Thought for the Day

My mom sent this to me a while back and I've kept it on my computer for inspiration. I do not know the source.


In each of us there exists a lake, where peace lives, and strength is born. Begin each day with a drink from its waters and go there often to refill your cup. The lake is never dry, but the path to it is sometimes hidden. The music of water, the beauty of a flower, or the depth of prayer will show you the way.

I need a Pick-me-up

Ever have one of those days? It's not that it's going badly. I'm just really, really tired. I've had a sick baby since Thursday (Emma was sick the three days prior to that) and I've had one too many sleepless nights. It's getting better, and it's actually quite manageable in the whole scope of things. But I need a pick-me-up today.

What I'd really like to be doing right now is taking a nap while the kids sleep. I'm grateful that they nap together and I have some down time in the afternoons. I rarely nap anymore because, but there are times like today when my body is screaming for it. We leave on Thursday for TN so there's lots of laundry to be done, stuff to pack, a few more presents to wrap, and Christmas letters to be addressed. Emma's preschool Christmas program is also early this evening so I need to be sure everyone is fed, dressed properly, and out of the house by 6.

So I'm charging on, despite that intense urge to curl up on my sofa. I made myself some Irish Cream flavored hot chocolate and I'll get done what I can. And maybe tomorrow I'll be able to justify that little nap. I salute all of you who don't have the luxury to take that afternoon nap... whether it's because you work outside the home, or one of your kids doesn't nap, or because you, too, have other responsibilities calling your name. Drink your caffeine, take a brisk walk in the cool air, put on some upbeat music, chat with a coworker or friend, and then crash when you can. Because we all deserve it!!!

Chicken Enchiladas

One of my readers requested this recipe for here it is. This was discovered by a friend in college. There were 7 of us women who lived together for two years in a row. Oh, the fun we had and the growing up we all did together!!! We all did anywhere from a little to a lot of cooking those two years. Some were experienced and gifted in the kitchen. Others (okay, me) had wonderful training from our mothers but didn't put much effort into the whole thing until we had to... which happened to be junior/senior years of college. This was one of those recipes that was prepared several times during those two years, if I recall correctly. In fact, we put together a cookbook at the end of our senior year with contributions from each of us. It's one of the special momentos I have of college life and friendships... and I use it quite often!!

Chicken/Turkey Enchiladas

1/2 c. chopped onion
3 T. butter
1 c. sour cream
2 1/2 c. cooked, cubed chicken or turkey
2 c. shredded cheese (cheddar or whatever you like)
10 flour tortillas
1 c. turkey or chicken broth
1-4 oz. green peppers
1/3 c. taco sauce
1/8 t. chili powder
2 T. flour
1/2 c. chopped tomatoes

In a glass bowl, combine the onions, peppers, and 1 T. butter. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Add taco sauce, 1/4 c. sour cream and chili powder. Stir in meat and 1/2 c. cheese. Divide mixture among the tortillas. Roll and place seam side down in 9x13 dish. Microwave remaining 2 T. butter until melted. Blend in flour, then add broth. Microwave 3-4 minutes or until thickened (my microwave does this much faster, by the way.) Stir in remaining sour cream. Pour over enchiladas. Microwave 6-8 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and microwave until cheese is melted. Serve topped with chopped tomatoes, fresh avocado, and fresh cilantro.


I found a very ripe platano (plantain) the other day in the store and decided to fry it up with this meal. So then I made some rice and beans as well ( I cheated with a box mix.) It was all so delicious together!!

Free Meds

Ha. This isn't your typical blog entry today, no. There are some perks (or rather, inconveniences) to moving into a house previously owned by an MD. For example, sometimes we get free samples in the mail. A couple of years ago it was for something, I can't even remember what. I called in to say that Robert McElhaney no longer lived here. They said to "dispose" of the meds. I passed them off to a friend of someone. I can't really remember. But I haven't received any since.

