Chapter Four

Superbowl Snacks

2012-02-01T09:18:00.003-06:00

It's Wednesday! That means it's time for another "Oh, How Pinteresting!" post. I've joined several other Pinterest-fan bloggers at The Vintage Apple, where you can see what other goodies people are pinning these days.

Superbowl weekend is always busy for us. Family will be in town for Jacob's birthday, and our church always has the AWANA Grand Prix on Superbowl Sunday. With all that going on, there's no time to plan or host a party, and we never know of any friends who are hosting one. Instead we stay home and watch the game and have our own little family party, complete with fun Superbowl snacks for supper.

I'll be looking over my Happy-tizers and Snack Time! boards over the next few days to decide what snacks we'll be enjoying this year. Here are a few things I'm considering.

Little Smokies with BBQ Sauce
No question about it. My family has to have these.

Source: hillshirefarm.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Skinny Baked Mozzarella Sticks
Ooooh! I'm a sucker for mozzarella sticks, but they're so bad for you. Until these!

Source: skinnytaste.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Pizza Pinwheels
The linked recipe is for pepperoni filling, but you can make it with whatever you like. I'm thinking veggie pizza pinwheels...

Source: bubblecrumb.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Hot Corn Dip
We've got to have a dip!

Source: ourbestbites.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Apples with Salty Caramel
And for dessert...

Source: vkreesphotography.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Okay, maybe another dessert, too...

Chocolate Lava Cake - which will be leftover from Jacob's family party #1 on Saturday. (There's no pin because there's no picture. I can't believe I haven't taken one before! I'll remedy that this weekend, though. You'll be amazed at how quick,easy, and delicious this cake is!)

I'm always looking for more great snack-type recipes for parties/gatherings. What have you found?

Organized Home Challenge #1: Kitchen Countertops and Sink

2012-01-30T15:01:00.002-06:00

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that one of my goals for this year is to get organized. One way I plan to do this is by joining in the 2012 Organized Home Challenge, which I am starting this week.

The first challenge is getting the kitchen countertops and sinks organized. For the most part, the things that stay on my counter are in their right places: the bread machine, the toaster oven, my recipe box, the salt and pepper shakers, the trivet and the spoon rest, the metal stand with the colored dishes, the paper towel holder, the canisters, and Billy's coffee caddy and Keurig. I know it sounds like a lot, but I have 15 feet of walled counter space (not counting the stove and sink spaces) in addition to a 7-foot-long bar, which I try to keep clear.

Jacob does his schoolwork at the bar, and sometimes Caleb does, too. By mid-afternoon, there are usually a few stray books and pieces of paper, a handful of pens, and maybe an art project in progress littering the counter. I'm usually pretty good about getting those things put away when we're done for the day.

Billy drops off my mail on the counter when he comes in from work. I usually try to get to that pretty quickly, but sometimes it'll stay there for a day or two before I take the time to look through it. That's one area I'm working on and getting better at. But what should I do with the sale papers for the grocery stores? I usually keep them on the kitchen counter because that's where my menu planning and grocery-list making happen. I don't like to throw them away; I prefer to take them with me to the store with the discounted items I'm planning to buy circled with my Sharpie. Maybe I need to keep them with my purse...

The biggest thing I need to work on in this area is keeping the dishes at bay. By the time supper is over with, I'd much rather sit in my rocking chair and read or watch TV and knit. I convince myself that I'm too tired to deal with the dishes, when it actually takes less than 20 minutes to get it all done. I also use the excuse that the boys are getting their showers and I don't want to use up all the hot water... (Well, it has happened before.)

My goal for this week is to get into the habit of clearing my sink (and counter) of dishes at least twice a day: after breakfast and after supper - even if it's late and/or there's something else I'd rather be doing. I have to admit that it is more relaxing for me to walk into a clean kitchen each morning - and it gives me the freedom before school to do something I'd like to do (read a little, maybe?) rather than something I have to do. And while I'm at it, I think I'll scrub my stovetop and give my counters a good, thorough cleaning. (I scrubbed out my sinks last week.)

January 2012 Book List

2012-01-26T09:53:00.019-06:00

1. One Call Away by Brenda Warner

Strong. It's the first word that comes to mind when I hear the name Brenda Warner. She's not just physically strong (farm girl, cheerleader, U.S. Marine, mother of 7), she's also emotionally strong and spiritually strong.

I first heard Brenda Warner, wife of former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, speak at a Women of Faith conference in Dallas last August. I was impressed with what she had to say, and once I heard she had written this book, I knew I wanted to read it. As soon as I saw it in the new book section of my public library, I snatched it up. I was hooked before I got to the bottom of the first page, and I was captivated until the very end.

The continual thread of One Call Away is how certain instances in Brenda's life - often coming through phone calls - have changed her and helped shape her into the woman she is now. The book begins with her then-husband Neil calling her at work to tell her their 4-month old son isn't breathing right. She rushes home, then they rush him to a hospital. Her son Zack's brain is swelling for some unknown reason, and Neil keeps reiterating that "he just started breathing funny". Twenty-four hours and multiple tests later, Neil admits that he dropped Zack and accidentally hit his head on the side of the tub while bathing him. Then her nightmare gets worse...

Brenda then takes us back to her childhood and the first phone call that changed her life. From there, she leads us chronologically through her teen years; life in the Marines; marriage, betrayal, and divorce; raising two young children as a single mom; the sudden death of her parents; etc. Her life looks nothing like what she dreamed it would be, but instead of giving up and giving in, she does what she can to make the best of what she has. She learns to rely on God instead of others or herself.

I was brought to tears many times as I read. Some of the things she went through are things I have no experience with - and hope to never have to deal with. I connected with her story the most when she described what it was like to suffer a miscarriage. She felt some of the same emotions - dealt with some of the same inner turmoil - that I had dealt with. Even now, many years after the fact, she comforted and encouraged me.

I hate that I have to return this book to the library. This is definitely one to buy and keep on your shelf to read over and over again. Brenda Warner is an inspiration.

Click here to watch a clip of an interview with Brenda Warner about One Call Away.

2. Create Your Own Blog: 6 Easy Projects to Start Blogging Like a Pro by Tris Hussey

Although I've blogging for more than eight years now, I felt the need to read this book. Not only was I curious about how to make this blog better, I wanted to learn some tips on how to design a blog for my jewelry business.

This book is basically for beginners. The first four chapters explain what blogging is, detail the history of blogging, and lead the reader through the set-up process.

The next section is more of what I was interested in: types of blogs. While I didn't really learn anything I could use for my personal blog, I did learn some valuable tips for creating my jewelry blog. At first I was thinking I should consider it a business blog, which it is, but the tips in that section weren't applicable to me. The business blog chapter is more geared toward writing corporate blogs. Instead, my idea for my jewelry business blog falls more under his "Portfolio Blog for Artists" chapter. Once I get my jewelry blog up and running, I hope to incorporate Hussey's ideas to make my images pop on the screen - and to include writings about my processes, ideas, etc. - but without giving away my "trade secrets" or techniques.

In actuality, I only read about half this book. I skimmed parts I was already familiar with, and I skipped parts I wasn't interested in. Probably my biggest complaint about what I actually did read, though, is the author's bias toward WordPress. He mentions Blogger and other hosting sites briefly, but since he prefers WordPress, he doesn't do much to help those of us who choose to use something else.

Overall, I think it's a helpful book for people who are new to the blogging world and want some great tips for getting started. For a seasoned (though by no means professional) blogger like myself, I would look for something different.

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Every so often I come across a few books that I just can't read, for whatever reason. I've had two of those this month already!

1. I Didn't Ask to Be Born (But I'm Glad I Was) by Bill Cosby

The first chapter was funny. It was based on a YouTube video clip of You Bet Your Life, featuring a lady who was trying to explain to him where North, South Carolina was. I saw that just a few weeks ago, so it was fresh in my mind and made the retelling funnier. The second chapter wasn't quite as funny, and it made me realize I'd rather watch/listen to Billy Cosby than read his book.

2. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

I really wanted to read this - something to help me get better organized this year. After the first page, I started skimming and looking ahead to see if it got better. It didn't. I dropped it in the return slot of the library on my way out the door. I'll have to see if I can find something else like it, just more interesting.

3. Food Network Star: The Official Insider's Guide to America's Hottest Food Show by Ian Jackman

This isn't so much a reading book as it is a remembering book - if you've followed the show. The book is broken down by season, with each chapter highlighting the contestants, their experiences on the show, and some of their recipes.

Having seen the first six seasons, I was familiar with the contestants throughout most of the book, so I just skimmed it. It was good for jogging my memory about certain contestants and for finding some interesting recipes to try.

The chapter about the seventh season was brief, as the show hadn't been completely edited when the book went to press. I think I would have either waited or left it out altogether. I wasn't particularly interested in seeing the contestants but not knowing much about them. That may also have something to do with the fact that we no longer have cable TV, and that was why I missed watching season seven... Still, it seemed like a weak way to end the book.

Let's Hear it for the Boys!

2012-01-25T08:14:00.011-06:00

It's Wednesday (already?!?) and time to join The Vintage Apple for another "Oh, How Pinteresting!" post. Since my two boys have birthdays coming up soon, this week's focus will be on things I've found for them.

I mentioned birthdays. Jacob will be 9 on February 6, and Caleb will be 12 on March 13. We're not sure yet what we'll be doing for their birthdays, but one of their options is to take them and one friend each to celebrate at... Medieval Times!

Source: medievaltimes.com via Ashley on Pinterest

We went last summer for the first time and we all loved it! The food was delicious (Caleb discovered he loves ribs.), and the show was outstanding! I was amazed at how perfected the fight choreography is! Caleb really wants to go back for his birthday, but Jacob is leaning in another direction.

Another option is to have a birthday party for each of them. Caleb's only one was when he turned 7 (I think...); we used a pirate theme that turned out really great. Jacob has never had one - therefore, his other direction. I know, I know, they're seriously deprived in that area. But this tends to be a busy time of year with family coming in (usually over 3 different weekends) and spring break (when the boys spend a week with grandparents). Oh, and I'm just not a big party planner anyway...

But I've found a few cute ideas that might be doable if we decide to go the party route. Check out these fun cupcake ideas!

Jacob is a big fan of Despicable Me,...

Source: Uploaded by user via Ashley on Pinterest

...and Caleb is a huge Harry Potter fan.

Source: juneberry-lane.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I could easily use cream cheese icing on the owl cupcakes to make them like Hedwig.

And I know I can find tons of other great cupcake ideas if those aren't what they want. (A few words about cupcakes vs. one birthday cake... Everyone gets the same size piece, and the birthday boy isn't blowing/spraying spit and germs over the whole thing. Plus, you can do really cute things with them!)

Before their birthdays/celebrations, they're going to need haircuts. When the boys were small, my mother-in-law would trim their hair. As they got older and needed cuts more frequently than we'd see her, I opted to buzz their heads with the clippers. It was fast and easy - and I didn't have to pay someone to do it for me. A few years ago, they decided they wanted to let their hair grow out, so we were back to Mamaw's cuts again. In between times, though, they would get pretty scraggily-looking. Sometimes we'd wait it out. Other times, I'd take them to SuperCuts - but I hated paying $25 for trims for the two of them! It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't need a trim so often! Then I found this:

Source: shwinandshwin.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

They were in dire need of trims before Christmas, but I was too busy with projects and preparations to take them. I knew Christmas weekend would be busy, but I hoped Mamaw could maybe squeeze in a quick trim. Not so. On January 2, I got sick of looking at their ratty mops and got out my scissors. I pulled up the tutorial on my screen and set my laptop on the kitchen counter in easy view. I read the instructions, made my cuts, and scrolled down to see what was next. It took 45 minutes for me to complete each one, and I had cut their hair shorter than they wanted - but I did it! And it looked good! I'll definitely do it again, but I'll try to leave their hair a little longer next time.

Now I guess I need to get back on Pinterest and look for some more birthday-themed cupcakes ideas - just in case. Do you have any great ones to share?

Exodus

2012-01-23T14:19:00.007-06:00

Chapter 1: Blessing During Bondage in Egypt
After many generations, a new pharaoh came into power. He was afraid the Israelites, who were great in number, would overthrow him, so he had them work as slaves. When their population continued to increase, he told the Hebrew midwives to kill all the baby boys when they were born. They chose to obey God and let the babies live. Pharaoh then proclaimed that the Egyptians were to drown baby boys that were born to the Hebrews.

Q? Killing the baby boys would eventually weaken the Hebrews, but why did Pharaoh choose to let the baby girls live? Had he thought far enough in advance, or was he planning to have the Egyptians take the Hebrew girls as wives and weaken the Israelite bloodlines?

Chapter 2: The Birth of the Deliverer (vv. 1-10)
Moses is born, hidden, and saved by Pharaoh's daughter. She has a Hebrew woman (Moses' mother) take care of him until he is weaned, then she takes him as her own son.

*The pharaoh at this time was most likely either Amenhotep I or Thutmose I. Pharaoh's daughter was probably Hatshepsut.

The Presumption of the Deliverer (vv. 1-25)
After killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew slave, Moses must flee to save his own life. He arrives in Midian, marries, and begins a family. He lives there for 40 years. During that time, the pharaoh who wanted to kill him dies and a new one (likely Thutmose III) takes his place.

*Moses' wife Zipporah is a Midianite, a people group who descended from Abraham's son Midian through his wife Keturah (Gen. 25:1-6).

Chapter 3: The Call of the Deliverer
Moses comes upon the burning bush, through which God speaks to him. He tells Moses that He is sending him to Pharaoh (possibly Amenhotep II) to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. God reveals the order of events that will take place and answers Moses' many doubting questions.

Chapter 4: The Source of Sufficiency (vv. 1-17)
Moses continues to find excuses why he should not be the one to represent God to Pharaoh, and God continues to answer him. Finally Moses asks God to send someone else. God gets angry with him and lets him know it will be done His way.

The Return of Moses (vv. 18-31)
Moses asks his father-in-law Jethro for permission to return to Egypt, and it is granted. On the way, God nearly kills Moses because he hasn't followed the covenant of circumcision. Zipporah takes care of the matter, then Moses goes on to Egypt without them. He meets Aaron along the way, and together they share with the Israelite elders all that God had spoken.

Q? In verse 25, it says that "Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off the foreskin of her son [singular] and touched it to Moses' feet." Which son was it? I wonder if Moses followed the covenant with his first son, but after living in a foreign land for so long, he quit following certain practices and didn't circumcise the younger one... His first son Gershom is mentioned by name in Exodus 2:22, but the younger son is only mentioned in the plural form in this chapter. His name (Eliezer) isn't given until chapter 18.

Chapter 5: Opposition to the Plan of God
Pharaoh meets with Moses and Aaron, but he denies God and refuses to let the Israelites go. Then he increases their work and tries to discredit Moses. Some of the Israelites begin to turn against Moses and Aaron; Moses turns to God.

*Moses was forthright with God in his frustration: "...Lord, why have You caused trouble for this people? Why did You ever send me? From the time I went to speak to Pharaoh in Your name, he has caused trouble for this people, and You have certainly not rescued them!" (vv. 22-23) One commentator (Benno Jacob, The Second Book of the Bible: Exodus) suggests that Moses' frankness was because of his close relationship with God. It makes sense; how often are we more to-the-point with those we're closest to? With strangers and casual acquaintances (generally), we're more likely to sugar-coat our words. God knows our hearts and He wants us to be honest with Him about our feelings - just as Moses, David, and Job were.

Chapter 6: The Assurance of Deliverance (vv. 1-13)
God reassures Moses that the Israelites will be freed - but only after He deals harshly with Pharaoh. Moses tries to encourage the Israelites, but they won't listen to him. God tells Moses to speak to Pharaoh again, but he's discouraged after his dealings with the Israelites.

The Ancestry of the Deliverer (vv. 14-27)
The geneaology of Moses and Aaron and the tribes of Israel are recorded.

*God is preparing to fulfill the covenant He had made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to this generation - after the foretold 400 years of oppression (Gen. 15:13).

*The covenant was made with Abraham, then promised to Isaac and to Jacob. Jacob traveled with his family to Egypt, the site of the Israelites' 400 years of bondage, to be with Joseph and to survive the famine. Jacob arrived there with his son Levi and his son Kohath. Kohath's son Amram was in the first generation born in Egypt. Amram fathered Aaron and Moses. Aaron fathered Eleazar, who fathered Phinehas - the fourth generation born in Egypt. In those days, a generation was roughly considered to be 100 years, so with that fourth generation, the bondage period was coming to and end. Moses was being prepared, then preparing the way.

The Authentication of the Word (vv. 28-30)
Again, God tells Moses to speak to Pharaoh. Again, Moses makes excuses.

Chapter 7: The Authentication of the Word (vv. 1-13)
God tells Moses about the trials to come, but He reassures him that Pharaoh will let the Israelites go. Moses and Aaron meet with Pharaoh and Aaron's staff becomes a snake. Pharaoh's magicians do the same with their staffs, but Aaron's snake swallows the other ones. Pharaoh refuses them.

*Pharaoh's magicians probably used an old trick of temporarily paralyzing a snake, then "waking" it.

The First Blow: Water to Blood (vv. 14-25)
God instructs Moses to return to Pharaoh at the Nile River, where He turns the water to blood. Pharaoh's magicians do the same thing. Pharaoh refuses to listen to them and walks away.

*God has absolute power and could have easily freed the Israelites, but the series of plagues had a purpose. First, He wanted to judge Egypt for its treatment of the Israelites. He also shows both Egypt and the Israelites His power.

*The Egyptians deified the Nile. God was stronger than their gods and showing how He could turn something vital to life into an instrument of death.

*Many people discount the plagues as coincidental natural phenomena. To be miracles of God that Pharaoh would take note of, they had to be more spectacular than the normal occurrence. At the time the Nile's water turned to blood, the river was high, which would have allowed a reddish-colored mud to wash into the river. A red-colored algae also affects the river, causing a decrease in oxygen which would account for dying fish and, later, a stench. Still, this does not explain how it happened just as Moses struck the water with his staff - or how its tributaries and other small bodies of water, including the water in pots and jars, also turned to blood when Aaron stretched out his hand.

Chapter 8: The Second Blow: Frogs (vv. 1-15)
After a week, God tells Moses to approach Pharaoh again and warn him that Egypt will be plagued by frogs, which then cover the land. Pharaoh's magicians are able to duplicate this as well. Pharaoh tells Moses and Aaron to pray to God to take the frogs away and he will release the people. Moses has him name the day ("tomorrow"). After Moses prays and the frogs die, Pharaoh goes back on his word.

Q? Really? How hard was it for Pharaoh's magicians to duplicate this? How could anyone even tell, what with all the frogs already all over the place? How about making them go away?

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Okay, so this is taking waayyyy more time than I have for, and it's putting me further behind in my yearly reading schedule. I'm going to have to rethink what I'm doing, why I'm doing it, and what I want/need to do...

Genesis

2012-01-22T20:05:00.026-06:00

Note: I decided to do these blog posts after I had finished reading Genesis, and the only notes I have handy are my more recent ones from the end of the book. I'll post those first, then go back and fill in the beginning as I have the time.

Genesis is the first book of the Bible. It was written by Moses to the people of Israel, its purpose being to record God's creation of the world and His desire to have a relationship with them, a people set apart to worship Him.

Chapter 1: The Creation of The World
Verse 1 is introductory to the whole chapter. The overview of creation begins with verse 3.

Interesting theme development I'd like to follow: the symbolism of the sea, "the watery deep". The sea represents darkness and chaos "in the beginning", and when the new Heaven and Earth are created, there will be no sea (Revelation 21:1).

Chapter 2: The Creation of Man and Woman

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Chapter 40: The Cupbearer and the Baker
While in prison, Joseph interprets the dreams of the pharaoh's cupbearer (who lives and is restored to his position) and his baker (who is killed). Joseph asks the cupbearer to tell Pharaoh about him, but he forgets.

Chapter 41: Joseph's Rise to Power
Two years later, Pharaoh has two disturbing dreams. His cupbearer suddenly remembers Joseph, who is brought out to interpret the dreams. Because of Joseph's wisdom, Pharaoh makes him second in command - and in charge of storing up food for the coming famine.

*At the time Joseph begins his service under Pharaoh, he has been in Egypt for 13 years.

*During this time, Joseph has two sons: Manasseh ("he who brings about forgetfulness" - referring to his troubles with his brothers and in Egypt) and Ephraim ("to bear fruit" - referring to his success in "the land of my suffering" v. 52).

Chapter 42: Joseph's Brother in Egypt
Jacob's family feels the effects of the famine, so he sends 10 of his sons to Egypt to buy grain. While there, Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they don't know who he is. (They believe he must be dead, having sold him more than 20 years earlier.) Joseph calls them spies and tests and questions them to find out what he can about his father and brother (Benjamin, who remained at home) and to see if they have changed. When he overhears them discussing their guilt over their treatment of him and how Reuben had wanted to save him, he weeps. He decides to keep Simeon prisoner and to send the rest home with their grain - and their silver, hidden in their sacks. He also tells them not to come back unless they bring their younger brother with them. Jacob grieves that now Simeon is lost to him and his sons want to take Benjamin away to Egypt.

Q? I wonder why Joseph chose Simeon, the second oldest son, as his prisoner instead of Reuben, the firstborn. Maybe it was his subtle way of thanking Reuben for his earlier efforts...?

Chapter 43: The Second Journey to Egypt
Jacob's family needs more grain, but Judah reminds him they won't be allowed to get any more unless Benjamin goes with them. He then promises his own life if something happens to Benjamin. Jacob reluctantly agrees, and the brothers return to Egypt to buy more grain and to return the money that was in their sacks. Joseph sees Benjamin is with his brothers, so he plans to hold a dinner for them.

Q? Why did they wait until they were out of grain before going back to Egypt? How long was Simeon held captive? Didn't they want to save him? Or did they leave him there indefinitely because Jacob wasn't willing to let go of Benjamin until the family was threatened with starvation?

*Joseph feels overwhelming love for Benjamin and shows him excessive favoritism, but the other brothers don't seem to mind. Maybe they've outgrown their jealousies.

*The brothers were astonished that, at Joseph's dinner, he had them seated in order of their birth.

*I found it interesting that the Egyptians found certain Hebrew practices detestable and wouldn't dine at the same table with them. For Joseph's dinner, there were at least three different tables set up: one for Joseph; one for the brothers, who couldn't yet know that Joseph (who appeared to be an Egyptian) was their brother; and one for the Egyptians in Joseph's service. It makes me wonder about Joseph's family meal time. His wife was Egyptian, so she must have eaten at separate table. His children were mixed blood of Hebrew and Egyptian. Could they eat at Joseph's table, or did they have to eat separately, too? I wouldn't think they were allowed to eat at the Egyptian table because of their Hebrew heritage.

Chapter 44: The Final Test
Joseph hides his silver cup in the mouth of Benjamin's sack and sends his brothers on their way. Then he sends his servant to catch them and search their bags. When the cup is discovered in Benjamin's sack, the brothers tear their clothing as an expression of grief, then they all head back to Egypt. Judah gives Joseph a moving speech to save Benjamin.

*NET Bible note: "Joseph's purpose was to single out Benjamin to see if the brothers would abandon him as they had abandoned Joseph. He wanted to see if they had changed."

Chapter 45: The Reconciliation of the Brothers
Joseph is moved to tears by his brothers' love for Benjamin and Jacob. He makes himself known to them, assures them of his forgiveness, and sends them to bring Jacob and all their families to Egypt. Jacob, upon learning Joseph is still alive, is initially shocked, but he recovers and prepares to go to him.

*Verse 5 - "Now, do not be upset and do not be angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me ahead of you to preserve life!" NET Bible note: "...Clearly God is able to transform the actions of wickedness to bring about some gracious end. But this is saying more than that; it is saying that from the beginning it was God who sent Joseph here..."

Chapter 46: The Family of Jacob Goes to Egypt
As Jacob/Israel begins his journey to Egypt, God reassures him and reaffirms His covenant. Joseph goes out to meet his father in Goshen and prepares them to meet Pharaoh.

Chapter 47: Joseph's Wise Administration
Pharaoh meets Joseph's father and brothers. He lets them live in the land of Goshen, and he offers jobs to anyone who is able to take care of his livestock.

As the people of Egypt run out of money to buy food, Joseph buys their livestock to add to Pharaoh's herds. Then as they run out of livestock to sell, Joseph buys their land and the Egyptians become slaves to Pharaoh. The agreement is for them to work the land and return 1/5 of the fruits of it to Pharaoh.

After living 17 years in Goshen, Jacob makes Joseph promise to bury him with his fathers instead of in Egypt when he dies.

Chapter 48: Manasseh and Ephraim
Joseph takes his sons Manasseh and Ephraim to Jacob, who takes them as his own sons and pronounces a blessing on them. He intentionally gives the firstborn blessing to the younger brother.

*Jacob's eyesight is poor in his old age - like Isaac's. But here Jacob is fully aware that he is blessing the younger son over the older one, not being tricked as he had tricked Isaac.

*From the Bible Knowledge Commentary: We tend to expect God to work in a certain way, according to our understanding, but His ways are not our ways. He often works in unconventional means.

Chapter 49: The Blessing of Jacob
As Jacob prepares to die, he calls his sons together to bless them. Then he dies.

*As firstborn, Reuben should have taken on the leadership role for the family and received a double portion of his father's blessing. Because he betrayed Jacob (by having intimate relations with Jacob's concubine, Rachel's maidservant), he is passed over. Simeon and Levi are also passed over because of their destructive rage in avenging their sister Dinah when she was raped by Shechem. The leadership is passed on to Judah, who is a descendant of Jesus Christ. The double portion is passed on to Joseph, the firstborn son of his favorite wife.

*Leah (the mother of Judah) was buried in the cave with the patriarchs and their wives, and later Jacob. Even though she was the "lesser" wife in Jacob's eyes, God blessed her abundantly. Rachel, on the other hand, was buried "on the way to Ephrath (Bethlehem)" (Gen. 48:7c).

Chapter 50: The Burials of Jacob and Joseph"
After Jacob dies, both his family and Egypt mourn. Joseph goes with his brothers and an entourage of Egyptian officials to bury his father as he had promised. The brothers worry that Joseph will now take revenge on them, but he assures them again that all is forgiven. Before Joseph dies at the age of 110, he makes the people of Israel promise they will bury him in the land God gives them after their deliverance from Egypt.

Reading Through the Bible Chronologically

2012-01-22T19:54:00.005-06:00

Ten years ago, I read through the Bible in a year. It was hard work, but I did it. This year I'm trying to read through the Bible chronologically. I'm looking forward to seeing where things fit together.

There are 13 of us in a private Facebook group who are reading through chronologically together - keeping each other accountable and sharing our thoughts. I started posting my various thoughts on the readings, but they (my thoughts) were getting a little too lengthy - in my opinion. I don't like cluttering the board like that, so I'm going to blog my thoughts here. You can skip it if you like; I promise not to be offended. :o) Of course, I'll still post my thoughts to the board, but they'll be abridged.

My plan is for one post per book, which means I'll be adding to each post every few days or so. For each chapter, I'll use the heading my Bible uses. (I'm using the NET Bible.) As I read each day, I jot down my ideas and questions; then I read my Bible's study notes and notes from the Bible Knowledge Commentary for further clarification. Some chapters speak to me more than others, so my posting will reflect that.

