Happiness is...

Being able to pay $1000 towards my evil Discover Card this month (take THAT, Rate Jackers!)

Knowing that this is our last month with the highest priced electric company in town and that our coverage with the new 100% wind powered company has already kicked in.

Looking forward to getting our A/C replaced by our home warranty service (we'd previously been denied).  For our 2500 sq ft house, we're running a 3.5 ton A/C system when we needed a 5 ton (the small one came with the house!).  That means that our A/C is on constantly in the summer, even at night, and our bill was, at worst, over $500.  Ouch!  We're being cooled alright, but the thing just isn't able to shut off, even with the thermostat set at 72-74 degrees.  So, the new A/C combined with our new electric company...I'm expecting a significant savings.

Waking up rested and happy this morning despite not being able to wind down until well after midnight.

Not nicking myself shaving in the shower today after going back to my beloved double edge razor and Art of Shaving shaving cream.  The last two times, I used a razor blade that was absolutely horrible and just about slaughtered myself (seriously...horror story stuff).  I love the shave a double edge razor gives and it makes me feel all...um...vintagey?  LOL  I smell mildly rosy, thanks to the Art of Shaving shaving cream.  Love that stuff.

Discovering that I don't have to hem my new extra long waffle weave shower curtain!  I washed it, dried it, and hung it up to realize that washing and drying it shrunk it to the absolute perfect length.

Logging into my advertising account to see that I DOUBLED my ad revenue this month!  Holy guacamole!

Finding ice cream coupons for the boys and some more for some of my grocery list items.

Coming to the decision with The Man that we'll go out for dinner tonight.  We've done awesome on the budget this month, cutting our grocery bill down to $500 from about $1200 and our eating out bill down to $75 from over $200.  I wonder how low we can get the grocery bill?

Oh!  And THE RAIN!!!  We've had a TON of rain these past two weeks and my roses and crepe myrtle baby are all loving it!!!

Happy, happy, happy!

A New Beginning and Reflection

We found out yesterday that The Man is being discharged from the Air Force due to medical reasons (he had a microdiscectomy last year and is unable to deploy to areas where body armor are required due to the weight).  We all have mixed emotions, save for the boys who are purely ecstatic because they think this means going back up to Alaska - and it very well might mean that.  He truly loves what he does and is good at it (I know this not because I watch him at work -I don't-, but because what he does is part of our family life, as well).  I love seeing my husband working in an area that he's good at and feels good about.  I don't care what he does as long as he's happy doing it.  The thing I'll miss the most is the (false) sense of security that the military has provided us.  The thing I dread the most right now is the unknown.  I'm trying to change my thinking so that it's more positive and look at this as an adventure.  I've gone through the gamut of emotions over the past 24 hours that we've known this was happening.  Anger, dread, hopelessness, panic, sorrow, tentative excitement, and now, even happiness is starting to peek through the clouds.  Like all things in life, this is just another stepping stone to our ultimate destination (which, funny as it seems, is also just a stepping stone).  As usual, "optimism rising."

Much of my fear came from the immediate assumption that we had to sell the house and move within the next couple of months.  It wasn't until I calmed down that I was able to really process this and realized that we don't have to do a darn thing until WE are ready.  We don't have to move.  We can stay here.  We own this home and our mortgage payment is nice and low.  Further, even if we were to move, we wouldn't have to sell.  My long term financial goals include owning investment property.  So, in my mind, after a bit of discussion with The Man, what we're going for right now is to stay here for a short while, until we can get all debt paid off and build up enough of a nest egg to purchase or build (I hope!) another house elsewhere.  I like this town, but I don't love it.  The Man feels the same way.  We won't be here for long, but just long enough.  That realization calmed 99.9% of my fears.

As far as the employment scene and finances go, I'm no longer concerned about that, either.  While I'm a stay at home mom, my skills in business administration are strong enough that I could most certainly start setting up interviews with employers today if need be.  Or, I could ramp up my own business efforts, which I'll probably start doing anyway.  Nevermind that there are unlimited possibilities for employment for The Man with his skills.  In all honesty, I think that in our upcoming situation, we may be making more money than we have been since we've been here.  Oh, I do hope so.

