Monday, June 27, 2011

Menu (June 27-30)

I can't believe we are in the last week of June. Seriously, this month has gone by fast! My baby toddler (16 months old) cut two teeth this weekend and it was h-e-double hockey sticks. I hate teething. I feel so bad for him, and myself. Snotty nose, drool, low fever, not wanting to eat, or sleep. Poor guy. Luckily that is over with for now. My oldest son (10 years old) is still with his G-Pa...he is a semi-truck driver and goes to all states. They have been to California, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. Z has been with him for 10 days now. 10 whole days and nights. This is the LONGEST 10 days of my life. I just want my boy back home. I miss him. Colton misses him. And even Emilee admitted that she missed him too. Haha! I'm glad my dad is sending me pics and I am able to talk to Z but still it is not the same as being able to tuck him in every night. Geez! 

Anyways, here is the menu for this week...
Monday - Cheeseburger Flatbread Melts (see last weeks post).
I ended up not making this because we went to my mom's house to swim one evening and she fed us :-)

Tuesday - Pollo Asado with corn tortillas and pico de gallo, Pinto Beans  (I just want to say how much I love PW!!)

Wednesday - Grilled Island Chicken, grilled corn on the cob, fruit salad
***thank you Amanda for posting the Sweet & Sour Chicken link because I found some new recipes to try!!***

Thursday - my friend might be getting induced today which means I will be at the hospital!! So tuna or grilled cheese sandwiches with chips :-)

Friday - not planned this far in advace...it is a Holiday weekend so give me a break!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Cry baby...

I am entering a photo to Your Best Shot and hoping it gets picked!!

I like this picture of Colton because of his big brown eyes and the way he has his mouth shaped. He has been doing this fake cry lately and I snapped this pic right when he was starting to do it.

Colton @ 16 months

Monday, June 20, 2011

Yard work is hard work

I am linking up with CrazyJoy again. The word this week was Comparison.

Here is a picture of Colton helping Alan mow the yard. I think it is cute how they both have a foot up and Colton is using his little lawnmower.

Comparison photo challenge


Colton had to stop mowing so he could fix his mower and use the wheelbarrow. Such a hard day of work for such a little boy :-)




Menu (June 20 - 24)

This weekend was full of swimming, being outside, and sno-cones! We are going to have somewhat of a busy week. I am making my niece a rainbow cake for her 7th birthday...don't ask me how, because I really don't know. Alan and I are going to see a FREE screening of Bad Teacher on Wednesday night. And we are hoping to get out of town on Friday to go to Silver Dollar City with the kids. So here is my small menu...

Monday - Pulled Pork on sliders, sour cream & chive mashed potatoes (this meal is exciting to me because I had a coupon for ALL of this...making this meal $4.48 + tax to feed my family of 5)

Tuesday - Hawaiian Pork Chops, Corn on Cob (grilled, my fave!), fruit salad, and a Rainbow Birthday Cake for my niece!

Wednesday - Honey Soy Chicken, Fried Rice, Broccoli

Thursday - Cheeseburger Flatbread Melts with salad, and maybe french fries or tater tots

Friday - might be in Branson, MO...if not, I will make Alan take us out to eat!



Honey Soy Chicken

1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tsp garlic powder and dried ginger
1/2 cup chopped green onions..plus another 1/4 cup for topping
1 package chicken breasts

Combine all ingredients in a ziploc and let chicken marinade for at least an hour (6-8 hours is best. Put it in the bag in the morning and its ready for dinner!).

Put chicken and marinade in a baking dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until chicken is done, spooning liquid over the chicken as it cooks.

While chicken cooks, take 1 cup oil and heat on high. Take the 1/4 cup green onions and fry them quickly in the oil. Remove and put on a paper towel to drain.

Top the chicken with the crunchy green onions and enjoy!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

DIY or "Do It Myself, wtf am I thinking?"

