Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Relief!

I am so happy to be writing that the temperatures, which have been in the high 80's and low 90's for the past few weeks (with plenty of humidity) have finally dropped! What a joy to step outside and breathe in the cool and refreshing dry air. It's supposed to get down to the upper 40's tonight, and I have a feeling that both hubby and I are going to sleep very well.

I am actually sitting on our side porch while typing this and it is a little chilly out! Hurray! I haven't been chilly for a good long while. lol

It's been an interesting week, since I've taken the time to write anything down here.

We went to a family reunion this past Saturday, and we both had a very nice time. It was my first time at hubby's family reunion, so I didn't know a great deal of the people there, but all were friendly and nice to me. We are both glad that we attended. :)

The fireflies are out showing off in the night- there are quite a few of them, glowing brightly in the twilight. I love summer evenings like this...they remind me of my home as a child. We used to sit on the deck and watch them light up the yard and the field next door to the house. We'd chase after them, and finally catch a few, putting them in an old mason jar for an impromptu lantern...which wasn't a very good idea. lol Our wind chimes are playing a lovely little tune for me this evening. It's funny how something so simple as a few bugs and little breeze can make for such an enjoyable night. :)

I've noticed that most people's blogs have a lot more of a point than mine do...of course, it appears that other people read those blogs, and since I'm pretty sure I'm the only one reading mine, it doesn't matter so much.

I have had a rather hard time cooking these past few weeks. When it's so darned hot that I don't really feel like eating, let alone cooking, meals can be a little sparse. I tend to buy things like sandwich fixin's and bagged salads to make meals with, but frankly after 3 or 4 sandwiches, I'm ready for something else. lol Since it's cooler now, maybe I won't have to worry about it so much.

I'm wondering what we'll be doing for the 4th of July this weekend. I think we may drive to Bloomsburg and watch the fireworks at Town Park. Last year, we were living in Berwick, and just walked over to see their display. The ambiance at town park is much more better, so we're headed down there, even though it's about a 20 minute drive. Oh well....no worse than going to work, I suppose!

I have a mayfly on my laptop screen. I have picked him up twice and pushed him away, but he's back again. Apparently, he's into technology. lol

When I look across the porch, I can see the glow coming from my neighbor's windows. It's a nice, cozy, warm kind of a scene...it's beyond dusk right now...in a few moments, it will be completely dark, but the trees and house are beautifully outlined right now...the sky is mostly dark, except the very corner, which holds the tiniest bit of light...it fades from a very very pale yellow to gray, then blue, and indigo. A few stars are peeking out of the sky, twinkling down at me, fresh and new.

The neighborhood kids are walking around with flashlights, looking for toads and frogs. They've been rather successful the past few weeks, probably because of the heat and humidity, but I've not heard any of them yell out with delight just yet.

I have two baskets full of laundry that have needed to be put away, and I haven't gotten around to it yet. I've actually been quite lax because of the heat. A lousy excuse, at best. I'll have to try to catch myself up this week.

The sounds of the night are slowly working their way here. The crickets are chirping slowly, frogs down in the creek about a block behind the house are ribbit-ing, and all the summer insects are calling out to the world that they are, indeed, out and about!

Goodnight everyone!

6/29/10 9:43 PM (And still note quite all the way dark!)

Thursday, June 17, 2010

Upset tonight

Well, I feel like I have wasted the entire evening. The only thing I've done at all tonight is to clean out some of the stuff in the refrigerator that was starting to go bad. It really needed done- it was getting too full to fit just about anything else in!

I watched this program on PBS tonight about different musicals of the 20's through the 50's, thinking that I would be watching some of my favorite old routines. I was disappointed, as I didn't know as many as I thought I would. The fact that it was interrupted every half hour with pledge drive campaign breaks didn't really thrill me, either. I understand, though. I know they got hit with a very big budget cut this year. At any rate, I watched it from 8-10 and now I feel like my whole evening was sort of wasted.

I suppose it's not as bad as it seems. I really didn't need to cook as there are plenty of leftovers in the house right now. The weekend is coming up, so I'll be making different things for that.

