The Enchanted Hovel

2012-01-24T22:43:00.000-05:00

All this time I thought I was writing posts through my phone, apparently my test post was the only one that worked.

Should be updating more now that I've got my Kindle Fire, which was a gift to myself. I hid it from hubby for about a week since my keyboard Kindle had been a gift from him & I didn't want to hurt his feelings. he's totally ok with it tho! :-)

Total weirdness - can't get online with the fire at work but I can with my regular one.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

The Hovel is on Facebook!

2011-10-31T11:19:00.001-04:00

I'm still trying to set things up but as of 14 minutes ago the hovel has a Facebook page, click HERE.

& Happy Halloween!!

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Making Your Home Sing Monday September 5, 2011

2011-09-06T00:11:00.000-04:00

Making Your Home Sing! Monday is hosted by Mom's The Word I love to hear

I haven't participated in this meme for a while but it seems I picked a good week to start again :-) I purchased a 4 pack of vinyl decals. I thought I ordered them from Collections Etc. but I can't find a picture on their site.

"Home is where your story begins" - this one is over the doorway between the living room & kitchen, you can see it as soon as you walk in the front door.

"A family is a little world that is created by love"- above my kitchen sink window

"When I count my blessings I count you twice" - on the inside of my sons door :-) He's too young to read but I like it there anyway.

"We may not have it all together but together we have it all" - I had trouble placing this one. I finally put it over our bed & it's the last thing I see before I get into bed every night.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

2011-09-05T16:53:00.002-04:00

I am no longer doing the Menu Plan Monday meme on this blog. I will leave all the old ones here but starting today my weekly menus will be posted over at my food blog Recipes from the Hovel

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

2011-09-02T22:10:00.001-04:00

Test post from my phone

2011-08-02T20:18:00.000-04:00

2 whole months since I was last here, where does the time go?? I wish I could say I wasn't blogging because I was traveling around the world but it's just been the same old stuff.
Pretty much the only time I get to blog is after the little guy goes to bed & sometimes I'm just too tired or have other sthings to do.
I've been trying to figure out how to start blogging from my phone so hopefully I can start doing that when I have some free time at work, on line at stores, doctors waiting rooms, etc.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of May 22nd

2011-05-23T21:02:00.000-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

What we ate last week:
Sunday - we were supposed to go out but didn't so I did Hamburger Helper at the last minute.
Monday - spaghetti bolognese & sausage
Tuesday - pulled pork, coleslaw, tater tots
Wednesday - chicken cutlets, savory rice
Thursday - stuffed shells
Friday - I forgot
Saturday - I forgot

This week I made brownies.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of May 15th

2011-05-15T22:28:00.000-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

What we ate last week:
Sunday - London broil, potato salad,green beans
Monday - spare ribs, onion rings,
Tuesday - spaghetti
Wednesday - chicken Caesar salad
Thursday - i forgot
Friday - I worked late
Saturday - I worked late

This week I baked a cherry pie.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

2011-05-09T22:20:00.000-04:00

Mondays don't bother me since I don't work Monday through Friday but after today I know why people hate Mondays.

The little guy woke up really early today so that started me off tired& grumpy which made me re-schedule what I had planned today, which turned out good considering. The new plan was to stay local, run some errands, go to the park for a picnic & playtime then come home for a nap.

I went through the drive thru at the bank & as I pull back onto the road my car starts thumping, flat tire. Hubby has been telling me to get tires for a few months since they were 2 years old. Luckily the bank is right near the grocery store so I pull in there. I get out & look at the tire, it's fine. I walk to the other side, there it is. I pop the trunk & take out my spare (after lugging out tons of crap as well as the forgotten stroller from the other day) No jack. I call hubby to see if he's nearby or knows where it is, I get voicemail. Luckily some guy saw me & had a jack. We change the tire, he wouldn't accept any money.
I should have taken a picture, the tire was THAT bad. My original plan had been further from home & I have a lead-foot so you see why it was better this way. Plus I was down the block from the tire shop.

OK so I'm tired & now I have to go get tires so I'm a little pissy. Into the supermarket I go. I go to the deli & order a turkey hero "what?" forgot this idiot town calls them hoagies. My sandwich ended up half wrong & wasn't cut. I couldn't find either of the breads that we eat, there was a freaking hen party going on in the dairy section so I didn't get milk...blah blah blah.

Pull into the tire shop..."Hi, how are you today?" "Crappy. I have my mother, my son & groceries in my car, how fast can you change 2 tires?" I did apologize & the guy ended up getting me to laugh. He told me it would be about an hour so I asked him if it was OK for us to picnic in the grass off of the parking lot he said sure. So yeah, that was me on the side of the road eating my lunch today. We eventually starting laughing wondering what the people getting stuck at the light were thinking of us.

We went to the park after as well. When hubby got home (with his dead phone) & I told him he said "why did you call me first, was I supposed to come find you & change your tire?" "yes, that's what husbands are for" :-) I also learned that the jack is in the secret compartment in the secret compartment that holds the tire.

So how did your week start??

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of May 9th

2011-05-09T21:10:00.000-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

What we ate last week:
Sunday - meatloaf
Monday - chicken cutlets, fettuccine alfredo & peas
Tuesday - roast beef, cheesy mashed potatoes & corn
Wednesday - chicken breast, pierogies & broccoli
Thursday - corned bef, sweet potato fries, coleslaw
Friday - we ate out
Saturday - taco salad, rice & beans

This week I made fudge & a coffee cake.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of May 1st

2011-05-01T08:07:00.013-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

What we ate last week:
Sunday - Easter dinner - roast leg of lamb, horseradish & chives mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, snap peas & crescent rolls
Monday - chicken cutlets, rice, mixed veggies
Tuesday - spaghetti & sausage
Wednesday - roast beef, savory rice, peas
Thursday - raviolis
Friday - pork chops, scalloped potatoes, green beans
Saturday - pizza

This week I made a pineapple upside down bundt cake & rice krispie treats

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

2011-04-26T22:01:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows I am not a fan of warm weather but I am a good mom soooo I spent a good part of the day outside. We planted a couple of flowers, chased chipmunks, robins & each other :-) Played with some worms, rocks, sticks, leaves...I think even a little bit of poop LOL

Just before we went out little man decided he did not want me to put his shirt on & slammed the door of his room. I shrugged it off & got a little bag ready to take out with us. When I went to go get him the little stinker had locked the door! I am apparently out of practice with lock picking so I ended up popping his screen so I could climb over my porch railing to get in his window, which I barely did since I'm short & it was a little bit of a stretch. I also cut my finger open on the awning.

