My Little Corner of the World

Menu Plan Monday, Junly 13, 2009

2009-07-13T07:55:00.003-04:00

Happy Monday! Can you believe it is the middle of July! I sure can't! Summer is slipping by quickly. I'm planning on cooking every night this week. We'll see if that happens, or if life gets the better of me. Here's our plan for this week:

Sunday~ Slow cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs over Penne, Fried Zucchini

Monday~Buffalo Chicken Wraps, Homemade French Fries

Tuesday~Baby Back BBQ Ribs, Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans

Wednesday~Grilled Steak, Baked Potatoes, Garden Salad

Thursday~Grilled Ham Slices, Homemade Macaroni and Cheese, Corn on the Cob

Friday~Homemade Pizza and Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings

Saturday~BBQ Italian Chicken Breasts, Rice Pilaf, and Grilled Zucchini

Making breaded zucchini with our daughter. Today we'll be making Zucchini Bread together.

Check out the other menus at http://orgunkie.com/

Have a week full of blessings,
Lisa

Our Weekend

2009-07-12T16:14:00.003-04:00

Here are some photos of our weekend at camp. Unfortunately it rained most of the afternoon on Saturday, so we weren't on the lake for very long.

Cousins

The two oldest...my ds and niece

The two youngest...our nephew and dd...only 2 months apart in age.

John waterskiing...his favorite sport!

Hope your weekend was filled with fun!

Blessings,

Lisa

Christmas in July Tablescape Party

2009-07-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

Felecia at Playing Dishes is hosting a Christmas in July Tablescape Party every Saturday in July. Be sure to visit her blog for some holiday inspiration.

This is our Christmas Eve dinner table. The dishes are Winterberry by Pfaltzgraff, as are the glassware and stemware. The napkin rings are from Lillian Vernon and are glass berries and leaves. I purchased the placecards and favor boxes at Michaels in the dollar section. The favor boxes were filled with hershey kisses.

Here's a close up of a place setting.

Happy Christmas in July!

Blessings,

Lisa

Outdoor Wednesday, 7/8/09

2009-07-08T08:47:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan, A Southern Daydreamer.
Visit her place and the other participant's blogs to see what's outside of their little corner of the world.

On Tuesday, we visited the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium. I couldn't resist taking photos of their flowers, statuary and landscape to share today.

The River Otters

Polar Bear (and my kids)

A Perennial Garden called the Pollination Station

Inside the PPG Aquarium

Thank you for stopping by!

Blessings,

Lisa

The Fourth of July

2009-07-06T20:26:00.001-04:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Menu Plan Monday, July 6, 2009

2009-07-06T16:55:00.004-04:00

Good afternoon! I'm a bit late posting this week's menu plan. We just got home from our weekend at the lake. We decided last night to stay just one more day.

Sunday~Grilled Italian Chicken Breasts, Baked Potato Salad, Baked Beans

Monday~Appetizer Dinner: Party Nachos, Super Easy and Spicy Fried Pickles and Hot Wings

Tuesday~Going to the Zoo!
Wednesday~Our 14th Anniversary~We're dining out!
Thursday~Grilled Pork Chops, Linguine Salad and Grilled Zucchini
Friday~Rotisserie Chicken, Macaroni Salad and Watermelon
Saturday~Grilled Kielbassi and Hot Dogs, Macaroni and Cheese, Veggies and Dip, Fresh Fruit
Check out the other menus at http://orgunkie.com/
Have a week full of blessings,

Lisa

Happy Fourth of July!

2009-07-04T00:00:00.002-04:00

And I'm proud to be an American,where at least I know I'm free.

And I won't forget the men who died,who gave that right to me.

~Lee Greenwood

Blessings,
Lisa

My First Dishcloth

2009-07-02T12:55:00.004-04:00

This is my first knitted washcloth/dishcloth. I plan on making at least 9 more as Christmas gifts for teachers, friends and the school secretaries. I am going to pair it with a bar of soap or a bottle of Bath and Body hand soap.

Check out my Booga Bag, too!

Blessings,

Lisa

Thankful Thursday

2009-07-02T12:23:00.002-04:00

Thank you to Lynn at Spiritually Unequal Marriage for hosting Thankful Thursday this month.

Today I'm thankful for....

the freedom to worship.
my marriage.
that God has provided us with a home, food and clothing and much more than we'll ever need.
the health of my children.
new beginnings.
old friends.
my gifts and the ability to share them with others.
the love of God

I am so very blessed and filled with gratitude for all of the blessings God has provided. Take time to be thankful each and every day.

Blessings,

Lisa

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-07-01T18:05:00.003-04:00

I tried this new recipe. The cookies are huge, chewy inside and crispy outside.

· 2 cups all-purpose flour
· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
· 1 cup packed brown sugar
· 1/2 cup white sugar
· 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
· 1 egg
· 1 egg yolk
· 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F ( Grease cookie sheets, or line them with parchment paper or use a Silpat .

Sift the flour, salt and baking soda and set aside.

Mix the sugars and butter just until thoroughly mixed, then add egg, yolk and vanilla and mix until creamy. Add the sifted ingredients and mix until just blended.

Stir in the chocolate chips/chunks, then drop dough 1/4 cup at a time on a cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart, and bake for 15-17 minutes.

Leave them on the cookie sheet to cool a bit when removed from the oven (this is important… they fall apart if you move them too quickly).

Once they cool a few minutes, remove the cookies to a cooling rack to finish cooling.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Lisa

Outdoor Wednesday, July 1, 2009

2009-07-01T11:36:00.004-04:00

Welcome to Outdoor Wednesday, hosted by Susan, A Southern Daydreamer.

Visit her place and the other participants' blogs to see what's outside of their little corner of the world.

Here's what's blooming in my little corner of the world:

Hosta with little purple blooms

Echinacea in the herb garden

A bee enjoys some of the coneflower

Clematis

Orange coneflower

Enjoy this day!

Blessings,

Lisa

My Booga Bag

2009-06-29T15:02:00.003-04:00

I finally completed my first knitting project since starting classes 6 weeks ago. I'm very proud of my felted purse and haven't decided whether to keep it or give it as a gift. If you are a knitter, here is a link to the pattern: http://www.blacksheepbags.com/booga_bag.html

Here is the bag before it was felted. I just love the colors!

This is after felting, blocked on a box to dry.

The Booga Bag

My next project is a hat for dd and hopefully a matching scarf.

Have a day full of blessings,

Lisa

Menu Plan Monday, June 29, 2009

2009-06-29T08:45:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe it is the last Monday of June! Where has this month gone? I'm looking forward to another busy week, but also a great holiday weekend! Here's our plan for the week:

Sunday~Grilled American Cheese Kielbassi, Baked Potato Salad, Baked Beans

Monday~Spaghetti and Veal Parmesan, Fresh Baked Bread, Salad

Tuesday~Lemon Basil Chicken, Creamy Italian Pasta Salad, Grilled Zucchini

Wednesday~Porcupine Balls and Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Thursday~Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich and Homemade Fries, Fresh Fruit

Friday~Pizza Boats and Tossed Salad, Watermelon for dessert

Saturday~Happy 4th of July!! Picnic at Camp~Hamburgers with all the toppings, Hot Dogs, Potato Salad, Baked Beans, Star Brownies, and Watermelon

Be sure to check out more menus at http://orgjunkie.com/

Have a week full of blessings,
Lisa

Thankful Thursday, June 25, 2009

2009-06-25T09:30:00.004-04:00

This week I have discovered that I don't do well without a vehicle. DH's truck is having some much needed body work done, so we only have one vehicle. This week has been a real struggle for me. I haven't been able to do my errands, visit family or visit friends. I know how blessed we are to have two vehicles, when some families have only one car or no mode of transporation at all. That leads to one of many things I'm thankful for today...two vehicles for our family. I'm also thankful that my in-laws are allowing us to use one of their vehicles so that dh can attend a meeting tonight while I go to knitting class.

Our family is so blessed in so many ways. I can't imagine what some families go through as they struggle to feed and clothe their children or fight for health care benefits for a sick child. It makes me so sad and angry, but yet leads me to be more grateful for all that I have...I am thankful for healthy children who are growing and learning each and every day, for the roof over our heads and that we have food on our table each day.

