Pie Just Sounded Good….

I had the apples and a frozen pie crust…..it was easy!

 

preheat your oven to 350

pull out your frozen pie crust (I have never succeeded at making my own)

peel and slice about 6-8 medium apples

3/4c sugar

3T flour

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3/4 tsp cinnamon

mix everything together and fill pie crust

topping: 1/2 c flour + 1/2c sugar + 1/2 softened butter = yummy topping!!!

mix these together and crumbling it on top

Bake for 45-60 minutes and enjoy the sumptuous aroma

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream

Wrestling With Dad….

Guess who won.

Fat Friday Lent

This shouldn’t even be “legal” for a Friday food during Lent. But…..we just have to go meatless. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are the only manditory days of fasting and abstinence. So technically, this IS legal. And it was SO good!…..

I have been a “follower” of The Pioneer Woman for years. She makes me laugh, has fabulous recipes, tells great stories that I’m not too sure if I believe or not, takes beautiful pictures, and now has a delicious cookbook to call her own. Fantastic site! I highly recommend browsing. Be careful, you may become a “follower” yourself. 😉

Anyway, this recipe is hers. I’ve used it since the day she posted it. It is fantastic for entertaining, movie nights, meatless Fridays ;-), gaining a few pounds, etc.

Preserving Beans

I made homemade baked beans the other day only to have my husband get the flu and not be able to eat them. What to do with them? I don’t eat beans. The kids certainly wouldn’t eat ALL of them. And I didn’t have freezer bags to bag them into to freeze. Hmmm…..
Then I thought, could I can them? Is that safe? They do have some meat in them. So I did what any respectable woman with a question would do….I googled it. 😉
And sure enough, it can be done safely. Meat is well cooked. No dairy contained in recipe. Jars were sterilized and processed long enough. The result was 2 quarts and 2 pints. I’m going to let them sit on the self for a few weeks before we try them out.

Meet My Three

Tuesdays With Him (week 1)

EVE and the creation accounts of Genesis (ch) 1-3:

1b. Reflect on the importance of the distinction made by God between people and the rest of visible creation. How should this distinction help to direct our moral and social priorities?

– I love the answer given in the appendix. It talks first about man being the only part of creation made in the image and likeness of God and that the rest of creation is subject to him. “…we have a responsibility to be good stewards of creation and God’s creatures, the care of human persons must always take pride of place.”

– “good stewardship” has been a resounding theme for me. I think it is easy as a mom to be overwhelmed by the day to day. Every second of every day I am “needed” by some member of our family…for food, play, help, laundry, diapers, love, attention, etc. And by the end of the day all I’m dreaming about is all the things I NEED which slides my thoughts into a more selfish mode and I then start thinking/obsessing over getting certain things done to free up more time so I can do MY THINGS. I understand the need for balance, a time and place for everything.  I just haven’t quite found  a regular groove. Most days are good days. Most days I can stop myself from sliding deeper into selfishness. Most days I can recognize triggers – those things that trigger a certain attitude or thought process – and try to stop the snowball effect. Most days. But it is on those few days of absolute insanity that I find myself screaming for (internally) and longing for freedom. A freedom that  I realize I already have. Silliness, I know. But I am sure many of you can relate in some way or another. Freedom to accept and embrace the Will of God in my life or the freedom to seek my own will. Sometimes it’s hard to identify God’s Will but in those times I’m reminded of a piece of advice my dad gave me a long long time ago: “Theresa, all you have to do is focus on fulfilling your obligations within your state in life (right now)….your vocation right now is to be a student (at the time). So be a student first. Being faithful to the little day to days that are right in front of you will give you the strength and grace to be faithful to the bigger things that may come your way like knowing when and who to date. Study and pray.” My point in this being, I am a wife and mom….my job/vocation is to love and serve with every fiber of my being……first the needs of my children and husband.

10a-d. I’m not going to write it all out, but this was a great point for me as well. It goes back to the recognizing my own vices and what triggers them. And then also putting solid means to overcome them and/or strengthen virtues that counteract them. I can totally relate in particular to Eve’s lack of self discipline and selfishness.  Oh the ugliness and shame of sin!!!!

My resolution this week in light of this study: To aid in self discipline, limit my email, Facebook, and blog checks to 3-15 minute sessions….one before the kids wake up in the morning, one during naptime, one after they are in bed. (ouch…gonna be hard) I will be using a timer. 😉 By doing this hopefully it will help me to focus more on the needs of my family instead of seeking time to get away to surf, respond, and write.

