Let's Get Cookin'

To contact us Click HERE

I'm a big fan of Freezer Meals. I love them. I'll often double a recipe just to have another to freeze. And I'll drop them off to neighbors/friends when I feel they need a meal. A couple of weeks ago, I spent the afternoon cooking, and ended up with 17 meals in the freezer. I've had a few requests to share the links/recipes so here they are. 


Melissa Fallis 18 Freezer Meals
I searched through Pinterest and loved what this girl put together, she shares some awesome recipes and then gives the entire grocery list to go with it. Easy. I loved that she used an assortment of meat (Pat gets sick of Chicken) I didn't try the shredded pork, which I will try next time. I wanted to add a ground beef meal instead. (recipe below) Many of the marinated meats can be cooked in the crock pot and served over rice...EASY!

Tips:If you have kids, I suggest you shop and cook on different days. It was a little much for both Ledger and I.You will already have a lot of the spices and foods on her list, make sure you have a good amount. I ran out of soy sauce and honey, and was annoyed that I had to go back to the store in the middle of everything.
The Pot Pies took the most work, and were quite large for just our little family. But they were delicious, and I added frozen peas instead of canned. 
More Freezer Meals Cilantro Thai Chicken - We've liked this marinade and makes a great freezer meal.Honey Lime Enchiladas- One of our favorites!
Toddler Pumpkin French Toast Sticks -  I LOVE THESE! And so does Ledger. I struggle getting Ledger to eat, I found these little babies, and they have been incredible. He smiles and continually shows them to me while he downs 2-3 each morning. I'll warm up some sausage or an egg for a little protein and breakfast is served. 

Some have asked if they are good enough for adults to eat... Yes, I'll admit I've eaten my share, and they were delicious. The recipe calls for sugar, and with the pumpkin they are a little sweet, so Ledger doesn't need any syrup. But if I were to make it for Pat and I, I'd pass on the sugar. That's just my opinion :) 
Do you have a favorite soup? These make awesome freezer meals, warm them up, add some french bread and a super fast meal is finished. I often make Taco soup, Chicken noodle, and chile. I'm still searching for the perfect Tortilla soup. If you have a great recipe I'd love to try it.

Spaghetti PieThis is the ground beef meal I put together. Pat and Ledger love it as much as I do. I've never placed it into the oven still frozen, I always let it sit in the fridge over night to unthaw. You would have to cook it a lot longer if frozen. But I often make two of these at a time, one to eat that night, and one to freeze!
6 oz spaghetti2 TBS butter2 well beaten eggs1/3 grated Parmesan cheese1 lb ground beef1/2 c. chopped onions1/2 tsp garlic salt1 tsp sugar1 tsp oregano1 can tomato soup1/2 c. water1 c. cottage cheese1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

• Cook and drain spaghetti. Stir butter, parmesan chese, and eggs into spaghetti. Form spaghetti mixture into crust in a 10" pie plate. (If doubled, will fill a 13x9)
•  Brown ground beef with onions add garlic salt, sugar, oregano, soup, and water, heat through. 
• Spread cottage cheese over crust. 
• Fill with hamburger mixture. 
• Bake uncovered @350 degrees for 20 min. Top with mozzarella cheese, return to oven until melted.

Ha'aretz "Corrects" Story Because of Mostly Kosher

To contact us Click HERE
A few days ago I showed how Ha'aretz had negligently reported that the US State Department had for "the first time" cited settler violence as terrorism.

I had a look again at the story today, and surprise the word "first" has been deleted from the title of the page. Here is the original title:


Here is the current page:



As you can see they changed the title to remove the "first" claim. The same corrections were made in the Hebrew version of the article - only there they left a double gap in the first sentence where they deleted the  word "first" (לר×�שונה) used to be.


Ha'aretz did not post a correction (or at least I haven't found it).

The Guardian continues to publish the story, despite it being debunked.

***UPDATE***

I have been told that on the printed edition of Ha'aretz (24.08.12) there was a short correction stating:
"בניגוד לפרסו� בעמוד הר�שון (ה�רץ, 19.8) �ין זו הפע� הר�שונה שמשרד החוץ של �רה"ב מגדיר �לימות מתנחלי� "טרור".

"Contrary to that stated in the front page (Ha'aretz 19.08) this was not the first time the US Department of State classified Settler violence as terror". 

Meandering

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The boys started Fall Break on Friday. No big plans in store, so we woke up Friday morning with a full day of wide open schedule in front of us~
We sent Mike off to work and piled in the car for a drive. Destination, bakery. The camera was a last minute grab. Darn those camera phones! I find myself bringing my camera on less and less outings in favor of the lightweight, portability of my back pocket phone.
But with camera in the passengers seat and three boys in the back~ Canaan with his favorite book, Farmer Boy (4th time reading it since the first grade), Ezra with nothing but his eyes on the scenery, and Otto with his favorite dog, we headed out of town towards a small town bakery in the middle of horse country.
So on Friday, with Farmer Boy, dog, camera and bellies full of baked goods we stumbled across an empty field with an old log cabin~ which screamed  "photo opportunity"! I think you'll agree~
You can see the full Flickr photostream here.

Marketplace Monday Blog Hop ~ Fenris' Favorite Toy

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Roo from Roo's Doins is hosting a Giveaway. Roo is hosting a BarkBox / MeowBox Giveaway.  See his 9-24-12 post to see a sample and details to enter.  Deadline is 10-31-12.



 This is my favorite toy. Mommy got it for me the day she adopted me. It is a Kong and we has to say it has lived up to the companies reputation of making durable dog toys. I am very hard on my toys. Most are lucky to last a week. This one has lasted years. It is the Kong Wubba and I loves it. We calls it the Purple Octopus. 

Here I am with my Purple Octopus when I was just a baby. Mommy says it was almost as big as me. I drug it around back in those days. Now I can easily carry it. Click here to read the post I did about it when I first got it.

I likes to chew and bite my toys as you can see it held up well to my jaws of doom.  It has faded a little over time but I do takes it outside in the sunshines with me.  ~Fenris

PS: For all of you who are crushed not to see Socks on Mancat Monday I have included a picture of him in my post.



 

Thursday in the Garden with Fenris

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Our Pineapple Sage is blooming, the Hummingbirds really love it.

It is doing wonderful this year.

Some pretty Zinnias blooming.

More Pineapple Sage.

The Gerber Daisies and the Bronze Mums.

The Yellow and Lavender Mums live in the backyard with ME.

I really like having flowers in the backyard with me and I am a good dog and do not bother them.


Now we are headed over to Jonesie's for a report to The Society of Feline Gardeners and I am going to hang out with Grete. ~Fenris


PS: We would like to ask our friends to send healing energy to Arty Mouse and purrs to guide her home. We has our paws crossed she will be home soon.

Swimming Lessons?

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On Tuesday, we made one last trip to Rexburg Rapids before they close for the season.Summer is officially over...bummer.
Between Rigby Lake and Rexburg Rapids, we definitely got our swim on this summer.



The past couple of times we were there, Ledger had absolutely no fear of the water. He would dive right in, head first and come up with a big grin on his face. I couldn't look the other way for a split second. I'm thinking swimming lessons this winter/spring is now on our to-do list. :)

While Daddy is away, Mommy & Ledger PLAY!

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While Pat was away visiting Detroit, (post coming later) Ledger and I stayed at my parent's house for a couple of days.
Friday, Grandma took both of us to the zoo. Ledger rode his first ride, and kept a straight face, with his little mouth open the entire time.Friday night, Ledger experienced his very first Madison Football game. At half time, we ran to the car as a massive rainstorm hit. It was pure chaos, and Ledger left terrified.

