Monday, September 27, 2010

meals for 9.27.10 to 10.3.10

gosh, i can't believe it's almost October already.... :)
i love fall... :)

i'm back to meal planning this week...i took off a week b/c my in-laws were in town... :) my mother-in-law is a much better meal planner than me :)

here are the eats for the week... it's a weird week here... Ry and i have dentist appointments on different afternoons and getting geared up for homecoming this weekend... that means Ry won't be home much...so dinners will be simple and....basic :)

and, i have to say that i'm not leaving K out of meals... for the last several nights, she's pretty much refused dinner... so, her dinners are things like fruit! i always offer her what we're having, though, but she rarely eats it and will not try it... can i mention, again, how much i love having a picky eater?! *ugh*

ok, ok... the plan... :)

Monday: leftovers (chicken cutlet sandwiches from Sat. night) & mac n cheese

Tuesday: bagel pizzas

Wednesday: tacos

Thursday: chick-fil-a (yum! :) a benefit of having a dentist appointment in town :))

Friday: *Homecoming Game* me: quesidilla Ry: eat out *probably subway*

Saturday: *Homecoming decorating all day and dance at night* take out - pizza

Sunday: Frenchie chicken fingers, mashed potatoes, & a veggie


hope you have a good week! :) enjoy the fall weather and eats with each other :)

Monday, September 13, 2010

caramel apple dip

i'm blessed to live near a beautiful apple orchard (which i toured every year i taught 3rd grade)... and, i am even more blessed to know the wonderful family who runs this apple heaven... :)

missy, one of my friends and the wife of one of the owners, shared this recipe recently... and it is Y.U.M.M.Y! it's not too sweet...it has an interesting but good taste...and paired with an apple slice... (or two apples, sliced, if you are us :)), you will think you've died and gone to apple heaven... :)

Missy's Caramel Apple Dip

1/2 cup butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1 t. vanilla extract

Melt your butter in a small pan. Add your brown sugar and stir constantly until smooth and dissolved. Remove from heat and add your sour cream and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.


go ahead...make it... if you do, i will warn you, you won't be able to stop eating apples with this dip... :)

oh, and buy lots of apples... :) you'll need them... :)

i can't wait until i need a snack this week... :)

Sunday, September 12, 2010

meals for 9.13.10 to 9.19.10

i think fall is finally knocking on our door... i see leaves scattering the ground...and a cool breeze blows in our windows at sunset... :) i love it... fall is one of my most favorite times of the year...the colors and smells...pumpkins and mums... :) Earth's rest from a hot and demanding summer is well-earned... :)

my meals haven't quite taken that "fall" turn, yet...but we're looking forward to some yummy eats this week! :) here's what will be on our boring white plates this week... :)


Monday: chocolate chip banana pancakes, sausage links (Ry) and turkey bacon (me :))

Tuesday: leftovers (corn noodle casserole from Sunday)

Wednesday: BBQ meatballs (Meg's recipe), corn on the cob and mashed potatoes (totally stole
the rest of the meal from her plate picture - so original, i know :) - but it looks so good!)

Thursday: leftovers (corn noodle casserole?) OR bagel pizzas (me) and California Kitchen's BBQ chicken pizza (Ry)

Friday: meatball sandwiches (leftover meatballs from Wed.) & mac n cheese

Saturday: leftovers or eat out

Sunday: cream of broccoli soup and grilled cheese (haven't decided on which recipe for the soup...will post it when i do :))


happy eats to you all! :) ENJOY your time with your family and friends! :)

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

my love/hate relationship with Target...

we used to make weekly trips to our "new" Target...well, it was new 2 or 3 years ago... :) this wasn't a great thing for us since it's hard to go to Target without spending $100 on any given trip... i'm proud to say that we don't visit Target as often, but we love to shop there a few times a month...

now, in the last few trips i've made to Target, i've been disappointed... our Target isn't a Greatlands store (with a whole grocery section), but it does have a pretty decent selection of groceries that are actually cheaper than surrounding grocery stores...