I'm thankful that I've gotten back in touch with a few of my cousins and old friends thanks to facebook.

I'm also thankful for my husband, who is patient with me.

Visit http://womentakingastand.blogspot.com/ for more Thankful Thursday posts.

Have a day full of love and blessings,

Lisa

Terrific Tuesday

2009-06-23T14:44:00.004-04:00

Come over and sit a spell!

The weather here is beautiful, so I thought I'd capture some pictures of this summer's flowers ...

Blessings,

Lisa

Dads

2009-06-22T09:18:00.002-04:00

My Penguin Fans

DH and our kids on Father's Day

My Dad on his favorite chair

Blessings,
Lisa

Menu Plan Monday, June 22, 2009

2009-06-22T08:10:00.003-04:00

Happy Summer! It has finally arrived! We followed last week's menu pretty closely. The Weeknight Lasagna Toss is a keeper. We all loved it! I cut down the green pepper to only 1/2 of 1 pepper and it was just right. We also liked the Sweet and Sour Meatball Skewers. They were something different on the grill.

Here's the plan for this week:

Sunday~ Spaghetti with homemade sauce and sausage, garden salad

Monday~Pollo alla Panna (Chicken Cutlets in Cream Sauce) over Linguine, Salad, Italian Bread

Tuesday~Sweet BBQ Chicken Kabobs, Rice Pilaf, Sugar Snap Peas

Wednesday~Zesty Potato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Thursday~ Knitting Night~Chinese Take Out

Friday~Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple, Pasta Salad and Grilled Veggies

Saturday~ Pizza and Wing Night

Check out more weekly menus at http://orgjunkie.com

Have a week full of blessings,

Lisa

Lemon Meringue Pie

2009-06-21T13:44:00.006-04:00

Lemon Meringue Pie

1 package Jello lemon flavored pudding Pie filling (cook and serve)
1/2 cup sugar
2¼ cup water
2 egg yolks
1 baked 9 pie shell;cooled

3 egg whites
5 tablespoons sugar

Combine pie filling mix, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup of water in saucepan. Blend in egg yolks and remaining water. Cook and stir over medium heat stirring constantly with a whisk ,until mixture comes to a full bubbling boil.
Remove from heat. Cool 5 minutes, stirring twice. Pour into pie shell.

Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until foamy throughout. Gradually beat in 5 tablespoons sugar and continue beating until mixture forms stiff peaks. Spread over pie filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until meringue is delicately brown. Cool at least 4 hours before cutting.

Enjoy!

Garage Sale!

2009-06-21T13:30:00.005-04:00

On Saturday, we held a garage sale. As dh says, "We have more stuff than two people should be allowed to own." We cleared out the attic and loaded up the garage. Sadly, we have more to put out. Soooo...we're opening up the garage again next Saturday to sell the rest of the items we had no room for yesterday. We had a lot of great shoppers, met some neighbors that we didn't know and made a bit of money in the process. These photos were taken mid-day.

Some tips~

price everything
put out clean items~no one wants to buy dirty things
use lots of signs http://www.paperprintout.com/ has great printable signs.
advertise~in the paper and on-line
put batteries in battery operated toys. You can ask for more money and shoppers are more likely to buy if they can see how it works.
merchandise like items together
bag/box like items together and sell for one price...i.e. 12 matchbox cars for 1 dollar

So if you are in the neighborhood next Saturday, stop by and visit our sale!

Blessings,

Lisa

Jeff and Tina's Wedding

2009-06-15T09:22:00.004-04:00

We attended a family friend's wedding on Saturday night. I loved her color scheme of orange and yellow. It was so pretty and felt like summer. The wedding was held in an open air historic dance hall at a local park. Here are some photos from the wedding:

The favor box with their initial

The table centerpiece

A couple photo at our placesetting

The Cake

The Hall

The new Mr. and Mrs.

Congratulations Jeff and Tina!

