Mommiedom

So it rained all day and I so was in the mood for some soup. I have been wanting to make some Broccoli cheese because I got like four heads of it from veggie co-op. I started off with a huge pot of water and added in some dry chicken stock which was my first mistake (I would do about 4 tablespoons). I put to much in and the soup was to salty for my liking.

I than added in the chopped broccoli (you could totally do 2 bags of frozen as well). When it started boiling, I added in a whole brick of easy melt processed cheese. I also went through my fridge and added in any other shredded cheese that was in small amounts. After it all melted, I added in one package of instant mashed potato mix to act as my thicking agent.  The soup was a nice consistency but like I said to salty. I am going to throw a potato in what is left and see if that knocks it down some.

Also while I was doing that I poached three chicken breasts and diced them up to freeze. I figured to have some already cooked diced chicken in the freezer may come in handy. I would really like to prep more meals to have in the future so that is a goal to do one of these days after the freezer goes down more.

I am going out so I decided to make something in the crock pot the family could just eat when they are ready. So I made some stuffed peppers using the peppers from veggie co-op that needed to be used or they needed to be tossed. I also thawed some ground turkey and added about a cup of brown rice into it as well as some Italian seasoning and garlic salt. I mixed it all together and stuffed the peppers but also just made some meatballs to stick in the pot. I topped it with some tomato sauce and about half a jar of water. Stuffed peppers is always one of my favorites to make and I like to make it closest to how my Grandma made it with a thinner sauce- more soup like. Now this is a nice fall meal just wish we had fall temps here.

Day 5 and what a day it is. We have soccer so I need something filling and quick. I had to go to the grocery store again today because I realized I had forgotten lunch meat for Miss O and we were out of the organic milk boxes she likes to take in her lunch. So as I was running through the store, I noticed they had seasoned Italian chicken meatballs on sale plus one of the meal deals had a free garlic bread with it so I had a bingo moment.

I heated up the garlic bread which was actually cheesy garlic and tossed the meatballs in some sauce and let them simmer while the bread baked. I toped the bread with the meatballs and sliced into nice sandwiches for everyone. A quick and easy meal plus it is healthy with the chicken.

Yes I almost buckled and got a pizza but than I figured by the time I went through all that, I could make something. So with the hubby working late and myself feeling not so great, i asked the kids what they wanted and they picked chicken nuggets. I didn't feel like that so I made some mac and cheese as well. Both kids ate like pigs with this meal which I know was stellar but every once in awhile, these meals happen. I guess it is better than running out for something.

i have been seeing that commercial on t.v. for the new Progresso Recipe Starters and they caught my eye when I was at the store the other day. I guess that is good marketing isn't it. I picked up the Creamy Portobella Mushroom one because I love Stroganoff. I made it according to the directions which are right on the can. The only thing I would have liked to add were some actual mushrooms. I usually have some but this week I didn't get any at veggie co-op because they were out. I paired it with (like the fancy word paired) with some of the awesome green beans we get from co-op.

I than got a urge for an apple cobbler because I had a bunch of apples there. So I did a quick search and this recipe came up so I went to work making it. It was so good and bubbly. I have been craving both chocolate and apple pie which really don't go together. So last night I had brownies which had to be like a thousand calories. I am thinking this is a bit better and I am planning on pairing (fancy word again) with some of that tea I made yesterday (heating it up).

I am so ready for fall and have been making some fall inspired meals. I ant to make some broccoli cheddar soup at some point because I got a ridiculous amount of broccoli at co-op. I think I could make two gallons of it and I know it will get eaten.

The other day I was at the craft store and saw the cutest Halloween Apron with all these ruffles in black and orange. I was so in love but put it back because it was expensive. I thought I will get it when they go on sale.

Than I was at the other craft and fabric store when I saw this really cute fabric. I love when you walk in and bam the seasonal fabric is right there for you to see. I saw one pattern I really liked but than these two coordinating fabrics in bright Halloween colors hit me. I loved the cupcakes on the one and the dots just complimented it so nicely. I thought I could make a apron out of this like the one I saw at the other store plus I really liked this fabric way better.


