24 Hours Later....

I think I'm going to go insane.


Already.  I'm just not the "stay at home" type of person.  Or rather, I am.  I just like to have stuff to do, and to be honest I'm not quite in shape to be "to-doing" it up around here.  But we're trying.


I finished the bib.  With the except of adding on the button.  Because I don't have buttons.  But we are going to a fabric store tonight so my mama can make my nursery curtains, and I plan on stocking up on some extra bright and extra big and extra adorable buttons tonight.


I also made a pot of homemade chili last night.  MMMMMMM it was so good.  And so fitting for this fall weather that I have recently fallen in love with.  I can have windows open.  It's been YEARS since I could do that!  Last year, we didn't have functioning windows/screens.  Mike has since fixed that.  All the college years before that- it wasn't safe on campus to keep windows open.  Before that?   I had a bird.  It has literally been since my first year at UC, or maybe even my senior year of high school since I've been able to freely have my windows open. And my first year at UC- it was one dinky window in a tiny dorm.


Oh, chili, you say?  I love my chili.  I will look for the recipe today to see if I've ever posted it.  I don't think I have, since I've been working on perfecting it for a while.  I finally think I have it to where I like it, though.  And since it's chili, it's high protein, high veggies, and LOW CARB!  Meaning very good for the gestationally diabetic.  The cornbread that goes with it?  Not so much...


I also started one of my organizational projects- Organizing my bookcases!  I'm already not happy with it, to be honest.  Who wants to come help?  There are a few constraints that are really bugging me, and I'm just not sure how to work around them and keep things aesthetically pleasing.  This whole room needs the furniture rearranged, though... Maybe that would be enough to fix my woes.  I'm just not sure how!  Maybe if I draw the room and furniture proportionally from a 2D view from above... that might help me out.  Hmmmm....


Other things I've done, because apparently this blog is now going to be a play-by-play of maternity leave?  I walked a mall for an hour and a half.


And then after eating chili for dinner and sitting on an exercise ball, along with walking a flight of stairs every time I needed to pee, I spent about 4 hours awake with contractions in the wee hours of this morning.


I'm seriously hoping these things get a little more serious around here.  Practice is really cramping my style.

Holy Maternity Week

Friday marked the beginning of the end.  Or at least I hope.


(Pregnancy DOES in fact end, right????)


I started maternity leave.  Which seems weird to me.  It's been a long time since I didn't have a job.  Ok, it was 2008, and again it was for a medical reason (knee surgery, anyone?) but outside of that awful time, it's been a while.  And holy cow, 3 months?  More?  That's amazing.


So my goal is every day I will get up and get dressed still.  What, don't tell me you get dressed every day of every weekend!  I will make breakfast and then set to work on at least 1 project, preferably one that requires movement (today I've somewhat failed).  After lunch I will spend the afternoon doing a sit down activity, and then my evenings will be whatever they would normally be.  


This will keep me sane during this waiting game, no?


So far, the entire upstairs is clean (woohoo!!!!!).  And after a lot of work, the main level is mostly clean too!  We just need to basically sweep and do a few project organization things, and we're good.  Next up- the downstairs.  I'm mad excited here.  My house, for probably the first time ever, is close to being completely clean!


I've also started to crochet.  I already knit, but I was kind of getting bored with it.  So I bought a set of crochet hooks and a book on how-to, and found some patterns on Ravelry, and set to work.  We now have a newborn sized pumpkin hat (that is OMG adorable) and about 20 rows worth of a bib.  :-D  Hopefully by the end of things I'll have a few bibs, and a papoose.  Unfortunately the yarn I bought for the papoose is not very crochetable.  I can't see my stitches!  So I'm going to have to see if I can find a knitting pattern.  Because I want this papoose.  And this yarn was semi expensive (hello soft and fluffy).


And in the mean time I'm totally getting my arms the workout they need.  By throwing a miserable looking "hot dog" dog toy once every 10 seconds for my extremely happy puppy.  He has spent a month learning to live at home all day by himself, and now all of a sudden Mama is home every day all day.  Holyfreakincowhowmanytoyscanwefindforhertothrowtoday?


And fortunately by noon he's zonked.  Like now.  He's curled in a ball in my lap. Gotta love tiny dogs.  So much energy that honestly runs out so fast.


I'll maybe get some cute pictures of the hat and soon-to-be bibs before long.  I'm sure you're dying to see a newborn pumpkin hat, right?  Me too... On the newborn, that is.  Any day now.... Any day now.....

A Dr Seuss Gender Neutral Nursery

Here's what you've all been waiting for!  And so far, according to my blown up facebook account, it's a hit!  That makes me happy.  I put a lot of effort into this one.  Ladies and gentlemen, we have a nursery!


And none too soon.  I'm 37 weeks 3 days.  And I just split wide open the ass of my favorite pajama pants, so... ya know.  It's about time.


Ok.  Here's the tour.  I'll point out the important aspects- those hand made with love... Not necessarily by me, unfortunately.  I just make the baby.  If you like what you see, I'd be happy to tell you where I got it, so feel free to ask!!!!

Who wants yellow and green all over?  Not us.  Our gender neutral- orange and lime green.

The framed art pieces are actually pages from my favorite Dr Seuss book- Oh Say Can You Say (I just realized I've read several more pages recently).  Hand made by my Aunt.  There are 5 pages around the room.

Bookshelves- made by my awesome husband after I realized that my huge self couldn't handle power tools.  There are 3 and they are really awesome.

Blanket made with love by my grandmother.  There are 3 others, along with booties, hats, and even a poncho (if it's a girl).

Banner was made by my artsy friend for my baby shower.  It's made out of fabric, however, so it could be kept and hung in the nursery.

More detailed view of the bookshelves.

The only thing missing- curtains!  And you should see the material we bought for them.  

New obsession

Buying cloth diapers on Ebay.


Yup.  That's right.  Diapers- as in something that someone else is going to poo in and then I have to change.  And I'm in love.


I'm 20 weeks pregnant.  Half way.  I've gained a total of 14 lbs.  My baby's gender is going to remain a surprise until birth (even to us!-- eep).  Currently baby is around 12 ounces.  :)


We are doing a Dr. Seuss theme for the nursery!  We chose bright colors (grey, orange, and green) and my aunt is going to help me create neat decorations out of the pages of my favorite Dr. Seuss book (Oh Say Can You Say).  We plan on doing the totally cliche name on the wall, although it will obviously have to wait until after baby is born.  We also are going to incorporate a really cool fortune I got in a cookie somewhere.  I currently keep it in my wallet.  :)


AND we are going to cloth diaper.  EEEP they are adorable!  There were so many good things about cloth diapers that I really couldn't say no.  And my company makes diapers, so that's really saying something.  So, since cloth diapers are so expensive to buy at the beginning, I'm starting to stock up now.  We looked at a few, and I chose Gdiapers.  I have won 8 size small and I'm hoping to win 6 size medium today.  It'll at least be a good start.


This week's projects include painting the nursery and maybe building some of the furniture.  I'm SUPER excited.  It is so freakin' real.


As you can tell, I have ONE obsession as of late.  Sorry I haven't written, but I have absolutely NOTHING else going on.  Work is keeping me on my toes.  I've been in training for a good while, and it's finally sinking in, which is good.  It's still a lot, though!  I can't wait to really get settled in.  I have a feeling baby will be here before that, though!  haha.  


Oh.  PS.  We have a girl's name picked out, but since we aren't sharing it with my family, it's not really fair to share it with you.  We have a boy's name that Mike is "sleeping on".  I love it.  I'm hoping it sticks.

A new master

A long long time ago, in a world that really does seem far far away, we redecorated the master bedroom!

The idea is to get one room done at a time in this house.  A year and 4 months into living here, and we've officially finished 1.  The master will be number 2.  And now baby's room will have to be number 3.  At this pace, the baby will be sleeping on an air mattress on the floor because I'm so freakin' slow at this.

Anyways, off the tangent.

Our bedroom was blah.  Very blah.  The rooms were an ugly creamy neutral (not to be confused with the pretty creamy).  We had 1 bedside lamp that was a broken fake Tiffany's UC lamp.  One window had a goodwill curtain covering it, the other nothing.  The back window at least had nice panel curtains, though.

See how awful it looked?

This was the only picture I took of "before".  Oops.

So first we had to move the furniture around.  And THAT means we got a new bedroom, temporarily.

(That's a preview of the future baby's room, by the way).  Irony is we found out we were HAVING a baby while sleeping in that room.

So first we painted.

The three window walls are a beautiful yellow, and then the wall with the closet and doorway are a rich chocolate reddish brown.  It matches the furniture almost perfectly!  I was so thrilled.

So then we moved the furniture back in and bought new side lamps.

We also re-hung the window panels, and my mom helped me make curtains (one set... the other set is still waiting by the sewing machine).  And we also bought some nice matching frames and hung a few pictures from our honeymoon.

This is my favorite:

I really need to get a good couple of pictures of the whole room, but that would mean making the bed and cleaning up the mess.  Oh, and probably finishing that last curtain (don't worry- the goodwill curtain is still covering the window).

It's a beauty, though!  I love my new room.  The lamps are perfect, the colors are just what I imagined, and the curtains match to a T!  

Happy Fridays

My "to blog" list is getting rather large.  I've been extremely lazy lately.  My house is a wreck, I haven't freezer cooked, I barely do laundry, Mike cleaned the bathroom last, my blog is a little lazy (no pictures lately... boo), and you really should see my knitting pile.  It's bad.  Oh, and that reading thing.  The book I'm on is rather boring, to be honest.  Who would have thought?  It's Robin Hood.  I'm trying to finish it this week, but I'm behind.  So behind.


