This should be a light grocery week for me as we really need to use up some of our freezer items..

Monday – Steak Sandwiches, Garlic French Fries, Baked Beans

Tuesday – BBQ Chicken Ranch Pizza (drawing inspiration from March’s OAMM menu), Spinach Salad with Balsamic Dressing

Wednesday – Dinner with House Church Family

Thursday – Leftover Cheesy Chicken Tortellini from OAMM’s site

Friday – Sloppy Joes from OAMM, Twice Baked Potatoes, Leftover Spinach Salad

So… who else has Spring Fever?  We definitely do in our house.  I’m having trouble concentrating on anything these days.  It reminds me of being a kid again… anxious for the school year to end and the beginning of freedom.  I’m excited about a couple of things coming up in the next couple weeks and I just wanted to quickly share them with you all.  But first, we had a fantastic Easter at our house.  The bunny brought Chris a bike and it has been very a popular toy at our house.  I’ve posted some pictures of our adventurer in this post.

Secondly, I’m super excited about a blogger night I’ve been invited to at The Melting Pot restaurant in Centerville.  The invitation arrived and I was giddy.  I just sent in my RSVP today!  I’ll definitely be posting and tweeting about this one, so if you don’t follow me on Twitter already, now is a good time to join!

My annual pilgramage trip to the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale in Ft. Wayne is only three weeks away!  I am so excited because it’s a great opportunity for me to spend time with some of my favorite ladies in the world and get Vera at bargain prices.  I will also be tweeting and posting on this in the coming weeks.  If only Vera Bradley would read this and sponsor me as some sort of Vera VIP, because let’s face it, I’m crazy about VB.

Today, we met some of our house church friends at the zoo.  Unfortunately, Chris was a in a funk and being extremely moody.  Neither Rob nor I are especially patient with Chris when he acts this way.  We really need some prayer in the area of patience while parenting.  The zoo was full of tulips in bloom and was really beautiful today.  We did get a couple great pictures today and I’ll post those later.  I don’t quite have the energy today to download them from my camera.  If you have kids, you totally understand that. We had a very interesting picnic and I am going to be working on a post for THE ONCE A MONTH MOM!!!  I know, it’s like I’ve arrived as a blogger!  Actually, I made some wickedly delicious buffalo chicken wrap sandwiches (which will be in my OAMM guest post – coming soon)… This will tie in with another post coming on how we’re becoming budget-friendly and eating at home more often.

I’m also learning to sew!  I feel like a domestic goddess.  I took a beginning sewing class at JoAnn Fabrics and am now working on an apron.  It’s actually kind of relaxing.  I think it’s because I don’t know enough about sewing so my mind can’t possible wander to anything else or I would end up sewing my finger to the apron or something.  Anyway, I’m really enjoying it and my fabric is absolutely adorable so that helps too!

Lastly, I’ve been working on something that’s long been ignored around our house- Spring cleaning.  Our house was seeming dark and dirty to me, so I’ve taken some time to scrub and redecorate and lighten up the rooms.  It’s really been therapeutic to take away all the excess stuff accumulated in our house and get back to some basics.

I hate to say it, but that’s all for now… We’ve just been enjoying the beginning of Spring… what are all of you up to?   Oh, and I’m going to try to squeeze in a family photo session sometime soon with a photographer…. so, if any of my readers are photographers, let me know, I’d love to give a shout-out!

Later,

Laura

So, I’m redecorating a little around the house.  Right before my son was born, I decided I want brown walls- chocolate brown.  The walls perfectly matched my brown leather sofas!  I never really loved the way it looked, but I was kind of busy.. with a small child and a full-time job and a husband and life… Anyway, almost 3 years later and I’m starting to brighten the place up a bit.

Since I still like my dark walls, I ordered a lighter sofa and brought in some older furniture from storage… Then, yesterday I went to IKEA and purchased this print for over my sofa.  I love the contrast of the white canvas against the dark wall.  I’ll post pictures of my re-decorating soon, but for now, here’s a sneak peek. 

Okay, I know there is snow of the ground here in Ohio, but Spring was really just here for a moment and I’m confident it will be right back.  I tweeted about making this broccoli salad a few weeks ago and haven’t gotten around to posting about the recipe.  This is a great summer salad.  I make it with chicken, burgers, pasta.  It’s really versatile and yummy!

Recipe:

Put the following in a large bowl:

6 cups of broccoli florets (approximately 1 head of broccoli)

3/4 cup Shredded carrots (I use the store bought matchstick carrots)

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped red onion

In a separate bowl, combine:

2/3 cup mayo

1/4 cup vinegar

3 Tablespoons sugar

Pour dressing over vegetables and toss to coat.  This is really better if it sits overnight, so I make it the night before if possible.  The dressing will all go to the bottom of the bowl, but just toss it before serving.

This weekend our family really celebrated the start of Spring.  We headed to the park on Saturday morning to slide, swing, and feed some ducks.  Unfortunately, my camera died at the slide part so I only captured a few moments.  On Sunday, we took a chance and headed to the zoo (despite the rainy forecast).  Turns out, Sunday mornings are a great time to go!  The place was almost empty and we enjoyed spending time with my no-so-little-anymore guy!