Love Your Butcher

Meat day... not my favorite chore! But I shopped yesterday and got this big blob of meat and decided to dig right in and just get it done.

Step 1-chop into smaller pieces
Step 2- remove bones
Step 3- wash all meat
Step 4- grind with my sensational Kitchen Aid
Step 5- form into patties for hamburgers, fry up 3 dinner size portions for stroganoff, taco soup, and spaghetti, mix up a meatloaf, mix spices into some to make sausage-- Enough beef meals for two weeks.
Step 6- Put into portions and freeze
Step 7- Clean up- using 100% bleach. Throw all towels into laundry (no paper towels)
Step 8- DO NOT REPEAT FOR TWO WEEKS!!!

:)


I love not having to do it little by little later. This method also saves on dishes. One pan browned meat, fried sausage and simmered spaghetti sauce. I only used one cutting board and knife for everything!

Now I don't have to think about that for a while!

3 Posts about CA house....First 5 pics...More Info in Third Post

Finished Living Room

Yard and Flowerbeds

I couldn't find before pictures in the yard- just imagine 4-5 foot high weeds, overgrown trees and two small dead trees.

Garage Door before and after

We just flipped over the existing plyboard, added trim and hardware and stained it.

5 more pics of CA house

The kids helping us paint the garage graffiti

Bathroom before and after

Bedroom before and after

Finally---the before and after pictures of our CA house

Bathroom vanity before and after-

Kitchen before and after-

My mom went to our house to take pictures for me. I forgot to take pictures with all the hustle and bustle of moving and packing.

Guess what? Our home is rented and we are so happy. The people seem great and passed the screening and background checks with flying colors. We are thankful for God's provision.

Looking at the before and after pictures, I am shocked that we were able to accomplish that much. Here is a quick glimpse of what we did in SIX weeks. We worked to the last day in the country-crazy---

Kitchen- scrubbing on hands and knees and on a ladder, taking down cabinet doors, restaining cabinet boxes and doors and changing all the hardware, cleaning and repainting inside of cabinet boxes and shelf papering on all cabinet shelves, painting, new stove, refinished sink, new faucet, new pipes below sink, new light fixtures, regrouting the tile, refinishing the sink, re-screening and painting the screen door, and a new laundry machine!

Bathroom- scrubbing on hands and knees and on a ladder, painting, repairing the toilet, replacing the countertop, sink, and faucet, new pipes below the sink, new light fixture, painting the vanity and the hardware, new towel racks, new doorknob, re-grouting tub and scrubbing repeatedly!, and a new bath shower curtain.

3 Bedrooms- scrubbing carpet on hands and knees, vacuuming repeatedly and then cleaning with rented Rug Dr twice, cleaning all walls and painting, replacing all the screens, replacing on the outlet and the outlet covers, and painting all the closets.

Living and Dining room- scrubbing (see a common theme here?), replacing outlets, outlet covers, painting, scrubbing grout and windows, replacing screens, painting doors, replacing locks, and new light fixtures.

Heating and Cooling- replacing thermostat, installing an evaporative cooler, fixing the wall heaters.

Outside- removing 5 foot high weeds (a half ton- that's a lot of mowing and raking!), having 5 large trees trimmed and 3 trees removed, reseeding front grass, putting in a small sprinkler system, putting in 3 flowerbeds and flowers to line the front fence, mulching the side driveway and front sidewalk area with bark, repairing and redoing the garage door, replacing light fixtures, painting the inside of the garage (graffiti), replacing one fence post, and adding some rock.

Whew... I'm tired just writing it down! I think we need a vacation! :)

My Mini Bakery

Bread, if you have it a meal is served- just like that.

Since I moved to Mongolia, now four years ago, I have tried and tried to make a decent loaf of bread. I read recipe after recipe, I follow them to the letter, never ever and I mean ever, do I get a nice loaf of bread. I must have inherited this skill from my dear mom. I remember her bread making phase. It was delicious wonderful melt in your mouth bread, but it was heavy and not really a loaf of bread. I make bread just like hers. :) Sorry mom!

This bread-making gene is strong and is passed down from generation to generation. I will just buy Sierra a nice breadmaker someday when she decides to try to bake a loaf of bread. I will save her four years of heartache and bushels of flour. Maybe by then there will be a full kitchen robot that will do it all---- and people will not spend their precious time in the kitchen experimenting with yeast, flour and dishes!

