Pressing on Toward the Goal

This is my final post.  This has been on my mind for the past little while, just how much time I spend everyday on the computer.  I sit down for a minute, and then suddenly an hour has gone by.  My mouse broke last week, and I was amazed at how much I was able to get done, when I wasn’t using the computer.  (We only have dial-up, which slows everything down, as well) Life is busy, and the reality for me is, that if I’m spending a bunch of time of the computer blogging, then obviously something else is being neglected.  And it was the important stuff.

This is a tricky post to write, because I don’t want anyone to feel that I’m pointing the finger at them.  This is all about me.  Many people can balance their blogs with their busy lives, and they do it beautifully.  I can’t.  And if it’s taking from the important stuff, then I have to let it go.  At the end of my life, I don’t want to be remembered for the posts that I wrote on my blog, I want to be remembered for the things I did with and for others.  I want my kids to remember the games we played together and the fun we had, and that I was there for them, not spending my free time sitting at the computer desk.  Mackenzie was saying grace the other night at supper, and along with being “thankful for the food, and everything You give us, Thank You that Mommy can play on the computer a lot”.  Ouch!

I started blogging just as an opportunity to remember what my days were like with 3 little ones, and to give family and friends a way to keep up with our lives.  At that time I had no idea what a huge community there was out there.  And I love the bloggy-buds I’ve made–but when reading about their lives takes over looking after my own life, then I need to slow down. 

And please, please don’t think that if you blog, and raise a family and maintain a house, or whatever you do, that I am in any way judging you. That is not my intention, and I would be devastated to learn that anyone thought that. This is just a personal decision that I’ve had to come to.

I’ll still be reading your blogs–it’ll just be every other day or so, instead of every day, or sometimes even more often.

See you in your comments!

…Mama Cat, that is!    These are our adorable kittens–there’s four of them.  They’re about 3 1/2 weeks old now. I’m not sure exactly how old, because Muffin had them outside, and we couldn’t find them anywhere.  She finally brought them in a week ago.  So I think they’re around 3 1/2 weeks. 

But we have a problem.  Muffin went outside on Saturday night, and hasn’t returned.  Now she is a bit of a roamer, but I really don’t think that she would abandon her babies.  

So, I’m mama now, and have been feeding these poor little babies with a  medicine dropper. And they follow me around everywhere.  It’s rather cute!  I guess my next step is to try to litter box train them.  And get them started on solids.  Honestly, there’s a lot of responsibility when you’re a Mama Cat! 

If anyone has any tips on litter box training them , or feeding them, or anything at all for abandoned baby kittens, I would love to hear it.  Oh, and if you live near me, and are looking for a kitten, these ones are very cute.  And I have to admit that looking after them is lots of fun

Dcrmom, over at Musings of a Housewife, is giving away an Eliza Grace totebag!  All you have to do to be entered in the draw is leave a comment, and then link back to your site.

One of these bags is on my birthday wish list!  Have you been over to her shop yet to look around?   Her stuff is amazing.  So pretty and fresh-looking!  I was lucky enough to win ( I actually won something!!) a citrus dot gift set when Girlymama was having a give-away on her own blog.  The odds are probably not in my favour to win again!  But, you just never know.

So go over to Musings of a Housewife and enter the contest, and be sure to go over to Eliza Grace Designs for a look around!

6 1/4 package of long grain and wild rice mix

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/4 cup carrot, grated

1 tsp canola oil

10 0z ground chicken breast ( I often substitute ground beef, it’s just as yummy)

7 1/2 oz can of tomato sauce

2 tbsp chopped fresh sweet basil (or 1 tsp dried)

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

4 medium green peppers, halved lengthwise

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Prepare rice as directed on package.

Saute next 4 ingredients in canola oil until soft.  Add ground chicken. Scramble-fry until chicken is no longer pink.  Add cooked rice and next 5 ingredients.

Stuff each pepper half with 3/4 cup rice mixture.  Place in 9×13″pan, pour water into pan.  Cover with foil.  Bake in 350F oven until peppers are tender-crisp.

Remove foil, top each with 1 tbsp cheese.  Return to oven for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted.

~Ray and I both love this recipe, but the kids don’t like peppers.  So I only do 2 peppers, instead of 4.  The remaining filling, I put in a casserole dish, heat it through in the oven, add cheese to the top to melt, and voila~a meal that the kids do love!

Last week was such a success. It was so nice to not only know what I was going to make for supper, but to have all the ingredients ready to make it.  Here’s this weeks:

Monday:  Sausage Casserole

Tuesday:  Baked Salmon with Cucumber Salad, and baby potatoes  (I’m so looking forward to this one!)

Wednesday:  Stuffed Green Peppers with garlic bread

Thursday:  Beef and Broccoli with rice

Friday:  Burrito Bake

I bought a cookbook this weekend that’s all diabetic dessert recipes.  I can’t wait to try some of them!

……..Victor.

And just who is Victor you’re wondering? 

I don’t really know–I’ve never met him.

But…….

My hubby does.  He went to school with him.  And Victor now does crack-filling, and painting.  And……

He needs some electrical work done.  And hubby just happens to be an electrician.  So….

You can now see where this is going.

Victor is supposed to be calling sometime soon, to set up a time when he and hubby can trade some of their skills.  And I couldn’t be happier.  Because really, over a year of the living room being torn to pieces is just a little bit more than any girl should have to handle.

And that’s why I love Victor, even though we’ve never met!

Is it blowing my diet if I eat a little whole bunch of cookie dough?

Oh, who am I kidding.  Of course it isn’t!  It’s just cookie dough–a bunch of ingredients mixed up together!  There’s no calories in that! 

And at the rate I’m going, there won’t be many cookies anyway. And that’s where the calories are.

~sigh~ If only it really was like that.

Happy Friday everyone!

I just got this CD the other day.  I. Love. It. It’s scripture set to music,  and it is an amazing CD.  Lots of familiar singers,  and they all come together to make this wonderful CD. 

Our favorite is “By His Wounds”.  Mac Powell (Third Day), Steven Curtis Chapman, Brian Littrell, and Mark Hall (Casting Crowns) sing this beautiful song.  Ray and I listen to it over and over and over again.  It is the words of Isaiah 53:5

He was peirced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our sin.

The punishment that brought us peace, was upon Him.

And by His wounds, by His wounds we are healed.

We are healed by Your sacrifice, and the life that You gave.

We are healed for You paid the price, By Your grace we are save, we are saved.

What can wash away my sin?  Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

You can go here to see the CD, and to read about the Glory Revealed project. 

I’m off to listen to it again!

So my goal is not to turn this into just a recipe blog, even though it seems like that.  I’ve just been so consumed this week with trying new recipes that Ray can eat and that everyone will like, that I haven’t had much time for anything else.  So far things are going very well. I’ve found some great new recipes, we’ve eaten a healthy supper every night, and I’ve been organized about it.  No scrambling around at 5:00 trying to decide what to make with what was in the cupboard.   And I’ve almost completely cut out my snacking this week.  That’s huge for me.  Just trust me.  I always want to be nibbling on something, especially in the evenings. 

So the pineapple pork.  Since I know that’s why you’re really here! This was the most talked about in my menu plan for this week.  Okay, well honestly, 2 people commented that it sounded good.  But, still, that makes it the most talked about!

It was wonderful!  Delicious.  And the colors in it made it even more appealing. It looked so pretty in the frying pan.  Red, green, orange, yellow.  I love food that looks good, and I love colorful food!

So here’s the recipe:

Pineapple Pork

3/4 lb boneless pork loin, trimmed and thinly sliced

2 tsp canola oil

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground ginger

freshly ground pepper, sprinkle

2 thinly sliced carrots

1/2 medium green pepper, cut into large slivers

1/2 medium red pepper, cut into large slivers

1 small onion, sliced into wedges

14oz can of pineapple tidbits

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp brown sugar, packed

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp ketchup

2 tbsp cornstarch

Saute pork in canola oil in large frying pan for 1 minute.  Sprinkle with paprika, ginger and pepper.  Saute until no pink remains in the pork.

Stir in the next 4 ingredients.

Reserve 1/4 cup of pineapple juice.  Set aside. Add remaining juice and pineapple to pork mixture.  Drizzle with vinegar. Sprinkle with brown sugar.  Stir.  Bring to a boil.  Cover.  Simmer for 30 minutes until carrot is tender.

Combine remaining 4 ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.  Stir into pork mixture.  Heat and stir until boiling and thickened.

Serve over rice.

These are very yummy! And other than the natural sugar in the pineapple, there’s only 1 tbsp of sugar in the entire recipe.   So, even though they’re not “sugar-free”, they’re definitely better for a diabetic than a recipe that calls for a whole bunch of sugar.  (Whole bunch–nows there’s a technical term!) 

These call for rum extract–I didn’t have any when I made them, so I just left it out–and they were still very yummy.

Pina Colada Squares

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup margarine

1 egg, separated

1/4 cup milk

1 14oz can unsweetened crushed pineapple

2 tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp rum extract

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cream of tarter

1 tbsp sugar

1 cup unsweetened coconut

Bottom Layer:  Combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Cut in margarine until mixture is crumbly.  Beat egg yolk and milk together with a  fork.  Stir in crumbs. Press evenly into bottom of lightly greased 8″ square pan.

Middle Layer:  Combine crushed pineapple and it’s juice and cornstarch in a saucepan.  Mix well.  Stir-cook over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens.  Stir in rum extract and vanilla.  Pour over first layer.

Top Layer:  Beat egg white and cream of tarter until frothy.  Add sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.  Fold in coconut. Spread evenly and carefully over pineapple layer. Press down lightly with a fork.  Bake in 350F oven for 30 minutes until top is golden brown.  Cool and cut into squares.