Since it's the end of January, I'm checking in on my resolutions:
1) 365 Grateful.
Yesterday, I posted some pictures from the challenge. The more I look for things I am grateful for, the more I find them.
2) Lose 10 pounds.
I've lost one pound. Progress.... slowly but surely, it's progress.
3) Run.
It's been too cold, snowy, and dangerous to run outdoors. I have been going to the gym a lot, where I have been attempting to build up my cardio prowess. I'm assuming that if I build it up now, when the roads clear enough for me to actually get out and attempt to run, it might be easier. Meantime, I am the one in the gym, grunting my way through the elliptical machines, trying to build myself up to an hour. As of today, I can do 30 fairly painless minutes.
With the goal of running/walking the Marine Corps Marathon 10K in October, I signed us up for the Color Run in May. It's a 5K. Hopefully, I'll be able to finish that in a time that is well under an hour!
4) Get out of Debt.
As of today, we've paid off a credit card. Completely. We are having the card cutting ceremony tonight.
To be honest, this card was compromised in the Target data breach. We've been monitoring the account closely, but we decided to go ahead and pay everything off, transfer automatic payments off of this card, and close it out completely.
This afternoon, I'm going to buy oldest child's textbooks. I'll be paying cash. Don't want to add this to a credit card. It's going to have to be paid one way or another.
5) Finish Cleaning out the Basement.
This keeps coming back up, doesn't it? Husband and I have a date at the dump scheduled for tomorrow. We've got a van load of stuff to get rid of.
Sadly, there's still more - so much more - to go.
6) Finish Oldest Child's Quilt.
I have all of the pieces upstairs. I have my sewing machine pulled out. It's progress!
7) Spend more time with my family.
All of the snow days last week helped a lot! The boys were both still home from college, so we had a raucous time, playing games, baking, and laughing a lot while they were home!
8) Finish writing the book I keep saying I'm going to write.
One of the chapters is now edited, with illustrations. I'll be working on pictures for the second chapter tomorrow.
9) Finish the hallway bathroom.
Saving money for this now.
10) Get back into my music.
I've been singing with the church choir since the beginning of January. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it! We have a new director, and we've been singing gospels. *smile*
Even better, he's been pulling challenging pieces. I'm an alto, and I love the bottom end of our range. Not every director pulls music that challenges the altos on the low end - we usually get challenged on the high end - so most of us end up dropping out because we just can't sing that high. I'm SO HAPPY that we're using our full range!
It's been a productive month! I'm chugging along on a shawl that someone custom ordered from my Etsy store. It's a beautiful pattern! I'm about halfway finished with it now. I hope to finish it within the next two weeks.
How are you coming along on your resolutions?
Friday, January 31, 2014
Thursday, January 30, 2014
365 Grateful
One of my resolutions for this year was to concentrate on being more grateful for the gifts that I have. Not for what I want, but for what I have. I've been doing my best to document the things that I am grateful for via pictures. I wanted to share some of the pictures from this past month, and why I'm thankful for these things...
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| Food. Leftovers. Canning. I am fortunate enough to know how to cook from scratch. I can save money by cooking from scratch, and the food is better for us. I learned how to can when I was very young. Whether I grow the food in my own garden, pick it at a pick your own farm, or get it at a farmer's market, I am preserving it at the height of flavor and nutrition for us to eat later. Leftovers provide our lunches many days, and sometimes, the boys will come home and fill up shopping bags full of "good food" to take back to school with them. |
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| This picture was taken at a Girl Scout Gold Award Workshop. The Gold Award is the Girl Scout equivalent to the Eagle Scout. I was the advisor to a young lady who ran a workshop entitled "Girls in Engineering". This is from the egg drop. The young girls in her workshop created containers to drop the eggs from a second floor balcony down to the first floor. Sadly, the egg in this container did not survive. The young lady who ran this workshop faced some significant personal challenges this year. In the midst of all of it, she managed to pull together an amazing workshop. She is an amazing, wonderful young woman. I am so very proud of her and all that she managed to accomplish! |
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| My mother-in-laws angel food cake. Even though she is beginning to show signs of dementia, the woman can still cook a really good cake. |
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| The beauty of the world around me. Full Moon rising over the Burg where I live. |
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| Luna. My daughter's cat. Just look at those adorable kitty eyes, and that playful attitude. I love this kitty! |
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| The cousins. Dr. Who Monopoly. My sister's kids and my kids gathered together over break and played a 5 hour game of Monopoly. Unfortunately for middle child, the other 5 kids ganged up on him and ended up defeating him. He is demanding a rematch over spring break. Family is a wonderful thing. Cherish them while you have them! |
And lastly, snow and snow days. Every day we have a day off of school, or school is delayed, I am given more time to spend at home with my kids. More time to play, more time to talk, and more time to savor being together with them. Treasured time and treasured memories. I am thankful for them all.
Wednesday, January 29, 2014
Dinner Tonight
Actually, this was dinner Monday night. Pasta Fagioli.
I found the recipe here: http://theprudenthomemaker.com/index.php/pasta-e-fagioli. The Prudent Homemaker is written by Brandy, who develops all of her own recipes. This one looked different than any I had tried before. At the very end of the recipe, you cook the pasta separately from the soup, and then add the pasta to the soup just before serving. The combination of spices, and the processing that she used in this soup raised this from "just another bean soup" to "totally amazing".
Since daughter is a vegetarian, I replaced the chicken bullion with vegetable stock. (Remember my broth cubes I made from turkey? I also made broth cubes from vegetable stock a few weeks back.)
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| Pasta Fagioli- ready for the fridge! |
The recipe on the website gave me more than enough soup to feed the three of us for dinner! (Now that the boys are back at college, I have leftovers again!)
So now, we have awesome leftovers! I didn't actually process the soup. This is going in the fridge. I don't like to store things in plastic because I'm never certain what chemicals will leach into my food. Instead, I store leftovers in small canning jars in the refrigerator. I always have a few empty jars sitting around at any given time during the year. When I can something up, I write the contents and the date on the lid in sharpie. After we use up whatever is inside, I clean the lids and save them. The writing on the lid of the jar lets me know that they are used, and I can reuse them to store things in the fridge. The lid to this jar says "Grape Jelly, 2010".
If you are looking for a warm, filling, over the top, simply sublime recipe for Pasta Fagioli, I recommend that you head over to the Prudent Homemaker's website and try this out! http://theprudenthomemaker.com/index.php/pasta-e-fagioli
Once you journey over to Brandy's website, take the time to browse through her website and blog (http://theprudenthomemakerblog.blogspot.com/). Brandy's husband had no source of income for almost a year, and she manages to feed a growing family on 33 cents a day. 33 CENTS!!! And I thought I could pinch a penny!
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Missing the Boys
Both of the boys went back to school on Sunday.
I miss them terribly, but I know that they are off on an adventure, continuing with their education, and working hard. I miss their smiles and their humor, but I'm also glad that they are back at school, living their own lives.
But then, there are the cats. They don't understand what is going on. While the boys are home, each of them usually spends a significant amount of time playing with the cats, teasing the cats, cuddling with the cats, and sneaking them treats.
We have a yardstick with a piece of leather tied to the end of it. We've tied beads into the leather strip, and the boys will run it back and forth across the floor, and the cats will chase after it.
Yesterday was the first day since before Christmas that the boys have not been home. I wasn't working yesterday, so I got to see firsthand how much the cats missed them.
When I went to wake up daughter, Luna sat outside of the boys bedroom door and howled. Tiger climbed up into their beds, and dug through the blankets. He finally came down out of their beds and curled up into a pile of dirty laundry that they had left on their floor.
Middle child has a favorite spot in the living room where he likes to curl up and read. Luna sniffed and sniffed in that spot, and meowed a lot. She curled up in the spot, and every once in a while, she would look over at me, look around the room, cry, and then curl back up again.
Tiger walked through the room and found their yardstick. He played with the beads for a few minutes and then looked expectantly around. I tried to play with him, but after two swats, he went back to the laundry pile. (He and the boys would play with the yard stick for an hour or more.)
When daughter got home from school yesterday afternoon, both cats piled into her lap and refused to let her go. Luna cried pitifully for 20 minutes once she sat down in daughter's lap.
The boys called around 8 last night with their list of "I forgot..." They were on speaker phone, calling from oldest child's room. I put them on speaker phone so that we could all hear them. Luna came over, looked at the phone with that cross-eyed look on her face, and began digging furiously at the screen, as if attempting to get the boys out of that tiny little box.
Both of the cats ended up curled up with us last night. First time we've ever had both cats in the same place at the same time without a fight of some kind.