Needless to say we turned his door knob around tonight. & how's this for ironic? Just last night I ordered some baby lock things to prevent door slamming, which is his latest interest.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of April 24th

2011-04-25T09:49:00.010-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

What we ate last week:
Sunday - stir fry shrimp & broccoli, rice
Monday - sausage, peppers, onions, potatoes, salad
Tuesday - fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, biscuits, corn
Wednesday - swiss steak, rice, salad
Thursday - we were supposed to go out but didn't at the last minute so I made scrambled eggs & ham, tater tots, toast & fruit
Friday - I worked late
Saturday - I worked late

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of April 17th

2011-04-19T21:38:00.001-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

What we ate last week:
Sunday - roast beef,scalloped potatoes
Monday - pork chop, stuffing, peas, cranberry sauce
Tuesday - shrimp scampi over spaghetti,broccoli
Wednesday - ham, twice baked potatoes, corn, pineapples
Thursday - taco salad with rice & bean
Friday - I worked late
Saturday - I worked late

Baked some brownies.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

2011-04-18T22:36:00.000-04:00

Bleh, my laptop fan blew apart on me so I have been deprived of a computer for a few weeks. We finally found my parts through aftermarket in China since my 5 year old computer is 'so old' it's parts were unavailable from the manufacturer. WTF???

Blogging & menus will return tomorrow!

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of March 13th

2011-03-20T09:48:00.015-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

What we ate last week:
Sunday - not Swedish meatballs over noodles, broccoli
Monday - chicken cutlets, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans
Tuesday - hot open roast beef with swiss cheese, tater tots, onion rings, coleslaw
Wednesday - spaghetti bolognese, sausage
Thursday - taco sald with corn & rice
Friday -I had to work late but I left a pork roast with barbeque sauce in the slow cooker
Saturday - I worked late

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of January 16th

2011-01-17T08:39:00.022-05:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

What we ate last week:
Sunday - chicken tenders, savory rice, green beans
Monday - meatloaf, potato salad
Tuesday - beef stew
Wednesday -
Thursday - chicken pot pie
Friday -
Saturday - I worked late & ate there

I didn't keep track so that's all I remember

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of January 9th

2011-01-10T08:22:00.000-05:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

What we ate last week:Sunday - sloppy joes, tater tots, corn
Monday - stew, dumplings
Tuesday - chicken, cheesy mashed potatoes, green beans
Wednesday - roast beef French bread sandwiches with sauteed onions & asparagus dip, oven roasted potato wedges
Thursday - taco salad, rice & beans,salad
Friday - bbq steak, potato salad & peas
Saturday - pizza, salad

This week I baked oatmeal cookies.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

2011-01-08T22:57:00.000-05:00

Went to an auction today. An outdoor store is going out of business. We got there around 8:30, hubby told me it started at 9. I found out it started at 10, grr & was starting to regret going until I started looking around. They started off with small stuff; I was indoors hubby was outside. Unfortunately he hadn't dressed warm enough so we left after around 2 hours without getting anything.

We came home for some lunch & playtime with the little guy. Then we all took naps :-) Hubby & I ran some errands together tonight & brought home a pizza for dinner.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Dollar stores

2011-01-04T22:32:00.001-05:00

I was never a fan of dollar stores but someone somewhere inevitably dragged me to one here & there. After going a few times I realized that Dollar Tree was OK. They have some cool tissue paper designs not to mention my Scotchbrite & Reynolds aluminum foil, yes, for just a buck! I also buy coloring books there for the little guy.

There was a flyer or Dollar General in this weeks paper; it had my Lysol Cling & 2 other things I can't remember on sale so I headed there today. The plan was to run in & out for 3 things. Since it was my first time there & I had nothing else to do we cruised the aisles.They had a lot of name brand stuff in there. They had Green Giant canned asparagus, Hormel chili (I use them both to make dips) & Progresso soup (hubby eats them constantly & they're almost 3 bucks a can in the supermarket) for a dollar each. Dial soap for hubby was cheap too. I wound up spending 50 bucks. The only regret was the alphabet magnets - within half an hour of them going on the fridge 2 magnts fell out of the letters o they went in the garbage.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

It's 2011

2011-01-01T21:11:00.001-05:00

My New Years in a nutshell:
worked
"I have to pee"
"Did you ever pee?" "I waited 5 hours to pee"
"I'm bleeding"
"I'm bleeding again"
"I'm still bleeding"
"I'm finally not bleeding"
the hat lady
"a front row seat to watch people fucking up their lives"
stupid fucking pickles
no more fruit
"I don't know where the tea bags are!"
"stop working"
thinking the bar was on fire (& still making drinks while watching the smoke billowing LMAO)
no one knew how to park
no 5's anywhere
"there's no lemon!"
re-opening the first bar
"the girls are coming around"
"I can't lift my tray"
the napkins
"check our website"
running out of glasses
martinis in margarita glasses, shots in highball glasses
"what's with the Heineken??"
"no one took their drinks - they were so drunk they lost them"
woohooo, ringing n the New Year with a hot cup of tea
"my eyes feel like they have saran wrap on them"
"I'm taking the patron" "hey give me that" "I need it" "I need it!"
"he blew a horn on my ass"
not getting nearly enough sleep, which is probably why there's a ton I'm forgetting.
Being so thankful it was quiet today cause we were all tired & stupid.

To everyone still working tonight, we have 364 days til we do it again! Happy New Year!!

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of November 21st

2010-11-22T00:27:00.001-05:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - I worked through dinner
Monday - spaghetti
Tuesday - chicken?
Wednesday - pork chops, rice, cauliflower
Thursday - chicken fried steak, pierogies, green beans, carrots
Friday - we had compny so we went out for dinner
Saturday - stuffed shells

This week I baked a cake.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of October 17th

2010-10-18T00:50:00.013-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - (oven) 'fried' chicken, pierogies, green beans
Monday - meatloaf (hubby request), whipped potatoes, gravy, peas & carrots
Tuesday - spare ribs, coleslaw, corn fritters
Wednesday - I got home late
Thursday - chicken cutlets & fettucine alfredo, green beans?
Friday - penne ala vodka (hubby request) with sausage
Saturday - I had a late lunch & hubby wasn't home

This week I baked a loaf of bread.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Making your home sing Monday 10-11-10

2010-10-12T21:39:00.000-04:00

Making Your Home Sing! Monday is hosted by Mom's The Word I love to hear

I took a toothbrush to my bathroom grout yesterday. About a month ago I told hubby it was starting to bug me that it looked so grubby; I asked how I could clean it he said re-grouting would be best. Yesterday it finally got to me. I started with a Mr Clean eraser which worked pretty good but it made little lumps as it disintegrated. Then I put some vinegar baking powder in a cup & went to town with my (old) toothbrush.

This is a perfect example of how thankless being a housewife is & how not to clean for other people. The only reason hubby noticed is cause he happened to come up as I was doing the last 2 tiles. While he was teasing me I got to tease him since we redid his bathroom a few weeks before we did mine so his grout is older :-P Is anyone going to come over & say "wow, look at your grout!" no, but I don't care, it looks good to me!

