*Pretty Yummy Idea*

I was starved one night but didn't want to cook and to top it all off I had basically nothing in my kitchen to eat. So I found some chicken nuggets in the freezer and had a fun idea. So I scrounged up some pizza sauce (homemade by yours truly) and some mozzarella cheese and made....

Ta Da! Mini Chicken Parmigiana! 

They were so easy to make! I just:

- Cooked the nuggets in the oven by following the instructions on the bag

- Removed the nuggets about 5 minutes before the recommended time was up

- Topped each nugget with a dollop of pizza sauce and then a pinch of mozzarella cheese

- Replaced the nuggets in the oven for the remaining 5 minutes

- Wah la! Super easy and super fast and super good mini yumminess that Joey loves!

*Without Me*

Five loads of laundry
Two dish washer loads
A trash run
A whole new grocery list
A real dinner made
Mail checked
Bills paid
House cleaned

Goodness, you'd think I was gone for a month instead of just 4 days... Ahh, what would he do without me? :) haha

*Tomatoes+Jars=Delicious Canned Tomato Soup*

I just want to throw out a big "THANKS" to Michelle for teaching me how to can the other day. I'm LOVIN' it. And everything we've canned so far is so yummy! She had a huge cardboard box full of tomatoes that we turned into pizza sauce & delicious homemade tomato soup. She showed me all the gadgets, recipes and jars I need to use to help the canning go by easier. This is going to be a blast.

We are going to can:

- Homemade Salsa

- Homemade Jalapeno Jelly

- Homemade Spaghetti Sauce

- Homemade Pepper Relish

- Homemade Apple Sauce

- Homemade Apple Pie Filling

I also want to can on my own:

- Pickled Green Beans

- Pickles

- Homemade Fruity/Pepper Sweet Relish

Now I can check another thing off my

"Learning How To Be A Homemaker List"

*Tuesday Confessional: I Want A Garden*

I wish I could have a garden with.... Corn, Green Beans, Peas, Carrots, Squash, Cucumbers, Onions, Peppers, Tomatoes, Pumpkins, Cauliflower, Broccoli and Potatoes. But, unfortunately you can't grow ANYTHING in Randolph, unless you have a greenhouse. I went greenhouse shopping the other day and guess how much a greenhouse is that you can barely walk in and doesn't hold very much?? $1000.00.... and that's cheap. Yeah, not gonna happen, unless.... Joey thinks he can build me one.... I hope so. I love fresh vegetables and I LOVE to can them. Maybe, someday :)

"Becoming A Homemaker"

Since I am not going to be working the whole rest of this year I have decided to work on my homemaking skills (which are at the moment NONE) so, in other words I am going to "acquire" homemaking skills which will consist of:

-Cooking better and healthy meals (For EVERY breakfast and dinner)

-Baking (I'm going to master breads and desserts)

-Cleaning (I am going to pick one thing a day to clean and CLEAN IT)

-Garden (as much as I can in Randolph, and eventually get a small green house and use all the vegetables I grow in our meals)

-Learn how to can (So I will have vegies and fruit in the winter time)

-Learn how to sew (So I can fix Joey's MANY holes and rips is clothes turn up with)

-Scrapbooking and Blogging more and better (So I can remember all of our wonderful times together and so other people can enjoy it for generations)

-Get a food storage put together and keep an updated 72 hr kit (Randolph's nice little earthquake kind of scared this thought into my head and I don't want us to be unprepared for anything that could happen)

Now, I don't want any woman activists giving me crap for this blog haha, Joey knows perfectly that I wear the pants in the relationship (just kidding!) but, I usually am working all the time and now that I'm not I want to learn how to do all these things. I admire my mom, mom-in-law, sisters and sisters-in-law with all their talents. I want to be like my mom who has the perfect balance of homemaking skills and being in charge ;) And I want t0 be more like Diane who is the best mother-in-law and knows how to do so many things and had 9 AMAZING kids. My sister Molly in England who is an AWESOME mom and has CHICKENS... yes MOLLY has chickens haha and she gardens and cooks up a storm for the 4 guys in her life. And my sisters-in-law Aline and McCall who also cook amazingly and are so crafty. And Joey's sisters who are all so talented (Michelle you do AMAZING things with bread haha). I admire all these talented women in my life and hope that I can be even a part as talented, smart and beautiful as them all someday.