Random Thought X's 10.

I will be honest. I have not been very motivated to blog as of late. I have half a dozen unfinished posts just sitting in my blog dashboard. I have a theory that my creativity comes upon me like the flu or PMS (sorry guys). It's not an every day occurance, but when it happens it is intense and all incompasing. I have long held to the idea that I better get all my planning done whenever I am in one of the "creative hurricanes"...'cause when it is not there...it's just not there. Which can be a big problem for someone who calls herself a Freelance Writer. And has relied on more than one check from a writing job.  Though they might be few and far between right now.

Can I be any more pitiful? Probably. But I'm doing a pretty good job of it right now. I feel like everytime I talk to somebody I have some sort of sad story to tell. I have never had much patience with whiners.

Anyhoo, I do have a few random thoughts today.

1. I went the Y today. Yeah. They know me there. We do have a family membership, though The Studly Muffin has been a handful of times. He used to keep his weights on our porch. He would come home from work (at around 2:30am) and do his workout with only the stars as his audience. I didn't let him bring it to the apartment when we moved. Along with the stars most of downtown Springfield (including our Apartment neighbors) would be slightly disturbed by a grown man lifting weights on an Apartment balacony at all hours of the night. But this is not about The Studly Muffin. It's about the crowd at the Y. What are you all doing there! I know this is still January and all. It is still a little early to neglect that New Year's resolution, but phleease. You're totally cramping my style..and taking my parking spot.

2. Josiah and I also made a trip to the library today. This week our library is having a Food for Fines drive. Meaning you take in your canned goods and they remove any fines from your account. Okay. We go to the library every week. When a family goes as often as we do there is bound to be an occasional over due book.  Or three. So I went through my canned goods and bagged up a few (or 10). I won't give you a run down of strange and unusual things I found in my "pantry." I will admit to the package of mini-marshmallows I found under my bed...which I  know were left over from my 2009 Holiday baking. Not to worry. Ozarks Food Harvest did not receive my moldy marshmallow. I fully intend on using them in some jello this week.

3. The Tax Man is almost here. Which means because we are poor, not employed in a church and still can claim a child we will be getting a refund. Minister's taxes can be a nightmare. We always had to hire an accountant who knew about those dreaded Minister's Taxes. Now we can use one of those free online services. You just point and click. That alone almost makes up for not being in fulltime ministry. Almost...but not quite. Anyhoo...I have plans. I first plan on taking a trip to see my favorite hair dresser and going for Sushi. A girl has to have her priorities in order. Troy has some other priorities...like paying of bills and buying groceries. I don't get it. The man knows how to suck the joy right out of everything.

4. I am so over Winter. My flip flops are calling me. beke. Beke. BE-ke. BEKE! (my flip flops are kind of crazy and all).

5. I've already been hit up to order  Girl Scout cookies. At the Y. Just a glance at that multi-stripped order form sent me back in time. Of course, I was the worst Girl Scout cookie seller of all time. I still really stink at selling things. Here is my Avon spiel (circa 2005). "I am putting in an Avon order this week. Here is a book you can look at. If you want. Don't feel like you have to buy anything. Oh. You need shampoo? And conditioner? The shampoo starts on page 22. They might be kind of high. I don't want you to feel like you have to buy anything. If you want I can give you 40% off. And I'll throw in the conditioner for free."

6. I bought 5 boxes of cookies. I know. I'm supposed to be taking care of myself. My rationale is that I can take them to our Small Group at church to share. Those people love cookies. Right?

7. And I'm contributing to a wonderful organization like the Girl Scouts.

8. And Josiah needs to experience the delictable world of the Thin Mint and the Peanut Butter Patty. Such memories we are cultivating here!

9. Anyhoo.

10. I'll walk an extra lap at the Y. Promise.

Trash or Treasures?

So it's Day 6 of the New Year. And I am knee deep in organizing the Dreaded HomeSchool Cabinet. Help! I need an intervention! Already I have found several resource books I forgot I had and have spent a good portion of the morning thumbing through them. Then I found an old notebook I made in 8th grade for an English project titled "My Autobiography"...I was pretty dramatic and fruity even back in those days...and spent  a few minutes blubbering at the pictures I had included in that 8th grade notebook of my Grandma Polly and my Uncle Michael, who have both gone on to be with Jesus. After that I found an old Smithsonian magazine featuring the artist James Audubon and I started sketching out a lesson plan to include an artist study in some of Josiah's school work. So just a few hours into it I have managed to create a few piles on the floor, put 3 or 4 books in the box for storage and have thrown away some faded construction paper (which was really hard to do).

