Outside Temp: 42 F
Happy Veteran's Day! Thank you to all those who serve.
What I cooked today:
Burgers and Mashed Potatoes: With all that was going on today, I was lucky to at least pull some ground beef out of the freezer. So, when we got home from the game, I was able to throw together dinner pretty quick.
Update:
The boys played Tri-Cities and WON, again... 36-20. The boys are really getting better and I really like this team. The boys who are really good don't hog the ball ... They all play as a team and everyone plays. Connor was in for more than a quarter and did an excellent job of keeping his 'opponent' occupied. When there are only 5 players, and Connor keeps one of them from getting the ball or being useful at all, he's really important. Allen is trying to figure out how to guard without fouling, but he's learning. Only one foul today! The coach thinks he might want to play Football in the fall. :) We play Centerville tomorrow morning, so I hope we all get a good night's rest.
The kids had a Veteran's Day 'thing' at school today. I've already written about how awesome the school lunches are, and how the kids enjoy the fresh food. For today, the school invited all the senior citizens (and new folks, like us) to join them for lunch. We had baked ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, yams and pumpkin custard with real whipped cream. Yumm!
It was really neat to have the local senior citizens come to school. We sat next to a couple of gentlemen from town for lunch, and I am always reminded at how much information they have to share. We talked about how we're planning for winter (since we have no clue) and they were more than happy to share their wisdom with us. We talked about fishing and hunting and ways to heat a house and really simple things like that. And the ladies just laughed at Ryan and his energy and laughter.
Ryan, as one would expect from Ryan, just ran around and chased a few of the high school girls calling 'You're mine!" and "I'm going to get you!". The girls took in in stride and laughed it off, although Ryan is getting pretty aggressive in his tactics. Of course, since the school is only 36 students, everyone already knows Ryan pretty well. It's great to find a place that is willing to accept his 'uniqueness' without judgement or irritation.
Katie and Connor's classes did a cute little 'presentation', complete with sign language. I was going to take pictures, but I realized I would have to get the other kids in the picture, then I couldn't post them without permission and it might get ugly. So, you'll just have to believe me when I say, it was cute.
The school is interesting, in that it reminds me of what school was about 40 years ago. After lunch, we all went into the gym. Once we were settled, we all stood while the pep band played the Star Spangled Banner and the flags were presented. We then said the Pledge of Allegiance.
After the Pledge, the high school students (all 7-8 of them) took turns reading the President's Address for Veteran's Day. I didn't know there was a Presidential Address for Veteran's Day. Then the 1st and 2nd graders said a few words about the flag, and the 3rd - 6th grades did their little skit.
We took a few moments to ask all those in the audience who had served to stand, so we could thank them. Then we had a member of the Air Force come by and talk about his service. He was part of the group that does the construction of new bases in war zone. He was their with his wife and 2 cute little girls. When he talked about his tours of Iraq and Afghanistan and Qatar, I thought of how rough it must be for his wife and family. While he said he wasn't part of the troops that did the fighting, I thought about how important his job was. He was very modest, but I think his job is one of the most important.
Now, those who know me well, probably know how much I want to throw in something political about government and wars and stuff like that. But today is not the day for that. Today is about thanking those who choose to work and fight for our freedom. They aren't doing it for the money or the benefits or the recognition, but for something much more important than all that. So, to those people who have made the choice to serve in our Armed Forces, I say Thank You.
Showing posts with label Burgers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Burgers. Show all posts
Friday, November 11, 2011
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
November 9, 2011
Outside Temp: 37 F (I know, positively summer... )
What I cooked today:
Burgers and Mashed Potatoes: I love this one because I can do it when I haven't prepared anything. We're up to 10 potatoes, and the pot was STILL scraped clean. I guess I'll go up to 12 next time... Fortunately, 10 lb bags of potatoes are on sale this week... I foresee at least 2 bags...
Cornbread (from a box): I should have known better, but I had a box of cornbread and wanted to make something to go with the burgers. I used muffin liners, which actually worked out really well. But the muffins were the kind that fall apart when you try to butter them... I need to find a way to make cornbread that doesn't crumble... any ideas?
