A Month of Letters

The folks over at NaBloPoMo have proposed that the blog theme for April is "letters". Alphabet letters, epistles, what have you. The idea of alphabet letters tickles me so I think that's what I will be doing. Join me for a month of fun! I'm starting off with this, one of my favorite songs:

When Johnny Jones was serenading Mary, He sure could quote a lot of poetry But he'd much rather tell herwhat he learned in his speller When they both attended PS thirty-three....(chorus) "A," you're adorable,
"B," you're so beautiful,
"C," you're a cutie full of charms.
"D," you're a darling and
"E," you're exciting
And "F," you're a feather in my arms.
"G," you look good to me,
"H," you're so heavenly,
"I," you're the one I idolize.
"J," we're like Jack and Jill,
"K," you're so kissable,
"L," is the lovelight in your eyes.
"M," "N," "O," "P," I could go on all day.
"Q," "R," "S," "T," alphabetically speaking, you're OK.
"U," made my life complete,
"V," means you're very sweet,
Double-"U" "X" "Y" "Zee."
It's fun to wander through the alphabet with youTo tell you what you mean to me.(repeat the chorus)

And I know I was going to post after pictures today....hold tight. They are going up tomorrow for my "B"eautiful house!

Done!

I'm done with my Spring Cleaning! Yeah! Today I went through the kids dresser drawers, cleaned my closet, picked up kid rooms and picked up the master bedroom. After pictures coming tomorrow! Now I can redecorate!

Getting Back on the Ball

It's been awhile since I've posted my weekly menu. I fell of the menu plan wagon, so to speak. And let me tell you, walking instead of riding, well, that's just no what's happening. So, here is this week's offering:

Sunday-Roast Green beans Salad Mystery rolls Cherry cobbler

Monday-Garlic lime chicken Creamed spinach Salad Brownies

Tuesday-Meatloaf Mashed potatoes Peas Frozen yogurt

Wednesday-BBQ pork ribs Cornbread Green beans Ice cream sandwiches

Thursday-Taco Salad Jello

Friday-Out with IL's

Saturday-Hamburger steak Salad Apple dumplings

Head on over here for more great menu ideas!

Roast

It took me a more than a few tries to come up with this easy, delicious roast. I hope you enjoy it too!

Chuck roast

Onion soup mix (1 envelope)

1 tsp Beef bouillion (I use granulars)

1 tsp instant coffee

1 cup water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sprinkle both sides of meat with onion soup mix. Use the whole envelope. Dissolove the bouillion and coffee in the water. Pour around and gently over the meat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and cook for 3-4 hours. Delicious!

A Day Late and A Dollar Short

I've been wanting to participate in Show and Tell Friday for a few weeks now. But I just remembered about it today. I've redone my kitchen twice now. First it was red and white and dark green and apples. I did not pick this for my kitchen, it was chosen for me, even after my protests. *sigh* After a few years I thought it would be okay to repaint the hutch that was given to me (painted white and dark green with red apples) and I painted it periwinkle blue and white to go with a blue, white, butter yellow and daisy decor. Now the time comes to change it yet again. And here is my inspiration:
I got this pitcher several years ago in a secret sister swap I took part in. It was sent to my by my secret sister as part of a gorgeous flower arrangement and it keeps looking at me and I at it. Apple green, white, and black. That hutch I told you about? I'm thinking of painting the doors and panels apple green and the trim black with white polka dots. Maybe. If I do that, then I'll probably do black and white polka dot curtains. But I'm in love with toile and would love to have curtains made with that. But then what to do with the hutch? Any ideas? I'm open :D

Oh my word! Do yourself, your family, and your friends a favor and make these one night soon! My almost 8 year old daughter and I made them last night and they were to die for! So quick and easy too. We only made a half recipe, but I do believe next time we'll make a whole pan! Thanks Ree and Ree's mom for such a great recipe!

Warning! This is an image heavy post!





Since Monica's challenge is just about over and I am just about done (yeah!), I thought I'd post my before pictures. The afters will come when the whole ordeal is finished. We start with the kitchen:
As you can see there is a mess galore! And these aren't all the pictures! We move on to the living room/play area/dining room. It's a great room that I've divided with a couch.

See that empty shelf? I had already started going through videos. I wish I had a before picture of them. Oh, well. It's probably for the best! We move now to the upstairs.










This is the laundry room/linen closet/craft closet/pantry. Our house is not that big! lol!



This is our bedroom. I'm only showing a few photos because, well frankly, the whole room looks this bad!

No pics of the kid rooms. So there you have it. A shameful look into my house. It gets better. I promise.

I did a bit of cleaning today. Not much as the kids were off today, but enough to make me happy. lol. I really hope to get everything done by the end of the week for Monica's challenge. There isn't anything going on, other than normal day to day things, so I should be able to get it all finished!

Easter was lovely. My Thursday bell choir played both the 8:30 and the 11:00 service. At the end of both services, the sanctuary choir sang a marvelous rendition of Handel's Messiah. Just beautiful. After church, I headed over to my IL's house where I met up with Mr Crafty, the kids, my IL's, my mom (my dad had to work), My MIL's niece and her fiance, and, last but not least, my best friend and her husband (Mr and Mrs K). We had a delicious dinner and wonderful desserts (I provided those...lol) and the kids had a fantastic time with an Easter egg hunt. Later, Mrs K announced she would be busy in the Fall because she and Mr K are expecting a baby! I'm so excited for them! They've been trying for some time. I know they will be awesome parents!

My internet has been down lately hence the no posts. I'm writing this one from the comfort of my MILs house. I've been doing a lot of getting ready for Sunday...making a list of what I'm bringing to Easter dinner, making a list of what I need to make those items, making some Easter gifts (hey, look at that! I'm finally being crafty! lol!), and gathering up items for the childrens Easter buckets (they get a new sand pail). I've also been doing a bit more for the challenge. Most recently I cleaned up a bit more in my kitchen. It had been great, but a new acquisition from the thrift store meant some rearranging was in order. What did I get? A complete, 20 volume set of the Grand Diplome Cooking Course. Here's a description I got from a listing:

Grand Diplome Cooking course, Danbury Press, 20 volumes including index volume (complete), fine condition. Originally published by Purnell Cookery under the auspices of Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School, Paris. Published in 1972. Detailed instructions and recipes. Excellent condition, no stains/tears and appear never to have been opened!! This set is THE set to have to become the top notched chef in your own kitchen or restaurant!
THIS IS A SET OF 20 GRAND DIPLOME COOKING COURSE BOOKS BY DANBURY PRESS ALL FROM THE 1970'S. ALL RECIPES HAVE BEEN TESTED AT THE CORDON BLEU COOKERY SCHOOL IN LONDON OR IN THE U.S. TEST KITCHEN. ALL RECIPE QUANTITIES SERVE 4 PEOPLE UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. THEY ALL HAVE BEAUTIFUL COLOR PHOTOS. THESE COURSES COVER ROASTING: BOILING AND STEAMING; BONING, CUTTING UP AND CARVING POULTRY; POT ROASTING; FRYING, BROILING; SAUTEING; CASSEROLE COOKING; HOW TO MAKE PATES AND TERRINES; STEWING BRAISING AND MARINATING; PREPARING AND CARVING MEAT; SLOW AND SPIT ROASTING; PREPARING AND COOKING GAME; ADVANCED ENTREES; SAUSAGES; RECHAUFFEES; DEALING WITH VARIETY MEATS; MAKING GALANTINES, AND CHAUDFROIDS. MAKING STOCKS, SOUPS, BASIC BROWN, WHITE, BUTTER- AND SWEET- SAUCES; COOKING WITH MILK. RICE, CHOCOLATE, NUTS, CHEESE, PASTA, DRIED VEGETABLES, AND WINE. COOKING WITH EGGS, MAKING OMELETS, ROULADES, HOT AND COLD SOUFFLES, WAFFLES, CREPES, AND PANCAKES. PREPARING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES; SEASONAL SALADS, SIDE DISHES, APPETIZERS AND HOR D'OEUVRE; POACHING FRUIT, MAKING SAVORY MOLDS, CLEARED AND UNCLEARED GELATINS AND ASPICS; PRESERVING JAMS, JELLIES, PICKLES AND RELISHES; HOMEMADE VINEGARS; AND USING HERBS AND SPICES. SHELLFISH, RICH FISH, AND WHITE FISH- ELEMENTARY AND ADVANCED DISHES. MAKING PASTRY: FLAKY, PIE, ROUGH PUFF AND CHOUX, FLANS, PIES, CAKES BOTH PLAIN AND FESTIVE. FRENCH AND OTHER CONTINENTAL PATISSERIES AND GATEAUX. ENGLISH CAKES, HOME-BAKED BREAD, BISCUITS, MERINGUES, SPONGE CAKES, COOKIES, COFFEE CAKES; PETIT FOURS, HOMEMADE CANDIES, MAKING SHERBET, AND ICECREAM, FRAPPES, GRANITES AND ICED DESSERTS. SPECIAL OCCASION MENUS, MEMU PLANNING AND CATERING FOR PARTIES OF ALL SIZES, ALL AGES, FROM A TEENAGER CELEBRATION TO A GOLDEN WEDDING BUFFET. PLANNING VACATION COOKING AND FOREIGN FOODS FOR SUMMER. RUSSIAN COOKING; ITALIAN COOKING, GERMAN COOKING; ENGLISH REGIONAL DISHES; SCANDINAVIAN COOKING, JEWISH COOKING; MEXICAN; MIDDLE EASTERN, JAPANESE AND CHINESE COOKING; INDIAN AND PAKISTANI DISHES, TROPICAL COOKING AND FRENCH HAUTE CUISINE.

