Letting Go: A reaction

One of my least favorite concepts or expressions in the world is the term "letting go" (followed very closely by "it is what it is" - seriously, terrible). You know how it goes, you're struggling with something...someone hurts you, or rejects you or something hard happens and you're trying to move on. You're trying to forgive and move on and someone always says, "you just have to let go". 

Let go. 

of what? 

I mean, what am I holding on to that I'm able to let go of?

It always conjures up a picture of a balloon on a string - one moment you're holding on to the string and the next moment you let go. Easy. So excuse me if I find it slightly harder to experience a wound or hard moment, that I definitely wish I wasn't holding on to and would happily not be experiencing, and know what letting go looks like. It's this vague concept that has nothing to do with what I'm trying to let go off. Besides, if I knew how to "let go" wouldn't I have already done that? I mean who wants to hold on to stuff?

Bedroom Makeover: a Sanctuary

Fetus Fiesta: a Tex-Mex baby shower

One of my best friends, Mrs. Lindsay McCarthy, is expecting a baby boy come April. I met Lindsay September of 2012 and we became instant friends. I've always been sad that we missed each others weddings (we both got married summer 2010) and didn't get to enjoy showers and stagettes and all that together, so when I found out she was pregnant I was immediately excited to get to throw her a baby shower. Lindsay is kind and generous and supportive as a friend - I am so lucky to be her friend and am so glad for the opportunity to shower her and soon-to-be baby boy McCarthy with love. 

Menu Plan Monday: Feb 24th

Menu Plan Monday with Laura at Org Junkie

Upcoming week: 

Monday: Slow Cooker Pesto Spinach Lasagna

It's been a busy busy weekend so I wanted something easy that would be ready when I got home. Turns out it's been snowing all weekend, so this hot comfort dish is perfect! I'm so excited to get home and have food ready. I have laundry and cleaning to do, and tons of house work. I'm so thankful for an easy dinner. 

Tuesday: Chicken Rollatini Stuffed with Zucchini and Mozzarella

We have my sister's family, our friends the Mallari's and our friend Anacat coming over for dinner. I wanted to make something that screamed "I'M SO GLAD YOU CAME OVER." This dinner is somewhat involved and so super tasty. The Mallari's and Anacat all go to our church and are people I like so much....to get to have them over for dinner is such a treat. 

Wednesday: Crockpot Balsamic Roast served with potatoes & vegetables.

Wednesday we're having three lovely ladies over for dinner: Margot, Charlotte & Whitney. I can hardly wait - they are all great fun and it should be a good time. 

Thursday: Crockpot Butter Chicken

I've never made this before and don't' have a recipe but I'm going to give it a try - if push comes to shove and it sucks then I'll make perogies from the freezer and well eat those instead. I'm going to take the Butter Chicken Package that I always use and throw it in the crockpot with all the ingredients and some frozen chicken breasts and see how it goes! I'll make up some rice to serve it with when I get home, and we always have Naan bread in the freezer. 

Friday: Sweet & Sour Chicken with Fried Rice

I'll be home working around the house all day and then we have Chapel at night, so chinese food sounds like a fun Friday night meal.  

Saturday: Cheeseburger Wraps

Saturday is busy! We have a garage sale to go to, some friends who are moving and need help, an engagement party to attend and a girls night after all of that. I wanted an easy, quick dinner. 

Sunday: Chicken Pot Pie

We have womens ministry meeting in the morning, then church, then dinner at home. Chicken Pot Pie is always a hit and I have lots of shredded chicken and pie shells in the fridge.   

In Review:

Monday: Melt in your mouth Chicken with vegetables and pesto rice with Yoshida Chicken

Turns out Melt in your mouth Chicken needs an hour and a half to cook, oops. So I tossed the chicken in yoshida and it rocked. The rest of dinner was great and I was out the door to see my friend Sarah by 7:30. Great conversation with Sarah, Leah and Jenna - I was so happy.  

