Trick or Treat

So that people will attend the town sponsored Halloween Festival they had trick or treating last night. Meh, whatever. I was sad that only three walked with me, two being too old and the 12 and 10 year old went off on their own.

Look What Wandered Into Our Yard

Helping

Amy over at The Motherload is organizing a big give in her area to help a local mission. This really hit me since I just live a hop,skip and jump from her in another part of IN. IN is doing pretty well compared to many mid-west states but we still have entire towns dependent on auto industry factories. Not a good thing right now. Here in our little bit of the Hoosier State my Cub Scouts and I are gearing up for our annual food drive for the local food pantry. This is a really grass roots little place, one room in an old school. They have had requests of course go up while donations are down. Hopefully we'll be able to help and teach the boys about being good citizens at the same time. Take some of your own time to do something good for your community.

What I've Been Doing

While they were having fun, I was cleaning the gutters. Yuck! Note the five year old's red glittery shoes. What could be more appropriate for raking?


I've live with a one year old. Really, I don't need any other occupations. Note the clean clothes have been removed for more one year old comfort.

I let my children play with black food dye, and did you know that if you squeeze the middle of the tube it'll come out both ends. Way cool.

I have not included a picture of the final soccer games. All three hours of them, spent in the frigid wind tunnel. I couldn't quit shaking to take a decent picture. Also not included are a picture of the car my husband went deer hunting with. The deer won, the car lost. (He's fine, the same cannot be said for my beloved station wagon.) Then there was tonight's apple bobbing, cub scouting fun.

LOK Kitchen Challenge

I finally remembered to do the LOK Kitchen Challenge. To make it fair I just picked a day and then tallied it up. It was a close thing. I came in $1.00 under budget but it gives a true picture of what we eat. It also doesn't figure that there are 2 more breakfasts in that canister of oatmeal, or leftovers for dh's lunch from the spaghetti. Here's my entry.

Breakfast
Oatmeal and an orange. This is pretty typical for us. I really try for the five-a-day thing. It would be cheaper without the oranges. I could have bought canned oranges, peaches, applesauce. Something cheaper but this is what we really had and I wanted this to be true to life.

cost
Bag Oranges-$2.99
Canister oats-$1.39
____________________________
$4.38

Lunch
Peanutbutter sandwich, carrot sticks,and a banana. Lunches are pretty simple here. My older kids take their lunch to school. I usually make a bunch of sandwiches (peanut butter, hummus, jelly, ham) and keep in the freezer so they just have to grab some. Dh usually takes leftovers if possible but his favorite food on earth is a peanut butter sandwich so he's easy to feed.

cost
Peanut butter $1.29
Bread $0.75
carrots $1.50
bananas $0.86
___________________________
$4.40

Supper
Spaghetti&sauce, salad, homemade bread. A favorite and filling. We probably have italian pasta weekly. I don't usually put meat in our spaghetti. Our oldest is a vegetarian and this way she'll eat. With the carrots and banana from lunch and the tomato sauce and salad I just made the five-a-day thing. I just wanted to prove you can eat a balanced, reasonably priced diet. We dress our salad with oil/vinegar, a very small amount so I didn't include that.

cost
ww pasta $1.50
sauce $0.99
saladx2 $1.98
hm bread $0.75 (may be cheaper, figured store cost)
___________________________
$5.22

Total Day $14

I do need to note that my family really will eat an entire loaf of bread with a meal. It's that 14yo boy! Don't let your babies become man sized!

FIVE!

Miss Mel is five today. Insert all the things you think when this happens ie. where did that five years go?

Feel The Fall Vibe

OUT

Finally we were all well enough to go somewhere fun. I took the little girlies to Mother's Meeting this morning. It was good to speak to other adults for awhile. The weather is cooler today. We've had an unusually warm fall (not that I'm complaining.) It has been so nice to let the kids play outside for hours after school. We are not a family that takes well to staying inside. Another plus is that the garden is still spitting tomatoes and green peppers at me. I made this soup yesterday. It was really good and used up all those ping pong sized tomatoes.
Not too much else going on, E is stressing over possibly getting an A-, C&S are going camping this weekend, we have our next to last soccer game Saturday. I guess that's about it. Life is always busy here, yet it's just ordinary busyness. That's the best kind though. Hear me fates, I am NOT tempting you.

Mutation and Monday

The thing about viruses is they mutate, and continue to attack in new and amazing ways. So I'm continuing my new career in nursing. But since it's Monday..



Breakfasts:
toast&cocoa
eggs &toast
sausage&hash browns
waffles
cereal
pumpkin muffins
ffys

Dinner:
pan roasted chicken, potatoes, grapes
ground turkey stroganoff, green beans
swiss steak, rice, carrots
beef&noodles, corn
mac&cheese, broccoli
pasta w/onions&peppers, oranges
milkshakes, peanut butter sandwiches

Let's Enjoy the Stock Market

It's funny darn it.

Watch This

Love Thursday

When you feel sick, there's nothing like a big brother.

Lazy Man's Pierogi

If anyone has ever made pierogi, you know it takes forever. They make frozen ones but it takes 3 bags to feed us. Not frugal so, I googled around and found this. We like it. I usually add crumbled, cooked bacon or some sliced kielbasa. I like mine with sauerkraut too.
From Cooks.com
LAZY MAN'S PIEROGI
10 to 12 potatoes, boiled and mashed
14 oz. sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
2 sticks butter
2 onions, diced
1 lb. lasagna noodle, cooked
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook potatoes. While still hot mash and add cheese. Beat with mixer. Saute onions in melted butter until soft. Add 1/3 of onion-butter mixture to potatoes and season to taste. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Put a layer of noodles on bottom of pan, spread a layer of potato mixture. On top alternate layers ending with noodle on top. Pour rest of butter and onion over top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. May be microwaved.

Of Viruses and Menus

Ah, autumn. The season when children willingly share their viruses with each other. Evidently my children only choose to play with sick classmates. Oh well, I just picked up C from school sick and Ad has had a fever since Saturday. They are the last two so hopefully we will be DONE. Until next time anyway.


Menu this week

Breakfast:
cinnamon rolls
cold cereal
sausage&hash browns
pumpkin raisin bread
oatmeal
french toast
ffys

Dinner:
Sun-spaghetti&meatballs, homemade garlic bread
Mon-shepherds pie, apple salad
Tue-bean burritos, corn
Wed-roast, carrots, potato
Thur-stew
Fri-pizza
Sat-Lazy man's pierogis

Another Runner

Yesterday was the county wide elementary mile race. L participated and did very well actually. Not bad for a kid wearing her younger brother's t-shirt, her older brother's shorts and her cousin's old shoes. So much for a big investment in kids sports.