Wednesday
9.21.16
Only a 20 minute workout this morning because I was so tired from insomnia last night. For some reason this has been happening a lot lately after having the twins. I had hoped I would return to "normal" by now but so far I have not… Just one of the "beautiful" parts of having children that no one really talks about… I can't complain though. At least it's not my kids who can't sleep and it's just me. Anyway, today was another great day!
People: This morning we met up with a friend to walk the local trail. Having a walking trail so close to our house was one of the reasons why we moved here. We also got to see several of our favorite friends when we visited the library this afternoon.
Places/Activities: Walking the trail this morning, followed by picking up Squeak from school, visiting friends at the library, and then some downtime for reading, prepping dinner, and spending time outside collecting flowers and weeds to press (which we now have to wait for 4 weeks to see the pressed flowers!!) and to make sun prints. It was a very enjoyable day. I even got to get out to visit the grocery store and Carter's to buy new pi's for the kids. This is about as exciting as it gets after having kids folks!
Good Deeds: Today we went to visit my friends at the library and made a cookie delivery. It's something about babies and baked goods that always brings a smile! I also stopped and delivered some cookies to our friends so they know we appreciate them!
Tonight at the grocery store I dropped off more plastic bags for recycling. It's absolutely astounding how many plastic bags we collect on a weekly basis. I'm glad there is a recycling program for them. It feels just awful to throw them out. The bags that can be recycled are any of the clean plastic bags your food comes in…. bread, cheese, veggies, etc.
Chores: Making dinner, filling up the van with gas… and that's about it for today. Sorry if it snows tomorrow… it's probably because I didn't do any laundry today!
Reading: I'm reading The Interstellar Age: Inside the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell. It's quite mind blowing. Did you know that in 2010 we received a transmission back from space that included the information we had sent out on the Voyager??? You can actually purchase a copy of the transmission and I'm seriously considering it. I mean, how flipping cool is that!? This could mean that our children could have contact with alien life in their lifetimes! The CD is called Scrambles of Earth: The Voyager Interstellar. I just can't even believe I haven't heard about this before now! I'm going to bed now and hope to finish reading this book tonight!
Random Thoughts: Tomorrow we will go to the library again (the next Magic Tree House has arrived and is being held for me). That will make our 3rd time this week…. I'm starting to feel a little like a library junkie. Which I guess if you are going to be a junkie, it might as well be a book junkie. I think they are starting to recognize me now though…
Recipes: I think I mentioned before that I am looking for easy recipes to try out and make while I am at home on leave this year so next year when I return to work I can have some "staples" that I can use to make dinners for the family. I think I was skipped over when it came to inheriting that "I'm Italian and therefore every food I come in contact with I can turn into something amazing" gene. My Italian grandmother was renowned through the family for her delicious cooking. Unfortunately whenever we would ask her how she made a recipe, she could never tell you. "Oh, you know… a little of this and a little of that." She was of the "taste and see" generation. Who knows, maybe after this year I might bring out a little of my Italian side while working in the kitchen. Only time will tell! So, here is what I made this evening - Skinny Chicken Tortilla Casserole. Though my version is a little less "skinny." I prefer my food to have a little taste! Squeak wasn't a fan, but she ate everything except the tomatoes which needed to be picked out. The babies gobbled it all down and D and I enjoyed it as well.
And as I have just mentioned, I lack skills in the kitchen. And by skills, I mean basic kitchen knowledge. I'm learning as I go. This is a legit text I sent to D today. Yep - I didn't know how to cook chicken. Not that D's short response of "oven" was going to help much! Thankfully a friend told me I should boil the water and put the chicken in for 10-12 minutes. That worked perfectly and the chicken stayed nice and tender. I'm definitely going to remember that!
Skinny Chicken Tortilla Casserole (from Betty Crocker)
Ingredients:
1 can 98% fat free/45% less sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
1 container (8oz) fat free sour cream (I used full fat - not a fan of fat free)
1/2 cup fat free (skim) milk (again, I used 2% milk because that's what we have on hand for all these kids)
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
8 yellow corn tortillas torn into bite sized pieces (I used 5 flour tortillas because it seemed like a TON of tortilla and we aren't fans of corn tortillas)
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup) - I used a sweet red pepper because that's what came in the hungry harvest box
1 large tomato, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or mexican cheese blend
-Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 13x9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl mix soup, chiles, sour cream and milk until blended. Then stir in chicken, tortillas, and pepper. Stir in tomatoes and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Spoon and spread mixture into baking dish.
- Cover dish with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted on top. Let stand for 5 minutes.
9.21.16
Only a 20 minute workout this morning because I was so tired from insomnia last night. For some reason this has been happening a lot lately after having the twins. I had hoped I would return to "normal" by now but so far I have not… Just one of the "beautiful" parts of having children that no one really talks about… I can't complain though. At least it's not my kids who can't sleep and it's just me. Anyway, today was another great day!
 |
| On our 3 mile walk this morning. They are thrilled (can't you tell?) |
Places/Activities: Walking the trail this morning, followed by picking up Squeak from school, visiting friends at the library, and then some downtime for reading, prepping dinner, and spending time outside collecting flowers and weeds to press (which we now have to wait for 4 weeks to see the pressed flowers!!) and to make sun prints. It was a very enjoyable day. I even got to get out to visit the grocery store and Carter's to buy new pi's for the kids. This is about as exciting as it gets after having kids folks!
Good Deeds: Today we went to visit my friends at the library and made a cookie delivery. It's something about babies and baked goods that always brings a smile! I also stopped and delivered some cookies to our friends so they know we appreciate them!
Tonight at the grocery store I dropped off more plastic bags for recycling. It's absolutely astounding how many plastic bags we collect on a weekly basis. I'm glad there is a recycling program for them. It feels just awful to throw them out. The bags that can be recycled are any of the clean plastic bags your food comes in…. bread, cheese, veggies, etc.
Chores: Making dinner, filling up the van with gas… and that's about it for today. Sorry if it snows tomorrow… it's probably because I didn't do any laundry today!
Reading: I'm reading The Interstellar Age: Inside the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell. It's quite mind blowing. Did you know that in 2010 we received a transmission back from space that included the information we had sent out on the Voyager??? You can actually purchase a copy of the transmission and I'm seriously considering it. I mean, how flipping cool is that!? This could mean that our children could have contact with alien life in their lifetimes! The CD is called Scrambles of Earth: The Voyager Interstellar. I just can't even believe I haven't heard about this before now! I'm going to bed now and hope to finish reading this book tonight!
 |
| "skinny" chicken tortilla casserole I use the term "skinny" VERY loosely |
Recipes: I think I mentioned before that I am looking for easy recipes to try out and make while I am at home on leave this year so next year when I return to work I can have some "staples" that I can use to make dinners for the family. I think I was skipped over when it came to inheriting that "I'm Italian and therefore every food I come in contact with I can turn into something amazing" gene. My Italian grandmother was renowned through the family for her delicious cooking. Unfortunately whenever we would ask her how she made a recipe, she could never tell you. "Oh, you know… a little of this and a little of that." She was of the "taste and see" generation. Who knows, maybe after this year I might bring out a little of my Italian side while working in the kitchen. Only time will tell! So, here is what I made this evening - Skinny Chicken Tortilla Casserole. Though my version is a little less "skinny." I prefer my food to have a little taste! Squeak wasn't a fan, but she ate everything except the tomatoes which needed to be picked out. The babies gobbled it all down and D and I enjoyed it as well.
And as I have just mentioned, I lack skills in the kitchen. And by skills, I mean basic kitchen knowledge. I'm learning as I go. This is a legit text I sent to D today. Yep - I didn't know how to cook chicken. Not that D's short response of "oven" was going to help much! Thankfully a friend told me I should boil the water and put the chicken in for 10-12 minutes. That worked perfectly and the chicken stayed nice and tender. I'm definitely going to remember that!Skinny Chicken Tortilla Casserole (from Betty Crocker)
Ingredients:
1 can 98% fat free/45% less sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles
1 container (8oz) fat free sour cream (I used full fat - not a fan of fat free)
1/2 cup fat free (skim) milk (again, I used 2% milk because that's what we have on hand for all these kids)
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
8 yellow corn tortillas torn into bite sized pieces (I used 5 flour tortillas because it seemed like a TON of tortilla and we aren't fans of corn tortillas)
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped (1 cup) - I used a sweet red pepper because that's what came in the hungry harvest box
1 large tomato, chopped
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or mexican cheese blend
-Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 13x9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. In large bowl mix soup, chiles, sour cream and milk until blended. Then stir in chicken, tortillas, and pepper. Stir in tomatoes and 1 cup of the shredded cheese. Spoon and spread mixture into baking dish.
- Cover dish with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is melted on top. Let stand for 5 minutes.
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| Puff anxiously awaits her oatmeal! |
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| Working together to "fix" the bike. |
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| There were tears on the playground this afternoon because mousie got dirty. I should count how many times these mouses have been washed! |
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| Mr. Kitty does love to follow Squeak around. Such a good boy. I'd swear he was a dog in another life. |
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| Mr. Kitty giving Squeak some love while she picks flowers and weeds to do a sun print. |
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| This is Mr. Kitty's happy face :) |
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| Replaced the battery in this today (so now the babies don't have to research ways to fix it anymore). |
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| It wasn't made for two, but we'll make them fit! |
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