Love my Bear

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Today is the day for love. Mmmmm...I sure do love Papa Bear.

He's my rock. He's my calmness in a storm. He's my grounding. He knows my good sides, my bad sides and my weird little quirks, and loves me anyway. The Lord definately blessed me when He put Papa Bear in my life.

Happy Valentine's Day Honey, I love you!

Eat the Fridge

Do you find science projects in the back of the fridge? Green oranges in the crisper? A bottle of...wait, what is that??

Food wasted is money wasted--not a very frugal thing. So, what are we going to do about this? Hmmmm {scratches head} let me think. I know! {Lightbulb moment} Use it up!

Instead of throwing that little bit of veggies away, put it in a container in the fridge to make soup with at the end of the week. Some meats can also be added to this. The water you drain off boiled potatoes can be added as well as the liquid drained off the veggies. At the end of the week, add broth, seasoning, noodles, rice...whatever you would like, and enjoy a waste-free soup.

If you aren't into the soup thing, you can keep your leftovers in a designated area of the fridge and once a week have a leftover buffet. Little dabs of this and that. The reason for a designated area is to keep science projects from happening.

If there are large enough amounts left for another meal, you can package them and place them in the freezer (make sure to mark what is inside and the date). You not only will save money, you will also save time later on when all you need to do is pull the package out, let it thaw and reheat.

Fruits getting a bit soft and no one wants to eat them? Cut into bite size pieces, add a bit of yogurt, stir and enjoy.

Groceries is one of the biggest areas we can save money. There really is no reason to ever throw out food.

No Stress??

You hit snooze one to many times making you late for work. The boss was a jerk. You forgot your lunch at home. The car has a flat tire. One of the kids comes home from school sick. Your teenager has major attitude because you dared to breathe her air. Supper was something just thrown together and no one really cared for it. The dog puked on the floor.

STRESS!!

I've lived many years dealing internally with stress and anxiety. I've been able to remove many of the triggers from my life, yet some things are just unavoidable. Until now, I've just dealt with it...but no longer. I've been turned onto a natural way of feeling better that I feel I must tell everyone about. It's just way to good to keep to myself.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). It's a series of 'tapping' points on the body to rid the body of the yucky stuff. My friend Lori has a store in Princeton, Optimal Health, 815-915-4115 . What Lori teaches is a natural healthy way to deal with the 'yucks'. This is a technique you take with you into life. You can do it whenever you need.

There is no way I will be able to fully tell you the wonders of EFT, I highly recommend you research it for yourself...and call Lori! If you aren't local, find a naturopath in your area and ask if they are familiar with this technique.

Think of it, a life with little to no stress...even when the dog pukes on the floor.

I like football??

I think I might like football {audible gasp}. I know, right? Who would ever think I would be a football fan? Oh sure, I don't mind half-way watching a game when it's on, but I wanted to watch the Super Bowl, and not just for the commercials either. In fact, I found myself in quite the predicament during last nights game--I didn't want to miss any of the game and I didn't want to miss any of the commercials...when was I supposed to get up and get my football game munchies?

Of course, I decide to get into football when it's over for the season. I couldn't get excited about it when it was on every week. {rolls eyes at myself} Oh well, better late than never I guess.

Go Bears!

Do you need an ambulance?

One of the worst feelings to have is the feeling of helplessness when a loved one is hurt. Unfortunately, I have seen this over and over again. As many of you know, I'm an EMT on our local volunteer ambulance service. When we respond to a call, there is certain information we try to obtain either from the patient or the family. When the patient is unable to respond, and the family has no clue, that helpless feeling is written on their face.

Sit down with your loved ones and discuss some of the following. It's also an excellent idea to have it all written or typed on a paper that is handy in an emergency. Some people carry it in their wallet, put it on the fridge door or in the medicine cabinet. Gosh, you could even have a copy of your spouses sheet with your own in your wallet.

