I got that lovin' feeling...Ohhhhh that lovin' feeling....

If you are from Kansas, you may know what a Bierock is. If you are not from Kansas, you probably have the look on your face that Carl had when I told him about them... I mixed and matched a few of my favorite recipes together to make a finger lickin' good German sammich. Here you go!





I made the filling and then dough. The Dough recipe makes fabulous dinner rolls, but after rolling dough and cutting into 5"x5" squares, I filled with meat mixture, let raise and baked for 15 minutes. YUM-O!

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs hamburger (lean)
3 lbs cabbage
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large onion

Put hamburger in skillet over low heat – break it up with fork and stir often until it changes color – do not fry it, then add cabbage and onion cook another 40 minutes – then taste if it needs more seasoning add more to your own taste. That’s all there is to the filling.

Ingredients
5 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup lard or shortening (my grandma uses lard, I use shortening. I like hers better)
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 (1/4 ounce) package yeast

Directions
Dissolve yeast in the lukewarm water. Sift together flour, salt and sugar. Cut in lard. Add yeast and water. Mix until well blended and keep mixing until dough forms elastic strands. Place dough in a greased bowl. Cover and allow to rise 30 minutes. Place dough on a floured board, smooth gently with your hands and roll out to desired thickness. Cut out (and shape, if desired. I roll until 1/4 inch thick, cut into 5"x5" squares and fill with mix. Pull corners up and seal seams, then tuck under to form a ball.). Place rolls in a greased pan. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes. Brush with butter and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

(Rolls Price Break down:

5 cups flour .40
1 teaspoon salt .01
1/4 cup sugar .11
1/2 cup lard or shortening (my grandma uses lard, I use shortening. I like hers better) .22
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 (1/4 ounce) package yeast .33

$1.07 total, $0.03/roll for 36 rolls.)

The week thus far

Tamale production for the week has been completed. Large families generally make tamales while gathered around a kitchen table since everyone is together for the holidays. Since a good portion of Carl's co-workers' families will be taking over the tamale reigns, I get a little break! It's a bittersweet sabbatical since it is tough work, however, it did bring in some extra mool-ah, and who doesn't love a little moo-lah? Ooooh, Oooooh, ME, choose ME! LOL.

Thus, the commencement of jewelry making and the search for some part time job.

Most recent design: Amelia.





Metalic Beige Glass Pearls join this Sterling Silver 5 Circle Drop Pendant to create a love affair between 18th Century Royalty and 20th Century Beauty!

(Pendant is made of Polished Sterling Silver, Clear Round Cut Cubic-Zirconias, Post-and-Clutch Backing Features Graduated Design. Silver Toggle Clasp Closure.)

And: Twilight.





Polished Blood Red Glass Briolettes and Freshwater Pearls…the perfect necklace that quotes, ”So the lion fell in love with the lamb.”

I did apply for the Store Manager position at GUESS outlet in Conroe. It would be breathtakingly perfect for me since my wardrobe consists of Guess attire to the rim; I don't even work there yet! Imagine the discounts too! That might get me into trouble... so we'll just pray on it and see what course I am prompted to take. I battle with myself on the "progression problem" I have and worry that I would get so far wrapped up in the fashion mayhem that my domestic goddess-ness would shrivel into submission... Ho hum, the things to consider.

I have been busily working on my Grocery Price Book Spreadsheet. I heard about this form the Coupon Contessa on Great Day Houston. It's a fabulous way to track your most frequent purchases and look for repetition and sales and regular priced items at your grocer. Seeing how toggle on the super store fencepost, I am already seeing some errors of my ways! Here is a link to get you to a free downloadable spreadsheet if you're interested. I've seen a steady 20 cents increase on some o Carl's beloved single pack potato chips in the past 3 months and 16 cent difference on my Spring Roll Wrappers for my Egg Rolls! Going back 6 months of receipts was a tough one but if I keep on adding after I purchase, I believe this will be a significant frugal tool!

http://www.uncommonwaytowealth.com/excel-finance-spreadsheets/grocery-savings-spreadsheet-price-book/grocery-price-book-spreadsheet-thanks-for-downloading/

Ohhh the weather outside is (slowly getting) frightening….

They say on the news that we have a cold front coming through. FINALLY! November 21, 2008 and the weather station says today will be in the 50’s and it will be cold for the entire weekend. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS! This weekend brings lots of things I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR! YEE!