If you have other insights or want to read along with me, please share that with me!

Allowance Planning

2012-01-20T15:39:00.007-06:00

The boys have been asking to get an allowance for a while now. Billy and I discussed what we thought were reasonable amounts, then we assigned them some chores. Jacob's "new" job was to unload the dishwasher (usually twice a week) in addition to daily things like picking up his toys, his dirty clothes, and his dirty dishes - without being told to do it. Caleb's "new" jobs included helping with the laundry (loading the washer and the dryer) and helping with the Sunday trash-gathering. That's in addition to his dailies, which are the same as Jacob's. They were agreeable to that for the first two weeks, then things were quickly forgotten.

I got tired of having to remind them to do their part so I could get around to doing my part. Sometimes they'd get right to it, but if they were in the middle of a school assignment, I'd go ahead and do it just to get it out of the way. Now they seem to have forgotten we even made the chore assignments. Every once in a while, one of them (usually Jacob) will mention allowance, but it never goes any farther than that.

Enter Pinterest. I found a great idea there where kids can choose the chore they want to do and earn the allowance that is associated with it. Harder chores = higher values. (This is based on Dave Ramsey's idea of kids working on commission instead of giving them an allowance: Teach them to work, to earn money. Don't just give it to them. That's welfare.) I loved it, so I pinned it to my "The Boys" board.

Source: kimboscrafts.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Unfortunately, the link goes to someone's "shout out" to the idea/product that they found on Etsy. I had to click her link to get to the Etsy page to find out anything about it, which ended up being a description of the product, not a list of chore ideas and corresponding amounts. I guess I'll have to come up with that on my own...

This year is my year to get organized - and that includes getting the boys an allowance system in place - but one where they choose to work and how much they'll earn, not one where I have to stay on them to get something done. Earlier today I was browsing friends' pins on Pinterest and found something else that looked great: detailed job cards.

Source: madsmemories.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I want to tailor this idea to fit the Dave Ramsey commission idea. I think laminated index cards with the specific tasks and the amounts for them would work. I have a few card file boxes I'm not using, so that would be a great place to keep them. When the boys are wanting to earn some money, they can choose a card from the box. Maybe I'd include a checklist or specific instructions so they could be sure to do the job correctly. I could check it off when I see it's done. Then we'd file their completed task cards until "pay day".

I still need to noodle on it, but I think that's a good start!

I Like to Move It!

2012-01-18T08:10:00.008-06:00

It's Wednesday! And I'm blogging along with The Vintage Apple on things that are Oh, How Pinteresting! This week I'm featuring health and fitness, in the interest of helping me with one of my goals for this year.

Top of my list: Zumba!

Source: youtube.com via Ashley on Pinterest

I'm not the most coordinated person, but I decided to give Zumba a fair shot last fall - and I love it! Our group started back up last Wednesday night. After a two-month hiatus, I was thrilled to be back!

Since I don't go to the gym (for various reasons), I try to do some working out at home. I can't always get out for a walk or a bike ride or a swim, but these are some things that keep me moving, stretching, and toning.

If you have a stability ball:

This site has 8 great exercises.

Source: fitnessmagazine.com via Ashley on Pinterest

And here's a link to Alternating Toe Touches.

Source: experiencelifemag.com via Ashley on Pinterest

Arm flab is something I'm always wanting to get rid of - especially since I love to go sleeveless in the summer.

Source: skinnyinspirations.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

And ~~if I ever~~ when I get into a better home routine of daily exercise, this looks like a good plan. There's a different focus area for each weekday!

Source: colormepreppy.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

As for healthier snacking (which is my biggest issue!), here are two great lists I need to refer to often:

Source: thehealthychange.tumblr.com via Ashley on Pinterest

and

Source: greatist.com via Ashley on Pinterest

What great health and fitness tips have you found on Pinterest?

DIY: Wipe-Off Calendar

2012-01-16T15:28:00.016-06:00

Once I saw this on Pinterest, I knew I had to have one.

Source: theaestheticwriter.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

And this weekend, I finally completed my own DIY Wipe-Off Calendar!

Billy called it a work of art. It does look nice, though I'm not sure if he was serious or joking. However it is (or rather will be) the first framed item to hang on our bedroom walls in the 2+ years that we've lived here. (I know, I know... I've had good intentions, but I just haven't made decorative wall items a priority.)

Since my calendar will best be utilized in my bedroom, hanging on the wall above my computer, I decided to go with colors that blend with my comforter. I made several trips to Lowe's, Home Depot, and Wal-Mart to collect various shades of paint samples. I know they're free, but I couldn't stand the thought of getting all 35+ at once. I felt guilty even taking just 14 at a time! (I need more than 35 - 7 days x 5 weeks - because I'm also wanting to make a coordinating wipe-off to-do-list to hang beside it. I'm still noodling over that project...)

Last week I noticed Hobby Lobby had their wall frames discounted 50%, so I purchased a simple 12x16 brown frame for just a little over $11.50. I used the heavy brownish board backing that came with the frame for my calendar background. (I didn't want white because it would seem too stark for my color palette.)

The paint sample colors blend nicely with colors in my
comforter, and the brown frame adds to the warmth.

My first step was to outline a 2x2-inch square on the back of each paint sample. I was able to get two squares from the larger ones, so I ended up with several extra paint samples to use with other projects later.

This quilter's tool made measuring my squares so much easier than using a ruler!

Once I had all my squares cut, I spread them out on the background to make sure I had a good range of colors that worked well together.

I felt like I had too many lighter squares, so I
cut some more darker ones and swapped them out.

Then I randomly arranged my squares onto my board backing to test the colors and to see how much space I needed to leave between each of the squares and the sides/corners.

This layout didn't have a good feel, so I tried again...

Still not quite right...

I was getting closer. I ended up cutting a few more squares to swap out. After that, I ended up separating my squares into two piles: red/orange/yellow tones and green/brown tones. Then I laid them out in an alternating pattern, trying to keep a good mix of dark and light - and not placing two of the same shade diagonal from each other. I still ended up with an uneven balance, but I liked what I had and didn't want to mess with it. Again.

As I played around with my squares, I noticed they weren't lining up just right. Once I got the colors laid out the way I wanted, I remeasured each square. I found that many of them were slightly larger than 2x2. I didn't account for the gap between ruler and pen when I marked or cut...

Most pieces got a slight trim.

Finally they were ready to be placed! I rolled tape, stuck it to the back of each square, and moved them around until I got them just where they needed to go. My perfectionist tendencies had to be put aside when, after trying to line up all my rows and columns with my ruler, I realized it just wasn't going to be an exact fit. I even trimmed another square or two to get the fit a little better - then I decided enough was enough. I flipped the board over onto the glass, folded down the little metal tabs, and wiped the various fingerprints and smudges off the glass. Done!

I tested my dry-erase marker and it worked like a charm!

Now, I know the month is half over, but I can't bear to have my calendar go from mid-month to mid-month. And yes, I'll go ahead and fill in the things we've already done - just for the sake of it. I just can't help myself. :o)

I'll add a picture of it hanging on the wall once I get it up there. I promise it won't be another 2+ years!

Getting It Together!

2012-01-12T08:10:00.010-06:00

I'm excited about participating in The Vintage Apple's "Oh, How Pinteresting!" weekly meme! Each Wednesday (yes, I'm a day late...), you share some interesting things you've found on Pinterest. If you're not a member of Pinterest, you need to request an invitation. If you leave me your email address with your request, I'll send you one!

Each week on Pinterest, I find all sorts of random things that I post to various boards. Here, though, I don't want to be random about the things I've found; I want to categorize them. Since one of my goals this year is to get organized, I thought that would be a great place to start with my first "Oh, How Pinteresting!" post.

Here are some great organizational tools I've found that I've pinned to my "Getting It Together" board:

I'm actually working on this one right now, with colors to match my bedroom. I also want to make a coordinating to-do list to hang next to it.

Source: theaestheticwriter.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

In my quest for organization, I found several website links on how to break that overwhelming task into smaller, more manageable jobs.

If you want to get things done in just 21 days, here's a great site that takes you through 20 daunting tasks each day, with a "your choice" day at the end.

Source: abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com via Ashley on Pinterest

If you have a bigger challenge ahead of you, check out this one - my personal favorite. This blogger not only assigns tasks for each week, but she breaks each one down into manageable steps, giving advice on how to proceed.

Source: home-storage-solutions-101.com via Ashley on Pinterest

If you'd rather go out on your own and decide what needs to be done where each week, this one provides you with guidance.

Source: orgjunkie.com via Ashley on Pinterest

If you need baby steps, this site provides downloadable calendars for each month with one thing to accomplish each day. Some are fairly simple (toss out expired skin care products; declutter candles); some are more labor-intensive (sort through pictures and get rid of/give away duplicates; throw out the junk in your junk drawer); and others are just plain fun (take a nap; dance in your living room - yeah, these are the Sunday items).

Source: mysimplerlife.com via Ashley on Pinterest

What organization tips/tools have you found on Pinterest? Share them in my comments section - and leave your Pinterest ID name so I can check out your boards!

Next week's "Pinteresting" things: health and fitness (in conjunction with another one of my goals for the year).

2012 Goals

2012-01-10T16:24:00.003-06:00

Okay, I've had some time to think about what I want to accomplish this year...

1. Health & Fitness
The last two years I've lost about 10 pounds. The difference was early last year, I put most of it back on before I took it off again. This year, I don't want to do that. Instead, I want to continue on my current path of weight loss and lose about 10 more pounds. My ultimate goal is to lose 15 pounds, though 20 would be perfect.

I started taking a Zumba class last fall, and I love it! It starts back up this Wednesday evening, and I plan to get right back in the swing of things. When Zumba's not going on, I need to find something else to keep me moving.

2. Personal Organization
I decided about a month ago that 2012 would be my year to get organized. I think the main thing that got me started thinking that way was Pinterest - and the many organizational tools I found there. My first project in that area is making a wipe-off calendar to match my bedroom. Since that's where most of my "work" takes place, I thought it would be nice to have a color-coordinated calendar to hang permanently. I'm also making a coordinating wipe-off to-do list to hang next to it.

Also in this arena, I'd like to get back to my menu planning. (And in conjunction with my health and fitness goals, plan healthier meals. I really need to work more vegetables into our meals...) Every month, I've been printing off a calendar and writing in our meals a week or so at a time. I'd like to make another wipe-off calendar or something similar (I've seen several on Pinterest...) for the kitchen for just that purpose.

I'd also like to get my house-cleaning schedule more organized. For a while I was doing great with following along with The Flylady. I like her weekly cleaning zones, but I wanted to do some other things on my own. And, through Pinterest again, I've found several websites to help with that.

3. Photography
Yes, photography is here again, in spite of my complete failure in that area last year. I can't help it. It's something that I love to do. I want to get back to participating in the Photo Friday challenges and I want to keep up in my photo blog that I started last year (I think) and only posted 3 or 4 things to... I want to use the photographic technique books I've gotten for Christmas the last few years.

I also need to finish organizing the 15+ months worth of photos that I've downloaded from my various cameras and get them edited, renamed, and filed away into our iPhoto program. Maybe that should be one of the first things on my new to-do list for January...

4. Reading
I don't want to set a number of books to read this year. If I happen to come across something that's good but slow, I don't want to feel like I need to rush through it to reach my goal. That happened last year with George Bush's Decision Points.

I also don't want to set some parameter like reading one classic each month. I'm not always in the mood for a classic, and if one classic takes me a long time (like Jane Austen's Emma), I don't want to feel like I have to jump into another one just to keep up.

What I do want to do this year is read some of the books I have here at home. Usually, once I buy a book, I put it on my shelf and forget about it until some much later date. If I check something out from the library, I'm more likely to read it because I have a limited time to keep it. Another reason I want to do this it to clear off some of my shelf space. I have some books that I haven't yet read, and I don't know if they're worth keeping or not because I haven't read them. What I'd rather do is read some good ones and pass them on to friends to read and pass on to someone else. Then there are those that aren't worth passing on..., but might sell in a garage sale. :o)

5. Jewelry Business
For the last two years, I've been slow about getting my jewelry business off the ground. I've read several books about how to turn a hobby into a business or how to start your own small business, but a lot of what's there doesn't really apply to what I want to do. Several weeks ago, I was browsing the jewelry book shelves at Half-Price Books and came across one that had lots of promise, though: How to Start a Home-Based Jewelry Business by Maire Loughran. I started reading it from the start a few weeks ago and I'm planning to work through the step-by-step process to get things going. Part of that involves setting up a schedule for working on the jewelry pieces, which has now been delegated to Saturdays because of all the "normal" busyness. Maybe if I get myself organized, I can work in a few other times each week.

6. Bible Study
I started this year reading the Bible through chronologically with a group on Facebook. Each day, we can post our thoughts, discoveries, questions, encouragement, etc. My new friend Julie Black put out a request for an accountability partner to help her on her journey through the Bible in a year, and several of her friends said they'd like to do it with her. She started a private group, and there are now close to 15 of us participating. I've always wanted to read it chronologically, and I think this is a great way to go about it!

7. Blogging
Here's another thing I say every year: I want to blog more. Sometimes I do, then other times I don't. It's not a matter of having time to do it. It's a matter of making the time to do it. I've realized just how much time I waste online and I'm trying to use that time more wisely to get other things done (personal organization, jewelry business,...). Blogging would fill some of that gap... And there's also my recipe blog and my photo blog that I want to keep up with... (Everything's related, right?)

Well, I think that's enough to work on this year. It's the same as always, but always a little different, you know? We'll see...

Year in Review: 2011

2012-01-04T15:34:00.004-06:00

January

*We held our annual New Year's Day party. The vegetable soup was a huge hit!

*I made some lofty goals for the year but ended up being mediocre...

February

*Billy's parents came in for the weekend to watch the boys play basketball, but we ended up being snowed in. We were told it was coming, but we didn't believe it...

*Since we were stuck in the house, I learned how to knit by watching YouTube videos. Fun!

*Caleb participated in the Kaufman County Spelling Bee - and when we left, there was snow everywhere. Again. It was falling pretty hard when we left, so I drove home very carefully. When we finally got home, I couldn't pull up in the driveway. Both times I tried, I slid back down. I ended up parking on the street, hoping no one would slide into me.

*We had to have our beloved cat Shadow put to sleep on 2/21/11. She had gone downhill really fast - all in one weekend, it seemed. The boys were so upset at hearing her cries and seeing her just laying on the floor by her litter box that they couldn't concentrate on school or even stay inside much. When Billy got home that day, we took her to the vet... She was 18-and-a-half years old. She's still greatly missed.

March

*I joined a knitting group at church!

(It's going to get hard here for a while since I fell off in my blogging...)

April

*Sometime in March or April, I got my hair cut. Really cut. I mean just below shoulder length and with bangs. I love it!

(In reading part of a post from this time, it appears I seemed to have lost my inspiration for blogging, cooking, etc. Not sure why... Anyway, that accounts for why I can't seem to remember much of what happened. l checked my Facebook statuses, but apparently they're not all there so that's not helping too much...)

May

*We had a post-Mother's Day visit with family at Billy's parents. Everyone came over for food and fun - and Melissa brought Stacy with her. They weren't "dating" yet, but I had a feeling it was coming soon. It did - and they broke up very quickly as well. I thought this was the one...

*We went to Hamm's Orchard to check out their produce. Their prices are high, but the veggies are tasty. We tried their homemade peach and strawberry ice cream flavors. The peach was good, but the strawberry was better. Still, I don't think either is one really anything worth raving about.

June

*Caleb promoted to the Livewire group at church. He's now officially a "yout"!

July

*This was a busy month for the boys. They had VBS, Caleb had camp, there were reading programs and movies, and we did lots of swimming.

August

*While the boys were gone for their last summer fling, I took a soldering class at Beads of Splendor. It was so much fun, I bought my own soldering kit and will be working to improve my skills.

*I never did hear back from Heritage Christian Academy about a teaching position, so we're back to homeschooling again. Thankfully, at what seemed the eleventh hour, I applied for the boys to enter Texas Virtual Academy (TXVA) through the K12 program. We got in! So now begins a new "home" school chapter: public school online at home.

*I went to my first Women of Faith conference, thanks to Mama. Jennifer came with her and we had a great weekend together with hundreds (thousands?) of other women, praising God. Oh, and I got to meet Mandisa!

*We went to Medieval Times for the first time. It was great! The show was fun and the food was delicious! The boys are ready to go back, but it's too expensive to be something other than an occasional special celebration. We're thinking maybe we'll take them there, along with one extra friend each, for their birthdays. That would be much easier than throwing two separate parties over a span of a few weeks.

September

*We met some great new neighborhood friends at the pool: Julie and her boys, Craig and Brett. They homeschool, and the boys hit it off immediately and play really well together. We're looking forward to building this relationship.

*We've got a lot of adjusting to do for this online school thing. I like it because it's taken the brunt of planning off my shoulders. Caleb likes it because it's structured and he can do things (for the most part) on his own. Jacob, on the other hand, doesn't like it so much. There's more work each day, which interferes with his play time, and he frequently has meltdowns...

*Since Caleb wanted to start going to the youth Bible study on Wednesday nights, I thought I'd find something for me to do while I'm waiting. I joined a Zumba group and I love it!

October

*I think this is the month I joined Pinterest. Great website with great ideas! I've even completed a few projects I found there - and I have more on my "list" to do.

November

*Thanksgiving was fun, but small.

December

*Christmas seemed rushed this year. I think that's maybe because it fell on a Sunday and Billy had school and work right up until Dec. 23. Our annual Christmas Eve gathering at his parents' house was really small this year, but we had a great time. The annual Christmas lunch at Aunt Sue's (this year was her year to host it...) was also really small - just 11 of us.

I know there was more, but I can't seem to remember - or find - what happened. I guess these are the biggies. I'll be taking better records this year because I've implemented a fun daily one-line calendar that I found - guess where! - on Pinterest. :o)

2011 Report Card

2012-01-04T15:10:00.002-06:00

Last year, I set 6 goals for myself for 2011. Halfway through the year, things weren't looking good. At all. If I were to give myself a grade, I'd have to give myself nearly straight F's. Well, maybe that's being a little too hard on myself, but when I look at the fact that there were only 6 things, well... Instead of dwelling on that, though, let's see how I ended the year.

Goal 1: Bible Study - A
In June, I gave myself a D because I had basically quit having any kind of personal study. I got myself in gear after that and got back to the "Journey Through the Old Testament" that our church had put out at the beginning of 2010. At the end of 2011, I was finishing up the study on a passage from Jonah - which left just 7 passages to study to complete the booklet.

Goal 2: Weight Loss - B
In June, I had given myself a C. Over the 2010 holiday season, I had gotten back into the bad habit of mindless snacking. By the summer, I had gained most of the weight I had lost the previous year! But I had realized it and had gotten back to doing something to get it off. Since then, I've been more mindful of what I eat and I joined a Zumba group at church. I love it! It's helping get me in shape and now I'm 2 pounds less than where I was at this time last year - 10 pounds less that I was at my highest point during the summer. Now if I can just keep it up throughout this year and not slide back again...

Goal 3: Cooking - B
In June, I had given myself an A because I had learned to make some things from scratch - and without relying on recipes. That was great, but I never did take a cooking class at Central Market. Nor did I cook anything from my Now Eat This! cookbook by Rocco DiSpirito. At one point, I was considering signing up for a series of six international cooking classes through Le Cordon Bleu in Dallas, but I've since changed my mind. There are other things I'd rather do with my money...

Goal 4: Photography - F
Wow. As much as I love to take pictures, I hate formatting and filing them. I let it pile up (again) and it got to be too overwhelming. Still, I need to get it done. Yes, 15 months of photos need to be managed now... The monstrosity of all that kept me from participating in Photo Friday and from keeping up with my Project 52. It turned out to be more like Project 3.

Goal 5: Reading - C
My goal was to read 36 books, including one classic a month. The classics just weren't very interesting to me anymore, and reading them slowed me down. I quit after three of them and went back to reading just what I wanted to read. I did read some great books, but several of them were slower reads and cut into my time quite a bit. Then other busyness got in my way. I ended up reading about 25 books this year - slightly more than half of what I read last year.

Goal 6: Blogging - D
Again, busyness got in the way. And Facebook. And then Pinterest. I lost interesting in reading Real Simple magazine each month because a lot of what they promote is either not so simple or it's too expensive to worry with. Then I got behind in reading my issues of Cooking Light. There's also the fact that many of their recipes are complicated and/or have ingredients that aren't very common. I love to cook, but I want easy. I don't want to spend all my time in the kitchen cooking and cleaning up. I want to watch some TV and knit or crochet in the evenings.

Once again, this is showing where my priorities lie. They're on track, but I would like to get these things I love to do a little more balanced in my life. Maybe I can in 2012.

A Lot of Catching Up to Do...

2012-01-04T15:01:00.002-06:00

Yes, there's lots of that. Usually by this time, I've written several year-end posts:
*a look back at the past year,
*how I did on goals for the past year, and
*goals for the new year.

Unfortunately I haven't had much time lately, but hopefully that will change and I can get back to my blog. I have lots of things I want to write about, but I want to get my usual year-end posts completed before I move on to other things.

December 2011 Book List

2011-12-21T10:39:00.003-06:00

26. Comfort & Joy by Kristin Hannah

Joy Candellaro is spending her first Christmas as a divorced woman. She always dreams of adventure, but she never goes in search of it - until her sister, who's now living with Joy's ex-husband, hand-delivers a wedding invitation and announces she's pregnant. Joy immediately leaves and finds herself at the airport.

Hope. That looks like just the place to get away from it all. She books a last-minute flight aboard a chartered plane and is on her way.

She never makes it. After the plane goes down, Joy finds herself walking away from the crash site and toward a new adventure. She wanders around until she finds a run-down lodge, run by a sad, lonely man and his young son. She imagines herself becoming a part of their life, and while Bobby seems to cling to her like she's a replacement for his recently deceased mother, Daniel barely notices her existence. As she heals from her heartbreak, she works to help them heal theirs in her limited time there.

I found myself feeling a range of emotions as I read this book. There's a huge plot twist about halfway through the book and I found myself wondering how things could ever be resolved. Unfortunately I can't say more without giving away important plot points...

If you get a chance to read this book, do it. And have some Kleenex handy.

November 2011 Book List

2011-12-14T18:18:00.002-06:00

Well, this one is going to be short and sweet. I didn't finish reading anything this month. That doesn't mean I didn't try. In fact I tried two books...

The Man Who Broke into Auschwitz sounded promising, especially since I had recently finished reading Unbroken. I had the hardest time getting into that book! I have a rule for reading: If it hasn't grabbed me by page 50, it's not worth my time. I don't think I even made it to page 50...

Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow looked like it would be good, too. For the most part, it was - but I got bogged down a few times trying to read through the details of his college football games. After the first few games, I started skimming until I got back to "life", but there were just too many of them. By the time I needed to renew the book, someone else had it on hold so I had to turn it in.

For December, I decided to load my library bag with a few Christmas novels, but I've been so busy with things that I haven't had much time to read. I am in the middle of a good one though, so watch for the December book list post coming soon.

Just Be Cos

2011-12-12T11:38:00.002-06:00

We've had Netflix for over a year now, and I have to say it's one of the best decisions we made as far as entertainment goes. We had cable, but it was so overpriced, and you never knew when one of your favorite channels was going to be cut over pricing disputes. There's not much to watch on network TV most of the time, either. Yes, there are a few shows like The Biggest Loser and American Idol, but good shows the whole family can watch are few and far between.

With Netflix, we've been able to watch some of the old shows we used to love. The boys have watched Leave It to Beaver, The Andy Griffith Show, The Munsters, The Addams Family, and Flipper, as well as some of their more recent cartoon favorites.

A few months ago, we introduced them to The Cosby Show. They were already familiar with Bill Cosby, having watched Little Bill when they were much younger. They had also seen a few episodes of Fat Albert. After watching the first episode of The Cosby Show, they were hooked. They watch it almost daily now - sometimes during lunch, occasionally in the afternoon after they've finished with school, and usually an episode or two in the evenings (when BL and AI aren't on...). When they recently realized they were nearly finished with the series, they announced, "When we finish, we're going to start from the beginning again!"

Why aren't there ANY shows on anymore like The Cosby Show? It was great, family-friendly comedy that approached more controversial issues with a light, loving touch. There was always a lesson to be learned - and it revolved around respect for parents and love for family. Watch anything these days and inappropriate behavior is thrown in your face and the parents are made to look like idiots.

I will say that there are some sit-coms I like to watch, but they aren't anything I'd let my children watch. Dramas aren't any better. And most of the "reality" shows are too edgy for children to watch. My children, anyway.

Why can't there be a current show that is as uplifting and funny as "Cos"?

Slowing Down a Bit

2011-12-02T08:50:00.006-06:00

I've gotten to the point where I really don't like to go places much. Maybe it's the traffic or the crowds. Maybe it's the price of gas. Maybe it's getting older. Maybe it's that our "busy days" are so long and so busy, they absolutely wear me out. Maybe it's a combination of some or all of it. I don't know why really, but I know I'm ready to slow down our weekly trips into Mesquite/Garland.

I checked the Forney library yesterday to see if it's comparable to our favorite library in Garland. It's not. Not by any means. There are two rows of books for elementary/junior high students: one row of non-fiction and one row of fiction. Still, I talked with the librarian about the possibility of getting a library card, but since we don't live inside the Forney school district, we'd have to drive out to our district, get a card from there, then get a TEX-Share Card so we can get things from other libraries in other places.

I was thinking about skipping it altogether, but Billy came up with a good idea. Get the cards through Crandall, then check the elementary school around the corner from us and see if we could use their library from time to time. It's worth a try! They'd have all the books we'd need, and they're literally right around the corner from us. I think we'll look into that next week. If they say yes, great. If they say no, that's fine, too. We don't always make it to the library each week anyway.

The other issue deals with grocery shopping. I love shopping at ALDI. They have great products (mostly) at low prices - lower than Wal-Mart, even. I can usually get out of there with a week's worth of groceries for less than $70. Sometimes I go a little over that; more often I go under it. The things I'm not so wild about there are their white bread (stale from day 1) and their produce. Some of it's okay, but most of it is packaged in bulk (which I won't use in time) or looks a little . . . old. I end up having to stop by Wal-Mart or Brookshire's to pick up bread, apples, lettuce, bell pepper, etc. A lot of what I buy at ALDI keeps for a long time. Billy made another recommendation: Go to ALDI once every two or three weeks and get the things I need that will keep. The other weeks, go to the nearby Wal-Mart or Brookshire's to get the fresher stuff. Problem solved.

Now I just need to work out a schedule of when we're going where. We went earlier this week to the library, but we didn't stay long. It was mostly to drop off some books and pick up a few others. Now that we'll be going less often, I'll need to check the boys' school topics in advance and make sure to be prepared for two weeks at a time instead of one. I guess we'll start our limited in-town time after next week.

I'll also have to get back to more detailed menu planning so I can buy what I need at ALDI and only have to get the produce and more frequent staples on our "off" weeks from somewhere else.

