"STUFF" + Hope Refugee Services

STUFF - Who Needs It????

A while back I hired a professional organizer for 2 hours to do an assessment of our house and offer any organizational ideas. Her main comment was - "You have too much stuff."

Since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to live in a HUGE house. I just love the idea of having big parties, lots of peoples staying over night, a big kitchen (or 2) for cooking big meals. I don't think it was the actual "house" itself that I wanted but the ability to bring people together in community.

When we were getting ready to register for our wedding presents, someone commented "Who do you think you are going to be feeding with 20 place settings?" Hhmmm?? My mom, a pastor's wife, used to entertain, plan lots of parties, showers, banquets etc.. Of course she used the rooms at the church to entertain.

I haven't let go of the vision of myself as the entertainer in a big house even though that picture does not match my reality. So, when I find a sale on cloth napkins, I buy 25 instead of 8. We have never had 25 people in our house at once in the 12 years we have lived here... but the vision lives on. It's time to let go!!

Needless to say, the cupboards of our smallish townhouse are bursting at the seams- not to mention our closets.

With school starting next week, I have been frantically trying to get stuff done on my summer to do list. Sorting through clothes and organizing our closets was top on the list. I am embarrassed to say that Larry and I filled 18 garbage bags with usable clothing to take to Hope Refugee Services. How do two people accumulate that much stuff?

God has been speaking to me for a while about Quieting the Noise in my life. Getting rid of stuff clears space in our home but also in my head and stops the spinning.

In the past, it has been hard for me to decide what to give away. Questions like "What if I never find another pair of black pants that fit?" drive me crazy and I usually end up giving up.

Several questions helped me this time...

• Would I give this away if I knew the person I was giving it to had nothing to wear? I knew we were taking clothing to Hope Refugee services. Refugees usually come here with nothing so it was easy to let go.

• Does this fit my color plan? I read that you should have 2 main colors and an accent color in your wardrobe. It makes it easier to organize, shop without wasting money and to plan what to wear.

• Is this in the 80% or the 20%? Did you know that we only wear 20% of our clothing 80% of the time?

• Do I feel relaxed or comfortable in this? My favorite clothes I call "forget me" clothes. You put them on, are perfectly comfortable and you forget all about what you are wearing. Other clothes may look nice but they bug you all day. The shirt rides up or the shoulders don't feel right, or the fabric is scratchy etc.

As we drove up to Hope Refuge Services, I felt good about giving and I felt good about the space we were opening up in our house and in our heads.

But I also felt sad. Sad that we are faced every day with advertising that tells us we are "less than" unless we buy X Y or Z. As a "fifty something", I have the life experience to fight back and know that my worth does not come from stuff. But what message are our kids getting?

Who needs our stuff? They do!!! People who have faced hardship and horrors that we can only imagine or read about. People who have come to the "land of opportunity" but need help navigating until they get on their feet. People who have the same hopes and dreams for their kids and their families that we have.
If you live near Buffalo, I encourage you to think about donating to Hope Refugee Services. They need children's clothing, kitchen stuff and desperately need BEDS!!
Hope Refugee Services operates under the auspices of Houghton College. (one of my FAVORITE places) It is located at 318 Breckenridge in Buffalo.

Next door is the Indian Church of Buffalo. (see pic) It is easier to see the church sign than the number on the house.
We have also scheduled a pick up appointment with another charity for Friday morning. They will pick up the things that HRS could not use. I am looking forward to the WHOOSH of fresh air that will flow through the house as the stuff leaves and as we take another step toward Quieting the Noise!!


And now for a little comic relief ~~what to do when you want to post twice in one day????
Put them together of course... read on!!!

Some of you will remember my TOMATO TREE!!

Redemption in the garden turned out to be an interesting lesson. I'm not quite sure what the lesson is yet- but I will let you know.
My tomato tree turned yellow and then brown no matter how much loving care I gave it. Of all the beautiful yellow blossoms, only three did not wither and die. The 3 produced these tiny, rock hard tomatoes. (For those of you who have seen Tasha's garden pictures, you can tell who has the green thumb)

My neighbor's brother, who also took some of the plants, told us that these three will rot before they turn green. My neighbor's plants did not turn yellow but her tomatoes are as small and hard as mine.

