End of Baseball Camp, Beginning of Vacation w/ Brent

Lamar University: Jim Gilligan Baseball Camp

I thought summer was a time for relaxation and reflection, yeah right. This summer has been so busy and vacation starts next week and we are just so happy to be slowing down for at least that ONE week that I just want to enjoy the boys, enjoy Brent and really soak up the summer. It's time to reconnect with my sweetie and spend some quality time together. We have something planned and I am really looking forward to it. So what's on the agenda? Well, we WERE going to San Antonio and stay with some friends outside of Austin but the hotel we wanted to stay at is booked because it's the week of July 4th so I think we are going to do that, but when it won't be so crowded. So the #1 thing on our list is to put down the new tile in the den. I've been wishy/washy with it. Bought all the stain and stuff to stain the cement then decided I really wanted saltillo tile so we are going on some scouting expeditions this weekend to see what we can scrounge up. It seems it's a really hot product around here and everyone is always out of it or the boxes that are left aren't enough. But with the colors we've picked and the furniture, I think it's the best deal for us. So we are trying to make some really difficult decisions as far as drastically remodel?? Build?? Move?? I found a house I really like that is so much bigger than ours but it's in the city limits and Brent's like "No." prfff, whatever. Maybe I'm wearing him down. But we're looking at plans and one day we say this and one day it's something else. I went last night and bought new stuff for our bedroom and at first I was like "uh huh that is fugly" but then it freakin started growing on me today. Not to mention Tricia, my sister, came over and said she really liked it. So now I think I'll use that as a base to keep going and get some different things in here to make it feel more like our personality.


Today was a big day at the baseball camp Ian has been attending all week. His daddy went to watch him on his exhibition day and he was in hog heaven. He was so happy his daddy was taking off work to go and spend it with him. Brent said he got some really positive reviews about Ian's pitching and hitting so Ian was on cloud nine. A coach for one of our teams already hit Brent up to put Ian on his team next year (wtf ??) but he had said Ian was 8, but by next season he'll turn 9 so he'll be too old for that team. So they had a great day and it all went very well. It didn't rain at all the whole week so that made the money definitely worth it. Although today it was about 104 degrees on the field and 111 degrees in my car! This humidity makes it unbearable. I felt sorry for those boys out there all week but Ian told me he didn't really feel hot at all so I knew they were keeping them very hydrated and taking frequent breaks to fight the heat.


Let's see, what else did I wanna say? Oh yeah. How come the obnoxious people you can't stand in life seem to find you on Facebook? There are like 3 people that I just ignore their friend requests so I can block them out if I want to. I guess that's why I love FACEBOOK!! he he he Although that part is great, Brent met and talked to a guy that went to elementary with me at our Catholic school! They started talking about growing up in that area around Lamar University and the years he was there and then mentioned that he went to Catholic school where I used to go and so Brent asked him if he remembered me and he was like "um, yeah, why" and so he told him that he was married to me. It's such a small world. Anyhow, he has two little boys and one was in the same group for 8 years olds with Ian and they really got along. It was the craziest thing when Brent texted me then called to tell me how they had been talking all afternoon and then had just discovered all that. That was a good thing today that definitely put a smile on my face.


What else is going on this summer? Well, the week after we get back off vacation, Ian starts Superkids at Lamar, which he is not looking forward to at all. He said he doesn't want to go there and sit and do science and math! I just started cracking up because it is sooo not like that at all. Liam went for several summers and really enjoyed it. He even brought home a baby chick after they had raised it at camp all week. Liam loved that baby chick, but he went to spend the night with his Auntie T and his cousin and I kinda forgot to turn off the light above it and it didn't have any water so we remembered like two days later and that little thing was all crispy. Liam cried, I laughed and Brent got mad because Liam & Ian made him bury it. I couldn't even go out there because I kept laughing every time I looked at this poor little baby chick all crispy and crusted. (yeah actually it was kinda gross but I think my relief in times of stress is laughter, yep, it is!) Oh Gosh just remembering that day is kinda wild! I don't think Liam will ever forgive us for that but at least now when we talk about he laughs with us, then secretly turns around to wipe his eyes. My sweetie has the biggest heart and the soul of an angel. While Ian is at Superkids I am going with my friend to The Main Dish where you create your own 12 entrees, which is enough for 72 servings. We scanned the July menu and they have some yummy dishes to choose from and we are sooo excited about doing this. You get to put all the meals together yourself and then load 'em up in an ice chest and take home to your freezer. If you do the 12 entrees, you get a free dessert. So that's one good thing right? And this month the dessert is Key Lime Pie so that should be tasty for a summer bbq on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Then Liam has Soccer Camp in Beaumont in mid to late July then he starts soccer practice and football practice in August. It seems as if you stay just as busy, only there's no homework or projects to deal with since school's out!

Well, enough babble. Have a good weekend and enjoy the sun, smile at your kids, and plant a big fat wet one on your hubby - I know that's what I'll be doing.

Pictures coming soon...... yea right. ... not likely.... but probably soon.

Father's Day at the BeAcH!!

Hope everyone had a great and wonderful Father's Day with the daddy's in your life. We went to the beach early this morning to walk and look for shark teeth and sea beans. Ian was so excited because we found four shark teeth and three sea beans. One was really big. Took plenty of pics so when I get on the laptop I will download them to the blog. I hate the way I have to do it on the desktop so I'll just do it all at once. We were relaxed and just played all morning. Granny found a sea bean and she really enjoyed just being down at the beach and putting her feet in the salty water. We had a good time so we decided to come home and cook. All the restaurants around here were fully packed by 1pm so we hit our H-E-B and got all the stuff to make Spanish rice, homemade pineapple pico de gallo, Key West chicken and homemade salsa. My friend gave me some fresh tomatoes from her garden and it tastes great. This batch is really spicy but we like it, but it's probably a little too spicy for Ian, although Liam will probably love it. The beach was great and the sand was hot, what more can you ask for a gorgeous day???


Ian is off to Lamar Baseball Camp this week. he is going to the competitive edge hitting and pitching camp which was one of the best camps Liam ever attended. He learned so much and was really complimented on his techniques by his baseball coaches. Ian is super excited about all of it since his team won the 8 year old Championship in Little League last week. He was all about baseball after that! So he'll be there from 8-4 all week and then we have VBS at a friend's church that he's been invited to attend and his pool party for his baseball team where they will get their trophies for the great season they've had this year. It'll be busy but I love it when it's busy and they are being active.