Today, the cats are a little better. Tiger and Luna are both back to their usual spots in the front window. Only thing is - they are both up there, together. That's never happened before.
Do cats get depressed? I am wondering because I would swear that both of those cats are depressed. I just wish that they understood what I am saying to them. They even turned their noses up at their favorite treats last night.
I miss them terribly, but I know that they are off on an adventure, continuing with their education, and working hard. I miss their smiles and their humor, but I'm also glad that they are back at school, living their own lives.
But then, there are the cats. They don't understand what is going on. While the boys are home, each of them usually spends a significant amount of time playing with the cats, teasing the cats, cuddling with the cats, and sneaking them treats.
We have a yardstick with a piece of leather tied to the end of it. We've tied beads into the leather strip, and the boys will run it back and forth across the floor, and the cats will chase after it.
Yesterday was the first day since before Christmas that the boys have not been home. I wasn't working yesterday, so I got to see firsthand how much the cats missed them.
When I went to wake up daughter, Luna sat outside of the boys bedroom door and howled. Tiger climbed up into their beds, and dug through the blankets. He finally came down out of their beds and curled up into a pile of dirty laundry that they had left on their floor.
Middle child has a favorite spot in the living room where he likes to curl up and read. Luna sniffed and sniffed in that spot, and meowed a lot. She curled up in the spot, and every once in a while, she would look over at me, look around the room, cry, and then curl back up again.
Tiger walked through the room and found their yardstick. He played with the beads for a few minutes and then looked expectantly around. I tried to play with him, but after two swats, he went back to the laundry pile. (He and the boys would play with the yard stick for an hour or more.)
When daughter got home from school yesterday afternoon, both cats piled into her lap and refused to let her go. Luna cried pitifully for 20 minutes once she sat down in daughter's lap.
The boys called around 8 last night with their list of "I forgot..." They were on speaker phone, calling from oldest child's room. I put them on speaker phone so that we could all hear them. Luna came over, looked at the phone with that cross-eyed look on her face, and began digging furiously at the screen, as if attempting to get the boys out of that tiny little box.
Both of the cats ended up curled up with us last night. First time we've ever had both cats in the same place at the same time without a fight of some kind.
Today, the cats are a little better. Tiger and Luna are both back to their usual spots in the front window. Only thing is - they are both up there, together. That's never happened before.
Do cats get depressed? I am wondering because I would swear that both of those cats are depressed. I just wish that they understood what I am saying to them. They even turned their noses up at their favorite treats last night.
Monday, January 27, 2014
New Glasses
I am now of an age where the MVA requires that I have my eyes checked by a doctor, and have a form signed off that says I had my eyes checked by a doctor, before I am allowed to renew my driver's license.
I was looking at my license the other day and realized that I am up for renewal this summer. I called my eye doctor to schedule an exam and found out that it has been five years since my last eye exam. *sigh*. I've been putting this one off for a while since I know I'm going to need bifocals. It's gotten so bad over the last few months that I can't wear my glasses in order to read a book, and I find myself taking my glasses off to read forms.
Friday afternoon found me in the optometrists' office.
First came the inevitable forms.
The, the "poufy" air machine that checks for glaucoma.
I was dreading getting my eyes dilated. It was very bright, very sunny, and the reflection of the sun off of the snow was hurting my eyes when I drove around town - and that was before I walked into the office. Imagine my relief when I found out that they now take retinal pictures! Cool beans! In addition to the poufy air machine, there's another machine that takes a picture of the inside of your eye! Afterwards, I could see my optic nerve, my retina, and the tiny little veins running inside of my eyes. Oh so very, very amazing! That is a wonderful use of technology!
Down the hall I went, to sit with the optometrist and get the final adjustments to my prescription.
Which is clearer? When are they lining up? What's the smallest line you can read?
Oh, and yes, I do need bifocals. Damn. I was hoping I could get away without them. To be fair, my husband, who is the same age as I am has had bifocals for 5 years now, so I guess I am doing better on that front than he is!
So, out to look at frames.
There's one teeny little problem here. I need frames for lenses. In order to see how the frames look on my face, I have to take my glasses off. With my glasses off, I can't see well enough to see how the frames look on my face.
So, I began texting pictures of the frames on my face to my daughter. Because I wasn't wearing my glasses, it turns out that I was also texting pictures to my Mom and didn't realize it.
The two of us were carrying on while I tried on frame after frame. Finally, I sent a text to my daughter that said "They have a pair of frames here with the word "Juicy" stamped into the earpieces. Seriously, the metal is cut out around the letters.
That's when my Mom found her cell phone and all of the messages. The response I got back from her was "What are you two doing?"
As I was attempting to take a picture of the earpieces on the frames to send to my Mom to prove what I was talking about, one of the clerks (a friend of mine) snuck up behind me and whispered in my ear "Having fun yet?"
I tell you, I must have jumped about 20 feet high!
No, I didn't get the "juicy" glasses.
She nixed all of the frames I had picked told me that I had "the worst fashion sense ever", (so very true), and steered me over to another corner of the store where it took us 10 minutes to pick out a new set of frames. Thank heavens she could see!
I let them convince me to get Progressive Lenses.
They should be in by the end of the week.
I'm looking forward to a snazzy new pair of glasses!
I was looking at my license the other day and realized that I am up for renewal this summer. I called my eye doctor to schedule an exam and found out that it has been five years since my last eye exam. *sigh*. I've been putting this one off for a while since I know I'm going to need bifocals. It's gotten so bad over the last few months that I can't wear my glasses in order to read a book, and I find myself taking my glasses off to read forms.
Friday afternoon found me in the optometrists' office.
First came the inevitable forms.
The, the "poufy" air machine that checks for glaucoma.
I was dreading getting my eyes dilated. It was very bright, very sunny, and the reflection of the sun off of the snow was hurting my eyes when I drove around town - and that was before I walked into the office. Imagine my relief when I found out that they now take retinal pictures! Cool beans! In addition to the poufy air machine, there's another machine that takes a picture of the inside of your eye! Afterwards, I could see my optic nerve, my retina, and the tiny little veins running inside of my eyes. Oh so very, very amazing! That is a wonderful use of technology!
Down the hall I went, to sit with the optometrist and get the final adjustments to my prescription.
Which is clearer? When are they lining up? What's the smallest line you can read?
Oh, and yes, I do need bifocals. Damn. I was hoping I could get away without them. To be fair, my husband, who is the same age as I am has had bifocals for 5 years now, so I guess I am doing better on that front than he is!
So, out to look at frames.
There's one teeny little problem here. I need frames for lenses. In order to see how the frames look on my face, I have to take my glasses off. With my glasses off, I can't see well enough to see how the frames look on my face.
So, I began texting pictures of the frames on my face to my daughter. Because I wasn't wearing my glasses, it turns out that I was also texting pictures to my Mom and didn't realize it.
The two of us were carrying on while I tried on frame after frame. Finally, I sent a text to my daughter that said "They have a pair of frames here with the word "Juicy" stamped into the earpieces. Seriously, the metal is cut out around the letters.
That's when my Mom found her cell phone and all of the messages. The response I got back from her was "What are you two doing?"
As I was attempting to take a picture of the earpieces on the frames to send to my Mom to prove what I was talking about, one of the clerks (a friend of mine) snuck up behind me and whispered in my ear "Having fun yet?"
I tell you, I must have jumped about 20 feet high!
No, I didn't get the "juicy" glasses.
She nixed all of the frames I had picked told me that I had "the worst fashion sense ever", (so very true), and steered me over to another corner of the store where it took us 10 minutes to pick out a new set of frames. Thank heavens she could see!
I let them convince me to get Progressive Lenses.
They should be in by the end of the week.
I'm looking forward to a snazzy new pair of glasses!
Friday, January 24, 2014
Random Pictures
It's been a while!
Fire in the wood stove - love our stove!
Sunrise. I stopped in the middle of the road last week in order to get the sun as it peeked over the hills.
Ice on my windshield. You can kind of see the beautiful patterns of the crystals on the window'
Bird nest in the tree right by the front door of my MIL's condo.
Pictures from yesterday's snowstorm. He was 4 hours past the time he usually shows up in our neighborhood, but he still delivered our mail!
Our front stoop.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Making Do
We've run out of money before we've run out of month!
In an attempt to keep from charging anything to our credit cards, we've been "making do" with what we have on hand.
It's made for a couple of interesting dinners so far this week.
I made fajitas on Monday night. We didn't have any flour tortillas, but we did have rice wrappers. You know, those thin paper wrappers that are used for spring rolls? We used the rice wrappers to encase the fajitas. It was a unique Asian-Mexi Fusion. The taste was interesting, to say the least.