we've had trouble getting yogurt that wasn't expired... one time, the yogurt remained in the refridgerator for almost a month past its "use by" date... disgusting... i even told someone that it was expired on my second trip seeing it...and on a return trip, it was STILL in the case...
by mistakenly buying this expired yogurt (only once, thankfully), i've learned to check the dates (usually i remember! :)) on ALL of my products, especially those that are more perishable...

today, i almost bought yogurt for K that had a "sell by" date of Sept. 6th... every single pack of YoToddler was dated for Monday...

last week, i bought milk for Ry that was to be used within 2 or 3 days, according to the date... i didn't pay attention the date (oops)... and Ryan informed me of a "thick" white substance, which looked like cream, all around the top of the spout... ew... who would want to drink that?!

we like buying diapers at Target because we can use both manufactures coupons AND store coupons...more money off... and, this week, they have boxes of Pampers Baby Dry (our favorite and only diaper for K), for $19.96... with our coupons, that's a pretty good deal! :) we headed there today...
when we got to the diaper section, it appeared that a tornado had been through the aisle... boxes were scattered here and there... there weren't any diapers in K's size... not one blessed box... and, don't you know, it was nicely printed on the sale tag that they were not offering any rainchecks...
doesn't that figure?!

and we'll forget about their "policy" about not letting you return more than 2 items in a year if you don't have a receipt... there were so many baby gifts we got when K was about to arrive that were repeats... what were we supposed to do with those things without a gift receipt? i mean, really... a kid can only have a few Pooh hooded towels, right?!

and how about only accepting TWO gift cards for purchases...and you're responsible for paying the remaining amount? we thought about buying a top of the line car seat from Target with some of our gift cards...as with most gift cards, they are usually $25 to $50... with that policy, however, it was cheaper to buy our car seat elsewhere...

it's the little things that count when you're the consumer, isn't it? and, i guess, honestly, Target will not suffer from our lack of patronage... they're a loved store, nationally, without a doubt... but, i'm afraid that the manager at our Target here needs to be reminded about restocking shelves and making areas look presentable...about employees making sure food products are not a month past their expiration... ya know...all we really want is good customer service....

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

pearls of wisdom

an advertisement was inside one of my Reader's Digest magazines...the insert was from the Bradford Exchange... they're offering a beautiful pearl necklace for a grandmother to buy for her granddaughter...
it comes with a poem, which was printed on the advertisement, and i thought the poem was just too wonderful not to share...
i love it as a message to MY daughter... and it could be a great message for sons or the "younger" people in your life... :)

enjoy... :)


"Grandma's Pearls of Wisdom"

I've traveled paths you've yet to walk
Learned lessons old and new
And now this wisdom of my life
I'm blessed to share with you

Let kindness spread like sunshine
Embrace those who are sad
Respect their dignity, give them joy
And leave them feeling glad

Forgive those who might hurt you
And though you have your pride
Listen closely to their viewpoint
Try to see the other side

Walk softly when you're angry
Try not to take offense
Invoke your sense of humor
Laughter's power is immense!

Express what you are feeling
Your beliefs you should uphold
Don't shy away from what is right
Be courageous and be bold

Keep hope right in your pocket
It will guide you day by day
Take it out when it is needed
When it's near, you'll find a way

Remember friends and family
Of which you are a precious part
Love deeply and love truly
Give freely from you heart

The world is far from perfect
There's conflict and there's strife
But you can still make a difference
By how you live your life

And so I'm very blessed to know you
The wonders you will do

Because you are my granddaughter
And I believe in you.

