WIS, WWA | A week of celebrations
This week had a lot going on.
Tuesday, Lisey graduated from aviation mechanic school.
On Thursday, which was my birthday, she passed her final test to get certified, so now she's all set to work on planes.
AND.....
she got a job in HAWAII.
Lisey is slaying hard.
She'll be here with me for another month and then she will leave for Hawaii.
Of course, I am sad she will be so far away, but I am delighted for her, and of course, I will go visit her once she gets settled.
Anyhooo, it was a slightly weird week!
What I Spent
I spent:
- $30 on a Hungry Harvest box
- $13 at Weis
- $22 at Giant
- $11 at Safeway
- $22 at Dominos
So, $98.
What We Ate
Saturday
Man, I really cannot remember what we ate!
Sunday
We had a Mom + Zoe night where we got Domino's pizza and finished the second of a two-part Sense and Sensibility series. 🙂
Monday
I made broccoli noodle soup and garlic bread.
Tuesday
This was Lisey's graduation day! We went to my aunt and uncle's house after the graduation, and my aunt made taco salad for us. I brought Lisey's favorite orange jello, and my mom brought a Texas sheet cake.
Wednesday
I grilled some chicken, boiled some angel hair pasta, combined the chicken and pasta with some pesto, and topped it all with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
And we had some veggies and oranges on the side.
Thursday
My birthday! We went out for tacos (because of course).
And then we had a bonfire afterward to burn Lisey's no-longer-necessary schoolbooks.
Friday
Do I ever know what I'm making on Fridays?
No.
This week is no different. Ha.
Congratulations, Lisey! That is so awesome!
WIS: a Target run where approximately 40.00 was food items, 115.40 on Indian takeout, 9.58 and 189.58 on two Aldi runs, and 20.42 on wine, for a grand total of 374.98 on another birthday week. Thankfully there's a couple months of birthday break now.
WWA:
Fri: salad (prewashed mixed greens topped with crispy onions and balsamic dressing), deep dish style focaccia made with mozzarella, pepperoni and tomatoes.
Sat: salad consisting of prewashed greens and avocado topped with salt and pepper, air fried leftover focaccia.
Sun: it was my husband's birthday, so we splurged on Indian takeout: jasmine rice, mutter paneer, palak paneer, tandoori shrimp, poori, pappadums, and mango lassis. It was so good, but darn it restaurant food is SO expensive now! We also had handfuls of salad greens, strawberries and cheesecake bites from Aldi.
Mon: more handfuls of salad, leftover Indian food and sourdough discard crackers spiced with garam masala.
Tue: salad (semi-proper...I washed lettuce and sliced a cucumber, then plopped on some bluebs and a few sesame seeds. I even made a half-assed dressing...), Gnocchi carbonara (basically bacon pieces, Parm, egg and a bag of clearance Christmas gnocchi. It was heavy, but good), leftover sourdough crackers and more cheesecake bites.
Wed: shopping day, so salad (had leftover from the day before, else it would have just been handfuls), Aldi take and bake cheese pizza, rose cones.
Thu: salad (yup, handfuls this time) and cheeseburger crescent dough ring.
Tonight: oh, you know, probably foccach...and some fistfuls of prewashed salad greens...
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
@Becca, You sound ... tired. Long week? Long month?
@JDinNM,
Indeed.
GO LISEY!
Way to start out your career with a BANG!
And Happy Birthday week, Kristen!
Yay Lisey!
That really is slaying. Well done for all your support in helping her achieve her dreams.
GO LISEY!!! That she gets to work in Hawaii is amazing, and I laughed aloud when I read about her celebratory bonfire. Slay away!
Congrats to Lisey!!!! How cool!
Again Happy Birthday to you!
Love the after-party last night! Congratulations Lisey! Your hard work certainly paid off!
And yesterday was my husband's birthday too! We ended up at a pub in Morgantown and he ordered tacos too! He really enjoyed them.
As for the rest of the week, I can't remember.
Hurray for Lisey's new job--and its location!!
Now, WIS: $12.50 at the Regional Market, $7 at Wegmans, and $13 at Aldi.
WIA: Nothing too spectacular (as spring moves on, I find I'd rather spend time in the garden than in the kitchen). But I did make a big pan of chicken cacciatore (using some more of last week's $1.99/lb. boneless/skinless thighs from Aldi) and share it with my next-door neighbor. She's 84, widowed, and living alone, and I don't think she's eating very well.
@A. Marie, So sweet and thoughtful. She may be living alone, but with you there she's clearly not alone.
@A. Marie, that's really kind of you to look out for your neighbor. I also would much rather be outside messing in the garden that in the kitchen, or cleaning the house, or just about anything inside.
