Happy Homemaker Monday 02.08.16

Good Morning!! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.  I enjoyed watching the Super Bowl, especially liked the half-time show with Coldplay and Bruno Mars!!  I also thought that Lady Gaga did a fantastic job singing the national anthem.  I have to admit I started out cheering for the Panthers (only because I like the color of their uniforms, lol), but I do like to watch Payton Manning play, just not a Broncos fan.  But in the end, I was glad he won…with the Broncos.  When it comes to the Super Bowl that the Bears are NOT in, I’m like Switzerland, and remain neutral, either team can win as far as I’m concerned. 😀

Linking-up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:
The forecast shows some snow this week, I know it won’t be much, but I’ll take it!! And we’re supposed to call this winter?!?! pfffft.

weather0208

MOVIE REVIEW:
We went to see Kung Fu Panda 3 on my son’s birthday. I really enjoyed it and liked that it had a good message. It was about finding what makes you who you are. I’ve liked all of them, and Shifu (voice of Dustin Hoffman) and Po (voice of Jack Black) are my favorites. What’s not to like about a huge, adorable, lovable panda who does Kung Fu!!


LOL CHUCKLES, AND GIGGLES:
This is totally me!!

Your welcome, my introverted friends!! 🙂

WHAT’S ON THE TV:
Food Network’s Kid’s Baking Championship. My youngest son and I watch this together. Some of the recipes that these kids come up with are very impressive. I do hate to see one of them go home each week, but they have such great attitudes.

Castle also returns this week!!

RECIPE I WANT TO TRY:
Yummy addition to banana bread!! It’s kinda healthy right…there’s bananas in it. 🙂

WHAT I AM CREATING:
Not so much me, but the boys and I.  I remembered seeing this before, but was reminded of it from my friend Joanna @Where the roses never fade. Ice Marbles. You fill balloons with water and food coloring and set them outside to freeze. It looks like it will be cold enough this week, so we’ll see how they turn out.

 

FAVORITE BLOG POST:
Too adorable, worth watching to the end, he gets cuter and cuter!!

HELPFUL TIP:
Recently I started storing my leftovers in a different way. I usually put them in one large container. But now I store them in individual freezer bags, with enough for maybe 2 servings. I find that it is quicker to thaw out that way. It takes a little longer when putting it away, but here’s my tip. I put the freezer bag in a large plastic cup or container, with a wide opening, and fold the top of the bag over the edges. This makes it easy to spoon in the food.

 

FROM THE CAMERA:

© 2016 Liv’s Photography

 

QUOTES:

e8e3e189ac6874cc3f535321b23becde

Who Needs the Groundhog? #groundhogday

Well today is Groundhog day. The official groundhog lives in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, and his name is Phil…Punxsutawney Phil that is. The story goes, if on this morning, he doesn’t see his shadow, we’ll have an early spring. If he does see his shadow, then we will have 6 more weeks of winter. So here’s the thing. The first day of spring is actually March 20, which is like 6 weeks away anyway, so this is not an exact science by any means.

The news reports are now in, and he did not see his shadow, I repeat, no shadow. So we are in for an early spring.

But of course this all takes place in Pennsylvania. I myself have my own little indicator. It’s not only Groundhog Day for us today, but we also celebrate my son’s birthday. My son Elijah is 15 today!! So let’s see if Elijah sees his shadow today or not (it won’t be difficult being that he’s like 6 feet tall).

Well folks, there you have it, no shadow from Phil AND Elijah. Looks like an early spring. My dear friend Carrie up in the Northwoods will be happy to hear this, she’s been dreaming of spring since January 1st 😉

Five Minute Friday: Quiet

Five-Minute-Friday-4

Linking up with Kate Motaung for Five Minute Friday.  If you would like to join in or learn more about it, click on the icon to the left.  Write for 5 minutes, here we go.