Twilight premiered in Houston at 12:01 a.m. I am DYING to go, it’s KILLING ME….lol. However, if you know me in the slightest, or you care to know a little more, you know I am a TOTAL WEENIE. I got scared at Pirates of the Caribbean. (Who was it that got a fat lip, you or me, Tone?) Anyhow, Carl is working and I am too afraid to attempt Twilight alone in a matinee. I would end up grabbing a stranger 2 rows back. Or something like that. So I have to wait an entire week! Carl is off work Thurs., Fri., and Saturday so we will go then. It will, hopefully, be less crowded anyway. Is Thanksgiving a busy day for theatres?

Ketchup! From Tuesday; I have decided to make the tamales for some moo-lah after all. I made 100 tamales and Carl sold 8 dozen! After he distributed them at work, tamales were apparently the buzz during lunch and Carl has sold another 9 dozen so I am going to be attached to the kitchen table for the remainder of the day. Elbows deep in masa, corn husks and Carne. The first time was Freddie Krueger style sheer terror. Broken down, it was mighty tough. I blame my tamale innocence. Last batch was difficult but not unbearable since I sort of had a method going on. Today, well, today I feel as if I can become the tamale zen master. I plan to conquer these tasty little treats. We’ll call it Dim Sum de Mexico. (Chinese: Dim Sum = Tasty Little Treat. Spanish: de Mexico = of Mexico) AHHHH! It just hit me like a V8 commercial hand on the forehead! What about Dim Sun de Mexico as a Tamale company name!!! I love it! I’m 50% Chinese, so I think it will work!!! Hmmm. Do you think that’s a plausible name for a jewelry shop too? I might have to make it Dim Sum de New Mexico though. Since my Spanish roots are from New Mexico. Is that too much verbiage for the mouth? Oooooh. Tell me whatcha think, please!

Topics:

YAY! It’s getting cooler out here.

Tamales

I’m a wuss at kids movies.

And last but not least:

Jewelry for sale.

I am working on several pieces to go on sale sometime in 2009. I (still) need to research Etsy or an independent website, PayPal and whatever else I might need…. I have been working on my “Twilight” inspired series.


After “Rosalie”, ideas have been flitting around. Some of the pieces are inspired by the 4th book and I hate to ruin it for at least 2 people I know that are still working on getting through the 3rd, so it will be on hold for a little while, at least. (OK ladies, now you have a challenge. Until you get them read, “Twilight” collection is on hold for review!!! LOL.)

That’s all for now. Have a terrific weekend!

Tuesday

So Carl came home last night really excited and happy to report that he shared Tamales at work. It was hard work but I think that this may be the answer to prayers!

I get caught up in lots of things around the house since I have so much energy. I have been thinking about going back to work either at an Optometrist’s office or even back into Sales and Catering for a hotel in Houston, however, Toni and I were talking about my infatuation with progress. I told her that I need something that will keep me busy. A focal point other than my daily rituals but I didn’t want to lose myself in work. (I do that way too often for my own good.)

If I sell some Tamales and maybe some jewelry, I can make a little money, do the things I love and also, technically, stay home! Even if I did some cakes on the side, they are all things that I would be able to set my own hours and work when I want to… I just gotta jump with both feet in! (I just always research why I’m jumping into first!) I’ll keep you posted.

After sending Carl off to work with Carne Adovado Burritos, Chef Salad and Lasagna, I started some dishes and felt my Beading JuJu come back full swing!

I’m not sure if you guys are Twilight fans but I sure am! When I was finished with this, I decided it looked like something Rosalie would wear. What do you Twi-hard fans think?

The Rosalie Necklace.



I think giving necklaces names is fun! Let’s try another one! How about the Lisa?




For now, that is all.

I feel like Buster Poindexter…"So we go rum-bum-bum-bum…Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot…"

WOW!

It was a great but I have to tell ya: busy, busy little renegade bee! I’m glad for the week to start because it’s like a vacation from the weekend!

Friday

Funny story:

Once upon a time there was this girl named Rose. She loves the cooler days and looked outside to find a cloudy, overcast day. She had a big day ahead of her so she excitedly hopped out of bed and ran right into her closet! She looked around and gently ran her right hand across the tops of her many soft sweatshirts, long sleeved blouses and sweaters. She settled on a maroon sweatshirt over layered tank tops. (She loves cold weather: she loves layers!) How happy to be in long sleeves again!

