My Sizzlin' Summer Vacation

Kristen at We are THAT Family is hosting a summer vacation memory spectacular today complete with door prizes! Check it out!

Since we haven't been on our vacation yet for this year, I decided to go with my most memorable vacation moment. I thought and thought about which vacation memory stood out the most. There's alot of them 'cause just saying the word "vacation" invokes strange happenings to my family. Let's see . . . should I write about when one June, Rhett and I went to Florida for the first time and it rained 4 inches per day EVERY day we were there, which left us stuck in a hotel room with a broken air conditioner. Or what about last year when we took BFG to Disney and had the absolute BEST day ever as a family. Or what about when Rhett walked down to the beach with a diaper stuck to his backside and he was clueless as it flapped in the ocean breeze and people were pointing and laughing and I was barely able to walk 'cause I was laughing so hard.

I guess I'll settle on a vacation memory that has stood the test of time (20 yrs) and is brought up at almost every major holiday even by family members that weren't present when it happened. Well, one year when I was about 10, my dad took our family plus my cousin to Universal Studios back when it first opened. We went the week of July 4th. So, it was blazing hot and the lines were loooooong. Plus, you have to understand how my dad vacations. It can really be explained in one word: CHEAP! Therefore, all we had eaten that day was an ice cream cone from a gas station on our way to the Universal. While we were in a supercrowded lobby waiting for the Ghostbuster ride, I passed out. Yup, completely blacked out and fell to the floor. You should have seen it. It was like the parting of the Red Sea. Swoosh! The crowd just whooshed away from us. So, there is the five of us with me on the floor. My dad helps me up and is trying to hold me up. But I slithered down to the floor again. Why, you ask? Because my mom had forgotten to pack my dad's deodorant that year and he is so stubborn he went the whole week without wearing any. He smelled so bad when he was trying to hold me up that I blacked out again. I am not joking. It was that bad. I made it onto the ride and cooled off and felt a little better. And believe it or not, I actually got to get a coke afterward. (Getting an overpriced coke at a theme park was a HUGE deal in my family.) None us really know why I passed out and I guess we never will. Later on in my youth, I passed out at another theme park as well. But the first time at Universal, my friends, is what made that vacation a family legend.

Y'all have a blessed weekend!
Mama Said

My Happy Quest

Finally, some time to share my happy quest with you! I'm actually in a very happy place right now thanks to the muscle relaxers my doc gave me to try to ease the pain I've had in my shoulder for years. At the risk of sounding like an addict (I'm not. I promise.), isn't it so cool to legally feel this good? If you said no, you are lying! LOL! It does get old after a while, but I have no problem with kicking back for a few days.

Anyway, I recently decided that I am going to force myself to be happy. Hence, the Happy Quest began. The thing is I really am very, very happy. I'm just not good at showing it. During my prayer journal time, I thank the Lord for my happiness all the time and will just sit in the quiet in awe of the happiness I have that I do not deserve. But in the daily grind, I nag, complain, gripe, yell, etc. What happens? Why can't I get that overflowing happiness out of my body flowing to my family?

Several things went into the decision for the Happy Quest.

1. My friend is going through a terrible time in her life and my daily counsel to her is to be happy and upbeat and not nagging and complaining. Isn't that ridiculous? How can I tell her to do that in the middle of a terrible time when I can't do it during good times? The kicker is for the most part she IS doing it, which makes me feel like a bigger loser that I'm not doing it.
2. I realized that Rhett and I don't have fun anymore. Oh, we love each other deeply and enjoy being together and all that. But we don't just have plain ol' silly fun like we used to. In the past, we've had to leave musuems and planetariums because we were laughing so hard. That just doesn't happen anymore. Part of that is 'cause we are responsible adults now. Part of it is we are set in our routines now. But part of it too is that I obsessively worry about everything which takes the fun right out of everything.
3. I just woke up one day sick of being thirty and walking around here in pain like I'm sixty. I should not be in this bad of shape and I'm tired of putting everything off and living with all this pain.
4. I'm sick of thinking about (okay, obsessing about) my infertility.

My Happy Quest Goals:

• Act/Be happy toward my family.
• Plan fun things for us to do as a family/couple (includes me loosening up). I've been working on this. Last Saturday, I even walked with BFG across an old dam crossing a creek and the three of us walked an unmarked nature trail. This may not sound big, but it was for me. I just knew BFG was going to slip off the dam and crush her skull on the rocks below and I kept waiting for some sicko with a knife to jump out from behind a tree. That's the kind of stuff I battle with in my mind and keeps us from having fun. I've been telling ya'll I am crazy.
• Go to all the necessary doctors and to live as pain-free as possible. Now you see why I've been going to all the doctors? Pray for me that the Lord will equip these doctors and heal my pain.
• Stop letting infertility take such a large presence in my life. I'm just sick of it. I'm gonna have the laperoscopy in the fall. Then, I am just done! It's all in God's hands anyway, but after that I feel like I've done my part. I'm just so tired of constantly thinking when, if, etc. Tired of making decisions based on well, I might be pregnant then. Or wouldn't this be cute if we had a baby by next year. Whatever. You get my drift. And I'm tired of hanging on to all BFG's old stuff for that someday, what if, maybe. I even sold a whole bunch of it at a consignment sale last week. I just want to move forward with the family God has already given me.

Whew! That feels good to let that all out. I'm off to relax with my muscle relaxer now!

Mama Said

Muffin Tin Monday

BFG had a Muffin Tin Monday Supper:

Slice of tomato, boiled potatoes, green beans, ketchup, oven baked Swiss steak, and Hillbilly Housewife's Plain Muffins.

And, yes, to all you oh-so-observant readers, this is different from my menu I posted yesterday. That's because I started with posting the menus I had already tried so I could let you know the good, the bad, and the ugly. So, we are not actually eating the same menu that is posted.

BTW, Kiddio is hosting this week while Katy is exploring her new home in Luxembourg (sp?)!!!!!

Menu Plan Monday

Menu Makeover Week #3: (Watch Out! It's a starchy week!)

Monday-Impossible Cheeseburger Pie (HBHW), Corn: This recipe is kind of quiche-y, but Rhett still liked it to my surprise. Actually, it was to my surprise that is was quiche-y which shows you how much cooking knowledge I lack.

Tuesday-Pinto Beans, Boiled Potatoes, Fried Squash, Corn Bread: Make enough beans and potatoes for Thursday leftovers

Wednesday-Steak (George Foreman is my hero!), baked potato, and frozen veggie medley (broccoli, cauliflower, etc.)

Thursday-Pinto Beans, Fried Potato Patties from Tuesday's leftover potatoes, hominy, corn bread: I can't really remember how to make the fried potato patties. I have to call my mom every single time I make them. But I think you kind of mash the potatoes up a little and mix in an egg and a little flour and fry 'em up.

Friday-Frozen Pizza

Have a yummy week, y'all!

Mama Said

Help! I'm Wrapped!

Isn't this just a horrible sight? This is how I left the podiatrist's office the other day. Yup, my feet are completely covered top and bottom from that second strap back. Oh, and excuse the lack of toe nail polish which is a huge no-no in my book. But I had taken it off last week when I was going for a physical because I had just read in some magazine that doctor's can tell alot from your nails and to always take off your polish before you go. And when I took off my polish, I found these little brown spots on my big toe nail that worry me. But I didn't mention them because Rhett told me my list of ailments for my physical was already so long that I was already gonna be "tagged" on my chart. You know like the Seinfeld episode. And apparently the magazine was wrong 'cause the doctor did not bother to look at my toe nails close enough to even find the brown spots on his own. Oh, well. And the podiatrist didn't either. Maybe they're nothing.

The podiatrist visit was really okay other than having to listen to his wacky liberal beliefs like teachers shouldn't encourage children to excel because there are only so many spots in life for high-achievers and how home-ownership is just locking you down in the system and takes away your freedom 'cause renting is so much better. Oh, please! He is a freakin' doctor!!!! Do you think he rents? Ha! How can he believe this stuff??? And why was he telling me? He's obviously one of those liberal elitists I have heard about but never have actually known. And he must have thought I'd be on his side 'cause I made the mistake of telling him I had been a teacher and most teachers are liberal. They are trained to be for those you who don't realize what is going on in your child's school. But little did he know that I am an ultra-conservative traditionalist. In fact, I embrace the whole being home and barefoot and pregnant thing except that now I'm not allowed to ever go barefoot 'cause my feet are jacked.

But I had no idea he was going to wrap my feet up like that. It does feel really good except taking a bath without getting my feet wet is rapidly losing its appeal. So, I was wearing my Birks that day and when he wrapped them, my feet were so tight that I couldn't keep my shoes on. So, I'm meeting my friend for lunch at a Mexican restaurant by the local college campus. I get out of the car in front of all these college kids eating out on the patio and with every step I take, my shoe falls off which made me laugh hysterically adding interest for the looky-loos. Later, I ran some errands while waiting to meet my MIL to pick up BFG and I developed a little 90-yr-old shuffle that allowed me shoes to stay on. It was hilarious! I looked like a burn victim or something. I can barely move and people are being extra nice to me. And on the inside, I'm like zip-a-dee-doo-dah 'cause my feet haven't felt that good in 10 years.

If you have ANY kind of foot pain, I highly recommend seeing a podiatrist. I am kicking myself for not going sooner. Mama Said

One Mole Less

So, today I went to the dermatologist's office for the first time to get a skin check. I have alot of moles and I'm sick of reading magazine articles about skin cancer and then I pour over all my moles and make myself sick with worry. So, I decided to nip it in the bud and stop that worry in it's tracks. Plus, I was really hoping he would need to take the mole on my face off that keeps growing outward and makes me look old. Uh, he didn't.

Anyway, this experience was not a whole lot better than my ob/gyn visit the other day. But I had no clue I should have "prepared" if ya know what I mean. It had crossed my mind that they would need to look at my legs so I wore really loose soccer-style shorts for that. So, I get in there and have to go down all the way to the skivvi*s. No br* or anything which wouldn't have been quite so bad if I had a gown. But no, all I had was paper. Paper, people! One sheet of paper for my lap and some insane-a-man-must-have-invented top sheet with a slit up the back and two armholes. It was ridiculous! Have you ever made a child's costume out of a brown paper bag? That's what this top was like. It was square, had no hope of staying closed in the back or even up on my shoulders, and I was one tear away from disaster. I was terrified to move. One wrong move, one little rip would result in total exposure. Is this even legal? I'm so tired of cost-cutting on very important things like this. Sitting on a table with two sheets of paper covering all God gave me was not okay with me! I guess I should invest in my own hospital gown and start carrying it with me just in case the dr.'s office is so greedy that they can't spend a dollar of the money I pay them to wash a gown.
Anyway, as I'm sitting there I start thinking about how now the doc will definitely see the hula girl underw*ar I have on. Hula girls that have seen better days 'cause the elastic is all stretched out and broken 'cause I still seem to think I can fit into the same size u.w. that I wore before I had BFG. Uh, I don't. And the best part is I had a perfectly respectable, conservative striped pair picked out for the visit. But, no kidding, when I put them out this morning they ripped! And I'm a little behind on the laundry, so the hula girls got an outing and showing today.
Fortunately (I think. Well, maybe not.), the female physician's assistant did all the checking. The doc just looked at my arm. So, she got an eyeful. It may have been more embarrassing 'cause she was like this really young, blonde, beautiful girl who was probably praying that she won't look like me when she is thirty.
So, they decide to cut this one mole off my arm that was no danger yet, but would have to come off sometime. They said they could do it today. I asked if I could get dressed before they did it. They said yes, so I agreed to have it done. I just could NOT have done it in the paper. But, I tell ya', I was just not prepared. I got all nervous and silly-acting, and blabbing. The whole thing was just making me sick and light-headed. I didn't look, but I just couldn't stand the thoughts that they were cutting this thing off of me. Ugghhhh!!! The nurse had to tell me to breathe deep and all that. She thought I was nuts.
I made it through, but when it was done, I did not know who I was or where I was at. And, no, I hadn't had anything other than a shot of Novocaine right where the mole was. The experience just rattled me that much. Y'all, I couldn't get out of the place. The nurse said go left. I went right. The check out desk had a big arrow pointing toward the exit door which also had a big red lighted exit sign above it and I went the opposite way. They had to stop me and tell me where to go. I was a mess. I hope I never have to go back. I am so embarrassed. But at least I got a laugh. I was rolling laughing in the elevator which they probably have tape of and are probably telling my insurance company right now that I have a mental disorder.
And I haven't even gotten to my story about the podiatrist visit on Monday. And believe it or not this is all part of my "happy quest" that I haven't gotten to tell y'all about yet because I'm so busy having adventures with these doctors.
Rattled, but making it,
Mama Said

