Cheat Meal Day

I get a cheat meal each week so today was my day! I didn't plan for it so just got lazy tonight and decided it would be cheat meal. I didn't get real bad I had a salad with grilled Greek chicken, boiled egg, cucumber, tomato, Ranch, bacon bits, cheddar cheese. I also had 8 white chocolate with peppermint kisses to polish off what has been on my counter all week. I have thought every day that I would just have one, but every day told myself I would not give in and save it for my cheat meal.

I didn't exercise today. It was raining which brought on a headache all day. So, tomorrow would have been an off day and I will go walk or do something tomorrow to get in today's workout. I am learning to make it a priority and not let it get totally pushed off my schedule. It really helps me to think of my big goal and that it has been broken down into bites and this is what portion I "have" to get done this week or today. I will weigh Monday morning and get to see if anything is changing yet. Well, I KNOW there are changes I can feel them. I have more cardio endurance after just one week. I feel I am not as dependant on sugar.... hope I didn't kill that with my kisses tonight! I feel I am making working out a habit. My muscles have been sore. So, whether the scale shows it or not there are changes going on.

Cleaning up in the new year

Today we did a lot of work on the house! We got all the Christmas decorations back in the attic. Then, I was cleaning the kitchen and had my husband take off the handle on the stove so I could clean the vent behind it. I took a toothbrush to every crevice in the door of the oven and microwave. I cleaned all the appliances, counters, cabinets, the drawers in the island, and the stove top. We then dusted and vacuumed everything downstairs, even under the cushions in the front room sectional and family room couch and love seat. It feels so clean!

I have my food plan for the week and went to Sams and got the food I need. I have a new blog for weight loss and have posted my menu for the week on it here. I am doing the Eat Clean plan, which is really just whole foods, complex carbs instead of simple carbs, and eating protein to build muscle. I hope this time I can stick with it! I am entering the Clean Eating (magazine) contest. Winner gets a trip to Toronto for your photo shoot and $3000.00, which I really don't know if that is enough to have my before photo published in a magazine! But, if I could win by losing weight I might as well be paid for it :)

Happy New Year!

I've neglected this blog so badly! I kind of lost my desire to do any projects and feel like I just survived the last part of 2011. I am excited for a new year and new beginnings. I have a lot of projects I would like to do on the house in the coming year. I plan to use our income tax refund to redo our family room. Our furniture is 11 years old and in sad shape. We've been here 5 years so the house needs a lot of touch up painting and I need to freshen a lot of areas. Looking on Pinterest (my link is here)these are just a few projects I'd like to do.

 Make some coasters

 Make a canvas print with out beach photo. AND take a new family picture to make into a canvas.

 As I lose weight refashion my clothes. This is a refashioned tee. Isn't it cute?

 Buy a cell phone case... love this one! you can find it here

 

A grocery bag dispenser

I have big goals for 2012 in my personal life. I am looking forward to getting healthier and start participating instead of watching all the activities with the kids. Here's to a great year!

Frugal things done lately

 I've been mainly eating out of the pantry and freezer for three weeks. I ran by Publix for the last day of their sale to pick up some bagels. I love to have these on hand for a quick breakfast or an in between snack for my many teens that live in my house. They were buy one get one free so they came up to $.95 a bag. I got 4 plain and 3 cinnamon raisin and also some cream cheese. I bought honey butter the other day for my daughter to put on them.

 I haven't done a lot of garage sales this year. I don't really know why because we've always gone every Saturday. I guess I got to the point where I have so much stuff and it is hard to find teen clothes and I just haven't gone. Well, we went Saturday. It was a pretty good day. I got this package of kitchen towels and dishrags for $3. I cannot have enough. I seriously have at least 10 in each load per day. We grab them to wipe up everything instead of paper towels.

I got three pair of athletic pants for my 12 year old. Only two are pictured because the other pair, which were navy, were already worn. They were $.50 each.

I went to Walmart and when we got home the kids put up groceries. I later looked and we had ribs and brisket. I called and Walmart cannot restock the items and so I got free meat! I made this recipe. They were very good! I used peas we had in the freezer. The last of the potatoes that were going bad and the last of cheese to make scalloped potatoes. I got the tomato in an Amish village for $.79 a lb.

I put a dry rub on the brisket and baked it in a roasting pan. After it cooks an hour you turn the temp down and add beef broth to the pan. It was OK but not great so I will not link the recipe. I used butter beans and corn from the freezer that I put up this summer.

I have a whole turkey thawing in the refrigerator and am going to roast it and make up some meals using turkey instead of chicken like turkey pot pie, turkey enchiladas, turkey and rice soup, and turkey king ranch casserole. That was a big item to get out of the freezer.

I have used a lot of my cooked chicken, all the cooked or frozen hamburger, broccoli, used a lot of flour to make cinnamon rolls, pancakes, and biscuits. I still have a lot of flour! Trying hard to use it all and restock. I've used 2 cans of milk that are expired and have 2 or 3 more. I have added it half with regular milk in pancake, cinnamon roll, and biscuit mixes. I have a partial jar of chunky peanut butter to use to make peanut butter cookies.

We have 6 opened jars of peanut butter! I have taken the new unopened jars out of the main pantry so they can't open another one. I think I will also take a few of the opened ones out because they are all almost full. That is so irritating. I bought 6 jars at Sams. I've heard the price was going up for two months on the boards. With it being said on Newsweek and the main evening news shows I knew I better get some more. Sams had not raised their price, but there were many empty boxes in the place. I had to crawl under the shelf to the very back to get some. I may go back and get a few more.

An Aldis opened in Huntsville so my daughter picked me up 8 carton of eggs that were $.45 a carton. I am going to make up muffin tin quiches with ham or sausage. I think I will make some breakfast burritos, also. I am having a hard time using them now that I got them. I need to make a quiche for supper and tuna fish, and deviled eggs and let my husband take them for a snack.

I got green peppers at the Amish village 3/$1. I picked up 6 and cut 4 in strips and froze them for fajitas and peppers and onions.

I know I can go another week with cooking from my freezer. My meal plan is:
Wed- turkey pot pie
Thurs- quiche
Friday- turkey enchiladas
Sat- chicken stir fry (have a stir fry kit from Sam's I need to use)
Sun- turkey and rice soup
Mon- Red beans and rice ( bought smoked sausage at Sam's for $2 a lb)
Tue- turkey king ranch casserole
Wed- black bean soup

hopefully I can eat up some of the free boxed vegetables I have in the freezer  in the pot pie and with enchiladas and the casserole. I can add any leftovers to the turkey and rice soup.

Amish Community in Ethridge, TN

 We had a opportunity to go to Ethridge, TN and visit an Amish community for a field trip. It is about an hour and twenty minutes from us, southwest of Nashville.

 We rode horse drawn buggies from farm to farm within the community. Out of respect we were unable to take photos. Each home puts a sign at the road listing what they have for sale. The would either have a small building like a concession stand or it would be on their porch. Each had jams, salsas, pickled okra, peanut brittle, fudge, baskets, pumpkins, vegetables, and some had wooden toys. The prices were great. I got three small pumpkins for $.50 each. At Walmart they were around $2. I got a butternut squash to try for $.50, some peanut butter fudge, green peppers 3/$1, tomatoes $.79 a lb. The peppers smell amazing, and the tomatoes were vine ripened and juicy looking.

 We covertly took these photos going down the highway on the way home.

We giggled at this! She is drinking a McDonalds drink. We tried to guess whether they went through the drive through with their buggy or parked in the parking lot. Both are just funny.

Things we learned:
Amish are from the Switzerland area and of German decent... a lot of photos depict them from Holland since they are Dutch. The Germans were called Deutch, and it does not mean they are from Holland.

No photos. They will get mad and run you off if you try to take a photo. (Didn't have to learn that personally, our guide made it very clear not to do it and how offensive it was)

They start school at age 6 and go through 8th grade or their 14th birthday. No one goes further than that, they then work... the boys with their father and the girls with their mother.

No one can join the Amish order, you have to be born into it. If you leave the home you are shunned and your parents may never speak to you again. You cannot marry outside of the Amish either.

They go to the doctor and chiropractor in town, they do not have an Amish doctor. They do practice home treatment and remedies when they can.

The only rubber tired vehicle they are permitted to ride in is a bus. So, if they need to travel they take their horse carriage to Nashville and catch the bus there.

They bathe once a week.

They speak Pennsylvania Dutch in the home until they go to school. In school they learn English. They speak German (Pennsylvania Dutch) to each other, but know English to converse with us.

Everyone who is not Amish is English because of the language we speak. If a French person moved or lived near them they would still be English. Not sure how true or far that one goes.

Many English people live within the community. They will never be a part of the Amish community.

There are 300  Amish families in Etheridge, TN. They are broken into 12 church groups.

They do not have a church building. They take turns hosting services at each other's farm. The host feeds the church that day and they go get benches for everyone to sit on.

When we would drive up to a farm and get out to shop their wares Amish children would come to look at us. I think we all were as much a "show" to them as they are to us. All were barefoot, the boys in hats and little dark suits and the girls in their dark dresses and bonnets. The little boys looked like little men.

Boys start going with their father each day to work around age 2. They are given jobs to do and quickly learn how to work.

At age 14 a boy/girl can be hired out... sometimes to English people to help build fences or preserve the garden. All money goes to the parents until the child is 18 or 21 I forget which.

Horses can pull a cart and poop while walking at the same time!

Horse poop really really stinks... pee-you.

Ham and Potatoes, Cooking Dry Beans

I promise my blog is not becomming all about food! I guess it has been a big part of my focus lately as I try to clean out the house and eat up some stuff. I did go through the boys clothes. My 11 year old tried on all the clothes from my 13 year old and found a lot of winter shirts. They are built totally different so he can't ever wear his pants and some of the shirts he says he will not wear so I put them in a box to put in the attic to sell later. Their closet has a lot more room now.

I made two more weeks of menu plan to eat out of the freezer and pantry. I will have to pick up bread, chips, milk, eggs, and fresh fruit but other than that we are pretty good on meat and I have a lot of frozen vegetables I need to use up.

I had one more ham steak. I bought them at Sams. They were in a four pack and have been really good to cook up and add to potatoes and eggs. I browned it this morning.

What I didn't use for breakfast I chopped and put on a baking pan to flash freeze. I know, this pan is well used and ugly, but it does the job. I let it freeze about an hour or two then will put in a zip top bag. I freeze it this way so when I put it in a bag it won't freeze together. Then, when I want some all I have to do is grab a handful. I add it to eggs, potatoes, beans, soups, whatever!

I had potatoes from supper a couple of nights ago. I had made Ranch potatoes for supper. I cut potatoes in wedges and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle on dry Ranch dressing. Bake that for about 35 minutes at 375. Save the extras for making this. I diced the potatoe wedges and put in a skillet that I had sprayed. I let that heat up and brown the outside of the potatoes a little. I then added in some of the chopped ham. My husband made an egg to go with his, but the rest of us ate it alone. Sometimes I cook it with onions and sometimes I add cheddar cheese to the top.

My husband requested chili for supper. I was out of cooked beans so let some red beans and white beans soak overnight. I also took out two containers of homemade chicken broth out of the freezer to cook the beans in. This morning I put on the beans in a crock pot. I added the container of chicken broth and then filled it the rest of the way with water to cover the beans. I added in the small amount of ham fat and the bone that was on the ham steak. I am cooking on low about 6 hours. I will add some onion flakes ( I only have one onion left so am trying to save it) and salt later after they cook about an hour.

When the beans are cooked I will put one cup portions in ziploc bags and freeze. I take out what I need to add to soups, casseroles, etc. later.

Chicken Salad, Cheese Baked Tomatoes, and Apple Cobbleer

 I had a friend come over for lunch today and wanted to have something I could pretty much make ahead and get out when she got here. I love my chicken salad. I can't have bread so I serve it over lettuce, but it is so good on toasted bread. I sprinkled both sides of chicken breasts with Greek seasoning and baked it about 25 minutes in the oven. It is also good to grill it for added flavor. I then shred into small bites and let cool. Add salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. I chopped some grapes and added that in. I toasted pecan halves and then chopped and sprinkled on top.

These tomatoes were awesome! I sliced them and added mozzarella, drizzled on olive oil, then made a mixture of Parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper and sprinkled that on top. Bake for about 15 minutes.

I made a peach cobbler with my home canned peaches. I mixed the peaches with cinnamon and sugar. Then I made a topping with oats, butter, and a spoonful of brown sugar. I mixed it until it was crumbly and added it to the top. I chopped pecans and added them. Bake 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Clean out the Freezer and Pantry Challenge

My freezers are so disorganized that I don't even know anymore what I have so I keep buying stuff so I "know" I have it. And, my pantry is full of a lot of items I can't have since having to go gluten-free so I want to use them up.... things like cream of chicken and mushroom soups, rice a roni, and a lot of flour. My family can have them so I thought I would make some casseroles with the soups and package them up for my husband to take to lunch. My teen boys are eating a lot so I just need to add the rice a roni to meals at lunch time to fill them up. (By the way, I have about 40 cans each of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup. I have about 20 boxes of Rice A Roni that I got for about $.30 each.)

Looking only on a few shelves of my freezer I have come up with some meals to prepare this week without having to buy a lot from the store.