When Rose goes outside and gets into her car, she starts to drive down the road when it starts to feel a little warm. A few seconds later she starts to feel slightly warmer. Windows come down, what is it that she smells? A clear crisp, warm November day! She looks up from the thermostat (that reads 78) to see her neighbor staring at her, with bewilderment (Most likely since she’s in layers and a sweater), in his gym shorts and short sleeved shirt….. NO WORRIES! Rose sticks to her guns and continues to Wal-Mart. While at the Supercenter, she sees sandals, sun dresses and tank tops. Then she starts to sweat a little. No pun, seriously sweat. Cause it was friggin’ hot!

The end.

After I got home from Wal-Mart I put groceries away. Boscoe and I also had a fetch-a-thon in the back yard. He crashed on the floor while I swept and mopped the foyer, kitchen and kitchen nook. I started spaghetti sauce and vacuumed the floor. Did laundry and put away dishes.



While unpacking, I found my beads! I made this necklace after the dishes were done and put away.

Saturday

All day I worked on homemade Tamales and Tamale Sauce! It was a long hard road (NO WONDER PEOPLE USUAL MAKE IT A BIG FAMILY PRODUCTION!) but it was totally worth it! I made red chile sauce from dried chile pods Friday night. Into the crock pot with pork roast and beef roast. I also soaked pinto beans overnight. I let the meat stew for several more hours more on Saturday (16 hours cook time total. Sooooo very tender and juicy!)while getting the masa and corn husks ready…. Fast forward after six hours of rolling tamales by myself… Carl came home and helped with the last 7-8. (We made about 40-50.) Here is Carl rolling tamales. (I forgot to take pictures of myself…a first! LOL.)

Here are a batch cooking. I was steaming Tamales until 11:45 P.M.!



Here is a complete plate with frijoles and arroz!

I got the signed seal of approval from Edgar and Leo (Carl’s friends that are from Mexico!) today when Carl took them to work. *Update: Carl just told me that them tamales have been requested for sale by Ramsey and Raul, a dozen for $10.00.... I gotta think about this one.

Daddy and Bubsy after a long hard day of tamale making:

The jewelry bug bit me, so I made these necklaces within the course of the day too.

Found this in the camera and it was entirely too cute to leave in my hard drive:

Sunday

Got up early, put Tex-Mex-Chili ingredients into a pot, went to church, met a lot of really great people, came home, ate tamales for lunch, swept and vacuumed, put away dishes, re-loaded dish washer, played with some beads, couldn’t get my jewelry mojo on, put away dishes, researched tortilla recipes, went back to church to meet with Bishop for Tithing Settlement meeting, came home, made homemade tortillas, ate chili, did dishes, watched Desperate Housewives, went to bed.

I wanted to blog about so much this weekend but I a tee-widdle-bit pre-occupied! Hope you guys are having a perfect day! See ya tomorrow.

Love,

Me

Fah-Ra-Ra-Ra-Ra..No it's Ra-Ra-Ra-Ra-Ra...

I love Christmas! I love everything that has to do with the season.

I would like to express my excitement because I FOUND MY CAMERA CORD! It was a personal goal to find it and you’ll never guess where it was! In my electronics cord drawer in my office! (My A.K.A. should be OCD…) I was actually surprised that it was there because if I would have remembered I put that stuff away already, I wouldn’t have been complaining about looking for it… Isn’t that the way it always goes?

After finding the cord, I was able to upload all the pictures from the camera! Now that the entire house is unpacked and the Christmas decorations are up, I need a few other hobbies to pursue.

First is another blog titled “Carl’s Travels”. It’s currently on delay until I can get the photos from the last 2 years in order but I’m excited to see how it turns out. It’s going to be an online tribute to our life. He’s also lived in some interesting places. You’ll be able to see the hotels, extended stay motels, ranches and houses he’s lived in!

Second hobby is my obsession with decorating cakes. I’ve been needing to polish my baking skills.

The first cake I decorated this year was dry, but charming.



The second was bought from Wal-Mart but redecorated by yours truly.



Carl’s cake should have seriously had a blog post of it’s very own. Keeping it short: I started it, 10 minutes into baking the power went out (Happens periodically due to Hurricane Ike…STILL…blah) so I tried to “bake it on the stove” which burnt some of the cake in a circle….Cute cake, but a horror story still….



