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My life feels ca-razy right now. Since I’m prone to overwhelm and anxiety, I’ve started focusing on little ways to fill my tank and avoid all of that mess. Self-care is different for everyone, but for me, I really enjoy blogging and working on my new business. Both require surges of creativity and I think that’s the key! I keep my gingham weekly notepad in a visible spot on the counter and it’s really helping me stay accountable to myself. Mama can’t pour from an empty cup.
The weather is finally starting to cool off and I’m so excited to start a weekly soup/stew night. (One of my 100 Little Things goals!) This week, we’re starting off with our go-to beef stew recipe:
INGREDIENTS // 2lb stew beef, onions chopped, celery chopped, carrots peeled and chopped, mini red potatoes, 28oz. can whole tomatoes, 1.5tsp. Italian seasoning, 3 cups beef broth, 2 bay leaves, frozen peas, salt and pepper, and 0.5 cup flour
DIRECTIONS // Lightly brown the stew meat in batches in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Dump tomatoes and their juices into the slow cooker and mash them a little. Add onions, celery, carrots and potatoes. (The amounts of these depends on who I’m feeding and how much I have in my refrigerator. In my house, it’s generally the more, the merrier!) Sprinkle Italian seasoning over the vegetables and then add beef and drippings. Pour 2.5 cups beef broth over all, stir quickly, add bay leaves and cover. Cook on low for 8 hours. 20 minutes before serving, add the frozen peas (about 1 cup) and salt and pepper to taste. In a small bowl, whisk the last 0.5 cup of broth with the flour to make a smooth paste. Stir into stew and cook until thickened, about 15-20 minutes. Remove bay leaves and enjoy!
The recipe calls for the slow cooker, but I’ve also modified it to work in the dutch oven too.
When we went on a field trip to the Marine Corps Museum a few weeks ago, TJ was obsessed with a fishing exhibit for kids. It was the highlight of his day! So for his birthday, I bought him this sweet little fishing game. It’s been a big hit with all three little ones and I love the handy box to keep all of the pieces.
Teaching Textbooks is a homeschooling lifesaver at our house. Originally, I had planned for just the two oldest boys to use the program, but J (2nd grade) begged and begged and I finally gave in. He started Teaching Textbooks 3 last week and I’ve had to cut him off on lessons…I think he’d do them all in a matter of days if I let him! TT makes a difficult subject just a little more enjoyable.
Socks are one of those essentials that I never seem to buy for myself. Fun (and embarrassing) fact: some of my current pairs have been around for almost a decade! Needless to say, threadbare and holes isn’t exactly a good look, so I invested in a few new ones. I got this pair and this one and these too and am so excited to wear them soon. Why did I wait so long?! It’s the little things.
I can’t wait to hear about what you’re loving this month! Here’s what to do:
