Wordless Wednesday - The Atlanta Aquarium Edition

OAMC - My menu

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My Once-A-Month cooking adventure has been sidetracked several times.  The most recent issue was our fridge deciding to conk out on me!  That has now been fixed, however, the dryer just died.  We are buying a used one from a friend of a friend for $150.  There goes half of my grocery budget for this project.  So, it will be postponed yet again until I have an entire paycheck for the shopping!

Even with all the set backs, I was finally able to settle on a menu.  I decided on 10 recipes that I will double.  I will also include breakfast burritos that can be popped in the microwave in the morning before school.

Here is my menu:

• breakfast burritos (makes 4 servings) X2
• Farmhouse Chicken Casserole (13x9 pan) X2
• Marinated Ginger Shrimp (makes 6 servings) X2
• Sloppy Joe's (makes 5 servings) X2
• Slow Cooker Chicken Soup (makes 8 servings) X2
• Magnificent Casserole (13x9 pan) X2
• Polynesian Chicken (makes 6 servings) X2
• Kid Friendly Chicken Bites X2
• Farmers Casserole w/Ham (13x9 pan) X2
• Mini Meatloaves (makes 18 loaves) X2
• Crock Pot Pizza Soup X2

In addition to all the groceries, I've made the following list of supplies that I'll need....

• 2 boxes gallon freezer bags
• aluminum casserole pans (13x9) X8
• aluminum foil
• plastic cling wrap
• plain white labels
• black sharpie

It was actually fun going through all my recipes and visiting the many websites that I've come across while researching this project.  I think the next time I attempt this, I won't plan my menu while hungry!  Everything sounded so good.  I did try to select recipes that were relatively easy and that I thought my family would like.  It was tough because my kids can be extremely picky.

If any of the recipes I've listed here have interested you and you decide that you may like to have all the details of the recipe, just let me know and I'll be happy to email it to you!  Just leave a comment!

I promise to show you all the details of my shopping and cooking process step by step (blow by blow).

More to come!

What I've been doing.....

I know there has been another (yawn) long pause in my posting.  Trust me, it's not for a lack of wanting to post!  It's simply because there just isn't enough hours in the day!  But, just to keep you interested (for those that still read this little blog), here are the posts I'm working on....

• I AM still planning a Once-A-Month cooking day!  I have moved on from the planning stages and I have selected my menu.  This whole issue was delayed because our fridge broke down a few weeks ago.  Apparently, I'm not having much luck these days with appliances.  I will post my menu plans this week!
• Back to School pictures.  We're now two weeks into the new school year and I have yet to post any pictures on my blog.  I will be sharing those this week too.
• My trip to Atlanta to visit my good friend Monsignor Steven Lopes!  We had a wonderful time and I have pictures from that to share also.
• My home management binder is moving right along.  I found Amelia's baptismal certificate yesterday (I didn't even know that it was lost) while looking in her memory box for some pictures.  I will get another installment on my progress posted soon!
• Deals, deals, deals!  I have found some wonderful shopping deals lately!  I'm so excited about them that I will do an entire post with pictures!
• I've decided to make my Christmas cards this year!  Quite an endeavor if you ask me!  I'm not sure I will save much money doing this, though.  I thought it would be cheaper because I had  a boat load of Nativity holy cards on hand...but as it turns out...buying the paper, envelopes, stamps, ink and scrapbook paper was a little pricey.  We won't even go into the amount we'll pay in postage....but I'll save that for my actual post!

So, as you can see, we've been busy here.  I promise to get these posted!

Have a wonderful Monday!

St. Monica, pray for us!

RIP

There has been a death in the family.  The clothes dryer died this afternoon!  It had been sick for several weeks.  It was a terrible clunking sound that first tipped me off to the fact that it's days were numbered.  I guess I shouldn't complain...it was 15 years old.  We got it the year we got married!

The washer is very lonely.  Thank goodness for my mother-in-law!  She came to the rescue with a place for the wet clothes to go since the dear dryer could no longer perform it's duties.

The over flowing hamper will continue to take up residence in the corner of the hallway for a little longer.  It's mourning the death of the dryer along with all the rest of the appliances.  Sigh.

However, I do have some good news to report (besides my MIL's kindness)....Isaac is not going to affect us here in the north east corner of Florida.  Although we will keep all those who WILL BE affected in our prayers...I'm just thankful we get a break after Beryl.  And the other spot of good news.....the clothes that I washed and were lovingly dried for us....held the most precious commodity these days.....SCHOOL UNIFORMS!

Eternal rest grant unto it, O Lord and may perpetual light shine upon our bank account so we can afford a new one (hello Sears card)!  May it rest in peace!  And may all the socks it lost in the last 15 years find partners in the here after!

Health Update

I had my annual mammogram last week.  I hate really dislike mammograms.  On the one hand, the mammogram I had in 2008 saved my life...and on the other hand, it ended life as I had known it up to that point.   Thankfully, this most recent one was uneventful and "negative" for any malignant process.  The lymph node that they have been watching for several years has remained "stable".  All good news!

Yesterday, I had to have some lab work and my port-a-cath flushed.  This is always an eery experience because I have to sit in the chemo room...in one of those big recliners while the nurse flushes it with saline and heparin...and then tries to get a blood return.  If they can get the blood to flow, then they can get several tubes and I don't have to be stuck a second time in my arm.  If not...it's what I call a "needle day".

There were two gentlemen in there receiving their chemotherapy treatment.  We chatted for about 20 minutes while I waited for the nurse.  They were very engaging and had such wonderful attitudes!  They reminded me that receiving such good medical care is a true blessing and that no matter the outcome of the treatment, each day is a gift from God!  Personally, I think they were angels sent there by God...strategically placed to intercept me on my journey....to remind me that life is precious and that I have a purpose.  God is not ready for me to come home yet, I must still have more to do.

Everything went smoothly and thanks to a patient and persistent nurse, we had success with drawing blood!  I'll find out the results on September 3rd when I meet with my oncologist.  If you are interested,  here is a youtube video showing how a port-a-cath is accessed and flushed.  If you get queasy at the sight of blood...don't bother clicking here.  FYI...the music on this video is extremely annoying, so turn down the sound.

In December, I will reach my 4th year anniversary of completing treatment!  A milestone for sure.  Next year will bring on my 5th year and the end to my port-a-cath and my hormone treatment (Arimidex).  Even though all of my active treatment is over, I still feel like I'm doing something by taking that little white pill each day.  It's helping to keep those nasty cancer cells away.  It will seem strange, come next year, to finish all treatment and to not be doing anything to keep the cancer from coming back.

Anyway, things are good for me right now, medically speaking.  I've lost a total of 63 pounds and I keep working at it.  I need to lose another 40 lbs to be where I want to be.  I just keep plugging along.

As always, I'm thankful for your prayers and support....they have helped me tremendously over the past 4 years and I will never be able to express to you how much I appreciate it!

Reading with my girls.....

The last two weeks have been rather chaotic around here!  Some of it stems from the excitement of school starting soon and the rest, well, let's just say that some of it is that mommy can't control everything...even if she'd like to!  Does that make sense?

Anyway, I'm trying not dwell on the those things that can bring me down.  Instead, I wanted to share with you a new book I've been reading to the girls.  I bought it a few years ago but never got around to reading it to them.

It's a very sweet book about a 5th grader who learns of the life of St. Therese and her "little ways" of serving God.  We are reading it every night!  So far, both girls (and mom) are really enjoying it.

You know, I love reading aloud to my kids.  I enjoy watching their faces as we get into a story and it's fun to see how their minds "work" as they are processing what's going on.

What are you reading to your kids?  Please share!

Home Management Binder - Part One

Sorry about the delay in beginning my posts about the Home Management Binder that I am creating.  Yes, it's been one of those weeks. But, before I begin I need to mention a couple of things....First, my OAMC (Once a month cooking) experiment will be delayed.  I'm not exactly sure how long...but I'm anticipating a week or so.  Our brand new (floor model) refrigerator has stopped doing it's job.  I noticed this when I poured cream in my coffee yesterday!  Ugh.  As I started roaming around in the fridge, I noticed that NOTHING was cold.  I called Dan and he investigated the situation and sure enough...broken.  So, he called Sears this morning and since we purchased the almighty warranty for an arm and a leg...they will be out at 2:30pm today to take a look.  Unfortunately, what couldn't be frozen (the freezer is still working), had to be trashed.  I'm trying not to think about the brand new package of hard Genoa salami ($5.99) I just bought or all the wilted lettuce...or the softened (quite by accident) cream cheese.  It's hard to know what is still "safe" and what isn't.  So, in the interest of not needing the expense of a new fridge AND hospital bills...Dan opted to throw most of everything away.  Sigh.  But I digress....

Here's a question for you, "Why would anyone need a home management binder in the first place"?  Good Question.  However, I can only answer that question for myself and my family.  I bet the answers from other people will be quite similar.

1.  It could be a huge time saver(which is kind of the whole point in the first place).  If your home is anything like my home, we are constantly looking for things!  Even if I just had something in my hand a minute it ago, as soon as I'm looking for it...I can't find it.  This is especially true of important papers.  There have been days when I have spent the better part of an hour looking for a permission slip, birthday invitation, or phone number.  I would love to have a system where I don't have to waste the remaining years of my life (I'm almost 50....I'm on the back half!) looking for stuff!

