Cookin’, Crochet & Chicken!

Last year at this time I remember featuring several recipes and thought I’d do that again this year.  For the most part, these will be recipes which caught my eye but I haven’t tried yet (note the disclaimer…hehehehe). First on the list is one I just saw in the Sunday coupons; I like hot & spicy things and this sounded ‘just right’…

Buffalo Chicken Dip

(like Buffalo Chicken Wings in a dip!)

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1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened

2 (9.75 ea.) cans Swanson chunk chicken breast, drained (or)

2 C. cooked chicken, cut up in chunks

1/2 C. redhot sauce*

(*Franks is the company who is featuring this recipe)

1/2 C. blue cheese salad dressing

1/2 C. crumbled blue cheese

assorted fresh vegetables and/or crackers for dipping

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mix ingredients in deep baking dish until smooth. Bake 20 minutes or until hot and bubbling.

(http://www.franksredhot.com)

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Tonight I’m in an ‘eating’ mood…but not a ‘cooking’ mood! I should be starting dinner soon and already know that we’re having an old favorite:  “Potatoes O’Brien” (at least that’s what I call it.) It’s a very simple recipe; let’s see if I can write it up in recipe format:

Potatoes O’Brien

1  1/2 lb. ground beef

1-2 (28 oz. ea) pkgs. frozen “Potatoes O’Brien” (or…

check the frozen potatoes section for pkgs.  of diced potatoes with chopped onions & green peppers included-sometimes it comes as shredded potatoes, like hash browns. I have also used hash browns and added my own chopped onions & green peppers)

about 1 stick margarine

2-4 T. garlic powder (we really love garlic)

1-2 tsp. ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsp. salt

dash or 2 Worcestershire sauce

(could also add a dash or 2 Tabasco sauce)

(small can sliced mushrooms, if desired)

1 1/2 – 2 C. shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese

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In LARGE fry pan, brown hamburger & drain grease; leave in pan. Add frozen potatoes along with margarine, cut into cubes. (this is the hard part…I usually keep checking the pan to see if the potatoes are browning and have enough margarine to keep them from burning; you could add more or less, as you determine.)  Cover pan and check about every 5-10 minutes to lift & stir potatoes & hamburger to ensure they don’t burn. (they do tend to stick some).  When the potatoes are almost fully cooked, add the seasonings and canned mushrooms.  Continue stirring/lifting to make sure all potatoes are fully cooked.  When the potatoes are fully cooked, add shredded cheese to top and cover until cheese melts.  You could also put the pan under the broiler until cheese is browned a bit & bubbly.

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For this recipe, remember that I’m feeding 4 adults with large appetites, so you might want to halve the recipe…feel free! We usually eat this in big bowls with lots of catsup (I know…most of you are saying YUCK! but remember I have all GUYS here!) It’s definitely NOT a cholesterol-free recipe, but it’s filling and sticks to the ribs!

Did my Christmas shopping with youngest son today which entailed the two of us going to American Eagle Outfitters and letting him pick out 2 pr. jeans and 2 t-shirts. That might not sound like much, but he got what he liked (and they had a good SALE!); he’s happy and now I don’t have to agonize over what to get him! I do have one more t-shirt squirreled away for him to open on Christmas (not Amer. Eagle, but a nice long sleeved tee with a sort of barbed wire design). I must say: after about 45 minutes in that store my OVERLOAD of all things PREPPY got the best of me. Lots of young people (teens & 20’s) all dressed in the latest fashions, all ‘perfect’ bodies/perfect hair, etc…a little too much for my 61 yr old mind to handle (plus the modern music on the speakers). The ONE thing that really surprised me? They were selling winter hats & scarves for girls…one nice white scarf in a basic crocheted shell pattern: $34.50!!! I could MAKE one for around $8!!! Oh, and the other item: a little hat with (AMAZING TO ME) the very same design that I just learned to knit! Remember me featuring that square with the Hexagon design? Yep, that’s the one! It was done in all-solid colored yarn: $19.00. Gee, if I really wanted a ‘cottage industry’, that would be my forte…knitting scarves & hats for American Eagle!

Anyway, that was my experiences for today; got the Christmas tree all together (finally)…now I just have to decorate it and we’ll be done with that project!  A few more little trips to go, buying a few ’stocking stuffers’ (side note: did you know that one of the best places to grab nice, reasonable stocking stuffer ‘food-stuffs’ is your local drug store? WalGreens/RiteAid/CVS all are having some great sales on candy-type stuff. I was all excited because CVS has Maxwell House instant coffee for $4.99 until I read WalGreen’s add and it’s $3.99 there! Since where I live all the drug stores seem to be competing for putting their stores closest to all the other drug stores, it’s not a big drive for me to visit all three within 2 blocks of my house! Walgreens also has canned salmon for $1.49 a can/limit 4…I love making salmon patties using that (we use 2 cans here…big eaters, remember?).

