Thirsty Thursday

This week's version of Thirsty Thursday is going to be short and sweet. I'm trying to get my family prepared for Addy's surgical procedure that is happening at 8am Thursday, so I'm writing this on Wednesday evening. I won't have much internet access for a day or so, but please participate. It will give me something to look forward to after taking care of Addy.

This recipe came with the Pampered Chef Family-Size Quick-Stir Pitcher.

Orange Plunge-sicle

• 6 cups milk
• 2 cans (12 oz each) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
• 1 pint softened vanilla ice cream
• 1 can (15 oz) mandarin orange segments in light syrup, undrained, mashed

Place all ingredients in pitcher. Plunge until frothy (this pitcher has a built in stirring plunger - you could use a whisk or you could make this in the blender). Serve immediately.
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Want to participate? Write a post on your blog (you can even use the image I created above) and link back to this post. Insert the link to your post in the Mr. Linky below so others can read your submissions.

Wordless Wednesday, Sleeping Angel Contest, works-for-me wednesday, and Special Exposure Wednesday!

I usually only participate in works-for-me wednesdays over at Rocks In My Dryer, however, I found Wordless Wednesday over at 5 Minutes for Mom, and Special Exposure Wednesday over at 5 Minutes for Special Needs.

I'm combining this post with my contest entry post. You see, 5 Minutes for Mom has posted about a contest they are calling Sleeping Angel Contest where contestants can win either the Lily Rose Bedroom Set or the Summer Breeze Bedroom Set for your child from Home & Bedroom Furniture. Click on the Sleeping Angel Contest to find out how to participate!

This photo of Addy was taken by her Granddaddy while she was sleeping on her Grin's lap this past July. Although Addy still sleeps in a crib, we'd love to win the Summer Breeze Bedroom Set in Vanilla Cream to create a beautiful little girl bedroom for her.

This post is also being used for my participation in Special Exposure Wednesday over at 5 Minutes for Special Needs. I have a link to their website on the left column of this blog. Check them out too!

As always, I am participating in works-for-me wednesdays over at Rocks In My Dryer. I don't know a mom of a child under 12 that this contest doesn't work for!

Addy's Surgery

Tomorrow is Addy's second round of GI tests. She is having an Endoscopy, pH Probe, and Impedence Study. These are tests that require her to be sedated. We will report to surgery at Riley at 8:00AM, the procedure is scheduled to begin at 9:30 and is reported to last about an hour. She is expected to be in recovery for about an hour and a half. They suggested that we plan on being at the hospital for 5-6 hours. It is also my understanding that we will need to return on Friday to have the probes removed (they will leave the probes in place, we will return home and she will continue her normal activity while the monitors are recording her GI functions for 24 hours).

Please keep Addy in your thoughts over the next few days as we know this will be unpleasant for her. It's never easy to hand your child over to be sedated and poked at, but we hope this will bring us the answers we need to make her feel better in the long run. We will report back as soon as we can with outcomes, results, or updates.

Tomorrow is also our 4th wedding anniversary!

Toolin' Up Tuesday

Last week was fun - guest hosting for fishmama over at Life as MOM.

This week, I'm posting a day late because I was unable to use the internet yesterday - I had a field trip for work to Arthur, IL. It was a long day, but I got to visit Carstin Brands factory where they make cultured marble, solid surface, quartz, and granite counter-tops.

I'm back now and hoping that it's ok that I'm posting late.

The tool that I find very useful for sharing photos is Walgreens Photo. I can upload digital images from my computer/camera to the photo storage on the Walgreen's site. From this site, I can place an order to be printed and mailed to me or I can pick up from a local Walgreens in as little as 1 hour. The best part about this site is I can select prints and have them printed at the local Walgreen's near my parent's house. Mom can pick up photos on her way home from work. I can pay online or she can pay when she picks them up. You can also create a group so others can view your photos, add photos of their own, and order the ones they want. They offer many other photo gifts as well. We used their calendar product last year to create a custom calendar with photos of Addyson and her cousin Grace. We gave these as Christmas gifts to grandparents and great grandparents. We plan to do it again this year. I will be waiting for a Walgreen's coupon to come along, as this is the best way to make a customized, inexpensive, and well received Christmas gift.

Menu Plan Monday

Well, this isn't a very healthy menu plan this week, but it's getting that time of year when we are craving comfort foods. We need a quick fix, so this week will be very filling. We'll try to get back to a healthier menu next week.

Sunday - Meatball Subs & Chips (frozen meatballs in crockpot with jarred pasta sauce over top. Cook till heated through. Serve on hoagie roll with mozzerella cheese)

Monday - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans

Meatloaf

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 c milk
• 1/2 c dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 c chopped onion
• 2 T parsley
• 1 t salt
• 1/8 t pepper
• 1/2 t ground sage
• 1 1/2 lbs ground meat (I use a mix of beef, pork, and veal - $2.99/lb @ Meijer)

Combine all ingredients, pat into loaf pan & bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

Topping:

• 1/4 c ketchup
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 t dry mustard.

Mix and spread over meat loaf, return to oven for 10 minutes. I make a second batch of this topping to dip the meatloaf into when eating it!

Tuesday - Pork Chops, Baked Apples & Corn Bake

Corn Bake

• 1 can creamed corn
• 1 can whole corn (drained)
• 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix (dry)
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1 stick butter (melted)

Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients and pour into greased 9 x 9 pan. Bake for 45 minutes.

Wednesday - Eggs, Bacon, Hashbrowns

Thursday - Grilled Chicken and Veggie Foil Packets (This is Nick's favorite right now so we have it about every week!)

Friday - Leftovers

Saturday - Betty Crocker Slow Cooker Cowboy Stew

I was able to return to my weekly budget of $40. After last weeks budget buster, I was happy to see I could stick to the budget even though prices are certainly rising around here! I didn't use many coupons, but with the stock piling that I've been doing, sticking to the budget wasn't too hard, I even had to buy all the meat for this week - our freezer is looking bare!

For more great meal plans, check out Menu Plan Monday over at Organizing Junkie, where her topic this week is Thanksgiving (remember the Canadian Thanksgiving is much earlier than the US Thanksgiving!).

Thirsty Thursday

One of my favorite recipe books in my collection has to be the Hershey's 1934 Cookbook which has been "Revised and expanded with chocolate recipes brought up to date for use in today's kitchen." On page 120, I found the most delicious milkshake recipe named FROSTED CHOCOLATE SHAKE. It is not a thick shake by any stretch, but more like really cold and thick chocolate milk. Here's the recipe:

FROSTED CHOCOLATE SHAKE

3/4 c milk

2-3 Tablespoons HERSHEY'S Syrup

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 c vanilla ice cream

Maraschino cherry (optional - I leave this out!)

In blender container, combine milk, syrup, sugar and vanilla; cover and blend. Add ice cream; cover and blend until smooth. Garnish with cherry, if desired. Serve immediately.

Yield: One 10-ounce serving.

Try it next time you are in the mood for something chocolate-y! It really satisfies my sweet tooth.

Ready to participate? Leave the link to your Thirsty Thursday post below and link back to this post so others can join in the fun.

works-for-me wednesday

So, being a kitchen & bath designer should make posting about this week's Kitchen Organization theme an easy task, right? But you know that old proverb... "The cobbler's children go barefoot". That's the case at my house. The kitchen in my home is a mess... no organization, no order, no labels. Wish I could say differently, but my cabinets aren't even all from the same cabinet company... nope, you'll find 3 different oak cabinets and three different counter-tops in my kitchen. NOT BY CHOICE, but because we just don't have the money to do cosmetic updates to the house of that magnitude. I design beautiful and functional kitchens all day long at work though, if I do say so myself. I long for the day I can have the budgets that my clients have. Many people don't have the resources to remodel their entire kitchen, but retro-fitted cabinetry accessories are much more affordable and can transform the way you use your kitchen. My favorite website for these items is Rev-A-Shelf. Their tag line says it all "Changing the way you think about Cabinetry Organization!". Not only do they carry kitchen cabinetry products, but also products for your vanity cabinets and your closets. You can't just order from their website though, so if you can't find a local dealer in your area, email me at ryann@yourcabinetry.com and I'd be happy to help you get some pricing and place an order. Haven't you always wanted an ironing board that pops up out of a drawer or a trash can that pulls out of a cabinet door? Perhaps a lazy suzan for your corner wall cabinet so you can reach the things in the back. What about a shelf that holds your large kitchen mixer that you can't lift... they have a shelf that lifts up out of a cabinet and brings your mixer to counter height. I also have used their products in craft rooms. Imagine your scrapbooking space or your sewing room that's so unorganized you don't know where your latest project is. You imagine a product, they probably make it. I encourage you to check out their website if you are wanting to make your home more functional.

These products work for me and for my clients, I hope they work for you too! Don't forget to join me tomorrow for Thirsty Thursday! I've got a really good beverage recipe to share!

Visit works-for-me-wednesday over at RocksInMyDryer to pick up kitchen organizational tips from other bloggers.