The Best Meatloaf Ever

How do I know this? Because Allie ate it!

Rempel Family Meatloaf

by Connie Rempel from Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (I used 1 lb. ground beef and 1/2 lb. ground turkey)
1/2 cup crushed buttery round crackers
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (I used sharp cheddar)
1 package dry onion soup mix
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons steak sauce

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Stir the ground beef, crushed crackers, cheddar cheese, and onion soup mix in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk the eggs, ketchup, and steak sauce in a separate bowl until smooth. Mix the eggs into the meat until evenly combined, if the mixture seems too dry, add a little water. Press into a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 60 minutes.

Served with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans...YUMMY!

First Grade Field Trip

Allie's class went on a field trip to Aspirus Wausau Hospital this week and I got to go along. We spent an hour at the hospital. For the first half hour, a nurse explained to the kids about what might happen if they had to stay in the hospital. She had the kids act out some scenarios, like riding in a wheel chair, getting an x-ray, and getting an IV. She also listened very patiently as all 20 kids told her a story about the time that Mom, or Grandpa, or Little Brother was in the hospital for whatever reason. The second half hour was spent walking through the hospital. I think the best part of it all, for the kids, was the elevator ride.

Allie wrote about the field trip in Writer's Workshop and this about sums it up!

Making Mittens

It's been quite a while since my last blog post. I'm still recovering from the holidays...they were more stressful than normal. That's probably because...aside from getting ready for Christmas, shopping, baking, and working...I made about 30 pairs of recycled mittens!

My friend Charity and I watched this video and we learned how to make mittens out of old wool sweaters. We spent a lot of time searching for sweaters at Goodwill and other local second-hand stores.

I planned on giving mine as gifts to teachers, friends, family, and co-workers. I even made some extra large mittens for Jason, Uncle Todd, and Grandpa to use for ice fishing.

Once word got around at work that I was making mittens, I had several people inquire about buying them from me. I charged $20-25 per pair and ended up selling $150 worth of mittens the week before Christmas!

By selling my extra mittens, I was actually able to break even on the amount of money I'd originally spent on the supplies to make them.

Unfortunately, between the two of us, I think Charity and I bought every cute wool sweater in Wausau. Now we'll have to wait till next winter to restock our supplies and make more mittens.