Best Soft Homemade Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread EVER

I got this from another blogger ....dealstomeals and they gave credit for the recipe to Emily Murphy.  However the last time I tried to go to the blog via pinterest it said the link was broken and I don't want to EVER lose this recipe...it really is the best ever so here it is...

Emilie's Whole Wheat Bread

Ingredients

1. 7 cup whole wheat flour (grind your own if you have a wheat grinder)
2. 2/3 cup vital wheat gluten
3. 2 1/2 Tablespoon instant yeast
4. 5 cups hot water (120-130 F)
5. 2 Tablespoon salt
6. 2/3 cup oil
7. 2/3 cup honey or 1 c. sugar  (Actually I use real maple syrup here)
8. 2 1/2 Tablespoon bottled lemon juice (I use apple cider vinegar...it's for preservative)
9. 4 1/2-5 cups whole wheat flour

Instructions

1. Mix together the first three ingredients in your mixer with a dough hook. Add water all at once and mix for 1 minute; cover and let rest for 10 minutes (this is called sponging). Add salt, oil, honey or sugar, and lemon juice and beat for 1 minute. Add last flour, 1 cup at a time, beating between each cup. Beat for about 6-10 minutes until dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl. This makes very soft dough.
2. Pre-heat oven for 1 minute to lukewarm and turn off. Turn dough onto oiled counter top; divide, shape into loaves place in oiled bread pans. Let rise in warm oven for 10-15 minutes until dough reaches top of pan. Do not remove bread from oven; turn oven to 350 F and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from pans and cool on racks. This recipe can be halved to make 2 loaves.

Notes

1. Makes 4 8X4 inch loaves.
2. I ONLY use Bakers Secret 8x4 inch non stick pans 
3. **Another tip..when the dough is put into the bread pans, squish the dough softly into the corners of your bread loaf pans. This will make your bread cook more evenly and not have the large lump in the middle of your loaf.
4. If you'd like to make white bread instead there's really no need to add the vital wheat gluten

This is an unusual post but something I felt like needed to be out there.   A few days ago someone I will call Avery, a newly divorced woman in her 20's learned a hard lesson about 1) obeying the law, 2) always being financially prepared for emergencies, and 3) trusting your instincts.    After a great YSA activity (Young Single Adult for those of you not familiar with the acronym) she went out with a few people to Steel City Pops for popsicles....if you haven't been there they are awesome!!!  This one is in Louisville KY.  All the onstreet parking was full so one of the men riding in her car told her to park across the street in the Chipotle lot.  It is posted that unauthorized vehicles will be towed and Avery had a bad feeling about parking there (FIRST WARNING SIGN).  But, as often happens, she was convinced by others to go against that feeling.

Long story short when she came back she found her car gone...TOWED!   Here is where I have some serious issues with our "money hungry, greedy, uncaring society".   When she called the lot ... Mosby's Towing in Louisville Kentucky she was understandably upset but got very little information or help from the person she spoke with.  Basically it came down to two things...number one they are only open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, the initial towing charge is $125 and it costs $25 a day until you get it picked up.  

Avery works two jobs, one from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and the second (quite a ways from her first job and a long way from Mosby's Towing) that starts at 4 p.m.   See the problem?   How can a working person get there during those hours?   Avery just started both jobs, is on her 90 day probationary period and any missed day will cause a loss of employment so that's not an option.  She doesn't own the car, it belongs to her father-in-law and wont be titled over to her until the divorce is final so she can't pick up the car....even though she has permission from her father in law to drive it and has driven it for the past two years, only the registered owner can pick it up.  So she had to send a permission form to her father-in-law across the country (he's too old to  be competent through e-mail) and have him get it signed, notarized, and returned with a copy of his driver's license.  It cost $23 each way to overnight it...mind you this wasn't even able to be figured out until she WENT to Mosby's and presented the registration (1DAY DOWN $25), of course now it is after the time she could get a form overnighted  (2nd DAY DOWN $25), it took one day to overnight the form, the second day for him to sign and send back but he didn't get it in the mail until after the mail had left for the day (3rd DAY DOWN +$25), it will be tomorrow when she gets the form back in the mail (4th DAY DOWN +$25), that will be a saturday and MOSBY's TOWING OF LOUISVILLE KY is closed on weekends!!!   (Isn't that convenient?   If you work during the week and can't afford to miss work you cannot pick up your car! and at $25 a day she is now looking at three more days Saturday, Sunday, and Monday before she can even TRY to figure out how to get it (add another $75)  So now we are over $300 plus the $50 to overnight the forms.  