On Tuesday night, I made baked beans. The recipe calls for ketchup. We are out of ketchup. I had a half a bottle of spicy barbecue sauce in the fridge. I used that in place of the ketchup. It had a wonderful, spicy kick to it that I really enjoyed. We'll be using the barbecue sauce for the ketchup from now on.
Last night, I made vegetable soup for dinner. It was definitely a "clear the crisper" kind of night. A half a head of red and green cabbage each. They were cut up into the soup, along with potatoes, an onion and some celery. I was expecting the worst. Believe it or not, it was one of the tastier soups I've ever made. I'm not sure what elevated the taste to sublime... if you've read my recipes before, you know I always add a can of V-8 Juice to my soups. Last night, I added a can of Ro-Tel Tomatoes too. Maybe it was the combination of the two flavors?
Tonight, I'm using the left over baked beans for dinner. I'm going to mash them, then heat them up in a little oil for my version of refried beans. We're now out of Rice Wrappers, so I might very well have to break down and make flour tortillas from scratch tonight so we can have burritos. We'll use one of the last jars of salsa that I canned up this summer.
For breakfast, we've been making smoothies with fruits that I froze last year. However, we're almost out of yogurt, so we will be back to eating oatmeal for breakfast next week. It's what I have on hand...
Lunch has been sandwiches made from home-made bread. We've used turkey from the bird I roasted a couple of weeks ago, peanut butter and jelly, and the ham I froze for sandwiches after Christmas.
Good Golly, meals next week are going to be even MORE interesting. I'll be glad when payday rolls around!
In an attempt to keep from charging anything to our credit cards, we've been "making do" with what we have on hand.
It's made for a couple of interesting dinners so far this week.
I made fajitas on Monday night. We didn't have any flour tortillas, but we did have rice wrappers. You know, those thin paper wrappers that are used for spring rolls? We used the rice wrappers to encase the fajitas. It was a unique Asian-Mexi Fusion. The taste was interesting, to say the least.
On Tuesday night, I made baked beans. The recipe calls for ketchup. We are out of ketchup. I had a half a bottle of spicy barbecue sauce in the fridge. I used that in place of the ketchup. It had a wonderful, spicy kick to it that I really enjoyed. We'll be using the barbecue sauce for the ketchup from now on.
Last night, I made vegetable soup for dinner. It was definitely a "clear the crisper" kind of night. A half a head of red and green cabbage each. They were cut up into the soup, along with potatoes, an onion and some celery. I was expecting the worst. Believe it or not, it was one of the tastier soups I've ever made. I'm not sure what elevated the taste to sublime... if you've read my recipes before, you know I always add a can of V-8 Juice to my soups. Last night, I added a can of Ro-Tel Tomatoes too. Maybe it was the combination of the two flavors?
Tonight, I'm using the left over baked beans for dinner. I'm going to mash them, then heat them up in a little oil for my version of refried beans. We're now out of Rice Wrappers, so I might very well have to break down and make flour tortillas from scratch tonight so we can have burritos. We'll use one of the last jars of salsa that I canned up this summer.
For breakfast, we've been making smoothies with fruits that I froze last year. However, we're almost out of yogurt, so we will be back to eating oatmeal for breakfast next week. It's what I have on hand...
Lunch has been sandwiches made from home-made bread. We've used turkey from the bird I roasted a couple of weeks ago, peanut butter and jelly, and the ham I froze for sandwiches after Christmas.
Good Golly, meals next week are going to be even MORE interesting. I'll be glad when payday rolls around!
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
What a Day
I only sub in a few schools. Over the last 5 years, I have developed wonderful relationships with the staff and students in these schools. I love all of the kids that I work with, but I love the friends in Special Education the most. Those little people just touch my heart and make me strive to be a better person.
I have one little friend in particular that challenges me. I've known this little guy for 4 years now. Not once in 4 years has he ever spoken to me. Not once has he ever looked me in the eyes. For 4 years, he has ignored me, pulled his hood over his head, and sat in a stony silence until our time is over.
I have done everything I can think of to break through his shell and establish a relationship with him. I've brought in pictures of my kids and my cats. I've made stupid jokes. I've brought in stuffed animals, my favorite books, and even some of those little nano-bugs. All in the hope that he might interact with me in some way.
I've never given up on him- because you can tell he's a smart young man. Very smart. And I really want to know what's going on in that head of his.
Last week. I had the most frustrating day, ever.
I was subbing in Special Ed, and during the morning, I pushed in to 3 different classes.
I arrive in the first class and sit down at the table with my first little group. Five minutes into the group, one of the kids suddenly looks really pale, we smell a horrible smell, and the kid starts to cry and everyone goes "eewww". Diarrhea. All over everything.
I took that child down to the nurse. The teacher took the class out for a walk down the halls, and the custodian worked his magic.
I doused myself in as much Purell as I possibly could, and headed off to my next group.
Different class, same routine. I sit down to work with one of the groups. One of the children turns really pale, turns the head, and "eeewwwww". The poor child threw up all over the floor. I ran the child down to the nurse, and the teacher pulled the rest of the class out for a walk down the halls while the custodian worked his magic.
I doused myself again in Purell.
Different class, different grade, same routine. I sat down to work with one of the groups. One of the children turns really pale, turns the head and "eewww...."
The custodian crossed my path as I was walking down the hall towards the nurses office with the third child when he remarked "Just what is it about you today?"
The nurse looked me over as I walked into her office and said "What is it with you today?"
I jokingly asked if it would do any good to bother washing up with Purell. She handed me her heavy duty soap that she uses to wash her hands, and I washed my hands, arms, and face.
My day didn't get a lot better from there, no more sick children, but it was a trying day. The kids were having a rough day all the way around.
And then, it was 3:00.
I went to go pull my little person. MY little person. The one I mentioned earlier, who I've known for 4 years now and has never spoken to me.
He looked me straight in the eye when I walked in, told me "Hello" and called my by my name. I had no idea he even knew my name.
He talked to me. He read to me. He looked me in the eye and he smiled at me. He answered me in complete sentences. That hood never once went up over his head.
When our time was up, I walked him back to class, and he told me all about the playoff games this weekend, and why he was cheering for the Broncos.
I dropped him off in his class, closed the door, and burst into tears.
After 4 years, this child finally trusts me enough to let me into his world and talk to him.
I am so humbled.
And that, my friends, made last week an EXCELLENT week.
I have one little friend in particular that challenges me. I've known this little guy for 4 years now. Not once in 4 years has he ever spoken to me. Not once has he ever looked me in the eyes. For 4 years, he has ignored me, pulled his hood over his head, and sat in a stony silence until our time is over.
I have done everything I can think of to break through his shell and establish a relationship with him. I've brought in pictures of my kids and my cats. I've made stupid jokes. I've brought in stuffed animals, my favorite books, and even some of those little nano-bugs. All in the hope that he might interact with me in some way.
I've never given up on him- because you can tell he's a smart young man. Very smart. And I really want to know what's going on in that head of his.
Last week. I had the most frustrating day, ever.
I was subbing in Special Ed, and during the morning, I pushed in to 3 different classes.
I arrive in the first class and sit down at the table with my first little group. Five minutes into the group, one of the kids suddenly looks really pale, we smell a horrible smell, and the kid starts to cry and everyone goes "eewww". Diarrhea. All over everything.
I took that child down to the nurse. The teacher took the class out for a walk down the halls, and the custodian worked his magic.
I doused myself in as much Purell as I possibly could, and headed off to my next group.
Different class, same routine. I sit down to work with one of the groups. One of the children turns really pale, turns the head, and "eeewwwww". The poor child threw up all over the floor. I ran the child down to the nurse, and the teacher pulled the rest of the class out for a walk down the halls while the custodian worked his magic.
I doused myself again in Purell.
Different class, different grade, same routine. I sat down to work with one of the groups. One of the children turns really pale, turns the head and "eewww...."
The custodian crossed my path as I was walking down the hall towards the nurses office with the third child when he remarked "Just what is it about you today?"
The nurse looked me over as I walked into her office and said "What is it with you today?"
I jokingly asked if it would do any good to bother washing up with Purell. She handed me her heavy duty soap that she uses to wash her hands, and I washed my hands, arms, and face.
My day didn't get a lot better from there, no more sick children, but it was a trying day. The kids were having a rough day all the way around.
And then, it was 3:00.
I went to go pull my little person. MY little person. The one I mentioned earlier, who I've known for 4 years now and has never spoken to me.
He looked me straight in the eye when I walked in, told me "Hello" and called my by my name. I had no idea he even knew my name.
He talked to me. He read to me. He looked me in the eye and he smiled at me. He answered me in complete sentences. That hood never once went up over his head.
