The big kids are at school, Claire is playing with a friend, and Lily is sleeping.  Weird...in a good way.  I'm not used to being alone anymore.  It's so quiet, except for the sound of the air conditioner and a little unrecognizable noise that keeps making me think someone is trying to break in.  Upon further investigation, I found that someone really does want in my house.  If you close one eye and cock your head a bit you might be able to make out his shape through the fingerprints on the glass.  I swear I just cleaned that window.

I've had lost dogs and stray cats come begging at my door, but birds?!

Actually this isn't too weird. I know exactly what he wants.  He's saying, "Hey! you in there.  Yeah you - the lady that keeps watering the tomatoes, so my buddies and I can feast on them all day...we're running low on fresh produce.  Think you can do something about that?"   He didn't even bother with a please.

Grrrr.  Any tips on how to keep the birds away from my ever shrivelling garden?  Preferably a method that doesn't require a man, his gun, and lots and lots of time to sit on the back porch.

I'm pretty sure Vegas schools are the last on the planet to start school.  It seems everyone else has been back for at least a week or two, and my school-loving offspring have been jealous.  I can't figure it out - in so many ways Maggie and Ty are both pretty shy and hesitant about doing new things.  But when it comes to starting a new school year, they're both out the door and running without looking back.  I'm not complaining, just confused.  Although, I'll admit it might be a little nice if one of them clung to my hand for just a second before sprinting away.  Really, was home THAT boring over the Summer??

Either way, I'm so happy for them and glad they're excited about another year.

              
We have about 5 colors to choose from to wear at this school, but they both thought it would be so cool if they were matching for the first day.  Can I say how happy it makes me that in 4th grade Maggie still thinks it's cool to dress like her 1st grade brother??





                            

Woohoo!  Week 1's meal plan is ready.  Ahhhh....I feel like a freer woman already.  Actually, this is really week 2 for me.  I did it last week too.  Just didn't share it.

Here's what we'll be eating next week.

Monday - Chili Rubbed Chicken
Tuesday - Sweet and Sour Ribs
Wednesday - Baked Potato Bar
Thursday - Chicken Club Sandwiches w/ avocado dressing
Friday - Burgers and Sweet Potato Fries
Saturday - Breakfast for Dinner
Sunday - Meatballs and Rice

So I think how this will play out is with each menu posting I'll share my favorite recipe from the previous week's list.  That way everything will have been tried and tested and I can give an honest to goodness accurate opinion about the recipes.  Of course, I'd be happy to share any recipes that might catch your eye.  Just ask.  Last week I tried a couple of new recipes and some good ol' standbyes. 

It was a toss up between two of them, so you get a double wammy this time around.

Kalua Pork from my sister-in-law is by far our family's favorite pulled pork recipe.  Everyone loves it and that's saying a lot - I have some super picky meat eaters.  It is so easy and absolutely heavenly.  As a side note, it calls for apple cider which is sometimes hard to find in the spring and summer.  This time around, I substituted apple juice and it still turned out great.  And make sure you make the sauce she suggests.  It is SO good.

Thai Peanut Noodles  Holy moly these are good.  That's all I'm sayin.'  Ok, actually that's not all I'm saying.   The Asian hot sauce that the recipe calls for is a little pricey considering I thought I'd probably never need it again, so I used crushed red pepper instead.  And dang,I can't even imagine them getting any better. Now that I know I'll be making this regularly, I'll consider trying the real stuff.

On another note, I've been thinking.  My life nor should my blog revolve around cooking.  Posting a menu once a week seems very boring to me, but I need to do it or I'm afraid I'll slip back into my old ways.  This is not to say that real cooking blogs are boring.  I love reading them.  I just wouldn't be any good at writing them. So, I'm going to try making a two week menu plan and then I'll only have a food related post once every two weeks.  It will take a little more planning obviously, but the truth of the matter is I have more fun writing about other stuff.  Such as the lady's car that I backed into in the Old Navy parking lot 2 days ago.   Seriously.  I am so mad...at myself.  There's no one else to blame and that's what has me fuming.  But, more on this little BIG issue later.

 For now, I'm heading out for a couple of days with my favorite person in the world for our overdue 10th anniversary getaway.  On our to do list:  hiking, a Brian Regan show (LOVE this big cheeseball and the way he makes my face hurt from laughing), eating, playing at the beach, sleeping in, and probably eating some more.  I'm out.

