Spoken Word

  Let this Truth sink deeply, for the Truth will set you free...

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

I had a ginormous sweet potato sitting around my kitchen for a week.  Today I decided to do something with it, so I...

~cut it up into 1 ' cubes
~ put them in a pan with enough water to cover, and boiled until tender, about 10 minutes.
~drained
~added 3 tbls maple syrup
~added a splash of whole milk
~added 2 tbls butter
~added 1/2 tsp cinnamon
~added 1/2 tsp salt
~whipped them until smooth w/ my stick hand blender

...and was very happy with the result.  The maple syrup brought the sweetness out of the potato without making it overly sweet.  The salt and cinnamon should be added to taste.  The milk is to help make them creamy when whipping.  The size of the potato I used was at least 2 maybe 3 normal size sweet potatoes...it was huge!

This post linked to: 30 Minute Blog Challenge @ Steady MomTempt My Tummy Tuesday @Blessed With GraceTuesdays At The Table @ All The Small StuffTasty Tuesday @ Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Grocery Shopping With Kids- Tips

My girls are age 10, 9, and 6.  Grocery shopping is pretty much a breeze now, but back in the day when they were younger...oh boy, do I have some memories!  Most of them have to do with my youngest.  We call her our strong girl, which now is a very positive thing, but not so much when she was three and her strength was her will!  Let's just say I was very humbled quite a few times in a grocery store with her.  VERY humbled.  As in ---I want to disappear and crawl in a hole, everyone is looking and eyes are rolling at my apparent lack of parenting skills---humbled.  

For example, we were in the produce section and she decided she wanted an apple, RIGHT NOW.  She would not budge from the produce section, and when I went to carry her out, she ran to the railing, (ya know-the one that holds all those slanting, perfect rows of apples?) and wrapped her chubby fingers around that railing with a look of defiance that honestly scared me.  Then, one of those chubby little knuckles bumped the slanting, perfect row of apples, and it was like dominoes.  Hit one, and all the others come tumbling down.  After the avalanche of apples stopped, there was my little strong girl, still clenching the railing with all her might, amused by the sea of apples surrounding her feet. That memory still makes me close my eyes and take a moment.

Or how about the one where my middle girl had a hard time listening to her mother, which in turn created a memory that brings red to her cheeks, and to this day, makes my tongue hurt.

I had asked her twice to keep her hands off the shopping cart.  It was one of those carts that rolled away with just the slightest nudge.  We were in a store that was small and crowded, that had stacked boxes of wine,  with a few bottles at the top, at the end of several aisles--what were they thinking? So...

Daughter touched the cart, again.  

Cart rolled forward with ease. 

Cart hits wine bottles.  

Wine bottles hit the ground. 

Sound of glass-- lots of glass-- breaking.

Red wine spilling and puddling, oozing down the aisle like a crime had been committed. 

Exchanged look of horror between mother and daughter. 

Mother biting tongue hard, creating an oozing of her own. 

Mother trying to figure out how to talk her way out of paying for 20 bottles of wine. (ok, 5)

Over the years I have learned some survival skills 
when it comes to the grocery store so I will share.

#1. Visit the bathroom BEFORE you start shopping.  Especially if you are in one of those superstores.  It never failed, before I implemented this rule, we would always be in the very back of the superstore when a bathroom request was made.  

#2. This one goes along with #1.  When you announce that you are all visiting the bathroom before shopping, you will get the inevitable "but mom, I don't have to go."  When you hear this, pull out the "Sit and Count to 10 rule."  I love this one!  We use it all the time, before trips to the park, before longer drives, at the mall... they must sit on the toilet, count to 10 and see what happens.  There is always a chuckle when the one who was stubborn about "not having to go" ends up "going."  Mom's...this "count to 10" rule will change your lives!

#3. Hand over your shopping list and a pen.  This is great for older kids.  Let them be the one to check the items off the list.