Wow - this was such an exciting week at your house! Good things all around and I am amazed that you did so much cooking. All of it looks so good, but especially the grilled chicken in pasta. Looks like travel is in your future which is going to be so fun! It was exciting here, too...but mostly in a stressful way. Menus:
Monday - I pulled out BBQ pulled chicken from the freezer to eat in tortillas {apps training on new equipment at work}
Tuesday - Turkey Sloppy Joe stuffed baked potatoes (learned my way around the new hospital, grocery shopped after work}
Wednesday - Italian Chicken with new potatoes, chopped salad {took my truck in for brakes and alignment}
Thursday - Rosemary Herb Tilapia with brussels sprouts and carrots {the new hospital opened! but I only worked 3 hours, got trained on another piece of equipment, went home and mowed the yards}
Friday - Spinach Chicken Carbonara Bowtie Pasta {made this on Thursday because I will work 12-8 p.m. today}
Saturday and Sunday - kitchen closed {I have pulled things out of the freezer to take for my meal breaks at work}
Happy weekend, congratulations to Lisey, and Happy Birthday!!
https://cannaryfamily.blogspot.com/
Congratulations to the beginning of new beginnings!
In Scotland"Lang may your lum reek" is a wish and phrase that all be well and you are warm in your house, especially at New Year and I wish that for whatever comes next.
- Long may your chimney have fuel to make it smoke-
Congratulations to Lisey and aloha!! Ds graduated college, then came home for a year. Went to visit a roommate in Tampa a year ago for a few days, then came home, packed up and moved down there, carefree as only someone in their early 20s can do. Now, he has a great job in a field he loves with a huge company that is awesome to their people - yes, one does exist - a great apartment 4 miles from the beach and he is truly happy, ergo, I'm truly happy for him. I miss him, but as a parent, his happiness is all that I need right now. I'm gonna miss Lisey with but be happy, because, Hawaii!!
Happy belated birthday!
Life has been crazy, and the result is that this is the first non pre planned week in (maybe) years.
Sunday: Big family dinner, our girl turned 4! We had pulled pork, with options of putting the pork in a sandwich or on top of mac and cheese. Chips and sliced oranges on the side
Monday: Leftovers from the party
Tuesday: We got a taco pizza to bake at home, and had fridge broccoli with ranch on the side.
Wednesday: Preschooler's choice day. Her first choice was ramen, but we didn't have any (we haven't been by the Asian market lately) so we did mac and cheese. More fridge broccoli on the side.
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: I think we might do hot dogs on the grill, because it's finally warm!
Saturday: Eating whatever's left in preparation for next week.
Congratulations to Lisey! I see a trip in your future. Will she be on Oahu or one of the outer islands?
I’m not sure what we spent this week. My husband is in town this week and did not commute on site to his job in a different state. Since he loves to go to the grocery store and he buys things not on the list like ice cream, I ignore the food budget when he is home. I spend very little when he is gone, so it balances out.
This is what we ate:
Saturday - hamburger (I ate mine without a bun), sweet potato fries and corn on the cob.
Sunday - we had a late lunch out so dinner was a snack.
Monday - Dh had pot pie. I had TJ’s gluten-free ravioli tossed with fresh asparagus. It’s my new favorite.
Tuesday - Homemade ramen
Wednesday - meatloaf (made with ground chicken), broccoli and sweet potatoes fries again.
Thursday - hamburgers again, corn on the cob again and broccoli again
Friday - ? I’m not sure. I’m finally out of ground beef, broccoli, sweet potatoes and corn. So something different. I’m in the mood for sushi this morning.
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend.
Congratulations to Lisey! What island is she moving to? I love Hawaii! I search a realty site weekly dreaming about moving there.
Happy belated birthday, Kristen!
She will be working in Honolulu!
Congratulatins to Lisey and Happy Birthday to YOU! What a great week for you and your family!
WIA this week included:
1 & 2. Broccoli cheese chicken soup and salad (2 times)
3. Chili with rice/salad
4. Curried tofu with rice/veggies
5. Salad with grilled chicken
6. Paella
7. On the road today, so we'll stop at a random local place.
What a fabulous birthday week you had! And ... Hawaii?! Something else to look forward to. Congratulations to Lisey.
WIS: $53.91 at Sprouts, because I had a coupon (only $5 off $50, or 10%, but still … $5!) and I wanted to check out the meat counter to see if there were any deals. So I got pre-sliced beef for stir fry (or fajitas!) for $3/pound, boneless beef ribs for $4/pound, and 100% Angus grass fed boneless beef short ribs, marked down from $11/pound to $6/pound. All of which went into the freezer (after I first made a list so I wouldn’t forget what was in there, as I have a tendency to do). Oh, and some dark chocolate covered blueberries. Because … all together now! Dark chocolate is GOOD for you. Blueberries are GOOD for you. So … Dark chocolate covered blueberries are a SUPERFOOD!
