Working On Posting......a quick little teaser!

This is just a little teaser of whats to come.  I have hundreds of posts floating around in my head!  Ok, well maybe not hundreds but I've got what I think are some good ones!  And in trying to fulfill my New Years Resolution I have to get writing!  One of the directions I want to go is to share more of my "go to" recipes - you know the ones, the ones I can make well, everyone likes and in most cases they're what my mom made too so it's been around for a bit.  Stay tuned for posts about bacon, cheese, tacos, pork, yummy summer cocktails, beef, and a few more that I've adapted into my own repertoire passed on by friends and family!

Just In Time for Easter Brunch!

A friend of mine, who thinks I am a good writer, who I got to know when I was invited to join a group of women for time together on Tuesday afternoons in a book club/bible study suggested I submit an article for a local magazine that she worked for.  I kind of laughed to myself, but thought what the heck I'd give it a try!  For those of you who don't live close....or I haven't sent a link to because I was so excited and wanted to brag here is the link so you can see for yourself - I really made it to print! Lakeside Family Magazine

Since my New Years resolution was more blog writing, complete failure at this point, and to give up diet coke and since we are in the middle of spring break and I have 3 bored boys and I am on my third diet coke at noon, not showered, and about to add something to spike the diet coke to get me through the day I thought what better time than now to work on my blog and to share this recipe, it's perfect for your Easter Brunch!!

 

My friends always tease me about my “menu” chalkboard, some have emailed to see what’s for dinner that week in case they want to show up just in time to eat, others ask looking for ideas for their own family meals.  I must admit though I seem to have fallen off the wagon a bit.  When my boys were younger it was always easy to plan a weeks worth of dinners and stick to it.  Now I plan around practices, games, swim lessons and anything else that seems to happen when you live in a house with teenagers, a seven year old and a school administrator and sometimes there is just no way to avoid eating in shifts or after 8PM.  

What I do still try to do at least every Sunday after looking at the schedule for the week is make a list of at least 5 meals based on what I know I have the ingredients for so I won’t need to run to the store when dinner is being put together late or if we need to eat before we head out for a game.  I won’t lie, I have raised a team of picky eaters…or maybe it’s not my fault?  Maybe they have inherited it from their picky eating father?  Whatever the case I do my best to make everyone happy at least once a week! 

There are certain meals that I know I can get a smile and a “that was good mom” out of my boys.  Typically once a week we have breakfast for dinner, we never seem to be able to have breakfast together, even on the weekends, and it is a meal that we all like.  Many times we have eggs, scrambled, poached or fried, and pancakes are always a hit, especially for my youngest.  But every so often I will throw in a surprise A-Ma’s French Toast Casserole.  A-Ma is what my boys call my mom, a name given to her by my oldest and it has stuck!  My mom introduced French toast casserole, I believe, one Christmas morning.  We were in love, crispy on the top, sweet, thick pieces with no need to add syrup it was already in there!  We continued for several years to have French toast casserole for Christmas morning, Easter brunch and if by chance A-Ma was babysitting over night and the boys would beg her to make “her” French toast.  

It dawned on me about a year ago that I too could make French toast casserole, but not just for breakfast!  I make it for my breakfast loving family but for dinner!  I watch my local grocery store for French bread in their “day old” rack and freeze it so I have it on hand.  I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit to suit my “picky” eaters (feel free to add nuts back into your recipe).  When I make it for dinner I put this recipe together in the morning as it needs to soak for at least 6 hours before baking. 

A-Ma’s French Toast Casserole

8 eggs

1 ½ Cups half and half (I have used milk and heavy cream as well with success)

1/3 Cup maple syrup (I use the syrup that is in the fridge, nothing fancy)

1/3 Cup packed light brown sugar

10 to 12 slices french bread

Topping:

½ Cup butter (1 stick)

½ Cup packed light brown sugar

2/3 Cup maple syrup

(2 Cups chopped pecans if you don’t have picky eaters like me)

1. Grease a 9x13 baking dish
2. Mix the eggs, half and half (milk or heavy cream), syrup and sugar in a bowl.  Place the bread in the baking dish and cover with the egg mixture.  Cover with plastic wrap and let soak overnight or for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.  (If I don’t get the casserole in the fridge to give it at least 6 hours to soak I will flip the bread pieces over about an hour before baking so that the entire piece is coated in the egg mixture). 
3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Remove the casserole from the refrigerator. 
4. Prepare the topping: Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the sugar and syrup and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.  (this is where you would add the pecans if you like).  Pour the mixture over the bread and bake for 45 – 55 minutes.  Allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving. 

