I am still alive...

My life has been REALLY busy. We were gone for Memorial Day weekend... I then worked three of the four days of school that week. Then add in two nights of awards at the high school for my senior... I have not done much at all.. least of which online.

On the home front... my 20 year old step daughter is taking the navy exam on the third of June. If she does not pass, then she has to enlist in the army! (Yeah, tough love going on here!) We got her a book to help her pass the exam, but her idea of studying is not what I would call studying! But as DH says, "she knows what will happen if she fails"... so there is not much I can do about her lack of studying.

We have most of our garden in! YIPPEE! I planted a long row of bush beans today. DH wanted to know WHY I did not do both. LOL I told him that I would like to stagger the time of harvest. If we get a yeild like last year, I will have plenty to can! I did not have my pressure canner last year... so this I hope to end the season with rows of nice jars of home canned green beans! (yes, I can already see them!)

My blueberries are coming along wonderfully! I will actually get some this year! Nothing like I will once the bushes really get going though!

So... how are your gardens growing???

Getting back on the frugal bandwagon.

Okay,

I have been a bit lax on my planning in the grocery/meals department lately. (I know, that is not a new thing!)

This seems to be my "issue" when it comes to frugality! I just get tired of it! Plain and simple. It happens a couple times a year, but usually only for a couple weeks at a time. This time, it has lasted longer than normal. I am sure I could come up with all sorts of reasons "why" or excuses, but it really just comes down to the fact that I just did not WANT to.

So.... I am figuritively kicking myself in the rear and getting out my menu sheets, cookbooks and figuring what I have in the freezer and using that up with what is on sale each week!

Tonight will be chicken and dumplings because it is cold and rainy... perfect weather for a stew-like dish!

Wednesday will be spagetti with homemade bread.

Not sure about the rest of the week....but will get that planned before Thursday morning! LOL

With prices going up, I can not take the luxury of NOT planning and sticking to those plans.

I need to re-read my own stratigies for keeping my grocery budget down! (I need to go search my blog history for those posts! LOL )

Proud momma post.....

This past saturday was my 18 year old's senior prom. I thought I would share a couple of photos from that day:





And here is one with him and his girlfriend:

More on our Daytona trip....

Here are some pictures from the JROTC competitions that my oldest son went to..

Here is some from their drill team performance:









Now, I hope I have those in order, but if not... you get the idea of what they were doing. I think they did really good, but of course, I would. LOL

I think I have adopted three little ones today.......

birds, that is!





They are casualties of our storms last night. Their nest was on the ground, and I just couldn't leave them there to become a meal to some animal.

I put them on our porch... fed them watered down puppy food and then when I stepped inside to check on our dinner (washing my hands thoroughly)...I come to the window to see momma bird feeding them some worms! I could not beleive it.

Now I have a different problem... they are not safe on the front porch, at least not where they are now....but I have no idea where to put them so that momma can get to them, but nothing else can!

What was that I said... about posting again soon??

Hmmm... that was back on the 25th of April and here it is.... May 5th! LOL

Oh well... the best laid plans.. yada yada. LOL

Well... part of what has been going on is that we went out of town for about 4 days. We surprised our 18 year old in Daytona on Friday. No, he was not there on some sort of spring break debauched vacation... he was there because his JROTC group qualified to compete in the National Drill Team competition!

It was really fun...and really impressive what those kids can do!

Got home late on Sunday, then turned around and worked today at the school and will work tomorrow also!

I have not even had a chance to look at my CVS ad or to get by there to pick up my May book! I am having withdrawal symptoms! But, I understand there are some nice deals... so hopefully I will be able to not only get "free" products, but to also increase my ECB's! (reminder to myself, check the experiations on the ones I have!)

Anyways, that is all for now and I truly hope to be able to post more soon!

Wow, what a busy week...

This week has been busy. (Goodness, I have been saying that alot lately!)

I worked more this week than others...plus, DH has been home earlier than usual. (Which is nice!) So, I have spent more time either with him or he has been on the computer in the evenings.

I have been able to get on and read, so that is not too backed up. LOL

There has been all sorts of stuff going on in the blog-world. LOL I might mention my thoughts and views on some, then again, I might not. Depends on how much time I have and if I feel it will be worth it. LOL

My message board has really picked up in activity! I love it!

Well... that will be all for now, don't be surprised if I post again later.

Shameless Plug!

Okay, I have a few things to post today:

This is my 200th post! Part of me is really impressed that I have that many, and the other part can not beleive I have done so FEW! LOL

Since I started tracking how many visitors come to my blog (I think I started that in November, 2006), I have had over 5,000 hits! Might not be much compared to some, but I am impressed. :-)

Now... here is the shameless plug part!