WIA: last week’s bargain priced thin sliced tri tip sirloin with sauteed onions, broccoli and roasted potatoes with mandarin oranges for dessert, tempura shrimp with Asian slaw and jasmine rice, Greek yogurt with wild blueberries and pumpkin seed granola (breakfast for dinner!), and a big bag of fresh green beans that I cooked using Kristen’s/Cook’s Illustrated recipe for sauteed green beans with garlic herb butter (to which I added toasted slivered almonds). Thanks, Kristen! It’s a great and easy recipe.
Graduations are so thrilling and begin a stage that is so full of possibility. I always think of the Walt Whitman poem "Song of the Open Road," that begins, "Afoot and lighthearted I take to the open road. Healthy, free, the world before me. The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose." I pray for Lisey that her long brown path is full of adventure and joy.
And now, food.
Saturday: I went to the junior/senior banquet at school, where I had pulled pork and baked potatoes. My family at home had leftovers.
Sunday: Sauteed shrimp, bunless hamburgers, rice, sauteed asparagus (from the garden, yay!), sauerkraut, roasted sweet potatoes, and the extremely indulgent ice cream sundaes in celebration of the sight-word milestone.
Monday: I used the leftover rice to make fried rice with ham, cooked onion, and peas from the freezer, plus broccoli and asparagus (from the garden, yay!).
Tuesday: Meatballs I had stashed in the freezer for some future day, spaghetti with a tomato sauce I made from roasting the mostly tasteless Roma tomatoes I got from excess commodities--a lot of frozen pesto and green garlic puree from last summer helped them out--the last of the shrimp sauteed, green salad with ranch dressing, and rhubarb pudding with heavy cream. I posted the recipe for the pudding, which several people informed me is a crumble. Even using that as a search term, I still didn't find anything just like the notably basic recipe I have from my MiL's old cookbook, so I posted it anyway. For internet posterity. And because it's ridiculously good even without all the spices and additions that are in every other recipe.
https://going-country.blogspot.com/2023/04/gardening-for-food-rhubarb-pudding.html
Wednesday: Leftover spaghetti and meatballs, green salad with ranch dressing, leftover cafeteria peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream (they don't get it with ice cream at school, though 🙂
Thursday: Spaghetti casserole for the kids using leftover spaghetti (plus some more I had to cook to have enough), more of that roasted tomato sauce I had made, some of the many commodities onions I had cooked down and froze last week, pureed calabaza (winter squash) from the freezer, some processed bull meat, asadero cheese (our mozzarella substitute). It was, you might say, a very idiosyncratic casserole. Pretty good, though. My husband and I don't eat spaghetti, so we had a skillet of fried bull meat with onions, asparagus (still from the garden, yay!), and frozen peas.
Friday: Well. It's blowing rain and snow. I am not complaining, because we really need the precipitation, but I think something warming is in order. Also, I have a sick kid with a delicate stomach. Maybe soup, depending on how his stomach is today. I also have a lot of the casserole left for the kids, so I might just make the sausage for my husband and me that they don't care for and we'll have somewhat separate meals. Stay tuned . . .
@kristin @ going country, A New Mexico spring day with blowing rain and snow? Sounds about right. To your south we are warned of 50 mph north winds from 6 am to 6 pm. No frisbee for us! We might creep up to 50 degrees by noon. But yesterday was lovely!
@kristin @ going country, curious, do you not eat spaghetti because of the carbs? Gluten? Hope that this is alright to ask!
@Molly F. C., It's fine. It's mostly a carb issue for me, and more of a (non-sourdough) wheat sensitivity for him.
Congrats to Lisey! I'm proud of her and I don't even know her! And Hawaii! Wow! That will be an adventure.
Imagine how proud I am! lol I've known her for 22 years. 🙂
Awesome for Lisey! Love her blue hair!
Sounds like you had a fun week!
How exciting for Lisey - Congrats to her!!
Sat - we returned from vacation and we grilled chicken thighs w/baked potatoes and corn on the cob.
Sun - Fend for yourself night, although I roasted a couple of chickens (In the morning I had big plans for dinner that night, but home from vacation fatigue set in all that happened was they got roasted).
Mon - Chicken and Rice - green beans
Tues - Taco Salad
Wed - Chicken Breast sheet pan with roasted potatoes, carrots, zucchini and asparagus
Thurs - Burgers and Fries
Friday - Chicken Parm
Congratulations to Lisey--graduation and employment. Great. How did she happen to land a job in Hawaii?
Happy Birthday to you.
