Good Things

Dee's anticipted May trip to India for work has been cancelled (his Honeywell division has no travel budget). This is great news, and sad news.

The Glad:
I hate it when he is gone, and he would have had to be gone "three weeks on the ground" which adds four more days for traveling, making it gone almost four weeks. I surely would have perished! I am totally dependent on him, even after 29 years! I love his sweet kisses, his warm hugs, and his ever encouraging "I love you's".I love his snoring and muttering in his sleep, the sound of his singing, working in the yard with him, and sometimes I can stay awake to watch a movie...at least the beginning and the end! I love him for ALL he does here, too. That pool looks great all the time because he cares for it, and it seems to sense when he is gone, and so it goes cuckoo when he is away. He cares for our cars: changing oil, fixing various problems that 1990's cars get, and even cleans it out for me after weeks of driving the "pigs" to school! He makes everything nice and wonderful, and makes sure I am happy. No one does it like him!

No worries about what food he is in contact with. He can't eat onions, and that severely limits what Indian food he can eat. They try to help in their cooking but they don't understand. And then, he will get some fruit, etc. off the street, and I worry that the knife used to chop that coconut was used for something unsavory before that...or that maybe they haven't cleaned things so well. Sanitary conditions around the world are not the same as here...and sometimes things here are pretty bad!

The sad:
He was really looking forward to going to the Bangalore 2nd Branch of the Church. He just loved the people in India at church. They were kind and humble and positive and grateful for their blessings, even though it seems to us that they have little!

He really had made progress with the people he was working with in helping them get an engine for Honeywell into production. He is very patient (I hear the phone meetings at night.) He likes the people he works with. The only problem is that the room they use for the telephone meetings echoes badly...another sad...he wanted them to get a rug for the floor or wall...and now, no rug, but then, again, meetings are off as well.

He gets no excursions. He would use his Saturday for an adventure. He went to a maharajah's palace, and a zoo last trip. He also took many pics of the people and lifestyle. He loves to learn about new things, and this was a great opportunity.

No projects at home...for Suzzy. I had planned on FINALLY getting my room fixed up from the storm 12 years ago. My ceiling is in less than stellar condition, and we just ran out of money when we got to the master bedroom. I had planned to have him fix the ceiling before he left, and help me install/build the built in shelves I wanted, and then I was going to move the bed, and paint the walls my favorite Sage Green. (I had planned that we would save on gas, food, etc. with the money we wouldn't be spending for the 3 1/2 weeks he was gone, so I could by a sheet of drywall, some mud, a couple of sheets of plywood, and a can or two of paint.)

No spices. He found some Indian spices when he was there last time. I have a little saffron that he got for cheap! And he found the most wonderful cinnamon...it was in bark form. At first, we would just hand "sand" it off, but I got a spice grinder at a yard sale, so I was ready for new cinnamon.

No Christmas projects for Suzzy. I have to keep myself VERY busy when he is away. I hate tv, so my evenings get long. I am making my daughters in law and older daughter things for Christmas. I cannot say what, but I hope that, while my gifts will not officially cost a lot, they will become something they will treasure from me...something that will be in their homes long past me! I will still do them, just not get them done. I even thought to cut out my ornaments for next year and get them going. I need to do that anyway...maybe if I was busy in the evening, I would not hear the hershey kisses calling me!

Furlough worries. I was so sure that we would save so much money with me not cooking and him not driving to work for weeks that the first furlough week, which we were going to schedule for when he got back, would be no problem. I am just a worry wart. This month, I have cut back, and saved over $300 from the food budget, while still maintaining our 3 month supply and our year's supply. I have tried new things, made smaller portions, and had great meals! And I buy nothing else, so it is working, and maybe it won't be so bad, and it will be wonderful to have him home for an additional week!

I think the good far far outweighs the bad, but I am sad for him. He is concerned about work and this was something he felt very valued in. I am happy for me...sad for him!