I have 3 pieces of furniture (a chest of drawers, an old metal desk, and a dresser that I want to turn into a buffet) that are in desperate need of a makeover. And I want to do it all by myself. Well kinda, but not really. Actually, what I really want is someone that is experienced in doing things like this to just come hold my hand and guide me thru the process step-by-step. You would even get to come to Lowe's with me!  You would also get to come over and spend hours upon hours helping me sand it, fill the holes with wood filler (I'm wanting to add new hardware), prime it (if needed), paint it, add a sealant (or whatever its called), and then put it back together so I can finally USE it!  I do have some ideas. Okay they are very vague ideas and could change if your idea is better. Which I'm sure it more than likey will be better.

This is the order that I want to get them done:

#1 - Chest of Drawers

We are in desperate need for more drawers in our bedroom. Recently, we bought new furniture. But we only got one dresser and one night stand. The night stand has 2 drawers that Alan uses for his undies and socks. The dresser is MINE. I can't share it! But it only has 3 small drawers on top and then 4 big drawers below. So in comes this chest of 4 drawers that a friend sold to me for $10! My idea is to paint it a darker gray (but not too dark) and then just paint the top of it a bright yellow. And then I want to give it a "distressed" look. Our bedding is actually called "sky blue" but honestly it looks gray. So I am going with that. And I like the look of grays and yellows together. Eventually I want to paint my room Sherwin Williams Kimono (it is a dark, but bright, purple) and I think hope it will flow.

#2 - Desk

We have an office that is dying for a new paint color. Right now I will call the color that is in there "barf green". Seriously, it is hideous. So honestly, I don't know what I want to do to the desk yet. Must find paint color for office first. Anyways, the desk is metal and to me it reminds me of an old school desk that a teacher would use. I bought it from a friend for $40. I have no idea what to do with metal because you can't really sand it, can you? I think I want to paint it white (or maybe cream-ish) and then find some fun wallpaper and put that on the very top and then add a piece of glass to the top of it. The main idea is to make it kid-friendly so the kids will have a semi-quiet place to do homework, etc.

#3 - Buffet

I want to take this old dresser I have and remove the 4 drawers on the bottom and make open shelves (you know to be able to put cute baskets in) so I can store things like snacks for the kids, etc, and they will be out of plain sight. I plan on leaving the 3 small drawers on top to use for storage also (aka junk drawers). This will be a lot cheaper then going to buy the buffet/hutch that matches our table. We really want it, like a lot. But this dresser is already mine and it is FREE. Unlike that $800+ buffet/hutch. My plans for the buffet (aka old dresser) is to just sand it and stain it. I would like to get the stain to be the same color as the table, at least close enough that you can't tell it is not the same. Haha!


Some other DIY ideas that I hope to complete in the near future:

My oldest sons room. He likes OSU and football. And he has black furnitre. I would like to paint three of the walls OSU Orange and one wall White (the wall his bed will be). I also want to paint the bookshelf he has white and then I plan on adding fun football things from Hobby Lobby and OSU decor to the room. 

My babies room (who probably will be a 4 year old by the time I get around to doing his room). I want to do something "rustic-y" for his room. Not so much cowboys, etc, but just a rustic feel. I really like this that the Clean Slate team did. I like the nook area and want to do the wood on the wall like in the picture. Ashley Ann (from Under the Sycamore) took all the pictures.

I would also like to do a "hall of frames" (photos) on the wall going up the staircase. I am going to demand ask my mother (since she is better at sewing) to make me a slipcover for the couch in the office. And I would like to buy new living room furniture. I can just do that once I win the lottery. Oh you have to actually play it to win, then nevermind. I guess she will just get to help me figure out something to do with what I previously own.

So those are just a few of my DIY ideas that have been bouncing around up in this ol' noggin of mine!

P.S.  Just in case you are thinking that my daughter was left out...this can help you rest knowing that her room was the first to get painted and made-over. That is what she wanted for Christmas, so that is what she got :-)  She now has 3 turquoise-aqua colored walls and one fuschia accent wall. She got brand new purple curtains and a really cool curtain rod. Peace sign bookends, peace sign wall art, new picture frames, a duct-taped lime green mirror, etc.  A tween room all the way!!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Don't make me!!

I am linking up with CrazyJoy (it is 2 blogs combined to create a fun photo challenge).  I found out about it from this blog: Recipe for Crazy. And it took me to this blog: The Joy Cottage.

Anyways, the challenge is FORBIDDEN.