When our time was up, I walked him back to class, and he told me all about the playoff games this weekend, and why he was cheering for the Broncos.
I dropped him off in his class, closed the door, and burst into tears.
After 4 years, this child finally trusts me enough to let me into his world and talk to him.
I am so humbled.
And that, my friends, made last week an EXCELLENT week.
Monday, January 20, 2014
My Accomplishments This Week
With three birthdays this past week, I can't say that I saved a lot of money!
I made three cakes from scratch.
For their birthday dinners, I made their favorite meals from scratch. For daughter, we made Pad Thai. For middle child, we made pizza, and for oldest child, we made meatloaf.
I bought the textbooks for middle child this week. Ugh. Even though we rented one textbook, and bought several used, the bill still came up to $410. The accounting textbook was the killer. It's about a ream of paper, 3 hole punched, and wrapped in shrink wrap. No used or rental copies of this "book" was available. It cost us $200.
I traded in an old, used 3 ring binder at Staples for recycling credit and bought a new 3 ring binder to hold the "book".
Even though he still has a week before school begins, he has already begun studying. He has decided that the Differential Equations textbook looks next to impossible.
For their presents, I am still working on a special surprise for daughter that I will post later.
For the boys, I bought them gift cards to their favorite restaurants near campus.
The most impressive thing I did this week?
I went to the doctor for a check up. I'm now up to date on all of my shots. My blood work has been run, and I am waiting for the phone call to let me know the results. My blood pressure, heart rate, etc. are all fine. For me, this was all about baseline data. My doctors now have the baseline data and know what my numbers should be. In the future, if anything changes, we will be able to catch it early. If the doctor doesn't have a baseline number to compare anything with, a diagnosis can take longer. It's an investment in my future health. (Just like exercise.)
What did you do this past week?
I made three cakes from scratch.
For their birthday dinners, I made their favorite meals from scratch. For daughter, we made Pad Thai. For middle child, we made pizza, and for oldest child, we made meatloaf.
I bought the textbooks for middle child this week. Ugh. Even though we rented one textbook, and bought several used, the bill still came up to $410. The accounting textbook was the killer. It's about a ream of paper, 3 hole punched, and wrapped in shrink wrap. No used or rental copies of this "book" was available. It cost us $200.
I traded in an old, used 3 ring binder at Staples for recycling credit and bought a new 3 ring binder to hold the "book".
Even though he still has a week before school begins, he has already begun studying. He has decided that the Differential Equations textbook looks next to impossible.
For their presents, I am still working on a special surprise for daughter that I will post later.
For the boys, I bought them gift cards to their favorite restaurants near campus.
The most impressive thing I did this week?
I went to the doctor for a check up. I'm now up to date on all of my shots. My blood work has been run, and I am waiting for the phone call to let me know the results. My blood pressure, heart rate, etc. are all fine. For me, this was all about baseline data. My doctors now have the baseline data and know what my numbers should be. In the future, if anything changes, we will be able to catch it early. If the doctor doesn't have a baseline number to compare anything with, a diagnosis can take longer. It's an investment in my future health. (Just like exercise.)
What did you do this past week?
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Pot Pie - it's What's for Dinner
Years ago, when the kids were little, we were reading an Arthur book, and D.W. ran across Bo Peep's Pie - a variation on Shepherd's Pie that included spinach.
Eager to try a new recipe linked to a book, I developed a variation on Pot Pie Recipe that I called D.W.'s recipe. (With many apologies to Marc Brown.)
D.W.'s Pot Pie
1 bag of spinach, washed and chopped fine
1 onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
3 or 4 potatoes, peeled and diced
1 large Potabella Mushroom cap, gills removed, and diced
1 10 oz bag of frozen peas
2 TBSP cornstarch
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups chicken broth (or, 2 cups of water & 4 broth cubes)
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla flax milk
(Or milk of your choice: cow, goat, soy, etc.)
2 pie shells
Pre-Heat oven to 350*
Spray Pie Pan (or other dish) with cooking spray.
Line pie pan with pie crust, set aside.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add a "chug" of olive oil. Cook onions, celery, and carrot until transparent. Add potatoes and mushrooms, cook for an additional 2-5 minutes.
Add spinach and peas, stir until spinach wilts.
Remove from heat, put veggies into the prepared pie shell.
Lower the heat to med-low, and put skillet back on the heat.
Add milk, broth, cornstarch, salt, and pepper. Stir constantly until mixture begins to thicken.
Pour mixture over veggies in pie crust.
Cover with second pie crust, seal edges. Cut steam vents in the top crust.
Put pie pan on a cookie sheet and place on middle rack of the oven to bake.
Check at 40 minutes. If crust is browned, remove from oven to cool. If it is not ready, leave in for 5 more minutes and check again.
If you have leftover meat you are trying to use up, add 1 cup of cooked meat, diced, to the veggies just before the spinach.
Let the pie rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
A Word From the Cat
This is Luna. I am the beautiful, young princess cat of this house. I rule with a furry paw.
Things in this house have been dull recently.
My humans had moved a delightful new toy into the living room. It was lovely... It had a bowl of water at the bottom, I could reach up and dig my beautiful nails in, and sometimes, I could climb up into it, and sit in it, surrounded by a forest of green needles, and watch my subjects move around about me. They even covered this amazing toy with lots of little toys for me! I could sit on the floor and swat at them, or climb up and hit the bonus ones - you know, the ones that go "CRASH" when they hit the floor. The humans never put those fun toys at the bottom. They always put them near the top. Silly humans... don't they know by now that by moving them up higher, hitting them became more of a challenge?
My beautiful new toy disappeared over the last week. I don't know why they took it away? I wasn't done with it!
I hate to tell you this, but my humans... sometimes, they let the food in my dish get so low that I can actually SEE THE BOTTOM OF THE DISH!! Can you believe this? I let them know when I can see the bottom of my dish by picking up paws full of food and throwing them across the room.
My boyfriend, Tiger, has gotten an attitude lately. I don't know what is up with him. I know he likes to pretend that he is all tough and distant, but this is getting ridiculous. He was sleeping on the bed with "Mom" and "Dad" the other day. They all looked so cozy, I decided to hop up and snuggle up with him. As soon as I hopped up on the bed, can you believe it? He HISSED AT ME! That's right! He dared to HISS at the Princess. Well, I showed him! I made my very best bushy tail at him, and I HOWLED at him to let him know that I did not appreciate him telling me what I could and could not do. Can you believe that he dared to swat me? Me? The Princess? He swatted me across the face with his paw!! Well, I just can't stand that kind of challenge to my authority, so I charged him and swatted him back - with my CLAWS OUT, and I showed my teeth and howled some more.
And then, oh, the indignity of it all... just as it was getting fun, and we were having some awesome roll around and hit and bite each other time, "Dad" picked us both up and tossed us both outside. He was muttering some nonsense about it being "3 in the morning".
Picky.
No more human oppression of cats! No more! I will not stand for this!
I have let the humans know of my displeasure by typing this on the laptop. I will continue to let them know of my displeasure by staging a hostile takeover of this computer! I shall sleep on the keyboard for the rest of the day! It's mine, mine I tell you!
That is all for now!
Princess Luna
Things in this house have been dull recently.
My humans had moved a delightful new toy into the living room. It was lovely... It had a bowl of water at the bottom, I could reach up and dig my beautiful nails in, and sometimes, I could climb up into it, and sit in it, surrounded by a forest of green needles, and watch my subjects move around about me. They even covered this amazing toy with lots of little toys for me! I could sit on the floor and swat at them, or climb up and hit the bonus ones - you know, the ones that go "CRASH" when they hit the floor. The humans never put those fun toys at the bottom. They always put them near the top. Silly humans... don't they know by now that by moving them up higher, hitting them became more of a challenge?
My beautiful new toy disappeared over the last week. I don't know why they took it away? I wasn't done with it!
I hate to tell you this, but my humans... sometimes, they let the food in my dish get so low that I can actually SEE THE BOTTOM OF THE DISH!! Can you believe this? I let them know when I can see the bottom of my dish by picking up paws full of food and throwing them across the room.
My boyfriend, Tiger, has gotten an attitude lately. I don't know what is up with him. I know he likes to pretend that he is all tough and distant, but this is getting ridiculous. He was sleeping on the bed with "Mom" and "Dad" the other day. They all looked so cozy, I decided to hop up and snuggle up with him. As soon as I hopped up on the bed, can you believe it? He HISSED AT ME! That's right! He dared to HISS at the Princess. Well, I showed him! I made my very best bushy tail at him, and I HOWLED at him to let him know that I did not appreciate him telling me what I could and could not do. Can you believe that he dared to swat me? Me? The Princess? He swatted me across the face with his paw!! Well, I just can't stand that kind of challenge to my authority, so I charged him and swatted him back - with my CLAWS OUT, and I showed my teeth and howled some more.