Tuesday: Burgers

The past weekend we were away at a Cabin with friends (80% of whom go to our lifegroup), so I got to use the burger leftovers - such an easy dinner! I just whipped up a cold pasta salad and bam! 

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Pesto Spinach Lasagna Chicken and Broccoli Stuffed Shells

I was lazy Wednesday morning and did not make this meal - also I didn't have any spinach....but mostly I was lazy as I didn't realize I didn't have spinach until later that night. I found this new quick and easy dish thanks to my boss' suggestion. Wednesday I worked around the house - and went to sleep by 9pm to try to fight off a cold. 

Thursday: Tortilla Soup Lasagne Soup

Thursday night was sister night and I was very tired from this cold winning - so I pulled out some frozen soup and added meatballs and voila! I visited my sister for a bit then came home to sleep early. .   

Friday: Grocery Grab

I was up at 6:30am to pick up Ana and head to the states to shop for a baby shower we were hosting the next day. We got back into Vancouver at 5pm, I threw the sausages I bought at costco into the oven and put some Tomato Basil soup on to heat up. I love grocery grab meals! Ana and I had an awesome day - the car was crammed full of groceries but we got everything we needed for our personal kitchens and for the party. We got tons of rad decor as well. We also found a great taco truck. 

Then it was dinner with our husbands at home, and off to a girls night to see our friend Sarah before she went home to Nelson. We left there by about 9:30 and stayed up until 1am working on the party. It was one long day...but boy did we do a lot! And Josh was a superstar helper - thanks Josh!

Saturday: Appie Leftovers

Paul and I were up at 9am - I headed off to grab the last of the groceries at Costco while Paul stayed home and vacuumed, mopped, cleaned the bathrooms, emptied garbages and so much more. What a hero! At 11am Hanne, Ana and Josh came over to help some more. We were party ready by 1pm and the place looked awesome. More to come on this later this week. The party was awesome though and Lindsay was so happy. 

Ana and Josh stayed to help clean up and Paul chipped in too, and the house was back in order by 5pm. I took some time to rest and then we headed out for dinner at the Roos'. We only stayed until 10:30 as 1. I was exhausted and 2. We were planning to get up at 4am to watch the gold medal game.

Sunday: Forgotten Chicken with roasted veg

Sunday morning we were at the guys house by 4am to watch the final gold medal game for Men's Hockey, Canada versus Sweden. I have never felt so Canadian, up early to watch hockey and it started to snow, what up! And of course we did win Gold - it was a perfect morning. 

I was back home and in bed by 7:30am and slept until 1pm! It was glorious. Then it was time to get ready for church,  get dinner in the oven, set up coffee service for church, and host at church, then rush home  to finish getting dinner ready and have friends over for dinner to plan a church event. Phew!

Thankfully I was done all of that, with lunches made, by 9pm and in bed ready for a new busy week!

Menu Plan Monday, Feb 17th

Menu Plan Monday with Laura at Org Junkie

Upcoming week: 

Monday: Melt in your mouth Chicken with vegetables and pesto rice

It always matters to me that I make a nice sit down meal after a weekend away - I feel like I want my students to know I haven't forgotten them. Melt in your mouth Chicken is easy and tasty - which is good since I work late and have to head out by 7:30. The pesto rice is an easy choice since I made a large batch of plain rice that was only partially used up, so the rest will be tossed with pesto and served! 

Tuesday: Burgers

This past weekend we were away at a Cabin with friends (80% of whom go to our lifegroup), so I got to have all the leftovers to use to feed us this week. There were 18 burger patties (and all the fixings) left, plus some random extra's. I'll pull it all together with a pasta salad at home. 

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Pesto Spinach Lasagna

Wednesday night I'll be home all evening (I have so much laundry to do) and wanted an easy dinner that would basically cook itself, so that I could focus on the tidying, food prep for the next night and laundry. 

Thursday: Tortilla Soup. 

Thursday is sister night so I'm making this tasty soup the night before.   

Friday: Grocery Grab

I'll be in the states all day Friday with a friend shopping for groceries and for a friends baby shower that we're hosting. Dinner will be whatever cool dinner idea is one sale at Costco that week so I can heat it up and serve it easily while I unload the car FULL of stuff. Ana and I are starting the decorating for the shower

Saturday: Appie Leftovers

Ana and I are hosting a baby shower for our friend Lindsay - it's going to be awesome. She's a Cali girl with a love for all things American and Mexican so we're throwing her a Fetus Fiesta, tex-mex inspired baby shower. Ana is an graphic designer and made a gorgeous invite and our pin board for the party is off the hook. We can't wait to put it all together, the purchasing has already started and the items rolling in are so cool. We are having a taco bar and there will definitely be leftovers for dinner.

Sunday: Forgotten Chicken with roasted veg

Sunday will be a resting day after the shower craziness - so I'll be throwing the chicken into the oven before church and will be so glad when it's ready after church. We have two girls coming over for dinner to plan an event for church.  

In Review:

Monday: Spasagna Party leftovers and last minute party saving dishes

Monday I got to sleep in and then met up with my lovely friend Julie for coffee at JJ Bean. We had such a lovely time together. After that Paul and I met up with my family for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant and then I headed home for a nap - pure bliss. Afterwards I got up and assembled all the awesome food that we'd had sent home from Paul's Dad's 60th. Wraps, bites, a fruit tray and a veggie tray! Plus she'd sent along some pieces of cut baguette, which i turned into garlic bread. We were hosting our friends 40th birthday - a dinner potluck at our house. As the party started to fill up we realized we had more people than food...so the garlic bread was definitely needed. Thankfully I also had a bunch of leftover mexi rice, and I always have cans of beans and diced tomatoes handy. There was a bunch of leftover velveeta as well - I threw that all together to make a mexi dip  and served it with leftover tortilla chips. It was a success and there was enough food for all. 

Tuesday: Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops with Orzo and Veggies 

Tuesday night was a busy night - we had non stop people coming and going throughout the night, as well as my cousin Jonathan over for dinner. The new pork chop recipe was awesome and I made enough for lunches for the next day also. We had our friend drop by to drop off some things and she stayed for a while to chat while I cooked. Then we had 4 people arrive at 8pm for meetings, as Jonathan left after dinner. It honestly felt like a revolving door. I loved it. 

Wednesday: Random.

I grabbed all sorts of random food from the fridge and made a meal. I had no plans and felt like mixing it up. I sliced some tomatoes and put seasoning and mozza on them and roasted the slices, so good. I sauteed up some onions and zucchini - heaven. I roasted up some potatoes with cheese and fried up some sausage. Bam, easy dinner. We spent some time watching Women's Slopestyle Olympics and then I made lunches and was in bed by 9pm. Such a nice night.  

Thursday:  Yogurt MarinatedChicken with Creamy Greek Sauce and rice. 

Thursday Paul and I had dinner plans with a friend but I wanted to leave our house a nice, tasty meal before we left for the weekend. They always love this one and it's great to turn into lunch the next day. Winning!

Paul and I had a lovely dinner with Deve and Dylan, a couple from church. We talked until almost 10pm despite the fact that most of them had to work the next day. I am so glad to get to know those two better - and the dinner they served us was awesome.

Friday: Crockpot Chicken Chili and Hearty Chili Mac and Trader Joes Italian Meatball Soup

Friday was one of those very productive and lovely days. I got up at 8:30am and got the Hearty Chili Mac and Meatball Soup into the crockpots. Then I did devotions, and afterwards my friend Kayla came by for a small bible study. After she left I chatted with our housemate Lyndsay for a while and then ran out to pick up Paul, hit up Costco and swing by Superstore. We were home in time to unpack the car, pack up our stuff for the weekend and eat some Mac & soup. Mmmm. Then we were off for a fun weekend! More on that in the next post. 

Saturday & Sunday: YOYO

We were away in Pemberton with 14 of our friends - for a snow/cabin weekend. It was awesome, more to come shortly. 

We got back Sunday around noon - I heated up leftover soup and we happily ate that - so hungry after travelling. We got cleaned up and headed off to church (yay baptisms), then out to dinner (yay for visiting friends -two from calgary, one from Camrose and one from Nelson - and yaletown brewery) and then went to a 7:30pm meeting (so tired). I got home at 9:45, quickly threw leftovers into containers for lunch (praise the lord) and crawled into bed at 10pm, so tired. 

You work hard for your money - First Jobs

I can never quite decide what my first job was – I never know if babysitting counts, or if a job only counts if it’s at a workplace. But from 12-14 I babysat almost every Saturday for a different family in our neighborhood. I was always busy with youth group on Fridays (no point in asking, there was no way I was skipping that) but would babysit any other day. Saturdays were usually booked up for babysitting, and often Sunday or random nights throughout the week would be booked. I LOVED babysitting. I made $2.50 or $3 an hour, and got to eat chips (I don’t know if that was in the contract but there were always chips no matter whose house I was at). I’m thankful that I babysat in the days before teenage babysitters were expected to clean the kitchen, do dishes or fold laundry as well or I would have HATED babysitting and probably would have done it way less. But I’ll tell you what, I still earned my $2.50.

There were a few main families that I sat for regularly (Stewarts, O’Reillys, McGraws) and I LOVED their kids. Since I didn't have too many friends in Junior High I felt like these kids were my friends too. I wasn't just there to put them in front a movie while their parents were out – no, this was serious play time.

• Did your family just get a new fridge? Get that box out and let's make a fort! What are we waiting for!!! (Best day ever. I don't even think I was scheduled to babysit but when I heard about the new fridge I ran straight on down the road to make this happen)
• You have balloons? Lets invent a new game called Pantaloon that involves lot of jumping and balloons and running. (Side note: I later discovered that the kids I "taught" this game to ended up teaching it to the kids they babysat years later!)
• You want a story? Perfect, I’ll make one up…..I’ll act it out with voices and actions and it will be the best story ever. (never scary though, I'm terrible at scary)
• You want to do PE type games? Great, we'll throw a mini Olympics in  your back yard and invite the other neighbor kids over to compete with us - there will be medallions made out of recycling and everything! (don't tell me those next door neighbor parents weren't stoked to get their kids babysat for a while randomly)
• Got a great story brewing that just telling it won't be enough? Great, it's time to pull out that play box, set up that living room stage, and get that play going! (hint: I'm always the director, I loved to boss people around)

Those kids would end up in bed at the end of the night sweaty and exhausted but we played hard and it was worth it. I loved those nights. I got to be a kid again (as if 13 was soooo old) and got to watch these kids that I loved come alive. So rewarding. So much fun.

Then….then, oh then, the kids went to bed. And I got to eat chips and watch TV. My mom was pretty strict about TV when we were growing up and depending on the year there were different limits for the amount of time we were allowed to spend watching TV. But babysitting nights were free nights and didn't count for that limit (mostly because there was no way she could monitor it). Holla!

And after all that, the parents came home and paid me!!! Paid me! Money! Man, what a life. I was loaded (normal average paycheck totaled about $10) and that money was burning a hole in my pocket. Jacks convenience store and your sweet sweet candy aisle, here I come!

Now that I'm an adult and babysit for my nephews it feels very different (also I don't get paid or get chips - what!). I definitely don't have the drive or energy to play with them in that way anymore - we definitely goof around together and I engage with them, but no longer with the wild, energetic abandon that I used to. Sometimes I feel bad about that, then I realize that that's what teenagers are for - kids need other kids or teenagers to engage with them in that way, and now as an adult I have a new way to engage with them. I get to be the aunt - the one that teaches you to bake, and lends encouragement or a stern voice when needed. My aunts always were my biggest cheerleaders - they support and encourage and listen and I get to do that for my nephews.

We're not pregnant but the thought of having kids one day and finding babysitters for them seems so crazy and grown up! I can't imagine. And as you can imagine from the post above, I will:

a) always stock chips for my teenage babysitters, 

b) never ask them to do dishes, and 

c) always expect them to play with those kids as if it was the best time ever.

Menu Plan Monday - Family Day addition

Menu Plan Monday with Laura at Org Junkie

Upcoming week: 

Monday: Spasagna

Monday is a holiday - family day. Paul and I don’t have too many plans, though there are  some. I’m meeting up with a dear friend of mine, Julie Mallari, for coffee at 10:30, leaving enough time to sleep in with Paul, but not so much time that we waste the day. I’m hoping we’ll work on a project or two during the day, but we may also be very lazy, well deserved after a busy weekend and late night. Then we have a friends 40th potluck dinner at our place.

Tuesday: Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops with Orzo and Veggies 

Lifegroup has transitioned to a new model. Start this month we meet as a whole group on the first and third weeks. The First week we meet all together after eating together, the third week we eat all together but then immediately break out into our set small groups. On the second/fourth/fifth (when applicable) weeks we will not meet as a group, filling our time with more outreach centered activities. This is our first non eating together week. So weird to think I don’t need to cook for 25 people this Tuesday! We are free until 8 when we have some small groups going on at our house. 

Wednesday: Yogurt MarinatedChicken with Creamy Greek Sauce and rice

We don’t have any plans, thankfully. We’re away this next weekend so we’ll need Wednesday do laundry and make sure the house is running smoothly, and just be home so that we actually get to connect with our housemates. 

Thursday: Roasted vegetables & baked chicken - fridge use up. 

Thursday is sister night, and a crockpot meal saves the day.   

Friday: Crockpot Chicken Chili and Hearty Chili Mac

We’ll be gone by dinnertime but will also need dinner. I’ll throw this on in the morning and we’ll grab some at 4pm before we head out and leave the rest for our household. Hopefully there will be enough for leftovers over the weekend. 

Saturday: YOYO

We’ll be away in Pemberton with 14 of our friends - for a snow/cabin weekend. I am so very excited. I love these friends and the last time we went was a blast! 

Sunday: YOYO

Sunday we will get back just before church. I’ll throw macaroni into the crockpot for afterwards, and we’ll be glad to come home to dinner! 

In Review:

Monday: Chicken Tortilla Soup and Cheeseburger Soup

The Chicken Tortilla Soup has a really fun look - it looks tasty and fun to eat. On top of that it tasted great as well! The Cheeseburger Soup smelled awesome - and tasted so good. A kid friendly soup for sure.

Tuesday: Lasagna Soup and Chicken Taco Soup

The Lasagna Soup tastes similar to my favorite Weight Watchers frozen dinner - high compliment. I loved it. It’s best the first day since the noodles absorb so much of the water...but it remains great all week.

The Chicken Taco soup is again a super easy crockpot dish, feels fun to eat and tastes amazing.

Wednesday: Leftover Chicken Taco Soup

I got home from a loooooooong day of work and had a hot shower, falling asleep immediately afterwards. I woke up at 7:30pm, heated up soup for the house and then after eating and talking with paul for a while, went back to sleep at 10:30. So tired! The Taco Soup was as good, if not better, the next day. 

Thursday: Leftover Lasagna Soup 

Thursday night I drove Paul out to Surrey with his sister Katie to surprise their Dad, David, with a weekend away. He had no idea it was happening, his wife Carol had gotten Friday off for him and packed his bags. He was so happy. I stopped by Ikea to grab some shelves for a friend I was seeing on the Island on Saturday (spoiler alert, when I went to the island I forgot to bring the shelves, epic fail). Then I headed over to visit my sister for the night. When I got back from her house I spent some time walking around the house and tidying. It needed it.    

Friday: YOYO

Friday morning Jenna dropped my nephew Connor off at my house at 7:30am....that way Jenna could go with my mom and her caregiver Leanne to the island for the day and I would drop Connor off at school. We cuddled on the couch for a while and chatted, then as it was early and I was tired we crawled into bed and he played on the iPad (he was so very happy) and I lightly dozed. Pretty easy babysitting gig.

After the school drop off (which made me feel all kinds of grown up) I stopped by Superstore for Groceries, then went to Fabricland for zippers and bobbins (upcoming sewing project!) and swing by Champlain area to pick up a free magazine stand from Craiglist. I got home and took some time to put stuff away and have a hot bath and make my errands day feel relaxing.

My friend Elle came over for coffee (while we chatted I worked on a sewing project), and then I headed out for the after school pick up - Connor and I took a “road trip” back to Fabricland for batting and then I dropped him off with his Dad. Then I had the pleasure of heading down to main street to meet up with an old high school friend. I hadn’t seen her in 13 years!!! It was so nice to connect, I had so so so much fun with her.

After coffee I headed home to eat a little something, continue on my sewing project and make up a cocktail for a girls night I was headed too (spoiler alert, the cocktail kinda sucked). The girls night, however, was awesome. We had such a great time. Laughter and food and drinks and more laughter and talking and oh goodness, it was lovely.

Around 10 I had to call it a night - I was so tired. The early morning wake up took it’s toll! Plus I had to do laundry and clean the house, and wanted to finish up my sewing project, all before going to bed. I had to wake up at 8am the next day for a trip so I wanted to have everything under control. I finished my sewing project while watching the Olympic Parade of Nations (I love Canada’s uniforms) and then tidied the house. I was going to be out of town all Saturday and Sunday morning so I wanted to have the house tidy by the time I went to bed...and since my sewing project was two pillows for the bedroom I needed to clean my room too, I wasn’t prepared to leave without my bed being made with those new pillows. Priority! I was alseep by 12 with the house tidy and my room presentable and my clothes packed. Phew.

Saturday: YOYO

8am came early. I made sure to get up with enough time to have a leisurely getting ready experience. Normally I’m so busy racing through everything that it’s stressful. This time I got to do all the morning travel stuff in a leisurely way. It felt so nice. It this what grown up’s feel like?

I made it to the 10:30 ferry with time to spare. I drank my tea and prepared blog posts - a rare treat. Part of this post may or may not have been written then. My awesome friend Crystal and I went out for lunch at Gina's Mexican cafe - one of my favorite places. We got to debrief about her wedding and catch up. It was lovely. We walked around the downtown harbour front and ended up at Timmies in the South end. 

From there Tami picked me up and we headed to her house. She lives way out in the boonies and it's awesome. Her place is great. We had a great time getting ready for her big 30th dinner and then headed out to Simon Holt in Nanaimo. Dinner was great - her friends were fun, the food was great. Tami was sufficiently honored. Then we headed back to Tam's house to have a bonfire in the snow. Oh it was fun. Bonfire, crisp cool, lots of talking and laughing. It was a perfect night. We were up until 2am laughing and talking. There was even at 1am Zip Line moment that made my weekend. More to come on this time later. Suffice to say, it was an amazing night with great people in a wonderful location. 

Sunday: Broccoli Rice Casserole

Up bright and early for the ferry home...8:30am boat, lots of time to blog in peace with a cup of tea. We docked 24 hour after I parked originally. I headed home for a 12pm Women Ministry meeting, which was not only super productive but very fun. We made great inroads in our womens retreat planning. And Jenna made my famous Broccoli Rice Casserole and it was awesome. I recently handed off to her my homemade cookbook since I mostly use the internet now.

After the ladies left I went to sleep...after a 7am wakeup Friday, a early ferry ride and late birthday night Saturday followed by early morning Sunday I needed a nap! I was up at 6pm to head out to Surrey to meet up with Paul and many family and friends to celebrate Paul's Dad, David for his 60th. I'm so glad to have David as a Father-in-law. He's a strong, loving, kind man. Whenever Paul is away David calls to see how I am. He asks about my mom and cares about me. He raised a wonderful son and is a great Dad to him. Happy Birthday David!

The party was great fun, lots of wonderful wonderful people to talk with. Great food and great flow. Carol always throws a great party and this was no excuse. A wonderful night - fun and very honouring of David. 

Monday: YOYO

Holiday monday! I got to sleep in until 10 then head out to meet my lovely friend Julie for coffee at JJ Bean on Main - we had an absolutely lovely time. Julie is one of those heart friends. She is lovely. 

After coffee I picked up Paul and we met up with my sisters family, my parents and our friends the van Vliets for Vietnamese. Then it was time for a luxurious nap. Oh I love holidays. Then it was time to set up for our friends 40th birthday. At 5:30 people started to show up - it was a fun and relaxed night to celebrate Jason. Lots of great friends, lots of great conversation and good food. I ate lunch and dinner with my parents.....so that's a win for family day. 

All in all a great weekend. 

Menu Plan Monday, Feb 4th (Thursday edition??)

Menu Plan Monday with Laura at Org Junkie

Upcoming week: 

Monday: Veggiefull dinner + Chicken Tortilla Soup & Cheeseburger Soup

Monday night we wanted to eat healthy so we had Quinoa Stuffed Peppers (with shredded chicken), baked Zucchini, Honey Mustard Roasted Sweet Potatoes and steamed asparagus. So tasty. We had two friends over for dinner who had joined us, not just to eat, but also to make lots of soup! 

We were again making soup for a at-risk-youth program on the DTES - lots of soup!  This time we wanted to try a different mexican soup and I wanted to do another hearty teen favorite. Chicken Tortilla Soup & Cheeseburger Soup fit the bill perfectly (we doubled the recipes). T&C were awesome helpers and we had the soup whipped out in 1.5 hours. We were a great team. While T&C chatted with Paul in the kitchen I then took to making soup for lifegroup - I made a batches of Lasagna Soup and Chicken Taco Soup (also doubled). For the Chicken Taco Soup i just needed to add the ingredients to the crockpot - in retrospect I should have done that in the morning so it could cook all day, rather than all night. This way I had to get up and transfer it to something to chill all day. The Lasagna soup was easy and very tasty. PLUS we had SO MUCH FUN chatting and laughing with T&C - working is much better when you have friends. All together 4 giant batches of tasty soup were made - with enough soup to feed about 40 people. 

Tuesday: Lasagna Soup and Chicken Taco Soup

All I had to do was reheat the soups for lifegroup, make some garlic bread for the Lasagna Soup, and put out Tortilla chips for the Taco Soup. I shredded up mozza and marble cheese to serve with their respective soups. They were all a big giant hit. Success! There was still enough Taco Soup leftover for dinner Wednesday. There was enough Lasagna Soup leftover for dinner Thursday and lunches for two days and enough to freeze 6 personal dinners, a dinner for like 10 people. Apparently I make a lot of soup when I go for it. 

Lifegroup was awesome.  Like really awesome. Our group is handling challenges and new ideas like pros. 

Wednesday: Leftover Chicken Taco Soup

I got home from a loooooooong day of work and had a hot shower, falling asleep immediately afterwards. I woke up at 7:30pm, heated up soup for the house and then after eating and talking with paul for a while, went back to sleep at 10:30. So tired! The Taco Soup was as good, if not better, the next day. 

Thursday: Leftover Lasagna Soup 

Thursday is my sister night so I need to be able to get out the door by 7pm, heating up soup works perfectly for days like this. This Thursday everyone is eating at different times so they are all just grabbing a bowl and eating when they need to.   

Friday: YOYO

Lunch with a friend, coffee with a different friend, errands in Richmond and a girls night is a perfect way to spend a friday. 

Saturday: YOYO

I'm headed over to the Island for my awesome friend Tami's 30's birthday! While there I get to have lunch with my dear friend Crystal and I'm stoked about that too. 

Sunday: YOYO

Ferry home in the morning, Women's Ministry Meeting at noon, church at 3, then a surprise birthday for my father in law. Paul will be gone with him Thursday to Sunday to celebrate. 

Monday: YOYO

This coming Monday is a holiday, BC Day. Woot woot. Sleep in with Paul, house work and then a birthday dinner for our friend Jason. Good day indeed! 

In Review:

Monday: Mexican Pie

Lately we've been eating a ton of Mexican Food and the trend continues. I made this Mexican Pie a while back and added it to the freezer for an easy meal and it was great reheated. I had a lovely time with Kayla and managed to get a bunch of house stuff done. Win win. 

Tuesday: Queso Lasagne

I made this Lasagne Monday night after Kayla left and MAN, it's awesome. I will make this again and again and again for sure! 

Lifegroup was amazing. We have some big changes coming up and our group handled them like a pro. I'm excited to see where we all go and what this looks like!

Wednesday: Spaghetti

My plans were cancelled, Paul was out...I made Spaghetti with meatsauce, enough for dinner and lunches. I served dinner and packed lunches and then read all night...oh joy. 

Thursday: Sundried Tomato Pesto seafood Pasta

My parents were over for dinner so we had this tasty pasta dish then headed out to Starbucks for drinks (mmm caramel apple spice). We had a great night together talking and laughing. 

Friday: Pork Ramen Stirfry

I prepped this during the day, then fried it up once the boys were over and hungry. It was kid approved and husband approved! That's a win for sure. We had a nice evening with the boys, then they went to sleep. Paul headed out to Chapel, a youth worship night. After Chapel Duncan was home to "babysit" (the boys sleep super well, he's really just listening for crying) while Paul and I headed over to our friends the Lim's for appies and drinks. The Lim's live super close and we walked over - it was a lovely night with some of my favorite people. I mean honestly I had no idea who would be there and ever time someone would knock and come in I'd be sooo happy!

Saturday: Taco's

Saturday was a great day. We played and hung out with the boys. They were cuddly and squirmy and cute. We watched movies and made blanket forts and went to the pool. I swear they eat all the time, but that's expected. After the pool we ate Soft Taco's and they were in bed! I headed out to my good friend Margot's birthday party - and I was reminded of how awesome my friends and their friends are. Great night. I was soooooo tired though...the boys wake up early! And while they will come into my bed at 5am to keep "sleeping" they are usually pretty squirmy so sleep is fleeting. 

Sunday: SUPERBOWL PARTY

Sunday we were up and out to the park with the nephews. Then Jenna and Colin came to grab the boys and join us for lunch. When they left I started prepping for our spontaneous Super Bowl Party. Every year we host one but this year we didn't think we would - Paul was preaching that day at church and we had Foundations afterwards. We both ran into people though who said they couldn't wait for our party and we realized we should totally just throw one anyways. In the end we had about 20 people there and it was so much super fun. 

The menu was entirely centered around things I had in the house. No time to shop!

Mozza Sticks (from Costco)

Rotel Dip

Crab Dip 

Mini Pizza's (I had pita, sauce, and meat to use up)

Wings (Honey Garlic & Buffalo)

Pork Bites

and more I think? 

Anyways I had it all prepped ahead of time so I could just take things out of crockpots or throw things into the oven and it was a huge success. 

And these are just the people that watched the game - there were a group of 5-10 people upstairs playing a board game and eating.

Also a huge success was Paul's awesome sermon....and our last Foundations meeting. Between those two things I was pumped for sure! God is so good and He is doing awesome things.