Fun Friends -- Wordless Wednesday

Click the pic above to get to other Wordless Wednesday Participants.

Food Tackle

It's Tackle It Tuesday, again and this week I am tackling my menu plan and my grocery plan for when I go to work. I have to rework the whole thing now that I am going to be getting home later. Do you have any quick and easy meals that are hits in your family? I am open to all suggestions.

I am also going to tackle the housework so that the house is somewhat in order before I go back to work and before my best friend gets here for a visit. It kind of sucks though that she is coming the day after I go to work. Oh well, I have to dig us out of this hole we are in and this job will do that for us. Have a great Tuesday everyone!

computer troubles and Menu Plan Monday

Well it seems that Prince Charming probably downloaded a lovely little bug along with whatever else he was working on the other day. We are having computer troubles now and my connection to the internet is sporadic at best. My Menu is tentative as my planned menu had to change now that I am going back to work. So here is my plan so far as I know today:



Sunday: Barbeque at the beach
Monday: Pork Chops and mushroom gravy and basmati rice
Tuesday: Chicken roasted with potatoes and squash
Wednesday: Spaghetti with meatballs
Thursday: BBQ Pork chops with french fries
Friday: Chicken in tomatoes with rice
Saturday: Goulash

Sunday Seven

I thought I would count my blessings today:

1. I have the most beautiful daughter on the planet whom I adore completely.


2. Prince Charming loves me and I know he still finds me sexy even though I am struggling with my weight right now.


3. I have good friends that I can talk to anytime.


4. I have the best friend in the world.


5. I am starting a job a week from tomorrow which will help get u financially back on our feet.


6. I am going to get out of the house today and spend time with my community.


7. My internet is back up and running. I will keep my fingers crossed that it stays that way.

Sweet Attitude

Scroll down for Saturday Photo Hunt

It is time for Saturday Scraps! It’s a chance to show off your scrapbook layouts either traditional paper or digital. Everyone is welcome to join in. If you post your layouts, be sure you link to click on the pic to link to the Official Saturday Scraps, so your friends can join us. She also has a Mr. Linky up, so we can all visit your beautiful scrapbook page.

She provides a link for the digital freebie kit to use. You don’t have to use this kit, you can show off any of your digi scrap layouts.

I love to use the kits she provides and here’s mine for this week!

Good news at the Glass Castle

I have some good news. Well I think it is good news. And no . . . before you go getting all excited and jumping to conclusions, I am no pregnant. The news isn't THAT good. LOL.


The job I left just called me out of the blue 5 months later and asked me if I would come back. The fact that I never re-applied, they just called out of the blue and asked me to come back makes me feel really good. They offered me a really good compensation package that would start as soon as I come back with an extra .50 per hour if I have a 95% attendance. So, I thought about it and said yes. Prince Charming isn't working right now, so that means that a lot more of the stresses that I had won't be there this time. He can see Princess off to school and be there if she is sick. He can stick supper in the oven as long as I have something easy for him to do. And we can almost double our current income.And who knows maybe I will be out on maternity leave in the next year. mmm . . . . I wonder if this has anything to do with the fact that they were listed on a job application I had out there that would have paid me .50 per hour less.

Wish me luck as I re-enter the workforce guys!

Creativity

Theme: Creative Become a Photo Hunter View Blogroll

The theme this week is Creative. When I think if creative, I think of my family. We are all very creative souls. Me with my scrapbooking and writing. Prince Charming with his drawing and writing and Princess in her outlook on things and in her play. When she wanted to give me a mothers day present, she went into her room and made birdies out of legos and gave them to me, when she wanted to be a detective, we created an costume together for her, and she is always drawing and creating things out of legos, and playdo. She is a creative soul.

I thought I would include a few bits that show my creative side as well:

Feasting with Me

Click on the picture to join in the Friday Feast Fun! Have a Great Friday

Appetizer
Describe a toy you remember from your childhood.

I remember when I was little and I was sick in the hospital someone (I think my dad) have me a big walking doll named Wendy. I loved her. I put makeup on her face, I dressed her up, I played with her all the time. She was truly treasured.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how observant are you?

I think when it comes to people I am a 10. I am very observant over how they are feeling, and I am intuitive about what they are thinking a lot. Over things? I am less observant. Probably a 5.

