Blogging Hiatus/Kombucha Ordering Info

Hello and Happy New Year!

Here's the deal: I will be taking a blogging break for who knows how long, maybe a month or more. I am embarking on some projects that require a lot of attention, mainly my house and my weight.

As for my house, it's a wreck. Plain and simple. I began with the best of intentions around mid- November to stay really organized with Christmas. It didn't happen. While I did actually get all of my shopping done earlier than I have ever done before and mostly online to save shopping hassle, I was disorganized with receipts, boxes and packaging, etc. Our computer room/baby's room always seems to end up looking like a bomb went off in it because I throw all the decoration boxes, wrapping supplies, and other stuff in there. It's like the world's largest junk drawer. I tried to avoid it this year but to no avail. The entire floor is covered in a semi-solid carpet of packaging peanuts that my almost 2 year old took great delight in scattering, to boot.

There are also myriad household reorganization projects/deep cleaning chores that desperately need done, and I fear if I head for the computer to blog each day I'll fall into the temptation of browsing other blogs, then links from those blogs, and before you know it I've wasted half my day online. I do go online daily to monitor my checking account, pay various bills and other menial tasks, but those things don't lead to unnecessary web surfing like blogging does.

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As for my weight. The short of it is that I joined Weight Watchers the Tuesday before Christmas and went to my first meeting. Happily, there are meetings in the church I got married in just a 2 minute walk from my front door!

For the record (as it pertains to this and the household issue), I am NOT a New Year's resolution-ite. I never have believed in them, because they NEVER work. I see the start of the year as simply a good time to make renewed efforts and embark on worthwhile endeavors.

So anyway, I weighed in at 204.8 pounds my first meeting. The following week I weighed in at 203.8...a loss of one pound, which I was pleased with. After all, the program promises a loss of 1 to 2 pounds a week if you stay within your daily points target and exercise for 30 minutes a day 5 days a week.

I began to get acquainted with the points system, how much foods I typically eat or would eat "cost", and dug in.

**NOTE** Weight Watchers is NOT a diet. You don't have to count calories or follow a strict menu. You eat what you want, as long as it fits into your points target. Every food is assigned a points value based on its calories, fat grams, and dietary fiber. Your points target is calculated by taking into account several factors such as your current weight, activity level, gender, etc. My daily points target is 28, and you are also alloted a weekly supply of "bonus" points of 35 points to use as you wish. These bonus points help with temptations or allow for a special night out or something.

The points system has been a real eye opener. I have made lists of foods I would normally eat pre- Weight Watchers, and I was shocked to learn I had been eating anywhere from 100 to 200 points-worth of food every day!!! WHOA!!!

In addition to joining WW, I also joined Curves and began doing cardio DVDs at home as well.

Last Tuesday, I learned I had lost FIVE POUNDS that week, for a totoal loss so far, in just 2 1/2 weeks, of 6 pounds!

I was astounded, and did not expect that at all. Deep down I have always known that I overeat, sometimes to the extreme, but it took the points system to really hold that mirror up to myself and take a good look.

I am not hungry on this plan, I have boundless energy, and I am on a roll! I am very excited, and this newfound energy is what is fueling my renewed efforts at managing my household better.

I will check back in here about a month from now!

ABOUT SCOBYS: If you found me by searching for a SCOBY to purchase online, I will still sell you one, but you must email me right away to let me know you have done so.

Slogging At My Blogging

The Christmas season is in full swing and I am a busy lady, but it is a good busy. However, I am not going to do any more blog posts until after New Year's, with the possible exception of a picture post showing off my Christmas decorations.

I wish you and yours a joyous celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ!

Merry CHRISTmas!!!

Thanksgiving Recipe Reviews & New Crockpot Review

A commenter on my last post asked me to say what I thought of the recipes I offered:

Pecan Granola Pie: awesome. This was a crowd favorite, and subbing crushed up granola bar for half the pecans gives it real dimension and great flavor!