Even on the craziest of nights I know I can please my family with French Toast Casserole.  It’s a guaranteed empty dish, I add either bacon or sausage and fresh fruit to the meal and everyone is happy!  So whether you are looking for an easy week night dinner or something to impress your guests this is a meal that is sure to please. 

I hope you enjoy French Toast Casserole as much as we do....this year my boys have asked for homemade cinnamon rolls for Easter breakfast...another blog post!!

And be sure to stay tuned I have several blog posts brewing I am determined to spread my love for decorating, cooking and enjoying life!  Be sure to check out my friend, the one who thinks I can write, Marcy Blesy's blog....she is a REAL book written, story tellin' author! http://marcyblesy.com/

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year.......

Well, in my mind it is! Trust me, I love my children.....but I know when it's time for them to be back in a routine, back to a schedule and hitting the books, the field and spending more time away from me with their friends! This summer has been a whirl wind...and to be honest I can't believe it's coming to an end!  There is lots to write about and lots to catch up on...the move for one!  But for now I will share my "Back To School" fireplace mantel!

Reading and Writing and 'Rithmatic........

Most of what you see are things I already had...I did whip up the wreath in the middle of the night this week, I had had the supplies forever just too many other things got in the way!  The banner I made by running dictionary pages through my computer printer and then cutting them out! 

Since the boys are going back to school it is my goal to get back to work and get this house in shape...and to be able to share with you everything I've done!  Have a great last weekend of summer!

My Greatest Works of Art!

While Mothers Day for me this year was spent keeping my boys quiet so their dad could sleep (price you pay for being a high school principal and having to stay up all night chaperoning prom and the after party) and then driving an hour to watch my middle child play soccer!  The sun was shining and I didn't mind because these 3 boys are my GREATEST WORKS OF ART!

 

 They've rocked my world!  We took these pictures on a cold day in March...I mean it was like 17 degrees out!  My nephew was actually in a good portion of them too, they were a birthday gift my mom - the pink shirts - in celebration of breast cancer survival!  

The days go quickly - their scoring goals and hitting home runs on the fields and make me proud daily!!

My Idea Has Been Published!

I know I shared it with you....but my idea has been seen by many! Go here to check it out! And here to see the other!  Thank you Garnish for continuing to provide great product and supply us with great ideas! 

Random Acts of Garnish

I participated in the Random Acts of Garnish www.thinkgarnishblog.com

How fun to leave fun surprises for my boys and my friends....with an added little note to put a smile on their face! Using a glassine bag and a fun pre-printed card from Garnish I was able to send some extra lovin' to school with my boys!

Extra special treats in the candy jar!

 Who doesn't want a tub of No Bake Cookies left on their desk? Yum-O!

You to can leave a Random Act of Garnish!  Check out www.thinkgarnishblog.com and shop at www.thinkgarnish.com

2 Posts in One day!

I've said before we are living in a rental.....I really don't mind.....but it can get tricky when trying to make it feel like home, here is a simple window cover idea.  I actually am a "no curtain" kind of gal but when the winter winds began to blow I was in need of something to block it out!  So....out came my stash of painters drop cloth!

Easy-Peasy window cover!  if they don't fall off!! I had to add some glue to several of the velcro tabs to keep them stuck to the blind, but so far so good...and they have been up for several months!  You really need to attach the blind to the top, bottom and middle of the cheap blind underneath it, so that it gathers in the middle!

Spring Is Knocking On Our Door!

I am feeling the need.....for sunshine, blue skies and GREEN! 

  

Can you see the color of our grass?  That is not what I am wanting...I need some green!

SO....since it is St. Patrick's Day on Thursday....I am doing my best to add a little Luck 'O The Irish!

You'll notice....I've been feeling a little crafty too!  See that green and white star...it used to be brown!  I had two of them, identical, not anymore!  And no, I really don't have a green thumb, that grass is from a set of three that I got at Target several years ago, it has been great in various places in the house!  They are just enough splash of color to bring life to any room! The rabbit too....I wasn't feel the love so I grabbed the bottle of Hodge Podge, some dictionary pages and went to town!  Most of what you see in this cabinet I have had either for a long time or it is from resale!  The bird cage, that may not be black for long...when I put it back out I thought for summer it may need to be lightened up?  We'll see! 