Colton loves being outside. He loves going to the park. But what this boy does not like is the SWING!!  What kid doesn't like a swing?  To him the swing is forbidden!

Adj.
1.
forbidden - excluded from use or mention



Sunday, June 12, 2011

Menu (June 13-17)

Usually, I just do the weekday menu because we may eat out on the weekends, either at a restaurant or over at family/friends houses. Or I just wing it!  So here you go...

(EDITED) Sunday - Creamy Chicken Enchiladas, spanish rice and borracho beans. (I did not bookmark the enchilada recipe for some reason and the print out that I have doesn't have the link on it. I feel like a thief for not having the link! Ugh! But I am still cooking it. Recipe below.)

Monday - Steak (grilled and not cooked by me!!), Broccoli and Corn Scallop, salad, french bread 
**make this side dish if you like broccoli and corn, it is so freaking good! I use fresh broccoli. I steam it for a little bit the night before.**

Tuesday - Brisket Sliders, Un-Fried French Fries, Coleslaw
*I plan on using any leftover brisket for lunch the next day and I am going to put it in a corn tortilla. Yum!*

Wednesday - Fiesta Chicken Salad, then Oreo Brownie Bites for dessert (what?? did you expect me to eat just a healthy salad?). 

Thursday - (EDITED) I forgot that we are going to a baseball game with my mom's company and they are feeding us. Menu has been changed. Sorry!

(EDITED) Friday - I have bunco. Alan and the kids are on their own for dinner.

Saturday - Poor Man's Stroganoff, green beans, rolls




Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

1 tbsp butter or margarine
1 can Rotel tomatoes and green chilies, drained
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, cut up and softened
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken breast (I marinated my chicken with fajita seasoning, lime juice, and minced garlic)
8 (8") flour tortillas
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (like PW says, USE the real stuff and shred it yourself, so much better!)
1 pint whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add rotel and saute 1 min. Stir in cream cheese and chicken, cook, stirring constantly until cream cheese melts. Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of chicken mixture down center of each tortilla. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and drizzle with whipping cream. Cover with foil and back at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Take off foil and cook for another 15 mins, or until top is golden brown.


Eat up people!! I need others to gain weight with me :-)

Friday, June 10, 2011

I am so ready for the weekend!

Even though I do not have one thing at all planned...I am ready for the weekend. I am thinking about taking the kids to Philbrook tomorrow because the 2nd Saturday is free and they have fun kid activities. But I am just not sure. I want to eat food, lounge around in my comfy clothes, and spend time with my brats. I love them so much. Even when they drive me crazy or I am spraying the crap outta stained clothes and cooking and cleaning for 3 little kiddos, I love them. I wouldn't trade them for anything.  Sometimes I would take a refund though :-)  Just kidding!!

Hope you have a great weekend. Peace out!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Kinda Famous...

I love MONEY! And food too. Really, who doesn't love both of those??


So I was going along with my normal business and reading my blogs like I do every single day and Kelly, from Kelly's Korner, had a giveaway going on for $600!!  All you had to do was enter a recipe with 6 ingredients or less.



I had Monterey Chicken on my menu for the week and I decided to enter it into her contest. I didn't win the $600...thanks a freaking lot Random.org.  But the recipe I entered was one of 4 picked and it was actually shown on her blog. I believe she had a little over 1,000 comments to go thru!!  So thank you Amanda (Torres Tidbits) for your recipe. I hope you get more traffic on your blog too. Seriously, go check her out because she is ALWAYS posting recipes. Amanda, the next PW!!  Plus, she is VERY inspirational and funny.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

JoMo (aka Jolpin, Missouri)

As soon as I started seeing the status updates on Facebook about the May 22nd tornado that wiped out almost 13 miles (give or take) of JoMo, all I could think about was what I could possibly do to help.

I've lived in Oklahoma all my life. We are "Tornado Alley".  I have never been scared of a tornado as much as I have been recently. I never really took cover or got prepared. But the one that hit Tuscaloosa, AL helped to assure me that being frightened of a horrible force of nature is a reasonable fear. The one that hit Joplin, which is only 1 hour and 45 minutes away, made me realize that I needed to do whatever possible to protect my kids.

