Reading…ahh…relaxation! If you know me at all, you know I love to read. What you don’t know, maybe, is that I have a book blog and I love to review books that are sent to me in the mail. Don’t believe me? Check it out here at By Book or By Crook.
Reading along the shores of Mille Lacs lake a few summers ago
Yes, I am one of those people who make a monthly menu. ”You are so organized!” you might be saying. Really, I’m not! I don’t like to fly by the seat of my pants when it comes to figuring out what to cook for dinner. Several years ago I started sitting down to write a monthly menu because not only was I stuck in a rut and cooking quick, convenient “fast food” type meals, but I was spending way too much money doing it. A menu helped me know in advance what I was going to the grocery store for so I didn’t have the tendency to overspend. And, we were eating better because of it. There are some months that I’m not quite on the ball enough to get a menu written before the month begins and I hate feeling like I’m getting back into old habits.
Laura, over at I am an Organizing Junkie hosts Menu Plan Monday. This is a great place to go for inspiration when planning your menu. I enjoy seeing what everyone else is cooking up for the week and I’ve added some wonderful new recipes to my collection. You should check it out. In the meantime, here is what’s on the menu for us this week:
Monday: Cheeseburgers & No Fry French Fries
Tuesday: YOYO (your on your own) Jeff has to spend a second night at a sleep testing facility and I’ll just grab a snack when my meeting gets over at 7pm
Wednesday: Glazed Salmon, Crash Potatoes & Broccoli Slaw
Thursday: Lasagna Hotdish and garlic breadsticks
Friday: Grilled Ham Slices, Cheesy Potatoes & Green Beans (yes, I know this was on my menu last week but something came up and we didn’t get to it)
Saturday: BBQ Ribs, Baked Potatoes & Salad
Sunday: Breakfast will be an egg bake, banana nut muffins & orange wedges
Supper will be Chili Colorado Burritos
![movie-reel[1]](https://kadybug.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/movie-reel11.jpg)
A rather uneventful week, Here’s what went on in the Simmonds home.
Monday: Had to work in the grocery section rather that the electronics department today. (Actually ended up working in grocery all week) I spent today in the hispanic section and laughed at the no heat jalapenos and the vegetarian refried beans (they just sound like oxymorons, don’t they?) After work I stopped off at Janeens to do a 2 mile inside walk.
Tuesday: Happy Birthday to my oldest son Tyler!! He’s now 24 years old!! Today I worked with rice & beans in the grocery department. I didn’t know there were so many different kinds of dried beans. I had to go home & google cranberry beans, pink beans & mayacopa beans to find out what they tasted like and what you could do with them. I went to my TOPS meeting to weigh in for the first time in a month (yikes! not good!) then I watched the Minnesota Wild Game.
Wednesday: Woke up early to do my 10 Minute Solutions video. Even though the workout is short, it really kicks my butt! I worked all day in the coffee aisle which is interesting because I do not drink coffee, nor do I even like the smell! I have been struggling all week with a sinus thing. My nose has been so plugged up. It’s so miserable when you can’t breathe right. It’s times like this that I really sympathize with allergy sufferers who spend a fair amount of time plugged up.
Thursday: I worked half the day in coffee and then switched to the baking aisle in the afternoon. Again, a real education. A customer asked me for coconut palm sugar. I didn’t even know they made it! But I found it for her! Relaxed at home and watched the Wild game.
Friday: Finished up in the baking aisle today. Hopefully next week I will be back to my regular department. I did my grocery shopping for the weekend in anticipation of the mini storm we had coming in. We were supposed to get 3-5 inches of snow with high winds causing blowing & drifting overnight so I wanted to be prepared. Tyler & Monica decided to go out to eat with some friends so Jeff and I watched Gracie while they were gone. She had fun playing “wisbee” with her Papa Jeff.
