Winter Weather Event

The teacher in me always gets excited about a winter weather event.

They are more special in the south because of their rarity.

I am listening to the wintry mix outside and wondering ...

... will hubby have a few extra hours tomorrow?

... a whole extra day?

It was a chilly day,

so I decided to dress up the leftovers for dinner with a fresh baked loaf of bread.

Success!

I have not made a yeast bread in a long while.

The Paleo Mom came through with a no nut paleo yeast bread.

It was good hot out of the oven (I gave up dessert to have a second piece).

We'll see if tomorrow it tastes as good

and what the texture will be like.

Will it only make toast?

Will it be soft enough for sandwiches?

If we have a "snow day," maybe we'll have soup and sandwiches.

This weeks menu:

Sunday:  Italian Pork

Monday:  Leftover Italian Pork

Tuesday: BBQ Chicken / Sweet Potato / Coleslaw

Wednesday: Veggetti with Meat Sauce

Thursday:  Enchiladas

Friday: Tilapia

Saturday: Chef Salad

18 Nieces and Nephews and Counting ... the Hadley edition!

A new nephew arrived last evening.

All are doing well.

Congrats to the family.

A Season of Love

I love Valentine's Day.

I love a holiday that reminds me of those I love.

It reminds me of those who love me.

I don't care about a Hallmark card,

a long stem red rose,

or a box of chocolates ...

I am not interested in cupid or St. Valentine.

I love to express my love to others.

I love to spend time with my sweetheart.

I love to share with my nieces and nephews

at a time separate from their other aunts.

I love to hide treats in the mail boxes of college students.

I love to plan parties for children.

I am thankful for this holiday.

I am thankful for all the people who allow me to love them.

I am thankful for all the people who love and show their love to me.

SAHW: Reason 6

I am a home body.

I have not always been so,

but I have learned to love my home.

I love being a SAHW,

because I can be in my home.

I can make my home a special place.

I can create a place that is open to others.

I can feel ready (most of the time) to entertain at the spur of the moment.

I can deep clean often.

The piles do not get too large.

I know that there are many women who seem to balance it all,

but I am convinced that I would be imbalanced if I worked outside of the home.

Hubby would end up cleaning more,

washing more dishes,

ironing his own clothes, ...

This week I decorated for V-Day.

There are hearts in each window.

Heart "mistletoe" in the kitchen and dining room.

Window clings on many of the mirrors.

I am planning a special afternoon and evening with my sweetheart.

Every Little Rememberance

Do you celebrate life's small anniversaries?

I definitely do and today is one!

13 years ago tonight, I met my dear hubby.

February 10, 2002.

Latham Bible Baptist Church ... Latham, NY

7 pm - ish

History in the making!

I was rushing about, as I often do at church.

This time, I was trying to return pots and pans to folks who had made meals for my brand new nephew.

I had been trying to meet this "mystery" man for weeks

even attending a Super Bowl party he was also invited to attend

 (I don't care for football).

He was on an odd work schedule and was so irregular to church,

but finally someone grabbed the both of us and made the introductions.

I was glad to have the introduction,

and he claims that he was glad that I was not the married woman he had assumed me to be.

Leftover Rice?

After 4 days down,

it sure is good to be feeling "up" again.

I feel a little bit behind, but am eager to get at it again.

The Spring Cleaning resumes in the Living Room and Kitchen this week.

The house has been decked out for Valentine's Day!

The weather has been beautiful here

 and we have even been able to open up in hopes of chasing away the germs.

This weeks recipe is a tasty way to eat up leftover rice.

I would even make rice just to make the salad.

Yes - I think it is pretty good.

If it counts for anything, it is not one of hubby's favorites, so I usually try to enjoy it at lunch.

Southwestern Salad

1/2 c rinsed cooked black beans

1/2 c corn

1/2 c cooked brown rice

1/2  chopped avocado

1 TBSP chopped cilantro

Salsa to taste

Mix ingredients and enjoy.  Serves 1.

