Organizing Our Chaos

Have you ever had that niggling feeling that something is wrong, but can't quite place a finger on it? It's kind of like when you feel someone staring at you and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, but when you look around, no one is to be found.

That's the feeling I've had for some time now. Not the somebody staring part, but that "off" feeling of unfinished business.

After nearly 24 years of marriage, I've finally figured it out.

It's called disorganization.

Thanks to a book called, "Large Family Logistics", by Kim Brenneman, that niggling is about to come to an end.

In theory anyway.

According to Kim, who is herself a mother of 9 children, (no relation), there is a way to giterdone without doing yourself in. She designates her days of the week to specific tasks. Everyone in her family knows what is going to happen on that day, and in an "orderly" fashion, tasks are completed. (Call me a cynic, but I'm still uncertain that the words family and orderly can be used in the same sentence!) Unlike her, in my house, my attention to detail and time-management issues keeps me from completing anything. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself, but as a homemaker, I want my home to be a reflection of who I am.

Right now, that reflection could shatter mirrors.

Using Kim's technique, my Mister and I came up with our own plan. Well, mostly we copied her plan, but it's in our house, so it's uniquely ours.

In theory.

Here's how our plan looks...

~Monday~Laundry Day

*All sheets are stripped from beds in the morning to be washed

*Vacuum mattresses

*Dog bedding gets washed

*Bath day for the dogs

*Make laundry soap, if needed

~Tuesday~Town Day~Crockpot Day

*Appointments

*Groceries

*Feed store

*Pick up medications

*Banking

~Wednesday~Office Day

*Pay bills

*Go over budget

*File school papers

*Work on lesson planners for following week

~Thursday~Kitchen Day

*Take inventory

*Clean fridges

*Make yogurt

*Bake bread

*Cook freezer meals, if needed

~Friday~Cleaning Day

*Deep clean entire house

*Mop

*Wash windows

~Saturday~Gardening/Outside Day

~Fall/Winter~

*Fill wood-rack

*Clean/vacuum out cars

*Clean garage

*Sweep porches

*Clean animal pens

*Organize the rubber boot closet

~Spring/Summer~

*Wash cars

*Mow lawns

*Weed garden/flowerbeds

*Cut firewood/fill woodshed

*Maintain animal pens and chicken coop

*Organize the rubber boot closet (Because our children wear rubber boots year-round! And yes, it gets gross.)

~Sunday~Day of rest and relaxation!

Enjoy family time

I used to think that our home was "organized chaos", but have come to the conclusion that there was nothing organized about it. Sometimes there is so much to do, that it's easier mentally to not do anything at all. There's a saying that goes something like this, "The faster I go, the more behind I get." Doing anything, without purpose, keeps our progress to a minimum.

It also keeps the bedsheets from being washed.

Menu Plan 1/31/11

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

This will be my mantra for the week. Thursday, I hit a little roadblock in my meal plan.

I got sick. Or tried to anyway. It never really amounted to more than a terrible headache, but that alone was enough to derail my cooking plans.

It's very difficult to cook when you're head is pounding to the beat of your own heart. Even if it did have a pretty good rhythm.

Here's what's cookin' this week...

~Monday~

Crockpot Apple Pie Oatmeal (still new!)

Spinach/Ricotta White Spelt Pizza, Caesar Salad

~Tuesday~

Pennsylvania Dutch Baked Oatmeal

Crockpot Salsa Chicken w/ Soaked Brown Rice, Corn

~Wednesday~

No Crust Spinach Omelet (still new!)

Bottomless Chicken Pot Pie, Caesar Salad

~Thursday~

Fried Eggs, Toast

El Rancho Pasta Skillet, Green Beans

~Friday~

Steel-Cut Nutty Oats

Cincinnati Chili, Kim's Kornbread

~Saturday~

Oatmeal Buttermilk Cinnamon Pancakes

Potato/Corn Chowder, Peasant Bread

~Sunday~

Peanut Butter Muffins, Homemade Yogurt

Superbowl Food...TO BE DETERMINED!!!

This post is linked to Menu Mondays at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Tales of the Pepto Bismol Room

When I see this color, my mind immediately shifts to memories of childhood. This color does not evoke pleasant memories of cotton candy at the local fair, but rather, of my mom teaching me the value of numbers by saying, "Kimberly Sue, I am going to count to 3 and if you do not swallow that medicine, your tummy-ache will not be the only problem you'll be having!"

