Wordless Wednesday--Monkey See, Monkey Do.

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out Wordless Wednesday or 5 minutes for mom!

Menu Plan Monday

Week in review:
We really liked the sauce on the ribs. I didn't start them soon enough so I par-boiled them and then stuck them in the crock pot. Mostly I did it that way because I didn't want to have my oven on and we haven't bought a new grill since moving. They were a little tough, but that was my fault for not letting them cook the longer amount of time. The sauce would make some excellent bbg chicken on the grill!!

We also really liked the Shepherd's pie (freezer meal). Believe it or not, I had never made one before. I'll post the recipe below.

The fajitas were also very good. They had a little spice to them!

So..on to this week!

Scroll down for recipes!!

Monday--chicken pot pie (Last Sept. I went to see my friend, Christi, in Georgia and she made this pot pie while I was there. It was so yummy that I had to have the recipe.)
Tuesday--taco salad, green chili and corn rice
Wednesday--pork roast (crock pot meal...so easy and yummy!!), mashed potatoes, buttery cooked carrots, and Syrian green beans (we tried the carrots and green beans a couple of weeks ago and really like them both!)
Thursday--lemon butter chicken, broccoli rice casserole (made in the crockpot...easy and super good!), corn on the cob
Friday--homemade pizza
Saturday/Sunday--leftovers

For more menu plans, check out Laura's blog here.


Christi's Famous Chicken Pot Pie (try it and you'll see!!)
* the notes are from Christi, as I am just posting the e-mail she sent me

Chicken Pot Pie - as it's written

Pastry for Double Crust Pie (I'll add that for you)
1 10 ounce package frozen peas & carrots
1/2 cup chopped onion (I omit these)
1/2 cup chopped fresh mushrooms (I omit these too)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried sage, marjoram, or thyme crushed (I use poultry seasoning, &
I add a little more)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups chicken broth (I get this from boiling my chicken)
3 cups cubed/shredded chicken
3/4 cup milk

***I also add diced potato. I don't really know how much, probably 1 large & 1
medium. I cook them
with the peas & carrots. You could also use the diced hashbrowns.

*** It will need more salt than is called for, especially because of the
potatoes.

Prepare pastry; set aside. Cook peas & carrots according to package directions
& drain.

In a saucepan cook onion & mushrooms in margarine or butter until tender. Stir
in flour, salt, herbs &
pepper. Add chicken broth & milk all at once. cook & stir till thickened & bubbly. Stir in peas &
carrots (and potatoes), & chicken. Cook till bubbly.

Pour mixture into 10 x 13 casserole. Roll out crust and place over mixture;
vent so that steam comes
out.

Bake at 450 for aout 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Double Crust Pastry:

2 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup shortening
6 to 7 tablespoons cold water

1.Stir together flour & 1/2 teaspoon salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in
shortening till pieces are pea-
sized.

2. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the mixture. Gently toss
with a fork. Push
moistened dough to side of bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon water at a time,
till all of the flour is
moistened.


Pork Roast

1 can Cream of Mushroom
1 can Cream of Celery
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken broth
4-5 lb. Pork Roast, Butt Cut trimmed of fat
Garlic, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cook 4 hours on high in crock pot, or until it falls apart. This makes a yummy gravy that we like on mashed potatoes.


Broccoli and rice casserole

1 lb. chopped broccoli, fresh or frozen, thawed
1 med. onion, chopped
1 T. canola oil
1 c. minute rice or 1 1/2 c. cooked rice
10 3/4 oz. can cream of chicken or mushroom soup (I used mushroom)
1/4 c. milk
1 1/3 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Cook broccoli for 5 minutes in saucepan in boiling water. Drain and set aside.

2. Saute onion in oil in saucepan until tender. Add to broccoli.

3. Combine remaining ingredients. Add to broccoli mixture and pour into greased slow cooker.

4. Cover. cook on low 3-4 hours.


Shepherd's Pie

From 30 day Gourmet

(recipe for 1 pie: serves 4-6)

2 T. butter
1/2 c. onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 T. flour
2 c. (16 oz.) beef broth
1/2 c. tomato sauce
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 t. oregano
salt and pepper to taste
2.5 c. ground beef (or turkey), cooked
2 c. make ahead mashed potoates
Containers: 8" pie plate(s), 8x8 pan(s), or 1 gallon freezer bags for filling and quart freezer bags for potatoes

Assembly Directions:
Melt butter in saucepan and fry the onion and carrots until golden brown. Stir in the flour and cook one minute. Gradually stir in beef broth bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, and seasonings. Cover the pan. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Remove from heat and add cooked ground meat. Mix well. Pour into sprayed 8" pie plate, 8x8 pan or freezer bag. If in pan or plate, top with potatoes, wrap with foil and place in a 2-gallon freezer abg. Seal. If in bag, put potatoes in sperate bag, label, and freeze together.

Freezing and Cooking Directions:
Label and freeze.
to serve, thaw. (If in bags, put filling in pan and spread potatoes on top.) Bake at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until topping is brown and meat is heated through. To heat from the frozen stage, add 10-15 minutes more baking time.


Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes

From 30 Day Gourmet

(this recipe makes 7 cups)

5 lbs. potatoes
1 egg
1/2 t. garlic powder
3 T. butter
1 t. salt
8 oz. cream cheese
1/4 c. almonds, sliced (optional)
paprika for color

Containers: quart or 1-gallon freezer bags or rigid containers

Assembly Directions:
Peel and quarter potatoes. Place potatoes in a saucepan and cover completely with water. Bring to a boil, then gently cook until tender. Drain well. In large bowl, combine potatoes, cream cheese, egg, garlic powder, and salt. Mash well by hand or with electric mixer. Spoon potatoes into spray-treated or greased 3 quart casserole or 9x13 pan. Drizzle or brush melted butter over potatoes. Sprinkle with almonds (optional) and paprika. Refrigerate for up to 2 days or label and freeze for later.

Freezing and Cooking Directions:
Label and freeze in freezer bags or rigid containers.
To serve, thaw completely. Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the top is golden.

Update on our upgrades:

So...we got the windows. They are custom made and will be ready to install in 4-6 weeks! I am so excited!!

Upgrading our home!!

We went Wednesday night and ordered carpet to go in our basement. I am so excited. They will carpet the stairs going down and the front room in the basement. You can see the carpet we are getting here.

We are also in the process of having an estimate done on getting our bathroom remodeled. I can't wait for that. Our home was built in 1972 and I think the tub, toilet, and sink are all original.

Tomorrow someone is coming to give us an estimate for new windows and doors and on Tuesday someone is coming to give an estimate on new gutters.

I'm so glad to get this stuff going!!

New name....

Truth be told, when I was creating my blog I was trying to come up with a name and nothing was coming to me. I chose One Life because I really like the song One by U2. Well, tonight at dinner Logan said something and I thought, "I should call my blog that". Logan always says "all day night" instead of all day long. I love it. I thought it fit my blog since I am a momma and a wife "all day night" and this is my tale of those two things.

Proof...

If you read this post, you'll know that Lucas does not like eating broken Fruity Cheerios. Today I caught him in the act of disposing of the broken pieces. He thought it was pretty clever!!

Wordless Wednesday

BROTHERLY LOVE

This is how they kept busy while I did my Tackle it Tuesday!! Logan proclaimed his brother to be a giant!! Lucas thought sitting on the town was great fun!!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out Wordless Wednesday or 5 minutes for mom!

Tackle it Tuesday #2

Last week I rearranged things in Logan's room. This week I continued in there. Check out last week to see the progress. I dind't get everything done, but it is still progress. I kind of made my own wallies out of a wall paper border. I didn't really want to put the whole border up, so I cut things out. That took a while. I gave up on hanging a shelf after making about 5 holes in the wall and it still didn't want to go up. I used the wallies to cover the holes!!




I love these pictures. I actually created these. I used his comforter as a stencil, so it matches his bedding perfectly.
Logan loves this light switch cover, so I had to get it up.


He also loves having access to his hats!

Menu Plan Monday

Last week we tried some new recipes that we really liked. The green beans, carrots, beef broccoli stir fry (recipe on last week's menu) and fried rice (I'll post the recipe below) were all great.

We didn't have the ribs last week, so I moved that to this week.

Scroll to the bottom for recipes!!
For more menus, head over to Laura's blog!

Monday--ribs, homemade potato salad, cole slaw
Tuesday--fajitas (I adjusted it to 8 servings), rice, beans
Wednesday--sweet-n-spicy kielbasa, mashed sweet potatoes, corn on the cob
Thursday--Mexican spaghetti (freezer meal), black eye peas, carrots
Friday--Shepherd's pie (freezer meal), rolls
Saturday/Sunday--leftovers

Easy Spanish Rice

I don't think I ever make Spanish rice the same twice. Last time I was planning it, I was trying to think of an easy way to make it. Now, I know you can buy the boxes of it, but I hadn't really found one I liked. Anyway, hubby went on and on about this rice, so I am posting it here or else I will forget about it.

