Monday is for Menu Planning!

Some of the blogs I like to read share their menu plans for the week on Mondays. Menu planning has helped me stay in budget so far, so I'm going to try my best to share my plans/recipes on my blog at the beginning of the week. :)

I had a really hard time deciding what to make this week, probably because Tyson said I had my best week of cooking last week, and I wanted to continue my streak! Oh well. Here's what I ended up going with:

Monday: baked potatoes, black beans, leftover taco meat to top Tyson's
Tuesday: chicken spaghetti, salad
Wednesday: BLR's, sautéed zucchini
Thursday: parmesan garlic chicken, steamed broccoli
Friday: moo-shu style pork wraps + rice

This weekend was so relaxing! We spent time with both of our families and enjoyed some delicious cooking all weekend long. :) Brody and I drove to Cypress on Friday afternoon and Tyson came over after work. We had some yummy tortilla soup and watched a movie. Then on Saturday we drove over to the ranch after a quick stop in College Station for a haircut at Tyson's favorite barber shop and lunch on Northgate--Freebird's for me and Antonio's Pizza for Tyson. We pretty much just relaxed all day at the ranch...Brody was the only one who tolerated the heat to play. But he was also in the lake. :)

We got to see Heather and John's new place in College Station (which is super cute!) before heading back to Cypress--we have to stop at my parents' after we visit the ranch so Brody can get a bath because we can't at our apartment. Tyson watched the end of the golf tournament while I finished a book I've been reading, The King's Daughter by Sandra Worth. It was really good...I haven't read a historical novel just for fun before, and I really liked it. It's about Elizabeth of York, the first Tudor queen and mother of Henry VIII. Afterwords I wanted to research my genealogy to see if I had any crazy relatives, but apparently it takes a lot of effort and can't be done in an afternoon. I was kind of sad I didn't have any English in my background. I found Tyson's family's crest (on his paternal grandmother's side) and motto though, which was pretty neat.

That's enough rambling for now. Time to get caught up on cleaning and errands!

I love pretty much everything by Alex Goot. He even has free downloads on his site!

Bring on the Fall!

I am really looking forward for some cooler weather. Cardigans, cute boots, scarves...I'm getting more excited just thinking about it. Now that I'm cooking more, I'm also really looking forward to the cold weather-type meals. Soup and chili just aren't as good in summer months. And who wants to eat a meatloaf when it's hot outside? I'm making red beans and rice tonight though--Tyson suggested it because he knew I've been craving it. I think we might have to crank the AC down though to enjoy it. Not really. But I would like to.

How do you mix it up with leftovers? Last week we had quite a few--chicken, steak, and pork chops--that I needed to dress up so it didn't feel like a warmed up piece of meat with random sides. I ended up shredding the chicken and made a homemade barbecue sauce for sandwiches, this fun pasta and summer veggies with the pork and a little sauce, and then we made steak paninis. We actually had so much steak that we had a "panini-off" and Tyson made a cheese steak version on Tuesday and then I found a recipe that we tried Saturday night. I won. :) I used this recipe and made it with shredded mozzarella cheese, and then Sunday after church Tyson wanted it again so we split one with a slice of provolone. We definitely love our panini press!

Random side note: I love it when dogs bark on tv and Brody freaks out. It happens at least once a day. He really loses it when cows moo. That doesn't happen a lot, though.

July Recap

I've kind of slacked off on blogging the last part of this month. Mostly because not that much has been going on! I've been staying home with Bro Bro, and Tyson's been working a lot. Here are a few highlights:

• We celebrated the 4th of July at the ranch with the Hanns and Heather's future in-laws. It was really hot!
• Brody is getting acclimated to Katy and has liked his doggie dates so far. We're planning to go to the dog park soon, which I know he will love.
• I have had several interviews, but the right position has not presented itself yet. I have an interview with a school district next Monday, so prayers for that would be greatly appreciated! I started Beth Moore's Stepping Up study through the Psalms of Ascent, which has been perfect for this season of my life. 
• My current obsession? Sarah's House on HGTV. It is in it's third season in Canada, and they've picked it here and show seasons 2 & 3. So much inspiration! I love it! I have all of the episodes on my DVR, so you should come over and catch up.
• Tyson started his training for the Dallas White Rock marathon in December. It will be his first full marathon! I do not think I will run the corresponding 5k though, because it's held the day before. Boo.
• Lots of friends moving! One of my best friends moved back to Houston, and Lesley informed me she is moving back in December!! Wahoo! Val moved away to Abilene though, which was bittersweet.
• I also had some bridal pictures taken by Valerie Millard Studios! You can see a few here!

Sadly, I cannot type very much longer because I lifted weights for the first time since before the wedding this morning and am already super sore. Seriously, why are my biceps hurting from typing??

What's for dinner?

Hello! Tyson, Brody, and I spent a fab weekend with his family. We drove up to College Station Friday afternoon to spend the evening with Heather and John (Tyson's sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law). They cooked us an amazing meal, which I am much more appreciative of now that I'm cooking more. On Saturday, all of Heather's bridesmaids drove back to Houston to get some dresses for her big day. Then we drove up to the ranch and picked wild mustang grapes for jelly. So many grapes. You have no idea.

In job search news, I've actually made the realization that I want to teach! Crazy, I know. It stemmed from an interview where the interviewer asked me which of my work experiences was my favorite. I realized student teaching was my favorite. So I've been applying to school districts in the area...and thinking I might have to end up subbing, but we'll see. So far, all I know is that I'm heading back into the teaching field...and I'm excited!

In other news, I was planning to take pictures of the apartment this week, but it's been so rainy and overcast so far! I checked the 10 day forecast and it's not looking any better. So we'll see if we get good light for pictures anytime soon.

 And here's what we have planned to eat this week (it's an easy week again)...

Monday: Baked potatoes and grilled zucchini
Tuesday: BLR's (Instead of a BLT, it's a bacon, lettuce, and ranch dressing sandwich. I made it up in college. Don't forget to just toast the bread. It's awesome and quick.), french fries, caesar salad
Wednesday: Chicken with raspberry sauce, glazed carrots, rice, salad
Thursday: Spaghetti (bow tie!), green beans, toaster bread (where you butter the bread before you toast it)
Friday: Burgers with bacon-wrapped asparagus & smashed potatoes

☻

Amazing.

Brody & Chessey.

 Brody made a new friend this week, Chester! But we call him Chessey because it's cute like him. My friend Val is dog sitting for some friends of hers and we set the boys up on dog dates--which they loved.

I was a bad mommy...I told Brody the photo shoot was not about him that day. He didn't care though, he just wanted to play!

Fun times! ☻