Busy, weather weekend and menu plan

Happy Monday everyone! Today is President's Day and the kids and I are off of school and work today. It feels so good not to have to go into work, although this is going to be a long, busy week at work. 

This weekend ended up being pretty busy as well. Saturday we woke up to ice and freezing rain. The boys ended up going to their dads for the day and Rebecca and I headed down to Athens, Ohio to Ohio University so that she could audition for their school of music. I will say the visit just felt weird. It is hard to explain, but even Rebecca felt like no one wanted to be there and that it was just a weird vibe. She thinks she did well at her audition though so that is what matters. 

When we left O.U,. we headed to their main shopping street and had dinner at Texas Roadhouse. It was a treat, but one that I decided to make as this was her last audition and now it is time to figure out which school will be a good fit for her. The food was amazing and we brought most of it home. All day long it poured rain, but thankfully it never froze. 

Yesterday, I woke up to more rain. Benjamin and I went to church and when we went into church it was starting to be a little freezing rain. An hour later we came out of church to heavy snow. We probably got around 4 inches yesterday morning. Yesterday was a simple at home day. I did some small organizing projects--- like cleaning out my recipe binder and my jewelry box. 

BEFORE--- loose pages, random recipes, etc. 

AFTER-- Recipes organized in groups. The pile on the left side went into recycling. 

I also did some laundry. I made the boys go outside to play as they needed to get some energy out and they haven't had a chance to play in the snow this year as it has been too cold or I wasn't home.   

Today, after I write this post I need to check to see if our snow emergency has been lifted. If it has, I will take Ben to get some blood work done. If not, then I will stay at home and do laundry and maybe read. I also need to get our dinner in the crockpot. Speaking of dinner, lets get on with seeing what I ate and what I will eat this week. Hopefully you can get some ideas from me.  

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What we ate this past week:

SUNDAY:: Homemade Chinese food at our Family dinner at my parents' house

                                        

MONDAY: Pasta Bake

TUESDAY: Soft Tacos

WEDNESDAY: Total girl dinner-- chicken salad on croissants

THURSDAY: Boys had Frozen pizza, I had more chicken salad and Rebecca was at a fundraiser where she had pancakes. 

FRIDAY: Valentine's Day-- Heart shaped chicken nuggets, green beans, pasta, sparkling grape apple juice

SATURDAY:: Rebecca and I went to Texas Roadhouse after her college audition. We took most of the food home. 

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What will we eat this week?:

Sunday: Bratwurst, green beans and macaroni and cheese

Monday: Crockpot Cheeseburger Soup and rolls

Tuesday: Nachos

Wednesday: Homemade subs, chips

Thursday: Kids are with their dad/ Y.O.Y.O-- probably another girl dinner 

Friday: Pizza rolls and fruit

Saturday: The boys are with their father/ YOYO 

What are you eating this week? 

Any ideas for quick or crockpot meals I can make since we are entering play and track season? 

Five on Friday: Valentine's Day and Real Hearts

Happy Friday and Happy Valentine's Day to those that celebrate! I am joining in tonight with Five on Friday hosted by My Creative Life. This week it is all about Valentine's Day and Hearts. 

1. For Valentine's Day, I do celebrate in a small way. This year, I have no Valentine, other than my children so I celebrated them. I made them a nice dinner at home complete with candles and sparking grape juice. I also got them some candy and a new pair of socks each as a treat. Rebecca got Sprite socks. Jacob got Mountain Dew socks and Ben got Yoda socks. The socks came from Dollar Tree. Dinner was heart shaped chicken nuggets, sauteed green beans, Olive oil pasta, and strawberries and grapes. They enjoyed it. 

2. Even though I don't have a Valentine this year, I did receive a little Valentine's Day treat from my boss who gave me some chocolate. It was yummy! 

3. I also made a dessert for Valentine's Day-- a blackberry swirl cheesecake brownie. I saw the recipe last night on Northwoods Scrapbook blog and decided to make them then and there. They are fantastic!

 4. I did buy myself a little Valentine's Day present. Our zoo was holding a fundraiser where you could sponsor a worm and name it and then they would feed it to their sloth bears. I bought a worm and named it after a certain ex, as it was going for a good cause and I thought it was absolutely hilarious. The zoo then sent a video out to see the sloth bear eating the worms. 

5. Finally in other heart related news, that is not Valentine's related, Ben had his cardiology appointment. They found that he does still have a stage 1 A-V block but it has not gotten any worse than when they saw it on his EKG 7 years ago. What they did not like though was that one wall in his heart was thicker than it should be and it is something to keep an eye on. They also did not like that is blood pressure was elevated (they could not get it down below 130) so they sent him home with a 24 hour blood pressure monitor. They also want him to get fasting blood work done in the next few days. If his blood pressure is still showing high on the monitor then we may have to see nephrology since he has a history of kidney issues. 

