I know, I know...I'm posting twice in 1 day! And they're both recipes, but I like both of them so much, that I want you to use them too :)
Last night was Italian night, and I was sick of red sauce. I don't ever buy Alfredo sauce, because typically we just eat red. Jason isn't a huge white sauce person, so I never think to buy it anyway. Well, a while back he found this Alfredo sauce recipe and I love it. Quick and easy is definitely right!
Alfredo Sauce
1/2 c butter
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese
2 tsp garlic powder
2 c milk
6 oz Parmesan cheese
1/8 tsp black pepper
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese and garlic powder, stirring with whisk until smooth. Add milk, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long. Toss with hot pasta to serve.
We normally use Penne pasta with this sauce, but we had none, so I used Rigatoni. I also added diced chicken, to get our meat in there. The kids loved it, as usual! And I also added my favorite garlic bread (as mentioned in the previous post) to the meal, as well as a salad. It was yummy!
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
Baked Spaghetti
I made this dish last week, and forgot that I wanted to share the recipe with you!
Baked Spaghetti
1 16 oz pkg of spaghetti
1 lb of ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
1 26 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
2 eggs
1/3 c Parmesan cheese
5 tbsp melted butter
2 c small curd cottage cheese
4 c mozzarella cheese
Cook spaghetti as instructed on box. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion (I used minced onions instead, didn't feel like cutting up an onion) over medium heat. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and seasoned salt. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, Parmesan cheese and butter. Drain spaghetti and add to the egg mixture, toss to coat. Place half of the spaghetti mixture in a greased 9x13 dish. Top with 1/2 of the cottage cheese, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.
I forgot to cover mine, so it was fully baked after 40 minutes, so if you're in a hurry, you can do that.
I served with garlic bread. For that, I bought a large loaf of Italian bread. I cut it in half, spread butter onto both halves, sprinkled it with garlic powder and topped with mozzarella cheese. I was in a hurry, so I just stuck in in the oven with the broiler on, and it got it nice and toasty :)
Baked Spaghetti
1 16 oz pkg of spaghetti
1 lb of ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped (optional)
1 26 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
2 eggs
1/3 c Parmesan cheese
5 tbsp melted butter
2 c small curd cottage cheese
4 c mozzarella cheese
Cook spaghetti as instructed on box. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook beef and onion (I used minced onions instead, didn't feel like cutting up an onion) over medium heat. Stir in the spaghetti sauce and seasoned salt. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, Parmesan cheese and butter. Drain spaghetti and add to the egg mixture, toss to coat. Place half of the spaghetti mixture in a greased 9x13 dish. Top with 1/2 of the cottage cheese, meat sauce and mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover; bake 20-25 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.
I forgot to cover mine, so it was fully baked after 40 minutes, so if you're in a hurry, you can do that.
I served with garlic bread. For that, I bought a large loaf of Italian bread. I cut it in half, spread butter onto both halves, sprinkled it with garlic powder and topped with mozzarella cheese. I was in a hurry, so I just stuck in in the oven with the broiler on, and it got it nice and toasty :)
Thursday, August 29, 2013
exhausted...
The exhaustion has set in. The last 2 afternoons, I have come home, sat down on the couch with the kids and fallen asleep. Of course, if I had never sat down to begin with I probably wouldn't feel so sleepy (I need to remember this).
I'm just glad that tomorrow is Friday AND we have a long weekend! I remember being so excited for these long weekends when I worked at the bank, but then Tuesday would roll around too fast, and it felt like Friday took years to get here. I sure hope that's not the case now. My days are so busy that I don't even have time to eat lunch, so maybe it will be different.
I'm starting to get to know some of the kids, especially the ones who have to take daily medications. I got my first hug yesterday, and it was from a little girl who didn't even have a medical reason to be in the clinic. That made my heart smile :)
Pray for me though. Pray for patience with the kids who come down EVERY SINGLE DAY because they stubbed their toe, or they fell down on the playground again. Or the one that comes in every day complaining about a stomach ache. I can't do anything for them, except to show them that I care and give them a little attention. I don't know these kids, so that's hard for me to do. Pray for me to be able to show them Christ's love and to be patient.
I'm just glad that tomorrow is Friday AND we have a long weekend! I remember being so excited for these long weekends when I worked at the bank, but then Tuesday would roll around too fast, and it felt like Friday took years to get here. I sure hope that's not the case now. My days are so busy that I don't even have time to eat lunch, so maybe it will be different.
