Think it is going to be a low key kind of day and night! I couldn't be happier about that. Getting geared up to start tackling my New Year's resolutions.
Easy to start January out with sending cards to family and friends for birthday's, there's only 1! LOVE IT!!!
Starting a 3mo Paleo challenge on the 4th (whew, get a few more days in to adjust to the thought), that will take care of the inside. Posting my beginning photo tomorrow...yikes!
REALLY have got to get going on my walk with the Lord, thinking that doing a devotional of one of the bible in a year plans may be the answer to what I'm looking for.
Have my calendar all ready to go for the new year! Already have my school schedule written in there along with my work schedule!
Think I'm ready to face 2011! Guess it doesn't really matter, it's coming whether I want it to or not, might as well be ready.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Merry Christmas
Christmas was wonderful! We are truly blessed by so many that love us. It was nice to be able to share the day with so many of our loved ones.
Jason got to go on a scavenger hunt for his gift this year...
After he received the shirt he was off to find the rest and this is the end result:
A Sigsaur P250 9mm! And of course it wouldn't be complete without having some time at the range, so there was also a prepaid card for "Trigger Time" (just happens to be the name of the shooting range as well)
The girls got just about everything they asked for and have been enjoying all that they have. I need to ask them what their favorite gift was that they received. I really haven't decided what my favorite was....Jason played a mean trick on me...lol...the new ipod nano comes in a box that looks VERY similar to that of a ring box which is what I asked for! I love my nano though ;)
I was laughing so hard that I was crying. You have to understand that when he proposed to me, INSIDE the ring box was batteries and I had just finished saying, "This better not be batteries" before I opened the present. The nano is getting lots of use though! My other favorite present was my Coach purse!
I'm guessing that Morgan's fav present was her camera! She has NO idea!!
Madyson's was probably her Pandora bracelet that Mimi got her, while I don't have a pic of her opening that, I did get a pic of her opening a charm to add to her bracelet!
And Meredith's would have to be Just Dance 2 for the Wii!!!
Even with all the spoiling this year in receiving gifts, I am a proud momma that can confidently say that the girls understand and appreciate that it is not about the receiving of gifts, but rather celebrating the reason that we even have CHRISTmas! Jason and I are very lucky parents!!!
Jason got to go on a scavenger hunt for his gift this year...
After he received the shirt he was off to find the rest and this is the end result:
A Sigsaur P250 9mm! And of course it wouldn't be complete without having some time at the range, so there was also a prepaid card for "Trigger Time" (just happens to be the name of the shooting range as well)
The girls got just about everything they asked for and have been enjoying all that they have. I need to ask them what their favorite gift was that they received. I really haven't decided what my favorite was....Jason played a mean trick on me...lol...the new ipod nano comes in a box that looks VERY similar to that of a ring box which is what I asked for! I love my nano though ;)
I was laughing so hard that I was crying. You have to understand that when he proposed to me, INSIDE the ring box was batteries and I had just finished saying, "This better not be batteries" before I opened the present. The nano is getting lots of use though! My other favorite present was my Coach purse!
I'm guessing that Morgan's fav present was her camera! She has NO idea!!
Madyson's was probably her Pandora bracelet that Mimi got her, while I don't have a pic of her opening that, I did get a pic of her opening a charm to add to her bracelet!
And Meredith's would have to be Just Dance 2 for the Wii!!!
Even with all the spoiling this year in receiving gifts, I am a proud momma that can confidently say that the girls understand and appreciate that it is not about the receiving of gifts, but rather celebrating the reason that we even have CHRISTmas! Jason and I are very lucky parents!!!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Merry Christmas Eve
We started out the day on a quite note (didn't necessarily stay that way), I got up and went to breakfast with Jason and "the boys". That's right I CRASHED BREAKFAST!!! Nothing like CFA biscuit @ 7am...YUMMM! "THE BOYS" went on to play racquetball while I ventured into Wal-Mart to tend to some last minute details (that I confess, I nearly forgot about). Frantic phone call from Jason saying that I may need to come look at his nose as it may be broke...he decided that it was okay to continue to play and then come home. Meanwhile, I went ahead and got ready anticipating an early departure for Dahlonega....with a detour at NGMC along the way.
So as anticipated when Jason got home with some of "the boys" I determined that yes, indeed his nose is broke and needs surgi-glue for the open wound on the bridge of his nose. Miraculously we were in and out of the ED in under 2 hours!! WAHOOOO that is quite a feat all on it's own!
Just a minor hiccup in the day really and we are thankful for that, truely! Of course the teasing that will go on between him and "the boys" will be relentless, but all in good fun. I confess that I'm a little jealous that they are all still such really good friends after so many years (upwards of 15 years).
We made it to Dahlonega only 22min late ;) It was great to be able to walk in and immediately start eating some YUMMMMYYYYY food. We had ham (and a ham it was, something like 30lbs), mashed potatoes, biscuits, coleslaw, deviled eggs, and I believe cranberries were there as well. All very good. Got to start bringing a veggie to the table whenever we all get together. I guess it's because I'm concious of what we eat all the time that lately I've noticed that we always have a high carb meal while we are there. Nonetheless, dinner was delish.
