Menu Plan Monday

Our meals got a little shifted around this past week. That tends to happen when the weekend rolls around. Either somebody is not here, or the teenagers have other plans, or we are in town during dinner so stop and pick up something, or we just realize late in the day that we've been in our jammies all day playing Wii and now it's dinner time and I don't feel like cooking what I had planned so we opt for chili dogs instead.



Here's what we have planned for this week:

Monday ~ Build your own pizza (using premade pizza crusts I found at Aldi) and cinnamon pizza sticks (also found at Aldi)

Tuesday ~ 69 cent cheeseburgers from McDonald's during the Tulsa area McDonald's Day of Love. All proceeds from 59 cent hamburgers and 69 cent cheeseburgers are donated to the Tulsa Ronald McDonald House. The lines are long, but the cause is great!

Wednesday ~ FFY

Thursday ~ Crock pot pulled pork sandwiches and fries

Friday ~ Jambalaya hamburger helper (Rick and I saw this and thought it sounded kind of good.)

Saturday ~ "Subway" at home (Build your own subs and Baked Lays)

Valentine's Day Sunday ~ Filet minon (purchased at Aldi for $1.79 for a 10 oz. filet), baked potatoes, mini spinach/artichoke bread bowls, pasta for the kids with Parma Rose sauce, and a yummy dessert yet to be decided.

The Org Junkie has other great menus, so head over there if you need more inspiration!

Work it Out

We are members of our local YMCA. They have everything you can ask for, from a fitness perspective. I am more of an early morning workout person and like to go to fitness classes. Rick is more of an evening workout person and likes to go work out with weights, the bike and treadmill.

We get gung ho at times. And then at times we get burned out.

We are both burned out right now. There's no enthusiasm. So if we have any little excuse (and I have four furry ones right now), we don't go.

So, that's such a waste of money! It costs over $70 a month for us to be members of the Y.

When I was a kid, my mom exercised at home to Bodies in Motion with Gilad. As an adult, I picked up a desire to exercise to his t.v. show, as well. And he also has a show called Total Body Sculpt.


I am not overweight, but mostly workout to keep my arthritic joints lubricated and to stay toned. Now that I am burned out with going to the Y at five in the morning, I have turned back to my old reliable, Gilad. And I also love to walk in the mornings, when it gets a little warmer. Now that we have Crusoe, who needs the exercise, I'll have a morning walking buddy. (I took him for the first time yesterday afternoon and we both enjoyed it!)

I love doing these two things and I feel good when I do them.

If you have FitTV, you can find Gilad's shows on it. They are on various times throughout the day. But, with the invention of DVR, you can record his shows and do the workouts on your own schedule!

Check your local listings for times.

FitTV also has many other types of exercise shows on it. If Gilad's not for you, pick another one.

But, get fit. Work out a little, at least a few times a week. You'll feel better because of it.

Date 7/52 ~ Courtesy of Restaurant.com

Almost a year ago I purchased two $25 gift certificates for two local restaurants through Restaurant.com for $2 each. The only conditions are that you go at dinner time and spend a minimum of $35. So, if you spend exactly $35, you will only end up being out of pocket a total of $12 plus 18% tip. That's a cheap date, if you've gone out to eat anytime lately. Heck, we can hardly go to Taco Bell for that!

So, last night Rick and I had Date 7 of 52 and went to dinner at a local asian restaurant with our gift certificate in hand.

I'd like to say we stuck to spending $35 at the restaurant so our bill was only $10 plus tip ... but we didn't. (The cocktails, appetizer, extra sushi and creme brulee might have put us over the top!)

I'd like to say we didn't go shopping after that ... but we did.

We started out at Walmart getting some supplies for a Super Bowl get-together Kyndal is having with some guys from school at our house. And, we have to eat! And we threw in some feminine products and 8 pound weights.

Then we went to Kohl's to look for me a robe and slippers as a gift from Rick for Valentine's Day. No robe and slippers, but I did pick up a couple of cute shirts.

So we headed to Target to look at their selection. Really, grandmas are not the only people who wear robes! There was nothing! So we browsed and picked up a cushion for my kitchen chair, some new dish towels, a toy for Eli that he had been wanting to finish off a collection he has, and two books for me by author Kristin Hannah (my favorite) for Valentine's Day from Rick (since the robe and slippers idea isn't going to work).

Eating dinner in a nice restaurant is yummy.

But the conversation at the restaurant with a great friend and companion is even more fulfulling.

Shopping and spending money is fun.

Holding the hand of the one you love while doing it (and using his debit card) is even more fun.

If we don't quit eating out so much, though, we're going to get fat! I guess I'll get to using those 8 pound weights we bought.

Rick Rocks ~ Flowers

Rick used to buy me flowers from this expensive florist in Tulsa. The bouquets were beautiful and classy! I loved them.

But, as time goes on, not only does the appeal of buying flowers for your sweetie diminish, but so does the appeal of receiving them. At least it does to me.

Why? Although they are beautiful, they are so darned expensive and I can always think of a million things I would rather have with the money! And, I would rather use that money to plant flowers in my flower pots outside when spring comes, so as to enjoy them all year.

But, as a woman, doesn't just the thought of your husband buying you flowers mean as much? It does to me. Receiving a bouquet of flowers from a grocery store bin almost means more to me, because it means Rick was thinking about me during the ordinary days of life.

When we were grocery shopping last weekend, he bought me a bouquet of flowers at Aldi. They were pretty yellowish roses with a burnt red tip. I've always had an affinity for yellow roses. We stood there at the stand of flowers and he said, "Let me try to pick which one I think you would like." I had spotted them instantly. And, those were the ones he chose. He knows me.

He loves me.

And I love him.

Rick Rocks ~ Because he bought me flowers at Aldi.

A Little Good News

Today has been a good news day. And I've needed one for a while!

First, the furnace was just a blown fuse. That's been fixed. (The tiny bad news was that it cost us a $78 technician fee to figure that out.)

Second, I went to see the breast specialist today. She said there is definitely a lump, but that it does not feel cancerous. I have a mammogram and ultrasound next week to be sure. (One a side note, she did tell me that my breast implants were a good thing in my case. Because, very small chested women's breast tissue is like a pancake and feeling a lump is difficult. But, by having breast implants my breast tissue was stretched out so feeling lumps is now much easier.)

Third, I may be starting a new career soon that I never expected. And it came to me. It is something I have always wanted to do, and has something to do with my plans to get my teaching degree. The cool parts are that I would get to use my legal background and do this job from home! Win, win, win situation! More on that later, if things tend to pan out.

What a great day!

Puppies Update

Yes, things are a little nutty at our house right now!

Four puppies, all at around two months, is a lot of work! But, we are starting to get into a good and regular routine.

Quincy, Chloe and Buck have had their first vet appointments and are weighing in at 2 lbs 4 oz, 3 oz, and 2 oz, respectively. Chloe had a case of tapeworms, but that's been taken care of. That was an interesting (and gross) experience! Chloe is now sleeping with Kyndal at night. And the other cuddle-bugs, er "whiners", are sleeping with Rick and I. The first couple of nights they were up and down a lot and slept wrapped around my neck. But now they each only got up about once in the night to potty and are sleeping mostly in their little bed on our bed. Even Clifford has been sleeping right next to the puppies on our bed. Yes, we have a king size bed. And, thankfully in this instance, Rick and I are not cuddlers at night. There are now three bodies in between us at all times. Buck is the only one doing well with pottying. He seems to have a concept of going to the pad at the back door. I often find poopies and potty spots right outside their potty cage, on the pad. He even comes from another room to do it there. One down, two to go. When it gets warmer we'll be able to transition them to going in the potty cage outside.

And speaking of Clifford, he has mixed emotions. He has taken a liking to the little puppies, although he would never admit it! He sleeps right next to them on our bed. But he does like to sit on the landing of the stairs while they stand on the floor and bark at him, because they can't climb the steps yet. (Sorry to tell you Clifford, but it won't be long before they can!) He's not quite as fond of Crusoe, however. Crusoe noticed him for the first time on Tuesday and chased him through the house. There was hissing, and barking, and Clifford ended up on Rick's desk in the office.

Crusoe is just a playful puppy in a big body. He doesn't know what to do with himself! I can already see him understanding that he needs to obey me, though. Dawson is just as playful as Crusoe, so he's having a more difficult time commanding him to do anything. I'm trying to teach Dawson how to do it. He just doesn't understand yet that the best way he can be Crusoe's buddy is to train him to obey and behave. On a real positive note, he does potty pretty good if you pay attention to him. He doesn't squat and pee every 40 seconds like the little puppies do. And, when he goes to bed at night (snuggled close to Dawson), he sleeps soundly all night. Yesterday, though, Dawson spent a lot of time with him outside running and playing and they went on a long walk/run! And Crusoe even spent some time downstairs a couple of different times with the little puppies. He's getting better about not mauling them, and even laid in the floor and let them jump all over him. I call him "my little housework buddy" because in the afternoons when I have been doing my housework, he has just followed me around from room to room.

So, that's life in Taulman Puppyville. Things are going well, in my opinion. They are cute and fun and everybody is in love. I told Rick today that, although they are a lot of work, I am really enjoying them. I have been really bored this whole school year. It's nice to have someone(s) to take care of and who need me to take care of them. My mom said that she knew I would love it because I need someone to nurture. And who better to nurture than these little furry sweet babies.

** I spoke too soon! Apparently yesterday Crusoe chewed through a wire on one of our furnaces in the storage room. Not wanting him to shock himself with a live wire, I draped it up onto the furnace. When I did, the wires touched something and zapped out our furnace. ** sigh ** Now he is living in our pool house in the garage. There is NOTHING in there he can eat.

What Classifies as a Date?

Rick and I had Date 6 of 52 on Saturday.

We went grocery shopping.

Now, that might not seem like much of a date. But we had a very enjoyable day! Especially since we had been trapped in the house after the ice/snow storm. It was nice to get out together!

Grocery shopping has always been my "thing". I like to do it! I often marvel at the husbands and wives that are grocery shopping together and bickering the entire time. I have wondered, "Why do they go together?"

Rick and I don't argue about things like that. And, when you have a hard time sneaking in time together, alone, then even grocery shopping can be a date!

After we got all of our errands done, we went to Red Robin for a late lunch.

That night, when it was time for bed, we imagined we were at a ski lodge. We had waves of snow outside. Out our window you could see the bluff and trees behind our house, covered in snow. And out our bedroom door to the back patio you could see our neighbors' house lights off in the distance glistening against the snow on the ground and the ice on the tree limbs. It was beautiful! We turned out the lights and enjoyed our home ski lodge for a bit. The only way that would have been nicer is if we would have had a hot tub on our back patio to slip into with a cocktail.

Nicole's Daybook

Outside my window... it's overcast and snow-covered.

I am thinking... about how, as crazy as our life is right now, that for the first time in a long time we are actually living! People may think we're crazy, or wrong for doing lots of things we are doing, but we are happy. And, that's all that really matters to me.

I am thankful ... for stained concrete floors with four potty-training puppies.

I am wearing... my jammies and robe, still, because Rick took Eli to school today. (I said this last week, too!)

I am remembering... that Eli and Brynne had dentist appointments at 8:45 this morning, and I completely forgot about them until 8:30. Needless-to-say, we had to reschedule.

I am creating... 100th Day of School t-shirts today.

I am going... to come home this afternoon and power clean my house. After being home with everybody for three full days because of snow and having the puppies occupy my every moment, my house is really dirty!

I am reading... Get Out of that Pit by Beth Moore and Going in Circles by Pamela Ribon (it's part of an All You book club I signed up for).

I am hoping... that the sun comes out today so some of the snow will melt, so Crusoe can play outside and not be so cold.

On my mind... is my doctor's appointment with the breast specialist on Thursday. It was rescheduled last week because of the bad weather. My right breast has now become very sore to the touch, and I'm a little worried.

From the learning rooms... we're working hard on daily maintenance of school assignments.

Pondering these words ... "Two days of snuggling and nice dinners in restaurants as familiar to us as the feeling of our fingers intertwined. After that, I suppose we were expected to just go back to normal, but I didn't know what normal was. In my defense, I didn't know things weren't normal to begin with. Following that logic, at any moment I could be left again." ~ from Going in Circles, by Pamela Ribon. (To me, this is just a really emotional statement and sets the scene for the emotions behind this story.)

From the kitchen... having lots of fresh and healthy meals, and some fun ones!

Around the house... are millions of little things I need to get in order!

One of my favorite things... are sleeping puppies and sleeping kids.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Today I am going to spend some time cleaning my very dirty house, and then this afternoon we'll take Quincy and Buck to the vet for their first shots. (We already took Chloe because she had a tape worm and we wanted her treated.) Tomorrow afternoon the boys have haircuts scheduled. I'm going to try not to forget those like I did the dentist appointment this morning. On Thursday I have my appointment with the breast specialist. Then this weekend we'll just spend some time together as a family. Our weekends tend to consist of non-stop Wii playing and jammie wearing these days. I'm concentrating on helping the kids keep on top of their school work this week, and being organized. We'll all sit and watch t.v. and snuggle with puppies in the evenings.

From my picture journal.

The sun setting behind my neighbors' icy trees.

Get to know other special women at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

We've Officially Lost It!

As my dad would so eloquently put it, "We have lost our sh*t-stained minds!"

Last night at 7:00 p.m., a posting popped up on CraigsList for a 2-month old Australian Shepard puppy.

At 8:30 p.m. Crusoe walked (or barreled) in our door.

He is beautiful! and Dawson is thrilled!


Dawson has always wanted this type of dog to pal around with. It's going to take a lot of work on his part, but I think he's up for it!

But he's a very big puppy, especially compared to our little babies, and very energetic! I'm not sure what to do with him!


The little babies play for an hour, then sleep for an hour. They like to sit on your lap at all times, and sleep peacefully with you.

Crusoe .. well, he likes to run and jump! He slept with Dawson last night and did fairly well, from what I understand. But, I've got a house full of four year old little girls today and 3 tiny puppies (and one extremely annoyed 9-year old cat), so he's confined to our upstairs storage room today with a space heater and all his necessities. I'm planning to bring him downstairs for some time with me after I take the girls to school.

I just really hope he's not undecorating my Christmas tree right now.

Menu Plan Monday

I can't believe it's already time to plan meals for February!

Here's what we have planned for the first week ...


Monday ~ Pork fajitas (bought a large pork roast on sale that I'll get to use for 3 meals!)

Tuesday ~ Chicken fettucine and breadsticks

Wednesday ~ FFY

Thursday ~ Shrimp and chicken kabobs with brown rice

Friday ~ "Chick-fil-a" at home (popcorn chicken, waffle fries, chocolate shakes)

Saturday ~ Soup and grilled cheese

Sunday ~ Cheese pizza bread for kids and veggie pizza bread for Rick and I

See other menu plans at The Organizing Junkie.