30 May 2011

Coffee

Ask anyone.  I have a Coffee Problem. 
It's tragic really.  I used to be a fairly normal girl.  I drank iced tea, water, occasionally the glass of apple juice.  Sometimes I'd have a beer if it was a social occasion. 

Now I live from cup of coffee to cup of coffee.  I tried to give it up for Lent this year.  That lasted all of a week...till the basement flooded and my Manlings very wisely handed me the largest hottest cup of coffee they could lay hands on before leading me down the steps to see The Flood.

I tell myself that if I really want to get serious about the weight loss thing, I should lay off the Java and start hitting the water.  But where's the fun in that???  I even switched to Almond Milk rather than regular milk in an attempt to convince myself that it's "not so bad" to have six cups before noon.

*sigh*  Not working.
So what coffee can't I live without if it's become the central part of my operating system? 

1.  New England Coffee's Blueberry Cobbler.  I'm sure for some of you coffee purists that sounds just awful, but my boss got me hooked at work in a rather underhanded fashion (she refused to make anything else for two weeks).  Now she and I are both devotees.
2.  Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla--I have to confess I only drink this if I go to the store to get it.  I love it fresh made (and not by me).  LOL
3.  Sheetz Vanilla Nut--Discovered on a roadtrip with a friend of mine (Rachel!) to see another friend (Meg!).  Have been unable to function properly without at least a cup or two a week since.  It's good stuff, guys.  If you need a quick fix?  This is the way to go.
4.  For plain ole coffee, I have to admit that I'm a Folgers girl.  There's not much to tell when it comes down to the bare nuts and bolts of my coffee problem.  I'm a redneck/cowgirl at heart, and if I've got no fancy fixins' I'm just fine with it hot and black. 

Just make sure you keep it comin'!

The Weekly Canning

This week's canning will be relatively simple (I hope).  After spending the weekend putting the roof on the deck, I'm pooped.

Things to can this week:
1.  Strawberry jam--that's right, I managed to save a nice chunk of our strawberry crop from the robins.  So I will be canning jam this week!  YUM.  Am going to try the Pomona Pectin that one of the girls on the Home Canning Board recommended.  Cuts out the sugar and supposed to be dummyproof.
**Canned 7 jars of jam--kept one in the fridge "chus fer so".  YUM.  And the Pectin worked like a dream!  And fast.  
2.  Vegetable Broth--if I have time.  We're starting to run short so it's gotta be done sometime.
3.  Beans--only if I have fifteen spare minutes and have nothing better to do.  Don't see that happening.

**highlighted in red means Not Done. Crossed out means Done.

29 May 2011

The List of Lists (Part I)

LISTS!
For those of you who don't know me well, I LOVE lists.  There's just something about the orderliness of a well-made and checked off list that makes the OCD in my heart and soul sing with delight.

So, in order to take full advantage of this, I'm going to make my blog a series of lists.  Daily lists, project lists, general to-do lists, canning lists, storage lists.  You name it, I'm gonna make a list of it (if possible).  YAY!  I luff it!

What lists will I do this week?  Hmmm...let's see...
I should have some weekly lists:


1.  The Weekly Canning
2.  Cleaning This Week
3.  Counting My Blessings
4.  Tales from the Zoo
5.  Household Projects
6.  Steal a Moment for Myself (Books)
7.  A Look Back (and Ahead)

Mmmm...yes, I like this.  If all else fails, I can cut and paste while in the midst of five other things, right?  LOL

Some miscellaneous posts for this week:
1.  Reasons Why I Hate PA
2.  Coffee
3.  Tales of Parsley

Yes, I think I can manage this.  It will also be something fun for me to help keep track of stuff too.  ("Tales of Parsley" will be about the care, cultivation, and drying/freezing of parsley.  Something I need to remember anyway.)

Alright, that said, I'm going to go get some chores done and get back to this later.

24 May 2011

Things I'd LIKE to do with this Blog

When I started this blog, it was supposed to be my "adult blog".  The blog where I kept all the notes about homeschooling and homesteading and just being me.

*sigh*

I have not been as proactive in that move as I would have hoped I could be.  In all fairness, it's been a rough year so far.  We've been up to our ears in Life--Eagle Scout and Webelos Crossover ceremonies, homeschooling, basement tide pools, and trying to figure out why this whole mess isn't working anymore.

While I can't stop Life from happening, I do know partially why it's not working so well now:  a mother was meant to be home with her kids and her husband, taking care of her home and making four bare walls into a place of comfort and shelter.  I'm so tired of being a "working mom."  

After a long long overdue chat with my husband, I have managed to make him see that all of the things he's constantly complaining about at home are things that I SHOULD be taking care of in that time between finishing up school with the boys in the afternoon and when he gets up in the evening.  Housework and meal planning and school prep for the next day.  Hours and hours of things that don't get done because I'm Not Here.  

I've also finally convinced him that we are never going to "keep up with the Joneses" and thankgod for that!  I don't WANT to feel like I need to have everything that everyone else has.  I want to just have what we have and work with that.  I don't need to have all the new fancy gadgets or expensive clothes and stuff that the rest of America flaunts (like we are entitled to it).  I'm tired of trying to keep track of the stuff that clutters our house as it is.  I've been slowly trying to weed through everything and regain some control over what we do have and need.

So from here on out, I'm going to try and use my Blog to that advantage:  to chronicle my quest to find my quiet center at Home...and my transition out of The Job. 

*sigh*

Did you hear that scream?  My boss.   She's not going to like this....