End-of-the-Month Surprise Casserole

Mm, sounds delicious, no?

So here we are, end of the month, and I maxed out the grocery budget just over a week ago. And the freezer and fridge are both just about empty, but there's no shopping happening until Friday, because I'm stubborn like that. I'll probably blow the November budget out of the water after visiting Fred Meyer and Sams Club on Friday, but that's another story... then we'll just find ourselves eating surprise casserole again for Thanksgiving!

Not that I would do that. I'll be good.

But tonight, mystery casserole was definitely on the menu. We had half a rope of kielbasa to use, and I enthusiastically suggested sausage with red beans and rice. Matt... was less enthusiastic. Okay; no beans. I looked through the cupboards again.

Little Bear banged pots on the floor, stirring his toy frog around in my stock pot with a pasta fork. Frog soup? No, I didn't have any milk.

Well, there was rice. So I cooked some of that.

And cut up the kielbasa.

And discovered a bag of just-add-water broccoli-cheddar soup mix in the top of the spice cupboard...

...which is definitely not from when I was in college. Of course not. So I cooked up two cups of extra-concentrated soup, and mixed everything together.

Then we went to pick Matt up from work, and wound up hanging out in his office for a little over an hour because one of the student workers who is supposed to take the evening shift was sick and forgot to call in and tell them he couldn't work. When we finally got home, Matt stuck some casserole on a plate in the microwave, and Little Bear and I just ate it cold.

And it was actually good. Little Bear--Mr. Food-is-Not-for-Eating himself--ate more than I did, and Matt even sounded happy about having leftovers to take for lunch tomorrow. It certainly went over much, much better than I expected!

What I Wore Sunday {34}

Happy Sunday! Linking up with FLAP again today.

It's still fall, oddly enough. This afternoon we are back up in the low 40s, which is very unusual for now. On the way home from Mass today I was exclaiming over the fact that, provided spring comes on time, we won't even have six months of winter this year! That's such a strange thought... And yes, I know that the thought of expecting to have six months of winter pretty much anywhere else would be about as strange as not expecting it here.

In the homily today, Father focused on the passage in the parable where Christ says that the Pharisee "said this prayer to himself." Now I'm curious and have to go check the Vulgate for the Latin construction of that phrase, because it seems like you could understand it different ways: was the Pharisee praying quietly, under his breath, so that no one else could overhear? Or was he directing his words to himself instead of to God? 

Little Bear was quiet for most of Mass, but I had to haul him to the back when he wanted to run down the aisle after the consecration. Matt took over for me after the sign of peace, and then I took him again after communion. I apologized to Father after Mass, and he assured me that Little Bear hadn't been a distraction at all. I'm glad that we sit near the back, so that we can get out quickly without bothering people!

Chocolate top: no tag, thrifted

Blue paisley skirt: Chico, thrifted

Chocolate pumps: Solos, garage sale

Because we had a bit of extra time this morning, I actually managed to put makeup on for the first time in I don't remember how long! It's nice to feel pretty occasionally, and if I wear it so rarely, it may as well happen on Sundays. Some day, when there isn't a little boy hanging on my skirt and chanting "Mamamamamamamama" every time I look in the mirror, maybe I'll be able to "put my face on" more often.

Have a lovely afternoon!

Seven Quick Takes Friday, Vol. 53

Linking up as always, but we are over at Clan Donaldson this week! If you clicked through from the linkup, I apologize for that photo; it's not mine, and I have no idea why InLinkz used it instead of the one I uploaded, and it won't let me delete and retry!

I

Four times in the past three nights, we've been woken up by Little Bear and diaper unhappiness: wet toddler, wet pajamas, wet sheets, wet blankets, the works. I picked up the next larger size of diapers after the first time, but that clearly hasn't made a difference--possibly because I got the store-brand diapers in an effort to not go over budget this month. I'm not sure what to do from this point; maybe for the rest of the month, I'll change him when he wakes up to nurse around midnight? It would be really, really good if we could avoid buying any more diapers... but I'm definitely tired of doing laundry every day.

II

Yesterday we had planned to meet a friend and her kids at the public ice skating rink to walk around their second-floor track, letting the kids run without all of the coats and boots and mittens they'd need outside. When I pulled in, the parking lot was suspiciously empty. Little Bear was very sure that it was time to be out of the car seat, though, so we toddler-in-boots-slowly ambled across the parking lot to the doors. Sure enough, they're closed for the week. Getting back in the car was not the most fun thing we've done this week... Going over to his grandma's house to play more than made up for it, though.

