The life of a simple wife

Menu: September 26 - October 2

2011-09-26T09:15:00.000-04:00

Ugh. The Last Quarter Insanity seems to have started a month early this year. It kinda makes me a little afraid of what the next three months will bring. I mean, usually it's crazy with Girl's birthday and Halloween and my birthday and Thanksgiving and Christmas and all the end of the year stuff I do, but if it's going to be SO CRAZY that the Universe started hitting me a month early?? Ohdear.... maybe it's time to hide in my closet.

Lots to do and my printer is broken. Because, you know, NOW is when I need it most. *sigh* I do believe my head is going to explode any day now...

So, food! Because, apparently, we need to eat. Or so I'm told.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     cereal (dry or with milk)
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     apple or banana and peanut butter
     hard boiled egg and cheese
   oatmeal and fruit

Lunches
choice of:
     leftovers
     sandwiches (tuna, peanut butter, whatever) and fruit
   bocca burger
     turkey burger

Monday
dinner: leftovers (cleaning out the fridge)

Tuesday
dinner: pasta, salad, garlic toast

Wednesday
dinner: Honey Mustard Lime Chicken (adapted from this recipe), green beans, corn nibbles, salad

Thursday
dinner: tuna burgers (adapted from this recipe), rosemary sweet potato steak fries, salad

Friday
dinner: beans and rice
fixing ahead for the weekend:
- chicken spaghetti casserole

weekend lunches and dinners
- chicken spaghetti casserole (adapted from this recipe)
- various leftovers
- probably tuna sandwiches if we need more food

Aaaaand, I think that's it. I need to get a move on and tackle my day. Maybe if I'm extra charming, I can coax the printer to work just long enough to get some vital stuff printed. Maybe. Hopefully. Please...?

Blue skies, world.

Menu: September 12-18

2011-09-12T09:47:00.000-04:00

Huh. September. When did THAT happen? Guess summer kinda ate my life.

So, school's back in session (is this really the fourth week already? wow...) and I've been adjusting to (1) being by myself again and (2) getting things done. The first is a easy, the second is... well, I'm getting better.

Speaking of getting better, I have a huge list of stuff I want/need to get done this week so I need to get off the computer and get moving.

So, food! Because it makes a really awesome ~~bribe~~ incentive for my family to do what I want when I feed them.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     cereal (dry or with milk)
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     apple or banana and peanut butter
     hard boiled egg and cheese
     Amish Breakfast Casserole   pancakes

Lunches
choice of:
     leftovers
     sandwiches (tuna, peanut butter, whatever) and fruit
   bocca burger
     turkey burger

Monday
dinner: spaghetti (making sauce from scratch, as in... squishing tomatoes scratch), garlic toast, salad

Tuesday
dinner: spicy orange and sesame chicken sandwiches (adapted from this recipe), salad

Wednesday
dinner: leftovers

Thursday
dinner: beans and rice, salad

Friday
dinner: meat loaf, green peas, roasted golden potatoes
extra: honey lemon cookies
fixing ahead for the weekend:
- disappearing chicken casserole

weekend lunches and dinners
- disappearing chicken casserole, broccoli
- various leftovers
- probably tuna sandwiches if we need more food

I think that's it.

Lots to do now.

Blue skies, world.

Menu: August 8 - 14

2011-08-08T09:15:00.001-04:00

Wow. Another week gone? Already? Where is the time going?

I thought to have something more... engaging to say this morning, but I don't. I'd really like to go back to bed, though. That would be fantastic. Too bad I can't. There's just too much to do.

So... food. Because my family likes it when I feed them and I really need to get busy.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     cereal
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     apple or banana and peanut butter
     hard boiled egg and cheese
     bagel and yogurt
     Amish Breakfast Casserole
     pancakes

Lunches
choice of:
     leftovers
     sandwiches (tuna, peanut butter, whatever) & fruit
     hot dogs

Monday
dinner: leftovers (beans and rice, chicken)
extra: chewy lime sugar cookies

Tuesday
dinner: ginger-marmalade chicken, herb-roasted potatoes, green beans, broccoli

Wednesday
dinner: honey spiced pork chops, mac & cheese, green peas

Thursday
dinner: tuna casserole, salad

Friday
dinner: sweet and sour chicken stir-fry, rice, broccoli
extra: honey lemon cookies
fixing ahead for the weekend:
- chicken salad dijon with grapes and apple
- ham and cheese potato casserole

weekend lunches and dinners
- chicken salad dijon with grapes and apples
- ham and cheese potato casserole, broccoli

I... really... should have links up there, but I don't. It's a sluggish sort of morning.

Blue skies, world.

Hmmm...

2011-08-02T06:49:00.000-04:00

I... really... need to update my website.

That is all.

Blue skies,

Menu: August 1 - 7

2011-08-01T09:02:00.000-04:00

Holidays and vacations, while fun, really screw up my menu planning. I suppose we'll just have to take more vacations so I can practice meal planning around/for them. It seems logical to me.

Things are kinda... weird... lately, so I'm trying to stick to simple meals that Girl can prepare if I'm swamped. Sometimes, I ask her to cook for no other reason than to give her that power in the kitchen. But don't tell her that. She might stop being so helpful.

Um... food. Because I don't really have anything else to say this morning (kinda time crunched, actually) and my family REALLY likes it when I feed them.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     cereal
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     apple or banana and peanut butter
     hard boiled egg and cheese
     bagel and yogurt
     Amish Breakfast Casserole
     pancakes

Lunches
choice of:
     leftovers
     sandwiches & fruit
     hot dogs

Monday (Lunch at Red Robin)
dinner: leftovers

Tuesday
dinner: cheeseburger pasta, garlic bread, salad

Wednesday
dinner: tuna casserole, crescent rolls, salad

Thursday (GROCERY DAY)
dinner: frozen pizza

Friday
dinner: sweet and sour chicken stir-fry, rice
fixing ahead for the weekend:
- all the chopping and grating for the Amish Breakfast Casserole
- beans
- rice

weekend lunches and dinners
- leftovers
- beans & rice
- more leftovers
- maybe a rotisserie chicken from the deli

Things have been kinda crazy in my world lately so I've not had the chance to work on sorting out my recipes and updating my recipe blog. I'm hoping to get project kicked off in the next week, but with the start of school looming just 22 days away, I might have to wait.

And I believe that's it for the food this week. Now it's off to the orthodontist and used bookstore.

Blue skies, world.

Menu: June 27 - July 3

2011-06-27T06:00:00.009-04:00

Last week was... fun. Summer is, without a doubt, in full swing.

We didn't get to the roasted turkey legs over the weekend so that's shifted to Monday. The lentils and brown rice tacos that we didn't get to have been shifted forward to Wednesday.

There will be a few new recipes popping up in the near future. We've all decided we need to lose some weight so Girl and Husband picked out The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook this weekend while we were out. Some of the ideas they suggest are simply... not... going to be implemented in our weight loss endeavors while others are ideas I've been trying to get both Girl and Husband to embrace for a while. Since this is their idea, I am tentatively optimistic about the results. It'll be easier for me to eat better if they're the ones wanting the healthier meals.

Also, they think we should all eat breakfast in the morning. Amazing. I wonder why I never thought of that.

So! In the mean time... food. Because my family REALLY likes it when I feed them and it's so much easier to ~~bribe~~ convince them to do things when I have food.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     cereal
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     apple or banana and peanut butter
     hard boiled egg and cheese
     bagel and yogurt
Saturday: Amish Breakfast Casserole
Sunday:Oatmeal pancakes, turkey bacon

Lunches
choice of:
     leftovers
     sandwiches & fruit
     hot dogs
     chicken pot pie

Monday
dinner: roasted turkey legs (I still need to make some pomegranate molasses), french fries, salad

Tuesday
dinner: Apricot, Ginger, and Chicken Casserole, lima beans, broccoli

Wednesday
dinner: lentils and brown rice tacos, salad

Thursday
dinner: spaghetti, garlic rolls, salad

Friday
dinner: hamburger noodle casserole, broccoli, salad
fixing ahead for the weekend:
- all the chopping and grating for the Amish Breakfast Casserole
- Chicken Salad Dijon with grapes and apples
- mixing the Tasty Tuna Burgers (but not cooking them)

weekend lunches and dinners
- leftovers
- Chicken Salad Dijon with grapes and apples (plus fruit on the side)
- Tasty Tuna Burgers (plus Rosemary Sweet Potato Steak Fries and salad)

As I typed out the above, I realized that I've been remiss in posting recipes in my recipe blog so I'll be working on that some this week when I get the chance.

And I believe that's it for the food this week.

Blue skies, world.

Menu: June 20 - 26

2011-06-19T22:32:00.000-04:00

WOO-HOO! Last week worked great. We cooked what was supposed to be cooked and we ate it! Not only that, but I made a chocolate-cherry ribbon dessert for the weekend and it was great. I've already started considering way to tweak it to make it better suited to our tastes.

I'm hoping for success again this week and just to make it more of a challenge, I'm planning breakfasts and lunches, too.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     cereal
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     hard boiled eggs and fruit
     turkey bacon
     toast
     bagels
     fruit

Monday
lunch: LUNCH OUT (Red Robin after orthodontist appointment
dinner: tuna casserole, broccoli, salad

Tuesday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches, salad, fruit
dinner: hamburgers, fries, salad

Wednesday
lunch: chicken nuggets, salad, fruit
dinner: easy garlic broiled chicken, mashed potatoes, green peas

Thursday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches, salad, fruit
dinner: lentils and brown rice tacos, salad

Friday cooking all weekend meals today
lunch: foraging
dinner: leftovers

Weekend
- roasted turkey legs (first, I'll have to make some pomegranate molasses), french fries, salad
- baked black bean and salsa chicken (an adaptation of this recipe), rice, broccoli

I believe that's about it.

Blue skies, world.

Menu: June 13 - 19

2011-06-12T22:54:00.000-04:00

Things didn't go quite as planned last week. Life happens. I've shifted a few of the missed meals forward to this week (and next week) and am hoping I've figured how to avoid the "omg-too-many-leftovers!" situations that have been causing all the problems.

It's late, I'm tired, and I think I'm being kidnapped tomorrow. I need to be in bed so I'll make this short.

Food... because I'm supposed to feed them. Or something like that.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
- whatever can be found (actually, the husband is probably fending for himself since it'll be a miracle if Girl or I are out of bed early to actually eat breakfast)

Lunches
- haven't got a clue. Probably a lot of foraging this week.

Monday
dinner: disappearing chicken casserole, broccoli, salad

Tuesday
dinner: leftovers

Wednesday
dinner: chopped beef stroganoff, broccoli

Thursday - GROCERY DAY
dinner: cheddar mac & ham casserole

Friday
dinner: DAD COOKS! YAY!!
additional cooking (what I'll cook): weekend meals

WEEKEND MEALS
one: shepherd's pie
two: asian orange chicken, rice, salad

And that's all from me. Time for sleeping.

Sweet dreams, world.

Menu: June 6 - 12

2011-06-06T09:29:00.000-04:00

We're getting better with actual eating of what's planned, but there's still quite a bit of work to be done in that area.

School releases the ~~animals into the wild~~ kids for the summer Friday with an early release time. As always, I have no idea what sort of impact that will really have on my days. This year, Girl wants a "social life" during the summer. I'm not yet sure what sort of Mom Magic I'm going to have to work to make that possible. I'm still trying to find out exactly what she wants.

So, food... because we always have food. My family is so much ~~less growlish and bitey~~ more pleasant to be around when I feed them.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
- whatever can be found, including white cheddar popcorn and cheesecake (nothing really planned this week, I'm tumbling some ideas around in my skull)

Lunches
- haven't got a clue. Most likely, it'll be leftovers or sandwiches with fruit. Or maybe just a bowl of white cheddar popcorn and some M&Ms.

Monday
dinner: skillet chicken parmesan, green beans, crescent rolls, salad
additional cooking: pasta sauce

Tuesday
dinner: sloppy tater joe casserole, broccoli, salad
additional cooking: sloppy joe sauce

Wednesday
dinner: asian orange chicken, rice, salad

Thursday
dinner: shepherd's pie

Friday
dinner: DAD COOKS! YAY!!
additional cooking (what I'll cook): potato skins, plus weekend meals

WEEKEND MEALS
one: meatloaf (still tweaking this recipe), mashed potatoes (using potato guts from potato skins), green peas
two: lentils and rice with fried onions, baked falafel patties with yogurt-tahini sauce, salad

I think that's all. Any guesses on which meal will be skipped/shifted to a future date?

Much to do today and I'm running out of time.

Blue skies, world.

Menu: May 30 - June 4

2011-05-30T10:18:00.000-04:00

Last week's menu went a little awry around Wednesday. The Asian Orange Chicken meal got bumped, so did the Skillet Chicken Parmesan meal, and, well, actually, the rest of the week. Things got weird. It happens.

I've been using Plan To Eat to plan my meals (and grocery lists) since November so last week's explosion of meals not cooked isn't much of an issue. I simply pulled those items into the coming weeks and all is well.

So! Food. Because my family really likes it when I feed them.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     cold cereal
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     banana and peanut butter
     hard boiled egg and cheese
     toast
     biscuits

Monday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches
dinner: Tasty Tuna Burgers, french fries, salad

Tuesday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches
dinner: Chopped Beef Stroganoff, broccoli

Wednesday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches
dinner: Chicken and yellow rice, salad

Thursday - GROCERY DAY
lunch: leftovers (or take out, depending on how long the shopping takes and how hungry I get)
dinner: leftovers

Friday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches
dinner: Baked Ziti, salad

Saturday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches
dinner: Lentils and Brown Rice Tacos, Salad

Sunday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: leftovers

I believe that's everything. I'm still working on indexing my recipe blog and adding more recipes there. I'm also still trying to figure out if I even want to keep it since most everything I put there will undoubtedly (eventually) be added to my Plan To Eat account/cookbook. Eventually, everything will be all orderly. Eventually.

Blue skies, world.

Menu: May 23 - 29

2011-05-23T09:02:00.003-04:00

It's been almost a year since I've updated this blog. A lot has happened in that time. A lot that I'd just as soon not delve into here. This isn't the place for it. Instead, let me just say that, as a part of my grieving process, I'm making extra efforts to blog again. Creating, it seems, is my way of coping with a lot.

I suspect (hope) this renewal of blogging will begin as a trickle of skimpy posts that eventually develops into a small but steady stream of more interesting and detailed posts. And I will more than likely miss a week or two during the first months (or, at the very least, be late with the posting) as I reintegrate this task into my weekly routine. Though, truthfully, finding my writing voice again is more of a concern to me than missing or being late with a post. I started losing it last January and lost it completely over the last six months.

Or maybe I just need to reconnect.

Anyway... food...

While I still plan the weeks Sunday through Saturday, I'll be listing the menus here as Monday through Sunday for one very simple reason: Sundays are ALWAYS "leftover" days. I try to cook enough food on Friday to carry us through to Sunday night. I get two days I don't have to cook and my family still gets to eat. Win-win. Listing Sunday through Saturday meant starting the week by re-listing what I had previously cooked or listing "leftovers". Neither option appealed to me, so I reached for another option. I'm kind of quirky that way.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Monday
dinner: shepherd's pie

Tuesday
dinner: shepherd's pie leftovers

Wednesday
dinner: Asian Orange Chicken, rice, broccoli

Thursday
make early in day: pasta sauce
dinner: Skillet Chicken Parmesan, broccoli

Friday
dinner: LEFTOVERS
cooking for weekend:
- Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes
- Lentils and Rice with Fried Onions (Mujadarrah)
- Baked Falafel Patties with Yogurt-Tahini Sauce
- Middle Eastern Tomato Salad

Saturday
lunch and dinner: FORAGING ON WHAT I COOKED FRIDAY

Sunday
lunch and dinner: FORAGING ON WHAT I COOKED FRIDAY

And that, I believe, is all.

Blue skies, world.

Menu - July 12 - 17

2010-07-12T09:02:00.003-04:00

Okie dokie, then. Last week was all sorts of fubar for all sorts of reasons. With the husband out of town, the kid and I pretty much just foraged all week. Neither one of us felt like eating much anyway.

So! This week...

The husband is back in town and I have high hopes for this week but, eh, we'll see. It's not even noon on Monday and already my day is scrambled.

I recently borrowed the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois (their website is here) and had hoped to try their method of bread mixing/making today but I don't think I'll get to it. Not today. I'll shoot for Wednesday or Thur...oh, not Thursday. Grocery shopping is on Thursday. Maybe Friday, then, since Fridays are cook-a-thon days anyway. We'll see. When I do get to it, I'll take some pictures and share my thoughts.

Oh, and I'm dropping the chores list from the menu because that's not what these menu posts are about. They're about food. So... menu!

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     cold cereal
     oatmeal
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     banana and peanut butter
     hard boiled egg and cheese
     toast
     biscuits

Sunday
lunch: IHOP (after the Minions movie)
dinner: frozen pizza/foraging

Monday
lunch: tuna sandwiches, fruit
dinner: parmesan pasta bake, salad

Tuesday
lunch: chicken legs, rice, random veggies and/or fruit
dinner: fish, broccoli, corn, salad

Wednesday
lunch: chicken legs, rice, random veggies and/or fruit
dinner: hamburger noodle casserole, salad
baking (maybe): bread

Thursday GROCERY DAY
lunch: ---OUT---
dinner: leftovers

Friday
lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit
dinner: tacos
cooking for weekend: chicken spaghetti casserole

Saturday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches, fruit
dinner: chicken spaghetti casserole (trying for the first time), salad

The chicken spaghetti casserole is finding its way onto our menu for the first time but I've heard such great things about it. With luck, it'll stay in the rotation of weekend meals because I just don't have enough meals in that category. (No, really, I don't. I need more recipes that serve 6+ people.)

So, that's the our meal plan for the week. What's in your menu? (Am I the only one that reads that question and immediately thinks of the Capital One credit card commercials "What's in your wallet? Ugh. I need to go bleach my brain...)

Blue skies, world.

Menu (and chores) - June 27 - July 3

2010-06-28T07:58:00.004-04:00

Last week's menu went a little awry around Tuesday. The chicken with honey-orange sauce never got made. Neither did the beans, rice, tuna patties, or hoe cakes. We only resorted to eating take-out once, though, so I still count the week as a win. Sometimes life just gets a little hay-wirey.

The husband left town yesterday morning and won't be back until Thursday morning so Girl and I are happily eating leftovers and not having to put much effort into the feed of ourselves until later in the week. Even then, it's not going to be much effort. It's summer, after all.

So... menu... but first... I'm adding chores and activities to my menu this week as a trial to see how it works out. I'm not adding my daily To Do List; no one has the time (or desire) to see that mayhem. I'm just adding...highlights.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     cold cereal
     oatmeal
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     banana and peanut butter
     hard boiled egg and cheese
     toast
     biscuits

NOTE: We still have corn on the cob and peaches in the refrigerator, so all meals will be added to (or not) as desired (or needed). There's also a fairly good chance of me baking some bread this week.

Sunday
lunch: leftovers (oven-fried chicken #2, potato salad)
dinner: ~~leftovers (oven-fried picnic chicken #2, potato salad)~~ warm brownies and milk

chores: none
activity: take Husband to airport in morning, Unnatural History (8pm - Cartoon Network)

Monday
lunch: leftovers (oven-fried picnic chicken #2, potato salad)
dinner: leftovers (oven-fried picnic chicken #2, potato salad), corn on the cob

chores - me: wipe down master bath, clean kitchen (wash small appliances, clear counters, clean oven hood, etc.), work on Emergency Notebook forms, laundry (sheets)
chores - Girl: wipe down main bath, clean all cabinet doors (kitchen & bath), 30 minutes on bedroom
activity: latch hook lesson, mom writing time

Tuesday
lunch: leftovers (oven-fried picnic chicken #2, potato salad)
dinner: ground turkey burgers, baked beans, corn on the cob
baking (maybe): bread

chores - me: sweep and mop tile floors, work on Emergency Notebook forms, laundry (towels)
chores - Girl: clean light switches and door knobs, shake door rugs, sweep outside front door, 30 minutes on bedroom
activity: latch hook lesson, mom writing time

Wednesday
lunch: --OUT--
dinner: leftovers (turkey burgers, baked beans)

chores - me: wipe down master bath, balance budget, vacuum, laundry (light clothes)
chores - Girl: wipe down main bath, straighten bedroom closet, 30 minutes on bedroom
activity: GROCERY DAY

Thursday
lunch: leftovers, fruit
dinner: lemon chicken stir-fry, rice, salad

chores - me: dust, work on next week's menu, laundry (gentle cycle load, dark clothes)
chores - Girl: clean bedroom, dust bedroom, vacuum bedroom
activity: pick up Husband at airport (930am), pick up library book(s) on hold

Friday
lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit
dinner: black bean tostados, salad
cooking for weekend: shepherd's pie

chores - me: clean master bathroom, sweep tile floors, laundry (Girl's clothes, bleach, towels)
chores - Girl: clean main bathroom, sweep and mop main bath, clean toothbrush holder
activity: cook-a-thon (with reading during down times), Merlin (10pm - SyFy)

Saturday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches, fruit
dinner: shepherd's pie

chores - me: laundry (jeans)
chores - Girl: clean out car (w/dad)
activity: nothing planned yet

I do believe those are the highlights. I left everything that appears on my daily list out, so there's no mention of my washing dishes (something I do several times a day) or clutter pick-up or exercise or arguing with Girl when she has a Teen Moment or so many other things. You'll just have to trust that it's all part of my day.

Blue skies, world.

