
Monday, April 09, 2007
I have two blogs - the other one is ByGrace, about our daily life. I have felt the need to keep that blog separate from this one, which is focused mainly on homemaking. For the next month, though, we are moving into a new house and enjoying a visit from my husband's parents, so all of my posting will most likely be on my main blog for the next couple of months. I'm keeping a "Countdown to the Move" over there, with a list of things I accomplish toward our move each day; today is Day 22 till we move out of our townhouse. I hope you'll join me over there, and hopefully I'll get this blog going again after we move and get settled in. Thanks so much for reading!
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
I Really Am Still Alive!
I am alive and kicking. After I took my little break, I just didn't get back in the swing of coming here to post. I'll have to do better, I think!
I don't have anything special to write. My kids are on Spring Break this week, so I don't have quite as much to do to keep up with schoolwork and things like that. I've enjoyed having the extra time and freedom. It's always fun to relax, but then I usually find myself ready to get back to a regular routine, although my body might complain that it wants to stay in the bed a little bit longer! ;)
I had big plans for some spring cleaning, but they went by the wayside. My in-laws are coming to visit in May, so I'm going to add a little to my weekly cleaning and get some of the seasonal cleaning knocked out that way and have the house cleaned well for their visit. It will soon be 3 years since we've seen them. They are missionaries in Jamaica. They took time to come and help us move when we moved here to Canada in 2004, and this will be their first visit back since then. I want it to be a time of rest for them. They've worked especially hard this term on the field, and they are ready for a break. There's no more beautiful place to rest than Vancouver! ;)
I've been thinking about doing some painting - the kitchen, main bath, and master bedroom. I'm still thinking. A great place to try out some colors is Benjamin Moore. They have a paint chooser that is so much fun to play with! I had a blast finding colors for my rooms there.
I don't have anything special to write. My kids are on Spring Break this week, so I don't have quite as much to do to keep up with schoolwork and things like that. I've enjoyed having the extra time and freedom. It's always fun to relax, but then I usually find myself ready to get back to a regular routine, although my body might complain that it wants to stay in the bed a little bit longer! ;)
I had big plans for some spring cleaning, but they went by the wayside. My in-laws are coming to visit in May, so I'm going to add a little to my weekly cleaning and get some of the seasonal cleaning knocked out that way and have the house cleaned well for their visit. It will soon be 3 years since we've seen them. They are missionaries in Jamaica. They took time to come and help us move when we moved here to Canada in 2004, and this will be their first visit back since then. I want it to be a time of rest for them. They've worked especially hard this term on the field, and they are ready for a break. There's no more beautiful place to rest than Vancouver! ;)
I've been thinking about doing some painting - the kitchen, main bath, and master bedroom. I'm still thinking. A great place to try out some colors is Benjamin Moore. They have a paint chooser that is so much fun to play with! I had a blast finding colors for my rooms there.
Monday, March 12, 2007
I have reached a point of computer-oversaturation again! For the past week or two, I've found my mind so absorbed in things in cyberspace that I've begun to feel the need for a break. So I'm taking a week off from blogging and any unnecessary computer use. I'll be reading and answering e-mails and doing necessary things such as word processing things for Wes or Sunday school, but no random (or not-so-random!) net surfing or blog reading. I hope you all have a good week, and I'll be back next Monday with Menu Plan Monday and hopefully the energy and clarity of mind to ease back into the blogging, surfing world again! Thanks so much for reading my blog, and have a great week!
Menu Plan Monday - March 12

Garlic Chicken
Rice-a-Roni
Baked Beans
Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Tuesday
(monthy shopping day)
Chicken Sandwiches
Chips
Cookies
Wednesday
Taco Bake
Corn
Green Beans
Rolls
Thursday
Super-Easy Chicken Manicotti
(recipe follows)
Salad
Rolls
Friday
Homemade Stuffed-Crust Pepperoni Pizza
Veggie Sticks w/Dip
Saturday
Senate Bean Soup
(recipe follows)
Coleslaw
French bread
Super-Easy Chicken Manicotti
1 jar (26 to 30 ounces) tomato pasta sauce (any variety)
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 1/2 pounds chicken breast tenders
14 uncooked manicotti shells (8 ounces)
1 can (2 1/4 ounces) sliced ripe olives, drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
Heat oven to 350 F. Spread about one-third of the pasta sauce in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches.
Sprinkle garlic salt on chicken. Insert chicken into uncooked manicotti shells, stuffing from each end of shell to fill if necessary. Place shells on pasta sauce in dish.
Pour remaining pasta sauce evenly over shells, covering completely. Sprinkle with olives and cheese.
Cover and bake about 1 1/2 hours or until shells are tender.
