Weekend Plans

Is it me, or do these weeks seem to be running on fast forward? This Friday Steve is taking the older kids to a Pirate baseball game in Pittsburgh. The Pirates are playing really good ball so far this year, and the kids are all very excited. Steve taking the kids brings back so many fond memories of the Pirate games my own father took me to when I was young. Life has a way of moving on, doesn't it? My father took me to baseball games, and now I am visiting him in his nursing home while my own kids go to a game with their dad.

Saturday is a quiet day. I hope to do a whole lot of nothing before attending afternoon Mass. After that, Madison has work at Dairy Queen and Rhett at the movie theatre. Rhett is my movie buff, and he spends a lot of time there volunteering with the popcorn and cleaning. He loves it! The rest of us will come home to a quiet summer evening and a simple dinner.

Sunday is another free day. Madison works until 6:00, so after that I am planning a nice summer meal. Steve wants to cook some steaks on the grill, and I think I will bake some potatoes and throw on some broccoli or corn- on- the- cob if I can find some! Perhaps I will ask Peyton to make a dessert, too!

Well, that is what is happening here this weekend. I hope yours is happy and sunny and full of family, whatever your plans may be! : )

My dad and I at our annual Pirate game...1982!

All set for the Taylor Swift concert last week...

they had a blast!

My dad felt up to a night out, so Flynn and I took my sweet parents out for pizza and beer!

Trying to decide if Teddy should come with us that night...He did! : )

Cupcake Day this week...my favorite? Chocolate Pistachio

Afternoon coffee on a rainy summer day=Perfection!

Crock Pot Swiss Steak

So you all know how much I love my crock pot. In the winter it is perfect for hearty soups and meals. But I pull that old friend out in the summer too. Sometimes it is nice to put dinner in during the early morning, and let it cook while we play all day. I have many lighter, easier crock pot meals just perfect for warmer weather. This is one of them. I found it in a Kraft magazine, and it has become a favorite around here. I hope you give it a try sometime too. Enjoy!


                       Crock Pot Swiss Steak


Ingredients: 2 lb. boneless beef chuck roast,
                      cut into bite size pieces
                      1/4 cup A.1. Steak Sauce
                      1 sliced onion
                      1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes,
                      undrained
                      2 Tbsp.. flour
                      1/4 cup water


Directions:  Toss beef into crockpot, sprayed with Pam.
                    Add Steak Sauce.
                    Top with sliced onion and tomatoes.
                     Cover.
                     Cook on low 9 to 10 hours,
                     or on High 4 to 5.
                     Mix flour with water.
                     Add to meat mixture and
                     cook 5 minutes longer.

Fourth Of July 2013

We began celebrating the Fourth of July a bit early this year, on the second to be exact. My Madison made me a proud mama once again when she and a couple friends planned a Fourth of July party for the residents of my mother's Senior Center. They did an amazing job, and everyone had a wonderful time! Rhett went along to help, while Peyton, Flynn and I did some "behind the scenes" preparation. The Easter party Madison put on was part of her Religion class at school, but this one was just something Madison wanted to do out of a simple desire to make others happy. And she did just that!

She baked and decorated cupcakes...

 

 

and my sister Margie made some sugar cookies too!

 

 

My Madison and my Mom...so sweet!

 

 

Remember Madison's friend Justin who dressed up as The Easter Bunny? Well, he does Uncle Sam, too!

 

 

Madison, Rhett, Justin, and Madison's friend Nicole. These young people made me very proud!

 

 

A job well done! Next up...Halloween! : )

 

 

 

Our little town always has our fireworks on July third, and luckily we have a great view from our own front porch! We invite a few friends and family members over to watch them with us. We had our small party again this year, and it was soooo fun!

 

 

We were up early to decorate...

 

 

bake more yummy cupcakes...

 

 

and make some Oreo Balls...if you haven't tried these yet, you must!

 

 

The menu...because what is a party without lots of good food?

 

 

Me and my man! : )

 

 

And me with my little firecracker!

