What We Didn't Eat

Last week I had a meal plan. We didn't end up eating things in the exact order that I planned them. We didn't eat everything on the menu. We did love the pork tenderloin.

I didn't make a meal plan this week. That was very foolish. I'll use the fact that we were out of town for the weekend as my excuse.

So what happens when there is no plan? Let me tell you.

You see a delicious looking recipe on Pinterest. You buy the few ingredients you don't already have at Target, after you've been to Zumba and taken your favorite 3 yo daughter to dance class. This all on a day following a night of very interrupted sleep.

You come home from picking up school kids and start to do homework with four kids at one time. You figure out which kids need your help and which kids can do work on their own. You try to keep your favorite 3 yo daughter out of everyones hair. You might put your favorite 15 month old baby (yes, still baby) down for a nap, just to have one less voice in the room.

At 5:00 you all of a sudden remember that the recipe you were going to use is a crockpot recipe. One that calls for cooking on high for 3.5 hours. Oops.

We'll be eating the crockpot dinner tomorrow. Tonight we had fried chicken from Kroger, following volleyball practice. Next week, a meal plan will happen.

Update: Delicious dinner! I used real bacon and full fat sour cream, and cream of mushroom. So the recipe was more of a suggestion I guess. ;) But it was tasty.

P.S. I'm sharing my awesome (or lack of) with Momma Made it Look Easy and you should too!

I Miss the Beach (and WIWW)

I'm combining my vacation post with What I Wore Wednesday at The Pleated Poppy.

So, went to California. It was glorious. We got there on Tuesday and it was so nice and cool. After my sweet aunt picked us up from the airport and we grabbed a snack we headed to her house. We had time for a walk to the beach before dinner, so of course we did. My brother was there for the first two days of our visit too, which was wonderful.

I'm wearing the love grenade shirt from Anchor City Printing, white cuffed pants from Lucky, and my summer standard silver flip flops from Target. Also, I had to take a sweater and I actually needed it for a bit! And notice Travis wearing long sleeves! Oh it was so heavenly.

This sign on our walk made me laugh.

 And don't worry, I didn't even think about it. But the view was stunning.

On Wednesday Travis and Justin joined my uncle and cousin for golf. I had a lazy morning (after waking up at 6:00 a.m. thanks to a time zone change and habit) before a girls lunch with two aunts, my grandmother, and several cousins. We had an ocean view for lunch too, and I didn't mind one bit that I needed to wear my sweater the whole time because I was cool. Knowing it was 100+ back home made it extra nice. I wore my ruffle tank and capris that I posted last week.

Wednesday night was baseball time! The whole reason we went to L.A. on the dates we did was to see the Rangers play the Angels in Anaheim. We were joined by 22 family members, all cheering for the Angels of course. Justin, Travis and I felt like we did our part to cheer for the Rangers. Happily, our guys won in comeback fashion, so it was really fun.

I'm wearing a Rangers shirt from the shop at the Ballpark in Arlington and cuffed pants from Macy's. I like to think I make sports team fashion fun, wearing a fitted shirt and feminine accessories.

Thursday was the day Travis and I had to ourselves. Unfortunately my aunt was sick, as she had planned to hang out with us. We decided to head to Venice Beach after a lazy morning. We wanted to do something a little bit touristy. It was a bit of an adventure finding the part of the beach we wanted but we eventually did. In a small world experience, the people that set up behind us on the beach were from Southlake, a town about 30 miles (if that) from us! We spent some time in the cold water and some time in our beach chairs, reading or people watching. It was actually pretty cool on the water, especially if we were wet, but I refused to cover up because I wanted to get some sun! I'm silly sometimes.

I'm wearing my favorite tankini from Land's End, bought two summers ago. And I'm really sad I'm not still at the beach right now (it was 99 degrees at 10:13 a.m. yesterday!).

We finished our date day by watching the Rangers game in the bar of a very nice seafood restaurant in Santa Monica. The steak I had was amazing. We had planned to go to the game, but we didn't want to sacrifice beach time since we got a late start to the day. And since the Rangers lost in the bottom of the 9th we were glad we didn't go. It was a really great day though, relaxing and just enjoying each other's company. We were very sad to leave. Travis was also sad to leave behind my aunt's BMW convertible (manual transmission) that was very fun to drive.

Friday was our day to head home. We were really tired from our late night the night before, and wished we had planned one more day for our trip. If we can go next year we will definitely stay four nights, as the kids all did great without us. My mind has drifted back to the beach many times this week. I miss it a lot.

I'll be back next year I hope.

First Day of School 2011

Today I sent four kids off to school! Whoa! Everyone was very excited. I was very tired. I stayed up too late and that alarm goes off early. Timmy couldn't find a shoe for a while. Normal morning stuff I guess. I did not cry when I dropped Timmy off, as I feared I would. I stopped back by his classroom on my way out of school and he was totally focused on his coloring page. He was ready for this day. And I guess I was too. Here are the traditional pictures (I didn't realize we cut off the sign until later, oops).

Lily goes to Mother's Day Out in two weeks and has requested a poster and pictures too, so more to come.

What We're Eating This Week

Tomorrow is the first day of school! It is also our first full week of sports practices. Someone has a practice every weeknight. Yikes! Meal planning is clearly going to be essential. I'm finding some great ideas on Pinterest. Here is what we are eating this week.

Monday-Mini Lasagnas

Source: canyoustayfordinner.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Tuesday: Crock-pot Orange Chicken

Source: team-t-adventures.blogspot.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Wednesday: Grilled Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

Source: kitchen-confidante.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Thursday: chicken enchiladas. No picture or link because I'm just using some leftover shredded taco chicken and doing basic enchiladas.

Friday: leftover or sandwiches. Caleb has baseball practice and then we're heading out of town. Ugh.

Of course we will have vegetables or fruit with each meal. And lunch and breakfast. But I didn't feel the need to share that plan with you (maybe because there isn't much of a plan).

Are you going back to school this week? What is your go-to meal on a busy night?

My First Restaurant Week

I blog and tweet because I like it. I like the community. I like feeling like I am in the know about some things. But every once in a while I get some fabulous perks from this little hobby.

Last week I was fortunate enough to be invited to a special preview event for Dallas Restaurant Week at Chamberlain's Steak and Chop House. I've had the pleasure of tasting food from Chef Chamberlain at a previous event hosted by the Texas Beef Council, so I knew our meal would be delicious. And oh was it.

We had three choices for an appetizer: summer corn bisque, duck confit spring rolls, or baby iceberg wedge salad. I chose the corn bisque and it was like silk. So creamy and smooth and delicious. A little sweet, a little tang and just oh so good. I didn't finish it, but only because I wanted to leave room for the main course and dessert.

For our main course we could choose kobe beef sirloin steak or prime rib. The kobe beef is from a farm in East Texas and that is what I chose. Both as a nod to my East Texas home and because I just really love a good sirloin and the opportunity to taste kobe beef does not come along very often in my life. The crust on the steak was perfect--peppery and spicy. The steak was served on a chimmichurri sauce with mashed potatoes on the side. I had two pieces of beef, so I ate one and planned to let Travis eat the other the next day. Except I ended up eating it myself!

Finally it was time for dessert! My favorite part! We had our choice of lavender creme brulee, almond bread pudding, and chocolate cake with a warm center and blackberry port sauce. I obviously chose the chocolate dessert. And I ate every last bite. The middle was the perfect consistency, warm but not gooey. The port sauce was a nice balance without being overpowering. So, so good.

Dallas Restaurant Week was started in the metroplex 14 years ago. A lot of cities host a restaurant week, but Dallas has been doing it longer than any city other than New York. Also, DFW ties their event to local charities. With every restaurant week menu purchase (a three course dinner for only $35!) the restaurant gives $7 to either the North Texas Food Bank or the Lena Pope home in Fort Worth. There are over 125 restaurants in the metroplex participating in this event. I'm so excited that I'll get to go for the first time, as the Texas Beef Council generously provided us with a gift card to make a reservation at a restaurant and go on a date! We'll be going back to Chamberlain's and I can't wait. I think I've been dreaming about the food since I tried it.

I had the pleasure of sitting with Trista of Mommy Upgrade, Jasmine of Dealicious Finds, and Angela of Fab Find Foodie and Russell with Texas Beef. It was a really fabulous night.


Disclosure: I was invited to attend the preview event free of charge, and given a gift card for another meal, by the Texas Beef Council and Restaurant Week DFW. I was under no obligation to write about  my experience but chose to do so because it was a delicious meal and it is a great event for our area. All opinions are my own.

What I Wore Wednesday

I'm joining the carnival at The Pleated Poppy this week. I only have two outfits to share, and you can only kind of see one, but I'm working with what I've got (namely children taking pictures on my phone).

