Happy 65th Birthday Paw Briggs

We celebrated Paw Paw Briggs birthday over Thanksgiving. My sister Liz had suggested we each come up with 65 things to give him, eg. 65 cotton balls because he's going soft. Throughout dinner we would give him our wrapped birthday presents and let him open them. We each had something for him, plus something from each of the other daughters.

Here's Sophie giving him the Hershey's kisses from Matthew and Kalyn (who couldn't be at dinner).

Kelly gave hime marbles because he's losing his.

I took 65 cards from several decks and gave them to him, saying he's got 2 cards but still not playing with a full deck.

Sophie gave him a box with 65 diapers, because he's full of IT.

Here's 65 peanuts, because he's just nutty.

We also had 65 screws because he has a screw loose.

My sister Monica put together 65 memories of him. I think Liz had the best idea (although I don't think she could bring herself to actual do it). She thought about getting 65 pairs of panties because he's old and crotchety. That one makes me laugh everytime!

Meal Plan November 21

Things have been extremely busy here in the Walker house...so busy that I am behind on the meal plans. I have tried to plan ahead, but between visiting my sister and being sick, we've eaten out (or brought in) a lot. Here's what we've had the last couple of weeks.

Monday: Chicken Enchilada Casserole

This recipe wasn't great. First, it didn't specify exactly what to do with the tortillas. If I were to make it again, I'd cut the tortilla into bite size pieces. It ended up being very "juicy" so we used tortilla chips to scoop it up. I did make 2 of them so will be having it again. Who knows it might turn out a little differently after being frozen.

Tuesday: Pork Tenderloin

I made 2 of these and froze one for later. We all really liked this. The kids especially loved the bacon wrapped around the tenderloin. Paul was sad to find out there wasn't any leftovers.

Wednesday: Mexican Meatloaf and Fried Chicken

I went out-of-town so I left the meatloaf for Paul (it was frozen from a couple of weeks ago). I picked up fried chicken on the way to my sister's for us and the kids.

Thursday: Taco Bell

I didn't get home in time to fix anything so Paul picked up tacos and quesodillas for us.

Friday: Simple Salmon Supper

This was pretty good. It came from the Kraft magazine. Even the kids and I ate the veggies.

Saturday: Bean Soup with Sausage

This was a package my mom had gotten. You added the broth and fresh vegetables and let it cook in the slow cooker. I was surprised the kids didn't enjoy it more since they love soup. It did make enough leftovers so I have those frozen for later.

Sunday: Make Ahead Chicken and Green Bean Casserole

This also came from the Kraft magazine. It used fresh green beans, which I'd never done before, but we all liked it.

Monday: Hot Dogs
I didn't get to the store so I decided to just use what we had in the fridge.

Tuesday: Tacos
This is one of my fall-back meals...meaning I usually have the ingredients on hand to make it when I haven't planned something else.

Wednesday: Sessler Salads
Poor Paul, today is his birthday and he doesn't even get a special meal. But we all loved the Asian salad Julie made. And I did pick up his favorite fruit torte from Le Madeline.


Thursday: Chick-Fil-A
I wasn't feeling very well so I just picked up chicken nuggets and sandwhiches when I went to get more medicine.

Friday: Spring Creek Barbecue

Saturday: International House of Pancakes

The kids were at the grandma's so Paul and I went to IHOP for dinner.

I did try a new recipe for a flan cake from one of my co-workers. It was so good when she made it. Unfortunately, mine didn't turn at so well.

It wasn't pretty but that didn't stop us from eating it. It may have been messy, but it still tasted great!

This week looks to be busy again plus it's Thanksgiving. We will have family meals on both Thursday and Friday. Paul's mom always makes an extra turkey so we'll have leftovers for the weekend. For the first part of the week my plan is to have one of the frozen meals from earlier (pork tenerloin perhaps), pasta with chicken and sauce, and tortilla soup (from a Homemade Gourmet mix). You can check out more menus here at Organizing Junkie.

Happy Birthday Dad Paul

The kids picked out their own gifts for Paul's birthday. I had asked Logan what he wanted to give him. Paul had just taken him to Wal-mart to pick out a toy (Batman Car), so of course, Logan said he wanted to get Daddy a batman car too. Logan has a very limited understanding of birthdays and gifts so I think it's great that he understood not only what he and Paul had done but how it related to gift-giving.

At the store, Logan actually chose the Batman and Superman figures that would fit in the car he had gotten. Now they could all play together.



When we walked into the store I asked Sophie what she wanted to get Daddy. She did her thinking face (finger in the side of her face, saying "hmm") and then said "Snowman". I looked around, sure she had seen a snowman that prompted that response. All I saw was a huge blue snowflake hanging from the ceiling. As we walked through the store, we passed a singing snowman doing Jingle Bell Rock. That's what she wanted. I'm not sure how impressed Paul was, but I know it's a big deal that Sophie thought of something all on her own.

They have played that silly singing snowman way too much...Logan can already sing it and recognizes the song when he hears it on the radio. (Yes, Christmas music is on!)

In addition to Asian Salad for dinner, we also had Paul's favorite fruit tart from Le Madeline.

Meal Plan November 7

Check out more menus at Organizing Junkie.

Monday: Taquitos and Rice

Tonight's dinner was meant to be easy and use foods we already had...frozen taquitos and a rice-a-roni mix. Not a great meal but kept things easy for me after a hard day at work.

Tuesday: Meatloaf & Potatoes

I got the recipe for the meatloaf from this book.

I've had it forever and make several things from it.



I had some potatoes so I decided to fry them in the electric skillet with some olive oil and this seasoning...

I have no idea where I found it but it is really good.

Wednesday: Sessler Salads

I had forgotten that today was salad day. I had all the prep done for the teriyaki chicken so I was able to just put it in the fridge and won't have to worry about that tomorrow.

Thursday: Teriyaki Chicken and Rice

This was a slow cooker meal and we all liked it.

Friday: Pizza Delivery
I wasn't feeling very good so we were planning to go out to eat. Then the kids got into the water-logged sandbox and had baths at 6pm so I just ordered pizza and wings.

Saturday: Dinner In (Fried Chicken)
I spent the day in bed trying to get over the sinus problem I was having so Paul got us fried chicken (my favorite), potato salad, and banana pudding. He was a huge help with the kids all day.

Sunday: CORN

Clean Out the Refrigerator Night

Here's this weeks plan:

Monday: Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Tuesday: Pork Tenderloin

Wednesday: Mexican Meatloaf

Thursday: ?? (I'll be out-of-town most of the day so it will depend on when I get home.)

Friday: Bean Soup

Saturday: Easy Salmon with Sesame Glaze

Sunday: Make Ahead Chicken and Green Bean Casserole