HHHMMMMM! Not sure what happened. It may have been...
1. The spray used on lawns. (One of the downfalls of living in a townhouse- I would let the dandelions grow!!)
or
2. They were hybrid seeds.
or
3. They were Genetically Engineered seeds. (is that the same as hybrid?)
or
4. Their purpose in life was to teach me a lesson!!


Whatever the reason, there won't be any yummy BLT's at my house unless I make a trip to the farm market. The rest of the garden is actually doing well. I love this kale plant!!

My Love/Hate of This Time of Year

I have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. I love the new ~ new school supplies, new faces, new challenges, new crayons (ahhh the smell), a new start.

But I hate the ending of summer, closing of the pool, losing the freedom to work when I want and play when I want. I also hate the letting go of last year's kids. It's always hard to disconnect and accept that last year's kids are no longer my school family. It isn't until the first day of school when a new set of faces stare up at me from the rug that I truly let go.
School ended on Friday and on Monday I was packing for San Francisco. I packed up my classroom very fast, sometimes throwing misc stuff in bins and saying "I will regret this!!". Usually I try to sort, pitch and pre-organize before I leave. As I work through those MISC bins, I am finding lots of reminders of last year's kids.

Hanging on the front board is the army poster that A and B made so I would remember them. (How could I forget?) The big pink sign wishing Prakdale goodbye is signed by each child. I guess Parkdale should have been a spelling word. In one of the desks is a half written book titled "C, My Best Friend" and in another is a note asking D to play at recreation. There are the pencils with E, F and G's names and the broken kitty pencil sharpener that H loved.

Hastily stuck in the top drawer of my desk is the book I wrote for me as a going away present. The topic is trying to figure out what Mrs. F would like as a present besides a hug and a kiss. I concludes that giving me a book she wrote is what I would want and she was right!!

A pile of permission slips from our last field trip waits to be shredded and the file labeled "class lists" needs to be emptied. On our classroom camera there are pictures of J's dad coming to visit after he returned from Kuwait and the compare and contrast posters we made for bats and birds. Post-a-notes stick out of books suggesting " K you would like this book because you have a bunny. L" or "M I think you should read chapter 4- it is funny. N"
Last year's class was unique. Each child's personality was so different and yet they came together and meshed like a group of old friends. At field day, a volunteer was wowed by my class helping and cheering for each other. I would like to take credit for training them that way but that's just who they were. I will miss them!

There comes a point every summer when I just have to jump back in. It takes a while to be back in school mode. This is my classroom after working 2 full days. I moved the furniture back to where it should be, unpacked and checked in supplies and then pulled out all the bins I had packed at the end of the year. Whew look at the mess!!

Lots of files to merge and purge!!
Desks need nametags, books, pens and pencils need labels, supplies need a home, calendar needs to be changed, and lesson plans......
Stickers to sort!!
It is difficult to decide what to save -what to pitch this year. We are moving into our new classrooms in March. They will be the same size but 1/3 of the room will be taken up as a cubby room. It will be an exciting year!!

Lots to do before September 3rd!!!

As the new school year starts to rev up, I can't help thinking about 20 new third graders, starting the year at Main Street School, separated into different classes. I wonder how they are feeling about going to the "big" school as it is known in our town. I wonder if they will make friends easily or if they will miss their buddies from last year. I wonder what they read over the summer and if they still think of themselves as "Local Authors".

I wonder if O's dad is home and it P's tomatoes grew. I wonder if Q was able to share TV at the farm with the boys and if R has imagined yet another universe. I wonder if S worked on his skate boarding and if T's family is doing ok. I wonder if U , V and W got together to swim like they planned and how X, Y and Z are adjusting to their new siblings. I wonder, wonder, wonder and...... I miss them.

I DONT WANNA!!!!!

