My Little Night Owl

I have always been a night owl by nature. Since I was young I’ve always had the most energy at night. My mother is the same way and as I think I said in another entry, it isn’t uncommon for me to give her a call at 1am to find her still awake and working around the house. I think Snuggle Bug has gotten this gene. I decided to call it an “early” night and began getting ready for bed around 12:30am last night. I crawl into bed and begin hearing strange noises. Banging and rustling. Some jingling then some muffled talking. I get out of bed and start looking for the sound and as I poke my head around Snuggle Bugs door there she is playing with her Daddy Doll and talking to him. I think she has full conversations with him some days. The banging I heard? Snuggle Bug kicking her feet against the side of the crib and into the mattress. The jingling? A soft Eeyore doll that has a little bell on the inside of it. The instant she saw me she gave me a huge grin and then continued playing and talking to her daddy doll. I think I’m going to have a night owl on my hands. Speaking of, she is throwing one of her lovely toddler fits so I’m going to have to cut this short.

We Have Sprouts!!

We have sprouts!! Yay! For me, not killing something right off the bat is a good thing. It looks like these little guys may have a fighting chance against my black thumb of death.

My last grocery shopping trip I spotted a planting kit that was only $10 bucks. At that price I figured, “Why not?” and if they died or didn’t even sprout I could just use the little planting tin for something else. The kit came with seeds for mini tomatoes, lettuce and sweet peppers and everything else you needed including these cool soil “tablets” that expand when you add water. I planted it all the day Monday using the pepper and tomato seeds but substituting basil seeds in place of the lettuce. Then I sat it in on my window sill inside and have watered it daily. Here it is Sunday and we’ve got sprouts!!

The tomatoes are planted on the left, the basil in the middle and the sweet pepper on the right. Looks like the tomatos and the sweet peppers are working out well but my bright idea to substitute my own basil seeds may not have been a winner.

There is a close up of my little sprouts.

So, we'll see if these little guys live through the next couple of weeks and turn into vegetables! I'll be posting updates about their fate as we go.

Lucky Number 13

It is Friday the 13th (again)…are you superstitious? I tend not to worry much about this day, usually because it often turns out well for me. I’ve got a nice long list of chores to get done today. Laundry, vacuuming, dishes, dusting and cleaning up the bathrooms need cleaning. I’ve already swept and mopped and Snuggle Bug is down for her mid morning nap so I have a chance to get in a quick blog entry and then onto the chores. Then tonight I’ve got some homework to finish and a sewing project I want to work on if I have the time. Okay, I’m off!

Happy Birthday to....

ME! Yep, it is my 23rd birthday today. I didn't do anything to special though. Went to Hobby Lobby and bought some fabric, had lunch with a friend and then used a gift card I got at Target. I got some really good deals though. Snuggle Bug was in a great mood all day which made my day so easy. So, all in all, not a bad birthday.

Darn this time change!

Is this time change affecting anyone else? I know it is me! Its going to take a few days to get back on track I think. I didn't have dinner until almost 9pm last night because my body was on the wrong time.

Yet again, it is meal plan Monday!

This week’s menu is:

Monday – Broccoli and Cheese Quiche
Tuesday – Spaghetti
Wednesday – Flounder w/ rice pilaf
Thursday – Spinach stuffed chicken breast w/ mashed potatoes
Friday – Sirloin w/ backed potato & salad
Saturday – Take Out
Sunday – Homemade Macaroni and Cheese


This weeks shopping trip went well and, thanks to a few sales, I managed to get everything we needed for the week for under $100. I’ve been trying very hard to budget and get our grocery bill down as best I can. It can be difficult when you add in diapers, wipes and all that fun stuff that you’ve got to have. But I use cloth diapers part time which helps to cut down the costs. Snuggle Bug is starting the transition to whole milk still and some days are better than others. She only wants a Sippy cup when she sees other children using theirs though. So we’re working on that.