Only one more day till the weekend- thank goodness!

I went another day at work with no internet. I am not going to lie. It was painful. lol I am pleased with how much faster my stacks of work went down, but the day seemed to drag on forever, since I wasn't taking those 2 or 3 minutes breaks a couple times an hour. Honestly, where I work, they don't mind so long as we are able to get our work done, but I have been trying hard to be better. Better at my job, better as being a wife, and better as being a good friend and neighbor. It is exhausting. lol

I feel like I am going to drop over dead from trying to please everyone. lol I need to find a better course of action to take, as I won't be able to keep this pace up for long. I'm big into diving head first right into something instead of taking baby steps. Maybe I'll just work first on being a better wife. That's the task I hold most dear, since I love my hubby and want to be the best wife I can be for him! :)

So, it's 10:28 and I'm still up and downstairs. I haven't picked out my clothes for tomorrow...I've been a total slug tonight. I hate it when that happens. I'm hoping that I'll be able to go upstairs, read a few chapters of the Bible, and then fall asleep fast!

Interesting...I logged in to blog tonight, thinking I was going to have a hard time thinking of something to say, but here I am and I could just go on and on tonight. I won't, of course. I won't subject you to that. lol

It's supposed to be very hot and humid the next couple days. I am hoping I'll be able to find a cool and comfortable outfit for work. It may be time to crack out the skirts!

I hope you all had a good day, and that you enjoy your evening. One more day at work...keep your chin up!

Also, I am really fed up with thing posting the wrong time. I have looked everywhere I can think of, and I don't see a way to change what time zone you're in. I'm just going to add it to the bottom of my posts, because if I change the post time and date, it won't post it for another 3 hours. Aye-yi-yi. lol

6/17/10 10:33 PM

Wednesday-halfway through the week!

Well, I have to apologize for not typing up anything yesterday. I must say, I wasn't all that productive. I fell asleep on the couch watching "White Christmas" and didn't wake up till 7:00. I woke up, made a pot of spaghetti, chatted with a friend for a little bit, and then went to bed early. I spent some time reading The Bible before bed, but honestly, that was about it. I didn't even do the dishes.

Tonight has been a bit better. I managed to sweep the kitchen floor, clean the bathroom, make dinner (fish and mac and cheese tonight- still simple!), do the dishes, and give the oven and stove top a pretty deep cleaning. It's nice to feel like you've accomplished a little something.

It started raining here about 10 minutes ago, and it sounds so peaceful. I love the sound of steady rain. It's also bringing some nice breezes into the house. Win-win!

I feel like I got quite a bit done at work today. I vowed to not get on the internet all day, and I actually managed it. I'm pretty happy with myself!

I think I'll try to get to bed early tonight, too. I woke up at 4:00 this morning and thought it must be time to get up for work. I was sure surprised to see I had another 2 1/2 hours to sleep! Of course, when 6:30 rolled around, I still wanted to lie in bed awhile. lol That's the way it goes, I guess.

I have been thinking that I haven't really written anything all that deep or anything. That will probably come with time. Topical things are more on my mind right now. Just like anything else, this too shall pass. I do have more interest than keeping a clean kitchen and baking cakes and such. Just, right now, that's what is important to me. :)

Have a good night, all!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Buttermilk Pie and dirty dishes

Well, not a whole lot happened today. Work was pretty hectic, but that's par for the course when it comes to Monday's in June.

I balanced the checkbook and paid a few bills before going to let the dogs out at Wayne and Karen's house, since they are on vacation this week.

When I did get home, I cleaned up the dishes from last night and took the trash out, because the whole house was starting to smell like it. Yuck!!!

I made a Buttermilk pie tonight, and I think I'll list the recipe. It was very easy to make and it tastes great. I must admit that I add a lot more lemon juice than what the recipe calls for. I believe the original recipe calls for about a tablespoon of lemon juice. I used 4 times that much, plus a little splash extra. I love lemon flavor!

After making the pie, I washed a load of clothes, did the dishes, and cleaned up the kitchen area in general.

Right now I'm very very warm. This laptop is hot on my lap, and I'm in a jumper and t-shirt, which seem very heavy right now, though I know they are both lightweight.

I may cut this post a little short- I need to get this laptop off of me!

This recipe was originally posted at the Sugarpie Farmhouse Site.

Southern Buttermilk Pie

Crust
  • 2 1/2 cups Flour (All Purpose Unbleached)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons cold milk
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
Place dry ingredients in bowl, and use a whisk to mix together. Add milk and vegetable oil, stirring till dough forms a ball (do not over mix, or you'll have a tough crust). Pat into the bottom and up the sites of a pie pan. Crimp the edges for a festive touch with your thumb and fingers!

Filling
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 4 eggs, whisked
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 stick butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice**
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • pinch of grated Nutmeg
Combine flour and sugar. Stir in eggs and buttermilk, till blended. Add in melted butter, vanilla, lemon juice, lemon zest, and nutmeg. Pour in unbaked pie shell. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake 40 minutes longer.

Let cool completely, then keep in refrigerator.

** I use a LOT more lemon juice- usually 4 tablespoons or so. Add to suit your family's taste.

My finished pie was supposed to be pictured below. Unfortunately, after taking a few pictures, I thought I'd be able to figure out how to put up a photo. However, there are about 460 pictures on the card, so I don't really know how to pick and choose to only download 1 or 2. Frankly, I am angry that I don't know how to do this. :-/

Monday, June 14, 2010

Weekend fun

Well, I've made it through another weekend, and Monday morning is nearly upon me. I decided to write a few short things before I turn in for the evening.

The play was okay. It was called "The Red Box", and while I didn't hate it, I didn't love it, either. It was about a brother and sister who had come home for the reading of their parent's will- and the sister put a red sandbox in the living room. They bickered, swore, and argued about it for awhile, each separately playing in it. (I believe they were supposed to be 20 somethings.) Finally, when it came time to sell the house, they decided the sandbox should stay since it was the first happy thing that had been in it. It was a rather short show- only about 1 hour and 10 minutes. I did like it, but it certainly didn't catch my attention the same way that "Let's Play Two" did last year. It'd be hard to top a show like that!

This weekend went pretty well. I made toast, eggs, hashbrowns, and turkey bacon both Saturday and Sunday for breakfast, along with orange juice. We had lunch on Saturday at Friendly's, and then after our snack on the train ride, we came home and just enjoyed cold sandwiches, pretzels, carrot sticks, and milk.

Today, I made crockpot beans for a birthday party we attended for Scott's (and my) step-sister (my step-sister-in-law). It was nice. We bought Kaite a bouquet of flowers and gave her a little money to buy a book or something with. (She likes to read.) Wayne and Karen also had BBQ ham sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, chips, cake, and ice cream.

It was really (and I mean REALLY) hot and humid, so we ate quickly before retreating back indoors where the air conditioning was running.

Tonight, we haven't done a whole lot. We made chicken on the grill with a BBQ rub. I bought a few ears of corn, and cut the kernels off the cob, added some zucchini slices, along with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and put those on the grill in a foil packet. We also had a nice crunchy salad. Chocolate pudding was for dessert.

Later on, we took a walk around town and came back roasting hot. lol We've had the air conditioner on since and I'm sure we'll run the little one in the bedroom tonight. It's not even terribly hot right now, it's just incredibly humid.

On another note, our Dutch Train ride went very well. Jim Thorpe is a very pretty little town, although when we were down there, it was jam packed with people. It was hard finding a parking place- we ended up paying 5 bucks to park in this big giant lot.