That is all my ❤ related stuff for this Five on Friday. This weekend is looking to be busy and the weather is supposed to be iffy so it will be an adventure. Ben wants me to go play "Uno Show no Mercy" so I gotta go. Until next time, sending well wishes your way! 

❤

My test results

Happy Wednesday everyone! Yesterday I had my followup medical appointment for my abnormal mammogram. I had to have another mammogram on the right side and an ultrasound on both sides. 

The right side turned out to be absolutely normal and no issues. 

The left side however showed 3 spots that are "probably benign." according to the doctor who read the results. He said that the protocol is to have a follow up ultrasound in 6 months.  In his report he reported that they are "circumscribed hypoechoic mass with no internal doppler signal or posterior acoustic features." These 3 masses are smaller than the size of a pea. He described them as fibroadenomas. 

Needless to say I am still anxious about these findings. Everything that I have read and seen says standard protocol is the waiting 6 months for a followup. It is going to be a long 6 months. 

Track, Weather and What We're Eating

Happy Monday everyone! First of all, thank you for the good thoughts and wishes on my post on Friday. This week I should get some answers and fingers crossed these health things are not a big deal. I do appreciate the thoughts. 

The weekend has come and gone. It was an okay weekend here. Jacob had his last indoor track meet (Rebecca also volunteered to help at that meet) and we got to go to that. Then it was home to do laundry, putter around the house and watch some TV and just go at a slow pace. It was much needed. I got some more decluttering done. 

We also had some wild weather-- including thunder, heavy rain, freezing rain, sleet, ice, etc. When I took the trash out Saturday night their was ice hanging on the tree branches. Thankfully, yesterday the temperatures rose. It is supposed to be a crazy weather week here so we shall see what this week brings. 

This week also marks the beginning of play practice for Rebecca, doctors appointments, etc so meals will be easy, quick, able to be made the night before.... I think you get the picture.  So having a meal plan is going to be essential over the next few weeks, even more so than normally. So let's see what we are going to be eating....

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What we ate this past week:

SUNDAY: Chicken and Cheese casserole, applesauce and broccoli

MONDAY: Ham, Cheddar and Blackberry Jam panini (copycat recipe from a local deli) and onion rings

TUESDAY: Chili and Crackers

WEDNESDAY: Wings and a diet Pepsi. It was a long day. Boys were with their dad. 

THURSDAY: Homemade chicken nuggets, french fries and cucumbers

FRIDAY: The kids had Pizza, I think that I had a sausage sandwich from the freezer as I wasn't hungry

SATURDAY: Chicken fajita plate- chicken, pepper and onions over yellow rice topped with Queso with corn; boys were with their dad.

                                                 

                                             ****************************************************************

What will we eat this week?:

Sunday: Chinese night at my parents' house for family dinner. (We are trying to do this once a month so that all the cousins, and siblings can get together)

Monday: Pasta bake

Tuesday: Beef tacos

Wednesday: The boys are with their dad. I have no idea what Rebecca and I are having

Thursday: Pizza and fruit

Friday: Valentine's Day chicken nuggets, fresh veggies that need to be used, fruit that needs to be used

Saturday: The boys are with their father. Not sure what Rebecca and I will have as she has a music college audition. 

What will you be eating this week? 

Sunday Thought

 

Health stuff and how I am dealing

Happy Friday everyone! It's been a long week and I am so glad it is Friday. This past week was a mixture of emotions, getting things done, and stuff. 

Over last weekend Ben had to have an EKG done. This was ordered by his pediatrician who saw that he had an abnormal EKG when he was in kindergarten and she wanted him to have another in order to sign off on his physical to play school sports. Well, that was done on Saturday and we got the results on Monday. It shows that he has a 1st degree A-V block and that he needs to be evaluated by cardiology. The hospital called today to schedule an appointment for him and he has that appointment next Wednesday. I am not sure what to think. 

Other health stuff has surfaced for me. I have to have a followup mammogram and an ultrasound because they found several spots that they want to look at on my original mammogram. I have that appointment on Tuesday. I am not really sure what I am thinking other than it will be what it will be. I have been avoiding thinking about it honestly. 

So I have been focusing on other stuff--- like cleaning and decluttering. This past week, I cleaned and decluttered my kitchen cabinets. I got rid of lots of things I haven't used in the past 2 years. I didn't take pictures of all my cabinets, but here are a couple that I did. I ended up taking 4 trash bags full of stuff to Goodwill and I have another bag to give to my mom with items she wanted. 

Just a few things that I donated

I have also been slowly decluttering my basement. I think I am down to a box, a bin and an old bed to go through and get rid of. Since January 1, I have taken 15 trash bags full of stuff to Goodwill. It feels so good getting rid of stuff and only having things that I love in my house. 