Meanwhile, as I was deep in the organizational haze, Josiah kept "rescuing" treasures from the trash. At one point he had a few old index cards, a mangled Guidepost and a plastic knife sitting on his lap. When I asked him what he was going to do with it all he said, "Who knows? Maybe create something? Read something?" Yep. He's my boy.

Organizing 101

Well, we're 5 days into a New Year. I don't quite feel like crawling back into the old year, but so far 2011 has proven to hold some new challenges...or maybe the same challenges...just packaged differently. For one, I received a bit of news from the doc today I didn't expect. Not to worry, nothing life threatening...I've had enough of those. But something I wasn't expecting. It's to soon to see how it will all play out.

One of the resolutions I have for the New Year is to make most of our small apartment and organize myself. This is akin to training a box turtle to quote Shakespeare. I have started on the most challenging projects first, The Dreaded HomeSchool Cabinet. So far I've thrown away a few crumbled up Post-Its, a dried up Sharpie and Church Bulletin from September. My particular issue is distraction. Here is a senario.  I decided to gow through a closet. It's not too bad, really. I have far fewer clothes than The Studly Muffin (given that he has held onto everything since his college days...almost 23 years ago!) and it's mostly a matter of stuffing back...in an orderly manner...everything that has spilled out. I come across an old paperback Agatha Christie novel and suddenly I'm propped up against the closet door lost in some sort of murder mystery involving afternoon tea and arson.  I really need Baby Sister to come and boss me around. She is really good at organization and the Bossy thing suits her.

Anyhoo, another issue is the matter of the pick-up truck. And the issue is that we don't have one. Our little storage building is in another town and it's kind of hard to strap too much to the top of my Buick.  I've thought about duct taping Josiah to the top a few times and then decided against it. 

As you can see, this is one Resolution I am quickly talking myself out of. I wonder how much one of those professional organizer people would charge? Then I would feel like I would have to organize myself before she or he came over to organize!

Sigh. It's always something.

Resolutions

A Mourning Dove. Taken by my mom, Sherry Lou Wilson, at my parent's farm in Stella, MO

So some folks call them Resolutions. When I think of being “resolute” I think of determination and commitment. Those particular qualities I have displayed in my life…at times. I am also guilty of giving in to my sanguine personality and “just going along for the ride.” I am usually one to make a list of goals at the beginning of every year. It is a good time to reflect and to gain focus on one’s life. I am also guilty of neglecting those goals and falling back into chaos and despair (well, not quite…but sometimes it seems like it). It’s easy to get sidetracked. The cares of this life can seem so overwhelming. And frankly, when one deals in life and death it’s easy to brush off the smallness of everyday life as trivial. More than any other year in my memory I am heading into 2011 with real burdens…not just for myself, but for friends and family around me.

Members of our family ending a almost 30 year marriage, the long journey of healing for a family friend, a road of hardships for a beloved nephew, friends facing a heart breaking battle for the privilege just to be parents, friends and family in devastating financial crisis, a young man who needs divine intervention in his life for direction and clarity, friends are faced with losing their home. And there are more.

In my own life I have seen God’s hand time and time again…moving, direction, shaping. But where does my own Faith enter the picture? What am I responsible for? My family and I have some serious needs this year…actually, this moment. I believe that God is in control. Some answers to particular prayers have been a long time in coming. What do I do while I wait? This is where Resolutions come in. There are things I can’t change…But there are some things I can explore, renew and revive. The others I am just going to have to leave up to him.

There is a list right now I am working on. And it’s called…you guessed it…Resolutions. The list resembles other lists I have made in the past. The only difference is that I have come to understand is that in everything I undertake I need divine intervention. I also need to understand that these changes in come in time…baby steps. I have spent so much of my life just trying to survive or trying to live a normal life, when the truth is I am not really all that normal. The truth is I just can start my New Year off by learning (again) to embrace life and what God has given me to the fullest. And rejoice in what He has started already.

So what have you resolved to do in this New Year?

The Christmas Edition (Random Thoughts)

Here are a few random thoughts. The Christmas Edition. Consider it my Christmas card to you…and possibly the only Christmas card most of you will receive from me this year.



1. Speaking of Christmas cards. I purchased a beautiful box of Christmas cards at T.J. Maxx last month for 5.99. They had a glittery Victorian Angel on the front and something about Christmas blessings and a scripture verse. They are really pretty. And still sitting in the box on my dining room table.


2. Josiah and I watched the Ballet together last night. Actually it was a documentary about the Kirov Ballet in Russia. Obviously there was a lot of Russian spoken and dancing going on. He finally told me, “Mom! All of this dancing and Spanish speaking is driving me crazy!” He thinks every foreign language he hears spoken is Spanish. We did do a introductory Spanish course this past year. I let him pick out what we watched after the Ballet. He picked Scooby Doo. Sigh.


