Whew... it's been a busy weekend here. Jeff and I spent Saturday morning and early afternoon cleaning house. I have to admit, it's nice to have a housework partner now and then! We dusted, vac'd, cleaned bathrooms and generally did a good all-over pick-up. Nothing major, but just things that needed to get done.
Brayden arrived at 4pm on Saturday to spend the night and day on Sunday. Normally, we spend most of our daylight hours outside, but it was cold (40's) and windy on Saturday, so Jeff got out the wooden train set I'd picked up this summer at a yard sale ($5!!), lit a fire in the fireplace, and he and Brayden played with the train set for a few hours. Isn't this a cozy scene?
I worked with Brayden on teaching him how to use the computer. He has "baby" programs that let him accomplish things by banging on ANY key, but there are so many fun activities on the 'net that he could do if he actually knew how to use the mouse correctly, so we worked on his "mouse skills". First, we went to
the MostlyMommies web site to give him an idea of how the mouse works and let him practice moving the mouse and clicking. After a few minutes of that, we went to the
Thomas the Train web site there is a Memory Game we played, and I showed Brayden how to point the mouse and click on the card he wanted. Then we moved on to the Coloring Book pages, where he could move the mouse to pick a color, and move it again to color Thomas. He much preferred the Memory Game over coloring, but by the end of a fairly short time he was really getting the idea of the hand/eye coordination involved in using the mouse. We'll keep working on it!
Then (yay!) bedtime. He wore the jammies that my friend Lynne made -- well, she purchased the jammies and embroidered a train on the top. He loves them! And LOOK! A picture with Brayden actually SMILING! LOL
We were all up by 7am on Sunday and bundled up to head to the Flea Market. It was very cold out (high 30's), but we'd promised Brayden all week that we'd take him, so there was no backing out. Layers of clothes and hats and hoods, and off we went. Unfortunately when we arrived, many of the sellers were packing up their tables to leave because of the cold! But we did manage to scout out several booths, and Brayden found a big metal truck (which we paid for) and four matchbox cars (which he paid for). Brayden had $1.50 in his pocket (though he'd tell you he had "three hundred dollars") to spend however he wanted. He dug through a big tub of matchbox cars for a good 10 minutes before finding the cars he wanted. The seller wanted $1 for three, so I taught Brayden the fine art of negotiating, and he got them for $1 for four. I'm a goodddd Umma!
Brayden is fascinated with the socks I'm knitting for him. I had one done, and he wanted to try it on. It was WAAYYY too small -- it wouldn't even go over his foot! (When did he grow so fast?!?) But he loved the little sock so much he wanted to wear it anyway! Yay! At last! Someone who appreciates homemade gifts! LOL He sat on my lap and watched me knit, and wanted so badly to learn how to knit, but he's just too young. After he left, I did rip out the socks (I had 1 3/4 done!) and start again. I hope to have them done by Wednesday for him.
Brayden went home around 3pm after not taking a nap (sorry, Mary!) though he promptly fell asleep in the car. I drove slower than normal so he could get in at least a 30 minutes "power nap".
Jeff and I were both worn out, so I fixed a simple "breakfast for dinner" -- sausage, eggs, fried potatoes and toast. I have to tell you, if you haven't discovered the
Southern Plate web site, you need to go there IMMEDIATELY. She has the BEST (and simple) recipes I have ever tried, and she even goes to all the trouble of presenting step-by-step photos of each recipe. We've tried two of her recipes now -- the Chicken and Dumplings (southern style -- New Englanders be prepared because this is NOTHING like our Chicken and Dumplings) that were just SO delicious (and ideal for a cold night), and now her fried potatoes. I always thought I had to partially cook the potatoes before frying, but her recipe calls for just plopping them in a pan raw. They came out with the nicest brown crunch on the outside and so tender on the inside -- absolutely perfect fried potatoes! Honestly, the best I've ever had in my life -- and Jeff agreed! This week (which is going to be cold here in southwestern Ohio), I am planning on trying her recipe for Taco Soup.
Which brings me to my menues for the week! (How's that for a segue?)
Monday
Taco Soup
Cornbread
Tuesday
Chicken and Dumplings
Mixed green salad
Wednesday
Leftover Taco Soup
Grilled cheese tortillas
Thursday
Baked pork chops (thaw extra for Saturday)
Macaroni and Cheese
Green beans
Friday
Leftover mac & cheese
Hot dogs, rolls
Mixed green salad
Saturday
Pork Stir Fry
Egg Rolls
Sunday
(Last NASCAR race of the season)
Delivery Pizza
My week is "booked" -- Jeff is taking Monday and Tuesday off, on Wednesday and Friday I babysit Brayden (and we have Story Hour at our local library starting this week), and on Thursday Lynn and I are going to a local Salvage store and Amish market to do... well, something we probably can't afford!
