Happy Homemaker Monday May 20

Good morning everyone. This is not an exclamation point day. I am feeling a little melancholy as I was looking at photos from my father's funeral. It was lovely. We were well cared for and well fed. We saw some very old friends, lots of current friends and family, and each other's friends. We gave  him a good send off. I will write more below. Meanwhile, my house is a mess and it is time to get back to the living and that means homemaking. Visit Sandra for more Happy Homemaker Monday and lots of inspiration.

The Weather

It is very humid today and warm, but gray and dreary. The sky is getting brighter so I am hoping to see some sun. I would like to stop by Dad's grave sometime soon but it looks like rain all week, hopefully leaving us with a beautiful Memorial Day weekend.

Right Now

I have a load of laundry going, I have a very messy house around me, but it is quiet as I am the only one home. The dog is sleeping downstairs, the cat is sleeping somewhere in the house, and I hear the washing machine and a few birds outside.

Thinking

About my dad and his amazing life. He did not have an easy time of it. He had some depression and anxiety and a terrible temper in his younger years. As a child I was afraid of him. He never hurt me - I just got an occasional spanking - but I was afraid of that temper. But, with the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ as I grew older I was able to feel and give forgiveness to him, and he deserved it. He was our biggest advocate, and cared for the friendless. His biggest concern was for the one who needed it most, and he always understood and never judged.

He was a musician - he played rhythm guitar, but his voice was his true instrument. He started out in rockabilly and cut a record with MGM in New York City. It made the top 20, but I am not sure which year. He then turned to country music and cut an album in Nashville when I was about 4 years old. He decided not to pursue a career, however, because he did not want to put in his dues to establish himself at the risk of his family. He did have a band, however, and played weekends at various places near home for years. My mom played bass guitar and sang with him. He even made it into the Country Music Hall of Fame in our state.  For awhile he was a deejay at a couple of local radio stations, and met some big names in country music such as Barbara Mandrell, but he eventually became an insurance agent, which is what he did until he retired.

In spite of his colorful life, he recently told my husband that he got the most satisfaction from his insurance career because he was able to help people when they really needed it. 

We celebrated his legacy at his funeral. My daughter sang Amazing Grace as my son and nephew accompanied her on my father's guitars. My nephew played and sang Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing. Both my youngest son and my daughter played the piano. His musical talents skipped a generation, but all of his grandchildren are musical and/or artistic.

On My Reading Pile

The book of Revelation.

On My TV

Finishing up Glee, Madmen season 5, and nothing new. We have The Iron Lady and What Dreams May Come from Netflix. My kids are thrilled that we started Netflix streaming again: two have started watching Dr. Who and my oldest can start up American Horror Story again.

What I Found While Surfing the Net

Side B of Dad's MGM record (which is better than side A):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRNALpPmV_o

And with the help of my son, I have started putting up my dad's album, one song at a time:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g00xHshX0qE

On the Menu

I want to copy Sandra's menu, it looks delicious, but here is mine:

Monday pasta, salad, bread

Tuesday chicken in gravy on egg noodles, peas, salad

Wednesday kielbasa, beans, potato salad

Thursday pork roast, roasted potatoes, green beans

Friday tacos, rice, salad

Saturday boys are camping, girls are taking Mom out for her birthday to the Cheesecake Factory!

Sunday chicken soup

On My To Do List

sheets - must wash sheets

pick up

vacuum

bathrooms

tomorrow I go to Mom's to help go through Dad's things

In the Craft Basket

Looking Forward to This Week

Helping mom clean out her house and move on with her life.

Looking Around the House

is not pleasant at the moment.

From the Camera

Dad attributes the turning around of his life to his time in the Air Force. He also loved Danny Boy, so we made sure both were present at his funeral.

Two of my sons and my nephew who served as pallbearers:

On My Prayer List

My mom, kids, my cousin whose husband passed away last night from pancreatic cancer, my friends whose mom/grandmother passed away Thursday morning, my girlfriend whose son has a serious brain tumor.

Bible Verse

"...I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die..."

John 11:25-26

Have a great week.

Happy Homemaker Monday May 13

Good morning everyone. I feel like I am living in an alternate universe. My father passed away on Friday night, and now there is so much to get done, and yet life on this earth goes on for the rest of us, and today I am faced with huge piles of laundry, grocery shopping, etc. Do not feel sorry for me, I am not sad, but more on that later (but not too much more, for this post is about homemaking!). Visit Sandra's blog for more Happy Homemaker Monday and lots of homemaking inspiration!

The Weather

It is a beautiful day. After some needed rain this weekend, we have clear blue skies. The high today will only reach about 59 degrees, so it is light jacket weather.

Right Now

I am formulating my to do list in my mind (really should write it down), listening to the washer running, and am alone with my thoughts.

Thinking

About my dad and the experience of watching him die. I know Sandra and her readers are women of faith, so I feel comfortable telling you that it was obvious that my father was passing on to a beautiful place. And that he saw that beautiful place, or perhaps those that came to guide him, because I saw the look on his face. And so I, my mom, and my sister are at peace. Happy for him that he is happy and no longer suffering. Sad for us that we will not see him for awhile, but we do know that we will see him again. I am also feeling full of gratitude for the love of my friends, family, and Savior that is surrounding me. I feel it very strongly.

On My Reading Pile

Still the New Testament - we are about to start Revelation. And I have to shout out to my wonderful co-teacher who offered to teach all of the lessons this week. Even though I will still be at class, I can just be there and enjoy listening to her without having to take the time to prepare anything ahead of time.

Other than that, I don't have anything in the works.

On My TV

For some reason we have three Netflix movies: Rise of the Planet of the Apes (half watched that one), My Summer Story (my daughter said it was dumb), and The Iron Lady (still have to watch). Glee on the internet and Mad Men season 5 on Netflix.

What I Found While Surfing the Net

This is my latest bookmark: roasting zucchini and carrots

http://voraciousvander.com/2011/12/05/the-best-way-to-cook-zucchini-and-carrots/

It looks delicious but I haven't tried it yet. 

On the Menu this Week

Not a lot of cooking here this week:

Monday Fast food at the mall because we will be suit and dress shopping
Tuesday A big pot of soup/stew. I will be feeding my mom and nephew as well as my brood so I think soup and rolls is the way to go.
Wednesday Will probably be food out since we are on the go from school on.
Thursday We will be fed by the good women of our church. I believe the menu is linguine with clam sauce, baked ziti, salad, bread, and some kind of chocolaty dessert.
Friday We will be fed by more good women of our church that will be more potluck.
Saturday I will figure it out when the time comes. We might still be hanging with my family.
Sunday See above.

(not very helpful to you, I'm sorry for that)

On My To Do List

Laundry, laundry, laundry, grocery shopping (for breakfast and lunch items, see above), order flowers, haircut, pick up the house.

Looking Forward To This Week

Seeing friends and family and celebrating my dad's life. He was a musician (weekend musician, as they say) and even cut an album in Nashville in the late 60's. So we have been uploading his music as well as his photos so that we can display and play them during calling hours. He has passed on his legacy to his grandchildren. All five of them are an artist of some type - most are musicians. Every single one of them will be performing and/or speaking at his funeral. I am sure he will be pleased.

Looking Around the House

There is some picking up to do, but my good husband tried to keep things under control while I was with my mother this weekend.  It could use a vacuuming but that probably won't happen today. And my refrigerator desperately needs cleaning. Maybe next week.

From the Camera

Not from my own camera obviously, but from my computer. Dad.

On My Prayer List

My kids, my mom, my sister, my in-laws (my father in-law is quite upset about my dad's passing), my friends' mother who is in very bad shape (and they just lost their father about a month ago.

Bible Verse

"...I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

John 8:12

May you have a blessed week.

Happy Homemaker Monday May 6

Hi Everyone! It is nice to be back. I have been away so long that I forget about posting until I get on my computer and go on Facebook or Google Reader (which I need to do something about soon). This past week has been a rough one for me. I am finding life completely overwhelming and I know that I need to draw closer to the Lord to help me through. And I know I am not alone - everyone I know faces incredible trials and hardships so we need to be there for each other. That is why I love following Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom. She is uplifting and inspiring, even when she is struggling with things. Join her for more of Happy Homemaker Monday.

The Weather

Oh, is it ever BEAUTIFUL today! The skies are clear blue, there is a warm breeze coming through my windows, and there are leaves on the trees! They are tiny leaves still, but they are there!

Right Now

My oldest is off hanging with friends as it is his day off, my daughter had her AP test in psychology today so she stayed after for a celebration that it is over! She has the car so I do not need to pick her up, yay! My two younger boys stayed after for track and field practice so I will have to get them at the middle school (which is closer) at 5:45. So, it is quiet, oops, scratch that, daughter just walked in!

Thinking

Last Tuesday when my father saw his doctor she told him it was time for hospice care. He finished radiation a month ago and his body is not recovering. He continues to lose weight, he has been struggling with pneumonia and blood clots, and he is losing strength. Thursday the hospice nurse came over to talk about his care and have him sign papers, and one of his legs was swollen, which may be another blood clot. So this may be quick, then again, it may be a long and agonizing process. Somewhere in between would be ideal.  My mom works part time two days a week and she would really like to continue. She can use the income (it is going to get really tough once my dad passes) and she will need the break. So, I have volunteered to be with my dad for those two days. I am not good at this kind of thing. Once he gets incapable of helping himself it will be tough for me. He is diabetic and I am not looking forward to having to give him needles, but it hasn't come to that yet, and maybe it won't have to, because he will get to a point where he will no longer have to be on insulin. And that is why last week was so hard. We had to explain to them, because he is worried about his swollen leg and that it might lead to amputation, that he would not withstand surgery. To have to tell him that there is nothing more they can do, nothing more they can fix, was a very, very hard thing.

But, the good news is that we had our parents over for my husband's birthday, and my dad was able to come. He didn't want to at first, but my sister (love that woman) and her husband (love him too) helped get my dad in the car with his oxygen and his wheelchair and he came. He and my husband's father need each other, and neither wanted to be here without the other. My father in-law is not in good shape either, although he does not have anything that is killing him, he does have lots of things that are wearing out.

On My Reading Pile

Too many things to mention! We are in 2 Peter in the New Testament - almost done for the year.

On My TV

Just Glee and Mad Men season 5.

What I Found While Surfing the Net

This is an interesting concept, and one that I might try:  cleaning your face with oil at One Good Thing by Jillee.com. I love her blog and have found many great things to try, and she posts every day. On Saturdays she revisits an old post which means that you will see the best of the best on that day, so check her out.

On the Menu

I love this feature because it forces me to face dinner planning - something I am very rarely in the mood for.

Monday pasta with meat sauce, salad

Tuesday grilled salmon, coleslaw, rice, salad

Wednesday fast food

Thursday grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, green beans, salad

Friday leftovers/pizza, salad

Saturday possible Mother's day dinner with family

Sunday depends on Saturday!

On My To Do List

Saturday I worked hard cleaning the house, so today I am taking it easy. I have one load of laundry in the dryer now, dinner will be a snap, and I have to take my youngest to his piano lesson at 7.

Creating

I need to work on my seminary lesson for Wednesday because tomorrow I will be helping a client set up Quickbooks - work, wohoo!

Looking Forward To

Having time to read again this summer! We live such busy lives that I love the laziness that comes with summer. Now that my two oldest can drive, and my two youngest will spend most of the summer at scout camp (one as staff and the other as a CIT), I will have LOTS of time on my hands. Cannot wait!

Looking Around the House

There are some things to put away from yesterday's get together, but it is clean! I made up a batch of laundry detergent which is sitting by my kitchen sink. My daughter is now napping on the couch with the dog, and I have two bags full of fruit that I need to cut up and refrigerate. Not a bad day.

Homemaking Tip

Sandra has deleted this category, but I have one today, so I want to share. I have previously posted about the wonders of using the powdered Oxyclean on white laundry. I used to put items in a five gallon bucket and soak them for a couple of days until I got around to washing a load of whites. This can be problematic in the summer when we are all sweating more and staining our clothes. I have discovered that I can soak an entire load in the washing machine effectively! I put whatever clothes I want to soak in the machine, pour in two scoops of Oxyclean (this is a lot and this much may not be necessary, but I haven't experimented on using less), and start the wash cycle on hot water. I set the timer for 15 minutes, giving the washer time to fill with water and agitate awhile to get the Oxyclean working. Then I pause the washer and let it sit from about 4 hours to overnight. Next I restart the washer, letting it finish the cycle, rinsing out the oxyclean. Lastly, I throw in more clothes if necessary and run a regular wash with laundry soap etc. It works! Everything comes out clean and stain free (depending on the stains, Oxyclean works great on food and blood stains), and whiter too.

From the Camera

I have replaced the candy on my windowsill:

On My Prayer List

My kids, my father and mother, my in-laws, my friend and her children.

Bible Verse

Discovered this today in seminary and loved it:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope unto a resurrection by Jesus Christ from the dead,

To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you"

1 Peter 1:3-4

I love the reminder that there is a place reserved in heaven for me!

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Happy Homemaker Monday April 22

I was wandering around Facebook when I got a notification that Sandra posted her Happy Homemaker Monday meme, which I had forgotten about because, well, taxes.  So I am happy to be back! I am still working, but have today and Friday off this week. Visit Sandra's blog for more Happy Homemaker Monday posts and lots of great ideas and inspiration!

The Weather
Brrr. It has been cold for the time of year - about ten degrees colder than the average. Today it is 48 degrees with a high of about 50, but the sun is shining which is wonderful. And, there is color everywhere! Well, it is getting there. Some of the trees have seeds now, and we have Daffodils and Tulips blooming in our yard. Oh, and the Dogwood trees around here are full of pink blossoms.