After waiting in a line, we did board the train and had a nice time on the ride. We were first served soda (I had Diet Coke, hubby had Birch Beer), then they passed out little containers with the following contents: 2 pieces ring bologna, 2 squares of sweet Lebanon bologna, 2 pieces of Muenster cheese, 2 pieces of Swiss cheese, 3 green olives, and 4 pickle slices. They passed out little bags of pretzels next, but hubby and I were pretty full, so I packed those in my purse. We were also given sliced of Shoo-Fly Pie, which I didn't care much for- hubby happily ate the rest of my slice. lol

The scenery was beautiful going down the Lehigh River gorge. We saw many happy young people taking whitewater rafting trips down the gorge. They waved enthusiastically, and we waved back, just as happy to see them as they were to see us. Funny how under different circumstances we wouldn't have given each other a second glance. Being away from the public eye turns everyone back into friendly kids again. lol

We went through a fairly long tunnel- very dark, which obviously was no surprise, and I'm happy to say that the mountain stayed put till we were finished with our journey. The last thing you want is a tunnel collapsing on you. It's the last thing I want, anyway. lol

On the way home, it started raining pretty good and many areas looked as though they had had pretty rough storms. It did not rain on the train ride, and for that I am incredibly grateful. It would have been VERY hot and sticky without the windows up.

Well, I suppose that is all for today. I hope you had a nice weekend. :)

Friday, June 11, 2010

On the way to the weekend

I feel like I've gotten a lot accomplished today! I'm caught up (for the most party, anyway) at work, and tonight I've did quite a bit around the house.

This evening's chores have included putting away laundry, washing and drying a load of lights and a load of darks (the lights have been folded and put away, the darks are still drying, but will be folded and put away before bed). I cleaned out the microwave, fixed dinner, packed leftovers into lunches, drug the sweeper down and ran it in the living room, put the furniture back, cleaned the bathroom, cleaned the kitchen trash can (boy did it need it! Yuck!), did the dishes, and scoured out the sink. Hurray! I sacked the trash in the kitchen as well, but just left it sit by the side door since it's not really smelly or anything- just full.

I watched "White Christmas" tonight, while I was tidying up the house. I love this movie! I love the singing, the acting, and most especially, the story. If you've never seen it, please do yourself a favor and give it a try. :)

Oh, I almost forgot! Hubby got a set of wind chimes from his brother for his birthday a few weeks ago, and I put those up. I can hear them chiming now. :)

This weekend, my husband and I are going on a train ride- mind you, this isn't for traveling purposes, it's a rail excursion for tourist purposes. It's actually called a "Dutch Treat Train" and they will be serving samples of ring bologna, cheese, and birch beer while we enjoy a ride up the Lehigh Valley. We are both looking forward to it. It's a pretty long ride, too. We leave at 4:30 and aren't expected back till 7:00 or so.

I am trying to decide whether I want to boil potatoes before bed- I'm guessing that I will not at this point. I'm not sure what we'll be doing for breakfast on Saturday morning. (I was going to boil the potatoes so I could make home fries for breakfast.) I would like to get up earlier (up and around by 8:00 or so, if it's okay with Scott) so we can head down to the grocery outlet in Northumberland. We haven't been down there for awhile, and while you certainly can't plan meals around what you'll find there, I always come home with tons of "lunch fixin's". (100 calorie pack boxes for 99 cents, boxes of granola bars for 1.00, etc). They have great deals on lunch meat (although, Wenger's down in Mifflinburg has even better deals) and lots of other things, too. At any rate, I'd like to plan an earlier trip, if possible, as we will be leaving here around 2:00 to head out for the train excursion.

I've yet to plan my menu for next week's dinners- not a good sign. Tomorrow after work, my sister-in-law (who is expecting!) and I are going to dinner and then out for a play called "The Red Box". I won't be home till later on, so I tried to get a lot of housework done tonight- that way I don't have to worry about it tomorrow! I'm sure there will still be dishes to wash when I get home, but that's not really a big deal.

I've been burning a candle all night, with varying degrees of success. I have pretty bad allergies when it comes to candles and I can typically only have them burning for about 20 minutes at a time. Well, for anyone who has ever burned a candle before, you're aware that that's not nearly enough time to get a nice even burn. I lit my 2 wick "Strawberry Rhubarb Pie" candle around 5:30 and then opened up all the windows in the house. It's been tolerable, because of a light breeze, but I won't lie and say I won't be glad when I go up for bed and get to blow it out. lol

I guess that's about all for tonight. I will try to write tomorrow night about how the play went. I am very much looking forward to it. :) Happy evening, all.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Overcoming the want to just tell it like it is...

