It's the winter that never wanted to quit. Have you ever read The Chronicles of Narnia? In the book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the kingdom of Narnia is suffering through the eternal winter that never ends because of the influence of the evil white witch.
This winter has felt a little like that.
Middle son had a planning weekend at the summer camp where he works this past weekend. I drove up to pick him up yesterday. I drove through a torrential, blinding downpour with a 6 foot visibility in front of my car.
I pulled off at my exit, and started winding my way through the back roads up to the camp. There are two very low spots along that road that cross bridges over creeks. Yesterday, these creeks were raging rivers. I hit one low spot and for one heart stopping moment, I felt the car begin to float - the water was so much deeper than I had anticipated. The thought "Oh sh*t, I'm going to be on the news because I was stupid enough to drive into standing water" crossed my head before the wheels on the other side touched pavement and my little car roared up out of the water.
Picked up son and we drove back a different way, avoiding the standing water.
We came back through more torrential rain, and he decided he wanted to come home for a little while as he had a load of laundry he wanted to do. No sooner did we pull into the driveway than it started to sleet. For the next 2 hours, it sleeted. Then, it shifted to snow for the next 2 hours, then back to sleet for 2 hours before turning back to torrential rain again. He spent the night with us last night, and drove him back to school early this morning. Glad he's going to school close to home!
Today, it's supposed to get up to 60*, and it's opening day for baseball. The Orioles are playing the Red Sox, and I really wish I could be there. Maybe next year!
Anyway, my accomplishments for this past week:
I've gotten some major cleaning done down in the basement this past week. Husband and I decided that we are going to participate in the community yard sale next month. We're going to sell some of the things in our basement. (I can almost knock that one off of my long term list!)
As of today, all of the heat in the house is turned off. If we have an exceptionally chilly day, we can light a fire in the wood stove to take the chill out of the house.
I switched out the emergency kit in the back of the car. I switched the shoes out for a comfortable pair of sneakers, extra pairs of socks, a rain poncho, a lighter jacket, a change of clothes, and extra food that will be able to handle the warmer weather better. Among the items I put in there are nuts, a tuna salad kit, and a couple of power bars. I also checked the spare tire to make sure it is inflated and that all of the tools are there, as well as checked the fluids, and I changed out the batteries on the flashlight. I shook out the blanket, and folded it back up again. I'm keeping it in the trunk, just in case if I ever need it.
I cooked every meal from scratch, and husband and I both took our lunches to work every day this week.
I attempted another gluten free pizza crust. This one turned out well, and I'll post more about it later this week.
I've staked out the new area for the strawberry patch. I hope to have the beds put in place and the plants moved this week.
I found 20 Meyer Lemons on the discount rack at the grocery store for $1.50. I zested all of them, and then I juiced them. In an ice cube tray, I put the juice from the lemons along with a little zest. Everything was frozen. The juice cubes are in a plastic bag. The extra zest was frozen flat on a cookie sheet, and is now in a separate baggie, ready to be used.
I'm getting ready to start a new job tomorrow. So, today I'm making a pot of veggie stock to make into broth cubes. Hopefully, this will help cut down on my prep time in the future.
Monday, March 31, 2014
Saturday, March 29, 2014
The End of an Era
6 years ago, I was working part time in a library. My kids were not thriving. I had been a stay at home mom for years before then, but I had gone back to work. Over the 3 years since that time, I had watched in horror as my kids, and all of my carefully crafted child raising began to fall apart. I finally had to admit the fact that my kids needed me, at home. They needed their Mom. They needed someone to be there when they walked in the door. They needed someone to talk to the minute they walked in the door, and they needed the stability that only comes along when one person is constantly home to run the house.
For the 2 years after that, I was a full time stay at home mom. My father in law died. A child in daughter's class died from Leukemia at the age of 12. I child in my son's class died in a car crash- her 18 year old brother was driving, and she was 14. Another child at the high school died of Leukemia. A friend of the kids lost their father. He had brain cancer, and he left behind 3 children, ages 12, 14, and 16. It was a tough time. No one wants to face these harsh realities of life. I am forever grateful that I was able to be home with the kids. Times were tough. The loss of three young lives was difficult enough for the parents. The loss of those lives so quickly- one right after the other was devastating for everyone, but all of the kids took it very hard. The loss of grandpa, and the loss of Mr. Ed, hit the kids hard. Father's aren't supposed to die when their kids are still at home. And Grandpa. Well, he was invincible. It was inconceivable that he could be gone. The kids took it hard. Daughter took it hardest of all.
Things started to stabilize, and I tried to get back into the library. In spite of what the library had said when I took the time off, they had no space for me. Multiple positions opened up, I submitted my resume, but somehow, they never called me in for an interview, and they never found a place for me to go back.
Never one to be easily pushed down, I decided to do the unthinkable. I became a substitute teacher. It put me on the same schedule as my kids. I reported to work after I put them on the school bus, and I was home within a half an hour of them. Much to my surprise, I enjoyed subbing. I had a great time. It was ideal.
I had kept my teacher certification up long after I left the classroom "just in case". Thankfully, my active teaching certificate earned my an extra $25 every day I subbed. That was a nice little bonus for taking the trouble to renew my certificate every 5 years.
I enjoyed subbing so much that I began to search for a job as a classroom teacher. Much to my disappointment, nothing ever came of it. I have been to more interviews than I care to admit, but I have never yet gotten a job offer.
Meanwhile, in those years, I was active and involved in the community. I was a business and public relations mentor for a robotics team. I've been a Girl Scout Leader. I've been president of our women's group. I even managed to finish a master's degree online. (Not bad for someone who's going to be celebrating her 13th annual 36th birthday this summer!)
I was thinking last night about everything I've done in the last 6 years. The list is long. It's varied. I am very proud of the things the kids I've worked with have accomplished, and how much they've grown and become independent adults who are focused on their goals, and know how to go about accomplishing them.
My kids have grown. Two of the kids are in college. The third is a Junior in high school, and she will soon be flying the coop.
This week was my last week of subbing. I start a new job next week. I'll be in a library. An academic library. It's exciting. Working in an academic library has been a goal for a very long time. Realizing that I'm finally achieving that goal is something else. This job runs from 8 am until noon, five days a week. I'll be leaving when daughter walks out the door to the bus, and I'll be home long before the high school lets out.
I'll still be sharing stories of the kids for a while to come. I have a wealth of stories from over the years. Actually, I'm thinking of putting them together into a book. I'd like to look back on some of the amazing kids I worked with over the years and sit back and laugh at the crazy things they said and did. It was a great experience. I'm glad that I left while it was still fun. I'd hate to have waited until I was dreading the days that I went in.
Now, on to the next adventure in my life...
For the 2 years after that, I was a full time stay at home mom. My father in law died. A child in daughter's class died from Leukemia at the age of 12. I child in my son's class died in a car crash- her 18 year old brother was driving, and she was 14. Another child at the high school died of Leukemia. A friend of the kids lost their father. He had brain cancer, and he left behind 3 children, ages 12, 14, and 16. It was a tough time. No one wants to face these harsh realities of life. I am forever grateful that I was able to be home with the kids. Times were tough. The loss of three young lives was difficult enough for the parents. The loss of those lives so quickly- one right after the other was devastating for everyone, but all of the kids took it very hard. The loss of grandpa, and the loss of Mr. Ed, hit the kids hard. Father's aren't supposed to die when their kids are still at home. And Grandpa. Well, he was invincible. It was inconceivable that he could be gone. The kids took it hard. Daughter took it hardest of all.
Things started to stabilize, and I tried to get back into the library. In spite of what the library had said when I took the time off, they had no space for me. Multiple positions opened up, I submitted my resume, but somehow, they never called me in for an interview, and they never found a place for me to go back.
Never one to be easily pushed down, I decided to do the unthinkable. I became a substitute teacher. It put me on the same schedule as my kids. I reported to work after I put them on the school bus, and I was home within a half an hour of them. Much to my surprise, I enjoyed subbing. I had a great time. It was ideal.
I had kept my teacher certification up long after I left the classroom "just in case". Thankfully, my active teaching certificate earned my an extra $25 every day I subbed. That was a nice little bonus for taking the trouble to renew my certificate every 5 years.
I enjoyed subbing so much that I began to search for a job as a classroom teacher. Much to my disappointment, nothing ever came of it. I have been to more interviews than I care to admit, but I have never yet gotten a job offer.
Meanwhile, in those years, I was active and involved in the community. I was a business and public relations mentor for a robotics team. I've been a Girl Scout Leader. I've been president of our women's group. I even managed to finish a master's degree online. (Not bad for someone who's going to be celebrating her 13th annual 36th birthday this summer!)
I was thinking last night about everything I've done in the last 6 years. The list is long. It's varied. I am very proud of the things the kids I've worked with have accomplished, and how much they've grown and become independent adults who are focused on their goals, and know how to go about accomplishing them.
My kids have grown. Two of the kids are in college. The third is a Junior in high school, and she will soon be flying the coop.
This week was my last week of subbing. I start a new job next week. I'll be in a library. An academic library. It's exciting. Working in an academic library has been a goal for a very long time. Realizing that I'm finally achieving that goal is something else. This job runs from 8 am until noon, five days a week. I'll be leaving when daughter walks out the door to the bus, and I'll be home long before the high school lets out.
I'll still be sharing stories of the kids for a while to come. I have a wealth of stories from over the years. Actually, I'm thinking of putting them together into a book. I'd like to look back on some of the amazing kids I worked with over the years and sit back and laugh at the crazy things they said and did. It was a great experience. I'm glad that I left while it was still fun. I'd hate to have waited until I was dreading the days that I went in.
Now, on to the next adventure in my life...
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Eggs in the Microwave
Last week, I taught my boys how to fix 5 easy and quick meals that would get protein into their system and get them out of the door in a hurry. I didn't want anything that was peanut butter based. Oldest son relied heavily on peanut butter sandwiches last summer. He needs a repertoire of easier, healthy, inexpensive meals that he can make.
Eggs are a wonderful source of protein. One egg is a fantastic meal, a great way to start your day and get your engine running.
Made in the microwave, I don't have to worry about oldest child putting eggs on the stove and then reading a book while waiting for the eggs to cook, forgetting about the eggs and setting the house on fire.
The ingredients: egg, tortilla, a little bit of milk, a dash of hot sauce, and some shredded cheese.
Eggs in the Microwave:
In a microwaveable coffee mug, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray:
Crack one egg. Pierce the egg yellow, and whip the egg well. (I use a fork.)
Add a couple of dashes of hot sauce. (I use the green tabasco sauce because it's not as intense as the red sauce.)
Add a small chug of milk. (Like maybe 2 TBSP)
Stir well.
Put in the microwave for 90 seconds. Pull it out after 1 minute, stir the eggs again, and then zap it for 30 more seconds.
You'll have what looks like an egg ball in your mug!
Spread the egg inside of a tortilla, top with a little cheese, wrap it up, and you've got an awesome meal in less than 5 minutes!
Note:
If you don't like hot sauce, don't add it.
If I have them on hand, I'll add fresh spinach or basil to the tortilla before I add the eggs.
Eggs are a wonderful source of protein. One egg is a fantastic meal, a great way to start your day and get your engine running.
