Time flies when you're having fun.

We have had some fun since my last post of more than 8 months ago! We've also had some difficult times. Here's what we've been up to:

January/February: Another year has passed since my cousin Melissa went missing. We continue to pray for closure. We celebrated 3 birthdays between the 2 months. There were field trips & tee-ball registration.

March/April: Addison's 3rd birthday was celebrated, along with my mom's birthday & my parent's anniversary. My brother & his family came to visit for a few days (yay!) and tee-ball practices started. Ian was in his first parade for Little League opening day. He did great!

May/June: Celebrated Ian's 6th birthday! and my mother-in-law's birthday as well. Enjoyed watching Ian play tee-ball & had my nephew off & on for a week. Ian graduated kindergarten & won the "best handwriting" award! We also had to put my Grandma in the hospital for a strep infection. She was there for a month & then placed in a nursing home up north. We have been looking for a place for her closer to us, but keep waiting for something to open up.

July/August: We have been making trips to see Gram. She is fairing well. Her dementia has kicked in full force. It's hard to see her not remember things. So far, she still recognizes people, but does have a hard time recalling names. We took her to a family reunion & she was able to see her sisters & 2 of her out of state daughters. Aunt Bobbi came home for the reunion & married her longtime boyfriend in a quiet ceremony on a small lake. It was beautiful! She continues to fight her cancer & has remained postive throughout. The kids were sick for 2 weeks straight with a virus. No symptoms other than a high fever that lasted 5 days each. I've been canning, as is par for the course this time of year. Keith had a staycation again & we were able to make it to the Erie Co Fair this year. Ian had a blast on the rides! Addison, not so much. They had to stop a ride & let her off because she was crying! We also had our annual ABF picnic at the lake. It was fun despite the rain. We're also getting ready for Ian to go back to school & for the MOPS year to start.

I'm sure I have forgot some things, but that's what's been happening around here!

A blueberry story....

This is where I spent 2 hours this morning

picking 8 quarts of these
while my children played in the van because they didn't want to help.

Do you menu plan?

We are a one income family & my husband gets paid once a month. Needless to say, we have a tight grocery budget. One of the ways I've recently incorported frugality into our life, is to menu plan. I sit down once a week and plan what we will eat for dinner. Sometimes I even plan 2-3 weeks at a time. I look at the grocery store ad to see what's on sale, then go to my freezer & pantry to see what in there, & this time of year, I look at what's fresh from my CSA, my garden or at the farm market. Once I know what's on sale and what I have on hand, I start making a list of what I'll need for each meal. So, what does my menu look like? Here's a sample:

(I started this week on Tuesday with an easy meal, because I was out of town for the holiday.)

T ~ grilled cheese & tomato soup with applesauce
W ~ black bean chili w/ gluten free cornbread & fruit
> peach** cobbler for dessert <
R ~ grilled chicken & asparagus* & pears**
F ~ spinach* lasagna & salad* w/ pears**
Sa ~ country sweet chicken pizza w/ broccoli & onions
Su ~ hamburgers*** & macaroni salad w/ peaches**
M ~ cajun rubbed pork chops*** w/ roasted potatoes & onions &
applesauce.

I actually did another week & a half, but I figured you'd get the picture.
What do the * represent?
* = something from the CSA
** = something I preserved last year
*** = meat that I purchased in bulk straight from a farmer. (We buy 1/2 a pig & 1/4 beefalo ~ another way to save money.)

So, that is my menu planning strategy. I hang my completed menu on the fridge so I can readily see it. I just use a spiral notebook, but there are some worksheets that may help you plan easily. They can be found here. I also try to take out the meat I'm using to thaw in the fridge once I get things planned. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment & I'll try to answer your inquiry. Happy Meal Planning!

I'm a blog slacker

I don't know where the time went, but last I knew it was summer and now it's fall. We have dealt with a lot in the last few weeks. Illnesses & vacations & school starting; it's all so time consuming.

So what's been going on in the Keberle household? Let me tell you:

1. I had the WORST bronchial asthma attack ever. I could not breathe and had to have steroids. My breathing improved, but I still was congested and had to do the anitbiotic thing.
2. I had an abdominal ultrasound & Upper GI to make sure there is nothing wrong with my digestive system, because of some pain I've been expriencing. More than likely, it was just anxiety attacks.
3. Ian started preschool & is doing great with it. He's a little clingy when I drop him off, but is fine once he gets in the room. His class is going on a field trip to an apple orchard next week. He has homework assignments! He has to cut out pictures relating to the color & letter of the week. Oy! I don't even have magazines! I had to borrow some from my mom.
4. Our new MOPS year started, at least for the steering team. It's going to be a fun year and we have a couple new moms, which is fantastic!
5. My grandma came down for my cousin's funeral, so we had a nice visit while she was here. Tried to talk her into moving down this way when my aunt moves to Tennessee.
6. Just found out that the aforementioned aunt had a follow up scan from colon cancer treatment and the doctor found a spot on her liver. She's going to have another scan and surgery, but that's all we know for the time being. She still plans on moving.
7. My nephew turns 1 this coming saturday. Happy Birthday Joshua!

There's probably lots more, but I can't think of anything right now. I still owe you pictures from our trip to the cape. Hopefully they'll get posted soon.

vacation ~ part I

Very late last night we got back from what was supposed to be a relaxing trip to Cape Cod. Keith, myself, our 2 kiddos & my mother-in-law. Drive out Sunday, drive back Friday. Miss 2 hurricanes. Simple enough.

Or so you would think. We had all of our plans in place.

Hurricane Bill gone -check.
Free lodging - check.
Swim gear - check.
Suitcases packed - check.
One toddler w/ a throat virus -check.

We went on vacation with our sick toddler, who was at the doctor saturday before we left. The dr then called, after we were already in MA to say it wasn't a virus, but strep. We then ended up with a sick 4 year old & a sick daddy. We spent the 1st 2 days @ the local urgent care facility, pharmacy & on the phone w/ the uc in Rochester. AND, a grandma who was counting the days on the calendar until she came down with strep. (I haven't even gotten it & I live with them!). So we kind of laid low until Wednesday.

Once everyone who needed them was on drugs, we started our vacation. A week that was supposed to be spent on the beach, included precisely 2 hours of beach-going. We did however visit quite a few museums & ate a lot of ice cream. So, it wasn't very relaxing, but it was nice to spend time with family. For some reason it seems that being sick at the ocean is easier then being sick at home.

I did manage to take a few pictures which I'll post later.

Summer Harvest

Here is a recipe that uses veggies from the summer abundance.



Vegetable Quiche

1 unbaked pastry shell (9 inch)

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 medium chopped green pepper

1 1/4 cups chopped tomatoes

3/4 cup chopped zucchini

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

5 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese



Line unpricked pastry shell with a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake at 450 for 5 minutes. Remove foil, bake 5 more minutes. Remove from oven & reduce heat to 350. In a large skillet saute veggies in butter, salt & pepper. Spoon into crust. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add the milk & cheese; mix well. Carefully pour over veggies. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting.

Summer Busyness

I cannot believe how fast summer is going! We took a trip to Northern NY to visit family for July 4th and then made our way down to visit more fam & friends in Ohio. Since we returned, we've been harvesting nature's bounty. I've canned jam a lot! and froze berries as well as eaten a ton of yummy veggies. Peaches will need to be canned next and I'm hoping to try my hand at my friend Joce's blueberry syrup. We are also planning a trip to Cape Cod at the end of this month. (Thanks to Keith's generous uncle, who has a house out there.) I can't wait to show the kids the ocean; Ian will be amazed! Pictures will follow.