On Saturday we decided to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather, despite a cold that was making me feel crummy. It would have been a good day for the zoo, but I needed a shorter, closer-to-home trip, so we visited nearby Cadron Settlement Park. Several friends had mentioned that even their little ones had done the trails there, so we thought we’d give it a try. Anna did great going up and down those hills! We just hiked a little way, then turned around. I’m sure the older she gets, the more of the trail we’ll be able to do. She’s going to be a good little hiker!

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So I’ve been a bit absent lately, both from menu planning and from blogging in general. I didn’t have a range/oven for about a week, then David’s new job plus a family commitment took him out of town for a good part of the month of February, so I didn’t really bother menu planning for myself, a toddler who eats as much as a baby bird, and a husband who was only home for a couple days at a time. Consequently, when I did Quicken last week, there were an embarrassing number of receipts from Chick-fil-A, Moe’s, and Pizza Hut. Lesson learned.

So, getting back into it, here’s what we’re having this week:

Monday: Beef/black bean tacos, Mexican rice, chips & homemade salsa

Tuesday: same

Wednesday: same

Thursday: Spinach manicotti, salad, bread

Friday: Chicken noodle casserole (brand new recipe for us), some kind of veggie, homemade biscuits

Saturday: same

Sunday: same

Check out Menu Plan Monday for more ideas.

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Ok, I finally let Anna go out and play in the snow. It’s cold, wet, and messy. I don’t like cold, wet, and messy. But I eventually felt guilty enough about ALL the other kids except Anna playing in the snow; I knew she would love it, and she did! So did Bailey—he ran around and frolicked in it, and Anna got a big kick out of him.

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Anna’s little twin boyfriends came over to play today!

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One of the reasons I’ve been mostly absent from blogdom lately is that we’re trying to move. It’s time. We’ve been considering it off and on for a couple of years, and have even looked at some houses online, but for some reason we just never took the initiative to get it done. And now I’m glad we didn’t.

David landed a great new job at the end of last year (which would make a good post if I ever get around to writing it). He started earlier this month, and he’s working out of our home. So he really needs a room that can be dedicated to being his office and nothing else (we currently have our 3rd bedroom set up as a guest room/office.) There’s also that enticing tax credit that expires April 30. Those two things together seem to indicate that NOW is the right time for us!

We’ve been fixing, cleaning, painting, cleaning some more, painting some more, and I think are fairly close to having our house ready to put on the market. Our goal is February 1, which is next Monday—yikes! It’s interesting trying to stage a house with a toddler who gets bent out of shape when things aren’t in exactly the right place. (“Yes, sweetie, I know the Kleenex box goes there, but it doesn’t look good in the picture.”)

We are planning to sell it ourselves, but if it doesn’t work after a while, we will hire a Realtor. (Did you know “Realtor” is capitalized and is a trademarked term? I thought it was like “plumber” or “doctor” or something.) I’ve been trying to focus on house stuff exclusively until it is ready to show. But I really want to do some other things again, like exercise, read, work on photography, play music, and cook. Yes, even cook. Know what I did this week? I got some store-bought salsa. Oh, the horror! (And it isn’t very good.) I keep telling myself this is just for a short time.

Any moving tips, anyone? Especially those of you with little kids? :)

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Our little Anna had a minor surgery a week ago. She had a small cyst removed from her left eyebrow. It wasn’t very noticeable and wasn’t a threat to her health, but it would likely get bigger as she got older and would need to be removed eventually (and it might be harder to remove once it got bigger), so we decided it was best to do it while she’s too little to know what’s going on.

We first took her to an ophthalmologist here in Conway, but we just weren’t happy with the consultation. The doctor came across as a bit cold, uncaring, and totally out of touch with kids (and their parents). Although he probably would have done a fine job, there’s no reason to put up with that, in my opinion.

We ended up seeing Dr. Wade Brock at the Baptist Eye Center. I went in thinking, “ok, he’s a surgeon, so he’s probably going to have that surgeon’s personality (or lack thereof), so don’t expect too much.” But I was wrong—he was SO good with Anna and knew how to interact with her, was very personable and easy to talk to, and was on the same page with us about our concerns.

When we got to the surgery center, I was very impressed with the nurses and the anesthesiologist as well. Everyone knew how to deal with a small child and make it as low-stress as possible. They went very slowly, gave her toys and stickers, let her play with stuff like the stethoscope before they used it, and did everything they could to make her smile. They gave her a sedative so she didn’t care in the least about being taken from us (the part I was most worried about); the anesthesiologist held her close to him while she fell alseep (isn’t that sweet?); they even put the IV in after she was asleep.

Aside from a black eye that is still healing, she’s been fine. She really hasn’t seemed bothered by the swelling or the stitches too much. The first couple of days her eye was swollen almost shut, but she just kept on playing and going about her business as usual. The swelling is almost gone, but there’s still a bit of bruising. But no one has called Department of Human Services on us yet, so we’re good. :)

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This is the first in a series of posts to remedy the “I haven’t really blogged in a while” problem. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather read several short posts than one long one, so I’ll break it up.

Back in November we were driving home from a workday at the All About Labs ranch, which is the dog rescue we’ve been involved with for the past several months. We came around a bend, and there they were—two stray dogs roaming the highway. They know who to find, don’t they? One of the dogs we couldn’t catch, and we think he may belong to a house that was nearby. The other… well, we are now the proud foster parents of “Beagle Bailey,” which you already know if you read David’s blog. He cleaned up pretty well and is a very handsome fellow! We didn’t find any advertisements for a lost dog of his description in the papers or on Petfinder classifieds. He has now been neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and listed on Petfinder, so hopefully he will find a forever home soon.

Bailey and Anna get along great. She calls him “Bay-bee” and likes to feed him his treats, give him his toys, etc. She’ll get down on the floor and stick her head right under his face, trying to get him to lick her; he usually obliges, and she giggles. We briefly considered keeping him, and it will be hard to let him go, but we think it is the right thing to do. We really need to have one good dog fostering experience that ends the way it should. And there are lots of people who place importance on having a pure-bred dog, and we don’t, so he’ll be a great match for someone who specifically wants a beagle.

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I’ve only got a couple of things on the menu this week—relying on leftovers a lot. So, not very interesting. But there’s lots more to see at Organizing Junkie’s original Menu Plan Monday.

Monday: Vegetable beef soup (this got pushed back a day, so we have lots left), baked potatoes, cornbread

Tuesday: same

Wednesday: same

Thursday: Baked ziti (but made with whole-wheat penne), green beans, bread

Friday: same (me—girls’ night out)

Saturday: same

Sunday: Pan-seared tilapia, sugar snap peas, baked sweet potatoes

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Monday: Stir-fried veggies over brown rice, rolls

Tuesday: Wheat-oat pancakes, scrambled eggs, fruit

Wednesday: Roasted chicken hash, green beans, bread

Thursday: same

Friday: Spinach manicotti, salad, bread

Saturday: Vegetable beef soup, baked potatoes, cornbread

Sunday: same

Visit Menu Plan Monday for more ideas!

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I decided to take this last week of the year off from menu planning; instead, we’ll be using up leftovers, pulling things out of the freezer, eating out once, and “winging it” the rest of the time. But instead, I’ll give you a yummy recipe I’ve been enjoying the past few days. I made a batch of this for my family to munch on over the holidays.

Herbed Spinach Dip (America’s Test Kitchen)

• 1 10-oz. box frozen chopped spinach
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 3 medium scallions, white parts only*, sliced thin
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill leaves
• 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
• 1 small garlic clove, minced or pressed
• 1/4 tsp. hot pepper sauce
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced fine (I’ve always left this out, but I’m sure it’s good.)

Thaw the spinach in microwave for 3 minutes at 40 percent power. (Edges should be thawed but not warm; center should be soft enough to break into chunks.) Squeeze the partially frozen spinach of excess water. In a food processor, process all ingredients except bell pepper until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds. Transfer mixture to serving bowl and stir in bell pepper; serve.

* The recipe says to use only the white parts, but I use the whole thing.

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