Menu Plan Monday: June 30th Edition

Menu Plan Monday is hosted by Organizing Junkie

A little late in the evening, but here is our menu plan this week:

Monday: Taquitos (store bought) and Spanish Rice

Tuesday: Crockpot BBQ Chicken Drumsticks

Wednesday: Beef Enchiladas

Thursday: Beans & Cornbread

Friday: Crockpot Chicken & Rice

Saturday: lunch --->Pancakes dinner--->Take Out

Sunday: lunch ---> Honey Chicken Sandwiches dinner---> Honey Mustard Steak

My Dog Days of Summer Very Bloggy Giveaway Winner...

I thought the higher numbers of the contest might through my kids for a loop, and would not really be fair to those who were above 100, since I just didn't think they would ever give that kind of number. Not that they don't know those numbers, I just thought they wouldn't keep the whole scope of numbers in mind.

So...I used a random number generator instead. And...the winner is Deputy's Wife.

But, I know there were some people who said they might want to buy them even if they didn't win, so go to my Studio through Sunday, July 29th and in the comments section (when you check out), put in the code Mommy20 (don't actually go through paying through, or you can, and I will send you a refund for the 20%). I will then go into Paypal and send you a revised invoice that will include a 20% discount on Mommy Cards! (You can also tell me if you prefer more than 50. I can sell them in sets of 25, but there is a 50 card minimum on any given design.)

Thanks for all who came to visit!

Big Birthday Day in Our House!

***If you are looking for my giveaway for the Dog Days of Summer Very Bloggy Giveaway, please click here (or just scroll down!)***

Today is always an extra special day in our house! That's because, in our family of five, it is officially the birthdays of 40% of the household today. Okay...so perhaps it's not so impressive, since that really just means two people. But, still! For slightly more impressive numbers, 60% of the family (or 100% of the males) have had birthdays in the past 2 weeks.

My favorite memory of this whole shared birthday thing is that on Eric's 24th birthday, he told me that I had given him his best birthday present ever -- our first child.

And so, today I have to take this entry time to wish Noah a happy 8th birthday and Eric a happy 32nd birthday!

Bye Bye Tasty Tuesday...

I have decided that although I may sometimes post a Tasty Tuesday just for myself, as I was doing before organizing it as a meme, I won't be posting it as a meme (with a Mister Linky) anymore. My schedule is so crazy that I just have a hard time remembering to get around to it, and then I feel bad when people are looking for it.

But...if someone (especially one of the "regulars") is interested in hosting it on their blog each Tuesday, just leave me a comment and let me know that you are interested in hosting it at your blog. If a few people are interested, we'll figure it out. I'll even revamp the Tasty Tuesday icon for someone else, if they want it. :)

Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway: Set of 50 Mommy Calling Cards

Here at Many Little Blessings, I am giving away a set of 50 Mommy Cards that I have at my online store Autumn Daisy Studio.

What is a Mommy Card?


Mommy Cards are a great tool for the busy Mom on the go! How many times have you tried to exchange information with another parent in a school parking lot and not had a piece of paper anywhere on you? This is your solution! Just grab out one of these cards, and Susie's Mom will know all of your info (even if you are stuck forgetting hers and having to always call her Susie's Mom).


Can I see some examples of Mommy Cards?


Here are some examples (and you can see more at http://www.autumndaisy.com/)

What is included in this contest?

A set of 50 Mommy Cards and shipping of the cards to you!

How do I enter this contest?

Simple! Just leave me a comment on this posting (one comment per person only, please)! Sign ups will be open until Friday, July 27th at 10:00 am EST. I will then randomly draw a name likely by having my kids shout out a number to me from across the room. Because...well...they're good like that!

But, wait, Angie -- what about people outside the U.S.?

Sure...why not? You can enter too!

What if I really want the Mommy Cards and I don't win?

You can still order them, of course. But, I'll be pulling for you to be the winner!

