Thanks Kiddo

What a week...a long week!  I wouldn't trade this week for the world, but I also hope next week is a little less...challenging.  Thanks to Zachary for all his help today so far.  :)  He has been my little (oops...I mean BIG) super hero.  He really does have a sweet spirit and wants to help out when I seem a bit overwhelmed. 
I appreciate YOU kiddo!  You are going to grow into a great man on day...just not too soon please!!!

Clean Up on Aisle 4...5...6...7.......

Dear Target Employees~

I would like to take this opportunity to send my deepest, heartfelt apologies your way.  I am terribly sorry for what took place in your store today.  I would like to think that it wasn't my fault that my 2 year old ran through your store with a bright blue Icee sloshing out all over the tile and carpet.  But the truth is, I should have never bought it for him!  It was a special treat; I was hoping it would keep him occupied so that I could shop for school items for Zachary.  All was going well until I needed to take him out of the cart to go into the dressing room.  As soon as I opened the dressing room door to leave, Nate bolted and NEVER stopped.  The drink was flying everywhere for at least 3 minutes (I'm sure you know this by now).  I looked like a complete fool chasing him and the situation was a bit wild to say the least.  Once he was apprehended, I made every effort to clean up his mess.  Please be assured that I will never buy him another Icee in your store, and that he will remain in the cart at all times (at least until he is 18!).

A very embarrassed mommy (doing the best she can),
Lynda Trenary

PS: Yes...he got in "Big Time" trouble!

Yummy!

So...what are you doing today?  Me...you ask?  What am I doing today?  Not too much.  Just pulling little pieces of hot dog out of a semi truck.  Oh, stop laughing (Tina)...I'm just glad Zachary found it and actually told me about it!  Ha!

What's For Dinner?

What's for dinner?  How about some Mini Meatball Sandwiches...yummy!!  This is totally my kind of food, and the family seemed to enjoy it as well.  (If you know my family, you know that isn't totally true!  Randy liked it, Zachary ate it and Nate pushed it away...whatever...Momma should cook what she likes every now and then!)

I found this recipe on my all time favorite blog, The Pioneer Woman.  Her blog is amazing!!  There is no need for me to make my pathetic attempt at giving you the recipe when you can see it in "Pioneer Women style" at http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/07/16-minute-meal-3-mini-meatball-sandwiches/
The only thing I changed in this recipe was ground turkey instead of beef and homemade marinara sauce instead of store bought.  Don't be impressed...I didn't have any, and I would do just about anything to avoid going to the grocery store...especially on a Sunday!!  ;)

Make it, eat it, enjoy!

Mini Meatball Sanwiches- The Pioneer Woman

Life Lessons

I began teaching at the ripe ol' age of 21, and I was very green!!  I had a lot (and I mean a lot) to learn!  It didn't take long for me to learn one of my most important lessons...PICK YOUR BATTLES!!  It actually took me about 2 years to fully grasp the concept.  
As a parent, I often use this wonderful life lesson.  I pick my battles with Nate on a daily basis.  He likes to get reactions out of me, so I try to play it calm and come out the winner!! ;)  It doesn't always work, but I try.  Here is the most recent battle that I am choosing to loose in order to win the war...

...standing in his chair while eating.  At this point, I just want him to learn to stay at the table. ;)

A Fun Visit

My parents came to visit us for a couple of days.  It was nice having them at the house, and it really made me wish they lived closer.  The boys had such a great time with them here, and Nate was very well behaved. ;)  Well...we still found him sitting in the sink (have I told you about that?) and he still made an occasional "No way, Momma" comment, but overall he was great. :)  We went to Chuck E Cheeses one day, and Nate was just as into it as Zachary.  This was the first time that Nate wanted to try everything...and he pretty much did.

Today we headed out to the park.  My dad bought an Air Hogs airplane for Zachary and they tried it out.  It was a lot of fun...and getting it stuck in a tree or two was funny!  Nate would run after the plane once it crashed.  Dad found a feisty crawfish in the ditch.  The boys thought it was funny, and Nate was quite curious.  The crawfish was a little odd...he had a pet rock (yes, I said a pet rock) OR maybe he was just trying to scare us into thinking he was going to throw the rock at us!  Weird!