Made in the microwave, I don't have to worry about oldest child putting eggs on the stove and then reading a book while waiting for the eggs to cook, forgetting about the eggs and setting the house on fire.
The ingredients: egg, tortilla, a little bit of milk, a dash of hot sauce, and some shredded cheese.
Eggs in the Microwave:
In a microwaveable coffee mug, sprayed with non-stick cooking spray:
Crack one egg. Pierce the egg yellow, and whip the egg well. (I use a fork.)
Add a couple of dashes of hot sauce. (I use the green tabasco sauce because it's not as intense as the red sauce.)
Add a small chug of milk. (Like maybe 2 TBSP)
Stir well.
Put in the microwave for 90 seconds. Pull it out after 1 minute, stir the eggs again, and then zap it for 30 more seconds.
You'll have what looks like an egg ball in your mug!
Spread the egg inside of a tortilla, top with a little cheese, wrap it up, and you've got an awesome meal in less than 5 minutes!
Note:
If you don't like hot sauce, don't add it.
If I have them on hand, I'll add fresh spinach or basil to the tortilla before I add the eggs.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
My Accomplishments
It was a great week. I enjoyed having both of the boys home from school, but I am so very glad to have them back! Love my kids, but I've gotten used to NOT having them in the house. :)
Our accomplishments this past week:
1) Made dinner from scratch most nights. We took the kids out for dinner one night, and we stopped for lunch after church on our way back to school on Sunday.
2) I mentioned this last week: we cashed in reward points for a free night at the hotel in the town where oldest child went up to look at a graduate program last week.
3) Taught the boys 5 quick, easy healthy meals to make in a hurry. I've already featured one: Hummus. I talked about the yogurt parfaits we taught the boys to make, but I didn't actually feature a recipe for that on here.
4) Took the cars in for oil changes, had the tires rotated and alignment checked. (A very big deal with the winter we've had and the pot holes that have opened up on our roads!) Maintenance on the car might seem expensive, but replacing the car because you've neglected the maintenance is even MORE expensive.
5) Patched the holes in the sleeve of my favorite denim shirt with the iron on denim patches. I did a really small whip stitch around the edge of the patches to keep them from pulling up. Lest you laugh, this is one of my favorite shirts. I've had it for over 20 years. I really don't want to throw it out! It has snowflakes embroidered on it!
6) Hubby and I both took oatmeal for lunch every day last week and both days this week (so far).
7) Signed up for the emergency alerts from the power company. It turns out that the power company has emergency usage days, and they charge more for electricity during those emergency times. The only way to find out if you are in the middle of one of the emergency use periods is to sign up for their text messages. I'm not thrilled with the program, but it is what it is. I loved my old time of use meter, but the power company switched everyone to a "smart meter" this past fall. I am not a fan of the new meter.
8) Due to the crazy weather, I still haven't planted my peas yet. I HAVE started seeds for the tomatoes and peppers, though.
9) Daughter used the reusable lunch bags to take her chips for lunch, and she used the reusable bowls to take home-made hummus for lunch. Not paying extra for plastic bags or those little containers of hummus? I think we saved about $10 on that this past week.
10) Used the half of the ham bone from last week to make a pot of bean soup yesterday. Today, we're having Moroccan Chickpea Stew for dinner. (The link takes you to the site for Mother Earth News.) The more meatless meals we eat, the lower our bottom line.
11) I hit up the discount rack at the store, where I found great northern beans and green split peas at $1/pound, CFL's for $2.24, and Gluten-Free Pizza Crust mix for $1.50. I got a treasure trove of stuff for $20!
12) I took middle child to the playground by the airport last week. We watched the planes land and take off, went for a walk, and sat around and talked about nothing. I miss the little boy, but I am so damn proud of the man he is becoming.
13) I found soy powder. In her book, The Complete Tightwad Gazette
, Amy recommends that 1 egg be replaced with 1 TBSP Soy Flour and 1 TBSP water in baked goods. I found the soy powder this week and added the substitution. The soy flour is considerably less than the cost of each egg per serving. In addition to using home-made applesauce in place of the fats in the recipe (oil, butter), it really does help to reduce the overall cost per serving of baked goods.
14) I renewed my library books online. So nice to be able to renew online and not have to suffer the $20 in late fees I would have faced if I had waited a day or two to return everything!
What did you do to save money this week?
Our accomplishments this past week:
1) Made dinner from scratch most nights. We took the kids out for dinner one night, and we stopped for lunch after church on our way back to school on Sunday.
2) I mentioned this last week: we cashed in reward points for a free night at the hotel in the town where oldest child went up to look at a graduate program last week.
3) Taught the boys 5 quick, easy healthy meals to make in a hurry. I've already featured one: Hummus. I talked about the yogurt parfaits we taught the boys to make, but I didn't actually feature a recipe for that on here.
4) Took the cars in for oil changes, had the tires rotated and alignment checked. (A very big deal with the winter we've had and the pot holes that have opened up on our roads!) Maintenance on the car might seem expensive, but replacing the car because you've neglected the maintenance is even MORE expensive.
5) Patched the holes in the sleeve of my favorite denim shirt with the iron on denim patches. I did a really small whip stitch around the edge of the patches to keep them from pulling up. Lest you laugh, this is one of my favorite shirts. I've had it for over 20 years. I really don't want to throw it out! It has snowflakes embroidered on it!
6) Hubby and I both took oatmeal for lunch every day last week and both days this week (so far).
7) Signed up for the emergency alerts from the power company. It turns out that the power company has emergency usage days, and they charge more for electricity during those emergency times. The only way to find out if you are in the middle of one of the emergency use periods is to sign up for their text messages. I'm not thrilled with the program, but it is what it is. I loved my old time of use meter, but the power company switched everyone to a "smart meter" this past fall. I am not a fan of the new meter.
8) Due to the crazy weather, I still haven't planted my peas yet. I HAVE started seeds for the tomatoes and peppers, though.
9) Daughter used the reusable lunch bags to take her chips for lunch, and she used the reusable bowls to take home-made hummus for lunch. Not paying extra for plastic bags or those little containers of hummus? I think we saved about $10 on that this past week.
10) Used the half of the ham bone from last week to make a pot of bean soup yesterday. Today, we're having Moroccan Chickpea Stew for dinner. (The link takes you to the site for Mother Earth News.) The more meatless meals we eat, the lower our bottom line.
11) I hit up the discount rack at the store, where I found great northern beans and green split peas at $1/pound, CFL's for $2.24, and Gluten-Free Pizza Crust mix for $1.50. I got a treasure trove of stuff for $20!
12) I took middle child to the playground by the airport last week. We watched the planes land and take off, went for a walk, and sat around and talked about nothing. I miss the little boy, but I am so damn proud of the man he is becoming.
13) I found soy powder. In her book, The Complete Tightwad Gazette
, Amy recommends that 1 egg be replaced with 1 TBSP Soy Flour and 1 TBSP water in baked goods. I found the soy powder this week and added the substitution. The soy flour is considerably less than the cost of each egg per serving. In addition to using home-made applesauce in place of the fats in the recipe (oil, butter), it really does help to reduce the overall cost per serving of baked goods. 14) I renewed my library books online. So nice to be able to renew online and not have to suffer the $20 in late fees I would have faced if I had waited a day or two to return everything!
What did you do to save money this week?
Monday, March 24, 2014
My Life Must Touch a Million
I found this poem years and years ago while I was in college. The last verse especially stuck with me, so I penned it out on a nice piece of paper, and I kept it tacked to the bulletin board in my dorm room all through college, and I've had it in a prominent place over the years, reminding me that my actions affect other people. For good or for bad, everything I say or do does impact other people. I try to keep that in mind, so that when I'm dealing with difficult people, I can keep in mind that they might have had the worst day of their lives, and maybe, just maybe, my little bit of kindness is the one bright spot in a horrible day.
I wanted to share this today. I won't go into details of why I needed to see this today, but let me say, I did need to pull this up on my cell phone and meditate on the thoughts in the poem for a while.
I wanted to share this today. I won't go into details of why I needed to see this today, but let me say, I did need to pull this up on my cell phone and meditate on the thoughts in the poem for a while.
As I Go On My Way
My life shall touch a dozen lives before this day is done--
Leave countless marks for good or ill ere sets this evening sun.
Shall fair or foul its imprint prove, on those my life shall hail?
Shall bension my impress be, or shall a blight prevail?
When to the last great reckoning the lives I meet must go.
Shall the wee, fleeting touch of mine have added joy or woe?
Shall He who looks their records o'er--of name and time and place--
Say "Here a blessed influence came" or "here is evil's trace"?
From out each point of contact of my life with other lives
Flows ever that which helps the one who for the summit strives.
The troubled souls encountered--does it sweeten with its touch,
Or does it more embitter those embittered overmuch?
Does love in every handclasp flow in sympathy's caress?
Do those that I have greeted know a newborn hopefulness?
Are tolerance and charity the keynote of my song
As I go plodding onward with earth's eager, anxious throng?
My life shall touch a million lives in some way ere I go
From this dear world of struggle to the land I do not know.
So this the wish I always wish, the prayer I ever pray:
Let my life help the other lives it touches by the way.
Strickland Gillilan
It's that last line that has stuck with me through the years, and one I needed to repeat to myself again today:
Let my life help the other lives it touches by the way.
I pray that I was a blessing and a help today.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Lent Madness
When most people think about the end of April, they think about basketball, March Madness, and their brackets.
A friend pointed me to a different kind of madness earlier this week, and I wanted to share it with you today.
It's Lent Madness.
Lent Madness began in 2010. Rev. Tim Schenk is the genius behind this wonderful way to celebrate Lent.
At the beginning of Lent, 32 saints are placed into a single elimination bracket. The same kind of bracket you'd find for basket ball. Each pairing remains open for one day. Followers of Lent Madness vote for their favorite saint. 16 saints make it to the round of Saintly Sixteen, 8 go on to the Elite Eight, four make it to the Faithful Four, but only ONE makes it to the end and wins the Golden Halo.
The very cool thing about Lent Madness is that the saints that are featured are not just what we think of as the "traditional" Catholic saints. No indeed. These are people who have made a difference in the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth. Johann Sebastian Bach, Thomas Galludet, and Harriet Beecher Stowe are among some of the saints that have already been featured this year.
The Lent Madness blog entries are well written. They are funny. They are informative. I have found out about people who have made a huge difference in the world around me that I never, ever knew about before.
It's a devotional, it's fun, and it's very well written.
I do have to state here that Lent Madness began as an idea in the Episcopal Church. However, the Lent Madness movement itself has become Ecumenical and has transcended all boundaries of religion.
I'm going to quote here from the Lent Madness Website, just a little more information about the purpose of Lent Madness:
As Lent Madness continues to grow and evolve, what won’t change is the essence of Lent Madness: allowing people to get to know some amazing people who have come before us in the faith and reminding one another that there’s no reason for a dreary Lenten discipline. If this helps people connect with the risen Christ during this season of penitence and renewal, and have a bit of fun in the process, then it continues to be worthwhile.
It's not too late to join in the fun for this Lenten season!
A friend pointed me to a different kind of madness earlier this week, and I wanted to share it with you today.
It's Lent Madness.