BUT!  Today is a very happy Friday indeed.  I took my last full vacation day at my current company.  I woke up and ate, tried to read, and then fell back asleep.  We had Red Robin for lunch, and then I went and bought $25 worth of books for $5 (because I bought a groupon a while back).


Today is a very good Friday indeed.  Next up- hopefully doing some organizing with my knitting projects.  Get some things in order.  Get some to-do lists and timelines hatched out.


Enjoy your weekend!

As requested- My Freezer List

An easy post today is in response to the questions from the last post- What do I freeze?

My answer is- just about everything.

Cookie dough- although the cookies came out dry... So I'm thinking I'm going to test baking the cookies and then freezing them.  I'm told this will work.

Spaghetti- I make everything except the noodles and freeze it.  You can freeze the noodles if you want, but they break that way, and I like my noodles twirly.

Beef Stroganoff- We make ours with Sour Cream.  If you make yours with sour cream I recommend making it all withOUT the sour cream and freezing it.  When you reheat it add the sour cream.  It tastes fine if you freeze it with Sour cream, but it comes out looking kinda gross.

Chili- freeze it all.  Warning- reheating makes it a little spicier.

Potato Soup- freeze it all.

Vegetable Stew- freeze it all.

That delicious Maple Chicken- I make it without the glaze and freeze it.

Pork chops- I freeze them uncooked because they seem to dry out too much to freeze cooked.

Pot pie- I freeze the whole thing minus the topping.  I'm told I can probably freeze the topping, but... eh.

Lasagna- Freezes nicely, but sometimes it comes out messy...

If I'm not sure about freezing something (like my chicken alfredo) I tend to do what I can, like freezing the cooked chicken portion.  It might not seem like it, but even having just some of the process finished makes getting it prepared a TON easier.

I haven't tried it, but I'm also told you can freeze most fresh veggies- some need to be cooked first, though.  We also tend to freeze some fruit for smoothies.

Some other quick notes- While I love freezing food, there are small issues- I had to learn how (use freezer bags, lay them as flat as possible and clearly mark what they are).  This helps organizing, but also it makes it quicker to thaw.

Another thing I prefer is to thaw the food in the fridge for a couple of days before cooking.  This means it takes less time to cook when it comes time to eat, which is a big thing in our house.

I also tend to make a few adjustments once things thaw- they are a little dryer.  Adding water almost always works.  For the beef stroganoff, adding the sour cream works.  For spaghetti I tend to add more sauce.  Some things are just perfect- like the pot pie.  :)  Yum. 

Enjoy!

Putting the Happy in Fridays

Lately my Fridays have been rather drab.  While I'm perfectly happy with that, it hasn't been much to write about.  BUT!  ALAS!  today is the day I bring back the Happy Fridays.

Here is why today is a Happy Friday-

1- Mike quit his second job last week, which means I've seen him 7 nights in a row!!!!! 
2- Our bedroom is painted!  We'll be moving back in tomorrow (hopefully.  Sans curtains, though) (Pictures to come, I promise)
3- I have finally been ousted, and it's no longer a secret- I was recently hired by Procter and Gamble.  :)  I have 7 more weeks at my current job and then I will be training!  I'm rather excited.
4- Friday is always pay day
5- We have a date night planned tomorrow.  And it will hopefully be free (thanks to a giftcard)  :)  YAY!!!!!

So this weekend will consist of rebuilding the bedroom, buying lamps and some sort of darkening shades, a date night, and majorly cleaning my poor neglected house.  :)  I'm excited. 

And reading.  So much reading.  I'm currently in the middle of Marley and Me (which is tons better than the movie).  I want to finish it this weekend.  I'm slightly behind on the reading challenge (as of Friday I was only 1 page behind).

So what are your plans lookin' like?

One Hell of a Ride

So there I was- it's 2 in the morning and I'm just getting in from babysitting.  Mike had left for work about an hour ago, so the house was for me and the pets.  I get in.  I get ready for bed.  I plop down.

It's important to note our mattress is currently on the floor of the spare room while we paint the master.

I lean over and feel the air vent, just to see how hard it pumps in that room. 

And I feel cold air.

WTF, people?

The pilot light is out.  In both the heater and hot water heater.  Yuck.  I've never relit them, and Mike is at work.  I call him up, and he proceeds to fail at giving me instructions.  By the end of the call I'm in tears (I'm tired, and cold.  Don't judge.) and still without heat.

After a few minutes talking to my uncle, I somehow miraculously make a lighter heat the whole house.  Woohoo!  heat again.  Back to bed with the promise to my uncle that I will call the energy company on Monday.

Monday- I call Duke.  Duke Energy.  They promise to be out within 3 hours to check the pressure on our line.  That was 1 pm.  I tell Mike to be ready.

I get home at 5:30.  No Duke.  At 6:40- still no Duke.  I leave for the gym.  Mike and my mom are at the house.

He shows up around 7 ish.  It's important to note that up to the point of his arriving, there had not been a single instance of "I smell gas".  NONE.  So he comes, and checks, and turns the gas on in the garage for a teensy bit of time to check it.  He can't find a problem.  He leaves.

