Culinary Ramblings

I was in a culinary mood today. I suppose that it was my way of putting off all of the cleaning and straightening that I need to be doing. I bought a five pound package of hamburger meat, so I decided to cook some things to put in the freezer. I love the feeling of having meals in the freezer that I can just thaw and serve!

I am trying to simplify meal planning, so I am going to try having several nights a week that have a set theme. The children really like Mexican, so one night will be Mexican night. We will have some variety, maybe quesadillas one week and tacos the next, etc. Friday night will be homemade pizza night. I may do breakfast another night. Then, I only have two or three other nights to come up with something to cook (we usually go out one time a week). I am going to try this plan for a month or so and see how we like it.

So, back to my cooking. First, I put on my Mexican hat. I started by cooking a pound of black beans and about two pounds of pinto beans. I mixed the black beans, diced tomatoes and hamburger together with some homemade taco seasoning for tacos and burritos. I also made a second attempt at refried pinto beans. They were pretty bland the last time I made them, so I added garlic and onion when I cooked the pinto beans today. When the beans were soft, I added a little bit of butter and some salt and then mashed them with a potato masher. They were quite a bit better this time.

Then, I switched to Italian. This is a great time of year to buy tomatoes! They are cheaper and yummier than normal, so I bought quite a few at Fresh Pickens yesterday. I pureed them with carrots, green pepper, onions and several cans of processed tomatoes to make spaghetti/pizza sauce. I have a recipe that I loosely followed. I like sneaking in lots of veggies on my children!

I ended up with eight meals in the freezer (two spaghetti, two taco/burrito and refried beans, and four pizza) plus dinner tonight. I do not think that anyone would confuse me with an authentic Mexican or Italian cook, but everything tasted ok. Best of all, I have eight meals I can pull out of the freezer!

Back to Normal

We arrived back home on Sunday night, and I have spent the last two days trying to get back to "normal". The first week after a big trip is always a challenge. The children go through grandparent attention and sugar withdrawal (so do I, for that matter!). I have a to-do list that is about a mile long (unpacking, balancing our budget, cleaning, laundry, etc.). So, while I am trying to work around the house, the children clamor for attention, and we all go a tad bit crazy. I have learned that I need to set small goals for each day during a week like this. I tell myself that if the house is neater when I go to bed than it was when I got up, I have accomplished a lot!
We are going to have "Johnson Boot Camp" during the next couple of weeks, as we try to get back to healthier eating and a more set schedule as we gear up to start school. My goal for next week is to begin training the children to help more around the house. We will see how that goes!

Yesterday we went to Mommy and Me at the Parish Hermitage. The children enjoyed their swamp tour with Mr. Eddie. They were also happy to see their friends! It was worth enduring the Louisiana heat!

Happy Birthday Bailey Girl!

Yesterday was Bailey's birthday. She turned five!!! I can not believe how fast she is growing up. Nanna and Grand-Bob let her choose the menu for her birthday supper. She said that she either wanted left over hot dogs or pizza. Thankfully, we went with pizza. Uncle Bo (my brother) and his girlfriend Lindley came and joined us for our celebration. We were planning to eat outside, but it rained so we headed inside. Nanna had bought her a birthday crown that Bailey was very proud to wear. She received a pink suitcase, a new doll, complete with tent and sleeping bag, an Island Princess Barbie and money from Uncle Bo. She was thrilled with her presents. Happy Birthday Bailey Girl!

Our Visit with Mamaw

We drove to Mamaw's house in Johnson City on Sunday afternoon. We packed a lot of visiting with Mark's family in the three days that we were there. We started with a family reunion on Sunday evening. Sue is one of seven children and six of them are still living. All six of them, along with many of their children and grandchildren were able to meet for a picnic. There was a lot of food (of course) and a lot of visiting. The children had a great time playing with their cousins on the playground, and some of the men gave the horseshoes a workout.

We drove to Uncle Jim's place in Southwest, Va on Monday. We stopped at Pal's for lunch. It is becoming a tradition to pick up some fattening hamburgers and fries on the way (yummy!). Uncle Jim still lives in the house where Mamaw and her brothers and sisters grew up. You have to drive on a gravel road over a hill that seems like a mountain. The drive in is a bit terrifying for us city folks in our minivan, but it is worth it. The children love going to visit Uncle Jim. He has eighty-one sheep and seven cows, which Anna Grace especially loved. The biggest attraction is the river that runs through the property. We headed to the water soon after we arrived. Uncle Jim stopped on the way to make a fishing pole for Isaac to fish with. The children loved wading in the water. It took Bailey a while to warm up, the thought of getting her feet dirty was a little unsettling. Uncle Jim and Isaac waded on the rocks all the way across the river (Mark and I decided it was a "dangerous boy" thing to do!). Mark had never done that before, so he followed suit. Isaac and I decided that if he lived at a place like Uncle Jim's he would not need a television. He could spend his time exploring.

We stopped at Aunt Brenda's house after we were done visiting with Uncle Jim. She is Mamaw's youngest sibling, and she and Uncle Joe always makes us feel welcome at her place. She babysits her granddaughter, so she had lots of girl toys that my girls enjoyed playing with. One of her sons collects Star Wars memorabilia, so Isaac loved looking at those treasures.

