Food Friday-- Egg Rolls

I won't be home this Friday so I decided to go ahead and post my recipie today. These are fun for weekend food....and fun for kids to help too!

Here is what you will need:

1 package of egg roll wrapers (in produce section of wal-mart or supermarket)

1 package of coleslaw (by the prepackaged salad mixes)

2 cloves of garlic

1 medium onion cut into long thin slices

3 Tbs cup of soy sauce

2-3 porkchops

Tiger sauce (optional)

Vegetable Oil (or any oil that you want to use to fry them in)

Okay, the trick to these is keeping the wrappers from breaking! Keep them in the fridge until you are ready to start!

Cook your porkchops until cooked through. I flavor mine with a bit of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. When done chop them with a food processor of food chopper. Put it in a bowl after they are chopped. If you have the Tiger Sauce pour just enough to flavor the pork, you don't want it liquidly. Okay, now set the pork aside.

In a warm skillet press the garlic into the pan (using a garlic press if you have one, or finelly chop the garlic) add to the pan. Next, add the onion. Cook until onion is somewhat soft.

In a large pot add the coleslaw mix, onion mixture, soy sauce, and pork. Mix well. Cook on medium heat until the coleslaw mix is cooked down a little.....but dont let it get soggy! If there is any liquid in the bottom of the pan drain it out b/c it will make the wrappers break!

Now, warm up your oil in a Fry Daddy or a large pan ( I prefer the Fry Daddy).

Okay get out your wrappers! This is the time consuming part! Make sure you have a dry area to do this in, dont let your wrappers get wet or they will rip!

The best way for me to tell you to fold them is for you to look online b/c they have pictures....just google egg roll wrapping and it should pull up the instructions.

Take your wrapper and lay it flat. Add a large tablespoon of the mix. Fold up. Seal the outer edges with water or egg whites if you prefer. Just dip your fingers in a small bit of water or the egg and go around the edges with your fingers.

If you do happen to get a rip sometimes you can seal it by going over it with the egg or water.

Or just put another wrapper over it if the hole is too large.

After you get a few done stick them in the fridge/freezer b/c if they get too warm they will get doughy and fall apart!!

Once you have them all done begin cooking them. I put a few in at a time. Cook until dark golden brown.

I serve mine with various dipping sauces and fried rice. Enjoy!

What HAPPENED?? Wendsday!

Well today I was wanting to blog about my plans for working out, which I was going to start TODAY....but my day threw up in my face...so to speak...lol.

It never fails that when you have 4 kids when one gets sick all the other have to get sick too. Chain reaction I suppose. But this time they all got different things.

Jake was the first. Just as we were about to start church he tells me he is not feeling well.....so off to the bathroom we go. And yeah, he puked. So I take all of the kids home leaving hubby so at least one of us can enjoy the revival we were having that night. So, we get home and all of a sudden the others are nausiated, Sam is having diahreah with a HORRIBLE diaper rash, and Zack is having some strange pains in his tummy and stinging when he pees!!! Oh my, oh my. I could all ready tell how my night was going to be.

And yeah, I was up ALL night. Jake started coughing on top on his tummy problems and Sam was waking up SCREAMING with tummy pains and because of the rash he had from the diareahha.

I woke up this morning planning on taking the kids to school but I slept through my alarm and had finally gotten Sam to sleep! Was I getting up? OH no. Needless to say we are all home resting and recovering. The older kids could have gone to school but I think we all needed a day of rest. And luckily the kids had their textbooks in their bags from school....so we are studying too.

Poor baby Sam is still not any better. He has been screaming most of the day. I took him off his formula and have been changing his diaper like crazy. And he has taken an oatmeal bath. I am just going to stick him in the bath after every diaper change to make sure I get all of the acids off. I feel SOOO bad for him. I have been using some diaper cream but I cant tell if it is working very well. I may have to try something else if he is not better soon. The best thing I can do is just pray for him.

Well, I am getting off here so I can try and catch up while he is napping!

Food Friday

Well, I said I would post some recipes eventually.....so I figued I would start today. Every Friday I am going to try and post at least one. If you are wondering if they will be good....the answer is YES!!!! I won't post anything that is not yummy! My friend Michelle suggested I post this one! Thanks for the idea Michelle!!!

Beef Enchiladas:

1 package flour tortillas (you can use the small or lg one depending on how you like them)
1 lb of lean hamburger meat (the less fatty the better)
1 package of taco seasoning
8 oz shreaded chedder cheese (or whatever kind you like)
1 lg can of enchilada sauce
3-4 green onions (use the green part of the onion too...tastes good and makes it pretty!)

Preheat over to 425

Cook hamburger meat completly and then drain it. Next, mix in the taco seasoning mix (no water). Mix in SOME of the enchilada sauce with the meat until all of the meat is saturated. Add about a lg tablespoon meat and a sprinkle or two of cheese to the tortilla and roll it up. Gently lay it in a lightly greased 9 by 13 dish seam side DOWN. Do this till all of the ingredients are used up. Pour the Enchilada sauce over the enchiladas until they are all covered. Next, top them with cheese and the chopped onion. Cook on 425 till heated through (usually you can it is done when the cheese is complely melted). Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, refried beans.....whatever sounds good! Enjoy!

Fun Fun Fridays

As a stay at home mom I always always look forward to the weekends....especially friday! I guess everyone does in their own way.....those who work get a break (well most people) and I like having my hubby home and getting a break myself! People that are not stay home parents probably think we have it pretty easy....dont get me wrong I am blessed to get to stay home and i wouldnt change it for anything....but it really is a lot of work. I think yesterday I sat down during the day one time.....which was when I was blogging on here! With 4 kids there is just so much to do....but hey it keeps me on my feet. I don't like to be bored. So anyways, back to the topic of weekends.....what do you all like to do???

My favorite thing is DATE NIGHT!!!! I prefer to get out of the house and do anything with my hubby. I am home 24-7 and its good to just get out of here for a few hours! I mean if you had a job would you like to get off work and then go hang out there??? Thats how i feel sometimes! But sometimes just snuggling up on the couch with a movie and going to bed early is a good thing too.

Here are some other things we enjoy:

Fairs/Feasts. A few weekends ago we went to Octoberfest at Ft. Sill. They had rides/moonbounces/games and they all got to pick out a free pumpkin....so it was pretty fun. Of couse it is more fun for the kids than for us but it is fun to watch them.

Game night. Our kids like Monopoly lately....only thing it takes FOREVER to play! Games give us a good change to interact together and just have fun with one another.

Movie Night. Pretty simple entertainment....although it is hard to find a movie we all like. We like to rent and go to the dollar movie. We actually took the baby with us last time to see a movie and he slept the whole time! I took the stroller in and it fit perfectly in the back row next to me!

Cooking a nice meal. I like for us to cook together. All though Zack is usually the only one who likes to cook....he is very interested lately. Which I think is great. Jake is usually our taste tester...a very important job!

Art/Scrabooking. This is the I hardly get to do. If we are bored and it is cold out then the kids will come up with an art project or scrapbook with me. Zack is really the only one who will do this with me. Bailey will scapbook with me if I go to a scrap party...but thats about it.

These are just a few things we like to do.....I need some more good ideas since it is starting to get cold out....my kids will be driving me crazzzyyy with boredum.

It's that time of year again folks!

Well it is that time of year again for me...the holidays are coming and I keep on thinking of all of the yummy things we are going to make/eat...lol. It also makes me think.....I don't want to gain any weight! Not that I gorge myself...lol. But holiday food is soooooo bad for you! Just one serving of pecan pie has a large portion of the calories that I eat a day.

I have had it in my mind for a few months that I really do need to start working out. I am at a weight that I like and I would really like to maintain that....and plus gain more muscle and lose the fat! But man, the thought of working out....BLAH! When do I have time to do that! And it is soooooo boring! I am not an athlete...not even close...not to mention the clumsiest person alive...next to my daughter of course...haha. Man oh man I don't want to. I keep on thinking of reasons why I can't work out but I think I have more reasons that I need to....darn that kind of reasoning never works!!!!

Plus, I was reminded...by a certain SOMEONE...who i know loves me, that I am not very healthy. At first, it made me upset b/c I am not overweight, I have had 4 kids and have always lost the weight very fast, and I eat well. But, that is not what he meant. I am not healthy....exercise wise. I have little muscle, get winded easily, and not to mention I am ALWAYS so tired. Tired being the main thing. And let's face it, im not getting any younger people!

So, what to do? I have done CURVES in the past and it was such a huge success! I lost 10 pounds....plus turned most of my fat into muscle (they measure it for you!). It is not even like working out. It was so much fun. You go do a circuit of different machines and walking pads...each for 30 seconds and you do the whole circuit for 30 minutes. I went 3 times a week. They also have games you can do while you are working out on certain days! Plus you meet some good friends going there...we would talk the whole time while working out and the whole time just flew by. Plus my favorite benifit....no MEN! Thats my prob going to the gym....the workout room with the weights was always filled with guys....so I skiped that part. I got to do the treadmill....but that only does so much. Great to lose some weight....but I wanted to gain some muscle. Only problem with Curves is that it is in Duncan and closes at 6.....so no time to go after hubby gets home to watch the kids.....MAN!

Plan B....we have a gym here that has a circuit like Curves that is open 24/7 but I don't want to go if there are a bunch of men there. I will have to ask around....I know a few girls who go there....hmmm maybe we could go together. I will have to think on this one.

Plan C.....work out at home. Well, I have tried this and it never works. I get distracted and give up. I always think of other things I should be doing around the house....or the kids/baby need my attention. I do have a treadmill, which is good for cardio. So if I do decide to do a home workout I need some muscle building equipment. And a plan to stay focused on working out and not giving up 3 times a week!

Someone just needs to build a Curves in Marlow and I will be a happy person!

Working out outside of the home is so much better for me I think. Not only will I be working out but it gets me out of the house for a little bit.....hey I am a stay at home mom....we need a break every now and then! But, we will just have to see what I decide to do.

What do you do for exercise? Do you have any advice....if you do let me know! Oh, if it involves being outside count me out....its starting to get COLD!!!!

I will let you know how things are going next week....hopefully I will have a plan by then.

Cleaning made easy

Anyone that knows me knows that I like to keep my home looking nice and neat (all though it is not always that way...i do get behind!). With four kids all under the age of 9 I am ALWAYS ALWAYS cleaning and doing laundry.

It seems as if it NEVER ends! And sometimes having the modivation to do the same thing over and over is somewhat difficult. But in my mind I know if I don't do it....I am in for an even bigger mess tomorrow!!! And that stresses me out! So, what I want to do is offer some tips that I use to get your home into ship shape (or somewhat close!).

1.My first and favorite tip is dump the clutter!! Clutter really bugs me, it just takes up space and gets in the way. If you are not using it, and have not used it in a long time chances are you won't...it will just sit there and take up space. I suggest giving it away or donating it. If it can be used again why not. If it is broken and you have not fixed it see if it can be recycled.

2. Keep collectable items down to a minimum. If you have 15 of an item pick your top 5 depending on how large/small and display them in a case.

3. Keep your cabinets cleaned off. The first thing I do after getting the kids to school is to put everything back up in its place. That way when I do go to cooking I dont have to worry about making space to do so! I keep my appliances, canisters, and a few pretty nick nacks and that is it!

4. Everything has a place. If I did not do this my home would be so messy...not to mention it would be hard to find things. Also, it makes cleaning easy....you put it where it goes and you arent just putting it in a pile wherever it will fit!

5. Clean out closets/dressers/rooms every time the seasons change. Donate what does not fit or you simply don't wear bc you dont like it. Get rid of toys/clutter things that you are no longer using. When you go to clean you wont have so much stuff to clean up! I recently went through all of my kids rooms (closets, dressers, toys...ect) and I got rid of so much junk. I minimized their toys to their favorite things, organized everything, and now when they go to clean everything has a place and they are not just in total chaos. It is hard to clean when everything is so overwhelming.....especially for a child.

6. Give yourself a weekly project....for example...clean out the fridge, microwave, or pantry. Things that we don't think of on day to day basis. I know sometime I open my fridge and think gosh I need to clean that thing....but I get so caught up in everything else that it rarely gets done!

7. Have a cleaning day. Every Friday I try to make my house "company clean". I do it on Friday b/c I want a clean house for the weekend. I don't want to have to spend all weekend picking up. And also if company happends to come over...which usually happends....I am good to go and don't have to stress out!

If you are a person who has a hard time getting rid of things...or buys too many uneeded things here is a great modivatinal bible verse that I often think back to when I am trying to declutter:

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

Happy cleaning all! Jill

What a blessing!

Isn't God's unconditional love AMAZING??? Oh, I think so! He continues to bless me and others around me continuously. And he does it sometimes when you are least expecting it! Which I think make for the best kind of blessings.

Last week a friend of mine called me and asked me if I wanted some formula that a woman she worked with had (she had about 10 cans i think). So, of course I said yes because it is expensive! The first thing that I thought of was my friend Michelle from church.

She has a son a bit older than mine---who is normally breastfed but is not interested in nursing at the moment. I had it in my heart to give her half of what I received. So I figured I would just bring it to her the next time I saw her at church. Well, my plans changed! I had this feeling in me to call her all of a sudden to tell her that I had formula that I wanted to give her.

In excitement she said, YES I will take it! I will come by right now (which she just so happened to be in town). Well, come to find out she was out of formula on her way to try and get some goats milk. They were leaving for vacation the next day and had pretty much budgeted their money down to the dollar so she didn't have money left for formula (which she would have used vacation money to get more formula if she needed it but now she didn't need to! ).

Isn't it awesome how God takes care of us when we are in need! Not only did it bless my friend Michelle and her family....but it blessed me for God to use me in such a special way. Glory be to God!

The Holy Spirit was among me, guiding me, telling me what to do. When I had the urge to pick up my phone and call her I have no doubt that it was the Holy Spirit leading me to help God do his work. It is such a blessing to be used in such a wonderful way!