Traveling Thursday

Thursday was a day of traveling around town... We had our 'session' this morning after a couple weeks off due to ills and auto troubles... We discussed enabling issues... There was a small crack into fixing these things... So, there is hope of change.... I took Linebacker and Peanut to recycling soda cans for money... We had 19 lbs... It had been a while since I'd travel down south to the recycle station... Peanut was complaining of some pain in her mouth so I called the dentist... He's out of town but left the name and number of a back up dentist... I called them and they were able to fit us right in... I picked up Monkey early and we headed to the dentist... Despite them fitting us right in because of a cancellation... I wasn't sure how long it would take and didn't want Monkey sitting worrying when I was coming home... They looked around and couldn't find really much wrong... They did an x-ray and one of her teeth had a spot so they prescribed an antibiotic to clear everything up... I brought her home, gave her some pain meds and she laid down for resting time... We canceled ST for her... We took it easy and all ate soft foods with her that evening...

Weeeee Wednesday

Today was quite the ride of busy excitement... We took the car to a repair man last week... He quoted us a carb and vac system repair to the tune for $450+... I don't know who has that kind of cash laying around these days but we aren't one of them... We said uh we will have to wait and just spend the 45 minutes it takes of fighting with the car to start it and keep it running then proceed to drive around town at the top speed of 10 MPH... I called to vent to my daddy about our auto woes... He suggested a repair... So, when my husband went for an oil change last Saturday he asked the oil change guy if that is something they do... He said if my husband bought the part he put it in for Free! God Bless T... So, my husband picked up the part and I took it to T yesterday and for less then $4.50 we have a 'brand new' car again! All it needed was a new fuel filter... Now we are going 110 MPH I like to tease... ::smirk:: It really does drive that fast but I haven't gone that fast in some time... I usually top out around 90-95 MPH at the highest on the empty interstate... ::grin:: I'm thinking what it is a blessing to not be wealthy at this point in the year because if we did have the money we could have blindly paid that repair man and still have a car that didn't run right... Thank you, God for blessing us and when we thought doors were being closed (unfairly) that other doors opened in the most unexpected places... Patience is definitely a virtue and proves that HE does always provide... We have grown with much Grace during this experience... So, I was able to go to our bi-annual meeting easily (now that the car is repaired) with the psych and the rest Engineer's behavior program team and special needs service coordinators... We caught the psych up on all that has happened since we enrolled Engineer in his program... It was a very good meeting and gives me at least some peace that we did make the right decision... I have struggled as any mother would with this decision... God is still holding me firmly yet gently in his hand during this very tough time... His behavior program can see why we use this psych for our medicine management... They were very impressed with his medicine philosophies (he wants him on as few and doses as small as possible and maybe even some day medicine free, not to mention his willingness to try 'natural' vs chemical treatments), his knowledge of Autism/latest available research as far as treatment/medication management and his passion for Engineer's care... He is the only person who has gave Engineer medication for his needs... He knows him (he's been seeing Engineer since he was 3/4 years old) and our family very well... It showed today in our meeting that we aren't just 'another patient'...He is truly an asset, a blessing and an advocate for him... Thank you, Dr. F... Peanut had ST... She is doing wonderful... We had religious education tonight... It was good to see all our friends again... I worried so much about making it to the various appointments this week because of our auto issues... Yet, again God carried us through and granted me the Grace I needed... I am truly a Blessed woman...

Tasty Tuesday - Chicken Burrito Bundles

Chicken Burrito Bundles

2 lbs chicken, cooked and cubed/shredded
1 pkg Taco Seasoning

2 C. or 16 oz Can Refried Beans (I have a recipe if you like)
1-2 C. Cheese (Cheddar, Jack, Colby/Jack, etc), shredded
2-3 Tomatoes, chopped
1-2 Onions, chopped
Flour Tortillas

Salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees... Place chicken and seasoning in a zip lock bag and shake till coated...

Spread refried beans on a warmed tortilla (they won't break if warm when you got to roll them), top with chicken, cheese, tomatoes, and onions.... Roll up, folding in the ends to contain the filling... Wrap each individually in foil...

Bake for 15 minutes and serve with Salsa....

Side Note: You can make these wrap them in foil... LABEL THEM... ::smirk:: Then pop them in your freezer... You have your own homemade 'freezer section' burritos... They can go straight from the freezer to the oven... Heat until hot in the center... Also, great on the nights when the family eats in shifts because of activities... You can make them up in the morning or the day before.... Sit them in the fridge and when they are ready to eat it's in the oven, to the table and eat...

Mystery Bean - Monday

Today I'm going to relate a funny event that took place today... I went out to my freezer and there were two unmarked containers... I thought they were both Refried Beans... I took the smaller of the two and brought it into the house to thaw for a recipe (will share tomorrow) and to eat with Tacos... Well, you can imagine my surprise after it was thawed I realized... This isn't Refried Beans... It must be Chili... ::smirk:: So, I used them in my recipe anyway... Hey how different is Chili from Refried Beans any way... I'm eating mine not quite sure why it tasted 'sweet'... I asked my husband if he was enjoying his... He said yes and it was ok... I'm like well that sounds off... That statement almost contradicts itself! Today he decides for me to put his 'refried beans/chili' on the side of his entree instead of using it in the recipe... He is eating it as I was folding laundry before he headed off to work... He says something isn't right about this Chili... It doesn't taste like that awesome Chili we just had last month... Why is it sweet? Then we realized... They were BAKED BEANS!!! I put Brown Sugar in my baked beans which would account for the hint of sweetness we were tasting... So, I took it out thinking I'm thawing 'refried beans', used it as 'chili' and in all reality it was Baked Beans... My husband such a trooper eating it anyway... Despite my funny encounter with the 'mystery' bean... It teaches me to ALWAYS label my containers... EVERY time! ::grin::

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

Here are the children in their costumes... Hope everyone had a great Halloween... We had delivery pizza and went door to door Trick or Treating...

Monkey - Dale Jr. Peanut - Chocolate Chip Cookie Linebacker - Snowman The Candy:

Wednesday 28th - Friday 30th

It was another quite and typical week.... We are having car troubles which will hopefully be fixed soon... So other then my daily walks of 0.8 miles... I stayed home... Still setting things up on the new computer... I also took the time to catch up on laundry... Not much else to say really... Hopefully next weeks blog will be a bit more... ::smirk::

Tasty Tuesday

Caroline's Peanut Butter Criss Cross Cookies

2 C. Flour
1 t. Baking Soda
1/2 t. Baking Powder
1/4 t. Salt
3/4 C. Butter, melted
3/4 C. Peanut Butter
3/4 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 t. Vanilla
Sugar and Fork

Mix ingredients together till well blended... I use a 3 T. scoop (we like big cookies) to make mine but you can roll them into balls and place on cookie sheet... Dip a fork in a bowl of sugar and press the tops to make the criss cross pattern (see photo)... Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees...

ENJOY!

Menu Planning Monday 10-26

Here is my monthly menu (about $500 for a family of six) for October 25th - December 5th... ENJOY... Watch my blog for recipes... Some have already been posted as they are family favorites... If you want to find the recipes on my blog click on the 'label' "Recipe" that will take you to them all...

Super Bowl Chili
Chicken Parmesan
Swiss Steak
Chicken Quesadillas
HALLOWEEN Pizza – Delivery
Chicken Burrito Bundles
Tacos
Chicken Oven Baked w Barbecue Sauce
Philly Cheese Steaks
Martha’s Rosemary Fried Chicken
Spaghetti Meatballs
Ham Dinner
Chicken Stir Fry
Sloppy Joes
Chicken Weeknight Pot Pie
Lasagna
Chicken Fettuccine
Cheese Burgers
Thanksgiving
Onion Salisbury Steaks
Chicken Fingers
Tomato Crockpot Beef Roast

Wednesday 21st - Saturday 24th

This week kind of flew by... I was quite busy... However when I look back it's like what did I really do... Funny how life is that way... You are running, running but then when look back you are what exactly did I do? I guess it's just hard to remember things when you were so busy that you didn't even take the time to remember them... LOL... A few things I did were of course laundry, remodeling, baking, cooking, playing with the children, reading books, cleaning (LOL), I spent some time catching up on sleep... We have a 4 day weekend... It's been wonderful! I haven't really gone any where... Just stayed here at home taking care of home... Just a step back away from the run here, run there, kind of life... The Walton's Season 4 has rolled around in my queue so we have been taking time to sit back to a time when things didn't move at the speed of light... So, funny in one episode they are driving and one is saying my goodness how fast are going? the driver replies oh 20-22 MPH! The other replies slow down before you kills the both of us... Can you imagine driving anywhere at less then 25 MPH? Funny how times change... How I wish we could all go back to those simpler times and when everyone knew what really mattered most in life... I know times then were hard but still... Something to think about...