I'm starting to get to know some of the kids, especially the ones who have to take daily medications. I got my first hug yesterday, and it was from a little girl who didn't even have a medical reason to be in the clinic. That made my heart smile :)
Pray for me though. Pray for patience with the kids who come down EVERY SINGLE DAY because they stubbed their toe, or they fell down on the playground again. Or the one that comes in every day complaining about a stomach ache. I can't do anything for them, except to show them that I care and give them a little attention. I don't know these kids, so that's hard for me to do. Pray for me to be able to show them Christ's love and to be patient.
Monday, August 26, 2013
Chicken Tacos
This is a different sort of blog tonight, but I thought I would change it up every once in a while, instead of boring you with my work life :)
One of my favorite dinners that we started doing in the spring is Chicken Tacos. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mexican food, but Jason doesn't care for ground beef, so we rarely do regular old tacos. Jason is actually the one that came up with this recipe (he may have found it somewhere), but I have perfected it ;)
CHICKEN TACOS
2-3 bell peppers (we like red & orange or yellow)
Onion (optional)
1-2 bags of pre-cooked grilled chicken strips (depending on your appetite and family size)
EVOO
Garlic Salt to taste
Any other seasoning you might like
Cut up the bell peppers, as small or big as you would like. We use an electric skillet, but you can use a stove-top skillet, the bigger the better. I don't measure out the EVOO, but if I did I would think it would be in the range of 1-2 tsp. You can add more if you like. Get the skillet nice and hot, pour in the EVOO and add the peppers. Stir them around for a few minutes before adding the chicken. If you like your peppers to be more crisp than soft, add the chicken first. Add your seasonings, get the chicken to a golden brown color and serve with your favorite shells and tortilla chips! Sometimes we also make Spanish/Mexican rice to go along as a side (or inside the tortilla!).
This dinner is SO simple, and for this now working full-time mom, that's exactly what I need! So, with that said, share your favorite simple recipes with me, I'm always looking for new ones!!
One of my favorite dinners that we started doing in the spring is Chicken Tacos. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mexican food, but Jason doesn't care for ground beef, so we rarely do regular old tacos. Jason is actually the one that came up with this recipe (he may have found it somewhere), but I have perfected it ;)
CHICKEN TACOS
2-3 bell peppers (we like red & orange or yellow)
Onion (optional)
1-2 bags of pre-cooked grilled chicken strips (depending on your appetite and family size)
EVOO
Garlic Salt to taste
Any other seasoning you might like
Cut up the bell peppers, as small or big as you would like. We use an electric skillet, but you can use a stove-top skillet, the bigger the better. I don't measure out the EVOO, but if I did I would think it would be in the range of 1-2 tsp. You can add more if you like. Get the skillet nice and hot, pour in the EVOO and add the peppers. Stir them around for a few minutes before adding the chicken. If you like your peppers to be more crisp than soft, add the chicken first. Add your seasonings, get the chicken to a golden brown color and serve with your favorite shells and tortilla chips! Sometimes we also make Spanish/Mexican rice to go along as a side (or inside the tortilla!).
This dinner is SO simple, and for this now working full-time mom, that's exactly what I need! So, with that said, share your favorite simple recipes with me, I'm always looking for new ones!!
Friday, August 23, 2013
I Survived!!
Well, I survived the first week of school!! Granted, it was only 3 days, but I still survived! Next week will be the real test though. If I can do 3 days, adding 2 more shouldn't be that hard, right?
I can't say a whole lot about it, because of privacy laws, but I'll say that I'm gonna have some interesting characters to work with this year! I do want to say that today, one mom came in to drop off meds for her kid, and she was SO organized and SO prepared, that I could have just cried! Because of her organization, my life in regards to caring for her child will be SO much easier!
I did have to deal with my 1st diabetic kid today, and I shouldn't really say "deal", because she wasn't sick, but it was the 1st day she was there and had to get her insulin. This kid is a pro though, so taking care of her should (hopefully) be a breeze.
The kids (mine) are doing just fine at the sitter's! They love being there, and I'm glad that we found her. If I believed in fate, I would say it was fate, but I know it was God. Things have happened in their lives, and when she found out that our son's name is Jackson, and found out how old he is, she knew it was meant to be. We also have a mutual friend, and they were going to refer us to her! How wild is that?! We beat them to it though :) Livi has made a new best friend in their son, Brayden. He's the same age, and they get along really well. So well, that they were playing "mommy & daddy" yesterday, and then they held hands on a walk today...oh boy, her first "boyfriend" :) The only thing that is still in transition, is bedtime. Jackson does just fine, he's still on a regular schedule of napping after lunch and going to bed around the same time as he was before. It's been hard with Livi though, because she gets so worn out playing, that she wants to nap when she gets home. When she does this, she doesn't go to bed right away, even though we are still getting her ready for bed at 8 or 8:30. So I have to try my best to keep her awake for the rest of the afternoon/evening so she'll go to sleep early tonight!
All in all, it's been a smooth transition for everything else. Thankfully! Thanks for the prayers, I appreciate them all!!
I can't say a whole lot about it, because of privacy laws, but I'll say that I'm gonna have some interesting characters to work with this year! I do want to say that today, one mom came in to drop off meds for her kid, and she was SO organized and SO prepared, that I could have just cried! Because of her organization, my life in regards to caring for her child will be SO much easier!
I did have to deal with my 1st diabetic kid today, and I shouldn't really say "deal", because she wasn't sick, but it was the 1st day she was there and had to get her insulin. This kid is a pro though, so taking care of her should (hopefully) be a breeze.
The kids (mine) are doing just fine at the sitter's! They love being there, and I'm glad that we found her. If I believed in fate, I would say it was fate, but I know it was God. Things have happened in their lives, and when she found out that our son's name is Jackson, and found out how old he is, she knew it was meant to be. We also have a mutual friend, and they were going to refer us to her! How wild is that?! We beat them to it though :) Livi has made a new best friend in their son, Brayden. He's the same age, and they get along really well. So well, that they were playing "mommy & daddy" yesterday, and then they held hands on a walk today...oh boy, her first "boyfriend" :) The only thing that is still in transition, is bedtime. Jackson does just fine, he's still on a regular schedule of napping after lunch and going to bed around the same time as he was before. It's been hard with Livi though, because she gets so worn out playing, that she wants to nap when she gets home. When she does this, she doesn't go to bed right away, even though we are still getting her ready for bed at 8 or 8:30. So I have to try my best to keep her awake for the rest of the afternoon/evening so she'll go to sleep early tonight!
All in all, it's been a smooth transition for everything else. Thankfully! Thanks for the prayers, I appreciate them all!!
Monday, August 12, 2013
God is in Control
I've been away for a while...as per usual :) Let me update you on the goings on of my life.
Livi is almost 4. HOW?! Jackson is almost 2. Again...HOW?! After having kids, and for having them for this long, I should already expect that time will just keep going, and it will speed up, rather than slow down. I just need to accept it.
What else has been going on...the summer is almost over for mostly everyone, but it ended for us a few weeks ago. Since Jason coaches football, they have camps in July, and that was 3 days a week. Then last week is when 2-a-days started, so summer was OFFICIALLY over on August 5th.
Ever since the bank closed, almost 2 years ago, I have always known that eventually I would have to go back to work. More recently, I have felt that God has been saying that that time is here. I was on unemployment, and that required 2 weekly applications, but I NEVER heard from any of those places. We have been throwing the idea around of getting me a job within South-Western City Schools. Last June (2012) I took the Civil Service exam for the secretary position, but was pretty high (or low? either way, I wasn't going to be the first person they called) on the list. I didn't expect a call from them, and still haven't gotten one. But since we were thinking about me working in SWCS, we thought any position would do. In June I had an interview for the medical monitor position at one of the elementary schools. I didn't get the job. But I wasn't discouraged, I knew if God wanted me to work, and in the district, He would provide something.
At the end of July I took a class for a para-professional (aide), but because I am not a current employee in the district, I couldn't take the test that the district provides, I would have to take it at Ohio State in September. One of the days of this class, I went over to the District service center, just to inquire about the secretary list and to find out why I couldn't take the test with everyone else. Long story short, they're not 100% sure that they're hiring new aides. But they also haven't exhausted enough people on the secretary list either, to get to my name. I cried the whole way home. I didn't know if God was just testing me, to see if I would listen to Him, or if He really did have something in store.
The drive from DSC to our house is about 20 minutes. It took 20 minutes for them to call me to tell me that another medical monitor position had opened up at the elementary school ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. She asked me if I was interested, I think I yelled "YES" at her...oops. She said she would give them my name and they would call me. At the end of that week, I still hadn't heard from them, so I decided to give them a call myself. The secretary confirmed that my name was on the list, but the principal was out of the building until the next week, so I should hear from them then. I got a call on Monday, they wanted me to come in next Monday (TODAY) for an interview.
Fast-forward to today. I was nervous, more so than I was for the 1st interview in June. I went in, it lasted maybe 15 minute and I came home. Jason says a fast interview isn't a good sign...lol. Well, just before 3 this afternoon, they called to let me know they were offering ME the job! As soon as I hung up the phone, I turned into this huge, crying mess. I have been preparing myself to go back to work, but the thought of "maybe" and the actual reality of it are 2 different things. Now I don't want to leave the kids, lol. But, as I look back, I know God will provide just the right childcare for them, where they will be loved. He provided this job for me, as I was crying out to Him that day, telling Him that I felt lost, and didn't know what He wanted me to do, He showed me exactly where He wanted me by allowing me to receive a call just minutes later.
Yesterday in Livi's class at church, the lesson was about "God is in Control". I didn't realize it until just now that I was supposed to hear those 4 words yesterday, to remind me that He was in control over my entire situation, He just needed me to let him take control.
If you think about it, pray. This will be a time of adjustment for all of us, me and the kids especially. Pray for that, and pray that we find a babysitter.
Livi is almost 4. HOW?! Jackson is almost 2. Again...HOW?! After having kids, and for having them for this long, I should already expect that time will just keep going, and it will speed up, rather than slow down. I just need to accept it.
What else has been going on...the summer is almost over for mostly everyone, but it ended for us a few weeks ago. Since Jason coaches football, they have camps in July, and that was 3 days a week. Then last week is when 2-a-days started, so summer was OFFICIALLY over on August 5th.
Ever since the bank closed, almost 2 years ago, I have always known that eventually I would have to go back to work. More recently, I have felt that God has been saying that that time is here. I was on unemployment, and that required 2 weekly applications, but I NEVER heard from any of those places. We have been throwing the idea around of getting me a job within South-Western City Schools. Last June (2012) I took the Civil Service exam for the secretary position, but was pretty high (or low? either way, I wasn't going to be the first person they called) on the list. I didn't expect a call from them, and still haven't gotten one. But since we were thinking about me working in SWCS, we thought any position would do. In June I had an interview for the medical monitor position at one of the elementary schools. I didn't get the job. But I wasn't discouraged, I knew if God wanted me to work, and in the district, He would provide something.
At the end of July I took a class for a para-professional (aide), but because I am not a current employee in the district, I couldn't take the test that the district provides, I would have to take it at Ohio State in September. One of the days of this class, I went over to the District service center, just to inquire about the secretary list and to find out why I couldn't take the test with everyone else. Long story short, they're not 100% sure that they're hiring new aides. But they also haven't exhausted enough people on the secretary list either, to get to my name. I cried the whole way home. I didn't know if God was just testing me, to see if I would listen to Him, or if He really did have something in store.
The drive from DSC to our house is about 20 minutes. It took 20 minutes for them to call me to tell me that another medical monitor position had opened up at the elementary school ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. She asked me if I was interested, I think I yelled "YES" at her...oops. She said she would give them my name and they would call me. At the end of that week, I still hadn't heard from them, so I decided to give them a call myself. The secretary confirmed that my name was on the list, but the principal was out of the building until the next week, so I should hear from them then. I got a call on Monday, they wanted me to come in next Monday (TODAY) for an interview.
Fast-forward to today. I was nervous, more so than I was for the 1st interview in June. I went in, it lasted maybe 15 minute and I came home. Jason says a fast interview isn't a good sign...lol. Well, just before 3 this afternoon, they called to let me know they were offering ME the job! As soon as I hung up the phone, I turned into this huge, crying mess. I have been preparing myself to go back to work, but the thought of "maybe" and the actual reality of it are 2 different things. Now I don't want to leave the kids, lol. But, as I look back, I know God will provide just the right childcare for them, where they will be loved. He provided this job for me, as I was crying out to Him that day, telling Him that I felt lost, and didn't know what He wanted me to do, He showed me exactly where He wanted me by allowing me to receive a call just minutes later.
Yesterday in Livi's class at church, the lesson was about "God is in Control". I didn't realize it until just now that I was supposed to hear those 4 words yesterday, to remind me that He was in control over my entire situation, He just needed me to let him take control.
If you think about it, pray. This will be a time of adjustment for all of us, me and the kids especially. Pray for that, and pray that we find a babysitter.
Friday, May 3, 2013
Back in the saddle
I have never been very good at keeping up with blogging. I'll do it for a few weeks in a row, then I'll get sidetracked. I'm not a very good writer, so I find it hard to keep up with. I do read a lot of blogs, however, and I came across one that I haven't seen much from in a while.
She hadn't blogged anything for about a year, so she was catching us up on what's been going on in the life of a working-from-home-mom.
She mentions that "survival mode" is just a way of life when you have 2 little kids, a home to take care of, and a job. I totally get that. I feel like I'm on survival mode 99% of the time. I'm not the most patient person in the world, and Livi pushes all the right buttons all day long. I'm beginning to wonder if there will ever come a day where I don't have to spank her, put her in the corner, or tell her NO. As my "fellow" blogger said about her daughter, "she exhausts me" and "challenges me" on a daily basis. I would have to agree with that statement as well.
