Update

Things have been very busy around here, obviously... The busyness, combined with my computer having a mental breakdown just after Thanksgiving, has kept me away from the blogging for several weeks. My computer is back on its way home, though, so I'm hoping to get back to blogging, too.

Since my last post about how busy we are, we traveled to Montana to celebrate Thanksgiving with family, and then waded through parent/teacher conferences and winter concerts, and are currently on our winter holiday break. We returned to Spokane yesterday after 5 days in Montana, celebrating Christmas in all of its glory with our sending church, family and friends. We even squeezed in Gabe's Eagle Board of Review for the District while we were there, and I'm proud to say that he passed his review with flying colors!

I didn't do Christmas cards this year, but I'm hoping to get a year-end letter put up on the blog, as well as some pics posted from our holiday celebrations and other fun times we've had this winter.

Jon and I also recently joined a gym, and we are both resolving to make some healthier changes in the coming year. We just went to the grocery store and stocked up on healthy choices instead of sugary or fatty snacks. Chances are, you'll see posts about those changes and challenges in the coming months.

In the meantime, we are enjoying our last few days here at home before we have to head back to school.... Relaxing and organizing and getting ready for whatever the new year will bring.

Things are busy...

...so I think it's time for a little catch up post.  I can't believe that I haven't even been able to keep up with posting my menus.  Although, I haven't been able to actually stick to my menus anyway, so I don't really think it matters.

Cross Country is officially over for Gabe, it ended mid-October.  He is still training, though and is planning to run in a community run during the Nike Cross Nationals event in Portland on December 1.  He's really looking forward to it.

Bethany's XC season is also over, and she is enjoying not being involved in anything outside of school right now.  What this means for her is more than enough time to get her homework done and still have time to hang out with her neighborhood friends.  They are all becoming as thick as thieves.

Michaela is still dancing away, and is currently working on a Christmas dance recital, although I haven't been told what the date is, so this mama's a little confused.  She's also doing ASB, which is like student government for elementary students.  So proud of my little leader!

We had a fun Halloween, a great 3 day weekend for Veteran's Day (I had my very first assembly as a music teacher for Veteran's Day...It was a success!!), and now I can't believe that we are on Thanksgiving week already.  We are headed back to Montana for the holiday, which will be great to see family and friends, eat familiar food and see familiar sights.  I'm a little sad that we won't spend much of the weekend with downtime here at home, though.  It will be a weekend of travel, which is fun, but can be tiring.  Still, I'm looking forward to it.

I'll leave you tonight with a couple of pics from Halloween...Then I'll have to be posting family Thanksgiving pics right around the corner, and thinking about a Christmas card...  Oy.  No promises on more frequent blogging until I get my current "Big Bang Theory" obsession under control. 

Red Riding Hood, Mad Scientist, and, well, Gabe.

Mad Scientist and Red Riding Hood (yeah, they used red MARKER to make their lips that red)

Took this one after the All-City XC meet for high school.  We are all so proud of Gabe's accomplishments this season!

{Menu} Week of 10/15/12

I am a couple of days late this week in posting this.  Here's my disclaimer:  Usually I plan out my menus for the entire month, and then make small adjustments from week to week, depending on what comes up, what leftovers we might still have on hand, etc.  For some reason, I've never gotten around to it for October.  Which means that I'm planning my weeks on the fly, instead of on purpose.  Luckily, we've had enough time for me to do so, which means that we haven't completely blown the food budget.  In fact, we are right on track.  But it does mean that I feel more stressed and as a result, my home is not as harmonious as it could be.  Here's to getting back on track in November!!

This week:

Monday:  Baked Potato Soup
Tuesday:  Tilapia, rice and asparagus
Wednesday:  Papa Murphy's Pizza, to support the Cure for Cat
Thursday:  Pork Chops, Rice Pilaf, and roasted Brussels Sprouts
Friday:  Discipleship group potluck (Baked Potato Bar, I'm providing the toppings.  I also have to provide a main dish for Gabe's All-City XC Dinner, so I'm planning to make homemade mac 'n' cheese).
Saturday:  Leftovers-->Eat whatever you can find!
Sunday:  Pork Tenderloin, Mashed potatoes and spinach salad

{Menu} Week of 10/8/12

So I never got around to posting last week's menu, and for that I apologize.  I do have some good excuses, though.  For starters, I was sick and feeling terrible on Monday and Tuesday, so Jon handled dinner both nights.  I'm pretty sure that I ate crescent rolls and homemade chicken noodle soup for one of those nights, but I honestly have no idea what the kids and Jon ate.  Hot dogs possibly comes to mind.  On Wednesday, Jon left town for four days, so the kids and I were on our own.  And at that point, it was too late in the week to post.  I know we had fried rice one night, pizza another and baked spaghetti with our home group another night.  Now that I've finally kicked the crud, I'm feeling up to meal planning again.  Here's the down low for this week:

Monday:  Zucchini Casserole  I didn't have any chicken breast, so I just upped the amount of zucchini this time.  I usually make it with chicken.
*My kids are not real big on zucchini or stuffing, so I'm giving them the option to eat the leftover baked spaghetti if they want.
Tuesday:  Pork Chops with Rice Pilaf and Spinach Salad
Wednesday:  Homemade Pizza
Thursday:  Spaghetti
Friday:  Discipleship Group Potluck
Saturday:  Leftover day-->Eat whatever you can find!

So there's the plan!  Should be pretty easy to stick with it this week, because I know it's going to be a busy one!

{Yuckiness}

Well, the sickies have hit.  I've had a head cold for the better part of 10 days, and headed to the doctor today since it seems to have settled in my chest.  Had to stay home from work and write sub plans and all that.  I've now got a round of antibiotics to clear the crud out of my system, and a homemade batch of chicken noodle soup to make me feel better.  Haven't been able to run at all because of this ickiness in my body, which doesn't make me happy either.  I'll be glad to be well again!  This week's menu post has been postponed because I just haven't felt well enough to think about it.  I will try to get something up soon, though!

{Menu} Week of 9/24/12

As I mentioned in my previous post, the weekend was a super busy one.  So busy, in fact, that by the time we made it home Sunday night, I didn't even want to look at my menu plan for Monday, even though it was planned a long time ago.  So come Monday morning, I improvised.

Here's the plan for the week:
Monday:  Party Pizzas
Tuesday:  Tilapia with rice
Wednesday:  Chicken Divan in the crock pot
Thursday:  Unplanned right now, probably leftovers  BBQ at Micci's school (just remembered)
Friday:  Discipleship group potluck--Chili feed
Saturday:  Leftovers--> eat whatever you can find
Sunday:  Ham and potatoes  (I have soup plans for the leftovers that I'm uber excited for!!)

So there you have it.  Makes me hungry just thinking about it.  (The fish cooking on the stove probably isn't helping either).  What's on your menu this week?  I'm always in need of fresh ideas.

{Homecoming}

It was so much fun to travel back to Missoula this last weekend to see family and friends.  While we were there, we ate at many of our favorite Missoula haunts, including the fabulous Double Front Cafe, home of the best fried chicken in the world (after my mother-in-law's, of course), and China Garden, where they make the best egg rolls I've had. 

We had a super busy whirlwind trip.  The kids got to spend time with friends.  We went to a parade, a baby shower and a wedding.  We had good meals and better conversation.  We answered the questions about Spokane and work and the church plant and how the kids are adjusting many, many times.  So many times, in fact, that I'm not sure how sincere I sounded by Sunday morning. 

(We love Spokane.  Work is going great, but has it's challenges.  The church plant is going very well; we have a core group of about 20 right now, but expect about 30 this coming Sunday.  Slow and steady.  The kids are doing great, involved in activities and making friends.  So things are very good.  Truly.)

Just in case you talked to me on Sunday and didn't quite believe me.  ;-)

The Homecoming game was a bit disappointing.  For starters, I didn't get to see it.  Secondly, we lost.  That always puts a damper on things.

Sunday came all too quickly, and after such a crazy weekend, I felt like I needed an extra day to recoup.  It was good to come back to Spokane, which doesn't *quite* feel like home yet.  All of our material things are here, which helps it to feel like home.  But maybe that's the way it should be...

"All I know is I'm not home yet
This is not where I belong
Take this world and give me Jesus
This is not where I belong"
    --Building 429

Helps me to keep it in perspective.

So if I didn't get to see you or hug you (Kylie) or chat with you this weekend, know that I still love all my Missoula peeps.  And my new Spokane friends, you were all missed while I was gone.
Ok, more blog posts to write...  one menu plan coming up!!

{Menu} Week of 9/17/12

This week will be a little different than most...  We are headed back to Zootown (Missoula) for the weekend, so there will be only four meals to plan this week!

Monday:  Homemade Pizza (I cheat on my crust and use the Jiffy mix...but it's cheap and the kids LOVE it!!)
Tuesday:  Chicken in the crockpot with potatoes and veggies
Wednesday:  Boneless Ribs (in the crock pot again); summer squash
Thursday:  Leftover day...eat up all the stuff in the fridge before we leave town!

