Thinking About College

Although "first child" is only a freshman, I've started thinking about college admissions.  I know the next 3 1/2 years will fly by.  When at the library last week, I providentially stumbled upon a book named IN! College Admission and Beyond.  I think I've come across a gold mine of information.  Applying to college now is very different than when I applied back in the 80's.  I will definitely purchase this book for myself.  (Amazon $9.95)

Roasted Broccoli

I don't know how long ago it was, but it's been some time, my friend, Fran, and I went to a cooking demonstration class up in Alpharetta.  One of the healthy, quick dishes that was demonstrated was Roasted Broccoli.  I made some last night, and it was a good as candy!  I couldn't stop eating it.

This is what I did.
I preheated the oven to 400 degrees.
I washed and dried a head of broccoli.  Next, I cut it up into little florets and spread them into a single layer on a large cookie.  Then came the extra virgin olive oil.  I drizzled a good amount on the broccoli, enough to coat them completely. (I remember the lady at the Alpharetta cooking class actually dipping the broccoli in olive oil.)  I swirled them around a bit to make sure they were good and coated.  Lastly, I sprinkled kosher salt all over.  I popped them into the hot oven and set the timer for 8 minutes.  The broccoli got good and browned on the edges.

These are soooo good. 

Joe Shade

Both of my girls play soccer.  There are usually 3 or more games each weekend.  They love it.  They play for CFC East (Cobb Futbol Club in DeKalb county)  It sure gets hot on the sidelines when the sun is out. It seems like most of the families have these portable umbrellas that set up in a snap and offer great shade. After 2 years of being hot, sharing the shade with other folks that have umbrellas, or holding a big golf umbrella, I decided to splurge and get my own portable sport umbrella.

I searched around the internet and came across Joe Shade www.joeshade.com .  Just what I was looking for!  Easy set up and UV protection said the website.  They even had instructional videos to demonstrate the umbrella.   I promptly ordered one.

In less than a week, my Joe Shade Umbrella arrived.  Just like the website promised, it set up super easily!  After it was all set up, I noticed a few places where the fabric of the umbrella was ripped. Not good.  Not that I was going to use it for rain (which I might in a pinch), it would be the beginning of bigger rips.  What to do?

First, I took some pictures of the rip with my camera and down-loaded them to the computer.  Second, I returned to the website and found a "contact" section and emailed my concerns, although there was not a way to attach my pictures.  Then I saw a phone number, so I called and left a message.  Lastly, I finally found an email address, so I emailed and attached the pictures.  What overkill!  Sure wish I found the email address first.  I tried to be straightforward and nice about my complaint in all three messages.  Well, in no time at all, I received an email from Dave at Joe Shade letting me know he got all of my correspondence (I felt a little embarrassed about the overkill.)  He also told me that another umbrella would be on its way soon, and that they would inspect it thoroughly before mailing it out.  Wow!  That was so nice.

So...a big THANK YOU goes out to Joe Shade.  I am so looking forward to sunny soccer weekends, having my own shade that I can share with others.

Many Names

This week I've been thinking about the many names I have.

(No particular order)
Marcy
Wife
Mom (Mamma Taco- new name by child #3)
Sister
Daughter
Housekeeper
Chauffeur (glad for spell check here)
Friend
Cook
Schedule keeper
Christian
Confidant
Trainer
Blogger (kinda sorta)
Aunt
Budgeter
Couponer
Manager
Punkin
Ma-dray (derivative of Mom by child #1)
Teacher
Schedule Keeper
Shopper
Guide



My favorite title is "mom."  It's funny that soooo many people have this very same title.  When I play games with the kids, and we're keeping score, my name is always "mom."  But when I play a game with my own mother, she's "mom" and I'm "Marcy."  It's not "mom" and "mom."

I look at theses names and think that I could do a better job at most of them.  One day at a time...

Quick Summer

The summer of 2011 flew by!  I can't believe that the last time I posted was July 19.

One of the highlights of the summer was The Ten-Year-Old-Trip to San Diego.  It is a tradition in our household to take a trip with each child when they turn 10 years old.  Our baby turned ten this summer, and she chose San Diego for her trip.  (The other two chose New York City.)  The rule is that you must pick a place in the continental United States.

It seems like the planning starts a year ahead.  One of the first things we do is pick the dates--5 nights.  Next we go online and research our destination, ordering travel brochures and bookmarking sites.  Then we work on airfare and then hotel.  The best resource for us was the San Diego tourism website http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors. On the website I requested a travel guide to be mailed to me.  It had so much great info.  I poured over the guide for ideas.

We chose to stay in the Hotel Del Coronado.  Since it was first built more than 120 years ago, the Hotel del Coronado has been a beacon of grandeur and refinement among vacation destinations in Southern California and the world. With its iconic red-shingled roof adding a dash of majestic color to the dazzling azure Pacific coastline, The Del stands as the definitive example of what a luxury hot resort should be. Since it was first built more than 120 years ago, the Hotel del Coronado has been a beacon of grandeur and refinement among vacation destinations in Southern California and the world. With its iconic red-shingled roof adding a dash of majestic color to the dazzling azure Pacific coastline, The Del stands as the definitive example of what a luxury hot resort should be. http://www.hoteldel.com/  And best of all, it's right on the beach!  One Night was movie by the pool (Dive-in Movie) and another night was s'mores on the beach.
The town of Coronado is so cute and fun to walk in.  Cute shops, restaurants... 


We rented a car while we where in San Diego, truly necessary.  San Diego has a bunch of public transportation, but I don't think it would have suited us.  We rented a little Ford Fiesta.  What a fun, delightful car!  We rented from Fox Rent a Car because I was able to get the best deal from them.  I was a little worried because I had never heard of them, but it turned out to be great.  The shuttle van was easy to use, the driver of the van was great each time, the folks at the place were nice.  They did try to sell several add-ons when I checked in, but I kindly said, "No, thank you," and they didn't pressure me any further.  I would recommend them.

One of the best deals was the Go San Diego Card. http://www.smartdestinations.com/san-diego-attractions-and-tours/_d_Sdo-p1.html?pass=Sdo_Prod_Go&GCID=GOOGLE-san-diego-GOCARD-gbc  We probably saved half on all the attractions that were included.  There were a ton of attractions we could go to as part of the card.  We went to: The Birch Aquarium, kayaking in La Jolla, Belmont Park, LegoLand, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Safari Park, Go Car, USS Midway, Balboa Park (IMAX Movie), Harbor Cruise... We ran out of time and energy for all of the attractions available.


Of course, our number one favorite part of our trip was The San Diego Zoo!

Teenagers

Two of my three kids are entering their teenage years, with number three nipping at their heals.  When they were going through confirmation a couple of years ago, the book Like Dew Your Youth, by Eugene Peterson, was recommended to me.  I really haven't picked it up until now.  It's a short little book, and I haven't gotten very far in it yet, but it is giving me a new way to look at adolescence.

ad·o·les·cence/ˌadlˈesəns/

Noun: The period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult.

Eugene Peterson says, "Adolescence is , by definition, maladjustment.  And getting adjusted is a strenuous and often noisy process."  The biggest point he makes in the very first chapter is that adolescence is a GIFT to the parents, God's gift.  "A time for parents to enjoy a deeper, richer relationship with their children and for both parents and young adults to grow spiritually."

I'll probably read the rest of the book quickly, hoping to glean what this gift from God, adolescence, really is.  Then I'll re-read it.  Then I'll get my dear husband to read it.  Maybe we will enjoy this gift more than we can ever imagine.

Monopoly

Tom started playing Monopoly with the kids when they were 5 years old or so.  (not Jr. Monopoly)  He very patiently played with them, requiring them to count, add, subtract etc. as they played.  It's amazing what the kids have learned from the simple game of Monopoly.  The Monopoly game would be on the table for days, as the game was played a few turns at a time.  Now that the kids are older, the games go much quicker, with much wheeling and dealing.  It's a great family game night game.

Birthday party- duct tape wallets

At Caroline's birthday pool party last year, we decided to have each guest make a duct tape wallet as the take home gift.  Why have a pool party and make duct tape wallets?  A) Having a pool party is the easiest kind of party to have.  The kids entertain themselves.  B) It's nice to have an activity at the "adult swim" time of each hour.  C) We made duct tape wallets at Hilton Head while on vacation and had a blast.  D) Duct tape wallets are very useful and water proof when completed.

First step is to go to Michael's or Target or wherever to buy duct tape.  If you don't know, duct tape just isn't silver any more.  It comes in a rainbow of colors and patterns. We bought several roles of duct tape.

Second step is to practice how to make the wallet at home and make a plan on how to show the kids how to make it.   This link gives you super easy directions and pictures. http://www.rpi-polymath.com/ducttape/duct_tape_wallet.html
OR try this website. http://www.instructables.com/id/quality-duct-tape-wallet/

Third step is (at the party) set up a big table so everyone can see the demonstrator and have extra folks to help make the wallets.  There are always those who need extra help.  The more hands the better.  Caroline's big sister was the super helper.

Fourth step is to pre-cut strips of duct tape.  (When the party guests arrived, I asked each to pick two colors of duct tape.)  Pre-cutting saves a bunch of time.  Hang the pre-cut strips on the side of the table at each person's spot.

Now you're ready to begin.  (Remember: practice at home before trying to get a group to make them.)  Good luck!

American Lasagna

My mom's American Lasagna is one of my absolute favorites.  My kids love it, too.  For some reason my dear husband doesn't love it as much.  It might be because the last time I made it I used ground turkey instead of beef.  He likes beef.

American Lasagna

Cook 8 oz. of old-fashioned egg noodles according to package.

Combine to make cheese mixture: 

• 6 oz. cream cheese

• 1 c. cottage cheese

• 1/4 c. sour cream

• 2 Tablespoons minced onion

• 2 Tablespoons minced green pepper

Combine to make meat mixture:

• 1 pound browned ground meat

• 2- 8 oz. tomato sauce 

Spray a 2 quart casserole dish with cooking spray.  Layer 1/2 noodles on bottom, followed by all the cheese mixture, then the last 1/2 of noodles, followed with all the meat mixture.  Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 385 degrees 35 minutes or until bubbly.

385 degrees is what I have on my recipe card that I copied from my mom's.  Don't know why 385...I'm sure 375 degrees would be fine.

This is so easy and so yummy, and it freezes beautifully.

Free Bag of Salad

I love free stuff.  Go to Vocalpoint to get a coupon for a free bag of salad.  I've ordered mine.

Just follow this link vocalpoint.com/FreshSavings. 
Fresh Express^® has developed a breakthrough, eco-friendly produce wash called Fresh Rinse^™ that is 7x more effective in cleaning salads than traditional chlorine wash,¹ but is still gentle on lettuce.

If you're not a member of Vocalpoint, sign up right away.  Great free stuff.

Getting Paid for My Opinions

There are several marketing research firms in the area that will pay me for my opinions.  Tonight, Atlanta Out Loud is paying me $85 for 2 hours of my time to tell them what I think of a product/product idea/add...I'm not sure what it will be until I get there.  It will have to do with grocery shopping.

In the past, I've been paid to actually grocery shop.  I was met at my little Publix by 2 market researchers.  They watched me do my shopping.  Then we went over to the toilet paper aisle and they asked me questions about how I shop for TP.  I think I was paid $100.

One time I gave my opinion on crock-pots.  A group of us sat in a room and looked at and discussed and gave our opinions about different pictures of crock-pots.  I think I was paid $80 for that.

I've given my opinion about the pattern on paper towels! (15 minutes/$20)

I've done taste tests, too...granola bars, gravy (for biscuits), sandwiches....(no less than $75)

The surveys are usually fun and interesting.

Marketing Firms:
Atlanta Out Loud
Jackson & Associates
Delve
and many more

Just find the website and join.  You will get an occasional phone call to see if you qualify for a survey.

Blueberry Picking

Friday was Blueberry Picking Day.  I could only round up one child to go with me.  She brought a friend.  (Thanks, Collyn, for driving!)

We drove to Washington Farms just outside of Athens.  http://www.washingtonfarms.net/  Last year we went to Hard Labor Creek Blueberry Farm. http://sites.google.com/site/hlcblueberries/  I preferred the Hard Labor Creek farm.  It was really a family's back yard.  The blueberry bushes were huge.  The blueberries were huge.  They had several varieties of blueberries.  The Washington Farm blueberries are just fine and delicious, but they are smaller, only one variety, and the farm is not as charming.  Hard Labor is only blueberries.  Washington Farms has pumpkins and strawberries and corn maze and other seasonal activities.   I have not done those other activities.

Besides just eating the blueberries plain, we freeze them and make blueberry cobbler and blueberry muffins.  My girls prefer to eat them frozen.  The blueberry cobbler is a recipe my friend, Collyn, just gave me.  It is easy and super yummy, especially with vanilla icecream.

Blueberry Cobbler
1 2/3 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened 
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
3/4 cup half and half
4 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted

• Beat 1 cup sugar and softened butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy.  Add flour, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and half and half, beating at low speed until blended

• Stir together berries, melted butter, remaining 2/3 cup sugar and remaining 1 tsp cinnamon.  Spread half of blueberry mixture in bottom of lightly greased 9x13 baking dish.  Spoon flour mixture in mounds over top.  Spoon remaining blueberry mixture over mounds.

• Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream if desired.  

• 8-10 servings.

Cow Appreciation Day Chick-Fil-A

Yesterday was our third year to participate in Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A.  A free meal if you  dress head to toe like the Chick-Fil-A cows.  The Chick-Fil-A website even offers a "costume" to print and wear!!  This year I was in black pants, white shirt with black paper spots.  I wore an "Eat More Chicken" sign, taped on a tail and put paper ears on my sunglasses.  This year I put a little black spot on my nose.  The girls do some variation of that.  One year the girls were "rapper" cows.  Very cute.  Thomas chooses not to participate.  (The picture above is from 2009.)

Thank you Chick-Fil-A for the free, yummy food.

I do believe the second Friday in July is the usual Cow Appreciation day.  So I'm already looking forward to 2012!

Fun in Charlotte

I love the Queen City.  (Charlotte, NC)  The kids love visiting GranMary.

