Saturday, August 24, 2013

We're baaaack!!! End of August menu

We did eat last week.
I did make a plan.
I just did not have time to post our menu on the first day of school!
I made chicken breasts in mushroom gravy with whole wheat linguine for Sunday.  On Monday, we had tacos and a layered bean dip similar to this one. Tuesday, we had beef tips with mushrooms.  Wednesday turned into a fend-for-yourself night; hubs went to bowl with some friends so ds#3 and I munched on whatever we could find in the kitchen.  Thursday and Friday, we went out to eat.
So you see, everyone has been fed.

This week, I'm attempting to plan earlier, so that it's all ready to go!
Sunday~ I made lasagna on Saturday, so we'll have it with a big tossed salad. YUM!
Monday~ Hubs & I have joined a bowling league.  I'm not sure what we'll do for dinner.
Tuesday~Breakfast for dinner.  Planned to do this last week, but it never materialized.
Wednesday~ Hubs will bowl - he is bowling on a team with some teachers from school, so they are practicing.  We'll wing it.
Thursday~ Chicken in the crockpot.  Roasted new potatoes and either green beans or broccoli from the freezer.
Friday~ Hallelujah, it's PAYDAY!!! We will probably go out to eat.
Saturday~ Hubs has been wanting to try his hand at smoking a brisket, so this will probably be the weekend to do it.

And there you have it!  The second-week-of-school and last-week-of-August menu.  Share yours at Menu Plan Monday!

Sunday, August 11, 2013

The End of Summer.

Sometimes life is just hard.
There's no way around it, and you just have to trudge through until you come to the other side of whatever it is.
And it gets a little easier, and the road is a little less bumpy.
And that's the way this summer has been.

I have been working hard to get myself mentally and emotionally prepared to go back to school - back to work - after the very unexpected death of my brother.
My baby brother.
The one I was always responsible for, who grew to be taller than any of us.
The one that always came up with the ideas that got us into trouble, but he got away with it because we "were older and should know better".
The one with a ready smile and a friendly hug.
He is gone...
and my heart aches for what I've lost, for what we've all lost.  What heaven has gained.  But I have lost.
My heart hurts when I see my parents struggle.
What mama should see her baby die????

Life is so hard.
I hate feeling this way, but I know that in order to get over it, I have to go through it.
And I guess that's what makes it so hard.
There is no getting around it, no short cut to take.  Oh, how I wish there was.  How I cry out that this would be a bad dream, and I could wake up.
But I wake up, and it's real, and I take a deep breath, pray for help, and go on.

I want to quit.
OH, how I want to quit.  But I can't.  I can't, for the sake of my mother, who still sobs every time she sees his baby picture.  I can't, for the sake of my twelve year old son who worries so much about me when he sees me tear up.  I can't quit.  So I take a deep breath.
I pray for help.
I go on.