Happy New Year's Eve: Last 2013 Post

Happy New Year's Eve. Here is a picture of the Space Needle in Seattle, WA.  I tried to find a "free to use and share" picture of the Tower of the America's in San Antonio on NYE, but none were available. This is the next best thing, I think. Thank you to flickr user Michael Holden.

The holidays are always extra exhausting for me because we travel just about every Christmas. We spent a wonderful week in Lubbock, TX surrounded by family and friends, returning yesterday. I knew I wouldn’t feel like venturing out to the grocery store to buy a single thing. Instead, I placed an online order for groceries to be delivered to my house today. Lazy? Maybe. But not having to fight crowds is a plus in my book.

However… the only thing I frickin’ forgot were black-eyed peas. How can you ring in a new year without these crazy little beans? (Do you really think they bring you good luck?) All I know is that I don’t want to jinx it, so I better get some. Oh, and we don’t have champagne to toast with at midnight. So, I guess a trip to the store is in order, but at least I won’t be there but for very long.

Part of tonight's "big" festivities.

We also don't have party plans for the evening. I'd throw a party to see friends, but let's face it… that kind of stress coming home from a trip would likely kill me. I think we're probably going to have an intimate evening, filled with watching the TV countdowns and making homemade peanut butter cookies. Yes, we're officially old and have a kid. Yay, mid-30s. 

As for “Resolutions” for 2014 – I haven’t thought too much about this. Every year I resolve to do seemingly reasonable things. And every year, I don’t hold myself accountable to follow through. Nevertheless, I do think 2014 will be a defining year for both my husband and me based on events that happened in 2013. For us, 2013 had many twists and turns and I don’t foresee 2014 being much easier.

At the beginning of 2013, I didn’t resolve to do much aside from getting rid of pregnancy weight and organizing my house. Both were huge failures for me. I’m still the same weight as last year, I had to give up my gym membership because my husband lost his job (not that I used it consistently), and our poor, white-walled house chronically looks like Toy’s R Us took a giant dump on the floor.

Conclusion? While I do think the New Year is a fantastic time to renew or pursue personal goals, it’s important to make sure there is accountability for it. Perhaps this blog will be a nice platform for that. But either way, the goal setting process shouldn’t be saved for January – it should be ongoing. And that’s my point. I should be setting goals throughout the year to follow up on, and perhaps that’s my 2014 resolution. Though I must say that I like the idea of “starting clean” with month #1.

A toast for you!

Since we just got home yesterday, I can’t tell you what will be on our menu this week… because frankly, I haven’t thought about it yet. What I will tell you is that this week will be a “wing it” week, meaning I’ll figure out what I want to make about an hour before I make it.

Happy New Year to you all. Farewell 2013, bring on 2014!

Wordless Wednesday: Christmas Crafting

Menu Monday

 

As Christmas approaches, we start feeling the money crunch.  We have a set budget for presents this year, but I’ve been trying to be as frugal as possible “just in case” we overspend – I mean, c’mon, it is Christmas after all.  J It’s the time of year where I just want to buy ALL THE THINGS and give them to the fam. 

A friend of mine (thanks Lauren!) introduced me to the site Budget Bytes.  It has a lot of yummy recipes with a breakdown of what each meal, serving, and ingredient costs!  It’s pretty neat really, and some of the recipes are so simple I’m always like, “duh!  I should have thought to try that!”  I always over complicate things, even cooking!

This week I stole several recipes from this site to put on our menu.  I’m excited to try them.  I am also going to do some pantry-cleaning as well.  Here is our menu:

Sunday: Lasagna (I used turkey Italian sausage and whole wheat noodles – also, this added to my freezer stash)

Monday: Out (taking the kids Xmas shopping for Steve while he studies for his final)

Tuesday: Maple Meatballs w/ mashed potatoes (Abby’s favorite meal)

Wednesday: Quinoa Black Bean Tacos
Thursday: Bacon Pesto Pasta Bake
Friday: Falafel
Saturday: Crock Pot – something pulled from the freezer!