Present time, present time, open it up and see what's inside! The kids love to see what they have gotten (of course), but they enjoy seeing what everyone else got as well and seeing the reactions fo what we got for everyone as well. Morgan received the rug, and chair she asked for (truthfully she probably got something else too, I just haven't seen it). Madyson received her Pandora bracelet and is EXTREMELY happy (she almost cried) she also got a Vera Bradley wallet. Meredith got her sewing machine and some sewing materials, she is thrilled. LOL...I'm not even sure what Jason opened, we did it a little different this year where everyone opened their presents at the same time...a little chaotic, but it worked. I received some workout clothes and pjs!!!
We had a great visit with Mimi, Pappy, Adrianne, Brent, Hunter, and Tucker...but we had to get home to tend to Isabelle who was very hungry when we got home. And just in time to make cookies for Santa! Yippeee, who doesn't like cookies for Santa...apparently Jason and Madyson! They both boycotted my cookies that I made tonight. No biggie, more for me...I mean Santa!
All in all a great day full of memories! That is what it is all about.
So as anticipated when Jason got home with some of "the boys" I determined that yes, indeed his nose is broke and needs surgi-glue for the open wound on the bridge of his nose. Miraculously we were in and out of the ED in under 2 hours!! WAHOOOO that is quite a feat all on it's own!
Just a minor hiccup in the day really and we are thankful for that, truely! Of course the teasing that will go on between him and "the boys" will be relentless, but all in good fun. I confess that I'm a little jealous that they are all still such really good friends after so many years (upwards of 15 years).
We made it to Dahlonega only 22min late ;) It was great to be able to walk in and immediately start eating some YUMMMMYYYYY food. We had ham (and a ham it was, something like 30lbs), mashed potatoes, biscuits, coleslaw, deviled eggs, and I believe cranberries were there as well. All very good. Got to start bringing a veggie to the table whenever we all get together. I guess it's because I'm concious of what we eat all the time that lately I've noticed that we always have a high carb meal while we are there. Nonetheless, dinner was delish.
Present time, present time, open it up and see what's inside! The kids love to see what they have gotten (of course), but they enjoy seeing what everyone else got as well and seeing the reactions fo what we got for everyone as well. Morgan received the rug, and chair she asked for (truthfully she probably got something else too, I just haven't seen it). Madyson received her Pandora bracelet and is EXTREMELY happy (she almost cried) she also got a Vera Bradley wallet. Meredith got her sewing machine and some sewing materials, she is thrilled. LOL...I'm not even sure what Jason opened, we did it a little different this year where everyone opened their presents at the same time...a little chaotic, but it worked. I received some workout clothes and pjs!!!
We had a great visit with Mimi, Pappy, Adrianne, Brent, Hunter, and Tucker...but we had to get home to tend to Isabelle who was very hungry when we got home. And just in time to make cookies for Santa! Yippeee, who doesn't like cookies for Santa...apparently Jason and Madyson! They both boycotted my cookies that I made tonight. No biggie, more for me...I mean Santa!
All in all a great day full of memories! That is what it is all about.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
12 days of Christmas
I have a whole new meaning behind that pharse, "12 days of Christmas" and I promise it does not include a partridge and a pear tree! That was the name of the workout I did yesterday. Doing that with some already very sore shoulders made for one painful night trying to sleep! Today's workout was much better....easier on the shoulders. The 12 days of Christmas workout consisted of: 1 overhead squat (22lbs), 2 pushups, 3push presses (22lbs), 4 goblet squats (30 lbs), 5 dips, 6 kettle ball swings (30lbs), 7 box jumps, 8 walking lunges, 9 wall balls (10lbs), 10 pull-ups (banded), 11 sit ups, 12 burpees. All done as if you were singing the traditional Christmas carole!
Thinking of taking pictures of my progress starting in January. So I guess January will be somewhat of a baseline photo. January is when I'm tackling the nutrition aspect of getting healthy. Trying very hard not to call it a resolution. But I will be visiting the scale (ick, really not wanting to)and I guess to make it "real" I'll post the progression here. No worries, no pics of me scanlty dressed (that would just be bad). On some level I think I'm afraid to lose weight as weird as that sounds. I don't want to have to go spend the money on new clothes, but I did ask for the next size down in clothes for Christmas so I should be set for a while. Hopefully by the end of January I'll be able to get into them ;)
A workout buddy and I are starting a food journal and are going to hold each other accountable in that area as well as showing up for our torture sessions. I'm really hoping to get past some of the "hang-ups" that I have that always seem to de-rail my efforts.
