Meal Plan Monday (On a Tuesday, because that's just how I roll)

I'm going to get a bit nostalgic on you. Have you ever associated the smell of a certain food with a certain place or time in your life?

For me it's rosemary.

Back about a million (ok, 7) years ago, when Gabe and I were younger and Ella was about a year old, we moved into a "furnished with everything" apartment. Apparently, everything also meant a spice rack.

I had never used rosemary for anything before. I think the first time I used it involved chicken and potatoes. Now, back then, I was a pretty shoddy cook, but that particular dish turned out pretty good.

In the last two weeks, I dried some sprigs of rosemary and the very smell took me back to 2007, and that little apartment. I was working 80+ hours a week, and so I rarely every cooked, but I wanted to. Oh, did I ever want to.

I used to make snide remarks about ladies who stayed at home with their families (because, believe me 80+ hours a week in a miserable environment makes you miserable and hateful), but I think some part of me craved that so much. That safety. Being able to give something to my family other than whatever was left of me after work sucked out just about everything.

Fast Forward Seven Years.

I still work. It's not 80 hours a week, but it contributes to the household budget and has gotten us through some pretty rough times. I homeschool our now 8 (!!!) year old daughter and I live a pretty busy life. The main difference is that I cook our meals almost every single day.

If you've made it this far in this already-way-too-long post, congrats! I do have a point, I promise :)

Every Monday, I'm going to try (see how well it worked this week?) to show you my meal plan from Monday to Sunday. If you want or need recipes, let me know. I'm still fairly new to this blogging thing.

Monday: Chicken Stew
Tuesday: It was going to be Mexican eggs and bacon but I hurt my ankle at work. So, McD's.
Wednesday: Salisbury Steak. I've never made that before, so I'll update with recipe.
Thursday: I'll be attempting to make that breakfast-for-dinner day
Friday: Beef Stew.
Saturday: Chicken Soup, probably in the crockpot.
Sunday: One-pot Spaghetti

If you find yourself on the panicky end of meal planning (been there!), you can check here every Monday (or Tuesday, if I'm not being particularly punctual).

30/52

30/52: Ella read to a therapy dog named Molly this week. She was pretty excited about it. That's Lincoln (formerly known as MaybeAlex) looking on.

30/52: We were running pretty late for church today. Despite that, she looks lovely :)

Fridays with Ella: Helping Grieving People

Hi.

Mom asked me today if I knew what grieving means.

I think when you grieve over something or someone, it means you are sad. Some people grieve lost loved ones, and some people grieve when friends or family members move away.

My Mom still grieves for my sister.

Just the other day we found out that our friend's son had died. He wasn't old at all, he was younger than my Dad. And now his Mom, our friend, is grieving.

So, what do you do when someone is grieving?

When our friend Ms. Lora died two years ago, a lot of people made food for her family to eat after the funeral. I remember that Mom and I made macaroni and cheese from scratch and we baked peanut butter cookies.

Sometimes, people don't have a funeral you can go to. This man didn't, so we couldn't cook food for the funeral. But we did write sympathy cards for his parents, so they know that people are thinking of them.

That's the best thing we can do for grieving people, I think. Grieve with them and remember who they are remembering.

 

 

 

 

What Ella wore:

 

Shirt: Disney

Skirt: Homemade (from my old top)

Shoes: Sketchers

 



Tidbits from this week

Yay!!!!: My oldest sister Gosia found out she is getting promoted to pharmacy manager. She has come so far and deserves every bit of recognition she gets. So proud of her!!


Thank Goodness: Gabe's co-worker took in Beaky and Sneaky (formerly Faith and Blessing). We were somewhat sorry to see them go, but they now have a wonderful forever home. How fast they grew!!!

New Arrival: My nephew arrived last Friday, and he is beautiful. I won't post pics for the privacy of my sister in law, but let me assure you that he is gorgeous.

And it continues: Our selfie tradition. This morning we took a particularly awful picture, but I figure one day when we're really REALLY old, we'll laugh at this. Maybe.

Accomplished!: I get to cross another food off my bucket list. I conquered the porcupine meatballs! Gabe says they were awesome. I'm just glad they were edible. :)

How cool is this?:  My next door neighbor, Denise, and I started a kitchen swap. For some fresh basil, some canned mushrooms, macaroni and cheese and rice, I got....

Vegetarian veggie broth, Campbell's noodle soup (don't judge, hubby likes it), turkey gravy (for open-faced turkey sandwiches when I am lazy) and some other things. Yay! Denise and I have officially found a new tradition: the pantry swap!

Girls and Pearls: July 2014 Edition

Today was our July Girls and Pearls day. We chose to have a picnic in our living room. The weather has left a lot to be desired the past few days, and our allergies are awful anyway.

Excuse the paleness and awfulness. I'm recovering from a bout of anemia. (first time in 8 years, ugh)

She looks beautiful though, if slightly bemused

check out the back of her hair, how pretty is that :)

I love this kid! ya'll have no idea!

Ella and her owl (Orlando)...how do you like our awesome picnic blanket?

It's a pizza picnic!

Afterwards? dessert and our favorite movie!

29/52

29/52: Apparently, our neighbor Ms. Margaret has blueberry bushes. She insisted on having Ella pick some berries this week. They were delicious!

29/52, Sunday. Ella loves her dress, because it has cats on it and is so very, very preppy. I love it because it was on clearance at Wal-mart :)

Tidbits from this week

Waiting: My newest nephew will likely be born sometime today! Say a prayer for my sister in law, please!!!!


Boys and their toys: Gabe received a present in the mail today...a new camera! His old Fujifilm just wasn't cutting it anymore, being over 5 years old and quirky besides...say hello to his new bff, Mr. Sony Cybershot ;)

My hero!: Gabe decided to do something colossal (in my eyes anyway!) and commit himself to cooking one meal a week to make things easier on me. Last Sunday, he made stuffed shells. They were DELICIOUS.

 

Speaking of food: I made Zuppa Toscana for the first time ever and it was amazing!!!!

 

Going strong: My couples selfie tradition!