"Winter" in Tallahassee

Moving from Colorado had its fair share of culture shock, but I think the biggest oddity I experienced while living here are warm holidays.  The first Christmas we spent in Tallahassee it was 70 degrees.  We had the windows open.  I wore a tank top.  I probably got sunburned.

Despite my loathing of the hot weather down here, I will say Tallahassee an extremely family friendly town. There are always tons of events going on, especially at Christmastime.  One of my favorites is the Winter Festival that the city sponsors.  The first year we went, it snowed.  Well, they made it snow with snow machines anyway, but it was a nice effect considering we were so used to real White Christmases.  The festival includes a lighting ceremony where they light up all the grand oak trees downtown, followed by the annual Jingle Bell Run (a short & sweet 3K.  We haven’t participated since the kids arrived, but I think next year we will start back up) and then a parade, complete with Santa.  They dedicate one section of the downtown area to kids, appropriately dubbed “Candy Cane Lane” where they don the strip with animatronics and the local candy maker does a candy cane making display and all the kids get free (GIANT) candy canes.  The festival this year is on December 7 (tomorrow).  Festivities begin at 3, and the lighting ceremony starts at 6pm. 

Another one of my favorite events at this time of year is Elf Night at Dorothy B. Oven Park.  Every year they light up the park, and you can drive and walk through a fantastic light display.  We never attended on Elf Night until Abby came, because it is geared towards kids, and well, we weren’t really into that before we had our own!  They almost always provide some sort of treat like cookies, hot chocolate, and hot apple cider.  Lots of people are dressed up as fun characters; gingerbread man, snowman, toy soldier, and of course, SANTA!  We have gone the past two years, and we are hoping to go again this year.  Last year it even rained, but we went anyway!  They also made it “snow” last year – with bubbles.  I think that was Abby’s favorite part.  Elf Night this year is on Thursday December 19 at 5:30pm.

So, Tallahassee friends, what is your favorite family friendly holiday event this month?  We’re always looking for fun things to do with the kids!

Menu Monday

So, Jes and I are trying to revamp how are posting on this blog. The way we initially had it set up, it was pretty taxing on our time and we found ourselves skipping out on posts because things just got so busy. But we are committed to making this blog a success.

Since it's the beginning of December, we're doing themes each week. This week, our theme is Winter Fun. I personally don't have a fun winter menu, but I want to share with you a memory I have before I post my menu for the week.

I grew up in Lubbock, Texas. And despite the fact it's in Texas, it does get all four seasons. Every year, I battled driving in snow and ice. It would be cold. And the fact it's on top of a plateau, you'll get 70 mph winds that will knock you down.

As a kid, I remember vividly playing in the snow drifts next to our house all afternoon. I would build a whole snowman family and there was still snow leftover to play with. When it was time to come inside, I always loved it when the house smelled like vegetable or sometimes beef stew. We'd have that with a big piece of crusty french bread. It was the best, warming dinner on a cold winter's night. Truth be told, some days I miss Lubbock so much that it hurts. My family is there, some of my oldest friends are there, I miss the weather, I miss football games, I miss being around farmers and rednecks (ok… sometimes), and I know the schools (my daughter is almost pre-K age and I am nervous of the schools here). But I find that most of the time I miss Lubbock as much as I do, it's around fall and winter. Maybe it's just the fact I miss experiencing 4 seasons. But, I'm sure it's more than that. It's the fond memories I have during winter with my family.

If you're looking for a fabulous vegetable soup recipe, check out Ellie Krieger's Tuscan Vegetable Soup recipe on the Food Network's website.

Monday - Spaghetti & Meat Sauce
Tuesday - Crock Pot Pork Chops over Rice
Wednesday - Parmesan Chicken and Potatoes
Thursday - Out
Friday - Beef Stroganoff and Peas
Saturday - Freezer leftover meal (Cheesy chicken casserole)

Happy Holiday's Y'all!