I never watch MONTEL but this morning as I was flipping through looking for Olympic coverage, I heard him talking about ADD, so I stopped. Yep same old story. I have been getting this message for 20 years. If you want to be healthy stop eating dairy, wheat and nightshade veggies.

Don't panic - this isn't for everyone- but I've had the tests and they all say the same thing. STOP!!! I did - for a whole year back when I was 28 or so. I did not have the dramatic change in energy level and general well being that most people have so the motivation wore off. But now......

I guess I am going to have to decide once and for all. Is my health worth it??

I really love cheese, bread and sauce. What is dinner without pasta and Prego??? This is turning out to be a tough thing for me and I am hearing the same message no matter where I go or who I talk to. I just picked up a book on healing ADD ~~ guess what ~~NO WHEAT, NO DAIRY, NO NIGHTSHADE VEGGIES.
My mother in law gives me the Arthritis Today mag and ~~surprise, surprise~~NO WHEAT, NO DAIRY, NO NIGHTSHADE VEGGIES if you want to ward off inflamation
I had my hands x-rayed at the doctors last week. The deterioration in the past 4 years was dramatic. YIKES. That was a wake up call.

I think there is a spiritual battle here too. I don't wanna have to cook and eat different than everyone else. I want to be able to grab sandwiches at a sub shop and stop for ice cream at DQ. I don't want to have to think ahead every time I go somewhere. But I do want to be healthy and be able to live a full life. So once again- I get to choose.

This is only the beginning ~again~ for the 100th time!! I'll let you know how it goes. If only .... I could have Oprah's chef at my house.

Attitude Makes a Difference Part 2

Installment #2 of I Choose My Attitude

Tuseday I was driving to computer training saying over and over to myself "Today is going to be a great day- I can't wait to see what will happen." The head of IT had already told me I wouldn't have a computer to work which is difficult when you are in COMPUTER training.

About 15 minutes into the presentation I noticed an unused computer in the big work area at the side of the room. I quietly asked one of the techs if I could use that computer. He smiled and said sure. This was not a simple yes- it meant he had to download an entire program, configure it and then unload it at the end of the session. It took him about 15 minutes (with no complaints) and he turned it over to me.

This is the good part- the "I can't wait to see what will happen" part! Everyone who started the session with a computer was at a student computer, in student chairs, crowded 5 to a table. I was in the teacher's area with 2 swivel, rolling chairs, a big area to spread out and lots of get up, wiggle and lean against the wall space!! Amazing!

I don't do well in small confined spaces where I don't have room to move so it was perfect for me. It was another reminder that we shape our life with our words even if those words are said silently to ourselves.


PS The pictures are from the web. I collect pictures of built in, furniture, white furniture, and fun furniture. Someday our house will be all built ins if I have my way!! :)

I Choose to Have a Good Attitude!

It was on our calendar back in March.

Great Big Sea – August 25^th.

When we arrived people had set chairs up at the edge of the bridge to wait for the gates to open. Our phones said 3:45- we had an hour and 15 to wait. (Waiting is hard for me- standing in line is even harder.) About 20 min. in we began to feel tiny drops falling on us. Soon it was raining full force and we ran for cover.

Five o’clock came and went, then 5:10, finally the opened the gates at 5:20. By the time we reached the stage we were in the second row. I thought “Well, I guess the wait was worth it.” As people wandered in many started going straight for the stage. That didn’t bother me because the walkway was clearly marked and for safety reasons I knew that would be kept clear. (Was I wrong!!)

At 6:30 we enjoyed the pre-pre band, a young lady from Southern California, and then waited through set up. At 7:30 we survived the pre-band and then waited through set up.

Finally at 8:40 Great Big Sea took the stage.

This was my standing view.

The walkway was completely filled in

and we could feel the crowds pushing in.

During the first song, I got hit in the head with someone's camera.
She tried to tell me it was a bottle cap!
I was nice.

During the second song, 12 people pushed their way
through us to get closer to the stage.
I was nice but feeling not so nice.

I had just managed to find a spot where I could sort of see depending on which way people were swaying.

WHEN... this lady and her friend excitedly made their way from the back and stood in front of me. She was really INTO the music, dancing and throwing her head around. That was the end of my view.

NO MORE NICE ~I was boiling.
I was thinking "We were the ones who invested the time into
getting here early - what good did it do?
(Do I sound old and cranky or what.)

THEN- the thought crossed my mind...
affirm the positive, show gratitude.
(grumble grumble - OK)
Every time we let ourselves stew in anger,
stress hormones flood our body.

Proverbs 18:21 says
"Words kill, words give life;
they're either poison or fruit—you choose."
(Message)
Another translation says
"The power of life and death are in the tongue."

I started repeating to myself ~choking on the words at first.

"I choose to have a good attitude,
I choose to have a good attitude,
I choose to have a good attitude,
I choose to have a good attitude,

It did not happen right away
but soon I was calmed down enough to enjoy the music
even if I couldn't see the musicians.

Bet you can't guess what happened ~~
after about 10 minutes the lady realized
she had left a sweatshirt in the back and left with her friend.

Each time I was tempted to be really angry or crabby
I started the chant

I choose to have a good attitude,
I choose to have a good attitude,
I choose to have a good attitude,
I choose to have a good attitude,

Each time the situation resolved itself.

While I know the results may not be what I want in every situation,
God used the experience to show me that I have a choice.

This is Sean McCann singing "England"
I'd say it was worth the trouble!!

Close to the end of the show, a very tipsy man tried to get between our chairs. I had looped and buckled my purse around them so no one could take my purse without the chairs going with it. He was not going to stop even though my purse strap was holding him back at the thighs.

I politely asked him to wait a minute so I could drop the strap.
NOPE he climbed over on to my feet, spilled his beer and he was off. Instead of being the straw that ruined the concert,
Larry and I had a good laugh.
It seemed like a scene from, Funniest Home Videos.

Bridge to Buffalo's Harbor Area


Today I learned.... I need to keep choosing

I was making salad dressing ~ a cup of olive oil, 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar, herbs from garden etc.. Larry asked me for the potholders and as I was handing them to him..... you guessed it... everything in the jar was on the floor. I was NOT happy and not too nice.

The funny thing was I kept thinking about the concert and saying to myself ~ you can choose to have a good attitude!! Well I didn't!!!

and (remember how the people left in front of us)

About ten minutes later Dad came over and brought me flowers. (awww) He wanted 2 vases so he could split them. He picked a vase up, put the flowers in and dropped the whole thing on the floor. (Did you see it coming?)

Hmmmmm ~ lesson learned for now. Who knows how many times it will take for me to choose the right thing consistently. God built the law of attraction into the universe. Someone once said "Did you ever notice that people who complain get more of what they are complaining about?"

I'm working on it!!!

P.S. GBS is going to be in Chicago on Sept. 13

Bucket Fillers - WoW

First 3 pictures are from
Bucket Fillers

I have a new hangout
B is for books

It is a wonderful, new children's bookstore with big cushy chairs and lots of looking space!! I was thrilled when on the Local Author's table there was a bunch of papers stapled together into a book, with tentative writing and simple pictures. The author was proud of his or her (first) published book and asked for it to be displayed. The owner of the store understood that a writer is a writer no matter the age or level!! When we celebrate those early attempts kids are so motivated to keep writing. Kudos to the owner!!

A few days ago I placed an order for some books including the one above. There was a casual reference to it on a second grade sharing site and I wanted to check it out. Within 5 minutes of reading the book I was on a crusade!

This book needs to be in every home and every classroom up to grade 4!! It is very simple yet profound. The premise is that when we are nice to people we fill their buckets and when we are mean, we dip into their buckets and take stuff out. Pretty basic. Some people are fillers some are dippers.

The book beautifully demonstrates that as you are filling buckets, yours is also being filled and when you are draining buckets yours is also being drained. The initial concept is a common understanding which children need to be taught. The second concept is one that many adults don't understand. Sometimes people use the words "I needed to relieve stress." when talking about yelling at their wife, kicking the dog or bullying the next door neighbor. Those statements reveal a lack of understanding of bucket filling!!