This last visit "home" I decided to take the kids to Carowinds.  I grew up going to Carowinds as a kid.  Mom would drop us off for the day.  We'd call her when we were ready to come home.  Carowinds has changed a bit.  It has a lot more roller coasters than it did when I was a kid.

http://www.carowinds.com/

I'm always looking for a deal on things, so before going to Carowinds I checked on-line.  I was able to find a discounted admission that included a meal for $43.99 per person.  The meal was all-you-can-eat BBQ that included bbq pork, fried chicken, baked beans, chips, potato salad, cole slaw, cookies and fountain drinks.  (Regular admission at the gate is $52.99 or so.  A discounted online ticket is $41.99.)  Since we stayed for about 12 hours at the park, I feel like we really got our money's worth.  The park was not at all crowded the day after the 4th of July holiday...no lines or barely a wait for everything!  And the BBQ linner (lunch/dinner) was quite yummy and filling.

Although I was able to get a discount for Carowinds, it was still quite expensive for the 4 of us.  So I tried to find some other fun in Charlotte that wouldn't cost so much.  I was able to find a free family movie at a local theater.  We were able to see Gulliver's Travels with Jack Black for free.  Then, we signed up for Kids Bowl Free at a local AMF bowling alley. They emailed us our free coupons within 24 hours. We only had to rent one pair of bowling shoes, so 6 games (2 per child) of bowling cost less than $5. 

Of course, we played card games (Spite and Malice, President), Scrabble, Trivial Pursuit and Phase 10.  GranMary is the best for game playing.

We did make it down to the pool for a bit of swimming.  GranMary and I got in a game of Scrabble while the kids swam.

Fourth of July Menu

Here's our menu from our cookout...

Grilled Chicken
BBQ Ribs
London Broil
Grapes
Watermellon
Canteloupe
Green Beans
Hash-Brown Potato Casserole
Buttered Bread w/herbs
Sweet Tea
White Sangria
Drumsticks (icecream)

Hash-Brown Potato Casserole
1 large bag (2lbs.) Ore-Ida frozen hash-brown potatoes
2 cans cream of potato soup
8 oz. graded Cheddar cheese
1 8-oz. carton sour cream
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Mix potatoes, soup, sour cream, Cheddar cheese and garlic salt together in a large mixing bowl.  Pour into a buttered 2 1/2 qt. casserole.  Dot with butter.  Sprinkle top with Parmesan cheese.  Bake uncovered 1 hour at 350 degrees.  

This casserole can be frozen before baking.  To serve, place frozen casserole in cold oven, set temperature to 350 degrees and cook covered 1 hour and uncovered an additional 30 minutes.  
Serves 8
 

Independance Day

We don't have any particular Fourth of July traditions, but we do seem to make it for a fireworks display where ever we may be.

Last year we headed over to the square in Decatur for fireworks.  Some of our "Summer Friends," folks we seem to only see in the summer down at the pool, staked out a good spot close to the fireworks action beside a low rise office building near the square.  Orange cones were put out in an office parking lot to claim our bit of real estate.  There was even a little outside dining area that we commandeered.  Adults sat around and talked.  Kids played ball in the parking lot.  Snacks and drinks were out for all to share.  We set up our chairs in the parking lot for best fireworks viewing when the appropriate time came.  Very enjoyable. 

Other pleasurable Independence Day celebrations... For a couple of years in a row, we managed an invitation to a friends beach front home near Tom's mom in Jacksonville.  Great house.  Great location.  Great fireworks.  One year we headed to Sawgrass to my sister's in-laws.  Great fireworks on the golf course that year.  We were at Hilton Head one fourth...my sister-in-law, Lisa, is the best at celebrating this holiday.  Everyone is in red, white and blue...flag decore...etc.  Did we make it to fireworks then?  Can't remember.

We bought bunting for the house a few years ago, so we hang it on the front porch now and around Memorial Day.  Very festive.  Tom likes to fly the American Flag year round.  I bought a fun Happy 4th of July banner a couple of years ago that I put up on the fireplace.  We're proud Americans.

DeCluttering

How do you know when it is time to get rid of stuff.  My usual rule of thumb is you haven't used/touched/seen it for a year or so.  OR your kid says, "I don't want this anymore," get rid of it!

The other day, my 12 year old just came to me and said, "Where is all my Barbie stuff."  She had forgotten she gladly got rid of it all in our last yard sale in March.  I'm always debating whether to stick that kind of stuff in a box in the closet and keep it or just get rid of it.  I know that my mom kept my Barbie stuff.  It's still at her house, with the little Barbie clothes falling apart with age. 

I do keep a big bag in bottom of my closet, and I'm constantly sticking clothes and shoes in it that I'm no longer wearing.  When the bag gets full, I put it in the attic for our annual yard sale. (At the end of our annual yard sale, everything that is left is given to charity.  I don't even bring it back into the house.  It all goes on the front porch for pick up.  I've donated to The Step Up Society for the last 3 years. http://www.atlantastepupsociety.org/ The Atlanta Step-Up Society is a non-profit that helps the suffering, homeless and hopeless to rebuild their lives and to recover from their addictions.  These folks will come to your house and pick up your stuff.)

Just the other day, I went through the girls' drawers with them.  I help up each item, and we determined if 
a) it still fit
b) she would ever wear it again
c) if she should keep it
(and d) if it needed to be washed!  Gross, dirty stuff shoved in their drawers!)

I bagged up the stuff they don't wear anymore (and was clean) and gave it all to my sister and friend.  How nice to clear out the clutter.

We tackled the art closet, too.  The girls must have flattened 2 dozen shoe boxes for recycling.  I was just throwing shoe boxes in the closet for possible projects and Christmas' Samaratin's Purse.  With the way they grow, we'll have another dozen shoe boxes soon enough.  No need to keep all of them.

Next, we'll hit the screened-in porch.  No only does it need a little decluttering, but most of the spring pollen still needs to be wiped away.

"Free" Bowling

Yesterday the girls and I finally made it to the bowling alley for a few free games.  At the beginning of the summer, I signed up the kids for 2 free games of bowling a day all summer!  www.kidsbowlfree.com
The games are free, but if you need bowling shoes, you must rent them.  At our bowling alley, Suburban Lanes, the bowling shoes are $3.25 to rent. (Last summer, my mom even signed us up in Charlotte, so when we went home, we bowled.  The rental for shoes there was over $4!)  Since I knew we'd play often,  I bought all the kids bowling shoes (Play It Again Sports and Ebay) last summer.  The shoes averaged $20 a pair.  This summer only one child needs a new pair.  I've got my bid in at Ebay.  We'll see.

So we went bowling yesterday.  This is what we learned about bowling:

• bowling 2 games exercises 184 muscles 
• bowling 2 games can burn between 320 to 580 calories 
• bowling 2 games results in walking around a half a mile.  

Who knew?!

When you sign up for "free" bowling, you keep getting asked if you want the family plan.  Just scroll down until you see "no thanks" in little print and move on.  Keep saying no thanks to get just the kids signed up.  The family plan is $24.95.  I might just sign up for that (up to 4 adults-2 games-every day). It's $3.50 to bowl a game at our lanes.   I'm planning to get my own shoes, so if I bowled every time we went, it'd turn out to be a good deal...otherwise, I'll just watch (for free).

By the way, I took bowling in college!  I'm pretty sure I made an A in that class.

Cloth Napkins

Growing up, whenever we used cloth napkins at a meal, it was a special occasion.  I liked setting the table when mom would get out the perfectly ironed napkins.  I thought cloth napkins were only for holidays and fancy dinners and other noteworthy occasions.  What a delight to unfold the square of cloth and drape it across my lap.  No thin bit of paper that crumpled and got in a wad.