Gracie with tongue out waiting to catch the “wisbee” aka frisbee that papa Jeff was throwing
Saturday: Hockey Day Minnesota! Fox Sports North broadcast 16 hours of straight hockey programming and I watched the majority of it! I did have to take a break at supper time because Tyler & Monica invited us over to celebrate his birthday. They made us Philly Cheesesteaks and we had cheese & crackers and chips as well. It was yummy! Monica, Mom & I played a game of 35 before we headed home to watch the end of the Wild game.
Sunday: I was lector at church this morning. After breakfast Jeff & Zach climbed up on the roof to clear some of the snow off and chisel the ice from around the skylights. In the afternoon Zach and I played Deal or No Deal on the computer before he headed to work. Jeff watched football most of the day (from the facebook comments it seemed like EVERYONE was watching football) and I went over to Mom’s to visit with her for a while.
Yes, I am one of those people who make a monthly menu. “You are so organized!” you might be saying. Really, I’m not! I don’t like to fly by the seat of my pants when it comes to figuring out what to cook for dinner. Several years ago I started sitting down to write a monthly menu because not only was I stuck in a rut and cooking quick, convenient “fast food” type meals, but I was spending way too much money doing it. A menu helped me know in advance what I was going to the grocery store for so I didn’t have the tendency to overspend. And, we were eating better because of it. There are some months that I’m not quite on the ball enough to get a menu written before the month begins and I hate feeling like I’m getting back into old habits.
Laura, over at I am an Organizing Junkie hosts Menu Plan Monday. This is a great place to go for inspiration when planning your menu. I enjoy seeing what everyone else is cooking up for the week and I’ve added some wonderful new recipes to my collection. You should check it out. In the meantime, here is what’s on the menu for us this week:
Monday: Broiled Tilapia with Greek Yogurt Parmesan Sauce, quinoa and steamed asparagus
Broiled Tilapia, quinoa & asparagus
Tuesday: YOYO (your on your own) Jeff will be spending the night in a clinic for testing and I’ll probably just grab a snack
Wednesday: Stuffed Peppers in the Crockpot
Thursday: Taco Ring
Friday: Spicy Thai Noodles with Gardein Beefless Strips
Saturday: Leftover Pork Stew from the freezer
Sunday: Grilled Ham Slices, Cheesy Potatoes & Green Beans
What’s on your menu plan this week??
It’s going to get cold. Last week was cold, but this week is going to be frigidly, bone-chillingly, freeze-your-brain-without-eating-ice-cream cold!! Last week we struggled to hit zero degrees. For the next couple of days we won’t likely get above -15. For the high!! Minnesotans are used to cold weather, but that doesn’t mean we still don’t have to brace ourselves and get ready for it. So, how do we prepare for cold such as this?
1. We gas up the car. It doesn’t matter if your tank is 3/4ths full. You gas it up. Don’t take the chance on running out of gas on a cold night.
2. We go grocery shopping. Bread, milk, eggs…the basics, sure. But don’t forget things like canned soup, fruits, or even sandwich meat. What if the power goes out and your electric stove doesn’t work? Do you have a food you can eat without cooking? Or better yet, a propane camp stove or wood cooker for a back up?
3. We close off rooms seldom used. Take my oldest son’s room for example. Tyler hasn’t lived at home for 2 years now. His door stays closed. No sense wasting precious heat for a room no one is going in.
4. We dig out extra blankets. Sitting on the couch watching TV, or reading in bed is an activity that is not producing any energy/heat through working muscles. It can be chilly. Put on a sweater, and rustle up an extra blanket. Or in Jeff’s case, an opened sleeping bag.
5. Start your engines! Brave the cold every couple of hours to start your vehicles to make sure they’ll run. In an emergency, you’ll want to make sure your car battery is ready to go!
6. Space heaters. Another thing you don’t want to take a chance on is your water pipes freezing up. Opening the cupboards under your sinks and aiming a space heater at the pipes is a good idea.
7. Bundle up! Even for little trips like running out to the mailbox or taking the garbage out it’s a good idea to wear lots of layers and leave no skin exposed. With wind chills in the -50 below range, you can get frostbite in a matter of minutes. Wear hats and gloves, boots, and scarves. And even for that short jaunt to the mailbox take your cell phone. If you slip on the ice and twist your ankle, that cell phone could save your life!
