Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

I have to say, this morning’s chilly walk to school was invigorating! The whole voting experience? Yeah, not so much. Either I didn’t much like either candidate, or I couldn’t find information about one of them, or both candidate’s goals were worthwhile, and how do you know who is actually going to do better at honestly representing their constituents? My hubby and I filled out our ballots on Monday evening, and yesterday morning (before dropping them off on my way to the library) I took some time and finished Alina Tysoe’s What’s Up, Beanie?: Acutely Relatable Comics, because a)I was close and b)its comforting humor felt wonderfully soothing. It popped up on my radar because I read a children’s graphic novel by Tysoe, and I’m SO glad it did. I may not be a dog lover, but ‘relatable’ is still an apt description, and Tysoe’s sisters, parents, and (later) husband are the kind of supportive people we all deserve in our lives. If you are (or love) an introvert, if you’ve ever felt anxiety, if you have people that help make the hard times easier–if you have hard times–pick up this little book for yourself.

It’ll make you smile.

In the meantime, it appears that Donald Trump is the new Grover Cleveland, I froze two more quarts of tomatoes, my hubby has dental woes, and parenting isn’t for sissies. How’s your life today?

I didn’t manage to post on Friday because the kids didn’t have school and it was–after some sleeping in–a very productive day; I’m barely posting today, because my good friend who lives in Pleasant Grove came up to visit during the day, and I’ve been productive during the time I wasn’t visiting with her. (As in, my dishwasher is running for the second time today.) I certainly don’t have it in me to review a book today, because I have to save all the brain cells I have to fill out ballots with my hubby later. I can, however, share this recipe for Hashbrown Hamburger Casserole with Veggies and Cheese, because I tried it a week or so ago and I was pleased with the flavor profile. I did improvise on the veggies, because I tend not to love frozen veggie mixes, but I didn’t do anything crazy–I had some canned green beans passed on to me and so I drained one of those and added an indeterminate amount of frozen corn plus a cup of diced carrots (I sauteed that last with the meat, since those were going to take longer to cook). My hubby mentioned he would have enjoyed more cheese on top, which probably everyone agreed with, but he and I both enjoyed it, and while the kids were mostly a thumbs middle, nobody was a down. If you’re looking for a shepherd’s pie sort of meal but you don’t have any leftover mashed potatoes, this is a good substitute!

In the meantime, good luck on the voting front. Oh, the horror!