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of October 10th

2010-10-12T21:26:00.001-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - London broil, rice, broccoli
Monday - pot roast, twice baked potatoes, green beans?
Tuesday - we had an appointment that ran late so we had Taco Bell
Wednesday - hubby was out late so I had left over london broil
Thursday - Pork chops, mashed potatoes, peas?
Friday - garlic chicken, farfelle (bow tie macaroni) & broccoli with a creamy garlic sauce
Saturday - I got home late, don' know what hubby ate

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of October 3rd

2010-10-04T10:30:00.019-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - barbequed pork, butternut squash, asparagus
Monday - chicken breasts in mushroom sauce, rice & green beans
Tuesday - ham & eggs...no hubby
Wednesday - steak, sauteed mushrooms, onions, & peppers, mashed potatoes & gravy, corn
Thursday - baked ziti, sausage, Texas toast
Friday - due to Thursdays storm we had no power when I left for work so I didn't take anything out; we ate leftovers
Saturday - pizza, & I actually enjoyed it :-)

This week I also made apple spice bread & a pecan pie...I cheated with that one, it was from Krusteaz.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Making your home sing Monday 10-4-10

2010-10-03T23:02:00.000-04:00

Making Your Home Sing! Monday is hosted by Mom's The Word I love to hear

I got a few house things last week...

My new shower curtain. (now I new different curtains LOL)

This toilet paper holder is in hubby's bathroom -

The lazy suan I'm still iffy about. It's on my table but it's a little darker looking in person & it's putting a curve on my napkins.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Menu plan Monday for the week of September 26th

2010-09-27T09:02:00.017-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - barbequed spare ribs, corn on the cob, coleslaw
Monday - lasagna
Tuesday - london broil, potatosalad, peas
Wednesday - Hubby was out/late so I had leftover london broil
Thursday - pork loin,sweet potato fries, mixed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
Friday - sloppy joes, onion rings, peas & carrots
Saturday - chicken, stuffing, peas

This week I also made banana bread

Making your home sing Monday 9-26-10

2010-09-26T21:27:00.000-04:00

Making Your Home Sing! Monday is hosted by Mom's The Word I love to hear

Bleh, I'm a little behind. Last Monday I began to fallify my house. This is a word I made up for fall decorating. I had my new pumpkin candle burning while I changed my outdoor flag, bathroom carpets, tablecloth, oven mitts & all my towels. Fall is my favorite season & I probably have more fall themed stuff than any other.

Tomorrow I'm planning to make some apple things. So far on my list is Apple Spice bread, I'll add the recipe some other time. I'm thinking of applesauce too, we'll see. When I went shopping Friday I misread the supermarket flyer & thought the bags of apples were 99 cents so I grabbed one. They were actually 99 cents a pound so thank goodness I only grabbed one bag that was close to 7 pounds.

Menu plan Monday for the week of September 19th

2010-09-20T10:08:00.001-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - shrimp scampi & spaghetti
Monday - sausage with peppers & onions, tater tots
Tuesday - chicken enchiladas, rice & beans
Wednesday - teriyki roast pork, fried rice, mixed veggies
Thursday - leftovers? Hubby wasn't home
Friday - taco salad, rice, beans
Saturday - chicken, stuffing, peas

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Make & use a price list

2010-09-15T10:06:00.049-04:00

About a year ago I decided to start a price list & keep it in my homemaking journal. Yes, I have one of those but it's still a work in progress; actually when my printer crapped out I was printing some stuff to put in it.

Anyways, back to the price list. I mainly started it to see which items I could really save money on by buying larger sizes. I was pretty surprised when I found an average of 20 - 60 cent price difference in my 2 stores. I live pretty rural, the local supermarkets are about 15 miles in opposite directions from my house. Each of them carry some stuff I use but not all so I go to both pretty regularly.

I do the Walmart thing every couple of months, like yesterday. I can get a 10 pound bag of rice for like 6 dollars meanwhile the supermarket charges about 5 dollars for the 3 or 5 pound bag - it's been so long I don't remember. It seemed like I was always buying rice now I just buy it & forget it. Plus I bought the prettiest canister to hold it in LOL

I don't take my list with me, after a while I just started to know where to buy what.

The price list also helps me remember where I get certain stuff. I haven't updated it for a while so it took me a month to re-find the aerosol can of Shout that I fell in love with.

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

2010-09-14T21:44:00.000-04:00

I almost didn't drop my stuff at the Salvation Army today... they were paving the road & only had 1 lane of traffic moving at a time. I really didn't feel like having to take the 2 boxes back out of my car so I stuck it out; actually put the car in park for about 12 minutes while me & the little guy sang & played hand games. He was so good today considering that my expected 3 hour errands venture turned more into 5. Good think I had brought him snacks & lunch just in case.

Went to Walmart for some pantry stuff. The only unplanned things I picked up were paper towels, my 8 pack was 5 bucks who cares that I already had 7 at home! & a big pumpkin spice candle, can't wait to get that burning! That just reminded me, I'm really surprised there weren't any Halloween costumes out yet, then again I wasn't looking for them.

Hubby fixed my printer for me tonight. He's so good, especially considering how late he got home. I tell him at least once a month how glad I am that he's not a white collar guy :-)

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Making your home sing Monday 9-12-10

2010-09-13T20:52:00.000-04:00

Besides the basic tidying...today I made my house sing by boxing up some knick knacks & books which I'll be dropping off at the Salvation Army tomorrow, maybe they can make someone else's house sing by having them.

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of September 12th

2010-09-13T01:56:00.011-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - spaghetti with meat sauce & sausage
Monday - pork chops, scalloped potatoes, peas
Tuesday - lamb patties with gravy, mashd potatoes
Wednesday - pineapple chicken, rice, broccoli
Thursday - taco salad, rice, beans
Friday - fried chicken, mshed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob
Saturday - hubby had pizza, I made waffles & bacon

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of September 5th

2010-09-05T13:55:00.014-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - taco salad, rice & beans
Monday - ham, macaroni & cheese
Tuesday - london broil, corn on the cob
Wednesday - chicken cutlets, green beans
Thursday - I forgot
Friday - I forgot
Saturday - pizza

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of August 29th

2010-08-30T00:05:00.012-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - barbequed pork, tater tots, corn on the cob
Monday - chicken cutlets, rice, cranberry sauce
Tuesday - hamburger helper
Wednesday - hubby wasn't home so I probably had a sandwich or leftovers
Thursday -I think we had kielbasa
Friday - went out for dinner; I had scallops, hubby had tuna
Saturday - no pizza!! We had company & were eating & barbequing all day

Baked banana cupcakes

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

a summary of my weekend:

2010-08-29T21:42:00.000-04:00

"go get your bomb"
"gold is out"
GPS sucks in small towns
"I finally get to see the house I live in"
"you need fishing poles, guns & a boat" "We have guns!"
"make a left at the light" "what light?""the ONLY light" An hour goes by, phone rings "I'm lost" "Did you make a left? "No, I made a right"
Escalades are a nice ride & I'm not into caddies
Someone got here without getting lost!
"they all had mud on their pants"
"we missed Wally-fest! (We didn't care it was just the joke of the weekend)
"you should go to the Land of Love" no, it wasn't me saying it
The lady with the blinking hat
"I can't walk through that smell"
"what's boom boom sauce"? - it is not good
"They need to cut some trees up here. Everything looks the same."
"where's his hat?" "Get the hat" "He has to wear the hat"
"I forgot the salad"
"Is he Amish?" "He can go plug up the dam"
no banana cake
The itty bitty pan
"I don't remember buying this shirt. What does it say?"
All the extra tables
About the electric fence - "come touch it" "no you touch it" "i did touch it, you touch it" "I'm not touching it"
"eeewwww, there's no booze in this" spoken by me a couple of differnet times
"Where's my cup?" also me a few times
"What's he doing with the baby? Should I give him the baby?" "Where's he taking him?" "Oh it's like the Lion King!"
"That IS the Mustang!"
"Wait, what happned to my car?" "You don't know? It was on the news."
"Why'd the music end?Oh, it's been 8 hours"
To F from at least 3 different people in less than a minute "a car is coming" & then later at night F to us "a car is coming" you had to be there to get it

& now it's bedtime, as soon as the little guy settles down anyway.

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of August 1st

2010-08-02T22:38:00.000-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - shrimp scampi & spaghetti
Monday - hamburger helper & green beans
Tuesday - pulled pork, corn on the cob, cloeslaw
Wednesday - guacamole, chili cream cheese dip & chips - hubby wasn't home
Thursday -pineapple chicken, rice, mixed vegs - I found the recipe on another blog; I totally ruined cause I set the crock pot wrong. The once a year I use the crock pot while I'm out & see what happens?? Good thing I had some ham steaks so I fried them up really quick.
Friday - steak? I forgot
Saturday - pizza

Made a loaf of bread this week.

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of July 25th

2010-07-26T21:29:00.000-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - lamb patties
Monday - chicken
Tuesday - steak, rice, broccoli, cauliflower
Wednesday - hubby wasn't home so I had peanut butter & jelly
Thursday -
Friday -
Saturday - we were out so no cooking

I didn't write everythig down so some stuff I don't remember.

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Foundation is in

2010-07-14T08:19:00.072-04:00

Our foundation was done on June 28th. It took about an hour , hour & a half. They were here about 3 hours though because the truck got stuck. We used Superior Walls for our foundation.

Here they come...

& here they're stuck!

Bobcat to the rescue! Luckily our excavator had dropped it off early in the morning & was on standby just in case this happened. The plan had been to dig our or fill in not to tow but that's how it turned out.

Prepping the hole...

These are concrete walls swinging over my house!

I decided the front wasn't the best view so I moved to the back...

We had siding up until they came, we're not totally trashy! We removed some of it for ease of placement & the rest of building. It will be going back on in a couple of months.

All set. (view from end of driveway looking left)

Is that a little patch of grass I still see??

I took more pictures but they are all pretty similar...walls swinging through the sky then going into the hole. Next update will be beginning to build.

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Excavation...

2010-07-13T07:49:00.024-04:00

So I'm a little behind on the house updating.

Excavation began the week of June 14th.

Bye oak tree...

This is the top half of the huge rock that was right where we needed to put the foundation...

the other half...(the picture doesn't really show it so good but I have pictures of it once it was finally removed)

The hole(with gravel fill), which actually is a good location for a swimming pool.

What used to be our front lawn & this was before the other trucks came.

More to come!

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of July 11th

2010-07-12T19:46:00.002-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - spaghetti
Monday - pork roast
Tuesday - chicken enchiladas
Wednesday - london broil
Thursday - pork chops, stuffing, peas & carrots
Friday - bbq chicken
Saturday - brought pizza home for hubby & chicken franchaise for me!

I don't remember my sides or anything :-( & no baking, too hot!

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of June 27th

2010-06-28T10:00:00.013-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - steak, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob
Monday - chicken with cheesy macaroni & broccoli
Tuesday - fajitas, rice, beans
Wednesday - sausage & eggs on English muffins (hubby wasn't home)
Thursday - ham steaks with pineapple, corn & mashed potatoes (I was planning to make corn fritters & scalloped potatoes but I got home too late)
Friday - I was working so I don't know what hubby had
Saturday - big surprise, pizza. I'm really starting to get sick of having pizza every Saturday; I need to have a sit down with hubby.

This week I baked macaroons.

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of June 21st

2010-06-21T21:12:00.001-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - spaghetti
Monday - creamy chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli & cauliflower
Tuesday - lamb burgers, potato salad, green beans
Wednesday - ziti
Thursday - I got homne late so I made ham & eggs, hash browns & English muffins
Friday - pork chops & I forgot what I made with it
Saturday - I worked so hubby probably picked up pizza

This week I baked oatmeal cookies.

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

2010-06-18T21:44:00.002-04:00

It's been a little crazy here for the last 2 weeks. We've got all our workers for the house lined up. Plans are done, permits are done, trees are down :-( Excavating began last weekend while we had company & a sick baby. The week before that my car broke down & of course it was a Friday evening on a hot day with a car full of groceries not to mention a mom & a baby as passengers.

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of June 13th

2010-06-14T14:26:00.003-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday -chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, grean beans
Monday - teriyaki London broil, rice, broccoli
Tuesday - roast beef & I forgot what else
Wednesday -I don't remember these 2 either
Thursday - I don't remember these 2 either
Friday - we had company & went out for dinner
Saturday - kielbasa, baked beans, macaroni & cheese

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of May 30th

2010-06-07T10:21:00.006-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - tacos, rice, beans
Monday - London Broil, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob
Tuesday - pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, sweet potato fries
Wednesday - chicken, stuffing, peas
Thursday - grilled pork chops, rice, beans, 3 bean salad
Friday - sloppy joes, onion rings, peas & carrots
Saturday - pizza

Also this week I baked banana bread & chocolate chip cookies.

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

2010-05-26T21:40:00.001-04:00

I live 5 miles from my job, it takes anywhere from 9 to 12 minutes to get there. Today I left my house 15 minutes before I had to be in & I got there 10 minutes late. Would you like to know why? Because I was stalking a turtle. Every spring we have turtles that travel from the lake that is around the corner from us to a creek that is around a different corner. They come diagonally across our property. There is one that we have seen since we moved here 3 years ago that just keeps getting bigger & bigger.

May 2007

May 2008

May 2009

I did manage to get a few shots today but it wasn't THE turtle. The reason I was stalking it was to get some decent pictures. It was just leaving my driveway for the woods when I got up this morning so those pictures were eh. When I was leaving for work it was walking in the side of the road. Let me tell you, I no longer thing they are cute little slow things. Do you see the claws??

I haven't uploaded today's pictures but hopefully I'll post them one day along with the big one for this year.

& Lesa thank you for being a follower & link sharer, I can't seem to comment you.

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

The tree killers came today :-(

2010-05-25T21:06:00.001-04:00

So sad.

We're adding an extension to our house, whoever built it really didn't situate it well so the only place we can add the extension is where one of our big oak trees happens to be.

Up he goes...

We have a lot of trees on our property so we decided to have the tree cut limb by limb so that it wouldn't take down too many surrounding ones as it came down.

This is one of the limbs which sure didn't look this big when it was up there!

All done & waiting for the excavators, sniff sniff.

I will say it was pretty interesting to watch & the limbs that were coming down were as big as small trees. Hubby has already cut down about a dozen small ones but this one hurt a little bit.
Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of May 23rd

2010-05-24T20:52:00.001-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - I forgot
Monday - chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans
Tuesday - barbequed spare rbs, coleslaw, french fries
Wednesday - london broil, mashed potatoes, gravy, mixed vegs
(hubby wasn't supposed to be home & I was going to make creamed spinach & baked potatoes but he doesn't like them so that's why I did mashed again)
Thursday - hubby wasn't home so I had peanut butter & jelly
Friday - chicken cutlets, broccoli, rice
Saturday - pizza

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of May 9th

2010-05-10T21:04:00.012-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - spare ribs, corn fritters, coleslaw, sweet potato fries
Monday - hamburgers, sauteed mushrooms, potato salad, onion rings
Tuesday - I forgot
Wednesday - hubby wasn't home so I had waffles & sausage :-O
Thursday - oven 'fried' chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob
Friday - steak, yellow rice, mixed vegetables
Saturday - pizza

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

2010-05-04T21:37:00.000-04:00

Did some grocery shopping, folded laundry, shampooed my carpet, brushed the dogs teeth - don't you wish you were me? LOL

Spent a good part of my day at the eye doctor, with an appointment I forgot all about & the doctor was running late. I am on the verge of needing reading glasses. My contact prescription is not available in bifocals & I see no point in wearing lenses AND glasses soooo I finally made an appointment to get a Lasik evaluation. I've been considering it since it came out but was always afraid I'd be the one in a million who got screwed up.

Since I got home so late I had a very late lunch & wasn't hungry for dinner so hubby had leftovers. I was planning fried chicken but you need a good appetite for that!

The dilating drops gave me a killer headache so I'm off to bed.

Love you always Daddy!!

Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of May 2nd

2010-05-03T13:46:00.000-04:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - ham, scalloped potatoes, broccoli & cauliflower
Monday - chicken, rice, peas
Tuesday - penne ala vodka & meatballs
Wednesday - london broil, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach
Thursday - pork chops, stuffing, peas & carrots
Friday - chicken, potato salad, green beans
Saturday - I worked, think hubby had leftover chicken
Made blueberry muffins this week too

Check out my new blogs - Heir to the Hovel, all about kids. Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

2010-04-29T21:47:00.000-04:00

Did a little shopping today...picked up a new bathing suit & a pair of shorts. Found a really cute pair of grey cropped cargo pants but since I'm short they were too long & looked ridiculous. I didn't get lost coming home like last time.
Dinner was boring, pork chops with stuffing, peas & carrots. Gave little man a bath, did the treadmill, straightened up & soon it's shower & bed.

Check out my new blogs - Heir to the Hovel, all about kids. Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

2010-04-28T21:55:00.000-04:00

Pretty boring day today. Did some straightening up in the morning before I went to work. Good thing I went cause I was on the schedule after all. It was a pretty dead day. I don't know why people think there is something wrong with drinking in the daytime, especially when they're on vacation.
Went tanning. Came home & had dinner; hubby's away on a job so I made something I like & he doesn't. Just as we were finishing the phone rang & I look at little man & say 'there's Daddy' but it wasn't - it was one of my friends telling me she's pregnant!!
Had some playtime then did the treadmill now it's time t floss, shower & read before going to sleep.

Check out my new blogs - Heir to the Hovel, all about kids. Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

2010-04-27T21:48:00.000-04:00

Between cooking, cleaning & wrapping up meat I spent most of my day in the kitchen. When I told hubby he said "that's where you belong" or something sexist like that.

For dinner I made penne alla vodka with meatballs.

I didn't sleep so good last night & I'm pretty sure I have to work tomorrow so I'm off to get ready for bed.

P.S. I tweeted this earlier but I thought it was funny enough to share here...
While we were having lunch today little man started banging the bottom of his hammer into his hummus & I very casually said "please stop hammering the hummus" then I realized how funny it sounded & started cracking up. Yes, this is what my life has become LOL

Check out my new blogs - Heir to the Hovel, all about kids. Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

2010-04-26T21:40:00.000-04:00

I was planning to stay home & do some cleaning today since it was kind of rainy & dreary but hubby needed coffee & he's going out of town this week so I did my grocery shopping. Halfway through ringing up my stuff the coupon machine had already printed so many that it was touching the floor. The cashier said all the machines were printing like that today. The good part was out of say 12 coupons only 2 were things I don't use.

All I managed to do around the house was some basic stuff like bed making, vacuuming, dishes.

For dinner I made chicken with rice & peas. I baked blueberry muffins too.

After dinner it was bath & bed for little man then the treadmill for me. After this it's a shower & some reading so g'nite!

Check out my new blogs - Heir to the Hovel, all about kids. Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

2010-04-08T09:22:00.000-04:00

I really have to get back into blogging. I'm going to start penciling in blog time on my schedule so I can get it done. If I could gt online at work it would be so much easier, especially on dead days like yesterday.

Check out my new blogs -
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of March 7th

2010-03-07T21:16:00.000-05:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - pork chops, sweet potatoes, stuffing
Monday - paprika chicken, rice, beans
Tuesday - pot roast
Wednesday - I got home late from work so I made taco salad really quick
Thursday - sausage & I forgot what we ate with it
Friday - pizza while we were out
Saturday - I can't remember
Baked a crumb cake

Check out my new blogs -
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of February 28th

2010-02-28T21:11:00.000-05:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - baked ziti
Monday - roast chicken, stuffing , green beans
Tuesday - pulled pork, potato salad, peas
Wednesday - steak, mashd potatoes, corn
Thursday - leftovers (I worked)
Friday - hubby wanted hot dogs & beans
Saturday - leftovers (I worked)
Baked carrot cake cupcakes for little mans birthday :-)

Check out my new blogs -
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

A baby's conversation

2010-02-22T18:01:00.001-05:00

Exactly one year ago my water broke. This is for my son.

A baby asked God, "They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow, but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?"

God said, "Your angel will be waiting for you and will take care ofyou."

The child further inquired, "But tell me, here in heaven I don't have to do anything but sing and smile to be happy."

God said, "Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you. And you will feel your angel's love and be very happy."

Again the small child asked, "And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me if I don't know the language?"

God said, "Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak."

"And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?"

God said, "Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray."

"Who will protect me?"

God said, "Your angel will defend you even if it means risking its life."

"But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore."

God said, "Your angel will always talk to you about Me and will teach you the way to come back to Me, even though I will always be next to you."

At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from Earth could be heard and the child hurriedly asked, "God, if I am to leave now, please tell me my angel's name."

God said, You will simply call her, "Mom."

Menu plan Monday for the week of February 21st

2010-02-22T07:46:00.000-05:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - I had to work but I made a meatloaf before I left, I hope hubby ate some veggies with it!
Monday - Pot roast with garlic mashed potatoes
Tuesday - chicken cutlets, rice, mixed veggies
Wednesday - I worked so hubby made Hamburger Helper from the box & said it was way too salty (yay! another crappy food he's outgrown)
Thursday - worked again, hubby had ham steaks & I don't know what else
Friday - London broil with gravy, mashed potatoes & mixed veggies
Saturday - pizza
no baking this week :-(

Check out my new blogs -
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of February 14th

2010-02-15T00:36:00.036-05:00

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

I make a large salad once or twice a week & leave it plain in the fridge so it's always ready to eat. What we ate last week:
Sunday - honey mustard baked chicken & potatoes, peas & carrots
Monday - Teriyaki london broil, rice, broccoli
Tuesday -bbq spare ribs, mixed vegetables, sour cream & chive mashed potatoes
Wednesday - taco salad, tropical fruit mix (canned)
Thursday - turkey breast, stuffing, butternut squash, cranberry sauce (canned)
Friday - pork chops, pierogies with sauteed onions, green beans(? I forgot the veggie already)
Saturday - pizza
This week I also baked an apple pie.

Check out my new blogs -
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

2010-02-11T06:23:00.000-05:00

So it's a little after 6 AM & I've already milked the cows, walked the pig, plucked the chickens...wait, I'm not a farmer. Can someone please then tell me just WHY I've been awake for 3 hours already?? I've done a load of wash, folded yesterday's - the only reason I haven't put it away is because it's baby's & he's still sleeping but I am REALLY close to sneaking in his room & putting it away. Garbage is out, dishes are washed, kitchen is straightened. I'd really like to Swiffer the kitchen & vacuum the living room but that might be a little too noisy; this also reminds me of how much I hate the layout of my house.

Check out my new blogs -
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu plan Monday for the week of February 7th

2010-02-08T00:57:00.000-05:00

What we ate last week:
Sunday - roasted chicken with roasted onions, carrots & potatoes, salad
Monday - lamb patties/burgers, french fries, salad
Tuesday - spaghetti & meatballs
Wednesday - chicken cutlets, stuffing, green beans
Thursday - steak, chddar mashed potatoes, broccoli & cauliflower, salad
Friday - taco chicken, rice, beans, salad
Saturday - pizza

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/
Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway.

Check out my new blogs -
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Friday Fill-Ins January 1, 2010

2010-01-01T22:08:00.000-05:00

Hosted by Janet

1. Last night I worked.
2. Maybe we'll go somewhere for our anniversary this year.
3. The funniest thing that happened today was hubby hiding in his shirt for baby.
4. It's a new decade...so where do we go from here?
5. He said I love you; she said it was too late.
6. I lost my paint samples (LOL) and it's up to us to find it.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to nothing, tomorrow my plans include working and Sunday, I want to do laundry!

Check out my new blogs -
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

2009-12-24T11:40:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas!!!!
I'll be back to blogging regularly next week.

Check out my new blogs -
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

A Dog's Purpose

2009-12-02T00:01:00.003-05:00

an email forward...
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa,and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home.

As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for the four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.

We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why."

Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation.

He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" The four-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."

Menu plan Monday for the week of November 15th

2009-11-15T22:18:00.001-05:00

What we ate last week:
Sunday - meatloaf, pierogies, green beans
Monday - pot roast
Tuesday - pork chops, stuffing, peas & carrots
Wednesday - sausage, mixed veggies, potato salad
Thursday - chicken enchiladas, rice, beans
Friday - hubby was out so I had a peanut butter & jelly sandwich :-)
Saturday - rib eye, potato salad, green beans.
This week I baked an apple pie.

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/
Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway.

Check out my new blogs -
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Why should the wedding ring be worn on the fourth finger?

2009-11-11T00:59:00.000-05:00

There is a beautiful and convincing explanation given by the Chinese.....

Thumb represents your Parents
Second (Index) finger represents your Siblings
Middle finger represents your-Self
Fourth (Ring) finger represents your Life Partner
& the Last (Little) finger represents your children

Firstly, open your palms (face to face), bend the middle fingers and hold them together - back to back
Secondly, open and hold the remaining three fingers and the thumb - tip to tip

Now, try to separate your thumbs (representing the parents)..., they will open, because your parents are not destined to live with you lifelong, and have to leave you sooner or later.

Please join your thumbs as before and separate your Index fingers (representing siblings)... ., they will also open, because your brothers and sisters will have their own families and will have to lead their own separate lives.

Now join the Index fingers and separate your Little fingers (representing your children)... ., they will open too, because the children also will get married and settle down on their own some day.

Finally, join your Little fingers, and try to separate your Ring fingers (representing your spouse).

You will be surprised to see that you just CANNOT....., because Husband & Wife have to remain together all their lives - through thick and thin!!

2009-11-09T08:15:00.001-05:00

For some reason my new blogs aren't updating in my side bar, grrr. Besides that the baby blog seems to have lost posts, double grrrr. Hopefully I can figure out what's wrong.
The recipe blog seems OK so go check it out!

Check out my new blogs -
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Menu Plan Monday for the week of November 1st

2009-11-01T15:56:00.000-05:00

What we ate last week:
Sunday -
Monday -
huh, I waited to long to post & I honestly can't remember what we ate last weekend!

Tuesday - chicken & penne Alfredo
Wednesday -taco salad (seasoned beef, rice, beans, salad)
Thursday - barbecued pork cops, scalloped potatoes, green beans

Friday - steak pizziol with peas & rotelle macaroni
Saturday - roast chicken, peas with mushrooms, mashed potatoes & gravy
This week I also made chicken soup & baked snickerdoodles & brownies.

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/
Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway.

Check out my new blogs -
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Thursday Thirteen for October 29th

2009-10-29T07:31:00.000-04:00

I don't eat a lot of candy but I thought I'd post the ones I like in honor of Halloween.

Whatchamacallit - my absolute FAVORITE candy!!
Reese's eggs - YUMMY! - they just don't make the regular cups as good as they used to :-(
Snickers
Almond Joy
Reese's Pieces
Hershey's bar with almonds
Twix
Kit Kat
1000 Dollar Grand - do they even make these any more?
Peanut M & M's
Raisinettes
Butterfinger
Jolly Ranchers

Thursday Thirteen is hosted here.
Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway :-)

World Stroke Day

2009-10-29T00:50:00.002-04:00

* I am not a doctor. This is just an email forward.

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics)...she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. (Some don't die....they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.)

It only takes a minute to read this...

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE:

Thank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, S-T-R. Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S * Ask the individual to SMILE.

T *Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today).

R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke--------Stick out Your Tongue

NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked' (if it goes to one side or the other) that is also an indication of a stroke.