Avery works two jobs just to make ends meet 3 or 4 hundred dollars to get her car out of the impound lot for parking after hours in a restaurant lot has been a VERY expensive lesson.  

I guess I wanted to post this somewhere because when we were looking for information we couldn't find ANY of this online, not the $125 fee, not the fact that the lot is closed on Saturday and Sunday, honestly I think If we had known I would have driven the 13 hours to virginia from kentucky, got the forms signed and driven back.....it would have been cheaper.

LESSON LEARNED!

Have the registration in your name!!!!!  
Don't park where it says violators will be towed!!!!
Keep an emergency fund of at least $600 at all times over and above your monthly known expenses!!!
Don't expect sympathy, help, courtesy, or even fairness from people who profit from other's mistakes!

MOSBY's TOWING:   Shame on you for your inflexible and obviously calculating hours of operation (note...their towing service is open 24 hours a day seven days a week but they make their real money from not being open for people who need to get their cars out of the lot).   It would be nice if you would have one weekend day of operation where you are open 24 hours or even 16....come on....sick and greedy!

Christmas Lesson #earlymorningseminary #11yearsandcounting

SEEK - An Early Morning Seminary Christmas Lesson

Today was our "Christmas Lesson" in Seminary.  Every year I try to make it both meaningful and fun, this year went exceptionally well.

I started out making Mugs for the students (forgot to take pictures so just imagine....details for painting so they are dishwasher safe below)  Each had the word SEEK on one side with the scripture reference Jeremiah 29:13 underneath.  I filled the mug with little gifts one of them Nuggets wrapped like this from "My Computer is My Canvas"  and This.   A very small gift certificate to McDonalds (for hot chocolate) an envelope of Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate Mix and a Christmas Card with this quote inside :

I began class by asking them the last time they played Hide&Seek.  I asked them what's the best hiding place you ever had...could be a really fun discussion huh?

Then I sent them "seeking" post it notes I had hidden around the building using rhyming clues (I got the idea here, used some of hers and some of my own) . At each hiding spot I had a post it note with a scripture reference on it.  (I printed the post it notes using this template).   I asked them to take their scriptures along, when they found the scripture reference they were to look it up and highlight it in their scriptures and come back to me for their next clue.  (Highlighting kind of ensures that they will be reading the scripture as they highlight...sneaky!)  

Here are the scriptures I used (all having to do with "Seeking The Lord" many with reference to Him coming to us in response to that seeking)

Deuteronomy 4:29
1 Chronicles 16:11
1 Chronicles 28:9
Ezra 8:22
Psalms 119:2
Proverbs 8:17
Isaiah 58:2
Lamentations 3:25

I made up a set of the eight clues for each student separated one clue to an envelope with the clue number on the outside of each (but you could do teams if you have a lot of students).   As they returned they had to show me the highlighted scripture to get the next clue.  At the LAST station I put their mugs and Christmas Cards with instructions to look up and mark the reference shown on their mug then return to class.

When they got back I asked them what they learned as they read and marked all the different scriptures.   What a great experience as they discovered the many many times the Lord invites them to seek Him and his assurance that when they do they will find him.

(Note: After class it dawned on me that I should have pointed out that unlike our traditional game of hide and seek where we try NOT to be found, when we seek the Lord he immediately becomes easier to see....)

I told them there are many many many more scriptures in which we are told to Seek the Lord and what blessings will come into our lives as we do.   I asked them to record in their journal a time when they felt the spirit and record where they were when it happened, what they were doing, describe the feeling and explain how they knew it was the spirit.  We talked about learning to recognize the Savior and paying attention to the Spirit pointing Him out to us in our everyday life.  We discussed how we often think of Him at this time of year but gradually as all the reminders (lights, trees, music, nativities, etc) disappear sometimes we let Him disappear as well.

Then we talked about what other things can serve as constant reminders of Him and how those reminders prompt us to seek him in our hearts and in our lives....daily prayer, daily scripture study, daily acts of service, daily magnification of our callings, weekly partaking of the sacrament.

We watched this short video (5 minutes) produced by another seminary class and found on YouTube (learn how to download youtube videos easily with this online converter downloader) based on Elder Uchtdorf's Christmas devotional talk from last year.

I asked them to record their impressions and share if they felt prompted to do so and then we sang a closing Hymn from the Children's Songbook "I'll Seek The Lord Early".

