Menu Plan Monday

Visit Laura at I'm An Organizing Junkie for more menu plan ideas.


Monday - ground beef/rice/corn/tomato sauce casserole - making this up as I go to use what I have on hand before I go grocery shopping tonight

Tuesday - crock pot Chicken Santa Fe

Wednesday - supper at church

Thursday - spaghetti - no brainer store bought sauce with ground beef added

Friday - Spicy Orange Pork Chops, garlic mashed potatoes, green beans

Saturday - steak on the grill, mushroom, onions, spanish rice

Bugs, anyone?

This is a product you can normally find in my refrigerator. Here is a list of the ingredients...

Skim milk, strawberry, concentrated skim milk, modified starches (corn, tapioca), natural & artificial flavours, milk protein concentrate, whey protein concentrate, gelatin, active bacterial cultures, pectin, natural colour (carmine), locust bean gum, potassium sorbate, sucralose 16mg (Splenda®), calcium lactate, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3. Made with vitamin A & D fortified skim milk.

Sounds pretty good? I am happy to see that there is no artificial colour, only natural colour, but what the heck is carmine? Let's see...
carmine. Mmmm... ground red beetles in my yogurt! Yummy! Let's see what else in my food stores contains carmine. After an extensive search of food labels, I cannot find another product that says carmine. Although, there are many that say "natural colour". Carmine is most definitely natural colour. I believe that food companies should have to list what the natural colour is. Now, don't get me wrong. I would rather be eating bugs than artificial colourants, but as some folks are allergic to carmine, they need to have the food labels tell them precisely what they are eating.

On that same note, many candy labels will list confectioner's glaze as an ingredient. You know the stuff that makes Skittles shiny? Well, do some research on that product, and you will find
lac. Mmmm... more bugs in my food! Well, not bugs actually... but bug products. Kind of like honey I guess!

Joe Sorren

Here is a link to a very interesting artist. Joe Sorren
Check out the prints you can buy. I love the one called Glimmer. And Luna, and the one with the kids and the bugs! I'll take one of each!
Awesome stuff!

Kid Friendly Tuna Noodle

I have some very picky day care kids. If it isn't a grilled cheese sandwich or a hot dog, they do not want to eat it. Today I tried the following recipe for tuna noodle casserole, told everyone that it was a special macaroni and cheese treat and left the room. They devoured it! They asked for seconds! The pickiest eater said he couldn't get enough of it! Victory!

1 can cream of celery soup
1/2 cup miracle whip
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Mix the above ingredients together. Add...
1 tbsp minced onion (I used dried onion)
1 can tuna drained
1 cup frozen peas (I used canned)
8oz wise egg noodles cooked (I used macaroni noodles)

Pour it into baking dish and bake at 350F for 25 minutes.
I added grated cheese and buttered fine bread crumbs to the top.

Jordan is married!

My brother Jordan got married on Friday. Here is a photo of him and his new wife Lauren, and then his three sisters... from left to right... Jenna, me, and Shelley.
It was a nice wedding. Smallish, well done. The food was great. They have been together for seven years... since high school. I am really happy for them, and can't wait for nieces and nephews! I don't know if they are thinking of kids yet or not... I guess it would be wise for Lauren to finish her master's degree first.

Summer Holiday

Cory and I are off work this week. It is so wonderful not to be rushing and feeling like we have to do a certain thing because we have to go to work tomorrow! I love it!
We don't have many plans. Tomorrow we are taking Adria and a friend to Canada's Wonderland. We will just drop them off and then go and find things to do ourselves. They will have a cell phone so we can stay in touch. We also think we will make the trip to Cory's grandma's house sometime this week. It has been a while since we have been there. And those are all the plans we have made. We have thought about painting one wall in living room... maybe... if we feel like it. I think the worst part of being a grown up is not having the entire summer off. I knew I should have been a teacher!

Two Front Teeth

This morning, one of the day care kids was coming up to the front door with her mom, and she tripped (over her flip flops I think) and bashed her mouth on the step. Lo and behold, she knocked her two front teeth out! Her mom whisked her off to the dentist. There is nothing to do but wait for her adult teeth to grow in, and that will be about three years or so! Can you imagine!? I am glad that the girl was in the care of her mother at the moment, and not in my care. I feel so sorry for her. She was amazingly brave! Seriously, I am amazed how calm she was. I was proud of her!

The hot weather seems to have let up a little bit. Still too hot for me, but better than the last three days! Is it Friday yet? Oh, not yet... tomorrow! I am looking forward to this long weekend. We are having a birthday party for Aniela... her first birthday. We have some yummy things planned for the bbq, and I hoping it is not hot. For side dishes, I am planning things that don't require any last minute cooking. Lots of salads.

Adria is off babysitting today. She has been earning lots of money this summer! Well, my brain must have turned to mush, as I can think of nothing exciting to say. Just chugging along here.

sidewalk chalk

Julian Beever is an absolutely amazing artist. Go and check out his work! My mind is boggled by his gift!

This work is one of my favourites.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

Go and get this book now and read it!
It is one of the best books I have read!
Loved it! Loved it! Loved it!

Look what Cory did!

Cory took this photo of the daycare kids. He didn't tell them to look scowly or to pose or anything. This is just how they looked at that moment. He only took one photo and this is what came out! As soon as he saw it, it reminded him of an album cover, and so he made up a name for them. I think this is hilarious! It sure kept me laughing yesterday! The daycare parents think it is priceless!

Friday Babbling

Cory had more surgery last Friday. The infection we thought was gone came back with a vengeance. So they cut him open again but couldn't find anything. It is beyond my scope how there can be a loadful of gunk one day, and then no trace of it the next. He is back at the hospital right now to get the stitches out. Hopefully, this is the end of the road for that dang infection!

It is hot here. Thank you Lord for air conditioning.

I am really looking forward to the weekend. I hope we don't do much. I just feel like hanging out at home. In the air conditioning. We are going to bbq ribs tomorrow. Yum. I guess we need to go out grocery shopping tomorrow. Stupid grocery shopping. If we had online grocery ordering with delivery, I would most definitely pay the extra for it!

My dog T-Bone is a stalker. He literally stalks our other dog Bailey as a cat would stalk a mouse. It is hilarious to watch him. Where did he learn that? I have never seen a dog do that before.

Is it five o'clock yet? Nope, it is only 11:00am. Six more hours until the weekend, but two of those will be filled by nap time. Woo hoo for children's nap time! Two hours of silence!

I am really enjoying my current book, A Passage to India. Very good. Go get it out of the library and have a go at it!

my first football match

Sunday, I watched a football (soccer) match for the first time. World Cup final, Italy vs. France. I thought it was pretty good. As someone who knows nothing about this game, I thought that many of the injuries were exaggerated. I said to myself more than once, "What a bunch of whingers!" I imagine there is a reason behind these dramatics. Maybe some day I will get it! I would like to know what provoked Zidane to headbutt Materazzi. It seems such a sad way to end his career. I would probably be up for watching another match at some point. My dad and brother will be proud!

What's he thinking about?

Clash Wish List

books

Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer by Chris Salewicz
A Riot of Our Own by Johnny Green & Garry Barker
Clash City Showdown by Chris Knowles
Joe Strummer and the Legend of the Clash by Kris Needs
Last Gang in Town by Marcus Grey
Let Fury Have the Hour: The Punk Politics of Joe Strummer by Antonio D’Ambrosia
Passion is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash by Pat Gilbert
The Clash: Return of the Last Gang in Town by Marcus Grey
The Clash by Paul DuNoyer
The Clash by Bob Gruen
The Clash: New Visual Documentary by James Wells
Vision of a Homeland by Anthony Davie
Made in the UK by Jeanette Beckman
Joe Strummer with the 101’ers & The Clash 1974 – 1976 by Tony Fletcher,David L. Ulin, Keith Topping
The Clash: Before and After by Pennie Smith
The Clash: Rat Patrol from Fort Bragg by Alan Parker

CDs

From Here to Eternity - The Clash
Earthquake Weather – Joe Strummer & the Latino Rockabilly War
Permanent Record Soundtrack – Joe Stummer
Sandinista! – The Clash
The Clash (UK release)


DVDs

The Clash: Up Close and Personal
Hootenanny (http://store.merch.com/hootenanny/prodinfo.asp?number=48.DV.001)
Viva Joe Strummer
Let’s Rock Again – Dick Rude
The Clash: Westway to the World 2000
The Essential Clash 2003
Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains
King of Comedy
Candy Mountain
I Hired A Contract Killer
Question d’Honneur
Doctor Chance
Walker
End of the Century: The Story of the Ramones (last Joe interview)
Punk In England