I have a fun cocktail recipe for you and a recipe to k,eep the kids busy while you sip it! Lol! Kentucky lemonade is called such because it has bourbon in it! I read that a local brewpub was selling bottles of this for carryout. I did some digging to find out what this was all about.
Extremely closeup of Kentucky lemonade in a Mason jar:
You need half a stick of Crystal light lemonade, a shot of lemon juice (I may reduce to half a shot next time), a shot of bourbon, a tsp. of simple syrup (I had some made but I could probably leave this out if I didn’t have any). Mix all of that together really well, add ice, and then top with diet ginger ale – I probably used 1/4 cup of ginger ale. It was very lemony which I liked but you could reduce the lemon juice for less lemony flavor.
It was delicious! I enjoyed this on a sunny day on the patio while listening to country music.
And to keep the kids busy while you sip, make this cloud dough! It only requires two ingredients which you may have on hand or could probably order easy enough at your next grocery pick up. My sister sent this screenshot.
Well, I don’t think we are doing as much laundry as usual! But, dishes are another story. Wow! We are constantly loading and unloading it seems. I hear this from my friends and fellow bloggers, too. I guess to put a positive spin on it – we are cooking and eating at home more than ever!
Anyway, back to laundry… ,I wanted to share what is working for us right now.
I bought four of these tall hampers. I have one in my new closet, hub has one in his new closet, and each boy has one in their room. I don’t know why it is, but this seems much easier to lug around than the traditional laundry basket. When our hamper gets full we each do our own laundry. I have been pleasantly surprised by the fact that I don’t have to nag the boys and I am not involved in their laundry anymore. Hallelujah! But, seriously, I taught them to do laundry when they were 10 maybe but I still had to ask them to transfer from washer to dryer and put things away. And, for the past 7 years I have done lots of telling them what to do in regards to laundry.
When one of us does our laundry, we simply leave the empty hamper in the mudroom to tote the clean laundry back to our room or closet. These days I do one once a week. My husband can usually wait two weeks and the boys maybe once every week and a half?
The person takes the clean laundry back to their room to fold. I like not mixing each other’s clothes together because that seems like an added step.
I mostly have the job of washing the towels but Tom helps with sheets and he will help with anything else that needs to be done. The boys are responsible for their own sheets, too.
This has really been working for us. How do you handle laundry in your home?
How was your weekend? Ours was pretty good. I was ready for a weekend after learning the ropes of distance learning last week. It wasn’t bad but I was really tired of staring at screens and my brain hurt from learning new things. Much of what I had to do was record keeping for my 146 students. It was tedious and time consuming. This week will be even busier but I think I have figured a few things out.
Friday night I decided to get the local Mexican. I used Door Dash instead of picking it up because I figure the driver is local and needs money.
I made my own margarita while I waited!
Saturday morning I took a nice walk by my school and saw some geese enjoying the grounds.
I need to do a better job of having vegetables cut up and ready to go so that is what I did for lunch Saturday. Everybody could grab what they wanted. Did you see my post Saturday? These are my brownie cookies made from a brownie mix. Check it out if you didn’t see it!
I only boiled 6 eggs and I tried a vinegar and food color dying method. It was cool.
I made another whipped coffee.
I was so happy to take it out to the patio and I had been waiting since Tuesday to be able to make one. Kroger failed and didn’t put it in my order so I ordered it off of Amazon. It came around 11 and I was so happy to receive this pack of 80.
After the eggs dried this is what they looked like. I should’ve rolled them around in the paper towels more.
I will probably always do Easter baskets. They were pretty light this year because one item did not arrive on time. The boys really laughed at the t-shirts – funny references to a show they like and they really liked their blue light blocking glasses for this new online school life.
Then, we had a Zoom with my sisters and mom and all the kids.
It was rainy Sunday. We watched online church, some other t.v., I did school work, boys did school work, and I cooked a lot of stuff.
Here is how our Easter dinner turned out. We have lots of leftovers.
How was your weekend? Are you ready for another week?
Welcome to your weekend recipe! This is a super fun and easy one for you – or, maybe, hand it over to the kids? By the looks of my grocery store shelves almost a month ago, people stocked up on brownie mix! There were only a couple left on the shelves! I personally have at least 3 boxes right now. I usually keep one on hand during normal times. There is something really comforting about a brownie made from a mix, don’t you think?
