We went to the punkin patch with Byma (Grandma) today. The weather was quite nice, and the kids had no school. At Scholz farm, you can see donkeys, chickens, goats, pigs, and sheep! There is a corn maze, and Zoe is playing miniature golf with a club made out of a stick and a child's boot!!! We got punkins and apples, and later, most of my family and quite a few neighbor kids threw the football around in the yard. It was unexpected and really fun.

Easy dinner ideas I implemented this week:

Boil some top ramen and broccoli together in water till cooked. Drain, add seasoning packets, and stir in 3 stirred eggs, and some scallions. Give it a bit of soy sauce. Kid friendly, cheap, tasty. You could also put in diced ham or chicken or skip the egg.

The other one which was easy and delicious and heartier (with a fabulous gravy) was to take a 4-6 lb chuck roast, put it in a foil lined 13 x 9 pan. Mix a package of onion soup mix and a can of mushroom soup together and smear over meat. Fold foil over and seal. Bake 4-6 hours. (I had a 6 pounder and cooked it for 6 hrs, and it was good). Serve with Costco's delicious, time saving instant mashed potatoes, and fancy green beans. Don't forget to make a gravy out of all the drippings. I poured and scraped all the drippings into a 2 cup measuring cup. I filled with water up to the 2 cup line. Placed in saucepan, brought to boil, added 2 T cornstarch mixed with maybe 1/4 or 1/3 cup water and some salt. Muy delicioso!!!