Friday FAVORITES

  Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

Happy Friday, friends! Top of my FAVES list today is this picture because I can't even?!?!?!

Cheesy Tater Tot Sausage Casserole

 I made this this weekend and it was easy, hearty and a hit with my kids.  Is it gourmet? No.  Will it make a ton and fill up your teenage boys? YES!

What's Up Wednesday

     Today I'm linking up with  Shay and  Sheaffer to talk a little bit about what's been going on around here! I missed out on this last week when I was in DDC with Luke, but wanted to share anyway ;)

In case you missed it, I shared this reel over on my IG And Luke and I have been eating it for lunches.  It's one of my top 5 recipes EVER.  You can find it on my blog HERE.

Teacher Tuesday: Classroom Tour

 Not much has changed in my classroom since last year's post but it just wouldn't be back-to-school without a little classroom tour so here we are!  My "theme" is fun and comfy and that's about it.  Math can be intimidating and sterile for a lot of kids so I've tried to create a warm and welcoming and fun environment for them.  It always smells good and there are always twinkle lights on ;)

Weekend Top 10

 

- ONE -

This colorful take on her Bible homework ;)

Friday Favorites

   Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

Happy Friday, friends! First up on my list of FAVES today is this picture right here....

For real though ;)

 

The BEST Meatloaf EVER!

Yesterday I did a little "day in the life" on IG and between that (where I showed the meatloaf that I prepped on the weekend) and my post from Monday where I talked about prepping the meatloaf ahead of time I figured it was time for my meatloaf recipe to have it's own space here even if I don't have a picture ;)

What You'll Need...

- 2 lbs lean ground beef

- 3/4 cup milk

- 3/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

- two eggs

- handful of rolled oats (I know this sounds weird)

- Worcestershire sauce

- salt/pepper

What You'll Do...

In a giant bowl combine the ground beef, milk , bread crumbs, a handful of rolled oats, a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce, two eggs and a few pinches of salt and pepper.  Use your hands to combine everything thoroughly and then put it into a loaf pan.  Press it down in there really well and then bake it at 350 degrees for an hour and fifteen minutes.  Let it rest for a few mins and then you can pour off the excess fat, cut and serve.

Meatloaf Sauce.

Dave, Luke and I meatloaf with meatloaf sauce while Mason and G prefer it plain.  If I'm feeling crazy I'll make two meatloaves (yes, you read that right) and put sauce on one because it's just so good.  Here's what you'll need if you decide to make it...

- 3/4 cup ketchup

- 1.5 teaspoons white vinegar

- 2.5 Tablespoons brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon garlic powder

- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder

- salt and pepper

Whisk these all together while your meatloaf is baking.  About 30 minutes before it's done pour it over the top and let the meatloaf finish. 

Again - it doesn't look like anything special but it's easy to put together, gives you some time after you pop it in the oven to prep your side(s) and tastes even better the next day.  If you try it eat one of the end pieces and let me know what you think!

Amazon LAtely

I feel like I've used Amazon account more in the last month than the last 3 months combined.  Between school and camp and all the other things it's been a bit ridiculous.  I'll spare you all the mundane school supplies and household stuff and just share the fun finds ;)

This karaoke speaker thing was a $15 flash deal and I picked it up for my classroom. I haven't used it yet but it's super loud and easy to use and I love that it has two microphones. 

Weekend tips

 Happy Monday, friends!  Today instead of sharing a weekend recap I thought I'd share some of the things that I do on the weekend to get control over our week before it starts.  I don't pride myself on being busy - I would MUCH RATHER be in full sloth-mode but I'm pretty much out of the house from 7:00 a.m. until 4:00 daily and so I'm busy out of necessity, not choice ;)  

The very first thing I do on Saturday mornings is meal plan for the week and order groceries.  I'm not in any sort of head space to make these kinds of decisions on Friday afternoons, but Saturday mornings seem to work really well for me.  I'll sit down with our calendar, look at what we have coming up the next week, make a plan and then get everything ordered.  I do the bulk of our shopping at Costco.  Some of our favorite items are from Costco (hence, all my Costco favorites posts!) and with the amount of food our family goes through it's the most convenient and best way we've found to shop.  I'm able to have Costco delivered through Instacart and while there's a yearly fee associated with it - you get additional discounts and I feel like the time and money I save by not going into the store make it worth it.