Lent Madness began in 2010. Rev. Tim Schenk is the genius behind this wonderful way to celebrate Lent.
At the beginning of Lent, 32 saints are placed into a single elimination bracket. The same kind of bracket you'd find for basket ball. Each pairing remains open for one day. Followers of Lent Madness vote for their favorite saint. 16 saints make it to the round of Saintly Sixteen, 8 go on to the Elite Eight, four make it to the Faithful Four, but only ONE makes it to the end and wins the Golden Halo.
The very cool thing about Lent Madness is that the saints that are featured are not just what we think of as the "traditional" Catholic saints. No indeed. These are people who have made a difference in the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth. Johann Sebastian Bach, Thomas Galludet, and Harriet Beecher Stowe are among some of the saints that have already been featured this year.
The Lent Madness blog entries are well written. They are funny. They are informative. I have found out about people who have made a huge difference in the world around me that I never, ever knew about before.
It's a devotional, it's fun, and it's very well written.
I do have to state here that Lent Madness began as an idea in the Episcopal Church. However, the Lent Madness movement itself has become Ecumenical and has transcended all boundaries of religion.
I'm going to quote here from the Lent Madness Website, just a little more information about the purpose of Lent Madness:
As Lent Madness continues to grow and evolve, what won’t change is the essence of Lent Madness: allowing people to get to know some amazing people who have come before us in the faith and reminding one another that there’s no reason for a dreary Lenten discipline. If this helps people connect with the risen Christ during this season of penitence and renewal, and have a bit of fun in the process, then it continues to be worthwhile.
It's not too late to join in the fun for this Lenten season!
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Saturday, March 22, 2014
Hummus
My goal for this week was to teach my oldest child how to make 5 healthy, easy items to eat that would take a minimal amount of prep.
Earlier this week, we taught oldest child how to make a yogurt parfait. By layering fruit (fresh or frozen), yogurt, and granola, you have a very decent, quick breakfast. If the granola that you use has nuts in it, you have just cranked the protein level up a notch.
The second of five items that we taught him to make was Hummus. A quick and easy meal, hummus is power packed with protein. A minimum of ingredients, a whirl in a blender or food processor, and you've got a meal that can hold you for hours. Hummus can be eaten with pretzels, pita bread chips, put in between slices of bread for substance in a veggie sandwich, the possibilities are endless.
This is the recipe that I taught the boys to make today:
Hummus:
1 can of chickpeas, (also known as garbanzo beans). Save 2 TBSP of water from the beans.
1 clove of garlic, peeled.
The juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 TBSP high quality extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sesame tahini (will be found in the vegetarian/health food section)
In the bowl of your food processor or blender:
Add the sesame tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, 2 TBSP bean water, blend well.
Add the chick peas, blend well.
Blend until it looks smooth and creamy, serve immediately.
If you are not planning on eating this right away, store covered in the refrigerator.
A few notes:
From beginning to end, it took oldest child 5 minutes to make this. The hardest part was peeling the garlic clove.
If you add too much water, the only way to thicken this back up again is to add another can of chickpeas.
This recipe only dirties one item: the blender or bowl of the food processor. These are items that can easily be put into the dishwasher.
The most expensive part of this recipe is the tahini. However, once you buy a container of tahini, you've got enough to make several batches of hummus. Your cost for this will vary, but this batch came up under $1.25. Much, much cheaper than the $5 containers of pre-made hummus you buy in the store.
Earlier this week, we taught oldest child how to make a yogurt parfait. By layering fruit (fresh or frozen), yogurt, and granola, you have a very decent, quick breakfast. If the granola that you use has nuts in it, you have just cranked the protein level up a notch.
The second of five items that we taught him to make was Hummus. A quick and easy meal, hummus is power packed with protein. A minimum of ingredients, a whirl in a blender or food processor, and you've got a meal that can hold you for hours. Hummus can be eaten with pretzels, pita bread chips, put in between slices of bread for substance in a veggie sandwich, the possibilities are endless.
This is the recipe that I taught the boys to make today:
Hummus:
1 can of chickpeas, (also known as garbanzo beans). Save 2 TBSP of water from the beans.
1 clove of garlic, peeled.
The juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 tsp. salt
2 TBSP high quality extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sesame tahini (will be found in the vegetarian/health food section)
In the bowl of your food processor or blender:
Add the sesame tahini, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, 2 TBSP bean water, blend well.
Add the chick peas, blend well.
Blend until it looks smooth and creamy, serve immediately.
If you are not planning on eating this right away, store covered in the refrigerator.
A few notes:
From beginning to end, it took oldest child 5 minutes to make this. The hardest part was peeling the garlic clove.
If you add too much water, the only way to thicken this back up again is to add another can of chickpeas.
This recipe only dirties one item: the blender or bowl of the food processor. These are items that can easily be put into the dishwasher.
The most expensive part of this recipe is the tahini. However, once you buy a container of tahini, you've got enough to make several batches of hummus. Your cost for this will vary, but this batch came up under $1.25. Much, much cheaper than the $5 containers of pre-made hummus you buy in the store.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Shepard's Pie
The boys are home on spring break this week. They've been going a little bit nuts.
I worked the past two days, and they decided to cook, clean and make dinner.
Last night, they made an awesome Shepard's Pie. I'm sharing the recipe here, using their words...
Shepard's Pie
1 pound of ground beef (get the good stuff, Mom, the 93% lean)
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 huge bag of mixed veggies (but make sure it doesn't have lima beans, I hate lima beans)
Mashed Potatoes (the kind from a box. I'm a college student, you can't expect me to mash them from scratch.)
1 can of V-8 juice
3 of those funky little broth cubes you make in the muffin tin
Worcestershire sauce
thyme
rosemary
pepper - white and black
1) Brown the ground beef, garlic, and onion in a big skillet.
2) While you are browning the beef, follow the directions on the box of mashed potatoes to make enough to serve 8 people. Use the microwave, because it's faster.
3) Once the beef and onion look done, add the bag of mixed veggies.
4) Stir the veggies in until they are mixed up really good with the meat.
5) Into the pan, add: 1 can of V-8, 3 broth cubes, 1 glug of Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of thyme, and a really small pinch of rosemary, crushed up.
6) Add white and black pepper. I'm not sure how much - two shakes of white pepper, and then you just grind the black pepper over top of the meat mix until it smells like too much and then you mix it all in really good.
7) Put the veggie mixture in a 13 x 9 inch casserole.
8) Put the mashed potatoes over top.
9) Bake it in a 350* oven for 30 minutes.
This was actually really good. I have no real idea how much black pepper went in. I know that middle child stood over top of the pan and used the pepper grinder until the top was pretty much evenly coated with pepper. I guess the best way to describe that is "season to taste".
Dinner in less than an hour, courtesy of my two college boys. Life doesn't get much better than this!
I worked the past two days, and they decided to cook, clean and make dinner.
Last night, they made an awesome Shepard's Pie. I'm sharing the recipe here, using their words...
Shepard's Pie
1 pound of ground beef (get the good stuff, Mom, the 93% lean)
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, diced
1 huge bag of mixed veggies (but make sure it doesn't have lima beans, I hate lima beans)
Mashed Potatoes (the kind from a box. I'm a college student, you can't expect me to mash them from scratch.)
1 can of V-8 juice
3 of those funky little broth cubes you make in the muffin tin
Worcestershire sauce
thyme
rosemary
pepper - white and black
1) Brown the ground beef, garlic, and onion in a big skillet.
2) While you are browning the beef, follow the directions on the box of mashed potatoes to make enough to serve 8 people. Use the microwave, because it's faster.
3) Once the beef and onion look done, add the bag of mixed veggies.
4) Stir the veggies in until they are mixed up really good with the meat.
5) Into the pan, add: 1 can of V-8, 3 broth cubes, 1 glug of Worcestershire sauce, a pinch of thyme, and a really small pinch of rosemary, crushed up.
6) Add white and black pepper. I'm not sure how much - two shakes of white pepper, and then you just grind the black pepper over top of the meat mix until it smells like too much and then you mix it all in really good.
7) Put the veggie mixture in a 13 x 9 inch casserole.
8) Put the mashed potatoes over top.
9) Bake it in a 350* oven for 30 minutes.
This was actually really good. I have no real idea how much black pepper went in. I know that middle child stood over top of the pan and used the pepper grinder until the top was pretty much evenly coated with pepper. I guess the best way to describe that is "season to taste".
Dinner in less than an hour, courtesy of my two college boys. Life doesn't get much better than this!
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Wardrobe Malfunction
FYI- I wrote this post yesterday afternoon, during my planning time.
I wish I could say I had made this up.
Everyone has a favorite pair of pants.
I have a pair of khaki dress pants that I adore. They fit me well, and I feel as if I look good in them. They have held up well for years, and they go with just about everything.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.
I was sitting in a second grade class yesterday. When I went to squat down next to a child's desk I heard a most unfortunate ripping sound. The more I moved, the more I heard "rip", "rip", "rrrriiiipppp".
Fortunately, I was wearing a long sleeve shirt jacket style over another shirt. I quickly took my shirt off and tied it around my waist.
When lunch time rolled around, I went to the bathroom to survey the damage.
My pants were torn - parallel to the seam, halfway up the back of my pants.
I had only one option. I went to the media center, grabbed the stapler, went back to the bathroom and stapled my pants shut.
I had to be careful moving around and sitting, for if I wasn't, I got poked by the little pieces of metal running up the inside of my pants.
With half an hour left in the school day, my fast fix began to unravel.
One by one, I could feel the staples pulling loose and then dropping down my pants leg.
Every so often, I'd hear a tiny little "ping" as another staple worked it's way out and hit the ground by my feet.
With just minutes left in the school day, I wrapped my shirt around my waist. I refused to sit, and stood in one corner, with my butt facing the wall as the kids were dismissed.
Like a dog with it's tail between it's legs, I slunk out of school and out to my car through a side door.
When I got home, I surveyed the damage.
A large tear extended from the waistband to the seam on the bottom.
Of the 30 staples I had used to "sew" my pants closed, 5 remained, unevenly interspersed along the length of the tear.
Where the staples had given way, the fabric was mangled and torn beyond repair.
I am grateful beyond words that the temporary fix lasted an entire 4 hours before giving way.
You'd think I would have learned my lesson after yesterday.
Today, I'm wearing my favorite jeans. I noticed a slight tear in them this morning in a spot that I thought was virtually invisible. I even ironed a patch on the inside of my jeans over the tear.
I noticed a ripping sound a while ago and managed to flag down an aide in the hallway to cover the class so that I could run to the bathroom.
Imagine that. There's a rip forming - along the edge of the patch. The edge of the patch that borders the seam. Guess where? *sigh*
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
My China Cabinet
Over 100 years ago, my grandmother and grandfather lived in a mining town. Theirs was a second marriage, and between them, they had 16 children. This china cabinet belonged to my grandmother. It was a prized possession that occupied a place of honor in her kitchen. After she passed away, my father brought home the china cabinet, with the promise that it would one day be mine. It followed us from one posting to another. Mom started to strip off the old finish, but got overwhelmed with the size of the job and just gave up on it. Then, my Dad left, and she stuck it in the basement. Every time I asked for it, she'd give me some excuse, but I'd never actually get to take it home.