(This is another book by the same author but I have not read it.)

Several years ago, I attended a "Getting Rid of Stress" conference. Did you know that one of the easiest ways to relieve stress is to be kind to others? (Hmmmm ~ Golden Rule) As the leader was reviewing that core concept, a red faced, angry man (with issues) argued with her and loudly told her she was wrong. As we all squirmed in our seats, she stayed calm.

Quietly, like you would at story hour with preschoolers, she began to tell a story about a man in a first class seat on a plane. Everything seemed to be going wrong, and he was in the middle of it. The attendant dumped a coke in his lap, the lady next to him demanded she wanted the isle, someone kicked his Walkman (I told you it was a while ago) and on it went.

"What would you do?" she asked. "What choices do you have when you have been wronged?"

She explained the physical effects on your body depending on the choice you make. If you choose to yell and abuse the attendant - stress hormones flood your body. If you choose to stay calm and help others - endorphins flood your body. You have the choice.

She then went on to ask "If you really wanted to beat up the kid down the street, and you knew that automatically you would receive the same beating, would your desire be diminished?" Most of us can dismiss this because we have never been tempted to beat anyone up but wait...

Or, (pause) lets say the teenage cashier at the grocery store is really slow and annoying. It seems like she isn't even trying. You are just about to give her a piece of your mind when you remember that the same berating tone and angry words you hurl at her will be hurled right back at you within the week. Would you hold your tongue?

But it doesn't work quite that way. We aren't aware of our bucket being emptied.

Food for Thought!!

Back to the book ~~while the premise of

Have You Filled a Bucket Today?

may be simple,

it is one that is really needed in our world!!
Wouldn't you love it if some
"dippers" you know understood
the power of their words and actions.?

Let me know how you like the book!!!
Link to book on Amazon

Mrs. Walker's Frog-tastic Website has great information about using the book with kids. The following 2 pictures were from her classroom.


I am going to read this the first day of school. I'll let you know what we do with it!

Housework Helpers

Thanksgiving 2007, I was relaxing in a hotel room, coffee in one hand clicker in the other. Then ~ the phone rang. It was Larry telling me that our basement had flooded, Servepro was coming (at holiday rates) and they had to pull out the wall to wall carpeting.
My heart sank. This was the second flood in 2 years. I had spent most of the summer reclaiming our life from the 1st one. My "studio" was just the way I wanted it, our books were all organized by topic, the pictures had been moved and rehung, the bathroom had been bleached and rebleached and was finally clean. NOW we had to do it all over again.
If you have ever had a flood, you know that to cope, you grab, pile, throw in bins and haul upstairs. When you are done your house and life are in a jumble.

Since Thanksgiving we have walked around piles, ignored ruined keepsakes and stepped over the mess to get to the washer. We have worked on reclaiming our space in small spurts but it seemed like we would take 3 steps forward and 2 steps back. Emotions were holding us back. We weren't happy about having to do this for the second time which made us drag our feet.
I knew something had to change, I didn't want to start another school year in the same jumbled mind set or environment. I decided to take a leap of faith and take an online course course by Brook Noel called Make Today Matter. (see link on right) I knew about the course long before I signed up ~ because you have to pay for it!!

Now keep in mind I have tried MANY organizing systems, some have even worked for a while, I have rows of notebooks with information on how to "live better" but nothing has ever worked for me. "The Disorganized Mind" is the latest book I read. It explains that people with ADD lack an internal understanding of time and space that most people have. YEP - they sure do!!

I have been a FLYBABY but I wanted to whine and having someone yell at me didn't work. I tried to organize From The Inside Out but the system was so complicated that I threw it down the stairs. I tried the "Day Timer System", even listened to all the tapes, but the lines are small, the pages are boring and who wants to cross reference. I can't tell you how many times someone has said to me "ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS..." and what I have learned to say is "I am so happy that works for YOU!" I could go on for days but... you get the picture.