Senate Bean Soup
2 10-3/4 oz. cans bean and bacon soup
15-1/2 oz. can Great Northern beans
15-oz. can navy beans
16-oz. can pinto beans with jalapeƱos
1 onion, chopped 1 green pepper, chopped
1-1/2 t. celery seed
1 lb. Polish sausage, thinly sliced
1-3/4 c. water
Combine all ingredients in a stockpot. Simmer over low heat for one hour. Serves 8 to 10.
I can't remember where I found these recipes, so if they're yours or you know whose they are, let me know so that I can give proper credit!
For more Menu Plan Monday ideas, visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie!
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Recipe Review: Cinnamon Apple French Toast
I've learned to love Tammy's Recipes, the blog of a young wife and mother of two little boys. She posts her own favorite recipes, along with a healthy dose of homemaking wisdom, and quite often features guest chefs and their recipes. All of the recipes I've seen on her site so far have been down-home, stuff-you-have-in-your-pantry-already foods - none of those fancy gourmet ingredients that you have to pay and arm and a leg for - which are the kinds of recipes I like!
The other day, this recipe for Cinnamon Apple French Toast caught my eye, and I saved it for this weekend. I've also thought of doing recipe reviews occasionally, because sometimes it's nice to know what someone else thought of a recipe before I try it, you know? So here is the first of what I hope to be many recipe reviews!
First, let me say that my family loved this recipe! From the minute they came to the table, they were saying yummy things. Our son, Andrew, immediately thought of IHOP's French Toast, which he dearly loves, and our daughter, Beth, thought of Cracker Barrel's fried apples. And my husband loves anything even remotely apple-y, so he was happy too.
We all agreed, though, after a few bites, that the apple topping was just a bit sweeter than our taste prefers. Since I'm diabetic, I don't make extremely sweet dishes anymore, so our palates (even mine!) have lost a bit of their preference for sweets. I do have to say, though, that I had modified the amount of sugar used, because of my condition. I used half the sugar called for, then added the equivalent of the other half in artificial sweetener. Sometimes artificial sweeteners can make things taste sweeter than they normally would, so that may be what happened here, too. Next time I make this recipe, I'm going to try it with no added sugar, since the cornstarch will thicken the sauce. If we find it not sweet enough, I'll add back in some sugar each time I make it until it's the sweetness we like. I used Granny Smith apples, so I didn't add the optional lemon juice, either.
For the egg coating, I added 1/2 cup of milk and a dab of vanilla. Those are my preferences for French toast! A handy tip I learned years ago is to toss in just a pinch of salt to cut down on the eggy taste - it works!
So this recipe is a keeper, with the sugar modifications for our family. I hope you'll try it for your family, and that you'll go over and check out Tammy's Recipes. I think you'll like both!
The other day, this recipe for Cinnamon Apple French Toast caught my eye, and I saved it for this weekend. I've also thought of doing recipe reviews occasionally, because sometimes it's nice to know what someone else thought of a recipe before I try it, you know? So here is the first of what I hope to be many recipe reviews!
First, let me say that my family loved this recipe! From the minute they came to the table, they were saying yummy things. Our son, Andrew, immediately thought of IHOP's French Toast, which he dearly loves, and our daughter, Beth, thought of Cracker Barrel's fried apples. And my husband loves anything even remotely apple-y, so he was happy too.
We all agreed, though, after a few bites, that the apple topping was just a bit sweeter than our taste prefers. Since I'm diabetic, I don't make extremely sweet dishes anymore, so our palates (even mine!) have lost a bit of their preference for sweets. I do have to say, though, that I had modified the amount of sugar used, because of my condition. I used half the sugar called for, then added the equivalent of the other half in artificial sweetener. Sometimes artificial sweeteners can make things taste sweeter than they normally would, so that may be what happened here, too. Next time I make this recipe, I'm going to try it with no added sugar, since the cornstarch will thicken the sauce. If we find it not sweet enough, I'll add back in some sugar each time I make it until it's the sweetness we like. I used Granny Smith apples, so I didn't add the optional lemon juice, either.
For the egg coating, I added 1/2 cup of milk and a dab of vanilla. Those are my preferences for French toast! A handy tip I learned years ago is to toss in just a pinch of salt to cut down on the eggy taste - it works!
So this recipe is a keeper, with the sugar modifications for our family. I hope you'll try it for your family, and that you'll go over and check out Tammy's Recipes. I think you'll like both!
Monday, March 05, 2007
Home Blessings
FlyLady has designated Monday as Home Blessing Day. I've done that off and on through the years, sometimes on a Monday, sometimes on a Friday, but most of the time just winging it, with no particular plan. Last week, with our son starting to work full time, saw me getting back into the kitchen doing the breakfast dishes. I figured while I was working, I might as well try taking an hour to get things back in order from the weekend. Thus began my latest attempt at having a Home Blessing Hour on Mondays.
