enough already....

that's right...  I've had enough......
I've missed blogging... 
a lot...
excuses are not even worth mentioning because they're lame... :)
life is busy, yes, but there is not a good reason for NOT blogging...
i know this blog isn't read by a huge population...but i love those who read it, and you all deserve to have something better than lame-o nothingness....
plus, i love that a blog captures what happens...
cause, let's face it, we forget...
and our brain needs the reminder, sometimes, at how precious it is to record the day to day randomness of life.... :)
so, i'm back... :)
i've had enough.... :) 
it's time to commit to capturing life again.... :)
hope you will come back to read.... :)

 

meals for the week 11.4.12 through 11.11.12

hi everyone :)
sorry for the hiatus...  had company for about 1 1/2 weeks...a birthday party...computer issues.... :)  and even went to bed with the kids for 2 nights b/c i was tired :)  neglected blog....but i'm back :)

i have lots i could write about, but for today, i'm just going to get our meals for the week up and out there...  i haven't meal planned in the last few weeks since we've had company and we tend to eat out more to keep things a little more simple at the house... :)  i'm tired of eating out...i'm tired of food, actually, so i'm glad to get back to some "home cooked" meals... :) 

here's what we'll be eating for the week...

Sunday: breakfast for dinner :) chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, and hash browns :)
Monday:  macaroni soup and grilled cheese
Tuesday: homemade pizzas with our friends, the Angottis :)
Wednesday: church meal - italian night :)
Thursday:  tacos
Friday:  leftovers
Saturday: probably dinner out
Sunday: crockpot meal - probably roasting a chicken and some fixins :)

i feel so blessed and thankful for the ability to make food for my family...as well as every "facet" of that process....  Hurricane Sandy's victims weigh heavily on my heart...  such devistation :(  lift them up in your prayers and thoughts, my friends...  they need a healing touch and comfort....
be blessed :)

Happy 4th Birthday, K :)

oh, what a ride it has been....

so wonderful and amazing... :)

and i remember her arrival just like it was yesterday...

thankfully, my mind has erased (?) the pain...

but i remember the long 23 1/2 hours of labor with her...

and being so surprised that she was a girl (i was convinced i was having a boy)

and i remember crying after i got to my hospital room...

because she was just incredible...

and i was being trusted with this sweet, sweet angel...

she is our angel...  in so many ways....

she changed my focus in life...

and we made changes here at home so i could be

with you every single day....

watching you grow and learn and giggle....

and we just fell more and more in love with you every

single day....

your smile is pure joy :)

your curiosity is relentless...

your intelligence is incredible...

you have provided so much wonderment to each and every day...

and like people always said, "you'll never know what you did in life without her..."

and that's the truth... 

you bring lots of giggles...and your stories are so creative and fun...

you love music...and singing and playing instruments...

you love playing outside...and sitting for long periods of time coloring

quietly at the kitchen table...

you love princesses...Cinderella, Ariel, and Rapunzel are your favorites...

and you can act out and speak, verbatim, the lines from your princess movies...

you are still a picky eater...but you will do almost anything for a special treat...

 

you are a wonderful big sister...you care passionately for Hannah, who thinks the world

revolves around you.  you are almost always patient and kind to her...and i love your

growing love and close relationship with her...

the last 4 years have been such a tremendous blessing...

and i've learned so much about myself...yes, even things that i'm

not so proud of... 

but, one thing is for sure...

becoming your mom has been one of the greatest

and most incredible blessings and gifts i've been given in life...

and we celebrate you, lil one...

happy birthday, sweet Katherine... :)

 



meals for the week 10.14.12 through 10.21.12

quick and simple this week, my friends :) 
no words of advice...
no comments about the weather... :)
i have a few minutes...some banana muffins are in the oven...
so i thought i'd post :)

here's what's fillin' our bellies this week... :)