Brent's yelling at me to go and make the Spanish rice because I forgot: note here: I didn't forget, I chose not to do when he told me to! I will do it on my own time THANK YOU very much and if you do want me to do it when you want me to then you ASK me, don't TELL me. Anywho, I'm trying to be a really nice and kind person on Father's Day so I guess I better get off my cracker butt and get it done. Oh I just remembered that Ian has to bring a lunch to the baseball camp all next week which means I now have to go back to the grocery store to come up with some ideas for food for him next week which means my stomach will soon be hurting from the pressure which means it may ruin my Key West chicken dinner which means I will then be pissed. he he he Nah, I guess I better get all this taken care of before my family falls apart before my eyes.


There's a blog that I have fallen in love with. A lot of the values and morals and ideas about family and children that Amy at The Finer Things in Life express are my sentiments exactly. She has great recipes and her blog is one that I can actually remember to go check if I didn't receive it by email for that day. Thought you all might be interested in it also since it is such a great blog with great ideas for frugal meals, snacks and interesting topics. Take a look if you get a chance. I may even post a comment on the reasons I became a SAHM. It had a lot to do with September 11, 2001 when we sat down and decided that our family as a whole was more important that the $$$ I was bringing home. Plus, I was offered the Office Manager position which would mean full time and if I didn't accept the job, my hours would be drastically reduced anyway. So on September 13, 2001 (we were closed on the 12th) I put in my two week notice and never looked back.


Have a good week and God Bless. Brent and I have an 8:00pm movie night planned, sans the children who will be watching their own movie. I bought him Gran Turino for Father's Day so we are going to cuddle and watch it again. We actually went to see it the day it opened because it was our date night out then also. We LOVE our nights out together so cuddle up with the man in your life and enjoy the rest of his day!!

I'll upload pics from the beach later.... or later this week... or later this month. LOL No, really, I will try to do it after we bring Ian to his first day of baseball camp tomorrow.

Ciao Bella!!

Happy Anniversary: 19 YEARS!!

Today is our 19th wedding anniversary! 19 years ago I married my best friend. I know everybody always says that, but I mean it. He's my heart and soul, soul mate, and the one person who has never let me down or not followed through. He's the best dad he can be to our little boys and every day when I look at that man I think to myself what did I do that was special enough to deserve him? The yin-yang of our relationship and the blessings God has given to us make this one of the things I am most proud of: to be called his wife. After 19 years I still get butterflies when he rushes home from work to be with us, I still smile when he flirts with me and I still know, even though we fuss and fight sometimes, that every night he is going to have my back and keep me warm. And when I think of him during the day, I can feel a smile creeping in around the corners of my mouth. I really feel that I do not deserve such a loving individual, so I'll enjoy the ride and cherish these moments with my best friend.

A lot has been going on in the last few days. Brent's birthday was Friday, June 12th (a nice even number) and we had so much fun. We took the boys to the beach and Galveston for the day, went sight-seeing, ate lunch and then let 'em swim until the sun set. The water was gorgeous and we literally would have sat out there watching them skimboard and play until way past the sunset, but Ian cut his foot very badly on a rock or something. It was bleeding profusely but he had a tetanus when he was bitten by the copperhead so at least we didn't have to go sit at the hospital all night. The cut was across his heel and it was bad but we used to towels to stop the bleeding and after awhile I bandaged him up with some gauze (thank God I bought an extra medical kit for the car) and taped him up for the ride home. It bled a lot but the actually cut isn't that bad. I took pics so I'll post them in a bit. We had a fun, relaxing day. The beach looks so different since Hurricane Ike destroyed it, although it's clean and the sand is beautiful. In Galveston some of the old buildings are marked with blue tape where the Hurricane Ike water line was. It's really sad. It used to be so bustling and busy and it seemed really sleepy that day and probably 50% or more of the businesses are not up to par, either undergoing construction or are not there anymore. I used to love to go into this one kitchen shop and I could stay in there for hours and it's gone, the building is gutted so hopefully they'll be back soon.

I have a bunch of pics to post of the last few weeks so I'll try and do that soon. Hopefully you will enjoy them as much as we do and if you don't, oh well!

A Few Things I Forgot to Mention:

AWWW I don't have any pictures because I was leaving but Brent came up to Tricia's car Saturday with a 4 foot water moccasin hanging from this hoe/weed thing that had prongs. It was deader than a doornail because Ian shot it about five times with his pellet gun but it was about 4 foot long and was pretty fat. It looked like it had just eaten something. Anyway, Tricia and I left and Brent allowed the boys to dissect it and Liam took out its little heart while it was still beating! Isn't that just the grossest thing? It is to me. Anyway, Sunday morning we were walking around looking at some stuff and plants and in the bottom weedy things of the lemon tree (that I love dearly and have babied through Hurricane Ike) was another friggin' snake. Brent grabbed a hoe and chopped its head off! Then later in the day Ian and my little neighbors were close to their pond and they killed a baby snake that came out of the pond with a metal toy truck. Ian said he told them they had to kill it or it would just grow up and bite them. So these three little boys are chasing down this baby snake that was about 4 inches long. So I guess Ian really doesn't play when it comes to snakes since he has already been bitten by a copperhead when he was two years old and we evacuated for another hurricane. ARGH!!

OK, and I forgot to tell ya that Ian won an IPOD at school on the last day. He was super excited and I promised him we'd download a lot of stuff this week. I'll have to be choosy but he has an mp3 player that has a lot of country songs and some Kid Songs cd's on there so I may just try and transfer those soon for him. So tomorrow Ian is off to summer rec for three hours then we are signing up for swim lessons. Liam has some game he's been dying for that comes out tomorrow so I promised him that for keeping a 98 average in all his classes this year. I have to keep my end of the bargain since he kept his and he wants a mic for the xbox. Yup, his second mic because it seems when he went to a gaming party in March a kid that has since been booted off to his dad's house in Florida because his mom couldn't control him walked off with two of Liam's controllers, his mic for his xbox and his memory card. I'm the type of mom who questions stuff that turns up at my house, although I have never let a child walk out of here without all the crap they came in with. So I told him he had to use his own money to replace the controllers (which he did) and that we'd get the mic and the game he wants. So, just thought I'd add some stuff I forgot earlier.

