MaryFredsays

Ramblings

So....I am not the best blogger.  It really takes alot of time, hats of to those who post everyday!  But seriously I have had many posts started in my head, obviously none of them have come to fruition.  I do have the following ramblings to share:

• Quote from E (age 5 1/2) "Can I wear something cool to school tomorrow, not something cute" 
• Fishing season has begun.  Therefore, I am a widow all weekend.  Fun things planned with the kids hopefully time will go fast.
• I really need to learn how to link to other blogs.  Maybe I can do that this summer when I am unemployed! (Trust me this is a good thing!)
• 9 is a fun age for boys!  6, 7 & 8 were some really hard years at this house.  Did anyone else feel the same way.

Finally, I am working on trying to figure out what kind of blogger I am going to be.  I need to add more "kidisms" because I would like to record some of the things my kids say.  They aren't little anymore so they don't say as many cute things but I still want to be able to record some things.  I would also like to record some thoughts of my faith.  God has done some amazing things lately that have been the culmination of many many years of prayer. 

So, please bear with me as I try and figure out my "voice".  If you have been here before please keep checking back.

Boomama's request

Go to www.boomama.net  read her story about her trip to Africa.  $10.00 for a net, everyone can afford that :)  I did it, it takes 5 minutes and can save lives...

Matt Maher

Woo hoo I won a cd from mattmahermusic.com!  I'll post more later once I figure out the linkage :)  Thanks Boomama for the tip!

Seriously? Is this right?

Today I got the mail.  Not surprising we get mail everyday :) well, except Sunday.  Anyway, I noticed something strange.  Our garbage bill which usually is printed on a post card was in an envelope.  Strange.  Should have been my first clue something was awry.

So I opened the envelope and they are thanking me for faithful service to them for their 10 year anniversary.  Here are some coupons that you will never use, blah blah blah.  Okay, envelope explained.

I proceed to the bill.  Yikes!  First off they are starting to charge me for my yard cart.  You see here in West Michigan our lawns get ignored for part of the year while snow covers them.  And snow is still covering my yard so I still won't be using it until mid-May.  Sigh.

Note to self, call about yard cart.

Well I kept looking at the bill, wow it was large.  So I noticed the fuel surcharge.  Usually its been in the $2.00-$3.00 range for our bill which comes quarterly.  Okay I can deal with that.  But seriously, the fuel surcharge....was a total of $20.00!  That's almost $7.00 a month!  Really, is this right?

So I'm wondering what should I do?  Complain?  This seems extremely excessive.  Or shop around for a new garbage service?  Or is this a common fee for your part of the country?  Any and all suggestions would be appreciated!

Obstacles

Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking about obstacles.  Obstacles in my life that prohibit me from being the person I want to be. 

What are the obstacles I see?  Laundry, meal preparation and clean up, cleaning, running children, responsibilties to job, etc.  You see the list see endless.  And then there are the obstacles of money and time. 

Sometimes I feel like all I encounter are obstacles.  Like my life is great but only with restrictions.

What I am trying to figure out is who is putting these obstacles in my place?  My family or I?  Am I placing too many expectations on what needs to be done?  If I let go will everyone else do what they are responsible for?  And if I spend a couple extra bucks on myself will there be enough money in the account for everyone else?

Are these the questions every mother keeps asking?  And why can't I figure this out?

Wow! The above was written several weeks ago and saved to draft. This allowed me time to a) reflect on what I had written and b) recover from my PMS whinefest :) I do have to say that obstacles are how you view them. You can either complain about all the things you can't do or make do with what you have. I know for me alot has to do with how much time I am spending reading the bible and reflecting. I also don't want to make light of the fact that yes indeed that there are obstacles in our life that cannot be moved. There is always going to be laundry, meals to make and messes to be picked up. But just as God promised not to put anything too tough in our way we can handle it.

What are some obstacles you want moved out of your way? Can I pray for you?

Make it stop

Would someone please make my kids stop growing!  Does anyone else feel this way?  I just measured my oldest daughter, she is 11 1/2 yrs. old and already 5'3"!  People the girl hasn't even begun the developing process yet.  My guess is she only weighs about 90 lbs. on a good day :)

I realize she is destined to be tall I am 5'11" (not 6 foot like my husband says) and hubby is 6'5".  So, my children are destined to be tall. 

I really haven't talked about my oldest much on the blog.  She is beyond the age of cute sayings and doing naughty things. 

I enjoy seeing the young woman she is becoming.  She is given a task and does anything in her power to get it done, and well.  Wish I knew where she gets that from.

I pray that she contains the enthusiasm she has.   She's a gem and I love her ;)

Thanks M for being you!

Not your ordinary meatloaf

I love to read the recipes that are shared on other blogs.  My family and I are eternally grateful for some of the great ones we continue to enjoy over and over.  So I thought long and hard about what "original" recipe I have come up with and that we enjoy.

This recipe for meatloaf is different from any other I have had.  Since I made it up the ingredients are not an exact science.  The only thing I would not leave out are the first four ingredients, the onions and spices you can add/subtract to your taste.

2-3 lbs. ground beef

1 lb roll Jimmy Dean sausage

3/4 - 1 cup applesauce

1 cup salsa (this is where it is fun, if you like spicy foods use a hotter salsa)

1/2 cup chopped onion

Add the following spices:  garlic, salt, & pepper (sometimes I have added Montreal Steak Seasoning)

Mix all together with your hands.  Put in two meatloaf pans.  Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.  Use a meat thermometer to check the doneness.  Enjoy!

One loaf usually feeds our family of five.  The leftovers are great also!   If you only wanted to cook one you could freeze the other one as well.

my dishes...

Well I have never done this before but, Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer is holding a "spur of the moment dish carnival".  Sounded like fun! 

My first offering is the typical plate from preschool.  The great part about this one is that it is actually mine from 1975.  All three of my children have one as well.  We joke that since my husband doesn't have one that we are going to order the kit, get him drunk, and then let him color it.  That way it would look like a 4 year olds!

My second offering is our typical every day use.  It is a combination of IKEA and Tupperware.  They work great, don't break, and take up less space in the dishwasher.   

This next set are the dishes that I registered for when I got married.  They are Pfaltzgraff Filigree, I thought that they would go with everything.  And they do.

The final set I am going to show you is incomplete.  I really want Fiesta-ware, they are really what I wanted when we got married 13 years ago but I was talked out of it.  What you see is what I have :)  I love all the colors of fiesta ware and hopefully by the time I am married for 20 years I'll have a complete set.

I also have a beautiful set of Lenox china that was my mothers.  She passed away when I was 7 months old so I really treasure it.  The pattern is discontinued but, it is very simple white with a silver band.  It is boxed up and I don't use it.

Well that was fun!  I hope you enjoyed seeing what I use and what I want to use!  Thanks for stopping by and please leave a comment!

Out of the mouth of babes....

G was discussing the Wii in Sunday School this morning with his teacher.  (He is a very cool guy, well the teacher and G are.)  Anyway G was telling Darren about the fact that we have Guitar Hero as well.  And I quote, he said "I am hard but my mom is easy".

Of course he was referring to the levels on Guitar Hero but we all had a good chuckle.    

7:31

When I was growing up, the youngest of seven children, we had a weekly meeting called family council.  The purpose of this meeting was to go over everyones schedule, discuss grievances, and talk about travel plans or family outings.

Needless to say I usually had not much to add and the meetings were very boring.  Well one monumental evening (because we still discuss it) I brought up the fact that I would like my bed time changed.  Currently it was 7:30.  So my parents threw in, how about 7:31.  Which I was delighted!  Woo hoo I got a new bedtime.

It was until I was in my later youth (age 9?) that I truly realized what I suckered myself into.  This is a family joke to this date.

Fast forward many many years.  My youngest E was talking about how tired she was.  So I non-chalantly suggested to her that she could go to bed at 7:31 that evening.  You would have thought I had given her the best gift ever!  She was so excited and continued to proclaim to her older brother and sister that she got to stay up until 7:31.

That my friends is what I call passing the torch.