I'm Back!

Sorry to have been MIA! So much has been going on. End of the school year coming up, holidays, ect. Whew! I've been busy!

Mother's Day

Yesterday was a pretty crummy day weather wise. Our usual plan is to bar b que at a park while the kids play on the playground. However, grey skies, wind, and misty rain foiled our plans this year. Instead, we met at my parents house. Of course, an hour after we got there and started eating, the sun came out. A nice time was had by all and the gifts were appreciated. Here's what the moms got:











My mom got the Elvis bag and my MIL got the denim bag. The denim one was made from that jumper I thrifted a few days ago. Pretty cool, eh? Mom got chocolate cookies with hers and MIL got oatmeal scotchies.

ATC Swap Fun!

Amy doesn't think I read her blog, but I do! Now I am impatient for my ATC to get here. In fact, I know exactly where I am putting it. I really don't think she reads my blog though. So, without further ado, here is the ATC I made for her.
I apologize for the poor picture. There was a terrible glare. It's almost the size of a "standard" ATC. I think it ended up being 3.5x2.5. Amy mentioned to me that it would be going in her craft room and that anything "girly" was good (she lives in a houseful of guys!) She also mentioned that she liked the colors of pink and chocolate brown. So here we go. I used a picture frame and took out the glass. Glued down some chocolate brown scrapbook paper to the back and the small piece of pink to that. I found little round wooden "buttons" that I painted cream and then glued into bottle caps. On those I put pink stickers to spell out Amy. I glittered those, although it's hard to tell in the picture. Below her name is a crown (to let her know she's queen!) that I also glittered. And that little thing on her name is fairy princess. There's some glitter on her as well. I finished the whole thing off with some pink ribbon threaded through the holes on the sides of the frame. Ready to hang!

A-muse-ing Quiz

I found this quiz through Darla's blog. Apparantly my muse is

I took the "The Nine Muses" quiz on gURL.com
		My muse is... Polyhymnia Polyhymnia is the patron goddess of sacred poetry. Her name means "She of Many Hymns" and is often depicted with a pensive look upon her face. Polyhymnia is said to bring immortal distinction to writers. Read more... Who is your muse?

Which is odd since I didn't answer any questions with a spiritual answer. Hmmm....

Thrifted Finds

I know Mary Ann is ready for Mother's Day but who else is? Not me! I didn't figure out what I was making until yesterday! lol! It doesn't help that my mother's birthday is on the 18th. I decided to finish what I was making for her birthday for Mother's Day (a tote made out of Elvis fabric). Now to figure out her birthday gift! Ugh! So anyway, once I had her decided I, of course, needed to come up with something for my MIL. I wanted to make a tote for her too, but couldn't figure out what to use. The budget is tight and I really don't have a fabric stash. What I do have isn't really "her" either. What to do? Finally I had the bright idea to use denim! Brilliant! Where was I going to get denim fabric? Enter the good old thrift store! It's not my favorite one to shop at, but it's the closest. Got a denim jumper that I can get the required yardage from and I have some daisy fabric to line it with. Also found: a great strawberry print skirt (not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. I bought it for the fabric and the fact that it was $1!) and stacking bunny boxes. Thinking I will keep one for my Spring decor and refurbish the other ones (perhaps?)

On another note, I really enjoyed making my ATC for Amy. I'm thinking of creating more. In fact, over at Craftster, there is a list of 100 ideas. Haven't checked it yet for this brilliant idea I had...fairy tales! Yes, I think I'm going to make some ATC's based on fairy tales. Just have to figure out which ones and how I'm going to do it!

I finished my ATC!!! I will post a picture once I have sent it off to Amy, which won't be until Friday. So you'll just have to wait! It got good reviews over at Craftster (no peeking Amy!) where I've been spending oddles of time lately. Who knew there was so much crafty goodness?

Needful Things

I almost forgot! I was tagged by the marvelous Mary Ann to do this. You go to google, put in "(your name) needs" and post what you come up with. Since my first name is widely popular (I've seen seveal on blogs already!), I decided to just go with the simple "mom". And here's what I got:

Mom Needs A Break!
Response:No truer words have been spoken!