#4 While the older child is checking off items, allow the younger one to get the item from the shelf and put it in the basket.

#5 Now that the 2 older one are busy, if you have a third child, make them the 'arranger.' They get to sit in the basket and arrange the items to fit nicely, like a puzzle.  Remind them to put "squish-ibles" in a safe place.

#6. Give kids a pen and a copy of your list.  Let them write the aisle number beside each item as you find  them.  Keep the list for the next time you make out your grocery list. arrange items on the list according to aisle number.  This works well if you go to the same grocery store each week.  OR, just give them a random list of items and make it a game, as they find the items they mark them off.

#7. If you only have one with you, give 'em a ride.  While your hands are positioned on the handle, let you child slip between your arms, hold on to the handle and stand on bar.  It it great for those who are too old to ride in the cart, but still have little legs that get tired.  I love this because it turns into hugs and snuggles while pushing, plus its a great arm workout with that extra weight to push!

#8. Bring an ipod with earphones, let them listen to book on ipod or children's music.  If you have one with internet access, check out Hulu and let them watch a movie or kid's show.

#9 If you have a younger one riding in the front of the cart and they are super bored, find an aisle that has children's books and grab one for them to read.  I did this many times, of course they had to be old enough not to drool, tear or bite on the book.

#10 Pocketful of snacks.  

#11 No "can I have's?"

#12 No "mom, look at this!  mom, look at this!!" in every aisle.  From one mouth--bearable.  From 3 mouths? Makes me want to find the marshmallow section, steal a bag, and encourage the girls to play "chubby bunny" so their mouths would be too busy to talk:)

#13 When things get out of control and warnings are not working, I have gone straight to our "no talking" rule.  Sounds over the top, but if words have not been nice, there should not be any words! There are times where mom just needs to think, compare prices and have a little moments peace.  Sometimes I use this rule when I am paying.  It is rude for children to interrupt adults, so when I am talking with the cashier, quiet is good.  We have not had to do this in awhile, hold on while I have a proud moment...

#12 When walking out of the store pushing a cart full of groceries, both hands are tied up on the cart, which leaves no hands to hold little hands to cross the parking lot.  This is when we apply the "Hold The Cart" rule.  I like seeing little hands on either side of the cart, in front of me, so I can see they are safe and sound.

Got any other tips?  Would love to hear them..

This post is linked to
Works For Me Wednesday @ We Are That Family

This Excited Me!

I am not a huge Oprah fan, but she sure can get the word out, so when she has someone like Michael Pollen on the show, I get excited.

I watched this and kept nodding my head.  I jive with the man.
I give him a big thumbs up.

Click here to see what I am talking about.

Ways We Avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup

If you have read this post on "Foods To Avoid" you will know that I work very hard to keep High Fructose Corn Syrup out of our home. Here are a couple of the reasons why:

 Dr. Mehmet Oz, author of You: The Owner’s Manual, made big news when he appeared on Oprah and told audiences that they should stop consuming HCFS. Dr. Oz says that the higher fructose content means that our bodies process HFCS differently than other sugars:

One of the biggest evil influences on our diet is the presence of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a sugar substitute that itself is a sugar found in soft drinks and many other sweet, processed foods. The problem is that HCFS inhibits leptin secretion, so you never get the message that you’re full. And it never shuts off gherin, so, even though you have food in your stomach, you constantly get the message that you’re hungry.

Lots of folks, from the Weston A. Price Society to the AARP have said similar things, noting the very strong correlation between HFCS and obesity. Here’s Nina Planck’s take:

Intake of high fructose corn syrup grew by more than 1,000 percent between 1970 and 1990, far exceeding changes in consumption of any other food. The rise of corn syrup mirrors the increase in obesity. Fructose also raises insulin, blood pressure, and triglycerides…stop eating all forms of industrial corn.