Thanksgiving Tuesday

Its Thanksgiving week.  We are travelling to visit my mom in Wisconsin on Thursday.  We are flying out of Jacksonville instead of Tallahassee (cost difference of about $200/ticket!) so we are heading out tomorrow night.

Due to all the travel, I don’t have a weekly menu to share.  However, tonight the kids and I are attending a Soup Potluck with some church folk.  So I am going to share with you one of my favorite soup recipes.  Broccoli Cheese!

I craved Broccoli Cheese soup all.the.time when I was pregnant with Will. I know it’s a pretty popular soup too.  But what I hate is when you get the restaurant soups, they are all usually overly salty, or made with super processed velveeta type cheese. 

I got this recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook I have.  I have made one small modification, but otherwise I pretty much follow it exactly.  It does not have a lot of salt (unless you use canned broth – which I like to use my own), and you can use vegetable stock to make it vegetarian.  I bet if you really wanted, you could try using coconut or almond milk to make it vegan even (omitting the cheese).  Which, someone should try and let me know how it turns out!

Ingredients:

3 cups chopped broccoli (you can use frozen)

1 carrot, shredded

1 can (14.5oz – just under 2 cups) broth (chicken or vegetable)

3 TBSP flour (this is my alteration – original recipe uses 2.  We like it thicker)

¼ cup cold water

1 cup half and half

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Salt & pepper to taste

 

Directions:

Add broth, vegetables, and salt & pepper to pot.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook 6-8 minutes, or until broccoli is tender.  Meanwhile, mix flour & water in a small bowl.  Once vegetables are cooked tender, add flour mixture to pot, stirring constantly.  Bring to a boil and cook 1 minute.  Reduce heat and add half and half.  DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL.  Cook until hot.  Once hot, add cheese gradually, stirring until melted & mixed completely.  Enjoy!

Throwback Thursday

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Since I didn't do Wordless Wednesday, I'm doing a Throwback Thursday!

Here is Uncle James and Grammy meeting Sydney Jade for the first time. November 27, 2010. 

Menu Monday

Veggies!

So, it's been awhile since you heard from me. Next week my daughter turns 3 AND it's Thanksgiving! Time is flying. I think Jes and I are trying to find our groove again. Life just gets overbearing at times. 

For me, a lot has happened since I last posted, including my husband losing his job (which impacts our food budget) and an update on his doctor visits and what the will mean for our family. It's been a roller coaster of emotion and events. I found myself breathing goofy a couple of times, which I can only attribute to some form of panic attack. I'm better, but when I get to thinking about things and feel a sense of being overwhelmed, the goofy breathing manifests itself about 30 minutes or an hour later. It's really a bummer but I'll make it through.

As far as our food budget, it's really taken a cut. I've made it a point to be strict about the amount we spend at the store. I've split our costs between Bountiful Baskets and HEB. I've been pretty successful thus far, but it's only been about 3 weeks.

Here is what our family will eat this week. 

Monday - Breakfast for dinner. Bacon, potato, egg, and cheese tacos.

Tuesday - Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

Wednesday - Spaghetti w/meat sauce

Thursday - Out

Friday - Pepperoni Pizza & Salad

Saturday - Baked Potato Soup & Grilled Cheese

Sunday - Sloppy Joe's & Fries

This week's menu isn't ultra healthy, but it's easy on me. Also, I realize I have a lot of potatoes in this week's menu. But we got a TON in our basket this past week and I have to use them up! I will also be making lots of mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving!

Hope you have a great one!

Wordless Wednesday: ONE!

Halloween Princesses

Last year was Abby’s first year Trick-or-Treating.  It left such an impression on her that she talked about “getting candy for her pumpkin” all.year.long.  So she was super excited to learn that yes, Halloween did come again!

I asked her what she wanted to be.  She said “I want to be a princess like Foofa” – which, if you haven’t seen or heard of Yo Gabba Gabba! you’re missing out.  In the Halloween episode Foofa is a fairy princess.  A few weeks later, she very specifically told me she wanted a “purple princess costume.”  Well.  There you go.  I was sort of hoping for a superhero but what can you do.  A purple princess it is.

I knew this year I wanted to make her costume – so long as she didn’t ask for anything too elaborate, haha.  And while a princess wouldn’t have been my first choice for her, I knew it would be a fairly easy costume to make.  I soon found out that Christina’s little girl, Sydney, also wanted to be a princess for Halloween.  And, since I was in the crafty/creative mood, I volunteered to make her a dress too!  Yep.  Two princess dresses.  I went to Joann’s and got lucky in finding some great pink princess dress remnants.  But I had to buy Abby’s purple princess fabric full price – which…nothing is ever really full price at Joann’s, since, I used a coupon!  Anyway, supplies and all I think I spent maybe $25 for BOTH dresses.  And if you think about what they charge for those Disney princess flimsy fabric costumes, this was a deal!

Here is what I used:

2yds of fabric per dress (1yd of each color) – this is probably a generous amount, but since this was my first attempt at princess dress-making, I wanted to make sure I had extra in case I mis-cut something (which, I did!) 

Gold Ribbon (for both dresses)

Pink Ribbon (for both dresses)

Matching bias tape (one for each dress)

Matching thread (one for each dress)

Velcro (for the back closure)

 

I did a lot of web and Pinterest searches for princess dress tutorials.  It was tough at first, because I couldn’t seem to find one that had everything I wanted for the dress.  So, I decided to mix & match two of them. 

I made the front of the bodice from this tutorial: Rapunzel

I made the back and the sleeves from this one: Cinderella

And, I pretty much winged the skirt – but I followed the second tutorial mostly for construction ideas. 

The whole process was much easier than I thought it would be.  It was a little tough working with the satin, but, I figured, since these dresses were meant for 3 year olds, they weren’t going to be critiqued too harshly! 

They came out SUPER cute and I felt very “domestic” that I was able to create something so fun!

Menu Monday!

Sorry we’ve been gone. 

 

I’ve been extra busy at work (had a huge project due, which has finally been submitted) and Christina has been busy trying to juggle her usual tasks on top of issues that have come up with Scott. 

But, we are hopefully back.  And I’m super excited because the holidays are here!  We had a great Halloween (I’ll share more on Friday), and we are travelling to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving and to NY for Christmas.  Looking forward to all of it.

This also means its crunch time to get gifts out!  I’m trying to do a lot of handmade gifts to save a little bit of cash.  I’d share more, but, I can’t because some of my gift recipients will be reading this!  But I will share after Christmas!

In order to make time to work on all these crafty things, I prepped a bunch of meals yesterday.  Here is our menu for the week:

Monday: Chicken Tikka Masala w/ Peas & Jasmine rice

Tuesday: Southwestern Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie*

Wednesday: Drunken Pork Chops (recipe found by Christina!)

Thursday: Meaty Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Friday: Crock Pot Beef Stroganoff (over whole wheat egg noodles)

Saturday: WILLIAM’S FIRST BIRTHDAY PARTY!

*added to freezer stash

Menu Monday #18

This is going to be kind of a hodge-podge week for us, so you’ll need to help inspire me! On Wednesday, we are leaving for a weekend in Lubbock. My father-in-law’s birthday is on Sunday, but his girlfriend is throwing him a surprise birthday party on Saturday. He has no idea we’re coming, and I’m 100% sure he doesn’t read this blog. I’m pretty excited that we’ll get an opportunity to surprise the heck out of him.

We plan to leave sometime after work so that Sydney can fall asleep in the car. I’ve already gotten a bunch of laundry done, the sheets are washed, and the only thing left is some vacuuming and wiping up of bathrooms.

It will be a nice quick getaway before Scott starts back to school at Texas State and Sydney starts a new year at Candyland Home Daycare and School.

Monday – Grilled cheese sandwiches and peas

Tuesday – Black Bean Quesadillas on hatch chili tortillas

Wednesday – Spaghetti Bake (from our freezer stash)

Thursday – Out with folks

Friday – Out with friends

Saturday – Surprise Birthday Party

Sunday – Dinner on the road - our usual spot is Taco Casa on Sidney Baker Street in Kerrville, TX. It's delicious!

