Monday Monday, Can't Trust That Day (otherwise titled: Nobody Likes a Whiner)

Ugh. Here we are. Monday. AGAIN. I swear the weekend was about 30 seconds long. I don't remember my parents complaining about Monday on Sunday night like we do. Is it a generational thing? My mom was a stay-at-home mom and my dad was a salesman...Both worked hard, but didn't complain. I complain. A LOT. It's not that I don't want to work; I do. I'm a hard worker and I like my job. I'd just RATHER be at home with my family sometimes. Is it a generational thing that we complain about the week starting already? I think so. I think our parents knew that complaining wasn't going to make a difference so why do it?

But today, I am reminded of something I used to say to my twin cousins when they were little (and then I'd make them repeat it because it was too cute): Nobody likes a whiner!

So, Kristen, have some coffee, get your butt in gear and let's go.

This weekend we went to a pumpkin patch.

It was fun, but the pumpkins and other goods were SO expensive that we only got a couple of pumpkins then got the rest at Walmart (same size, less than half price. Score one for Walmart!).

 

 

Anyway, so Kennedy colored her pumpkin with Sharpies and Avery painted hers. Then we had a lovely, rainy, windy Saturday evening with movies and games. I loved it!

Sunday we went to church, had another windy rainy movie afternoon, then I took Kennedy to Girl Scouts where she carved a pumpkin and we learned about all the fun activities planned for the year. I don't know who's more excited....Probably me. I <3 Girl Scouts! When we got home, that's when Ave painted her pumpkin. We wound the weekend down with hot chocolate and cider. It was so cozy!

For this week, we are having:

Broccoli Cheese soup
Three cheese pasta bake
Italian sandwich bake
Chicken noodle soup
(and if we need another meal, chicken and stuffing because it's awesome and I can't get enough of it!)

I made the broccoli cheese soup on Saturday and it was AWESOME. I doubled the recipe (but not the cheese) because I knew we would eat it all if I didn't and I wanted left overs!So then we ate the rest last night for dinner. The chopped green pepper gave it a little something extra awesome. We served it with garlic texas toast and it would have served 8-9 people if they'd only had 1 bowl each. However it served 2 people over 2 days because we're unashamed gluttons. ;) Try some of these recipes and I PROMISE you won't be disappointed!

SMH (Shakin My Head)

*I felt that I needed to put the definition of SMH in parenthesis for all of you who aren't in the know... ;)

OK. So. We just got back from Colorado yesterday. I don't even know what to say. It's a state full of CRAZIES. If you are from CO, and you aren't crazy, I'm sorry, but you are WAY outnumbered. I'm going to save you all the long story for 2 reasons: a) I'm not about to bad mouth people, even if they are ridiculous, fake, narcissistic, conceited, dbags. b) I don't want this post to be 364 pages long. Maybe I'll write a book about the experience later. Let's not talk about Thursday and Friday of the trip. We'll just skip to Saturday and Sunday because those are the only days worth mentioning, and the only days that don't make me want to punch people when I talk about them.

It was officially the Three Musketeers together again on vacation. Kennedy, Bryan and I haven't gone anywhere just the three of us in about 3 1/2 years. Saturday was basically taken up by finding a rental car and a hotel room. God bless our friend Brandon who got us a great rate with the hotel company he works for! So we got up, went to lunch at a restaurant called the Purple Ginger. If you are ever in the Denver area, I recommend looking it up (in the Englewood area). Just a helpful hint, Enterprise rentals don't pick you up on the weekend unless it was previously scheduled. It's not a last minute thing, apparently. Also, all their offices are closed on the weekends except for the airport offices. So anyway, after a lunch of hot and sour soup and crab and cream cheese stuffed salmon, we went to get a car. Then we took Kennedy to buy a bathing suit since I didn't think to bring one since we weren't supposed to BE at a hotel. We had dinner and she got to swim all evening. I read a little at the side of the pool when I wasn't scoring her cannonballs and counting how many seconds it took her to swim from one side of the pool to the other.. It was lovely and peaceful.

Sunday morning we got up and ate a hot breakfast, then spent the morning and early afternoon at the Denver zoo.

