Wednesday, April 04, 2007

WEDNESDAY

I spent most of the day around here trying to make connections to put in our produce order. We finally connected at 7:15 p.m. Ah well....he threw in 3 flats of strawberries...it was worth the wait! I was also able to get things that others had mentioned or requested as liking for Easter...so all in all it was a profitable day. I spent way more time on the computer than I would normally.

I DID take pictures of dinner - but blogger won't allow me to upload photos this afternoon and now....no clue why. Usually when this happens I can sign out and log in again and things are fine. Now I click the little photo button and get nothing. Pasties turned out as wonderful as the boys remembered. This was one of those dishes that grew out of homeschooling. We had been studying the miners when they were young (5th, 3rd, 2nd, K and Pre school). Several books mentioned pasties as being the meal that the miners would take with them. We toured several mines in MT and bought pasties there...and then made our own. All I added to the recipe below was lots of GARLIC (not gravy as I wrote last night). Some in our family like to dip theirs in sauce (BBQ, A-1, Ketchup, Ranch, gravy) and some like them plain. I had so much filling left that I decided to make a soup too. YUMMMM....I used all those nicely diced veggies, added chicken broth, a can of tomato sauce, handfuls of Italian spices, 4 or 5 bay leaves, left over 7 grain pilaf, rice, amaranth, and GARLIC and honey....it was a great compliment for the meal.

Mike is "back in the saddle again" and enjoying being back with a staff he knows. I had fun packing a lunch for him....all healthy and "clean"....he promises to eat it "tomorrow". He forgot today was men's luncheon day. ::snort:: I offered, last night, to let him pack his lunch in my hot pink cooler...but he opted for one of the little red Coleman coolers we had....I did mention I have a cooler fetish?

Stacia did NOT have a nap today and fell asleep at 7:30. I need to make the most of this and not spend all night online......but I had some darling photos of her fashion to share...ah well....

GREAT PASTIES

Printed from COOKS.COM - my changes in ()

CRUST: (or just use your favorite pie crust recipe - which is what I did)1 stick butter
1/2 c. Crisco
1 c. boiling water
1 tsp. salt
3 1/2 - 4 c. flour

Melt butter and Crisco in microwave. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Don't over mix. Cool.

FILLING:4 c. diced onions (yes, 4 c.)
1 c. chopped carrots (heaping)
3/4 c. rutabaga, chopped (I added more of the other veggies and skipped this)
4 c. potatoes, diced
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Sprinkle garlic salt (LOTS OF GARLIC
1 1/2 lbs. pasty meat (70% beef, 30% pork - I use ground turkey or all veggies)

Mix well. Roll dough into circles. Add filling on one side of circle. Wet (with water) edges around side with filling. Add 1/2 teaspoon butter on top of filling (I forgot). Fold empty side of dough over filling. Press (seal) edges tight. Trim edges and make a 1" slit on top (in middle) of pasty (you can see I don't need to worry about slits ::snort::). Brush top with milk. Repeat until all ingredients are gone. Bake for 1 hour at 400 degrees. (I baked for 25 minutes). Makes 6 jumbo pasties - I made 8 from a recipe that makes 2 9 in crusts....I used about 1/2 of the filling and made a great soup with the leftovers.

Weight Loss THING....

I shared this on Christian Weight Loss Support (a small group of Internet ladies who encourage each other)....At Curves I was told not to weigh after I work out. I was told I would weigh more. I thought this was NUTS. I asked WHY - always needing to gather the info. ::snort:: I ALWAYS weigh right before stepping into the shower - AFTER I work out....

I came home and Mike agreed that it was crazy. I asked on CWLS and others had heard of this and said it was true for them. I asked them to be my focus group.....because I want to check this out. Mike thought maybe folks were sucking water to make the weight....

Anyway - I weighed before Curves ....drank no water and nearly died of thirst.... and weighed after Curves. I was 2 lbs heavier after working out. Hmm....I'm going to check the rest of this week....let me know if you try it, what you discover. I can't believe it.

In other weight loss news....Camping made it so that I was not carefully tracking anything and I did allow myself more than 1200 calories. I'm not sure how much but I know it had to be more. (Probably but I've thought that before so who really knows - I tried to eat what I thought was at least the 1200 and we had snacks and such while camping that are higher in caloric and fat content). I did this for two weeks. Curves has a phase 3. This is for maintenance or when you need a metabolism boost (you've stopped losing) or when you are sick of watching what you eat. Basically you eat more. You gain up to 3 lbs. Then go back on 12oo for no more than 3 days and then eat the higher amount again - and it takes longer and longer before you gain the 3 lbs and have to go back to 1200. In fact, the plan is that long term most women eat 2000 - 2500 calories 28/29 days a month and go to 1200 1 - 2 days a month. I didn't mean to CHECK this theory out...but that is what happened. I gained 2 lbs over the 2 weeks. I went back on the 1200 level and lost the two lbs in 2 days.....so that gives me hope that phase 3 will work for me...that I'll be able to continue raising my metabolism. I even thought about just staying here for another few weeks....but I'd like to get down to goal before summer...so I probably won't stay at the higher calorie thing unless I quit losing weight at the lower calorie. Did I totally lose you? Thought I'd share so that any who are in the mist of Curves may also find hope in the fact that the info seemed to WORK. LOL

