Things to Ponder

Why do they call it a TV set if you only get one?


This is an interesting question. A TV set implies that you should have 2 TV's.

However, when that phrase was coined could it have been that a set meant there was a TV and a radio in the cabinet? If so I could see it being called a TV, Radio set.

Well anyway, the question was interesting. However my writers response is lacking in interesting. I wonder where my crazy writing ideas have gone! Maybe I am taking life too serious with all the stress I am dealing with and my creative juices have run dry.

I wonder why I seem to be so very different lately. I have a lot to think about and readjust.

Going for now.

Sharinskishe

My Make-Do Monday March 30

Make-Do Mondays

is a carnival dedicated to sharing the creative,

frugal or even humble ways we’re making-do with what we have
or what we can acquire in a frugal way.


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This Make-Do was created by my son, Pilot. I think he was pretty creative. He needed a place to put his sun-flower seed shells. Typically he grabs a plastic cup or a kitchen bowl or plate, well he grabs whatever is near. But he was sitting at his Dad's computer desk and didn't want to get up. So he grabbed a piece of paper, bent the corners and TaaaDaaa he had a paper basket to collect the shells and could totally be thrown away when he was done.

Sunflower seeds are a popular snack with my kids and Hubby. (I only like the shelled ones.) But there is often a mess associated with them. So this little paper holder keeps the mess from happening. When he is done he folds the paper around the shells and throws the whole thing away, no shells drop on the way to the trash can. They aren't in my sink, because it 'takes to long' to dump them in the garbage. There are no more excuses!!

Now if I can get my Dear Daughter and Dear Hubby to use this method!!

Yes, my son is still in his PJ's.
He is homeschooled and he
doesn't get dressed as
early as I think he should!
He thinks I should tell you
he has BlueBerry Tongue Disease,
which makes him sick enough to
be in his PJ's for most of the day!!

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Thanks for visiting with me today and leave me a comment if you have the time.

Now jump back to Ann's site for more ideas.

Sharinskishe

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Saturday is Here AGAIN!!! Lettuce Planted!!

Today is supposed to be the 'calm before the storm' day. So I am going to go out and check out my yard, after getting all that snow / moisture. It is blowing, and it looks like maybe it is a southern wind, which for us should be a warmer wind. I hope so. It is about 53 degrees F, and so I hope it is warm enough for me to get the kids to help with some of the things I need done outside.

Here is our new Lettuce 'Salad' planter:

OK, I went out and Pilot and I took a dishpan that we had in our garage that needed a new purpose and created a lettuce planter out of it.

1. First we made sure it was clean.
2. Then we need to make holes in the bottom of the tub for drainage.
3. Then we needed to fill it with compost and perlite.
4. Next plant the seeds.
5. Then sit it safely on some bricks.
6. I decided not to water as we should be having some rain and snow later today. They should do a great job of watering the lettuce seeds in.
7. Now when the weather gets warmer, I think I will make a table to put in the front corner of my house near the garage where it should get enough early sun and then be shaded during the hottest part of the day. I hope that helps in keeping the salad growing.
   

This is how we made the holes in the plastic tub or not:

First method: I grabbed the new matches I bought. Which brings me to an 'ahhh haaa' moment.

I was at Wal-mart the other day and I walked by the matches. I looked at them and thought, I should get some more. I have plenty in storage for emergencies, but I only have one large box in my kitchen for the firepit and Dutch Ovens. So I impulsively stuck them in my basket. I did not know if we were getting low or not.

Now today I am outside and see the box of matches from my kitchen on the grass in the back yard! What the blazes are they doing there? If it was from the weed burning we (The Boys did that is, I was going out Visiting Teaching and couldn't play in the fire. So sad for me!) did in our firepit a couple of weeks ago, that means they have been out there in the snow for two weeks!

So I believe that I was being directed by my Heavenly Father to have my kitchen stocked with the matches that we would need in case of a blackout or emergency. Not a coincidence, definitely direction.

