Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather::: Happy Fall~ Low 70s, nights getting into high 30s & rain a few days this week.

On my reading pile::: Song of Solomon

On my TV::: Cartoons for Mae bc I am doing this post later than normal & she is awake!

On the menu for this week:::
Monday - Lamb Shepard's pie
Tuesday - Leftovers
Wednesday - Cheese & Spinach tortellini & garlic bread
Thursday - Baked chicken & sides
Friday - Chicken pot pie
Saturday - Chicken wild rice soup
Sunday - Leftovers

On my to do list::: Lots to do since I've been out of town since Wed....dishes, lots of laundry, unpack luggage etc. Our usually Monday running errands day has been postponed!

My "project" of the week::: Freezing peppers

What I am creating::: Canned pears. Possibly pear jam and/or pear butter.

Looking around the house::: -Mae is watching cartoons -Bailey is sleeping (not feeling well) -luggage in middle of living room waiting for me to unpack -Yellow, Mae's fish, is on the dinning room table so Ken would remember to feed him -windows open...

From the camera:::

Highlight of the past weekend::: I had a fantastic weekend. I cannot pick just one thing!!! Thursday- Saturday I was in Indy w/ my mom & 2 sister-in-laws at the 'True Woman' conference'. {Cora stayed w/ Grama Stoner. First time ever leaving her overnight & we both did just fine} It was a great weekend away. Full of laughs, great speeches & good food :)
I also got to meet my newest niece, Hadley Rose.4 weeks old. Just perfect!

Looking forward to this week::: Women's bible study on Thursday morning.

Bible verse, Devotional:::

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather::: Love it= low 70s all week :)

On my reading pile::: Song of Songs. Our church is starting a series in this "steamy" book ;)

On my TV::: nothing

On the menu for this week:::
Monday - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes & green beans
Tuesday -  Ken's birthday- celebrating at our favorite restaurant
Wednesday - I'll be out of town the until Sunday. Ken is on his own!!!
 
On my to do list::: Grocery store, laundry, & make a batch of stuffed shells to leave for Ken while I'm gone.

My "project" of the week::: Finish the office :) I made big process last week. I just need to get some drawer units & other organizational tools!

Looking around the house::: It seems really dark this morning. Mae is still sleeping & of course Baily too.

From the camera:::

Watching the parade. She had so much fun this year. And keeps talking about how she saw DORA!

Highlight of the past weekend::: Yet another great weekend! Friday Cora & I took Ken b-day shopping & we got a quick dinner at Qudoba. (Been there? We really like it for a quick/cheap dinner)
Saturday we went to the annul Morton Pumpkin Festival. Walked around & watched the parade at a friend's house. Then watched Notre Dame beat Michigan St. Woohoo :)
Sunday was church & laziness! (Well, I was lazy. Ken did things outside)

Looking forward to this week::: I have a busy week. Tuesday is my sono! (No, we are still not finding out the gender!) Tuesday is also Ken's birthday & his mom is coming to town. Then Thursday- Saturday I am attending a women's conference in Indy.

Bible verse, Devotional::: From my morning bible reading: "Daughters of Jerusalem:...Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires"- Song of Songs 3:5

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole

I love this recipe b/c I can prepare it the night before. Makes for an easy Saturday morning breakfast. However, you do not have to prepare it the night before- it just allows for the bread to really soak up the mixture. I have made it omitting the pumpkin all together. But in this house we prefer the pumpkin. Cora Mae loves hers w/ extra syrup :) 

Ooops, forgot to snap a picture before we dung into it :)

Pumpkin French Toast Casserole
6 eggs
2 c. pureed pumpkin
1 (8oz.) block of cream cheese
1/4 c. milk
3/4 c. syrup
4 Tbsp. butter
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
l (1 lb.) loaf of hearty bread Ex: French or Italian

- Add eggs to a large bowl and whisk.
-Add pumpkin, cream cheese and milk. Mix until cream cheese breaks apart and is distributed.
-In a microwave safe bowl add syrup & butter. Microwave for about 45-60 seconds until butter is melted.
- Add the syrup mixture to the egg mixture.
-Add cinnamon, allspice, vanilla and nutmeg
- Cut bread into aprox. 1 inch cubes (crust & all). Add bread to egg mixture. Mix until each piece of bread is covered w/ egg mixture.
-Spray a 9x13 baking dish w/ cooking spray or butter. Add bread mixture. Cover w/ foil. Refrigerate overnight.
-Next morning preheat oven to 350. Bake for 20 minutes covered w/ foil. Remove foil and bake an additional 25-30 minutes until center is set.
-Serve w/ additional syrup or spiced whipping cream :)

Weekend Cooking

Here is my Weekend Cooking in Review. Be sure to visit my Facebook page & vote for the recipe that you would like to see me post here :)

Homemade crusty Broule

Pot roast w/ red wine gravy

Pumpkin French toast casserole

Mexican corn chowder

German Chocolate brownies

Ha, just realized this as I was naming each recipe---I did a tour around the world: "French toast", "Mexican chowder" & "German chocolate"

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather::: Low 80s all week

On my reading pile::: Finishing James

On my TV::: Nothing- I see cartoons in my future though!

