Ocean Sapphire...

Sarah's friend got a Siamese Fighting Fish(betta) a few weeks ago and she's been bugging us to get one too. I resisted because of the cats, but finally gave in today. He's GORGEOUS!! (click to see larger images)



I wish his irredescence showed up better in the photos. He's a dark blue with slightly lighter fins.


Here he is backlit, showing off his greenishness. You can see a few of my needle-felted balls behind his bowl too, an nice foil for his coloring.


This is the truest picture of his color.


We already had the bowl and red marbles, a perfect habitat for such a beauty. However, we will be looking for a bigger container. They do better in 1-2 gallon tanks, this one is probably a half gallon. Why yes, that is a C3PO standing in the corner!

In other news...

I'm taking time this weekend to go through a newish(acquired last year) old cookbook, Rodale's Naturally Great Foods Cookbook by Nancy Albright(published in 1977). Is it ever full of good stuff! Not just recipes but instructions on everything from making yogurt, sprouting sprouts, and even grinding flour from pumpkins! Wowza!!! There are soooo many recipes in it that I'm dying to try out, like Alfalfa Sprout Gazpacho, Avocado Banana Dressing, Grainburgers, Millet Meatloaf, Broccoli Timbales, Yogurt Cheese, Sourdough Rye Bread, and the list goes on and on and on!!! I'm also reading another goodie called Cooking Vegetables the Italian Way by Judith Barrett. Lotsa good stuff there too.

We are supposed to be taking the last bits of wallpaper down from the dining room tomorrow. The paint we've decided on is called Caramel Cream, a rich, bright orange. All the playing I've done at Valspar's online room painting thingie points to this color. I think it will be perfect.


I'm sure it looks garish on your monitor, kinda looks washed out on mine too. Trust me, its really a rich, goldish orange with depth and a nice warmth. In fact, if you'll scroll back up to the third picture of Ocean(his true color pic) and look directly above his tail you can see a felted ball of red, yellow, and orange. The orange in that picture is very close to the wall color. I can't wait to get it painted!!

Guess that's all the goings on for this weekend. Hopefully I'll be able to blog more next week. Having a working teen who is also very social is demanding more of my time than I ever thought possible!!

Abundance Is....

(First I'd like to thank everyone who commented on my deliberate living post. What you all wrote was inspirational and has given me more to think about. I'm absolutely at peace with dancing to my own music, using my microwave, and sleeping in dyed sheets.*G*)

Now,

Abundance is...

Having enough to give away and never miss it.

We filled the whole Suburban today with stuff for charity and gave a nice dresser to a needy family. We aren't finished, not by a long shot, but we were cleaning first, sorting out second. There are more weekends coming up.

Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again. Give portions to seven, yes to eight, for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land. Ecclesiastes 11:1-2.

Let your religion be less of a theory and more of a love affair.~G.K. Chesterton

Abundance is...

Perfect weather, rain or shine.

The past two weekends were spent raking, moving, hauling, lifting, digging, bagging, and so forth. We got our entire front and back yards done! This Saturday we awoke to chilly, windy drizzle and it was just perfect because we had nothing to do outside(no yardwork). Ryan had to be at his job just before noon so we all got ready and dropped him off. We headed to Lowe's for some shelf holders and Jake's for guinea pig and dog bedding. The girls were hungry and decided on Taco Bell. Just as we were waiting for the light to change for us to turn onto that road, Mark had the brilliant idea that we needed something a bit more substantial so we headed for our favorite Tex-Mex dive. It was exactly what we needed on a gray day, very comforting and relaxing.

Today we had no plans to work in the garage but it happened. The weather, once again, was just perfect. Not too cold, not windy, sunny and mild. We didn't get hot on the west side of the house nor did we get cold fingers(except the girls when they washed some box lids). Now after hours of hard work, our garage is clean and organized with (almost)everything in its place.

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. ~John Ruskin

There's nothing like biting off more than you can chew, and then chewing anyway. ~Mark Burnett

Abundance is...

Experiencing one of the Earth's most powerful and awesome events and not being hurt or scared.