Menu - June 20 - 26

2010-06-21T05:17:00.003-04:00

Last week had both Girl and kitty on drugs and healing. Both are doing much better. Girl was negative for Strep and Meningitis (both were a concern because both are going around this area) and kitty's blood tests came back with some enzyme or another slightly elevated which could mean a whole bunch of things. Right now it's a "wait and see" game with her, with the possibility of more blood tests in the future. I'm still fighting off whatever sludge monster has decided my head is a great place for its summer camping trip.

I have great hopes that this week will be much different. Or, at the very least, hope nobody in our household will be sick. There are plans for a $1 movie and a free movie (Tuesday and Wednesday mornings), opening the latch hook kits (see post here), and at least one library visit. I have a running list of other activities that might wiggle their way into the week, too. I won't even mention the cleaning/chores.

I've been working on finding fairly simple (and large) dishes that can be cooked in advance to minimize my time in the kitchen during the weekend. So far, it's working out really well. Having the food already prepared for the weekends has got to be somewhere in my top ten list of best ideas. I get days off (sorta) and they get fed something besides tuna; major win for all concerned (well, except kitty, who no longer gets tuna treats on the weekends). I'm toying with the idea of cooking dinners in the morning during the week. The days can get really busy in the summer and sometimes I just don't feel like cooking, especially on low energy days when it hurts to move. Knowing dinner was taken care of before the day even got underway would go a long way toward easing some of the angst on low energy days. Or just days Girl and I spent aaaall day out running around in the Florida heat. Even if all I did was cook the main dish and do the clean up in the mornings, it would help. The vegetables that would need to be cooked at dinner time are a breeze to not only steam but also clean up after. Less after-dinner clean up = major win for mom.

So... menu...

Oh. And the pizza casserole we tried last week was a hit. The recipe still needs a few minor tweaks but other than that, everyone loved it.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     cereal
     oatmeal
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     apple or banana and peanut butter
     hard boiled egg and cheese
     toast
     biscuits

NOTE: With about a dozen ears of fresh corn on the cob and a little over ten pouns of fresh peaches lurking about, all meals will be added to (or not) as desired (or needed). There's also the slight chance of me baking some bread this week. Maybe. Or teaching Girl how to make biscuits from scratch.

Sunday
lunch: leftovers (pizza casserole)
dinner: leftovers (pizza casserole)

Monday
lunch: chicken legs, fruit
dinner: easy salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, lima beans, salad

Tuesday
lunch: chicken legs, lima beans, fruit
dinner: chicken with honey orange sauce, rice, green beans, salad

Wednesday
lunch: sandwiches, fruit
dinner: red beans, tuna patties, hoe cakes, salad

Thursday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: leftovers, salad

Friday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: potato bake, salad
cooking for weekend: oven-fried chicken (#2), potato salad,

Saturday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches, fruit
dinner: oven-fried chicken (#2), potato salad, baked beans

Blue skies, world.

Menu - June 13 - 19

2010-06-14T05:31:00.003-04:00

Last week saw the end of the school year... and my daughter and feline getting sick. My family certainly knows how to kick off the summer vacation. Sheesh.

Girl is on antibiotics and has slept most of the last three days. I expect her to sleep much of the next two or three days as well. Or sleep as well as she possibly can given the extent of her congestion. Her fever is mostly gone but the congestion is just... there. I fully expect her to be even more moody and miserable than her usual 13-year-old self when she is awake. Joy.

Kitty appears to be on the mend. After a visit to the vet, some blood drawn for tests, and a dose of antibiotics, she's eating again. She's also being more social than she was last week and when I woke up this morning (at 4am), she was curled up on my hip. We should hear back from the vet about the blood tests sometime today.

I should update my listed goals, however, finding the time to do that recently has been a little difficult. The thing about doing stuff not computer-related is that I'm no longer AT my computer all day long so finding time to do the dozens of things I was used to doing... a little difficult. Still, I'd rather be doing things and updating less than the other way around. And I seem to be slightly ahead of schedule today, so perhaps I'll be able to get that done later...assuming I maintain this momentum and continue to get stuff done.

So food. Because my family likes it when I feed them.

I will say this first, though: cooking the weekend's food on Friday during the day and having prepared food in the refrigerator has been making a world of difference in our weekends. Oh, we may still eat out... but it's by choice when we do, not because we're too tired to fix anything. The husband noted last night that he really liked the shredded chicken and rice being in the refrigerator. Actually, what he said was "This shredded chicken and rice thing? You can do that again." Yay me!

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     muffins (link coming)
     cereal
     oatmeal
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     apple or banana and peanut butter
     hard boiled egg and cheese
     toast
     biscuits

Sunday
lunch: leftovers (tacos or chicken & rice)
dinner: leftovers (tacos or chicken & rice)

Monday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwich, fruit
dinner: pasta, homemade sauce (a variation of this one in which I use tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and a variety of stuff commonly found in my kitchen), salad
stuff to do: get ham cheese and potato casserole out of freezer to thaw

Tuesday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: fish, mac & cheese, broccoli

Wednesday
lunch: sandwiches, fruit
dinner: ham cheese and potato casserole (from the freezer), broccoli

Thursday
lunch: ---OUT---
dinner: leftovers
stuff to do: GROCERY DAY! Leave out ground beef for burgers when dividing package for freezer

Friday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches, carrots, fruit
dinner: hamburgers, fries
cooking for weekend: pizza casserole (new recipe!)

Saturday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches, fruit
dinner: pizza casserole

And now I need to get moving. It's 6am already and it feels like I'm falling behind.

Blue skies, world.

Menu - June 6 - 12

2010-06-06T21:28:00.004-04:00

So far we've been real good about following the menus, with the exception of fish nights. We always work around fish nights for some reason. Maybe because I don't really like fish. I'll have to work on that. We need to eat more fish.

I've not been as good with lunches, but the listed items always get eaten. Just not on the assigned days. I either need to work on that or alter the way I list lunches. With Girl being home starting Friday, I'm not sure which would be best.

Anyway, school releases the ~~animals into the wild~~ kids for the summer this Thursday with an early release time. My schedule is about to get a world of crazier than it already is. My brain is already cowering in fear.

Oh, and the pancakes didn't work out so well for breakfast during the week. I'm not sure what the problem was. Perhaps I'll try it again another week with different execution plans.

So, food... because we always have food. My family is so much more pleasant to be around when I feed them.

Aaaaand, there are no links because my eyes are killing me and I'm too tired to post them then link them. I'll add links later in the week.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     muffins (link coming)
     cereal
     oatmeal
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     apple or banana and peanut butter
     hard boiled egg and cheese
     toast
     biscuits

Sunday
lunch: sandwiches
dinner: black bean tostadas (link coming), salad

Monday
lunch: pb&j sandwich, carrots, fruit
dinner: cheese-topped lemon chicken breasts, carrots, broccoli, salad

Tuesday
lunch: grilled cheese sandwich, carrots, fruit
dinner: meat loaf, corn on the cob, green beans, salad

Wednesday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: fish, mac & cheese, broccoli

Thursday
lunch: Healthy Choice frozen meal
dinner: ???

Friday
lunch: sandwiches, carrots, fruit
dinner: tacos
cooking for weekend: chicken and rice

Saturday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches
dinner: chicken and rice, salad

And now I need to sleep.

Sweet dreams, world.

The coming of summer

2010-06-04T10:24:00.005-04:00

There's only four more days of school and with the end of school comes summer. As with every summer, we're planning a variety of activities and some down/free time.

One of the things we always try to include in our summer activities is a craft. Sometimes it works, most times it doesn't. Still, it's especially awesome if I can teach the kid something new and she actually enjoys it. This year, I'm going to teach her to latch hook.

Surprised how little my local craft supply stores actually had on the shelves, I turned to the internet. After much deliberation (and more than a little frustration) we made our choices.

Girl had a hard time choosing one. There simply aren't any goth-lite kits available. Everything is overly-girly (full of fluff, flowers, and/or rainbows), pure boy (sports related) or too childish or "old-looking" to hold the interest of a 13-year-old girl gothling. The other options were huge, over-priced kits that, while they appealed to her, simply weren't appropriate for a beginner's first project.

But! ...of course there's a but. What kind of entry would this be without a but?

But "mommy do good"! I found her something that really appeals to her. Caron has two pirate-themed latch hook kits. The one Girl squealed at was the pirate skull.

Now, not being entirely goth (hence the goth-lite and gothling terms I use when referring to her) she was attracted to a heart kit. Since I needed a kit to do as well and nothing else was appealing to me either, I decided to get the other one she liked. I'll make it for her. It's one of those things moms do. It's a heart with a glow around it.

Yes, yes, she's a walking contradiction. She's awesome that way.

Anyway, I ordered them earlier this week and both kits should be here by the end of next week so we'll be starting them before the end of the month. (I usually try to give her a few free days of nothing planned and sleeping in before we start with the summer fun.) With a hyperactive hurricane season being predicted this year, I'm sure there will be plenty of rainy days when we opt to stay home and latch hook or read rather than go out. Progress will be posted in my project blog, One Dream at a Time, but I will also post the end results here.

We're still hashing out the rest of the summer plans. There are movies to watch, books to read, places to go, household lessons to be learned (more on that later), and all sort of other ~~mischief to get into~~ fun to be had.

Blue skies, world.

Menu - May 30 - June 5

2010-05-29T22:53:00.006-04:00

Last week was an inspiring success, so let's try again. Only maybe not so busy. And with actual writing this week. And more sleep.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     pancakes (trying batter in refrigerator & making 1-2 on demand)
     cereal
     oatmeal
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     apple or banana and peanut butter
     toast
     biscuits

Sunday
lunch: leftovers (ham & cheese potato casserole)
dinner: leftovers (ham & cheese potato casserole)

Monday
lunch: sandwiches
dinner: pasta with tangy meat sauce, salad, garlic bread

Tuesday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: skillet chicken parmesan, broccoli, corn on the cob, salad

Wednesday
lunch: pb&j sandwich, carrots, fruit
dinner: leftovers

Thursday
lunch: grilled cheese sandwich, carrots, fruit
dinner: fish, baked potatoes, green beans, salad

Friday
lunch: Healthy Choice frozen meal
dinner: pizza
cooking for weekend: sloppy joes

Saturday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches
dinner: sloppy joes, oven-baked french fries, salad

And now I need to sleep.

Sweet dreams, world.

Menu - May 23 - 29

2010-05-23T21:48:00.004-04:00

Last week was... weird. Girl got up and ate breakfast with me every morning. It got even more weird after that.

Mister returned safely.

The minor trouble spots for this week's menu are thanks to Girl's schedule. She's got all sorts of after-hours school stuff going on that has us not able to sit down at the dinner table at 6pm at least twice this week.

I'm managing to eat lunch everyday but it's not always what I had thought I'd be eating that day. Still... improving. Yay.

This week, I'm adding breakfast, but not in the daily grouping. Breakfast is too likely to change based on the amount of time we have in the morning. Or, you know, how we feel that morning. So instead of the daily 'map', I'm adding a selection of choices available this week. It's my plan to expand and rotate the options.

So... food.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Breakfasts
choice of:
     cereal
     oatmeal
     cheesy eggs (actually egg beaters, but whatever)
     apple or banana and peanut butter
     toast
     biscuits

Sunday
~~lunch~~ brunch: lemon ricotta pancakes
dinner: leftovers (pink beans, hoe cakes, tuna patties)

Monday
lunch: PB&J sandwich, fruit
dinner: leftovers, salad

Tuesday
lunch: Healthy Choice frozen meal
dinner: golden chicken, broccoli, corn

Wednesday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: pot roast, mashed potatoes, carrots, salad

Thursday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: fish, baked potatoes, broccoli, salad

Friday
lunch: grilled cheese sandwich
dinner: hamburgers, fries
cooking for weekend: ham & cheese potato casserole

Saturday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches
dinner: ham & cheese potato casserole, salad

And now I need to sleep. It's been an exhausting weekend and my eyes are refusing to stay open any longer.

Sweet dreams, world.

Menu - May 16-22

2010-05-17T09:56:00.006-04:00

Last week was good.

The weekend was...weird.

This week is starting out weird.

I like weird.

Mister is out of town this week. He woke me up a little before 4am so that I could be awake to lock the door behind him and also so that I would be up to get Girl up in time for school. I've been up - and productive - ever since. The majority of my task list for today is already done and it's not even 11am yet.

This week's menu presented the problem of him being gone. Girl and I don't eat much or well when he's out of town. We eat like the stereo-typical bachelor or college student, minus the take-out. With that in mind, and wanting to change that, I cleaned out the refrigerator on Friday to see what was still lurking about. As it turned out, not much. A head of cabbage, some pine nuts, some sliced almonds, and about a cup of ricotta cheese. Awesome. Quick look in the pantry (after the husband inventoried it for me); check. Freezers? Check. Time to make a menu!

The cabbage is now cole slaw. The pine nuts and almonds are lurking aimlessly for one more week. The ricotta cheese is hoping to be made into pancakes sometime before mid-June.

I've been playing with the idea of being in the kitchen less during the upcoming summer but still having food for us to eat without resorting to take-out or fast food. We have few objections to "leftovers". That led me to ponder cooking in bulk. Bulk/batch cooking would save time, both in the preparing of meals and cleaning up afterward. From there, I started thinking about the weekends. They're especially problematic when I'm planning menus. It doesn't matter what time of the year it is, weekends are problem areas... mainly because we prefer to spend our weekends doing things that in no way even remotely resemble work. Easing into the bulk cooking for the summer seemed like the smart thing to do but I was uncertain how or when to tackle this. Combining my two issues (bulk cooking + weekends), I came up with the idea to try cooking the bulk of the weekend's food on Friday. That starts this week.

As I said earlier, the weekend was weird. This resulted in me having to rework the menu I'd fretted over on Friday. Wee. No problem, though. I was up early this morning. Since I was reworking the menu anyway, I added lunches just so I know what I'm supposed to eat ('cause, you know, I might forget that I'm supposed to eat leftovers this week). Breakfast options... maybe those will find their way into the menu next week. Maybe. I can hope.

So... food.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: --
dinner: oven-fried picnic chicken, potato salad, cole slaw (this is why I had to alter the menu for this week. The whole head of cabbage made A LOT of cole slaw and we ended up with A LOT of leftover chicken. If Mister was going to be in town, it would be no problem but with just Girl and me, that leftover food will feed us for days.)

Monday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: leftovers, salad

Tuesday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: ~~hamburgers, corn,~~ leftovers (we had a LOT of chicken leftover...)

Wednesday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: fish, mac & cheese, peas

Thursday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: breakfast OR leftovers

Friday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: frozen pizzas
cooking for weekend: pink beans, rice

Saturday
lunch: leftovers OR sandwiches
dinner: pink beans, rice, hoe cakes

I guess that's it. I've got some laundry to tend to and some household paperwork to deal with and then... um... hmmm... Weird. I don't know what after that. Probably some writing and crocheting.

Blue skies, world.

Menu - 9 - 15 May 2010

2010-05-10T09:23:00.006-04:00

The move was successful. The holidays were crazy. In January, after 18 years of snuggling him day and night, I held my precious kitty in my arms while he slipped from this world. I spent January, February, and part of March either deeply depressed or battling depression. April was...better...ish, yet depressing in its own way. And now we're into May. Wee.

So here we are in May. I'm trying to get my schedule back in place, trying to get back into familiar routines that work for me. That includes crafting, writing, blogging, exercising, and evening cleaning. Maybe there will be better words on future days. I don't know. I can still feel the depression lingering just on the outer edges of my existence; circling, nudging, nibbling. Whenever depression lingers like this, I always think of a shark swimming around something he's uncertain about, testing it, trying to decide if he's going to make it his snack or not. And right about the time the shark analogy starts tiptoeing through my brain, the twisted little twit in me smirks and mutters "We're going to need a bigger boat..."

Anyway... menu! Yay food! I'm just going to list dinners for now. Planning breakfasts and lunch is just beyond me at the moment. With a little luck and by the grace of God, I'll be back to planning breakfasts and lunches by the end of the month.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
dinner: hamburger noodle casserole, salad

Monday
dinner: leftovers

Tuesday
dinner: ~~easy salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, lima beans~~ moved to weekend

Wednesday
dinner: fish, baked potatoes, broccoli

Thursday (Mister's birthday)
dinner: chicken w/honey-orange sauce, rice, broccoli - may go out, depends on how Mr. Husband feels when he gets home from work

Friday
dinner: tacos

Saturday
dinner: ???

Much, much to do. Seriously.

Blue skies, world.

Menu - 5 - 11 July 2009

2009-07-06T07:36:00.004-04:00

Only 11 more days until we move. I should probably have some boxes packed or something.

The freezer purging is going well. Between this week and next, there won't be much left that needs to live in a cooler while we move the freezer. I'm not certain, but I think most of what will be left will fit in the refrigerator freezer, so that would be helpful.

I was going to babble about the move and replacing furniture, but I think I'll save that for another entry. There's much to do today and I need to get to it.

So, menu...

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: waffles
lunch: sandwiches
dinner: OUT

Monday
breakfast: cereal
lunch: leftovers / sandwiches
dinner: tilapia, rice, broccoli, black-eyed peas

Tuesday
breakfast: eggs, grits, hash browns, bacon, biscuits
lunch: sandwiches
dinner: meatloaf, mac & cheese, peas, lima beans

Wednesday
breakfast: cereal, toast, fruit
lunch: leftovers / sandwiches
dinner: steak, baked potatoes, broccoli, yeast rolls

Thursday
breakfast: eggs, grits, hash browns, bacon, toast
lunch: sandwiches
dinner: spaghetti, salad, yeast rolls

Friday
breakfast: waffles
lunch: leftovers / sandwiches
dinner: roasted chicken, mashed potatoes (w/gravy), broccoli, black eyed peas

Saturday
breakfast: oatmeal pancakes
lunch: leftovers
dinner: ???

Much, much to do. Seriously.

Blue skies, world.

Menu - 28 June - 4 July 2009

2009-06-28T21:18:00.003-04:00

Lots to do. Very tired. Just finished watching Twister. Child now has a better understanding of my intense fear of tornadoes and why ~~we'll~~ I will never live in the mid-west, even though I love that part of the country.

Menu...

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: orange rolls
lunch: OUT
dinner: foraging

Monday
breakfast: eggs, grits, hash browns, bacon, biscuits
lunch: leftovers
dinner: tilapia, rice, broccoli, carrots

Tuesday
breakfast: cereal/oatmeal
lunch: sandwiches, pizza rolls
dinner: pot roast, salad (random veggies)

Wednesday
breakfast: eggs, grits, hash browns, bacon, biscuits
lunch: sandwiches/soups
dinner: red beans & rice, ground beef, salad

Thursday GROCERY SHOPPING DAY
breakfast: waffles
lunch: ??? (depends on where we are)
dinner: shepherd's pie

Friday HOLIDAY - A. HOME
breakfast: eggs, grits, hash browns, bacon, biscuits
lunch: leftovers
dinner: roasted chicken, mashed potatoes (w/gravy), carrots, black eyed peas

Saturday HOLIDAY
breakfast: oatmeal pancakes
lunch: leftovers
dinner: ???

Sleeping now. Sleep well, world.

Menu - 14 - 20 June 2009

2009-06-15T21:59:00.003-04:00

Wow. I posted the wrong dates on last week's menu. Oops. And there were all sorts of changes to last week's menu, too.

Crazy weekend followed by super bad day has me posting this late. And past my bedtime, too. On a night when I should already be in bed and asleep because super early morning and insanely crazy busy day tomorrow. So, posting, then bed for some much need sleep.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: cereal
lunch: salad, leftovers
dinner: foraging

Monday
breakfast: waffles
lunch: soup and/or sandwiches
dinner: hamburgers, mac & cheese, peas

Tuesday
breakfast: scrambled eggs, hash browns, OJ
lunch: sandwiches, chips, fruit
dinner: pot roast (crockpot), crescent rolls

Wednesday
breakfast: cereal, toast, OJ
lunch: ravioli
dinner: --RANDOM NIGHT--

Thursday
breakfast: scrambled eggs, grits, hash browns, bacon, OJ
lunch: sandwiches, chips, fruit
dinner: cube steaks, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, broccoli

Friday
breakfast: scrambled eggs, grits, hash browns, bacon, OJ
lunch: sandwiches, chips, fruit
dinner: homemade pizza

Saturday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: soup and/or sandwiches
dinner: ???

Sleep well, world.

Menu - 7 - 13 June 2009

2009-06-07T21:08:00.005-04:00

So, um, yeah.

Life got hectic. I got distracted. Life continued on even though I wasn't blogging. It does that.

Menu this week is pretty heavy with the red meat. Um. Almost completely red meat, actually. Oh. Broccoli, too. It's a theme I'm going to call "let's clean out the freezer before we move". It'll be a reoccurring theme between now and the middle of July. I expect all sorts of weird food combinations to be popping up over the next six weeks.

And to make things that much more exciting, summer happened, so now I'm planning breakfast and lunch, too. Wee.

There should be recipe links on at least two items this week, but it's my bedtime and besides needing to get to bed, I just don't feel like (a) finding the recipes, (b) typing them out to post them in my recipe blog so I can (c) link them here. It's just too much effort tonight.

Oh, and Friday is super busy. Not only do I have to take my grandfather to the doctor's office at 8am, but Friday is also the day the husband wanders out of town on business again. I usually take him to the airport, but that may not happen this time since I don't know how long I'll be with my grandparents at the doctor's office.

I never plan weekends, 'cause, you know, weekend.