Want to be a part of a fledgling message board? Want to have a place on the web to share and learn from other women about taking care of the homes and families? Then head on over to "One Frugal Mom"'s message board! Here is the link:

One Frugal Mom's Message board

Thank you,

Molly

And now, for today's episode of "As The Throat Aches".......

That is what my life feels like lately! LOL

My 18 year old has been having problems with his throat for months. He has been taken a few series of anntibiotics with the last series coupled with prednisone hoping to "heal" it for good.

Well... that did not work. Within days of ending that series of medicine... the sore throat was back!

So... back to the doctor's office we went! (yes, sarcasm!) They have now referred us to an Ears, Nose and Throat doctor, which will give us some incite on what can be done. Most likely, the removal of his tonsils. (Or do they shy away from that nowadays?)

Oh... and on top of that, my 6 year old is on antibiotics for a sinus infection! Ah..the joys of parenthood!

Of course, I am not really surprised......

LOL Let me tell you about my day:

Started this morning like normal, got up started getting the kids ready for school. Neighbor boy came over (I watch him in the morning), they played.

Got the kids on the bus, got laundry started and went of stairs for some "computer time". Basically check e-mail and boards, plan my day.

Okay... so instead of getting off the computer like I should have...I started to play a game. Not that big of a deal, but then the computer moniter decides to go "pop" and that's all she wrote.

I got so much done today! I might just have to take some days and pretend that the computer is not working! LOL

Oh well... got a new monitor....and off I go surfing the net again......

Okay ladies, here is the recipe:

Taco Twist Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1 package taco seasoning mix
1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
3 cups rotini, cooked and drained
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup sour cream

Brown beef; drain. Stir in seasoning mix, tomato sauce and green pepper. Bring to a boil, remove from heat. Combine with cooked pasta, 1/2 cup cheese and sour cream. Pour into greased casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

** Here is the recipe in it's "original" state. Of course, I have changed it depending on my mood or what I have in the fridge. LOL

I have added corn to stretch it, omitted the green pepper when I did not have it. I know you understand. :-D

Menu for the week 4-07 through 4-12

Here is our dinners for the week:

Monday: Sausage and onions (also leftover tacos for the younger crowd)

Tuesday: Baked potato night, salad

Wednesday: Taco Twist casserole, salad

Thursday: Bean soup with cornbread

Friday: Homemade pizzas

Saturday: Spagetti, rolls, salad

As you can see, I found a good deal on lettuce, so salad will play a big role in dinners.

A question I was asked in a comment:

First off... thank you for your kind words Suzy, I appreciate them.

Okay, now the question:

"I do have a question if you don't mind--I was reading your menus and noted meat--I was under the impression that Jehovah Witness did not eat meat--could you educate me on that please?--from suzy."

What we eat is considered a personal choice. Although we are to take care of our bodies (no gluttony, or excessive drinking), there is no scriptures to back up the belief that the bible forbids the eating of meat.

Yes, Adam and Eve ate a vegetarian diet, but after the flood Jehovah gave mankind permission to eat meat. "Every moving animal that is alive may serve as food for YOU. As in the case of green vegetation, I do give it all to YOU." Genesis 9:3 (NWT) Also, some question whether we should remain "kosher"... this was part of the law covenant that was fulfilled in the death of Jesus. Also, Acts 10:9-16 shows where Peter was told “You stop calling defiled the things God has cleansed.” (verse 15b).

This is all to say that whether we choose to eat meat or not is solely a personal choice, and a personal matter.

I hope this helps answer your question... if not please don't hesitate to ask again. :-)

Partial Menu

Today: Pizza

4-3: Spagetti w/meat sauce, rolls, salad
4-4: Pork Roast, veggie, rice
4-5: Tacos, fixin's
4-6: Roasted Chicken, green beans, potatos

So... this carries me until Sunday. I hope to get a better inventory done between now and then to use more of what I have in my freezer.

Getting back into the "groove" of life. LOL

My mom flew back to Texas yesterday... the kids are back at school and now life gets back to "normal"...whatever THAT is! :-D

This being April 1st... I need to get back on track of keeping my grocery budget down low again. I admit it... I have not been keeping track and planning like I should. So, today I will making a menu and using what I have in the house to make our meals. I know I have enough food here!

Once I get my menu together I will post it here.

Interesting start to my day.....