Menu Plan Monday: July 23rd Edition

Here I am...my 200th post! And...here I am with Menu Plan Monday! I have a lot of carry-overs from last week. We got food out a couple of times that we hadn't planned on, and then ate different things (at home) on a couple of nights than what I had planned.

So, this plan looks very similiar to last week, but here it is anyway (lunch is formally planned on any day that Eric is home as well):

Monday: lunch ---> Taquitos and Spanish Rice; dinner ---> Spaghetti with Meatballs

Tuesday: Baked Whole Chicken

Wednesday: Meatloaf

Thursday: Asian style Chicken & Broccoli

Friday: Rosemary Chicken with Vegetables (I might end up making this earlier in the week though, as I have squash & zucchini that I just picked out of the garden tonight)

Saturday: lunch ---> Beans & Cornbread; dinner ---> food from out

Sunday: lunch ---> Cobb Salads; dinner ---> Honey Mustard Steak

WFMW: Cheaper Produce

My bill for produce in the summer and fall has been cheaper this year and last year. The reason for that? We put in a garden last year! And this year, we added on to it to double the size.

Now, I will say, I have talked to lots of people over the past two years that hear that I have a garden and they say things like, "I don't have room for a garden" or "I don't have time for a garden." Let me tell you...I didn't have to use much of either for our garden. (Oh...well...it *does* help that Eric helps out with it too, of course.)

I will say -- we did put in extra time each of these years with actually putting in the garden, but I expect to save some money (and time) next year when we don't have to actually put in a garden. Oh -- and I have also had lots of people tell me that they have junkie soil. Well...our garden solves that problem too.

In our backyard, we have what is considered a raised bed garden. Here is some information on raised bed gardening. We have less weeds because of the raised bed garden (which saves us lots of time!) and we are able to use wonderful rich soil (that we purchased) even though our soil is not good for growing.

And, if you don't want to mess with even a raised bed garden, you can easily do container gardening!

It may be a little extra work during gardening season, but we have probably already harvested enough vegetables to where we have saved money. Okay...I probably wouldn't have actually gone to the store and bought as much zucchini and squash as we have had (LOL), but if I *did* want to do it, I bet we have already saved money. And, even if you aren't worried about money, let me just say that it is pretty darn sweet to be able to just pop a grape tomato in your mouth that you grew! Yum!

If you just REALLY think gardening can't work for you, I suggest going to browse at a Farmer's Market in your area. (Although, I love to go to the Farmer's Market even though I garden as well.)

Tasty Tuesday: July 17th Edition (Beef Noodle Bowl)

*Remember to scroll down to the Mister Linky and put in your link to a Tasty Tuesday recipe this week! (Also, please link back here with either the Tasty Tuesday picture or a word link.)*

Here is a recipe from Kraft Food and Family Magazine that we enjoy:

Beef Noodle Bowl

8 oz. linguine, uncooked
3 cups broccoli florets
3 medium carrots, peeled, sliced (about 2 cups)
2 tsp. oil
1 lb. beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1 tsp. ground ginger

COOK pasta as directed on package, adding broccoli and carrots to the cooking water for the last 2 min. of the pasta cooking time. Drain pasta mixture.

MEANWHILE, heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add meat; cook until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing, teriyaki sauce and ginger; cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.

TOSS pasta and meat mixtures in large serving bowl.

Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway

Wow! Check out the announcement at Rocks in my Dryer about the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway. Just a heads up -- I'm not sure what my prize will be, but I *will* be a participating blog! (And so will my business blog!)

Molly's take on Tigger

Molly & Noah have been playing a little game lately. It involves Molly announcing, "Hi! I'm Tigger!" and then she knocks Noah over. He then says, "T-I-double grrr-er...that spells Tigger" and then he tickles her. This is hugely amusing for both of them. (As I have said in the past, it is one of the fun things of having a child with Autism -- he is often more than happy to do those repetitive things that smaller kids love.)

Anyway, last night, Molly tried to get Noah to switch parts. In her attempt, she said, "T-I-double that hurts...that spells Tigger."

