Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Working in the Herb Garden

It was so exciting to be able to buy a scoop of composted soil without having to pay for delivery or carry home very small bagged soil from the store.  We pulled up near the site in our truck and a gentleman dumped it right into the back with a Bobcat.  I paid $20 for the 1/2 yard scoop.  And it certainly seems that it will be enough to fill the herb garden.

The only bad thing was that it is taking us much longer than we thought to get the herb bed ready.  The salvaged border needed to be buried and that was more of an undertaking than I thought it would be.  My husband said we needed a pick.  Oops, the kids garden tools just weren't meant for this job.  Well, we did get to sides more or less ready before my husband threw in the towel and said he was going to go buy a pick.  It is very important to have the right tools for the job or else what should be simple and not too time consuming becomes a daunting chore.  Lesson learned - if I want this garden thing to work for us, I am going to have to find some extra cash to get the right tools.


Monday, February 18, 2013

Happy President's Day!

Yesterday I went with family to see Lincoln.  Three uncles, my mother, and myself braved the frigid temperatures and gusting wind to go to the Marva Theater.  I just love this restored theater.  They only charge $5 for all performances.  There is a feeling of history and a breath of simpler times when you enter.  The giant mega plus sized theaters of today just can't compare in that respect.

The movie was long, but I will say that by the end I was waiting with baited breath to see if Amendment 13 would be passed.  (I know, I know, I already knew it would be.)  Still, it felt like I was there listening to the yeas and nays. 

Today my husband and I are going out for a much needed lunch date.  I think the last time we have been off without the kids was before Christmas.  Olive Garden, here we come! 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Yucky sickness Go away!

Well, today is the first day I think I have even been able to sit up for longer than a few minutes.  To be truthful I have to even think what day it is.  Man, oh man, this has been some of the worst crud I have ever had - fever, chills, pain, pain, pain, coughing, upset stomach, and absolute weakness.  Even today just walking from one room to the next in our very small house causes me to break out in a sweat. 

This morning when we woke up it became apparent quickly that while I am on the mend both my husband and daughter are sinking into the same pits of yuck that I had been in.  Oh my!  Perhaps I need a a professional to rid this house of germs - a germinator!  Does one of those even exist?  If they don't - they should. Perhaps I will try to spray everything down with Lysol between my periods of exhaustion.

My poor husband is trying so hard before he fully succumbs and takes to the bed.  He tossed in a load of towels, washed the cups and utensils, and headed to the store for more stuff to make soup and lots of ice pops to keep everyone hydrated.

And so I say to this sickness that came to stay - the visit was nice but now you must go.
I have a family that needs care and up I must get.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Can't Sleep

It drives me crazy when I wake up in the night and can't get back to sleep.  Was it the trip to the bathroom?  Was it that my right knee is hurting?  Was it that my mind was racing?  Was it that I felt bad for being short tempered with my children tonight when they didn't want to go to bed?  Was it that I seem to have caught a cold and feel miserable?

Who knows!  But here I sit, feeling out of sorts, and looking with disdain at the time.  I have to teach tomorrow.  I have two children that don't need to endure my ill temper.  I have a husband who doesn't need to hear me complaining.  I need to get back to sleep.  So I Googled ways to get back to sleep.  It seems I am definitely not alone in my sleepless dilemma.  Here is what I found -

1.  Don't drink alcohol before bed.  (I didn't.)
2.  Turn off all lights.  (Well, I went to bed earlier than my husband since I wasn't feeling well.  So the lights were on.)
3.  Keep the heat at 65 degrees.  (I did get hot which is very unusual for me.  I turned down the thermostat.)
4.  Meditate to relax.  (I am definitely not relaxed tonight; I am very on edge.)
5.  Get up and do something else for awhile.  Then go back to bed.  (Well, that is what I am doing)
6.  Avoid caffeine.  (Oops!  I had a cup of coffee tonight instead of herbal tea.)
7.  Make sure your bed and pillow are comfortable.  (Definitely not!  My pillow looks like a giant sat on it for days.  There is no fluffing it anymore.  Plus I wake up sore often in my hips and knees.  I think we have had our mattress for 18 years.  It is pretty much shot.  But there isn't a budget for a new bed!  So perhaps a new pillow and a mattress pad might help.  I will look into this, this weekend.)
8.  Avoid back-lit screens.  (Well, I did roll over to the light of my husband's new phone.  He is definitely a night owl and was laying in bed looking for apps.  And of course this computer screen is not helping now.)

So, I think I will go brew a cup of tea and read on my Kindle (not a Fire) until I feel groggy again.

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Grocery Spending Update


Last Sunday I picked up our groceries for the week and I spent only $53.  This is by far the best I have done yet!  The only thing I forgot was milk and my husband had to get another loaf of bread. The Diet Mountain Dew was a splurge this week for my husband.  He has taken one to work each day.

The new sale flyer for Food Lion just came out so now it is time to start planning this weekend's purchases.  I am not sure if I will be able to keep it this low, but I am definitely going to try.  I will post my list later.

Tuesday, February 5, 2013

Homemade Brownies

Well, I really had a sweet tooth when I came home today.  And of course, we have nothing in the house except the vanilla wafer cookies that are for lunches.  So I started searching for recipes that would be quick, easy to make, and that I had the ingredients on hand for.  I couldn't seem to find a recipe that used only things I had in the house.  With only 15 minutes to spare before I had to drive my daughter to Judo lessons, I decided to "fudge it!"  I slipped the pan into the oven, set the timer, and ran out the door.  My husband and son were going to take them out when the timer beeped.  Hopefully there will be some left for us when we get back home!  He just sent me this picture.



So here is the recipe I came up with last minute -

Brownies
1 cup butter melted
1 teaspoon of vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup of cocoa powder1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
 1/2 teaspoon of salt

1.  Melt the butter in the microwave.  Then stir in the vanilla and eggs until well mixed.
2.  Stir the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt into another bowl until well mixed.
3.  Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and then stir with a fork until well blended.  There may still be a few lumps.
Pour into a 9"x13" pan and bake at 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for dark coated pan) for about 20 minutes or until the sides begin to pull away from the pan's edge.

Monday, February 4, 2013

Homemade Vanilla Wafers

Last night I made vanilla wafers to pack in our lunches.  They are so easy to make; the hardest thing is to not eat them right away.  I currently have them hidden behind a plant so they will last a few more days.  If only I could keep them hidden from myself.  They are a nice crisp cookie.  This recipe is for vanilla flavored ones, but I think they could be flavored with lemon, orange, or almond instead for variety.  Here is the recipe I used -

Vanilla Wafers

1/2 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 1/3 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 
2.  Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy.  Then beat in the egg and vanilla.
3.  In a small bowl mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together.
4.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until well mixed.
5.  Drop by teaspoonful onto an ungreased cookie sheet.  The cookies will spread so leave about 2 inches between cookies.
6.  Bake for 12 - 15 minutes until the edges are golden brown.  Remove and cool on racks.

Sunday, February 3, 2013

Sunday Free Kindle Books

Today I grabbed these books while they were free -

From The Back Acres, A Humorous Guide to Organic GardeningA Humorous Guide to Organic Gardening

50 Creative Ways to Say I Love You: How to say I love you and show your partner, your kids and your parents how much you c... 50 Ways to Say I Love You

SuperfoodsSuperfoods

Sunday Morning - Bird Watching from my Window

I believe one of the best things about mornings is being able to sit on my daughter's bed and watch the birds begin to wake and make their way poking and flitting around the yard.  Our yard, it seems, with its huge piles of downed trees and limbs has become a refuge to a wide variety of birds.  Hurricane Sandy caused much damage here, but nature's creatures have adapted and are making the most of what IS.  Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned here for all of us.

This morning we saw the chubbiest of song sparrows I think I have ever seen.  He was more of a ball than anything else.  My children and I snuggled and watched his antics with our binoculars for quite some time.  Life doesn't get better than that!

From this window we have seen cardinals, blue jays, mockingbirds, cat birds, flickers, tufted titmice, sparrows, and juncos.  I wonder how many more we will see.

Saturday, February 2, 2013

How to clean the microwave

At some point this week we had a major attack of gunk in the microwave.  It might have been partially from the exploding cheese.  I don't know.  All I do know is that today I opened the door to make some tea and said, "Gross!"  So today was the day I decided to clean the microwave.

I am all for using natural methods to clean when they work.  However, sometimes they don't.  Here is one of those times when natural didn't work and chemical store bought did!  I tried boiling water with vinegar in the microwave which was supposed to soften the build-up and allow me to wipe it clean.  Afraid not!  As you can see in the bottom left picture, that did not happen.

So, out came the Easy Off and the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.  And less than a minute later the microwave was serviceable yet again.



What to do?

Have you ever had those times when you were frozen by indecision?  Today is that kind of day for me.  It is cold again.  The cupboards are nearly bare.  The house needs cleaning.  I have a terrible headache.  Blah, Blah, Blah...

So, I need to make a grocery list.  I need to clean out the chicken coop and rig up a new nesting box.  Will these chickens ever start laying?  I think I will throw the chicken manure into the herb garden (or where the herb garden will be.)  Maybe I will make some dough to freeze  for later in the week.  I simply just need to get up and start doing, sometimes that is all it takes to get me out of this funk.