Quicky Lasagna

Tonight I made Slow Cooker Lasagna. I don't remember where I got the recipe....I ripped it out of a magazine and can't tell from which one! I've had the recipe tucked in with all the other "To Try" and today when I was running a little behind, I figured this would be perfect.

SLOW COOKER LASAGNA

Cooking spray
1 lb lean ground beef, cooked and drained
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1/2 box no boil lasagna noodles, broken in half
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup onion, minced
15 oz tub ricotta cheese (I used light)
2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Spray inside of slow cooker with cooking spray (or use a disposable liner). Cook beef and drain. Add spaghetti sauce, garlic, onions and spices. Stir to combine. In separate bowl combine ricotta and Mozzarella cheeses. In the slow cooker, layer in this order: beef, noodles, cheese mixture. Create several layers and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Cover and cook on low for 3-4 hours.

We got home from the kids music lessons, I threw a loaf of garlic bread in the oven, steamed some asparagus and we had an awesome meal fifteen minutes after walking in the door!

WFMW - Water Marks

I need some help! When we built our house three years ago, I HAD to have these faucets in all three of our bathrooms. I thought they looked so cool when the water flowed out of them. Now I hate them, but hubby won't replace them because they cost too much money!

We have a well here (we live in the sticks), but have a water softener. All the faucets have this white line along the sides from where the water sits after you turn the faucet off. I don't know if it's a hard water stain, salt stain or just the work of the devil. I've tried baking soda, CLR, Bar Keepers Friend and nothing seems to take these stains off. It looks horrible and I'm willing to try anything that anyone suggests!

Guardian Angel

Lauren's guardian angel is working overtime BIG TIME! If he/she were paid, they should be paid triple time with all the hard work they have in watching over her. In her 7 years, she has:






Fell on the treadmill when brother plugged it in and turned it on full blast when she was standing on it. As you can see, she burned her face pretty bad. Luckily, no scarring.








Walked behind brother who was swinging a baseball bat and got hit in the eyebrow area. Small scar, but no long term damage/concussion.





Was playing at a friends house and got pushed off the roof of a small playhouse and broke her arm. Didn't involve the growth plate, so she healed just fine.







No picture, but she injured her wrist/hand while at the school's lock in. There was a large inflatable slide/bounce house in the gym. While at the top of the slide, the inflatable tipped over knocking a bunch of kids off onto the gym floor. Took her to the ER clinic, but it was just severe soft tissue damage....no breaks.




Her most recent accident....while I was vacuuming, she decided to climb up on my headboard and "timber" backwards. She ended up hitting her head on the wood foot board and cracking her head open resulting in 3 staples in her head.



She has NO fear of anything. We've had a long talk with her about thinking through things before actually doing them. She's been pretty lucky so far, but I'm afraid one of these times, she's going to be seriously injured or worse.

Giving Back

This year, my kids and I are participating in Samaritan's Purse's Operation Christmas Child. It's a fairly inexpensive way to help children in need during the Christmas season. I want my kids to know that Christmas is not just about Santa and getting presents. It's nice to be able to give back.

With OCC, you fill a shoe box (or small plastic box) with small toys, school supplies, hygiene items and other things you think the child may like. Decide if it's for a boy or girl and the age range intended and pay $7 per box for help in shipping. You can mail the box to Samaritan's Purse or drop off at a location convenient to you. (Check the website for drop off locations closest to your zip code.)

We've done this in years past and my kids really enjoy going to the store and picking out items for these boxes.

Back to the Basics

The other day, the kids were off at school, I was cleaning the house and hubby was working outside in the yard. I desperately needed to go grocery shopping but it was lunchtime, so I wanted to eat before going so I didn't buy everything in sight!

I had a package of hot dogs, but no buns, so I cut them up and mixed them with a can of baked beans and wala....cheap lunch.

When hubby and I were eating, we talked about how this meal used to be a staple to us when we were first married and dirt poor. We probably ate beans and wienies once a week. Life was a lot simpler then. No kids, no mortgage, no investment properties or renters to deal with. We wouldn't give any of that up now (well maybe the mortgage if we could), but we loved our life back then. We didn't have two nickels to rub together, but we were happy all the time. Not to say we're not happy now, but responsibility can definitely take a toll.

H1N1

It's crazy how much hype and hysteria is being given to this H1N1 business. We had a confirmed case at Thing 1 and Thing 2's school and it happened to be in Lauren's class. There were several parents in the school that either did keep their kid home from school or thought about keeping their kids home after receiving the note about the case.

It's just a strain of the flu. Yes, we should be concerned and yes, it can be severe, but then again, so can the regular flu. I imagine that next year, H1N1 will be a common strain of flu for us.

There was a brief time that we thought maybe Lauren had it, but she was down for a day and then was back to normal with just a lingering cough. Nathaniel came home from school the next day with a fever, but slept it off with some Tylenol and all is well with him too. Hubby is battling a sinus infection, so right now, I'm the only healthy one (knock on wood). I've stocked up on Vitamin C to help ward off all the cooties around here and I follow behind everyone with a can of Lysol spraying everything they come into contact with. :)

WFMW ~ Mopping Wood Floors

Mopping has always been my most hated household chore. I will find a hundred other things to do instead of mopping, but since it has to be done I begrudgingly do it. You'd think that someone who hates mopping as much as I do would have chosen to build a home with something other than hardwood floors throughout the whole house, but sadly, due to Thing 2's allergies, this was for the best.


After checking out different hardwood floor cleaners/sytems/mops, I decided to try Bona. It's non-toxic and safe to use around pets and family. You have the mop "handle" which you attach a microfiber pad to the bottom and then a spray bottle with the cleaner. I spray an area and then mop. Simple as that. The microfiber pad is reusable and washable up to 300 times.

I did go to their Bona's website and saw they have a new mop similar to the Swiffer WetJet that has the cleaner attached right to the mop. I might need to get that. :)