Salad
Where would you rather be at this very moment?

Sleeping all nice and cozy in bed with Prince Charming.

Main Course
When was the last time you learned something new?

I learn new things all the time. Yesterday I learned a new recipe that my family enjoyed. I like to learn new things. It keeps life interesting.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I have ____________ but I haven’t ____________.

I have a mop but I haven't washed the floor yet today.

Well that was sad

Princess was sitting beside me while I drank a cup of coffee and watched "The Mom Show" yesterday. There was a couple of commercials on that babies and she started to cry. She told me that she wished the baby hadn't died and she wanted a baby and it wasn't fair and she missed the baby etc. over and over again. It was heartbreaking. I had no answers for her other then, I love her, I understand and feel the same way too. It is so sad. She is such a sensitive soul and I feel like it is the worst thing that ever happened to her and I did it to her.

New

Scroll down for Thursday Thirteen

Hummie has added blogroll for Themed Thursdays now! Check it out in my sidebar! This week's theme is "New." My first thought was of new babies. I had a scrapbook layout I did of Princess when she was a new baby and one I did of MAMA in love's new addition. But last night I was doing a layout about myself and I thought of a new way of looking at things. And to celebrate this NEW outlook, I thought I would include that Layout as well.

When I went to do this scrapbook page, I kept thinking about the fact that I weigh too much, my hair is grey, I hate my tooth (I adobe photoshopped it LOL), etc. It was all getting really depressing. And it crossed my mind, that this whole thing was beginning to sound like a eulogy. But then I thought about it, in a eulogy, people don't remember the fact that you weighed 50 lbs too much, or that your hair was grey, or that you needed some work on your tooth. They remember the person that you are. And so I decided to make a list of words that describe me or my likes and to make my page from that, with all the important things that make me who I am and this is the result.

Thirteen things

Thirteen thingsTwisted Cinderella has been doing lately. This week I have now done 22 loads of laundry. It is all washed, dried and neatly folded, yelling at me to put it away. I changed Princess's room and organized it. I pledged to my best friend that we would work on this weight thing together on our shared blog. Spent way too much time over at Jokers obsessing over Big Brother when I should be putting that laundry away. Spent way too much time on the phone talking to my best friend instead of putting said laundry away. Had fun trying to research for my next Menu Plan Monday, trying to come up with healthier recipes that are also family friendly. Had fun planning things to do when my best friend comes to visit. (Can you tell she is on my mind?) Had fun creating a template for my neighbour and friend's teenage sister, Green Eyes Had NO FUN negotiating our budget and our bills. Had NO FUN choosing between digital cable and internet. (Internet won, I am THAT addicted.) Had fun watching and blogging Canadian Idol. Had fun watching and blogging Big Brother. Celebrated the fact that Princess has eaten the same supper as us all week!!! Which is quite the feat believe me! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Community BBQ

Click the pic above to get to other Wordless Wednesday Participants.

Princess Room Tackle

It's Tackle It Tuesday, again and I have decided to tackle Princess's room. I wanted to clear out her closet, put her bookcase in there with some containers to organize her small toys. I wanted to move her bed to give her more room to play in the middle and I wanted to sort through her toys to get rid of all the small broken bits and stuff. I wanted to take the closet doors off, but we couldn't get them off today. So they may be coming off in the future. Here are my before and after pics:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

AFTER:

Menu Plan Monday #2

Well, first Menu Plan was a HUGE success. I was creative and tried new recipes I hadn't tried before because I never had the stuff on hand. Now with doing a menu and then grocery shopping I can plan my groceries to try new things. I asked Prince Charming what he thought and he said, "Heck, I am getting a Gourmet meal every night! I am loving it!" Well that is an exageration but I have noticed that several of the new items were a BIG BIG hit with him and princess has eaten the same dinner as us every day this week! For the record, the Parmesan Pork Tenderloin and the Chicken Cordon Bleu were huge hits! Princess has asked for the pork several time since!

So here is my menu for this week.

Sunday - Chicken I'm Not Afraid-O

Monday - Cowboy Hash
Tuesday - Pirates' Pork Chops
Wednesday - Easy Chicken Pie
Thursday - Simple Time Pork Chops
Friday - Davy's Gravy
Saturday - Grilled Ginger-Peanut Pork Tenderloin

Recipes:

Chicken I'm Not Afraid-O

Low fat low calorie chicken alfredo

Ingredients Cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast that has been cut to your personal preference.
1 can of lowfat, evaporated milk
½ cup of fat free Parmesan cheese
1 Tablespoon of the liquid no calorie butter spray
One small jar of the mushrooms
1/8 of a teaspoon of the minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste.
2 Tablespoons of cornstarch
1 small package of cooked fettuccine
InstructionsOver low heat, add the butter spray to a non-stick saucepan. Add the evaporated milk and Parmesan cheese and heat until warm. Add the drained mushrooms and garlic. Place the cornstarch into a bowl and add about a Tablespoon of cool tap water. The mixture will be very hard to stir when you begin, but suddenly it will 'free' up and liquefy. Add more water if you need to, but add it sparingly. At this point, the mixture in the saucepan should be nice and hot but not boiling. Add the cornstarch mixture a bit at a time. The sauce will begin to thicken. If you like your sauce thin, add only a bit of the cornstarch mixture. If you like it thick, make more and add. Add this ingredient cautiously because the sauce will thicken as it heats and after it is removed from the heat, it will again thicken as it cools. Finally, add the salt, pepper and chicken, then pour over noodles. (Makes 4 servings)


Cowboy Hash

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 1/2 cans ranch beans
1 1/2 cans corn

Instructions

Brown beef and drain. Add ranch beans and corn and simmer for 7-10 minutes. Serve over hot rice if desired. (Makes 6)

Pirates' Pork Chops

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Ready In: 50 Minutes
Yields: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops
1 (15 ounce) can pineapple
chunks with juice
1/4 cup golden syrup
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons raisins

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and fry on each side until browned, about 3 minutes per side. Pour in the liquid from the pineapple chunks, saving pineapple for later. Stir in the golden syrup and ketchup and season with curry powder, ginger, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, or until pork chops are tender.
2. When the pork chops are tender, pour in the pineapple chunks and add the raisins. Heat through briefly, then serve.


Easy Chicken Pie

Ingredients
5 eggs, boiled
4 chicken breasts, boiled and cut up
1 can cream mushroom soup
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup self rising flour
1 cup milk
1 stick margarine, melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350. Boil eggs and chicken, set aside. Mix soup and broth in bottom of casserole dish and stir well. Add chicken. Slice eggs over top of chicken. Mix flour, milk and margarine well together and pour over chicken. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until crust is brown. (Makes 4-6 servings)

Simple Time Pork Chops

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes

Ready In: 45 Minutes
Yields: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
4 boneless pork chops
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley

4 teaspoons butter, softened
4 teaspoons mayonnaise
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Place pork chops in a baking pan. Spread 1 teaspoon of butter over each chop, then spread 1 teaspoon of mayonnaise over butter. Season each one with seasoning salt, pepper and parsley. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese over the top of each pork chop.
3. Bake 35 minutes in preheated oven, or until internal temperature of the chops has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

Davy's Gravy

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes

Ready In: 30 Minutes
Yields: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 (10.75 ounce) can fat free condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 (8 ounce) can canned mushrooms
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons steak sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 pinch dried oregano
salt to taste
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup water

DIRECTIONS:
1. In a large skillet over medium high heat, combine the ground beef and the onion and saute for 10 minutes, or until the meat is browned and the onion is tender.
2. In a large pot over high heat, combine the soups, mushrooms, soy sauce, steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, curry powder to taste, garlic powder, cayenne pepper and oregano and season with salt to taste.
3. Bring to a slow boil, stirring often to prevent burning. When hot, add the meat and onion mixture.
4. In a separate small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water, stirring until cornstarch is dissolved, and add slowly to the sauce, stirring well. (Note: This will thicken the sauce so only do this if you feel it's necessary.)

