Month: July 2018

Posted in menu plan monday, Menu planning

Mom, What’s For Dinner? – Week of July 29th, 2018

Posted on by traci

This week is going to be a little different with my meal planning.  I won’t be around for 3 maybe 4 of the meals so the gentlemen in my family are in charge.

Yesterday, I did shopping so they would have easy meals on 3 of those days.

On Wednesday, I have to go out to work so I can move classrooms.  (I’m just moving across the hall so not hateful.)  Anyway, I’m taking the Wee One to help me with the moving.  I told him that I would get him McDonald’s for dinner.  Hubby and the Imaginative One are on their own on Wednesday as a result.

I’ve got a class at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium on Tuesday.  On Friday, I have the second part of the class at the Wilds.  I’m going out to that area on Thursday morning/ afternoon and spending the night by myself.  For my dinner, I bought a frozen dinner that I can warm up in the microwave in the hotel room.

I’ll get myself food on the way home on Tuesday and Friday.

Here’s the menu for the week:

Sunday – We had pizza with the family.

Monday – Grilled Cheese with Chips and Cucumber Slices and Celery

Saturday – Breakfast for Dinner

 

Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday – The food they can choose from are:

  • chicken nuggets and French fries
  • sausage and mac and cheese
  • pulled pork sandwiches

I wanted the meals to be quick and easy for them.

Happy eating,
Traci

Posted in Menu planning, Recipes

Menu Planning Help – Create a List of Favorite Meals

Posted on by traci

For years, Hubby and I have had a great system for getting dinner on the table.  I would get home and cook dinner.  Or I would put food in the slow cooker before work.

This year, my schedule has changed.  I begin work 20 minutes later and as a result I get off of work 20 minutes later.  I won’t be home until almost the time I would typically have to have dinner on the table so that Hubby could leave for work.  (He works evenings.)  He’s going to be in charge of getting the boys’ dinner which is going to be an interesting experience.

Continue reading “Menu Planning Help – Create a List of Favorite Meals” →

Posted in Family, local sights, photograph

Mom’s Visit to Golden Lamb | Lebanon, Ohio | Part 1

Posted on by traci

The Golden Lamb is known as the oldest continuous running inn in Ohio.  Operations began in 1803 and still continue today.  In fact, there was only 4 vacant rooms left on the day we visited the Golden Lamb.

The Golden Lamb is also known for their ghosts.  One of the famous ghosts is Sarah.  Sarah’s family moved to the Golden Lamb when she was 5 years old.  She grew up at the Golden Lamb.  However, there is stories of a young girl haunting the inn.  Some say it’s Sarah.  (I did not take photos of Sarah’s room.)

Our reason for stopping at the Golden Lamb was because my mom’s uncle had been commissioned to paint a fire board in 1971.  I had been to the Golden Lamb previously so I had seen it in person.  Mom had not seen it.

I guess they have not had the fire board out so we lucked out it since it was on display when we visited.

Enjoy the photos I took of the Golden Lamb.

I smelled orchids around around his room.

 

 

Since I have a lot of photos of the Golden Lamb, I’m going to share more of the photos in another blog post.  I’ll have photos of the fire board in the next blog post.

Until next time, have a magical day,
Traci

 

Posted in Charleston, Family, photograph, travel

Saying Good-bye to Folly Beach and Hominy Grill – Day 10 Part 2

Posted on by traci

After we said goodbye to the beach house, we returned the keys to the house.  While we were in downtown Folly, we hunted for a new Folly Beach shirt for me.  Even though I already had a Folly Beach shirt that had been bought in 1999 during my first trip to the beach, I desired an updated one.  We finally found one that had a sea turtle on it.

I made one more stop in downtown Folly at the coffee shop before our long 20-minute drive to downtown Charleston.

Earlier in the week, we decided that our last stop in Charleston was going to be at Hominy Grill, one of our favorite restaurants in Charleston.

The Wee One decided he wanted to try the yogurt and granola which totally surprised me.  He ate most of the yogurt and granola.

All the Imaginative One wanted was French fries.  He is so picky about what he eats.

Hubby had eggs with chicken while I had a veggie omelet with potatoes.

After we were finished with our brunch, it was time to hit the road for the first leg of our trip home.  On the next blog post, I’ll share our adventure on the way home.

Have a magical day!
Traci

Posted in Hubby, photograph

Newport Aquarium Part 1 – Post #5

Posted on by traci

We went to the Toledo Zoo on a Wednesday. That Friday, we traveled an hour or so south to Newport Aquarium. These next three blog posts will be about our visit to the Newport Aquarium.

You pay for your tickets outside. When it is busy, they will give you a time to come back. There is a gift shop and other shopping or restaurants around the Newport Aquarium, so you won’t be bored while waiting.

After you enter the aquarium, you will be on the plaza. There is either an escalator or an elevator taking you downstairs to the exhibits.

Before you start walking through the exhibits, there is a photo op. We opted not to get our photo taken.

This video takes you through the World Rivers exhibit, the Shark Ray Bay Theater, a small tunnel, and then finally the seahorse exhibit which was very cool.

We stopped at the Shark Ray Bay Theater to see the penguin show. Luckily, we were able to sit in the front row close to the penguin. So amazing to be that close to a penguin. They are such fascinating creatures.

Enjoy my video.

Join me next time for the second part of our visit to the Newport Aquarium where we walk through the shark tunnels and see the sting rays..

Have a magical day,
Traci

This blog series is a 9 part series – 4 posts from the Toledo Zoo, 3 from the Newport Aquarium, and 2 from the Boy Scout Camp.

Posted in menu plan monday, Menu planning

Mom, What’s For Dinner? – The rest of July 2018

Posted on by traci

I just looked over my plans for July.  I’m going to be gone on and off for the rest of the month.

Week of July 8th –

I only need to plan for 3 meals.  We’re going to be gone for 2 days during the week.

Lasagna or Creamy Spinach Pasta Sauce over Penne

Sloppy Joes (Vegetarian for me)

Pork Chops

Left Overs

 

Week of July 15th –

I need to plan for Sunday dinner and 2 meals.  The boys and I are going away for 3 days.  Hubby is on his own on those 3 days.

Cherry Pork Loin (Freezer Meal)

Tacos (In Freezer)

Spaghetti with Sauce and Meatballs

 

Week of July 22nd –

I need to plan for Sunday dinner and 4 meals.  I’m going to be away for 2 nights and Hubby is going to be gone for one night.

Breakfast for dinner (when I’m gone)

Chicken Nuggets and French Fries (when I’m gone)

Sausage with Mac and Cheese

Pressure Cooker Chicken Wings, Meatless Mandarin Chicken for me

Out to eat when Hubby is gone

Sunday Dinner – TBA

 

Happy eating,
Traci

Posted in Family, Holiday/Christmas, local sights, photograph

Fourth of July Parade – 2018

Posted on by traci

This year I decided to sit at the beginning of the parade not realizing I was going to miss all of the cool floats.  Our town’s parade begins in 4 spots – a church and 3 entrances of a shopping plaza.  If a float or group started at the church or the one entrance of the shopping plaza, then I got to see it.  Actually I saw the fire engines/ ambulances take off from one of the other spots but that was because they had been parked behind where I sat for the parade.  I missed the floats, etc. . . that started at the fourth spot.  Now I know.

Oh, and the heat index was ridiculous.  It was in the 90’s and so very humid.  I had a shady spot to sit in but the end of the parade, my shirt was moist.  The Wee One, the Imaginative One, and I stopped at Burger King to get frozen drinks afterward because we were so hot.

Enjoy the photos I was able to get of the parade.  I think I got some good photos.

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Every year, there is a fly over.  This year, I was able to capture that fly over.

The two dogs are therapy dogs.  Their names are Spirit and Hairy or Harry.  They go to a local hospital twice a month to help people recuperate from surgeries, etc. . .

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I got a few shots showing you some of the floats that I missed seeing.  After a while, it was pointless to try to get a photo of all of them since I could barely see them even with my telescopic lens.

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My boys walked in the parade holding the big flag.  (Only the Imaginative One is shown in the photo.)  They started at that fourth entrance.  The people who were sitting next to me at the parade were kind enough to watch my stuff so I could run/ walk fast to get a photo or several photos of them before they started marching in the parade.

My niece was rollerblading with the Girl Scouts.  She went past me but was waiting by the Boy Scouts for the parade to move.  The Imaginative One had to take a photo of her and heckle her.  She responded back.  They have such an interesting relationship.  They are only 2 months apart in age.  She’s going to be a sophomore while he’s going to be a freshman.

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I absolutely love how this collage turned out.  They had a group of Marines and some trucks that were with the Marines.  These decals on the truck window were awesome so I took photos of them.

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You can’t forget the street cleaners.

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I hope you had a magical 4th of July!

Have a magical day,
Traci

Posted in Family, Holiday/Christmas, local sights, photograph

Fourth of July Fireworks

Posted on by traci

This year some kind soul paid for the fireworks display in our little city.  So we had a bigger and better fireworks display this year.  When the fireworks display was over with, you could smell the sulfur and see all the smoke.  

I was able to get a lot of good photos of the fireworks.  My plan was to bring my tripod but I had forgotten it in my haste to leave my house when my mother-in-law came to pick the boys up.  The tripod would help with long exposure shots which would have been cool.

However I love the shots I got of the fireworks so it all worked out in the end.

Without the further ado, here are the collages I created of the fireworks.

The sunset – It was gorgeous plus the boys waiting patiently or not so patiently for the fireworks.

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The fireworkscollage2collage3collage4collage5collage6collage7collage8collage9collage10

It was 10:30 pm.  I was attempting to get a photo of all of the smoke.
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The first video is from  sometime in the middle of the display.

The second video is from the finale.

I hope you had a magical 4th of July!

Have a magical day,
Traci

Posted in local sights, photograph, Writing Workshop

An Oasis in the City

Posted on by traci

If you ask anyone who truly knows me, they would tell you that I could be a tour guide for our area.

My aunt came to visit a month ago.  One morning, we spent time going to go get donuts and then I took her to various places.  My mom was ready to come over to my house for us to continue working on organizing my kitchen.  She was sort of panicked because we were only suppose to be gone for an hour or so.  Yep, we took longer than an hour because I ended up taking her to a couple more places than expected.  I wanted to show her some of the places I enjoy taking photos.

Then last week my friend, Molly came to visit.  She came in 2016 and enjoyed it so much that she flew down once again.  I took her to different places this year.  Well, that is except for one place.  We went to Carillon Park in 2016 but it was a rushed visit.  She talked about the park so my mom got us tickets to see Orville Wright’s home and tickets for Carillon Park.  Molly got to see more of the park this year.

Since I enjoy taking people to various places in my hometown or areas close to my hometown, I needed to really think what area of my town I wanted to showcase in this blog post.

Before we begin, where is it that I live or what city do I live close to?  I live near Dayton, Ohio which is an hourish north of Cincinnati, an hourish west of Columbus, and an hourish east of the Indiana border.  An hourish north of me is Wapakoneta, Ohio where Neal Armstrong is from.  There is a lot to see and do in this big hourish circle.  Don’t you love how I use the word hourish?

Dayton is known for having the most patents and inventions.  Here is a list of some of the inventions that have come from this small city:

  • pop tabs for pop cans
  • freon for air conditioners
  • self starter for cars
  • airplane
  • self scanning machines
  • Etc. . .

We have the biggest free museum on Aviation in our city.  People from all over come to see the National Museum of the Air Force or Air Force Museum.  However, I’m not going to showcase the museum today.  (Air Force One is on display in building 4 of the museum.)

Today I’m going to showcase two places which are located diagonally across from each other in downtown Dayton.  Downtown Dayton used to be known for it’s shopping back in the day but that is no longer a thing.  So a group of people have worked together to revitalize the downtown area.  Riverscape Metro Park and Fifth Third Field are two places that have been built so that people will come to the downtown area.  Today I’m going to share why Riverscape is a great place to visit.

One of the cool thing is the RiverScape River Run.  It makes the Great Miami River in downtown Dayton more accessible to those who enjoy water activities.

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There is also cool statues throughout the park.  Here is an example of one of those statues:

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I believe this is represent the devastating flood we had in 1913.

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There is also a walking path along the Great Miami River so if you want to exercise this is the place to go.

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There is also a splash pad for the kids to beat the summer heat.

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There are also swings to sit on so you can watch people riding their bikes or walking.  You could also watch the wild life.  (I once saw a deer crossing the road into the park.)  Or read or check your phone while sitting on these swings.

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Or you could read a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar, a famous African American poet who was a resident of Dayton.  Did you know he was friends with the Wright Brothers and is buried close to them?

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You can also watch the fountain show.

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I forgot to take a photo of their pavilion where you can sit on a hot day or ice skate under in the winter.

You can get food there during certain hours.  So if you worked in downtown Dayton, it would be a great place to get your lunch.

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Across the street is my favorite sculpture.  It’s Orville Wright and Wilbur Wright and their 1905 Wright B. Flyer.  (Wilbur’s flying)

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Diagonally across from the park is Fifth Third Field where the minor league baseball team plays.  (Dayton Dragons)  As Molly told me, she had more fun at that game than the minor league team she has in Rochester New York.  It’s not just a game, it’s an experience.

Riverscape and Dayton Dragons Game (194)

I have done another blog post about Riverscape, click here for that post.  Those photos were taken during the spring.

I hope you enjoyed my oasis in the city.

Have a magical day,
Traci

 

Posted in Hubby, photograph

Toledo Zoo Part 3 – Post #4

Posted on by traci

This is my final post about the Toledo Zoo.

Today’s video takes us to the primates and some of the bigger land animals.

We enjoyed watching the baby orangutan.  He was extremely active while we were observing him.  So cool!

The hippo was also interesting to watch.  He/She was in the water and then got out of the water and yawned.  Made for some neat photos.

The bear was also cool.  He was at the window taking a bath in his tub.  We enjoyed watching him.

We got lost in the zoo.  Even though we had a map, we could not find the African animals, I believe that is the area we were looking for.  We eventually found the area.

After we were done with the zoo, we went to Red Lobster for dinner.  Two of my co-workers had given me a gift certificate to Red Lobster so we utilized the gift certificate.  Then it was time for us to go home.

Enjoy the video.

A few days after going to the Toledo Zoo, we visited the Newport Aquarium just outside of downtown Cincinnati.  The next blog post in this series is about the Newport Aquarium.

This blog series is a 9 part series – 4 posts from the Toledo Zoo, 3 from the Newport Aquarium, and 2 from the Boy Scout Camp.

Have a magical day,
Traci