Two Decembers ago, I finally got the china cabinet out of my Mom's house. It's been almost 40 years since my grandmother passed away, and for the last 25 of those years, it's been sitting in my Mom's basement. I thought it was beyond repair. The finish was a dark, dark black. Mom had started to strip it, but never finished the job. The back was covered in powdery mildew. The glass was gone. I don't know where it went, but all three sides were open. I thought for sure that the cabinet was beyond redemption, and that it would be relegated to the dump.
One of the glass doors had been broken, shattered in a fight between one of my aunts and uncles when they were younger. She got mad at her brother for something he said, she picked up a foot stool and threw it at him, he ducked, and the door shattered. Granny never replaced the glass in that particular door, but we all know the story of how that broke. I believe the other pieces of glass were lost over time and the many moves we made while Dad was still in the Air Force.
I had heard rumors though, of a restoration business in Maryland that could work wonders with anything that you thought was beyond hope. I called them, and the owner invited me to bring the piece over. He looked at it, told me the likely provenance of the piece, told me what wood it was made out of, told me he could fix it, and quoted me a price. He asked for $200 down.
Seven months later, I received a phone call from them letting me know the cabinet was done. They brought this over to our house. Can you believe it? I've never seen it look so beautiful. I remember it in my grandmother's kitchen when I was little. It was stained dark- I think it's called a walnut stain. And the glass had the coal dust sheen that she could never quite get rid of, no matter how much she tried.
We had moved the china cabinet out of the way in the hallway when we replaced the floor. (Old terra cotta floor is shown in the picture). Yesterday, we moved it back into it's place of honor. I packed away the china my Dad bought while he was serving in Vietnam in 1969. Everytime I look at that cabinet, I remember my Granny, my Dad, and his family, and I smile. It's a timeless piece of my family history.
If you're interested in finding out more about the Country Stripper (Furniture Restorations, but you've got to admit- the name sticks with you!), check out their web site. They are awesome! I believe they serve a large chunk of the Mid-Atlantic region.
Monday, March 17, 2014
My Accomplishments
We took a chance and drove down to my Mother's house yesterday. We live west of Baltimore, and she lives south of Quantico in Virginia. Her part of Virginia was supposed to receive more snow than we were. After taking a good, long look at the forecast, we decided that we could risk a trip down there and back up again. We left immediately after the first church service, and left at 4.
It didn't start snowing until we hit the MD/VA line. And then, it kept snowing. Fortunately, it didn't stick to the road while we were driving home last night.
So, I was planning on planting peas in the garden today. According to folk lore, the peas should go into the garden as close to St. Patrick's Day as possible. They will not be going into the ground today! (Probably not tomorrow, either.)
My accomplishments this week:
The new floor is down in the hallway and entryway. All that is left to be done is the closet floors. Since husband has today off work due to the snow, hopefully he'll be able to finish one of the closets!
I found a sale on the little cans of tomato sauce for 25 cents each. I picked up 15 cans of sauce over the course of the week. (I don't like to buy all of the sauce at once, I like to leave some for other people to pick up. On the down side, I went to the store on the last day of the sale, after 9 pm, hoping to pick up a rain check, and they still had sauce on the shelves. I picked up the last of the sauce while I was there.)
I made a huge pot of bean soup last night in the slow cooker. Soaked the dried beans overnight, added onions, celery and spices before we left to go to Mom's house. I was honestly thinking I'd have beans left over to mash and use in taco salad on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, I neglected to take into account the fact that the boys are home from school. We went through the entire pot of soup last night. On the plus side, the ingredients for that pot of soup cost me less than $2. Not bad for feeding five people.
I can't eat gluten anymore, but I've been making gluten filled bread in the bread maker since the boys got home from school. They've been going through a loaf a day. So glad I have a bread maker to help me out, especially since I don't want the flour (read gluten) all over my hands.
I picked up a large honey baked ham at Aldi's last week. We've been using that for sandwiches since the boys got home. The entire ham cost the same as two pounds of lunch meat from the grocery store. Even better, I'll have a bonus ham bone for bean soup when we're finished.
Husband is taking oldest child to look at a graduate school later this week. They are going to drive up on Thursday night, speak with the Physics department on Friday, and then head home. We cashed in some honor points to pay for the hotel on Thursday night.
We used our bonus points from the grocery store to take 40 cents a gallon off the price of gas to fill the van. Nice little bonus considering the drive down to Virginia and back yesterday!
Husband van pools into work. I can't even begin to tell you how much money we save on gas since he only drives the 5 miles to the park and ride every day.
The thermostats in the house have all been moved down to 60*. We've had a fire in the wood stove twice this past week - one really cold day earlier in the week, and again today. It does make the house so much warmer than the electric heat does!
Oldest child will be living in an apartment again this summer. (He lives on campus during the school year.) Since he spent last summer eating nothing but what I sent home with him and peanut butter sandwiches, I have made it my mission to teach him how to cook 5 easy, healthy things while he is home this week. Last night, husband taught him to make yogurt parfaits. That's one. (He already knows how to make oatmeal, but I'm not counting that.) Okay, honestly, I'm leery of teaching him to use the stove too much since he's been known to read a book and forget about whatever it is he has cooking on the stove until the smoke detectors go off, so we're going for easy, healthy, and microwaveable.
We made a trip to the library on Saturday afternoon. The kids checked out the episodes of Dr. Who that they haven't seen yet, and I have the first season of Downton Abbey.
What did you accomplish this past week?
It didn't start snowing until we hit the MD/VA line. And then, it kept snowing. Fortunately, it didn't stick to the road while we were driving home last night.
 |
| The view we had coming home. It's a little before 6 here, and the visibility is horrible. |
 |
| This is the view out of our front windows this morning. There is a street on the other side of those trees. Guess what? No school again today! |
My accomplishments this week:
The new floor is down in the hallway and entryway. All that is left to be done is the closet floors. Since husband has today off work due to the snow, hopefully he'll be able to finish one of the closets!
I found a sale on the little cans of tomato sauce for 25 cents each. I picked up 15 cans of sauce over the course of the week. (I don't like to buy all of the sauce at once, I like to leave some for other people to pick up. On the down side, I went to the store on the last day of the sale, after 9 pm, hoping to pick up a rain check, and they still had sauce on the shelves. I picked up the last of the sauce while I was there.)
I made a huge pot of bean soup last night in the slow cooker. Soaked the dried beans overnight, added onions, celery and spices before we left to go to Mom's house. I was honestly thinking I'd have beans left over to mash and use in taco salad on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, I neglected to take into account the fact that the boys are home from school. We went through the entire pot of soup last night. On the plus side, the ingredients for that pot of soup cost me less than $2. Not bad for feeding five people.
I can't eat gluten anymore, but I've been making gluten filled bread in the bread maker since the boys got home from school. They've been going through a loaf a day. So glad I have a bread maker to help me out, especially since I don't want the flour (read gluten) all over my hands.
I picked up a large honey baked ham at Aldi's last week. We've been using that for sandwiches since the boys got home. The entire ham cost the same as two pounds of lunch meat from the grocery store. Even better, I'll have a bonus ham bone for bean soup when we're finished.
Husband is taking oldest child to look at a graduate school later this week. They are going to drive up on Thursday night, speak with the Physics department on Friday, and then head home. We cashed in some honor points to pay for the hotel on Thursday night.
We used our bonus points from the grocery store to take 40 cents a gallon off the price of gas to fill the van. Nice little bonus considering the drive down to Virginia and back yesterday!
Husband van pools into work. I can't even begin to tell you how much money we save on gas since he only drives the 5 miles to the park and ride every day.
The thermostats in the house have all been moved down to 60*. We've had a fire in the wood stove twice this past week - one really cold day earlier in the week, and again today. It does make the house so much warmer than the electric heat does!
Oldest child will be living in an apartment again this summer. (He lives on campus during the school year.) Since he spent last summer eating nothing but what I sent home with him and peanut butter sandwiches, I have made it my mission to teach him how to cook 5 easy, healthy things while he is home this week. Last night, husband taught him to make yogurt parfaits. That's one. (He already knows how to make oatmeal, but I'm not counting that.) Okay, honestly, I'm leery of teaching him to use the stove too much since he's been known to read a book and forget about whatever it is he has cooking on the stove until the smoke detectors go off, so we're going for easy, healthy, and microwaveable.
We made a trip to the library on Saturday afternoon. The kids checked out the episodes of Dr. Who that they haven't seen yet, and I have the first season of Downton Abbey.
What did you accomplish this past week?
Saturday, March 15, 2014
In the News
Besides the mysterious disappearance of the airplane flight over Malaysia, there were some other very intriguing things in the news this week. Several of them caught my eye, and I thought I'd share them here.
Cat Traps Family in Bedroom.
Did you hear this one? A Himalayan cat got upset that his owner kicked him in the rear when he scratched the baby. As a result, the cat got angry, went after the family, and the family locked themselves in the bedroom and called the police to help them get out.
The following is the release from the police department about their response to this crisis.
"Officers arrived and cautiously opened the door to the residence, where they saw the black and white Himalayan dart into the kitchen, attempting to flee custody. Officers were able to outwit the high-strung Himalayan, who climbed on to the top of the refrigerator, and get a snare around the cat and safely get the cat behind bars in its crate.
"Officers then told the family that it was safe to come out of the bedroom. The cat remained behind bars in the custody of the family and officers cleared the scene and continued to fight crime elsewhere in the city."
(source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/11/289075547/seriously-angry-fat-cat-pens-family-in-bedroom)
I give a lot of credit to the family. They are not putting the cat down. They have kept the cat, and are working with a pet therapist to help the cat and the baby get along together.
If you haven't heard the audio yet, follow the link to the NPR article above.
Abused Animals Relocated
In Hampshire, Ill., animal control was called in to a farm with unsafe conditions. Several dead animals were on the premises, and the owners had been arrested on animal cruelty charges.
Animal control was uncertain how to handle the large farm animals. They didn't have the facilities to deal alpacas and llamas. They issued a call to the community for help, and 100 people stepped forward to help the animals find safe loving places to be nursed back to health.
Actually, within hours, lots and lots of people had stepped forward to help with the animals.
It's good to know there are wonderful people out there!
(source: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=9461999)
Ice Caves on Lake Superior
For the first time in 30 years, major portions of the Great Lakes have frozen solid. In spite of the huge economic impact, and the potential devastation of the shipping industry early next month, this unique, once in a lifetime event has inspired tourism on an unprecedented scale.
These ice caves are located a mile away from land across the Frozen Lake Superior. These ice covered caves were formed when water seeped into the cracks in the sandstone and then froze on the walls and ceilings. Access to these caves is only possible when the surface of the lake freezes enough to safely walk on.
(source: http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/lake-superior-dazzling-ice-caves/) You can see some awesome pictures of the ice caves at this link!
Woman Dead for Six Years in Home
This was the saddest article I've seen in a long time. A woman's dead mummified body was found in her home. She was sitting in her car. She had been dead for six years.
Imagine. Six years. No one missed her. No one checked up on her. The neighbors mowed her lawn and took in the circulars located on her drive, but they never thought it odd that they hadn't seen her.
