much earlier than that on a regular basis. But I struggle with it. Sometimes it's depression. Other times is insomnia from the previous night. But there are too many times where there is no reason. Me getting out of bed the first time he asks at 10:00am should not be an "unexpected gesture". It should be expected that I get out of bed at a reasonasble hour. Period. I've been working on this for some time now. I need to work harder at it. But I don't know what a good end goal is. Baby Steps... It will take time. But it will happen. I won't always be perfect about it. But there will be progress.

So, Day 2 down. Can I make it through day 3? And tonight I'm not scared about day 3 (buy your spouse something that says, "I was thinking of you today"), I'm sad about day 2. Something I should have been doing... *shakes head* I guess it really is the little things.

And now I should get to bed. So I can hopefully get up at a reasonable hour.

Day 2 the (groggy and nodding off in front of the computer) night before

2009-10-15T23:34:00.001-04:00

Day 2 of The Love Dare: The Night Before

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

—Ephesians 4:32

TODAY’S DARE

In addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse again today, do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness.

NIGHT BEFORE THOUGHTS

It sounds easy. So it's probably easy, right??? WRONG. So not easy. I am at a loss. It can't cost money as we are pinching pennies right now. oh! I know... I'll shave my legs. I generally don't shave. I despise it. It's just not for me. But on occasion I treat dh as he "misses shaved legs". But it should be something more. I was supposed to shave on Saturday anyway as we are celebrating our anniversary a week early. Crud. I'm back at blank. I could do this dare easily... I know I could. If only I knew what it was. Any ideas?

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I MADE IT THROUGH DAY ONE!!!!

2009-10-15T23:09:00.001-04:00

So, this morning was great. One hour of time with dh before he went to work and I said/did not one negative thing. Small gain, yes. But it was a big one for me. :)

Then around three or so I realized dh would be home soon. And wow. I was so worried about messing up and having to do "Day 1- take 5" that I was near tears. I called out to my girls on twitter and was met with the most enlightening tweet ever. (In my experience, anyway)

Krista of Typical Ramblings had this to say:

Day one doesn't have to be perfect. Mine wasn't - but it makes you aware of what you need to work on. And day one is cumulative for the 40 days so you get lots more chances to practice.

I can't thank her enough for reminding me that this is a matter of baby steps. One day at a time. Progress- Not perfection.

And then dh came home....

dun

dun

DUNNNNNN!

Just kidding! Actually the rest of the day went well. I asked if he would be ok watching kids while I went to Staples with my bff and he did. I came home later than either one of us expected me to. oops... And when I apologized I meant it. And he said it was ok??? Who is this man and what has he done with my husband? Whoever he is- I like him.

Twice today I thought I might say something negative but I took a deep breath and made sure I was calm before I said anything.

Do I think I'm cured of saying negative things? No. Do I think I could say fewer negative things than I have been? Heck yeah! And I will need to work at it every day for some time. But that's ok. Progress. Not perfection. Thanksagain, Krista!

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Day 1 of The Love Dare: The Night Before

2009-10-15T03:53:00.001-04:00

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.

—Ephesians 4:2 NIV

TODAY’S DARE

The first part of this dare is fairly simple. Although love is communicated in a number of ways, our words often reflect the condition of our heart. For the next day, resolve to demonstrate patience and to say nothing negative to your spouse at all. If the temptation arises, choose not to say anything. It’s better to hold your tongue than to say something you’ll regret.

NIGHT BEFORE THOUGHTS

Well, let's see... Everyone else I know online that is doing the love dare is looking at Day 4. Why am I on day 1? Because I screwed up royally for the past three days. Today was the worst. Dh and I went grocery shopping with the kids. Ds decided he wanted to argue to get what he wanted. Dh says he "can't just ignore him". Ugh. So the two of them argue back and forth through two different grocery stores. When we left I lost it and sassed them both for behaving worse than my 4yo. I was so embarrassed by their behavior that I felt justified in my negative attitude. Was I right or wrong? It doesn't matter. What's done is done. I've learned from it and so we move on. Good thing I don't have to take them with me to grocery shop tomorrow. LOL

I know this first dare is going to be hard. Very. VERY. HARD! I've always had a hard time seeing the silver lining this time of year. And to not point out that his breath smells like he ate a live skunk??? How will I manage? I suppose I could say, "My teeth feel fuzzy after that soda, hun. Let's go brush our teeth together." But if he refuses? Maybe I should buy some tomato juice....

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The Love Dare

2009-10-15T01:25:00.001-04:00

I've been married for almost one year. Actually it will be a year on the 25th. And the 26th is our dating anniversary. :) I love my husband with all my heart. And he loves me with all of his.

