September Wreath

Hello all! I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! I love 3 day weekends. So many projects I have planned to work on and I have completed one of them.

My September Wreath

I decided to use a smaller wreath this month because last month's was so big.

The wreath only cost a grand total of 8.00 to make thanks to my stocking up on crafts that was on sale.I always go shopping the day after Christmas to get tons of supplies on sale.

I used very few supplies for this wreath:

The hardest part was putting the leaves where I wanted them. (ok here is a true story when writing this I originally typed leafs.See I'm a hockey fan and my team is the Maples Leafs so I had a good laugh when proof reading this) 

The final process was really quick and easy.

I love the colors. My wonderful hubby even looked at it while I was finishing it up and said that looks like a fall wreath. (Gee I hope so!) I laughed at him. 

It took me 30 minutes to make this wreath and when I went to hang on my door I originally placed it like the picture above but I didn't like how the flower looked at the top of the wreath so I just turned the wreath and thought"That's my September Wreath!"

Labor Day Weekend

 It's the final holiday for the Summer! When I was younger it was a sign that you could no longer wear white shoes and that school was going to start that Tuesday. Man how times have changed!

What is Labor Day? It's a celebration of the working class and the social and economic achievements of the American worker.

I love this picture of Rosie the Riveter by Norman Rockwell for Labor Day. It was published in 1943

She was one talented woman!

I was looking on my Pintrest Labor Day board and found some great websites to share with you.

If you are planning a camping trip I found this website that has meals and the shopping list.

http://markingmyterritory.com/2013/08/22/labor-day-camping-recipes-menu-shopping-list/

And if your planning a BBQ and are on budget this website it great!

http://www.ultimatecouponclub.com/labor-day-for-less-host-a-labor-day-bbq-on-a-budget/#.VeOMdPlVhBc

Here is a great website for home schoolers

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Labor-Day-Fun-Quiz-315180

So what are our plans for Labor Day?  Are you going on a vacation or a staycation? Are you going to be hitting the Labor Day Sales?

 Seeing how my Step Sons will be here We are going to have a BBQ!! Plus we will be firing up the Fire Pit and have some quality family time.

And I'm posting again!

Hello All!!

I decided to take the summer off just to relax and try to keep cool! For some reason summertime makes me unmotivated to do much. Seeing how school started last week for my daughter, Abby, I figured it's now time to start blogging again! This is a big year for her and me. It's her senior year!!! And that means it's my last senior year with my 3 kids. My poor hubby is going to have to deal with me being pretty darn emotional this year.
This is also a big year for my Son. It's his first year in college. I can't wait to hear about how different it is from high school.

So without further delay:
 I am planning my September wreath. I did an August one but did not post it. Sorry. Here is what it looks like.

I was extremely proud at how it came out! So stay tuned for September's wreath.
Here are some of the wreaths I have been looking at to get inspired:

http://thefrugalhomemaker.com/2014/06/10/red-and-yellow-summer-wreath-with-a-burlap-bow/

http://www.stonegableblog.com/summer-initial-wreath-diy/#more

http://www.hometalk.com/2189195/the-secret-to-a-really-good-bow-for-a-wreath

I am so proud of all the wreaths I have made this year. I realized yesterday after September I only have  2 more wreaths to make! 

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO FOR NEXT YEAR!?!?!

Yes the planning has begun. I have a few ideas and would love to hear what you think about them.

1. More wreaths

2.Monthly decoration for my dinning room table

3. Front porch decorations

Monday's Menu

Hello all! It's the start of a wonderful week!
When I went to plan this weeks menu I asked my wonderful hubby if he wanted anything. He told me to make quick easy dinners this week so I'm not putting to much on my plate. (I have a lot of stuff planned this week.) How SWEET of him!!! (I really mean that!) So I'm busting out the trusty crock pot!
I will be posting pictures through the week of the meals I have cooked here on this blog instead of making a new blog about the menu that was cooked.
Our menu's start on Saturday's and go to Friday.
You can also visit my Pintrest account for recipes I have tried. I would love to hear about your meals you plan at home. What are some great recipes you have tried?

Saturday: I had originally planned a rotisserie chicken from Kroger's and that was VETOED by my son while we were grocery shopping.(The whole family wen with me) I didn't want to cook so my hubby told me he would pick up Papa Murphy's pizza. It's a huge pizza and we have leftovers for lunch on Sunday and through the week for the kids and hubby.
http://www.papamurphys.com/

Sunday: Southwest Chicken Skillet.
When I read this recipe I was thrilled because it's all cooked in 1 pot. WOOO HOO Less dishes to clean! Plus the picture mad me hungry!

http://www.persnicketyplates.com/southwest-chicken-skillet/

This Meal was a Hit!!! There is NO LEFT OVERS!

While I was cooking it I was able to get everyone's lunches ready for tomorrow.

Super Simple and Quick!

Brown the chicken in your skillet 1st. Yes I added seasoning to the chicken.

Then add all the other ingredients. Bring to a boil and cover for 20 minutes. Make sure the rice does not stick to the bottom of the skillet.

Also, I did add a handful cheese on it at the end.

YUMMY!

I can't help it I love, LOVE Salads. My poor family has to deal with me eating salads all the time.

NOW LUNCHES:

This is what I packed for the lunches for tomorrow for Abby and I. My Hubby is getting the leftover Pizza and My Son has a free meal where he works.

Have I mentioned I love salad? This bag will give me 2 lunches and 1 salad for tomorrow's dinner.

MMMM SALAD!

This is inside my lunch box. The Grapes are my snack and the Yogurt is there to help with afternoon sweet tooth that I get.

