Cancelled Again {five minute friday}

January 25, 2013September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. Brackett3 Comments

It happened again last night. The one stop call that tells us school is cancelled in our little neck of the woods because of the possibility of inclement weather.

I’m pretty sure Northerners chuckle at us over that. If they care to notice at all that northeast Georgia is getting a bit of ice on roads and back decks and front patios.

So again. Just like last Friday. Extra hours at home. Which is fine. Which is great. Which is sweet if I’m in the right mood to just enjoy some extra time with my girls and their artistic temperaments and their love of 80s shows on Netflix.

Except I wasn’t really. I’m in an organizing mood. A cleaning mood. A clear out the cobwebs kind of mood. Doesn’t really work with a houseful of ornery kids.

Again I pick up the toys. Again she dumps out the box of My Little Ponies and packs them into the carrying case for the American Girl dolls. Again I sort the legos from the zoobles from the Happy Meal toys and again I find them scattered all over the house, a trail of breadcrumbs from the kitchen to the bedrooms to the hiding places under the computer desk. Again I sweep the floor and again he drops puffs and bits of bread just to see them fall. Again I stack the books spine to the edge of the shelf for easy access only to find them piled beside the bed and shoved between the couch cushions.

Again, again, again.

Yet I keep trying, I keep hoping, I keep believing that if I just fix it again, this time it will stay put away.

Someday that will work, and then, am I really going to be wishing to do this all over again?

What Happens When a Mom Gets Organized

January 24, 2013 Lindsey P. Brackett2 Comments

When a mom gets organized, she will start with a list.

But while she’s making the list, her pen will run out of ink because her kids have been using it to draw pictures of people with too many toes.

So she will open the junk drawer to find a new one.

Then she will get distracted by all the junk, things like leftover seed packets and take out menus and pencils without erasers.

So she will be forced to dump the drawer out on the kitchen table so she can sort through it.

But she will need drawer dividers, so she will have to go to Wal-mart.

Before she can leave, she will have to sort through all the unmatched socks to find a pair that matches for the toddler. This will make her evaluate deep questions, such as, “If we have a car accident will the paramedics care that the socks don’t match?”

When she gets to Wal-mart, she will get distracted by the display of fruit snacks and clearance holiday decor. Before she knows it, her buggy will be full, her toddler will be hungry, and she still won’t have drawer dividers.

By the time she gets back home, the toddler will be asleep in the car necessitating a stealth switch from carseat to bed.

Now, she can deal with the junk drawer.

Except first she has to put away all the groceries she didn’t know she needed and sip some water because she just realized that the only thing she’s had to drink all day is half a cup of coffee. The other half is still sitting on the counter where she set it down to empty the junk drawer.

Now, drawer dividers. That don’t fit.

Exasperated, she will sweep all the junk back in the drawer. In the process, she will find one of her favorite earrings that has been missing for months.

So she will go to her bedroom to put it away and realize that her jewelry box could really use organizing…..

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Laying Down Those Best Laid Plans

January 23, 2013 Lindsey P. BrackettLeave a comment

I make a lot of plans. I scribble lists and fill out calendars and try really hard to be organized. I try.

Source: simple-dimples.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

Then the internet quits working or I leave my phone at home again or the toddler has an accident or there are so many toys all over my living room floor that they have to take precedence over the “chore of the day”.

My day starts out pretty good, dishes done, everyone dressed, even read some Bible study.

To-do list made. But never done.

I know it’s just a list. I know tickling and reading and puzzling and nursing and laughing and rocking are all more important and infinitely more lasting, but sometimes it would be nice to actually finish the list, you know?

I can fold four baskets of laundry in one afternoon, but my kids’ rooms are still a wreck. Those rooms are never going to look like this are they?

Source: theletteredcottage.net via Jessica on Pinterest

In my plans, I actually check off those lists. I actually complete all my tasks. I actually get ahead of myself.

I think, though, that my kids have plans too. Plans to reach the next level on Mario, plans to get just one more book from the library, plans to ride bikes and hike in the woods.

Plans I really should plan to be a part of….