So, today, I decided to write a little bit about my struggle with just submitting to my hubby.

The Bible says: "Wives, submit to your own husbands,as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (Ephesians, 5: 22-24)

This is a constant struggle for me. First of all, I'd like to say that my husband does not ask submission of me. However, I do try to submit to him, whenever possible. It is not easy. lol I am a strong willed woman, with plenty of my own opinions and ideas about what is the best route to take. I tend to take after my dad and his mom (my grandma) who have very strong opinions and who are rather stubborn. It is difficult for me to bite my tongue, to not speak up.

This topic is harder to write about than I thought it would be. I'm having a hard time of talking about things without sounding very old-fashioned or dated. Maybe I'll come back to it in a day or so. I'm having a hard time putting things down.

I made pizza for dinner tonight, nothing fancy. I took an hour long nap on the couch, and am still feeling a little sleepy from it. All in all, not a very productive evening. I did manage to wash and dry a load of dishes.

I think I'll hit the hay a little early tonight. I've been going to bed around 12:00 or so. I know that lots of people can get by with 5 or 6 hours and it doesn't bother them, but I am not one of those people. lol I need my sleep.


Tuesday, June 8, 2010

My first post

Well, it's time for the first post in this new little blog. I wonder if anyone other than myself will read it...

So, here's the deal. In real life, I do not often voice my true opinions. I hold back, because I don't want to be rude or pushy. If it seems like I'm being rude and pushy here, well, it's because I need to let frustration out somewhere and this seems like a good place to do it. Feel free to disagree- my thoughts change from day to day, so I could very well contradict myself from one day to the next. I think that is alright, because I'm really shooting for honesty here.

I am a woman, and my hormones tend to dictate my moods and behaviors. Everyone has days where things are bleak, and also days when everything looks perfect.

I will try my best to use acceptable grammar and spelling, but I'm not perfect. I'm just an average gal. Please be kind.

So, where to begin? I am 31 years old, and the only real goal I have ever had for myself has been accomplished- I got married. That was a little over 5 years ago, and I love being married. I love being a wife to my husband, and I love cooking and keeping house.

I do not love that I work first shift, and that my husband works second shift. It makes for very lonely evenings, as I live 4 1/2 hours away from my family. We are only able to spend time together on the weekends, since I work 7:30-4:00, and he works 3:00-11:30.

I also do not love organizing. I have no patience when it comes to organizing, and I'm afraid that my house suffers because of it. People tell me to start small and do one thing at a time, but I don't have the patience to start small. I just want it done, now! lol If there's anyone else out there with probable A.D.D. and you have had a hard time keeping your place organized, I feel for you.

I do not like working 40 hours/week. In my house, I cook, do dishes, clean the house, do laundry, pay bills, balance the checkbook, and try to keep things looking neat in addition to worrying about the oil changes/inspections of the car. I get frustrated and tired of doing everything often. Please don't think my husband is a lazy bum. lol He works 40 hours a week too, and these things just don't typically occur to him. I happen to be wound "tighter than a tick" and I make it a point to make sure things get done on a fairly regular schedule. If I beg and plead, he helps. Otherwise, he just doesn't think about it.

I would also like to point out that I feel angry lots of times that I am doing everything. Mostly because I would much rather be at home taking care of things than working 5 days a week and 8 hour days, then trying to come home and do the whole homemaker thing. The house ends up suffering when I am tired, and not my office work. Because of this, I often feel my priorities are out of whack. My home and my husband are the most important things to me, in addition to my family and friends.

I am a member of a homemaking website and am very jealous of a lot of those ladies who have lots of time to perfect their lemonade making skills. lol

I love cooking and baking. I am always trying new recipes and throwing together casseroles and dishes with ingredients I have on hand. I recently made my first chiffon cake and it was so good! I think I might like to try and make a homemade cake every month. I don't exactly need the extra calories, but my baking skills could definitely use the practice. I made my husband a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and it was very good. Maybe when I make something fun that turns out, I'll post a picture and the recipe.

I think that's about all for right now. Thank you for reading this. Maybe I won't feel quite so alone when I'm writing again- even if it's just for me. :)