Well - I've put it off as long as possible and now will go BIRTHDAY SHOPPING - I hate shopping!!!! I'll wing it for the pasties tonight...pie crust, veggie/meat filling...bake it...should work. LOL

APPLIANCE UPDATE....

Mike fixed 3 of the computers! The hard drive on one of them quit yesterday. We are now back to a 1990 computer that plays Chex Quest games for the younger ones....and ONE computer. My computer is still dead but hopefully will soon be up and running.

The oven has been repaired! YIPPEE! It needed a whole new clock, battery, chip something or other....but it works now.

INFO PLEASE

I'm online trying to find my pasty recipe - because I NEVER can find it when I want to make it. ARGH.....and so I thought I'd update real quick.

MESSIANIC SEDER - Since Mike's folks went to Israel a few times they've done passover Seder meals at this time of year. Mike and I have really had a lot of discussion about Biblical Feasts. He gets concerned about focusing on externals and becoming legalistic.....I agree and understand. BUT we both agree that the BIBLICAL FEASTS are amazing object lessons, all pointing to CHRIST and would be good to add to the training of our children. Every year I say "next year I'm going to have researched and we'll do a Seder" and every year Easter arrives and I've not done it. We've never attended anything like this. Last year we did go to a friend's and he slaughtered a lamb, roasted it, painted the doorposts and read lots of Scripture. I don't want to do that again. I don't like the whole animal thing and well - I don't want to do that again....though it DID graphically and powerfully bring home Christ as the lamb and the horror of that. Sunday, I told Mike "NEXT YEAR...." and so I need to begin to make it happen. I asked this on SHS but I know that some of my friends who are NOT on SHS have celebrated the feasts for years....I'd love to be pointed to the BEST book you have read on celebrating the feasts, history, NT fulfillment etc. Or websites, blogs that describe various feasts etc.

Produce Chart - I've been looking for a chart that I can download that would list produce and then tell what nutritional value it has. It doesn't have to have calories, fiber, protein count....but I want things like "celery - vit A, C, calcium". Anyone know of such a chart? I've looked off and on for several weeks and am not finding one. Anyone have a book that lists such things on Produce that they would recommend? I have a food count book but you have to look up each item and I don't have time right now to create a chart. I want to have this for ME and to give out at produce co-op. Has anyone seen or bought "Melissa's Great (or something) Produce book"? Any others out there you are familiar with. I emailed Debbie, the base dietitian and she's been looking online with the same results as I. She has a book that she said I can come make copies from...but I'm thinking I'd like to buy my own book since we ARE committed to produce consumption and this is the second produce co-op I'm running - I think it would be handy.

Math - U - See - Finally, I'm looking at trying a new math program. We have used Saxon for years and have all the Saxon from K- Advanced math. Its not working for us in the younger years....for one child (Jamin) it did NOT work at all...he used horizons until hitting Saxon 54. For the current students, I'm sure it would work, but I don't have the time to do all the hands on teaching required for 3 levels every day. I'd love to hear from anyone who has used Math u See. How much time does it take you? Do you watch the dvd's with your children? Do your jr high/high school children work alone? I don't see grades on the website and I'm wanting to make sure that if my older ones used it would be high school level algebra etc. Is it? Jamin would probably continue with Saxon. Jared may switch over as I think he could do that now and there wouldn't be gaps - he'll be an 8th grader. AND then I wouldn't have to explain the whole Saxon geometry thing to the Academy admissions officer. ::snort:: What do you like and dislike about the program? Tricia has some that her 8th grade daughter is using and I'm going to go look at it - but I'd love to hear what others of you think? Is it as MOM time intensive in the younger grades as Saxon? I should say we LOVE the idea of Saxon for the younger kids. I used it for my Krista and Josiah and it was awesome.....Now I have more kids...less time for ME to be as involved with as many subjects. This is reality - I'd love to homeschool as I hear some of you doing...I used to beat myself up and try to homeschool like a friend who "had it all together". (SHE has since confessed that she wanted to be more flexible and fun like me ::snort::). One day I realized she was schooling TWO and they were 6/4th grade....I was schooling FIVE....I can't do everything I'd dream of doing...but I can pray and adapt and do what God leads ME to do....math is an area I'd like to find a program that is less ME intensive....

Tuesday (and some photos from Monday)

Jared puts up the winter plates

Mike and the Children's caching expedition on Monday night....
YES, IT IS BESIDE THE FWY....leading me to think we must be the one family in America that really DOES send their children to play on the fwy.... ::snort::
This cache was in the midst of a huge cactus field....I MUST remember hiking boots and LONG pants for all caching outings in TX. LOL

Tuesday was Mike's last day off...though he went in for a bit for something or other. He came home when I was getting Stacia down for a nap and he found this incredibly funny. I fell asleep - but woke with the flash.

Josiah was back at work. I continued to work on little projects around here, and I went to Curves. I also had lots of co-op calls - Wed is order day.

We're starting to plan for our family birthday bash. This is not the big party we want to have. I'm still working on that...mainly choosing the right night and making sure all want to do it. LOL The outside party would be for friends to come enjoy - but no presents. This one is our family party....and so I need to go shopping. We had the boys give us their lists. I know that some think lists of Christmas or birthday wishes are "greedy" - but we grew up doing this. It's not a greed factor as much as allowing each child to dream. They know we may buy something that isn't on their list (like an ipod at Christmas) and they know they won't get all the things on their lists....but it makes shopping for and with this many people much easier. I have the lists from 3 of the boys....we have 5 boys, Mike and I to shop for. ::snort:: I tend to think the list doesn't make them greedy, it would be either over-buying or a hear attitude anyway and not much to do with numbers or dreams. LOL

This is not the big party we are planning to have. The Big Bash will be for 7 birthdays and a welcome home/introduce Mike party. That one will be for friends and I will rent out a place here called *The Rink*. We'll have the whole place for two hours, they'll do skating and golf....they are still getting back to me on the price if we have more show up than the 75 they plan. It's hard to say. It has to be a Monday or Tuesday night - not the night we wanted....we'd invite families so we COULD get that many people...but maybe not. We like to have big parties for families like this. In MT we use to rent out a pool and invite all our friends for those 2 hours....Here, we've rented a paint ball course a couple of times...just good family fun. There won't be presents at this one. We are considering a couple of local charities that we'll request folks bring donations for instead. We're all very excited about this. It allows us to have the big celebrations (like I'm used to from the Philippines) but totally removes the "gift thing" that is so different in the Philippines.
Easter/Passover has snuck (humph! The spell checker tells me that snuck is not a word - WHAT would you use sneaked, snucken....has arrived unexpectedly...::snort::) up on me this year. We did not take these camping...so we are doing two eggs a night. We used these years ago with the older children, but haven't used them for about 6 years. They are NEW to the littles. This is proving to be a fun family circle time. We love the Jotham Advent readings...and these are always fun....I need to find or create more like this.
Mike wanted a haircut. I do NOT give him haircuts but he has taken to giving HIMSELF military buzz's while overseas....I figured if he could do it on himself, I could probably figure it out. At one point, while "tapering", I got so dizzy I had to sit down...maybe I was stressing about it. Of course he made tons of wise cracks about my eyesight and needing my magnifying glasses to do close work. ::snort::

More replies to comments

Mom - re storms...I've been duly chastised and will not instigate more walks in storms...I think I'm a storm chaser at heart. LOL

re veggies - the older ones around here (and Stacia) eat most veggies raw or steamed with butter.....it's those middle three.....

Kathy - re "smart muffins" - please let me know what you think after you make a few of the recipes. I love muffins and the idea of putting cauliflower in muffins has a certain twisted appeal to me. ::snort::

Sharon - I'm so GLAD to hear that I'm not the only veteran homeschooler who hadn't run across the fact that we had German POW camps over here. ::snort::

Fish Bait -

Kristine, in our home velveeta IS almost disgusting as eating fish bait. ::snort::

GIRAFFE TONGUES

Yes, I am responding to various comments here because I realize that there are a lot of posts to check back to to see replies......

Kristine - I have the grossest photo of Mike and a giraffe from the Cheyenne Mt Zoo. It was taken about 5 years ago - when he was old enough not to be pulling these sorts of stunts. He and a friend got to daring each other (they were our neighbors at Malmstrom). He put the food in HIS mouth and fed it to the giraffe. ::gag:: ::choke:: ::gasp:: I made him promise not to do that this time....the older boys remembered the younger ones were shocked!

Mom - come visit and we'll take you to the zoo.

ARGHHH

Today I found a slip of paper in the kitchen. I had to read it to see if I could throw it away. It said "dragons are......." ARGH....I want to discover the key points as I READ.....::snort:: Drawback of living with an author????? I am steadfastly avoiding anything that looks like an outline around here. LOL