Not So Smooth Saturday

Organizing my life is not going to be an easy ride.  I spent a busy Saturday doing some needed jobs that just wouldn't fit into my schedule.  I know my schedule is not the perfect organizational form and head down the slippery slope sometimes when things don't work out as planned.  I do set myself up for defeat when I don't accomplish a day's task, then another, but I am okay with that.  I have learned over the years to factor in bad days and just ride them out.  Tomorrow will be a better day. It always is.

I must remember a note I found on my peg board when I took over the receptionist job at the Mission Office.  "He who is not flexible will get bent out of shape."  I pinned it onto a Gumby figure and kept it on my desk to remind me to get over it when things don't pan out.  I better print that on my Daily Schedule.  

That said, my menu had a few open days this week.  I prepare it on Wednesday to Tuesday and last week I forgot about Thur, Fri, Sat, and Sun and made it for Monday to Sunday.  Silly me.  It has been the old style menu for a few days.  Punt.  (And Super Bowl this weekend.  No pun intended, but it is appropriate.)  

Tonight is a Burger Bust night.  I picked a recipe that fit the ingredients that I had on hand.  I chose a pin called Daddy's Hamburgers and Friday Faves found on the blog:  http://www.foodiecrush.com/2013/02/daddys-hamburgers/ (mostly because I had no buns and other exotic ingredients to work with and this would fit the shortage.)  It was good, and supposed to be juicy, but I must insert a couple of exceptions. First, the roll burned where they were not covered with meat.  It is an open faced burger broiled right on the ciabatta rolls and 550 degrees is way hot. Secondly, the meat was not cooked in 10 minutes. A little poke in the burger oozed out too much blood.  So I flipped the meat over and gave it more time and inadvertently overcooked them while preparing a salad.  No picture.  We were too hungry and gobbled them down, burned bread and all.

My error was in making two larger burgers instead of 4 small ones with my half pound of meat.  The Pinterest picture does not look like a slider and was just as thick in the picture as mine.  But, pictures can be deceiving.  They tasted okay with a fat slice of tomato on top even though they were not juicy as promised.  This recipe is back in the queue to try again and monitor it more closely.

Now Saturday is over.  Bummer.

Frumpy Friday

It is grey outside.  You know what that means--Inversion!  I cannot see the mountains, I cannot go outside (already have asthma every day), fog/smog is all around and here I sit. All day!  Park City, here I come, I wish.  

It is late afternoon and I am still in my pjs.  Down, Fly Lady, leave me alone.  The day started out promising and then I turned on the computer while eating my breakfast and it was downhill from there.  Let's see:  bathrooms today. Good thing they are still fairly clean.  A little touch-up tomorrow and voila.  (Can someone please tell me how to spell that word?  It says so much.)

Here's the skinny (dates me).  Yesterday I cleaned up the upstairs bedrooms, pick up, put away, vacuum and everything. However, there was a smelly problem in the boy's room. The cat was accidentally locked in there last week and guess what, she peed on the bed.  Cat Urine! Aaarg!  I am so sick of that smell. I now know that I cannot blame all the destruction of my sofa and loveseat and carpet to feral cats coming in my doggie door at night.  I do think they started it and now my cat thinks she has to finish it. This beautiful cat is on her way to the dog house, if I had one.

The first solution after catching one of the feral cats was to buy a locked doggie door.  The dogs have to wear a little fob on their collar in order to come in or go out.  The cat doesn't have one yet because we have to order another fob. I has a proximity sensor on it that unlocks the door when they come near.  Abby negotiates it just fine, but Boo is scared of it and won't go through it.

The cute little dogs are not exempt from accidents, either. We got a black light last week to check for urine spots. The two upstairs bedrooms have little spots all over them and I am sure the carpet we replaced was partly spotted by the dogs, too. This is dirty dog syndrome and I doubt it can be changed in dogs that are nine and ten years old. That is why we got the doggie door in the first place.  Life is just easier with a door.  Boo was a rescue dog and Abby was just plain old stubborn.  Neither one took to potty training too well.

