In Numbers...

Days till we fly to San Diego for spring break: 3
Days of school left: if we're counting today, 46! C'mon summer!
Homes we have visited in the past week: 10
Homes we absolutely loved: 2
Of the homes we loved, number that had the washer and dryer OUTSIDE of the home: 1 (seriously, it was outside. As in, you had to walk off the porch and go into a little shed like room....WHY!? We loved this home).
 Of the homes we loved, number that had the washer and dryer inside of the home: 1
Homes we put an offer on: 1! I bet you can guess which one it was.

and most importantly...

Girl Scout cookies consumed in the last 24 hours: how many come in a full sleeve of thin mints?

Menu Monday

Monday means it's time to share our weekly menu! Hope you join in - link up below.

My Meals:

Paninis and Sweet Potato Fries

I love a good panini. These  featured ham, sandwich pepperoni, provolone, and green bell peppers. I put a little balsamic and olive oil on the ciabatta buns, and they were perfect!

Beef Noodle Salad Bowls

As always, this was delicious. I love that Pioneer Woman and her tasty food!

J's Meals:

Pizza Night

This week's pizza included fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, and green peppers. Perfect for a Friday night in with basketball!

Shrimp Bog

Tasty as always, sorry the picture is so yellowy. Not sure what setting I had my camera on, but it really isn't working out.

Fettuccine, Awesome Sauce, and Chicken Sausage + a salad

What is "awesome sauce" you ask? It's just crushed tomatoes and butter. And after it simmers together for a good half hour, it is heavenly!

Nothing exciting about this salad...but it was tasty!

And just for fun...

Lobster Ravioli courtesy of Vivace 

J and I cannot take credit for this meal, but please know that it was delicious!

Okay, your turn! Hope you're eating well this week!

Saturday Laughs

For all you Downton Abbey fans...you must check this out:

 If the Characters in Downton Abbey Were Portrayed by Canine Actors, 

What Breeds Would They Be?

These are my two favorites, but really, they're all hilarious!

Happy Saturday!

Sombody that I used to know...

Remember back in the fall when I was obsessed with The Sing Off on NBC? Listen to this cover of Somebody That I Used to Know (originally by Gotye) by the group that won the show, Pentatonix. This is fabulous!

(Thanks to Melissa for sharing this with me!)

Spring has certainly sprung...

In case you hadn't heard, it is certainly feeling like spring around here.

It seems like our backyard exploded into a lush rainbow of colors over night. Two weeks ago, there was so much brown out there. Not anymore. Now we have a whole range of colors!

 All of this lovely weather is great for my mood (how can you feel grumpy when it's like this outside?), but not so great for my allergies or the piles of papers that need to be graded. I should stay after school a few days a week and catch up on grading and the other one thousand things that need to be done, but why stay after work when it's this lovely at home?

Can you blame me?

Menu Monday

Is it already Monday again? These weeks go by way too fast. I'm okay with the week flying by, but can't the weekend slow down?

Either way...it's time for another Menu Monday. Hope you link up below!

My Meals:

Burgers & Chips

This is an all around unhealthy meal, and I'm okay with that! I was craving a burger night and this meal hit the spot. I thought about making a salad with it or even some veggies, but I was just too lazy. Chips made a delicious companion! I topped the burgers with some mashed avocado, ketchup, mustard, red onion, and sharp cheddar. Nothing special here, just very tasty!

Pork and Brussels Sprouts Stir Fry

This was a winner from a past issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray. It was super easy, but so lots of flavor for little effort. I'll definitely be making again. Next time I plan to serve over rice.

J's Meals:

Pasta with Sweet Pea Pistou & Chevre

 

This isn't a new meal in the rotation. If you're a long time reader of my MM posts, I'm sure you recognize this one. As always, it was very tasty and made some nice leftovers.

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

Always a favorite here! Recipe comes from a family friend.

And pancakes and bacon! But, someone forgot to take a picture. OOPS! Anyone else love breakfast for dinner as much as we do?

life right now

Nothing like rolling in the grass on a nice day and getting your belly rubbed...

