Monday, August 26, 2013

Menu Plannin’ Monday

Nothin’ fancy this week, but I think sometimes it’s nice to show that some weeks are whatever you can throw together because it’s the end of the month and you’re trying to stay on a budget! hehe =)

Monday: Beefy Pasta (sorry, can’t find the recipe online)

Tuesday: Turkey & Cranberry Chutney Sandwich (carryover from last week)

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Wednesday: Baked Potatoes, Chicken & Salad

Thursday: Throw Together Kidney Bean Burritos (from Real Simple)

Friday: Kung Pao Chicken

Kung Pao Chicken

Saturday: Invited to dinner at a friends, lucky us!! =)

Sunday: Eat out – celebrate hubby’s 4 day weekend!

MPM-Summer

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

What I Wore Wednesday–Not Too Shabby

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CONFESSION TIME…

I think I’ve not been posting any OOTD (outfit of the day for any newbs) pics lately partially because I’ve not been trying my best to look nice.

It’s hot. I’m tired. I’m trying to stay fit (i.e. sometimes I haven’t showered and am in gym clothes). And I’m chasing my kids at parks.

ALL THAT SAID, I’m glad I took this pic. I don’t look too bad. Winking smile 

Shirt & Flip Flops: Old Navy

Shorts: Loft

Earrings: Gift from when I was a teacher

Sunglasses: Target

And one I took awhile back but never posted, just for fun…

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Shirt & Flip Flops: Old Navy (I’ve since graduated to what I call “adult” sandals, but wasn’t there yet for this pic. Hopefully I’ll post a picture of those cute shoes soon)

Necklace: Charming Charlie’s

Shorts: Banana Republic

Bracelets: H&M

Monday, August 19, 2013

Menu Plannin’ Monday

Gosh, time flies! I’m too embarrassed to admit the last time I posted my menu plan. Not that I haven’t been doing it, just not posting. But, here goes…

Monday: Chicken, FB Broccoli Recipe & Salad (it was super healthy!)

Photo: This recipe should be illegal!<br /><br />Preheat oven to 375°<br />Chop a head of broccoli (do not rinse  immediately prior to preparing!)<br />Mince 2-3 cloves of garlic<br />Put broccoli, garlic, 2 tbsp. olive oil, and a few shakes of salt and pepper in a ziploc bag.<br />Shake it up (my daughter loves to do this part)<br />Spread out on baking sheet, place on top rack, and bake for about 30 minutes.<br />Broccoli will be crunchy and delicious! I make this at least 3 times a week and have to control myself once I take it out of the oven, I could eat this alone for dinner! -Danae

Tuesday: Bite-Size Chicken Empanadas (new to me recipe!)

Wednesday: Chicken Fajita Melts (second time making it, yum)

Chicken Fajita Melts Recipe

Thursday: Greek Orzo Stuffed Peppers (second time as well, yum)

Greek Orzo Stuffed Peppers Recipe

Friday: Artichoke Pizzas (This is an easy go-to for me I found a LONG time ago in Real Simple. It has almonds on it and is delish!!)

Artichoke Pizzas With Lemony Green Bean Salad

Saturday: Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries & Salad

Sunday: Turkey & Cranberry Chutney Sandwich (second time yet again, and yummers!)

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MPM-Summer

Strawberry & Nutella Crepes

Strawberry and Nutella Crepes

Short and simple post for ya!

I made crepes for the first time this morning…it will CERTAINLY not be the last or else my hubby will never forgive me for making these on a work morning when he has already left the house. Winking smile

Clipped the recipe out of a Mother’s Day issue of Family Circle. (and yes, I’m just now getting around to trying it! – instead of being embarrassed about waiting this long to try the recipe, I will pat myself on the back for hanging onto a paper copy of said recipe for oh…4 or 5 months. BAM!)

SUPER EASY…AND SUPER DELISH! Too bad my daughter still chose to pick out the ONLY healthy part – the strawberries. *sigh*

strawberry & nutella crepes

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1. In a medium bowl, whisk 2 eggs, 1 cup skim milk, 1/2 tsp almond extract, 1/2 cup cornstarch, 1/2 cup flour, 1 tbsp oil, 2 tsp sugar, 3/4 tspbaking powder, 1/4 tsp salt and a pinch ground allspice. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Stir.

2. Heat an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. With a ladle or 1/4-cup measure, add 2 tbsp batter to skillet. Tilt and rotate pan to coat. Cook 30 seconds or until crepe is browned on bottom and edges are dry. Lift with a silicone spatula and flip over. Cook 5 seconds, then transfer to a sheet of wax paper. Repeat with remaining batter, stacking crepes with wax paper in between. Spread with Nutella and scatter sliced strawberries on top. Fold, then dust withconfectioners' sugar and cocoa powder.

Enjoy!

Friday, August 9, 2013

10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 Years of Marriage–#5. Maintain Your Girlfriends

Marriage Tip #5

I clearly alluded to this same tip in my last marriage post, here, but indulge me in allowing me to provide further explanation as to how beneficial your girlfriends can be!

#1. You need a shopping buddy, and your husband is probably not the right person. Winking smile 

#2. Chick flicks! I don’t see them often, but every once in awhile, I get sucked in. The last one I saw was “Safe Haven”. I’m confident my husband would rather poke his eye out with a spork than to have seen this movie. Or worse yet (for him anyway) listen to 2 hours of country music.

#3.  Girl’s nights. There’s just something about kicking back with a group of your closest friends, laughing, sharing kid stories, etc. that simply makes the heart happy.

