Menu - Aug. 24 - 30, 2008

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

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.

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.

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

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.