I worked with Brayden on teaching him how to use the computer. He has "baby" programs that let him accomplish things by banging on ANY key, but there are so many fun activities on the 'net that he could do if he actually knew how to use the mouse correctly, so we worked on his "mouse skills". First, we went to the MostlyMommies web site to give him an idea of how the mouse works and let him practice moving the mouse and clicking. After a few minutes of that, we went to the Thomas the Train web site there is a Memory Game we played, and I showed Brayden how to point the mouse and click on the card he wanted. Then we moved on to the Coloring Book pages, where he could move the mouse to pick a color, and move it again to color Thomas. He much preferred the Memory Game over coloring, but by the end of a fairly short time he was really getting the idea of the hand/eye coordination involved in using the mouse. We'll keep working on it!
Then (yay!) bedtime. He wore the jammies that my friend Lynne made -- well, she purchased the jammies and embroidered a train on the top. He loves them! And LOOK! A picture with Brayden actually SMILING! LOL
We were all up by 7am on Sunday and bundled up to head to the Flea Market. It was very cold out (high 30's), but we'd promised Brayden all week that we'd take him, so there was no backing out. Layers of clothes and hats and hoods, and off we went. Unfortunately when we arrived, many of the sellers were packing up their tables to leave because of the cold! But we did manage to scout out several booths, and Brayden found a big metal truck (which we paid for) and four matchbox cars (which he paid for). Brayden had $1.50 in his pocket (though he'd tell you he had "three hundred dollars") to spend however he wanted. He dug through a big tub of matchbox cars for a good 10 minutes before finding the cars he wanted. The seller wanted $1 for three, so I taught Brayden the fine art of negotiating, and he got them for $1 for four. I'm a goodddd Umma!
Brayden is fascinated with the socks I'm knitting for him. I had one done, and he wanted to try it on. It was WAAYYY too small -- it wouldn't even go over his foot! (When did he grow so fast?!?) But he loved the little sock so much he wanted to wear it anyway! Yay! At last! Someone who appreciates homemade gifts! LOL He sat on my lap and watched me knit, and wanted so badly to learn how to knit, but he's just too young. After he left, I did rip out the socks (I had 1 3/4 done!) and start again. I hope to have them done by Wednesday for him.
Brayden went home around 3pm after not taking a nap (sorry, Mary!) though he promptly fell asleep in the car. I drove slower than normal so he could get in at least a 30 minutes "power nap".
Jeff and I were both worn out, so I fixed a simple "breakfast for dinner" -- sausage, eggs, fried potatoes and toast. I have to tell you, if you haven't discovered the Southern Plate web site, you need to go there IMMEDIATELY. She has the BEST (and simple) recipes I have ever tried, and she even goes to all the trouble of presenting step-by-step photos of each recipe. We've tried two of her recipes now -- the Chicken and Dumplings (southern style -- New Englanders be prepared because this is NOTHING like our Chicken and Dumplings) that were just SO delicious (and ideal for a cold night), and now her fried potatoes. I always thought I had to partially cook the potatoes before frying, but her recipe calls for just plopping them in a pan raw. They came out with the nicest brown crunch on the outside and so tender on the inside -- absolutely perfect fried potatoes! Honestly, the best I've ever had in my life -- and Jeff agreed! This week (which is going to be cold here in southwestern Ohio), I am planning on trying her recipe for Taco Soup.
Which brings me to my menues for the week! (How's that for a segue?)
3 comments:
Hi, Joan. I also used to think unless I thinly sliced potatoes, they wouldn't fry up done enough. Since DH grows our own potatoes, I have not had to buy potatoes for years and years, cooking in microwave, boiling, broiling, etc. I did however, continue to buy frozen french fries. Not any more - I cut them with a french fry cutter, and fry them up just fine.....crisp outside, tender inside!
Your grandson is soooo adorable... and that fire looks so inviting...
Someday (maybe) I'll be organized and actually plan a meal more than 15 minutes ahead of time... Ahhhh... the dreams of a working woman... Thanks for reminding me that there is a wonderful life on the otherside... now if I can just figure out how to get there!
He is beautiful!!! His curly hair, bright eyes, and gorgeous smile -- WOW!
What a great post!
Blessings,
Lacy
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