Work. Work. Work.

I'm starting to feel like one of the dwarfs. The kitchen and fireplace room are starting to come together. It's all very exciting! As I type Mr. A and his dad are at HomeDepot filling the truck with shiny new bits and pieces. I am deathly afraid of getting that bill.

As it's payday/paybillsday I am fretting every dollar going out of this house and I'm trying desperately to stay focused on the thrill that soon will be our new room. *sigh* I'm waiting for the lottery guys to call and yet, I'm pretty sure they're not going to.

Groceries and Dinner Menu.

It must be Monday. It's a big week here - our Papa is coming to visit (A.'s dad) and Nana is flying in for Easter weekend. That means the grocery bill is going to be a little bigger than it has been (one more trip later on in the week for the turkey). Brace yourselves.... note: I had a second picture of the groceries and for some unknown (at least to me) reason I can't load it.

Today's shopping trip was $98.35. Yikes. I did buy cereal (see it way in the back) just in case our visitors aren't big on homemade granola and breakfast burritos. And I've got a lot more fruit there than I would normally have. I think on Friday I'll have to get the bird for Sunday. I can't do it sooner as our fridge is a side-by-side and it's impossible to fit a turkey in. All good - it'll be fresher that way anyway.

Dinner Menu for this week:

Monday: Tofu with peanut coconut sauce (I'm leaving out the spinach), brown rice and steamed brocolli and cut up Mango (I was going to use the Mango for Sticky Coconut Rice but maybe next time).

Tuesday: Beef Stew and No Knead Bread.

Wednesday: Cheesy Casserole (recipe given to me by Stacy).

Thursday: Pork Loin, roasted potatoes, yams and carrots.

Friday: Stuffed Clams (I bought these ready made) and rice pilaf.

Saturday: Night out! I think this is going to be a family outing. Each time Papa and Nana come to visit we usually stay home and relax. I thought this time we might actually show them some of the sights Columbus has to offer... maybe German Village for some Schnitzel?

Sunday: Turkey Day! Happy Easter Sunday. Besides the lovely bacon wrapped turkey (is there any other way to cook it?) we'll have: stuffing, potatoes, asparagus, carrots, beets and of course, cranberry sauce. Mmm... yum.

What I've learned today.

1. A husband and wife should not work together and definitely not if either/or both of them is a Type A personality. You will not talk for a whole day - this could be a blessing in disguise...

2. Reading a book while your husband repaints a wall or does any other home improvement is a wise and sensible thing to do.

3. When using Spackle, less is more. More is more only applies to Rupaul and Taylor Lautners abs.

4. When you're sanding Spackle it gets everywhere and I mean, everywhere! See no.3 above.

5. Sanding Spackle sucks. See no.4 above.

6. Apparently it takes a million kajillion staples to put a rug down. Really, I'm not even exaggerating here.

7. Lifting a million kajillion staples with needle nose plyers sucks.

8. After lifting a million kajillion staples I no longer have use of my right hand - who knew?!

9. A husband and wife should not lift a rug up together - see no. 2 above.

10. A Shop-Vac is a wonderful tool. Everyone should have one; especially if you own a home.

11. When you lift a rug up it's gross. Gross. Gross. Gross. Ick.

We've got wine & we've got beer...

Up you come Mr. Shag carpet. It looks so nice here... though this was June when we first saw the house and no one had been living in it for over 6 months. After 2 kids, a dog and many, many muddy and wet days, it doesn't really look like this anymore...

We may need a counselor before the day is through. Mr. A and I are going to take the rug out of the fireplace room today. I wonder how long it will take before the divorce comes... I jest - we haven't killed each other yet (YET).

Wine, Birthdays and Pastel Eggs.

Just sitting down to watch Whip It. I'm exhausted. I'm not sure how the week has gone so fast but here we are again at Saturday. I'm happy to report that I made it to HouseWine this afternoon and had a little sip from the enomatic machine. Geez, I just love that machine. Wouldn't it be great if I had one in my house and someone else had to refill it (I mean, buy the bottles..)? That would be a full-time job!

They had a bottle of Cellar No. 8 (California Pinot Noir) on tap. It wasn't great but I'm not complaining. As luck would have it I was out with the hubby. Both boys were swimming away (literally) at a birthday party and we had an hour to kill. *sigh* Small miracles can be found in the funniest places.