Muffin Tin Monday (Er, Tuesday): Breakfast Challenge

Here's my late muffin tin! Katy gave us a breakfast challenge this time. Starting at top left: cinnamon toast (cut out with cookie cutters), fresh peaches, mini blueberry muffin, coco-crunch cereal, Barbie princess cereal, and scrambled eggs with cheese. BFG ate pretty darn good. Much better than usual. She ate two pieces of the toast, half her eggs, all of her cereal (both of them), and all of the peaches and asked for seconds. She didn't touch the muffin 'cause she hates those Entenmann muffins. I ate it. I just had to put it in the picture 'cause she was so hungry I didn't have time to fix her anything else. And I refused to take a pic of a muffin tin with one empty.

Check out my new profile pic! That's one of the headbands I won on Katy's blog! Isn't it the best?

On-The-Go Gift Wrap

A word to the wise:
If you are giving someone a 5 piece Pyrex gift set that is in a big box, do not and I repeat do NOT buy gift wrap on the way to the wedding shower and try to wrap it in the car. It is so not fun and takes way longer than you think, is so much harder than you can imagine, and it's impossible to to keep the paper from looking crappy. I even think my back is sunburned from standing in a black dress on black pavement trying to wrap this thing on black leather seats!

Syringe Malfunction! Are You Kidding Me?

Why does all the embarrassing stuff happen to me? And in case you haven't guessed, the latest incident took place at none other than the OB/GYN's office. I had scheduled a post-c test. (For all you infertile people, you know what I'm talking about. For the others, use your imagination because I'm trying to keep bad people from visiting my bog.) So, to start off with, I was more paranoid than usual to be examined 'cause I normally don't do what I had to do right before and I try to be fresh and clean. I prepped and prepped. Way more than I prep for Rhett. LOL! I have a fear of everyone at the office laughing at me behind my back which is one reason why I go to a male doctor 'cause I think they would be less likely to gossip and it would have to be pretty darn bad for a guy to think it was weird or yucky. Does anyone know what is normal for that area? I try to just have things looking as normal and average as possible. Unfortunately for this visit, I am pretty darn sure I crossed the line into weird and even managed to cut myself somehow. But I convinced myself the test would only take a few seconds and he probably wouldn't even have time to take note of my personal care. Wrong! I gathered myself up, slathered myself with lotion, and yelled at Rhett that Didn't he feel weird that in a couple of hours a strange man would be checking out what we had just done? He laughed. Really hard. A little too hard if you ask me. He said he didn't care at all 'cause my doctor is no threat to him. Which is totally true. But I still felt a little offended. After all, I'm going through all this to try to have his baby and lots of women run off with short men with glasses who are 25 years older than them.

At the doctor's office:
We are both in place for the test. Tools in place and everything. The nurse is new or something. She fumbles around and can't get the syringe to work. Are you kidding me? She had to leave and get another one while he's down there and all my goods are facing the door. It suddenly hits me that now he has plenty of time to observe my weird grooming and I get so tickled. The hilarity of it just struck me. I mean how many syringes fail while you are in this position? Probably not many. So, I am trying to hard not to laugh. He's down there observing and making commentary on how things look and when I'll ovulate and stuff. By this time, I am shaking and biting my lip. He notices and thinks I'm upset. Doc: "Oh, it's nothing to worry about. Just a malfunctioning syringe." That just made me laugh even more. Luckily the nurse came back before I lost it and the rest went okay. The thing is---this happens alot to me. Not the syringe part, but the nurse having to get something while I'm left in an awkward position. Of course, I've been to the ob/gyn's office ALOT over the past 2.5 years. But I think this was the first time I was so embarrassed about how I looked.

One of my readers has a post about preparing for an ob/gyn visit that is just hilarious and echoes most women's thoughts on the subject. I didn't want to link it 'cause it is so personal. But I'm hoping she posts a comment and links it for y'all. It is sooo funny!

Here's to functioning syringes from here on out!
Mama Said

An 18 Year Old Dream Come True!

Remember her? Peaches and Cream Barbie. She was one of my favorites. She was my sister's, but I played with her so much more than she did.

Or what about her? I can't remember her name, but she came with that little tube of lipstick that you could put on her and she could kiss Ken's cheek. Me and my sis both had one of these.

Anyone have her? She came with fabric roses you could tie on and decorate her with. And I think she smelled like roses too (when she was new, not 20 years later, we won't go there).
And who else fell for the Jem fad? Remember how her earrings would flash and she'd change into Jem the Rockstar and the dolls came with cassette tapes of their songs and their enemy was the band called the Misfits. "Jem, Jem is excitement! Ooooh, Jem!"

When I put all these dolls away when I was 12 or so, I vowed that I was going to save them for my own daughter one day. And I promise you, one of my first thoughts when when BFG came out a girl was "Oh my gosh!!!! I am going to get to pass on my old Barbies!!!!" The Big Day finally came on Monday. She was so excited. I was so excited. Sniff. I've got a tear in my eye just thinking about it. I am so glad I did that. It was really cool going through all my old Barbie stuff and seeing BFG get excited about the same things I loved and played with for days on end. Of course, some things weren't quite as spectacular as I remembered. Alot of the clothes were torn or missing snaps. (Yeah, for all you young people, Barbie clothes used to have snaps, not velcro. And they fit a heck of alot better with snaps, too.) Alot of the bodies were broken and some of them had sticky legs from the attic heat. So, we've got about 12 heads for 4 bodies. I just had so much junk in the box. Like trash. And I used that when I played. It's just weird. It's the same kind of stuff that gravitates into BFG's Barbie stash that I keep wanting to throw away and she won't let me. Isn't it weird how our imaginations change? And it is so weird how possessive I still am over my stuff. I totally didn't want BFG using my favorite Barbie brush. Uh, she might lose it and it's my favorite.

Anyway, it was a beautiful moment. Good times, good times.

Mama Said

Name Brand Junkie

Ooooh, I am so into name brand clothing! But only when it is second-hand or 75% off at Dillard's. I refuse to pay retail for name brand clothes. But, honey, when I come across those name brands at a yard sale or consignment sale for dirt cheap, my little ol' heart jumps a beat, my blood pressure rises, my pulse quickens, my eyes dilate, and I think I even salivate a little. Aaaaah . . . the beauty of dressing your family like big bucks on a real budget of a dime. And, let's face it, good name brand used clothing lasts a lot longer than new clothes from a discount store.

Here's my problem (I mean besides the addict reaction I have to used name brand clothes): I love my deals so much that I freak out when they get stains. Am I the only one? For example, Rhett gets a lot of black grease on his khakis when he has to work on equipment out on the line. I just kind of give 'em a little squirt of stain remover, shrug, and go on. I just can't worry about it or waste the time on it. Yet the other day, he was wearing a pair of Nautica khaki pants I had recently bought him and got caulk on them. I shrieked, "Those are the Nautica pants I got for 99 cents!!! Give them to me right now so I can get that off!!!" and I made him hand them over right there in the kitchen.

Let's take an example from BFG. Every season, I buy her those little T-shirts from Target when they go 75% off. In her size now, they cost $1.20 or so per shirt. I buy them brand new to be play clothes. I let her where them for every day and lots of times I don't even try to get the stains out. I just don't care about a $1.00 shirt from Target. But a Gymboree shirt I got for a $1.00 is gold. Absolute gold! A week or so ago, BFG and I were at a yard sale and she sees this white dress that was several sizes too big. But it was only 50 cents and she really wanted it to play wedding in. I got it for her to play in. But unfortunately for the both of us, I looked the tag up when I got home and realized it was a name brand. I was so excited!!!! I could sell this thing and make some money!!! But I had promised BFG that this was hers to play dress up in, so I had to let her. I was on pins and needles every time she played in it. "Be careful! Don't mess that dress up!!! Don't touch anything! Don't get a stain on it!!" Well, after only 3 times of playing in it, she shut me up. A felt tip black pen. Yup, right on the front. Again, I did the whole shrieking thing and made her take it off immediately to wash. But, it did not come out. Oh, well. Now, she can really play in it.

But I seriously think I have a problem. I can't believe I get so upset over 50 cent clothes just because they are a name brand. Y'all, I think this means that (Yikes!) I'm just as prideful as the people who pay full price for them! I don't think I'm prideful about the actual brands. I think it is pride for the deal I got. But it is still sooo wrong. On the other hand, I could look at it as I am making a better investment because name brands consign better and for more money. Yeah, that's it!
Mama Said

Menu Plan Monday

Here's Week 2 of my Menu Makeover: This is a really easy week and is great for a busy week like this one where I'm knocking myself out trying to get BFG's clothes ready to consign.

