Books May 28th through June 21st

I did not realize I had not posted a book list in soo long. Here they are:


After finishing Better than Before which really did not get any better for me I switched topics  and listened to Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age which I gleaned some good information from. This was directly followed by The Big Disconnect: Protecting childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age. I also was able to glean some good information from this one although I think she over stated the link between parents on their cell phones and kids becoming addicts. After these 2 books I thought I should change topics again or I was going to go down a rabbit hole with cell phones and kids. Next up was $2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America. This was a heartbreaking and informative book which I nearly finished and then had to turn in and wait my turn for again. I was able to finish last night and found it renewed my need to see reform in how the truly poor our treated by society. While I waited on $2.00 a Day to become available again I listened to Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation.  Several of my friends had been talking about the documentary that he made in conjunction with this book so I decided to listen to it and then watched the documentary. I can say as with most things I preferred the book to the documentary. The book was able to go more in depth and give more vignettes. I did enjoy getting a visual of the people discussed in the book but still preferred the "long" version. When I finished Cooked I was still waiting on $2.00 a Day so I started listening to Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck. This book is really hard to listen to due to the subject matter. I just can not believe how over and over in our country we systematically pick on a weaker group of people. I only have 2 days left on this borrow so I have renewed and will have to get in line again. In the meantime I stopped to finish $2.00 a Day last night and then restarted listening. I will try to get as much listened to as I can over the next couple of days but I have a feeling it will be a stop and restart proposition.


In print I have read Death in Yellowstone which was a book I read about in an article discussing the tourists who put the buffalo calf in their car. It was a good, informative guide to people dying in Yellowstone. After finishing this hefty volume I went with A Cowboy Returns which was exactly what it was supposed to be a romance novel. No deep thought was required. It was a series so I went on to Cowboy Proud and then finished up with Cowboy Strong.  After finishing these I am still not willing to dive into another non fiction so I am catching up on Stephanie Plum.  Takedown Twenty is one of the first that has made me laugh out loud in quite some time. After this I will hit the heavy subject matter again.

Backyard Projects Underway

I was on hold on the front yard until I could pick up more brick and I needed to transplant some items anyway so I started on a couple of the smaller backyard projects. I finished this one in one night and had a small moment of satisfaction that it was done.

Menu for 2nd Week of June

My mom gave me a pretty short notice that she was coming to visit. She also arrived with Church's chicken and some groceries. I made a menu based on these options and we headed through the week with that plan.

What actually happened which ended up being pretty close to the original plan.

Sun June 12th: Grilled cheese with cinnamon apples

Mon June 13th: Mom arrived with Church's chicken, mashed potatoes, rolls and mac and cheese

Tue June 14th: The ignition on my outside grill quit working so I went with plan b the cast iron grill pan. We had grilled steak, roasted new potatoes, buttered rolls and Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Sticks.

Wed June 15th: Chili was on the menu! We used up the leftover pinto beans from last week.

Thur June 16th: Beef Strogonoff using up the leftover grilled steaks

Fri June 17th: Pizza!!!!

Sat June 18th: Crock Pot Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Asparagus sauteed in butter with some Teriyaki sauce as well as a green salad and corn on the cob.

It was a really good dinner week and I am excited about the next menu as the produce co-op had a ton of good stuff this time.

Start of June

I am behind in posting. I have been trying to get yard projects done and had my mom visit.

Sunday June 5th: Spaghetti

Monday June 6th: Chicken nuggets

Tuesday June 7th: Grilled flanken style ribs with baked Acorn squash and garlic bread.

Wednesday June 8th: Chicken fajitas and leftover Carne Guisada

Thursday June 9th: I did make the baked spaghetti using up the rest of the tomato sauce from the guisada recipe as well as the leftover noodles and sauce from earlier in the week. I did not have any fresh mushrooms so I used the rest of 1 jar of dehydrated that I soaked for a bit and the rest of some shredded cheese.