And then, oh, the indignity of it all... just as it was getting fun, and we were having some awesome roll around and hit and bite each other time, "Dad" picked us both up and tossed us both outside. He was muttering some nonsense about it being "3 in the morning".
Picky.
No more human oppression of cats! No more! I will not stand for this!
I have let the humans know of my displeasure by typing this on the laptop. I will continue to let them know of my displeasure by staging a hostile takeover of this computer! I shall sleep on the keyboard for the rest of the day! It's mine, mine I tell you!
That is all for now!
Princess Luna
Monday, January 13, 2014
My Frugal Accomplishments
I'm not sure how much I've actually saved this past week... or how I'll do this week.
All three of our children were born during this week. One birthday was yesterday, one is tomorrow, and one is Saturday. All born within 4 years. Yep, go ahead, think whatever thought it is you are thinking. I've heard it all before!
As far as Frugal Accomplishments for this week:
We had invested in the Maryland Pre-Paid College Trust when the kids were little. College tuition is due this month. Between the scholarships and the pre-paid college trust, we paid out $2,000 for this semester - for both children, combined. I have to admit, making those payments was horrendous when the kids were younger, but so glad NOW that we did it!
I stopped by the grocery store and found that they had also added a "seconds" shelf in the produce section. This is where they have veggies that they feel have passed their prime. I picked up bags of 3 yellow squash, 6 green peppers, and a cabbage for $4. Tonight, we're having tacos with spicy cole slaw.
We cooked one of the turkeys that we picked up on sale around the holidays. I have lots and lots of leftovers in my fridge. Today, I am making a batch of broth from the bones. (Read my recipe and directions for making broth cubes here: http://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/2013/06/blog-post.html.)
The broth cubes will be put into the freezer to use later.
We made baked potato soup from scratch. We bought a 50 pound bag of potatoes at the beginning of the year, and they are starting to sprout! We are cooking up those potatoes just as fast as we can! I really don't want to see those potatoes go to waste. This past week, we've had a baked potato night, and baked potato soup. We made a huge batch of home fries for breakfast with scrambled eggs Sunday morning.
We went to the used book store, traded in some old books and picked up some new ones to read. Daughter found an awesome volume of Sherlock Holmes and one of Edgar Allen Poe. Husband found a great book about the National Parks.
Have a wonderful week!
All three of our children were born during this week. One birthday was yesterday, one is tomorrow, and one is Saturday. All born within 4 years. Yep, go ahead, think whatever thought it is you are thinking. I've heard it all before!
As far as Frugal Accomplishments for this week:
We had invested in the Maryland Pre-Paid College Trust when the kids were little. College tuition is due this month. Between the scholarships and the pre-paid college trust, we paid out $2,000 for this semester - for both children, combined. I have to admit, making those payments was horrendous when the kids were younger, but so glad NOW that we did it!
I stopped by the grocery store and found that they had also added a "seconds" shelf in the produce section. This is where they have veggies that they feel have passed their prime. I picked up bags of 3 yellow squash, 6 green peppers, and a cabbage for $4. Tonight, we're having tacos with spicy cole slaw.
We cooked one of the turkeys that we picked up on sale around the holidays. I have lots and lots of leftovers in my fridge. Today, I am making a batch of broth from the bones. (Read my recipe and directions for making broth cubes here: http://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/2013/06/blog-post.html.)
The broth cubes will be put into the freezer to use later.
We made baked potato soup from scratch. We bought a 50 pound bag of potatoes at the beginning of the year, and they are starting to sprout! We are cooking up those potatoes just as fast as we can! I really don't want to see those potatoes go to waste. This past week, we've had a baked potato night, and baked potato soup. We made a huge batch of home fries for breakfast with scrambled eggs Sunday morning.
We went to the used book store, traded in some old books and picked up some new ones to read. Daughter found an awesome volume of Sherlock Holmes and one of Edgar Allen Poe. Husband found a great book about the National Parks.
Have a wonderful week!
Saturday, January 11, 2014
An Oldie but a Goodie
I have a cookbook that my mother gave me when I went off to college. I remember getting it and thinking "what am I going to do with this?"
I lost the title page, with all of the publication information years and years ago. I know it was published in the early '80's, but I have no idea of when it was actually published.
I have other cookbooks, but this is my favorite. I've looked at more recent versions of this cookbook, but I don't care for them as much because they call for more processed foods. This cookbook takes you back, and helps you make things from scratch... mac and cheese not from a box? The directions are in here!
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| Ahh- the innocence of youth! Over the 30 years since then, this book has been my go-to cookbook whenever I need to make a meal. I remember poring over the book when I got my first apartment, and all of the cooking mistakes that I made along the way. I still vividly recall the time I found out the difference between "6 cups of rice" and "6 cups of rice, cooked". My God, we ate rice every day for weeks. Do you know that 6 cups of rice cooks up into 18 cups of cooked rice? Look at that cover! |
 |
| The inside of the book. The bottom two things don't even close anymore. Every single time I turn a page, the pages fall out across the bottom. Look at the wear along the binding. The book is getting ready to fall apart! What will I do when that sad day arrives? Multiple pages are missing in the book. The index is gone. The front pages are gone. Several pages from inside no longer have holes - they are ripped. I've used the hole reinforcements on them over and over again, and over time, they rip. Those pages are stuffed in where they belong, but they fall out if I'm not careful when I pull it out from the cupboard. |
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| Damage to the pages... it's everywhere in the book. Oil spatters, food spills are everywhere. |
Ahh... but then that magical day occurred. I went to Goodwill this morning. Look what I found sitting on the shelves in the book section!
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| It's my cookbook! Look at that beautiful cover! Look at how clean and new it looks! |
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| Look! The bindings in the center actually touch each other! There's no wear and tear on the center binding! It even has a cover page. BTW, the original publication date of this book? 1981. Makes sense. I went off to college in 1983. |
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| Bright, shiny pages with no spatters or stains. All pages are intact, no pulls or tears on the holes. Heck, even the index is intact! |
 |
| Even better... look at that price! I'm not sure what my Mom paid for my book originally, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't under $3! I feel like I hit the jackpot! A brand-spanking new copy of my favorite cookbook for $2.62. I paid cash for this puppy... exact change... and I still feel like I won the lottery!
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So, do you have a favorite cookbook that you go back to again and again? Which one is it? What makes it your favorite?
Friday, January 10, 2014
Community Supported Agriculture
Have you ever heard of a CSA? Community Supported Agriculture is an idea which has been around for quite some time now. I've been a member of several different CSA's over the years.
In a CSA, a farmer offers several "shares" of his crop. These shares are offered before the season begins. The consumer pays for a full season of produce for one full season in advance. This helps the farmer with cash-flow, enabling them to buy seed and begin their season with cash in hand. As a result, they don't have to take out a loan in order to begin their season.
When the garden starts producing, you will begin getting your "share" - a box of produce - once a week for the entire growing season.
You get to know your farmer. In many cases, you also get to visit the farm. In some cases, the farmers will lower your cost of being a member of their CSA if you offer to help in the fields with weeding or harvesting a certain number of hours per growing season.
In my mind, the greatest thing about a CSA is that the food is locally grown. I am directly supporting a local farmer. I know my farmers, and I am familiar with their farming practices. I also rest easy in knowing that their food is grown organically.
The biggest challenge is in eating through all of your produce in just one week! In the spring, you will find lots of greens in the box. Collards, Kale, beet greens... I have never been a fan of them, but I know how to cook them, and I will eat them when they appear in my box.
I learned how to can and freeze fruits and veggies in self defense years ago when I didn't want the produce to go bad, but there was no way we could eat everything in time! I began with jam and quickly moved out from there. Freezing was easy for me. We had a freezer, and most veggies only require that they be blanched for a few minutes in boiling water before they are submerged in ice water and then frozen. For me, a young Mom with three kids under the age of four, I could prep and freeze a whole bunch of veggies during nap time, and get everything cleaned up before the kids got up and moving again.
If you live in a city, or in a house with no yard for growing lots of produce, a CSA is a great way to get healthy food into your life quickly and easily. One quick trip each week to pick up your produce is all that is required. When we lived in the city, we picked up our share from the farmer at the Farmer's Market. She had a stand there, and we would go to the side, sign for our box, and rejoice in that week's bounty. Now that we live in farm country, our farmers set aside a day for locals to come out to the farm and pick up their share. The farmers are usually out in the fields somewhere, but we've met the dogs, the cats, the kids, and, occasionally, we'll actually meet the farmer or his wife. One of our farmers delivers to the DC suburbs. He takes his truck down to the city, and has picks up over a two hour period in different locations, varying from library parking lots to farmer's markets. I met one woman a couple of years ago who drives out from the city to the farm to pick up her produce because she wants her kids to know where their food comes from, and she wants them to know that veggies grow in the ground.
I've been a member of 6 different CSA's over the years. This past summer, I wasn't a member of a CSA. We didn't have the cash up front to put up for our share. As a result, I spent a lot of time hitting up the farmer's market and my favorite little co-op produce stand. I think I have enough to invest in a share again this year, but I lost my spot with my old farmer last year. I'll have to see if she has an opening for me this year. If not, I need to find another one.
Even when I am a member of a CSA, I still hit up my local farmer's market once a week. I love talking with the farmers. I pick up extras of my favorite foods that might not be in my share. I pick up large quantities to can and freeze. Even better, I find many friends at the farmer's market, and I spend a lot of time catching up with people and exclaiming over how much the kids have grown!
If you are interested in finding out more about CSA's, or finding one close to you, follow this link:http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
On a side note, thinking about saving money with a CSA: You are required to make a cash investment at the beginning of the growing season. On the other hand, for about 20 weeks over the summer, you are receiving a box of veggies. As a result, you are NOT going into the grocery store to find veggies, where you will be tempted to buy other items that are not on your list. Depending upon where you live, your cost per week can vary anywhere from $24 to $40 a week. You are responsible for checking into the farm, talking to the farmers, and finding out about their farming practices. Because I hang out so much at farmer's markets, I know most of the farmers in our local area. I know which ones offer CSA's, and I already know much about their farming philosophy.
There is no way that a $40 a week/box for one person falls under the federal guidelines of $30/week/person as the bottom line for what it costs to feed a family. However, I have 5 people in my family. Breaking down a $40/week box by 5, I am paying $8/week/person for a box of organic, locally grown produce that was picked less than 24 hours ago. The only way I'm going to beat that price is to grow it myself. Even though I do grow some of my own food, I don't grow the variety of items that I find in a CSA box.
Some food for thought!
In a CSA, a farmer offers several "shares" of his crop. These shares are offered before the season begins. The consumer pays for a full season of produce for one full season in advance. This helps the farmer with cash-flow, enabling them to buy seed and begin their season with cash in hand. As a result, they don't have to take out a loan in order to begin their season.
When the garden starts producing, you will begin getting your "share" - a box of produce - once a week for the entire growing season.
You get to know your farmer. In many cases, you also get to visit the farm. In some cases, the farmers will lower your cost of being a member of their CSA if you offer to help in the fields with weeding or harvesting a certain number of hours per growing season.
In my mind, the greatest thing about a CSA is that the food is locally grown. I am directly supporting a local farmer. I know my farmers, and I am familiar with their farming practices. I also rest easy in knowing that their food is grown organically.
The biggest challenge is in eating through all of your produce in just one week! In the spring, you will find lots of greens in the box. Collards, Kale, beet greens... I have never been a fan of them, but I know how to cook them, and I will eat them when they appear in my box.
I learned how to can and freeze fruits and veggies in self defense years ago when I didn't want the produce to go bad, but there was no way we could eat everything in time! I began with jam and quickly moved out from there. Freezing was easy for me. We had a freezer, and most veggies only require that they be blanched for a few minutes in boiling water before they are submerged in ice water and then frozen. For me, a young Mom with three kids under the age of four, I could prep and freeze a whole bunch of veggies during nap time, and get everything cleaned up before the kids got up and moving again.
If you live in a city, or in a house with no yard for growing lots of produce, a CSA is a great way to get healthy food into your life quickly and easily. One quick trip each week to pick up your produce is all that is required. When we lived in the city, we picked up our share from the farmer at the Farmer's Market. She had a stand there, and we would go to the side, sign for our box, and rejoice in that week's bounty. Now that we live in farm country, our farmers set aside a day for locals to come out to the farm and pick up their share. The farmers are usually out in the fields somewhere, but we've met the dogs, the cats, the kids, and, occasionally, we'll actually meet the farmer or his wife. One of our farmers delivers to the DC suburbs. He takes his truck down to the city, and has picks up over a two hour period in different locations, varying from library parking lots to farmer's markets. I met one woman a couple of years ago who drives out from the city to the farm to pick up her produce because she wants her kids to know where their food comes from, and she wants them to know that veggies grow in the ground.
I've been a member of 6 different CSA's over the years. This past summer, I wasn't a member of a CSA. We didn't have the cash up front to put up for our share. As a result, I spent a lot of time hitting up the farmer's market and my favorite little co-op produce stand. I think I have enough to invest in a share again this year, but I lost my spot with my old farmer last year. I'll have to see if she has an opening for me this year. If not, I need to find another one.
Even when I am a member of a CSA, I still hit up my local farmer's market once a week. I love talking with the farmers. I pick up extras of my favorite foods that might not be in my share. I pick up large quantities to can and freeze. Even better, I find many friends at the farmer's market, and I spend a lot of time catching up with people and exclaiming over how much the kids have grown!
If you are interested in finding out more about CSA's, or finding one close to you, follow this link:http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
On a side note, thinking about saving money with a CSA: You are required to make a cash investment at the beginning of the growing season. On the other hand, for about 20 weeks over the summer, you are receiving a box of veggies. As a result, you are NOT going into the grocery store to find veggies, where you will be tempted to buy other items that are not on your list. Depending upon where you live, your cost per week can vary anywhere from $24 to $40 a week. You are responsible for checking into the farm, talking to the farmers, and finding out about their farming practices. Because I hang out so much at farmer's markets, I know most of the farmers in our local area. I know which ones offer CSA's, and I already know much about their farming philosophy.
There is no way that a $40 a week/box for one person falls under the federal guidelines of $30/week/person as the bottom line for what it costs to feed a family. However, I have 5 people in my family. Breaking down a $40/week box by 5, I am paying $8/week/person for a box of organic, locally grown produce that was picked less than 24 hours ago. The only way I'm going to beat that price is to grow it myself. Even though I do grow some of my own food, I don't grow the variety of items that I find in a CSA box.
Some food for thought!
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Shut Up and Eat It
No, I don't say this to my kids.
It's the name of the catch-all casserole that I make once every few weeks.
Over the course of a week, I save our odds and ends of meals. Some of it, I take to school with me for lunch.
Some of it is eaten by the kids when they get home from school.
The rest sits quietly in containers in the fridge. On a Thursday night, when the week is almost over, I put all of the leftovers into a 9" x 13" baking dish and call it dinner. My affectionate name for this is "Shut up and Eat it!"
Tonight's combination has some leftover bean soup, chicken and rice, extra chicken broth to help thin the soup, and leftover veggies. For this particular combination, I tossed two almost empty jars of salsa on top of the combination and a handful of Monterey Jack cheese. (I had shredded a pound of cheese last week, and this was what was left in the container. It really was just a handful.)
I stirred together the chicken & rice, beans, broth, and leftover veggies. (This week, it was corn.) I spread the salsa and cheese evenly over the top, and baked it in a 350* oven for 20 minutes.
The combination was surprisingly good!
In the past, I have used everything from leftover hamburgers, to hot dogs to make a decent dinner for the family. I've tied it together with dried pasta to help sop up some of the liquid, or a can of cream of whatever soup. I've made a pot of soup from scratch, and then taken the leftovers and mixed them with other leftovers and a handful of pasta. The possibilities are endless, and usually, the combinations are very good. Some, well... you learn over time what not to mix together.
Over the 20+ years I have made this particular combination, I have learned that some things should never, no not ever be combined, and some things that are absolutely amazing.
In the amazing pile:
Leftover bean soup, with carrots, maybe a few extra onions. Turn it out into a baking pan, drizzle with molasses.... awesome.
Leftover hamburger, mixed with corn and diced potatoes, covered with tomato sauce...very good.
Chicken or turkey mixed with rice, almost any leftover veggies, and a can of cream of... great.
Leftover baked beans mixed with cut up hot dogs and a drizzle of ketchup... very, very good.
In the not so good pile:
Leftover noodles, any kind of meat, and PEANUT BUTTER. Yes, I found that in a recipe and thought it would be a good idea. I was WRONG.. Don't EVER, no, not ever, try this. It is a bad idea.
Fruit Loops mixed into pancakes. AGAIN... it is WRONG... Don't EVER try this. It does not taste good!
Like much cooking, this is trial and error. You already have a decent idea of what combination of tastes you enjoy and which ones you won't like. After a few attempts, you'll quickly learn what works best for your family.
The ultimate idea behind Shut Up and Eat It is to use up the leftovers in your fridge, instead of throwing them out.
By making one more meal out of food that you have already paid for and cooked, you are eliminating some food waste, and you are stretching your food dollar just a little bit further. It's good for you, and it's good for your pocket book.
What is your favorite thing to do with leftovers?
It's the name of the catch-all casserole that I make once every few weeks.
Over the course of a week, I save our odds and ends of meals. Some of it, I take to school with me for lunch.
Some of it is eaten by the kids when they get home from school.
The rest sits quietly in containers in the fridge. On a Thursday night, when the week is almost over, I put all of the leftovers into a 9" x 13" baking dish and call it dinner. My affectionate name for this is "Shut up and Eat it!"
Tonight's combination has some leftover bean soup, chicken and rice, extra chicken broth to help thin the soup, and leftover veggies. For this particular combination, I tossed two almost empty jars of salsa on top of the combination and a handful of Monterey Jack cheese. (I had shredded a pound of cheese last week, and this was what was left in the container. It really was just a handful.)
I stirred together the chicken & rice, beans, broth, and leftover veggies. (This week, it was corn.) I spread the salsa and cheese evenly over the top, and baked it in a 350* oven for 20 minutes.
The combination was surprisingly good!
In the past, I have used everything from leftover hamburgers, to hot dogs to make a decent dinner for the family. I've tied it together with dried pasta to help sop up some of the liquid, or a can of cream of whatever soup. I've made a pot of soup from scratch, and then taken the leftovers and mixed them with other leftovers and a handful of pasta. The possibilities are endless, and usually, the combinations are very good. Some, well... you learn over time what not to mix together.
Over the 20+ years I have made this particular combination, I have learned that some things should never, no not ever be combined, and some things that are absolutely amazing.
In the amazing pile:
Leftover bean soup, with carrots, maybe a few extra onions. Turn it out into a baking pan, drizzle with molasses.... awesome.
Leftover hamburger, mixed with corn and diced potatoes, covered with tomato sauce...very good.
Chicken or turkey mixed with rice, almost any leftover veggies, and a can of cream of... great.
Leftover baked beans mixed with cut up hot dogs and a drizzle of ketchup... very, very good.
In the not so good pile:
Leftover noodles, any kind of meat, and PEANUT BUTTER. Yes, I found that in a recipe and thought it would be a good idea. I was WRONG.. Don't EVER, no, not ever, try this. It is a bad idea.
Fruit Loops mixed into pancakes. AGAIN... it is WRONG... Don't EVER try this. It does not taste good!
Like much cooking, this is trial and error. You already have a decent idea of what combination of tastes you enjoy and which ones you won't like. After a few attempts, you'll quickly learn what works best for your family.
The ultimate idea behind Shut Up and Eat It is to use up the leftovers in your fridge, instead of throwing them out.
By making one more meal out of food that you have already paid for and cooked, you are eliminating some food waste, and you are stretching your food dollar just a little bit further. It's good for you, and it's good for your pocket book.
What is your favorite thing to do with leftovers?
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
How old are you?
When I was subbing in second grade yesterday, the class asked me how old I was.
"How old do you think I am?" I asked, bracing myself for their answer. I've played this game before, and I've been pegged as anywhere between 35 and 70. (Hint: I celebrated my 12th annual 36th birthday last year.)
The kids held an intense discussion, where every number from 16 to 35 was discussed.
Finally, the number 29 was announced as my age.
I told them that they are my favorite class, EVER!
"How old do you think I am?" I asked, bracing myself for their answer. I've played this game before, and I've been pegged as anywhere between 35 and 70. (Hint: I celebrated my 12th annual 36th birthday last year.)
The kids held an intense discussion, where every number from 16 to 35 was discussed.
Finally, the number 29 was announced as my age.
I told them that they are my favorite class, EVER!
Monday, January 6, 2014
My Frugal Accomplishments
In advance of the bitter cold moving across much of the nation, we made certain we had enough firewood. We had a half cord of wood at the beginning of the season, and we never run through that much in a year. Surprise! This is the year that broke those rules! We have already run through that half cord of wood, and it's only the first week of January. We ran out and bought a quarter of a cord over the weekend. We need to get out and take care of this situation as soon as the weather warms up again. This was poor planning on our part... we really should have made certain that we had a full cord of wood before winter hit.
We both stopped on the way home from work tonight and filled the gas tanks in our cars. Full tanks are less likely to freeze overnight in this cold. Before winter set in, we had winterized the house by turning off the outside water spigots from inside the house, and unhooked the garden hoses. Tonight, we'll leave the doors under the sinks open to make certain that heat can get around the pipes so that they don't freeze. If I had pipes in my ceiling, I would be up in the ceiling, making certain that they were covered by the insulation before they froze. (Do you have water sprinklers in your house? Then you have water pipes in your ceiling.) We have exposed pipes in the laundry room in our basement. We plugged the space heater in down there earlier today, to keep the pipes warm. Now, we're going to cross our fingers and pray that the power doesn't go out.
We went out to our favorite produce stand and bought a 50 pound bag of potatoes for $20.
I spent $1.00 on two giant bulbs of Kohlrabi.
I spent $1.00 for three pounds of beets.
I found an awesome bag of produce on the seconds shelf, with two heads of lettuce and six bell peppers for 50 cents.
I made a huge pot of bean soup with a portion of the ham bone leftover from Christmas. The ham bone was jointed, so I cut it in half. I'll use the other half to make another pot of soup tomorrow. The ham soup made two separate dinners for all 5 of us. I packed the leftovers up into three bowls, which I sent back to college with oldest child this morning.
We made Red Flannel Hash with the beets and a head of cabbage that was in the fridge.
We made a stir fry from some of the bell peppers, kohlrabi, mushrooms, and two bags of frozen broccoli I had in the freezer. The sauce was a home-made sauce made from a recipe I found in my cookbook that we've been using for years. It is a spicy sauce that is reminiscent of Szechuan, but not quite that hot.
We had a salad for lunch made with the lettuce from the bag of seconds.
Tonight's dinner was a vegetarian lasagna. I cut up all of the rest of the odds and ends of veggies we had sitting in the fridge and put them into the spaghetti sauce to go into the lasagna. A bell pepper, spinach, an onion, a handful of mushrooms, and a carrot went into tonight's pot.
We made a Shepherd's Pie. Made with ground beef, a bag of frozen mixed veggies, and a whole bunch of mashed potatoes, this was a quick and easy dinner. The biggest disappointment was that we had no leftovers!
I finished sorting our digital pictures from 2011. They've been stored on my back up drive, and on a third party host. I've put them into the 2011 folder and sorted them by event. My next goal will be to get them organized into an album before the end of 2014!
We spent a lot of fun time together as a family, we played Monopoly, Apples to Apples, 4 Kings in a Corner, and Pathway.
We celebrated my husband's birthday with the broccoli stir fry and a cake, and then we watched Sherlock. Our birthday present to him was a scrapbook that we put together of our trip to the Pacific Northwest over this past summer.
What did you do to save money this week?
We both stopped on the way home from work tonight and filled the gas tanks in our cars. Full tanks are less likely to freeze overnight in this cold. Before winter set in, we had winterized the house by turning off the outside water spigots from inside the house, and unhooked the garden hoses. Tonight, we'll leave the doors under the sinks open to make certain that heat can get around the pipes so that they don't freeze. If I had pipes in my ceiling, I would be up in the ceiling, making certain that they were covered by the insulation before they froze. (Do you have water sprinklers in your house? Then you have water pipes in your ceiling.) We have exposed pipes in the laundry room in our basement. We plugged the space heater in down there earlier today, to keep the pipes warm. Now, we're going to cross our fingers and pray that the power doesn't go out.
We went out to our favorite produce stand and bought a 50 pound bag of potatoes for $20.
I spent $1.00 on two giant bulbs of Kohlrabi.
I spent $1.00 for three pounds of beets.
I found an awesome bag of produce on the seconds shelf, with two heads of lettuce and six bell peppers for 50 cents.
I made a huge pot of bean soup with a portion of the ham bone leftover from Christmas. The ham bone was jointed, so I cut it in half. I'll use the other half to make another pot of soup tomorrow. The ham soup made two separate dinners for all 5 of us. I packed the leftovers up into three bowls, which I sent back to college with oldest child this morning.
We made Red Flannel Hash with the beets and a head of cabbage that was in the fridge.
We made a stir fry from some of the bell peppers, kohlrabi, mushrooms, and two bags of frozen broccoli I had in the freezer. The sauce was a home-made sauce made from a recipe I found in my cookbook that we've been using for years. It is a spicy sauce that is reminiscent of Szechuan, but not quite that hot.
We had a salad for lunch made with the lettuce from the bag of seconds.
Tonight's dinner was a vegetarian lasagna. I cut up all of the rest of the odds and ends of veggies we had sitting in the fridge and put them into the spaghetti sauce to go into the lasagna. A bell pepper, spinach, an onion, a handful of mushrooms, and a carrot went into tonight's pot.
We made a Shepherd's Pie. Made with ground beef, a bag of frozen mixed veggies, and a whole bunch of mashed potatoes, this was a quick and easy dinner. The biggest disappointment was that we had no leftovers!
I finished sorting our digital pictures from 2011. They've been stored on my back up drive, and on a third party host. I've put them into the 2011 folder and sorted them by event. My next goal will be to get them organized into an album before the end of 2014!
We spent a lot of fun time together as a family, we played Monopoly, Apples to Apples, 4 Kings in a Corner, and Pathway.
We celebrated my husband's birthday with the broccoli stir fry and a cake, and then we watched Sherlock. Our birthday present to him was a scrapbook that we put together of our trip to the Pacific Northwest over this past summer.
What did you do to save money this week?
Friday, January 3, 2014
Trapped, by God! I was trapped!
I briefly mentioned our hall bathroom yesterday.
Last night, I used that bathroom. As usual, I shut the door behind me.
When I attempted to leave the bathroom, the doorknob would not turn, and when it did turn, it didn't turn enough to clear the metal plate in the door jamb.
I banged on the door, and husband came running. He attempted to push the door open. He attempted to throw himself against the door, and it still wouldn't give. I guess hollow core doors were made of higher quality stuff back in the seventies!!
Husband got his toolbox and began trying to remove the doorknob.
Meanwhile, I was in a toasty little room where I had access to water and (even more important) the toilet. If push came to shove, I could curl up and sleep in the bathtub.
I was sitting there, listening to the sounds of tinkering when I heard a knock on the window behind me. Oldest child had come around through the outside of the house and was going to help me.
Somehow, he managed to squeeze his six foot frame through the tiny window over the toilet.
As oldest child began working on the doorknob from the inside with a pair of scissors and a scout knife, there came a soft tap at the window, and middle child heaved himself into the bathroom, quickly followed by youngest child.
Picture if you will, a hall bathroom with four people squeezed inside. My kids aren't young kids, either. They're 16, 18, and 20!
It was awesome family togetherness time!
The boys finally got the door opened, and we all tumbled out of the bathroom into the hall.
Making memories together. Yep, this one will go right up there at the top of the list!
Thursday, January 2, 2014
My New Year's Resolutions
These are my big goals for 2014. I sat down yesterday and thought through many things, and I came up with this list of ten goals to shoot for in the new year.
1) 365 Grateful.
Have you heard of this? This is a project where you take one picture each day, every day of something you are grateful for. You document why you are grateful, or the significance of this picture.
I have decided that I need to focus on the things in life that I am grateful for every day. Not just the big things, but the small things, too. My phone has a camera with it, so I should be able to snap quick pictures as they occur, whenever they occur.
If you'd like to find out more about this project, you can visit their website at: http://365grateful.com/original-365-project
2) Lose 10 pounds.
Okay, I know that sounds trite, but the doctors say that losing even 10 pounds can make a difference in your overall health. After my health scare a few weeks ago, I am determined to lose 10 pounds this year. I need to lose many more than 10 pounds, but every little pound makes a difference.
3) Run.
I've walked a lot of 5K's over the years, but I've never actually run one- run the entire distance. 4 years ago, I walked the Marine Corps Marathon 10K. I finished in 1:55. (That's one hour, 55 minutes.) The cut off time for the 10K was 2:15. I beat that time. This year, I will participate in the 10K. I'd like to finish much faster, and I'd like to run larger portions of it. (Although I will NEVER be able to run the 14th street bridge. That is a wicked, wicked obstacle!) So, by the end of this year, I would like to RUN one 5K, and walk/run the Marine Corps Marathon 10K.
4) Get out of debt.
I want to make our mortgage go away. There's only one way to do that... pay up.
We're still working out the numbers, but hopefully we can take a big chunk out of our overall mortgage balance this year. We're ten years into a thirty year loan. I'd like to pay that off in the next 5 years, if we can.
5) Finish cleaning out the basement.
I know, I keep listing this as a goal. I think the only way you could understand the horror of how much stuff is down there is if I were to post a video. I'm not sure I want to do that! I've gotten a big chunk of it cleaned out this fall. I'm currently working my way through materials that were left in my basement by the robotics team. Keep in mind- my son is graduated from the robotics team, and I have no more children on the team. I really, really need to get that stuff OUT of my basement. I've thrown out trash, and I'm now sorting through team history. I've been giving it to the lead mentor of the team as I sort through it all.
6) Finish oldest child's quilt.
I started cutting this for him when he received his Eagle Scout 3 years ago. I will piece it and quilt it this year. It would be nice to give it to him in time for his college graduation next summer!
7) Spend more time with my family.
8) Finish writing that book I keep saying I'm going to write.
Honestly, all I need to do is proof read one more time and add pictures. What is my problem? Why do I keep putting this off?
9) Finish the hallway bathroom.
This is a long story for another day. We are currently saving money so that we can have someone finish this professionally. It is well beyond our skill set, and probably, we shouldn't have attempted to fix this ourselves. Oh well, live and learn.
10) Get back into my music.
The last 4 years, I've pulled back from music. I haven't been able to sing in the choir. This year, I will get back into choir. I'm going to start with the church choir.
For me, music is tantamount to worship. It is how I spend time with God. I don't know how or why I let it slip in the first place.
These are my resolutions for 2014. Will I keep them all? I would like to think so.
Do you have any resolutions for the new year?
1) 365 Grateful.
Have you heard of this? This is a project where you take one picture each day, every day of something you are grateful for. You document why you are grateful, or the significance of this picture.
I have decided that I need to focus on the things in life that I am grateful for every day. Not just the big things, but the small things, too. My phone has a camera with it, so I should be able to snap quick pictures as they occur, whenever they occur.
If you'd like to find out more about this project, you can visit their website at: http://365grateful.com/original-365-project
2) Lose 10 pounds.
Okay, I know that sounds trite, but the doctors say that losing even 10 pounds can make a difference in your overall health. After my health scare a few weeks ago, I am determined to lose 10 pounds this year. I need to lose many more than 10 pounds, but every little pound makes a difference.
3) Run.
I've walked a lot of 5K's over the years, but I've never actually run one- run the entire distance. 4 years ago, I walked the Marine Corps Marathon 10K. I finished in 1:55. (That's one hour, 55 minutes.) The cut off time for the 10K was 2:15. I beat that time. This year, I will participate in the 10K. I'd like to finish much faster, and I'd like to run larger portions of it. (Although I will NEVER be able to run the 14th street bridge. That is a wicked, wicked obstacle!) So, by the end of this year, I would like to RUN one 5K, and walk/run the Marine Corps Marathon 10K.
4) Get out of debt.
I want to make our mortgage go away. There's only one way to do that... pay up.
We're still working out the numbers, but hopefully we can take a big chunk out of our overall mortgage balance this year. We're ten years into a thirty year loan. I'd like to pay that off in the next 5 years, if we can.
5) Finish cleaning out the basement.
I know, I keep listing this as a goal. I think the only way you could understand the horror of how much stuff is down there is if I were to post a video. I'm not sure I want to do that! I've gotten a big chunk of it cleaned out this fall. I'm currently working my way through materials that were left in my basement by the robotics team. Keep in mind- my son is graduated from the robotics team, and I have no more children on the team. I really, really need to get that stuff OUT of my basement. I've thrown out trash, and I'm now sorting through team history. I've been giving it to the lead mentor of the team as I sort through it all.
6) Finish oldest child's quilt.
I started cutting this for him when he received his Eagle Scout 3 years ago. I will piece it and quilt it this year. It would be nice to give it to him in time for his college graduation next summer!
7) Spend more time with my family.
8) Finish writing that book I keep saying I'm going to write.
Honestly, all I need to do is proof read one more time and add pictures. What is my problem? Why do I keep putting this off?
9) Finish the hallway bathroom.
This is a long story for another day. We are currently saving money so that we can have someone finish this professionally. It is well beyond our skill set, and probably, we shouldn't have attempted to fix this ourselves. Oh well, live and learn.
10) Get back into my music.
The last 4 years, I've pulled back from music. I haven't been able to sing in the choir. This year, I will get back into choir. I'm going to start with the church choir.
For me, music is tantamount to worship. It is how I spend time with God. I don't know how or why I let it slip in the first place.
These are my resolutions for 2014. Will I keep them all? I would like to think so.
Do you have any resolutions for the new year?
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