My poor neglected blog

Hi everyone! I'm looking at my blog and the last time I posted to it was Austins first day of school, that would be 9 weeks ago, do you know how I know? Austin got his report card! I have such high hopes for this blog, I guess I need to be more proactive and make it more important to me, both of my blogs.

I wanted to post on here about my Austin and school, more specifically his report card. He made the Honor Roll! I am so very proud of him. He tries so hard to do well in school and it is paying off for him. Troy and I have a tendency to be strict on him. He needs the structure, my mom was pretty strict on me and I wish she were more strict and had pushed me harder. Troy and I each night, one of us work with him on his home work. Some nights it is such a struggle, especially with his math but he does it. He is a lot better at concentrating with his ADHD but it still is something we have to work at. I am just so proud to be his momma! I just have so many hopes for him, he just makes being his momma so wonderful. I am truly blessed to call Austin mine.

The night before his football team went to the playoffs, they played the Gators. The Gators are the only team the Sooners (Austins team) had lost to. The game was great, Austins team was very special, he had a wonderful coach who really knew how to handle himself on the field and show a boy how to deal with conflict, some of those coaches just scream at the kids and I know if he were my sons coach, Austin would not be playing for that guy. Anyways they ended up losing but they all were so great about it, the team shed tears, even the coach but it was a great season! I will miss those little boys, Austin is moving up to tackle football next year and will be on a completely new team. We cannot wait for that!

Well it is late, I must close.

Blessing to you all!
Stephenie

Austin's First Day of 3rd Grade

So yesterday Austin began 3rd grade! Wow, he's 8 and I just cannot believe it. He is getting so big and growing up so fast. Here are some pictures I took yesterday of him before school, I am quite proud of him!

He's also doing football and hopefully fall baseball, look for pic's on those to come.

Hugs,
Stephenie

Menu Plan Monday

Monday~ Grilled rib's, macaroni salad and iceburg lettuce salad

Tuesday~ Chicken a la king over rice with broccoli (Recipe here)

Wednesday~ Taco's, beans and mexican rice

Thursday~ Grilled hamburgers, and homemade steak fries

Friday~ Leftover's

Saturday~ Chicken casserole, peas and carrots

Sunday~ Slow cooker chicken caccetorie over rice

Menu Plan Monday- My First One

Monday~ Pork loin in the slow cooker with potatoes and carrots

Tuesday~ Chicken and tomatoes ooey gooey goodness with broccoli and crash potatoes

Wednesday~ Hot dog's, macaroni and cheese and pea's

Thursday~ It's our Anniversary, Lasagna with cheesy garlic bread

Friday~ Pizza and Movies

Saturday~ Leftover Night

Sunday~ Taco's with all the fixins

Homemade Ranch Dressing

2 cloves of garlic
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (use less table salt)
1 cup mayonnaise (Duke's or Hellman’s preferred)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk or regular milk, to taste
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped fresh dill, more if desired
1/4 teaspoon of pepper, more if desired

Optional ingredients:
cayenne pepper
worcestershire sauce
hot sauce

Directions: With a fork, make a paste with garlic and salt. Mix all other ingredients, adding optional ingredients as you wish, tasting frequently and adjusting seasonings as needed. Chill for a couple of hours before serving, thin with milk or buttermilk if desired.

Dinner at our House Tonight

This is one of my favorites, it is so yummy!

Recipe:
1 lb. of pasta (I love cavatapi or penne)
1 jar of Ragu Robusto
2 large cans of petite diced tomatoes
1 lb. ground beef
1 green pepper
1 onion
4 or 5 garlic cloves chopped
1 bag of frozen corn or 2 cans
salt and pepper to taste


Cook pasta till al dente or a little undercooked, then drain (see note below). Add ground beef to a skillet, chop onion and greenpepper, add to the ground beef. Cook until ground beef is browned. Drain fat, add cans of tomatoes and Ragu Robusto. Add garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Mix all the ingredients and cook on low about 20-30 minutes. You can top with cheddar cheese, cottage cheese or sour cream, it's so good!

Note, you want the noodles a little undercooked because they continue to cook after everything is combined, if not the noodles get mushy.

Yummy Jello Cake

My boy's are not big into cake at all, especially Cody but as I type they are making the most yummy of noises in the dining room with their cake and milk. We made this cake when we woke up and it is delicious! I rarely make dessert so when I do, it's a special treat!

RECIPE:
Bake a cake according to directions, yellow or white.

Make Jello according to directions.

When the cake is done poke holes in the cake with a fork, a lot. Then add the Jello over top of the cake. Let it sit at least 3 hours to set up. Add whipped cream or Cool Whip, I added yellow food coloring to the Cool Whip. Instant summer cake that is light and oh so yummy!

Try this and Enjoy!
Stephenie