Anyways, the boys played and played with Gre Gre and Paw Paw.  Paw Paw and Z enjoyed some baseball on the Wii, while Nate kept convincing Gre that playing 'trains' in his room was the coolest thing ever. :)

BTW...I wish they were still here, because while I've been typing this, Nate proceeded to empty out my shampoo bottle in the bathroom!  Oh little one...why????

What's Up

What's up with us...?

On Saturday we went to the Woodlands to meet my parents and celebrate my mom's birthday.  It's crazy that I have such a young mom...I think she is close to 40 by now!  We had a great time visiting and I couldn't help but notice how much she enjoyed her birthday dessert! :) Love ya Mom!
I got a few cute shots of the boys that day too. :)

On Sunday, we took the boys to see Toy Story 3.  It was Nate's first time at the theater!!  He did quite well.  We didn't have any major problems, and he enjoyed seeing Buzz and Woody larger than life.  Zachary loved the movie and was so happy to finally get to see it.  We tried to see it on Saturday, twice, (once in The Woodlands and once in College Station) but it was sold out both times!

Monday was a great day, because Randy didn't have to work!  It's always a great day when we all get to hang out together.  We took Zachary to the store to buy the DSi that he has been saving his money for. (Yes, I know I shouldn't end a sentence with the word "for"...but I'm tired and I'm sure you don't care!)  He was sooo excited...as you can probably imagine!  He used it later that day to take tons of pictures of the family.  He then used a program to distort the pictures and we cracked up at the results!

Tuesday was a pretty lazy day.  We tried to go to the pool in the evening, but the thunder closed it down.  So we came home and played with water balloons and had a little picnic on the back patio.  I think that was way more fun than the pool.

Now Wednesday was a great day for Zachary.  His first grade teacher invited us over to play and visit.  He was so excited to be going to his teacher's house, though I thought he was very shy while we were there.  Mrs. Stagg has four children, all pretty close in age, so there was so much for Z and Nate to do.  Nate LOVED all of the attention and seemed right at home!  He loves to have people playing with him, so with 4 new kids, there was always someone available!  I enjoyed the visit as much as the kids...it's nice to have "adult" conversations from time to time!! ;)

The Corcoran boys, AJ and Cade, spent the day at our house playing on Thursday!  The boys had so much fun shooting water guns, throwing water balloons and jumping on the trampoline.  By the middle of their visit, Nate was referring to me as "Ms. Lynda"!!  So funny...

Finally we reach today, Friday!  Zachary is playing at a friends house this morning.  He will come home to eat and then  head to another friends house for a sleep over.  He is super excited...super excited!  He is so happy to get to see his best friends this week.  He missed seeing everyone so much while he was sick.

****UPDATE****

Looks like the sleep-over is going well.  The boys are at the movies having FUN!!

I'm not sure what Saturday will bring, but one thing I do know...I WILL be getting these dark roots taken care of!!  Nothing will come between me and my hair appointment!!  :)

America

I love my country!  This is how I feel everyday of my life.  I am so thankful to live in the USA.  Say what you will, complain about all that's wrong, but leave (here) and you discover all that is right. 
Nothing is perfect, no town, no city, no state, no country, no church, no person, nothing...nothing is perfect.  Our country isn't perfect, but I still love and appreciate all it was, all it is, and all it will become...the good and the bad.  My kids aren't perfect either, but I love them...

I have so much to say on the topic, but I won't.  I will just leave it at this. 
God blesses our country daily.  We don't always listen and often move away from him, but he is still there.  You should love where you live and have pride.  I have pride...the good, the bad, and the ugly formed our country and will continue to do so.  Just like in our own individual lives.  Do I think my country is better than other countries...YOU BET I DO!  I also think my football team is better than your team (especially if you are a Red Raider)...it's ok to show love for your country too!  Red, White and Blue...thank you to every man and woman of every race, every creed who fought for this wonderful place we call America!

It's America

Rodney Atkins

Drivin' down the street today
Saw the sign for lemonade

They were the cutest kids

I've seen in this front yard

As they handed me my glass

Smiled and thinkin' to myself

Man what a picture perfect postcard this would make

Of  America

It's a high school prom

It's a springstein song

It's a ride in a chevrolet

It's a man on the moon

And fireflies in June

Kids sellin lemonade

It's cities and farms

And open arms

One nation under god

It's America

Later on when I got home

I flipped the t.v on

I saw a little town that some big

Twister tore apart

People came from miles around

Just to help their neighbors out

And I was thinkin' to my self

I'm so glad that I live in America

It's a high school prom

It's a springstein song

It's a ride in a chevrolet

It's a man on the moon

And fireflies in June

Kids sellin lemonade

It's cities and farms

And open arms

One nation under god

It's America

Now we might not always get it right

But there's nowhere else I rather build my life

Cause it's a kid with a chance

It's a rock n roll band

It's a farmer cuttin' hay

it's a big flag flying in the summer wind over a fallen hero's grave

It's a high school prom

It's a springstein song

It's a welcome home parade

It's a man on the moon

And fireflies in June

Kids sellin lemonade

It's cities and farms

And open arms

One nation under god

It's America

Zachary Update and Tonight's Dinner

Zachary is finally feeling better!  He is virus free, but has an ear infection.  He's been on antibiotics for 2 days, so he should be acting totally normal by tomorrow.  I think it will take him a week or so to 'get his strength back', but other than that, life it good.

I would have to say that the only negative (I'm just kidding...there is no negative) to him feeling better is that I now have to start going to the grocery store and cooking again.  Randy has been making little trips to the store, and I was just throwing together anything (sometimes we had cereal).  Not sure how Randy felt about that, but I liked it.  ;)

So off to the store we went today, and I made dinner tonight.  Guess I'm out of practice, because I read the recipe wrong.  It didn't ruin the meal, but draining the tomatoes sure would have helped!

This is a recipe that my mom passed along to me.  I'm not sure where she got it, so I'm sorry to not give credit where credit is due.

Tomato 'n' Beef Casserole with Polenta Crust

Prep: 20 min., Cook: 35 min., Bake: 30 min.

Yield
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup plain yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp Montreal steak seasoning (no kitchen should be w/o this!)
• 1 cup (4 oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 lb ground chuck (I use ground turkey 93/7)
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 medium zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and sliced (or you could use fresh green beans, asparagus, etc)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 (14 1/2 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes, drained (don't forget to drain them!)
• 1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste (I like the one with Italian seasoning added)
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation
***This recipe calls for little seasoning.  I season each step (except cornmeal) with salt and pepper.  You can spice it up with cayenne, Tony's or by adding some Rotel.  Whatever you like.***

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bring 3 cups water and 1 tsp salt to a boil in 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat.  Whisk in cornmeal; reduce heat to low, simmer, whisking constantly, 3 minutes or until thickened.  Remove from heat, and stir in steak seasoning and 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese.  Spread cornmeal mixture into a lightly greased 11x7 inch baking dish. (I use a 9x13 and it works great)
2. Brown ground chuck in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often, 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink; drain and transfer to a bowl.
3. Saute` onion and zucchini in hot oil in skillet over medium heat 5 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Stir in beef, tomatoes, tomato paste, simmer, stirring often, 10 minutes.  Pour beef mixture over cornmeal crust.  Sprinkle with remaining 3/4 cup cheese.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until bubbly.  Sprinkle casserole with parsley just before serving.

Just discovered it is a recipe from SouthernLiving.  So the credit is given...

If you don't like zucchini, used a different veggie.  You can also throw in some bell pepper or different cheeses.

It's yummy, so give it a try. :)  Of course, don't blame me if you don't like it!!  ;)