I took that as a multiple choice and went with option 2.

Here's the thing, you know something is going to be bad when your mother uses your entire given name. It's just as bad when your adult daughter comes to you and starts her sentence with "Momma".

Adult daughter's should never be allowed to choose their room colors. See, as an adult, my daughter knew that her remaining time here was short. You'd think we would've already learned this lesson. After all, Melissa is daughter #4. Shortly before our eldest daughter, Kelsie, moved away, she chose the downstairs bathroom color.

Her favorite color at the time was neon orange.

Thankfully, the ceiling caved in and the whole bathroom needed to be gutted. Personally, I think the bathroom committed suicide.

I've decided that it's up to me to save the bedroom before it too gets a crazy idea to end it all. Except for the carpet, which is *gasp* pink (!), the room has been stripped clean. It is a blank slate, ready for it's makeover and a new resident. When this room is done, it will no longer be known as the Pepto Bismol room, but as...

...you didn't think I'd tell you yet, did you?

 Here's what I'm working with...



Warning: Must wear safety goggles before entering Pepto Planet!

If radiation had a color, this would be it. Even the deer can see the glow.

Run Bambi~It's not safe!!



Blue/Grey primer to "coat" the Pepto Bismol walls



After primer...it's safe to remove your eye wear now.

Sometimes, when a project consumes me, I can be a little hard to communicate with. Locked in the Pepto room with TobyMac and Bon Jovi blaring from the I-home, Matthew decided that the answer he was seeking was not going to be answered through traditional methods.

We'll be working on his spelling after my project is completed.

Lentil Burritos

When I began this blog, with only a smidge less knowledge than I possess now, my intention was to have a place to share favorite recipes along with life and the lessons learned along the way. For the most part, I've been able to do as I intended.

But, because of my challenged computer skills, I haven't been able to figure out how to add cute little tabs for various subjects, so everything is kind of a jumbled up mess. Instead of hiding my head in shame however, I have embraced my incompetence in this area. With my head held high, I will continue on. Mainly, I've been doing what some of you have to do~search (frantically, for me) through the mess, looking for that one, or 20, recipes that I've posted without a picture. Those recipes that I know I've shared, but can't really remember where.

I call them The Lost Recipes. I'll be pulling earlier recipes out of the hidden recesses of my brain...er...blog, and re-posting them under their appropriate labels, making them easier to find. So, if some of them look familiar, just know that you are not losing your mind, nor are you having an episode of deja vu. Pretend, for my sake, that these are brand new, never before seen recipes.

I beg of you.

This is one of those recipes that should never be misplaced. Ever. Not only are Lentil Burritos frugal, meat-free and delicious, they are also considered a "fast food" in our house. It is also one of the recipes that cannot be messed up.

Even by me.☺

Lentil Burritos

~The Players~

3/4 C. dry, organic brown lentils

3/4 C. dry, organic brown rice

4 C. **beef broth (or 4 C. water and 1-1/2 Tb. organic beef soup base)

4 t. chili powder

1 t. dried cumin

2 t. onion powder

1/2 t. garlic powder

Optional: grated Cheddar cheese, sour cream, guacamole

Dump everything into a medium pot and bring to boil. Turn down the heat to medium low, cover, and continue to cook until all of the liquid is absorbed and the rice is done; approximately 45 minutes. Stir a couple of times while cooking.

Use as filling in the tortilla of your choice. We like to add a little grated cheese and serve with sour cream/ guacamole. ☺

Serves 4.
(I always double this and keep any extra in the fridge for a quick lunch later in the week.)

*For crispy burritos, lay wrapped burritos on cookie sheet. Lightly brush each burrito with olive oil and bake in 375F. preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

**To make a vegetarian version, omit beef broth and use vegetable broth instead. 

Enjoy!

A Two Week Meal Plan 1/23/11

A couple of weeks ago, I made the decision to grocery shop every other week instead of weekly. As a result, I ended up saving quite a large amount of mullah. ($118.00 to be exact!)

But, live-in-the-moment girl that I am, I did not save any of the cash for a rainy day. Really, who does that? Who really wants to go outside to spend some money on a rainy day? Maybe if I were stranded on a desert for months on end, the rain might seem like a welcome guest. But I, like every other Pacific Northwester, tends to bury my head under my pillow when I hear the rap-a-tap-tap of raindrops on my window. (It's a coping mechanism. Or denial.) I look for any excuse possible to NOT leave the warmth of my cozy home when the sky is leaking.

 Sometimes however, we do not wake to liquid sunshine streaming in our windows. Sometimes my friends, it is the real deal. A bright light in the sky, with the ability to blind those who are unaccustomed, shining, and demanding an audience. That bright yellow orb to some of you may be known as the sun. To us pasty-skinned, vitamin D deprived lovers of green grass and trees, the sun is an open invitation to venture outside.

With time limits, of course. 

So, my savings at the grocery store did not go into a rainy day fund.

It went to the beach.

  

Since the savings plan worked so well before, we're going to try this 2-week plan again.

Just in case the sun decides to reappear before July 5th.

Here's what's cookin' this week...

~Sunday~

Granola or Fried Eggs & Toast

Barthuley's Baked Beans, Kim's Cornbread

~Monday~

Simple Soaked Oatmeal w/blueberries

Lentil Burritos, Guacamole, Green salad

~Tuesday~

Peach Kuchen (carried over from last week)

Fried Elk Steak, Roasted Potatoes, English Creamed Peas (new), Cranberry Relish

~Wednesday~

Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, Toast

Greek Orzo Salad, Broiled Parmesan Tilapia

~Thursday~

Herbed Mushroom Omelettes (new)

Bottomless Chicken Pot Pie, Caesar Salad

~Friday~

Apple Pie Oatmeal (new)

Spinach/Ricotta White Spelt Pizza (no tomato sauce!) 

~Saturday~

Maple/Walnut Scones

Homemade Egg Noodles w/ Herbed Butter (new), Baked Salmon, Sauteed greens

~Sunday~

Granola & Yogurt

Potato/Corn Chowder, Caesar Salad

~Monday~

Simple Soaked Oatmeal w/blueberries

Lazy Chiles Rellenos Casserole, Cornbread

~Tuesday~

No-Crust Spinach Omelettes (new)

Crockpot Chicken w/ Peanut Sauce, Soaked Brown Rice

~Wednesday~ (Grocery Day!)

Pennsylvania Dutch Baked Oatmeal w/ peaches

El Rancho Pasta Skillet, Green Beans

~Thursday~

Fried Eggs, Toast

Cincinnati Chili, Cornbread

~Friday~

Steel-Cut Nutty Oats w/canned fruit

Crockpot Salsa Chicken, Soaked Brown Rice

~Saturday~

Oatmeal Buttermilk Cinnamon Pancakes

Ravioli Soup, European Peasant Bread

~Sunday~

Granola & Yogurt

Simple Sunday Supper (leftovers or whatever we pick up on the way home from church!)

This post is linked to Menu Mondays at I'm an Organizing Junkie.

Salmon Patties

Back in September, my Mister and I bought a rather large amount of fresh salmon at a very reasonable price. We froze some of it in fillets and roasts, and canned the rest, to be enjoyed throughout the winter.

Not to say that fresh salmon isn't welcome, but there's just something about having a salmon meal in the dead of winter, when it's not fishing season, that just tickles me to death. It almost feels like we're getting away with something.

That appeals to the rebel in me. Or, actually the wanna-be rebel in me.

One of our favorite meals are these salmon patties. I found the original recipe in a cookbook called, "Whole Foods for the Whole Family", by the La Leche league. (In case you don't know who they are, they are the breastfeeding experts.) Over the years, this recipe has been tweaked several times, but it has stayed pretty close to the original.

Like I said, a wanna-be rebel.

When making these, I always double the recipe so that we can enjoy salmon burgers for lunch the following day. With some homemade tartar sauce, this is one of those comfort meals that always finds its way onto our table several times a month.

Salmon Patties with Homemade Tartar Sauce

~The Players~

1 lb. canned salmon with liquid (1 pint home-canned or the equivalent of store-bought)

1/3 C. whole wheat flour (use fresh-ground if you can)

1/4 C. cornmeal (again, fresh ground is best)

1/4 C raw wheat germ

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 large onion, chopped (sweet is best, but yellow is fine too.)