I'm quite excited about this find! They are awesome!

On another note, I also purchased a large quantity of patterns. They were bagged up so I didn't know what was in there until after I purchased them. A good amount of them are maternity patterns. If you'd like them, let me know and they are yours!

Easter Sunday dinner will be at my ILs. I'm bringing deviled eggs, broccoli casserole, Oreo refrigerator cake, and Jenn's (that's me) Scrumptious Strawberry Shortcake Trifle.

Happy St.Patrick's Day!

I had a post already thought out. It was in my head. Every word that I was going to type eloquently into my post. And no that I've sat down after a very busy day (ha!) I can't remember a single thing. Such is life.

I had a fairly lazy day today. I managed to make some of these. I'm going to give them to a few special people on Monday, along with some mini pistachio cupcakes. Stay tuned for pictures! The idea for the cards comes from one of my new favorite blogs. Kelli is a girl after my own heart with her seasonal craftiness!

Dining Room is done! Even after spending a good portion of the day at the dr's for poor little Miss A who has an ear infection. Luckily there wasn't too much to do:

-dusted

-cleared off my sewing cabinet

-cleared of my desk

-scrubbed the table really well

-gave all the real wood a rub down with Old English

-vacuumed

Today was a long day. And I do mean long. Miss A (my three year old) had preschool this morning. Now usually my two oldest ride with a friend to school. However this morning, Miss R (7) was dragging her toes most magnificently. Procrastinating about procrastinating. By the time all four children were ready to go out the door it was past time for us to be at said friends house. So I called her and said, I'm just going to take them. Okay, sure, fine, no problem. Get to school (on time), get them to their classes and Miss A announces she needs to go to the bathroom. Take her to the bathroom and just as we are going in, I run into my friend who offers to pick the brats children after school, she just needs to get the carpool number and booster seats. I finish with Miss A, get to the car and get them buckled in and meet my friend, Patty, at her car. Get everything there taken care of. Already late getting Miss A to school. Decide to be a bit later and talk to Patty for a bit. Take off and walk Miss A in as we missed carpool. Mr H (2) lost one of his Thomas the Tank Engine trains as we walked. Luckily he didn't notice. Talked to Miss A's teacher about the Easter egg hunt they will be doing next week (I'm the room parent). Walk back to the van, finding the train along the way, get Mr H into his seat and talk with MIL a bit while on the way to Target. She met me there and we did a bit of shopping. Then it was back to get Miss A. Once home it was kind of a blur. I think I was going to clean but got sidetracked by blogs and what not. Then the older two were home and I made dinner, got on them to get homework done and then it was off to soccer practice for Mr P(6). I had Miss R with me too. After soccer practice we joined up with my mom and did a bit of shopping, pulling into home around 7:30. After a brief period where they watched tv and I, well, lets just say I was indisposed but now feel about 20 pounds lighter, it was time for bed. Now that's done, they are tucked n. I'm going to finish up this post, get myself a glass of ginger ale with some cherries in it, and enjoy an hour of my guilty pleasure before turning in myself! Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday!

