Free Rice

I just found this website on another blog, and it's really fun. It's a vocabulary game that determines your skill level and then helps you to learn new words. For every correct answer you get, the sponsors send 20 grains of rice to developing countries. In about 15 minutes, I "donated" 2,000 grains of rice. I'll put the banner here and also on the sidebar.

Menu Plan Monday

Here is our plan for this week:

Monday--Chicken Cordon Bleu (Pretty sure I'm going to make some changes to make it healthier, but use this recipe as a starting off point. Also, I probably won't make it in the microwave as the recipe suggests.)
Tuesday--Fajitas (minus tortillas)
Wednesday--Broccoli Cheese Soup
Thursday--Western Chicken Chunks (I've been wanting these again since the last time I made them.)
Friday--Chef Salad

Finished all of my Egypt scrapbook pages

Popcorn

I have a confession to make: I fed my kids popcorn for lunch yesterday. They were so crabby after church there was no way they were going to make it to nap time, so I put them to bed at 11:00 am. When they finally woke up at 3 pm (I told you they were exhausted!) it seemed silly to feed them lunch, so I popped a bag of popcorn for them. They loved it! (They've never had more than a few pieces here and there when Mommy and Daddy had some.) So, of course, I had to get out my camera to document the experience. :)
Here's Nick shoving 3 or 4 pieces in his mouth at a time while watching the tv intently. Like father, like son. LOL, just kidding, Bradley.
Catie says, "Peek-a-boo!" She's looking around the camera to see me. Sometimes it's the only way I can get her to look at the camera. :)Here's a full-length shot of Catie in her new dress so that Grandma Herzog can see how adorable she looks in it. :) I can't believe how big they've gotten lately. It's a 24 month dress. This is the first time since they've been born that they're wearing clothes in a larger size than their age.

And just in case you were wondering:

I didn't think I was that nerdy. Usually these kind of tests ask questions about computers and sci-fi, and this one did, but it also had questions that I remember from high school. Since it's been almost ten years since I graduated, I guess that's what makes me a nerd, lightly or otherwise. :)

What kind of mother hen are you?

What type of Mother Hen Are You?
by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

My new camera lens

I used a gift certificate that my brother and his wife gave us to buy a new camera lens, and it came yesterday! For those of you who care, it's a Nikkor 55-200 AF-S VR. For those of you who don't care, it's a good zoom lens. So, of course, as soon as I took it out of its box, I attached it to my camera and started taking pictures of my favorite subjects. Here's the result:

When I tried to take close-ups with my other lens, I usually ended up with pictures of the kids trying to get the camera. Now I can be a paparazzi momma. :)

Menu Plan Monday

We went out to dinner on Friday night, and then we broke down on Saturday and ordered pizza, which we finished up tonight, so I didn't finish the plan last week.
So, here's this week's plan:

Monday: Tikka Masala (an Indian chicken dish) with rice and hummus
Tuesday: Chef Salad
Wednesday: White Chicken Chili (didn't get to it last week)
Thursday: Meatloaf
Friday: Beef and Broccoli stir-fry

A Recipe for you:

Low-Carb Meatloaf (I know, you would think that meatloaf was low-carb, but ketchup and barbeque sauce have a lot of sugar!)

1 lb ground beef
1 cup salsa
1 egg
1/2 onion
a little tiny bit of bread crumbs to help it stick together (or 1/3 cup if you don't care about carbs)
1/2 tsp garlic
salt and pepper to taste

Mix everything. Place in greased loaf pan and cook at 375 degrees for 30-45 minutes until browned all the way through.