Friday June 10th: I made pinto beans in the crockpot using up 3 slices of bacon for seasoning. The cornbread was a disaster. I forgot to put the baking powder in it so it did not rise.

Saturday June 11th: BBQ Chicken and Bacon Taquitos which enabled me to use up all the leftover fajita chicken, bacon and corn tortillas


As you can see this week was quite the dinner disaster but we survived and made it to the next week to try again. 

Front Yard Projects Underway Including Dinosaur and Gnome Gardens.

I finally got underway with a front flower bed project that I have talked about for years.  About 10 years or more ago I started planting English Ivy and hoped it would cover the very shaded front yard. This partially worked but I was tired of the way it looked and the bare spots that would never end up covered with ivy.  This frustration and need for a place to be in the front yard so the kids could play led to the new make over. I did not think to get before pictures of everything but will post the ones I did take.

First project:

Only before shot of the area

The boys bought me this gnome for my birthday

Phillip picked this rock up from someone who was trashing it. 

I still need to work on this area but needed to clean up a spot in the backyard to move some of the existing plants back there. During this limbo time as I wait on Phillip to finish the deck and screened porch before I can move the plants I started other front yard projects.

This is the before of the area under current renovation 

"helpers"

It needed footprints

It was getting dark so I had to quit

This was over multiple evenings as we had the time to work on it. Last night I started on cleaning up the back yard areas so I can transplant some stuff and then finish up the front beds. 

Kindergarten Graduation

Confession time: Until the time I was seated in the auditorium waiting for the gaggle of kids to come in I was opposed to kindergarten graduation ceremonies. I thought it was a pointless exercise as they have really only finished 1 year in school.  My opinion changed when my baby who was really a baby just a blink ago was ready to come across the small stage and get his certificate. He was so proud and happy that I was there to see him. He was then also excited to go out to lunch with me when the program was done.

Last Days of May/ 1st Days of June Menu Plan

This is looking back at last week so this will be an abbreviated post.

Sunday May 30th: Grilled hot dogs served with corn on the cob

Monday May 31st: Grilled flanken ribs served with roasted new potatoes

Tue Jun 1st:
lunch- I only worked half the day because Logan graduated kindergarten mid day, his choice afterwards was Rosa's
dinner- fried rice with leftover fajita chicken, rice and bits of veggies.

Wed Jun 2nd:
lunch- Wendy's forgot lunch at home
dinner-Breakfast for dinner! Bacon, eggs and toast

Thur Jun 3rd:
lunch- home with the kids, we went to McDonald's
dinner- Crock pot pork chops served with black beans 

Fri Jun 4th:
lunch- home with the kids again, we once again went to McDonald's 
dinner- Carne Guisada from the crock pot. Served as tacos

Sat Jun 5th:
lunch- sandwiches
dinner- we went to a wedding, the kids had sandwiches and cheese with the sitter.

4Th Week of May Meal Plan

I have a couple another grocery trip and Farmer's market purchases to add before getting into this week's menu plan

Winco Trip:

1 watermelon
2 gallons milk
1 (6 pack) powerade
3 (4 packs) musclemilk
1 peach snapple
1 Dublin peach soda
1 bottle chocolate syrup
1 pkg pasta
1 box honey buns
1 box instant oatmeal pkts
2 bags animal cookies
~2&3/4 lbs bananas
2 lbs strawberries
1 bottle spices
1 pkg gum
1 loaf French bread

Total: $46.80


Farmer's Market

~2 pounds new potatoes

Total: $4.00


This week's menu plan which has been tweaked a couple of times because of my birthday this week.

And this is what really happened:

Sun May 22nd: I worked in the yard after we came home from church  so I decided to pick up pizza for dinner.