Almost forgot!

today's post! Continuing on with the Spring Clean, today I did my living room. Here's what was done in there:

Culled old books

Culled all videos

Cleaned out the art supply/toy cabinet

Fixed Miss A's kitchen

Cleaned under the couch and chairs

Rubbed all the real wood down with some Old English

Everything has recently been dusted and all the glass has recently been cleaned, so I didn't bother with that. My MIL is going to let me borrow her steam cleaner next week and I'm going to do carpets then.

I'm saving all the pictures until after the Spring Clean is done and I will take you on a virtual tour of my clean home! I know you are just giddy with anticipation!

Bathrooms

The bathrooms are done! I have no pictures because, lets face it, if you've seen one bathroom you've seen them all. Am I right? Especially since my bathrooms are average, if not a little small and I don't have an Olympic sized bathtub in the corner. Heck, I don't even have a window in there! But here's what I did for the challenge:

Each bathroom-

-Cleaned the mirror

-Cleaned the toilet

-Cleaned the sink area

-Swept and scrubbed the floor

-Wiped down the cabinets and applied Old English

-Wiped down the door

-Wiped down the walls and baseboards

-Cleaned the tub in full bath

In case you are wondering, I didn't clean out my cabinets because I did it several months ago and I have been maintaining them :)

My computer was down last night so no post.

The kitchen. I do have before photos, however they are on my camera and I don't have access to them currently. They , along with after pictures, will be posted asap. But here's what happened in the kitchen!

-I cleaned out all the cabinets that needed it (food ones. The ones that house pots and pans were fine)

-I cleaned the oven

-I cleaned the ceiling fan

-I washed the windows

-I cleaned the vent cover above the stove

-I cleaned the cabinet doors and put on a coat of Old English

-I took my trusty toothbrush to my kitchen sink

-I shined my sink

-I cleaned the microwave

-I cleaned off my counters and gave them a good scrub

-I swept and mopped the floor

-I scoured my stove top

I did not clean my refrigerator as I toss old food once a week and give it a good cleaning once a month and it was just cleaned in February.

And now I will no longer cook in my kitchen. If someone gets hungry they will just have to tough it out. It looks too good for me to go in there and get it messy!

My sweet wonderful mother in law called me at 8:30 this morning. She wanted to know if I wanted to go shopping with her. When I said I would she offered to buy me an outfit :D So off to the mall we went with the babies in tow (the older two were with their other grandma) We were there almost all day. Ugh! But I did get a cute little scooter that's a plaid of wheat, cream, lemon yellow, and grass green and a green t-shirt to go with it. I love it! I also got the newest book from one of my favorite authors. Then we went to Toys-R-Us as my youngest daughter had decreed (with no prompting from me whatsoever) that she needed a vacuum. She spent about 5 minutes looking at vacuums and two seconds deciding that the pink Barbie guitar that played music was "better than a vacuum"

Since I got home so late there are no kitchen updates. I will say that I finished my book though :D

Here are five words that describe my day today:blah, blah, blah, blah blah!

Update on my kitchen tomorrow. I know you are all just dying to know how it went!

And the Winner Is...

Christian!

I knew he would. While all the designers had an awesome show, Christian brought his signature flair and general "fierceness" to the table. Here's a sampling. On a side note, I'll be updating my kitchen progress tomorrow. Yesterday was so pretty the children and I spent time outside with friends.

Spring Cleaning!

I can tell Spring is arriving because, for the past few days, my body has been waking up early. I've been loving it! So, since I've been having extra time in the moring, I think it's time to start planning my Spring Cleaning. Monica is graciously hosting another Spring Clean on her blog. Check it out! Here is the way my schedule looks so far:

Kitchen-March 5
Living Room-March 8
Dining Room-March 10
Master Bedroom-March 12
Laundry Room/Pantry-March 15
Bathrooms and Deck-March 17
Kid rooms-March 19

Also this month (not exactly sure when, depends on the weather) I will weed the flower bed and plant seeds.

A dear friend gave me the neatest gift today. A bumper sticker that has a picture of a handbell on it and says "I can't...I have bell rehearsal!" I love it!

And for those that don't know, I play in two handbell choirs. I started playing 4 years ago (though I can't believe it's been that long!) I absolutely love it. We have a lot of fun. The smaller choir (there are 7 of us and I play treble d's and e's; the larger choir (11 of us) I play bass e's and f's.