Mom Needs an A.
Response:Hmmm...I probably do deserve one!

Mom Needs A Perm.
Response:Oh, I don't think so. Curls aren't a good look for me. Wouldn't mind a manicure though!

Mom Needs Help.
Response:Always

Mom Needs a Haircut.
Response:Why yes, yes I do!

I set up a new blog. It's for the recipes I've been collecting. Check it out!

Decisions, decisions!

I'm participating in an ATC swap hosted by the talented Miss Vallen.
For a very long time I saw the term ATC flying around blogland and had no idea what it meant. For those of you who don't know, it stands for Artist Trading Cards. Fun little pieces of artwork. So anyway, I've never made one but when Miss Vallen decided to host a swap I just had to join in. Especially after I saw the cute little ATC she sent me. My partner is Amy. I was stumped for ideas at first, but now I've got so many flying around I have no idea what to do! Well, whatever I come up with, I sure hope she likes it!

A Long Time Coming

So, first of all, most of the month of April was pretty rotten. It started with Mr. P and Miss A getting ear infections. Then, Miss R and I got strep. Then DH got food poisoning (not from me!) Then we had a good friend visit from England for a few days and another friend came home from Iraq (civilian) for a visit. Spent some time trying to get the house back in order from that and DH and I got a cold. Then to top everything off my dad had a heart attack. He's doing well (thankfully!), but it was still a tough thing to go through. Now on to better things!

The Pink and Green Swap!
This is what I got from my swap partener, Dolores. A whole plethra of goodies! Stickers, soap, seeds, sponges (Miss R took the pink one and made an elephant out of it!), post-its, post cards, tissue paper, pez, plant holder, hot pad, raffia, ink pads, note cards, vintage grapes.

In case you've forgotten, the premis was to send things that spell SPRING in the colors of pink and green.


This is what I sent to her. A saucer for trinkets, scrapbook paper, a polka dot bag (I made that), ribbon, ice cream bowls, note cards, glass cutting board (can you believe how perfect that is? Not only is it pink and green and fulfill the letter G nicely, I thrifted that baby for 1.95!!!)

I'm looking forward to the next swap. Nothing has been spilled yet, but I have a feeling about what the colors will be. At least I'm hoping as I've already started buying! lol!


Last, but not least, here are some items I thrifted when I got the cutting board.
A polka dot skort (isn't it cute?) with great shoes to match, some books, a sorting toy for Mr H, and some Stampin' Up stamps!

Lots to report

Lots to report but no time right now! Will update soon, I promise!

Could it really be?

I think the fog has lifted!! I'm feeling less blah today without having to force myself. Yeah! Thank you all for the kind, encouraging comments!

Also, I realize that this is my 100th post! Now, I don't have a lot of readers, but I'm feeling less blah-y and generous, so if you leave a comment you will be entered into a drawing for something from moi :)

Last but not least, I finally got off my lazy posterior and put new batteries in the digital camera. I will be posting some pictures of the fabulous finds I got today later on.

Now, I need some help. Please give me any imput! I need to make something for someone and I'm not sure what to make. Ideas? Here is what I have come up with. If anything jumps out at you or you have something in mind...let me know! I'm at a complete loss! Oh yeah, what I've come up with. A tote bag, an apron with matching pot holder, or a pillow.

That's it for now. Mr P is begging for the computer and he's been a pretty good kid today!

Feeling Blah!

Have you ever just felt blah? That's the way I've been feeling for the past several weeks. Just haven't wanted to do much of anything. I've been doing minimal homekeeping and it shows. Meals have been thrown together last minute. I've been quick to become annoyed too. Health-wise I've been okay though. Just blah. Today, thankfully, I seem to have shaken it! I have renewed enthusiasm for the home and a lot of other things!

This week:

~Miss R has an ear infection :( She's such a trooper though!

~Mr H had his first haircut! He looks like such a little man now!

~Miss M's vocabulary is steadily increasing. She constantly amazes me with what comes out of her mouth. She really is such a sweet, sensitive little girl!

