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Friday - Hamburgers on the Grill & Fries
Saturday - Possibly Dinner out
Sunday - Full Circle Round Up - Dinner out
Monday - Super Simple Mongolian Beef
Tuesday - Chipolte Pork Soft Tacos
Wednesday - Chicken Cordon Bleu, Risotto, Green Beans *These are probably not the healthiest in the world but they are super easy and nice for a break.
Thursday - Macaroni Beef Bake (recipe below)

1 lb ground beef (could use turkey meat)
3/4 c macaroni
1/4 c green pepper, chopped
1/4 c onion, chopped
1 T butter
2T flour
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, drained
1 c shredded cheddar
1/8 t. oregano, 1/8 t. pepper, 1 t. salt
2 T Parmesan cheese

Cook macaroni according to package directions. Saute green pepper and onion in butter until tender. Add beef and brown. Stir in flour and add tomato. Cook until mixture thickens. Stir in cheddar cheese, seasonings and macaroni. Pour into 2 quart casserole and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

End of Tax Credit Unlikely to Deter Buyers

RISMEDIA, April 29, 2010—The expiration of the 2010 Home Buyer Tax Credits on April 30 is unlikely to put off Americans looking to purchase homes who believe now is a good time to buy and are confident that home prices will rise according to a survey released by Prudential Real Estate and Relocation Services, Inc., a Prudential Financial, Inc. company. The survey of 1,000 Americans between the ages of 25-64 with at least $35,000 household income was conducted during April 15-20, 2010.

More than 90% of consumers believe that the home buyer tax credits have helped both first-time home buyers and the U.S. housing market overall. Among consumers actually shopping for homes, 65% believe that the end of the tax credits will have little or no effect on their interest in purchasing a home.

While consumers remain unsure about the direction of the housing market, the survey reveals that they are optimistic about real estate values with 46% of consumers expecting real estate prices in their area to increase over the next year. Just 12% expect prices will decline. Over the next five years, 79% expect real estate prices to increase, with 20% expecting prices to increase substantially. For more click here.

TV Console Organization

I completely forgot to take a before picture of my tv console but trust me this is much, much better. I bought photo boxes at Target for $4.99 each and put DVDs in them. And then the trays for the Wii were around $4 each at Target. I had the books and dish.

Birthday Celebration

Camille, Clyde & I had a mini birthday lunch party for Michael today. It was fun. Camille enjoyed helping decorate and we practiced singing Happy Birthday To You all morning.

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We had a busy weekend....Michael's birthday is tomorrow so we had a small gathering last night. There was a request for the homemade chicken nugget recipe so here goes....

Grinnan's Homemade Chicken Nuggets

4-6 boned skinned chicken breasts cut into bite sized chunks
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 lb butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine crumbs with next 4 ingredients. Dip chicken chunks into butter. Roll into crumb mixture. Place in single layer, not touching each other, on a foil lined baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

I am getting a couple nights off this week....yea!

Sunday - Brown Butter Gnocchi with Spinach and Pine nuts (on suggestion from my friend Ashley)
Monday - Dinner out for Michael's Birthday
Tuesday - Dinner out at Michael's Parents
Wednesday - Turkey Burgers & Fries or Tortellini (both saved in my freezer)
Thursday -Night out at Wine Club
Friday - Cream Cheese and Black Bean Chicken

One Week Left to Take Advantage of the Tax Credit

RISMEDIA, April 23, 2010—Buyers responding to the home buyer tax credit and favorable affordability conditions boosted existing-home sales in March 2010, marking the beginning of an expected spring surge, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, rose 6.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.35 million units in March from 5.01 million in February, and are 16.1% above the 4.61 million-unit level in March 2009. Click here for more of this article.

New Tiny Prints Greeting Card Program

We all know and love Tiny Prints and they have launched a new greeting card service. You pick your card, personalize and Tiny Prints will mail or e-mail it for you. They are waving the annual membership fee and giving 3 cards away free. Click here to sign up.

Great for Mother's Day! I just ordered a card and it was easy and fun to do. This is a clever idea.

Menu Planner

Camille, my mom and I went to Whole Foods this morning. I had never been but they have lots of neat kids foods. I can't get Clyde to eat anything other than goldfish, chicken nuggets, french fries, yogurt and a very specific type of veggie burgers; oh and some apple sauce. So I am trying to expand his horizons. We already tried some applesauce called GoGo squeeZ. It comes in this neat container that is for on the go. Clyde seemed to like it.

