Sunday, June 30, 2008 - My return from vacation

I'm Back!!!! Ok, I was back last night (Friday) but was busy catching up on work stuff the night just flew by - just like my vacation LOL. Whew. I enjoyed the energy expo very much. I got some great deals on discount books from the magazine I enjoy and I got to meet the editor and his daughter which was a treat. I obtained lots of info for alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, water, ect. Also there were several home made / natural soaps and lotions, info on green cleaning products, sustainable flooring, natural plasters, ect. The food was awsome!!! Organic veggie wraps, cheese curds, burgers, bratts, indian food (which was great), organic fruits/veggies, organic coffee's, smoothies, ect...... An amish family sold these wonderful cookies at 6/$1, a couple other builders and farmers with organic/natural info in that area, They had windmills up and all energy used for the buildings and exhibits was provided from them. They also had water spouts available for drinking and filling water bottles (for free) that folks purchased or brought in from home. It was an amazing experience that I intend to enjoy again next year.

Let's see, the weather here was muggy all week. It's been storming off and on but nothing too severe. Strawberries aren't ready quite yet - this coming week should be the time. The weather hasn't been cooperating and the cool May we had pushed things back a bit. Weird as we're usually picking mid-June. Can't wait to get a bunch in the dehydrators!! Yummy. I'm also planning on making some sauce an putting it in half pint jars to use over ice cream and biscuits as well as over angle food cake. I'm set with jam for a while so won't worry about that. I'll juice a flat, can the juice (unsweetened) and the mush to use for jam/jelly when I need it. The juice is also good in smoothies and other goodies.

I did get a bunch of stuff moved and organized. I've about 4 full days work in the other house left. Uff da!!! Court date is on the 28th of July so I do have a little time yet. I did take a couple days for R&R and went at a slower pace,meditated and read a book, Taffy enjoyed our daily walks, esp those 0630 ones. That was the coolest part of the day. Sigh..... It went so fast and now it doesn't seem like I had one at all LOL. Oh well. This will be a short week as well since the 4th is my holiday off. I'll be off Thurs thru Sunday since it's my weekend off too.

Well, better go catch up on things. Hope all are well.

Michele

Flooding and how it's effecting my family....June 14, 2008

Good morning everyone. I'm feeling for those in the flooded areas. My father is in Iowa unable to get home because of the flooding there and my brother is in Southern WI unable to get his load out because of the same. They are not sure if they will make it home for Father's Day although they are at least trying to get closer so they can at least spend the day together. They have both driven hundreds of miles out of the way in attempt so make it and I think last word was they were 50 miles apart - each in a different state tho.

I can't help but feel how this latest slam by Mother Nature will effect more than just Father's Day. Here in Wisconsin, most freight trains are inopperable due to dammaged or flooded tracks. Truckers are stranded with loads of meat, produce, ect and no where to go with it. Most areas flooded are farming land - corn to be exact.  How will this latest "slam" effect our economy??? So many people lost or are loosing homes, buisnesses, jobs, crops, ect.... Not just here in Wisconsin but all over the mid west. Will this hike food prices up even more? Will more need to lean on the government for aide? Will gas prices take a hit because of it? So many questions yet we must remember, God will provide. Let today's troubles be enough for one day.  Lean on God. I pray all of us will have the instinct to "tweak" our emergency supplies to include more grains and corn based products. I also pray that we remain calm and keep our wits and do trust that the Lord will provide and help us to find a way.

I'm planning my vacation that begins Thursday. I'm lookiing forward to going to the Renewable Energy Expo in Custer, WI. There are so many booths with so much learning potential. I've always wanted to go but my daughter was never interested and would have made the experience a chore. I'll spend Friday there. I'm taking Taffy camping for a couple days, strawberries will be ready after that so will make a couple pickings of around 4 flats to dry and can as sauce. I've plenty of jam so may not make any this year. I'm going to juice a bunch to can the juice and make jelly if I start to run short before next year. I'll also take a couple days and finish clearing out the old house. Whew, some vacation LOL. All is good. I'm looking forward to all but the clearing out of the old house. I still have mixed feelings about the whole thing but what do ya do???

I pray each of you has a beautiful and safe day. Praying for all in flood lands.

Michele

What a weekend!

Desert for the weekend

This is hands-down the best best best pumpkin recipe on the planet! It is just one of those serendipitous "accidents" that resulted from trying to modify a recipe from Southern Living magazine that called for boxed cake mix. It didn't work out as I expected, but turned out even better!

I highly recommend it as an alternative to pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Instead of crust, the standard pumpkin pie filling contains morsels of sweet spiced pecans throughout. Mmmmmmmm! The only problem with this recipe is that it is really hard to stop eating it. I brought the test recipe to a pot luck dinner and a friend took one bite and said, "Forget the rest! I'm just having a big plate of this for dinner!" This is what we're having with our Thanksgiving dinner this year.

makes 1 13" x 9" baking dish or could me made in individual ramekins

for the topping:
1 cup butter
1/2 cup evaporated cane juice
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup unbleached flour

for the custard:
1 15-ounce can of pumpkin
1 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
3/4 cup evaporated cane juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a saucepan, over low heat, melt the butter, then add the evaporated cane juice and heat until the sweetener is dissolved. Mix in the pecans, then add the flour 1/4 cup at a time, and mix until blended. Allow to cool while you make the custard.
3. Whisk together the custard ingredients until well blended, then pour into a buttered 13" x 9" baking dish or individual ramekins.
4. Spoon the topping over the custard. The topping will be runny and fall down in the custard--it won't sit on top--so place each spoonful in a different spot.
5. Bake for 60 to 65 minutes, or until puffy and golden brown.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature with Whipped Cream, and sprinkle with fhreshly ground nutmeg.

What's for dinner....

Back To Recipe

Nutrition Facts

• One serving:
• Calories: 392
• Fat: 12 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Cholesterol: 86 mg
• Sodium: 798 mg
• Carbohydrate: 39 g
• Fiber: 5 g
• Protein: 28 g
• Diabetic Exch: 3 lean meat, 3 vegetable, 1-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat.

Italian Turkey and Noodles

 

From Light & Tasty

 

A jar of meatless spaghetti sauce makes this easy dish a perfect supper during the week...just add a green salad and dinner is set. Best of all, my whole family loves it. —Cindi Roshia of Racine, Wisconsin

SERVINGS	6
CATEGORY	Lower Fat
METHOD	Baked
PREP	35 min.
COOK	30 min.
TOTAL	65 min.

INGREDIENTS

• 1-1/4 pounds lean ground turkey
  
• 1-1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
  
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
  
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
  
• 1 jar (26 ounces) meatless spaghetti sauce (I used a pint of what I had canned myself)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon onion salt
  
• 3 cups cooked yolk-free wide noodles
  
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  
  

DIRECTIONS

In a large nonstick skillet, cook the turkey, mushrooms, onion and green pepper until turkey is no longer pink. Add spaghetti sauce and onion salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
    Place cooked noodles in the bottom of a 2-1/2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour meat mixture over noodles. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until heated through. Yield: 6 servings.

Printed from tasteofhome.com Jun 6, 2008

Copyright Reiman Media Group, Inc © 2008

TGIF - All set for a three day weekend!!

Good morning all. Boy, it was 65 today but very humid. Had a little rain off and on all day then a downpour around 9pm.  Needless to say the lawn didn't get mowed LOL. Am hoping to work in the garden at the folks while I'm in town Saturday. I'll also have to finish up cleaning church. Sunday will be my day of rest and catch up on reading my magazines and a couple chapters in a book I started way back when LOL. Maybe I'll treat myself to renting a DVD too. Hmmmmm. The first clear day I'll have to do laundry so I can hang it out to dry. They are forecasting rain off and on thru next Thursday so it'll be a 50/50 shot.

I made mac n cheese and tossed some frozen veggies and diced chicken in the last couple minutes of cooking the noodles. In the sauce I stirred in some Mrs. Dash Garlic for kick. It was pretty good. I'll bake the leftovers for dinner today in a small crock. That'll taste good. I like the "crust" that forms. I've also some watermellon I need to eat up. Mmmm, sounds like a good dinner to me.

