girls day out

Yesterday Elle and I went shopping at the Mall of America with my friend Stephanie and her daughter Lexi. We left shortly after 6:00 in the morning and didn't get home till almost 9:30 at night. The girls were exhausted! It was so nice to go shopping without Ava. I didn't have to spend time looking for her hiding in a rack of clothes or get the door opened on me in the dressing room. It was bliss! :) (Thank you again Scott and Thomas for watching her all day!)

The clothing shopping was pretty disappointing. The 80's are making a comeback and it is a little scary. Look at the colors of these shirts in Old Navy.

This picture isn't quite accurate. My camera couldn't handle the almost neon colors. :) When we were in Claire's we saw zipper earrings and jelly bracelets. I didn't see anyone tight rolling their jeans yet though!

So anyway, I only found a few tops at Banana Republic that I liked and that's was it for clothes for myself. I found Scott a few things. The most fun was had at Pottery Barn where I found the drapes and a rug for the basement that I've been eying for awhile on sale. I'll take a picture and show you when we get them up! I also got some Christmas shopping done.

The new American Girl store in the MOA just opened up recently and Elle and Lexi were so excited to go. It's a little girl's paradise. It was a very fun day!

minnesota girl

Elle has wanted to start a blog for a long time. Thomas got to start his when he was 7 so it seemed like now was a good time for Elle to start hers. I love the name she thought up for it - Minnesota Girl. :) Family, if you'd pop over there and leave her a comment she'd love it!

birthday finale

What a day! The kids are finally down from their sugar highs and are in bed. I'm exhausted and ready to just sit, watch football and knit a little. Birthdays are fun....and tiring!

Thank you for all of the comments with birthday greetings to Elle. She read them all and loved them!

birthday lunch

Part of the fun of her birthday lunch was helping to make it. Elle is the official grilled cheese chef in our house. She makes it for lunch about once a week.

happy birthday elle marie

Today my Elle Marie turns 7! This morning she enjoyed her breakfast of donuts and hot chocolate. Then she opened her presents from Scott and I. It was fun to watch her open them!

menu plan monday

Last week I got Ina Garten's new cookbook, Back to Basics. There are so many recipes that I want to try in it! This week I am looking forward to trying her recipe for Roasted Shrimp Cocktail. I like shrimp but don't care for it cold like in most shrimp cocktail so am looking forward to giving it a try this way. Scott and I went out for dinner on Friday night and I had a salad with a yummy vinaigrette and goat cheese on it and hope that her recipe for Salad with Warm Goat Cheese comes close to it.

Monday (Happy Birthday Elle!) At her request we will have donuts for breakfast and Homemade Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for lunch. For dinner she chose Spaghetti, Garlic Bread and a Garden Salad.
Tuesday – Lighter General Tso’s Chicken with Brown Rice
Wednesday (church night) – Sandwiches/Leftovers
Thursday – Ritzy Chicken Nuggets, Garden Salad, Apple Slices
Friday – Pizza
Saturday (All day shopping trip to the Mall of America for Elle and I! I’ll make a crockpot meal the night before and plug in it when we leave.) – Taco Soup
Sunday – Roasted Shrimp Cocktail, Salad with Warm Goat Cheese

Breakfasts:
Pumpkin Bread
Egg Sandwiches
Yogurt, Granola & Fruit
Oatmeal

Lunches:
Refried Bean and Cheese Burritos
PB&J/Turkey Sandwiches

Dessert of the Week:
Birthday Cake (Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Frosting, again!) and Cookie Dough Ice cream

Click here to see what other bloggers are making for dinner this week!

sleepy girl

This afternoon while Thomas was at swim team practice and Elle was at a friend's house, Ava and I did our grocery shopping for the week. She was so very tired and we forgot to bring her puppy. After fussing and crying she finally gave up and just decided to cuddle the sleeve of her sweater and fall asleep.

I was so glad that I had my camera in my bag! She made a lot of people smile at the store and didn't even know it!

menu plan monday

Here's my menu plan for the week. I haven't been posting them for awhile but per Scott's request I'm going to again. He said he likes to know what dinner to look forward to each night. :) My favorite part of menu planning is trying out a couple new recipes each week. Elle is following in my footsteps and often sits down with a cookbook and suggests recipes to try.