Special "Thank You" goes out to the K. family this evening for a lovely Easter Egg Hunt. There were cookies with icing and we all know how much I ADORE icing - even better with a crinkle potato chip chaser... oh, how about together? What kind of line would that be crossing? I'll leave you with that image.

Happy Saturday to you....

Movies

And I'm not just talking about New Moon or any other Twilight inspired movie. *sigh*.

Alright, I'm better... The boys and I had the neighbours over to watch Ponyo this evening. I have to admit that I had a bit of trepidation when I got this from the library ("why for?", I wonder as the movie is free from the library - one of those great secrets only nerdy library types know about). I'm not a big Anime fan. I find it all a little dark (and icky - remember Sailor Moon - wierd). Luckily S. loves the stuff or we would miss a ton of really good animation. Ponyo is definitely at the top of my list of all time favourites. Not only was the animation great but the story itself was fantastic. It was happy, sad, mystical and entertaining all in one. Not a bad go of it for a show about a little goldfish.

I have a feeling that tomorrow I'm going to wish I had saved the movie. It's snowing outside. It looks like a good 2 inches already and it's still going strong. I'm guessing snow day. I'm guessing I don't have enough wine. TGIF!

The nursery loved me...

And because of that, I'll be back! I ventured to Oakland Nursery today. Along with some veggie seeds (my favourite is the Ferry Morse Lemon Cucumbers -soo very cute) I picked up some gladiola bulbs (red, white and a bright, bright yellow - guess who picked that one). I'm very, very excited to plant them and though it was gorgeous out last week it's freakin' freezing out today. They'll have to wait until tomorrow to be part of what should be (cross your fingers) a beautiful garden out front! I'm having delusions of grandeur. With my luck not a thing will pop up or else the local bunnies and/or deer and/or opossums and/or squirrels will snack on everything without mercy.

I can see my mums coming up - just tiny little things right now but they're coming. The daffodils are blooming and the tulips are up but I'm thinking those deer took out most of them so it's not going to be as pretty of a display as it normally is. The daylilies on the side of the house are a foot tall and the iris's are popping up as well. Spring should be bright and beautiful. Yesterday I went a little crazy and planted most of the bulbs I had got in the fall from Wal-mart (yikes). They had been marked down to almost nothing (like $0.25 for 25 liatris bulbs). I have Dahlias, Liatris, Caladiums and Tigridia. The Dahlias are most certainly dead but I said a little prayer to the garden Gods and I'd be happy as a clam if one actually poked throught the dirt. Ridiculous? Perhaps.

Most of my neighbours have already sown their lettuce seeds and any of the tougher stuff (potatoes). Me? I'm still way behind - again! I'm not sure how that happens but it does. I've got the spinach seeds spread out and I'm hoping my strawberry plants have a chance this year (darn chipmunks). Don't I sound like I know what I'm doing? It's a little overwhelming and I have to say last year there was once or twice (or six times or I lost count) where I felt like I was totally acting like a fraud - which I am but I don't really want it to get out. This whole gardening thing is a lot harder if you try to figure out the right places to plant and when. Suddenly, you realize you don't have a clue and that it's basically just luck. Okay, maybe it this doesn't sound like 'you' but it's bang on 'me'! And I admit that I'm doing the same thing this year. But I've got wine and I've found these really great crackers (oh yes Ser -the ones from Housewine...) so it's not going to bother me for long.

What have you started? Anything good? Those of you up North should be thinking about it soon and those of you out West have probably got bushes of stuff already. Makes me crazy just thinking about it!

It's Monday!

I'm feeling a might bit refreshed today. I blame it all on the viewing of Twilight and New Moon at my friend Melissa's last night. Nothing gets you all revved up and ready for the week like a half naked werewolf and a sparkly vampire. (Hee hee hee - giggling like a school girl)

So, I've already got the walnuts roasted with some of that honey you see above (add a dash of cinnamon and a pinch of allspice and your taste buds will be all a flutter). There's also a loaf of Kitchen Sink Bread in the oven - as it contains almost every leftover veggie, fruit and the ends of old cereal. E.'s munching on his lunch of nuts, pears and yogurt so I've got about 5 minutes before he's asking me for something else...