Mon May 23rd: MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!
lunch- French Toast with scrambled eggs and bacon  paid for by coworker ( I asked for breakfast food for my birthday)
Dinner- I picked up Chinese

Tue May 24th:
lunch- leftover pizza a coworker brought in from a book club she hosted the night before and yogurt
Dinner- Black Bean Enchiladas. I just moved this recipe from Sunday. It was decent and allowed me to use up some leftover black beans and chicken from last week's recipes. I did sub corn tortillas for the flour as they were enchiladas after all.

Wed May 25th:
lunch- left my lunch sitting on the counter at home, also left cards at home I was supposed to use for letter project and Clark's diaper bag rather than taking it with me to the sitter. Went out to Pot Belly for a sandwich and to hear a local musician.
dinner- Manicotti and it was yummy!

Thur May 26th:
lunch- went to lunch with friends and once again had French toast, scrambled eggs and bacon. As this was my birthday lunch with them one of my friends paid the tab
dinner- Slow cooker beef on rice. I was not a fan of this one. It smelled really good when I got home but was just bland. If I make it again which I am thinking I will not I would add the whole packet of Italian seasoning.

Fri May 27th:
lunch- we are closing early for a picnic today at work so I am just snacking on granola until time to go.
dinner- Picked up some frozen fajita chicken and made fajitas for dinner

Sat May 28th:

lunch- the boys chose donuts with sausage and cheese kolaches
dinner- We had homemade mac and cheese

Letter Project

The "project" which I am really hoping just becomes a habit is closing out the week. I did have a snafu one day and had to write 2 letters the next but so far I have sent out a thank you note and a personalized note to someone every day this week. This has carried me through all the "a" names and most of the "b" names in my address book. Most of the letters should be just arriving at their locations and I really hope they lift the spirits of their recipients.

Book May 6th Through May 27th

The audio books for this time period had some back and forth.  It started with 10% Happier : How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works--A True Story.  I was interested in his story but found it is not something I really want to incorporate in my life now to the extent he has. Mindfulness is something I want to incorporate in my life without the daily meditation.  Once I had finished with that one The Happiness Project was finally available again through the library. I was so close to finishing it before it was due last time that I had it completed on the evening I rechecked it out.  Due to finishing it that night I was able to start on Boys in the Trees. I just had a passing awareness of Carly Simon before this book. It was really interesting to hear more about the music scene in the late 60s early 70s. I have listened to/ read several biographies from this time period and it is fun to see the overlap.  This was a longish book to listen to and I had made the error of putting myself on the wait list for several audio books at the same time. As usually happens to me all of them came up at the same time so I tried to "hurry" and listen to as many as I could before they were due.  Happier at Home was the next one up and I was able to get through it. Very little of it applied to my life and I found it disappointing. Despite this I forged ahead with another book by Gretchen Rubin. Better than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives was next and I really had a hard time getting through it. It might be because I listened to all of these books so close together but they were extremely repetitive. She also seems out of touch with the masses and overly forceful about her opinions which is essentially what all of these books were.


In print I finished Not Buying it: My Year Without Shopping. This book was really a waste of my time, she did not go without shopping and also seemed out of touch with everything going on other than the art scene in New York.  The next book I picked up was smallish and ended up done before the weekend was out. 365 Thank Yous: The Year a Simple Act of Daily Gratitude Changed My Life, this book was not the most well written but it really struck a cord with me. It has led to me renewing some resolutions I have had and ended up blogging about here.  It has really kicked in that I can finish my currently reading list this year ( this was after some despair that I might not finish it). This led me to skip over a couple of other books and pick The Freedom Manifesto back up. It was due before I could finish it so I will have to get it back from the library the next time I go.  In parallel I have been reading Vertical Vegetable Gardening usually while I am sitting in the bathroom with the boys taking their baths.  I managed to finish it last night and dropped it at the library this morning. I found some good information in it but not sure there was enough to warrant purchasing.