Saturday the big girls and I spent some time together window shopping and having lunch at the mall. I didn't think about a picture until we were standing in the parking lot. Awesome.

I'm wearing a ruffle tank from Old Navy, cropped jeans/capris from Macy's, silver flip-flops (that you can't see) from Target, a pink watch from Modify Watches, Necklace by Allora Handmade, and my bag is from Etsy (shop currently closed).

Saturday evening we were invited to a Grand Opening party for a dance studio opened by friends from church. As you know it is crazy hot here in Texas, so I wanted to keep cool. I snagged a cute dress (one that doesn't make me look pregnant--a constant problem (and I'm not pregnant, just for the record)!) and wore it.

Dress from Old Navy, same silver flip-flops, necklace and bracelet from The Vintage Pearl, sunglasses from Claire's. Lily is wearing a sundress I got on clearance at Cracker Barrel of all places, and sunglasses from the dollar store.

I wore clothes the other days too, but forgot to take pictures. You can see more outfit inspiration at The Pleated Poppy.

Baseball with my Boys

"I can't stop smiling!"

Those were the words of our big boys last night. Thanks to the generosity of friends we had four free tickets to the Rangers game last night. Yes, it was 100+ degrees, but when you have free tickets and boys who love baseball you just have to get over it. Add to that the fact that we had free babysitting for the girls and Benjamin and we just had to make the best of it. Which wasn't really that hard anyway. I mean, I do love baseball, if you didn't know.

We got there early and had time to go to the Fan Shop, where Travis and I needed to get blue Rangers shirts to wear in California next week! The Angels wear red too, so our regular shirts weren't going to suffice, as we can't be mistaken for Angels fans! Blue shirts in hand we made our way to our seats. Front row, upper deck, right behind home plate. Great, great seats. You can see everything and we were in the middle of the row, so no one was walking in front of us.

The boys wanted hot dogs and Dr. Pepper and so they got it, because that is part of the baseball experience. We missed a few batters but that was okay. Not too long after sitting down Nelson Cruz came up to bat and Travis said he was going to hit a home run. And he did! What a way to start a game!

Travis teased me about being on my phone the whole time, so after snapping a picture of my boys and posting it to Facebook I put my phone away. I just sat and took in the game and my dates for the night. Our boys were cheering for every player. They noticed all kinds of things that we are used to seeing, since we go to more games.

And the talking. Since they didn't have to deal with four other siblings needing our attention they talked our ears off. So much to say. We talked about baseball players and snacks and songs and just whatever came to their minds. It was so great. I kind of couldn't stop smiling either.

P.S. Sharing my awesome with Momma Made It Look Easy and you should too!

Help Me Choose My Short Haircut

I have a new internet time-suck. Pinterest. It is so fun! People "pin" things from the internet and share with others. I have pinboards for a dream home, fashion, food, random, kid stuff, and so on. I also have one for short hair.

I keep my hair pretty short. But I have kind of grown out the front. I like it, but I am also kind of tired of having the same hairstyle. But I am also afraid to drastic change.But I also want a change. (Don't you feel sorry for Travis?)

So go look at my short hair pinboard and tell me what you think! Please? And if you would like an invite to join Pinterest (it is in Beta now) just tell me so in the comments, with an email address, and I will send you one! Thanks!

Just a Moment

A photo from our vacation a couple of weeks ago. I love it so much.

It's Not Nice to Brag

That is what I tell my friends, in a joking manner, when they are talking about a fabulous trip they just went on or a great deal they got or something. It really is a joke. I like hearing about the good things in my friends lives.

But I'm about to brag, so you can skip the post if you want.

We (Travis and I) leave for California in two weeks!!! (Yes, totally worth of excess punctuation.) I will see the ocean in just two weeks. Oh I can't wait. I looked at the ten day forecast today. Highs in the 70s every day! We'll need a sweater in the evening. (It is 108 here right now.)

We are going to see the Rangers play the Angels, for sure one night, probably two. A group of 25 of us is going to the game, mostly family. We're going to have our name on the video board! We are in the midst of a tight division race, so the games should be exciting.

We might go to some movies. We might not. We will try to sleep in. We will eat good food. We will not order off a children's menu or cut up someone else's food. We will eat when we want, sleep when we want (mostly) and just enjoy each other's company.

I can't wait.