Wacky Weather and Wonderful Warm Kitchen

I know many love the cool, crisp air that comes this time of year.  I really do not like it.  I’m sorry.  I don’t.  Aside from getting to wear my big comfy sweatshirt….I don’t really like anything about the fall.  Everything to me looks gloomy.  Especially today.  And yes, I am totally stressing over Hurricane Sandy. 

So, what does make me feel good – is planning out some warm, yummy meals for my family.  It’s the June Cleaver in me.

This week’s menu:

Monday

Ham, Hash Brown Casserole, Green Beans, Apple Crisp and dinner rolls.  The family loves it when I cook a ham.  (I have great luck with the Spiral Sliced hams at Aldi…..and for $14…ya can’t beat it.  Plus it makes great sandwiches the rest of the week). The house smells amazing right now  - the Apple Crisp is in the crock pot doing it’s thing…..

Tuesday

Beef and Veggie Stir Fry with Rice.  I can’t cook all of it ahead but I’ll have all my veggies cut up and I’ll slice the meet really thin and have it all done.  When the boys get home from practice (and hubby is reffing tomorrow night) I’ll thru it all in the wok…the rice will be in the steamer.  De-wish-us as the Bubba says…

Wednesday

Cheesy Chicken in the Crockpot over Noodles.  (This is a new recipe I found on Recipe Zaar.  Since it’s Halloween, I wanted something that I could have DONE and the kids could eat when they wanted to.

Thursday

Crock Pot Roast with carrots, celery and Taters. Ahhh another family favorite and so very easy….I did this one a couple of weeks ago, one packet of italian salad dressing dry mix, one packet of ranch dry mix and one packet of brown gravy – add some water and pop the roast (any type) into the crock pot and COOK!  I’ll add the veggies in an hour or so later….

Friday

For me to suggest anything other than Chile Verde to my kids is just rididculous

Saturday

BBQ sandwiches (I bought extra from the high school and froze it.)  I’ll do baked beans and some slaw.  Whoever does the BBQ for the high school does a great job…..and seriously, it freezes beautifully!

Sunday

Lasagna!  NO great secret here….I really think one of the secrets to a good Lasagna is 1- get Kary Bryant to make one or 2- make it ahead.  For some reason – Lasagna is always better after it sits…Pootie has a Sunday night game at UNCC (5:30 if anyone is interested in coming) and I’ll make it that morning and then we’ll reheat it after we get home.

So, that’s it for now…

Good luck to everyone dealing with Sandy! 

3 year old check up

Today Bubba FINALLY had his 3 year old check up.  (Don’t judge) He was not really happy about going.

Bubba:  I don’t need to go to see Dr. Jenny because I am fine.

Me:  I know, that’s why it’s called a check up. 

Bubba:  But I am fine.  I go to bed every night.  I get my snack, I go upstairs and I go to sleep.  See mom, I am FINE.

How do you argue with that?

His check up was great.  He did talk to Dr. Jenny.  He told her that he liked pineapple and carrots.  And that he didn’t go to school yet, but when he did he was going to his sissy’s school. 

He is very smart – and he told her as much.

He’s come up with some other funny things recently.  I really should be better about writing this mess down.

Yesterday at the Bi-Lo he was pushing one of the little shopping carts.  We got to the end of one of the isles and he stops and says

This is so embarrassing.  I can hardly drive this thing.

Last week.  He was asking Pootie and Crash what they were going to be for HalloWEED (yes, he was calling it HalloWEED until we told him that was WEEN, not WEED)..

Bubba:  Crash, what are you going to be for Halloweed?

Crash:  I don’t know for sure, maybe a gypsy with G (his friend)

Bubba:  Pootie, what are you going to be for Halloweed?

Pootie:  I don’t know Bubba, I’m not sure I’ll go out.

Bubba:  Umm Pootie, I think I have some stuff you could wear.

This past Saturday we all went out for breakfast together to Greg’s BBQ (yes here in the south BBQ places usually are great places to get breakfast – thank you Kerri!) 

Bubba to the gal waiting on our table….

I’d like a HALF order of French Toast please. 

She just starting cracking up – got him his dang half order of french toast.

Funny little guy.

So to sum up his 3 year old check up…

Height – 36 3/4 inches Weight 31 1/4 pounds.  Vocabulary of a teenager. 

But we knew that already  

Le Menu

This week I had a request from Crash for Chicken Parmesan….so that is how we are starting the week’s menu off!

Monday

Chicken Parmesan with a side of pasta and broccoli.  I pounded the stew of the chicken ta-ta’s (which should remind everyone that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month – so if you are do for a ta-ta squishing….PLEASE schedule it NOW!!!  It’s not THAT bad!)..oh yeah, back to the pounding.  So I beat them, then lightly breaded them in Italian bread crumbs (with extra garlic) and then lightly sautéed them.  From there, I plopped them into a large pyrex dish.  Closer to dinner time, I will add homemade prego sauce and cheese and throw them into the over. 

I also went ahead and started cooking some chicken for later this week for tacos.  Figured I was home, so let’s get a jump on things!

Tuesday

Chili and Baked Potatoes!  Yummy Yummy!  And the weather took a turn for more fall like temperatures so this will please the boys coming off the soccer fields!