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie: Turned out to be very labor intensive, though I'm sure there are easier versions out there, but had a nice, smooth, mellow flavor. A nice pie, but nothing outstanding.

Pumpkin Gingersnap Pie: I actually made this in place of the Double Decker Pumpkin Caramel Pie. Standard pumpkin pie recipe, but with crushed gingersnaps added to the pie filling, and also about 3 tablespoons butterscotch pie powder. My own creation. A nice way to dress up pumpkin pie, but the gingersnaps didn't retain their crunchiness. Boohoo.

Triple Layer Pumpkin Spice Pie: Far and away my favorite- a super yummy pie! A hit with the kids.

SWEET POTATO DISHES

Butterscotch Spiced Sweet Potatoes: Everyone loved these. They were sweet and creamy, and the little bit of cayenne pepper just hits you a bit as an afterthought.

Sweet Potato Custard: this was easy to make and would make a fine side dish any time of the year. The kids loved it because it tasted like pudding, which makes it a great "stealth-veggie" dish. I will make this again and again!

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I got a new crockpot!!!!! My old 5 quart Rival finally bit the dust and developed a long crack from one side to the other. My 13 year old denies any culpability in this happening.

So I went shopping for a new one, knowing I wanted a 6 quart this time, and found this one at WalMart for just $39. It's so swanky! The feature that sold me was the meat probe that comes with it. I have always had a hard time getting roasts just right in a slow cooker- I always overcook them! But this probe goes right into the meat from the outside of the unit, and you set the temperature you want your meat cooked to, and when it reaches that temp, the unit switches to "warm" ans stops cooking. I put it to the test with a 5 pound beef chuck roast, set it to cook on high to 145F, and sure enough, it stopped once it reached 145. I let it rest for about 20 minutes, then took it out and sliced it open at the middle, and it was a beautiful meduim roast, juicy and tender. IT WORKED!!! I can't recommend this slow cooker enough!

Off The Beaten Thanksgiving Path

Kind of last minute for Thanksgiving recipes, I know. I think I imagined I had more time than this because my family (including me) was sick all last week and I lost track of the days! But we're all better now. Tis the season, huh?

There are some dishes you just don't mess with in my family- we don't substitute anything for turkey for one thing. I read tons of cooking magazines and there are all kinds of stories on alternatives to turkey like roasting hens, ham, roast beef, etc. Nonononononononoooooo. We like the bird, and we like him BIG. Lots of leftovers.

Another dish we don't mess with is the green bean casserole- the classic, sodium laden Campbells soup kind with the french fried onions on top. You can keep your hoity toity "revamped" version with no soup, no salt, and no fat. Yuk.

But there are some things that are open to interpretation and experimentation, too. We are going to my mom's house and I have been volunteered to make and bring certain items, ALL of which I am remaking from recipes I have scouted out. Instead of typing out the recipes or even cutting and pasting, I'll just link you to the recipes. Most of them come courtesy of Every Day With Rachael Ray magazine, my new favorite cooking mag. It is a fantastic resource and affordable to boot. I get so many great recipes from this magazine

First to go...the molded cranberry sauce in a can. You know, open it up, dump it on a plate and slice it up. I actually like it just fine, but few other people actually eat it. Instead, I am making Cranberry Pineapple Minis and Cranberry Mango Citrus Relish.

So long, boring old sweet potatoes covered in brown sugar and marshmallows. This year it's Sweet Potato Custard and Butterscotch Spiced Sweet Potatoes. Yes...two SP dishes. I couldn't decide which one to make. For the second recipe, scroll down the page a bit.

And the pie. Ahhhhh....pie. What is Thanksgiving dinner without Pumpkin and Pecan pies? Well, I'm throwing out the standard recipes. This year, I'm going with a twist on classic pecan pie and THREE different pumpkin pies.

There really isn't any recipe I'm following for the pecan pie, but what I did is swap half the required pecans in the standard recipe for an equivalent amount of cruched up granola bar. The Nature's Valley Oat and honey works nicely, and it tastes amazing. Try it!