Right Now
I am procrastinating menu planning and grocery buying, which are on my to do list today. Three of my kids are at school (they were off last week) and my oldest, who has today off, is with a friend, and my husband is at work. I am enjoying my first time alone in the house in about two weeks!

Thinking
About gratitude. I have a cousin that ran in the Boston marathon for the first time this year. He had finished and was about 6 blocks away when the first bomb went off. He was fine. Others are not and I am feeling tremendous sorrow for them and their families. I am also feeling pride and gratitude to the people of Boston and the surrounding area and the police and other agencies that all worked so well together on Friday. My daughter was supposed to visit a college in Boston that day. I am grateful that she wasn't there. Our neck of the woods has been put through the refiner's fire and I hope that only good will come out of the wreckage.

On a lighter note I am thinking about my husband's upcoming birthday and how we should celebrate. Most likely we will have the whole family over for a barbecue.

On My Reading Pile
I laugh. I have started so many books but never have the time or the brain capacity to finish them. In the New Testament we just finished discussing Titus.

On My TV
We are not even watching American Idol this year. I don't know what is wrong with us. Too busy, that's it.  We do watch Glee in arrears and my husband and I just started Mad Men's fifth season on Netflix. One movie we saw recently which I loved was Pitch Perfect. Some adult content but not raunchy like most college movies and truly funny and entertaining.

Blog Hopping
I currently have 958 unread posts on my Google Reader. No time yet.

On the Menu
Monday pasta with chicken sausage & marinara sauce, salad, garlic bread
Tuesday ham, macaroni and cheese, broccoli
Wednesday out
Thursday barbecued chicken, roasted potatoes, green beans
Friday turkey & black bean soup
Saturday steak, baked potatoes, broccoli
Sunday creamy chicken soup, rolls

On the To Do List
Some laundry, grocery shopping, gas buying (my van, which is slowly disintegrating, now has an unreliable gas gauge which is very unnerving), resting.

In the Craft Basket
I don't own one - but I do appreciate the beautiful creations that others make and love to see them and read about them!

Looking Forward to this Week
My new computer arriving! It is supposed to ship today. My kids have wrecked my laptop and it is starting to get errors and I gained about 10 bookkeeping accounts this tax season, so that warrants a new laptop. One with a numeric keypad. Wohoo!

Looking Around the House
I'd rather not. Actually, it is not terrible but it is in need of a vacuum. My new crock pot needs to find a home in my cabinets. The family room, living room, and dining room look good though and I did get through a lot of stuff on my desk this weekend, so I am content with the state of things.

From the Camera
My daughter playing Audry in her high school's production of Little Shop of Horrors. (She did a phenomenal job!)

On My Prayer List
My kids, dads, the victims of the Boston tragedy, my girlfriend and her family, and a family in my church that just lost a son.

Bible Verse
"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."   Titus 2:11-14

Sound counsel for all of us who are trying to recover from the recent events.

Have a great week!

Weekly Menu - New Cookbook!

My menu this week is based on recipes from a cookbook that I have had awhile but have not used. I think I've made one recipe from there and I wrote in its margin:  YUMMY. So there you have it.

The cookbook is The Essential Food Storage Cookbook: Combining Food Storage with Everyday Ingredients for Delicious Food by Tami Girsberger and Carol Peterson.

Have I told you how much I love Amazon? I buy more and more things from there like purses, slow cookers, seeds, food. Anyway, I love that I can find just about anything on there.

Here is the menu plan:

Friday chicken and dumplings (page 159)
Saturday the kids are organizing a pasta dinner fundraiser at church for camp so it is pasta at church tonight
Sunday Sweet and Spicy Glazed Pork Chops (page 123), mashed potatoes, green beans
Monday Easy Italian Chicken (page 65), pasta, salad
Tuesday Crockpot French Dipped Sandwiches (page 64), baked beans, cauliflower
Wednesday fast food or leftovers
Thursday Chicken Veggie Rice Bowl (page 105)

What is so appealing about this cookbook is that it's recipes are exactly what they claim: basic dishes with standard foods paired with things we easily have in our pantries. Will share what I especially like, but may not be for awhile. Busy time of year.

Get your taxes done yet?

I haven't.

Dashing Through Tax Season

As in eating right, not hurrying, although I do a lot more of the latter.  These days I am lucky if I get dinner on the table. My slow cooker has become my best friend. As a matter of fact, I bought a second, slightly smaller one. So far I have used it to cook potatoes for a side dish and it has worked great.  Here is a recipe that is quick and easy, albeit EVERY INGREDIENT IS A PROCESSED FOOD. So I think I will save this recipe for tax season. Or for the next natural disaster to come our way that causes a power outage. It is modified from Fix It and Forget It. 