Name
Birthday
Family doctor
Allergies
Medication and dosage
Medical history: diabetes, heart, COPD, surgeries...
DNR: Copy MUST be shown to EMT's

This information is important in the care of patients. Make sure medication list is kept current. If not 100% sure it is, grab a bag to put the medications in to be taken to the hospital with the patient.

Also, when following the ambulance to the hospital, keep in mind you still must follow rules of the road! The ambulance has lights and sirens...we are both seen and heard. The car following behind us with a worried driver at the wheel is nothing more than just another car on the road. No special privileges apply to you. If you follow an ambulance through an intersection, there's a good chance you could be in an accident.

Flash Freeze It

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I'm going to take a leap here and assume you enjoy saving both time and money. Flash freezing will help you accomplish both of those with little effort.

The money saving comes from stocking up when fresh items such as onion, potato, celery, carrot, blueberry, grape...etc are on sale. The time saving comes from having items cut and ready to use while cooking.

Let's use celery as an example. When it's on sale, I stock up and take advantage of the deal. I wash it and cut it into pieces I will use in soups and such. What then needs to be done is to line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, lay the celery pieces out in a single layer, pop the cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour and presto! You have just done a flash freeze. Label quart size freezer bags with the contents and date. Put the frozen celery in the bag and toss it back into the freezer for later use. When you need some celery for a dish, pull the desired amount out of the bag. The reason for the flash freeze is to keep you from having one big frozen clump of celery in the bag.

I especially like to do this with onions so I get all the crying out of the way at one time.

Grapes and blueberries are also great for flash freezing. They can then be eaten either frozen or thawed. I do want to caution you though, don't thaw out a large amount at one time. Once thawed, the grapes need to be eaten in a relatively short amount of time or they tend to get a little mush factor going.

Watch those sale fliers for great deals, stock up and save yourself both money and time in the long-run.

Stroke detection

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STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a party, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine and just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. (they offered to call ambulance)

They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00pm , Ingrid passed away.)
She had suffered a stroke at the party . Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.

Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. It only takes a minute to read this...

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster.
The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions :

S * Ask the individual to SMILE ..
T * = TALK. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (eg 'It is sunny out today').
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS .

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call the ambulance and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

NOTE : Another 'sign' of a stroke is
1. Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.
2. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.

Menu and Alice

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If you have been reading Bear Necessities for awhile, you know my struggles with making a weekly menu and staying on a cleaning schedule. Oh, I have the desire to keep up on these things, sadly, I don't have the follow through. {hangs head in shame} I am a weak weak person.

*sigh*

I am happy to share my menu for this week! Yippee Skippee!

Monday
Wild hog and scalloped potatoes
green beans
applesauce

Tuesday
Goose
mashed taters and gravy
carrots

Wednesday
wait for it......

wait for it......

Venison heart! MmMmMmMmMmMmmmmmm
steamed cabbage
peaches

Thursday
Leftovers

Friday
Leftovers

I also picked Alice (my homemakers binder) up off the shelf, dusted her off and spent some quality time with her this weekend. It was a lovely time re-kindling an old friendship. I apologized for my absence and she forgave me. This morning she and I will once again be spending time together. Alice has already warned me there will be tough consequences if she is left on the shelf again (she looked pretty mean too, I don't think I'm going to test it).

Would love to spend a bit more time blogging with you, Alice is giving me 'the eye' and clearing her throat, I do believe it would be in my best interest to get going.

Frugal Laundry

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To dry or not to dry, that is the question. Wait, what about hot or cold, name brand or generic, or even does it need to be washed? Gosh, it seems there are several questions when it comes to saving money in the laundry room. Hopefully I'll be able to answer of few of these for you today.

Dryer sheets
I have used the name brand, the off brand and the generic brands. I use them for static control, not to smell spring fresh. I have been equally happy with the cheap stuff as I am with the more expensive. When using a dryer sheet, tear it in half, as half a sheet does the job and gives you twice as much for the money. Used dryer sheets can then be re-purposed for dusting and then thrown in the bucket for fire starters.

Laundry detergent
Less is more! Use less, get more for your money. The detergent companies tell you to use the 'fill line' on each load, but that isn't necessary. Heavy dirty loads will require more detergent then your gently worn clothing. I also use two different detergents. For my jeans, dirty work clothes, towels and cleaning rags I use Xtra. For whites and better clothes I use Tide. Of course, the Tide is only purchased when I can get it on sale and use a coupon. The Xtra is also purchased in bulk when it goes on sale.

Temperature
Obviously, using hot water costs more than cold water. It also can cut the life of your garments. I wash dirty work clothes, whites, towels and cleaning rags in hot, everything else is done up in cold. Check the care tag in your clothing to see what the manufacturer recommends.

To hang or not
I absolutely love to use my clothesline! If weather permits, my clothesline is full on laundry days. Not running the dryer is definitely a good way to save money. I also have several wooden drying racks I am able to use in the house when I am unable to hang outside. Not drying also helps extend the life of your garment. Maybe I should clarify here that I do use my dryer even when I'm not using it. Clear as mud? I put the items in the dryer for about 4 minutes to take the wrinkles out before I hang them. Make sure to give them a good shake before hanging. Items that will be going on a hanger anyway are dried that way. If you want a bit more softness to your clothes/towels, simply pop them in the dryer for a couple of minutes after they are dried to fluff them up. For the items you do need to dry, remove them promptly when they are finished to reduce ironing (saving you both time and money).

Multi-use towels
Do you dry off with your bath towel and discard it? Tsk tsk tsk if you do. Around here, I do laundry twice a week, bath towels get refreshed twice a week. Papa Bear and I have nice hooks in the bathroom to hang our towels to dry after we shower. I mean really, I get out of the shower nice and clean. Now, our washcloths are definitely a one time use thing....{shudder} that's just gross to me to think of using it again.

Wash it?
Do you even need to wash that garment? The slacks I put on to wear for two hours on Sunday are definitely not dirty. They get hung right back up. The sweater I wear with another shirt under it when I don't do anything to get dirty or sweat is not dirty, it gets put back away to wear again. The jeans I didn't even leave my house in all day are not dirty. They get folded and put back on the shelf. You are able to save gobs of money by not even running the washer and dryer.

Garment care
Always read the care instructions for your clothing. Taking care of your items insures they will have a longer life, meaning you will spend less money needing to replace them.

By implementing even a few of these tips, you will be able to save some of your hard earned money. Now, scoot scoot scoot off to your laundry room and enjoy your savings!

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Bean and Bacon Soup

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After my burnt bacon fiasco of the other day, can you believe I actually used bacon again already? I'm safe there though as I don't have to fry it for this tasty recipe.

I love a good ham and bean soup. Problem is, I have tried to make many recipes only to have them be not quite what I was looking for. I put a request out on a recipe site I'm on with Face Book and was pleased to get a reply. I didn't quite use the recipe exactly, the following is what I ended up with. You will notice I used bacon instead of a ham hock, mainly because I didn't have one.

2 C. dry navy beans (could use Northern beans)
6 C. water
Water for soaking
2 carrots finely chopped
1 C. celery finely chopped (about 2 stalks)
1 onion chopped
2 potatoes diced small
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 package maple flavored bacon cut into small pieces
1 T. Nature's Seasoning salt

Sort and wash beans. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 1 hour. Drain.

Place all ingredients in a 5 qt. crock pot. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours. Mash about 1 C of beans if soup seems a bit thin.

I ended up putting this in a pot on the stove at about 4 hours as I was hungry! I brought it to a boil and then simmered it for about 1/2 hour. I did need to add extra water.

I will be trying this out again just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, but if all goes well, this will be my new bean soup recipe! I'm also thinking I'll be making a huge pot of this and canning it to put in the pantry.

This is a very inexpensive, frugal meal.

*FYI...do not eat this if you are going to be in a crowd later on.

Burnt Bacon

Mmmmm...I just love the smell of burnt bacon as it seeps into every single nook and cranny of my home, leaving it's lingering scent in any fabric it come in contact with.

I do hope you noted the sarcasm dripping from that last sentence.

I started bacon and walked away to check on the children, ending up sitting on the floor singing songs with them. As I saw smoke coming from the kitchen, I realized what I had done. I ran in there and took the skillet right outside, it was too late, the smoke was already running rampant. Of course, it's cold out so I can't open windows with the children here. I can't even turn on the vents because the wood burner is going and it will draw in the smoke from that. *sigh*

I guess I could always burn a maple candle and it could smell like breakfast in here. *sigh*

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De-clutter Calandar

A wonderful website was brought to may attention and it is way too good not to share with all you.

http://www.mysimplerlife.com/2012.htm

Each day has one simple chore. It may be to get rid of expired medications, or clean under the bed, or declutter your candles. Yesterday had a chore I found to be great fun: Dance in your living room!

I shared this site with my dear friend Alicia as we are both on the organizational wagon right now. She asked me yesterday how I was doing with it...I laughed and told her I wasn't doing it, I only sent it to her! This resulted in me getting the evil stink eye and a copy of the calendar handed to me with instructions that I would be doing it.

Today's chore is to get rid of hair doo dads you never wear. This should be easy since I went from middle of the back hair to a short bob, leaving me with all sorts of hair doo dads I no longer have the hair for.

Give this site a look and see what you think.

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Frugal Friday

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Hello my Frugal Friends, how did your spending go this last week? Did you remember to keep track of it all? In case you missed it, last week I gave a bit of homework.

"The first step to getting a handle on your finances, is to know where your finances are going. For one week, keep track of how your money is spent. Do you buy a paper, a coffee, a donut, a pack of gum each day? How often do you eat outside the home? Gas, bills, kids lunch money, toll booths, groceries?"

Were you surprised at the results? This step can be a very eye-opening experience.

This weeks homework will be much easier; pick the area you 'wasted' the most money and cut the spending in half. Continue to keep a spending log of this one area this week.

As promised, for your hard work, I will share a couple of homemade fancy coffee recipes with you.

Toffee Coffee
1 C. instant coffee
1 C. non-dairy creamer
1 C. brown sugar

Mix well (in food processor if possible) and store in air-tight container. Add 2-3 tablespoons to mug of hot water.

Cinnamon & Spice
2/3 C. instant coffee
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice

Mix well and store in air-tight container. Add 2-3 tablespoons to mug of hot water.

Here's another frugal coffee tip:
After making a pot of coffee, turn the machine off (saving electricity) and put the coffee in a thermos to keep it hot. If you aren't going to drink a whole pot, put it in a beverage container in the refrigerator to be consumed the next day. Simply pour it in your mug and microwave 2 minutes. Unused coffee is also good in baking to take the place of water.

Grounds can be used more than once, simply leave in the basket and only add 1/2 the amount of new coffee for the second pot. When done, don't throw those grounds away! They are wonderful to put in your compost pile!

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All-American Muslim

Have you been watching this show on TLC? Wow! What an eye opener it has been for me.

The show follows five Muslim families in Dearborn MI. The families go from very conservative to not conservative at all. From women who wear the scarf to women who have tattoos and wear very revealing clothing.

This is not an action packed, drama among the cast type of show. It's normal every day life. It's been interesting learning different Muslim customs. For those who are more conservative, a person is not supposed to shake the hand of the opposite sex unless they are relatives. Instead, the person simply puts their hand over their heart. It is custom for the children to remain living at home until they are married, regardless of their age. When getting together with friends, the men and women usually split up.

This show could easily pluck out the five Muslim families and insert five Christian families ranging from very conservative to not conservative at all. Or five Jewish families, or five {insert your own religion} families.

The season finale was Sunday and I'm thinking it is not going to have a second season due to lack of interest. It's a shame too. There are so many misconceptions about Muslim people and this show gave us all an opportunity to learn about a people (and culture) that we might not otherwise know about.

If you have ON DEMAND with Comcast, you can still catch some of the episodes. If you haven't yet seen it, I highly recommend you check it out.