But we have a hell of a time showing it. The thought of divorce has entered my mind more than once. After less than a year of marriage- that's not a good sign. I've been reading about ways to save my marriage and many things make sense. But they seemed to be missing something (I wasn't quite sure what) and they all seemed to want you to "do it all- today".

That is, until I happened to notice some people I'm following on twitter talking about having blogged about "Day __ of the Love Dare". I was curious (as is human nature) so I checked it out.

I was floored. Not only did The Love Dare have you do just one new thing each day, similar to FlyLadys baby steps, it also had that missing piece. The piece that's been missing from my life for way too long. Faith in God.

Faith in ANY God has been nearly non-existent in my life for a few years now. Don't give me grief or preach at me. My struggle with my faith is my own. You can't make me believe. Only I can do that.

Faith is knowing that air is all around you even when there isn't the slightest hint of a breeze. You can't see it. You can't hear it. You can't taste it. You can't smell it. You can't feel it. But you have faith that air is around you. I have a hard time with faith. But I'm learning that faith is a lot like love. It is intangible. When you have it- you just know it to be true.

So, after reading about this love dare thing I've decided I shall give it a go. I even recommended it to my bff. I think I may need to give her one of my bibles so she can do it all, but it is worth it.

Actually, I've been trying to get through Day 1 for a few days now. It's hard. Damn hard!! I can't believe how negative I am towards my husband. But tomorrow is a new day. er... well... Today I guess, as it is 12:36 am. And I will work hard to make it through the day with zero negative comments. And what if I'm close but still made a couple of negative comments? Progress, dears. Not perfection.

Also, I'm hoping to rent the movie Fireproof on Friday. My bff and I are going to try to double date to watch it. Either that or dh and I will watch it Friday and I'll send it her way for Saturday. I hope that this 40 day love dare will help us through the flood and help us start anew.

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Making Life Better

2009-10-13T13:36:00.001-04:00

So last night I decided on something. I have decided that I need to get my life back on track. I decided this very thing many other times but this time I'm hoping it sticks. This time I'll use this blog to make me accountable. I figure between FlyLady, The Love Dare, Menu Plan Monday, Works For Me Wednesday, and Soups on Saturday I may be able to get things going better in my life and the lives of those around me.

To start- Yesterday was Day One of The Love Dare and today is Day Two. So, today I will make a conscious effort to avoid saying anything negative. Sounds simple, right? MUAHAHAHAHAHA! Why don't you take a day and make a hole in your shirt each time you say even the smallest thing in a negative tone. I'll bet you wouldn't dare for fear of being shirtless at the end of the day. And of course I need to think of one unexpected thing to do for my hunny. But what?

I've got my Menu planned out from tomorrow on... But I'm not sure what we're doing tonight. Maybe pizza or something simple like that. Hmmm... Mini pizzas? I guess we'll have to figure that out soon. After all it is already after one o'clock.

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What is this blog about???

2009-07-18T21:54:00.000-04:00

Truth be told- I haven't the foggiest.

It would seem by my current blog subscriptions that this would be a blog about gf/cf menu planning with a garden. But I don't know.

We're not yet gluten and casein free (though I hope to change that, soon) and my "garden" consists of some lettuce, carrot, dill, parsley and basil haphazardly planted in pots in a nook that nobody goes near in my driveway. And these were thrown in last week. As seeds. Except for the basil. That, at least, was sprouting before I took it outside. >insert big 'yay, go me' here<

This being mid-July AND my first attempt at growing something other than houseplants- I really don't expect much from the "garden". But who knows. Maybe I'll get some readers and they can help me figure out what to do with this mess.

This very well could be a blog about homeschooling. After all, this will be our first year... sort of. I suppose I should go subscribe to some homeschooling blogs. Maybe.

So. Um. Yeah. Until further notice- this is just a rambling blog with my Menu Plan Monday stuff added in.

Menu Plan Monday starts on Friday for my first blog post. Enjoy!

2009-07-17T17:14:00.001-04:00

This is my first dinner menu. I'm hoping to make a breakfast and lunch menu each week as well. We also may be going GF/CF soon. Still unsure about that.

FRIDAY

Breakfast for dinner

SATURDAY

Hot dogs/hamburgers fruit and maybe leftover cake for dessert.

SUNDAY

Chili

MONDAY

Tuna Pea Wiggle

TUESDAY

Spaghetti and Salad

WEDNESDAY

Grilled chicken breasts with green beans and potato

THURSDAY

Lasagna

FRIDAY

Macaroni & Cheese

SATURDAY

Homemade pizza

SUNDAY

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

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