Archive for August, 2009

I was just looking through a magazine and I saw an ad for jeans that are supposed to make you look thinner.  My problem with that is the model wearing the jeans is already thin.  If you want to sell me on those jeans, put a girl with some meat on her bones in them and then show me how good they look!  That is all

This turned out really good.  A helpful hint though, either don’t spread the ricotta mixture all the way to the edge or spray your pot with cooking spray first.  I didn’t use spray and spread it all the way out and it cooked onto the pot and made it really hard to clean.

1 lb. ground beef

1 jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

1 c. water

1 (15 oz.) container of ricotta cheese

1 (8oz) pkg. of shredded mozzarella, divided

1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 egg

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

6 lasagna noodles, uncooked

Brown meat in a large skillet;  drain.  Stir in spaghetti sauce and water.  Mix ricotta, 1 1/2 c. mozzarella, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan, egg and parsley.

Spoon 1 cup meat sauce into slow cooker;  top with layers of half each of the noodles, broken to fit, and then cheese mixture.   Cover with 2 cups of the remaining meat sauce.  Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit, cheese mixture and meat sauce.  Cover with lid.

Cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours or until liquid is absorbed.  Sprinkle with remaining cheeses;  let stand for 10 minutes or until melted.

For best results, do not cook on the HIGH setting.

For more great recipes, check THIS SITE out.

Today’s appointment went very well!  Lauryn weighs 17 lbs (which is at the low end up of chart) and is 29″ tall (the high end of the chart).  I was sure she was closer to 20 lbs. but I guess I’m not all that surprised she only gained two  pounds since her last check up because she is so much more active.  I was very surprised that she grew 3″ since the last visit.  If she ends up being tall she it definitely won’t be something she got from me   Every thing with her development seems to be right on track and she’s even been doing some things a little longer than her doctor had expected.  My super smart girl   When the nurse came in to get her height, weight and temperature, she looked at Lauryn and said, “No shots today!”  Lauryn looked at her very seriously and shook her head no.  Too funny!

I made a crock pot lasagna today and it turned out great!  It was a recipe from the Kraft magazine that I will be using again….it was so much easier and tasted just as good as when I make lasagna.  I’ll post the recipe and a link to the site later.

Manic Monday #180

Are you usually late, early or right on time?

Either early or on time.

What would be harder for you, to tell someone you love them or to tell them that you do not love them back?

Probably telling someone I didn’t love them  back.

Which would you rather have: a high salary or job satisfaction?

Job satisfaction.  I’ve worked job where I made good money but if I come home in a terrible mood every day, it just isn’t worth it for me.

This turned out to be a pretty nice weekend.  Mom came over on Friday and we went shopping.  She found some things for her and I found a few really cute outfits for Lauryn.  When we got back to my house, we were surprised to see Lloyd was already home.  I love it when he gets home earlier than anticipated   We had a pretty good dinner – meatloaf, loaded baked potatoes and green beans and then we just hung out for a little while.

Yesterday Lloyd, Lauryn and I did some grocery shopping.  I love stocking up the cupboards and the freezer!  Then I know I can have good meals waiting for Lloyd when he comes home from a long day at work   He did some work in the basement for a couple of hours while I cleaned up the house.  We had tacos and guacamole for dinner and I actually had a couple of drinks!  I made them with Malibu Coconut Rum, pineapple juice and Hawaiian punch.  They tasted tropical and yummy!

Today we did end up going to the reunion.  The weather wasn’t quite as bad as they had predicted.  When the sun was covered and the wind was blowing though, it got pretty chilly.  It was nice seeing everyone and eating some good food.  I made my ham dip wrap bites to take with us.  I’ll post the recipe for that later.

Lauryn has her nine month check up tomorrow.  I usually don’t look forward to her appointments because of her getting shots but she doesn’t have to get them.  It’s just a regular check up.  I’m excited to see just how much she’s grown!  I try to weigh her on the scale with me to figure out her weight but I don’t think it’s all that accurate.  Plus, her doctor is pregnant and should be getting close to her due date so I’m excited to see how things are going for her.

I hear Lauryn talking to her daddy right now   It’s about her bath time, then it’s story time, then bed time and Lloyd and I can have a few minutes to ourselves.

I have been given these very sweet awards from my sweet friend Thom at Thoms Place 4 Well Whatever Thank you very much Thom!!!!

These awards come with no rules and I usually pass them on but this time I’ve decided to be selfish and keep them to myself!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

The Ellie Bellie Meme

Welcome back to Sunday Stealing. Sunday Stealing originated on WTIT: The Blog authored by Bud Weiser. Here we will steal all types of memes from every corner of the blogosphere. Our promise to you is that we will work hard to find the most interesting and intelligent memes. You may have heard of the expression, “honor amongst thieves”. In that age-old tradition, we also have our rules. First, we always credit the blog that we stole it from and we will “fess up” to the blog owner where we stole the meme. We also provide a link to the victim’s post. (It’s our way of saying “Thanks!”) We do sometimes edit the original meme, usually to make it more relevant to our global players, to challenge our players, sometimes to select that meme’s best questions, or simply to make it less repetitive from either this new meme or recently asked questions from a prior featured meme. Let’s go!

Today we ripped this meme off a blogger known as Ellen White from the blog Ellie Bellie Blog. She states that she has been “dragged into this new cult of memeing”. She does not explain what blogger “dragged her”. But, it was probably stolen there as well. So, of course, that will be as far as we go. Tracing back our theft’s thieves might take some time. Link back to us at Sunday Stealing!

Cheers to all us thieves!

Sunday Stealing: The Ellie Bellie Meme

what are your most common nicknames?

Cari, Babe, Mamamamamama

what is today’s weather?

Chilly and windy but the sun has been out.

where did go on vacation this year?

No vacations this year.

what did you do there?

See previous answer.

where did you stay?

I said we didn’t go on vacation! LOL

what job do you do?

Stay-at-home mom

describe where you live.

Belding, small town, pretty quiet.

what do you usually do on weekends?

Lately we have a lot of reunions and get togethers but most weekends we just stay home and relax.

what food hits your ‘bliss spot’?

Guacamole!!!

what drink really does it for you?

Either my coffee with Creme Brulee creamer or ice water with lemon.

describe the first friend that comes to your head.

Well, I just thought of my friend Thom…I mentioned guacamole and he’s always telling me to send him food

what was the last restaurant you went to?

Hmmm…..It’s been quite a while since we have went out.  I think Applebee’s might have the last restaurant we went to.

where would you like to live if you had unlimited moneys and nothing stopping your dreams?

Somewhere nice and warm all year round.  Anywhere where it never snows!

what is the likeliness of you achieving this dream home?

Not likely at all…my hubby and I couldn’t move that far away from our families and he’s really into snowmobiling.

what do you like to do in your spare time?

Crochet.

what’s your favorite genre for TV programs?

Comedy.

what’s your favorite genre for music?

Oldies or country.

what’s your favorite song that’s sad?

I don’t like to listen to sad songs.

what’s your favorite soppy film?

Ever After is the only one that comes to mind at the moment…I don’t know how soppy that really is though.

how about your favorite chick flick?

There is no possible way I could just pick one!  10 Things I Hate About You, Never Been Kissed, Thelma & Louise….I could go on and on!

what are you looking forward to at the moment?

Lauryn’s doctor’s appointment tomorrow…just a check up and no shots!!! YAY!!!

what are you dreading at the moment?

Not a single thing…right now.

how would you describe your personality?

Easy going, silly, fun.

if you had a personality eraser, what part of yours might you erase?

The part that fears what other people think….at least what other people think about how I raise and take care of my daughter!

you are given $5000 to spend in 1 day, what do you do with it? remember, no limitations!

It’s not at all adventurous but the first thing I would do is buy a fence for our backyard.  Our dog has never been on a chain because we were fenced in at our old house (and I don’t believe in dogs being chained up all the time) and our yard here doesn’t have one so she can’t roam her yard alone when she wants to.  One of us has to be out there.  I’d spend the rest on clothes for me and Lauryn

what is your biggest fear?

Spiders!

The Waiting

Welcome to Saturday: 9 . What we’ve committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do “random questions,” so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don’t have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today’s meme!

1. Have you ever stayed online for a very long time waiting for someone?

No.

2. How do you eat oreos?

Dipped in milk…I don’t bother pulling them apart like I used to when I was a kid.

3. Are you cocky?

I don’t think so.

4. Did you have an imaginary friend as a kid?

Nope.

5. What t.v. station do you watch the most?

The Food Network

6. Have you ever seen the ocean?

Yes.

7. Have you ever been hospitalized?

Only when I had Lauryn but that was standard…I didn’t have to stay longer than they recommend.

8. What’s your favorite brand of rootbeer?

A&W

9. Could you live without a computer?

Probably not!

Looks like today and the rest of the weekend are going to be chilly and rainy!  For the most part, I don’t mind but we are supposed to have another family reunion on Sunday and it’s set up at the park.  I like the reunions but I wouldn’t mind if this one got rescheduled because of the weather.

Mom and I are going to do a little shopping today after she gets out of work.  I hope I can find the things I’m looking for in a hurry because when I woke up this morning, my pinky toe was very swollen and a lot more purple.  I went out to move the truck so Lloyd could take the car this morning and I could get my regular shoes on!  Luckily, I still have the clogs I wore at the end of my pregnancy and they are just big enough that they don’t push/rub on my toe.

I’m thinking about making a meatloaf tonight for dinner.  It’s been a while since I’ve made one and it sounds pretty yummy.  I think we’ll have mashed potatoes with it.  Not sure about the veggie yet though.

The past few nights have been so nice because Lauryn’s teeth haven’t been bothering her so she’s been sleeping all night…which means mama sleeps all night too!  Gotta love that!

Happy Friday Everyone!!!

#139

Graphic courtesy of Tonya!

And…here we go!

1. He was a friend of mine.

2. Cooler weather is what I look forward to most this time of year.

3. My best friend’s are awesome.

4. I’d like to be honest with you.

5. Appearances can be deceiving.

6. The last person I gave a hug to was Lauryn.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to having my mom over for dinner and to do some shopping, tomorrow my plans include nothing as the moment and Sunday, I want to skip the reunion…only because it’s planned for outdoors and it’s supposed to be rainy and chilly!