I really need to watch what I eat, or at least limit myself, so I don’t gain too much while we are away. Sometimes I am good, but sometimes when I’m “home” – it doesn’t work so good.

What’s on your menu this week? Let me know - I need inspiration for next week! I didn’t order from Bountiful Baskets this week because I won’t be here. Sad, but I might hit up greenling.com instead.

Until next time!

Waggoner-Conrad Family Reunion

My grandma has been organizing family reunions for several years now. The first one involved just the Waggoner side in Custer State Park in South Dakota.  My grandma grew up in this area, and she wanted to bring everyone there to experience her history.  

Lap Baby

Since then, we've gathered approximately every other year.  Some of the places we've visited are Vancouver, B.C., Glacier National Park (which I missed due to being very pregnant with Abby), and most recently - as in last week - we met just outside Traverse City, MI.

This was our first airplane ride with two kids.  All in all, it went pretty well.  No delayed flights, kids mostly in a good mood.  The only exception was on the flight from Atlanta to Traverse City.  Abby was dog tired and opted to let everyone on the airplane know this.  Also, due to being so overly tired, she decided to ignore all her potty training and let loose on the airplane seat.  During takeoff.  Ugh.  

Abby's Ride

 Also, because we have two kids, that means we have to travel with two car seats.  Now, I'm sure a lot of people just check their seats on through, but, we are paranoid.  No way will I take ANY chances of getting stuck at our destination sans car seats.  Because, what the heck do you do then?  I know some car rental places will rent car seats, but, I just don't trust that either.  Who's to say they aren't expired or that they haven't been in accidents?  Maybe someone needs to start a "car seat fax" site much like "car fax" that has the history of a car seat.  haha.  So, instead we bought these covers on amazon and Steve lugged them around.  Something else we tried out was a strap that attaches the carseat to your carry-on, and your kiddo can sit in it.  It worked ok, but, the weight of Abby+car seat seemed to squish our carry-on.  

Family Ride!

Anyway, we arrived alive and well, and the weather was AWESOME!  High 70s, low 50s.  In August!!  Oh how I loathe the Florida heat.  It really made Steve and I miss living up north.  We all stayed at a place called Moonlight Bay Resort.  It's not exactly a resort in the traditional sense of the word.  But it was on a lake equipped with several boats, a floating trampoline, and a huge fire pit.  While rustic, I think the place worked out well for a family gathering.  

We had to improvise our sleeping conditions.  Our room was the only room with a queen bed, which Abby & Steve shared, and then Will & I threw an extra twin mattress on the floor next to the bed as our sleeping/night nursing area.  It worked out ok.  It's not like we were in the room for anything other than dressing or sleeping anyway.

It was funny to see who Will took a liking to.  It's pretty much the exact opposite group that Abby did.  These kids are opposite in pretty much every way.  Will loved my uncles and my Aunt Ritsu (my Japanese aunt), but was very leery of my Aunt Yuenan (my Chinese aunt).  Abby used to let Yuenan carry her away and take her everywhere, which is totally out of character for her.  Funny how that works out.  Will also didn't care much for his great-gmaw.  Well, she could make him laugh and they played together, but, sitting on her lap was out of the question!

Our days were spent either on the lake or in town, and our nights were spent gathering over dinner and chilling by the campfire.  We went through a LOT of beer and a LOT of wine.  But it was fun.  My brother's birthday was that week, so I crocheted him something special...a domo-kun hat!  I wish I took a photo of him wearing it, but I totally spaced it in all the excitement.  :)  Maybe he has one that he can send me.

The best idea about air travel with kids was coming home on a Saturday vs. Sunday.  Having that day at home to decompress and get the kids back on schedule was great.  Abby fell asleep at 4:30pm on Sunday - what we thought was just a late nap.  But, she slept through dinner, Sleeping Beauty, and slept right on through until 7am the next morning when it was time to get up and get ready for school!  Apparently the trip wore her out!

There was a lot more about the trip I could write about, but I am not sure it would be much interesting to anyone except family.  Like our bike ride (with full on Abby meltdown), our birthday/graduation celebration dinner at Mission Table, or the stick of dynamite someone set off the first night.  But, I'll save those for memories.  :)

Wordless Wednesday: Restraint

Menu Monday #17

 

I bought a new recipe book.  I had been contemplating buying it for some time now.  I finally did it.  And, it was even on sale!  I bought “From Your Freezer to Your Family: Slow Cooker Freezer Recipes” eCookbook from Mama and Baby Love.  I have used some of her recipes off her website before and enjoyed them.  I decided I needed some new easy recipes in my stash, and the nice thing about the eCookbook is that I can keep the PDF on my iPad and iPhone, which makes meal planning & grocery shopping more convenient.  I used three of her recipes this week.  One I have had before, the other two we are trying for the first time.  Unfortunately due to copyright restrictions, I can’t share her recipes with you, but I can let you know if they were good and whether the cookbook is worth buying! 

Sunday: Spaghetti Pie** w/ side salad

Monday: Pea Soup & Salad (Recipe taken from Nourishing Traditions)

Tuesday: Cilantro Lime Chicken*

Wednesday: Italian Beef Sandwiches* w/ side salad

Thursday: Greek Chicken Pasta

Friday: Out

Saturday: Kale, Lentil & Sausage Skillet*

*Added to freezer stash

**Taken from freezer stash

 For the record, I do not know Stephanie personally, even though she is local to Tallahassee.  Nor have I been asked to “plug” her cookbook.  I have been using her site and ideas to help with our family’s meal planning since Abby was born. 

Wordless Wednesday: Family

Menu Monday #16

This week, Jessica typically posts her family menu. Well, she is family reunioning, so I’ll be filling in for her this week.

As I think about her family enjoying themselves in beautiful Michigan, I can’t help but feel semi-jealous. My family hasn’t ever organized a family reunion. The only grandparents I knew were my Dad’s parents because my Mom’s parents died before I was born. My Dad’s family is from the DC area and ever since my grandparents passed, no one in my family has really taken the reigns on trying to get together annually. It’s sort of sad, but when family matriarchs and patriarchs are gone, traditions seem to fall by the wayside. The last time I mentioned a family reunion via email, no one was remotely interested. Hopefully this does not happen with my family.

One tradition that I don't think will ever die in my family, is intimate family dinners. The last time we went to Lubbock to see my family, in-laws, and our closest friends, we all went out to dinner and it felt like a giant family reunion. So for now, that is all I can ask for – celebration with those around me.

“Vive, sigue, siempre pa'lante, no mires pa' atrás.” ~Marc Anthony (Song: Vivir Mi Vida… if you haven’t heard it, go forth and YouTube.)

Right now, we're working on the 2^nd half of our food co-op basket. This is what we received almost 2 weeks ago:

Veggies Cucumber Carrots Celery Mushrooms Artisan Romaine Cabbage

Fruits Blueberries Grapefruit Nectarines Grapes

This basket has gone toward mostly snacks for my work, so I did have to supplement with some other things at the store this week. The only thing we really haven’t utilized yet is the Artisan Romaine (on this week’s menu), Cabbage and Mushrooms – however, I foresee some of those going into a Saturday morning omelet for me.

Meatless Monday – Spaghetti w/Marinara and Broccoli Parmesan meatballs.

Tuesday – Meatloaf Patties (from my frozen stash of food) & Tater Tots.

Wednesday – Crockpot Chicken Soft Tacos & Pinto Beans

Thursday – Breakfast for dinner! Waffles (or pancakes, depending on how I feel) and Fresh Fruit.

Friday – Out

Saturday – Bulgogi Lettuce Wraps (using the Artisan Romaine here)

Sunday – Vegetarian Chili & Cornbread

And there you have it, our dinners for the week. What are your plans?