Planning Ahead... Just in case..

If the grits hit the fan, hubby got laid off from work, or something else happened... (like a hurricane), could you feed your family? 

Would you have extra to barter with to get (hopefully) things you need that you don't have? This is good to think about.

Many of us know that grocery stores basically have no back room storage… everything they have is on the shelves... and if something happened... when the trucks stop coming in... the food will be GONE.. within three days at the longest.  Which leaves you and your family with whatever you have in your pantry.  What if this was more than just a few days?  What if it was for a few weeks?  A month?  Years?

My Grandparents raised all their own food.  But these days, we are all (most of us) DEPENDENT on the stores.   You have to have food to live.  We cannot survive without it. Period.   However... There are more and more people waking up and growing more of their own food and storing/preserving it, and more people are building a food storage inventory of their own.

Canned meats.  (and going hunting a LOT)  People will be craving for meat.   I was watching a television program, and the wife was canning salmon.  I thought that was brilliant.  I am planning to get a NICE canner.  I want to start canning meats, (chili, spaghetti sauces, soups, etc).   

A can of Spam would be something to barter with, for something you don't have.   If you have a smoker, you can smoke meats too.  My hubby makes his own jerky.

Canned vegetables.  I think everyone needs to have a kitchen garden, even if its just a little one in containers.   But if you don't, canned veggies is better than nothing.

Pasta.  Cheap. Easy to store. Simple to make a meal. If you can heat water, you can eat.

Pet food.  Lots of people won’t think to store much extra pet food.  Fluffy and Rover will thank you.

Peanut butter.  Packed with calories and protein.  A MUST in the pantry.  Right next to the Marmite, which is something else that I think would be good to have, especially if meat is scarce and you're already anemic.

Powdered milk.  Most people don’t like the taste.  Bake with it to keep it rotated.  Unless you have a dairy cow or goats, this will be a treat!

Dried beans.  They are packed with protein.  Soak those beans overnight, Get out your cast iron dutch oven, and put them on to simmer with whatever you have to add to it.

Rice.  You need something to go with those beans!!   Entire cultures survive on this stuff. Rice is a staple.

Other things to have on hand in your pantry... coffee, tea....  What else?  What do YOU store?

My Catholic Bubble

Withdrawing further into my Catholic bubble has made the most sense to me for quite some time now.    And just this week, the results of this election was a punch in the stomach...  it seems half of this country has thrown in the towel with God.  I believe it's a case of about 20% are atheists, and about 30% are some form of "christian", but only on paper, and instead are a "church" of "self".   I am appalled at the number of so-called Catholics who voted for re-election.  Any self respecting Catholic who is faithful to the Magisterium would of course vote for LIFE and vote towards protecting our religious freedoms.  Being politically correct is all that matters to some of these people.   They have no problem offending God,... just as long as they don't offend immoral lifestyles.  

No.. I don't blog much anymore.  What's the point?  Isn't it a matter of pride for me to post?  I mean seriously, who CARES what I think?  Opinions are something we all have, every one of us.   Not everyone shares mine, not I theirs.  And that's fine.  Furthermore, it's not like I have some huge reader following.  LOL

I don't know what I'm going to do.  Right now I just want to stay in my bubble, hug my family close, and know that God will get us through anything and everything this world has to dish out.

Lowly am I

Lowly am I.

Jesus is the Son, and I want so much to have His Light Shine down upon me, who deserves nothing.

How I desire His Light, His goodness!

His Mercy is the only thing sustaining me.

My mouth cannot find the words to convey to Him, 

all the things my heart wants Him to know.

But He knows anyway.  

My weakness, frailty, and miserably poor spirit shame me.

I am unworthy.  Pathetic.  And ashamed.

Demons attack my family, and my heart.  

My courage and strength fail me.  My eyes, ears, and very thoughts deceive me. 

The demons even attack through family and friends sometimes.

It is painful.  I feel utterly alone, except for Him.

He alone, my heart clings to, even through my unfaithfulness to Him through my thoughts and deeds.

How miserable I am.  

Why do I ignore the One who has never ignored me?

Lowly, I am.  Deserving to be crushed.  Mind, body, and soul for my sinfulness.  

My wretchedness.  

My pride.  

His Infinite Mercy is to great to fathom.   

I am grateful He loves despite all I lack, have never and can never be.

The King and the Rock and the Great One of all ages.  

Of the Universe.

I am but a drop of water in the ocean.  A grain of sand on a beach.  THAT insignificant.

So why should He care for me?  

How can I even begin to show Him how I love Him in return?

My wretchedness.. grief.. and woefulness distress me so much... I know not where to even begin.

I am always... truly... gratefully... at His Mercy.

Catholic Tea Party Hippie: The Hippie in Me

Catholic Tea Party Hippie: The Hippie in Me: You are probably wondering what the heck I'm talking about when I say that I am a conservative Catholic Tea Party hippie, right? For starter...

Treats for Wheeters

Two weeks ago, after our homeschool group meeting (that we just started last month, and will post about later), my eldest daughter Amy decided that our two guinea pigs, Alphonse and Phoebe, needed some homemade treats.

I was a bit concerned, as I remember well when she attempted to make Sea Salt Ice Cream... and didn't measure the salt.  (completely inedible), however, she has mastered making spaghetti with sauce, and a few other things and is coming right along in the kitchen.   Besides, I considered the fact that I doubt the pets tastes are all that discriminating.  LOL

So, she started making dough for "the wheeters".  Yes, I know it's "wheek".  But we say, "wheet".    Before, when we had our guinea pig Wilbur, we used to call him "Wee Wheety Wilbur"... and thought ourselves quite funny. :)

So Amy made these treats... and I have to say, they looked like dried animal droppings.  LOL   However, the "piggies" LOVED them, and since having one each they have shamelessly begged.   Hilarious.  So, for all you guinea pig owners out there, I reccommend you make some goodies for the wheeters (wheekers) in your life. 

:)

For Today..

As time passes, I find I am more and more wanting to hide away from the world.  I continue to lose people because they are 'bothered' by my faith.  I am content to 'hole up', and live in my own little world.. I can remind myself that "Those who matter don't mind, and those who mind don't matter."    So, why does it bother me so much? 

I have lost "friends" because I will not support "gay marriage".   I don't CARE if someone is 'gay'.  I am not a gay 'basher'.  I just don't support this fake 'marriage' stuff.   Marriage is for one man and one woman only.  Two roosters don't make an egg.  Savvy?

The world seems increasingly liberal...  I don't think it actually 'is'... it's just that they seem to be the loudest.  Funny how we are so terribly 'intolerant' unless we agree with 'them'.  

I tried getting together with an old "friend" a few months ago.  She spent the first ten minutes of our 'visit' making restaurant reservations for her family and 'other' friends (in front of me), and then she and her 'perfect' son openly made fun of what I was wearing, to the point they were openly laughing at me... (long skirt and blouse), and then a while later proceeded to bash someone else, (a stranger at our church) for their unkempt appearance.  I was bothered by this...  so shut my mouth, and was polite, but quiet, on the way home.   She's hasn't said 'boo' to me since.  Which tells me she was not keen to see me anyway.   No worries.  I am aware that ship has sailed.  I'm over it.   

I am not a perfect person.  Not 'holy' enough.  Not 'tolerant' (apparently) enough, and I am certainly not without my flaws.   But why are my flaws so "wrong", but it seems others get a free pass on that?

And on top of everything else, I have someone who SERIOUSLY takes EVERYTHING and twists it.. I swear to you... things that have NOTHING to do with them.. and make it ALL about them.   To the point she is a manipulative screwball.  Unhinged.  Confrontational.  Mental.  Did I mention manipulative?   I have decided, though, that I am just "NOT" dealing with her again.  Period.  I've tried to be nice.  Kind.  I've tried being understanding.  I've listened to the crazy ranting.  I've tried to be sympathetic.  But the truth of the matter is that she is plain sucking me dry... sucking the very life out of me.  I am supposed to believe that when she does not say 'boo' to me for two years at a stretch, suddenly I "hate" her, (huh?) and I prevent her from being healthy.  (all because when she was on a freak-out rant, I attempted to explain that no one was attacking her).. but since she had her mind made up, this made me a hate-filled evil person.   Whatever.   I can't deal with her "crazy" anymore.   God knows I've tried.