 
Saturday afternoon, we made a trip to Porter Park to play at the splash park, park toys, and ride the carousel...twice (lucky boy). While we were there, I realized I've avoided this place like the plague, because of the memories I have there. I would have never dreamed the pictures my friend Chelsea took of Preslee on the carousel, would end up on the cover of the program at her funeral.
 I'm not going lie, it hurt being there. I kept thinking how there should be a 3 1/2 year old little girl on the horse next to her little brother. How Ledger should have an older sister to show him how to play on the toys, splash him with water, and swing next to on the swings.

As hard as it was, I put my feelings aside to deal with later, and tried to make the most of it with Sledge Hammer.
















 I'm beyond grateful to be a mom of two very loving kids.
Love you both - more than you'll ever know.

     June 2010                                              September 2012

Update on Sledge Hammer

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Ledger has always struggled breathing through his nose. We were told it would hopefully be better by 12 months, but we've noticed it's only gotten worse. Last week, we visited the Ears, Nose, and Throat Doctor, and after explaining everything to him, he was surprised that Ledger's tonsils weren't extremely swollen. So the next step is to put a camera down his nose to look at his adenoids.
I've also received a few comments worrying about Ledger's belly button. I can assure you nothing is horribly wrong, he just has a herniated belly button. I've asked around, and many people say by age 2 they seem to get a lot better.
Anyway, wish us luck, tomorrow (Thursday) is his appointment with the ENT. We're hoping they can find the problem.

Let's Get Cookin'

To contact us Click HERE

I'm a big fan of Freezer Meals. I love them. I'll often double a recipe just to have another to freeze. And I'll drop them off to neighbors/friends when I feel they need a meal. A couple of weeks ago, I spent the afternoon cooking, and ended up with 17 meals in the freezer. I've had a few requests to share the links/recipes so here they are. 


Melissa Fallis 18 Freezer Meals
I searched through Pinterest and loved what this girl put together, she shares some awesome recipes and then gives the entire grocery list to go with it. Easy. I loved that she used an assortment of meat (Pat gets sick of Chicken) I didn't try the shredded pork, which I will try next time. I wanted to add a ground beef meal instead. (recipe below) Many of the marinated meats can be cooked in the crock pot and served over rice...EASY!

Tips:If you have kids, I suggest you shop and cook on different days. It was a little much for both Ledger and I.You will already have a lot of the spices and foods on her list, make sure you have a good amount. I ran out of soy sauce and honey, and was annoyed that I had to go back to the store in the middle of everything.
The Pot Pies took the most work, and were quite large for just our little family. But they were delicious, and I added frozen peas instead of canned. 
More Freezer Meals Cilantro Thai Chicken - We've liked this marinade and makes a great freezer meal.Honey Lime Enchiladas- One of our favorites!
Toddler Pumpkin French Toast Sticks -  I LOVE THESE! And so does Ledger. I struggle getting Ledger to eat, I found these little babies, and they have been incredible. He smiles and continually shows them to me while he downs 2-3 each morning. I'll warm up some sausage or an egg for a little protein and breakfast is served. 

Some have asked if they are good enough for adults to eat... Yes, I'll admit I've eaten my share, and they were delicious. The recipe calls for sugar, and with the pumpkin they are a little sweet, so Ledger doesn't need any syrup. But if I were to make it for Pat and I, I'd pass on the sugar. That's just my opinion :) 
Do you have a favorite soup? These make awesome freezer meals, warm them up, add some french bread and a super fast meal is finished. I often make Taco soup, Chicken noodle, and chile. I'm still searching for the perfect Tortilla soup. If you have a great recipe I'd love to try it.