And now…The one I made yesterday…



The B on the top is for Brauning! I've always wondered how difficult it would be to decorate a "wedding" cake. It was a lot of fun! The hardest part was trying to find a calligraphy B that I liked. I doodled for a really long time while the cake chilled. Vanilla cake with Cream Cheese Frosting! Next to tackle...filling! I bet it's gonna be messy.....

If you look to the right you will see that I have a section titled “…Holiday Paraphernalia...”. Please check out those links to get your Christmas party pants on and start dancing around! (Or put your mouse over the hyperlink(s) below, put on a pair of glittery red shoes, click your heels three times, and left click your mouse until a new window pops up!)

Way cute cards from Elephant Juice Designs by Laura.
This will take you to the most talented little lady in the midwest! Her cards are gorgeous and I know that a few of you will fall in love with the damask cards she blogged about yesterday.

Fred Flare for stocking stuffers!
Compliments of Miss Toni, as she surfed the net for stocking stuffers, she passed along this link to uber fantastic gifts under 10 dollars! The “Bacon Band-aids” are in my online shopping cart! They're sooo funny. Who doesn't love a little bacon on their boo-boo?

Wrapping paper is my vice....
You can’t have Christmas without perfectly wrapped packages! I am IN LOVE with a few of the more simple prints. Please take in consideration that these are “countertop rolls”. Department stores use them. If you’re anything like me and like your packages to have a similar look to them, this is the way to go. Savings are here since you buy in such bulk.

Lagniappe...Cloth gift bags! My grandma used to make these...
My Grandmother Schmidt used to put a good lot of our Christmas gifts in cloth bags. Helps eliminate cost (not to mention pesky paper, messy scotch tape, not to mention those paper cuts…OUCH!) and the helps environment! Check these out for a GREEN Christmas… (I have few of these bags but I'm such a sucker for bows!)

Very fun stuff!

Now that I found my camera, some pictures to share with you:

As I explained, I LOVE GIFTS! Wrapping with big bows made from wired ribbon is my favorite. I also like to buy Christmas ornaments and use those as gift tags. I still have all the ones from our house with Sue, Mitch and Carl's names on them, so they're perfect to re-use time and time again!

Here are some pictures of the tree and gifts from last year. The house in New Mexico had this geat little niche to showcase the Tree. Plus, this photo shows a cever way to use a plate hanger as decoration. In this picture you can see the pate hanger onthe wall with presents hung right up there! It's such a festive decoration too!







Lighted Christmas Trees are my favorite! Here is our Tree where it's roots will be for at least 5 years! I just don't think there could be a more perfect place for it!



P.S My camera died in th move and is a month behind on the date I SWEAR this tree wasn't up 10/13/2008! LOL!

(The windows are still bare while I look for some drapery fabric I love enough to buy 46 feet of! YIKES!)Thanks for all your input for the window and tal wall dilemma..Thaomee suggested something like this wich everyone else wholeheartedly agreed to.... Her is the sample picture she sent me. We are thinking about the crowm molding all the way to the top but not so much the brown frames aroundthe windows. I think the vertical lines are nice but do you think they elongate the room too much? Thanks girls, let me know what your thoughts are!

Fee Fie Foh Fum, Can you catch the Grinch's thumb?!

Ding-ding-ding-ding!

We have a winner! LOL. I actually always win the Grinch war but ...don't we all love to rhyme? It can be rather fun!

After Carl finished the platform, strung the lights and moved the tree to the corner... He also crawled under the tree and put the tree skirt on too...I took over and twirled some ribbon, fluffed my bow and trimmed the tree. (Hee-hee, I too take over this portion of the tree, 'cause arrogantly enough...."No one can do it better than me, Me, ME!." LOL! I can't wait to see your pictures!)

Here is the wreath after plumping.

I promise better pics to come after I find that danged cord for my digital camera. It spanks my cell phone's camera ten fold with 7.0 megapixel vs. puny 1.3. (I love ya, Samsung i760!!!)

Speaking of holidays, I wasn't sure if everyone loathes shipping holiday packages as much as I do.....

Now that I am registered with a personal account, I am able to order mailing supplies (Some at NO CHARGE) order stamps and schedule a carrier pickup! You can even print mailing labels, pay for the postage online, slap it on a box and have them pick it up from your house! Check it out!

