Menu Plan Monday #11

This is a busy week for our family with meetings, extra activities and a birthday. This week's theme is simplicity! Thanks to Laura for hosting MPM each week.

Monday - - Toasted deli sandwiches (make your own), sauteed spinach, broccoli cheese bites

Tuesday - - Homemade pizza, carrots and dip

Wednesday - - Hamburger skillet of some sort

Thursday - - Red Beans & Rice (Zatarains box mix; love this stuff)

Friday - - Happy Birthday to Blonde 2! She has invited friends over for dinner and then we're heading to an indoor pool for some water fun. We'll be serving soft & crunchy tacos, tortilla chips and dips (her Aunt Nancy's corn dip and a layered bean dip). Dessert will either be an ice cream cake or brownie a la mode with caramel topping.

On Vacation...at Home

Since finishing the painting of our bedroom on Friday and getting it back in order yesterday morning, Lawman and I have pretty much been on vacation. The funny thing is, we're home. With the girls out of the house this weekend, we decided to give ourselves a mini-vacation without traveling anywhere. It's been quite nice.

We went to a movie late yesterday afternoon. We saw 21. Lawman and I would both give it a thumbs-up. It's based on a true story which is probably what makes it so interesting. Sometimes real life consists of better stories than what some script writer could make up. And let me just say that I could never do in Vegas what these kids do; my brain isn't wired like theirs.

After the movie, we went to a little deli for a quick dinner. It's the tiniest of places but the food and atmosphere are great. Then we met friends for cocktails downtown. It was a good night and we were home by 9:30. How's that for a vacation schedule?

This morning was very relaxed. It's a grey day outside so we stayed in and watched CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood; one of my absolute favorite shows. I only wish I was able to watch it each week. They always have such an eclectic mix of subjects....this morning it was food, R.E.M. (love them), art, Spanx undergarments and baseball. See what I mean by quite the mix of subjects?

By this time it was definitely time for breakfast. We could hardly hear the tv over the tummy rumblings. We decided to venture downtown for breakfast. To the Friendly Cooker - - our local cafe. Now let me just say that what I'm about to tell you is almost embarassing for me to admit. The last time we ate here was at least 8 or 9 years ago. That's right. And we're in a town with very few choices for eating establishments, especially for breakfast unless you want an Egg McMuffin or a Sonic Breakfast Burrito. Get the picture?

Why so long since we'd eaten here you ask? Well, our oldest daughter got food poisoning there on the last trip. That's why. After that ordeal I wasn't overly enthusiastic about going again. And neither was she.

But Lawman and I were feeling particularly adventurous this morning so we decided to go out on a limb. And let me just say that we're glad we did. We both had the "Cooker Scrambler" and it was tasty; not low in calories or fat but it sure hit the spot. Eggs, ham, cheese and veggies scrambled together and served with hashbrowns, toast or biscuit. With drinks our total was $14. Pretty reasonable we thought. And much better than the other options available in town. We even went so far as to check out the dinner menu. Why you can get 2 pieces of fried chicken with potatoes and veggies for nearly the same price as a biggie size value mean from the golden arches. Hello....which sounds better to you? I think we'll have to take the girls to the Cooker for dinner sometime soon.

And to my local girlfriends let me just say that I know you'll find it hard to believe that it has been so long since I'd eaten at the Cooker and I don't want to hear about it. Admitting this in front of the entire internet community (which is maybe at least 5 in my case) is enough embarassment for me. Thank you very much.

Friendly Cooker, I'll be calling for reservations. Oh, that's right, none needed.

The Burning O'the Hills

Spring brings with it an annual ritual on a ranch...the burning of pastures. I have fond memories of this ritual growing up on a ranch in the heart of the Flint Hills. The smell of burning pastures is one of my all-time favorite smells. Lawman thinks I'm nuts. I'm sure it's because I have a memory connection with that scent. It takes me back to a comfortable place.

Yesterday after Lawman and I finished painting our bedroom, we dressed in our work clothes and headed south of town. Our friend, Dane, had told us that his family would be burning at their farm and we didn't want to miss this.

See that smoke? That's where we're going.

It was a beautiful day for burning. The sun was shining, the temps were in the 50's and the wind was almost non-existent. Near perfect conditions.

