Linda @ Linda’s Lunacy

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

July 18, 2016 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

*This post contains an affiliate link

I should know better. I do really. But for some reason I skipped making a menu the last couple of weeks. Our meals have suffered. Our nutrition has suffered. I have suffered.

Making a menu keeps me on track. It cuts down on the time I spend in the kitchen. Seeing our menu written down in black and white helps me to see what we are lacking in our diet, usually vegetables, and what we have too much off, usually carbs. ugh. I am better able to see what we are eating and what I need to do to get our nutrition where it should be.

Another plus to making a menu is I usually stick to what’s on the menu so I save myself the time of walling around the kitchen trying to come up with something to make.

I know that I am not alone with all of that. That’s why I encourage everyone to make a menu.

Now onto some yummy food pictures!

We, well, my son, cooked hamburgers over our fire pit.

I tried a new recipe from the Venison Cookery cookbook that I have. Bacon Wrapped Venison Tenderloin. My pork bacon got lost, I later found it hiding behind the eggs, so I used turkey bacon. I think it would be better with pork, though.

I seasoned the tenderloin with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, then wrapped the bacon around it. I secured it with toothpicks. I then browned it in butter.

After browning, the recipe said to cover the skillet, and let it cook, turning occasionally.

It came out great!

It looked good after slicing!

And looked great on my plate! I served it with homemade cheesy noodles and corn on the cob. Corn was on sale when I went shopping!

For the cheesy noodles, I cooked a package of egg noodles and drained them. I added some milk, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese. I didn’t measure anything, lol. Surprisingly, lol, they tasted pretty good!

Sunday, we had BLT’s. Actually BLTC. Gotta have the cheese. Cheddar cheese slices to be exact. Yum!

Now that I made a menu for this week, I should have a much easier time in the kitchen this week!

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

Saturday – quick & easy- – Hot dogs, baked beans, salad

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – BLT sandwiches, chips

Monday – chicken or turkey – Turkey, slow cooker mashed potatoes, peas

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Chicken Pasta salad made with turkey

Wednesday – Taco Night- Beef tacos with all the fixin’s

Thursday – pork or beef – Boneless pork chops, fried potatoes, ranch carrots, homemade applesauce

Friday – venison – Venison roast, potatoes, carrots, and onions in the slowcooker

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

*This post contains an affiliate link. If you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission.

Automatic Touchless Soap Dispenser Review & Giveaway

July 17, 2016 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

*This post contains an affiliate link

I don’t know about your family, but my family sure can make a mess with the soap in the bathroom. I have tried everything to cut down on the mess and soap waste. Different styles of soap dishes, different style pump bottles, and even a manually operated wall mounted dispenser. That thing sure was hard to refill!

I have now found a soap dispenser that really works. The Automatic Adjustable Soap Dispenser from ToiletTree Products. ToiletTree Products is a leading designer and manufacturer of innovative bath products.

This Automatic Touchless Soap Dispenser features a drip-free design that prevents messy counter tops. Simply put your hand under the dispenser and the perfect amount of soap will be dispensed. No dirty, germy hands all over the soap or the pump bottle. The soap dispenser has 5 settings to choose from, so you can easily adjust the amount of soap being dispensed.

The unit holds up to 500ml, approximately 16 ounces, of liquid soap and runs on 4 AA batteries. You can use the dispenser for lotion, too. The automatic touchless soap dispenser is very easy to fill. The top of the dispenser twists off and has a wide opening for pouring more liquid soap in.

Automatic Touchless Soap Dispenser Review & Giveaway

The Automatic Touchless Soap Dispenser does have a modern look to it. I think it blends well with my beach themed bathroom. I do need to find a color coordinated soap, though. lol The soap dispenser does not leak. There is soap on the counter because I kept setting it off when I moved the dispenser for pictures. lol

I love that this soap dispenser is so easy to fill. I love that I can control how much soap is dispensed. I love that it is touchless. No one should touch it except for me when I fill it. The germaphobe in me says Yeah! to less germs everywhere. I anticipate it being very easy to clean and maintain the soap dispenser long term.

The Automatic Touchless Soap Dispenser is available on Amazon, as well as on the website linked above.

Enter to win an Automatic Touchless Soap Dispenser for yourself! Simply fill out the Rafflecopter form below. Be sure to read the terms and conditions on the form!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

*This post contains an affiliate link. If you click the link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission.

Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.” Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.

ArtAchieve Homeschool Art Curriculum Review

July 12, 2016 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

My 15 year old, 10th grade son has recently shown an interest in art. I was pleased to receive the homeschool art curriculum, ArtAchieve to use with him and review. He has been working through the lessons in the Entire Level I bundle. The purchase of the Entire Level I gives access to the art lessons on the website for 1 year. Each lesson can be purchased individually for $4. Purchasing the Entire Level 1 bundle for $27 makes each lesson only $3. There are two lessons on the website that are free so you can try them out.

There are three levels of ArtAchieve lessons. They do no correspond to grade level. If students are new to drawing, they should start with level 1 regardless of their age, kindergarten to adult. The lessons are inspired by art from around the world.

There is a Tips for Teachers page on the ArtAchieve website that is very helpful. The tips are geared towards parents/teachers that have not taught art before. There is a list of supplies needed on the website. The list does not say which level needs which supplies. I wish the list told you what supplies were needed for each lesson. It would make it so much easier to have everything ready for the student when they start each lesson. Each lesson does have a list of the supplies needed in the lesson introduction. You have to open each lesson to see what supplies are needed in order to purchase supplies ahead of time, however.

Level 1 has 11 lessons, with Lesson 1 having 3 parts. Each lesson will take almost an hour. Depending on age and skill level, it may take less time. In the introduction for each lesson there is a break down of the time needed to complete each section. Lessons do not have to be completed all at once. A student can do a lesson over several days if that works out best for them. The student can work at their own pace. One lesson a week, or one lesson a day.

Since I have a high schooler and always need to know this, Level 1 is not enough work to award any high school credits. I have not looked at the other levels in depth, and I can not find this information on the website, but it is possible that there is enough work in all the levels to earn at least a 1/2 credit, possibly a full credit.

ArtAchieve Homeschool Art Curriculum Review

My son has been averaging one lesson a week. He enjoys the lessons. He likes that the lessons instruct him to listen to music while going through the lessons. Listening to music helps students work in silence and promotes the visual thinking that drawing requires. The video lessons are slide shows with the instructions on the screen. The pictures are bright, colorful, and the step by step instructions are easy to understand. Each lesson has 1 or more pages that you need to print out. I suggest printing them all at once. It’s easier than having to print the pages every time they start a lesson. The pages are not labeled with lesson numbers. I wrote the lesson numbers on as I printed them out. It kept my son from spreading all the pages out trying to find what he was looking for.

An added bonus to this homeschool art curriculum is the Suggestions for Cross-Curricular Connections. These suggestions are for social studies, writing, literature, and science. These suggestions feature ideas, books lists, and linked websites to help the student learn more about what they are drawing. We did not use very many of these to supplement the art curriculum. To me, they seem geared towards younger kids, not high school students.

Here are a few examples of the printables for the Entire Level 1 drawing lessons. This first page is an example of the warm up activity that is available for each lesson. Boxes have printed lines that students have to copy into empty boxes. This activity gets them used to make the curved lines, for example, that they will be using in their drawings for this lesson. My son likes to keep his art close and not share it with very many people. He gave me permission to share these pages.

On this page, my son had to draw lines to decorate the bugs. He drew an extra one in the corner just because he wanted to. lol He chose to keep everything as a drawing, and not color them in. He has been concentrating on the drawing.

My son decided on his own to draw a large bug on the back of this page. He did pretty good. He ran out of room on the paper to make the right wing full size,though.

One of the drawing lessons had the students learn how to draw a cube. It’s a little hard to see in this scan of the actual drawing, but if you look closely, you can see the cube and it’s shadow.

My son, and I, have been very pleased with ArtAchieve Homeschool Art Curriculum. I look forward to looking at many more of his drawings. I can not draw. Like not at all. Not even a straight line. The lessons make learning to draw look easy. If I can find the time, I might try these lessons for myself!

To see what other homeschool families have to say about ArtAchieve, click the graphic below.

Laurelwood Books Men of Honor and Women of Grace Review

July 8, 2016 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

Men of Honor and Women of Grace from the Scripture Scribes series from Laurelwood Books is the perfect homeschool penmanship book to improve handwriting. My son had just been talking about how bad his handwriting is when I received this handwriting book to review. Perfect timing!

The people behind Laurelwood Books have been homeschooling for 25 years. The same amount of time that I have been homeschooling! They sell curriculum, books, cds, dvds, and more on their website. They also sell used books and curriculum.

The Scripture Scribes series features four books, covering penmanship for 1st through 12th grades. Scripture Scribes Volume 1 Men of Honor and Women of Grace, $19.95 is recommended for Grades 7-12. It is consumable and should be used with only one student. I have been using Men of Honor Women of Grace with my 15 year old son, who will be in the 10th grade in the fall.

Words for Men of Honor and Women of Grace has 22 Lessons. All the lessons are centered around a character trait. The 22 character traits used for the lessons are honor, mercy, compassion, love, justice, grace, joy, peace, truth, long-suffering, faith, hope, honesty, trust, patience, humility, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, loyalty, diligence, and purity.

Each lesson has an introduction page with a dictionary definition and a Biblical definition of the character trait. This introduction page is followed by 12-13 quotes and scriptures to trace and copy. The quotes and scriptures explain and reinforce the character trait. The quotes and scriptures are written in dotted line cursive for the student to trace. Below that, there are handwriting lines for the student to write the quote or scripture themselves. There are enough lines for the student to write each quote or scripture one time.

Also included in the Men of Honor Women of Grace are several pages discussing the development of the scriptures, Bible translation and copying. They are not long, but do include black and white drawings and samples.

The book contains no suggestions for how many lessons should be done a week. You will have to decide how much time you want your student to work on the copywork every day. Men of Honor Women of Grace could easily be finished in one quarter. If you go at a more leisurely pace, you could complete this book in two quarters, or one semester. On the high school level, there would be no credits earned for completing this course, in my opinion.

I started out having my son do 2 lessons a week. He prefers working at a more leisurely pace of one lesson a week, though.

In the picture above, you can see what one of the pages with quotes and scriptures on the left. On the right, you can see one of the character traits introduction page with the dictionary definition and the Biblical definition of that trait.

Looking back to lesson one and comparing it to where he is now in the book, I can see a definite improvement in my son’s handwriting.

Usually, practicing penmanship is a boring, mind numbing activity. I love that my son has scriptures and great quotes to think about while he is doing this copywork.

To see what other homeschoolers have to say about Men of Hone Women of Grace and the other books in the Scripture Scribe series, click the graphic below.

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

June 27, 2016 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

My mother cooked one day last week. It was the first whole meal that she had cooked after being in the hospital for 4 months, and about 2 more months recuperating at my house. She made Goulash. All her grandkids always ask for her to make this. She usually puts peas in it, as well, but didn’t this time. She was really tired after cooking, but her first meal was a success.

I don’t usually cook for breakfast. I do like to keep french toast and pancakes in the freezer for easy breakfasts. This day, I wanted some extra protein, so I make a cheddar cheese omelet. Yum!

I used five pounds of hamburger to make taco meat. We used some that night, and I put two bags in the freezer. I love freezer cooking!

Some of us like to have taco salads instead of a taco. My daughter always has tortilla chips on hers.

I made Homemade Taco Sauce last week. It had been a while since I had made some. It’s good on the tacos, and very good on the taco salads.

This week is a very busy week for me. It’s vacation Bible school week at our church. I have to be at church at 5 every night, Sunday through Wednesday, to work in the kitchen. I am planning easy meals for the beginning of the week. I will make everything earlier in the day. If it needs to be warmed up, my older daughter and mother and warm it up in the microwave.

Hopefully, I survive this busy VBS week and have enough energy to cook Thursday and Friday!

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

Saturday – quick & easy- – Hot dogs, baked beans, green beans

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Hot ham & cheese sandwiches, chips

Monday – chicken or turkey – Turkey, mashed sweet potatoes, peas

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Chicken Pasta salad made with turkey

Wednesday – Taco Night- Beef tacos with all the fixin’s

Thursday – pork or beef – Ham & Bean Soup, garlic bread

Friday – venison – Venison roast, potatoes, carrots, and onions in the slowcooker

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

How to Pick the Perfect Watermelon

June 24, 2016 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

*This How to Pick the Perfect Watermelon post contains affiliate links

Watermelons are 92% water by weight. That makes them cool and refreshing. Perfect for the summer time, they will help keep you hydrated on hot days.

Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamin C, a very good source of vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin B1, magnesium, and potassium. A whole cup of watermelon contains only 48 calories. It delivers more nutrients per calorie, which is an outstanding health benefit!

Have you ever cut into a watermelon and it wasn’t what you expected? And then you tasted it. It wasn’t sweet and didn’t taste good at all. I know I have!

Here are five tips to help you pick the perfect watermelon.

How to Pick the Perfect Watermelon

Pick the watermelon up. Is it heavy for it’s size? You want to pick up a watermelon and say, Wow! That’s heavy! A watermelon heavy for it’s size will be nice and juicy inside.

Tap on the watermelon. It should sound hollow when you knock on it. It should be an echoing, hollow sound, not a thud.

Look for a watermelon that has a prominent yellow spot. This is where it sat on the ground ripening. If it doesn’t have a yellow spot, it was picked before it ripened.

Look for “webbing” on the watermelon. This is the brown, course web looking material on the surface of the watermelon. This is caused when bees pollinate the flower and scar the membranes that later forms the fruit. Watermelons that have more webbing are usually sweeter than watermelons with no webbing.

Look for black, hard globs on the surface of the watermelon. The watermelons in my store didn’t have any, so no picture, but you should look for black, hard globs on the surface of the watermelon. Those globs are sugar seeping out. Which means you will have a sweeter watermelon.

Using these tips will help you find the perfect watermelon. Sweet, Juicy goodness that is so good for you.

I think it’s a southern thing, but I like salt on my watermelon!

Let me help you prepare for your next cookout!

Check out these watermelon tools!

Extra Large Melon Cutter

Watermelon Slicer

2 in 1 Waterelon Fork Slicer

*This post contains affiliate links. If you click the links, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

June 21, 2016 by Linda @ Linda's Lunacy

I made Chicken Pasta Salad for the first time this year. It’s a family favorite. It’s perfect for a hot summer day.

Actually, salad of any kind is good during the summer. I usually use cheese, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, for protein. This night, we had chicken on our salads, too.

Our oldest son had a birthday last week. He turned 30! When did I get old enough to be the mother of a 30 year old?!! We had cake. Cake makes everything better.

Then 5 days later, my mother had her 80th birthday. I made cupcakes first thing in the morning, before she woke up. I also made a triple batch of blueberry pancakes since I had some blueberries from our bushes waiting to be used. I finished 2 dozen cupcakes, and 19 pancakes by 8 am!

Don’t these Blueberry Pancakes looks so very yummy? I made these to use for breakfasts on the weekend. I was so tempted to eat them!

Ok, I did eat one defective blueberry pancake. And one pancake from the scraping of the bowl. It didn’t have any blueberries in it, so it doesn’t count. lol

Since I started cooking so early in the morning, I needed an easy dinner that night. Venison roast and potatoes in the slow cooker fit the bill. I served them with green beans.

Then on to my mother’s 80th birthday the next day. We are originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts. She loves seafood. Actually, loves in an understatement. lol

Her favorite gift from us, whether it be for her birthday, Mother’s Day, or Christmas, is a seafood feast. Seafood is not cheap when you live in a land locked state like we do. I always manage to put together a great seafood feast for her, though.

This time, we had lobster tails, crab legs & claws, shrimp, fish filets, boiled potatoes, corn on the cob, and garlic bread. She always gets a whole lobster tail to eat by herself, and every one else shares a lobster tail. She loved it all, and really enjoyed her birthday dinner.

That is what cooking is all about. Making people happy while feeding them. That and the whole nutrition thing.

After dinner, it was on to the cupcakes! Yum!

Last week, I shared my recipe for No Bake Peanut Butter Breakfast Bars. If you missed the recipe, stop by and get it now. They are so easy to make, and are perfect for busy mornings. Great for kids, and adults!

Before I go, I wanted to be sure to share this. There is a nationwide recall on frozen vegetables from National Frozen Foods Corporation that includes some Great Value, Live Smart, Market Pantry, First Green and Bountiful Harvest Green products sold between Sept. 2, 2015 and June 2, 2016.

Visit the FDA website for a complete listing of the recalled frozen vegetables.

In the Kitchen with Linda & Dinner Menu

Now…. to answer the question that I get asked about a hundred times a day……….What’s For Dinner?

Saturday – quick & easy- Seafood feast! Lobster tails, shrimp, crab legs & claws, fish filets, hush puppies, boiled potatoes, corn on the cob, homemade tartar sauce

Sunday – soup & sandwich day – Hot ham & cheese sandwiches, chips

Monday – chicken or turkey – Granny cooked! Goulash & garlic bread

Tuesday – pizza/pasta – Take out pizza, salad

Wednesday – Taco Night- Beef tacos with all the fixin’s

Thursday – pork or beef – Scalloped Potatoes & Ham, broccoli

Friday – venison – Venison roast, potatoes, carrots, and onions in the slowcooker

For more ideas, visit Menu Plan Monday

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