I got married and immediately transitioned from a single mom who loved and thrived in my job to a stay at home mother of two with no "stay at home mom skills."  It was a really hard transition for me, but I've been stubborn about making it work (possibly too stubborn?).  I took on this role, knowing that I could do it, I just needed to figure out how to do it.  For the first time in almost two years, I feel like I've got it.  I'm certainly not perfect (as illustrated by the mad rush to pick up and clean the kitchen before the A/C guys came yesterday on short notice), but I have the inner security of knowing that I know how to balance everything at home now.  The boys, the cleaning, the finances, the decorating, and essentially, turning this house into a home.  I knew a year ago that if I went back to work, I would be waving the flag of failure and well, I just can't do that.  I don't feel like I would be waving that flag now and it's a good feeling to know that you are, deep down, okay with whatever comes your way.  A new beginning, a new goal, and new accomplishments.

So, here we are.  Looking into the mirror and envisioning the future.  My keywords for this next chapter are love, security, abundance, and health.

Start 'Em Early!

According to D, only six years old, "clutter means mess!"  As he states to his brother matter of factly.

A few seconds later, "D! You underorganized it!" says J, also six.

I have a Pottery Barn-esque bookcase/shelving system set up in their room and after my initial setup, they are solely responsible for keeping it looking neat and tidy.  I walked in today and noticed that it was incredibly unkempt, so they were put to work.  The above conversation was during their organizational madness.

Are boys supposed to be like this or am I really messing them up?  LOL

Kickin' Thunderstorm

Last week, we had quite a bit of rain.  I love the rain here in Texas.  Definitely worth the long drought periods.  Lightening, booming thunder, and flooding streets - simply awesome.  I usually go out to sit on the front porch and watch, but couldn't without getting drenched this time.



Jake truly shares my love of storms, but Nic...well, he tries to like them for my sake.  *laughs*  I usually keep an eye on him just to make sure he's not getting too rattled.  Poor guy.

See?  He's tryin', bless his heart.

Now, they're just hammin' it up.

Cloth Covered Binder

Dingy white binder + fun fabric + glue gun = pretty, colorful binder that I actually feel like using now!

I'm more into "needle and thread" than I am hot glue, but if you've ever had the feeling of "gotta get something done RIGHT NOW," well, that's what I was feeling.  I also didn't feel like hauling my sewing machine out of the back room because once I'm set up at the table, I manage to find other things to do and that really wasn't the goal.  ;)

As I'm sure you can imagine, all I did was cut the fabric a 1/2 inch larger all the way around than the binder. I ironed the fabric since it still had fold marks and proceeded to hot glue around the perimeter of the binder, starting at the bottom middle, doing the bottom and top first, sides last.

Anyway, it was holding my recipes prior to this. Actually, it still is, but I'm thinking about making this my household management binder in addition to the recipes I have stored within it. I just need to decide whether or not to embellish it now.

Cookies and Pot Roast!

I made cookies tonight! Chocolate, peanut butter, and coconut "No Bake" cookies.

Uh...yeah, not quite.

"No Bake" cookies are foolproof, right? Who messes up "No Bake" cookies?!  *crickets chirp as I raise my hand*

Dinner was pot roast.  It took hours and I thought it smelled like the most fabulous roast evah!  Mmm, so yummy.  And then, the Man walked in and said, "Mmmmm! Smells like fried chicken!"

I won't be posting pictures of that.

Fresh Baked Bread - Super Easy!

Fresh bread with butter and preserves...

My blog updates have been becoming less and less as the boys are home with me for the summer and despite the 105 degree weather, we've been playing, playing, and more playing. In fact, we've just come in from playing in the sprinkler and eating popsicles.  Now, we're all cuddled up and I'm thoroughly enjoying my fresh, clean, watermelon smelling boys (thank you, Suave, for that!).  The budget has been going wonderfully, but I've realized after putting a halt to our credit card use how much we've been relying on them.  I've been watching and listening to Dave Ramsey everyday and while I haven't really learned anything new, it's good inspiration slash motivation to become completely debt free.

On a totally random note, Casey, aka Shoulder Cat, has now been renamed Scrufflebutticus by The Man.  Freakin' hilarious.  Even more hilarious is that it totally fits the little bad attitude dude and it seems to really irritate him when we call him that.  And it's so dang cute when he's ignoring us idiot humans giggling and laughing at him... *best coochie-coo voice*

Anyway, back to the bread.  We started our morning off today with a fresh loaf of bread.  Absolutely to die for tasty - so much better than anything you'd buy at the store, even the artisan breads because, well, they're not hot from the oven, typically. You don't think making bread is something you can do? Well, it is, and it's super easy. This is my "quick bread" because I don't typically do an autolyse or use a preferment.  Professional bread bakers out there will probably cringe at my primitive method here.

American "Italian" Bread (it's really just like a softer, denser French bread)
3 cups water
1 teaspoon sugar
1 scant tablespoon instant yeast (there are tons of yeasts out there, instant has proven winner in taste tests by Cooks Illustrated)
1 tablespoon salt
7 cups all-purpose flour

In a nutshell, we're going to knead, rise, knead (lightly), rise, form, rise, and bake. Key to note - less is more as in, less handling after that first kneading equals more and better flavor in your end result.

Mix all of the ingredients together in your stand mixer using the dough hook or spiral. Since we're using instant yeast (as opposed to active or others), we don't need to worry about soaking and activating the yeast - just toss it all into your mixer. After all of the flour has been incorporated, up the speed to medium-low (3 or 4) and knead like this for about 15 minutes. At this stage, you really can't knead it too much, so don't sweat it if you go a little further. If you don't have a stand mixer, you can do this by hand and get a decent arm workout (bring all ingredients together in a bowl, stir until combined, and knead like crazy until satiny smooth and elastic).

After kneading is done, form into a ball with your hands and place in an oiled bowl. Turn dough ball to coat in oil, cover top of bowl with a towel and let rise until doubled - about an hour. Don't let it go beyond doubled or you'll wind up with an odd tasting bread.

Turn dough out onto your counter and gently smoosh flat (don't be scared of it, but just be aware that less is more). Fold in thirds like a letter and smoosh flat. Turn, fold in thirds, and smoosh flat.  (This is essentially what "punching down the dough" is - but better handling equals better bread)  Form into a ball again and let rise oiled and covered for another hour.

After that, preheat oven to 450, making sure to place an empty pan in the bottom or in a location underneath where your dough will bake (this is for water to create steam), and cut dough into two large loaves or three medium loaves, gently smoosh each portion of dough out flat and roll to make a log shape. If you start to get dried out, mist lightly with water. Pinch the seam shut on bottom and on the ends (tuck your ends under and pinch, too!).

Sprinkle a baking sheet or parchment paper with cornmeal and place your logs of dough on it. If you want sandwich bread, you can form loaves and place the loaf, with seams pinched, into a loaf pan. Let it rise one last time, remembering to lightly oil and cover your dough (spray oil is really handy here). Your oven needs to be well preheated. Not barely preheated, WELL preheated. If you have baking stones, put them in the oven before you preheat. Even a cast iron skillet in the bottom of the oven will help. You want to keep as consistent a temperature as possible. Mist the tops of the loaves with water just before they're ready to go in and pop them into the oven quickly. Pour about a cup of water into that empty pan (or cast iron skillet!) under your loaves to create steam and shut the door. Let bake until golden brown on top and the internal temperature reaches 190. I like to make three long "French" loaves, and they usually take about 35 minutes to bake.

It's all really easy, as long as you've got in your mind what you're supposed to do next. Because it takes a while to rise, a kitchen timer is your friend so you can go about your day at home. Remember, knead, rise, knead, rise, form, rise and bake. Last night I made this is a big hurry and omitted the middle knead and rise - it turned out really good, this way, too! Once you've accomplished your first loaf, it's all you'll want to do!

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Macadamia Nuts

Okay, I know I'm supposed to be writing about chicken stock but I just can't muster it when I'm in a baking mood!  I'm not one for cleaning the kitchen just so I can dirty it up again, but these cookies are an exception to that rule.  Even if it's already bedtime.  Sooo good.  Also, since I really don't like making cookies (it's the making and handling of the dough - I'm just not into it), I love to stick cookie dough into a plastic tub to keep in the fridge (or freezer if making way in advance) to be scooped out for single servings.  Makes things super easy.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies with Macadamia Nuts
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups cocoa powder (I used Hershey's Special Dark)
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips/chunks (I like Bakers)
1/2 cup chopped macadamia nuts

Preheat oven to 350F.  Cream together butter and sugar and add vanilla and eggs.  In another bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Add to creamed mix gradually.  Once incorporated, add chocolate chunks and macadamia nuts.  A teaspoon size amount of dough should bake for approximately 10 minutes.  Adjust cooking time to your cookie size.

Pumpkin Muffins

Yeah, so it's July. Yesterday was the fourth and I'm ready to move on into fall. We had a blast last night, but from July on out around here, we have scorching 100+ degree weather and the boys even get too hot playing in the sprinkler. I'm dreaming of Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations right about now. Hence my desire to make these wonderfully delicious pumpkin muffins.

Pumpkin Muffins
1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white sugar (we use organic for the slightly richer flavor)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
3 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350F. Prep a muffin pan with liners or spray oil. Mix all the dry ingredients. Add the wet and stir well. I use a 1/2 cup ice cream scoop to portion out the batter into the muffin pan. If you don't have one of these scoops, fill the muffin holes half to 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Devour with great abandon.

This recipe should make about 15-18 good size muffins.  This recipe doubles very well and these babies freeze, too.  Just take one out of the freezer, pop into the microwave until thawed and warm, and again...devour with great abandon (Cookie Monster style).

Cranberry Apple Pecan Chicken Salad

This is one I got from Allrecipes.com.  Super tasty after it's been chillin' in the fridge for a while.  In the initial mixing stages, you may feel like it needs more mayo, but don't add any extra until everything's coated.  You'll probably find it's just right.  ;)

"Holiday" Chicken Salad
4 cups of that chicken meat you picked from the Double Roast Chicken we just made
1 cup mayo
1 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped celery (this was about 2 large stalks for me)
2 green onions
1/2 cup minced bell pepper (I don't add this - I like my bell peppers cooked)
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon seasoning salt (I just used regular ol' salt)
black pepper to taste

Mix it all together and chill for at least one hour.  Lovely on a croissant and/or with sliced grapes added to the mix.

Oops...I didn't have enough dried cranberries!  I made up for it, though... (really, the cranberries do make all the difference, though)

Hot Stone Therapy

So, for Father's Day, I got The Man once a week deep tissue massages for a month, followed by one massage a month thereafter.  Sounds luxe, yeah, but he's had back surgery and is undergoing some pretty intense physical therapy currently.  He's also the love of my life and I plan on us living a very long, healthy, happy life together and all of his stress is carried in his muscles.  Well, since he doesn't have anything happening tomorrow, I thought I might press my luck and ask him a question that's been on my mind for months.

"Honey...?"

"Yessss...?"

"If I clean our room tomorrow, like really, really clean it, will you give me a massage?"  (we have a massage table at the foot of our bed that is gathering dust, clothing, and cat hair.  Oh, and some buyers remorse.)

Laughter from the mouth of he.

More laughter as he walks away.
I start to feel slightly rejected and then he says, "Well, that blew that surprise."
Confusion from moi.
More chuckling and, "I made you an appointment for a massage tomorrow.  Hot stone therapy."
Images of a warm, dark room flood my brain along with scent memories of patchouli, which I oh-so-willingly put up with (I typically detest patchouli, even through my long history of studying aromatherapy and truly trying to like it).  Upon hearing those words, "hot...stone...therapy..." my muscles seem to loosen.

*snap back to reality*

Awesome.  The last time The Man booked an appointment for a massage for me was on one of our date nights last year.  It was a couples massage and it rocked my happy little world.  While he gives wonderful massages himself (seriously...won.der.ful.), it's super thoughtful of him to set me up with the one thing that will relax my muscles.  Heat.  It's hard for me to get massages because I'm a wimp.  The slightest pressure over knots hurts like hell.  Definitely not a deep tissue gal, but would love to be so I could get rid of some knots that are like extra bones growing from my spine.  Is that too much information?  LOL  But, anyway, heat helps me relax enough so that I'm not jumping off the table in pain.  I'm one stoked cookie.

Filing this under "Self-Development."  Ha.

Double Roast Chicken

There isn't a whole lot else in this world that makes my tummy rumble than a gorgeous, perfectly golden, roast chicken.  They're not difficult to roast, but I hear and read more complaints about "the fear of roasting a bird" than just about anything else.  Hence, this little post.  Especially useful for those who are uncomfortable with roasting a bird, this recipe for TWO birds instead of one saves the trouble of making another one any time soon.  Making a double batch will leave you with a lot of extra chicken.  This is perfect for sandwiches, chicken salad, chicken for pasta (Mmmm...pesto chicken pasta!), enchiladas, soup...  Roast chicken added to dishes is far superior to boiled or poached any day.  And the extra bones...well, there is a whole lotta homemade chicken stock ready to be made.



Double Roast Chicken

• Two medium size chicken
• Salt
• Pepper
• Optional: Unsalted Chicken Seasoning (my favorite is Kirkland's Unsalted Savory)

Preheat oven to 450F.  No skimping on this, we'll turn it down later.  The higher temperature helps cook the skin and seal in the juices, retaining much flavor.

Whether you choose to rinse the birds or not is entirely up to you.  Some say that not rinsing actually helps the flavor by leaving the chickens own juices to cook on it, and while I haven't noticed too much of a difference, it's a messy step to cut out, so I do not rinse (really, folks, it's just chicken juice, not formaldehyde).  After unwrapping, I place the birds in a shallow roasting pan with a rack in it, tilt them up and sprinkle the cavity liberally with salt, pepper, and whatever other seasonings I've chosen to add.  If I'm using other seasonings, I like to avoid those with salt in them or just use my own individual herbs and spices so I can control the amount of salt better by adding it separately.  After the inside is seasoned, truss the birds.  Trussing a chicken simply helps hold the bird together to cook more evenly.  After they're trussed, I season the outside.  Then add about a cup of water to the pan beneath the chicken.  Sometimes, instead of water, I use my favorite white wine to give it a subtle but more sophisticated taste.  Pop into a well-preheated oven, close the door, and set a timer for 25 minutes.  Leave the birds alone.  Less is more.  Go do something else.  Don't open the oven door, which will change the temperature inside the oven.  Really - don't open it.  After your timer goes off, turn the heat down to 375F (without opening the oven) and set the timer for 35 more minutes.  Again, leave the stinkin' birds alone.  They're not lonely.  They don't need comforting.  Give them some peace before you cut them up, please.  After the timer goes off, then you can open the door to stick a (preferably instant read) thermometer in their thighs, if you're not sure if they're done or not.  Once they've reached 160-165F, take them out of the oven and tent them with foil.  They'll continue to cook a bit.  Tenting will keep them warm while they very slowly cool and reabsorb their juices.  Leave them like this for no less than 10 minutes.  I leave them like this while I start the sides (yes, this is when I start my mashed potatoes and no, the chicken is not served cold).  Don't cut into any meat fresh from the oven or all the juices will run out.  This step makes a world of a difference in the end product - especially if you've accidentally overcooked it.  Carve the bird when everything else is ready to be served and you're all set!  If you're not eating the bird for dinner, you can pick the bones now or later - your choice.  As you're storing everything, be sure to save the pan drippings, bones, and any extra skin for stock!  If I'm not ready to make stock right away, a large freezer bag works nicely to store these extras in the freezer.  Sometimes, I'll wait until I have a few birds in bags to throw into my big, huge, beast of a stock pot.

Tips and Tricks

• Buy yourself a true instant read thermometer. They're not expensive and these cut down on the time you'll have your meal out of the safe, hot oven.  I wouldn't be without mine.
• Buy a couple of untreated terracotta  tiles to put in your oven.  They heat up and retain said heat, which means that when you open the oven, it returns back to its cooking temperature faster.  They're also awesome to bake bread and pizza on.
• Don't open the oven door to "check on" the bird until the very end.  The bird is fine, let it cook.  If you discover that you've cooked it a bit too much this time, make a note of that and reduce the time accordingly next time.  Usually only five or ten minutes less is perfect.  On the flip side, if you've found that the bird is not done enough, pop it back into the hot oven for another ten minutes or so and check the temperature again.  Then, make a note of the increased time for next time.
• If all else fails, remote thermometers are your friend.  Plug it in, set the desired temperature and wait for the gadget to alert you.  Just be sure to set the temperature a little below the done temperature as it will continue to cook a bit after you take it out of the oven.

Next up...Chicken Salad!