I took a fat quarter of basic black and hemmed it up on all four sides which is the base of the apron. I than took and cut the length of the fabric (about 36 inches) at a width of six inches for two of the cupcake patter and 2 five inch of the dots. I also cut one more cupcake at 36in long and 5 in wide. I than started at the bottom and pinned from the middle out to make the ruffles (just do any search for ruffled apron and directions should pop up).

I just layered up the top starting with cupcakes (6in width), than dot (5 in), Cupcake (6in), dot (5 in) and finally the cupcake (5in).  When I was all done I cut two 24 inch long by 5 inch wide stripes of the dot to make the tie back. I folded that over in half and than folded each side about  1/4 inch in. I ironed it flat and straight and than positioned, pinned, and than sewed it one. These are general directions and I highly suggest doing a search which I did. I wanted to give general directions and I should have taken way more photos but I got going in the process and well had so much fun creating.

I have to say this turned out way better than I thought it would and I love it. I also got a request for a smaller version and I think I might have enough fabric to create it for Miss O.

Enjoy my new favorite apron- I think a Christmas one may be needed to which means Miss O and Nana will need one as well!

I am on a roll and why yes two days is a roll for me especially with me not feeling that great.  I thought what could I make that was easy and fast. I like fast and I also like something we haven't had in awhile, so tacos it was or to be more precise turkey tacos. Heck I can't taste the difference and I love beef.

I have been using coupons more and more and also trying to spot the deal every where so I had a coupon if you bought two items of a certain brand you got a buck off. I like that because I would buy both items and a buck off helps, every dollar helps these days.

I just browned up the meat, added the premade spice mix even though I do have a large container of taco seasoning in the pantry. I heated up the hard and soft shells, chopped some lettuce and tomatoes plus heated up some refried beans (My second item). Both kids love tacos when I make them. I try not to make them all the time because I like variety so I make them about once a month or even as long as six weeks.

The other thing I did while I was making the tacos was brew up a big batch of sweet tea. I was watching Paula Deen and they were making it on her show and I have so been on a tea kick lately. I guess I am sick of diet soda and water, so I have been drinking tea specifically this lemon mango honey diet lipton tea that you just mix up. It is good but when I saw what Paula was doing, I went to work. I think this is better than my large diet cherry coke zero from Sonic Happy Hour

I took three large tea bags (decaf) and threw those in a pot of water. I added in the juice of one orange and oh my was that a juicy orange  plus some cinnamon sticks, nutmeg and about a cup of sugar. I let it simmer for a good 15 minutes and than poured it in to a large pitcher and added some cold water and let it chill in the fridge. The nice thing is that I can either have it chilled or heat it up for a cup as well.

My hubby and I weren't big tea drinkers when we moved down here. We would have it once in awhile but it is so big in Texas. I have heard people put it in the baby bottles. I have seen sippy cups full of it as well. Now as we have been down here for nearly ten years, we drink it more. We also know where to go in the area to get the best kinds. I guess we are becoming natives!

Here is my article for this week!

I decided after numerous fails last week as well as a trip to the grocery store and a ton of veggies from the co-op I am in, that I would start the count again to see how long we will go.

So I usually like to make a nice Sunday dinner but all of a sudden the day got a way from us and well I dug around and found italian sausage patties I had bought because I had a coupon. I paired that with some pasta salad that I made from the pantry. I had a bunch of veggies from my co-op because it was my week to drive so I cut up a red pepper and sautéed that up to top the italian sausage along with some tomato sauce and cheese to make a pizza burger.

It was a good and quick dinner which I like so onward to the next meal where I am planning turkey tacos.

I upgraded Stampin Up's My Digital studio a few weeks ago and have really been enjoying playing with it. I was going through the different stamps it offered and this set caught my attention. It made me instantly think of creating subway art which has become very popular out there. I love how inspirational this is and will love to give this as a gift to someone who needs that boast!

Twenty days of digging in our freezer pantry to see what I had. This meal was some frozen tilapia that I had in there from a few weeks back that was part of a meal package from the grocery store. I paired it with some shrimp we had and used the scampi blend I had gotten from Wildtree. We also had some seasoned Orzo pasta and veggies. Miss O ate her weight in shrimp and rolls. It was a light meal but filling which is always a favorite to have. 

I am going to take the Charlie Sheen approach today and say I am winning but I might be delusional. Today was a hectic day. I shoved so much in and well we had some wins and fails. First I did grocery shopping and even though I don't feel I am buying lots, it still was like 150 bucks. Milk, eggs, bread and all that jazz isn't cheap. I did get Mr. L's Halloween costume which came under my ten buck budget for it. I told everyone they had ten bucks for their costumes. Mr. L wanted to be a pirate but I am guessing that will turn into a cowboy pirate.

I than trekked to the toy store and bought most of their Xmas gifts today because they had good sales going on. I will only need to buy a few small things now. Than my hubby and I ventured over to a store and bought for 60 bucks a couch and for 25o a huge tv stand (both used but in good condition). They were from a hotel that was upgrading so we need to pick that up on Saturday and let's hope it works out.

Finally at home I had the fore sight to defrost the homemade tomato sauce I had int here. I threw in some meatballs I found in the freezer and we had a great dinner. I do admit to buying some additional freezer and pantry items at the store today because I had some of the items for a dish and I also needed to stock up on things I had run out- I was surprised I had no more cans of tomato sauce.

I really hope to make it through this weekend using what we have. I have Wildtree stuff that I am dying to try so I hope to make that one night. I also have stuff for homemade pizzas. I even think I have stuff to make desserts to1

Yes I have a good excuse well why we failed at making a meal at home because we went to go se Endeavor at Ellington Field and it was after 6 when we got out of there so we went to grab something. In reality that should of worked nicely but the place we picked was in utter disaster ad we ended up waiting a long time so I would have been better off cooking at home. Back on track tomororw.

Today was the day that I just pulled something already made frozen from the freezer. I thought it was mushroom chicken but it ended up being a roasted in gravy I made awhile ago. So I heated it up and added a can of cream of mushroom soup to give it more gravy and put it on some slices of bread (mashed potatoes would work too). We had open face chopped beef sandwiches or as my hubby likes to say sh*t on a shingle!

Today is a no sew project and use I use the same fabric from the quilt I still have some left- maybe for another pillow (we will see).

I just cut tons of strips ad tied it on to a wire wreath frame (I bought a dozen online a few months ago). It is going to be so cute up on the wall when I finally start decorating for Halloween. October 1 is right around the corner.

We have Girl Scouts so the crock pot is a must every other Monday so that when we are done at 6, the meal is pretty much ready to go. So I dug around the freezer and found a pound of ground beef and a pound of ground chicken. I took that a threw it in the crock pot with about three cans of beans I found in the pantry along with a can of diced tomatoes, and a can of tomato sauce.  I took about a tablespoon of chili powder and garlic powder and mixed it all together. I did not brown the meat before sticking it in because I figured it will cook down nicely in the crock pot.

Here is my article for this week!

About a month ago I made two racks of ribs because Miss O asked for them and my father in law was in town but we only ate on of them I knew if I put it in the fridge it would go to waste so I wrapped it up and froze it. So I thawed it out for dinner and just stuck it back in the oven at 350 for about an hour and resauced it up.

I also made some roasted potatoes using my new grapeseed oil and rub I ordered from Wildtree (a friend had a party and I had tried the stuff before). Plus Miss O found some green beans out in the fridge from veggie co-op so I made some green bean casserole. For some reason with the fresh crisp green beans, I love it and I am weird about my green beans (I detest canned ones with a passion along with stewed tomatoes- it is all about the texture with me on both of those).

I think Sunday dinner should be special. Take some time to prepare a family meal, sit down and talk about  the past week and what is coming. or us we have all gotten busy between my hubby's work and now Miss O's outside activities- soccer two days a week and girl scouts. Families who eat meals together at the dinner table tend to communicate better and overall are doing better.

Tomorrow we have girls scouts so I have to throw something in the crock pot or defrost something we already have so I will be going on a hunt in the freezer to see what I can find!

I just love the new Cannery Set Stampin Up has and I FINALLY had a moment to really play with it after it has been sitting there for over a month (being gone for three weeks was a big part of it!)

The teacher projects started out first with a friend needing a cute tag for her gift and she asked me if I had anything apple which of course I do, so when she got her, I let her look and than we started playing around with the set. We made these adorable 4U cards that she is attaching onto the gift.



