My Darling Days

My love/hate relationship with Fall

Ok. Maybe this post title is a little bit of a stretch. I mean, hate is such a strong word.

The truth is, Fall used to be my favorite season. Now that I'm a mom? It's not my favorite anymore.

The first reason I hate Fall? Asthma.

If you have asthma and/or are a caregiver for someone with asthma, you know.
Spring and Fall SUCK.

I mean, did you even know about Asthma Peak Week? Lemme tell you what, it's a real thing. Per the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (from 9/16/19): "This week is known as Asthma Peak Week – the week out of the year when asthma episodes, attacks and hospitalizations tend to be the highest. In the third week of September, both adults and children with asthma are exposed to more asthma and allergy triggers such as ragweed pollen, respiratory infections, and dust and mold in school buildings."

Ahh, is that why my kid has had a cold turned sinus infection and we haven't slept for 3 weeks?

The second reason I hate Fall? Hunting season. And deer in general.

Zac, I know you're reading this. And I will never ask you to quit hunting. But, I hate hunting season.

And, we seem to manage to clunk a deer with our vehicle(s) every year. This year? $8200 worth of damage:

The third reason I hate Fall? Black walnut trees.

That is so petty, I know. But seriously. We have 4 too many black walnut trees in our yard, which equals MILLIONS of black walnuts that have fallen to the ground and need to be picked up. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Honestly, I could give you at least ten more reasons why I hate Fall. However, I know there are plenty of reasons to LOVE fall too.

So here's the part of the post where I take my bad attitude and turn it around...

I need to remember that Fall is just another season, and it will not last forever... much like any hard season in life.

I know that almost 98% of life is what you make of it. You can only control You. So in my effort to be more of a Positive Patty and less of a Negative Nelly...

I'm thankful for doctors and medication that can help my child breathe.
I'm thankful for venison meat in our freezer.
I'm thankful for Auto insurance... of that $8200 claim, we only had to pay our $250 deductible.
I'm thankful for the shade those black walnut trees provide in the heat of summer.

Also, Halloween is in Fall. Who doesn't love Halloween? I mean, look at this cute Train Engineer:

Here's to my better Fall attitude... at least for the rest of the day ;-)

What's for Supper? | Menu Planning #3

Welcome to another round of Menu Planning Sunday, where I share what's been on our menu, to help inspire others to get cookin' & get some fresh ideas.

BBQ Chicken Tostadas

Pic via Cupcakes & Kale Chips

These are a new fav!

A tip regarding the chicken breasts, I usually put 2 frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot with 1 cup of water, a chicken bouillon cube, season salt, pepper, garlic power, and chives, and then cook on low for 8 hours. This makes for perfectly seasoned & easily shreddable chicken to use in whatever dish you want.

Ham & Cauliflower Casserole Au Gratin

Pic via Kalyn's Kitchen

A yummy casserole that's low carb & keto friendly! And, Ellis loves this one too. Win/win!

Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup

A super easy crowd-pleasing comfort food. I'm not a fan of store-bought tomato soup though. We use this recipe with whatever kind of tomatoes we planted from our garden. It cans well, too!

Bon Appetit!

What's for Supper? | Menu Planning #2

I received a great response to my post last week, so it's confirmed that I'm not the only crazy person who likes to know what everyone else is eating these days.

On our menu this week:

Baked Chicken Fajitas

A tried & true favorite. I've posted about them on my blog before, with some time saving tips to make this a great week-night meal that's easy to throw together in a pinch.

Chili

Everyone has a different version of chili, but any version is fall/winter comfort food, am I right? With these cooler temp, a pot of chili sounds yummy. I don't have a recipe to link you to but I'll tell ya how I make mine. I use 1 lb. ground venison or elk sauteed with onion and 2 jars of chili sauce that Zac's mom makes & cans from the tomatoes in our garden (ask Char for the recipe, it's sooo good!) Then I just use an Essential Everyday Chili packet seasoning mix, throw in some beans & elbow noodles and bam... Chili. Sometimes I will sneak in shredded zucchini too, because you can't taste it and we've got zucchini coming out of our ears.

Muffin-Tin Pizzas

Pic via Taste of Home

We had leftover pizza sauce from last week, so I scoured the internet & landed on these muffin-tin pizzas. I will use frozen bread dough instead of canned pizza crust, and omit the first 6 ingredients to use my left over pizza sauce. I will also add in Canadian bacon because, I love it. Aren't these a fun spin on regular ol' pizza?

What's on your menu this week?

What's for supper? | Menu Planning

Raise your hand if you never know what to make for supper.
Or, do you feel like you're in a rut & always make the same things?

I did. And so at the beginning of the year, I set a goal to menu plan by the month. The first three months of the year, I did awesome... and then it became menu planning by the week... and lately, it hasn't been happening at all.

I really need to get back on the bandwagon, and I thought as long as I'm doing it, I might as well share our weekly menu to help inspire others to get cookin' & get some fresh ideas.

I truly think the hardest part of making dinner, is deciding what to make. And once you decide what to make, having all the ingredients on hand is the next kicker... so a little planning goes a long way.

My goal is to make 3 dinners/week. We like leftovers and for our little family, 3 meals will get us through. The rest of the week we'll scrounge, eat leftovers, or eat at grandmas/grandpa's. We also usually end up eating out on Friday or Saturday night.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Pic via Taste of Home

I never follow a recipe for chicken noodle soup, but this one looks pretty close to how I make mine. I will usually add peas & shredded zucchini too. Sometimes I'll use a rotisserie chicken if I'm feeling extra lazy. I usually end up with a huge batch when I make this, but when we're sick of eating it, the leftovers freeze well. And I always bring some to my grandma. :)

Pizza Loaf

Pic via Taste of Home

I shared this recipe on my blog a few years ago, and it's still hands down one of my favorites.

I love pizza. I love bread. I love all the things about this.

Ranch Pork Chops

Pic via Dessert Recipes Grill

A Pinterest Win! Easy & delicious. I serve them with steamed broccoli & cauliflower rice or some kind of potato.
P.S. - have you seen the Dynamic Duo little potatoes at Aldi recently? They are SO SO good roasted in the leftover oil/ranch mixture from the pork chops.

I'd love it if you'd share some of your favorite dinner time meals in the comment section below, so I can incorporate them in our rotation!

The Pumpkin Patch | 2019

It's getting to be that time of year again...

It's F A L L y'all!

You know what that means? Pumpkin patch time!

We visited Grandma Patsy & Papa Lloyd's pumpkin patch this past Wednesday night, and even though the deer completely ruined the patch this year, we still had fun searching for our pumpkins.