 

 

I would have included some pictures of Fourth of July itself, but since we stayed in our jammies watching movies until three o'clock, I decided to spare you the images...Hope you Fourth was sparkly and happy, my friends! : )

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Weekend Plans

So July is here. I pretty much have a love/hate relationship with July. Don't you? On the one hand, it is filled with lazy summer days...days filled with sun and outside and late nights and ice cream. On the other hand, the deeper we get into July, the closer that turn of the calendar is...and then comes August, and all that back to school entails. But I won't think about that now. For now I will force my OCD mind to concentrate on the here and now, on the beautiful, slow days of summer.

Friday is a free night around here. Hopefully the rain clouds that have set up camp over us will relocate and we will be able to spend a summer evening outside. I am planning a simple meal of baked cod with rice and a vegetable for a light dinner...then perhaps a trip to Dairy Queen to start the weekend off right!

Saturday brings a slight change in our normal routine. Steve is taking the kids and a few friends to Pittsburgh to see...Taylor Swift in concert! They are beyond excited and I am again grateful for my awesome hubby who volunteers to take a van load of kids to see a concert. How did I get so lucky? ;  ) Flynn and I are planning on taking my mom down for a visit with my dad. Depending on how he feels, I am hoping to get him out for a quick dinner. I sure hope he is up to it.


Sunday we will be attending morning Mass since we will miss it on Saturday evening. I am anxious to see how well we do getting all six of us ready for a morning Mass when usually it takes a certain teenage daughter all afternoon to go Saturday evening! Sunday afternoon I am planning on taking apart our dining room and packing up all my china for storage in the basement. The desks we ordered are being delivered (and assembled, thank Heavens!) on Thursday, so I want to be sure we are all ready. We are planning on putting everything down in the basement, but since we had a "minor" water incident a few weeks ago during a monsoon that dumped nearly four inches of water in less than an hour directly above our house, we have had to do some necessary cleanup. I am hoping the carpets will be cleaned and dried in time to put everything down there. If not, I will formulate plan B. It is amazing how much more relaxed I am about certain things now that I am older. I guess age brings a sense of perspective to things!

After all that, I have penciled in a pizza night to end our busy weekend. Well, that is what is on tap here. I hope your weekend is sunny and dry, whatever your plans may be!

We had a few days of beautiful hot weather a week or so ago...and that found us outside early in the morning doing this...

and later in the day...enjoying this!

A big shout out to my bloggy friend Patty for sharing the awesome idea of a water table! Can you believe I have been a mother for sixteen years and have never had one? Patty shared how much her little one enjoyed hers, so I immediately asked Steve to pick one up at Walmart. Best. Summer. Purchase. Ever. Thanks Patty!

Our little sparkler all ready for Mass last Saturday.

Caught this beauty on our way home from our anniversary dinner...

I did get my cherry lime sparkler last week. Good thing we live forty five minutes from the nearest Taco Bell...This could become a problem.

iPhone shot of my baby...who is looking a little older each day. Sigh...

Happy Weekend, dear friends!

Happy Fourth Of July And A Quick Summer Snack

Just sharing one of our favorite summer snacks today. Well, actually we eat these all year, but for some reason they taste better in the summer. They are not a new treat, just a twist on an old one. And not quite as messy either! I am speaking of s'mores of course! Who doesn't love a good s'more? But in case you aren't sitting by a campfire, or you don't have any marshmallows handy, here is a quick and easy way to enjoy them anywhere, anytime! I actually made these one time when Rhett had a sledding party. I made them up and took them outside with some hot cocoa. Perfect! Anywhere, here is all you need...

Yep. Just spread some Fluff on a graham cracker, top with a piece of unmelted chocolate, and finish off with another graham cracker. And this is what you end up with...

You're welcome.

And also, a big Happy Fourth Of July wish to you all.

I hope your day is filled with family, fun, hot dogs, and sparklers!

Happy Fourth Of July, friends!

What's Inside My July Folder

July...The lazy, crazy hazy days of summer...not much goes on around here this month. My folder reflects this, especially this year. Now that we have decided to cyberschool, many things that were on my monthly list of things to do are no longer necessary...no need to order school uniforms or start looking for school supplies when Walmart puts them out on the day after fourth of July. So anyway, here is my July folder...