Did you know that you can make cookies out of a mix? You probably do, but this was big news when I learned this from a student several years ago. She did this for her demonstration speech – they had to teach a skill all in Spanish and demonstrate it on video or live in class. Lots of kids did cooking demos and the students were not hating it when they got to eat the final product in class!
Here is what you need:
Brownie Mix – simply follow the package directions but it will call for the following items:
water
vegetable oil
eggs
1/4 cup flour
Simply add 1/4 cup flour and then drop onto a parchment lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for 10 minutes – watch because your oven might be hotter than mine.
The result seen at top is a chewy delicious cookie! You could make ice cream sandwiches out of these, too!
Now I kind of know what day of the week it is! I am linking up today with Andrea, etc., so go right here to see some more Friday Favorites posts.
How was your week? In a weird way the weeks go by quickly after Monday. Do you feel that way, too? You guys, we started this basically a month ago. We found out March 12 that we would be out of school and it is already April 10. On one hand, it is hard to believe and on the other it feels like the new normal or the now normal. Our governor pretty much asked us to stay at home from the beginning so we have been doing this since the get go. By the way, Kentucky is getting national recognition for response to the pandemic. Our governor is getting high praise and we are flattening the curve according to reports. The teachers had a big hand in voting in our new governor.
So, my Friday Favorites aren’t really typical Friday Favorites, but more like highlights or things I want to share from my week. I will try to do one recipe per weekend and then on Monday I will share the weekend as usual. Tuesday – Thursday are a hodgepodge of tips, recipes, thoughts, things that might help somebody out there?
So, my first favorite is definitely your response to my post yesterday. It felt a little self-indulgent but at the same time it was therapeutic to express my feelings. I am a senior twin mom and there is so much uncertainty about how this year will end. Your comments were so sweet and I really feel like I have made genuine friends through this blog. Thank you for sharing what you are grieving, too. I will be thinking of you and your losses, too.
Sunday night the Zoom Cousin Chat was a success! This was a screen shot of all 9 of us and some extra visitors! There are 4 girls and 5 boys. We sent this photo to my mom, her sister, and her brother, too. Each of the three – my mom and her siblings – had three kids, too! I am the second oldest cousin on both sides of the family, by the way. My other side of the family has 9 cousins, too! We represented KY, IN, MI, MA, and OH. I don’t think we would have done this is it weren’t for the current situation, but I will say we have done a great job of seeing each other at least once a year for many years. We have always had an April meet up in Indiana at a state park and sometimes a July meet up on Lake Michigan.
So, Monday was our teacher work day and I was really anxious about my plans and how I would do converting everything to Google classroom. I use a lot of technology in my classroom but I still do a lot of things the old school way. I talk, sing, dance, play videoclips and stop and talk about them, use paper, give handouts, give paper quizzes, play games on the white board, and so much more. I spent several hours Sunday getting my first week’s stuff ready and then I felt better. I have learned so many new platforms in the last week alone.
A custodian sent us this photo – a group of students had left us notes of encouragement all over the building and chalk messages on the sidewalks. I was so touched!
So, Monday I had 3 Zoom/virtual meetings. The weather was gorgeous so I set up shop outside. The meetings were at 9, 11, and 1. At the same time, I had 4 technicians in and out of the house changing out our heat pump. They were there from 7-3. It was a pretty crazy day and I am glad for the mute button on Zoom. I figured it would be less noisy outside and I was right.
I also baked some bread for dinner that night and I was loving life thinking the work from home thing could be kind of cool. It gave more structure to my day and honestly, as a high school teacher, I never thought I would ever have the chance to work from home.
My Dinnerly box arrived and I made the roasted broccoli, rosemary pork tenderloin, and potato wedges and we had the homemade bread.
I went out to the patio for a bit after dinner.
I called my husband out and we tried to see the International Space Station but we were unsuccessful.
Tuesday was my first time leading a virtual class. It was so good to see their faces! I set up my laptop to be at a better height.