How thrilled I was when my brother got married and his wife used cloth napkins just about every day!  What a paradigm shift!  Every day!  Not just special occasions.  I decided at that moment, when I had my own place, I also would have cloth napkins for daily use.  Guess what?  I do.

Now, beside the breakfast table, I have a basket of napkins.  All colors and patterns.  I have more in the small chest of drawers in the breakfast area.  I have them for all seasons and occasions.  I have some with monograms and some from Great Aunt Dot that used/made.  And I don't iron them!  I launder them along with the rest of our stuff, pull them out of the dryer, and smooth them as I fold.  (Occasionally, we use a paper napkin or two, but not too often.)

I do have these super sized white linen napkins I inherited from my Grandma Grace.  They are used for special occasions, and I do iron them (with spray starch).  They are luxurious and fun to use. 

I'm always on the lookout for new and pleasing cloth napkins.  I just bought some super-fun colorful napkins (on sale) at Target with some of my birthday money.  I'm a happy girl

ReUse, ReCycle

Okay, so I reuse paper towels!  But only the ones that I've used for keeping my lettuce.  (To make my lettuce last for a couple of weeks, I wash it, spin it, and lay it out on paper towels, roll it up and put it in a plastic grocery bag.)  After the lettuce is eaten, I lay out the paper towels on the counter to dry.  I then can reuse them...

I also rinse and reuse my Ziploc bags, but not if I've stored meats in them.  (My great Aunt Dot did this...My great Aunt Dot also used to save me her coupons.)

We recycle copy paper for the printer.  Tom brings home paper from the recycling box at work.  We print on the other side.  We have new paper for important school things that need to be turned in for a grade.

Label Maker

I just love, love, love my label maker.  It helps me to stay a little more organized. 

I first bought my label maker when the kids were little, when they had a gajillion art supplies.  I bought a dozen or more plastic see-through shoe box size containers and made a label for each box: craft sticks, pipe cleaners, wiggly eyes, beads, wooden pieces, felt and so on.  I even made a "label maker" box.  It's time to revisit that closet and reorganize.  It's a super mess right now.

For my linen closet, I made shelf labels according to sheet size and towel size: queen, full, twin, bath towels, hand towels, pillow cases.   So organized, except for when a kid pulls something out from the bottom of a stack and all falls to the floor in a heap and it's left there...

In the pantry, I've labeled the plastic containers that hold the rice, grits, crackers etc.  (That might of been part of a cub scout thing.)

Even our yard tools got labeled.  I think it was for a cub scout project, too.  All the rakes, shovels, spades... have been labeled.  That's good for when you go to a work project and bring your own tools.

School things: notebooks, calculators, pencil cases.  Each child prints out name/subject for each notebook.  (The kids like making labels.)

Don't forget the flash light and camera!!

And, some of my files I've labeled with the labeler.  If I was super organized, I'd do them all.  I'm not super organized. 

Scooter Port

My disclaimer: I get nothing for sharing this info with you.  I love this product.

If you have kids, you probably have scooters lying around the carport, garage, sidewalk, whatever.  Well, years ago, a friend emailed me about Scooter Ports.  These little bits of plastic changed my life (not really), and made my carport nice and tidy.  I have four of these: one for each child and one for me.


Check out scooterport.com.  [They don't do the referral program anymore.  I talked to the guy (by email), and he said that the program was not being used, so they discontinued it.]

Father's Day

 I try to make Father's Day special around here.  This year, one child is a away at camp, and another child had a fever and stayed in bed.  Only one child was around for present opening.  Tom received the universal shirt/tie combo (2 bow ties...I love him in a bow tie.)  Well, he didn't like the shirt, so I'm taking it back.  By the way, I'm so okay with that.  If you don't like it, take it back.  He really liked the bow ties, thought.  One-red/silver stripe, other- blue/red/ white stripe.  Very nice.

Twice a year I fry chicken for Tom- his birthday and father's day.  So I fried some chicken for dinner.  I also decided to make something with all the Vidalia onions I have.  I just love Vidalia onions.  I found a super easy recipe.  This is it.  I'm going to try to add some pictures.  Here goes.

Super Easy Vidalia Onion Casserole
You need: a couple of big onions sliced thinly.
1/2- whole stick of butter (I used 3/4 stick, but will use less next time)
1/2 cup or more sour cream
1 cup and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese  (I used the already grated kind in the can.  Could use fresh.)
1 cup Ritz crackers, crushed

First, saute the sliced onions in the butter until the onions are soft.

When they're soft and straw colored, remove the onions from the heat and add the sour cream and mix well.

Put half the onion mixture in a shallow dish, sprinkle with 1 cup or so Parmesan cheese.  Put the rest of the onions on top of that.  Sprinkle with the ritz crackers and 1/4 cup Parmesan.  (My friend, Fran, just gave me this tart dish...just the perfect size for this recipe!  Thanks, Fran!)

 Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly.  Delicious.

List on the Fridge

I really don't know when we started this, but we keep a magnetic pad of paper on the refrigerator so that when we're just about out of or have run out of something or need something, we write that item on the list.   Right now, I have yeast (for Friday night pizza) and moth balls (to store my woolen clothing) on it. Now, only to remember to take this list when I go to the store next.  That's another post.

Not all pads of paper come with those great flat magnets on the back.  Well, simply reuse the magnets from a used pad.  I peel off the magnet from the old pad and glue (hot glue or Elmer's) it onto the new pad.  Voila, new magnetic paper pad for the fridge.

How to Treat Others

One lesson I've tried to teach my children is to treat others the way that you want to be treated.  This is such a hard lesson for a child.  Their response to me is, "Well, they did this to me!  I will do the same thing to them!"  No...it's not how you are treated, but how you would want to be treated.  Very difficult.     I seem to say ad nauseum, "Is that how you would want to be treated?"  "Are you treating your brother/sister the way you would want to be treated."  One day, I hope they get it.   This is also a lesson I apply to myself.  Do I treat my husband the way I would want to be treated.  Do I say nice, kind words?  Am I respectful in my actions or do I criticize and lash out, disrespect, nag etc.  (I certainly want my husband to speak kindly to me, to respect me.)  When I'm at a restaurant and am waited on, am I demanding...do I under stand if things just aren't going well.  (I sure would want a customer to be nice if I was the waiter.)  I try to put myself in that persons shoes and treat them the way I would want to be treated.   Matthew 7:12  So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Clothes Pins

I love clothes pins.  They really can come in handy.  I have a basket full of them in my kitchen drawer. 

• I use them mainly as a bag clip: chips, cereal, anything that isn't already resealable.  
• I also use them to hang up skirts and pants in my closet.  No need for fancy hangers.  Two per hanger.
• At Christmas  time, I run some jute along my windows like a clothes line and hang Christmas greeting cards from it.  Very fun.  
• Sometimes I'll even use them in the place of a  paper clip.
• For Girl Scouts I used them for job charts, when the girls had different duties, I could just move the pin to the new job. 

Graduation Party

Since my nephew was a toddler, he's lived with my mom (and dad when he was living.)  Mom has loved and cared for him as her own son for 16 years.  This year he graduated from High School.  Wow.

Mom threw Jake a graduation dinner/celebration before the actual graduation ceremony.  It my eyes it was a perfect gathering.  The food was just right, and friends and family were able to come together to observe the occasion.