And here is what's inside...

The first thing inside is the July poem. Madison wrote this one several years ago!

Beautiful July

July comes in with the sun shining bright

Playing during the day

Sitting on the porch at night

Sparklers and fireworks

Let's celebrate the red, white, and blue

Thank God for America

It gave freedom to me and you

Running through sprinklers

Riding scooters and bikes

But the summer seems to be slipping right by

Let's treasure these moments of beautiful July

Because before you know it

It'll be school time

Madison Stoltz

The next thing is my list of things to do this month.

July

1. Fill in yearly school memory books.

2. Christmas in July

3.Start listing items needed for fall-clothes and jackets.

4.Order birthday gifts for fall birthdays.

I also have a few yummy recipes for special red, white, and blue desserts. And that is about it! Happy July! Happy Planning!

Weekend Plans...Anniversary Edition

Another summer weekend is rolling around, and this one is a special one for me and my sweet hubby...it is our 22nd wedding anniversary! Yes, that makes us officially old...but still as much in love as we were that stifling hot June day so many years ago. Saying yes to Steve was the best decision I ever made, and I am thankful every day for his gift of love. And support. And wisdom. And patience. And awesome parenting skills. Did I mention patience?

Friday afternoon the kids and I are going down to visit my dad in the nursing home. He is doing a bit better in this setting, despite a few falls. Thankfully, he was not hurt. I am thankful he is in a place where he is safe and sound. After our visit, I am taking the kids to our favorite quick dinner spot...Taco Bell! Have you tried the Limeade Sparkler yet? You must.

Saturday is our special day, and as such I plan on doing nothing. That is until I spot some random thing that needs straightened, or organized, or cleaned. OCD is such a joy... We are attending early evening Mass and then Steve and I have a date night planned! Without kids! Eeek! Having kids far apart in age bonus: free babysitters! We ordered some pizza kits that are arriving Saturday, so the kids will have those and some fun free time while Steve and I go out to eat and pretend that we are not wondering what the kids are doing. And there we go...another Brady Bunch episode reference...remember the one where Greg and Marcia were babysitting and Cindy had the sniffles? Oh...sorry...there I go again...

Sunday is happily free. Free from anything. Our first Sunday of the summer with no place to be and nothing to do. I think I will have some pancakes and fresh fruit for brunch and possibly some sloppy joes for dinner. In between...summer fun...playing outside, watching old movies, sitting on the porch. And that my friends is what we have planned for this summer weekend. I hope yours is happy and sunny and yummy, whatever your plans may be. Thanks for stopping by! : )

Happy Anniversary Steve! : )

It's the funniest thing...the older I get, the blonder my hair gets...hmmmm.

What do you do when your hubby surprises you with 2 baskets of these beauties?

Make strawberry pie, of course...

and strawberry muffins too!

All set for our Monsters University premiere party last weekend...

just some simple table decorations, but the kids thought it was so neat!

All ready to see the movie...and it was great!

Check out this parade that passed through our TV room this week. : ) 

My little Flynn...

Happy Summer weekend, friends!

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you know how I feel about muffins. Muffins = love. June is strawberry month, and if I have fresh strawberries, you better believe I am making strawberry muffins. I found this recipe online and it has turned out to be a favorite. Enjoy!

Fresh Strawberry Muffins

Ingredients: 1/2 cup softened butter

                      3/4 cup sugar

                      1 egg

                      2 cups flour

                      2 tsp. baking powder

                      1/2 tsp. salt

                      1/2 cup milk

                      1/2 tsp. vanilla

                      1 1/2 cups strawberries, chopped

                      cinnamon sugar

Directions:   Beat butter and sugar.

                     Add egg and mix well.

                     Stir flour, baking powder, and salt

                     in small bowl.

                     Add this and milk alternately

                     to butter mixture. Add vanilla.

                     Stir in strawberries.

                     Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

                     Bake in muffin tin at 400 degrees

                     for 20-25 minutes.

                     Makes 12 muffins.