I was thrilled to see some cilantro still making a go of it in the herb garden

(or maybe it was fresh for "spring").

This week's menu plan:

Sunday: Chicken Caesar Salad

Monday:  Southwestern Salad 

Tuesday:  Grilled Hamburgers

Wednesday: Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry

Thursday: Grilled Chicken

Friday: Grilled Salmon

Saturday: BBQ Chicken

Everyday Health and Strength

There is nothing like a cold/flu to remind one to be appreciative.

Two days down ... lots of rest ... lots of liquids ... lots of tissues ...

I am thankful that I regularly enjoy relatively good health.

I am thankful for the days when I can accomplish much.

I am thankful that I have the time to rest ... the work will keep.

I am thankful for my caregiver - he is such a sweetie.

I am thankful that colds don't last forever.

SAHW: Reason 5

I love my job.

I love my boss.

I love my workplace.

There are so many reasons to want to be a SAHW.

I love being a SAHW because my loyalties are not torn.

I am available to help my husband.

I am available for ministry during his workday.

When there are scheduling conflicts, I can defer to hubby.

My husband does not feel slighted by my service to someone else.

When we were first married,

I tried being a substitute teacher.

There was flexibility, and that was good;

but my "people-pleaser" self had a hard time saying "no" 

when my home and family needed me more than the school did.

I know it would be the same if I was working in the "secular" world.

I am glad that I can give my best to my home and family.

Room to Work (Out)

Hubby did some small projects for me over the weekend.

He replaced some broken blinds in the master bedroom.

He put a new light in the master bath/nook (the one that broke during roof repair).

And ...

He replace the living room fan with a lower profile light.
Herein lies the "Tuesday Transformation."

You can slightly see the old fan in these pictures.

The blades drooped on the edges. 

It was a toss up.

Do we really need the fan in the hot NC summers?

Do we want to continue to hit the fan and lights during our workouts?

The workouts won out and the fan went away.

When we took it down, we read that the blades were supposed to be 7" or more from the floor.

I think our ceiling is about 7"!

It is a form of track lighting with halogen bulbs.
I am still adjusting to the smaller light,

But I love the leaves, the earth tones, and of course the freedom while I work out.

Sneaky Chef

Well, I do not really have to be a sneaky chef.

Both hubby and I love vegetables,

but it is also nice when I find a recipe that adds vegetables and subtracts typical gluten products.

Since I love Italian,

I was thrilled to find a recipe for an Italian casserole with no pasta.

The "pasta" became spaghetti squash.

Because of the other flavorful ingredients ... it was a perfect swap.

Pepperoni Pizza Casserole

1 pound ground beef

8 ounces chopped pepperoni (I think a flavorful sausage would work well too)

1 small onion, diced small

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp salt

1 tsp EACH oregano, basil, and thyme

4 cups roasted spaghetti squash noodles 

2 cups spaghetti sauce

2 eggs

1/2 cup Romano, Parmesan, mozzarella, or Daiya mozzarella

Bake Spaghetti Squash - about 375* for 30-40 min.

Cool and then scrape out threads with a fork.

Preheat oven to 400*.

Saute ground beef, 1/2 of pepperoni, onion and garlic.

Sprinkle in the seasonings.  Add more if necessary.

Mix together beef mixture, spaghetti sauce, squash, eggs and cheese.

Place in greased 9x9.

Top with remaining pepperoni and a sprinkling of cheese.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.

Yum! Yum!

This Week's Menu:

Sunday:  Grilled Porkchops with Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad

Monday:  Grilled Tilapia with Parmesan Quinoa

Tuesday:  Sesame Noodles (Zucchini Noodles) and Chicken

Wednesday: Salmon with Herb Sauce, Spinach, Quinoa

Thursday:  Salmon Burger and Salad

Friday:  Broccoli and Chicken Stir Fry

Saturday:  Pizza and Salad

It is a bit cold and windy for grilling,

but the heating element in my oven shorted out over the weekend.

Must make do with what we have :)