Something's Missing...and We're Not Missing It

We were sitting there on Saturday afternoon, had just started watching the Georgia game. For those not from the south, that's college football. If you are from the south, I could've said watching Georgia and you would've known what I meant. We've got to clarify for those on the other side of the world. Okay, we were sitting and watching the football game when the screen went to half size, gave a few little wiggles, and promptly shut down. Our television died.

Now that my not seem like such a big deal at first. We've got a television in the bedrooms, maybe one in the kitchen or other rooms, right? Wrong. We are a strange household. We have this crazy notion that we only have one tv. If you're going to watch it, you watch with everyone. With five people in the house, that means taking turns. It limits your time and keeps you accountable for the things you watch. The same is true for our computer. I do have a laptop (unavailable to little people), and Jack has an older computer in his room that just plays games, but the only computer with internet access for the whole family is--yep, you guessed it--right out in the open.

Jack had a friend spend the night a while back and the boy was in culture shock. He couldn't believe we only had one television or that the Wii didn't work in the bedrooms. The lack of these things never bother our kids. They've each come at one time in their life and asked for a tv for their room for Christmas. I just tell them that isn't something we'll do, because then they'll spend all their time in the bedroom and none with us, and we would miss them. Do you know what they say? "Yeah, I guess that's right." And they haven't asked again. And they don't fight over the television or the computer. The person with homework trumps the person playing a game. It goes in order of who asked first, and their time is limited, so you know you'll get your turn.

Back to the dead television. With only the one for the whole family, I thought the loss of it would be a major deal. No, no one has really minded. I think we've each flopped on the couch out of habit at least once, and then remembering, gone on our way. No complaining, no whining, no "I'm bored." It's quieter, it's easier to get everyone to the supper table, there's more playing together, and in general, more fun. I've told them I don't know when, or if, I'll replace it. And that seems to be okay with everyone.

What about you? How many televisions? Would you go without? What would you miss most?

A New Addiction

It's all Sheila's fault. She gave me the recipe, even sent me the cherries to make it with. Now I've forgotten all about my love of banana pudding ice cream in favor of her cookies. Why couldn't I find a rice cake or raw vegetable to be zealous about!?!

I've inlcuded it for you, along with the recipe for Fritomale Casserole. I was going to have it last week but something happened and I couldn't. I was going to have it today and, yet again, fate has intervened. My son will not be happy--he loves Fritomale Casserole. You, however, can enjoy it for supper. It's one of those recipes that ladies like but men seem to adore. It'd be a good one to serve if you're having people over to watch football.

Michigan Dried Cherry Oatmeal Cookies
Sheila wrote on the recipe that she found it at cooks.com. If you can't get hold of some dried cherries, you could use raisins. The recipe says it yields 5 1/2 to 6 dozen cookies. Maybe in oompa loompa land. I got 3 dozen and wouldn't have wanted them any smaller.

1 1/4 c. butter, softened
1 1/4 c. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3 c. uncooked oatmeal
1 c. dried cherries

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add to butter mixture. Stir in oatmeal and cherries. Drop by spoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake 8-11 minutes. Cool on pan 1 minute. Remove to wire cooling rack.


Fritomale Casserole
I got this recipe many years ago from Mrs. Laura Eager. What a wonderful woman she was. She and her husband George have touched many lives all over the world through their Mailbox Club ministry.

2 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 (4 oz.) can sliced, pitted olives (need the juice too)
2 (8 oz.) bag Fritos corn chips
2 (16 oz.)cans chili with beans
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz. grated cheddar cheese

Crush Fritos in the bag. Use one bag to cover the bottom of a 13x9 dish.(Now I do things a little differently than Mrs. Laura, I don't put the Fritos on the bottom, they get soggy quickly. I just make an extra thick layer on the top, you get the same taste without the sog.) Brown ground beef with onion, garlic, chili powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Drain; pour into dish. Make a layer over the beef using the two cans of chili. Add both cans of soup, undiluted. Pour half of the olive juice over the casserole, discarding the remaining juice. Sprinkle olives on top. Cover with cheese. Top with remaining Fritos. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

Happiness in a Lunchbox

What's the cure for the back to school blues on Monday? A pick-me-up in the middle of the day. It comes in the form of a sandwich. A sandwich that tastes like eating a Reese's Cup. Who wouldn't love that? Two pieces of bread, some peanut butter and a little Nutella add up to equal a whole lot of happiness. Try it for yourself. Throw in some chips and a banana and you've got a lunchbox that'll make you smile, even on a Monday. One of my cream cheese brownies for dessert doesn't hurt either.