So today I will plan for our homeschool club tomorrow here, and turn in my daughter's attendance for our umbrella school.  We'll make some homemade doggie biscuits, and enjoy our day.  Life inside our bubble is good. :)

Reasons I Unschool

Reasons I Unschool

Homeschooling isn't something we do.  It's our lifestyle. Learning is part of everything, every day.  We look up everything, study anything, and pursue whatever is interesting at THAT moment.  My daughter is free to follow her bliss. :)

We are not confined to a classroom.  Living life happens everywhere.  We learn everywhere, every day, in every situation.  The best lessons are the ones that happen when you're not looking for them. :)  Though observing, playing, and living.  All with your loved ones!

We spend more time together as a family.   

Her learning is more effective.. she can learn in ways that work for HER!!

No having classmates who are bad influences.

She does things for her own internal satisfaction rather than for external rewards. (Stickers?!  Stars?! Are they KIDDING ME?!)

She doesn't do "just enough" to "squeak by" and "please" a teacher.  She is her own judge of the quality of all she does. 

She's more willing to take risks and be creative since there's no worry about being embarrassed in front of others.

She's more confident since she is not subject to constant fear of criticism from other students and teachers. 

Social interactions will be by choice and based on common interests.  

Her friends are more varied, not who just happens to be born the same year!

She doesn't have feel that grades or test scores is some sort of competition with peers... so ending up either conceited towards others, (I'm smarter because I got an A), or feeling inferior (I didn't do as well) to others.  Neither is good!   

She spends her time and energy on activities that SHE thinks are worthwhile.  

She will not learn to "be OF the world", "but will, instead, be "set apart" and value morals and love more than power and money. 

She doesn't have to wait until she is grown to begin to seriously explore her passions; she can start living NOW.  

My children who learn "different" don't have to be subjected to the constant and merciless teasing, taunting, and bullying.

She is encouraged to reach her full potential and not be limited by the use of "cookie cutter" methods used in schools.  

Religious and special family days can be planned and celebrated.  :)  

She doesn't have to wait for her 2 seconds with an overworked teacher to grade and return her work... and then even later to find out if she even understood it.  What rot!

Testing is optional.   

Family's values are part of every day life... she can learn them by seeing and doing in REAL LIFE. 

More Field trips!! Which are much more enjoyable (and productive) when not with a large noisy distracting group.  (that moves at a snails pace and misses half the good stuff!)

Volunteering//mass can be included in the regular schedule.  Helping others is important in a child's development and can be a great learning experience!   

Scheduling can be flexible.  Go on trips//field trips during less busy times.  The freedom allows you to travel and do  and go more... which is a wonderful learning experience!

She is free to learn subjects not usually taught in school.  

Free to read at home! :)  No distractions like at school!

We can go outside all we want!!  Way more healthy than spending most weekdays indoors in a crowded, and often overheated, classroom.

Spending more time out-of-doors results in feeling more in touch with the changing of the seasons and with the small and often overlooked miracles of nature. 

No government controlled school.  Blech!  

Children learn to help more with household chores, developing a sense of personal responsibility.  

Children learn life skills, such as cooking, in a natural way, by spending time with adults who are engaged in those activities. 

More time spent on household responsibilities strengthens family bonds because people become more committed to things they have invested in (in this case, by working for/with the family). 

Time is available for other things... like art or music. Handcrafts. Gardening.  This leads to a richer, happier life. :)

She won't have to feel like a passive recipient of whatever the school/teacher dishes out.. she chooses!!

She learns to seek out answers to her questions herself, and learn from MANY different sources, rather than depending on the teacher to (hopefully) give the right answer. 

No bullies.  (aside from her sister) :)

No sitting under florescent lights for hours doing monotonous paperwork.  (What the heck does busy work teach?  Anything?)  On the level as everyone else... if you're a quick learner, too bad.  You have to wait for the rest of the class.  If you have a learning disability, you are under constant stress to "keep up".  Like it's a RACE.  

No moving to the sound of a bell.  Like a lab rat. :(

Not having to ask permission//wait in line for attention//help with a lesson//for food// for permission to relieve yourself.  

NO Political indoctrination.

At home, you're free to practice your faith.  At school you're not free to be a Catholic/Christian.  You can't mention it, or be caught doing anything perceived as 'religious'.

No peer pressure. Sex, drugs, indecency, immoral dress, language and behavior.  Instead, learning in a peaceful, quiet home where you are loved, accepted, and treasured! 

No forced acceptance of perversion and 'lifestyle' choice. No free rubbers, abortions, books on "Heather has 2 mommies" and so forth.  No "changed" liberal textbooks, teaching, or views.  (Sorry.. we didn't come from MONKEYS!)

At home, I can discuss "blossoming" with her.. in school she would get "sex ed". 

No disgusting school food she has to wait in line for, and then by the time she gets it and gets to a table, she has five minutes to gulp this garbage down.

No having to "dress out" for PE.  No having to undress in front of others so that you are gawked at and criticized.

She is free to play outside all she wants, and using her imagination.. instead of "dressing out" and then made to line up in the heat to do "jumping jacks" with 50 other students.  Yuck.

Caitlin-2-Convent... Entering Religious Life...

This young lady is entering the Convent in two weeks... and she needs our help and prayers.  Please take a moment to read her story.... and PLEASE SHARE!!  Thank you and God Bless!


Caitlin2Convent : Clarity for the Wary: Good afternoon! And Thanks for coming! One of you approached me wondering how I could have such a large amount of debt, and another questio...

Veggie Girl?

When I was about 20 years old, I decided to stop eating meat.  I still had eggs, (sparingly), and cheese, and once in a blue moon I would eat a few shrimp, but that was the extent of it.  When I became pregnant with my first child at age 25, the meat cravings began, and I started eating it again.

Since then, I, (for about 2 years between the ages of about 38 to 40), gave up all pork and shellfish.  That didn't last either.  Though, I know in my heart of hearts that both are very bad for you.  

Most years I give up meat for the entire 40 days of Lent.  Some years this was not difficult.  Some years, it's been hard.

About two (I think) years ago, we started doing Meatless Fridays.  As a convert to our Catholic faith, I somehow missed the boat on this.  Though a lot of Catholics no longer "do" meatless Fridays... for some reason they think it's no longer a "requirement".   I looked in the Catechism... we 'are' supposed to still be giving up 'something' on Fridays.  Because every single Friday is like a 'little' Good Friday.  So even if you still want to eat meat on a Friday, at least deny yourself 'something', or, say some extra prayers.  Not everything has to be 'taken away' or 'denied'. You can always 'add' to prayers, works of mercy, and so forth. :)  Anyway...

I've been buying a lot of natural foods. Quinoa, muesli, oat groats, granola, lentils, peas, and beans. Bulgar.  Barley.  The kids and I have been eating these things off and on.  But I am ready to 'step it up'.  

About two days ago, I was watching a video on youtube, and the couple were making lentil soup for themselves.  My hippie tastebuds started drooling and craving, and I bought 2 sacks of lentils.  Hubby asked about them, and I told him about the video and that I wanted to make some lentil soup.  He admitted he too, likes lentil soup.  Whaaaaat?   Wow.  News to me!!  Little comments like this give me hope.  LOL

Last night the four of us were watching television.  The girls and I got up and got a yogurt and some granola.  Hubby watched us, and then got himself some.  My. Husband. Ate. Granola.  *shock*  And even more shocking, was his, "Hey, this stuff is GOOD."  Wow.  Just.. WOW!  I can't believe it! :)  *does happy dance*  There is hope for us yet!

 I am going to make the lentil soup today I think.  I'm craving it.  I have several bags of dried beans and so forth in the pantry, as well as frozen peas.  So I have quite the supply.  My thinking is this:  I am going to 'try' and just be meatless during the week.  Not every day.  Just, say, Monday through Friday.  I may have days when I eat a little... I'm not going to beat myself up about it.  I would LIKE to say I was also giving up all refined flours and sugars and caffeine AND dairy.  But no.. I am just not 'there' yet.  Though I am limiting my refined flours and sugars, and I believe that is a good start.  Such as, yesterday I only had a half cup of coffee, and then fruit water all day.  Finally last night I had two glasses of green tea with honey.   Not exactly great but better than guzzling sweet tea or Cocola all day long!

Rome wasn't built in a day.  And all of us are works in progress.  In my continued efforts for our family to eat better, and more healthy... this 'has' to start with me.  