So, anyway, on with the menu.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: foraging
lunch: foraging
dinner: oven-fried picnic chicken, baked beans, corn-on-the-cob, potato salad

Monday
breakfast: cereal, toast, OJ
lunch: leftovers, steamed soy beans
dinner: tacos

Tuesday
breakfast: eggs, bacon, grits, toast, OJ
lunch: baked potatoes topped w/cheese broccoli, fruit
dinner: steak strips, rice, broccoli, carrots

Wednesday
breakfast: waffles, fruit
lunch: sandwiches, chips, fruit
dinner: cornish hens, baked potatoes, broccoli

Thursday
breakfast: eggs, bacon, grits, toast, OJ
lunch: sandwiches, chips, fruit
dinner: cube steaks, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, broccoli

Friday
breakfast: cereal
lunch: --DEPENDS ON WHERE WE ARE--
dinner: hamburgers, mac & cheese, peas

Saturday
breakfast: cereal
lunch: ???
dinner: ???

Blue skies, world.

Reboot!

2009-05-28T12:51:00.001-04:00

I really need to start updating this blog again.

Menu for next week coming.

Also, babbling. Much babbling.

Blue skies, world.

Menu - 21 - 27 September 2008

2008-09-23T09:46:00.002-04:00

There's been a lot going on in the past few weeks that I can't talk about, that I won't talk about, that really just are none of my business, and so forth and so on, so... yeah, I haven't been saying anything.

On with the menu.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: french toast, bacon
lunch: foraging
dinner: hamburgers, french fries, baked beasn, salad

Monday Mom night (me left alone to write or edit)
breakfast: omelets
lunch: leftovers
dinner: chicken nuggets, french fries, salad

Tuesday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: leftovers, cottage cheese, fruit, salad
dinner: stuffed shells, salad

Wednesday
breakfast: eggs, grits, toast, bacon
lunch: hamburger, salad, cottage cheese, fruit
dinner: parmesan tilapia (or salmon), mashed potatoes, broccoli, salad

Thursday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: sandwich, cottage cheese, fruit
dinner: chicken (haven't determined HOW yet), rice, broccoli, salad

Friday
breakfast: eggs, grits, toast, bacon
lunch: sandwich / leftovers, salad, cottage cheese, fruit
dinner: beef medallions, baked potatoes, broccoli, salad

Saturday - pick up Angel Food box at 930am
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: ???
dinner: ???

Blue skies, world.

Menu - 31 August - 6 September 2008

2008-09-01T19:10:00.003-04:00

There should be words falling out of my head and, alas, there aren't. Well, not good words at any rate. This whole "zombie-mom" thing has got to stop. I need to sleep. Preferably at night.

I was planning on doing some writing tonight, but since there are no words, I'm just going to shut down and do a bit of relaxing. I'll peel my eyeballs and whatever happens, well, happens. With luck, that will be sleep but if words do start falling out of my head, I'll try to net them.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: hot dogs, chips
dinner: hamburgers, salad

Monday Mom night (me left alone to write or edit)
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: McDonald's
dinner: stuffed shells, salad, garlic bread

Tuesday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: sandwich, fruit
dinner: boneless round steak, rice, broccoli, salad

Wednesday
breakfast: eggs, grits, toast
lunch: hot dog, fruit
dinner: parmesan tilapia, mac & cheese, green peas, salad

Thursday - writer's group meeting
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: sandwich, fruit
dinner: shepherd's pie, salad

Friday
breakfast: eggs, grits, toast
lunch: waffles
dinner: chicken breast fillets, mashed potatoes, broccoli, salad

Saturday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: foraging
dinner: tacos, salad

Sweet dreams, world.

Menu - Aug. 24 - 30, 2008

2008-08-25T07:31:00.004-04:00

Last week went all kerfloopy what with Tropical Storm Fay skirting us and school starting and school closing for the storm that never came and all sorts of other stuff.

Second week of school starts today. I'm slowly getting used to having the days to myself again.

My grandfather is doing better and home again. He may even be doing what he needs to be doing to stay healthy, too.

My head is kind of empty this morning so we'll just move right along to the menu.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: waffles, bacon
lunch: hamburgers, chips
dinner: Parmesan encrusted tilipia, mac & cheese, green peas, salad

Monday Mom night (me left alone to write or edit)
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: sandwich or leftovers, fruit
dinner: chicken with broccoli & cheese (frozen), baked potatoes, lima beans, salad

Tuesday
breakfast: eggs, grits, bacon, OJ
lunch: sandwich, fruit
dinner: pork medallions, corn nibblets, carrots, broccoli

Wednesday
breakfast: oatmeal or cereal, OJ
lunch: sandwich, fruit
dinner: boneless round steak, rice, broccoli

Thursday
breakfast: sausage biscuits
lunch: sandwich, fruit
dinner: pasta, salad

Friday
breakfast: oatmeal or cereal, OJ
lunch: sandwich, fruit
dinner: chicken breast fillets, mashed potatoes, broccoli

Saturday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: foraging
dinner: Salisbury steaks (frozen), mashed potatoes, broccoli

Blue skies, world.

Menu - Aug. 10 - 16, 2008

2008-08-10T21:22:00.004-04:00

Last week's menu got all sorts of scrambled but I think we did good, all things considered.

Anything I might have to say to recap last week shouldn't be said, so...

Olympics! How insanely fantastic was the men's 4x100 freestyle relay?? Maybe the French (and everyone else) will think twice before saying things like "The Americans? We're going to smash them. That's what we came here for." Silly boy.

This week is due to be a bit on the tense side with my grandfather still in the hospital and K. gearing up for school (by that I mean she'll be trying to hibernate all week) and just stuff happening.

So, on with the menu.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: foraging
lunch: hamburgers, chips, salad
dinner: soup, grilled cheese & ham sandwiches, chips, salad

Monday Mom night (me left alone to write or edit, assuming I'm not watching the Olympics...)
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: sandwich or hot dog, fruit
dinner: baked chicken fillets, baked potatoes, lima beans, salad

Tuesday
breakfast: eggs, grits, bacon, OJ
lunch: sandwich or hot dog, fruit
dinner: pork chops, black eyed peas, mashed potatoes, salad

Wednesday
breakfast: oatmeal or cereal, OJ
lunch: sandwiches, fruit
dinner: stir fried round steak, rice, broccoli, salad

Thursday - Open house at school
breakfast: eggs, grits, bacon, OJ
lunch: leftovers
dinner: shepherd's pie

Friday - Pay day; grocery shopping
breakfast: sausage biscuits
lunch: leftovers
dinner: fish, mac & cheese, broccoli

Saturday - brother's birthday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: ???
dinner: ???

Blue skies, world.

This, that, and some of that, too.

2008-08-06T09:01:00.004-04:00

So, my little vampire called off the trip to the movie again today. Pity. I actually wanted to go today. I could have used the distraction.

A. is due in... sometime today. He called early yesterday afternoon to tell me "done here!" and let me know he was trying to get an earlier flight back. Unless someone at the office changes his flight plans for him, he's stuck. Unless he can catch a standby seat. Either way, I probably won't know until he's landed and texting me with "landed".

Despite her desire to sleep all day, I need to rouse the little vampire so that we can run some of the other errands we had to do today. Top of that list is taking her updated physical form over to the school. After that, um, I don't know. Most of today was planned around the movie and trip to the airport.

I've got to call my mom and see how things are going with my grandfather and find out if he's going into the hospital today and if she needs any help. I feel like I should be there but I'm sure my grandfather doesn't want the kid or I there while he's so sick. Especially the kid, and I really don't have anywhere to stick her until school starts. And I know my mom won't want the kid around because she (my mom) is prone to crying these past few days with her stress levels creeping into worrisome highs, and she just doesn't cry or be upset around her granddaughter.

I'd go to the bookstore to kill a few hours (seriously, I could happily spend days there) but I'm good on books for the moment -- more than good, actually -- and I'd never be able to spend that much time there without buying a stack of books. (The number of books I walk out with increases exponentially with amount of time I spend in the store.)

I keep thinking there's a reason I need to hit either WalMart or Target, but I'm at a loss as to what that reason might be. There's just this nagging pull toward the store that I'm resisting until I know WHY I need to be there. Eventually it will come to me. I hope.

My horoscope has me... smirking.

Your horoscope for Wednesday, Aug 06, 2008
Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21)

Public recognition may finally be on the way, but you still need to be patient as one thing after another delays the completion of a project. Lack of progress has probably increased your frustration, making you eager or even desperate to get the job done. But don't talk yourself into taking bold action now, for it's not likely a good move. Recognizing that your perspective is bent out of shape today gives you good reason to wait a little bit longer.

Lack of progress has PROBABLY increased my frustration? Oh please. My frustration level has been at a dangerous high lately. If I don't start writing again soon my head will explode. Seriously. Luckily, A. is a smart man and realizes this and is trying to work with me to make that happen.

Maybe that's what I'll do if I'm not needed anywhere else today. I'll work on some character development. I can sit and talk to people in my head for a few hours, learning all sorts of interesting things about them. Maybe after I've gotten to know some of the voices in my head better, they'll tell me their stories. Maybe.

That's it for now.

Blue skies, world.

So very tired now.

2008-08-04T21:14:00.003-04:00

Sweet merciful... I am exhausted.

"Very long, very hot day" doesn't even begin to describe it, but there it is.

It's... Monday... and the menu has already been scrambled. Every single meal today was altered. Seriously. I can only hope the week gets better.

Apparently, despite having had such a loooooong day of not being home and not getting to eat dinner until after 8pm, K. still wants to catch the movie tomorrow morning. I suppose we'll see if that happens or not in the morning. Standing rule: if she doesn't get out of bed and isn't ready by 8am (ideally we need to leave no later than 845am) then we don't go.

We found the Village Inn where the writers group meets and, well, I'm already a huge quivering bundle of nerves. As I told A. earlier today, I have no problem driving there by myself but it's going to take a minor miracle to get me out of the car and inside the building. It's been a very, very, VERY long time since I've gone anywhere or done anything like this by myself. On top of the "going someplace new and meeting and talking to strange people" nerves, this involves my writing. And I'm super sensitive and shy about my writing.

I think I need to stop thinking about it and just go to bed now.

Sweet dreams, world.

Menu - Aug. 3 - 9, 2008

2008-08-03T21:18:00.003-04:00

Crazy sort of week in which I did a lot of blank staring and frustrated sighing. Getting some recipes posted is a high priority for this week, even if I have to do it at 3am when it's not raining and I'm trying desperately to get my little vampire to go to sleep so I can go to sleep myself.

This new week brings bucket loads of excitement and promises to have me either banging my head against the nearest wall, breathing into a paper bag, or looking around while wondering what the aliens did with my family because they're being far too cooperative. Only time will tell which.

A. leaves town Monday afternoon and should be returning Wednesday night right about the time I want to be falling into bed.

K. wants to see the free/almost free movies both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. I'm inclined to take her since it's the last week of the summer vacation movie "camp".

Thursday night (assuming A. is actually home by then, because let's face it, I'm not too trusting of the airlines lately) brings true weirdness: me going out to a writers group. Alone.

Only two more weeks until school starts. While I'll miss K. and her individual brand of insanity, I'm eager to be back on a more structured schedule in which I'm not only in bed but also asleep by 10pm on most nights and annoyingly perky at 530am.

So. The menu. It's extremely simple and maybe not the healthiest in the world. At least I'm feeding them. (Too many days lately where I've been far too tempted to not feed them...)

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: grits, bacon
lunch: foraging
dinner: fast food (finishing errands)

Monday - A. out of town from mid-afternoon on
breakfast: eggs, grits, bacon, OJ
lunch: tuna salad in bread bowls
dinner: hamburgers, french fries

Tuesday - A. out of town
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: sandwich or hot dog, fruit
dinner: breakfast to order

Wednesday - A. out of town until bedtime
breakfast: oatmeal
lunch: hot dogs, fruit
dinner: mac & cheese, peas, broccoli

Thursday - Writers group meeting
breakfast: pasta, salad
lunch: baked potatoes stuffed with broccoli and cheese
dinner: pasta, salad

Friday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: sandwich or hot dog, fruit
dinner: orange-glazed chicken breasts, rice, broccoli, salad

Saturday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: ???
dinner: pork chops, black eyed peas, mashed potatoes, salad

Sweet dreams, world.

Menu - July 27 - August 2, 2008

2008-07-27T21:03:00.003-04:00

Do you have any sort of clue how difficult it is to blog or post recipes without power? Even with my laptop, it's hard because, well, the wireless modem doesn't work and, yeah, I could compose the entry offline but my battery drains quickly and I don't have a spare. That's not to say that we've had no power for the past two weeks, just that it's been going out far more frequently than it should.

Update on the past few weeks. Um. Really not much to tell. Spent time playing games, writing (a little), reading, watching movies, sleeping, doing all those summer-fun-but-stuck-inside things we normally do. It rains almost daily, but it's Florida and summer and hurricane season, so it's expected.

There's only three more weeks left until school starts and we're more or less ready for it. Ready in the sense that we've shopped for and bought new (and better fitting) jeans, shirts, shoes, socks, and panties. We've purchased school supplies with the exception of notebook paper (waiting to find it under $0.75 a pack) and whatever specifics might be on the supply lists that we won't get until school actually starts (you know, when all the stores have been picked over and all that can be found are empty shelves where the school supplies USED to be).

We're initiating a "leave mom alone" night to be held on Mondays with the purpose of giving me some time to write or research or read or just hide in the back of my closet and talk to the spiders if I chose. With any luck at all, we're going to be attempting a "let mom out of the house by herself" night to be held on every other Thursday night so that I can actually attend one of the writing groups I found nearby. This means the menus for Mondays and every other Thursday have to be simple so they can feed themselves, or I have to cook in advance so they're just foraging on leftovers. Either way, they've got kitchen clean up duties on those nights and I'm half-expecting to have to do all the dishes that have been used when I get up the following mornings. I have hopes that it won't be that way, but only time will tell.

I'd continue babbling but I hear thunder in the distance and want to get the menu up before our world turns very dark and wet again.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: french toast, bacon
lunch: foraging
dinner: foraging

Monday
breakfast: (oops, sort of slept through it)
lunch: tuna, fruit
dinner: pasta, salad

Tuesday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: leftover pasta, fruit
dinner: meatball stroganoff, green peas, salad

Wednesday
breakfast: waffles
lunch: leftovers / sandwiches, fruit
dinner: fish, french fries, lima beans, salad

Thursday - PAY DAY - grocery shopping
breakfast: eggs, grits, hashbrowns, bacon
lunch: ??? (whether we stop for food or not will depend on how long the shopping is taking us)
dinner: chicken fillets, mac & cheese, broccoli, salad

Friday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: hot dogs / hamburgers
dinner: steak, baked potatoes, broccoli, salad

Saturday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: ???
dinner: riblets, baked beans, salad

Blue skies, world.

A... mole?

2008-07-13T23:46:00.002-04:00

So, apparently I'm a mole. I think it might be off a bit, but then again, maybe not. Not the way I've been recently.

http://www.animalinyou.com/survey.asp

Mole
Genera and species: Castor canadensis
Collective Term: A business of beavers

Description
It's easy to recognize the mole personality. For one thing, they have a pasty complexion and are usually seen in late night coffee shop, jazz bars, or underground clubs. To avoid drawing attention to themselves, they favor dark clothing and sunglasses and are the first people to volunteer for the graveyard shift.

The mole is a smallish individual with far more power than its flaccid body suggests, although its strength is more mental than physical. With its ability to focus on the job at hand, there is no situation from which a mole cannot extricate itself.

There's something compelling about the mole personality, and in the early sixties it was quite fashionable to be a mole in the form of a creative and philosophical beatnik -- expressing angst through music and poetry. Bob Dylan and John Lennon carried the mole standard into the seventies, but the fashion largely died and moles were forced back underground.

Moles are restless and although constantly engaged in activity, they never seem to get anything done and despite their drab appearance, they have extremely sharp minds and are excellent problem solvers. As reflected in their determined burrowing through difficult terrain, moles prefer solutions with straight lines rather than having to go around problems. When confronted with difficult issues, they never give up -- hacking away with dogged determination until the answer is found. This attribute makes them perfect for jobs in engineering, accounting or diagnostic work.

Sex is not the most important thing in the mole's life but if there is one animal personality that can push all the right buttons; it would be its soul mate, the bat. (like Yoko Ono) The bat and the mole share a love for dark intimacy and when these two get together, black magic is bound to happen.

Careers and Hobbies
Engineering
Songwriting
Grave digger
Researching
Music
Poetry
Coffeshops
Designing

Famous Moles
Bob Dylan, John Lennon.

So, um, just how does one pick up grave digging as a hobby?

Sweet dreams, I'm off to be before I get into any more trouble.

Menu - July 13 - 19, 2008

2008-07-13T20:32:00.004-04:00

Yeah, yeah, I've been a serious slacker for several weeks. Sometimes life just demands that I be away from my computer(s) and be, basically, absent from most people's field of vision. That's just the way it works and I'm old enough to have learned not to struggle against it.

Not much has happened that I care to have posted for all the world to see, but there has been quite a flurry of activity of late. So! Random pros and cons from among the stuff I'm willing to share with the world. Mainly because I'm too tired to do anything but make lists. In no particular order, just as they fall out of my head.

Pro - my cousin hatched a beautiful baby boy over the weekend. Holding him in my arms before he was even 24 hours old very nearly eradicated more than a week's worth of stress and exhaustion, though I will be the first to admit that I was nowhere near as exhausted as she was. Or on the wonderful drugs the hospital gave her. Of course, that didn't stop me from sleeping for close to twelve hours last night.

Con - the secondary hard drive on the computer on the desk is fried. This has been a hugely devastating blow to me because it's where I have... had... all of my graphics, my family history files, almost four years worth of writing research files, and a host of other stuff that was exclusively mine. None of it was backed up. It was a slave drive. It shouldn't have fried. I know better now.

Pro - I know better now, and am now the proud new owner of a 360GB external hard drive that is compatible with both my laptop and the computer on the desk. And it's all mine.

Pro - other than the research files (which I'll never be able to duplicate), none of my writing files were lost. I do have all my writing backed up on flash drives, and after last week, those backups are even current.

Pro - I have a dear friend that is such a wonderful computer geek. I'm shipping him my fried slave drive to see if he can salvage anything. I know better than to have any hope because when I kill computer parts I do a mighty fine job of it, but if anyone can coax that drive to cough anything up, it'd be him.

Pro - I've been toying with the idea of a new story and am quite eager to work on it.

Con - Getting any research done to further develop that new story idea is proving to be quite impossible for a wide variety of reasons, and that's driving me just a wee bit batty.

Con - Despite some fantastic ideas, I've gotten absolutely no writing done in the past month or so and I do believe my head is going to explode soon.

Pro - I've been holding off that skull explosion with massive amounts of book reading. You know, whenever I'm not having stress-induced meltdowns.

Pro - I got a new bra. I think I love it. I think I might have to order another in the same style but in a different color.

Con - My weight has been fluctuating wildly. My weight loss endeavors have not been going all that well, but what can I honestly expect when my eating and sleeping habits have been so wildly erratic?

I do think that's all I'm willing to share, so on with the menu.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: waffles
lunch: sandwiches, chips
dinner: dinner out (Outback)

Monday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: leftovers / sandwiches, fruit
dinner: chicken fillets, mac & cheese, broccoli, lima beans, salad

Tuesday
breakfast: scrambled eggs, grits, hash browns, OJ
lunch: sandwiches, fruit
dinner: flat bread melts (*note to self: post this recipe*), french fries (home-made), salad

Wednesday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: ??? (grocery shopping)
dinner: tacos, salad

Thursday
breakfast: eggs, grits, hash browns, OJ
lunch: sandwiches, fruit
dinner: mystery meat (I think it's boneless pork chops), rice, broccoli, salad

Friday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: sandwiches, fruit
dinner: beans (*note to self: post this recipe*), rice, corn bread (*ditto*), salad

Saturday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: ???
dinner: shepherd's pie

Sweet dreams, world.

...and off to the walk-in clinic we go!

2008-06-18T18:08:00.000-04:00

So. After a series of insanely crazy days during which we barely had time to breathe, our schedule settled down enough to actually cook at home tonight. At least until roughly 5:55pm (edt) when A. sliced the area between the tip of his finger and the pad of his finger nearly off with a bread knife. He wrapped his finger in a paper towel and I took over cooking dinner (he was supposed to be helping K. cook it, she was... in her room, I think, and he was cooking). After roughly 45 minutes of constant pressure to stop the bleeding, A. reluctantly agreed to go to the walk-in clinic because he was "tired of holding pressure on it". I tossed the pasta in the colander, turned off the sauce, turned off the garlic cheese bread, and out the door we went.

The result of the walk-in clinic visit was amusing. Mostly to A., but K. and I got some giggles, too. K. and I hung out in the waiting area while A. went wherever the chick in mint green scrubs took him. When he (finally) came back out he reported a silly conversation where the doctor tried to include A. in the diagnosis and the decision for the course of action that should be taken (something along the lines of the doctor asking A. if he thought they should do stitches or not and A. thinking "YOU'RE the doctor!"), a tetnus shot, his finger super-glued back together, and a 10-day prescription for antibiotics.

We also ended up getting Chick-fil-A on the way home because, woah, pushing 9pm already.

So. I have a kitchen to clean up without having had the benefit of the simple but yummy meal scheduled for tonight. And I'm too tired to even eat all of my nuggets or fries.

And, yeah, A. is fine. More or less. He's planning on getting his prescription filled tomorrow, and he'll have to pick up some bandages to take with him when he leaves town this weekend (he'll be gone from early Sunday morning to late Friday night). And he's now forbidden to use any of the sharp objects in the kitchen. Right now he's sleeping through a disk of House.

And since A. will live and the kitchen still needs to be cleaned up and I'm exhausted, I'll end this.

Sweet dreams, world.
<3<3

Morning!!

2008-06-09T06:17:00.002-04:00

Yes, I'm painfully obnoxious when I've slept well and wake rested.

It did take some effort to get up this morning, though. I didn't get to bed until nearly quarter past midnight. It was the only way to ensure K. stayed in bed and, eventually, went to sleep (by accident, surely, while she was pretending to be asleep). I didn't hear the alarm at 5am, but had no urge to kill when A. woke me and asked if I was getting up. I did roll over to try and pull a twinge out of my right shoulder blade (the result of not moving all night) and ended up going back to sleep until twenty minutes later when A. poked me in the back and asked if I was getting up or not. So! Up at 5:20am, I was coherent enough to take a shower immediately. While getting dressed, I prodded K. awake and out the door we went.

It was a slowish 0.4 of a mile. Took about 12 minutes. A little faster than a stroll, not quite fast enough to work up a sweat. It was fast enough to perk up my grumbling child some (maybe it was the discussion about bats?) but not so fast that it twisted out my knee. I call that a win.

So here we are, just about 6:45am, and we're running a little later than either A. or I would like (he's got the goal of going to work earlier during the summer to put in a few extra hours as well as maybe leave a little a earlier from time to time for some summer fun) but we're more or less on track. Everyone is up, more or less dressed, breakfast has been consumed, and the day is getting underway. Today is the first day K. and I are following our summer schedule. It'll take a few weeks to become routine, but I think it will work. Or, rather, will work once I get my 11-year-old accustomed to getting up and walking at 530am every morning. Maybe I'll make her a trade; for every minute she spends walking with me, I'll spend with her playing on the x-box (not something I do well or even enjoy).

A. is gearing up to leave so K. and I need to tackle a few chores. Hopefully she'll actually DO her chores rather than slipping back into bed. She's swiped the kitchen timer so I have high hopes that she's actually working on her room. Guess that means it's time for me to get to work. I want enough stuff done that I can sit down to write without feeling guilty this afternoon. I like guilt-free writing.

Blue skies, world.

Menu - June 8 - 14

2008-06-08T20:18:00.004-04:00

Crazy, crazy weeks. Mercy. What can I say? It's been crazy around here.

Highlights from the past few weeks (and tomorrow), both good and bad, and in no particular order:

someone stole my baby red bell pepper plant off my front porch, in the middle of the day (between noon30 and 6pm this past Friday)

K. got out of school for the summer

A. made it home in one piece

the computer armoire is in place and just needs me to finish putting things onto it

the entertainment center has been moved. We decided to keep it in once piece (rather than cut 1/3 of it off) for now.

we're in the process of running around town measuring chairs in various stores to see which will fit the best in the space we have made for a chair

the majority of the stuff from the old desk is still scattered around on the dining room table, waiting for me to do something with it (find it a new home or trash it)

the Webkinz site deemed the name of my Lil cow (Hortense) as "inappropriate" and renamed her to "Moo Moo"

we got the math books (student and teacher's editions) that K. used this past year in math. Tomorrow we start our summer refresher course.

I started writing again

we got notification from the apartment complex that the rent will NOT go up if we renew the lease for another year, and we get $100 off the first month

tomorrow K. starts getting up to walk with me at 530am

So. Menu. Because I'm really tired and if I don't get it done now, it won't be posted again this week.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

things marked with * are items we got in one of the boxes from Angel Food Ministries

Sunday
breakfast: oops
lunch: sandwiches, chips
dinner: take-out

Monday
breakfast: scrambled eggs, grits, hash browns, toast
lunch: leftover spaghetti
dinner: pot roast (edited to add link to recipe), mashed potatoes, lima beans, salad

Tuesday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: flat bread pizza* (frozen)
dinner: pork chops, rice, broccoli, cauliflower & carrot blend*, salad

Wednesday
breakfast: pancakes (made from mix)*
lunch: sandwiches, pear halves*
dinner: salisbury steak dinner* (frozen), mac & cheese, peas, salad

Thursday
breakfast: eggs, bacon, fruit
lunch: ravioli, fruit
dinner: chicken*, rice, black eye peas, salad

Friday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: sandwiches, fruit
dinner: beef fajita strips*, flat bread, corn niblets*, salad

Saturday
breakfast: pancakes (waffles?), bacon
lunch: foraging
dinner: ??

Sweet dreams, world.

Redecorating. Sort of.

2008-06-02T13:48:00.003-04:00

So. The menu isn't ready for this week. I have vague ideas about what K. and I will be eating (A. leaves town Tuesday afternoon and returns Friday night) but they're still in my head. I'll shake them loose after I'm closer to being done with stage one of the "Fix the Living Room" project.

Today has been spent listening to a Rambo festival (I now have all the Rambo movies!! *squee*) while I figured out what to do with all the stuff that was on the old desk and has been (and is still currently) piled atop the dining room table (and, um, under it) since last night.

We went from a 60 inch wide computer desk with a hutch (over 15 years old so it wasn't designed for a tower set up) to a computer armoire that's just about 35 inches wide and 54 inches tall. It gives us more room in the living room (step two is the six foot tall, 72-inch wide entertainment center which will give us even more room) and I love the armoire idea. I love having the computer and printer out of sight when it's not in use (which, admittedly, isn't that often *laughs* but it DOES happen from time to time). I love having more room in the living room for furniture to sit on (that's step three). The problem comes from the fact that I use roughly 90 to 95% of the stuff on the former desk on a semi-regular to regular basis.

But! But!! I have ideas!!

I don't actually sit at the desk to write, though I do have to sit there to print. (My printer and laptop don't play nice together so I have to print off the backup files on my flash drive.) The desk is where I sometimes pay bills and where K. has monitored access to the internet (one of the big reasons we keep that computer; I won't allow my 11- almost 12-year-old to have internet access in her room). As I said, it's were I sit to print and, really, a lot of my household files are still on the computer on the desk because A. bought me my laptop for me to write on and I really do keep resisting the urge to transfer AAAALL my household files to it (though I did transfer over the most important ones). Seeing as how I don't sit at the desk to write, there's no point in all my writing-related office supplies (reference books, note cards, sticky notes, blahblahblah) hogging up space at the desk. All that stuff needs to find a new home closer to where I'm prone to doing actual research: at the dining room table where I can spread things out. There are two book cases (each at least twenty years old so they're the BIG cases that are so hard to find today) by the dining room table. Surely I can give up at least ONE shelf worth of books to make room for my writing-related office supplies, right? If I'm really lucky, I can clear two shelves and make room for some of my "writer's block/brain freeze toys", too, but since not all the books on the shelves belong to me, I can't make that call. Well, actually I sort of can since A.'s already gone through the partial shelf of his books and that leaves, um, mine. (I'm a book hog... )

The papers that were in the file drawers... eesh. I don't know yet. The old desk had two deep file drawers that held a lot of random research material and general paperwork (not to mention my stationary, my writer's block toys, and other stuff). The new desk has one small drawer under the printer shelf that's both wide and tall enough to hold some hanging files, but it's only deep enough to hold maybe a dozen. I think it's deep enough to hold all the household financial files. Maybe. The rest of the stuff...? I don't know. I'll be spending this week while A. is out of town sorting through and re-evaluating a lot of my stuff. I do have a free-standing two-drawer file cabinet (that's old and needs to be replaced, too) that holds files now. If I do this right, I may be able to dedicate one drawer of that to my research and the other drawer to general household files that don't go in the desk (bills in desk, manuals and such in filing cabinet). Right now it's all speculation, though. I've got a lot of stuff to sort out. Before I start sorting though, I need to work on clearing some space on the bookcases... something I hadn't anticipated doing until much further down the line.

And in the middle of all this "life renovation" chaos, life goes on. K. gets out of school for the summer on Wednesday. A. leaves town Tuesday afternoon and doesn't come home until Friday night. My tomatoes are growing. The pepper plants are dying. And so on and so forth.

And eventually, I'll get the menu made and posted. Eventually. Maybe. Right now, I just want to curl up in a blanket and listen to the night.

Crazy, crazy week.

2008-05-13T13:13:00.003-04:00

Wow, this is shaping up to be a crazy, crazy week. It's only Tuesday and already I've had to juggle the menu for this week around a bit. Instead of having tuna and an orange yesterday for lunch, I had leftovers. I had to push off the flat-bread making until today... and that's having to be pushed off again. I think. Probably, since today is bordering on being "one of those days", it's 2pm and I'm only just now sitting down to eat lunch.

Amidst all of the craziness of the day so far (note to self: please unbraid and brush hair before going out this evening) I discovered the folks that provided my music widget have more or less vanished. They've shut down. This makes me sad-faced. I enjoyed the song that I had playing, that's why it was there. I'll have to spend some time soon (when???) looking for a suitable replacement until they return.

So! The crazy week is becoming a crazy, crazy week with each day holding it's own share of craziness and surprises. Wee.

Guess I need to hustle and catch up on some of the day's chores. Hopefully I'll have time to make the cinnamon rolls for tomorrow's breakfast, too. I know I won't have time in the morning before my mother picks me up to go shopping. If I don't manage to get them done tonight then we'll have to rearrange breakfast for tomorrow.

Blue skies, world.

I fail at hooping, but I'm growing two little tomatoes!

2008-05-12T06:37:00.004-04:00

So I got up this morning, donned one of the ugliest pairs of sneakers ever made and headed out to walk. There's something wrong about it being 73F degrees with a heat index of 77F at 6am but it's better than what it will be in a few hours so... I walked. Because of the last five days of laziness (combined with the humidity, ugh!) I only walked the 0.4 mile instead of the 0.5 mile. Still, I walked.

Got back, grabbed my only half-wrapped hoop and wandered out back (since I'm not allowed to play with it inside). I suppose the hoop going around once or twice before hitting the ground then me having to bend over and pick it up so I can repeat the process is some form of exercise, right? A. says it is. Either way, I think I sweated more while trying to hoop than I did while walking. I know I was humiliated more. I know there was a time I could make the hoop go all the way around me and keep it going for like... a while. Of course, I was K.'s age...

After I decided I'd had enough hoop humiliation for a few hours, I looked at my little plants and watered them and noticed that one of the tomato plants has two little green balls on it. I'm growing tomatoes!! Hopefully they'll get bigger and redder, and the birds won't get them.

It's pushing 7am so I need to clear the table and get breakfast started.

Blue skies and rainbows,

Menu - May 11 - 17, 2008

2008-05-11T21:35:00.004-04:00

Mercy. Making this week's menu was tough. A.'s birthday is Tuesday. I'm supposed to go shopping with my mother on Wednesday and A. may have some big two-hour test to deal with in the evening. On Thursday evening K. has an orchestra concert to perform in which really messes with that night because she has to be back at school one hour after she gets home. Saturday we're going out of town to a sort of baby shower bar-b-que thing for one of my cousins and I have no clue when we'll get home.

In other news, K. and I have caught the hooping bug. We spent part of this weekend hunting down materials and having A. make us hoops. Mine is too large to use inside the apartment but I'm not sure about K.'s. I'll probably try it out one morning after they leave.

We also scored me some of the ugliest sneakers ever made. Ugly, but pretty comfortable. There's no way I'll EVER confuse them with my everyday wear shoes... which I also need a new pair of. Now if I can just find clothes...

Anyway, I need to be getting to bed so that I can get up at 5am to go walk in those ugly shoes. It'll still be dark at 6am so it really won't matter. No one will see them because there will be no one around, and if there does happen to be someone around, it'll be too dark for them to see the ugly shoes.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: french toast
lunch: leftovers
dinner: foraging

Monday
breakfast: scrambled eggs, grits, hash browns
lunch: tuna, orange
dinner: stir-fried round steak, baked potatoes, green peas
extra cooking: flat-bread

Tuesday
breakfast: cereal, toast, OJ
lunch: leftovers
dinner: pot roast (crock pot), broccoli

Wednesday
breakfast: quick cinnamon rolls
lunch: ?? shopping with mom
dinner: pasta

Thursday
breakfast: french toast
lunch: chicken patties (this recipe made with chicken), orange
dinner: fast food after orchestra concert

Friday
breakfast: eggs, grits, hashbrowns, toast
lunch: ???
dinner: sheppard's pie

Saturday
breakfast: waffles
lunch: --- BABY BBQ ---
dinner: foraging on leftovers

Huh.

2008-05-06T08:41:00.006-04:00

Browsing through news articles shoved at me by msn.com this morning, I came across one called How to Build Your First Budget (here). Having taught myself how to budget and always feeling like I'm forgetting or missing something, I skim through such articles for tips on ways to improve upon what I do, so... "click". Blahblahblah, know that, yup, check, get to the second page and woah.

"Food: Basic groceries should cost a single person about $150 a month. You'll spend a lot more if you eat out frequently, however, or if you buy lots of processed foods, frozen dinners and gourmet stuff. Cut your food costs by bringing lunches and snacks from home. Substitute potlucks or picnics for expensive socializing at restaurants."

Um, $150 for one person for a month? That seemed a wee bit on the low side to even me, and after A. agreed with me, I dug into what the government had to say. According to the USDA's report the cost of food at home, the average cost to feed one male (age 19-50) in March 2008 was $162.50 on the thrifty plan. On the lost cost plan, it was $209.10. For the moderate cost plan it was $260. The liberal plan was $316.40. For females of the same age group, the numbers were lower: $145.80 for the thrifty, $182.70 for the low cost, $222.40 for the moderate cost, and $287 for the liberal. As far as I know, these numbers are JUST for food items, no toiletries, paper or pet products. The numbers for April 2008 haven't come out yet.

Ok, so maybe not so low, considering they did say about $150.

Still, the numbers for March looked... off... from what I based my last budget review on, so I pulled out the January 2008 numbers to compare. Despite the rising cost in everything but wages over the last five months, the USDA has determined that the average cost of food at home has gone down. Yes. DOWN. By $1-3 in most cases, between the months of January 2008 and March 2008.

Hmmm. The numbers go up between December 2007 and January 2008, and then they start falling. I have to wonder if that's because some people just aren't able to afford to eat any longer.

Needless to say, the geek in me is eager for April's numbers to come out. I'm curious to see if the average price goes up or down. Based on my budget, they should be going up because for the third month in a row I've gone over budget. (I currently budget $480 a month for two adults, one child (girl, age 11), two felines, and that $480 includes all pet food and supplies, personal grooming, toiletries, cleaning, and paper products the household may need, as well as AC filters.)

Also needless to say, I think maybe I need a hobby I can afford to actually do because I'm enjoying comparing the monthly numbers waaaay too much. (LOL)

In other news, I went walking again this morning and determined that I like the earlier (6am) start time rather than the later (almost 630am) start time of today. While it was lighter outside (meaning I didn't have to carry a flashlight), there were more cars leaving the complex and spewing noxious exhaust at me as they passed. Yuck. So we'll get up a little earlier and be out the door by no later than 610am.

I also have my car today! This means that I can go pay for the Angel Food boxes today. Assuming someone is there to take the money.

Even though I have the car today, I'm not going shopping for the baby present(s) I need to get before next weekend. I'll save that for another day. I do need to go to the library though. Apparently, when you turn dvd cases back in, they like the dvds to be in them.

After watching the plants yesterday to see how much sun they actually got all day long, I'm more convinced than ever that they need to be in a wagon (or something) so that I can roll them around to the front of the building on days when I'm home. Of course, after reading more about the types of plants that were brought home, I'm also convinced that the lady at the garden center was a wee bit delusional when she told us that the size pots we got would be fine until the very end of the growing season because all my plants need to be in bigger pots. Much bigger pots. The recommended size is "no smaller than a 5-gallon bucket". Oh, sure, they can be potted in smaller, but they won't grow well because of a confined root system. And while I would have preferred to know that before hand, the little plants can sit in the little pots for another few weeks (though that one tomato plant might need to be replanted this weekend, and much deeper). By then it'll be obvious whether or not I'm killing them, and if they're dying, then there's no reason to repot them.

And I'm off to run what errands I can before it gets ghastly hot.

Menu - May 4 - 10, 2008

2008-05-04T21:17:00.003-04:00

Wow. I'm amazed that I have the menu for this week ready. The last few days have been insanely busy. A lot of shopping going on to get K. ready for an orchestra concert coming up.

Mercy, how I hate shopping. And unfortunately, the shopping isn't done.

Also, there's been some shopping for veggie plants. A. is humoring me and today we brought home two cherry tomato plants, one orange sweet pepper plant, one red sweet pepper plant, and one yellow sweet pepper plant. He put them in pots while I cooked dinner and now I just have to not kill them. He's planning on making me a sort of plant table out back in coming weeks so that I can keep the pots off the ground and so (hopefully) the yard people will keep their machines off my little plants.

And now I need to head to bed. For some silly reason (not being able to find a bra in my size without having to special order it) I've decided that I'm going to get up earlier every morning and go walking at 6am. In a similar fit of insanity, A. and K. have decided to jogging at the same time. I'm not sure how long this will last. It should be interesting.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: quick cinnamon rolls
lunch: munchies on the go
dinner: meatball stroganoff

Monday
breakfast: scrambled eggs, grits, hash browns (cereal and grits for K.)
lunch: boca meat stuffed baked potato, fruit
dinner: baked chicken with pasta sauce (over rice instead of pasta), broccoli, salad

Tuesday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: boca meat stuffed baked potato, fruit
dinner: round steak (how??), baked potatoes, (veggies??)

Wednesday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: boca meat stuffed baked potato, fruit
dinner: fish (salmon for me, parmesan tilapia for them), baked potatoes, green beans

Thursday
breakfast: scrambled eggs, grits, hash browns
lunch: boca meat stuffed baked potato, fruit
dinner: chicken patties (this recipe made with chicken), hoe cakes, lima beans

Friday
breakfast: cereal, OJ
lunch: boca meat stuffed baked potato, fruit
dinner: foraging / grazing

Saturday
breakfast: french toast
lunch: ???
dinner: ??

Did I die? aka Ramblings of the Infirmed.

2008-05-01T11:38:00.006-04:00

Ugh. So blogspot is being a brat today.

I went grocery shopping with my mom yesterday. I still haven't tallied up the damages yet. That will be the next task I undertake, if I can manage it. I'm not feeling up to do much today.

Yesterday I was fine. A little tired, but fine. Mom had me home in time for a late lunch, which I happily ate even though it wasn't McDonald's. I'm thinking that's where I went wrong. I think some part of the leftovers I foraged out of the refrigerator didn't settle well in my stomach. Or maybe it was being so hot outside then getting so chilled under the AC while I ate, but I still think it was something I ate. Either way, not long after lunch I got incredibly sick. My stomach was tied in knots, my head throbbed, I was alternately freezing and unbearably hot, and there was more than a few times when I wanted to curl up around the base of the toilet. Luckily, A. was able to manage dinner without my help.

This morning I woke up feeling like I'd been kicked in the stomach. My stomach doesn't feel quite as bad at the moment but now my head feels like I've had it kicked in and one minute I'm shivering violently because I'm so cold and five minutes later I'm sweating buckets and wondering why I have to wear clothes when I'm home alone, only to be wondering five minutes later how many layers of clothes I can possibly wear at one time. And forget about moving around because the throbbing inside my skull causes quite the wave of nauseousness whenever I attempt moving.

So I did what any reasonable mom would do: I made myself a little nest on couch with nearly everything I could possibly need for the day. Or at least until either A. or K. gets home. Unfortunately I can't manage to sleep, which in the long run is probably for the best because while sleeping would be great, the not sleeping later tonight would really suck. Even if my eyes do feel like they have sand in them and like they're about to bleed at any moment.

You know, except for some hot tea. I don't have any tea. Not having a tea pot and warmer, I can't have a cup of freshly brewed cup of tea without getting up and padding into the kitchen to make it, and I'd love some right now. A nice toasty cup of ginger tea would be wonderful.

Anyway...

I've been spending some of my more lucid moments today with the laptop balanced against my legs and researching container growing. I'm wanting to grow some tomatoes and possibly carrots and lettuce in some containers in the back "yard" area of this apartment unit, but, um, I'm a more than a little worried.

I heard it said long ago that you could tell how good of a mother a girl will be by how well she kept her plants. Well, I guess it's a minor miracle that my cats and child have lived as long as they have. I used to keep plants right after I got married. Or rather, I used to TRY to keep plants. I got a philodendron right after we moved into our first apartment together. I killed it. Three of them, actually. Then I tried to grow this decorative little moss thing that was popular way back when. It was... moss. On a rock. You were supposed to keep in the bathroom. I killed it, too. The Wandering Jew? Dead. The half a dozen aloe plants? Dead. The cactus garden in a pot? Dead. The little palm trees... well, one of the cats at them, so technically that one wasn't my fault, but still. Dead. You know that "science experiment" that almost every kid has done at some point in their youth where you take a piece of potato with an eye in it and sprout it in some water in the kitchen? I've never gotten it to sprout. Ever.

And here I am again, wanting to grow some sort of plant. Not just any sort of plant, mind you, but food bearing plants. I must be insane.

Besides not even being able to grow mold properly, I live in an apartment. An apartment with north- and south-facing windows, no less. What areas I do have outside - the front porch, back porch, and back "yard" - are shaded most of the time. Most of the time, but not all. And then there's the careless yard crew that's hired by the apartment complex and known far and wide for tearing up plants that the tenants put out.

Still, freshly grown tomatoes, carrots, and lettuce would be wonderful.

I think I'm rambling so I'll close this and think about logging the purchases from yesterday.

Menu - April 27 - May 3, 2008

2008-04-27T21:14:00.006-04:00

Last week was crazy busy, and I'm not talking about just all the baking I did. This week I'm not planning any extra baking. Well, I might make some oatmeal cookies. Maybe. But for the most part, I'm giving my hands a much needed rest. (I may get ambitious and try to make hash browns from scratch. Yes, I think I might be a bit insane...)

We picked up the box from Angel Food Ministries Saturday morning and were pleasantly surprised by the quality. My mom was as well, and is considering making a purchase for May. I know I will be, even though there's always something in the box that we normally wouldn't buy from the grocery store. Still, those items will provide us with some fairly quick alternatives to take out or fast food on nights when I'm just too wiped out to cook. (For instance, the frozen lasagna that came in the box we picked up on Saturday will be a nice treat after I spend the day grocery shopping on Wednesday. Grocery days are always hard on me.)