Can I just say that I'm super excited for our first trip back "home"?  I put home in quotes because I really believe that home is where you make it.  It happens to be Homecoming weekend, which thrills me!  Homecoming has always been a great tradition in our family, and the prospect of missing it this year had me a little bummed.  So I am happy that we will be able to go to the parade.  More on all that later.

{Recipe} Curry Fried Rice

This recipe used to be a major player at our dinner table when the kids were all little... It's quick, it's easy, toddlers can eat rice with their fingers and sweeps up easily after they drop half of it on the floor... 

Then, at some point, all the stores in Zootown stopped carrying one of the most important ingredients.  At least, all the stores I frequented did.  The kids were getting older, I had some new and more exciting recipes in my toolbelt, and it just wasn't a priority to try to track it down.  Now that we live in the big city, I decided to try again, and lo and behold, I found it at my ever faithful WinCo!!  Happy, happy day.  Curry fried rice has once again been making it's appearance at my table, much to the delight of all involved.

Here's what you need:
1 T Taste of Thai Red Curry Paste (THIS IS IMPORTANT!! This is the ingredient that went missing for so many years.)
2 T olive oil
2 C cooked rice
3 eggs, beaten

That is it for the basic, meatless recipe.  I make things a little more interesting by adding some cooked chicken, and whatever leftover veggies that are lying around that need to be used up (frequently it's frozen green beans, fresh summer squash, and sliced cabbage).

Heat your oil over medium heat until you can begin to smell it, then add your curry paste and mix it in well with the oil. 

(If I am adding chicken, I often add it at this point, uncooked, and cook it up in the oil mixture.) Or, use cooked chicken and just let it simmer with the rest...

Once that's nice and bubbly, add any veggies...  If you are cooking chicken, don't add your veggies until the chicken is THOROUGHLY cooked.

A great example of using whatcha got...  These squashes needed to be used and I had some leftover cabbage, too.

  Let your veggies cook down a bit, then add your rice.

 I love my rice cooker.  It has saved my bacon on more than one occasion!

 
Mix it all together until your rice is pretty well coated with the oil mixture...  You'll be able to tell because it's not all white anymore.
  Once you've done that, add your eggs and stir well.

 I like to put a lid on it at this point and walk away.

 

Don't ya just love how the handle on my frying pan lid looks like it's been digitized in there? 

      I come back occasionally to give it a good stir, and I like a bit of crunchiness on the bottom, so I let it fry away.  Once your eggs are cooked, though, it's done and ready to eat. 

We like to squeeze fresh lime juice over the rice, or add some plum or hoisin sauce.  Top it off with some green onions and you're all set!

Yum, yum!!

{Recipe} Creamy Roast Beef

Creamy Roast Beef
1 2-3lb Beef Roast (I always use chuck!)
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 packet Lipton Beefy Onion Soup
Fresh crimini or button mushrooms, optional

Place roast in crock pot.  Mix Mushroom and Beefy Onion Soup together, pour over roast.  Cook on low until roast is done.  Remove roast beef from gravy and slice.  Stir gravy and return meat to crock pot.  Stir in sliced fresh mushrooms if desired and cook another 15-20 minutes (long enough to heat the mushrooms).  Serve over rice or mashed potatoes, with your favorite fresh green veggie as a side.

Yum!  I hope you enjoy it!

This is the recipe I have in the crock pot for dinner tonight, sans fresh mushrooms.  I also layered my potatoes at the bottom of the crock pot so that dinner is basically ready when I get home.  So easy and tasty!!

{Menu} Week of 9/10/12

Here's the plan for the week, folks:

Monday: Tilapia with Rice
Tuesday:  Roast with mashed potatoes (we were supposed to have this on Sunday, but we ended up going to a birthday party instead  Fried Rice  The fam wasn't super excited about Fried Rice, so we ended up getting Totino's Party Pizzas.  We love party pizzas.
Wednesday: Fried Rice  Roast with mashed potatoes (I wasn't organized enough to get the roast out of the freezer last night.
Thursday: Tacos
Friday: Discipleship group potluck (I think we might do soup this week)
Saturday: Leftovers/Munch day (eat whatever you can find)
Sunday:  Ham with baked potatoes

We are in for a yummy week!

{1st day of school 2012}

No first day photo shoot this year.  New schedules, new schools, new jobs all had us going separate directions this morning.  Gabe (officially a 9th grader) had to be at cross country practice at 7am.  I left for work just before 8.  Jon got the girls off to their schools and then worked from home for most of the day.  From all reports, the first day was a success.  Micci made friends with several girls and was asked out (repeatedly) by a boy.  Sweet girl that she is, she told him no, that she's not allowed to date.  When the boy told her to just "not tell her parents," she promptly informed him that, "I don't keep secrets from them!" 

Beth reported that she made precisely 2.5 friends.  I asked her how this was possible, and she replied that she isn't sure if one of the girls likes her or not.  But she is determined to try to be a friend anyway.

Gabe has already been making friends with the cross country freshmen, and he seems to be developing a nice group of friends.  High school can be terrifying, so I'm glad he's got some friends already!

My day was very low key.  I had one fourth grade music class, and the rest of the day was prep for me.  Tomorrow I will see more classes.  But even having only one class, I'm already figuring out things that work and things that don't.  Its a learning experience for all of us; I'm just the "learner in charge"!

{Menu} Week of 9/3/12

I slacked off the last week or so in posting my menus...  Sorry about that.  Now that school will be back in full swing, having a plan in place for weekly dinner menus is essential to me keeping my sanity.  I'll be back to work, the kids will be in school, Jon will be busy with his new adventure in Guitar Club and with all that encompasses a church plant.  So here's the plan for the week:

Monday (yesterday): Baby Back Ribs (recipe can be found on my friend Jess's blog)
Tuesday:  Leftover ribs... there were three racks in the package I bought, so we have yummy leftovers!  Hooray!
Wednesday:  Grilled hamburgers and hot dogs; green salad
Thursday:  Grilled chicken; rotini with pesto sauce, sauteed mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese
Friday:  Discipleship group potluck
Saturday:  Leftover day...Eat whatever you can find.  :o)
Sunday:  Sunday roast with mashed potatoes

So there's the plan!  It will keep me sane for this week, at least!

Random "Eve of school" thoughts

Tonight is the last night of summer vacation.  Tomorrow, my children will head off to school they have never gone to before.  I will enter my very own music classroom...something I wasn't sure I would ever do, to be honest.  We are all excited and a bit nervous, but mostly excited!  The backpacks are packed, the clothes are ready, lunches are ready; all the things we need for a successful tomorrow have been prepared, including the most important ingredient:  prayer.  Over the last week especially, I have found myself in constant prayer for my children as they prepare to enter uncharted territory.  I have prayed for myself, that I can be an effective music teacher, that kids will like me (selfish, I know, but hey), that I can make some small impact on students from my school who live in poverty (over 90% free and reduced population) that will make a difference in their lives.

Prayer is something that often does not come easily to me in formal situations, yet I find myself talking to God throughout my days, which leads me to these verses from 1 Thessalonians:

And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone.  Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.  Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  (14-18)

This section speaks directly to my teacher heart, and my mama heart.  I plan to hold tight to it over the course of the next few months.  I will pray for my children and strive to help them with these transitions however I can.  I will also pray for my students, and I know that my prayers will not be in vain.

{Recipe} Glazed Almonds with Lavender

Back in April, some friends of ours took us to a winery where we tasted wines and ate tasty glazed nuts with lavender.  They were amazing, but Jon is allergic to most tree nuts.  After returning home, I embarked on a quest to find a recipe for glaze that I could make with almonds, since they are one of few nuts that Jon is not allergic to.  I found this glaze recipe originally at cooks.com.  I just added dried lavender to it to get the similarity to the nuts we had at the winery.  It's not quite the same...this recipe comes out more like a nut brittle than a glaze, but it is tasty, just the same! 

Here's the scoop:
2 TBSP butter or margarine
1/2 C Sugar
1 C raw almonds
1/2 tsp vanilla
Food grade dried lavender flowers, to taste (I maybe used as much as a tablespoon... you don't want too much or they taste too perfume-y).

Combine butter, sugar, almonds and vanilla in a heavy skillet over medium low heat.  Stir constantly until sugar mixture becomes a liquid.  Add lavender flowers and spread mixture onto prepared surface (I used parchment paper, but you could use foil over a cookie sheet).  At this point, I sprinkled some of my remaining lavender flowers over the top.  When cool, break into pieces and enjoy!  (Try not to eat them all at once).

Delish!

{Provision}

Thanking God today for His provision in the form of a job with the main school district here in Spokane.  I found out this morning that I've been offered a music teaching position, and I'm excited to take it!  It will be a new challenge, but one that I am excited and ready to take on!  It's funny to think that after getting my Masters and library endorsment, that I'll be going back to teaching music (!) but I think it will be fun!  Time to drag out all my old General Music books and notes.... 