More Food Experiments

I received two tomatillos and a few of various kinds of chilis in my Food Club Box this week. So, on my way home from taking Nate to track practice, I stopped at Food City and got a couple of pounds of tomatillos (on sale) and some cilantro. After the power was on, and they had gone to Mesa, I washed and sliced the tomatillos in half, roasted them with all the chilis under the broiler, and proceeded to make some tomatillo salsa. I put 4 small roasted chilis, the tomatillos, cilantro, lime juice, and salt in my food processor and let it go. It looks great...but it is soooo hot (at least for me!) I fear it is only good to remove paint from a barn!

In My Corner of the World Today

Hearing:

My dear sweet hubby softly snoring as he sits on the couch near me and takes a quick nap. He has spent the whole day working on the yard drip system (1+ acre and many leaks) and monitoring as the electrical portion of our solar power system was hooked up. He leaves in a little over an hour to drive some of our ward's young men out to the temple to perform baptisms for the dead. What a great blessing he is in my life.
The dishwasher runningwhich means that our power has been turned back on. I was nuts this morning when I couldn't wash, dry, blow dry, vacuum, compute, or anything. I love electricity.
Kayty singing. She just adds so much to our home. She is ALWAYS singing something!
Doran and Nathan banging - Nathan is cutting out rusty spots on that 1960 truck he is restoring and then cutting a new piece of metal and welding it in. He has learned sooooo much on this project!!

Tasting -
Pecans - they are so wonderful from Costco!
Banana Sugar Free Popsicle - only a few left before price increase and box size decrease, so I am enjoying every last one!

Seeing -
My beautiful swimming pool and my freshly mown lawn-I sure can't wait for the water to be warmer, though I don't want the temp outside to get warmer!
A house waiting to be vacuumed - at least I will have time when everyone goes out to do my work, though I had wanted to begin making my kids' Christmas gifts...I decided to make something for each one.
Pictures of my sweet family-I am so blessed. My sons married wonderful women...would not trade Cameo or Danyel for all the money in the world! And Mike, my daughter's husband, is simply the best son in law ever. Though my daughter lives in Vegas, I know Mike is there to take care of them, to bless them, and I am comforted. I have the most awesome children in the world, and I am very, very proud of what each and every one has accomplished and of who the are!!! And then there are those sweet, wonderful grandbabies of mine...I think of them all the time, and I miss them, but I gain great happiness knowing how much Allison does to make them happy!

Smelling-
Clean dishes - don't you love that clean dish smell the dishwasher gives!
Cranberry lotion - Kayty just loaded my Christmas stocking with the best Ulta lotion this year. I used up one Hot Cocoa lotion, and now I am on to the Cranberry...so nice!
Sloppy joes - dinner before the guys go to the temple

Feeling -
Keys on my keyboard - I love the computer and the opportunity it gives me to share. I would love to write someday, and, while I am totally untrained, at least I get some early practice until I can be educated.
Missing someone...

What are you doing?

Using My Resources!

We are trying to be very careful about our spending, saving for the furlough weeks that Doran has to take for the rest of the year. I always planned meals and kept track of our spending, but now I try even harder to do it all better and cheaper. I had heard about the Westside Food Bank Food Club from a friend's blog, and had gone and purchased some items near Christmas...the meat was wonderful, and I used most of the staples, and veggies. I went again with Dorrie yesterday. I only got a $13 pantry box...no meat, but the haul I got was incredible. I got 2 cases of Gatorade -great for a football/discus and shotput athlete. I got 8 loaves of bread (French bread used for French toast this morning and garlic toast tonight) rolls, hamburger buns (sloppy joes tomorrow), canned goods, cakes, candies, - what to do with 2 large loaves of rye bread I am trying to discover. I also got tons of veggies...2 head of lettuce, 2 big bunches of celery, dry red peppers (great in Dee's kung pao), jalapenos, tomatillos, four yellow squash, dried red peppers, beans, pintos, rice, corn flakes, 12 boxes of grape tomatoes, and just tons of stuff. It took me quite a while to put it away.