And it's past my bedtime and I need to get to sleep.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: leftover chicken salad in bread bowls for me & A., mini-pizza on leftover flat bread for K.
dinner: leftover fried chicken, broccoli

Monday
breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, grits (cereal and grits for K.)
lunch: chicken salad tortilla
dinner: fish (salmon for me, parmesan encrusted tilapia for them), mac & cheese, green peas

Tuesday
breakfast: cereal, toast
lunch: Boca meat & vegetable primavera risotto in tortillas, orange
dinner: cheeseburger pasta, lima beans

Wednesday
breakfast: waffles / pancakes / cereal / sausage biscuits (fend for yourself morning)
lunch: ??? (shopping with mom)
dinner: lasagna (frozen)

Thursday
breakfast: scrambled eggs, bacon, grits
lunch: Boca meat & vegetable primavera risotto in tortillas, orange
dinner: honey spiced pork chops, rice, broccoli

Friday
breakfast: quick cinnamon rolls
lunch: Boca meat & vegetable primavera risotto in tortillas, orange
dinner: foraging / grazing

Saturday
breakfast: waffles (make enough to freeze)
lunch: ???
dinner: meatball stroganoff

Menu - April 20 - 26, 2008

2008-04-20T20:21:00.002-04:00

Ok. Finally. A picture of the flat bread melts we made while A. was out of town.

Just the one picture because it's WAY overdue and I've been crazy busy trying to catch up on everything. There are a few others (two more, I think) at the flickr site. (click the picture)

I'm trying a few new recipes this week. It should be fun. Yes, fun. See, when I was a little girl, every adult in my life told me not to play with my food. Now that I'm the adult, I play with my food. A lot. Of course, what I call "playing" is what a lot of other folks call "cooking". Still? Heart-shaped flat breads are a hit with the kid. And fun to make.

And that's about all I have to say tonight because, basically, I need to get into bed so I can get up early tomorrow. I'm more or less caught up with the life crazies so I'm hoping to have the chance to post more this week. And write. Hopefully. With a little luck. And by the grace of God.

So. Menu. As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: foraging (sleeping late)
lunch: baked potatoes stuffed with Boca "meat" and cheese
dinner: flat bread melts, salad

Monday
breakfast: cereal and toast
lunch: tuna sandwich, orange
dinner: pork chops, broccoli, corn on cob, salad

Tuesday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: leftovers, fruit
dinner: black beans, hoe cakes (or rice), salad

Wednesday
breakfast: scrambled eggs, grits, biscuits (cereal for K.)
lunch: raviolis
dinner: chicken salad in bread bowls
extra baking: bread bowls, cinnamon rolls

Thursday
breakfast: cinnamon rolls
lunch: leftovers, fruit
dinner: Hamburger Steak with Mushroom Soup, rice, salad
extra baking: doughnuts

Friday
breakfast: doughnuts
lunch: leftovers, fruit
dinner: foraging/grazing

Saturday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: ???
dinner: ???

Menu - April 13 - 19, 2008

2008-04-14T08:41:00.004-04:00

Spring break is over. K. is back in school today. A. is back in town and at work today. And I am... here. Life returns to our kooky little version of "normal".

The flat bread melts last week were INCREDIBLE, despite some minor adjustments needed to the flat bread/pita recipe I used and the filling. Still? AWESOME. So sayeth the 11-year-old girl. The leftovers from the flat bread/pita recipe made great individual pizzas and were great for just general snacking. All in all, and without having ever tried the Lean Cuisine version, I'd say they were a success. Especially since K. has asked for them at least a dozen times in the past three days. I only snapped a few pictures (K.'s was half eaten before I could even get to the camera) and I'll try to get them up before I go to bed tonight.

The menu for this week is a bit.. stale. Another week when I fell back on some simple stand-bys due to lack of time and frustration over grocery prices. Lunches for me will be leftovers and whatever fruit (canned or fresh) that I happen to find. There may be some sandwiches thrown in, depending on whether or not I have bread in the apartment. (K. keeps wanting me to stop buying bread and just make some whenever we want bread.) It's also that time of year when I try to clean out the "pantry" (my "pantry" is what should be the linen closet in the hall) and freezer by cooking what's in them. It won't be too much longer before we either (1) move or (2) start stocking up for hurricane season. And it's just good sense to clean out the pantry on a regular basis so that's influencing menu choices, too.

Speaking of grocery prices (ugh), K. and I took a little trip over towards the dog track last week to order and pay for April's Angel Food Ministries box. It's not the best area of town, but the people we spoke with were nice, even friendly, and we made it out of that part of town without incident. We go back on the 26th to pick up the food. What we'll be picking up is the "basic box" listed here. We opted not to get any of the "specials" boxes this month.

And... I think that's it for now. I've got some bill/general paperwork filing I really need to catch up on so that I can spend a few hours later today playing with my Webkinz puppy, Mr. Puggles, and maybe work on some jewelry.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: cinnamon rolls
lunch: foraging
dinner: Cracker Barrel (A.'s treat)

Monday
breakfast: cinnamon rolls
lunch: leftovers or sandwiches
dinner: pasta, salad

Tuesday (PAY DAY)
breakfast: cinnamon rolls / oatmeal
lunch: ~~leftovers or sandwiches~~ garlic boca patty, small baked potato, leftover veggies
dinner: pork chops, rice, broccoli

Wednesday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: ?? (grocery shopping with Mom)
dinner: egg noodles and meatballs, salad

Thursday
breakfast: cereal and toast
lunch: leftovers or sandwiches
dinner: fish, mac & cheese, peas, salad

Friday
breakfast: waffles
lunch: leftovers or sandwiches
dinner: individual pizzas (on pita recipe from last week; still trying to work kinks out of recipe)

Saturday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: ~~???~~ flat bread melts
dinner: pot roast, baked potatoes, lima beans

Menu - week of April 6 - 12, 2008

2008-04-07T10:00:00.004-04:00

Wow, what a crazy week. And this week should be even crazier with K. out on Spring Break and A. in California.

With A. gone, I'm getting up "on time"... between 5 and 6am most mornings. I did sleep in a bit over the weekend, but I was still out of bed before noon. As a result, a lot has been done. There's still quite a bit to do, but life is a never-ending series of chores with some fun stuff in between. Or maybe that's a never-ending series of fun stuff littered with chores. Either way...

K. and I don't really have any plans scheduled for this week while she's out of school. Today (Monday) she's "grounded". Not... really, but sort of. Months ago she and I made a deal that her room was to be CLEAN by the time I went to bed this past Friday or she was to spend as much of her vacation week as it took her in her room cleaning. With things getting a little crazy when A. went out of town and other factors, I extended that to Sunday night (last night). Well, her room is GREATLY improved, but not as it should be. So, she's "grounded". She's in her room cleaning even now.

This week's menu was done a few days ago, but, um, yeah. Been a bit busy with A. out of town and K. and I on our own so there hasn't been much blogging time (hoping to change that starting this week) and when I have had blogging time these past few days, we've been having enough thunder and lightning that I decided being on the computer was not a good idea. So, here it is. Finally. K. helped me with it and what's listed for breakfast may change if I feel like tackling some of the recipes she wants me to make. Things like Quick Cinnamon Rolls with Buttermilk Icing, Coffeecake Muffins, Orange Cinnamon Swirl Bread, and Buttermilk Doughnuts. While it's good to see her wanting breakfast, I'm not sure I have the energy to cook for her like she wants. And I'm not entirely sure that I should, at least, not every day.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: oops. nothing. slept in.
lunch: Subway for me, McDonald's for K. (my mom's treat)
dinner: foraging on leftovers

Monday
breakfast: toast and OJ (with cereal for me)
lunch: sandwiches (pb&j or turkey or BLT)
dinner: ground beef and rice mixed into a sort of casserole and topped with cheese, lima beans, salad

Tuesday
breakfast: waffles and bacon
lunch: leftovers or sandwiches
dinner: omelets and bacon

Wednesday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: sandwiches (pb&j or turkey or BLT), salad, fruit
dinner: pork chops, rice, broccoli

Thursday
breakfast: toast and OJ (plus cereal for me)
lunch: sandwiches (pb&j or turkey or BLT), salad, fruit
dinner: flatbread melts (trying to copycat Lean Cuisine's new line; details later)

Friday
breakfast: omelets and bacon
lunch: flatbread pizzas
dinner: foraging and grazing

Saturday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: foraging
dinner: pot roast, mashed potatoes, broccoli

Menu - March 30 - April 5, 2008

2008-03-30T21:01:00.004-04:00

Somewhere during the first part of March I lost my inner balance. I'm slowly getting it back.

A. is out of town for the next two weeks.

K. got her report card for the third nine week period. Very impressive. Conduct was straight A's. In Honors Science, Geography, Orchestra, and Honors Reading she had A's. In Honors Language Arts she got a B. In Honors Math she got a C.

I'm tired but looking forward to getting back on schedule.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
breakfast: nothing - A. has to be at airport by 715am
lunch: McDonald's
dinner: leftover pork chops, weird peas, mashed potatoes; added mac & cheese

Monday
breakfast: bagels
lunch: leftovers
dinner: ~~spaghetti~~ shells and sauce, salad

Tuesday
breakfast: cereal, toast
lunch: leftovers
dinner: sheppard's pie, salad

Wednesday
breakfast: mini-waffles (for K., not sure for me)
lunch: pb&j sandwich, fruit
dinner: chicken salad in bread bowls, fruit

Thursday
breakfast: bagels
lunch: leftovers
dinner: omelets

Friday
breakfast: mini-waffles (for K., not sure for me)
lunch: pb&j sandwich, fruit
dinner: foraging

Saturday
breakfast: pancakes
lunch: foraging
dinner: ???

Menu - March 9 - 15, 2008

2008-03-09T20:50:00.004-04:00

The bread bowls I made with the chicken salad last week were such a hit that when it turned a bit on the nippy side this weekend, we decided to have some chili served in bread bowls for dinner tonight. It was great. The recipe I've been using for the bread bowls lends itself to all sorts of uses.

On other fronts, K. has FCAT testing this week. She's been preparing by watching episodes of the old television show Soap (borrowed from the library) and Highlander as well as playing dress-up dolls online. She's also eager to go to the Renaissance Festival next weekend (the 15th, weather permitting).

This weekend A. started making me an excel spreadsheet (full of formulas and drop boxes and all sorts of neat things) to calculate the labor and cost of supplies used in the jewelry and chain maille I make, just in case I ever take the notion to actually try and sell anything (rather than give it all to the kid).

While I haven't been getting much writing done, I have been creative in other ways (like the necklaces, bracelets, and earrings I keep making for K.). And I've been aching to bake again. I've missed baking bread several times a month and am currently researching ways to satisfy that desire but still keep my expenses down (whole wheat and other wholesome grains are just too expensive lately).

And I guess that brings us to a menu for this week.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: foraging on leftovers
dinner: chili in bread bowls

Monday
lunch: pb&j sandwich, salad, pineapple chunks
dinner: chili-filled baked potatoes, salad

Tuesday
lunch: pb&j sandwich, salad, mandarin orange segments
dinner: pork chops (not sure how yet), mashed potatoes, weird peas, salad

Wednesday
lunch: pb&j sandwich, salad, pineapple chunks
dinner: breaded cod fillets, corn nibblets, broccoli, salad

Thursday
lunch: pb&j sandwich, salad, mandarin orange segments
dinner: pasta, salad (possibly bread if I feel froggy enough to make some)

Friday
lunch: leftover pasta (there's always leftovers for some reason)
dinner: beans, rice, hoe cakes, salad

Saturday
lunch: RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL
dinner: foraging on leftovers

I like bread bowls!

2008-03-07T18:53:00.005-05:00

Despite feeling like I'd been hit be a truck a few times, I made bread bowls today. They were insanely easy. I used a recipe called Parmesan Bread Bowls that I found over on the Betty Crocker site. (TIP: search for "bread bowl", not "bread bowel".)

Of course, I didn't have the right size bowls and had to improvise, but it turned out ok. This is what they looked like about fifteen minutes out of the oven.

And this was my dinner tonight.

I loaded up half the bowl with chopped romaine, used the ice cream scoop to make two little balls of chicken salad (boiled chicken, Miracle Whip, chopped celery, pickle relish, all to taste), then topped those with some finely grated cheddar and decorated with pineapple and mandarin orange pieces. It was very yummy.

Now, I think I'm going to make a necklace while I digest.

Menu - March 2 - 8, 2008

2008-03-04T10:50:00.003-05:00

Ok, so I'm late with the menu this week but at least I have one, right? Right??

Not much going on in our world.

A. is driving to a (sort of) near-by city to teach a class again this week.

K. came home sick from school last Thursday and stayed home Friday. She's back to being herself now.

We're dealing with a bucket-load of ~~stupidity~~ silliness that has me a bit on the frustrated side this morning while I wait for someone to return my phone call.

Um.

There's some crafty stuff lingering around the edges of my existence but I'm not quite ready to start divulging information. Not yet.

The house-hunting is sluggish. It's my theory that prices are temporarily stalled while people scramble to qualify and benefit from whatever relief the government is intending to provide but will once again fall in another month or two.

My mom has to spend tonight at the hospital. They're "going to put goop in [her] hair and watch [her] sleep". Sounds kinda kinky to me, but ok. Still, I can't help but worry.

And I think that's it. My brain is a little scrambled by the above mentioned ~~stupidity~~ silliness.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Oh, and I'm not listing lunches this week 'cause I'm in a picky mood and don't know what I want for lunch everyday. It was hard enough to figure out the dinners.

Sunday
dinner: take-out (chicken)

Monday
dinner: take-out (Wendy's)

Tuesday
dinner: fish, mac & cheese, green peas, salad

Wednesday
dinner: meatloaf, corn nibblets, lima beans, salad

Thursday
dinner: tuna patties, hoe cakes, random veggies, salad (along with whatever else I feel like cooking)

Friday
dinner: chicken salad in bread bowls ('cause I feel like making bread bowls)

Saturday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: pot roast, mashed potatoes, green beans, salad

Have a great week, world.

The Art of Kat

2008-02-24T00:11:00.004-05:00

There's a new blog in my collection, and I call it The Art of Kat. It's here. Each week (usually on Monday) I'll add a new drawing done by my daughter. Everything there is all her.

Menu - February 10 - 16, 2008

2008-02-10T23:59:00.000-05:00

Not too inspired with the menu this week. I seem to be running on auto-pilot tonight, falling back on more familiar foods and things I don't have to think about, a lot of which are pretty repetitive. That's ok, though. I don't think we'll mind.

A. will be going to his grandmother's funeral on Tuesday, assuming he can get the time off after having just taken three days vacation to do some serious work on the cars. He'll have to drive up on Monday night and drive back shortly after the funeral on Tuesday. K. and I will be staying here. She has school and his mom doesn't want us to go through the "hassle" of it all. I have mixed feelings about it, but I'm not going to argue about it.

I have no idea what I'm cooking for Valentine's Day, which also happens to be my 16th wedding anniversary.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: tuna
dinner: take out

Monday
lunch: ham & cheese rolls, raw veggies, salad, pineapple
dinner: pork chops, lima beans, rice, salad

Tuesday
lunch: ham & cheese rolls, raw veggies, salad, pineapple
dinner: meatloaf, corn nibblets, broccoli, salad

Wednesday
lunch: ham & cheese rolls, raw veggies, salad, mandarin oranges
dinner: stir-fried chicken, rice, salad

Thursday (VALENTINE'S DAY / 16th ANNIVERSARY)
lunch: ham & cheese rolls, raw veggies, salad, mandarin oranges
dinner: ??

Friday
lunch: ham & cheese rolls, raw veggies, salad, mandarin oranges
dinner: pasta, salad

Saturday (PAY DAY)
lunch: ???
dinner: pot roast, mashed potatoes, broccoli

Menu - February 3 - 9, 2008

2008-02-04T12:07:00.000-05:00

Um, yeah. I got sidetracked and now I'm running a bit behind, trying to get caught up. But I'm working on it. See? A menu!!

Other than that, it's just been crazy around here. And not always in the good way. Let's just summarize it up by saying "We need to get out of this apartment and into a house very soon" and leave it at that.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: ham & cheese roll ups, salad (plus manadarin orange segements for me)
dinner: take-out Church's Chicken

Monday
lunch: leftover chicken, corn
dinner: boneless pork, rice, salad,

Tuesday
lunch: ham & cheese rolls, raw broccoli & cauliflower, salad
dinner: london broil, potatoes, salad

Wednesday
lunch: ham & cheese rolls, salad, pineapple
dinner: parmesian crusted tilapia, mac & cheese, green peas, salad

Thursday
lunch: boca patty, cheese, salad, pineapple
dinner: chicken (how??), (sides??)

Friday
lunch: ham & cheee rolls, salad, mandarin orange segments
dinner: leftovers or pasta

Saturday
lunch: ham & cheeswe rolls/sandwhiches, salad
dinner: pot roast, "weird" peas, broccoli salad,

Of kids and lemons

2008-01-14T20:19:00.000-05:00

Instead of having fish tonight for dinner we went to Cracker Barrel. No real reason for it other than I was terribly disgusted by the very notion of eating fish and desperately craving steak. It was a mood thing, I guess.

Anyway, we ate dinner and afterward I was sipping a cup of tea when K. started licking the lemon wedge that came with my tea.

Now, when she was a baby we let her lick the lemons because what better way to teach a child that's not the most yummy thing to do, right? Also, the face the kid makes afterward is always funny, and it only gets funnier with the second, third, and even fourth times. It's a learning process and some kids aren't always quick on the uptake. K. was usually pretty quick to decide lemons were not good eating, but for about a year it was always something she had to try again the whenever she saw one.

So tonight A. and I are sitting there looking at K. like she's lost her ever-loving mind, 'cause lets face it, someone reaches over and picks up a juicy wedge of lemon and starts licking it and you can't help but wonder if maybe they have a screw working itself loose. Of course, the eleven-year-old girl child bursts into a fit of giggles and "What??"s accompanied by a few "it's good!!"s.

Now, when she was a baby, it was her father that tormented her as all parents torment their babies. He'd be the one to put the lemon wedges within her tiny little reach. He'd be the one that, after she told him she hit her head on the wall, would ask for a demonstration knowing full well that she'd give it... five times. He'd be the one that would tell her things like pictures were always in color but before a certain year the world was in black and white... and in some areas of the world the color fades, reverting back to black and white until some technician somewhere refilled the color toner cartridges. Ever read "Calvin and Hobbes"? Calvin's dad was the inspiration for many of A.'s amusing little tortures.

Seeing how A. wasn't jumping on this giggling eleven-year-old sucking on a lemon thing with both feet, I figured it was my turn. I offered K. just a bit of sugar on a spoon. Being an eleven-year-old girl deep in puberty, she took it. I told her to chase it down quick with a suck on the lemon she had... and she did it, much to our amusement. After a few minutes I repeated the offer of sugar with another suggestion of a lemon juice chaser... and she took it and did it again. It only happened once more, but only because she'd sucked all the juice out of the lemon and A. really wanted to leave the restaurant.

Well, almost all of the juice. Just before we left the table she took that poor little lemon wedge and squeezed it for all she was worth. It gave her very little juice -- it didn't even fill the spoon halfway -- and what did my darling little girl do? Yup. She stuck that half a spoonful of pure lemon juice in her mouth.

I'm not sure which was funnier, the face she made with the sugar/lemon juice combo or the pure lemon juice.

No, I stand corrected. The face with the pure lemon juice was far funnier.

And now she has requested that I pick up some lemons next time I go to the grocery store. Seriously. The kid wants lemons on a daily basis. And she wants to try a lime, too.

Well, it is a fruit and it's not like she's going to eat too many of them and I can think of far worse things for her to be begging for, so what's a mom to do? I don't know about other moms, but I put lemons on the shopping list for later this week.

Menu - week of January 13 - 19

2008-01-13T20:09:00.000-05:00

Hey. Posting of a menu. Yay me.

So things are getting back to normal. Proof is in the menu. Other than that, there's not much to say today. I'm tired and getting ready to sprawl in front of the television for two hours to watch "Comanche Moon".

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: grazing
dinner: pork chops, lima beans, salad

Monday
lunch: lunch meat, cheese, salad, tangerine
dinner: fish (either tilapia or salmon), corn nibblets, salad

Tuesday
lunch: lunch meat, cheese, salad, tangerine
dinner: sheppard's pie

Wednesday
lunch: lunch meat, cheese, salad
dinner: chicken, mac & cheese, green peas, salad

Thursday
lunch: lunch meat, cheese, salad
dinner: pot roast, leftover veggies, salad

Friday
lunch: lunch meat, cheese, raw veggies
dinner: steak, baked potatoes, broccoli, salad

Saturday
lunch: ???
dinner: roasted chicken (from Sam's), leftover sides, salad

Have a great week, world.

Photographic evidence, take two!

2007-12-18T13:12:00.000-05:00

Proof that I do eat lunch! Or, you know, that I at least fix something for lunch. The eating of such plates often take an hour or two.

And this is my beloved feline. I'm not sure if he was looking to snitch a bite or if he was approving/disapproving of my choices. He's a cat. Sometimes it's hard to tell.

And for the record, the dip is in a measuring cup because I was out of custard dishes, which is what I usually use. All the custard dishes are in the dishwasher (or sink) from where I used them in the baking prep this morning. Also, I rarely ever finish my dip. It'll be a miracle if I manage to finish half of it.

Photographic evidence

2007-12-18T08:20:00.000-05:00

This is what an engine mount bolt looks like when it shears off.