In a couple weeks the strawberry farm will be open. I can't wait!! I'm getting low on what I canned up last year (I ground some up and heated them up with some fresh apple juice and made an awsome sauce) and the dehydrated ones are almost gone. I'll have to dehydrate a couple flats this year along with a few extra half pints of sauce. I found the sauce was better than slices. I used it for short cake, over my ice cream, pancakes and waffles, just open a jar and have it for desert like that, it's really good over SF Vanilla or SF cheesecake pudding, over angle food cake, even over hot cerial. I'm still pretty good on jam so I'm thinking I'll run some thru the juicer, can up the juice and either freeze or can the mush for making jam later when the weather cools. The juice is awsome mixed with seltzer water or in a smoothie.

Well, better go do some chores. Coffee later - Love and Fuzzies to all!!

Pineapple Carrot Bars

Here's a recipe I made the other day. Turned out tasty! If you're looking for good whole grain recipes, try going to Bob's Red Mill website. They have a lot of different types of recipes - even gluten free.

http://www.bobsredmill.com/recipe/

Pineapple-Carrot Bars
	Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly spray with nonstick vegetable spray a 13" x 9" x 2" baking pan, set aside. Combine the first 4 ingredients (honey through egg) in a medium bowl; stir well and set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon; add dry ingredients to honey mixture, stirring well. Add carrots, raisins, skim milk and pineapple; stir well. Spread mixture into prepared baking pan and bake for 25 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Let cool and cut into bars. Store loosely covered in refrigerator. Makes 2 dozen bars. Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine, Sept/Oct 1988. NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION Servings Size: 1 Bar Calories 70, Calories from Fat 15, Total Fat 1.5g, Saturated Fat 0g, Cholesterol 10mg, Sodium 90mg, Total Carbohydrate 13g, Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 6g and Protein 1g. Ingredients: 1/3 cup Honey  2 Tb Vegetable Oil  1 tsp Vanilla  1 Egg  1 cup Whole Wheat Flour  1 tsp Baking Powder  1 tsp Baking Soda  1 tsp ground Cinnamon, Saigon (Premium)  1 cup Finely Shredded Carrots  1/2 cup Raisins (Unsulfured)  3 Tb Nonfat Milk  1 - 8oz can Unsweetened Crushed Pineapple, drained  1 tsp Powdered Sugar, sifted

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008

Good morning everyone!! Hope all are well and those recouperating are mending quickly and without problems. You've all been in prayer.

Monday I did laundry - the sun went and hid in the afternoon but I hung the cloths out anyway. A couple of my lighter scrubs dried ok but the rest I left out overnight. It was overcast and gloomy looking yesterday but the clothes were dry by 10am. Mmmmmm, fresh sheets hung outside - nothing like it is there??

Yesterday late afternoon I planted flowers in the flower beds in the front - much smaller than I'm use to and of course I have too many plants LOL. Guess I'll fill a couple of planters I brought over for the back yard. I was going to use them for tomatoe plants but I haven't gotten them yet. Taffy "helped" plant LOL. She was whining so bad to come out but there isn't anyplace to hook a lead to in the front - besides, the front yard is only maybe 5 feet. Anyway, I put her on her leash and looped it around my wrist. She got pretty excited and thought she was special to be out front with me LOL. That is until she got wind of something and tried to go down the street. I was putting in a plant and bam, back flys my arm and the plant along with it LOL. I ended up taking a break and walking around the block with her then she settled in and took a nap while I finished planting LOL.

I've a doctor's apt this morning - a 3 month diabetes check - nothing serious. I've a couple things I want to discuss with him - my allergies which are the worst they've ever been. Pollen is floating in the air like a snowstorm this year!! Uff da. I've tried everything from Allegera to Zyrtec. Then there's my feet - oh are they hurting. They burn, tingle and just plain hurt. That neurontin isn't doing much anymore. I'm hoping he won't discuss my weight. Hard as I try, I've gained a few since I've seen him last - you'd think with moving and all...... Sigh......

Anyway, have a great day friends. I'll see you tonite.

Michele

Sunday, June 1, 2008 - My daily Bible Study

Good morning everyone. Well, the moving is almost done - finially!! LOL. Taffy is settled and I'm getting there. We've been out walking and found a beautiful park with miles of wooded trails for walking and an area for Taffy to swim. She loves it there.

Here's the book I've been using for my daily bible study: I'm enjoying it very much. It's a Monday thru Fri look at 52 different women in the Bible - one for each week in the year. Each day is a different look and different things to ponder. The first week was Eve, last week was Sarah, and this week I'll be looking at Hagar. I've become so much closer with God and more comfortable with the women God used as instruments. Even an unexpected woman such as Hagar. I find myself relating with these women and learning better ways to be an instrument in God's teachings. Life is good. I highly recommend this for anyone one looking for a good devotional book.

Almost done Moving!!

Good morning all. I've been so busy moving and we've been busy at work so I haven't had much opportunity to stop in.  The last of the heavy stuff was moved yesterday. My brother and nephew helped with the washer, dryer, table, chairs, 2 cabinets and 4 wooden storage shelves. Whew - I'd have liked to have loaded up my truck with the boxed canned goods but it looked to storm again and we didn't want to chance everything getting wet. Besides, I think my brother was tired LOL.  I'm slowly getting things put away and organized although it should go much better now that the other night person is back to work and I don't have to work 5 and 6 days a week.  There's just a couple things left at the other house to bring over and then the remaining can go to the storage unit. Yipee - I can't wait for this move to be done so I can move on. I'm having a hard time with everything still mainly because I'm still between the two houses and can compare what I moved from to what I moved to. Not a good thing. Also, gas hit $4.19 in that town and still remains at $3.99 here. Uff da!!! We couldn't hook up the dryer tho as someone (being my brother) forgot to bring the wrench and then went home with the vent hose and gas hose in the back of his truck LOL.

I had a nice birthday Sunday. I spent the day packing and cleaning the bacement then at 4:30 my mother made dinner for the family. We all gathered for ham, chicken, grilled spuds, baked beans, and for desert she made an angle food cake with strawberries and cream to put over it. Mmmmmm. I got to spend time with my nieces and nephew as well. The little ones are growing so much and the bigger three are acting so grown up. Sigh.....

I am enjoying my devotions very much. It's giving me much needed meditation/quiet time. I'm slowly but surely coming at peace once again and strengthening my relationship with God. We had the best service on Sunday!! I so needed to hear what was said. The gospel spoke about trusting in God to provide everything we need to survive and to "let today's troubles be enough for one day". How true, how true. Our pastor spoke about wealth and how it's not how much you have it's what you do with it - how you use God's gifts for good not evil, selfish things. How we shouldn't sweat it because we may not have that $50 t-shirt or $400 CD player. It's God who always has and always will provide for our needs - makes sure we have food to eat - even if not prime rib or some other fancy cut (I prefer the "cheaper cuts" anyway LOL). He clothes us - as long as we are clean and the clothes are patched who cares?? I'm not into all that fancy stuff anyway. Hey, if someone gives me a bag of cloths for free, who am I to turn it down?? Even if they are stained shirts and such, I'm always looking for shirts to do dirty work in that will ultimately make them even more stained. Just think of the fabric squares or strips for either quilts or rag rugs.  So, I'm feeling much better about things than I was.

Taffy and I have been exploring our new town and have found a couple beautiful parks with boat landings that Taffy is loving. If I go at the right time of morning before people start trickling in then I can let Taffy loose and she can run and sniff to her heart's content without the need for a leash. Then she can go swim as well. She loves it.

I found out this past weekend that my daughter has been chosen as Student of the Month. It's a big deal as a teacher has to nominate the student and then it has to be voted on by other teachers. I'm so proud I could bust a button on my scrubs LOL. Anyway, the awards ceremony is Thursday morning. I'll have to get up early and drive the 25 miles to town to be there but it'll be worth it. Fortunately I'm off tonite and Wednesday night so it won't be too bad.

Well, wishing everyone a great day. I hope the weather is cooperating with the gardens. The garden at my folks is coming slowly and I've semi-planned container gardening here. It won't be much but still better than nothing. There is a farmer's market here on Thursdays so will have to check it out.

Well sending Love and Fuzzies to all!!

Michele

My favorite bean soup

It's still chilly here so thought I'd share my favorite bean soup recipe. It sure hits the spot on mornings where it's between 23-30 degrees! I hope you enjoy it! Of note, it can be canned - just follow the pressure canner instructions for the ingredient which takes the longest ot can - I believe it's the ham.

Nutrition Facts

• One serving:
• (prepared with lean ham and no added salt)

• Calories:
• 265

• Fat:
• 3 g

• Saturated Fat:
• 0 g

• Cholesterol:
• 10 mg

• Sodium:
• 373 mg

• Carbohydrate:
• 41 g

• Fiber:
• 0 g

• Protein:
• 19 g

Hearty Navy Bean Soup

 

From Reminisce

 

Beans were a commodity you did not survive without in th '30s. This excellent bean soup is a real family favorite of ours and I make it often.

SERVINGS	10
CATEGORY	Soup
METHOD	Stovetop - One-Dish
PREP	30 min.
COOK	105 min.
TOTAL	135 min.

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups (1-1/2 pounds) dried navy beans (I've use great northern or a combo of whatever I had)
  
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
  
• 1 large onion, chopped
  
• 1 meaty ham hock or 1 cup diced cooked ham (try turkey ham or canadian bacon)
  
• 2 cups chicken broth
  
• 2-1/2 cups water
  
• Salt and pepper to taste
  
• Fresh chopped parsley
  
  

DIRECTIONS

Rinse and sort beans. Place beans in a Dutch oven or soup kettle; add water to cover by 2 in. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; cover and let stand for 1 to 4 hours or until beans are softened.
    Drain and rinse beans, discarding liquid. Place in a large Dutch oven or soup kettle. Add the tomatoes with juice, onion, ham hock, broth, water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until beans are tender, about 1-1/2 hours.
    Add more water if necessary. Remove ham hock and let stand until cool enough to hand. Remove meat from bone; discard bone. Cut meat into bite-size pieces; set aside. (For a thicker soup, cool slightly, then puree beans in a food processor or blender and returned to pan.) Return ham to soup and heat through. Garnish with parsley. Yield: 10 servings (2-1/2 quarts). If Cooking for Two: Freeze serving-size portions to enjoy later.

Working hard and still moving.

Morning all - whew, one day off just isn't enough. I'm barely awake right now LOL. Monday I was up until 1145am as I was waiting for the cable guy (I haven't had cable in over 6 years and thought I deserved to get it) to come and he was a bit late. I slept until 5pm, had a lite dinner, sat outside with Taffy then enjoyed my cable. I have to admit I could get lost in the 4-5 channels I do like LOL. I could kill a lot of time LOL. I'll have to be very careful not to get lazy. I went to sleep at 10pm then was up for coffee at 6am yesterday. I sipped coffee while Taffy was outside then around 9am we headed to the old house to do some packing, laundry and stuff. I ran a couple errands, and since I have no living room furniture (the stuff I had wouldn't have survived a move LOL. It'd have fallen apart moving across the floor) and I was at WM I checked out the garden center and they had this awsome wicker patio set - a love seat, 2 chairs and a table for $245. Well, call me crazy but I haven't found anything I liked yet (I have simple but comfort taste) so figured I'd use this until I find something I do like. Then I can use this outside. I also picked up one of those hand-pushed blade mowers (you know, the old style - no gas, no electric, just good ole man power) to mow my lawn since my mower took a huge cr@p and is no longer running - of course it is parts from about 3-4 different mowers to build one LOL. Anyway, I absolutely love it. It only took about 10 minutes to do both the front and back yard (very tiny yard), didn't bother the neighbors, I got exercise, Taffy wasn't scared, and I didn't need to pay 3.98 for a gallon of gas to run it. It did a very nice job. Well worth the $99 I paid for it. I know, I know but I needed those things (ok, not the cable but aren't we allowed to splurge??) and I have been saving for these specific things.

I began my devotional journey Monday. It begins with Eve (where else LOL). Monday I read the overview of Eve's creation thru the story of Cain and Able. Yesterday went a bit more in depth.  I'm really enjoying my quiet time for devotion - something I'd never thought I'd do. I really need the peace and calm reading His word brings to me as I've been very grumpy lately mostly due to the long hours I've been putting in at both jobs AND moving.

I'm working a 12 hour night shift tonite so will be back here at 7pm. I'm soooooo looking forward to my vacation!!!! Anyway, this week I'll unpack what I brought over yesterday, put the laundry away, vacuum, scrub the floors and what ever else I find to do - oh, I know, I must clean up that small room where I'm going to store my pantry stuff. I'm off Friday and Saturday but this is my holiday to work so I have to work Sunday and Monday. How icky is that?????Happy Birthday to me on Sunday!  I'll get a long 4 day weekend on the 4th tho. Anyway, I'm planning on doing laundry, packing and bringing over my food storage system and canned goods Saturday. Sunday I'll haul as much as I can of the remaining to storage unit. Hopefully my brother can help move the washer/dryer and put the stove in storage. That'd be awsome as that's the hardest things I have left to move.

I may have found a home for Darla Kitty and Jersey. One of the girls on the Acute care unit is considering getting 2 cats so she's talking to her SO in the morning. That'd be great if she could take them.

Well, I'm sleep typing so better go putz.

Lots of love and Fuzzies!!!

Michele

Oh the joys of moving!!

Good morning all. Boy, the joys of moving hu?? I'm sure there are many of you who have gone threw this once or twice LOL. It's been so long I'd forgotten what a pain it really is. I'm trying to save money by doing it all myself but am now at the point where it's no longer cost effective. I'm in the new house enough to be able to spend the four days in a row I work here saving 46 miles a day in gas and wear and tear on my truck. My one day off is spent moving things to the new house. I've just a couple things left to bring over then the rest can go to the storage unit. I'll be so glad when this is done. Of note, my sourdough starter made it safe and sound. Can't wait to make a loaf or two but first I must scrub out the stove/oven - let's just say gross!! I'd never leave a rental that icky. Also being in transition it's been hard to cook properly. My diet has suffered imensly and I'm feeling sluggesh and tired. When I went shoppng Tuesday I picked up fresh apples, tomatoes, vidalia onions, mellon, carrots, and a couple pears - all on sale. Yesterday I brought back from the other house some turkey burgers, ground turkey, chicken strips (raw chicken cut into strips to be fixed as I wish), salmon and polock all to be put in the freezer. Not only will it help me cook healthier, it'll also help the freezer to work more efficiently.

Well, I'm falling asleep as I type so I'd better go. Have a wonderful day everyone!!

It rained a little last evening but we've been very blessed with nice sunny weather - 60's and lows in the high 30's to low 40's. It's early morning dawn right now. Sky looks pretty clear thus far althoughit is hard to tell for sure yet.

Moving!!

Sorry I've been MIA. I'm in the process of moving into a new (rental) home. It's in the town where I work so will cut out 50 miles of driving a day. It's not much but it's a home and will be great once I get my stuff in it and organized.

Gas prices went up to $3.89 and in a town 20 miles north of here it hit the big $4.00/gal. Uff da!!! I'll be 2 miles from work vs the 25 I am now so am seriously considering riding my bike to work on nice days. My only concern is that I'll be riding at 10:30/11:00pm. I've a very small yard but just the same will do container gardening here and still work the one at the folks. I've planted peas and a bit of lettuce already. Now if only the deer will stay away LOL. Our food/supply prices have gone up 25-35% in the last few months. Uff da - I don't see a light at the end anytime soon. Such a grim outlook for our economy. It's sad really, our society is suppose to be this rich, advanced society and what I see is a selfish, greedy, and stupid society. "Keep up with the Jone's" continues, buy more, more, more. Rely on technology - ya, what happens when things crash??? This technology doesn't work and everyone panics. "Poor me" is heard more and more yet when ya look at the problem, it could have been avoided or managable if they weren't so greedy. I've seen more and more blame the government and demand that the government take care of them. Well, wake up!!!! They aren't going to take care of anyone - we need to pull together and take care of ourselves. Plant that garden, walk or bike that mile to town, buy on sale, get what you need and not just what you want.  So something comes from the Goodwill or Dollar store. I feel that it's going to take a lot of hard work from everybody to fix the problem - not just the government, not the wealthy, not the poor but everyone! Whew, sorry but I so needed to vent that out.

I found a very good (so I'm told) devotional book "Women of the Bible" - brand new at a garage sale for .50  The lady said it had been a gift and she wasn't religious - she threw in the new Bible too. What a prize!!!! I've been looking for a good devotional book and this appears to be what I need. A group at church had used this book last year and thought it was very good. I'm looking forward to starting this journey as I'm at a point in my life where I need to strengthen my relationship with God.