Afterwards, we headed to visit with Aunt Novella (Mark's dad's sister) and Cousin Lisa in Kingsport, TN. We enjoyed visiting with them over pizza for supper.

Tuesday was full of visiting as well (I described it in my post about Isaac's arm). We packed a lot of visiting into a short amount of time. It was tiring, but we loved doing it. I am so thankful that our children are forming relationships with our extended family. We loved our time with Mamaw. I know that she was sad to see us leave, but I think that she was ready for a big nap!

A New Blue Cast

I spent the morning trying to figure out how to get Isaac seen by an orthepedic doctor. I started at 7:30 by calling our insurance company. It took me a while to get through the menu to talk to a "real" person. I finally got a nurse who told me to call back at 8:00. At 8:00, I talked to someone who told me that our insurance only covers urgent and emergency care outside of our home area. We had to call our PCP to get a referrel and to find out who to see. That meant I had to wait until 8:30 when our doctor's office opened. I called and left a message with the doctor's nurse, and began the waiting game. Mark called back again and got the ok to find a doctor on our own and then call back for the referrel. My mom had talked to a friend who is a pediatric nurse, and she recommended someone who was considered the best in the area. I then spent a total of about forty minutes on hold trying to get an appointment with the doctor. We finally decided to go to the doctor's office and try to get an appointment that way. When we got there at 10:00, they directed me to a phone in the lobby, where I called the same number I had tried earlier. I spent almost twenty more minutes waiting to talk to someone. I was finally able to talk to someone, who found out we were in the waiting room, and worked us in for 11:00. It turned out that it was well worth the wait. We were very impressed by Dr. Madigan.

We learned that Isaac actually broke his arm in two places in the elbow area. It did not have to be set, which was a wonderful blessing. The doctor prescribed three weeks in a cast, and three weeks in a swimming pool! He said that older people need physical therapy, and children need to get in the pool. He also said that older people with this type of break often do not regain full motion. Because of Isaac's age, he should have a full recovery. He said it is important that Isaac gets moving again as soon as possible. We were glad to hear that he should get back to playing the piano with both hands as soon as possible. It will be a bit awkward for him to play with the cast, but the finger movement is helpful. So, Isaac is sporting a new blue cast. We will see someone in Baton Rouge in three weeks. Hopefully he or she will take the cast off and Isaac can get to swimming!

A trip to the ER

We had a great day yesterday. Mamaw has a good friend named Dessie who invited us over to swim in her pool. Mamaw packed a picnic lunch, complete with birthday cupcakes, and we had an early birthday party for Bailey. The children had a great time in the pool, and Bailey was happy with her party.

Later in the afternoon we went to have supper with Mark's cousin Chuck and his family. They do not exactly live in the country, but it has a country feel to it. The children had a great time splashing in their pool and playing in the yard. They have sheep, and it was fun to watch them wander around the yard. We had a delicious supper, followed up by homemade ice cream. Isaac especially liked playing on their zip line that ran from their play structure to a tree. He was very proud of himself that he could do it! Right before we were about to leave, his hands slipped when he was riding across the yard. He fell, and started screaming. Isaac can be a bit melodramatic when it comes to injuries and sickness, so it was hard to assess how badly he was hurt. He cried the entire way back to Mamaw's house (about thirty minutes). We decided to take him to the emergency room to have his arm checked out. It turns out that he cracked his elbow. They put a splint on it, and we are going to try to get him in to see an orthopedic doctor in Knoxville either tomorrow or Friday. Thankfully, it is not a bad break, so it should heal well.

The ramifications of Isaac's injury have begun to sink in today. The first thing we thought of was music practice. He is going to have a hard time playing hands together for a while! My second thought was of all of the outdoor activities that go along with summer. He will have to skip playing in the pool and sprinkler for a few weeks. I have also thought about the Louisiana heat, and how nice that cast is going to smell in the near future.

There are several things that I am thankful for in this situation:
--It happened after we went to the beach.
--He broke his left arm, and not his right.
--He did not fall on the rocks that were close by.
--The people in the ER were great.
--He did it while he was out having fun, being a little boy!

Time Away!

My parents took care of our four cuties while Mark and I went away for the night. We left at lunch time on Saturday, and had lunch at Aubrey's, which is one of our favorite restaurants in Knoxville. We had salads and shared an appetizer. Afterwards, we went to McKay's used book store and spent a couple of hours browsing. We have not found a used book store in Baton Rouge that comes anywhere close to McKay's. We stopped and had a treat from Starbuck's. I had a Raspberry Mocha Frappaccino - it was yummy! We explored two more bookstores -- one discount and one used. I love the fact that Mark and I both think that exploring bookstores is a good time (I would say he married the right woman!). We had supper at a Japanese restaraunt and had Hibachi. The food was delicious! We had a lot left over, so we stopped back by and left it in the refrigerator. Isaac chowed down!

We spent the night at the Mariott. I really enjoyed relaxing and reading the books we bought. I slept through the night and stayed in bed until almost 9:00 (that is like noon in Kim time). We ate breakfast at the Mariott restaurant and then spent more time laying around and reading. We went back to my parents' house around noon.

I am so thankful that my parents were willing and able to give us a retreat. It was so good to spend time having fun with Mark, with no parenting required. One of my favorite things was having no time schedule on Saturday, not having to get back at any certain time. I really enjoyed my time away, but I was thankful to see the children and get back to being a Mommy!