Things have changed since I was involved in pasture burning. In my day our tools consisted of rakes, hoes, wet gunny sacks, matches and a pickup truck with a water tank on it. Oh, and your feet. We walked the pastures. The ranchers have turned it up a notch. Now they've got fancy starter sticks, gators and 4-wheelers with water tanks. Makes it much easier for them to keep the fire under control.

This is my taxi and driver, Lawman.

Here's a look from the top of one of the hills. This is beautiful to me. I love the land. That would be the country girl in me speaking.

See how the smoke lingers? Sort of creates a sense of mystic, don't you think?

Lawman and I still haven't located our friend, Dane so we're on a mission. We're headed up to the flames. We think that's where we'll find Dane.

This is Byron, owner of this land. We met him on our way up the hill. I'd call him an old-timer. No 4-wheeler for him.

Now we're talkin'. We're in front of the fire and we think Dane must be on the backside.

This is Scott. We met him at the top of the hill. He comes home each year to help with the burning. And he brings his son, Zane (below).

Finally, we found Dane. He and Zane were fixing fence. Seems there was a bit of an emergency situation earlier in the day. The wind shifted and the fire got away from them. Word has it that Zand did very well as the driver during this little adventure. Especially when you consider he drove with his eyes closed because of all the smoke. Good job Zane!

Here's the old farmstead from the top of the hill.

Pasture burning is by no means the cleanest job on the ranch. I was purely an observer today and I got pretty dirty. That is soot on my face....I do not have sideburns.

The Domino Effect

We've done it now....the domino effect. Lawman and I are both home today and we're painting our bedroom. It may sound easy but have you ever noticed how one project leads to another, and another, and another?

We've got the first coat on. It's not a 'fashion' color but a basic - - clay beige. We're happy with the color. Clean walls do a lot for the room. But now we've noticed other things we need to do - - clean the carpets, update our art (if you can call what we have art), buy new bedding and strip the wallpaper in the master bath and paint. I'd also like to install a new ceiling fan and find a poem or saying in 'wall graffiti' to add to our ceiling alcove. See what I mean? The domino effect.

I've already taken care of one of those projects mentioned above. I've been eyeing a quilt on Overstock.com and I showed it to Lawman today. He liked it too so it's now on order and on the way to our home. Even that will lead to another "to do" item...boxing up our old quilt, pillow shams and dust ruffle and getting it to the Salvation Army. See what I mean? Does it ever end?

My break is over; time for the 2nd coat and picking up the dominos.

Menu Plan Monday #10

I don't know what I would do without a menu plan. Well, yes I do and it isn't a pretty sight. Knowing what I'm cooking when I get home is half the battle. It empowers me to make it through that dinner rush hour!

Everyone is taking a hit in the pocketbook when it comes to the rising cost of gas and groceries. The bread we prefer was $3.45 a loaf on my last trip to the grocery store. This weekend I went to the local bakery outlet and purchased the same bread for $1.00 per loaf. That's a substantial savings. For $4.80 I purchased 4 loaves of bread and a package of hot dog buns. I walked out of that place with a smile on my face. What are you doing to combat the rising cost of groceries?

Our girls leave Friday morning for Young Christians Weekend with our youth group. This will provide Lawman and I with some much needed couple R&R time. Of course, it won't all be R&R time as we're planning to paint our bedroom on Friday.

Anyone including egg salad sandwiches or deviled eggs on the menu this week? Ha! I know we'll be eating them for lunch and dinner. For more menu ideas, check out Laura's place.

Monday - Leftover beef enchiladas, salad, deviled eggs

Tuesday - Hotdogs on the grill, french fries, deviled eggs

Wednesday - Macaroni & Cheese, Green Beans

Thursday - Bacon Chicken Crescent Ring, Peas

Friday - Pasta (Lawman's got a 60 mile bike ride on Saturday morning so he wants to load up on carbs.)

Saturday - date night

Here's a simples dessert that Imake quite often. Has the taste of a pie but without all the fuss. I had some apples that needed to be used so I whipped this up tonight.

