I am so happy that Autumn has finally arrived! The leaves are just starting to change, and I think we are all loving the cooler weather too. Bring on the family favorite Fall meals, and Football too. Happy 1st day of Fall to all!
Feeling Ambitious
I took the kiddos upstairs early last night, and decided that I would take an hour and a half to start the cleaning process on three closets. The closet in the office (James closet) was going to become the nursery closet, the closet by the bathroom (coats and such) was going to become James closet, and the open closet down the hallway (storage/stockpile/holiday) was going to become the catch-all closet. They all needed cleaned out, and they all needed swapped.
I started with the hallway closet, and a contractor grade trash bag, and got to work. I cleaned, and the boy’s watched, and laughed. Then I moved onto the closet by the bathroom, again I cleaned and cleaned, and got it done. I decided that I had plenty of time, and it was time to make the switch. I moved onto the office closet, and moved what I could out of it, and got it almost done.
James closet is finished, and the hallway closet has a big pile of clothes to go through. I even started putting away some of the tiny pink baby clothes in the nursery closet, and I am feeling pretty good about the progress. I’m still hoping that maybe one day we can put an extra closet in the master bedroom, switch that to James closet, and use the bathroom closet for out of season storage, but that is a whole other project.
I should probably clean out my closet too before the yard sale and the MOPS swap… Guess the cleaning is never quite finished around here!
Kleenexes, Coughs, and Snuggly Blankets
For two weekends in a row, our little Kindergartner has come home on Friday feeling not so great… Last Friday he ran a low grade fever, and was in bed sleeping by 7:00 p.m., this weekend another fever, no appetite, and a pretty big cough too. I really thought it was Fall allergies, but the fever proved me wrong. I think Thade slept through most of the day yesterday, and was ready to go back to bed at 7:00 p.m. The fever finally broke, but the cough is still with him. I’m just waiting to see if the little one gets the evil cold too…
Giving Up and Giving In
I’m putting in a request for an early Christmas/birthday/Valentine’s/any other holiday for a year or so present… a dishwasher. I’m hitting new levels of lazy, and cooking more than ever, and my hubby has wanted me to get one for quite awhile, so I think I’m giving in. I’m looking for some suggestions of brands that work well, but also don’t cost an arm and a leg. Time to do some comparison shopping, and rip out a cabinet too.
Rice is Mighty Nice
Rice is a mainstay in my pantry. I love to stock up on a 3 lb bag of rice whenever I make an Aldi run, and serve it several ways with dinner or lunch. I thought I would share a few of my favorite ways to serve this staple, and maybe you might share a few recipes too.
- Rice and Lentils. Delicious on their own, and delicious made into cakes as well. I like to add salt, pepper, garlic salt, and soy sauce to my rice and lentils, and eat it with Tortilla Chips, so tasty.
- Salsa Rice. I add 1/2 cup of Salsa, and a few packets of whatever drive-thru taco sauce I have on hand to cooked rice. This is tasty on its own, but delicious in burritos, and quesadillas too.
- Lemon-Lime Rice. Add the juice of 1/4 lemon, 1/4 lime, and a little salt and pepper to cooked rice, and you’ve got a delicious dish to serve along with steamed fish and veggies.
- Chili Rice. Sounds weird, but trust me it is really good, and super versatile too. You know when you have that itty bit of Chili left in the crock pot, and you don’t know what to do with it, add it to cooked rice, and it is delicious and hearty. You can also layer it with cheese, and serve it with Fritos or Tortilla Chips for a delicious dip. Try this one in a burrito too, o.k. now I’m super hungry.
- Sweet Rice. Warm cooked rice in the microwave, add in a little sugar, and your favorite flavoring (I like vanilla and almond), and pour a little milk or half&half over top, and it makes a sweet treat or even dessert. I eat this one late at night, when I am starving…
- and you can never go wrong with Sweet & Sour Sauce over rice, Cashew Sauce over rice, and Soy Sauce over rice too. Those are three of my very favorites. The only way I can get Dylan to eat rice, is to add soy sauce to it… he takes after his mommy!
Now it is your turn, share a recipe or two with me, and it just might become a family favorite of ours too.