ThanI se to work creating Miss O's gift. I thought a plant would be a nice addition to the teacher. It brings life to the room. I used the same set as well as MDS2 to create the sign that is on the plant. I die cut out the tag and it was created.

Yes I did cook tonight and quickly. I had mostly prepared food for us because well it was a weird night. No one was starving and the hubby had to run into work (yes I know it is Saturday) so I had some cheese brats (precooked) and than made one of those quick pasta salads that come in a box. The kids didn't mind and tomorrow night I plan on making something better for us but sometimes quick has to happen with out going out to eat. Yes it would have been easier to run out to grab a bite but at the same time the amount of time and effort it took to make this was likely the same amount of time as running out.

I did find some caramel dip in the fridge so we had that with some apple slices which was another quick but light sweet treat item. Tomorrow is another day and i I hope to be more creative than I was tonight. It was an overall crazy day and I think most Saturdays from now till November are going to be this way.

Yes we failed again and ordered pizza, not because I didn't want to cook but we had a bunch of people over and it was way easier to order pizzas for us all. We will be back on track tomorrow. I guess only two days out of two weeks ordering food isn't horrible but I am trying to be good with cooking during the week at least. Tomorrow night, I plan on pulling out the already cooked ribs I made a few weeks back and adding other stuff in. Freezer is coming down which is nice because my goal is to get it nearly empty and than go get 30lbs of meat from the meat market and start all over again. I got my coupons already for that as well.

All this week I have been working again at cleaning out the freezer and pantry to make dinner. Tonight was inspired from Taste of Home magazine which I just started getting again because I got it for like 5 bucks for the whole year. It is one my favorite magazines with all the great and simple guys. The recipe I found was Chicken Gnocchi Pesto Soup. I made some minor adjustments like instead of water I used chicken stock and I didn't have any spinach (used all of that yesterday) so I had a zucchini so I chopped that up.

I also had some chicken tenders I thawed out and poached in the broth. It was quick and simple plus full of flavor. It also was a good meal on a day like this when we are running around to soccer practice and life in general!

Well I had to go to the grocery store to buy things like milk, eggs, butter and well about 45 minutes and 150 bucks later the cart was full. To my admittance I bought beer, lime ritas (oh my these are sooo good) and the grocery store had a special where if you bought certain products you got a free book plus the books were a buck a piece with a coupon making them 90 cents. They had great books for both Halloween and Christmas so that was why I bought about 20 of them all together. The two people working there also helped me pick out a bunch too.

I also bought other things were low on that were on sale like the pasta salad you make and I admit to some meats as well like a package of queso poblano chicken sausage which is my favorite. When I got home, I went through the freezer again and organized it some plus I notice the outside one is slowly going down but I still have like a good two weeks of food in there so I hope I won't have to go until than again.

It got me thinking as to what I could make for dinner tonight and I decided after seeing it on Pinterest Spanakopita  which sounded so good. I had most everything int he freezer to make this like filo dough, spinach, ricotta cheese, eggs, and butter. The only thing I didn't have was some feta which I bought but honestly if I hadn't gone to the store, I could have made do with the ricotta cheese.

I took the bag of frozen spinach and thawed it out as well as the filo dough. I than squeezed all of the excess water out of the spinach and put that, two beaten eggs, 1/2 cup of ricotta, and whole container of feta into the bowl as well. I mixed it all up. I than melted about a stick of butter as well but don't add that in.

I sprayed my dish with cooking spray ad began layering the filo dough, some butter, spinach mix and kept doing that like a lasagna (I used a few sheets of filo each time because of how thin it is). I would say I did about three layers and topped it with filo and some butter. I than backed it in the oven at 350 about 40 minutes or until it was crispy and lightly browned on the top. I served it with a nice greek inspired salad which was some chopped greens, homemade greek dressing (took olive oil and greek seasoning mixed together). and some sliced tomatoes. It was a good and light meal for the day!!!

While we were in Wisconsin, we attended a Packer Party for the first game of the season. I was tasked to get some taco dip from the grocery store for it because I had zero time to make it. So when I ran into the grocery store and well there was no taco dip- yeah like for some reason I thought there would be on game day. It was frantic in there with all the green and gold shirts running around getting last minute stuff for the game.