Buy stamps.

Order mailing/shipping supplies.

Create a shipping label.

Schedule a package pickup.

Sign in and get started!

Now... about jean poolage (When your legs are too short and you have to either wear heels all the time OR let your jeans drag on the ground while wearing flip-flops or flats.) Tonya came up with a GREAT idea! We'll call it Double S...for Shorty Swap! LOL! Instead of waiting in long lines to mail off a pair of jeans, we could us USPS to our benefit! Oooooh, Tonya, we coud be like:

So...if you're short and proud, where do YOU shop?!

They can be bit pricey but I learned that the Buckle has some great jeans for Double S girls. Silver Jeans, BKE and Lucky have the inseam sizes so Jean poolage can be greatly kept at a minimum. Can't wait to hear where you get your jeans. This could be a great excuse to go shopping for clothes. Breathing is also a fabulous reason to go shopping for clothes...

So I have given up hope on No Yeast breads. Another batch of hard-as-a-rock crunch bars came out of my oven yesterday. Does anyone have a good homemade yeast free bread recipe? I mean, making things from scratch will usually save some dinero but I can buy 1o Telera Rolls at Wal-Mart for $2.00 and the yeast there is at least the same amount if not more. Granted, nothing tastes sweeter than homemade bread but I just don't look that great covered in flour.

Needless to say, I used the aforementioned Telera Rolls as bread bowls for our "Corned Beef and Cabbage Chowder". I have never made a bread bowl for soups or appetizers at home before and you know what? I am SOLD on the idea forever! All it took was a small serrated knife and a little patience. I just cut circle in the top of the roll and then dug it out in one piece. I then hollowed it out and popped it in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. Nice and toasty!!! Carl gave it rave reviews and even had a second Chowder-in-a-bread-bowl! It made my happy.

It is rather pretty if you see it in person, I promise... Today, I will make it my personal goal to fnd that stupid cord for tranferring pictures from my digital camera.... Hurumph.

OH YEAH. One last thing. I figured this out yesterday when unpacking our Christmas decorations... I suppose I'm a Nativity collector. I bought this pretty glittery ceremic set before Carl and I got together in 2005.

I got this carved wood set from Carl's mom afer we were married in 2006.

Last year she bought me this beautiful hand crafted Willow Tree set!

Nativity scenes are just so wonderful! I never really thought about how many I had before. You can never see too many births of Jesus... We are so very lucky to have him. (YAY!)

(FYI: From http://www.nativitysets.com/)

How To Arrange A Nativity Set

Each figure in a nativity scene has meaning, and the manner in which they are arranged will contribute to the significance and visual appeal of an outdoor nativity scene. The following guidelines will help you to arrange a meaningful and accurate nativity set.

Nativity sets vary greatly in size and number of pieces, but there are still general rules that can be followed when arranging a nativity scene. Your goal should be to display a nativity scene that is as respectful and accurate as possible. Each figure has meaning, and a proper arrangement will add great depth and significance to a Christmas display.

The Central FiguresA standard nativity set has seven pieces, but nativity scenes can always be enhanced with new figures. Secondary nativity figures are best positioned as onlookers outside the circle of main characters mentioned in the Biblical nativity stories of Matthew and Luke.

The central position in any nativity scene should be occupied by the Christ child. He is the reason for the display. Your nativity set should include a stable and manger. Place the manger at the center of the stable. A nativity tradition is to not place the baby Jesus in the manger until Christmas morning, but it is not necessary to follow this practice.

The nativity figure closest to Christ should be His mother, the Virgin Mary. A common practice is to place the figure of Mary on one side of the Christ child and His father Joseph on the other. However, some nativity icons actually display Joseph at a distance from the manger, looking away from Christ with an old man representing Satan at his side. The purpose of this is to give place in the nativity scene to the role of doubt in human faith.

Spacing and Secondary Figures Location will have some bearing on the spacing of nativity figures. An outdoor nativity set will obviously offer more space than an indoor nativity set, but if you are displaying high quality figurines you may wish to keep the scene inside.

Consider the nativity stories in the Bible when positioning secondary nativity figures. Place your nativity figures in concentric circles to emphasize their meaning and increase visibility.

If you have nativity pieces representing shepherds or the three wise men, these can be placed in the first circle. If you have both, placing the shepherds closer than the three Magi would be in keeping with the Biblical accounts, which indicate that the shepherds visited the Christ child before the three kings. In some outdoor nativity sets, a shepherd boy is used as a stand-in for shepherds.

The commonest secondary figures besides these are angels and animals. An ideal position for nativity angels is above your outdoor nativity set. If this is impossible, they may be placed within the stable behind the holy family.

The animals commonly used in nativity sets outdoors are sheep, oxen, and camels. The purpose of these figures is to remind you of the humbleness of Christ's birth, or in the case of the camels, the long journey of the Magi. The best way to incorporate nativity animals into an outdoor scene is to place them next to appropriate characters: sheep with the shepherds, camels with the three wisemen.

A day later but not a dollar short!

I guess I have to start off by explaining….

I am a total busy body and am usually doing 10 things at once for 12-14 hour stints. Since I haven’t been working (as in employed by a company outside of my home) I would get up at whatever time Carl gives me morning kisses (5:00-5:30ish) and roll back over and snuggle with Boscoe Bear until 8:00-8:30ish, give or take an hour. Then I would unpack, plan dinner, yadda-yadda, etcetera....

(For example: Strip the bed of linens, start the washer, fold the clothes in the dryer. Haul some boxes from the garage. Go back to garage and grab the step-stool. Go to kitchen and take out spices, teas, baking goods from cabinet. Measure, cut and line cabinet. Re-organize shelves. Take picture. Go to garage and grab Pfaltzgraff plates. Unpack the plates. Remove all boxes from closet under-he-staircase closet. Take all empty boxes upstairs. (I have a strange infatuation with keeping original boxes for crock pots, fondue sets, etc….) Put boxes away in attic. Take a folded down moving box out of the attic. Run downstairs, get packing tape, re-fold and re-tape moving box. Pack Alex’s clothes that he left in the guestroom closet in the box. Tape it up and put it in the storage. Run back downstairs, grab the duster. Dust the closet. Run back downstairs, grab the vacuum (that I just put in the newly cleaned out under-the-staircase closet) and vacuum the spare bedroom. Go back to the kitchen. Move all the white dishes from the left side of dishes cabinet and stack them in symmetrical order. Move Seychelles Green Sea dishes to empty side of dishes cabinet. Take a picture. Get bag of foliage in Disney bag out of pantry. Move step ladder to other side of kitchen. Move decorative plates above cabinets. Cabinet ledge too deep. Climb down off countertops. Go back to garage. Get some empty boxes. Get back up on countertops. Put down cardboard. Display items. Crawl back down and take picture. Take foliage out of bag. (Remember, symmetry is my Freddie Krueger.) Drag stepladder across kitchen tile. Climb back up on opposite countertops. Grab display items. Crawl back down, go back to garage and get more cardboard boxes. Re-line cabinets tops with boxes and display items. Get back down. Separate foliage into even piles. Go back up. Add green. Come back down. Drag ladder, climb up add green. Down. Up. Add flowers. Drag ladder. Up. Flowers. Down. Picture…Send photo-mail to email while heading to laundry room to move linens to dryer. Start washing machine with detergent. Leave phone on dryer, go to master bedroom closet. Sort all of (He likes to leave these on the floor NEXT to the hamper, anybody else married to one of these? LOL.) Carl’s dirty electrician’s clothes. Pull all the crap out of his pockets and add it to the “Carl’s pocket crap pile” on the bathroom sink counter. Take laundry basket to laundry room and dump into washer. Grab cell phone. Say a prayer that I’m not washing clothes by hand. (Still haunting me.) Go to garage. Grab box labeled “winter coats and other random crap from living room closet”. Carl obviously packed this box. Start hanging coats in living room closet. Cut taped flaps on box. Fold up and put by staircase to take back upstairs to attic. Go to garage. Grab a box of stuff. Ooooooh. Dehydrator! Punch bowls. Serving dishes. These aren’t for everyday use so I stick these in the back corner of the under-the-staircase- closet. Oooooh. This reminds me that I want to put our suitcases in here, so I return to the bedroom. Grab my 3 piece luggage set. Stuff Carry-on bag in little carry-on suitcase and that suitcase into the big luggage bag. Like nestle boxes! I contemplate taking a picture of this, decide against it. Grab Carl’s suitcase and drag both pieces to the closet and stow away. Remember that the vacuum needs to reside here as well. Sprint back up the stairs; go into the “Alex” guestroom. Wind up cord. Carry vacuum downstairs. I then realize I need to vacuum after moving all the dirty dusty boxes in from the garage. Grab broom from garage. Sweep kitchen. Stop. Grab duster (which is inconveniently UPSTAIRS!) dust off counters from my sandals on the kitchen counters and then get wet rag and wash countertops now that they're dut free. Resume sweeping onto formal dining room carpets. Sweep foyer into the living room and kitchen nook into other side of living room. Uncoil cord and vacuum the entire downstairs. Empty vacuum cylinder into trash. Return to kitchen to get broom. Put it away in garage. Get a soda. Text Lisa. Retrieve linens from dryer. Put back on bed. Make bed. Go back to laundry room. Put clothes in dryer. Start washer. Go back to bedroom. Grab whites. Load washing machine, which reminds me that I need to start the dishwasher after I eat something. Crap! I forgot to eat something. Get a soda. Chug some of it. Grab a plate. Put it back. Better use a white plate since there are 15 up there, and there should really be 14 instead of 15 on one side of the cabinet and 7 Sea Green ones on the other, leave 8 up there, yes. Decide on white plate. Make Salami and Brie on Wheat crackers while adding Beans to large pot to boil and soak. Finish eating. Load dishwasher, add soap and start her up!....OK, so I write the way I get caught up in doing stuff. At this time, it’s like 11:00 a.m. on his example day. Are you SERIOUS? I’ve only been up for like 2 hours by the time I’ve done all this crap….so back to my initial blog of today.)