For Bryan and I, if you've seen one zoo, you've pretty much seen them all. But Kennedy really had a good time, so it was worth it to us to go. It was a lovely fall day, cool in the shade, warm in the sun.


We spent Sunday afternoon driving up into the Rockies. OH MY. Let me just say, living in a flat state your whole life, you don't appreciate mountains unless you see them live and in person. Our actual destination was the Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel, which was once the longest and highest auto tunnel in the world. It is still the highest in the country though. Just a short drive out west of Denver and we were well into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Every time we drove around a bend, there were more mountains, and the further we got in, the bigger and more impressive they became. These views are what we wanted out of this whole trip. At first, Kennedy didn't want to go for the drive, then she was speechless at the beauty of it all.

 

We even parked the car on Ute Pass and walked into the forest on this tiny narrow trail. The forest is SO thick that it deadens any sound from the roadways. However, we were so far out that there wasn't much noise from the road anyway. I never realized how big of a difference there was between 'woods' and 'forest' It's INSANE how beautiful it was. Kennedy said it reminded her of a Disney movie, and I'd have to agree.

 

 

 

We are trying not to hate Colorado. I never want to return to Denver because of the first 2 days of our trip. HOWEVER, the drive through the mountains made us decide to give the state another chance in the future. So at some point, we would like to return to the mountains to hike the Ute trail up to the peak and camp out for a couple of days. Then we also want to go fly fishing, horseback riding through Garden of the Gods, white water rafting and tour a ghost town. I think there were moret things on the list, but I don't recall just yet.

 

*Kennedy looks terrified in the last picture because I just made the comment, "Maybe we shouldn't go too far on this trail...it's heading towards sunset, and aren't there mountain lions here?" HAHA!

Here's what's for dinner this week, just in case you're all missing the food posts:

Monday - Tuna casserole (we had everything to make it and Kennedy loves it)
Tuesday - Homemade Chicken Stuffing and mashed potatoes
Wednesday - North Woods Wild Rice Soup
Thursday - Italian chicken (I can't find the website, but you know I'll post the recipe)
Friday - Cheesy Potato Soup

Here's to a better week than the last one!!!

Much love,
Kristen

Best Chicken Sandwich EVER

Whew! This last weekend was a complete whirlwind! I never got around to blogging, but there wasn't much to talk about. The whirlwind was because I had to work all weekend, not because I was doing so much fun stuff. Well, I guess some of it was fun. The time that I got to spend with my family was good.

Before work on Saturday, I took Kennedy fishing after I made breakfast for everyone. Then I paid Kennedy $5 to babysit Ave so Bryan and I could hang out for a few minutes. I feel like I don't get to spend any quality time with any of my family anymore. Then Sunday we went to church and then had brunch and hung out a little while. The rest of the time was work. Bryan and Ave came to have supper with me at the hospital Sunday night. That was nice. Except Ave was really upset when they left. She's always sad when I leave. Most of me hates that. Part of me loves it. ;)

Monday was my day off, so I spent all day with Avery. We made PB&J Blondies (YUM!) and watched TV and played. Then later on we went to my little cousin Aiden's 6th birthday party. It was such a cute party! It was Super Mario Bros themed and the cake and decorations were great!

Ok ok...most of the people who read my blog have told me that they like the food part the best, so I'll just get on with that. On this week's menu:

Grilled chicken sandwiches
Chili
Lasagna
Tacos
B's & G's (HOLLA!)
Enchiladas

Now if you remember, I make dinner in the late morning/early afternoon before I leave for work so Bryan doesn't have to worry about it later. Last week the only dinner that Bryan made was pizza because it only takes 15 minutes to make the crust. I'll have to post the crust recipe sometime. It's delish! Anyway, my goal is for Bryan to not have to make dinner at all this week.

Monday I made Grilled Chicken Sandwiches for Bryan and I (the girls had eaten at the birthday party). ERMAGERD they were FAB. I had one for dinner last night at work too. Mmmm...