Kitchen Guilt

My guilt over not really doing any cooking for the last three days and my hubby's sad puppy face as he left for work has me springing (okay well maybe not SPRINGING), into action.  First thing I did was put on a dozen eggs to boil, (effortless) to have hard cooked eggs for eating OR for making deviled eggs.  Also just sliced a jar of whole dill pickles to make them into Sweet Pickles. (I can do in my sleep).. Not that hubby eats them but me and the kids sure love them.  

Into my slow cooker goes as much chicken as I can fit in. (10 lbs of legs and thighs) This will cook down and tomorrow will be smothered chicken with creamy white mushroom sauce.. this is to be eaten tomorrow with fresh baked biscuits. (which I am making up the biscuit dough to be ready to bake)  This is a favorite supper in our house.  Hubby will be very pleased.  He always is anytime I make him hot biscuits.  And these are even cut out (instead of my usual hand-formed), into perfect little uniform circles.  :)  Yay me. ;)  LOL  

For now though, I've made a big batch of banana bread, which the girls and I made into both regular muffins, and minis. :)  Yum! And because I felt froggy, some Fluffernutter Fudge. :) 

Banana Bread

• Preheat oven to 350F
• 2 Cups sugar
• 1 Cup milk
• 1 Cups chopped pecans OR granola (or whatever else you like)... (optional)
• 3 Cups self rising flour
• 1 stick margarine
• 2 fresh eggs
• 2-3 bananas
• 1 tsp vanilla  
• & a good shake of cinnamon

Put into either 2 greased and floured loaf pans OR use as muffin batter.. bake til golden. :)


***********************


Fluffernutter Fudge

2 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
8 oz. jar peanut butter
8 oz. jar marshmallow creme

Cook sugar and milk on stove until boiling. Boil exactly 3 minutes. Add peanut butter and marshmallow to sugar-milk mixture immediately. Fudge will start to harden quickly. Mix well and pour in greased pan.

************
Now...  to make sweet pickles.  After breakfast, get a jar of room temperature dill pickles and drain all but about a half cup of pickle juice. Set that little half cup aside... If the pickles are not already sliced, then slice them how you like them.  Add 3 cups of white sugar to the pickle slices.  Stir.  Let sit a few hours, stirring occasionally til all sugar is melted.  Add back that half cup of pickle juice and also a half cup of white vinegar.  Find the pickling spice, and fill the lid of the jar with it and dump it in.  Stir it again.  Before bed that evening, add all the pickles back to the jar.  Add as much of the juice back to the jar as will fit.  Screw the lid on tight, and rinse and dry the jar.  It will take 4 or 5 days for the pickles to soak up the "goodie". Shake the jar good every day while you're waiting for your 5 days to be up.   Now watch how fast your kids will eat these! :)

Dusty Knickknacks and Leftovers

I'm not usually annoyed on Mondays, but today I am.  I have a freshly painted living room, and am getting ready to pick out and order drapes for the windows.  With new paint comes cleaning the room contents.. especially the curio cabinet, the knicknacks, and our books... Good Heavens at the dust... and bearing in mind that we dust it all regularly... I just don't know where it all comes from.  Really, it's amazing we don't all have asthma from the dust in this house.  I am beginning to feel profoundly that weekly dusting is just not enough.  I swear, the dust is reproducing, and attempting a hostile takeover.  But the paint looks good. :)  I just wish I had a way to keep the dust away!

My hubby begrudgingly took leftovers for his supper.  With a few unhappy comments that bothered me more than they should have.  Sorry.  If he were home today, he'd be eating leftovers here too.  Why do husbands and kids NOT understand that leftovers must be eaten.. that every day cannot be a freshly cooked gourmet meal.  Not only do I not have the time, I also do NOT have the inclination.  Leftovers never killed anyone, (assuming they're still good and not went bad!).  Every day can't be everyone's favorite.  

Now it's about to storm outside.  Thank goodness we got the three ficus trees and the other artificial plants sprayed down with a hose and wind dried before the storms rolled in.  Now I've got to clean all the baskets, add the green plants back to the baskets, and put them all back in their designated spots.  