I just complete my hour today, and this is what I got done in one hour:
Changed the sheets on my bed
Cleaned my ensuite bathroom
Cleaned the tub in the main bath
Swept and mopped ensuite and main bath floors
Dusted the furniture upstairs in the bedrooms with the feather duster
Swept and mopped downstairs powder room, front entry, and kitchen
As I've sat here, I've noticed that the living room needs a touch of picking up, my desk needs to be cleared, and I just remembered I need to water my plants. Those tasks will complete my Home Blessing for this week, giving me a nice, neat start to my homemaking week, and making our home a sweet retreat for my family.
Do you have a time set aside to "bless your home?" If so, tell us about it. I love to read what others get done in their homes, and how they accomplish the same tasks that I do - or should do, as the case may be!
I just complete my hour today, and this is what I got done in one hour:
Changed the sheets on my bed
Cleaned my ensuite bathroom
Cleaned the tub in the main bath
Swept and mopped ensuite and main bath floors
Dusted the furniture upstairs in the bedrooms with the feather duster
Swept and mopped downstairs powder room, front entry, and kitchen
As I've sat here, I've noticed that the living room needs a touch of picking up, my desk needs to be cleared, and I just remembered I need to water my plants. Those tasks will complete my Home Blessing for this week, giving me a nice, neat start to my homemaking week, and making our home a sweet retreat for my family.
Do you have a time set aside to "bless your home?" If so, tell us about it. I love to read what others get done in their homes, and how they accomplish the same tasks that I do - or should do, as the case may be!
Baked Oatmeal
I saw this recipe for Baked Oatmeal last night on The Lazy Organizer late last night. Lara said she was going to do hers in the crockpot on low overnight, so I decided to try it too. I whipped it up, turned it on low, then went to bed. I left a note for our oldest son, who leaves for work at 5:30, to have some if he wanted to. He didn't. He's not very fond of oatmeal! By the time we ate at our normal time of 9:00, it was too done. It tasted very good, but the edges were dried out. I put a little milk in mine and it was great. I'm going to try it again next week, but just bake it in the oven like the recipe directs. Wes, as he usually does, had a suggestion: turn it into a dessert by baking it in the afternoon, then adding some applesauce to it. That man can turn anything into a dessert! LOL
So the recipe tastes great, but I need to tweak it if I'm going to use the crockpot. Any suggestions?
So the recipe tastes great, but I need to tweak it if I'm going to use the crockpot. Any suggestions?
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Menu Plan Monday - March 5

Hot dogs w/chili
Fries
Baked beans
Tuesday
Salmon Patties
Roasted potatoes
Peas
Wednesday
Smothered Steak Strips
Creamed potatoes
Broccoli
Thursday
Schoolhouse Chili
Cheese & crackers
Veggies & dip
Friday
Homemade Pizza
Salad
Saturday
Beef & Black Bean Soup
Cornbread
Sunday
Tortellini
Corn
Salad
Rolls
For more menu ideas, visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie!
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Declutter Challenge - Day 20
Well, I'm a day late . . . and probably a dollar short, whatever that means. The last day of my personal Declutter Challenge was yesterday, Day 20, and I got zero done. Not even 15 minutes. Life got in the way and that's how it went. So that was kind of an anti-climactic way to end the month. I think I'll do this again . . . next February.
Although I missed a few days (4 I think), I'm pleased overall with what I got accomplished this month. I am especially pleased with my kitchen. My cabinets still look good, and it's almost time for the kitchen zone again! Every day, if I see something out of place in a cabinet, I just take a second when I notice it to put the item back where it belongs. And that is working well! It's not nearly as aggravating when I just take a second to "do it now" instead of letting it go till there are multiple items out of place.
I still have a couple of areas that I want to work on, and now that I've really learned that 15 minutes a day will at least help, I hope to spend that time a couple of days a week to keep up the decluttery trend. Thanks for joining me this month on my little decluttering adventure!
Although I missed a few days (4 I think), I'm pleased overall with what I got accomplished this month. I am especially pleased with my kitchen. My cabinets still look good, and it's almost time for the kitchen zone again! Every day, if I see something out of place in a cabinet, I just take a second when I notice it to put the item back where it belongs. And that is working well! It's not nearly as aggravating when I just take a second to "do it now" instead of letting it go till there are multiple items out of place.
I still have a couple of areas that I want to work on, and now that I've really learned that 15 minutes a day will at least help, I hope to spend that time a couple of days a week to keep up the decluttery trend. Thanks for joining me this month on my little decluttering adventure!