I come home at around 8:40.  I open the garage door and WOOF!  Huge huge huge smell of gas attacks me!  So I turn the car off (duh) and run in the house freakin' out like.  No, no.  Everyone tells me it must not have aired out from when the tech was there.

So we leave it.  And then around 9:15 I take Romeo out.  The garage has been open since I got home.  The smell of gas is more evident.  It has floated into the yard.  It's still strong in the garage.  I tell Mike, who goes out and confirms "I hear a hissing sound".

BAD BAD BAD, right?

(This is where I resist the urge to say "to be continued" because you probably are dying to know the rest).

I call Duke (don't call Duke.  Call 911.  I've learned my lesson.)  And they say to leave the house, but not the premises (it's 20 degrees outside).  They'll be there in no more than an hour.  The tech can't call us when he gets there, so we have to be outside waiting for an hour???  Really???  I have small pets.  I'm cold myself.  No.

So we went to my aunt's, and after 30 min I call to check the status.  They say that all they can tell is that it's been reported and the tech will be out within the hour.  They don't know where he is or when he'll be there.  Lovely.  There was a little screaming and yelling at them, and I asked for the manager "I can have them call you back".  Fine.  Hang up and head back to the house to sit in a running car during a gas leak.  That the tech caused (he turned it on to check it, but didn't turn it all the way off).

We get back to the house, and no one's there.  So I call again.  "Our records show he was there at 10:02 and couldn't find any problem."  LIAR!  It is now 10:22.  So you are telling me, that the tiny amount of gas let out at 7 was able to waft and get stronger from 7 to 9:15, but then miraculously disappear by 10?  We went up to check.

The hissing had stopped, the smell was almost completely gone- the guy flat out lied.  He showed up, realized a mistake was made earlier and that no one was around, fixed it, and left saying nothing was wrong. 

And that supervisor?  Never called me back.  Nope.  Nuh-uh.

I hate our energy company.  They lie.  They have no customer service.  The "plan" to follow for a gas leak contradicts itself.  Their technicians are too incompetent to know to turn the gas all the way off after checking it.  I could have exploded when I opened the door or, ya know, parked my car in a GAS FILLED GARAGE.

Guess who will be getting an angry letter from me.

For 2011

I'm not normally a person to make New Year's Resolutions, because quite frankly we usually don't keep them.  BUT.  This past year I noticed that I was just sorta going through life and getting really comfortable with routine and my every day life.  (read: boring).  SO this year I have 2 resolutions: to live life with more purpose, and to leave my comfort zone more often!


For example.  I plan on signing up for the Warrior Dash today.  


Also on the list this year?


Goals for us: 


Mike wants a full time job.  He's expecting a call for an interview in the next week.
I want to get a lot of grad school in (I start in 9 days).
Run the Warrior Dash (and some other 5k races).
Attend a wedding!  My brother will have a May wedding.  :)


Goals for the house:


We need to cut down a tree... Sadly...
If Mike gets that nice full time job we just might get new windows!
I want to re-do the master bedroom and the project room.  We're thinking natural earthy tones in the bedroom and I like the idea of bright colors for the project room (since later it will eventually be a baby's room).
Hang a clothes line!  We have a huge nice backyard.  Time to make use of it!
Landscape- I want a garden in the front yard, and I hate our bushes!


Project list- 


Window treatments for the bedroom
Bottle Chandelier
Laundry Organizer
Sewing Cart
Message Center at the door (Can't decide which one I like best)
Knit several projects and open an Etsy shop???  Or maybe just get my Christmas gifts done early.  We'll see!


Happy 2011 y'all!

Top 10 Signs You've Overdone Christmas

I saw an article online today that listed some pretty goofy ways to tell if you spent too much on your kids.

1- We don't have kids, so it obviously doesn't apply.
2- I never intend on spending the type of cash a lot of parents tend to spend apparently.  Seriously?  You people are just nuts.
3- The article was stupid.

BUT!  People over do the holidays ALL THE TIME!  Every year I hear all of this complaining, and griping, and general "I'm freaking out from so much to do!" ness.  I think people have lost the idea behind Christmas.

Am I the kettle calling the pot black?  Maybe.  I do believe my last post listed how behind I was.  BUT!  I don't feel obligated to do ANY of it.  Did I have to get my brothers Christmas AND birthday gifts?  No.  We don't care.  Did I have to hand make over 40 Christmas cards (20 left, people)?  NO.  Did I have to hand make 3 gifts?  Decorate so much?  Bake 4 batches of cookies (and counting)?  NO!!!  I do it because I love making things, I love baking desserts, I love the "oohs" and "aahs" of all the people I care about.  I love giving.  I do it because I enjoy it.  I don't cuss as I trim the tree, or develop Tourette Syndrome while baking (although the cat can change that...).