I went into my problem solving mode and grabbed a can of refried beans, taco seasoning, 1 can of diced mexican style tomatoes, chopped black olives, cream cheese, sour cream (small container), and some shredded Mexican cheese. So I hurried through the checkout because I knew everyone was already wondering where I was.

When I got to my brother's house, I rummaged through cabinets to find a dish to make it while everyone told me I should of just passed on it all together but I told them no football game is complete with out taco dip.

I took the refried beans and spread that around the dish. I than soften the cream cheese in the microwave, added about 1/2 the taco seasoning packet, and1/2 the sour cream and mixed it all up. I spread that on top of the beans. I than added the diced tomatoes, cheese, black olives, and the rest of the sour cream. I let it sit in the fridge for about 15 minutes though you don't have to.

My husband that proceeded to ask me through out the first quarter when the dip would be ready so he finally just got up and put it out. I think it all went though one member of peanut gallery who shall remain nameless told me that he didn't like the beans in it but still ate a ton of it!


So let me know your thoughts on beans or no beans with the taco dip!

There are so many things in the freezer but I am in need of some basics like milk and eggs so I will be heading to the grocery store tomorrow.  Today I pulled the crock pot out which is an appliance I just love. It is so useful all throughout the year to have a good meal ready with little to no prep time. Today was no different as I was cleaning the kitchen up, I threw together my favorite meatloaf recipe .  the prep on this is minutes and it cooks all day in the slow cooker  and comes out as one good meatloaf. I mentioned it to my hubby I was going to make it as he was leaving and he told me he would try to be home on time.

I served it with some instant mashed potatoes and of course a veggie that was int he freezer. I am not ashamed of using instant potatoes because they are quick and add a ton to a meal that really takes minutes to prep but is worth all the slow cooking time!

I had a bunch of the fabric left over from the quilt and made this cute pillow. I just made it the size that was left over from the fat quarter so I would guess it is about half the fat quarter. The front is a cute Halloween print while the back is stars (hard to see in the picture). It fits perfect on my chair. Now it just has to meet its friends that I made last year!

Here is my article for this week.

I know that I have missed the last few days okay like five days but I have a good reason- we were out of town at a wedding. It was such a nice wedding. The bride was beautiful and the reception as held at the same location as mine was ten years prior (the bride was my maid of honor).

Here is a picture of my dear friend Lisa (hope she doesn't mind making the blog) and me all done up for the special day!


So we left on a Thursday morning (hence the total fail on the night before where I ordered pizza) so I figured I needed to redeem myself today when we got home from our trip. So after about 7 hours of travel with two planes, a long lay over, and a cranky two year old, we made it back home at a decent hour. I honestly was sick of eating out or grazing while we were in Wisconsin. So I thought what could I make that was hearty and fast using what I had.

So I made tuna noodle casserole and it was so good. When your kid tells you it is one of the best things you made, it has to be a winner.

I took about three cups of dry egg noodles and boiled them according to directions. I have started buying these more in bulk because of all the things you can do with them.

Once the noodles were done, I took a pack of tuna fish which was a freebie item when I bought other stuff at the grocery store a few weeks back. I took the tuna, one can of cream of celery, one can of cream of mushroom, about a 1/2 cup of milk and about a cup of frozen peas (oh my the things I found in the freezer when looking for these).

I mixed it all together and baked it for thirty minutes at 350 to get that crispy crust which I love when the noodles get crispy on top.

I just served it up and well there was not much left when we were done which is a good sign that it was a good meal. Tomorrow I actually had the foresight to pull out 2lbs of ground beef that was in there to make my crock pot meatloaf. Once my daughter realizes I made it, I will be a rock star because it is her favorite thing in the whole world (glad the kid likes to eat!).

I have to say we had some good food while away. My dad and brother made us a homemade fish fry which was heaven.  Plus my brother made a good chili and I did a five minute taco salad (see the post later this week) for the Packer game- the food was better than the game was!

I have been seeing tons of stuff with framed words. Everyone says to go to the Dollar store and buy cheap frames and that was exactly what I did. These are plastic though from a distance they look wood. I picked for different ones for that shabby look (you could always spray paint them as well but I am partial to black).