Spaghetti PieThis is the ground beef meal I put together. Pat and Ledger love it as much as I do. I've never placed it into the oven still frozen, I always let it sit in the fridge over night to unthaw. You would have to cook it a lot longer if frozen. But I often make two of these at a time, one to eat that night, and one to freeze!
6 oz spaghetti2 TBS butter2 well beaten eggs1/3 grated Parmesan cheese1 lb ground beef1/2 c. chopped onions1/2 tsp garlic salt1 tsp sugar1 tsp oregano1 can tomato soup1/2 c. water1 c. cottage cheese1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

• Cook and drain spaghetti. Stir butter, parmesan chese, and eggs into spaghetti. Form spaghetti mixture into crust in a 10" pie plate. (If doubled, will fill a 13x9)
•  Brown ground beef with onions add garlic salt, sugar, oregano, soup, and water, heat through. 
• Spread cottage cheese over crust. 
• Fill with hamburger mixture. 
• Bake uncovered @350 degrees for 20 min. Top with mozzarella cheese, return to oven until melted.

Ha'aretz "Corrects" Story Because of Mostly Kosher

To contact us Click HERE
A few days ago I showed how Ha'aretz had negligently reported that the US State Department had for "the first time" cited settler violence as terrorism.

I had a look again at the story today, and surprise the word "first" has been deleted from the title of the page. Here is the original title:


Here is the current page:



As you can see they changed the title to remove the "first" claim. The same corrections were made in the Hebrew version of the article - only there they left a double gap in the first sentence where they deleted the  word "first" (לר×�שונה) used to be.


Ha'aretz did not post a correction (or at least I haven't found it).

The Guardian continues to publish the story, despite it being debunked.

***UPDATE***

I have been told that on the printed edition of Ha'aretz (24.08.12) there was a short correction stating:
"בניגוד לפרסו� בעמוד הר�שון (ה�רץ, 19.8) �ין זו הפע� הר�שונה שמשרד החוץ של �רה"ב מגדיר �לימות מתנחלי� "טרור".

"Contrary to that stated in the front page (Ha'aretz 19.08) this was not the first time the US Department of State classified Settler violence as terror". 

ENT

To contact us Click HERE
 Mesmerized by the fish tank in the waiting room.
We took Ledger to the ENT and it went a lot better than we expected. They numbed his little nose with a spray, and then swaddled him in a blanket, which made it easy for us to hold him down.  The Dr. quickly took a look inside his nose with a tiny camera and we learned:
Ledger has extremely swollen adenoids Swollen turbinates  A deviated septum
His adenoids and deviated septum block off about 70% of his breathing. All the signs added up, including why he struggled breast feeding, constant drool, and sleepless nights.
We are going to wait a month and try a spray to see if it helps with allergies, and the turbinates.Then we will discuss surgery.
We can't wait to have Ledger breathing better, it will give me a little more peace when I put him down to sleep each night. 
We sure do love this little guy.
Thanks for all your comments, I learned a lot from all of you about adenoids/tonsils/turbinates and even herniated belly buttons. Looks like Ledge may have his belly button sticking out for much longer than we expected! 

September

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PatrickAfter taking nearly two years off from school, started back up on Monday. Is finished making ice and sugar water, because the Sno Shack is closed! Loves playing cards lately, because he's been winning nearly every game!

AshleyEscaped to UT for the weekend.Decided to be domestic by freezing peaches, and canning salsa. Playing in a women's basketball league once a week.

PresleeTeaching her parent's this quote to be true. 

Ledger After watching people at the football game clap a couple of weeks ago, suddenly decided his mom isn't absolutely nuts after all. He now claps after everything he does!
Looks so much older after getting his first, real, haircut with clippers. 
Has been dressed in onsie PJ's for days, because his mom feels like it makes him look a little more like her baby again.

Let's Get Cookin'

To contact us Click HERE

I'm a big fan of Freezer Meals. I love them. I'll often double a recipe just to have another to freeze. And I'll drop them off to neighbors/friends when I feel they need a meal. A couple of weeks ago, I spent the afternoon cooking, and ended up with 17 meals in the freezer. I've had a few requests to share the links/recipes so here they are. 