2.  Important Papers/Documents.  Several times a year, someone  or some organization is asking me for information like a social security card, baptismal certificate or a copy of my marriage license. When I'm asked this question, I do the same thing every time....give a look of surprise to the person asking...then I crinkle my forehead as I try and think where that document might be.  There are quite a few places I can look.  One is in the kids' baby book.  Nope, not there.  How about the accordion folder in the computer room?  Nope.  Let's try the top right hand dresser drawer.  Ooh yea, I found the marriage license!  Phew.  Now, where to look for the rest of the stuff.  Are you getting the picture?

3.  Insurance stuff.  It's ALWAYS a good idea to have your insurance policies/cards somewhere handy.  You NEVER know when you'll need them.  Dan and I each carry our own health insurance card, but we don't for our kids.  We never know which one of us is available to take the kids to the doctor or the dentist.  If we can keep the cards all in one spot, then I'll know where to go if I'm on doctor visit duty.  The same goes for the car insurance and life insurance/registration.  Right now, I don't know where half of this stuff is located.  If Dan dropped dead tomorrow, I'd be lost about where things are.


4.  Important phone numbers.  You know all those insurance policies I mentioned above?  Well, it's helpful to have their phone numbers written down somewhere, nicely written safely nestled in a sheet protector...in a binder!  That way, I don't have to shuffle through all those policies or try to read the teensy-weensy writing on the back of the card.  I want just one sheet of paper with all the important numbers on it.

5.  All things pertaining to home ownership!  There is a ton here...insurance papers, escrow stuff, tax stuff, repair dates, as well as any information about construction upgrades.  This is also the place that I would keep any redesign ideas that I've ripped from magazines or Home Depot/Lowe's ads.  If I keep all of this in my home management binder, then I won't spend the time looking for it one day...unless of course, I completely forget about the binder...but what are the chances of that?????

These are just some of the ideas that I plan to include in my binder.  In my next post, I will go over the format that I've chosen to use and how to begin.  I also found some wonderful, FREE down loadable pages that will help in my organization!

Here are some of the supplies I've purchased....a couple of binders (in case it doesn't all fit into one), scrapbook paper for decorating the binders, page protectors and dividers.  I may use all of this stuff, or I may use none of it!  It's a work in progress!

If you would like to take a look at a beautifully finished home management  binder that an on-line friend just completed....here is the link to Dawn's blog By Sun and Candlelight!  I think she is one of the most organized people I know (although, I don't really know her)!  I think Dawn will be using her binder on a more regular basis as she will keep grocery lists, homeschool schedules and housekeeping schedules in a calendar format. 

If you keep a household binder, please feel free to share about it!  You never know, you're idea may work better!

Rest in peace, Carole.

I had a whole post about my up and coming Home Management Binder scheduled for today.  Then, last night, I received a text from a very dear friend that his mother (who was already in the hospital) had taken a turn for the worse and they were rushing to a hospital in Reno to be with her.

Just minutes later, I received another text that she had passed away.  I was (and I still am) devastated.  I've know this wonderful woman for almost 30 years!

I'm so sad today.  Carole is the mom of one of my very best friends.  I can't tell you how many countless hours I spent in her house over the years.  She was genuinely one of the nicest people I've ever met.  Her kindness and generosity was incredible!  She always greeted me at the door with open arms.  She engaged me in conversation even when I know she was tired and didn't really feel like it.  She cooked and baked like the dickens!  She hosted wonderful parties and was always smiling. 

Over the last 15 years, we've lived in different states, so our contact has been mostly through Christmas cards and birth announcements.  Still, she always wrote a personal note in her Christmas cards to our family.  She always took that extra step. 

She used to be very famous for her chocolate chip cookies!  Kids would come from all over to gobble them up!  One time, many, many years ago, I asked her if she would mind sharing her recipes for some of her wonderful baked goods!  She said she would be glad to gather those recipes for me.  Instead, what I received, was about 7 or 8 recipes...all beautifully and personally handwritten!  I will treasure these recipes and keep them in a very safe place, but also in a place of honor.

At one time in my life, she and her husband were the closest thing to parents that I had.  They treated me as if I was one of theirs. I will never forget this.

My heart goes out to her family....Lloyd, Bob, Lynn, Elizabeth, Paul, Dana, Sam, Perry, Sandy, Gary, Joel and Amy, as well as all the other people that Carole has touched. It was truly an honor knowing her!

I will cry today.  I may even cry tomorrow too.  But I feel blessed to have known her.  She was very special.

May Eternal Rest Grant Unto Her, Oh Lord, And May Perpetual Light Shine Upon Her.  May She Rest In Peace!  Amen.

Wordless Wednesday