Wednesday

Chicken Tacos….this will be a build your own and eat it whenever the hell ya want to night.  Pootie and Crash have opposite practice times plus Lola is going to a soccer practice (she thinks she wants to play again).  I need stuff that will be ready at a moments notice….can’t think of anything easier!!

Thursday

Leftovers

Friday

Hubby will be at Robbs, so the kids and I will either 1-venture to Chile Verde (our favorite, duh) OR I might make semi homemade pepperoni rolls (they look like calzones to me) using a recipe I found on (none other than) Pinterest.  I found the dough at my local BI-LO this morning so I’m ready!!! 

Bon Appetite

Dear Santa

So the other day at Walmart Bubba and I went thru a QUICK trip down the toy isles.  Very quick.

He saw this Jake and the Neverland Pirate Spy Glass and had a “fit”.  (Not really because I just don’t do 3 year old fits – this was a fit of joy and excitement!)

 

 

 

I told him that he was not getting it but maybe if he wrote a letter to Santa that it was something that he could bring him. (I don’t know about you, but dang, each year about this time I pay attention to everything that they like so I have ideas for gifts.) 

Well Thursday, he remembered the conversation and promptly started work on his letter…

bubba and santa

Too cute huh? 

(See the way he holds his pen already!?  That’s what happens when you do homework every afternoon with the older kids..) 

And yes, Bubba, there is a Santa “Cwaws” and I am sure that he will make sure it’s under the tree!!!

Soccer Stud

Ronaldo?

No.

Messi?

Nope. Not him either.

It’s Bubba…..watch out world!!! 

Bubba on the field

 

 

And Bubba in the goal…

Seriously – how stinking cute is he?

What’s in store for the week….

OCTOBER 1st.  Can you believe it?  OCTOBER!!!  The menu gets more soups and stews! Yeah! 

My friend Marybeth Whalen, go visit her website she is amazing, has a new plan she is starting this week.  I love it.  MB has inspired me for a while now to take control of the cooking and the money spent trying to cook.….she has 6 kids that go in all different directions, and she is a working mom (she is a writer so she has to have so THINKING TIME). 

It’s all about the planning.  So this week the plan is

Monday – Spaghetti.  Easy and makes everyone happy.  Ground beef, pepperoni and bottled sauce.  If it’s not homemade by my other friend Sheila, my family prefers I not tinker with the bottled stuff. 

Tuesday-Chicken and Dumplings.  Another easy, make in the morning dish – and a family favorite.  With the rain expected the rest of this evening and tomorrow, it’s make it feel more fall like for them. 

Wednesday-Crash has a game at 7:00 and Pootie has practice – so it’s a late night for all.  Crock Pot French Dip Sandwiches and chips…I can (again) put it on early and the kids can eat when they want. 

Thursday- I like Marybeth’s idea of DO IT YOURSELF – so I will offer my gang the same option – they’ll have leftovers….or cereal.  Whatever.   

Friday- Hubby is at Robb’s on Friday nights – so the kids will want to go to our favorite, Chile Verde. 

The rest of the weekend we’ll be scattered so I will be a little less ridged and probably do sandwiches and canned soups.

In other news….it is October 1.  And for lots of the families – it means HYBERNATION. Yep, the dreaded lockdown for preemie baby families to hide from the yucky germs of RSV.  So, to our friends over at BABY PIERCE….we’re thinking about you and want ya’ll to stay GERM FREE!!!  Ours wasn’t horrible, but we didn’t do LOCKDOWN the way we should have – it was hard – 3 significantly older kids….I wonder how others with older kids handle it.  What do you do if you have older kids – who are still little? Preschool scares me more than my own big kids….one of the main reasons that Bubba is not in preschool yet…..too many icky germs!!!  If you, or someone you know is going thru this, or you simply want to understand the world that a preemie family lives in, I HIGHLY recommend checking out my blogger friend Jessi over at LIFE WITH JACK she has amazing insight into the isolation and ways to help maintain some sanity!

So, to all or preemie friends – GOOD LUCK!!!  Remember----internet friends are good friends to have!!

Oh– and here is one of his new favorite past times…the old brio train set that belonged to Pootie and Crash.

The bookends, Pootie and Bubba, hanging out on Friday night together….

And my friend, the Yanky, bought him his own soccer jersey – just like the big boys…and of course when she asked him what number he wanted….NUMBER 7.  “Wike Crash”.  (It’s also Pootie’s favorite number but long story short, he is now 61…get it 6+1.  All about perspective ya know.) 

And – this might now be a big deal to most – but we think it’s awesome.  UNC Charlotte now has it’s own football team…and here is the new stadium – built right smack dab in the middle of the campus.  It’s beautiful… Pootie’s home soccer games are played on the college soccer/track stadium and we’ve loved watching this being built!  I swear, we’re more excited about this than the dang Panthers – geessshhhh.  (FYI, UNCC is one of Pootie’s current top 3 college picks)

 

 

 

And here is Pootie during last weekend’s game up at the UNC Charlotte Soccer Stadium….Can you find him?  (we were sitting up really high under cover because it was raining…and I took this with my phone…)  He is to the left of the mid field flag – which is near the track…see him?  His soccer boots are white and pink….