III

Still no snow! It's so odd to hear about places so much farther south, Wisconsin and Ohio and all, getting snow while we still have sunny blue skies and bare ground, and even patches of green grass still in the yard. The temperature is creeping down slowly, but we are still only waking up to 20-something degrees and coming close to 40 by the warmest part of the day. I'm enjoying the prolonged autumn, but we are getting to the point where soon I'll have to agree with those who want it to start snowing; if we don't have a good layer of snow down before the first time the temperature plummets, everyone's water pipes, septic lines, etc. are going to freeze.

IV

Since it's still autumn, I want to make to most of it; today, that means making to house smell like apples! Ten apples got peeled, cored and chopped this morning, and are simmering away happily on the stove as they slowly turn into applesauce. I always used to put cinnamon in it and a bit of sugar, but Little Bear is going through a "food is not for eating" phase and if I know that he will eat straight cooked apples, I'm not going to add any cinnamon to scare him off or sugar that he doesn't need. I may pull a bit out and add the cinnamon just for Matt and myself.

V

It's not that he won't eat, exactly, or that he's a picky eater. He is usually happy to take a bite of anything we offer him, and he will chew it up, but then he spits it out again instead of swallowing it. Maybe he doesn't believe he's able to swallow solid food? We've learned that if we feed him softer foods like applesauce, yogurts, bread, pasta, and we let him help control the spoon/fork, he's much more likely to actually swallow food. It's confusing to see him spitting out foods he used to like, though; last night he wouldn't even eat the bit of cookie we gave him. He's also becoming a bit of a cheese snob, which is kind of hilarious even while it's frustrating: we had a block of sharp cheddar for a while, and he loved it, but since it was finished off we've gone back to medium cheddar (since it's the one that usually goes on sale) and he refuses to eat any. Since he's still nursing, my main response to him not eating full meals like a "normal" toddler is to shrug. Whatever. He's getting everything he needs, and we will just keep sticking food in his face and as he gets older he will start eating more of it.

VI

It seems like at least half of the couples we know are expecting right now or have just recently had a baby. I know it's not true, not really, but why does hearing others' good news automatically make me look at the huge toddler throwing blocks at the lamp ("No! Stop that!") and feel jealous? A cute little baby would be so much less work... But that's totally untrue, and I know it. And I'm happy with our life the way it is, very happy. And I hated being pregnant. And, gosh, giving birth is awful. As soon as I try to think rationally about why I'm jealous it makes absolutely no sense. But it always pops up, right after the "I'm so happy for them!" -- the "Aww, I want a new baby..." And then I feel all guilty for letting my happiness for them be tinged with this absurd automated maternal jealousy...

VII

Tuesday was the optional memorial of Blessed Pope John Paul II! The university parish had adoration and Little Bear and I were able to go, and in the evening Matt and I said a divine mercy chaplet together (the divine mercy message and prayers were approved by JPII). I made a fun supper, although it wasn't terribly Polish: meatloaf, garlic smashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, and brownies. The meatloaf was...unique...because instead of breadcrumbs (Matt's childhood meatloaf) or quick rolled oats (mine), I used leftover cooked rice as the starch/filler/thing to absorb juice. It turned out well, and Little Bear shocked us by eagerly eating all of the rice out of my piece; this is the kid who has refused rice every time it's ever been offered to him. He still managed to spit out most of the meat, but it was good to have the reassurance that he will in fact eat food when he feels like it.

Rhythms

This week hasn't been exactly normal so far.  On a normal week, I stay home with Little Bear 78% of the time. Maybe, maybe, I'll have the car two days out of the week; Little Bear eats when he wants to, naps when he wants to, tears the house apart the rest of the time and I kinda sorta keep things clean and make supper. It works for us, even if there are days I feel like I'll go crazy with no adult interaction.

This week, Little Bear and I have been all over the place. Errands and more errands and a meeting and adoration yesterday, errands and dentist and playing at Grandma's house today, and Matt has a work function this evening so I get to fly solo during bedtime, yay. More errands and running around with friends and dinner at Grandma's house tomorrow, and maybe if I'm really crazy I'll try to get to Mass Friday. And there's something on Saturday, too, but I can't recall what. How did my week get so hectic? And what happened to me, that a week like this sounds hectic?

We like our rhythms, and right now our home rhythm is a very peaceful one. It's rare for me to have to plan dinner around picking Matt up from work, or to try to time Little Bear's nap so that we can get to such-and-such a place at a certain time. When he's tired, he sleeps. When he's hungry, he eats. Nothing has to happen at a particular time, because no one else is affected by our day. It's quiet, relaxed, lovely.

But even in the unstructured day-to-day, we still fall into a steady rhythm. When he wakes up, he wants to eat. Two to four hours after he wakes up, he will be ready for a nap. If we are out in town in the morning, he will almost always go down for a nap as soon as we get home; woe to me if I try to put groceries away first! After his nap, we will play and read and clean and cook, and Little Bear will get frustrated that I'm cooking and push me out to the couch and bring me more stories.

With all of the extra things we have going on this week, it's anchoring to recognize that organic rhythm still flowing through our days. If we are out all morning, he falls right asleep and we pick up our afternoon as usual. Tomorrow's commitments are in the afternoon, but because we are getting up early to drive Matt to work, I know that Little Bear will still have time for his usual nap. Doing so many things over the week doesn't disrupt our daily rhythm; it stretches it in places, condenses it in others, but the inherit flexibility of not usually caring when anything happens allows even these full days to hold moments of that familiar peace.

What I Wore Sunday {33}

Stop by FLAP for more great What I Wore Sunday posts!

We are loving this beautiful, wonderful, confusing, oh-so-unseasonably-warm weather! Sunshine and 50s: definitely not normal this late in October. Little Bear has had so much fun running around and playing in the leaves, and we have sure enjoyed being able to leave the jackets inside. There's a part of us, though, that knows it's just too good to be true and is bracing for winter to come crashing down on us. When winter hits this year, it won't be a slow, gentle slide down the thermometer; it's going to be brutal. But right now, everything is beautiful.

Still teething equals still having rough nights equals sleeping in and going to Mass at the university parish. It's so much more convenient, so much closer, and we really like the priest. Our parish is full of young families--that's a big reason we like it there--but it's so far away, and we barely know anyone, so it's always nice when we find ourselves at the university. Little Bear behaved shockingly well, sitting quietly on Matt most of the time, so we both were able to hear all of the readings and the homily. Matt did wind up taking him out back when he got squirmy during the consecration, but they were able to come right back. He's getting better about watching the priest, too.

Blouse: gift from my mother

Yellow tank: thrifted

Skirt: thrifted

Black pumps: Payless (from college)

This morning I grumbled that wearing black with yellow would make me look like a bumblebee. Matt helpfully pointed out that I looked less like a bee and more like a confused person, wearing a springy shirt with a black winter skirt, but then redeemed himself by reassuring me that I was wearing the right colors to be a commanding officer for Starfleet. 

Help me out here: what exactly is a blouse? Matt says that no one has been able to satisfactorily define it for him, and when I tried to hedge that "blouse" is just a subset of "shirt," he disagreed. A nice button-down is a blouse, but are non-buttoned nice tops also blouses? What makes a blouse different than another type of shirt?

Seven Quick Takes Friday, Vol. 52

It's finally Friday! Linking up for the usual shenanigans over at Conversion Diary.

I

If this is Global Warming, I'm a fan. We've had highs around 50 all week, and it has been amazing. I can't remember ever seeing such warm weather this far into October, and the weathermen are calling for it to continue indefinitely! It has been alternating between rain and sun, which is just so weird: the only thing that's supposed to fall from the sky after October 1 is snow. I'm certainly not complaining, though! The only downside is the dark: usually by this time of year there is a permanent layer of shiny white snow everywhere to reflect what light we are getting, effectively as much as doubling our light. With no snow, but the light fading at the same rate as normal, wow it's dark! The sun is officially rising about 9 am and setting about 6, but it is dark enough to need lights on in the house by 3:30 or so in the afternoon.

II

Today is looking a little bit crazy: cooking and cleaning to prepare for a dinner party tonight, while catering to the whims of a child who is getting at least two of his incisors in and barely slept last night... so neither did I... but only one of us is getting a nap today! I'm so glad we've just about reached the weekend. Maybe he will cooperate and sleep in a bit tomorrow, so that I can catch up.

III

Cleaning for company: when do you clean the bathroom? I have a whole crazy list of things to clean today, but the timing of that particular chore has always flummoxed me. If you clean the bathroom first thing in the morning, you're just asking someone to go year it apart and splash water everywhere later in the day. But if you wait until a half hour before you're expecting people, what happens when there's a minor kitchen disaster or the child dumps a glass of water on you and you have to go change again? Running out of time and having a dirty bathroom definitely isn't good! It's times like this that I cannot wait to have kids old enough to help out with chores: one of us older girls was always dispatched to wipe down bathrooms five minutes before company was expected so that my mom could stay in the kitchen.

IV

Happy Feast of St Luke! I always knew that he was a patron saint of physicians, but somehow I'd forgotten that he is also a patron of artists. He's actually believed to have been the first iconographer of the Church, and as many as 600 icons are attributed to him! I will have to see if we have duplications of any of his icons; that would be a good addition to our table centerpiece this evening. In honor of his feast, tonight I'm making salmon with a balsamic reduction, rice pilaf with carrots, a green salad, and an apple pie. If I remember to chill it, we will even open a bottle of Chardonnay! It's been a while since I've done a nice dinner, but it is a feast day, and I'm looking forward to it.

V

Fun piece of history: scholars believe that St Luke may have lived in the Roman province of Troas, which held the ruins of ancient Troy, because his narration in Acts switches to first person "we" whenever St Paul is in that area.

VI

And Blogger just are my last two takes, and I don't remember what they were. Oh, computers.

VII

Words! Little Bear's vocabulary has just taken off recently. In the past few days, I've heard: Mama, Dada, bear, dog, book, baa (ball/that), nose, mou(th), Ees (Jesus), Mama Maa (Mama Mary), up, bread, peek, pom (problem)... When he feels like it, he will also make the sounds for the cow, goat, cat, dog, bear and monkey in animal books! Being able to communicate makes him so happy, but when he doesn't know how to ask for what he wants it really frustrates him.

Enjoy your weekend!

Looking Up

All this week, Little Bear and I have had great mornings. He's happy, we play together, I get stuff done or run errands or whatnot, everything goes really well. Then he takes a nap, and I get more stuff done. But at some point in the afternoon, because we are both human, and he's only 15 months old, something happens that makes him sad and he becomes fussy and clingy. And instead of focusing on all of the positive things that have happened, I let his fussing drag me down too; by the time Matt gets home from a long day at work he has a grumpy wife who "had a terrible day." But I didn't, really, I'm just letting the last hour or two's frustration shape my attitude toward everything else.

Well, it's not going to happen today, because I'm going to do my best to start reversing that trend. Why should I choose to be unhappy? We're going to focus on everything that's going right, instead.

So far today, Little Bear woke up full of giggles at 7:00, tickling me until I admitted that I was awake. Matt was wonderful and brought him out to the kitchen while he packed up his lunch so that I could get dressed and fix my hair; he even got Little Bear into his coat and boots so I just had to run out and slip into my own gear. After dropping Matt off, we ran to the store for some hardware and donuts for Matt's office, and Little Bear held my hand and proudly clomped down the hallway in his big boots as we carried the box up to the video conferencing office. He played shy when I opened the door, refusing to go in and see Daddy, but he laughed and chattered all the way home about our visit: "Dada Dada Dada bye bye Dada bye bye bye!"

He was also telling me about the "problem" with his boots, but since the problem was that he was wearing boots in the car, there wasn't much I could do for him. "Your boots? Mmhm, I know. Here, should we listen to the radio?" We live in Alaska, kid. You have to wear boots. Since Mama wasn't helping, he started telling his boots about it instead.

It's so much fun to watch and listen to him interacting with inanimate objects as his imagination develops! Last night it was the calzone dough: He saw me measuring flour, and came running. "Bread? Bread?" We sat on the floor to knead the dough in the bowl together, him poking it gingerly, flapping his hand to shake off the bits that stuck to his fingers, while I punched and folded. When I tried to set it up on the counter to rise, he protested loudly, so I brought the towel down to cover the bowl on the floor instead. "It has to hide, okay? So it can get big."

He lifted the edge of the towel to peek underneath, then looked back up at me, a huge grin splitting his face. "Bread! Peek! Bread!" He pulled the towel away with a flourish. "Bread, Mama! Ididit!" 

(Yes, "I did it" is all one word, used whenever he's proud of something.)

And he fussed, of course, when I had to drag him away from the hiding bread so it could get big, and I was grumpy by the time Daddy got home, but as they followed me back to the kitchen to start putting supper together Little Bear noticed the bowl on the floor and his eyes lit up. "Dada, Dada, bread!" He laughed and laughed as he kept "hiding" the dough from Daddy, then uncovering it again and shouting "Bread!" How could our days not be made better by preparing dinner to a soundtrack of our little boy's laughter? 

Maybe it takes longer to get things done if I let him help, but I have to remember that if he is happy and having fun, I'll be happier as well.