Guess that’s all I wanted to tell you for now; have more good sounding recipes coming up. Ten more days until Christmas! Still have all my baking to do…but that’s next week (I hope!).

Enjoy yourselves!

Hugs;

Pammie

Been Shopping…

The past two days have been spent going to several stores trying to find a nice, yet affordable gift for my 3 1/2 yr. old grandson. I had seen (what I thought) was a really neat toy advertised on TV: “Bounce Back Racer”, which is a toddler version of a remote control car which flips over ( if it runs into any object) and keeps going. It’s a great toy but my Scots heritage came screaming out and I just couldn’t justify paying $30+ for one toy. After searching several stores for his other favorite thing, cardboard puzzles, I came away frustrated. Yes, KMart and Meijers had puzzles: $8 + wooden ones with about 9 pieces which would bore him in no time. I finally ended up at our local Family Dollar store today and found 3 good, cardboard ones which will make him happy. He’s so cute; the other day when he was here the first thing he said when he came in the door was: “Gramma Pam has lots of puzzles for me, Dad! She bought me lots of puzzles; we need puzzles at OUR house!” (guess I know what he likes). Also found him a car carrier that has about 15 small metal cars in it; he loves playing with the little cars.

Amid the searching for the ‘right toy’ I also ended up snagging several pairs of winter gloves for the boys (not gifts) because KMart is digging deep in the discounting department and all gloves were 40% off! Middle son requested a few video games which I was able to find, and some floor mats for his car. Now floor mats are in most stores, but I was searching for something PLAIN which I could afford! Yes, there are the Tinkerbelle ones, or big dolphins or flowers (not GUY-type stuff). He has a Pontiac Grand Am which has small floor spaces; I was finally able to find a good set (all black) for around $24. (the fancy ones above listed run $30 and up!).  His 21 st birthday is coming up the beginning of January, so I have to remember to budget the gifts a bit so as not to go overboard with the Christmas presents then have to turn around and do it again in 2 weeks for his birthday. I know that probably sounds a bit cheap…but this year money is tight (as I’m sure it is in your households, also) and I have to take that into account.

Today is also scheduled as the ‘put up the big tree’ day; we’ll see if that gets done. The rest of the house is decorated and the little fiber optic tree is in the dining room (have to have at least ONE tree up!). If you’ve read my blog for any amount of time, you know that decorating is NOT my favorite thing. Don’t get me wrong-I like the ‘end result’, it’s just taking the time to get all the stuff down from upstairs, dragging out all the various parts to the tree, assembling the branches on the middle part, putting the lights on, etc. Not my ‘fun thing’.

Coming up this week is the BAKING! I’ve purchased the ingredients for getting that done, but it’s going to be another ‘waiting for inspiration’ moments for me. In lieu of that thought, I offer you a great-sounding recipe from my friend Peg in Florida (below is featured where she got the recipe, also):

Orange Cream Cheese Bread

8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup shortening
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
2/3 cup orange juice
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Preheat oven to 350º F.
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Combine cream cheese and shortening, creaming well. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating well after each addition.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix well after each addition.
Stir in nuts, orange peel and extract. Pour batter into two 8- or 9-inch loaf pans which have been coated with vegetable cooking spray.

Bake at 375 degrees F for 50 to 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes; orange pour juice over loaves. Remove to wire rack to cool.
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Recipe source: Corner Sweet Shoppe yahoo group, submitted by berude2u

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Tonight is the last choir practice before tomorrow’s adult choir Christmas Contata. Just glad my health is holding out and my throat seems to be doing just fine (there have been years where that wasn’t the case!). Hope that this post finds you (a) in good health (b) enjoying the season (c) getting your shopping, wrapping, decorating, baking, etc. done in time to please you and (d) remember to RELAX a little and enjoy yourself!  ‘Tis the season to be jolly’, remember!

Hugs;

Pammie

PS: Quick weather report for our area:  Thursday found us going through some snow flurries, Friday found us in the ‘deep freeze’, with temperatures no exceeding 16 (bitter cold) and today the sun’s out, it’s clear with temps around 25 degrees. I’m glad it’s warmed up a bit; my husband works outside quite a bit and the past few days have really been hard on him; I’ve been trying to make comfort food dinners to help in that area. Tonight is Turkey Noodle Soup (from the turkey leftovers of Thanksgiving.)

