crumb-y muffins

This morning we had strawberry muffins for breakfast and when I went to clean up the counter so that we could start on schoolwork I was surprised by the mess that Elle had made while eating her muffin. I asked her how she could make such a big mess by just eating a little muffin and she replied 'Mom, you make really crumb-y muffins!' It was so funny! They must not have been too crummy since she wanted seconds. :)

volcano eruption

We finished our study of Italy last week but the kids reminded me that we never did make the volcano I'd promised we'd make when we learned about Mount Vesuvius and the buried city of Pompeii. So today during Ava's morning nap we got out everything we needed and 20 minutes later we had a volcano eruption in our kitchen. They thought it was pretty cool.

We used these instructions to make our volcano. Then they covered in with green paint (finger paint, so it was messy and fun!) and rocks.

Thomas poured the vinegar in to cause the lava to start flowing. They wanted to see it twice so we added some more baking soda and did it again.

One of the assignments they did to go with the Pompeii study was to read Vacation Under the Volcano. It was Elle's first time reading a Magic Treehouse book and she loved it. They are her new favorite series to borrow from the library.

Now we are studying Germany.

menu plan monday

Even though Scott is traveling for work this week (and has been since last Thursday....miss you Honey!!) I still went ahead with a menu plan and I am so glad I did. I have so much work to do around here (major cleaning, staining, and painting is in full force around here!) and now I won't have the stress of wondering what I'm going to make when my kids start telling me how hungry they are. Most of the meals are their favorites. Thomas just loves the Leek and Potato Soup and all of them go crazy about the Macaroni and Cheese. I also had to throw in a couple of 'chick meals' that I like to make when Scott is gone. I picked the majority of my meals from Martha's cookbook, Great Food Fast, that I am currently borrowing from the library. I was surprised to find that all of the recipes are also on her website. Hope you all have a great week!

Monday
Breakfast - Oatmeal
Lunch - Meatballs
Dinner - Leek & Potato Soup

Tuesday
Breakfast - Scrambled Eggs
Lunch - Leftover Soup & Sandwiches
Dinner - Macaroni & Cheese

Wednesday
Breakfast - Malt-O-Meal
Lunch - Macaroni & Cheese
Dinner - Chicken Caesar Salad

Thursday
Breakfast - Strawberry Muffins
Lunch - PB & J
Dinner - Pasta with Prosciutto & Peas

Friday
Breakfast - Muffins
Lunch - Leftovers
Dinner - Taco Pizza

Saturday
Breakfast - Pancakes, Maple Sausage Links
Lunch - Leftover Pizza
Dinner - French Dip Sandwiches

Sunday
Breakfast - Pancakes
Lunch - Leftover French Dip Sandwiches
Dinner - Braised Chicken with Mushrooms & Oven Baked Polenta

dust, dust, dust

I told you my house is dusty with all of the drywalling and sanding that has been happening with our basement getting finished. Here are some pictures to show you just how bad it is. I can't even believe it! I have done all I can to try to keep the dust to as much of a minimum as possible. I've turned the furnace off everyday that work has been going on, a sheet of poly has been hung and taped to the wall to block the entrance to the basement when they've been sanding and I've tried to stay ahead of it as much as possible by cleaning. Seriously, the floor was mopped this morning and this is what it looks like now 8 hours later!! The only thing that is keeping me from pulling my hair out is to know that we are almost done. The basement is completely primed as of today and it looks great!

I guess I'll just be doing my spring deep cleaning a little early this year!

coat closet organization

I finally found a way to keep the winter outdoor clothing mess to a minimum this year and thought I'd show you how....since it's Talk About Tuesday!

This is the doorway that leads to our garage and is the entrance that gets used by us all of the time. Until this winter this hallway was always a disaster.....coats, mittens, boots, and hats all over.

A couple of years ago Scott built me this nifty tower to help contain everything but I couldn't find any baskets that would fit just right on the shelves. Without the baskets this tower didn't help me to be organized. Everything still got mixed up. This year though Target just happed to have the perfect size milk crate basket to fit inside. It was a happy day when I found them! :) Now each of us has our own basket to hold our hats, scarves, mittens. The kids have been so good about putting everything in the right baskets and I can't remember the last time one of them has said "Mom, I can't find a pair of mittens!"