Sunday: whatevers - Ry has BETA ceremony, so the girls had mac n cheese and i had a fully belly from a late lunch with a friend :)
Monday: Ry has conferences, not home (again!)...  french toast (girls) and a ham, cheese, green pepper, and onion omelet :)
Tuesday: leftovers - pizza and pork tenderloin from lunch on Sunday
Wednesday:  fellowship meal with church :)
Thursday:  raviolis :)
Friday: grill out - hot dogs, mac n cheese, and veggie
Saturday:  out to eat
Sunday:  Salisbury Steak and au gratin potatoes (didn't get to it last week) :)

have a fabulous week :) 

random joe...

ya ever have one of those days where things just float around in your head constantly?  i do...all the time... :)  one thought leads to another thought...and another... :)  it's days like this where i have a lot of trouble praying at night for my kids...cause as i'm praying, i start to think of something else....and then 3 minutes later, i remember that i'm supposed to be praying............. :)
so...here's some random joe for you on this thursday :) and maybe a few pictures :) 

• today, i put the down comforter on our bed... i love the white of a down comforter, but with 2 kids and 2 adults, it's not logical :)  so we have a beautiful green duvet cover...  K didn't know i put it on, but after her bath (we usually get PJs on on mommy's and daddy's bed), K exclaimed, "Mommy, the bed is like a HOTEL...." and she sunk into the down comforter with a huge smile on her face :) 

 Hannah swimming this summer at the hotel (our our way to IL)

•  i hung some halloween-ish lights in K's room for her while she was out playing with Daddy and Hannah this afternoon...orange on one window and purple on the other :)  she would run back every so often to just look all evening...  however, it was not enough to convince her to sleep in her room after the "hotel" bed was discovered :)  (yes, we're the parents who let our kids get into bed with us at night sometimes....) 

Katherine at Bradley Beach in NJ :) instant love :)

• we went to Target today to pick up a few things...  K and H rode in one of those carts with a "bench" before the cart (thus making the cart 10 feet long! oy!)...  K was petting Hannah's head for some of the ride...i found myself saying, "please do not touch your sister...." a lot :) 
• i went to Target today without any make up :-\ i realized that i didn't have any on about 4 minutes into our trip...and the sheer thought of trying to go home, explain WHY we were going home quickly, unloading the kids from the car seat, etc. was too much for me...  i figured a self-conscious trip to Target was worth it... :) 

Hannah in the "bubble" at the playground in Fairmout :)

• i had a dream the other night about pulling a very large carrot out of my garden...strange since i didn't plant carrots...  and by large, i mean like a yard long...  strange............
• Hannah doesn't say a whole lot, but she does have an emphatic head shake...she is not shy about telling you "no." :)  and her "yes," for those of you who wonder is merely a mid-tone "mmmmmph."
• Katherine took a dance class the other day... :)  our good friends have a daughter who takes dance and it was "bring a friend" night.  K had a ball...and she walked in there, with total confidence, and practiced tap dance and ballet :)  she was in heaven....a huge smile on her face. :)  when asked if she wanted to start taking dance, she told me "no" but couldn't tell why she didn't want to take it...  when we got home, Ry talked to her about her class and she gave the same information...it was a lot of fun, blah, blah, blah, but when he asked if she wanted to take dance, she said no....  he probed by asking her, if she had fun, why wouldn't she want to take dance...  her reply was a clenched jaw/teeth face, saying, "okkkkkkk, i will take it, i guessssss." 

Hannah at Bradley Beach in NJ :) she loved the sand :)

• i'm disgusted with the whole election this year...  i am tired of the commercials...i'm tired of political parties calling my house....i'm tired of people coming up to me asking me who i'm going to vote for after asking me if i'm registered to vote...  but most of all, i'm sick of people putting stuff on facebook...  opinions are opinions...but people go too far beyond that and literally trash anything that another person might believe...  it's shallow...  i can remember, as a kid, always asking my mom who she was voting for, and she would always tell me that it was a private thing and she would never say...  i respect that... 

k lookin' sweet on the swing :)

it was our first fall day out in sweats and a jacket, too :)