A little slice of "normal"

I don't think I think too often about ways our lives are different from other families. Sure -- every so often when someone we know talks about taking a trip to a petting zoo or how much their kids loved going to an amusement park and riding all the rides, I think, "Isn't it funny how they do those things without ever thinking about what it would be like to not be able to do those things?" But, I try to not let Autism have its way with our lives too much. (This is probably me just being clueless though, because I'm sure I have molded our lives to Autism's whims without even realizing it.)

Another one of those things that makes me feel different is when my kids talk someone's ear off about a movie that has just come out to the theaters. They talk about different scenes or things that made them laugh. And, of course, the person assumes we saw the movie. But, we didn't. We'll wait for it to come out on DVD. Everything my kids know about it comes from commercials and if they found a website about it. Neither Jack nor Molly have ever been to a movie theater. Noah has been twice. The first time, we left after just a few minutes. It was far too overwhelming for him, and as he began to cry and held his ears shut tight, we scurried out of the theater. A couple of years later, we tried again. We *did* stay the whole time, but Noah kept his hands over his ears for a lot of it. When we left, he looked like he had been beaten. He looked miserable, even though he had "wanted" to stay for the whole movie.

Well...this weekend, we had a little slice of "normal." My family saw a movie, and my kids were THRILLED! It's official -- now when my kids talk about Ratatouille, it will be because they actually saw it!

Now, I will say -- we did not go the route that one might expect though. On Saturday morning, I happened to be clicking around on my bookmarks, and happened upon the link to a drive-in movie theater that is about 45 minutes away. I don't know what made me click on it, but it was surely divine intervention. Imagine my shock that just the night before, Ratatouille had started running there! My kids had been talking so much about it, and here was our opportunity!

We put together some snacks, and headed out on a road trip to the drive in when it was already getting close to bed time. But, the kids had a great time! Noah said, "This was WAY better than the movie theater!"

I will admit, I stayed busy keeping Molly entertained and probably had the least comfortable seat of all of us, but it was definitely the highlight of my week. For at least one night, Autism wouldn't stop my family from seeing a movie at "the theater" (kind of, anyway), and for that, I am thankful.

Menu Plan Monday: July 16th Edition

Here we are again...it's Monday already! (And Jack turns six today! Wow!)

Monday: Fried Ham and Vegetables (undecided on what vegetables) -- this will finish up our ham finally. LOL (And that's only because we gave some of the ham to my parents!)

Tuesday: Roast (with potatoes and carrots) -- maybe homemade oatmeal bread

Wednesday: Spaghetti with Meatballs (and probably homemade french bread)

Thursday: Taquitos (from frozen) and Spanish Rice

Friday: Rosemary Chicken with Vegetables

Saturday: lunch ---> Chicken Fried Rice; dinner ---> take out

Sunday: lunch ---> Beans and Cornbread; dinner ---> Baked Chicken (whole)

Wow! I've been busy!

My to do list ended up with about 54 items on it. They ranged from quick things (things that might take less than 5 minutes) to longer things (I think the longest may have been an hour or so).

After a few days of working on them (and continually adding to the original list), I finished 45 of the items on my list! A few of the items not finished were some craft projects to work on, so I'm not as broken up about not getting those done. One of the things I didn't get done (that was silly to not have gotten done) was making dentist appointments. That could have been quick, but I just didn't do it.

I'm really pleased with the amount of things I got done! On Tuesday, I didn't turn on the computer at all until I had been up for about seven hours! Wow! And, then on Wednesday, I didn't turn on the computer for just over two hours. Now, mind you, on Wednesday, our power was out for the first two hours we were up. Ha! But, that ended up being a nice blessing. It gave me extra time to *have* to keep busy and after days of sweltering heat, it was actually a BEAUTIFUL day out. We ended up having all the windows and doors open all day long (until bedtime!). What a blessing! I simply can't imagine how horrible the power outage would have been on some of these almost 100 degree days!