The following recipes are all variations on plain pld pumpkin pie. This first one, Triple Layer Pumpkin Spice Pie is a very easy, no bake recipe and I made it for my boys' Thanksgiving parents' lunch on Monday. It disappeared lightning fast and was so yummy. The recipe calls for carmelizing pecans in honey to top the pie with, but I did one better and coarsely crushed up some gingersnap cookies and tossed them in the pan along with the pecans, honey, and a little butter. Delicious!

This next one is Turtle Pumpkin pie, with a crunchy, gooey layer of caramel and pecans on the bottom.

Next...I am torn between these two recipes for Double Decker Pumpkin Caramel Pie and Pumpkin Chiffon Pie. Maybe I'll just make both. It isn't as if it all won't eventually get eaten, plus we have a nice young bachelor living nect door who is always happy to accept half eaten pies from us! I can't seem to locate the recipe for the chiffon pie online. It came from Family Circle magazine but even they don't have the recipe online. Oh well. If you truly want to make Pumpkin CHiffon Pie I'm sure you'll have no problem doing so.

Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all good eats!

Just A Quick...

...Monday hello. I'm kind of laying low today, feeling a bit sick and fighting a cough. Also I just got through a round of online bill paying which always wipes me out (hahaha) so I don't have much today. Got back on Saturday from driving to Denver to see a Go Fish concert with my friend Natalie and our 3 year olds, so perhaps tomorrow I'll get some pictures from that on.

Hope you're having a great day!

Things I am Thankful for today...

1. Wonderfully low gas prices! It stands at about $2.04 here today. My husband's next payday is 4 days away, and the last time I filled up was the day of his last payday- that means that a tank of gas has lasted me nearly 2 weeks!

2. Love and Logic Magic For Early Childhood by Jim and Charles Fay. These techniques really are magical. I'm a yeller and screamer, and the tips and tricks in this book have blown me away they're so effective in disciplining my almost 2 year old and almost 4 year old boys. I HIGHLY recommend this book. This book is not scripture based and does not advocate spanking, but it's not a wishy washy grace based "treat them gently" kind of book either. The techniques use just what the title implies- love and logic. The idea is to let the natural consequences of a child's wrong choice be the punishment. It does not promote secularism or discount using God's word as a vasis for parenting. Rather, it encourages lovingly using phrases and actions that enable your young child to experience discomfort and unhappiness to train them to make the right choices.

3. My friend Natalie, who, along with her 3 year old son, is accompanying Charlie and I on a 4 hour long pilgrimage to see Go Fish in concert this Friday night. Never heard of Go Fish? They are a Christian children's singing group that does the best music for kids without driving parents bonkers! Here's a sample:

My Tips For Easy Christmas Shopping & Planning

I don't get terribly wrapped up (haha, excuse the pun) in preparations for the winter holidays. My mom and MIL do the Thanksgiving and Christmas meals so I don't have the stress of planning those, nor do we travel or host out of town family. I don't envy ladies who do.

However, I have found that being as organized as you can goes a long way toward lessening the stress of the season and helps me to relax more and enjoy celebrating the birth of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

ON SHOPPING:
I am a big fan of online shopping. Some people think that you can't find good deals or that the shipping is so expensive online. Not so if you know where to look. Google "free shipping" and add any number of tags like "toys" "men's clothing" craft supplies" or whatever you might be looking to buy online and you'll get results. To me, doing my shopping in the stores is just another opportunity for vast amounts of germs packed tightly into a buiilding to attack me. No thank you. I also detest crowds of people, and when I shop at home from the comfort of my computer chair, I avoid the sickly feelings of blatant commercialism and greed I feel radiating off people in waves in malls and discount stores.

I do not shop Black Friday, because I have found that anything the stores are advertising can easily be found online for the same price or less. I personally think people are nuts to get up at 4 am and stand outside a mall in the freezing cold eyeing other shoppers and mentally staking claim on some doodad or gizmo. That's just me, though.

I try to stick to a formula for buying gifts for my kids. They get one major gift, and three or four smaller gifts, plus a few stocking stuffers. The major gift is usually something electronic, and the smaller gifts are things like books, kits to make things, a fun outdoor toy (like a marshmallow shooter) and a DVD. I keep true to the traditional stocking stuffers my mom always gave us: an electric toothbrush, a watch, a deck of some kind of cards, and candy.

Save yourself time and money when shopping for babies and toddlers. My philosophy is simple- you can either get away with buying them nothing, buying very little, or buying used items. Last Christmas, my little man Gabriel was only 10 months old, and all I got him was one of those Fisher Price stacking ring towers. $4 bucks at Walmart. I knew he'd get gifts from the grannies. And by far my best gift acquistion to date was a giant box of used Rescue Hero action figures and vehicles I got for my son Charlie on EBAY. For $35 I got about $150 worth of toys. He had just turned 3 and wouldn't care one whit if the toys were used or not! Good Will and other thrift stores can also be goldmines. Take along an assortment of abtteries with you to make sure any electronic toys work. I got a musical keyboard at a thrift store a few years ago that I had seen in a catalog for $299. All it needed were batteried and a little wiping down. It cost me $5.

It's tempting to go overboard and buy the little darlings everything that catches your eye. RESIST. Up til a point, they don't even have any concept of Christmas and will not notice they are not getting any gifts, and up til a further point you can get away with giving them very little and giving them secondhand gifts. Plus, if you establish the tradition of giving a very few gifts when your children are babies, they will not grow up expecting hundreds of dollars worth of toys each season.

PLANNING YOUR HOLIDAYS:

I use a simple purse sized notebook and stick on divider tabs. My notebook this year says on the front "THE PLAN". My tabs read as follows: BOYS' GIFTS, CHAS, FAMILY (inlaws and other extended fam gifts) MOPS, FOOD, FUN, GIVING, AND 'ME'.

BOYS' GIFTS- I write down ideas for gifts, where I will buy them, and also plan a dollar amount for each boy. If a boy remarks about something he's like to have, I jot it down.

CHAS- my husband. We have an agreement that we will each buy our own gift for ourselves, but I still will get him a few things to surprise him

FAMILY- usually just family photos, but some family members I plan special gifts for, like photo calendars or something personalized I have to order in advance.

MOPS- I plan for special holiday gifts for my secret sister, and since I am on TLC duty, I plan something special for every MOPS steering member and group leader for our annual Christmas dinner.

FOOD- although I do not host the big family meals, I still have to plan for contributing dishes. I also plan out what I'll bring to the MOPS brunch and to various other doings going on .

FUN- I scour the newspapers for listing for free and low cost family holiday activities like hayrides, parades, and concerts. I also make a list of all the must see holiday TV programming and check online to see when they'll be broadcast in my area.

GIVING- although this tab is near the end of my notebook, it does take prioity. In addition to our regular tithing at church, we come up with ways to go the extra mile during the Christmas season. Ideas include Operation Christmas child, giving extra money to Compassion International, setting aside cash to let the little ones drop into Salvation Army buckets, collecting cans for food drives, Toys For Tots, etc. One really worthwhile tradition we just started last year was to go through a catalog provided by Samaritan's Purse and let the kids choose how to spend a set amount of money. For instance, for $5, a warm blaket will be provided to a child. For $15, a dairy goat is purchased for a family. For $7, evangelistic materials can be bought for a school. It is so much fun for us as a family and gives the kids insight into how fortunate they are.

ME- my husband is admittedly horrible at picking out gifts, even if I tell him what to buy, so we reached a compromise. We set a dollar amount, then we each buy just what we want for our own selves. We wrap it up, and on Christmas morning, we let each other open what we bought so we can be "surprised". It's odd but it works. SO in this section I keep a littlw wish list :-)

Just keeping a simple notebook like this will save you so much hassle!