Here we go... today's shopping extravaganza was $78.68 until I noticed I forgot 2 cartons of eggs on the side ($5.98 for 2). All in all I'm feeling pretty good about the suppers this week and I might not have to think too hard about what's going to go in the lunches. I've still got a few odds and sods to pick up but I'm going to see if I can get by without them; if not, there will be another picture popping up this week.

Dinner List:

Monday: homemade pizza - toppings are the leftover taco meat from last week (mixed with cauliflower and carrots).

Tuesday: Soba noodles with broccoli and peanut sauce.

Wednesday: Roasted Cauliflower Soup with soda bread (I'm roasted the cauliflower at the same time as making the Kitchen Sink Bread).

Thursday: Breaded tofu sticks, potato salad and steamed honey carrots.

Friday: Pasta salad - farfalle noodles, feta, cucumbers, olives, cauliflower (this makes enough for all of us to have lunch on Saturday).

Saturday: lamb burgers and salad. The salad will be made from any cauliflower, broccoli and/or carrots I might have leftover from the week. If I've got none then it's homemade french fries. What would you prefer?!

Now, off to do that laundry that keeps growing. I might even get some granola and burritos made! The skies the limit. Seriously, all it took it Bella slamming into a bolder and I was done (oh, you know what scene I'm talking about)!

Hee hee hee....

The Oasis is open and ready to accept visitors. It's not pretty. Nothing is in bloom but we're here with open margarita bottles and jokes a plenty. So, if you're in the neighbourhood feel free to stop by. It'll give us a reason to celebrate!

Made plans - yep I did.

Lego Doctor Who with his Tartus. I bet you can buy that in England. That would be so cool!

That's it. This weekend is going to be one of productivity and ingenuity. Stamp, double stamp, no return. My aim: to get the old leaves out of all the gardens and at least turn the soil, to finish off that darn kitchen (the bane of my existance... currently; though there's plenty more where that came from), and perhaps we'll even rip up the rug in the fireplace room! Oh, so very exciting. I bet you're jealous. I bet you're just going sit around drinking a beer and dreaming of a great new garden... Blech.

I thought of this high and mighty plan first thing this morning and was well on my way to being productive (stop rolling your eyes), but of course there's already been a wrench thrown into said plan. Yeppers, got a call from the school today and on the end of the line was a little voice, "He-l-l-oooo, Mommy? I've got a really big headache." Poor thing was in tears when I picked him up. It's quite a headache apparently. He's sleeping now. E's playing some battle with Batman. Guess that means I could start the garden, or the kitchen, or the rug or finish that open bottle of wine from last night... I wonder what I'll choose.

Hope you have a lovely one. Enjoy the sunshine if you got it!

Patience...

It's Wednesday and I'm feeling a might bit slackerish. I know I should have published the menu yesterday but I kept staring at it thinking I didn't want to eat anything on it so you certainly wouldn't want to read it either. But it's not going to change. So here it is in all it's boring glory. There's no adventure, no excitement. The kids are just going to lose their minds with glee. Last night's dinner was gone in all of 2 minutes. I think they're quite happy with a plain menu. Darn kids.

Dinner:

Sunday: Hot dogs wrapped in bread dough with sides of steamed broccoli and carrots.

Monday: Egg noodles with cheese and tuna.

Tuesday: Chicken wraps with broccoli.

Wednesday: Homemade (of course...) lasagna and salad. Can you see A. doing a happy dance?

Thursday: Breakfast burritos (hee hee hee hee).

Friday: Tacos (a little Mexican theme going on this week?).

Saturday: Black bean burgers and homemade french fries.

There also seems to be a lot more meat on this menu than there has been for some time. I think I'm craving a little protein. With the sun comes running and when I run I become a little bit of a carnivore (alright, a BIG carnivore). Even my 2 miles peaks my need for meat (hanging head in shame that 2 miles is kicking my a** right now)! What's up with that?

And of course beer is on the menu this evening. I'm even thinking of stopping for a pint of Guinness before the day is out and there's a glass of green beer just waiting to be part of my belly sometime around 5. Mmmm.... a day devoted to drinking cold beer. I love St. Patty's day - BEST DAY EVER!

You know you've got great friends when not even 10 minutes after you post a blog they're calling you to see when we're going for Guinness. God love 'em!

The sun will come out....

Not shown in the picture is 2 bags of red potatoes. But there seems to be an awful lot of twizzlers... not sure where that ranks on the necessity scale...

After I posted on Friday it rained, and rained, and rained. The backyard was a bit of a mud pool/lake/swamp area and the clouds were dark and dreary - and thus, so was I. The sun is out again today and I still can't get over how much that effects my moods. I'm a melanopsin study waiting to happen!





Due to the rain and aforementioned depression, I missed the market on Saturday. I ventured out Sunday and got most of the groceries for the week. Grand total: $88.60. That's going to go up.... I haven't bought wine yet! And yes, the breakfast burritos are on the menu (hence the eggs & the potatoes)! Have a good one - I'm going out to enjoy the sun before the clouds come back again.

Wahoo!

I just cleaned off the back patio. I've put the chairs out. Shortly, my butt is going to be on a chair and I'll be holding a glass of Alamos! I can hardly wait. It's been so lovely out that I ran today (this is the 4th time this week - don't get too excited it was only a 9.5mile week though up from last weeks 0 miles), walked to the library and then walked to get S. after school - which was followed by a trip to DQ so there goes that whole "don't buy anything but necessities" thing. I did WAY better with the "not eating chocolate" thing. I think I'm busted...

Anyhoooo.... I'm also not getting around to making that sausage soup I was going to make and so I think it might be homemade pizza night. Not a bad trade off (the kids are going to be ecstatic).

I'm thinking of planting some stuff this weekend. It's supposed to rain. I need some compost bags for the leaves still sitting in my garden. It's looking a little ragged out there. The deer/bunnies have taken to eating my tulips. The tulips a little stubbier than they're supposed to be, you know, since they're not supposed to be stubby. Darn deer/bunnies.

As I'm rambling now I think I shall go and grab my glass of wine and call it an evening.

Lego.

This is me - Film Maker Extraordinaire. The Lego version.

It's just that kind of Day.

Not sure why sometimes I can post from youtube and sometimes I can't. Anyway, I was watching Graham Norton (SURPRISE!) and wouldn't you know his guests were The Pet Shop Boys. Everyone needs a little of them in their life. Lucky I liked there old stuff 'cause it's back! That's right; new album, new song, same sort of thing.

Yes, I know it's not "NEW" new (the album came out Spring 2009) but it is new to me - is it to you?

And this is what we're snacking on. A little out of season but when the morning chills come this is a sure fire hit! Thank you Ms. Lawson!

Menus.

DINNER
Sunday: We finally got around to having that finger-licking pasta dish and I have to say I absolutely loved it! And the kids too! Well worth the 8 minutes it took to prepare it.

Monday: Lettuce Wraps with chopped veggies in an almond/thai sauce with fried rice & egg. Tastes better than it sounds.

Tuesday: I'm going to give Bobotie a try, along with some yellow rice and cucumbers in yogurt. The recipe looks delicious. We'll see if the family gives it a thumbs up.

Wednesday: Baked chicken, roasted potatoes and squash. Mmm... it's supposed to be a rainy day and this is going to be fabulous.

Thursday: Squash pancakes with sausages and blueberries!

Friday: Sausage soup (sausage, potato, canned tomatoes, carrots, celery, cauliflower, pasta) and No knead bread. My friend Ser made this bread and it was fantastic! I've found a recipe(s) online. It seems that I have to plan 18 hours ahead; not liking that.

Saturday: Baked potatoes topped with broccoli, cheese, tuna and roasted red peppers. This might even turn into Breakfast Burritos instead. Darn Robin. I made these the day she posted the recipe and that batch went as fast as I was making them.

LUNCH
Monday: Pizza (leftovers from Saturday), broccoli w/dip, yogurt, cookies (2) SNACK: Apple

Tuesday: Spaghetti w/cheese and bl.olives, yogurt, banana, broccoli w/dip SNACK: Graham crackers with apple butter

Wednesday: Banana and Peanut butter wrap, yogurt, cookies (2), cheese curds SNACK: ritz crackers

Thursday: Chicken Burrito (cheese, chicken, hummus), yogurt SNACK: almonds

Friday: Pancake sandwich with almond butter, yogurt, celery sticks with cheese SNACK: apple

Grocery Day!

