Last week on the Homestead

 


I figured it was time for a Monday update.  Today I had to appear for jury duty..  yuck..  fortunately for me, I was released.  Sooo..  I came and took care of kids and my home.  We have lived in this county for 11 years and I have been called 3 times and Tobin 2 times..  and they say it random! I don’t buy it..  I personally know people in my county that have never been called!  Someday I may feel like I can afford the time to participate in jury duty but for now.. it really does not work well, so I am thankful that I was able to come home.


 


I have been winging it this last week with out a menu.  Not usually my favorite thing to do.  However I have been working hard to make the right amount of food so as to not have too many leftovers and when I do have leftovers do my best to incorporate them in another meal.


 


For example, one night I made rice to go with some polish sausages.  Tonight I am making enchiladas.  Instead of using 2lbs of hamburger to make my enchiladas, I used 1 pound and added the leftover rice to the meat to fill up my tortillas.  It made good use of the leftovers and saved me money as well. It is actually a fun challenge to see how creative I can be with what I have.


 


Last week was very busy.  Emily is still taking GED classes 2x a week.  She will be testing again this week, on Thursday doing 2 more tests.  Then we are down to one last test in another 2 weeks and “ta-da” we are done!!   The finish line!   Then she can decide where to go from there.


 


I would not think that these classes would be that big of a deal, but it seems like it throws my week off.  I don’t normally have outside commitments so when I do, it is noticeable. 





Tuesday Tobin and I spent the day in town. It was very nice.  We did some shopping, ran some errands and he took me out to lunch, Mexican food, our favorite.  It is nice to just get away for the day kidless! 



 


The rest of my week was filled with just keeping my house running and food on the table and the laundry caught up on.  Plus the kids are finishing up their school books so I am spending time with them wrapping up the school year.  I am praying we are done by the end of this month!


 


On a side note (thinking ahead to the next school year), I am looking at purchasing a laser printer.  Anyone have one they really like and can tell me why they like it?  I have one in mind but before I purchase it, I was curious if anyone else is using them and if you were happy or not with the brand you have.  The cost on them (at least the black and white ones) has really come down in the last couple of  years. 


 


Sunday, Mothers Day, was really very nice.  I am one who is not real big on Mother’s Day..  too many years of my own mothers high expectations for the day causing me a lot stress! LOL..  so my kids know I am easy going.. if I hear from them all and get hugs from the ones at home, I feel blessed..  So it was so nice that Emily and Leanne made me a beautiful and special Mother’s Day dinner..   The menu was: pot roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, salad, dinner rolls, and carrots.  With an absolutely delicious strawberry shortcake (I will try and share the recipe with you soon).. for now I will share the pictures…





And Dessert... 








 


My son Richard called me and my daughter Carolyn called me,  Hannah was here (that is another update..  Hannah decided it was time to stretch her wings a bit and has moved in with a friend from work.. so I am now down to 5 kids in the house .. woo hoo!! )…  In any case I either heard from or got to hug each of my kids yesterday, plus had a nice dinner..  I felt loved and pampered and it made me ever so thankful for my family.  I think family is so important and I am thankful for each of my children.


 


Hope you all have a great week on your homesteads.. I will try and get back to post some recipes this week!!


 

Comments

  1. It was nice visiting your blog. Have you ever tried fried rice? Most recipes call for cooked left over rice.

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  2. Glad to hear you had a Happy Mother's Day! It looks like a really nice dinner the girls made for you!

    Have a great day!

    Blessings,

    Chas

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  3. How nice of your girls to orchestrate a lovely dinner to honor their mom on Mother's Day. We never usually celebrate much most years, but this year we did and I have to say I LOVED it. hehe


    Plus, with a 15 y.o. it is always close to the front of my mind that it won't be long before we are not all here together all the time anymore, so I go picture happy while I still can!


    Jenn

    http://jennsnook.blogspot.com

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  4. How nice. And what a feast that looks soooooo good. I would live the recipe for the strawberry shortcake.


    Makayla

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  5. Your girls are so thoughtful - of course, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree! ;)


    That salad looks yummy. Any chance the cook(s) will post the recipe?


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  6. I've been reading your blog for a while now and love it! I just wanted to say that we own a Hewlitt Packard 1200 series laser printer which I love. We have had it for around 5 years with never a problem. We print a lot of documents. I get most of our school books and worksheets online and print them off. In the time that we have owned the printer, we have bought 2 cartridges for it. The cartridges last forever. The only two downfalls that I have noticed is that the ink cartridges are around $70 - $80 each.I think that it balances out though because you use a lot fewer cartridges than InkJet printers. The other negative to this particular printer is the size. It is not really compact! Now, these printers can be wireless which is really nice. I am now wanting a hp color laserjet! Good luck with your new purchase!


    Melinda

    http://homeschoolblogger.com/opheliag/

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  7. I just wanted to let you know I am thinking of buying a laserjet and have been looking at a Brothers dual printer. It runs around 200 dollars here at Staples and I've read a lot of good things about them. Hope this helps. Also glad to hear you had a good Mother's day!

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  8. I'm glad you had a nice Mother's day. Your daughters did a wonderful job!

    Blessings,

    ~Farrah

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  9. That's a good looking meal your kids made for you. Next holiday can I come over? LOL


    Thanks for your blog and website.


    Lori

    St. Joseph, IL

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  10. The lunch looks amazing, you've obviously given your children many good skills.

    Liz

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