I am, however, on my third box of Prilosec. You may have heard of it... it's a popular over-the-counter medication for heartburn these days. Perhaps you know someone who uses it, or maybe you even take it yourself. I need to hear from you!! I've been told again to "dispose" of it when I call. Well, I'm not going to waste it, and I've already given the first two boxes to my friend's aunt. I think she's set for a couple of years. :) I will add that it's quite disappointing when UPS visits my house and this is what they drop off. Bummer. They could at least be sending me some Advil or children's medication... something we actually use around here. Anyway, please let me know if you or someone you know could use some free Prilosec. My sister also suggested donating it to a clinic which I think is a very good idea. So if I have any left, I'll check with a couple of doctors/nurses I know who volunteer their time at a local clinic. (If you fit in this category, speak out please.)

p.s. You'll probably want to email me if you'd like to partake in this freebie. I will do my best to get it to you. I wish you and yours a heartburn-free holiday!

Thought for the Day

"I can be changed by what happens to me.
But I refuse to be reduced by it."

- Maya Angelou

Morning Surprise

Pete woke up to a surprise this morning. The Corolla wouldn't start. One might think the battery was dead on a cold morning like this. So he opened the hood and found "a wad of paper and stuffing." He called over to our neighbor, Don, who is a car salesman and just a knowledgable guy when it comes to stuff like this. He suggested a mouse probably climbed in there and made a nest... maybe ate through a wire or something. Nice. Fortuantely Pete was able to get the car started after a few more minutes.

Simple Joys

This is a fun year with Emma. She has such excitement for both Christmas and the snow. She has two Advent calendars - one my mom made of felt years ago for my sister and me, and one she made at school. She goes to the felt one first each morning and reaches into the pocket after she figures out what day it is. Afterward she heads to her handmade tree where she puts a sticker on the right day. Along with these traditions, she has been requesting to "enjoy the lights" each evening before bed. We turn off all of the lights except for the ones on the tree and the mantle. The three of us (Andrew's in bed) snuggle on the couch and sing Christmas songs. Yesterday morning Emma and I went to the grocery store with a list of items for the food pantry. We bought for pantries in both Elkhart and St. Joe County since we border the two, and both our church and her preschool do collections. Emma and I had a long conversation about who might need food and why they might not have enough money to buy their own, etc. I think/hope it made an impression on her. She was very enthusiastic about buying certain items for "the pantry." I hope we can make this an annual tradition. These all have been special ways to prepare for and celebrate Jesus's birth. I look forward to more ways we can do this as a family as the children get older.

Friday evening, Pete, Emma, and I cuddled on the couch and watched "Polar Express" while we ate popcorn and drank Sprite. Emma's disappointed whenever she smells us making popcorn after she has gone to bed, so this was extra special for her!! On Saturday, she and Pete made a snow person. You can see he/she is very unique. She is very proud of her work with daddy!!

Chunky Vegetable Chili

As promised earlier this fall, I'm sharing my favorite soup recipes occasionally on this blog. This is one is delicious. It's quick to assemble and quite healthy too. The bonus is that you can put it in the crockpot and forget about it until dinner!!

Chunky Vegetable Chili

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 in. pieces
1 medium green sweet pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. coarsely chopped onion
1/2 c. coarsely chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 -3 t. chili powder (we usually do 2)
1 t. dried oregano, crushed
1/2 t. ground cumin
2 - 14 1/2 oz. cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes, undrained
17 oz. can whole kernal corn, undrained
15 oz. can black beans, rinsed & drained
8 oz. salsa

Combine everything in crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5 hours. Serve with dollop of sour cream on top and/or shredded cheese.

Andrew is ONE!

How this year has flown by!! Today our little Andrew Jacob turned one year old. We had celebrated in PA over Thanksgiving with a little party, but I couldn't resist celebrating again this evening. I know he wouldn't have known the difference and certainly he (nor did any of us) didn't need more sugar, but I couldn't let the day go without something special. So Emma and I made cupcakes this afternoon and frosted them.

His reaction with both treats was just priceless. During the party, he looked very intently at the piece of cake, studied it, slowly stuck his finger in the cool whip (we used this in place of frosting), then studied it some more and eventually licked his finger. It was then time to dig in. I thought he'd be less hesitant today since he had already experienced the taste of sugar. But this time, he stuck several fingers in the frosting (it was cream cheese frosting) and just moved them around for a while... feeling the texture. He did all this with a content smile on his face, of course. After a good minute (I mean it), he tasted it. He must have approved.

It's been such a joy to watch Andrew's personality develop over the past year. He really is a content child in so many ways. He loves to explore and study things. He's happy just waddling around the house checking things out. But he's also happy sitting and playing with different toys and objects. He loves to manipulate things, read books, and listen to music. He dances, "sings", and plays the drum. Last evening I was putting lotion on my hands and he started to imitate the motion. He adores his big sister and our cat, Elly, saying "yyooowwww" whenever he sees her. And he loves when Daddy comes home in the evenings. This is so sweet to see since Emma was still pretty attached to mom at this age. Can you tell I'm in love?! :)

Thought for the Day

"I wouldn't worry so much about what people thought of me if I knew how seldom they did."

- Dr. Phil's dad

Boxers or Briefs?

One household chore I have a difficult time keeping up with is cleaning floors. I think it's because a) I have several of them (kitchen, mud room, 2 bathrooms, and three small tiled areas) b) The high-traffic areas get dirty so easily and frequently... and hairy (although this has improved with just a cat and no longer a dog) c) This is one chore I cannot successfully accomplish when my children are present and awake in the house and d) I hate using a mop. I've had little success with them. They seem to just push around the hair and the dirt.

I like to clean my floors the old fashioned way. I like to get down on my hands and knees and scrub. The water and the rag gets changed at least once. My theory is if I'm taking the time to clean, it might as well get really clean. My goal is to scrub floors once a week. It's been more like 1-2 times a month in the last year.

So here's my tip for other hands-and-knees scrubbers. I use Pete's old boxers. The ones that rip after years of wear and get turned into rags. I like the flannel cotton ones best because the fabric is soft for washing and the elastric trim on the waist is perfect for scrubbing. So if you haven't discovered this yet and you or a male in your household wears boxers, I recommend you try it!!

Just call me Heloise today. :)

Meals for the Week

My goal this month is to plan my menu as much as possible around the food already in my fridge, freezer, and cupboards. I still need to hit the grocery store to get fresh produce, other necessities, and items to complete my meals. It's been fun, though, to see what I have and attempt to work with it. Plus it saves money! I'd love to take some of the money I'm saving and do a grocery trip just to buy items for a food pantry. Perhaps Emma and I will make a special trip in the next week or so. I'll let you know.

Here are my meals for this week:

Sunday - Grilled steaks, baked sweet potatoes, broccoli and cheese, oatmeal bread
Monday - dhal over rice, cucumber yogurt salad
Tuesday - leftovers
Wednesday - lasagna (I froze an extra one when I made this last month!), cheesy bread, salad
Thursday - Pete's work Christmas party
Friday - Vegetable Chili, Cornbread, cheese
Saturday or Sunday - Chicken Enchiladas, spanish rice, corn

Beef, Anyone?

Last February we purchased a half of a cow with friends of ours. We thought it a good decision... we knew where the cow was coming from, what it was fed, what is was not injected with, and it filled our freezer with a variety of cuts of beef that could be used throughout the year. It's been really nice to have roasts, steaks, and ground beef on hand.

One thing I would do different.y next time is to ask them to ground certain cuts of meat into ground beef instead. First of all, we told them to just give us cuts as they were since this was our first time and we wanted to see how it would all work out. Secondly, we were given about half as much ground beef as the original information had stated. So... we ended up with lots of beef bones, some shanks, and some other cuts I just plain had never heard of.

So I'm looking for some recipes. Do you have any good ones out there for shanks or short ribs? And what I'd really like is a yummy recipe for beef and noodles (I'd like to use my beef bones for this one.) I could (and have) look through cookbooks but it's always nice when someone shares a recipe he/she has made before and knows is tasty. Those are the ones I'm looking for!! Bring on the recipes!