Thinking of taking pictures of my progress starting in January. So I guess January will be somewhat of a baseline photo. January is when I'm tackling the nutrition aspect of getting healthy. Trying very hard not to call it a resolution. But I will be visiting the scale (ick, really not wanting to)and I guess to make it "real" I'll post the progression here. No worries, no pics of me scanlty dressed (that would just be bad). On some level I think I'm afraid to lose weight as weird as that sounds. I don't want to have to go spend the money on new clothes, but I did ask for the next size down in clothes for Christmas so I should be set for a while. Hopefully by the end of January I'll be able to get into them ;)
A workout buddy and I are starting a food journal and are going to hold each other accountable in that area as well as showing up for our torture sessions. I'm really hoping to get past some of the "hang-ups" that I have that always seem to de-rail my efforts.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Could Neuropathy after a workout be a good thing?
I'm not sure! But I'm pretty sure I'm experiencing it this morning after my workout. It was a killer workout, which is really nothing new. Today's workout was a 20 min ARAMP (I think that is what it is called) as many rounds of 5 pullups, 10 ringdips, and 15 overhead squats. I was able to get 6 rounds in the 20 min. I struggled a lot with the overhead squats, which is what I think has caused the neuropathy now. Just on the left side, more specifically to the my thumb.
Today is a day at home with the girls being on break without Jason being at home and with nothing really planned.....mistake! Pretty sure they are concaucting a plan to drive me crazy. I will devise a plan for tomorrow, I can promise that. Can't imagine why, but they are not enjoying doing their chores. Oh well! Some things have to be done whether we want to do them or not.
Today is a day at home with the girls being on break without Jason being at home and with nothing really planned.....mistake! Pretty sure they are concaucting a plan to drive me crazy. I will devise a plan for tomorrow, I can promise that. Can't imagine why, but they are not enjoying doing their chores. Oh well! Some things have to be done whether we want to do them or not.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
New goals?
Not sure if these are goals or not, but that is what I am going to call them :)In no particular order, just a few things that I need to be better at.
1. I am going to stay organized this next semester with my school calendar/studies along with staying on top of the girls school calendar/studies
2. I am going to send birthday cards to family and friends this year. (Be sure to send your address if I don't have it)
3. I am going to be more active in my walk with God (he's been dragging me alongside rather than me walking lately).
4. I am going NOT going to be on the board for BANS this next year.
5. I am going to start treating my body better with what I put into it. I really need to eat better and commit to eating better. Guess it's time to match the inside to the work I've been doing to the outside!
More to come, I'm sure
1. I am going to stay organized this next semester with my school calendar/studies along with staying on top of the girls school calendar/studies
2. I am going to send birthday cards to family and friends this year. (Be sure to send your address if I don't have it)
3. I am going to be more active in my walk with God (he's been dragging me alongside rather than me walking lately).
4. I am going NOT going to be on the board for BANS this next year.
5. I am going to start treating my body better with what I put into it. I really need to eat better and commit to eating better. Guess it's time to match the inside to the work I've been doing to the outside!
More to come, I'm sure
Monday, August 16, 2010
Grocery Shopping again! and more
You know for someone who doesn't like to grocery shop I sure have been doing it an aweful lot lately. Today's grocery trip went much faster than last weeks as far as the actual trip itself....preparing for it still took HOURS!!! BUT, it was worth it. Spent $149.09 and saved $83.33. LOVE saving money. I am determined to "beat the game"...one of these days it WILL happen.
So dinner for the last couple of nights has been very interesting to say the least.
We had Cheesy Stuffed Shells on Saturday..it received a 1 out of 3 kid approval rating. The rest of us thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't take full credit for it though, found the recipe in the "Best Loved" edition.
1 container (16oz) low fat cottage cheese (I substituted with ricotta)
1 pkg (10oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 cup 2% milk shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
10 jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained
1 jar (26oz) spaghetti sauce
1 large tomato, chopped
To make it:
Heat oven to 400*F. Mix cottage cheese (or ricotta), spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella, parmesan and seasoning; spoon into shells.
Mix sauce and tomatoes; spoon half into 13x9-inch baking dish. Add filled shells; top with remaining sauce. Cover
Bake 25min or until heated through. Top with remining mozzarella; bake, uncovered, 2min or until melted.
Very easy to make and really delish!
The girls have been protesting having chicken pot pie for the better part of 2 weeks. It's something that has been on the menu and been replaced a couple of times. With the latest time being yesterday...gotta have chicken to actually make it! Go figure. BK to the rescue!!
I'd rate this 1.5 out of 3 kids for approval and that may be a stretch! I'm giving it this rating because they ALL ate it, they may not have liked it, but they did eat it. This is another Kraft recipe.
Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 pkg (16oz) frozen vegetable blend
1/2 lb (8oz) Velveeta pasteurized perpared cheese product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 can (10 3/4oz) reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (8oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
To make it:
Heat oven to 375*F
Combine first 4 ingredients in 13x9-ince baking dish
Unroll dough; place over chicken mixture.
Bake 20 to 25min or until crust is golden brown.
Healthy Living: save 40 calories and 5grams of total fat per serving by preparing with Velveeta 2%, ff cream of chicken, and reduced fat crescent rolls.
All in all a very good dish...would be perfect for the Fall/Winter...a good comfort dish. For us moms in a hurry this is one you can prepare ahead of time and throw in the over....but being the slacker that I am, it didn't take that long to throw together. I combined all of the other ingredients while the chicken was cooking.
