Double Digits!

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

I know it is Monday, but my random musings will have to wait until next week. Dimples celebrated his 10th birthday yesterday.

How is that possible?


I have NO idea!!


I remember the day of his birth so well. I remember every detail, every emotion, every scary moment, and every happy tear. It was an emotional day that changed me forever.


Dimples was our first born. He was the first to make me a mom and the first to make us a family. Nurse Boy and I had no idea how much our lives were going to change. We also could never have predicted how full our lives would become.

Happy 10th Birthday, Dimples!

You are an amazing boy! You are a natural born leader, you love spending time with family and friends, you are a hard worker, your passion for learning is contagious, and your kindness is heart warming. You love God and desire to serve Him well. You enjoy almost anything that involves some form of competition, but aren't afraid to lose. You always desire to do your best and aren't afraid of a challenge.

We are so proud of the gentleman you are becoming. We pray you continue to follow the Lord with all of your heart. May you continue to be an encourager to those you are around. Your fun personality and amazing smile are your best trademarks. Use them well!

Happy Birthday, Dimples!

Friday Fare!

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.


It is Friday. Finally. It has been a busy week. Both of my boys were born in November, so we have "birthday-itis." Add Thanksgiving, and this month is simply CRAZY! But, I must admit that it is a fun CRAZY.


However, I will rethink that statement when I find myself in Toys R Us this weekend. Why is that place always so crowded? Don't all of those people know that we are in a recession? And, don't those parents know how to play nice?


Sorry, I digress...


So, wanna know what's for dinner? Wanna a recipe for 2 meals at once? Wanna have a frozen meal in the freezer for next week? Want something besides chicken?!


Well, today is your lucky day... Tonight you can kill two birds with one stone. You can make dinner for tonight AND freeze a meal (or 2) at the SAME TIME!

Pizza Burgers!

All you need:
1 pound cooked ground beef
30 oz of pizza sauce
3 oz. of pepperoni, cut into small pieces (We use turkey pepperoni)
2 cups of mozzarella cheese
garlic powder, to taste
Italian seasoning, to taste
onion, to taste (optional, my kids hate onions, of course)
16 hamburger buns

In a large bowl, mix together the cooked ground beef, pizza sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Fill buns with meat mixture. Yes, it really does make at least 16 sandwiches!

This is what I do with the leftovers:






I individually wrap each sandwich in foil.








I place all of the individually wrapped sandwiches in a zip lock bag and stash them in the freezer. When you are ready to use the leftovers, simply place them in the oven (still in foil) at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. They do heat up faster if you let them thaw before you stick them in the oven. You can even microwave them, but they might be a little soggy.

These are simple and tasty--kind of like a sloppy joe with a pizza twist.

Have a fabulous weekend!!!!

Things That Make Me Smile

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

This should really be titled, "Things that make me go YUM!"

Every October I have to have this stuff.

Just during October.

Not before.

Never after.

It just screams fall.

It is so yummy.

But, my hips will never thank me for it.

Nope. It certainly does not fit into one of my healthy alternatives.

Hey, you can't win them all!

Meet my October addiction:

Candy corn, pumpkins, and dry roasted peanuts.

I have spent the last couple of weeks in detox.

I am all good now.

Until I come face to face with a pumpkin pie...

Monday's Random Musings

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Excuse me for a second while I climb out from under the leaves....

Um, yeah, we have just a few. The stupid leaves refuse to blow into the neighbors' lawns. And, the neighbors refuse to mow, mulch, or rake even the tiniest part of our lawn. Nope. They draw a perfectly straight line and turn up their noses at our leaf-infested lawn. Well, I might be exaggerating a little. Not about the straight line, but maybe about turning up their noses.

Maybe.

Ready for some randomness before I pick up the boys from school and excitedly point them toward the rakes?!

~ This weekend I overheard Nurse Boy mumble something about the starving children in Africa and, "Just stop complaining, eat your lunch, and be quiet!" I could not contain my giggles. When did we officially become our parents?!

~Poor Nurse Boy also lost his cool when Dimples started to whine about the endless raking that was to be done this weekend. Nurse Boy's response? "So, you don't want to rake? You just want ME to do ALL of the work for you?" Dimples quietly picked up the rake and got busy.

~Nurse Boy has turned into his parents, no doubt.

~Is it wrong that I often giggle when Nurse Boy loses his cool? Truth be told, he almost never loses his cool. We won't discuss my behavior. Yeah, I am always as cool as a cucumber... in hot and spicy salsa. It just makes me feel better when he loses his cool every now and again.

~I found a $25 gift card to TGI Fridays in the bottom of a toy basket.

~It is almost enough motivation to start cleaning and organizing around here.

~I did say ALMOST.

~Dusting... may I ask, WHAT IS THE POINT?! Yet, I still do it faithfully every single week.

~Is it possible to take a good picture of three kids in hopes of a fantastic Christmas card photo? Without yelling at them? Without taking over 100 photos?

~I am here to tell you that it is not possible. 100 photos later, I have 3 big, fat "maybes."

~I guess I should have gone the professional photo route after all.

~Was it worth my sanity to save a couple of bucks?!

~But, I do LOVE picnik.com! Maybe I can make them LOOK professional and photo shop a smile or two in...

~Wonder if I can also erase the tears? Yeah, I should get an award for making my kids cry while trying to take a jolly, happy, heart-warming Christmas photo.

~Why, YES, I am still available to come snap some heart-warming photos of your clan!