After being extremely lazy about cooking on Saturday, we ordered pizza. I hate to order out because I have to pick it up too. The pizza was very board-like and IMHO expensive. I must (must) make some dough for the freezer.
Sunday to the grocery store to get some staples ($63). My grandson wanted mac&cheese for dinner, which we ate for leftovers after work on Tuesday.
I had two veal chops in freezer for Monday
Wednesday was lasagna rolls.
Thursday I ate out with 2 friends (past co-workers). One we have not seen since before Covid. The other I work with (and have worked with her for over 50 yrs now--she keeps bringing me to the next location. Both of us are past retirement age, but work). $40 We tipped the waitress well for letting us sit, eat, talk for 2 hours.
Today I am leaving for a weekend with quilting friends. They quilt, I enjoy. We have our menu planned--French toast souffle, lasagna, grapenut pudding, snacks, wine, fun, laughs.
I wish I could show you the photo but yesterday my 4.5 yr old grandson and I went for a walk. I was hoping we might see some cygnets but no. There was only one swan came floating across the pond/river to us and stopped maybe 3 feet away. I know they can get aggressive if you are near their nests but it was okay and amazing. I did have to keep pointing out the poison ivy that is all over the place there--I "catch" it like it is a "virus".
Have a nice weekend all.
She landed the job by contacting all the airlines in Hawaii, connecting with them on LinkedIn, and lining up multiple interviews!
Lisey really makes things happen for herself. 🙂
@Kristen, I'm three times Lisey's age (plus some), and I wish I had half her moxie!
@A. Marie, I didn't know that word. Thank you for teaching me something today. And congratulations to Lisey. I'm not sure if I'm more impressed by her moxie or her ability to walk in high heels!
@Kristen, congratulations to Lisey! And you for raising an amazing human being!
Oh, wow, Hawaii! Amazing! She really is going far away, but I hope you all get to visit at least yearly. Congratulations to Lisey!
What I spent: $172 and change, plus about $20 in a midweek shop, so lets say $192 all told for two weeks, and that included a farm order.
What I ate: my menu is at home, so I'll try to remember:
Turkey salad, a couple of times, with jicama sticks on the side or quick pickled cucumbers on the side. As I do with my tuna salad, I include shredded veggies in the turkey salad.
I made meatloaf, oven-roasted garlicy asparagus and cassava mac and cheese, and I had this twice.
A grass-fed sirloin steak that I split in half for lunch the next day too, and had with lots of mushrooms and garlic cooked in butter all served over a bed of zucchini noodles.
And something else I can't remember.
Tonight, unless I am much mistaken, will be uncured hot dog with some sides TBD.
GO LISEY!!!
What an amazing place to find her first job! I’m so excited for both of you - you launching a kiddo, and her for all the work that went into landing this job!
WIS: $147 @ Publix and $143 @ Sam's.
WWA:
Saturday: I have absolutely no idea what we ate but I know we were all fed
Sunday: Spaghetti & meat sauce made with ground turkey, garlic toasts
Monday: Crockpot Mongolian beef & Crockpot orange chicken (the unfried version), Jasmine rice
Tuesday: leftovers
Wednesday: some ate hotdogs, hubby & I had ground turkey tacos on low carb tortillas
Thursday: roasted pork tenderloin & green beans with baby red potatoes, onions & smoked sausage; fresh fruit for dessert
Friday: I will be out this evening and those at home will eat leftovers
Saturday: possibly a pot roast which is easy to throw into the crockpot and have a yummy dinner with almost no effort
Happy weekend everyone!
Spent $212 which included a lot of stocking up. This week we enjoyed eating:
. Caramelized onion-apple tart
. Curried lentils, potato, and spinach
. Remaining homemade cream of celery soup from last week
. Pasta topped with marinara sauce, mushrooms, chopped walnuts, and shredded parmesan
. Butternut squash risotto
. Baked potato and broccoli
. Popcorn and fruit
Well done, Lisey.
Kristen, I'm glad you have had her at home with you for the past several months. This letting-go of adult kids is not for the faint of heart.
Me too! It has been a bonus year I didn't think I'd get and I am endlessly grateful.
We also had a celebration this week, my oldest's birthday.
Saturday and Sunday: homemade pizzas, now and always and probably forever.
Monday: Hamburger stew, courtesy of the oldest, who absolutely loves it and likes to make it.
Tuesday: Birthday! We rented the same lodge we used for our anniversary and spent the afternoon there, mostly canoeing, roasted hot dogs in our toaster oven (rather wet and cool for grilling outside), brought chips, fruit, and brownies. We got a later start than planned so had lunch at home and dinner out at the lodge, which worked out perfectly.
