What I Made For Dinner Tonight

I never used to consider spaghetti a real meal because Prego and noodles just didn't seem like you could call it filling. In the past years I've changed my mind. Spaghetti is one of Jeff & Ryan's favorite meals, but the sauce has to be homemade (much, much better than the bottled stuff....who even knew that you could make your own spaghetti sauce?). Until graduating from college, really I didn't cook much. I didn't know that people made their own bread, tomato soup, spaghetti sauce, and such. I got this recipe from my friend Amy and it is the best. It freezes well, too.

Amy Neal's Chunky Spaghetti Sauce
Olive Oil
Minced Garlic
1/2 Large Onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3/4 cup zucchini, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1 small can mushrooms (or fresh if you are that good)
1 lb Italian Sausage (or hamburger), browned
1 pkg pepperoni, cut into halves
14.5 oz can stewed tomatoes
28 oz can tomato sauce
6 oz can tomato paste
Italian Seasoning

In large pot saute olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Add all the veggies and saute until they are good and brown and soft. Add all tomato products and a few tablespoons of Italian Seasoning. Bring to a boil and add meat and pepperoni, Reduce to low on cook until ready to serve.
This works great to dump in the crock-pot to let simmer all day after you've put it together.

Super Yummy! Thanks Amy.

Growing Too Fast

I keep telling Ryan that he is growing too fast, but seriously...I mean it. Last summer I thought I was so on the ball and I bought his school pants when they were on sale. He was 5, so I figured that a size 6 would fit him for a while. Well, about two weeks into the school year, all of those jeans were floods. I quickly ran to the store to buy 6 new pairs of jeans in a size 7 to replace the ones that didn't fit him. I, being naive, figured that they would last us for the rest of the school year. Now, I'm finding myself in the same predicament. Every pair of jeans that Ryan puts on hits him about at ankle. So...today I got on Gap.com and ordered him more jeans in a size 8 this time to get us through the next few wintry months (hurray for 50% 2nd pair of kids denim today). My guess is that we won't be lucky enough to have them fit him next fall...but there's always hope.

Blah, It's February

So I've decided I'm not too good at this blogging thing. Too much commitment? Maybe! I think updating the rest of the world on my life once a month is more than suffice, but I feel like a slacker when I see the weekly, and even daily, blogs of my friends and family. We must have a boring life because I just don't feel like I have that much to share that often. You know the drill: we get up, have breakfast, send Ryan to school, put Nick down for a nap, do some office work, Ryan comes home, we make lunch, do some homework, play in the afternoons, make dinner, do baths, go to bed, and then we do it all over again the next day with some minor changes once in a while.
I did have Nick in to the doctor AGAIN the other day with another lovely double ear infection. This is like the umpteenth ear infection he's had, so we're going in to and ENT on Friday to deal with tubes and hopefully tonsils and adnoids -sp?- (for the poor sleep, the sleep apnea, and the snoring). I will keep you updated on the upcoming doctors appointment as I hope it will encourage some better sleep habits from Nick.