There's been a lot going on lately.  I've seen more young people dying than I care to--and of medical complications.  I pray the families surviving the losses will find peace and comfort in one another and in the support and love of friends....*sigh*

~~~A Little Christmas Cheer~~~

Here's a sample of the Christmas cookie jars....

Per Shawny's Request

Here's that Cornbread Recipe You've been waitin' on :))))

Tresalyn's 1-2-3 Cornbread
(start by using a 1/3 cup measuring scoop)


1 scoop  sugar
2 scoops corn meal
3 scoops flour
1 pinch of salt
2T baking powder
2/3 stick butter melted
3 scoops milk** (regular or buttermilk--if using buttermilk add a bit more**)
2 eggs
Cooking spray
Oblong baking dish or cast iron skillet

Preheat oven to 375° In medium sized mixing bowl mix dry ingredients, until evenly distributed.  Add milk*. Add eggs, mix well, add melted butter.  spray baking dish or skillet w/ cooking spray.  Pour in batter and bake for 25-28 min or until golden brown.

My Review of Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix

Originally submitted at Bob's Red Mill

Vegi Soup Mix is absolutely the best soup mix ever put together! Contains green split peas, yellow split peas, barley, lentils and vegetable pasta (semolina wheat flour, dehydrated spinach and tomato). No seasonings are added--use your favorites or try our Bean Soup Seasoning Mix!

Bob's Red Mill Vegi Soup Mix

A Dish My Whole Family Loves!!!

By Tresalyn from Chicago, IL on 10/6/2010

 

5out of 5

Pros: Flavorful, Unique, Vegetarian, Healthy, Colorful

Best Uses: Snack, Healthy Alternative, Cooking

Describe Yourself: Health Conscious, Mother of 5, Chef

I chose this product on the fly, but I was so impressed with the healthy possibilities it afforded me. My husband and children all enjoyed the heartiness and colorful presentation. Not to mention the taste--it's delicious! My five year old wanted it for breakfast. :))

Tags: Using Product, Made with Product, Picture of Product

(legalese)

Could Someone PLeAsE Loosen the Vice???!?!?

...that's strangle-holding my wallet!  It has been a pretty tight summer and now fall has proven just as constricted.  With every little victory comes a setback and this dance of two forward and one back is exhausting and frustrating.  I am in school now and things are moving along.  I have to keep my eyes on the Alphabets I've come here for (MFA)---otherwise I'll quit before I get them.  I've been writing better pieces than I've ever written and I can feel my poetic muscles stretching.  Looking forward to this growth and to the end result of compensation for all this work...

Rewind Repeat Rewind Repeat Rewind Repeat!!!!!

It seems that talking to teenagers is an exercise in redundancy.  WHY is it that I have to have the same conversations over and over and over and over and over???? Do they blow off the first three [or fifty-three ] instantiations???  Or do they feel justified in doing what they want and just enduring "the talk" later???  Somebody please  help me out here.

And while I'm on the "kids do the most irritating things" kick, WHYWHYWHY do toddlers pick O-dark-thirty to call out at the top of their lungs for God-know's-what and are inconsolable to boot????????

How Tight?!?!??

I feel like things are getting tighter by the day.  Strangulation by debt....

Finding My Green Thumb...

On a quest lately to figure out what's growing in my backyard.  I've got a few veggies that we put out there: green bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, strawberries, and more green bell peppers.  But there's so much other stuff growing out there, that I haven't the foggiest clue what they are, and it makes me feel pretty inept.  smdh  I guess taking samples to a garden shop would be my best bet.

I just joined the garden club at home depot and hopefully it will help me become more knowledgeable about the whole gardening thing....we'll see.  I would like to utilize the little plots and grow things that are edible, so once i get into the swing of things, I may just be able to save our family a few benjamins...

De-Cluttering Grrrrrrrr!

Ok, so it's not an exact representation of the project I've been tackling for the past two days, but it's close enough!  Clearing out clutter is both tedious and emotional---and let's not even factor in the beautiful variable of menses.... Just makes for more mayhem and emotional volatility.  For months, I've struggled with finding a system for my bedroom that will make it easy for me to find what I'm looking for, have a place for everything and be able to have a neat enough transition area for clothes coming from and heading out to the laundry.   It only works for a time, when I initiate the system and continue the follow through on my own.  But what happens when I'm tired, or unmotivated?  I'm not the only one living in the room, but it seems the creative solutions usually begin with and are carried out by me.

I know I think better when things are organized, so I really try to have viable storage options for most things.  I've pared down the storage closet and it's pretty neat, and periodically I have the kids go in and pull out the remaining boxes so we can further tackle it and diminish the pile.  I'd have to say that of the things that are left in there, most of it is seasonal clothes, boxes to things (computer, playpen, crock pot, extra hangers, etc.) that make moving easier.  There are only a couple boxes of questionable inventory, which I have to go through and purge.  Not looking forward to it at all, 'cause I want to be in the "After" shot right away.    I'd also like another table for the entryway so we can drop mail and keys there and have more shoe storage in the hall closet.

There are little projects like the family room--that has virtually no furniture save the defunct exercise bike, and several bookshelves--which need attention.  I'd like to have a sitting area down there and a spot where the kids can relax and read, play games, and get their homework done.  This is tricky, though, cause my budget is ZERO for these projects, because things are so tight right now.  I know it's possible though, all it takes is a lot of creativity and paying attention to giveaways and making room for what I want in the space.

In all, de-cluttering is a task that has to be tackled in small increments in order to not feel overwhelmed.  Every day a new task can be accomplished and eventually, the After shot can become a reality.  We create our own after either actively or passively---which will it be for you?

I GOT IN!!!

I'm really excited, 'cause I got an acceptance letter into an MFA program I applied to recently.  Not sure where this next phase of life will take me, but I'm looking forward to the journey....

I Love a Bargain!!!

I'm not much of a shopper---my mother broke me of it with her power-shopping when I was a kid--but I certainly can appreciate a good bargain.  Since my budget is finite, I am always in the market for an attractive "more-for-less" deal for things already on my list.  I am a chronic list maker and usually will not head into a store list-free.  If I happen to be absent of a list, I'll walk around the store like Rain Man, reciting my invisible list under my breath.  "82-82-82...246" lol

Today I headed out to my favorite thrift store, with four of my five in tow.  We were looking for tops for my daughter, and rest assured I was armed with a little extra discount knowledge.  At this particular thrift shop, they have color-coded discounts that allow u to take off an additional 50% each week.  So for less than 15 bucks, we left with eight really nice tops that will work for both summer and can be layered for fall and winter.  Well seven, because one of the tops she passed on to her older brother, cause it wasn't muted enough.  She's not into tee shirts with statements or symbolic protests.  Any-Whoo, can't win 'em all.

Procrastination....

I'll write more about this tomorrow....*snicker*  Seriously, I know I'm not the only one who has a mountain of projects that I've been putting off time and again.  Whether it's clearing that pile of laundry, sorting through the accumulation of papers (where in the hell do all those papers come from anyway?) organizing the closet, or whatever the case, chances are the more you put them off, the less likely it'll be that you will make any serious headway.    Tackling one project at a time takes the bite out of the larger string of unfinished tasks.

Today I committed to sorting through a pile of old mail and shredded a good portion.  So now I'm feeling a bit more productive...

Echos

**Is this thing On...?** This blog boasts "No Deeper profundity than One Woman's Voice."  Some moments are meant to be captured in time, and hopefully my efforts at bookmarking and sharing will provide inspiration, insight, or just plain entertainment.  Can't think of much to write for a fledgling entry....so here we go.