So here are my top 5 signs you've over done Christmas-

5. You are fighting with the hubs (wife) more than you are smiling.
4. You emptied your bank account (or maxed a credit card) to cover the expense.
3. You are having trouble sleeping because you are dreaming about things going wrong.
2.  You find Christmas music gives you a sudden urge to turn into the Hulk.
1.  You ended up giving someone a bloody nose in a fight for the last ZhuZhu pet (or thing of silly bandz, or Bratz doll). 

Merry Christmas, and please.  Remember that you are supposed to ENJOY the Holiday season!

All I Want for Christmas- Cards!

So when you're less wealthy than you'd like to be, the best thing to do for the holidays are cards!!!!


But some can get kind of expensive.  Although I have a friend who bought 32 for $2, I have yet to find them... Sad. 


So as a childless woman who loves fun projects- I decided to make my own this year!


Items needed- All bought at Hobby Lobby


1 pack of cardstock- 5" x 6 1/2" (I bought ivory colored)
a stencil of some holiday design (I chose snowflakes)
paint (I bought light blue)
a foam brush


I used basic word to make my saying for the inside, used photoshop and the internet to come up with a few pictures to go with my saying, and printed them off.


I used the paint and stencils to create a very pretty front.  I wish I had a little bit of glitter, though, because the paint came out to be slightly less than what I wanted, but oh well.  Still very pretty.


Voile!  Pretty pretty Christmas cards.  I'll post a picture later, as I didn't take any and have already sealed up the first batch I made.

Weekend Wish- Fitting 96 hours into 48

Or at least trying?  Because I'm pretty sure I have well over 96 hours worth of stuff on my to do list this weekend.

Happy Friday, everyone!  And by Happy I mean very happy, because tonight, my friends?  Tonight is a girl's night out!

I hope we can figure out a DD because I really would like to enjoy it, if you know what I mean.  Not to the point of piss-ass drunk or something, of course.  But not worrying about driving would definitely be nice.

And since it's girl's night out tonight, the boys are probably have a guy's night in (I think?).  Michael might not be attending, though, because our weekend has filled to the point of over-flowing, and he'll probably want to get some zzzz's before it starts.

Tomorrow?  Starts with a football game in what will shape up to be 1-3 inches of snow.  BOO!  I like snow, but not on my football games.  I like football, but usually with warmer weather than permitted for snow to fall.  And all in all, I don't foresee a very good game, so this whole day will kinda suck.  But I love my friends, even if we lose fingers or toes from frostbite. 

Then hopefully I will come home and Mike can go to sleep while I do some couponing, grocery list making, grocery shopping, and maybe some cleaning.  Because Mike's boss screwed up, and Sunday he works 1:30 am - 9:30 am, then 11 am to 6 pm (or something on those lines).  BOO!  He will sleep good that night!

Sunday I will be spending a lot of time in the kitchen.  I prep in the am for cooking day.  Then I'll probably take a break to do some laundry and clean some of the house.  Then I'll spend several chaotic a few organized hours cooking away in our kitchen.  Hopefully I will manage to finish the laundry and the cooking with enough time left to put up the Christmas decorations.  I have some excellent ideas, and if enough snow falls, Romeo and I will spend the evening outside making a snowman.  I don't think 1-3 inches will be enough, though.

And if I finish and I'm NOT ready to pass out on the spot?  I can design my Christmas cards.  That's right- we make our own around here.  I'm a modern version of Martha Stewart (only prettier, with lots less money, better trading ethics, and no stick up my butt (as I imagine...)).

How about I give you some of my awesome ideas for gifts/crafts for the holidays?  Interested?  I might just try that out.  Because I love the holidays.

Oh the Turkey

When I was little and my grandma lived within yelling distance, we would always eat Thanksgiving dinner at her house.  And all day long, while cooking this delicious turkey (it really was amazing), she would call it "turkey lurkey".

I swear, it's been in my head all freakin' week.  "Turkey Lurkey".  I think it has something to do with the chick who claimed the sky was falling.  (I'm not joking, it was this tiny little "I Can Read" book from my childhood about a chick baking bread and the sky falling)

Anyways, there I was about a week ago facing the prospect of cooking a turkey.  A 12 lbs turkey that my husband received from his previous employer for free.  A turkey that would have to travel 1 1/2 hours to it's final destination before being consumed by 4 strapping young men, a growing 9 year old (also boy), and 3 girls who could have starved wilst we were eaten out of the house.

I was nervous.

So I looked online and found an amazing recipe.

And then I prepped.  I bought the turkey (for $0.68).  I bought the supplies.  I figured out a way to get him into the fridge to wait its fate for 6 days.  Saturday rolled around and I even brined the turkey.  I had difficulties finding all the parts that I was supposed to pull out (never did find those giblets.  I don't think I even want to know what "giblets" are!).  I miraculously fit the turkey into a stock pot with the brine.  That never fit in my fridge.  Thankfully it was cold outside, so poor old turkey slept in the garage while drowning in brine.