Frugal Friday Series

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With the beginning of a new year, often people decide to make a fresh start on their finances; cutting back, paying off, saving. As with any type of clutter, our finances didn't get where they are overnight, don't put unreasonable expectations on yourself of them changing overnight either.

I'm thinking about having a Frugal Friday series of posts. Each Friday I will post about ways to cut down expenses, pay off debt and save for the proverbial rainy day. I want you to know I am not an expert in any way, shape or form, and the tips I give are just that, tips. Most will be tried and true tips I have used myself, since I am a self-proclaimed Frugalista. I like to be able to spend my money in the ways I want, not to always be a slave to bills and such.

The first step to getting a handle on your finances, is to know where your finances are going. For one week, keep track of how your money is spent. Do you buy a paper, a coffee, a donut, a pack of gum each day? How often do you eat outside the home? Gas, bills, kids lunch money, toll booths, groceries? Trust me, this step and the budget step are the most difficult things I will be talking about. Once these two steps are out of the way, the fun begins...honest!

So friends, grab a notebook and track your daily moves for a week. Come on, don't give me that look, it's only a week. After that, I will reward you with a frugal way to make fancy coffee to treat yourself with.

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The Three Aways

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Put away, throw away, give away.

Any successful purging of 'things' begins with the three aways. It's best to set up boxes, bags, totes, baskets...etc that you can put items into easily. When purging an area, set your holders close by so as you pick up an item, it can either be put directly away or put into one of your holders. Once your area is purged, it is then time to deal with your holders.

Obviously the throw away is the easiest, so go ahead and get it out of the way.

The give away then needs to be determined if it is to be given away to a specific person or is it being donated to a thrift store, church, needed organization. Organize into where it is going, and then make arrangements to get it there. Set a limit on how long your stuff will sit before it is delivered. It doesn't do much good to purge an area only to have piles of 'things' sitting around.

The put away is where you need to be very careful. It's easy to put this stuff somewhere just to be done with it, only to have to purge the same items more than once. Take the extra time and put things in their proper places.

Once all your aways have been taken care of, stand back and admire your work. Even if the whole rest of the house seems to be falling down around your ears, take pride in what you have accomplished!

Remember, your areas needing purging didn't get the way they are overnight. Don't put the unrealistic expectation on yourself of getting it all done at once. Take your time, enjoy the purge. That's right, take satisfaction in the job you are doing, know when it is done, you will be a less cluttered self.

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No resolution

I am queen of procrastinators. Look up the word in the dictionary and you will see my picture.

Last year I made my New Years Resolution to not procrastinate...but I never really got around to getting around to it! After a few weeks, I just got so frustrated with myself, I basically gave up on it. Then of course, I felt bad for being a quitter.

This year, there will be no New Years Resolution.

Instead, I'm going to work on something I blogged about a couple of weeks ago, challenging myself. Setting goals and challenging myself a minimum of a week at a time on each goal. Bad habits don't just come out of nowhere, they start and are continued. I'm thinking good habits can be started and continued also.

Some of my goals are:

To start cooking homemade meals more often.

Finish listening to the Bible on tape.

Finish Biblical Counseling class.

One year from today I will look back at this blog post and see how my goals have come along.

So, dear reader, what are your goals for the new year?

Shoes in the shower

My daycare children think I'm so silly. They just can't figure out why I was standing in the shower, completely dressed and with my shoes on!

How was I going to get my feet clean?
Am I going to wash my clothes too?
Is Papa Bear going to be mad at me for having my shoes in the tub?

Actually, I was trying to get the water deposits off the shower walls. I have beautiful huge tiles that show every little spot. I've tried commercial cleaners. I've tried the Magic Eraser. We use a squeegy after every shower. Still have spots. This morning, I remembered about the millions of uses for white vinegar. Out comes the vinegar and sponge, I stepped into the shower (completely dressed and with my shoes on!), and the cleaning commenced.

I am proud to say it worked like a charm! I just poured some vinegar onto the sponge, put a bit of elbow grease into it, dried the tile and it looks absolutely beautiful again. The real test will be after showering (for real, you know...not with clothes and shoes on) and using the squeegy. Hope it holds up and I don't have to do it all the time.

