Feels Like Fall

It's still really warm here in the afternoons, but I'm doing my best to make it feel like Fall.

The decorating budget is zero, so it's all about shopping the house and finding the things I've saved from years past.

And of course, baking always make things feel cozy.

Happy Fall!

Yay for Autumn!

The arrival of Fall puts me in the mood for crisp apples, baking bread, simmering soup, raking leaves, nature walks and sprucing up the house.  I can't wait to pull out the flannel sheets, boots and cardigans!

Come on in and pull up a chair at the kitchen table and tell me your favorite things about Fall.

The Last of Summer

I'm enjoying the last remnants of summer around my yard.  We've had a cool front and now the mornings are brisk, but not yet cold, and the afternoon sun gently warms my shoulders.  Perfect outdoor weather!

This is my backyard helper who likes to follow at my heels. :)

I just left this spider to go about her business in her web on the porch.  Maybe I've read Charlotte's Web one too many times.

The last warm, ripe tomatoes.

Morning glory on the back fencce.

The last blooms are beginning to fade.

"There comes a time when autumn asks,
'What have you been doing all summer?'" - unknown

50s Music

I love all sorts of music, but I've been listening to a lot from the 50s lately. This is one of my favorites and it just makes me tap my toes and sing along. It was featured in the Disney movie Cars a few years ago (and is on the soundtrack) so a whole new generation is getting to enjoy it.


Say what you will about the 1950s, there sure was a lot of good music going on.:)

Have a happy weekend!

Homemaking

I'm lighting candles, listening to music, sweeping out cobwebs, and heating up the oven today. It's going to be rainy and cool and delicious.

A good home must be made, not bought."
-Joyce Maynard

Talking to Teenagers

Teenagers Listening to 45 Rpm. Records as They Shop For the Latest Hits at a Record Store

Me: So how was your day?
Teenager: Fine,
Me: What did you do today?
Teenager: Nothing.

That's not really the kind of meaningful conversation that I hope to have with my teenagers.  Sometimes it's all I get, but  there are ways to encourage them to communicate. 

1.  Drive the car pool. Just listen, listen, listen. 

2.  Be careful with your tone of voice.  Girls especially tend to get sensitive and clam up if they think your tone of voice sounds cold or reserved.

3.  Spend one on one time doing something fun away from home.  Ever notice how much easier it is to talk when you aren't at home?  I've had great conversations with my teenagers while walking around the mall or going out for Starbucks (a teenage favorite).

4.  Be positive and warm, but not clingy and needy.  Nothing will put off a teenager faster than feeling smothered.

5.  Be willing to apologize when necessary, which is probably more often than you think - at least in my case.

6. Sometimes it's better to lighten up and empathize instead of dispensing parental advice.

7.  Be genuinely interested.  If they think your mind is on something else and you don't care, they won't want to talk.

Teens are busy and independent, but you can still stay connected and close.

Much love,

Lunch Ideas

Cafeteria Lunch Tray

On days that I work, I have to take my lunch. I can't leave the school to go out to eat even if I wanted to so it's either take something or don't eat. I've been known to make do with a Slim Fast bar and while that's easy to throw in my purse on the way out the door, it's not really my favorite lunch. Mike usually gets dibs on any leftovers (he has a microwave at work) so I have to be a little more creative with my lunch.

Here are some of my favorite quick and easy lunch ideas:
Wraps - I wrap up sandwich fixings or leftovers such as roast chicken in a whole grain tortilla.
Pita sandwiches
Thermos full of soup
raw vegetables and hummus
cold pasta salad
breakfast for lunch (muffins, yogurt, oatmeal)
homemade "lunchable" - crackers, cheese and meat

When you pack a lunch for yourself, what are your favorite things to pack?

15 Things I've Learned

I've learned a few things over the years of being a mom of five and you all love unsolicited parenting advice, right?  Maybe I can save you a few headaches along the way.

1. Babies never arrive at a convenient time.

2. Band-aids are a great way to entertain small children (and husbands).

3. If you have your children share a meal and order water to drink, you can eat out for half the price.

4. Sometimes grass stains don't come out.

5. Your kids will survive if they don't have huge birthday parties.

6. Teach them to do their own laundry early.

7. You don't have to eat cardboard pizza with the giant mouse.

8. Kids are never too young to read to (or too old).

9. School pictures are usually an expensive waste of money.

10. Keep wipes and a roll of paper towels in the car.

11. They're never too old for mom to cut their sandwiches into little triangles.

12. Buy cheap shoes when they're little, but don't scrimp on a good pair when they're older. It will be cheaper in the long run.

13. Don't give up on serving vegetables. They'll eventually learn to like at least some of them.

14. Yes, you can cut their hair yourself (at least until they're teenagers).

15.  Go ahead and let them wear crazy outfits occasionally.  My husband once let Greg (oldest son) go to 1st grade dressed in cowboy boots, sweat pants and a dress shirt.  After getting over the shock when I picked him up, I realized how funny it was.

Your kids will be grown before you know it so don't sweat the small stuff. :)

Tennis, Football and Substitute Teaching

Tennis Ball on a Tennis Racket

Our kids are so busy! Mike and I both enjoyed sports and various activities as teenagers, and we're glad that our kids do as well.  They are busy and happy.  The expense however...we're not quite as happy about that, but it's part of parenting teenagers (at least for us - we're not saying you have to let your kids be involved in the same things ours are of course). The whopping sum of pennies a week that I make from the blog isn't enough to keep the kids in tennis rackets, football cleats and band instruments or pay to insure a teenage driver (!!!).  So, I've done what thousands of moms have done before me and put my name on the sub list.  I know I won't ever have to work during a school holiday, I'm done at the same time the kids are and best of all I can turn it down if I need to.