Here's the menu:
Chick-Fil-a nuggets and sandwiches--Jake's favorite!
Three Bean Salad
Potato Salad
Fruit- fresh fruit sliced and arranged on platter! gorgeous (watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, blueberries, pineappe)
Cake- 1/4 sheet bought from Harris Teeter with Jake's picture on top (edible)
Half and Half tea (half lemonade/half tea)

Mom also had hydrangeas in little vases set about.  So pretty.  So simple.




This recipe came from Great Aunt Dot.

Calico Salad:
    I 15 oz can cut green beans
    1  "      can small green peas
    1  "      can wax beans
    1  "      can corn kernels
    2  "      cans kidney beans light or dark
    1/2 bell pepper, chopped
    l small onion, chopped

                                                 
     Drain and rinse kidney beans.  Drain others and mix all, together.

              Sauce:  3/4 cup wine vinegar
                          3/4 cup veggie oil
                           1 cup sugar
                           1/2 tsp. salt
                                  Heat to just before boiling point.  Pour over vegetables and refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving, 48 hrs is even better. 

Scrabble!

Whenever we're together, my mom and sister and I love to play Scrabble! We'll sometimes play two games in a row, or several times in a day if we have the time.  We play "kind-and-gentle" Scrabble where we use the Scrabble Dictionary to confirm works we're thinking about using; We have lists that list 2 letter words and  "Q" words without the letter u.  When dad was alive, he'd play with us, too, but he liked to play by the rules--no dictionary unless to "challenge!"  He knew some pretty obscure words (leno), and he liked to bluff.  Dad rarely would win.  We even keep a little piece of paper taped to the inside of a door to record the highest scores a person makes.  My personal best is 485 points on November 17, 2007.   That might of been the game that I had 3 seven letter words...

How did our devotion to scrabble begin? With a heart attack.

When I was middle school age or so, my dad had a heart attack while we were vacationing at Myrtle Beach.  We were staying at a high rise condo in North Myrtle called the Brigadune.  Dad and I were swimming in the ocean when he got out complaining of chest pains.  I thought he'd swallowed too much sea water.  The next thing I know, he's at Myrtle General being treated for a heart attack.  I remember visiting dad in the hospital.  I remember he stayed in the hospital while we went back home.  I think he was in Myrtle for 3 weeks.  While there, dad bought into a Time Share at the Montego Inn.  For the next 18 years, vacation would be at Myrtle Beach.

It was during our week at Myrtle that we'd play some Scrabble.  Mom would pack some games and she'd include scrabble. We might play once or twice while at the beach, but that was it for the year.  We really didn't play at home. 

It might have been after college that we would play when I'd come home for a visit.  Our affection for the game has really grown since.  My mom and my sister and I even take it along with us when we go on girls' weekends away.  It seems that mom is the catalyst to want to play.  Amy and I rarely play just the two of us. 

Another game we girls like is Rummikub.

Early Riser

Since my kids hit school age, I have found that getting up 30-45 minutes before they do makes my entire day run smoother.  I'm able to get some quiet time in, eat breakfast, read the paper, check emails and get my thoughts together for the day before the mayhem begins.  Mercifully, I am an early bird. 

Of course, I could never get up early enough when they were babies/toddlers.   They all were also early birds.  We never needed alarm clocks then, because they would always wake us up.  No matter how early I tried to get up, I think they had the "mother is up" sensor, they would get up very shortly after. 

When Thomas was two years old or so he would get up VERY early and come to our room to either start the day or just to climb in for the rest of the night.  We had to train him to not get up and come into our room until it was 6 AM or when the first digit on the alarm clock was a six.    He knew his numbers.  After the first night, we learned that we had to put black electrical tape on the last digit of the clock...he was waking us up at 3:46AM, 4:16AM and so on. 

Le Creuset Dutch Oven

I am crazy for my 4.5 quart Le Creuset dutch oven.   It is an enamelled cast iron cooking pot, and I use it for everything from boiling water to slow cooking a pork shoulder for great BBQ.  I love for fall to roll around because it is perfect for all the soups and stews that I have an appetite for.  It is fire engine-ish red and virtually non-stick and easy to clean.  Occasionally, I even throw it in the dishwasher!!  This size suits my purposes, but I've longed for a larger one.

Well, my dear husband, who knows me quite well (knows that he can buy me a kitchen appliance as a gift only if I've talked about it over and over for years and years...), gave me a 5.5 quart Le Creuset for my birthday.  Now I'm wondering, "Do I want one that is larger?"  I've asked a couple of my cooking friends their thoughts on this.  I hope hear back from them soon.  If they recommend larger, I will trade it in.

More savings!

If you read the previous post, I told you about my savings at CVS.

Well, I went back to CVS to use my $5 Extra Care Bucks that I received for buying the Pantene and John Freida Poducts (remember, I only paid the tax on those items).

The kids are going away to camp next week, so I was looking to buy some candy for a care package.  The Starbursts were priced 2 for $5.  (Usually they are $3.69 each.)  So I decided to get those, proceded to the register and only paid 10 cents for both bags.   KaChing!

I also had a $10 gift card to Kohl's that I received through the mail in my pocket.  I drove over to Kohl's and looked around.  What's popular right now are the socks that are cut really low, so you don't really see that you are wearing socks.  There were some priced at $13 with a sign that said, "Buy 1 get 1 half price."  I didn't want to spend the money buying two sets, so I picked up the six pack of socks thinking it would ring up as $13 and I'd pay $3 plus tax for 6 pair off socks.  I would be fine for that.  But, actually, the socks rang up for $9.75 (the buy 1 get 1 for half price price per set).  The total was $10.43.  I handed the girl my gift card.  She said I owed nothing!  The gift card zeroed out the cost of the socks, so I owed nothing!  How great is that.

So let's recap the last two days:

• For 74 cents I bought 2 bottles of Pantene Conditioner and 2 bottles of John Freida Shampoo/hair product.
• For 10 cents I bought 2 large bags (20% more than usual) bags of Starbursts
• For zero cents a six-pack package of socks

This is a grand total of 84 cents!!!

I love to save.

CVS super deal

I just have to share this because it makes me so happy to save money.  I love a deal, coupons, being frugal, pinching pennies.... 

Today the girls told me they needed conditioner.  They like Pantene.  I noticed that in Sunday's paper  that if I bought 2 Pantene products at CVS I'd get $2 in their Extra Care Bucks.  So I headed over to www.southernsavers.com to see if I could get any other deals.  Well, John Frieda Full Repair is on sale for $5 and there are $5 off coupons in the P&G thing from Sunday (that equals FREE), and then I'd get $3 ECB for the John Frieda. 

So I headed over to CVS.  I scanned my card at the Coupon Tower and it spit out a $3 off coupon because my birthday is this month.  Yippee!  $3 I didn't know I'd have.  Then it gave me a $3 off coupon on $10 of cosmetics.  I also got a coupon for $4 of Allegra.

I got my 2 things of Pantene and 2 John Frieda products and went to pay.  I had $1 off coupon for the Pantene, the 2 $5 off coupons for the John Frieda.  I used the $3 birthday coupon.  And the guy also took the $3 off cosmetics coupon that the Coupon Tower gave me just moments before.  I didn't even ask for him to do that.  He asked if I had any other coupons.  I said no.  He looked at what I had in my hand.  He practically pulled it out of my hands.  He said shampoo/hair care was cosmetics.  I'm not going to argue.