Monday, September 6, 2010

meals for 9.6.10 through 9.12.10

happy Labor Day, everyone! :)

here's the plan for eatin' for the week! :)

Monday: tacos

Tuesday: stuffed shells (meg's recipe)

Wednesday: macaroni lasagna (new - Sarah's recipe - will post :))

Thursday: leftovers

Friday: homemade pizza or stromboli (homemade dough)

Saturday: leftovers or eat out

Sunday: corn noodle casserole (new recipe - will post :))


hope you have a great week and yummy eats! :)

Sunday, September 5, 2010

corn noodle casserole

Corn Noodle Casserole

1 (16 ounce) package uncooked egg noodles
1 pound ground turkey season with seasoning salt
1 (15 ounce) can canned or frozen corn (creamed corn)
1 (10.75 ounce) can cream of mushroom soup
salt and pepper to taste
½ can of milk w/ the soup can
Shredded Mexican cheese
French fried onions
Chopped onion


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium casserole dish.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add noodles, cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
Place turkey in a skillet over medium heat, and cook until evenly brown. Drain grease.
In a bowl, gently mix cooked noodles and turkey, corn, onions, milk, and soup. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Fill half the dish, then layer cheese and French fried onions…top with cheese and French fried onions, too…
Bake 30+ minutes in the preheated oven, until bubbly.

macaroni lasagna (Sarah's recipe)

Macaroni Lasagna

1 box macaroni and cheese dinner, prepared as directed on package
1 1/2 C. spaghetti sauce
1/2 lb. ground beef, cooked and drained
1 C. shredded mozzarella cheese
2 T. Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spoon half of the prepared dinner into lighty greased 8 inch square pan. Top with half each of the spaghetti sauce, meat, and shredded cheese. Repeat layers. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake 20 minutes or until heated through.

feeding the ducks...

when K and i were in PA visiting my parents, one afternoon, my mom, dad, K, and I headed out to Horsham Park to feed the ducks. we had never gone to a pond to feed ducks with K before...so this was a new AND fun experience for us! :)

when we got to the pond (and ignored the sign asking us not to feed the ducks), K was instantly in love with the water... she wanted to go into the water so badly...but alas...the water is filthy, and well, we weren't there to SWIM! :)

during our walk to the ducks, all we heard was "wa wa....wa wa....wa wa...ohhhhh...wa wa" :)

i explained to K that the ducks lived in the water...but she didn't want to think about anything else but "wa wa."

we got to a great location (after dodging lots of goose and duck poop) with a fair number of ducks and geese... :)

we opened the cereal boxes to toss out some cheerios to the feathered friends...


here comes one of our little duck friends hurrying for some food...waddle waddle waddle... :) kinda cute :)

i showed K how to toss the cereal out and away from you so that the ducks could have some food...
instead of watching, however, K instantly bent down to pick up some cereal OFF of the poopie ground to try to EAT it herself...

of course, i calmly yelled, "NO!" to her... i explained that the cereal was for the ducks...not her...the cereal was stale...and well, the ground was not clean...

and this is how the rest of the fun and exciting trip was for K...

yep, she cried the ENTIRE time...
even the geese wanted her to go away... how could they eat with such WAILING?

be-bot and be-bot (what K calls my parents - we don't know why, but it is cute :)) sat on the bench silently praying for a quiet granddaughter who would stop boo-hooing and enjoy the day of illegally feeding the ducks... :) just kidding... :) but i liked the picture :) it was kinda cute... :)

honestly, the geese were REALLY nice... they weren't mean or hissy with you... they were patient for the food and never charged after any of us...

here's one of our goose friends eating some of the cereal :) (silently wishing for that screaming child to stop)


because, yes, she was still crying... she was climbing my legs for me to hold her...not even be-bot (grandma) could calm her :) yes, it was that bad...

so we just watched the pretty white duck as it enjoyed some cheerios instead! :)
the tears stopped once we got into the car (of course)... we will make another trip to feed the ducks sometime soon... but for now, i think i'll let the ducks and K recover from such an emotional experience :)

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Danny and Annie

beyond sweet...
:`)


Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Friday, September 3, 2010

humbled beyond words...

it's been a good but long week here... nothing bad...longer hours for Ry (getting prepared for a very early homecoming this year at school)...and super hot weather that keeps K and me from venturing out too much... a little cabin fever with my moody sweet girl...

really, life isn't bad at all...seriously...

and then, i know God brings me to my knees when i come across random blogs...
for the last 20 minutes, the tears have dropped like weights from my eyes... i even have that ugly sniff going on...

don't get me wrong...i know terrible tragedies happen all the time...too much, even... i still get emotional thinking about sweet Cora, who passed away from a short battle with cancer when she was around K's age... people who experience loss, unfortunately, are all around us...

The Sullengers, a family that i have never met, recently lost their beautiful little girl (who was only 2 months younger than K) in a tragic accident... their story is found on their blog. it will bring you to tears, especially if you're a mom... you'll want to get some tissues, trust me...

i can't help but cry because i can't imagine even taking the path that this young couple has had to walk in the last 2 months... i guess you never really think you're strong enough to watch your baby suffer and be taken by God... but this family...wow... i am humbled beyond words...

you really never know, tomorrow, if you will see your baby touch her nose again at your prompting...or throw a fit...or cry because she doesn't want to listen to the song that you're playing for her...or give you the best hug when you get her from her nap...or when you get a wet kiss before sleep... many of us are blessed to have a lifetime filled with these moments... some of us are not...

i needed to be reminded to make sure i cherish EVERY moment... and to continue to love my sweet girl more than words could possibly express - every minute of every day...

Thursday, September 2, 2010

numbers...

i know this is weird...but i have to post this...

i have this thing with numbers... i'm not obsessed with them...but i find that, strangly, numbers, often the same ones, seem to repeat at various points during the day for me...

for example:

~ K was born on 10.23... so, when we're rocking each night, i admit i look at the clock... :) i always try to get her settled and rocking by 10, at the latest... (yes, she goes to bed later than most kids, but she sleeps until 9 or later each morning - it works for us!)... but i can't help but pay attention to the time... 10:17...the day she was "due" to be born... 10:23... her "birthday" time... is she sleeping yet?

~for months after I had K (she was born at 5:41 AM), i would wake up at that time...and i'd always wonder why...

~i almost always look at the clock at 12:34...consecutive numbers...either after noon or past midnight... weird...

~i also seem to look at the clock a lot when it's 9:23...again, it doesn't matter if it's AM or PM... and when i see 9:23, i always think of a few phone numbers of people i know from teaching since their phone numbers begin with 923... then i wonder how they're doing...

~i wake up a lot through the night...but, almost always, the time has a 5 in it... i guess it's pretty good odds if one of the 3 numbers (or 4, if i'm going to bed earlier) is a 5, but, still... weird... sometimes, i even wake up at the same time... that hasn't happened for awhile though...

~i have never ever been good with numbers (math wasn't my "favorite" subject in class), but i remember numbers...like phone numbers of people who i haven't called in 15 or 20 years...address of people, again, i haven't seen in years...zip codes... i even remember my phone number and address when i was in kindergarten, but that's probably because, "for fun," my teacher would let me go and type on the typewriter on an index card...and i always had to type my home address and phone number...

i know...i'm a little odd...but i think this thing with numbers is even more odd... :)

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

meals for 8.30.10 to 9.5.10

i haven't posted plans for dinner in a long...but i miss doing it...
i have a dry erase board on my fridge that i use for posting the meals for the week...but i like it online too... plus, i love getting new ideas for meals, especially from my pal Sarah :) so i like to reciprocate in case she needs ideas too! :)

so...this is what we've eaten or are going to eat this week... :)

Monday: BBQ chicken, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes
Tuesday: gnocchi, bread, apple sauce, and brownies for dessert (yum!)
Wednesday: hamburger (Ry), corn on the cob, mac n cheese, and soup (Robin)
Thursday: Morning Star buffalo wings, mashed potatoes (leftover), broccoli, and lipton pasta sides
Friday: sandwiches from Sheetz (i know i'm having a Bavarian ham melt...mmmmm! :)) Saturday: pancakes or out with friends
Sunday: grill out (probably hot dogs), baked beans (for Ry), leftover sides

happy eating...enjoy the last "official" week of summer! :)