So many lives were lost (I think the last update I saw, the death toll is 141 deaths). So many homes and businesses were destroyed. Seeing the pictures on the news is NOTHING compared to seeing the devastation in real life.

Last Thursday, June 2nd, I took a vacation day and went to Joplin with Rhema Bible Church. Some friends of mine (the Hall's) go to church there and told me that they were going there to volunteer. I invited myself to tag along. I didn't care what they were going to have me do, I just knew I wanted to help in any way that I was needed.  We worked with a group called Service International.  We were given work gloves, bottled water, rakes, shovels, and wheelbarrows. And we were taken to 20th street. I was told that we were at the "end" of where the tornado hit. All I know (direction wise) is that we were at the opposite end from the hospital.  We helped clean up 3 different houses. Our job was to clean up debris, wood, and metal. We sorted them into 3 different piles. The owners were allowed to burn the piles. We were not. We were finding clothes, toys, cds/dvds, etc. How do you go thru someone else's items and decide if it is considered trash? We didn't even know if what we were finding belonged to the owners.  Any pictures or things that looked valuable were placed in boxes and I was told they would be taken to a church with other lost and found items.  What we saw was overwhelming. I felt good about being in JpMo so I could help. But I also felt so sad. And I felt like I wasn't doing anything at all. 

On the way home our bus driver took us thru the hardest hit areas. Where the Home Depot, Academy, Joplin High School, etc were located. And it was pure destruction. Trying to imagine the homes/buildings/people that were once there was impossible. I can't even imagine what the people of Jolpin went thru that Sunday night when the tornado destroyed their town. But I do have high hopes, and many prayers, that Joplin can rebuild.

I am hoping that I will get to go to Jolpin again very soon. Church on the Move and the Church at Battle Creek are both planning trips down there.

Here are some pictures I took while on the bus. I did feel bad about taking pictures, but we were on the bus. We worked from about 10am until 5pm.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Menu and a very simple recipe

I'm sure I have said it before...but I read a LOT of blogs. Like 30 of them. No joke! Often I come across a recipe (or two or twenty) that these bloggers have already made and linked up to. So I click on the link and find print-outs of even more entrees, sides, desserts, etc. And I gain another 17 lbs just by looking at the pictures. Then I print the recipe out, go grocery shopping, and attempt to make dinner. And I gain another 22 lbs.

Anyways, I stumbled across this blog: Recipe for Crazy, thanks to her sister Ashley, who also blogs. Both of their blogs are amazing. Full of creativity, pictures, wisdom, food, etc. Go check out Under the Sycamore to see Ashley's DIY crafts! I love these blogs. I feel like I have so many friends. Even though most of them I haven't even met. So I guess in a way, I am a creeper. But oh well. I get new recipes and that is all that matters. Right?! Oh where was I going with this...I saw a recipe on Lesley's blog and thought it looked amazing, so I bring you Sunday's meal and the rest of the week too.


MENU:

Sunday - Asian BBQ Chicken, Veggie Kabobs (Onions, Bell Pepper, Squash, Mushrooms, etc), Lime-Cilantro Rice with Pineapples.

Monday - Big Fat Bacon Sliders, Baked Beans, Tater Tots

Tuesday - the big kids will be gone and I'm hoping we can get someone to watch the baby. I have 2 tickets to go see a free screening of Super 8. So Alan and I will probably eat Tuna Sandwiches and chips before going to the movies!

Wednesday - Mesquite Pork Tenderloin, Salad, Corn or Carrots (not sure yet)

Thursday - Smoked Sausage, Potatos and Green Beans. (Recipe below). My kids love this healthy very fattening meal.

Friday - haven't planned this far in advance...anyone want to feed us? Yes, please!


Recipe:

Smoked Sausage dinner in one skillet!

Smoked Sausage (Skinless), 1 pkg, cut up
Potatos (4-5), peeled, sliced
2 cans of Green Beans (canned, drained)
Salt & Pepper

Heat a large skillet with a little bit of vegetable oil on medium-high heat. Add potatos to the pan and fry those babies up. Add the smoked sausage to the same pan once the potatos are almost done. Once the meat is browned, add the green beans. Stir it up, add some salt & pepper. Let it cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Serve. Don't worry, this is NO calories, haha!