Since my poor deprived husband is being forced to go out into a storm to get to work, carrying his unwanted leftovers, (I am a cruel, unfeeling woman), I feel I should at least get a jumpstart on making 'fresh' supper for tomorrow.  I don't know how everyone got to be so spoiled around here. I can assure you all.  I am NOT Julia Child, and neither am I Martha Stewart.  What bugs me even more is that now that's he's left, I actually feel guilty that I didn't at least pack it differently to make it more appealing.  *beats head against wall*

While I am annoyed at my picky family, (especially hubby), and my imperfect house, I have to reflect on what I have to be grateful for.  That we have food at all, leftovers or not.  That hubby does in fact have a job to go to, and that we have our own home, perfectly imperfect, that is all ours.  God bless our little house, with all it's flaws.  It's dusty nooks and crannies I try to keep tidy and dust free. God bless us and fill us with thankfulness for what we have.  For our healthy happy kids, for our spoiled rotten pets, and for a strong loving marriage with a good man.  Even if we do drive each other crazy sometimes.  And even if that means suffering through leftovers.  LOL :)

Blowing Through the Jasmine In My Mind.....

"Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind."  Seals & Crofts

Summertime in Florida... is just... too hot!  I love how pretty everything is.. how green and lush it is here in the South, I love the fresh summer produce, and the sounds of the crickets at night.  I love the gorgeous summer night sky, and all the sounds of the summer night...   but the unGodly heat, humidity, and the Jumanji sized mosquitoes are the WORST.  

During the summer, some days it's so hot, even in the air conditioned house, you just don't want to turn on the stove.  Forget heating up that oven!   Getting up early, and getting errands done, so you can go hide indoors during the heat of the day.

At the beginning of the summer, I got new sunglasses.  I know some folks go for the ooh-la-la ones with the fancy design or the name brand.  Not me.  I want the ones used by construction workers... so dark that people think I just had cataract surgery.  They have "sides" on them too... I don't know about anywhere else, but the freakishly bright Florida sun makes hellacious glare. The combination of heat and glare can make for a seriously wicked headache.  So I am all for the ugly dark shades.  

Right now our driveway is NOT "so hot you can fry an egg on it".  Nope.  It's hot enough to fry the carton of eggs, a side of bacon, and even hoe cake.  We've had family get blisters on the bottoms of their feet THROUGH THEIR SHOES... after hours walking on scorching hot asphalt.  Even sand at the beach will fry your feet.  Yet another reason I love my Birkenstocks. That thick cork is truly your friend. :)

There's something about summertime that makes eating shrimp, having a cold drink, (beer, cider, sweet tea, or Co-cola) just a pure treat.  I like putting raw green peanuts in the crockpot and cooking them for hours, and then enjoying.  Summer afternoon naps... the heat just "takes it out of ya".   Peeking through my lacey dining room curtain and seeing tons of pink blossoms on the branches of our crepe myrtle tree, and the afternoon is starting to make long shadows... it's hot as Hades out there, but it sure is pretty.

Yesterday it was 102F.  I called my Granny, and she tells me tomorrow, (today) is supposed to be the "hottest day we've had so far".  Oh, goody.  "At least 110F," she says.  I told my hubby last night, "I ain't going NO WHERE tomorrow."   Joke was on me.  I was up early, going and picking up shrimp for dinner.  

So now it's late afternoon.  Eldest daughter is napping on the loveseat.  Both our dogs are stretched out, snoring.  My youngest is quietly playing with her dollhouse... in her own little world.  

Lazy summer afternoons... you just can't beat 'em. :)   

Healthy Breakfast, Warm Bellies, & Ditching the "White Stuff"

Ever in my quest for our family to eat healthier, (which goes completely against my spoiled Southern tastebuds which prefer everything deep fried and smothered with either cheese or chocolate), I have learned a thing or two in these last months.

First and foremost, I am only purchasing the freshest, "best" eggs I can find.  We've been on the "good eggs" for a year now. No cages, no hormones, no crazy stuff.  Eggs laid by happy chickens who get to run around and scratch and eat bugs and have a happy chicken life.  Yep.  Those are the eggs I want my kids to eat.  Same with the milk.  I want happy cows that get to romp around and play kiss and chase in the sunshine.... no hormones, no crazy stuff.  Just good fresh milk as God intended.  If I could find a farm nearby that sold milk and eggs, I'd be overjoyed. :)   But in the meantime, I am hitting the hippie stores.

Organic fruit.  Or at least fruit from the Clean 15 list if nothing else.  This week I bought bananas, pears and oranges.  I keep dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, and prunes.  Sometimes I will splurge and get the dried cherries or blueberries.  I have my eye on our fig tree.  It is covered with little green figs and we are anxiously waiting for them to turn purple.  My daughters and I love eating them right off of the tree.

A big favorite around here is organic, steel cut oat groats.  We like it with fruit in it.  I am not above adding pecans, cinnamon, or anything else that sounds appealing at the moment.  I have heard some folks add a spoonful of peanut butter.  I LOVE peanut butter.  So I tried it.  YUCK.  No, I won't eat that again. ;)   Peanut butter is best on toast!  Yum, yum, yum, I love oat groats.  We eat them so often I am surprised we haven't began to whinny yet.  LOL   

Recently I bought Arrowhead Mills Organic Gluten free "Rice & Shine" brown rice cereal.  We tried it once.  Using only a bit of honey and some cinnamon.  Reminded me quite a lot of Cream of Wheat.  I was not impressed.  My stupid spoiled American taste buds cried for more flavor.  I have been doing some reading, and we will try it again with dried fruit and some agave nectar.  I am resisting the temptation to dump in good old brown sugar.  Which I know would be absolutely delicious.... but I am trying to get us away from eating so much of that stuff.

A big favorite for myself and the girls is granola or muesli with yogurt and fruit.  We like it so much we will gladly eat it for any meal.  Unfortunately though, we like the packaged, sweet yogurt that everyone eats.. not the 'real' yogurt.  I have tried the 'real' yogurt, and I found it to be thick and not sweet.  Fruit and honey help it a lot. 

I love tea.  English Breakfast tea.  Barry's Irish Tea.  PG Tips.  Typhoo.  Mmmmm!!  I only use American tea (Luzianne, Tetley, Lipton), bags for making iced tea.  When I have hot tea, I want the "good stuff".  :)  Europe makes not only better chocolate, but better tea too. I love how strong it is!  That being said, I unfortunately have English taste buds in that sense... milk and sugar please.  This is a difficult habit to break, and I am not sure I actually 'want' to break it!  I do buy herbal teas, and those are nice for my kids, and hot chocolate too.. especially on our few chilly days we have here.

 It's hard to break away from what we were raised on.  Pre-sweetened cereals, packaged pancake mixes with sugary fake syrup.  "Instant" oatmeal loaded with sugar.   Poptarts.   Everything so white.  So processed.  So full of sugar, fillers, preservatives, and garbage.  Fat, sugar, and salt.   For lunch we always had peanut butter and jelly, or bologna sandwiches, or a grilled cheese with canned tomato soup.  All washed down with Koolaid... full of red dye and sugar.   Our moms fed us what all the other moms fed their kids, and no one thought anything about it.  

I want to do things different.  Eating canned veggies... I want that to be "occasionally" and not "usually".  My kids love tabbouleh.  Hummus.  Bulgar.  Couscous.  Kale.  Seaweed.  Tofu.  Things that, when I was a kid.. I had no idea what those even were!  And neither did my parents.  But I read, read, ask, and read some more.  I worry about what they're eating, or not eating.  When they get colds, I ditch the cow milk and go with soymilk and up their raw unfiltered honey intake.  I know some people think I'm a wacko.  I don't care.  I want for us.. our family.. in all areas... just to de-sludge our bodies and minds.  To be as healthy (and happy) as possible as we grow in our faith.  You've heard that saying, "Garbage in, garbage out"?  And "You are what you eat."?   It absolutely does matter what we fill our hearts and minds and bodies with. :) 

Anyhoodles... Next on my list to weed out is "drum roll please" is the "white stuff".  Actually I am pretty sure I've said this before.. and probably more than once.  LOL  I have GOT to stop buying white flour, white sugar, white bread, white rice, white pasta, and white anything.  This garbage is KILLING us and I know it.  I do hereby publicly declare..(again).. I "ain't buyin'" no more "white stuff".  God give me strength to resist the temptation!

Lord, please be my guide in all things...