Good morning:)

Snow snow and more snow! I have to say, it’s so pretty. I was looking at it on Paul’s Durango and it looks like lots and lots of cottonwood. It really is gorgeous the way it’s settling. I tried to take a picture of it but it didn’t show up that great.  Anyway, Paul’s working from home today because the roads are so bad and the weather is just supposed to get worse. I had our meeting this morning. Glad that’s over. We still have our PTC meeting for this afternoon. I need to make some snackies for that I guess.  I spoke to Monica and I’m going to take supper over to Mikey’s house (the little boy I told yall about that’s in Jamie’s grade who had the brain tumor).  I’m going to do that for tomorrow night. Jeanette sent me that wonderful salad recipe *yay!* so that is one part I’ll take for tomorrow.  You know, I was sitting here thinking, this salad would be AWESOME with strips of grilled chicken in it. Omgoodnessthatjustsoundssogood!!! Monica took them over spaghetti that Elizabeth made yesterday. I’m thinking about making these pizza rolls from Southern Plate.  They are delicious and such a great snack. They don’t last long because they go down so easy. But as for a supper, I’ve only gotten as far as Jeanette’s salad.

Paul has a meeting in 30 minutes for work (conference call). I need to run some medicine for Jamie back up to the school while he does that.  I would love to go to Joann’s to find some more embellishments for my projects but today is so nasty.  The kittens have been romping around the house. Arthur seems to have made friends with Angel which is surprising. It’s usually Ford who comes around first. Arthur and Angel are here in the front room with me and he’s cooing at her;) He sounds like a little dove. She’s looking like she’s ready to pounce again:) I’m glad it hasn’t taken long for them to adjust to each other;)

I’m off to do something around here. So here are the recipes for today:) I can’t wait for yall to try the salad, you won’t be disappointed:) Also, I’m sending yall my Aunt Ruth’s John Marzetti Casserole. Have a warm, cozy day:)

take care,

~kat:)

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Jeanette’s Chinese Coleslaw

John Marzetti Casserole

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2-16 oz packages coleslaw
1 +1/2 c sunflower seeds
1+1/2 c slivered almonds
2 pkgs. Ramen Noodles soup (use the noodles only broken up)
2 bunches green onions chopped

Mix well and place in aluminum pan. Put dressing and crushed noodles on 1 hour before serving.

Dressing:
1 +1/2 c olive oil
2/3 c vinegar
1 +1/3 c sugar
Beef packets from Ramen noodles

Hello!

I’d like to report that we are not snowed in nor did we have the horrible blizzard that we were promised. Yay!  However, it may be delayed until tomorrow…who knows. Oh well, I was ready for it! Ready for it in the sense that I went to Joanns after school and bought a few items so I could experiment with my little ‘projects’:)  Even though it didn’t snow, I have come up with a prototype this morning:) Doesn’t look half bad but there is plenty of room for tweaking.

I’m sitting here with my coffee listening to Ray LaMontagne. Sarah just called and said she forgot her book for Book Worms after school. “Giraffes Can’t Dance”. She told me, “it’s a reality book. That means it’s fantasy”:) lol:)  If my children couldn’t forget something, they wouldn’t exist.  None of us were expecting to really have school this morning after all this blizzard talk and so we were slow getting up.  Slower than usual that is. I did get breakfast down them but no lunches got made.

Not a whole lot to report today. Tomorrow, I have a meeting at school to talk about Honor Roll luncheon.  My idea for a theme is the Super Bowl. I was telling my friend, Lori, about the idea I had and she suggested we could print stuff from online and glue it to cardboard to save money on decorations. Then, Paul and I were talking about it last night and he suggested we get green table clothes like the football field and make a 50 yrd line on them and put the helmets on each side of the 50 yrd line. Sounds really cute:)  I also think we should put popcorn and pretzels in bowls on each table like at SB parties. This HR is always a pizza party, so I thought maybe throw some wings in there and veggies and dip and grapes (gotta have grapes, they love them).  I’m not sure how the wings are going to go over with a) the budget b) health guidelines… That’s the only thing I’m worried about. They get pretzels and popcorn at school so I’m sure those are ok.  Anyway, that’s my idea that I’m going to pitch tomorrow.  I’ve done Mardi Gras for 2 years in a row. Bill (my older brother) has sent me the beads, masks and deblumes for it.  The kids loved it both  years because they got to keep the beads and coins and we raffled off the  masks.   I’m sure they’d get a kick out of again, but Mardi Gras is late this year and be fun to do something different. We have 64 kids and a $300 dollar budget, so we’ll see how far we get with that.  I always try to come in under budget and do most times.  I’ve gotten as far as the pizzas from Papa John’s for $7 each (for a lg – 8 pieces). I’m thinking 20 pizzas to be safe, that’s $140 dollars.  Like I said, we’ll see what everyone else says and go from there.

