Pastalicious!!!!

This is one of the best pasta recipes we've eaten - Creamy Shrimp and Mushroom Pasta  

I found this recipe via Pinterest at the blog Chaos in the Kitchen. My family absolutely loved it. It is a little high in calories and fat but as a once and a while meal it is definitely worth an extra workout. The recipe serves four and let me tell you that disappointed my family. They were looking to have a second helping. This definitely got a thumbs up from everyone and it has been already requested to be made again. This is one I definitely recommend you try. It is pastalicious!!!

Easy and Delicious

Baseball season has resulted in trying to create quick and easy meals. Meals that can be quickly made or reheated after the game. 

The start of the season tended to be on the cool side as we here in the Northeast are experiencing a true spring this year. Soup seemed like a no brainer due to the cooler temperatures and the ease of preparation. I found this recipe for Cheesy Chicken Meatball and Tortellini Soup in my Fitness magazine. This soup is so easy to make. I was able to make it in just a few minutes after we came home from the game. The ingredients are simple and I didn't have to make any substitutions. I was able to find the Aidells chicken meatballs that are made with Italian seasoning. 

The whole family loved this soup and everyone gave it a thumbs up. This will definitely be a part of our "soup" menu for the cooler seasons.

Back to Business

As you've probably noticed, I've been "offline" for about 3 weeks. During this brief hiatus, not only did normal life happen - you know the day in, day out activities - but some special moments too.

Probably the best moment was being able to travel to Illinois to surprise my brother, Dennis, in the celebration of his milestone birthday 50! I arrived the day after his birthday and was able to spend 4 days with him and his family. Recently, Dennis mentioned in one of his messages, he's a Pastor, about my tendency when we were young kids to "wander off" while our family would go bumming (translation - window shopping). Keeping this story in mind we surprised him at a local grocery store saying I was lost, you know "wandering". 

In order to keep him in the dark that I was coming to town, I went ahead and sent him his birthday card which wasn't just a card. I've been trying to be a little more "clever" in my birthday greetings this year. The idea for his greeting came to mind several months before his birthday. 

I purchased a helium filled "age appropriate" balloon, I had to tease him about his age, and attached to the balloon's string the actual birthday card. I mailed it so it would arrive the day prior to his birthday, which meant next day air. Although the idea came months before, sadly my execution regarding mailing got totally delayed. It was a good thing I did though. According to him, the balloon was only inflated for a day.  

This trip was especially restful as I traveled alone leaving the kids home in the excellent care of their father and a few friends to help with the time between school and his return from work. 

I had such a wonderful time catching up with my brother and his family! It had been way too long since I had seen them. Hopefully, Dave, the kids and I will be able to go there soon and visit again.

My trip home was a little unnerving. Sadly, my flight was on the day of the tragedy at the Boston Marathon. Thankfully my flight not only stayed on schedule it actually left a little earlier and I arrived home ahead of schedule. I was greeted by Dave and the kids, such a wonderful sight!! 

Since the trip, I've been trying to get back into the groove of daily life which has come back slowly.  I've also been sidelined with a few migraines due to the erratic temperature shifts we've had here in the Northeast. I'm feeeling like I am now back on track and the proof is that here I am blogging again....looks like we are "back to business".

Oh, during this online hiatus, I've still been busy trying out new recipes. I'll be posting the successful recipes we've tried......they are scrumptious!

Play Ball!!

The weather here in northeastern NJ has had lower than "normal" temperatures for this time of year. That being the case, practicing for baseball season got delayed to about a week before opening day.

Last week when the kids were on break, there were a few practices but the true craziness began this weekend.

This past Sunday was our town's Little League Opening Day. There was a parade at 9:30 and Matthew's first game at 1. Now this doesn't sound so bad but when you put it together with our church schedule/obligations, it gets a little crazy. 

Dave had a deacon's meeting at 7:15. He came home by 9 and took Matthew to meet his team for the parade. Emily and I headed to church where I teach the  4's and 5's Sunday School class at 9:45. Dave and Matt came to church after the parade. Then, I (along with Emily) left church a little after 12 to get Matt to the field for his 12:30 "call time" for his 1:00 game. Dave stayed at church to help with communion then came to the field arriving just a little before the game started.

Matthew still is working on his catching skills, so he was placed as backup to first base and center field.

Now, I like to consider myself a supportive mom, but when I get cold, I'm not so supportive. Emily and I stayed to see Matt bat two times then headed home. I have to say, I was very glad I did stay as the boys didn't get home until a little before 4. 

This is definitely a learning year for Matt. His coach is teaching them not only physical skills but mental skills - knowing where to throw the ball when different scenarios arise. Matt's coach is tough but he does notice if effort is being made. We've told Matt he needs to pay attention and learn, that the more he improves the coach can use him in other positions. Thankfully, Matt really likes his coach and really wants to improve. 

At the end of this season, Matt will make the decision on whether or not he will play next year.

Oh, by the way, his team did win their first game. 

Another Yummy Soup!

The end of last week including the weekend got a little unpredictable with Matt's new baseball schedule.

What I've learned is that planning meals around practices and games is a little difficult and, for me personally, very frustrating. 

Thankfully the meals I had on the menu were able to be held over to this week and nothing has gone to waste.

Last night, Matt had practice at 5:30. We got to the field a little before his practice time. Thankfully, Dave didn't have to work too late, so he came to the field and I headed home to make dinner for when everyone (Emily was scootering at the field) got home.

Even though it was a warm night, soup was still a good option.  I found this recipe in Fitness Magazine and located a link here on Pinterest.

This Cheesy Chicken Meatball and Tortellini Soup was so quick and easy. The best part is it makes 4 servings just the right amount for our family. Everyone liked it - 4 thumbs up!!

Day Three - Living Room Redo

I decided to give the kids a break today from spring cleaning and did a job on my own. 

When it comes to my home, I love change and one of the easiest ways to create change is rearranging furniture. Now, most people change their furniture layout only occasionally and some have limitations due to the way a room is laid out. I have limitations when it comes to my living room - fireplace, TV connection, sliding glass door, etc. - but this doesn't keep me from changing things around.  

This time I placed the love seat in the middle of the room making two areas of access to the sliding glass door which leads to our back patio. With summer coming, we spend a lot of time out there. 

The sofa was place in front of the windows with an ottoman being placed in front of each sofa.

We have two tables in the living room and I changed the location of these also. I put the smaller one in the back of the room and the other at the end of the larger sofa.

With the room rearranged and in order, all I have to do is wait for Dave to get home and see that same smile he makes every time he walks in and another room of the house has been changed.  

Maybe later today the kids and I will go through their clothes but if not we will save it for another day. I am just glad to be sitting in my newly arranged living room soaking in the rays pouring in through the windows.  

Tuesday's Meal - Spinach and Artichoke Baked Pasta

Yay!! Another successful meal acquired via Pinterest. 

This pasta was very easy to make and the only substitution I had to make was the pasta. I was unable to find orecchiette so I used pipette. 

Of course, I chose to use actual onion instead of onion powder and my little "onion detective" Matt was able to find every onion in his plate of pasta. Next time, I'll use the onion powder. 

This recipe makes a full 13 x 9 casserole dish of pasta so we will be using this as a leftover meal later this week.  

Family rating - 4 thumbs up.  Looks like another addition to the family meal recipe binder. 

Day Two - Basement Completed!!!

Yesterday was day two of our spring cleaning effort here at home.

We have a half finished basement which serves as a toy & video game play room, homework, laundry & workout area. Because this room serves so many functions it is important to keep it as organized as possible. 

As the kids have gotten older, their choice in toys have changed direction. No longer are they interested in multi piece systems - their interests tend to be in Legos (boy & girl), trains, cars, etc. Lego's are the most dominate. Every spring we go through and purge the toys that aren't being used or of interest. 

The kids did an awesome job! As you can see from the picture, the basement is very clean.  Here are a few more pictures of our efforts.

This is the "hallway" that is designated as the toy storage area.  I told you Legos dominate.

Here is a view inside the hallway & the storage shelf that holds all the other toys.

Emily is my little organizer and without any advisement on my part she decided to label the toy bins and areas. 

So happy to check off another cleaning task on our spring cleaning list.

Monday's Meal - A Miss

Tonight's dinner was 30 Minute Lemon Brown Sugar Chicken.

It is a good dish but the lemon flavor is very strong even with the brown sugar added. Dave and I were pleased by the taste but the acidity of the lemon was too much for the kids. They prefer that this not be made one of our family meals, which is fine.  If only two people like it a recipe, it isn't worth making again. 

If you do like the taste of lemon, you can find the recipe here. 

Day One - Kid's Rooms Done!!

This morning at 10 a.m. the cleaning began here in the Wessel house.

Emily was on her own. Her room tends to be very clean and organized already so little supervision is needed. Matt, on the other hand, needs my assistance to stay focused and actually make decisions on what to keep, donate and trash.  

As you can see, things always get worse before they get better. We were able to get through all Matt's toys and books. The only thing left to do with both kids is to go through their clothes and see what is needed for the upcoming season.

Here are a few pictures of what we accomplished today.

Matt's closet while in the process of cleaning.

Matt's closet after.

Matt's room when our work was completed.

Emily's room when she was finished with her spring cleaning.

Emily's closet

It is so nice to have their rooms so clean. Tomorrow we are headed to the basement to tackle the toys, DVD's and Wii games.
Oh and we continued our tradition of "milkshake Monday" taking a break around noon. Of course, our little outing also provided me with a much needed cup of coffee.

Day one of spring cleaning was very successful.  Just hoping the kids keep their cleaning momentum for at least one more day.  Hoping to get in some outdoor work this week too. Tune in tomorrow to see what new tasks we accomplished.