Menu Plan Monday… May 5, 2008

I need to go grocery shopping. In an if-I-don’t-we’ll-all-certainly-starve kind of way! Right now I have stuff for turkey stroganoff. And some apples. And maybe some boxes of macaroni and cheese. We don’t even have any bread - or bread products. Very disheartening to our carb-loving family! And the scariest part? We might not even have time to hit the grocery store today! We’re leaving early this morning for Springfield because we have a birthday to celebrate (Seth turned 3 last Friday but we were busy and Chip’s parents couldn’t join us). We’ll do Starbucks, Build-a-Bear, Dicks Sporting Goods (Kait needs a new ball glove), Toys R Us, and Chuck E Cheese and still somehow make it back for Kait to be at softball at 4pm and then Noah has tball at 5:30pm. But we still have to eat, so we’ll find time in there somewhere to go to the Kroger.

Monday - Turkey Stroganoff

Tuesday - Grilled chicken legs with

Wednesday - Hamburgers and homemade ovenbaked fries

Thursday - Spaghetti with garlic bread and salad

Friday - Homemade pizza

Saturday - Three Cheese Baked Pasta (this is our friend Karen’s recipe - I’m hoping it’s half as big a hit with our family as it is with hers).

1 lb uncooked pasta (I use mostaccioli)
1 lb ground beef
1 onion chopped
6oz mozzarella cheese
6 1/2 cups tomato pasta sauce (Use your favorite spaghetti sauce)
6oz provolone cheese thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheesePreheat oven 350 degrees. Brown ground beef and onion in skillet over medium heat. Drain meat. Stir in Pasta sauce. Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente, then drain. Lightly grease 9×13 inch pan/baking dish. Layer ingredients as follows: Half of the cooked pasta, all of the provolone cheese (layer evenly), all of the sour cream (spread an even layer), half the sauce, remaining pasta, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce. Top with grated parmesan cheese. Bake in oven 30 minutes.Sunday - CORN (Clean Out Fridge Night) because this momma isn’t cooking on Mother’s Day!

S - CORN (Clean Out Refrigerator Night)

Happy 3rd birthday, S-man! May 2, 2008

Today, Seth turns THREE!!! Can you believe it? Most of y’all have watched him grow up from a bitty baby by following my blog. I’ve been blogging longer than he’s been alive. Finding pictures of him for this post was easy because he’s always bringing me a camera and asking to have his picture taken. We’ve celebrated and celebrated today. Right now, he’s celebrating in true 3 year old boy style by ripping up the box his gift came in and throwing it all over my living room. But he’s the birthday boy and he’s only going to be this age, right now, once. I’m content to let him be.

I had to be up early this morning. I came home from the church at about 8:50 and was planning to get him dressed to bring him over with me. He was already dressed and Kait was helping him put on his shoes. He dressed himself - completely with backwards dress pants and his favorite Thomas the Tank Engine tshirt. I just let it go. It’s his birthday. We walked into the church, where the church rummage sale was in full swing. He walked in the door and the place ERUPTED in cheers of Happy Birthday and the Birthday Song. It was all a bit overwhelming for him and he hid behind me until it was done.

We spent most of the day hanging out at the church. When we were done, we loaded up in the van to go buy his birthday cake - angel food cake and fresh strawberries. We made a quick stop on the way home for some strawberry plants at Buxtons and a short visit with Sam - the garden farm dog. We came home then and cut up the strawberries and put them in the fridge and then he got his birthday present - a little people alphabet zoo - from us.

What came next was a big moment in Seth’s life. He threw away his beloved “gi” (hard g, long eee sound). His paci has been more than just a comfort item. It’s been a friend to him. And today, he took the brave steps towards growing up and threw it in the trash. There were no tears, but he did need a big hug and a lot of reassurance that this really was part of the growing up process.

And to celebrate all of his growing-up-ness, we did birthday dinner at McDonalds. All day long he said he wanted to a hamburger for dinner, but when it came down to it he ended up with chicken nuggets. After that, we drove THREW a storm front (it was really cool to come out on the back side of it) for a trip to Target. We bought him a new pair of Cars “flip flops” (really sandals but he insists they are flip flops) before coming home to play with his new toy and watch Alvin and the Chipmunks (I was pleasantly surprised with since even Chip and I found it rather entertaining).

Monday, we’ll celebrate in normal Sanders’ fashion - Build-a-Bear and Chuck E. Cheese. It was very important to Seth that PawPaw and Gamma (Chip’s parents) come with us - so we’re postponing it just a few days. I’m looking forward to another whole day of listening to him sing happy birthday to himself!

Happy birthday, Big Man! You bring more joy into our home than you’ll ever know!