Have a great week, pray for your family, and remember to reconnect with that special someone in your life, even your kids. We take the boys individually a lot of times to just hang out or do stuff and let them know how special they are as a person, not just as the younger/older brother. I tell my boys every day how special they are to me, to us, and I hope you do the same. At baseball we heard a foster dad saying some pretty mean and rough things to his foster son and Liam started cheering for the little dude and we all started saying things that were positive to this child because to hear a grown man cut down a child when they just struck out and feel like crap anyway is just horrible. I cannot believe the state allows people like THAT to foster these little fellows. Anyway, at the end of the game Liam told him what a good job he did and he was just grinning from ear to ear. So no matter what that old nasty slob tells that child for the rest of the night, he's going to remember what our son said to him and that is all that counts. :)

June Makes Me Think About LOVE...

Ian's First Communion April 2009

New patio chairs to replace the ones blown away by Ike? $80

New umbrella to replace the one blown away by Ike? $58 (on sale at Lowe's)

Sitting outside with Brent on a gorgeous Sunday and having one of the best talks of our life? PRICELESS

Sappy, I know but after yesterday and just sitting around and talking and having that reconnection, it is now MANDATORY that we spend more time together alone. Ian happened to be swimming in my neighbor's ponds with her and her children and Liam was at Tricia's with Drake and Bailee (well, he's still there) so we were all alone from about 9:30am to 6pm and we were totally in sync with each other. It was so nice not to be yelling "go ask your daddy" or "why are you bringing a dead snake into the kitchen" and stuff like that. We hit Lowe's for the new patio stuff and then decided we wanted to do a shrimp boil for a late lunch so we had to drive to Port Arthur to get some fresh shrimp. We were having fun and as much as we LOVE spending time with the boys, I absolutely am in my own world when it's just me and Brent. He told me last night he really enjoyed our day, and even though it was impromptu alone time, we enjoyed it thoroughly. Trying to think of something special for his birthday and our anniversary so any suggestions would be helpful... I have been really stressed out with the momma situation so to just relax after Saturday was very much welcomed. When we came home Saturday evening and I had been gone all effin day I kind of had a fit and yelled - I think I scared my neighbor who was talking to Brent? lol Anyway they are trying to form or mold or whatever this "burn" whatever the hell that is, on the track but really it's just a giant mudhole to me. We had storms and a lot of rain this week so it was just sitting water so he told the boys to take the four-wheeler and make it mud so it would dry faster? WTHELL??? Anyway I was PO'd. They were throwing mud all over the picnic table, themselves, it was a mess. My poor neighbor. He told Brent "Yep, I got one of them." Now that was funny. Anyway they got everything put away and cleaned up then I cleaned Ian up, Liam took a shower then went to Drake's with him then we made fajita tacos for everybody to eat. I sometimes think after a stressful day like Saturday that when I get home I just want peace and tranquility, NOT dirt bikes, mud, four-wheelers, and dirty, muddy kids running around the back yard. Brent said that's part of the collateral damage of having boys. I am guessing at this point he was right. So Sunday was quiet, just the two of us for the most part, and one of the days where you just need to reconnect after the stressful week of class parties, awards programs and just finishing up all the loose ends of the school year. Hopefully we'll have more of those this summer.

The equipment Brent used to spread all the dirt on the track that is now one big mudhole.

My little momma is staying with my sister in Houston this week so hopefully everyone will make it out alive! Nah, just kiddin. I told my sister while they were on their way to beware because she may feel momma's little talons around her neck! She was not happy but we put her in the truck and said she will enjoy herself once she gets there which I'm thinking may be the case. She seems to gripe and moan but then we just tell her we are making these decisions because we love her and want her to thrive, not wither away. She weighs 72 pounds and is no bigger than a minute, but I can see an improvement just since she was at Tricia's and interacting with all of us more. Me and all my sisters are in this together and we are going to make sure her life is peaceful and quiet from here on out. Not having to deal with grown useless kids and grandkids or anything like that. As my daddy used to say "Baby, nothing's fair but the weather," which is a saying that seems to ring true each and every day.

My sister just called and told me we have to go see The Hangover. She said it was hilarious. Hopefully Ian and Liam can spend some time with their friends and Brent and I can sneak out to the movies and go see it.

I cannot believe on the 16th we'll be married 19 years. That anniversary hasn't even arrived yet and I'm already planning and deciding what we are going to do for our 20th!! That is going to be so strange, I used to think people who had been married for 20 years were almost dead, but like we say all the time: We fall more in love with each other all the time. It's funny because sometimes we can't get enough of each other and then sometimes we need space so he can do things he likes and I can do things I like ... and the boys usually like what he's doing so they pick to do the stuff daddy's doing. It's ok with me because with so many sisters and some true friends around, I always feel like I have somebody to do stuff with. That's the thing we talk about a lot, we do fall in love with each other over and over. I guess that's the secret: love the person enough to keep falling in love with them. Or maybe it's just that we're too stubborn to give up!!! Either way, I'm happy as long as we're together.

Ciao Bella!

Things Going On Lately.....

Liam made National Junior Honor Society for his middle school. We are so proud of him and thank God every day that he is making the right choices for his future. Gotta love that kid! He's a sweetie and he even willingly wore a collared shirt and khaki slacks. he he he

Bread.Butter.Cheese. Does It Get Any Better Than That?

Why does this girl look deranged staring at that sandwich? Is it me or does she look like a really small sociopath??

That's how I feel most mornings. If I can at least get their hot panini's in their lunches along with a few other choice food groups, and they actually eat it, it's been a good day! Guess what just happened? A guy comes to the door selling meat, yup, meat door to door, in a cold styrofoam ice chest. WTF? NOOO WAY JOSE!

So hope all of you had a terrific Mother's Day. Brent and the boys were very sweet to me and I loved their gift. Here are the charms each one of the boys gave me and I absolutely love them. They are too adorable.

This one is called "Brothers" and it has two little boys hugging. Which is soooo not them, but adorable anyway! Just a little sidenote: these little boys are pretty wide and chunky looking, which does not look like Liam & Ian at all. lol

This one is a "Mom" one and it is really cute.

My bracelet is about halfway filled now and it's been about a year since they gave it to me so that's not too bad, I just can't wait to have it all filled up so I can enjoy it and not worry about which charm I want next. So we grilled steaks and enjoyed the day with Granny & Poppie which was really nice. The boys had fun and we just relaxed. Friday night we were busy and out at Pappadeaux's for Mark's surprise party which was really nice and enjoyable. Brent and I had so much fun because it's been a while since we went out by ourselves. We came home to an empty house and stayed up talking. I love when we get into those deep conversations and the next thing you know it's been like three hours. They are a part of our relationship and he makes me laugh so much then I cannot be serious which just makes me keep laughing. We went to the crawfish boil Saturday and Liam and his friend pigged out on the crawfish and when we got home a few hours later they were like "we're hungry." Ummm, didn't you already eat? So I threw some pizza rolls in the oven and his little friend said "I've never had pizza rolls out of the oven." Excuse me, how do you eat them? He said "We put 'em in the microwave." WTH? We just died laughing because I have never cooked them in the microwave. He said they are always soggy and gushy so he loved that mine were crunchy. He's too funny.