Tuesday was a big day because after I worked I had a Kroger pick up. My sister told me that these Corona (I know – don’t judge!) Seltzers were better than White Claw or Truly and I do think I agree. I have only tried cherry and mango so far. I was able to get a 12 pack in my Kroger order.
Wednesday morning I started my day as the sun came up on my deck. The stain is dry and I am so happy to have this additional space back.
I made the boys a lunch on a cafeteria tray on Wednesday to make them laugh.
I took my classroom outside Wednesday and it got hot! I am not used to looking at a computer screen for so long. I need to remember to take more breaks.
Wednesday late afternoon I got out to pick up our Honeybaked Ham. They gave me a specific window of time and there were only 2 other people in the store with 6 foot markers on the floor. I was in and out in about 3 minutes. I really wanted to go to Trader Joe’s next door but there was a long line waiting to get in, so Trader Joe’s is a luxury I can’t have right now. I have plenty of groceries and my Dinnerly foods. Last night I made cheeseburgers and tonight I’m making the lemon pepper chicken. I want to support the local restaurants but I am a little bit scared of restaurant food and I also am trying to use what we have and not spend too much money. So, we are doing take out maybe two meals a week total.
Our family started watching the comedy Community. Did anyone watch when that was on t.v.? We are really enjoying it and because it is about a community college it is pretty timely with the stage our boys are in.
And, now Jack has made his college decision! Whew!
Today I know I will be ready to hang up the laptop until Monday. I think it’s very easy to work more at home than in a school or office. I really need a set schedule and more boundaries between home and work but that will come next week I think. I feel lucky to be working and I really can’t complain.
If you are still here, what were your favorites this week?
I have kept it pretty positive on the old blog since this pandemic reached our shores, but I want you to know that I have been on an emtional roller coaster as I am sure you have, also.
Right after my Dad passed away in 2018, I told my son Mason that I felt guilty for my intense grief. I knew that I was so lucky to have gotten to have 47 years of a close relationship with my Dad. Heck, one of my best friends only got to have twenty years with her Dad. My wise son told me that my feelings were still valid and that I needed to let myself grieve without feelings of guilt. I keep coming back to that quote. So, friends, it is o.k. to grieve for your losses during this Pandemic, too.
Staying at home, clearing the calendar, homeschooling our kids, limiting our shopping trips and making do with what is in our pantry – all of these are minor first world problems. I think we can all agree that we are being taught a big lesson that was maybe much needed in modern 2020 life. I keep thinking about people in hospitals fighting for their lives without family by their side, health care workers making the ultimate sacrifice, grocery store, liquor store, gas station, food service workers who don’t earn nearly enough right now for the services they are providing – and the list goes on.
Even though we realize this, we are only human and it’s o.k. for us to feel our feelings of loss. Those seemingly little things on our calendar are what makes life worth living. The little things are the big things. I don’t think we will take those for granted after this.
2020 was always going to be a big year. I got married in the year 2000 and that already seemed so futuristic! I remember realizing that in 2020 I would have been married for 20 years! Fast forward to 2002 when I got pregnant with twins. These twins would graduate from high school in 2020! We would celebrate two big, wonderful milestones this year.
Awkward freshman first day photo with mom
So, I have been teaching at my current school since 2000. It was always in the plan that my sons would come to my school. It was a unique gift that my friends were their teachers and that the three of us could do school together. It seems like freshman year was just a minute ago. It is a big enough school that they had different schedules for the most part and they didn’t see much of me, either. I was so proud of how they handled themselves. They didn’t use me as an excuse for being late to class. They didn’t interrupt my classes. They didn’t ask for any special treatment. In fact, I remember once freshman year before they had cell phones, Mason went to the office and asked to call me because he was sick. He simply left a message on my cell phone because he knew I was teaching and didn’t want to bother me!
First high school yearbook photo
This year, senior year, we have had the privilege/challenge of me being their AP Spanish teacher. They are in two different sections and not in the same class. This was hard some days but most days I think it was really cool. I took a couple of photos of just ordinary days with them sitting in my room during class and I am glad I did now since they may not get to sit in my classroom again.
We have not had an official cancellation of the school year YET. We are currently planning for 6 weeks of distance learning. But, with Indiana, Michigan, and many other nearby states calling it, I think we could follow suit.