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (You can use green, yellow or orange if you prefer.)

Zest and juice from 1 large lemon (I used Meyer lemons)

1 t. sea salt

1/4 t. fresh ground pepper

oil for browning (I used Red Palm oil, but expeller pressed coconut oil works too.)

Dump the salmon into a large bowl, using a fork to break apart. Don't worry if there are bones in there, they are soft and break into the mixture well. You won't even know that they are there.

Add the whole wheat flour, cornmeal, wheat germ, salt, and pepper. Slightly mix in.

In a separate, small bowl, lightly beat eggs.

But first marvel at the ridiculous size of eggs that some of your chickens might be laying. You may want to congratulate them.





Into the salmon mixture, mix in the eggs, lemon zest and juice; stir well. Add in in the onions and peppers.

You mixture should look something like this.

Unless you used green, yellow or orange peppers.

In a large cast iron pan, heat oil until very hot, but not smoking. You only want about 1/4 inch of oil in the pan, anymore than that and we'll have to rename the art of frying to the art of swimming.

I get my Red Palm oil here, but you can find it at most whole food/health stores.



Don't be alarmed ,Red Palm oil is supposed to be...well, red!



Make patties in the palm of your hand, and using a pancake turner, very carefully place in the hot oil. Cook for about 2-3 minutes on one side, then flip over (again, very carefully!) and cook the other side for 2-3 minutes more. Remove cooked patties from oil and place on paper towels to drain.

Serve with Homemade Tartar Sauce! (Recipe follows)

Kim's Tartar Sauce

1-1/2 C. mayonnaise (The best that you can buy or make)

1 large dill pickle, chopped

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

1/2 t. dry mustard

1 t. dried parsley

1/8 t. paprika

1/2-1 t. fresh-squeezed lemon juice (to taste)

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Serve with Salmon Patties, homemade fish & chips, or your favorite seafood.

Enjoy!

This post is linked to Fight Back Fridays over at the Food Renegade! 

A Room of My Own

In the grand scheme of life, a mom's desire for her own space is an often neglected want. Don't get me wrong, as much as a family loves, adores, and admires (in a perfect world) the matriarch of the family, there is not usually the space or the time to provide that often-needed space of retreat.

In the past, to have any alone time, I've needed to go for walks, with my trusty pepper spray and over-enthusiastic Labrador retriever; had to rise before anyone else, which in my house, means it's still hours before sunrise, or stay up later than the rest of the family, which means that I probably shouldn't waste precious quiet time by sleeping. Not when there is likely something to clean!

Then there are the times where an unexplainable trip to town is needed. Not that that results in rest and relaxation, but at least the music in the car is mine and I am free to sing at the top of my lungs, off-key, and oblivious of anyone I know spotting me. Of course, this method is not suitable for the frugal homemaker as money that was allotted for

"Suzie's" new socks ends up buying the frazzled mommy's new nail polish. That is, if she even has any nails left.

Enter my family. Specifically, my Mister. Women see a need and talk about various ways to accomplish the goal. (Since I am a woman, this is an appropriate observation. Not so, if a man observes and has the audacity to mention it.) Men typically see a need and just giterdone. Unless it's a big football playoff weekend. Thankfully, my farmer man isn't too concerned with football. It leaves more time for giterdone mode.

After seeing his rather frazzled wife, eyes wide, babbling incoherently, and possibly drooling after a rather rough day of homeschooling (Algebra is NOT for the faint of heart! And all I'm doing is correcting!), my beloved decided that it was time to give Momma a place of her own.

Definition of "very own": kid, husband, dog & cat free, with frills, ruffles and a collection of Anne Geddes pictures on the walls. May also include various shades of the color pink.

What began it's life as a shared space of office and sewing area, is now mine. All mine.



My sewing area before...



My sewing room after...



The office area, after the desk was removed, before...and slightly after...



My antique table, perfect for quilting and sipping tea, after...

Our shared office/sewing/craft/wrapping paper storage, before...



My scrapbooking/wrapping paper storage, after...

My literature...



My work area...



My artwork...



My tea, in my great-grandmother's wedding china...

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need one more thing to make my room absolutely perfect.

A little background noise.



Perfect.