MENU - FIRST HALF OF JUNE 2013

Here are a few new recipes we've tried since the last menu. 

* shrimp with garlic lemon vinaigrette - I've had this recipe for several years, but we hadn't made it since I started posting all my recipes online.  We made it recently and it was the first time the little Ws had eaten shrimp.  Two inhaled it, one thought it was fine, one wasn't a fan.
* roasted broccoli with plum sauce - This is funky combination of ingredients, but I thought it was delicous.

And now for what's cooking in the days ahead.  The days of June.  June!  Can you believe this year is almost half over?!






BREAKFASTS
* doughnuts x2
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, raisins, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and energy mix as optional toppings x8
* buttermilk cinnamon bread/smoothies
* brunch egg bake
* almond coconut granola (making a double batch and giving away half)/yogurt
* wheat germ whole wheat buttermilk pancakes/smoothies

DINNERS
* leftovers x2
* tacos x2
* Swiss mac & cheese with smoked sausage/Leslie's salad
* cheesy green beans/rice
* quinoa & black beans/raw veggies
* hearty chicken vegetable soup (crockpot)/toast
* tropical salad with Hawaiian chicken (bbq) replacing the bacon/toast
* egg salad sandwiches/raw veggies
* lemon garlic tilapia/rice/peas & corn
* sausage balls/fruit salad/cool ranch Doritos/cheddar Lay's (Devon's birthday dinner)
* BLTs/multi-grain chips/raw veggies
* creamy white bean chicken chili/cornbread

SNACKS & DESSERTS
* produce
* nuts - pistachios & roasted almonds
* popcorn
* hummus and black bean dip for veggies
* Klondike bars
* orange creamsicle cookies

5/30/13. THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful that our kids often choose to have their noses buried in a book that they don't want to set down.

What is something that you are thankful for?

73.5 HOURS

You may remember that last year I spent Memorial Day weekend at the beach with some other women.  They go every year and one of them had invited me along.  Well, a couple months ago I got an e-mail saying they were getting things order for this year .... and that my way had been paid!!  Seriously!?  I'll never know who covered my part of the expense, but I'm so grateful for their generosity and thoughtfulness!!  There's no way I could have gone otherwise. 

Anyway, my last few days have been wonderful.  A friend came to my house on Thursday and we carpooled to the condo we'd rented in Lincoln City. (As a side note, we stayed in this one last year and both units are great.  Just a little FYI, in case you're looking for somewhere to stay over there.) We changed into pajamas by about 4:00 and spent the evening eating, catching up with the people we haven't talked with since last year, playing Bananagrams, and laughing a bunch. 

Friday morning is when everyone likes to hit the Tanger Outlets, as the weekend crowds aren't there yet.  I wasn't going to buy anything, but I rode over with one lady and enjoyed browsing the game and book stores while she did her shopping.  The weather was better than forecasted, so she and I walked on the beach for about an hour when she was done shopping. Eventually everyone else made it back from shopping and we just hung out at our place for the afternoon.

Friday evening the other ladies went to get pedicures and I had some time alone.  It was still dry outside, so I grabbed my Bible and a blanket and headed out to our deck.  It was so nice to spend an hour listening to the waves, working on a Bible study I'm doing, and watching people enjoy the beach.  They returned from pedicures and the usual evening routine of pajamas, eating, talking, laughing, and playing Bananagrams commenced. 

A couple of the ladies had come a day early and had someone come over to give them massages on Thursday, but the massage therapist came back again on Saturday for two other ladies to get massages. (Another side note is that the therapist's name is Leila Whitlock-Hauth and she does on-site massages in Salem and Lincoln City.  Just an FYI, in case that sounds like something you'd be interested in.  I can't give a personal recommendation, as I didn't get a massage, but I saw the happy faces of the other ladies when theirs were done and they were really pleased with her massages.)  So we spent Saturday morning laying around the condo, then everyone who wasn't getting a massage either left to exercise or hunkered down in a bedroom to chat or read magazines. 

Saturday afternoon some people went back to the outlets, others watched a movie, and Ashley came to visit me for a couple hours.  That evening was the one and only meal that's ever eaten at a restaurant during the long weekend, so off we went to The Side Door Cafe.  Oh my!  I love that place!  I've eaten there twice and everything at our table has looked or been delicious each time.  Here's a peek at their menu, in case you're looking for a place to eat around there.  Their website is kinda funky, but just keep clicking "next" at the bottom of the page to see the rest of the menu. Saturday evening ... well, you've probably caught on to the evening routine by now. 

