Happy Homemaker Monday July 9 2012

Join our hostess Sandra and the other moms who have participated today.

You can find it and lots of other wonderful posts at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom.

The Weather

I am IN LOVE with our weather today.  Right now it is about 76 degrees with 60% humidity.  The high is 83 and it is sunny.  Right now there is not a cloud in the sky.  It is rare that we have perfect days like this.  It amazes me how something like the weather can completely affect my mood.  I feel very content, and I have a lot on my plate.  Bring it on!

On My Reading Pile

I am becoming like my son, I have four books started (5 if you include the New Testament).  They include:

The Magician's Nephew  which is the first book in the Chronicles of Narnia series.  I am determined to read the whole series this summer.

Can't Wait to Get to Heaven  I have seen this one mentioned on Sandra's blog and I am half way through and loving it.

Anna Karenina Haven't touched this one in awhile, we'll see if I get through it.

The New Testament I am on Acts chapter 13 already!

I cannot remember the name of the 5th one, and it is upstairs so I'll share next time.

On My TV

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I can't believe I am admitting that)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets It is not summer without Harry Potter.  Am trying to resist buying the digital copies of the books, but I know I'll give in.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven  Read the book and saw a small part of the movie.  My daughter requested this from Netflix.

The Pianist

On My Menu for This Week

A lot of Sandra's recipes.  I have been reading through her blog from the beginning and have so many bookmarks, it takes up a page on my Nook.  Anyway:

For tonight (Monday is always pasta night unless it is a holiday), will be The Best Lasagna Ever.  Now I make a lasagna that is super easy and my kids love, so this will be an interesting test to see how they react.  

I haven't finished my menu planning, so I cannot post any more.  I highly recommend that you checkout Sandra's cooking blog though,  Full Bellies, Happy Kids. 

And while I am at it, I would just like to thank all of the people who share their brilliance with the rest of the world, through blogging and what have you.  There are so many talented, creative people, not to mention great cooks, and I for one appreciate you.  You inspire me.  I have known women who make amazing dishes and WILL NOT SHARE THEIR RECIPES.  I admit that I do not understand this.  I could understand if it was their profession, of course you cannot give your product away for free.  However, in these particular instances, they considered them family recipes and would not share.

I am sorry, I do not understand their motivation.  And I SO APPRECIATE those of you who are generous with your knowledge and skills.  So THANK YOU.

Okay, moving on.

On My To Do List

Pick up my son from band camp (already dropped him off)

Menu Plan, grocery list, buy groceries

Vacuum downstairs and mop floor

Clean half bathrooms

Laundry, always laundry

Turn on the pool filter.  I always forget this until half of the day is over.

What I am Creating

I think I am going to start my life story on my family blog.  I will do it slowly and start from my earliest memories.  This is just in the idea stage right now.

Homemaking Tip

This comes from my mother in-law.  Use a strawberry huller to get pieces of eggshell out of a cracked egg.  You can also use it to get rid of the squiggly white things.  You need one with a rounded tip, like this one.

Looking Around the House

I will ignore the mess that I see.  It is quiet.  The dog is hiding sleeping downstairs, my two oldest are sleeping upstairs, my foster son is at scout camp, and my youngest is at band camp.  I hear the hum of the air conditioner, although I do not know why I am wasting electricity running it today.  I have my grilling cookbooks out and my local grocery store flyer just waiting for me to plan my menus.

From the Camera

Looking through my sliding glass door

On My Prayer List

In church yesterday a woman told us that she has a list of names written on a piece of paper and she has been praying for those people for almost a year.  She has seen some miracles in some of their lives.  What an inspiration.  This is something I want to do, especially for two of my children.

Bible Verse (what I read this week)

"But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."

Acts 7:55-56 

How About Some Tomatoes?

(this photo comes from Google images)

Another attempt to sneak in some healthy goodness to my otherwise high carb diet.

This morning a cut up some tomato and threw it in a pan, added an egg and scrambled.

I do not really like cooked tomatoes, but these were not in the pan very long.

Then I toasted a wheat bagel with one slice of cheese and made an egg sandwich.

Again, my usual choice would be a scrambled egg and a bagel, but throwing in the tomato took nothing away from the overall eating experience, and provided me with a serving of vegetables (well, probably half a serving).

How to Get a Little Bit Healthier

I am a baaaad eater.

As in a eat a lot of bad foods.

I have been known to have ice cream for breakfast.

That kind of bad.

Chocolate is my drug of choice.

And I am overweight.

So I am not advocating my food choices.

I try, I really do.

I bought a Ninja blender.

They had them at my warehouse store and I got it for about $80, which is much better than the $400 - $800 I saw when I researched them on-line.

I was going to make smoothies.

Healthy ones.

It even came with a recipe book with lots of healthy smoothie choices.

And I did try a couple.

I really did.

And we have been using that blender a LOT.

For milkshakes.

Yum, yum, yum.

So much for eating healthy, right?

WRONG!

Well, not entirely wrong.

BUT, for me, I am trying to incorporate some health into my bad eating.

So, yesterday I made myself a milkshake.

(I made them for the rest of my family too, just so you know.)

But for me, I made a chocolate milkshake,

and I put fresh strawberries and blueberries in it.

YUM!

I also made a macaroni salad to bring to my sister's house for a picnic.

There is a bag of kale in my fridge.

Yes, I did, I put some chopped kale in my macaroni salad.

(Well, I actually split the salad into two salads and put it in one.)

Today I am trying to eat some leftover fruit salad.

I have a little hot fudge sauce in the fridge.

Yum!

So I can look at this three ways:

1. I am ruining healthy food by eating it with unhealthy food.
2. I am ruining the taste of unhealthy food by adding healthy food.
3. I am improving unhealthy food choices by adding healthy foods and getting some healthy food into my body.

I choose door number 3.

Okay, I'm in Love

(photo courtesy of smittenkitchen.com)

I got this recipe from A Chelsea Morning.  You can find the original post here.

2 boxes cake mix

2 sticks butter (melted, but I left mine out on the counter and in the heat of the summer, it was plenty soft)

2 tablespoons water

2 eggs

2 cups chocolate chips, or peanut butter chips, or raisins, or whatever goody you want

Mix cake mix and butter

Add water and eggs

Add chocolate chips

Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes

The flavor combinations are endless.  I used Dunkin Hines Butter Golden flavor with semi-sweet chocolate chips.  What about Devil's Food with milk chocolate chips?  Spice cake cookies with cream cheese frosting?  Marble with mini chocolate chips?  Oh yum, I cannot wait.

* Now, I am a Toll House snob.  But this is so quick and the cookies come out crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and I find them a very close second.  Very close.

Hope you like them!

Happy Homemaker Monday - Hosted by Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Since I am a housewife, and today I am feeling happy (the weather has a lot to do with that), I have decided to join Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for:

The Weather

Today is a perfect summer day in New England.  It is 84 degrees with 54% humidity, blue skies with white fluffy clouds. 

On my reading pile

Anna Karenina
The New Testament
The Awakening
Prodigal Summer

I am determined to get through the New Testament this summer.  I have to teach it during the school year and although I have studied it before, it is good to have it fresh in my mind.  During the school year while I am teaching it, I will study it in more depth.

I am hoping to get through Anna Karenina.  There is a movie coming out and I really want to have read it before I see it.

The Awakening is on my Nook and was a required book for my daughter's summer reading, but she switched from Honors English to AP Language and her list changed.  Don't know if I will bother, depends on if I get to it.

I have started Prodigal Summer but don't know if I will finish it.  I really liked The Poisonwood Bible and The Bean Trees, but this one isn't capturing my attention.

I sound a little picky, and I guess I am.  I only have the summer to read for pleasure, and I don't want to waste it on a book that doesn't satisfy.  Think I will be going back to the library to look for more.

On my tv

I don't watch much t.v., but two of my children have been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and if I'm around I usually plop down in the family room and join them.  We have Jane Eyre and National Treasure coming from Netflix.  We usually watch all of the Harry Potter movies (and Lord of the Rings) during the summer.  Time to start that marathon.

On the menu for this week

For now it is easier for me to take one day at a time with dinner planning.  Having teenagers around and a crazy schedule, I sometimes do not know who will be around (including me).  Plus, I have a birthday this week and perhaps will be taken out to dinner?  Tonight, however, we will be having macaroni with meat sauce and shredded mozzarella and a chopped salad.

On my to do list

Sanitize the washing machine (I have a front loader with a mildew problem I am trying to get rid of)
3-4 loads of laundry
clean 3 bathrooms
vacuum main floor

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating

Ha!  This is NOT me, though I love to see what Sandra is up to.


Homemaking Tips
The best thing to get a spot out of a carpet is seltzer water, a white rag, and just a little elbow grease.  It has not failed me yet and the spot does not show up months later.  I just wish I knew about this for the first 10 years I had carpets.  (Credit goes to my sister for this tip.)

Looking around the house

Everyone is finally up and my 18 year old son is sitting with me at our kitchen table looking at his laptop, my 15 year old daughter is playing the piano, and my 13 year old son is downstairs on the computer watching nature videos on YouTube.

From the camera

My favorite flower, the daylily, growing in my front yard

On my prayer list

Always my kids, my father and father in-law who are both in poor health.  

Bible verse, Devotional

I just read this yesterday:

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

John 16:33 

Light the Grill Day 2

(this is not my photo, this image comes from google images)

Tonight we had grilled salmon.  I didn't do anything with it at all (due to some members of my family liking food plain and simple), just sprayed canola oil on a piece of heavy duty foil, placed the salmon on top, and placed it on the grill.

I made some peas and a potato salad.

I'm trying to perfect a potato salad.  I never made them much, due to the heaviness and high calories, and my sister makes an awesome one for our family parties.  And for my husband family parties, my MIL makes an awesome German potato salad.

But last year I saw a recipe in either "Woman's Day" or "Family Circle" for a salad that was half potato and half cauliflower.  Now THAT lightens it up quite a bit.  The first time I made it I used Thousand Island dressing, and it was pretty yummy.  Trouble is, my husband, who really is not picky at all, but he does have a couple of dislikes, and relish (pickles in general) is one (coconut is the other - no coconut cream cakes for me, waaah).  

I think I have the vegetables down that I want:  potatoes, cauliflower, celery, and radishes.

But I am still looking for the right dressing.

I tried ranch dressing (gotta use up that ranch), and it was just all right.  Perhaps if I mixed in a little of the french dressing like I did last night for the chicken...

Still searching.  Will post an official recipe if I every get it the way I want it.

Light the Grill...Meal #1

Our forecast says it will be sunny with occasional thunderstorms (which always happen when it is time to make dinner...), so I have been pulling out my cookbooks for the grilling recipes.  At my warehouse store I bought a large package of boneless chicken breasts which is good for two meals, a salmon filet, and a package of three ham steaks.  We will see how far that gets me.  I am hoping for a leftover night, but we will see.

Yesterday I grilled corn on the cob (without husks) which became our appetizer.  Then I mixed 1/2 C ranch dressing with 2 T french dressing and basted the chicken with it as it grilled.  (This idea came from Betty Crocker's Good and Easy Cookbook).  Everyone loved it and the chicken stayed moist and tender; and I am happy because I have two large bottles of ranch dressing to use up over the summer.  This recipe is a keeper.