Thinkin’ about Turkey Day

Today was the beginning of  ‘holiday food shopping’; I spent a good amount of  time yesterday going through four different grocery store fliers and comparing who had the best prices on the various items needed for this coming Wednesday. Most of the stores ’special prices’ go through 11/29, but our local Kroger only goes to this coming Monday, so it’s there I spent a bit of my time. Have you ever had one of those days where you just feel like you’re ‘out of sorts’? That was me in the store today; up one isle, down another – look at the list and realize that one of the things I needed was 2 isles back from where I was now…trek back and get it, then go on. This happened a good 4-5 times! (Must be getting senile or something! sigh…) Perhaps it might help to add that I was holding 2 lists: one was the regular weekly list and the other was the ’specials’ I was supposed to pick up.  At least I can say that I got a good ‘walk’ in at the store!

Since Wednesday is Thanksgiving, I’m getting mentally prepared for the food preparations. We’re having the same menu we do every year (I know…some people like to ‘change it up’, but not my family): turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, corn casserole, snow flake rolls (courtesy Kroger) and dessert. This year we’re having the Fruit Cheesecake Selection from Gordon Food Service: something like 12 slices of cheesecake/4 different fruit varieties, like Apple Caramel (only one I remember right now without going down to the basement freezer to check…sorry).  One of my notes of ‘things to do’ today was look up the recipe (again) for Corn Casserole.  This is one of those things I found on the ‘net a few years back and it’s become a ’staple’ for our holiday dinners: nice texture, sweet but not too sweet, very creamy flavor…just a really good ’side dish’.

Easy Corn Casserole

1/2 C. melted butter

2 eggs, beaten

1 (8.5 oz.) box Jiffy cornbread mix

1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14.75 oz.) can creamed corn (do not drain)

1 C. sour cream

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Preheat oven to 350º. Lightly grease a 9 X 9 inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring to incorporate thoroughly. Spoon mixture into prepared dish and bake 45 minutes or until top is golden brown.

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I love this dish and usually double the recipe. The one thing I usually FORGET? To double the baking time…hence, it’s still not cooked when I think it should be (that happened last year…again….sigh).

We’ll be having roast turkey; got a really good deal on one (13 lb.) and I usually (if we can afford it) try to get two at this time of year; one for the freezer.  Turkey is such a versitile meat; great by itself, as well as in sandwiches, or the carcass makes great turkey soup.

Knitting Update:  After many attempts at getting the knitted cowl (neckwarmer) to lay right, I’ve given up on this project. It’s “o.k.” but definitely (in my opinion) NOT Christmas gift material: yes, it’s nicely knit and looks good…laying on a table, but NOT on your neck! Oh well, no harm done. Working on a new knit square pattern; will photo it soon and show you.

It’s a very grey, gloomy day today; temps in the low 40’s and it’s drizzling occasionally…the kind of day you want to stay home, cover up with a nice afghan, get yourself a big mug of tea/coffee/hot chocolate and read a really good book. Me? I’m going to get off here, go make a cup of coffee, cover up and wait for my teenager to get home from school, which should be momentarily. Dinner is homemade (leftover) lasagna and garlic bread; no fuss there, it’s already made! Don’t ya just love leftovers night?

Enjoy your day, hope you’re cosy!

Hugs;

Pammie

Clothes, Cooking & Cars!

While ‘out and about’ yesterday I happened upon the most glorious thing – a wondrous garage sale! Wondrous because the ladies running it were just having it to ‘get rid’ of ’stuff’, which was very much to my benefit. They had a sign which read: “Fill a bag for $1.00″…this was on their clothing items and, Momma, did I make a haul! Let’s see if I can recall the total number of items: 2 very nice Spring/Fall jackets, a winter hat, 2 boxes of very nice stationary (something people don’t use much these days), 3 ‘every day’ tops, 2 sweaters, 5 embroidered sweatshirts, and 7 (all white) fancy church blouses with varied embelishments like lace, pearls and/or embroidery. I made my ‘pile’ then asked “How much for all this?”  They responded: “How about $3.00?” After trying to convince them it should be much more, I gave them $4.00 and went home a very happy woman! There was a story behind all the very nice white blouses: it seems their mother worked as a Supervisor at KMart and all supervisors were required to wear white tops; all I can say is, their  Mom had some very nice taste in tops! This garage saling adventure was also spurred on by a comment last Wednesday from a friend who, after observing my casual clothing, said: “Pam, you’re going to have to invest in some new clothes here…the ones you’re wearing are way too big!” (and she was right). I had been in a bit of a hurry and grabbed a top and matching cotton slacks and threw them on; I thought they went together well, albeit they WERE too large. Even my husband commented that I needed to find smaller clothes. Yes, I’ve lost another 5 lb. but am not ‘working at it’ like I was 3 years ago when diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic (at that time I lost 50 lb.). I’ve still got quite a ways to go, now weighing 180 and could probably get down another 25 lb. to a healthier weight and size, but it’s kinda nice to know that you need to wear smaller clothes. I’ve always been ‘large’…and at times, XLarge (size 22; am now between 16-18). As I used to joke: I was born at 175 lb.!  Anyway, I digress…me thinks I’ll be looking for more garage sales in the near future-hey, it’s almost the end of the ‘garage sale season’! It’s not often you find a place like the one above mentioned, though…or find nice clothes at really reasonable prices; it was definitely a blessing!