In July my AOL inbox had an invitation to join GROUP 4 for the MTM~Make Today Matter course. I decided to sign up. I was conflicted though. I wondered if this would just be another waste of money or if it was really different. There were raves like this one that gave me hope.

“I am 20 Steps into this program and have seen DRAMATIC changes to my life already. This challenge has really helped me to FOCUS on what is important in my life and to achieve it in tiny steps. I am glad to be a challenge participant and am telling everyone I know to about this. I can already feel it making changes in my life.” Lana, West Texas

The words DRAMATIC and FOCUS gave me caught my attention! So I signed up, I paid my hard earned money and I started lesson 1. I admit the beginning was slow. The steps open up one at time M-F so you are forced to go slow and steady. This worked for me though I would have rushed through, given the choice!! Each step is well defined and had some element of fun. This worked for me! Each step involved the opportunity to connect with others doing the same thing. This worked for me. Then yesterday Housework Helpers opened up and we learned about SPRINTING.

This is the blurb about Housework Helpers and Sprinting from the site.
See link on side.

"One of the reasons many women loathe housework is because it is never ending. Undoubtedly, as soon as the dining room table cleared and laundry hamper empty, we turn to find a new piles on the table or in the hamper. Like any repetitive task, efforts are rarely noticed by those we live with. It would be rare for a woman to here, “Wow Mom! What a great sweeping job!” This never-ending and under appreciated task isn’t real attractive.

The concept of Housework Helpers started in an online course where we brought women together online in a safe chat environment to conquer clutter and chaos. Due to its popularity we expanded it into a full-fledged program.

How it works:.

Every 30 minutes between the hours of 6:00 AM and 11:00 PM CST a trained moderator asks participants to share an area they plan to focus on and then does a 3...2...1..CHARGE kick-off. Twenty minutes later, women report back to their computer screens to share progress. All chats take place in private, encrypted, member-only, chat room"

This REALLY worked for me. In many books for women with ADD they suggest you have Housework Buddy. What that means is,you should invite a friend to come over and chat while you clean. The friend helps to keep you focused and adds and element of fun and community that make you willing to stick with it. Ha- who do you know that has time to come and sit with you for hours while you clean.

Enter - Housework Helpers. I was reluctant to jump in because "chat rooms" are not my thing. But I decided to try it and it was great!! I checked in 6 times last night and got more work done in 3 hours than I had in the past 3 weeks.

It is true that not everyone has ADD, but we live in a fast moving world where it is easy to lose focus. It is also possible to feel isolated and alone even if you live in a busy neighborhood. There are many SAHM's taking the course. Many have little ones and don't have daily opportunities to connect with other women.

I know that for some left brained, well disciplined, list loving people this would be a bother, something unnecessary to add to an already productive day.

I also know that when I go back to work 3 hours of sprinting won't happen. I am sure I can get in 30-60 minutes though.

The biggest change for me is that I am hopeful that I can stick with this for the long haul. As each step has opened up I have been cautious. Many times as a program progresses I know I will be overwhelming. So far there have been no thoughts of ~ hmmm I will never do that consistently ~.

I will let you know how it goes, but in the mean time I thought some of you might want to check it out for yourself!! I'm not sure when the next MTM group starts but you can join Housework Helpers anytime!!

P.S. Maybe just maybe I will be entertaining soon.

P.S.S. The pictures are of our basement after the rug was hauled out and everything was topsy turvey. It looks a little better now, no soggy laundry left and I can get to my work table but... there are miles to go.

"Quiet the Noise" Part One

Just maybe, God is trying to get my attention.

No matter where I am or what I am doing

I hear the same message.

~Quiet the Noise~

Susan Morris, our Thoughtful Ed. Trainer said

‘You must slow down to speed up.”

~Quiet the Noise~

Brook Noel says (my paraphrase)

Stress will overwhelm us if we don’t

eliminate daily tolerances from our lives.

A tolerance is something that causes a

bit of stress but we choose to ignore it.

If your key gets stuck in your front door every day

~that is a “tolerance”.