Oh, and, of course, I also did things like make meals and such, that weren't on my to do list. Although, I *did* put it on my list when I spent all of the day Thursday (on and off) making a big homemade meal (roast with potatoes & carrots, homemade bread, brownies from scratch, and a salad) for a family that I know who are adopting a new baby (she is already with them) and then just found out in May that their preschool-aged son has cancer.

I didn't hear from anyone that they wrote up anything for their blogs on this challenge, but that's okay. I'm just happy that I got so much done. I think I may need to work on doing this kind of thing a bit more often!

So...did anyone take me up on my challenge?

Just curious if anyone tried out the challenge that I gave here. That's okay if nobody got around to it -- it's hard to get around to stuff during the summer.

I, however, made a huge list and then just kept adding to it. LOL But, at this point, I have crossed off 37 of the 53 items on my list! Wow! I plan to keep working at it too! Although, I'm afraid that I might have to start a brand new list because I have run out of space on my paper.

I will post about my progress and some of the things I did later. Soon. :)

Works for Me Wednesday: Organizing Recipes

First off -- let me say...if you want to take a challenge to get some things done around your house (and maybe win a prize), be sure to check out this posting!

Okay...so, for YEARS I have had piles of recipes sitting around. I have recipes I pulled out of magazines, recipes I printed from the computer (from recipe sites, blogs, email, etc.), recipe cards, etc. I had mixed piles of recipes we love and recipes we've never tried. And, I would just dig when I wanted to find something.

Then -- I finally did some organizing! I got a large three ring binder and a lot of page protectors. This project, I'm sure, could also be done without page protectors, if you just wanted to hole punch the papers. But, for me, page protectors worked because I have some recipes on cards.

I digress. :)

I sorted recipes first into things we've tried, liked, and want to have again. This includes both old favorites and new things that we just want to have again. The other pile was then recipes I have never tried, but would like to.

I then further sorted into recipe types from within each group, and then put them into the binder. So, for instance, the first "half" of the binder is all recipes we have tried and like -- main dishes, breads, desserts, side dishes, etc. Then, the next portion of the binder is the same categories, but things we haven't tried yet. (In the front of the binder, there is also a "Tips and Techniques" section, as well as a section of recipes that are on our current month's menu plan.)

Oh -- and another quick note, it is important to go through recipes that you have put in the "to try" every so often. I found that there were things that I had in my "to try" sections that I now have absolutely no idea why I would have saved them. And, so I was able to toss them away.

This new system has really helped, and it also makes recipes much easier for my husband to find when he cooks too!

Get Some Things Done -- A Challenge & A Contest

No Tasty Tuesday today...sorry! I have other fish to fry, per se. (ha...get it...tasty tuesday...fish to fry)

Anyway -- I have things that I need to get done. And, there just never seems to be enough time. Do you feel that way? Do you ever seem to have a time that you can just sit around and think, "Wow -- I don't have anything that needs to be done." I don't ever seem to have that. There is always laundry to fold, business things that I could tend to, cleaning that is calling out to me, books that I want to read whose library due dates are looming, appointments to be made, therapy to run off and do (yeah...I know...it doesn't help that I have two parttime businesses), crafts that are calling out to me, blah blah blah.

And, so I am going to attempt to mostly not use the computer over the next couple of days. This will be VERY difficult for me, and I will likely have to pray for the strength to do that.

What will I do with my time? Well -- I have managed to make a list on two sides of notebook paper of things "to do." Some are simple things that will take only a minute or two, others may take a few hours (or more). If I finish everything in the next few days...well...I will still probably not have time to sit around and think, "I simply have nothing to do." But -- it would be good anyway!

And, so -- I challenge anyone reading to make a list of things they have been putting off. Make as long or as short of a list as you want. Try to be honest -- put on some of those things that you have REALLY been putting off. Try to get at least half the things done by Wednesday night (July 11th). And, why not post about it. What were some of your challenges? What are some of the things you finally did? How long was your list? How much of it did you get done? Or any other thoughts on it. Post about it by Thursday night (July 12th) and come leave me a comment with the link to your posting. (I'll put up a posting to comment to on Thursday afternoon.) Anybody who leaves me a link to their post about this "Get Some Things Done" challenge by Thursday night will be included in a Carnival type posting on Friday.

Oh...and one more thing! I'll randomly draw someone's name to be able to pick out one item of their choosing from the Autumn Daisy Studio that is $20 or less.

Good luck -- and I'll pray that we all get some things done!!!

Wow! That was SO yummy!!!

We had Eric's parents over for dinner tonight. And, as we seem to do whenever we have someone over during the summer time -- we grilled out!

Eric prepared hamburgers on the grill. Inside, I made broccoli salad, corn on the cob, and zucchini & squash. The zucchini and squash were from my garden, and they were SO yummy! I cut up three zucchini and three squash and put them into a pan with some melted pats of butter (not too much though). Then, while cooking them, I added dried basil and Jane's Krazy Mixed-Up Salt. Granted, it was mostly me and Eric's Dad that ate them. I thought I made way too much, but it was almost completely gone when dinner was done. I will *definitely* have to make that again soon!

And for dessert a few hours later? Zucchini bread that I made the night before! Of course, I told the boys that it is called Cinnamon Bread though. Ha!

Menu Plan Monday: July 9th Edition

Lots of ham on the schedule this week (and some for next week). Kroger had a great sale on a whole ham (it's around 7 lbs, I believe), so I got it all sliced up (at Kroger) and have planned lots of uses for it.

Monday: BLT Sandwiches & Parmesan Fries

Tuesday: Steak with Red Potatoes and Sauteed Mushrooms

Wednesday: Ham

Thursday: Fried Mashed Potatoes with Ham

(Also -- dinner to take to a friend whose youngest son has cancer: Roast with potatoes and carrots, homemade oatmeal bread, salad, and brownies)

Friday: Open-faced Sandwich Supreme or Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwiches -- whatever strikes me (LOL)

Saturday: Lunch ---> Loaded Baked Potatoes; Dinner ---> Dinner from Out

Sunday: Lunch ---> Ham & Egg Salad Sandwiches; Dinner ---> Roast (crockpot)

21% off all premade banners - 7/6/07 through 7/10/07

I try not to post very often about the Autumn Daisy Studio, but thought this might interest some of the bloggers looking for a new blog look:

*~*Premade Banner Sale*~*

This Saturday is considered a lucky day -- 7/7/07. Make it your lucky day too! From now through 7/10/07, all premade banners will be 21% off (and they have no shipping costs already, of course). Why 21% off? Well...because 7+7+07=21! When you check out, please put 21SALE into the notes section so that I know you want to take advantage of the sale. And, please wait for me to send you a revised Paypal invoice!

These banners aren't just great for Etsy shops, they are great for blogs too! The banner at the Autumn Daisy Studio blog is an example of one of my "premade" banners that are for sale on Etsy (it is sized at 760x100).

Testing New Signature

Just wanted to see how this looked on the blog

Tasty Tuesday (Snickerdoodles & Mister Linky)

Yummy recipe from my Mom...

1 cup soft shortening (part butter)
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 365 degrees. Mix shortening, sugar and eggs thoroughly. Blend all dry ingredients, stir into egg mixture. Roll into balls the size of walnuts. Roll into mixture of 2 tablespoon sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Place two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 12 minutes. These cookies puff up at first and then flatten out.

Now...share a link to your Tasty Tuesday recipe! Be sure to link back to Many Little Blessings!

(Oh...and last week's winner has not been picked yet. Oops!!! I'll have the kids help me in the morning!)

I just can't stop taking pictures!

Thanks to Kristen at Small Treasures for posting about this -- although I wasted too much time playing around with this.

This is me, although, much skinnier. LOL

Yikes!

77%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Mingle² - Online Dating

Yikes! LOL Maybe I need to take some time away! (Or...maybe not.)

But, I have to admit, I think it strongly worked against me that I have three different blogs (and thus was also able to answer that I blog for both personal and business purposes).

Yeah...yeah...that's my story, and, apparently, I'm blogging about it.