Menu Plan Monday (Newbie!!)

Even though I am new to the "blogging world" (as far as having my own blog). I have been a "viewer" for quite a while now. And one of the first blogs I started reading was orgjunkie.com, so joining her Menu Plan Monday is quite a "blogging milestone" for me!! One for which I am excited about but am also crossing my fingers that I do correctly. I tried last week only to realize I posted my name on her site without connecting any links...did I also mention that I am also techie challenged?

So on to my menu...

Mon - Mexican Chicken (recipe courtesy of Paula Deen) - This recipe is great for a quick and easy weeknight meal. Especially if you use a Rotisserie chicken like I do!

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can of each cream of mushroom, cream of chicken and cheddar cheese soup

1 (10 ounce) can of Rotel

1 whole chicken, cooked, boned and chopped

Unsalted butter, for greasing pan

1 (11 1/2 ounce) pkg of flour tortillas

2 cups shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 13x9 pan w/ butter.

In a large bowl, stir together the 3 kinds of soups, the Rotel and the chicken

Layer the tortillas, the chicken mixture in the pan, beginning and ending with the tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese over the casserole.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Tues - Crock Pot Pizza / Salad

Wed - Taco Soup w/ Tortilla Chips and Toppings

Thur - Gumbo / Cornbread

Fri- Smothered Pork Chops / Mashed Potatoes / Veggie

Sat - Crock Pot Chicken Pasta / Salad / Breadsticks

Sun - Swiss Steak / Mashed Potatoes / Breadsticks

Is One Man's Junk REALLY Another Man's treasure?!?!

Yesterday to get our mind's off everything with Nestle, my husband and I decided to get our two sleeping teenagers up early (I know how cruel are we?!?!) to go to a community yard sale that a nearby town was having. The kids looked at us like we were losing our minds, but for us it was nice to spend some "family time" and to reminisce about our good ol' yard salin' days.

Gosh, it has been so long since we all had gone to a yard sale. And now I know why...as I sat around today looking at our messy house, wishing it were cleaned and organized. Or at least, wishing that I had some kind of super cleaning powers where all I had to do was twinkle my nose and it was all clean. Kind of like Samantha on Bewitched. I couldn't help but to think 'what was I thinking bring home somebody else's "junk" when we have more than enough of our own "junk"!!' Not that I didn't find some cute stuff for the super duper low price of $1.00. But now there is just more 'stuff' that I need to find a home for....

So being the procrastinator that I am, today I sat and thought and sat and thought. Needless to say, I have decided that it is time to take the bull by the horn and get my house in order!! But how?!?!? Sometimes being a wife, mother or two and working full time can be very overwhelming especially after you add the guilt of feeling like you aren't taking care of home like you really should be.

Now don't me wrong, it isn't so bad that we are getting ready to apply for 'Clean House' or anything. Even though I have seriously thought about throwing around some extra dirty laundry or pulling down some of the "junk" from the attic and leave it laying around in the middle of the living room so I can score a free room makeover or two!!

But just the same, my house needs some serious organizing and a few floors need to be mopped. So I guess the first thing is trying to come up with a game plan to try to get all of this cleaning and organizing accomplished between work and everyday life.

My question to all of you is...what are your tips on making a house a home? How do you stay on top of it all? Home, kids, and work? Do you have a schedule you stick by to to make sure it all gets completed without pulling all of your hair out?

All tips welcome and appreciated...

Deep Thoughts...

I am new to the blogging world and I hate to start off my experience on such a serious note. But today is a day of sadness and despair in our home. Last night, we had to have our beloved family pet of 9 years, Nestle, put to sleep. A very hard decision for a family full of animal lovers but one that had to be made. She was a very sick dog and it wasn't fair of us to make her suffer anymore than she needed to just for our own selfish reasons. So the choice was made. Which quite honestly, breaks my heart!!

I know to some it is just a animal, but to us, Nestle is (was) a HUGE part of this family!

Which began the "snowball" of my deep thoughts today. You see, not even 3 months ago my husbands Mother passed away suddenly of a Brain Aneurysm. We were (still are) all VERY devastated!! Not only did my husband lose his Mother and my children lost their Grandma. I lost a very good friend, a confidant....a Mother! There is a empty space in my heart that will never be the same.

Not to mention, the loss of my Grandma that we had just experienced about a year ago. My Grandma was more than a Grandma. She was the matriarch of our family. She was the Mother to 10, a Grandmother to 25 , and a Great-Grandmother to 19. And I am sometimes stressed over being a Mother of TWO teenagers!! Gosh, I feel weak! I think that is it, she was my symbol of strength!! A woman of substance....

Unfortunately, we all experience death. Whether it be a parent, a grandparent, a sibling, a child, a dear friend or even a beloved pet. It is the hardest thing in life that we all will have to experience. So to all of you, that have had to ever feel that gut wrenching, knot in your stomach, pain in your chest, lump in throat feelingof loss....my deepest sympathy!!