...at least that's what our dogs says!

In addition to spending a lot of time in the yard thanks to extra daylight in the evenings and this crazy warm weather, we've also been....

- busy looking at houses (this house hunting business is no joke, y'all weren't kidding)

- enjoying the shamrock shake from McDonald's. How had I never tried one before this year?

- watching Lonesome Dove, the miniseries on Netflix. I read the book last year, and J just finished it. This miniseries is definitely from 1990, but I have a soft spot in my heart for Robert Duvall.

- planning my ten year high school reunion...or at least doing as much as I can to help from 5 hours away from where the reunion will be held. Also, ten years? Really?!?

- prepping for our spring break trip out west. I am counting down the days!

- speaking of "counting down the days"...only 55 more school days until summer!

Ok, I am beginning to ramble. 

Happy Pi Day (I am such a dorky math teacher)!

Menu Monday

Time to share our meals for the week! Hope you join in...link up at the end of the post and put the badge on your own post!

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My Meals: 

Brats and Saurkraut with Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I was so inspired for hot dogs and sauerkraut after reading Molly's post last week! Then I got to the store and brats sounded even better than hotdogs. This meal hit the spot!

J's Meals:

Stuffed Peppers

Always a favorite in our home. I love the recipe J uses for these.

 Kidney Beans, Chorizo, and Brown Rice

This recipe never fails. If we ate it every week for the rest of my life, I would never complain.

Potato Latkes and Pork Tenderloin

J had made this pork before, but this was a first for the latkes and they were YUMMY!

However, he halved the recipe and we still had about 12 leftover latkes. This recipe makes a ton!

Ok, your turn! Link up!

Every Newsie Shufflin

Happy Saturday...hope this makes you smile as much as it did for me!

seventeen

Here's a snapshot into my life 17 years ago...

And now, that chubby faced baby boy is one year away from being an adult. 

How and when did that happen?

Last weekend, J and I went to Richmond to visit my little brother for his 17th birthday. It's wild to me that he's so old. I'm pretty sure that all my friends who grew up around him feel the same way.

Happy belated birthday, Jason!

Menu Monday

Not a lot of cooking going on this week. Between a lot of evening meetings, birthday dinners for friends, and cravings for Mexican, we didn't do so much cooking. Hope you'll still link up with me this week!

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My Meals:

Italian Style Beef with Polenta

Major kudos to Kate for sharing this recipe on her blog. It was a big hit!  I had never cooked with polenta before, but I was a big fan. It was pretty easy, and was a nice variety from our usual pasta and rice. Definitely saving this meal.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I sort of just made this soup up after looking at a bunch of enchilada soup and taco soup recipes. It ended up being delicious! I will certainly make this again...

Ingredients: 

5 cups chicken stock

1 small rotisserie chicken, chicken pulled

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

1 small can of green chiles

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup corn (I used frozen)

shredded pepper jack cheese

cilantro, chopped

1 avocado, sliced

tortilla chips

Directions:

1. Mix first twelve ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Set slow cooker on low and cook for 8 hours.
3. Serve soup and top with cheese, cilantro, avocados, and tortilla chips.

EASY PEASY!

welcome march

Oh hey, March!

The first 60 days of the year have flown by. And now it's time for some warmer temperatures (but let's be honest, it hasn't been all that cold), and spring break feels like it's on the horizon.

What's on the agenda for this month?

I'm getting a haircut...first one since August....yikes!

My baby brother turns 17 (whaaaaat?!?!)

I will eat my weight in Starburst Jelly Beans. And Samoas.

We get to have a date night that involves a delicious dinner and a performance of Jersey Boys

Hopefully (fingers crossed), we're officially beginning our house hunt. 

HUNGER GAMES!!!!! (I'm only kind of excited)

And best of all, we fly out to San Diego on the final day of the month to start my spring break. I'd say that's one lovely event to look forward to this month!