Have you ever had those moments where you are thinking...wow, am I really doing this? Am I really getting excited about THIS?
Yeah, I had one of those moments in the laundry and cleaning product aisle of Target today. I was excited by the new Downy Exhilarations- Blue Iris and Bamboo Silk scented fabric softener....ok, it did smell really good, but should I have gotten so excited I thought to phone a friend to share the good news? Probably not. The ten-year-ago version of me didn't even use fabric softener. Heck- the fifteen-year-ago version of me would do anything to avoid doing laundry in general, including using panty liners to prevent underwear from getting dirty...and (this is not for the faint of heart) turning underwear inside out to get another day's wear. Yeah, I normally don't advertise that...but since this is a neglected blog with about 5 loyal readers, I feel I can be honest and throw that kind of thing out there.
So, I rush home with my new fabric softener and get excited to wash my new sheets (yep- finally broke down and replaced the sheets since Mike evidently wore a hole in them on his side). Then I realize that, in my excited-to-do-laundry-because-of-new-fabric-softener-state, I have become incredibly domestic.
A far cry from Martha, I am sure, but I think I do a good job to take care of my little nest. For one thing, I do laundry. My kids never have to go to school half-dressed or in clothes that they pulled from their hamper, because for the most part, I keep up on it pretty well. And, it smells good.
Menu planning and grocery shopping has found itself in my Monday routine, and we really stick to it pretty well. What is on the book for this week at Casa de Upham? Have a look:
Monday- Pioneer Woman's Chicken and Dumplings and Salad (turned out amazing! I admit, I have a little love affair with the P-W).
Tuesday- Eat out...yep, maybe once a week we try to go out as a family. This week we went to Denny's. "Yuck!" I hear a friend saying, but we think it is fun to have breakfast for dinner from time to time and they do a good job with breakfast. Plus Tuesday is Kids Eat Free night. Plus we had a $5 off coupon...you get it- when we can all eat for under $20 including a $5 tip for our waitress, and they have a kids' craft activity going on to provide entertainment, I don't care where it is...we are there.
Wednesday- Organic Red Pepper and Tomato Soup and Panini Sandwiches (simple, since I spent most of the day at the hospital visiting my grandmother).
Thursday- Red Pepper Risotto (another Pioneer Woman recipe) with Home Made Tomato Foccacia and Mixed-Greens Salad
Friday- New York Strip Steaks in a Merlot Sauce with Twice Baked Potatoes, Asparagas, and Crescent Rolls
Saturday- French Onion Soup with Gruyere Cheese and Home-Made Croutons and Salad
Sunday- Crock-Pot Barbecued Beef Ribs with Cole Slaw, Baked Beans, and Corn Bread-- perfect for watching the Bears kick some Packer butt....
Another sign I am over-domestic now...a big item on my to-do list for the week was to get new mats for under my rugs so they wouldn't move, causing people to slip. I also had to call Home Depot to look at my washing machine...since it is only a year and a half old and it sounds like a bearing is going out on it already (good thing for warranties!) Maybe by the time they come to check it out next week, it will be all better- can delightful-smelling fabric softener work miracles?
Off to make risotto.
What is this pioneer women thing of which you speak? A cookbook or website or what?
Posted by: KJ | January 20, 2011 at 05:48 PM