6 Layer Casserole

1 lb ground beef, browned
1/2 package 16 oz noodles(your pick I used rotini)
1 jar pizza sauce
3 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c sour cream
1 c spinach
1 1/2 c 5 Italian mix cheese

Brown the ground beef in a skillet or however you prefer.  Cook the noodles according to the package directions.  Mix with a mixer(easier that way) the cream cheese and the sour cream together until well blended.  In the bottom of an 8"x 8" pan put the noodles in first, then add ground beef, next layer in the pizza sauce, now the spinach, then the cream mixture, and finally the cheese.  If you are going to freeze this for later, now would be the time to wrap it up and label it and place in freezer to use at a later date!  If you are going to bake it.  Bake at 350 for 35minutes or until all cheese is melted.  Enjoy!

Lysol/Clorox Wipes-homemade

The lysol or clorox wipes can get a bit expensive and can easily be made at home, with just a couple of things.

1 roll paper towel (a thick one like brawny or bounty works best)
Old container (baby wipe, or lysol wipes container work excellent)
2 cap fulls lysol
2 cups water

First you cut the top 1/3 off the paper towel roll (if you are usin an old clorox/lysol wipes container).  Take the cardboard roll out of the inside. Place in the old container,mix the lysol and water together.  Pour over the paper towel, make sure to cover all the paper towel. Pull the middle towel up through the top.  Use as needed.  I made these 2 weeks ago and they are still going strong.  It was nice for them to not be so expensive since I had everything on hand.

Cucumber Sandwich!

Since I have so many cucumbers in the garden we decided to make a sandwich out of them!
They turned out really good and were quite refreshing on a hot summer day.  Another bonus-they were really easy to make.

Slice the cucumber
1 can tuna
1 TBSP mayo
1 clove garlic
green onion chopped
10 Grapes quartered
Tomato (if you wish)

 Slice the cucumber I did mine about 1/4" thick.  This will act as your bread!  Next mix the tuna with the mayo, onion, grapes and garlic.  Layer the tuna and tomato on top of one cucumber slice and add another slice to the top!  Enjoy.  A nice fresh, not too fattening lunch, that is quick and easy!

We all really enjoyed eating this.  For a side we have a bowl of fresh strawberries-perfect lunch on a day when it is 100 degrees!

Harvesting Green Beans

I have now harvested my green beans twice! TWICE! And we had enough both times to eat them as our veggies for lunch.  I steamed them a bit and man were they good.  I'm so excited that we got to eat all those wonderful fresh veggies!  And there are still more to come.  Those little plants sure are working hard especially in this 100 degree weather.

These seem to be the only thing producing for the harvest currently although the other plants are still hard at work.  We shall see what comes up in the garden next week.

Oh and since I sprayed my plants with that wonderful spray, I have not seen any more white flies eating my plants.  That makes me soo happy!

Changing

Well I think things are beginning to change around here.  My little man seems to be fighting his morning naps.  I am a bit sad and I keep putting him down for them still.  He doesn't ever sleep though he sits in his crib and talks and plays with his stuffed animals.  So I may have to reevaluate putting him dow.  I'm glad he is getting to be a big boy, but I'm a bit sad that one of his naps my be disappearing.  He ususally needs them or at least some quiet time or he gets cranky as all get out.  We shall see where this next week leads.  If he continues to just play I will probably just stop laying him down unless he asks. (and yes my child will ask to go to bed if he is tired, we are extremely blessed!)

 Yes he is sitting on the table, he learned how to climb and is becoming a pro!

He has also been getting a really bad diaper rash, so far desitin and butt paste are not working too well.  We have also done some baking soda baths and it seems to calm it for a bit but not anything long term.  I have read that browned flour works well for diaper rash but have yet to try it.  Has anyone ever tried this before??? If you have did it work? Just curious-not really feeling like messing with it if it isn't going to work.  I have also thought about getting a big boy potty and seeing if he is ready for that-as it appears his bottom has had enough diapers!  We will see if I am brave enough to try as he is still so little and not walking on his own.  He is a smart learning though so maybe he will be ready.  Anybody have any potty training tips? We will need to start looking into it soon enough!