Fruit Cobbler, Serves 6 to 8

Preheat oven to 375. Combine in a bowl:

1 stick butter or margarine, melted

1 c. sugar

1 c. flour

3/4 c. milk

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Mix well and pour into a greased 8" square pan. Top with 1 can pie filling (or 3 cups fresh fruit) and 1 cup sugar*. Spoon fruit on top of mixture and do not stir. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. (*I reduce this to 1/2 c. )

Vintage Easter Eggs

My days of coloring Easter eggs are numbered. Blonde 2 thinks she's too old for such things. Lucky for me, Blonde 3 still finds it to be fun. She and I enjoyed some together time today coloring eggs.

Rather than purchasing the PAAS packet or some of the other dye kits available in today's market, we opted for the vintage coloring option. Boiling water, vinegar and food coloring. Just like my mom and I did it.

Blonde 2 chose the colors of turquoise,

red, orchid,

and lime.

The turquoise, orchid and lime were created by mixing two colors together in the ratio indicated on the box.

We got creative with a couple of the eggs and placed rubber bands around them before we placed them in the dye. We removed the rubber bands when they were dried. They have stripes.

See the stripes? Aren't they pretty?

Who's in your Bracket?

Well, folks it's happened. There have been some upsets in the NCAA tourney and let me just say that I'm proud as punch that my team was the first one to create chaos.

Yes, the KSU Wildcats beat USC on Thursday. I'll bet not many chose the Cats to win. But win they did and it was a beauty! It wasn't just Michael Beasley and Bill Walker that played well. It was a team effort. Sutton, Anderson, Stewart and Kent all made great contributions to the win. How proud I am to be purple.

Today the Cats take on the Wisconsin Badgers at 3:10. I'll be sporting my purple and cheering for the Cats.

Spring Break '08

We're half way through spring break week now. This little gal, Blonde 3, is gone for the week. I miss her. She's my snuggle bunny. She always wants to be near me. She's the neediest of our girls. Always wants to be reassured that I'm not too far away. Most evenings she's at my side whether I'm in the kitchen, paying bills or watching tv. I don't quite know what to do without her.

She called me today. Told me that she's having a good time. Sounded happy. She also called Lawman. She told him that she was ready to come home.

What gives? Does she think she can't tell me that she misses me? This isn't the first time she's been away from home. Last summer she was gone for 11 days on a trip across the Santa Fe Trail. When she returned home, I got the biggest hug ever. So big that I almost couldn't breath. I bet I get another hug like that on Friday night. And I'll be ready for it.

Blonde 2 has been home all week. I think she's enjoyed the undivided attention. She's kept herself busy with her part-time job and a few babysitting commitments. And reading. It used to be that she was always reading something....magazines, books, food labels. Then came high school and all that changed. Other things became more important. Social activities and homework. But this week she spent almost a whole day reading a book in it's entirety. And then she started another one! I think the down time has been good for her.

Tomorrow is her big day. She's getting her learner's permit. Yes, I'm about to enter the realm of parenting with a teenage driver. You know what that means. Higher insurance premiums. Ugh! However, I shouldn't complain. I hear insurance companies are sexist when it comes to rating teenage drivers. Boys are more expensive. I don't know yet how many more pesos we'll be shelling out. I'm still waiting to hear back from the insurance man. I may need a brown paper bag though and a reminder to breathe. In. Out. In. Out.

One more day in my work week and then I'll be on spring break. Yeah, one day. But I'm going to take it and enjoy it. No alarm clock for me. Woohoo!

And tomorrow it will officially be spring. Oh Joy!

It's Old News But I Must Share

What happens in March? St. Patrick's Day, Easter (this year), and basketball. March Madness to be more specific. And before March Madness gets underway there are the conference tournaments. My alma mater, Kansas State University, is part of the Big 12. My niece, Marcy, and her husband, Matt, had two extra tickets and they were nice enough to invite us to join them at the Big 12 tournament on Friday.

Here I am enjoying the game with Marcy.

And I can tell you Lawman and Matt posed for this picture only out of fear of what might happen if they said no.

Did I mention that our seats were at half-court? A mere 6 rows from the court? That's right folks. I could literally make eye contact with the players. And you know I locked eyes with them. Not only that but I swear their sweat provided showers for us a couple of times. We were that close!