The original recipe can be found at the link above, but here's what I did:

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tsp. dried thyme leaves, divided
• cooking spray
• 2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced
• 8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
• Salt and pepper
• 3 small (4 oz.) chicken breasts
• French steak rolls
• 8 oz. brie, thickly sliced

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, and half of the thyme leaves. Set aside.
2. Spray the cooking spray to a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and cook a few minutes or until wilted. Add the mushrooms and the remaining thyme. Stir together well, reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook until the onions are caramelized and the mushrooms and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside. Add the chicken breasts and cook, turning occasionally, until done.
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Assemble the sandwich:
4. Slice the bread through the center. Remove most of the soft interior of the bread leaving a thick wall around the outside edge. Generously spread the cut sides of the bread with the mayonnaise mixture. Top with the thick slices of brie, sliced chicken breasts, and the caramelized onions and mushrooms. Place the top on the loaf and wrap in aluminum foil. Place on center rack of oven and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the brie has begun to melt.
5. Remove from the oven and cut in half.

I didn't have any regular bacon, and I didn't think turkey bacon would do the sandwich justice, so I opted to leave that out. But this sandwich is DELICIOUS. I don't think I even chewed mine, that's how long it lasted on my plate. I'm excited today because I get to have chili for my dinner (that's what I made for the fam yesterday). It's pretty basic: hamburger, chili beans, pinto beans, chili tomatoes, onions and tomato juice. I use McCormick's White Chicken Chili seasoning packet on the meat, then I add a little extra garlic powder and cumin. Throw the cooked/seasoned meat in a crock pot with everything else and cook it on low. Done. Easy Peasy. I love chili and right now, it's the perfect weather to have it.

 

Well kids, I'm gonna go hang with The Aves since I won't get to see her again until tomorrow :(

 

Kdub

GLEEEEEEEE!!! *Caution: Spoiler*

Today was my first weekday off since starting at the hospital. I spent a glorious lazy day with the Aves and ran some errands, we ate lunch with Kennedy at her school and then took a nap. It was a short nap, but a nap is a nap! I jokingly posted my status update as "My day off is the day of the Glee season 4 premier. Jesus loves me this I know, for my schedule tells me so." I was really upset because I thought I was going to miss it and have to watch it the next day online. But, crisis averted.

I would just like to say that the new girl on Glee (Marley) is SO adorable. Also, Brittany still makes me laugh out loud. I was happy with the song choices for the week, except for the Adele song (Chasing Pavements) at the end. I like it ok, but I'm kind of Adele'd out. However, the new girl sang it well. And I was super psyched when Kurt surprised Rachel in NYC. I just loved the whole thing! Can't wait for the rest of the season, even though I'll have to watch the rest of the episodes online the day after. *frowny face*

Last night was leftover night. we have SO much pulled pork and Caesar salad left! So since I didn't have to make tonight's meal ahead, and since I didn't want something with a ton of leftovers, I made chili-rubbed swai. Swai is similar to tilapia...a flaky, mild white fish. I thought that I got the recipe from Paula Deen, but when I tried to search for it, I couldn't find it anywhere. So just know that I can't take credit for this recipe, as it is not my own.

For the rub:
2 Tbs chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs olive oil

Mix seasoning together in a shallow dish and dredge 3 large fillets through it. (The fillets I had made 2 sandwiches each, so they were big.)

Pan sear in a skillet with olive oil, 5 minutes per side. The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.

I cranked up the broiler and toasted up some buttered buns (careful not to burn them!), and then smeared on cilantro lime Mayo.

Cilantro-lime Mayo:
2-3 Tbs Mayo (we're actually a Miracle Whip family, so that's fine too)
Juice of 1 lime
A handful of chopped cilantro

I just add juice and cilantro until it tastes good to me, so how much you use is totally according to your taste.

On the side, we had some Zatarain's Yellow Rice. I would just like to give a shout out to this rice right now. It is SO good. We always get the family size box so we can have some for lunch the next day. We heart rice in our family.

So that was it. Simple, and to the point. Nothing fancy, just tasty. Kennedy always asks for more fish (and rice) and Ave...well she's unpredictable. Last time I made it, she gobbled it down. Today she only took a few bites.

I also made some Breakfast Cookies (there is NOTHING wrong with that!), recipe courtesy of my co-worker Ina. They are so full of good-for-you stuff that it's totes acceptable to have one for breakfast with some fruit on the side. And coffee, of course!

