Katelyn's Fund Auction

Brian & I were able to sneak away to the cabin this past weekend without the kids to spend time with just the adults in his family. The weather was gorgeous & as always, it was a great time!! I have some posts in the works in my head & I can't wait to share them with you!

But for now, I want to let you all know about the Katelyn's Fund Auction coming up. Brian & I were so blessed by a grant from Katelyn's fund & now we are trying to give back by way of helping out with this auction. I am on the committee this year & I am loving it already! The auction is on November 4 & donations are being taken at this time & up until the date of the auction. Here is a link to their website with information about the auction. There is also contact information if you have either a particular donation or monetary donation for the auction. Please consider giving to the Katelyn's Fund Auction to help out families in the adoption process.

http://www.katelynsfund.org/

 

Happy 4th Birthday Jackson!!!

Today is a day Jackson could hardly wait for!! I mean, who isn't excited to have their birthday when they are turning 4?? He's been talking about his 4th birthday since, well since the day after his 3rd birthday. We were counting the "sleeps" till his big day. He woke up so excited to get to eat where he wanted for lunch & open presents. Oh, to be 4 again!!

There is never a shortage of Jackson stories! This boy keeps us on our toes every second of the day. There has not been a child of mine that I can laugh at so hard & be aggravated with all in the same moment! He sure does bring us so much laughter. He really is such a miracle child. Last year I had written about the fact that at 8 1/2 weeks pregnant, we were told to expect another miscarriage. This was also within 6 months of a previous miscarriage & losing Dawson. I had given up hope of adding a 4th biological child to our family & had thought with some time we would move on to adoption. Disbelief is the understatement at the ultrasound when were told there was a healthy baby in there! So here he is, 4 years later & we can't imagine life without him! Even if he is a 1 man recking crew! Love this little boy so much!

(blogger isn't letting me turn this one but it's too cute not to add)

Tasty Tuesday

Loving this fall weather! Makes me want to cook! Here's is an oldie that I've been making for years! I'm not gonna lie though. This isn't a quick a minute meal to whip up but it's SOOOO worth it. If you can prep the night before, it will cut the time in half. The nice thing is that even for a family our size, we will eat these leftovers for several days after. Oh, and everyone in our family loves these so no complaining! Recipe courtesy of Food Network. Love Giada!

Mini Meatball Heroes

Meatballs:


1 small onion, grated

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves

1 large egg

3 tablespoons ketchup

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

2/3 cup grated Parmesan

1/4 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs

6 ounces ground beef

6ounces ground veal

6 ounces ground pork

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Marinara sauce, 26-ounce jar, store-purchased



Sandwiches:

12 (3 to 3 1/2-inch diameter) Italian rolls, split, warm

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan

3 ounces sliced provolone

Directions
To make the meatballs: Whisk the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and bread crumbs. Mix in the beef, veal, and pork. Using about 2 tablespoons of meat for each, shape the meat mixture into 1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet.


Heat the oil in heavy large frying pan over medium-high heat. Working in 2 to 3 batches, add the meatballs and saute until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meatballs to a plate. Pour off any excess oil. Return all the meatballs to the pan. Add the marinara sauce. Simmer over medium-low until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors blend, about 10 minutes. Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and pepper. (The meatball mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, then cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium heat before continuing.)


To make the sandwiches: Spoon the hot meatballs with some sauce over the bottoms of the rolls. Place 1/2 slice provolone on top of meatballs and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Spread more sauce over the roll tops, then fold the tops of the rolls over and serve.


Cook's Note: The sandwiches can be assembled then wrapped individually in foil. Rewarm the sandwiches in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes.

Couple of changes that I made. First, I used 1 pound ground pork and 1 pound ground beef, left out the veal. Like I said before, you can make the meatballs up ahead of time & put them in the fridge on a cookie sheet. Another tip, buy extra sub rolls. You'll need them for the leftovers! You MUST buy marinara sauce, not just spagetti sauce. Yes, there is a HUGE difference in taste. I'm always wanting quick, easy meals & while this one isn't difficult, it just takes a little time to brown the meatballs. Can't wait for you guys to try it!

As of Late...

Not too much time to post but again the blog is neglected so this is a short version of what's been going on.

As of late....fall weather is settling in & I do have to say I am really enjoying the warm days & cool nights.

As of late...the crossroad I mentioned earlier hasn't changed & I'm okay with that for now.

As of late....the older kids are adjusting to the new school schedules but there is still some improvement needed.

As of late....Jackson is NOT adjusting to the kids new school schedules by acting out in several ways that are less than desirable for his parents. They are however quite funny to everyone around us! These include by are not limited to peeing on the carpet in his room & blaming the dog, putting chocolate syrup in the dishwasher where the soap is supposed to be, putting a roll of tape around his toy pickup, and pulling a 70 quart cooler into the bathroom to poop in it. We are REALLY hoping that this phase end really soon!

As of late....football season is in full swing! Never thought I'd love football as much as I do but I'm hooked! I'm more of a high school & college football fan but I will watch NFL at times. Alexa is a football cheerleader this year & she's having a blast with it.

As of late....my oldest daughter & I are headed off to the All-Iowa dance auditions for the weekend along with 3 other teammates & 1 other mom!(Yay Wendi!)

As of late....Charlie is starting solid foods. He's not a fan of the rice cereal but he sure did love his squash last night!

As of late...it was my birthday today & it rocked! Lunch with friends, pedicures, supper cooked my hubby & Katelyn's Fund meeting tonight. What a fabulous day!!