My friend sent me this text on Mother's Day and I hope you take it to heart like I did. She thought of this on her own and it really echoes my sentiments exactly:

To all mothers: Children are a reflection of our diligent work, the effort to teach them manners, respect & responsibility shows so never give in and always be patient.

Brent really made Mother's Day special and I just wanted to send a little prayer to him today because it's not just what he does for me on Mother's Day but the other 364 days a year that makes my heart go pitter-patter when he walks through the door. Lovin' him more each day of which on June 16th we will be celebrating 19 years of being married. I cannot believe how fast time flies. We are already talking about plans for our 20th anniversary next summer and hopefully it'll be everything we want and more. But I'll be telling everyone about that later.

Lord Jesus, grant that I and my spouse may have a true and understanding love for each other. Grant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony. May we always bear with one another's weaknesses and grow from each other's strengths. Help us to forgive one another's failings and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of self. May the love that brought us together grow and mature with each passing year. Bring us both ever closer to You through our love for each other. Let our love grow to perfection. Amen.

We've been talking a lot lately and we really have some plans for the future that we are excited about and that we want to see come to fruition. It's not just about the materialistic things but the values we want for our family.

Super Duper News: (but of course my family already knows)

Liam is gong to be inducted into the National Honor Society tonight and we are just so proud of him. He kept his word that he'd keep up his grades this year if he got to play his computer games and that child has really been working hard on balancing school and his extracurricular activities and still being into his online gaming. You gotta give the boy his dues. He also received the BullPup Pride Pin which is a big deal at his school about showing character, values, leadership, and academic excellence. It really does show when you make the effort, then they too will make the effort. Hopefully I'll have pictures to post soon after all the award ceremonies for both of them toward the end of the year.

Guess I better run and do my errands before I have to pick up and deliver children all about town today. Excited for Liam's induction tonight and the field trip for Ian this week and spending Wednesday evening with Brent. Ian has two baseball games this week along with practice and batting cages and Liam has two soccer practices and a game on Saturday. Busy, yes!

Real Life Is Busy These Days....

I cannot believe that it has been exactly two months since I last posted. Life has been happening and things have been taking off with our jewelry business. It leaves me little or no time for just playing around between that and soccer and baseball and ... well just trying to keep up with the boys and things like that. Here is a pic of Ian catching some bass tonight at the lakes by our house. He was sooooo proud because he caught four fish whereas his daddy and Liam did not catch one. He was proud as a peacock knowing that the bass were just eating up his electric blue Wacky Worms.

I read a post today by Amy at The Finer Things In Life (I absolutely LOVE her site) and it really made me think about my absence. I love blogging. I love reading my favorite blogs. But I needed to take a breath and get back to my routine and getting the house in shape. You get on the blogs and think you are only on for about an hour and it's been two and when I only have a limited amount of time to get things done during the day, it was taking up a big chunk of it. I needed to figure out what I wanted my blog to be about ... and I want it to be about whatever I feel like at the moment. Funny family stuff, getting debt free (almost there), couponing, recipes, real mom daily stuff, friendships, family, beliefs and all the stuff my boys drag into my home, be it dead or alive -- like a slug, is what I want to talk about. I won't have the latest crafty ideas but I try to do one with the kids every now and then. Liam is pretty much over that but every now and then I can get him to participate when it doesn't seem quite so cheesy. So I have found a lot of blogs that I enjoy reading. These are smart, sassy women and moms just trying to help out other moms out there in bloggyland and they make me laugh and try and do better on a daily basis. I love being given the information of new ways to deal with new situations that arise in our daily life with the boys. On that note we have had a busy couple of months.

Getting ready for the end of the year school parties and planning our summer which this year, much to their dismay, will include Superkids at Lamar, St. Thomas Reading Academy, and camps for athletics and the Discovery Camp. Liam refuses which is fine but Ian is actually kind of excited.

I've been Facebooking a lot lately and I used to actually hate it, but now I love it. My friends are so funny and people are crazy talking to each other but it makes me laugh.

On a more serious note, I've been doing a prayer book every day and praying for my husband, children, family and my sanity. I know, it's kind of sad, but I need my sanity to be able to handle all the other things in my life. Ian made his First Communion almost two weeks ago and it was so special to us. Since he is our baby, I really tried to relish the moments and remember the details since I will probably never be doing it again. That is sad and it made me cry when he received the Sacrament. I really don't talk about religion with people I'm not close to, but those that know me really know that the Catholic upbringing we are giving to the boys is something that we believe in and try to instill in them on a daily basis. I don't always succeed, WE don't always succeed, but we try, every day. And I love the boys for trying. And I love Brent for that.

So we have a meeting at school the other day and we take over an hour to discuss what the end of the year t-shirts will look like and if the mom shirts are going to look the same or different. Ummm, is it me or does anybody else not care? I care... but to a point. If the children's bodies are covered and it looks halfway decent, are second-graders really going to care? I know all the moms are hard-working and want to plan the best party possible but sometimes it's ok to just let the kids be kids. We did that at Easter and they had a blast. Each child played this horseshoe game made out of carrots and little games like that, then we gave each child a dozen confetti eggs and they had so much fun. Of course, there were a few tears because somebody got some confetti in their hair and someone else's egg didn't break (? wth) but overall, Ian said it was the best time. So no matter how much we plan and plan, it will just take it's own course. That's all I am saying. It will play out on it's own. Of couse I am stoked because summer is almost here and we cannot wait for the freedom that comes along with it.