So, today, for my planned dinner, I made Lasagna. I had thawed 1 pound of ground turkey meat. For the sauce, I cut up the fennel I received in the box yesterday and sauteed it with the garlic and then added Italian seasoning,salt, and red pepper flakes and 1 1/2 super large cans of crushed tomatoes. That made enough sauce for 2 lasagnas...plus I had cottage cheese frozen that I had gotten on sale...mixed that with Parmesan cheese I had from a clearance, and some oregano. I also had an eggplant from yesterday that I had no clue what to do with, so I peeled, thin sliced, and browned the slices in a Cooking sprayed pan. To assemble, I put sauce on the bottom, then lasagna noodles, then the eggplant slices (covered the bottom layer of both lasagnas) then sauce, then cottage/Parmesan/oregano mixture, then mozzarella (2 pound bag I got on sale last week for 3.99!)I kept layering, and topped with the mozzarella. I had enough for two pans of lasagna, plus I made a little one for Nate's lunch (and our snacking pleasure) out of the extra. Still have some mozzarella left, too. And Kayty didn't figure out about the eggplant or the fennel until her second helping, when Nathan "kindly" pointed out that she had eaten that. It was so fun to try something new.

It's interesting. This is the first month I have really cut back. I am very careful at WalMart...no shopping the store, just goal oriented visits. No extra shopping. Planned meals. One or two meatless meals a week (Nathan still isn't used to lentils!) And I feel I have accomplished a lot!!

Voices of Warning and Hope

Listen and see the voices of our prophets giving us warning and hope.

Catching Up

My house is clean, I don't have to cook (hubby and son are at the lake) so, maybe, I can catch up our blog.


First, Kayty was invited to become a member of Phi Theta Kappa, a Jr. College Honor Society...We are just so pleased. She loves her college classes and works very hard!!


Next, Kayty had another very wonderful performance with the choirs she is a member of on March 12.


For our St. Patrick's Day celebration, a leprechaun had walked across our refrigerator, but since there were SO MANY QUESTIONING UNBELIEVERS, no loot was left. We did eat an Irish dinner, corned beef, red potatoes, cabbage salad...but Nathan is too American, and complained all evening that it made him sick. Kayty and I did make festive Green Rice Krispy Treats, which Nathan had no problem eating!!. We also had green M&M's to snack on (hey, I remember Nathan munching on too many M&M's years ago - May 25, 2001, I seem to recall, and ruining his sister's wedding pics because he was laying on the stage of the cultural hall, in between barfing sessions. I think I see a pattern here!)


We have now entered the 21st century and are having both a solar water heater, and solar power system installed. It should save us quite a bit! Here is our water heater panel.


We have a "special" person in charge of our installation. He is very knowlegdeable, but I cannot get over how much he looks like an Oompah Loompah from Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (lacking only the orange complexion).

THE OOMPAH LOOMPAH LADDER







Finally, we celebrated Doran III's 25th birthday on Friday (actual birthday was Saturday, but Mr. Popularity was far too booked for us!) Happy 25th, Doran!

Flashback

I desperately need to catch up my blog...with pics and events and stories. I even got my camera out to try and post. It just sounded too big a project before church, so I was just checking my google reader when all of a sudden, I found this...



I have always loved "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer" and look forward to seeing it every year! I remember that the very most scarey thing I ever saw, or could think of (only seconded by those flying monkeys in "The Wizard of Oz") was that Abominable Snow Monster. I would hide my head when I watched. I would think of that awful creature at night. I worried over Rudolph and Hermie. It was awful!!

Now, I find a picture of him. Those scarey feelings are remembered, but, now that I really watch, it is kind of a lame monster...nothing that nightmares can be made of...nothing like those Velociraptors in "Jurassic Park" (I still cannot watch them trying to open that door into the kitchen!) Nothing like watching out for snakes on the hiking trail (Adam knows that Grammy just hates snakes!!)

I guess I have progressed...or have I?