And then Sunday came along (I ate thanksgiving twice.  Sunday was my day with my brothers and mom).  I got up, I reviewed the recipe.  I pulled the turkey out of the brine and cleaned it up.  I proceeded to force myself NOT to cry when I noticed I had broken the poor thing's wing.  I scratched my head about where those stupid giblets were.  I texted my mom.  I called my mom.  I gave up.  I chopped vegetables and stuffed the turkey in ways that'll give me nightmares.  I again forced myself NOT to cry at the mere thought.  I placed the turkey in the pan and shoved it in the oven.  At this point I have drowned the bird, tortured the bird, attempted to give it hypothermia (hyper?  hypo?), and then shoved it into a burning hell.  I drank a glass of wine.  At 10:30 am.

The veggies inside burned.  I don't know why.  I had to keep shoveling them out because they were black and I didn't want my turkey tasting like burnt.  I'm worried at this point.

At 3/4 the way through cooking I flip it over.  Do you know how to flip a 12 lbs dead bird that's too hot to touch in a PAN that's too hot to touch?  Neither do I.  But I had those turkey turner thingies.  So I did my best and eventually succeeded. 

And then 4 hours into cooking, we should have left 30 minutes ago, and this damn bird is still not done.  I really want to cry.  What the hell, bird?  I'm calling my mom.  I'm stewing and scratching and pacing.  I realize "Oh... I should have put it in a bag.  Maybe the one I bought specifically for this occasion."  Oh well.  I cover it with foil. 

And finally it finishes.  That popper thingy pops out.  I do a happy dance.  I'm still worried, though, because before we wrap it to leave I pull out MORE burnt vegetables.

But no turning back at this point- 1 1/2 hours to drive and we're running very late.  Off we go.

We were starving, and driving for 1 1/2 hours with a cooked turkey is absolute torture.  TORTURE.

Finally we get there, and my brother takes another 30 minutes to arrive, and eventually we can eat.  My brother goes to carve the turkey.  And finds the giblets (in a bag, thankfully).  Good grief.  I looked everywhere in that damn bird, and he finds them in minutes.  Who puts them in the neck????

So we eat.  And it tastes delicious!!!!  I wanted to dance it was so good.  In your face, father! (No, he wasn't there, but he's always said I couldn't cook... I would love to shove my turkey in his face and then rub in some salt with "didn't your wife burn her sweet potatoes this year???")  I'm so mean.

What a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We really had a great time.  We played games and Mike had fun with Dallas, and Romeo was as happy as a clam (my brother snuck him turkey).  It really was something to treasure.

And then we came home to dishes.  A pile so high we didn't even have clean silverware.  It was bad.

But in all the mess, while washing the turkey turner thingies, I noticed... One had lost it's rubber prong cover.  Hmmm.... It was there when I turned the turkey... I sure hope no one ate it!!!!!

And THAT my friends, is how you cook a turkey.  Can't wait to do it again next year.

Menu Monday- Freezer Cooking Round 2

And couponing round 1.

So, in recap, the freezer cooking worked SWELL!  So I thought I'd give it a go again, only this time for 3 weeks (to close out the month).

So, step 1- I decided to try couponing as well.

It was a miserable failure.  For various reasons-
#1- I don't have newspapers.  Only the circulars they deliver every now and then.
#2- I dropped a few of my coupons in store... Oops.
#3- My printer decided to turn satanic and spew out 200 pages of coupons, wasing tons of ink and paper.  Along with time and dignity... How does that look when I tell husband I'm trying to save money?  Oh and the coupons... They were repeats.  A lot of them.
#4- I gotta learn my grocery stores.

Step 2- buy groceries.  MISERABLE FAILURE

I went to 4 stores.  FOUR.  That is like... way too many, people.  I first went to Aldi.  I've heard raves.  I was disappointed.  I think it might just be my aldi, though, so I'll probably research and try again.  They barely had anything.  I spent $14.  I then went to Meijer.  Again, raves on prices.  And cheap chicken.  I was actually able to buy most of the items I needed.  And in truth, I think I saved money merely because of Meijer.  But either I don't know the store well (I don't) or they just suck sometimes because they didn't have some certain items I needed.  Like egg whites.  Or Bob Evans Mac N Cheese.  And Green Peppers (who sells produce without green peppers?  Maybe I missed them somewhere).  So the remaining 2 stores (walmart and kroger) were my solution to the missing items.

It was a frustrating day, but I will improve.  And if I had more than 3 coupons I probably would have saved more.  In the end I was still over budget, but by way less than normal.

So step 3- Prepare.  I passed this with flying colors.

I made a list of all the food that needed to be made.  I marked off items that had to be made fresh the day of.  I then made 4 lists of what needed to be done- prep work, cooking (stove top), baking (oven), and assembly.  In each one I numbered them in a reasonable order.  Then, I took my 4 lists, and combined them into 1 big list in a numbered order.  I tried to guestimate how much time each would take and lay out a plan that wouldn't overwhelm me at some points but leave me waiting on a timer at others.