I than took the MDS program from Stampin Up and well created a picture for each of the frames to spell FALL. I was going to do Boo! at first but I found this digital paper and thought that really looked fall. I did add some digital embellishments as well. I think it turned out cute!

I have seen so much on Pinterest about making your own laundry soap and I thought yeah I want to do it but when I went to go buy the ingredients and starting pricing it out, the big bag of soap for 8.50 was a much better buy so I just got that which should last me a long time. Though I did still want to make the cute jar I saw the soap in so I bought the biggest jar available at Wally World, stuck a chalkboard sticker on and wrote soap. I figured if I don't end up liking the soap, I can wash the jar out and use it for something else.

So this wasn't a better deal to make rather than buy unless you can get it all for under 8 bucks! Still the jar is cute- now if I could just convince my hubby I need a new washer and dryer for the laundry room.

I failed today because I ran out of time to make dinner with all the things I have to plus we are headed out for a few days but I will be back next week and I will start with Day 8 in cleaning out the fridge/freezer/pantry. I am going to need to buy some staples like milk because that is going to spoil over the weekend plus some eggs because well that is one of the few things Miss O eats like crazy!

See you later!

My hubby has been raving for years about the Apple Pie moonshine and I know most of heard about it. He finally was given some bottles of it by a family member who made it using ever clear. She told me it was easy to make and after some research, I saw that it was.

I took some Apple Juice, Apple Cider, 2 cups of sugar, and cinnamon sticks and boiled it. I let it cool for a few hours and added in some light rum. I than stuck it in some mason jars which my hubby thinks is so cute.

This is a great drink as a shot or over some ice. I think it would be good warmed for winter. I will be making this more often because it was so good but be warned the liquor in it is strong but it should mellow some as it ages.

Seven days and seven different things. I have noticed some reduction in the pantry but the freezer seems to be an endless pit of frozen stuff. I need to be better about labeling things because I pulled something out and couldn't figure out what it was- I think it is the pork carnets but I was not 100 percent sure.

Today was nothing from the freezer but it was something working on the pantry. I made basic ham and scallop potatoes I had a box of the scallop potatoes and a ham which I used some for the potato soup. Even though I used potatoes and ham again for a second day they were totally tasting meals.

So tomorrow I have to venture into the freezer and figure out what i could pull out to make. I really just want to order something because we are headed north for a wedding but I will really try hard to stay on track.

I have a subscription to Fons and Porters Love Of Quilting and the October rIssue arrived a few weeks ago and I totally feel in love with the Table Top quilt that featured pumpkins all over it. I than like the next day got my Connecting Threads Catalog and saw the Halloween fabric they had and well I got to thinking how much I loved the Quilt and how much I loved the fabric and well the quilt was born.

It was pretty easy to put together though I hate the purple in it and if I did it again, would have left them out. It just didn't turn out how I wanted it to but everything else did (I like the purple and would have used it else where.  Now I have to find a place for it for Halloween.

We already made it to day 6 which I find hard to believe because I never eat in this much (okay we ate out on Day 5 but I did cook in the morning).  Today was a informal meal but it was good. I made Potato soup and grilled Turkey Panini sandwiches.

The soup is one I have made many times. I take red potatoes and dice up small. I than take some olive oil and brown the potatoes. Than I add in about 1/4 cup of flour and brown that. I add in one container of vegetable or chicken broth (the veggie broth will make it reddish in color). I than added in some diced ham (we will see the ham again very soon). I let that come to a boil and than add in some milk (about a cup). I eyeball everything and don't really measure much. I than let that simmer until the potatoes are fork tender. I added in some instant potatoes (about 1/4 cup) at the end to thicken it up a tad more. This is optional depending on the consistency you like your soup- we tend to like it thicker. I served it with some shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. If I had bacon, I would have crumbled some over it as well.

The paninis were so simple as well. I took some nice ciabatta rolls and layered some pesto, co-jack cheese, and turkey. I coated the outside of the roll with some butter and grilled it much like a grilled cheese.  My daughter told me it was better than the sandwich she had at Panera the other day which she raved about all day.