Well, it’s been almost a year since I last updated my blog. One of my goals last year was to update my blog weekly to keep my Texas family up to date on life in Minnesota. Well, failed miserably at that!! BUT, when at first you don’t succeed try, try again! Really, with Facebook, we do kind of stay in touch. However, there are many things like the day to day minutiae of our lives that I don’t put out there for all the world to see. This is a better forum for that. Yes, the entire world could see this if they wanted…but they’d really have to search (like on the 4, 524 page on a google search) to find me. lol
It seems like so many years ago when I started feeling such scary pains in my stomach that I shouldn’t have been feeling so early in my pregnancy. A trip to the hospital confirmed my fears that I was in labor…three months too early. My doctor made the decision that the best chance for my very premature baby was to deliver him in a hospital with newer, more high tech equipment. The helicopter was out on another emergency and there was no time to get another one to Brainerd so they loaded me AND my doctor in an ambulance and we headed to Abbott Northwestern Hospital in the cities. A short couple of hours and an emergency C-section later, I gave birth to Tyler Jeff Simmonds, 2 lbs. 7 1/2 ounces. He was my miracle baby then and he is my miracle baby now.
Tyler at age 2 1/2
My heart swells with pride to see the wonderful young man he has become. He’s raising a family and you would never know the daughter he loves with all his heart is not biologically his own. He is engaged to a wonderful woman who’s hardworking and generous to a fault. He is very smart with money and he and Monica just purchased a beautiful home a couple of months ago. Recently he received the honor of being named Associate of the Month at work for his willingness to step in wherever he’s needed. He is truly a blessing!
And on that note I would like to leave you with an Irish Birthday Blessing (even though we aren’t one lick Irish!)
May you live a long life
Full of gladness and health
With a pocket full of gold
As the least of your wealth
May the dreams you hold dearest
Be those which come true
May the kindness you spread,
Keep returning to you
Happy Birthday Tyler!! I love you very much! As the very first of my babies to come home, you will always hold a special place in my heart. Have a truly wonderful day!
Tyler and Monica- Christmas 2012
Monday 7th: I decided to stay home from Scouts while Zach went by himself. I really wanted to finish rearranging and reorganizing my kitchen cupboards. At Scouts, Zach had his first Fly Fishing Merit Badge class.
Tuesday 8th: I went to TOPS tonight and was relieved to see the scale drop another 2.4 lbs. Christmas, New Years and the 3 weeks without a weigh in really did a number on me. I had to work like crazy to take off all the Christmas cookies, candies and New Years appetizers and cocktails. After TOPS I headed to my Book Club for our first author SKYPE. Fun!
Wednesday 9th: Zach had his Student of the Semester award ceremony and afterwards we celebrated by going out to Poncho & Lefty’s for supper.
Thursday: Jeff has been on vacation all week and the weather had not been cooperating. Today the weather was nice enough that he packed up his fishing gear and him and his brother went ice fishing on Farm Island Lake. He didn’t come home with anything, but he enjoyed the time he spent with Ryck. After work I dropped my car off to get some work done on it, Jeff picked me up and we went home for some Shrimp Scampi and rice.
Friday: Jeff is always complaining I never take off any time when he’s on vacation so I took the day off to be with him and we had an ice storm last night and the roads were so slick we didn’t go anywhere. I sat in my chair doing crossword puzzles and he sat on the couch doing word finds. Zach started his first day of work at Taco Johns so he was spared the boredom of watching us!
Saturday: The roads were a little better today so Jeff and I went to town and ran some errands. In the evening while Jeff watched the Packers/49ers game I worked out like a fiend on the treadmill while listening to 80’s music. It’s been a month and I still LOVE my treadmill. Everyone said after 2 weeks I’d probably never use it again but I hope this love affair lasts forever!
Sunday: After church came home to make a breakfast of fried eggs over corned beef hash, toast and monkey bread. Zach went fishing after breakfast, Jeff tuned into a football game and I read for a little until Mom called and asked if I wanted to go see Papa with her. We had good intentions, but when we got there Papa was not “home!” He had went along on a day trip to the farm. After visiting with Mom for a while I came home, made supper (Cheesy Baked Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans and Banana Cream Pie) and spent the remainder of the evening on a heating pad and playing games with Zach on Facebook.
I LOVE my Book Club “The Bookies.” I have been a part of this book club for 11 1/2 years, ever since the beginning when there were only 3 of us meeting at Northwest Pizza. Now we are a vibrant group of 18 who have outgrown most restaurants and usually meet at one of the member’s houses.
Our book club read for January was in In the Belly of Jonah by Sandra Brannan. In the Belly of Jonah is the story of a young woman who manages a mining company named Liv. One of her young female employees has just been murdered at the hands of a serial killer named the Venus de Milo killer. When one of her old college classmates, who now works with the FBI, contacts Liv and wants to help, she is relieved…until her former classmate is murdered by the Venus de Milo killer too and suddenly Liv is running for her life. Can she solve this mystery before it’s too late?
Yes she can. I’m not telling you too much by saying that and I’m not giving too much away. There are two more books in this series featuring Liv Bergen so I think it’s fairly obvious she makes it! I enjoy a good murder mystery and I enjoyed this one by Ms Brannan. It was fast paced and very easy to read. Her writing style is enjoyable as is Sandra herself.
I was very excited to get to meet this author via a SKYPE chat. Sheila, the head of our book club, met Sandra a couple of years ago at Book Expo America in New York and they have been communicating ever since. When Sheila told Sandra that we had chosen her book for our January read she was excited and not only offered to SKYPE with us but she sent us a box of goodies as well.
Sandra was delightful and very witty. If I had not already liked the book I would have after chatting with her. She is immediately relatable and I felt like I had known her for years. She told us some funny personal stories and we shared BIG news with her as well. Laura, a fellow bookie, revealed to us that she was pregnant in a very unique way. She changed the book cover of Sandra’s book to look different from ours.
We are very excited to be having another Bookie baby! Sandra was excited too and asked that we send pictures of not only Laura’s special cover but pictures of our book club to her as well so she could feature us on her website. Here is the group picture of us holding gifts from Sandra that she sent in the goody box (as well as a “prop” from the book!) What a fun event! And that, my friends, is why I LOVE my Book Club! (By the way, Laura is the young lady in the orange sweatshirt in the back row NOT the obviously 9 months pregnant Kerri in the brown shirt in the front! lol)
Usually when I get letters from Brainerd High School addressed to “the parents of Zachary Simmonds” I cringe. Either his lunch account is seriously past due and he forgot to tell me, or it’s a progress report from one of his teachers saying he’s not been turning in his homework. So it was with some trepidation that I opened the envelope I received in the mail a few weeks ago.
My anxiety turned to delight, however, when I read that Zachary had been nominated Student of the Semester! When he came home I pulled out the letter with a stern look on my face and said “I received a letter from school today.” With his tail tucked between his legs he sat down to listen. When I finished the letter he said “uh! uh!” and sat there with a disbelieving look on his face. It was really quite comical. Then he proceeded to tell me all the reasons we SHOULDN’T go to the ceremony.
Needless to say, his explanation that Student of the Semester was just for “yuppie boys” was not convincing enough for us, so this past Wednesday Jeff and I were proud parents as we watched Zachary receive his award. We could not convince him to stand under the big Congratulations Student of the Semester banner for a picture (too embarrassing mom!) so I made him promise we could take one with his certificate at home. I tried to get a serious “I’m proud to be smart and hardworking” smile from him but every time I went to snap the picture he would cross his eyes, stick out his tongue or stick out his bottom lip in a pout. Then I got this one and it was just too cute not to use 🙂
Congratulations Zachary! We are very proud indeed!
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Simply the Simmonds Life 
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