The end of the most wonderful

It has been so long since I've blogged! My job during December made my life interesting to say the least. Working in retail during December is like playing one of those never ending video games. My first day was Black Friday! Thankfully, I was only a bagger. However, my feet still killed me and my shoulders were sore. Over all, I decided I was going to love working there; since I just really like people. Anyway, as December charged on I was trained on the register and became a cashier. I had a couple of days where I thought perhaps I would cry or faint from the utter meanness of some people. For the most part, though, I can smile and do my job without grief.

My house, oh my house! My hubby is a gem and does what he can, but toilets are not his thing. I AM NOT AN OCD! But, I do like to keep my house pretty clean. So my mornings are crammed with breakfast, checking email and facebook, washing dishes, cleaning surfaces, folding laundry, and normal mommy things. I usually work all afternoon until after supper. That leaves my poor hubby to scrounge up something to feed the birdies. (our 3 girls). He is being stretched in his culinary expertise or lack thereof. We manage!

Christmas was lovely! I had off the 24th (my second daughter's birthday) and 25th; so we went to Houston to stay with my mother in law. I slept for 3 hours after we sufficiently celebrated my daughter's birthday. The hours of standing and smiling had caught up with me! My mother in law graciously offered to keep the girls for 4 more days! So, hubby and I came home and missed our girlies. I had to work the 26th and 27th and was hit with hurrican force by a cold. All my customers came up and said, "Ew, you are sick, aren't you?" So comforting. I suppose they all thought I would give them swine flu if I handed them their receipt. So I methodically washed my hands with sanitizer after vain attempts to stay the flow out of my nose. Thank the Lord I had yesterday off to lay around and recuperate. My hubby even made me a yummy sandwich for lunch. Such a sweetie!

So, my girls come home today and then I will have to go to work a few minutes later, bummer. Oh well, I can hug them and sqeeze them and call them George tonight. (looney toons flashback)

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?

Pumpkin, pumpkin everywhere and so much to eat!

Every year our church sets up a pumpkin patch on the grounds to one side of the building. They sell pumpkins as well as having storytime, pictures, and education about pumpkins. This year was my first experience with the patch and I helped unload the truck--61,000 pounds of pumpkins! Believe me, I was sore for days! I felt guilty about the poor pumpkins with blemishes and bruises or soft spots. They were thrown over by the dumpster since they can not be sold. I took three big ones and cooked them up for pumpkin puree to fill my freezer. I have about 15 bags of pumpkin to create with. I was surprised by how many people told me that they never even knew anyone who did that. That's what Libby is for, right? I love fresh pumpkin! I made several loaves of spice bread and boy! they were soooo good. I also slip pumpkin into everyday foods to boost the vitamins in our favorite meals. It tastes great in pasta sauce, red or cream. Today we had ground turkey and pumpkin sloppy joes. They were delicious!

Well, it's supposed to be fall and the pumpkins are supposed to make it feel like fall. Here in Corpus Christi the temps are still in the upper 80s and lower 90s! Ug! Where is fall? I can't find it! I guess we'll just wake up one day to winter and skip fall alltogether; such is life in the tropics.

I am still busy sewing for my business. I've decided not to stress out about not selling much. Seems that everytime I do, it gets worse. If I just relax, I'll sell something. Happily, my hubby started a new job that he loves today. That takes pressure off of me. We are still the poor family while he is finishing his masters of accounting. As my wise mother always says, "You can stand on your head for a little while if you need to." So that comforts me to know that someday this phase of our lives will end.

Here is the recipe for my Turkey and Pumpkin Sloppy Joes:

1lb ground turkey

1/2 onion, chopped fine

1 bell pepper (preferrably yellow since it is not as conspicuous)

2 cloves of garlic

2 cups of pumpkin puree

2 cups of ketchup

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Tablespoon vinegar

All purpose seasoning

Saute the onion, pepper, and garlic in a Tablespoon of oil until nearly soft. Add turkey and seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, or any seasoning you like to use) and brown. Add pumpkin and the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat. Serve over toasted buns.

Enjoy!

And September ends......

Wow! Is it October already? I have been frenetically sewing lately and have lost touch with time. Life seems somehow really difficult this fall. My business is struggling amid many friends' promises to buy things which they never do. My husband resigned from his job almost two weeks ago. He was facing serious ethical issues and decided the right thing to do was resign. Of course I support him completely, but it is still a difficult time since my shop does not in any way support us and we have no other income. In spite of this we are resolute that he shouldn't just take any old job that presents itself. We really want something that will really boost his future in accounting. So we are bathing that in regular prayer and trusting God to "give us this day our daily bread." Our girls have grown accustomed to the "no, not right until we have money" answer to most questions. I am so thankful they are homeschooled and can be with us as we push through our trials together.

I seem to have so many creative ideas and not enough time to sew it all. One blessing about my hubby not having a job is that he has been cutting some things out for me. I have launched a kid's shop on etsy called http://www.3littlepickles.etsy.com/ where I have listed some really fun stuff that my girls all want to keep! I have to borrow boys from my friends to model my boy items. Funny, huh? Anyway, I'm trying to keep my creativity in check or I'll go nuts! I get bonkers with monotony. I'm having a hard time dreaming of fall and winter stuff, too: being that it is still in the 90s here during the day! I can't complain, I really dislike coldy weather (for extended periods of time). Well, I hope all of you (the two people who actually read my blog) are having a lovely fall and are full of hope for tomorrow.