Menu Plan Monday - VBS Week

It's Menu Plan Monday and the remaining children are volunteering at our church's Vacation Bible School once again. It's always a fun week, but they come home absolutely worn out and hungry. We're just getting used to the summer "schedule" and trying to find the right balance of activity.

• Sunday - Grilled Chicken Bacon Ranch Panini, Grilled Fries
• Monday - Sweet and Fiery Pork, oven roasted green beans, brown rice
• Tuesday - Steaks on the grill, baked potatoes, Caesar salad
• Wednesday - Risotto, Pea and Sausage Soup, homemade bread
• Thursday - Leftover Buffet
• Friday - out for pizza!
• Saturday - pulled pork, mac & cheese, cole slaw

What's on your menu?



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Overheard - On Religion

From my 14 year old son...on religion:

"I'm just sayin'...if I had written the Bible it wouldn't be so many pages and wouldn't have taken, like, thousands of years.


It would just be 'The Only Letter of The Bear to the Corinthians...love God, believe in Him, and be nice to each other.'  Blind carbon copy to the Jews, the Romans, and all those other guys."

He kills me.

Snips from a Snow Day

All that rain and sleet from Wednesday evening resulted in school being canceled on Thursday.  The roads that were disastrous at 5:30 AM were fine by 10, so I ran to the grocery store for cookie makings.  Some people were irritated and angry about the change, but that's just life in the south.  We get so few days of wintry weather that the snowplows and salt trucks are simply not worth it.  We prefer to close everything down and have a pajama day.  By the next morning, all will be right with the world.

The trick to keeping your sanity when this happens, even on the last possible day to get things done while the kids are in school, is to look at it as a happy surprise day together with no obligations instead of an interruption.  The roads that were disastrous at 5:30 AM were fine by 10, so I ran to the grocery store for cookie makings.  I can't think of a more wonderful way to spend the day than with all my chicks under my roof, happily working and chatting together. 

We had such a lovely day!  First we made pistachio brittle, and showed Gracie how a candy thermometer works.

Then we made RPM's, those Rolo/pretzel, m&m thingys that apparently have no real name.

 

Last we made Russian tea cakes and robin's nest cookies, both of which required the kids to work together, rolling the cookie dough and the blue fondant icing.  As they reached across one another, I couldn't believe the size of my kids' hands!  I know they are big, but I remember so vividly each of those tiny hands grasping mine when they were infants.  Where has the time gone?  When did they become so capable?  They hardly needed me there at all, except to ask "Did you set the timer?" [Yes.] 

I'm not done with my Christmas preparation, but I'm feeling so calm.  So NOT stressed.  Where does that come from?  How can I duplicate it next Christmas or at other busy times of the year?  I think I've managed, somehow, to let it go.  Maybe knowing that this Christmas is not going to be a WOW! year for two totally separate reasons has helped me lower expectations and enjoy the season.

Financially it isn't going to be an over-the-top holiday.  Somehow instead of making me anxious, that has given me some freedom to relax.  There is simply nothing I can do about it.  Don't get me wrong, we're not hungry and I can put gas in the car and there will be Christmas; it just won't be a TV sitcom Christmas.

And the other reason, which is on the other end of the spectrum, is that my kids haven't asked for much.  The boys both want some music equipment, but instead of asking for it they both asked for gift cards to help them save up for it.  Gracie wants a flatiron.  Yes, for her hair.  I have no idea.

My oldest, who will be 16 on December 27th, made me so proud and baffled at the same time the other day.  I asked what he'd like to do to celebrate.  He thought for a moment and said, "Chinese would be good."

Me:  "Okay.  Do you want to go to PF Chang's or Lin's or try someplace new?"

Him:  "We could just get takeout."

Me:  "Chinese takeout?  For your 16th birthday?  You can have what you want, but your dad and I thought it would be fun to go someplace special.  Chinese takeout is like...Thursday."

Him:  "It's all fun to me."

How can you not love that boy?  I am so proud that they are not super materialistic (and don't get me wrong, they have plenty of cool stuff).  At the same time, it makes them tricky to shop for!  It's hard to get all excited when he says, "I could use a new pair of jeans."  Like clothing him isn't already my parental obligation!

