Confession #16 I Don't Know What's For Dinner!

So, um, I haven't done a good grocery shopping run for about a month and a half now. And it's not that I don't want to, either. I actually find it enjoyable. I like looking for good deals and I like looking around new stores.

But, my life has been so busy that I literally have been running out of time to go. I have something scheduled every morning (which is, IMO the best time to go grocery shopping...not as many crowds, better produce selection, and all the good deals aren't gone). Even Saturday mornings are filled with activities. When I walk into the kitchen I feel like I need to see a sign that says NO FOOD HERE!! I keep us stocked on milk, eggs, cheese, fresh produce, etc, but like I said, it's been a month and a half now since I've done a good grocery run.

I feel like every day I am scraping the barrel, so to speak, when it comes to getting dinner ready. I have to be really creative and use my food storage well. It's starting to get old. At least I have food storage. So, for my sake (so I can have it in writing) and for yours if you are wondering what to make, I am compiling a list of things I can make for dinner that I can make in a pinch. In making this list, I am assuming that there are some basics stored away in the freezer or pantry ...chicken, ground beef, pasta, etc. I do have some basics now, but at the rate I'm going that won't last long. I'VE GOT TO GO GROCERY SHOPPING!!

-Baked Potatoes
-Pasta with a bit of butter and parmesean cheese (yummy with freshly ground pepper!)
-Taco Soup (canned beans, corn, taco seasoning, onion, ground beef...that's about it!)
-Omlettes (Peter is a great omlette maker!)
-Tuna Casserole (This is always one of the options LOWEST on my list.)
-Breakfast at Dinner (pancakes, waffles, cereal, etc.)
-Chicken Enchiladas (I have in food storage enchilada sauce and I actually have chicken and tortillas today.....HHmmm....maybe I'll do that today.
-Spaghetti
-Hearty sandwiches...with whatever meat and veggies you have.

Well, there you have it. It may not be a long list, but it helped me for at least tonight. What are some of your standby favorites?!?!

Confession #15 I Still Sleep With My Baby Blanket

You know how there are just some things that bring comfort to you no matter what? Hot chocolate and a good book. A nice warm bubble bath. A visit to mom's house. Well, for me it's my Blankie. It's been with me through everything. I was so little when I got it that I don't even remember getting it. It's always been there...kind of like this constant companion.

Peter teases me about sleeping with it. He's mostly just jealous because I cuddle it more than I cuddle him. What can I say? When I sleep on my side, I need something to hold in my arms to keep my chest cavity open. It's the perfect size to fit right in between my arms and it's soft. Peter is a little big for that...plus, he snores.

My Blankie is so threadbare that I'm afraid every time I wash it. I'm afraid it will end up in shreds. The ties that my Grandma used to tie the layers together were all pulled out years ago when I was a fidgiting kid. Because of that, the little batting that is left has been migrating to one corner of the blanket preventing it from ever lying flat again. The fabric is so thin that you can see through it easily. The binding on the edge is literally hanging on by threads. Occasionally I have to actually cut parts of it off because they end up in loops that I catch with my fingers. But I could never give it up. It may be thin and ragged, but it still keeps me warm.

My sister is the same way with her Blankie. One time when she flew somewhere, she put the blanket in the suitcase (much like I did). We have never made that mistake again. They lost her suitcase and she had to sleep without it for a few days. There was a palpable fear that she would never see her Blankie again. Now, it gets tucked nicely in a large carry on bag so as to never loose it again. It's thin. I can do that.

Peter sometimes thinks it's funny to take it and hide it from me. He can only try this when I'm in an extremely jovial mood because otherwise, it's just not funny. One time he hid it in the morning and as I cleaned that day I found it. I noticed it was missing when I made the bed and I sniffed it out. He has never tried that one again.

My sister and I get heckled by our family for this, but it doesn't matter. I tell them that I want to hand it down to my little girl...if I ever have one. They always laugh and ask how much of it will actually be left for a daughter. But, I don't care. I always sleep better with Blankie folded in my arms.

Valentine's Day Post

I'm going for the Valentine's Day Blog Re-Design Giveway that Magirk at Laughadaisy is giving away. I have been straining my brain trying to thing of the absolute best Valentine's Day that I've ever had. I was thinking of telling about the time when my dear Peter surprised me with a trip for just the two of us. Or the time when I found out that I had a secret admirer. Or the time in 6th grade when I was picked by the school to be the Valentine Princess for the day.





But I can't. None of them ever happend.





Truthfully, Valentine's Day has never been really big for me. Peter is the only boyfriend I ever had and even then, we were married and poor by the time Valentine's Day came around. Even my parents never made it a big deal. Their anniversary was only a few days before Heart Day and so they just sort of smooshed the two things together at our house. I never minded much. I'm afraid I was one of those people who refered to it as "Singles Awareness Day."





But one of the things that I remember happening every year is mom making heart shaped cookies that she painstakingly decorated with pink and white frosting and red hots. I never cared much for the red hots, but she made fantastic sugar cookies. When I was younger she would bring the cookies into my class at school and I loved it. As I got older, she stopped bringing them to school, ("Are you kidding, mom?!?! Bring them to my school?!?! How embarrassing!), but she always had them out on the counter so we could eat them when we came home from school.



Today is Mom and Dad's anniversary. Because it's so close to Valentine's Day, dad would usually buy mom some really nice flowers that would last at least a week and count them for both occasions. (I told you that it was never that big of a deal.) But now, the anniversary dates are special. My dad died only 5 days before their 30th anniversary after a quick bout with cancer. Now, today (the 7th) and on Valentine's Day, it's all about my mom. I want to make sure that the day for her is special, just like it always was. This is now what Valentine's Day reminds me of: That the love we have for each other never stops just because people pass on to the next world. Every day is a blessing with those we love!



Happy Anniversary Mom (and Dad!)

Confession #14 I Haven't Vacuumed for a Long Time

I think I have a really bad relationship with vacuums. They all seem to hate me. Because my last one pretty much died on me, I got a new one less than a year ago. I did some research and ended up getting one from Costco...right down the middle of the line...not to expensive, and not the cheapest (despite the fact that Peter would have gotten the cheapest no matter what...You cannot always sacrifice quality for cost).



We brought it home, put it together, and it worked fantastically. We loved it! For about a month. Then we started noticing that it just wasn't getting all the stuff off the carpet. The hose was filled with carpet fuzz. So much that we had to literally push a broom handle through it to get it all out. Then it worked great for another little while. Then on Halloween night, Peter was vacuuming while waiting for Trick or Treaters and you would not believe the burning rubber smell that came from that thing. It was so bad that you could feel it in your eyes. I took it in to a vacuum repair shop because surely it was worth fixing it rather than buying a new one! Right??



Well, after replacing a part that had melted, it worked fantastically again! But a couple of weeks ago when I vacuumed, I noticed another problem. It sucked things off of the carpet, but the smell that lingered was terrible. Maybe not as bad as the burning rubber smell, but it smelled just like all the dirt had been picked up, stirred into the air, and left there to settle back down on the floor again. I could hardly breathe because it literally smelled like a dust storm.



So, now what do I do? I don't have the money to get a new one and at the rate we are going, I don't have money to get it fixed again. I have taken this thing apart and to my untrained eye, there is nothing I can do. So I do nothing.



But that only lasts a little while. Last night I did some yoga after the kids went to bed and it was terrible being that close to the floor where I could actually see the dirt and grunge that has accumulated. And I shudder to think that my kids are playing on the carpet the way it is. My only consolation is that at least they are old enough not to put things in their mouths, but still, I hate the idea that they are playing in it.

Recipe Exchange

So, at the moment, it's almost time for dinner...I've been thinking about what to write as a confession all day and have come up with nothing. So, in lieu of that, tonight you get a recipe that I made last night for the first time. I loved it! It's a Greek dessert that's not too sweet, but still good. Sorry there are no pics...I forgot until after they were gone, which was quick! And if you don't have the exact dried fruits it calls for, substitute others...apples, cherries, craisins, raisins, pears, etc.

Pyllo Purses with Dried Fruit Compote

1/4 pound dried figs (about 1/2 cup), quartered
1/4 pound dried apricots (about 1 1/2 cups) sliced
1/2 cup packed golden raisins
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup honey
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
4 (12x17 inch) sheets phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. To make compote, combine figs, apricots, raisins, orange juice, water, honey, cinnamon stick, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the fruit plumps and the liquid becomes syrupy, 12-15 minutes. Remove the compote from the heat; discard the cinnaomon stick. Cool 10 minutes, then stir in the almonds.
3. Place one sheet of phyllo with the long side facing you on a work surface. Lightly spray with nonstick spray; top with a second phyllo sheet and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets to form a stack. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the phyllo into 6 equal squares. Place 1/4 cup of the compote in the center of each square. Working one square at a time, gather the four corners of the square together to enclose the compote. Twist the gathered phyllo lightly to seal the packet and form a purse. Transfer purse to the baking sheet; repeat with the reaming phyllo, nonstick spray and compote to make 6 purses.
4. Spray the purses lightly with nonstick spray. Bake until crisp and golden, 12-15 minutes. Serve warm.

Confession #13 -- I Don't Mind Doing Laundry

WOW! Somehow the weekend got ahead of me! I didn't even check my email for over 2 days! That's a record for me.

Anyway, Mondays at our house are designated "Laundry Day" because that's all I do on Mondays. I don't like the idea of doing laundry every day for two reasons. 1. It's hard to do full loads that way and therefore it wastes water. And 2. I don't mind doing laundry, but I certainly don't love it. I only do it one day a week...unless there is some sort of emergency with any kind of bodily fluid. And with children, those happen more often than I would like. Besides, doing it all at once gives me the opportunity to sit down and fold clothes while watching a movie without feeling guilty!

Some people might call me obsessive compulsive about things I do. I have to do things in even numbers (including the number of kids I have). I have to align everything. I tuck the sheets on the bed just so on the corners EVERY DAY. I fold clothing so that it all ends up the same size. I match socks up...even all the plain white ones all three of the boys at my house wear. A new white sock can not be matched up with the old white sock...and I can tell the difference. Clothes are arranged in drawers so as to best use the space available.

I guess this is mostly why I don't mind doing laundry. Nobody else could do my laundry as perfect as I could. I'm sure that someday I'll have to give up all my quirks about laundry, but not today.

And if any of you want to cut your laundry time down, just watch and learn from this video.

Another reason I do my laundry all in one day: I actually stand a chance at having ALL the laundry clean at once...until it's time to get ready for bed and the dirty clothes go back in the laundry baskets, that is.

Confession #12 -- I'm Really Terrible at Washing my Face

I have always been a lucky soul with skin that is usually fantastic. Occasionally I get little blemishes, but rarely even a zit dares show itself on my face. I hardly ever wear makeup...mostly just on Sundays and other out of the ordinary activities. Because of that, I was always lazy about washing my face. I wash it in the shower every morning, but not with anything special. I wash it only on the nights that I wear makeup and even only that if I remember to.



But this has to change. I'll be 30 this year and I'm noticing more and more that my face is not it's youthful self anymore. No wrinkles yet, but it certainly doesn't have even coloring. I have a neighbor who sells Mary Kay. And really, even though I don't wear makeup much, I have absolutely loved anything I have gotten from Mary Kay. I went to my neighbor's house last night and I finally got the basic skin care package. It's been on my mind for awhile, but I never got around to it. But this time I got it. I have loved it. All morning I have been feeling my face and looking at myself in the mirror. I feel a bit silly doing it, but it is such a difference from yesterday that I can't help myself!



So, now that I've shelled out the money for this fantastic stuff, I plan on using it. And then maybe, just maybe, I might be able to take this confession back!