~Mr P started soccer this week. He's so excited and he looks so cute in his uniform! His team is the Cosmos.

~I tried a delicious sugar cookie recipe this week. I'll be sharing it with you later on as it's getting late and I need to get on to bed.

~I've decided to once again revamp my routines just a tad. I'll share that with you as well as time permits.

So, I mentioned yesterday that this week I will be sharing my cleaning activities with you.

Monday's are the day I use to do my home blessing. If you are familiar with Flylady, then you are familiar with this concept. However, I don't do it just like she does! This is what is done on Monday:

In the kitchen-

• Sink gets scrubbed
• Any hotspots are cleared
• Counters are wiped down

In the bathrooms-

• Toilet cleaned inside and out
• Spot clean walls
• Wipe baseboards
• Wipe down door
• Wipe counters and sink
• Scrub tub
• Wipe switchplates
• Sweep and mop floor

In the Living Room/Dining Room/Play Area

• Polish furniture
• Windex glass surfaces
• Straighten entertainment center
• Wipe switchplates
• Wipe baseboards
• Spot clean walls
• Vacuum

It sound like a lot, but it actually does not take that much time at all. I also have what I call projects. These are things I rotate weekly.

These are the projects for the Living Room/Dining Room/Play Area:
Week 1-Clean under the couch and chairs
Week 2-Vacuum under chair and couch cushions/vacuum along baseboards
Week 3-Straighten toys
Week 4-Polish inside of china cabinet/vacuum along baseboards

Again, this doesn't take much time once the routines are established.

In My Home This Week

It was a fairly quiet week this week. Miss R did an outstanding job on her flag project. The bell choir played at church this morning, so that was nice. Had a nice chat with the Pastors wife. Hmmm....

*I amazed my FIL this week when I poured baking soda and vinegar down the garbage disposal to clean it.

*We had unexpected company yesterday. It was a nice surprise!

*I've been working very hard at making a menu every week and trying to stick to it. It's nice to have an idea of what's for dinner. I use forms from this site to help me keep track!

*Mr H has been under the weather the past few days but seem to be perking up, thankfully!

I think that's about it for the week. As I said, it's been quiet. Starting tomorrow I will be sharing my cleaning schedule.

Appetizer
Where on your body do you have a scar, and what caused it? I have a very, very tiny white scar under my nose that was caused by a cat.

Soup
What is something that has happened to you that you would consider a miracle? My first child and I lived through her birth (an emergency c-section)

Salad
Name a television personality who really gets on your nerves. Kathy Lee Gifford

Main Course
What was a funny word you said as a child (such as "pasketti" for "spaghetti")? Bamburger for hamburger

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I have always thought ______ was ______. I have always thought certain food was meant for certain times.

More from the CAI Encyclopedic Cookbook(1964)!

Meal Planning

"The modern homemaker knows that meal planing offers her a chance to use all her artistic ability and food knowledge to keep her family happy and healthy. Modern standards require the following musts to be included in each day's menus:

Milk:(rich in vitamins A, B and D) at least 1 pint for each adult, preferably 1 quart.
Vegetables and fruits:Green leafy or yellow vegetables(rich in vitamins A and C), 1 or more servings. Tomatoes, oranges, grapefruit, and fresh cabbage(rich in vitamin C), 1 or more servings. Potatoes, other vegetables or fruit(rich in vitamins A, B and C), 2 or more servings.
Eggs:(rich in vitamins A, B and D) 3 or 4 a week.
Meat, Fish or Poultry:Lean meat, fish, poultry(rich in vitamin B), 1 or more servings. Liver or kidneys(rich in vitamins A and B), served at least once a week.
Cereals and Bread:Whole-grain cereals and bread (rich in vitamin B), at least 2 servings.
Fats:eaten as butter and cream or cheese (rich in vitamin A).
Sweets:Needed in small amounts.