This is easy...I'm using the sheet protector and dry erase method.  I printed out my title and days of the week on scrapbookpaper (cuter paper would be ideal here...my stash is running low at the moment) and slipped it into a sheet protector.  That's it.  I trimmed off the holey part that's meant for the 3 ring binder.  If you do this be sure not to cut off the seams or you'll end up cutting open the sheet protector. I can write my meal plan directly onto the sheet protector with a dry erase marker and use it over and over again.  Awesome. 

I glammed it up a bit with a frame...that used to be a Christmas tray that said, "Season's Greetings," then it became a chalk board, and now this.  But whatever works though, right? The menu's just taped on with your regular old household scotch tape.  Easy, or what!  Here's the best part - I can switch out the paper seasonly to get all festive and fun.  I am so excited.

Dang.  My mad menu skills are lookin' goooood.

I am about to do something very scary.

I am about to commit to doing something on this blog, on a specified day, every week. 

Why would I torture myself like this?  Not sure, except I think it will be good for my family in the end.  And you know me...always out to do good.

So here's the deal.  Starting this week on Friday Aug. 27, 2010 (I'm making this very official, so I'll stick with it.) I will post the upcoming week's menu plan for all to see.  This is scary, I tell you.   I'm hoping blog pressure will be the extra little kick in the pants to get me in gear.  I don't hate cooking - I don't really even mind it, but I DO hate it when I don't know what's for dinner.  This is nothing new.  I've whined about it before, but IT KEEPS HAPPENING!  I keep not making a menu.  And I keep getting stressed out by my lack of organization.  With school, soccer, and music lessons starting soon, it's got to stop.   Now, Carrie. NOW!

I don't claim this to be a cooking blog.  oh ho ho... that would be funny.  And it might be terribly humilating to publicly post some of the dinners I cook up for the fam (or pour out of the box, if it's cereal night), but it's all for the greater good here, so I'm swallowing my pride.

If I find a recipe online, I'll link up to it so everyone can benefit.  I'll try to share at least one of my recipes I'm using each week also.  But I'm keeping it real.  Seriously,  I am NOT committing to post 7 recipes each week because I know that would never happen.  If I can just list 7 dinners each Friday for the next week, that'll be HUGE.  I would LOVE it if anyone is interested to share ideas and recipes.  We'll see how it goes.  Maybe it will turn out to be a big giant inspirational cooking fest,  and we will all come away with new recipes and a new drive to feed our families the absolulte best.  Maybe friends will flock from near and far to see the orderliness of my dinner planning.  Maybe...but probably not.  I'll settle for a decently fed family and some time away from dinnertime frazzmom.  That will be a good thing. 

Yeehaw!  I can't wait to get started.

Recently I found this beauty at Goodwill for $20 in all its crusty glory. It was very well loved, but the solid oak made it impossible for me to just keep walking.



After sanding it down I took my trusty foam roller to it with Behr's paint and primer in one. Now that I've used that paint for a couple of projects I swear by it. Since the cabinet was missing its shelves, I had the saw guy at Home Depot cut some for me (about $5). It looks like there used to be glass shelving since there's lighting at the top of the cabinet, but the idea of glass pretty much freaks me out considering curious little hands are lurking about. I decided to go with wood.

And here it stands...

Lucky for me, the existing hardware looked a million times better after the paint job so I didn't even have to switch it out.



Love it!

And just for fun, I'm going to show the little makeover of that star sitting on the shelf. It used to be brick red. It was really starting to bug me.  I used to have this thing with brick red and it began popping up everywhere in my house.  Everywhere.  And when I say "used to" I mean like last year.  I know, I know...I'm very noncommittal when it comes to color.  Some might think it's a problem.  Say, like a husband who keeps hearing about new ideas for rooms that he thinks were just recently redone.  It's never too soon for a little makeover, honey.

Anyway, now I'm getting bored of red...brick red, not red red. I like red red.  In fact, red red is part of my new plan for the toy room, which I hope to be starting soon.  Sorry brick red.  You were a good friend for a while, but it's time for me to move on.  Unfortunately, I'm going to be un-brickredifying my house for a while. 

The star used to look like this: a lot of red and a lot of boring.