A short list

It's been a pretty bad day here at Chateau Crafty, so here's a few things that made me smile today.

1. Seeing a couple of Robin Redbreasts this morning. A sure sign Spring is on the way!

2. Eating dinner and chatting with Mr. Crafty.

3. Having strawberries for dessert.

4. Getting most of my task list for the day completed.

5. Having some dark chocolate covered matzoh!

Menu Plan Monday!

Here's the chow for this week-March 3-9
For more inspiration, please go here!

Monday-Thai ground beef, jello

Tuesday-Cheese stuffed chicken (ended up not having this last week as my husband ate the cheese! lol!), creamed spinach, brownies

Wednesday-Steak, salad, French strawberries

Thursday-Taco salad, ice cream

Friday-Marinated pork chops, broccoli, chocolate chip cheesecake bars

Saturday-Greek hamburger steak, mashed potatoes, pudding

Sunday-Garlic lime chicken, salad, dessert buffet (leftovers)

So, there's my second post and list for March!

A Post Everyday?

Can I do it?

Yes, yes. I know. I missed yesterday. Sue me. I was going to post after Vallen and she snuck in on me. I'll post twice today! I am following the challenge given over at NaBloPoMo to post everyday for the month of March. To spice things up a bit, they propose a month of lists. Now, I am, in fact, a list maker, but I highly doubt you want to see all of my lists as they are only exciting to me. Therefore, I will be making some random lists that you may or may not be bored by. If you are bored, forgive me. If you're not, I am delighted. Without further delay, the first list.

This is my grocery list. I am copying it for you almost the same way I have it written. They only thing that is left out are those words that I had to strike out (if someone could please explain to me how to do that, I would be forever in your debt. I've seen it on numerous blogs, but have yet to figure it out.) I wish I had a scanner so you could see that this is really what my list looks like.

Sepiw
Gniddup
Xim gniddup oihcatsip
Xim puos noino
Tiurf
Feeb dnuorg
Alegab
Essehc enolovorp
Maps
Sgge
Klim
Taem
Daerb
Rettub
Essehc egattoc
Skcans
Ados
Essehc atef
Rettub tunaep (larutan)
Gev nezorf
Sallitrot

Friday's Feast

Appetizer

Who was the last person you hugged?

My kids. All of them. *sigh* So sweet!

Soup

Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.

If you have trouble taming your eyebrows, use a bit of clear mascara to keep them in line.

Salad

What does the color yellow make you think of?

Sunshine, summer, and butter.

Main Course

If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?

That's tough. My immediate response was the beach. There is nothing quite like it. But I am in love with the changing Seasons. So I think I would have to say the beach during different seasons!

Dessert

What was the longest book you ever read?

Oh goodness. I have no idea. The Stand maybe? That was pretty long. I never was able to wade all the way through War and Peace. hmmmm.....

That's What Wigs Are For

I, as anyone can tell you if they know me well, am an avid Project Runway watcher. I've eagerly sat through all four seasons, anticipating the challenges with the designers. On occasions, I agree with the judges decisions and on others I have to wonder if we are looking at the same outfits. On any number of episodes, I have thought to myself, Self, if fashion design was our chosen field and we were talented enough to be on this show, what would we make for this challenge. And then I wonder what the judges would say about it.

Now, if you too are a watcher of this highly entertaining show, you will know that last night there was a showdown of sorts between Chris and Rami. Chris is a costume designer while Rami loves to drape things.
While they both executed interesting designs, I thought Chis showed a bit more promise. Even if he did incorporate human hair into his clothing. Yes. Human hair. I don't think he would really design something like that for consumer use, I think he was trying for a big Pow! impact for the judges. Unfortunately, the judges did not think much of it and we had to say adieu to Chris March.

So who are we left with, you ask. What can compete against human hair as a trim? What indeed!






First up, we have the winner of last night's "showdown", Rami. As I mentioned, Rami loves to drape his clothing. In fact, all I have ever seen him do are dresses. There was one episode that involved a pair of pants, but he didn't make them. Don't get me wrong, he does do good work, beautiful in fact, but I can only take so much draping! And I had to agree with the judges that the coat he showed last night was not his best effort. I
didn't even care for the color. Ah well. Our next contender is Christian.






