Post Thanksgiving Thoughts

So we had a very small Thanksgiving with our little family. I had decided that I would make it simple this year. Why should I stress out about making way too much food anyway? I had bought a 23 lb turkey; so I wrestled it into the oven in my prized antique roaster. That roaster makes anything fantastic to eat! It only took 4 hours to cook golden brown and moist. I made mashed sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top. (because my hubby was having a childhood flashback). I made cornbread stuffing and sage gravy. We opened a can of cranberry sauce. And that, my friends, was it. My girls hated the marshmallows, cranberry sauce, and gravy. So our pictures taken to memorialize our Thanksgiving day were of screwed up faces and puckered lips. At least we could laugh about it. They loved the turkey, which, I suppose is the important part. I put two full bags of turkey in the freezer and and one bag for the fridge. Thus begins the all star line up of leftover turkey concoctions. I try to be original and not do the famed pot pie that seems to always follow the T day. Besides pasta with chopped turkey and sweet potato cream sauce, I'm still thinking. I've got plenty of time since the rest of the turkey is frozen.

Black Friday I started my new job. Insane, right? It wasn't too bad. I bagged purchases for 4 hours without stopping. The customers still wrapped around the entire store when it was time for me to clock out. My feet were hurting and I had to walk home. I got home and put my feet up the rest of the day.

Do you know what I'm so thankful for? I love that today is the only day that I need to concern myself with. I don't even need to worry about tomorrow! God promised to give us new mercies everyday. So today they are fresh and piping hot! Thank You, Lord.

I know everyone is asking for leftover recipes, but I want to know what is your favorite?

Yoville and other realities

Life has been so crazy. One of those "hurry up and slow down" times. I found myself so completely worked up about my online business and the lack of sales. I was sewing A LOT and spending less time with my precious girlies (or as we call them our "pickles"). I tell you, no financial crisis is worth neglecting those sweet ones we have chosen to welcome into our family. In updating my last blog, I got a job at a huge department store across the street from our apartment. My girls were upset, but I will actually be less stressed out and spending more time with them than when I am frantically sewing. I will work weekends when my hubby is able to be at home with the girlies. Believe it or not, this is my first-job-ever! I've done dental assisting, farming and market stand sales, missionary, teacher of every age child in a Bolivian school, kitchen help, lawn crew for a college, seamstress, house keeper, clothes iron-er; I think an etc. would be quite fitting here. None of these were regular, punch a time clock, get a paycheck with tax withheld jobs. I was embarrased at training night when 19 year old kids had far more experience than I had. Oh well, at least I am not calloused and indifferent about working. I'm excited and think I will actually enjoy this!

So, I'm thinking about Yoville and it's eternal implications. Just kidding. I was really playing like my life depended on it for a while. It's a game on facebook where you work at a bakery and visit friends to earn money. That is sooooooo up my alley! I got to decorate my apartment in psycedelic colors and patterns so completely unlike my real life apartment. I tend towards French country in real life. In Yoville I am skinny and have perfectly fitting brown capri pants. What's not to love? Well, now I'm kind of tired of it and especially the forgetting to check on it and burning a bunch of angel food cakes in the bakery. oops. So, I am taking this moment to be thankful for my real life! Even the ideal dream life has catches. We have our issues, but I can honestly say (in the week of giving thanks) that I am so happy now. God is ever faithful to provide for us! We have all the trimmings to make on Thursday (I should say I have it to make). What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? I'm a sucker for moist cornbread stuffing. yummm.

Ok, so I have a recipe for peanut butter chocolate chip cookies that is simply divine! I got it from Buttercup bakes at home. She uses chocolate chunks, but who has those?

Peanut Butter Choc. Chip Cookies

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 c (1 stick) butter room temp

3/4 c peanut butter (I like creamy, but you can use chunky)

1 c packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup choc chips (or more if you looooove chocolate like we do)

Mix altogether. Drop by teaspoons on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10 minutes. They will be gone soon.....

On getting a job

I have two distintions in my life that separate me from the normal woman. 1. I have never watched the movie "The Titanic" and 2. I have never worked at a payrolled job. Tomorrow I will change one of those distinctions. I am getting a job at a department store across the street from our apartment. We have agonized over whether I should get a job or not. I am a very dedicated SAHM (stay at home mom). I have homeschooled them. I have worked really hard at keeping my 2 etsy shops going. I love cooking and cleaning. However, we find ourselves at a time in our lives when I need to step out and do something extra to help our budget (or lack thereof). My hubby will complete his masters of accounting next Dec '10 and is working part time at a research institute in the university. Poor guy is so busy. He is so faithful and devoted to getting all his work done well, I'm so proud of him. My little girlies are not happy about me going to work. My eight year old is not usually very affectionate, but yesterday she wanted to spend every minute with me and told me she didn't want me to go to work. Today I laid on the couch for a little siesta and suddenly had 3 girlies on me. I slept anyway while they watched Sesame Street. I will just be working weekends to start with, but my girlies are used to having me around all the time. We pray for grace for all of us as we enter this new season.

November snuck up on me!

I can't believe it's November! This year has been full of happy times and very difficult times and that amounts to the months going much quicker than I think they should. My hubby always says that time moves the same no matter how fast I think it is going. Still, I think raising 3 children, keeping 2 etsy shops going, keeping my house somewhat clean, and filling everyone's stomach with yummy, cheap, and healthy food, can make my head swim. Add to that being a supportive wife while my husband deals with leaving his job to go back to school full time and the search for and starting a part time job. So, we are once again the extremely poor master's student family. I will not complain. We have not gone hungry one single day and have not been evicted from our nice apartment.

We've had 2 miracles lately. Well, just our church being so generous and thoughtful towards us. We bought our car in 2007 (one of those things you feel like you totally need, but then regret big time). It was getting to the point where the tires were becoming baby's bottoms, if you know what I mean. We were thinking of cancelling holiday trips to see family because of the tires and the lack of funds to replace them. Someone anonymously gave us half of the money so we could go ahead and replace our tires. Yippee! I was dancing on clouds, let me tell you! (we won't talk about the 3 hours of my day spent sitting around the tire shop). Then yesterday someone gave some brand new clothes to my 8 year old daughter. They were much needed as she is growing like a weed and all her clothes were looking like she was diving into her little sisters' drawers. Anyway, you can't tell me that God isn't watching out for us!

Let's see, I had one amazing week with both of my shops 2 weeks ago. I am still trying to replenish stock. However, I've decided to just relax about it and live life everyday. My kids are too important for me to be chained to my sewing machine all day. I've also started quilting again on a near and dear project. The grandmother's garden blocks were made by my hubby's grandma. I appliqued them onto a muslin background so I could do ornate quilting between the blocks. (see picture). I'm excited to be working on that again. I like to quilt while I sit and watch tv or help girls with schoolwork.

So, I'm dreaming of writing a book or just a blog called "Life Cooks" and present the very interesting biography of my life in stories and recipes associated with those stories. What do you think?