Here are our meals for the week...
Saturday - Michael is cooking ribs, corn on the cob and turkey pasta salad

Sunday - Tacos

Monday - Chicken Tender Parmesan with Penne & Brocoli

Tuesday - Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

Wednesday - Whole Chicken cooked in the crockpot, mashed potatoes, asparagus

Thursday - Oven Chicken Risotto

Yard Sailing!

My mom and I went yard sailing last Saturday and I picked up a few things here and there including this hardly used Okiedog Fropper for Camille that she loves. I paid $10. She is scooting all over the driveway on this thing. She can't quite do the pedals on her bike yet so this is a great alternative.

I also picked up 9 frames in various colors and sizes for $22. Frames can be pricey so I went ahead and got them to store in the attic until I find something frame worthy.

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I am posting last night's dinner because the chicken is delicious and worth trying.

Saturday - Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs, tomatoes topped with Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs, risotto

Sunday - Turkey Sloppy Joes, Tater tots and Corn (This recipe was not worth repeating)

Monday - Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Breast with Roasted Green Beans and Wild Rice.

Tuesday - Steak with Peanut Sauce and Broccoli, English Cucumber Salad

Wednesday - Dirty Risotto with Salad & Bread

Thursday - Either refrigerated tortellini & jarred sauce or Pizza

I am in a little bit of a dinner rut...so we are trying lots of new recipes this week.

New Listing in Whitehall! Tuckahoe School District

Back on the market with many, many updates. New granite countertops & hardwood floors in the kitchen. Seller will give a $1500 allowance for a new stove. New carpet upstairs and refinished hardwood floors downstairs. New Windows. New Gas Furnace in 2007/New A/C in 2004 & 2005/Hot Water new in 2004. Great neighborhood, great schools! Showings begin Sunday, April 11th at the open house from 1-3 pm. $475,000

Flowers & Pillows

My new pillows for the living room came in the mail yesterday. I found them at Overstock.com and the color turned our perfect. I am really happy with them.





I picked all these flowers from my yard.




Check back tomorrow...I have a listing coming on the market and will post details.

Outdoor Toy Storage

Spring has sprung in a big way...90 degree temperatures and lots of pollen! We have been outside a lot playing in the baby pool and sandbox. It seems that the bubbles, buckets, shovels, watering cans are everywhere. I went to Target and picked up these tubs for $5.99 each. I like the shape and they are perfect for all our outdoor small toys. We have another storage place for the bikes and cars.

Spring Bag

I have been eyeing this bag by SR Squared by Sondra Roberts at Victoria's Secret & Endless.com. It also comes in white and black. It is $85 and I kept watching to see if it would come down in price. It didn't!

Then I found this one by SR Squared by Sondra Roberts at Marshalls for $19.99. Sold! Not exactly the same but I like it and the price.

Menu Planner

I am just getting to this post...went to the grocery earlier today and had the salmon tonight.

Monday - Grilled Salmon with Cilantro Sauce, Wild Rice, Farmer's Market Squash Saute
Tuesday - Chicken Ranch Tacos
Wednesday - Kristen's Chicken (recipe below), Egg Noodles, Spinach
Thursday - Jambalaya (carryover from last week)

Kristen's Chicken

6 chicken breasts
1/2 stick butter
2 cans beef consomme (which I can never find so I use beef broth)
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Dredge the chicken breasts in flour, melt butter in large frying pan, brown chicken breasts on both sides (chicken will not be cooked through). Add beef consomme to pan and simmer covered for 30 minutes. Add sour cream, salt and pepper, stir well and simmer covered for 10 minutes. Remove chicken from pan and put in 13x9 baking dish, stir remaining sauce well until sour cream is dissolved completely. Pour sauce over chicken breast. Top chicken breast with Parmesan cheese. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees until bubbly - about 20 to 30 minutes. Serve over long grain and wild rice or egg noodles.

Easter Weekend Fun

We have had a busy one...I feel like this is my first opportunity to sit down.

Our yard needed some attention so we did lots of raking, weeding and flower planting. I love these flowers from Lowes. I wish I could remember the name...all my little information cards were thrown away in the clean up.



This was our first year dying Easter eggs. Camille loved it and thank goodness it was warm so we could do it outside. Her fingers were blue and green when it was over and I googled how to remove dye from fingers. After reading a few posts that involved dishwasher detergent, I found one that suggested toothpaste and it worked!








We took a road trip to Williamsburg for cousin Sammy's 2nd birthday! It was lots of fun to see everyone!



The bunny came!





Oh and we ate chocolate for breakfast! Yum!




We have one more Easter celebration later at my mom's. I have no idea what we are eating this week but we have had some fun! We won't go hungry...I will figure it out tomorrow!