Menu plan

About a month ago I started planning out our menu for the week. Every Sunday night, I clip and organize any and all coupons. Then I ask Josh if he has any suggestions for dinner for the week:

Me: Do you have any dinner requests?
Josh: No. Well, how about buffalo chicken.

Basically, he would eat buffalo chicken for every meal. Then, I ignore him and go to my Pinterest Page and find some fun new, or some old tried and try recipes.

Monday morning, I wake my happy little butt up and go grocery shopping BY MYSELF (this is key for all you mommies out there). It's exhilarating. I don't end up with 5 boxes of Princess snacks in my cart.

So, here's our menu for the week! I hope y'all find some inspiration. Menu planning has seriously changed my life. I no longer have to answer the super annoying question,

What are we having for dinner?

Monday: Make your own taco salads

Tuesday: Crockpot vegetable soup

Wednesday: Restaurant style steaks and baked potatoes or sweet potatoes

Thursday: BBQ chicken pasta bake

Friday: leftover extravaganza!

Hanging with the Homegirls

Today we got to play with one of my oldest friends, Brooke, and her little sweetheart, Celia. Lexi and Lyla love their little homegirl, and they especially love their Aunt Brooke. We first played outside since it is STILL so gorgeous here. Celia loved going down the slide and clearly she loved the swings.



Then we went to the new yogurt place at the nearby outside mall, Berry Berry Good. I think it's pretty obvious that the girls enjoyed their yogurt. Even though I'm counting calories, I had a little bit myself and I give it 2 thumbs up! Brooke is pregnant with Lubin #2 so she can enjoy carefree (no fair).



We took advantage of the beautiful day and let the girls play around the fountain that is right outside of the store. It was so fun watching these little girls have the time of their lives. I love that they can start friendships so young. I know they will be friends as long as their Mommies have been friends (ahem, like 25 years or more?).

First Popsicles of the Season

It's March 14th. I got home from work an hour ago and found Lexi and Lyla outside with Josh soaking up this beautiful 80 degree spring winter weather. Josh is now blowing leaves, the girls are playing in the water table, and I'm listening to Good Life by One Republic on Spotify

Please tell me what there is to complain about...

I love these moments when there's nothing else to do but smile and thank G-d for all of his blessings. Like how little Lyla just put on her Puddle Jumper and asked to go swimming in our non-existent pool. Or how proud Lexi is when she climbs up the slide then goes back down. Or how Josh is screaming over the noise of the blower cheering his daughters on. I foresee many more days like this in our family's future.

What's For Dinner 3/13/12

Tonight was a repeat performance here at the Jones house. I first made these a few weeks ago and we instantly fell in love. Josh LOVES Krystal's and White Castle, so when I stumbled across this recipe on Pinterest, I knew I had to make it. I'm sure any of my old Delta Gamma sisters will join me in remembering some good times at the old Krystal's on the strip, so make this for your families and smile at the memories!!

This recipe for Homemade White Castle Sliders was adapted from Mommy's Kitchen's recipe. I made only slight changes to suit my families wishes. I didn't take any pictures but I'll try and take more to show the deliciousness that we like to eat! Enjoy!

Homemade White Castle Sliders

2 lbs angus ground chuck 80/20
minced onion flakes to cover bottom of pan
seasoned salt to cover
black pepper
cheese of your preference (we use American)
slider rolls

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
2. Cover bottom of a sheet cake pan with minced onion flakes
3. Pat out ground chuck to cover the pan into a huge patty
4. Sprinkle patty liberally with seasoned salt and black pepper
5. Cook in oven for 20 minutes (the patty will shrink inward while cooking)
6. Remove pan and blot patty with paper towel to absorb excess oil
7. Cover patty with cheese and place in oven for additional 2 minutes
8. Remove pan and let sit 5 minutes
9. Cut patties to fit slider rolls (should make 12)
10. Dress 'em up and throw 'em back!

Don't Call It A Comeback

I'M BACK! I know I've been missed, so it's time to come back for KeepingUpWithTheJoneses 2.0.

Let's see...my last post was May 26, 2011. That is almost 10 months ago, and surprisingly, when you have twin 3 year olds, a lot can happen in 10 months. So here is 10 months in a nutshell:




Lexi: This darling child has become a PRINCESS. Miss priss likes all things Dora and all things princess. She loves to dance and sing and boss her sister around. She has an amazing memory and learns very quickly. Still a mommy's girl, she loves to go shopping, and her favorite store is "the red one" (Target). Lexi's best friend is Lyla and her favorite colors are red and pink. Totally potty trained, but still thinks she needs a present everytime she poops in the potty. She loves her grandparents and all her "aunts and uncles" and is becoming the type of person who has never met a stranger.




Lyla: Our little cuddle bug, she is truly a free spirit. You'll often find her running around the house in nothing but her panties. While she is more of a tomboy, she is becoming more and more interested in princesses, dress up, and tea parties. She is an adventurous soul and loves to try new things. Lyla loves to shop as well, but is never as demanding as her sister. She can be stubborn, as evidenced by her unwillingness to poop in the potty, although she's Lexi's biggest cheerleader when Lexi poops. She's a true sweetheart and also loves her family so much.



Josh: We're still blessed to call him a stay at home Daddy. The girls absolutely adore him and they think he is the funniest dude ever. He still loves the Vols like I do, and we're hoping to take the girls to Knoxville for the spring game. He took me to Ohio last summer for 2 Phish shows and to ride some awesome roller coasters. Josh loves his video games and keeps us up to date with the latest technology (I'm typing this on my iPhone).



Me: I'm still working full time as a pharmacist, managing my store. I absolutely love my pharmacy, patients, and co-workers. I had gotten really into running but quit when it got cold. I'm starting Couch to 5k back up and hope to stick with it this time. I've become addicted to Pinterest and I love to cook fun recipes I find on there.

I know there is more I could share, but that's all I can think of for now. My hope is that I can not only update the world on our amazing family, but also share recipes and other helpful tid bits on life!

Abandoned

It's not you, it's me. I have abandoned the blog. Time just gets away from me these days and the last thing I want to do is sit at the computer and think of a cutesy blog title. I'm not saying I'm done forever, I'm just taking an extended hiatus. If you like the blog and you want to keep up with us, feel free to send me a friend request on Facebook. I'm on there all the time at Cecilia Prouser Jones. Until next time, here are some pictures of Lexi and Lyla

Location:Fleming Rd,Collierville,United States

It's been a while...

I know it's been forever since I've updated the ole blog. If someone could help me add a couple hours to the day, that would be great!

Lexi and Lyla are doing great. They are talking so much more and although they still say things in their "language", they are speaking English a lot more these days! Lexi even counts to 10, skipping 8 everytime, but close enough.

The girls have been in toddler beds for about 2 months now. Well, I guess I should really say, they are in *a* toddler bed. Ever since we have converted their cribs to toddler beds, they have slept together. They used to sleep with their heads on opposite ends of the bed, but now I find them cuddled up together "spooning"! It is ridiculously cute.

The weather has been so nice here lately, and the girls have really been enjoying getting out more. They climb all over their swing set and run all around like big girls. It's crazy how much older they seem since this past summer!

I have a lot of pictures to post so stay tuned for those!