Let's see what else is new? The boys are doing great in school and Liam grades have been outstanding this year, considering this is the beginning of his 5 year plan and he is awesome in math and science so his teacher and counselor told us that he'll be guided in that direction for his classes and pre-college courses in high school. He could care less but at least he's keeping his grades up. He told me the other day a kid took a zero on a paper because he didn't "feel" like doing it so the teacher said "fine, it's a zero" and the boy said "I knew it would be." Liam was in shock. He was like "Mom, how can you just sit by and take a zero and not even care?" I was actually flabberghasted that he said that, considering he is so calm and laid back, like he doesn't have a care in the world. However, we were talking about it and there are two things he loves and cares about outside of us and it's his school and soccer. That kid is crazy for soccer. Ian, on the other hand, is crazy for baseball. He is actually pretty good. Well, I really dunno because I usually text or play on the internet unless he's batting, but that's what everybody else tells me. I've been TRYING to pay attention, but it's so hard. Just when I think I know the game or the rules, everyone is like no he has to be tagged or no, it doesn't count? Well, why the hell not? Little League rules are so confusing. Brent gets so nervous for him but he's been doing great. His coaches pump him up and he just grins from ear to ear. And soccer, well you can forget that. Liam's been playing for about 6 years and all I know is that when the little ball goes in the net, yeah! I have a lot of pics to download to share with family and friends who "used to" visit my blog, so maybe if I get those uploaded they'll come back! he he Well, hopefully I'll be back with some new and exciting stuff. I'll be back but it probably won't be too exciting. I have a lot of blogs that are really great to refer to for meal planning and keeping me pumped about paying off our house so we can build on our land. Keeping it real....

Recipe Of The Week

Why can't I look this happy and put together when I mop my floors? She's deranged that's for sure~~~

This is a recipe from Divine Domesticity that I will be trying this week. I love the fact that one prep session equals two meals with one being able to be frozen. That's right up my alley this week with trying to get back on course with housework and getting all the laundry caught up before we get to play around the next week during Spring Break. Hope you like it too. Love her site so go on over and check it out.

Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage and Sour Cream

Makes two 9"x13" pans

2 pounds dry ziti pasta
1 large onion, chopped
2 pounds regular Italian, or spicy or sweet Italian sausage
3 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
8 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
2 cups sour cream
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
One container grated Parmesan cheese

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.

2. In a large skillet, brown onion and sausage over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes. In an extra large pan (probably what you used to boil the ziti in) combine the sauce mixture and the ziti noodles.

3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

Butter two 9"x13" baking dishes. Layer as follows:

Ziti and sauce mixture,
(all) sour cream,
provolone and mozzarella cheese,
ziti and sauce mixture,
provolone and mozzarella cheese.

Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

4. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.

Seems easy enough right? Hopefully I won't screw it up or anything like that. Maybe I'll take a picture if I get up the energy to look for the camera charger! LOL

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Also on the menu plan for this week is the crockpot ham recipe that Stephanie over at A Year of Crockpotting has up on her site today. Decided to go ahead and try some new stuff that doesn't take much time since I will not have a lot of time this week with everything that's going on and getting tax receipts and things of that sort ready for the CPA. Yikes. So this should be a great recipe that cook all day and be able to use the leftovers for something else equally tasty and easy. Haven't really done a menu plan on paper but I'm good to go as far as knowing what we are eating until Thursday and then with baseball and the awards program for Upwards I'm thinking easy like Chinese take-out. That sounds good because Brent really dislikes it but if it's been a long time (and it has) he'll usually go for it if we beg. Nah, but we do have to coerce him into actually pulling in the parking lot.

Are you keeping up with your Lenten obligations? I am trying really really hard so we'll see at the end of Lent how I did. Ian accidentally ate a piece of candy from the candy jar today and I thought he was going to choke when he remembered he gave it up for Lent. I told him I'm sure it's OK as long as you didn't do it on purpose. He assured me he did not do it on purpose. Poor little thing. Don't forget to pray for your husband and stay on task with whatever it is you gave up (or decided to give) during Lent. Ciao.

Lazy Sunday - Feeling Better

Isn't it the cutest?

I have some belated pics from my birthday in January that my sister emailed me so I thought I'd post a few. I'll include the ones of the spectacular cake Tricia got me for my birthday. I just loved it. It was so me. I asked her "How'd you know what I wanted" and she said "because you told me a pink cake with black bows." hahaha I think that's funny. Anyway, take a gander at these photos and of my babies evidently horsing around in the lobby at the hotel while Brent and I were out for the night. It was a great weekend and looking forward to another one soon.

Keep praying for your husbands at Sandra's blog over at Diary of a SAHM. I may not post it here but I go to her site every day and do the prayers for Brent and devote just a few minutes especially to him.

Our lives will be getting a lot busier in the next few weeks with a whole season of baseball approaching, Liam's playing spring soccer and Spring Break is just in another week or so. The Nederland Heritage Festival starts during Spring Break and I am so looking forward to working the booth with my friend and selling our handmade jewelry, and then the purses, luggage and sunglasses she gets from market. I think it's going to be fun as long as the weather cooperates.

A short and simple prayer I found on the list of Catholic prayers I've been using also:

Lord Jesus, grant that I and my spouse may have a true and understanding love for each other. Grant that we may both be filled with faith and trust. Give us the grace to live with each other in peace and harmony. May we always bear with one another's weaknesses and grow from each other's strengths. Help us to forgive one another's failings and grant us patience, kindness, cheerfulness and the spirit of placing the well-being of one another ahead of self.
May the love that brought us together grow and mature with each passing year. Bring us both ever closer to You through our love for each other. Let our love grow to perfection. Amen.

Brent did so much for the boys this weekend. I still had a fever yesterday morning and all day so I just slept and watched movies while he took them to games, end of the season parties and even two birthday parties. Last night we just chilled out, all cuddled up in my bed and watched a new movie together. It was so warm and cozy and every time I'd fall asleep they'd wake me up. My NyQuil was kicking in and it was so hard to stay awake. I woke up this morning refreshed and feeling almost back to normal. No fever in the past 24 hours which is the longest I've gone in a whole week. My throat doesn't hurt anymore although I do have the residual bronchial cough (hack, hack) but it seems to be getting better. All I do know is that I've really missed taking care of them and caring about their homework. Ian and I would lay on the couch and do his homework all week because I was so stuffed up and feverish I felt so cold if my back wasn't all covered up on the couch or with a big blanket. Looking back now the quack I went to had no idea that I probably had a case of the flu nor did he ask about that. I will never, mark my words, go back to that doctor again. But then again that's what I get for going to a doctor that I've had several friends tell me some history and to go to someone else.