Breakfast Cookies
1/2 cup mashed banana (1 large banana)
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup milk powder (I just used an equal quantity of milk)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup honey
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup raisins or dried cranberries
1 cup rolled oats
2 tsp cinnamon

Mix it all up, drop 1/4 cup of dough 3 inches apart and bake at 350 for 14-15 minutes. Makes approximately 10 cookies.
 

Chicken Cesar Salad

My heart is broken. Last night, my oldest told my mom that me working 2nd shift makes it feel like her parents are divorced. Ouch. It's not like I can go to my boss and say, "Hey, I don't think this is going to work for me. I need to go back to first shift." It doesn't work like that, unfortunately. I know that it's going to take some adjusting and some getting used to for all of us. I hope that Kennedy starts enjoying her time with her dad so it's not so hard on her.

Anyway, here's what I made for my family yesterday before I went to work:

Chicken Ceasar Salad ( Cook Yourself Thin )

Serves 2
Calories per serving: 445

For the salad
8 ounces chicken breast, skinless
Olive oil to brush onto the chicken and on the toast
4 thin (melba thin) slices baguette on the diagonal
1/2 medium garlic clove
2 heads baby romaine lettuce
1 large, free-range egg
One handful of arugula and mustard cress
2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds

For the dressing
2 tablespoons fat-free Greek yogurt
1/2 garlic clove
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon malt vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brush the chicken with a little olive oil.
3. On a hot grill pan, sear the chicken breast for 4 to 5 minutes before flipping over and doing the same on the other side.
4. While the chicken is searing, prepare the baguette toasts. Slice the baguette on the diagonal and place on a baking sheet. Brush on a little olive oil. Toast the bread for about 10 minutes, until crisp. Rub with the garlic clove.
5. Once you have strong grill marks over the chicken breast on both sides, cover your pan with foil and place into the hot oven on the higher shelf for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, wash the lettuce and spin dry.
7. Carefully drop the egg in boiling water and boil for 5 minutes exactly. Empty the boiling water out of the pan and replace it with cold water. Let the egg stand in the cold water while you finish the recipe.
8. To make the dressing, combine all the ingredients into a small mixing bowl and stir together with a whisk. Taste and season before setting aside.
9. Put the washed and dried salad leaves into a big bowl with the dressing. Toss for a couple of minutes to make sure that all the leaves are coated. Add the shaved/grated Parmesan and arugula. Toss once again.
10. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it cool down enough to handle before slicing on the diagonal.
11. Plate up the salad, making sure that the chicken is evenly distributed.
12. Tuck the crispy baguette toasts on the side of the salad and add half the soft-boiled egg. Finally, grind over some black pepper, scatter the sunflower seeds, and serve.

Of course I tripled the recipe so there was enough for everyone and leftovers. I never use the sunflower seeds, though. Both of my kids love this meal, surprisingly. I cut up the romaine and put it back in the bag it came in, mixed the dressing in a big salad bowl, covered it and put it in the fridge. Then I seasoned the chicken with Weber Grill Kickin Chicken and the grilled it. Those are the only changed I really made. If you like Ceasar salad, you'll love this!

Kristen

Three times this week? You are so lucky.

Hey all! Tuesday is here! Which means Monday is over. Score.

Second shift wasn't so horrible. It was a lot like first shift, except quieter. The last hour dragged by pretty slow and I was SO ready to get home, take a shower and konk out. The worst part is that I can't tell Avery goodnight (she goes to bed before I go on my break) and I have to tell Kennedy goodnight over the phone. I feel really far removed from everything Kennedy is doing at school too. So that part is no good. On the upside, I was SO productive before going to work yesterday. If you keep up with my posts, then you know that already. If not, just take my word for it. :)

This morning I was up at 7:30 (despite the fact that I didn't get home until after 11pm last night and didn't get to go to bed until 12:30 this morning) to get the girls ready for their 9am doctor's appointment. Things went fine until we hit traffic. Avery kept telling me her belly was scared. It's so cute when she says that. "Mommy my bewwy scawed." So cute. Anyway, she wanted me to kiss it, but of course I couldn't because I was driving. So I twisted my arm around so I could hold her hand. Then she puked on it. Awesome. Upside: She said her belly wasn't scared anymore. I just thought she was nervous about the doctor, but apparently she needed to explode her stomach everywhere. Great.