Update:
We went into Great Falls today, for a quick shopping trip. We were out of milk and a few other staples, but I wanted to wait until Friday for my big trip (since I could be sure that money was available by then).
We stopped at Wal-Mart, because some really awesome reader had told me that they had flannel lined jeans. They're only $22 for the men's section, and they are totally awesome! I didn't get any today, but I will definitely get some next time I'm in town. They also have them in the boys section, so I see getting at least one pair for each boy. I didn't ask if they had them for me (knowing my luck, they don't), but worst case, I can use Men's jeans.
The weather was warm today, such that I was just fine with my t-shirt and sweatshirt, without a jacket. But I know the day will come when I need to have a real winter jacket. My hoodie won't work much longer. But for today, it was great.
Ryan got to 'play' with the 1st and 2nd graders who were playing basketball after school. He chased them around the court and they tolerated him. It was actually kind of funny. I don't think the boy he was 'guarding' understood a word he said, but he smiled and kept playing.
Ryan also got to take a 'Star' test today, online. It was kind of a joke, since they told him to 'press 1, 2 or 3 for the correct answer' and he kept trying to move the mouse to the right answer. His 'score' put him right on the cutoff between 'Early Emergent Reader' and 'Late Emergent Reader'. I have no idea what an 'Emergent Reader' is, but since he actually got to the end of the test, I was quite proud. He struggled with the concept of a number associated with the answer, especially when the answer was a number itself. I think we'll keep taking tests throughout the year, and hopefully, he will get a little better at test-taking. :)
 |
| I took this yesterday, 11/8/11, on the way to school... It snowed flurries about an hour later. :) |
Burgers and Mashed Potatoes: I love this one because I can do it when I haven't prepared anything. We're up to 10 potatoes, and the pot was STILL scraped clean. I guess I'll go up to 12 next time... Fortunately, 10 lb bags of potatoes are on sale this week... I foresee at least 2 bags...
Cornbread (from a box): I should have known better, but I had a box of cornbread and wanted to make something to go with the burgers. I used muffin liners, which actually worked out really well. But the muffins were the kind that fall apart when you try to butter them... I need to find a way to make cornbread that doesn't crumble... any ideas?
Update:
We went into Great Falls today, for a quick shopping trip. We were out of milk and a few other staples, but I wanted to wait until Friday for my big trip (since I could be sure that money was available by then).
We stopped at Wal-Mart, because some really awesome reader had told me that they had flannel lined jeans. They're only $22 for the men's section, and they are totally awesome! I didn't get any today, but I will definitely get some next time I'm in town. They also have them in the boys section, so I see getting at least one pair for each boy. I didn't ask if they had them for me (knowing my luck, they don't), but worst case, I can use Men's jeans.
The weather was warm today, such that I was just fine with my t-shirt and sweatshirt, without a jacket. But I know the day will come when I need to have a real winter jacket. My hoodie won't work much longer. But for today, it was great.
Ryan got to 'play' with the 1st and 2nd graders who were playing basketball after school. He chased them around the court and they tolerated him. It was actually kind of funny. I don't think the boy he was 'guarding' understood a word he said, but he smiled and kept playing.
Ryan also got to take a 'Star' test today, online. It was kind of a joke, since they told him to 'press 1, 2 or 3 for the correct answer' and he kept trying to move the mouse to the right answer. His 'score' put him right on the cutoff between 'Early Emergent Reader' and 'Late Emergent Reader'. I have no idea what an 'Emergent Reader' is, but since he actually got to the end of the test, I was quite proud. He struggled with the concept of a number associated with the answer, especially when the answer was a number itself. I think we'll keep taking tests throughout the year, and hopefully, he will get a little better at test-taking. :)
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
October 26, 2011
Outside Temp: 40 F
What I cooked today:
Burgers and Mashed Potatoes: Okay, all the cooking finally caught up with me, and I had absolutely no desire to cook today. So, the old stand-by of burgers and mashed potatoes was the choice. I'm realizing that Allen is getting older, since I made about 9 potatoes, and it was gone. Like totally scraped clean. I think he was licking the plate. Ugh, at least potatoes are cheep.