Friday night Brent and Ian, his mom and his brother and his children went to see Monster Nation, the monster truck show that comes every spring and Ian had such a blast. He came home and told me all about the monster trucks and the one they rode in the back of while it did a few rounds. He also could not stop talking about the motocross racers he saw there and some of their stunts. He was so impressed he's been out on the track all day today practicing and trying to get his jumps higher and do a wheelie on Liam's motorcycle. Good start for an 8 year old. He told us he'd rather ride and do jumps than play baseball. Uh? Huh? wtf? Don't think so buddy. You are paid in full so you will definitely be doing baseball this season. So we told him as soon as CCD is finished and he makes his First Communion he'll be able to practice more during the week and then all summer. That seemed to make him happy for the moment. Basketball finished up Saturday and then Brent took him to his end of the season pizza party. They got a trophy and some little souvenirs and then on Thursday the church is having the closing ceremony for Upwards. If you haven't tried Upwards in your area, please do so. The people are great and it teaches them sooooo much. The coaches just aren't about winning/losing, it's how you play the game and I especially love that every week they have a Bible verse to memorize and talk about and then at the practices they talk about what went on during the week and how it relates to the current Bible verse. Needless to say, it's a very worthwhile project to get the kids interested in basketball and the camaraderie that goes along with being on a team. Cannot say enough about Upwards. So we'll be going to that Thursday night and Ian has baseball practice every night this week except Tuesday because of CCD. Liam has a space station project due for shop so he'll be working on that all week. I have to hit the hobby stores tomorrow to look for some things to go inside the space station like food and such. He should have fun putting all that together.

Well, guess we better go check on dinner. We're grilling chicken breasts, chicken & apple sausage and veggies. Yummo. Love the chicken & apple sausage from Emeril's that we get at Sam's. It is great grilled or just pan seared with some pasta and peppers. I love it. Brent likes it. So he never really eats too much of it. Just enough to be nice. In the next several days I'll be asking questions about relationships and how to deal with people you don't particularly like. How do YOU deal with it? I ignore them and pretend they don't exist. I cannot stand hipocrits. How do you deal with things like that? Ponder those questions and then let me know your opinion.

Sick & Tired of Being Sick!

OK, so I just lost a post I have been working on for half an hour. I am now sick, tired and mad. So this is how I feel today. We have been sick in this house for the last week and a half. I just thank God every day that the boys are staying healthy and haven't missed any school. My other lost post was rather long and I am in no mood to be retyping it so this one shall be short and sweet.


Lent began yesterday with Ash Wednesday. Liam went to Mass but I was too sick and I cannot remember the last time I missed Mass on Ash Wednesday. I guess I should have put on my big girl panties and just went but I felt horrible and I still have a fever after almost a week that comes and goes so I was in no mood for rationalizing last night. So if you celebrate Lent try and give up something that will make you think each and every day about how much Christ suffered for us for those forty days and nights. The boys made their decisions and I made mine, we are just waiting on what their daddy is giving up for Lent. Even though Brent is not Catholic, he does it along with me to show that we are united in their Catholic upbringing and back each other up on everything. So united we stand. I guess right?



Things have been busy and chaotic and Brent has been doing great all this week getting them to all of their practices and church and stuff. He even took off work to bring them to school, pick them up and bring me to the doctor on Tuesday. I guess that's why I love my guy soooo much. He is there when I need him and in a big way. Ian was ecstatic that his daddy picked him up two days in a row.


Our Valentine's Day was pretty nice. The boys were both gone, one to a friends and one to their grandparents and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Brent and the boys gave me the open hearts necklace and earrings from the Jane Seymour Collection. I just love it. It's so dainty and really pretty. They did a great job. We usually don't do too much but this year we both decided to surprise each other and he loved the cologne the boys and I gave him. He really smells good when he has it on and he needed some nice cologne as Santa forgot to some in his stocking at Christmas this year. Poor thing. But we wanted some tools so he went out and got those hisself. I just can't do tools. All the stores that sell tools smell funny and make me want to hurl. I get physically sick in the tool department at Sear's, Lowe's, Home Depot and Harbor Freight. At least that's what I tell him. I hope I can still get away with it after putting it on here. Kind of like he does with all the other stores I like going to -- he's great at the mall because he always has a store he likes but he hates the little boutiques and candle shops I go to because then he's stuck. So we also had a little early Valentine's for each other because we bought a new bed and a new lcd flat screen tv for the bedroom. I wasn't really excited about the tv because I think the bedroom has two uses and it's not for watching tv but he wasn't bending if we were getting the new bed so after a short stand-off I relented. But I love my new bed, pillows and sheets. It is the most comfortable bed we have ever owned and I love the tempurpedic topper on it. It makes it so comfy and squishy and warm and I have the hardest time climbing out of that sucker in the mornings. Brent is thoroughly enjoying his new tv and watched the Dark Knight and it made a huge difference from our big screen in the den. We cannot wait to gut the den and redo it with all the new stuff in there. That project will be coming shortly although we haven't begun yet.



Not much new except for sickness. I have to go and cough up another lung right now, take some more ibuprofen to keep my fever down, and some more cough medicine that doesn't work. Yes, I am in a terribly pissy mood today. So hope you have a good day.


I am still going to Sandra's blog over at Diary of a SAHM and doing the 31 Days of Prayers for Our Husbands. I love taking about five minutes out of the day just to concentrate on prayers for Brent and all he does for us and our family. I personally think I cannot pray enough for him considering that he puts up with me all the time. So if you have not done so, please visit her blog and take part in the prayers for your husband.

So Much To Do, So Few People To Do It For Me!

Like cooking, cleaning, calling electricians on bids for some work, organizing school materials for project due on Friday, getting basketball uniforms together which means cleaning out the car to find half of Ian's uniform since we ran errands after we left the game. You know, the boring, mundane things like that. So let's start with Menu Planning Monday! We did it last week but actually I didn't make the salisbury steaks because Brent was on overtime so I made chicken-n-dumplings for the boys since they really seem to like them and it was just throwing it all together in a pot then still being able to bring them to CCD and practices and do the usual errands anyway. So I sat down with them yesterday and this is what we came up with for this week:

Monday: Pulled Pork BBQ sandwiches, dirty rice, yams.
Pork tenderloin leftover from yesterday that we stuffed with Italian sausage which was so disgusting that no one ate it so I hope they'll go for the pulled port bbq sandwiches instead.

Tuesday: Cabbage Cacciatore
Meeting at church for Ian's First Communion at 6pm so this will be ready and warming in the oven for when we get back. It is just like lasagna but instead of using the pasta, you use the raw cabbage to separate the layers. Well, I don't use any cheeses except mozzarella. It is delicious and all my boys will eat it until they get sick.

Wednesday: Chicken Enchiladas Verde
Looking for a better recipe than the one I have so if you have one you'd like to share, I'm all about that.

Thursday: Probably Leftover from the Cabbage Cacciatore and the Chicken Enchiladas
It's basketball practice night and we like to sneak away for some alone time to shop, get coffee, whatever while Ian is busy practicing. I actually look forward to this time with Brent).