Anyway, doc's visit went well. Kennedy is SUPER tall for her age (duh) and Avery is right on track for her age. Flu shots were received (fun times, let me tell you) and suckers we given. After the doc, I dropped K off at school and took Ave to the park for a few. She LOVES slides. I mean L.O.V.E.S. them. So we went down all of the slides that we could. When it was time to go to daycare, she didn't want to go. Secretly I was happy. Usually she picks Sonia (best day care provider EVER) over me, but since we have been getting to spend 1 on 1 time together, she wants to be with me more. I guess she has realized how awesome I am.

Ok so here's what I made for dinner before I left for work yesterday. (Again, I'm posting the substitutions that I made. For the original recipe, please click on the link below!):

Pop Pulled Pork (Courtesy of Pioneer Woman)

Ingredients

• 1 whole Large Onion
• 1 whole Pork Roast (I used one that was 3 lbs)
• Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 of a 7.5 oz can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce  
• 2 cans Dr. Pepper
• 4 Tbs brown sugar

Preparation Instructions

Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a crock pot.
Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pot.
Pour the chopped chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce.) Pour in both cans of Dr Pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in.
Place lid tightly on pot, setting the temp to high. (I let it cook on high for 2 hours, then I turned it down to low for another 6, but you could probably just to on low for 8 hours). Turn the roast two or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after six hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.)
Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it's cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stovetop and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.


I serve mine on buns (duh) with cole slaw. (Slaw: 2 bags of slaw mix, one container of Marzetti's low fat slaw dressing. Easy Peasy.)

Interesting tip: This pulled pork is GREAT on a Saturday morning with scrambled eggs and a little monterey jack in a tortilla or on buns. I know it sounds bizarre, but it's my FAVORITE breakfast sandwich!

I am having this meal for my dinner tonight at work. I know for a fact that the meat warms up well because I've made this several times. It's an easy meal to put together and throw in the crock pot for your family. Even on a hurried schedule. You can freeze the rest of the chipotle peppers to use later for chili, taco meat or to add to bbq sauce, if you like to make your own. Caution: those peppers are pretty spicy!


So have a happy Tuesday, everyone! Think of me, when your work day is almost over, and mine is just beginning. ;) Oh, and here's a cute picture of the Aves for your viewing pleasure. It's a little blurry, but she looks presh.

Kristen

 

Potato Pie

I gained about 20lbs in the first three years of being married. Add in the fact that I was already overweight when I got married....Gross. Anyway, about a month after I had our youngest girl, I had lost about 25lbs. I had lost 20lbs when I was pregs. I know...I'm not sure how that happened either. Anyway, I was all excited, then I gained about 15lbs back. Don't ask me why or how. I think I got too comfortable with the fact that I had lost a little bit that I thought, "SURE I can eat junk food several days a week! I've lost weight!" So I was almost back at square 1 back in July.

Cue my full time job in a busy hospital lab. By the end of August, I was down 8lbs and within the first week of September, I was down a full 10lbs. I'm really workin for the weight loss now. The declining numbers are way better motivation than anything else. I'm trying to incorporate healthier food and more exercise (on top of the MILES that I walk while I'm at work). So today, the first day of second shift, I decided to exercise before I went to work. I biked to Ave's daycare to drop her off. I thought, "It's only a mile and a half, this will be a piece of cake!" Fast forward to me, stumbling through the door dripping sweat. Yeah that was more of a workout than I had planned. But that's ok. It's good for me right?

I'm not sure how healthy this recipe is, but it's pretty delicious and it's fairly light. We had it last night for dinner, and I'll eat the leftovers for my dinner tonight. Paired with a mixed green salad, it's a great meal!

The original recipe can be found here (Ten Dollar Dinners) but I made some changes to suit my needs.

