Freezer Meals

During a particular difficult time in my life, new baby, hospitalized daughter and mother plus one healthy older child, my bible study group all chipped in and bought me a package of freezer meals from one of those businesses that assembles meals for you to just place in your freezer for later use.  Thus began my journey!  At the time this was a life saver and I’m so thankful for their generosity and kindness, and I opted to purchase another package of meals to get me through those couple months.  I loved how delicious they were, because let’s be honest anytime someone else does the cooking it tastes better, but on the other hand they were certainly more expensive than my everyday budget could afford. 

I started doing easy meals that I knew we loved and were easy to make in bulk and would freeze; mainly lasagna and broccoli cheese chicken alfredo, and meat loaf.  These were nice for those nights that we were busy or I didn’t have the energy to cook, or even those weeks when the budget was tight and I knew we had to wait to go to the store and our fridge was looking a little bare.  But with only a few options I began to think outside of the box and explore what other recipes would be easy, cheap, and freezable. 

I will be the first to admit some of the recipes I tried did not turn out so well or taste so well.  I have spent a lot of time on the internet exploring and ready about what freezes well and recipes others have used. 

I recommend making a plan.  I think its most effective to do it this way so you can get the best bang for your buck, make the least amount of mess possible (disclaimer: there WILL be a mess), and be time effective.  The first thing I do is pick out my recipes.  I try to make sure there is a variety of flavors and ingredients.  I don’t want to make all chicken dishes or all soups, or all Mexican flavors, but at the same time to try to keep some the same so that I can buy ingredients in bulk. 

Next make a list.  I have always been a big fan of lists but I find them incredibly helpful in this event because even if you make a mental note you need chicken pork and beef,  you may forget how much of each…unless you have a mind like a steal trap, in that case I’m jealous!  This way when you make your list, as you are looking over your recipes you can double check all your quantities and measurements of those things you need.  Double check your pantry too because I’m notorious for buying things I already have and or thinking I had something I didn’t. 

Now that you have your lists make a shopping plan.  I like to get some things in bulk.  This makes it so much more cost effective.  Weather you shop at Sam’s Club, Costco, or another warehouse store; you would be amazed at how much this can save you.  Generally speaking I get my meat, cheese and produce from the warehouse store.  This is also a great place to buy zip lock bags, foil pans and wrap for your meals if you have to space to keep the unused in storage for the next time you do this.  After you get all the big items go to your local store and get the rest of everything you need.  Be a smart shopper and if you see your local store is having a 99 cent a lbs sale on chicken buy where its cheaper.  I have not mastered the art of couponing yet.  I have found for me personally on the coupons I do have that the generic brand is still cheaper and therefore that is usually what I get.

Next we tackle the hard and most laboring part.  I like to prep all the vegetables first.  Peel and chop them into the correct sizes and styles.  EG: Carrots can be julienned, rough or fine chopped etc… I place them in bowls for what I think I will need and bag the rest for later use and stick them in the freezer.   Next I sort my recipes in likeness of main ingredient.  I like doing my ground meat first, then move on and work with similar proteins weather it be pork chops then steaks then chicken personally, but you should do whatever you think will work best for you.  Keep your zip lock bags and a sharpie close so you can label as you complete meals.  Other thing I have found helpful is the just place your trash can out and next to you as you will be going through a lot of it with all the packaging and scraps when prepping your numerous meals. If y9ou are able to freeze you meals flat they store better that way but in my case the freezer is never empty enough for that so I stack, roll, and stuff where ever I can find room J  I hope this inspires, helps or educates someone. 

I learn new things all the time and just ordered a new book about making freezing meals.  I hope it has new recipes, ideas and techniques that make me a better meal freezer.  If you are looking for more ideas and inspirations try this book too, Don’t Panic…Dinner’s in the Freezer.  I haven’t read it yet but I found it on a couple other blogs and they seemed to enjoy it!  I know there is a sequel too with more recipes of you like this one!  My next blog will be of the recipes I have used.  I found most of them on www.pinterest.com and a few others on http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/freezer-recipes …another website with freezer meal ideas and tips.  Happy cooking!

My New Obsession!!

I was slow to get on board, as I am with most new things, but I finally signed up for a Pinterest account.  I kept hearing about it on the news and face book, but I feel like my life is already so complicated and busy I wasn’t sure if I would ever even use it, not to mention I wasn’t completely sure what it was.  Never the less I succumbed to the curiosity and signed up.

Man was I missing out!  So many cool things and ideas!  Great recipes, crafts, ideas, cute pictures, neat sayings…the list goes on.  This has kind of become an obsession…I want to try so many things on there.  I have had the opportunity to try a few and have loved everything up to this point.  What a great way to share ideas with the world!!!!  I ahve so many other projects I want to do but here are jsut a few I have actually tried.  Enjoy these pictures of some of my projects.

Take an empty picture frame, tap finishing nails into the slot where the glass used to be and tie fishing line across. then hang your frame on the wall and you now have stylish jewelry storage

Buy a frame for a poster and take the plastic out and add a poster board painted with chalk board paint. I got all my supplies at Wal-Mart

Bought cheap pillows at Target and cute fabric and Joann’s and made this adorable pillow mattress for lounging on the living room floor to watch cartoons!

Hip Hip Hiporay Birthday to Paisley!!!

Paisley celebrated the 3 on January 30!!! Can’t believe how fast my life seems to be passing me by. I say that every year and will probably keep saying it every year because it’s so true.

Some times it’s hard to shop for Paisley's birthday because her birthday is only a month after Christmas and we have such and awesome and gigantic family she gets everything she needs and wants and then some! But my family always finds ways to surprise us and gets her things she loves and clothes are always appreciated since (shh don’t tell) I hate laundry and sometimes go a week or two avoiding it.

One tradition I am so blessed and thankful my parents did for me was a SPECIAL birthday cake. To be honest I have a few specific memories about what I got or did at my party, but the memories I have engrained in my brain are those of how special I felt when my mom would spend time and make an effort to make a cake especially for me and my liking. She could have gone to the store to buy me a pretty cake with all the special colors and sprinkles, but she chose to spend a little more time, probably a little more money and make me a cake...a cake just for me!

I am trying to carry on that tradition. Over the last year Paisley has developed a Hippopotamus fetish. She LOVES them. When we go to the zoo that is the only animal she wants to see. And she could stare at them all day long even though all they do is sit in the water. When we get stuffed toys she picks out Hippos, at Christmas we found a Hippo toy that sang the song "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" and it was a HUGE hit, so much that I went back after Christmas to buy two more so the fighting would end. Back to the point, as Paisley has this fascination with Hippos I thought what better cake to make her than a Hippo cake. I browsed the web to see if I could get any ideas and I was kind of surprised by how little was out there. But I finally decided on a design based on a couple different cakes I had seen.

The day before her birthday I spent time making things for her cake, wrapping presents and when the kids went to bed, decorating with balloons and streamers. I think I may just as excited about my kids’ birthday as they are if not more. There are few greater feelings then watching your kids be happy.

The next morning she walked out in her little sleepy way, slightly staggering with her dead down rubbing her eyes trying to avoid some of the light. When she looked up she saw the balloons and realized what day it was. Immediately she opened her eyes wide and caught glance of her cake and smiled from ear to ear and began jumping up and down. "My Hippo cake, my hippo cake!" music to my ears!

We ate breakfast and got Bianca to school then went grocery shopping for a few things and headed home. We watched cartoons and put groceries away while we waited to pick Bianca up from school. It was an amazingly gorgeous day, 60+ degrees so we had made plans to meet some friends at the zoo. Beth and her three boys met us there and we spent 4 beautiful hours walking and talking. All the kids were so good despite how tired they had to have been. We love the zoo but love it even more when we have good company to share while there.

Then we headed home to open presents, eat dinner and cake. I opted to make most of Paisley gifts this year. I made her a lady bug quilt, a chalk board, and a pillow mattress for watching movies on the floor. She also got some zoo talker animals, clothes, books, stickers, a camera, money, hair ties, and I'm sure I'm forgetting things, but needless to say she got lots of neat gifts.

Still can’t believe she is 3...she has already mastered how to say three using her fingers and verbalizing it when she is asked. She is such a beautiful, confidant, intelligent, spunky little angel who keeps me laughing at her cute mannerisms, and on my toes with her curiosity! Paisley my life is so much better now that you are in it! I love you so much and look forward to so many more birthday s with you!!!

Better Late than never Christmas Letter

Dear Family and Friends of the Candy Keepers,

Since no one else has started writing our annual Christmas letter I guess I had better do it or it won’t get done.   It’s probably better that I write it anyways so you get the REAL story and the facts right.

My Dad, the greatest in the world by the way, has had a really busy year.  He keeps going to some strange place called Mexico for work but he was home for all the important holidays, my birthday of course, which if you forgot is July 4^th.  He also seemed to spend a lot of time playing silly games like golf and bowling.  Why would you throw a perfectly good ball down at white things when it would clearly be much more entertaining to hold it or try to sit on it and roll on your tummy with it…anyway.  Dad and I like to chill on the couch and watch the Chiefs lose…I mean play football… and wrestle on the floor during commercials.   I am making sure he stays fit by running away with his phone in hand at least once a day.  Next year we will be working on his sense of humor because for some reason he always finds it funny to watch my expression when he tries to kiss me with that prickling face of his, but a boy can only take on so many projects at one time.

