Mondays & the Mouse or was it a Hamster?

Sooo we all look forward to Monday morning right?! Well Zach gets a call at 5 am and has to start his day a little earlier than usual. For me this means sleeping in! Yes! It was great. Its okay skipping his breakfast because I knew I would take care of him for dinner! On the menu was Chicken Stir Fry. Loved it, very simple! I'll post this recipe at the end.

Dinner was quick but I did make a mess. When I start chopping veggies I get them everywhere! AB was coming over to watch The Bachelorette so I had to get cleaned up fast! My husband is so good to me. I hate (I really mean it) to wash dishes. My favorite things to cook with and use are things I can throw away or put in my wonderful dishwasher! Of course my Calphalon pots/pans are great but "hand wash only." Zach to the rescue...he washed all the pots and even washed the leftover items that wouldn't fit in the dishwasher! He didn't even complain! That’s one of the many things that I SO love about him. He always helps clean up after dinner.

When the "Hen Party" started Zach went to visit AB's brother Aaron. AB and I are lounging on the couch watching Ashley break the hearts of so many men then all of a sudden from behind the TV walks a MOUSE! Except it really didn't act like a mouse or look like one. He didn't scurry when we screamed he walked calmly behind the blinds that cover our sliding glass door.

 We live very far from the road and right behind a field so we expect that these varmints would visit us from time to time. However, this was unlike any mouse I had ever seen. Naturally AB and I are squealing like school girls and I immediately phone Zach and tell him the situation. He says "kill 'em." I'm thinking, "You did not marry Billy the X-Terminator!" I went after two sticky pads and the broom. The plan was to place one at each end of the blinds so no matter which way he exited he would get stuck. AB places hers on one end and I place my on the other. Right as we drop them to the floor, he pops out of the blinds like he is playing peek-a-boo with us! He just sits there while we scream. Then we move away. He calmly strides right behind the TV again walking around the sticky pad. He thinks he is soooo smart!

While I formulate the next genius plan, I put AB on mouse watch. I move one sticky to the other side of the TV and create a canal for the mouse to follow. When he gets to the end the only way he can go is on the sticky. After the canal is formed I take my broom and whack behind the TV hoping to scare him down the passage leading to his captivity. Well…after a few minutes he still has not moved. We have a small table beside the TV, on the backside the table is raised about 2 inches. I knew he must have been under that table. So AB and I sat back and continued to watch Ashley and wait for the hamster to make an appearance.

Soon Zach is home, not exactly with the urgency I had hoped. He joins us in the living room and sees my work consisting of a box, my bridal portrait, the dust pan, a toy truck and deer antlers. All of these items constructed in such a way to guide the pest to the trap! I tell Zach where I believe the mouse to be and he says "he ain’t under there." Well let’s see I grab the flashlight and give it to AB. Zach is on the ground ready to look and I begin to lift the table. Yes, as I suspected he was under there. Zach moves the sticky pads to the rear of the table and I begin with the whacking again. Eventually he comes out and gets stuck then Zach disposes of him. This was no ordinary mouse; he was shaped like a hamster and was brown. Not to mention his calm, cool and collected attitude.

Anyone missing a pet? :)

Here is the Chicken Stir Fry Recipe:

2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil (you can use whatever oil you have)
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces
3 cups veggies (i used green & orange bell peppers, broccoli florets, very thinly sliced carrots)
1 garlic clove ( i used 1tsp of minced)
1/2 cup stir fry sauce ( I made my own)

Lemon Stir Fry Sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs soy sauce

Combine then stir. 
***I would heat all liquids before adding sugar so the sugar will disolve properly.***

Heat 1 Tbs oil in skillet then add chicken. Stir fry for 3 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove chicken from skillet. Heat 1 Tbs oil then add veggies.  Stir fry 2 minutes or until tender crisp. Add chicken and stir fry sauce to skillet and cook 2 minutes or until heated through.

I served this over white rice! Makes 4 unrealistic servings. So Zach and I had enough for both of us and for him to have some for lunch the next day.