I got this great idea for lunches from my friend Wendy. They have loved eating this way almost all summer! I mix up what goes in the muffin tin so it keeps them guessing!

It's quick and healthy since the portions are just right for little tummies!

It works for me!

For more Works for me Wednesday tips, head on over to Rocks in my Dryer.

Here is a cute one word meme I saw over at Margaret's place.


1. Where is your cell phone? desk
2. Your significant other? beloved
3. Your hair? pony
4. Your mother? settled
5. Your father? missed
6. Your favorite thing?
7. Your dream last night? late
8. Your favorite drink? ice water
9. Your dream/goal? heaven
10. The room you’re in? family
11. Your church? amazing
12. Your fear? fire
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? home
14. Where were you last night? meeting
15. What you’re not? patient
16. Muffins? what?
17. One of your wish list items? ipod
18. Where you grew up? beautiful
19. The last thing you did? sun
20. What are you wearing? swimsuit
21. Your TV? off
22. Your pets? sleeping
23. Your computer? mac
24. Your life? full
25. Your mood? grateful
26. Missing someone? much
27. Your car? dirty
28. Something you’re not wearing? glasses
29. Favorite store? loft
30. Your summer? hot
31. Like(love) someone? muchly
32. Your favorite color? brown/pink
33. Last time you laughed? emma
34. Last time you cried? mass
35. Who will re post this? you

Well, we have fully recovered from our camping trip I think. Isn't a little bit sad that it takes you twice as long to plan a trip as the length of the trip itself and then at least as many days to recover? It's a wonder why we vacation at all!! No, it is worth it to me. Such fun memories! And the great thing about vacationing is that family relationships get strengthened because you go through certain extra-ordinary events together. Like, for example, we went canoeing. The kids were a little scared in a few of the rapids. But Daddy and I have a lot of experience canoeing together and apart so we can navigate those rapids with a lot of confidence. We know where our strengths lie and we communicate really well during those moments. What a relationship builder! If we can carry over our communication skills from canoeing to the rest of our marriage - when the rapids of life hit and we are about to hit a huge overturned tree, we will be able to negotiate and work our way through it with a lot of respect, and trust in one another. See what I mean by strengthened relationship? And our kids got to watch this first-hand! They got to witness Mama & Daddy being on the same team, and working together to keep our family safe. They got to be a part of the adventure. It was exhilarating. And fortifying. And fun.

The past week here at home has been a good one. On friday we went to the Science Center and the Zoo! Lucky ducks that we are! First we met up with my very-pregnant sister-in-law and her 2 year old daughter Charley at the Science Center. We had fun just hanging out for about an hour and just talking while the kids played with all the cool stuff at the SC. The nice thing about the St. Louis Science Center (other than the fact that it is awesome) is that it is free! So you can go for just an hour and not feel like it isn't worth it. It is not super close to our house (anymore - but we did used to live right behind it!! oh, the days!) but we just combine it with other reasons for being down that way and it's no big deal to stop in for an hour or so. Then Corie, my SIL, had a doctor's appointment and so she left and we met up with our new friends from church, Amy and her sons, Caleb and Cole. It is kind of cool because Amy and Scott are some of the nicest people you would ever meet and they are so easy to be with. And our son Timmy and their son Cole are going into the same grade at our parish school, and have been playing on the same baseball team together this spring. And their son Caleb, while a little older than our Emma, is SO darling - and totally just plays with her! So all 4 kids get along great and all the adults do too! We are hoping to have them over sometime soon before school gets started!

Yesterday we went to the Farmer's Market here in our little town. It was so cute because the kids got to make some jewelry at the free arts & crafts booth (sponsored by the art gallery across the street from the market). Timmy made me a bracelet - "because he loves me." Sweet huh?
And we made off with quite a haul of yummy foods to enjoy this week! Should be a great eating week in our house! I love the organic meat that this one farm sells here at our market. It all tastes sooooo good and it is so good for you! No antibiotics or hormones in the meat!

I probably haven't told you lately how much I love Land's End....but I do. They have such great quality stuff. Their seasonal clothing cannot be beat!! Their swimsuits are amazing and their weather-coats (I don't know what to call them, spring-coats, perhaps?) are perfecto as Timmy would say.
I love LOVE going through their catalog and finding practical "basics" for the whole family!

Head over to Monica's and enter yourself in the drawing for a Land's End Gift Card!!

Wowzers. Good stuff.

Today we went to the zoo with friends. It was HOT!!! But also great fun!

We are heading out in a few short days to a lovely little campground near a town that sounds a lot like M&Ms. Yup. That's what the kiddos call it. Cute, huh?

We are excited. It is a vacation that we booked a long time ago, and while Tim's work doesn't typically lend itself to him being off during July (let alone the holiday weekend), he made some sacrifices for us and is going to be there the WHOLE time!!!

This is such a rare treat for us. Usually we have a vacation where Daddy is only able to be with us for 1-2 of the days. But this year, he will be with us for all SIX days!!! I am thrilled because not only does this mean that we will have lots of family fun and togetherness, but it also means that I will actually get some reading in!! Hooray!

So my house is in all stages of disarray as we try to pack for camping AND clean the house. It is fun, let me tell you. Today my chore was to have a yard sale and then give away everything that is left over. I am done. Whew. I have to post a few things on freecycle and then take a bunch of stuff to goodwill. Then tonight I think I may go ahead and make up a batch of brownies, cupcakes and cookies for the trip. I am planning on making these cupcakes and then bringing the frosting & sprinkles so the kids can decorate their own on the 4th of July. Fun, huh? Do you know, do cupcakes freeze well?

I have some laundry to do, but not too much as I have been hording all the kids clothes this week so they won't wear everything I have planned for them to take. Several months ago I bought a cute new swimsuit which is more modest than my "girls weekend" or "husband only" suit. Since we are going with a large group of friends with children of all ages, that was my one mission this spring.

Okay, this mama has got to get back to work.

So last week sometime I was staring at a bag of leftover bratwurst from a BBQ we had recently. And I don't know about you, but as much as I love me a good bratwurst with mustard, I can't really eat them for a week, ya know?
So, I did a little internet google-ing on how to use up uncommon leftovers and I found this AMAZING website!!
It is called Love Food Hate Waste and they have the best recipes and storage tips, and so much more!!!

So are you dying to know what I did with all that bratwurst? I followed their recipe for Spaghetti Bolognese:

But I tweaked it a little. Okay, I tweaked it a lot to accommodate what I had on hand and how it tasted. So it basically turned into your basic, but oh-so-yummy spaghetti sauce. Oh, and FYI, the bratwurst ground up perfectly in my amazing food processor - and tasted incredible in this homemade sauce!

Works for me!!