I have two friends here that make DELICIOUS bread- I have tried to watch each of them make bread. Both of them swear, "Oh, it is just so easy!" They make it look easy! Their good bread-making gene must be equally as strong as my bad bread-making gene. They turn out these beautiful, sweet and properly shaped loaves. They are so good that they should just be served for dinner with nothing but cheese.... MMMM....

Today I had some success with rolls. The mystery of roll making is dissipating and suddenly I can make a good roll- if and only if- I make "rosette" shaped rolls (see photo), all others flop mightily!

Today was a baking day. I had success with rolls, pizza and tortillas. I won't press my luck. I am closing up the kitchen for the day!

My writing sarcasm is just oozing these days... forgive me.

Mommy Philosophy

I am slowly going through our house, organizing and getting rid of things we don't need.

As I was going through the bookshelf, I found my baby parenting books. I started laughing. The books once so dear to me, that I slept with them on my nightstand for quick referral were nothing but a joke to me. I threw them into the "recycle" bin. The only reason that book worked with my darling firstborn is because his personality matched the book. Trying to apply that program to lovely second born was like pulling teeth. She didn't match the ideas in the book.

I wish I never read it!!! The book sucked the joy out of infant hood, the last thing that I needed. I don't need to be comparing my children to a stupid book. I certainly don't need to worry that my child isn't doing what the book says. Children are their own book, God created each of them like a little amazing puzzle. Trying to shove my children into a little mold, will not be tried again.

And another thing, that book is the last thing that I needed. The book was too stringent, the last thing I need. I am already too stringent. This book encouraged me to make them as independent as possible. Yet, I have a tendency to want the children to be totally independent from the moment they are born. Ha ha ha... I have a five year old that will not put on his Velcro shoes and often refuses to feed himself.... ha ha ha. He can entertain himself for a total of three minutes. Then there is my two year old. She can play independently or with the dog for the entire day, but at night, needs my attention every hour! Ha ha ha.

I should have read a book totally opposite to me. I should have read a book that made me think that the children would need me every moment and and that they would never sleep through the night. A book that told me they would have bad table manners and that it was just a matter of exploration and scientific learning!!! At least I would be delighted with their antics like not putting on shoes and not sleeping through the night. I would giggle as I walked down the hall to my screaming Sierra at 2 am. I would have had a book to tell me that this is totally normal and that she just needed a little more mommy time.

Maybe I'll become a baby wearer with my third! At least a little closer to that. I need to be going towards the center here... I think that I should change. They are going to take my every single moment for these years, it is my chance to teach them and mold them. Weston is already five... it does fly. To cherish the baby years instead of wishing them to be over . Why it took me five years to figure that out I don't know! God, life and age the best teachers--- NOT SOME SILLY BOOK!

I know this is a little unclear, but I just have been thinking about my mommy philosophy and have not been liking what I see---- so forgive my ramblings.

Alive and Kicking

We have pulled through the flu and infection that it caused! I am truly thankful for antibiotics. Peter is at work again, still recovering, but much better. Sierra is also on antibiotics because I was concerned about her breathing. She is so susceptible to pneumonia- now her breathing has cleared and she is fine! :) She always seems fine because she is such a trooper, but she was breathing hard. Pray for me, I am feeling run down a bit and hope I am not getting the flu!

I am settling in, finally, and feeling more in the swing of things. I am enjoying the simplicity of life here today. I never settled very well in America last winter, some because I didn't have time to settle and some because I was going through some reverse culture shock I think. I did enjoy my time, LOVED IT, wish it didn't have to end, but I never got into a groove. You know?

Part of the reason for me not ever getting a groove is the amount of choices in America. I am overwhelmed by all of the wonderful choices in my home country!!! It is easier to make choices here. It's cabbage or carrots, potatoes or rice, beef or chicken here. It's a work day or a rest day. It's gardening or housework. It's the choice to buy ugliest shirt in the world or an acceptable one. It's choosing the worst dish soap in the world or "Fairy" the only acceptable soap in the country. :)

Today I am thankful for the simplicity, although other days I am frustrated by it! :) A girl can never be satisfied I guess!!!!