And there was a celebrity in our midst. Pat Riley, coach of the Miami Heat was just a few rows behind us. We hear he was there to watch KSU's Michael Beasley and Bill Walker. Guess he's thinking about NBA draft selections.

We saw KU v. Nebraska and KSU v. Texas A&M. Unfortunately, our Wildcats lost.

But, I'm glad to say that they received a bid to play in the NCAA tourney. That's been a long time comin'. They'll be playing in Omaha, NE Thursday at 6pm. I'll be on the couch with a diet coke and the remote for tip-off. I'll be cheering for the KSU WILDCATS!

Menu Plan Monday #9

It's spring break here this week. So, in honor of that, I'm going to give myself a break and keep it simple this week. We've got one less mouth to feed this week as Blonde 3 is on a trip with our youth group. For more menu ideas, head over to Laura's place.

Monday - Irish dinner at the neighbor's house; I'll be taking this dessert


Tuesday - Three Cheese Ravioli with spaghetti sauce, green beans, garlic bread

Wednesday - Oriental Chicken Wings (recipe follows), brown rice, peas

Thursday - Chicken Fajitas

Friday - I'm leaving this open. Blonde 3 will be returning home and I think it will be cause for celebration so I think I'll suggest dinner out.

Oriental Chicken Wings
12 to 18 chicken wings
1/3 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 green onions, chopped
1 T honey
2 tsp. oil
Broil chicken wings for about 3 minutes each side. Place in crock pot. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over chicken wings. Cook on low for 8 hours. I'll be using chicken legs in place of the wings this week.

The Day of the Spinning Plates

I should have been a circus act. I'd be the gal who has multiple plates spinning on those little dowel rods....I'm sure you've seen them. Frantically running back and forth, spinning the plates so that they don't stop, fall off the rod and break. That's pretty much my job description today. This sums it up.

"You need not feel guilty about not being able to keep your life perfectly balanced. Juggling everything is too difficult. All you really need to do is catch it before it hits the floor!"
-Carol Bartz, high-tech CEO

Any bets on how many plates I'll break today?

Book Review: The Jump-Off Creek

Last night I finished another book. The Jump-Off Creek by Molly Gloss.

I probably would not have selected this book on my own. I read it because it is a favorite read of my friend, Lorie. She recommended it several years ago and it's taken me this long to get to it. I had to dust it off as it had been sitting on my night stand for years. Literally.

I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. It's the story of Lydia Sanderson, a woman on the Oregon frontier in the 1890's. There are very few women on the frontier at this time and those that are there are married. Not Lydia. She was a go-getter. She headed to the frontier for all the possibilities that existed there.

The property she purchased, site unseen, is in poor condition. When she arrives, there are squatters on her land. She sends them packin'. Now that would make me nervous. Kick men out of their shelter and tell them to be on their merry way. Uh, hello. Wouldn't you be nervous that they'd come back? I'm not sure I'd sleep but I'd have my gun fully loaded and ready for firin'.

Upon entering the one room house, she finds much to be in need of repair. The bottom of the stove is rusted out, you can see daylight through the side of the house, there's holes in the roof and just a hard bunk to sleep on.


Lydia brings with her a mule and 2 goats. And not much else. However, she does always have milk, butter and cheese. All rarities on the prairie and eventually it becomes a means of trade for her.


She makes friends with Tim Whiteaker and Blue Odell. Gentleman who live over the hill or down the creek or somewhere that's relatively close. Or relative in those days anyway. There's a scene between Tim and Lydia that I found to be quite odd. Won't give it away if you decide to read the book but let me just say that they approached relationships in a different way back then. I thought it appeared to be more out of necessity than love.

Sounds like the only possibility she found on the frontier was work. Hard work and lots of it. That's exactly what she did and I don't think she was sorry she went on that adventure.


If you like frontier fiction, you'll enjoy this book. I did see similarities between it and The Diary of Mattie Spenser by Sandra Dallas which I absolutely love.

Menu Plan Monday #8

Thanks to http://www.orgjunkie.com/ for hosting MPM each week. I absolutely love getting ideas for new recipes.


This is going to be a busy week so it's a good thing I've got a menu to keep me organized. The baking I had planned to do last week didn't get done until the weekend so we've got cookies in the cookie jar (plus Girl Scout cookies were delivered) and the blueberry muffins are ready for Monday's breakfast. I have a meeting for work out of town on Tuesday which will put me home later than usual and B3 has a choir/band concert that evening. That's throwing a wrench in my week as I'm going to have to rely on fast food that night for dinner because I won't have time to get anything put together at home before we have to be at the school. Ugh.

This week's menu is based on using up what we have on hand between the pantry and freezer. I want to clean out in the pantry. It seems like things always get pushed to the back and I don't know what I've got. Time to rotate stock.



Monday - Fettucine Alfredo, broccoli, garlic bread


Tuesday - fast food


Wednesday - Spinach Pie, raspberry muffins, salad, fresh fruit


Thursday - Turkey Chili with Corn Muffin Topping


Friday - Hamburger Gravy over mashed potatoes, green beans, biscuits (I'll use the recipe in the link as my base for this gravy)



The spinach pie is a recipe I received years ago from a co-worker. It quickly became a family favorite.

Spinach Pie

3 eggs, lightly beaten

15 or 16 oz. container of cottage cheese

10 oz. pkg frozen spinach, thawed and drained

1/2# grated colby or sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 c. melted butter

3 T flour

Crazy Salt (mine is Jane's Crazy Mixed Up Seasonings, Original Mixed-Up Salurt)



Combine all ingredients and place in a pie plate. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. Delicous.

The Effects of Iced Chai Tea

Last night after the movie, Law-man and I stopped at Starbucks for drinks. I had an Iced Chai Tea. It had some serious side effects on my dream/sleep pattern.

At 3:30 this morning I woke up after a very vivid dream of what I should blog for today. However, at this point the only thing I remember was my next thought.....

I can't post that. I'll sound like Queen Latifah on crack.

What??? I'll be drinking water and diet coke today.

Sorry Queen.

I'll Take My Saturday Sunny Side-Up

It's going to be a good day. How do I know? Well, it's already started out that way. You see, I'm a morning person. There's nothing I like better than to be able to get out of bed while the house is still quiet and get right to work. And that's exactly what I've done today.

It's 8:40 am and here's what I've already accomplished.

Baked blueberry muffins. The girls and I will be eating them for breakfast. IF they ever get out of bed.

Baked 4 dozen snickerdoodle cookies. These will fill the cookie jar but they won't last long.

Answered emails.

Sorted through the weeks mail which resulted in filing and recycling.

Laundry is going.

And, the most important item for my morning to be complete.....a diet coke on ice! Ahhh.

The girls and I will be heading into town later this morning. B2 needs an outfit for Easter Sunday. B3 needs another pair of jeans for her spring break trip. She'll be going with our youth group to Kamp Kanakuk near Branson for a work week. She's really looking forward to it.

We will also be stopping at the used bookstore as I'm in search of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See for our book club.

Another stop will be the bakery outlet. I refuse to pay $3.45 for my favorite bread at the grocery store. That's just insane. Lawman says I should bake my own. That's fine and all except that I work full-time. How much will you pay for a loaf of bread before you think about looking for an alternative place to purchase it or make your own?

And to top it off, Lawman and I get a date tonight. B2 had an offer for a baby-sitting job and they asked her to bring someone else since there will be 5 small children. So, she opted to ask her sister to help. Isn't that sweet? B3 is thrilled with it because it will mean spending cash for her. Lawman and I will be headed to the $1.50 movie theatre for a viewing of The Kite Runner. We both read the book and loved it.

Last night we rented Amazing Grace. Fabulous movie. I highly recommend it. It is a period film but let me just say that all the British accents make it so worth it. I just love hearing people talk with accents. Plus it's based on the true story behind the song.

Well, B2 just found her way to the kitchen so I better sign off. Enjoy your Saturday.

Same Name

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 467 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Can the world handle that many of me? How many are there of you?

Quote of the Day

"Into every life a little rain must fall, but I think someone's mistaken me for Noah."
Allison Raul, wisecracker

Girl, You're Gonna Get Arthritis.....

....that's what I told Blonde 2 on Saturday. The girl can text on her cell phone at lightning speed. I have no idea how she does it. Remember when we first learned about computers causing carpal tunnel syndrome? Well, I'm convinced that there's going to be something like that that is the result of texting. Something like KATS...knotty arthritic thumbs syndrome. I guess we'll know in time.

There's more to this than getting arthritis from texting. Saturday afternoon Law-man and I were out running a couple of errands and we picked up the mail on our way out of the driveway. Nothing fun. Just bills. Law-man proceeded to open these bills. One of the bills was for our cell phone. When Law-man saw the balance due on that bill, I thought I was gonna have to pull over and give him CPR. Oh, not to worry. He found the air in his lungs within seconds because I heard his exclamation loud and clear. The balance due was more than 2x our usual bill. Normally it's $135; this bill is $295. Do you hear all the air being sucked out of my lungs?

I immediately knew what the problem was. Blonde 2 and that lightning speed texting!

Law-man and I agreed to pay the $5.99/mo. for 300 texts for Blonde 2. The 300 texts includes both incoming and outgoing. In January, Blonde 2 was convinced she needed to upgrade to UNLIMITED. She even offered to pay for it (she's got a part-time job and does babysitting).

To make a long-story short, we caved. Maybe I should say I caved because Law-man still is not in favor of the unlimited plan. In early February we upgraded B2's plan. However, we'd already missed 9 days in the billing cycle. And a costly 9 days it would prove to be. In those short 9 days, B2 managed to rack up $125 in texting costs! That's right folks. ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-FIVE!

Needless to say this was going to be a topic of conversation with B2. And in a not-so-pleasant sort of way.

Law-man wasted no time bringing it up when she got home Saturday night or at least as soon as possible considering we had a couse full of company when she arrived. I had suggested we handle this very matter-of-factly. Well Law-man did. "YOU OWE ME $125!" Yeah, that pretty much covers it. It was already 11:00 and when we're all tired and discussing some issue, it usually ends up worse than it started so I suggested we all go to bed and we'd discuss it the following day.

Law-man goes out on patrol on Sunday mornings so I handled this. I found the bill, showed her where the overage had occurred and also pointed out that her total texts for the month was 4,000. Yes, FOUR THOUSAND. That's over 100 per day! So not necessary! So we had this discussion (pretty much one-sided) that just because you can do something doesn't mean it's necessary or the right thing. I told her that the usage needed to come down. Way down. Within reason. Otherwise, she would loose it. Not just the texting but the entire phone.

Now she's on a mission to take every baby-sitting job that comes her way to get the debt cleared. She's got until March 13 so we'll see. Honestly, I think she's got the money but it's cuttin' in to her spending cash to have to pay mom & dad. She's been saving for a weekend youth group trip she's taking at the end of the month. Guess she's learning early that sometimes things don't always go as planned.

Law-man and I have recovered. We've got air in our lungs again. And, I think Law-man now agrees that the unlimited plan was a good thing. I did the math. Without it, B2 would have owed us $370.

Menu Plan Monday #7

Why do the weekends go so fast? Wow. Last week we had to make a couple of changes. The Saucy BBQ Sloppy Joes and the Tex-Mex Chicken were hits. I'll be baking them again. I had the wrong date for the cookout so Tuesday was a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of day. Friday I was not in the mood to cook so we ordered pizza. Saturday I played the part of hostess; a luncheon for a friend's birthday and then had another family over for dinner and to watch the KSU v. KU basketball game. For more menu ideas go to Laura's place.

This week here's the plan:

Monday - Breakfast for Dinner: scrambled eggs, sausage, biscuits, sliced pears

Tuesday - Grilled Cheese, Vegetable Beef Soup (from the freezer)

Wednesday - Parmesan Chicken, Roasted Potatoes, Vegetable

Thursday - Tuna Melts, Hashbrowns, Vegetable

Friday - Homemade Pizza

Baking for the Week: Snickerdoodle Cookies, Blueberry Muffins, Blueberry Coffee Cake

We may have to switch a couple of days around due to a choir concert, state high school basketball game and religion class. No matter though because I now have a plan. Have a great week!

Walkin' On Sunshine

Because we are expecting temps to be in the mid 60's today with lots of sunshine, this song popped into my head this morning as I woke up anticipating the rising mercury!