Update:
So, the kids mentioned something yesterday, but I thought they were kidding, so I didn't post it. I talked with the lunch lady today and yes, indeed, they had sirloin steak for lunch yesterday. Are you kidding me? I have never heard of feeding kids steak for lunch from a school cafeteria! But, apparently, their 4H group has a few cows and needed to slaughter them for the season... so the school gets fresh beef. They also have pigs, so I'm sure the bacon and pork chops are fresh. They are so spoiled!
The only complaint was that they had Heinz 57 instead of A-1 sauce, and some of the kids thought it was too spicy. Not mine though; Allen tasted it and said it was just like the sauce his mom makes!
The school also had a pep rally today in Stanford (about 15 miles away). So, they all loaded up on buses, except Ryan and I who took my car, and drove over there. Since our school is so small, we team up with the Stanford teams to make 1 whole team. They girls volleyball team is about 11 students, and the boys football team is 8... yes 8 boys. They play 6 man football, which I had never heard of before we got here.
The pep rally was very similar to my memory from Napa. The coach wanted everyone to yell the team mascot, 'go wolverines' every time some said 'team'. They called all the members, by name and height, of both the girls volleyball and the boys football teams, who had to come stand in the middle of the gym, looking bored. Then there was a game that took longer to explain than it did to actually play. All that was missing was Eli and Aaron doing a skit of 'Wayne's World'.
I also found it interesting, since both schools are K-12, the stands were half-filled with elementary grade kids, who were probably bored but liked to be able to yell out every time some used the word team. Even Ryan got into the mix and by the end, was howling like a wolf and clapping. I guess that's part of the whole 'school pride' thing.
The snow was burned off by noon, which bummed out the kids who wanted to play in the snow when they got home from school. I told them they would have more than enough chance to play in the snow once the winter sets in. The good news is that even though the outside temp last night hit about 19 F, my house was still in the mid 60's when I woke up. I guess my pellet stove is doing it's job!
What I cooked today:
Burgers and Mashed Potatoes: Okay, all the cooking finally caught up with me, and I had absolutely no desire to cook today. So, the old stand-by of burgers and mashed potatoes was the choice. I'm realizing that Allen is getting older, since I made about 9 potatoes, and it was gone. Like totally scraped clean. I think he was licking the plate. Ugh, at least potatoes are cheep.
Update:
So, the kids mentioned something yesterday, but I thought they were kidding, so I didn't post it. I talked with the lunch lady today and yes, indeed, they had sirloin steak for lunch yesterday. Are you kidding me? I have never heard of feeding kids steak for lunch from a school cafeteria! But, apparently, their 4H group has a few cows and needed to slaughter them for the season... so the school gets fresh beef. They also have pigs, so I'm sure the bacon and pork chops are fresh. They are so spoiled!
The only complaint was that they had Heinz 57 instead of A-1 sauce, and some of the kids thought it was too spicy. Not mine though; Allen tasted it and said it was just like the sauce his mom makes!
The school also had a pep rally today in Stanford (about 15 miles away). So, they all loaded up on buses, except Ryan and I who took my car, and drove over there. Since our school is so small, we team up with the Stanford teams to make 1 whole team. They girls volleyball team is about 11 students, and the boys football team is 8... yes 8 boys. They play 6 man football, which I had never heard of before we got here.
The pep rally was very similar to my memory from Napa. The coach wanted everyone to yell the team mascot, 'go wolverines' every time some said 'team'. They called all the members, by name and height, of both the girls volleyball and the boys football teams, who had to come stand in the middle of the gym, looking bored. Then there was a game that took longer to explain than it did to actually play. All that was missing was Eli and Aaron doing a skit of 'Wayne's World'.
I also found it interesting, since both schools are K-12, the stands were half-filled with elementary grade kids, who were probably bored but liked to be able to yell out every time some used the word team. Even Ryan got into the mix and by the end, was howling like a wolf and clapping. I guess that's part of the whole 'school pride' thing.
The snow was burned off by noon, which bummed out the kids who wanted to play in the snow when they got home from school. I told them they would have more than enough chance to play in the snow once the winter sets in. The good news is that even though the outside temp last night hit about 19 F, my house was still in the mid 60's when I woke up. I guess my pellet stove is doing it's job!
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