A Helpmeet for Him

Menu Planning Monday-12/21/09

2009-12-20T22:59:00.002-06:00

With Christmas being this week, meals are going to be light and easy to cook. I've still got a TON of Christmas baking to do (yay! More recipes to come!) and Christmas being on Friday (which means a big meal for us) I'm not looking forward to doing much else this week.

So...here we go...

Monday-

Cheeseburgers, mac and cheese, green beans

Tuesday-

bean soup, cornbread

Wednesday-

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn

Thursday-

BBQ Pork Ribs (w/homemade bbq sauce), not sure on sides yet..lol

Friday-

Christmas Dinner! We missed Thankgiving dinner so we're using it for Christmas!

Turkey
Bread Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole
Dinner Rolls (homemade)
Candied Yams
Mac and cheese (homemade)
Corn Pudding
Lemon Meringue Pie
Peanut Butter Meringue Pie
other goodies that Mom is baking...lol

Do you menu plan? Join us at Menu Planning Monday!

Down Sick....

2009-12-20T18:39:00.002-06:00

I apologize for the lack of content the last few days. I am down with the flu and a fibro flare. I appreciate ya'll hanging in there with me.

"Please take my Life from me"

2009-12-12T23:17:00.002-06:00

As a sat doing my daily readings (a couple books and my Bible) last night, I kept being hit in the face with one concept. We are to die to Christ. The Bible is obvious in this (or at least it is to me.) Gal 2:20 says "I am crucified with Christ: neverthless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (KJV)

Paul is speaking here telling us that the old Paul (the sinner) has died but through Christ he lives because Christ lives in him. I have always loved this verse, but I don't think that its meaning fully set in until last night.

I don't have a specific pattern I follow when I read my Bible. I pray before I even open it that God will show me what I need to learn and will guide me to what He wants me to see. I then open my Bible. It may seem simple or silly to you, but I have never had it fail. I always take something from it.

Last night was no different. I prayed for wisdom and God's teaching and opened my Bible to Jonah. Now we all know this story well I'm sure. God told Jonah to go preach in Ninevah, Jonah disobeyed and was swallowed by a great fish. He repented and God caused the fish to vomit Jonah onto dry land. Jonah then went into Nineveh and preached the destruction that the Lord had planned for the people. The people repented and God showed his mercy on them.

What I didn't know is that Jonah was displeased by the fact that God showed them mercy. He prayed to God about his anger. Jonah 4:3 says "Therefore now, O LOrd, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live."

This verse struck home with me. The circumstances were entirely different than how it hit me b/c Jonah was literally praying for death, but it made me think.

This is what we should be praying. We are to die to Christ. To essentially kill the old us and replace it with what God wants us to be. In Christ we are made new people. It is better for us to die for/in Him than it is to continue to live as our former selves.

Anyhow, I'm rambling. My point is that we should all be praying Jonah's prayer. We should all be asking the Lord to take OUR lives from us and replace them with HIS life for us.

I certainly know that I am. When God speaks, I listen. :)

Have a good one all.

Sing It Sunday

2009-12-12T23:14:00.003-06:00

Today's song is another by EH&SS. You'll probably see a lot by them as they are my favorite group.

I want you all to listen to the words of "Out of Bondage." The first verse has been me until just here recently. It's only been by the grace of God that I've started moving past it all.

I hope that if you're in bondage that you will turn to the Lord and let him free you like he has me.

Sweetest Saturday-Peanut Butter Meringue Pie

2009-12-11T23:41:00.004-06:00

Ah..desert. I love to bake so I thought that I would share my desert recipes with you each week. A new one every Saturday!

Peanut Butter Meringue Pie-

My aunt has been making this pie for as long as I can remember. It's so rich and soooooo good.

1 c. powdered sugar
1/2 c. creamy peanut butter
1 pie crust, frozen pet ritz deep dish, baked
2/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. milk, skim
3 large eggs, separate out yolks
2 Tbsp. margarine
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Combine powdered sugar and peanut butter; mix with a fork until mixture resembles coarse meal. Spread most of the mixture (3/4 of it) in the baked pastry shell; set remainder aside.

Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in large saucepan then combine with cold milk and margarine.
Cook over medium heat until mixture is hot. Lightly beat egg yolks.
Mix some of the hot mixture in to the egg yolks to temper them, then add egg yolk mixture to mixture on the stove.
Continue to cook over medium heat until mixture thickens.
Remove from heat immediately.
Stir vanilla into hot mixture and pour pudding over peanut butter mixture in your baked pie crust.

Beat egg whites and cream of tarter with mixer until soft peaks form; sweeten with 1 teaspoon sugar and beat until stiff. Spread over filling. Sprinkle your reserved peanut butter mixture over meringue.

Bake at 325 F for 20 minutes.

Cool before serving. (Best if cooled at least 4 hours in fridge)

Makes 1 9-inch deep dish pie.

Whoot! I did it!

2009-12-11T00:26:00.002-06:00

Freebie Friday

2009-12-11T00:01:00.000-06:00

Who doesn't like free stuff?

Here's a few for this week.

Free Walmart Samples-Prilosec, Huggies, Pampers, Benefiber this week.

Free books-Check out the Gutenburg site for free downloads of great books by authors like Jane Austin and more!

The Mutopia Project provides sheet music for download by composers like Beethoven, Bach and more. This is an awesome site and since all of the songs listed are public domain, you can download and print them for FREE!

Get a coupon for a free bag of Stacy's Pita Chips just by becoming a fan on Facebook! Click here to become a fan! *The cinnamon chips are FANTASTIC!*

Get a free sample of NuWave Comfort Patch. Click here.

Free 2010 Calendar from Pillsbury. *Must be a new member to their newsletter* Click HERE

Free 2010 Calendar from Betty Crocker. *Must be a new subscriber to newsletter* Click HERE

Enjoy!

25 Days of Christmas-Free music!

2009-12-10T11:20:00.002-06:00

Amazon is giving away 25 different songs for Christmas!

Check out-

HERE to view it all.

If you check around there's more than whats listed for 0.00 as well.

Thankful Thursday-My daughter

2009-12-10T00:01:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Thursday's new feature!

A lot of time life can get so hectic for us that we fail to stop and remember all of the ways that God has blessed us. I know that I am guilty of it more often than not.

So each week I'm going to post something that I'm thankful for. It may just be one thing, it may be many, but I hope that it will make me realize just how much the Lord has given me and mine and stop taking advantage of it so much.

So here we go.

As I've said before I have Fibromyalgia. My life is affected by this illness in many many ways, most of them negative. Unfortunately, it's not only my life that's affected but my entire family's as well. My husband b/c at times I can't be a proper wife to him, my children b/c I can't do the things I'd like to all the time, etc.

Anyhow, as the weather has turned cold (and I do mean cold) here in Iowa, the flares and the pain have also turned on. I'm not saying that warm weather is pain free, but cold weather is like turning on a light switch. I stay in pain and stiff pretty much all winter.

The current flare however has been worse than most. My range of motion has diminished to almost nothing and my ability to walk has been severly cut in half. So last night I had had enough of the pain and stiffness and decided I was going to go soak in the tub. After soaking, and finding no relief, I made my way back downstairs and sat down on the couch.

As I sat, I whinced and whimpered from the pain that shot thru my back. It was at that point that I realized just exactly how wonderful my child is. My daughter. My sweet little 4 year old daughter, sat down beside my and began to rub my back.

After I few minutes I realized that I had water in my ear and there was no way I was going to be able to go back up the stairs for a while, so I asked her to run and get me a Q-tip and off she went. A few minutes later, she comes down the stairs carrying not only a Q-tip but also a blanket for me because "you might be cold."

After all that, she promptly sat down next to me, curled up and fell asleep while hugging my arm as gently as she could.

I looked at my husband and told him that we did indeed have a wonderful child and that if I've done NOTHING else right in my life, I've done right with her.

I am so thankful that I have her. I've always "known" she was a great kid, but I don't think it fully set in until last night. I hope and pray that I can continue to raise her right. We've got a long way to go..lol.

Thank you Lord for giving me such a wonderful baby girl and for helping me to raise her your way.

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Prov 22:6

The new budget-week 1

2009-12-09T21:41:00.004-06:00

So I didn't get the 20.00 I wanted to saved because of a couple of things going awry, but I did manage to save almost 10.00. Considering we started out with nothing saved this week, I'm happy with that.

So in my never ending search for tips to help us save and manage our money I have come across some really great articles that I wanted to share.

There's way to many to put into a post so they'll be listed in the new side bar to the left along with the blogs and organizing sites I'm falling in love with.

Check them out!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-09T20:54:00.004-06:00

Now normally I try to keep politics out of this blog.

BUT...after driving past this billboard too many times, I can't anymore..lol.

This is a real billboard in my hometown. It's above a REAL video store, put up by a REAL man who lives in a neighboring village.

Whether or not I agree with it. Whether or not I think it was the right thing to do, I still have to say God Bless America.

Why?

Because in this country we DO have the freedom of speech needed to put up things like this.

This is my first wordless Wednesday post. This billboard makes me go all wordless like. LOL.

Here is a link to the newspaper article they ran not too long ago about this board.

Click HERE to read the article.

Sing It Sunday

2009-12-06T01:04:00.003-06:00

Welcome to the new weekly feature for Sunday. Each Sunday I'll be posting an uplifting music video for you to watch! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

There was no better gospel group in my opinion than the Cathedrals. They were truly a gifted group of men. Ernie Haase has moved on since the passings of George and Glen and I truly love to hear him and his new group sing.

Anyhow, this is my all time favorite song that I've ever heard Ernie Haase sing and MAN can he sing it! I hope that it lifts you up as much as it does me. God Bless. :)

A new budget...

2009-12-06T00:13:00.005-06:00

Conservator: A legal term that is used to describe an individual who is appointed by the court to manage the financial assets and affairs of and individuals that is under some kind of a legal disability.

My husband is considered 100% disabled by all forms of the US Government. He receives SSDI and a pension from the Navy because of it. As a result of this disability, he has a conservator. When we began dating and got married I saw no reason to try and change who this person was b/c he had been "with" her for years and was comfortable with her. So we kept her.

Over time tho she has changed. She's become hostile and just plain rude. She's no longer doing her job effectively so at this point, my DH has decided she needs to be replaced.

Since he has never seen me manage money for real (come on, 75.00/week isn't really managing money), pay bills, etc. He's reluctant to trust me. That's fine, I have no real issue with that, but he would like me as his conservator. It just makes sense to me now.

There is the problem that he doesn't fully trust me and there is the problem that I don't know how he will handle me telling him "no, you can't buy that b/c I won't give you the money for it," or "No, you can't know how much money is in the bank right now," and I'm sure you get my point.

So what to do?

Why an experiment of course!

From now till February, I have control of 100% of the cash that comes into this house. That means all of his money from the side jobs he does to keep busy, my money and our "weekly living allowance" as well. Until now he has been managing it himself and we are drowning. Yes, all of our bills are paid, but there is no money to actually live on the way it is right now.

So we are doing an experiment. Partly to show him that I'm fully capable of making a budget (done) and sticking to it and partly to find out if he can handle me handling the money. He's mentally ill, so we aren't sure how he will handle it being ME that tells him no when he really wants something.

If it doesn't work, it doesn't work and we'll know that before we make it legal.

We don't have much coming out, but as I figured it, we have roughly 160.00 in cash coming into the house each week. (note again: this does not include the money for the household bills, etc, this is just our living money.) We should have at least 30.00 a week left over, but for some reason we don't.

I've figured it out and I'm on it! LOL

As it stands it's my goal to save at least 100.00 in that 9 weeks. I'm adding a ticker to the top of the page to help track our progress. Please keep us in your prayers!

On with the cleaning!

2009-11-30T15:36:00.003-06:00

In a way I hate the holidays...

Don't get me wrong. Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I try to keep the Christmas spirit going all year round in my home.

BUT!

I get so wrapped up in what's going on that things start to slip. My house is a wreck. Right before the Thanksgiving holiday we shampooed the carpets downstairs. This meant moving everything out and then putting it back. Unfortunately nothing got put back where it was supposed to.

SO.

I am starting over 100% with the getting organized thing. Thanks to my DH and my boys I don't really have a choice..lol.

So here goes nothin!

Chicken Fried Rice

2009-11-24T00:01:00.005-06:00

Okay, I'm late in posting this..lol. Sorry! Monday was a rather bad day for us. I would ask that you all keep us in your prayers please. We're going thru something right now that only God can help us fix.