All I did was get a box of Uncle Ben's chicken flavored rice and a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. I cooked the rice according to the directions, making one exception. My package called for 2 cups water. I measured the juice in the can of tomatoes and there was 3/4 c. I added the can of tomatoes with the juice in and 1 1/4 c water into the rice. So...I had my 2 cups of liquid and the tomatoes/green chilies and then cooked it according to the directions. It was sooo yummy!!

Mexican Spaghetti

**This makes a lot. We eat one meal off of it and freeze half of the sauce for later.

1 lb. hamburger meat
1 med. onion, diced
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 can rotel
2 8 oz cans tomato suace
1 lb. spaghetti noodles

Brown hamburger meat with diced onion. Drain the meat and add the soup, rotel, and tomato sauce. Mix this all together and then pour it in with spaghetti that has been cooked according to package directions. Mix well and serve.

This would also be good made with chicken. Or...leave the meat out completely.

Sweet and Spicy Kielbasa
(I think I originally found this in a Fix it and Forget it cookbook)

1 cup packed brown sugar
6 tbsp. spicy mustard
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 pounds smoked kielbasa, cut into 2-inch pieces

Combine brown sugar, mustard and onion in crock pot; add kielbasa, stirring to evenly coat.
Cover and cook on low-heat 2-1/2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Yield: 6 servings.

Teppan Yaki Fried Rice

l clove garlic, minced
1/2 t. ginger
cooked rice (I think I used about 2 cups, cooked)
1/4 c. carrot, sliced
1/4 c. green onion, sliced
1 egg
1 T. butter
1 T. soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Toast garlic and ginger in a little bit of oil. Add the cooked rice and fry. Add the carrots and green onion and continue to cook. Scramble the egg in a bowl and add to the rice and vegetables. Toss to cook. Add butter, soy sauce, salt, and pepper. Toss and serve.

Logan's eye owie...

For some reason or another, Logan was very clumsy yesterday! He fell down the staris twice and once while going up the stairs. Thankfully, he was near the bottom each time, but he still hurt himself. The first time he fell, he was on his way down to the basement to get his cup to be refilled. I heard him fall and rushed to see if he was okay. He was crying, but not too bad, and I asked him where he hit. He said the floor...yes, but where did you hit yourself. "Lots of places". And he did...he has a small bruise on his cheek, on his forehead and his leg. He seemed fine after a few mintues of kisses and snuggles.
Later when Daddy was home, he had been down in the basement cleaning up his toys in the playroom. Daddy went down to inspect and Logan spotted a toy that was still out. He tried to beat Daddy down the stairs and fell once again. This time he hit his face on his Step 2 Kitchen. All seemed fine until later. He kept complaining about his eye. When I looked at it more closely, it was very red. He would grab it and cry and then be fine for a bit and later grab it and cry. I told him if it still hurt this morning we would take him to the doctor.
Sure enough, it was still hurting and red, so I called his doctor. I took him in to have it checked and it turns out he has two small corneal abrasions. They put some special drops in his eye (that stained him orange) and used a black light to see if there were any tears. Logan thought it was pretty cool until they had to fight him to get the drops in his eye. Of course, his super long lashes didn't make it easy for them...LOL! Anyway, I have some antibiotics to put in his eye and we will go back on Monday to check that it has healed properly.

Adventures in Babywearing's Mason & Matisse Giveaway!

I had not heard of Mason & Matisse until I read about a contest that Adventures in Babywearing is having. They have some really awesome baby stuff!! I have to agree with Steph that their Tea Collection for boys is totally cute!! Thanks, Steph, for introducing me to this awesome company!

If you have a baby or know someone who has a baby, head on over to sign up for the giveaway!!

Lucas has a new favorite past time....

Lucas has discovered it is really fun to toss his toys down the stairs to the basement. What is even better for him is when Logan happens to be down there and will bring the toys back up to him so he can do it all over again.

Wordless Wednesday

Lucas LOVES to eat!!

For more Wordless Wednesday fun, check out Wordless Wednesday or 5 minutes for mom!

Tackle it Tuesday #1

We just bought our first house at the beginning of March. I am still in the process of getting things "just right". Today I tackled Logan's room. I'm still not sure it is "just right", but I think I just need some time to adjust to it looking different. The biggest thing is that Logan didn't loose it when I suggested moving things around.