Today I have a friend coming for lunch. I thawed a bag that had two chicken breasts in it and baked it in the oven with Greek seasoning on it. I then a chicken salad with it mixing it with mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and some sliced grapes. I will toast some pecans today to sprinkle on top of mine and add in if she likes them. I plan for her to do a sandwich or salad with it and I will have mine on a salad. I have two Roma tomatoes that I need to use. I am going to slice them and then bake topped with mozzarella, Parmesan, and oregano. I have carrot sticks and Ranch dressing. I may steam some edamamme. And then for dessert I am using a home canned jar of peaches that I put up last year. I will add some cinnamon sugar to the peaches and put them in individual ramekins, then top with my gluten free oats, some oat flour mixed with butter and a little brown sugar and crumbled on top. All of this was items I had without going out for anything like I normally would do.

Some of the other menu items using what I have are:

pancakes, biscuits,  and cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I have one and a half ham steaks that I cooked and diced that I can add into omelets, ham cup quiches baked in muffin cups, and scrambled eggs. I have 2 lbs. of breakfast sausage to make sausage biscuits, have with eggs, etc. I have a lot of certified gluten free oats that I got from Amazon. I don't really like oatmeal for cereal, but want to try some oatmeal bars and homemade granola. There are about 5 waffles and 2 omelets in the freezer to eat.

I have a few frozen soups in individual containers so I am going to eat them a couple of times this week. Beef fajita served over rice. Pizza on grilled yellow squash. Ham and peanut butter sandwiches for the family. Tuna salad and sandwiches. Black bean soup. Ramen and grilled cheese.

Suppers will be a Chicken stir fry kit from Sams- not gluten free so I am going to make it for the family and let my husband take leftovers for lunch. It is a huge bag so I will only make a portion of it. King Ranch chicken casserole. Tacos. Have 5 hamburger patties preformed. Shepherd Pie. I have a bag kit for a breakfast skillet which has potatoes, sausage, onion, black beans, corn, and you add eggs to it. I will make that one night for supper instead of a breakfast. A chicken and rice casserole.

I have home canned apples and peaches from last year so I will make some crisps with those. I have boxes of gelatin and can make parfaits with gelatin and cool whip. I have boxes of jello pudding to eat. I have apples, grapes, strawberries and oranges. I have frozen yogurt to make smoothies with. I add in frozen strawberries and bananas with a little milk. If I make some granola I can sprinkle that on top. I want to make some oatmeal peanut butter cookies. I have a partial jar of chunky peanut butter no one is eating and that would be perfect to use up in the cookies.

I will need to buy milk, bread, eggs, sour cream, tomatoes, a green pepper, and chips for the kids. Other than buying the coupon items for the week, that is all I can think of that I need.

I don't think this cleans out a lot of stuff so plan to organize as I go and plan to continue on into the next week thinking up meals to use up more of the cooked chicken and other items.

For I Know The Plans I Have For You

Jeremiah 29:11 is my life verse. It spoke to me early on in my walk with Jesus and is what I bring up every time I walk through uncertain times. It reminds me that God is for me and has a plan for me. No matter what the circumstances look like at the time, His ways are to prosper me, to keep me from harm, to give me a hope, and a future. I just have to trust Him. To believe He really does love me and want what is best for me.

Today is the day that 25 years ago I buried my Mama. I was a young girl, right at my 18th birthday. I graduated high school 4 months earlier and was working in a dental office. I came home from work and found her lying on the kitchen floor. She had been having problems breathing for a few weeks. Every time she walked a short distance she was out of breath. She went to the doctor and he told her she was overweight and dismissed her. She said she had been overweight for awhile and felt something else was wrong, but had no answers. Her problem was that blood clots had traveled from her legs and settled in her lungs, blocking off her airway.

I knelt down to check her vitals so that I could start CPR, but she murmured, "I am okay," when I grabbed her wrist. She wasn't okay. I called the paramedics and they came. They thought she was hyperventilating and were being stern with her to calm down and breathe into a bag they placed over her mouth. I tried to tell them she had been having problems and wasn't hyperventilating. That is the hardest part of my story... to have the memories stuck within my mind of watching my Mama suffocate, to struggle to breathe. I still remember the look in her eyes, the sounds of her struggling.  The wouldn't let me in the ambulance so I followed behind. When we got to the hospital they came out a couple of times and told me to call some family to be with me. One time the nurse said it didn't look good. I thought she meant she was very sick, not death. It took over an hour for family to arrive. The longest hour of my life as I sat alone waiting. They took us to a room and told us that she had died in the ambulance and they worked on her an hour and couldn't revive her.Wow, in an instant she was gone. My life was changed. Over night I went from being a teenager to an adult, having to care for myself and a home. I no longer had a Mama.

The part of my story that gives me hope is that when this happened I was able to see God's hand in my life for one of the first times I can remember being aware of in a real way. I immediately was able to see how he had prepared me for two years to take care of myself. It started when I was in 11th grade taking my 2nd year of accounting. A lady came to the door and asked my teacher if she had anyone who would work well in a pediatric dental office. My teacher chose me and asked me to come outside the room and they asked if I would be interested in going on the interview. My Mama wasn't thrilled with me working but finally agreed to let me go- probably thinking I wouldn't get the job. I was hired that day and for the rest of the year and next got out of school after lunch and worked each afternoon. I was hired to work up front answering phones, filing charts, and helping out. Being a young girl the kids loved me and so were often found sitting in my lap while they waited their turn. In two weeks they brought me to the back to sit with them while we waited for their mouth to get numb. I began my training as a dental assistant and within the month was fully assisting the doctor.

My precious God had provided for me. My Mama's death was a surprise to me, but not to Him. He had been working in my life for years to prepare me. I had a hope. So, I don't choose to remember my Mama lying on the floor struggling  for her last breath. I remember how she told me daily she loved me. Me, the bratty teenager that rolled my eyes, stood stiff for hugs, talked back, thought she knew it all. Me! Her last words were, "I love you," that morning as I left for work. Just like God she loved me with an everlasting love, no matter what I did. She was much more outgoing that I am. She had an infectuous personality and heart for other people. She was always happy and fun to be around. I've missed much, but have so much to look forward to one day in Heaven.

Ham steak with friend potatoes and onions

I've been married 23 years and have never made ham steaks. I was at Sams and all their baking hams had a gluten glaze so I found a package with four hamsteaks in it. I have eaten them, just have never made them. I cooked it in a skillet with a tiny bit of bacon grease. It took about 5 minutes per side. For the potatoes I sauteed an onion then added the diced potatoes. I let that cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. I then added a lid and turned it down to almost low and let it continue to cook for another 5-8 minutes. A very quick meal! I didn't have everyone eating or it would not have fed us to just eat it as is. If I had everyone I would add about 6 eggs with a touch of milk to the potatoes and then dice the ham and stir in. Then bake that for about 15-20 minutes.

What to do with the foyer????

This is my foyer. It is a really big room and has two story walls and an angle wall where the stairs go up and turn, splitting into one going up to a catwalk for the upstairs rooms, and a staircase going down into the kitchen and family room area. We turned the dining room into a bedroom so I moved our dining table and buffet and an old antique dresser that belonged to my great-grandmother in the foyer. This photo doesn't show the size of the room, that table is pretty big, seating eight comfortably.

I have this wall going up the stairs that is two story. Because it is so tall it just looks like a big blank blob of beige. I have toyed with the idea of putting a wall of frames here. What do you think? I am scared it will look cluttered instead.

This is the buffet that goes with the table. I think I am going to paint it and am looking at a gray color. It is an antique, but needs refinishing. The table has some damage on one of the legs and the top is worn and scratched.

This wall is really hard to figure out what to do with it. I don't like it at all. I want a couple of large florals or Italian landscapes or something, but I can't find what I want. I also want a very large floral arrangement with a red flower added in. I also would like to make a burlap or other floor length tablecloth.

I think I am going to paint all the interior doors a light gray, but I am not sure. I like the look of painted doors with the white trim.

I need something on the sidelights. The morning sun is horrendous and is really bad on my table. It comes in the upper window as well as the sidelights. I have thought about a faux burlap panel. I have also looked at some of the window films at Lowes and am not sure about them.

The wall. So, what do you think.... wall of frames or not? Any other ideas?

These are some inspiration photos of walls of frames. I have collected a lot and some are black some are brown and some have a light patina. I don't want all black since my furniture and accessories I plan to do have more of a country French color scheme. I think the mixture will blend better. I plan to pick up more frames and continue to add to it when I find them cheap.

The one above is a mixture of frame colors. This house was Coastal Living or one of the other magazines. It belongs to Judy Cullbreth and is located in Fairhope, AL. I worked with her mother, Grace at the dentist I worked for from 11th grade until after I graduated.

These are some of the painted pieces that I like. This is what I am looking at to paint my table and buffet.

The one above and below has the doors in a gray tone that I am looking at painting my interior doors. I like the one with more blue in it on the chest above to paint the buffet and table. I actually may refinish the table in wood tone, and just paint the buffet, or the other way around.

I like the colors below. Would love two prints like that for my awkward wall behind the table. Mix that with a large arrangement with red in it on the table. It gives an idea of the painted furniture with colors I am using.

I am planning on painting the banisters black like this.