Okay.. a little background:

There was this message board that I was a member of for about 2 years. I did not post much, but read it at least weekly. In the last couple of months, I had been posting more, mainly because of ending my relationship with a previous message board.

I was really starting to feel comfortable there. It was a smallish board because the owner limited the number of members. She would periodically "cull" inactive members and open up for membership, but would not let the number of members get to be too high. I liked that. It was also a "Christian" site, which meant that I did not have to worry about new-agey, "out there" type posts.

Okay... last night (3-21-08) I posted on a thread where someone asked what religion everyone was. The thread was started the day before, I believe, but I waited to see how others posted before I did. **I am in no way ashamed of my beliefs.** After seeing that the other ladies stated their religion and some of their core beliefs, I felt comfortable posting mine.

All I did was post that I was a Jehovah's Witness and some of our core beliefs. Nothing more, nothing less.

This morning (3-22-08) I sign on to read the new posts and to look at a recipe I was thinking of making. I was surprised to see that my post had been removed and the thread was locked! I decided to pm the owner to ask if something had happened. Let me just say that I was NOT expecting the response that I received! I was informed that she (the owner) was a Christian, and as such believed that MY beliefs were falso doctrine! And that she has the right to remove any post that she wanted to, if she felt she should, but that I was welcome to stay on the board. (Um, yeah right)

I sent another message to her. I told her that I was sorry that she feels that I am not a Christian, but it was not the first time I had run across this online. I also stated that, that is why I posted scripture to back up my beliefs that I posted. I had not tried to "preach" to anyone, nor had I tried to start a debate. I had simply answered a question that was posted to the board in general. I let her know that I looked over the site for any evidence that I would not be welcome there...and since I had not, I joined.

She then told me that she was not going to argue or debate with me over the running of her board, and that my post did not meet the requirements for her board. (okay?!?!) I then messaged her back that I was not questioning how she ran her board, but that if she did not want JW's posting, then she needed to make that known. I also informed her that I could not stay on a message board if I could not express my beliefs. So, I deleted my account there.

Okay... my biggest issue is that she would not just come out and state that she did not want me to post anything about my beliefs! I would have at least RESPECTED her for that!

Such a shame.... such an absolute shame.

A Quick Update....

Sorry I have been MIA! Been really busy here! LOL

My mom is in town from Texas, so computer time is limited.

I know I have been tagged....and will fulfill that once I am blogging some more.

Just wanted you to know that I am not "gone"....just having a great time visiting with my momma!

Condoning actions by silence......

Okay, this is somehting that I have been thinking on for quite a while now.

I used to be a part of a group, a group of women with some varying personalities. Some stronger than others. Some that did things and "said" things that I did not agree with. I, very erroneously, thought that if I did not participate in the actions or words of the stronger personalities that I was "unblemished". That I would not or could not be colored by what they did or say. I COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE WRONG!

Because I associated with this group, whatever they did also reflected back on myself. Especially since I kept silent about it! If I had taken a stand and said I did not agree, that would have been better. But, and this is a large BUT.... I still am guilty of the same sins because I not only kept silent, but I STAYED associating with that group! (1 Corinthians 15:33)

I am sorry, truly sorry for anyone that was hurt during that time! I did beleive I was "staying out of it" by my silence. I know now that is not correct and will do my best in the future to keep that from happening again!

Ever heard the saying "Let sleeping dogs lie"?

Well.... there are some out there that have not! Or at least, they don't want to leave those poor dogs alone!

I am talking about people that keep trying to "stir the pot" on the situation that occurred WEEKS ago at a certian "company"!

I am referring to a post by a friend of mine on her blog His Faithful Servant

Why bring this back up? Had she not already stated she was moving on? I sit here and just shake my head at what people do in the name of "Christian Help".... all that person was doing was to try and start things back up again! (IMO)

Oh... and I am posting about this, because it goes with something that has been on my mind for awhile (and I plan to blog about when I have more time)... about keeping silent and how that is actually condoning actions that you do not agree with!

I have a busy day, that I should already be started on... but just had to post a bit on this!

Sheree.... HUGS! My thoughts and prayers are with you!

Guess what I got today???

I received the grain mill I ordered off E-bay! Yahoo! Now... it was a rather inexpensive ones, but as a "starter" one, I think it will be fine.

The only problem.... my wheat order will not be here until next week! UUGH! I really need to find a source that is not on the other side of the country! LOL

I did score 43 canning jars for 10 cents a piece today from Craigslist! Yeah me! LOL

That is all for now.... I hope to can some hot dog chili this weekend... if I do, I will let you all know how it turned out!