Tasty Tuesday

Chicken Broccoli Cups

2 tubes refrigerated biscuit dough (I always make my biscuits from scratch but not sure how to adapt it to this recipe)
2 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I usually use a blend like Colby/Jack or Cheddar/Jack or mild/white Cheddar)
1-1/3 C. Crispy Rice Cereal
1-1/2 C. Boneless Chicken Breast Cooked, Cubed/Shredded
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup (I used 2 C. Chicken Gravy)
2 C. Broccoli Florets cooked, chopped

Place biscuits in muffin cups, pressing dough over the bottom and up the sides. Add 1 T of cereal and 1 T of cheese to each cup.

In large bowl combine chicken, soup(gravy) and broccoli till well mixed; spoon into cups. Bake at 375 Degrees for 20 minutes... Sprinkle tops with cheese and bake another 5 minutes... Serve...

Yield: Approx 20 Single Serve 'Cups'

ENJOY!

Marvelous Monday

I went to Engineer's 30 day meeting at his program... After enrolling they do a 30 day review... The meeting went very well... He is doing awesome in his program... We wrote his plan for the up coming year till his next review which will be done annually now... We have lots of fun things planned for him and wonderful independance skills for him to work on and master... Hopefully he will graduate from the program soon... However I should not get ahead of myself... It will be many years I'm sure before that... I'm so glad we placed him in this program... Still their are feelings of are we really doing the right thing... KWIM? However I remain very optimistic about the future... It was an otherwise quiet day the rest of the day filled with the usual laundry, and other homesteading duties...

Son Saturday

Engineer 9-1/2 Years Old

Saturday is the day I spend a good part of the day just Engineer and me... Today I took some PICS of his latest 'creations' he made via his train set, Lincoln Logs, and LEGOS...

He is doing much better with his log buildings... He used windows and other accessories this time... Before he just made square and rectangle shapes... Just stacking the logs vs creating something... These look like the ones on the box... This is 'Bob's Yard' from his favorite TV Series Bob the Builder... Weren't they impressive... Next we loaded in the car to check out the 'new' Walmart being built on the south edge of town... He was very excited by the 'Road Closed' sign... He loved to ask me during the entire time there... Why is it closed? He would then answer himself... Because there is no road... He thought that was quite the entertainment...

The other sign that caught his eye was this one... He wanted us to walk and 'find' the Dead End but it was too cold... We saw it from the street that passes by the Walmart... He was thrilled... Shouted to me "it ends at the unloading depot"... LOL!!! His staff is really enjoying his extensive vocabulary in regards to construction and trains... I said well he learned it from his videos... He does... He's like a little sponge soaking up each little detail has he watches the video over and over... It was quite chilly and windy since there is nothing to stop the wind way out there in 'farm' country... We had a great time any way... We also spent time picking up sticks at home, and I found two more pairs of gloves for him... I really need to finish knitting his 'new' hat... We had a wonderful afternoon just us... What to do next weekend? Any ideas?

Fs Friday

Couldn't pick just one F today because today was Full of all kinds of F... First F of the day was Fitness... Do to vehicle issues I walked 1.5 miles so I could complete errands... I first walked to a local parish... Spent a few moments in Adoration... I then dropped off some papers... I started my walk to the bank... I deposited two checks, chit chatted and then I was off again... A short walk over to the grocery store to the 'blue' mail boxes... I dropped in a bill I had been meaning to mail for some time... Next I headed home... I haven't walked this far in a long time... Goodness knows it was good for me... I'm proud of myself... I had doubts that I could accomplish such a task... The next F leads me to Foul Mood... I was extremely unhappy starting Thursday night and most of Friday that I had no vehicle and may not have one for some time... However my mood Flipped when my husband with the help of a coworker brought both vehicles home tonight after work... So, there you have it... My Friday...

Thankful - Thursday

It's been a while since I did one of these and wanted to start up again... So, here is are my Top 10 things I'm most Thankful for this week... I hope it helps to remind you of the little things you are Thankful for too!

1. Plenty of Healthy Food
2. Warm, Dry, Safe Home
3. Freedom
4. Healthy Family
5. Engineer is receiving the behavior help he's needed for so long
6. Quality Medical Services Close to Home
7. Good Friends
8. Love of my Husband
9. My children have 7 living Grandparents
10. Functional Computer and High Speed Internet so I can stay 'connected'

Well Wednesday

All is well here today... I dropped Monkey off... Made a loaf of bread... Ready Linebacker and dropped him off... Picked my husband and Peanut up for our session... Everything went well there... I stood up and took charge... It was definetely better without Linebacker there... Peanut was quiet and barely noticeable... My list was helpful... I left it to be put in the file... Should be interesting to see what happens in our next session... Picked Linebacker up... I have this awful sinus headache just over my left eye... UGH!!! Picked Monkey up... Walked 0.8 miles today... Turned the dryer on several times.. Takes forever to dry a load of jeans... Put Linebackers clothes in the wash... Monkey had ST...

Ts Tuesday

I couldn't just name today Tasty Tuesday because so many other Ts happened to us today... Thrilling day because our Little Flowers / Blue Knights order arrived... We are all ready for year II... I just love this program... I look forward to the day when I can just Travel and start this program in parishes... Sharing my Time and Talent with others... Looks like the Threat that appeared just after Mother's Day will finally be gone hopefully by the end of the month... We should have a letter stating to the fact soon... Woo hoo!!! Today is a double Tasty Tuesday because I'm sharing my Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine Recipe and my Old Fashioned Cookie Recipe...

Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine

1 stick Butter
5 Cloves Garlic, pressed (adjust to personal tastes of garlic)
1-2 pkg Mushrooms, washed and sliced (depending on how mushroomy you like it)
2 C. Milk
1-1/2 C. Powder Parmesan Cheese (I rarely use this form and usually grate my own fresh)
1/4-1/2 C. Flour (thickening sauce)
1-1/2 lbs Chicken, cooked and cubed
16 oz Fettuccine Noodles (cook as directed on box)

Saute mushrooms and garlic in butter over medium heat until tender... Add milk and cheese... Whisk till 'smooth'... Once mixture is warm add just enough flour to thicken and increase heat to medium high... Continue to whisk... After mixture is thicken reduce heat to low and stir in chicken... Stir occasionally till entire mixture is heated through... Combine chicken/sauce mixture and noodles... 8-10 Servings.
Old Fashioned Cookies

1 C. Butter
2 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Brown Sugar, firmly packed
2 Eggs
1/3 C. + 2 T. Milk
2 t. Vanilla
4 C. Flour
2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Salt
Icing
Sprinkles (we call them pretties ::grin::)

Cream butter. Add sugar and eggs, beating well. Stir in milk and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl; add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Chill.

Roll dough to 1/8" thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut into circles (I used a floured biscuit cutter). Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool. Decorate as desired.

Yield: about 5 dozen.

Of course there was all the tantalizing fun of laundry, dishes and diaper changing today... ::smirk::

Moments in My Life - Monday

Here are just a few moments from my life on this particular Monday... This morning I photographed some beautiful snow that is now gone... Wasn't it beautiful?
Here it is on my lilacs:

At moments it was coming down pretty good...
A view down the street:

A lovely up close photo of the individual flakes... Beautiful: I picked up coats for all my blessings and myself today... I'm washing them so photos will be come in a bit... I made Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine... Recipe to come on Tasty Tuesday... Made a few homesteading phone calls... We finished the rest of our 'Family Movie Night' movie... We watched Race To Witch Mountain... Interesting movie... My husband picked it...

Slow Saturday

Kind of a quiet day... I went through Engineer's clothes today... Packed up all the 'warm' things and reorganized all his shelves with all his 'cool' weather things... It should make it easier for dressing for school and dressing for bed... I watched Ladder 49... Pretty good movie... I didn't care much for the ending... I guess not every movie can have a 'happy ending'... Definetely a tissues movie... I didn't expect it to effect me so deeply... I chatted with a friend on the phone and another one in IM... It is good to catch up with friends... The day is gone now... I'm off to throw in a load of laundry, start the dishwasher and head to bed... Night All...