3 bottles of wine = one happy Tracy! I've tried them already - the sun was out, I was happy, it couldn't be helped. Honestly, you can't go wrong with a naked redhead on a motorbike, really, it's always a crowd pleaser. The Mad Housewife - who wouldn't want to try that out?! However, if you can, please refrain from buying the Chardonnay. I'm not sure if they've got a better one but this one made my face do funny things. So, read the little quip on the back and then, put it back on the shelf. Spend your $5.99 on House Wine instead or put it toward the redhead (usually priced at $9.99).

This was yesterdays shopping. Grand total of $67.29. Now, before you freak out (Kristi), keep in mind I went to the market on Saturday and I had leftovers from the 'other' shopping trip I had to make Saturday morning (remember last week when I said I had to go back for a few essentials?). And notice I've got 2 more bottles of wine?! They were on sale! At $2.99 a bottle they just couldn't be passed up and if they're better than the Mad Housewife then I'm going back for more. For goodness sake, that's cheaper that 5 buck Chuck! I'll keep you posted - they had tons (and if you buy a case you usually get 10% off - I wonder if that works for sale items)!

Market Day total = $28.98. *sigh* The eggs are the best buy. Farm fresh, free range, organic eggs - $3.00/12. The Cheddar Curds are not, but darn it they are good! We couldn't pass on the blueberries and at $15.00 a bucket I'm not feeling bad about it. I see pancakes and muffins in my future... maybe even crepes with blueberry sauce....

This was a bit of a whopper shopping trip. $48.21 on veggies and wine - sounds like a party doesn't it?! Well, it was. Happy Birthday goes out to Stacy! Her husband organized a WONDERFUL 40th b-day party for her on Saturday and most of what is pictured above was placed on a platter with some dip and now sits in Stacy's fridge. Hee hee... Great party - there was even a naked redhead (I never get tired of saying that).

And now, the GRAND TOTAL for food for this week is: $144.48! ACK! I'm okay, really, I'm fine. You'll noticed that there's a few items that I'll be able to stretch into next week and maybe even the next (I've already started planning next weeks menu). I'll post my menu for this week later on today but for now I feel I should go pay attention to E. I'm not sure how much Mario Kart one kid should play but for him, it's a LOT! Have a good one. Enjoy the sun!

Update: I'm going back for more of the Merlot! The Oak Creek (Californian) at $2.99 a bottle is a freakin' steal. If you like Charles Shaw (no one really does, we're just cheap) then you'll LOVE the Oak Creek Merlot. I'm having some right now and though I probably wouldn't serve it at an elegant dinner party (though, really, do they know the difference anyway) it's certainly good enough for me and my friends (that's saying a lot actually)! It's not awful (like the Mad Housewife - oh, maybe that's what she was mad at...), it's not going to blow you away but for a meal during the week or an afternoon on the patio it's delightful. So, buy up ladies!

The Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff

Posted using ShareThis

It's International Women's Day. I'm a SAHM and though I don't contribute to the 'external' workforce I think I can help make a change. I'm hoping I'm doing that (just a little bit) with our Lent thingy. It feels good not buying "STUFF".

If you live in our neighbourhood be sure to check out the PreCycle Day! It's Wednesday, April 21, 2010. So start your spring cleaning and pass along all the great, used stuff you have just sitting around. I'll be out there searching for treasures!

Pantry Organization.

My pantry: the food areas. I don't have my spices in here but I'd like to. That would free up a whole other cupboard!
My pantry: food, plastics the kids can reach, coffee mugs, bread maker, and other assorted items.

My pantry: the top shelf. The problem here is that it goes to the ceiling and it's a lot of wasted space. The opening (where I can get stuff out of the door) is only about a foot and half tall. The overall dimensions for the pantry are: 32 inches wide, 23 inches deep and 5 feet 9 inches from the top of the door frame to the floor (the inside of the pantry is higher).

As I near the completion of the kitchen walls - by 'near' completing I actually mean I'm thinking about it today and I may even think about it tomorrow - I started thinking that I need to organize my pantry a little bit more. I'm getting a little irked by falling plastics and fighting with the cookie sheets everyday. So, I went online (that whole googling thing I like to do) found a few sites I liked and then got pantry envy. I thought a trip to the container store might be on the horizon, you know, at some point, like July... but I also thought you out there might have a few ideas on what I can do. So, take a gander at the pictures above, think about it and come back with an idea that will cost me less than $20. Yah, good luck with that...