So dinner for the last couple of nights has been very interesting to say the least.
We had Cheesy Stuffed Shells on Saturday..it received a 1 out of 3 kid approval rating. The rest of us thoroughly enjoyed it. I can't take full credit for it though, found the recipe in the "Best Loved" edition.
1 container (16oz) low fat cottage cheese (I substituted with ricotta)
1 pkg (10oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained
1 cup 2% milk shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 c grated parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
10 jumbo pasta shells, cooked, drained
1 jar (26oz) spaghetti sauce
1 large tomato, chopped
To make it:
Heat oven to 400*F. Mix cottage cheese (or ricotta), spinach, 1/2 cup mozzarella, parmesan and seasoning; spoon into shells.
Mix sauce and tomatoes; spoon half into 13x9-inch baking dish. Add filled shells; top with remaining sauce. Cover
Bake 25min or until heated through. Top with remining mozzarella; bake, uncovered, 2min or until melted.
Very easy to make and really delish!
The girls have been protesting having chicken pot pie for the better part of 2 weeks. It's something that has been on the menu and been replaced a couple of times. With the latest time being yesterday...gotta have chicken to actually make it! Go figure. BK to the rescue!!
I'd rate this 1.5 out of 3 kids for approval and that may be a stretch! I'm giving it this rating because they ALL ate it, they may not have liked it, but they did eat it. This is another Kraft recipe.
Cheesy Chicken Pot Pie
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 pkg (16oz) frozen vegetable blend
1/2 lb (8oz) Velveeta pasteurized perpared cheese product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 can (10 3/4oz) reduced-sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (8oz) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
To make it:
Heat oven to 375*F
Combine first 4 ingredients in 13x9-ince baking dish
Unroll dough; place over chicken mixture.
Bake 20 to 25min or until crust is golden brown.
Healthy Living: save 40 calories and 5grams of total fat per serving by preparing with Velveeta 2%, ff cream of chicken, and reduced fat crescent rolls.
All in all a very good dish...would be perfect for the Fall/Winter...a good comfort dish. For us moms in a hurry this is one you can prepare ahead of time and throw in the over....but being the slacker that I am, it didn't take that long to throw together. I combined all of the other ingredients while the chicken was cooking.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Back to school
We're off and running! The girls have had a good week so far and I am utterly thankful for that.
Morgan got a good schedule at school, PE at the end of the day and what could be more important than that!
Meredith's school is doing things a bit different this year, she'll be changing classes for every subject. This is odd for elementary school and not something that as a family we have experienced. She seems to be okay with it, I'm curious to see how it will go. Today is the first day of switching classes...we'll see. Her biggest complaint is that the bus driver seems to be an erratic driver.
Madyson's schedule was wrong, but she handled it all by herself! They still had her enrolled in Orchestra (she decided that she didn't want to continue at the end of last school year), after the front office mad her go get the teacher sign off that she had in fact dropped it they corrected her schedule.
Much to my surprise dinner has been a breeze this week! *Keeping my fingers crossed for the rest of the week* Did things a bit different this week, in that only planned for 1 week at a time as opposed to 2. Definately easier to compile! Meredith told me yesterday that I did a good job in planning for this week...made me smile. A step in the right direction considering where we were 5 weeks ago.
Grocery shopping this week was actually somewhat enjoyable! Trying to figure out this couponing thing...it is more difficult than I ever thought it would be. Went to the 3 stores I had mapped out and ended up saving $41.32!!! Not too shabby. I'm hoping to get better and faster at my planning and shopping while still increasing our savings. Still have A LOT to learn!!!
No new recipes tried so far this week....will be trying one on Saturday, keep your fingers crossed!
Monday, August 2, 2010
the last week
Well we survived back to school shopping with relatively NO fighting amongst the girls and I cannot state enough how happy that makes me. I was really amazed at how supportive they were of one another. Shopping took a totally different turn in what it has been in the past...I am thankful for that. I always enjoy spending time with my girls, can't say that it doesn't make it that much more fun when they are getting along too!
This is the last week of calm before school starts. The calm before the storm! YIKES!!
I'm praying that God will put into their lives teachers that will impact their lives in a positive way.
Morgan entering High School scares the crap out of me. So not only am I praying for positive impact of her teachers; but I am also praying for her safety, praying for her to make good solid choices with respect to friends, her body, sex, drugs, and boys. She has a good head on her shoulders and I can attribute that to God and guiding her. Jason and I will have to work harder than ever to keep her on the right path during these years.
Madyson entering 7th grade, my biggest fear with her is friends. I pray that she is able to continue to make good choices when it comes to selecting her friends.
Meredith will be going into 5th grade this year! I pray that she has a better year this year than she did last year with being more self confident and making friends that will not be caddy. She had a difficult time last year with feeling accepted by her peers.
Admittidly, we have been slacking in attending church on a regular basis...we will have to change this! I really believe that keeping the girls surrounded by those that believe the same things that we believe will not only strengthen their believe, but also keep them on the path that God would have them to be on. Keep us accountable for raising the gifts that He has given to us in a way that He would have us.