Potato Pie (Potato Torte)

Ingredients

• 4 strips turkey bacon
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 refrigerated pie crusts
• 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 slices swiss cheese
• 1 egg, beaten with a splash of water

Directions

In a skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until just crispy. Drain on paper towel lined plate and set aside. Crumble the bacon when cool to the touch.
Remove the pie crusts from the refrigerator and place in a pie pan sprayed with cooking spray. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise and then finely slice the potatoes. Working in circles, arrange the potato slices in the pie crust, stopping to season each layer with salt, pepper, and about 1/4 of the crumbled bacon and a slice of cheese (I cut the slices up and sprinkle some in each layer of potato/bacon). Continue layering until the pie pan is nearly full. Pour milk around and over the entire pie, allowing it to seep down between the potato slices. (You may not use all the milk.)
Cover the pie with the dough and crimp the edges closed. Brush the top and edges of the crust with egg wash. Make a few slits in the center of the top crust, for the steam to escape, and put the pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake the torte until the crust is browned and crispy and the potatoes are cooked through, about 50 to 60 minutes. If the crust edges get too brown, cover them with some strips of aluminum foil. Remove the pie from the oven and let rest at least 15 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving.

I tried to make it healthier by substituting the turkey bacon and using 1% milk instead of cream. If I could find a reduced fat swiss cheese, I might try that as well. We usually pair the Pie with a salad, but last night we had mixed veggies. The pie can be made ahead and then reheated in the microwave or covered with foil and popped in a 350 degree oven until it's heated through.

Now, when all of your workdays are half over, I have to get my scrubs on and go to work. Blech. ;)

K Dub

Second Shift

The other night I asked Bryan to say something nice to me. Actually, I told him to. Usually I don't like to fish for compliments, but I needed one. I thought that he would say something like, " You're amazing" (and he did, but I made him give me something else because that was too vague and uninmaginative). Then he said, "You're a really good cook." I was about to be annoyed (because this is common knowledge and I wanted him to really try), but then he continued, "You put so much care into the things that you make for our family to eat. You care about how nutritious it is, how good it tastes and how long it takes to make. You really care about the details and that really means a lot to me."

I was FLOORED. That is far and away one of the best compliments that I have ever received! Knowing that someone notices how much you care about the little things that you do for your family is a big deal! Well to me it is anyway. I can't do big extravagant things for my family, so when someone notices the small things that I am able to do, it means a ton.

The next day, my euphoria came to a screeching halt. I start second shift this week at the hospital. How am I going to take care of my family's nutritional needs? Most people would say, "Leave it to Bryan to throw dinner together", or "They can have pizza or PB&J some nights". While there's nothing wrong with that really, internally I'm apalled at the thought. Don't get me wrong. We have pizza for dinner a couple times a month, and about once a month we might go out to dinner on a weeknight (HELLO EL J'S!)*. But I try not to make this a habit. I like to have dinner at home as a family with a homecooked meal as much as possible. I believe in the idea that sitting down to a meal together, whether it be spaghetti with sauce from a jar or a four course meal, positively influences your children to make good decisions.

So I came up with a plan: I don't have to leave for work until 1:15, so in the mornings I will prepare a meal so that all Bryan has to do is warm it up or throw it in the microwave. I will (try to) document this whole process, mistakes and all, so if any of you out there are in my same situation, you can see what works and what doesn't without having to make the mistakes for yourself. :) I will try to include recipes as well, if I remember...

On the menu for this week:
Monday - Pop Pulled Pork (Courtesy of Pioneer Woman) and cole slaw
Tuesday - Grilled Chicken Ceasar Salad ( Courtesy of Cook Yourself Thin)
Wednesday - Pepperoni Pizza with Whole Wheat dough
Thursday (day off since I have to work the weekend) - blackened tilapia sandwiches with cilantro lime mayo and rice
Friday - Tuna Casserole (this oldie is seriously my 9-year-olds FAVE)

I really hope you all like this little experiment of mine. If it's not helpful, I at least hope it's a little entertaining!

* El J's is El Jeripeo. It's the best Mexican restaurant in our area. There are only 2 Mexican restaurants in our tiny town, but this one is by far superior.

