Thursday, January 28, 2010

Chaos!

One mistake and one really poor choice turned my day from quite nice into total chaos.


It all started yesterday when I decided to make black beans for dinner. I forgot to start them in the morning, so I had to cook them on the stovetop instead of using my prefered method, the crockpot. I turned them down to low once they started boiling, and then completely forgot. Madeline and I took a little trip to the mall, and I didn't discover my mistake until we walked back in the front door and were welcomed by the horrible smell of scorched beans. I never leave home with the stove on! I don't know what I was thinking, or I guess not thinking!!! I'm lucky they didn't catch on fire.

This afternoon I watched two of the cutest boys we know. The kids were playing really well together, so I decided to take advantage of the situation and unload the dishwasher. I noticed the pan of burnt beans were still sitting in the sink, I'm sure still stinking up our apartment. I'd left them there the night before hoping Scott would deal with them, and I guess he thought the same thing about me. Our garbage can was full. This is where the poor choice comes in. I decided to put them down the disposal. That's what disposals are made for, right? I'm not sure why I didn't think about the past problems we've had with the disposal. Basically, it's really, really wimpy. I dumped the beans down little by little, and then I dumped half the pan in. That was the really dumb part. Of coarse, it clogged up. Nasty black gunk started bubbling back up into the sink. And then as I was messing with it , and getting black gunk all over my shirt and the counter, it started bubbling up into the other side of the sink.

At that point I realized that our apartment was really quiet. Too quiet. I know from growing up with triplets that quiet is usually a bad thing. I found the kids in the bathroom with makeup and toilet paper EVERYWHERE. I completely underestimated the amount of time it takes 3 kids to make a really big mess. My eyes were not off of them for more than 2 minutes!

After the boys left I had to get dinner started. I'd already made my easy meals for the week, and was only left with time consuming meals to choose from. I chose the least time consuming thing, which was homemade pizza. Dough and everything. Oy. I've been bad lately with stocking extra food. In the process of making pizza dough, Madeline and my kitchen were covered in flour and sprinkles. Yes, sprinkles. I'm not sure how that all happened, but the culprit was an almost 2 year old with a sweet tooth.

While the dough was rising I called my dad to ask about how to fix the sink. I wanted to have it fixed before Scott got home, because he doesn't particularly like to deal with my sink-clogging fiascos. And he tells me not to put things down the disposal. This was a really nasty endeavor involving a plunger, a washcloth, and a rubber sink stopper. Thank goodness for rubber gloves. I should explain my complete and udder dislike for all things involving the kitchen sink. The kitchen sink grosses me out more than almost anything. I hate to do dishes in it, I refuse to pull the plug if I am doing dishes by hand, I hate to clean it, and I hate when it's the least bit dirty. I would rather clean the whole bathroom than deal with the kitchen sink. I didn't have the manpower to unclog the sink at all. I called Scott and asked him to come home and bail me out.

We worked on the sink together when he got home, and in the process turned the disposal on, which turned the sink into a guyser which sprayed massive amounts of black bean gunk ALL over me, and ALL over the kitchen. So, maintenance is going to come fix it. "Maybe tomorrow".

I'm pretty sure I don't have as many brain cells now as I did before I was a mother.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Torn

I decided to start couponing again in October. I subscribed to The Grocery Game a couple of years ago, but decided it wasn't really worth the cost. Now there are so many couponing blogs where you can get the information for free, so I decided to give couponing another try. My initial purpose was to help grow our food storage without having to increase our grocery budget. I soon found coupons for all kinds of things I never knew coupons existed for. I was able to give Madeline a pretty sweet Christmas of $1 Disney movies, and extremely discounted toys. I was hooked.


Now I'm feeling torn and unsettled about the whole thing again. I would really love to simplify my life, slow down, and find more enjoyment during the day. I don't think stops at 5 grocery stores a week is in my definition of simplicity. I've also rededicated myself to cook more from scratch, in part thanks to the two lovely cookbooks I received for Christmas and have been reading at any spare moment. (A little bit nerdy, I know, but I really love cookbooks). So, I really shouldn't need to buy all of the prepackaged stuff most of the coupons are for.

Ah, but that wonderful feeling I get when I know I've gotten a REALLY good deal. I'm afraid I inherited it from my mom. And the sense of relief I get when I open the freezer to find an already prepared frozed meal or treat, when I don't have time to cook. And the joy of eating an ice cream bar that I wouldn't have otherwise bought, but I know I got for free.

Is it worth the time, effort, and cost of a weekly Sunday paper? The jury's still out...

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

The Simple Life

Have you ever seen such a messy, happy little face? I guess this is what happens when I try to "simplify" and spend the day at home cleaning, baking, etc. Actually, this week I have been forced to stay at home and enjoy menial tasks because behind all of that chocolate is a girl with the croup.


Madeline and I made some wonderful good eats today, and I think I'll share the recipes. The first is for an absolutely divine (and not really THAT bad for you) chocolate pie from Alton Brown, who I'm semi-obsessed with right now. I got his new cookbook for Christmas, and love, love, love it. The second is my mother-in-law's honey wheat bread. It's to die for.

Alton Brown's Moo-Less Chocolate Pie

13 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup coffee liqueur (omitted)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 pound silken tofu, drained
1 tablespoon honey
1 9 inch chocolate wafer crust

1. Place enough water in the bottom of a 4-quart saucepan to come 1 inch up the sides. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
2. Melt the chocolate chips with the liqueur (again, omitted) and vanilla in a medium metal bowl set over the simmering water, stirring often with a rubber or silicone spatula.
3. Combine the tofu, honey, and chocolate mixture in a blender or food processor and spin until smooth (about 1 minute).
4. Pour the filling into the crust and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until the filling sets firm.

Karen Serr's Honey Wheat Bread

3 1/2 to 4 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 packets yeast
2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup honey
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 egg
2 tbsp wheat gluten (omitted because I didn't have any)

In a large bowl combine 2 cups flour, 1 cup whole wheat flour, yeast, salt, and wheat gluten, mix well.

In a sauce pan, combine milk, water, honey, and oil to 120-130 degrees. Add the liquid mixture to the dry mixture along with the egg and beat batter for 3 minutes.

Gradually stir in the rest of the whole wheat flour and enough remaining flour to form a firm dough.

Knead, adding flour as needed for 5 to 8 minutes until smooth and satiny (this is where I'm immensely grateful for my kitchenaid!)

Lightly grease bowl with extra virgin olive oil, turn dough in the bowl to grease top, put in bown and cover until doubles in size. About an hour

Punch down dough and divide into two loaves. Put in loaf pans lightly sprayed with pam. Cover and let rise until double in bulk. Put in over pre-heated to 350. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until done according to your oven. It's ok if bottom of loaf is a little moist. Butter top of loaves as soon as they come out of the oven for a softer crust.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Christmas 09

The things I loved the most about our Christmas vacation:

1. Being able to spend time with most of our immediate family members. The only person in my immediate family I wasn't able to see was my brother, Alan.


2. Talking to Alan, who is in Vermont on a two year mission for our church, around the breakfast table on Christmas morning.


3. Getting away for a night with Scott. We started the evening with a temple session at the Logan Temple with my sister and brother-in-law, then we went out for a nice dinner, and on to the Anniversary Inn. I don't think I concentrate enough of my time on just being a wife. It was really nice to take a night off from being a mother. I was really, really looking forward to sleeping late in the morning, but I popped up at 6:30 and couldn't go back to sleep!!! We still had a wonderful time.

4. Being there for my little nephew Hunter's first birthday. He is the cutest, HAPPIEST little guy. I just love him to pieces! Madeline really enjoyed getting in on the present unwrapping business.

5. Finally getting my hair cut. I hadn't even meant for it to get long, I just kept putting off getting it cut.

6. Having lots of help from family with cutting, coloring, pasting, and laminating all of the folder games I was making for Madeline.

7. Staying up late at night hanging out with my siblings. They're pretty cool people.

8. Watching Madeline open her presents. She had a lot of fun on Christmas this year. She wasn't as into Santa as she was snowmen this year, though.

9. Our new annual tradition of listening to "A Cajun Night Before Christmas". My brother brought it back from his mission in Louisiana. It is seriously hilarious. Especially our favorite line, "Mama passed the peppa through da crack in the do'".

10. Enjoying the differences between our two families. I'm so glad I belong to both of them. I've really grown to love the calm, simple lifestyle of my inlaws, and am really trying to incorporate more simlicity into my own life. It's so peaceful to spend more time doing small tasks, and less time running errands all day long.

11. Being able to go out and see two movies. At the theater. It's been many months since we've been able to do that. I especially loved "Blind Side". I can't wait to see it again. At home.

12. I loved having lots of help with Madeline. She really took to her grandparents on both sides, or in her own words, "ma and pa".

Things I didn't love about our Christmas vacation:

1. Spending hours on airplanes with a busy toddler on my lap. In all fairness to her, though, she did really well. It still makes for an exhausting day. I think our flying career is now over, becuase Madeline's almost 2.

2. Searching for my sister's wedding band under my parent's deck. That made a total of 2 lost wedding bands during the trip for our family.

3. Madeline's nasty behavior by the end of the trip. I found it really hard to discipline and maintain any sort of control while on vacation. Of course, when I wasn't around she was a perfect angel. I guess she at least knows how to behave, she just chooses not to sometimes.

4. Leaving my wallet with ID in Idaho, and realizing it as we were leaving for the airport to fly home. It was nice to spend a few extra days with my parents, but I missed out on a couple of large weekend responsibilities and our trip became a very costly venture.

Madeline and Hunter saying goodbye on Christmas morning

My dad holding Hunter and Madeline

Madeline in my parent's front yard

My mom and Madeline

My two sister, Shelley and Megan, and the two grandkids

All the girls in new pajamas on Christmas Eve.

Madeline and daddy all ready for sledding


Christmas morning

Madeline, Grandma Serr, and cousin Jillian at the Serr Christmas. Oh, and not to forget new baby Stella in the backpack

Trying on Uncle Clint's ski boots