Well, I'd better go get my chores done. Big moving day today after I'm done at 0700. My daughter is going to help me after school in exchange for dinner. Hmmmmmm. What to fix........ Oh I know, she loves my homemade pizza and I have everything to make it. There ya go. I'll make it up before hand, stick it in the fridge and bake it as we unload the last load. Yup, it'll work just fine.

Have a great day everyone and God's blessings to all.

Michele

Spring is still here....

Although they are calling for snow showers on Sunday. I'm getting so antsy to get out in the garden at the folks but when I was there yesterday I saw there was still about half foot of snow out there. Bummer. The tomato plants I started are doing great, my squashes and brocolli starts are coming nicely as well.

The sun has been shining the last couple days after 48 hours of gloomy rainy weather. It was 69 today!! Wow, what a change. This weekend (which of course I'm off) is suppose to have a cold front come thru along with more rain. Highs of 40. Brrrr (isn't it funny at how only a couple weeks ago I was rejoycing over 40 degrees???)

Have been doing more work on the house - a never ending feat. Looking forward to the day when I don't have to travel so far to get to work. Gas went up here to 3.69/gal and expected to go even higher by next week. Our food prices also continue to rise. Lettuce was 2.99 a head!! Not that I'd buy non-organic lettuce but still.... Flour was 2.99 for 5lbs - the store had some for .99 last week but of course you could only get the bleached kind. It's really getting out of hand. The prices in our vending machine went up too. Mind you I bring in my own healthy food to eat but wanted to see what they were getting. A disgusting looking macaroni sald - I'd say a cups worth was 1.00, a turkey and cheese on dried looking white bread was 1.25, a disgusting looking deep-fried fish / cheese sandwich on a hoagie roll(again, looks dried out) was 1.75. They did have some apples and oranges in there for .75 a piece, and cookies (frozen dough) 2/.75. A carton of milk is .35. Just some ideas - I'm glad I bring in my own. I know what's in my food and make it so it's as fresh and healthy as possible. While I may not girnd my own wheat (a plan in progress) I do buy orgainc stone ground that has the date that it was ground written on the package from one of the local health stores. Chrystal's oatmeal raisin cookies are sooooo much better than any I've ever had - even when I make the whole batch and freeze some of the dough. (mmmmm, reminds me, I need to bake some LOL) Home made bread is so much better than store bought - and no artificial stuff. Our local Mennonite owned store has the best breads when I'm in a pinch. They bake every other day a whole variety of whole grain, sour dough, white, rolls and other types of bread. They make the best garlic sour dough french bread! I love it when I time it right and can pick it up when it's still warm. It also makes the best french bread pizza. I can slice it lengthwise into thirds and get 3 pizzas out of it which makes 9 meals for me (the loaves are 6in long). It also makes very good croutons if you forget you have it in the freezer  LOL. I'm so glad I had the knowlege to have supplies put by to last around 6-12 mos. I've been living off those supplies only buying what I must have - such as milk, butter, yogurt, ect. I don't know anyone with a cow to make my own milk, yogurt, butter and cheese. I can still get eggs (organic free range) pretty reasonable at the Mennonite shop. $1.50/doz for larges.

Well, I'd better go get a jump start on my work chores. I came in at 7pm tonite and will work until 7am in the morning. Uffda, it's going to be a looooong night LOL.

Have a great day everyone - or better yet, sleep well friends. God bless!!

Michele

TGIF!!

Sunny Tuesday!!

Spring where are you???

Good morning folks - Uff da, will winter ever go away???? Had 2 inches of ick yesterday. It was mostly melted by the time I got up in the afternoon. Was icky driving home. Had a break now bracing for another storm that's suppose to be worse. Starts around 10pm - just as I'm heading for work and not letting up until sometime Saturday. Sunday isn't going to be as nice as they originally said either. Gloomy and maybe 40. Grrrrrr - it's making me grumpy!

I'm feeling better thanks. Still a little sore from my "mishap" but much better than it was. I must get my basement cleaned so I'm not so embarrassed when they come clean out the pipes. Guess I'll be doing that this weekend. I had really hoped to spend some time outside Sunday but doesn't look like I'm going to want to.

Well, I'm back tonite so will see you then. Have a great day!

Michele

"Rainy days and Mondays" April 7, 2007

Good morning all. It's been raining most of the night. It's 42 outside which is a treat but still 5-10 degrees below normal.  Suppose to be in the mid to upper 40's and rainy all week then Sunday will be sunny and in the 50's. How nice that will be.

I'll be taking a nap this morning then I'll be starting on the laundry. I've started putting white vinegar in my rinse cycle and wow, what a difference. Things are so much softer and no soap residue. No smell either. It's good for the drain as well. Don't know why I didn't bite the bullet and do this a long time ago. I fill one of the Downey dispensers and away we go.

I'll put the furniture back in the dinning room, shine that up and give the ceiling fan a good washing. The windows will wait until it's warmer out. I think I'll mix up a loaf of bread before going to bed this morning. It'll be just right when I get up. Tomorrow I'll go into my pantry area in the basement and check the seals on my canned goods, wipe off shelves and do an inventroy. I'll also scrub the floor in that area - that'll be easy as I have peel - n - stick tile down in that area. So much easier to clean with that down. I'm hoping that the next owners think the same way.

I'm off tonite and back to work tomorrow. I'll be seeing you all then. Have a great Monday. Love and Fuzzies

Michele

Spring has possibly sprung!!

Good morning everyone. Hope all who read this are well. I've been troubled as of late. Economy issues, values, financial...... just has my mind realing.

Gas went up to $3.49 (that's up .10) so I'll really need to plan out my trips. Work creates a 48 mile round trip 4-5 nights a week. I really must move closer. Prices in the stores went up something awful. I choked when I saw flour at $3.99 for 5lbs. Terrible, just terrible!!! Good thing I know how to be frugal and have had a fully stocked pantry. I have been slacking on upkeep as of late tho since I do plan to move this summer (God willing my house sells quickly for what I need) and don't want to move a ton of supplies.  I've always been happy as long as my needs are met. I don't need a lot of "stuff". I generally keep a list of what I must have to survive and the rest goes on a "want" list. Right now, since my house payment rose in February, I'm paying out in bills almost exactly what I'm bringing in at best and that's not often. I'll be starting a 3rd job of cleaning for my Aunt soon. Uff da.  What is happening to society??? We live in a world that is so full of negetivity and "poor me". I have a hard time with the "poor me" syndrome. Can't stand it. True, there are cases that can't be helped and temporally need extra help but if one isn't trying, isn't working as hard as he/she can to make it, spend foolishly, and worst of all expect others to take care of them, drives me totally nuts!

My values have been tried at work as of late. So many changes all that seem to benefit those in upper management. They effect us in patient care the most tho. We are suppose to be nonprofit but yet money and making 5 dollars instead of 1 is what they are all about. Cheaper patient care supplies, fewer employee benefits, higher and more complicated charges, quicker to send a bill to collections........ It's all so uneasy. I had thought to totally change jobs since I need to move anyway but the thought of starting over at a new job after 19 years in the other is a bit daunting. Besides, could I ever find another church family as loving and caring as mine?? I decided that I would give things a year, do some serious soul searching and if in a year I'm still uneasy I'll change hospitals. I'f I'm truely ok with things, I'll stay. Not looking good for them tho as since Thursday when I made my decision they sent notice that the hospital pharmacys would no longer be providing discounted employee/employee family service. They will focus only on the patient that is registered with the hospital ER or as a patient on one of the units. Also, there is a severe reduction on healthy visits insurance coverage to our primary doctors. They are so focused on making everyone "conform" to one single mold that they are taking away each hospital's uniquness and individuality. What works for one does not necessarily work for another.  I'm no longer happy here.

The financia lwoes continue just like with every other American. I've noted a couple above. As mnetioned, I work now 3 jobs and am not doing well at all. The only option is sell my house and move closer to work to save on gas. Slim pickings for rentals tho. We shall see. I don't buy out of need, no extravagent shopping sprees here. I walk to town (it's 1-2 miles from my house to town) when I have to go, don't eat out, shop carefully, garden, can, dehydrate..... Whew, I'm alredy doing better than most who don't have a clue how to really and truely take care of themselves and family.

Well, I've got to go do chores here in the ER. Have a wonderful day all!

Mcihele