Friday: Grilled Steaks, Baked Potatoes and Grilled Asparagus. (Maybe a salad too)

I'll probably throw in a salad too but lately we are all about the asparagus. My boys are such asparagus snobs (that's what I call them). They love the fresh asparagus and lately I tried to use canned asparagus thinking they'd never notice a difference, but they ate like one or two then they were all over that with the questions. "Why doesn't it look the same?" "Why is all wilty and tastes different?" Well, I have to say that I agree with them so I guess I'll put fresh asparagus back on my life, although sometimes it seems too hard to me. But whatever.

On to the prayer for today from Sandra. I hope you enjoy this prayer and jump on the blog train to Pray for Our Husbands this month.

Day 2

Pray that your husband’s relationship with God and His Word will bear fruit in his life. Pray that he will be a man of wisdom and understanding, fearing the Lord. (Prov. 3:7, 9:10; Ps. 112:1)

OK, so the posts I wanted to get up are done, but I still have a ton of things to get done around here before the monsters get home and destroy it all! We have a project to work on (let me rephrase it to "they" meaning Ian and his daddy. He gets the fun, artsy fartsy part of the project making the diorama, and I get the research, making complete sentences, with a reference sheet) tonight so I have to hunt down the needed materials while Ian is at school today. He told me to "be sure and go to Walmart" so I guess I'll try there first. Not to mention I really need to get some shopping done so I get everything I need for this week's menu. I am the world's worse about not knowing what to cook, and it's an hour past the time we usually eat! So this has really helped me hunker down and get in a more productive mood last week. I think the boys liked knowing what we were having as I posted the menu on the refrigerator and every day Ian would get in and take a look at it. It was so funny because there was nothing written for Saturday or Sunday of this past week so he told me to just make sure I put something there like Taco Bell or pizza rolls. I agreed it was a good idea. Well, the busy day calls and I have yet to get ready for public viewing. Have a good week! Ciao.

Pray For Our Husbands

Day 1

Pray that your husband will grow spiritually and consider his accountability before the Lord. Pray that he will guard his heart by developing spiritual disciplines—Bible reading and study, prayer, meditation, scripture memorization, etc. (2 Peter 3:18; Prov. 4:23)

2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Prov. 4:23
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life

So I'm joining Sandra over at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom to pray for our husbands. I know I don't talk about religion or my beliefs or blog about it, but I don't want to ever feel that I wear my religion or my convictions on my sleeve. They are a very prudent aspect of my life and I do not taking it lightly. Therefore, I am taking a 31 day pledge to pray for the husband that I love. To pray for the man who has been my best friend since we were 13 years old. To pray for the man that is my soulmate. To pray for the man that makes me laugh every single day. And to pray for the man that provides for us and works hard at his career so that I can stay home with the boys. I am looking forward to this and I hope if anyone reading this feels the same, you too will join in and pray for our husbands.

Brent used to work where every day I felt like when he came home it was a blessing. Now, I guess over time and with his promotions I've become more complacent about his safety. However, I shouldn't do that. Every day just going to work, either on his motorcycle or in his truck, I say a quick prayer to myself that he stays safe and makes it back home. He knows that I don't talk to him about this very often because it is such a deep subject for me that most of the time I cannot think about his safety without crying. He means that much to me. That everyday he comes home in one piece should be a blessing and I have really been taking him for granted. Two men from his work almost lost their lives several months ago and are just now getting their lives back to normal. So as I pray this month, I will not only pray for my husband, but for all the husbands who go to work with him each day to provide for their families and, at the end of the day, just want to get back home safely to see them.

So thanks to Sandra at Diary of a SAHM for starting this prayer journey and I hope others follow.

This is Proof! Wash Your Hands...

This is kind of jumping around today... I don't have a lot of time because I've been goofing off all morning so now I have to get all my stuff done and supper started and laundry and, well, you get the idea all within the next two hours so I'll be humping and working my arse off to get it all done before I leave at 2:30pm to pick up all the kiddos. Sometimes it's just that way, you know, you can't get going and end up talking on the phone and playing on the internet and answering emails while everything around you suffers. I promise I'll be good tomorrow. And I get to work at the shop so we're putting out some of our jewelry so I'm excited about that. I'll let you know how it goes.

First things first: I found this quote this morning and I wanted Brent to be sure and read it. Whether it be today, tomorrow or whenever he happens upon my blog again, I want him to read this and know that this is who we are.

• A guy and a girl can be just friends, but at one point or another, one of them will fall for the other, maybe temporarily, maybe at the wrong time, maybe too late, or maybe, just maybe...forever" ~Unknown

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Fireproof is out on DVD today. I haven't made it to Target yet to pick it up but it's on my list for this week. I think I'll get it today and watch it tomorrow without Brent first to see exactly what's it is all about. But I dunno, I digress. I will have to ponder that.... any suggestions? Should I watch it first or should we watch it together first??

OK. So on with what I have proof of, what really exists .... and it's effin scary.

This is proof that what lurks inside our bodies can be very harmful, just by now washing our hands regularly: Brain-Eating Worm - And the boys never believed me that things like this happen. Guess what they'll both be watching when they get home from school today? Nothing like a Scared Straight video to help things along, albeit in a little bit of a different direction!! LOL

My friend sent me this and it totally freaked me out. So now I think I have one. I think it's what contributing to my being tired all the time, not listening when my kids tell me something, skipping from one thought to another, one project to another, getting bored easily -- oh wait, that's right about a year and a half ago I caught my nephew's ADHD. I guess I could also just as easily catch the brain-eating worm. Just thinking about it is making me sick. I can't shake it. I am totally grossed out. On a lighter note, I was really happy to see this woman get back to her life and her family.

Ciao

photo courtesy of : redstandard.org

Hy-dee Ho, no offense to the "Ho" part if you are one.