I continuously go about the day re-doing every room in my house. Carl comes home, we have dinner. Talk about our day, eat dessert. He generally will take Boscoe for a walk and then relax on the couch and watch TV.

I am not a big TV watcher. I was when I was younger but now I just crave life and rarely watch anything. Grey’s is something I try to tune in to and an occasional episode of Desperate Housewives but I’m still not a religious watcher of any TV show……

Well, I am usually busy rinsing dishes. Unloading the dishwasher, neurotically balancing my cabinets with the clean stuff, re-loading, packing lunches or freezing leftover food. Wiping down the table and maybe sweeping the floor. My poor hubby is so tired he’s usually asleep by the time I’m done! So he told me the other day that he felt neglected. It was so cute! So I have vowed to get up in the mornings with him and use the extra hours in the morning for emails, blogging and additional freakishly OCD behavior. LOL.

Boscoe is not happy about 5:30 AM blogging….It’s just too early for him!



So the real reason for this blog.

Dinner last night. We had the ever tasty Corned Beef and Cabbage. Now, I wouldn’t blog about this since I have already explained our weird rituals in the Brauning Household in Texas, but I found a GREAT recipe for Corned Beef and Cabbage “Gravy” if you will. You thicken up the sauce with rue and add a few TBSPs of mustard to taste. No salt needed of course because the Beef Stock from the cured Beef is enough to dehydrate ANYONE… So if you do Corned Beef and Cabbage at your house for St. Patrick’s Day, keep some stock.







Chop some cabbage and set aside for your “gravy”. Transfer your Cabbage, Potatoes, Onion and Beef into a serving plate. Add chopped cabbage to your stock and boil the reserved raw cabbage until tender. Whisk some mustard and flour (Or Wondra…ahhhhh. How we love Wondra!) in water until mixed thoroughly. Add to stock until thickened. I put a few scoops of ground Cayenne into it because well, I put ground Cayenne in everything and we like spicy! And it was delicious! There is a lot left over so I’m thinking of a Cabbage Soup? I’ll let you know how it turns out. OH.

I was looking for a nice bread to compliment our meal. I don’t have any yeast on hand so I googled yeast free bread. I made Rotti. It could have been the recipe I found but it was SO BAD, it makes me cringe at the thought of trying any other Rotti recipe. Urgggggle. I only share it so that if you come acrossed it in your recipe research, you back away slowly!

Rotti:
1 cup wheat flour
1 tsp Vegetable Flour
Salt to taste
Warm water until dough is thick

PLEASE I BEG OF YOU; DON’T GO THERE!

Well, Now that I’ve found a new yeast-less bread recipe to try, went through all my emails, paid bills, balanced my check book. Talked to Carl and Lisa on the phone, and am ready to publish my post I will see ya all tomorrow. Write devilishly good things on your blogs! I’ll be waiting to see them! Ciao Bella!