#4. She’ll tell you the truth. Not that your husband won’t, but if you ask him if you look fat in your new dress, and he were to actually tell you that yes you do indeed, look fat in the dress, you might punch him in the face (or worse, withhold sex! DON’T do this ladies, seriously…while you think you might be gaining an upper hand, you’re just leaving the door open for him to find that fulfillment elsewhere). Your girlfriends have that way of being honest, without damaging your ego too badly.

#5. You need a sounding board. Not if, but when you get frustrated with your husband, it’ll be helpful to have a girlfriend to process with, and gauge whether your emotions are legit, or totally out of whack. Word of caution, however, just as women run on love, men run on respect. So don’t go around bad-mouthing your man or saying such awful things your friend will never be able to respect him. Try to share your frustrations in a logical fashion. In other words, try to present the scenario in a way that is unbiased. She’ll also be able to provide better feedback/advice that way, too.

#6. It’ll make you a better person. It’s unrealistic to expect that your husband will provide you with everything you need. You need support from other people and not become completely codependent on your husband. That won’t be healthy for either of you. We should always go to God first, with everything, but God also intended for us to have support from others. And ladies, we need support from our fellow ladies!

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One more thing to note on this topic…

Notice the depth of the friendship described here, and the word “maintain” in the tip. In order to maintain girlfriends, you have to make an effort. You need to call them, email, text, plan play dates, plan girl’s nights, etc. Friendships don’t just magically happen (or rarely do). You have to show the person you care.

This is something that I’m working on, and need to. I’m blessed with some amazing girlfriends, that apparently love me faults and all, because I often get caught up in my own, silly, busy world, and forget to say “Hey, we need to hang, and talk meaningfully, instead of in between yelling at my kid and changing a diaper.”

So to my girlfriends…you know who you are…bear with me as I learn. And point it out when I’m failing, please, I’m giving you permission. I love you deeply and am thankful to YOU for helping me to be a better person.

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P.S. – Take pictures with your girlfriends! I went to find some with mine, and seriously? I have like 10,000 of my kids, and like 3 with girlfriends…maybe. So watch out friends, I may start making you take selfies with me! hehe

Okay, I’ll at least leave you with this gem I found of one of my longest girlfriend relationships from waaay back in jr. high. Love you Kel!

Becky, Kelly and Julie at Dland

Oh my word! I just laughed out loud, with tears, for maybe like 5 minutes after giving this a good look over. My husband asked why I do this to myself and I said, “’Cuz sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself!”

Monday, August 5, 2013

10 Things I’ve Learned in 10 Years of Marriage–#6. Ladies, pipe down about “the nail”!

Marriage Tip

If you have yet to watch this video, or simply need a good laugh, please go watch it before reading the remainder of this post.

Man do I wish I had learned this one earlier on in our marriage! Not only would it have saved both my husband and I a LOT of frustration, but many of my problems would’ve been solved waaay sooner than they were!

Let me start with an example of something from real life…

I asked my husband to help me come up with an example, and surprisingly…we had to go a ways back to come up with one, but, here goes!

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Pre-kid days, I was a teacher and had an unfortunate situation in which the principal was not above moral reproach. The students, myself, his staff and many others paid a high price.

I would frequently come home complaining and needing to talk out some anger about the situation. Sweet hubby kept pointing out what steps I should take to fix the situation. “No, you’re not listening!” Sound familiar?

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So, let’s be real here. We’re women. We talk. A lot. Probably a lot more than we need to. And that’s partially just how we run! So I’m not telling you to never hash out your struggles and problems with anyone, I’m just telling you to not hash them out with your husband, if you can avoid it. He honestly DOES NOT GET THE NEED FOR PROCESSING and simply wants to FIX IT! I had an aha moment that finally helped me understand how LITTLE he comprehends your need to talk things through. I equated him listening to my long drawn out stories about my frustrations, to him excitedly telling me about his most recent battle against the troll and how he leveled up and received a new pet in doing so (sorry hun, I’m working really hard to care!!). “What does that even mean” you ask yourself? EXACTLY! They don’t get it, and don’t wanna hear your half hour long rendition of why you’re torn up (maybe if you could sum it up in 2 minutes?).

So when you feel the need to talk about “your nail”…

#1.

Talk to God first.

Often times, that’s all you end up needing! I mean, He did create the world, I’m certain He can handle helping you through your problems, right? But, God also understands our need for human interaction.

#2.

Find a girlfriend.

 A girlfriend ladies. Not a slew of them so you end up sharing your stories over and over again, reliving them exhausting your mental capacities simply for the sake of talking it out. Seek out ONE trusted girlfriend who understands your need to talk something through and share your feelings with them.

And on those very rare occasions when a girlfriend is not available, or simply nobody else will do other than your husband, begin your “storytelling” with the following words…

“HONEY, WOULD YOU JUST LISTEN?”

And proceed, knowing that if he answers yes, he loves you a gosh darn awful lot! Because he is solely listening for that reason alone – he loves you. Absolutely no other reason.

#3.

Consider taking action about your “nail situation”. =) In other words, fix it!

Once you get in the habit of sharing with your girlfriends instead of your husband, you might actually find yourself coming to your husband for…*gasp* actual advice and an answer! Yes, you might actually come to him in hopes that he will fix it. You’ll learn that it’s far less emotionally exhausting to just let him provide you with the answer, versus spewing all your emotional garbage before hearing said answer. And let me tell you how much more at peace and productive you will be in life! I’m still learning, I still hash things out, even with my patient sweet hubby. But I’m making progress, and that’s why my marriage is still flourishing, I’m WORKING AT IT! =)

So, in closing…

#6. pipe down about “the nail” and consider fixing it

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