I am working on the mantel too...just ignore the cords!  I need to come up with a creative way to cover those!  I am thinking cord covers...in burlap!  It is still kind of sparse if you've seen my mantels from the past but never fear....Soon I will be able to add branches to be forced...then we know Spring is knocking on our door! 

Living in a rented home......

Since the fall of 2006 we pretty much have lived in a home that we didn't own.  It doesn't mean we didn't own a home, it just means we didn't live where that home was!  After 4 years of owning and renting we were able to finally sell our house - thank you Lord!  The first year we lived in a "cabin" type rental that was furnished with the "bear bones" of what we would need.  We knew we wouldn't be living there year round, as the owner was going to be renting it by the week during the summer. But we still loaded a U-Haul and took what we wanted to make it feel like our own!  We needed the boys to feel comfortable and like it was their home - and rugs to warm up the tile floors!  I have spent some time digging but the laptop that has all of the pictures on from that time fried up....I am not even sure I have copies of pictures for our personal use? But never fear....we are still living in a rental house and I would like to share with you some easy fixes to make a house feel like your home....even if you don't own! 

This Cute yellow house....was our "view" for almost 3 years when we lived in a house across the street

Here is the Living Room when the previous renter lived here

This was the living room this fall - after we had lived here for roughly 5 months, the walls in all of the main living areas are painted the same taupe/khaki color - warming up the dark rooms (when there are leaves on the trees the living room is very dark) even though they were painted an off white before it just gave it a more welcoming feeling to freshen the paint!  Note my first attempt at slipcovers, the chair has been covered with a painters drop cloth!  It does the trick for only $14 and several hours of my time!

This is the kitchen before.....my least favorite part of the house to say the least!  it was all one color - shiny creamy color the walls and the cabinets!  Take note of that lovely florescent ring light fixture in the ceiling!  Knowing we didn't want to spend a lot of money and that any fixes need to be minor we knew paint would have to do the trick! Along with accessories! 

Here is the kitchen shortly after we moved in - even just painting the walls a shade a couple darker than the rest of the house and the cabinets a fresh white made a huge difference!  Not only did it clean things up it kind of made them feel new again!

Here is part of the kitchen at Christmas!  We added shelving to the empty wall for my numerous collections of "stuff" family heirlooms and antiques that have been handed down! The cabinet you see actually was in my husbands family - after washing it down to remove the dust and years of grime it now houses all the kids school lunch supplies, after school snacks, sports bottles, bread and breakfast food!  And gives some texture and architecture to the kitchen!

The same view but in the fall and we still had one shelf to hang above the stove!  Actually my original thought had been to put 3 shelves where there are 2 but it didn't space out enough to put multiple items on the shelves and have it work visually - so I had to think about where to put the 3rd shelf! 

 There is more before and after  - I just need to take some more "after" pictures!  You will be amazed!  Stay tuned!

As we begin our journey......

As we begin our journey, February 8th, 2011....my husband has been selected from a pool of 22 candidates to be the next superintendent in a school district 35 miles from where we currently live.  We've been on this journey, to be honest, for quite some time.  In 2006 shortly after our first son was born Shane was given a gift, a job, in a field he had very little training but much desire!  He became the student services director at a career and technical high school, he spent 9 years there.  While there he was able to obtain his masters in Educational Leadership from a highly accredited university. While we reached the mid way point of our 9th year there he felt his journey needed to continue - after a spring and summer of interview after interview and being the second choice several times he was offered a position in a rural community in Northern Michigan. We knew when we went it would not be the place we would stay - but we never dreamed that our stay would only be one year.  Our journey took us back south - to Shane's home town, the place he was raised and given his values!  The hometown boys was coming back to lead a high school into the future!  In the back of our minds we still knew the ultimate goal was school superintendent, we just needed to take the steps to get to that post.  After 3.5 years here - Shane's dream has become a reality....with long hours, hard work, dedication and commitment he has fulfilled a dream.  And while the job doesn't officially begin until July 1st, 2011 our journey continues....as we prepare to move our family, to start another chapter!