In addition to back to school shopping this past week, we had a flurry of doctors appointments for the girls. I'm happy to say that everyone is in good health and all received good reports at the doctor. Meredith had her nose cauterized in hopes that she will be free of nosebleeds for quite some time!
I also had to get my head in the game for August during this past week for myself. I had decided that August was going to be the time that I get my nutrition back on track. I have slowly been gaining weight (I guess not all that slowly really) and I don't like that! So knowing that I am the only one that can change what I put into my mouth I am committing to making healthy choices.
Yesterday being day 1, I did pretty good. I am going to be journaling my food, but I don't think I'll be committing to logging it on here every day. (As I type this there is a segment called "The Cheater's Diet")I haven't been very good at getting on here anyway and I have to do something that I am going to do everyday. What I am hoping is that I develop a habit that doesn't disappear in 2 wks.
Hmmmmmm....now that it is 11 o'clock, maybe perhaps my girls should join me in the land of the living/productive :)
This is the last week of calm before school starts. The calm before the storm! YIKES!!
I'm praying that God will put into their lives teachers that will impact their lives in a positive way.
Morgan entering High School scares the crap out of me. So not only am I praying for positive impact of her teachers; but I am also praying for her safety, praying for her to make good solid choices with respect to friends, her body, sex, drugs, and boys. She has a good head on her shoulders and I can attribute that to God and guiding her. Jason and I will have to work harder than ever to keep her on the right path during these years.
Madyson entering 7th grade, my biggest fear with her is friends. I pray that she is able to continue to make good choices when it comes to selecting her friends.
Meredith will be going into 5th grade this year! I pray that she has a better year this year than she did last year with being more self confident and making friends that will not be caddy. She had a difficult time last year with feeling accepted by her peers.
Admittidly, we have been slacking in attending church on a regular basis...we will have to change this! I really believe that keeping the girls surrounded by those that believe the same things that we believe will not only strengthen their believe, but also keep them on the path that God would have them to be on. Keep us accountable for raising the gifts that He has given to us in a way that He would have us.
In addition to back to school shopping this past week, we had a flurry of doctors appointments for the girls. I'm happy to say that everyone is in good health and all received good reports at the doctor. Meredith had her nose cauterized in hopes that she will be free of nosebleeds for quite some time!
I also had to get my head in the game for August during this past week for myself. I had decided that August was going to be the time that I get my nutrition back on track. I have slowly been gaining weight (I guess not all that slowly really) and I don't like that! So knowing that I am the only one that can change what I put into my mouth I am committing to making healthy choices.
Yesterday being day 1, I did pretty good. I am going to be journaling my food, but I don't think I'll be committing to logging it on here every day. (As I type this there is a segment called "The Cheater's Diet")I haven't been very good at getting on here anyway and I have to do something that I am going to do everyday. What I am hoping is that I develop a habit that doesn't disappear in 2 wks.
Hmmmmmm....now that it is 11 o'clock, maybe perhaps my girls should join me in the land of the living/productive :)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Crankiness
I've been fighting it all day long. And "IT" has hit me in full ofrce this evening...I'm CRANKY! Kinda over tryin' not to be as well.
The day didn't start out well this morning, but turned out to be okay and everything worked out. Took Morgan to her doc appt and she is healthy, really can't ask for much more than that. She has some lifestyle changes to make, but nothing too drastic. Studying for final while waiting for np this am and again in the afternoon when Meredith had to go for her nose. Whew! what a day! Doctors and studying.
Took the final with all the preparation I could possibly do...did not do as well as I was hoping to do, but did the best I could. Prepared as much as I could. All in all will end up with a B in the class instead of the A that I had going into the final, but it is not the end of the world.
Found out that Jason talked with Kitchenaid today only to find out that they are sorry that we are having problems with our products, but that they really aren't able to do anything for us. I think this is where the bulk of my crankiness is coming from. Why is it that I am supposed to be okay with having a stove that only partially works??? If they think that they have heard the last of us they are sadly mistaken. I am making it a top priority phone call tomorrow morning. I will not stop until my problem is addressed and corrected without further issue. Don't put features out there unless they are in fact inteded to be used. I will take this all the way to the top if need be. I am in that kind of mood!
Watch out Kitchenaid, I will be calling tomorrow! I feel sorry for the person that answers my call in the morning.
The day didn't start out well this morning, but turned out to be okay and everything worked out. Took Morgan to her doc appt and she is healthy, really can't ask for much more than that. She has some lifestyle changes to make, but nothing too drastic. Studying for final while waiting for np this am and again in the afternoon when Meredith had to go for her nose. Whew! what a day! Doctors and studying.
Took the final with all the preparation I could possibly do...did not do as well as I was hoping to do, but did the best I could. Prepared as much as I could. All in all will end up with a B in the class instead of the A that I had going into the final, but it is not the end of the world.
Found out that Jason talked with Kitchenaid today only to find out that they are sorry that we are having problems with our products, but that they really aren't able to do anything for us. I think this is where the bulk of my crankiness is coming from. Why is it that I am supposed to be okay with having a stove that only partially works??? If they think that they have heard the last of us they are sadly mistaken. I am making it a top priority phone call tomorrow morning. I will not stop until my problem is addressed and corrected without further issue. Don't put features out there unless they are in fact inteded to be used. I will take this all the way to the top if need be. I am in that kind of mood!
Watch out Kitchenaid, I will be calling tomorrow! I feel sorry for the person that answers my call in the morning.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Grocery shopping day
Try this again! I had just typed this up and LOST it.
Today was grocery shopping day and the beginning of week 3 for menu planning. I must say that it has definately saved me a ton of time, I don't have to stress about "What's for dinner?"
This time round it was much easier to plan out the meals, the entire family was in on the planning. So I am praying for less fussing when it comes to actually fixing the meals. Everyone should be getting what they want to eat :)
Before tackling the grocery store with menu in hand, I gathered up the coupons. This Sunday the paper was scarce in providing any good coupons. I am going to have to find a good site to get coupons. I don't like using the internet coupons, because some stores have stopped honoring them (WM in particular).
In following www.moneysavingmom.com and her 31days to a better grocery budget (or something like that) I did take her advice and used cash for paying for the groceries today. So I made a stop at the ATM and took out $200 for this trip. I am thankful that I had $11 in cash in my wallet (I never have cash), because I did go over by exactly $11. BUT, I didn't use my debit card. So that has to be some kind of victory (at least I think so).
I'm discovering that I do like shopping Publix and their BOGO offers! You don't even have to buy 2 to take advantage of the deal and pair it with a coupon and it's even better.
Overall, I saved a total of $40 today. $30 at Publix and $10 and WM. Could have been better if I had more coupons. I really need to stock pile some coupons and if the paper keeps skimping on the inserts its going to be hard to do.
Here's hoping to a better week of dinner time!
Today was grocery shopping day and the beginning of week 3 for menu planning. I must say that it has definately saved me a ton of time, I don't have to stress about "What's for dinner?"
This time round it was much easier to plan out the meals, the entire family was in on the planning. So I am praying for less fussing when it comes to actually fixing the meals. Everyone should be getting what they want to eat :)
Before tackling the grocery store with menu in hand, I gathered up the coupons. This Sunday the paper was scarce in providing any good coupons. I am going to have to find a good site to get coupons. I don't like using the internet coupons, because some stores have stopped honoring them (WM in particular).
In following www.moneysavingmom.com and her 31days to a better grocery budget (or something like that) I did take her advice and used cash for paying for the groceries today. So I made a stop at the ATM and took out $200 for this trip. I am thankful that I had $11 in cash in my wallet (I never have cash), because I did go over by exactly $11. BUT, I didn't use my debit card. So that has to be some kind of victory (at least I think so).
I'm discovering that I do like shopping Publix and their BOGO offers! You don't even have to buy 2 to take advantage of the deal and pair it with a coupon and it's even better.
Overall, I saved a total of $40 today. $30 at Publix and $10 and WM. Could have been better if I had more coupons. I really need to stock pile some coupons and if the paper keeps skimping on the inserts its going to be hard to do.
Here's hoping to a better week of dinner time!
Friday, July 23, 2010
2010...the year of air condintioning woes
It seems that this is our YEAR of air conditioning woes...
Started with the truck a couple of months ago, driving down the road and whoa! HOT air coming out on the drivers side and at full blast mind you. It was coming out fine on the passenger side, but not the drivers side. So Jason looked up some information on the internet (he's very good at being resourceful) and found a fix for it. YAY! No more hot air, we can move on.
Not long after the truck's incident the house air conditioning unit started giving us problems. Well, I shouldn't say started giving us problems...it's never really been able to fully keep up (especially the upstairs unit), but one day it (the upstairs unit) had finally decided it had enough and kaput it went OUT! Nothing like not having air upstairs in the middle of summer in GA.
Acting quickly we got a hold of someone to fix the upstairs unit and while they were at it, they went ahead and replaced the downstairs unit as well. ICK!!! After some what seemed like were going to be big time headaches, turned out to be minimal headaches, were fixed the air conditioners were WORKING! Being more efficient is an added bonus to being cool.
Transition to today, the truck is in the shop getting diagnostic tests ran to see just exactly what is going on. While it is no longer blowing out HOT air, it appears to be possessed....coming on when it feels like it, blowing out cool air at random speeds that seem to be affected by the brake pedal. Amazingly frustrated at how expensive this summer has been with air conditioners! Hoping to get an inexpensive fix today...No, PRAYING to get an inexpensive fix today!
Dinner last night was met with no complaints. Could be because it is one that they ALL enjoy...Baked chicken, mac-n-cheese, and a veg or fruit (note, no mashed potatoes...lol)
Started with the truck a couple of months ago, driving down the road and whoa! HOT air coming out on the drivers side and at full blast mind you. It was coming out fine on the passenger side, but not the drivers side. So Jason looked up some information on the internet (he's very good at being resourceful) and found a fix for it. YAY! No more hot air, we can move on.