In which we break down and eat out...

Yesterday evening, as a treat to the kids, we thought we'd stop in at a Spokane icon, the Milk Bottle on Garland.  They are famous for their milkshakes, so we thought we'd have a little treat and be on our way to make the chicken chimichangas I had planned for the evening.

Upon entering this fabulous establishment, which really does have a giant milk bottle attached to the building, we were assailed with the sights and smells of fried goodness.  A batch of homemade shoe-string fries was just coming out of the fryer, burgers were on the grill...oh my.

We ordered our shakes and went outside to sit and wait for them, continuing to fight against the amazing smells coming from the kitchen.  We lost this fight.  After our milkshakes were delivered, we also ordered dinner...  sandwiches and burgers and fries.  It was AMAZING.  And a little more special to everyone because we haven't been eating out.

So here's the plan for the rest of the week:

Tuesday:  Chicken chimichangas, with Mexican rice
Wednesday:  Salmon patties with baked potatoes
Thursday:  Grilled chicken breasts with bowtie pasta and pesto sauce
Friday:  Discipleship group potluck
Saturday:  Leftover day!  If we run out, I'll probably make something light, like nachos.
Sunday:  Pork roast and potatoes, roasted yellow squash

It's so much easier when I make a plan and stick to it, but it's also good to be spontaneous and enjoy life now and then, too!

Thinking about Christmas

I'm already beginning to think Christmas around here.  Unpacking all our boxes had the happy chance to reacquaint me with some of my Christmas fabric, which has my creative juices flowing.  You may remember these from last year:

Burlap Christmas stocking with vintage fabric and lace

I'm now selling them in my Etsy shop; with lots more ideas of Christmas-y goodness to come.
There are some other fun items in the shop already, so feel free to check them out.

Send Us...

Our final weekend in Missoula was a whirlwind of fun.  Jon and I celebrated our 16th anniversary on Friday (Dinner at Outback, yum!).

 Gabe and his fellow Scouts said good-bye on Tuesday...

 Saturday night was a send-off celebration dinner at Clark Fork City Church, where the worship team gave him a gift he treasured...

 Cheese!  Because sometimes you just have to be a little cheesey.  Saturday night was also Lucy's last night in Montana, she had to fly out early the next morning.

 Sunday was our final Sunday at CFCC, with a fun BBQ with friends afterward.  

 Jon and I were also able to enjoy a dinner with our good friends Lee and Stacey Yarbrough from Mexico on Sunday evening.  Monday was spent cleaning the apartment and making sure we had everything packed up from our short stay with Jon's parents, and then on Tuesday, we loaded the Uhaul...

Jon turned in his keys to the church...

 

 and drove to Post Falls, Idaho.  We spent Tuesday night with friends and then drove into Spokane to do our final walkthrough and get the keys to our rental.  It was a really busy few days, but we made it!

We are getting to know our new neighborhood and settling in well.  We have a park two blocks from our house, and are within walking distance or short driving distance to everything we need!

Bethany's birthday

This year, Bethany turned 12!!  Time flies when you are having fun, they say!  We took her and her besties swimming and then came home for a BBQ and a S'mores bar instead of cake and ice cream.  For a summer birthday, I have to say it was a hit!  Definitely will have a repeat appearance at some point.  Pictures of the fun:

Poolside

Best friends...

Take the plunge!

Birthday girl!

Presents!

Gabe and Micci...  I caught her in action!

Too dry for a bonfire, so we had to improvise!

Silliness.

Forgot to take before shots... Here is during the s'mores bar!

Lots of different chocolates to choose from...  Yum!

My Cookies 'N' Cream, strawberry, marshmallow s'more.  So good!

Me enjoying my creation

BFF's with matching sweatshirts!

Happy birthday, Bethany!  You light up our lives!!

Yellowstone, Part 2

Pictures offloaded from my phone?  Check.
Writing a follow up post to make sure I post some of these? Check.

So my regular camera ran out of batteries shortly after our visit to Old Faithful, and I had to take the remainder of the trip on the trusty iPhone.  I also like to Instagram things (a lot), so I've got a few of those as well.  Enjoy!

Such interesting colors

Bison poop...thanks to Micci for snapping this one.

Micci and Lucy

Lots and lots of steam and sulfur

Waterfall!

Such bright blues!

Grand Prismatic Spring

Hey Bethany, can you carry...?

Bright colors!

Yellowstone is such an otherwordly place to visit.  Of course, it's always more interesting to the adults than the children, but we just couldn't move out of Montana without taking them there.  It is beauty and barrenness, a unique combination.