Step 4- execute.  And execute I did.  It was smooth, easy, and QUICK!  3 hours for 3 weeks (not counting thanksgiving!).

Menu:
Monday- Maple Glazed Chicken with rice, carrots, and green beans
Tuesday- Spaghetti with rolls, corn, and peas
Wednesday- Leftover spaghetti
Thursday- Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, and Green beans with a mushroom gravy
Friday- Leftover pork chops
Saturday breakfast- Cinnamon Rolls, Eggs, Fruit smoothies
Saturday- Leftover pork chops (we love this meal.  It's our fave).
Sunday breakfast- Biscuits, eggs, sausage (or bacon)
Sunday dinner- Pot Roast, Potatoes, Carrots

AND I'm linking up here.  Sorry this post is so long!

Food in a Box becomes a Healthy Meal

So remember my awesome menu a few weeks back?


I said I was making Chicken Alfredo.

Yum yum. 

BUT I slightly didn't tell the truth- it's from a box.

This box, actually.

Yeah.  We eat processed food in our house.  Not often.  But we do.  It's easy.  It's cheap (IT'S CHEAP- THIS IS THE BIG ARGUMENT FOR IT'S CASE).  But you know, it gets kind of bland sometimes.

So I took a few extra ingredients. 

See?  Yes- they are cans, jars, bags, and boxes.  We use jarred mushrooms and canned veggies a lot.  Although, frozen veggies aren't really that bad.  So sometimes we use them too.

Would you believe it?  It was amazing.  A-MAY-ZING!

Don't believe me?  Check it out yourself.

See?  Oh me oh my was it scrumptious!  And balanced.  It had lots of color and all kinds of flavor.

Wanna know what I did?  I sauteed some mushrooms while cooking up my chicken (I use boneless skinless chicken breasts, if you were curious).  I then strained the chicken and combined it with the mushrooms, then the water and milk and packet of spices, and then the noodles.  I then microwaved a bag of steamfresh broccoli.  I took the left over peas from the chicken pot pie, and a can of carrots (I only used about 1/2 the can.  Maybe a little more).  I added the peas and carrots, and then about half of the bag of broccoli to the sauce mix.  Finish out the directions on the box and voile!

Oh how delicious it was, and it has given me an inspiration to repeat with other things as well.  Eventually.

Menu Monday- Adjusting to freezer cooking

Last week we decided to try out the "freezer cooking" method.  We made a menu for a month, made a grocery list covering 2 weeks worth of that month (it's a trial, remember), and then went out and spent a ton of money at three different stores.

The idea was that we'll (eventually) make a menu for a month at a time.  We'd go to Sam's Club at the beginning of the month for the bulky items.  Then every other week we'll head to Walmart for the items we don't need in bulk.  Then once a week we'll head to Kroger for the fresh items (like fruits.  We love us some fresh fruit).

So far, we're way over budget.  But to be honest, it's mostly because a) we bought enough toilet paper (and other items) to last us forever.  b) I bought cookie dough (and other unneccessary items).  c) This is a trial, and I seriously think we will survive a long time with what we have.

This week I was supposed to only need to go to Kroger.  However, I had to go to both walmart and kroger because I hadn't realized we'd run out of certain things when we did.  Like face whipes.

Other than that, we are as we predicted.  There's a ton of food still at our house.  I imagine we will probably survive a total of 3 weeks on what I cooked versus the planned 2.  With that, here's this week's menu:

Breakfast for the week includes a muffin, a banana, egg whites, and turkey bacon.  And coffee, of course.

Lunch is soup and sandwiches again.  It's plain but pretty healthy.  And cheap.

Monday- Spaghetti with peas, corn, and rolls.
Tuesday- Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo
Wednesday- Leftover fettuccini alfredo
Thursday- Pineapple pork chops with rice and broccoli
Friday- Taco Salad
Saturday breakfast- Biscuits, eggs, bacon/sausage
Saturday dinner- Maple glazed chicken
Sunday breakfast- Waffles and fruit smoothies
Sunday dinner- BBQ Meatloaf

I'm super excited to see how this week goes, because I can already tell I've left at least 2 meals off of the menu that are already cooked.  I also have lots of leftover pork chops that I have yet to use, along with lots of left over veggies.  I'm predicting that the spaghetti will last 2 days, the alfredo might last 3, and the meatloaf will probably have leftovers as well.  We'll just have to wait and see!

AND I'm linking up here.

Menu Monday- Freezer meals!

Has it seriously been a week since I blogged???  And where are those pictures I promised you?

I have a few posts written, and pictures on my camera.  I swear.  I just need to upload them so I can post them!  I will I will I will I swear.

Just a preview- I was really really ecstatic about the way a certain meal came out last week.  Also, I should have some Halloween pics if anyone else took them I was bad... I didn't.  Maybe some homecoming pics? And this week I hopefully will be... dum-du-du-dum! RUNNING!  I'm terrified, but hey... it'll be worth it, right?

