Blog Book

Last week I received the two blog books I recently ordered. I actually love having a bigger one that has 6 months worth of blogs in it. You can see how much thicker they are then the other monthly books I've ordered. I love looking back through the books and reminiscing about what I did during the past year. 

Technology is a great thing! Hopefully my journaling will let my family and family to come, know more about me. I've never been great at keeping a journal or history of myself. I have a few things written, but this is much more day to day information about what I like and what I don't. I wish I'd done this when my children were younger, but at least I have photo albums with a poor memory. 

I enjoyed reading about our Easter last year and remembering about what Brady did, my little teenager. It was funny and I had totally forgotten what a teenager he is. I told him about it over breakfast on Saturday and we laughed and laughed about what a teenager he is... Great memories captured so I will never forget the day to day stuff. 

Blogging / journaling is a great thing - PLUS having a book to keep those memories alive through the test of time. 

I have to say that I LOVE the new layout from Blog 2 Print, but the photo's are smaller then I'd like them to be. I don't want to edit my book in another program, so it's a catch 22... If I blog and print books for the rest of my life, that will be a LOT of books and information. Is it better to have the smaller pictures and less space it will take up? Is it better to print out the photos that are really special in a bigger size and still scrapbook them? I don't know the answer, I DO love the books, I just wish the pictures were bigger.

Just a reminder, this is the last day for the 15% off coupon to print out your blog with Blog2Print. The coupon code is "newb2p".

I also thought this was an interesting Press Release:

"NEW YORK – March 10, 2010 – Even as the e-book starts to capture the attention of the reading public, a little known phenomenon is pushing copies of printed books skyward: transforming blogs into physical books. This year alone, SharedBook estimates that its Blog2Print service (www.blog2print.com) will publish more than 50,000 copies of individual blogs. “What SharedBook has done with Blog2Print is open a door to publishing that simply could not have existed before. The number of books bloggers have created - and likely will create in the future - is astonishing, and reflects the emerging power of creativity in our culture. 50,000 books in a year is equal to almost 15% of the total number of book titles published in the US in 2009!” said veteran publisher and consultant David Wilk, founder of Booktrix and a number of book-related websites."

Fun New Things From My Shopping Spreeeee

During the visit with my Mom last week, of course we had to go shopping. I took her to Hobby Lobby which is a new store to this area. Hobby Lobby has been open for only a couple of months and so far, I have spent quite a bit of money there. They have fantastic deals, especially during the grand opening which I purchased lots of scrap booking supplies for 50% off.

While shopping for items for my Primary class party I saw these two fairies. I resisted and didn't purchase them. When Mom and I went back last week, they were still there at 50% off and I couldn't resist them this time. Mom purchased one as a birthday gift (she wanted to purchase both but I wouldn't let her) and I purchased the other one.

They have the sweetest faces. I love them!

I also purchased tulip silk flowers to put out in the front of my house. Yes, I put fake flowers out in my yard - ha ha!! Saturday my sister brought my the dragon fly stake to put in the pots (for my birthday). Thanks Chris!

Here is a look at the tulips and my Easter Egg tree. You can see my Easter decorations here and here from last year.

I also purchased this sign. I loved the saying: "The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the best of everything they have".

I've also been looking for some new larger candle holders to go on my new table under the big picture in my living room. My older ones were too small and not the right scale for the table or the picture. I can't show the picture of the candle sticks on the table right now because it has the Easter village on it. Anyway, they are beautiful and were also 50% off. Yeah!

Originally my Mom was going to purchase a blow up queen bed for me as a Christmas present, but she gave me my big picture instead. Then she was going to buy it for my birthday. We looked at it while we were at Shopko last Tuesday (while I purchased DVD of New Moon and The Time Travelers Wife). They were $80 and I told her she could not spend that much money on me. Sheeeeesh you'd think she had a job or something instead of retired. Anyway I told her NO and that I really didn't need one that bad.

We get by fine when someone visits, poor Brady has to give up his room and sleep on the twin blow up mattress that we use for camping in my scrap book room.

I wasn't going to spend $80 on one when you can find it on sale. This was Tuesday and on Wednesday it was on Sale in an ad in the newspaper at Shopko and JC Penney's. I thought the one at JC Penney's looked more deluxe then the one at Shopko. They were on sale for the same price $45. We stopped by JC Penney's and it was on sale for $29.99 and I had a 15% off coupon making it $25.

Woo Hoo on a super bargain theirs was down from $90. Again, Mom wanted to purchase it, but I wouldn't let her. Here she is working with me to make extra money and it kind of defeats the purpose when she wants to spend money I gave her on me (shaking head).

Anyway, lots of shopping and spending money last week. But I got some AWESOME deals which makes me happy.

I Enjoy My Quiet Times

Last week my Mom was here visiting and working with me. It was an enjoyable visit and nice to have her here.

After she left, I needed quiet time. I realize how much I enjoy being alone. I find that I truly enjoy being home and having quiet space. I need it and I thrive in it. While I enjoy seeing friends and visiting for an hour or so, after a week of constant visiting - it wears me out and I want my quiet time again.

Also during the past couple of weeks I have watched one of my older customers, Norma starve herself and has ended up in the hospital. I fear the end is not to far off in the distance. This is my customer who didn't have any children and I feel some responsibility to help out as I can. I purchased groceries, cooked dinners to take to her, visited with her. She has one sister, Carol who does care for her the best she can. Carol never married or had children either. These are two older women who need someone to help them. They are not religious and have no support system besides me. While I don't mind helping ..... it does wear me down a bit.

Carol loves to talk on the phone. She has been calling me everyday because she is scared for her sister. She talks and talks and talks on the phone. I do not enjoy talking on the phone for hours. I listen and give encouragement and support ... but wish that it was a 10 minute telephone call instead of an hour telephone call - everyday.

While this may seem very selfish to some people, for me it is taking up my precious time to do the things I need to get done each day. I work hard everyday and when I get home I want to be here for my children - not on the phone chatting. I have always cherished my home time to be a mother in the few short hours between home from work and bed time. There just isn't enough hours in a day to be focused on my children for me. When I have always worked away from the home and worked in a church calling and have been away from the most precious thing in my life (my family) - I hate interruptions from my time at being home with my children. I don't like to talk on the phone or be out with friends because the time I have with my children is NOT enough.

When people are constantly talking and talking to me, I don't have time to think. I really do need my quiet time. I like to read, listen to music, scan the Internet or write a blog. I can't do any of these things if people are talking to me.

Lately I've had many customers who want to talk to me while I work. I don't like that either. While I love my customers and enjoy a quick chat, it is starting to wear on me that they follow me around and talk and talk to me while I work. It's hard because I want to hurry and get the job done and get home. But, when they talk to me - my day is longer and I am home much later.

When I talk to people, I try to be encouraging and supportive. I try to lift them up. I know people like me and I can make friends easily. The problem is.... I enjoy my quiet time. When I make friends - they want to take over "my time" and I become resentful. I don't want to talk on the phone everyday for hours. I don't need to go out to lunch or visit for hours. I have things to do in the short hours I am not working.

My brain hurts from no quiet time. I find that I like it more and more as I get older. I know I could never be married again - as I thrive on being alone and having my own quiet time. I'm getting older and set in my ways of having my own time.

Now, I'm off to think and have quiet time. After a week of visits - I definitely need my "me" time. Maybe I'll blog a little, read a few blogs and listen to quiet beautiful music... Aaaaahhh QUIET! :-D

Recipe: Easy Cheesy Potatoes

The recipe calls for 2 24 oz bags frozen cubed potatoes or shredded has browns. However, I am not a big fan of frozen vegetables. I prefer fresh and I boil my own potatoes for this dish. 

Boil potatoes in water until tender - if a fork sticks in the potato easily it's done.

Ingredients:

1 - 16 oz container sour cream or 2 cups. (1 cup is 8 oz)

16 oz medium or mild cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 - 10.,75 oz can cream of chicken soup.. not shown above (oops)

3 green onions, chopped

8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (or bag of real bacon bits)

1/4 cup melted butter (1/2 cube of butter)

Peel and dice cooked potatoes, cut up bacon and green onions.

Add cheeses, sour cream and cream of chicken soup.

Stir everything together. While I was stirring, I knew it was missing something and re-checked my recipe. Oops, I missed the cream of chicken soup.

Pour in greased casserole dish. I use these tin loaf pans. I do this because I end up freezing them for additional meals. Brady and I cannot eat a whole casserole dish full of potatoes and it's nice to be able to pull one out of the freezer and throw it in the oven every once in a while.

Fill greased pan.

Cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. Remove foil, add shredded cheese to the top and bake 5 minutes longer. Allow to sit for 5 minutes so cheese is melted to the bottom.

Yum, with pork chop or meat loaf, or chicken or roast... well.... you get the idea. Really yummy Easy Cheesy Potatoes (funeral potatoes).

Recipe: Easy Cheesy Potatoes

2-24oz bags frozen cubed potatoes or shredded has browns. I prefer real potatoes

1-16oz container sour cream

16 oz medium or mild cheddar cheese, shredded

8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 -10.75 oz can cream of chicken soup

3 green onions, chopped

8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped (or bag of real bacon bits)

1/4 cup melted butter

Combine all ingredients, reserving some cheese for topping. Pour into greased casserole dish. Top with cheese. Cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes. Remove foil and bake 5 minutes longer. Allow to sit for 5 minutes so cheese is melted to the bottom. Note: This makes great leftovers for lunch!

Another recipe:

Boil potatoes as directed above.

4 cups shredded potatoes with cheese grader/food processor

(you can also use 32 ounce of frozen shredded potatoes)

1 cup sour cream

2 1/2 Cups cheddar cheese

2 Tablespoons melted butter

1 (10 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup

salt and pepper

Mix together well with wooden spoon. Make sure all ingredients are combined.

Spray a 9x13 pan with cooking spray and spread the potato/cheese mixture into it.

Cover potatoes with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

**You can also add a corn flake topping. 1 1/2 cup corn flakes crushed with 2 tablespoons melted butter poored over the top and stirred to combine. Top the potatoes and bake (with foil over the pan).

Happy St. Patrick's Day and School Assignment

I hope you are wearing green today - or I might pinch you... Insert evil laugh here.. Maw ha ha

Brady had another biology project he had to do. He had to describe a "cell" by making a drawing of something else to describe the workings of a cell. He spent 2 days working on this project. One day to draw it and one day to color it with colored pencils. It's a really light drawing - but he doesn't like to color dark.

I love his drawing. Each bench, popcorn, trash can, magician has a different meaning. I'll have to have him fill in the details later. It's a great drawing with lots of detail. He really does great work on his projects.

I hope you have a wonderful day and may the luck of the Irish be upon your heads today!

Motivational Monday - "St. Patrick's Day Fun"

Physics teaches that rainbows are created when the sunlight reflects off of raindrops, breaking up the light into different wavelengths of color. This atmospheric phenomenon is most likely to occur immediately after a rain shower, when the sun is shining again, but condensation still lingers in the air.

The rare and lovely appearance of rainbows makes them incredibly magical for children and adults alike. Perhaps this magic first inspired the notion of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Dating back to Old Europe, the legend of the pot of gold is claimed enthusiastically by the Irish. They'll tell you that fairies put the gold there and then the leprechauns guard it. This folklore has become part of the symbolism of St. Patrick's Day, a holiday that celebrates everything Irish, including the hope and luck it takes to find that elusive pot of gold.

The leprechaun is Ireland's national fairy. He stands less than 3 feet tall, dressed all in green, with a pointy, feathered cap atop his head and two gold coins clutched in his hands. In the first hand, he grasps a magic coin that always returns to the purse once it's spent; in the other, he holds a dummy coin, which turns to rock or ashes as soon as it's spent.

Cobblers by profession, the leprechauns are legendary hard-workers, known for their solitary and surly qualities. These made the leprechauns the ideal candidate for their best-known role: guarding the fairy treasure.

Everyone knows the myth of the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. In order to keep their golden treasure safe, leprechauns are said to spend their days scurrying from one end of the rainbow to the next, constantly moving their pot of gold to avoid capture.

Legend tells that if you are lucky enough to find a leprechaun, you must be careful not to let the little green guy out of your sight until he tells you where the pot of gold is. You had better be on your toes, though, because leprechauns are known to be cunning and quick - in the blink of an eye, the gold guard will dash out of sight, taking your hopes for good fortune with him.

So what does all this have to do with St. Patrick's Day? Truthfully, probably not much. Except that St. Patty's has become a celebration of everything Irish - and nothing is more Irish than the Emerald Island's national fairy.

St. Patrick’s Day Dessert

1 package (3 ounces/85 g) lime gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter/margarine
1 package (8 ounces/227 g) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 can (8 ounces/227 g) crushed pineapple, drained
1 container (12 ounces/340 g) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
1 kiwifruit

1. In a small bowl, dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water; chill until syrupy.

2. Mix the crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and butter or margarine together. Press the mixture onto the bottom of a 9″ x 13″ (23 cm x 33 cm) baking pan. Bake at 350° F (175° C) for 8–10 minutes, then cool.

3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Blend the gelatin and pineapple into the mixture. Put 1/2 cup of the whipped topping in the refrigerator to use as a garnish later. Fold the remaining whipped topping into the mixture.

4. Spoon the mixture over the crust. Chill at least 2 hours.

5. Just before serving, peel and slice the kiwifruit. Top each serving with a dollop of whipped topping and a slice of kiwifruit.

Here are a couple of fun activity pages to do on St. Patrick's Day.

May the LUCK 'O the Irish visits you this week - with a Pot 'O Gold and Lots 'O LOVE.

Don't for get to wear green!! St. Patrick's Day is this Wednesday, March 17th!!

St. Patrick's Day Seminary Devotional link is here. You can also make your own shamrock pin shown on this post. Also here is the blog post from last year's St. Patty's Day - enjoy!

Food Storage Organization

Food storage has always been a part of my life. My parents did it and I've always tried to do it as an adult. A year ago I posted a blog about my food storage, you can find it here. My food storage is in a room under my stair case that I have converted into a food storage area. It's enough room for my little family of "2" - but really "4" when Jason and Sharon will come during an emergency. I do what I can with the space that I have.

I my previous post, the cans were just stacked on the shelf. Every time I purchased new, I would unload the shelf and put the new on the bottom or back of the shelf. It was always quite the job when I replenished my food storage items.

Well..... I've found a product to help me rotate my food without all that hassle. It's from a company called the "Can Organizer". I've look around at those plastic pop can rotators and they were $6 each - too much money. I've looked at Shelf Reliance units - but they cost a ton of money too in the $300 dollar range. I haven't been willing to spend that kind of money. When I looked at these boxes from the Can Organizer and the price, I knew I wanted to try it out.  

I love it! For $80 I purchased 20 boxes.

It has made my food storage look beautiful!! Plus, the added benefit of easy organization and rotation. I love them!

Also, my preference for my food storage is that I don't purchase #10 cans full of product. I've done that in the past and what happens is that I feel too guilty to open and use those #10 cans - and it goes bad or the food starts to taste like the can. For me personally, I quit using #10 can and switched to PETE plastic jars. You can see them on the top shelf. They are 3 jars deep and easier for me to use and rotate - plus guilt free in using my food in these PETE jars verses #10 cans that you can't re-use.

As a side note, I purchase PETE Jars a few at a time. That way I could afford the cost - instead of all at once for a huge cost. Just like purchasing food storage.

When I changed my food storage room with the new boxes, I did not adjust the selves to fit the boxes. There are gaps between the boxes - which I have just stacked odds and ends food in between the boxes. It works out great for me.

The length of the boxes are longer then my shelves are... You can see it here. I knew that when I purchased them (the longer ones) and thought it would be fine to have them over lap the shelves. I do like it and am glad I purchased the bigger ones that hold:

13 Pie filling

16 Vegetable

18 Soup

39 Tuna

They hold a lot of food and are much more space friendly then just stacking cans on a shelf.

My flour, sugar, wheat are stored in these big PETE jars (I store my wheat on the top of my clothes closet shelf). I love them and they have worked better in preserving the taste and quality of my food then #10 cans. I do have my powdered milk in #10 cans. When I open a can, I move the contents to a PETE jar - to keep it fresh after opening.

The totes on the bottom of the shelf - on the floor - hold pasta, jello, powdered sugar, brown sugar in their original packaging until I am ready to open or use. (I learned this from Ann Marie). It is a great storage trick that also protects the food.

On my door I have pouches of gravy and sauce mixes - plus storage bags.

I love looking into my food storage room now - it is very organized and looks great. Yeah for these great products that people develop... I'm loving it!

Different Drug Problem ..........

I received this in an email and loved it. You can click on the picture if it's too small to read.

Recipe: Sweet and Sour Chicken

I thought I'd share a new recipe I tried and LOVE! It's Sweet and Sour Chicken. Yum!

Start out with 2 large chicken breasts

Cut chicken in pieces and sprinkle with garlic salt. Let sit one hour.

For the sweet-and-sour sauce here are the ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup vinegar

1/3 cup ketchup

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

Combine sugar, vinegar, ketchup, chicken broth, salt, and soy sauce. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring mixture halfway through.

After an hour of waiting for the chicken to sit you'll need to cook it.

Ingredients:

Chicken that has been sitting for 1 hour with garlic salt sprinkled on it.

Cornstarch

1 egg, beaten with 1 Tablespoon water

(I had to make another egg to finish all the chicken - so I used 2 eggs + 2 Tbsp water-)

I put Crisco in my electric frying pan - about a cup.

I turned up the electric fry pan to 400 degrees. I'm sure you could deep fry it - but this worked for me.

Dip in cornstarch.

Then in beaten egg.

Fry in hot oil until brown.

It was quite a job to coat the chicken and turn pieces and watching so they don't burn.

Place cooked chicken in a casserole dish. Pour Sweet- and Sour sauce over the chicken.

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.

I didn't get a picture of the pan all cooked. But, here is our dinner. I made stir fry vegetables over white rice, Fried rice and our Little Pink Chicken.

Ohhhhhh it was delicious. We loved it! Yum!

Sweet-and-Sour Chicken

2 Large Chicken Breasts

1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Salt

Cornstarch

1 Egg, Beaten with 1 Tablespoon Water

1 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Vinegar

1/3 Cup Ketchup

!/4 Cup Chicken Broth

1 Teaspoon Salt

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

Cut chicken in pieces and sprinkle with garlic salt. Let sit one hour. Dip in cornstarch, then in beaten egg. Fry in hot oil until brown. Place in casserole dish. Combine sugar, vinegar, ketchup, chicken broth, salt, and soy sauce. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring mixture halfway through. Pour over chicken and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Makes 6-8 servings.