Weekend's Almost Over... boo hoo....

This was a cooking weekend! Yummy! On Friday night, I made my famous pizza! My bread machine is one of my most useful (and time-saving) tools in the kitchen. For all of you Atkins (Adkins... whatever!) fans out there, WE LOVE CARBS! As long as we (I) eat them in moderation, I will be ok! I usually top it off with some fancified Prego, some mozzarella cheese, and other toppings.

Pizza dough:
1 c warm water
3 T olive oil (or vegetable oil)
1 1/2 T granulated sugar
1 t salt
3 c bread flour
1 1/2 t active dry yeast

Put it all in the bread machine (in the order stated above) and set to "dough" cycle. Voila! In approximately 50-75 minutes, you will have pizza dough... ready to roll!

Trust me! It is absolutely fabulous, and inexpensive to make, too! Try it... You'll like it!

And Saturday morning, I made pancakes, both traditional and banana, with bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, and orange juice. Heck no! I did not squeeze the oranges myself! Frozen concentrate works just fine for me... However, the banana pancakes were not IHOP style... the bananas were actually mashed with a fork and added to the batter, prior to griddle-baking. I would like to thank my wonderful workers who helped with breakfast - all three of the older girls helped, Renee, Stacy & Rey-Rey! Congrats ladies!!! You did a great job.

Saturday night, we had... (drumroll please!)... fettucine alfredo with grilled lemon-marinated chicken breast, broccoli on the side, and two types of bread (love that bread machine!)- rosemary-olive oil french rolls, and soft butter-top rolls. The kids (and Juan, too!) absolutely loved it all. Marissa ate her "own" food... but the rest of us filled our tummies. I know this is a totally fatty dish, but once again... in moderation, all should be ok...

This afternoon, we had chicken and dumplings (one of my all-time favorites for comfort food). It was totally delish! Easy enough for me to make, some people find it daunting. It was good, and we all enjoyed it. I pretty much only like dumplings "strip" style. I really don't like globules of uncooked dough that comes in the center of "drop" dumplings. Yuck! Anyway, we all liked it, except Marissa, who once again, ate her own food.

I've never had a picky eater. This is absolutely remarkable to me. I am astounded that Marissa could "not like" some of the things we eat. Way back when, I used to think picky eaters were developed from parents not giving their children a variety of foods. However, due to recent circumstances, my thoughts and opinions have changed dramatically. Marissa loved and ate everything as an infant. New foods that were introduced were not a problem... However, now they are! Yikes... what to do!

Tomorrow is MLK's birthday, so the kids have the day off... well, sort of. Stacy still has practice in the morning, so the rest of us will spend time at a friend's house scrapbooking and/or crafting for 3 hours, then come back home to complete some more decluttering.

Yahoo! Everything I listed on Freecycle is GONE! EVERYTHING! Now I can start on another little pile...

OK... enough rambling! It's almost 4am here, and I'm kinda tired... don't even realize what I'm saying or what I've already said... Did I forget to mention those yummy Krispy Kremes that Juan brought home Friday night? Uh... that's probably because there aren't any left! Those dang kids! lol! Yeah right... I didn't eat a single one, did I? Hmmmm........ Yummmm....... 'Night, 'night... Toodles for now! lisa

More De-Cluttering...

Hopefully, the people who say they will pick up my stuff will pick it up! Yay! Less for me to clutter my home and less to dust (or collect it!).

And while I was doing that computer updating (phone numbers, addresses, e-mails, etc.), I happened across some belated birthdays (they weren't in my computer!). Got those cards addressed and sent out, too! I'm on a roll... (don't roll your eyes!)

However, from this little itty bitty stint, I found 3 more things that should have been put away with the Christmas items! Yikes!!!!!!!!! Does it ever end? It is almost like an invasion of the Christmas stuff! I thought, once again, that I had it all taken care of, but no! That snowman candle just had to come out of hiding on my mantle. I think I've gotten it all now. I'll put the "found" items up when we "rearrange" the rafters next month.

I missed the boat on a sale I forwarded to everyone else! How does that happen? It's called procrastination. I could have paid only 10 cents for each photo, but didn't bother to take the time to finish them and upload prior to the sales' expiration on the 12th. Sorry me! Next time. I will put it on my calendar and have the event "pop" up at me as a reminder. Otherwise, I will just keep overspending $$$. And who has that? Not I!

It's tax time! Don't forget! And the sooner you file (if you are getting a return...) the sooner someone else can stop collecting interest on your $$$. Don't let it happen to you, and don't let them charge interest and penalties (which they do...) on money that should be returned to you. Make sure you file on time!

Well, back to work... Toodles for now! lisa

De-Cluttering Me Finding Freebies

Today I am finishing up the laundry (oh fun!), and other miscellaneous items that I've been neglecting...

One thing I really like is http://www.freecycle.org/. This is a wonderful site where you can get rid of (or find) items that you don't want to through away, but don't want to pile up for a yard sale, either in hopes that someone else may be able to use it. It is a great way to help someone else help you. I was "piling up" items to "freecycle" items and finally realized... I need to get rid of it, not just store it, so... I finally posted things that have been sitting here, just waiting for me to do just that. Hmm... maybe next week I'll finally get to taking pictures and listing stuff on e-bay or another site... One thing crossed off my list!

Another... today is the 27-fling paper clutter boogie! (Check out the link of the FlyLady to the right...) And so, I boogied 2 sets of 27 items, some of them being magazines! Yay me! I checked out one of the magazines, though... I just got it this week. It is called Successful Living. Very interesting, had some quick tips and thought to get yourself organized, had some easy recipes and a little bit about a lot. If you would like a FREE charter subscription to this magazine, subscribe to it online: www.tslc.com/magazine. It is pretty good for free...

Also, on the inside cover of this magazine was an ad for Coleman Natural Foods. If you go to their website, and fill out a quick survey, you get a booklet of coupons and a FREE apron: http://www.colemannatural.com/. The survey only took one minute of my time, and for those of you who like it really organic, they are the brand for you!

And those scraps of paper that I had written phone numbers, addresses, and e-mails are NO MORE! Typed them into the computer and waa-la! Gone is the little clutter of little papers... By the way... send me your phone number, address (e-mails, too!), and birthday, if you don't think I have it. Technology makes it so much easier to keep in touch, free of charge!

Love those freebies! I'll keep going... Toodles for now! lisa

Another Day with Calliou

"Who's 'Calliou' (pronounced Kie[like pie]-you)?" you ask? He's a bratty little four-year-old on the PBS stations who whines all of the time to his parents and learns good lessons. I can get through his whiny-ness, since he does learn to respect and share, laugh and learn, etc. Otherwise, he is really annoying! But Marissa loves it and laughs and plays well (well, sometimes).

She likes to listen to the show as she plays, like now. At this very moment, she is playing with her new Little Tikes kitchen, a gift to her from her friend, Ashley. How it came to be in our house is a cute story... Ashley's mom had asked Ashley if it was time to "move" the kitchen to another area (she hardly ever played with it anymore - she's 8!) or was she done with it... much to Ashley's mom's surprise, Ashley announced, "Mommy! I only keep it so Marissa can play with it!" And so, they asked if we would like it for Marissa, and we all know what I said... "YES!!!" It is quite a little gem, and Marissa loves it.

Today will be another busy day. I think all people's days are really busy, even though they don't think so. There are lots of people who felt they haven't accomplished much during a particular day or any other time... I say to them, write down each and every thing you did, even your normal routine things, like making lunch, making breakfast, putting away the dishes, getting ready (even in that there are a whole bunch of little itemizations...). Do you see how much you truly do? It is a lot! So, if you are feeling blue and having "one of those days," do this. It is sure to make you feel a little bit better.

As for my day... I've just finished making Juan's lunch/our dinner and putting it away for further packing/consumption. Other than that, I've been playing with Miss Marissa, doing dishes, reading a couple of articles, getting ideas, and have so much more to do. I keep going back and forth to this entry! Don't think it all gets done in one shot! Sometimes, it does, but today isn't one of those times. I still have yet to pick up Rey (I cancelled Sylvan for today-sitting on the west side of town for over almost 5 hours just really does not appeal to me...), then go pick up Stacy/take Rey to practice. Thank goodness I've gotten my menu planning together and am on the ball with dinners! Yeah!

I actually have everything until my menu is up on Friday! I'm on a goal to budget better and am actually putting a dent in my frozen food stash. I am gradually getting to the bottom of my freezer, I hope... But we all know that I will still put stuff in, but I am using up what I already have and am only buying what I truly need. Not bad, if I do say so myself! This has been in effect since last Tuesday. ...and I'm still hangin' in there.

As for other things, yeesh! Okay, I started fairly early last year (July) with my making of Christmas presents. I went through moods where I got nothing done towards that, and didn't get everything done that I had planned... Whelp, folks... as soon as I get another project done that I'm currently working on, I'll be off on this year's presents, much earlier. I figure this should give me time to go through my "moods." I have so much in my brain with things I want to do, it's hard to get them all done. I mean well, and maybe I'm just dreaming, but I hope to at least partially succeed with that goal.

But... on another note, I'm currently looking for inexpensive Valentine's Day-type crafts to do, so send me your ideas and/or links! Thanks!

Stacy's game was pretty good. The other team was way aggressive. One player from the visiting team even head-butted one of our players, in an effort to get the ball. It wasn't necessarily "legal" but she was only called foul, not ejected from the game. I thought it was pretty dirty, but hey... those are our kids out there...

Rey didn't anticipate going from school to game to swimming and so was not prepared with swim bag in tow. Bottom line: she didn't swim. But! She will swim tonight. We are back in the water, people!