So the menu, right.  Just a quick pre-note: We are trying something different in our house.  We keep trying to take baby steps towards saving money and time.  So this week we planned out the whole MONTH of meals (that's gonna help a lot).  THEN we went shopping for 2 weeks worth of meals at 3 stores.  We are trying to do the whole "freezer cooking" idea.  Eventually I will shop for a month at a time (at Sam's) and have one big cooking day where I freeze just about everything I can for a whole month of meals.  But since this is our first time, we only did 2 weeks worth because I honestly think it'll last a lot longer than 2 weeks.

But it was SO EXPENSIVE!!!!  Ok, it probably wouldn't have been $300 but we needed a lot of other things like laundry detergent and toilet paper and cat food.  We bought those at Sam's too, and seriously.  If they don't last a whole year, I'll be shocked (ok... 3 months).  We won't need things like that every month, so to me, we didn't do so bad.  Oh, and we had to renew that membership too.

So this week, I have already cooked everything!  Here's the menu-

Breakfast- egg whites, turkey bacon, and chocolate chip-banana muffins
Lunch- Rich and Meaty Chili, cornbread, and applesauce

Monday- Maple Glazed Chicken, rice, and veggies
Tuesday- Beef Stroganoff, rolls, and veggies
Wednesday- Chicken Pot Pie
Thursday- Chicken Pot Pie (there's a lot of it)
Friday- Spaghetti, Rolls, and veggies
Saturday breakfast- Waffles, eggs and fruit smoothies
Saturday dinner- Crockpot Chicken and Dumplings and veggies
Sunday breakfast- Cinnamon Rolls, Sausage, and Peaches
Sunday- Taco Salad (not made yet due to needing fresh veggies)

You'll see a lot of repeat foods in our house, because we love our favorites, and it's hard for me to find new things that I'll like.  I'm kind of picky.  Plus, obviously with freezing meals, we'll probably have more left overs than I anticipate.

Oh, and here's the link up.

Menu Monday- Halloween time!

There were a lot of meals last week that I didn't end up cooking, oddly enough.  Mainly because everyone was so busy!  We had a football game, and I was helping my mom pack for her big move this week... So we weren't always home.

That means?  That means a lot of meals from last week are now on this week's menu!

Monday- Chicken alfredo with peas and corn
Tuesday- Cheeseburger macaroni with carrots and green beans
Wednesday- Maple Glazed Chicken, rice, and broccoli
Thursday- Chicken, mushrooms and tortellini in ragu with green beans
Friday- Chili (I've been dying to make this for weeks) with cornbread
Saturday breakfast- Biscuits, eggs (egg whites), turkey bacon, and fruit
Saturday dinner- left over chili (Homecoming weekend with Halloween party)
Sunday breakfast- toast, eggs (egg whites), turkey bacon, and fruit
Sunday dinner- Tuna mac.  YUM!  It's easy, it's processed, it's so unhealthy, but yum-o.

Breakfast for the week is a cinnamon bagel with a banana.  And coffee.
Lunch for the week is soup and sandwiches with applesauce again.
Snacks- grapes and string cheese.

I'm going to attempt to drink more water, but it'll be tough today because I forgot my waterbottle that clearly marks the ounces.  Oops.

Oh, and I'm linking up- need ideas for your own menu?  There are tons right here!!!!

Chicken Pot Pie

This is one of my all time favorite dishes- it's a great comfort food, it's extremely easy to make, and EVERYONE loves it!

I got the original recipe from Paula Deen (Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie).  But then I made adjustments to it for my own preferences.  Feel free to do the same.

Ingredients:

1.25 lbs (1 regular-sized package) of boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
Canned veggies (just drain and rinse off)
-Corn (only use about 1/2 the can)
-Peas (also use only 1/2 the can)
-Carrots
-Potatoes (diced)
-Green beans
Regular sized can of Cream of Chicken
1 cup Chicken broth
1 1/2 cups bisquick (or similar product)
1 cup milk
Large casserole dish

1.  Preheat the oven to 450*
2.  Cook the chicken so that it is mostly cooked through (or more, but it's not necessary).  Drain off the grease and layer in the bottom of the casserole dish
3.  Mix the veggies (after draining and rinsing) together.  Pour evenly over the chicken in the casserole dish.
4.  Mix the chicken broth with the cream of chicken soup.  Pour evenly over the chicken and veggies in the casserole dish.
5.  Mix the milk and bisquick together.  I like to pour this evenly over the casserole dish, but leave room on the edges because it expands.
6.  Place in the oven and bake for 35 - 45 minutes.  Mine is usually done in the 35 minutes, but my oven is amazingly accurate.
7.  Sit back and relax!  Let it cool before eating.  It gets really hot.

This is also one of my favorite meals for lunch ideas because it's nice and big, which is easy to split up for 5 lunches.  I also use it for any sort of "cook for others" events, such as new neighbors or deaths.  It's a great comfort food for just about everyone.