When the show first started I did not care for him. I found him conceited, obnoxious, and just plain irritating. As the show wore on though, he started to grow on me. Now he is conceited, obnoxious, and irritating, but I find him to be oddly amusing and even a bit refreshing in a way. When Tim Gunn stopped by to check on his collection, I had to pause. Were those feathers on those pants? Just about everything he does is very voluminous. It will be interesting to see his whole collection next week!


Finally, we have Jillian. I like Jillian. She does a fabulous job. My one complaint is that she has a ton of jackets. Jackets here, jackets there. Does one really need all of these jackets? They are meticulously done. They are gorgeous. There are a few I wouldn't mind owning. But you need to wear them with something, right? Perhaps she just hadn't gotten to that point when Tim was making his rounds. I dearly hope so.

Tune in next week when we see who wins the grand Project Runway prize!

btw-would someone please tell me who to do strikes through a word? Thank you in advance!

What's So Routine About A Routine?

I think the time has come for me to once again revamp my routines. It seems like just when they start working out, something happens and they need to be changed. *sigh* Here's what is on board for today:

Clean the upstairs bathroom
Vacuum
Straighten all rooms
Laundry (still getting caught up from when I was sick)
Clean the downstairs bathroom (should have been done this morning, but I overslept slightly)
Prep dinner
Plus, the younger children and I are going to have an indoor picnic lunch!

Rain, Rain Go Away

Ugh! I am so sick of grey skies. I don't mind rain, in fact, I really enjoy it. Especially a good thunderstorm! However, when it's just grey and there is just the threat of rain...all it does is make my head hurt! Of course, when it does rain, the temperature is going to drop. I'm not sure which is worse. lol.

I am so ready for Spring!

Snickers Pie

This was delicious! I got the recipe from Paula Dean's The Lady and Sons Just Desserts cookbook. Here it is!

4 king size Snicker bars
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 tbsp half and half
4 cups cool whip
9 inch graham cracker pie crust (I used individual ones)

Melt together the Snicker bars, peanut butter, and half and half until smooth. Let cool slightly. If you happen to do as I did, and forget the half and half, you can go back and add it in :) Fold in the cool whip and pour into the pie crust. Freeze 3-4 hours or refrigerate (which is what I did). Optional: drizzle with chocolate syrup!

Weekly Menu

I know it's Sunday here, but it's Monday somewhere else. Here's what is on the lineup for this week.

Monday-BBQ ribs, creamed spinach, snickers pie
Tuesday-Cheeseburger pie, green beans, Popsicles
Wednesday-Parmesan fish, salad, jello
Thursday-Crockpot beef stroganoff, mashed potatoes, salad, crunchy choco-mallow bars (Miss R is making)
Friday-Out to dinner with mom
Saturday-Pork chop cabbage casserole, leftover potatoes, chocolate pudding parfaits
Sunday-Cheese stuffed chicken breasts, broccoli, homemade ice cream sandwiches

For more great menu ideas, go here!

6 More Weeks Of Winter

Phil's official forecast as read 2/2/08 at sunrise at Gobbler's Knob:

Here Ye! Here Ye! Here Ye!

On Gobbler's Knob on this fabulous Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2008
Punxsutawney Phil, the Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators,
Rose to the call of President Bill Cooper and greeted his handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths.

After casting a weathered eye toward thousands of his faithful followers,
Phil consulted with President Cooper and directed him to the appropriate scroll, which proclaimed:

"As I look around me, a bright sky I see, and a shadow beside me.
Six more weeks of winter it will be!"

Go here for pictures of the phamous phil!

*Sigh*

So much going on I don't even know where to begin!

I will say that I am *so* glad that it is the end of January. My Valentine red goes up tomorrow. Maybe it will pull me out of my funk.

I did make an awesome roast the other night. Here's the recipe.

Food ingredients:

1 chuck roast (a size to feed your family)
1 cup hot water
1 tsp beef bouillon (or a beef bouillon cube)
1 tsp instant coffee (must be instant!)
1 envelope of onion soup mix

Other useful items:

Glass baking pan (I use a 9x13)
Aluminum foil
Additional water (from the tap is fine if you're not picky)

Pat the bottom of your roast with some of the additional water. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the soup mix over it and press in with your hand. Put bottom side down into your pan. Repeat with the top and the sides of the roast. Mix the beef bouillon and the instant coffee in the hot water. Pour around and gently over the roast. Cover tightly with the foil. Place in a preheated 325 degree oven (okay, the recipe still works if you don't preheat!) and cook for 4 hours. Fall apart tender and oh so good!

Tackle It Tuesday

Today I thought I'd get those little areas that need to be straightened but that, for some reason, I keep putting off. The top of my desk. The top of the entertainment center. The area under my desk. The top of my sewing cabinet. Little things like that.

Winter White

It's hard to believe that January is almost over. A few short weeks and we will be welcoming February, a nice short month before we can embrace the coming of Spring. Recently we had a small snowfall, about an inch. It dusted the lawns and trees, the patio table and the grill. It frosted the tops of cars and covered windshields. It was beautiful to see the swirling flakes fall, pure white against the blue gray sky. By the next morning the snow was all but gone. A few patches remained on the deck and a few icicles clung to the undercarriage of the van. I think that was all of our Winter though. If we get anything else I'll be surprised.

I can't stand the bleakness any longer though. Everything looks and feels so drab. I want to drag out my meager Valentine's Day decor just for a splash of color. I know if I do it too soon I'll be despising it mid February, so I will just bide my time and think of Spring.

Menu Plan Monday!

It's that time again-menu plan Monday.

Monday-Pork roast, fried cabbage, mashed potatoes, applesauce, chocolate cream pie
Tuesday-Hamburger steak, leftover potatoes, green beans
Wednesday-Chicken and Dumplings
Thursday-Beef and Broccoli
Friday-Leftovers
Saturday-Spanish chicken, rice
Sunday-German Beef Skillet

For more menu ideas, go here!

I'm back!

And nursing a cold. DH and I had a fabulous weekend away though. I admit I'm having a hard time getting back into the swing of things, especially with this nasty cold.

It's the middle of January and we are finally getting our Winter. The temps are getting low at night and hover around 50 degrees during the day. We actually had some snow flurries the other day! That was a sight!

I'm so very ready to brighten things up with the reds of Valentine's Day though. I'm itching with impatience. I will have to content myself with preparing my Valentine's for the swaps I'm in and be patient!

Going away for a few days. I'll be back!

Darn It!

I have the most awesome, cool, fantastical ideal for my as yet unknown swap partner and I can't find the main component for it. Why? Because it's after Christmas and no one has what I need! Wahhhhh! (my best Lucy Ricardo imitation :D) Why oh why can't craft stores keep them all year round. What's a crafter to do?

Update:I found the main part of what I need! Yeah! Now I just need to find the rest :)

Well, here it is Dear Readers. The first official week of 2008 and my renewed dedication to blogging. You'll note that I've started off the week with my menu plan. As noted I will be gone from the blogging community Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, but I may try and post something before I leave.

I think I may have mentioned this before, but I am a voracious reader. I read anything I can get my mitts on. Truly. I save the dry, boring, really-not-interested-in-it-but-it-will-do-because-it's-something-to-read for those time when I am desperate. Luckily I don't have to rely on those dry reading materials too often. One of my favorite venues to read is mysteries. Specifically, murder mysteries. I think I may have mentioned some of my favorites before...Diane Mott Davidson and Joann Fluke. Both include a good selection of recipes along with a satisfying mystery. However, I was recently turned onto a new-to-me writer, Leslie Meier. While she doesn't offer recipes in all of her books, she does offer a quaint, entertaining Maine town and a pretty good mystery. I heartily suggest all three authors if you're looking for something new. If you're interested but don't want to invest in case you don't like them, may I suggest this site?

Now, Dear Reader, I am going to confess something I've never told anyone. You will probably think I'm silly and maybe I am, but you don't know me from Adam so I don't really care! Sometimes, especially after I've spent several hours with a good book, my thoughts go into "story mode" *giggle*. That is, I'll find myself thinking something like "She decided after vacuuming the living room that she was due for a break. She got herself something to drink and sat down at the computer to blog." Do you ever find yourself doing silly things like that?

My break is over. It's time for me to get on with my work before my older kids get home from school. Enjoy your day!

Monday-Beef Stroganoff over mashed potatoes

Tuesday-Garlic Lime Chicken, salad

Wednesday-Kielbasa with fried cabbage

Thursday-Swiss steak with broccoli and salad

Friday, Saturday, Sunday-DH and I will be out of town!

For more menu ideas, check out this site!