As for my mom, well I have some projects in the works for her too.  My sisters and I try to keep her on her toes; we don’t want things to be too easy for her so we take turns to make sure she is never board.  I try to keep the toilet paper unrolled for her at all times, and Paisley has became quiet good at climbing, which makes the things that mom thought were safe on the counter, much easier to get a hold of.  Sometimes I wonder if Bianca is on our team or mom’s because while she is good at making messes and sneaking candy for us out of the top cabinet, sometimes she foils the fun by telling mom when we are up to no good.  Mom did grow some cool plants in our garden this year but it was so hot that not all of them fared as well as she had hoped.   She also did a lot of sewing this summer.  She made five quilts with family trees on them, which she gave to all the grandmas this May when we went to visit family in Colorado.  She also seems to spend some time helping teach Sunday school, VBS, and has a mom’s group that she takes us to.  As busy as she is, she still always sets time aside to cuddle with me, as I am the certified cuddlier of the family.

My biggest sister Bianca is making advancements in my training programs as well.  Her progress has been hampered a little due to the fact that she started preschool this fall and is not home as much.  Lately she seems to be more focused on “making good decisions” than on making sure I have the toys and snacks that I want when I want them, but with winter break quickly approaching she will have plenty of time for a refresher course.  When school started she also started playing on a soccer team.  She didn’t like it at first but by the last game she learned to have fun and not cry.  I was proud of her.  This summer she went to VBS at Jesus’ house and spent time splashing me in our pool to cool off on our record breaking days of 111 degrees!  All in all I can’t complain as she is a pretty awesome sister and she does love me a lot.

What can I say about my buddy and partner in crime, Paisley!  She and I get to hang out with mom while Bianca is at school.  Some days we run errands but most days we get to go home and dance to Rio or whatever movie we happen to be watching while mom tries to clean up the mess I left her from my breakfast.  I look forward to learning more from Paisley as she has so much to teach me.  Lessons on how to squirt all of a new bottle of sunscreen on the carpet and myself or how to draw the longest line of permanent marker known to toddler on mom’s kitchen floor, or even be wise enough to take a single bite out several individual cookies mom made for the fall festival instead of just eating a single cookie.  She is truly genius in that way!  I have also learned not run in the house because it could lead to having to get 5 stitches put in my mouth after running into the door.  Luckily she is very brave and strong and hardly cried when mom and dad took her to the ER to get it fixed.  I’m so glad I get to hang out with her for two more years before she goes to preschool.

As for me, I have been pretty busy as well.  In the last year alone I have managed to learn to crawl, walk and run from my mom when she needs me most, usually to change my diaper.  I can also now talk...well at least a few words but I’m working on it, and have managed to push six teeth through.  I also celebrated my first birthday which included a wonderful visit from my grandma and nana and lots of CAKE…I love cake.  Grandpa also came for a visit and taught my sisters to fish since I found naps much more desirable than holding a stick with a worm on it.  I enjoy trying new foods, like red and blue crayons, and frequent trips to the zoo.  I hear that Santa will be visiting us soon so to be on my best.  I will do my best to keep everyone here in line, but I am only one boy so don’t expect any miracles.  Hope Santa is as good to you as I know he will be to me.  I love and miss you and know the rest of my family feels the same. 

Peace out,

Gage Goin and My Family

Stitches Club!

It’s a fact that in my family that just about all of us had had stitches by the time we were two.  I tripped over my dad’s foot and landed on the blade of a rocking chair and had to have stitches in my forehead and my sister fell off a coffee table and had to get the corner of her eye stitched cut and my little brother almost had his nose ripped off his face when standing too close to a golf club swing although it was never stitched it left a nasty scare and probably should have been stitched.  Anyhow we all had them and last Tuesday we welcomed our newest member Paisley!

It was a typical morning getting everyone ready for school.  Kids were all fed, the girls were dressed and I was working on getting myself ready for the day before I got Gage out of his jammies.  The girls were running in their socks and giggling and I was getting Gage a cup of milk and I was about to yell at them to stop running when I heard the crash and about 5 seconds after the blood curdling scream.   At first I thought Paisley had just bitten her tongue cause there was a little blood coming out of her mouth.  When I asked her to open her mouth so that I could see the damage is when I realized it would be a trip to the ER today! 