April 2007 - helping clean up the floor after we pulled up the carpet…

May 2007 - Ready for swimming in the big pool…

June 2007 - Summer days just make him tired…

August 2007 - He held his new cousin Wesley more than anyone! Now Wesley is so big I think he’d have to hold Seth…

September 2007 - Not EVERYONE was happy on the first day of school. Seth was *not* happy that his “bo-bo brother” (Noah) had to do schoolwork instead of playing with him…

October 2007 - Seth is the ONLY one I got a picture of this month. He absolutely INSISTS quite often that I take his picture. This one because he got a new shirt…

November 2007 - This is one of my favorite pictures of Seth and Noah. They really are more than just brothers - they are also best friends…

December 2007 - decorating the Christmas tree…

January 2008 - Seth developed his own cooking show that we all watched daily for most of the month of January. It was a long, cold winter…

February 2008 - We potty trained Seth at his direction. The book on his head is called The Potty Train…

March 2008 - Seth STILL loves his cheese fries…

April 2008 - Noah took this picture of Seth while we were at the chiropractor…

May 2nd, 2008 - by the time I took this picture, Seth was DONE with birthday pictures…

Happy 11th birthday, Elijah!!! April 26, 2008

My oldest turns 11 today!  ELEVEN!!!  I can hardly believe it!  He’s grown up so much in the past couple year. He turned FIVE about five months after we moved into this house. He’s a great big brother - always helping to take care of his little brothers and sister. He takes his job as the oldest very seriously.  He makes me proud! 

Happy 11th birthday, Elijah!

Celebrating his birthday at his restaurant of choice - Pizza Hut…

On his 10th birthday - April 2007…

Elijah with the HAL ball (hustle, ability, leadership) - May 2007…

Fun with mud - June 2007…

The HAL ball for the second time - only one other kid on the team got it more than once - July 2007…

Meeting his cousin Wesley for the first time - August 2007…

Starting 4th grade - September 2007…

Didn’t take pictures in October, here’s why - October 2007…

His first facial at his sister’s spa party, oh the things he’ll do for his sister - November 2007…

Celebrating Christmas - December 2007…

On the moving truck when we helped pack up cousin Taet to move to Wyoming - January 2008…

We got A LOT of snow this year - February 2008…

Easter legos - March 2008…

My great protector/mouse hunter - April 2008…

Happy, happy birthday Elijah!

A beautiful day just for me… April 9, 2008

It’s my birthday. I was talking with Chip this afternoon and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m so very into birthdays because my dad died at such a young age. He was only 36 when God took him from this world. I can remember how old it seemed at the time (although I knew it really wasn’t), but as I turn 33, I see this as another year to live life to the fullest to and celebrate this special world/life/family that God has given me. I try to live a life with no regrets and full of freedom. In the grand scheme of things, life is very, very short (have you ever tried to wrap your head around how long forever really is?) so I don’t want to waste any of it!

So, I’m enjoying my day! It’s a normal work day for the most part. I don’t like when my birthday is on a Wednesday or a Sunday because it means that my husband *has* to work. And really, I don’t like sharing him on *my* special day, but everyone has to make sacrifices sometimes.

And you know what? My life is so full of special people that I couldn’t even sleep in this morning! The text messages started rolling in about 6:30 this morning to wish me a happy birthday. I’m not disappointed because it means that there are people who love me. How can I agrue with that?

I fought off the grogginess this afternoon with a nice long bath with a great book (Melody Carlson’s The Boots Weren’t Made For Walking - great book so far!). Now I’m sitting on the porch, watching the kids play in the yard. Seth is running up and down the ramp on the church next door. Lexie and I are playing sidewalk chalk (more her than me) while we wait for her mom to come pick her up. Noah & Kaitlyn have gone from throwing the ball back and forth to throwing ice cubes back and forth. It’s a glorious day outside and I’m looking forward to spending most of the evening out here. I might even be inspired to work on the next great American novel at some point.

Chip asked me what I wanted for my birthday this year. I had a really, really hard time coming up with something. Because honestly, my life is pretty good. We’ll have Chinese takeout for dinner tonight. There is an all new episode of The Office tomorrow night. My husband is simply the.best.husband.EVER. (I really, really wanted a snickers bar and a Dr. Pepper this afternoon. He simply said, “Ok.” and went to Casey’s and got them for me.) My kids are healthy and well behaved for the most part. I have friends. I have family. I have my Jesus. And after 33 years, I think I’ve finally found contentment. What more could a girl want?

Happy Easter Sunday… March 23, 2008

I go back and forth on whether or not Easter should be something we should really dress up for and make a special day. Because the argument that EVERY Sunday - every day really - should be that important is a strong one. My faith in the Cross and Jesus paying my ransom is something that I celebrate in my heart and life every day.

However, Jesus didn’t die more than once. He only had to defeat death, Hell and the grave one time. And honestly, I see nothing wrong with choosing a special day to celebrate the greatest gift that I’ve ever recieved. Because as much as I celebrate it in my heart daily, it just seems something that should be made sacred with a day of it’s own. I go back and forth…

This morning started out great. At 4:45. I lay in bed for 20 minutes and just pondered what the disiples and followers of Jesus were thinking that Resurrection Sunday all those years ago. Because while we know how the story plays out, they did not. They walked with Jesus for years and failed to realize. My guess is that they fully intended to find his body in the tomb, even though He said He wouldn’t be there. They had prepared the spices and oils to prepare his body for burial. They carried it to the tomb. And yet he wasn’t there! The stone had rolled away and an angel asked them why did they seek the living among the dead? Can you imagine for a moment even being one of those women? Actually being witness to Christ’s resurrection? AMAZING!!!