Join me next week when I tackle his closet and put up the decorations in his room.

Before

After

Head on over to 5 minutes for Mom for more Tackle it Tuesday fun!!

Things that make me go hmmmm...

I've been trying forever to get Lucas to drink from a sippy cup. I thought I'd never wean him because he refused to drink from anything but me. I mean, he'd take a few sips of something, but that was it...certainly not enough to stay hydrated. Well, apparently all I need to do to make him like a sippy cup was give him one like his brother's. I guess he was afraid Logan might be getting something better than him. I gave him a drink from his brother's cup and he went to town. Who knew?

Another thing....he loves Fruity Cheerios. However, don't dare give him broken ones...they'll get tossed on the floor!! I guess he and my cat have something in common. They don't like to eat small pieces of food. Molly will meow and carry on like she is out of food and you will go down to see only small pieces in her bowl. She won't eat them. I mean, don't the small pieces taste the same...LOL!!

Here is Lucas enjoying his Cheerios...don't mind the piece on his nose!




And something Logan said that had me scratching my head....He kept talking about a stachio (rhymes with pistachio). I could NOT figure out what he was talking about. The other day Molly (the cat) was under the end table and Logan was leaned over looking at her. He kept saying, "A kitty stachio, a kitty stachio". Huh?? Oh....you mean a kitty statue!!

Menu Plan Monday

We went out to eat one night last week, so I pulled one meal from last week that wasn't used. Again, lots of new things this week and lots of tried and true!! I'll have an update later on things we have tried recently that will make it into our favorites!!

Monday--smoky chicken, cuban black beans and rice, fried squash(I'm using summer squash)

Tuesday--Penne a la vodka (got this recipe from my sister...I will post it below), rolls, salad

Wednesday--beef broccoli stiry fry (also from my sister...see below), fried rice, egg rolls

Thursday--poppy seed chicken over jasmine rice (you guessed it...from my sister), buttery cooked carrots, and Syrian green beans (I'll omit the cilantro, as I'm not a fan of it)

Friday--ribs, homemade potato salad, cole slaw

Saturday--leftovers

For menu plans, check out Laura's blog here.

Penne a la Vodka Sauce

(the notes are from my sister)
1 package sausage (Italian Turkey)
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
1 large can crushed tomatoes (28oz.)
¼ cup vodka
½ teaspoon salt
½-1 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
¾ cup fat free half and half
1 cup skim milk

Cook garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes, add sausage; cook until sausage is browned. Add tomatoes and vodka and simmer for about 3 minutes (this cooks off the alcohol). Season with salt and hot red pepper flakes. Add the half and half and milk and simmer 2-3 minutes. Serve over Penne Pasta.

Freezing instructions: Cook as directed above. Allow to cool and store in freezer bags. Thaw in the refrigerator 24 hours before serving. Heat the sauce in the microwave, on the stovetop or in the crockpot (High 2 hours or Low 4 hours). Serve over Penne Pasta.

The original recipe called for1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream, but we altered the recipe to be lowfat. We also are using turkey Italian sausage and the original called for Italian or Breakfast sausage.

Weight Watchers Points: (sauce only)
1cup= 4points
½ cup=2 points

Spicy Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry

Weight Watchers New Complete cookbook

2T dry sherry
2T dark soy sauce
1 T grated peeled fresh ginger
5-6 garlic cloves, minced
1 t Asian dark sesame oil
¼ t crushed red pepper
½ lb. beef tenderloin, trimmed of all fat and cut into thin strips
1 t cornstarch
1 T veg. oil
4 cups broccoli florets- cut into bite size pieces
3 scallions thinly sliced.

To prepare the marinade, in a gallon size zip lock bag, combine sherry, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and red pepper, add the beef. Seal the bag, squeezing out the air, turn to coat the beef. Refrigerate, turning the bag to coat the beef. Refrigerate, turning the bag occasionally, about 1 hour.
Drain the marinade into a measuring cup; add enough water to make 1/3 cup liquid. Add the cornstarch until it dissolves.
Heat a large nonstick skillet or wok with a lid over a high heat. Add the vegetable oil and beef; stir-fry until the beef loses its red color, about 1 minute. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate. Reduce the heat slightly and add the broccoli; stir-fry 3 minutes, then cover and steam 1 minute. Return the beef to the skillet and add the marinade; increase the heat to high and stir-fry until the sauce thickens, 2-3 minutes. Serve, sprinkled with scallions.

Serve over rice

Per serving: (¼ of stir-fry only) 207 cal., 11g fat, 3 g fiber,573mg sodium, 8g Carb., 18g protein. Point value:4

Poppy Seed Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts
1 (8 oz.) carton of sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 stick butter
1 stack Ritz crackers
2 t. poppy seeds

Boil and chop chicken. Mix in soup and sour cream. Spread into 8x8 casserole dish. Melt butter and add to crushed crackers and poppy seeds (I do this in a ziploc bag). Sprinkle topping mixture over casserole. Bake at 325' for 30-40 minutes.

Happy Mother's Day...

My friend, Christi, did this on her blog and I thought it was a great idea, so I copied!! LOL

This was taken the day before Logan was born...I went into labor late that night.





Shortly after he was born....



One week before Lucas was born (I was scheduled to be induced, but went into labor on my own the night before!!)...



Shortly after he was born....

They are growing up way too fast!!

I hope you all have a Happy Mother's Day!!

Who doesn't like free stuff??

Five Minutes for Mom is having some great giveaways for Mother's Day. Head on over to sign up. Run, don't walk....time is almost up!

Wordless Wednesday (okay, so I posted it a little early!)

These were taken summer 2005 on a trip to CA.

Check out more Wordless Wednesday pics here!

On the flight home!

Speaking of men....

I have two little ones at home!! They certainly fill my days with joy and keep me on my toes! Logan is 4.5 and amazes me each day. The questions he comes up with really make me laugh. Lucas is 14 months old and is just the cutest little boy ever (well...along with Logan). He is just now trying to walk and loves to push his walking toy around. It is so funny to watch him...he doesn't bend his knees at all. He looks like a stiff old man with a walker! I spend my days with my boys and I wouldn't have it any other way!

Men....

Last night when my husband got home from work, he had a big pile of "stuff". His office recently moved from one location to another and he was bringing home his stuff from the old office. Out from his bag he pulled a lunch bag that I hadn't seen in at LEAST a year. A video game that he loaned to a co-worker a long time ago and a Christmas present. You know, it seems that women really love gifts. We love to get them and love to open them. There is no way I would have had a Christmas present still WRAPPED!! I rip them open as soon as I can. Not my husband though....it had been in his office this whole time and he hadn't opened it! It was from the company he worked for and turned out to be a nice notebook and pen. Funny...he had just asked me to pick one up for him next time I was out. If only he had opened it sooner he would have been set!!

Oh...and there was lots more "stuff". Lots of little things with different company logos...stress relief balls, pins, pens, etc....

Menu Plan Monday

We are trying several new recipes this week!


Monday--bean soup with kielbasa, corn bread, fried potatoes

Tuesday--pepper steak, jasmine rice, lemon pepper crunch veggies

Wednesday--paprika pork chops, pierogies, black eye peas

Thursday--beef tips and noodles, green beans, corn

Friday--smoky Appalachian chicken, cuban black beans and rice, fried squash

Saturday--leftovers

For more Menu Plan Monday fun, check here!

The Boogey Man...

We were eating at Boston Market a couple of days ago and I learned what the Boogey Man really is!! There is a lady that works there that Logan really likes. This was actually only his second time to see here there, but the first time we were there, she was so nice to him. When we walked in this time, she said that she remembered him and I asked him if he remembered her. I knew the answer to that....he remembers EVERYTHING! So, we go sit at the table we always sit at. That puts my back to the soda machine and Logan facing it. He was looking over there and after a while, he said that he could drink ice tea because it has lemonade in it. The first time he met this lady, she had a drink and he asked what it was....1/2 lemonade and 1/2 iced tea. So...he remembered what she was drinking. Anyway, as we were getting ready to leave, I took Logan to the restroom one last time. He wanted to take his drink with us, but I told him to leave it on the table and we would get it on our way out. The lady told him that she would watch it and make sure no one took it. So, when we came out he asked her if she watched it...if she made sure no one took it. She said she had....that the Boogey Man came in and tried to take it, but she wouldn't let him. Well, at the time, I didn't think about it, but I've never talked to Logan about the Boogey Man, so he had no clue what she was talking about. Trying to make sense of it, he asked her if the man was picking his nose. So.......there you have it. A Boogey Man is a man that picks his nose! Who knew?

Giving it a go....

So, I finally decided to give this blogging thing a try. However, I've played on here way too long and I need to get in bed. We'll see what kind of damage I can do tomorrow!