Christmas Pics

If a picture's worth a thousand words, well what are a lot of pictures worth?  Here some assorted snaps of the family at Christmas.  Later I will post some photos taken by our niece, Lily.  She is an amazing photographer. I am going to also put up individual albums for the kids in case I never again put an actual photograph in an actual album. But for now, you get these:

Christmas

This year I entered Advent with one goal in mind, to give the kids an experience of Advent and not have Christmas until it got here.  For the most part, it worked. 

We were only 2 days late lighting the advent wreath the first time and managed to light it nearly every evening afterwards.  We had Mary on a donkey and Joseph heading toward Bethlehem on the kitchen wall.  Each day they advanced a little distance.  The kids were so excited on Christmas Eve when they finally got to the kitchen door.

We kept the ever-growing pile of gifts in my room, subject to only occasional glances, and moved it under the tree after the Littles went to bed on Christmas Eve. We replaced our usual bedtime reading with Christmas stories and our usual songs with advent ones.

This year, they finally got the meaning of Christmas.  They did get a few gifts earlier on but I think they finally got that it is really about Jesus bringing the light of God to earth.  It was good for all of us.

And then it was Christmas and it was all about Santa Claus and the presents.  Just being honest.  This first beautiful photo was taken by my niece Lily just before we headed out to church.  You can see the excitement in their eyes!

The lovely lady on the left is my Mother in Law, Gerry Tischler. Tinker (4) is in my arms, then Sunshine (14), The Captain (5) in front, The Blitz (3) in Sunshine's arms, Dear Hubby, and Pepper (16). 

I can't post any more pictures because I don't have a computer anymore and the set-up on the girls' machines requires me copying from one computer to the other and I can't do it.  Maybe later.

Happy fourth day of Christmas, everyone.

Frugal Eating

This week we have been conducting an experiment in social justice.  We have been eating on a food stamps budget. (They aren't called "food stamps" any more, by the way.  Many years ago the stamps were swapped out for encoded cards and the program is called SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.)  I talk about our week in detail in this post on my Bright Life blog.

So here is what we've been eating so far this week and what we have planned for our last days, as well as a bit of detail about the compromises we made to stay on budget. It's getting close to Christmas so our meals are a bit nostalgic.
 
Monday:
Cereal and milk, fruit
Lunch - "Snack Plate":  cheese, pretzels, baby carrots, apples
Dinner roast beef spread sandwiches, salad, pickles!

We "cheated" and used a roast from the freezer.  It was "use it or lose it" time for that roast so I thought the action was justified!  It wasn't enough for a main course so we made this spread.  My mother used to make these roast beef sandwiches and we just love them.  Grind cooked roast beef in the meat grinder or food processor, adding in mayonnaise and horseradish (minimal!) until desired consistency is reached.  Mom used to put raw onion in hers.

Tuesday:
Yogurt, bananas, dry cereal
Lunch -"Catch as catch can" - eating from the larder
Supper - Surprise Navy Beans and Ham (a gift from my MIL, Gerry Tischler), Cornbread, Salad.

Wednesday:
Purchased a fast food breakfast
Lunch - Ramen with veggies (this was a concession; ramen is SO cheap!)
Supper - Zesty Zuchinni Soup, whole wheat crackers, canned peaches

Zesty Zucchini Soup

(With love to Sharon - adapted from South of the Fork cookbook)

6 large or 8 medium zucchini (washed and sliced)

4 large carrots (washed and sliced)

2 cloves garlic

4 cups chicken broth

2 chicken bouillon cubes

8 oz. low fat cream cheese

Optional, hot sauce (like Choluhla or Tabasco); fresh parsley

Combine first 5 ingredients in large pot.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and cook until the carrots are tender.  This takes about 15-20 minutes.  Remove from heat and process small batches in the blender until creamy.  The last batch should be a bit chunky to add texture to the soup.  When all the soup is processed, reheat until just boiling.  Remove from heat, and stir in the cream cheese.  If you're feeling fancy, add some chopped parsley to the top.  Pass the hot sauce with the soup.

