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Weather, Cleaning, Planning

Well I'm still recovering from the past weekend (things broken, kid sick, busy busy), which means the cute photos of Ben & Tabby in their Easter finery are still trapped on the camera. I did at least get in an hour on the treadmill last night. There's hope for us all.

Spring keeps peeking its head around the corner here. We have gorgeous (and cheap!) berries in our grocery stores. The grass is getting greener. I am excited for summer. Of course I woke up to an inch of snow this morning. Boo. On the other hand, it is gone again. Yay.

As usual, the anticipation of spring/summer makes me want to … clean. Why is that? I always feel the itch, though. Maybe it starts with clearing out the kids clothing … it's amazing what they outgrow over the course of a few months … no wait, I had this urge long before I had kids. Now I'm noticing that our plastic-ware storage cabinet is a huge mess that needs to be tamed and the drawers in my bathroom have way to much k-r-a-p in them. Not to mention my clothing drawers. At least all the maternity stuff is gone. And did I mention my office needs spiffed up? Someday.

Soon, though, we've got to get our yard cleaned up and ready for planting. Soon after we get back from Nashville is Mother's day, which means we're officially frost-free and ready for planting. But not on Mother's day. On Mother's day, I'm planning to run the Title 9K and make Matt take me out to brunch since my own Mamacita will be out of town.

What are your plans for spring?

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What's Cooking: Volume 9

I'm a bit off my game right now. Matt was gone all last week (longer than usual, actually), which never helps. Then Ben was sick over the weekend, the kind of sick where he only wanted to be snuggled. He is doing much better now, thankfully. 24 hours fever free, an all-clear from the doc, who could not see anything wrong with his ears or a sign of strep and a much-improved mood.

Anyway, not really sure what the heck we ate last week. I made a fritatta at some point, which was pretty good. I also made blueberry muffins to go with that fritatta and for the playdate we hosted on Friday. They turned out wonderfully, even after I subbed half whole-wheat flour and half applesauce (for the oil).

This week I'm once again endeavoring to use up what we've got. I bought a couple of quiches at Costco on Saturday, not knowing if we'd have them for dinner with my family or at another time, and so those need to be eaten (along with the leftover blueberry muffins). I also have everything I need to make black bean (& tofu) quesadillas and we've also got the ingredients for sweet & sour meatballs.

Also, I finally made the crackers two weekends back. They turned out really well and everyone loved them! Mine were not nearly as pretty as the cute triangle shapes, but it didn't much matter. I would definitely make them again, but I'd probably use some better cheddar cheese (the stuff I picked up from Sunflower was kinda salty).

Up next week? Well we'll sort that out soon enough, I'm sure.

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Sweet & Sour Meatballs

from:

Ingredients
turkey meatballs (from the freezer section)
stirfry veggies (right next to those meatballs in the freezer)
sweet & sour stirfry/simmer sauce
noodles of your choice (spaghetti works great)

Directions
Cook noodles according to package directions. Meanwhile, cook meatballs to done in microwave or skillet, set aside. In a large skillet, cook frozen veggies until warm. Add simmer sauce, noodles and meatballs (cut in small pieces if you like) and combine. Warm to desired temperature and serve.

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The Yin and Yang

It's been a kinda weird few days. A lot of good things, and some really bad/annoying ones too.

The Bad
• Ben has been under the weather. Feverish, cranky, tired. Matt is taking him BACK to the doctor this morning to see if it's some sort of infection or something more serious than a little cold (which has no other symptoms than this fever).
• I have had about 10 hours of sleep in the past 4 days (see above).
• My laptop is dead/dying. Its videocard is on the fritz and it randomly buzzes into technicolor acid trip and crashes to the ground (taking my work with it).
• My freelance work is on hold until my laptop situation can get sorted out.
• I have not had an actual workout since Wednesday last week.
• I have a $1500 laptop on pre-order, but no idea if/when I will get it (hopefully I will find out today!).

The Good
• Matt is back home from his trip.
• Easter was very nice.
• Had an excellent time grabbing Indian food with the kids, my sis and our cousin, Ryan.
• The stiffness in my leg that was making me walk oddly is pretty much gone.
• My new Tivo that streams video from Amazon and Netflix is … AWESOME.
• It's library night.