3. So. Show of hands. How many of you have been out doing your last minute Christmas shopping. ‘Cause you’re all crazy! I went to Aldi’s the other day. Along with half of the Senior Citizen population of the Ozarks… and the Amish. You don’t mess with the Seniors when they are doing serious shopping. I thought I was going to lose a limb. The Amish, however, were exemplary shoppers. They seemed pretty delighted by the whole chaotic scene. I couldn't even drive my buggy down the aisle...it was like the 76 Strip at Branson during the tourist season. Crazy crowds make me nervous. I break out in hives. The Seniors eat so much better than we do. They had all sorts of fruit in their carts. I covered up the box of Frosted Flakes with my coat in shame. In my defense, the Frosted Flakes were for The Studly Muffin.


4. I have another confession. I have not wrapped a single gift. Except for the empty boxes we used for a memory verse game in Children’s Church on Sunday. Normally, I am all about the present wrapping. I get all of my paper and bags ready (matching, of course). Bows, gift tags, tape. I make myself a cup of something hot (this year I have a box of Holiday Chai Tea I am enjoying) and put on White Christmas. I am a little obsessive about the whole thing. I blame it on my mother. She is the quintessential last-minute present wrapper. One year, she waited so long that our little town in the Ozark mountains of Arkansas ran out of scotch tape. Our presents were brought down Christmas morning in laundry baskets. Not that we complained. But it did kind of take the whole “Santa came down the chimney and left these for you” magic out of the morning. There have been years I have gone to her house and wrapped her presents for her. Last night she called me from road (she and Dad are spending Christmas with Baby Sister in OHH-Klahoma) and she had yet to wrap any presents.


5. It happens. Every once in a while. I find myself in what appears to be a episode of "Hoarders." You know it's bad when you call your son and if he doesn't answer right away, your first instinct is that he has been buried underneath the avalanche of coats, wal-mart bags and scrapbook paper spilling out of the hall closet. It's time for an intervention. It doesn't help that we live in a 600+ square foot apartment. Maybe people in urban cities can do it, but I was raised in the country, ya'll! I have to spread out a little. Plus, there are things (like books, dishes and my son) that I can't live without. But not to fear! The Studly Muffin leant a hand over the weekend and the clutter has been conquered (at least this week)!


6. We are doing a bit of Holiday traveling tonight. The Studly Muffin gets off work at 1:30am. We are piling in the little Ford Contour (Sadly, Bertha the Buick…my car has no heat and bad tires) and heading up to St. Louis. The Studly Muffin likes to travel at night. Except that he likes me to stay awake to keep him awake. What’s up with that! One of the great things about traveling at night is the sleeping!


7. Have you ever been so discouraged that you couldn't even prayer for yourself? I've been there. And there have been times in my life when I am convinced that the prayers of those around me made the difference. I love this quote by Abraham Lincoln "I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had absolutely no other place to go.”Of course, the flip side to this is that we need to be on our knees in the good times, too. Right now I know of some pretty serious needs. Crisis doesn’t take a Christmas Holiday. My heart has been so burdened for many friends and family. As we celebrate with our loved ones, let’s all remember those around us who need a miracle. No matter how big the problem, God is still in control. And what better time for a miracle!

Merry Christmas!

Rebekah

Hot Chocolatey

It's C-C-C-Cold here in Missouri. At least it's cold for us Hillbillies. We like our winters cold enough we know that ole Jack Frost has paid us a visit. Give us a few snowman building days and we're good.  If it gets too cold our stills and possum traps start acting out of us! Kidding! Most of us don't have stills and I haven't eaten possum in ages! :<) For me it's all about the boots. A few months of cute boot wearing weather is worth all the chilly days and nights.
There are a few benefits to a frigid night at home. For one, the whole "night at home" thing is pretty good. It doesn't get any better than enjoying some snuggle time with the family. And being Christmas and all, we get to watch our fill of Christmas movies.  And what's better than watching White Christmas, Frosty the Snowman & It's Wonderful Life than with something chocolatey and warm. Is "chocolately" even a word?  Probably not.

As I write this, my family and I are currently snuggling together around a good "end of the world disaster flick"....2012. Not my idea. I am hoping to take control of the remote. Maybe if I distract the holder of the remote. I am not a disaster flick fan. They don't give me any thing warm or fuzzy. Anyhoo.

Here are some recipes and links for some fun Hot Chocolatey Recipes. Yum!

My Mama's Hot Cocoa Recipe

This is the recipe I grew up with. We didn't have little packets of cocoa in the country.

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3/4 cup white sugar
1 pinch salt
1/3 cup boiling water
3 1/2 cups milk
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup half-and-half cream

Just heat on your stovetop. Serve with whipped cream and candy canes.

If you are really ambitious, Martha Stewart has a recipe for Homemade Marshmallows. I have made these before. Granted they didn't look as pretty as Martha's, but I'm no Martha.

Our Best Bites has a wonderful collection of recipes to change up your Hot Chocolate. These look really yummy simple. There are great recipes like Raspberry Truffle or Peppermint Stick.


Maybe you would like something a little more substantial with your cup of cocoa.  I have a friend who has a recipe for a chocolate microwave cake in a mug. You can find it here.

But how about making these Hot Cocoa Muffins In A Cup for the whole gang. Or better yet. Invite your friends over for a movie and a muffin in a cup! (hint. hint).

 Blessings!

Rebekah

My Favorite Christmas Present - EVER!

So have you made your Christmas list yet? I have an unofficial one (new tires, a new printer, a house with a yard, maybe a job, boots, a Circut, to return to my wedding dress size)…but there’s not much on it ;<). Josiah has his list. I will tell you that most of it involves Indiana Jones. There are many families this year that have had to simplify their Christmases. We aren’t alone on that island. We have been blessed to be blessed in this country and there have been many Christmases that my “stocking” was filled to the brim. But I would have to say that my favorite Christmas present ever wasn’t a new purse (though the Studly Muffin has done a good job in that department in years past). It wasn’t a bottle of fancy perfume or a new teapot. 9 years ago on December 10, Troy and I officially received parental custody of one Josiah Bevan. 6 months or so later we become his forever parents. Somewhere in all my boxes I have pictures of a tiny Josiah wearing a little Christmas outfit and a peppermint stripped hat. I think I spent that whole Christmas in some sort of surreal existence. Troy and I had been married 10 years. There had been things that had happened in our 10 years of marriage that no young couple should have to experience. Yet, here we were. Looking at our Christmas miracle. Wrapped up in all the things we thought we might never get to experience. Midnight feedings, dirty diapers, colic. They were glorious!


So here I am 9 years later. I am gazing at a handsome young man. He is wearing a pair of well worn Iron Man jammy pants. Picking his nose. He has dragged out all his action figures to the middle of the living room floor where it appears he attempting to save the world from certain doom. I think his Indiana Jones action figure is hanging from my floor lamp. He didn’t eat a bite of supper tonight (full from the Krispy Kreme we took to our friend Kim’s today) and has discovered that Mom gets really annoyed when he tries to burp “Jingle Bells.” I won’t tell him this, but all of it (even the nose picking part) is glorious! How blessed I am. So even if Santa doesn’t make a stop at my house this year I already feel that my Christmas present has arrived. I am at this moment telling him to keep his hands out of his pants…and probably will send him back to his own bed at least a dozen times tonight. But what a Present!

Josiah - Age 9 - At Ama and Papa's Farm in Stella

Some Christmas Goodies to Give or Take

I wanted to share with you some of the ideas I have discovered on the web this week. I am totally planning on trying these this year. That is if I can get my act together. Right now I am having difficulty mustering the energy for the grand culinary undertakings of Mac and Cheese. I expect the creative and crafty Christmas bug to infect me at any moment...Of course, if it winds up happening around Valentine's Day you can expect to receive a handcrafted Christmas goodie from me. Just receive it with love. And put it back for next year.

Here is an idea for Pie In A Jar. I love pie! And what better is a cute little pie in a jar to hand out to neighbors (and me). This particular site (Our Best Bites) has a lot of cute recipe ideas.

This Fruit Candy Popcorn is another recipe from Our Best Bites. I am for sure going to do this one. I have plenty of jello hiding in my cabinet. This is a perfect treat to enjoy for a family movie night. Plus it looks festive.

And you can't get any cuter than this! Here is a Santa Party Mix. It looks just a little time consuming, but absolutely worth it if you want a snack mix to give or take that is unique.  This comes from a cute blog, Cookies and Cups.

Corn Casserole

So tomorrow night is our church Christmas dinner. Our small group is in charge of the set up, clean up and stuff in between so it's going to be a long day (but lots of fun!) One of the guys in our group is going to bless us with lunch...he is a particularly gifted "smoker of meats" and has barbecue sauce recipe to die for. He should bottle it up and sell it, seriously. Then we've got the Christmas dinner to look forward to that night. There is nothing better than a church potluck dinner. At least for those of us with the adventurous spirit. I plan on taking the very unadventurous Corn Casserole. It's comfort food at it's best. I've posted a Corn Casserole recipe before. I have taken the Corn Casserole to many a family dinner, church potlucks and neighbors in need.

