Menu Plan Monday Family Favorites

Welcome to this edition of Menu Plan Monday, hosted by I'm An Organizing Junkie. This week, we're supposed to post some of our family's favorite recipes.

Monday

Since we're out of school for the week (again) due to hurricane damage in our schools, I have bought some Cajun Deli Turkey, Deli Provolone cheese, and whole wheat/white bread for sandwiches, and I'm making a macaroni salad (courtesy of Tamy at 3 Sides of Crazy). This will make several lunches for us.

For dinner, we're having beer can chicken. My family loves this. I'm also going to make Hash Brown Casserole (this recipe also courtesy of Tamy at 3 Sides of Crazy). And maybe I will make Tamy's Sin in a Cup for dessert! Easy and sounds so yummy!

Tuesday

I get to go out to dinner! Help me choose a place! Olive Garden (Italian), Frenchy's (local place with the most divine lasagna I've ever eaten in my life), Salt Grass Steakhouse, or Pappa's Seafood. Vote for your favorite in your comments!

Maybe I'll make myself a Texas Chocolate Sheetcake!

Wednesday

Sandwiches again for lunch. We eat dinner at church on Wednesdays.

Thursday

The guys (my husband, his dad, his brothers) go out on Thursdays. The rest of us will either go to Jason's Deli, La Madeliene, or The Fish Place.

Friday

Pizza night! I could make this Garden Ranch Pizza (Pampered Chef recipe that we love), or we could go to Star Pizza. We've been wanting to do that.

Please vote for your favorite restaurant because I can't make up my mind where I want to eat Tuesday! Thanks!

The Handwriting Meme

Jenn tagged me for this meme, and even though I don't like my handwriting, I like her so much that I'm going to do this.

RULES -

1.) Go ahead, get a piece of paper and a pen. Prepared? Okay!

2.) Write a pangram* in your language. Sign your paper with your first name or your nickname (not your signature!!!). You can also include your blog URL if you want to.

3.) Take a picture.

4.) Post it on your blog! Leave a comment here (or a trackback) once you have posted.

5.) Link back and tag - don’t be shy!

* A pangram, also known as holalphabetic sentence, is a sentence that contains all letters of the alphabet at least once. “The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog.” is a common example in English. There are pangrams in all languages - for a little inspiration spy *here*. Feel free to use one of these common examples or come up with something on your own.

I tag Gellianne, Jess, and Miss Sniz!

Sunday Scrappin'

Sunday Scrappin' is a place to share all things scrapbooking (traditional or digital) or any other paper crafting you do.

Ta-Da's

Since the hurricance blew through, I haven't felt very creative, although I've had extra time on my hands. I finally made a card for my mom that I've been planning to do for two weeks. I made a gift enclosure and one scrapbook page. Here they are:

I won some blog candy from Stamps, Scraps, and More! I'm looking forward to receiving that.

To-Do's

Find some inspiration! Get some creative juices flowing! I want to make several scrapbook pages this week. I'm so far behind that I know I will never catch up. See that kindergarten page? My kids started 7th grade this year! I've taken some breaks to do special albums such as vacations, but as for every day pictures, I'll never get caught up! My goal is to try, though.

Challenge

Our SS challenge was to use the photo on the site as inspiration, which I did with the circular pattern in the card above.

I'll update this when this week's challenge is posted.

Win Bob the Builder Can-Do Zoo Software

Now here's a great CD-ROM for your little guys (and even girls, too) that will teach them something, but they will be having so much fun, they may not even realize they're learning! (Suggested for ages 3-6.)

Bob the Builder Can-Do Zoo is Early Childhood software for your Windows or Macintosh computer. With characters your child is familiar with, bright graphics, and fun activities, your child is sure to love this CD-ROM, and he (or she) can learn in English or Spanish. And your child earns "stickers" as each part of the job is completed (positive feedback). There are three modes of play and three skill settings you can change as your child progresses.

"The animals ... have arrived. Unfortunately, the zoo hasn't been built yet! Bob and his Can-Do Crew need your help to build a home for the animals." Can we build it? Yes, we can!

Some of the skills your little one will practice include problem solving, critical thinking, object classification, planning and time sequencing, patterns, and shape & color identification. I rate this software an A+!

Brighter Minds Media (the creators of Diner Dash) have given me a brand-new copy of the award-winning Bob the Builder Can-Do Zoo to give away to one lucky U.S. winner (retail value $19.95). To be eligible to win, just leave a comment on this post telling me who you would give this to. To earn an extra entry, subscribe to my blog or stumble this post. You can earn up to three entries. Please leave a separate comment for each of your entries. This contest will end at 11:59 PM on September 30th.

Check out the Family Review Network for other great product reviews and contests.

Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:13
Timestamp: 2008-10-02 04:22:04 UTC

The winner is Nadia!

This Week on the Home Front

We have been out of school because of the hurricane all week, and there has been a lot to do. First up, we've had to clean up the tree limbs and debris in our yards and contact the insurance company. Second, there has been a ton of laundry to do since the power came back on. Although we're not drinking our water yet, we are using it for showers and laundry.

Also, having so much time on my hands, I decided to undertake a huge de-clutter. My step-daughters just switched bedrooms about a week ago. Neither one of them is what you would call "domestic" by any stretch of the imagination. But, the oldest one is getting better. You should have seen the clutter in the closet she inherited from the younger step-daughter! So, I tackled it. I found old backpacks, my husband's CD case that has been missing for two years, ski boots, supplies from her knitting phase three years ago, pillows from couches we haven't had in the house for years, school supplies from the last three years, and so on, and so on. I purged, categorized, and organized, and what a rush! I love doing that!

I filled up two large trash bags, filled a backpack, a large clothing store sack, and still didn't fit everything in. But do I feel better! And my oldest step-daughter was so grateful. A hug from her made it all worthwhile.

I haven't been able to do every "small thing" challenge at Home Sanctuary this week, but I did manage to sweep the corners (and the rest) of my living room and clean out our soap and tissue dispensers. I would have loved to bake something from scratch, but we still don't have any fresh eggs being delivered to our area since the storm, and the grocery stores have lines just to get what provisions we can. I also ran out of sugar. If I could, I would make this Texas Chocolate Sheetcake, especially since it's a recipe from my friend who runs a bakery/catering business and because my birthday is next week. She shared the recipe with me, so I will share with you (just click the link above).

I also would have liked to clean up by my back door, but we got a new dining table delivered, and the old one is blocking the back door for now. We're going to donate it, but right now, there is nowhere to put it. This is the new table.

If you haven't checked out Home Sanctuary, you should. It's never too late to join, and she always gives me great ideas on ways to make my home more blessed.

I also recommend checking out Organising Queen. She is the best at de-cluttering, and she is so helpful! She also has great tips for organizing your computer, as well as a terrific post on de-cluttering the paper in your life, and since this month's Organizing Junkie roundup is the office area, it's definitely worth a look! OrgJunkie has a great post about weeding out the time consumers in our lives.

Since I will be off another week (many of our schools were damaged and aren't ready for students yet), I am planning to de-clutter, organize, menu-plan, and create some real order in my household! Won't you join me?

And remember, I have two giveaways ending soon.

Prima Princessa Swan Lake DVD

Book - The History of Love