Back to the way we put the holes in the Dishpan:

I built a matchstick fire to heat a nail. I knew I had plenty of matches and could expend a few in a little fun. That was before I went in the backyard and had my 'ahhh haaa' moment! Building this fire was more for fun than anything.
I took a dirt filled planter and built a teepee firewood starter out of matches. Then we lit it, it was really breezy and it took 3 matches to get it started. (Where was my camera?)
Well we had fun, I am a bit of a fire bug and it was a controlled environment. Anyway, Pilot said, "mom this isn't going to work." He is getting smart in his old age of 13. I replied, "what do you think we should do?" He said, "hang on, I'll show you." And away he went.

Pilot came back with his Pocket Torch. He and his dad have one. They are not to carry them around and Pilot has to be supervised when he uses his. So he says, "this will do the job." He turned it on the the wind was a bit too breezy in front of the house. So he said, "I'm going out back."
He took everything and went out back. I went after a couple of minutes and he had two sides done already. He heated the nail four times and did at least a dozen holes per heating. He did more holes than I was going for, but it will be fine, maybe even best for this planter.

We easily could have got the drill out and done this quicker, maybe. But we had fun. Don't get me wrong, I love power tools too. But I guess I love fire more!!!

So with the holes in, I was going to put in some gravel, but it was nearly 3pm and I was getting a bit tired. So for this tub, we just loaded it with compost and perlite. Then we mixed it good. Then I sprinkles all the lettuce seeds I had from one little packet, which was old and so I don't know what the germination will be, and covered up the seeds. I am not worried about oversowing, because there were not that many seeds in the packet.

Now like I mentioned about, I am going to see if the weather will water it in. If it doesn't I will do it later.

So finally one tub done!! Finally I have planted a cool crop, one tub is better than no tub. This is exciting for me!!! I have plans for more tubs and lots of veggies this year. So I hope I can get it done.

Added: 3-29-09 Sunday
We had a windy cold front come through this morning. However, it only dropped about a 1/2 inch of snow and very little rain on us. I will check my tub in the morning and see how wet it is and add to it if I need to. This week is supposed to be wet off and on. So we will see how it goes.


Added Monday morning 3-30-09
Update to The Lettuce Planting Post:

This morning we had about an inch more of snow that will melt down and give a bit more water to my lettuce tub. I can not wait to get the others planted. It is a good thing that I don't have all my seeds yet, because I would want to plant them all right now instead of staggering them.

It is too wet for me to go out and check to see if they have enough water. But then I really do not like the wet snow and I believe that the tub will be fine until it begins to warm up again. Then I will keep my eye on it.

I believe I will try to sift or screen my compost. The remaining compost has quite a bit of bigger twigs and stuff in it. I think it would be good to put it back in a compost area and let it go another year. So now I need to make a compost area. We have not made a permanent one here in our new (2 year old) home. So it is well time to have a boxed in area and not just a pile.

I do have a lot to do when the weather finally gets warmer and settled in for spring.


Updated April 3, 2009

It rained all night and so I am sure my lettuce is doing fine, water wise. It is draining fine. I hope to see some babies any day now.

Thanks for stopping by!

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Return to Ann's Blog for the Food on Fridays carnival and find more posts that might be anything remotely related to food.

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Kid Friendly Friday - March 27 Macaroni & Cheese for Dinner

It's been an M and M sort of week for me.  That means a difficult week and I am treating it with chocolate in all forms.

My Hubby is out of town until tomorrow night, he's been gone since yesterday morning.  Not a long trip, but long enough when I would rather have him home. He was also gone Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings.  So he has not been here for dinners.  I do hate that!

I am glad I can say that I would rather have him home, it is another confirmation that my love for him is still strong.

Not that the above has anything to do with what I am now doing, I am going to change subjects.

I wanted to share what we did for dinner yesterday that may be tasty for you with younger children.

We made Macaroni and Cheese, a NEW recipe. (See photo from Jenny's site.  It tastes as good as it looks.  Thanks to Jenny for letting me use her photo.)

In our house when we say macaroni and cheese we mean Western Family boxed stuff.  (It is like Kraft but our regional brand, and I think it tastes better and it is less expensive.  But then I don't like boxed Mac and Cheese, so don't go by my opinion of it tasting better.  But my kids eat it without any qualms, and have been eating it for years and years.  Remember they are 11 and 13 yo.)