Well, it's been awhile but I can't seem to jump into a settled routine. Between school stuff, making jewelry with my friend and keeping up everything and getting stuff ready for taxes, every day seems to just fly by. This weekend went in the blink of an eye. So exactly what have I been up to since January 6th?? Well, I had a birthday on January 10th and it was really great. Brent was totally trying to surprise me so he succeeded for the most part. I knew we were going to my sister's in Lafayette but I just thought it was the same ole stuff. So he takes off on Friday and we spend the day together. He comes home with a rental car so we can take our trip which just happened to look like a pimpmobile. It's a beautiful car, really pretty but every time I see one (and I want one) it looks like someone should be chauffeuring around the local pimp. It was a Chrysler 300 and it made for a very nice trip. Great car with lots of room. The boys loved traveling in something other than the Expedition for a change. So, we get into town and instead of heading toward my sister's house we ended up at the Hilton where he had reserved a room for us for all weekend. I was really happy then when we walked in, there was only one king size bed. So, what made it even that much better is that the boys were staying with my sister. Yeah. oh I have to say it again. Yeah. So he made reservations at this restaurant he had went to when he was in North Carolina for a production seminar and it was really good. It's called BoneFish and it is as good as everyone says, well actually better since we have nothing in our area to compare it too. It is way better than Tokyo which would be the only thing remotely close to it. I made Christene, Bailee, Liam & Ian come into the bar part with us and have appetizers and we had a few drinks. I fell in love with their winter cosmos and the Bang Bang Shrimp appetizer was exceptional. I would have taken pictures of all this but I forgot my camera at home with a dead battery not knowing all this fun stuff was planned for my birthday. They left to go to another restaurant and to the movies and we stayed for a couple more hours and ate and had a few drinks. It was really nice. We had great conversation and forgot how much we love going out and trying new things (umm, without kids). I love 'em but sometimes, you know, just sometimes it is really a good thing to get away from them. You know?? Do you know or am I the only parent who thinks that way? OK, so here is the official review of BoneFish in Lafayette - A+. And I am not exaggerating. Service was great, drinks were to a tee and the food was titillating and satisfying. That's funny .... titillating and satisfying in the same sentence. Sounds like a porn story or something. hahaha So we had a cake my other sister had made by a friend. it was gorgeous to say the least. My sister and niece took pictures but I can't seem to get them to email them to me, hint hint! It was hot pink with black ribbon and a big black bow tied like a gift and then it had pink and black curly ribbon hanging from it. It was all edible fondant and the cake weighed about 10 pounds I swear. It was so heavy and delish! It was white with raspberry filling. I am going to be using this lady for all my cakes from now on. I don't know what others she does but the wrapped gift look is great for just about any occasion. I really hope to post a pic of it on here soon if I can get them emailed to me. hint hint. It was one of the most special birthdays I can remember and Brent did a great job making it really special for me and I love him more each day for all that he brings to our relationship. OK, enough of the sappy emotional stuff.

So then it was time for CCD, basketball practices and we just signed up for baseball this weekend and picked up our two cases of candy to sell. Yuck. I hate that because they end up eating it, along with me and Brent, so I just end up writing a check for the lot of it to cover everything they ate along with anyone else who comes into the house! Ever since we came back from Lafayette that weekend, Liam's friends have been here all weekend long and we've had basketball games for Ian and then on Saturday we took Ian to Beaumont for a birthday party at the movie theater and got to spend three hours all by ourselves again. I'm getting used to having all this time with my husband. We did some errands, ate lunch and then hit up Super H-E-B to stock up on stuff that you can only get there. I love that store and I recently started going to Kroger Signature store in Beaumont and it is sooo nice. I actually had people who work there come up and ask me if I needed help finding something. Huh? Wha?? That never happens at Walmart or HEB here. In fact when they see you coming they turn around and head the other way or give you that "I can't believe you are going to interrupt my conversation while I'm at work to ask me some dumb ass question about where something is when it is clearly labeled on the sign ten foot above your head at the beginning of each aisle" you know that look right? Well, I just found a bunch of sights about Krogering and using coupons and their mega sales and stuff like that so I will be going back. I would rather drive 20 minutes and enjoy my grocery shopping experience in a CLEAN store that doesn't smell like dead, rotted meat than the crap Walmart has to offer. Our Walmart always seems to be super dirty and most of the time (if I have time) I will make time to drive to the other Walmart which is about 10 minutes farther. So if you have a Kroger Signature store nearby, give it a try. The blogs are raving about the sales and good deals so give it a go if you get a chance.

One new thing I've started is a menu plan. Yup, yesterday I sat down and did my menu planning based on things we already have. I have an obsession with grocery stores and going like everyday almost so I'm going to try and weed out so we can have some room. All three freezers are full and the two refrigerators are in need of stuff being weeded out and used up. So I did my menu based on things I don't have to go out for unless we run out of an essential item or I did a hair up my butt and want to try a new recipe. The cupboards have so much crap that I have nowhere, absolutely no where to put any new things. I am in the process of looking for an armoire with all shelves inside to use as a makeshift pantry for more canned goods and things of that sort. I recently put all the extra pumpkin, peanut butter and other canned goods of that sort on the shelving unit in the garage but food being outside with critters and bugs well that just doesn't sit well with me. Nope. Not at all. So we are going to see about using up some of the "crap" I have in the pantry and then stockpiling new things to do my weekly menu planning. If this goes well I want to do once a month cooking and shopping. I grocery shopped at the beginning of January with the understanding that it was for the month but within 2-3 days tops I was back at our local grocery store getting things for a new recipe I wanted to try. My friends just laugh at me. Even Liam said "Mom, we don't need anything else." But.... we always need milk, bread, eggs, etc. So I am going to try hard to stay out of Sam's too. That is the worse place for me to be - Sam's - hungry -- and bored. It makes for some very expensive shopping, although all the chicken, pork, and bacon I happened to pick up doesn't have anyone griping about it now. Last week I made the Cajun Meatloaf from The Pioneer Woman and it was soo good. Ian and Liam really liked it. Ian even commented that on all the cartoons they make noises and faces when they hear they are having meatloaf for supper, but he didn't understand why because he thought it was so good. My poor boys. I have never made a meatloaf in my life and I'd like to thank the meat manager at Kroger for pointing out the difference between ground pork and ground pork sausage. I won't go into details but will say that (1) there is a difference and (2) I'm glad I followed the recipe. So here goes my first ever Menu Planning Monday:

Monday:

Roast, rice & gravy, pinto beans (not from a can), cornbread

Tuesday: (CCD for Ian) Chicken-fried Steak w/gravy(courtesy of Sam's), butter beans, mashed potatoes which happen to be Liam's favorite food

Wednesday: (CCD for Liam) Salisbury steak, broccoli w/ cheese sauce, potatoes au gratin

Thursday: (Basketball Practice Ian) BBQ ribs (for ian - he loves them), citrus chicken (YUMMO), asparagus, dirty rice

Friday: Kids over so probably taquitoes, chili con queso, chips/dip; banana splits for dessert

Saturday: Basketball Games - probably out for late lunch or supper

Sunday: Hey, I just started this so if it lasts this long it will suprise me and you! Thinking Gumbo or Sausage and Lentil Soup courtesy of a copycat recipe from Carrabba's - truly DELISH.