Pantry Taco Soup

2 28 oz cans tomatoes (I used crushed tomatoes)

2 15 ox cans corn, undrained

4 cans beans, rinsed and drained (the recipe called for black beans, but I only had one can left so I used a can of black, garbanzo, kidney, and cannellini or white kidney beans)

1 packet taco seasoning mix

1 packet ranch dressing mix

shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips

mix first 5 ingredients in a slow cooker heat for 4 hours on low (or put it on your stove and heat through)

serve with above fixings

Four hours is too short a cooking time while I am at work, but since today was errand day, and I have to drive people around tonight during the time I should be making dinner, four hours in the slow cooker is perfect timing. If we didn't have power I could easily heat this on the side burner of my gas grill.

How to Make It Work

I have a busy life. There are two essential ingredients to managing a busy life. 

Foremost is putting God first. A friend once told me that He is the perfect secretary. Ask Him what is most important, what you should be working on right now, and He will guide you. And she is right. Staying close to the Lord is crucial to living a happy and successful life. Not only will He help you manage it all, but He will help you focus on the important things and let go of the unimportant and counterproductive things.

Second is organization. Time management, schedules, lists, and along with that, assignments. The Lord helps here too. I have received inspiration as I have tried to figure out how I am going to make my life work.

Here are some of the things I have come up with to help me through tax season, AND BEYOND!

Seminary - share the load

We were able to combine classes. The teacher of the other class (who used to be my co-teacher) is taking five classes this semester, so it was mutually beneficial to combine and share the load. Since we taught together before, we know how to work together. We meet during the Sunday school hour at church to plan the week. She teaches two days, I teach two days, and the fifth day we play games. We still attend every day, but we do not have to plan more than two lessons a week.

Groceries and meals - make it simple and use what you have

If I were really smart we would eat rice and beans every weeknight. I would buy a rice cooker and set it up next to my slow cooker and that would be it. My kids would rebel, however, so I cannot make it that simple. I have come up with this plan:

Friday - on the run. I never know who will be here on Friday night, since the boys can be camping, any of the kids can be at a friend's, sometimes, although rarely, my husband and I will go out, and sometimes we just need to fill our pizza craving. So, Fridays I will make what I want for my husband and I, which guaranteed will be some kind of soup. If the kids are home they can have some or scrounge for themselves. My freezer/pantry is full of kid friendly food:  pizza rolls, frozen pizzas, mac and cheese, popcorn chicken, raman noodle soup, etc.

Saturday - My big cooking day. Last week I made meatballs and sauce (which took 4 hours). We got another meal out of the sauce and still have some meatballs in the freezer. Tomorrow is shot due to a blizzard we are having, but future plans are post roast, roasted chicken, ham, etc.

Sunday - A fairly simple dinner, but will be making soup or salad for the week as well.

Monday - Pasta. Monday is always pasta night in our house, and my kids can cook it.

Tuesday - Something from the freezer and/or pantry, along with a fresh or frozen vegetable. I have lots of leftovers packed in Foodsaver bags (that is the point of Saturday's endeavor).

Wednesday - sandwiches or fast food (probably fast food until we are sick of it, then sandwiches)

Thursday - crock pot soup/stew/one pot meal

Using what I have also includes recipes. When planning my menu, I will be looking at my recipe file box, and what I have already posted here. The rest of the year offers plenty of time for experimenting and trying new things. Now I need to stick to the tried and true. Stuff I know I can get on the table in the time that I have and that I know people will eat.

Cleaning - share the load

Saturday is clean the house day. I clean the bathrooms and kitchen. My kids are responsible for the rest. Sometimes some of the kids won't be around, camping with the scouts comes to mind, so that week the ones that are home have to do more, and the others will make up for it the week after.

I also came up with a dishwashing schedule, based on who will be home that night.

Monday:  K&J

Tuesday: P&J

Wednesday: whoever eats home cleans up after himself

Thursday: S&G

Friday: S&C

Saturday: K&C

Sunday: G&P

Everyday there are two to help and everyone has two days. I love it when it works out like that!

Driving

This still falls on me mostly. My daughter can now drive herself, so that saves me two trips on Thursday, but also helps me to stay at work longer since some of her activities are after school.

Next year she will be able to drive everyone else, and my evenings will get much easier (other than the worrying), and she will know what it is like to be me. 

The year after that there will be less kids to drive around. In any event, it gets easier from here on.

This is what is working so far!