I gotta get some wash on. But I wanted to thank “lajunas” for the comment on how much she and her family enjoyed “Mama Martin’s White Beans”. I’m glad yall enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment:)

Yall have a wonderful day:)

take care,

~kat:)

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Mum’s Egg and Cress Tea Sandwiches

Fast Enchiladas

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Hello. How is everyone?

I really thought we were going to be late this morning. It is so much easier getting the kids up and to school to eat breakfast than it is eating at home and getting to school. I don’t know why that is, but it’s true.  I was about to scream before we finally got out of the door. Matthew has lost his Friday folder. I have no idea where it is. He said he was going to have to stay in at recess. I told him I’d look for it.  I really don’t want to go up to the school today. I haven’t been since last Wednesday, I believe. I know everyone gets tired of seeing me there. Heck, I get tired of being there. I do need to take some things back to the PTC Cage Room It’s very annoying. We got put out of our nice large room we had and into the showers in one of the girls’ bathrooms. Everything is stacked in boxes and can’t find anything. It’s a mess to have to keep

……. OK DO-OVER!!!

HAPPY MONDAY!!!:)

Hope the weekend went well for yall:)  Not a whole lot going on really just sitting here enjoying this beautiful morning:)  I am having my coffee and toast while my dishwasher runs:) I love the sound of my dishwasher. It’s soothing.  I have some things to do around the house this morning but I’d really like to get to Lowes and Joann’s Fabrics this afternoon. I’m working on my valentines:) I know what I want to do, I just have to figure them out first:)  I have 2 different projects in mind:)  Oh and I need to run up to the Dollar General to see if they still have boxes of small candy canes:) Ok, well scratch that, I called and they don’t have them anymore. Oh well, I have other ideas;) I’m actually getting excited about them.  I also need to start getting pictures of Sarah with she and her friends at school for her Valentine project:)  We made our’s last year and it was so much fun:) She said she wanted to do that again this year and she’s decided on what her’s will be:)

Paul just IM’d me and said we are under a Blizzard Watch. Ew. I wonder if it’s going to be anything like (this) Ele’s house at A Bit of Pink Heaven.   Let’s hope not anyway! I can’t imagine. I mean, to me, we have had a LOT of snow this year.  Paul and the kids got out in it yesterday afternoon late:) Sarah came in first. Bless her heart, Matthew had gotten her in the face with a snowball.  We got her cold, snowy clothes off and I ran her a hot bubble bath and brought her some hot chocolate while she defrosted:)  The boys (Paul included!:) stayed out for a while longer, so I had them hot chocolate ready when they came in as well. They had a blast;) Even Jamie, who hates getting cold and wet! Ok, blizzard watch… Something good and hot tonight. Maybe Beef Bourguignon. I need red wine *jots that down on her ‘to do’ list*.  I’ll never be able to top the Beef Bourguigon that I had in Paris. Ohhhh so sooo good. Maybe, I’ll make that and then get a great loaf of French bread to go along with it.  That would be so filling and warm for Paul when he gets home after a really cold, snowy commute.  I would love to make Ina’s version but I’m not sure I could pull it off. So, I’m going to use my cousin Sissy’s recipe . I’ve made it many times. For those of you who have been with me over the years, you’ll probably recognize the recipe.  It came from one of my cousin’s from Tallulah, Sissy Q. She passed away a few years ago but this was a dish that everyone looked forward too. She served her’s over white rice. I will have to make mashed potatoes for Paul but I think I’ll go with egg noodles for our’s. In Paris, though, they didn’t serve it with either.  There was some sort of potato on the side, like a whole boiled baked potato with the skin removed. That was kind of cool:) But it was never served over anything.