Wednesday: Chicken and rice casserole. I make three 9x13 pans of this, because absolutely everybody likes it. I had less chicken broth than I'd thought I had, so after browning the chicken, in the hot pan I poured about a cup and a half of water and added 2 T of butter, deglazed the pan, reduced it just a bit, added some seasonings and I had plenty of flavored liquid to eke out the chicken broth I did have. I was pretty stunned when I went into the kitchen afterwards and found no leftovers. As in, everybody had at least two bowls, apparently.
Thursday: Taco night! The youngest always requests a quesadilla, which is easy. Everybody else makes their own stuff from the "components" as the son who make taco night puts it.
Tonight: Tuna burgers and tater tots, DH is cooking.
Holy moly. Three 9x13 pans gone?? WHOA.
@Kristen, Indeed. We have four sons, ages 11-23 (the oldest is fully employed, works from home, and pays rent to us, as he says it's a better deal than any apartment he could find). Out of the five men in this house, two are over 6 ft tall. And my oldest is a skinny dude but he tends to just eat one meal a day. I knew this day was coming when I'd have to start cooking in bulk. When I make lasagna, I make three pans as well, but we usually have leftovers there, as it's denser than chicken and rice, and the youngest is not a fan of lasagna.
I will say usually my youngest has one helping at dinner and then trots off to do his own thing, but we were watching the tv show Merlin (the BBC one) and he was enthralled, so he stuck around for two episodes and a second helping!
Next week we will have a guest most nights for dinner, so I suppose I'll be making FOUR pans of whatever is for dinner....oy vey!
@Karen A., I have three sons who are 6 - 10 (and a daughter). People keep telling me to wait until they are teenagers… that is so much food!!
Congratulations to Lisey! Kristen, you've done a great job raising a smart, independent woman.
Thank you! I am so proud of her.
Your daughter sounds truly amazing, way to go!
Had a lot of work stress this week and it has still been quite chilly here. Our meals appear to have been heavy on comfort food (would not have noticed but for these posts). New goal = lighter fare. WWA:
Saturday - subs on homemade buns, frozen French fries
Sunday - roast beef, Yorkshire puddings, mashed potatoes, peas, gravy, store-bought cherry pie
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - freezer meal (hamburger soup), baguette
Wednesday- Mennonite sausage, perogies, corn
Thursday - million dollar spaghetti casserole (was too rich for my liking - the name should have been my first clue - but we will freeze and eat the rest of it nonetheless)
Friday - planning on a salad with sautéed chicken breast (a nice light dinner…..)
Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend
Oh, so impressed with Lisey all around, and a huge congrats on getting a job in Hawaii! Think how lovely those visits with her will be! 🙂
We were recovering from jet lag, so I took advantage of a meal delivery service offer through work.
Saturday - back from a 25+ hour travel day, and super jet lagged. Two folks had frozen pizza, I had a handful of pretzel, and my 17 y.o. went straight to bed, then woke up in the middle of the night & had cup o' noodle
Sunday - my husband grilled chicken, and we had that on top of salads
Monday - I made a enchilada meatball + rice delivery service meal
Tuesday - we had orange chicken + veggie fried rice (Trader Joes)
Wednesday - I made a turkey taco dish from the meal delivery service.
Thursday - my husband had leftovers chicken, I had some chicken salad from the weekend, I made my 16 y.o. a grilled cheese & fruit, and my 17 y.o. wasn't hungry after soccer practice.
Friday - I have one delivery service meal left (chicken piccata, I think?) & my husband will probably make himself salmon
Such an awesome week for you and your family, congrats on major achievements.
Lisey's graduation is then topped by a job waiting for her…..and in warm-for-sure Hawaii. I’ll bet in her industry Lisey can move around if she wants to down the line, too.
Kristen's birthday is blessed with personal high points of school success, transitioning to a new home, and shepherding her girls through a very rough year. Not to mention enduring the trauma herself. This is a heroic achievement. All while providing us with a safe and calm community to spill our own personal woes and highs, to encourage or cheer each other on.
Erika, you are always so, so encouraging to me. Thank you. You are a blessing to me!
@Erika JS, no kidding! This family shows us how to live well, regardless of circumstances. My admiration grows and grows. . .
Congrats Lisey! You are definitely rocking it. Enjoy your new life in Hawaii! (And give your mom some blog fodder so we can keep up with your adventures.)
What is the two-part sense and sensibility you were watching? Is it new?
It's the 2008 miniseries! https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0847150/
@Kristen (and @tina), I think this S&S adaptation is actually pretty good (IMHO, it's the best of the bad lot of Jane Austen adaptations that came out around that time). My biggest beef about it came from DH, my former urban logger: When he saw that scene with Dan Stevens as Edward Ferrars angrily splitting wood in the rain, he remarked, "That man's going to hack off a few body parts before he's done."
WOW! What a week! Congratulations, Lisey, on both the graduation and the new job!! Hawaii will be such a nice place for you to visit, Kristen. 🙂
Also, your Wednesday night dinner looks delicious!
For us...
Saturday - We were on the road and needed to get dinner in a hurry, so we stopped at Long John Silver's because it's fast food that we don't have in our town. It wasn't great. It wasn't terrible.
Sunday - We hosted for my mom's birthday. Her theme was "I just want whatever's easiest for everybody" so it was hard to get a good feel for if she actually wanted Hungry Howie's pizza or just requested it because it was easy. We had salad on the side and I did make a German chocolate cake (from scratch!) that we had with Mackinac Island fudge ice cream.
Monday - Turkey (one I got at Thanksgiving for cheap), sweet potatoes, and applesauce
Tuesday - Turkey tacos
Wednesday - Turkey broccoli fettuccine alfredo
Thursday - I pulled out a freezer meal (I'm so happy to be a freezer meal person now!) so we could have more time for gardening since the weather was yucky for most every other day this week. We ate cheesy baked spaghetti with green beans.
Friday - I got a lot of peppers and a few avocados in a Flashfood produce box and I'm going to make turkey fajitas. I saw two open jars of queso in the fridge and got a good deal on tortilla chips this week, so we will probably have chips and queso with the fajitas.
Enjoy these sweet days with Lisey! Praying for you both as you head into this new season.
Congrats to Lisey! How awesome!!!
(Good work getting her to this point, Mama ☺️)
She’s a lovely young human
HAWAII!! Honolulu is a big busy city. Lisey keeps amazing me more and more with her adventurous can-do approach to life.
That bookburning exhibits extreme confidence in one's education, that the books will never be needed for reference. My experience is that textbooks cannot keep up with reality in spite of the continual new editions (which I view as a plot to part a student from her limited money).
And as usual, I have a question: How is "Lisey" pronounced? Lizzy? Lissy? LI-zee? Lee-see? (Reminds me of reading words but never hearing them aloud, so thinking it is "in-dict - ment" or "sub-til").
Her full name is Elise so this is just her nickname and we say it Leesee. 🙂 She goes by Elise at school and work, but we as her family (and all of you guys! lol) know her as Lisey.
Oh my, Lisey! Congratulations on an incredible achievement and on a stellar first job location #clapclapclap That is stupendous all around. And Kristen, from an east coast mom with a son now living his best life on the west coast, I'm sending hugs for you as you go through the adjustment (but yes, the visits are awesome and so great that these kids are taking big bites out of life).
And um - what exactly is that double-shell hard/soft taco situation?! It looks incredible...is this is a thing? have I been living under a rock?
@Shelagh, I like to do that with my tacos when I can... I put refried beans or queso between the two shells. Delicious!
I haven't normally seen them that way but it does keep the hard shell from being really messy!
Congratulations, Lisey! That's so cute that her great uncle is wearing a Hawaiian shirt in her graduation photo.
WIS: $2.49 at Ollie's Outlet for a biggish bottle of dehydrated diced onions and an eye-watering $9 for a small jar of Tennessee honey at Food Lion. The arthritis is kicking my butt this week, so there's not yet been a trip to the grocery store.
WWA: Frozen leftovers, frozen meals, fresh produce, cheeses, nuts, homemade bread and bran muffins, apples and oranges, protein shakes. Husband ate lunch out with his work team and brought home the leftover roasted veggies and some cookies yesterday. They were good!
He wore that shirt on purpose for her, which is just SO sweet.
Burn the books? Couldn't you have sold them back to the college bookstore, to an online secondhand book site, or just sold 'em online or to undergraduates (or EAA'ers) for some spending money? (EAA'ers =Experimental Aircraft Association members who build and fly their own small aircraft. The may need books about aircraft engines and mechanical things for their DIY projects and aircraft maintanence.)
And btw, congrats on a super major achievement, Lisey! You're a 21st Century Rosie the Riveter for sure! (And just as darling!)
She did save some to donate back to the school for students who can't afford books. But the ones she burned were consumable books; like ones you write in!
I thought I posted mine earlier but now I don’t see it, oh well, here it is again!
We were in Tahoe for part of this week with my whole family but we stayed somewhere with a kitchen so still did some cooking (and I did all the meal planning and cooking for dinners, since I enjoy it) It was an interesting trip because there is still so much snow up there, unusual for so late in the year! My kids played on the beach and in the water(in wetsuits) and then later on the same day drove to a snow park and they were in full snow gear, playing in the snow!
Saturday - we had my son’s birthday party earlier in the day and had leftover pizza and cupcakes so we ate that for dinner too
Sunday - we visited with some of my husband’s aunts, uncles and cousins that we hadn’t seen since pre-pandemic! It was great to see them, and the kids got to play with some cousins their age who they hadn’t even met before (or last saw as babies) His aunt and uncle who hosted picked up Chinese takeout for everyone.
Monday - our first night in Tahoe, I did a make your own pizza night, with premade crusts, sauce, cheese and toppings and a chopped salad kit
Tuesday - we chose this night to be our one night going out to dinner, went to a nice place with a view of the lake
Wednesday - taco/nacho bar with chips, tortillas, chicken taco meat (made in the instant pot at home before we left so just reheated), beans, rice, corn, shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, and Pico de gallo. This was a big hit with everyone and was able to accommodate many different food preferences/ allergies
Thursday - we got home at 4:30 from our trip and I was going out with friends later. I made Kraft for the kids and ate some of the leftover taco stuff when I got home later.
Friday - probably the frozen ham and pineapple pizza in the freezer!
Congratulations to Lisey! Landing a job in Hawaii is amazing and most certainly call for a Mom visit!
What an interesting and momentous week! BIG CONGRATS to Lisey on her graduation!!
Congratulations to Lisey! That's amazing.
Did anyone else read 'Hawaii' in the voices of the Brady Bunch kids when Dad said they were going? No? Just me? Carry on.
Congrats to Lisey!! So exciting for her 🙂
Friday - Homemade grilled pizza using your recipe ... delicious as always, but I tried to do big sized pizzas instead of personal, and they were a bit *too* big to easily transfer on and off of the grill. Lesson learned for next time!
Saturday - Friends had our fam over for dinner so all I contributed was a salad
Sunday - My son had a makeup soccer game 2 hours away, so we picked up grocery store fried chicken, bagged salad, and french bread at 6pm as we came back into town.
Monday - Chicken + veggie stir fry with brown rice
Tuesday - Chili with cornbread and salad
Wednesday - Bagged Asian sesame salad with the rest of the fried chicken chopped up in it, and some extra lettuce and cabbage added
Thursday - Fancy grilled cheese with roasted veggies on the side
Friday - Sushi takeout for us, Papa Murphy's $5 faves for the kids. Ironically, I had signed up to bring a homemade meal to a family with a new baby, so I'll still be cooking today, but I'm planning to drop it off early so I won't be cooking at dinner time.
What exciting times!! Happy belated birthday and congratulations to Lisey!! I am A homeschool mom with my oldest at 15. You and your kiddos inspire and encourage me!! life is an ever winding path and no one’s path is the same. I’m grateful for you! happy birthday week! 🙂
What a joyful week, and an excuse to go to Hawaii!
Sat/Sun: coconut corn soup. To me it tasted like creamed corn, which I am not a fan of, but the husband liked it.
Mon/Tues: sausage, leek and cheese quiche. The leeks were the last of what I grew and froze last summer.
Wed: Giant meatballs from Budget Bytes and salad.
Thurs: mooseburgers and salad
Friday: freezer pizza for him and fish from McDonalds.
Wow!! Go Lisey!! Moving to Hawaii is huge and expensive. Hopefully she has a roommate.
Wow! Hawaii will be a great adventure.
Monday: I made meat sauce on buns, for a sloppy-Joe-esque meal.
Tuesday: Mr. B made pasta and added leftover meat sauce, plus garlic bread and a salad.
Wednesday: I made tilapia, rice, cucumber/snap pea salad, and pureed vegetable soup.
Thursday: I was working. Mr B made salmon, rice, and broccoli. I had leftovers from a catered lunch at work, and bought a bubble waffle next door.
Friday: I'm making broccoli and chicken stir-fry with rice.
Congratulations to Lisey on her graduation and the super super job. What a blessing to immediately get a job. Her out of the ordinary job location sounds wonderful (mine was Saudi Arabia! but it was a location base for lots of interesting travel-hope she can get to many interesting travel locations, as Hawaii is a good jump-off place!). I spent 92$ at Sam’s for good meal items-most for the freezer - it’s nearly 60 miles from my home but the items especially feta cheese still save me money over local stores. I vacuum pack so it stays good for a long time. I spent 20$ at local grocery store-mostly for my favorite mini seedless cucumbers-on sale-and red bell peppers. I vacuum pack them in 62 oz canning jars and they stay good in refrigerator much longer than in veggie bin. 12$ for fast food.
I ate a variety of things and enjoyed cucumbers at every meal (yes, even breakfast with my feta cheese and tomatoes).
Congratulations Lisey! May you enjoy your time and occupation in Hawaii. Friend's son has lived there for 4-5 years, even surviving Covid . He loves it and his parents just visited for 2 weeks a month ago.
WWA: mostly cleaning up things in freezer I'd purchased pre-surgery. Did spend about $50 at WM on some needed items plus extra stuff for granddaughters.
Congratulations on your week of celebrations; very happy for Lisey, and Hawaii ! I'm so excited for her, and for you because you get to visit her in a tropical sunny place!
WIS, can't remember, most likely around the $70 mark, (this I know because today's grocery shop for the upcoming week was $119.68. One week high, 3 weeks lower seems to be the way it is for me).
WIA:
Last friday: Leek and potato soup
Sat: Spagetti with homemade meat sauce, I grated in a zucchini.
Sun: Leftover spagetti and meat sauce
Mon: Mild Italian sausages with roasted potatoes, and stir fried broccoli with ginger. I also made carrot, chickpea and green onion salad, (dressing is mango chutney, mayo, plain yogurt and grated ginger)
Tues: Take out pizza and the carrot, chickpea and green onion salad from Monday.
Wed: Leftovers from Tuesday.
Thurs: Bacon and potato Pierogies.
Friday, tonight: Current me is thanking previous me for freezing the leftover Parmesan crusted chicken legs. With that I'll make a potato of some sort; and a cucumber, tomato and green onion salad.
Happy weekend to everyone!
Congratulations to Lisey! That is so exciting. We lived on the Big Island for a few years and loved it, BUT she could not have chosen a more expensive place to live! Most goods must be shipped in, and the costs of what she might consider "staples" can be staggering. Because of the cost of living, even locally-grown food can cost a lot. Hopefully your frugal ways have rubbed off on her, because she will need them. Gasoline and housing are expensive, too. Being able to do her own car maintenance will be huge--our neighbors found it was less expensive to ship their car back and forth to the mainland for repairs than to do it locally!
The culture is very different there, in wonderful ways. Neighbors look out for one another, and they do more than just give lip service to the term "spirit of aloha". The more open she is to learning about different cultures, the more she will enjoy her life there. During her month home I suggest you help her develop tasty frugal dish to share, because you never show up at any social activity without a dish in your hand to share and locals love to party. How fun it will be for you to visit her!
Wonderful news!
Yes! Lisey is very good with her money so I think she will do all right financially. She inherited the money saving gene from me. 🙂
Congrats to Lisey!!! SO cool!!! And happy belated birthday to you, Kristen!
Awww, congrats, Lisey! So fantastice.
Congratulations to Lisey!!! Hawaii is a wonderful and pricey place to live—modeling frugality is such a wonderful gift you've given your children. I know she'll use those lessons well!
Congrats to all!! What a great place to visit. Hawaii!
I spent 78 dollars. Kroger pickup.
Monday: sandwiches whole wheat pretzels salad
Tues. Wed. Thurs: large pot of egg roll in a bowl. Added instant rice. Very filling. One of the days we had a side of applesauce. The other two days a side salad. Lots of veggies.
Friday: frozen pizza and bag salad. Our version of take out.
My youngest graduated from college today too!! No more college!! We are going to a Brazilian steakhouse tomorrow for the first time ever to celebrate.
Congratulations to Lisey and you get a new place to go visit !!
Congratulations Lisey!
Happy birthday!!
I don't think I can remember everything, but we had:
- Rice with a tomato rice sauce
- Rice and peanut sauce
- Bean and rice bowls
- Spaghetti
- Sandwiches x2
Happy belated birthday to you, dear Kristen! Congratulations to Lisey!
Never in my life have I seen fries served with tacos. Is this standard practice down there? Do they go well together?
I'm so excited for Lisey! Congratulations and best wishes on your first mechanic job!
Congratulations, Lisey!! Go show this world what you can do!!
Which island will she be living/working on? I lived on Oahu for three years; mostly on the windward side in Kailua, which is beautiful and very family oriented.
Huge congratulations to Lisey! Well done!
Once Lisey gets settled in to her “ home” in Hawaii, I’m sure you’ll enjoy visiting her, Kristen!! Looking forward to hearing some tips for visiting Hawaii frugally. 🙂
Last week’s meals:
Monday-Japanese beef curry
Tuesday-pasta salad- loaded with veggies
Wednesday-pasta salad
Thursday-chili/cornbread
Friday-chili/cornbread
Saturday-grilled cheese/ tomato soup
Sunday-pizza and sliced apples with caramel dip
I almost told my husband the exciting news... graduation and Hawaii!! Then realized its only me that cares about a family that I've never met. LOL BIG CONGRATS!! Exciting adventures ahead!!
If Lisey likes tropical islands and wants a challenge, she should come to Papua New Guinea! The national airline here mostly flies Fokker 100, Fokker 70, and De Haviland Dash 8s, and they're only using about 50% of their fleet right now because of mechanic shortages.