As a twin mom with no other children, I always felt like I only had one shot at each “mom experience”. I know moms of only children must feel the same. I only had one chance to do kindergarten, one chance to do the elementary years and be room mom, one chance to take prom pictures, and the list goes on.
So…
I am grieving for the last two months of getting to be my boys’ teacher.
I am grieving so many things for my boys – they may not get a prom, the senior ride on The Belle of Louisville, a senior walk (the seniors walk the halls one last time to say good-bye to underclassmen and teachers), a full graduation ceremony, senior honors night, senior choir concert, Mason’s last academic competition ever, Jack’s Shakespeare festival, and so much more.
I am also grieving for those of you that have kindergartners, 5th graders, 8th graders, seniors in college – all of these milestones that we look forward to.
And yet, we will sacrifice all of these moments in life if we can keep our loves ones safe and healthy.
I always tell my students that you get to know a person’s true character during the harder moments in life. Everyone can be their best self when the skies are sunny, but it is in those darker moments in life that show you who you are and what you are truly capable of.
I have learned a great deal about my precious sons during this time period. They have not complained a single time. They have done what needed to be done. They have made the best of the situation. They have now both made decisions for their future.
So, while I am grieving for the lost special moments of their senior year, I am seeing the young adults they are becoming despite or maybe in spite of these setbacks.
Are you a coffee drinker? I drink less than 2 cups in the morning – I usually let one or both cups get a little cold and then I dump it out. I also sometimes like to have an afternoon cup of coffee.
When the weather warms up, I love iced coffee.
Have you heard of the whipped coffee trend?
It is made by combining 2 tablespoons each of instant coffee granules, sugar, and hot water. You then use your hand mixer to whip it until it becomes the consistency of whipped cream.
You then pour it in to 1 cup of any kind of milk and you can mix it up at this point if you desire.
Look how pretty the whipped coffee of my sister turned out!
Even tastier in my opinion is my short cut iced coffee. I take one stick of instant coffee granules – by the way, I bought decaf so if you are worried about the caffeine this is an option. Mix the granules with about 2 tablespoons of hot water – less water if you like it stronger. Stir up really good with a spoon, add ice, and pour in a half of a vanilla Premier Protein. I tried this with caramel last summer, but I love the vanilla and think it is the best.
It tastes better than Starbucks but it has been so long I do not remember what Starbucks tastes like!
I know it may be hard to get out to get instant coffee or Premier Protein right now, but maybe you can try this someday soon!
What type of coffee do you drink? Any recipes for me?
If you celebrate Easter, I know this is not a typical holiday for you and it is so sad to not be able to share this day with loved ones. But, we have to hope that we will get to celebrate at a later date. It is more important now to protect our loved ones.
I thought I would post some ideas in enough time for you if you are needing some help. Leave me any ideas in the comments, too!
My husband and I decided to order a Honey Baked ham. We like to get one at Christmas and at Easter and then he makes his famous 15 bean soup with the bone. This is a big deal because it is the only thing he makes. The trademarked Honey Baked ham makes his soup spectacular!
So the menu will be (and I have already ordered everything from Kroger for my next pick up):
ham
deviled eggs (I might boil and decorate eggs and try to talk 17 year old boys into helping?)
Sister Schubert’s rolls
potato casserole*
the most amazing green beans ever in the crockpot*
maybe roasted carrots?
cake(I ordered new small round cake pans and I am anxious to make homemade icing – but I will still use a cake mix and add an extra egg because I think it tastes better than homemade!)
*recipe to follow
It’s not too late to plan a menu for your small or large quarantine party.
The best green beans you will ever have recipe from Mix and Match Mama blog:
4 cans of cut green beans drained
3 pieces of bacon cut into small pieces raw
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 onion diced
Throw everything in a crockpot and cook on low from 2-4 hours
I am going to halve the recipe for the four of us.
Potato Casserole: (can assesmble the day before)
Preheat oven to 350
Fully thawed out bag of frozen hash browns
1 pint sour cream
1 can cream of celery soup
2 cups shredded cheddar
salt and pepper
Mix all together in big bowl and then spread into 9×13 Pyrex dish
Some people top with corn flakes and butter but I have never done that.
What are your plans if you celebrate?
Ideas:
-Many of our restaurants are doing carry out meals with traditional Easter foods.
-If you are too sad, maybe go the non-traditional food route and have something totally out of the ordinary.
-Since it is hard to do Easter basket shopping, you could do white elephant gifts in Easter baskets for older kids or adults and look around the house and give used items. It could be really funny.
-I was able to include Easter candy in my Kroger online order.
-Watch an online service in your pj’s.
-Go for an early morning drive with some Easter music.
Stay well,
Amy
P.S. – What do you think of my photos? I didn’t want today’s post to be without any so I tried some photography of my Easter decor and my flowering tree – lol!
Hi everybody! How was your weekend? I will be linking up today with Heather, Tanya, and more so go right here!
I start working today. We have a day full of meetings and we are going to try this distance learning thing out. I will let you know how it goes!
Friday morning I had crescent rolls to use up so I made the sausage squares that I have posted about before.
I also had meetings on Friday but I took a break to take Ernie on a walk. I think it will be so important to take breaks. I am not used to sitting at a computer for so long.
I hope no one bought these – they have a really bad after taste. I like the lemonade one but maybe it is because it gets mixed well, but these are not good. Sorry if I influenced anyone negatively.
Saturday morning I made my iced coffee with instant coffee granules and half of a vanilla Premier Protein. It is so good! I will do the recipe on here soon. We took Ernie to swim in the river where we keep our boat. People are itching to go boating. It can be a good social distancing activity if it is just your family!
I did curbside pick up at the local hardware store to get birdseed. I am so happy seeing the birds visit my yard.
My nails are still a mess but that is o.k. I did them in white again.
It is a weird feeling. I feel so calm and unhurried. The neighborhood is so quiet. I love this little spot and enjoyed it so much this weekend. We have been blessed with just the best spring weather.
We supported a local pizza restaurant Friday night and a local Italian place Saturday night for Tom and I while the boys had something I cooked. I am not that worried about take out food, but I do immediately take it out of their containers and put it on plates and wash my hands really well.
Tom and I watched another livestream concert Saturday night.
Sunday it was time to get my act together and I spent about 3 hours doing lesson plans, parent communication, setting up Quizlets and Conjuguemos.com – that sort of thing. I was done around lunch and needed some Vitamin D. Our deck is still drying from the stain we put on it and so I have to find sun where I can.
I spent the rest of Sunday reading, watching just a bit of t.v., straightening up, cooking dinner, and now as I am typing this Sunday evening I am getting ready to do a Zoom call with all the cousins on one side of the family. There are nine of us! I hope everyone remembers. I prepared some fun questions – the teacher in me!
Ipromised to try to share more recipes on the weekends so here you go…
This dip or bean burrito filling was something I learned from a former colleague. I believe she said it was an old Weight Watchers recipe? I do have more recipes that don’tinvolve beans, but you will have to wait for those! Ha!
Use a can of refried beans – there are traditional that have animal fat and vegetarian. I usually use the vegetarian but I think I picked up the wrong ones this time. Add about a 1/2 cup of salsa and about a 1/3 packet of taco seasoning. Mix together and heat. You can vary the amounts of salsa and taco packet as your taste buds dictate. As you can seebelow, I also shredded some cheese to put on top.
I have also used flour tortillas and made bean burritos out of this mixture and some shredded cheese. These freeze well and I would take one out of the freezer to take in my lunches for school.
I don’t think you can find a cheaper meal or snack, either!
A typical can of beans is usually 79 cents, the taco packet is 49 cents, and the salsa I buy is usually $1.89. You would also have to buy the tortilla chips or flour tortillas or both.
With these uncertain times, many of us are trying to be frugal and this would definitely be something to add to your frugal list of foods – without sacrificing taste.
I really think you will like this bean mixture BETTER than the beans at your favorite Mexican place that you can’t go to right now!
Please also make my margarita!
one shot white tequila
half a packet of Crystal light lemonade powder or True Lemon powder (regular lemonade just isn’t the same – I have tried it)
A splash of lime juice
Stir all together, fill with ice, and add Fresca soft drink to the top.
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 