The other thing I did to do to help organize this closet was put an old cookie sheet on the floor for the kids to put their wet boots on. I also made sure they had special hangers that the suspenders of their snowpants could hang on without falling off.

The hook on the wall holds Ava's diaper bag, packed and ready to go along with any returns that need to be made in town.

This is a picture of mine and Scott's side of the closet. I'm hoping he'll build a shoe shelf for the kids side someday soon. (Hint, hint Honey!) :) The top shelf holds camera bags, my purse, a basket with our snowpants and ski goggles and other winter items that don't get used on a regular basis. There is also a basket that holds all of the summer stuff - caps, sunscreen, golf items, etc....I can't wait till we can take this basket down again!

This system has worked really well for us. It sure is great having a handy hubby to make things like this for me!

Note to self: Stain the top piece of the shelf!

the fun begins

The basement will be primed by Thursday which means that all of the fun decorating stuff gets to start! I am undecided when it comes to paint colors. I will probably stick to a brownish neutral color in the family room but go with a couple of fun colors in the bedrooms. I'm really excited to get to the painting but am going to force myself to get the staining and polyurethaning done first. I need the motivation to get it done! I did a little surfing online to get ideas and found a few pictures to show you what I have in mind for down there -

I need to find 4 light fixtures for the hallway and bedrooms. I'm hoping to find some in this style.

The door style of the cabinets in the wet bar and the vanity in the bathroom are going to look like this in rustic cherry. I am really excited about these!

With the exception of a few places being wood floor and the bathroom being tiled in slate, all the other flooring with be carpet. I am thinking of going with a berber carpet similar to this in the color of DIRT! :)

cheer you up cherry pie

I couldn't help but give this pie a special name after watching the movie Waitress. We recorded it off of Pay Per View a month or so ago and really liked it. I don't think we will ever call a pie by it's regular name again. :)

Anyway, I finally bought the right cherries and made this pie yesterday. It is SO good but dangerous to have around the house! Especially after already having cake this week too. I haven't done any running this week. I'm using the excuse that the eliptical is covered with a tarp and that it's too messy downstairs. Scott said he's taking the tarp off it later today though. Bummer! (And not just so I'll run. :) He's training for the half marathon as well.)

So, here's the recipe for Cheer You Up Cherry Pie. See how happy it's making Ava in this picture? Actually she preferred the vanilla icecream.

how ava eats a peanut butter sandwich

random update

This has been a busy week here but it's all very exciting! We are making some serious progress on the basement. The drywall is in the process being taped, mudded and textured, plumbing is getting done, cabinets have been measured for, and I am getting some bids for tile work in the bathroom. The house is dusty, really dusty, and the yard is starting to look like a dump with all of the lumber and drywall scraps stacked in it but there is a light at the end of the tunnel! Woohoo!! :)

We got a few inches of snow last night so it looks pretty around here today. This afternoon the kids had a Valentine party with some friends. They are on sugar highs right now. Well, my sweetie just instant messaged me that he is on his way home so I'm going to go open a bottle of wine and get started on our romantical valentine dinner.

Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day!

Oh, and thank you for all of the birthday wishes and all of the great ideas to do with the egg yolks. I'm sorry to say though that they are still sitting in my fridge and more than likely will have to be tossed. I just couldn't find the time to do anything with them. :(

simple pleasures

Enjoying the first issue of my subscription to Martha Stewart Living, (Thanks Mom and Dad!) and a slice of leftover birthday cake. Yesterday I turned 29 and of course had to have something chocolatey to celebrate. I have made this Chocolate Angel Food Cake many times and it turns out perfectly delicious everytime. The only change I make is to skip the dusting of powdered sugar and instead spread on a dollop of chocolate cool-whip instead. You really should try it! :)

Anyone have some ideas on what to do with a dozen egg yolks? I saved them when I made this cake with the whites yesterday. Vanilla pudding is the only thing I can think of or really yellow scrambled eggs.

menu plan monday

Here is the game plan for meals this week. We never did have the Tuna Pea Pasta Salad or Pizza last week so they got moved to this week. Thomas has took charge of making eggs for breakfast the past couple of days. He's been making egg sandwiches - one egg, cooked till almost hard, put on a piece of toasted bread and topped with a slice of American cheese. This is a favorite breakfast in our house and is one that actually keeps you full till lunchtime.