Not long after the truck's incident the house air conditioning unit started giving us problems. Well, I shouldn't say started giving us problems...it's never really been able to fully keep up (especially the upstairs unit), but one day it (the upstairs unit) had finally decided it had enough and kaput it went OUT! Nothing like not having air upstairs in the middle of summer in GA.
Acting quickly we got a hold of someone to fix the upstairs unit and while they were at it, they went ahead and replaced the downstairs unit as well. ICK!!! After some what seemed like were going to be big time headaches, turned out to be minimal headaches, were fixed the air conditioners were WORKING! Being more efficient is an added bonus to being cool.
Transition to today, the truck is in the shop getting diagnostic tests ran to see just exactly what is going on. While it is no longer blowing out HOT air, it appears to be possessed....coming on when it feels like it, blowing out cool air at random speeds that seem to be affected by the brake pedal. Amazingly frustrated at how expensive this summer has been with air conditioners! Hoping to get an inexpensive fix today...No, PRAYING to get an inexpensive fix today!
Dinner last night was met with no complaints. Could be because it is one that they ALL enjoy...Baked chicken, mac-n-cheese, and a veg or fruit (note, no mashed potatoes...lol)
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Dinner last night
Dinner is by far my least favorite time of day. It has gotten slightly better since the implementation of the menu, but not spectacular that is for certain.
Last nights drama actually started to unfold over the weekend. YUP! Over the weekend. I had already started to hear scheeming on what the girls were and were not going to eat. As a parent this is frustrating. On average I spend about an hour in the kitchen most nights preparing meals for my family to eat and to be greeted with, "I'm not going to eat that"..."Eeww that's gross"..."That looks really bad"..."Can I have something else to eat?" Tonight was no exception. In fact, I was told that "I'm going to go to bed hungry" after the options of: Either eat what has been prepared or go to bed hungry. I was told this by both girls that were at home to dispute tonights dinner.
I will say that I did get a text message of apology from Madyson stating that she was sorry and that she had 4 servings of the meal. So I will take it as a victory! Both girls ate and did not go to bed hungry. Morgan was at a friends house so I guess she didn't have to worry about what I was fixing for dinner, although I venture to guess she would have liked it.
Just incase you are looking for a quick and easy meal to make with very little clean up involved this is what I made last night: Layered Mexican bake
You will need:
1 lb ground beef
green pepper (to taste, I used about 3tbsp)
onion (to taste, I used about 2 tbsp)
chili powder (recipe calls for 1 tsp, I use a little more)
salsa (1 1/4 c)
sour cream (1 sm container)
frozen corn (1 c)
shredded cheese (can you really use too much? But the recipe calls for 1/4 c)
tortilla shells (6)
Brown ground beef, green pepper, and onion together add in salsa, chili pepper, frozen corn, and sour cream mix together and let simmer for 5min.
Scoop out 1 cup of ground beef mixture onto bottom of 9X13 pan, layer tortilla shells ontop, follow process with another layer. You'll want to end up with the meat sauce exposed. Bake at 350 degrees for 25min, top with cheese and bake for another 5min or until cheese is melted.
I will say that Jason gave rave reviews for the dinner!
Last nights drama actually started to unfold over the weekend. YUP! Over the weekend. I had already started to hear scheeming on what the girls were and were not going to eat. As a parent this is frustrating. On average I spend about an hour in the kitchen most nights preparing meals for my family to eat and to be greeted with, "I'm not going to eat that"..."Eeww that's gross"..."That looks really bad"..."Can I have something else to eat?" Tonight was no exception. In fact, I was told that "I'm going to go to bed hungry" after the options of: Either eat what has been prepared or go to bed hungry. I was told this by both girls that were at home to dispute tonights dinner.
I will say that I did get a text message of apology from Madyson stating that she was sorry and that she had 4 servings of the meal. So I will take it as a victory! Both girls ate and did not go to bed hungry. Morgan was at a friends house so I guess she didn't have to worry about what I was fixing for dinner, although I venture to guess she would have liked it.
Just incase you are looking for a quick and easy meal to make with very little clean up involved this is what I made last night: Layered Mexican bake
You will need:
1 lb ground beef
green pepper (to taste, I used about 3tbsp)
onion (to taste, I used about 2 tbsp)
chili powder (recipe calls for 1 tsp, I use a little more)
salsa (1 1/4 c)
sour cream (1 sm container)
frozen corn (1 c)
shredded cheese (can you really use too much? But the recipe calls for 1/4 c)
tortilla shells (6)
Brown ground beef, green pepper, and onion together add in salsa, chili pepper, frozen corn, and sour cream mix together and let simmer for 5min.
Scoop out 1 cup of ground beef mixture onto bottom of 9X13 pan, layer tortilla shells ontop, follow process with another layer. You'll want to end up with the meat sauce exposed. Bake at 350 degrees for 25min, top with cheese and bake for another 5min or until cheese is melted.
