Easy Lasagna

This recipe is also from my Family Fun magazine. It was really good, and very easy! I also was excited to get back into baking bread again. I had not done it too much, as my original recipe called for kneading the bread for 10 minutes. This kills my hands to do. So, I realized that I have a dough hook on my Kitchen Aid mixer and tried that. Honestly, this was the best bread I've ever made! And my hand's didn't want to fall off from kneading, woohoo!!!

One Skillet Lasagna

1 1/4 C ricotta (I used cottage cheese, and it worked just as good)

1/4 water (I might decrease that a bit, as the lasagna was watery)

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 C grated parmesan

1 1/2 c shredded mozzarella

1 lb. ground beef

1 medium zucchini diced (about 1 cup)

1 (26 oz) jar pasta sauce

6 oven ready lasagna noodles

In a bowl, mix together the ricotta, water, salt, parm, and 1/2 c of the mozz.

Brown beef with onions in a skillet, drain if needed. Add zucchini and 2 cups of the pasta sauce.

Top mixture with 2 lasagna noodles, set in the center. Break 2 more noodles into medium- size pieces and fill in the edges. Spread cheese mixture over the noodles. Lay on the two remaining noodles. Pour the rest of the sauce into skillet and spread evenly. Then sprinkle on remaining cup of mozzarella.

Cover the skillet and simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Make 6 servings

This week's project

I get the magazine, Family Fun and I looove the ideas they have in there! We have done so many of the projects, and made the recipes. This month they had a fire station and fire truck made out of recyclables. We decided to give it a try, and the kids had a blast making it! Our next thing is to make some of the Valentines from the magazine. If I could, I would sit all day long and do projects like this with the kids. I love this kind of stuff. But don't ask me to play babies, and Barbies man. My imagination just isn't what it used to be!!

Lime Chicken Tacos

This is one of my all time favorite recipes. I recently made a huge batch to give to a friend of mine who had a death in the family. Last night she commented on how much her family loved them, and I said I would post the recipe:) It's super easy, and smells divine simmering all day long!

Lime Chicken Tacos

4 chicken breasts, either frozen or thawed, doesn't matter. Put these in the bottom of your crock pot, and mix together 3-4 Tbl of lime juice, and 1-1.5 Tbl chili powder. Pour this over chicken, and cook on low all day. Once chicken is done, take out and shred, add back to the crock pot, and one cup of corn and one jar of salsa, mix it all up and let simmer for an hour or so. That's it! Brad likes it with soft tacos, but the girls and I eat it with tortilla chips and sour cream.

I didn't know parenting was so easy!!!

Really! I didn't know that we would be blessed with children that listened so well and were so respectful! It would be so hard to be those "other" parents who don't know how to discipline their children. Ha! Crap, I just pinched myself to make sure I wasn't dreaming, and I was. Bummer. I know every parent goes through this, but I feel like all I do is nag and yell. Last night was a horrible night. I can't handle the sassy mouth, and the disrespect. We just finished this new room for Rachel, and she was seriously almost crying because Brad hadn't gotten her bed yet form his parents house. I lost it. I admit it. I was furious. I completely went off on her about showing respect, saying thank you, blah, blah, blah.

I really think that part of the problem is that as a society, we want to do so much for our kids. When I was a kid, my parents never really played with us, and we certainly never had places to go to like we do now. It seems like any weekend that is open, the girls are wondering why we can't do something because they're so bored. On Monday, when I was still feeling rotten, Emma actually threw a mini tantrum because I couldn't do a craft with her. Ugh. I know I have great kids, they just aren't always so great for us. And this is only the beginning.

Luckily, today is Friday, and I'm so excited that my brother and his kids are coming to visit! The girls have been waiting a long time to see their cousins. It will be fun and relaxing. And it's supposed to be cold again, great weekend to stay inside. Poor Brad though, he will be at the Gull Lake fishing Contest. Poor buddy, he'll just have to up the beer consumption to stay warm:)

Today's Project

I am wanting to make a lot of the artwork in Rachel's new room, and include many of the things she has made in the last year. The week I was on vacation, we were able to spend a lot of time scrap booking, and this was one of the pictures she had made. I didn't want to buy a frame for it, and I remembered the last time I was down at Grandma and Grandpa's house, he gave me a box of wooden frames he had made. I love these so much, because they are made from an old hay rack they used while he was growing up! He made all these picture frames from them, and painted most of them black. Being that they are so old, they look faded, which totally adds to the uniqueness of them. So I dazzled this one up a bit, and framed Rachel's picture! She loooves it, and I am so pleased with how it turned out. I can't wait to make one for Emma and Alayna!!

Have I told you how much I looove Joe???!!!

Joe as in coffee, seriously, how do people NOT drink coffee? I really don't get it. How do you not love the smell of it and the taste of it? I haven't had it for two days, and this morning is like the greatest morning EVER!!! If they had a genuine coffee smelling perfume, I'd buy it. I truly can't get enough of the stuff. And I don't mean the flavored kinds, I like those too, but I love just the straight ole black stuff. Ok, off my coffee box now....

I had a fabulous first half of the weekend! We went with Brad's family to see Tony and Tina's Wedding on Saturday night. It was FABULOUS!!!!!!! I haven't laughed that much in a long time, rally, you laugh for 2.5 hours straight. It was awesome! After that we got back to St.Joe and stopped at the Legion for a drink. I had one and started to feel not the best. We got home around midnight and by 2:00 I was up blessing the porcelain goddess. I continued to bless her until about 6:00, but the rest of the day was spent in bed. It was HORRIBLE. I have not been sick since last January, not even a cold:( Sunday night Emma started throwing up, but she only did it twice, and was perfectly fine after that. Weird. Today I finally feel "normal". We're just waiting to see who gets it next. Hopefully Brad will bypass it again this year, as he leaves this weekend for the Gull Lake Fishing Tournament. Keep your fingers crossed!

As I was sick in bed, Brad painted Rachel's new room (which was Alayna's nursery, I was surprising very sad to see the baby stuff taken down. I am sooooo done having kids, but re painting that room was very final, ya know?). It looks awesome! He painted two walls a blue color, and the other two a green color. They match her comforter perfectly! We're just waiting on the bed, as Brad's parents are getting a new one tomorrow, and they are giving us their old one. I will post pics as soon as everything is done. It's funny though, she was sooo excited to have her own room, but guess who slept with her on the air mattress last night? Yep, Emma! I think it will be a bit harder for her, but she'll have to adjust:)

Sun, sand, pina coladas on the beach.....

Oh, sorry. I thought that if I keep thinking of somewhere warm, this weather won't be so bad. I was wrong. This sucks! I am so tired of being cooped up I could scream. Thankfully this SHOULD be the last day of it. I pray. I am just hoping I make it through the day having 12 (yes, I said twelve) children here. Hehehehehehehehehehe. Yikes.



I am excited about this weekend, we are going to the play, "Tony and Tina's Wedding" with Brad's family tomorrow night! We saw this about 12 years ago, but I can't wait to see it again! And it's supposed to be like 25 DEGREES!! Flippin heat wave!! I finagled my Dad and Step mom (love you guys!!) to come and babysit. The girls are soooo excited for them to come. We're going to make a birthday cake either tonight or tomorrow as its my Step moms birthday. The girls are excited to giver her her gift, as they helped make it. (I will get a pic of it and post tomorrow, just in case she's reading this today:)

Alright, I am off to have a few moments of alone time before these monsters are done with quiet time:)