For more reading on HFCS:Very thorough post on HFCS

Trying to avoid it can be disheartening, so I thought 

I would share some products we buy:

Breads/Cereals 
(MOST breads have HFCS.  There is more of a demand for HFCS-free bread, so I have been seeing bread companies respond to that demand, slowly but surely!

• Natures Own 100% Whole Wheat bread (note, their other varieties do contain HFCS, but not this one)*
• Rudi's Organic 100% Whole Wheat bread
• Sara Lee Hearty and Delicious 100% Wheat With Honey Bread*
• Sara Lee Hearty and Delicious 100% Whole Wheat Bread*
• Pepperidge Farms Whole Grain Wheat Bread
• Pepperidge Farms 100% Whole Wheat Bagels*
• Kashi Cereals*
• Cheerios*
• Total
• Total Cinnamon Crunch
• Post Grape-Nuts
• Life Cereal
• Quaker Oatmeal*
• (or make homemade granola)

Condiments

• Annie’s Naturals Organic Ketchup
• Annie’s Naturals Organic Honey Mustard
• Annie’s Naturals Smokey Maple BBQ Sauce
• Annie's Naturals Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette (great used as a grilled chicken marinade!)
• Bull’s-Eye Original Barbeque Sauce
• Cascadian Farms Sweet Pickle Relish
• Frenchs Honey Dijon Mustard (Most regular mustard contains hfcs, but a lot of the “honey” mustard's do)
• Heinz Organic Ketchup*
• Hellman’s Mayonnaise
• Wishbone Bountiful's Salad Dressing
• Natural Jif Peanut Butter*
• Polaner All Fruit Spread(*we use jelly all the time on pb & j sandwiches and toast, so finding on w/o HFCS was exciting!)
• Welches 100% Fruit Spreads

Ice Creams

• Nature's Promise Organic Ice Creams
• Breyer's All Natural Ice Cream*
• Breyers Pure Fruit Strawberry Fruit Bars*
• Luigi Italian Ice
• Dreyers/Edy's Strawberry Fruit Ice Cream Bars
• Some Ben & Jerry's (ones with bits of candy and cookies usually do have HFCS

Crackers

• Nabisco Original Triscuits*
• Some Pepperidge Farm Crackers and Cookies

Chocolate:

• Cadbury-most
• Hershey's Skor
• Hershey's Special Dark Candy Bar
• Dove-most *

Maple syrup:

• Only use 100% pure maple syrup!*

Granola Bars

• Kashi*
• Nature Valley Oats and Honey Granola Bars*

Waffles (*I usually make homemade, recipe here, homemade pancake recipe here)

• Kashi Go Lean

Yogurt

• Breyer's
• Brown Cow*
• Dannon Activa
• Stoneyfield Farm*
• Wallaby Organic*

Applesauce

• Mott's Natural Apple Sauce (add honey to sweeten, I use this in place of oil in many baking recipes)*

Orange Juice

• Simply Orange Juice Products*
• Simply Lemonaide

Soda

• China Cola
• Archer Farms Brand Natural Italian Soda
• Blue Sky Soft Drinks
• Jones Pure Cane Soda

Pasta Sauce (I usually made homemade, recipe here)

• Ragu Organic Pasta Sauce
• Classico (most )

Think of it as an 'exchange" -- HFCS food for non-HFCS.  It seems less restricting, it is not that you have to go without, but be aware of the ingredients in certain products, and exchange the products you have been using, for more healthful ones.
I am fairly sure these products do not contain Non-hydrogenated Oils, which is another BIG thing to avoid. 


*the products I use most often
**excuse the crazy sized font and spaces on this post.  After trying for 45 minutes to fix it, I gave up!

Think You Gotta Be A Stick To Wear Skinny Jeans? Think again!

I loved this post on Blogher by Susan Wagner, and completely agree with her.  You don't have to be a size 3 and in your twenties to wear skinny jeans.  Don't believe me?  Click on this link, and check out her post and picture...she is rocking those jeans!  I think she looks great, tasteful and age appropriate.

