We're Back!

It has been quite a while since I last posted. Kate and I have both been sick and it just seems like we have been very busy lately. Kate is babbling incessantly...no one knows exactly what she's saying but she sure has a lot to say! It will be nice when she learns to form words because last week she had an ear infection in both ears and it would have been very nice if she could have told me her ears hurt. When we were visiting my parents a few weeks ago, Kate loved to pat little Robbie on the back and say, "This? This?" So cute.

She is a funny kid though. She will sit forever looking through and "reading" her books, which is nice for Mama. However, she has recently foregone her morning nap when she really still needs it, so we are adjusting. At least she usually takes a 2-hour afternoon nap and lately, so does Mama!

We are looking forward to some warmer weather so we can have some outdoor adventures. There are only so many pairs of shoes Kate can try on.

Menu Plan for February 14-20

This week we'll be using the chicken breasts and ground chuck I got on sale at Sam's and Kroger's recently. I am ready for springtime and fresh veggies!!

Sunday: Valentine's dinner with Daniel

Monday: Cheeseburgers with fixin's, tater tots, and fruit salad

Tuesday: Crispy Honey Chicken, Vegetable Fried Rice

Wednesday: Pinto beans, Chow-Chow, and Cornbread

Thursday: Chili

Friday: Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Saturday: Teacher Appreciation Dinner at Church

A Shoe Fetish?

Since Kate started walking, she has been fascinated with shoes. And not just her shoes. She loves Mommy's shoes!!



And Daddy's shoes!





She loves putting on Daddy's socks, too.



Kate has a mind of her own, and it is so much fun to watch her little personality emerge.

Menu Plan for February 7-13

Kate will probably hate me when she gets older for posting that picture but it's too cute of her eating the soap bubbles.

There aren't a whole lot of good grocery sales this week. Publix has ground turkey on sale for $1.99/lb and avocados 2 for $1. Other than that we're still stocking up on basics that were depleted during last month's Pantry Challenge, so I'll be heading to Aldi on Wednesday for beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and condiments.

Here is our menu plan for the week:

Sunday: Fellowship meal at church

Monday: Tortilla Chip Pie with ground turkey and guacamole, Sweet potato casserole

Tuesday: Barbecue chicken, Twice-baked potatoes with cheese, sour cream and bacon, & Peas

Wednesday: Hearty Lentil Soup and homemade biscuits with jelly (homemade of course!)

Thursday: Country-Style Spaghetti & Meatballs and Steamed Broccoli

Friday: Calzones

Saturday: Valentine’s dinner with the hubby

February Book Picks

In January I proposed a personal challenge to read 5 books from 5 different genres. I was somewhat successful in this endeavor, reading (1) The Hidden Art of Homemaking, (2) The Use-It-Up Cookbook, (3) The Gospel According to Lost , and (4) Murder in the Mews. However, I bit off a little more than I could chew because Dickens' Great Expectations is LONG! I am still reading it and plan to finish it in February.

Also, in January, Kate and I (well, primarily me) listened to Old Yeller. I had forgotten how sad that book is! I also read Agatha Christie's Towards Zero. Guess I am hooked on Christie!

This next month I plan to read the following:

(1) The Strong-Willed Child by James Dobson. I started reading this book when Kate was 10-months-old and need to finish it, especially since now she is 15-months-old and a little terror!

(2) Commonsense Vegetable Gardening for the South by William D. Adams & Thomas LeRoy. I am ready to start thinking about our garden and need some information about how to grow potatoes, peas, and blueberries since we are planning to add them to our garden this year. Plus, I always enjoy learning about plants.

(3) Fox's Book of Martyrs. This religious text is very long and dense, but I would like to read through it to understand what early Christian martyrs endured.

(4) Great Expectations by Dickens. So far, I really enjoying Dickens' characters; I feel such empathy for little Pip. Plus, the humor and irony in the novel is great. It keeps me reading.

(5) Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie. I revel in a good Hercule Poirot mystery. Perhaps I can get half of Christie's 80 novels read by the end of the year! It's a sick obsession, I know.

What are you reading this month? Share your book picks with me. I love to find new books to read.

Menu Plan for January 31-February 6

This week there are some great meat deals at Kroger and I am stocking up! My poor freezer is totally devoid of meat.

We will be having the following meals this week:

Sunday: Burritos with ground chuck and leftover quinoa, black beans and corn (that has been in the freezer), lettuce

Monday: Baked Chicken Fingers with Honey-Horseradish dip, Roasted potatoes, Green beans

Tuesday: Fettuccine Bolognese with Salad

Wednesday: White beans, hoecakes

Thursday: White chicken chili (with leftover white beans), guacamole

Friday: Homemade pizza

Saturday: Leftovers

A Winter Wonderland

Yesterday, true to the weather forecasters' words, the snow came! Kate and I were up early and out the door, hoping to run all our errands, plus check out some new books at the library, before the snow fell. Honestly, I didn't believe we would see more than a few flakes. I'm always skeptical when schools are dismissed BEFORE the snow even falls. But snow it did!







This snow was Kate's second of the year and third of her short life. But this time she actually enjoyed playing out in it although it was difficult to walk in, especially considering the snow came up to her mid-calf. Kate especially liked tasting the snow.





The next day the snow was covered by a sheet of ice, which meant no snowman, snow angels or snowball fights. DARN! We still managed to have some fun though walking up and down the street. Kate could actually walk on the ice although she did slip and slide a few times.

While the snow and ice are beautiful, Daniel and I both agreed that we are ready for springtime!!!