Just above the corner of her mouth the lip and cheek where cut completely through about ¼ inch up.  I called BJ to tell him to get home ASAP and I threw clothes on and gathered things to go to the ER.  Bianca got Gage dressed for me while Paisley sat on the couch with her little seal icepack firmly pressed to her face.  As soon as BJ pulled in we rushed to my car and headed to the hospital.

When we got there they took us right back and got things started.  BJ took Bianca to school and played with Gage in the waiting room while I worked on the paperwork and they started to prep Paisley.  They had to put her under since she is a pretty spirited little girl and I know she would not have tolerated stitches willingly.  They gave her some meds that basically made her like a zombie.  Her eyes were open but she was gone.  They then gave her some numbing meds in her lip and started sewing.  5 stitches in all and they were the dissolvable ones so we were not going to have to come back.  After she came too from the meds we got to go home and rest. 

Her lip is healing beautifully, a little colorful too, and the doctor said her scar will hardly be noticeable since it’s so close to the corner of her mouth.  Thankful BJ was there to help keep me together and the staff was so great!  Welcome to the club Plaisely!

A September to Remember

Another month has passed me by and it’s true the older you get the quicker time seems to fly.    We have been keeping busy with the end of the summer and beginning of fall and it’s hard to believe we have already been here in Kansas for a year now.

Bianca started a soccer league and we have had mixed emotions about it and by we, I mean Bianca. She was so excited to start soccer so we rushed out to get her a ball, shin guards and cleats when we signed her up.  At her age they do a short practice before they play a short game so we figured it would be nice that it all took place on Saturday mornings and we wouldn’t have too much of a time commitment.  We got to the field for her first game and Bianca just shut down.  She pretty much cried the whole hour we were there.  Her second game was canceled due to weather and third game was the same as the first…full of tears.  Her fourth game we decided we would just let her sit on the sidelines and watch but we had decided we wanted to make sure she tries and knows it’s not ok to quit.  After sitting on the sidelines for 20 minutes she decided she could try and had a blast playing.  Today we had a similar experience.  We got there and she didn’t want to practice and she cried so we sat her down and when the game started she was ready to participate.  She mostly just runs around with the cluster of kids chasing the ball but she is not the superstar her Uncle Brian was when he first started.

Bianca also just had her fall conferences at school and passed with flying colors!  Her teacher said she is such a sweetheart and a joy to have in class.  She is well behaved and the only discipline she has needed is a stern look and she shapes right up (wish it were that easy at home).  She scored above normal in both rhyming and in picture identification and her handwriting skills are improving daily.  I was concerned she was not making friends but when I asked the teacher how she was doing socially she laughed and said she is doing just fine and has lots of friends at school.  Both BJ and I left glowing with confidence! 

Paisley as adjusted to dropping Bianca off as school but she still gets super excited when we get to go pick Bianca up from school.  It’s nice to have some more time to spend with just her and Gage and I think she likes it too because she gets to have her pick of toys and movies when it’s just her and Gage.  She is speaking clearer and making much more sense and is understandable most of the time now.  Makes communicating much easier.  She is so funny and makes me laugh with the things she says and does.  The other day Bianca had fallen off the table after I had told her to get down and told me she had lost her balance.  After hearing that Paisley came up and told me she had lost her balance too.  I asked her where she put it and she told me she didn’t know.  I told he to check her bed so she went to check her bed but didn’t find it.  I suggested she look in the fridge too and she came back empty handed.  So I held my hand out to her “oh hear it is!”  I said and she looked at my empty hand and said “no its gone.”  I couldn’t help myself it was too funny.

Gage is doing well too.  He is off and running places now and is constantly getting into things he shouldn’t.  I don’t know what his fascination is with the plunger but I finally had to lock it up in the water heater closet because he kelp dragging it out.  He loves touching the buttons to the TV and DVD player and when you scold him for it he simply turns around and gives you a big cheesy smile…I can’t help but feel manipulated , but he is super cute when he does it…  He makes lots of noises but still doesn’t actually say much besides uh-oh.  Knock on wood but thus far he is the child that has had the most accidents so far.  Just last moths he busted his lips twice and stabbed himself in the eye with my keys once.  Boys are defiantly more fearless which I think causes the accidents, but so far we have only had minor ones.  He still sucks his thumb like it’s going out of style and has to have his blue blanket to fall asleep.

