Monday menus #17

Monday - Turkey and muenster on sourdough, chips

Tuesday - Mississippi Pot Roast crock pot, mashed, green beans

Wednesday - Greek Chicken Salad Bowls

Thursday - Spaghetti and Meatsauce from the freezer

Friday - Chicken Taco Soup crock pot

{Saturday and Sunday TBD - this is going to be a work in progress since some weekends we will be out of town, others I am on call...}

For the Greek Chicken Salad I am going to chop some romaine and add tomatoes, black olives, sliced cucumber, feta, and some grilled chicken with Greek seasoning.  I will assemble the salads and have them in the fridge, ready to eat!

Gina

5 thing Friday - downtime, bluebonnets, foot care, fingernails, dinner plans

My 5 thing list this week is "old news" judging by the pictures.  

Hubby and I enjoyed a day off together at Highlands.  We took in the view from Torr Na Lochs with a glass of petite syrah, then enjoyed BBQ from our favorite hole-in-the-wall joint in Burnet, soaked up some sun, picked some bluebonnets, and headed back home.

The bluebonnets are every where!  Though this might be the last of them, no need to fret -  there are others that will show up!  In fact, there were a lot of tiny yellow flowers scattered about, and the cacti were about to bloom as well.

I've been saying all week that I'm going to find a place to get a pedicure.  And I really meant to, but then I think about how many pedi's I could actually do myself for the cost of one at a salon, then I don't.  I stopped by Walgreen's and spent around $30 on the supplies to give myself several of them:  foot soak, a file, foot lotion.  And my toesies look pretty good!

I've been keeping my fingernails polished as well.  They look a million times better and go a long way to making me feel prettier.  It's so great to have them again.  I rub lotion into them several times a day now, too.

Years ago I had a pretty platter that I used to write messages to my peeps on - I thought it was quirky and fun.  I have no idea what happened to that platter, but knowing me, I purged it.  I had a smaller one, though, and I am going to be using it to post dinner instructions for the menfolk.  The instructions will be short and sweet. 

Gina

Wednesday menus #16, and tax time

 We managed to shave $1500 off what we thought we owed, so that's a plus.  

Wednesday - Quiche, zucchini, bacon
Thursday - Sliced ham, Mom's Macaroni Salad, Vanilla Wafer Cake
Friday - Mexican Chicken, salad
Saturday - Prom Night - Mom and Dad out
Sunday - Freezer meal of some sort

For a tax relief afternoon, Hubby and I took ourselves to lunch out and a winery at the end of last week.  

Next week, it's official:  I am on the evening shift at work.  I have reservations about it, sure.  But I am determined to make a go of it.  

Monday - sandwich night
Tuesday - Crock pot beef
Wednesday - salad/fridge meal
Thursday - oven/skillet meal (I prep, the menfolk cook it)
Friday - Crock pot chicken or pork
Saturday - Hubby grills
Sunday - Mom cooks (family meal)

Wish me luck!

Gina

What the week holds, and the eyes have it

Last week, Hubby and I braved stormy weather to get him to his eye surgery for cataract removal. The eye doc thinks this eye got a cataract as a result of an injury - Hubby remembers being poked in the eye with a stick on a scout campout.

He was actually cool and calm for his procedure.  No dripping sweat.  No loud joking.  And he tolerated the entire thing really well.

 And afterwards he got his choice of lunch - a beefy cheesey Schlotzsky and iced tea.

And all is well on this Monday after Easter - his vision is clear and healing is still happening.

This week we file and pay the taxes (BOO), Hubby has a follow up with the eye doc, I see the dentist for three chipped teeth (BOO AGAIN), I have two meetings to attend at work on my off days (MORE BOO), and I get off work early on Saturday to help Bubbie with prom logistics. So maybe we'll get a date night, too!  Time is zooming right along!

What does your week look like?

Gina

Wednesday menus #15 and senior pics

One day last week I helped Scout take casual senior pics of his brother.  We headed over to the greenbelt in our neighborhood - it was quiet and peaceful, and the weather was perfect.

It was just fun to hang out with them - they get along very well.  We were there for about an hour.  The greenbelt is so pretty this time of year.  

 Bubbie was a cooperative and willing subject for big bro.

Wednesday - Spaghetti and meat sauce, salad
Thursday - Freezer meals for the boys - Mom and Dad out
Friday - Lazy Daisy Turkey Meatballs, rice, broccoli
Saturday - Dad grills

Sunday - Easter Menu:

Sliced Ham with Honey Glaze

Arkansas Green Beans

Buttery Carrots

Heavenly Hash

Rolls

The World's Easiest Cheesecake Pie

Monday - Tilapia with crunchy crumbs, zucchini

Tuesday - Pork Chops, leftover Easter dinner sides, salad

Gina

What the week holds and flowers in my kitchen

On my Friday post I showed a pic of these clean and pretty canning jars all lined up and ready for some blooms. 

 Well, I moseyed over to Trader Joe's and bought daffodils and irises, and HEB to get button mums.

A day or two later the daffodils just straight up died.  I can't think of a reason that would have happened - I had great success with them in the past.  They never even opened.

However, the irises got busy...here is what they looked like just a couple of days after I put them in the window:

Irises remind me of my childhood home in Lubbock.  We had them growing in our flower beds both in front and back yards.  I love them so much that they were also in my wedding bouquet.  This exact color!

 And you can't beat button mums for staying power.  As of Sunday night, they are still going strong!  Maybe when I go grocery shopping tomorrow, I will grab another $4 bunch of something from HEB.

This week is a booger - I am on call Monday and Tuesday, Hubby has his eye surgery on Tuesday morning and a follow up appointment that I get him to on Wednesday.  Thursday I have a lunch meeting from 12-1:30, then Hubby and I are headed out to Highlands for some R&R.  We plan on stopping to eat dinner, then enjoying wine and a campfire, listening to the coyotes!  Whooooo....and hopefully I will get to see our hill covered in bluebonnets before they are all gone!  The Girl comes in on Friday and we will likely have a family dinner at home, hanging out and relaxing.  Then I work all weekend so Easter duties will fall on my peeps and we will all eat at 8 p.m. on Sunday.  I have a list of To Do's to work on, too.  It's gonna go by in a blur!  

What does your week look like?

Gina

5 thing Friday - stitchin, soles, cake, flower plans, nostalgia

I finished up a little stitchin' sussie I was doing for Bubbie 

 Never Doubt an Eagle Scout

It turned out to be a small piece, but big enough to mount on a wooden plaque and hang about his mirror in his room.  We will celebrate this milestone soon.

In the above pic is the removable sole from my fav work shoes, next to a new one. I don't know why it took me so long to replace them, but I am glad I finally did.  It makes a world of difference in how my feet feel after 12 hours.  These are my go-to shoes for work, they have saved my feet from ruin! 

I bought one of those small DH cake mixes that comes  with a frosting mix packet and a small pan.  It was good, but seems, considering you also provide the butter and egg.  But chocolate cake is never wrong. 

On someone's blog, or maybe Pinterest?, I saw canning jars painted, then distressed, filled with flowers.  I'm not going to paint my jars, but I can borrow them for flowers for a while. Off to Trader Joe's I go to see if they still sell small bunches of daffodils.

When my kids were small, I used film to capture their sweet smiles.  I didn't have a fancy camera; in fact, I didn't get a digital camera or decent cell phone for several years.  Now that we have a nifty fax/scanner, I can scan in some of my favorite photos.  It used to be that going through old photo albums made me feel nostalgic in a sad way.  But nowadays, I look back at these pics and smile. Seeing these old pics brings me much joy.

Gina

Wednesday menus #14 and Texas forever

Texas is my forever home.  

I wouldn't consider myself a country girl by any stretch of the imagination, but wide open spaces make my heart happy.

 You don't really want to go rolling around in them... they're most likely full of fire ants. Just admire them!

Wednesday - One Pot Chicken Enchilada Pasta, salad
Thursday - Homestyle baked beans with mesquite smoked brisket sausage, zucchini
Friday - Pizza Meatloaf, mini baked red potatoes, peas and carrots
Saturday - Dad grills
Sunday - Turkey Breast in crockpot, masheds, freezer veggie
Monday - Beef taco Rio Salads
Tuesday - Pork Roast Quesadillas, guacacmole
Dessert this week:  Berry Crunch Squares

 

 This is the bar at Saddlehorn, looking into the tank room.  I sat and decompressed on a Friday afternoon recently.

 And this is the view from the north patio, right...

...to left.  Big open spaces, so much sky. 

Gina

What the week holds and catching up

On the Organized Home Challenge for March was coming up with a weekly routine.  I have a routine - yet I still manage to fall behind, then scramble madly to catch up.  I'm sure I'm not the only one!  I think life just manages to get in the way of itself.

 Staying on schedule didn't used to be a problem for me.  I feel fairly organized - I am a champion list maker.  Still, I struggle to getting around to doing everything - from the things I love, like reading...

 ...to the things I don't love, such as laundry.  A lot of times, I catch up only out of necessity.  Do you ever fall so far behind that you are in crisis mode and can only do what you must?  Laundry is a must. {It's good think paying bills is not on the list of stuff I forget.  That could be a problem!}

So is buying food.  And another big must that I tend to overlook is keeping up with the people I care about...friends and family.  So this week, I am going to do just that!

The pretty girl in pink in the photo above is one of my besties, Marie, 1988.  (I am the second from the left, front row) We worked together at Laura Ashley, then at Mother and Child.  For a short time we even lived in the same apartment complex.  From the moment I met her, I felt like we were destined to be buds - corny, I know.  Then as I began my family, and she expanded hers, we brought our kids to each others' kids' birthday parties, friends' baby showers (including one she threw for me!), visited each others' homes, and talked often on the phone.  She moved away, we lost touch, yada yada...  I found her again via social media and her blog, and guess what?  She's coming into town this week and we will play catch up over tea!  It's one of the most fun sot of catch-ups and I can't wait to see her!

This week Bubbie has UIL competition for band, as well as pre-admission testing for the community college.  Hubby and I each have doc appointments.  There is catch up to do on many things around the house, too - groceries, errands, housework, etc.  But it's the Wednesday catch-up with an old friend that's making me look forward to the week.

What does your week look like?

Gina