If you can think of jeans as a type of leggings or tights to wear with a longer tunic, blouse or sweater, then it may be less intimidating to wear them.  I've seen them worn with a dress and a ballet flat, and they look great!  

If you own a pair of boots, whether fancy knee high boots, winter snow boots or clunky Ugg boots, you will for sure appreciate a skinny jean.  There is nothing worst than trying to stuff wide leg jeans into boots, you end up looking short and frumpy.  It is hard to find a jean wide-legged enough to fit over boots, and really it defeats the whole purpose of buying a great boot if you are just gonna cover them up with your jeans.

As Susan says, it is all in the fit and proportion, if you can get them to fit well in the hip and thigh, find a great shirt or sweater to balance out the narrow leg, you may be pleasantly surprised at what a great look it is!  Check out these Miribelle Dark Wash Skinny Jeans, in plus size. They have a reputation of being comfortable and stretchy. Put a great tunic that hits at the hip bone, throw on so heels, and have a night out on the town!

Smokey Eye Tutorial

Once a year, my husbands side of the family leave all the kids at home and go out for an adults- only, fancy dinner.  A private room, our own waiter, beautiful hors d'oeuvres, delicious dinner and dessert, great company and conversation--we are so spoiled!  It truly is a special night, one I look forward to every year.

Tomorrow is the day, so I have been thinking about how I can make myself just a little bit fancy for our fancy night out.   I have a cousin who works at Sephora, who did my eyes a couple weeks ago with a really cool, smokey look.  She actually used plums instead of grays, which was a fun change.  It inspired me, so now that I have an occasion, I'm gonna try it!

Here is a short tutorial video on how to make a smokey eye:

This post is linked to:
30 Minute Blog Challenge @ Steady Mom
What I Learned This Week @ Musings Of A Housewife

Homemade Granola

Are you officially granola if you make homemade granola?  My friends and family joke, calling me granola because we are eating more 'traditionally' now.  I don't think I am, I think I am a 'sorta' granola.  Kinda, sorta- like this great blog "Sorta Crunchy."  She wrote a post about the 'sorta' part, and I 'ditto' the post.

Back to the recipe, its a keeper!

I found it on my friends blog "the_uncomplication_project."  Her blog is just a couple months old, but she is off to a great start!  I have learned from her already and look forward to her future posts.

Like she says on her blog, it is not a crunchy granola, it is a bit chewy, which I like!  It was very easy to make and my 2 younger girls devoured it.

Chunky Granola

Preheat oven to 350F
Place in ungreased 9x13" pan:
6 c rolled oats
Bake 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and stir in:
1/2 c. sunflower seeds or nuts (I used pumpkin seeds)
1/2 c. coconut (I didn't have any, used dried cranberries instead)
1/2 c. wheat germ (I forgot this ingredient, oops!)
1/2 c. powdered milk

Add to dry mixture:
2/3 c. honey
2/3 c. oil (I used coconut oil)
1 t. vanilla

Stir until toroughly coated. Bake 10-15 minutes, stirring every 3-5 minutes until uniformly golden (I do 4min-4min-3min). Do notoverbake. Let cool in pan undisturbed, then break into chunks. 

Click on over to "the_uncomplication_project" to see her notes on the recipe, and while you are there, check out the blog she's got going on so far.

Homemade Valentine Gift Bags Made From Envelopes

I did a post on "Going Green Packages and Toppers" around Christmas time.  These little bags are inspired by the ones I posted about  from "How About Orange.."  I decided to try them in a Valentines theme, because most Valentine treats are small and would  fit perfectly in these bags.  We always have envelopes laying around, so it is a great way to use them up!

I made this little heart shaped pom-pom by using silver twist ties, inspired by these from Nice Package.

I wanted to get more creative with labels, but I couldn't get my setting right on the printer for envelopes, so I gave up after the heart print.  I was really wishing I was a stamper right about then, I know there are some really great Valentine stamps out there, which would be easy and look great.

Instead, I just kept them minimal.  I plan on filling these with treats and love notes, and sitting them at the breakfast table on Valentines day for my 3 little sweets!

Going Green Project@The Mother Huddle
Metamorphosis Monday @Between Naps On The Porch

Make Your Monday @ Twice Remembered

Make It For Monday @ Cottage Instincts

I Whipped Something Up @ The Girl Creative
Making The World Cuter Monday @ Making The World C.U.T.E.R.

Strut Your Stuff Valentines @ Somewhat Simple

Talented Tuesday @ My Frugal Family

 

Easy Yogurt Fruit Salad

I've made this many times, with all types of different fruit.  Usually, I'm cooking dinner and decide we need a colorful, healthy side (we even call this dessert at our house, see this post).  I gather whatever fruit we have in the house (fresh or frozen), chop it up, and add whatever yogurt we have in the house.  If we only have plain yogurt, I will add honey and sometimes cinnamon, depending on the type of fruit we have.

It's a no recipe, recipe.  Fruit. Yogurt. Toss. Done!

*I just made granola for the first time.  Watch for the recipe...it would be great sprinkled on top of this!

Mosaic Valentine Coloring Pages

I found these fun Valentine Coloring Pages at *Where Millande Plays*

My girls love coloring pages like these.  Even my 10 year old will color these, since they are more 'grown up' than most coloring pages.  To print, click here.

Yesterday, Today, Forever-He Never Changes

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains quake at its swelling pride. Selah. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Selah. 

Psalm 46:1-3,7

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Isaiah 41:10

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. 2 Tim 1:7 (AMP)

I have set the Lord continually before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Psalm 16:8 (AMP)

He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved. Psalm 62:6 (AMP)

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. 1 Peter 5:7 (AMP)

The Lord is good, a Strength and Stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows (recognizes, has knowledge of, and understands) those who take refuge and trust in Him. Nahum 1:7 (AMP)

“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.Isaiah 26:3

Keeping Your House Picked Up

{Not mine, but love the baskets.  From Woman's Day.com}

I follow the Flylady system, kind of.  I pick and choose what works for me from her system.  Many of the tips she gives are steps to keeping things picked up.  The following tips are inspired by her system, they are ones that have worked for me.

** Be Intentional**

Because I am not a natural born organized person, I had to train my brain to think like one.  I have to be purposeful and aware of things I naturally would not see, and think about things I normally would not think about.  Here are some things that are working for me:

 1. Look around.

When I walk in a room, I do a quick sweep with my eyes to find anything that does not belong in there or is out of place.  I try not walk through my house without being aware of what belongs where and doing something about it.  By being aware, I can grab a comb that is in the living room while on my way to the bathroom and put it away.  If I am walking through the living room and a couch pillow is out of place, I notice and straighten it.  If I am going upstairs, I grab something on the stairs that belongs up there to put away.  I've been doing this for so long that now it is just natural and I don't realize I am doing it.  

2. Make a home for things

If there is not a specific home for something, then 'picking up' just becomes a useless game of shifting objects around from place to place.  There needs to be an intentional place for everything, especially

things that often get out of their place.  Most things only need ONE place.  If not one, as few as possible, for example--pens.  Pens should have one main place where the bulk of them live, and then a few intentional places around the house that you would normally need one.  Think about where the home for each object, makes the most sense.  I have a small bathroom upstairs that has great shelves.  They would be the perfect place to keep cute little baskets to hold all the hair accessories for my girls, but I don't keep them there. The reason - they never do their hair upstairs.  It would make no sense and waste our time walking up the stairs just to get pony tail holder, so I keep them downstairs where they are accessible and easy to grab.  Keep objects 'homes' close to where you would use and need them.  This is efficient and will save time and steps.