Besides protecting health a good menu should take into account the contrasts in color, texture and flavor. The color of spinach is attractive with ham. Soft custard is a good texture to follow the crunchiness of raw carrots. A tart relish contrasts in flavor with sweet fritters. Today's homemaker is well aware not only of the need of budgeting money, but also of budgeting her time and energy. Meals planned for a week mean more efficient and economical purchasing, leftovers used to better advantage and simplified food preparation. Monotony is avoided when a record is kept of menus. One way to keep a menu record is in a loose-leaf notebook.

Here are samples of menu's for February:

Meatloaf with tomato sauce
Buttered shoestring carrots
Creamed broccoli
Celery
Cherry cottage pudding


Sausage and corn casserole
Lyonnaise Potatoes
Endive with French dressing
Baked Apples with ginger whipped cream

Chicken fricassee with dumplings
Buttered cauliflower
Pickled beets
Cranberry molded salad
Baked custard

My Home This Week

Well! Lots going on this week. We had Valentine's Day, of course. The children and I talked about St. Valentine and touched a bit on St. Patrick. Miss M got registered for Preschool for the upcoming year. We submitted an application for Mr P to attend the same school as Miss R. Mr H had a Dr. appointment where we found out he is in the 75th percentile for his height and the 97th percentile for his weight ~smile~ He's my chunky monkey boy!

*I found some plastic bowl covers at my local drugstore. A set of six for only $1!

*Miss R is doing excellent with her reading and math skills. I'm so proud of her!

*Mr H is talking more and more every day. He amazes us with what comes out of his mouth! He also had his first taste of sushi and he loved it! (Just to clarify, sushi does not contain raw fish!)

*I decided to take up One Stroke painting again. I did some self teaching years ago and took one class. It's a lot of fun; I just put it away for whatever reason. I've taken out again for me!

*I tried a new piecrust recipe today. Very easy:Mix together 1 cup flour and 1/4 cup sugar. Cut in 1 stick of butter until crumbly. Press into pie plate and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until brown.

*I revamped my routines! I've taken ideas from here, here, and here and have come up with a plan that I think is going to work well. It's been a week and so far every thing is going smoothly!

I think that's it for this week!

Sunday Supper

Appetizer
What sound, other than the normal ringing, would you like your telephone to make? I'd like it to announce who is calling! That way I wouldn't have to run to answer it if it weren't important or someone I wanted to talke too!

Soup
Describe your usual disposition in meteorological terms (partly cloudy, sunny, stormy, etc.). I'm usually sunny with a chance of clouds.

Salad
What specific subject do you feel you know better than any other subjects? Nothing really. I know a little about a lot of stuff.

Main Course
Imagine you were given the ability to remember everything you read for one entire day. Which books/magazines/newspapers would you choose to read? Oh goodness! I have no idea!

Dessert
If a popular candy maker contacted you to create their next confection, what would it be like and what would you name it? It would be similar to those old Sky Bars. A bar of chcolate divided into sections. One section would be very dark chcolate with a hint of orange, one would be a dark chocolate with a hint of mint, one would be dark chcolate with flecks of milk chocolate, and one would be a milk chocolate and white chocolate swirl. I think I would name it Indulgence.

It's Here! It's Here!

My box for the pink and brown swap arrived today! Thank you so much to Colleen for all of the wonderful goodies! There's two cute mugs, a bag of Dove chocolates, two little crocheted flowers, ribbon, stickers, a beautiful card she made, a fabulous little journal she crafted, and a fantastic tin (filled with flavored hot cocoa mixes I might add!) I love it all!!!



To add to my wonderful day, my sweet DH brought this home to me. I was very surprised!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've recently become smitten with the colors light blue and chocolate brown. I'm considering redoing my bedroom in these colors, but I'm not entirely sure yet. Any opinions?

Sunday Supper

Appetizer - Have you been sick yet this winter? If so, what did you come down with? Yes. Just a cold but it's pretty miserable. Have it right now.

Soup - What colors dominate your closet? Ummm...lavendar and denim

Salad - How would you describe your personal "comfort zone"? No idea. I think with me it varies depending on the person.

Main Course - On which reality show would you really like to be a contestant? Project Runway!

Dessert - Which holiday would you consider to be your favorite? Well, I really do love them all, but if I have to pick a favorite, I'd have to day Thanksgiving. No, wait. Fourth of July. Or maybe Easter. Christmas? I really don't know! I truly do love them all!

Love is in the Air

I had a round basket thing that I had gotten several years ago at the dollar store. It is "brass" looking with open hearts making up the sides. I got matching votive holders too. Never knew what to do with them. Well, this year I decided to try my hand at making a floral arrangement. Thanks to google and about.com, here's what I came up with. I think it looks nice, don't you?


When I get my ivy for my Valentine tin, I'll post a picture of my Valentine things. It isn't much right now, but I think it's rather difficult to find Valentine things for display!

The Tuesday Tip!

To avoid sticking while cooking macaroni or spaghetti place in a colander or sieve and place in boiling water.

So I was going through my CIA cookbook again (I like to look through it every other week or so) and I noticed a section in the front with a ton of nifty little tips. And I thought it would be fun to share them with you. I know a lot of people have certain days that they do things on...works for me Wednesday, Friday Feast, ect. and I thought it would be a good idea to delegate a day for the tips. But what day? I decided I wanted Tuesdays because it's such an overlooked little day. Now I needed a catchy title...hmmmm...and then it came to me. The Tuesday Tip! Clever, eh? And I thought of it all by myself! Stay tuned! Maybe you'll start looking forward to Tuesday!

The birthday party was a success! A very good time was had by all! Thank you to all who stopped by and wished my special guy a Happy Birthday!

Superbowl Sunday

So it's Superbowl Sunday today. Don't think we'll be watching. I don't mind, but DH isn't a big sports fan. I like the commercials though! lol!

Sunday Supper

Appetizer
What was one of the fashion fads when you were a teenager? Big Hair! lol!

Soup
Name one thing you think people assume about you when they first meet you. That I'm quiet all the time. So not true once you get to know me!

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how hard do you work? 10!

Main Course
If you were given a free 30-second commercial during the Super Bowl to sell anything you currently own, what would you advertise? Hmmm...I don't really want to sell anything I own at the moment!

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I love to ________ when it is _________. I love to read when it is raining!

Happy Birthday to my big boy. He's 5 today!!!!

So, I'm in a really cool CAL (that's crochet a-long) over at Crochetville. A Mystery Valentine CAL. Sounds fun! I'll keep you updated and you can find out what I'm making along with me!

Sunday Supper on Monday!

Appetizer
If you could take lessons to learn any musical instrument, which would you want to learn? Guitar

Soup
Have you ever mistaken a person for someone else? Yes

Salad
On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being highest, how well do you keep secrets? 10!

Main Course
What's the closest you've ever been to a dangerous animal? Not very!

Dessert
When was the last time you lost your patience? This morning

I've Been Tagged!

Mary Ann has tagged me to participate in the 6 Weird Things About You meme. Hmmm... let's see.

1. I really enjoy watching programs/movies on the Disney Channel. It's one of my guilty pleasures.

2. I have never, ever, in my entire life seen an episode of Sex in the City or Desperate Housewives.

3. I love watching subtitled movies. Two of my favorites are Amelie and 8 Women (I think that liking this movie could take care of the whole weird quotient!)

4. By no means a "neat freak" (though I do like the house to be tidy), I like to clean. Especially now since I am keeping on top of things and it's not taking nearly as long as it used to.

5. I like to eat carrots and peanut butter. Just dip the carrot in the jar. Yum!

6. I like my soda warm, no ice.

There you have it. And since these aren't all that weird (at least I don't think so), here's one more. This is one of my most favorite sites. I can spend hours here. I think I know more about movies I haven't seen than anyone :)

Valentine gifts!

Here they are! As mentioned, I was inspired by the always fabulous, Mary Ann. Aren't they cute? These are simply wooden hearts that I painted (white, pink, lavendar, red) and then mod podged on paper cut outs of flowers or butterflies. Finished up with a coat of extra thick glaze and glued a magnet on the back! Done!

Rekindling a new love

I learned how to crochet when I was a youngun. Probably around 9 or 10. I've done it off and on over the years but have recently really fallen in love with it. I've been frequenting a great message board and my list of projects is growing ever longer. However, a member there graciously allowed me to test a pattern for her so I put some of my WIPs (that's Works In Progress) to complete the testing. And here it is; an apron for my oldest DD!

I did add a few rows on to the bib, but in retrospect I should have left it alone as it turned out a bit to big. Ah well, she can grow into it. I have materials left over to make one for her younger sister in the opposite (varigated body and ties, solid bib and pocket.) Alas, I can not share the pattern with you, but when it becomes available I will let you know! Also, the Valentine gifts inspired by the crafty Miss Mary Ann are just about finished. Will post pics of them tomorrow! They are way cute!

All these crafts going on and narry a one for Christmas...better get moving on that too! lol!

Sunday's Supper

Appetizer
Which television shows do you just refuse to miss? Heroes!

Soup
Who did you last speak to on the telephone? My Mother In Law

Salad
How many pillows do you keep on your bed? Two

Main Course
Name one addition to your computer (software, hardware, etc.) that you'd love to have. I'd love to have Mastercook :)

Dessert
What is your favorite foreign food? Hmmm....I enjoy a variety:Indian, Mexican, Japanese...

Lazy Saturday

My house is actually in decent shape, so today I am taking it a bit easy and working on things I just want to get done! lol! Inspired by these gems (they're magnets!)sent to me by the lovely Mary Ann, I spent a good portion of my morning cutting out these for Valentine gifts (excuse the fuzzy picture please! In case you can't tell, they are cut out collage papers.) The rest of the afternoon will be spent working on a gift for my swap partner. Oh, and a trip to the store. Hope you are all enjoying your Saturday!

My Cool Purchases for the Day

Well, I went thrifting today to see if I could find something for my swap partner in the pink and brown swap. While I had no luck finding her anything, I found, to my delight, several things for me! Here you see the Punch Your Art Out book(.95), a Mickey Mouse Magna Doodle accessories kit(.65), a pattern for a cape and beret in both knit and crochet(.25), and a pile of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazines(.25 each).









Here we have an Alfred Dunner top and a handbag. My mom is going to be so jealous of the top! lol! And the bag was bought with a whole other purpose in mind besides using it. The bag as a whole does not really appeal to me in terms of color and texture, however I see great crafting possibilities for it!

Delicious!

The Zippy Beef Tips, that is! They were quite good and DH said it was a "do again." Very easy to assemble and quite tasty! For an ooey gooey dessert I used this brownie recipe (variation #3. I also added chocolate chips to the brownie batter.) All in all a satisfying meal. Tonight is taco salad :)

I have this cookbook, Fix It and Forget It, that my mom gave me eons ago. I've used it, but only every so often and only if I can't find something that looks better. Don't get me wrong, I love my crockpot, but there are some recipes in that book that are a bit...er, creative. I prefer to stick to my traditional TNT recipes. However, as I was flipping through it trying to find a recipe for my MIL, I came across this gem. It sounds pretty darn good and we will be trying it for dinner tomorrow. I will let you know how it turns out!

Zippy Beef Tips
Maryann Westerberg

2 pounds stewing meat, cubed
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
10 3/4 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup 7-Up or other lemon-lime carbonated beverage

1. Place meat and mushrooms in slow cooker.
2. Combine mushroom soup, soup mix, and soda. Pour over meat.
3. Cover and cook on low 8 hours.
4. Serve over rice.

More Sandwich Fillings!

I tell you, with these fillings from the CAI Encyclopedic Cookbook (1964), you may never get bored with the same old, same old.


Cream Cheese Fillings

1/2 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup oragne marmalade

1 cup cream cheese
1/3 cup minced nut meats

1/2 cup cream cheese
1/4 cup chopped olives
1/4 cup chopped nut meats

1/4 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 cup cream cheese
2 tablespoons minced chives

I must say here that my oldest daughter's favorite sandwich is cream cheese and butter!


Chicken

1 cup ground cooked chicken
1/4 cup cream
3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

3/4 cup minced cooked chicken
1/3 cup crushed pineapple
3 tablespoons mayonnaise


Egg

Hard cooked eggs chopped and combined with:

Chopped crisp bacon or boiled ham, mayonnaise
Chopped olives, salad dressing
Chopped pickle, mayonnaise
Diced cooked chicken, meat or fish, chopped pickle, mayonnaise
Sliced tomato, salt, pepper, mayonnaise

Meat

1 cup minced cooked ham
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1 teaspoon capers
mayonnaise to mositen

Grind all together

Peanut Butter

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons chopped pickle

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground raisins
3 tablespoons mayonnaise

Seafood

1 cup flaked salmon
4 tablespoons mayonnaise
3 tablespoons chopped sweet pickle
2 tsp salt, dash pepper

1/2 cup mashed tuna
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped stuffed olives
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce


Vegetables

1 cup grated uncooked carrots
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup minced celery
1/4 cup mayonnaise
salt

1 cup chpped cucumber
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
salt

More Lunchtime Musings

Here's more from the CIA Encyclopedic Cookbook (1964)!

"Sandwiches, whether for picnic or lunch box, should be fresh, tasty, nutritious, well-filled and attractively wrapped. Remember that the sandwich must contirbute to the day's good nutrition. Select and make fillings with care and keep a cariety of them always on hand and fresh. Small screw-top jars for storage in refrigerator are handy. The supply can be replenished during morning cooking hours. Use whole grain breads frequently in addition to other carieties. Pack lettuce or other greens in containers, waxed paper or cellophane, to be added to sandwiches at time of eating."

Here are some of the fillings:

Cheese


1/2 cup grated American cheese
2 tablespoons chopped pimento
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 tablespoons minced sweet pickle
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped


1/2 cup Camenbert
8 slices cooked, drained and minced bacon


3/4 cup grated American cheese
1/4 cup ground ham
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise



More fillings to come tomorrow!

A Look at Lunch

Today I have decided to talk about lunch, or rather let my authoratative CAI Encyclopedic Cookbook (1964) do the talking for me!

"Lunch is the most neglected meal of the day. Often women nibble at leftovers, men swallow a hasty cup of coffee and a sandwich, children buy something sweet, and these things constitute their 'lunch'. But good nutrition is not limited to just one meal a day. It encompasses all meals. A good lunch takes planning and preparation. This is especially true if the lunch is carried and has to be packed at home. Check your lunches against this lit and see that your nutrition plans are carried out.

1. A good lunch is fresh. your score is zero if you make up sandwiches the night before. Keep a plentiful supply of fresh fillings in covered jars in the icebox, other necessities on the pantry shelf, and use the mass production method of assembly.

2. A good lunch is attractive. Wrap sandwiches neatly in waxed paper or cellophane, use waxed cups for salads, fruits, and desserts, thermos bottle for hot or cold liquids and glass screw-top jars for a hot stew or main dish (paper towels make a good insulation around jars).

3. All good lunches are balanced nutritionally. Check to see if your lunch contains each of the following: A serving of vegetables, raw or cooked, providing needed vitamins. This is accomplished by using lettuce, romaine, escarole, endive or watercress in the sandwiches or by using a vegetable filling. Vegetables can also be used in a variety of salads and as a relish such as celery curls, olives, radishes or carrot sticks. A serving of meat, fish, cheese or egg is essential. The growing child, the laborer and the working girl require extra protein for tissue building. in a packed lunch, meat is ordinarily in the form of a sandwich filling, but there are many hot dishes that are suitable for carrying. They can add greatly to the variety and nutrition of the lunch. The daily fruit requirement can be included in an attractive salad or dessert. Whole fruit, raw or baked, and carious fruit puddings are easy to prepare, nutritious and add a sweet satisfying finish to lunch. For a change and a surprise, tarts, fruit cakes, turnovers and dumplings travel well and have added attraction of being readily eaten. These too can fill some of the nutrition requirements instead of being just a sweet. As for the beverage, milk is necessary for children. However, for those reluctant milk drinkers, the milk requirement is easily camouflaged by packing flavored milk drinks, creamed soups, puddings, custards, scalloped dishes or creamed dishes. The adult too should have milk included even thought it is not served as a beverage."


What do you think?

30 Days Hath September

April, June, and November
All the rest have 31
Excepting February which has 28 days clear
And 29 in each leap year.



And yet there never seems to be enough time, does there? How many of you were frantically finishing Christmas gifts in December? I'm guilty! I even finished my last one on Christmas Eve! Join me and others over at Christmas Progress and be prepared next year!

Sunday Supper

Appetizer
Which celebrity (or celebrities) do you think will make headlines this year? Most likely the same old, same old. Brangelina, Jennifer Aniston, Brittany. The ones we are already sick to death of.

Soup
They say that good things come in small packages? What is something little that you think is great? Besides my kids? Hmmm....

Salad
Name a song that makes you want to dance. Kids In America

Main Course
What is your favorite font? Don't have one.

Dessert
If you were to write a do-it-yourself article, what would it be about? How To Procrastinate, Even If You Don't Know How

Sunday Mornings Remembered

When I was a little girl, Sunday's almost always meant pancakes. Mom would usually make the batter, but Dad was the one who was usually in charge of the flipping. Mom would make them on occassion and when she did she would make fun shapes: my initals, Mickey Mouse heads, snowmen. Simple things like that. I remember eating them off of a plate my Grandmother had made me. Ceramic, it was shaped like Donald Duck's head and had a matching mug that I drank "coffee" out of. This was really about 1/4 cup of coffee with some sugar and the rest of the mug filled with milk. Although sometimes I would opt for hot cocoa instead. I also remember how I used to eat pancakes. Oh, for awhile during my "younger" years, I ate them with syrup, but as I grew older my tastes changed. The perfect way to eat a pancake in my opinion, was to slather it with peanut butter! Delicious! So what is the point of this trip down memory lane? The point is, I remember because it was made special and this is what I strive to do with my own children. But I want to make our own special memories. I don't want to eat pancakes on Sunday because that's my memory :) So, I am trying to come up with a special Sunday breakfast. I think I have decided on doughnuts. These are not something we eat on a regular basis, yet the kids love them. And using canned biscuits makes the process simple and easy. You just cut a hole in the middle of the biscuit (cheap is the best!) and fry both. I have an honest to goodness doughnut cutter, but you can use a bottle cap or something similar. You can see a picture of the prepped doughnuts above. After frying, drain on a paper towel. Now, you can shake them in powdered sugar, cinnamon sugar, plain sugar, you can glaze them or frost them. As an added treat, you can leave them whole, fry, and than fill with jelly or even pudding for an evening treat. Below you can see the after of my efforts. Golden brown, puffed doughnuts with powdered sugar. The kids loved them!

Christmas Gifts Revisited

Well, I can't find the original post where I mentioned finding fabulous Elvis fabric to make something for mom. TaDa! Here they are. Elvis pj bottoms! The shirt is purchased. The dishcloths and towels were also handmade by me. I thought they turned out really cute!

January 6 and February is just around the corner

Yes, it's true. It may seem early to be thinking about February but it will be here before we know it. The year has just begun and it's already starting to fly by. Now then. In our house, we have three big events in February:IL's anniversary, oldest DS's birthday, and, of course, Valentine's Day. The first two events happen on the same day, February 1. Tough to have a birthday when you are just coming out of a major gift holiday. Everyone trying to dig their way out from under a mountain of reciepts. We will make it fun though. He had it at Chuck E Cheese last year and I'm thinking that perhaps we will have it there this year too. I need to get invitations in the mail too.

For Valentine's, one day soon (perhaps next weekend) the kiddo's and I will sit down and make cards for the Grands and for Papa. For some special friends we will be making magnets, similar to what Mary Ann sent me. Think I will make extra for teacher gifts!

New Year and things have gone downhill already!

So, I really wanted to start the New Year off right and be faithfull with my blogging. Guess that flew right out the window! Seriously, I am going to try posting more. After all, it is a new year with new holidays coming up and lots of things to do. And my house is actually clean! If I keep it up I should have no problems blogging, crafting, and doing other things I would rather do!