Melissa Fallis 18 Freezer Meals
I searched through Pinterest and loved what this girl put together, she shares some awesome recipes and then gives the entire grocery list to go with it. Easy. I loved that she used an assortment of meat (Pat gets sick of Chicken) I didn't try the shredded pork, which I will try next time. I wanted to add a ground beef meal instead. (recipe below) Many of the marinated meats can be cooked in the crock pot and served over rice...EASY!

Tips:If you have kids, I suggest you shop and cook on different days. It was a little much for both Ledger and I.You will already have a lot of the spices and foods on her list, make sure you have a good amount. I ran out of soy sauce and honey, and was annoyed that I had to go back to the store in the middle of everything.
The Pot Pies took the most work, and were quite large for just our little family. But they were delicious, and I added frozen peas instead of canned. 
More Freezer Meals Cilantro Thai Chicken - We've liked this marinade and makes a great freezer meal.Honey Lime Enchiladas- One of our favorites!
Toddler Pumpkin French Toast Sticks -  I LOVE THESE! And so does Ledger. I struggle getting Ledger to eat, I found these little babies, and they have been incredible. He smiles and continually shows them to me while he downs 2-3 each morning. I'll warm up some sausage or an egg for a little protein and breakfast is served. 

Some have asked if they are good enough for adults to eat... Yes, I'll admit I've eaten my share, and they were delicious. The recipe calls for sugar, and with the pumpkin they are a little sweet, so Ledger doesn't need any syrup. But if I were to make it for Pat and I, I'd pass on the sugar. That's just my opinion :) 
Do you have a favorite soup? These make awesome freezer meals, warm them up, add some french bread and a super fast meal is finished. I often make Taco soup, Chicken noodle, and chile. I'm still searching for the perfect Tortilla soup. If you have a great recipe I'd love to try it.

Spaghetti PieThis is the ground beef meal I put together. Pat and Ledger love it as much as I do. I've never placed it into the oven still frozen, I always let it sit in the fridge over night to unthaw. You would have to cook it a lot longer if frozen. But I often make two of these at a time, one to eat that night, and one to freeze!
6 oz spaghetti2 TBS butter2 well beaten eggs1/3 grated Parmesan cheese1 lb ground beef1/2 c. chopped onions1/2 tsp garlic salt1 tsp sugar1 tsp oregano1 can tomato soup1/2 c. water1 c. cottage cheese1/2 c. mozzarella cheese

• Cook and drain spaghetti. Stir butter, parmesan chese, and eggs into spaghetti. Form spaghetti mixture into crust in a 10" pie plate. (If doubled, will fill a 13x9)
•  Brown ground beef with onions add garlic salt, sugar, oregano, soup, and water, heat through. 
• Spread cottage cheese over crust. 
• Fill with hamburger mixture. 
• Bake uncovered @350 degrees for 20 min. Top with mozzarella cheese, return to oven until melted.

Ha'aretz "Corrects" Story Because of Mostly Kosher

To contact us Click HERE
A few days ago I showed how Ha'aretz had negligently reported that the US State Department had for "the first time" cited settler violence as terrorism.

I had a look again at the story today, and surprise the word "first" has been deleted from the title of the page. Here is the original title:


Here is the current page:



As you can see they changed the title to remove the "first" claim. The same corrections were made in the Hebrew version of the article - only there they left a double gap in the first sentence where they deleted the  word "first" (לר×�שונה) used to be.


Ha'aretz did not post a correction (or at least I haven't found it).

The Guardian continues to publish the story, despite it being debunked.

***UPDATE***

I have been told that on the printed edition of Ha'aretz (24.08.12) there was a short correction stating:
"בניגוד לפרסו� בעמוד הר�שון (ה�רץ, 19.8) �ין זו הפע� הר�שונה שמשרד החוץ של �רה"ב מגדיר �לימות מתנחלי� "טרור".

"Contrary to that stated in the front page (Ha'aretz 19.08) this was not the first time the US Department of State classified Settler violence as terror".