3. Notice what is making the mess.

  If mail is constantly a mess, that is a clue to have a place and system for mail.  If child school projects/papers are creating clutter, create a place and system for them.  If you have plastic grocery bags coming out your ears, only save a few and recycle the rest, there is no need for more than 10.  If unfolded blankets are what is making the mess, find a basket to put nearby to place them in.  Magazines scattered?  Basket.  Books?  Book shelf or basket.  Husbands things taking over the counter?  Give them a container.  Look for things that are constantly out of place and creating mess, and find a place for those things.  Don't know how to create a system for mail or school projects?  Google it!  The internet is full of great ideas.

4. Pick up after yourself!  

If you get it out, put it away.  Best kept secret to keeping a clean house.

5. When you think it, do it. 

 If at all possible, when the thought enters your brain, do it right away.  If you can't, write it down.  If you think, "ugh the chair is not pushed in again"- then push it in.  If you think "I need to return that phone call" -then do it asap.  If you think "I should change out the laundry"- stop and do it.

6. Put things in time perspective.

  Lack of motivation is often because we think it will be too hard or take too long.  Changing a load of laundry only takes a minute.  Folding one takes 5.  Emptying the dishwasher can be done in 3-4 minutes.  Making your bed, 60 seconds.  

4. Get rid of clutter.  

If you don't love it, and you don't use it, get rid of it.  CLUTTER ATTRACTS CLUTTER!  

5. One thing at a time.  

One project at a time, one room at a time, one job at a time.  This keeps me from getting overwhelmed.  Small steps.  

6. Move it!

Work fast to get the job done.  Set the timer for 5 minutes and see what you can get picked up in that amount of time.  Set the timer for 15 minutes and tell the family "we are going to have a family 15 minute house pickup boogie"  Blast the music, show them how to move fast, make it fun.  We have picked up an entire house in less then 15 minutes by doing this.  I resort to the "15 minute boogie" technique whenever I feel the house starting to come unglued with things out of place in every room.  These are happening less and less as we have established homes for objects, and routines to keep those objects in their homes.  The kids do not mind them, because they know it will be over in 15 minutes.

I've conquered most of the clutter in our home, and keep it picked up most of the time.  I am now working on the whole 'deep cleaning' part.  That part does not come as easy for me, but I am encouraged knowing 3/4 of the battle is getting clutter out and establishing habits to keep it picked up.  I'm sure I'll be posting my progress (or lack of) in future posts.  If you have any tips that work for you, let me know!

Coffee Shops And Merry-Go-Rounds

One of my most favorite things to do is to take my journal and Bible, and sit at my favorite coffee shop, to think, write and spend some time with God.  I had the afternoon free, so that is what I decided to do.

With pen in hand, I sat with a heavy heart, thinking about how I long to rescue those around me who are in constant patterns of chaos, for various reasons.  I see such weariness and confusion, hurt and struggle, while life continues to swirl.

So many on a twisted Merry-Go-Round of hurt.

Brought on by refusal to let go and let You

 Lift from the twisting and spinning of life

Oh, if they only knew...

You are stability.  Stillness.

You bring safety. You save.

You are the still spot in a world that doesn't stop spinning.

You are the Focal point, one we turn our faces to.

We turn our face, we connect with warmth. With Light. With Life.

You are the sweet Life-giver and Sustainer of souls.

Yet, too many confused, hurting souls only turn to Your hope in moments of desperation, then turn away so quickly, your light shadowed by self.
Dimmed by a darkness that lies and whispers solutions that entice. 
Solutions that dance around and appeal to senses, putting the 'Merry' in the round.
In time, the twisted merriment brings:

Disorientation

Disillusionment

Destruction.

Death.

Oh God, come.

Our Rescuer.  Rescue us.

Someday your light will shine so bright, there will be shadows no more.

Light will overcome the darkness.

Twisted turning, stilled.

All will be Merry.

*inspired by I John 4:4

Clanging Cymbals and Missing Mittens

{From I Corinthians 1}

"If I speak...and do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or clanging cymbal"

To speak without love is like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Harsh.  Off-putting.