Now what's for supper this week?

Monday--Spaghetti and homemade french bread (I've given the bread recipe before, you can use the search box at the bottom of the page to find it)
Tuesday--Fritomale Casserole, corn, grapes
Wednesday--Crockpot Chicken, biscuits
Thursday--Homemade Pizza (yep, I'm early this week. That's because...)
Friday--Sample Night at Sam's (This weekend is Sam's Club's special holiday sample party and since my husband absolutely loves free samples, we'll be there to try out all the new things they have in for the holidays.)

Pink Peepers

Okay, the hunter returns. Maybe I should say the nature watcher returns, since there were no deer to be seen. I've got my camera back and have my pictures to share. Here's the post:

She spied them from across the room and it was love at first sight.

Practical mommy reminds her that she probably won't need glasses.

The most heartbroken cry you've ever heard ensued. (Not the whiny, 'can't get my way' kind--Mama don't play that. We're talking gut wrenching, world is shattered, lost love cry.)

We go in to see the doctor. Practical mommy quietly warns him to be careful, she's after a pair of glasses. Guess what, the stinker really needed them this time! Poor little far sighted sweetie.

Thus, we now have pink peepers.

They even have "diamonds" on the side. She loves anything that sparkles. They showed her at least 10 different pairs of glasses, including other pink ones, but she politely refused them each time. Her mind was set.

Be sure to visit all the Pink Saturday sites and especially our great hostess Beverly.

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Please Stand By...

I've had something really cute planned for today. But I slept a little later this morning, and woke to find my husband had taken my camera (again) as he went hunting. That'll teach me not to fix my post on Friday and just save it. Poor fella, he had no idea--but he sure did mess me up. I'll have my post--Pink Peepers--up as soon as he gets home. Sorry for the inconvenience!!!!

How to Be a Top Model

I have to make a confession. I love to watch the show "America's Next Top Model". I've watched it for years. It's not because I have any aspirations for modeling. I'm short, weigh more than I care to admit, and am deathly afraid of bathing suit season.

The appeal of the show to me isn't the behind-the-scenes drama of the competitors, "the fabulous list of prizes that the winner will receive", or the glamorous life modeling promises. No, my fascination is with the picture at the end.

I love the part where they see their best shot from the week's photo shoot. I pull the chair close to the television, or pause it (I LOVE my DVR) for a good look. I am always amazed at what a little lighting and some good makeup can do. A lot of the girls aren't even that striking without all the extras, some are even a little awkward. But, through the lens of the camera, they become something extraordinary.

How does this relate to us on the other side of the TV set? Is this to be our aspiration? Good grief no! I don't think there are enough lights and lenses in the world to transform this jiggle. That's not what I'm worried about anyway. But there are a lot of parallels from this show that apply to our lives as Christian women. We know we are not to be conformed to the world's image. Thank goodness. Like it or not, though, we are in a modeling competition--and Philippians 3:14 tells us to fight for the prize.

I am a model--and so are you. We walk around every day showing off our Christianity for the world to see. Whether we choose to wear it well is up to us, but we model it just the same. And rest assured, the world is judging.

They get a picture of the Christian life from us. Our children, our neighbors, the people we pass throughout the course of our day, are watching our walk. Are our steps strong and confident or do we stumble on the runway of life? Do we hold up under the blaring lights or trials and testing, where flaws can easily be seen? They are checking our presentation, watching to see if the pretty portrait we paint of the life in Christ we talk about is more than just a bunch of makeup slapped on something ordinary to dress it up.

Our judges are critical. They expect losers. And left to ourselves, we would be. We were plain and awkward too--downright ugly in our sin. But, we have been remade. We have a new kind of make-up, not a makeup to prettify the outside but what makes up our insides. All that we do and say is filtered through the lens of a loving God. And that, my sweet friends, creates a beauty that shines through. The world does take notice of it.

They are waiting on the edge of their chairs to see how our picture turns out. Some are sitting there wishing they could look like you. Don't be the girl sent home this week because you didn't show them a good picture of Christ. Model well. And don't forget, there are lots of fabulous prizes at the end.

At the Grocery Store

Here's a question I've gotten several times, so we'll just talk it over together today and see if you've got some thoughts on it too--"How do you grocery shop?"

I'm not a rigid 'This is the formula and it must always be obeyed' kind of girl, but I do have a vague plan that guides me. Let's face it, a great deal of life is spent preparing food, shopping for food, sitting in the restaurant eating the food, or just thinking about the food. (I'm getting a little hungry.) Anything that takes a chunk of our time deserves a little planning on our part. It's no scientifically proven method, but it's what works for me.

• Know what you're eating the day, or even week, before. That's where the menu planning comes in. Some people will tell you to plan around grocery store sales and make your menus for the week according to what they're offering. That is probably best if you don't have much freezer space. She who purchased the great white whale of freezers has plenty of room. I look in my freezer and plan menus around what needs using.


• Know what you're paying. What's a good price for the things you like? When something is on sale, I'll stock up. When I'm looking at a sale paper, I'm checking prices on staples I keep on hand (like Birds Eye Steam Fresh veggies, when they hit $1 each I buy a lot...they're the closest tasting to fresh I've found) or things that are our personal favorites (like cereal...I'm not paying over $2.50 for a box of any cereal, so I watch carefully and stock up on sales since everyone has a different one they like...I'm a Blueberry Mini Wheat girl).


• On-line ease. Grocery stores almost always have a website that gives their weekly ad. You can compare stores from home, most even have a list feature that lets you click on the things you want and print out a grocery list. You can see what you're getting and often how much the items cost. Drug stores also offer groceries and can sometimes be the cheapest ticket in town on things like milk. A great place to check out for every conceivable weekly flyer is http://www.sundaysavers.com/ There are some great websites that help you save tons on groceries. I will admit, I often forget to use them, but those who are faithful at doing so say they make a tremendous difference. One that is particularly helpful for my area is http://southernsavers.com/ I know there are probably many more out there and is probably one for your part of the world as well.


• Buy it big. I don't like to make zillions of trips to the store, the fewer the better. The things I use most, like flour and sugar, toilet paper, dishwasher detergent, I like to buy in bulk. In our area we have Sam's, some of you have Costco. I have found them to be a great resource for some things. You just have to know what you would normally pay, like we've said before, and if it's the same or less, it's worth your time and gas not to keep making trips. We built a wall of shelves in our laundry room to house these sorts of things. I buy flour in 25 lb bags and giant bags of rice. To keep them fresh I purchased those big containers you can get at home improvement stores that contractors use for paint. It holds them both perfectly. One day I'll get around to painting them or covering them so they're not bright orange, but for now I'll take practicality over prettiness. I've also found these places to be best for prices on milk and spices. Amish groceries are wonderful resources for bulk items if you have access to them. They carry just about everything in bulk. I get to one about twice a year and stock up on big bags of pudding mix, shaped pasta, and chocolate chips.


• Buy it fresh. Eat it or 'put it up'. If possible, fresh is best. And the best in fresh is straight from the farmer. I really don't buy much produce from the grocery store. The best resources are farmers markets, flea markets (that's right), and the farmers themselves. Look in your phone book under farming or produce and give them a call. Many will sell to the public after they've shipped orders or offer culls (those not "pretty" enough for the store). Remember the 50 lbs of carrots I got last summer? There are all kinds of great places waiting to be discovered right around you.

Those are a few of the tips that I can think of. What about you, do you have any great grocery shopping ideas?