Just so you don’t think I’m just rambling on about anything that comes to mind, I thought of you and found another easy recipe which works nicely when you need something quick to ‘make and take’ to a breakfast/luncheon, etc.

Bubble Nut Ring

1 loaf frozen bread dough (or 36 count frozen dinner rolls)

1 small pkg. butterscotch pudding mix

1/2 C. brown sugar

1/2 C. chopped nuts

1 tsp. cinnamon (or more)

8 T. melted margarine

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place melted margarine in a small bowl or pie tin.  Pull off pieces of bread dough and roll into 2-inch balls, making approximately 32.  Mix all ingredients together (except melted margarine) and place in a separate bowl or pie tin.  Spray Bundt pan (or Angel food cake-type tube pan) with non-stick cooking spray.  Place melted margarine in a bowl or pie tin. Dip dough balls into melted margarine, then into dry mixture. Place balls into bundt pan, evenly layering as you go. Sprinkle any remaining dry mixture over top and pour extra melted margarine over top.  Let rise until doubled in size, then bake 20  minutes. Let cool before turning out onto a plate and serving.

(This was another of the simple recipes I taught the homeschool cooking class a few years ago; they loved the ‘end result’ of this one.)

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It’s Saturday, a ‘day of rest’ around here, so I’m going to ‘take it easy’ and probably finish a book I started yesterday, one in a series by Debbie McComber. This one is her latest “Knitting Group” book; the series catalogues the adventures and lives of members of a knitting group; to say that my knitting group loved the series is putting it mildly – we ALL love her books. Also planning on arranging more squares into future afghans; got a lovely email yesterday from a friend in my old knit group. She detailed that some of her friends are still knitting squares for me and ‘would I be so kind as to meet her at their church to pick up 3 paper bags and a garbage bag full of squares?” You bet! How neat! I wrote her that their ‘gift’ comes at just the right time, as my collection of squares is growing rather thin. (It usually does around the end of summer, as most people don’t knit in hot weather; the packages should pick up soon.) She made me feel like some sort of celebrity by saying that there is an 80 yr old lady in her church who knit most of the paper bag squares and she would like a picture of me with her squares; how nice, eh? Still working on #203; this one is taking a little longer as it is “a little longer”. This particular afghan (and one other I’ve already completed) consists of 7″ X 9” squares (my required size is 7 inches by 7 inches). Because these are rectangles instead of squares, I laid them on their long sides, 4 squares to a row and am sewing them together that way. The end product is a nice afghan, just not the same as the others but I’m sure the child receiving it will not complain that theirs is different; they all accomplish the same results . . . keeping someone warm and cosy.

It’s a grey, cloudy (and a bit chilly) beginning of the day – around 60 degrees; am hoping it warms up sufficiently later.

OH! Almost forgot to share our GOOD news! Middle son (he of the “multiple car troubles” episodes) has purchased a “new” (to him) vehicle: a 2003 Pontiac Grand Am…red with really ‘cool’ racing tire rims, black interior. Later today he’ll be selling his ‘free/gift’ Neon for $300, to a local dealership (it’s beginning to show signs of major problems – needs some sort of a seal, as it’s leaking oil big time). We’re thrilled for him (as a Mom, I’d have preferred a less ‘racy’ car, but he’s a guy and you know their attitudes on cars…Vrooom, Vroom!). It’s been an almost 2-week ordeal with him going to various dealerships; he’s checked out 2 foreign car places and the insurance was just too much for his age and budget, several (what I would call ’shady’) older car dealerships and I thank heavens the one deal fell through…I really didn’t trust the place OR the car! We kept telling him: “Go to a respectable dealership and ask for a used car with a warrantee”; he FINALLY listened and is very happy. That dealership even was able to locate an insurance company with much lower rates (but still in his requirements for the car), so he’ll be able to afford the loan, the insurance and still be able to afford paying for college classes; now THAT’S a blessing! He is now the proud owner of the NEWEST car in our entire family, older son included!

That’s the latest news around here; hope you have a great weekend! Remember to take a little time for yourself!

Hugs;

Pammie

You Know You’re Getting Old When…

you don’t see the things around you in the same way/manner others do. Let me explain: I am NOT a person who likes to go shopping at large malls but yesterday my youngest asked if I would take him to our local gigantic mall and we went.  I don’t know about you, but I was inundated with the continual feeling of being ‘just plain OLD’! Mind you, I haven’t been to this mall in probably 4-5 years (I hate malls, remember? It’s the agoraphobia-’fear of large places/crowds’ thing-I end up having a panic attack … not pleasant, for sure!).  We walked around and through several of the areas and stopped in several clothing stores to purchase youngest’s clothing (earnings from his job). I was totally amazed; no, guess that’s not the right word…shocked would fit better here, at just how much the ‘world of merchandising’ appeals to the younger (teens to 30’s) group. My last impression of this mall was ’spot on’ with yesterday’s: shoe stores, clothing stores, shoe stores, more clothing stores, etc. I’m not a ‘clothes horse’ at all; give me a good garage sale find and I’m happy, so you can imagine my feelings at having all this ‘junk’ stare me in the face. My family says I’m ’sheltered’…I guess in this instance, they’re right! For example:  we were at American Eagle clothing store and youngest picked up a pair of jeans . . . these were the ‘distressed’ look: very faded blue jeans with what I would describe as ‘wear marks’, holes all down the front of both legs and some on the back. This pair of ‘new’ jeans sell for $49.99!!! (he didn’t buy them…thank Heavens!). Next store: Hot Topics; a very ‘trendy’ teens store full of more (JUNK!) items to appeal to the younger set. In this store he picked up a pair of turquoise high-top tennis shoes which sold for, you guessed it, another $49.99! (we went to PayLess shoes and found a black pair of high tops for $29.99…with my $5 off coupon, they were just his price!). I know I’m getting older, but just looking at ‘what’s fashion in the teen world today’ made me sick to my stomach! Walking around the mall I had feelings of being WAY out of date (I kind of knew that, but maybe not as much as now); I was wearing a knit top, blue jeans and sandals. All around the mall were various ages of women with several things in common:  all were wearing tight fashion jeans with a leather belt, most were showing some skin at the waistline, and various kinds of shoe wear, all very ‘in fashion’ and, I’m certain, very expensive.  I’m not criticizing them, just making an observation. Do I feel less ‘chic/hip/in fashion’ after this experience? NO! A little ‘old’ because I’m certain I didn’t ‘fit in’, but really if you get down to it,  my body was covered, I was comfortable and the clothing I was wearing was totally affordable for me, therefore I declare:  I’m JUST FINE in my own skin! It’s sad to know that others feel the necessity to spend such exsorbitant (definition: “exceeding the customary or appropriate limits in intensity, quality, amount, or size”) amounts on ’skin coverings’; I’ll get off my soap box now…

Went to the office supply store today and saw an item I didn’t know existed: print them yourself bumper stickers! They come in a package of 6 for $9.99; you put them in your printer -  interesting idea! (yes, I do see that they ‘could’ pose a problem for those who decide that the world needs to know their inner secrets or where they think YOU should go or where they think you should stick things, but I’ll leave that to your imagination … grin)

Lately I’ve been immersed into the world of organizing a fund raiser for our special needs group. It’s been decided that we’re going to have a baked potato dinner with silent auction.

My job, so far, is to research the costs involved food-wise and design tickets (my fun project!). We’re shooting for the third week in October and 100 guests. Our silent auction will consist of donated ‘baskets’. Years ago we did a bowl-a-thon and had baskets; they were a hit so we’re hoping to do this again. I’m making two: a “Baby Shower” basket which will have a hand-knit baby blanket, three coordinating baby hats, a pair of crocheted ‘Mary Jane’ baby shoes for a girl and a crocheted pair of ‘high topped tennis shoes’ for a boy (my very talented friend Kim did the shoes for me). Also in the basket is a large, very soft stuffed cat. I haven’t decided yet whether to add a few small infant toys (like teething rings) to it. We’re hoping each basket will have a value of around $25-50. The other basket I’m putting together is a “Pie Time” arrangement consisting of a Pampered Chef pie dish, pie roller and flour/sugar sprinkler and then I’m still working on the rest of the items. Thinking maybe a set of measuring spoons, measuring cups, perhaps an apron or linen dish towel…who knows. We’ve composed a list of basket ideas and are in the process of asking people for donationed baskets. (Don’t worry…I’m not hitting you up! These will be to the ladies of the church where we meet). Our ultimate goal is to raise $300-400, which will cover our expenses for about a year. In years past we held garage sales (my favorite) but the other two ladies on the board felt we were not getting the profits and expending far too much effort for our work, so hence the potato dinner idea. We’ll see how this goes; if it works well we might do it again next year.  There are only three of us doing all the organizing/work, so you can see why we’re trying to conserve energies and get the most for our efforts.

That’s about ‘it’ for me lately; just got back from the chiropractor and he said that my back is now ‘better than when I first came in’; I’m feeling ‘well’ and it’s down to 2 visits a week for the next week then he’ll see if it will become once a month (YAY!). It’s not as painful to go through the manipulations, which I’m very glad of!

Next up is getting my organizing skills working towards tonight’s “Gym Night” for my special needs group. Once a month in the fall/winter months we hold a Gym Night for our kids. From 6:30-8:30 we have a meal (hot dogs, chips, pop and cookies tonight…I’m the hot dog cooking queen), a short Bible devotion, then the students are free to play basketball, bowl (using sets of childrens plastic bowling pins), color, do jigsaw puzzles, or just chat with their friends. We also host another church’s special needs group, so we’re expecting a total of 35-50 people tonight; ought to be fun!

I was listening to a gentleman at the chiropractor’s office talk about  now that he’s retired all he does is golf and rest and he only golfs twice a week; the rest of the time he just rests. My thought on that was: I’ve been retired now 26 years and I’ve NEVER been as busy in my life as I am now; guess it’s all in how ‘old’ you feel, eh?

On that note, I’ll close. It’s a wee bit chilly here today: in the 60’s, overcast with brief bits of sunshine (it’s supposed to rain today).  I’m not letting the cold air bring me down…still looking for the sunshine!

Enjoy your day!

Hugs;

Pammie

Oh how I love a bargain!

Part of today has been spent doing the ’school supplies’ running; you know, when you hit all the great bargains at all the stores! Not the big ticket stores like KMart and Target…NO! Smart shoppers know that the best bargains for those things are at the…DRUG STORES! Yes, that’s what I said…drug stores! Had a great time hunting down their ‘get you in the store’ sales (can’t remember the exact technical name for those…it’s been a good 27 years since I took Marketing classes in college!). Walgreen’s had great sales on things like index cards for 25 cents ea, limit 2 (I paid $1.70 something a few months ago for one pkg!); college rule filler paper 10 cents a pk, limit 3…that’s just a few of the sales I remember there. Then it was on to Office Max (yes, I know it’s not a drug store, but they had great sales, too!) like: 2-pocket folders 1 cent ea.limit 5; 12 inch wooden ruler 1 cent;12 pk. #2 wooden pencils 10 cents, limit 3; composition books 50 cents, limit 2…yes, I had a good time shopping! CVS has some good sales going on their school supplies, also. Tomorrow is KMart for their mechanical pencils and a backpack for youngest son.

When we were at Office Max the clerk gave me a coupon good for $5 off a purchase of $25 or more at Pay Less shoes; THAT came in handy because youngest & I went there, too! He got sandals and new school shoes and I found a great pair of those backless tennis shoes ($10) AND we got $5 off on the total purchase! It’s my lucky day!!!

It seems to be a week of shopping for school and this upcoming missions trip for youngest son. Still have to get a pair of sun glasses ($5 off at CVS!) and a wallet with chain (there are no lockers or places to store any valuables where they’re going).

Just glad to be sitting down right now and resting my feeties; I have another ‘adventure’ tonight and tomorrow with middle son. Will be blogging about this one, I’m SURE! Stay tuned to the further adventures of this ‘constantly running’ Mom.

Hope you’re having a great day! (It’s a mild day out, something like 70 degrees and a little sunny…not our typical August weather but I’ll take it!)

Hugs;

Pammie

Driving, Groceries & Goodies

I’m kind of  ‘holding my breath’ while applauding the resourcefulness of middle son in asking for rides from his friends to get him to college and the midnight opening of the latest Harry Potter movie. Yay, son! Also youngest son volunteered to have the church bus pick him up for vacation Bible school (he’s working as a Teen Volunteer, escourting younger kids to and from events), thus freeing me up completely for my ‘fun event’ tonight: our Knit Group’s Movie Night! Yes, we get together to knit almost weekly, but this is a step-above that.  One of our members has a lovely condo complete with basement refinished into what she lovingly calls a “Man Cave”. That’s a basement furnished with those huge theater seats: reclining leather connected seats, cup holders, little built-in side tables, the whole bit! A built in bar and counter area and also several tables & chairs round out this total MOVIE THEATER experience. Did I mention Surround Sound? It’s got that, too.  Add to that opulence a pot luck dinner brought by our members and you’ve got a complete Ladies Night Out! We bring our knitting, eat great foods and watch a current movie…what more could you ask for? Tonight is Taco Night and I’m bringing “Triple Chocolate Mess” dessert with French Vanilla ice cream, just to be decadent. (I posted that recipe on a earlier post, just in case you might be interested). The movie is: “A Beautiful Mind” which I’ve been assured is a tear-jerker but very good … I’ll let ya know, later.

Managed to get my running done early today: Post Office (checking to see if there might be a box of knit/crocheted squares…nope), Library to pick up a free one-day pass to any of our county parks courtesy of the Library (that includes our local beach! YAY!) The pass is good for 8 days and I’m looking at my calendar and scoping out this Thursday (as long as nothing ‘else’ gets in the way…like sons with car problems). Did a quick run to the grocery store for THREE items: Kleenex, bacon, and Pierogies (I know…what an unusual grouping of things, eh?)…ended up with several ‘other’ items, like chicken legs & thighs on sale for $7.90…they were in a big bag and after cleaning and re-bagging there were enough for 2 dinners (1 leg/thigh each, for 4 people) and 2 extra leg/thighs left over. I looked over all of their various offerings of chicken parts and noticed that even if I only bought one package of one type of chicken part (like legs or thighs or breasts) I’d still be spending at least $7. 00 and getting less meat in the deal, so this seemed to be a good deal:  10 rather large legs & thighs for $7.90!  Also noticed beef cube steak  (hey, it just called to me! “Hey! Buy me! I’ll make a tasty dinner for ya!…I heard and complied), so much for my little foray for only three items.

It’s a beautiful sunny July day (in the 80’s); my ’schedule’ is relatively free (at the moment)…think I’ll go knit for a few. Enjoy your day!

Hugs;

Pammie

Stitchin’ in the Sun!

It’s a gorgeous Monday afternoon around here; 84 nice, sunny warm degrees, slight breeze…what’s a girl to do? Why, enjoy it while she can, of course! As you remember, I’m no “Sun Goddess”, so there’s SPF 30 on me, my trusty (goofy looking) sunhat on my head, a nice icy glass of tea to keep me from getting parched and I’m ‘good to go’! As nice as it was, I only lasted about 20 minutes…just too darned hot for me, but it’s a start!

Like my dear friend Momma, today was another ‘get things done’ day except it became get them done EARLY! Have 3 loads of wash done, folded & put away (another one in the dryer and 1 in the wash…that should just about finish my laudry chores for the day.) Got the dishes cleaned up, fridge cleaned out, house straightened up and made a big ole’ batch of Macaroni salad for dinner tonight.  Actually, the salad was a big help in me cleaning out the fridge; the salad has leftover sliced up ham, cucumbers, green peppers, celery, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes and leftover black olives from Saturday’s dinner of Nachos. I, personally, like to cut up small chunks of Cheddar cheese in it but the rest of my family has requested I not do that, as it’s not their favorite (I suppose I could just cut up chunks in MY bowl…now there’s a thought!). Along with this salad we’ll be having grilled chicken breasts on the George Formann; my kind of night-a cool salad and meat cooked on a grill which doesn’t heat up my kitchen-win/win situation here!

As I’m working on this post my youngest son is ‘rocking out’ to Guitar Hero 2; he’s an enthusiast of the more hard-core rock music and I’m not so we’re working out a solution to this (soon to be) problem. I let him have the livingroom tv and ‘rock’ to his heart’s content while I’m on my computer or outside…away from the NOISE! When I can’t stand any more of the ‘music?’, we sort of trade spots in the house. Our house is small and today begins the countdown to end of school for the summer (2 more half-days to go), so a solution needs to be achieved BEFORE Mom totally loses it. I think this will work….for now.

Hope you have a great day…remember to not OVER-DO whatever you’re up to today.

Hugs;

Pammie

Poppies & Pigging Out

It’s been a relatively quiet weekend here; the poppies (as you can see) are going crazy nodding their bright faces in the breezes and smiling at the sun. Husband mowed the lawns a little earlier this evening and I just saw a big red-headed woodpecker really enjoying the bugs that were stirred up by the mower; he was really pecking and pecking at the ground in search of tasty morsels.

