Menu 9/17

Thanks for stopping by.  I am once again linking up to Organizing Junkie to post my Menu Plan Monday.  I missed staying on track a couple of days, but I cooked at home each day.  So, it is was a partial success.  I am thinking that instead of planning each day, maybe I need to plan just a week of meals.

So, this coming week is going to look a bit like this:

Monday - Taquito Enchilada Casserole from Crockin' Girls.
Tues. - Beer Butt Chicken, mashed potatoes, fried okra
Wed. - Sausage and Pasta, salad
Thu. - Clean out fridge
Fri. - Going Camping
Sat. - Camping
Sun. - Unpacking

This is all kind of tentative, but that is the plan.  I have to go hit the store early in the morning to pick up a couple of things I need for the Monday meal.  Crockin' Girls are pretty awesome.  They have written a cookbook, they are two friends. At any rate, they send a notice to their blog subscribers on Friday listing all the ingredients you need to fix the dishes on Monday.  Usually two dishes.  This week it is the Taquito Enchilada Casserole and Slow Cooking Smores cake.  Then on Monday they do a short video on how to put the dishes together.  I won't be making the dessert, I am making Chocolate Sheath Cake, recipe to follow in another blog.

On to other topics. I bought a couple of new crock pots this week end.  One was just a replacement, small 4 quart, basic crock.  The second one though is the coolest little thing I have seen.

Now, it really isn't so much a slow cooker as it is a warmer.  But the cool thing is that you can have three different items staying warm at the same time, individual controls, plus compartments for crackers, veggie sticks, decorative toothpicks or what ever you need.  It is on a turn table, lazy susan style as well.  Comes with little lids and a carry tote. My daughter saw it when she got home and immediately planned a party to use it.

I finally got the last of the bigger boxes unpacked so have my craft room, sewing room, studio, diva den, what ever I call it, back up and running.

I kept my mom's entertainment center because I like the glass door with the shelves.  I filled the shelves with beads, beading supplies, ribbons, machine embroidery threads, buttons, sequences and such. The opposite end opens designed to hold videos (yes, VHS tapes, it is that old) but I found that those shelves are the perfect size for my Cricut cartridges and Sizzix dies.

This is the closet, with out the doors.  Believe I will just leave the doors off to make it easier to access the whole closet easier.  I will be making some fabric curtains to hang over it so it will be closed off but quite easy to work in.

My cheap shelves. Adjustable to suit my whims.  That is my mom's Kenmore sewing machine in it's wooden cabinet.  All original.  My parents adopted me, they got me in February and Dad bought this for Mom for the following Mother's Day.  I know I should sell it, don't use it, although it works perfectly, even still have all the original cams to use for decorative stitching. When I was little, like 4 or 5 years old, this sewing cabinet sat in front of her bedroom window and when she was sewing she would pull it out from the window and let me stand behind it and pull the straight pins out as the item came through.  It is a powerful, sweet memory. Needless to say, I just can't bring myself to part with it.  The chair is hers too, but really is a bit too big for the room.  Even though it is comfortable, it just isn't working, but I have a little plan working in my head to move the chair in to the living room.  Will see how that works out.

These are my cheaper shelves.  They came with the house.  I have moved them around to three different rooms in this house, but am really glad I have them.  They hold so much. Yes...I know...two whole shelves of rubber stamps and inks is a bit...much...but hey, when I get an idea I like to have everything I need to work on it.

I still have a few (like about 6 - 7) boxes of various sizes of paper to figure out where to put. But for the time being I may just leave them.  Not really in the mood yet to work on paper crafts.  I will though, I do have all the rubber stamps, inks, embossing supplies and such up on the shelves.  I also do have empty shelf space on one end of the closet to slowly start bringing out the fabric.  LOTS of fabric. The room has a different feel to it, different furniture and different lay out.  I think it will work out well in the end.  I just sat and looked at it all, felt it all, it really felt calm and...at peace.  I need that.

Now, I can work on sewing and crocheting.

This is the latest project.  Spiderman afghan for my #2 grand son.  Mr. W.  He just turned two.  I am actually quite a bit further on it than this shows.  The last time I took a photo of it was just before Mom starting getting ill.  I took it along to most of her doctor appointments, scans and such.  Then all my craft stuff was packed up to turn the room in to a bedroom for my mom, she passed in July, now it is a craft room again.  Side circle of life I guess.  But...even though it is still in the high 90's temp wise...it is fall.  Football nights, cooler weather soon, so it is crochet time.  I am actually planning on taking it with me this week end on our camping/dirt bike riding trip.  I don't ride as long as the rest of the family, so take little projects to work on, books to read, writing projects or such.  I use to take all my menu planning files...it seems to have gotten a little too large to tote around.  Especially since I had to move it from file box to a metal file cabinet.

Thanks for stopping by, feel free to leave a comment.  I am off to tackle more chores and some baking...if Mister is in a good mood today.  Yeah, life with a toddler, loving every minute of it too.