Cook, Clean, Laundry, Dishes......CRAFT!!!

Courage

2009-08-02T10:42:00.001-07:00

Today our Sunday School lesson was about courage.

The courage to fallow Christ and live every day as it comes.

Last week we talked about planning, how we spend so much time planning and in sometimes spend so much time planing to fail!

I need to have the courage to just do it! Just do all the things I want to do and the courage to wait, wait for the Lord to give me instructions. Contradiction right? Well somehow I just feel like it works!

I spend so much time planing silly things like working out (I buy new running clothes all the time!) and never actually get out and run!

I need to just make the decision to do what I need to do each and every day. Why put of till tomorrow what you can do today! Right? I feel like if I live by this then I will never miss out on anything!

It all comes down to I feel like I need to work harder, harder for myself, my family and my God. I know a lot of this comes down to actually getting up in the morning and that is the first place I need to start each and every day.

So here I go, off into the world of taking each day as it comes, refusing to plan my failures and starting every day off bright and early with the Lord. I am so excited! I feel as if another layer of self discovery has been pulled off of my onion of a life!

Kisses!

A new goal- finish "The Afgan"

2009-07-29T21:21:00.000-07:00

On the Friday before spring break my sophomore year of college I was diagnosed with Mono. I had been sick for weeks but this put me over the edge. I just knew that I had infected my entire class, both roommates (one who was already on her way to Mexico for a mission trip) and the new love of my life- S.

At least someone was thinking straight! S was there to hold me while I whaled and mom told S to pack me up and take me to my grandparents an hour away.

H packed up my pain pills, cranberry juice, fiber pills, stool softener (yeah yeah) and took me to Grammy's house.

She took great care of me! I slept every day until 1 or 2 pm when I think Grammy would get board and "come check on me". I would get up and eat something (I think I was on a Honey Bunches of Oats kick) and then watch March Madness with Grandpa.

Grandma would let me have one outing a day, and I was pretty limited at that. One of the reasons may be that I barely got dressed every day!

I think the first day Grandpa took me to Wal-Mart and we bought more fiber, some blue gatoraide (which I drank by the gallon) and some M&M's.

The next day Grammy and I went to the craft store to pick out some yarn for an afghan I chose out of one of her many many design books.

I picked a snowflake like pattern thinking I could surely finish it before Christmas. It was March, of 2007!

I don't think I have worked on it since that semester!

My first project is to finish the burgundy scarf, and then this afghan is filling up my knitting bag! The coffee shop will open in August so I know I will have lots of hang out time to work on it. I do want to finish the gray scarf but I will use that as a break sometime with the afghan.

Did I mention that I have a sweater started also? I am not thinking about that right now, but one day I will finish that also!

Organic Lollipops!

2009-07-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

So I watch Food Network WAY too much! Mainly at work, but occasional at home too.

Today I watched a show about the annual candy expo in Chicago- and I am so ready to open my own candy store- or who knows, a candy company!

My favorite thing was these awesome organic lollipops!
I have got to order some!

Yes, I really am planning my winter wardrobe already!

2009-07-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

So last year I started working on my winter clothes. I got that great black knit dress from Walls, grey leggings and those wonderful black healed suede boots we got on our way to Wisconsin! Yeah!

I also already have my 3-in-1 North Face jacket! I guess that whole Wisconsin trip yielded me some great memories and some pretty great clothes!

So here is my need list

Inspiration: Black and gray are the base of everything accented with woody touches and jewel tones (but I don't really like purple, but deep fuchsia is awesome!). Boots, leggings, and longer tops. Texture in knits (scarves, dresses, sweaters)

Several Scarves

Burgundy Cabled Walking Scarf- I started knitting this last year and pick it up every so often. I love it and it holds a lot of memories of me making it.
Grey Heather Intertwined cable scarf- A replica of a friends GAP scarf, I already purchased the yarn so yes, this one is practically free also!

Sweaters! Sweaters! Sweaters!

I need so many sweaters! I might knit a few, buy a few and defiantly keep my eye on Nordstrom and Victoria Secrets sale sections.

Pants

I already have a pair of skinny jeans that work with my boots and dresses or longer tops.
If I keep up this weight loss I might need 10 new pairs of pants! My great black pants from ROSS are so baggy its kind of embarrassing and a little inspirational!
If I hit a size 6 then I get designer jeans! I want to do it so bad! This week at work has taken so much out of me that I don't feel like working out, but I have been trying to eat "not so bad". I know that after this week I will have a lot left to work out with! Yeah for weight loss!

Dresses

I also have that great yellow, grey and blue silk mod dress that I love. I really want a sleved dresses, but sometimes that dosent quite work with my bod!

Jewelery

I am in love with these earrings by Angelic De Paris! I can't decide if I want black, clear or white. I am going to order them from my local favorite jewelry store. They have the matching rings but they are WAY to wide for my stubby fingers!
I want to make some cable knit bracelets over cheap thick plastic ones and some knitted headbands over the headband blanks I have left over.
I kinda want to make a rope covered circle necklace that this one I found, plus- the dress rocks!

I have so many ideas for the things that I can do this year. The number one thing I have to work on it ME! Come on running/walking and good eating!

I'll Keep you posted!

Jess are you real?

2009-07-24T19:29:00.000-07:00

I talk to you so little but think about you so much I often wonder if you are real.

Your random text messages are perfectly timed. When I feel like I am over worked and loosing who I am and who I want to be- up pops a text message about how I haven't blogged I over a month. It is so true! I am so wrapped up in the blog that I haven't worked on any of my creative projects in weeks and I really do feel like I have been loosing myself!

I haven't worked on my house- decorating or organizing. Reading? Well, not the Bible! The book I should be focused on right now while I find my self. I have had a few writing things floating around my head but I haven't made the commitment to write anything down. Working on the company? Nope, not a single sketch!

So today I am making another list and checking things off! H is helping me set up the shelves I bought for the laundry room and I am still trying to find the perfect laundry baskets. Next will be the kitchen, maninly because I am avoiding the bedroom! S needs to work on it first, then I can polish it up.

So here is to you Jess! My convenience! The girl who is somehow connected my inter thoughts more than anyone else!

LOVE YOU!

I <3 Baking

2009-06-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

And awesome baking stuff makes all the difference.

It is so much fun to bake, and great stuff make it that much more fun (read: easier) to bake more often!

Today I really enjoyed baking birthday cupcakes for a co-worker. He turned 19 today! When asked what kind he replied "anything", but jumped at the mention of my infamous pumpkin chocolate chip* variety, and I was more than happy to accommodate.

The best part of baking using the amazing non-skid metal bowls that S got me for christmas at our awesomely cool local baking store!

They are similar to these

It did make me long for my silicone spoonula give to S and I for Christmas last December (?) by a Bailey! It was sacrificed to the cooking gods during the recipie creation for the Pilsberry bake-off (so sad!). But I did use my red silicone spatula give to me the same christmas by G and Mom! Oh- and Bails, I of course used my sifter!

*Infamous Choclate-chip Pumpkin cupcake recipe can be found in Vegan Cupakes Take Over the World Hehe! Love that book!

My husband loves me!

2009-06-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

So after my run yesterday I am so unbelievably sore and stiff!

S cooked dinner (fries and mock chicken nuggets with ranch and BBQ sauce) and then we sat on the couch for a while. S then had to go fly tonight with his student so he left and I climbed in bed with the laptop.

S called a few minuets ago to say he wasn't flying and heading home.

He just showed up with ice cream and Bride Wars!

Yeah!

Today- I RAN!

2009-06-15T13:16:00.000-07:00

S has been a work out monster forever! And the last few weeks I have been feeling that I too should start working out. Last night our friend Jared expressed that he too had been wanting to jog in the morning so we made a date for this morning at 6am.

As normal we were running a few min late and when we knocked on Jared's door he was didn't answer so we assumed he was still asleep.

So we started our jog in the park near their house. To be honest I wanted to stop running about 10 steps after I started but I kept it up. S was good and didn't go all drill instructor on me- I hate that! When I started whimpering he just told me I was breaking down walls, that made me feel better and I kept on running.

Jared provided comic relief and didn't seem to be hurting as much as me. I made it back to the 1.5 mile mark and never walked a step! After that, I did walk really really slow though!

And I also too a 3 hour nap! But hey- what are days off for?

(They are for cleaning, that's what! But today I have just been taking it easy. I have like 10 days of straight work ahead of me so I think I deserve a little relaxation!).

Jess- this is for you!

2009-06-12T05:27:00.000-07:00

AH! Fruit flies have to be the worst bug ever!

I would rather have aunts- they can't fly. Spiders- I can handle it. These stupid fruit flies are never ending!

I have eaten, washed and put everything else in the fridge. I have scrubbed the counters, cabinets, and stove. I have even washed all the kitchen towels. All that's left is tonight I have to mop the floor.

I even set up a trap using a vase, some orange juice, and a piece of saran wrap with little holes poked in it over the top. Last night my trap finally caught a lot of them, but they are HUGE! Which means they were more than big enough to lay eggs, and if I didn't wipe them all down when I cleaned the kitchen, my problems are far from over!

I HATE FRUIT FLIES!

Rain Rain Go Away!

2009-05-03T09:17:00.000-07:00

So the rain has been a blessing and a curse.

Working on the yard has been out of the question and getting to work and back has taken some more coordination.

The up side has been that everything is in bloom! I was so excited to see that the tree in our front yard show some green- it is not dead!

The bad news about the tree is that I have identified what kind of tree it is- LIVE OAK! Yeah! A tree I am pretty sure I am SUPER ALLERGIC to!

And the grass is blooming and looking great, it needs to be cut but we will have to wait till it dries a little more.

Loving this house!

Loving Life

2009-05-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

I love my life right now!

Sure, I wasn't just in Jamaica with J (yes- I will call today to hear all about it!), or even living the high life, just here, being me!

I enjoy baking, helping our friends.

I really like my new bible study that B and I are doing right now (and hopefully for the foreseeable next 362 days!). J, and G and Barb, yall really should join us! I have it all set up for you! You can join in any time, and it is super easy to get back in if you get behind- just pick todays date and voila!

Ok- Just wanted to say that life is good. God to get on with my day now!

Bummer....

2009-04-20T21:12:00.001-07:00

I missed the deadline for my Pillsbury Bake-off. I am super bummed!

I guess I will tell you my recipe, later... right now I am just bummed.

Super bummed.

Bummer.

Birthday Month Rocks!

2009-04-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

I have already received coupons for free sandwiches, and free deserts and I love free food!

Bring on birthday month!

I stand corrected...

2009-03-27T17:04:00.001-07:00

I decided to read S my blog entry from yesterday about bowling, I thought he would be happy!

He made sure to point out that he also scored a "Turkey" in the second game- Apparently that is what this picture is of:

And I found this pic of the screen after the first game. S was "Fungi" (I was Pixie), you can see his "Turkey" in frames 7, 8, and 9. Yeah!

And sorry about all the type-o's and super grammar errors in last nights post. I obviously didn't look very closely before I hit publish!

*Bailey! We have to go bowling if you come for your Dr. Appt. in April! I love bowling but I am so horrible- see my 80!

Bowling!

2009-03-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

Last week we went bowling with the Hards. A good time was had by all. S bowled one of the first "Turkeys"-(3 strikes in a row) that he can remember, and it was caught on film!

I also believe it was one of his highest scoring games I have ever seen him bowl. He even made me get a print out! If our scanner was hooked up I would post it for you, but unfortunately it is still in a box!

I love this pic of me! I think S took it. It makes me look tall! I just think it is a neat shift of focus and a cute pose (although I think I am pulling down my shirt after bowling!). It had to be at the beginning because I am still using the red 10 lb. ball, but quickly swiched to a purple- 9 lbs.
My baking for the Pillsberry Bake-off are coming well. I am having problems with the temp and length of bake time, but practice and experimentation will help me figure that out. S cleaned the kitchen yesterday after work so it was GREAT to have everything I needed clean!

I love you all!

Yard Work

2009-03-25T06:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday we both had off from work. We rode our bikes to church and then came home and got the car to run errands. We went to lunch at our favorite secret date place. For a few days S had been talking about playing horseshoes and wanted to look around and find a nice kit. We had heard that the new Tractor Supply was open so we stopped by. There was good stuff but no horseshoe kit so we headed to Atwods and found one there. Then to Lowe's to get some sand.

Once home we raked and mowed the entire back yard. S quickly got to work putting together the pits and then it was game time! (By the way, I won the first official game of horseshoes at our house! Yeah). This is the pit by the house
And this one is at the back end of the back yard by the thatch bush!

Come play with us!

I HEART MY NEW HOUSE!

2009-03-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

We have been in the new house in for several weeks and loving every minuet!

We have had some baking in the new oven:(Do you like my reflection in the window?)

Some yard work:
(No, that's not our house in the back ground, that is across the street)

Pretty Daffodils on our front walk :(now that I know what daffodils look like thanks to Barb!)

And tonight we will have our first house guests! Lauren and Jared are coming over for some good old fashion home made pizza and some primetime TV on Cable! Yeah!

(And yes, I will post pics of S's pizza!!!).

Don't worry I am back!

2009-02-25T06:46:00.000-08:00

Life has been super crazy with a new job and trying to move and all that fun stuff.

Today I found out that we can't have the house until Wednesday the 4th. I am so super sad, I had my heart set on Monday, but the Lord knows that I wouldn't be ready. This will give me time to pack and clean a little more.

Barb, my Mother-in law was planning on coming to help us next week. I am not sure how this is going to change her plans.

We are really struggling with the ideas of worrying and stress right now in our lives. Please pray for S and I as we fulfill some of our unexpected financial obligagtions as well as our new ones of this house.

On a lighter, and funnier note: Cache has become so funny! This morning I gave her the heal of the loaf of the bread (I know I shouldn't have, but I did) and she went and hid it in her bed! I couldn't figure out what she was doing because she looked like she was digging but she was trying to put the pillow over it! Ha ha! Dogs are so cute!

Easy Vegitarian Lunch

2009-02-02T11:18:00.000-08:00

Last week I made another "turkey" roast like I made for thanksgiving and have been craving sauteed carrots ever scene.

So for lunch today I peeled 2 medium and 3 small carrots and sliced them on my 8 sided grader (gosh I love that thing!). I also found some forgotten heads of broccoli in the veggie drawer. They were a little soft by not spoiled by any means.

I clipped off all the florets of the broccoli with my kitchen scissors and added the slivered carrots and broccoli to my saute pan with a tablespoon or two of smart balance butter substitute.

I let that get all soft and the broccoli turned beautiful and bright green again. I added the half package of precooked bowtie pasta I had from last week, half a can of peas from last weeks stir fry, a light drizzle of EVOO, a dash of salt and another of garlic salt, stirred it up, put the lid on and let it get all yummy!

Yeah! I have quite enough left for lunch at work tomorrow (yes I have today off but I can't find my phone!).

*At the grocery store today I bought lemon extract and poppy seeds! I didn't even know you could buy poppy seeds. They are sold like a spice, I was looking for Bay leafs and happened to see them. I am so excited to try muffins!

The Best Degreaster!

2009-02-01T19:54:00.000-08:00

The other night I couldn't sleep so I stayed up cleaning until 2am.

Our stove was pretty darn gross! I knew that baking soda can be a great cleaner. I have used it to clean our fridge before and it worked great.

I knew that it could also be a great degreaser when coupled with a scrubby. I used a scotchbright pad and sprinkled the stove with baking soda and lightly scrubbed. It worked like a charm!

I probably went overboard with my use of the soda but the stove was really bad. And I am pretty sure that my box of Arm & Hammer cost a total of $0.65, and if you buy the cheaper brand its even cheaper.

Best of all it didn't make me sneeze and I wasn't using a harsh chemical or large bottle of grossness.

Oh how I can dream!

2009-01-27T20:39:00.000-08:00

Going to college at 18 years old made scene for me because I didn't know what else to do! I had been in school for 13 years and school is all I knew how to do.

Meeting S has transitioned me into learning how to "run" a house and have a (small) family of my own.

Unfortunately the things I went to school for is not very easy to find a job in right now. I had dreams of great things and working for wonderful companies doing things I believe in for enough money to pay for my education and live comfortable. Right now, that isn't happening though.

Now my dreams are changing. I love to bake! I would love to be a pastry chef! My friend in high school always wanted to be a pastry chef and my co-worker now wants to go to culinary school!

I have been thinking about Australia a lot recently and this is what I stumbled across today. Wholefood a natural chef training program by a chef and cookbook author in Australia! Wouldn't that be amazing! 4 months cooking in Australia to become a natural chef!

Oh, a girl can dream!

Ice, and my posessed dishwasher

2009-01-27T07:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the ice started coming down. Well, now that I think about that sentence I realize that it was freezing rain but the roads and grounds and sidewalks and cars and.... all started to ice!

The temp was around 24*F while I was at work and around 3pm my boss Mike decided to send my coworker Karen and I home. It worked out well because S got off around 2 and came over to shoe store. The Rodeo was deiced and we headed home around 4pm. We drove less than 30mph the whole way home! The dirt roads were still traveled enough that they were more like mud than ice but when we got into the driveway Grace was already home and it was pretty icy!!! I parked over a spot where there isn't really any grass (i.e. traction) and when I got out of the car I almost bit it! I made it to the grass and we let the dogs in and spent the whole evening holed up in the house after being apart for 3 days.

I had been craving a bath (due to my FREEZING working conditions) so I got in the bath and left S to his own devices. When I came out of the bath S has started super cleaning the kitchen!!! I was so thrilled! We had been behind on the dishes but I did manage to get one load done while he was gone. He had unloaded the dishwasher, reloaded it with the stuff in the sink, scrubbed the counters and top of the microwave, cleaned the coffee maker, and was starting to wash the pots and pans (which were ALL dirty). I was thrilled! I was hired as the dryer and kept getting distracted. We had a really great time cleaning together!

I made (some not very good) pasta bake with the bowtie pasta I made at Graces house the night before and we watched the movies we rented on the couch. It was a great evening.

Ok, now the possessed dishwasher. Most nights I start a load of laundry and then set the dishwasher for a delay start (you can pick 1-4 hours). Before we started the movie I put detergent in the dishwasher and put it for 4 hours. Before we went to bed I started the load of laundry and the dishwaher still had 1 hour before it started.

We have a great dishwasher. I love it! It has one of those spinny things on the bottom and top rack. I rarely have a problem with it getting everything sparkely. But don't get me wrong it has a very long run cycle.

Last night I got up at 5am with Cache (she needed to go out and drink some water) and the dishwasher was still running. I though that was odd! We had gone to bed at 11pm, so it should have started around midnight. Why was it still running? I didn't think too much more about it and went back to bed.

Fastforward: this morning at 8:30am. S is in the shower and I was getting ready to start breakfast (breakfast tacos) and I noticed that the dishwasher had just barley started! I went and asked S if he restarted before he got in the shower and he said no. So the dishwasher ran from around midnight untill 8am? WOW! I opened it up and everything still looked pretty normal! After S got out of the shower I restarted it and it just now finished up.

Oh well! Who knows what is up with it, I just feel bad that it worked all night!

What should I bake today? Homemade bread, Cowboy Cookies or Date Bars? Something, anything to get the kitchen heated up! It is currently 20*F but feels like 9*F with the wind chill!

2009-01-26T08:37:00.000-08:00

I crave one large adventure. I have been feeling this stirring ever since I didn't get a job after graduation. I got really excited with the Wisconsin adventure- and every day that I put on my North Face jacket that we bough for the trip I remember the fun of a whole new place.

As the boys are (hopefully) on there way home from there small adventure in the woods I have started fantasizing about my own adventure. I defenatly see S and I together. Maybe that stems from the ideas that we would move after graduation to more than likley a new place where the only people we would know would be eachother.

Today I even looked up how to be on that show "The Amazing Race". Wouldn't that be fun? Racing across the world with video cameras fallowing us! Finding our way in a strange place- together. I even invite the arguments and rough times, just somthing to shake things up.

I am sure that I will have my adventures in due time.

*Hi Barb!*

Here comes color!

2009-01-25T19:47:00.000-08:00

Spring is coming and so is a serge of new colors. Last years hot color- much to my dismay- was purple. It was everywere and I did not feel invited to take part.

This year as I start to prepare my wardrobe for spring and this career-thing I currently have I am being very careful of color.

At the previous store I didn't really care what I wore. I tried to look at the store and wear items that were on the shelves. That was easy! This year at a shoe store I have less guidance- and discounts on different types of things (i.e. shoes and socks!).

I have started to shop and feel a little lost as to what colors to pick! Lauren and I went shopping yesterday at a store going out of business here in town. I chose three shades of RED! Seriously! I got a pinkish sweater, a bright red sweater and a darker plum V-neck long sleeve shirt. While putting on the pinkish one for church today I noticed I have another, totally different shape sweater in the exact same color!

The thing that is even funnier is that as I search the clearance pages of online stores I am seeing more and more of the same colors! Almost that melon/ orange range of color.

I plan on organizing my closet by color soon to see exactly what I already have before I commit to anymore clothes (no mater how cheap they are!).

*Yesterday I picked out 15 items from OldNavy.com from the clearnce pages and it amounted to right at $100 with shipping. 15 things for $100! Pretty good. But no, I buy any of it. I have enough clothes for a few weeks while we get all of our finances in line!

Home Alone

2009-01-25T07:44:00.000-08:00

While S is off with Jared I have had time here home alone.

I could have cooked some great things that S dosen't like or spend lots of time crafting, or even- gasp- cleaning, but no.

I have spent the last two nights doing nothing on the couch. I love work but with the sun going down so fast I just don't have much energy after dark.

The dogs have been enjoying the attention and warmth of the house when I get home. I know it is cold during the day and they have been behaving well while I work.

Maybe today I will get something "real" done. Thinking that maybe operation Studio will resume after church today. Lauren and I are going to the store after church but then I don't have anything planned.

I don't expect the boys to be home anytime respectable so I am sure to get something done. Right?

Camp On!

2009-01-24T19:24:00.000-08:00

S and our friend Jared are currently camping out in the cold out of state. Jared had some vacation time he needed to use and S has been itching to get out into the "great outdoors".

They left yesterday after work and drove to the trail head to camp. They called last night a little before midnight to ask for directions! Those crazy boys- whatever will I do with them!

They were suppose to camp last night and then hike to another camping spot 11 miles away today and make camp for the night. Then tomorrow they will hike back to the trail head and get into the car and drive home. Drive around 5 hours. I have a feeling they will be exhausted!

I think S was trying to only take off one day of work (Saturday) so he could work on Monday. Yes, the money will be nice but if he is all tuckered out he will be... difficult?... to deal with.

Oh well, boys will be boys and I am sure they are having a great adventure and lots of fun. When they called last night they were laughing and said that the already had stories.

On another note: Preparation. I don't think they took a camera, but they might have had Jared's video camera. On the morning before they left S showed me his loaded pack- so I had some questions. Toilet paper? Duck tape? Advil? All answered with a quiet no and a hurry off to gather more supplies.

I do know that he had some parachute rope, tent/pack repair tape, 3 sleeping bags, an axe, a pillow, folding tree saw, and a few other necessities. I do know they will be well fed because I bought there food the night before they left stocking packs full of oatmeal, trail mix bars, granola, tortillas, peanut butter, instant coffee and cocoa with some packets of sweeten~low. They also have a camp meal of (vegetarian) lasagna and chocolate mouse. They did leave there bag of individually wrapped cheese in the fridge- so I took some to work! Yeah!

Things I Love

2009-01-14T17:52:00.000-08:00

I often fall in love with physical objects I can not afford. This is normal, has been this way all my life.

Cars: First a VW Bug (old style, then new style), then the Nissan Xterra, for a breif period of time the Nissan Murano (it matched my luggage!) and most recently the Toyota FJ. While they are super cool (so cool even Jessica wants one!) I relize that the practicality of a huge, gas hogging monster SUV is not very practicle- I still like the look and idea of one.

I have lots of other examples but S is forcing me to finish up and hem my pants for work tomorrow (I am currently blambing him for me not getting them done this morning for work today- I wore my other, dirty, pants instead).

The point of this is I am currently obsessed with home fernishings, even if they are outlandish.

I like this Candelabra set from Red Envilope-

see it here

Enjoy!

*Yes, work is good but today was rough with mean customers!

I miss my camera!

2009-01-13T08:26:00.000-08:00

I have got to find my camera battery charger before I go crazy! I want to spend my day off taking pics of everything cool- like the enchiladas I am about to make but alas! My camera is DEAD! We do have S's point and shoot around here somewhere... I could take the time to find it.

Money tips for the new year!

2009-01-12T18:43:00.000-08:00

Ever notice all the money that you wash down the drain- as in soap?

I used to use an entire handful of shampoo and get my hair all huge and soapy- then I realized what a waist! I started to slowly reduce the amount I needed until I found the amount that would create enough to lather everything up well but not too much- more like a quarter size amount. My shampoo now lasts a lot longer!

Another place to look for wasted soap is in the washing machine and diswasher. Read the back of the bottle and see how much is needed vs. the lines on the cap. I have found a good rule of thumb is about half the recommended amount works well!

Good luck!

Hobby Lobby What Happened?

2009-01-11T20:37:00.000-08:00

Every Sunday I get an email from Hobby Lobby with their sale flier and an internet coupon.

Normally the internet coupon is for a specific item or group of items. A few weeks ago it was 50% off all Wilton products, no limit. About every other week the coupon is for 40% off any one regular priced item. I often wait for these to buy things I don't need immediately.

Not this week! The coupon is only for 25% off any one item!

I wonder if Hobby Lobby is having financial trouble also! I found an article with David Green the founder published by the Oklahoman on the 4th of this month and there was no mention of any finances. Hoovers.com reports that the company is privately owned so I am not even going to try and find any more financial information.

Just thought that was interesting!

This weeks flier did say that a select group of home furnishings are marked 66% off, so maybe I will check that out on Tuesday- my day off.

*Side note: Tomorrow I get my first full paycheck from my new job- I worked 46 hours and had around $25 in commission. I still have to figure out my tax stuff and finish my new hire paper this week, but for the most part I am really enjoying my job and my coworkers!

A new year- a new job!

2009-01-01T08:48:00.000-08:00

Wow I have not posted in a long time!

I start my new job tomorrow at 9:30am. I am training to be an assistant manager of Brown's Shoe Fit Co. here in Stillwater.

I am excited about the opportunity and the opportunity for advancement. The down side is that the hours are long (50 hours a week) but the pay is much better than at my other position. The staff is also smaller so I expect less drama.

Today is New Years Day! Yeah! We have lots of things to do such as work on our budget and set some goals for the upcoming year.

Our first and foremost goal is start knocking out our debt. School loans and a car loan are all we have but the freedom found from having no loans and only savings gets me so excited! It also frees us to possibly become missionaries in the upcoming years.

Our friend Jared has an interesting goal. He wants to only drink 52 sodas this year. He plans on making himself a card that he can check off each one as he drinks them. I don't know if I can do it! Dr. Pepper is my drug! Every time I try to quit I just keep coming back! Ah!

I also want to save up money for us to go on a mission trip somewhere this year. That has really been weighing on our heart. Maybe somewhere here in the US, maybe South America! Our church has one leaving January 24th but I don't think we can arrange it so fast.

Another goal I have is to grow my alternative income ventures. The aprons and magnets will be up on Etsy.com soon!

Happy New Years everyone! Eat your black eyed peas- I know my mom will be!

Running water is truly a blessing!

2008-12-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

The water has just came on in our house after a day and a half of being frozen solid! Yeah!

I am so thankful for the luxury of running water! There are so many things that are hard to do with no water in your home. Wash dishes? Laundry? Use the bathroom? Wash your hands? Shower? Forget about it!

I am so thankful for the "little" luxuries I take advantage of. I can promise that I will say a little prayer every time I start the dishwasher, or washing machine, or even turn on the facet! And I am very thankful that I don't have to walk next door to Grace's house to use the restroom!

Learning Patients

2008-12-08T11:44:00.000-08:00

I think that one of the main tricks of patients is tricking yourself into doing something else more consuming of your brain power.

Today for instance I got up and cook S and egg and cheese bagel sandwich for breakfast. Then he started to finish watching a movie we had started two nights ago and I started to clean.

I picked up trash, a full cans worth. Started and put away 3 loads of laundry. Moved the bikes around the front room to make room for the tree and organized lots of buckets with my supplies for making Christmas presents.

It was great! I got a lot done, no one called my phone and S was there to talk to me the whole time I was cleaning but was occupied with the movie enough to not bother me!

After the movie S rode his bike to town to return it and another movie we rented and watched and Lauren and Jared's house last night. He called me when he got to town and we discussed lunch: leftover mock turkey noodle soup and homemade cornbread.

I made the cornbread and kept cleaning while he was on his way home! I have checked my email a few times but I have a real peace about it now. I find it worthwile to clean and get ready to move, because some day we will move! I will find a job, even if it is not this one (but I REALLY want it to be this one!).

Easy Easy Cornbread

(adapted from allrecipes.com Great-Grandmother Steinbeck's Johnnycake)

Ingredient List

1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons buttermilk powder
1 cup water
1/4 cup oil
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400*F.

Measure all dry items including the buttermilk powder into my sieve and sift into a medium bowl.

Fill glass measuring cup to 1 cup line with water. Add oil to the 1-1/4 cup line. Add the egg and mix with a fork.

Pour contents of measuring cup into dry bowl and mix until combined.

Pour mixture into a greased pie plate and bake for 25-30 min.

*I made this cornbread last night to eat with soup and again for lunch today. S and I have really enjoyed having a hot quick bread. I bought the bag of cornmeal who knows how long ago for something and have a can of buttermilk powder in the fridge from cake baking I think! In this "we might be moving" time, I am trying to use up as many things in the house as I can! This is working well until I run out of baking powder! 4 teaspoons is lot!

What a morning!

2008-12-06T08:07:00.000-08:00

I could not stay in bed this morning. Well, to be honest I went to bed at like 5pm!

Final around 3 am I decided I could not say in bed anymore and had to get up. What is there to do at 3am? Bake of course!

The first thing I made was another Pumpkin Cake. I made one for the coffee shop yeasterday and left 1/4 of it at home for S and Grace to share- but S ate it all. So I made another one. It takes 1 hour and 15 minuets to cook so I had lots of time once it was in the oven.

S had been wanting me to make Cowboy Cookies with white chocolate chips (from the massive chip sale a few weeks ago). So I made up the dough and let it firm up in the bowl for a while in the fridge. Then I started rolling to balls into 1 inch balls and putting on a wax paper covered plate for the fridge until I was ready for them to go in the oven. They are butter based cookies and this worked really well. Also, I don't have to bake them all- the balls keep in the fridge for 3 days.

After the cake was done and unmolded I cooked 2 pans (2 dz.) cookies and put them on the cooling rack to cool before going into the cookie jar.

By them it was 6 am and I was tiered enough to get back in bed. So I did and stayed there untill after S left at 8:30.

Then I got up and showered. While getting out of the shower I heard the strangest noise. Kinda like a rusling leves and a hopping around sound.

As I rounded the corner into the kitchen I saw it! An empty cooling rack, coffee grounds and butter papers on the ground and pumpkin cake crumbs on the table!

DUKE!!!

Fortunatly Cache is too short to reach both places so we know it was him! He was even licking his lips!

I was so mad! I called S at work and yelled at him- blaming him for not putting the dogs out side and all kinds of other things that arent really his fault (although Duke is HIS dog!).

So I did what every good country girl does. I put the remaining cookies (11 out of 24) in the cookie jar, cut off the eaten parts of the cake and sliced the rest!

Now what to cook? I am thinking oatmeal bars since S kept bugging me to get up and cook him breakfast (yeah right!). This way he can just eat em cold or heat em up and I don't even have to get out of bed!

Back on Oklahoma

2008-12-04T07:12:00.001-08:00

After some delays in Madison and Chicago we final touched down in Tulsa last night around 11pm. Grammy and Grandpa Bill were there to greet us- I love them!

Our original plan was to drive back to Stillwater last night but due to the late arrive and the fact that we were both very worn out we took over Grammy's guest bed one more night.

We awoke early this morning to dress and come back to Stillwater at a recpectible time so S could get to work at the bike shop. I droped him off earlier and am now home with the dogs.

Cache was very excited to see us and took is now eating her weight in dog food. I know Grace fed him- he is just a pig like that!

My plans for today are to contine cleaning and sorting though the house. A lot of things need to be donated because we no longer need or use them, and other things are broken or just clutter. I hope to sort though the entire craft room today and weed though all of our clothes. Then it will be on to the craft supplies.

We still have not decited what to do about Christmas decorations. For the moment I am not decorating with great hopes that there will soon be a call about a job in Wisconsin!

Keep praying for- we ceartinly are!

*Pictures of "The Great North" to come later!

Welcome to Wisconsin!

2008-12-03T13:25:00.000-08:00

S and I are currently sitting in a Culver's in Madison, WI!

I had my interview this morning, and although I have a good feeling about it- I don't have the job yet.

The entire complex was amazing! The design team was great and I think I would work well with all of them. They were all very knowledgeable and I know that I have a lot to learn.

Now it is just a waiting game!

*Oh and we found an apartment of our dreams and it is cheap and available! I hope they call soon I don't think my heart can handle the wait much longer- I am so excited!!!

Super easy leftover soup!

2008-12-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

The worlds easiest soup if you already have some roasted vegetables left over from Thanksgiving or something.

What you need:

6 cups of water
4 vegetarian vegetable bullion cubes
Pasta (cooked or uncooked)
Roasted veggies (we had onions, potatoes, and carrots)

Boil the water and add and stir in bullion cubes. If you are using uncooked pasta add and boil now until tender. If using precooked pasta add now and stir. Spoon in roasted veggies and let boil enough just until warmed all the way though (be careful not to let cook too much or they will fall apart).

Ladle soup into bowls and eat!

S was resistant because it was so easy. The bullion cubes add a lot of flavor and the veggies were already flavored from the roast.

I wish I would have added more pasta. S suggested adding some rice while the water was boiling- I really wish I would have done that now. I might buy some exotic wild rice to try next time!

I love soup! I hope that we eat lots more soup as the weather keeps getting colder!

*We leave for my interview in Wisconsin tomorrow morning. Please think and pray for us as we travel! We are very excited!

I Love Thanksgiving!

2008-11-30T13:59:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year. Food and family, and congregating at Grammy's house are the best times of the year.Sterlin and I outside in Grammy's backyard before lunch, thanks H for taking the picture!

I have always been partial to the turkey, cranberry sauce (the jelly stuff of course!) and the sweet potatoes. So this year I made sure we had things just the way I like them!

I made a tofurkey for S and I. I am pretty proud of myself, I used a roasting bag and added some onions, potatoes and even onions. I coated it all with olive oil, black pepper and parsley flakes. Easy and fast! My cousin Courtney even ate some! I love adventurous family and friends.

I am an expert Chef!

I also made the sweet potatoes so I wouldn't have to worry about the marshmallow thing (they have gelatin which we try not to eat). So I made them in the crock pot and took marshmallow fluff (gelatin free!). The funny thing was we were late getting to Grammy's and therefore the crock pot didn't get plugged in until about 2.5 hours before eating. Needles to say they were finaly done for dinner after the movie!

Crock-pot linners- a nessecity for holiday slow cooking!

No big deal, every one thought it was funny- and they tasted great!So easy, and even (pretty) healthy- recipe soon!

*Yummy!: I ate some of the leftover veggies fromt the roast for lunch yeasterday. Next time (I still have two foux turkeys in the freezer) I am going to make soup with the extra veggies!

I Just had my Interview!!!

2008-11-24T08:12:00.000-08:00

They said I was the first person they talked to as a group but they were talking to a few more people and that would take a week or two- so be patient, but I WILL here from him again.

He actual told me to be patient! Maybe because I called everyday for a week straight until someone would talk to me!

Yeah! I am so excited and scared! and Hungry! And....

Yeah!

Halloween M&M's- not the same

2008-11-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

As the OSU v. OU games draws near I have started to get things together- but this year I have been thrown a wrench!

Halloween is an OSU fans favorite time of year. Everything is orange and black! For the previous 4 years it has also been my time to buy a years supply of Halloween edition M&M's (yup! They are orange and black!).

But not this year. For some reason the marketing masterminds at M&M's decided to make a "Cool Ghoul's Mix" which includes an (ironically) chartreuse and periwinkle color.

So if I want to make anything with OSU edition M&M's I have to separate out the other unwanted (but still edible!) colors.
For the past year or so I have been loving all the creative special edition M&M's. At Valentines Day I was so thrilled to find a an entire bag of green (my favorite!) ones. I thing the slogan was "Green... the new color of Love".

Ever since, I have been thinking about looking to see if there is a marketing job open! I think I would also be good at writing the cool recipes and tips on the bag of the bag.

If you want some other cool M&M recipes you should check out the idea website at BrightIdeas.com.

*Yes Jessica, this is where the M&M's for my cereal came from!

Spoon Update- up to 5!

2008-11-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

Today I located another spoon!

S cleaned out the Vibe a few days ago and put all the stuff in one of my famous huge Rubbermaid tubs. It took a few days to get to the bottom of it but I finally did.

And to my surprise, sitting right there in the bottom of the bucket was another spoon! One of our nice matching ones from when S first got this house before we were married.

This gives me hope! Maybe I will get around to cleaning out the Rodeo tomorrow and find a few more! The set we bought, the matching ones came with 4 of 2 different sized spoons. So that means I should have 8 matching spoons plus the random miss matched ones.

Well- up to 5 is a start, right?

*Side note: the in-laws are here and the new tractor was delivered on Friday! Yeah! S and his dad apparently had tons of fun with it when it came and even mowed down the forest growing by the road around our driveway. I got very confused coming home last night!

Here comes tofurkey day!

2008-11-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

S and I have already started our all out tofurkey binge!

We have already had several "turkey" and ... meals.

Monday was turkey and mashed potatoes! I haven't made mashed potatoes in quite a while because I thought they took too long and I had one very fateful mess where I ended up making potato paste with the hand mixer (oh the horrors!).

We used to eat potatoes all the time and then we just... stopped.

I think one of our problems was the lack of a potato masher so last time we were at the grocery store and I bought a huge 10lb. bag of potatoes, S ran off and grabbed a potato masher.

Well I get emails from MarthaStewart.com, like 5 a day at least! Cookie of the Day, Everyday with Martha, etc.

Last week or so I got a message about a Mashed Potato How-to. Yeah! Martha is going to help me make potatoes!

According to Martha a potato masher is alright if you like and "inconstant" texture, but if you want smooth mashers you can use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment! (Thanks G-mama and Pap for my Kitchen Aid!). S was still scared from the electric mixer instead and insisted I use his new masher. So, I did.

I used 1/4 stick of butter, two heaping spoonfuls of sour cream (1/4 cup maybe) and a few splashes of milk.

They turned out great! And we ate it with our new favorite meatless turkey product!

*More on our new favorite "turk'y roast" to come in a few days!

What I am eating for lunch!

2008-11-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

Just in case you were interested this is what I decided to make for lunch!

I sauted in a pan with a little oil till good and~ roasted?

Diced Onion
Frozen corn
Peeled, sliced carrots
Canned Lima Beans

I let it simmer and bubble and crackle and get all brown while I cooked the pasta.

Right now we are addicted to this mini farfalli (bow tie) pasta- it is great!

Pour veggies over pasta and eat! (I am doing this now!)

*I have been productive all day! I almost have our master bedroom super clean and organized! I just have to put away all the stuff that didn't belong in there- this may inadvertently make all the rest of my rooms dirty!

Lacoste Scarf!

2008-11-20T07:57:00.000-08:00

I found the most amazing knit Lacoste scarf at a local store called Wall's. Its a lot like Ross where they just have lots of random stuff.

The scarf was with a bunch of stuff that said it came from a Cruise ship boutique store and all the items were 50% off their marked price.

The scarf- was ticketed at $185.

It was awesome as a scarf and pretty cool that it was Lacoste but seriously- $90 + tax? The only logo on it was the tag I it said it was 100% baby Aplaca.

I looked at it for a few moments and counted the pattern. It used a pretty easy pattern! It had 4 knit, 2 pearl, 6 stitch rope cable, and 2 pearl again. Pretty easy!

When I got home I scoured the internet to find a picture. I started at the Lacoste webside and it does not appear to be this years style. Another reason not to pay for it, but rather harvest it for inspartation!

After I finish a few more projects I am going to hunt out some great yarn and get to knitting this up!

* I tried to take a pic of the scarf in the store by my phone was dying! Ah! I wish batteries didn't die!

Ahh!!!! A mouse!!!

2008-11-19T15:53:00.001-08:00

When Cache was a puppy she would catch mice at the farm. It was gross and creappy! I put out mouse traps and caught most of them (1 a week or so) and she stopped catching them.

Until today.....

Actually, I am pretty sure that the mouse was already dead because I smelled something funky (i.e. dead mouse smell) but decided to make S look harder when he came home.

And then- it happened...

I turned around and Cache was standing over her prize! A gross, medium sized field mouse (dead of course).

So I shooed her outside and then created an attack plan. I chose to scoop it up on newspaper and then shove it in a plastic Wal-Mart sack (now I am glad I have a few around!).

Into the trash and the trash went outside to the DOG PROOF trash bin!

Eww... MICE!

*On a sad note- it made me think of Hammy! I miss Hammy! I can't even go into PetsMart without being tempted to get a new one- but as this proves small rodents and dogs DO NOT go together.

$40 in baking suplies and gifts!

2008-11-19T13:45:00.000-08:00

Why do the sales of grocery stores always suck me in!

Things I needed:

mouse traps
spider glue traps
batteries
spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese
string cheese
glue

Things I bought

sweetened condensed milk (2 cans)- full price
evaporated milk (2 cans)- full price
6 bags of assorted chocolate baking chips- on sale for 2 for $3 or 2 for $4
Cream of Mushroom Soup (2 cans)- on sale for $.65
Clear cellophane "treat" bags for all this baking! Duh!
Pack of 50 blank note cards for the card craft project
Assorted OSU stuff for a young family friend- clearance isle
A new cloth shopping bag because I forgot mine and felt bad getting plastic- $.50

So yes, maybe I went a little overboard but I have been doing good only going to the store one a week and trying not to buy craft stuff! I was going to go get some yarn to recreate a hat I saw at American Eagle but after this little extravagance, I decided not to.

Now- I must get baking! (and no, I did not buy anything on my list of things I NEEDED!)

Where have all the spoons gone?

2008-11-19T13:40:00.001-08:00

We are officially down to 3 regular spoons and one "tea" spoon.

I don't know where they went! We have enough forks although I can tell some are missing and more than enough butter and "steak" knifes!

But spoons? No idea!

Now I am on a recovery mission! The Vibe was cleaned out before S went to Arkansas and now all the previous contents are in a large bucket next to me. I am planning on cleaning it out soon and then refill the bucket with the contents of the Rodeo.

I know the Rodeo has lots to hide! I hope it produces some spoons though!

Right now we use our ZooPals utensils when the 4 spoons are dirty. Mainly for ceareal in the morning and yogurt at night.

I will keep you updated!

M&M's in My Cereal!

2008-11-15T08:09:00.001-08:00

Right now I am eating cereal- with M&M's in it!

I know that this could be considered unhealthy but I really wanted to just eat a bunch of M&M's so I compromised with myself and let me have (quite) a few if they were in my Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds! Oh- and its with almond milk... YUM!

I would highly recommend M&M's in your morning breakfast for an extra chocolate fix.

I would however advise AGAINST M&M's in your omelet- that sounds gross!

Eating by the Sason

2008-11-05T19:46:00.000-08:00

I have been thinking a lot about how to eat fresher and cheaper. Every time I stand in the produce section I keep thinking "What is in Season?".

Right now we have some butternut squash soup in the crock-pot, and late last week we had acorn squash for the simple fact that I know winter squash are in season. They are also fairly cost effective!

I found this simple list of Fall produce

Fall favorites include:

apples	Brussels sprouts
bok choy	cabbage
carrots	cauliflower
celeriac	cranberries
collard	cress
kale	horseradish
kohlrabi	jicama
lettuces	mushroom (fall varieties)
mustard greens	onions
parsnips	pears
pomegranates	potatoes
pumpkins	radishes
rutabaga	shallots
sweet potatoes	turnips
winter squash

The Benefits of Eating What's in Season, an article by GaiamLife.com also says that we can help reduce world wide gas consumption because when we buy local and in season (i.e. not grown on the other side of the world). More nutrients are also retained because they are picked closer to ripeness the lest distance they have to travel.

WhatsCookingAmerica.net has a great Squash Glossary complete with pictures, cooking, cleaning and storage tips.

This article from Real Simple suggests how to select and store various Fall produce.

Eating by the season can also improve your diet and mood by providing variety. This summer we ate a lot of food from the farmers market such as summer squash, cucmbers, tomatoes, etc. The winter farmers market will be moving around since they don't really have place, but I have really got to get there (and remember to take cash).

*Side note: S has decited he wants to eat "normal" things like potates and carrots. He used to complain that I didn't use any spices, now he things I use too many. Last nights bean thing was spicy but I didn't do that, it came with a spice packet! The soup (which we are now eating), apparently has too much ciniman, or corriander, or something. Oh well, I guess I can go back to spigetti, frozen french fries, and grilled cheese.

Fish Bowling

2008-11-05T12:56:00.001-08:00

On Monday, Grace got the great idea that we should all go bowling. We called it "cheepie" night because games were only $2.25 a pieces (plus $2.75 for shoe rental) after 9pm.

We had been needing a night out and though this would be fun so we headed to town around 8pm or so. We called the Lauren and Jared but Lauren was studding for a test in Econ (EEK!!). Jared was at Hastings so we called and asked what he was up to. Then we decided what the heck lets go find him!

Jared headed home and we headed to the bowling ally. Jared called while we were on his way saying that Lauren said he could come play while she studied (thanks Lauren!). While we were waiting I worked on coming up with our bowling names.

The tradition for a while has been Whinny the Pooh names (I am Piglet, Grace is Eeyore, and S is Pooh).

Then I thought how about colors!

I made me Pink
S was Blue, then Red.
I made Grace Orange,
but she like Jared's Green better.

Then Grace wanted to Chartreuse but I told her no because Chartreuse was a green color and I didn't know how to spell it.

Then S suggested since Jared still wasn't there so we should change his to Salmon.

And then we were all fish!!!

I made Grace Trout (her new nickname!!!)
S was named Big Mouth Bass (but the first time I typed it the B's didn't type- figure that one out yourself!)

And I was--- Walleye!!!

*Last night at our "Get Smart" dinner and movie night we named Lauren Red Snapper (no she is not a red head, she is actually blond)*

Bowling was fun. The first game went really well for S and Jared (Big Mouth Bass and Salmon).

But... the second game I WAS ON!!! Yeah! I even made the guys do a print out! (Yup! Thats my 154 is 1,2,3..4 Strikes! And 1 spare. In every frame I knocked down at least 8 pins! yeah!)

I want to go bowling again- soon!

*Side note: the wind is blowing at ~32 mph. and S is out riding his bike around the section getting ready for a race. It is super windy! We also have some "server weather" approaching including hail and possible tornadoes.

I Voted!

2008-11-04T07:57:00.000-08:00

This morning Grace, S and I got up early and headed out to our local poling place. We thought getting there right at 7am when they opened would be sufficient.

I made some small town jokes and S got mad at me- thinking I would offend the locals. We have to go into Glencoe to vote. I think the town only has one polling place- the community center. It was easy to identify as they random building in town that had about 30 cars around it. We took some pictures and everyone chatted about the length of the line and what they had to do today.

When I put my ballot in the box it said that it counted it showed that mine was the 25th ballot.

And the volunteers had cookies! Yeah for small towns!

As always I was a faster test taker. I beat both Grace and S, even though Grace went before me. I also had the "privilege" of getting to use the handicap booth because the other 6 or so were full. When we left S made sure to point out how good he did in not making a joke about it- haha.

Yeah for voting!

I have got to go get my free coffee from Starbucks, ice cream from Chick-fil-a, and if we had a Krispy Kreme I would go get a star shaped donut and if we had a Ben and Jerrys Scoop Shop I would go get a free scoop today also! Guess I will have to settle with the coffee and ice cream we have here.

Just a Note: I am testing a new bannana muffin recipe right now (can you smell it baking- I can!). I had no nuts but I did ad golden raisens. As normal I subed the oil for applesauce but this one has eggs in it where as my normal recipe does not. Hope they are good! 25 min to go!

The Dirty Dozen

2008-11-03T13:43:00.002-08:00

The question about organic food and what things it is worth spending your money on has been on my mind this week as I transition out of full time employment. Jessica and I started talked about the dirty dozen and I went in search of more information.

What I found was the Environmental Work Group and there page on Food News.

The thing I was most interested in was pesticide contamination in produce.

The Full List: 43 Fruits & Veggies

RANK	FRUIT OR VEGGIE	SCORE
1 (worst)	Peaches	100 (highest pesticide load)
2	Apples	96
3	Sweet Bell Peppers	86
4	Celery	85
5	Nectarines	84
6	Strawberries	83
7	Cherries	75
8	Lettuce	69
9	Grapes - Imported	68
10	Pears	65
11	Spinach	60
12	Potatoes	58
13	Carrots	57
14	Green Beans	55
15	Hot Peppers	53
16	Cucumbers	52
17	Raspberries	47
18	Plums	46
19	Oranges	46
20	Grapes-Domestic	46
21	Cauliflower	39
22	Tangerine	38
23	Mushrooms	37
24	Cantaloupe	34
25	Lemon	31
26	Honeydew Melon	31
27	Grapefruit	31
28	Winter Squash	31
29	Tomatoes	30
30	Sweet Potatoes	30
31	Watermelon	25
32	Blueberries	24
33	Papaya	21
34	Eggplant	19
35	Broccoli	18
36	Cabbage	17
37	Bananas	16
38	Kiwi	14
39	Asparagus	11
40	Sweet Peas-Frozen	11
41	Mango	9
42	Pineapples	7
43	Sweet Corn-Frozen	2
44	Avocado	1
45 (best)	Onions	1 (lowest pesticide load)

You can print a handy wallet shopping guide from this page

The funny thing about this list is I did know some of the things such as strawberries should never be eaten non-organic because their thin skin allows pesticides into the fruit. Peaches with there fuzzy skin also hang on to pesticides even after being washed. I have been buying organic onions and grapes from Wal-Mart for a while now because the price differnce was verry little. I think I will ditch the organic onions now, since it appears I should be buying organic bell peppers because we eat a lot of them. I am also going to try and find organic potatoes at the natural food store.

The article notes that measurements were taken after the food was prepared in "traditional" ways such as after washing (berries, peaches, etc.) and peeling (bananas, mangoes, etc.). Some fruits could reduce their pesticide load by peeling such as peaches and apples, but many of the vital nutrients are also lost.

Side note: I have got to make a crock-pot post- soon!!!

Eat your Veggies

2008-11-02T19:05:00.001-08:00

Tonight we had the most wonderful dinner. S got the idea to do a cookout so we started brainstorming things that were (kinda) in season that we could grill. Our inspiration came from the very tasty "stuffed poblano pepper" you often find at Mexican restaurants.

We purchased some green peppers, corn on the cob, and hamburger buns. I know I should have had homemade buns made but it just didn't happen this week.

Lauren and Jared came out to hang out with us this afternoon so we made sure we had enough for the 5 of us.

After some playing with the tractor and a walk though the fields we started the fire.

I cut and scooped all the seeds out of the peppers while Lauren shucked and buttered the corn. Jared shredded the random pieces of cheese we had (some block mozzarella and sharp cheddar). Lauren and I also spooned melted butter over the cut side of all the buns so they would toast up on the grill.

S and Jared started the coals (with LOTS of lighter fluid).

We grilled the peppers and corn on the cob, flipping them a few times. On the last flip, with cut side up we filled the peppers with shredded cheese. After everything was sufficiently grilled the veggies were removed and the buns toasted.

I sliced some tomato and the some slathered mayo on their sandwiches.

The corn on the cob was great!

Grace provided sprite and BBQ Baked Lays (to make up for here eating mine yesterday!).

Jared commented on how colorful of a meal it was. You know you are getting a good mix of nutrients when you eat a colorful diet!

Just a Note:

All in all this meal cost us less than $10. We had the cheese left over from meal this week. We purchased 3 peppers and 4 cobs of corn were around $0.50 a piece. The buns were around $2 for a pack of 8, which we ate 5. We did buy charcoal and lighter fluid but there is plenty left over for other adventures. I had bought the tomato last week and it needed to be used ASAP.

More Fun in the Sun!

2008-10-30T12:09:00.000-07:00

Today is a seriously nice day, and Grace and I just had to take advantage of it!

From Fall Pics

The Sun is Good for YOU!!!

2008-10-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

Today after S rode his bike to town and I met him for breakfast at Qdoba. He is very upset about tomorrow being the last day that Qdoba will serve breakfast so of course we HAD to go!

I then ran a few errands.

I mailed Ryan's Halloween Costume to Jessica and it cost a LOT to get it overnighted. I also picked up some frozen orange juice so I could make our acorn squash for dinner (i promise to take pictures!).

And I checked out the sales at Hobby Lobby. If anyone needs a Christmas idea- Hob Lob has the cutest knitting bags! They are amazing!

I have missed my quiet time for a few days now because of the whole finishing out my last days at work. I was bound and determined to spend some time in Bible first thing when I got home.

The weather was perfect and the dogs were excited to see me when I got home so I decided to do my quiet time outside. This was my view:

And of course on our farm you are never truly alone! They had to be near me the whole time I was outside!!!

After I was done we did a little photo shoot! Here is Duke looking as regal as always!
And Cache showing off her new collar!

And the pumpkins that S surprised me with the other evening. Hopefully by tomorrow they will be carved.

And anywhere I go....

Cache fallows!!!

Have a good day and I hope to post at least one recipe tomorrow.

Operation Craft Studio

2008-10-24T20:46:00.000-07:00

Over a year ago S and I decided to move our bed to the "guest bedroom" on the other side of our house and turn the larger "master bedroom" into a sewing and craft room. We opted to leave our closets intact and therefore we had one sleeping room, and the other room to dress, craft and take care of laundry.

Well, the laundry has taken over! For the past few months (read: while working way to much) the craft table became the folding table, then it became the storage table and it got to where you couldn't even get to the dresser, so nothing got put away.

This has changed! I had all of Wednesday and a good part of Thursday off this week and all I did was clean!
(Ok, Ok, so I did a bunch of other stuff too. I spent a good long time in my Bible, I am so behind our congregation on Romans! And I finished some cooking and did a bunch of "research" on crock-pot recipes on my favorite crock-pot blog ever! Crock-Pot 365)

But I did clean A LOT! I started with the washer/dryer area. I cleaned off everything on top of the dryer like all the plastic grocery bags that I have said for a year I am going to take to recycle, and the empty dryer sheet box, and the huge clump of miss matched socks.

I ran the washer continually for that whole time washing probably 4 loads of "everyday" clothes and 2 large blankets.

I set up our laundry separator basket thing in front of the washer and filled it to capacity with towels, dirty clothes and dishrags.

I worked on the craft room by getting all the fabric together in the dresser, and all the scrapbook stuff in the scrapbook container (and now the overflow scrapbooking box), and all the thread together- oh! and all the straight pins I found in the carpet surrounding my sewing table.. and... and... and....

Then I found a SPIDER! A BIG SPIDER! and that was the end of cleaning!

Grace gave me a bunch of tips on trapping/killing/getting rid of spiders and I plan on implementing them tomorrow.

My craft room does look a whole lot better and we are enjoying our reclaimed laundry area.

I know, post without pictures are boring- but the camera battery is dead! Oh no! Will find charger in morning and plug in!

"...Where the Wind Comes Whipping Down the Plains!""

2008-10-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a pretty exciting day! I was home in our house and Grace was asleep in her house and all the sudden I heard the loudest loudest sound I have ever heard!

I knew what it was and thankfully when I looked out the front door nothing was hurt.
Notice the proximity of the corner to Graces car! Like 2feet!

This is 1/2 the roof we were putting on Graces house. The other half was going to be finished this weekend and then this storm rolled in!

It was truly a miracle that none of us were hurt. 3 dogs were outside and they were all fine.

This pic was taken after we picked up all the insulation that was strewn across the yard and down the driveway. While we were picking it up and putting in the shed more would fly off. And it was very COLD!

So then Grace and I had to make all kinds of jokes about taking "on the roof pictures". Then I made a comment about too bad we don't have a fiddle. Oh- but Grace did!

Looks like fun huh?

We got it all on the ground so the wind couldn't hurt it anymore and for the most part the wood and metal are in good shape. S thinks it will be easy to get back on the roof especially if his dad gets the new tractor this weekend!

We are so thankful for our safety! And this just proves one reason I am not too fond of Oklahoma!

Day 1

2008-10-22T12:51:00.000-07:00

This is my new blog, created mainly as a place to document my semi-transformation into a stay at home… crafter!

Today I have already cooked several things. We had broccoli cheesy ricey casserole for lunch along with bean and cheese burritos (with homemade refried beans). The dishwasher is running with breakfast and lunch dishes and the dryer is washing my newly acquired “vintage” sheet set that I plan on making into cloth napkins and placemats and such. I am also thinking maybe napkin rings? Maybe!

I have spent a good part of the last few days looking up tips on starting a craft business and even looking for supplies at good prices. My dad is working on getting some metalwork done for me at a shop in Austin and I have been looking for suppliers here on the internet.

Today was my day to go to town and get my Tax ID # and DBA and all that jaz. I was even going to go open a business account at my bank! Unfortunately it has been horrible weather all day. We have already started to get pea sized hail today.

Guess God is telling me to work on my house and my workspace. I have got to get this place cleaned up so I can start crafting more!

Promise more pictures in the next post- the camera is in the car and the car is across a flooded front yard!

Thanks for stopping in!