What Happened to Wednesday????

Sorry I missed ya yesterday, things started out pretty normal.  I had an eye appointment and then met the hubbs for lunch.  While we were at lunch storms rolled in and we were trapped at the restaurant for an extended amount of time.  High winds and lots of rain made my drive home a little sketchy.   Had  to pick Big T up at school for his doctors' appointment, he has a plantars' wart on the bottom of his heel and was complaining of pain in his Achilles tendon.   Big T hates going to the doctor especially if there is any chance they might do something to him.   I have never taken my kids to a pediatrician, they have always seen a family doctor.  Our family doctors are wonderful and Big T loves the PA that he routinely sees and thank goodness she knows us, has a sense of humor, and knows Big T.   It turned out that the wart on the bottom of the heel needed to be frozen off and you can just imagine how that went.  The tendon will require ice and rest.  Thank goodness Lacrosse practice was cancelled last night because of the weather.  
The hubbs and I had some crab dip at lunch and it reminded me of a place we used to go when we would go to Charleston to visit my brother at school.  He graduated from the Citadel.  The Trawler was an awesome place to eat and they had the BEST crab dip any where.   They also had a light house outside of the restaurant and my sister and I would go up to the top and look out while we waited to be seated.  The hubbs and I went to Kiawah one summer and made a treck to Charleston and tried the restaurant that is where the Trawler used to be and it was not as good.  I am not sure if the Trawler is there now or not.  Here is a recipe I found called Trawler crab dip, not sure if it is the same one but I am going to give it a shot, this is a cold dip.

Trawler Crab Dip

1 cup crab meat (fresh would be great canned is ok)
1 8oz pkg cream cheese softened
1/2 cup mayo
4 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp prepared horseradish
2 tbsp butter melted
1/2 tsp garlic salt  ( I do not like adding salt so I use garlic powder or fresh garlic pressed)

mix together and chill for at least two hours then serve with crackers.

I found this recipe on  www.city-data.com

This brings back great memories of family vacations and family visits to Charleston.

Practice Pinnie and Shooter Shirt. . . LAX

Big T started Lacrosse practice last night and I am learning all sorts of new lingo.  I have always been a ball field mom but a Lacrosse field is a whole other animal.   For instance a "practice pinnie" I thought was some sort of thing to practice your stick movement, like a practice ball or something.  It is in fact a practice jersey.  Ha ha ha ha!!   A "shooter shirt" is the shirt that goes under their pads and jersey for game days.  Yes, they wear pads in Lacrosse similar to football pads but much smaller.  I have so much to learn about this sport.  I am so glad that Big T is branching out and trying something new.  He had a blast last night at practice.  He only knows one other kid on his team so he will have a chance to make new friends.  
The night they did their evaluations there was one kid that was kinda mean to Big T.   He sort of picked on Big T because he had never played Lacrosse before and did not really know what he was doing.  T was a little bothered by it but he let it slide.  As it turns out this kid is on his team and last night he came up to Big T and apologized for the way he had acted the night before.  I was very impressed and so was Big T, so he is already learning some very important lessons.  I know it must have been very hard for that kid to apologize to Big T but I applaud both he and his parents.  This kid is setting a wonderful example for everyone.   I think I am going to like Lacrosse.  
Both of the boys are still going to play football but while Sprat is playing baseball, Big T will be playing Lacrosse.  Stay tuned I am sure I will have some more funny things to tell you about this new experience.

Wild Weekend. . .

We had a crazy busy weekend; Big T is getting ready to try his hand at Lacrosse, we had a tubing trip with our Church, and I had school.   Our tubing trip was a lot a fun, we had good weather and I think all the kids had a good time.   We ended up taking two buses because we had such a crowd going.  I did not tube this time but I did the last time we went.  With my back going out at Christmas I figured I would end up in traction if I tried it this time.  I watched and took pictures of everyone.   The weather was really great and I am sure that is why it was so crowded.  We went to Winter Place  www.winterplace.com they have tubing, skiing, and snow boarding.   Sprat is on the far left lane in the orange Miami bogon.

What's Cooking Wednesday???

You know I do not normally cook on Wednesdays because at our house it is "Whacky Wednesday."  The kids get pizza because of the special our pizza place runs every Wednesday.  They eat for two days for $15, you just cannot beat that.  The hubbs and I usually fix something for us that the kids do not like, tuna or soup.
For our Valentines meal we had roast, baked beans, and fresh (frozen from our garden) black eyed peas and tater tots (for the boys).   I cooked the peas in a little beef broth with a little fatback and they were wonderful.   The hubbs loves his garden fresh veggies, thank goodness his peas are easy to freeze.
The balsamic roast recipe, I found on Pinterest and it is the one I shared on "What to Cook if it Snows????"  This was a great recipe, usually I have leftovers to use in soup the next day or so.  I had no leftovers with this one.  Very moist and very tasty the kids even liked it.
 I love my crock pot and I use it a great deal, especially during the winter months, it is so easy and economical.   My father-in-law gave me my first crock pot, I am not sure why I did not get one as a Wedding gift or why I did not buy one for myself.   I was so excited to have this new gadget and was not quite sure what to fix in it.  I think the first thing I fixed was a chili, the hubbs and I loved chili that was one of the first things I made for him when we were dating.  I had always just used a big stove top pot to cook my chili in.  The crock pot made it so convenient and I did not have to worry about babysitting it all day.   I still have that pot that my father-in-law gave me but I also have a larger pot that I use most of the time since I am trying to feed four.
When the hubbs and I were first married I traveled a good bit with my job so I got to go to some neat places.  On one of my trips I visited Cincinnati, the company took us to the Montgomery Inn to have dinner.   I had the Cincinnati chili and I loved it.  It was very different than any other chili I had eaten.  While going through the airport on my way home I stopped in the gift shop and found a little magnet with a Cincinnati chili recipe on it and that is what I will share with you today.  I hope you like it, it is different.

Cincinnati Chili

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 (29 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (14 1/2oz) can peeled whole tomatoes
small onion chopped
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 clove of garlic
3 bay leaves

Brown meat with onions and drain grease.   Add to crock pot then add all the other ingredients  cook for 4-5 hours covered on low.   Remove garlic and bay leaves before serving.  In Cincinnati they server their chili over spaghetti and topped with cheese, onions, and sour cream.  You can fix it any way you like but all the way is the best.
Until we eat again . . .

The Kids are Watching. . .

My two classes this semester may be the death of me.  Juvenile Delinquency is a really hard subject.  I thought since I am raising two of my own delinquents I should be able to grasp this subject.  I did not realize how much there was to the whole delinquent aspect of juveniles.   I mentioned a little yesterday about how kids imitate what their parents do.  I know I am just like my mother, as much as I do not want to admit it.   I do not mean that my mom was not a great mother, because she was the best a girl could ask for but she babies my dad so much.  She also babies my husband when we are visiting.  My husband loves it, he thinks he has died and gone to heaven because my mom will wait on him hand and foot.   I do wait on my husband sometimes but not all of the time.   My husband and I help each other.  I feel pretty lucky because there are days that I just do not want to fix anything for anybody to eat and he will step in and fix for everyone, even me.   He makes the best pancakes and egg sandwiches.   I do love a man that can cook even little things like pancakes and eggs.   He is the master on the grill, I hate even thinking about having to grill anything.   He can grill anything if it will fit on the grill.  He has done chicken, stuffed peppers, burgers, steak, potatoes, and veggies.  Once the weather warms up and we start working the garden again I will have to share some of his famous grill recipes.
I hope that my boys pick up on how giving and caring their dad is and I hope they will imitate that when they have girlfriends and wives.   Boys learn to how to treat girls by watching their dads and they also learn how they should be treated by watching their moms.

Happy Valentines Day. . .

