Cook Day

When we were preparing for the birth of Adalyn, I had a mega cook day.  My mom and I prepared a bunch of meals for the freezer.  Then later on I tried the 30-meals-in-a-day mega cook day.  That was fun...long hours, but a time-saver during the week for SURE!!!
2 Fridays ago, I had a mega cook day.  Then Saturday I finished it. By the end of 8 hours, I had 16 meals ready to go in the freezer.  Ahh, accomplishment.  I then talked to my sister-in-law who said you can freeze lasagna noodles uncooked by adding water to the sauce.  That would have saved me 2 hours in the prep!!!  I can't wait to try that next time. 

These are individual helpings of sloppy joes.  For the times when the girls just want cereal for lunch or pb&js and Louis and I want something heavier.  I got the idea from a Quick Cooking Magazine a few years back.  You line a muffin pan with wax paper or plastic wrap.  Then use 1/2 measuring cup of prepared sloppy joe filling to fill each section of the muffin pan.  Freeze for 30 minutes.  Then plop out the servings and put them in freezer bags or containers.  When you want to eat them, defrost them in the microwave in a bowl, then heat.

These are hot dog buns-turned garlic bread.  Cheap!  I like to make our garlic bread like this and fry them buttered side down in a skillet.  So I thought I'd try making them ahead and freezing them like you can buy in the store. 

Our other meals included 4 pans of lasagna, many bowls of chili, vegetable soup, prepared taco fillings, prepared enchilada fillings, fried sausage to go in gravy, and several servings of spaghetti sauce.  It's taken me 12 years to be able to make buttermilk biscuits from scratch and I really want to try to do freezer biscuits but haven't tried out a recipe yet.  There are so many with varying ingredients. If you have a tried and true, by all means, please share!! 

 

 

 

Being productive

Last night:

• I pulled off the off-white blanket from our bed and washed it.
• I disassembled and vacuumed out a picture frame.  
• I pulled Adalyn out of the tub and she went poop on the potty chair!!! 

Because...

• Adalyn spilled her grape juice on the blanket.
• Trying to get her basketball, Anna stepped on a picture frame out in the garage (doesn't everyone store those on the floor when you're going through a box of frames?).
• I noticed a floater in the tub among the bath toy Adalyn was playing with.  If she'd had her whole basket of toys in there, I probably wouldn't have noticed the thing.  Love draining a tub, cleaning the whole thing out, then putting your kiddo back in the tub for the rest of her bath.

Breaking News

Our girls hate tomatoes.  They don't want them on their salad, in their chili, or in their spaghetti sauce. Last night at dinner, the girls asked what ketchup is made from.  We had to break it to them, and yes we were blunt. 

Davis Academy resumes

This year, I typed out a school supply list for each of our students. With homeschooling, communal supplies is really all that's necessary, but I wanted to give each of them their own list so they could shop and have their own school boxes of supplies. (And give them some accountability to taking care of their things, like putting lids on markers).  It was fun watching our 3rd Grader, 2nd Grader, and Pre-Ker in the aisles  with Daddy, picking out their things and checking them off their lists.   

Here they stand last night after we got home and everyone got their things organized into their own bags to be labeled today.  They are so excited to get back into "schoolwork", even though learning happens at the Davis home year round.

FYI:
DID YOU KNOW WATERCOLORS COME IN 16 COLORS NOW? Where were the geniuses when I was in school, back when there were only 8 to a little white case?

Sweet tea afterthoughts

Today I fixed a big 'White Castle' cup full of sweet tea to drink on as we headed over to check on a friend's chickens and cat.  Tasted as refreshing as I thought it would until Louis asked what was in the bottom of the cup.  Upon my investigation, I realized it was the cup we used last week to rinse paint brushes in.  The dried white paint blended right in with the white cup bottom!  It must have gotten loaded into the dishwasher and put into the cabinet (thanks to my sweet helpers around here).  Sorry Dollar General for using your parking lot to dispose of the liquid.

Last week, Anna so sweetly fixed Louis a big cup of sweet tea with lots of ice.  He politely brought it to me as he's been trying to stick with water only.  It was refreshing.  I got up from the table and headed to the kitchen where I discovered red dirt all over the handles of the freezer and refrigerator.  Anna was being so thoughtful, she didn't remember to wash her hands BEFORE fixing the tea.

New baby background and the countdown begins!

I'm 34 weeks today.  There's 6 weeks left of this hot summer (because I'm sure that once I deliver, I will feel 20 degrees cooler and it won't feel like summer anymore) and we will celebrate our newest addition.  We can hardly wait!  It's been so special having each of our daughters connect with their sister-in-the-works in their own ways. 

Aliza seems to have had a special longing to be with her so she can hold her.  She's always asking me, "How's Alivia today, Mama?".  Many times she's just passing by me and asking on her way to some other place.  Or she'll ask us how much longer til she can come out.  At times, she's been genuinely upset and in tears that she's not with us right now.

Adalyn is quite funny.  She can be sweet with tummy pats and kisses, and the next moment just belt me a good one.  After delivery, she may be a little confused that "Baby" will have features of a real baby and will no longer mean my poked out belly button. 

Anna has this Human Body book and her favorite thing to do is to go to the Reproduction Pages where there's a little spinner diagram showing what a baby in the womb looks like at different stages in pregnancy.  She's also been the one who has prodded about how the baby comes out.  She's not accepting the "She's just born" answer like the others.  Ahh, our little science girl. 

Abigail has been a huge help to me...she's always looking out for me.  "I'll get it Mom" have become the sweetest words to hear.  She's processing alot. Like..."If you eat peanut butter, will it hurt the baby?".  Girls squeal and scream.  It's like part of what makes them a girl...ya know- sugar and spice, and everything nice.  Squeals and screams and all in between.  So then Abigail will ask, "Can Alivia hear us?"  She's been concerned with me eating,  "Does Alivia need to eat?" 

One of Louis' rules is that he ALWAYS lets me choose where we go out to eat when I'm pregnant.   Abigail and Anna even say it now, "Pregnant Mommy gets to decide".  Well, the other day we were trying to decide on a place in Lebanon.  It needed to be quick because we were anxious to get home during a huge lightning show.  It needed to be fairly inexpensive because we had already eaten lunch out in Lebanon earlier.  Anna kept pleading to go to Chinese, and we kept telling her we wouldn't go this time.  Finally, she throws her last card in, "ALIVIA WANTS CHINESE".  We all laughed pretty hard.  She was still moping a little as we pulled through the drive-thru at White Castle.