• i love fall...  the trees are starting to turn shades of color that are just breathtaking :) 
• i can't wait for pumpkin pie :)  yummmm :)

not a "great" picture, but i wanna remember

how she kneels on the chair and her little feet

and sweet toes

*melts my heart*

• Hannah and Katherine love to color...  Katherine will color for awhile, and she's quite good...  Hannah will climb up on the chair five hundred times, each time giving her page a color scribble.  I've nick-named her "Zorro." :)

looking for the perfect page :)

K coloring intently :)

• I love when my girls enjoy each other's company :)  having two girls, and watching them love each other as sisters, is truly a gift from above :) 

randomness finished... :) 

enjoy your weekend! :) 
hope you do something fun! :)

meals for the week 10.8.12 through 10.15.12

well, last week i was praising the weather...this week, i'm freezing!  we've had a 20-30 degree change in temperature in the last few days...wowzers!!!!!!!!!  the mercury was hovering in the high 40s today at lunchtime...and with a cold rain making it feel even colder...i am wishing for the pretty fall days we were having! :)  i am going to be patient, though, because the weatherman reported that we'll warm up some in the next few days... :)

i don't have a lot to report...enjoying the every day as much as we can... :)  lots of playing, coloring, running around outside.... :)  of course, laundry, cleaning, and trying to keep up with other household duties.... :) 

we bought some items for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank...our church youth are looking to give at least 1,000 items in the next few weeks, and we were excited to give...  the area food banks, perhaps in your area, too, are in tremendous need...more families are in financial turmoil, and they need the basics so they can feed their family...  it's not just food, either...it's also personal care items that are needed - soap, shampoo, etc.  if you can, please considering throwing a few items into your cart this week so that you can also donate to the food bank around your house...  you can also go through your cabinets and get rid of things that you have in abundance or that you haven't used...  we are not rich people, but we never go without...we live in a more than abundant condition...  plenty of food passes into our mouths, and we could honestly cut back quick easily...and we should, too ('cause those numbers on that scale are creepin' up!!!)...  please consider donating!!

with all that being said, our menu looks like this for the week... :)

Sunday:  rotisserie chicken & TGIFriday's green beans... (kind of a random meal...we weren't that hungry :))
Monday: creamy chicken enchiladas
Tuesday:  leftover stuffed shells
Wednesday:  leftover chicken enchiladas
Thursday:  macaroni soup and grilled cheese
Friday: homemade pizza (as requested by Ry and K :))
Saturday: out to eat :)
Sunday: salisbury steak and potatoes au gratin

have a wonderful week, friends :)  enjoy yourselves and don't forget to look for the wonderful blessings around you... :)

meals for the week 9.30.12 through 10.7.12

i'm thinking about that Staples commercial that comes on in late July...you know, the one where the mom is dancing in the aisles as the kids sit, sad faced, in the cart, as they shop for school supplies...  and, blaring in the background is, "IT'S THE MOSTTTTT WONDERFULLLL TIME OF THE YEARRRR."  :)

i LOVE Fall...autumn...whatever you wanna call the season...it is an incredible time of beauty and peace for my soul...i'm starting to see the leaves change ever so slightly here...  one tree, only about 4 houses up the street, is already a beautiful shade of orange red....breathtaking...  (and don't you wonder how, a tree mere feet away from your tree, which is the very same species, has leaves changing where, your own tree, is still green?  hmmmm) 
anyway, i will probably have to load the kids up in the van and go for drives in the afternoon because i probably won't be able to get enough of the amazing views around me... :)  it's so easy to send praises up when i see the beauty that's around me...

last week, we had a really crazy week...and much of what was planned for meals fell by the wayside...  we had illnesses and concerts...birthday parties...an impromptu trip for Chinese with our friend....it was a week where, honestly, every day was spent doing something in the evening...  and, well, let's just say that the dogs and the outside kitties had some serious feasting on leftovers before they went bad...  *meow*woof* :)
so, the meal plan was not happening...  that means we hardly grocery shopped this week, though...so, as you will see below, much of what was on last week's menu will be seen again :)