Thursday:
Eggs and toast
Lunch - PB&J, apples, baby carrots
Supper - Speedy Spaghetti

Speedy Spaghetti

1-1/4 pounds ground beef (we used  half Italian turkey sausage to cut fat and costs)

20 oz. tomato sauce

15 oz. diced tomatoes

1 Tbsp. tomato paste.

2-1/2 cups water

1 Tbsp. dried parsley

2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt

Combine all in large pot and bring to boil.  Add:

20 oz. spaghetti, broken in half.  Stir gently until completely submerged.

Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 20-25 minutes until pasta is tender.

Friday:
Cereal and Milk
Lunch - Boiled egg, homemade hummus, baked pita chips, fresh veg, fruit
Supper - baked Shrimp Chili Rellenos, Spanish rice, salad (we got some poblanos from Grandpa's garden for this one!  We compromised on the shrimp and bought the jumbo ones with peel on because they were half the price of our original choice.)

Saturday:
Huevos Rancheros, refried beans, baked corn tortilla strips
Lunch - leftovers
Supper - Beer can chicken (in honor of my MIL, Pam Tischler who introduced it to us), roasted sweet potatoes (because Pam's were so yummy last week), biscuits.  (The chicken was free due to a checkout error a couple of weeks ago.)

Sunday:
Shmorn and sausage
Lunch - Sandwiches or leftovers, fresh veggies, fruit
Supper - Pork chops (on sale!), mashed potatoes, corn (from frozen)

 So that's our week.  I think we ate pretty well.  I was worried about affording the fresh fruit and veggies but it worked out; we did eat a lot of bananas, apples and grapefruit because they were cheap and no berries, grapes or oranges because they weren't!  We could not afford fresh herbs so used the dried herbs from the pantry. You can see we ate almost no red meat and very little meat of any kind -- that saved a ton of money.  Truthfully, this is our normal eating.  The compromises were in the kinds of meat and produce we purchased rather than how much.


For our thoughts on how it is working for us and our plans for a longer experiment, refer to the Bright Life blog.  Happy eating!

It's Monday, and I'm joining Orgjunkie.com in her Menu Plan Monday link-up.  But I'm taking a non-traditional approach to this task just once . . . I'm only giving you my plan for Thursday so you can either decide I'm nuts, too traditional, or wrangle for an invite.  Starred* items are gluten free and vegetarian.

Lately I have had a focus on hospitality.  I hope that it comes across at our family table.  I am truly so grateful for both families I am blessed to be a part of and this year (as most) family tops my list of things I am oh, so thankful for.  Thus, this menu.  We have one more menu item than we do people eating so I think everyone will be full!

Thursday, Thanksgiving!
Appetizers:
Carrot Cake Jam on Cream Cheese*
Regular crackers
Gluten free crackers*
Crudites* (complements of a guest)

Dinner:
Green Salad* (complements of a guest)
Mulligatawny Soup - Vegetarian base with Tofu*
Roasted Acorn Squash with Wild Rice Stuffing*
Stuffing (half with walnuts, half nut-free)
Turkey (cooked in our oil-free infared Big Easy cooker)
Mashed Potatoes*
Cranberry sauce* (with a touch of orange and Grand Mariner)
Gravy
Sweet Potatoes* (roasted; no marshmallows)
Green beans* (complements of a guest)
Rolls

Dessert
Pumpkin Pie with Gingersnap Crust
Pike's Peak Apple Crisp (with oat flour instead of wheat)
Sparkling Pineapple Soup (adults only!)

I hope your Thanksgiving is truly sweet and that you both wake and fall asleep counting your blessings!

Seasons

I cannot believe it is almost Halloween already.  Wasn't it just a minute ago I was frantically making Wizard of Oz costumes for everyone?  Oh yes, I meant to sell those costumes this year.  Ooops.  Maybe next year!

Well that was then and this is now!  After our "second honeymoon" cruise to Alaska, life was a little too chaotic for costume making.  We have an "everyday hero" theme planned for this year and all the costumes are "boughten" ones.  The Blitz will be a fireman and he loves his new boots so much he wears them 18 hours a day.  Tinkerbelle will be a nurse; her love of the medical profession started after that trip to the hospital in May.  The Captain is an army hero; our family appreciation for members of the military seems to have rubbed off on him.  Sunshine will be a police woman and Pepper, Rosie the Riveter.  So fun.  Daddy seems to usually pull off a costume at the last minute.  He's my hero everyday so maybe he can just wear his blue jeans!

We are really enjoying the autumn.  Not the weather, of course-- it's still summer here--but we are enjoying the rhythms of school and fall ball and all both entail.  The Captain is a ball player now.  Picture a little absent minded professor in center field and you've got the picture.  It is actually totally adorable and completely entertaining and I can't believe I haven't posted a picture until now.

Sunshine is back at it too; she is not always enjoying the season but things will get better.  Her team is not gelling as well as is often the case and most of her friends were on the other two teams, but all is well.  I haven't gotten a picture of her in new uniform but maybe this week.  She plays at 8:40 in the evening and apparently, my brain has checked out by then!

School is going great!  Pepper is practically a college pro now and is taking two dual credit courses, English Comp and Art History.  Of course she is also taking all the regular fare at home, math, science, etc.  She has been practicing her driving and will get her license in December; neither of us can wait.

The big news, though, is that Mamaw and Papa are here from Idaho and we are soaking up the Huntley time. That explains the radio silence of late; we are just too busy playing Bingo and Pinochle!

Hope your fall is a beautiful fall too.

Menu Plan Monday

It's Monday, and I'm joining Orgjunkie.com in her Menu Plan Monday link-up.  Enjoy!

Monday:
Scrambled eggs, raisin toast, milk
 "Snack Plate":  cheese, pretzels, broccoli florets (raw), grapes, strawberries

Pork loin (marinated in soy sauce, mustard, honey and splash of wine), noodles with bok choy, carrots and bell peppers and a "quick sauce" using pan drippings, peanut butter and a splash of soy sauce

Tuesday:
Dr. Bircher's Museli
Egg salad on lettuce, crackers, refrigerator pickles (any kind), homemade granola
Homemade Mac-n-Cheese, brussels sprouts, homemade applesauce

Wednesday:
Cereal and milk
Meat cubes, cheese cubes, pasta with pesto, grape tomatoes
(Family fends for itself tonight!)

Thursday:
Yogurt and banana
Lunch out
Too Easy Fettuccine Alfredo, green salad, cookies

Friday:
Bacon and egg cups, juice
School cookout
Potato Soup with cheese and egg dumplings, 3-bean salad

Saturday:
Scrambled eggs, re-fried beans, corn tortillas
Sandwiches
Leftovers

Sunday:
Sweet cereal, milk, grapes, bananas

King Ranch chicken, 3 bean salad, greens

Peg Bracken's Bean Salad 
from the I Hate to Cook Cookbook

INGREDIENTS

• 1 15-oz can green beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 15-oz can wax beans, rinsed and drained

• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 
  
• METHOD

1 In a large bowl, mix the beans

2 In a separate small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add the dressing to the beans. Toss to coat.

3 Chill beans in the refrigerator for several hours, to allow the beans to soak up the flavor of the dressing..

Grandparents: It's "LOVE Thursday!"

 I just sent a "shout out" to our fabulous five grandparents on one of  my Adoption.com blogs.  Because of copyright laws, I can't replicate it here, but I can ask you to go over there and take a look at it, please!

Dear Hubby and Grandma

Enjoying dinner on a cruise

I am also limited to one tiny picture there, but not here so before you go there, take a gander at these snapshots.

Papa and Mamaw

(To visit the blog, just click on any of the blue words.They all head to the same place!)

Grandma (Dear Hubby's mom), Papa and Mamaw (my folks)

Papa reading to the Littles

Gram and Pepper

Dear Hubby and Grandpa

At the State Fair of Texas

Gram and Tink