I keep Monday free every week so that I can run errands, buy groceries, and generally catch up from the weekend, but I may be out of the house anywhere from 2 do 4 days during the week while the kids are at school.  Plus we spend several evenings a week watching the kids play sports or march in the band (so much fun). It's important to me that I continue to keep homemaking as a priority, so I'm finding new ways to condense my routine. I have to be so much more efficient with my use of time and my slow cooker is getting a workout. I'm also learning how to delegate and that it's OK not to volunteer for everything.  Being organized and getting enough sleep is more important now than ever.

I'm sure I'll be learning new time management skills as I go.  I'll share any great tips that I come across even though most of you probably have all that down pat already. :)  In the meantime I'm off to get a roast seasoned and in the fridge so that it's ready to go in the Crockpot in the morning just in case my phone rings at 6:00AM.

Much love,

The Time is Now

Rock 'n' Roll sur les Quais de Paris

There are so many tasks in a day that must be accomplished that it's sometimes hard to find time to do the things we want to do.   Have you been putting off learning photography, taking a dance class or even reading the book that's been sitting on your night stand for months?   Make the time now and go for it!  Learning and enthusiasm will bring joy into your life.  Let's have an adventure!

When your life flashes before your eyes, make sure you've got plenty to watch.  

~Author unknown, from a television commercial

Razzle Dazzle

I want to dance like this! Doesn't it look like fun?

How Was Your Weekend?

Did you have a busy weekend too?

I made Boeuf Bourguignon (and washed lots of dishes).

Had a birthday party for Marcia (this is one of two cakes - lucky girl).

Got up very early for a balloon ascension.

Went for a run in the park.

Watched more than my share of tennis matches and football games (my girls both play tennis and Bobby plays football, plus as Texans we are required to watch the Cowboys). We also managed to fit in an inspiring church service and some after church tacos.

How was your weekend?

I Need Your Help!

A Runner Takes an Autumn Jog Along Cache Creek

I've been inspired by Big Mama and about half a dozen of my facebook friends to start the Couch to 5K program. I don't have a particular 5K that I'm training for, I just want to be able to run that far without dying. I'm in week 2 now and it's going well (and I feel really good after it's over), but I've realized that the cheapo pair of Target running shoes I bought about 8 years ago are not going to work out.  I'm getting some blisters and they have NO cushion.  I don't want to wind up hurting myself and defeating the whole purpose of getting in shape.

So, my questions for you are: 1. Do you know where to get good shoes at a decent price? and 2. What type of shoe do you recommend?  I don't want to blow money on something that will fall apart.

Oh, and in the interest of full disclosure my son wants me to make sure and let you know that I am not the super fit runner in the above photo. :)

Just Pictures

I've just about run out of words this week. Hard to believe, I know! I've had meetings for various volunteer groups, long lovely visits with my mom and extensive phone conversations with Retrohousewife full of rabbit trails (our specialty) and solving all sorts of thorny issues such as what color her credenza should be painted (espresso) and whether or not I should buy a new camera (I should - can't wait for the UPS man). So I decided that today's post will be all about pictures. Some are old, some are more recent, but I like them all and well, they just make me happy.

Hope your week has been full of good things! Thanks for hanging in there with me through a post with two paragraphs that was supposed to be only pictures.
Much love,

Chicken Curry

I love curry, especially the hot Thai variety!  My family, however, doesn't like it too hot, plus I don't always have the time (or the long list of ingredients) for such recipes.  So I make a quick, easy and mild chicken curry that can be adapted to whatever I have on hand.  It's a really quick one dish week night supper for when we want a change of pace from the same old thing.  I can have it on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Here are the ingredients I used this time. Remember you can change them up. I actually like mine best without any meat, but the troops would revolt if I served it that way.

About 2 cups of chopped, cooked chicken
5 or 6 diced red potatoes. Use more or less depending on how many other ingredients you have.
baby carrots (about half a bag)
sliced fresh mushrooms (I just used a couple for my own bowl - I love mushrooms)
1/2 onion, chopped
a couple of teaspoons of chopped fresh garlic
You could also add celery or chopped bell pepper...lots of possibilities.
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup plain Greek yogurt (yes, you can use regular yogurt)
olive oil (a tablespoon or 2)
salt and pepper to taste
curry powder 1 to 2 tablespoons
cilantro leaves and/or diced tomatoes for garnish

Saute the vegetables with the garlic in olive oil for about 10 minutes until crisp tender, except the mushrooms.  You'll want to wait until a little later to add them as they don't need as much time to cook.  Add the broth and the chicken and simmer for a few minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  In a small bowl, stir together the curry powder and the yogurt.  Turn heat to low and gently fold in yogurt mixture.  Don't let it boil or the yogurt will curdle instead of being smooth and creamy.  Serve over rice.  If you're really in a hurry, Minute Rice is fine or if you want to be more authentic, serve over basmati or jasmine rice.  Top with cilantro and diced tomatoes.  To add a little heat you can stir in some cayenne pepper with the curry powder.

Spinach and Mushroom Quiche

We had spinach and mushroom quiche this weekend. I had to make a "mom's taxi" run before it was ready and left my girls to watch the timer and pull it out of the oven for me. I thought it was so cute that they decided to take a picture of it before it was all gone because they thought you all might want to see it.  Maybe I should just turn the blog over to them!

I made this recipe (sort of).  I used sliced  mushrooms instead of bacon and added some garlic and thyme.  I also used half & half instead of heavy cream because that's what I had on hand.  It was delicious and the leftovers were even better, not that there was much left over.  Even my meat and potatoes husband liked it.  We had it for brunch, but it would be great any time of day.