Monday: Braised Beef Cubes in Gravy (HBHW), Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Tuesday: Chili Pie--My own very simple concoction of Aldi's brand of chili and Fritos topped with shredded cheddar cheese in an 8x8 pan popped in the oven at 350 til cheese melts. Simple, simple and cheap!

Wednesday: Steak, Baked Potato, Candied Carrots (HBHW)--These carrots are delicious, but BFG still didn't go for them.

Thursday: Chicken Fingers, Knorr-Lipton Rice Side, Corn

Friday: Quesadillas--The frozen dinner kit at Aldi. Only costs like $4.00 and is super easy. A great alternative to eating fast food on a Friday night when I am just plain sick of cooking all week.

Have a blessed week, Y'all!

Mama Said

I'm Flattered

Look at what Katy gave me from Sycamore Stirrings! I am so flattered! And so unworthy! I tell you what she's the one with a brilliant blog. Her ideas are so cute and creative! I think I'm supposed to nominate 7 blogs and pass on the award. But I'm already so behind in even acknowledging this, I guess I'll pass on that part. Thank you, Katy! And I'm so excited! The same week I won some very cool headbands she made in a giveaway on her blog! I cannot wait to get them! Yea!!!

Catch Up

Thought I would catch ya'll up on a few things:

1) I have alot of people find my blog because they are googling lead paint. Remember that, my faithful readers from the start? (If you're new, you can click Here to read about my craziness.) I don't think I ever let ya'll know the results. I did have BFG's lead levels tested after our ceilings were scraped and painted. And she was absolutely fine! Yea! So, if anybody is looking this up because you have kids in an old house, I don't think it's a death wish like the government acts like. I do feel a little bad that I made BFG go through the blood test to satisfy my own paranoia. Okay, she cried big fat crocodile tears and I felt terrible. But I'm so glad to know. Of course, now I'm wondering, Did we get good test results because I scoured the house from top to bottom after any work was done? or Did I waste my time and hurt my body for nothing? I guess I'll never know.

2) I found my broom. It was outside on the deck where the window guys left it. Thank you very much. I'm not as crazy as I thought and neither is Rhett. I thought about calling the floor guy and telling him that I do actually own a broom, but he's hiding from us anyway. I guess the economy is so bad that he doesn't want the other work we were going to hire him to do. The bad thing about the broom is that I didn't find it until about 5 or 6 rainstorms later and about 2 weeks in the hot 90 degree sunshine. So, it's pretty much ruined. I think I may attach one of those clapper beeping key chains to my new broom.

3) It is still 90 degrees down here!!!!! We are miserable!!!!! Everyone is ill with each other. Nobody wants to do anything. Oh, wait! That's just me. But seriously, who can do housework in this heat? Ya'll, we don't walk outside. We swim. The humidity is so high you can literally feel how thick the air is. It's hard to move, it's hard to breathe. There is no breeze. Just hot stickiness. Maybe this is the reason the South is the Bible Belt. I honestly don't see how anyone could spend time in this heat and not want to be saved from the fiery pits of Hell. Praise the Lord I won't be there!
Mama Said

Menu Plan Monday

Here is my first menu of my Menu Makeover. Any recipes I use from Hillbilly Housewife will be designated with a "HBHW" and a link to the recipe. For this first menu, I'll include some meals I rotate for breakfast and lunch.

Breakfast:

-Scrambled Eggs, Bacon or Sausage

-Oatmeal, Cinnamon Toast

-Cereal, Toast & Jelly

-Pancake/Sausage Corndog with Syrup

-Bagel & Cream Cheese, Bacon or Sausage

-Muffins

-Poptart

Lunch:

-Muffin Tin Monday (Contents Vary)

-Ramen noodles, Cheese toast, Applesauce

-Salami, Chips, Apple

-Spaghettios

-Grilled Cheese, Fruit

-Peanut Butter & Jelly, Pretzels, Apple

-Stuff like Corn Dog Nuggets and Mini Tacos depending on if I have any from coupon buying.

