A Reluctant Reformed List Maker

When I was in high school and college, I had my planner with me all of the time.  When I was a teacher, I had my book of lesson plans and another planner to keep everything straight.
For some reason, when I became a stay at home mom, I fell off the list/planner wagon.
I thought about it once in awhile, but for one reason, writing a list would take time and I didn't have time to blow my nose, much less put pen to paper. 
Well, I decided to give it another try and I have to say I am a believer in lists once again.
It started last week when my copy editing job picked up a bit and I had to--gasp!--budget my time!  (I'm not complaining, just saying.) 
Fridays are now my unpredictable work days.  It is still pretty flexible, but I need to plan on 1/2 to 4+ hours of editing time on those days. 
{Welcome to the world of journalism, Laura.  You can't plan ahead and you can't work ahead.  You do the work when the stories come in . . . and they won't always come in when you expect or want them to!  This unpredictability is a main reason why I hadn't ventured into the world of journalism prior to this.  But, it's good for me.  Knocks me out of my comfort zone just a bit.  I'll adjust.  I've already learned a lot and am thankful to the editor for her patience with me these first weeks!}
Oh, where was I?  Yes, lists.
I now start my day with a list.  It's not anything pretty--just a list of things I want to get done.  It can be anything from ordering something for church online to dusting the living room. 
When you are a wife, mom, or woman at all, it seems we can do a lot of stuff in a day and then look back and think, "What did I do?"  Now I look at my crossed-off list and see that, yes, even though the toilet looks pretty ugly at the end of the day, I really did scrub it at the beginning of the day.  It wasn't just in my imagination!  I really DO accomplish some things around here!
What's next for today?  Teaching Rachel to not jab her little pointy fingers up my nostrils.  Ouch.

Kids in the Kitchen--LOVE!

Let me clarify, kids in the kitchen who are fighting, chasing each other . . . I don't love that so much.
BUT--if they are cooking, well, that I LOVE!

Landen and Nathan have both taken a turn making Microwave Apple Crisp.  All I have to do is peel/core the apples and take the finished product out of the microwave at the end of our meal!
You can find a photo of the finished product on www.allrecipes.com.  (Blogger is not letting me upload photos . . . grrrr.)

Microwave Apple Crisp

4 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg (just because I love nutmeg with my apples)

Spread apples evenly in a lightly greased 8 inch square pan or a glass pie plate.  In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients and spread over the apples.  Microwave on high for 10-12 minutes or until apples are tender.
Serve with whipped cream or ice cream on top.

Happy Birthday, Luke.

I can't listen to this song without thinking of our dear nephew and cousin Luke.  I am not home yet, but HE IS! 
Happy Birthday, Luke.

Happy Year

It is usually around this time of year when I impart some type of profound wisdom upon my blog readers.  Here it is.  It is a lesson I learned from 2012 and I'm putting it here mostly to remind myself in case I forget. 

 

When you stop trying to make everyone happy, everyone is happier--especially YOU.

 

I doesn't happen immediately.  At first, some people are going to be disappointed or even angry with you, but once they know where you stand, all of that will turn to respect (or maybe just a quiet withdrawl from your social circle, which is OK, too.)

 

There you have it--my wisdom for the year. 

Have a happy one!

 

Taco Meat Loaf

I am terrible at meal planning--and coupons, too--but that is another post. 
I just can't plan a week, or six hours, ahead of time what I am going to want to eat for supper.  Just ask my kids.  They will still ask me at breakfast time what we are going to have for supper, as if I had become a meal planner since the previous inquiry.  Unless I have something going in the crock pot to cook all day, my answer is, "I don't know yet!"  I just can't live under that kind of structure. I don't want to be hungry for tacos, only to have salmon on that day's menu.   Thankfully, being at home and having a freezer that always full of beef, and now pork, chicken, and seafood options, allows this flexibility so I don't have to. 
Yesterday I was hungry for meat loaf and tacos.  Why not combine the two?  I found a recipe on cooks.com and tweaked it a bit to fit our family.

Taco Meat Loaf
2 lbs. ground beef (or ground meat of your choice, but we always have 2,000 lbs of ground beef in our freezer)
2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce*
2/3 cup crushed tortilla chips
1/2 medium onion
2 pkg taco seasoning

Mix all ingredients together and put into two 8 inch pans.  (I use Pyrex pie plates for my meat loaf.)  Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes.  Eat one and freeze the other for next time you are hungry for meatloaf and tacos!
I served this with corn, sour cream, and instant brown rice.  Mmmmm.

*I found Rotel tomato and green chile sauce today and I will try that the next time I make this!