The auto payments that she had set up at the bank paid her bills on time every month. When she ran out of money six years later, the bank foreclosed on the house. They sent a contractor over to fix a hole in the roof last week, and he found the woman sitting in her car.
It gives you pause, doesn't it? A moment for deep reflection and thought. Not only about your own life and how you live it, but also about the people who live around you. Can you imagine living a life where no one misses you for six years? Where the neighbors don't even think it's odd that they haven't seen you? When was the last time you checked on your neighbors? When was the last time you saw the people who live next door to you? When was the last time you saw the widow lady who lives down the street?
(source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/03/mummified-woman-in-detroit-suburb-likely-dead-6-years/)
Food for thought.
Cat Traps Family in Bedroom.
Did you hear this one? A Himalayan cat got upset that his owner kicked him in the rear when he scratched the baby. As a result, the cat got angry, went after the family, and the family locked themselves in the bedroom and called the police to help them get out.
The following is the release from the police department about their response to this crisis.
"Officers arrived and cautiously opened the door to the residence, where they saw the black and white Himalayan dart into the kitchen, attempting to flee custody. Officers were able to outwit the high-strung Himalayan, who climbed on to the top of the refrigerator, and get a snare around the cat and safely get the cat behind bars in its crate.
"Officers then told the family that it was safe to come out of the bedroom. The cat remained behind bars in the custody of the family and officers cleared the scene and continued to fight crime elsewhere in the city."
(source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/11/289075547/seriously-angry-fat-cat-pens-family-in-bedroom)
I give a lot of credit to the family. They are not putting the cat down. They have kept the cat, and are working with a pet therapist to help the cat and the baby get along together.
If you haven't heard the audio yet, follow the link to the NPR article above.
Abused Animals Relocated
In Hampshire, Ill., animal control was called in to a farm with unsafe conditions. Several dead animals were on the premises, and the owners had been arrested on animal cruelty charges.
Animal control was uncertain how to handle the large farm animals. They didn't have the facilities to deal alpacas and llamas. They issued a call to the community for help, and 100 people stepped forward to help the animals find safe loving places to be nursed back to health.
Actually, within hours, lots and lots of people had stepped forward to help with the animals.
It's good to know there are wonderful people out there!
(source: http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=9461999)
Ice Caves on Lake Superior
 |
| source:http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2014/02/18/lake-superior-ice-caves/5578095/ |
For the first time in 30 years, major portions of the Great Lakes have frozen solid. In spite of the huge economic impact, and the potential devastation of the shipping industry early next month, this unique, once in a lifetime event has inspired tourism on an unprecedented scale.
These ice caves are located a mile away from land across the Frozen Lake Superior. These ice covered caves were formed when water seeped into the cracks in the sandstone and then froze on the walls and ceilings. Access to these caves is only possible when the surface of the lake freezes enough to safely walk on.
(source: http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/lake-superior-dazzling-ice-caves/) You can see some awesome pictures of the ice caves at this link!
Woman Dead for Six Years in Home
This was the saddest article I've seen in a long time. A woman's dead mummified body was found in her home. She was sitting in her car. She had been dead for six years.
Imagine. Six years. No one missed her. No one checked up on her. The neighbors mowed her lawn and took in the circulars located on her drive, but they never thought it odd that they hadn't seen her.
The auto payments that she had set up at the bank paid her bills on time every month. When she ran out of money six years later, the bank foreclosed on the house. They sent a contractor over to fix a hole in the roof last week, and he found the woman sitting in her car.
It gives you pause, doesn't it? A moment for deep reflection and thought. Not only about your own life and how you live it, but also about the people who live around you. Can you imagine living a life where no one misses you for six years? Where the neighbors don't even think it's odd that they haven't seen you? When was the last time you checked on your neighbors? When was the last time you saw the people who live next door to you? When was the last time you saw the widow lady who lives down the street?
(source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/03/mummified-woman-in-detroit-suburb-likely-dead-6-years/)
Food for thought.
Friday, March 14, 2014
The Tightwad Gazette
I first found out about The Tightwad Gazette 20 years ago at the library. I had just made the decision to stay at home with the kids, and I found the first of Amy's tightwad books. At the time, she was writing a newsletter called The Tightwad Gazette. The book I found was the first of her compendiums that she put together.What struck me the most was that she talked in her first book about "Doing the Math". She asked her readers to do the math to see if things were worth it. For example, as far as my going back to work. We had already made the decision that it was cost effective for me to stay home. With the cost of child care, my entire salary, plus $150 of my husbands salary was being spent on childcare EVERY MONTH. Since we quickly followed up with child #2, and child #3, I can't even begin to imagine how much money we would have spent on childcare over those years. Since I was a teacher, and I know what my salary would have been over that time, I know that we would have lost money every year until my youngest child entered kindergarten- 9 years after the first child was born.
It's been a tight haul. Money has never been plentiful, and we've never had vacations to exotic locations, and we don't make an annual pilgrimage to Disney World. However, being together as a family has been a blast. I have been fortunate that we've been able to thrive on one income for as long as we have.
I will give credit where credit is due. Amy is a black belt tightwad. She reuses tinfoil and plastic bags. She line dries her family laundry in the attic of her garage. She makes bread from scratch, she cans her own produce, and grows veggies in her own garden, and feeds her family out of her garden.
I picked up many hints from her that I've used over the years. Whenever I feel the need to cut our budget back a little bit more, I'll pull her book out and read it over again, looking for inspiration, or things that I might have let slip past me in previous times.
We currently have two kids in college, and one more to go. Oldest son is on a full scholarship, and middle child is on a partial scholarship. The boys both earn money to kick into their education. This year, oldest son paid the difference between what his scholarship pays and the balance. I paid for his books. According to our agreement, this year, we cover the expenses for middle son that are not covered by the scholarship and the pre-paid college trust. We're looking at sending one more child to school in a year. Our goal is to help them get through without taking on a load of student debt, or adding to our own debt load. Middle child's expenses for us this year, including his books, came up to $5,000. We have already worked out an agreement with him that he will pay for his own textbooks next year. He will be living in an on campus dorm next year. As a result, he will be responsible for paying for his utilities, as well as any other expenses not covered by the room & board bill that we will cover. I want to have money on hand to cover his tuition and fees as well as daughter's college application fees when she begins applying in the fall. My guesstimate is that we are going to need to have $6,000 in the bank come September. Substitute Teaching is just not going to cover that difference.
As a result, I pulled out my Complete Tightwad Gazette this morning. I began reading through it, looking for inspiration, reminding myself to pay attention to the small things. I was looking for ideas for new places to cut corners and different ways of looking at this problem.
And so, I thought I'd share this with you. I will be cutting more corners, and I will be sharing them with you.
In the meantime, I wanted to share the book with you. I love the Tightwad Gazette. I find it to be inspiring and thought provoking!
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Wednesday, March 12, 2014
A Sobering Thought
I don't often get on my parental soap box, but I'm going to today.
There is a group of kids in our neighborhood who have been hoodlums for years.
We live in a fairly nice, middle class neighborhood. We are out in the far, far outer suburbs, in a mostly rural environment. Many of our neighbors commute into DC and Baltimore daily. One parent either stays home, works part time, out of the home, or works locally.
When we moved into the neighborhood, my son met this group and began hanging out with them. The behaviors I began to see out of him were inexcusable. There was one night when he decided he was going to stay out with his friends until midnight. At the tender age of 10. I went out and found him, and drug his sorry ass home. Yes, I embarrassed him in front of those kids, but I told him in no uncertain terms that we would not stand for this behavior. I was a parent, he hated me for it, and I had to suck it up and deal with it.
In order to keep him away from that group of kids, we got all three of the kids involved in as many things as we could. Boy Scouts, Soccer, FIRST Robotics, a Christian Drama Troupe, and the Improv Club. We then promptly demanded that he kept his grades at an A/B level in order to continue to participate. (He did make C's, but if he had an A to balance the C, we let it go.)
In the meantime, we dealt with vandalism from that group of kids because I wasn't being fair to middle child. We had them knocking on our doors at midnight, asking if he could come out and play. Our next door neighbor set his dogs on them a couple of times when he saw them prowling around our property in the middle of the night.
I even had one of the parents tell me that I needed to "loosen up and let kids be kids". He went so far as to ask if I "had a stick up my ass, or has it been too long since your husband has done his duty?" Lovely. What a great parent.
Anyway, time passed, middle child lost all interest in that group, and found a social group at school that was totally separate from anyone in our neighborhood. I no longer had to forbid contact with them as he had no interest in them.
That back corner of the neighborhood has had 4 families move out over the last 8 years, specifically to get their kids away from that influence.
Over the last 8 years, I've watched, appalled, the progression of things from that corner of the neighborhood.
When I go walk back there, there is usually a visible haze of smoke that smells like marijuana. I've heard rumors of that group selling drugs, doing drugs, and having wild sex. One of the boys, at the tender age of 16, has just found out that he is going to be a father in a couple of months.
All of the kids at school talk about how those kids disrespect the teachers, lie to their parents, and have had multiple suspensions.
The worst of the lot is the 16 year old I mentioned earlier. He's in the same grade as my daughter.
He's been suspended multiple times. He comes to school high. He roams the neighborhood at all hours of the day and night. He's going to be a dad. He's physically threatened the teachers, and attacked other students at school.
He was arrested earlier this week for robbing a gas station.
The police executed a search warrant at the house, and they found drugs, the weapon, and other items.
I am speechless.
While I always knew this kid was going to come to some bad end, I certainly never expected this to be it. I expected him to OD.
The ironic thing is, the father of this kid is the same one who told me that I needed to "loosen up and let kids be kids".
You know, when you make the decision to be a parent and not a friend, you make a difficult choice.
Life is not easy. You make unpopular decisions. Your kids will hate you at the time. You have to stick by your decisions. I have always explained why to my kids, giving them the reasoning behind my decisions. I will not change my mind, but I wanted them to understand why I felt the way I felt.
It was a tough couple of years. Over those tough years, when middle child would tell me he hated me, I'd respond "I love you. And I love you enough to want the best for you. You don't need to love me, but I expect you to respect me and your dad. In return, we will respect you. This respect includes looking out for you and the choices that you make."
I spent a lot of time praying for the strength to stick to my decisions.
I spent a lot of time praying for the wisdom to make decisions that were in the best interest of my children.
I spent a lot of time praying for strength for my children to avoid the temptation of drugs and alcohol that was so easily available.
Thankfully, the kids survived middle school. Two of them have made it safely through high school, and the last one has made it through two and a half years. I believe they have all made good decisions, and know how to resist the temptations of the fast life.
I still keep praying for them, to have the strength to avoid the temptations of drugs and alcohol.
Being a parent is never easy. It is hard. The middle school and teenage years are very, very hard to navigate as a parent.
One thing is certain, though. I don't need to be my kid's friend. They have friends. I need to be their parent. I need to set limits. I need to stick by those limits, and I need to hand out punishments when the rules are broken. I have my own friends. We stuck by each other like glue, meeting for coffee to discuss our latest challenges and giving each other the needed encouragement to hold steady through thick and thicker.
Yes, the kids will complain.
But, if I'm not spending their college money, and taking out a second mortgage on the house in order to pay for a lawyer to get them out of trouble? Then every last minute of being a parent was worth it.
