I'm getting a great birthday gift this year: one of my best friends, Lisa, is arriving right on my birthday. She moved to Florida four years ago, and has been waiting out her time there until she can come back to the Northwest. Maybe in a year or two, she'll be able to return home. Her arrival is a gift to Rich as well, because he goes back to work tomorrow, and he was concerned about me trying to do too much without his help here. It was a relief to him that I'd have a good friend to keep me company, and help out as needed.

Yasmina is starting to wake up more often, as we knew would come, but she still sleeps better at night than during the day, which is the best we could ask for, really. She's starting to fill out a bit, though like all our babies, she still pretty much looks like a stick person with her little stick limbs. All of our children were long and skinny, with small heads. Easy to deliver, when I was delivering them, anyway. They were never roly poly babies, and all of them were proportioned pretty much like little adults, rather than what people expect to see in babies. Most people's responses when they see them ran along the lines of "They look human!"

Anyway, I am excited because Lisa will be here soon, and she is excited because she gets to see our new little one. Lisa took care of our children every time I went to have a new baby from when Alexander was the only child transitioning to an older brother to when there were three boys and a little girl coming home. She was sad to have missed Jerome and Yasmina's births, because she wanted to look after our children to help us. Her arrival means I only have two and a half days without someone at home with me while I recover and look after the children, and with Rich a two minute's commute away, even those days aren't completely on my own.

So our dinners this week are what Rich is making, what friends are bringing, my birthday dinner take out, and what I can make with help from Rich and Lisa. Not bad for my first week on my own. We're kind of heavy on fish this week, but that's alright with me. Wild salmon and halibut are in season, though the halibut has only been affordable once this season.

We are fortunate to have access to an excellent local butcher, Farmer George if you are in the area, is in Port Orchard. Their prices are the same and often less than the grocery store, and the quality is magnitudes better. They don't do any advertising, I don't think they have a web presence, but they do a pretty brisk business based on word of mouth recommendations. They have bacon burger, not patties pre-made with bacon on top, but bacon ground up with the beef. We are eating those for dinner tonight. They do custom butchering, really inexpensively, have just about every kind of meat and poultry humans eat, handle game for hunters, come to your home or farm to slaughter and butcher, offer freezer packs of pork or beef up to an entire hog or steer, make their own sausages, hams and bacon, all aside from raising their own animals to sell, and if you bring your veggies, herbs and seasonings will grind up meatloaf mix for you that you can freeze and just pop in a pan and bake when you want meatloaf. Have I mentioned that I love Farmer George?

• Monday: Grilled Burgers with all the Fixings and Salad


• Tuesday: Salmon, Potatoes and Salad brought by a friend


• Wednesday: Grilled Tuna Sandwiches, Carrot Sticks & Applesauce


• Thursday: My Birthday, Fish and Chips from my Favorite Tavern


• Friday: Macaroni and Cheese with Broccoli, Salad, Fruit


• Saturday: Unstuffed Cabbage, Saffron Rice, Salad


• Sunday: Grilled Bratwurst in Beer, Grilled Onions, Sauerkraut, Buns & Mustard, Hot German Potato Salad, Green Beans

I will post recipes upon request.

What is on your menu this week?

Labels: Baby, Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Tales from the Kitchen