October 2009
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Monthly Archives: October 2009

Meat Packer Extraordinaire

October 28, 2009

THAT was an exhausting day… As I’ve done three times now, I made up a meal plan for the full month of November, compiled the shopping list, and took the family with me to Sam’s Club. We split up this time, Jason took Uncle Frank and I took Jeremy and together we flew through the store and bought everything we needed for the month. It was a pricey trip, but it included lots of items to stock pile as well as dog food and some fire wood (since all of ours got wet recently). However, usually we go on a weekend so that when we get home Jason can bring everything upstairs from the garage to the kitchen and I put it all away. Then he helps me to pack all of the bulk meat into gallon or quart-sized bags. Unfortunately, this time we got moving a little late in the day and got home ten minutes after he usually leaves for work. He ran in the door, threw his uniform on, and dashed back out. I made many many a trip up the stairs with food and assorted items. We were smart in buying a pair of huge...

Too Many Dishes…

October 23, 2009

In my house, I am a real stickler for dishes being handled correctly. Many of my baking pans and accoutrements cannot be put into the dishwasher. Some other things can technically be washed in there but I prefer not to because handwashing will help them last longer by reducing damage and warping (i.e. my Teflon non-stick pans, wooden cutting board, air-bake cookie pans, etc.). I am blessed with a double sink, but when I have a heavy cooking day topped with last-minute baking, even those sinks get filled up pretty quick and overflow onto the counter and stovetop. Yikes! Last night I noticed that I’m coming down with a cold and was just completely wiped out. I made the executive decision to let the dishes wait til the morning. First thing this morning, I made some hot tea to give brief respite from my stuffy nose and sore throat and groaned at the mountains of dishes piled up all over my kitchen. Then I rolled up my sleeves, put on my big-girl panties, and got to work. Happy day! After shifting a few things to make a space in one of the sinks to wash I quickly realized that...

Rusty

October 17, 2009

Today was another fantastic family day. Jeremy woke up around 7:45 and wandered into our room to catch another thirty minutes of snuggle time. When snuggle time turned into wiggly tickle time, we went to the kitchen for a table full of waffles. Yes, my child who refuses to eat bread, has decided that he will make exceptions for pancakes and waffles. It was great. Then we packed all of us up into the truck and took off to the huge covered flea market up near Jason’s base. We hadn’t been there before but heard good reviews from locals. I’ve gotta say, it was really awesome. The whole thing is open air but covered with permanent roofs. It boasted the usual fare of used small appliances, video games, cheap t-shirts, kid toys, and whatnot… but it also had a huge section of locally grown fruits and veggies along with a full row of puppies. We saw tons of kennels full of mini-daschunds, yorki-poos, schnauzers, and other small lapdogs. Not our style. Next up were the pit bulls and boxers. I love boxers because they are just so energetic and fun, but that’s also the problem with them. Since we’ll...

Best night in 3 months…

October 15, 2009

I’m sitting in my living room. There’s a small fire crackling happily in the fireplace in front of me. My 3-year old son Jeremy is bathed and snuggled on Jason’s lap under his favorite blankie with his favorite stuffed fishy. We’re watching Ratatouille as all of us succumb to the Drowsey Monster and then we’ll slip off to bed. I won’t forget this night for the rest of my life. Having my son back in my home for the first time in close to 12 weeks in most definitely a Finer Thing. I took ten minutes to toss this post up and now I’m going back to enjoying the last of the evening with my family. Tomorrow, Mommy & Me class on the Coast Guard base. Saturday is flea market day at which we hope to pick out a puppy. Sunday is church. And Monday is library day!

Catching Up

October 14, 2009

I have been incredibly absent around here lately. I made my big huge photo-laden post right after I returned home from a week in California, then I planned October’s menu – that’s it, all I’ve done in the past month. That is absolutely pitiful blogging and for the four people or so who read this, I am so very sorry. In a lame attempt at some excuses: 1) I was exhausted from finishing my first trimester of this pregnancy, 2) I’ve been busily preparing my son’s room for him to come home to us this week, and 3) I’ve been doing crazy lots of crocheting. Item number 1: First Trimester of Pregnancy. As I’ve mentioned from time to time on Twitter and Facebook, this pregnancy has been different in every single way from my first. With my first baby (Jeremy) I had no morning sickness (aside from a reaction to taking my iron supplement with a glass of milk), with this baby I was ill all day every day for the few couple of months. All that changed as I headed into the second trimester (last week) and I’m so very happy for that. I feel like my old self...

Menu Plan, month of October

October 3, 2009

September was my first attempt at planning a full month of meals at once. It was tough, but working through The Happy Housewife’s Menu Planning 101 really helped me to focus n our favorite meals and sides rather than trying to pull new recipes out of thin air. It worked out so well for us, that I’ve done it again for October. While it really did take a lot out of me to do a month at a time, it is so wonderful to not have to worry about menu planning every single week. It also allows me to shop for the whole month at once (getting fabulous value out of our Sam’s Club membership) and only having to return to the grocery store for a fruit and dairy refresher mid-month. As has become normal for us, our “dinner” plans are shifted to lunchtime Monday through Friday since Jason leaves for work at 3 pm for the night shift. Here is our October menu plan: Thursday, 1st: I was feeling lazy, so we had Grilled Cheese Sandwiches. Friday, 2nd: Lemon-Herb Pork Chops with rice and carrots. Saturday, 3rd: Penne with red sauce and garlic texas toast and salad. Sunday,...

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