a bag of chips: Where did the week go?

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The time warp that is my life has struck again. Days run together like a pack of dogs, nipping at my ankles and knocking stuff off tables. Sheesh.

Since I can't remember much of the earlier part of the week, I'll talk about what I can recall. On Thursday after picking the kids up from school, we headed over the Balboa Park for a little something different. The organ pavilion is one of my favorite spots in the Park. Makena and Aidan had fun running around and in and out of all the benches, and since I'm a huge fan of wearing the kids out so they'll beg for bedtime, who was I to slow them down? Miss Nadia has grown so accustomed to The Bigs' craziness that she was blissfully munching on Fruity Cheerios during most of our brief little adventure.

On Friday I went on a cooking binge, making a huge lasagna (love that Pioneer Woman) and trying out a shepherd's pie recipe from Real Simple magazine which, since I can't find it online, I'll ~~regurgitate~~ write it out below for you:

1 lb ground beef, browned

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/3 c ketchup

8 oz frozen veggies, thawed

16 oz package frozen and thawed mashed potatoes

Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup and thawed veggies to browned beef and cook for one minute or so. Add to oven-safe dish and cover with mashed potatoes. Bake about 10 minutes in 400 degree oven.

I love both of these recipes and so does my man. (The Bigs won't eat anything that doesn't begin with chicken and end with nuggets.) I cheat on the lasagna by using uncooked noodles which turns out beautifully and saves the hassle of boiling stuff. I also add a layer of spinach for the added nutrition. For the shepherd's pie, I added a bit more ketchup and a splash more Worcestershire sauce than the recipe called for, and I bought the Country Crock mashed potatoes in the I-can't-cook-worth-a-damn-so-I'll-buy-this-premade-crap section of my store which I frequent and they worked beautifully since I couldn't find the frozen kind and heaven forbid I boil and mash my own damn taters. I mean this recipe is all about convenience, right?

And then today it rained. (Insert singing angels here.) Glorious rain, a chill in the air, puddles for jumping, mud for tracking through my house. It was such a beautiful, lazy morning, sitting inside with my husband, Nadia playing and jabbering noisily at our feet, watching the big kids play outside with their colorful character umbrellas. A perfect day for hot coffee and a big heaping bowl of leftover shepherd's pie for lunch, curled up on the couch watching HGTV. Ahhhhh.

Today is also my grandmother's birthday. She is 82 years young and is the loveliest woman I know. She is charming and classy, sweet and kind, gentle and loving. Always has been, always will be. Happy birthday, grandma. I love you.