Sunday, August 24, 2008
Menu Plan Monday - Aug 25-Sept 1
Monday
B - cereal and yogurt
L - chicken nuggets and fries
D - stuffed green peppers
Tuesday
B - french toast and fruit
L - cheese and ham quesadillas
D - chicken parm, broccoli and garlic bread
Wednesday
B - scrambled eggs and bacon
L - mac n cheese and veggies
D - Dump Swiss Steak (CP)
Thursday
B - pancakes
L - BLT sammie
D - Asian pork tederloin, green beans and rice
Friday
B - toad in a hole and yogurt
L - grilled cheese sammie and fruit salad
D - pizza bread and italian style green beans
Saturday-
B - eggs, bacon, toast, fruit salad
L - homemade chicken nuggets and fries
D- order in
Sunday - Justin and Jason's bday party
Breakfast - cereal and fruit
Lunch - Sammie and veggies
Dinner - BBQ pork sandwiches and Pepperchini Beef sandwiches
For more great menu ideas, head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Planning Mondays.
Have a blessed week.
Fran
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Our Disney World 2008 Adventure Part 2
Click here for part 1 of our adventure.
I know you all were sitting at the edge of your seats waiting for part 2. So, here we go.
All our planning was done, all three of our huge suitcases were packed, all four of our carry on bags were packed and we were ready to go. We had cut the last link in our Countdown to Disney chain the night before. The alarm went off at 4:00am on that very gloomy and misty morning. Johnny and I got up and got ready, then we woke the boys. They were so tired, but they still popped up out of bed screaming "We're going to DISNEY!!!!". We had put them to bed in their comfy clothes, so they could just get up, go potty and get into the limo. And they were so excited to go in a limo for the first time, they thought that was really cool.
The limo we took was having a little malfunction with the air conditioning. I think it might have been operator error, the limo driver couldn't figure out how to got the air on. But we survived and made it to the airport by 7:00. We checked in and of course one of our pieces of luggage exceeded the weight limit by 10 pounds. So there we sat transferring beach towels and some clothing from one suitcase to another. But at least we saved the 25.00 fee that we would have had to pay for the overage. So on to the security check point we went. That was pretty uneventful, although, we haven't traveled by air since 2000 and we didn't realize what extent they go to. We even had to take our shoes off...wow, that was a pain. But no biggie.
Jason and Justin checking out the Blues Brothers statues at Midway Airport
We boarded our plane on time. We were soooo ready to get to Disney, but we weren't destine to get their just yet. The weather was a bit foggy and rainy in Chicago, but down in the southern states there were some high winds, fierce lightning and terrible storms going on. So guess what...Our plane was delayed. Our plane finally took off after about 2 1/2 hours. The most amazing thing was Justin and I prayed so hard for the storms in the south to clear up and not 10 minutes later, the Pilot got on the loud speaker to say, we were going to take off in 5 minutes. The power of prayer is amazing. So we were FINALLY on our way to Disney World...yay. The plane ride was perfect, the boys loved it (as it was their first plane ride). They kept busy coloring, snacking, and watching DVD's on their little portable DVD players. For them being on the airplane for over 6 hours they were practically angelic, not practically angelic, they were perfectly angelic. They sat quietly the entire trip, unless they got up to go potty.
We arrived in Disney and it was as perfect as I expected. We got to the Magical Express (ME) Bus counter and signed in. Hopped on the ME bus within minutes and we were on our way to Port Orleans Riverside Resort.
We stayed in the Alligator Bayou section of the Port Orleans Riverside resort. Our hotel stay started out in building 17 all the way back right next to the parking lot. I was not too happy with the location and I talked to John about calling the front desk to see if they would move our room. I had always heard that if you are not happy in Disney, ask a cast member, they will do everything they can to make your stay more magical. But he said no, lets just stay in this room. So I reluctantly agreed. But later that night, John noticed the bathroom floor had tons of water on it. We called the front desk and told them about our mini flood and they offered to have us relocated to another room. And I said that would be a perfect idea and I took that time to give the cast member my opinions as to where I wanted to move to. She was extremely helpful in getting us into the building I wanted to be in. And we were moved to building 27 with a beautiful waterfront view. It was spectacular. And I was about 6 steps away from a smoking section, so that made it an even better location...lol
I know I have a lot to say...until next time.
Part 3 coming soon.
Have a blessed week.
Fran
I know you all were sitting at the edge of your seats waiting for part 2. So, here we go.
All our planning was done, all three of our huge suitcases were packed, all four of our carry on bags were packed and we were ready to go. We had cut the last link in our Countdown to Disney chain the night before. The alarm went off at 4:00am on that very gloomy and misty morning. Johnny and I got up and got ready, then we woke the boys. They were so tired, but they still popped up out of bed screaming "We're going to DISNEY!!!!". We had put them to bed in their comfy clothes, so they could just get up, go potty and get into the limo. And they were so excited to go in a limo for the first time, they thought that was really cool.
The limo we took was having a little malfunction with the air conditioning. I think it might have been operator error, the limo driver couldn't figure out how to got the air on. But we survived and made it to the airport by 7:00. We checked in and of course one of our pieces of luggage exceeded the weight limit by 10 pounds. So there we sat transferring beach towels and some clothing from one suitcase to another. But at least we saved the 25.00 fee that we would have had to pay for the overage. So on to the security check point we went. That was pretty uneventful, although, we haven't traveled by air since 2000 and we didn't realize what extent they go to. We even had to take our shoes off...wow, that was a pain. But no biggie.
Jason and Justin checking out the Blues Brothers statues at Midway Airport
We boarded our plane on time. We were soooo ready to get to Disney, but we weren't destine to get their just yet. The weather was a bit foggy and rainy in Chicago, but down in the southern states there were some high winds, fierce lightning and terrible storms going on. So guess what...Our plane was delayed. Our plane finally took off after about 2 1/2 hours. The most amazing thing was Justin and I prayed so hard for the storms in the south to clear up and not 10 minutes later, the Pilot got on the loud speaker to say, we were going to take off in 5 minutes. The power of prayer is amazing. So we were FINALLY on our way to Disney World...yay. The plane ride was perfect, the boys loved it (as it was their first plane ride). They kept busy coloring, snacking, and watching DVD's on their little portable DVD players. For them being on the airplane for over 6 hours they were practically angelic, not practically angelic, they were perfectly angelic. They sat quietly the entire trip, unless they got up to go potty.
We arrived in Disney and it was as perfect as I expected. We got to the Magical Express (ME) Bus counter and signed in. Hopped on the ME bus within minutes and we were on our way to Port Orleans Riverside Resort.
We stayed in the Alligator Bayou section of the Port Orleans Riverside resort. Our hotel stay started out in building 17 all the way back right next to the parking lot. I was not too happy with the location and I talked to John about calling the front desk to see if they would move our room. I had always heard that if you are not happy in Disney, ask a cast member, they will do everything they can to make your stay more magical. But he said no, lets just stay in this room. So I reluctantly agreed. But later that night, John noticed the bathroom floor had tons of water on it. We called the front desk and told them about our mini flood and they offered to have us relocated to another room. And I said that would be a perfect idea and I took that time to give the cast member my opinions as to where I wanted to move to. She was extremely helpful in getting us into the building I wanted to be in. And we were moved to building 27 with a beautiful waterfront view. It was spectacular. And I was about 6 steps away from a smoking section, so that made it an even better location...lol
I know I have a lot to say...until next time.
Part 3 coming soon.
Have a blessed week.
Fran
Sunday, August 17, 2008
I love "Pucca"
This is my new favorite cartoon.
Isn't she so cute??
Isn't she so cute??
The main character Pucca is the 11-year old niece of three Chinese noodle house owners. The Noodle House is located in Sooga Village, a small village in the mountains. Pucca is in love with the ninja, "Garu" (가루 ['garoo], a 13 year old ninja. Pucca always seems to beat him in combat and unintentional competition, simply by sheer wit.
Check her out on the cable channel Jetix weeknights at 7:30pm
First time fishing
This was a great weekend. John took the boys (and their friend) fishing for the first time on Friday. They absolutely loved it!! And they both caught fish. WOOHOO!! He took some great pics. I stayed home and worked around the house. Its kinda nice for the boys to go out do fun stuff with their daddy once in a while. And John just loved taking them out on adventures. He has been doing that since they were about one year old.
After their fun filled Friday evening, they had their friend spend the night. The three boys woke up Saturday morning with fishing on their brains. So of course at 9:00 in the morning they wanted to go back to the pond. But that wasn't an option, cuz it was my Gram's 75th birthday bash. So the next best thing, was to practice fishing (with no hook of course) in our backyard pool. It was the cutest!!! They practiced fishing for over an hour.
Justin practicing fishing in our pool
Justin practicing fishing in our pool
I am so thankful John is such a great dad. He makes our boys feel safe, loved and is teaching them great things.
Until next time.
Have a blessed day.
Fran
Thursday, August 14, 2008
I'm an organizing maniac!!!!
I was inspired by a couple of other blogs I read, Orgjunkie.com and Passionate Homemaker to get my bedroom closet and linen closet organized. Whew, that was a big job. But I did it!!! And it was kinda fun. I really do love organizing, just ask my mom, she will tell you I am her organized daughter.
Here is a before pic of my linen closet, I know its pretty bad ☺
and after all my hard work...
Here is the after pic of the linen closet
And the bedroom closet. Its very small and I really try to shove a ton of stuff that shouldn't go in there. So I took everything out and decided what I wanted to be in there. Put it all back and the rest of the junk that didn't belong in there I either pitched, donated or put somewhere else.
Before pic of our bedroom closet
After pic of our bedroom closet
I hope I've inspired you to organize your "stuff". So, now go and get to organizing!!!
Have a great day
Fran
Here is a before pic of my linen closet, I know its pretty bad ☺
and after all my hard work...
Here is the after pic of the linen closet
And the bedroom closet. Its very small and I really try to shove a ton of stuff that shouldn't go in there. So I took everything out and decided what I wanted to be in there. Put it all back and the rest of the junk that didn't belong in there I either pitched, donated or put somewhere else.
Before pic of our bedroom closet
After pic of our bedroom closet
I hope I've inspired you to organize your "stuff". So, now go and get to organizing!!!
Have a great day
Fran
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Menu August 11-17
Menu for August 11- August 17
Monday
Breakfast: cereal, fruit
Lunch: Homemade chicken nuggets and homemade fries
Dinner: chicken and ham roll ups, rice and broccoli
Tuesday
B: Muffin, Yogurt, Fruit
L: cheese quesadillas
D: Meatloaf w/mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, veggie
Wednesday
B: french toast, Fruit
L: Chicken rings, Fries
D: Pasta, italian sausage, salad and garlic bread
Thursday
B: pancake, fruit
L: Mac n cheese, Veggies and ranch dipping sauce
D: Oregano chicken, Rice, veggie
Friday
B: cereal, yogurt
L: BLT sandwich
D: homemade pizza and salad
Saturday:
B: Breakfast casserole, Toast, Fruit
L: sandwich and chips
D: maybe out to dinner or order in
Sunday:
B: toad in a hole, fruit
L: Pizza bread, Salad
D: Asian pork tenderloin, fried rice and broccoli
For more great menu ideas, head on over to I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Planning Mondays.
Have a blessed week.
Fran
Monday, August 11, 2008
OAMC Marathon 08/10/08
Me, Lisa and Anna after a hard days work!!!
(Justin, Jason and LouLou too!!)
We finally had our first Once A Month Cooking Marathon on Sunday, August 10, 2008. It was a huge success, we made 24 main meals and 20 side dishes total. It was definitely a marathon, we started cooking at about 10:30 and finally finished at 7:30. That sure makes for a long day, but soooo worth it!!!
Here is the list of meals we made:
meatloaf
sloppy joes
chicken roll ups with ham and parm cheese
sausage, cabbage and potato skillet
Asian pork tenderloin
Dump swiss steak
Cornflake chicken tenders
French toast sticks
Fried rice
mashed potatoes
plain rice
seasoned Italian green beans
Lisa and Anna working hard making Sausage, cabbage and potato skillet
It was a wonderful day spent making great food and enjoying the company of two great gals, Lisa and Anna.
I will post recipes in a little while.
Have a blessed day,
Fran
Recipes
Here are some of the recipes that Lisa, Anna and I made on our OAMC marathon.
Barbecue (Sloppy Joes)
Serves 7-10
2lbs ground beef 1 bottle (12oz.) chili sauce
2 medium onions, chopped 1 can (10 1/2 oz.) tomato soup
1 green pepper, diced salt to taste
1 C. celery, diced
In a heavy cooking pot add ground meat, onions, pepper and celery. Cook until meat is browned. Drain off fat. Add soup, chili sauce and salt. heat through and serve.
Cook fully and cool off before freezing.
Asian Pork Tenderloin
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T. dry mustard
1 1/2 t. pepper
1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin
In a small bowl, add first 8 ingredients; whisk until blended.
Place pork in a shallow dish, add marinade, turning pork to coat.
cover and refrigerate for 8 hours
remove pork from marinade, throw away marinade
place pork in a foil lined pan
bake at 450 for 25 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees
let pork stand 5 minutes before serving.
For freezing, we just put the uncooked pork and the marinade in a Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer.
Chicken and Ham roll ups
4 chicken breasts
2 t Dijon mustard
1/8 t pepper
2 oz thin sliced fully cooked ham
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
non stick cooking spray
1 egg white
1 T skim milk
1/3 C fine dry bread crumbs
2 t reduced calorie margarine
1/2 t dried basil
Rinse chicken, pat dry. pound it to 1/4 inch thickness. Spread each breast with Dijon mustard and sprinkle with pepper. Place ham, cut to fit if necessary. sprinkle with parm cheese over entire chicken breast. Roll up from the short end and set aside, seam down
spray a shallow baking dish with nonstick spray. In a shallow bowl whist together egg white and milk. In another shallow bowl stir together bread crumbs, margarine and basil. Coat each chicken roll by dipping it in the egg white mixture. Place in prepared baking dish with seam side down.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or til lightly browned and chicken is tender and no longer pink. If desired, garnish with lemon wedges. Makes 4 servings.
For freezing, just cool and put in a freezer container.
Barbecue (Sloppy Joes)
Serves 7-10
2lbs ground beef 1 bottle (12oz.) chili sauce
2 medium onions, chopped 1 can (10 1/2 oz.) tomato soup
1 green pepper, diced salt to taste
1 C. celery, diced
In a heavy cooking pot add ground meat, onions, pepper and celery. Cook until meat is browned. Drain off fat. Add soup, chili sauce and salt. heat through and serve.
Cook fully and cool off before freezing.
Asian Pork Tenderloin
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
2 T. lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 T. dry mustard
1 1/2 t. pepper
1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin
In a small bowl, add first 8 ingredients; whisk until blended.
Place pork in a shallow dish, add marinade, turning pork to coat.
cover and refrigerate for 8 hours
remove pork from marinade, throw away marinade
place pork in a foil lined pan
bake at 450 for 25 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees
let pork stand 5 minutes before serving.
For freezing, we just put the uncooked pork and the marinade in a Ziploc bag and put it in the freezer.
Chicken and Ham roll ups
4 chicken breasts
2 t Dijon mustard
1/8 t pepper
2 oz thin sliced fully cooked ham
2 T grated Parmesan cheese
non stick cooking spray
1 egg white
1 T skim milk
1/3 C fine dry bread crumbs
2 t reduced calorie margarine
1/2 t dried basil
Rinse chicken, pat dry. pound it to 1/4 inch thickness. Spread each breast with Dijon mustard and sprinkle with pepper. Place ham, cut to fit if necessary. sprinkle with parm cheese over entire chicken breast. Roll up from the short end and set aside, seam down
spray a shallow baking dish with nonstick spray. In a shallow bowl whist together egg white and milk. In another shallow bowl stir together bread crumbs, margarine and basil. Coat each chicken roll by dipping it in the egg white mixture. Place in prepared baking dish with seam side down.
Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes or til lightly browned and chicken is tender and no longer pink. If desired, garnish with lemon wedges. Makes 4 servings.
For freezing, just cool and put in a freezer container.
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