Halloween Decor

Halloween is one of my least favorite holidays.  I hate dressing up but I do LOVE chocolate so it does have a positive side.  I have very slowly added some Halloween décor to my collection (mostly thanks to some former co-workers).  I did find a print out for this sign online (probably on Pinterest, but I can't locate it now).  I have a Trick-or-Treat sign I got in the Dollar Spot last year and decided that I would use the back of it.

I decoupaged the printed sign and scrapbook paper to the wooden sign.

The completed sign that I will flip once all our candy is gone.

This is the front of the sign that I have hanging on our door now.

Most of my decorations are the pumpkins and gourds I but when we visit the pumpkin patches.  I also bought a small bale of hay to put on the porch with the other stuff.  But I did find a couple of ideas on Pinterest to try.  These milk jug ghosts were so easy and the kids loved making them.  It's Logan George's job to plug them in each evening.

We each decorated one (Paul even did one after I took these pics).

Another idea from Pinterest was to create a Thankful board using leaves.  I have a Creative Memories display board that I used.  I used my cricut to cut leaves from various scrapbook paper.  We'll add more things we are thankful for as the season continues.

Pinterest Tuesday June 11

In addition to a bunch of recipes, I've also completed a couple of other pins, including this one.

I used the general ideas to create Logan's teacher gifts for the end of the year.

His PE teacher got Target Gift Coins with sports themes on them and her card said "I had a Ball".
The art teacher got an orange monster with a card that had a red and yellow paint splats on the front.
The music teacher got an I Tunes card with a card that said "You Rock".
His main teacher got the Greatest Teacher Target card for "keeping him on target".
Everyone else got Starbucks and a "Thanks a Latte" card.


I've seen this idea a few times and can't believe it took so long to actually tried it.  I had to use 2 paper clips but it worked like a charm (pun intended).

Pinterest Tuesday May 21st

I saw this idea on Pinterest several times but this link had a poem that you give to the teachers.

I love this idea but had to wait until now to implement it because the dollar store doesn't carry pool noodles in the winter time (not even in Texas).

before

after

Pinterest Tuesday April 30

So I found this link on Pinterest for using Dollar Tree stuff to organize your house.  It actually links to 100 other sites for all the ideas.  I am getting ready to start packing for the move to the new house so I decided that I would tackle the list after we moved in because: 1) I love Dollar Tree, 2) I like things organized, and 3) there's no better time to organize than before it gets all cluttered.  I spent some time skimming some of the links and there are some I won't need (I don't sew or knit so who needs to use baskets to corral thread or clothespins to untangle yarn, nor will I be sewing fabric to cardboard to make my own drawers, I also don't have a tights obsession that requires this).

There are some ideas I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE.  So much so that I am having to fight the urge to go ahead and implement them.  One is this great kids art closet.  I've seen this idea before and think it will be great (of course, I'll lower so the kids can reach).  This pantry looks awesome and my new one is huge so I will definitely want to keep it organized.  This idea for puzzle storage is great and I may be able to go ahead and use it at the preschool.  With the new statement necklaces and other jewelry I've been buying lately this expandable hook  and ice trays would work wonderfully.

These are just a few of the ideas.  Check them out for yourself and de-clutter one dollar at a time.

Menu Plan Monday April 29

I'm back to work for a few weeks so I've been making sure I do simple meals on work days.  Here's the plan this week:

Monday: Homemade Gourmet Chicken Taco Soup using pre-cooked chicken
Tuesday: Apple Glazed Turkey with veggies (recipe found on Pinterest)
Wednesday: Spaghetti and Marinara Sauce using the leftover sauce from last week in the freezer
Thursday: Crockpot Italian Chicken (another from Pinterest)
Friday: Crockpot Beef and Broccoli (Pinterest) or may be able to get my sister to make salmon patties
Saturday: Hawaiian Ham Sandwiches (Pinterest), we'll have guests so this should make plenty
Sunday: traditional post-birthday party dinner at Joe's Crab Shack

I've tried some Pinterest recipes the past few weeks.



Hasselback Scallop Potatoes were a lot of work...

but tasted really good!

Bananas with honey and cinnamon

Chicken supreme casserole

Pinterest Tuesday April 9

A couple of weeks ago I had some friends over and took the opportunity to try out some pinterest recipes.

I used small storage containers for the dip instead of cups so that Paul could easily take them to work for lunch.

Individual Seven-Layer Dips

I tried making crack bread.  It was really good but cutting the loaf was very difficult.

The "infused water" was more like raspberry limeade so I also made a simple sugar syrup for my guests to add to cut the tartness.

Fruit-Infused Water

I made ham-wrapped pickles like my cousin used to make.  I tried using the whipped cream cheese and it didn't work as well once I tried cutting them into slices.

 

I've made a similar toffee before but without the crackers.  This was fine but adding the crackers just added more effort and my other recipe tasted just as good.

Saltine Toffee

I've made a few other things too for the family.

These apple dumplings were so good.  We had plenty so I just warmed them in the microwave the next couple of days.  The vanilla ice cream is a must.

 

I found a website that has lots of recipes using shredded chicken and browned ground beef. I've made a few of those.

This Mexican chicken recipe was pretty good.

This teriyaki chicken recipe was the first time I tried using my rice cooker for more than just rice.

I also found a use for all the plastic eggs we have.  And the kids created these great mosaic crosses.

I found some very interesting information in this article and have since changed the way I write Sophie's name on her art work (using upper and lower-case letters).

I found uses for the fridge baking soda when I replaced it.

 

I'm trying a new way to help Logan with his sight words.  This site is for you to purchase the product but I just made my own with dollar store pretend money and an old envelope.

When I saw this idea I was giddy.  I've been hanging the kids clothes up in outfits since Sophie was a baby.  I know it drives my mom crazy that there isn't a drawer for her to go to, to find clothes, but it works for me and them.

I found a new way to where my scarves.

 

What awesomeness have you found on Pinterest?

Meal Plan March 18

Last week was Spring Break so we had lots of meals away from home.  I was able to stick with the plan the week before and it worked out well including some meals that used pre-cooked chicken and ground beef.

Chicken and Broccoli Casserole

Logan's school is starting a new program where they will serve breakfast in his classroom at the beginning of the day.  It's a free program and all we have to do is get to school 5 minutes earlier than normal.  He also buys his lunch 2-3 times a week so that takes care of so much of my menu.  Here's the plan for this week's dinners:
Sessler Salads
Chicken, Thyme and Tomatoes (I'll make extra to freeze for later.)
Mom's Salmon Patties (She's in town to help with the kids so of course, I've requested this meal.)
Freezer Crockpot meal (I have a couple left so I'm using those up.)
King Ranch Chicken (Pinned by the my friend who is sitting for me.)
We'll have a day of leftovers and also one where Paul will be in charge because I have plans.

I'm having a get together this weekend so I'll be checking my Pinterest board for some fun treats to serve.

Meal Plan Monday March 4

So here's what we had last week.
Monday: Mexican Chicken Casserole:  This was pretty good but I may try it in the crockpot next time.  I did it as the original site had it.

Tuesday:  Paula Dean's Spaghetti Casserole:  This was okay, not much difference than regular spaghetti and sauce but a bit more work.
Wednesday:  Sessler Salad: Spinach with feta, pecans, strawberries and a strawberry vinaigrette
Thursday: CORN
Friday:  Teriyaki Chicken and Rice
Saturday:  Turkey and Cucumber Wrap:  These were actually pretty good but don't know if the kids will like them (they were Grandma's).
Sunday:  Chili (my mom's recipe):  Everyone loves this.

Here's the plan for this week at least until we go on vacation:
Maple Glazed Chicken (freezer crockpot)
Broccoli Chicken Casserole (frozen shredded chicken)
Chicken Penne Pasta
Taco Bagel Bites (frozen browned beef): This is a make and freeze recipe so we'll eat what we want then freeze the rest.

Pinterest Tuesday February 26

• I saw this and decided to use magazine holders instead to organize the plastic wrap and foil in my pantry.  The great part is that I found these in the dollar spot at Target, so much cheaper than the scrapbook organizer in the original link.

• Here's Logan's after school agenda.  I found the activity cards online.  His leveled reader is hanging on top for easy access.  The words we are working on for the week are in the little envelope.  We used the new system tonight and it worked well.  When we got ready for bed, I grabbed the book to read it then he read it to Sophie.  She was so excited that he was going to read her a book "like a grown-up"!  We also went over his words one more time and I just grabbed the envelope.  We actually have the "bedtime routine" on a different chart so I may remove those cards as I tweak the system.

 

 



 

MPM February 25

 Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups:  Grandma came to watch the kids and brought 2 rotisserie chickens.  After eating some for dinner, I used the rest for this recipe.  I didn't end up rolling these. I just layered it like lasagna.

 

 

Freezer Crockpot Meal:  I made one of the Chinese Chicken ones and served it with rice.
Maw Susan's Salmon Patties:  Whenever my mom is in town I ask her to make these, since I don't know how.
Spaghetti and Sauce:  I used the ground beef that I'd already browned and froze.
Tortilla Soup:  I used the second rotisserie chicken to make this meal from a Homemade Gourmet packet.
We took my dad and my twin cousins to dinner for their birthdays at Red Lobster.

Here's the dinner plan for this week:
Monday: Mexican Chicken Casserole (I'm going to double this and freeze half.)
Tuesday:  Paula Dean's Spaghetti Casserole
Wednesday:  Sessler Salad
Thursday: Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken Freezer Crockpot Meal
Friday:  Chili (using frozen browned beef)
Saturday:  Broccoli & Chicken Casserole (using frozen shredded chicken)
Sunday:  CORN

Other things I'm going to try:
snack:  No Bake Energy Bites, Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt
breakfast: Egg & Bacon Casserole
dessert: Aunt Sadie's Gooey Butter Cookies
lunch: Turkey & Cucumber Wrap

Check out more menus at Organized Junkie.

Menu Plan Feb. 18

Here's are some of the meals we had the past 2 weeks:

Freezer Crockpot Chinese Chicken with Rice

Italian Chicken and Veggies:  This was really good, we all ate it.

10 Minute Baked Ziti:  This was pretty good. Sophie liked it but Logan wouldn't eat it.  We also had some leftover pizza and cheesy bread so that may have been the problem.  It made a lot, really too much for us, so I will half it next time.  It might freeze okay but I'm not really that experimental.  The prep was only 10 minutes but it did have to bake an hour.

10 Minute Spicy Chicken Thighs:  I rarely use bone-in chicken but these were pretty easy.  I really liked them and so did Logan. I thought Sophie would love the crispy skin but she thought it was too spicy.  The recipe called for Old Bay seasoning which I thought I had but what I found in the pantry was actually Chachere's Creole Seasoning.

Lemon Salmon: I was sure the kids would like this but only Logan ate it.  It really kind of irritated me that Sophie wouldn't even try it since earlier in the day she ate a dog biscuit.  No, seriously, a dog biscuit!
Sessler Salads: Baby spinach, almonds, diced apples, bacon bits and mozzarella cheese topped with a vidalia onion vinaigrette.
Frozen Crockpot Fruit & Pork:  No one liked this, good thing we had leftover pizza to eat.
Parmesan Chicken Bake:  Grandpa came over to eat with us.  Both kids ate this up but the adults only thought it was "okay".

yogurt parfaits:  These were a huge hit.  I pulled out 2 flavors of yogurt, 2 fruits, and the box of granola.  I showed the kids how to layer everything then let them choose their own combinations.  We will definitely have these again.

 Creamy Avocado Chicken Salad:  Logan immediately started whining when I told him what we were having and it only escalated when he saw it.  I told both kids they needed to try a bite of the salad and one bite of avocado.  When I told Sophie she used to eat avocados when she was a baby, she had to go look through her baby scrapbooks for a picture.  She didn't eat anything except some cheese slices.  Guess it wasn't an eating day.  Logan tried the avocado but didn't like it.  But he loved the chicken salad.  What's that saying..."mama knows best"!  He had 2 servings then asked if I could make it for school lunches too.  As far as the recipe I didn't use any onions or tomatoes since I don't like them (so I doubled up the corn and beans).  I had Logan help me by crushing the corn chips.  I only used half an avocado since it was just me and kids.  I took a little of it that we didn't eat and added some salsa for Logan to try as guacamole.  He like chips and hot sauce so I thought it might work, but no go.  I liked how the salad had the chips crushed up so I took the extra and added it to my left of guacamole.  It was really good.  May try that the next time I make real guacamole.

I finally got smart and cooked some chicken breasts in the crockpot to have frozen for quick meals.  I just threw some fresh ones in the afternoon (although frozen would have also worked), then chopped up some and diced some.  I kept out 2 cups in the fridge to use in the chicken salad and froze the rest in 2 cups servings for later.

Here's what we are planning for this week:
Monday:  Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups
Tuesday: Freezer Crockpot Meal
Wednesday: Maw Susan's Salmon Patties
Thursday: Spaghetti and Sauce
Friday:  Tortilla Soup
Saturday: Dinner out to celebrate some family birthdays
Sunday:  CORN


Check out more menus at Organized Junkie.

Meal Plan Monday February 4

Sometimes even having a plan doesn't make dinner time any easier.  Paul's been working late so it's just the kids and I.  Most meals the kids don't really care that much about (hey, they'd be happy with chicken nuggets and pizza every night).  So it gets tiresome cooking dinner when I'm the only one who even cares. On those days, we end up going out...and we went out a lot last week.  I decided to do 2 weeks worth this time and I'm just going to try a little harder to enjoy what we're having and put up the leftovers for Paul's lunches.  I also decided to include breakfasts and lunches, although I don't have all of those planned out, but I'll add them so at least they won't end up eating cereal every morning.

Here's the dinner plans for the next 2 weeks:
Monday: IHOP
Tuesday:  Chick-Fil-A
Wednesday:  Soft Tacos
Thursday:  Freezer Crockpot Chinese Chicken with Rice
Friday:  Italian Chicken and Veggies
Saturday:  10 Minute Baked Ziti
Sunday:  Dinner Out for Chinese New Year
Monday:  10 Minute Spicy Chicken Thighs
Tuesday:  Lemon Salmon
Wednesday:  Sessler Salads
Thursday:  Frozen Crockpot Fruit & Pork
Friday:  Parmesan Chicken Bake
Saturday:  Chicken Alfredo Roll-Ups
Sunday:  CORN

Our breakfast options include:  cereal, oatmeal, egg sandwich, waffles, pancakes, donuts, yogurt parfaits, tea eggs, breakfast casserole.

I've planned a couple of different options for weekend lunches:  Creamy Avocado Chicken Salad and Turkey Cucumber Tortilla Roll-up.

Check out more menus at Organized Junkie.

Pinterest Tuesday January 29

My sister came into town this weekend so we could put together some freezer crockpot meals and cleaning stuff, everything found on Pinterest.

Here's a list of all we did:

• General Household Cleaner
• Daily Shower Cleaner
• Carpet Deodorizer
• Laundry Detergent
• Dryer Sheet
• Black Bean Taco Soup
• Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
• Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken
• Brown Sugar Chicken
• Honey Garlic Chicken
• Salsa Chicken
• One Pot Italian Chicken
• Apple Pear Pork
• Chinese Chicken
• Chicken Teriyaki
• Taco Meat
• Plain Browned Ground Beef (for other recipes)

MPM January 28

Here are the meals we ate last week:

• Monday:  Dinner out at Johnny Carrino's

Carrino's has a special on Monday nights (half priced family platters) so we had spaghetti and meatballs, with soup and salad.

• Tuesday:  Russian Apricot Chicken

This was okay but nothing too special.  I served it with rice.

• Wednesday:  Potato Soup and Salad

Sophie ate some of the soup this time around.  Yay!!

• Thursday:  Chicken Roll-ups

These were really good.  I took one for lunch the next day to eat with my soup.

• Friday:  CORN/Leftovers

Since Paul got home so late each night, he'd already had dinner.  We had a lot of leftovers so I decided to switch of the plan.

• Saturday:  Chinese New Year Dinner or Fish Sticks

My sister and her kids were in town.  I took Logan and Matthew to a dinner while Kelly stayed home with the girls.

• Sunday:  Dinner Out at Carrino's

After spending all day putting together freezer crockpot meals, I didn't feel like cooking so we went out.  Carrino's was the place we could all agree on.

Here's what I have planned for this week:

• Monday:  Honey Garlic Chicken (one of the freezer crockpot meals we did yesterday)
• Tuesday:  Meatloaf and Potatoes
• Wednesday:  Sessler Salads
• Thursday: Enchilada Chicken Tacos
• Friday:  Fruit and Pork Crockpot (another freezer meal)
• Saturday:  CORN/Leftovers
• Sunday:  Football Foods

You can check out more menus at Organzing Junkie.

Pinterest Tuesday January 22

• Card Books (no link, just a picture)

I actually started doing these a couple of years ago but decided to update them with some more recent cards.  I just used a hole punch and some binder rings.  I have a couple of books in the bathroom and another couple by the calm down chair.

MPM January 21

Here are the meals we ate last week:

• Sunday: Cola BBQ Chicken  This turned out really good.  I did use an orange instead of a lemon because I'd forgotten to buy one at the store.
• Monday: Panko Crusted Flounder

 

• Tuesday:  Italian Buttered Shrimp with Angelhair Pasta  For some reason this wasn't as good as the first time so the kids and I ended up eating cereal.
• Wednesday:  Sessler Salads (a gourmet salad I purchase with chicken and a specialty dressing)
• Thursday:  Pineapple Chinese Chicken and Rice  This was good although Logan wouldn't eat the pineapples.
• Friday:  Crockpot Pasta Pizza  I thought this was a little dry.  I did half the recipe and just used beef (no sausage), so that may have made a difference.

We went to my parents for the long weekend and my step-dad grilled out for us.

• Saturday:  Grilled Hot Dogs and Smores
• Sunday:  Burgers

I also made a buttermilk pie using a Homemade Gourmet mix.  It was the first time I'd ever had it and omigoodness, it was so wonderful.  Now I'm on the hunt for a recipe since I can't get the mix anymore.

Here's the plan for this week:

• Monday:  Dinner out at Johnny Carrino's
• Tuesday:  Russian Apricot Chicken
• Wednesday:  Potato Soup
• Thursday:  Enchilada Chicken Tacos
• Friday:  Chicken Roll-ups
• Saturday:  Sister's Salmon Patties
• Sunday:  CORN/Leftovers

You can check out more menus at Organzing Junkie.