As the first day back, both of the girls were happy. They didn't get much homework assigned and got to see all of their friends. I sure hope the "happiness" with school will last! Here's hoping. Toodles for now - lisa

Did Ya Miss Me? Yeah... RIGHT!

My girls are back in school today. It was an earlier morning than usual, even for school time. Since today marks the first day of the new semester, the high school kids had to be there by 7am to pick up schedules. Thank goodness I get up when I hear an alarm... usually...

And so... the busy schedules begin again. It gives me more time to catch up with my blog, update all of you... and do things with Miss Marissa.

Today we started something different. Our local library does "Story Time," as I'm sure most of them do... but we (Marissa and I) had never gone. We walked over there before the 10 o'clock start time and they had already begun when we entered. I got Marissa seated, and she stared in rapt attention. The librarian's voice enchanted her. It also helped that the first two stories were two of her favorite characters (Clifford-the Big Red Dog, and Spot). She appeared pretty amazed that someone else knew the stories, too! Then they all got up and sang "Farmer in the Dell." It was the shorter version, but made simple for small children. They gathered around in a circle, and tried to move the circle... Marissa, my socially sheltered child, kind of stayed put (although she did hold hands with the others) and let the circle kind of move, but awkwardly around her... She'll get the hang of it eventually. They read a few more stories, sang some more songs, and played with musical instruments like maracas and tambourines. Marissa didn't smile once (probably because she was surrounded by total strangers), but stayed put and didn't come flying to me. So... I'm guessing she had a REALLY great time, as she keeps talking about it. I think we'll go back on Wednesday!

We checked out a couple of books, and bought some, too. In case you don't know about it, most libraries have a "Friends of the Library" section. Books are donated to the "Friends of the Library" and are sold, with the funds going directly to purchase new books for the library. Don't say, "Whatever..." Check it out! They are usually really inexpensive. I walked out of there paying $.50 each for one hard back and three soft covers. It is an awesome deal!

Stacy has a water polo game today. She's really good at it. She starts almost every game and has gotten quite aggressive. (That's her - #3, attempting to make a goal.) Luckily, a friend was there to get this great picture. If not, I wouldn't have gotten it... I'm not really good with the digital yet...

What you can see in the background is our previous "home" pool. Right now, we are relocated at another pool (for the swim team, as well) until this pool gets completely re-done. I'll try to snap a picture of that soon, before they finish construction. It currently looks almost ghostly. It took a while to drain the pool, as it is around one million gallons of water. What did they do with it? Got me! I've been wondering myself...

As for the swim team... Rey is getting back into the water tonight (I think...). Both she and Stacy are in a meet at the end of January (Marissa's birthday, to be exact!). It should good and cold, but Rey actually wanted to do it, so, kudos for her!

The vacation was nice, kind of still busy, but nice... And I sure am going to miss "sleeping in" and being semi-lazy, if that's what you want to call it. But, it's time to get the show on the road! Juan's lunch (and our dinner) awaits fixing, as well as an early pick up for Rey and Stacy's game, then a Board meeting and swim practice! Gotta go! CHARGE!!!!! Toodles for now - lisa

Good Morning and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas! I hope yours is wonderful and well! I'll get back to you all later... Toodles for now! lisa

"Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody Everywhere. Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody Do Your Share!"

Yeah Right! And so... I got to yell at all four kids this morning. No one helped out last night cleaning up, so I left the big stuff for this morning, needing a little help. All four got up, saw things were done, or semi-done, and just did their own little things. You would think this was a different time of year. You wouldn't think they'd be pulling stunts like this at this time of the year. Maybe Santa a been a little too slack-a-daisical...

Coal is sounding really good to me about now. And so, I cleaned and put away EVERYTHING all by myself. I don't want pats on the back. I don't want to be dramatic, but tables, chairs, and all of the other extras that a big party brings is very time-consuming for one person to do. It gone done, and when I vented, not one of them apologized. And what kind of kids am I raising? I can't take credit for the behavior of the two older ones... they are with their mom most of the time, and their dad doesn't speak up, but my two?!? Yikes!

I thought, for the most part, that I was teaching them to help everywhere they go, including home. Think again, Lisa... Let's just say, this was my wake-up call. If they thought I was being bratty before and too strict, watch out. The new year is bringing on new rules. I'll let you know how it goes...

After putting away all of the tamales and packaging things up, I have absolutely no room in my fridge for anything else. And the kids asked what is to eat! I had to laugh. What do you think? You guessed it... tamales! Pick one, slather it, if you wish, and eat! Mmmm... do not ask me what is there to eat for the next day or two... it is kind of obvious.

Now I've still got to wash all of the crock pots and make sure they are ready to go. I don't have that much room in my house for everything... LOL! Baby steps... But, I'll get to that a little later. It's break time! I'm going to heat up some tamales, sip some cocoa (or coffee) and watch a Tivo-ed Snowglobe. It is supposed to be a good movie... nothing like Christmas movies at Christmas time. Toodles for now - lisa