I also didn't get a chance to try out my new recipe for Cherry Pie last week. I bought the wrong type of cherries at the store but hope to find the right ones today so that we can have it for dessert on Valentine's day.

Monday
Breakfast – Egg Sandwiches
Lunch – Leftover Ham and Bean Soup
Dinner – Tacos

Dessert – Chocolate Angel Food Cake

Tuesday
Breakfast – Oatmeal, Grapefruit
Lunch – Leftover Tacos
Dinner – Tuna Pea Pasta Salad

Wednesday
Breakfast – Raspberries & Crème Muffins
Lunch – Tuna Pea Pasta Salad
Dinner – Chicken Enchiladas, Roasted Asparagus, Garden Salad

Thursday
Breakfast – Muffins
Lunch – Leftovers/Sandwiches
Dinner – Grilled Steak, Baked Potatoes, Pear & Blue Cheese Salad

Dessert - Cherry Pie

Friday
Breakfast - Egg Tacos
Lunch – PB & J Sandwiches
Dinner – Pizza

Saturday
Breakfast – German Pancake with Strawberry Syrup
Lunch – Leftovers
Dinner – Pork Chops with Scalloped Potatoes Casserole, Corn, Garden Salad

Sunday
Breakfast – Toast or Cereal
Lunch – Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Dinner – Piglets in a Blanket

little red toes

6 more things about me

Emma at Charming the Birds from the Trees tagged me for a meme to list 6 things about myself. I've done this a few times before but enjoyed the challenge to come up with six more.

Here are the guidelines to the meme - (1) Link to the person that tagged you. (2) Post the rules on your blog. (3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. (4) Tag six random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs. (5) Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

1. I like to watch football. Especially college, but professional too.

2. I have never broken a bone.

3. My hair got curly towards the end of my pregnancy with Ava and has never gone back to the way it was before. It used to have a wave in it if I let it dry naturally and was easy to just blow dry straight. Now a blow dryer doesn't cut it and I have to use a straightener to get it the way I like it. On days when I don't have time for that if I don't put some product in to tame the curl I end up with very poufy hair. I think it's kinda ironic that Ava happens to have curly hair too. Do you think there's a connection there??

4. I love being home and going about my day to day tasks. I am not a person who thrives on being on the go. In fact it stresses me out when my schedule is too full of errands and appointments.

5. My favorite colors to decorate with in my home are brown, red and green. I'm often told that my home feels cozy....just the feeling I'm going for!

6. My favorite fast food restaurant to eat at is Quiznos. They make the best Turkey, Swiss and Ranch sub with black olives!

I'm breaking the rules and am not going to tag anyone. I love to read these though so if you want to participate consider yourself tagged and leave me a comment so that I can come read your list as well!

the recipe box swap

Randi at I have to say....is hosting a recipe swap today. I am looking forward to finding some new recipes to try! I am already planning to use some of the raspberries we picked and froze last summer to make her Raspberry and Creme muffins. Yum!

I thought I'd share two soup recipes that we really enjoy since the groundhog told us there is still six more weeks of winter. On the sidebar of my blog I have several links to other recipes that I have posted on my blog.

Wild Rice Soup

1/2 cup raw wild rice, rinsed & soaked according to pkg directions
2 cups water
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 cup Canadian Bacon, diced
1/2 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup flour
3 (14 1/2 oz) cans chicken broth
1 tsp. dried snipped chives
1 cup half and half

Bring rice and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Boil approx. 45 minutes, until rice is fluffed and water is absorbed. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven. Add onion, carrot, celery, Canadian bacon, and mushrooms. Saute until vegetables are tender. Add flour and stir until liquid has evaporated. Slowly add chicken broth, whisking to blend thoroughly. Add wild rice and chives. Slowly add half and half. Heat through, but do not boil.