Anyway, our next is Grandmas Style.  "Hey, how about macaroni and cheese for dinner?" I ask.  "Grandmas style?" Angel replies.  And before I can answer her letting her know I have not decided what kind, I get, "no! not Grandmas style, regular please!" Pilot injects. 

'Grandmas style' is what I grew up on.  I love it, but it tends to make me sleepy and you will understand why if you continue to read.  We cook the macaroni and then drain it.  We put it back in the pan and pour milk over it to cover the macaroni.  Then we add grated cheese and stir.  Then we let it heat up until the cheese melts.  Then you bowl it up and it is more like a good warm running bowl of macaroni and cheese soup.

I guess the warm milk is the part that puts me to sleep.  So we don't make it often, for my sake.  It doesn't seem to help the kids get sleepy, though. Oh well, nothing helps teens and preteens get sleepy, except the sunlight in the morning-  "I'm too tired to get up! Give me 5 more minutes. I just so tired, etc." 

Now with this new recipe, we have a third option.  We are calling it Pirate Mac and Cheese.  I got the recipe from Jenny at  A Ship Full O'Pirates who has a Blog called Homemade and Wholesome, Our Family Cookbook.   The mac and cheese  turned out really good.  Although the little leftovers did not reheat well for me.  I ate it for breakfast this morning.

 This is what it looks like this morning after a night in the fridge! 

It really was good, It was full to the top of this casserole. 

It will be really good as a new casserole for dinner tonight or lunch tomorrow.

I have decided that if we do have leftovers next time, I will make a dinner casserole with it.  Like a tuna or chicken dish.  No problem, just add a can of meat, a can of cream of (mushroom, chicken or celery) soup, a can of green beans (unless you have precooked fresh) and heat that up.

Now, if I do have precooked chicken or pork, I would add that instead of a can of meat, unless I chose to do Tuna.  I don't usually make a batch of tuna for my freezer, I just go with cans for that.  But I do sometimes use mackerel instead of tuna, I think I heard it is healthier, can't remember.

Also, if I did not have so many cans of 'cream of ** soups', I would make my own 'cream of ** soup with veggies'.  That is easy, but I have not done it for a long time.  However, and Jenny will confirm, making your own is cheaper and far more healthy for your family.  Also watch the salt in the canned veggies.

I would also add fresh or a can of sliced mushrooms with juice and a can of green chiles, but I usually add these two things to almost everything I make, unless I am following a recipe!!  So after preparing this, I think know I will plan for leftovers in the future, so that I can make two different meals out of one.  That is simple, helpful and smart.

 So there you have it.  We now have 3 choices for Mac and Cheese.

1. Mac & Cheese from the box ~~~~  MOM ---- Yuck!   KIDS ----- Yum! (better with ketchup)
   
2. Grandmas Style~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MOM ----- Yum!   KIDS ------ 1 Yum and 1 Yuck
3. Pirate Mac & Cheese ~~~~~~~~~ MOM ----  Yum    KIDS -------  Yum
   

 Dad pretty well eats everything and anything.  However, he has not been around for evening meal all that much over the last 3 years.  So maybe he will get a chance to input or better yet, maybe I will remember his input if he is around for more dinners.

Here is Jenny's recipe for  Home Made Macaroni and Cheese.



Have a great day!

Sharinskishe


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Join in Kid Friendly Friday and by adding your post to
Mr. Linky on Sarah's Blog 'I Blame My Mother'.
Post on kid friendly recipes, reviews, giveaways, crafts, games, books.....anything!
If you have a kid related question that you would like folks to help you with you can add that as well.
Hope you find something useful! Thank you for participating!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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My Aloha Friday - March 27

I have got the gardening bug soooooooooo bad!!! It happens to me at this time every year.
This year we had a couple of weeks of
wonderful spring "perfect for starting the garden" weather.
But........
it ended a week ago. And I am sure glad that I did not act on my impulsion and plant!
(See, I have learned something over these last few (49) years!!!)

We have had snow and cold for about a good week now. It would have been perfect for planting the peas and other cool crops, but they are not on my priority list. My tomatoes, green peppers and squash are. So I did not get the cool seeds in the ground.
Yet.
Maybe this year....... still have time ....... possibly will do it.......

