Still no washing machine, though it looks like we have found one at a semi-decent price. We've been doing laundry every where we go now.

This weekend was another whirlwind of travel. We headed to Central Oregon as a half way point going down to visit our friends and kids' godparents in Eugene, on our way to a memorial for Rich's grandmother. Then we headed up to Rich's mom's place and went to church in that area, and went to his brother's for a barbecue. Each night, we were in a different city. All the folks in western Oregon were talking or complaining about the heat, but compared to our 90s of the weeks before and the 100s coming up this week, it actually felt pretty pleasant to us. Our only real mishap was that Amira tripped on the lava rocks on one of the volcanic paths where we stopped as we went through central Oregon. I actually saw the kids running down the paths, and predicted that Jerome would crash and burn and cry, but it was Amira we saw go down. She is our most stoic child, however, so she didn't really cry until I had to help her clean the wounds, her left hand, arm, and her right knee and leg were in pretty bad shape, but we cleaned and bandaged her up and she's doing alright now, though a little sensitive.

This week is a little more restful. We have Yasmina's birthday coming up, and she will be six. I can't believe how quickly five years have gone by - we moved three days after her first birthday. It is going to be a scorcher this week, so I'm trying to make a lot of the long cooking foods in the crock pot or early in the morning. I'm also trying for a lot more quick cooking or grilled food. There are a few repeats, because our schedule last week was so mixed up each day. We bought some cereal to eat at the hotel one morning, but the hotel had a breakfast there, so we are using it this week as quick and cold breakfasts. We have some Musgovian vegetables, so I'm kind of just tucking them into whatever meals I can.

• Sunday
  Breakfast: Cereal and Milk, Bananas, Milk & Coffee
  Dinner: Barbecue at Rich's Brother's House
• Monday
  Breakfast: Waffles with Black Caps and Maple Syrup, Milk
  Dinner: Chicken with Poblano-Lime Cream, Black Beans, Sliced Avocados, Quick and Dirty Mexican Rice, Steam Sautéed Broccoli with Parsley and Garlic
• Tuesday
  Breakfast: Creamed Eggs with Toast Fingers, Milk
  Dinner: Stuffed Cabbage Rolls*, Rice, Harissa, Chocolate Strawberry Cake
• Wednesday
  Breakfast: Cereal and Milk, Bananas, Milk
  Dinner: Grilled Salmon, Grilled Corn on the Cob, Salad
• Thursday
  Breakfast: Yogurt and Jam, Buttered Toast, Milk
  Dinner: Baked Ham, Shredded Scalloped Potatoes, Stir Fried Snap Peas and Radishes
• Friday
  Breakfast: Peanut Butter Smoothies & Buttered Toast
  Dinner: Hummus, Khoubz Araby (Pita Bread), Lettuce, Radishes, Kalamata Olives, and Feta
• Saturday
  Breakfast: Blueberry Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Bacon, Chocolate Milk with Coffee Cubes
  Dinner: Grilled Lamb Chops and Lamb Kabobs, Herbed Cous Cous, Grilled Tomatoes and Onions (plus any leftovers from the day before)

What is on your menu this week? If you want a recipe, ask and I will provide it as soon as I can. If there are any starred recipes, I will follow up separately with a weekly recipe round up on Saturday.

Labels: Birthday, Family, Homemaking, Menu Plans, Prayer Requests, Tales from the Kitchen