And this is Abby's School Lunch. The Lunch-able is her breakfast! She is taking after her momma with the salads.

 Monday: Crock Pot Cube Steak

My husband renamed this S.O.S. and yes it is a lot like S.O.S. but man it's soo YUMMY!!!! Even though it looks like something made pre-world war 2 there are never leftovers here.

http://www.5dollardinners.com/slow-cooker-cube-steak-recipe/

I want to share with you the crock pot God sent! Slow cook liners!!!

See it's doesn't look yummy but it smells WONDERFUL!

It's a family favorite in this house. I love it!

And now Tomorrow's Lunch

Abby's Lunch. She bought herself a pre made sandwich and I was so proud of her dividing the pretzel sticks out into Baggies.

My lunch. Umm It's a Salad. surprised?

My wonderful hubby's lunch is frozen meal he picked out at the grocery store.

 Tuesday: Crock Pot Creamy Chicken & Broccoli over Rice

For my family you can not go wrong with chicken and Broccoli. Broccoli is the 1 veggie they will eat without me having to hide it in a recipe. 

http://therecipecritic.com/2014/01/slow-cooker-creamy-chicken-broccoli-rice/

This meal was so filling. When I got home tonight the house smelled so yummy. I was worried about not putting the broccoli in the crock pot all day, but it came out wonderful. A keeper recipe in this family.

Tomorrow's Lunch:

Well it's really simple. I'm taking leftover pizza,(WAIT WHAT!?! No salad!) Abby is taking a sandwich, James is eating at work and Wonderful Hubby is taking last nights (Cube Steak crock pot) leftovers.

Wednesday: Crock Pot Pizza

WHAT! Pizza in a crock pot? Yes and No it uses pasta not a crust but it taste like a homemade pizza. 

http://yellowfarmhouse.typepad.com/yellow_farmhouse/2011/04/index.html

Well there was a HUGE issue when I came to make this. I had no Mozzarella Cheese. Back up plan in place I make Tacos mainly because Abby had made queso earlier this week and I didn't want it to go bad. It's always good to have 1 back to go recipe just in case

Thursday: Leftover night! Cause we are going to need it!(HOPEFULLY!)

Friday: Chicken & Bean Burritos

The picture had me! It looked so good then I saw total time to make 15 minutes and I was sold!

http://www.readyseteat.com/recipes-Chicken-and-Bean-Burritos-6233.html

Ok This is what happened. I came home tired! So I told my wonderful hubby to wake me up in 1 hour. At 8:30 he wakes me up!!! However everyone had ate the rest of the leftovers that we still had so this dish is getting moved to Saturday

Through the week I'll post my pictures of the meals I make and add our lunches for each day!

Until than Cook On!

1950's housewife

I found this article and I thought it was really fascinating and I wanted to share it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2176971/1950s-housewives-kept-slim-burning-calories-housework.html

Sunday Menu

Sunday:

Rotisserie Chicken
Pre-cooked chicken was on sale this week!



Monday:
Crock pot Beef and Vegetables stew


Tuesday:
Chicken Enchiladas and Re-fried Beans



Wednesday:

Chicken Pot Pie
How much more traditional can I get (again on a Wednesday!)


Thursday:

Left-overs
Because food is not allowed to go to waste here!

Friday:

Spaghetti 
This has actually because my family's favorite dinners.


Saturday:

Surprise me night
This is when I look to see what I can come up with quickly with everything that is in my kitchen.

Last Week's Menu

The one main thing I have learned to do is to roll with the punches. Sometimes I have a meal planned for the week and something may happen to turn it into another type of meal. Take for instance my breakfast casserole, I turned it in a skillet meal to avoid heating up my gas oven.
Sunday:

Sausage and Potatoes with steamed Broccoli
For this meal I spent a total of $6.00. That's $1.50 for each of us. I used our steamer and steamed the broccoli for 15 minutes. I cooked the potatoes first in the skillet. As the potatoes are cooking I cut the sausage and waited til the potatoes were almost done and than added the sausage. Once the sausage is done the meal is ready. 
This was quick and easy to cook. It's a great recipe if you have left over potatoes that you don't want to go bad or like me get everything on sale.

Monday:
Crock pot Santa Fe Chicken
This meal was extremely Yummy! When I got home from work I was so hungry from the wonderful smell coming from my kitchen that I forgot to take a picture. Add all the ingredients listed to a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. I got the recipe from here: http://www.chef-in-training.com/2011/10/crock-pot-santa-fe-chicken/

• 1 1/2 pounds chicken
• 1 (14.4 oz) can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans
• 8 oz frozen corn
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
• 1 (14.4 oz) can chicken broth
• 3 scallions chopped
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
• - TT salt and pepper

Tuesday:
Breakfast Casserole and a Fruit salad
It turned out not to be a casserole but a skillet meal! Still it was so good!
Fully cook sausage in a skillet
Add eggs to skillet and mix in with sausage
Once eggs are cooked top with cheese

• 1 package of  breakfast sausage
• 6 eggs
• 2 cup of cheese 

Wednesday:

Meat loaf, Mash potatoes and corn
It actually turned into Meatloaf, Broccoli Cheese Soup and Fruit! It was a great meal and there were no leftovers!

Thursday:

Left-overs
Because food is not allowed to go to waste here!

Friday:

Skillet Chicken Fajitas with Black Beans
This is what really happened! I came home from work and it was a hot day. Hubby didn't want me heating up the house so he took us to Subway for some cold sandwiches. And Yes I had my Veggie and Cheese Sandwich.


Saturday:

Chicken with Basil Alfredo sauce, Salad and Green Beans
This will be on next weeks recipe posting.