Today I have laundered ever piece of bedding in the boy's room.  Unfortunately, all the bedding the grandkids used was still in that room on the bed.  Oh, my.  Spring cleaning has begun.

I need to clean the shower, at least today and take a shower and get dressed.  The shower gets a lot of soap scum so I am off to do some housecleaning before it grows too late.  Time is moving on.

By the way, I did clean the two bathrooms upstairs.  I feel better about that day.  (added later)

I Make Quilts, Too

My mother was a quilter.  She made many lovely quilts for my daughters and myself.  I worked with her for many years learning to make pieced quilts and quilting by hand, not tyed or with a sewing machine. 

I wish to feature a quilt that I made for January, a dull and depressing month.  I must hurry to take the picture before February comes and I change to my hearts quilt.

This is such a lovely quilt and it is tyed, not something I usually do. The squares just lend themselves to tying.

My mother brought these squares of fabric from Hawaii when she visited my sister.  They were all cut and ready to sew together.  I pieced them together randomly then set them together with a two inch piece of batting (Yes, it is thick* so I only use this quilt in the winter.) and beautiful sky blue tricot back.  I purchased a couple of fuschia pillow covers for accents.  It lifts my spirits and makes me think of warmer days.

With the thick batting it puffs up the squares better; it would be puffier if I quilted around each square, but that is impossible because of the thickness--another reason it is tyed.  Perhaps the sewing machine could handle that job, but it is finished in my opinion.

Two problems:  the tricot backing makes it slippery.  On restless nights the quilt is almost off the bed by morning.  And, it is too heavy for my feet if I lay on my back to sleep.  It is especially heavy if folded back on warm nights.  We had unusually warm nights this January. It was 53 degrees outside at midnight one night. (That was in February--I had to post date this post because I got behind.)  These are record breaking warm days and nights for Utah in January and February.

*An interesting story about the 2" batting.  When I was manager for HOF one year, I found a brand new roll of our thickest batting in the back of the room that some man had peed on.  I was totally shocked at the idea that he thought he could do such a thing.  My district manager told me to write it off and discard it.  I took it home, cut off the pee part then laundered the rest of the roll in my bathtub (several times) and let it dry out in the sun for several days draped the length of my deck.  I had no clue what to use it for--it cannot by quilted--it is too thick.  I finally decided to make this colorful quilt for those gloomy days of January.   

Yellowstone's Famous Roosevelt Beans

Today's Food storage meal from last weeks menu is simmering in two crock pots plus white beans cooked yesterday.

I prefer to cook my own beans. Add some biscuits and you have a warm, hearty meal for a cool, rainy day. It is Yellowstone's Famous Roosevelt Beans.

1 pound ground beef
1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces
1 onion, diced
1 (16 ounce) can pork and beans
1 (12 ounce) can kidney beans
1 (12 ounce can) lima beans
1 (12 ounce can) butter beans
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard
1/2 cup ketchup
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

In a frying pan, brown the ground beef and bacon. Drain the fat. Add the onions and sauté until soft. Stir in all the different cans of beans, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, ketchup and salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking dish and cook for 45 minutes. Makes 8 to 12 servings.

Xanterra Parks & Resorts

This recipe is from the Roosevelt Lodge in Yellowstone National Park. It is supposed to be a baked bean recipe, but makes a good soup if you cut out all of the brown sugar; the ketchup has enough sugar. Added more bean liquid for a soup consistency. No need to bake the soup, simmer a crock pot instead.  I used my smallest 3 quart pot.

Yellowstone's Roosevelt Bean Soup

Serve with Gluten Free Biscuits, butter and Kempe's raw honey (my grandchildren's bees).

  

This is a great storage use recipe. I have beans and more beans in food storage and they are getting old.  I must soak them for a couple of days sometimes to get them soft enough to eat. (Warning, undercooked beans give potent gas.)