So there's my plan to slow down a bit. I hope to get the details worked out over the next few weeks so that I can actually implement it soon.

Update: I realized this morning (Thursday, Dec. 15) that a lot of it probably has to do with the fact that there's nowhere I really want to go. If I wanted to go somewhere, I'd feel a lot different about it.

October 2011 Book List

2011-11-25T15:27:00.003-06:00

24. License to Pawn by Rick Harrison

If you've watched any of Pawn Stars on the History Channel, you know a lot of the day-to-day running of their store, but this book gives more insight into the lives of Rick, Old Man, Big Hoss, and Chumlee.

One of my favorite things from the book was learning how Rick gained his vast wealth of knowledge that makes him so interesting on the show. He may be a high school dropout (for health reasons mostly), but he loves to read and learn things the average person finds difficult.

I also have a new respect for Big Hoss and Chumlee after reading about the difficult lives they led for a while. They have made huge strides to be where they are now, and they're determined to not go back.

25. Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

This was my first experience with a Kristin Hannah novel, and it was a touching one. Firefly Lane follows the lives of two unlikely best friends from junior high school through college and beyond. One girl comes from a traditional family and hates that her mother wants to be involved in her life; the other lives with her drugged-out mother who frequently abandons her. They have their ups and downs, but one betrayal causes a division between them that seems like it'll never be bridged.

My few big complaints with the book were the author's style (run-ons, comma splices, etc.) and the fact that the book seemed to go on too long. A more minor complaint is the author's too-frequent use of dropping pop culture items into the storyline. Sometimes they fit, but after a while, it was annoying. It was kind of like someone name-dropping to impress...

Still, the last quarter of the book had me in tears. I don't mean a trickle here and there; I mean sobs and streams of tears and a running nose. If you read this book, which I highly recommend despite my complaints, have a full box of tissues nearby.

September 2011 Book List

2011-11-25T15:13:00.004-06:00

23. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

I can't say enough good things about this book. Hillenbrand did excellent, extensive research in her biographical study of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner-turned WWII airman whose plane crashed in the Pacific Ocean. Weeks later, he and one fellow crewman washed up on a Japanese-controlled beach, where they were taken into captivity and later moved into POW camps. Just when you think things can't get any worse, they do.

While reading this book, I couldn't help thinking about my grandfather, who was a navigator in WWII. He flew missions all over the world. Thankfully, my grandmother plotted all his flights on a map, then later had it framed and displayed on a wall in her house. My daddy has that map now, and he's going to make a copy of it for me. Anyway, I wondered what type of plane he flew in, but I'm not sure anyone knows that. The war just wasn't talked about then like it is now. I never gave it much thought, but they didn't have all the technologically-advanced equipment that we have now. I wish I knew more about it...

It's not a fast read, but it's a good one. In fact, I bought my own copy, which a friend borrowed to read with her husband. They're thinking of getting their own copy as well. I also gave two copies as gifts. Yes, it's that good.

I sort of hope they make a movie about it, but it's going to have to be an extraordinary effort to stay as true to the book as it should be.

Weight Loss Revelation

2011-11-25T15:00:00.002-06:00

I watched The Biggest Loser for a while. I've read some diet books and weight-loss blogs and articles. Still it's something I read in a Biggest Loser cookbook just the other day that has really sunk into my brain. I don't know why it's taken seeing/hearing that little tidbit so many times before it finally stuck, but I'm so glad it has.

Here it is: The best way to lose weight is to watch what you eat. Exercise is good, but if you don't put the unwanted calories in, you won't have to work them off! Duh!

I just need to change my thinking. If I want that chocolate chip cookie, just how much will it take to work it off? What about all those little bites of random bits here and there? Those add up, too.

So tonight we'll celebrate Thanksgiving one more time with leftovers: turkey and dressing and cranberry sauce; ham and sweet potato casserole; corn casserole and black olives; and pumpkin cake with spiced pumpkin pecan ice cream. I'll limit my portions of everything, but enjoy what I do eat. Then tomorrow, it's back to the portion control - and mindfulness of what I eat.

Texas Virtual Academy

2011-08-21T16:12:00.003-05:00

The boys (and I) will start our new school year tomorrow. A teaching job never came available for me, so we're homeschooling again this year. Thankfully I found a program that takes a big load off me - Texas Virtual Academy (TXVA).

TXVA is an online public charter school. The boys will receive all their books and supplies (minus paper and pencils) next week sometime, and we'll be on our way! In the meantime, I'll be doing "Learning Coach" training and new family orientation, and they'll be testing in math and reading proficiency for the beginning of their year. (They'll test again at the end of the year and their progress will be measured.)

They each have a teacher who plans their lessons, conducts online classroom sessions, and grades their work. All I have to do is follow her plans and guide the boys through their lessons. The burden of planning and searching for curricula I'm happy with is no longer on me!

Jacob will study math, English/language arts, science, social studies, health, PE, art, and music.

Caleb will study math, English/language arts, science, social studies, health, PE, art, and Latin. He has music on his schedule, but I'm going to have it changed to Latin, which he'll study for the next 3 years if we stay with this program. (Jacob will start Latin when he reaches 6th grade.)

Since it's public school, the boys have to "attend" 180 days, and they're required to work approximately 6 hours a day on schoolwork. I will have to be diligent with recording their attendance and progress each day, but that's just something I'll need to work into our daily schedule.

It's going to be interesting to see how this works out. The boys are excited, but I'm not sure they're grasping the amount of work they'll be doing now. When I homeschooled them on my own, I taught the basics: math, English/language arts, science, and social studies. Now they'll have health, PE, art, and music/Latin thrown into the mix - things I never really felt much like pursuing on my own.

Stay tuned!

August 2011 Book List

2011-08-06T15:17:00.006-05:00

20. American Idol: The Untold Story by Richard Rushfield

As a big American Idol fan, when I saw this book prominently displayed in my library's "new" section, I snatched it right up. I wasn't sure if it was one of those "unofficial" tell-all books or if it was from a truly legitimate source (which it is). Rushfield, as a reporter for The Los Angeles Times, had full access not only to the creators of the hit phenomenon, but to the crew, the stars, and the contestants.

The book begins with a semi-interesting history of American Idol, introducing Simon Fuller, Nigel Lythgoe, and Simon Cowell. From there, the book follows a logical progression of the quickly-thrown-together first season, the second break-out season, all the way through to Simon's final season (season 10) - all the while highlighting the various forms of contestants that paraded through them.

Interviews with Idol semifinalists sheds a lot of light on the rigorous schedules the contestants must face and the bonds they form with their fellow competitors.

There's also a chapter devoted to dealing with the Idol-hater website, Vote for the Worst. Amid cries every year of conspiracies and faulty voting, VFTW also gets its share of the blame for great singers being sent home while the more mediocre one get to stick around week after week.

The judges and host are also highlighted: Simon Cowell's attitude, Randy Jackson's congeniality, and Paula Abdul's. . . incoherence. When Kara DioGuardi was introduced as a new judge, there was quite a rivalry, not just between Paula and Kara, but between the three original judges and the "freshman". After Paula's departure, Ellen Degeneres' stand-in (and stand-up) did nothing to help ratings in Simon's tenth and final season.

There's so much more here, as well. If you're an Idol fan, this is definitely a book worth reading.

21. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

The title of this book intrigued me every time I saw it, but I never picked it up to read the inside cover. After seeing the movie previews on TV, I decided I wanted to read it, but by then I had to wait to get it from the library. When I first put it on hold, I was somewhere in the low 30's in line for it. It was finally ready for me last week. Once I got started, it was extremely hard to put down.

Jacob Jankowski is an old, old man - somewhere in his 90's, but he can't really remember. He's living in a nursing home after falling and breaking a hip, and he's alone. A circus comes to town and sets up next to the nursing home, causing Jacob, a former circus vet, to remember his first stint as a circus worker - and the secret he's been keeping for over 70 years...

He is preparing to graduate from Cornell University with a veterinary science degree when tragedy strikes his family. In a stupor, he leaves school and jumps aboard a train - the Benzini Brothers Circus train. An old man takes pity on him and saves him from being tossed off. Before long, he's placed in charge of the care of the menagerie, a mix of horses, giraffes, big cats, an orangutan, and a chimp, among others. He is immediately drawn to the lovely Marlena, wife of August, a madman. And there the trouble begins...

I'm really looking forward to seeing the movie and seeing if they can do the book justice. It's on my Netflix queue, but they haven't released it into circulation yet. Once they do, it'll go to the top of my list!

22. Jeannie Out of the Bottle by Barbara Eden

I loved watching reruns of I Dream of Jeannie when I was growing up. I wish I could find some now, but we don't have cable and it's not on Netflix streaming. Maybe one day...

Barbara Eden is a breath of fresh air in the whirlwind mess of Hollywood lives. Though she's had plenty of heartache in her life, she's still a beautiful person inside and out. She hasn't become bitter or tried to drown her sorrows in drugs and alcohol. Instead, she tried her best to "rise above it", as her mother often told her when she was a young girl.

She shares her rise to fame before her role as "Jeannie", her work on that series, and how that one role has defined much of her life after the show ended. She doesn't shy away from detailing her romance with first husband Michael Ansara, or the traumatic events that led to their separation and divorce. She's also candid about a marriage she entered with blinders on and how she eventually came to her senses and escaped before something horrible happened. Her only son Matthew, the child she wanted for so long and loved so much, struggled with addiction for much of his life. Yet, through it all, she found a strength to go on - and love with a man who has stood by her during some of her darkest moments.

The thing that bothered me most was her frequent use of the term "Jeannie blink" when she wanted to fast forward or flash back to a different time than what she was writing about. Thankfully that was used mostly during the prologue and only a few other times throughout the book. I honestly don't know if I could've read it if she had kept it going any more. Other than that, it's a great book.

Lessons Learned (Hopefully)

2011-07-27T08:56:00.002-05:00

Jacob has had quite an eventful week - and it's only Wednesday morning.

Lesson One
Sunday at church, he got the bright idea to stick his name tag on his bare leg. Maybe if he had peeled it off immediately, it wouldn't have been such a big deal. But he didn't try until Billy picked him up after church, and by then it was stuck and stuck good. He had to soak in the tub for a while, with a good covering of soap over the name tag, to get it to peel away. And even then, the sticky part still stuck. We tried rubbing alcohol to get it off, but it didn't. He's going to have to go around a few days with sticker residue stuck on his leg until it finally wears off.

He always likes to be "funny" with his name tag. I think he won't bother with it anymore. I asked him where he always puts his name tag to begin with, and he said, "My shirt." I told him I expected it to stay there every Sunday from now on.

Lesson Two
Last night he was too "lazy" to take his dirty clothes to the hamper in my bathroom, so he left them in a heap on his bedroom floor. He assured me he'd take care of it in the morning. When he woke up this morning, the first thing he said was, "There are ants all over my clothes from last night." I asked how he could see them since the boys' room is always pretty dim in the mornings. "They're obvious," he responded.

Not sure what I'd find, I eased in and tiptoed to the light pull on their fan. Before I turned the light on, I could see his white shirt was covered in ants. Big ants. Oh, no!

I sprayed an empty clothes basket with Raid, then did a quick spray on his clothes before dropping them in. I lightly sprayed the menagerie of books, MP3 players and headphones, and miscellaneous LEGOs, then took his clothes to dump in the washing machine for a quick, super hot wash. When I went back in the room, I checked around the window, the most likely place they'd be coming in. Nothing. I looked all around the baseboards and the ceiling/wall corners, but I didn't see any there either.

Now my stomach is in knots because now I have to look under the bunk beds. That entails taking Jacob's bottom mattress off, removing the support boards, and pulling out all the tubs of toys stored under there. I really hope I don't find any more ant-infested clothing! I have a fear there may be some ant-infested Webkinz, though, since they shove them between the bed and the wall at night. Other stuffed animals get bedded down there, too, but they usually don't come out again until I do my big cleaning.

Speaking of big cleaning, I'm afraid that's what I get to do today. Here goes...

Culinary School?

2011-07-18T10:16:00.007-05:00

I've always enjoyed cooking, and I've toyed with the idea of going to culinary school for a few years. I never really looked into it until recently...

What got me started on the idea again is the book I'm currently reading: The Sharper the Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn. I'm just halfway through the book, but the things she's had to do as a student at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris have led me to rethink my dream.

Curious, I checked out the website for Le Cordon Bleu in Dallas and read through the course descriptions for Culinary Arts. The first two "Foundations" courses seem okay: terminology and organization, stocks and sauces, safe food handling, slicing and dicing, following recipes, soups, and cooking with vegetables, grains, and eggs. All that I can handle.

It's the third "Foundations" class that gets me squeamish: butchery and pork products (as in making sausage, etc.). That, I don't think I could handle. I'm not one for filleting fish or beheading chickens and rabbits, and I prefer to buy my meats already prepared, already ready for my seasoning and cooking.

There's a second option: Baking and Pastry Arts. That would be fun, but it's not what I'd like to focus on. Sweets are fine, but I prefer savory foods.

Tuition is another hang-up. While I don't expect it to be cheap, I don't want to spend $17,000+ on certification in something that I'm not sure I want to do professionally. This is more along the lines of something I'd like to learn for my own personal enjoyment. You know, like taking fun cooking classes.

As I was perusing the website, I found just the thing that interests me: MasterChef Non-Professional Cooking Classes. They offer a range of classes from basic culinary skills (including some of the lesser-desired classes like butchery), basic baking skills, seasonal/holiday cooking, and - my favorite - international cuisine! You can opt to take only a class or two that you like, for $99 each, or you can sign up for a whole series of 6 classes for just $479. (You can also take a year of 24 classes - all six classes in each of the four categories - for $1,499, but I'm not interested in that.)

The series that most interests me is "International Cuisine 101". The six classes feature foods from France, the Mediterranean, Italy, Asia, Spain (tapas), and Latin America. This is exactly what I'm looking for! The only catch is the class on French cooking is this Saturday - which is too soon for me. The other classes don't pick back up until January, then run one each month (except for May) until June. The classes are on Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., so they wouldn't interfere with Billy's work or classes. Most Saturdays, we're home not doing much of anything. That might also be an incentive for my sister Lindsay, who also loves cooking and taking cooking classes, to come for those weekends and join me.

I'd love to know if the next French cooking class will be scheduled for July 2012. If so, that might be perfect timing for what I want to do. I'd be able to save up some money from birthday and Christmas to pay for it. I might even ask my family for money instead of gifts to help pay for it. That would be an excellent gift!

I'll do a little more research and see if I can find out about that French cooking class. I think it'd be my least favorite of the six, but I'd rather pay $479 and include it than pay $500 and take the classes individually.

Update: I take it back. I would like to try the French cuisine class. I just remembered the savory crepes from La Madeleine, as well as their potato gallete, seasoned, I think, with herbs de Provence. They're wonderful, and I would love to learn to make something similar! Bring on the French!

July 2011 Book List

2011-07-15T14:55:00.018-05:00

15. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Lily Owens' mom died tragically when Lily was just 4 years old. Now 14 and at the breaking point in her relationship with her father, she leaves town with her caretaker, Rosaleen, who she has sprung from under police guard at the hospital. Guided by a picture of a black Virgin Mary glued to a piece of board with "Tiburon, SC" written on the back, Lily and Rosaleen head out to find out about Lily's mother's past.

This is a wonderful story about love and forgiveness, friendship and family. Though I wasn't sure about it when I decided to read it, I found it hard to put down. I've added the movie to my Netflix queue, and will hopefully get to watch it in a few weeks.

16. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Henry DeTamble has a genetic anomaly that causes him to time travel. That's how he meets Clare, his future wife, when she's just a child of six. When they meet in "real time", Henry hasn't met Clare yet; only his future self has. But Clare knows him and loves him and is thrilled to be "reunited" with him. In spite of the uncertainty of his life, of what may happen to him at any time, they marry and build a life together.

The story is told through alternating "his and hers" viewpoints, but each is clearly indicated, along with the time of each incident and the ages of both Henry and Clare.

This book was really confusing at first. I felt like I needed to take detailed notes in order to follow what was happening, but after I got used to the whole time travel idea, it wasn't so complicated anymore. Even through the initial difficulties, the story was so intriguing that I couldn't put the book down.

It is graphic in some places (a strong R rating, if not X at times), so be warned. But overall, the story is a good one. I've got this movie on my Netflix queue as well. I've heard it's good. My mom even said so, so I'm thinking maybe the movie didn't get quite as "steamy" as the book.

17. The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers

Sierra Madrid's world is turned upside down when her husband Alex takes a high-paying job in Los Angeles and moves the family there without any input from her. Holding on to her anger, she refuses to enjoy anything Alex tries to do to help her adjust to their new life. As they grow apart, they begin to hurt each other with their words and their actions. Shortly after a tragedy in Sierra's family, Alex announces that he's moving out and wants a divorce. As she fights him and deals with her hurt and anger, as well as the reactions of her children, she begins to find her way to Christ. Reading a journal written by one of her ancestors, she sees parallels between their distant lives.

At first I was a little disappointed with the book. It seemed to follow a standard Christian romance formula, and the characters seemed too predictable and boring. I stuck with it, though, and after a while, the characters became more real to me - so much so that I cried a few times during the story. It's not one of Rivers' best works, but it's still a good read.

18. The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn

Kathleen Flinn had long dreamed of attending Le Cordon Bleu, but it wasn't until she lost her job in London that she even considered it. Urged on by her boyfriend, she used her life savings to spend a year in Paris and attend the famed culinary school. She shares her life as a student in the Basic, Intermediate, and Superior levels of the school's culinary arts program, as well as her life as an American in Paris. It's masterfully written and hard to put down.

I've loved to cook for as long as I can remember, but when it came time for college, I didn't give culinary school the first thought. I wasn't passionate about it then, but I've toyed with the idea some over the last few years. Reading about Flinn's experiences at Le Cordon Bleu made me realize I don't want to go to a full-fledged culinary school. Not for a degree, anyway. Many of the things she had to do are things I don't want to experience. Also, I don't have the money to put into a full culinary arts degree program since I'm not wanting to make a career of cooking. Still, it made me think, and it gave me an idea...

19. Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

My only knowledge of this book came by seeing it on the "new" shelf at the library. The title and cover caught my eye, and after reading the description inside the book jacket, I stuffed it in my book bag for later.

Kavita, a poor Indian woman, gives birth to her second daughter in secret. Her husband Jasu took their first daughter away to be disposed of because she wasn't born a son. After grieving for her, she vows he will not do the same with her second one, whom she names Usha. With the help of her sister, she secretly travels to an orphanage in Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and gives her up, hoping for a better life than she would get otherwise. She finally gives birth to a son, Vijay, and Kavita and Jasu pin their hopes on him.

Somer Thakkar, a pediatrician in California, is devastated after she learns she will never be able to have a child. Her husband Krishnan, an Indian, encourages her to consider adoption from an Indian orphanage his mother has recommended. She eventually agrees and they adopt Asha (Uhsa).

The story focuses on the lives of Kavita, Jasu, Vijay, Somer, Krishnan, Asha, and Krishnan's mother Sarla over a 25-year period as they deal with loss, guilt, uncertainty, anger, and, finally, love and understanding.

This book touched home in many ways. I have friends who are serving as missionaries in India. I have an Indian friend, a missionary, who, with his wife, will be returning to serve there after serving several years in the Philippines. I have friends who are in the adoption process, both domestic and international. Adoption has also played a major role in my own family. It was interesting to see the various perspectives surrounding adoption and to learn about the cultural influences on it.

I also felt some conflicting emotions regarding the characters in this novel. I initially felt like the one American woman was stereotyped as cold, distant, selfish, and weak, while the Indian characters were warm, open, and loving. Of course, things evened out over the course of the story, but it took a while.

Overall, it's a great read, and I can see someone making it into a movie.

On Wearing Shoes

2011-07-01T12:19:00.003-05:00

When we're in our house, we don't wear shoes. There are several reasons for that. Mostly it's because we don't want to track in all the grossness from outside and spread it around our floors. Another reason would be the wear and tear they do on the carpet. It's inconvenient to put them on when I'm just staying inside. Also, it's just more comfortable to walk around in socks or bare feet.

I don't expect other people to take their shoes off when they come in my house, but if they feel comfortable enough to do that, I definitely don't mind. When I go into someone else's home, I follow their lead. If they're shoeless, I'll most likely slip mine off. If they're wearing shoes, I'll most likely keep mine on. If I'm with family, they almost always come off. It's that comfortable feeling again.

Yesterday, however, I was reminded (again) of why I do need to put on shoes when I'm working out. They do a good job of absorbing the shock from jumping jacks, jumping rope, high knees, and butt kicks (Jillian's terms). They also help out with balance when I'm standing on one leg, doing lunges, etc. Probably most importantly, they protect my feet from injury. I must've landed wrong yesterday when I was doing my Jillian workout. In bare feet. I feel bruised underneath/on the side of my little toe on my right foot. It's not swollen or visibly bruised, but it hurts. And I know if I had been wearing shoes during my workout, like I'm supposed to do, I wouldn't be complaining about that today.

I'll continue going barefoot in my house - or with socks on when the weather is cold - but from now on, when I'm preparing to do any sort of exercise, I will stop and take the little bit of time necessary to put on socks and shoes.

Mid-Year Review

2011-06-30T07:50:00.007-05:00

On January 1 of this year, I blogged about my goals for 2011. As I was thinking about this the other day, I knew I was falling short in most areas, if not all of them. I need to refresh my memory not only with what my goals for the year are but also why they were important to me at one time...

1. Bible Study - D
Sad to say, I've really dropped off here. I was doing well with my own personal study, but I had to change my focus in order to write some articles for a monthly (now bi-monthly, if at all...) e-magazine that a friend of mine was putting out. I'd be so intensely studying for the article that once I finished writing it, I'd "take a break". A lengthy break. A 3-week-long break before starting work on the next one. And now, since I haven't had to turn in an article since late May and I don't know when my next deadline will be, the break has turned into over a month now. I need to return to what I was studying before the magazine articles took my time...

2. Weight Loss - C
Well, the Christmas holidays set me off and I'm just now getting back to losing weight again. Of course, the weight I'm losing now is the 7 pounds I put back on... But it's going well right now. I've lost 5 pounds of that over the last month. I've been exercising more regularly. First it was through 20-minute segments of strength training and cardio, based in part on Jillian Michaels' 30-Day Shred. More recently it's been through swimming laps at the pool a few times each week. I'm noticing a difference! That's encouraging! Now if I can keep it up, I'm on a good track to lose some more. I'm dreading the plateau I always seem to hit, but I have a few tricks up my sleeve this time...

3. Cooking - A
While I haven't tried many recipes yet from Cooking Light or Now Eat This!, I have been more adventurous in my cooking. I chalk that up to a wonderful book called How to Cook Without a Book. Yes, I know. Funny title. But it's such a great book! Basically, you learn cooking techniques. Then you should be able to cook a wealth of recipes without having to rely on a recipe. I now make my own pasta sauce for a lot less than I was paying for jarred sauce - which I always tweaked anyway! I can make a frittata and I know how to vary ingredients based on what I want or what I have. (Of course, since those are baked, they'll be on our fall/winter rotation. I don't like to turn the oven on if I can help it during the spring/summer...) I've also learned about various pasta dishes that are quick, easy, and flavorful - and I can make it any way I like. Bring on the experimentation! Soon I hope to try a pasta/spinach/ricotta dish, maybe with some Italian sausage mixed in for protein and spice. I also want to try my hand at spanakopita (Greek phyllo pies with spinach and feta). I love what I learned and I'm excited to be able to use it! Yes, I'll still use some cookbooks and actual recipes for things, but I'm no longer afraid to jump out on my own and try something new.

4. Photography - F
I have done soooo little with this. I think it's mainly because I'm overwhelmed with photos on my computer that need to be edited, renamed, and filed into iPhoto. I won't say how many months worth, but I will admit that this is the worst I've let it pile up. I thought summer would be a great time to get it under control again, but it seems we're busier now than we were during the school year. Actually, it's just that when I think about it, I'm busy with something else. When I'm not busy and have some time to work on it, I don't think about it. I need to make a list.

5. Reading - C
Earlier this year, my reading started slow. I think a lot of that had to do with reading classics. While they aren't bad, and it's something I wanted to do, they are definitely a slower read for me. And the fact that I spent a lot of time watching six seasons of Grey's Anatomy on Netflix instead of reading makes for slower-growing book lists. I gave up on reading one classic a month in April, I believe. I had started rereading Lord of the Flies, a favorite from high school, but it just wasn't a great as I remembered. Then I got Decision Points from the library and needed to hurry with it because it was a popular book. I had been 11th in line for it when I placed a hold on it. It was a good book, but it took me a while to get through it. When I had the chance to get back to LOTF, I just wasn't interested anymore. Plus I have too many other library books on my shelf that aren't classics that I need to get read - that I want to read more than classics right now. I'll go back to my old habit of picking up a classic every once in a while... This month, I did read four books, though. I think my total for the year is currently 14...? I've got a long way to go to reach my goal of 36, which I still want to achieve. I can do it!

6. Blogging - D
January was good. February and following months, not so much. I still put some blame on Facebook. I've often come up with statuses for FB that would be better suited for a blog post, but I just shorten them and go on with life. I watched - and enjoyed - Biggest Loser and American Idol this year, but I never felt the need to blog about it. I did write about some articles from my current magazine subscriptions, but not many. And I've let my magazine perusing slide, too. I'm a few months back. I've decided to let Real Simple lapse when renewal comes up. I like it, but it's not one I use much. Cooking Light, on the other hand, has some really useful tips throughout, as well as some great-sounding recipes. Of course, I need to try those recipes instead of just looking at them... My 6-month gift subscription from Lindsay runs out with the August issue, but I decided it's one I want to keep around for at least another year. Last week I renewed it. Maybe I'll pick up blogging about some of that again. As for blogging about life, there's a lot I could do right now. But I feel the need to hold back sometimes. Maybe I'll blog and save the entries as drafts for posting a little later when there's some distance between me and the situations... (I tend to not share a lot of things with a lot of people... That's a big admittance right there.)

So, what does this mid-year review show me? Of the things I thought important at the beginning of the year, only some have held true. I need to decide which of these goals are most important and focus on them. The others can hold off a little longer. Priorities change for various reasons, and right now Bible study and health need to take a higher place in my life. And reading has just always been a pleasure I can't let go of. Writing is an important outlet for me that I've let slide. I need it, and I need to get back to it. I'll work in photography when I can, but I won't worry if I don't do all the things with it that I'd like to.

June 2011 Book List

2011-06-13T16:21:00.006-05:00

11. Brainiac by Ken Jennings

If you're a fan of Jeopardy! - and maybe even if you aren't - you know who Ken Jennings is. He won 74 straight games in 2004, becoming the biggest winner in the history of the show.

Brainiac isn't just a memoir of Jennings' historical rise to fame. He includes much of the history of trivia (at times getting a little too trivial and long-winded about it), looks at the social world of trivia, and peppers the chapters with questions. (You'll find the answers neatly stated at the end of each chapter.)

While I liked learning some of the history of trivia and finding out about the various degrees of trivia competitions across the U.S., I was more interested in Jennings' preparation for the show and his experience on it. I never imagined the security details in place to prevent another quiz show scandal like the ones in the '50's. It was also interesting to read his take on the way he was treated backstage by his competitors.

Jennings' quirky sense of humor is present throughout the book, and I often found myself chuckling or downright laughing at his jokes and snide comments. He's a guy I'd like to have a conversation with!

This is a must-read for trivia-minded people.

12. With Love and Laughter, John Ritter by Amy Yasbeck

I don't remember which night Eight Simple Rules... came on, but we always watched it. I do remember feeling shocked when I heard that John Ritter had died. And I remember feeling sad when Eight Simple Rules... wrote in his death, then ended. He had always seemed like a fun, happy guy.

Reading about Ritter's life, through the eyes of his widow Amy Yasbeck, confirmed my ideas about him. He grew up loving making people laugh - and he had quite the knack for physical comedy, as was evidenced (though a bit much...) on Three's Company. Two things made a big impression on me. First, because of his love for his family and his desire for them to know that love, he put them first. Sure, there were instances when he did take a little time out from family outings to sign an autograph or pose for a quick photo, but his kids always knew he put them first. Second, regardless of his huge success, he stayed humble. He loved his fans and was always wanting to make people laugh. His ego never took over.

Though I didn't recognize Yasbeck's name, once I read her story, interwoven with Ritter's, I realized I had seen her act in many things. Mel Brooks' Robin Hood: Men in Tights is probably where I knew her best, though she did star opposite Ritter in Problem Child and Problem Child 2, and had a part in Pretty Woman, as well as other movies and TV shows. (She is also well-known for her role on Wings, but I never watched that show. Now that's it's on Netflix, maybe I should give it a try...) Yasbeck's strong Catholic upbringing is evident throughout the book, but I never saw a mention of any religious leanings of Ritter's.

Yasbeck goes into some detail about aortic dissection, which was the cause of Ritter's untimely death in 2003. The media inaccurately portrayed his condition as undetectable. Unfortunately I don't remember hearing much about it after that. Just as others have taken up causes to educate the public about diseases and health conditions that have claimed the lives of loved ones, Yasbeck has made Familial Aortic Aneurysm and Dissection her cause. It has helped save lives, including that of Ritter's younger brother.

This was a quick read - funny and sad, informative on so many levels. And even after 8 years, I find myself still missing him.

13. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I'm somewhat of a Julia Roberts fan, so when I saw she had made this movie, I wanted to read the book first.

While Gilbert and I are not like-minded politically or religiously, I did enjoy her writing style. I liked reading about her time in Italy (somewhere I've always wanted to go, especially since I'm Italian...), India, and Indonesia. My favorite parts were about the people she met.

As for her search for balance and "finding God", I found much of it tedious. I think my least favorite section was on India, where she spent her entire four months in an ashram studying under an absentee guru. At times I was tempted to put the book down and forget it, but I wanted to get on to Indonesia and see what she experienced there, which was more interesting.

Overall it was an okay book. Not one I'd want on my own shelf, and not one that I'd really recommend to anyone - especially someone who isn't a Christian. (I'd hate for them to think I, in any way, condone her search for spirituality.) Then again, I'd find it hard to recommend to a Christian, too, just because so much of what she believes is contradictory.

And now that I've finished the book the movie is no longer streaming on Netflix. (I rarely see movies when they're showing at the theater.) I remember thinking as I was reading that it would be difficult to make this into a great movie. Apparently critics agreed. My youngest sister and my mother-in-law both said they weren't impressed with it. Lindsay only enjoyed seeing all the Italian food; Ginny didn't watch much of the movie at all because she got bored with it. I'm not going to waste my time ordering it from Netflix to watch at home. If they put it on streaming again, I might give it a try, but most likely I won't.

14. Gather Together in my Name by Maya Angelou

Earlier this year, I finally read the highly acclaimed I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, part one of Maya Angelou's autobiography. It left me wanting to know more.

Gather Together in my Name is the second part, covering 3 years - the late teens - of Angelou's life. So much happened during her childhood, and so much more during her late teen years, that it's hard to imagine the full, revered life she would come to have.

This book picks up where Caged Bird left off, with Angelou (then known as "Rita" Johnson) trying to make ends meet for herself and her infant son. She sees herself as big and ugly, and she has such a desire to be loved and taken care of that she falls into bad situations with tough characters. Somehow she always lands on her feet, bruised and scarred, but with a greater determination to make things work out rather than laying down and dying to her dreams.

As Gather Together ends, Angelou is once again at the bottom of the ladder, having made a (hopefully) wise decision to return with her young son to her mother's house, even though it's full of denial and sadness. Now I have an urge to read the third part. I know the end of the story - the fame and success and honor she's attained. The amazing part is her journey there.

I would definitely recommend I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and Gather Together in my Name, but be warned that a lot of the content is seedy and, at times, graphic.

May 2011 Book List

2011-06-12T17:36:00.006-05:00

9. Decision Points by George W. Bush

I'd been wanting to read this book ever since I heard it was coming out, so as soon as I knew my library had it, I put it on hold. It took a while before it was finally my turn, but it was definitely worth waiting for.

Decision Points is not a full-scale autobiography, but rather a presidential memoir of the key decision points that shaped George W. Bush's presidency - and the key decisions in his life that led up to it. He shares experiences with his father, former President George H. W. Bush, and with his mother, Barbara - which made me want to read her autobiography as well. (I've started it twice, but it's so long, I ended up putting it down both times. Maybe the third time, whenever that will be..., will be the charm.) He also goes into detail about the importance of family through his relationships with wife Laura, daughters Jenna and Barbara, and others in his extended family. He's quick-witted and humorous, and that comes through in his writing.

It was very timely that I happened to be reading about his war policy toward Afghanistan when news came that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. Reading the background information helped put things into perspective - many years after the fact. Events and reasoning get cloudy and forgotten, but this book cleared things up. I felt immensely proud that George W. Bush had been my president.

At times, I felt a little bogged down by so much information in areas that didn't seem so important to me. Then again, I'm not politically-minded at all, so it's to be expected. It's not a fast read; it took me about 5 weeks to finish it. Overall the book was well-written and informative.

10. Miss Julia Rocks the Cradle by Ann B. Ross

It was time again for another guilty pleasure. I needed a quick, light read, and Miss Julia books always fit that bill.

This time, Miss Julie is taking care of Hazel Marie, waiting for her to give birth to her twins. In the meantime, she's promised Sam that she won't get involved in anyone else's business - which always gets her into some crazy predicament. Unfortunately a dead body is found in a neighbor's toolshed - with a blank check of Miss Julia's in his pocket. Now it's her business too, and with Sam and Mr. Pickens out of town, she decides it's time to take matters into her own hands. And to complicate matters, Hazel Marie goes into labor during a blizzard and it's up to Miss Julia, Lillian, and Etta Mae to deliver the babies. The usual Miss Julia hilarity follows, complete with hair-brained schemes, misunderstandings, and happy endings.

When I read these books, I like to picture the characters as if they're being played in a movie. Here's my cast: Miss Julia - Shirley McClaine; Sam Murdoch - Hal Holbrook; Lillian - Cicely Tyson; Hazel Marie - Rene Zellwegger. I'm not fixed on the others yet, but if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Menu Plan Monday: May 30

2011-05-30T13:16:00.003-05:00

This is going to be an easy week! The boys are out of town, and Billy and I have coupons/gift cards for a few free meals here and there! I'll cook one night because I have some mushrooms I need to use, but I'm sure there'll be plenty of leftovers to get us through the rest of the week.

Monday
FREE Chargrilled Chicken Garden Salad from Chick-Fil-A (calendar coupon)

Tuesday
FREE dinner at Corner Bakery (gift card from Christmas from Billy's boss)

Wednesday
Pasta with Garlic Butter Mushrooms
Caesar Salad

Thursday
???

We need to go by Costco for a few things, so I'm thinking I might want to eat out at La Madeleine...!

Friday
leftovers, maybe with a little grilled chicken tossed in...

Saturday
sandwiches

We'll be meeting and lunching at Cracker Barrel to pick up the boys, so supper will be light.

Sunday
sandwiches

Our church is holding its first of three summer fun family nights. This night we'll be entertained by a ventriloquist and his troop of crazy puppets. Then we'll have a fellowship afterward with lemonade and cookies. We'll need something a little more substantial when we get home!

Next week we have a fairly easy summer schedule with just one day out, so I'll plan on cooking more next week. I've got several things in mind I want to try: pasta with spinach and ricotta, and Fiesta Rice with Chicken (a recipe I'm noodling over in my mind...); as well as some family favorites: a breakfast supper, and spaghetti with meatballs.

Green Frozen Treats

2011-05-30T12:22:00.006-05:00

(Green, as in environmentally friendly - but color could work, too!)

Billy and the boys love to snack on popsicles during the summer, and it seems I have to buy a new bag of them every other week. The plastic sleeves make a mess everywhere, and I usually end up with sticky drips on the floor between the snack bar and the trash can.

A few weeks ago, the boys saw a big bin full of mesh bags of popsicles at the grocery store and their cravings began. Last year, it seemed every bag I touched had sticky popsicle residue on it. I was in no mood to wander around the store with sticky hands, so I put the boys off, telling them we'd get some later. Then I remembered the plastic popsicle molds we used to have a long time ago. In our many moves, they'd been lost or misplaced, or maybe I sold them in a garage sale or threw them out. I was on a new mission.

I spent about $6 on three sets of popsicle molds at Wal-Mart, enough to make 12 popsicles at a time - and they're a perfect fit inside the freezer door!

We started out making ice pops from tropical punch-flavored Kool-Aid, which the boys love. They were a hit!

Next we tried strawberry yogurt. (Jacob's big thing lately has been putting his yogurt containers in the freezer, but then he struggles with digging the frozen yogurt out with a spoon. He loves the taste, but after a while he loses interest and sticks it back in the freezer. I've ended up throwing a few away because he never finished it or he left one on the counter to thaw and forgot about it...) These were great! Now the boys can have easy-to-eat frozen yogurt on a stick in the flavor(s) of their choosing.

I can also eat them because they're only 50 calories each. I've gotten so used to eating plain fat-free yogurt with homemade granola for breakfast every morning that I find the flavored yogurts too sweet. But this is the perfect amount - and it's more like an small ice cream bar.

We've also talked about freezing fruit or chocolate chips in with the yogurt or making pudding pops. I think the boys are eager to try banana chunks in chocolate pudding or banana cream pie-flavored yogurt. They're also looking forward to lemonade pops and some made from different fruit juices. I want to try watermelon! We're also considering filling the molds with homemade ice cream and seeing how they freeze up. We've got plenty of options to carry us through the summer!

We're reducing our trash by not having to throw away those troublesome plastic sleeves or the mesh bags - and we're reusing our popsicle molds on an almost daily basis. Now that's $6 well spent!

Menu Plan Monday: May 23

2011-05-23T13:33:00.003-05:00

Last week's menu got changed up some (as usual), and I ended up cooking quite a bit over the weekend - which is very unusual! Saturday night we had blackened tilapia, scampi-flavored pasta (Lipton/Knorr package mix), and steamed broccoli. Sunday we trekked out to a nearby farmers market and bought some delicious fresh veggies. I ended up cooking quite a bit for supper: sausage with fried cabbage and onions, cornbread, purple hull peas, creamed corn, and stir-fried/steamed zucchini and summer squash, served with fresh sliced tomatoes and bread & butter pickles (which we also bought from the farmers market). It was delicious - and we have leftovers!!!

Since I did so much cooking over the weekend - and since the boys have testing three days this week - it's going to be a fairly easy one...

Monday
Peperoncini Roast with tortillas
Caesar salad

Tuesday
scrambled eggs
grits
bacon
toast

Wednesday
leftovers

Thursday
leftovers
mac & cheese for the boys

Friday
out

Saturday
chili cheese corn dogs/hot dogs
It's home team night...

Sunday
???
I'm not sure what's going on with us and the boys and grandparents for the weekend/next week... Guess I need to find something out.

I'm looking forward to an easy week. It's been a while!

For more menu plan ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday: May 16

2011-05-16T14:12:00.004-05:00

I never got around to planning my menu for this week before I went to the grocery store last Friday, so I tried to wing it. I didn't do too badly, but we seem to be eating a lot of sausage this week...

Monday
Tuscan Sausage Pasta
Caesar salad

Tuesday
soft tacos
chips, salsa, & guacamole

Wednesday
breakfast burritos

Thursday
blackened tilapia
rice pilaf
broccoli

Friday
leftover buffet

Saturday
Peperoncini Roast
creamed corn
salad

Sunday
leftover Peperoncini Roast sandwiches (on toasted hamburger buns with some melted provolone...)

Now that AWANA is over for the summer, I have to start planning meals for one more night. We might just continue with sandwich night on Sundays. As much as I like to cook, I don't want to do it all the time.

So, there's Italian sausage Monday night and breakfast sausage in Wednesday's burritos. I'm also planning to have some Sausage with Fried Cabbage and Onions one night next week... Then I think we'll have some chicken.

For more menu plan ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Lost: Inspiration

2011-05-11T09:19:00.003-05:00

One of my goals for this year was to blog more about life in general instead of playing the meme game so often. I did a little of that, but I seem to have fallen off that horse in March or April. I don't know why. Life didn't get any busier than normal. I think I just lost my inspiration.

I've also dropped off quite a bit in my reading. By this time last year, I had read more than 20 books. I'm currently reading book #9. It was Lord of the Flies, my classic for April. But I got George W. Bush's Decision Points from the waiting list at the library, so I had to focus on it. I put LOTF away, lost interest, and returned it to the library. I also lost my interest in reading one classic a month. I just want to read what strikes my fancy, when it strikes my fancy. I'm still reading Decision Points. It's a slower read for me than most books - non-fiction usually is - but I'm really enjoying it. I'm also finding it very timely, what with Osama bin Laden's recent death.

Another area I've lost inspiration: photography. I WANT to take pictures, but I just haven't taken the time to do it. What I want to photograph is hard with the boys in tow. I haven't participated in the weekly Photo Friday meme in months. I haven't gotten back to my Project 52 since I rethought my angle two months ago. I found my new angle, but I haven't done anything since. I've also basically quit participating in a Facebook photography challenge group.

Maybe I just need to finish out this school year with the boys. We have just over a week left. Maybe then I can find some new inspiration.

Menu Plan Monday: May 9

2011-05-09T15:13:00.005-05:00

Last night, my next-door neighbor sent over a paper sack with a few big handfuls of serrano peppers inside. I've never cooked with them, only jalapenos, but I did read that they're hotter. I have a plan to work some of them into one of our meals this week, but I want to do something different with the others... I'm thinking about stuffing some with mozzarella cheese, coating them with Panko bread crumbs, and baking them until they're tender. Kind of like jalapeno poppers, but smaller and hotter. Am I asking for trouble on this? :o)

This week will be easy since we'll be heading out to see family for the weekend: two nights of cooking, one night of leftovers, and one night of whatever you can find. :o)

Monday
new recipe! Szechwan Chicken Fried Rice w/ Peanuts

Tuesday
Tony Chachere's Dirty Rice
steamed broccoli

Yeah, I didn't get around to this over the weekend...

Wednesday
Chicken Enchiladas (from the freezer) with a fresh-made cheesy serrano sour cream sauce
mac & cheese or hot dogs for the boys

Thursday
leftovers

Friday
We'll probably grab a bite to eat on the way out.

Saturday
We'll be having our belated Mother's Day weekend with Billy's and my parents at a cookout. And my sister Melissa and her friend Stacy will be cooking us a Caramel Apple Crisp over coals in a Dutch oven for dessert. Yum!

Sunday
sandwich night - After a day of traveling, I'm not going to feel like cooking. At all.

Now I need to get to work planning next week's menu so I'll be ready for Friday's grocery shopping. I have a few ideas...

Menu Plan Monday: May 2

2011-05-03T13:57:00.005-05:00

I'm getting off to a slow start this week, but a pressing deadline has come and gone and I'm ready to get back into my routine.

This week's menu has a little carried over from last week's because of some sudden changes of plans. The boys were invited to go to a pizza/play restaurant with a neighbor for his birthday, so Billy and I ate light instead of cooking. Then I was busy with mopping and vacuuming the next day and didn't feel like cooking. Oh, and Billy and I had a quick project to finish up that we had forgotten about the night before - when the boys were gone...

Monday
Pepperoni Pasta
garden salad

(This is the recipe Jacob found in a kids' cookbook. We made it, but I tweaked it with my own sauce recipe and a few ingredient substitutions. It was surprisingly good, especially considering I'm not a fan of pepperoni. Yeah, I know I'm Italian...)

Tuesday
pancake night
(regular for Billy, blueberry for me, and chocolate chocolate chip for the boys)

Wednesday
leftovers

Thursday - Cinco de Mayo
Black Bean Quesadillas
chips with guacamole and salsa

Friday
Southwestern Cornbread Salad

Saturday
Tony Chachere's Dirty Rice
salad

Sunday - Mother's Day
OUT!

For more menu plan ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday: April 25

2011-04-25T08:19:00.004-05:00

As evidenced by last week's menu changes, my mid-week grocery shopping interferes with planning a menu every Monday. Everything from Wednesday through Saturday changed - and much of it is being carried over to this week. However, this week's busy day will be Friday, so I'm prepared to plan through Sunday. Next week, who knows?

(New recipes are in italics.)

Monday
Smoked Sausage with Fried Cabbage and Onions
Glazed Carrots
Cornbread

Tuesday
Hot Dogs/Corn Dogs - It's Billy's late night.

Wednesday
Pepperoni Pasta (a recipe Jacob found in a kids' cookbook, which will be modified)
Garden Salad

Thursday
Tony Chachere's Dirty Rice (best box mix EVER!)
Green Beans
Garden Salad

Friday
leftovers

Saturday
sandwiches - home team night

Sunday
AWANA Picnic in the Park (hot dogs, chips, etc.)

For more menu inspiration, check out these other menu plans

Menu Plan Monday: April 18

2011-04-18T08:45:00.004-05:00

Yeah, I know it's been a while since I posted a menu plan. Now that our schedule has changed and we're busy (including grocery shopping) on Wednesdays instead of Fridays, my Monday-Sunday meal planning is off. Now I typically plan Wednesday-Tuesday. I'm considering changing my Menu Plan Monday to What's Cookin' Wednesday... But for now, here's my Menu Plan Monday for as far as I can think to make it. (New recipes are in italics.)

Monday
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Tuesday, National Garlic Day
Pasta with Chicken & Veggies
Tonight's veggie and seasoning selections: broccoli, mushrooms, garlic, and red pepper flakes

Wednesday
~~breakfast burritos~~
BBQ chicken take-and-bake pizza from ALDI

Thursday
~~Sausage with Fried Cabbage~~
~~Cornbread~~
The boys ate mac & cheese; Billy and I ate leftover pasta.

Friday
~~leftover buffet~~
Taco Layer Dip

Saturday
~~Tony Chachere's Dirty Rice Mix~~
~~green beans~~
leftover Taco Layer Dip

Easter Sunday
Out! We'll have a light lunch at home in preparation for a heavier evening meal - and going out on Easter Sunday night (for us) has proven to be quite a lonely choice. The restaurants we've been to have been virtually empty. :o)

Well, I was able to plan for a week this time. Last week was nearly impossible, and I never got around to posting my partial MPM post... We'll see how this goes.

April 2011 Book List

2011-04-14T08:32:00.006-05:00

8. The 13th Hour by Richard Doetsch

Nick Quinn has been wrongfully arrested for the murder of his wife. While he waits in the interrogation room for his lawyer, a mysterious stranger enters and gives him a letter and a pocket watch, with the instructions not to lose either one. He has been given the ability to go back in time, one hour at a time for 12 hours, to save his wife's life.

As he searches for answers to saving his wife' life, he learns that time is a precious gift, not to be wasted. He vows to make the most of every moment with his wife - if he can save her. He also learns that one action can set into motion a chain of events causing devastating consequences for those he loves - and for hundreds of strangers as well. Can he find the answer, or will time run out?

This is such an intriguing story! It kept me on my toes. Just when I thought I had figured something out, I was thrown for a loop with a major plot twist. Doetsch kept me guessing to the end - and left open the possibility of a sequel.

One thing that drew me to this book was that it ties in with what our small group from church discussed one night: If you could go back and change one particular thing in your life, would you? And if so, what would it be? What consequences would it have erased, and what would it have possibly caused? Although it's not a possibility, it does make you think.

I've added this to my list of 5-star books for when friends ask me for recommendations.

---------------------------------
Currently Reading:
9. Lord of the Flies by William Golding Decision Points by George W. Bush

Menu Plan Monday: March 28

2011-03-28T09:02:00.002-05:00

Our schedule has been different the last month or so, and that, combined with spring break two weeks ago, has totally messed up my regular menu planning routine. With the higher cost of gasoline, and my interest in a knitting group at church, our new errand day is now Wednesday. That means grocery shopping on Wednesday instead of Friday. That means I need to plan my menu differently. That also means that I need to reset my mental organizer so I can actually plan a menu and grocery shop more efficiently than I have been doing the last few weeks. :oP

I did make two new things last week: a frittata with sausage, onions, and peppers on Wednesday and homemade pasta sauce on Friday. Both were big hits! And both are from a wonderful library book I'm reading: How to Cook Without a Book. The basic idea is to learn a few techniques and vary them to cook a wide range of gourmet (or basic) foods - without having to rely on cookbooks, recipe cards, etc. It's a great reference book, so I'm considering ordering it for my own personal library.

The frittata will be a new fall/winter dish since it's baked in the oven. What I love about this is the wide variety of fillings to choose from. I can use whatever is on hand, or I can plan for something a little more extravagant - like the bacon, spinach, and feta I'm dying to try.

The homemade pasta sauce will be a year-round staple. Billy loved it (said it was the best he's ever had) and nearly begged to have it again really soon. (Love that he loves it!!) It's something else that I can vary with ingredients on hand. My favorite part is that a 28-oz. can of crushed tomatoes only costs 25 cents (from ALDI), as opposed to a jar of Prego for $2 or so. I always doctor what's in the jar anyway, so making my own sauce took the same amount of effort and time - but saved me soooo much money in the long run. (Well, about $1.75, but it adds up!) I can make the sauce with meat or mushrooms, add whatever veggies I want, season it differently for different uses (spaghetti, lasagna, or pizza), etc. (We like our sauce a little on the sweet side, but since I add sweet Italian sausage to my lasagna, it doesn't need to be as sweet. Pizza sauce can be plainer since most of the flavor comes from the toppings.)

Here is the plan for this week: (New recipes are in italics.)

Monday
BBQ chicken tenders
Smoky Potato Pancakes (modified, from the Jan/Feb issue of Cooking Light magazine)
green beans

Tuesday
baked potatoes with the works
green salad

Wednesday
grits
bacon
scrambled eggs
toast

Thursday
grilled pork chops
Butternut Squash Risotto (from a box...)
green salad

Friday
Camp food! Billy will be taking the boys to a Dads & Dudes camp out at a local Christian camp/ranch, and I'll be joining the seminary wives for part of a weekend retreat in the opposite direction.

Saturday
??? I know I'll be too tired to cook and clean up. We'll either have sandwiches or order pizza or Chinese take-out.

Sunday
AWANA Pizza Party

For more menu plans, check out

March 2011 Book List

2011-03-21T12:15:00.007-05:00

5. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Married, but with an absent husband, Hester Prynne finds passion with another man, resulting in the birth of a baby girl, Pearl. Shortly after Pearl's birth, Hester stands in front of the townspeople, with a bold letter A embroidered on her bodice to shame her for her part in adultery. As she looks out at the crowd, she sees her husband. He meets with her later in the prison and tells her he's changed his name and won't interfere with her life anymore. However he is curious and makes it his mission to discover the man she refuses to name as her lover. For seven long years, Hester, always wearing her scarlet letter, and Pearl are ostracized. Her husband has discovered the secret offender, and he secretly torments him. Finally Hester realizes what's going on and vows to put an end to things, but they don't turn out the way she planned.

This book was easier to read than Emma (from January), but it was still difficult because of the language. I found myself mentally summarizing what each chapter was about, based on a technique I read about several years ago in The Well-Educated Mind. Of course, since the chapters had titles instead of just numbers, it was easier to recall what happened in each one.

I enjoyed this book and often found it hard to put down. Earlier I saw a recent novel exploring a current author's creation of Hester's earlier life. I might see if I can find it again and add it to my ever-growing stack of books.

6. Wally's World: Life With Wally the Wonder Dog by Marsha Boulton

Yes, another animal book. I'm a sucker for a good animal story, and this one was superb. The start was a little slow, with the author going into detail about all the dogs she had previously owned, from childhood until she got Wally. I kept wondering if she'd ever get to him. Once she did, though, the story flowed beautifully. Wally led quite a life, full of love, play, and pain. From his experiences living on a farm to staying in 4-star hotels, and everything in between, Wally's world was fun. He made sure of it.

While I do rate this book highly, I was able to put it down for days at a time to do or read something else, especially in the beginning. But I always came back to it because I wanted to know what Wally was up to next - and there was always something to laugh about.

7. Quesadillas by Donna Kelly

Yes, I read a cookbook. Actually I peruse cookbooks frequently, but this is one I actually read from cover to cover.

I make quesadillas often, but they're usually the same: black beans with corn and a few other varying ingredients, based on what I have on hand. This book inspired me to put all sorts of things between flour tortillas and "glue" them together with various cheeses. Then there was the dessert section... YUM!

While it's not a cookbook I feel I need to have on my shelf, it did serve as a springboard for all sorts of creative ideas. I made BBQ chicken quesadillas, and BLT quesadillas are not far away. I really want to try a few of the dessert ones, too, but I feel like I need to justify eating them. I'm trying to watch my fat and sugar intake (again!), and tasty desserts aren't conducive to success in that area...

My Cheesecake Blunder

2011-03-10T10:28:00.013-06:00

I love cheesecake and have always wanted to learn to make one. Last Thanksgiving, among the many desserts were a cheesecake and a sweet potato pie. I couldn't choose one or the other, so I put a thin slice of each on my plate. And I ate them together. What a smooth blend of flavors! I immediately wanted to make my own sweet potato cheesecake.

Obstacle number one was easily overcome. Billy's mom had a springform pan that she never used, so she gave it to me.

Obstacle number two was easily overcome after a little thought. With two Christmas parties coming up, which one would I make the sweet potato cheesecake for? When the clipboard for the Sunday school class party was passed around the next week, I saw several people had already signed up for desserts. That worked perfectly, because I could sign up for something else and save my cheesecake for a smaller group of ~~guinea pigs~~ friends - my home team.

I scoured the internet looking for recipes for sweet potato cheesecakes. I read reviews. I studied the directions on the ones that sounded scrumptious. I finally chose the one for me. I found all the ingredients I needed at my friendly "neighborhood" ALDI store (20 minutes away, since there's not one in my little part of the pasture). I was ready!

The day arrived. I started that morning cooking my sweet potatoes, crushing cookies for my crust, and rereading the directions several times to be sure I didn't mess anything up. Oh, and I did plenty of sampling the mixture to make sure the taste was going to be good.

I'm glad I started in the morning, because it was an all-day affair. The prep work, the cleaning, the baking, the cleaning, the chilling, the cleaning. Oh, and the cleaning! I messed up soooo many dishes and utensils! I'm typically a neat cook, and this was nowhere near my norm.

Finally, about two hours before time to leave for our party, I put the caramelized pecan topping on my beautiful masterpiece and put it in the refrigerator to chill. Just before time to leave, I gently set it on the base of my cake carrier and sprung the pan. It was standing! The topping was still a little oozy, dribbling slightly down the sides, but it was beautiful.

I carefully balanced my work of art on my lap as we made our way through heavy holiday traffic. When we got to the church, I took it inside and took the lid off to check it once more before I put it in the refrigerator to chill a little more. I was so excited about how beautifully gourmet it looked. I only gave it about 20 minutes in the 'fridge before I just had to set it out on the dessert table and bedazzle everyone who saw it.

After a time of chatting and eating our meal, it was dessert time. Time to cut the (cheese)cake. I made the first cut and it wiggled a little. Hmmmm... I made the second cut and slid out the first slice. It fell. Another slice out. The center of the whole cheesecake fell. My heart fell. My face fell. I hoped and prayed it wasn't still "raw" in the middle.

Everyone raved about the flavor, which really was good. Still, the texture left a lot to be desired. I worried that someone - everyone - would get sick from the eggs that possibly hadn't thoroughly cooked. I made sure I ate plenty so I would suffer right along with the others.

When we got home with about half the cheesecake left drooping all over the place, I couldn't bear to throw it out. I had worked so hard and had such high hopes that my first cheesecake would be perfect and talked about for years to come. (Well, the second part is most likely true, though not for reasons I like...) I made room for it in the refrigerator with the intention of taking care of it the next day.

After Sunday lunch, I took the cheesecake out, curious about what might have happened to it overnight. It looked firm, like a cheesecake should be. It looked really tasty, regardless of the mess it had made all over the plate. I braved a bite. Wow! It was delicious! The texture was perfect, and the flavors had time to blend together better. What a difference a longer refrigeration time had made! I was belatedly impressed - as well as encouraged to attempt another cheesecake (which I haven't done yet...).

As I thought back over the last few days, I grabbed my recipe and read over it again. Had I missed instructions about refrigeration times? Did it say that I should've made the cheesecake a day earlier? Nope. Nothing of the sort. Why not? Why take for granted that anyone who's making a cheesecake - especially a first-timer! - should know those things?

I decided to check my local library and see if I could find any sort of cheesecake guide book. I happened upon The Ultimate Cheesecake Cookbook by Joey Reynolds and Myra Chanin, which looked promising. Once I got home with it, I put it on my library book shelf, where it sat a few weeks until today. I found that very bit of advice in "Chapter 4: Twenty-Three Tips for Making Perfectly Baked Cheesecakes Every Time". It's under the bold heading "5. Never Bake Cheesecakes at the Last Minute". It goes on to say that they should be baked about two days early and "allowed to mellow before serving".

I wonder what other wonderfully necessary tips I'll learn as I keep reading... Then I plan to make another cheesecake. I just need to pick my occasion.

Menu Plan Monday: February 28

2011-03-01T12:48:00.003-06:00

Yes, I know. I'm a day late. Again.

I hard the hardest time planning my menu for this week. Uninspired? Not so much as a mental block that suddenly lifted overnight. I made a quick trip to Brookshire's today to pick up a few sale items, and now I have something for the week, including a new recipe to try.

Monday
Well... I was going to make Shrimp Alfredo with Broccoli and Mushrooms and Caesar Salad. But... I thawed out chicken instead of the shrimp. Instead of going ahead with Chicken Alfredo, I decided to hold off and do something totally different.

I stir-fried the chicken with some olive oil and some Asian seasoning, then I tossed in some sliced onion, carrot matchsticks, broccoli florets, and fresh mushrooms. After those had cooked a little, I added some teriyaki sesame sauce I had bought at ALDI during their Asian food week. I served it over some leftover steamed rice from our fried rice a few nights earlier. It was a hit!

Tuesday
hot dogs
mac & cheese
It was National Pancake Day at IHOP, and I took the boys for brunch. Not only was that my breakfast and my lunch, but it's most likely going to be my supper, too! Well, I'll probably eat some granola and yogurt... The boys will be hungry, though.

Wednesday
Shrimp Alfredo with Broccoli
Caesar Salad
Italian Herb Bread
Yeah, the mushrooms are gone now...

Thursday
Chipotle Pork Chops
Fried Cabbage and Onions
Cornbread
Today was the last day of Brookshire's sale on the family pack of pork chops. Now we're good to go for three meals!

Friday
leftover buffet

Saturday
sandwiches (Home Team night)

Sunday
sandwiches (AWANA)

For more menu plan ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Menu Plan Monday: February 21

2011-02-22T15:59:00.002-06:00

Last week's Pepperoncini Roast was a huge hit with Billy and me. The boys, not so much. Still, it's definitely something I'll make in the future. Since it was mainly Billy and me eating it, we managed 4 meals from the one 3 lb. roast!

This week I'll be making up another recipe based on something we're wanting to eat, but I haven't taken the time to look up a recipe for it...

Monday
cheese quesadillas
I needed something quick and easy, as the afternoon was...not good. I'll post about that another time...

Tuesday
sausage, egg, and cheese on English muffins
I'll have bacon on mine in an effort to cut some fat from my diet, but still have a little meaty goodness.

Wednesday
Fiesta Nacho Casserole
This is what I don't have a recipe for, but I do have ingredients for something like this. I hope it's good! After enjoying typical cheesy nachos at a sports arena, we decided we want fancier nachos at home...

Thursday
fried rice - without a mix this time!
crab rangoon
mini pork egg rolls
ALDI had Chinese food items on sale last week...

Friday
leftover buffet

Saturday
chicken & sausage gumbo

Sunday
leftover gumbo for lunch
sandwiches for supper (after we get home from AWANA)

For more menu plan ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Who's on your Bookshelf?

2011-02-22T15:28:00.003-06:00

According to my cyber friend Cindy, she found the following meme through me. It's been so long ago, I don't remember it! I guess that means I need to play again. :o)

This is how this meme works: copy this list, delete the names of the authors you don't have on your home library shelves, and replace them with names of authors you do have. Bold the replacements. Then link to me.

Danielle Steel
Louisa May Alcott
Jane Austen
Agatha Christie
J. R. R. Tolkien
Charles Swindoll
Ted Dekker
James Herriot
C.S. Lewis

That's quite an assortment! Everything from classic authors to mainstream, from romance to mystery to biography, from both Christian and secular viewpoints. I must say, however, that my shelf space is limited. While those I listed are on my own bookshelves, I have one shelf dedicated to library books and that's where the majority of my reading these days comes from.

Thanks for reposting and playing, Cindy!

Menu Plan Monday: February 14

2011-02-14T08:22:00.005-06:00

Last week's chaos is over, and this week looks to be a little more normal.

Menu plans are always subject to change, but especially on Fridays and Saturdays. Last Friday when I was grocery shopping, I saw a bin of fresh pineapples for 99 cents each. We love fresh pineapple, so I couldn't resist. Then I remembered we had a partial package of hamburger buns that needed to be used. So I grabbed a package of lunch meat ham and a tray of jalapenos so I could make some grilled ham & jalapeno pineapple sandwiches. They turned out great, even though I forgot to get some teriyaki sauce for them. Billy worked his magic in the kitchen and made a honey soy sauce to help hold the sandwich mixture together and add a little more flavor. The boys were disappointed to find there were no leftovers. And we polished off the rest of that pineapple with our supper. Maybe they'll have some more this week...

I also bought some strawberries for tonight!

Here's this week's menu (which is subject to change based on anything interesting I see while grocery shopping at ALDI - and this week they're featuring Asian food...):

Monday
blackened tilapia (unless I decide to do something with some of those jalapenos I bought...)
whole kernel corn
salad
chocolate-dipped strawberries

** I've changed two of today's menu items: Chipotle Grilled Tilapia and Mexican Corn (recipe from allrecipes.com). We shall see...

Tuesday
baked potatoes
salad

Wednesday
We'll be eating at the Dallas Mavericks game! The boys' basketball award was free tickets for all the players, and parents were able to get discount tickets. And it's Billy's birthday, too!

Thursday
Italian roast
mashed potatoes
roasted cauliflower
homemade bread

Friday
leftover Italian roast on hoagies
chips
fresh fruit

Saturday
sandwiches (It's home team night.)

Sunday
leftovers or sandwiches

The Italian roast is a new recipe, but I've eaten it before and it's melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious! I enjoyed it for the first time a few days before Thanksgiving at a luncheon at Billy's office. I've been dying for more, but I've been waiting for a good sale on chuck roast, which Brookshire's has this week and which I'll be purchasing tomorrow morning. I can't wait!

For more menu plan ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

February 2011 Book List

2011-02-09T15:42:00.006-06:00

3. 703: How I Lost More than a Quarter Ton and Gained a Life" by Nancy Makin

Nancy Makin struggled with weight from adolescence. Though not pin-pointed by Makin as the starting point of her obsession with eating, she does admit to stealing food during her stay at a Catholic commune in Canada, where food for the residents was sparse and tasteless. After leaving the commune (twice), she responded by gorging herself, enjoying tastes she had desperately missed.

She equated food with self-esteem. When she was happy and fulfilled, she was able to manage her weight and keep herself occupied. When things took a downturn, she ate. As she got bigger, her self-esteem shrank - which led to more eating. Embarrassed by her appearance, she stayed in her apartment, rarely leaving for anything - and then only if the chances of her being seen were little to none.

At her worst, she weighed 703 pounds. Still that wasn't enough to turn her around.

Her sister had bought her a used computer for her birthday. It sat for months before she finally turned it on. When she finally started using it, she got so involved in building online relationships that she stopped eating from boredom and depression and began losing weight.

Her journey to morbid obesity and back is inspiring. She learned a lot about herself and what triggers her eating - as well as how to fight back. Now an inspirational speaker, Makin works to encourage other obese people to find themselves and take back their lives.

While I gave some of the bare bones of Makin's story, there's much more in the book you need to read for yourself. Her story is amazing.

4. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

I read this as both my (modern) classic book of the month as well as in honor of Black History Month.

Born Marguerite Johnson, Maya (nicknamed by her older brother Bailey) spent most of her childhood years growing up under the watchful eye of Momma, her paternal grandmother, in Stamps, Arkansas. She and Bailey lived a short time in St. Louis with their mother and her family before Maya's personal tragedy led them back to Stamps, where they lived with Momma again until their early teens. By then, their mother had moved to San Francisco, and Maya and Bailey moved to live with her again.

Considering the life Maya lived during her formative years, it's a wonder she has turned out to be the woman she is today. It's nothing short of a miracle. The language she uses in this first part of her autobiographical story is beautiful, contrasting sharply with her state of life.

Unfortunately the book ends when Maya is 17, just three weeks after giving birth to a baby boy. I am left wanting to know more, so before long I'll read Gather Together in My Name, which covers the next four years of her life, and hope the many questions in my head are answered. If not, I'll go on to the third, fourth, and fifth parts.

Cooking Light: Healthy Habit 2: Exercise 3 Times a Week

2011-02-08T08:41:00.006-06:00

I was in a good exercise routine - last summer. Then we left for vacation in September and I had a hard time getting back to that routine. I did a little here and there, then the busyness of the holidays happened and I quit. In January, I had planned to start again. Sometimes plans don't work out. This was entirely my fault, though. I just...didn't.

I had read earlier in my Cooking Light magazine (Jan/Feb double issue) what February's challenge was, and I think I subconsciously put off exercising until this month. Now the first week of February has gone by and I only exercised once. Yesterday. For about 5 minutes. The goal is 30 minutes, 3 times a week.

That really shouldn't be hard for me. Oh, I find all sorts of excuses:
* I prefer to exercise in the morning before the boys get up.
* It's too cold/hot/wet/windy outside.
* I just ate something.
* I have too many chores to do right now.
* I'm tired.
* I forgot.
And the list could go on and on...

But here's how I CAN work some exercise into my day without much "effort" on my part:
* I take lots of "breaks" throughout the day. Some are to jump on Facebook for a few minutes. Others are to watch an episode of Grey's Anatomy on Netflix. Why not take two 15-minute breaks to do some punches, crunches, squats, arm raises, jogging in place, jumping jacks, etc.?
* Exercise while I watch Grey's Anatomy, or whatever else happens to be on. I find just plain exercise to be boring, but if I have something else to occupy my mind, the time should pass quickly.
* Once the weather starts to warm up - and in the meantime, on those rare warm days that come out of nowhere - I need to get outside with the boys and ride bikes with them, or at least walk while they ride. We haven't made our way around the lake in many months.

I miss the evening walks I started taking last spring. Even when I went by myself, I had a good time. I'd put on my iPod and pick up the pace. Most days, I'd walk for 25-30 minutes. And I'd almost always vary my route. When the temperature started creeping up, I'd walk a little later in the evenings. Once summer hit in its full force, I quit. It was too miserable out there, even when it was almost dark. I had intended to start back in the fall, but habits die and are hard to get going again. I walked once or twice.

I could tell a difference in my body when I was getting regular exercise, and it felt great! I can tell a difference in my body now. Not so great.

So, I'm accepting this challenge. I will exercise three times this week - because the five minutes of punches I did yesterday don't really count. Tonight I'll have my first opportunity, if I don't let my pride get in the way. Caleb's basketball coach is opening the last half of this last practice up for parents to play against the team. I'm horrible at basketball. I don't know the rules, and I know the parents who will be playing will be so much better than me. Still, if I don't worry about getting out there and looking like a fool in front of everyone, I'll get in about half an hour of good exercise that will seem like only minutes. And it'll probably be a lot of fun, too. I'm sure it'll be great fodder for another blog post!

Travels

2011-02-08T06:38:00.005-06:00

In all the busyness of the last week, I didn't complete last Friday's Photo Friday assignment: Travels. And since I didn't do any traveling to allow me to take a current picture for my Project 52, I can't allow myself to post this on that blog. (Project 52 is supposed to be a picture from the week, and the previous Photo Friday challenge - Trees - didn't belong there, either. Oops!)

The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Maker; Rock City, Chattanooga, TN

Rub a dub dub,
Three men in a tub,
And who do you think they be?
The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick maker.
Turn them out, knaves all three.

Menu Plan Monday: February 7

2011-02-07T10:11:00.004-06:00

At first I was glad to be done with last week. All the craziness with the winter weather and being iced and snowed in interfered with our regular routine. Then I saw what's in store for this week: dentist check-up for the boys tomorrow, county spelling bee on Thursday - and a possible snowfall in between. Please, no. Can I fast forward to spring?

Since I couldn't get out to shop for groceries for this week, the menu is a little sparse on cooking and high on heating and reheating. And I don't have a clue for Friday and Saturday. Since I didn't make out my menu and grocery list for this week, I'm a bit behind.

Monday
lasagna - leftover from Friday night

Tuesday
hot dogs - basketball practice

I'll probably make a quick stop by the store on the way home from the dentist and pick up some necessities...

Wednesday
tomato soup
grilled cheese sandwiches

Thursday
scrambled eggs
toast
grits
bacon

Friday
???

Saturday
???

Sunday
Valentine dinner at church catered by Spaghetti Warehouse
desserts for auction donated by The Cheesecake Factory and Braum's (It's a youth fundraiser.)

For more menu plans, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Now What?

2011-01-31T15:03:00.002-06:00

I finally made it to Wal-Mart. Guess what? No Progresso Chicken Enchilada Soup. They were completely out, and several other varieties were dangerously low. (I guess people are getting ready for the big freeze tomorrow night.) I checked and double-checked for something I could substitute, but the only thing that came even close was Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup. I bought two cans, which is slightly more than the one can of Progresso, but I'm not sure what I want to do with it.

Do I make the recipe as directed, substituting the new soup? Or do I make my own recipe up using the new soup and some of the basic ingredients from the original recipe? I've got a little while to think on it before it's time to start getting it ready. I do know I don't want to rearrange my menu right now.

Hmmmmm...

Menu Plan Monday: January 31

2011-01-31T10:18:00.004-06:00

Well, I changed up a few things from last week's original plan, but I still haven't made it to Wal-Mart to get a few of the things I need from there, including the Progress Chicken Enchilada soup I need for a new recipe I want to try. So that's carrying over to this week. Tonight, in fact. We've got some nasty weather forecast for tomorrow through Thursday, and if I don't want to have to get out in it - and if I don't want my elderly cat to die of starvation - I have to go today. :oP

Here's the plan for this week:

Monday
Cheesy Chicken & Rice Casserole
chips, guacamole, & salsa

In spite of all the not-so-rave reviews of this recipe, I plan to try this at least once. The picture looks too good not to! And who's to say their tastes are the same as mine?

Tuesday
hot dogs
chips
fruit
(regardless of whether we have basketball practice or not)

Wednesday
Chicken & Dumplings
green beans
salad

Thursday
leftovers

Friday
Lasagna
Caesar salad
garlic bread

My mother-in-law told me she wants me to make lasagna for them sometime, and since they're coming for Jacob's birthday weekend - and it's one of Jacob's favorites - I thought this would be the perfect time for it.

Saturday
Out for Jacob's birthday supper.

Super Bowl Sunday - and Jacob's birthday
Low-Cal/Low-Fat Mozzarella Sticks (from Rocco DiSpirito's new cookbook Now Eat This!)
Cocktail Sausages in BBQ sauce
chips & guacamole, maybe some queso
???

I need to decide what else will make fun party foods for us that night...

So that makes two new recipes this week! Woohoo! We'll see if they'll become new family favorites.

Foiled!

2011-01-27T17:49:00.003-06:00

Well, I tried to get my ideal shot of "Trees" for the current Photo Friday challenge, but the weather didn't cooperate with me. Of course, the one evening with a beautiful sunset (which was what I intended to get) was the one I spent driving the boys to basketball practice. We got there early enough so I could scout the school yard for the perfect tree against the perfect backdrop, but there were too many houses, power lines, etc., cluttering everything.

We went out this afternoon since it was so nice out, but the light wasn't right for what I wanted. And the trees in our neighborhood are too young to get anything majestic.

I'll keep looking and trying for that ideal photo, but since today is the deadline for posting on Trees, I used something from last month at the Dallas Arboretum. You can find it here.

A Change of (Meal) Plans

2011-01-25T14:49:00.004-06:00

Well, I finally found the recipe I was looking for: Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole. It looks delicious!

It didn't get rave reviews from people who commented on the website. Most of them say the cooking time needed to be longer and it needs more flavor. I'm willing to try it as is the first time around, then tweak it as my taste buds lead me. (That's the way I do with most recipes. Rarely do I make anything the "original" way.) Oh, and I read that the sodium content is really high. I have a feeling the Progresso soup is the culprit, so I'll see what other options I might have.

I'm going to put this off until the weekend because I'm lazy and I don't feel like going by the grocery store to get my soup. :oP We have other options to carry us through this week, so I'm going to ditch my plan and change things up a bit:

Wednesday
Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
Roasted Cauliflower
Caesar Salad

Thursday
breakfast burritos
fruit

Saturday
Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
chips & guacamole

It's nothing drastic; just saving some time here and there. Still I can't wait to try it for myself. At least I'll be placated by getting to have my cauliflower tomorrow night!

Menu Plan Monday: January 24

2011-01-25T08:58:00.002-06:00

I'm a little late with this week's menu. I forgot to check a recipe for Mexican Chicken Casserole before I went to the grocery store, so I'm missing some ingredients for that. Then there's the little conundrum where I saw a different recipe for it that looked great, only I can't seem to find it anywhere: magazines, internet, email, etc. I'll give it one more shot, then I'll have to decide if I want to go with the old favorite or try something new on my own.

Last week's two new recipes and one old one that I had forgotten about were hits all around. I might have put a bit much pepper in the pork chop casserole, because the leftover potatoes and carrots were SPICY! I like spicy, but these were really HOT! The carrot orzo was a hit with everyone except Jacob, who chose to eat raw carrots with Ranch dressing as one of his sides. The best of all was the roasted cauliflower. The boys raved about it at first, but the new wore off pretty quickly and the decided it was just okay. Billy and I absolutely loved it. I didn't get my fill of it, so I bought another head of cauliflower to fit in somewhere this week.

Monday
Baked Potato Soup

The boys decided they don't like this anymore. Caleb's not wild about potatoes, and Jacob decided he doesn't like chunks in his soup - unless it's broccoli cheese soup. Billy and I love it, though, especially after I started using full fat sour cream in it instead of low fat. The way it melts and blends into the soup makes such a world of difference! We were the only two who ate it last night, and there's only enough left for me to have for lunch today.

Tuesday
hot dogs
chips
fruit

It's basketball practice night. Just a few more weeks...

Wednesday
breakfast burritos
fruit
roasted cauliflower? (It doesn't really fit, but I WANT it!)

Thursday
Mexican Chicken Casserole
chips & guacamole

Friday
leftovers or sandwiches

Saturday
Chicken & Dumplings
Caesar salad
roasted cauliflower? (It would fit better here, but I have to wait so long...)

Sunday
leftovers or sandwiches (AWANA night)

For more menu plan ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Now to find that lost (or imagined?) recipe...

Intentional Appreciation

2011-01-23T19:40:00.003-06:00

I enjoy participating in the Photo Friday challenges. Last year I balked at the Self-Portrait 2010 assignment (Ugh!) and ended up not joining in any of the remaining challenges for the rest of the year. This year I plan to participate every week, if possible.

Friday's assignment for this week is Trees. My first thought was Trees? In January? How boring - unless they're covered in ice or snow! I started trying to think of tree pictures I've taken in the past: last year's February snow; spring blossoms; crepe myrtles in full color; reds, golds, and oranges of fall. Then I realized it's called a challenge for a reason. Taking beautiful pictures of trees is easy when they're full and beautiful. It's when they're hanging onto to dead brown leaves or completely bare that they're more difficult to photograph well.

Looking at it that way has changed the way I look at trees now. When I was driving home late Friday afternoon, the sun low in the sky behind me, I noticed the play of light and shadows on the trunks and branches and thought what beautiful black & white photos that would make. Then I noticed how the afternoon sun brought out the different shades of dark green in the cedar trees that are prevalent here. For the entire 25-minute ride to the boys' basketball games Saturday, I looked at the trees along the way instead of reading my book. I noticed how the morning light, like that in the late afternoon, highlighted portions of the trunks and branches and left other parts in deep shadow. I saw reflections of trees in pools of water and small ponds.

Then I realized what I want my representation of Trees for this Photo Friday challenge to be. It will take more effort on my part than just stepping outside and taking pictures in my yard. It will require me to search for just the right tree in just the right location at just the right time - and in just the right conditions. I have a few days left. Stay tuned.

Real Simple: Shopping List Organizer

2011-01-21T09:24:00.005-06:00

When I used my iPhone as my phone/organizer/toy, I had a grocery list program that I used faithfully. I could scroll through the alphabetized list of items and touch the things I needed to add to my list. When I was shopping, I could use just the grocery list portion and tap things off as I put them in my cart. There were a few more features, like adding recipes to create grocery lists and emailing lists, but I didn't use those.

Once I got a new, more simple phone, I'd sometimes forget to take my iPhone grocery list with me. That's not a great thing considering I grocery shop once a week. I don't like having to rely on my memory for all the groceries I need for the week - especially when I have two boys "helping" me.

I saw an interesting possible solution to that in my January copy of Real Simple magazine. They developed a downloadable weekly menu plan/shopping list organizer where you write your menu down one side, then fill in the ingredients you'll need in the adjacent columns (fresh produce, dairy and refrigerated, etc.).

This week is the second time I'm using it, so I'm still undecided.

Pros:
*weekly menu at a glance
*ingredients are categorized
*can post on refrigerator for easy viewing

Cons:
*paper rather than electronic
*weekdays only; no weekends
*wasted white space where no ingredients need to be purchased

Another con, though with my own system instead of theirs, is having to color code things to get from different stores. ALDI is my main grocery store, but because they're so small and limited, there are some things I need to get from Wal-Mart. When Brookshire's is having a good sale, I like to stop by there for a few things as well. What I like about my old iPhone list is that if I didn't get something at one place, it stayed on the list until I was able to get it somewhere else. With this way, I have to hang on to a piece of paper - either in the depths of my purse, in a book (in the depths of my purse), or in my jeans pocket where it runs a risk of being washed and dried...

The pro with that, though, is I don't shop at multiple stores most weeks. I don't plan my menu around what's on sale at Brookshire's; I just pick up supplemental things or staples here and there when I can get a great deal on them.

Time will tell. I'm willing to continue with using their list/organizer for another 2 weeks, at which time I'll revisit the topic to see if the pros outweigh the cons. Right now they seem fairly balanced.

Do you plan weekly menus? How do you organize your grocery shopping? I'd love to hear your ideas!

January 2011 Book List

2011-01-21T08:41:00.005-06:00

And so begins another year of reading...

I enjoyed keeping up with the books I read last year. It's nice to be able to look back at what I read - since I often forget - and see what the books were about and what I thought about them. I'm going to continue that tradition this year. I do have a new "guideline" for my personal reading this year: read one classic each month. I wonder what 12 I'll read...

1. Outwitting Housework by Nancy Rosenberg

I'm interested in organizing things in my life right now, making things simpler, smoother. When I saw this on the library shelf, I knew I couldn't pass it up. And what better time to get this under control than the beginning of the year?

I don't recall anything really ground-breaking for me in this book, but it was a great reminder of some things I know but don't always do. And it's also nice to know that some of things I am doing are also being done by someone who has her housework ducks in a nice, neat row.

The basic idea of the book is to find your trouble spots and pare them down. Too much clutter? Rosenberg provides several options for getting rid of it. Too little time? She gives short lists of quick room pick-ups to help freshen things up when you're in a hurry. She covers everything from maintaining the different rooms in your house (garage included!) to yardwork, from pet care - and wear and tear - to being ready to entertain for any occasion. She even includes tips on keeping holiday stress to a minimum, from decorating and parties to gift-giving.

While it's not a book I'd want to take up space on my own bookshelf, it's good to know where I can find it if I need a refresher course.

2. Emma by Jane Austen

In keeping with my reading goal of one classic per month, I'm happy to say I completed this one with a few days to spare. For a while I thought maybe I should have chosen something a little less daunting. Reading early 18th century British English can be a little time-consuming. Several times I had to read a line or a passage two or three times to grasp the meaning. Still, I love the story, having become familiar with it through various viewings of Emma and, in a sense, Clueless.

Most of the major characters were so well-written, I could picture them in my head. Some of them truly got on my nerves, most notably Miss Bates and her insufferable rambling chatter about nothing and everything. Mr. Woodhouse made me feel tired with all his worrying about the general health of himself and everyone around him. And Frank Churchill, trying to cover his great secret with Miss Fairfax, seemed over-the-top silly at times.

Knowing how Mr. Knightley wins in the end, I couldn't help pulling for him right from the beginning. Still, when he finally declared his feelings for Emma, and she declared hers, I was on the edge of my seat.

I think I'll choose something a little shorter for next month, as I'm already behind on getting my third book for January read. Maybe I'll even revisit an old favorite from my high school days like Lord of the Flies or Silas Marner. The Scarlet Letter is on my must-read list, but it's a little lengthy so I'll save it for later on.

Menu Plan Monday: January 17

2011-01-17T13:13:00.006-06:00

So I keep saying I want to try a new recipe, but then I forget to make out the next week's menu until just before I leave for our errands and grocery trip. After I get home and am putting things away, I realize I did it again. Or rather didn't do it again. So this week, we will not be trying anything new. Again. Right now, while I'm thinking about it, I need to go ahead and put down something new for next week's menu and start my grocery list... (I'm trying it out for a few weeks instead of my usual iPhone shopping list. I just don't like having to waste paper for this...)

Monday
baked rotini
salad

Tuesday
hot dogs (basketball practice)

Wednesday
pork chop casserole (onions, potatoes, and carrots)
steamed broccoli

Thursday
blackened tilapia
roasted cauliflower
carrot orzo

Friday
leftovers

Saturday
sandwiches/hot dogs/leftovers (home team night)

Sunday
sandwiches/hot dogs/cereal (AWANA night)

As I look back over my menu, I see we are having two "sort-of" new things. The pork chop casserole is Mama's recipe, which I've made before, but it's been several years. I'm not sure if the boys will like it or not...

The second "new" thing is roasted cauliflower. I tried making it once before, but it was from my own thoughts on how it should be - and it wasn't great. This time I have a recipe to follow! I'm sooooo hoping it will be like the roasted cauliflower I've had at both Fadi's and Ali Baba's (local Mediterranean restaurants).

If they're hits, I'll add the recipes to my recipe blog.

Friday, January 21 -
Well, duh! The carrot orzo was another new recipe, one I clipped from a magazine a few months ago. I ended up with three new recipes after all!

All three were big hits with the family. I especially loved the roasted cauliflower - and it did turn out restaurant quality!

For more menu plans, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Photo Friday: Suburbia

2011-01-13T19:40:00.007-06:00

my neighorhood, February 2010

I'm almost late on last week's Photo Friday challenge. Last year I got a late start, posted several on one day to play catch-up, then balked at the self-portrait challenge and gave up. Then I got busy and never got around to doing any more. Never mind that I never cataloged several months worth of pictures...until recently. And I haven't quite finished with that. That's next week's project: to finish.

Anyway, this is my representation of "suburbia". This week's snowfall reminded me of some pics I took back in February when we got about a foot of snow, so I went that route instead.

Warm wishes...

Menu Plan Monday: January 10

2011-01-10T12:19:00.005-06:00

Well, this week's menu isn't as "adventurous" as I'd wanted it to be, but maybe I can do that next week... Still, there are a few things on here we haven't had in a while. And since I'm trying to keep up with Cooking Light's challenge to add 3 veggies (and fruits) a day, I've got something else to shoot for. Oh, and I get them in throughout the day, not just at supper. (BTW, I've had a minimum of 3 servings of fruit/veggies a day since Friday!)

Monday
Crock Pot chicken with onions and mushroom gravy
rice
glazed carrots
salad

Tuesday
sandwiches/hot dogs for basketball practice night

Wednesday
black bean quesadillas
chips with salsa and guacamole

Thursday
sausage, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches on English muffins
fruit

Friday
leftovers

Saturday
??? My parents will likely be in town to see the boys play basketball, so we'll either go out to eat or we'll cook something here, to be determined later.

Sunday
sandwiches for AWANA night

For more menu plans, many of them more interesting than mine..., visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Cooking Light: Healthy Habit 1: Veggie Up

2011-01-06T18:31:00.003-06:00

For this year, Cooking Light is focusing on one healthy habit each month. January's challenge is to add 3 servings of vegetables (and fruits) each day.

This will indeed be a challenge for me, but one I'm up for. In my weekly menu planning, I typically focus on the main dish and scrounge up what sides I can find. Sometimes I'm good about buying frozen broccoli or fresh spinach or apples, but you can only eat so much of that day after day. I need to liven things up a bit!

Last night we had vegetable soup, and we'll finish the leftovers tomorrow night. Other than that, we haven't had many vegetables - and no fruit. We ran out of apples right before Christmas; then the boys finished off the clementines shortly after. I've forgotten to buy more fruit the last few times I've been to the grocery store, but today I stopped by Brookshire's and bought two 5-lb. bags of grapefruit that were on sale.

This month, I will start the new habit of intentionally planning - and buying - vegetables for side dishes for our evening meals. I will also buy a variety of fruit for the boys and me to have with our lunches. It's harder this time of year when not much is fresh, but canned will work for now. I'll just make sure the fruit is in its own juice, not heavy syrup. And since tomorrow is grocery day, I better get to making my menu!

Cooking Light: What They're Stickin' in the Chicken

2011-01-06T17:40:00.006-06:00

"Poultry's Salty Little Secret" - Jan/Feb 2011

According to the article, "about one-third of the fresh chicken found in supermarket meat cases has been synthetically saturated with a mix of water, salt, and other additives via needle injections and high-pressure vacuum tumbling." Designed to make the meat juicier and more tender, it also increases the sodium content by nearly 1000%. (Yes, that's one thousand.)

While some sodium is naturally-occurring in chicken (which never occurred to me...), it's minimal - often less than 75 mg per 4-oz. serving. "Enhanced" chicken can have as high as 440 mg per 4-oz. serving. This is still significantly lower than the RDA of 2,300 mg of sodium, but is it necessary?

I rarely buy fresh chicken from the meat counter. Instead I buy a large bag of individually frozen, skinless, boneless chicken breasts. I don't know if they're available without the added "broth solution", as some companies call it. I checked the two bags in my freezer (from different companies) and they both have additional sodium, about 200 mg per 4-oz. serving.

Now that I'm aware of it, I can reduce the amount of salt I add to my chicken dishes. I know most prepackaged foods have higher sodium contents than making similar dishes from scratch, and I typically stay away from them. Still, I want to keep my sodium intake lower. I can always tell when I've had too much because my hands swell. (That's typical after eating out, as opposed cooking my own food.)

Next time I'm shopping for chicken, I'll be sure to read the label closely to make sure the chicken I'm getting has just a small amount of extra sodium added, if any at all.

Cooking Light: Deciphering Food Labels

2011-01-03T13:48:00.007-06:00

"The Fuzzy Math of Food Labels" - Jan/Feb 2011

One little quiz cleared up many things for me, or at least brought them to my attention.

1. When you read food labels, pay close attention to the serving size.
I usually take note of that, but I don't always follow it. The main time I notice it is when a small portion has a lot of calories. Then I tend to avoid it.

2. Manufacturers determine snack portions.
According to an article in the NY Times last year, "Standard serving sizes were created by the F.D.A. in the early 1990s, partly to make it easier to compare the nutritional values of different products. Congress required that the serving sizes match what people actually ate. To determine that, the F.D.A. evaluated data from surveys of Americans’ eating habits taken in the 1970s and 1980s."

But many manufacturers package their products in larger than one-serving sizes. For example, one Otis Spunkmeyer Cheese Strudel muffin is two servings. The nutritional information specifies that, but most people are going to see one muffin, think one serving, and eat the whole thing, thinking they're getting 220 calories instead of 440.

And take Lay's Classic Potato Chips - you know, you can't eat just one. But can you stop at just 15? That's one serving (150 calories) in a multi-serving bag.

3. Ingredient lists go by weight, not volume.
This was a surprise to me! I always thought ingredients were listed according to amount. If sugar or corn syrup was listed first, I thought it was the main ingredient. Instead, it's listed first because it weighs more than the other ingredients. I threw out a box of mediocre-tasting dark chocolate cherry granola bars because I checked the ingredient list (after I bought it) and saw that high fructose corn syrup was listed first. Compare that to the oats, which is probably the main ingredient but weighs considerably less. Less even than the chocolate chunks.

So now as I shop for groceries and read labels, there are all these new things to keep in mind. It can be mind-boggling! And while I still want to avoid high fructose corn syrup (as well as hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated goop), I don't have to fret so much if it's listed later in the ingredient list.

Menu Plan Monday: January 3

2011-01-03T10:35:00.003-06:00

Monday
meatless spaghetti, green beans, garlic bread

Tuesday
Happy 19th anniversary to Billy and me! We'll most likely grab a quick bite between basketball practices since there's an hour in between them this week. The first practice is too early for supper; the second one will be too late.

Wednesday
"frambled" egg, sausage, and cheese on English muffins

Thursday
vegetable soup, corn bread

Friday
leftovers

Saturday
It's home team night, so we'll have a quick bite to eat: hot dogs/sandwiches.

Sunday
We're back to AWANA this week, so it'll be sandwich/cereal night when we get back home.

Next week I'd like to try one new recipe. I haven't decided what just yet, but I'll be on the lookout for one.

For more weekly meal plans, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Codes

2011-01-03T09:29:00.004-06:00

As part of my blogging this year, I want to write about things I read (other than books) and things I watch - things that make me think. Since I'll be writing about things from the two magazines I subscribe to, as well as some of my favorite television programs, I want to note them in the titles of my posts. I've decided to use a sort of code instead of the whole name.

Cooking Light - CL
Real Simple - RS
Biggest Loser - BL
American Idol - AI
Meal Plan Monday - MPM
Photo Friday - PF

As I find other things I'll be blogging about regularly, I'll determine a code for them and add them to this list.

Now if you're a sporadic reader (and have read this post), you'll be able to glance at the blog titles for each month and skip over the ones that don't interest you.

January 21
Update: The codes aren't working. They're confusing me! I'll just start posting the full titles.

2011 Goals

2011-01-01T09:22:00.002-06:00

It's that time again. Time to set my goals for the upcoming year. After doing fairly well with last year's goals, I'm feeling pretty confident about this year!

1. Bible Study
I want to be more consistent in my personal Bible study. Typically I only do it if I get up "in time" in the morning - except for days I wash my hair because that takes longer... And except for the summer when I tend to sleep in... Lame excuses. I don't need to let my schedule (or lack of one at times...) dictate the time I spend in God's Word.

2. Weight Loss
Last year I succeeded in losing 10 pounds - and keeping it off. It was a slow process, but at least I didn't yo-yo through it all. It was fairly consistent. This year I'd like to lose 10 more pounds, with an ultimate goal of 20 (though that may take two years instead of one). Last year I managed to grasp the concept of portion control - and actually start doing it. This year I want to continue with that and add in some form of regular exercise, not sporadic like I did last year. I have several options: walking, stabiility ball, Jillian DVD, bicycling, sports with the boys, swimming, etc. I just need to stick with something.

3. Cooking
Last year I learned to make baklava, and I made my first real cheesecake. This year I'd like to learn to make a few new things. I want to take at least one class at Central Market. I'd like to learn to make savory crepes like the ones at La Madeleine. I have two other things that fall within this category:
*trying new recipes from the Cooking Light magazine that Lindsay got me a subscription to, and
*modifying my favorite recipes to make them lower in fat and calories. For this I plan to use the help of Rocco DiSpirito and his Now Eat This! cookbook.

4. Photography
I failed miserably at my photography goals last year. I still want to sell some images through a stock photo site, and I still want to decorate my home with pictures Billy and I have taken. I want to be more timely in downloading pictures from my cameras and getting through the processes to get them filed away in iPhoto. (I currently have 8 months worth to work on right now. That daunting task keeps scaring me away, and the more I put it off, the worse it gets.) This year I have some accountability, though. My friend Debra, a professional photographer, created a Facebook page to challenge her professional and hobbyist photographer friends to hone their skills through either a 365 or 52 project. I've opted for one photo a week and have set up a blog for just that (Project 52). As guidebooks/textbooks, I'll be using my new photography book, 50 Photo Projects by Lee Frost, as well as two others by Tom Ang: Digital Photography Masterclass and How to Photograph Absolutely Everthing. I also plan to get back into the Photo Friday meme - and maybe the weekly topics for it will coincide with my "assignments" from my books...

5. Reading
I read 44 books last year! This year I'd like to read at least 36 (3 a month), and I want to read 12 classics. I didn't read many in high school, and I don't want to miss out on some potentially great literature.

6. Blogging
I was much better about blogging last year. Well, in the number of posts at least. Content was okay, but I relied heavily on memes for that instead of real life. This year I want to blog more about life in general. I will continue to blog about the books I read, but I also want to blog about things I find in my Real Simple and Cooking Light magazines. I might even blog about American Idol and Biggest Loser.

I think that's probably enough for this year. Most of my list centers around things I already do; I just need to do them better.

Year in Review: 2010

2010-12-31T19:38:00.004-06:00

January
*We held our annual New Year's Day party with friends. (Thankfully no one was sick, so we didn't have to cancel like in 2009!)

*I got the boys started with their own blogs. Unfortunately I didn't follow through with encouraging them to use it. They blogged a few times each.

*I resigned my position as a Pampered Chef consultant. Very freeing!

*Memaw passed away from Alzheimer's complications a few days after her 83rd birthday.

February
*Jacob celebrated his 7th birthday on the 6th. Billy celebrated his birthday on the 16th.

*Caleb participated in the Kaufman County Spelling Bee.

*We got about 7 or 8 (or more?) inches of snow. It was nice the first day. The second and third days, not so much.

March
*Caleb celebrated his 10th birthday on the 13th.

*The boys took turns passing some fever virus back and forth, postponing their spring break twice.

*I did several things while the boys were gone for spring break (finally): got my teeth cleaned, got my hair cut, colored it, planted shrubs in the flower bed, went to Dallas Blooms for the first time, ate at Ali Baba (Mediterranean buffet), and discovered the Mediterranean Wrap at Jason's Deli, among other things.

April
*I blogged my 300th post with this site.

*Billy got a new Mini Cooper. We traded in my van, so now I'm driving the Rendezvous. It felt big at first, but I quickly got used to it. I don't miss the van at all.

*Jacob had a bike wreck that left me feeling woozy. It turned out to be minor scrapes. Adrenaline rushes are not my friend.

*We took a field trip to Grapevine, TX, to see glassblowers and a metalsmith. We got lucky and were able to visit a bronze sculptor, too!

May
*We took a road trip to Louisiana for Mother's Day (and so Billy could break in his new car). We visited Yvonne and the boys at their farm/ranch and played with the miniature horses.

*The boys spent a few days with Billy's parents. We met at Caldwell Zoo in Tyler, TX, so I could bring them back home.

June
*Since we got a later start beginning school, we finished up a week or so into June.

*The boys took a quick trip to visit my parents.

*The boys spent a week with Billy's parents.

*Mama and I took a wire-wrapping course in Tyler, TX, from a master artist from Hot Springs, AR. Fun! It opened up new doors of jewelry-making for me and left me with a desire to learn more about the process.

July
*We were too busy for me to blog in July!

*We met some other moms and kids from the neighborhood at the pool!

*The boys took swimming lessons from Kathy Self again this year. She does wonders with them!

*Mama came for a visit so we could practice more of our wire-wrapping.

*We had a week of cowboy-themed VBS. I was in charge of games this year instead of just helping with them. It worked out well, but I was exhausted every day. Thankfullyl the boys' swimming lessons were still going on, so I was able to get in the pool and cool off.

*Caleb went to pre-teen camp - and LOVED it! Jacob was beside himself the whole week because his brother and best friend was gone, but we did some special things with him so he didn't feel so left out.

*The boys spent another week with Billy's parents.

August
*We started back to school - on time - and got into a really good routine.

*We spent lots of time at the pool.

September
*We went to the Smoky Mountains for a later summer vacation. We visited Chattanooga and Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg for a week. Our days were jam-packed and we were exhausted when we got back home. The boys said it was their best vacation ever. Their favorite thing was riding the rides (especially the bumper cars!) at Dollywood.

*We began a two-month period of hosting our home team and leading it in a discussion of various themes in The Lord of the Rings. We had some great discussions and some fun LOTR-themed snacks!

October
*We went back to the Fort Worth Zoo for their annual Home School Day.

*We took a field trip to Cici's Pizza. Fun and tasty!

*We finished our two months of hosting/leading the home team.

*We also hosted the missionary dinner, part of our church's annual International Missions Conference. The Spaughs (Guatemala, with CAM) were our missionaries for the evening.

November
*I celebrated my 41st birthday on the 11th.

*I went to a SWIM seminar on Bible study methods, led by Dr. Howard Hendricks himself.

*I learned how to make baklava. Delicious!

*The boys started playing basketball with Lake Pointe Sports.

*I finally got to taste the much-raved-over (by Billy) roast that Dave makes every year for Billy's office's annual Soup Day (the week of Thanksgiving). I must have more!

*We traveled to Louisiana for our annual family Thanksgiving gathering. It was a lot of fun, but the crowd was smaller. Hopefully it'll be back up again next year.

December
*I made a sweet potato cheesecake - the first real cheesecake I ever made. It looked horrible because I didn't realize it needed to refrigerate for more than an hour or two before serving. It fell to pieces! It tasted great, thougn - and it was even better the next day! I can't wait to make another one.

*I made lots of handmade/homemade things for Christmas gifts this year: wire-wrapped pendants, a ring, an afghan, 17 caps for my Cubbies, and baklava. The boys painted some ceramic mugs at a local shop to give as gifts.

*I read 44 books this year!

I wonder what 2011 has in store...

2010 Report Card

2010-12-28T12:51:00.003-06:00

In keeping with tradition, I set goals for myself again for this year. They didn't seem as lofty as last year's goals, but after those epic failures, I thought I needed to go a little easier on myself. Let's see how I did this year...

1. Lose some weight!
Seems I set this every year. It's something I really want to do; I just like food too much to be very successful... Two areas I need to work on: moving more and portion control.

Success! I didn't lose as much as I would've liked, but I did lose 10 pounds this year! Woohoo!

2. Get my jewelry business off the ground.
This includes settling on a business name (still not too fond of "Ashley's Bead Box"), getting a jewelry blog up and running, and having a few shows. Valentine's Day is practically right around the corner. It's the next big jewelry sales event, but as far as promoting my jewelry goes, I'm not prepared for that just yet. I'm setting a goal of having a show in time for Mother's Day.

Mediocre. Well, I kept "Ashley's Bead Box" because I couldn't come up with anything else I liked. I didn't get my jewelry blog going or host any jewelry shows, but I did sell some pieces. And I learned wire wrapping, which was a big accomplishment - and something I'd like to learn more about.

3. Blog more.
I'm not talking about the jewelry blog here, but this personal blog of mine. I averaged two posts a month last year. I hate that! I love to write! I blame my lack of time/interest on Facebook. :o) I'm already doing better than last year!

Success! I had more than 3 times as many posts this year as I did last year. Many of them were weekly menus, and several were answering memes, but there were a few posts that were all my own. I enjoy blogging and I want to keep it up regularly.

4. I'd like to do something more with my photography.
I realize this statement is really open, but so is my goal with it. Yes, I'd like to participate more in the weekly Photo Friday challenges - but I want to do more. I bought Tom Ang's book Digital Photography Masterclass to help me learn more about my camera and how to take better pictures. Next on my list is his book How to Photograph Absolutely Everything.

I'd also like to sell some of my photographs. I've been looking into stock photography websites to see what that entails. Amy, a friend of mine from high school, sparked my interest in this. She listed some of her photos just last year and has already sold one.

Another thing I'd like to do here and there is to take local road trips for the sole purpose of photographing what's there. Billy and I want to make a photo wall in our entry, full of photos we've taken. Since our house has earth tones throughout, we want to have the pictures done in sepia tones, matted in off-white, and framed in dark brown. I have an idea of the types of photos I want to showcase, but we need to get out and take them!

Last year I started my Project 365, but it stalled after just a few weeks - if that. I'd like to have some sort of photoblog, but I don't know to what extent. Maybe another time, I'll try the project again. I love the idea of it, but it's a lot harder than I thought it would be. Especially for a stay-at-home mom who only gets out a few times a week.

Fail! I didn't do much at all with my photography this year. I took tons of pictures, but I haven't done anything other than download them off my cameras since March. Yes, that's going to be one major project next year.

5. I'd like to make some decision about my future as a Pampered Chef consultant.
I've found other things that I'd rather do than set up kitchen shows and worry about keeping my consultant status. Holding the shows is fun, but calling people to host them is the part I don't like. I'm not a phone person, and once I got out of the habit of making my nightly business calls, it's been nearly impossible to get back into doing it. And I'm not the go-getter type to recruit people to join my team.

Success! I made the decision to get out of Pampered Chef, and it was extremely freeing!

Overall, it was a good year, goal-wise. I've been thinking about my goals for 2011 and am looking forward to sharing them soon.

December 2010 Book List

2010-12-28T09:42:00.011-06:00

40. Oogy by Larry Levin

Once again, another animal book caught my eye - and stole my heart. When Oogy was just a few months old, he was used as a bait dog for dog fights. He was found abandoned in a cage in an old building, half dead, his face torn, bones broken. The police took him to an animal emergency hospital where he was patched up and left alone. One of the nurses there found him a few days later, fell in love with him, and insisted that her veterinarian friend do everything he could to save his life.

The Levins met Oogy when they had taken their dying cat in to be euthanized. A vet tech was taking Oogy outside for a bit, but when he saw the Levins, he rushed over and loved them like they were old friends. Thus began Oogy's new life. The Levins adopted Oogy into their family, where he now thrives. (Larry Levin gave Oogy his name, a play on "ugly", which aptly describes Oogy's lopsided appearance.)

41. The Shepherd, the Angel, and Walter the Christmas Miracle Dog by Dave Barry

Every year around Christmas, I like to find a few short holiday novellas to read. Time is short, so I need something quick - and this was one of the quickest I've ever read!

Doug Barnes, a junior high student in the early 1960s, humorously recounts how his family came to get Walter, a dog to "replace" their recently deceased dog Frank, who died on Christmas Eve, right before their church Christmas pageant.

It's fun light reading with a few laugh-out-loud moments.

42. The Paper Bag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne

When I picked up this book, I wasn't sure what I was getting. I read part of the inside flap and thought it looked interesting. It turned out to be one of those rare holiday books that has quite an impact. It's not fluff. This one is hearty and it will stay with you for a long time.

Molar, who tells the story, and his older brother Aaron are taken to the mall the day after Thanksgiving to meet the new Santa - a friend of their father's who tells them he's going to give them the best Christmas present they never wanted. The catch is they have to help him on the oncology ward at a local children's hospital, where "Santa" is a doctor.

The boys come to know and love the children in the oncology ward, becoming fast friends with some of the patients. Molar and Aaron are given the special task of reaching out to two children in particular: Madhu, an Indian boy with a failing liver, and Katrina, a lonely girl who wears a paper bag over her head to hide the effects of a brain tumor.

I won't give away any more of the story, but the boys do indeed get something beyond their wildest dreams for Christmas - as well as seeing the Christmas wishes of Madhu, Katrina, and a few others come true.

This story could be true, and I often wonder how much of it is based on someone's actual experience. It's heartwarming and will bring tears to your eyes. This is a book to own and reread every year.

43. The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Dr. David Henry delivers his wife Norah's twins in the middle of a snow storm. Paul is perfect; Phoebe has Down syndrome. He gives Phoebe to his nurse Caroline Gill to take to an institution, then tells Norah she died. Caroline decides to raise Phoebe as her own daughter and leaves town. And so begins a series of lies that drives a wedge between everyone involved.

Norah, caught in the midst of depression, changes her life in ways no one expects. Caroline, secretly in love with David, keeps him informed of Phoebe's development. David, wanting to spare his wife further pain, keeps knowledge of Phoebe's life with Caroline to himself. Paul, aware of the growing distance between his parents, feels things are his fault.

Plot twists throughout the book kept me from guessing what would happen next. Just when I thought I "knew" what was coming, something totally unexpected would happen.

The story is sad and beautiful. Inspiring and eye-opening. Even though it's not one of my favorite books, I had a hard time putting it down.

44. Have a New Kid by Friday by Dr. Kevin Leman

I had seen this book before, but I decided I needed to read it after we started school this year. Jacob started throwing fits before science and history each day. I was tired of dealing with it, and I thought Dr. Leman might have some suggestions. Boy, did he!

Basically, I had to look in the mirror and see if Jacob was emulating my actions (albeit magnified). Was I treating him with respect, or was I demanding that he do what I said when I said it? Was I being responsive to him in a positive or a negative way? Dr. Leman doesn't believe in coddling kids and catering to their every whim. Rather he believes in reality discipline - but I have to look at myself first and change what needs changing. Then I can start to work on my sons. (Yes, they both need some attitude adjustments here and there...)

The text of the 5-day "program" is short, easy to read. After that follows suggestions on various trouble areas families encounter and how to tackle them. Like I said earlier - reality discipline. I've been threatening and reminding, doing nothing to help my sons grow responsibly. Instead, I need to let reality be their teacher. If I say for them to do something and they don't, they need to learn from the consequences of their actions.

It's hard to do sometimes. Sometimes I just want to move on from the problem onto something else - but then they aren't learning anything and I'm just reinforcing bad behavior. (No, they aren't that bad, but there's room for improvement.)

Thankfully I have a lot of these suggestions in another Leman book, Making Your Child Mind Without Losing Yours. Great book! Now I can return this one to the library. I'm sure there are some other parents out there who need to read it.

A Christmas Tag

2010-12-15T10:32:00.002-06:00

From Cindy at Notes in the Key of Life:

1.What is your one favorite dish to see on the table at Christmas dinner?
sweet potato casserole

2.Do you have a Nativity scene or a creche? How many pieces does it have?
I have a beautiful Fontanini set that I leave out year-round. I have several pieces (not really wanting to count them...), but there are many, many more available. I just don't have room for them all. Well, maybe I do have room for a few more... I could clear the few books off that bottom shelf and put a second grouping of pieces there. I'd love to have the wise men and the camels. Maybe I'll put that on next year's wish list - unless I can find a good sale!

3.What is your favorite Christmas movie?
A Christmas Story, followed closely by Christmas Vacation. More of a modern traditionalist approach. I like some of the old b&w classics, but they just aren't my favorites.

4.If you and your family could spend this Christmas in another country, where would you go?
Greece. I just want to go there anyway, but I think it would be wonderful to see what Christmas in a Greek Orthodox church is like.

5.Does your grandmother usually knit you something for Christmas, or does she give you something different — say, a Wii?
Both of my grandmothers are in heaven. Mamaw would sometimes give me something handmade (I remember getting Barbie clothes from her a lot when I was little.), but sometimes I'd get things she'd bought from infomercials. Memaw always bought us different kinds of things.

6.Have you ever gone out of the house wearing a reindeer headband? What about a Santa hat?
No, I don't believe I have. I wouldn't mind wearing a Santa hat one day...

7.Do you usually make or buy your Christmas gifts?
It's usually a combination of both. I've made afghans for almost everyone in my family. All the ladies have gotten handmade jewelry and crocheted scarves. My parents and my in-laws received scrapbooks I made of the boys one year. I even wrote a poem for my mom one year and framed it with a buffalo nickel. (The poem was about my grandfather's buffalo nickels that she had found and spent when she was a little girl.)

8.When do you set up your Christmas decorations? When do you take them down?
We usually start decorating shortly after Thanksgiving, though we've been as late as 2 weeks before Christmas. Things usually come down the week after Christmas, but last year I left everything up for our New Year's Day party. I think I'll do that again this year.

9.What kind of activities does your church usually have at Christmas?
Lighting Advent candles each Sunday, Christmas Eve services, community outreach projects for each of the adult Sunday school classes to participate in

10.Did you ever believe in Santa Claus as a child?
I don't know if I really believed in him or not, but I played along. It's fun to take part in the tradition, and it irks me when people are radically anti-Santa because they think it's a lie.

11.Which of the Gospels gives your favorite account of the Christmas story?
Luke

12.Have you ever acted in a Christmas pageant? What part did you play?
I don't remember; childhood was a long time ago. :o)

13.Do you buy Christmas presents for your pets?
I probably have once or twice, but it's not something I generally do.

Ho, Ho, Hum...

2010-12-14T14:34:00.002-06:00

Christmas is right around the corner. Just 11 days away. And what have I done? Not much. The tree is up, lists are made. That's about as far as it gets. Well, I have done a little shopping, but not near the extent of what I need to get done. I just can't get motivated to do any of it. Either someone is sick or there's basketball practice or games or there's a party to prep for and attend... There's too much busyness, as usual, to enjoy the holiday season.

Maybe tomorrow I'll have a new outlook - and some motivation to tackle the things on my list. The clock is ticking.

Basketball Blues

2010-11-29T07:51:00.006-06:00

Early last spring, after the boys found out that some of their friends were playing basketball through a church league, they wanted to play. It was too late to get them signed up then, but I promised we'd look into it this fall.

In October I registered the boys to play basketball with Lake Pointe Sports, an outreach program of Lake Pointe Church in Rockwall. In November I was notified that the boys' teams did not have coaches yet, but we would be notified as soon as they were in place. (Since it's a church-run activity, coaches are generally parent volunteers instead of hired.) A week or so later, I got an email from Caleb's coach, and things got under way. He's already had one practice and has another one scheduled for tomorrow night. His first game will be Saturday.

Two days later I still hadn't heard anything about Jacob's coach, so I emailed the program coordinator. Two days later, on a Friday evening, I received a reply that I should've heard from the coaches already. She cc'd Jacob's two coaches and asked them to contact me. It's now 10 days later and I still haven't heard anything. Since Thanksgiving was in the midst of that, I allowed for extra time, but now there's been a full weekend on either end of the holiday.

This morning I emailed the program coordinator again, and I cc'd the two coaches she'd included in her reply to me. I told her that we still haven't heard anything from either coach. I mentioned that Caleb has had one practice and has another one tomorrow night, just for emphasis that things have been taking place with other teams. Then I asked her if I needed to try to get Jacob's jersey when we pick up Caleb's this Tuesday night or if I need to formally request a full refund of his registration fees. I softened that a bit by asking if there was another team he could be fit in with.

I really want Jacob to be able to play. He's had his heart set on this since the spring. After receiving confirmation of his registration, he's been ready to play. I'm willing to give Lake Pointe Sports a shot this year, but if things don't improve with Jacob's situation, this will be our last time to do anything with them.

Update
Monday
This morning I got a reply from the assistant coach. He apologized that we hadn't heard anything, but the only information he got from LP Sports was a list of players, no contact info. He isn't sure if the other coach is another assistant coach or the head coach; he hasn't talked with him, I guess.

This afternoon I got a reply from LP Sports. The coordinator said this is not normal, that they had to find new coaches since many of the ones from last year haven't stayed on. (I wonder why...) She said we should have a practice day/time set tomorrow. (We'll see...)

Tuesday
Tonight after we got home from Caleb's practice, I had an email waiting from Jacob's head coach. Apparently he never got a list of his players' contact information or any kind of practice/location schedule. Thankfully that's all worked out now! Jacob's team will have practice one hour before Caleb's team at the same gym. That makes things easy!

Unfortunately Jacob's team will not get a practice in before their first game Saturday afternoon. I think it's going to be madness - and a hoot!

Wednesday Hodgepodge - November 17

2010-11-17T09:27:00.002-06:00

Just when I was getting started with the Random Dozen meme, the author got swamped with life and stopped posting questions. Thankfully another RD participant, Joyce at From This Side of the Pond, stepped up and took on something similar. Here's what Joyce wants to know this week:

1. What is the most amazing weather you've ever seen?
"Amazing" as in wonderful: The weather we've been having right now! The days have been bright and sunny, the breeze has been light, and the temperatures have been cool - just enough for a long sleeve and a light jacket. Ahhhh, bliss.

"Amazing" as in astonishing, surprising: Last winter's snowfalls. Yes, that's plural. Although we weren't home every time it happened, I think snow fell in the Dallas area three times last winter. The most abundant one happened in February, dropping about eight inches or so in our neighborhood. It was nice the first day, okay the second day, and by the third day, I'd had more than my fill. In fact, I'd be happy if I saw not one tiny snowflake this year. :oP

2. What is a sound or noise you love?
my boys laughing
wind chimes
waterfalls
gentle, rolling thunder

3. Do you like seafood? What's your favorite seafood dish?
I like boiled shrimp and fried calamari. That about does it for me. I can't stand seafood gumbo. The smell sickens me.

I love boiled crawfish, too, but that's technically not seafood. It's more like ditch food.

4. What part of your day requires the most patience?
home school time

5. What's your favorite shade of blue?
Navy. I tend to lean toward darker colors: forest green, chocolate brown, burgundy, black.

6. Do people underestimate you?
Probably. Sometimes I underestimate myself. I think most people really don't know me since I tend to keep a lot of things to myself.

7. When was the last time you had butterflies in your stomach?
It would most likely be the last time I had to speak in front of a group, which I try not to do often.

8. Insert your own random thought here, and remember...I have a wooden spoon and I'm not afraid to use it.
I know how hard it is to keep a meme going because I tried several years ago. It was called Food for Thought, and the 5 weekly questions were food related. Sometimes I'd have a theme, say soup, and all the questions would be about that one topic. I enjoyed it, but I never got a following. Maybe one person answered occasionally. That's not very encouraging... Maybe one day I'll start it up again.

Menu Plan Monday - November 15

2010-11-16T10:08:00.002-06:00

We enjoyed having our week's supply of grilled meat last week! I hope we can do that again before too long.

On to this week...

Monday
Chicken Pot Pie

Tuesday
Portobella & Olive Farfalle
Caesar salad

Wednesday
Applesauce Meatloaf
Four Cheese Risotto (from a box)
Caesar salad

Thursday
leftovers

Friday
???

Saturday
Biscuits & Jelly

Sunday
sandwiches/cereal
We'll be having our annual "Pie & Praise" night at church this Sunday after AWANA, so we'll eat dessert for our meal and top off with something quick and light after we get back home. The boys love this!

Next week, the only thing on my menu is Taco Soup (and leftovers). We'll be enjoying my mother-in-law's dressing and other delectable Thanksgiving foods for the end of the week. Yum!

For more menu plan ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Flashback Friday: Veterans

2010-11-11T14:56:00.014-06:00

From Mocha with Linda:

Were/Are either of your parents or other family members active military personnel or veterans? What branch? When did they serve; was it during wartime or peacetime? Did they share much about their experiences with you or others? When you were growing up, was the USA (or your country, for those outside the US) involved in a war? What do you remember about it and how did it impact you? Are you, your spouse, or any of your children veterans?

Neither my husband nor I have served in the military, but both our fathers did, many of our uncles did, and we have many friends who have served or are serving now.

My dad served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. On July 7, 1967 - less than two months after he and Mama were married - he received orders to report for an "Armed Forces Physical Examination" to determine if he was qualified to serve in the military. On August 28, 1967, he received orders to report for induction into the US Army on September 7. Because he wasn't keen on the idea of ground fighting in Vietnam, he tried to join the US Air Force, following his father's footsteps. They had reached their current limit of inductees. They could've taken him later, but that would've been after the September 7 deadline. The Navy recruiter's office was just down the hall, so he went there instead.

Daddy started boot camp on September 5, 1967 - just two days before he would've been required to report for induction into the Army. After several months of boot camp and radio school, he was assigned to the USS Noxubee, which shuttled fuel from large oil tankers to fuel bunkers onshore. Since the ship's home port was Pearl Harbor, it was a shock to find out he was being sent directly to Vietnam. The USS Noxubee had been deployed. He reported to the ship on the evening of June 27, 1968, and was released from shipboard duty three years and one day later - June 28, 1971.

He was a radioman, sending and receiving messages in Morse code, audio, and teletype. His unit was also responsible for patching communications networks, if needed. It reminded me of that scene in Down Periscope where the guy patches two networks together and gets shocked because he licks his bare fingers before holding the ends of the wires together with them. :o)

During his time on the USS Noxubee, Daddy was stationed both stateside (Pearl Harbor, HI, twice; and Little Creek, VA) and internationally (Da Nang Harbor/Cua Viet, Vietnam), and he had the chance to visit many different cultures (Hong Kong, Japan, the Philippines, and Guam, as well as France, Spain, Italy, and Greece while his ship cruised in the Mediterranean).

Probably the most harrowing experience on board the USS Noxubee was when a couple of Viet Cong swimmers managed to plant a magnetic mine on the hull of the ship. Since it was night and the water was murky, a team of underwater demolition divers wasn't able to tell anything from their inspection. The ship was taken five miles from the base until morning, when the team would inspect everything again. Around 2:00 a.m., there was an explosion on the ship. Thankfully only one mine was planted - and it was attached a little forward of the cargo hold. The ship's damage control team went to work and was able to contain things until an auxiliary repair ship could make temporary repairs. Then they headed to Manilla, Philippines and went into dry dock for repairs.

Daddy received his Honorable Discharge from the US Navy on September 4, 1973.

Incidentally, I was born while he was on one of his tours in Vietnam. He was on duty and received the Red Cross message regarding my birth as it came through.

I am immensely proud of my daddy and how he served his country when called upon. He is my hero.

November 2010 Book List

2010-11-10T15:40:00.010-06:00

37. God, the Devil, and Harry Potter by John Killinger

I initially chose this book because I thought it would give me insight into how Christians who like the Harry Potter books view the series. It started out nicely, though there were numerous summaries of some of the plot lines of the books. That led me to believe it would be a good book for Christians who are curious about Harry Potter but don't feel inclined to read the books. The further I read, the more I realized that Killinger often mixes his Christian perspective with a worldly one. It didn't bother me that he points out similarities between Rowling's characters and those of the mythology of different regions. What concerned me was he not only quotes from the Bible, but he also relies heavily on other gospels as well as the Apocrypha. To evangelical Christians, that's a huge red flag, and that would put off many Christians who question the series.

I don't recommend this book to evangelical Christians who want to know more about the Harry Potter series, but I'm sure there is a book out there written by an evangelical - for evangelicals.

38. Making Rounds with Oscar by Dr. David Dosa

I'm a sucker for a good cat story, and this one was a gem! Dr. Dosa is a geriatrician who makes rounds on the dementia floor of a large Rhode Island nursing home. Rumor was that Oscar was always present for residents' final hours of life. Dosa was skeptical and began a quest to find out just what Oscar's "gift" is - how does he know when it's a patient's final hours, and how is he always right?

As Dosa talked with past patients' families about their experiences on the floor and with Oscar, he began to realize Oscar's importance to both the patients and their families. Generally aloof, Oscar would curl up on the bed beside a dying patient, would purr and allow himself to be petted by grieving family members. More than one family member called him a comfort. Dosa's appreciation of Oscar grew, as did his understanding of what his patients' families needed. He learned how the medical community was failing families of patients with dementia, how families felt a range of emotions but had no help, and how he could be a better doctor in bridging those gaps.

Dosa never really found answers to his questions about how Oscar "knows" the end is near. There have been scientific explanations about a "sweet smell of death" and animals having a keener sense of smell than humans, but none of those explain why only Oscar makes his rounds. He does realize the importance of animal therapy for the elderly, especially those with dementia. There's something about animals (and music, as he also learned) that reach into the deepest parts of a person.

Life Without Limits by Nick Vujicic

I can't count this book because I didn't finish it. It's good, but not what I want to read right now. I was expecting an autobiography with some inspiration thrown in, but it turned out to be quite the opposite. It's a Christian "self-help" book with short biographical highlights included every so often. Needless to say, I was disappointed.

39. Family Organizing Handbook by Amy Knapp

The subtitle is "314 Mom-Tested Super Tips, Tricks and Secrets to Take Care of Everything with Time Left for What Really Matters". (An older version has only 312 tips.) Quite a mouthful, but an overall quick read.

I don't think each numbered tip should've been a tip unto itself, since many of them piggy-backed on a previous one. Still, there were some good ideas here. The biggest thing that was emphasized for me was the importance of two things: calendars and lists. I already knew that, but this just drove the point home a little more, especially where lists are concerned.

Menu Plan Monday - November 8

2010-11-08T10:34:00.002-06:00

I don't know what happened with last week. I think the cooler weather slowed my brain! I do remember having Baked Potato Soup and homemade bread on Tuesday, and we had steaks, Caesar salad, and some seasoned sugar snap peas and potatoes (from a frozen package) on Saturday, but everything in between is a blur. Oh, yeah! I had a broken kitchen faucet so we dined on sandwiches, served on paper plates.

We finally got around to grilling Saturday evening (after my handyman hubby replaced my faucet!), so we've got our meat for the first part of the week.

Monday
Hamburgers (a grilled chicken sandwich for Caleb)
Bush's Grilling Beans
Caesar salad

Tuesday
White Beans & Rice (with some diced grilled hot link thrown in for extra heat)
*I'll be using my Red Beans & Rice recipe, but since ALDI didn't have red beans and I didn't have time to run by Wal-Mart for them, I decided to go with Great Northern beans. I'm sure it'll be great!

Wednesday
Hamburgers
Sweet Potato Fries

Thursday
leftover White Beans & Rice

Friday
???
Caleb will be at a pre-teen fall retreat, so we'll be doing something special with Jacob. Oh, the woes of being the younger sibling...

Saturday
sandwiches/leftovers
It's home team night again, and the day will already have been busy with a baklava cooking class I'll be taking, entertaining Jacob, and picking up Caleb from camp. I need easy!

Sunday
sandwiches/leftovers
AWANA night. Enough said.

I've got a little more variety planned for next week, so stay tuned!

For more menu plans, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

30 Days of Thankfulness

2010-11-04T07:40:00.026-05:00

I'm a little late getting started on this, but it's been a weird week. The cooler temps have me moving much slower in the mornings, then the days get busy...

Guidelines:
1. I'll come back to this post and add something for each day of the month, but I might not get around to doing it each day.
2. I'm not going to put obvious things I'm thankful for. Those go without saying. This is more a list of the smaller things in life. On certain days there might be a more obvious "bigger" thing, so I'll include it as well.
3. I will provide explanations of most things - a story about why that particular thing came to mind that day. To me, that's more interesting than just a list.

November 1 - Laughter
Jacob can be a jokester at times, and he provided me with quite a laugh Monday morning. Each morning as we're finishing our breakfast, the boys and I take our medicines together: me, my vitamin, and them, their allergy pills. This time, Jacob took his early and saved back a Rice Krispy from his cereal. When it was time to take our medicine, he popped his into his mouth and crunched down on it. I thought it was Zyrtec, and I kept waiting for a look of disgust to come across his face. "Does it taste good?" I asked him, to which he replied, "It was cereal!" He got me, and we all laughed about that for a long time.

Biggie thing: Mama. Happy birthday!

November 2 - Soup
Even though we've been having soup nights almost weekly for nearly two months, the weather has finally cooled down enough to make it "necessary". Tuesday was very fall-like with gray skies, gentle rain, and temps in the low 50s. After a quick trip out to vote, it was nice to sit down to a hot bowl of homemade Baked Potato Soup.

Biggie thing: the right to vote

November 3 - Sandwiches and Paper Plates
The kitchen faucet started dripping several days ago. On Tuesday, I noticed water had started leaking from around base the fixture. Billy checked under the sink and found that it was leaking underneath as well. (Thankfully we caught it before it got to be a huge mess!) Then as I was trying to get the last few dishes washed up today, water started spraying out the back of the fixture and I lost pressure in the actual faucet. I managed to get everything washed, then I turned off the water under the sink. It took a few dish towels to clean up all the water that had sprayed behind the sink and spread along the counter. Needless to say, I didn't do any cooking for supper. We had sandwiches on paper plates, saving me a big mess to have to clean up at a sink elsewhere in the house.

November 4 - Growing Boys
...even though I don't like having to go through their clothes every season. The sudden cool snap has me going through their closet and drawers today, seeing what fits and what doesn't. First I go through Jacob's. What doesn't fit him goes in one of two piles: Once Upon a Child (resale) or Goodwill. Then I go through Caleb's and move what doesn't fit him over to Jacob's side. Then I make a list of what's needed so I can buy that when I get a chance. In spite of that hassle, though, I'm so glad they're healthy and growing at a steady rate.

November 5 - Public Libraries
I love to read, but I don't have the space or the money to buy books all the time. It's so nice to be able to check out what I want whenever I want it. I also have a Sony book reader, so I can download books, too! Today I found a perfect reading spot in the children's area: in a big comfy chair in a patch of sunlight. Well, I moved the chair so it would be mostly in the sun, but still...

November 6 - SWIM
I was heavily involved in SWIM (Seminary Wives in Ministry) while Billy was working on his master's degree, and I've missed being a part of it since I left the board a year and a half ago. While I don't want to be involved to the extent I was back then, I am glad that I can still go to the seminars they sponsor - like today's "RX for Spiritual Sleepyheads". Prof. and Jeanne Hendricks taught on Bible study methods, based on Prof.'s book Living by the Book. Great presentation from two great people!

Biggie thing: my handyman husband who fixed my sink!

November 7 - Cubbies
This is my fourth year working with the Cubbies in AWANA and I love it! Every year I get a table full of the sweetest little girls. This year I have Lilia, Caitlin, Hannah B., and Ella. They warm my heart, and I love getting sweet hugs and notes from them.

Biggie thing: godly pastors at my church who effectively teach the Word of God.

November 8 - Stay-Home Days
After busy weekends (or even not-so-busy ones), it's great to have a day or two that I know we can count on being home. It's a good way to kick off our school week and for me to get back on track with housekeeping since I only do the basics on the weekend. Usually.

November 9 - Crock Pots
It's so nice to be able to just put everything in in the morning and leave it to cook all day. And it makes the house smell great, too! I want to find some more great Crock Pot recipes so I can use it more often.

November 10 - Candles
Yankee Candles are by far my favorite, especially their "Thankful" scent. Since I don't have one of those right now, I've been burning one of my Shiraz (Vintage Wine) candles that they've discontinued. Luckily I found some at an outlet last summer in Branson, so I bought 3. :o)

November 11 - Music
I've loved music for as long as I can remember. I used to play the piano, but it's been ages. I've had a guitar for almost 9 years now, but I never really learned to play it. Whenever I hear beautiful music, whether it's classical, rock, or somewhere in between, I always wish I could play. Today I took my guitar out of its case for the first time in well over a year and started relearning a few chords. I don't think I'll ever be good enough to play in front of anyone, but if it gives me pleasure, then that's enough.

Two biggies: life (It's my birthday!) and veterans who have served and are serving our country.

November 12 - Fall Color
Seeing the beauty of the changing leaves each fall is one of the highlights of the season. I love the brilliant hues in all the reds, oranges, and golds. And it's usually right around my birthday that the colors start showing themselves. Thank You, God!

November 13 - Good Food
I learned how to make baklava today, and I can't wait to do it myself soon. At tonight's home team, Deb had made some scrumptious - and rich! - sopapilla cheesecake. Yum! And last Saturday at the SWIM event, I ate some of the best granola I've ever put in my mouth. It was homemade, and my friend gave me her recipe. :o)

November 14 - Rest and Relaxation
Well, I didn't take my nap today, but I did enjoy spending time at home with Caleb this morning. He was exhausted from his weekend retreat, and a late-night dose of Benadryl to offset a sudden allergy attack did nothing to help get him going Sunday morning. I stayed home from church with him so he could rest up, and it wasn't until nearly 11:30 that he perked up. While he rested and read, I did much of the same.

November 15 - Netflix
We just signed up for Netflix, and the few days we've been using it have been great! I got to watch an old favorite movie of mine - The Man from Snowy River - without having to borrow it from the library or drive to a Redbox rental to get it. It just streamed right through the Wii onto our TV. The boys have enjoyed watching several episodes of some of their favorite cartoons, and Billy has enjoyed watching old episodes of Pawn Stars. Today for science, the boys and I watched the National Geographic Explorer documentary Sea Monsters, about prehistoric marine animals. I can't wait to explore Netflix some more!

November 16 - Afternoon Walks
I finally got out to walk again after I don't know how long. It was nice to be out in the crisp, cool air. My iPod is a great companion when I don't have someone to walk with me. I really need to make this a regular thing!

November 17 - Calendars
Staying home a lot often leads to me getting my days confused. My calendar is a necessity, not only for helping me keep track of what day it is, but also for anything coming up that we've planned to do. Every year after Christmas, when calendars are on sale for 50% off, I choose one to get me through the next year. When I'm transferring important dates (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) to my new one, it's always fun to see all the things we did the past year. And it helps me with my annual "Year in Review" blog posts. :o)

November 18 - Writing Opportunities
I've always loved to write, but I've never done much more than the usual drivel (and an occasional good post) in this blog. In August, I took on the task of editor of my Sunday school class newsletter. I'm responsible for planning the content of each month's issue as well as layout and design, contacting people for submissions (with the help of Deb Chisholm, the assistant editor and proofreader), and occasionally writing something myself. So far we've put out 3 issues and have gotten some great feedback. Last month, one of my former students contacted me about an online magazine she's putting out. I pitched an idea for her December issue that I'm currently working on; submitted an article for January's issue; and am fleshing out an article for February. It's not a paying gig, but it's good experience - and good practice.

November 19 - Short School Days
Every Friday is a short day for us since we have errands to run in town. We typically do language and math, then head out for lunch, the library, grocery shopping, and whatever else we need to do. I like only having to get out (usually) once a week.

November 20 - Good Sales
I'm not much of a shopper. When I need to buy something, I know what I want and where I need to get it - and I'm in and out and done with it. Christmas shopping is another matter entirely. No, I don't like it, but I can't go out armed with a list most of the time. I have to see things to spark more ideas on what to get for the people I'm buying for. After Billy's parents left with the boys earlier today, we went to the outlet mall to check on a few ideas for the boys. Not only were we able to get some good things on sale ($5 fleece vests for the boys!), but I was able to come up with a few more ideas to add to my list of things to buy. Maybe I can get this year's Christmas shopping done quickly...?

November 21 - Quiet
The boys have gone with Billy's parents for their Thanksgiving break. Today Billy and I vegged out in the living room and did pretty much nothing but watch a Pawn Stars marathon all day. I did a few loads of laundry, but it was mostly a do-nothing day - except for AWANA.

November 22 - Dave's Italian Roast
The IT Dept. has a soup day the week of Thanksgiving every year, and every year Billy has come home telling me how wonderful Dave's Italian Roast is. This year I finally got to go and taste it for myself. It's the best roast I've ever had. Well, I love roast with mushroom gravy, but this is different. It's a little spicy and a lot tasty. I went back for a little more - and I found out the recipe. I'm definitely going to be making this soon!

November 23 - Haircuts
It's been since March. Need I say more?

November 24 - Hair Color
Ahhhh, Sangria. It's been too long!

November 25 - Family Time
Every Thanksgiving, my parents and sisters meet us and my husband's aunts and uncles at his parents' house for an afternoon of feasting, visiting, and playing games. It's the perfect way to relax with everyone before the busyness of the Christmas season begins.

November 26 - No Shopping on Black Friday
I almost hate to shop. Need I say more?

November 27 - Naps on Long Rides
Put me in a moving vehicle for more than 30 minutes (sometimes less!), and I'm a goner. Within ten minutes of leaving Billy's parents' house, I was nodding off.

November 28 - Christmas Decorations
I like the bright little LEDs on our tree and the hodge-podge of ornaments hanging on it.

November 29 - Rain
Even though I'd rather drift off to sleep to the sound of rain hitting the roof, it's not too bad a sound to wake up to. It rained off and on for ahout 3 hours this morning. We desperately needed it!

November 30 - Christmas Music
I enjoy the decorations, but it's really the music that draws me in.

Menu Plan Monday - October 25

2010-10-27T09:37:00.003-05:00

Okay, I'm a few days late on this. I'm also a few meals short. Last weekend's bad weather led us to cancel our planned grilling night. Thankfully I hadn't thawed out the meat yet! But since I had already done my grocery shopping and didn't feel like getting out again, I'm making do with what we have on hand.

Monday
Genghis Grill - We had another coupon for two free kids' meals with the purchase of one adult meal, and Billy had accumulated enough "punches" on his card for one more free meal. With our water to drink (since their soft drink prices are outrageously high), the four of us ate for the price of one! Score!

Tuesday
Biscuits & Jelly
Not creative, I know, but after our long day of flu shots, getting glasses for Caleb, finding Halloween costumes, and other things, I didn't have the desire to do anything more than that. I didn't even feel like microwaving precooked sausage patties...

Wednesday
Pizza
Even though the boys and I are taking a field trip to Cici's Pizza this Friday, it's necessary to make pizza this week. I bought mushrooms to saute with onions for our steak Saturday night, so now I have to find something to do with them. I have pizza sauce, cheese, onions, peppers, and the ingredients for dough, so I might as well use them up. Unfortunately we're slap out of black olives. :o(

Thursday
Lasagna, homemade Italian bread, salad
Well, this was planned for at least! A friend of mine from church had spinal fusion surgery and our class is supplying them with food for a few weeks. I'll be splitting my lasagna in two and taking half to them on Friday.

Friday
leftovers/sandwiches

Saturday
sandwiches/hot dogs
This is our final night to host the home team for our LOTR series. Since I'll be busy preparing the evening's snacks (taters!), supper will have to be quick and easy.

Sunday
We'll be at church for our annual Harvest Festival, so we'll probably pick something up while we're out. Otherwise we'll just have a quick sandwich when we get home.

So, it's a blah week around here as far as food is concerned. I have several things on my list that I'd like to make before long. Maybe I can get them all worked in over the next two weeks.

For more meal plan ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Random Dozen - October 21

2010-10-21T12:30:00.002-05:00

Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee has gotten a little help from Linda at Mocha with Linda for this week's Random Dozen. Sounds like a good collaboration just from their names and the names of their blogs! :o)

The first seven questions were posed to me by Mocha with Linda in a tagging meme, which I answered here. Since you can click over and read them there (if you want to), I see no need to rewrite all that here.

1. Do you prefer to read the book or see the movie?
2. What is your favorite holiday and why?
3. Which do you like better - the mountains or the beach?
4. If money were no consideration, what vehicle would you drive?
5. What is your favorite cold-weather beverage?
6. How do you communicate most often with your friends: phone, email, text, face-to-face, or Facebook?
7. How do you receive your mail? Mailbox on the porch, at the end of the driveway, down the street, or post office box?

Now for the new stuff!

8. Of the four basic personality types - sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic, and choleric - which is your strongest? Which is your least evident? (See definitions at the bottom of this post.)

First off, I have to say I don't like the names of those terms. They sound like words to describe the sick or the depressed.

Now that's out of the way, I'll go with phlegmatic. *cough, wheeze*

9. What do you miss the most about being 20?
When I was 20, I was in college, still living at home, and working part-time for spending money. Being carefree and spending time with my friends was fun, but I don't miss arguing with my sisters (who were 10 and 12 at the time and knew how to push my buttons), keeping up with my studies (in the several majors I kept changing to), or dating. I'd definitely rather be where I am now than go back.

10. How long from the time you get up, does it take you to get ready to walk out the door in the morning?
Since I'm a stay-at-home mom, I'll answer this as a Sunday morning question: an hour and 45 minutes. That includes showering, washing and combing out my hair, dressing, putting on makeup, getting the boys up, preparing breakfast, and eating. On days I don't have to wash my hair, I can be ready to leave the house in an hour.

11. Who handles the car maintenance and pays the bills in your family?
Billy does most of that. I take the car in for oil changes, inspections, etc., but if the check engine light comes on, I let him know. He also has his own system worked out for paying bills.

12. For those in the US, how many states have you visited? For those outside the US, how many provinces/other countries have you visited?
Hmmmm... I'm going to have to check a map for this one... That would be 21. Or 22 if I've ever been to Illinois. Or 23 if I've also been to Wisconsin. I'll have to ask Mama.

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Personality type definitions courtesy Wikipedia:

Sanguine

The Sanguine temperament personality is fairly extroverted. People of a sanguine temperament tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and tend to be quite loud. They are usually quite creative and often daydream. However, some alone time is crucial for those of this temperament. Sanguine can also mean very sensitive, compassionate and thoughtful. Sanguine personalities generally struggle with following tasks all the way through, are chronically late, and tend to be forgetful and sometimes a little sarcastic. Often, when pursuing a new hobby, interest is lost quickly when it ceases to be engaging or fun. They are very much people persons. They are talkative and not shy. For some people, these are the ones you want to be friends with and usually they become life long friends.

Choleric

A person who is choleric is a doer. They have a lot of ambition, energy, and passion, and try to instill it in others. They can dominate people of other temperaments, especially phlegmatic types. Many great charismatic military and political figures were cholerics. They like to be leaders and in charge of everything.

Melancholic

A person who is a thoughtful ponderer has a melancholic disposition. Often very considerate and get rather worried when they could not be on time for events, melancholics can be highly creative in activities such as poetry and art - and can become occupied with the tragedy and cruelty in the world. A melancholic is also often a perfectionist. They are often self-reliant and independent; one negative part of being a melancholic is sometimes they can get so involved in what they are doing they forget to think of others.

Phlegmatic

Phlegmatics tend to be self-content and kind. They can be very accepting and affectionate. They may be very receptive and shy and often prefer stability to uncertainty and change. They are very consistent, relaxed, rational, curious, and observant, making them good administrators and diplomats.

October 2010 Book List

2010-10-19T16:04:00.005-05:00

35. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

I read The Hobbit a few years ago and enjoyed it immensely. My original plan was to read it, then follow it immediately with The Lord of the Rings, but by the time I had finished, I needed a break from Tolkien's writing. I've seen the movie trilogy several times, but what spurred me to finally read the book was that Billy and I were going to lead a discussion of LOTR with our small group. Some parts of the movie still confused me after multiple viewings, and I thought the book would clear things up for me. It did, but I also realized how different the movies are from the book. A few characters were left out altogether, some minor characters had bigger roles in the movies, and part of the end of the book was omitted. Another big issue the movies don't show is the passage of time throughout the story. Seventeen years passes between the time Frodo receives Bilbo's ring and he begins his quest to destroy it.

The book begins with Bilbo Baggins preparing for his eleventy-first birthday. During his party, he disappears from the sight of all, then shortly leaves the Shire forever. At the grey wizard Gandalf's urging, he leaves behind his precious ring, the One Ring wrought by the evil Sauron thousands of years earlier, the one ring he found when he was lost in the caves with Gollum.

Gandalf is suspicious of the ring, and after many years of studying its history, he realizes how powerful it is. Sauron's evil is growing, and the threat of doom for all of Middle Earth is looming. Sauron knows where the ring is, and he's determined to get it. The only way to defeat Sauron is to destroy the ring. The only way the ring can be destroyed is for it to be thrown into the fires of Mount Doom where it was made. And so begins Frodo's quest.

Three hobbits join him: two relatives, Merriadoc "Merry" Brandybuck and Peregrin "Pippin" Took; and his gardener, Samwise Gamgee. Along the way they are joined by a ranger known as Strider, who they later find out is Aragorn, the heir to the throne of Gondor. After Frodo is seriously wounded by one of Sauron's Ringwraiths, the group travels to the elvish village of Rivendell, where Frodo's wound is healed and he is reunited with his Uncle Bilbo. Before they continue on their journey, four more join them to form the Fellowship of the Ring: Boromir, a captain of the steward of Gondor; Legolas, an elf and close friend of Aragorn; Gimli, a dwarf; and Gandalf.

The rest of the book chronicles the Fellowship's breaking, Frodo and Sam's continued journey, and the efforts of the remaining Fellowship members to draw Sauron's attention from the whereabouts and final destination of his ring.

I enjoyed reading the book and seeing where/how it differed from the movies, but it also provided a good reinforcement of the story in areas I had been confused. By the time I was about one third of the way through The Return of the King, the final "book", I was ready to be finished. The copy I have is 1008 pages, and I was weary of it. Once the story reached a certain point, it seemed to go on too long, but the very end was interesting. The movie doesn't show what finally happened to Saruman, the once -white wizard, and his minion, Grima Wormtongue. You'll have to read the book to find out. :o)

36. There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale by Sean Astin

I guess I needed to decompress from The Lord of the Rings slowly since this was my next book. :o)

Astin is brutally honest, almost to a fault, in this book about his struggles with acting before, during, and after his role in the amazing Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. At times he seems unnecessarily hard on himself, but he's honest about his flaws and how he feels about them. He's also not what one would expect a grown-up child star to be like. His childhood wasn't glamorous as people would like to imagine. It seems he was brought up in a relatively "normal" home in spite of all the trappings of Hollywood and fame.

He also provides in interesting look into the lives of his fellow LOTR costars as they lived together in New Zealand for so long. They were all each other had and their bonds, some stronger than others, grew to be like that of family. Astin was the only actor to bring his wife and young child along, and while that tended to separate him from his fellow cast mates, it also provided him with support the others didn't have - and it allowed him a unique relationship with Peter Jackon and his family since their children often played together.

In spite of the movies' successes, Astin still struggled with his feelings worth as an actor. He describes his conflicting emotions as he was nominated for awards, then didn't win. He seems to have come to terms with who he was and who he is, and he's working on developing who he wants to be.

September 2010 Book List

2010-10-19T16:02:00.001-05:00

I haven't read any new books this month, since I'm still plugging away at The Lord of the Rings. Hopefully I'll finish it soon!

Tag! You're It!

2010-10-19T08:55:00.006-05:00

I've been tagged! Linda at Mocha with Linda tagged me to answer 7 questions she came up with.

1. Do you prefer to read the book or see the movie?
While I do love movies, I almost always like the book better.

2. What is your favorite holiday and why?
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because mine and Billy's families come together at one place and spend the day together eating, talking, playing games, etc. It's a relaxing way to spend time together before the busyness of Christmas sets in. (For us, Christmas is a whirlwind of traveling to spend time with both families and getting back home in time to rest up before the "normalcy" of life sets back in.)

3. Which do you like better - the mountains or the beach?
I definitely like the mountains better. The beach is okay, but I don't like sand in my hair and clothes or the feel of seaweed between my toes. I prefer the scenic mountains with its woods, streams, and waterfalls. It's a perfect place for seclusion for an introvert like me.

4. If money were no consideration, what vehicle would you drive?
This is easy - a maroon 2010 Chevrolet Camaro!

5. What is your favorite cold-weather beverage?
Last winter I found and fell in love with Nestle's Chocolate Caramel cocoa. It's perfect topped with a large dollop of whipped cream. (I'm not much of a tea drinker, and then I only like iced sweet tea. I can't stand the taste of coffee.)

6. How do you communicate most often with your friends: phone, email, text, face-to-face?
It's a sad fact: email (and Facebook). I don't like the phone and rarely use it. I don't know which of my friends text, but I do text a lot with my parents and sisters. I prefer face-to-face, but being a homeschool mom who lives at least 20 minutes away from my friends, we're not able to get together whenever we want to.

7. How do you receive your mail? Mailbox on the porch, at the end of the driveway, down the street, or post office box?
We have a mailbox at the end of our driveway. Several years ago we had one in a large postal unit box in a cul-de-sac across from our street. That was inconvenient, though I know it made work easier for our mail carrier. A friend of mine gets her mail delivered through a slot on her door. It was quite a shock when a small group of us was visiting her and we heard the mail drop to the floor behind us.

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Now I'm supposed to come up with seven different questions and tag seven people. If I tag you, you're not obligated to participate; if I don't tag you and you want to answer the questions, feel free to do so in your own blog or in my comments section. I'd love to read your answers!

Here are the questions:
1. What hobby do you most enjoy, and how did you get involved with it?
2. If you had to spend one month in any area of service at your church, what would you choose?
3. Sweet or savory?
4. What is your favorite soup?
5. What was your favorite school subject?
6. What was your college major? Do you use it currently, or do you work in a different area?
7. If you could compete on any game show (either traditional like The Price Is Right or Jeopardy! or "reality"-based like The Amazing Race or The Biggest Loser), which would you choose and why?

I'm tagging the following people:
1. Cindy at Notes in the Key of Life
2. Lindsay at Larsita. Random Thoughts. - I know you have some time! Get back to blogging, girl!

Hmmmm... That's all I can think of! Cindy still blogs, but Lindsay hasn't in quite a while. All my other blogging friends have quit, most likely because of Facebook...

Menu Plan Monday - October 18

2010-10-18T08:00:00.005-05:00

Last week went mostly according to plan. Then Wednesday, when I finished mopping, I sat down for a quick break and completely forgot to cook my chicken for that night's gumbo. Since we were at the state fair all day Thursday, I didn't feel like cooking when I got home - plus after the corny dog and the funnel cake and all the samples, I needed something very light. Friday night Billy surprised us with dinner out - at Jason's Deli. I got my new usual, the Mediterranean Wrap with a side of fresh fruit. Perfect!

This week I'm hoping to get back on track, but I'm going to have to revise the menu I made out last week. I forgot to add certain ingredients to my shopping list...

Monday
Chicken & Sausage Gumbo - finally!

Tuesday
Popcorn Shrimp
(Knorr) Parmesan Noodles
Salad

Wednesday
Breaded Chicken Tenders
Fiesta Corn
Green Beans

Thursday
Turkey Club Sandwiches
Chips

Friday
leftovers

Saturday
GRILL DAY!
We've been waiting for the weather to cool down enough for Billy to grill meat for the week, and once it did we were too busy on weekends to do it. I'm so excited to finally grill our steaks, burgers, chicken, pork chops, and hot links!

Sunday
Lunch: Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries
Supper: sandwiches

I'm really looking forward to planning next week's menu around our grilled meat selections! I even have a new recipe or two I want to try.

For more menu plan ideas, check out I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Flashback Friday: Show Me the Money!

2010-10-15T10:22:00.006-05:00

Linda (Mocha with Linda) wants to know about money in this week's Flashback Friday.

How was money handled in your family when you were growing up? Were your parents savers or spenders? What are examples of ways they saved or splurged? Who paid the bills? What, if anything, did they teach you about money? Did you have an allowance? Whether received as an allowance or through other means such as gifts, when you had your "own" money, were there restrictions on how you spent it? Were you paid for making certain grades on your report card? Did your parents tithe or give money to the church on a regular basis? What about other charities? How old were you when you got your first checking account or credit card? How has the way you were raised impacted your handling of financial issues today?

Ooooh, the "M" word! Thankfully I had good role models growing up. My parents were both savers, though Mama spent more than Daddy. My sisters and I never lacked for necessities, and we frequently got new things like clothing, games, dolls, books, etc., but big ticket items like game systems, bicycles, etc., were saved for special occasions like birthdays or Christmas.

Daddy paid the bills, handed out the allowance, etc. I remember when I was in college, he would give me a certain amount of money per week. That included money for eating out, for gas, etc. When it was gone, it was gone. He even went so far as to figure how many miles per gallon my car averaged, how many miles it was to and from school, and any errand mileage I might use. I also had extra money from babysitting that I'd use for special things - a new outfit, an extra night out with friends, and so on.

Mama bought most of my clothes, but there were limits on what I could get. If I wanted the current "in" pair of blue jeans, Mama would pay what a "regular" pair would cost and it was up to me to pay for the rest. I don't think I ever owned a pair of the hottest brand because I didn't want to give up my money for that. I survived just fine wearing the less popular brands of clothing. Thankfully I wasn't a popularity hound, or I might've spent my high school years broke.

I'm pretty sure my parents tithed regularly. When I was little, Daddy would hand me a little money to put in the offering plate as it was passed. I don't know what charities my parents gave to other than the usual church programs: the Annie Armstrong Easter Offering and the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering. Now Mama sponsors a child or two through Compassion International, and she helps work their booth at concerts and other events. I think she also participates in Samaritan's Purse's Operation Christmas Child.

One thing that stands out to me about Daddy is his Christmas list. He always puts something practical on there like socks or a belt, but he also wants us to spend the money we would normally spend on him and buy something for someone in need - making a donation to the Salvation Army, buying something for someone on an angel tree, sending a soldier a care package, etc. All he wants is a card with a picture of what we gave. I have yet to remember to do something like that. I get so caught up in the busy-ness of the season that I forget. It shames me. Since I'm thinking about it right now, I should go ahead and put that under his name on my list for this year.

I was in college when I got my first checking account. Daddy helped me set it up, taught me how to keep a check register, and showed me how to balance my checkbook when my statement came each month. It wasn't that I was stupid about those matters, but he wanted to be sure I knew how to keep myself out of financial difficulties. I'm happy to say he never had to bail me out of anything. He also gave me a lot of cautious advice when I got my first credit card later on. Of course I waited until I had a job other than weekend or summer babysitting. I knew I needed some steady income for that privilege.

I'd like to say that I've been as cautious as Daddy taught me to be. Unfortunately I do have debt, but it's manageable and my credit score is high. I'd like to be debt-free one day, but it'll take a while. I read Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover a few years ago, and I really liked his approach. We've done a few things to start reducing our debt, but not to Dave's extremes.

I'm in the process of getting my own jewelry business set up. When I resigned from The Pampered Chef in January, I had a few hundred dollars in my business account. I turned that into a jewelry business account and have used what's in there for my supplies, replenishing it with money I've made on sales. I'm trying not to use my credit card for anything, but if I need to, I'll transfer money from my business account to our personal account to cover it. It's worked well so far, and I plan to keep it that way.

In my personal life, I'm pretty frugal. I save (and save and save) my birthday money until I find something I absolutely must have, and then I only spend a little of it. I'm very choosy. I started clipping coupons and shopping sales, saving a little money that way. Planning a weekly menu helps me save, too, since I plan the next week according to the current week's sales and only buy what's on my list. Okay, sometimes I buy something that's not on my list, but that's infrequent. When ALDI opened, I started shopping there, just a little at first until we could see what their quality is compared to their savings. It only took a few weeks before I was doing the bulk of my weekly grocery shopping there instead of Wal-Mart. The savings are incredible! I'm still brand loyal on a few things, so I do still shop Wal-Mart (and Brookshire's when they have exceptional sales - like this week!).

I also clip restaurant coupons. When we want to eat out, we look through my coupons before making a decision. One great coupon we used recently was from Genghis Grill, where two kids eat free for each paid adult meal. I have one more of those coupons, which expires on Oct. 31, and we "earned" a free bowl on our next visit. Since we'll all order water to drink, the only thing we'll be paying for is one adult meal!

Another way we're saving money is by switching our cell phone plans. Our AT&T contracts for our iPhones recently ran out and we were going month-to-month. After a little research, my husband found a better deal with a different carrier. We still have our iPhones, but now they're more like iPod Touch gadgets with all the Internet capability - as long as there's a wireless connection. That way I can still play my games, use my grocery list program and calendar, take quick pictures, etc., but we're paying almost $100 less for service on two less fancy phones. Every little bit helps!

Multitasking Mama

2010-10-13T12:44:00.006-05:00

A friend of mine recently blogged about taking a Monotasking Challenge. What? A monotasking challenge, where for one day (or hour) you put your complete focus on the tasks at hand, each in its own turn.

After reading that post, I started thinking about it. I thought a little about it while I played a game on my iPhone. I thought about it some more while I was loading the dishwasher after supper, between segments of The Biggest Loser. I thought about it even more while I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed. And it was still on my mind this morning while I was getting the boys' breakfast ready, putting on a load of laundry, and preparing their books for school.

I've been multitasking for so long, I don't know if I can monotask! I do know if I monotask in my rocking chair, I'll go to sleep. It happens every time. It's almost like I must keep my hands busy while my brain is busy (or pretending to be) or I'm not functioning.

Let's look at my average day:
*I pray (usually) while I shower.
*I read while I brush my teeth.
*I check my email while I make my bed.
*I read/answer emails while I scan news headlines on the Internet.
*I read in the mornings before the boys get up - between rounds of Words with Friends on my iPhone.
*While the boys are getting up, I'm fixing their breakfast, getting the day's laundry going, and putting away clean dishes that dried overnight. Between bites of my breakfast, I'm wiping the counter and getting the boys' school books ready for the day.
*While the boys are working on independent work, I load the dishwasher, keep the laundry on track, do any other chores, and help with any problems they have with their assignments. Then they play while I check their work and get their next subjects ready. This same pattern continues throughout the school day.
*After they've finished with their work, I sit down for a little while to rest and read or play a little on my iPhone. Then it's back to work on whatever is on the agenda for the day: vacuuming, sweeping/mopping, dusting, cleaning bathrooms, etc. All while that is going on, I'm thinking over what I'm blogging, what I'm reading, the next week's menu and grocery list, plans for the weekend, etc. I stop here and there to email someone or check Facebook or grab a quick snack or blog a bit (like now, while the boys' bathroom and entry are ready and waiting to be mopped).
*In the evenings, I cook supper and grade the boys' afternoon work or play a little Words with Friends. After supper, I usually watch something on TV while I clean the kitchen. I'll read while getting the boys rounded up for showers, homework, and bedtime.

And on and on and on. It's "normal".

I'm so tired when I go to bed at night that I usually drift off immediately - even if I ended up taking a nap sometime that afternoon. If I happen to wake during the night, I'll usually go back to sleep. But on those occasions when I just can't, I'll start thinking through my prayer list and praying for whoever comes to mind. Before long, I'm off in dreamland again. Too soon, it all begins again.

So, in contemplating Leslie's "Monotasking Challenge", I keep seeing where I could monotask, but I wonder if I'd ever get it all done. Then when I think about it a little more, I think how much a better job I'd be able to do if I would just focus on that one thing and not divide my attention.

I might take her up on her challenge. Not for a day just yet, but I think I could do it for an hour.

Now it's time to mop those floors while I think on this some more...

Random Dozen - October 12

2010-10-12T10:33:00.003-05:00

More randomness from Linda at 2nd Cup of Coffee.

1. Is there a word which you initially mispronounced? Were the circumstances in which you made the faux pas embarrassing? By the way, that's not "foax pass." (I know you know that. Just jokin' with ya.)
I'm sure there are some words I mispronounced accidentally, but I can't think of a specific example. I know of one I probably mispronounce on purpose - and that's because I don't like the way it's usually pronounced: hydrogenated. I hate hearing it pronounced hy-DRAH-gen-a-ted. I think HY-dro-gen-a-ted sounds much better, so that's how I say it. If it's wrong, so be it. That doesn't embarrass me. I know there's another word in that category, but I can't think of it right now...

2. How do you feel about the use of texting shortcuts and trends? (ex: "I've got ur notes. Get them 2 u 2morow.")
Being a former English teacher, I can't stand texting shortcuts. Too often, that carries over into actual writing. When I see those shortcuts and typos, I cringe and take out my mental red pen. I refuse to use them. Okay, I will use LOL and BTW. They aren't gross misspellings or shortcuts. They're acronyms. :o)

3. Tell me about your high school senior picture. Please feel free to post.
My high school senior picture was probably the best school picture ever. I wasn't wearing glasses and my hair wasn't cut Dorothy Hamill-style. :oP I know I have a copy around here somewhere...

4. This was accidentally left out of the list.

5. Share a high school or college homecoming memory.
Homecoming... Well, I wasn't much of a social butterfly in high school, and our small commuter college campus didn't have homecoming. I guess my best homecoming memory would be just going to the games and cheering on our team. Watching the homecoming court was always fun. I never really wanted to be on it until my senior year, but I knew it wasn't likely.

6. Linda at Mocha with Linda wants to know: "Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?"
While I'm up before the sunrise most days, the only window that faces east is the boys', and they're usually still asleep. (We homeschool and they don't have to get up until 8:00.) For that reason, I'd have to say sunsets. I especially like them now that we live out of the city. We see panoramic sunsets now!

7. What is something you have not done that you desire to do?
I'd like to take a photographic tour of Europe. I'd like to go on a photo safari in Africa. I'd like to take cooking classes for different ethnic cuisines.

8. If you could come back [in another life] as an animal, which would it be?
Definitely a giraffe. :o)

9. Where were you 10 years ago? Please feel free to elaborate more than just your physical location.
Ten years ago, we were living in Bossier City, LA, in a fairly new house we had built. I was a new mom, and I was teaching 8th grade science at Evangel Christian Academy, after teaching all subjects for 5 years at the much-smaller Trinity Heights Christian Academy. That was a year of many adjustments. I'd like to say I've grown a lot since then - physically (LOL!), mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

10. When you are proven to be correct in any contentious discussion, do you gloat?
It depends on who the discussion was with. In most cases, I'd say no, but there are some people I can't help but gloat in front of. That's so wrong.

11. What is your favorite food which includes the ingredient "caramel?"
There's no one favorite, so I'll mention the ones I really like. Caramel is great with apples. I love Snickers candy bars, caramel ice cream topping, and turtles.

And speaking of mispronouncing, it drives me nuts when I hear anyone say "carmel".

12. From my 17 year-old daughter to you: "If you could be part of any fictional family, which family would you choose and why?" (She's so cute. And clever.)
I'd have to choose Karen Kingsbury's Baxter family from the Redemption, First Born, and Sunrise series. Those were some of my favorite books because the characters we so real to me. They could've been my own family. My second family choice would be the Ingalls family (even though they were fictionalized) of Little House on the Prairie because I felt like I could fit right in with them when I read those books. Not surprisingly, my choices of families are from books, not television.

I'd love to read your answers! You can leave them in my comments section or link to them in your own blog.

Menu Plan Monday - October 11

2010-10-11T14:57:00.004-05:00

Last week was a little crazy and the few things I had planned got pushed over to this week, making this week very easy to get ready for.

Monday
Chicken Lo Mein
Mini Egg Rolls
Crab Rangoon
ALDI had several Asian food items on special the week before last. If these are good, I'll probably pick up some more for Sunday evening's International Missions Dinner. Our class was assigned Asia, and since I have AWANA that afternoon, I need something quick and easy!

Tuesday
Dirty Rice
Broccoli

Wednesday
Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Thursday
leftovers

Friday
Biscuits & Gravy
Sausage
Scrambled Eggs
This was Caleb's breakfast supper request from two weeks ago that I never got around to cooking. I have since been to Wal-Mart, though, so I have frozen biscuits and a country gravy mix on hand and don't have to try making any of it from scratch.

Saturday
Tex-Mex
We're hosting a missionary family for our home team dinner that night. They requested Tex-Mex, so Paula and Deb are making enchiladas, and Deb is going to bring some bean dip and chips. I have a good recipe for Spanish Rice, so I'll make a double batch of that and provide some guacamole, salsa, and drinks. One other couple might be coming, in addition to our missionary family, so I guess they'll be responsible for dessert.

Sunday
International Missions Dinner Buffet, provided by the different adult Sunday school classes at church.

For more menu plan ideas, visit I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Flashback Friday: Games & Puzzles

2010-10-08T07:52:00.005-05:00

Linda at Mocha with Linda has posted another great set of questions! Are we soul sisters? :o)

Did you play many games when you were growing up? What were they? (Include outside games as well as board & card games.) Who did you generally play with? Did your entire family play games or just the kids? Were there any traditional games your family always played? What were your favorites? Are they still around today? What about puzzles? Was that a popular pastime at your house? Were puzzles saved for holidays or did you do them any time? Were they set out for anyone to work or just one person?

Boy, did I ever play games growing up! You name it, I probably had it - except for Mousetrap. :o) - or played it. Candyland, Monopoly, Yahtzee, Scrabble, Pit, Uno, Skip-Bo, Trivial Pursuit, freeze tag, hide & seek, bike races, tug-of-war, hopscotch, jacks, jumprope, softball, volleyball,...

I'm sure I played board games with Mama & Daddy before my sisters came along. As they got older, we all played games together. Even now, we play games when we get together. Oh, and we play Words with Friends with each other on our iPhones all the time now. When a group of church friends would come over, we'd almost always end up playing Uno, and sometimes my parents would join in. I remember playing a lot of outdoor games with my neighborhood friends when I was in elementary school.

I also played softball with a city league for two years. I spent most of that time daydreaming in right field, but I learned a lot about the game anyway. I turned out to be a pretty decent player when I was a young adult. I didn't play - or want to play - on a college team or anything, but I could hold my own with the other church league ladies. I graduated to left field, center field, and eventually to short stop, which I loved! The worst position I ever played was catcher. I hated squatting and I had an irrational fear of getting my head knocked off by the swinging bat. I haven't played softball for probably 11 or 12 years now, and I really miss it. I'd love for our church to get a team up next spring. I'd play, but I don't want to organize it.

When I was in college, Mama and I would go to garage sales almost every weekend. I'd always look for games and jigsaw puzzles. I remember I had a huge stack of puzzles in the top of my closet. Since they took some time to work, I only did them on school breaks when I could spend hours at a time working on one. I've never been able to just put together a few pieces at a time. When I got married, I got rid of all my old puzzles. I just didn't have the space for them. Since then we've gotten some for the boys, and I always end up spending too much time poring over them.

Billy and I had quite a collection of games before we moved to TX, but since we were moving from a house to a much smaller apartment, we had to get rid of some. Since we were planning on being away for only 2 years, the ones I couldn't bear to part with went into storage. Seven years and more space later, we're still in TX. I'm not sure if we've gotten them all out or if some are rotting away. I've gotten new games to replace the old ones, though.

Some of my current favorite games are Apples to Apples, Scrabble, Scattergories, Balderdash, Loaded Questions, Words with Friends (iPhone - my user name is ch4pterfour if you want to play), Nines (cards), Phase 10 (cards), Phase 10 Dice, Farkle (dice), Mexican Train (dominoes), and various types of solitaire. I'm sure I'm leaving something out!

The boys have quite a love for games as well. I'm not sure how many games they have on their shelves in their room, but there's not much space for anymore. We've recently gotten rid of some of their games for younger children like Hi Ho Cherry O and Candyland, but they're always being replaced. Some of my favorite games of theirs are Blokus, Whoonu, and Apples to Apples Junior. I'm so glad they like to play games as much as I do!

What are your favorite games?