Speaking of tasty morsels, last night middle son brought home some leftovers from his work: most of the fixin’s for fajitas. We pigged out on fajitas for lunch, then tonight’s dinner was “Clean the Fridge” (ever have that at your house?) so it was a virtual plethora of delights.  Husband chose beef stir fry over rice (we had a large batch of that), middle son had last night’s dinner: fish, corn and hash browns. Youngest son chose leftover homemade pizza and I, once again, pigged out on more fajitas! We are all pleasantly stuffed, the fridge is much lighter in leftovers and now we’ve all settled down to our favorite ‘light enjoyment’: Husband is playing “World of Warcraft” on his computer, middle & youngest sons are playing/watching a boxing video game and I’m doing a little ‘catch-up’ with you.  All in all, it’s been a nice, quiet weekend. I finished another afghan (#178) and got several more squares knit so I feel like I’ve accomplished something (that is, besides the laundry and dishes which are a given…sigh).

It’s been a rather cool/chilly/cold weekend, dipping to the 50’s and warming up to not much higher than around 65 during the day (might even have been colder at night; I didn’t check outside thermometer). Knowing that, it will just make the coming hot weather in June that much more welcome, right?

Enjoy your days & nights; stay warm and hopefully pleasantly filled with good foods.

Hugs;

Pammie

Another Compulsion…

Socks.  Knitting Socks.  Me knitting socks…do those words actually go together? I’ve been trying to figure that one out now for a good 2-3 weeks. You see, most of the ladies in my knit group are knitting socks! They all ooo and awwwww over all sorts of various balls of, you guessed it, sock yarn. They spend tons of time chatting about the various colors, combinations and attributes of sock yarn. They share patterns and observe each other knitting socks. Have you ever had something that sort of intrigued you but you almost felt like it was beyond your abilities?  That’s me and knitting socks. Here are the facts:  (1) I absolutely HATE knitting in a circle! (2) ditto on the using 4 needles at one time (3) ditto on using teeny-tiny needles (4) ditto on using yarn that should be used for sewing on a button, it’s so thin!  Now, you ask yourself: “WHY, if she’s so adamant about NOT liking all these things, would she even consider trying to knit socks?”  You’ve got me there…I don’t know!

Let’s put this in perspective: I’ve gone to JoAnn Fabrics (craft store) at least 2-3 times specifically to purchase sock yarn and start this thing.  Now I know I’ve told you I’m (1) Scottish by descent (2) very frugal (3) very stubborn.  THOSE attributes are what jump to the forefront when I’m faced with thinking about purchasing sock yarn. Did I mention that even on sale, sock yarn runs a good $5 a teeny-tiny skein and it would take a good 3-4 skeins to make a pair (not counting the cost of buying those 4 teeny-tiny needles?) Yesterday was another of those days where I visited the shop and spent a good half hour trying to actually leave the store with yarn and needles…(I know, I’m pathetic in this area). Oh…there’s one other facet of this process…I haven’t, as yet, found even ONE yarn I like in the sock colors/combinations! To me they’re all UGLY! I really tried! I picked up skein after skein and said to myself: “What about this one? It’s light blue, it’s soft…sigh…it’s ugly!” I guess I’m just a creature of habit; I’m that person you see wandering around stores: She’s had the same purse for years at a time, the same pair of shoes for years at a time, she wears white ankle socks…that’s me: PLAIN JANE!  To me, socks/purses/shoes are UTILITARIAN! I don’t really CARE what they look like: THEY’RE THERE JUST TO SERVE A PURPOSE! Do you get my point? I have 2 pairs of Sunday ‘church’ shoes for winter- both black and both almost the same shoe (the same for summer, only it’s one pair of white shoes); one black purse that I’ve had since I bought it at a garage sale about 3 years ago (I patch it up when it springs a small seam tear, but it’s served me well!); and probably about 8 pairs of white cotton ankle socks.  Colored socks? Nope. Fancy-dancy colored socks that took me at least 2-3 WEEKS to knit? Nope!

I guess that actually answers my question: should I knit socks? I even have 2 books on hold at the local library: “Getting Started Knitting Socks” and “Easy Knitted Socks: Fun and Fashionable for the Novice Knitter“.  I think I’m just going to turn those back in, unread. Even explored the idea of crocheting socks, but crochet and I aren’t the best of friends. I’m getting tired just THINKING about this project! Let’s see: if I DON’T knit socks I’ve saved myself both tons of time, stress AND MONEY! It’s a WIN/WIN situation all around! Let those other ladies revel in their sock knitting…I’m going to be content with my little squares knitting and get over it! Whew! I feel better already!

Who knew an compulsion could feel so good…NOT doing it!?

Ah, life…it’s great if you don’t let it get you down!

Have a great day!

Hugs;

Pammie