I ended up paying 74 cents (the tax) for these products.

Then...with my receipt I got $5 Extra Care Bucks to use the next time I shop!  They paid me $5 to shop today.

 

I'm going back to get more John Frieda (free) b/c I have 2 more coupons. Thank you CVS for the great deals this week.  I'll use the $5 to buy camp treats for the kids.

The File

I have a two drawer filing cabinet that I got at target around when we got married.  Just your basic metal filing cabinet.  I've decorated it with the children's "magnet art."  Each year in elementary school, my kids bring home some art that has been turned into a 4x5 magnet.  I digress...I try (try) to keep my papers in order.  I do find that I make a big stack before getting around to filing.  If only I filed as I went along, it wouldn't be such a chore. 

Anyway, yesterday I got around to filing almost all of the stack.  Some stuff I filed, some recycled and some for the shredding stack.  I also pulled papers out of files that were super old and put them in the shredding stack.  This website http://www.onlineorganizing.com/NewslettersArticle.asp?newsletter=go&article=672 gives you great guidelines about what papers you should keep and for how long. 

I do have a folder that says "Taxes 2011."  Whenever I have something that might needed for our taxes at the end of the year, I file it away here.  I have donation receipts, receipts for car tax, stuff like that.  It's nice to have it all in one place.

So, as a summer chore for my kids, I've set up a shredding station to shred all of the papers that might have personal information.  Big trashcan and shredder.  Too bad my shredder is broken!  I'm off to buy a shredder.

Notebook and Pencil

It seemed like for the longest time I would always need a piece of paper and pen or pencil while driving around in the car.  I'd have a thought I'd want to remember; I'd hear something on the radio that I'd want to jot down.  I'd scramble around looking in my purse or glove box trying to find a napkin or old receipt to write on.  Then, if I did find a scrap of paper, I'd have nothing to write with.

Than maybe a year or two ago, I decided to dedicate that compartment in the driver's side door to a small notepad and pen and pencils.  How wonderful it is!!  Now, whenever I'm in need, voila, I have what I need.  I actually have several little notepads in that side compartment.

How often have I heard, "Mom, do you have a pencil?"  Now I have a pencil.

Also, if I'm waiting at Marta for carpool or pick-up with Caroline, we can play hang-man.

Cursive Hand Writing

It makes me sad that cursive hand writing will no longer be taught in school...at least that's what I've heard.  My three kids "learned" cursive at some point in the third grade.  I don't think they were taught, but they just did pages from the cursive book they had.  They were not required to do actual class work in cursive or anything like that.  The girls can mostly write in cursive.  Thomas really can't. 


A couple of summers ago, I had them practice writing their names in cursive so they'd have a decent signature.  The girls picked it up...not Thomas.  I've decided this summer to continue reinforcing cursive handwriting.  Each child will do a cursive handwriting page a day (some copied off the internet).  Thomas has a funky signature.  I hope to fix that.

Why do I even care?  They really should be learning to type!  I did buy a typing tutor program for the computer; the school even has a link to a typing program.  I tried last summer to have them learn.  The problem is you need consistent, dailyish practice to learn.  We are here and there all summer... Maybe I'll have them learn typing when school starts back up; it will be part of daily homework.  Don't tell my kids this, they don't know yet.

So to answer my question-- "Why do I even care if they can write in cursive?"

• Their grandma's write them letters in cursive, and they can barely read them. 
• I think everyone should have a cursive, legible signature. (Yes, I know, your signature doesn't have to be legible...it can just be squiggles.  Believe me, I've seen all kinds of signatures, I know.)
• I'm old fashioned this way.

First Time Obedience Summer

When the kids were about 8,7 and 4, I noticed that I was repeating myself over and over to get the kids to do what I wanted.  This is not very "teachery" of me...as a classroom teacher, I expected first time obedience from my classroom students.  Here I am with my own daily "students" allowing them to not obey me the first time!!  I should be ashamed.  So...I declared that particular summer First-Time-Obedience Summer!!

Before school let out for the summer that year, I gathered the kids together and, first of all, apologized for not being the parent that I should.  Secondly, I told them that I was sorry that I had not insisted that they obey me the first time that I asked. And, thirdly, that when school let out, they were going to have to learn how to obey me the first time I asked.  It is going to be First-Time-Obedience Summer!  Yippee!

So...how did we go about this.  Together we thought up some consequences that could happen if they didn't obey me the first time and put them on a list on the fridge.  We talked about them.  I think I even asked them which consequence they thought they should receive if they didn't obey me the first time.  Then we even practiced how to obey the first time...that might mean
1) How to respond (Yes, mom).
2) Role play giving a child an "order" and he/she following through.
3) We even talked about, "What if I'm in the middle of something, Mom?"  What to say to Mom if they need a few minutes to obey (may I finish this first?)

How did it go?  Well...for the first weeks of summer, before I asked the kids to do anything, I would say something like, "Remember, this is first time obedience summer...I'm getting ready to ask you to do something....I need you to obey me the first time..."  I really wanted them to succeed, to obey me the first time, to remember to obey me.  It went great!  They picked up on the obeying the first time right away.  Not too many consequences had to be doled out.

Now that they're older, we might have to have a refresher course.  Sometimes all I need to say is, "Do I have to ask you a second time?" which is technically asking a second time!  Hmmm, this might be another First-Time-Obedience Summer.

Paula Dean Sangria

We had this refreshing drink at my friend's house not too long ago.  She gave me the recipe, and I can't wait to try it at home.  With this July weather we're having in June, I think I'm going to make a batch.

Paula Deen Sangria

1 cup suger
orange, lime thinly sliced
1 liter dry red wine
club soda

1)Put sugar and 2 cups water in a small pan. Boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes.  (This makes a simple syrup.)  Add oranges/limes to syrup and cool to room temperature.  Chill overnight.
2)In large piteher mix syrup and fruit and wine.  Pour Sangria in wineglass (with ice if desired) and top with a splash (or more) of club soda. 

Very refreshing!

Tubing Down the Ichetucknee River

This past weekend, out family tubed down the Ichetucknee River along with other families and boys from Boy Scout Troop 77.  It was a fantastic weekend.

We camped at the Florida O'Leno State Park http://floridastateparks.org/oleno/default.cfm in a group camping area, about 6 hours drive from Atlanta.   The girls were particularly glad to go camping. 

Ichetucknee Springs State Park
http://floridastateparks.org/ichetuckneesprings/default.cfm
The crystalline Ichetucknee River flows six miles through shaded hammocks and wetlands before it joins the Santa Fe River. In 1972, the head spring of the river was declared a National Natural Landmark by the U. S. Department of the Interior. From the end of May until early September, tubing down the river is the premier activity in the area. In addition to tubing, visitors can enjoy picnicking, snorkeling, canoeing, swimming, hiking, and wildlife viewing. October through March scuba diving is available in the Blue Hole only (you must be cave certified). White-tailed deer, raccoons, wild turkeys, wood ducks and great blue herons can be seen from the river. Picnic areas, equipped with tables and grills, are available throughout the park. A full-service concession offers food, refreshments, and outdoor products from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Tubes plus snorkeling and diving equipment can be rented from private vendors outside the park located four miles northwest of Fort White, off State Roads 47 and 238.

Tom grew up in Jacksonville and has told me on many occasions about his trips tubing down the Ichetucknee.  The tubes they used were truck tire tubes, not these "fancy" tubes with handles made specially for "tubing."

Rain and Kindness

Just 2 miles from our house is the greatest little market/lunch spot/butcher called the Oak Grove Market. http://www.oakgrovemarket.com/   This is a favorite lunch spot, and it just doesn't take long at all to walk to from our house.

Well, yesterday I had Mary Elizabeth ride the bus to the "Meat Market" after school because I didn't think I'd be able to make it to Marta to pick her up in time.  I decided I'd walk up to meet her, and we'd walk back together.  I got to the Market and found her at a booth with her friend finishing an ICEE.

(When I was growing up, it was a BIG treat to go to the 7-11 after church and get and ICEE.  We'd wait in the car while dad when in.  He'd come out with 4 small ICEEs and pass them out to us kids in the back seat.  Good times.)  

ME said she was "starving", so she ordered a grilled cheese.  While we were waiting for that, Mary Elizabeth asked if it was supposed to rain.  I said that I didn't think so.  Of course, in a few minutes it started pouring!  I was sure that by the time the grilled cheese as eaten, the rain would be over.

The rain did not cease.  It continued to rain...and lightning...and thunder.  We decided to wait it out a bit at the outside tables. Still...it rained some more.  A mom and her two kids were leaving and getting in their mini-van.  The mom asked if she could give us a ride that she had seen me walking up just a bit ago.  We assured her that the rain would be letting up and that we were going to enjoy the walk home.  Still...it rained some more.  Finally, Mary Elizabeth decided that we should walk home in the rain!  We did not have umbrellas because  I didn't think it was supposed to rain.  We headed home.

Just at the light on the corner, a friend rolled down her window and offered us a ride.  Crazily, we declined, just knowing the rain was going to stop.  No...it rained some more, and harder.  We're laughing and walking and getting wetter and wetter.  It's also thundering and lightning a little.  I'm sure we just might die.  Mary Elizabeth thinks it's awesome.

About 3/4 mile into the walk, we're drenched.  I told ME that if anyone at this point offers us a ride, we're taking it!  In a few moments, a car turns into a driveway ahead of us.  A cute young girl hops out and brings us a HUGE golf umbrella and tells us to take it and to keep dry!  She gets back into her car and drives away.  Wow!  We didn't even have time to ask her her name.  She had on a Woodward jacket and an Alpha Delta Pi sticker on her back windshield.  I'm guessing she lives in the neighborhood and is home from college.  Thank you, who ever you are!!

After that, the walk wasn't so bad.  It continued to rain pretty good the next mile or so, letting up to a quiet drizzle.  ME had put on her flip flops before we left the Market.  My sneaker were completely soaked, making that squishing noise when I took a step.

As we walked we talked about the kindness that had just been displayed to us.  There are some really nice people out there.  Mary Elizabeth decided that we should keep the umbrella with us, and if we ever see someone in need of an umbrella, that we give this one to them.  What a great idea!

May Mayhem

Remind me next May how busy and crazy it is!  Just about every day on the calendar is filled with events/activities...

Book List

Reading is encouraged at our house.  This book list is for all ages.  Most good for older kids and up.  I'm just about finished with Anna Karenina by Tolstoy (#31).  It's very long.  It's okay.  I've italicized  the ones I remember reading.  I remember A Town Like Alice (#96)being very good.

1. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

2 The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien 

3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte

4 Harry Potter series – J.K. Rowling

5 To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee

6 The Bible - 

7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte

8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell

9 His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman

10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens

11 Little Women – Louisa M Alcott

12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy

13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller 

14 Complete Works of Shakespeare 

15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier 

16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien

17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks

18 Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger 

19 The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger

20 Middlemarch – George Eliot  

21 Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell

22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald 

23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens

24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy

25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams

26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh

27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky 

28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck 

29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll

30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame

31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy

32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens

33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis

34 Emma – Jane Austen

35 Persuasion – Jane Austen

36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis 

37 The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini

38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Berniere

39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden

40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne

41 Animal Farm – George Orwell

42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown 

43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving

45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins

46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery

47 Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy

48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood

49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding

50 Atonement – Ian McEwan

51 Life of Pi – Yann Marte 

52 Dune – Frank Herbert

53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons

54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen

55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth

56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon

57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens

58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley

59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon

60 Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez

61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck

62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov

63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt

64 The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold

65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas

66 On The Road – Jack Kerouac

67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy

68 Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding

69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie

70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville 

71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens

72 Dracula – Bram Stoker

73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett

74 Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson

75 Ulysses – James Joyce 

76 The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath

77 Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome

78 Germinal – Emile Zola 

79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray

80 Possession – AS Byatt

81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens 

82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell 

83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker

84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro

85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert

86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry

87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White

88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom

89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton 

91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad  

92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery

93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks

94 Watership Down – Richard Adams

95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole

96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute

97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas

98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare

99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl  

100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

Dinner Tonight!

For dinner last night, we had "veggie plate."  I sauteed cabbage (yummy!), green beans (Steamfresh), rolls (Sister Shubert's) and our new favorite- Velveeta Down-Home Macaroni & Cheese.  Caroline said the mac is as good as Napoleon's.  (Napoleon's is a new restaurant right down the street from us.)  Thank you, Caroline!

Velveeta Down-Home Macaroni & Cheese

What You Need

1/4 cup butter or margarine, divided

1/4 cup  flour

1 cup milk

1/2 lb.  (8 oz.) VELVEETA Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 cups elbow macaroni, cooked

1/2 cup  KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese

6 RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1/4 cup)

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F. MELT 3 Tbsp. butter in medium saucepan on medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook 2 min., stirring constantly. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to boil; cook and stir 3 to 5 min. or until thickened. Add VELVEETA; cook 3 min. or until melted, stirring frequently. Stir in macaroni. SPOON into 2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with Cheddar. Melt remaining butter; toss with cracker crumbs. Sprinkle over casserole. BAKE 20 min. or until heated through.   

Summer Schedule Final

After a super busy weekend of soccer tournaments and strings performance, I've finalized the summer schedule.

Summer Daily 2011

• make bed
• clean room
• eat breakfast
• brush teeth
• cursive practice (one page from book and name)
• math pages
• read-30 minutes
• extra chore (I decide--pull weeds, water plants (indoor/outdoor), recycling, vacuum, dust, put yard clippings at curb, put recycling at curb, put trash at curb, shred papers, sharpen pencils...)

Summer Weekly 2011

• Monday- Library 
• Tuesday- "big" clean day (art closet, book shelves, ping pong porch, backpacks, soccer bags)
• Wednesday- Cook day (eat by candlelight)  Kids cook dinner
• Thursday- Write a letter
• Friday- Lunch with dad

Field Trips 2011

• Fox Theater Tour (see a movie)
• Historic Downtown tour
• Oakland Cemetary
• Archibald Smith Plantation Home
• DeKalb History Center
• White Water
• Aviation Museum
• IKEA (We always go to IKEA the first week out of school...eat and play, although the kids are too big for the playroom now.)

High Flight-Poem by John G. Magee, Jr.

Today was the 6th grade Chorus performance down at Woodward.  One of the songs sung was this poem, High Flight.  After reading the back story, I had to hold back the tears.  The children's grandfather flew planes for the Navy.