Menu Plan Monday for the week of October 25th

2009-10-25T03:51:00.011-04:00

What we ate last week:
Sunday - ham, potato salad, green beans
Monday - london broil, rice, broccoli, salad
Tuesday - pork loin, stuffing, peas, salad
Wednesday - chicken cutlets, yellow rice, cauliflower
Thursday -scrambled eggs, turkey bacon, tater tots & English muffins :-)
Friday -spaghetti & meatballls
Saturday -roast chicken, cheesy rice, broccoli

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/
Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway.

Thursday Thirteen for October 22nd

2009-10-22T07:16:00.000-04:00

13 things I always try to buy on sale:

Paper towels
Toilet paper
Soap - dish & bath
Laundry detergent
Cleaning supplies
Cereal
Frozen vegetables
Saline solution
Shampoo & conditioner
Toothpaste
Deodorant
Flour
Soup
Spices
Hubby's ridiculously expensive coffee which he drinks too much of ;-p

Thursday Thirteen is hosted here.
Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway :-)

Monday Munchies - October 19th

2009-10-19T07:28:00.022-04:00

~ I have not tried this recipe ~

Southwestern Salad - serves 6

2 tablespoons olive oil

the juice of 1 lime

1/4 teaspoon each of salt, cumin & chili powder

pinch of pepper

Whisk together in a large bowl.

Stir in

1 cup thawed frozen corn kernels

1 15 1/2 ounce can of small white beans, rinsed & drained

1 finely chopped tomato

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

I've made a similar recipe but I used black beans. Also make sure your tomatoes are as firm as can be.

This can be prepared ahead of time & refrigerated however I prefer it at room temperature.

Monday Munchies is one of many food memes hosted at The Krazy Kitchen.

Menu Plan Monday for the week of October 18th

2009-10-19T03:37:00.035-04:00

What we ate last week:
Sunday - I wasn't home so hubby had leftovers
Monday -breaded chicken thighs, scalloped potatoes, peas & carrots
Tuesday - pork chops, stuffing & mixed veggies
Wednesday -Salisbury steak (made with ground lamb), mashed potatoes, green beans, mushroom gravy
Thursday - chicken enchiladas, rice & beans
Friday - pancakes :-)
Saturday - mushroom cheeseburgers on Italian bread, steak fries & 3 bean salad
During the week I baked biscuits & chocolate chip cookies.

To see more menus go to http://orgjunkie.com/

Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway.

42 Things in the life of an Italian child

2009-10-12T07:46:00.006-04:00

This is an email forward I received; not sure what happened to numbers 9, 10, & 11.

1. You have at least one relative who wore a black dress every day for an entire year after a funeral.

2. You spent your entire childhood thinking what you ate for lunch was pronounced 'sangwich.'

3. Your family dog understood Italian.

4. Every Sunday afternoon of your childhood was spent visiting your grandparents and extended family.

5. You've experienced the phenomena of 150 people fitting into 50 square feet of yard during a family cookout

6. You were surprised to discover the FDA recommends you eat three meals a day, not seven.

7. You thought killing the pig each year and having salami, capacollo, pancetta and prosciutto hanging out to dry from your shed ceiling was absolutely normal. (Wow, that's really Italian!)

8. You ate pasta for dinner at least three times a week, and every Sunday, and laughed at the commercial for Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti day.

12. You thought nylons were supposed to be worn rolled to the ankles.

13. Your mom's main hobby is cleaning.

14. You were surprised to find out that wine was actually sold in stores.

15. You thought that everyone made their own tomato sauce.

16. You never ate meat on Christmas Eve or any Friday for that matter.

17. You ate your salad after the main course.

18. You thought Catholic was the only religion in the world.

19. You were beaten at least once with a wooden spoon or broom.

20. You thought every meal had to be eaten with a hunk of bread in your hand

21. You can understand Italian but you can't speak it.

22. You have at least one relative who came over on the boat.

23. All of your uncles fought in a World War.

24. You have at least six male relatives named
Tony, Frank, Joe or Louie.

25. You have relatives who aren't really your relatives.

26. You have relatives you don't speak to. Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!

27. You drank wine before you were a teenager.

28. You relate on some level, admit it, to the Godfather and the Sopranos. I maka a meata ball you can't refuse! .
Forrgetttabbboutit! Badda bing!

29. You grew up in a house with a yard that didn't have one patch of dirt that didn't have a flower or a vegetable growing out of it.

30. Your grandparent's furniture was as comfortable as sitting on plastic. Wait!!!! You were sitting on plastic.

31. You thought that talking loud was normal.

32. You thought sugared almonds and the Tarantella were common at all weddings.

33. You thought everyone got pinched on the cheeks and money stuffed in their pockets by their relatives.

34. Your mother is overly protective of the males in the family no matter what their age.

35. There was a crucifix in every room of the house.

36. Wakes would be held in someone's living room.

37. You couldn't date a boy without getting approval from your father. (Oh, and he had to be Italian)

38. You called pasta 'macaroni'.

39. You dreaded taking out your lunch at school

40. Going out for a cup of coffee usually meant going out for a cup of coffee over Zia's house.

41 Every condition, ailment, misfortune, memory loss and accident was attributed to the fact that you didn't eat something.

42 Those of you who get this . . . YOU KNOW who to pass it on to!

Monday Munchies - October 12th

2009-10-12T06:59:00.047-04:00

~ I have not tried these recipes ~

Roasted Red Pepper Dip
1 12 oz jar roasted red peppers drained & chopped
1 clove of garlic
1/8 cup olive oil
1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Puree all until smooth. Season with salt & pepper, chill for 2 hours. Serve with crudites.

Creamy Spinach Dip
1 minced shallot
1 minced garlic clove
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry
1 14 0z container 2 % Greek yogurt
zest & juice of 1 lemon
2 Tablespoons chopped dill
salt & pepper to taste

Puree all until smooth. Chill for 30 minutes. Serve with pitas or crudites.

* I would make my own peppers for the first one & I'd serve both of them with veggies, crackers, breadsticks & pitas.

Monday Munchies is one of many food memes hosted at The Krazy Kitchen.

Monday Munchies - October 5th

2009-10-05T06:45:00.012-04:00

~ I have not tried this recipe ~

Mango Relish

3 large ripe mangoes peeled and cubed
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 bunch scallions thinly sliced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper

Stir all ingredients together.

I would try this with chicken, fish & pork.

Monday Munchies is one of many food memes hosted at The Krazy Kitchen.

How to peel summer fruits, yeah it's late but whatever

2009-10-02T08:35:00.011-04:00

The best way to peel peaches, plums & nectarines:

Cut a small x in the bottom (opposite end of the stem)
Drop into boiling water until skin starts to pull away, 1 -2 minutes
Drop into ice water to stop cooking
Once cool start to pell skin off starting at the x

It's October 2009

2009-10-01T00:01:00.009-04:00

It's National Chili month.

Are your air conditioners still in the window?

Have you picked out Halloween costumes yet?