TODAY’S PROMPT: QUIET

GO…

After the clock strikes midnight, the silence is almost deafening. But I let it embrace me like a warm, soft blanket. It’s what I long for at the end of a day filled with questions. Like home schooling questions, “Mom, so how did the scientists know what color the dinosaurs were, if they only found their bones.” Good question….Google? “Mom, can you wash my work clothes?” and the ever popular “Mom, what’s for dinner?” times 4. This one also comes in the form of a phone call, from my daughter, when she is on her way home from work. I usually don’t say hello, just tell her what I’m making.  Last but not least, my youngest starts most of his sentences with “Quick question…” whether it’s a question or not, and trust me it usually isn’t quick by any means. 🙂

So after a day like this, I just want it quiet. So it’s once everyone is asleep, I can finally relax, with a snack, and do what I want to do, and not have to answer any more questions. I can catch up on my favorite shows, catch up with friends on Facebook, through email, or their blogs. The only sound I want to hear is the low hum of the refrigerator, or the sound of the heat kicking on and off on a cold winter’s night. Ahhh….it’s quiet, the perfect time to get lost in a book. Quiet is a commodity that is worth far more to me than diamonds or gold. Well…maybe not diamonds. Nonetheless, it is not only what I want, but as an introvert, it’s what I need each night, so that I can recharge and be ready for another day, no matter how many questions I have to answer.

STOP…PENCILS DOWN

Let them eat cake…

Google says today is:

choccakeday

OK.  So to commemorate this day, I made Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Filled Cupcakes.  Yeah, they are cupcakes, but it’s still cake!!

IMG_0735

I did try something new with the cake.  This is just a box mix, but I saw a tip on how to make it more like a bakery cake.  Instead of water, use milk, instead of oil use butter, and add an extra egg.  It does make a difference.

So grab yourself a slice of cake and enjoy the day!!

I’ll be celebrating ALL day!!

Happy Homemaker Monday 01.25.16

Good Morning!!  Yep…another week, the last week of January already, can you believe it? Now that it’s tax season, I’ll be volunteering at the library on Friday afternoons to help prepare tax returns.  I found this organization that offers free tax preparation, and the training is free as well.  I started my training last week, and it’s a great little group of ladies who will be working out of the library.  It’s something I enjoy doing, and in turn helps people get their taxes done…and…I only have to walk across the street 🙂

Linking-up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS:

weather0125

MOVIE I’D LIKE TO SEE:
Zootopia.  This movie looks really cute and funny too.


LOL CHUCKLES, AND GIGGLES:
12376550_1224483160901263_8079817404521427247_n

RECIPE I TRIED LAST WEEK:
I did make the Chicken Parmesan Baked Penne, and it turned out really good. Here is the recipe.

Chicken Parmesan Baked Penne

1 lb. Penne PastaIMG_0699
1 lb. Chicken – seasoned with Itailian Season
1 25 oz. Newman’s Own Tomato & Basil Sauce
½ cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
2 cups Shredded Itailian Cheese
Fresh Basil

Mix cooked Pasta and cooked Chicken with sauce.

Drizzle Olive Oil at the bottom of baking dish.

In baking dish, layer:
½ pasta mix
½ cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup Itailian cheese
Sprinkle basil on top
Repeat.

Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

FAVORITE BLOG POST:
I found this story about a New Brunswick Jeep Club volunteering their time during the blizzard to get doctors and nurses to work at the local hospital. How cool is that? That’s how it should be…I got a jeep, there’s a blizzard…you need a ride to work…hey, I’ll drive you!! 😀

You can read the story here.  Jeep Club Volunteers Drive Hospital Workers During Winter Storm

THIS I HAVE TO TRY:
I always come across these tips, and think now that’s clever. But then I forget about them. This I have to try, and now that they are posted on my blog, I can look back and try some of these, this one definitely. I hate cleaning the fridge!!

fridgetip
When things get gross, just rip out the liners and add new ones.  Brilliant!!

FROM THE CAMERA:
More pics from the little trip to the beach with my daughter.

Yeah…about that…

OK…so technically she is not on the ice, she’s actually right at the edge, there’s sand under that snow.

icepic2

I wonder how heavy one of those ice sheets are.  The smooth edges and the shapes are amazing!!

QUOTES: