Fresh or Frozen, That is the Question

Several of my blogging buddies have been discussing the differences between fresh vs. frozen vegetables. They're also discussing meal planning and budgeting, etc. On the one hand, fresh vegetables are more healthful (though maybe minimally?), and tasty. Frozen, however, seem to be more convenient and probably more inexpensive. I am trying to put my opinion about such matters onto paper.

I have never thought myself to be a "meal planner". I have not been organized enough, I guess. I also have a situation where my husband is never getting home at a consistent time every day. He says that since he owns his own business, he doesn't just "punch the time clock" like someone working 9-5, or whatever. So, given this uncertainty, I know that I would get frustrated with having planned meals that invariably would not hold over until he got home. His inconsistency has required me to be more flexible, and less regimented. I would like to have more certain plans sometimes, but I do the best I can.

So, given all this, I think it has caused me to be more fly-by-night, of sorts. I am trying to reign it in somewhat, and as I look at being more organized, and trying to "change the things I can", I have thought about meal planning, etc. I am realizing that I do plan more than I realize. But my planning is a little different than making menus out before I go shopping. I kind of do it backwards. I go to the grocery store and see what they have "Buy one, get one free.". If there are really good deals, I stock up on things that will keep. As hubby has pointed out to me before, "It costs the same to put gas in the car, whether it be to keep a full tank or to run on empty." Same goes for the pantry. We also don't live 5 minutes from the grocery store, so a well-stocked pantry is very handy.

I also go to the produce store in E. and purchase any fruit and vegetables that are in season, and therefore have a very good price. That's what we will be eating the next week or so. If I have purchased fresh vegetables that are in danger of going bad before we can eat them, they will go in a container in the freezer for use in a vegetable soup later on. This way they don't go to waste.

We tend to eat fresh veggies when we can (if the price is right), and make use of frozen fruit and veggies for the rest of the time. I am also lucky in the fact that I have access to a Costco. I shop there on the days I go into the big city for work. They have fabulous prices on frozen fruit for breakfast smoothies, frozen vegetables, and several varieties of economical nuts and dried fruit. I am so thankful for these, as we use these frequently as staples to our diet.

Anyway, this whole discussion has been very interesting to me. Thanks, friends!

Life's Simple Pleasures

I have an annoying, odd, and even quirky habit. It sometimes drives me nuts! I have the tendency to hoard treats, or special stuff. I have done this my whole life. When I was a kid, if I got a rare (as in the "once in a blue moon" frequency) candy or bubblegum treat, I would often save it for later, savoring the idea of tasting it later, only to have the treat go stale. Worse yet, I often lost them, or had them swiped by my little sister! I still do this as an adult. If I have a special soap, I don't use it too often because I don't want it to run out! If I have a favorite perfume, I don't wear it until there's a special occasion. Well, my life is not exceptionally exciting, and "special" occasions don't come around very often. My special perfume, or whatever it is, will turn a nasty odor on me, and I no longer like it 15 yrs. later. Why do I do this? Every time I have to throw something out because it's not good anymore, it's a reminder in how crazy it is to save everything for later. I'll have to locate the verse, but the Bible even speaks about storing up (hoarding)treasures here on earth, where thieves and robbers may steal them, or moths destroy them.

So, since I have been pondering on this a lot lately, I have vowed to try and seize opportunities TODAY to do special little things with my kids. It may be something very simple, like trying a new variety of fruit that is always "too expensive" to buy. We recently scarfed down a pomegranate. It was delicious! The kids felt special for the treat, and that made them warm and open.

Another idea I am putting in place, is to actually play a family game together. It's crazy, I know, but I guess I have had the mentality that if I provided fun and educational games and hands-on projects in our home, that the kids would pull them out and use them while I was busy. It hasn't been happening on their own, so I am endeavoring to sit down and do these things with them. It has been fun, and it often seems to spark enough interest that they will go back to these projects or games later without me, when I am busy paying bills or getting my morning shower, etc. I guess kids can get in a rut, too, and just need a little nudge now and then, with some new ideas to build on.

We have been putting on special music for chore times, and even during free time between school work. I have all these lovely Christian and classical music CD's on the shelf, but we never listen to them. Why? Laziness to change out the CD's or even just turn on the stereo? Or is it just because I don't think about it? I guess I have a heavy dose of "out of sight, out of mind" mentality. It is not often enough that I will "stop and smell the roses." I must have been inadvertently passing this thought process on to my kids as well.

Recently, when I was at K's house, she offered me a cup of tea. Now, I have always enjoyed herbal tea, but I never make it! It's such a simple thing to do! So, the kids and I have been having mini-tea parties. It's so much fun to try different kinds of tea, and sample new flavors. And I already had all these tea varieties in my cupboard, just sitting there waiting for me to drink them. And who knows.....they might have tasted even better if they were fresh. Anybody know the shelf life of herbal teas?

Oh, and I almost forgot. The above picture is of our fireplace. We enjoyed our first fire tonight in our new house. It's going to be chilly tonight! My hubby said that it's finally feeling like "home" since we lit the fire. And he's SO glad that we went with the real wood-burning fire, and not the gas "fake" fire.

Preparing for Advent

I attended an Advent Workshop last night with a friend of mine. Thanks H for telling me initially, and to M for the reminder! What is an Advent Workshop? Well, it was a talk and a demonstration presented by a Christian mother with a wish to share her family's special Advent traditions with other families. Advent is the time leading up to Christmas. She was so energetic and inspiring. I can't wait to implement some of her ideas with my own family. I have always tried to present Christmas as the observation of Jesus' birth. I know it is not His real birthday, but I would still rather reinforce the memory of Jesus' magnificent gift to us, than focus on the commercialized counterfeit version of Christmas. I don't want my kids to grow up materialistic and shallow. How much better if they could be generous and giving of themselves, spreading Christ's cheer to others.

So, now the task of putting some ideas into practice. This part may be a little more tough. I am not a "traditions" kind of gal. Maybe because of my personality, maybe my own upbringing, or even having a hubby that isn't very sentimental? (He has even been called a "humbug" before, by various friends and family members, though not by me, of course!!) I will attempt to have enough enthusiasm to carry my family through some new ideas. I'm off to find an advent wreath and some candles. I will use our flannel graph set in lieu of a nativity set. It should work just fine!

Bits and Pieces of Today

We had several things happen today that I can write about. First, we attended our last orchestra class. Today targeted the strings section. The gentleman holding the class brought his cello and his violin. He was very good and the kids could tell he had a genuine interest in them. He said his cello was worth $82,000.00 dollars. Yes, you read that right. His cello is also 215 yrs. old. That's amazing to me. The most expensive violin (or was it cello? can't remember!) sold for almost 10 million dollars, which is even more amazing. The most entertaining thing the teacher did today for the kids, was to play samples of all manner of different types of music: jazz, blues, country, bluegrass, rock and roll, heavy metal, and of course, classical. The kids, as well as the parents, had a great time trying to figure out what he was playing. Some of the songs were pretty deceptive and hard to recognize, since he could only play one line of the song, unlike the actual recorded piece like it may appear on the radio.

Before we left, the official orchestra people discussed with us HS moms that they may be willing to start some orchestral shows at a discounted price here in our county. They would be held in MD at a certain church which can hold quite a few people. So, we will be watching for those developments.

We came home, ate, and then did some school work after lunch. We were temporarily interuppted by a plethora of birds outside our window. We tried to identify several species of small birds, all catching bugs in the grass. We also saw a pair of Eastern Bluebirds. We are glad to see them, as we have seen them before, but sparingly. We need to look into getting a birdhouse for them and see if they will move in. A couple hours later, we discovered the Robins have migrated through! We see them every year about this time. We counted upwards of 100 Robins in our front yard alone. It is common for them to be in a large group when they first come through, but then only a handful remain near our home the entire winter.

We also saw some escapees from our front window. Our neighbors across the way had a couple goats he had to relocate to another neighbor's property. (I can't tell you their names because then you would know where we live! They are named after the town....) Anyway, I knew they weren't supposed to be back so knew they must have escaped and come back home. We drove over to the new owners' house, and sure enough, they had gotten loose. We volunteered to help capture and relocate them, and proceeded to do so. It went well, and went back home for supper.

No sooner had we gotten started with supper preparations, when hubby came home and announced he had to go pick up our neighbor's teenage son's car. It was sitting stranded a couple blocks away. I later discovered, by talking to his mother, that he had just had an entire brake job completed on his classic car. New disc brakes, maybe? Evidently, the installers botched the job. While he drove it home, the father, who was following behind him, called on the cell phone and frantically informed him of a fire ball shooting flames from under the car! They pulled over, and managed to put the fire out with an extinguisher and massive handfuls and kicking of dirt that they threw on the flames. My hubby loaded up the car in his trailer and hauled it back to their house. They are next door neighbors to us. So, we are thankful that he is safe. It could have happened on the interstate, but happened close to home, on a dirt road, no less. Thankfully it did!

And finally, B caught a lizard on her own. She is quite proud and excited about the whole thing. She is no stranger to critters, and likes to hold all sorts of stuff. Must be that having 2 older brothers wears off on her.

