Exhausted

I am exhausted today. Yesterday I woke at 5:00 a.m. anxious about the Application for Citizenship document for Duchess that needs to be mailed before the end of this month. The fee for the N-600 is $215.00. After July 30 it will be $420.00 I don't want to miss the deadline! This will be proof that she is a U.S. citizen. I did get it finished, now I need make copies and get it in the mail.

Want to hear the irony? There is a law in effect that automatically made her a U.S. citizen as soon as she was adopted by us. She can also get a U.S. passport without the document. I've spoken with other adoptive families who have not filed the N-600, and have no intentions of doing so. We want to be on the safe side. We want the document that "proves" she's a citizen.


Then Jouster woke up early and asked me to take him shopping. His favorite mall is an hour away. Shopping with him is emotionally exhausting. We don't agree on clothing styles. Fortunately we can compromise somewhat.

We were gone most of the day. I got home in time to find all my containers, label them, nurse the baby, and take off for my cooking club that meets once a month. One or two women plan the menu, type the recipes and cooking instructions, do the shopping and get it all set up for an evening of cooking. This month was a little easier. We prepared 12 dishes each for four families. We have had up to 15 dishes for 6-8 families in the past. We got home about 11:00 p.m. (an early night for our group) and then had get it all into the freezer.

This is what we prepared: Ginger Flank Steak; Taco Crescent Bake; Tater Tot Hot Dish; Pizza Pasta Casserole; Bean Biscuit Bake; Chicken Pot Pie; Chinese Chicken Morsels; Mexican Chicken Lasagna; Church Potatoes; Crustless Spinach Quiche; Granola and Caramel Rolls (those are baking right now).

I love having the meals in my freezer. Especially for the evenings the King is out of town. I don't always feel like preparing meals when I am alone with the kids. This club saves us from too many nights of Pizza delivery's and Taco Bell drive through's.

I have tried doing this on my own at home. It's not as much fun as when you can get together with friends and cook...and we meet at a church with a huge kitchen, commercial stove, and dishwasher. I am in charge of the menu planning and shopping for next month. If you have any great freezer meal ideas, please let me know. I need all the help I can get.