Monday – Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Coleslaw, Fruit
Tuesday – Burrito Supreme Casserole, Garden Salad
Wednesday (church night) – Sandwiches/Leftovers
Thursday – Apple Stuffed Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Spinach Salad
Friday – Ritzy Chicken Nuggets, Garden Salad, Apple Slices
Saturday – White Chicken Chili
Sunday – Brunch: Sausage and Egg Bake, Dinner: Leftovers/Popcorn

Breakfasts:
Egg Sandwiches
Plain Yogurt with Granola & Fruit
Oatmeal
Pancakes

Lunches:
Cheese and Black Bean Quesadillas
Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese
PB & J/Turkey Sandwiches

Dessert of the Week: Pumpkin Pie

survivorman

One of Thomas's favorite shows is Survivorman, on Discovery. We have it set up to record on our DVR. This morning after watching an episode he was inspired to go 'survive' in the woods behind our house for the day. He talked Elle into surviving with him. They've been in once already to put on more clothes. :) Those two crack me up!

I found him trying to make fire when I delivered them some hot chocolate. Notice the digital camera on the tripod. They are very serious about this. They've both got their cameras out there are getting footage of everything they do.

I've made it very clear to not eat any berries or anything they find out there and that Survivorman has spent a lot of time learning about the different plants that are edible and not poisonous!

Update: They were able to survive a whole two hours out there in the elements! :) The cold, snow flurries and hunger for lunch forced them to abandon their mission.

carrot leek soup

For Randi's Recipe Box Swap I'm sharing a new recipe I made for lunch yesterday. Thomas had a sore throat and a slight fever and this was just what he needed to help him feel a little better. It's a great recipe for a light lunch.

Carrot Leek Soup

1 bunch leeks, thinly sliced
olive oil
4 large carrots, sliced
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 - 32 oz box chicken broth
2 cups milk
salt and pepper

In a large saucepan, saute leeks in a couple Tbsp. olive oil until tender. Add carrots, potatoes and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until vegetables are tender. Puree soup in blender, in batches. Return to pan and stir in milk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Heat through.

our homeschool: science

This year Thomas is studying Christian Kids Explore Biology for science. I love how this book is organized. It's easy for me as the teacher to get everything ready for him and he loves the hands-on activities. We begin each week reading and discussing the lesson. His assignments throughout the week are to write the definitions of the words in the lesson that are in bold, complete any of the reproducible worksheets that are included in the book, and read books pertaining to the subject that we have checked out from the library. There is a supplemental reading list for each unit in the back of the book so it's very easy to know which books to request from the library.

I took these pictures a couple of weeks ago when we were studying plant reproduction. He was dissecting flowers trying to find all of the different parts we'd learned about.

He recorded his findings for his science binder that he is making.

And he took a few crazy pictures just to be funny. :)

Elle is reading the Christian Liberty Nature Reader (book 1) for science. She enjoys it and is especially happy if I come up with some sort of craft activity to do for some of the animals she learns about.

learning to braid

Elle left her Elizabeth doll at a friend's house awhile ago and she was finally able to get it back today. I wish I would've had my camera handy to capture the smile on her face when I gave it to her....she was so happy. I hope she'll still want to practice braiding with my hair even though Elizabeth is back!

chili chicken tacos

I picked up Martha's magazine, Everyday Food, from the newsstand while in line at Target a couple of weeks ago and I am seriously considering subscribing. I have several page corners turned down at recipes I want to try and the few that I have made are definitely 'make agains'.

This recipe for Chili Chicken Tacos was a hit last week. I threw it in the crockpot last Monday before we left for town and when we got home we all walked in the door and said 'Yum!' it smelled so good. All I had to do to get dinner on the table was shred the chicken, warm the tortillas and put out the toppings. Another bonus is that there were plenty of leftovers for dinner the next night too. When I make this again I might save the leftover chicken for a big plate of chicken nachos.

I made just a few changes to the recipe so am going to post my version but if you click on the link above it will take you to the original recipe.

2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6)
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1 Tbsp. chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
1 (scant) Tbsp. chili powder
kosher salt
ground pepper

Combine ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover; cook on high 4 hours (or on low 8 hours).

Shred chicken, moisten with a little of the cooking juices. Serve in warm flour tortillas with a little fresh lime juice, shredded white cheddar cheese, tomatoes, lettuce and sour cream.

Photo credit: www.marthastewart.com

blueberry snack cake

This morning we were out of bread, there were only a few eggs left in the carton and we'd just had oatmeal yesterday. I remembered this breakfast cake that my mom made several years ago when my family was here visiting so I looked up the recipe to see if I had all of the ingredients. I did! It was quick to throw together and everyone really liked it, except for Thomas. He's doesn't care for blueberries, that crazy boy! He said he liked the cake around the blueberries. :)

Blueberry Snack Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk
2 eggs, separated
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

In a mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar. Cut in butter until crumbly. Set aside 3/4 cup for topping. Add the baking powder to remaining mixture and stir. In a separate bowl, combine milk and egg yolks then add to flour mixture; mix well. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form; fold into batter.

Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Sprinkle the blueberries on top and then the reserved crumb mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes (my oven took more like 45 - 50 minutes) or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.