Friday Favorites

   Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

Short and sweet today because this has been one of the busiest weeks EVER and I AM EXHAUSTED! Yes - I cut and paste that sentence from the start of last week's Friday Favorites and Yes - it's still applicable ;) hahahah

First up is THIS...

Broccoli Rice Casserole

 If you're looking for a side dish that is creamy and cheesy and delicious you HAVE to try this broccoli rice casserole.  I did pretty much the whole thing in one pot and it was SO SO SO GOOD!

Three Things - Back to School Edition

 

Yesterday was the first day of school and I'm pleased to report that everyone had a great day!   Per tradition, I'm sharing three things about everyone to kick off the year ;)

- STUDENT GOVT -

Luke was elected onto Student Government again this year and has had a blast this summer working with friends on painting senior spots and a few other projects.  Fun to see him put himself out there a bit and have his peers recognize his quiet leadership qualities.

Back to School brinner

 Last night was our annual. back to school brinner and while I wish I had something super fun and new to share, this is one of those traditions that my kids are pretty particular about when it comes to the menu and it's the time of year where I don't have the mental energy to get super creative ;)

Back Tomorrow ;)

 School starts TOMORROW and I spent Saturday getting my life together - ordering groceries, cleaning, etc. and Sunday was going to be my day to work on the blog BUT I ended up with sick kids and not a lot of time so I'm giving myself some grace and some time to read a book in bed and I'll be back here tomorrow!  HAPPY MONDAY, friends!!!

Friday Favorites

   Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

Short and sweet today because this has been one of the busiest weeks EVER and I AM EXHAUSTED! hahaha. Just being real - my WORD going back to work has kicked my rear end!

Yesterday was the back-to-school bash at school where kids get their schedules, meet their teachers, etc.  Typically my kids are at camp but they got to go this year and I still can't believe G is in middle school!

Look how CUTE these two little besties are!

Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin

 

I made this air fryer pork tenderloin earlier this week and OH MY WORD was it good!!!  Juicy and tender and full of flavor.  It took less than 10 mins to prep and using the air fryer couldn't be more convenient.

 

Summer Declutter - Craft Closet

 The craft closet was a reorganization/purge that was spurred on by G's room cleanout and refresh.  She had a TON of art supplies in her room and we decided to move these down to the craft closet which, in true "if you give a mouse a cookie" form led to an overhaul of this space. 

I don't have a before (it wasn't awful, but it for sure needed a purge) but here's the after...

What I Did on Summer Vacation

 

While the summer really did seem to fly by it was one of my favorite summers to-date.  It was a great mix of busy and nothing which is exactly how we like it. 

The boys kicked off the summer by playing in the Manda Strong golf tournament - this always signals the start of summer for us.

First Day Activities

 I'm always on the hunt for a first week activity that lets me know a little bit about my students without putting them on the spot.  Because what's more intimidating than having to come up with something interesting about yourself on the spot in front of a whole class, right?!?! 

\Today I'm sharing two of my tried and true FAVES...

I gave each student a paper divided into eight sections with a circle in the middle.  They were directed to put their name in the center circle and then through numbers tell me a little bit about themselves. 
Here's the example paper I  made about myself a few years back...

Friday Favorites

   Erika and I are so excited that lots of y'all are linking up with us every week.  Make sure that you're grabbing our graphic, linking back to us and sharing your own Friday Favorites post ;)

First up - we plugged in G's camp snap camera last week and I have a new FAVORITE pic!  Look how CUTE these two are at Sky Ranch together!!!

Costco Dinner - Chicken Parm

It's no secret that I do most of our shopping at Costco and while I've shared Costco faves several times over the years I thought it would be fun to share a complete meal idea with items all from Costco.  Is this anything revolutionary? NO. Was it delicious, enough for a couple of meals and all of my kids asked me to make it the next night? Also yes.  Another perk is that I use InstaCart to do sameday orders from Costco which means I could have all of these items delivered within a couple of hours for a "homemade" meal on a busy night.