~Quiet the Noise~

Experts on clutter say that we need a certain

percentage of “white space” in our homes to

feel peaceful. The percentage is different

for each person based on personality.

The truth remains we all need

“white space”, probably more than we think.

~Quiet the Noise~

A doctor of neuroscience reminds us that

the amount of information an individual in 1890 would

process in their lifetime was LESS than the

information in

one

Sunday issue of the New York times.

~Quiet the Noise~

God says

"Be still and know that I am God."
~Quiet the Noise~

and
"Cast all your cares on Me because I care for you."
~Quiet the Noise~

I stopped at the teacher store for some

nametags . There were tons of new, bright ,

beautiful classroom decorations

Posters, borders, stickers, books, etc. etc. etc….

I was tempted to stop and shop for more than nametags.

There it was again, the message…

~Quiet the Noise~

~Quiet the Noise~

~Quiet the Noise~

For once I listened.

I hurried, grabbed what I needed and left.

I limited my options.

Walking to the car I remembered a quote

from a workshop on stress.

“Affluent people with unlimited choices have the same

kind of stress as people in poverty

who have limited or no choices.”

Then he added,

“Sometimes the stress is worse for the affluent person.”

At the time I thought it was hogwash.

But just maybe

the underlying principle has something to do with

~Quieting the Noise~

I don’t know where this

journey will take me or what

~Quieting the Noise~

will mean in my life.

I do know I am glad to have a place to process it.

Maybe you are hearing a similar message

and we can unpack it together.

This is only Part 1-

I can’t wait to see what Part 2 will be!

3 Ingredients - Last Minute Lunch

Don't you love it when something turns out GOOD!! I love 3 ingredient dishes!! The problem is that to taste really good - many of the 3 have 10 or 12 ingredients, like chemicals and junk. Sometimes you have to compromise. I buy the highest quality ingredients I can when I have to depend on my fast and easy arsenal of recipes.

Anyway today's experiment was a success. For my organic eating nieces, don't read this post! For the rest of you - try it you may like it.

My plan was to make meatball bombers before Larry left for work. The meatballs were thawed but when I went to get the Prego - it was gone!!

This was my solution and it was yummy!!

Last Minute Lunch
1 large can Bush's Homestyle Baked Beans
Lots of Jack Daniel's BBQ Sauce- the spicy kind-lots of kick
use the mild if you don't want the heat
Meatballs cut into 1/4's (you could also use browned beef or turkey)

Heat and serve on rolls or eat it out of a bowl!!
This concoction made me think of a blog I read lately. (What doesn't) I think it was called COWBOY COOK or something like that. I will look for it!

A woman who used to be a sushi eating, Prada wearing woman in the city is now a wife, mommy and cook for the cowboys on their ranch. She is loving every minute and her cooking and eating have changed!!

~~It was closer than I thought. Look on sidebar for Pioneer Woman Cooks.

For my favorite organic girls- here's a 3bee for you!

Turkey Salsa
1 lb free range ground turkey
1 jar organic spicy (or mild) salsa (I like the kind with corn)
salad or wraps

Brown Turkey and simmer with salsa or put in crockpot
The longer you simmer or cook the better.
I usually end up adding more salsa at the end.

You can use on salads, for wraps, taco meat or filling for ...

Now here's one for those brave of heart and stomach! A fellow teacher (thanks Kim) gave me this when we were lamenting going home to cook dinner. I said EEEWWW! BUT it is yummy. It was one of my mom's favorites and sooo easy.

Apple Pie Chicken
boneless chicken thighs or breasts cut into 2-3 inch pieces
1-2 cans apple pie filling
1 can cream of mushroom soup
(I add lots of curry- recipe did not call for it)
Put in crockpot and dinner is done when you are home!

These are my easy standbys!! In a pinch I can make them with my eyes (almost) shut!!

Jelly Chicken, Pork
Pork or chicken
Raspberry jelly or 1 can jellied cranberry sauce
Hot mustard

Mix jelly and mustard till smooth
Smush all over meat
Let sit in fridge overnight (or not)
Cook

Applesauce Pork
Pork
Natural Applesauce
Maple Mustard
Cook

Hungry Man Ham
Mustard - do you see a theme with the mustard
Can of crushed pineapple with juice
Brown sugar or maple sugar or syrup (the real thing)
Mix all together
Smush all over ham steaks
Bake or put in crockpot
You only have to bake long enough to warm the meat- I have cooked too long and it has dried out.

~~I don't eat ham or pork usually, but the way dad and Larry eat this stuff I think it is good!

Yummy Salmon
it tastes like steak for Sharon and still enough like Salmon for Larry. I don't like fishy fish- Larry LOVES any kind of fish. I searched the Internet for a marinade that would take away the fishy taste but not ruin the salmon. I found this one - it works. Don't get mixed up and use 2 parts lime juice and 1 part Worcestershire! I made that mistake once and we threw out $20 worth of salmon!!

Salmon- about an inch thick
Lime Juice - 1 part
Worcestershire Sauce - 2 parts
Minced garlic- as much as you want
Any other herbs or spices you want (I don't add any)

marinate overnight
grill or cook on med high 4 min on each side or less for really rare
or put in foil with a heap of minced herbs on top
grill until done (6-10 min)

I did not intend to list a bunch of recipes but this one just jumped into my brain.. the method is RACHEL RAY the spices are mine.

Steak in a Heartbeat!!
This is a good one if you haven't had time to marinate steaks and it's raining so you can't grill. Larry loves it when I make this at 11 o'clock at night- right before he comes home. Not good for digestion or sleeping though!!

Season Steaks
I use lots of minced garlic and LOTS of BAM - from Delmonico's - it has a bite and a "peppercorn" type flavor- you can use any spice mix you like for steak. I think this is boring without a zippy flavor but you might not.

Heat a heavy skillet on high - when hot turn to med high - add a bit of EVOO- swirl and wait till it smokes just a bit

Throw on the steaks (I put minced garlic under the steaks) season the tops, cook for 3-4 min on each side.

Let sit for 3- 5 min before cutting. ENJOY!!!

I learned this from a friend who came up with a beautiful meal in about 15 minutes when we dropped in unexpectedly and stayed way past the dinner hour!

Pantry Potatoes
1 can of whole potatoes drained - I had never used canned pot in my life but...
1 pkg Kraft Italian dressing packet (or any flavor) the kind you use to make salad dressing
A bit of EVOO

Add oil to potatoes and stir till potatoes are coated
Add packet and stir again until potatoes are evenly coated with powder

You can bake them on foil at this point
400 for 20-30 min

or put on skewers- bake at 400 for 15-20 min and then
finish on grill 5-10 minutes

they are much better finished on the grill!!

Sauce and Meatballs
Frozen meatballs from the butcher (with pork) or BJ's (no pork)
1-2 jars Prego - one of the chunky kinds
Throw in crockpot
Husbands and kids can make pasta or have meatball bombers

This last one has been a family favorite for ever!!! Some of our extended family can't understand the attraction but ... here goes - in honor of mom

Family Favorite - Glop - so named by a family member or
Hamburger Stroganoff
Brown 1 lb hamburger
Stir in 1 can cream of mushroom soup
When warm stir in
1 carton (I use large) BISONS French Onion Dip

Serve over rice, smashed potatoes, torn up bread or pasta

This is always my emergency meal. It's not the healthiest but I think it is yummy. Most comfort foodies love it. My mom always added a can of mushrooms and some extra chopped onions. I don't bother. We always had frozen peas with it. My sister and I would put the peas in the mashed potatoes and the sauce on the top. Very low brow and very yummy!!!

Enjoy!!

You can tell I have been thinking about FAST AND EASY meals to accommodate our crazy schedule once school starts. My plan is (please hold me to it) is to put in crockpot meals that dad and Larry can eat at lunch and I can heat up for dinner. We'll see how it goes when the whirlwind starts!

I would love it if you want to share some of your easy standbys!!

My next few posts will be calorie free - I promise!!

Preview: My Next Post
"Quieting the Noise" or "Editing the Choices"