This morning we relaxed for a couple hours, then loaded everything up and headed for home.

I love my family and I love being home full-time.  I also really loved having 73.5 hours without any responsibilities, expectations, or questions.  I loved having 73.5 hours to just relax. 

5/23/13 THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for running water.  And the option to have it hot or cold.  And multiple sources of it in my home. 

What's something that you're thankful for?

SOME HELPFUL LINKS AND IDEAS FOR STUDENTS

Books - Leslie recently posted a picture on Facebook of some books she uses for language arts with her kids. I've read a book for adults by the same author and just finished another, so the kids' books intrigued me.  A quick check on the library site showed that another library in our system had them, so I clicked "request" and picked them up a couple day's later.  Oh my!  We love them!  In fact, at some point I'll probably buy copies to keep at home.  The first is Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference!  The second is The Girl's Like Spaghetti: Why, You Can't Manage without Apostrophes!  The third is Twenty-Odd Ducks: Why, every punctuation mark counts!  All three books are by Lynne Truss.  All three have fun illustrations.  All three made us laugh.  All three are helpful in teaching the proper use of punctuation.

Website - We met a family at swimming lessons last spring and found out the wife has a website that's focused on ideas for teaching math ... and a few non-math ideas thrown in the mix, just for good measure.  It's called love2learn2day and it's filled with all sorts of helpful information.  If you're looking for some ways to liven up your math lessons or need some new ways to get a concept through to your students, then check out Cindy's site.  You can also follow her Facebook page.  At her recommendation, I just reserved Skittles Riddles Math from the library.  I'm pretty sure I'll earn some "cool mom" points by incorporating colorful bites of sugar into our school day.

Picture - Shelley recently posted a picture she'd found on Pinterest and I copied it a few days ago.  Not all the little Ws need help with remembering liquid measurements, but this was helpful for the ones who do and fun to draw for the ones who don't.  As for me, I think I earned some sort of award for drawing a picture.  Don't you agree?

I don't know how well you can see the details, but the gallon house is shaped like a "G" with a roof on top.  There are four windows, each in the shape of a "Q", which represent four quarts.  Each quart window has two of the letter "P", which represent two pints, and look like people.  Each pint person has two eyes, each shaped like a "C", which represent cups.  Four quarts in a gallon, two pints in a quart, and two cups in a pint.  If someone is having a hard time keeping those measurements straight, then this visual should help a bunch!

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MENU - SECOND HALF OF MAY 2013

I've got two new recipes for you this time.

* roasted red pepper and feta dip - Super fast and tasty.
* honey and spice cookies - I've never had a honey flavored cookie and we all liked these.  They're super soft!


BREAKFASTS
* doughnuts x1
* oatmeal with brown sugar, cinnamon, milk, raisins, fruit, huh-koe-pee milk, and energy mix as optional toppings x7
* cranberry granola
* cherry oatmeal muffins/smoothies
* scrambled eggs (ours are always made with a ton of chopped spinach and some cheese)/toast
* oatmeal pancakes/cottage cheese

DINNERS
* leftovers x1
* tacos x2 (Tim will do one of these meals)
* steak salad/rice (bbq, Tim's doing this meal)
* pulled pork sandwiches (crockpot, meat from the freezer)/coleslaw
* penne and sausage casserole/Leslie's salad (some for us, some for a meal delivery)
* corn and bean salad (bbq)/tortilla chips
* grilled chicken/new barley recipe/frozen peas and corn
* shrimp with garlic lemon vinaigrette/cracked wheat & rice pilaf/roasted broccoli with plum sauce
* quinoa patties/lemon garlic cucumbers/carrot sticks
* meatball sandwiches (meatballs from the freezer)/grapes/carrots (Tim's doing this meal)
* rice elena/green beans with feta & dill

SNACKS & DESSERTS
* produce
* nuts - pistachios & roasted almonds
* popcorn
* creamy lemon pie (never got around to it last time, will make an extra for a meal delivery)
* chocolate chip peanut butter bars

COUNTING THE DAYS

Tim has been in the administrative program for several months, but it wasn't until recently that we knew when he'd be done.  There was only one thing to do with that information once we had it.  I did that thing a few days ago.