 

 

High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

— John Gillespie Magee, Jr

During the desperate days of the Battle of Britain, hundreds of Americans crossed the border into Canada to enlist with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Knowingly breaking the law, but with the tacit approval of the then still officially neutral United States Government, they volunteered to fight the Nazis.

John Gillespie Magee, Jr., was one such American. Born in Shanghai, China, in 1922 to an English mother and a Scotch-Irish-American father, Magee was 18 years old when he entered flight training. Within the year, he was sent to England and posted to the newly formed No 412 Fighter Squadron, RCAF, which was activated at Digby, England, on 30 June 1941. He was qualified on and flew the Supermarine Spitfire.

Flying fighter sweeps over France and air defense over England against the German Luftwaffe, he rose to the rank of Pilot Officer.

On 3 September 1941, Magee flew a high altitude (30,000 feet) test flight in a newer model of the Spitfire V. As he orbited and climbed upward, he was struck with the inspiration of a poem — "To touch the face of God."

Once back on the ground, he wrote a letter to his parents. In it he commented, "I am enclosing a verse I wrote the other day. It started at 30,000 feet, and was finished soon after I landed." On the back of the letter, he jotted down his poem, 'High Flight.'

Just three months later, on 11 December 1941 (and only three days after the US entered the war), Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr., was killed. The Spitfire V he was flying, VZ-H, collided with an Oxford Trainer from Cranwell Airfield flown by one Ernest Aubrey. The mid-air happened over the village of Roxholm which lies between RAF Cranwell and RAF Digby, in the county of Lincolnshire at about 400 feet AGL at 11:30. John was descending in the clouds. At the enquiry a farmer testified that he saw the Spitfire pilot struggle to push back the canopy. The pilot, he said, finally stood up to jump from the plane. John, however, was too close to the ground for his parachute to open. He died instantly. He was 19 years old.

Part of the official letter to his parents read, "Your son's funeral took place at Scopwick Cemetery, near Digby Aerodrome, at 2:30 P.M. on Saturday, 13th December, 1941, the service being conducted by Flight Lieutenant S. K. Belton, the Canadian padre of this Station. He was accorded full Service Honors, the coffin being carried by pilots of his own Squadron."

Photo courtesy: Captain Keith Moody

John's parents were living in Washington D.C. at the time, and the sonnet was seen by Archibald MacLeish, who was Librarian of Congress. He included it in an exhibition of poems called 'Faith and Freedom' in February 1942. And after that it was widely copied and distributed. These copies vary widely in punctuation, layout, and capitalization, as I've found out from readers! The original is in the Manuscript Division of the Library of Congress, and I think I've transcribed it correctly. Note that most printed versions use "... even eagle" but the original seems to be "... ever eagle," with similar penmanship to the preceding "never."

Many thanks to http://www.skygod.com/quotes/highflight.html for this information.

Cooking with the kids

This morning my 14 year old needed to make a galette to take to French class.  He's loves French and has a super great teacher.  He prepped the ingredients last night and asked me to wake him at 5:45 this morning.  His sister came down while he was making it and wanted to help some.  (I only had to show him where stuff was and maybe what utensil to use...didn't have to help much at all.)  What a fun morning of French food making we had.  

 

 

I didn't get to sample the galette before he headed out the door, but it sure looked tasty.  He'll let us know how it tastes and what his classmates thought.  If they liked it, I plan to make it for our family for dinner one night.  (Actually, I'll have Thomas make it for us since he already knows how.)  I'll probably serve it with a big green salad.  It's super easy.

 

 

Mediterranean Galette

Ingredients:

1 package of puff pastry sheets
1 egg,Beaten with 1 tsp water

1(6.5-ounce) packages of Alouette Sundried tomato
1/3 cup diced red peppers
1/3 cup sliced black olives
1/3 cup crumbled cooked Italian sausage*

Roll out 1 sheet of puff pastry into a 10" square. Using a dinner plate as a guide, cut out one 10" circle. Place it on a ungreased baking sheet.
Brush the edges of the circle with the beaten egg mixture. Spread the Alouette to within 1" of the edge.

Sprinkle with the peppers and olives and sausage.

Roll out remaining sheet of puff pastry in the same manner. Make a small hole in the center of the pastry, about 1-1/2" ( can use a very small cookie cutter)

Place the pastry on top of the Galette align the edges and press to seal using a fork.

Brush the entire Galette with the remaining egg wash. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.



* May substitute crab, shrimp or pre cooked chicken in place of the sausage.

Candy!

I definitely have a sweet tooth.  I can generally pass up on the salty stuff.

My favorite candies (not in any particular order):

• Twizzlers (ate gobs of these after each pregnancy)
• chocolate covered peanuts (Publix has a good double dipped kind)
• Razzles
• bubble gum 
• Jr. Mints (might be the favorite)
• Dove Chocolates with caramel in the middle

New Cell Phone Plan for Less!

I am going to be saving $20 a month on my cell phone bill!!  I've just signed up for the Straight Talk phone. www.straighttalk.com  I will pay $30 a month for 1,000 texts/1,000 minutes and NO CONTRACT.  (For $45 I could get unlimited, but don't need that.)  I was even able to get a FREE phone (reconditioned) and FREE shipping on the phone.

Right now I have Verizon and pay almost $50 a month for 450 minutes and NO texts!  Texts are extra.  And guess what?  Straight Talk uses the Verizon network!  Whoo-hoo!

My phone will arrive in 3 days.  I will activate it on-line and be able to port my existing number to the phone!

Veggie Co-op

About 7 years ago or so I joined a veggie co-op in the area.  The co-op consists of 12 families who pool their money together to buy fruits and vegetables at Collins Bros. Produce www.collinsbrosproduce.com at wholesale prices.  Not only has this saved our family money, we have learned to love and eat a larger variety of produce.

Here's how it works.  One of the members is the coordinator.  I was the coordinator for two years at the very beginning of my co-op days.  The coordinator collects $30 from each member (family) each month.  The coordinator makes a shopping calendar where each family is assigned two shopping days for the year.  The first and third Thursdays are shopping days.  On co-op day, the person (family) in charge of shopping calls Collins Bros. to make the order, drives to the warehouse, picks up and pays for produce, returns to coordinators house, divides produce between 12 baskets, and then calls each member to pick up.  The coordinator pays back the shopper from money collected. 

Being the shopper takes a bit of your time, but you only shop 2 times a year, and you get to choose the produce you know that you and your family love.  The other 22 times of the year, you are at the mercy of the other shoppers.  (I still love the surprise of seeing what I get!)

Ordering produce: $180 per shopping trip, paying equal amounts for fruits ($90) and vegetables ($90).  Of course, produce is bought by the case.  Produce prices are affected by season and other factors.  Prices change week to week, month to month.  We're always trying to get the best price possible, passing up on a fruit or vegetable if the price is too high that week.

So every other week, each family gets a large box of produce for $15.  Usually each box has 5-6 different fruits and 5-7 vegetables.  I guess we may save half over what you can pay at the grocery store.

Any person can call and order from Collins Bros., but you must purchase the quantity they offer.  For example, lettuce is packaged at 24 heads per case, apples come around 100 a box etc.  Anyone can start their own co-op.  12 families is a good number because most of the produce is easily divided by 12 and the quantities can be large.