And what happens when the bolt is sheared off? Why, the engine drops!

Luckily, there are (I hope) two other bolts still holding my engine in place so when it dropped it didn't hit the ground. Needless to say, this needs immediate attention. Unfortunately, my emergency fund is pretty wiped out from other recent events. With any luck A. can do this work himself... if he can get the other half of that bolt out of the hole...

So, for the time being, I'm housebound. Pretty much sucks with holiday errands still looming over me but I won't drive the car. Instinct (along with the information I dug up on the internet about broken engine mount bolts) tells me that driving the car in its current condition is BADBADBAD, despite A. telling me it can be driven as long as we baby it.

A. is hoping to manage a half day today so that he can get under the car before it gets dark. I'm not sure how much he'll be able to accomplish without the use of my grnadfather's tools and blocks, but with my grandfather in the woods (seriously, the man is pushing 90 and he's gone hunting again) there's no alternative but to try. Well, I suppose we could take it to a mechanic somewhere but without ready funds I'm extremely hesitant. Besides, there's this whole big lack of trust when it comes to mechanics.

So I guess today I bake, clean, and wrap presents. At least until A. gets home. Then there's a chance that I'll be playing grease-monkey assistant.

Menu - December 16 - 22

2007-12-16T18:45:00.000-05:00

Hey. Early posting of the menu. Yay.

Actually, the menu got done because I'm pretty much couch-bound due to some Ny-Quil knocking me flat on my big fat behind. Now I remember why I don't take that stuff. Seriously.

Because I'm still fairly stoned out of my mind from the dose of Ny-Quil I took last night, I've got nothing to say beyond that I'm ready to go back to sleep now.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: shepherd's pie

Monday
lunch: raw veggies, fruit, cheese, crackers
dinner: pot roast, mashed potatoes, peas

Tuesday
lunch: raw veggies, fruit, cheese, crackers
dinner: salmon/tilipia, broccoli, corn

Wednesday
lunch: raw veggies, fruit, cheese, crackers
dinner: chicken, cous cous, green peas

Thursday
lunch: raw veggies, fruit, cheese, crackers
dinner: ???

Friday
lunch: raw veggies, fruit, cheese, crackers
dinner: turkey, dressing/mashed potatoes, random veggies, salad

Saturday
lunch: leftover turkey
dinner: ???

Have a great week, world.

Menu - December 9 - 15

2007-12-10T14:30:00.000-05:00

Running a little later than I wanted to be with this entry, but here it is.

Last week was... crazy busy. This week is going to be just as crazy but maybe not quite so busy.

A. is on his way to Washington D.C. right now. He'll be gone until Friday afternoon. He made sure we had a tree before he left, and he and K. put the lights on last night. He also got most of the holiday decorations down (so I don't kill myself trying to get them myself) before he left. K. and I will finish decorating the tree tonight and tomorrow night.

I think we're keeping the decorating to a minimum this year, but I'm not sure yet. How I feel will play a large part in how much decorating gets done. I'd rather not decorate as much and use what little energy I have playing with my family than decorate a la Martha Stewart and not have any energy or time left for my family. But the decorations are out of the closet and if I happen to find an extra bit of energy surging through my aching limbs, you can bet I'll spend half an hour or so fussing with putting out/up decorations. The same goes with the baking. I have my master baking list and I'm getting to it a little bit at a time between now and the end of the year... and not fussing over what doesn't get cooked.

So! With A. out of town for the week, K. and I are having a rather vegetarian/munchies sort of week of meals. I'm hoping it will help boost my energy a bit (not to mention my metabolism) as well as help offset some of the sweets and heavier meals coming in the last two weeks of the year. I know it won't completely balance the scales, but the lighter meals this week should help get me (and my stomach) in the mood to eat less of the heavy and super sweet foods I'll not only be encountering but also baking after the 15th.

I'm not listing the extra baking or cooking that I have tentatively planned for this week because I'm not certain that I'll feel up to it. With the cooking for the meals so light this week I should be ok to do some of the extras but I'm not going to bank on it.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: Wendy's (out shopping)
dinner: leftovers, mac & cheese

Monday
lunch: grapes, cheese, crackers
dinner: leftovers, tuna, chips

Tuesday
lunch: raw veggie plate, fruit
dinner: boca meat, mashed potatoes, random veggies

Wednesday
lunch: ??? (shopping with Mom)
dinner: leftovers, salad (pizza hoagies?)

Thursday
lunch: raw veggie plate, fruit
dinner: lima beans, corn, random veggies (and pizza hoagies if K. is still hungry)

Friday
lunch: raw veggie plate, fruit
dinner: salmon & tilapia, broccoli, corn

Saturday
lunch: ???
dinner: shepherd's pie

Menu - December 2 - 8, 2007

2007-12-03T13:37:00.000-05:00

So... yeah, it's been a while. Life is still working on getting back to normal, or at least, my version of normal. It's taking some very detailed lists on my part, but slowly I'm getting back into the swing of things. I do need to work on getting to bed before 2 or 3am again, but I'm getting there.

I think the majority of my holiday gift shopping is done. I've got a lot of list making and revising to do to be sure, and then the wrapping begins. There's also the baking list to be seen to. I need to double check ingredients and make that shopping list... then I need to plan out a baking schedule. The next few weeks should be busy.

Having been awake until just after 5am this morning, I slept until just before noon and am... a bit... behind. My day is... off. Oddly, I doubt I'll have any trouble at all sleeping tonight... assuming I ever stop moving long enough to lie down and close my eyes, that is. Still, I need to get moving so that I try to catch up on some of the cleaning.

So, the purpose of this post. Food! And I've added lunches into my menu so that I don't have to think about what to eat while I'm so busy but still manage to actually eat. (I'm bad about skipping meals when I'm alone.)

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: Wendy's (out shopping with Mom)
dinner: pot roast, leftover veggies

Monday
lunch: raw veggie plate (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, dip) and grapes
dinner: fish (breaded cod for them & salmon for me), lima beans, baked potatoes, salad

Tuesday
lunch: raw veggie plate, grapes, cheese, crackers
dinner: chicken salad

Wednesday
lunch: ??? (shopping with Mom)
dinner: pork chops, corn, unknown peas (from mom), salad

Thursday
lunch: raw veggie plate, grapes, cheese
dinner: beans, rice, salad

Friday
lunch: cheese sandwich, chips
dinner: ground beef, leftover beans, tortillas, salad

Saturday
lunch: ???
dinner: pot roast, salad, broccoli, corn

I am still alive.

2007-11-27T08:13:00.000-05:00

Ok, so, it's been a while. You think the lack of updating has been bad, you should see my mailbox. I've not managed to actually READ anything in months. At most I could sit in the chair and delete mail I knew I'd never read once I started reading my mail again (sales and other such "junk" that doesn't quite fall into the "spam" sector).

That should be changing now that my husband has bought me a shiny little laptop all of my very own. It somehow seemed easier for him to open a Best Buy credit card and charge what he did for this thing than it was for him to spend 1/4 of the amount on a decent chair and have to rearrange the living room again. The logic went something like "we could get the chair, but you'll still want a laptop and I'll end up buying both in the long run anyway. This way we'll have the Best Buy credit already established for appliance buying later when we need it and when we get a house we can buy furniture we like, not just settle for something because it's cheap now". Or something like that.

Then, lo, then there was a laptop in my hands and wee! I am a happy girl.

So. Catching up.

K.'s birthday went well. We had fun. There was mommy-made cake and home-made pizza and there were lots of presents. She made out like a bandit and was happy.

I kicked off November by having something that wanted to be the plague. After many hours of sleeping, I started feeling human again. I made the mistake, however, of thinking I was "fine" and started pushing myself to get things done again. It didn't last long. I've been on a roller coaster ever since. Right now I'm in a low spot, with a sore throat and violently swinging body temperatures. And I've not been sleeping again. Wee.

My birthday!! SURPRISE!!! I GOT A PARTY!!! It was a week early (he wanted my it to overshadow Thanksgiving, not the other way around) but there was cake (that I didn't order or bake or even know about!!) and food (ditto) and presents (that I didn't know about, let alone purchased and wrapped!). I was a happy girl. My mom scored me some of the writer's reference books I'd been hogging from the public library (you know it's time to buy the book when you've checked it out 13 times in the past 6 months), my brother got me a season of Airwolf on DVD, A. got me the entire Robin of Sherwood series on DVD, K. got me (with her own money, no less) on DVD, and K. and A. got me the original Highlander movie on DVD. This past weekend A. brought in the mail and there was a card from his dad for me. He sent me money with instructions to go buy me something for myself. He even underlined "yourself". Part of me wants to go buy a Christmas tree, part of me wants to put it towards this lap top, part of me wants to stash it in my savings account (4.5% interest! WOOHOO!!) and part of me wants to go to Bath & Body Works and the closest book store for a little retail therapy. For now, the money sits on my dresser in the card. I'll figure out what to do with it once my head clears.

Thanksgiving. It was... different. Instead of everyone in the family going to my grandparents', Mom and I shared cooking duties and had a buffet-style lunch over at her place while one of my aunts hosted dinner at her house. We hung out at Mom's all day while my grandparents went (were taken?) to a city an hour or so away to my aunt's. I still haven't heard from my grandparents. I've called a few times but no one answers the phone and I've stopped leaving messages because no one returns them.

Update on the apartment. The bathtub faucet still leaks, but at least it's a faucet and not a pipe. The bathroom no longer leaks and it drains now, too. There are still a lot of little minor things, but I'm not up to having them here to fix them, especially while I'm gearing up for Christmas.

The house hunting has been going slow. Molasses in winter slow. It's the time of year when the market is always slow, though. The real-estate agent that's been showing us houses... I don't think she understands us or our desires and/or needs. Yes, I still want to see houses, but don't send me emails telling me you hope I feel better indicating that you know I'm sick, then a few days later send me an email wishing me a blessed Thanksgiving and in that same email get all passive-aggressive with the need for reassurance. Truly. I'm not up to dealing with it at this time of year when I'm also sick. Also, I'm not looking at ANY house on a holiday weekend. Especially Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Year's. Or Easter. Or Valentine's Day. Or Mother's Day or Father's Day. Those are off limits, as are birthday weekends. So, yes, send information on houses and when there's one that I want to visit, I'll let you know. But I'm not going to look at houses in an area of town I don't want to live in. There's no point. And by the way, learn my daughter's name.

And I guess that's about it for today. Or at least, for now. I'm still trying to recover from Thanksgiving and get my apartment back in order and have a lot of chores to catch up on, and it's getting close to that time when I start pulling boxes out of the closet to decorate. Decorating is going to be a challenge this year because our "Christmas tree corner" now has my desk in it and I don't know where I'm going to put the tree. I'll... think of something. Probably after a nap.

Menu - week of October 14, 2007

2007-10-15T09:13:00.000-04:00

Oops. I completely forgot to post last week's menu. I blame it on stress.

My grandfather has been incredibly ill recently. It's not a huge shock because he's 89 years old and has been sick for a number of years, but it was still a deep blow to see him looking so fragile last time I visited. He's been taken to various doctors, been poked at a bit, had some blood pumped back into him, and he has another appointment on November 2. What happens now is up to him and God, and I'm having a hard time suppressing the selfish feelings welling up inside me. I accepted long ago that death is part of the life cycle, but this is my grandfather -- the single most important male influence of my childhood and the man that I still measure all other men against. It's selfish of me to say/think/feel that I don't want him to die, and yet I don't. This world -- my world -- will not be the same once he's gone.

Things are slowly improving in regards to the apartment issues. And I do mean slowly. The biggie -- the bare pipe in the bathtub -- has been covered. Finally. That doesn't mean the bathroom is complete yet, just that I no longer have a big ugly bare pipe sticking out of the tub where the faucet should be. And there are other issues that need tending to, issues that were created by the workers while they were, but the complex has a(nother) new maintenance supervisor so I have hope that things will gradually get better. Even so, we're still looking for a house, it's just not as urgent now.

Speaking of houses, we're looking for a house. We even have a "preliminary commitment letter" with a dollar figure on it. Woo-hoo! Now to find the house we want and convince someone to sell it to us for less than that dollar amount. That's going to be the hard part. The market here is... expensive doesn't seem adequate enough, but it'll do. We could probably qualify for much more than what we asked for, but we asked for $xxx,000.00 because it will keep our monthly payments where we want them, even with all the taxes and other stuff added in. And that's important to us because we don't want to move into a house only to loose it a year or so down the way because we can no longer afford it. Luckily, we have A.'s eligibility for a VA Loan to help us out, and we're first time home buyers so that should give us some help, too. Still, the hard part isn't all that financial stuff, it's finding the house we want, where we want it, for what we're willing to pay.

K.'s birthday is the end of this month (October 25, to be precise) and we were planning on doing a family dinner out that weekend but, again, my cousin's wife has scheduled their boys' combined birthday party for that weekend. Their boys birth dates fall near the beginning and near the end of November. That's right. NOVEMBER. So they have their birthday party at the end of October. (Yeah, it boggles the mind. Right there with ya.) This is the second year in a row that they've done this and last night it had K. really upset. (She eventually cried herself to sleep, after snorting snot all over my shirt. Don't ask.) We hadn't formalized any plans for the dinner yet because things have been happening and getting early commitments from my family is like getting candy from a bear -- it's doable, but often tricky work involving much pain. (A.'s family is even worse.) It's bad enough it's almost impossible to collect enough of her friends to do a party because of Halloween, but now that her cousins' (actually second cousins?) birthday parties are being planned in such a way as to, basically, make the family chose between being here for her birthday and driving an hour or so away for their combined party... yeah, see, I'm not feeling a whole lot of familial love right now and it's got her in a wicked twist. I do plan on declining the party invitation should it be extended to us again this year. I'll probably bite part of my tongue off in the process of being polite about it, too because it's not like they don't know when her birthday is. She gets a card from them almost every year.

I'm gearing up for NaNoWriMo in November. November is always an insane month for me because of the onset of the holidays, and now that I'm heaping the task of a 50,000 word story on top of all my usual November craziness...? Yeah. I'll be a babbling, drooling idiot come December.

And if you squint your eyes and tilt your head, that brings us to the menu. Yeah, it's a stretch of the imagination how I connect the dots, sometimes. It's best if you just smile and nod. Or so the husband says.

So... food!

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
dinner: pasta

Monday
dinner: breaded cod, corn, broccoli

Tuesday
dinner: sheppard's pie

Wednesday
dinner: pot roast, mixed veggies

Thursday
dinner: chicken, couscous, leftover veggies (or lima beans)

Friday
dinner: pizza

Saturday
dinner: taco meat (and/or leftovers) on tortillas

You know, I really should start planning lunches again, even though K. is in school and it's just me home for lunch now. Maybe next week.

Menu - Week of September 30, 2007

2007-10-01T05:01:00.000-04:00

No blahblahblahing about the apartment today.

A. returned Thursday night rather than Friday night, and while I was considering letting him walk home so that I didn't miss CSI that wasn't really an issue since his plane was delayed for two hours. He arrived just after 11pm. It was 130am before we got back from the airport and fell into bed.

The weekend was... interesting. Saturday morning we met up with one of K.'s friends from school, bopped around the Museum of Science and Industry with her, then headed out to do grocery shopping after the girl was drug off by her family.

Sunday morning found us picking her up and taking her with us to see The Game Plan. Cute movie, by the way, especially if you have kids. After the movie and kid drop off, there was more grocery shopping.

All in all, it was a busybusybusy weekend... largely with an extra child.

This week won't be so busy. A. is driving to a city some two hours northeast of us everyday (he rented a car for the week). He's getting up at 3am so that he can leave here between 430 and 5am to be there on time. He'll be getting home... when he gets home.

This gives me the unique opportunity to be up woken up just before he leaves and have quiet time until 7am when K. has to get up for school. This gives me a jump on the not only the chores, but also the writing. If I can have my chores done by 745am when I take her to the bus stop, then when I get back I have the rest of the day to focus on writing and doing research. I don't know what time we'll all be wanting to fall into bed, but it should prove to be an interesting week. Just not too terribly busy.

So. Menu. Because my family really does like it when I feed them. And so do the little dinosaurs living in my tummy.

And there will probably be some additional "extra cooking" items added later, as whims occur. I guess it'll just depend on which way the wind is blowing.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
dinner: Chinese/take out

Monday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: pasta, salad
extra cooking: sauce

Tuesday
lunch: leftovers, fruit
dinner: Autumn chicken and apples, mashed potatoes, lima beans, salad

Wednesday
lunch: grilled cheese sandwich, fruit
dinner: make it up out of the pantry and freezer as I go, salad

Thursday
lunch: sandwich, fruit
dinner: parmesan crusted tilapia, macaroni & cheese, green peas, salad

Friday
lunch:
dinner: tortillas, taco meat, salad
extra cooking tortillas

Saturday
lunch: ??
dinner: homemade pizza

Playing catch up

2007-09-27T13:20:00.000-04:00

I'm feeling... better. I've had a killer headache and been all sorts of cranky and irritable since I got up yesterday morning, but I'm keeping food in my stomach. I count this as making progress.

Well, no, not since I got up yesterday morning. Since one of the cabinet guys knocked on my door at 850am then started moving my refrigerator and oven around because he had to "fix" stuff. Again.

Ok, so honestly I may have been a bit on the irritable side before then (like, days before) but I'm going to stick with blaming the cabinet guy. It's more satisfying than admitting that I'm just strung out and overly tired from being sick and stuff.

And no, nothing is really... fixed. Not really. Yes, there is some sort of base wrap around the bottom of the cabinets, but K. and I could have done a better job on our own. The gashes in the door frame were covered with a completely different shade of white paint. The range hood is now anchored by more screws, but it's crooked enough that when the maintenance supervisor was here yesterday he noticed it. The pipe in the bathroom is still... there. And so on and so forth.

Anyway... I'm tired of all my entries being about the mess it's become at the hands of the "professionals" that were forced upon us to make... improvements... that, for some reason unknown to us, couldn't wait until the middle of 2008 when we plan on moving.

But I do appreciate more than words can adequately express the emails and comments of support and reassurance that this too shall pass. And you're right. Eventually this ordeal will be over. Thank you for your concern and caring.

So! Onward. Upward.

A. is coming home early. A day early, but early nonetheless. The plane he'll be on lands tonight at 920pm (edt)... which means I'll miss the season premiere of CSI. I'm considering making him walk home. (Not really. Sort of.) Next week he'll be working in another city, but he'll be expensing a car and driving back and forth every day. We consider this a good thing. He'll be home for dinner (if we have dinner a bit later than usual) and I'll still have my car in case of an emergency or in case I just want to get out of this apartment. (Stop laughing! It happens... once in a while...)

K. is... well, she's doing well in school as far as I know. She's got a couple of friends she's wanting to drag with us to the zoo's Halloween thing this year, as well as wanting to go other places with them. It's got me a little twitchy 'cause of the money, but A. pointed out that she's been doing very well in school, been doing (most of) her chores without having to be coerced, and she's generally a good kid that deserves a chance to hang out with her friends... something that's not always been possible in the past. I agree. It's just... weird... for me, though I am glad to see her wanting to socialize. And maybe I'm seeing dollar signs where normally I wouldn't because the whole apartment ordeal has impacted me the most (with me being here 24/7) and has me spinning off-balance.

Also, K.'s birthday is fast approaching and I'm not sure what we want to do this year. She said she really didn't want to try and have another party that no one could attend because of the Halloween conflict, so we're thinking about a dinner. Last year we surprised her with a family dinner/party. She, A., and I were out running errands and decided to have dinner out because it was "getting late", she picked the restaurant, and SURPRISE!! there was a cake and balloons and presents and family waiting for us! She was completely surprised. I don't think I'll be able to pull that off again this year; the kid learns.

And me? I'm contemplating participating in NaNoWriMo this year. Yes, I've gone insane. I think it's from thinking about the upcoming holidays and the money I would normally spend during the last quarter of the year... and then thinking about how that money would be better spent if we put it towards some of the expenses that come with buying a house. And the thought that, for the first time in more than 20 years, I probably won't have a christmas tree. I know in my heart I will have one, even if I have to get a small fake table-top tree like I did one year when K. was tiny and we were broke. It didn't bother me then so much because she was entirely too young to notice or care, but she's much older now. Besides, I like having my home filled with the scent of the tree and it makes me smile to have one set up.

Speaking of the holidays...

Laura Williams is having a little giveaway in her blog for a Christmas Planner made by Marcia Francois. It's a dandy "13 pages of organizational wonderment that will get your rear in gear for the upcoming holiday season" according to Laura, and should be quite helpful.

Also, over at Overwhelmed with Joy! there's the 2nd Annual Holiday Cooking, Blogger Style Recipe Exchange coming up. Instructions and Mr. Linky go up on October 5, 2007, and from what I've read there were a lot of great recipes passed around last year and should be well worth the look.

And glancing over at everyone's favorite Organizing Junkie I find a few links for planning Christmas. Also, I see that she's gearing up to do another Organizing Challenge. Specific details are still under consideration last time I checked, but keep an eye on her. She'll announce it soon enough.

There's really not much else to say today. I'm itching to do some crafts, but almost all of my supplies are boxed up and stored away, and I don't want to spend the money to buy anything for a new project. I'm devouring what books are left on the bookshelves and clearing them out. I should be researching or plotting or something for any of the writing projects I have in progress or lurking about the edges of my brain, but I'm not and I'm at a loss as to why I can't bring myself to do so. Maybe I just need to leave this apartment for a while. Go out and walk around the mall or the park. Or something. Anything...

Menu - Week of Sept 23, 2007

2007-09-24T06:14:00.001-04:00

Don't have much to say, really.

The bathtub still has that pipe sticking out of it.

The cabinet guys came back and... sort of... fixed some of the issues they created in the kitchen, but not very well. I'm still trying to scrape all the adhesive gunk off my kitchen floor, not to mention all the dirt and mess they glued to it.

And now my bathroom sink is leaking. Badly. To the tune that it's basically just draining into the cabinet under it. Yeah, my bread bowl is under those pipes, and there's a call going in to the office as soon as K. and I are clothed this morning.

I feel like chilled death puke. I've not been feeling well the past few days, but it seems to have fully developed sometime between last night and this morning. Normally I'd just crash for a few days, but with A. out of town (he left yesterday evening) I'm on my own with K. and the felines... and crashing just isn't an option. I'll rest as much as possible today, suck down lots of water and either apple juice or white grape juice, and try not to throw up on the new bathroom floor.

Feeling like I do and with A. out of town, the menu for this week is simplicity at its best... meaning that K. could fix most of what's on the menu this week with very little assistance from me. Not that I'll make her, mind you, just that if I get worse she can still feed herself.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
dinner: leftover tacos

Monday
dinner: Boca patties, mashed potatoes, lima beans

Tuesday
dinner: Breaded cod, macaroni & cheese, green peas

Wednesday
dinner: Chicken (or tuna) salad, fruit

Thursday
dinner: Baked potatoes stuffed with spiced ground beef, broccoli

Friday
dinner: ??

Saturday
dinner: Pot roast

Update on Life

2007-09-20T09:42:00.000-04:00

I'm having a hard time getting motivated today. Possibly because everything is just... chaotic. Everything is a mess, there's still stuff all over my dining room table where we were just too drained to put it all away last night, because there's stuff covering the dining room table (and chairs) there's no place for me to eat or sit down and write out my to do list and thoughts I have while I nurse a cup of tea like I usually do every morning, and on and on and on.

I have managed to get a few things done this morning. The FlyLady talks all the time about how anyone can do anything for 15 minutes. I haven't had to use my timer like she recommends in quite a while but I've fallen back on that hard this morning. I work for 15 minutes, then I lose it for 15 minutes. Or maybe that should be "I lose it for 15 minutes then pull myself together and get some work done for 15 minutes because the FlyLady says anyone can do anything for 15 minutes and I can hold it together for 15 solid minutes". Either way, there it is.

So, let's see if I can clear some of this stuff out of my head so I can stop falling apart every other 15 minutes and maybe actually accomplish something today... if it's nothing more than rewriting a chapter.

Just to be clear, all these pictures were taken yesterday. These are not old pictures. The color is off in some of these, but not that off.

So, this is that pipe in my bathtub that I keep talking about. This morning, it still looks like this.

These next few pictures were taken sometime between 10.30 and 11.30am yesterday while the cabinet guys were... missing. I don't know where they were, they just left and were gone for just over an hour. I'm assuming they went to go get the power tools and stuff they had when they got back.

This is my water heater. Normally, one cannot see it because it lives in the corner under/behind cabinets. There's no pan or anything under it. It sits on raw concrete and is not accessible in any way unless you take out the kitchen cabinets... which is fun when it springs a leak or needs to be cleaned or worked on or something. Take note of the undamaged door frame. Just to the left of the doorknob. That's going to be important shortly.

The... old... cabinets. On my front "lawn".

These next pictures were taken... later. They came back just before noon (I thought it was 1130, but checking my cell phone log I realize it was 1146am when A. called me to find out what I wanted from Subway since I couldn't fix myself lunch with the kitchen as it was and they showed back up about 10 minutes later) and worked until about 4.30pm. Then left. My kitchen was... a mess, and that's putting it not only politely but mildly.

The new cabinets don't... quite... fit into the space of the old cabinets. Also, I might add, the cabinet there over the sink is taller than the old one was, therefore, they jammed it into the space and mounted it directly atop the light fixture thus ensuring that they not only broke the fixture but that the cover -- or rather, a new cover since they also broke the old one -- will not fit over the light bulb again. There's nothing quite like having a bare fluorescent light bulb shining just above eye level every time you stand in front of the sink.

This is the lovely space where the spacer board between the dishwasher and the wall... stops. Four inches short of the floor. It's just... a hole. Hopefully I can keep the cats from shoving their paws in there. And keep whatever might be in there...in.

And my floor...

And, for some reason, they took the plate off this outlet. It was there when I took the first round of pictures while they were missing, so sometime after they got back it vanished. We don't know why. Or where it went. But as of this morning, it's still just like this.

I can't get a picture of it because it... sort of... looks ok, just a little... crooked... which is why I noticed it, but when they remounted the range hood they only bothered to do so with the two front screws. They just... jammed... the back into place. It's sort of sitting at an angle where the back is trying hard to fall.

There are a lot of other little things -- like the adhesive all over my floor and the unbraced sink and the drip under the sink that I can't find the source of and the seriously messed up dead space in the corner (not blind space that's hard to reach but DEAD space, as in, they BLOCKED OFF that corner so that it's completely unusable) where I used to keep all my rarely used cooking utensils (like the waffle maker, little food processor, certain mixing bowls only used at the holidays, etc.) -- but nothing I could really capture with a photograph.

They left my apartment a mess, but before they left they stacked all the crap in front of my apartment all nice and neat. Glancing out the window this morning at a little after 11am (edt), yup, it's still there. Only now it's soggy because it rained quite a bit last night.

Oh, and remember I said to take note of the undamaged door frame earlier? This is what it looked like when they left.

I suppose, though, that I should be grateful. They were supposed to do three units in this complex yesterday. The maintenance guy that came by after A. turned in my typed list of complaints said that the people in the other two units got home and called the office. Their cabinets were sitting in their dining rooms. I'm soooo thankful I told the manager that I wanted to be the first apartment of the day. I can't begin to imagine how pissed A. would have been (not to mention how pissed I would have been) if they'd not gotten to us at all yesterday and everything that was in the kitchen had to sit under and on the dining room table while we ate fast food again.

My mom told me that at least it's better than before, and I'm not so sure I agree (sorry Mom). Before, it was one cabinet under the sink that was completely rotted out and unusable. No one saw it and as long as I kept the cabinet doors blocked the cats stayed out of it and it was ignored. Now, everything is theoretically usable (I'm still not sure I trust that hood over my oven or the light over my sink and I've not run the dishwasher yet) but the entire kitchen looks like something out of the ghetto. Except for the pretty new white cabinets and dusky rose colored counter tops.

Sure, a reasonable landlord would see to fixing these complaints and fixing the damage that was done by the work crew they hired. I think under different circumstances these items would be taken care of to our satisfaction within 48 hours. But circumstances aren't different. I honestly think they're overwhelmed and trying to take care of too many issues at once. I don't think they're being able to devote any real attention to things that come up, especially emergencies, but at the same time they're trying to make improvements, possibly to keep the current tenants happy, and not being able to do any of the jobs RIGHT.

Why do I think that? Today at 930am marked the official time that it's been three full weeks from the day my bathroom was gutted (it was gutted the morning of August 30, 2007 between 830 and 930am) and my bathtub STILL looks like it does in the above picture. Three weeks of having a pipe sticking out of my tub wall. They say it takes 21 days for a habit to form. I'm not sure what bothers me most at this point, that I still have a pipe sticking out of my bathtub wall or the fact that we're getting used to it.

In other news... well, there's not much else.

K. is doing well at school. She and her father have some big science fair meeting to go to tonight (A. told me I could stay home and cook dinner instead). The official progress report she brought home yesterday has her pulling in A's in Honors Reading, Social Studies/Geography, and Honors Math. She's pulling in a B in Honors Science. For some reason she's pulling a C in Honors Language Arts. It seems to be grammar related but it was hard to tell with the information on the sheet that went back to school today. All her teachers seem to think she's a delightful child and her conduct grades are all "satisfactory".

A. is doing work stuff. He has some travel plans soon, but they're slipping my mind at the moment.

And me? A. let me borrow his lap top the other night and set it up for me in the bedroom. I sat on the bed and wrote without distraction while A. and K. watched tv and/or played x-box in the living room. I... accomplished... something, and it felt good. Last night I accomplished nothing. A. set me up in the bedroom again and I dozed more than I typed. After the previous night's accomplishment, last night was a huge blow that I'm feeling especially hard this morning. Except for the other night, I haven't written in over a month. With no crafts to do (supplies are in boxes somewhere, probably in storage again) writing is my only creative outlet... and not being able to write is tearing me apart, especially this past week as I'm just starting to hear some of my characters again (they all went missing for a while). I'm tired. And I'm frustrated. But I need to push on through the day, so I guess I'll close this, set my timer again, and get on with it.

Menu - week of September 9, 2007

2007-09-10T12:11:00.001-04:00

First, before I forget because I'm noticing some scatterbrainness (is that even a word??) creeping up on me today, I want to express my deep gratitude for the encouraging and supportive words and virtual hugs that came via email and those left in comments. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To answer the question everyone seemed to have: No, there's really not anything more than a convenience store that's close enough for me to walk to. Even if there were, I'm not sure that I would because that would mean leaving said strangers in my apartment alone with my felines (and everything else), even though my felines would be shut up in my bedroom. Reflecting on how much inconsideration said strangers showed for my electric bill (kept leaving the front door open and all the lights they passed on -- even if they were leaving for several hours), my water bill (left the water hose outside running several times when they left for the night), my carpet and rug (mud, dirt, and water tracked everywhere), the bath towel that was in the bathroom sopping up the water from the leaking bathroom sink (they ruined it by wiping all sorts of putty, sealants, primer, and who knows what else on it), the job they were supposed to be doing (stopping to watch parts of whatever movie I was watching on days I had the tv on, peering hard at stuff on the desk and table, just... giving me the impression that they were being nosy about what we had here and not liking the fact that I had the bedroom doors shut when possible), and my family in general, I'm not sure that I trust them in my home without me or A. being here.

I wish I could say it's all better now, but I can't. The bathroom STILL isn't finished. The kitchen has been measured and awaits the arrival of cabinet fairy, at which point my kitchen will be gutted and become unusable for... who knows how long. If anyone feels particularly inclined, I think we'd all deeply appreciate any prayers that we (1) acquire financing, (2) find the house we want, and (3) can swing what it will cost to get us moved out of here and into said house.

I feel flu-ish. A. says it's probably stress-related. He could be right. (I'm still having nightmares and with him gearing up to leave town in a few weeks, I just KNOW that they're going to hit us with the kitchen ordeal during that time.) It could also be PMS. Or I could actually be getting sick. Either way, I just want to sleep right now.

K. seems to be adapting well to middle school. Progress reports that came home Friday indicate that she's pulling in an A in both Honors Math and Honors Science. Hopefully the chaos of losing the kitchen in coming weeks won't last too long or be too much of a strain on her. I know those 8 days of bathroom chaos were wreaking havoc with both her morning routine and her homework time (real hard to concentrate on homework with strange men running all over the apartment making all sorts of distracting noises and smells).

Menu, menu, menu. I woke up this morning still needing to make a menu and just felt... uncreative... about it. I started to make one and ended up crying in frustration. Last week's menu was thrown out the window several nights because of maintenance men being here until 8-830pm and I refuse to cook when they're spraying or grinding or filing stuff that's then being blown all over the place by the AC. I'd rather not feed my family sheet rock dust, thank you very much. So. Menu. Yeah. Simple. Basic. Boring. Maybe someday I can stretch my cooking muscles again, but for now it's time to rest them and just focus on getting through this. And if we have to get take out because the kitchen is unusable for any reason at all (I'm a bit anal about the condition of the area where I cook), then so be it. Right?

Sigh. Yeah, I'm not convincing myself either. And it's killing me to have to be getting take out so many nights a week and knowing that it's not over yet when we've worked so very hard to STOP eating take out and fast food, even on the weekends.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
dinner: leftovers

Monday
dinner: pasta, salad

Tuesday
dinner: breaded cod, herb-roasted potatoes, broccoli

Wednesday
dinner: rice with chicken, broccoli, peas, salad

Thursday
dinner: ??? - possibly leftovers

Friday
dinner: rice, beans, hoe cakes, salad

Saturday
dinner: ??? - possibly leftovers

Thus beings Day Eight...

2007-09-06T08:34:00.000-04:00

I'm just so very tired of not having a fully functional and safe bathroom, and now they've started in on my kitchen.

This is what they've left my kitchen looking like... keeping in mind that they were just going to leave huge gaping holes between and under the doors until I threw a fit about it being completely unacceptable because of the cats.

I can't handle much more of this. I can't exercise with them here because they're back and forth all over my living room. I can't write because I'm in their way when I sit at the computer. I'm not eating or drinking much because I'm afraid to use the bathroom when they're not here (if it's usable) because they just walk in without knocking or I have to wait until A. gets home with the car so I can go to some store or another to pee or wait until they've decided to stop working on our bathroom for the day which often isn't until somewhere between 6pm and 8pm.

I'm so very tired, so very drained, so very... on the verge of losing it.

I think I'll reread the book of Job today then lock myself in my bedroom with the felines and take a nap.

Menu - week of September 2, 2007

2007-09-03T10:26:00.000-04:00

Yeah, so, this is Day Five of not having a fully functional bathroom. It's truly getting old. The guy is supposed to be back today to finish "his" part and rip up the floor (why?? WHY??) and tomorrow (Tuesday) morning when (if) the complex manager comes to work he'll let her know that she needs to have the floor people come out and put a new floor down. The contractors are supposed to be back on Tuesday too (yeah, right) at which time the toilet will be taken out and put a new wall behind it. Based on their last, um, adventure, for lack of a more polite word, here I'm not expecting to have a toilet for several days... which really sucks because this is a one bathroom apartment.

Sigh.

Yeah. My head hurts. The panic attacks have subsided some, and I've found that I can hold them further at bay by locking (literally LOCKING) myself in my bedroom with the felines when these strange (less than trustworthy-looking) men are romping around in my apartment.

Truly, I'm over this game. We'll be looking for a house soon. A. has had me pulling whatever paperwork we might need when we go talk to the credit union about a mortgage. The only thing that might enable us to get into a house quicker than we had planned is his eligibility for a VA loan and the fact that we're first time buyers. Or... he is. I'm not sure I actually qualify because years and years and years ago I was the co-signer on my mom's house. Still, since he's the only one bringing in an income (I refuse to say he's the only one "working" because I bust my butt "working" as a stay-at-home mom), my status may not matter. We'll see though.

So. Menu. I made one for this week (mostly because the lack of structure they've been creating in my home was starting to push me into a very bad place and I desperately needed my structure back), though things may change drastically depending on how often and how late the workers will be here every day this week. (Yes, I fully expect this "simple job" to last until the end of the week and last week they were here until 8pm on a few days and it's damned hard to cook when they're filling the apartment with noxious fumes or I'm locked up in the illusion of safety that is my bedroom.)

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
dinner: spiced citrus chicken & rice, garlic carrots (recipe to come), mini cheese biscuits

Monday
dinner: chopped beef stroganoff, egg noodles, lima beans, salad

Tuesday
dinner: rice, beans, hoe cakes, salad

Wednesday
dinner: parmesan crusted tilapia, rice, peas, salad

Thursday
dinner: pasta, salad, parker house rolls

Friday
dinner: orange-glazed pork tenderloins, quick baked potatoes, various green veggies, salad, parker house rolls

Saturday
dinner: pot roast (without the potatoes), broccoli, corn, herb-roasted potatoes, parker house rolls

2007-08-27T16:13:00.000-04:00

Downshifting out of crisis mode now. It'll take a few days for me to decompress completely and remember how to breathe. We're going to call the next few days a "vacation from thinking" and pick life back up on the first of September. Unless I get bored with the whole not thinking thing before then, of course.

Menu - week of August 12, 2007

2007-08-13T20:02:00.000-04:00

Very quickly, because I've got one foot in The Land of Zombies and the other is anxious to cross the border, too.

Today was spent purging and cleaning. I'm still not done, but getting much closer. Tomorrow will, hopefully, see the last of the all day purging in the living room and dining room. I... should... be out of boxes by the time I fall into bed tomorrow night.

Wednesday is the last free movie of summer. Later that afternoon (as in, I think we have time to swing by home, pee, cool off for a few minutes, grab a bite to eat, and rush out the door again) K. has a doctor's appointment for her yearly well check-up/physical. If there's any cleaning/purging still to do, I'll jump on it after K.'s appointment.

Thursday morning I'm going to do a little bit of the grocery shopping. Maybe. A. is taking Thursday off so that he can go with us to the open house at school. It's at 1:30 in the afternoon and runs until 3pm with an hour of "extra" activities from 3 to 4. I expect we'll go shopping immediately afterward since we'll be getting supply lists from all of K.'s teachers.

Whatever shopping that did not get done on Thursday will have to be finished on Friday. If there's no shopping to be done (HA!! As if...) I'll focus my energy on whatever cleaning/purging is left to be done, including starting on my room.

I have no idea what plans we have for the weekend, beyond getting prepared for the first day of school (Monday). I can only hope that "relaxing" is somewhere in the mix.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: parmesan crusted tilapia, rice, peas
dinner: chinese take out

Monday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: hamburger casserole

Tuesday
lunch: boca chicken/beef patties, mac & cheese
dinner: foil-pack taco chicken, rice & buttered peas, salad

Wednesday
lunch: movie munchies / salad
dinner: pot roast, baked potatoes, lima beans, broccoli, salad

Thursday
lunch: sandwich, fruit
dinner: beef and noodles, green veggies, salad

Friday
lunch: pizza hoagies
dinner: pasta, salad

Saturday
lunch: ??
dinner: rice, beans, hoe cakes, salad

The child can draw...

2007-08-12T22:45:00.001-04:00

The kid scored a HUGE art pad while at her grandmother's today. We get home, all relaxing and doing our own thing, and I glance over to see K. drawing.

Of course, I had to grab my camera. I've been letting too many shots get away from me lately.

The horse is still in progress and just in the time I resized these pictures and uploaded them a mane, part of a saddle, and further details on the eye have been added. Also, it looks like she's working on the hair that hangs down above the eyes (the bangs? Do horses have bangs??).

What amazes me is that she's pulling this thing out of thin air. She's 10. She's seen horses at the zoo and in movies. She's got her uncle's talent and skill. And her father's.

Menu - week of August 5, 2007

2007-08-06T09:19:00.000-04:00

Only two more weeks until school starts. I'm both saddened and overjoyed. Saddened because I love spending time with K, but overjoyed because I will be able to get back to my regular schedule and have a few hours each day to be by myself, and also write in peace.

K. is... eh. I'm not sure how she's feeling about it right now. We dropped a bundle of money (thanks, again, Mom!) on basic school clothes yesterday. I told her I would prefer that we not buy the entire store and completely re-outfit her until later in the school year, after she's had a chance to get accustomed to life in middle school and decide what sort of fashion trends, if any, she wants to follow. She agreed.

A. is... here. I took a few days off from the massive purging/cleaning I've been doing and he seems a little concerned that I won't get back to it.

And me. Last week was a roller-coaster week for me. I lost three days of hard cleaning because of people being in the apartment as well as the grocery shopping and corresponded with a published author who gave me some great advice on my writing and told me that I am "very, very close to publishable, if not already". And I get the impression that she wants to read the book that the excerpts she saw came from.

With the losing of purging/cleaning days last week and then the mini-vacation over the weekend, yeah, I haven't accomplished much in the past week. Except for the free movie this Wednesday and possibly a little shopping with K. either Wednesday or Friday, I don't have any plans (yet) for this week so it should be fairly easy to get back on track. Next week I know I'll be losing two days because K. has a doctor's appointment after the movie on Wednesday, then her school is having open house on Thursday, at 1:30 in the afternoon.

My original goal had been to have things settled by the first of August, but I got side-tracked and the new goal is August 20 when K. goes back to school.

Also, I think my knee is ready for me to start back with my Virtual Bike Tour Across America. It's been a month and while my knee still gets stiff and is a little achy, it's no longer swollen. I'll gradually start back with the stretching, then move on to the bike riding this week.

Finally, the menu for this week, because my family seems so much happier when I feed them. Everything is really simple this week because, well, I anticipate being distracted and alternately cranky and giddy. And, of course, the menu is subject to change at the drop of a half-formed whim or a good strong breeze, 'cause that's the way I just am sometimes.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: Burger King
dinner: Rice, beans, chicken

Monday
lunch: pizza hoagies or chicken salad
dinner: leftover buffet (time to clean out the refrigerator)
extra cooking: sauce

Tuesday
lunch: Chicken patties / tuna patties, leftovers, salad
dinner: meatloaf, baked potatoes, various veggies salad

Wednesday
lunch: movie munchies / salad
dinner: Parmesan encrusted tilapia, corn, peas, broccoli

Thursday
lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches
dinner: leftovers (or ??)

Friday
lunch: peanut butter sandwiches
dinner: pasta, salad

Saturday
lunch: ??
dinner: pot roast, mashed potatoes, lima beans, broccoli

Menu - week of July 29, 2007

2007-07-30T12:08:00.000-04:00

Running pretty late with the menu this week, but I have one. It's very simple, primarily because I'll be crazy-busy this week and stopping to cook when I'm that busy isn't my idea of fun. Also, it's entirely too hot for me to spend time hovering about in the kitchen cooking, yet I still need to feed my piranhas or they get cranky.

A. is home again. K. is growing and needs clothes appropriate for school. I am busy, motivated, and hopeful. That about sums things up in our world.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: pancakes
dinner: Wendy's

Monday
lunch: pizza hoagies (or chicken and tuna patties)
dinner: breaded cod, mac&cheese, peas, broccoli

Tuesday
lunch: movie munchies / salad
dinner: pasta
extra cooking: spaghetti/pizza sauce (x2)

Wednesday
lunch: movie munchies / salad
dinner: stir fried pork w/ramen noodles, various recaptured veggies

Thursday (grocery day)
lunch: ??
dinner: pot roast, baked potatoes, lima beans, broccoli

Friday (grocery day)
lunch: ??
dinner: breakfast (oatmeal, pancakes, grits, eggs, cereal, whatever)
extra cooking: boiled chicken, red beans

Saturday
lunch: chicken salad sandwiches
dinner: rice, beans, chicken, salad

Menu - week of July 22, 2007

2007-07-23T09:51:00.000-04:00

Running a bit late with the menu this week, but it's done. In pencil, but it's done.

I'm starting something new this week. Well, I sort of did it last week, but this week it's planned. One of our trends is being out doing stuff on the weekends and getting so rushed for time that we end up eating out (or getting fast food and bringing it home). This week I'm going to cook a couple of meals on Friday, stash them in the refrigerator and ta-da! Food is cooked for the weekend! All we have to do is be home (or, you know, come home) when we're hungry and heat stuff up in the microwave. Ta-da! Yeah, we'll see how it goes.

Last week was a bit on the chaotic side, but I'm starting to think that might be normal for this household. Mercy, I hope not. Just some of the chaos came in the form of a dental bill that was estimated at $200 but came up to just under $1000, some killer headaches, me sending some of my fictional writing to a published author who offered to critique it and give me some advice, and the usual general craziness.

The plans for this week include mostly clutter purging, doing some inventorying before school starts in three(ish) weeks, maybe doing a bit of shopping for both school supplies and clothes, and maybe making some jewelry. With A. out of town, K. and I also plan on sprawling in the evenings to read. We like to read. There may even be nights when I get to write while she reads.

Yes, A. is out of town again. He left yesterday afternoon. He'll be back a little on the late side Friday night. It makes menu planning for this week easy. K. and I can eat the same two or three things all week and not get bored with it.

Not much else to say. Weather has been Florida summer weather: hot, and when it's not hot, wet. We've desperately needed the rain, though, so I've growled at anyone complaining about it. Beyond that, it's just life.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: pancakes
dinner: chicken salad

Monday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: pizza hoagies
extra cooking: spaghetti/pizza sauce (x2), tuna patties, chicken patties (tuna patties recipe made with chicken I boiled last night)

Tuesday
lunch: movie munchies / salad
dinner: rice with chicken, green peas

Wednesday
lunch: movie munchies / salad
dinner: spiced boca "meat", rice, veggies of a green nature

Thursday
lunch: leftovers / pizza hoagies
dinner: leftovers

Friday
lunch: chicken salad
dinner: clean out refrigerator buffet
extra cooking: spiced ground beef, pot roast, possibly tortillas if time and weather permits

Saturday
lunch: leftovers
dinner: leftovers (or pasta)

Just in case...

2007-07-20T11:46:00.001-04:00

My longer posts have a tendency to not go out to the mail subscribers, whether it be on blogger's side or on the feedblitz side.

Just in case it happens again, there was a post this morning called "Wake-up call # 84351" here: http://asimplewife.blogspot.com/2007/07/wake-up-call-84351.html

If you read my blog through the mail and did not get that post, I'm sorry. I really don't know why that happens. There's the link, however, so have at it.

And thanks again to those of you who have subscribed.

Wake-up call #84351

2007-07-20T10:12:00.000-04:00

Like many people, I check my horoscope. I don't always check it daily, and I usually check it at night so that I can reflect on how my day went then decide how close the horoscope was. Most days it ranges from "close" to "dead spot on". A lot of days it makes me giggle with how close it comes and sometimes I wonder if my day would have gone any better (or if/how it would have been different) had I read the email that delivers my horoscope earlier in the day.

I opened that email this morning because yesterday just sucked and shattered a whole lot of eggs in my various baskets. After checking yesterday's email this morning I decided I needed to know what today's said, because had I read yesterday's email yesterday morning I would have been better prepared and then my brain wouldn't have exploded quite so much yesterday afternoon. (*deep breath*)

The horoscope comes with a general look at the day and then the more traditional sun sign reading.

Today's Outlook: The Moon in peaceful Libra today helps us smooth over the rough edges as we strive for harmony, especially after the challenges we faced yesterday. Fortunately, we get some common sense from energetic Mars, now stabilized in practical Taurus. But Mars forms a dynamic sextile with crazy Uranus, adding fuel to the determined engine of progress. Although we may be very unconventional, we can be brilliant as innovative breakthroughs come easily.

Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21):You might be very optimistic, believing that anything is possible. Still, you must remember that the real world does have practical limitations based upon immutable physical laws. Nevertheless, you can pull off some amazing stunts by bending the rules. Pushing the limits can help you to achieve the maximum effect.

So, yeah. Sort of a little nudge from the Universe that reinforces the idea that we'll be ok. Just what I needed this morning.

So yesterday? Yeah. A. went to the dentist yesterday. Wait, back track a bit. A. went to the dentist Wednesday afternoon. Not having been in a while, he needed to have some deep cleaning done. That is, he needed to have that scraping/scaling thing done where they dig under the gum line and scraaaaaaape gunk off the lower parts of the teeth. He was given an estimate/price sheet sort of paper that put the insurance adjusted prices at not quite $200. No biggie. That's why I have a dental fund going, right?

He set the appointment for that for yesterday (Thursday) afternoon. From what he said, he's sitting in the chair with "bamboo shoots under [his] gums" and they hand him the new estimate/price sheet... with a whopping grand total of $971.89.

That doesn't even touch the crown work he needs done.

Apparently he had some pretty deep pockets (what is he? a chipmunk??) and they decided they needed to pack those pockets with antibiotics... at $89 per pocket.

He did manage to talk them into delaying a couple of the things they wanted to do to him, so the bill yesterday was for $611.93... but he has to go back in 4 - 6 weeks to get the rest done, and there's still crown work looming in the future.

Needless to say, my brain went *pop* when he got home. Had it been me, I'd have left the pockets antibiotic free, paid the $200ish dollars out of the dental fund and since we put $100 each month into the dental fund, just gone back once a month to get another one done. Or, more likely, just avoided the dentist again until I had the money saved up. But that's me, and I'm the idiot with a temporary crown that's just about 6 years old (it was put in at the beginning of August 2001; company I was working for sold the division I was in right after 9/11, only the new owner(s) didn't want to keep the employees so I lost my job and I lost my dental insurance. I had to cancel the appointment I had in November to have the crown put in and I've not been in a position since that time to get it taken care of).

So yesterday afternoon my brain was going 'splodey. In a bad way. I sent him to buy his lottery tickets and a pack of cigarettes for me, even though I stopped smoking almost two years ago.

Four chain-smoked cigarettes later I was ok again. Yes, this is a bad hit for us financially. No, this isn't the best time ever for it to hit. Yes, it could have come at a much worse time. Yes, it completely zeroes out the dental fund I'd been building - the bulk of which was earmarked for K.'s braces. And yes, it either completely zeroes out our emergency fund or the money we've been putting aside for the last few months for a down payment on a house. And yes, there's still the roughly $500 more we have to come up with in 4 - 6 weeks, and then the additional $750 or so for the crown work that really should be taken care of as soon as possible.

But things could be worse. They could be much, much worse. And this morning I've been reminded that God doesn't allow us to be burdened with more than we can carry and he made me the way I am for a reason.

I can't fix this situation, but I can make sure we get through it.

Yes, things will be tight - almost painfully tight - for the next few months, maybe even the next year and my family may actually have to watch some of the nearly 400 movies/seasons of television shows we own rather than going to the movies or picking up stuff from BlockBuster. No, we may not actually be able to swing a house at the end of the new lease (July 2008) like we had planned. Yes, I will have to put off the dental work that I need done. Yes, I may even have to delay K.'s dental visit for a few months. No, I have no idea how I'll deal with her birthday since all the "extra" money I was setting aside will vanish for a while. And no, I don't even know how I'll deal with christmas. Yet.

But things could have been worse. Much, much worse. We've crawled out from bigger hits than this intact. And really, when I step back and look at the whole big picture, I needed this to happen. I've been lax with the budgeting in the last two months. We've been very indulgent with whims and desires lately, partly to make up for last decade. This little incident is the Universe's way of telling me "Ok, kitten, play time is over. Get back to work, get back on track. Find the balance."

So, yeah, things will be tough for a while again, but because of this situation I've realized where some holes in my budget are, and I've realized that we have more "extra" money than I thought, and if I can caress the budget just right, we may just end up better off by the time this ordeal is over.

And those cigarettes I sent him after last night? They're gone. I don't need them today. I haven't needed them since the end of the fourth one last night.

Menu - week of July 15, 2007

2007-07-15T21:42:00.000-04:00

I didn't do a menu last week at all and my world sucked all week. I don't think I'll be doing that again for a while.

A. is leaving town Monday afternoon and coming back Tuesday night. It's just a short one night trip this time, but it gives me two days of not having to plan food for him.

K. and I haven't really made any plans for this week beyond (possibly) the free movies on Tuesday and Wednesday morning. A. recently installed some old games on the computer my mom gave her and she's been pretty absorbed by them. I might get some cleaning out of her this week, though (if I can get her to stop playing Warlords, that is). She wants the wooden cd crate I pulled off the top of my desk the other day and I'm using it as a bargaining chip. I've been rearranging things around here and getting a little crazy with it. I'm not done yet but hopefully the dust will settle quickly (I'm tired of sneezing) and life can get back to my version of "normal".

On a completely random note, I picked up a new alarm clock this weekend and gave K. the one from our room. It was a great little alarm clock, but a month after we got it, the display for the second alarm stopped working so I could never tell when my alarm was set. It's been driving me batty for a year or so, and it was just time to get another one. Also, the timing was right because K. needs to learn to wake up to an alarm and she won't really need a clock with two alarms. It seemed more logical to slide our old one to her and replace the one that's been driving me batty for so long than to go out and buy her one.

I'm leaving Friday and dinner Saturday unplanned for now. Grocery sales start mid-week so I'll plan something after I (a) see the ads on Wednesday and Thursday and (b) figure out what we're doing next weekend (there may be some construction-like projects going on).

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: Subway
dinner: forage night - everyone fends for themselves

Monday
lunch: tuna patties, mac & cheese
dinner: leftovers
extra cooking: spaghetti/pizza sauce (x2),

Tuesday
lunch: movie munchies / salad
dinner: beans, rice, salad

Wednesday
lunch: movie munchies / salad
dinner: pot roast, veggies (whatever jumps out of the freezer when I open the door)

Thursday
lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit
dinner: leftovers (or possibly pasta)

Friday
lunch: ??
dinner: ??

Saturday
lunch: pizza hoagies
dinner: ??

Jewelry for the girl child.

2007-07-10T20:35:00.000-04:00

I made K. some jewelry today.

And a bookmark to match.

Yes. It was a most productive day.

100 words - July 7

2007-07-07T23:59:00.000-04:00

7
I looked out the window at the clear blue sky and sighed. It was such a miserably hot day. Heat waves rolled up off the road and made the view ahead of me shimmer. Stretching my arm out the window brought some of the passing air into the hot car, but it brought no real relief against the heat. “Even the wind is hot…” I murmured and cranked the volume on the radio to deafening levels when Magic Carpet Ride by Steppenwolf started to play. The wind was hot, too, like the desert wind blowing across a dried out world.

100 words x 2 (July 5 - 6)

2007-07-07T00:18:00.001-04:00

5
I’ve been toying with copper wire again. It’s so easy to practice wrapping all sorts of things with copper, assuming you can get it in the right gauge.

I’ve been working with 18 gauge copper (round and half-hard) lately because that’s all I’ve had. I’m in the market to find some 20 gauge. I’ll have to do that over the internet, which really sucks because I’ve been trying to curb my internet purchases this year.

Oh, wait, that 20 gauge copper wire is not all I have. I forgot that I do have some 16 gauge soft brass wire, too.

6
I don’t like the 16 gauge soft brass wire. Maybe it’s my lack of hand strength or maybe just the way the wire feels. I don’t suppose it really matters. I just don’t like working with it as much as I like the 18 gauge copper wire. I’m hoping the 20 gauge copper wire will be as wonderful to play with. I know that it will give a whole new dimension to the bookmarks and other things I create.

And eventually I’ll get around to silver and gold and doing actual jewelry but for now, I’m enjoying my copper designs.

100 words - July 4

2007-07-05T08:34:00.000-04:00

In the past I’ve noticed that most everything I write emerges in a passive voice. Recently, I’ve been working on amending that, but I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s harder than it sounds. My brain just doesn’t want to think in an active voice.

This has me wondering if I should continue trying to adjust my way of thinking so that I can write in the active voice from the start or if I should just slam out the words in a passive voice so that I can finish the story then edit it to make it more active.

100 words... times 3

2007-07-03T22:04:00.000-04:00

So tired. The headache lurking around the edges of my brain all week threatening to become a migraine has taken a step closer to that goal.

A. has my car today which means my plans for the post office are pushed back until tomorrow. It also means I won't die in a horribly fatal and flaming car crash like so many of my dreams have indicated over the past week or so.

I overslept again today by 2 hours. Not a big deal for a housewife, some might think, but it’s killing me in ways I can't begin to describe.

“It’s dark outside.”

A voice comes from inside my head and sounds as if there should be a smirk attached. “Of course it’s dark outside, it’s the middle of the night.”

I ignore the voice and start again. “It’s dark outside. I can hear the patter of the rain against the roof. Every now and again I hear the rolling rumble of thunder and…”

The voice scoffs. “Rolling rumble of thunder? You can’t be serious.”

I very nearly shout as I continue on. “…and see brilliant flashes of lightning through the space where the curtains don’t quite meet the walls.”

I’m supposed to write another 100 words today, and I’m drawing a complete blank. There’s nothing lurking in the dusty, cob-web covered corners of my mind wanting to be written. I’m just… blank.

I sit here in front of my computer, my iPod shuffle pumping Metallica playing with an orchestra into my skull at rather high volumes and even that’s not shaking any ideas loose. Behind me, my husband sprawls on the couch watching something or another on Nova. The daughter is… I don’t know where she is, exactly, but probably in her room reading again.

Hey look, 100 words…

Menu - week of July 1, 2007

2007-07-01T22:54:00.001-04:00

Not much to say tonight. So very tired. I'll probably post something tomorrow night, weather permitting.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: tuna patties, mac & cheese
dinner: orange barbecue chicken, rice, baked beans, salad

Monday
lunch: left overs
dinner: beans, rice, salad
extra cooking: spaghetti/pizza sauce (x2), tortillas (?)

Tuesday
lunch: movie munchies / salad
dinner: sloppy joes, potato skins

Wednesday
lunch: movie munchies / salad
dinner: pasta, salad, garlic bread

Thursday
lunch: pizzas on wheat hoagie bread
dinner: leftovers

Friday
lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches
dinner: breakfast (pancakes, grits, eggs, cereal)

Saturday
lunch: ??
dinner: homemade pizza, salad

Menu - week of June 24, 2007

2007-06-24T23:36:00.000-04:00

This week K. and I have plans to hit two of the free summer movies offered in the area; one on Tuesday and then one on Wednesday. Last week we made our own popcorn in the microwave and took that in bags. I think this week she wants to make it in the pot on the oven.

We also hit the public library downtown on Saturday and have a lot of reading planned for this week. We do have some cleaning planned, but we need a break and we need to have some fun. So what if our brand of fun is sprawling about most of the day reading? It's not a bad way to spend the week, I think.

I'm making progress on my virtual bike tour across America (the details of which can be found here in my exercising blog), so yay me!

Finally, the menu for this week, because my family seems so much happier when I feed them. A couple things are repeat/carry-overs from last week, because I got lazy last week and didn't cook them. I don't know what, if anything, I'll cook/bake/make that will fall into the "extra" category this week. I think I'll play things by ear and use this week to plan better for next week. And, of course, the menu is subject to change at the drop of a half-formed whim or a good strong breeze, 'cause that's the way I am when it comes to food.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: tuna sandwiches, chips
dinner: Wendy's

Monday
lunch: left overs; time to clean out the refrigerator (or tuna patties and mac & cheese)
dinner: pasta, salad, garlic bread
extra cooking: jello, 'cause K. likes it.

Tuesday
lunch: movie munchies / salad
dinner: breaded cod, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, salad

Wednesday
lunch: movie munchies / salad
dinner: orange barbecue chicken, rice, baked beans

Thursday
lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches
dinner: lemon garlic pork chops, rice, broccoli, salad
extra cooking: ? possibly jello, maybe some muffins or cookies or something

Friday
lunch: pizzas made on hoagie rolls
dinner: oriental burgers, oven baked french fries

Saturday
lunch: ??
dinner: homemade pizza, salad

New blog!

2007-06-19T14:57:00.000-04:00

Yes, I am insane. I'm on a quasi-hiatus from blogging, however I'm starting a new blog. Reshaping Me. It's dedicated to my weight loss endeavors, and more specifically, my exercise bike and Virtual Tour Across America. Like I said, I'm insane.

That's all for now. I have to cook dinner and then spend some time on the exercise bike.

Menu - Week of June 17, 2007

2007-06-18T07:40:00.000-04:00

Last week was another interesting week.

K. and I were pretty much home-bound and still managed to have some fun. Friday afternoon A. came home early and I took the opportunity to shuffle us over to the rock store and pick up some grit for K.'s rock tumbler. If this tumbling thing is going to be something she's into for a while, I may have to insist that she be gotten one of those nifty (expensive) tumblers with the padding around the cylinder so that the process is all but silent. The constant sound of rocks/stones being tumbled for weeks at a time is enough to drive me crazy.

Father's Day was mostly lazy with a little bit of errand running.

This week I'm starting to work exercising back into my schedule (is fell off the schedule when school let out), and I'm hoping to have project:declutter living room all but completed by the end of the week. That will, of course, depend greatly on how much K. cooperates in doing her tasks for the week and how much time I actually have to devote to sorting through piles of stuff. It will also depend on how often the felines decide to "help". After being trapped at home all week last week, it will also depend on how often I just want to be anywhere but here.

On Wednesday K. and I are hitting the free summer movie program again. She has the option of two movies: Rugrats in Paris and Ice Age: Meltdown. Since she knows the script of Ice Age by heart, she opted for Rugrats. Oh. Joy. It's a good thing I love the kid.

And the menu, because apparently we must eat. My family seems happier when I feed them. A couple things are repeat/carry-overs from last week, and it's a fairly simple/lazy week in the cooking department since I plan to be busy in other areas of my life. And, of course, the menu is subject to change at the drop of a half-formed whim or a good strong breeze.

As always, much gratitude for Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday
lunch: pancakes
dinner: Cracker Barrel

Monday
lunch: clean out refrigerator/leftovers, salad
dinner: ginger chicken (ginger pork made with chicken), rice, salad
extra cooking: beans for A.'s lunches this week, jello

Tuesday
lunch: beans and rice, salad
dinner: soft tacos (ground beef with homemade taco seasoning on tortillas)
extra cooking: cookies - type to be determined by K. at time of baking

Wednesday
lunch: movie munchies / salad
dinner: ~~breaded cod, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies, salad~~ baked potates filled with leftover taco meat, various veggies

Thursday
lunch: tortilla pizzas, salad, fruit
dinner: pot roast, baked potatoes, lima beans, salad
extra cooking: jello

Friday
lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches
dinner: ~~lemon garlic pork chops, rice, broccoli, salad~~ McDonald's

Saturday
lunch: left overs; time to clean out the refrigerator (or tuna patties and mac & cheese)
dinner: homemade pizza, salad

Last week was... hectic.

A. is back in town now. The flight that was supposed to touch down here at midnight Friday night didn't land until 2:45am. I've not recovered yet. And this week he's borrowing my car, so K. and I are pretty much home-bound. Wee.

Each time K. and I went to the local rock shop, the guy was closed for one reason or another. We're starting to think we're not supposed go! We're going to try again this week if A. gets home from work early enough.

Really don't have much else to say. We're busy doing home things. Depending on how hectic the week becomes, I may or may not post more later this week.

Sunday
lunch: hamburgers, mashed potatoes
dinner: take out

Monday
lunch: hoagie pizzas, fruit
dinner: frozen raviolis (with homemade sauce), salad

Tuesday
lunch: grilled cheese sandwiches, fruit
dinner: ~~black bean soup (since it didn't get made last week), corn muffins~~ breaded cod, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies

Wednesday
lunch: ~~left over soup, tortillas~~ simple taco meat, tortillas
dinner: ~~breaded cod, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies~~ black bean soup (since it didn't get made last week), corn muffins

Thursday
lunch: ~~simple taco meat, tortillas~~ left over soup, tortillas
dinner: ginger chicken (ginger pork made with chicken), rice, broccoli

Friday
lunch: left over taco meat, baked potatoes
dinner: lemon garlic pork chops, rice, salad

Saturday
lunch: left overs; time to clean out the refrigerator
dinner: I have... no... idea. I'll know more when the plans are made.

This is just how my life falls together sometimes.

2007-06-06T18:17:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, this is just how my life falls together. K. claims no knowledge of how these things were set up (though she does take responsibility for putting the "necklace" on the dino), and I certainly didn't set them up. And it's true that things like this just... happen... around me sometimes.

A few weeks ago I was brooding. I also happen to be sitting at my desk while doing so. In the midst of brooding, I noticed something on my desk. A dino had stopped by to use my oil burner as his watering hole.

I wasn't too terribly concerned until I realized that there was a hunter behind him, aiming two wicked looking guns at him!

When did this happen? When did this guy turn my candle holder turned catch-all into his perch?

While shifting angles to get a better shot of the hunter (and to determine if that was a monocle or an eye patch) I noticed something...

A monster was coming up behind the hunter!!

All the while, these guys were hanging out under my desk lamp on the other side of the watering hole. Innocent bystanders, I'm sure.

I don't know where they've wandered off to now (only the bystanders are still present), but at least I got the pictures to prove I wasn't imagining things.