So, I was out of bed by 5am and made coffee. We got ready and go the kids up for sunrise service. The service was great. There is just something special about being able to put the differences that separate denominations behind us and gather together with one voice to minister to a Living God.

After the service, we came home and let the kids find their baskets. They don’t get a lot. They each got one thing and a bit of candy. They played with their stuff (Seth got a Little People Easter set, Noah got a Star Wars Lego II game for gameboy, Kait got the movie Enchanted and Elijah got Legos of the Star Wars variety) while we waited for time to pass for our service to start.

Our service was AMAZING today! Absolutely AMAZING!!

After church, we went to Chip’s parents for lunch with Mom, Dad & Granny and a good family friend. Unfortunately, I started getting a migraine partway through this mornings service. We left after eating and pictures to come home and nap. Until 5pm.

We got up and watched some basketball and then watched Kait’s new movie. I love my little girl and there is nothing that I wouldn’t do for her, but wow! I really hope she doesn’t ask me to watch that movie with her again. Enchanted is a cute movie for a little girl, but so not my cup of tea. Or coffee. Or whatever…

We’ve tucked the kids into bed and Chip is studying for a math test on Tuesday. It’s been a great - long - day. I’ll have picture on a Foto Friday this week if not before.

When Irish eyes are smiling… March 6, 2008

Ok, I’m not Irish, but we are getting ready to start a unit next week about Ireland and St. Patrick’s day. With my red hair and love of all things green, one might thing I have some Irish ancestory (which I guess I might possibly).

So, what I’m looking for are some tried and true Irish recipes. And corned beef is OUT! We tried corned beef and cabbage a couple years ago - and promptly threw it all in the trash! ICK!  I’ve never had one that I enjoyed.

So, I’m asking you - my tens of readers - do you have a “must have” for the Irish holiday that sports the wearing of the green? Or is it orange since I’m not Catholic? I’ll probably play it safe and wear both!

Happy Valentines Day… February 14, 2008

I’m not really a huge fan of Valentine’s day. I don’t need a special day of the year to feel loved by my husband. If that’s what the day is all about, then it’s Vday 366 days a year around here. (Yep - leap year this year).

However, it’s a VERY special day for Kait. It’s the day her daddy sets aside his entire morning for her. She dolls herself up and they go out for breakfast. This year they chose IHOP. She’d been seeing commercials for their free pancake day (which was yesterday) all week and she wanted IHOP. Then I think they were going to go shopping? She told me last night that it’s her favorite day of the year.

It’s that time of year again… February 4, 2008

The Lenten season begins on Wednesday of this week. So weird that it starts so early this year! It’s kind of throwing me off! Usually, Easter falls right in the middle of birthday month for us. It will be nice to be able to focus on the Resurrection instead of trying to squeeze it in amist 4 birthdays this year (unless you count other family as well - then there are 12 between March 28th and May 2nd).

A lot of people - my husband included - really don’t understand the whole Lent thing with me. I’m not Catholic, but I find something intense in giving something up for the 40 days leading up to Easter. Knowing that God gave up His LIFE for me and choosing to focus on that with something of myself that I give up starts a pull in my heart like nothing else I’ve ever experienced. To give up something that hurts, even just a little, is NOTHING compared to what He gave up for me.

Chip started it all off with a great sermon on Substitutionary Atonement today. WOW! There were several people who teared up through the service today. What a powerful thing to think about as we lead into the Easter season - as we start that walk towards the Cross in these 40 days that lead up to Resurrection Sunday.

I’m still not sure what I’m going to give up. But it will be something that  will require some sacrifice on my behalf. I figure it’s the least I can do after all He gave up for me. I mean, He DIED for my sins. For ME! That just blows my mind…

41m3s… December 31, 2007

That’s what my phone said when I signed off last night. After being on hold for 25 minutes and then talking to some guy in India our issue was resolved at no cost to us. I will use Travelocity again.

Signing off to go spend a great time with the family and friends. See y’all next year!

I am IRRITATED!!!! December 31, 2007

I have currently been on hold for 10 minutes after talking to a stupid computer for 5 minutes first. When we flew to Houston, we used Travelocity and were very happy with our experience. Tonight I’m getting more irritated by the moment!

I went online to book a reservation for a hotel room in BLOOMINGTON, Illinois for tomorrow night. We are going to be staying there with friends to celebrate the New Year. I went to Travelocity and did a search for hotels. I found a great price at the hotel our friend our stay at. Or at least I *thought* I did. I just assumed that the hotels they pulled up were actually IN the city that I typed up. While I understand that it’s my own fault for not looking a bit more closely, I’m still hoping they will make it right. I guess we’ll see how their customer service is - if I ever get to talk to a real person.