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Happy Drying

Here it is December 29th, and I have my clothesline full!

I hung out towels.

I hung out Papa Bears working clothes

I hung out cloth napkins.

Then I got sad, I didn't have any more laundry to wash and hang out. Oh, believe me, I thought about washing my bedding that was done a few days ago just so I could hang it out again (I did this on Christmas). I decided against this and instead rounded up all the throw rugs in the house. They will soon be done and out on the line.

If you are a follower of Bear Necessities, you already know how easily amused I am. The fact that I was hanging on the line today brought immense joy to me! Normally, we would be in cold snowy conditions. When it's like that, I have drying racks strategically placed around the house. Going outside to hang is so much more fun.

I wonder if my neighbors would think I was weird if I asked them for their dirty laundry?

Wanna Kwanzaa?

I've been doing some reading on Kwanzaa, the celebration of the seven days between Christmas and New Years by many African Americans. The more I look into this, the more I think it is something to be celebrated by ALL people, regardless of whether you are black, white, yellow, green or purple. Whether you are Christian, Muslim, Jewish, atheist or (insert the belief of your choice).

The Seven Principles are as follows:

Day 1. Umoja means unity.
Day 2. Kujichagulia means self-determination.
Day 3. Ujima means working together.
Day 4. Ujamaa means supporting each other.
Day 5. Nia means purpose.
Day 6. Kuumba means creativity.
Day 7. Imani means faith, especially faith in ourselves.

See what I mean, these Seven Principles can be applied to all our lives. Here is a better breakdown of each:


Umoja (oo-MO-jah) Unity stresses the importance of togetherness for the family and the community, which is reflected in the African saying, "I am We," or "I am because We are."

Kujichagulia (koo-gee-cha-goo-LEE-yah) Self-Determination requires that we define our common interests and make decisions that are in the best interest of our family and community.

Ujima (oo-GEE-mah) Collective Work and Responsibility reminds us of our obligation to the past, present and future, and that we have a role to play in the community, society, and world.

Ujamaa (oo-JAH-mah) Cooperative economics emphasizes our collective economic strength and encourages us to meet common needs through mutual support.

Nia (NEE-yah) Purpose encourages us to look within ourselves and to set personal goals that are beneficial to the community.

Kuumba (koo-OOM-bah) Creativity makes use of our creative energies to build and maintain a strong and vibrant community.

Imani (ee-MAH-nee) Faith focuses on honoring the best of our traditions, draws upon the best in ourselves, and helps us strive for a higher level of life for humankind, by affirming our self-worth and confidence in our ability to
succeed and triumph in righteous struggle.

So, dear friend, I wish you a Happy Kwanzaa this week!

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Family dinner, skate key and 3 TV stations

I would like to share an e-mail with all of you. Some if it was a bit before my time, much of it though I remember well.

'Someone asked the other day, 'What was your favorite fast food when you were growing up?'
'We didn't have fast food when I was growing up,' I informed him.
'All the food was slow.'
'C'mon, seriously. Where did you eat?'
'It was a place called 'at home,'' I explained.
'Mom cooked every day and when Dad got home from work, we sat down together at the dining room table, and if I didn't like what she put on my plate I was allowed to sit there until I did like it.'

By this time, the kid was laughing so hard I was afraid he was going to suffer serious internal damage, so I didn't tell him the part about how I had to have permission to leave the table.
But here are some other things I would have told him about my childhood if I figured his system could have handled it :

Some parents NEVER owned their own house, never wore Levis, never set foot on a golf course, never traveled out of the country or had a credit card. In their later years they had something called a revolving charge card. The card was good only at Sears Roebuck . Or maybe it was Sears & Roebuck. Either way, there is no Roebuck anymore. Maybe he died.


My parents never drove me to soccer practice. This was mostly because we never had heard of soccer.

I had a bicycle that weighed probably 50 pounds, and only had one speed, (slow).