Pumpkin patch anyone?

Apple Tips

2009-09-30T08:06:00.000-04:00

Apple picking season generally runs from September to November. Go to pickyourown.com to find an orchard.
Apples stay crisp in the fridge for 3 months.
An open cardboard box in a cool garage or basement is good for apple storage too.
Pick outside apple; inner apples take longer to ripen.
Keep apples on your counter in a brown paper bag for a few days to sweeten them up.
Proper picking technique - palm the apple & pull upward.

Taken from Parents magazine, September 2009

Scenic Sunday 61

2009-09-11T08:46:00.002-04:00

Scenic Sunday is hosted here.
Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway :-)

Never argue with a woman who reads

2009-09-06T08:28:00.005-04:00

One morning, the husband returns the boat to their lakeside cottage after
several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap.
Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out.

She motors out a short distance, anchors, puts her feet up, And begins to
read her book.
The peace and solitude are magnificent.

Along comes a Fish and Game Warden in his boat.

He pulls up alongside the woman and says, 'Good morning, Ma'am. What are
you doing?'

'Reading a book,' she replies, (thinking, 'Isn't that obvious?')

'You're in a Restricted Fishing Area,' he informs her.

'I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I'm reading.'

'Yes, but I see you have all the equipment.

For all I know you could start at any

moment.

I'll have to take you in and write you up.'

'If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault,' says the
woman.

'But I haven't even touched you,' says the Game Warden.

'That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could
start at any moment.'

'Have a nice day ma'am,' and he left.

MORAL: Never argue with a woman who reads. It's likely she can also think.

Send this to four women who are thinkers.

If you receive this, you know you're intelligent.

Camera Critters #74

2009-09-05T09:04:00.005-04:00

the possum I used to feed when we lived in Long Island

Camera Critters is hosted here.
Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway :-)

Scenic Sunday 60

2009-09-05T08:59:00.010-04:00

The Castle at Tarrytown from the Tappanzee Bridge

photo taken by me June29th 2008

Scenic Sunday is hosted here.
Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway :-)

What Did You Bake Today? September 4th 2009

2009-09-04T03:28:00.002-04:00

Mrs. Field's Blue Ribbon Chocolate Chip Cookies
2 1/2 C. alll purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 C. Dark brown Sugar, firmly packed
1/2 C. white sugar
1 C. Salted butter, softened
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pur vanilla extract
2 C. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 300°F

In medium bowl combine flour, soda and salt. Mix well with wire whisk. Set aside.

In a large bowl with an electric mixer blend sugars at medium speed. Add butter and mix to form a grainy paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Add eggs and vanilla extract, and mix at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour misture and chocolate chips and blend at low speed until just mixed. Do not overmix

Drop by rounded tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet, 2" apart. Bake 22-24 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer cookies immediately to a cool surface with a spatula.

What Did You Bake Today? is hosted at The Krazy Kitchen.

My favorite movies

2009-09-04T02:10:00.002-04:00

Titanic
The Lord of the Rings (the trilogy)
Pirates of the Caribbean (all 3)
The Warriors
Armageddon
Rock Star
Almost Famous
Grosse Pointe Blank
Thelma & Louise
Dirty Dancing
Blow
Beavis & Butthead Do America
The Breakfast Club
Airheads
Dazed & Confused
The Day After Tomorrow

Music I like

2009-09-03T02:07:00.003-04:00

AC/DC
Motley Crue
Aerosmith
Pink Floyd
Judas Priest
Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac
Cyndi Lauper
The Scorpions
Type O Negative
Kid Rock
Stabbing Westward
Rob Zombie

An Older Dog

2009-09-02T00:41:00.001-04:00

An older, tired-looking dog wandered into my yard; I could tell from his collar and well-fed belly that he had a home and was well taken care of.

He calmly came over to me, I gave him a few pats on his head; he then followed me into my house, slowly walked down the hall, curled up in the corner and fell asleep.

An hour later, he went to the door, and I let him out.

The next day he was back, greeted me in my yard, walked inside and resumed his spot in the hall and again slept for about an hour. This continued off and on for several weeks.

Curious I pinned a note to his collar: 'I would like to find out who the owner of this wonderful sweet dog is and ask if you are aware that almost every afternoon your dog comes to my house for a nap.'

The next day he arrived for his nap, with a different note pinned to his collar: 'He lives in a home with 6 children, 2 under the age of 3 - he's trying to catch up on his sleep. Can I come with him tomorrow?'

Some of my favorite books & authors

2009-09-01T02:02:00.004-04:00

The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings
The Stand
The Dirt
The Long Walk
The Mayfair Witches
Chances
Stephen King
John Sanford
Jackie Collins
Michael Romkey

Monday Musings August 31st 2009

2009-08-31T08:35:00.000-04:00

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young. "
~ Henry Ford

Monday Musings is hosted by the Escape Hatch.
Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway :-)

Memes

2009-08-31T01:47:00.004-04:00

These are my favorite memes:

I've learned ...

2009-08-30T00:00:00.000-04:00

I've learned .... That when you're in love, it shows.
I've learned .... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day.
I've learned .... That having a child or a dog fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world..
I've learned .... That being kind is more important than being right.
I've learned .....That you should never say no to a gift from a child.
I've learned .... That I can always pray for someone when I don't have the strength to help him in some other way.
I've learned .... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be,everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.
I've learned .... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand.
I've learned .... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
I've learned .... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
I've learned .... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.
I've learned .... That money doesn't buy class.
I've learned .... That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.
I've learned .... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.
I've learned .... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.
I've learned ... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.
I've learned .... That love, not time, heals all wounds..
I've learned .... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am....
I've learned .....That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.
I've learned .....That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.
I've learned ... That life is tough, but I'm tougher.
I've learned ... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.
I've learned .... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.
I've learned .... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away.
I've learned .... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.
I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
I've learned .... That when your newly born grandchild holds your little finger in his little fist, that you're hooked for life.
I've learned .... That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness, and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
I've learned .... That the less time I have to work with, the more things I get done.

Scenic Sunday 59

2009-08-29T08:22:00.007-04:00

photo taken by me October 8th 2006 in Sullivan County New York

Scenic Sunday is hosted here.
Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway :-)

Camera Critters #73

2009-08-29T07:59:00.010-04:00

photo taken by me October 22nd 2006 in Sullivan County New York

Camera Critters is hosted here.
Sometimes I don't get to add my meme posts to Mr. Linky because I pre-post, but I like doing them anyway :-)

Graphic credits

2009-08-28T19:59:00.000-04:00

I make my own backgrounds, headers, blinkies, avatars, tags etc.
Some other blinkies & avatars have been snagged.
Assorted graphics I use/may use come from Cute Colors, Graphic Garden, & PC Crafter.

Some of my least favorite things

2009-08-28T13:38:00.003-04:00

animal abuse & cruelty
show-offs & braggy people
people who get into my personal space or touch me without knowing me
a messy kitchen
child abuse