Some sites that invoke jealousy and/or love:

http://www.delightfullyorganized.com/

http://www.theperfectpantry.com/ - check out 'other peoples pantry section'

www.organize-it-now.net/pantry/pantry-organization-ideas.aspx - oh, if only I were this organized. Of course, if I were I wouldn't need everyone else's ideas.

Things poking through the dirt.

See that there, amongst the snow? Why I do believe it's tulips! I'm very excited...so excited in fact that I had a whole other blog planned for today (yes, occasionally I plan what I'm going to write). I skipped it just so I could show you a little bit of Spring. It gives me hope. That tiny bit of green and, the fact that the sun is shining today. It must be March. I'm practically giddy! I do believe I'm going to start planting something soon... oh, there's a post. Get your thinking caps on.

What I've been reading.

Most people read books, magazines and bathroom stalls. Me, I'm too busy surfing the net these days looking for useful information. I don't always find it but I've been lucky enough to stumble across some of these great blogs. So, if you got the time, which I know you don't but I know you've got a procrastination streak like me, grab a mug of Earl Grey and surf away.

1. Sue Brown: "I'm a busy mum of 3, have 1 very understanding husband and have far too many creative addictions to mention." You can also visit her here.
2. Nina's Kitchen. I suspect the Bobotie recipe from March 1st will be on my dinner list next week. It looks fabulous!
3. The Witches Kitchen: "The Witches Kitchen is a collection of bits and bobs that I have found over time. Not all sources are known, but when known then credit will be given.. Blessings and welcome ..." Okay, I was sold on the name. I was also sold on all the '.......' she uses in her writing. Tons of great recipes and bits and bobs.
4. Rhonda Hetzel: "I write about my ordinary day to day life of working in the home, vegetable and fruit gardening, slowing down and being mindful, cooking simple food, keeping chickens and worms, composting, green cleaning, stockpiling and preserving."
5. King Arthur Flour: Not only do they have some really great looking recipes but this particular recipe for Cheese Buns looks fantastic! Someone needs to make these and share with me. Mmmm... don't they look delicious?
6. My French Kitchen: "Life in a kitchen is an everyday audition and here I telltale of my surrender to the failures, the successes, the hitches and pleasures and always joyous gatherings that life in a kitchen forks out."
7. The Perfect Pantry: This blog is the perfect introduction to tomorrows' blog where I show you my own pantry dilemmas....

Groceries and a New Addition.

That's it. Nothing too spectacular this week - if fact, it's starting to feel a bit monotonous. Flour, sugar, milk, cheese, yogurt - apparently we like milk products and we're definitely a carb based family! I've got the basics and the grand total for today was (are you sitting on the edge of your seat in anticipation?): $69.23 . Feeling quite proud of myself for that. I did have $7.00 in coupons today and I only use coupons if it makes the price of the item lower than the lowest identical product. Don't get too excited yet though - I already know I've got one more food trip this weekend. Shouldn't be more than $20.00 however, so I'm still in budget for the week (which I'm hoping is under $100).

Now the other thing I thought I'd add in this week (giddy with excitement?) is "What I make my kids for lunch". You know, just in case you thought I was getting away with buying this food only for dinners or something. Much to his dismay, S. hasn't bought his lunch once this year. I did bring McD's in to share (treat) and to spend the lunch hour but really, that was it. This is a big deal apparently for kids - he feels he's the only one to bring lunch E-VER-Y-DAY! I'm sure he's not... sort of... okay, I'm not.... The thing is, the lunches at school are awful (see photo above) - except for the French toast/omelet day. I'd be all over that. What is 'Cook's special'? How about a week of Cheese pizza stix, corn dogs, popcorn chicken and hot dogs? How healthy is that?! Ick. What really, really makes me chuckle is the "SAVE MONEY: EAT SCHOOL LUNCH" at the bottom. It's $2.60 a day! That's $13.00 a week or $52.00 a month! Yah, amazing how it adds up isn't it?

I also did a little googlin' (oh, how I love googlin') just to see how other kids across the nation are eating. It's not good. There's a lot of chicken stix out there - who knew? I did come across this one site and just by the lunch menu alone I want to attend this preschool - in all fairness, it's in France and if there's one thing the French know, it's food! As an aside, if you've got time, check out her pics... it'll make you *sigh*. So, here it is... this is what I'm feeding my kid these days for lunch. It's not great either but I'd like to think it's a heck of a lot better than whatever chicken fryz are.

Monday: Lunch: Squash/banana bread with apple butter (2 pcs), orange slices, rice krispy squares. Snack: graham crackers.

Tuesday: Lunch: Chicken noodle soup (homemade from last nights supper), granola bar (also homemade - recipe from SmittenKitchen), orange slices and homemade apple crisp. Snack: pretzels and cheese (we had some leftover - he's going to be soooo excited).

Wednesday: Lunch: Crackers and cheese slices, yogurt, orange slices, squash/banana bread with apple butter. Snack: granola bar.

Thursday: Lunch: Mac & Cheese leftovers, yogurt, pineapple/coconut muffin (on the list of thing I have to make), an apple. Snack: almonds (just plain).

Friday: No school. Probably just going to make leftovers or a grilled cheese...

Now wait a second before you go! I'd like to just say that I'm not trying to get on a pedestal here or anything. You feed your family whatever you can - we're all just getting by - I get that. I'm on that budget/Lent thing and I've also found that S. really responds to what's going in and so I'm trying to make a conscious decision to make sure he's getting enough nutrition and not a lot of stuff I can't even name and quite frankly, isn't even spelled right. He's a picky kid (in a good way... sort of...). He likes his lunches to be different and he likes to be able to see what he's eating. It's my fault. I accept responsibility.... sort of...

What's for dinner and all that.

Alright, I haven't had a chance to get out to the market and surprisingly I'm not out of a thing at home... except milk, and eggs, and butter... I had meant to go today as it's become a bit of a habit and I know how much you look forward to starting your week off by looking at all the crap that comes into my house. But alas, it was not meant to happen. Little E. woke up in the middle of the night with a bit of a silly belly and then proceeded to expel all that said silly belly contained. A wonderful start to the week I think.

So, instead of running out to the store I decided to make up the dinner list and see what I could come up with. Every week I try to make something that I haven't tried before (like the Dal last week - thank you R. for the recipe, perhaps I'll try it again). It doesn't always work out well. I'm much more of a country cooker than I am a gourmet - for example, I can whip up a mighty fine turkey and fixin's but not so great on Thai food or East Indian cooking. Now my friend Ser is awesome at Asian cooking - she makes the best chicken soup! This week I'm going to give the "new recipe" a go with Buttercrust Corn Pie with Fresh-Tomato Salsa. We'll see.

Sunday: We had homemade All-American pulled pork on a bun (thank you to our neighbour for making these) and Nanaimo Bars (an All Canadian favourite). Gee, I wonder why we had an American/Canadian dinner? Could it be the biggest hockey game of all time was on tv? Well, you didn't honestly think I'd skip mentioning the game the day after did you?!! Congrats Canada on a very well played Olympic Games!

Monday: Since we've got the upset tummy situation I thought it would be a great day for some homemade Chicken Soup. Everyone should have homemade stock of some sort in their freezer for such an occasion!

Tuesday: The Buttercrust Corn Pie with Fresh Tomato Salsa. It looks yummy right? Mmmm...

Wednesday: Mac and Cheese made with Scooby Doo noodles! I just love these noodles and who doesn't love that they're named Scooby Doo?!

Thursday: Spaghetti and tofu with finger licking peanut sauce. I mentioned that I was going to make this last week but we had those super yummy pork sandwiches instead (E. said they tasted like candy).

Friday: Buffalo burgers and french fries (possibly sweet potato fries... we'll see how the day goes).

Saturday: Pizza! Hurray, it's the weekend.

As an aside: I purchased Tierra de Luna this weekend (yah, it's a necessity) and I quite liked it. It's a Syrah-Malbec from Argentina and for a price of $6.99 it's a steal! No surprises here however, so if you're looking for something with a full body and lasting after taste this isn't it. Go buy a Da Vinci instead or perhaps The Prisoner and then invite me over! I'm so full of great ideas sometimes I just surprise myself.