Before you go, please enjoy this picture of my sweet babies! :)

 

K-Dub

 

 

The Crazy 48

This week has flown by SO fast! I swear it was just Monday yesterday...but how could it have been when today is Friday? I barely know where I am, and I really had to think about what day it was for that last sentence. Wanna know why things are so nuts? Oh...you don't? Well. Then quit reading, cause I'm about to get all Jim Henson's The Storyteller up in here.

I worked like a dog Monday and Tuesday at work. They felt like long, endless days because I had to cram most of a whole week's worth of work into that time. After work on Monday, Kennedy had softball practice. She's been begging her coach to let her practice pitching so she can pitch during a game, but that hasn't happened yet. Maybe I'll have to talk to her...

Tuesday I got off work a little early so I could make a Target/Old Navy/Library run before I went home. I knew Kennedy had a lot going on that evening (last Brownie meeting of the year and a softball game), so I sped through all of these places. I got home, we missed most of her meeting, but she still got to make her sit-up-on for camp, so that was good. Then I rushed home, made dinner and rushed Kennedy back out to her game (which they won, b-t-dubs). As I was trying to eat dinner and relax for a minute, Bryan kept reminding me that I had to pack for the crazy flying trip I was going to make to Arkansas the next day. I swear it was like he was the parent and I was the child. And I got annoyed and pouty and went upstairs to pack. FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER: I am done packing. That's right...15 minutes. I was only staying for 2 nights so I didn't even pack a carry-on size suitcase. I had my backpack and a purse and that was it. Ok...so on to the actual crazy part:

Wednesday morning, May 23rd, 5:30 am: I'm up, taking a shower, getting dressed and taking all of my stuff downstairs. Make coffee, leave the house before making breakfast because it was only 6am and I'm going to do as little as possible at 6am. Bryan drives me to the airport...we left 20 minutes later than we wanted to, but it's cool. There was no traffic so we had a nice, peaceful drive filled with coffee and talk of how many Xanax I was going to take before/during my flight.

7am: Exiting the interstate for the airport. Me: "So are you going to park and walk me in?" Bryan: "No. I'm dropping you off at the door. That would be pointless." Me: *pouty lip* "Fine." Then we hugged and kissed and said a quick prayer of protection and I entered the airport. I'm super excited because I printed out my boarding passes when I walked in using my debit card and entering the first 3 letters of my destination city. Pretty cool.

7:20am: Boarding is 10 minutes away and I'm stuck in security. They have to x-ray the bin with my purse and shoes 3 times. After the first time, I asked for my shoes back, but they wouldn't let me have them...so I stood barefoot and waiting. I hate being barefoot in public. I will probably get some airport foot disease or something now.

7:30am: I buy a water for the first Xanax to be taken and I sit (stand) and wait to board. The plane at the end of the jetway looks pretty small...surely that one is going to pull away and a Boeing 747 will pull up so I can board that one. Nope. I'm on the little one. Awesome. I board. I sit. The Xanax kicks in. We're good. My seat partner doesn't talk the WHOLE flight, which is awesome because the dud in front of me will NOT shut up to the obviously uninterested man sitting next to him. He was interested for the first few minutes, but then he realized he wasn't going to have any peace for the full 3 hour flight. Poor guy. The man behind me continually tries to hock up a lung. I briefly worry about contracting TB and make a mental note to use lots of hand sanitizer when we land.

Somewhere over the states between Indiana and Colorado, but closer to Colorado: We prepare for descent and my seat partner speaks to the flight attendent and I realize he's from the UK and has a lovely accent. Drat. Now I wish we would have talked some. Oh well.

**Side note** I was flying from Indianapolis to Little Rock, and I had a layover in Denver. Does this sound wrong to anyone BESIDES me? It is a 2 hour flight from Indy to LR. I went fron Indy to Denver in 3 hours, then 2 1/2 hours to LR. Altogether it took me almost 8 hours. Driving to LR takes 9. Do the math. It's dumb.

9am Denver time: We land, I say a sincere prayer of thanks and walk up the jetway into the airport. I have a 45 minute layover and I'm starving. As I'm looking through my bag for my wallet, I realize that I need to print out a new barding pass to LR as I have misplaced the one I had. I walk to the gate I will be departing from and have a new one printed. The lady with the lovely (not) personality behind the counter informs me that boarding will start in 5 minutes and they will shut the door 20 minutes later. I still need to eat and use the little girls' room.

9:20 Denver time: My missions have been accomplished. I made it to the ladie's room and bought a blah ham sandwich from the coffee shop. My boarding section is called and I walk down the jetway. I am told that my gate is down the stairs to the left (a lot of gates shared one jetway which I vaguely thought was odd). Well down the stairs to the left was a door to the outside. There was a lovely man who took my ticked and informed me that my plane was to the left. Wait. I'm outside. Why am I boarding OUTSIDE?!?! Oh, because I'm getting on a teeny tiny plane. Awesome. For the second time in 4 hours, I take a Xanax and pray. It was a horrid, bumpy flight, but I was so hopped up on happy pills that I was totes ok.

Twenty four hours later: I am driving BACK to Indiana with my sister. The whole purpose of my flying to LR was so she didn't have to make the 10 hour trip with just her and my 2-year-old niece. Yep. I'm a great sister.

So here I am, about 60 hours after waking up at 5:30 am. I'm exhausted, but can't sleep. I barely know what day it is, or what time it is. And my sister has the whole weekend planned for us. It's a good thing I love you, B. :)

Our Place

I know that we aren't the only couple in the world that dreams. We dream of winning the lottery, of going on vacation, or being super successful. I know everyone does that. But I'm pretty sure that we are the only ones who have a made-up location in our minds that we go to whenever we're stressed out or can't sleep. We made up this spot waaaaay back in the day when we were just dating. It's rolling hills with mountains in the background. A vast open grassy plain with a lone shade tree in the middle and a wide stream flowing lazily through it. Every time I think about this place, I think of Marty Stauffer's Wild America. This is straight out of that show. We would talk about our spot on those late nights where 60-some-odd miles separated us and we didn't want to hang up the phone. Since then, we have added a house, a large garden and a lovely hammock. There's a dock out on the stream that we would sit on and catch our supper.

We were talking about this place of ours just recently, and decided that THIS is what we want. Quiet. Peaceful. No offices to go to. Bryan would design, I would blog and sell tasty treats online. We would have a tv, but we would only watch Netflix every now and again. We would homestead, I'd can and jar all of our produce. We would play Scrabble and card games in the evenings on our front porch with our girls, whom I would home-school. Judy, my boss (the coolest person ever), says that I could never live this way. I'm too social and I would go crazy. She might be (a little) right...I think I would have to escape to the city every now and again for some excitement. But I'm at a point in my life where raising my kids in peace and quiet sounds amazing.

When I Grow Up...

Graduation is coming for me again this fall!! I'll have my Associates in General Studies...that's kind of a blah degree that just means I've taken enough classes that I can wear a funny flat hat. However, this semester and in the fall, I am taking classes that can transfer to a Bachelor's program in the future. THAT is what I'm most excited about. I can't wait to have my Bachelor's. It will make me more desireable in the job market, I will be the first one in my family to have one, and I will feel like a smarty pants.

The only problem is that I can't decide what I want to get my Bachelor's in. What do I want to study?  When I was about 7, I wanted to be an astronaut. When I was 9, I wanted to be a vetrinarian. I loved animals...what kid didn't? Around the time I started reading Grisham novels (11 or 12), I wanted to be an attorney. I was going to go to IU and study law. Heavy for a pre-teen, I know. Then in high school, I decided that I would teach English to high school students. (Notice that the older I got, the more realistic my goals became.) None of these things worked out for me. I can't be an astronaut because I'm a big wuss, and I want to graduate before I'm 95. I'd rather not deal with smelly animals all day long...I've already got one at home. As an adult, I can't STAND attorneys so that's out. I guess I could still teach, but not high-schoolers. They are punks. I hate punks.

I don't know what I want to be when I grow up. I never thought that I'd be almost 30 and not be settled in a career already. Bryan says I need to figure out what I love and do something with that. But I'm not a risk-taker. I want to go the safe route. Opening my own restaurant is not exactly safe. And you have to work tons of hours to do that. And I'm lazy. So...

LAZY!! I'm good at that, I love to do it too! Can someone pay me for being lazy? No? Oh well. The search continues...