Trying Another New Habit

I know I have been trying to cultivate a ton of new habits lately and here is yet another one. I have found the meal plan habit to make my life a ton easier during the week. This habit I hope brings joy to others in my life and consequently make me happier. Over the weekend I read a book about someone trying to turn his mood around by writing 365 thank you notes over the course of a year.  This inspired me to pick back up a resolution I had made a few years ago which fits in with one I made this year.  A few years ago I made a resolution to write more letters but never followed through on it and this year I resolved to deepen my friendships by not having distracted interactions.  Rather than write just thank you notes I decided to move through my address book in alphabetical order and send everyone a personal note/letter.  I started on the project yesterday and as I only had one person whose last name starts with an "A" today I moved to the "B"s. Last night when I was thumbing through my address book I laid some ground rules. I am only sending notes to people I know personally. I send Christmas cards each year to some friends of Phillip's from school who I do not have a personal relationship with. A personal letter from me would be trite and full of half truths which would serve no purpose for them or for me.

Through this project I hope to get in the habit of sending letters and notes to the people in my life.

3rd Week of May Meal Plan

I am knocking on wood before I type this, ok now I am good. This week has gone a lot smoother than last week at least on the meal front. The boys have been a bit fussy but that was due to a lack of sleep. They have been playing hard outside and inside over the last couple of days and have just been worn out.  Here is the meal plan for this week:

And this is what actually happened:

Sun  May 15th: Grilled Hot Dogs served with fresh corn on the cob

Mon May 16th: This dinner was amazing.... Grilled pork ribs covered in a dry rub served with Alton Brown's Roasted Broccoli and BBQ Apple Crisp.

Tue May 17th: Was mostly good. Pancakes with bacon and eggs. The boys wanted refried beans for some reason so their supper came with a side of beans. The eggs were not all that good as I put the end of some Italian blend cheese in them and it just gave it an off taste.

Wed May 18th: Another amazing dinner. I made Roasted Asparagus and Mushroom Carbonara served with buttered bread in my case. Roasting the asparagus and mushrooms gives it an amazing flavor. I did not have any fresh mushrooms so I set some dehydrated ones on to soak while I did some other stuff before dinner and they rehydrated enough that you would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

Thur May 19th: Cuban Black Bean and Rice Bowls which we actually ended up eating as tacos.  I used  the the leftover pork from earlier in the week sliced thin and warmed on the stove with a squeeze of orange juice.

Fri May 20th:  Crock Pot Paprika chicken legs served with paremsan garlic asparagus. I was going to make lemon asparagus but I used my last lemon earlier in the week so I had to adapt. I pan seared the asparagus with a little butter, olive oil and garlic. Once it was done I sprinkled the parmesan over it.
I also made a pan of brownies just because I wanted them!

Sat May 21st: Flanken ribs grilled and served with Creamy Broccoli-Bacon Bake which I thought was tasty but Phillip skipped eating. I was able to use up all the leftover bacon on this recipe.

 

Lunches

So far on this blog I have stuck with posting dinners which paints only a part of the picture. Once I made the decision to make a budget every month and do my best to stick to it lunches have played a major role in the success or failure of this goal. Phillip traditionally uses part of his lunch to work out and then has a protein shake. I pack Logan's lunch each morning as he is terribly picky and even though his school offers free breakfast and lunch he will not eat it. The sitter provides food for Clark during the day and a snack for Logan after school so I do not have to count that into the food budget. If I have something extra like the time I had 3 watermelons I pass it on to her and really do not figure it into any line item, it is more preventing waste. My lunches are a lot more complicated so they are a line item in the monthly budget. I allot $40 each month for lunches and while I do my best to stick to it I sometimes go over. The thought was eating at work 4 days of the week and out with friends/coworkers 1 day. I figured most lunches out cost $10 including tip so the $40 allows me once a week. Now if we decide to go fast food I have extra for the week and carry it over. The 4 days I eat here I either bring leftovers or enough sandwich stuff at the beginning of the week to cover me. I will start adding these into my weekly menu blog so you can see where some of the leftovers go and help keep me accountable to the $40 a month.