We had an earthquake early this morning! Actually, what we think is that it was an aftershock from one that happened north of Oklahoma City at 3:43am(Did You Feel It?"). Mark and I were awakened at 4:45 by a series of vibrations like idling in a diesel truck but there was no noise(our bedroom doors did shake a bit). The dogs had actually got me alert a few seconds before so I felt them before Mark. The shakes woke him up. It was unnerving but we really didn't think "earthquake" until we'd got up and around later in the day.

Which would you rather have, a bursting planet or an earthquake here and there? ~John Joseph Lynch

It is not light that we need, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. ~Frederick Douglass

abundance...

For Christmas, my mom gave me a book of affirmations called The Art of Abundance, a Simple Guide to Discovering Life's Treasures, by Candy Paull. I've just now had time to start reading it and found three wonderful quotes right away that spoke to me. They have a common theme not just about abundance, but about where it is truly found...

One of the hardest lessons we have to learn in this life, and one that many persons never learn, is to see the divine, the celestial, the pure, in the common, the near at hand- to see that heaven lies above us here in this world. ~ John Burroughs

One of the most important -and neglected- elements in the beginnings of the interior life is the ability to respond to reality, to see the value and the beauty in ordinary things, to come alive to the splendor that is all around us in the creatures of God. ~ Thomas Merton

In those vernal seasons of the year when the air is calm and pleasant, it were an injury and sullenness against nature not to go out and see her riches, and partake in her rejoicing with heaven and earth. ~ Milton







Abundance, for me, means enjoying the goings-on in our very front yard. That this Spring-like weather is tricking my daffodils into blooming is only part of it! I've got 17 flowers in my little "daffy patch". I also love the beautiful moss carpet that's shooting up new growth like velvet underfoot. If it wasn't 45 degrees at the moment I'd be out there closer to it. My dad bought a bird feeder for the girls and I after we returned from North Carolina. The birds have finally figured out how to eat from it and we've been enjoying them for about a month now. Sunday morning as I took Puppy-girl out for her potty break, there were 4 robins swooping and darting from the back yard oak to the front yard pines and all manner of other birds hopping and twittering in the sun. This morning there was a squirrel on the porch, teasing the cats as it stuffed its face full of sunflower seeds.





Abundance also means cooking the spaghetti squash that was languishing on the counter and anticipating the eating of said squash as if it were the finest meal in the world. For the record, I sprinkled it with ground sage, a tiny pinch of dried thyme, salt, and liberal amounts of garlic, oh, and a spoonful of smart balance margarine! It was a comfort food much like mac and cheese without the guilt! We won't be doing a "real" grocery shop until Thursday which means I'll have to make do with what we've got in the cupboard til then. A "pantry challenge". Mark just arrived with guinea pig food and hay, potatoes, and bread. We've got rice, pasta, beans, spices, chicken breasts, tortillas, dairy products, sausage, peppers, onions, fresh and frozen veggies, canned tomatoes(and beans, etc, etc.), and more, so technically we could probably eat for another 10 days or so. Having such a bounty is not just abundance but also peace and provision.



I hope you all find similar things to appreciate within the ordinary(and it is SO not, once you take time to observe) this day and this week!! Children seem to enjoy abundance naturally so I take a lot of cues from this chicka. She found the first anole of the season yesterday!

Inaugural Celebration Chicken With Rice....

A melting pot of spicy flavors...

2 large bone/skinless chicken breasts, in 1-inch cubes
2 bone/skinless chicken thighs, in 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
couple glugs of olive oil
1/2-1 teaspoon of each of the following spices, adjust to your taste:
cumin, cayenne(about 1/4tsp of this one), dry mustard, curry, ginger, celery seed, garlic powder, onion powder and salt.
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 14 oz cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes with juice
1 14 oz can pineapple chunks in juice, with juice
1 bunch cilantro, washed and chopped fine


Cook chicken and veggies in oil for 15 minutes. Add spices and cook 5 more minutes. Add soy sauce, tomatoes, and pineapple and simmer for 20 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Throw in cilantro and simmer another 10 minutes or so. Serve over hot, buttered rice or grain of your choice.

OBAMAMAMA, this was goooood!!!!

a bittersweet day...

(Shimmer Angel)

Amidst the excitement and festivities that are Christmas at our house, we've got sadness. Our dear Shimmer has passed away from a sudden illness. Last Saturday she was fine, I held her and felt nothing. Tuesday the girls felt a small, almond sized lump on her side. By this past weekend it was larger than a chicken egg, probably cancer. She was a spunky little pigger with a cantankerous and bossy "Miss Piggy" personality. We'll miss her.


(Merry Shimmer)



(painted hutch with handmade decorations)



(I think Amy did this one last year)


(red metal cart in the dining room. notice the paint swatches)



(top of the china cabinet with vintage ornaments and decorations)


In Other News...

A-1 Medical Equipment and Supplies is officially servicing patients!!! Mark is thrilled to finally be going. I hope they aren't too busy over the holidays though!

My parents will be here Friday!!!!! I'm trying to plan some meals and snacks for us. Last night my party mix plans fell through because the store had NO cereal, not one box! I'm headed that way in a little while to try again. I also forgot raspberry extract for our hot cocoa(a little gourmet secret) and hopefully they'll have peppermint too(they were out of that too).

Ryan has a Christmas party with his youth group tomorrow night, then our homeschool party, then another homeschool party on Friday with a different group and then hopefully nothing! Sarah's AWANA class is having a jingle party tomorrow so I've got to sew a bunch of jingle bells to a shirt for her. Should be cute!

Guess that's all. The dogs need fed and let back in. Its freezing here... no really it is. We try to wash and dry clothes to help keep the dogs warm since our dryer vents to the garage. It does work but with temps not out of the mid-30s all day it will be a struggle.

I'm spending the morning with apple cider, lightly spiked with buttershots and caramel syrup. Tastes like a caramel apple in a cup!

Christmas Foods....

***updated***I moved the pictures to the bottom of this post lest people think we eat Guinea Pigs for Christmas dinner(thanks Aaron!).

Quite possibly my favorite thing about celebrating Christmas, besides the trees and lights, and fun, is the food!

We don't do a lot of parties and such but now and then we'll attend something that requires a dish or snack. My favorite side dishes to take along are Broccoli Rice(or Quinoa) Casserole and Special Dilled Potatoes. I'm actually taking the potatoes to a party tomorrow night!

My new favorite snack is my special recipe Deviled Party Mix. I use a large roaster pan for it because I like having it last all week long. My recipe goes something like this(all amounts are extremely approximate, sometimes I have to adjust as its cooking)...


(Pillsbury image)

Deviled Party Mix

Corn, rice, and wheat Chex cereals(about 3/4 or more of each box)
Quaker Oat(meal?) Squares cereal(I usually use all but a bowl or two of this)
pretzel twists(most of the bag)
salted mixed nuts(larger can)

3/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup(or 1/8th) spicy horseradish mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper(or more)
1/2 tablespoon seasoned salt(remember, this is a large amount of cereals to cover)
1 teaspoon each, garlic and onion powder

Mix the oil, margarine, vinegar and honey together and melt in 225 oven for about 13 minutes. Mix in spices and mustard, adding more oil if it doesn't seem like enough to coat all the cereals.

Add oatmeal squares first, then the rest. Stir well to coat, usually several minutes. Bake at 225 for 15 minutes. Stir well again and continue stirring every 15 minutes for about an hour. Because there is so much it sometimes takes longer to get it all dried out so play it by taste and texture.

Tomorrow we're going to get our tree at Danville Farms. I'm hoping to get it up and ready for lights before we go to the party. Sunday will probably be the big decorating day for us though.


(last year's mantel)


(Shimmer and Stella being Christmas angels)

Cheesy Gooey Goodness...

(Cheesy Gooey Tex-Mex Casserole, by Molly Sonier)


(Holy cow this was good)


(And it was meatless!)

First I doubled this chili gravy recipe from Homesick Texan(doubled the liquid and seasoning, not the flour and oil). I tweaked it a bit with about 1/2 teaspoon chipolte powder and about a teaspoon red wine vinegar.

Then I layered(in a 9x13 stoneware casserole) the sauce with corn tortillas, about 10 in all, 2 blocks of Cabot's 75% reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated, 1 can fat free refried beans(just glopped by the tablespoon), about 2 cups fresh spinach, 1 cup cilantro leaves(very loosely packed). My layers went like this:

Sauce
Tortillas
Beans
Cheese
Cilantro
Tortillas
Sauce
Beans
Spinach
Cheese
Tortillas
Sauce(I didn't quite use all of it)
Beans
Cilantro
Cheese

Baked it, covered, at 350 for about 40 minutes. Slurped it up with some greek yogurt on top. Died happy(no not really, but I could have). There is just a teeny bit left for tomorrow. I may send it with Mark if he does the dishes tonight.

In other news...

We were looking SO forward to camping this weekend. Based on the events, it seems God may have been telling us "no" but we didn't listen til he stopped us in our tracks.

Mark had a bad feeling about going all week and I couldn't really get into it either. Once we got the stuff together we were excited to be getting away. We decided against taking the canoe because the Suburban was weighted down too much as it was. Due to his busy week Mark didn't get around to making reservations at the state park we wanted to visit. We got about a mile underway and Mark decided he'd better call to see if there were tent site vacancies. There were not. He pulled off the road and called 6 or 7 other state parks. Only one had sites available. We turned around to head to that park and the Suburban just died. Quit working at all. We coasted to an oil top road that lead back home and came to a stop in the woods. Car would NOT start. Mark jogged back home and drove back with jumper cables. It wasn't the battery. Would allllllmost turn over but not quite. So, we loaded all the camping equipment in his work van and drove back home. We decided to call a wrecker service to haul it home for us. Currently it is sitting in the yard near the driveway. We are unsure what we'll do with it. The repairs for this and many other "ailments" will probably run close to $1100 and there are other things wrong with it as well.

Today we went to visit friends and I was handed some leftovers from a garage sale.*G* I got a cast iron skillet, a neat-o purse, and a vintage barbie with a beeeautiful purple crocheted doily dress, and some okra and peppers!! Barbie has a photo shoot sceduled for tomorrow. Then we looked at used trucks and SUVs(we have to have something to pull the boat and haul 3-5 kids, dogs, equipment and so forth). Finally we headed to Trade Days to see what we could find to drag home! I managed to leave with an adorable(and I mean ADORABLE) crocheted mouse with a dark blue dress. She is just too sweet!! Her photo shoot is scheduled around the same time as purple barbie, so I'll have pics sometime tomorrow. The kids and I got sno-cones and we all split a large funnel cake. I don't think I've had one of those in 25 years! I also ran into a very old friend(30 years!) who works for the police department now. We caught each other up on who and what. Then I checked in with my friend who is selling my scarves, she said 3 had sold!! Woot!! I don't know which ones though. She knits the most incredible striped stocking caps to sell. They are about 5 to 6 feet long and are so cute(I need a picture of them). I wish I was a knitter but there ain't no way...

We're expecting rain tomorrow with slightly cooler temps following. It has been a wonderful fall so far with very little rain and short-sleeve weather almost every day.

Comfort food for everyone...

Several days ago I got hungry for my favorite festive comfort food, Broccoli Rice Casserole. Between trips running hither and yon(we have been sofreakingbusyyouhavenoidea), I managed to get the ingredients for it and had planned to make it Wednesday night. Ok, Thursday night. How 'bout Friday then? Finally! So, about that time, I discovered the absence of rice in my pantry. Grrrr. But, all was not lost...

Quinoa to the rescue! This stuff is wonderfood! Please, if you've never tried it, do so! It is awesome!!!

Broccoli Quinoa Casserole(makes a 9x13 pan)

cooking spray
1 bag frozen chopped broccoli
1 can reduced fat cream of chicken soup
1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup
4 ribs celery, sliced
1 onion, sliced
8 oz reduced fat velveeta or cheese whiz

1-1.5 cups dry quinoa, rinsed well
about 3 cups water

Bring water and quinoa to boil, reduce heat and simmer til water is absorbed.

Cook onion and celery in non-stick skillet with cooking spray until transluscent. Add broccoli, soups and cheese product. Stir til well blended. Add quinoa and mix well. Pour into a buttered 9x13 pan and bake at 350 for about 45 minutes. Serve warm.

If anyone has knowledge of some good-for-you substitutes for the soups and cheese product, please let me know! This tasted a bit chemical-ish and I'm pretty sure its because I used the "diet" stuff. It was still comforting and gone by late this afternoon.



(what it looks like in our living room at 6:15pm)


(the west side of the driveway around the same time of day)

Speaking of the view from the driveway(and comfort foods)...


(berries are just starting to get that blue blush to them)


(we have several large bushes around the driveway)

These lovely plants are Ligustrums, don't know what variety, and are loaded with berries! In a week or so they'll all be a dark blue-purple, just like the Cedar Waxwings like them. Unfortunately, I've found out that they also cause asthma! Guess who has horrible, horrible asthma? Mark!! He is totally fine when he leaves the house in the mornings but within an hour of coming home at night he has trouble breathing. I thought I might take him to the ER several nights ago he was that bad. He's always blamed the pets for his attacks but I'm betting its the ligustrums! Much as I love the Cedar Waxwings, these plants will have to go.

Mark and I had stuff to do this morning that lasted about 3 hours longer than we'd planned. Then we found out Ryan's ride to his church's Fall Picnic had forgotten him. So, we had to run him and a friend waaaay out to Ore City. On our way back we stopped by to pick up this wonderful door from a homeschooling friend. Isn't it just gorgeous? I can't wait to get it finished and installed! Hopefully by Christmas.


(we'll have to sand this off, fix the trim, and repaint it but that's no biggie)


(the gold "leading" probably wouldn't have been my first choice but I do love the glass and it was FREE!)

Tomorrow I plan to spend most of the afternoon making cell phone carriers to sell. My friend with Herbal Grace wants me to let her sell them at some flea markets. Who knows, with the holidays coming up they just might sell! Its worth a try at least. The girls will go home with a friend after church so I'll have a nice window before having to pick them up. I'd better get my lazy butt out of this chair and hunt down my yarn then. Bye!

TGIF...

I'm following along with Jeanne at Backyard Neighbor again and posting my favorite photo(Friday's Favorite Photo is what she called it, I think).


(Sarah with Tom several Autumns ago)

In other news...

A friend of mine offered up a front door for free so we drove waaaay across town to look at it and will pick it up tomorrow. Its a brick red with about a 2/3 total length leaded glass insert. Just gorgeous! There are a few cosmetic things to fix(some glue runs and a loose molding) and we'll have to frame our door with a 1x2 or something because its 1.25 inches narrower than our current door. I can't wait to work on it and get it installed though, I've been pricing these kinds of doors for a while now and just couldn't see getting one, ever.

This friend has 4 chickens and a rooster so she handed us half a dozen blue, green, and brown eggs to take home. I think I shall scramble them in the morning. Yum!

We swung by and took Ryan's friend home and are just now back to the house. I'm about to start on my broccoli, zucchini, rice, and cheese casserole. Guess I need to get the rice going, I keep forgetting that part!!!

It has been a beautiful day today, very sunshiney with no wind and not too much heat. I'm hoping tomorrow we can spend time outdoors.

The Weekend....

When comrades seek sweet country haunts,
By twos and twos together,
And count like misers, hour by hour,
October's bright blue weather.
- Helen Hunt Jackson, October's Bright Blue Weather


Friday morning I took the girls grocery shopping with me while Mark and Ryan stayed home. It was a beautiful mid-morning and promised to be a lovely afternoon as well. I had the bright idea that we should spend time outdoors so I called Mark from the store to see if he'd be interested. We decided to wait til Saturday and head north to the Yamboree, a local festival celebrating that wonderful cash crop of the 1930's, the Sweet Potato, which is really not a yam. The Yamboree is one of the oldest folk festivals in Texas just behind the Tyler Rose Festival and the Jacksonville Tomato Festival.

We watched the Queen's Parade, ate some fair food, rode a huge ferris wheel, gawked at the crowds, visited the exhibit halls, the ag barns and all the other things most people do at festivals. Ryan found several of his friends in the ag barns with their livestock so he was busy socializing while the girls, Mark and I petted pigs, goats, calves, and bunnies. I think Sarah would have brought a baby cow home if she could have, or a goat! Then we hit the vendor area but didn't end up finding anything we couldn't live without. One of the exibits we especially enjoyed was the junior art and photography division. There are some very talented young artists in east Texas! Amy and Sarah are wanting to enter the drawing category and maybe photography too for next year.

As you may have noticed, there are no pictures. I decided to take a break from the camera this trip. Its a big, clunky thing and I did not feel like wagging it around all day. You'll have to imagine the dappled sunlight on the courthouse lawn, the chilly breeze, the greasy food smells, laughter, screams from the scary rides, and the sound of fiddles playing. You are off the hook as far as imagining the lovely livestock smells.

On our way to the car, we stopped at the monthly flea market across from the exhibit areas. Patricia, my homeschooling friend had a booth there promoting her business, Herbal Grace. She sells mineral make-up, organic teas, soaps, and much more. I left with a new eye shadow color(nutmeg) and some fantabulous organic seasoned salt. Her soaps are to die for too, LOVE them, and we use several of her other formulas.

We also nabbed a huge bucket of sweet potatoes for $4. Wooo hooo! Could have got a bushel for $13 but I didn't think we'd eat that many. How wrong I was...

Several days ago I came across a blog post featuring sweet potato fries and Hungry Girl had mentioned butternut fries not too long ago as well. I googled to get a good idea of what to do and went for it!

I preheated the oven to 425, sliced up our two largest "yams" into french fry sized pieces, layered them on two baking sheets(it is best if they don't touch and have space between each fry). I sprayed them with butter flavor cooking spray and sprinkled them with the new seasoned salt mixed with cayenne, onion, and garlic powders, and paprika. They went into the oven on the middle and lowest racks for 15 minutes. I stirred well and switched their places on the racks, baking for another 15 minutes. We scarfed them down with ketchup and there were no more. They are woooooonderful!!!! With a texture like a steak fry, creamy and soft on the inside, but not starchy(gritty) like regular fat fries, along side frizzled spiral ham and a spinach salad, these made a wonderful meal.

Today I'm working on our bedroom. We decided to try the bed under our window but I don't know if it'll work with the kitties wanting to be in the sill at night. I've swept and thrown away a whole bagful of garbage. Mark turned off the Cowboys game, too painful to watch. He's washing his car now and Sarah's got Dirty Jobs on.

Later we'll have more ham in some form, maybe a quiche or something. I'm not sure yet. Meanwhile, back to the room for me!

Breaking Fast....

We enjoyed a bowlful of steel cut oats with bananas, golden raisins, and brown sugar this morning. I have been eating steel cut oats for several years now but never thought to put a banana in them. If added during the last few minutes of cooking it will dissolve completely. Very yummy!

It was a good thing we had such a breakfast because we'll need strength to get through this...








But this is REALLY what its all about!

It is SO nice to be wanted...

I can finally post about our mysterious "good news" that I mentioned a few days ago. Mark didn't want it out quite yet. I'm still not going into real specific details yet. Anyway...

The job is something similar to what he did before but for a national company with slightly different responsibilities. It would be better than where he is and a good job for him but probably not a perfect match. He is waiting for word from them after two interviews and he's done the drug/tb tests.

In other news...

I got my hair cut yesterday afternoon! It is stacked in the back and long around my face with bangs. I LOVE it and promise to post pics as soon as the batteries are charged.

Today is homeschool park day and Sarah wants to take Buddy. Should be fun. It was 48 degrees when I got up this morning so we'll be a bit chilly.

We're having some kind of sausage and kale dinner tonight. I'll have to find the recipe I posted a few weeks ago.

A post in which I ramble on about our weekend...

We hosted the first Teen Thing(a tailgate party) for the homeschool group we're in. There were 4 girls and 4 boys, including 2 sets of siblings. The kids had a blast but the movie ended up being too slow for them to stay with so the boys went out front to play football in the road with Mark. Of course the girls had to follow and turned into complete giggleboxes running in and out of the house. It was good times for sure! Next month's Teen Thing to be a trip to the Yamboree, a local festival, where they can run around riding rides and acting cool. I've never been even though I have lived just down the road from this town most of my life. Can't wait to see what I've been missing! There is even a STREET DANCE!! Woot!





Saturday morning Mark and I got up and moved old fencing and deck boards over to his parents land. His dad will use some of the decking to make a bridge over a creek bed. All that heavy lifting tired me out so to I had to find neat things to photograph while Mark huffed the remaining 90% of the pile to the back of the Suburban.







Ryan and his (homeschooled) buddies pulled some stupid teenage tricks Saturday morning that resulted in a squad car bringing them home from down the street where they'd egged a house. It darn near landed one of them in jail(not Ryan) because of an illegal knife. This has resulted in his loss of communication with the offender probably permanently. We've had issues with this particular boy off and on for a few years so this isn't a rash decision.

Then, just hours later, we learned that the brother of one of Ryan's other(public schooled) friends had been in possession of illegal drugs while Ryan was there. So, he's basically lost ALL of his friends in one fell swoop. It was well past time to nip that one in the bud for a number of reasons. We had actually already decided last week to keep Ryan away from that household due to ongoing(and worsening) "domestic problems" with the mom and her babydaddy. Lovely huh? Now we've had to ban him from his church youth group because these kids are a part of it. I'd like to talk to the youth pastor sometime about this. For now its better to cut it off cold turkey than to have to plan some intricate dance for every single interaction. Sigh.

We took Ryan's spend-the-night friends home later in the afternoon, then Sarah and I took Amy to stay with a new friend.

This morning we(minus Amy) went to my favorite walking trail for some exercise, then to BAM for coffee and free magazines. I found many cool decorating and cooking mags and will be going back later in the week for more ideas! Amy came home after church with her friend. We ate turkey and swiss cheese on foccacia sandwiches for lunch, very yummy. Mark took Ryan and Sarah to the mall for shoelaces(for his dress shoes or something). I messed around with glitter while Amy took a bath.


(I'm not finished my Autumn decorating by any means. None of these folks are relations)


(If you look closely at the ghost you can see that he's made from a Club cracker box. The only white paint I had was a metallic and it didn't cover well. Luckily it doesn't show unless hit with the right light)

We had a great dinner, Sausage, Kale and White Bean Pasta, and everyone is now resting their tummies. This is another of my "what's in the pantry" dinners.

1 pound lean turkey breakfast sausage(or Italian if you want)
2 cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes with juice
1 (8oz) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 bunch kale, coursely chopped, large stems removed
garlic and onions to taste(powder or actual veggies)
dash of cayenne pepper(this makes it, in my opinion)
1 teaspoon savory spice
1 can great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 box rotini pasta
handfuls of cheddar cheese, grated

Brown sausage well. Add tomato stuff, spices, and kale. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring now and then. Add beans to sausage and kale, continue simmering for another 15-20 minutes or so. Start pasta cooking. When the pasta is almost done, drain it well and add to sausage mixture. Stir well, cover and cook about 10 more minutes til pasta is tender. Serve in bowls with cheese. Yum!

Go, run, fast, and...

Make these Biscuits NOW!!!!!

Too good not to share tonight!

Which means you'll need to scroll down to see my other two posts for today.

Couscous with Spinach and Chickpeas





2 servings plain couscous prepared with 1 spoonful of butter(or olive oil, we use Promise Light) and a reduced sodium chicken broth cube(or veggie, your choice).

3 big handfuls spinach, rinsed well

1/2 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 teaspoon each
Cumin
Garam Marsala

teeny sprinkle of
Cayenne Pepper(I would say a good pinch)
Black Pepper
Salt

Start the couscous. Rinse the spinach but don't shake the water off. Put in saucepan and heat, covered, over medium-high heat, stirring often, just til wilted enough to make room. Add chickpeas, and spices, cover and cook til the spinach is wilted to your liking.

I divided the couscous 4 ways because the girls like theirs plain with butter and salt. Mark and I split the other serving topped with the spinach mixture. Oh. My. Stars. It. Was. Yum. If there had been more it would have been consumed. Next time I'll know better.

So now you know what a freakishly boring life we lead on a Friday night. Woohoo!

Santa Fe Rice and Beans...

Lean Cuisine makes a frozen dinner by this name, very tasty I might add. Its one of Mark's favorites but we rarely get frozen dinners due to cost and the unhealthy sodium in them. Tonight I believe I've perfected the taste, quite by accident. It was a pantry surfing night and this was what came out of it!

Molly's Santa Fe Rice and Beans

1 onion, chopped
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
1 cup brown rice

Brown onion and pepper in small amount of olive oil. Add rice and stir around for a minute or two.

1 can each, pinto beans and canneli beans, rinsed well and drained
1 can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 reduced sodium chicken broth cube
2 cans of water

1-1.5 teaspoons each of: (yall know I'm notorious for NOT measuring, if you want to start with smaller amounts that would be fine)

garlic powder
onion powder
chili powder
oregano
cumin
1/4-1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili powder(this is key to the smokey flavor, don't leave it out!)

About 2/3 cup steel cut oats

Mix everything together in skillet, cover tightly and simmer for about 30-40 minutes. Add water if needed but try not to make it too runny. Test the rice for tenderness and serve when its soft. I let it sit, off the heat, for about 10 minutes to cool and thicken.

We had ours in bowls with grated cheese(75% lower fat Cabot's Light), light sour cream, and sliced olives. YUM!

Another Exciting Day!

Late yesterday, one of the girls' friends came to spend the night so she could go to Park Day with us. So we went. That event wasn't too terribly exciting, nor was the decision to skip a very crowded Chik-fil-a and grab some fried calamari from the freezer at the grocery store. No, the excitement didn't start til we got to about 100 feet of our driveway. That's when we spotted our friendly neighborhood escape artist and her side kick, little old daschund man(I swear he's probably 20). I carried the groceries in while the girls captured the dogs but when I turned the key in the front door I heard barking from the other side. Our 4 dogs were in the house!!! Ack!! So, Ryan had to round them up before we could come in with the strays and food. Meanwhile, there was a wreck on our street but it was far enough down that someone else was helping out(it was just a fender bender as far as I could tell). Sigh, I could do without all this excitement, I'm tired!

Now we've eaten our fill of calamari and are starting in on the ice cream. We were invited to stay and swim when we take the friend home. Can't wait!

Getting the Milk...

Our family is in a raw milk co-op. We enjoy the health benefits of drinking raw and it tastes wonderful! Every 6 weeks or so it is my turn to go get the milk from the farm and bring it to our leader's house for distribution. This week was my turn. I also scored a bag of nice organic yellow squash, 6/$1, woooohooo! That was lunch!


(Shady Grove is the community we get our milk from)


(the kids usually don't like to get up so early but I made them come along this time and they were blessed by a deer running along side us for about 100 yards or so)

On our way home, We stopped at the Hoover Cemetery not too far from the 1002 and 155 intersection. I've always been curious about the cemeteries in this area, it seems like an OLD place. This would make a cool field trip for our co-op or homeschool group.


(the back part of the cemetery)


(Elizabeth Gage, b. Feb 22, 1852, d. Mar 24, 1852)


(David Gage, b. Oct 20, 1860, d. Nov 8, 1860)


(Abraham Hoover owned the land on which the cemetery was started)


(Abrham's wife Nancy)


(I think this says Martha Hoover, could it be that this was the first person buried here- according to the website a daughter was the first buried)

In other news....

Mark is out of town on business. His company is aquiring the assets of another medical equipment company and he went to Nacogdoches with the owner to check out the facilities. I can't say much more except that he was validated yesterday when they were in negotiations. The representative from the other company asked the owner(of Mark's company) if everything looked ok, yada yada. The owner turned to Mark and asked HIM if it was "a go" and Mark said yes. Then the owner turned back to the representative and said, "yes". Anyway, they are growing the business and that's something Mark can be proud of because he has done 90% of it all by himself!! He has made many contacts and is very well-liked and respected by everyone he works with(including the 8 hospices they are contracted to serve-this time last year they had 1 hospice).

I'm working on finishing the binding on my Trip Around the World quilt, 2.5 sides to go! Then I need to decide if I'm going to make 8 blocks or 18 blocks to finish my Anvil(or Buckeye Beauty) vintage quilt. If I just do 8 I'll need multiple borders but if I do 18 I'll only need a small border. I'm leaning toward 18 but that is SOOO many! There are already 12 sewn together so having to make more than that is not appealing, but I do want it to fit my bed. Sigh. You can find pictures of both quilts in my sidebar under unfinished projects(or somesuch).