Home · thankful Thursday

Letting Go of My Next House {thankful thursday}

January 17, 2013September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. Brackett3 Comments

So if you’ve followed me for anytime at all, you’ve heard me refer to my tiny house. This house, right here.

Don’t worry, that’s an old picture. I don’t still have pumpkins in my yard. I do, however, still have Christmas stuff on the porch.

For a few years now, I’ve really struggled with this house. With the fact that it seems to have no living space and there’s only one shower and at some point all of my kids have had to share a room.

Whoa, epiphany.

I get those sometimes, like this morning, while I was brushing my teeth and Gus was unfolding the clean socks on my bed using his new top teeth.

Even if our house was bigger, I would still have four kids. And guess what? They would still have to share rooms because no house within our budget needs five bedrooms.

So I’m letting go of my “next house”. I’ve been working on this for awhile. Lately, we have people over more and I just let the kids make big messes that then we clean up. We hang out in the kitchen or the living room or the dining room but it’s all the same room, so no one is ever left out or wondering what’s going on in that other room. We leave dishes in the sink and shoes in the foyer and kids cut through my bedroom to the back deck and it’s all good. It’s cozy and comfortable and chaotic. But when the day comes that I can have that “next house”, it won’t be like this.

My kids will be bigger. My friends won’t be just down the street or up the hill.

So this house might be little, but it’s got a foundation that’s solid.

cooking · http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post · monday

A Monday Menu: Broccoli-Beef Wellington

January 14, 2013September 30, 2015 Lindsey P. Brackett1 Comment

I like to make plans. Unfortunately, plans don’t always work the way we hope. So, lately instead of trying to make grand, sweeping plans for the big picture, I’m taking things one day at a time.

By far the best plans I make these days involve food. Although I worked full-time for the past eight years, I never really embraced menu-planning until my first year at home. Now it would be one of my top recommendations to any overwhelmed mom who is working outside the home. If that’s you, I wish you simple prep, easy cleanup, and hearty dinners that provide enough for lunch leftovers. That’s why, I’m going to start featuring some of our weeknight favorites here.

Since I’m home full-time, I have gotten a bit more into cooking completely from scratch. I rarely buy condensed soups anymore, I bake homemade bread, I canned my first batch of apple butter this past October. But when I was working, some nights I barely had time to open canned soup, so feel free to adjust any recipe to meet your family’s needs and schedule.

Here’s a sample of one of our latest favorite meals that’s quick, one-dish, and simple, yet looks impressive.

Simple Broccoli-Beef Wellington
1 lb ground beef
9 oz package frozen broccoli, thawed (or cheat like me and buy a steamer bag)
4 oz shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 small onion, diced
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste
2 8 oz cans of crescent rolls

Season to taste and brown ground beef with onion. Drain. Add the sour cream and cheese and mix well. Add the broccoli (should be slightly tender). Cover and let simmer while you prepare the dish. Spray a 13×9 glass dish with non-stick cooking spray. Open one can of crescents. Spread them across bottom of the dish.

I have no idea how I lucked out and this worked out so perfectly. That never ever happens. Note: You can use the crescent sheets, but I find that it only takes about a can and a half, so then you still have to find something to do with the extra dough. Next, spread the ground beef mixture. If it seems a little dry, you can always add more another tablespoon of sour cream or milk. Then, top with the remaining cresents.

Like I said, you might have extra crescent dough. For this one, I got a little fancy (translation: making it blog worthy) and cut the remaining dough to fill in extra space and then made a B on top for our last name. Usually I just roll the extra into their regular shape and bake separately. But tonight I didn’t want to dirty another pan or listen to the whining since I barely had two rolls left, and I’m feeding four other people. Now that’s done, you can brush the top with a beaten egg if you want. Bake 18-20 minutes at 375.

Enjoy! I served this last week with a side of glazed carrots. It also goes well with salad. If you don’t care about carbs or are stretching it, maybe some mashed potatoes would be yummy, too!

One of the great things about this dish, is it’s also very budget friendly. I buy the crescents on sale with coupons, always buy the beef on sale in large quantities that I can divide and freeze, coupons again for the broccoli and sour cream.

Hope it makes your Monday!

For some of our other family favorites, go here. I am slowly building this page so check back often!