Grilled Ginger-Peanut Pork Tenderloin

Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Ready In: 8 Hours 30 Minutes
Yields: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:
2 (16 ounce) pork tenderloins, trimmed of fat
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar or sugar substitute
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon smooth natural peanut butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place pork in a large resealable plastic bag. Mix together soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, peanut butter, garlic, curry powder, ginger, and salt in a bowl until smooth. Pour marinade over tenderloins, press air out of bag, seal, and refrigerate overnight.
2. Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.
3. Use a paper towel to pat any excess marinade from the pork; allow to sit at room temperature while the grill is heating. Lightly oil grill grate. Cook pork 3 minutes on each side (on all four sides) for a total of 12 to 15 minutes. The pork will be done when it is no longer pink inside and has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (65 degrees C). Remove from the grill and cover meat loosely with a foil tent. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

Aren't I lucky?

Not too much going on in my world today. I bought a dryer yesterday but I don't get it until next weekend. I am giving up my rented washer this week to buy a new one in two weeks. So for a little while, I will finally have a lovely dryer to dry the clothes I can't wash! Hmmm . . . that should be fun. I am madly trying to conquer Mount Laundry today so that at least I will start this laundry famine with a house full of clean clothes.

aaaaggghhh! I swear I just saw a bug run across my desk and under my CPU! UGH! Now I am freaked out and itchy! . . . . . Well I just moved my CPU to check and I see nothing so maybe it was my imagination. Let us hope shall we?

Anyway back to my boring day. Today will be filled with the wonders of Laundry and dishes and housecleaning galore. Aren't I just the lucky one to get to do such wonders. LOL just kidding, I don't really mind and I like the feeling of accomplishment when I have it all done.

Oh great! Now it is starting to rain so today I have all that laundry I can washed but can't dry and next week I will have all that laundry I can dry but can't wash. Just my luck!

Lovin' Scraps

Scroll down for Saturday Photo Hunt

It is time for Saturday Scraps! It’s a chance to show off your scrapbook layouts either traditional paper or digital. Everyone is welcome to join in. If you post your layouts, be sure you link to click on the pic to link to the Official Saturday Scraps, so your friends can join us. She also has a Mr. Linky up, so we can all visit your beautiful scrapbook page.

She provides a link for the digital freebie kit to use. You don’t have to use this kit, you can show off any of your digi scrap layouts.

I love to use the kits she provides and here’s mine for this week!

Tiny Girl

Theme: Tiny Become a Photo Hunter View Blogroll

The theme this week is Tiny. This topic made me smile because nothing makes me happier than remembering my Princess when she was just a tiny little thing. She was so small . . . only 4 lbs 10 oz. when we took her home from the hospital. And even though she has grown, she is still a tiny little thing. *sigh* I love my girl.

Hallelujah

I hear the trumpets sounding! I hear the angels singing. Princess has finally embraced the wonders of change! She came home other other day after I had changed around the living room and she took one look and said, "Wow momma, that looks cool!" Then she took another look around and asked, "Will you be changing my room around soon?" When I answered that yes, I intend to do her room again soon, she said, "Alright! Cool! thanks momma!" and went out to play.

My little girl who would freak out if I moved her bears on her bed or if I put a book out of place was excited at the prospect of change in her life. My little girl who was obsessive about nothing changing, now embraces it with an enthusiasm similar to mine!

I have always loved change. I can't tell you how many times I changed my room around as a kid. I love that Princess is now secure enough in her world to like change too.

Feasting Time

Click on the picture to join in the Friday Feast Fun! Have a Great Friday

Appetizer

On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest) how much do enjoy watching sports on television?

About a 3, I can watch them and enjoy myself but I wouldn't choose to watch a sport.

Soup

If you could completely memorize any one work of fiction, which one would you pick?

Mmmmm . . . that is tough. Something like Anne of Green Gables or Heidi that I enjoyed as a child that I could recite from memory to Princess would be nice.

Salad

What is your favorite breakfast food?

Eggs. I like to make all different kinds of scrambled eggs with them.

Main Course

Name something fun you can do for less than $10.00.

Hmmm . . . go by yourself to a movie, have a picnic in the park, rent a movie and have a movies night at home with your friends.

Dessert

How long does it usually take you to fall asleep?

Some nights it takes me a long time, I try to read when I go to bed until I know that when I turn off the light, I will go right to sleep.

Silly

Scroll down for Thursday Thirteen

This week's theme is "Silly." Hummie has added blogroll for Themed Thursdays now! Check it out in my sidebar! I thought I would include a couple of pages I did of my girl being silly.