What's the word? Priceless.
There is a group of kids in our neighborhood who have been hoodlums for years.
We live in a fairly nice, middle class neighborhood. We are out in the far, far outer suburbs, in a mostly rural environment. Many of our neighbors commute into DC and Baltimore daily. One parent either stays home, works part time, out of the home, or works locally.
When we moved into the neighborhood, my son met this group and began hanging out with them. The behaviors I began to see out of him were inexcusable. There was one night when he decided he was going to stay out with his friends until midnight. At the tender age of 10. I went out and found him, and drug his sorry ass home. Yes, I embarrassed him in front of those kids, but I told him in no uncertain terms that we would not stand for this behavior. I was a parent, he hated me for it, and I had to suck it up and deal with it.
In order to keep him away from that group of kids, we got all three of the kids involved in as many things as we could. Boy Scouts, Soccer, FIRST Robotics, a Christian Drama Troupe, and the Improv Club. We then promptly demanded that he kept his grades at an A/B level in order to continue to participate. (He did make C's, but if he had an A to balance the C, we let it go.)
In the meantime, we dealt with vandalism from that group of kids because I wasn't being fair to middle child. We had them knocking on our doors at midnight, asking if he could come out and play. Our next door neighbor set his dogs on them a couple of times when he saw them prowling around our property in the middle of the night.
I even had one of the parents tell me that I needed to "loosen up and let kids be kids". He went so far as to ask if I "had a stick up my ass, or has it been too long since your husband has done his duty?" Lovely. What a great parent.
Anyway, time passed, middle child lost all interest in that group, and found a social group at school that was totally separate from anyone in our neighborhood. I no longer had to forbid contact with them as he had no interest in them.
That back corner of the neighborhood has had 4 families move out over the last 8 years, specifically to get their kids away from that influence.
Over the last 8 years, I've watched, appalled, the progression of things from that corner of the neighborhood.
When I go walk back there, there is usually a visible haze of smoke that smells like marijuana. I've heard rumors of that group selling drugs, doing drugs, and having wild sex. One of the boys, at the tender age of 16, has just found out that he is going to be a father in a couple of months.
All of the kids at school talk about how those kids disrespect the teachers, lie to their parents, and have had multiple suspensions.
The worst of the lot is the 16 year old I mentioned earlier. He's in the same grade as my daughter.
He's been suspended multiple times. He comes to school high. He roams the neighborhood at all hours of the day and night. He's going to be a dad. He's physically threatened the teachers, and attacked other students at school.
He was arrested earlier this week for robbing a gas station.
The police executed a search warrant at the house, and they found drugs, the weapon, and other items.
I am speechless.
While I always knew this kid was going to come to some bad end, I certainly never expected this to be it. I expected him to OD.
The ironic thing is, the father of this kid is the same one who told me that I needed to "loosen up and let kids be kids".
You know, when you make the decision to be a parent and not a friend, you make a difficult choice.
Life is not easy. You make unpopular decisions. Your kids will hate you at the time. You have to stick by your decisions. I have always explained why to my kids, giving them the reasoning behind my decisions. I will not change my mind, but I wanted them to understand why I felt the way I felt.
It was a tough couple of years. Over those tough years, when middle child would tell me he hated me, I'd respond "I love you. And I love you enough to want the best for you. You don't need to love me, but I expect you to respect me and your dad. In return, we will respect you. This respect includes looking out for you and the choices that you make."
I spent a lot of time praying for the strength to stick to my decisions.
I spent a lot of time praying for the wisdom to make decisions that were in the best interest of my children.
I spent a lot of time praying for strength for my children to avoid the temptation of drugs and alcohol that was so easily available.
Thankfully, the kids survived middle school. Two of them have made it safely through high school, and the last one has made it through two and a half years. I believe they have all made good decisions, and know how to resist the temptations of the fast life.
I still keep praying for them, to have the strength to avoid the temptations of drugs and alcohol.
Being a parent is never easy. It is hard. The middle school and teenage years are very, very hard to navigate as a parent.
One thing is certain, though. I don't need to be my kid's friend. They have friends. I need to be their parent. I need to set limits. I need to stick by those limits, and I need to hand out punishments when the rules are broken. I have my own friends. We stuck by each other like glue, meeting for coffee to discuss our latest challenges and giving each other the needed encouragement to hold steady through thick and thicker.
Yes, the kids will complain.
But, if I'm not spending their college money, and taking out a second mortgage on the house in order to pay for a lawyer to get them out of trouble? Then every last minute of being a parent was worth it.
What's the word? Priceless.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Oatmeal - For Lunch?
I have no link to Bob's Red Mill. I write about them because I love their products, plain and simple.
When I sub, I take my lunch to school. The kids take their lunches in insulated coolers or buy their lunches. The teachers tend to take insulated lunch boxes, or they stick their lunches in the refrigerator in the staff room.
Since I have found I need to eat gluten free, lunch has become a challenge for me. I need something hot, quick and easy with a lot of protein. By the time I get the kids down to the cafeteria and stumble into the teacher's lunch room, I've lost a few minutes, and I'm down to 20 minutes for my own lunch time.
I eat somewhere in that time between 11:30 and 1:30, depending upon the school start time and what grade I'm working in. The one thing I can count on is that I won't be able to eat again until after school is out for the day- anywhere between 4:00 and 4:30. I get home around 5. 11:30 to 5:00 is a long, hungry haul for me.
So, I began the search for something gluten free that would be filled with protein to keep me going for hours.
Enter oatmeal. Bob's Red Mill (http://www.bobsredmill.com/) offers a fantastic gluten free oatmeal. Oatmeal is awesome. Add water and after 90 seconds in the microwave, you have a meal. Even better, if I can find a Kuerig machine, I can bypass the microwave lines entirely and just let my oatmeal sit for a few minutes before I start eating.
One of my friends asked me about my lunch the other day, and how I prepare it, so I'm sharing it here. I use a Corning Ware Grab It Bowl. It comes with a lid, and a built in handle to make it easy to take in and out of the microwave without a pot holder. I've had this one for many, many years.
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| This is one of my Grab-It Bowls. I've had it for a long, long time! |
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| Add a half cup of dry oatmeal to the bowl. |
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| Then, I chop a half cup of nuts and add them to the bowl. You know I love pecans, so in they go! |
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| Here's the finished bowl. I added a quarter cup of craisins, chopped, 1 hard lump of brown sugar that I attempted to break up before adding it to the bowl. 1 TBSP of cinnamon. |
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| Here it is, with the lid ready to go on. The great thing about this is that I can stick it in my purse or bag and carry it with me. I don't have to worry about it going bad or needing to be refrigerated! |
I tried once to put milk in my oatmeal before I left home. Bad idea. The milk leaked out around the seal and over the front seat of my car.
Two: You can use other dried fruits, too. Be creative and try different combinations!
Enjoy a quick, healthy, and fast lunch!
Monday, March 10, 2014
My Frugal Accomplishments
Did you remember to turn your clocks ahead an hour on Sunday? I remembered to move the clocks ahead, but I forgot to set the alarm. I made it to church in time for the 8:30 service, but not in time to sing at the 8:30 service. We strolled into the church at 8:35... so, we ended up sitting in the pews.
I didn't publish my accomplishments last week, so for this week, we're looking at two week's worth of stuff:
1) Hubby continues to install the floor. As of Sunday night, he only had the area around the baseboard heater and the closet floors to finish.
2) I made dinner from scratch every night. Some days it was good, some days it was excellent, and then, well.... there were those other days. I posted the recipe for the Quinoa-Rice Pilaf that we made on Saturday. (I hate to admit it, but the reason we used both Quinoa and Rice is because we didn't have enough quinoa to get the quantity I needed for dinner.)
3) The heaters in the house aren't off yet, but all of them have been turned down to 60*. It's enough to keep the house warm overnight. The days have been warm enough that the heaters are not kicking on at all. I'd like to heat the house with wood at night, but honestly, since Saturday, it's only been cool enough to need the electric heat after 2 in the morning. I'm not sure a fire would make a difference at 2 in the morning.
4) I bought seeds for the garden. St. Patrick's Day is coming up fast, and I want to get my peas in the ground as close to St. Patrick's Day as possible.
5) I'm continuing to prepare to take the Praxis exams next month. I have checked out every possible book I can find from the library, and am slowly reading my way through the books, hoping beyond hope that I can remember enough to pass!
What did you accomplish these past two weeks?
I didn't publish my accomplishments last week, so for this week, we're looking at two week's worth of stuff:
1) Hubby continues to install the floor. As of Sunday night, he only had the area around the baseboard heater and the closet floors to finish.
2) I made dinner from scratch every night. Some days it was good, some days it was excellent, and then, well.... there were those other days. I posted the recipe for the Quinoa-Rice Pilaf that we made on Saturday. (I hate to admit it, but the reason we used both Quinoa and Rice is because we didn't have enough quinoa to get the quantity I needed for dinner.)
3) The heaters in the house aren't off yet, but all of them have been turned down to 60*. It's enough to keep the house warm overnight. The days have been warm enough that the heaters are not kicking on at all. I'd like to heat the house with wood at night, but honestly, since Saturday, it's only been cool enough to need the electric heat after 2 in the morning. I'm not sure a fire would make a difference at 2 in the morning.
4) I bought seeds for the garden. St. Patrick's Day is coming up fast, and I want to get my peas in the ground as close to St. Patrick's Day as possible.
5) I'm continuing to prepare to take the Praxis exams next month. I have checked out every possible book I can find from the library, and am slowly reading my way through the books, hoping beyond hope that I can remember enough to pass!
What did you accomplish these past two weeks?
Saturday, March 8, 2014
Dinner Tonight
Dinner Tonight was another clean the crisper kind of night.
Surprisingly, the meal turned out so well, I wanted to share it with you.
It's a hearty, meatless meal that will fill you up. As always, don't go out and buy anything just to make this meal. The idea is to use what you already have on hand in the crisper. Add other things if you have them on hand, or keep them out if you don't have them.
Rice and Quinoa Pilaf
In a large skillet, sauté:
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
4 carrots, diced
1/4 pound mushrooms, diced
When the veggies are nicely softened (after 5-10 minutes, when the onions are translucent),
add 1 cup rinsed quinoa, 1 cup of rice, and water- 4 1/2 cups. (1 1/2 cups for the quinoa, 3 cups for the rice)
Add 3 broth cubes. (I used my veggie broth cubes that I keep in the freezer.)
Bring everything to a boil, stirring to keep stuff from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Cover, lower heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop about a cup of nuts. (Your choice. I love pecans, so we used pecans because I tend to have them on hand.)
When time is up, remove cover from the rice and quinoa. Stir a few times, making sure that all of the water is absorbed.
Add pecans and serve.
(I didn't have any peas on hand, but I kept thinking that fresh or frozen peas would have been really good, tossed in at the end with the pecans.)
We made muffins to go with our bake. Dinner was beyond awesome. By the time I realized I had a keeper and that I should have taken a picture of this, everything was gone!
Surprisingly, the meal turned out so well, I wanted to share it with you.
It's a hearty, meatless meal that will fill you up. As always, don't go out and buy anything just to make this meal. The idea is to use what you already have on hand in the crisper. Add other things if you have them on hand, or keep them out if you don't have them.
Rice and Quinoa Pilaf
In a large skillet, sauté:
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 large onion, diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
4 carrots, diced
1/4 pound mushrooms, diced
When the veggies are nicely softened (after 5-10 minutes, when the onions are translucent),
add 1 cup rinsed quinoa, 1 cup of rice, and water- 4 1/2 cups. (1 1/2 cups for the quinoa, 3 cups for the rice)
Add 3 broth cubes. (I used my veggie broth cubes that I keep in the freezer.)
Bring everything to a boil, stirring to keep stuff from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Cover, lower heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, chop about a cup of nuts. (Your choice. I love pecans, so we used pecans because I tend to have them on hand.)
When time is up, remove cover from the rice and quinoa. Stir a few times, making sure that all of the water is absorbed.
Add pecans and serve.
(I didn't have any peas on hand, but I kept thinking that fresh or frozen peas would have been really good, tossed in at the end with the pecans.)
We made muffins to go with our bake. Dinner was beyond awesome. By the time I realized I had a keeper and that I should have taken a picture of this, everything was gone!
Friday, March 7, 2014
That 80's Hair
I came of age in the 80's - the time of BIG HAIR.
Given a blow dryer, a can of hair spray, and hot rollers, I can make this hair into a big ole puff ball in about 20 minutes.
Of course, this is 2014, and big hair is no longer in style. Much to my eternal joy, straight hair is in style, and people with curly hair spend hours and significant amounts of time attempting to flat iron or blow dry their hair into that horrifying look that I achieve every time the weather is hot, humid, sticky, or several hours have gone by.
My very thick, very fine hair lies flat, flat, flat against my head. Most mornings, I run a curling iron through my hair in order to give it some life and body. The curl doesn't stay, but there's still a little lift and bounce in my hair, so that it doesn't conform to my head quite so evenly.
About a month ago, I hit my forehead with the curling iron and gave myself a pretty decent burn. As luck would have it, I've been hitting it with the curling iron every so many days since then- usually when I'm in a very big hurry.
Yesterday, when I was getting my haircut, I mentioned this to my stylist after she asked about the scab on my hairline.
"You know," she said, "Your hair tends not to style well with the blow dryer. Maybe it would be a good idea to go back to hot rollers. You wouldn't burn yourself as much, and you'd gain a little time, because you could finish getting ready for your day while the rollers are doing all the work."
So, this morning, I ran my hair up in hot rollers.
You know, I had forgotten one teensy little detail. Coloring your hair damages the hair itself. It damages it just enough that it makes it easier to style. My straight hair is just as stubborn as I am. It resists styling like nothing you've ever seen before.
Imagine my surprise when I unrolled my hair this morning and found that I had genuine 80's style big curls in my hair.
I attempted to brush it out, and it bushed up. WAY up. Imagine Marge Simpson, but not quite that high. I tried to push it down, but every time I pushed it down, it just went "spriong' and popped right back up again. Not even my bangs would sit down on my head.
I headed out to go run errands this morning. I noticed the teller at the bank eyeing my hair and attempting not to say anything. "It's okay" I told her. "I had a run in with a hot roller this morning. I lost."
I went past a water fountain at the library and used my fool proof "oops" fixer. Wet hands, shake most of the water off, and run through my hair. I went into the bathroom to look at the end result.
Ummm.. the part that was wetter was flatter, but the parts that were drier had more spring. By the time I got out to the car and checked my hair in the mirror, the parts that had been wet were now standing straight up on end.
I ran into a friend at the grocery store who just couldn't help herself. "I swear, I couldn't get my hair to look like that back in the 80's. How did you do that? How many cans of hair spray did you use?"
I hated to admit it, but I had to. It was an ill advised appointment with the hot rollers. No hair spray. I haven't bought spray or mousse in about 5 years.
Giving a little "tsk", she whipped a scarf out of her purse, and tied my hair down for me, making it look like a headband. I'm not sure what I look like now, but my hair isn't as poufy as it was before.
I think today might have been my last appointment with the hot rollers for a while.
Given a blow dryer, a can of hair spray, and hot rollers, I can make this hair into a big ole puff ball in about 20 minutes.
Of course, this is 2014, and big hair is no longer in style. Much to my eternal joy, straight hair is in style, and people with curly hair spend hours and significant amounts of time attempting to flat iron or blow dry their hair into that horrifying look that I achieve every time the weather is hot, humid, sticky, or several hours have gone by.
My very thick, very fine hair lies flat, flat, flat against my head. Most mornings, I run a curling iron through my hair in order to give it some life and body. The curl doesn't stay, but there's still a little lift and bounce in my hair, so that it doesn't conform to my head quite so evenly.
About a month ago, I hit my forehead with the curling iron and gave myself a pretty decent burn. As luck would have it, I've been hitting it with the curling iron every so many days since then- usually when I'm in a very big hurry.
Yesterday, when I was getting my haircut, I mentioned this to my stylist after she asked about the scab on my hairline.
"You know," she said, "Your hair tends not to style well with the blow dryer. Maybe it would be a good idea to go back to hot rollers. You wouldn't burn yourself as much, and you'd gain a little time, because you could finish getting ready for your day while the rollers are doing all the work."
So, this morning, I ran my hair up in hot rollers.
You know, I had forgotten one teensy little detail. Coloring your hair damages the hair itself. It damages it just enough that it makes it easier to style. My straight hair is just as stubborn as I am. It resists styling like nothing you've ever seen before.
Imagine my surprise when I unrolled my hair this morning and found that I had genuine 80's style big curls in my hair.
I attempted to brush it out, and it bushed up. WAY up. Imagine Marge Simpson, but not quite that high. I tried to push it down, but every time I pushed it down, it just went "spriong' and popped right back up again. Not even my bangs would sit down on my head.
I headed out to go run errands this morning. I noticed the teller at the bank eyeing my hair and attempting not to say anything. "It's okay" I told her. "I had a run in with a hot roller this morning. I lost."
I went past a water fountain at the library and used my fool proof "oops" fixer. Wet hands, shake most of the water off, and run through my hair. I went into the bathroom to look at the end result.
Ummm.. the part that was wetter was flatter, but the parts that were drier had more spring. By the time I got out to the car and checked my hair in the mirror, the parts that had been wet were now standing straight up on end.
I ran into a friend at the grocery store who just couldn't help herself. "I swear, I couldn't get my hair to look like that back in the 80's. How did you do that? How many cans of hair spray did you use?"
I hated to admit it, but I had to. It was an ill advised appointment with the hot rollers. No hair spray. I haven't bought spray or mousse in about 5 years.
Giving a little "tsk", she whipped a scarf out of her purse, and tied my hair down for me, making it look like a headband. I'm not sure what I look like now, but my hair isn't as poufy as it was before.
I think today might have been my last appointment with the hot rollers for a while.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
The Evolution of a Floor
As you may recall, I got a little stir crazy two snowstorms ago and decided to rip out the ceramic tile floor in our hallway. The tile was old, broken, and crumbling. I was able to lift most of it with a screwdriver.
The view to the front door. Good Heavens, picking up all of the grout and dealing with the dust was a nightmare. We had every air filter in the house going 24/7, and had the doors to the bedrooms covered with plastic sheeting until the mess was contained.
Progress is being made. Underlayment is in place, laminate is on top.
Two weeks later, down the hall.
Work is progressing. The cats are not complaining as much now that the underlayment is down.
Husband has been diligently working on the floor since then in his spare time. I wanted to share our progress so far.
Here, the tile going down the hall is gone. Most of this tile had already broken and/or crumbled in the last 8 years. The tile was original to the house when it was built, so it was 50 years old.
Tiles boxed up. We ended up donating them to the Habitat for Humanity shed at the dump, so they can eventually be reused.
Another view of the floor. You can see the cat down the hall. She's been complaining non-stop about the grout, and the rough floor.
I'm hoping husband gets the hall finished soon do that I can get the china cabinet moved back into place!
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
My Lenten Journey Begins
Ash Wednesday is tomorrow. For Christians, Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent. 40 days of looking inward, reflection, and meditation. Lent concludes with Easter Sunday.
When Lent approaches, many people take things away to help bring them closer to God. Social Media, chocolate, caffeine, the list goes on and on. I've found over the years that craving chocolate for 40 days does absolutely nothing to draw me closer to God. It does bring me closer to Dove chocolate, which culminates in a good 24 hour binge of chocolate eating on Easter Sunday. I'm still not sure how this brings me closer to God....
Years ago, I decided to start adding something to my life in Lent. Something to help draw me closer to God every day. Something I should be doing, but don't always do. Praying, Bible study, mediation, the list goes on. Over the years, I have always done something to help me walk a little closer to God.
This year, I am going to be keeping a Gratitude Journal.
40 days of thankfulness of the things I am thankful for. I can draw a picture, take a picture, add a memento, etc., but each item that goes into my journal must have a quick sentence or two, telling why I am thankful, what great thing it represents, or it's significance to my life.
Can you imagine? 40 days of focusing on finding the good in my life.
I try to do it here. I really do search for the good and the funny as much as I can, or else I find myself spiraling down into a bottomless pit of depression and bad thoughts. Not every day is a good day, but every day has something good about it. The sunrise. (Hey! I'm here for another day!) The sunset. (I survived this day. Tomorrow is a new one, with no mistakes in it yet!) The amazing kids I work with, my own children, the lady in the grocery store who hands her extra coupons to people in the check out line. The young man with Down's Syndrome who bags at the grocery store and always has a smile and a positive thing to say to every person who comes through his line.
If you are a Christian, and you are looking for a way to observe Lent this year, I invite you to join me in keeping a Gratitude Journal for the next 40 days.
What a difference we can make in the world when we focus on finding the good in the world around us.
When Lent approaches, many people take things away to help bring them closer to God. Social Media, chocolate, caffeine, the list goes on and on. I've found over the years that craving chocolate for 40 days does absolutely nothing to draw me closer to God. It does bring me closer to Dove chocolate, which culminates in a good 24 hour binge of chocolate eating on Easter Sunday. I'm still not sure how this brings me closer to God....
Years ago, I decided to start adding something to my life in Lent. Something to help draw me closer to God every day. Something I should be doing, but don't always do. Praying, Bible study, mediation, the list goes on. Over the years, I have always done something to help me walk a little closer to God.
This year, I am going to be keeping a Gratitude Journal.
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| Inside the front cover of my journal. I've got a plan for the front cover, but it won't be ready until tonight, we will be burning the palms from last year to make the ashes for the Ash Weds. service tomorrow. |
40 days of thankfulness of the things I am thankful for. I can draw a picture, take a picture, add a memento, etc., but each item that goes into my journal must have a quick sentence or two, telling why I am thankful, what great thing it represents, or it's significance to my life.
Can you imagine? 40 days of focusing on finding the good in my life.
I try to do it here. I really do search for the good and the funny as much as I can, or else I find myself spiraling down into a bottomless pit of depression and bad thoughts. Not every day is a good day, but every day has something good about it. The sunrise. (Hey! I'm here for another day!) The sunset. (I survived this day. Tomorrow is a new one, with no mistakes in it yet!) The amazing kids I work with, my own children, the lady in the grocery store who hands her extra coupons to people in the check out line. The young man with Down's Syndrome who bags at the grocery store and always has a smile and a positive thing to say to every person who comes through his line.
If you are a Christian, and you are looking for a way to observe Lent this year, I invite you to join me in keeping a Gratitude Journal for the next 40 days.
What a difference we can make in the world when we focus on finding the good in the world around us.
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| I added this to my journal last week. One of my little girls made this for me. She came to this country 4 years ago from an orphanage. When she came, she couldn't walk, or hold up her own head. After running down the hall to come to class, she made this bracelet for me, all the while chatting about what she is learning in school, and the latest book she was reading. What a gift this young lady is. And what a gift her family is to this young lady. |
Monday, March 3, 2014
Food Inflation
If you've been in a grocery store lately, you've noticed that something funny is going on...
Package sizes seem to be shrinking, even though the price remains the same.
This phenomenon is commonly referred to as food inflation.
Have you taken a look at the farm situation for this coming year? The Mid-Atlantic region is still covered in snow. Typically, our fields are beginning to dry out this time of year, and the soil would be ready for our early spring crops in two weeks. Considering we just received a new blanket of snow today, albeit a thin one, I think it's safe to say that early spring crops might not make it into the ground until the end of March.
California is suffering from the worst multi-year drought they've had since they began keeping records.
Florida lost much of its winter crops with the weather we've had this winter.
And what about the farm land that was inundated last spring along the Mississippi River? It's going to be a couple of years before that land will be ready for commercial farming again.
It's not going to be long before the food manufacturers raise prices across the board and stop shrinking package sizes.
So, what can you do to help cut down on your own food costs?
I have a list of things that we've done. For most of the last 20 years, I've been a stay at home mom, and we've lived off of one income. For the past 4 years, I've worked as a substitute teacher. Most of that money has been set aside to help pay for the textbooks and some other related college expenses the kids have. I do have a few tricks up my sleeve to help cut the food budget that I've learned along the way.
1) Cook from scratch. ALL of the time.
It is healthier than using processed foods, and ultimately, it is cheaper. If you work outside of the home, I know that this can be difficult. I have several strategies that I use to help keep the stress down on working days:
2) Use your leftovers.
As hubby's lunch the next day. As part of another dinner. In a casserole or soup. Never, no not ever, do not ever throw anything out. I currently have a Rubbermaid container in the freezer, holding leftovers - a little bit of green beans, some rice, and some carrots. When the container is full, this will be the basis for a soup.
3) Bake your own bread.
Easy to do. You don't need a bread machine. It's easy to whip out a loaf of home-made bread in a few hours.
4) Eat more soup.
For the investment of a handful of veggies and some broth, you can have a rich soup that will satisfy a family of many for pennies. Even better, leftover soup can be enriched with a handful of other leftovers and some pasta to make a tasty casserole on another day.
5) Shop at Farmer's Markets.
Okay, unless if you live in a warm climate, there aren't any open at this time of year. Keep an eye open for them. Buying directly from your local farmers, you are cutting out the middle man and saving on your bottom line. Once you get to know a farmer, they'll also hold back a large order for you if you ask a week ahead.
6) Plant a garden.
Now's the time to get those seeds started! The payoff won't be for a few months yet, but you will basically have FREE food. Even if you live in an apartment, you can still have sprouts in a jar on a windowsill, or veggies in a pot on your patio. (A POT garden! Get it? A POT garden!!) And yes, husband and I had a pot garden on our balcony when we were first married. We grew tomatoes and green peppers, and herbs. Herbs are expensive! (I mortified my very proper MIL when I told her we had a pot garden going....)
7) Learn how to preserve food.
Freezing, Canning, and dehydrating. Start looking into it now. Believe me, there is nothing like going to the cupboard and finding rows and rows of food waiting for you... food that you put up. If you don't know how to can, research the internet. Patrice Lewis has an excellent guide on how to can on her website: http://www.rural-revolution.com/., and here: http://www.rural-revolution.com/search/label/canning
I will say this- canning IS a science. There are precise guidelines on how to can for a reason. Botulism kills - and if you are haphazard in your canning, you will discover what Botulism can do to your intestinal system. Follow those rules and guidelines to the letter. I learned how to can from my mother and grandmother when I was little, and then I took a "refresher" class from my home extension service before I began canning again. I love what Patrice has to say about canning, and I am diligent about following my Ball Blue Book of Canning to the letter.
8) Pick Your Own
Find a pick your own farm near you. These farms have lower prices, and they offer a volume discount. In a typical year, I hit up our local pick your own farms for several bushels of tomatoes, apples, peaches, green beans, and corn. Even better, when I patronize my local pick your own farmer, I'm supporting a local farmer, and keeping the money in my local economy. I desperately want our local family farmers to be able to stay in business!
9) Coupons
Are they worth it? Mostly, coupons are for highly processed foods. I try to stay away from them as much as possible. I know they are fast and easy, but I have begun to wonder what the future "price" will be - high blood pressure? diabetes? some weird chemical floating around in my system? Since I've had to give up gluten, there really isn't much that I can eat that's covered by a coupon. (I do use coupons on personal hygiene items when I can find them- soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc.)
10) Meatless Mondays (and other days)
Meat is expensive. Cutting meat out of at least one meal a week is going to save you at least $5 a week. If you do use meat for a meal, make sure you can get the most out of it that you can. A meat based meal, leftovers for a casserole, and a bone for soup or broth is a pretty decent haul on a whole chicken or a roast.
It's not easy, but all of this is worth it if you want to lower your overall expenses. My husband says "It's like earning money, but it's not taxed."
Bonus- our overall health will improve if we eat fewer processed foods and graze a little bit further down the food chain.
Package sizes seem to be shrinking, even though the price remains the same.
This phenomenon is commonly referred to as food inflation.
Have you taken a look at the farm situation for this coming year? The Mid-Atlantic region is still covered in snow. Typically, our fields are beginning to dry out this time of year, and the soil would be ready for our early spring crops in two weeks. Considering we just received a new blanket of snow today, albeit a thin one, I think it's safe to say that early spring crops might not make it into the ground until the end of March.
California is suffering from the worst multi-year drought they've had since they began keeping records.
Florida lost much of its winter crops with the weather we've had this winter.
And what about the farm land that was inundated last spring along the Mississippi River? It's going to be a couple of years before that land will be ready for commercial farming again.
It's not going to be long before the food manufacturers raise prices across the board and stop shrinking package sizes.
So, what can you do to help cut down on your own food costs?
I have a list of things that we've done. For most of the last 20 years, I've been a stay at home mom, and we've lived off of one income. For the past 4 years, I've worked as a substitute teacher. Most of that money has been set aside to help pay for the textbooks and some other related college expenses the kids have. I do have a few tricks up my sleeve to help cut the food budget that I've learned along the way.
1) Cook from scratch. ALL of the time.
It is healthier than using processed foods, and ultimately, it is cheaper. If you work outside of the home, I know that this can be difficult. I have several strategies that I use to help keep the stress down on working days:
- I prep food on Sunday afternoon. I will spend a couple of hours slicing carrots, celery, etc. and storing them into containers, labeled for use later in the week. I've even gone so far as to measure out the spices into a container ahead of time, so all I have to do is dump.
- Use your slow cooker often. Set it first thing in the morning before you leave, and dinner is ready when you get home.
- Cook two, freeze one. I do this with casseroles, lasagna, baked chicken, anything that I can make two of just as easily as one.
- Once a month cooking. Ever heard of this? You do one massive shopping day once a month. Then, you spend a day prepping, cooking, baking, and freezing. It makes for a horrendously long day, but the reward is great. No thinking about dinner for the next month.
2) Use your leftovers.
As hubby's lunch the next day. As part of another dinner. In a casserole or soup. Never, no not ever, do not ever throw anything out. I currently have a Rubbermaid container in the freezer, holding leftovers - a little bit of green beans, some rice, and some carrots. When the container is full, this will be the basis for a soup.
3) Bake your own bread.
Easy to do. You don't need a bread machine. It's easy to whip out a loaf of home-made bread in a few hours.
4) Eat more soup.
For the investment of a handful of veggies and some broth, you can have a rich soup that will satisfy a family of many for pennies. Even better, leftover soup can be enriched with a handful of other leftovers and some pasta to make a tasty casserole on another day.
5) Shop at Farmer's Markets.
Okay, unless if you live in a warm climate, there aren't any open at this time of year. Keep an eye open for them. Buying directly from your local farmers, you are cutting out the middle man and saving on your bottom line. Once you get to know a farmer, they'll also hold back a large order for you if you ask a week ahead.
6) Plant a garden.
Now's the time to get those seeds started! The payoff won't be for a few months yet, but you will basically have FREE food. Even if you live in an apartment, you can still have sprouts in a jar on a windowsill, or veggies in a pot on your patio. (A POT garden! Get it? A POT garden!!) And yes, husband and I had a pot garden on our balcony when we were first married. We grew tomatoes and green peppers, and herbs. Herbs are expensive! (I mortified my very proper MIL when I told her we had a pot garden going....)
7) Learn how to preserve food.
Freezing, Canning, and dehydrating. Start looking into it now. Believe me, there is nothing like going to the cupboard and finding rows and rows of food waiting for you... food that you put up. If you don't know how to can, research the internet. Patrice Lewis has an excellent guide on how to can on her website: http://www.rural-revolution.com/., and here: http://www.rural-revolution.com/search/label/canning
I will say this- canning IS a science. There are precise guidelines on how to can for a reason. Botulism kills - and if you are haphazard in your canning, you will discover what Botulism can do to your intestinal system. Follow those rules and guidelines to the letter. I learned how to can from my mother and grandmother when I was little, and then I took a "refresher" class from my home extension service before I began canning again. I love what Patrice has to say about canning, and I am diligent about following my Ball Blue Book of Canning to the letter.
8) Pick Your Own
Find a pick your own farm near you. These farms have lower prices, and they offer a volume discount. In a typical year, I hit up our local pick your own farms for several bushels of tomatoes, apples, peaches, green beans, and corn. Even better, when I patronize my local pick your own farmer, I'm supporting a local farmer, and keeping the money in my local economy. I desperately want our local family farmers to be able to stay in business!
9) Coupons
Are they worth it? Mostly, coupons are for highly processed foods. I try to stay away from them as much as possible. I know they are fast and easy, but I have begun to wonder what the future "price" will be - high blood pressure? diabetes? some weird chemical floating around in my system? Since I've had to give up gluten, there really isn't much that I can eat that's covered by a coupon. (I do use coupons on personal hygiene items when I can find them- soap, toothpaste, toilet paper, etc.)
10) Meatless Mondays (and other days)
Meat is expensive. Cutting meat out of at least one meal a week is going to save you at least $5 a week. If you do use meat for a meal, make sure you can get the most out of it that you can. A meat based meal, leftovers for a casserole, and a bone for soup or broth is a pretty decent haul on a whole chicken or a roast.
It's not easy, but all of this is worth it if you want to lower your overall expenses. My husband says "It's like earning money, but it's not taxed."
Bonus- our overall health will improve if we eat fewer processed foods and graze a little bit further down the food chain.
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