Speaking of things that I love, I am also surrounding myself with people that I like to be around and can have community with. I have been participating in a Bible study with other women in my church and I love it. Also, this week some of the women have decided to form a book club so I am joining in that as well. Surrounding myself with positive women has also helped my mental health. 

This weekend I will continue to clean house and declutter some. I have laundry to do. Jacob has a track meet tomorrow. Sunday we are supposed to have a family dinner at my parents' house. We are doing a chinese theme dinner. It should be fun. 

So that's what's been going on this week. I have been dealing with a lot and trying to keep moving forward. 

Superiors and Menu Plan

Happy Monday everyone! I hope everyone had a good weekend. Mine was good. Saturday I spent the day with Rebecca at her final solo and ensemble competition. This was for OMEA competition. She sang 2 class A solos and was part of an ensemble. She sang "Come Away, Death" by Quilter and "Ma's Song" by Copland as her solos. Both performances of her solos earned a score of 1 which is Superior and the highest ranking. She sang in an ensemble with all the other Senior girls. They sang "Set Me As a Seal" by Clausen. They also received a score of 1. Very proud of her. It was a good way to end her high school solo and ensemble competition. I think her smile says it all. 

In that craziness on Saturday, I was also able to make up our menu plan so let's get on with our regular schedule program of meal planning. 

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What we ate this past week:

SUNDAY: Creamy Parmesan Italian Sausage Soup with homemade garlic bread

MONDAY: Air fryer thin steak, roasted red potatoes, and green beans

TUESDAY: BLTs, mac-n-cheese, and tomatoes

WEDNESDAY: Hot dogs, baked beans, baby carrots

THURSDAY:: Leftover sides with chicken nuggets

FRIDAY: Pizza and tortilla chips and guacamole

SATURDAY: Raising Cane's for Rebecca and I , the boys were with their father.

                                                 

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What will we eat this week?:

Sunday: Chicken and Cheese casserole, broccoli, applesauce

Monday: ham and cheese paninis with onion rings and apples

Tuesday: Chili with crackers

Wednesday: The boys are with their dad. I am doing chicken wings in the air fryer, carrot sticks, celery and cucumbers

Thursday: Homemade 3 ingredient chicken nuggets, French fries, leftover carrots, celery and cucumber

Friday: Pizza and fruit

Saturday: The boys are with their father. Not sure what Rebecca and I will have. 

What are you eating this week? 

Art on Sunday

 

Sonia Lera Preston (New Zealand, b.1980)

Good bye January. Hello February goals.

 Happy Saturday! And Happy February! 

Was it me, or did the month of January seem to be a whole year long? 

As I entered January, I did set some goals for the month to see if I could be productive in things. I don't know that I ever shared the goals, but here they are and how I did on them (Red is not done, green is done)

• No Spend Month
• Plank a Day challenge
• Hem curtain for my bedroom closet door
• boxes to Goodwill
• Menu plan weekly
• Say Rosary in a day daily
• Complete CDA binder
• Pass the CDA exam
• Pass the CDA exam
• start/create bullet journal for the year
• have blood draw done
• complete doctor appointments
• Read for fun each day
• Blog at least 8 times

SO overall not too bad. Got a lot of work stuff done with the work on my CDA and the around the house stuff. I apparently need to work on my challenges. 

This month, I want to do something similar. So my goals for February are: 

• Beat 15 no spend days
• Complete followup mammogram appointment
• read 2 books
• finish decluttering the basement
• declutter the kitchen cabinets
• menu plan each week
• blog at least 11 times this month
• No Amazon purchases besides cat food and treas
• Exercise 14 times 

I think that this is doable. At least I hope so. 

Are you setting any goals for February? 

Food Sculpture, Auditions, and Off brand Lego vases

Happy Friday. We made it to the end of another and the last day of January. Is it just me, or did January seem to be the longest year ever? Seriously. Today it is wet and rainy here, but at least most of the snow is gone. This week has been crazy at work and home and just busy (I shouldn't be surprised, but it was overall taxing this week.) There really wasn't anything spectacular or crazy that directly affected me, so I thought I would just hop on here and give you three random things from this week. 

      

I mentioned last week that I have been ordering groceries online. Well Friday I picked some up and I had the kids unpack it. Well, I went into the kitchen to find this food sculpture of the snacks and pantry offerings. I just love the garlic on top! LOL

Rebecca had her first college music audition to try to get a spot at Bowling Green State University College of Music. She said she was happy with her audition and to me that is all that matters.  

I have fallen in love with Legos. I got a set of Lego flowers for Christmas and really enjoyed putting them together, but not the price tag. Then I found Brickcraft Bricktanicals which are like Lego but much cheaper. I ordered a daisy, a marigold, and a hydrangea to make. I also ordered a Bricktanials vase. I LOVE how this little bouquet turned out. 

                                                            How is your week going? 

                                                                Wishing you all well! 

Wednesday Thought