With a gong, the initial sound is so harsh that the beauty of the echo or the sound of it fading away is hard to focus on.  I think it is the same with our words.  If they are not wrapped in love, the sound of them are harsh and hard to hear, useless and pointless.

Even if they are words of truth, people will not be able to hear the beauty of the 'echo' because they have been so jarred by the initial tone.

So...

My words must be in love to be heard.

My words without love are jarring, disconcerting, irritating, unheard.

I want those around me to associate my words with truth, beauty, love and gentleness.

I DON'T WANT TO BE A GONG!

I want to speak truth in love, gently.

This morning my words were a clanging cymbal, in the car of all places.  My poor girls, stuck in a car with their mommy clangin'!  Hitting my gong over--of all things--missing mittens.

Ok, moms, I know you are with me.  Is there anything more maddening than missing mittens??

The pocket method has been working well for us, until lately.  It seems to work when we have consistent freezing weather, because we use them all the time, but the minute it is a bit less freezing, all of the sudden our mittens disappear!  We even have a very accessible mitten drawer this year, that contained (notice past tense), extra pairs of gloves and mittens.  Now it is a drawer of single mittens with missing matches.  How does that happen?

After dropping my mitten-less girls off at school, I came home and found my youngest girls mittens in her coat pockets, right where they should be; she just chose to wear a different coat. (hanging head)  I will sit them down today after school, share this verse with them, admit I gonged, and ask for forgiveness.  Then we will discuss how to be more responsible with our mittens.  This time they may hear me, since I won't be using these:

Then I'm going to search amazon for a mini version of the top picture.  Wouldn't that be a great visual reminder of how irritating loveless words are?  Maybe I could even go beat on it to interrupt the trio of loveless sister words that happen from time to time around here...:)

Easy Baked Meatballs

I just recently made this recipe and really liked it.  It is basic and simple.  I had no idea what to make one night for dinner.  Sat down to check my emails and found this recipe in my inbox from my sister.  45 minutes later, we were eating them for dinner.

These were a snap to throw together and can be used in a few different ways.  We used them in Meatball Sandwiches (toss them in this sauce and put 'em on a bun).  You could make Spaghetti and Meatballs.  You could make a Meatball Appetizer, either BBQ Sauce or a Sweet Chili Type Sauce.  The next time I make them I plan on doubling the recipe and freezing half.

Easy Baked Meatballs

Yield: Makes 4 dozen

Ingredients

• 1 1/2  pounds  ground beef
• 1  large egg, lightly beaten
• 3/4  cup  quick-cooking oats, uncooked
• 3/4  cup  milk
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1  teaspoon  Italian seasoning
• 1/4  teaspoon  pepper
• 3  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  paprika
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt

Preparation

Combine first 7 ingredients; shape into 1-inch balls.

Combine all-purpose flour, paprika, and salt. Gently roll meatballs in flour mixture, and place on a lightly greased rack in a foil-lined 13- x 9-inch pan.

Bake at 400° for 25 to 30 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve with your favorite sauce.

NOTE: To freeze, cool completely, and seal in an airtight container. To serve, place in a single layer on a baking sheet; bake at 400° for 10 to 15 minutes.

recipe via Southern Living, JANUARY 2002

Homemade Valentine Treat Containers

This is our version of a great craft tutorial over at Skip To My Lou.

They were really easy to make!  We filled ours with mints, red hots,

chocolates, feathers, coins and stickers.  I made these with my

first grader and her cousin who is the same grade.  They really loved it,

especially getting to turn the crank on the crimper.

This Post Is Linked To:

Metamorphosis Monday @Between Naps On The Porch

Make Your Monday @ Twice Remembered

Make It For Monday @ Cottage Instincts

Strut Your Stuff Valentines @ Somewhat Simple

Show And Tell Wednesday @ Blue Cricket Design