Now! Onto the regular posting!

Today's decluttering went quite well. In the bathroom I cleaned out the medicine cabinent getting rid of all expired meds and compressing double bottles into one etc. Also cleaned out my drawer of junk..lol. Got a half of a 13 gallon trash bag out of the bathroom.

Onto the Master bedroom...it was scary. I literally mean it scared me. :D Anyhow, I got all laundry that was sitting around put away nice and neat, got the bed moved and the dresser moved and the entire thing spic and span. Took out 2 bags of old clothes or ones that no longer fit DH or myself.

Onto Mmmm-Monday!

Today's Mmmm moment is homemade Chicken Fried Rice! YUMMY!

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 eggs, beaten
3 cups cold cooked white rice
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup frozen green pea, thawed
2 green onions, sliced
1-3 tablespoon soy sauce
Directions:

To cook chicken-wrap tightly in foil (making sure to seal the ends -- you want it completely wrapped) and bake on a baking sheet @ 350 for 35-40 min or until no longer pink. No seasonings needed. The foil keeps the juices in with the meat resulting in a VERY moist piece of chicken.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat
Pour in the eggs; cook and stir until scrambled and firm. Remove from wok, and set aside.
Put remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok and turn heat up to high.
Stir in rice until each grain is coated with oil.Stir in chicken, celery, carrot, peas and green onions.
Reduce heat to medium, cover and allow to steam for 5 minutes.Stir in scrambled eggs and soy sauce, and cook until eggs are heated through.
**NOTE: The rice used in this HAS to be cold. I fix mine in the morning and then leave it in the fridge until dinner time.

Enjoy! Tomorrow is Timeless Tuesday! I love all things vintage so on Tuesday's we're gonna explore that love! Hope to see ya'll!

Mission: Declutter: Day 2

2009-11-22T21:34:00.012-06:00

LOL I thought that I would just keep up with the Mission theme...

Anyhow, so I got all the things I wanted to get done today and more done today! Yay Me!

Here are the pics. I forgot to take a pic of the dishes cupboard before I started but it was so bad that the doors would barely shut. The entire top shelf was falling down on us b/c of all the useless lids that I had stored up there.

The Pots and Pans Before: See my toes sticking out there? Lol I had to sit on the floor to be able to reach back there...and yes, that is a drawer without a front...lol. It literally fell off in my hands today. Gotta get some good glue tomorrow.

The Pots and Pans After:

The junk drawer before:

The junk drawer after:

The dishes after: Lol yes I know they don't all match. There's like 3 different sets there..lol.

The food cupboard before:

The food cupboard after:

All in all here is what left my home today:

a part to a food processor I don't have any longer
a skillet that was no longer useable
6 lids to storage containers I no longer have
3 cans of food past they're expiration date
sugar and coffee that had lived past it's life in a canister
a cutting board I never used that was just taking up space
6 ac adapters that went to nothing in this house
2 extra phone line cords
2 grocery bags of useless papers

Whoot! I am rockin it! I forgot how much of a "high" you can get just from getting something organized! Lovin it!

On tomorrow's list is:

Clean out the fridge (no before pics b/c frankly I'm embarrassed by it)
Pull out the stove and wash the wall behind and beside, sweep and mop back there.
Clean and organize the bathroom drawers
Clean and organize the linen closet
Clean and organize the Master bedroom
Go thru all of mine and DH's clothing.
Clean the floor of the Master Bedroom closet.

Pics to come tomorrow! Wish me luck!

Also tomorrow is MMMM-Good Monday. Every Monday starting tomorrow I will post a new and yummy recipe. I've had enough time off that I've tried more than a few. :)

Mission: Declutter: Day 1

2009-11-22T02:57:00.009-06:00

LOL like the title? Sometimes it can seem like de-cluttering and getting things all spiffy clean is a mission.

Anyhow...my list for yesterday is done! Yay!

The desk:

Before:

The desk after:

The spice cabinent before:

After: I got a microwave stand last week. Look at how I made use of the drawer that is on it. :)

The food cupboard before:

After:

I feel so much better now that I've actually gotten a few things done.

My list for today?

Clean out the fridge (I'm really scared of what might be living in there)
Clean and organize the pots and pans cupboard
Clean and organize the dishes cupboard
Clean the Master bedroom

Wish me luck!

Back to the grind....

2009-11-21T19:29:00.002-06:00

I SO need to get my home organized again. With my FMS attacking me as hard as it has lately it's fallen into a terribly unorganized state once again.

So...

Here are today's projects:

Desk-clean and organize
Spice cabinent-clean and organize
Food cabinents-clean and organize.

Will post before and after pics once they are done. :)

An apology and life as I know it now...

2009-11-19T12:13:00.005-06:00

Life is one of those things that can turn itself upside down without asking for you permission and there's nothing you can do about it.

Most of my readers know that I have fibromyalgia. This horrible illness is has taken over my life. So many things that I used to do I can't anymore. I can't hold my child, I can't stand and do dishes, I can't clean my home in one day. What took me 4 hours to do before now takes 3 days.

So life as we know it has changed drastically. I ask you all now to pray for me and my family.

I am going to try to be around more often. I have good days and bad but no matter what, writing in this blog helps me.

Today's Projects

2009-07-13T03:38:00.001-05:00

Today's Projects are:

Clean dining room
Clean living room
Clean bathroom
Organize bathroom sink and linen closet

Hopefully I can get it all done.

Menu Planning Monday 7/10-7/17

2009-07-12T21:46:00.007-05:00

Here is this week's menu plan. No dates for all except for the Chicken Fried rice. That will be on Friday when my stepdaughter comes to dinner.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

Amish Casserole

Chicken Fried Rice

Pizza Pasta Bake

taco pinwheels

Fettuccine Alfredo

bbq ribs

Need help planning menus? Check out menu planning Monday at orgjunkie!

Back to Life

2009-07-08T04:49:00.003-05:00

So I will say that I kind of did enjoy my 2 weeks without the pc. I got to spend a lot more time with my family. That was good and bad. Since we had July 4 thrown in there, we went and watched the fireworks.

Well, needless to say that my youngest stepson and I had fireworks going of our own. He is forever picking on his little sister and I have to admit that I am more protective of her than I am any of the stepkids. Most likely because she is my own. Anyhow, I had finally had enough and told him so (I tried to keep it polite), which proceeded to do nothing more than to tick him off. Lol, by the time the fireworks started tho, everything was okay.

I will say this. I have 222 (not really, but a lot) cookbooks in this house and I don't use a single one. All of my recipes are stored online. SO...when I went to plan the menu for this week, I couldn't cook anything..lol. I didn't have my recipes! I have never wanted to throw a temper tantrum more than I did that day. But I made it thru without the recipes! Yay for me!

I need to get life back in order...and I need to get back to organizing. We are headed to Ohio on the 22nd and I would like for most of it to be done by then. I know this won't happen so I am not even going to pretend that it will. I am just going to take it one step at a time.

So...

Today's projects are:

Clean out the pots and pans cupboard and replace the items back in neatly
Scrub the kitchen floor
Re-organize the spice cabinent again (just needs straightened up)
And...
Clean out the bathroom and linen closet.

Lol, I was doing my hair the other day and looked down at MY drawer. Damon has his, Emma has hers and I have mine. Oh boy! Does that drawer need some organizing help! Lol

Wish me luck and if I can find my camera I will post some before and after pics.

Also, I am still decluttering clothes, but am no longer donating them. I have a friend I will see in Ohio whose daughter is the perfect size for them so I will be taking them to her when we go.

Back online

2009-07-07T23:25:00.002-05:00

Well...

The last 2 weeks have been kinda hectic around our house.

First off, my pc crashed. Yup. Dead. So, it took us 2 weeks and paying more than its worth to get one from Rent A Center today. Normally I wouldn't do rent to own, but since I need one desperately to work, we had no other choice.

Secondly...apparentally my husbands vasectomy has reversed itself. I suffered a miscarriage this past week. No, I have not been with anyone else and I am getting really sick of that question. The good thing is that my husband knows this. Please keep us in prayer, we didn't realize how badly we wanted another child until we lost one.

Because of the miscarriage, the love dare got put off...I will be restarting it tomorrow so wish me luck, we all know how much trouble I had with day 1 the first time around.

Also, I get to go see my mom! We will be heading to Ohio the week of the 22nd! Yay! I also get to see my best friend since Kindergarten for the first time in over 10 years!! YAY again!

Love Dare-Day 2-FAIL!

2009-06-23T01:26:00.002-05:00

So I failed day 2.

I blew up today. I got so sick of no one picking up after themselves, leaving the house wrecked and all that I blew my stack. I did do well in that I didn't spew nastiness and I kept my voice down to a dull roar, but I was very negative.

I did manage to do the one thing out of kindness tho. I stumbled across a recipe for Egg Bread and it turns out that it is the same recipe that my DH's grandma used. When I first made it, he took one bite and said, "Grandma?"

So this morning, right before he went to work on the paper routes (DH is disabled veteran who does a paper route for a boredom cure), I popped a loaf into the bread machine. It was ready when he got back since I did a rapid cycle loaf. Nice and warm for him to enjoy.

So I will be re-doing Day 2 again tomorrow. Seems the hardest thing for me has been to control my negative thoughts and words.

I am not giving up tho. I will make it thru this.

In other news...

I AM GETTING A DISHWASHER! *WHOO HOO*

I will be buying it tomorrow. I am still unsure as to which one I am getting so I will let you all know how it ends up.

It will be a portable since we are renting our home and can't install one, but I am so excited! Dishes are the bane of my existence!

Hope you are all having a great week! Please keep me in your prayers!

Love Dare-Day 2

2009-06-22T01:46:00.001-05:00

I DID IT!

YAY!

I made it thru the whole day today without saying ONE negative thing to him. I did say a couple things under my breath to myself, but it wasn't said to him and I was in a different room so he didn't hear me.

So I am moving onto Day 2. I knwo that I still said the two things under my breath, but I feel like that is something that will fix itself as time goes on.

So here is Day 2...

"In Addition to saying nothing negative to your spouse again today, (OY VEY) Do at least one unexpected gesture as an act of kindness." (Excerpt from the Love Dare)

So, here we go...

Today's Scripture is Eph 4:32 " Be ye kind to one another, tender-hearted and forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you."

Menu Planning Monday for week of 6/22-6/26

2009-06-21T22:47:00.003-05:00

So only planning Monday thru Friday this week.

Monday-Chicken Fried Rice

Tuesday- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup w/homemade noodles

Wednesday-Chicken Nuggets, Mac and Cheese, veggie

Thursday- Pork Chops, fried tater w/gravy (will use gravy recipe listed HERE), veggie

Friday- Baked Spaghetti, garlic bread

For the most part, this week is a panty/freezer week. The two chicken meals will be from a whole chicken in the freezer, the pork chops from the freezer as are the chicken nuggets. I had to buy a few staples for the week, and a few things for the menu, but all in all, I saved 70.00 this week by using the pantry/freezer.

Do you need help planning menu's for your family? Tired of always wondering what's for dinner? Visit Menu Planning Monday at Orgjunkie.com

The Love Dare Update

2009-06-21T01:50:00.001-05:00

Okay, for real...am I really that bad? I am supposed to be on day 3, but I can't get thru day one! 3 days I have been trying to do the day one challenge...get thru one day w/out saying anything negative and 3 days I have failed.

Oh you all, please pray for me that I will be able to get it. I am not giving up on this. Last night we got into a fight and it was right out of the Fireproof movie. I want my marriage to be better. I want the marriage that God intended us to have.

Love Day-Day 1

2009-06-19T02:42:00.002-05:00

I was so touched by the movie "Fireproof" that I went out this morning and bought the book, "The Love Dare."

For those that don't know, the Love Dare is a 40 day challenge to help you be a better husband/wife and to improve your marriage.

Here is what the book says...

"Receive this as a warning. This forty day journey cannot be taken lightly. It is a challenging and often difficult process, but an incredibly fulfilling one. To take this dare requires a resolute mind and a steadfast determination. It is nt meant to be sampled or briefly tested, and those who quit early will forfeit the greates benefits. If you will commit to a day at a time for forty days, the results could change your life and your marriage. Consider it a dare, from others who have done it before you." (excerpt from the Love Dare, Stephen and Alex Kendrick)

Day 1:

Day one seems like it will be a simple thing to do. I am smart enough to know tho, that it most likely won't be.

Today I am to say NOTHING negative to my husband. I am extending this to my children also. If a situation arises where I feel like I want to, I am to bite my tounge.

We will see. I will let you know how I do tomorrow, along with the Day 2 challenge.

The scripture for todays dare is Eph 4:2 "with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,"

Fireproof?

2009-06-16T20:52:00.004-05:00

I am sitting here now trying to keep the tears from falling. I just finished watching the movie "Fireproof" with Kirk Cameron in it. All I can say is wow.

Until this movie, I would have said that my marriage was a good marriage, but within the first 10 minutes of the movie I had recognized my husband and myself on the screen in front of me. More so...I recognized myself on the screen in front of me.

As the movie progressed I found myself drawn in wondering if it would indeed work and once the main character found Christ, I found myself longing for what once was. I am not now a Godly person. I won't lie. I haven't been to church but a handful of times since I left my father's home. I smoke like a freight train, I occasionally have a drink. I am very quick to anger...and when I am angry, I spew violent, cruel things from my mouth that burn the other person the same as acid.

I used to be "Godly." I used to walk closely with him. I used to know him.

I have forgotten him.

I have turned away from him.

I want the peace that I once felt. The comfort in knowing that it all was in His hands. The feeling of love knowing that someone other than me cared. I miss that.

So I am asking you all to pray for me. Pray hard for me..lol. I am a stubborn one and He will have to work extra hard on my heart. He already is.

Back to the original topic.

After seeing this movie, I realize that I need to not only find the Lord again, but I also need to be a better wife. After all, isn't that why I started this blog in the first place?

So...I will be buying the book "The Love Dare," and doing the dares in it. I want my marriage to be better. I want my life to be better.

So pray for me and wish me luck with "The Dare."

:)

Recipe-Homemade Calzones

2009-06-16T01:11:00.004-05:00

Oh these were so yummy! I didn't get a chance to get a pic of them b/c they got snatched up so quickly!

Please make sure that you read the recipe notes at the end.

1 pkg dry yeast

1c warm water

1t sugar

2T oil

2 1/2 c flour

mozerella cheese

pizza sauce

pepperoni

mushrooms

whatever other pizza toppings you would like to add

For Crust:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in the other ingredients until well mixed. Let stand 5 min.

Roll dough out into rectangles and move to lightly greased cookie sheet or pizza pan.

For assembly.

Spread pizza sauce ON HALF of rectangle. Layer your choice of pizza toppings and finish with adding a good sized handful of mozzerella cheese onto toppings. Fold remaining half of dough over to cover toppings and pinch dough seams together all the way around calzone to create a seal.

Bake at 425 degrees for 25 min or until dough is done.

NOTES: I doubled the dough recipe to make 3 good sized calzones. I also used my bread machine to mix the dough. Please note that this is a VERY sticky dough. Unless you flour or grease your hands, it will stick to you and everything it touches.

In other news, here is what has (or will be today) left my house in continuing with the 365 Day Challenge.

2 bags of donated clothing

4 bags of recycled pop bottles

1 very full recycling tote to center

I hope you are all doing well.

It occured to me today that if I stopped for a few, let's say 5 minutes and cleaned a little bit of my bathroom everytime I was in it, that I would most likely have a very, very clean bathroom. Don't get me wrong...it's not filthy, but it could use a little touch up right now.

It also occurred to me that even if your bathroom is spotless, if the toilet or tub are dirty or dingy, the entire thing looks filthy.

So, I am making it my goal to clean one small thing in there every time I go in there.

Will you join me?

Recipe-Chicken Fried Steak

2009-06-15T00:03:00.003-05:00

Chicken Fried Steak w/white Gravy.

So yummy. We had this for dinner tonight. Yummo!

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast (save some cash and buy bone in and cut skin and bone off yourself)

38 saltine crackers (1 sleeve), crushed

1c flour

1 pinch cayanne pepper (optional)

1/2t garlic powder

1/2t baking powder

3/4c milk

2 large eggs

1 1/2c veggie oil

Season chicken breast with pepper. In a bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, baking powder, and saltines. In another bowl, whisk eggs and milk together.

Dredge chicken in the flour mixture then in the egg mixture, then AGAIN in the flour mix. Heat oil to 360 degrees. Fry one side of chicken for 3-5 minutes, flip and fry the other side until golden brown or until done.

Cover tightly with foil until gravy and rest of meal is done.

White gravy

2T drippings from chicken

1/4c all purpose flour

3c whole milk (2% works fine)

salt and pepper to taste

Add flour to drippings and cook until light brown and smooth. Slowly whisk in milk and cook until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over chicken fried steaks.

Today's Project--the grocery cupboards

2009-06-14T15:00:00.007-05:00

I have not went thru my grocery cupboards since right after we moved into this house (June 08). I know, I know. I am embarrassed.

So lets get this over with...

Before...

And After....

Now I can tell what I have too much of and what I need to stock up on. And I got that big and bulky bread machine out of my dining room. I do use it a lot, but it's much too big to leave up on the counter.

Here's what has left my house today as of this writing.

A bunch of expired foods

One de-cluttered Spice Cabinent

2009-06-14T01:38:00.010-05:00

My husband had this antique secretary that he hadn't taken very good care of just sitting in my dining room. I needed a place to store my spices. So, six months ago I took the remaining door off, dusted it and moved it into my kitchen. There it sat, organized at first, but by yesterday it was...well..overrun. Things were just being thrown into it, not being put back where they belong. That was my project for the day.

Here are a few before pics.

AND....drum

roll please...here are the afters!

Whoo Hoo!

Here is what has left my house over the last couple of days.

A bunch of old newspapers went to the recycling center, a computer desk, and some old clothes. I am loving this 365 day challenge!

Zwaggle Here..Zwaggle There...

2009-06-13T16:35:00.002-05:00

I have stumbled across the most awesome site.

Zwaggle.

Its like Ebay but you get points. Instead of making actual cash you receive Zoints to spend on the site. You pay shipping for the items you "buy". I just got my daughter 2 pairs of shorts for 3.18 in shipping.

If you would like an invitation, please leave a comment with your email and I will send you one.

Don't worry about your email showing in the comment. I have them set so that I have to approve them. Any comments requesting emails will not be shown, I will send the email then delete it so it doesn't show up to the entire world. :)

Zwaggle is an awesome site and I am so glad I found it.

Happy B-day To Me!

2009-06-10T00:24:00.004-05:00

Birthdays are always a time of reflection for me. I look back over my life and remember the good times and smile, I frown over the bad times and I shed tears for the times I am still not sure of.

My life has not been all roses and candy. I am 27 and on my third marriage. My first husband was horribly abusive. I barely made it out of that marriage alive. My second husband (my daughters biofather) was lazy and an alcoholic. After six years and being homeless more than once with a child under 2, I moved on. You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped. My husband now is a wonderful man. He has helped me to heal all of those wounds that life has left on me. He has helped to take a broken heart and has pieced it back together. I truly believe that God led us to meet and fall in love.

My mom was sick my entire life. I can still remember taking a blanket that the EMT's had left at my house to show and tell in kindergarten. I thought it was so cool. At 13, she almost died. She was literally given 12 hours to live. She says she saw Jesus (all I saw was the ceiling, but I am not going to tell her she didn't see it, I know it's possible) and suddenly she was not dying anymore.

My father was a Marine. He was a perfectionist Marine. Nothing I ever did seemed good enough for him. He was also a Baptist preacher. We didn't get along very well. Yet since he went Home to be with the Lord, I feel as if a piece of me is missing. I miss him terribly even if we didn't talk much.

I have made my share of mistakes. I am a clean drug addict and a sober alcoholic. I will forever be a drug addict and an alcoholic. I am very aware of exactly how little it would take of either to cause me to fall. I once dabbled in the occult. I thought I knew everything. It amazes me now just how little I actually did know.

But I have come thru it. I wouldn't change any of it. All of it has molded me and made me the person I am today. I am stronger now than I was then. I am wiser (I hope..lol) than I was then. I am more self-confident than I was then.

So Happy B-day to me! Here's to another year!

I am woman...hear me roar....meow. :D

More clutter...

2009-06-09T20:26:00.000-05:00

Here is what has left my house today...

10 used file folders
3 hanging folders
25 pieces of useless, no longer needed paper.

In other news, we had the appt for our daughters behavorial evaluation today. The doc is 99% sure that she is adhd, the only problem is that she is only 4. He said that she is an extreme case. So, we have to take her down to Iowa City's Childrens Hospital to be evaluated again. They (along with us) will see if it's severe enough that it warrants meds this young (which I DON'T want) or if they think therapy or other methods will work.

Please keep us and my little one in your prayers.

Sick

2009-06-08T23:32:00.004-05:00

So I have come down sick with a 24 hour bug. It hit the baby (4 y.o.) first then Damon and now me. Fun. It should be gone by tommorrow.

As a result, I didn't get to start the Master bedroom decluttering today like I had planned. Ah well, there's always tomorrow.

I did however get rid of some stuff for the 365 day challenge.

Here is what left my home today.

2 highlighters
5 packs of unopened post-its
3 packs of pencils

May not seem like much, but its definately noticeable in my desk drawer.

Tomorrow we have a behavioral evaluation for our 4 year old. We are fairly certain that she has adhd. Wish us luck and please keep us in your prayers.

365 Days of Decluttering Challenge

2009-06-08T04:13:00.004-05:00

I stumbled across this the other day via THIS blog and it looks like a great idea to me. So, I am going to jump right in and get busy. Anyone want to join me?

Here is the lowdown:

Everyday for 365 days, you must remove (at least) one piece of clutter from your home. That's it! Just think about it. If you removed 365 pieces of clutter from your house how clean and crisp would it be?

I LOVE this idea!

So here we go!

I will be starting today!

Oh Yum! Homemade Oreo's!

2009-06-08T02:21:00.006-05:00

These are so tasty! Bet ya can't eat just one! Lol. I have pics of them when they are done, but I didn't think to take any while I was making them.

Homemade Oreo's

Wafers-

1 1/4c all purpose flour
1/2 c unsweetened dutch process cocoa
1t baking soda
1/4t baking powder
1/4t salt (omit if using salted butter)
1 to 1 1/2 c sugar
1/2c plus 2 tbl (1 1/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.
1 large egg

Filling:

1/4c unsalted butter (I used salted and it turned out fine)
1/4c veg shortening
2c powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbl vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and sugar throughly.

On low, add butter and then egg.

Mix until dough comes together and forms a mass. (I thought I had done something wrong..for a while, it resembles corn meal, but keep mixing, lol...it will come together.)

Drop by rounded tsp, 2 in apart on wax paper covered cookie sheet. Slightly flatten.

Bake 9 minutes. Less if your oven runs hot.

Filling:

Add butter and shortening to bowl,

slowly add in sugar and vanilla.

Beat on high until firm.

***NOTE**** I had to add a small (like 1/8 c ) amount of milk to get mine to work right. Try it w/out then use your best judgement as to whether you need to add some or not.

Assembly:

Spread cream on one cookie, then top with another.

Recipe makes 25-30 cookies.

Happy Baking!

There are other places too...

2009-06-06T23:53:00.003-05:00

So I am not only de-cluttering my house, I am also de-cluttering my computer.

So...tonight I cleaned up my email.

Now yes, this can take a long time to do depending on how much crud you have in there. Mine literally took about an hour. But my email is now cleaned and clear and easy to navigate. I also cleaned out my documents, placing them in the appropriate folder. LOL, you should see my recipe folder now..FANTASTIC! So easy to find them now.

Here's how I did the email.

Step one: Log into your email (this really is a duh moment..lol)

Step two: Pop open your inbox and go thru each message. If you need (notice I said need, not want) to save the message, place it in the appropriate folder. If you don't have a folder for that category, create one. Delete each message that you no longer need.

Step three: Open your spam folder. If you use yahoo like me, then there are probably some good emails mixed in there. Go thru it. You don't have to open each one (unless your email client makes you) but go thru by title checking off (if possible) each one that you don't need. If you find one that you DO need then move it to the right folder or to your inbox to be filed later (see step 5), otherwise, delete.

Step four: Your Folders. Now if you are like me and have a habit of just throwing things in folders and forgetting about them, this is where its going to get boring and tedious. Go thru each folder message by message. Save only the ones you NEED (again, not want). Delete all others. You may be surprised. I was able to delete 4 folders all together.

---Side note: I had a folder in my email for recipes that people had emailed me. What I did when I was cleaning them out was copy/paste the recipes I wanted to save to a word document. Each category has it's own word document, so casseroles, sides, deserts, etc. I was then able to delete the folder all together and still have the recipes, now placed in category's where I can find them easily.

Step five: Once you have done the folders and deleted everything that you didn't need, go back to your inbox. All of those messages that you moved into here from your spam folder now need to be put in there right place. Place them in the appropriate folder.

Step Six: Take a deep breath and relax. Take a look at your nice, clean and easy to navigate inbox! You did it!

Right now (literally taking a break to post this) I am cleaning out my picture folders. I have so many pictures that are doubled and in some cases tripled that I really need to go thru them. It is a very daunting task (I love to take pics), but I will get it done.

I am making a lot of headway on getting everyone's clothes gone thru. I have finally made it to the bottom of that ever growing pile in the basement. YAY! Now I just have to go thru the closets and dressers.

I have decided that I am enjoying myelf. I LIKE living with less clutter. It's very freeing and there's a sort of "high" from looking at something that is nice and clean and clear. I think I am becoming obsessed with everything being in order. I suppose there are worse things that I could be addicted to.

Hope you are all having a good weekend and happy de-cluttering!

Getting Rid of the Old...

2009-06-06T03:44:00.003-05:00

So lately I have been on a mission...

A de-cluttering my house mission.

I started last week...lol, if I didn't KNOW better I would say that I am nesting (DH has a vasectomy) because that's what it seems like.

Anyhow, so far I have freecycled a bunch of file folders that I wasn't going to use, a tote full of books that I will never read, and I have a huge box of clothing that doesn't fit anyone. I am going to pull out the really nice clothes (as in look new) and take them to the consignment shop down from my house and the rest I will freecycle. They are all in good condition, just some are better than others. I wouldn't donate something I wouldn't put on myself, my husband or my child.

Anyhow, I am on a mission. I am sick and tired of my house being messy and clutter being everywhere. This may have something to do with the new meds that I am on for my bipolar disorder, but hey, if it is, it isn't a bad side effect.

I want a home that is pleasing not only to God, but that is also pleasing to my husband. I think I am well on my way to obtaining that.

Wish me luck! :)

Product Review: Ragu Classic Alfredo Sauce

2009-06-04T16:07:00.004-05:00

A couple weeks ago I was able to pick up Ragu sauces for 1.25/jar on sale. Since this was almost a dollar off the regular price, I picked up a few of the spaghetti sauces and one of the Classic Alfredo sauces.

I had been wanting some good fettucine alfredo for a while, so I figured that this was an easy way to get what I wanted for a lot cheaper. Normally it costs me around 6.00 just for the ingredients to make the sauce, so for 1.25 I was game.

So last night I cook up the fettucine noodles, steam some broccoli, shread some chicken and whip up the dish using the jarred sauce.

Now normally I will doctor the sauces to taste, but going on a friends recommendation I didn't this time.

Boy do I wish I had.

The texture of the sauce is perfect. I will give them that..it isn't too runny and it isn't too thick..its just right.

BUT!

The taste is horrible. Not horrible in the "Oh my I wish I'd never eaten that," but horrible in the "I'm eating cardboard" kinda way. It is about 90% tasteless. Every so often I would get a bite that had a little bit of flavor, but for the most part it was bland and tasteless.

Final thoughts? It wasn't worth my 1.25 to buy it. If I was in a pinch I MAY buy it again but it would take A LOT of doctoring to make it taste good.

All in all I give it a 3 star rating.

Menu Plan for the week of June 5 to June 12 and some updates.

2009-06-04T15:46:00.006-05:00

A few updates first...my bipolar disorder recently went to a place that I don't like to be. I am considered to be full blown manic right now. I managed to get an emergency appointment at the doc's on Tuesday and they changed all of my meds. Basically if I am manic and on meds, then said meds were not doing what they were supposed to.

I could use ya'll's prayers.

Damon has decided that it is time for us to go back to church. I would have been going myself, but to be honest, my mental health issues make me paranoid of new people and new places so I cling tight to Damon whenever I am in a new situation.

Please keep us in your prayers that we will be able to find a church home that works for both of us. We are both Baptist, but our views on things differ somewhat and it can make it hard to find a church.

Okay, now to the menu...Some of these are just repeats from last week. When my mind took its little walk, things were kinda messed up so Damon and the monkey child (4 y.o) kinda just grabbed and growled.

Meal #1-Meatloaf, Mashed taters, Mixed Veggies

Meal #2- Garlic Cheddar Chicken (this will be a first for us..will let you know how it turns out), broccoli casserole,

Meal #3- BAS (breakfast at supper) Sausage gravy and biscuits (I only use the gravy recipe posted here, not the biscuits...also, I use regular sausage instead of maple...turns out great!)

Meal # 4- Spaghetti, garlic bread, lettuce wedge with dressing

Meal #5- Hamburgers, french fries, homemade Mac and Cheese (this mac and cheese recipe is awesome!

Meal #6 Lasagna, garlic bread and salad

Meal # 7 Chicken fried steak (also a new recipe for us), fried taters and green beans

Wow, we are trying a lot of new recipes this week! I will let you know how they go.

Do you like to menu plan? Need ideas for getting started? Check out Menu Planning Monday at orgjunkie.com!

Menu Planning Monday

2009-06-01T00:03:00.003-05:00

So, since I shop Friday to Thursday, I am late getting this up...ah well, maybe next week will be better.

Here's a quick rundown of the meals planned for this week. I have decided that no meal will have a specific day b/c frankly...I am not that organized yet..lol.

Meal #1-
meatloaf,
fried taters,
veggie

Meal #2-
goulash (we ate this today)
veggie
bread

Meal #3-

Fettucine Alfredo (cheating and using jarred sauce..got it for 1.00 the other day, cheaper than making my own)
Garlic Bread

Meal #4-

Chicken and Homemade noodles
mashed taters
veggie
bread

Meal #5-

BAS (breakfast at supper)
Sausage gravy and homemade biscuits

Meal #6-

Chicken fried rice (this is an awesome recipe that can be adapted to use chicken, pork or beef...use your best judgement on the soy sauce tho...)

Meal #7

Herb Rubbed pork chops (will post my recipe after I figure out exactly how much of each spice I use)
veggie
sweet cornbread

Do You Plan A Menu? If so, join us at orgjunkie's Menu Planning Monday. Over 300 ladies post their menus...get great ideas and great new recipes to try!

The Wonders of Accupuncture

2009-05-31T23:52:00.005-05:00

As most of you know, I have fibromyalgia. (For more info, click here ) We have tried a lot of different treatments since my diagnosis in 2007, but really, none have worked all that well. Pain meds don't really help, meds specific to FMS haven't helped, soaks in the tub, etc...nothing was working. So out of desperation I asked my doc about trying accupuncture.

Trust me...this was a big step. I HATE needles. I will run from someone with a needle. I would really like to just shoot the person who invented them. So for me to ask about this meant that I was tired of treatments that didn't work...tired of hurting...tired of fighting.

Anyhow to make a long story short (it actually took me almost 3 months to get the first treatment), I would like to say *climbs up on my soapbox* that accupuncture is the greatest thing to have ever happened to me.

I have had 3 treatments as of this writing and I don't hurt. I don't deal with the stiffness in the mornings, I don't have the headaches as often, simply put...I feel 100% better.

The treatments are bad at all. The needles are one piece, where the bottom of the needle is straight and then it sorta weaves into a spring. They don't hurt going in, most of them I don't even feel and the ones that I do feel, hurt less than if someone had pinched me. I love the practitioner that I see...he's got a great sense of humor and is gentle with me since he realizes that even the slightest jarring of the wrong place at the wrong time can put me down for days, he's just a great guy.

And then there's the added benefits. I am (usually) much more calm after the treatments. I mean who wouldn't be after lying in a dark room with a heat lamp shining gentle heat on you and beautiful chinese music playing softly in the background for 20 minutes? Lol. Its great.

So...if you are having a hard time with stress, pain or whatever, I would recommend getting yourself some needle treatment. :D

Just do yourself a favor...make sure that the person you are hiring to do the job is actually certified. I'm told that a person could really mess you up if they didn't know what they were doing.

Ha! I rule!

2009-05-30T02:41:00.010-05:00

Lol...

Every so often I get sick of the clutter around my house and I de-clutter. Guess where I am right now? LOL

So I decided to start where I was. My desk.

It has taken me an hour, and there's still one shelf and 2 drawers that are bothering me, but I can get them here in a bit after I take a break.

I wanted to share my progress so far tho.

Got rid of a bunch of junk papers, cleaned out my daughters bookshelf and straightened it up...still gotta hunt down the books she is missing, got the top shelf (dh's), cleaned out my bookshelf getting rid of a lot of books I will never use (craft and cook) posting them on freecycle, dusted the entire desk (minus the shelf I haven't done yet and the 2 drawers), and wrangled the gazillion ink pens floating in hyperspace..lol.

Here are some pics to help get you all motivated. Yes, my pc monitor is huge and old, but I love it, lol.

Hope you are all having a great week. I still haven't made out my menu for next week, but I am getting to that later today. Will post it when I get it ready.

Happy Weekend!

OH! If you are wondering about the website that I have on the pc in the pics it is orgjunkie.com. Its a great site for organizing tips!

Wow!

2009-05-24T22:54:00.004-05:00

It's been a while since I have posted. Things had gotten really hectic around here for a while. We had b-days and graduations and more..lol.

So...here I am again.

Our family is doing really well. Both of my daughters (17 step and 4 bio) have graduated their respective grades. The 17 year old is planning on going to college near here and majoring in early childhood education. My 4 year old will be heading to kindergarten a whole year early. IF we can get her adhd under control.

We just recently found out that she does have adhd. We are just learning how to manage it, so if anyone has any tips, we sure would appreciate them. We are going to try and control it without medication, but if thats what it takes, thats what it takes.

Have finally gotten back to menu planning. I realized that if I had just bought what I actually needed for meals this week that I would have only spent like 65.00 at the store. So, next week we will try to only buy what we need.

I am not posting my menu for this week as my planning week is almost over, but I will get back to posting it again on Thursday.

Hope you all are doing well!

Chicken Noodle Soup! Wow!

2009-03-21T22:14:00.005-05:00

So I made the chicken noodle soup last night..WOW!

Here's the recipe, gotta try it out!

1 tablespoon butter
3 carrots, chopped or sliced
3celery ribs, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped ( I did not have onion, so I added 1/4tsp onion powder)
2garlic cloves, minced
3 (32 ounce) boxes chicken broth (or 2 of the big ones from swanson)
1 bay leaf
2 16 oz bags homestyle noodles (from the freezer section, I use Reames)
1/4 teaspoon celery seed (the original recipe calls for this, but I forgot it and couldn't tell any difference).
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt (aka Season All)
1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning (I use Spike)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (I used 2 spigs chopped up)
1/2 of a whole chicken, meat only (I keep the chunks big)(cooked mine in crock pot)

Directions

1
In a large saucepot, saute carrots, celery and onion in the butter for 2 minutes over med-high heat.
2
Add broth and bay leaf, give it a stir, put the lid on the pot and crank up the heat to high until it start boiling.
3
When boiling, remove lid an drop in the noodles, chicken and seasonings. Give it a good stir and leave the lid off.
4
Boil on med-high for 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes, lower heat to get a good simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Remove Bay leaf and serve.

YUMMY!! YUMM!

Menu Planning for week of March 20-26

2009-03-19T19:13:00.004-05:00

I haven't planned my menu's in a while and to tell you the truth, we have been eating less and less of a great meal since then..AND my food bill has jumped again.

So here we go again and hopefully this week I can lower that bill again. I have decided tho that I am not going to pin myself down to a certain meal on a certain day.

Dinners:

**Note if it has a 0.00 price it means I already have it. The prices in parenthesis are what I paid or would have paid. Same with the total. Without parenthesis are what I will pay, the ones with are the complete and total of what I did or would have paid.

Meal # 1
Bacon, egg and cheese quesadillas ---BAS night (breakfast at supper night)
Bacon- 1.99 for 1lb deli style bacon
Eggs-6 eggs 0.00 (.50 for 6)
Shredded Cheese-0.00 (.99 on sale)
Tortillas-1.49

Total for meal- 3.48 (4.98)

Meal # 2
Spaghetti-
Hamburger-0.00 (1.69lb)
Spaghetti Noodles-.89 (sale buy)
Spaghetti Sauce-0.00 (.88 sale)
Mushrooms-1.00

Total For Meal-1.89 (4.46)

Meal #3
Beef Stew over Buttermilk biscuits
Beef Stew-0.00 (3.49)
Biscuits-2.38 dzn

Total for Meal 2.38 (5.87)
1..89+
Meal #4

Hot dogs, Mac and Cheese, green beans

Hot dogs-.89
buns-.99
mac and cheese 0.00 ( .50 sale buy)
green beans-0.00 (.49)

Total for meal-1.88 (2.87)

Meal #5

Chicken Noodle Soup-will freeze half

Chicken-0.00 (2.49 for whole)
Chicken broth-0.00 (bought it cause I needed it for something else and didn't use it) (5.00)
Noodles-2.00
carrots-0.00 (.69)
celery-1.19

Total for meal-3.19 (11.37)
Total divided by two since I am freezing half- 1.60 (5.68)

Meal # 6

Hamburger Stronganoff

Hamburger 0.00 (1.69)
Onion Soup mix 0.00 (1.19)
Cream of mushroom soup-0.00 (.50)
sour cream 0.00 (.88 sale)
onion-.33
egg noodles-1.00

Total for meal 1.33 (5.59)

Hmmm....can I really feed the family 6 dinners for under 20.00? We shall see. Wish me luck.

"When will you remember me?"

2009-03-18T01:33:00.001-05:00

I was raised in church my entire life. I am the daughter of a Baptist preacher. I once walked with God closely.

Somewhere along the road I lost my way. I couldn't tell you when or where, but it happened. I am finding my way back now.

I haven't prayed in a LOOOONG time. For a while there I pretty much forgot that God existed except for the hard times. I remind myself of the Children of Israel in the Bible who only prayed when they needed help.

This was one of those times.

I want another baby. I can't have one as my husband had a vasectomy 12 years ago (with his first wife). I know that the only way I am going to have another child is by the Grace of God.

So I turned to my old ways. I prayed.

And I prayed...

And I prayed.

Then one day, my 4 year old decided that she wanted me to read the Bible to her. So I did it...at the time I wasn't real happy about it, but I did it.

I let her pick where we were going to read. She picked the Bible up and just opened it, pointed and said "here." Lol.

She had opened it to the story of Hannah praying that God would give her a baby.

I'm not ignorant...lol, I learned a long time ago that the Holy Spirit will speak to us when we least expect it. I read her the story...and I paid attention.

So from then on out, I prayed Hannah's prayer..."remember me Lord..."

After about a week of praying this...and I mean pretty much non stop praying this, I repeated the words "remember me Lord" and I promise you..it was pretty much instant, the Holy Spirit spoke to me with "When will you remember Me?"

I had forgotten Him and of course, he knew that. So I have slowly started to find my way back. Not because I think I will get a baby out of it (I may never get that baby), but because I've realized I was so much more happier when I walked with Him. I crave that relationship that I used to have, that closeness I once had with the Lord...the trust and faith I had.

I'd like to ask you all to pray for me. I need all the help I can get.

And to ask...

Did you remember him today?

About Me

2009-03-13T15:00:00.004-05:00

Who is the woman behind A Helpmeet for Him?

I am a 27 year old woman. I met my husband online and married him 9 months later. He truly is the love of my life.

I am the mother of one very active four year old (hereby known as the baby in my posts) and stepmom to 3 teens ages 14,16 and 18.

We reside in Northern Iowa in a 4 bedroom house with a guinea pig named Milkdud and a cat (aka as the Queen) named Bella.

I work from home doing website management. Basically I run websites for people who do not have the time to do it themselves. My husband is a medically retired Navy vet who served in the Gulf War.

I have Fibromyalgia, Bipolar Disorder and a few other illnesses.

I love the Lord, but my walk with him is labored. We seem to have an on again, off again type of relationship. I know this is more my fault than his. I work on and struggle with this every day.

I love to sing. Music has always been a type of therapy for me and it continues to be. There is nothing more soothing to my soul than the old time hymns that I grew up with.

I also crochet, although not very well. I just recently taught myself but I feel I am doing well with it.

Lastly, I sincerly hope that you will enjoy your time here with me. This blog is about my journey to becoming the wife that not only I want to be, but also the wife that God intended me to be.

Bean and Bacon Soup recipe

2009-02-25T00:46:00.004-06:00

1 lb dried navy beans (Soaked in water overnight or quick soak method)
6 slices bacon, from butcher chopped in pieces (thick slices)
1/3 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup chopped carrot
1/3 cup choppeed onion
5 cups chicken stock or beef stock
celery salt
pepper

Cook bacon in soup pot till browned but still limp.

Remove bacon from pan and reserve two tablespoons bacon fat.

Cook carrots,onions, and celery in bacon fat over medium heat till soft.

add beans and broth to soup pot with bacon and veggies.

Bring to boil and turn heat down to simmer for 1/1/2 hours. (you may not have to cook it this long)

Season with celery salt and pepper and serve with crusty bread and butter.

Updates and weekly shopping trip

2009-02-20T21:44:00.004-06:00

So its been a while.

Things have been really hectic around here this week. I've had to make 3 trips to Des Moines, which is about 2 hours (give or take) from my house, and I've had to put 2 of our animals to sleep this week, one of which was a big rabies scare. Everything has turned out okay, other than I put a cat to sleep that didn't really need it. But the vet said that the symptoms he was showing were too close to rabies to tell, so there was really nothing else to do.

On to the weekly shopping trip. I am really proud of myself this week. Whereas I usually am able to fill my cart to half full, this week it was overflowing. Yay! Lol

Here's some of the great deals we got.

Eggo Waffles--1.18 ea
Roll sausage-.99 ea
sausage links-.99 ea
orange juice-1.99 ea (like .70 savings on ea)
Eggs for .88 dzn
Jumbo hot dogs for .88 ea (my daughter has an addiction to them)
bologna for .88 (another addiction of hers)
Kraft mac and cheese for .49 ea
sour cream for 1.39

AND My DEAL OF DEALS!!

6 2-liters of Diet Dr. Pepper for 1.32!! TOTAL!! TAX AND DEPOSIT AND ALL!! WHOO HOO!!!

Anyhow, I hope you all are having a better week than me

Menu Planning Monday

2009-02-10T02:02:00.003-06:00

Okay, I'm late...lol

Feb 10-taco bake
Feb 11-chili and cornbread
Feb 12-pork chops
Feb 13- fried chicken (anyone got a good recipe for fc? I am bored with mine.)
Feb 14- loaded cheeseburgers
Feb 15- meatloaf
Feb 16- spaghetti

Last weeks menu went fairly well. There was a night where we didn't follow the menu due to leftovers, but other than that. The menu's and cooking dinner seem to be falling into line. YAY!

Want some awesome menu planning ideas? Then check out Menu Planning Monday at Organized Junkie!

What goes up...

2009-02-10T01:25:00.004-06:00

Must come down...

I have fibromyalgia. As a result, I have a few other health problems that have presented themselves over the years. IBS, TMJ, objective vertigo, idiopathic hypersomnia (in the process of finishing this diagnosis) (diagnosis=dx from here on out) and a few more.

Anyhow, of the minor illnesses, I would say that the vertigo is the worst of the two. Stairs appear to move on me when I am climbing down them. I have fallen before but generally just tend to take it slow and I am fine. Until today. I was going downstairs to help my little one finish getting ready for school and took a rather bad fall.

Long story short, I totally destroyed the right side of my body. I mean that I literally bruised that side from my ankle to my shoulder. My right hip and wrist took the worst of it tho. I didn't go to the e.r. but am prolly going to when Damon gets home from work due to the fact that I still can barely put weight on that wrist.

Please keep me in your prayer's ya'll. I am going to call my doc later today as this has become a real problem now.

Yay

2009-02-07T00:12:00.004-06:00

If you've been paying attention, you know that I have been having trouble getting my grocery bill down under 150.00 each week. I started menu planning about 3 weeks ago to try and help with it, but so far hadn't had any luck.

Until this week!

I went to the store this week and spent....

80.00!!!

Yay! *does a really lame happy dance around her living room*

Whoo Hoo!

Now...I do have to go back to the store tomorrow to grab a couple of things that they were out of (restock is tomorrow), but those items won't cost me much over another 10.00 so I am still waayyy under my allowed budget for the week.

One thing that I *think* (too early to really tell) helped is that I decided to make our snacks here at home instead of buying pre-made convience foods. Ima make some people Puppy Chow tomorrow, regular and pb rice krispie treats, ants on a log, oatmeal rasin cookies, and....this is where I get stuck.

HELP!!!

I have my stepsons this coming weekend so the snacks need to be flowing a plenty...and I can't think of anymore to make. I could make the typical cookies, cakes and candies (I cook okay, but baking is really my forte), but I was wanting to go for more of a healthier stance.

I don't mind if I have to use more of the grocery budget this week to stock up on what I may need to make them, so money isn't a problem.

Please leave any snack suggestions you may have in a comment. I would really appreciate any help you all may have.

Brag of the week: My youngest stepson (the bigger of the 2 boys in the pic below) is wrestling for the first time this year. He currently has a record of 5 wins (4 of those by pinfall) and 3 losses. For a first year wrestler, I am told this is really good. Just had to brag a bit, we are all really proud of him.

Yummy Carrot Cake

2009-02-06T02:56:00.005-06:00

Dh's b-day is Sunday so I am making a carrot cake for him again this year. His fav...

Thought I would share my recipe here with you all.

1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar and oil.

With mixer running on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture.

Blend in vanilla, carrot and pecans.

Pour batter into a well greased 8 x 12 inch pan.

Bake in 325°F oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

When cake is cool, spread with cream cheese icing, below.

Note: Chopped peanuts or walnuts may be substituted for pecans.

This is such a yummy cake...

Here's the Cream Cheese frosting recipe I use with it.

8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1 lb powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch salt
3 tablespoons milk or cream, enough to aid in spreading consistency

Blend softened cheese and butter in mixer.Blend and whip in the sugar and vanilla. Beat in enough cream to arrive at the right spreading consistency.

So yummy....

The Cutest Blog on the Block

2009-02-05T00:36:00.002-06:00

So I came across this site today and wanted to give them their due credit. They have got some really nice blog layouts and some awesome graphics for them too. Also tutorials on how to create your own layout and more. Check them out today and you won't regret it. You can click the link at the top of this page or click..

HERE

Ah-CHOO!

2009-02-03T04:04:00.004-06:00

Anyone else sick? I seem to be coming down with the flu...and at such a fantastic time too. Please send up a quick prayer for me if you would. I am sure that you all know that when mom is down, the whole house can fall apart real quick.

I have managed to plan out not only this week's menu, but the month's menu. This is awesome for me, because I now know what I will be shopping for in 3 weeks so if I happen to see a great sale, I can go ahead and grab it (like with the sirloin roast last week).

Here we go.

Feb 3--beef stew and biscuits
Feb 4--chicken fried rice-
Feb 5--breakfast at supper (biscuits and gravy)
Feb 6--bean and bacon soup
Feb 7--tuna casserole
Feb 8--Dh's b-day! Lasagna (His fav meal)
Feb 9--fish and chips
Feb 10-taco bake
Feb 11-chili and cornbread
Feb 12-pork chops
Feb 13- fried chicken (anyone got a good recipe for fc? I am bored with mine.)
Feb 14- loaded cheeseburgers
Feb 15- meatloaf
Feb 16- spaghetti
Feb 17- chinese night (prolly general tso's or something)
Feb 18- burritos
Feb 19- ham and augratin potatoes
Feb 20- take out night (prolly pizza)
Feb 21- fish and chips
Feb 22- baked chicken (again...recipe? I don't think I even have one cause I usually don't fix it this way)
Feb 23- lasagna
Feb 24- taco bake
Feb 25- chili and cornbread
Feb 26- pot roast
Feb. 27- meatloaf'
Feb- 28- breakfast at supper (biscuits and gravy)

I will do the sides as I go..lol. And yes, I know I have no nights for leftovers...thats because we eat them for lunch...if we happen to have any left over for dinner too, then the menu plan is just pushed back a day.

Lastly, I would like to ask you all to keep my daughter in your thoughts and prayers. To make a really long story short, she and I come from a really bad life before I met my husband. Homeless more times than I can count, going hungry, living with people who hated us, etc. I will tell the story one day (its a great testiment of God's great love and power), but today isn't that day. She is having a really hard time adjusting to life as it is now...with a loving family, a stable roof over her head, food in her belly, clothes on her back, etc. She hasn't been saying much to me, but instead has been opening up to her teacher.

That is fine with me...at least someone is able to get into that little head. (This is my 4 year old we are talking about here, not my 17 yo stepdaughter). She just needs a bit of prayer and I would really appreciate it if you all would join me in doing so.

Thanks all and have a great day!

31 days of Prayer for My husband

2009-02-01T22:50:00.004-06:00

So I am browsing blogs tonight and I come across a really great one.

Diary of a Stay At Home Mom

Anyhow, she has started doing the 31 days of prayer for her husband and has invited all to join her.

Well, with yesterday being my husband's and mine's first wedding anniversary, I thought what better way to start out a new year in our marriage. So I am going to participate.

I invite you to also.

Just click on the link above to go to her blog where she will list the prayers, etc everyday. She also has a Mr. Linky so we can all know who is participating, but you don't have to fill it out if you don't want to. :)

Happy Anniversary My Love

2009-01-31T12:42:00.005-06:00

Damon...

One year ago today, we stood beside one another and said those vows that we cling so tightly to each day. On that day, I knew that I was making the best choice that I could have and that for some reason, God had chosen me to have one of the best around. It was an extremely humbling thought to know that after it all, all of the things I had allowed to happen to me, that you still wanted me.

In the past year, I have fallen in love with you all over again so many times that I have lost count. The way you treat me, the things you do for me, the love you give me...at times it is almost more than I can handle. You still manage to take my breath away sometimes. Even the butterflies have remained.

Yes, we have had our problems...Lord knows we have had our problems. I am sure too that we will continue to have them...lol, our medical conditions almost guarantee that. But we've made it thru every single one of them...some without battle scars...some with them. We've overcome those obsticals tho. And I know we will continue to overcome them.

Seeing you in the hospital this past week really hit me hard. Not that you were all that bad off, but coming home to an empty house, sleeping alone in our bed, not being able to talk to you whenever, or beat you at that stupid game...it really hit me hard. Its insane how dependent you can become on someone in such a short time. If nothing else, it reminded me how much I love you...which is easily forgotten sometimes.

I love you Damon. I have since I first heard your voice over that phone. Really since that first chat on im. There was something about you that drew me to you...I think I knew even then that something big was about to happen. When you picked me up in Ohio and we hugged that first time, it was like coming home. I had found what I had searched for, for so long.

Never forget that you are my one and only. There have been others in both of our lives, but for me there has never been another who has my love like you do. There is, was, and ever will be only you. You are not perfect but neither am I, but together...what we have is probably as close to perfection as we could get on this earth.

Happy Anniversary My love...here's to you, me and a lifetime full of love and happiness.

Stacy

Menu Planning Monday for week of 2/1/09-2/7/09

2009-01-31T12:31:00.003-06:00

This week we stayed pretty close to the menu plan with the exception of the 2 days that my DH was in the hospital. Him being admitted kinda threw me off kilter so I ordered out...lol. Bad of me I know, but I am sure you all understand.

Here is next weeks plan...pretty cheap week actually. I only planned dinners this week, we will figure lunches out as they come.

Sunday: SuperBowl Buffet--pizzas (maybe and frozen ones), nachos, little smokies, etc.
Monday: Ham and potatoes (turkey ham with augratin potatoes, cooked in crock)
Tuesday: beef stew and biscuits
Wednesday: Chinese night--chicken fried rice
Thursday: frozen pizza night
Friday: bean and bacon soup
Saturday: tuna casserole
Sunday: Lasagna (DH's B-day and Favorite meal)

Now keep in mind that I shop on Friday's so some of this will actually be on next week's groceries, but I wanted to start planning on a regular weekly schedule. Friday to Friday is just too off kilter for me. Lol, I need regular structure in my life and any little weird thing will throw me off of that.

Have a great week!

And the world goes calm...

2009-01-31T12:17:00.003-06:00

So...well things are quieting down here some. My DH is home from the hospital, with his meds straighted out. He is starting to come back to himself more and more everyday. I love it b/c I finally have the man I married back instead of what can only be described as an angry shell of him before.

Went grocery shopping yesterday....still spent over 100, but thats okay. I decided that I am not going to stress over that. If it comes down, it comes down. However, the main cost of the bill was items for the SuperBowl. DH is a HUGE football fan, so I am throwing a full out party...lol, even if it is just the three of us.

The list of what I bought is way to long to post here, but I thought I would share some of my deals...

Smuckers jelly 1.29 (reg price is 2.29)
large eggs .99 ea (reg. 1.49)
boneless skinless chicken breast 1.99lb (reg 2.49 or higher)
boneless sirloin roast 2.49lb (reg 3.99 or higher)
Chex Mix 1.25 ea (reg 1.99)
Kraft American Cheese 12 oz 1.67 ea (reg over 2.00)
Kraft Mac and Cheese 2/1 (reg over 1.00, and the cheap stuff was on sale for the same price.)
Hillshire Farms Little Smokies 2.50 ea (reg over 3.00)
Pepsi 2 Liters 4/5 (reg 1.59 ea plus tax and deposit)
Lays chips 2.47 ea (reg 3.99)
GM cereal 1.68 ea (reg over 2.50)

In addition, there's a "rebate" out there for the chips and pop, where when you buy so many they will send you a coupon booklet. I got this last year too and its pretty decent.

Here is the link with the offer details and form if you are interested. I would have posted it sooner, but life took over.

http://www.pepsistuff.com/2009superbowl_webform.pdf

Anyhow, hope you all have a wonderful day!

2009-01-29T12:17:00.002-06:00

My Dh is home from the hospital. Thanks to all that sent up a prayer.

I hope to be back to posting regularly soon. With everything that has happened, I have gotten out of the habit.

Stacy

Please pray

2009-01-27T00:40:00.002-06:00

My husband was admitted to the psych ward last night. Please send up a prayer for him that they will be able to get him stabilized quickly and back home to us soon.

Thanks all

Menu Planning for week of 1-23 to 1-29

2009-01-23T15:23:00.005-06:00

Okay...so last weeks menu's got kinda all clustered about. The good part is that while we may not have eaten every meal on the menu or we may have shifted days, we didn't buy anything or fix anything that wasn't on that list. There were a couple of nights where we ended up not being home at dinner so I was actually up 2 meals for this week that I didn't have to buy.

Here's the plan for next week.

Date Lunch Dinner
January 24 grilled cheese, tomato soup baked spaghetti, salad, homemade breadsticks
January 25 hot dogs, mac and cheese taco bake
January 26 leftover buffet chicken and brocolli alfredo
January 27, soup and sandwiches beef and noodles, green beans, mashed potatoes
January 28, chicken nuggets, lipton side pork chops, augratin potatoes, green beans, applesauce
January 29 grab and growl meatloaf, mixed veggies, mashed potatoes

We shall see how it goes.

In other news, went shopping today. Spent over 100.00 again this week...I really hope I can get it back down some here soon. Did manage to get a few good deals tho and one happy dance deal..lol.

The lowered my cat's wet food from .85 for one to 2/.85. Yes we feed him an offbrand, but I was still shocked at that much of a price drop. Oh well tho, I will be stocking up on it before it rises again.

I got:

Sara Lee brea-1.18 a loaf
milk for 1.46 a gallon with the save 1.00 on milk wyb sara lee bread
breakfast sausage for .99 a roll
Oscar Meyer bacon at 2/5.
Downy fabric softener sheets for1.59 w/ coupon
Ragu for 1.48 ea
80% lean ground beef for 1.49lb...lol, I got 10lbs...
Skippy pb for .99
12 Charmin Big Rolls for 5.88--I know, I could buy cheaper tp but this is my one splurge item, and if you break this price down by roll its the same price as the cheap stuff.

I am going back later to pick up a couple more things of pb since it was limit 2, some more of that sausage, and Carefree pantiliners that they have on sale for .99 I may even pick up another thing of that Charmin since thats such a good price for it. Also gonna have them price match the Walgreens and HyVee ads to get some cheap Dawn and Kleenex.

Yanno, I really miss having coupons for all this stuff.

My baby's b-day and losing weight

2009-01-20T01:43:00.004-06:00

So my little girl turns 4 on Thursday. *Sneef Sneef* They really do grow up too fast yanno...

Anyhow, we had her party this past weekend because it was the weekend her stepbrothers were with us. She had a really great time, and got the Moon Sand she had been asking for for months.

Note: Awesome stuff, but MESSY! MESSY! MESSY!! It gets all over the place and no matter how much you try to keep that from happening, you just can't. Would be much better if I had a table in my kitchen or anything other than carpet in my dining room, but with carpet it just goes in and you can't get it out unless you vacuum constantly.

Anyhow, I will get some pics posted as soon as I can find the usb cord for my camera. Lol, I am always losing that stupid thing.

You know what tho...I was reminded in the middle of that small b-day party what a great child I have managed to raise so far. She takes a bite of her cake, does the whole "mmmm, yummy" thing, then looks at me and says "Mommy, thank you for my birthday party." Wow. I have a great child.

I made a promise at the beginning of the year...not so much a resolution but more of a promise to myself that I would try to lose weight this year. No given amount set, just that I would try and lose something. Even 2 lbs would be a start...lol.

I got the clearance from my doctor today to go ahead and start a program or something. So I am going to be doing Weight Watchers from home. Not paying for it, can't afford it, but I found a site online that lists all the foods and their point values. I was also able to come across the quiz you take to determine daily points so I know that too...32 points a day with 35 allowance points a week.

Anyhow, I hope you all don't mind if I post my daily totals and such here to help keep me motivated. I get discouraged really easily so I am hoping that by posting here that it will help me. That starts tomorrow.

Also a GDA (Good Deal Alert) for ya'll before I go.

I had a gift card for JC Penny's that I got for working Simple Gpt last month so I headed in there today to grab some socks for the little one. They are having a huge sale right now. Almost everything that I saw was at least 50% off or bogo 50%, but most of it was 70% off. I was able to get her 2 outfits, a pack of socks, a pair of sneakers and Damon (DH) a pair of flannel pj's for under 45.00. The skirt I got her was only 2.97, one shirt was 4.97, the other 2 seperates were 6.99 ea, sneakers for 7.99 and pj's were 10.99.

Awesome deals for JC Penny's!

Night all

Grocery Shopping for the week of 1/16/09 Long

2009-01-17T15:52:00.003-06:00

Okay...

so my effort to save money this week did not go as well as I had hoped. Well, honestly, it didn't go well at all. There is always next week tho. I have been out of that saddle for a long time but I will get it again. Next week I will be taking in the soda bottles for the return money (.05 each times about 6 bags) and using that towards the groceries. I don't take bottles in very often, because I prefer to let them accumulate in money...lol. Time to get them outta my basement tho.

paper bowls-dd's b-day party--2.50
paper plates-1.59 (this is my one splurge, I don't have many real plates (seriously, like 3) so I prefer to use these unless its a special day.
plastic silverware for party-.99
3 dzn eggs @ 1.69 ea-5.07
1% gallon milk-2.85
1/2 gal choc milk for preschool snacks this week-1.95
Malt O Meal cold cereal-2.39
doritos (taco bake)-1.59-generic
Malt O Meal cold cereal-2.49
ice cream for party-1.99
crackers @ .98 ea-1.96
shredded cheese-on sale 3/5.00 (cheaper than blocked this week)
Land O Lakes Buttermilk-half pint @ .41 ea-1.23 (<--I was so upset, I use buttermilk a lot and they didn't have any 1/2 gallons which are cheaper.)
bnls chuck roast-6.54
sour cream-1.18
soda 4@ 1.69-6.76 + .20 deposit= 6.96
soda 2@ .99=1.98 +.10 deposit=2.08
ketchup-.95
beef stew-3.39 (large can)
butter- 3@ 1.69 ea-5.07
5 lb potatoes=1.97
pork ribeye chops-4.00
egg noodles-.98
elbow mac- 2 @ .55-1.10
tomato sauce 2@ .29-.87
McCormick seasonings 2@ .69 = 1.38
cooked bacon-2.79
bacon-2.99
spaghetti-.88
hot dogs 3@ .79 = 2.37
1 onion-.33
applesauce-1.19
dole salad-.99
chili beans 2@ .59 -1.18
stewed tomatoes .59

coupons used were 2 75/1 Malt O meal

Total savings 1.50 (not counting sale prices)

Total OOP (with tax) 81.02

I can do better than that...I know that I can. I am extremely disappointed in myself this week. My husband normally drinks a lot more soda than that, but we are starting to wean him off of it. Once we get that done and he's off the caffiene, that will help out some.

First day of eating the menu plan-and Mama's Easy Chili Recipe

2009-01-16T23:23:00.005-06:00

So chili night went off without a hitch. Yum-O! Took me forever to figure out a chili recipe that didn't taste like tomato soup with beans...lol. If you are interested, here it is. **Note: It is bean heavy.

2 cans tomato sauce
2 cans chili beans
1 can kidney beans (dark or light, your preference)
1 can diced tomatoes
2 lbs ground beef
1 pkge McCormick mild chili seasonings
1 pkge McCormick Tex Mex chili seasoning
1/4-1/2 cup salsa (your preference on kind and flavor)
a little amount of water

Combine sauce and beans in large pot and set to cook on med/low. Brown ground beef and drain almost all of the grease off..leave about 1 tsp in skillet. Add salsa and cook on med for 2 to 3 minutes. Add seasoning packets to the meat. This is important..this is how it gets it flavor. Add the water. I don't know how much because it really depends. You want the meat mixture to be wet, but not sopping. It should turn a dark brownish color and should hold together pretty well when there is enough water in it. Like I said, you don't want it dripping wet, but you don't want it dry either. Cook the seasonings into the meat for 2-3 minutes, then slowly add into tomato mixture. Add by serving spoonful, stirring the mixture well after each. Your tomato mixture will turn a dark reddish, brown color. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until seasonings are mixed in well. Make sure to stir often.

Note: It does have some kick to it, but its not real overwhelming. My 4 year old ate it with no problem. If you like extra kick add some green chiles to it. My husband loves it, even with it being as simple as it is. I am seasoning challenged..lol, so thats why I use the McCormick packets.

Now..the cornbread...lol...taste like Jiffy...lol

2/3 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 milk, plus a little extra if its too thick

Combine first 5 ingredients in a bowl, mix well. Whisk in vegetable oil and mix until dry mixture is smooth and lumps are gone <---I could not get the lumps out, so I went ahead with the recipe and made sure it was smooth after adding the egg and milk, turned out great anyhow. Combine mix with egg and milk, mixing well until smooth. Spray 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray and bake at 400 degrees F 15-20 minutes or until done. I doubled the recipe and used a glass 9x13 pyrex dish and it turned out fantastic...not too thin, not too thick.

Also, I put in the part about the extra milk. Made up the way it was, it was waayyy to thick to bake right. I added probably (didn't look) 2 tsp of extra milk, maybe 3 to the batter and mixed in it well. It made it the right consistency and helped it turn out the way it did.

A big request

2009-01-14T22:04:00.003-06:00

I need a huge favor.

My husband is in need of prayer in a big, big way. Here's why...he is mentally ill. He has severe bipolar disorder to the point where the US Navy has declared him as 100% totally and permenently disabled as well as Social Security. He has dealt with this for years.

For the most part, most of the time, he is okay. But along with the BP he has Seasonal Affective Disorder (known as SAD from now on). His sad is triggered by the weather and the fact that he had 2 very traumatic events happen around Christmas back in 2002.

Basically this is what happens...he gets depressed and from there it snowballs. It starts out as SAD, but eventually his BP takes over. This is where the problems start. He becomes lethargic and unresponsive. His thought processes are interuppted and even doing the smallest tasks, like getting dressed or remembering to bathe become an ordeal for him. As a direct result of that, he gets easily frustrated and angry, both on the inside and on the outside. He becomes beligerent, and frankly an all around butthead. (Lol, and he admits that. )

This year has/is especially bad for him. He is on medication (Lamictal and Zoloft) but they seem to not be controlling it this year for some reason. My personal belief is that it has to do with a 2 week trip we took from Iowa to Arkansas to California then back to Iowa. I think the stress of that has just turned his brain to mush.

I am begging you all to send up a quick prayer for him. His faith waivers when he is like this so I doubt he will do it himself. It would be much appreciated.

What a Deal Wednesday!

2009-01-14T13:25:00.003-06:00

So I thought that I would start a weekly post called

"What a deal Wednesday."

Each Wednesday I will share an awesome deal that I managed to snag OR if I haven't found one (let's face it...it happens..lol), I will try and post an awesome one I have come across for you all.

This week I will do both.

My deal was found at a Hy-Vee drugstore. I went in to pick up my medication yesterday and lo and behold right beside the pharmacy is a clearance cart. I don't know about you all, but I love, love, love clearance carts.

So I very quietly (and sheepishly I might add) slid over to the cart. Much to my surprise its filled with Tampax:fresh and Summers Eve products. WHOO HOO! (hey, that stuff is expensive out here). So I grab 2 boxes of Tampax (money was/is tight, wish I coulda got more) and 2 boxes of Summers Eve and go to the pharmacy where I suddenly decide that I need to grab one more box of Summers Eve.

Here's where this get kinda funny.

Without even thinking about it, I hand the stack of boxes in my hand to my husband and walk back to the cart. It wasn't until I was walking back to him that I realized I had just left my husband standing in the middle of the pharmacy holding 2 boxes of tampons and 2 boxes of "feminine hygeine washes..." with a rather dazed look on his face. I burst out laughing and apologized immediately.

Anyhow, here's how the breakdown on price went...

2 boxes 18 ct Tampax Fresh- 2.00
1 4ct box Summers Eve-1.00
1 2ct Summers Eve- .50
1 2ct Summers Eve- .20

Total 3.70 + tax!!!

Normal prices:

Tampax 3.99
Summers Eve 4 ct. 3.99
Summers Eve 2 ct 1.49 ea

Total of 10.96 + tax

Total Savings of 7.26
66.2% Saved!

YAY! *Does a happy jig across her living room*

Okay, for you all...

Here's a couple of them..they really aren't deals, but they will help ya'll save some cash.

Get 10.00 in Betty Crocker coupons just for signing up for their email list. They do come, I have already gotten mine.

http://freecoupons.bettycrocker.com/BC1Coupon/Default.aspx?Source=432

Get 10.00 in Pillsbury coupons just for signing up for their email list.

http://freecoupons.pillsbury.com/PB1Coupon/Default.aspx?source=505

Big Crumbs: Let me explain this one...

Big Crumbs is a cashback site for online shopping. You sign in, find the shop you want to shop at, click thru them (meaning click the link they give you to get to the site) and whatever you buy that session you will get cashback on. The cashback percentages vary, but hey, in this day and age, every little bit helps. I personally have an ebay habit so this helps tame that a little. I have been paid cashback from them twice now...and will be getting another payment (from the Christmas shopping on Ebay) next month.

Some of the sites where you can shop thru them are (and this is a very limited list):

Ebay (obviously)
justmysize.com
qvc.com
fashionbug.com
1-800contacts.com
Aeropostle.com
AT&T Wireless
Avon.com
Babies R Us
Barnes and Noble
Best Buy
BlockBuster Total Access
Borders
Buy.com (Note to you all: THEY ACCEPT PAYPAL NOW! I love Paypal! Lol)
Circuit City
CompUSA
Diapers.com
DisneyShopping.com
Discovery Store (also accepts Paypal)
drugstore.com (paypal)
Enterprise Rent A Car
FTD.com
Gap.com
Half.com
Home Depot.com
itunes.com
kbtoys.com
kmart.com
joann.com
Kohls
Office Depot
Orbitz
Hotwire
Overstock.com
Safeway.com

and MANY MANY MORE! It really is worth it to sign up. If you do and you need help, just leave a comment or email me and I will give you a hand.

Hope you all have a great day!

OH MY! You have to try these biscuits!! (buttermilk biscuits)

2009-01-14T06:00:00.006-06:00

4 cups all purpose flour (I used bread flour and oh my!)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chilled vegetable shortening or butter, cut into small chunks*
2 cups buttermilk**

* The vegetable shortening or butter must be very cold

** If you find yourself short of buttermilk for your recipe, you can make your own by adding 2 tablespoons of vinegar to 2 cups of whole milk.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With a pastry blender or two knives, cut in vegetable shortening or butter until particles are the size of small peas. Make a well in the center of the ingredients. Add milk, all at once, into the well; stir just until dough sticks together and is free from sides bowl.

On a lightly flour surface, knead dough gently about 10 to 15 times (do not over knead or the biscuits will be tough).

Gently roll or pat dough to 1-inch thickness. Cut with a floured 2- or 3-inch biscuit cutter or a drinking glass that has been dipped in flour. Place onto an ungreased baking sheet, close together for soft-sided biscuits or 1-inch apart for crisp-sided ones. Prick biscuits with a fork.

NOTE: If you need to hold the uncooked biscuits, the cut dough rounds can be refrigerated for up to 1 hour.

Bake 5 minutes; reduce oven to 400 degrees F. and bake another 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and serve warm.

Makes 15 biscuits.

Courtesy of Linda

2 songs that remind of us the prices paid

2009-01-14T00:39:00.002-06:00

Homemakin Hero's

2009-01-13T16:57:00.005-06:00

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Tim 2:15

I got to thinking today about when I was a kid. Not putting her down or anything, she did the best she could with what God gave her, but my mom wasn't the mothering type. I wasn't taught to cook, clean, anything. She was always in the hospital when I was growing up and when she was home she never offered for me to help her, so it was either I teach myself or just didn't learn. Unfortunately for the most part, I chose the later.

But I can remember that I wanted to be like June Cleaver when I was growing up. Lol. I wanted to be the mom that always had the delicious, nutrient rich dinner on the table when everyone walked thru the door, the one that met her husband at the door with a kiss and a genuine smile, the one everyone loved and wanted to be like.

I wanted that so badly. I can look back now and realize that I wanted to be that because she (June) is the exact opposite of my mother. I wanted to be a real mom.

But I'm not. LOL, I know that I could never achieve that perfect June-ness. I know that as an imperfect human being saved by the Grace of God that I could never come close to that. But I can try right? If I stop trying to perfect it then I will never improve, right? If I stop studying I will never learn, right?

Who was your homemaking hero? Or am I the only one that had one?

Meal Planning Monday for week of 1/12/09

2009-01-13T04:06:00.010-06:00

So I am new to meal planning, but with it being a new year and all, I decided that I would give it a try. I am trying to cut my grocery budget down by A LOT! Currently we spend 150.00 a week for groceries. I am someone who used to coupon avidly but burned out on it...that is WAAAAYYY to extreme.

Sooo...

Here's my first week. I will post the grocery totals on Friday after I do my shopping. My week will go from Friday to Thursday since I do all my shopping on Fridays.

Friday:

Breakfast:scrambled eggs
Lunch: grab and growl
Dinner: chili, homemade cornbread

Saturday:

Breakfast:cereal
Lunch:homemade subs
Dinner: taco salad bowls

Sunday

Breakfast: bacon, egg and cheese biscuits
Lunch: hot dogs, mac and cheese, nachos (football food)
Dinner: beef and noodles, green beans, mashed potatoes

Monday

Breakfast: biscuits and gravy <---I am gravy challenged, so I have to have a recipe. Never tried this one before..will let you know how it turns out. Lunch: chicken nuggets Dinner: meatloaf, mixed veggies, augratin potatoes
Tuesday

Breakfast:biscuits and jam
Lunch: soup, sandwich
Dinner: pork chops, peas, mac and cheese, applesauce

Wednesday

Breakfast: pancakes
Lunch: cheeseburgers, lipton side
Dinner: pizza casserole

Thursday

Breakfast: french toast
Lunch: grilled cheese, tomato soup
Dinner: beef stew and biscuits, corn (the beef stew this week will be canned..lol)

The beginning of my journey

2009-01-13T00:54:00.003-06:00

Okay...so my house is hit. I don't mean messy like normal messy, I mean "We just got back from a 2 week vacation, mom has been down sick since then" kind of messy.

Its flat out nasty in some spots...I love him, but I swear he couldn't pick up a dish rag if his life depended on it. Lol. EVERY dish in my house (minus a few skillets and the bread machine <--cause he doesn't know how to use it) is dirty. My house has NEVER looked this badly and it won't for long. Its 12:45 am and I am still up catching up on laundry (little one has no clean panties or socks) and doing dishes. Yuck. Plain and Simple Yuck. So step one of my journey. Clean and de-clutter the kitchen (might as well do that while I am at it). Here's my list. To keep me motivated, I am going to come back here and check everything off as I do it. >Replace everything in an orderly fashion (HA!),
Clean off top of storage pantry,
Replace cookbooks neatly,
Move microwave to its new home,
replace plastic over back door (we had to give my stepdaughter the front door key so she could feed the cat and forgot that the back door was covered in plastic, we had to tear it down to get in when we got home from vacation),
sweep,
mop

When everything is checked off of this list, I will post pics so you all can see my prettiness...lol.

My kitchen isn't much. We bought a fixer upper and have more pressing issues than anything asthestic. LOl. But its my kitchen and I am tired of it not being some place I can go to and feel at home in. I want a comfy and cozy place that I can nurioush my family from. :)

Off to the kitchen now...

Wish me luck!!

EDIT: 1/13/09 I gave up last night with just a couple dishes to go. Lol I had to get some sleep, but hopefully (with the Grace of God) I can get this done today.

A Helpmeet for Him...

2009-01-12T23:12:00.001-06:00

"And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Gen 2: 18"

This blog is dedicated to my husband and to the journey that I am traveling in learning to be a better wife to him.

A bit about myself...

I am an EXTREMELY unorganized person..I hardly ever know what I am having for dinner until right before (which leads to a rush in getting something thawed), my desk looks like it hasn't been cleaned in years (when in reality it hasn't been all that long) and my house is a clutter and disaster area.

I try to be a good wife to him. I try to let him know how much I love him by showing him everyday, but then I realized that it isn't enough. I could tell him that I love him a thousand times a day but as long as I was letting his house be cluttered and messy, as long as I wasn't feeding him nutricious meals every night, as long as I was slacking that I really wasn't showing him.

And worst of all...I wasn't following God's plan for my marriage. I haven't been following the orders of God to be a helpmeet to my husband...to submit to him...to try and be like
Sarah (1 Pet 3:6).

So I prayed and went searching for ways to fix the problem (I am a firm believer that God does help those who help themselves), and I found some answers.

So...

I invite you to join me on my journey to becoming the type of wife and mother that not only I want to be, but that God wants me to be.

Recipes

2009-01-12T15:00:00.005-06:00

Welcome to my recipe collection.

Click on the Name of the recipe you want to access to visit it's page.

Homemade Calzones

Taco Bake

Simple White Gravy

Chicken Fried Rice

Mama's Simple and Easy Chili

Chicken Fried Steak w/white gravy

Homemade Oreo cookies

Chicken Noodle Soup

Bean and bacon soup

Green Bean Casserole

Sweet Cornbread

Macaroni and Cheese

Basic Bread Stuffing

Mashed Potatoes

Corn Pudding

Easy Dinner Rolls

Southern BBQ Sauce

Lemon Meringue Pie

Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting

Buttermilk biscuits

Peanut Butter Meringue Pie

More to come soon!

Taco Bake

2009-01-01T02:38:00.001-06:00

So here's how this came about. In June of 2008, my brother in law and his family were coming to visit us. Me, not thinking, didn't prepare a meal plan since I figured they'd be eating on the road. Well an hour from our house, they called and they were hungry! LOL I needed something that would feed a small army, our 5 and their 4...
So...after taking stock of what I had I came up with this. Little did I know that it would turn into a staple at our house. It's very kid friendly and VERY easy to play around with. I think that's why I like it so much!

2 lbs ground beef
3-4 cups nacho cheese flavor Doritos, crushed
4-6 flour tortillas
16 ounces shredded cheddar cheese or mexican cheese
2 (1 1/4 ounce) packages taco seasoning
1 (10 ounce) can refried beans
8 ounces sour cream
8 ounces salsa
shredded lettuce
tomato
any other taco toppings you like

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crush Dorito Chips.

Brown ground beef and drain, making sure it is crumbled well. Add in taco seasonings according to directions on packets.

Spray 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.

Lay down 2 tortillas to cover bottom of pan. You may have to rip them to make them fit.

Add a layer of ground beef and then a handful (or more if you choose) of shredded cheese onto meat.

Add a layer of crushed dorito's onto cheese.

Repeat until you reach the top of the baking dish, ending with a layer of chips. Depending on how big my chunks of meat are, I can get 2 or 3 layers into a baking dish.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.

Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes. Warm refried beans and spread on top of "casserole."

Finish by spreading sour cream, salsa, shredded lettuce and whatever other toppings you like onto the dish.

I always like to garnish is with a light layer of chips onto the top of it after I am done layering.

Note: Cheese and chip amounts are estimates. I usually end up using 2 bags of cheese, but it really is in how much you put into each layer. The same applies with the chips.

Simple White Gravy

2009-01-01T02:36:00.000-06:00

2 tablespoons drippings, from meat you are cooking
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk (2% works fine)
salt and pepper

Add flour to drippings and cook until light brown and smooth. Slowly whisk in milk and cook until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This is a very versatile gravy base. It can be played with so that it suites whatever meal your eating.

Green Bean Casserole

2009-01-01T02:10:00.002-06:00

1 (10 3/4 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 tsp Worchestershire Sauce (you can also use soy sauce if you prefer)
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans cut green beans, drained
1 1/3 cups French-fried onions (French's)

Combine soup, milk and pepper in a 1 1/2 qt baking dish; stir until blended.

Stir in beans and 2/3 cup fried onions.

Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until hot.

Stir.

Sprinkle with remaining 2/3 cup fried onions.

Bake 5 more minutes or until onions are golden.

Sweet Cornbread

2009-01-01T02:04:00.000-06:00

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten

Heat over to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Grease 8-9 inch square pan.

Combine dry ingredients. ****Stop here if you want to store the mix or if you're making a recipe that calls just for cornbread mix.****

Stir in milk, oil, and egg until moistened.

Pour into pan.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Macaroni and Cheese

2009-01-01T01:59:00.000-06:00

This recipe was said to be President Reagen's favorite mac and cheese. I know we sure like it!

1/2 lb macaroni
1 teaspoon butter
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup milk, plus a couple of tablespoons if needed.

Boil macaroni in water until tender and drain thoroughly.

Stir in butter and egg.

Mix mustard and salt with 1T hot water, and add to milk.

Add cheese, leaving enough to sprinkle on top.

Pour into buttered casserole; add milk, sprinkle with cheese.

Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes or until custard is set and top is crusty.

Your Very Basic Bread Stuffing

2009-01-01T01:56:00.001-06:00

2 cups dry bread cubes
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sage
1 cup melted real butter (not margarine)
1/2-1 cup hot chicken broth or turkey broth, to moisten

Combine bread, onion, celery and all seasonings.

Add melted butter.
Toss gently to mix.
Add hot broth to moisten to desired consistency (but be careful NOT to make it soggy.)

Pour all into a large casserole and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes.

Do not let the top get too crispy. If it starts to, cover it with foil.

Mashed Potatoes

2009-01-01T01:54:00.000-06:00

5 lbs potatoes, peeled (9 large)
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons onions or garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2-4 tablespoons butter
butter, for greasing pan
butter, to melt on the mountain at serving time

Quarter the spuds, cook in salted water until tender (25-30 min?), drain well, and mash.

Add remaining ingredients, mixing well (I use my KitchenAid mixer).

Butter a large casserole dish, spoon spuds into the pan, smoothing off the top.

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes OR zap in the microwave until heated through.

SERVE: Stir, then spoon into a lovely LARGE bowl, add a dollop of butter at the top of the mountain.

NOTE: These can be made up to a week ahead of the time they're needed and then reheated.

Corn Pudding

2009-01-01T01:51:00.000-06:00

Okay, I know what you're thinking. Prolly the same thing I did when I first heard of it. Corn Pudding? Wait. Corn. Pudding.

LOL Yes.

And it's delicious.

1/2 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1 (8 1/2 ounce) box Jiffy cornbread mix
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can creamed corn
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

Melt butter in a casserole dish.

Mix in egg and then all remaining ingredients.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Easy Dinner Rolls

2009-01-01T01:42:00.001-06:00

These are FANTASTIC! They taste just like they came from a professional bakery! Try them, you'll won't regret it.

1 cup water (110 degrees F)
2 packages yeast (Do not use the quick rising in this recipe)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/4 cups flour

Combine water and yeast in lg bowl; let stand for 5 minutes.
With wooden spoon, stir in butter, sugar, eggs and salt.
Add flour, 1 cup at a time and beat in as much as you can.(you will probably be able to use all the flour)
Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 3 days.
Grease a 13x9 baking pan.
Turn dough out onto floured surface.
Divide into 24 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a smooth round ball.
Place in rows in prepared pan.
Cover and let rise for 1 hour; until doubled.
Heat oven to 375*.
Bake until golden brown, about 17 minutes.

Southern BBQ Sauce

2009-01-01T01:33:00.001-06:00

1/4 cup molasses
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 teaspoons liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

Lemon Meringue Pie

2009-01-01T01:28:00.002-06:00

1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 dash salt
1 1/2 cups hot water
3 slightly beaten egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon, rind of
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 9 in.baked pastry shell
3 egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice
6 tablespoons sugar

Combine first 4 ingredients; Blend in water.

Bring to boiling over high heat;stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to medium;cook and stir 8 minutes more.

Remove from heat.

Stir small amount hot mixture into egg yolks;Return to hot mixture.

Bring to a boil over high heat,stirring constantly.

Reduce heat to low;cook and stir 4 minutes longer.

Remove from heat.

Add lemon peel and butter.

Stir in 1/3 cup lemon juice.

Cover entire surface with clear plastic wrap;cool 10 minutes.

Pour into cooled pastry.

COOL.

Beat egg whites with 1 teaspoon lemon juice till soft peaks form.

Gradually add 6 Tablespoons sugar,beating till stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved.

Spread over filling,sealing to edges of pastry.

Bake at 350 12 to 15 minutes.

Cool.

A Helpmeet for Him

Menu Planning Monday-12/21/09

Down Sick....

"Please take my Life from me"

Sing It Sunday

Sweetest Saturday-Peanut Butter Meringue Pie

Whoot! I did it!

Freebie Friday

25 Days of Christmas-Free music!

Thankful Thursday-My daughter

The new budget-week 1

Wordless Wednesday

Sing It Sunday

A new budget...

On with the cleaning!

Chicken Fried Rice

Directions:

To cook chicken-wrap tightly in foil (making sure to seal the ends -- you want it completely wrapped) and bake on a baking sheet @ 350 for 35-40 min or until no longer pink. No seasonings needed. The foil keeps the juices in with the meat resulting in a VERY moist piece of chicken.

Pour in the eggs; cook and stir until scrambled and firm. Remove from wok, and set aside.

Put remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok and turn heat up to high.

Stir in rice until each grain is coated with oil.Stir in chicken, celery, carrot, peas and green onions.

Reduce heat to medium, cover and allow to steam for 5 minutes.Stir in scrambled eggs and soy sauce, and cook until eggs are heated through.

**NOTE: The rice used in this HAS to be cold. I fix mine in the morning and then leave it in the fridge until dinner time.

Mission: Declutter: Day 2

Mission: Declutter: Day 1

Back to the grind....

An apology and life as I know it now...

Today's Projects

Menu Planning Monday 7/10-7/17

Back to Life

Back online

Love Dare-Day 2-FAIL!

Love Dare-Day 2

Menu Planning Monday for week of 6/22-6/26

The Love Dare Update

Love Day-Day 1

Fireproof?

Recipe-Homemade Calzones

Recipe-Chicken Fried Steak

Today's Project--the grocery cupboards

One de-cluttered Spice Cabinent

Zwaggle Here..Zwaggle There...

Happy B-day To Me!

More clutter...

Sick

365 Days of Decluttering Challenge

Oh Yum! Homemade Oreo's!

There are other places too...

Getting Rid of the Old...

Product Review: Ragu Classic Alfredo Sauce

Menu Plan for the week of June 5 to June 12 and some updates.

Menu Planning Monday

The Wonders of Accupuncture

Ha! I rule!

Wow!

Chicken Noodle Soup! Wow!

Directions

1

2

3

4

Menu Planning for week of March 20-26

"When will you remember me?"

About Me

Bean and Bacon Soup recipe

Updates and weekly shopping trip

Menu Planning Monday

What goes up...

Yay

Yummy Carrot Cake

Blend softened cheese and butter in mixer.Blend and whip in the sugar and vanilla. Beat in enough cream to arrive at the right spreading consistency.

The Cutest Blog on the Block

Ah-CHOO!

31 days of Prayer for My husband

Happy Anniversary My Love

Menu Planning Monday for week of 2/1/09-2/7/09

And the world goes calm...

Please pray

Menu Planning for week of 1-23 to 1-29

My baby's b-day and losing weight

Grocery Shopping for the week of 1/16/09 Long

4 cups all purpose flour (I used bread flour and oh my!)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chilled vegetable shortening or butter, cut into small chunks*
2 cups buttermilk**