*What points stood out for you in this chapter? Feel free to share……

Great Giveaway To Take Advantage Of…..

http://thebusybudgetingmama.blogspot.com/

This blog is super cute, she’s got great recipes, great $$$ saving ideas, great style, and a great first-giveaway. Take a look!

I Want I Want I Want

I have so many ideas and the desire to create is almost insatiable. I knit. I LOVE to knit. And I am currently taking spinning lessons. Frustrating, but I know I willl love it once I get the hang of it. And I also long to sew. I finding and ocllecting so many simple patters that I can’t wait to try out. In addition to that, I’m scratching out ideas for crafts for the kids. I want to try to make our simple daily doings fun and holidays memorable. I want to read and learn. I want to bake!…I love to bake. I want to make daily bread. I want to spend more time outside and not be afraid or hesitant about taking all the kids out…..and ENJOY it! I want to be organized and dutiful in my daily chores. I want to write a book. I want to raise alpacas for fiber….and perhaps other fiber animals: sheep, llamas, rabbits, etc. I want a “fiber farm” (I think?). 😉 I want more land….maybe 8-10 more acres. I want horses at some point. I want (somehow) for John to be home with us everyday….work here….somehow have this place pay for itself.
I want to run a marathon before I have another baby. I’d like to have a few more kids….call me crazy but we LOVE being parents and having a full house is a wonderful thing. 🙂

I know. I know. You all are probably thinking, “Your crazy!….never going to happen…you want too much….your being too idealistic or naive….” etc. etc. And my mother is probably going to call me after reading this and tell me I’ve gone off the deep end.

The truth is, my husband wants the same things. And two people as united as we are who share the same aspirations….well, I feel as though the sky is the limit. And we’ve made very positive steps in the right direction.

Back up a minute….
In the short time we’ve been married, John and I have lost a lot materially and financially, but what is infinitely more painful is the loss of loved ones….the loss of time with them. Time to share….time to love….time to get to know. We have lost the time and gift of future with them. But we are so grateful for the time that we had and the memories shared. The QUALITY of that time we had. Time NOT spent in front of the TV or on the phone or staring at a computer screen. It is the time and memories of holidays and family traditions, summer days by the beach, long September days in the kitchen canning the fruits of the summer, hours on the patio staring at the stars and enjoying eachother’s company, celebrating life with baptisms and weddings and the bittersweetness of funerals, long walks and conversations that always end with a deeper apprecriation and understanding for eachother and who we are, hours upon hours in the woods hunting or on the lake fishing, memories in the garden. So many many things to be grateful for.

It is the loss and intensified gratitude that instills a longing in our hearts to be home….to be together….to make each day count….to “pass on” the love, memories, and traditions……Preserving Love.

No insane amounts of great wealth.
No fame
No vacation homes or fancy vehicles

All we want is to be home…together….with the people we love and the things we need. Nothing more.

Is that too much to ask for?
I honestly don’t think so.

What is it YOU want?

That Kind Of Day

John worked all day today. I had high hopes of a fantastic meat-less meal. But “meltdown” mode happened early tonight and I managed to get some raw veggies cut, tuna for sandwiches made, and macaroni and cheese for the kids. Yay. John gets home, we sit down to eat and as we’re eating I’m gradually zoning out into my own peaceful little world for 15 seconds. I reached for the ranch dressing and instead of squirting it onto my plate I squirted it into my cup. Didn’t realize it until John’s expression made me snap into reality and notice what I just did. NOW…this was just over a matter of seconds. 😉 For the rest of our meal he teased me. Okay. Fine. We finished, I had to feed Wyatt and John scooped the kids some icecream. Supper time ended pretty peacefully and we all sat down to digest our food and enjoy the evening. About an hour later I went back into the kitchen to get the kids some juice. I opened the fridge and saw this:

 

I asked John why the ice cream was in the fridge. “What are you talking about?” he said. He cleaned up supper. He did the dishes. He was the one that did this. Hmmmm…..

I think we need a vacation.

Catch Up

I’ve been behind on my postings of Project Knit 52. I’ve been knitting, just not posting. Sorry. I was going to work on doing that tonight but I’ve gotten a sudden urge to bake. And baking is going to have to override blog catch up. You’ll understand….

CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE