Weekly Menu - 9/30/2013

Monday:  Hawaiian Grilled Chicken, steamed broccoli & fruit
Tuesday:  Roasted Garlic Pepperoni Parmesan Meatballs over spaghetti & salad
Wednesday:  Chicken Coconut Curry Soup & biscuits
Thursday:  left-overs or pantry meal
Friday:  Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese (Matt requested a side of meat so I may oblige.)
Saturday:  Skinny Reuben Soup & baguette
Sunday:  left-overs or pantry meal

Enjoy!

Tuesday Totals

(Thank you for your comments, texts, e-mails, phone calls and prayers regarding the loss of our dear friend and neighbor.  They mean a lot to us.)

Tuesday Totals

number of pounds lost this week:  2.0

total: 13.4

I have reached my initial goal of obtaining a healthy weight.  I am no longer "over-weight." 

Hooray!!

Check out what I was able to squeeze into today.

Size 8 jeans!

(Keep in mind these were from 2001, extremely stretched out and well worn

but hey, the tag says size 8.)

My next goal is to lose 8.8 pounds by Thanksgiving.

Let's do this!

Tough Tuesday

Tuesday Totals will be postponed because Today was Tough.

We found out our good friend and neighbor, Phil, lost his battle against lung cancer this morning.

He was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lung Cancer about 18 months ago.

Please pray for his wife and three children ages 19, 15, and 11.

Phil was especially close to Matt.

They hung out, played poker and enjoyed Fantasy Football together since the time we moved here.

My already heavy heart breaks when I see Matt mourning his friend.

Prayers for all, please.

Tears and Fears

As we were cleaning up before bedtime, after our FUN evening of rubberband bracelet and Lego crafts, Lauren suddenly started crying.

With bloodshot and teary eyes she asked me what would happen if burglars broke into our house.

(I'm not surprised she asked this because a 14-year-old girl from Metro Atlanta was kidnapped by gunmen in the middle of the night two nights ago and the story has constantly been in the news.  (Thankfully the girl was found alive today.))

It made me tear up to think that #1, she paid attention to and took to heart the news I have on each morning while we get ready for school and #2, that she almost has a right to be fearful because this crime occurred only 30 miles from us. 

While swallowing my own threat of tears, I reassured her that we live in a very safe area.  And even though it is so safe I still make sure to lock our doors and windows every night.  We then went through the house checking to make sure all the doors and windows were locked. 

Still teary eyed she asked me, "but what if the burglars have guns?"

I had to tell her that I have a gun too.  It's locked away but I will use it if I have to to make sure we are safe.  The bottom line is we are safe.

She seemed content with this and we continued on with our bedtime routine without further incident.