They (the cool crop seed) would have been happy with the nice wet snows melt to get them started, at least that is what I have read. I have never done early spring planting (yet), I have no excuse for not doing it, I just never seem to get it done. I get all excited about gardening and then the weather doesn't cooperate or it is way too early and when it is time, I have moved on to other busy things. Do I have some kind of a disorder??? Maybe I need to look into that(disorders)!!! LOL!!!

I can't wait to have toms growing. I want some fresh squash too. I need some new potatoes! Most of the items below, we have personally grown. But I have a few new things I want to try and I am sure they will belong on this list for next year, thus I am just going to put them on anyway. There are other seeds packets ready for planting, but I am not going to list everything now. Just know that I hope and pray that we will have a productive and tasty garden this year.

Sharinskishe

(The following two photos are from last year!)

So, my list of favorite planters are:

• Tomatoes
• Squash, both winter and summer, includes pumpkins
• Melons, any kind- I have done plenty over the years
  
• Potatoes, we are going to try Sweet Potatoes also this year
• Green Peppers
• Green Onions and Garlic
• Broccoli, also will be new this year

Soooooooooooooooooooo.....

or

And now.....................



!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My question to you this week is:

Do you have or are you planning a garden?

If So.........

What is your favorite thing to grow?

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for posting! Now jump back to Kailani's An Island Life

for other fun questions.

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This Morning Is..................

SNOW!!!

Yuck! It is really yucky today. The wind is howling and blowing with a big huff and puff. It is quite a show. It is beautiful in its' own right, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder and my eye doesn't want to recognize the spring snow storms beauty!!! I won't........ I won't.......... I will not do it !!!!!!!!!





So, in case you can't understand the above, it says, Hubby took the car to work today and left us alone in a snow storm without wheels. Angel had to get to the bus stop in the horrific storm without the warmth of the car and daddy's company. So for the first time since she went back to brick and mortar school in January, I called a neighbor to hitch her a ride. She has walked to the bus stop all the other times irregardless of the weather. But we have not had such a windy, wet storm when she has had to walk.




So her friend 'B's' mom said she'd be happy to pick Angel up. She drives almost every morning so it was not a problem. We are going to make her some brownies after school. Then I hope that next time we have the car here in the morning and the weather is undesirable, we can call her and offer to pick 'B' up so she doesn't have to go out at all that morning.



Here's hoping that your weather is much better than ours!!! Have a great day!!!


Sharinskishe

Nothing Much Has Been Happening, Except

Nothing Much Has Been Happening, Except the normal stuff around a house of two children, a mom and a dad.

I guess the only interesting thing might be that we cooked a turkey and a crockpot full of chicken breasts, between yesterday and today. The chicken breasts have made Green Enchiladas and Chicken Tacos, last night and tonight.

The turkey was baked today and the white meat is now in the freezer. I still have to 'de-meat' the dark meat from the legs and thighs. I have a bit of wing meat to also remove. I just became too tired and sick of meat to finish the job tonight.

I went to bed about 10pm and as I was trying to sleep, a delicious smell began to invade my room. My tummy started to growl and say- feed me, feed me..... But I knew I was not hungry, or should be hungry.

I could smell the broth being created in the crockpot from the leftover bits of meat and turkey bones. I stuck the neck and other treasures from the turkey in there also and boy does it smell good. Then I remembered that I had not dealt with the turkey drippings on the baking sheet from roasting the bird. (I left it hiding in the oven. Obviously an 'outta sight / outta mind' thing happening here.)

So I am now downstairs. I just finished scraping the pan's drippings into the crockpot and burnt my tongue trying to taste it! I always end up burning my tongue trying to taste delicious broth. I know I will never learn because this has been going on for years and years.

I also used aluminum foil over my cookie sheet for clean up sake. I will let you know in a few years if using foil has damaged my brain, but if you don't hear from me, it might be I forgot to let you know.

I also cleaned the rack the turkey sat on. Now that cleanup is all done and I don't have to deal with it tomorrow. Hurray!!!!! I am so glad I remembered, it would have been a downer to have to deal with the mess in the morning.

So I guess now that this is written and I have finished sucking on ice cubes, I will head back upstairs to bed. My tongue feels great while I have an ice cube in my mouth, but when it melts away, my tongue begins to hurt. Silly me!!! I'll have to grab one more ice cube on my way upstairs.

Goodnight......


Sharinskishe

My Make-Do Monday March 22

Make-Do Mondays

is a carnival dedicated to sharing the creative,

frugal or even humble ways we’re making-do with what we have
or what we can acquire in a frugal way.


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Hanging Kitchen Tools on the Wall

I have this nice flat wall at right angles to my garage door in the kitchen that I needed to utilize. So I got some push pins out and pushed them into the drywall.

I found a spot for my pizza peel, my two colanders, my egg slicer and oven mitts. As well as a spot for one of my calenders. The calender was the first tenant of this space, but it looked lonely and so I gave it some friends to live with.

Simple use for push pins. I figure that the holes they leave will be small enough that if I ever paint the kitchen, the new paint will fill in the holes.

They have been in use for nearly 2 years and I have not had any trouble with them getting loose or falling out or not handling the pretty lightweight stuff they are holding. However, the pizza peel is quite hefty and I have not had any problems with it either.

I hope it is a good idea and not just good luck!!!!

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Thanks for visiting with me today and leave me a comment if you have the time.

Now jump back to Ann's site for more ideas.

Sharinskishe

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So I am here working on the computer, the doorbell rings. Ughhhhhhhh......... I hope it isn't one of the door to door salesmen. We are getting a lot of them lately as many husbands and fathers are out trying to drum up work to earn money for their families.

SO.....

No, it wasn't for Pilot. No, it wasn't for Angel. Yes, it was for me and guess who it was? Yep, you guessed it a salesman!!

He started his oral presentation and I, not wanting to be rude, let him introduce himself and his company. Also knowing our financial situation, I did not want to waste his precious time, so I let him know that my husband had recently lost his job. And that the job he is working now does not allow us much money towards our budget. So this would be a purchase we would be unable to do at this time, if we wanted it.

I noticed his name tag and at the end asked it he was related to anyone who had taught seminary. He has two uncles that taught. I am pretty sure his uncle K.S. was my teacher in either 9th grade at the jr. high or during my high school years.

It was so fun to talk to him. I hope he finds business customers at this difficult time. He normally works construction. Boy do I know how hard bad economy times are for construction.

Anyway, how cool was that? I sure am glad I choose to go to the door and talk to that pesky salesman!~!!!!

My Kid Friendly Friday - March 20

Making Silk Flowers for a Wedding / Dance

I spent most of last Saturday making boutonnieres for my nieces wedding reception. It was so fun that I forgot to keep count and stop when I hit 14. I made 5 purple ones and 14 blue ones. But my sister, who is the expert, said no worries, because they will be included in the corsages and so my work was not for not.

This project was fun and fairly easy. Since I already make candy bouquets, things were not so different on the boutonnieres. I know that my kids, 11 and 13, could also do these. My daughter would have a bit more fun than my son.

I will post about this again when I can add some photos, I don't believe that I did not take any!!! I wonder where my mind was?

Anyway, I am thinking this is a fun skill to share with you and my kids. My son will benefit from learning how to make flowers and let me tell you why I feel this way.

Many years ago, I lived at home with my wonderful parents. On Sunday spring mornings, my dad would often go out to 'get the Sunday paper' and sneak some wild or garden flowers home. He would then hide himself in my mom's craft area while she was getting herself and all six kids ready for Church.

Then when it was time to leave for church, he would present her with a beautiful corsage that he loving wired and wrapped for her. I was always a bit jealous that he did not make me one too. I am so grateful for the love he has always shown to my mother! My dad took the time to learn how to make a corsage, so that he could surprise my mom with homemade ones. One made from her favorite flowers.

He still sometimes bought/buys from a florist, but I know my mom's favorite flowers come from her own garden and are prepared with love by my dad.

I really hope that my son will carry one the tradition/ example my dad set for my mother. I believe he will.


Have a great day!

Sharinskishe


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Join in Kid Friendly Friday and by adding your post to
Mr. Linky on Sarah's Blog 'I Blame My Mother'.
Post on kid friendly recipes, reviews, giveaways, crafts, games, books.....anything!
If you have a kid related question that you would like folks to help you with you can add that as well.
Hope you find something useful! Thank you for participating!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Check out my other posts for these meme's: