Springtime

by Heather on May 17, 2013 · 10 comments

It’s always a hopeful season. I’m energized by the warm, sunny days, with all the plants and flowers in bloom. Earlier in the week, my husband and I piled blankets and pillows on our back porch after the kids went to bed, and laughed and talked under the moon and stars until midnight. The night air was so warm, breezy, and sweet-smelling that we just didn’t want to go inside. Soon, we’ll celebrate the 13th anniversary of our first official date, but even after all this time, he is still the person I love most to be with. No matter what we do, we always have fun, which is why we prefer to do everything together. Not everyone understands this – they think we’re too “dependent” on each other – but we don’t spend all our time together because we have to, or need to. We CHOOSE to, because we’re very close, and very much in love. We think this is how it should be.

“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24 ESV

The beautiful weather has been very motivating for me. I’ve been hanging laundry on the clothesline, and I’ve tackled some spring cleaning projects. I’ve been organizing and decluttering in every room, and yesterday I even degreased the range hood!

I know…try not to be TOO jealous of my glamorous life.

This time of year is also very busy for us, with all the end-of-school-year activities. Bee tried out for the 5th grade variety show and got a spot. She’ll be doing her ballet routine for this year’s spring dance recital, but the routine was too long for the variety show. I had to find her music on Amazon, download it, edit it, fade out the ending, and then burn it onto a CD for her to take to the auditions. I found this great free software called Audacity, which helped me accomplish this, and it felt good to try something new and actually succeed at it! Also, my husband has been helping Cakes build an elephant habitat out of a cardboard box for her class zoo project, so our evenings have been very busy.

DJ is now potty-trained, though he does still have the occasional accident, usually when he’s playing and distracted. I’m so proud of him! He wears regular underwear all day, every day, and loves them. I bought him Spiderman and Batman ones, but I can’t seem to get out of the habit of referring to them as “panties.” He corrects me every time (“They’re BIG BOY PANTS, Mom.”) but I can’t help it…I was a Mom of girls only for many years before he came along!  We still put him in a diaper at night, but he usually wakes up dry, and to reward him for filling his whole potty chart with stickers, I took him to the dollar store and let him pick out a toy. He was pretty pleased with himself.

I’m so relieved. This means that he can, in fact, start preschool in the fall!

I’ve really been enjoying watching my children over the last month. Cakes, who is very enthused about her newfound reading and writing skills, and loves to practice them whenever possible, has started making suggestions on the grocery list.

In case you were wondering, she wants me to get chocolate syrup and baby carrots. The Chef's Cupboard thing is my husband's doing. It's part of a long-running joke which is impossible to explain.

The girls, though they have separate bedrooms now, are still heartwarmingly close,

and they all love to play together.

Bee and DJ are also very close, and she’s so sweetly indulgent with him. For example, she didn’t shove all of his cars off the coffee table when she needed to do her homework (which is what Cakes would have done). She carefully moved them just enough to fit her book on the table.

I also took this cute and funny video of them playing with a toy laptop that we bought for DJ at a garage sale. Bee would start singing, and DJ would stop the music and cut her off. He thought this was just the most hilarious thing ever! (Note: There’s a tiny reveal in this video. Awhile ago, I said “Maybe someday.” Well, here you go!)


I enjoy my children so much. They make life fun.

Mother's Day, 2013. I'm framing this one.

{ 10 comments }

News Digest – Week of 5/3/13

by Heather on May 3, 2013 · 10 comments

* First, I want to thank all of you who’ve emailed me to share support or encouragement in response to my last post. I appreciate it very much. I wish that I could pinpoint exactly what’s getting me down, but I don’t think it’s any one thing. Life is just challenging right now, and this is a season of big change and adjustment. In recent months, I’ve purposely distanced myself from some people who’ve hurt me very badly, and this has been difficult for me, (but it’s also a huge relief. It’s hard to explain). Also, I’m going to be 40 this year, and I’d be lying if I said this didn’t give me pause. Not that I’m having a mid-life crisis (though maybe I am? I don’t know), but I have been thinking about the next phase of my life. In 2 more years, all 3 of my kids will be in school full-time, and I’ll need to figure out what to do with myself. It’s daunting and overwhelming, and this crappy weather does nothing to improve my general mood. 34 degrees in May? Freezing rain? Bi-polar weather is nothing new in our neck of the woods, but this is pretty ridiculous. It was 80 degrees on Wednesday, and 40 degrees yesterday, so I’m constantly stuck in a weird limbo. The kids have a combination of shorts and sweaters in their dresser drawers, and I washed the winter coats and put them away, only to get them back out again yesterday.

* Last week, I became a registered eBay trading assistant. Those who’ve been reading here for a long time know that my husband and I have been selling on eBay since 2000, and we were among the first eBay Power Sellers. After my last round of auctions, I again reached Power Seller status, and was designated as a “Top Rated Seller” for consistently meeting eBay’s quality standards. Shortly after that, a friend asked me to sell something for her on eBay, and I felt like maybe God was nudging me in a direction that could help us bring in more money, which we really need right now. This decision seemed like a no-brainer, because this is something I already know how to do, and have a lot of experience with.

* The appraisal business? REALLY not for me. I just don’t think I can stick with it for the long-term. My husband loves appraisal work and finds it challenging, like a puzzle, but I need work that allows me to be creative, so I find it rather dull. I love working with him, though. Who wouldn’t want to work with their best friend?

* The last month has been filled with the usual end-of-school-year activities; preschool open house for DJ, DARE graduation for Bee, preparation for the spring dance recital, and later in the month, the school variety show and Cakie’s “kindergarten zoo.” As part of their positive behavior recognition program, the school also had world champion juggler, Doug Sayers, perform as a reward for the kids. They’d been learning about juggling in P.E., so they were very excited, and this guy was awesome!

If you have time to watch it, this is his long program from the 2010 World Juggling Federation competition. It’s pretty cool.


* DJ and I are still working on potty training, and it’s going much better now. He wears regular underpants during the day, and I printed this potty chart for him:

Image courtesy of www.childavenue.com

He gets a sticker every time he uses the potty, and I told him that when he fills the entire train track with stickers, I’ll buy him a Hot Wheels car. This has motivated him more than anything else we’ve tried.

* Garage sale season is underway, and I’ve already snagged some great deals. My favorites, so far, are this tin of assorted cupcake picks for 50 cents,

a Greek Orthodox church cookbook full of authentic Greek and Lebanese recipes (also 50 cents):

and this collection of greeting cards from the 40s and 50s for $1.00. I just LOVE them, but I love all things vintage. I’m a throwback.

* Our new dryer developed a weird problem this week. It still works, but when the cycle completes, the drum continues to spin even though it’s not heating anymore. The only way to stop it is to open the door, or unplug it. Of course, the warranty was up in August of last year, but I e-mailed LG and explained that the dryer is less than two years old, and it’s ridiculous that it would malfunction already. They agreed to give us a one-time extended warranty repair, which will save hundreds in parts and labor. I’m still pretty mad though. This was an expensive dryer, and now I’m worried that we’re going to be plagued by problems with it. It’s a shame. Up until now, I really loved it.

* Yesterday, I got caught up on housework, including bathroom cleaning (urgh), and today I need to get my office cleaned up, and finish deskwork and filing. I’m taking the kids for their summer haircuts after school, so I’d better get busy! Have a great weekend, everybody!

{ 10 comments }

From Wallow to Work

by Heather on April 22, 2013 · 28 comments

“Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so.” ~ William Shakespeare

For me, there is a great deal of truth in this statement, for I’m too much of a thinker. In the last week, I’ve spent far too much time ruminating about problems, and far too little time actually doing something about them. When I get down, I tend to withdraw from everyone and everything, and retreat inside my own head, which isn’t always a very fun place to be. I spent most of last week there, as we were plagued by cold, relentless rain every single day, and I was facing a veritable laundry list of problems. I don’t wish to elaborate on what they were, but I’ll just say that too much introspection leads to what I refer to as “doom-saying,” and what PR reps might call “negative spin.” What this means is that over-thinking changes the way we perceive reality, and turns even minor setbacks into major depression…..and when you’re depressed the good becomes bad, and the bad becomes complete disaster. I know this, and yet I do it anyway.

I’ve made no secret on this blog that I’ve suffered from depression many times in my life, and I’m especially vulnerable to it when I’m overwhelmed by too many things to do. Some people thrive on ultra-busy-ness, but I am not one of them. Lack of downtime takes a very negative toll on me, and inevitably leads to depression. I also dislike too much socializing, because I’m a person who needs quiet and solitude. Last week, I had too little of both, and the result was a conclusion in my head that life sucks.

It doesn’t, of course. Or at least it doesn’t have to.

When your emotional state is causing you to put a negative spin on everything, how do you get yourself out of that spiral? Well, I’m no psychiatrist, but I’ll tell you what helps me – action. The only way to break the cycle of over-thinking is to quit thinking, and start doing. The way I start is by doing a “brain spill.” This is my term for sitting down with a spiral notebook and thinking about everything I need or want to do. I write every single thing down -even the small tasks that seem like no big deal. My reason for this is because having too many things floating around in my brain is exhausting, and as I’ve mentioned, when things are in my head they have a tendency to evolve from tiny molehills into mountains I cannot scale. Having them on paper makes them seem more doable and less scary. When I cannot think of another thing that I need to do, I start tackling stuff. I usually do the small, easy things first, because that gives me a sense of achievement, and builds momentum. I find that when I stop wallowing and start working, I immediately begin to feel better. Lighter. Less burdened.

So I began my day today with the prayerful thing – I asked God to help me break out of my depression and start viewing the world with a positive spin again. Now I’m going to do the practical thing, and take action to solve my problems.

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action. ” ~William James

{ 28 comments }

Slow Cooker Roast Turkey Breast

by Heather on April 12, 2013 · 14 comments

In my 5 years of writing this blog (5 years!), I’ve mentioned my $2/pound rule for meat purchases several times. What this means is that I don’t purchase any protein that costs more than $2 per pound, with the exception of beef. It’s become very difficult, though not impossible, to buy most cuts of beef at such a low price, and because we love it, we keep costs down by purchasing a quarter of beef from a local farmer each fall. The cost per pound, on average, is around $4, but this includes both economical ground beef and stew meat, and expensive cuts like rib-eye, sirloin, and New York strip steaks, and the meat is SO much better than anything you can buy at the store. I’m very spoiled now.

In recent years, some readers have questioned whether I can still buy any meats for less than $2/pound, and the answer is a resounding YES! We don’t even eat pork, which is generally the least expensive meat, but we still have no trouble finding affordable, quality sources of protein. I still routinely purchase large quantities (20-25 pounds) of bone-in, split chicken breasts for 99 cents/pound when they go on sale, usually every 3 months or so. I also regularly purchase whole turkey breasts when they go on sale for $1.69/pound or less (I have 3 in my freezer right now).

In my post, Turkey – It’s Not Just for Thanksgiving Anymore, I discussed our tendency in the U.S. to relegate economical and delicious roast turkey to Thanksgiving only, which is weird because turkey is one of the most popular proteins eaten here (but mainly in the form of lunch meat). I’ve noticed that most women’s magazines, when offering recipes and menu plans, don’t often include turkey recipes, probably because turkeys are very large, and people don’t always know what to do with the leftovers. Also, cooking them in the traditional way is somewhat labor-intensive, so while pork, beef, and chicken recipes are quite common, most people just don’t think to roast a turkey for a regular weeknight meal. With this post, I’m hoping to offer a new way of thinking about roast turkey – it’s not just a Thanksgiving meal, it can be an anytime meal. If you’re a carnivore, you’ll enjoy making it a regular part of your diet because it’s a lean, healthy source of protein, and a year-round bargain. If you cook the breast only, as I do, it’s quite easy to prepare using a kitchen appliance that most of us have – a slow cooker. Slow cooking produces the moistest, juiciest, most flavorful turkey breast meat you’ll ever eat (it does NOT, however, produce crispy skin, but we don’t care about this because the skin is unhealthy, and we don’t eat it).

This is the brand of turkey breast I usually purchase,

Whole turkeys are even cheaper, but we don't like dark meat, and also they won't fit in the slow cooker!

and here’s what you’ll need to make a delicious roast turkey breast in your slow cooker:

An 8-9 pound whole, bone-in turkey breast (fresh or completely thawed)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
Coarse salt (I prefer kosher)
Black pepper
Herbs and seasonings of your choice (I use my roast chicken seasoning)
One large onion, cut into chunks
2 cups chicken broth (or 2 bouillon cubes, plus 2 cups hot water)
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Most turkey breasts are fairly big – between 7 and 10 pounds is typical – and you need a large slow cooker to accommodate one. I have a 6-quart, oval-shaped slow cooker, and it can handle most turkey breasts, but this particular one was too tall for me to get the lid on, so I cut it in half by running my sharpest kitchen knife along one side of the breast bone, beginning at the tail end. This takes some muscle, and if you aren’t interested in attempting it, be sure to measure your slow cooker before you head to the store, or buy the smallest turkey breast you can find and hope for the best.

Even if you don’t plan to eat the skin, don’t discard it! Simply use a sharp knife or kitchen shears to loosen it from the meat. Pull it back, but don’t detach it completely, because it will help keep the meat moist during the cooking process. Brush the breast with melted butter,

and sprinkle it generously with roast chicken seasoning (or whichever seasoning you prefer), plus salt and pepper to taste.


Pull the skin over the seasoned meat, and place onion chunks in the cavity of the breast. Put the turkey in the slow cooker, and if you have leftover melted butter, just pour it over the top. It will make your gravy taste really good!

Next, mix together the chicken broth and Worcestershire sauce. I make my own chicken broth whenever I cook a whole chicken, but if I don’t have any on hand I use this delicious chicken broth powder, which I buy from an Amish bulk grocery store. I teaspoon, plus one cup of hot water makes very flavorful broth, and the powder keeps for a long time in the fridge. If you can’t find this, you can also use chicken bouillon, but it’s just not quite the same.

Pour broth mixture over turkey,

then cover and set the slow cooker for 6 hours on low.  This is just a guideline – always, ALWAYS test the internal temperature of the thickest part of the breast with an instant-read meat thermometer before serving. It should be at least 170 degrees to kill harmful bacteria.

When the turkey is done, I put it on a platter and cover it with foil to keep warm while I make the gravy. I strain all the liquid left in the slow cooker through a fine sieve, and then pour it into my fat separator. There’s nothing worse than oily gravy, and the fat separator allows me to strain off the meat juices, leaving the majority of the fat behind.

The meat juices are in the Pyrex cup, and all the fat is left behind in the separator. This makes a rich, creamy gravy that isn't greasy.

I like to serve the turkey and gravy with “company rice” (brown rice browned in butter with minced onion, then cooked in chicken broth), and green beans sauteed with dried cranberries and chopped almonds.

After dinner, be sure to remove all the little bits of meat from the bones, for future meals. We usually get at least 3-4 meals from one turkey breast.

So much meat left!

Tomorrow for lunch, I’ll make turkey reubens, and for dinner tomorrow night, turkey pot pie. Any remaining meat will be diced and frozen in meal-sized portions. It thaws quickly, and is a lifesaver on those days when I’m exceptionally tired, or forget to take something out of the freezer to thaw for supper.

If you give slow cooker turkey a try, I hope you’ll let me know what you think!

{ 14 comments }

My Index Card File Cleaning System

by Heather on April 6, 2013 · 27 comments

Many months ago, I mentioned that I was revamping my cleaning system, and several readers have asked me about it recently. I had several reasons for doing this:

1) I wanted a reminder system for tasks that need to be done on a quarterly, semi-annual, and annual basis, because I noticed that these things were often going undone simply because we never set aside a particular time to do them.
2) I wanted a simple way to delegate chores to my husband and kids.
3) My husband and I are both easily overwhelmed by long and seemingly endless to-do lists, and I wanted a cleaning system that would break up necessary work into small tasks that I could focus on, one at a time, without getting overwhelmed.
4) I was over the Zone Cleaning method and wanted a change.

Last summer, I found a home organizing book from the early 1980′s at a garage sale, and the basic premise was that a card file cleaning system could transform a lazy slob into an organized goddess (or some such nonsense). However, to be perfectly honest and forthcoming, I must tell you that I thought this book was so cheesy, dumb, and poorly written that I had trouble completely understanding it even (I can’t remember what it was called now either – I took it to the consignment store immediately after I read it). **Update – several readers recognized this book as Sidetracked Home Executives (S.H.E.) and they’re right. This is the book, only I had the first edition of it, with the hilarious, early 80s hair and outfits.**

Even so, the basic organizational principal is a good one, so I decided to attempt my own version of it. However, I’ve been waiting to share this system with you because I wanted to test it first, and work out the kinks. It basically consists of a series of index cards, each with a specific task written on it. I used both white index cards, and colored index cards, and I used the Cleaning and Schedules sections of my HMG to remember everything I need to do.  It looks like this:


If you would like to make one like it, you’ll need the following:

A 3 1/2 x 5 card file
A package of white 3 1/2 x 5 index cards
A package of colored 3 1/2 x 5 index cards (4 colors)
20 dividers, or sticky flags to make your own
A list of all the chores that need to be done, and when. If you’ve made an HMG, you probably already have this. If not, feel free to use my lists under the Inside the Guide tab in the navigation bar above.

You know that I will never advocate going out and unnecessarily spending money on cutesy matchy organizational supplies, because I care more about how functional a system is than how it looks, but if you want to and can afford to do that, go right ahead. I just used stuff I already had on hand, which is why I have one set of store-bought dividers, and one set of homemade. You will need:

1 divider labeled “Daily”
7 dividers labeled with the days of the week
12 dividers labeled with the months of the year

Here’s what my system looks like. Feel free to copy it, or use it as a starting point to create your own.

Daily (white cards)
You probably won’t refer to these cards often, because these things are done so often they’re pretty much second-nature. They will be useful though in the event of illness or other circumstances where someone else will need to take over the operation of your household.

decide on supper menu and do advanced food preps
make bed and straighten master bedroom
laundry according to schedule (I have my laundry schedule written on this card)
unload/reload dishwasher as needed
straighten up
wipe down kitchen sink, counters, table, and stove
sweep kitchen floor
feed and water cat

A daily card example

Weekly tasks (also white cards) are assigned to specific days:

Monday (Kitchen)
scrub kitchen sink
clean out fridge
straighten and organize pantry and cabinets
wipe down cabinets and counters
clean microwave and other small appliances

Tuesday
vacuum upstairs rugs
sweep and mop all hard floors
empty all trash cans
clean out van

Wednesday (Bathrooms)
clean sinks and counters
clean toilets
clean tubs and showers
straighten cabinets
replenish supplies
clean all mirrors

Thursday
strip and remake all beds
wash and put away sheets
dust and polish furniture in all upstairs rooms
clean switchplates

Friday
desk work and filing
make grocery list
run errands

Saturday (H means that my husband does this chore)
mowing in spring and summer (H)
sweep porches
vacuum downstairs
dust downstairs
tidy laundry room
supervise girls’ room cleaning
change cat litter (H)
clean basement bathroom (H)

Sunday
relax

In addition, I have the following monthly tasks on pink cards, and I just move them along from month to month as I complete them. So for example, if I get to the end of April and there’s still a pink card behind the April divider, I know that I didn’t get that task done.

An example of a monthly card


Monthly (pink cards)
vacuum baseboards
clean coffeemaker
vacuum blinds and lampshades
vacuum vents
change furnace filters
wash and sanitize garbage cans
spot clean windows
clean out cutlery drawer, and wash silverware divider

I’ve assigned quarterly, semi-annual, and annual tasks to specific months, based on when it makes the most sense to do them, and I’ve filed them accordingly.

Quarterly (Green cards)
January/April/July/October
dust ceiling fans
straighten and organize kitchen drawers
dust ceiling corners for cobwebs
put yeast in septic tank

Semi-Annual (Orange cards)
January /June
clean light fixtures
clean stove hood, light, and filter

February / July
clean oven and under sink
vacuum fridge coils

March / August
vacuum and flip mattresses.
move furniture and appliances and clean behind/underneath

April / September
clean out garage
wash mattress pads and comforters

May / October
wash windows
clean out closets

June / November
wash curtains
dust inside china cabinet

July / December
change smoke detector batteries.

For annual tasks, I just write the year on the card after the task has been done, so I have a record.

Annual (Yellow cards)
January
clean out files

April
clean siding

May
check and reapply caulk as needed

September
wash interior walls

An example of an annual card

The advantages of this system are:
1. It takes up very little room on the counter, or wherever you decide to keep it.
2. It’s orderly and contained.
3. It ensures that all necessary work is scheduled, and completed (provided you actually DO all the tasks on the cards).
4. Work is spread out evenly throughout the year.
5. You can pull out one card at a time, so you stay focused, and don’t get overwhelmed.
6. It’s easy to delegate work to others – just pull out a card and say, “Do this please.”
7. It’s inexpensive. Index cards go on sale routinely at back-to-school time for 25-50 cents a package.
8. It’s easy to add to or modify. If something isn’t working, just rip up the card and make a new one.
9. It helps you see how often you really need to do things. For example, if you repeatedly skip a quarterly chore because it just doesn’t seem necessary, you can confidently change it to a semi-annual, or even an annual chore instead. We all have different acceptable standards of cleanliness that work for us, and remember – if it’s not dirty, don’t clean it!
10. It’s fun to make. There, I said it.

I know that for some people, this kind of system may seem unnecessary or extreme, but I’m a person who really is happier in a clean home. It reduces my stress-level significantly, and I think that children thrive in an orderly environment. Also the home is, for most, the biggest asset, and regular cleaning and maintenance is important to protect your investment. I offer this system as a way to keep on top of everything you need to do, and still find time to have fun and enjoy your life.

{ 27 comments }

A Typical Day at Our House (2013)

April 5, 2013

One day each year, I keep my camera with me and document the day’s happenings. I do this because it’s not the big events, but the minutiae, the everyday, ordinary, run-of-the-mill things that really make up our lives. It’s fun to look back and see how the children’s appearances and interests have changed, and I [...]

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Easter 2013 Recap

April 1, 2013

We had such a nice Easter weekend together. My husband and I actually enjoyed some time alone, which is rare, because the weather was nice enough that the kids played in the backyard for several hours on Saturday. It’s still too cold to really feel like spring (in shady areas there’s still snow on the [...]

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Easter Recipes: Resurrection Rolls, Slow Cooker Hard-Boiled Eggs, and an Easter Lamb Cake

April 1, 2013

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter weekend! We enjoyed some much-needed time together as a family, and it was wonderful. I’ll get a recap posted tomorrow, but for now I just wanted to share some favorite Easter recipes. On Friday night, I made Resurrection Rolls for Saturday breakfast with some Rhodes frozen dinner rolls [...]

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Work in Progress….Sometimes

March 26, 2013

This is the best way I can think of to describe life right now, because I wake up in the morning with no real, clear picture of how my day is going to go, or what exactly it is that I’m going to achieve (which, actually, is really not that different from life as a [...]

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Back to Work

March 19, 2013

Big news! I’m no longer a stay-at-home mom. Yesterday, I officially became a work-at-home mom (though technically I already was, because raising kids and managing a household is a full-time job in itself!) when I went “back to work” doing all the research and administrative work for my husband’s appraisal business. I guess I should [...]

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