And then there's Jackson. While he has a bit of a mean streak, he's still my sweet boy. He runs around playing hard, like boys do, but every time he lays eyes on me, he comes and gives me a hug. He loves going down the "lide" and swinging. He loves playing with bubbles and dirt (not as much as his big sister, but I bet she shows him the ropes this summer). He loves his big sister. Today he woke up from his nap and she had fallen asleep. The first thing he said when I walked into his room was "wivi". He wanted to go wake her up. She, of course, wanted nothing to do with him at that moment, but after she woke up she wanted to play with him too.
Tonight after I gave the kids a bath, Livi wanted to say goodnight to daddy. He was next door talking to our neighbor and his friends. One of the guys wife is about to have a baby girl. They already have a boy who is almost 3. So he asked Jason if he had any advice about being a dad to a girl. Jason gave him a few pointers, and then he asked me if I thought it was easier having a girl or a boy. BOY, hands down. If I could choose, the rest of my children would be boys. So far, Jackson has proven to be the easiest kid to raise, in his short 20 months of life. In her defense though, Livi wasn't dealt a very fair hand. She got my attitude. I will own up to it. My parents must have cursed me when I was her age, or older, because I'm getting back everything I ever gave them. I have a feeling I will be getting it back for many years to come.
I wouldn't really always choose a boy. In fact, I hope the next one is a girl, because I love seeing Livi be a big sister, she loves Jackson, or Bubba, and loves showing him how to do things. I know she would absolutely love being a big sister to a little girl though too. Someone to play princesses with and wear "spinning" dresses together. I have yet to determine whether Jackson would even care about a younger sibling. The only kid he is ever around that's younger than him is his cousin, and they're not even 6 months apart. He's at that age where he would rather play alone, but watch what the other one is doing. He has a new cousin on the way in a few months, so we'll see what he does there.
This has turned in to a longer post than I had anticipated. My "me" time for the evening was spent on the computer writing.
She hadn't blogged anything for about a year, so she was catching us up on what's been going on in the life of a working-from-home-mom.
She mentions that "survival mode" is just a way of life when you have 2 little kids, a home to take care of, and a job. I totally get that. I feel like I'm on survival mode 99% of the time. I'm not the most patient person in the world, and Livi pushes all the right buttons all day long. I'm beginning to wonder if there will ever come a day where I don't have to spank her, put her in the corner, or tell her NO. As my "fellow" blogger said about her daughter, "she exhausts me" and "challenges me" on a daily basis. I would have to agree with that statement as well.
And then there's Jackson. While he has a bit of a mean streak, he's still my sweet boy. He runs around playing hard, like boys do, but every time he lays eyes on me, he comes and gives me a hug. He loves going down the "lide" and swinging. He loves playing with bubbles and dirt (not as much as his big sister, but I bet she shows him the ropes this summer). He loves his big sister. Today he woke up from his nap and she had fallen asleep. The first thing he said when I walked into his room was "wivi". He wanted to go wake her up. She, of course, wanted nothing to do with him at that moment, but after she woke up she wanted to play with him too.
Tonight after I gave the kids a bath, Livi wanted to say goodnight to daddy. He was next door talking to our neighbor and his friends. One of the guys wife is about to have a baby girl. They already have a boy who is almost 3. So he asked Jason if he had any advice about being a dad to a girl. Jason gave him a few pointers, and then he asked me if I thought it was easier having a girl or a boy. BOY, hands down. If I could choose, the rest of my children would be boys. So far, Jackson has proven to be the easiest kid to raise, in his short 20 months of life. In her defense though, Livi wasn't dealt a very fair hand. She got my attitude. I will own up to it. My parents must have cursed me when I was her age, or older, because I'm getting back everything I ever gave them. I have a feeling I will be getting it back for many years to come.
I wouldn't really always choose a boy. In fact, I hope the next one is a girl, because I love seeing Livi be a big sister, she loves Jackson, or Bubba, and loves showing him how to do things. I know she would absolutely love being a big sister to a little girl though too. Someone to play princesses with and wear "spinning" dresses together. I have yet to determine whether Jackson would even care about a younger sibling. The only kid he is ever around that's younger than him is his cousin, and they're not even 6 months apart. He's at that age where he would rather play alone, but watch what the other one is doing. He has a new cousin on the way in a few months, so we'll see what he does there.
This has turned in to a longer post than I had anticipated. My "me" time for the evening was spent on the computer writing.
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