Trip to the park

Snuggle Bug had her first trip to the park today! She didn’t quite know what to make of it all but after a while of being there she seemed to really enjoy herself. I’ve been trying to get us both out of the house more often and to think of different activities for her. You can go stir crazy very quickly when you’re only weekly outing is to the grocery store. With her getting older I’m noticing that her current toys aren’t doing it for her right now. She just seems to be getting bored a lot easier which means more work for me. This comes at a great time for me since my class starts on Monday. But I guess that’s the way of it.

I love GOOD surprises!

The hubby bought me a new sewing machine!! I have been talking about getting a new machine for a while and he listened to everything I wanted in a machine and found one for me. I got a knock on the door today and there was UPS with my brand new Janome sewing machine! I’m so excited to get some new fabric and start playing around with all the features. My last machine was very basic and I got it when I first began sewing in my early teens. I haven’t really gotten to play with a computerized machine so I’m excited to see what I can do with this new machine. Yay for my great hubby!

Dinner 3/4/09 - Flounder Tacos

Tonight I made flounder tacos for dinner and they turned out yummy! The recipe originally called for tilapia but I had flounder on had so that is what I used.
I know they don't look beautiful but they tasted good and in the end that is what really matters. Here is the recipe:
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4 Soft Taco Size Flour Tortillas
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
1 pound tilapia fillets
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 cups mixed greens

Chipotle Cream Sauce

2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo (minced and seeded)
1 cup non-fat sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix the Chipotle Cream Sauce ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

In a skillet set at medium-high heat, add the seven ingredients from the olive oil through the cilantro. Saute those ingredients for 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes, add the tilapia and cover and cook for 3 minutes or until fish is fully cooked. Then add in lime juice and let cook for 1 additional minute.

Heat the tortillas according to the package instructions. Lay each of the warmed tortillas on a cutting board and place one-quarter of both the field greens and fish on the center of each tortilla. Then top each with equal amounts of the Chipotle Cream Sauce.
Fold the tortillas over to form tacos and serve.
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I used two flounder filets because I am cooking for one. I buy them in frozen at Sam's club.
Time to make the chipotle cream sauce! For something so simple it tastes very good. I love the smokey flavor of the chipotles.
Here they are all finished! I used a bag of salad mix which is why you see a few carrots and such scattered in there, but I really didn't mind. I also added a bit of tobasco sauce because I love spicy food.

All in all this was a good recipe and i'll definately be making it again. I made some spanish rice to go with it and it made a very good meal!

Definately Monday

This morning began with a rough start. I woke up at 8:30am right when Snuggle Bug was waking up or at least when she finally decided to let me know she was awake. She likes to play in her crib for a little while most mornings. I brought her a bottle and let her hang out in her crib while I quickly got dressed. Got her dressed, let the dogs out, started my coffee and gave her breakfast and was ready to get to my errands by around 9:30am. For some reason neither of my dogs wanted to cooperate with me today. I swear, I actually have three children but two of them are covered in fur. When I leave the house I usually put them up in the laundry room so they won’t tear anything up, get on the furniture or have any accidents. For some reason they did not want to go in there. 30 minutes later I finally got them to go in and was ready to get Snuggle Bug in the car and be on my way. I start to back out of the garage and….wham! I hit the lawn mower. I have backed out of the garage 100 times and today is the day I hit the lawn mower. So I pull back in to survey the damage of the lawn mower. Bent wheel, nothing terrible. Luckily the hubby isn’t here or I’d never hear the end of it. Pull out again…..wait, where is my cell phone? I pull back into the garage, run inside and grab my phone. FINALLY at half past 10am I’m my way to run my errands. Now, here I am back home, grocery shopping done, ran by the pharmacy and the post office. What a morning.

Oh yeah, it’s Meal Plan Monday:

Monday – Fried Chicken w/ mashed potatoes
Tuesday – Broccoli and cheese quiche
Wednesday – Fish Tacos w/ rice
Thursday – Bulgogi w/ white rice
Friday – Spaghetti
Saturday – Korean Sushi (kimbap or gimbap)
Sunday – Take Out
Monday – Grilled Flank steak w/ gorgonzola sauce

If you can’t tell, I’m on a bit of a Korean kick this week and I’m going to try out a few new recipes. The hubby spent some time in Korea so he is always asking me to try to find some “authentic” style recipes. We’ll see how they turn out.