I know, I know. I won't hold my breath!

Happy Monday!

Wanna join me? Leave me a comment and I will give you some linky love!



Check out Brandi's randomness HERE!

Michelle posted over HERE!

Friday Fare!

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

It is Friday... and I am not sure how that is possible. This week has raced by. This weekend is full of possibilities. Soccer season has ended and beautiful weather is in store.

Except for the leaves that currently cover our yard, roof, gutters, and cars. Man, do I have a love hate relationship with our old oak trees!

So, never mind. This weekend will be full of raking, bagging, and much, much more raking. At least I know our neighbors are hoping we get around to it. Me? I am hoping there is a leaf fairy that will visit us in the middle of the night.

Today I would like to share one of our favorite dishes. It is made with ingredients that I always keep on hand. It is one of my standby dishes. It is perfect when I don't FEEL like cooking or I don't think there is anything in the pantry. Plus, the ENTIRE family gobbles this stuff up!

You will need:

garlic powder

Terriayki marinade

chopped onions... dried or fresh

Don't forget the chicken! You can use breasts, thighs, drumsticks, etc. My kids currently prefer "chicken on the bone."

Cover the chicken with terriakyi. Next, sprinkle on the garlic powder and onion according to your taste.

Bake the chicken at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

YUM!

Have a terrific weekend!!!

ABC's of My Life

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

Shana tagged me a few weeks back in a fun ABC list. I am just now getting caught up and have finally gotten around to joining in on the fun!

A - Age: 35... YIKES!

B - Bed size: Queen... the perfect size!

C - Chore you hate: Laundry and Bathrooms... duh!

D - Dog's name: No dogs since boy #2... Hey, I've got my hands FULL!

E - Essential start your day item: My friend, the snooze button

F - Favorite color: Blue

G - Gold or Silver: Silver ALL. THE. WAY, baby!

H - Height: 5'3", on a good day ;0)

I - I am: still in love with my husband!

J - Job: Mom to my kiddos and part time preschool teacher (12 whooping hours a week)

K - Kids: 3

L - Living arrangements: Blessed to own our home... well the bank still does, but whatever ;0)

M - Mom's name: Phyllis

N - Nicknames: MOM

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: Gallbladder--JOY!

P - Pet Peeve: Nurse Boy's driving-- Yeah, I'm gonna pay for that one!

Q - Quote from a movie: I couldn't remember one if my life depended on it!

R - Right or left handed: right

S - Siblings:1 younger brother

T - Time you wake up: By 7 am, YUCK!

U- Underwear: YES!

V - Vegetable you dislike: beets and Lima beans-- Does anyone really like Lima beans?!

W - Ways you run late: I always blame it on the kids... that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

X - X-rays you've had: My tailbone, 7th grade, don't ask...

Y - Yummy food you make: Baked ziti and apple pie

Z - Zoo favorite: I have no idea. How about anything behind a thick, glass wall?

I think I am suppose to tag someone, but I know a lot of you have already done this. So, how about letting me know in my comments if you want to play along?

Monday's Random Musings

aka~ RANDOM-MESS!

Mrs. Nurse Boy here.

I am finding my way out of the piles of candy to post this. Maybe next I can find my way to the treadmill. Here's hoping that a few hours on that bad boy can erase a couple, OK, several Almond Joys. Man, do I love those things! If they are wrong, I am afraid I just don't want to be right. The amount of candy we are housing over here is ridiculous! I think it is going to find its way to a better, safer home very soon. One where I do not reside!

On to my randomness so I can burn some calories and rid my home of sugar...

~ "My forehead is squishy!" (Sweet Pea's contribution this week. Fitting, huh? I know. I should be so proud! You can tell she is a prodigy just from that one quote, can't you? I blame her father.)

~Nurse Boy always says that he can tell she is a girl by the way she talks to herself. All. The. Time.

~I would normally roll my eyes at that one but I often find myself in public places, like the post office or the grocery store, talking to myself. OUT LOUD. Yeah, it is kind of hard to play that off.

~It is not good to visit someone who just had a C-section and make them laugh. Repeatedly. How come Nurse Boy and I always forget that?

~It is good to go visit and take in that baby smell!! I miss that smell. And, those fuzzy little heads. And, the sweet cries...

~Sweet Pea wants a baby brother now. NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN. Mama is finally getting 8 hours of sleep every night. And, let us not forget that I now clip the Huggies coupons for OTHER PEOPLE.

~I do not miss the diapers. Nope. Not one bit.

~Do these just scream fall or what? YUM! Nurse Boy ventured into the Russell Stover's store a few weeks ago and left with these. They were AMAZING!

~On Saturday, Dimples and I were driving down the highway when we spotted the most incredible sight EVER. We saw a man riding on his motorcycle with a Batman costume on. I spotted him in my rear view mirror. I could see his bat ears and his cap flowing behind him. It really was cool. So cool, that I missed my turn.

~Can you tell that I am a mom of boys? Hey, for a moment, even I thought Batman just might be real. It was a fun thought...

~Here is a picture of my Mad Scientist, Peyton Manning of the Colts, and my sweet little Ladybug!

~And this, my friends, is a ladybug who fell fast asleep after a yummy chocolate bar! How precious is that?!

~Lastly, I loved my extra hour of sleep with regard to Daylight Savings, but this pitch black sky at 5:30 P.M. STINKS!

Happy Monday everyone... and, PUT DOWN THE CANDY!