On the menu for this week:::
Monday - Weekend leftovers
Tuesday - Spicy Cajun penne
Wednesday -Leftovers or something light- Ken will be in Chicago all day & will get home late!
Thursday - Mexican casserole
Friday - Swedish Meatballs
Saturday - BLTs
Sunday - White wine chicken w/ artichokes over couscous

On my to do list::: Laundry, grocery store & cleaning up the house

My "project" of the week::: My office....I didn't get it done last week.

What I am creating::: Hmmm, I can't think of anything at the moment...

Looking around the house::: I'm actually in bed on this chilly morning- sipping coffee (which finally tastes good to me again)! Bailey is at my feet & Miss Mae is still sleeping.

From the camera::: Stay tuned- I took pictures of my weekend cooking.

Highlight of the past weekend::: Saturday morning was cool & sunny. We took a walk up to the local coffee shop & got pumpkin spice lattes (Not quite as good as Starbucks though) Then we stopped at a park for Cora to play!

Looking forward to this week::: My Mom's group is doing a tour at Papa Murphy's. At the end the kids get to make their own pizza~ Cora is going to love it :)

Bible verse, Devotional::: From my morning reading: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you"- James 4:7

2 on 2

I follow a blog where on the 9th of every month she posts a picture and a quick update of her 9 kids. And she titles it "9 o 9". Get it? 9 kids on the 9th?

Ok so here goes: This post is called 2 on 2 because Yes, that is correct, I am expecting my 2nd child. My apologies for not posting this on the 2nd of September. (I tell ya, holiday weekends will throw even the most organized person off their game.) I wanted to share our exciting news today because it happens to be a big milestone= 20 weeks aka Halfway!!!

Since I have not been extremely vocal about my news and there is no hiding the baby growing inside of me anymore friends, family, neighbors see me and instantly ask about my pregnancy. Here are the most FAQ:
1. Due date: January 23rd
2. Gender: we are not finding out (we found out w/ Cora but are patiently waiting until  this baby's birthday)
3. Is this pregnancy like my first? Do I think its another girl: This pregnancy is very different but a lot of similarities too. I am leaning towards boy but I've had 2 dreams this week it was a girl! I will be estactic either way.
4. Does Cora understand: Yes, more than I ever would have thought. She hugs, kisses, sings, reads and talks to the baby. She is also well aware that she is going to be a Big Sister.
5. Was this planned: Really? You just asked me that? I find that odd. But YES, this was planned. We waited on the Lord, he heard our cries & blessed us!
6. How am I feeling: I feel great now....NOW! My early weeks were rough & that my friends is why I was missing all summer long. I was sick and not cooking at all. We were surviving on pb&j and frozen ravioli. See no recipes to post. I had no energy to do coupons and thus my savings plummeted. Simply looking at my computer screen gave me headaches and made me nauseous. But I am back & ready to blog until say mid January when I'm certain I'll be taking another break :)

Here are my 2 babies on September 2nd:

Happy Homemaker Monday~ Back from Hiatus

My apologies but I am back from my unwarned & unexplained hiatus! And even though it is Not Monday I decided to come back w/ a "Happy Homemaker Monday" post.

I hope you all had a fantastic summer- I most certainly did...

Stay tuned...

The weather::: Mid 80s all week w/ slight chance of rain Wed. & Thurs.

On my reading pile::: Finished Proverbs (Proverbs has 31 chapters...I've been reading 1 chapter a day for the month of August) Now I am starting James b/c my woman's bible study will be studying it coming later in September.

On my TV::: Nothing, its like 5:45am!

On the menu for this week:::
Tuesday - Ham & egg casserole
Wednesday- Inside out eggroll
Thursday - Chicken in tomato-basil cream sauce (from Healthy cooking magazine. I made this last week & we loved it! So it is on the menu again this week bc it uses tomatoes & basil from my garden)
Friday - Tacos
Saturday - Pot roast & this crusty bread!
Sunday - Corn chowder

On my to do list::: Get to the license branch to renew plates. Ooops I forgot to renew and drove around all weekend on expired plates! Also, grocery shopping + a stop at the bank.

My "project" of the week::: Attempt to organize office/extra bedroom. UGH the thought makes me wanna take a nap. I need someone from HGTV to come help me :/

What I am creating this week::: Laundry soap, Bread crumbs and hopefully canning some tomatoes

Looking around the house::: Looks pretty good. I spent yesterday catching up on house chores.

Highlight of the past weekend::: 3 day weekend w/ Ken. We love having him around. I cooked a lot & he got a few "projects" done.

Looking forward to this week::: Friday ;)

Bible verse, Devotional::: From my bible reading this morning: "...Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry"- James 1:19