Close Call, But Safe

This afternoon, we took a drive to visit my husband's parents at their home. It was a nice visit, and too soon we were on our way home. We had no sooner gotten on the freeway when somebody veered into our lane and sideswiped us on the road! C pulled the truck to the side of the road, and both vehicle's drivers got out to inspect the damage. I admit, I was a little nervous to see the other car was an "ex-cop car" with a spot-light mounted above the driver's-side side view mirror. It was dark outside, and for some reason I had visions of road rage or something. I calmly told the kids to offer up their prayers for safety, and sweet little B said her prayer out loud while I said mine silently. There is nothing that warms my heart like a little child's sweet prayer to Jesus. As it turns out, there was no damage to our truck, but there were plenty of black tire scuffs down the side of the other guy's car. My husband always says he feels safer with us in the truck. In this instance, it was definitely so. Thank you, Jesus.

Then, after we were back on the road, we witnessed a car weaving all over the road. I really hate to see drunk drivers on the streets. And it was only 8:30 p.m. Just another instance of why it's good practice to pray for protection on the roads.

And speaking of prayer, I am happy to know that my oldest son has his very first prayer partner. He's another boy his same age, and they have issues that are very common to them both. H is taking this promise to pray for his friend seriously. It warms my heart. I have noticed H taking more of an interest in heavenly matters lately, and I am so thankful for that. I am so blessed.

Rescue of a Little Bitty Bird

First thing this morning, we discovered a sweet little bird trapped within our pool screen enclosure. This has happened several times before, so we are used to it. It often doesn't end well since many times our dogs get ahold of the bird before we can. (We have discovered mocking birds, cardinals, a bluebird, bluejay, a dove, and even a humming bird.) But this time, we chased the poor little bird for close to half an hour before it was all over. We had all 4 screen doors opened hoping the bird would spot an opening to the outdoors, but he didn't. You should have seen C and me chasing him around with long-handled brooms hoping to shoo him out the door! The dogs were chasing him too, but the bird was careful to stay up high enough to keep out of the dogs' grasps. This whole time, 4 yr. old B kept praying over and over for Jesus to protect the sweet little bird, hands folded and eyes closed, sitting on her tricycle. Just when I was getting quite tired of the whole thing (hey, there was a lot of chasing going on, and it was frustratingly exhausting!), I went inside to try and recruit my hubby. I figured he might be able to reach out and grab him, since he's considerably taller than me, by almost a foot. That's right about the time the little bird started getting careless, surely from pure exhaustion and fright, and lost a lot of altitude. No sooner did I get indoors to beg for help, when I heard a scream from C. Our 80 lb. dog had the bird in her mouth! Hubby saw the whole thing through the window. The dog gave the bird up after several seconds, but only after some whacks on her back with the broom from C. coming to the bird's rescue! Can you see it in your mind's eye? So now we've got the other son H helping to restrain the dogs, while the bird hops around on the porch. Poor thing lost several feathers in the scuffle with the dog. I didn't know if it could still fly, or even if it was injured or not. Hubby's calling out, "Just reach out and grab it!" Believe me, I kept trying, but even in its stunned state, it kept evading my grasp. Finally, I got the bird, and took him to the door. He was able to fly, but only to my husband's truck parked nearby. He lodged himself in between the hood and the bug shield. He sat there several minutes, and then flew to the tree above. I hope he didn't sustain internal injuries from the clamping down of Cocoa's jaws. And in true homeschooling fashion, we went and looked in the bird book to try and identify the bird. We believe he was a Song Sparrow. It's funny how we were chasing him for so long, but don't feel like we got a very good look at him because of all the excitement!

In Search of Fall Foliage

Living where we do, there aren't many opportunities for appreciating the autumn colors. So we headed to Georgia to find some! The locals in North Georgia claim the colors are not as vibrant this year for some reason; maybe it's the drought they've been enduring the past 2years, or that the temperatures didn't chill soon enough, or both. But the colors were still pretty to us. We spent much of our time in Georgia driving through the mountains, in active pursuit of the reddest and the orangest leaves we could find.The kids were surprised to see different colored leaves. Now they are bugging us to take them to see snow this winter, as they haven't witnessed it before either!

We had so much fun on our mini-vacation, but we actually came back home a whole day early on accident! Hubby blames me, and I guess it was mainly my fault. Somehow I just got the dates mixed up in my head. I must confess, I was a little worried that we would miss our field trip to the local TV station! (More on that later.)

While in Georgia, we visited a family's personal model train collection. They boast the largest "O-guage" model train setup in the country. It was absolutely fabulous, and the details were outstanding. They had replicas of several local towns, as well as some national landmarks. Here is a picture of the town of Blairsville, GA, with the tower of Brasstown Bald in the background. After the train museum, we drove up to Brasstown Bald to see it for ourselves. It is the highest elevation point in Georgia.