Clam Chowder

2 cups red potatoes, diced (do not peel)
1 1/2 cups water
1 (8 oz) bottle clam juice, divided
6 slices bacon, diced
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup onions, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup flour
2 (6 1/2 oz) can chopped clams, undrained
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. celery salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
Fresh chopped parsley

Combined diced potatoes, water and 1/2 cup clam juice in a saucepan; cook 10 minutes. Do not drain.

Cook bacon in a skillet until brown and crisp; remove and set aside. Add butter to the skillet. Stir in onions and celery; cook 2 minutes add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Stir in flour; cook and stir 3 minutes.

Combine cooked potato mixture, bacon, onion mixture, clams, remaining clam juice, thyme, celery salt, pepper, milk, and cream in a large saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 8 - 10 minutes. Garnish each serving with fresh chopped parsley.

painting like michelangelo

This week we started studying Italy in geography. One of the famous people we are reading about is Michelangelo and today the kids got a taste of what it might have been like for him to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. I set up the card table with some papers taped underneath and had them paint a couple of pictures while laying on their backs. They thought it was fun!

We are guessing that Michelangelo got pretty messy while working on that ceiling! :)

The styrofoam trays that meat and sometimes veggies come on from the grocery store make great painting trays! Wash them in hot, soapy water when you get them and then toss them when you are done painting.

Visit Laura's blog to see what everyone is talking about this Tuesday!

menu plan monday

I'm so happy to finally have a menu plan for the week! It's so nice to have a plan for every meal and to get to try out a couple of new recipes. Also, my hubby doesn't have to travel this week so I'm looking forward to making some of his favorites. :) I've had Mrs. U's recipe for Pasta e Fagioli and Savory Cheese Rolls at the top of my 'want to try recipes' for awhile now along with Martha's Fish Po' Boy sandwiches. Sometime this week I am also going to try a new recipe for Cherry Pie. If it's good I'll share recipe!

To find more great recipes and get inspired by others menu plans be sure to visit Laura's site for all who are participating!

Monday
B – Mini Blueberry Bagels and Smoothies
L – Quesadillas
D – Chicken & Rice Casserole, Garden Salad

Tuesday
B – Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
L – Chicken Salad Sandwiches
D – Runzas & Potato Salad

Wednesday
B – Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
L – Tuna Pea Pasta Salad
D – Runzas & Potato Salad

Thursday
B – Eggs & Toast
L – Tuna Pea Pasta Salad
D – Pasta e Fagioli & Savory Cheese Rolls

Friday
B – Oatmeal
L – Leftovers
D – Fish Po’Boys & Garden Salad

Saturday
B – Scrambled Eggs
L – Cook’s Secret Surprise (Read: I have no idea, yet)
D – Ham & Bean Soup

Sunday
B – Toast
L – Ham & Bean Soup
D – Homemade Pizza

sugar popcorn

Yesterday we got Treasures of the Snow in the mail from Netflix so we popped some popcorn, cuddled up in blankets and watched it during Ava's nap. The movie was old fashioned but really good. (Thanks for recommending it Mom!)

I thought I'd share how I make our favorite popcorn. It's similar to a kettle corn and is so easy to make.

These are the ingredients you'll need - peanut oil, coconut oil, popcorn and granulated sugar. I've only made this recipe in the stir crazy popper but I think you could make it on the stovetop too if you keep the pan moving so that it doesn't burn.

First put a tablespoon or two of peanut oil in the popper. This helps to keep the coconut oil from smoking. Then add a couple of tablespoons of coconut oil in there and let it melt. Add one or two popcorn kernals to the oil while it heats up. When they pop the oil is ready.

Add 1 1/2 cups or so of popcorn and around 1/2 cup of sugar. I never measure this so I'm guessing here. You want the sugar to melt into the oil....if you add too much you'll have clumps of sugar in the popcorn.

Cover the popper and let it do it's thing. If you make this on the stovetop this is when you'll want to keep shaking the pan.

Be sure to let it cool for a few minutes before eating it. As the popcorn cools it will stick together a little so break it up as you put it in the bowls. Or you can do like I did and just serve the kids a bowl and eat the rest yourself. :) This stuff is addictive and is gone before you know it!

Elle gave it a thumbs up! :)

ready to be a flowergirl

Scott's mom sewed this dress for Elle and sent it to us to see how it fits. It fits perfectly!! You did a fabulous job Jan!