Ok, well I promised Matthew I’d look for his folder and I just realized 1st recess is about to happen so I gotta get moving:) Yall have a wonderful day!:)

take care,

~kat:)

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Mama Martin’s White Beans

Presto Pasta Salad

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Good morning:)

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Our weekend began pretty good:)  Report cards came out on Friday. I knew what to expect for Jamie (although his wasn’t as bad as I had imagined). Sarah’s:( …… Ok, onto our happy place:) Matthew made the Honor Roll:) Yay!! He missed it by 1 grade last 8 wks and I knew he was really working hard this time so my stomach was in knots waiting to find out. As soon as he told me:) I’m so happy for him;) Paul came home early and he took us out to supper at Matthew’s favorite spot, Red Robin. Then we ran to Petco and then to Target. Matthew wanted to go to Borders but I was soooo tired by this time and Jamie said he felt like he had a stomach ache coming on. I don’t know if his stomach ache was more to the fact his little brother was getting something special (books) from Borders or if he really had one… didn’t seem that way when we got home though. So yesterday, we took Matthew to Borders to get the book(s) he wanted. The first one was Mr. Noisy one of the Mr. Men books. Yes, they are a little bit to young for him anymore, but they are one of his favorite things. 2 or 3 of them have gotten messed up over the years and so he was wanting to replace them. He also picked out the sequel to the book he’s currently reading, “The Kid Who Ran for President”  – “The Kid Who Became President” is the new one.  When we got to the check-out, Matthew realized that the Mr. Men wasn’t the same kind he has currently. The ones he has now are all from England and they make up a design if you have the whole library, so he put it back. We’ll have to order it from the UK or get Grandma to pick it up for him:)  Yesterday afternoon consisted of a big grocery shop.  We went into Aldi to get a ham and a few other things, but the line. The line was ridiculous and only ONE person checking out. This is why I have never gone there much.  Weekdays are a little better, so I’ll try again on Monday.  Then it was off to the grocery store. In the next couple of weeks I’ll be making pork roast, pork chops, chicken fried steak and gravy,  hamburgers, Shepherd’s pie, meatloaf and fried chicken strips. I grabbed the Seapak Popcorn Shrimp. Those really are pretty good as far as frozen shrimp go.  We stocked up on frozen pizzas, stuff for school lunches (ham, bologna, pudding, little pineapple packs, mandarin oranges packs, chips…etc). Breakfasty stuff for the mornings, boxes of cereal (Mini Wheats, Cocoa Combos), Apples and Cinnamon Oatmeal, Oatmeal chewy bars, pop tarts, grape juice, apple juice…. We should be pretty well set for a week at least   Keeping the kids out of it all is a challenge. I’m biting the bullet today:( Paul has not had a roast chicken since before Thanksgiving or shortly after.  My stomach just turns thinking about having to get it into the oven.  I still can’t look at broccoli or manage mashed potatoes *shudder*. Moving on…

The kitten is doing well:) No one has called to inquire about her, which I find odd. Tomorrow, I’m taking her into the vet to see if she has a chip and to make sure she is, in fact, a she:)  If we do not find her owners, Paul wants to call her “Trillian” and Sarah wants “Angel”.  Neither are my picks. I’d like to call her Tulip or Petunia.  Anything but Trillian I guess. He seems to think we have this “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” theme going. He named the kittens, Ford and Arthur, after the characters Ford Prefect and Arthur Dent. Lets hope it’s not a boy because the names get even worse,  Zaphod Beeblebrox and Slartibartfast *rolls her eyes*.

Well, I finished “New Moon” the last of the Twilight series. I’m sad. It was a great series. I was surprised by the adult tone that the last two books, especially, took.  Matthew began reading on Twilight. That was ok, I guess. I figure he wouldn’t finish it anyway. Nothing shocking in those.  The second one, I was worried about my 13 year old niece reading and I definitely don’t want her reading the last two.  I’m not sure I would want even my 15 or 16 year old reading them.  They are excellent but I think they are a little TO mature.  I would recommend parents read them before their children so they can make the decision. I told my older brother, Bill, he needs to read them before WhitWhit.  I hope he does.

Now, I’m off to grab myself a water bottle. Then I’m going to plop myself on the sofa over here to browse through my new magazines I got from Borders yesterday. I have the latest Weight Watchers (I sooo need to get back on that), the January Southern Living and the February issue of The English Home.  The recipes today are a couple of my favorites. When I WAS doing WW, this Taco Soup was one of my favorites. The Rotel Macaroni recipe was one of my staples, along with Ramen Noodles, when I was in college because it’s so cheap to make (cheap and good!). It also worked for my WW diet as well. I can’t remember right off the bat what the count was (it’s been 3 1/2 or 4 yrs now).  Yall have a lovely relaxing day:)

take care,

~kat:)

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WW Taco Soup (1pt)

Rotel Macaroni

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