I will say that Jason gave rave reviews for the dinner!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
the last couple of days
The last couple of days have been uneventful to say the least! Although, I have been consistently getting my workouts in and my rear was really sore when I got out of bed this morning...GOTTA be a good thing :) Having to ice my wrist after the P90X workouts, but this series is really good and I hate not to stick to it. Gives me strength and cardio all at the same time. Still don't have a good schedule worked out, gonna have to find a time to fit some runs in there as well.
The menu has been working out okay so far, tonight is going to be a real test though. Chicken pot pie is on the menu, the girls have already begun to protest. Actually, the protest began on Monday when I developed the menu. I may sub it out for Lazanga that is for next Thursday only because I won't have class next Thursday and I can be here to fight them on the Chicken pot pie and at least persuade them to try it before they declare they don't like it.
They found out about the "you have to try it before you make yourself something else" yesterday when I dropped them off at the cabin...they think it is rather sneaky of me to say that. But, my logic behind it: "you never know, you may actually like it". MIL was very supportive of our new rules on the menu frontier. Always nice to be backed up on decisions that I (being Jason and I) make when it comes to our girls.
The menu has been working out okay so far, tonight is going to be a real test though. Chicken pot pie is on the menu, the girls have already begun to protest. Actually, the protest began on Monday when I developed the menu. I may sub it out for Lazanga that is for next Thursday only because I won't have class next Thursday and I can be here to fight them on the Chicken pot pie and at least persuade them to try it before they declare they don't like it.
They found out about the "you have to try it before you make yourself something else" yesterday when I dropped them off at the cabin...they think it is rather sneaky of me to say that. But, my logic behind it: "you never know, you may actually like it". MIL was very supportive of our new rules on the menu frontier. Always nice to be backed up on decisions that I (being Jason and I) make when it comes to our girls.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Grocery day
I really despise grocery shopping...I mean REALLY despise grocery shopping. Add menu planning on top of that and you've got a receipe for disaster.
But I did it! It only took me 2 hours to plan the menu out and then an hour at Sam's Club to see if it would be cost effective for my family to get a membership and then two hours of the dreaded grocery shopping.....ick!
I was pretty proud of my menu planning though, 2 weeks worth of lunches and dinners all planned out. AND a new rule implemented within our household tonight. The new rule I got from reading and reading searching out ideas on how to get my girls to eat what I fix for dinner that was going to work for our family. The whole sending them to bed without dinner isn't going to work for us, because I didn't start it when they were little. Now they are old enough to have and VOICE an opinion. Dinner time was beginning to be something that I dreaded to do and would do anything I could to get out of it. So here's the new rule: The menu is planned, 2 weeks in advance, you can look over the menu and are able to choose 1 night per week as a FREE night.
Now what is a FREE night? Simple, after the girls have tried the meal that was prepared and if they still don't like it then they can choose to fix themselves something else. 1 FREE night is just that....so they have to choose carefully.
I was kind of sneaky on this tonight, I didn't tell them about the new rule until after dinner was sitting in front of them and they were eating.
But I did it! It only took me 2 hours to plan the menu out and then an hour at Sam's Club to see if it would be cost effective for my family to get a membership and then two hours of the dreaded grocery shopping.....ick!
I was pretty proud of my menu planning though, 2 weeks worth of lunches and dinners all planned out. AND a new rule implemented within our household tonight. The new rule I got from reading and reading searching out ideas on how to get my girls to eat what I fix for dinner that was going to work for our family. The whole sending them to bed without dinner isn't going to work for us, because I didn't start it when they were little. Now they are old enough to have and VOICE an opinion. Dinner time was beginning to be something that I dreaded to do and would do anything I could to get out of it. So here's the new rule: The menu is planned, 2 weeks in advance, you can look over the menu and are able to choose 1 night per week as a FREE night.
Now what is a FREE night? Simple, after the girls have tried the meal that was prepared and if they still don't like it then they can choose to fix themselves something else. 1 FREE night is just that....so they have to choose carefully.
I was kind of sneaky on this tonight, I didn't tell them about the new rule until after dinner was sitting in front of them and they were eating.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
1st attempt at this
It was actually not my intent to start blogging, but I really wanted to "follow" my sister on her blog and ended up creating a blog page. So I thought, okay, I'll blog.
Today is the first day of having all 3 of the girls back in the house at the same time in about 10days. Morgan went to Florida on vacation with a friend and her family. Unfortunately that 14year old attitude came back home with her! URGGGHHHH! Then I got to break the news to her that there was some duct work that was going to be taking place in her room tomorrow morning :) hahaha, gotta love it. If only you could have seen the rolling of the eyes!
Guess I'll give this thing a try and see if I stick to it.
Today is the first day of having all 3 of the girls back in the house at the same time in about 10days. Morgan went to Florida on vacation with a friend and her family. Unfortunately that 14year old attitude came back home with her! URGGGHHHH! Then I got to break the news to her that there was some duct work that was going to be taking place in her room tomorrow morning :) hahaha, gotta love it. If only you could have seen the rolling of the eyes!
Guess I'll give this thing a try and see if I stick to it.
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