Today I spent 9 hours in the car with 4 kids and my sweet grammy.  Great company no doubt, but it would have been nice to have seen Reas for more than 10 minutes at 5:30 in the morning.  It's our anniversary - 10th anniversary...that's kind of a big deal.  I think we're an officially semi-old experienced married couple now.  I'm pretty sure at 10 years we deserve to be bumped up a notch.  Since we weren't together all day (and won't be for a few more days), and since I had lots of time to think in the car about the perfect romantic blog post, you'd think I'd be able to whip this baby out in no time at all.  I'm pretty efficient at writing about nothing, but when it comes to substance I don't always feel like I have what it takes.  I tried to write him a poem, but I couldn't bring myself to hit "publish"...it was way too cheezy.  Maybe someday I'll post it for a really good joke.

I'm not really a mushy and sappy kind of girl.  I like flowers and I like kissing my husband, but I don't think that makes me mushy and sappy.  That just makes me a girl.  So what I'm saying is that putting into words what I feel inside for my best friend, husband, and father of my children isn't easy for me.  What I do know and what I can write, is that he is absolutely everything to me.  And even saying that now doesn't sound like enough.  His joy is my joy.  I cry when I see him hurting.  He completes me. He brings clear thinking and a rational mind when I need it most. He  teaches our children.  He loves them, he loves me.  He is dedicated to our family, loves the Lord, and dutifully provides for us giving us all that we need and more.  I knew I loved him when I married him, but really I had no idea who that man was to become.

Thanks babe, for the best 10 years of my life.  Can't wait for more.

Snack time is driving me CRAZY!!!!!!  Having the kids home all day, day after day is great except for the ghastly amount of time I am spending in the kitchen.  Today I had had it.  Usually I ask what everyone wants for a snack, but I'm tired of them not wanting anything I suggest.  This morning as I was throwing things out on the table and saying to myself, "They're going to EAT it and they're going to LIKE it.  And no one better complain.  grumble grumble,"  I began to feel inspired by the colors, the textures, and the geometric detail of each type of food.  No, I haven't been watching Design Star.  WHAT in the world would make you think that?

And at that moment,  SNACKTIME DESIGN STAR was born.

Each contestant would be judged individually on their execution of a snacky design inspired by a particular food item placed before them.  Ok, not really.   The only rule:  you have to eat whatever you create.   So um... you might not want to glue chocolate chips to your carrot sticks with peanut butter.  Or maybe you do. Whatever.  You just have to eat it and pretend to like it.



Claire's design (a peanut butter snowman,which I found completely adorable):


These happy cuties were entertained for like an hour!  And the best part...I just overheard Ty say, "I can't eat anything else or I'm gonna blow up!"  My hope precisely.  Er.  Not to blow up my children, but to stuff them so full of goodness that I decide when it's time to eat.  Not them.

Who says you can't learn anything good from T.V.??

Sometimes...most of the time I feel like my life is on fast forward.  Whatever it is I am in the middle of doing I have to do it fast because there is always something else that I need to start on.  I'm tired of being on fast forward.  I always know my life is getting out of hand when I'm scarfing down my lunch for no apparent reason.  Yes, maybe my whole day's list isn't checked off yet, but there is nothing so pressing that I should feel the need to swallow without chewing.  Or sometimes during dinner, I don't even think to take off my apron.  Maybe it's my big momma bib (which often is very handy), but usually I think it's because I know in ten minutes time I'll be up doing dishes and wiping up messes anyway, so I may as well save the time.  But wouldn't it be nice if I removed the apron, sat down, chewed, and then got to the clean-up when I felt like it.  Yeah, that'll be the day.   I know I need to slow down when one of the kids asks me to play with them and my answer is "yes, I just need to_______ and then I'll play."  I hate to admit that as I'm saying that, deep down I know that they'll get distracted and forget that they wanted me to play, and then I'll be off the hook.  Playing with my kids should not be the hook.   How do I make myself stop,  look around, and say everything else can wait?  Playing babies with my 4 year-old is by far the most important thing I have to do at this moment.  I know that now.  But how do I remember that when I'm in the middle of scrubbing toilets, working on a church assignment,  or maybe reading Percy Jackson for me and she wants me to play?  I'm feeling guilty.  And sorry.  And overwhelmed.  Guilty, sorry, and overwhelmed about the number of responsibilities that I am 100% responsible for and I'm not doing any of them as well as I should be.  How do I slow down, focus on my most important job as a mom, without letting everything else slip?