Sunday: rotisserie chicken, rice, creamed corn, stuffing (hello, carbs)
Monday: tacos :)
Tuesday: chicken noodle soup :) 
Wednesday:  church meal - taking banana bread brownies (YUM!)
Thursday: leftovers (soup) and homemade french bread
Friday:  stuffed shells
Saturday: eating out, probably
Sunday: creamy chicken enchiladas

lots of things swirling around in this brain...so i can't leave this post with much depth, i am afraid... :)  but, i hope that you all have a wonderful week...one that's blessed and filled with reasons to be thankful... :) 
enjoy!! :) 

Good to be Alive

love the lyrics of this song...and the song, too...
i need the remainder...
'cause it's so easy to get caught up in the unimportant things that bombard our daily lives...
:) 

fajitas in the crock pot

had a little change in the meal plan on Sunday and had to come up with something else on hand...  i had noted a recipe on pinterest, i had the ingredients, and so, i decided to try it.... :)
(this recipe and photo comes from Stacy Makes Cents)

this was SUPER easy, moms and hard working people....  it would probably only take about 5 to 10 minutes of prep work for you...unless you're like me and had to microwave the chicken to get the annoying styrifoam and the little "pad" off of the frozen chicken... :)  that's what took me the longest... :) and, for the little time you spend throwing it in the crockpot, you sure are given an awesome meal once it is done cooking...wow! :)  what a treat! :)

here are the steps... :)

-chop up some green/red/yellow (all, some, only one color - you pick :)) into strips... 3 peppers is a good amount...  throw it in the bottom of your crockpot...
-sliced up an onion or two (i like a lot of onion and used sweet onions) and put it in with the peppers...
-use about 1 to 1.5 lbs. of chicken breast (i used tenderloins b/c that's what i had on hand), whole, and put that on top of your veggies...
-pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of chicken broth over your veggies and chicken...
-mix together 1 1/2 T. of chili powder, 2 T. cumin, and 1/2 t. salt (i didn't add this) and sprinkle over the chicken/veggies...  (i also added some cajun seasoning and several shakes of garlic powder to my spices...)
-squirt some lime juice over the veggies/chicken (i did this at the end a few minutes before i served it)
-set your crockpot to low for 8 hours (or high for 4-6 hours)...it will make your house smell so good! :)
-after cooking, use two forks and shread your chicken into pieces and mix all together in the crockpot...let it sit for a few more minutes...

spoon the mixture (use a slotted spoon if there's a lot of liquid) into some tortillas and top with your favorite fajita toppings...we did salsa and cheese :) 

ENJOY! 

these were so good...and so flavorful...  :)  can't wait for leftovers because i would imagine that, with a day or so of rest, the flavor will be even better! :)

to make this even easier, grab yourself two or so bags of the already chopped fajita veggies - peppers and onions - in the frozen veggie section of your store... :)  then, it will take you about 2 minutes to throw together :) 

meals for the week 9.23.12 through 9.30

hope that you all have a wonderful week... 
heard a great sermon at church on Sunday...and while i try to be pretty conscious of this anyway, i am going to work extra hard to give praise about how much i have to be thankful for this week... 
like having the ability to buy food to make dinner...
like having the ability to get up in the morning...
like having two little girls to keep me busy all the time.....
like having seemingly endless loads of laundry to do for my family...and a washing machine and a dryer to do it in... and a clothes line, too!! :)

we really are blessed in ways that we don't even realize, often... 
so that's my goal for the week...
find the blessings and give praise for them...
:)

here are the fares for the week at chez Rakow :) 

Sunday: chicken fajitas (crockpot recipe...will post tomorrow :))
Monday: slow beef over egg noodles and a veggie
Tuesday:  pizza with the Angottis - celebrating Lil G's 9th birthday
Wednesday: out to eat with the Davis family - then off to the Fresh Beat Band concert!!! :)
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: stuffed shells
Saturday: leftovers
Sunday: creamy chicken enchilladas

enjoy your week, Friends :)  and i hope your blessings abound  :)