Blessings,

Lisa

Menu Plan Monday, June 15, 2009

2009-06-15T08:44:00.003-04:00

It's my first full week of summer vacation and I'm so thrilled about that! Our goal this week it to eat at home every night this week. On Saturday, we're having a garage sale. I think we'll order in after that event and just enjoy some down time after the prep work of all week.

Here's what we're eating this week:

Monday~Weeknight Lasagna Toss, Salad, Garlic Toast

Tuesday~Chicken Gyros, Oven Fries, Grilled Zucchini

Wednesday~Sweet and Sour Meatball Skewers with Buttered and Herbed Rice and Corn on the Cob

Thursday~BBQ Ribs, Cheesy Potatoes, Baked Beans

Friday~ Weekenight Taco Salad with Fresh Fruit

Saturday~ Pizza and Wings

Have a week full of blessings,

Lisa

Jewelry Party Desserts and More

2009-06-13T14:08:00.004-04:00

On Friday evening, I hostessed a Lia Sophia jewelry show. It was a good time

and the hostess benefits are awesome! If you have an opportunity to hostess a party, do so. If you are local please contact me and I'll help you book a show with Debbie. I just wanted to share my goodies:

Death by Chocolate

1 devil's food cake, baked in a 13x9 pan, cooled and cubed

1 large chocolate instant pudding, prepared with 3 cups milk

1 tub of cool whip lite

2 Heath Bars, chopped

In a clear glass or trifle bowl, layer ingredients using 1/2 of the cake, then 1/2 of the pudding, 1/2 of the cool whip and half of the candy bar. Repeat one time for a regular size trifle bowl ending with the chopped candy bar on top. Chill for a few hours before serving. Enjoy!

Angel Lush

1 can (20 oz.) DOLE Crushed Pineapple in Juice, undrained
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping
1 pkg. (10 oz.) round angel food cake, cut into 3 layers
10 small fresh strawberries

Mix pineapple and dry pudding mix. Gently stir in cool whip.
Stack cake layers on plate, spreading pudding mixture between layers and on top of cake.
Refrigerate 1 hour. Top with berries.

I made my own angel food cake and left out the berries because a friend is allergic to strawberries.

Enjoy!

Nibbler Tray

A friend at Magical Holiday Home suggested this for my party. Thanks Kim!

I couldn't find skinny bread sticks, so I made regular breadsticks. The nibbles included mozzarella balls, marinated artichokes, balsamic marinated mushrooms, and wine marinated olives. The tray was well received. I like that it was different from the usual crackers and cheeseball.

Thanks for stopping by!

Blessings,

Lisa

Thankful Thursday

2009-06-11T08:36:00.004-04:00

I am thankful...

...that my children are happy and healthy.

...for my husband who loves me despite my crazy moments and that he is home with us after a short (very short) trip.

...for God's love and forgiveness.

...for summer vacation after a long school year.

...for all that God provides for my family.

Blessings,

Lisa

Menu Plan Monday, June 8, 2009

2009-06-08T06:51:00.003-04:00

It's another Menu Plan Monday! It's also my last day of the school year! Summer vacation starts today at 3:30 p.m. Here's our plan for another busy week:

Sunday~Grilled Pork Loin, Olive Oil and Garlic with Angel Hair, Tossed Salad

Monday~Celebration Take Out after late dental appointments

Tuesday~Soup and Sandwiches

Wednesday~ BBQ Chicken Packet, Steamed Rice, Fresh Fruit

Thursday~Grilled Ham Steaks, Twice Baked Potatoes, Green Beans

Friday~Jewelry Party

Saturday~Wedding Reception

Check out more menus at http://orgjunkie.com

Have a week full of blessings,

Lisa

Italian Cookies

2009-06-05T16:07:00.003-04:00

I made these cookies today. They remind me of the cookies we used to make with my Nana, Mom, Aunts and Cousins at Christmas time when I was a girl. I miss those times together in Nana's kitchen.

Italian Cookies

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
6 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla or anise extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder

ICING:
3-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
5 to 6 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DECORATIONS:
Flaked coconut or assorted sprinkles

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and extract. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. For icing, in a small bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla until smooth. Dip cookies, allowing excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper; decorate as desired. Let stand until set. Yield: 7 dozen. Enjoy!

Blessings,
Lisa