I'm sad and angry that we even had to have that conversation.

~~~~

This afternoon wasn't all sadness and fears though.

Lauren's been asking for a Rainbow Loom to make her own rubberband bracelets and one just happened to show up in the mail today.

After watching a YouTube video (and with no help from me) she got right to work and whipped up her first bracelet.

Awesome job!!

Someone else got something delivered today but that will have to wait for another post.

Tuesday Totals

number of pounds lost this week:  1.8

total:  11.4

(yay!)

number of pictures I got busted by Tyler's friend Noah:  1

(I was pretty stealth on the other two!)

number of Lauren's friends named Kaylee who told me they were playing "kid poker" instead of Cranium:  1

Today was a good day.

Weekly Menu 9-16-2013

Soup for my lunches: Quick Vegetarian Taco Soup

Monday:  Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup and BMT sandwiches, salad, green beans & fruit
Tuesday:  Chicken and Mushroom Bolognese, garlic biscuits and fruit
Wednesday:  Pork Chops with Corn-Bell Pepper Relish
Thursday:  left-overs/pantry meal
Friday:  Brown Butter Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine Nuts
Saturday:  Pantry Meal: Hamburgers (from frozen patties,) hashbrowns (dehydrated, in the pantry) & sauteed kale (most likely for me only.)
Sunday:  Shrimp and Bok Choy Rice Noodle Soup and bread

Today's Funnies

Both my kids cracked me up today.

(Gosh, I love them so much.)

Let's start with Tyler:

This evening we all took our showers a little early (like before dinner early.) So after dinner we had plenty of time to chill before bedtime.  I asked Tyler if he wanted to go brush his teeth and he said to me, verbatim, "I already did.  I'm just waiting for a TV to turn on and Big Brother right in my face."

He cracks me up!

(and Yes, we watch Big Brother as a family and we are all for Gina Marie.  We haven't watched today's episode since we are one behind so no spoilers in the comments!)

Now on to Lauren:

She cracked me up when I found this picture of her on my phone.

I have it password protected but somehow she realized she could take a picture without punching in the password.

She did this secretly and in retaliation because Matt and I enjoy taking pictures and resetting her and Tyler's screen-savers on their iPods.

Clever Girl!

Some of our screen-saver masterpieces...

If only you could have seen their faces when they discovered we took over their iPods.

 I wonder if L and T think we are as funny as we think we are.

And that my folks, is Today's Funnies.

Poor Romy: Part Two

Today was Romy's big day at the vet.

(no baby Romys in our future)

Poor Romy...

but poor Matt and Christine's wallet as well.

I'm pretty sure the vet made BANK.

$350 bucks to be neutered and have a microchip implanted?!

(I think Matt was cheaper.) tmi?

Next time I may just go buy a rubber-band and do it myself.

Since Romy wasn't allowed to have any food after 8pm the night before, he was a complete brat this morning.  He knocked over his water dish three times and clawed at his food container.

I think he might be a lot like me when I am hungry.  (bratty)

Needless to say, when we got home from the vet Romy was STARVING!

He devoured his food.

After he was done stuffing his face, I gave him his pain medication and he went to chill out in his crate for awhile.

He must be feeling okay now because he just bolted upstairs to hang out with Lauren while she brushed her teeth.  

Poor Romy's going to be just fine.

Picture Day 2013

Can you believe we've already been in school for over one month?!
I don't remember ever starting school as a kid until after Labor Day.
(At least we get a bunch of week long breaks throughout the school year.)

Since we've been in school for awhile we've already had our Picture Day.

Looking pretty in her block dress.

My handsome boy in "scratchy" attire.

 (right after Romy attacked him in between the slats)

This is the one day I can get Tyler to wear something other than an elastic waistband and a t-shirt.  Check it out...I even got him to wear a pair of flip-flops!

Can't wait to see how their pictures turned out.

Tuesday Totals

number of pounds lost this week:  .4

four week total:  9.6

(a loss is a loss is a loss...I'll take it)

K and L Duck Tape stand

 $28:  money L and K made in two days of Duct Tape Wallet sales

way to go girls!

$65:  How much I got for L and T's play kitchen.
(I sold this via a local "yard-sale" Facebook group.)  

I can't believe my children have grown out of the play kitchen.  Like my Mom said,
"It's the end of an era."
L and T, however, had no qualms about selling their kitchen...they were just happy to each receive a $20 bill from the sale.

Weekly Menu 9-8-2013

Happy Birthday Papa and Uncle Kevin!  Another day older but I'm not telling.

Sunday:  Slow Cooker Cuban Sandwiches & Arroz Congri
Monday:  Santa Fe Style Roasted Chicken Salad & tomato soup (from a can...as Lauren requested)
Tuesday:  Lemony Shrimp and Spinach with quinoa & steamed broccoli
Wednesday:  Skinny Beef and Bean Enchilada Casserole  
Thursday:  left-overs & salad
Friday:  Bunco - Matt and kiddos on their own
Saturday:  Chili Rubbed Flank Steak with BBQ Onions
Sunday:  Beef and Bean Soft Tacos (using the leftover flank steak)

Hope everyone has a great week!

Tyler: My little old man in a seven year old body.

Tyler: My little Old Man.

Tyler does not like Uncomfortable Clothes.

Unless the pants are made of silky/sporty 100% polyester material and the shirts are at least 100% smooth cotton he does not like it.

"It feels scratchy."

Even his socks, if they are not worn inside-out, "feel scratchy" to him.

I love my little Old Man.

Tomorrow is school picture day and I bought him (for this very occasion) an outfit from the GAP.  A pair of cargo shorts and a smooth to the touch polo shirt.  He tried it on and with one expression "poo poo'd" the outfit.

Don't worry, he'll be wearing it tomorrow and I'll get a photo.

I love my little Old Man.

---*---

I love my little Old Man and sometimes he says the darnedest things.

When I took Romy (the new cat) to the vet for his shots and initial check-up the Veterinarian said he has some Bengal in him.  I went home and researched the Bengal Cat and shared my findings with the kiddos.  Bengal cats love water.  This makes sense because Romy goes crazy when he finds water.

Today, Tyler found Romy lapping up some water in the dishwasher while I was unloading the clean dishes.  He came to the conclusion that, "Romy must be a dime of that cat who likes water [bengal cat.]"

I guess he meant Romy was not quite a quarter Bengal cat but closer to a dime.

Gosh I love my little Old Man with all his opinions in his seven year old body.

Tuesday Total and the Weekly Menu 9-3-2013

number of pounds lost this week:  3.0

three week total:  9.2

(I can do this.  6 more pounds to go by October 13th to meet my goal to reach a healthy weight for my height/frame.)

Weekly Menu 9-3-2013

Soup of the week:  Broccoli Cheesy Soup (3pts+ per serving)

(I make a big batch of low point soup and eat that for/with lunch during the week.)

Monday:  Skinny Panda Express Egg Rolls & l/o Sheperdopoulos Pie

Tuesday:  left-overs

Wednesday:  Baked Parmesan Sour Cream Chicken & veggies

Thursday:  Stir Fry Imitation Crab & rice (and most likely left-overs for the kids)

Friday:  Buffalo Chicken Bites & veggies & fruit & Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Saturday:  Bunco - Matt and kids are on their own

Sunday:  Slow Cooker Cuban Sandwiches & Arroz Congri (Cuban Rice and Black Beans)

Duct Tape Wallets

Lauren and her friend Kaylee were on a mission this weekend.

I'm not sure how it came up but somehow, between the two of them they decided they wanted to make Duct Tape Wallets...

and they wanted the Sell Them.

They found an on-line tutorial and took it away.

Hard at work making wallets.

(yet still supporting their respective College Football teams)

looking good!

check out the detail in the inside pockets!

 So many wallets to choose from!

They even went above and beyond and designed their own uniforms.

(Yes they are bedazzled with Duck Tape sparkles.)

They will take custom orders.

Just let them know.

(via Me...e-mail/facebook or comment on the blog.)

$1.50 for the large wallets

$0.50 for the small wallets

They will deliver locally for free and will also ship for a fee (the shipping fee.)

proud of these girls:

K and L Duck Tape 

OPEN for BUSINESS