BJ has been busy traveling back and forth to Mexico.  He goes down to Querétaro two weeks of every month which is about two hours northwest of Mexico City.  He is really enjoying his work and the people there.    He has joined a bowling league with some of the guys he works with and has really enjoyed getting back into the sport.  His average is 214, compared to me who is lucky to score anywhere from 60 to 100 ;)  His work had a family event this month too where we got to walk around his plant and see the planes and people he works with.  Bianca was so formal in introducing herself to all of BJ’s co workers. “Hello, my name is Bianca.  It’s nice to meet you.  This is Plaisley (that’s what she calls Paisley), Gage, Sarah and BJ” It was a nice sunny day and fun was had by everyone.

I’m doing great.  After being here for over a year I am finally getting to meet people and feeling like I have friendships.  I go to a mothers group with a group of gals from my church and we all just talk about our lives.  It feels so good to have a relationship outside of my intermediate family.  BJ and I have also started going to a small group at church and have enjoyed getting involved in church that way as well as volunteering for things like VBS and our upcoming Fall Festival. 

As a family we discoved we had black swallow tailed buterflies laying eggs in our garden and got the opportunity to raise them.   It was amazing to see them grow from little black grubs into bright green caterpillars to building a cacoon and then emerging as butterflies.  We all enjoyed learning a little about how mother nature works and getting to see it first hand. 

I think that catches you up on our lives for last month.  Nothing exciting but truthfully after last year, that’s just what I like :)

School Days

Well after much anticipation and anxiety we made it through the first day of school! 

For months Bianca has been waiting for this day.   She had to have asked me over 100 times since May when her first day of school was; and now we can say it was August 19^th, 2011.  Class of 2025!  That seems so far off but really so did school just a short 4 years ago when I held her for the first time in my arms and looked into her beautiful face and knew my life had forever been changed for the better.

Yesterday was our last day of “summer” before school started so we made an event of it and started with a trip to the zoo.  We love the zoo!  No matter how many times you go you always see something different.  On this trip we got to see two turtles fighting (Paisley called it kissing), the panther, got snuck up on by the puma, and no one got a cactus needle stuck in their hand or mouth.  After we had traveled the zoo we went home for lunch and naps.  After naps we got into our swim suits and enjoyed some good old past times in the sprinkler in our yard.  If that were not enough we then headed to Jimmy Johns (Bianca’s request) for dinner then back home again for a good old dance party to the movie Rio.  BJ got home from his two week stay in Mexico just before the kids all headed to bed.

In the morning of first day of school, we all had a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs and strawberries before brushing hair and teeth and getting dressed.  I then took the camera out to start our snap shot flurry began.  I took lots of pictures; pictures of us getting ready, pictures of us outside, inside, by the car, in the school and one last one of her as she disappeared into her class room.  She was so excited to finally be going to school!  She quickly gave BJ and me a hug and a kiss walked straight up to her teacher and announced that she had a lot of things in her back pack then walked in and that was it.  I was proud of myself.  I had not cried yet and even managed to talk to the teacher with a large ball welling up in my throat. 

 As soon as Bianca disappeared in her new classroom Paisley tried to run after her but was quickly stopped by BJ and we tried to exit.  That’s when Paisley lost it.  She got to do what I so badly had wanted to do.  She cried and let the tears fall.  I’m not sure if she was crying because she was going to miss Bianca and didn’t understand why we were leaving without her or if it was because she had wanted to go with Bianca and was upset she was not being left behind too.  Either way she was terribly upset and cried the whole way back to the car and the whole trip home.  To try to distract her I gave her a chocolate kiss and headed to Wal-Mart where she too got her very own mini backpack.

The Wal-Mart trip was a distraction for me as well.  Up until this point I have very rarely been separated from one of my children.  To make matters worse I’m a hard core worry wart who thinks of every worse case scenario out there.  What if there is a tornado, what if she gets lost or there is a mean kid picking on her, or she gets hurt at school, or she needs her asthma meds and no one knows, or she gets a hold of a kiwi and there is no epi pen…or the worst….she likes her teacher better than me.  Yes, I know…most of those things will never happen but it’s the fear of not being able to protect your child, the very thing that is instinctual for every mother, which is the hard part.  This is the first step of letting go… letting her go and experience the world for herself.  I’m selfish and want to keep this glorious gift all to myself.  But on the other hand I know she will make this world a better place for so many and I would be wrong not to share her.

When it was time to pick her up, Paisley and I went and waited outside for her.  She came out of her school in line with all the other little pint sized children and was glowing with excitement from all the fun she had had that day.  When her teacher released her to us Bianca and Paisley hugged each other for a good 30 seconds as if to say, I missed you so much and I’m glad we are ok.  One of the sweetest moments I have gotten to witness.  I’m so blessed and glad that we all survived the first day of school!