Dinner:

Monday: Country Style Steak (HBHW), Green Beans, Rice

Tuesday: Creamed Chicken (HBHW), Biscuits, Leftover Rice

Wednesday: Leftovers from the Previous 2 Nights

Thursday: Vegetable Lo Mein (HBHW)--This tastes just like the "real" thing from a restaurant. I did add a little more sesame oil and soy sauce though.

Friday: Hamburger Pinwheels (HBHW), Mac & Cheese, and French Fries--These hamburger pinwheels are awesome! Great for picking up and snacking on the rest of the weekend. They would also make the perfect sleepover food esp. if you add HBHW's Magic Milkshakes.

Here I Go Again!

Yeah, you're in the right place. That LeeLou keeps creating the cutest blog designs for FREE! I just absolutely fell in love with this one! I think it will be easier to read too because it's wider. So, ya'll just bear with me as I switch everything over and change the colors of past posts.
Have a blessed weekend!
Mama Said

Menu Makeover

I've mentioned before to ya'll that I am doing a menu makeover. I was inspired by Kathy Peel's Desperate Households to get that area of my life in order. I just got sick of never knowing what we were going to have for dinner, scrambling to come up with something, tired of BFG eating junk all the time 'cause I didn't have a plan on what to feed her (now it's just half the time), and throwing away food that expired 'cause I'm buying crap I don't need or I have good intentions of being a gourmet chef when I buy it but never follow through with that particular meal.



I've read alot of organize-your-life-books and decided that I wanted to plan out 6 weeks of menus that I can rotate and to try to have different things for dinner for each night of the 6 week period. I started out by listing all the meals I could think of that I can cook or have cooked in the past. The list wasn't very long. I know I used to cook alot more different things, but I absolutely cannot remember what I used to cook. I don't know why I ever stopped cooking those thing either whatever they were. Is that really weird? Or did I cook? Do I just think I did, but I really didn't? That was before BFG came along and we had two incomes. Did we eat out alot? Or have coupons now changed the type of food I buy?



Anyway, I'll stop the psychoanalysis and move on. After reading through my list which mostly consisted of very easy things to make like Hamburger Helper, I decided that I was going to learn new recipes and I refused to reinvent the wheel. I turned to one of my sources of inspiration Hillbilly Housewife. She already has menus made out, she focuses on feeding your family cheap, she has conservative beliefs that support that this is a way to minister to my family, and I have tried some of her recipes before and loved them! Plus, bless her heart, she must know how lost some of us are in the kitchen. She tells you the absolute basics and takes you through step by step. If you've never cooked before, you could cook with her recipes. I always hate when recipes assume you know what something means. I can't even think of an example. That's how clueless I am. But if you're like me, you know what I mean. Plus, any good ol' Southern girl knows that good ol' Southern cookin' is throw in this and that with no specifics, which makes it quite difficult for the Southern girl who's trying to learn to cook. Hillbilly Housewife tells you how to cook from scratch with the specifics. Yea!



I know I've seen around cyberspace a blog that does a Monday Menu thing. So, I think I'm gonna do that and share my menus with ya'll. I know ya'll are just dying to know how Mama Said eats! I will warn you I don't eat healthy at all! In fact, the pounds are coming on 'cause Hillbilly Housewife's recipes are soooo good! So, follow my example at your own risk.



Here's a few notes about my menus before ya'll go and start thinking we're loaded or something:

• If it sounds like something pricey, I either bought it dirt cheap with coupons or at the grocery outlet.
• I get day old bread, bagels, and Entman (sp?) doughnuts and bites FREE in a nearby community. Yeah, it totally rocks! It's the same stuff I used to buy at the grocery outlet.
• You will see alot of beef in my menus including steak. The reason for this is we divvy up having a cow--hmmm, how do I say this delicately---okay, I can't, folks---we have a cow slaughtered, okay? We go in on it with my parents and it averages around $2.00 per lb. for all cuts of meat. So, when I fix steak, it only cost us $2.00. This does make our hamburger a little bit higher than I could buy, BUT it is like 90/10 hamburger with barely any grease, tastes like ground sirloin, and is basically organic meat. Free range, grass fed cows. If you can find a deal like this in your area, this is the way to go on buying meat!!!! And don't look for those people advertising that they sell organic meat. Start asking around just regular farmers or part-time farmers that have cows. Or heck, buy your own cow and raise it if your able.