Feeling The Cold - Friday

Brrrr... Winter is coming... We had our first really good frost this morning... Right now our drawers are packed with warm and cool clothes... So, that had to be taken care of today now that it will stay cold and not flip flop back and forth... So, out came all the warm stuff minus one outfit for that odd day and in went all the cool weather stuff... Talk about a PROJECT!!! Whew! Every one's drawers were a messed... We had drawers w/ a pair of shorts in them, t-shirt, pair of jeans, socks, underwear, etc... All in ONE drawer! I'm like no wonder everything looks like it was in a crumpled heap on the floor when you put it on... ::smirk:: I'm glad that is taken care of... I don't know if I updated.... I did some reorganizing and found those missing pieces for the quilt I wanted to work on... I'm ready to sew next week... I only have one appointment and the rest of the days I'm sewing!!! I had my 2nd Women of Grace Study Group meeting today... I just love Johnnette... She is just a breath of fresh air in this flat world I live in... Short post today but changing of seasons is a big task for a family of 6 which I know many of my readers with families of my size and larger can completely relate to... Talk to you all tomorrow...

::before and after PICS to come... need to download them from my camera::

Tasty Thursday - SD Meatloaf Recipe

Since I forgot to post something Tasty on Tuesday and need to go back into the swing of sharing recipes... I thought I'd throw it out on Thursday because I don't have much to write about other wise... Next week Tasty will be on Tuesday with hopes that Thursdays can be Thankful again... ::grin:: We will see how that all goes when we come to it... Engineer had his dental visits this morning with his staff... He did well... They are waiting for his baby teeth to fall out, and his molars to come then we will schedule another sedation dental visit at the hospital so they can clean, x-rays, sealants, etc... He also had his late (we switched drs this year) 9 year well check with staff there... He recieved a seasonal flu shot... It is part of their policy... I don't agree with it... It will be interesting to see what his reaction is if any to it... I wonder how much mercury the current flu shots have in them... So, everyone has been introduced for future appointments... Peanut had ST today... She is doing so well... She's working on F and S sounds... I spent a good part of the day hunting for a remote... They need to put tracking devices on these things... ::smirk:: I can't seem to find it any where... I have the Notebook (yes i know I'm so 'outdated) which I have never seen but people keep talking about how 'great' it is so I'm watching it... ::grin:: I also have Ladder 49... I'm very excited to see that... Off to watch netflix... Enjoy the recipe...

South Dakota Meatloaf (never made this before till this month)
by Best of Taste Of Home 2009

1 Egg
1/3 C. Evaporated Milk
3/4 C. Quick-Cooking Oats
1/4 C. Chopped, Onion
2 T. Worcestershire Sauce (I never buy this and just use Steak Sauce)
1 t. Salt (I always leave this out unless baking)
1/2 t. Rubbed Sage
1/8 t. Pepper
1-1/2 Lb Ground Beef (I will use 2 lbs so it will hopefully last 2 days)
1/4 C. Ketchup

1. In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture, and mix well. Press into an un greased 8" x 4" loaf pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1-1/4 hours; drain.
2. Drizzle with ketchup; bake 10 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink and meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.

Yield: 6 Servings

Comments:
Lauree Buus - Rapid City, SD
"I've tried other versions of meat loaf, but I always end up coming back to this one. It's based on my mother's traditional recipe."

What A Day - Wednesday

It was one of those days... ::smirk:: It was picture day at school... School picture prices are ridiculous! I hope they turned out well... I'll share when they come in... This year we have Engineer and Monkey in public... I will have Peanut and Linebacker's done in a private session locally... I need to schedule that before our membership expires and I lose my discounts... eekk! Sitting Fees are killers! I just seriously want a break from appointments so I've been putting off setting up a day/time for that... Time is ticking... Some things I'd like to share with my blog readers but not sure how to word them because this is a public form... So, if I struggle with things and they sound kind of cryptic I know you my regular readers understand... Let's just say this mornings 'session' started off very well then went quickly down hill... ::sigh:: Hopefully the next one will be better... I've talked to a few friends in detail and I need to just step up and say what needs to be said at the 'sessions' or it's just a waste of time because REAL change needs to happen... I've come to a point where it's A. just give up and live with things the way they are and forget about any hope of change, B. leave and say forget it's not worth fighting to change/can't live with it unchanged any more, or C. step up and despite the consequences make change happen because things can't continue this way any longer... Sorry for the repetitiveness... I seem to lose my vocabulary when I'm upset... ::sigh:: A girlfriend of mine and I have a plan and hope to start working on it so I'm ready when the next 'session' rolls around... I'd appreciate any prayers... I'm usual so very assertive yet this has my knees shaking... Monkey had ST and that went well... Don't you just love how I just blink change subjects... ::grin:: Sometimes I'm hard to follow... Sorry, just how my mind works... We had our first CCD class tonight... It was good... I was wondering why the 'theme' was You've Got Mail... We learned/will be teaching this month at home about "Epistles" which pretty much means 'old letter that was read to large groups of people'... Pretty creative of the curriculum writer... Next month is "The Final Coming" sounds pretty foreboding... ::smirk:: Should be interesting... I made Chicken Enchiladas... I signed the children up for the Epiphany Play... It will be our first year... I'm excited... I guess that is pretty much what today consisted of... Catch ya again tomorrow...

Mixed Up - Monday / To Do List - Tuesday

Monday was kind of an off day... I went to an appointment only to find I had remembered and wrote down several times the wrong day... I caught up on laundry... I reorganized my quilting drawers... I guess a while back the children knocked it over and my husband being helpful picked it all up but everything was mixed up... I also realized I'm missing 10 pieces of fabric for a quilt I had planned on working on... That's frustrating... I rested in the afternoon/evening... I have a little bit of a cold...

I rested most of the morning... I still have that cold... It's about the same as it was yesterday... I ran a ton of errands today... One place had a waiting time of almost 2 hours before I could be helped and take care of why I was there... It was downtown... I was in 1/2 hour parking and ran out and moved to 90 minute parking... Glad I didn't have to move again... It is all taken care of so I'm glad I took the time to just wait it out... It was really bothering me that I hadn't been able to do this last Thursday/Friday... I dropped off paper work at a couple of places... It was another thing that had been bothering me that I wasn't able to take care of last week... I dropped off donations to a local clothing pantry... I went to the post office to mail bills and my brother's birthday gift... I stopped in person and paid our car insurance... It is due within a few days once the month begins so by the time payday comes and everything I rarely have time to mail it... I'm glad the office is only a few blocks from our house... I shopped at Walmart for this years supplies of undershirts and PJs... I found Peanut's Christmas Eve PJs... I know she is going to be excited when she sees them... I picked up an electric pencil sharpener... Our manuals have been just eating the pencils... It will make homework pleasant... We have been using pen... I made sausage gravy n' biscuits and chicken enchiladas today... I need to get the laundry moving again...

Shopping - Saturday

Shopping is the prefect term to describe today... I shopped nearly all day long... First place I went to was Walmart to restock our pantry... I arrived at 11:45 AM and left at 2:15 PM... I didn't realize how long I'd been in there till I came home and saw the time... WOW! I rested for a bit after unpacking... Next I picked up Engineer and we headed to Sam's... We were in there about an hour... We dropped off my Netflix in the box and then I dropped him off... Roofer came by to see if he could find the leak... Our main roof is shot... Looks like we will be replacing that in the spring most likely... UGH! He is sending us some estimates on costs... It will be twice what the kitchen repair was because that was only 3-4 squares of shingles and the main roof will be 9 squares most likely... I rested for a few hours while my husband took the middle ones to the library and run errands... When he came home I finished up the last of the shopping at the grocery store... Another 90 minutes of shopping... We have about 10 things I couldn't find at my usual locations that I will have to search for around town for but we are fully stocked! The pantry, freezer, fridge, you name it... It's packed... This months budget was $500 since I had to restock many of our 'staples'... The rest of the month will be a perishable here and a gallon of milk there and that's it as far as shopping in concerned till after November 7th... Look for my new monthly menu that week from Oct 25th- Dec 5th... After all that shopping we cleaned cabinets, drawers and shelves so we could pack away all our purchases of the day... Amazing all the junk you can collect... LOL!! Have a great rest of the weekend...

Guardian Angels

St. Michael the Archangel

Guardian Angels

The term guardian angels refers to the belief that each person has an angel who is available to shepherd their soul through life, and help bring them to God. Belief in the reality of angels, their mission as messengers of God, and man’s interaction with them, goes back to the earliest times. Cherubim kept Adam and Eve from slipping back into Eden; angels saved Lot and helped destroy the cities of the plains; in Exodous Moses follows an angel, and at one point an angel is appointed leader of Israel. Michael is mentioned at several points, Raphael figures large in the story of Tobit, and Gabriel delivered the Annunciation of the coming of Christ. The concept of each soul having a personal guardian angel, is also an ancient one, and long accepted by the Church.

The feast celebrating the angels who helped bring us to God began in many local calendars centuries ago, and was widely known by the 16th century. Pope Paul V placed a feast venerating the angels on the general calendar on 27 September 1608. Ferdinand of Austria requested that it be extended to all areas in the Holy Roman Empire. Initially placed after the feast of Michael the Archangel, it was seen as a kind of supplement to that date. Pope Clement X elevated the feast, celebrated 2 October, to an obligatory double for the whole Church. On 5 April 1883, Pope Leo XIII raised the feast to the rank of a double major.

Prayer to Your Angel Guardian

Angel of God,
my Guardian dear,

to whom His love commits me here,

ever this day be at my side,

to light and guard,

to rule and guide.
Amen.

Full Friday Changed To Free Friday

I had a whole lot of things I was going to do today... I am not going to do them... I going to stay home all morning and not leave the house and relax... After the anxiety/panic attack of worrying/stressing about doing everything today in the short period of time I had available to do them... I decided I'm not going to do it... I'm not going to be all stressed out... I said tomorrow I'm not doing it... This is not good for me and it's not taking care of me... I need to take care of ME right now... So, we all slept in this morning... Monkey, Peanut and Linebacker all slept till 9:30 today... Sure beats quarter after 7! I'm not a morning person so 9:30 is still early for my standards... ::smirk:: I will go out in about an hour to put some money in the bank and drop off some papers but then after that my day off begins again... I'm going to spend my day doing the things I enjoy like cooking my family a delicious meal (Santa Fe Chicken), folding fresh smelling laundry (too much rain to hang out so I will have to settle for warm dryer), if the mood strikes me I might even sit down and sew a bit... Tonight after dinner I'm going to sit down with hot air butter popcorn and watch a movie... A night of laughing with my children is just what I need... Everyone have a wonderful beginning of the weekend...

Thankful to be Blogging Again - Thursday

Things have been mostly good... Engineer is doing well (photos below)... The other children are doing well also... Linebacker has a bit of the sniffles but with the weather/season change that is expected...

Monkey and Peanut had well check ups... They are doing good... Peanut is on the small side (20s %) but healthy... Monkey is right on for the average (50s %)... Nothing too exciting... We declined the H1N1 vaccine and seasonal flu vaccine...

We had some reworking of our finances but looks like we will make it financially with God's graces to our goal of February (tax refund)... God willing we might be better off then we have been in a long time... September to February is our hardest part of the year financially...

I'm looking forward to the holidays with much optimism... I praying for a different kind of holiday where we focus on the true meaning vs the societal/commercial views of the holiday...

I'm still working on my self improvement plan of taking care of myself... No more burning the candle at both ends...

Goal 1: Sleep 8-10 Hours a night with the rare exception of less...
Goal 2: Eat 3 meals and 1 snack at regular intervals not all in 1 hour in the late afternoon/evening...
Goal 3: Have 20 minutes of uninterrupted of alone time every day...
Goal 4: Take care of personal needs daily or every other day...
Goal 5: Remember I am a person and deserve all the above the same as anyone else in this family....

I will update and change the goals when goals are accomplished and well established as habits...

Engineer had a psych appointment and introduced his new staff to Dr. F... It went well... Dr. F. is excited to work with the staff and together as a team help Engineer...

I didn't do all I wanted today but the weather is icky... Rainy and very chilly... I think staying home was the best option... Hopefully I can squeeze my tasks into my already stuffed Friday tomorrow... I've been doing a ton of laundry... Fell a bit behind this week but picked up on other things like unloading, loading, and running the dishwasher by 8-9 PM instead of turning it on at 1-3 AM and heading off to bed... I loved to be quilting today but my sewing desk is in the perfect location and height to be a catch all... I cleaned it off today...

Before:

Sometimes when you are cleaning you should never ask yourself "I wonder what is behind X?" You may not like the answer.... LOL...

Behind:

Not too bad right? Could have been worse... See that brown paper bag? That's my brother's birthday present... Purchased 4th July weekend while we were at the Teddy Roosevelt National Park... His Birthday's the 8th of July... I'm mailing in a few days... Opps... At least I found it... I tore the house apart a few times in search of it and never found it... Now I know why... ::smirk::

After:

Like my new 'lamp'... Birthday present... Gives just a little bit more light on my working surface... There is a 'room' light but it casts shadows since it is a chandelier behind me...

Also, for my birthday I picked up this because I thought oh that's kind of neat... What do you think I should use it for? Leave me a note in my comments section... Thanks! (Size: 10-1/2" square)

Closed:

Open:

As promised recent PICS of Engineer:

Last Group Photo Taken:

St. Therese of Lisieux

Saint Therese of Lisieux

Therese Martin was the last of nine children born to Louis and Zelie Martin on January 2, 1873, in Alencon France. However, only five of these children lived to reach adulthood. Precocious and sensitive, Therese needed much attention. Her mother died when she was 4 years old. As a result, her father and sisters babied young Therese. She had a spirit that wanted everything. At the age of 14, on Christmas Eve in 1886, Therese had a conversion that transformed her life. From then on, her powerful energy and sensitive spirit were turned toward love, instead of keeping herself happy. At 15, she entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux to give her whole life to God. She took the religious name Sister Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Living a hidden, simple life of prayer, she was gifted with great intimacy with God. Through sickness and dark nights of doubt and fear, she remained faithful to God, rooted in his merciful love. After a long struggle with tuberculosis, she died on September 30, 1897, at the age of 24. Her last words were the story of her life: "My God, I love You!" The world came to know Therese through her autobiography, Story of a Soul. She described her life as a "little way of spiritual childhood." She lived each day with an unshakeable confidence in God's love. "What matters in life," she wrote, "is not great deeds, but great love." She lived and taught a spirituality of attending to everyone and everything well and with love. She believed that just as a child becomes enamored with what is before her, we should also have a childlike focus and totally attentive love. Therese's spirituality is of doing the ordinary, with extraordinary love. Therese saw the seasons as reflecting the seasons of God's love affair with us. She loved flowers and saw herself as the "little flower of Jesus," who gave glory to God by just being her beautiful little self among all the other flowers in God's garden. Because of this beautiful analogy, the title "little flower" remained with St. Therese. Her inspiration and powerful presence from heaven touched many people very quickly. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 17, 1925. Had she lived, she would have been only 52 years old when she was declared a Saint. "My mission - to make God loved - will begin after my death," she said. "I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses." Roses have been described and experienced as Saint Therese's signature. Countless millions have been touched by her intercession and imitate her "little way." She has been acclaimed "the greatest saint of modern times." In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared St. Therese a Doctor of the Church - the only Doctor of his pontificate - in tribute to the powerful way her spirituality has influenced people all over the world. The message of St. Therese is beautiful, inspiring and simple.

Two Great Alternative 'Scout' clubs For Catholic Girls/Boys:

Little Flowers Girls' Club® is a four year Catholic program for girls ages 5 and up based on learning Catholic virtues through the lives of Catholic saints, Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Developed by a Catholic mom of eleven, Rachel Watkins, and based on Fr. Lasance's Catholic Girls' Guide, the Club strives to bring the Catholic faith alive and inspire the girls to become authentic Catholic women.

Little Flowers Girl's Club® Blog

Blue Knights Catholic Club is a boys' club aimed at teaching the truths of the Catholic faith to boys through Scripture, saints' biographies, games, crafts and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Based on the popular Little Flowers Girls' Club, this four year program developed by Major Dan McGuire maps out nine virtues for boys ages 5 and up in the first year, and then follows up with three years covering nine catechetical lessons each.

Blue Knights Catholic Club Blog

Menu Planning 9-27/11-7

Here are the meals I have planned for September 27th - November 7th (some are repeats because I never made it last month {too much food didn't need it} or because I doubled it and froze it or because we just love it)... 99% of it is homemade and I would be happy to share any recipes... ENJOY!

September 2009
Lasagna
Chicken Oven Baked w/ BBCue Sauce
Onion Salisbury Steak

October 2009
Santa Fe Chicken
Chow Mien
Chicken Enchiladas
S. Dakota Meatloaf
Chicken Fingers
Stuffed Broiler Burgers
Chicken Tetrazzini
Super Bowl Chili
Chicken Parmesan
Tomato Crock Pot Roast
Chicken Broccoli Cups
Beef Stir Fry
Mr. Food
Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine
Sloppy Joes
Chicken Quesadillas
HALLOWEEN Pizza -Delivery

November 2009
Tacos
Chicken Burrito Bundles
Swiss Steak
Rosemary Fried Chicken

We Begin Again - Wednesday

I'm going to take a blogging break then begin regular blogging again on Thursday, October 1st... See you all then...

?

I can't even think of a subject for today... It is just not going to be a good day and I've been wake barely 2 hours... Engineer is exhibiting one of his worse behaviors and we can't even ready him for school... There isn't much more I can say... I would appreciate any prayers... Thank you...

Wealth Wednesday

After a day like today... I am truly a woman of wealth... I am rich in so many things... It was my 30th birthday... Today started out like any other day... I walked the boys to school... Peanut, Linebacker and I went to finish Peanut's ECSE testing... We will have the results next week... We came back home and rested a bit before I opened my first birthday present... It was an Electric Griddle...
::insert photo here::
I cooked bacon and eggs on it... They were delicious!! It is the prefect size, easy to use and the food tasted great... I can't wait to make pancakes for the whole family on it... I can cook 8 eggs individually at one time on it... We looked at the box and saw our bacon was the same size as the one on the box... How funny is that... My husband then took Peanut out to finish the birthday shopping... Linebacker and I relaxed at home before walking to pick up the boys... I had a potato salad snack... I didn't want to eat too much because I had a fancy birthday dinner all planned out not to mention cake... ::smirk:: Linebacker and I picked Monkey and Engineer up from school... Monkey had ST... He did well.. It was also his first 'library' day... When Peanut and my husband returned home... I went out... I went to Walmart to finish the rest of our monthly shopping of staples and last minute things needed for dinner... I also ran in Sam's real quick for fries, chips and the last of chicken for dinner on the menu plan... I headed home and we started cooking... The menu I created for my birthday was...

Ribeye Steaks w/ Steak Seasoning Charcoal Grilled then Topped with Teriyaki Mushrooms and Sauteed in Butter Onions

Parmesan Roasted Red Potatoes (recipe below)

Salad (Leaf Lettuce, Carrots, Onions (raw), Shredded Colby/Jack Cheese, Tomato Wedges, w/ Provolone and Summer Sausage Garnish) w/ Raspberry Hazelnut Vinaigrette Dressing

To Be Continued (life happened... ::grin::)

Thrilled Tuesday

I am so proud of myself... I finished 3/4 of the food shopping today at my favorite little store by my house... I still have $150 of the 'budget' still left to pick up the rest of the staples tomorrow at Walmart... We are feeding a family of six, 3 meals a day (minus school meals for the older two) on less then $400 a month (plus misc perishables we will pick up throughout the month)... I feel great!!!! That is what menu planning is meant to do... Cut your grocery bill... We have been know to spend $600-800 in a month or more!! Isn't that obscene... Considering our income, a lot of that would be put on credit then we are paying interest on something we ate months ago... We just weren't planning like we should... Our family doesn't need to spend almost 50% of our monthly income on FOOD! I'm very excited about my birthday but still have no idea what to tell my husband to buy for my birthday... He's running out of time to shop... ::smirk:: Peanut had speech today and is doing very well... They are working on adding the F sound on to the end of words now... Her therapist is so impressed with how she is picking up each new thing they try so quickly... I scrubbed the climber (ours is 'primary' colors, was purchased when Engineer was 20 months old) out back with my fancy soap that works miracles... I will work on it more on Thursday... I also washed a few windows... The weather here is beautiful... I also knitted a bit on Engineer's hat... It's slow going... I hope to have it finished before his big day in a couple weeks...

Many Lists Monday

It was a quiet day... I ran to the store and the bank... My husband had a dental appointment... Peanut had speech today because her regular day has an appointment so we moved it... I worked on several lists today as it is the beginning of the month... So, I had to make perishables list, freezer/pantry list, and non eatables list... I had a mom's night at my house with some friends... I made a new grilled chicken recipe... ENJOY!

Golden Glazed Fryer

8 Thighs and 10 Legs (2 nights worth for our family) or 3-4 lb Broiler/Fryer Chicken, cut up

1/2 C. Oil
1/2 C. Cider Vinegar
1 Egg, lightly beaten
Chicken Seasoning
Salt/Pepper to taste

Coat grill rack wit nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill. Preheat grill. Grill chicken skin side down, covered, over medium heat for 15 minutes. Turn; grill 15 minutes longer. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients; brush over chicken. Grill for 5 minutes. Turn and brush with glaze; grill 5 minutes longer or until meat thermometer reads 170 degrees in the breast and 180 degrees in the dark meat. Discard unused glaze.

Simple Saturday

My husband had to work today so we didn't go any where or do anything... Our new Netflix discs came so we watched Little House on the Prairie the last disc of the 1st Season... We spent some time outside... Not much else really to say... Just a simple day...

Friends Friday

Boys were off to school... Peanut went to test to see if she qualifies for any services or not... I have a feeling with all her gains she won't be in ECSE this fall... That is a good thing because she will be able to spend a whole year with Mommy before starting Kindergarten... She has shown an interest in knitting so that will be our fun 'girl' project we are going to do this year... Once the cool weather comes we are going to quilt together if she shows an interest and maturity for such an activity... She finished all her early childhood testing except for a few things... She will do those when she meets with the speech therapist next week.. The teacher who tested her and the speech therapist both worked with her all year last year and they also worked with Engineer his first year of ECSE... So, they know us well... Today is our 5th Anniversary for our marriage convalidation... We didn't do anything exciting to celebrate it... We watched half of Forever Young... We do more on our civil anniversary (10 years this year) which will arrive in a few months... I dropped the bars off at a friends to be taken to the parish bake sale... We rested and picked Monkey up from school... On Friday's respite staff picks Engineer up directly from school... We walked from school to home to drop off things then walked to our friend's garage sale... We were there 2 hours... I found 2 dresses for Peanut and if we can switch the handle from our wagon to theirs we will have a new wagon too!!! I had planned on heading over to MN for Play Date at the Park but the van was acting funny so we stayed close to home... We walked back home and did 'mail'... Thank you to my friend (and blog reader) for the wonderful card... It was special to read it... ::smile, tear:: Yes, I will try to be as prompt as I can be with updates so you and all my readers know what is going on here... Remember my some times cryptic messages are because this is a public forum... Always feel free to email me for the decoded version... ::smirk:: We had our first Sloppy Joe dinner... We also had Alfredo broccoli noodles and steamed broccoli... All the children went to sleep without much fuss... Woo hoo! I walked 16 blocks (1.6 miles) yesterday... Go me!!! I transferred my chicken scratch menu planning into a printed version... I design the layout... I also now have a complete respite schedule till move in day that I also designed (layout for that too) and printed copies for every one... My program I usually use I can't find the disc to install it on this computer... I didn't like any of the 'free' ones I could download so I just designed my own 'form' to fill in, that's printable, in the word processing program...

Menu Planning 8-28/10-4

Here are the meals I have planned for August 28th - October 4th... ENJOY!

August 2009
Sloppy Joes
Grill
Golden Fryer Chicken

September 2009
My Birthday: Steaks, Grill
Chicken Fingers
Tacos
One Dish Chicken
Spaghetti
Chicken Enchiladas
Grill
Chicken Tetrazzini
Mexican Casserole
Weeknight Pot Pie
Lasagna
Baked BBCue Sauce Chicken
Homemade Pizzas
Thanksgiving in A Pan
Tomato Crock Pot Beef Roast

October 2009
Santa Fe Chicken
Onion Salisbury Steak

Tasty Thursday

It's been a while since I shared a recipe and I will share two today to catch up... ::smirk:: First I will update on the days events... We had our monthly pow wow with all of Engineer's service providers... Those who are uninvited were there... When we shared our latest news about the placement you could see the winds were taken right out of their sails... Should be interesting if they continue to harass us as they have been... They are supposed to call to set up an appointment to finally go over paperwork that we should have been given a month ago... Hopefully they will crawl under the rock that they came out from under and leave us alone!!! We set up another meeting with the placement people to talk about who great Engineer is and all his likes... School will also be in attendance to talk about what structure supports they used to help his day run more smoothly... What an exciting time in his life... I picked the boys up from their 2nd day of school... They had another awesome day... TBTG!!! I didn't have staff tonight so I filled our night with the baking of 4-1/2 dozen bars (recipe below) for the Parish bake sale this weekend... I also made from scratch Sloppy Joes (recipe below) to have for dinner Friday and Saturday... I worked on a monthly menu plan... I worked out dinner for August 24th - October 4th... Isn't that awesome? I am trying out several new recipes and will be sharing them... All that's happening with Engineer we will have to make some changes around here... It's also part of my Burn Out repair program... I walked 8 blocks (0.8 miles) today.. It feels good to be walking again... Peanut had her 2nd speech therapy at the new time... It went very well... We will be adjusting the schedule next week due to appointments I can't move... I worked on Engineer's hat a bit... Almost ready to make the brim... Here are the recipes... ENJOY!!!

Caroline's Bars:

2 Eggs
2 C. Sugar (I use cane not beet)
2 C. Creamy Peanut Butter (PB)
1 t. Vanilla
1 bag of your choice of chips... I made one with PB and one with chocolate...

Combine the first 4 ingredients until well blended... Stir in gently the chips... Press into a 9x 13 pan evenly... Bake 20 minutes (watch so they don't burn on the edges) in a 350 degree oven... Cool completely... Cut into bars...

Approx 56 bars (if I cut the pan evenly ::smirk)

Sloppy Joes

2 lbs Hamburger browned, drained
1 Med-Lg Onion, coarsely chopped, sauteed in butter*
2-4 cloves Garlic, pressed*
1 C. Ketchup
3 T. Steak Sauce*
3 T. Brown Sugar
2 T. Mustard
2 T. Cider Vinegar

Place browned meat in crock pot... Add remaining ingredients and stir well till meat is well coated... Add 1/2 - 1 C. of water if needed... Cook on High 1-2 hours or low 2-4 hours... Serve 2-4 T. of Sloppy Joes on Buns with Cheese and Mustard (as desired)...

*Onion, Garlic depend on personally taste as to how much you put in...
* Steak Sauce - Recipe calls for Worcestershire Sauce which we never use so we use Steak Sauce (A1 or Generic)...

ENJOY!

Wee Ones Wednesday

Today was the first day of school... It went great... Everything was remember and on time for both the start and end of the day... Both boys had fabulous first days... I am very pleased... Engineer was picked up for his month psych appointment... It went well also... I cooked a nice breakfast for myself, my husband, peanut and linebacker... We had omelets with shredded cheddar cheese and grilled onions that were leftover from the kabobs when we had steak and a sausage patty... I brought in breakfast from the freezer for tomorrow and Friday... I caught up on the tons of laundry... I even hung out a load on the line to air dry... I need to go and bring that in when I'm done here... I also walked 12 blocks (or 1.2 miles) today... Woo hoo!!! I haven't walked in weeks... I hope to walk another 8 blocks (0.8 miles) tomorrow... Depending on how the meeting goes with the uninvited will probably have an effect on how much I accomplish tomorrow... Hopefully we can put the unwanted in their place... ::scowl:: Off to laundry, work on Engineer's hat and bed...

Tidy-Up Tuesday

Today was whip the house in shape to show it to the realtor so he could make an estimate as to it's market value.... He was impressed with all the projects we have completed and the ones we are mid way through... Still a lot of work to be done before it is ready to sell... After he was done my husband and Monkey went out to take care of some errands... Peanut had ST at her new time... She is doing fantastic... I went out to run a few errands myself with Engineer... Nothing fancy... We stopped at the library to return a book and the mailbox to drop another Netflix envelope in the mail... It was a pretty uneventful day... Baths and off to bed for the children... I'm going to work on a bit of Engineer's hat and then it's off to bed for me... We have a early morning tomorrow... Should be an exciting day!

Marvelous Monday

Today was pretty fantastic... Lots of good news has been coming our way lately... I ran out for errands to the bank, church and grocery store for a few misc. items like juice, eggs, bananas, milk, and bread... I'm feeling unusually optimistic of the future... I had a great sense of inner peace all day today... Tonight was back to school night... I'm taking a year off this year from homeschooling and sending the children to public... Engineer is in 4th grade and Monkey in 1st grade... We toured the school which has been newly remodeled... I think they are both going to have a really good year... They are both excited to start in a few days... I had a ton of paperwork to fill out... YECK! I finished it all up and packed it away in their backpacks to bring to school on the first day... I am a sweaty mess because they don't have central air in the school only a few rooms like the library, office and lunch room I think one of the teachers when I commented they didn't have the air on... I am off to shower...

Saturday-Sunday

I was still not feeling well either yesterday or today... Engineer was upset because the air show is in town and the jets have been zooming across the sky... Fr. W. had a fantastic homily... Linebacker's fever is finally starting to go away... Fr. W. gave him a blessing after Mass... We ate subs and watched the air show from the sub parking lots with the younger children on Sunday... I have finished Peanuts, Monkey, and Linebacker's winter hats and currently working on Engineer's... We watched Nim's Island for our family movie night on tonight... We have a Yes and final move in date for Engineer... We will meet soon to talk out more of the details and start setting up dates to being the transition... He is very excited... I am excited too... I can't wait to see how much this helps him...

Frantic Friday

Today I had more then I care to have to do in one day... It started with a 3 hour visit to the ER because Linebacker had a fever of 103... They gave him a Tylenol suppository and sent us home (1:30 AM)... I chatted with my husband about what all we had to do tomorrow and finally fell asleep (2:00)...I woke up after only a few hours of sleep (8:00) to take Monkey to his last day of VBS (9:00) at the Cathedral... I stayed with him while we watched a picture slide show of the children that week participating in various activities... The parents then listened to the children sing a song... Off we ran to the next thing... We then arrived at home to take the van to the mechanic (10:00) to see if he could figure out what was going on with it... It as back home for just a bit then I packed their lunch to drop them off in the drop in child care while my husband and I went to an appointment... Again I was off an running (10:35)... I headed back home to pick up my husband to leave for our appointment (11:30)... We arrived at our appointment (11:50) and it went very well... Back to the mechanic (1:25 PM)... It wouldn't do what it was doing for us so we said we would take it to run errands and bring it back and hopefully it would do it's 'thing'... Picked up Monkey and Peanut {Linebacker stayed w/ us the whole time} (1:50)... Next we headed off to errands... We stopped at 4-5 different places... We went back to the mechanic (3:00)... The van did it's 'thing'... Mechanic dx the problem as the 'crank sensor'... Which since the "geniuses" who designed the thing put it in an awful place would cost us $200... We said ok and left it there to 'fix' itself so we could drive it back home (3:30)... We won't be repairing it for now and will just deal with this latest annoying 'quirk'... We unloaded and worked on dinner... We picked the van back up (5:25) and brought it home... My husband and Peanut went out to run errands while Monkey stayed home to help me out with Linebacker because I had a horrible sinus headache and at that point could barely see... When they came home it was baths (7:00) and all that jazz then off to bed (8:00)...

Truthful Thursday

I am either burning out or headed on a fast train to burn out... I'm putting on the breaks but feel like I'm going to hit that burn out brick wall at any moment... ::sigh:: I'm just feeling overwhelmed and hard to tell which way I should go...

Are you burning out? <~~ link to quiz

Your score indicates that you have many signs of burnout

People that score in this range sometimes have trouble coping with the demands of daily life. They often feel overwhelmed. They sometimes lack energy and are unable to manage stress. They have trouble sleeping and have many physical complaints.

People who score in this range are not usually able to set realistic and attainable goals for themselves. They can be pessimistic about their work and future. They are often unable to relax and enjoy their non-working time. They have a very difficult time separating work life and home life.

People who score in this range cannot typically control and recognise their feelings or act on them appropriately. They sometimes have difficulty learning from their mistakes. They often lack compassion and respect for other people. They can feel isolated and alone.

People who score in this range can be excellent workers. However, because of their desire to get ahead they often take on too much work and responsibility. They often become so overwhelmed that they lose their focus and are not able to do their best work. They can become confused about what is expected of them and become distressed when they feel they are not living up to assumed expectations. They can become bitter, angry and resentful.

However, there is hope for people on the verge of burnout so don't give up! You can regain control and begin to enjoy your work again. People who score in this range can decrease their level of burnout by setting realistic work goals, making time for themselves, exercising, being open to the idea of changing jobs, reading books about handling stress, keeping a diary, pursuing an interest outside work, spending time with their families and friends, overcoming negative thoughts, getting involved in some community activity, and, most importantly, by learning to say no.

Wednesday to Wednesday

Ever since my last post I've been struggling with ills... Sore throat, coughing, dry throat, runny nose, stuffy nose, sinus pain, fatigue, etc... Friday night I stepped on a bee... I was woke up every 1/2 hour in pain from 9 PM till 6 AM... The only thing that helped was putting ice on it... It took about a 1/2 hour for a cube to melt... Ice pack didn't work at all so I continue to use ice cubes... My husband watched the children knowing what kind of night I had from 6 AM (when ever they woke up) till 11 AM when he had to go run errands (we were out of milk) I couldn't then ready himself for work... Hopefully I am near the end of this illness and can start feeling like myself again...

Time Off Tuesday

My husband had off from work today... Monkey had a dental appointment to fix something that was bothering him on the lower left side... We stopped for some ice cream (suggested by hygienist) afterwards... It was breakfast then phone calls... Due to my husbands bad private session we will no longer be going there together to that organization either... He called and made a new private appointment and I called to cancel our together one we had for that afternoon... I then did some calling around to find somewhere new we could go... We had our 'meeting'... It wasn't very long and was kind of intense... Not happy with our switch and Engineer whacked them in the back of the head... He reacts physically when he feels threatened and he does not like when they come visit the house... I'm sure he's picking up on all the tension... My husband called and talked with the car insurance people about that thing... He had bumped a car in the rain in June 09... It was an employee parked in the guest area of a hotel... They have an older 70s early 80s large sedan... The officer said oh no more then $100 of damage if that... The night it occurred... Now the guy is claiming it will be $1200 to fix the 'damage'... We are thinking gee his WHOLE car probably isn't even worth that much! Even if they don't pay that amount of the claim or any of the claim or the whole claim... Our insurance is automatically going up just because a claim is being made on top of what we already pay... An extra $25... Isn't that just peachy?!? These are the same people we have homeowners with... When our roof leaked in Feb 09 they said oh we will repair the interior damage but not the actual roof... ::eye roll:: Yes, lets repair the ceiling and not the roof so when it rains again, it can be damaged again... That makes so much sense... We hired someone ourselves to repair the roof and we are fixing the ceiling (first coat of primer is on, woo hoo) ourselves... We really need to switch companies... We had excellent service prior to our agent retiring... Now we have bounced around between 3-4 agents... Our dealings with them are becoming more unpleasant each time... They cancel the towing coverage on both autos because we had my husband's car towed twice (broke down) and the van once (broke down) in 2 years... Come on people... What's the point of having towing coverage if you never use it... They considered that 'excessive' use... Moving on... Engineer left with a friend... My husband took the two middle ones out to run errands while Linebacker and I had a 1/2 nap... He was asleep before they left... All the noise/commotion of them leaving and us relocating to a different room he didn't do much sleeping once it was quiet... By the time we settled in and fell asleep, Engineer and had come back with his friend... ::sigh:: Husband returned with the middle ones... He asked if I could run to the grocery and pick up a few things... I said sure... He was showing me the different things he had returned with including new library videos for the week... I inquired where Peanuts birthday present was... He says "we returned it with the library stuff... I didn't realize it was one of ours"... He had returned other videos that we don't own from the series... I head to the library and waited probably 30-45 minutes for them to find it... Nothing... Left my name, number, and title of the DVD... I will call them tomorrow if they haven't called me by a certain time... I saw a FMCHE friend, Caroline (she pronounces it Carolyn), who was headed to our Altar Society meeting... I didn't realize it was that night, my husband had some where he was going, and they don't have childcare... So, I'm in the group and make bars for parish events but never been to an actual meeting... I don't think... I was in my husband's car because when I left to go run these errands the van was doing what it did on Saturday and Monday... My husband stop by the mechanic (nothing but answering machine when we call) and he is out of the shop till some time next week... I went to the store and picked up milk, eggs, cheese, juice, cereal, PB, Wok Oil, and bobbi pins... After coupons it was $7 even I think... I made my way home... We had dinner and my husband went to a newly formed 'men's prayer group' that him and his friends made... The 'wives' are also forming a group... It's funny because we refer to our group as the 'mom's group' and the husband's call their group the 'men's group' not the 'dad's group'... Interesting how we are different... We hope to have our first meeting soon... The guys have been meeting since mid July... So almost a month... It has really been a great thing for my husband... They are a great group of guys... The children and I watched more Little House on the Prairie... Time to drop it in the mail and Netflix to send us a new one... I finished Peanut's hat... I think it might be good for two seasons... I gave her some 'growing' room... I'm working on one of the boys' hats (Monkey or Engineer)... They have the same circumference size but different lengths (brim to crown)... Linebackers should knit up in no time because his is the smallest... The boys' hats are all the same color, a variegated blue yarn... Peanut's is lavender and a variegated purple/pink yarn... I think the exact same color as last year... If I ever have a working computer that likes my camera I will share PICS... It's late and I need to head to bed...

Mean Monday

Life was kind of mean to us today... I was up early and took all the children to an appointment... They were mostly good... I had feared the worst taking all 4 of them to such a small office... We came home... My oldest and I then went to run errands... We dropped off an update for some paper work for him... We mailed a quilt block I made... We came out and I had the same problem I had on Saturday where the van makes the sound like it is going to turn on but doesn't... We were downtown... It would be too far and too long to walk home... We had missed the bus we would have needed to catch to be home when we needed to be... Thankfully I saw an old homeschooling friend who was able to give Engineer and I, a ride home... My husband had a private 'session' with just him today and I didn't want him to late because of me... Thankfully he was just late on his own... I called around to see if A. I could find out what might be wrong with it and a ride back downtown to see if the van would start... On Saturday after it sat a bit it started just fine... It ran fine the rest of the day... I finally asked he neighbors if they were available to help... The neighbor lady (the one I mentioned before who's 80 this year) sat with the children while her husband gave me a lift downtown to see if I could start the thing... I tried it and it started right up like no problem at all... I drove it home... We received a call from our car insurance company... Not a good call... Something we were over and done with in June has come back that we have to deal with again... UGH! Now our rates will probably go up... Lovely... My husband comes home and here is bad thing #3... His session did not go well at all... He was 15 minutes late... The person is refusing to see him again... ::sigh:: So, we had not such a nice day today... We had a few nice things happen today so it wasn't all bad... A friend stopped by and gave us some fleece she didn't need... We were excited about that... Now the children and I will have to find some kind of project to make with it... We are anxious about tomorrow... I need to do some more cleaning to have the house ready for tomorrow... The laundry monster is growing!

Shakin' Saturday

The day started off pretty normal... I was up early... I picked up school supplies for Engineer and Monkey... I saw and chatted with a few friends... I attended Daily Mass at the Cathedral... As not to provide TMI for the reader an event happened prior to Mass that left me shakin'... I was weak, slightly nauseated, and dizzy during Mass and was unsure if I would be able to walk up for communion or if I should just steady myself with the back of pew and hope I made it to the end of Mass without being sick or passing out... I was able to make it up to communion... I saw a friend after Mass and that helped steady me a bit... I was thinking should I go to the doctor now or later... I decided I would wait... I stopped at the bank to deposit a small check and came out to a van that refused to start... I walked home (4-5 blocks)... Around the noon hour Monkey and I walked back to where the van sit... It started right up and we drove home... I discussed the events that shook me up this morning with my husband... He said lay down while he took the middle ones on errands... Linebacker was napping and Engineer went to play with a friend... I watched a little bit of Dukes of Hazzard and fell asleep myself... When I woke up it was POURING! Everyone was home but Engineer... I decided I would go to the doctor then come home for a bite to eat afterwards... I would have waited for the storm to pass but the doctor office closed at 6... The ER is 3 times as much... I went and explained what I thought was wrong... They ran some tests and said nope that's not it... They also ran a pregnancy test... ::smirk:: It was negative... He said I was just probably irregular... I just said I'm never irregular... Maybe since I'm 'getting' old... LOL!! I'll be 30 in less then a month my body is doing funky things... It's just left me more confused then before I went to the doctor... My chart this month has been erratic for lack of a better word... I will have to see what my teaching couple says when I finally have a complete chart... I think it's not really age but severe lack of self care on my part... ::sigh:: There you have my Saturday...

Fruitful Friday

I woke up to a wet day... I thought maybe I would do a little sewing but alas no sewing was done again today... LOL... I did knit some more on Peanut's hat... Little by little and hopefully it will be done soon... I know winter is just around the corner... I took hamburger out of the freezer for Sunday's casserole and breakfast stuff out for tomorrow when we make one of our super breakfasts that would rival IHOP... ::grin:: The children and I took a little drive so we could leave the house... We were suffering a bit from cabin fever... I was in no mood to clean mud off the their boots, them, their clothes, the floors and the carpets... We went to the library to return late books and DVDs... Opps... My husband keeps taking them to pick up new stuff but doesn't return the old stuff... Just remembers to return his own... ::eye roll:: However the most exciting thing today was dinner being interrupted... It went like this... I was annoyed when the door bell rang in the middle of dinner... I'm thinking who is ringing my bell... It's dinner time... I peek out the front window and see no auto... I'm thinking it's another door-to-door salesperson... I open the door to my surprise one of my favorite people... The UPS man... LOL!!! I said oh I was wondering who was ringing my bell during dinner... He blushed... I continued... I wasn't even expecting a box... What a wonderful surprise... He smiled.. I thanked him and he was on his way... As a compulsive shopper the UPS man has brought me MANY packages! I brought it in the house... Such a small box... I wondered what it was... I hadn't even ordered anything lately that I could remember... ::Smirk:: So, I opened it... What was inside? Complimentary materials from Christopher West for my husband... We were sent the CD Box Set of Winning the Battle for Sexual Purity: Straight Talk for Men and Good News About Sex and Marriage... How Blessed are we... God is sooo good!!! I am thrilled... I wrote him and told him about our situation... Isn't he such a wonderful man?!?! I had to share what a wonderfully fruitful day it was for our family...

To Do List Thursday

I had many things on my to do list today... This morning I made garlic mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts in a butter sauce to go with our hamburgers I made last night... I made a few phone calls... My husband had a dental visit (routine check up)... Monkey and Peanut had Speech... I chatted with my neighbor next door... She is 80 this year (born in 1929)... I will be 30 in less then a month... She calls me 'kid' instead of by my name... Always saying how beautiful the children are and that they keep her young... She has 3 grown children and several grandchildren (all school age)... We were talking how Engineer will be in 4th grade this year and Monkey in 1st grade... When we bought the house Engineer was 2 years and 7 months old, Monkey wouldn't arrive for another 5 months, and I had just turned 23... Look how our family has grown! I didn't do any sewing because I'm more tired then I thought I would be... Guess the week is catching up to me... I knitted some more on Peanut's hat... It should be done soon... I then can start working on the boys' hats and then scarves...

We Love Gravy - Wednesday

Ok... I'm stretching my title today... I admit it... However it is very relevant to my activities today... I made Sausage Gravy and Biscuits early in the morning and then I made hamburgers with sauteed onions in a brown gravy for dinner tomorrow... I refilled engineers rx at the pharmacy... Rescheduled the appointment I missed on Monday for next Monday morning... I worked more on Peanut's hat... I fought with my old computer... It doesn't want to accept my camera so I can't download and share PICS... Our new computer has completely died... It won't boot up at all now... It was booting up randomly when I spent 3-8 hours continuously turning it on and off trying to make it work... I made a quilt block for a secret birthday project I'm apart of... I actually made two... One to mail off to be joined with others who are working on the project and one for me to keep... They are only 3" x 3" and 14 pieces... Sooo cute!!! I listened to some great CDs I received in the mail from the Mary Foundation... I received 8 CDs and listen to Scott Hahn's Conversion Story and the Rosary/Divine Mercy Chaplet...

Tenacity Tuesday

I think the title of my publishing says it all.... Every time I think I'm blogging again my life is blindsided and I am sent into a tailspin... Once I hit the ground I come up disoriented and it takes me a bit to figure out which way is which... I will continue on... I'm trying to think all that happened since my last publishing... Engineer is finished with ESY and we are enjoying our sleeping in the morning... A whole extra hour... ::grin:: I still seem quite tired before bedtime can arrive... August had seem to sneak up on me... I was counting down the days then all of a sudden I'm like oh it's August and I have these things I agreed to do... I'm still trying to tackle this Addicted to Stuff Monster... My latest project that I can't seem to tackle is the Clothing Monster... I wash mounds and mounds yet the drawers are always packed full of clean stuff and the baskets are over running with dirty stuff... We are still having severe computer issues... No word yet on Engineer's placement... Monkey is doing well... He lost his first tooth today... He is very excited about that... Peanut is amazing how much tubes made a difference in her hearing and speech so far... Linebacker has entered the climbing phase... He climbs up onto the couch, on the desk in the library and if the gate is left open to the kitchen he pulls out a chair and can be found standing on the table... So, I've been keeping an extra close eye on him as of late... Saving him and correcting his behavior... They are all enjoying the cool but beautiful weather... Spend many hours outside every day... I started working on the children's hat and scarf sets for winter... Bit of a late start but I hope I finish in the two short months I have to make them... 4 Sets! I guess that is all for now... My major decision I spoke of is that I'm taking a year off from homeschooling... However, I have decided NOT to send Peanut to Head Start so I may be thrown back into homeschooling if she isn't accepted back into her ECSE class... The director of special education is out of the office... Hopefully he will return soon and her fall placement will be more clear be it in ECSE or at home... If I neglected to update on something drop me a note in the comment section... Hopefully I will see you all again tomorrow...

More Monday

I know I have been gone for a while... Life was busy... Peanut had tubes put in her ears and 3 hours of dental work done under sedation... We went on vacation over 4th July weekend... This year we took our annual family vacation at Theodore Roosevelt National Park - North Unit... We primitive camped 4 days and 3 nights... Things were crazy but here I am... The problem we had in May finally had some results... This is a good and bad thing... So far with us cooperating things won't be come any more of a mess... As far as our little engineer's situation we are looking at another 6 weeks till we have an answer or not... We had a meeting and updated the files... Everything looks promising... We talked about other options if things don't go as planned... He has less then 2 weeks of ESY left... YEA!!! Peanut had her 4th birthday... It was a 'princess' Dora theme... She received some new clothes, Leapster 2 (pink/purple), 2 Leapster games (Dora and Disney Princess) a book and a Dora DVD... We grilled out burgers, hot dogs and chicken... Our computer was giving us all kinds of trouble but seems to have calmed down... Linebacker and Monkey are both doing well... Everyone is healthy... My husband made an amazing recovery from a issue he was having late one Saturday evening... I can't do anything but Thank God each and every day that we are rid of that evil that was in our home... Ordered and started using Catholic Woman's Daily Planner for 2009-2010... I read a wonderful book called Addicted To Stuff by Dale O'Leary... I signed for Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life Foundational Study in the fall... I'm currently working my way through A Mother's Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot... I made a major decision regarding the fall which I will reveal on Saturday... I have received as a gift, bought, or newly rediscovered on my bookshelf several other books I'm going to read this summer/fall/winter... They are When the Heart Cries (Amish Fiction) by Cindy Woodsmall, Domestic Church: Room by Room by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle, The 25-Day Financial Makeover by Francine L. Huff, The Cross Country Quilters (quilting fiction) by Jennifer Chiaverini, Food Storage 101 by Peggy Layton and Holiness for Housewives by Dom Hubert van Zeller... I hope that catches everyone up... I hope to be blogging again now on my regular schedule...