By cooking my own beans--a bit of a project with three different beans, I now have several two-cup servings of beans in the freezer.  

Thanks for the two crock pot gifts, my sweet girls.  I use both.

Menu Blues

Let's talk about menus today.  I don't love to make a menu. The only time it seems like a good idea is when it is time to cook dinner; it is not fun facing the dinner hour without a clue about what to fix. 

I am back on the menu bandwagon once again. My daily schedule is halfway worked out, and the menu part is this:

•  Monday: Soup in Winter  Salad in Summer
•  Tuesday: Chicken
•  Wednesday: Use Food Storage
•  Thursday: Fish
•  Friday: Quick or Eat Out
•  Saturday: Burger Bust
•  Sunday:  Crock Pot Meal

Still moving things around from my original schedule; I need a few more weeks to see if it fits.

The biggest problem with making a menu is over planning. I want to add something new every day; try out new pins and recipes. It is hard to temper my desires with reality. After a few days of cooking new stuff I just want to stop with a menu and cook some old familiar meals like spaghetti instead of trying another new recipe.  I have to limit myself to one or two untried meals per week.

The grocery list gets a bit complicated and expensive, too, when trying lots of new stuff.  It all sounds wonderful on paper, but is not always practical. I am not interested in shopping all afternoon.

Last Saturday I went to Costco and then Walmart.  Are you kidding; shopping either store on a Saturday? It took three hours and cost almost $300.  Yikes! Fortunately I only go to Costco once a month. It is too easy to put another item in the cart that costs $10 to $20. I read the ads, but Walmart is still my choice since my Rx's are there. 

Note a pin about Walmart on my board Buyer Beware.  There are some things you don't by at Walmart.

Menu for the week:  

• Monday: Angie's  Perfect Potato Soup,(http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2013/01/perfect-potato-soup) another soup from the family recipe contest  
• Tuesday:  Oven Fried Chicken with Baked Potatoes. Comfort food on a cold day
• Wednesday: Storage Garlic Chicken (like the frozen one)(Storage,canned chicken, fusili, and bottled Alfredo Sauce) 
• Thursday:  Oven baked Flounder with quinoa pilaf and green salad.
• Friday: Hot Dogs with sauerkraut and crudites.
• Saturday: Beef and Black Bean Burgers with Cumin Mayonnaise (from the cookbook, Beans by W. Park Kerr) and apple slices.
• Sunday: Slow Cooked Artichoke Pasta (with Chicken)http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2011/01/super-easy-slow-cooker-artichoke-pasta A new dish, but a super easy pinned recipe.  Let you know how it turns out.

That was an easier menu plan.  Did it in 20 minutes. Enjoy the day!

Never On A Sunday

We spent the day at Caroline Wamsley's homecoming party for our nephew, Elder Cade Wamsley. He was in the Nebraska Omaha Mission for two glorious years.   What a treat to spend time with the family.  Not much of our own family nearby.

Caroline wore herself out making the occasion very special.  There was a ton of food (light breakfast?) and lots of visitors to eat it. The decorations were adorable--more work done be a loving mother, and she even recovered a couch the last days before the party. What a woman!!  I wish I had that energy.

I must remember to carry my camera.  This blog is boring without some pictures.  Duh!

Scripture of the week:  Matthew 4:  18-19  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea:  for they were fishers.  
And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

Burger Bust

Burger Bust Saturday

Let the quest for a great burger begin.  I have been craving a juicy burger for a while.  I like 5 Guys, but the bun is not great, but the topping selection is the best. Mostly the bag full of fries is the draw for me.  

I like Smash Burger with their flat crispy burger, not the bun, but love the Smash Fries--very savory.  

Carl's Jr.'s Six Dollar Thickburger is good, but none of them are cooked to medium because of food poisoning restrictions.  They just are  not that juicy.

I made a good burger a while ago and cooked it less than done with Costco's Kirkland Organic Ground Beef and that is the flavor I am looking for.  It was great even on a thin style bun. 

I like other "burgers", too. Turkey, salmon, shrimp--I have a few recipes. Rachel Ray is the queen of burger recipes.  I love to watch her make burgers and wish I was the one to taste it for her.  Therefore, I have begun pinning different burger recipes and plan to try them out.  I also have Rachel's Thirty Minute Meals Cookbook for some interesting ideas. I have designate Saturday as Burger Bust Day.  

Last Saturday's burger was not disappointing. The pin was from Lauren's Wicked Spatula Blog wickedspatula.com.  The burger is Tropical Grilled Salmon Burger with Grilled Pineapple and Avocado.  Of course, I did have to change it a little.  I did not have fresh salmon--too pricey for Saturday night supper. (Maybe for guests.)

I used a 7.5 oz. can of good Wild Sockeye Salmon from Alaska purchased from Azure Farms in Oregon. Then I added one egg, 1/2 cup gluten-free bread crumbs and S&P.  I could not grill it as it was a little too soft, but cooked it in a hot cast iron skillet in olive oil to perfection.  I grilled the pineapple, but, alas, my avocado was too green.  It would have tasted like pine gum.  Next time.  

Place the burger on a bed of butter lettuce (or not is okay), on a grilled thin style bun, Cilantro Lime Mayonnaise (on the blog) and thin sliced jalapeno peppers.  To die for! even without the avocado.

I used my home canned jalepenos (penyo--say it correctly) peppers.  There was an abundance of peppers in my garden last fall.  I used another pin to can them. (Pickled Jalepenos from the blog:  The Yummy Life, theyummylife.com)   They are so good. On the pineapple they didn't bite like I expected them to.  

I plan to explore the pins that I have pinned in the last few years and use my blog as the place to evaluate them, change them or just plain rave about them.   This is a great one! 

Friday Frenzy

Falling off the edge on Friday:

Not quite the truth.  After deep cleaning three bathroom that really needed it and bathing two dirty little dogs, I didn't want to do anything else.  So I am postdating this post, not a pun, and collecting my Frenzied Friday Thoughts.

The word is:  "We've got to get organized."; my favorite line from my go to pick-me-up movie for many years--a real blast from the cold war past: The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, 1966.  The movie needs to be resurrected now that The Bear, Putin, has come out of hibernation. Don't miss it.  Surely someone still has a copy rattling around. My copy is on Beta, or VHS and not too useful.  That dates me.  Cannot find on Netflix, but it is on Amazon Videos (not Prime--rent for $2.99).

Organize.  The bane or salvation of my life.  Since it is my New Year's Day or close to it;  I must attempt to 'get organized'.  Many attempts have been made over the years to do this: "The Happiness Project, Fly Lady, Dress Your Truth, How to Get Control of Your Time and Your Life, Organizing From the Inside Out, The Simple Living Guide, et all."  Tried it, done that.  The nice thing about all these books/programs is that something always sticks with me through the years.  It is never a waste to try something new.  I keep the things that work;  file the others away for later contemplation--always open to ideas. 

My favorite, time tested, frequently revamped schedule is the one I still use. Set this up any which way, use suggestions for type of recipe, chore, divide things up that you like to do or must do and loosely follow the plan.  Example below:  Leftover from mission days--it didn't work then.  Too exhausted to keep working after working eight hours a day. 

Description     Monday      Tuesday     Wednesday    Thursday      Friday     Saturday        

Meals:
Breakfast       Hot Cereal   Eggs          Cold Cereal    Pancakes     Eggs       Waffles                               Dinner           Soup/Salad  Chicken     Food Storage  Fish            Quick      Burgers        

Laundry        Whites          Lights       Dark                Sheets         Towels    Iron                
Paperwork     Plant            Bead         Menu               Quicken      Off          Off                
                      Journal         Inventory                                                                                        

Daily             Water           Down       Kitchen/          Bedrooms    Bath-     LR/FR/DR     
Cleaning        Plants           Stairs       Laundry          Up                rooms    

Deep Clean   (to be added)
1st wk
2nd wk
3rd wk
4th wk

Projects (to be added)       

Other

This is the basic outline; after working it for a week it definitely needs some major tweaking.  The breakfast suggestions work well as does the laundry and cleaning schedule.  They have not changed for years.  I have always joked that if anyone comes to visit on Friday, I will have to entertain them in the bathroom because it will be the cleanest room.  It works for me.  Menu planning is taking too long. Others are just passed by completely.  That is okay.  I do not stress if an item is passed up, just pick it up again next week. 

I am open to some new plans.  I like one suggestion found on a blog that followed a modified 7 Steps formula of Steven R. Covey. She had seven things she did every day to keep the house clean. (I lost her list--reading too many blogs that day.)  I would change it anyway.  I don't have children at home;  just the two of us making messes.

My List:  (Seven must do daily chores)

1. Make the bed asap. (Fly Lady)
2. Get dressed down to the shoes. (Fly Lady)
3. Sani-shine up the bathrooms. (Fly Lady)
4. Clean out the cat box.
5. Clean up the large areas in A.M.
6. Pick up stuff in P.M. (Fly Lady)
7. Clean up the kitchen sink after dinner. (Lots of  Fly Lady stuff stuck, see flylady.net)

The reason for seven chores is to make it a good length without being too cumbersome.  My list is subject to change;  must try it for a few weeks.  This is the daily quick clean.  Regular room clean-up will still have to be done, one room per day, and the deep cleaning needs to be fit in.  The plan is to get all this done before noon. When I get good at it or the house is finally cleaned up after eighteen months of neglect I can shorten that time.  For now noon is pushing it.

That is organization for now.  Evaluation will be monthly.  I will keep on keeping on or whatever they say now.  

Granny's got her dancing shoes on!

TODAY is the first day of the rest of my year.  After serving an 18 month full-time mission, I am ready to dust off the cobwebs of my daily beading blog. Many hours of thought have been given to this project (while recovering from the third flu attack since getting a flu shot then food poisoning or something more than the normal stomach irritation.)   Ready to go for it!  

After a week long recovery spent coughing and checking out my favorite blogs found on Bloglovin, I just feel the need to say something; something more than beads and beading. Don't get me wrong, I still love to bead, even though I am really rusty, and the bead room is piled high with boxes and fabric and a dozen other things.  I like to do other things, too. Pinterest has opened up a 'whole 'nother" world.  (JK--knowing how much I do not love that phrase.) For me, Pinterest has the clippings that I collected from magazines for years.  They are all organized and easy to access.  Who could ask for more?  

Besides that--it's January.  The time has come, the walrus said . . .   No more day dreaming; just get up and do it.  Yeah!  Heaven knows there are plenty of platitudes for the occasion.  I collect them, too.

Where am I going? Crazy, want to come?  

Deep breath.  I sit with a mug of Tomato Soup and a piece of Tillamook cheese (there is no bread for a grilled cheese sandwich or little else in the house to cook), croutons made from a dried piece of bread spread with butter, sprinkled with pepper flakes and oregano, toasted, and a flat lime squeeze with the last of the Diet Seven-up.  Things are looking up.
  

Comfort Food--Almost!

What are the assets?  Liabilities?

•  Love to write.
•  Love to bead
•  Love to sew
•  Love to garden
•  Love to Pin
•  Smarter than 'the average bear'
•  Rudimentary computer skills
•  Not great in the photo department
•  Not great in blog set-up
•  Old--Granny blog

The negatives have never stopped me before.  Self taught all my life.  Never too old to do it again.  I have something to say!  Move over young whipper snappers.  There's room for one more.

                     SEE YOU IN CYBER SPACE