Corn Casserole

2 cans of cream-style corn

1 package of Jiffy Corn Mix

2 beaten eggs

1 tablespoon of milk

One-half cup of onions, chopped

One-fourth cup of butter

One-half pint of sour cream

One-half cup of grated cheddar cheese

Sauté chopped onions in butter. Mix corn, muffin mix, eggs and milk in a large casserole. Add onions and mix together. Dot with sour cream and add the grated cheese on top. Bake at 325 for 1 hour. This casserole raises so be sure to use a big casserole dish.

Hershey Kiss Pretzel Candy Thingys

Okay. Because I didn’t post on December 1, I am doing a little bit of catching up. And I am doing it with another easy, peasy recipe. I’m really not sure what to call these…except for those Hershey Kiss Pretzel Candy Thingys.

These are some of my favorite treats to make. I start hyperventilating just a little when I think about making candy. My mom did it all. Peanut Brittle, Fudge, Divinity, Toffee. And I loved helping with every bit of it. But let’s just say that The Candy Making Gene didn’t stop for me. Baby Sister got it. And the Art Gene. And the really good Hair Gene. And the Gardening Gene. But I’m not bitter. I did get the Music Gene. Stink. She got that one too! Still not bitter.
Back to the subject at hand. These treats are simple, bimple (I am really into this rhyming nonsense words tonight). Josiah helps me with these. He doesn’t have to wash his hands every 30 seconds (he doesn’t like for his hands to be messy for very long) and you can’t mess them up. Which is a really good thing for me. I also love the combination of salty and sweet.

Hershey Kiss Pretzel Candy Thingys

Bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels
Hershey's Kisses or Hugs
M&M's candy (I like to use the red and green Christmas colors)

That's it! That's all you need to make them. Now some fun begins. Heat the oven to 170F. Set a number of bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels (one for each treat) in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (I use my Pampered Chef Stoneware pan without the parchment paper). Top each pretzel with an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug.

Bake for 4 to 6 minutes (the white chocolate will melt more quickly), until the chocolates feel soft when touched with a wooden spoon. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly press an M&M's candy into the center of each Kiss.Allow the treats to cool for a few minutes, then place them in the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes.

These are really cute in a treat bag tied with red or green raffia. I try and make bunches of little bags every year. They not only make a pretty gift, but a tasty one as well!

Friendship Tea Mix

It was my intention to post something "Christmasy" every day this month until the big day. As you can see, I am late to my own party. And it's hard to admit this, but I am not in the Christmas spirit quite yet. My tree is up and Josiah has had Christmas movies going...But I'm not quite "there" yet. It will come. I think. Meanwhile, I am taking inventory of my baking supplies. There are a few things we have to make for Christmas. Even though I am diabetic and have issues with moderation...but that best left for another post.  Another little hiccup in my Christmas activities is that I've misplaced Jesus. No. I'm not having a crisis of Faith. At least not this week. I've literally misplaced our Nativity. We have a cute Precious Moments set that we have had for years (long before Josiah was born) and I can't find it. It's not in storage. Hmm. Anyhoo. I need to find Jesus. Or least purchase another set. We can't have Christmas without Him.

I'm sharing with you today one of my favorite gifts to make. Most of my favorite recipes and traditions are ones I remember as a little girl. I've added a few of my own. This one I remember my mom making and giving to friends and neighbors. It's simple and doesn't involving turning on your oven. Which, for me, could go either way. This involves a trip to the grocery store and some measuring. And the result is absolutely delicious. Your friends will Oooh and Aww.

Friendship Tea Mix

 (also called Russian Tea Mix)

18 ounces Tang drink mix

1 cup instant iced tea

2 cups granulated sugar

1 package powdered lemonade mix

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix and place into a covered jar or other container. For hot tea mix 2/3 tablespoon to 1 cup of hot water. For iced tea mix substitute cold water and pour over ice

The nice thing about this recipe is it can be made sugar free. I have used Mason Jars (decorated with fabric and rafia) or my new favorite (and cheap) alternative storage is a ziplock bag and a bag topper. I usually design my own with scrapbook paper and a computer, but here is a link for a cute printable.

Bag Topper Printable
You can also attach a cinnamon stick for extra pizazz. I even make it for myself (the sugar free version) just to enjoy on a cold winter's morning. And it's great when you are suffering with winter sinus ailments.

Enjoy!