Do you have any Valentines traditions with your kids or your hubby?  I have always gotten my boys a small box of chocolates for Valentines.  My mom and dad always got my sister and I a box of chocolates and so I do the same for my kids.  It may seem silly but to me my boys are my second loves of my life after my sweet hubby.  It is funny how you follow traditions your parents set for you.  That is why I always say as parents we set the tone for how our kids will behave as adults.  In my Juvenile Justice class this is called the Social Learning theory, so it is a thing and I am not just blowing smoke.
This year I decided I would do something a little different for the boys.  I think I saw this on Pinterest, so this is not all me.  I bought them a small box of chocolates, I ate the chocolates.  I decided I would put money in the place of the chocolate.   I would never eat my kids chocolate without a good reason.  They ended up with $33 in an assortment of bills.  I also had bought them a tiny box of chocolate that I did not eat.   Oh, the sacrifices we make as moms.
I had everything set up at the breakfast table Sunday morning.   I got my hubby a cute pair of boxers with hearts and kisses on them and a bar of dark chocolate with chili pepper.  We do a simple Valentines with each other, nothing real extravagant.    When we were younger and before kids we did more extravagant things for each other but it seems wasteful to spend so much on flowers just because it is Valentines day and Dave Ramsey would frown on that.
I had to be at Church early to set up Communion so I had to hear about their reaction from the hubbs. Big T was of course the first one up and he noticed right away there was something wrong with the one box of candy.  It did not have the cellophane around it.   He asked his dad, "what is wrong with this candy?"  The hubbs played dumb and Big T opened the box, he was thrilled with the money.  He then asked what happened to the candy.   The hubbs told him I had made the ultimate sacrifice and I had eaten it to make room for the money.   Sprat, being the typical teenager, had no reaction.
I hope one day my kids realize that I tried to make their days special and I hope they realize the effort that went in to doing these little things.
I will share a quick story about the hubbs and I on Valentines.  Many years ago before we were married, we had plans to go out to dinner for Valentines.  I went over to his apartment and he was not ready so I waited in the living area.  There was a balloon tied to the remote.  As I came in the apartment he said, thanks for the balloon.  I told him I had not sent the balloon.  He said, really, maybe you should check the card.  I looked at the card and there was a poem that started my scavenger hunt for my Valentines.   The hubby is quite poetic when he wants to be.  My scavenger hunt went all over the apartment and ended with the most beautiful bouquet of roses hidden in the bedroom closet.   The hubbs is very creative with his gift giving.  He still has glimmers of this now and again.  This Valentines I got some dark chocolate and sushi.  Yummmm.
Below is a picture of one of the boys box of money.

Recipe Thursday. . . .

Today I am going to share two yummy recipes that I love.  The first is called Texas Caviar it can be eaten as a dip with tortilla chips or as a salad.   The other recipe is Quiche cup with spinach.  This is a great recipe because you can make a batch to keep in the fridge and heat up as you like.  This is also a good recipe for breakfast on the go.  I have said many times I cannot eat breakfast, I usually do a protein drink.  These I can eat, they are so easy and yummy.
Here we go:

Texas Caviar

2 cans black eyed peas (drained and rinsed)
1 can hominy(drained and rinsed)
2 cans rotel tomatoes
1 fresh tomato chopped
1 bottle of Zesty Italian dressing
2 tbsp parsley (dried or fresh)
2tbsp olive oil

Mix everything together refridgerate for at least two hours.  Serve with chips or as a salad.

Quiche minis

1 pkg. frozen chopped spinach
4 eggs scrambled
3/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, Colby or what ever you would like)
1/4 cup diced green bell peppers
1/4 cup diced onion
3 dashes of Texas Pete

Thaw your spinach then drain as much liquid as you can.
Combine:  eggs, cheese, peppers, onions, Texas Pete, and spinach and mix well.   I use a mini muffin pan so divide among the cups and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until brown.  Let them cool and you can keep them in the fridge or freeze them for later.

Hope you enjoy these.

Fat Tuesday. . .

Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday, the day before Ashe Wednesday, the day the Season of Lent begins.  It is Fat or Great because it is a day of good food and parties before Lent begins.   Lent begins on Ashe Wednesday and lasts forty days not counting Sundays, it ends on Easter Sunday.   This began after Jesus baptism and he went into the wilderness for forty days and was tempted by Satan.   Jesus went into the wilderness to fast and pray and to be with God.  Many use the time of Lent to rededicate themselves to God and to grow closer to God.  They do this by giving up something they like or maybe feel like could be distracting them from God.  A couple years ago I decided rather than give up something I would incorporate something into my daily life to bring me closer to God and do something for someone else.  I chose to pray for everyone on my Facebook friends list everyday during Lent.   I have not decided what I am doing this year but I like the idea of doing something for others rather than just giving up something for myself.   My kids got in on the act too, they each gave up something they felt distracted them from God.  I am not sure what they will do this year, I think they are still thinking about it.
Happy Fat Tuesday. . .

Another Teenager in the Clan. . .

We celebrated awesome thirteen this weekend, Big T is now a teenager.   We partied all weekend, this little boy has had more cake in the past seventy-two hours than should be allowed.   He has been quite popular on the telephone too. 
Kids really should talk on the phone with adults more to learn proper phone etiquette.   Thank goodness my folks live away so that my kids have learned good phone etiquette.  If kids only talk to each other on the phone they do not learn this as quickly and if all they do is text they will never learn.  Big T had a bad habit of just hanging up on my mom when he felt he was finished with the conversation.   He did not say goodbye or anything.  He now understands that he needs to end the conversation with a goodbye before hanging up.   That was a tricky thing to try and teach.   

Some days I feel all alone trying to teach my kids good manners.  I feel like everyone around me is trying to sabotage me and them at every turn.  I keep trying though, slow and steady.   

There are many days that I feel all alone tackling this job of motherhood.   You love your kids and you want to do what is best for them and you have everyone around you telling you that you are doing it wrong.  Why is it we are so judgmental of mothers and why do some feel the need to criticize mothers at every turn.  There is so much pressure out there these days on moms to do and be everything to everyone.     

Parenting is a tough job and it is a thankless job too.  This is for all the moms out there doing their best.  Take a deep breath and know you are not alone.  Give yourself a pat on the back because you are doing a difficult job in a difficult time.   

Tax Time. . .

As we begin a new year, do you want to be more organized?   I know I am trying my best to be organized.  When thinking about your taxes organization is key to success.   Here is what I do. 
I have a folder where I keep all of my bills, it stays in the kitchen so that I can keep up with it.  Once the bill is paid it goes to another folder in my file cabinet.  I also have a separate file folder for tax documents.   This folder also stays in the kitchen so that as the mail comes in I can put things where they belong.   If I do not sort it as it comes in  I end up covered in piles of paper.  I also throw anything away as soon as I realize I do not need it.  I would bet you have fallen victim to those piles of paper too. 
Now you should have a small folder with bills that need to be paid in your kitchen or wherever your command center is.  You should have a  larger  folder for  your paid bills.  Your tax records can be kept in a smaller folder but kept close at hand as things come in during the first of the year. If you keep everything organized  from the beginning,  tax time will be easier and less stressful. 
I just finished straightening everything out for the beginning of a new year.  Below is a picture of my folder where I put my bills to be paid.  This folder has a large magnet on the back so it hangs in the fridge.
Good luck!  And breathe. . .

Clean Yummy Recipes. . .

I have several friends that are trying to eat clean, whether they are doing a challenge or just trying to eat a little better so, the following are for those very sweet ladies and anyone else that is interested in eating clean.  I cannot tell you where I got these because I compiled a few different recipes together to get the flavor I like.  Here we go. . .

Mediterranean Lentil Salad

1/2 cup dried lentils
2 1/2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf
1 tomato finely chopped
1/4 cup finely diced red onion (these give a great flavor so don't skimp)
1 red and green pepper seeded and finely chopped
2tbsp  parsley (fresh is better but dried is ok too)
1 sprig of fresh mint ( needs to be fresh not dried and don't leave this out.  It really is good)
zest and juice one lemon
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove pressed (use fresh here too)
1/2 cup black olives
Fresh mozzarella cheese balls

Rinse your lentils and remove any stones.  Bring water to a boil and then add: lentils, salt, bay leaf and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes or until lentils are tender.  Drain and remove and discard bay leaf.  Let lentils cool.
Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, lemon zest, and garlic.  Add lentils, tomato, cheese, mint, olives, parsley, onion, and peppers.  Toss gently and refrigerate for at least two hours.

This is really good, one of my favorites.

This next one is a favorite, I first had this at one of my sisters' bridal showers.  It was so good I found a recipe and you know me.  I always change and adapt to my taste and you can too.  This is Gazpacho a cold very yummy tomato soup that is loaded with veggies.

Gazpacho

2 1/2 cups tomato or vegetable juice
1 cup peeled seeded finely chopped fresh tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped celery ( I do not often use this because the hubbs does not like celery)
1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
3 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic pressed
2 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley ( I use dried)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
fresh ground black pepper

Put all ingredients in a glass bowl and refrigerate overnight.  Serve cold.  This is yummy!!

These are very low calorie but very filling recipes and both are favorites of mine.
Enjoy. . .

The Little Things Count. . .

This is for new Mommies or soon to be Mommies.  When I was pregnant with Sprat I was so excited about having a baby and when we found out it was a boy I was thrilled.  I read all the books and was trying to prepare my house for this wonderful new addition.  I wrote out this long birth plan and gave it to my doctor, it detailed everything I wanted during my pregnancy and my labor and delivery.  The one thing I listed in it numerous times was that I did not want a C-section.  I was absolutely terrified of having a C-section.  I was very fortunate that my hubby had a working relationship with my OB and when it came down to it, he did everything he could to keep me from having a C-section.   It did not work out that way and I ended up having a C-section and I am very glad I did, poor Sprat was wedged in my pelvis and they had to use suction to get him out, even with the section.  I think I was terrified of the unknown.  My doctor was the BEST, he took such good care of me, Sprat, and the hubbs.  
The hubbs and I started a savings account for Sprat even before he was born.  We had a big jug and put all of our extra change in it for him and once he had a social security number we opened a savings account in his name.   I still put our change in his account and in Big T's.   I found this really cool time capsule in one of my baby gadget catalogs and I got one for Sprat.  On his second birthday I had requested that everyone bring something that meant something to them to put in his time capsule.  The hubbs and I added a few personal things from us and that were popular that year.  We sealed it and will open it on his eighteenth birthday.   The time capsule itself was a large tin can, sort of like a popcorn tin, it had directions of what to put in it.  It has been so long since we did it I do not remember what all we put in it, so I am pretty excited to what we will have.  I also did one for Big T, his was not a professional tin I just used an old popcorn tin and again we put things in it for him specific to when he was born.  
The other thing I do is write to my kids.  I write them notes about how I felt during different times of their lives.  Sometimes I write once a year and sometimes I write more than that, it depends on what is going on with our lives.  I write just on plain notebook paper and then I seal it in an envelope.  These I will give them when they graduate high school.  Each envelope is dated so they know when they were written and they also include a little money.  Some have a $20 some have a $10 but this will give them a little money for their graduation to do with as they please (with in reason).   Even if your kids are older you can still do the letter writing.  I hope it will mean something to my kids to have my thoughts and feelings and even prayers for them on paper.
These are just an example of some of the little things I have done and am doing for my kids.   If you have you would like to share please feel free to post a comment below.  I would love to hear from you.

What a Great Day. . .

The hubbs took the day off and we did our errands today.  Great day spending time with my best friend.  I love him dearly but I do hate going to Wal Mart with him, which is where we had to go today.  I always spend way too much money when he goes with me and today was no surprise.  I do accomplish more with him but I cannot figure out how.  We also had a little range therapy.  We spent the morning at the shooting range trying out their wares.  It is amazing how much stress that can relieve.  We shot several different weapons they had to rent; .38 snub nose, Glock .40, and a shotgun. I really liked the shotgun, it did not kick near as much as I expected.
The range that we go to is an indoor range and they offer a variety of classes from: concealed carry, kids classes, basic pistol, and self defense.  A year or so ago I took Sprat up for a one on one gun safety session with one of the instructors.   He gave a detailed classroom lesson on safety and then we went in the range and Sprat got to shoot.   Side note, he is an excellent shot.  You may be saying, well we do not own guns or my kids are not going to be around guns.  Do you know for a fact that the children your child plays with parents do not own guns?  There is always the possibility that your child might be faced  with a situation that involves a gun.  You want your child to know what to do and what not to do.  I have not taken Big T up there yet but I figure this summer we will work that in.  You can always talk about gun safety when your kids are playing with their airsoft or BB guns.  Those are great ways to introduce gun safety, what to do and what not to do.  I started that with Big T last year when we were shooting the BB gun.   The main points to cover are;  never point the gun at anything you do not intend to shoot, keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to shoot, and treat every gun as if it is loaded.  These are all good things that kids should be aware of even when using their BB or airsoft guns.  Big T got shot in the face with an airsoft gun at a friends house due to a ricochet, it was a complete accident but it scared him enough to really pay attention to what is going on around him.