We didn't have a television in our house until I was 9.
It was, of course, black and white, and the station went off the air at midnight, after playing the national anthem and a poem about God; it came back on the air at about 6 a.m. And there was usually a locally produced news and farm show on, featuring local people.


I was 11 before I tasted my first pizza, it was called 'pizza pie.'
When I bit into it, I burned the roof of my mouth and the cheese slid off, swung down, plastered itself against my chin and burned that, too. It's still the best pizza I ever had.


I never had a telephone in my room.
The only phone in the house was in the living room and it was on a party line. Before you could dial, you had to listen and make sure some people you didn't know weren't already using the line.

Pizzas were not delivered to our home, but milk was.

All newspapers were delivered by boys and all boys delivered newspapers including me, six days a week It cost 7 cents a paper, of which I got to keep 2 cents + tips. I had to get up at 4am every morning. On Saturday, I had to collect the 42 cents from my customers. My favorite customers were the ones who gave him 50 cents and told him to keep the change. My least favorite customers were the ones who seemed to never be home on collection day.

If you grew up in a generation before there was fast food, you may want to share some of these memories with your children or grandchildren. Just don't blame me if they bust a gut laughing.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday to you!
Happy Birthday Dear Jesus!
Happy Birthday to you!

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What season is this?

"Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la"

Turn on the TV and there are Christmas movies and commercials all over the place.

Drive around town and houses are all decorated up with lights and such.

Children are having Christmas parities at school.

Santa Clause has been making appearances at Malls and stores.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all into Santa and decorations and watching the grandkids open their gifts on Christmas morning. I only wish there was a little less emphasis on Santa and the commercialization and a little more on it being Jesus' birthday. More on the season of Advent leading up to Christmas morning.

For many people, by the time Christmas finally gets here, they are so ready for it to be over. I guess that is what happens when Christmas starts being forced on us in October!

If more attention was paid to Advent and Jesus, I don't think this would happen. The weeks of Advent are as follows:

Hope
Love
Joy
Peace

Hope for good things to come
Love for what we have
Joy at good things delivered
Peace in our hearts

How is it possible to ever get tired of this? By celebrating Advent, and not just Santa, we are filling our minds, and hearts, and lives with the goodness of Jesus...and that is way better than movies, and decorations, and presents any day!

Easy Potato Soup

We enjoyed a yummy soup for supper last night that was so incredibaly easy to make, I thought I would share it with you all.

6 cups water
8 chicken boullion cubes
4 medium potatoes-diced
1 small onion-chopped small
2 stalks celery-sliced
1 carrot-diced small
1 C. instant potato flakes

Place all ingrediants except the potato flakes into a pot, bringing to a boil. Turn down and simmer about 1/2 hour or so until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Once veggies are cooked to your liking, turn the heat off and add instant potato flakes. Let sit about 5 minutes uncovered for flakes to absorb some liquid.

This is wonderful served with hot creseant rolls.

The Help

I have just finished watching a movie that is both heart breaking, eye opening and inspirational. The Help had me laughing, crying and in disbelief. Is this really how Negros were treated? Were maids expected to do everything for the home, including raising the children, yet not allowed to even use the restroom?

I'm very thankful my parents raised me to see equality in all races. None is better than another. I understand this book/movie was based on a different time and mindset, however, I am just mortified at how things were.

That said, there is a desire in me to treat others better. Because someone is getting paid to do something for me in no way means they are less of a person. Obviously, I don't have 'hired help' in my home, but I do interact with others who are paid for providing a service...the cashier at Wal-Mart, the waitress, the Post Master, the shoe salesman, the kid handing me my Big Mac. Instead of paying, getting my change and offering a quick 'thanks' on my way out, I'm going to make a point to ask how their day is, a point to look them in the eye and say 'thank you', and mean it!

I'm inspired to speak up when I see something not right. Not just look away and hope someone else will step in. "Change begins with a whisper".

For those of you who have read the book/seen the movie, I will never look at chocolate pie the same, and probably never be able to eat it without getting the giggles.

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