My big boy is also starting to want to walk-not on his own mind you.  BUT he does want to hold my hand everywhere, so I am taking that as good news as he isn't so nervous about using his feet.  Maybe my 18months he will finally take a step on his own.  I never thought it would take this long, but he really isn't in any hurry so I'm not going to rush him.

My baby will be 12wks old tomorrow.  Where has the time gone? She is chewing on her hands and drooling a lot, makes me a bit nervous that she may be working on teeth already but only time will tell.  She is still a good nurser and usually has one 4 hour chunk a night that she lets me sleep for, which I greatly appreciae.  She loves to be held and snuggled(um more like smothered or suffocated.)  She burrows into you and sometime I feel like she can't breathe, but it is so sweet. She loves to sit in the bumbo seat and watch her brother and dog run(crawl) all around her.  I love watching her just take everything in, she watches so close and is so attentive!

daddy caught her with her tongue out!

Beef and Noodles

1 lb ground beef-browned
1/2 package of 16 oz noodles-your choice
1 c sour cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 c beef broth
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 tsp garlic powder or 1 clove of garlic minced
1 tsp onion powder or 1/2 onion chopped fine

Cook the noodles according to package instructions.  Add to the bottom of a 8"x8" pan.  Next add the ground beef.  Mix the last ingredients together until smooth.  Pour over top of the beef and noodles.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. It may look a bit funky but I promise you it tastes wonderful! 

This is a super yummy and easy meal.  Almost like a beef stroganoff but with ground beef instead of a stew type meat so it is a bit more cost effective.  I added some parmesan cheese on top when it came out of the oven. It also freezes well.  Just assemble and just before you would put it in the oven cover in foil, label/date, and place in the freezer. Thaw before cooking in the oven.

Gardening-Parenting

Gardening just seems to reaffirm so many things about parenting and there are so many parallels.  I love the constant reminder as I'm working in it.

Gardens need water.  Our children also need water, yes they need this in the physical sense.  But they also need to drink from the Living Water.  I'm reminded of this daily as I water my plants.  I need to make sure that I am also reading to my children daily from scripture so they might drink of the Living Water and have a fuller, more beautiful life.

Gardens need care/time.  They are an effort.  You cannot just let them be.  You must go out there and check on them.  Check to see if there is anything to harvest.  Check to see if there are weeds or if they need more water.  You have to make sure they have the right balance of everything.  Just like children.  They need balance.  You have to spend time with them, and put forth and effort.  If you don't put effort and work into them, you will notice as they get older. 

Gardens need to be kept in check.  My cucumber plants specifically seem to want to take over everything else so I go out there daily and guide it where I would like it to go so that it doesn't go somewhere that it shouldn't.  We must make sure we are guiding our children.  We need to show them the straight path of the Lord and try our best to keep them on the right track.  We need to be training them while they are young so when they are old they will not forget the way they should go.

Gardens need to be cleaned out.  You have to clean out the dead leaves or plants.  You have to pull out the weeds so they don't choke out the good plants.  Again much like our children.  You must recognize the bad fruit in their lives or the weeds that get in the way.  You need to prune them and help them to grow in the way they should go.  You need to make sure there are no weeds choking them up and remove them.

You must be gentle.  When the plants are just starting to grow you need to be careful not to step on them or move them around to harsh or the stems and leaves will break off leaving your plant damaged.  You need to be gentle in your rebuking, correcting, and teaching of your children.  Always do it out of love, never anger.  Make sure you are gentle with them and their spirits as they are fragile and still forming.  This is especially true for me since my children are so young.  I need to make sure I correct them when they do wrong, but in a gentle and kind way.

I know there are probably more, but this ones are the serious reminders to me every time I step foot outside to work in the garden.