I hope you are all having a serene Advent season, free of the worries of our materialistic society.  I have no idea what I did to deserve it, but I'm loving every second. 

Cookies and the Perfect Evening

Yesterday was a strange and beautiful day.  Circumstance arranged for all of my children to be home before four with no sports or music or friends scheduled.  The house was quiet as they all studied and did homework by the glow of the Christmas tree while I started dinner. 

My middle one, the one I call Bear, said how much he wished there were cookies, which led to browsing through my favorite holiday cookbooks and recipes.  Gracie had never (that she remembers) made Spritz cookies and was intrigued by the press, so we made some dough.

Part way through the mixing, Daddy walked in the door!  Turns out he had an appointment near home and decided not to go all the way back to work for such a short time.  He suggested a date night, but we postponed it since I already had a chicken in the oven and we were in the middle of the cookies.

It was a good thing - shortly thereafter, all heck broke loose on Atlanta's highways.  Hundreds of accidents, dozens of roads closed, people stranded on the highway, and my poor cousin who was waiting at home with his kids while his wife was trapped at an office holiday party after the road into the subdivision was shut down!  I've never been so happy to have all my chicks under one roof.

I don't know if it's just me, but Spritz cookies always seem like such a good idea.  The dough has few ingredients that are almost always on hand.  The press seems like it should be easier than rolling out and cutting cookies.  But it isn't.  It always takes me several tries to get even two dozen cookies, and by the end I remember why I don't make these all the time.  Anyone else?  Tips?  Or should I just pitch the press?

Eventually the cookies were pressed and sprinkled and baked.  The chicken and rice were ready, warm comfort food for our bodies while our souls were nourished by the three lit candles and the prayers of the Advent wreath.  And after dinner, cookies by the fire. 

All six of us, counting Daisy, cuddled on the couch and flipped between a Disney Pixar special and the weather updates and talked about our days and the days ahead.  My oldest has exams this week, the Bear has a performance on Friday morning, and Gracie has a piano recital on Saturday. 

And then my husband reached around behind one of the kids and the dog and touched my hand and said, "I'm so glad we stayed home.  This was the best."

Who needs Christmas presents? 

Texts from my Teenager - 3

Fighting with your sister sure has changed since I was a kid!

Going to Guild - Challenge Quilts

I realized that, in my absence, I never showed you the challenge quilts!  Since the next guild meeting is in a week, I guess I'd better get on it.

Just to refresh your memory, the challenge details are here.

I was supposed to be a little early for last month's meeting, both because I was in charge of the challenge and because it was my turn to bring food.  Murphy's Law kicked in, and I was racing to get there on time (forget early!) after the Bear's basketball practice.  I had no idea how we were going to display the quilts, how many people had actually completed one, and how on earth we were going to entertain the troops if only two people showed up with a completed challenge quilt.

Not to worry.  I arrived to this:

November 1, 2010 ~ QOV Challenge

...and nearly burst into tears.  Suzanne had been planning, and the rest of the Stars had obviously jumped in to assist.  The quilts were hung...oh! so many beautiful quilts!

It was awesome to hear the stories behind each "home" and to see how each quilter incorporated her colors into the finished work.  I welled up a little each time someone said, "This is for donation."  "This is for the troops."  "This is for Quilts of Valor."

In the end, there were 28 completed quilts with 13 donated.  I will show you more pictures over the next few days, but look at these beautiful awards Suzanne made.  At the top are the little house beads that each participant earned for her nametag. 

In the meantime, I am working with a friend whose brother is safely home after three deployments.  They are going to help me find soldiers for the quilts, and I will definitely bring you pictures of that.

Thank you, Allison, for the awesome idea, and Alycia for her information and support.

Hope you all have a great week!

P.S.  True confessions - I never got my challenge finished.  But I WILL!  

Texts from My Teenager - 2

What a considerate brother! Texting me from school to see how his little sister did at the oral surgeon.

Overheard

"Do you think God ever gets bored...being omniscient and all?"

"I don't know.  At least you wouldn't have to waste two hours watching Wild Hogs."




I love my kids!