Tomorrow will be a week of finding things to eat in the freezer/fridge/pantry. I think we will be making Ham and scallop potatoes. Stay tuned!

Here is my article this week to appreciate all of the great Labour of Love we all have for our kids.

Have a great day and hopefully it is relaxing!

This is the breakfast edition. I had hash browns in the freezer actually I think there are a few packs in there. I admit to loving potatoes and buying them often in shredded or cubed form so I have them always in the freezer. There is something about them that are so  good and you can do so many things with them.

For breakfast, I was simple but simple sometimes can be so good. I just made some hash browns, fried eggs, and turkey sausage which was floating around in there as well. I think it is always a win when my kids eat it all and I was told that my eggs were goo by the six year old (that is rare because she usually eats eggs in one form- hard boiled).

Dinner well we went out for dinner. We went to the baseball game and was right down the block from this unique Greek Market and Deli so we headed into see all of the unique items. I did buy some groceries but stuff that is hard to find like bulgar (yes the kids might gripe but it is good made the right way) and a Pomegranate  wine which we are excited to try!

At the Greek Grocer they also have a hot bar when you can get food. We all got Greek wraps. The hubby and I had lamb while the kids have chicken. Both were good and how can you argue when it is served with hummus.

I will be back on track for Day 6 though I don't know what I will decide to make. I have ribs I could thaw out which just need to be reheated or even some mushroom chicken might be in there that could be defrosted and put on egg noodles. I might even have some ground beef which means I might have to make the crock pot meatloaf which my daughter has been asking for so we will see!

Paint Chip art seems to be all the rage now with people creating all sorts of things with them. When I was at the home improvement mecca the other day getting paint for Miss O's desk project, I snagged some chips in rainbow colors (this could be done with regular old card stock as well.) I really liked the vibrant colors of the samples that I picked. I instantly thought about how cool it would look punching hearts out of them and putting them with some stark white.

So I headed to the craft store and purchased this frame for 6 bucks (they are always on sale or I use my coupon). So when I got home and after a frantic search for the hearts I had punched out (Mr. L had decided he was going to hid them all over my desk), I got to work. I trimmed down my whisper white card stock to fit the frame, and placed the hearts on them. It got me thinking that it needed something else on so I pulled up My Digital Studio 2 (MDS2) and looked through the offered digital stamps I had in there when the definition set popped up. There is so many of them in that set that I admit I would have a hard time choosing the right one but I finally settled on "together" and printed it up on the card stock.

I than adhered on the hearts and stuck it in the frame. This is one of the those hybrid projects you could make or if you have this stamps set (Define your Life) you could easily make it or even do it all on the MDS2 (I did one using it).

Chicken is on the menu. I bought a huge pack of chicken breasts a few weeks back (enough for two meals for us) and I pulled it out. I also bought like quite a while a go these Kraft Sizzling Salad kits from the dollar store. They have four kinds and at a buck a piece, I though why not have it on hand for dinner. I coated the chicken in the sauce and baked it (you can also cook it in a pan). At the last five minutes I threw some shredded mozzarella on. I also had some ranch potatoes I had in the freezer and made a salad with the lettuce I got from co-op. We had pineapple which was also from co-op for dessert (it was so sweet!). So we had a nice healthy summer meal.

This was really good for our third day. It is a french bread pizza. I was inspired by a recipe off of Relish relish that I saw. I was looking in the freezer and remembered that I had some italian sausage in there so I thawed that I out. I than cut it out of its castings and browned the meat, I than added some mushrooms, and spinach into the mix. I had some french bread loaves that were prebaked some just needed to be finished in the oven.

Once the sausage, mushrooms, and spinach were cooked, I added in a small can of tomato sauce. After letting the oven preheat to 400, I sliced the bread the long way and topped with the italian sausage mix on each half. I had two small loaves so I had four slices. I than topped it with some shredded mozzarella and than some Italian seasoning. I baked for about 10 minutes or until the cheese was nice and melted and starting to brown.

This was so good and it had some spinach sneaked into the mix. You could also add onions to but my kids aren't big fans so I don't push them on them to much. The bread crisped up nice. I also think for the future this would make a good appetizer for a party. You could slice it up in bite size pieces.