It was an awesome and spiritual experience hope it helps you in your efforts as well!


Directions for Mugs:

The trick to making hand decorated mugs dishwasher safe is to use the right markers and follow the directions on the back of the package...it takes about 24 hours total ...I've used this method and they are truly "Dishwasher safe, permanent forever!"  You can get the markers on line or at Michaels or Hobby Lobby (I actually found mine at a local grocery store chain called Meijer in the Ball Jar Isle!)    They come in lots of colors.  Or Sharpie Oil Based markers I've heard work the same  (haven't tried these yet but saw them at Walmart in the craft Aisle)

Maybe we make it harder than it is...

READING THE

SCRIPTURES

Is no more about

TIME

Than Paying

TITHING

Is about

MONEY

A quote from my wonderfully insightful Inservice teacher....all credit goes to him.   I'll use this for a journal prompt this week in Seminary.

Stationery card

Memories Montage Gold Graduation Announcement

Get custom graduation invitations at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Traditions....anyone?

Last night we watched home movies....well, more like home "movie" singular because youngest child (who isn't so young anymore now that she's 18) can't get enough of herself. For the umpteenth time we watched "The year of My Birth" narrated off camera by said daughter.

It was a happy/sad moment for me to see her as a tiny baby and realize that those days are gone....forever.....not that I won't ever hold a baby again, I do have two of the most adorable grandchildren on the planet and more to come i hope....no, it's because no matter what I do I won't have MY babies to hold. I wish I could go back and do it all over again....with all of the knowledge that I have now at the tender age of 54....it would be so much more fun the second time.

It was fun to see all of the traditions included in that one two hour DVD though. I feel like we have lots of things that are so meaningful to us simply because we've always done them. I'm going to give you a sampe of some of our fall traditions to get you started and then I hope you share your special traditions with me!

1) Carving fantastically intricate pumpkins one for each of us....this tradition includes it's own embedded traditions .... saving all the seeds for roasting, lighting all the pumpkins, lining them up on the counter with "ourselves" behind them and getting a great picture in the dark, and of course emergency repair techniques that we are sure we invented such as toothpicks hold broken jack-o-lantern teeth in place perfectly (at least for the picture!)

2) A gratitude journal hanging around the house for the month of November...just a place to jot down things you are thankful for all month leading up to Thanksgiving.

3) Overdecorating for Halloween, and fall....it was really fun when the girls were still all at home. They came up with some gruesome stuff for girls.....like the headless barbie body covered in ketchup and dangling from the mouth of the bear rug....haha good times!

Living with Lindsay: Librarians, Please Avert Your Eyes

There simply are no words but this is BEAUTIFUL! What a great gift for friends who read...unless they'd be horrified by book destruction! : )

Living with Lindsay: Librarians, Please Avert Your Eyes

A Year of Slow Cooking: CrockPot 5 Layer Brownie Recipe

I found this site....admittedly long after a million other people did and when I saw the picture for this first recipe I knew I had to read every single one of her 365 days of crockpot cooking....check it out....mmmmmm A Year of Slow Cooking: CrockPot 5 Layer Brownie Recipe

"J" is for January...and Organization......ummm ok so it isn't really for Organization...

January seems to be the month when everyone, I mean EVERYONE is thinking...I need to clear out some stuff. (Probably due to that massive chore of putting away all those Christmas decorations!) At any rate there are lots and lots of magazine articles to read through (of course then you have piles of magazines!) and much clutterbusting to be done.

Yesterday I stumbled upon a great idea....why didn't I think of this before? When putting away your sheet sets after washing...simply fold them then put the whole pile (including ONE pillowcase) inside one of the pillowcases...voila! Instant organization in your cabinet, you don't have to worry about stacks of sheets falling over OR the pillowcases getting separated from the sheet set....

Oh you're welcome!!!

What a great idea!!!

Have you ever wondered how to keep a record of the "little" things you do each day without it becoming a chore...? Well, I can't take credit for the idea but it was brilliant!!! I saw it in a magazine and I'll give credit to the family who submitted it....

"Hi, Nonas Family of Glen Rock, New Jersey! Thanks for the great idea!!!"

They've taken a stack (say 365) of 4x6 blank index cards and a cute little box to store them in like this:

Then each night at the dinner table they take on card date it and write something interesting,funny,remarkable, etc. ....something short and sweet .... What makes this really special is that they write on the same cards each year....for instance they'll write this year's Valentine's Day entry on last year's February 14 card....when that card is full they just add another and file it right behind or in front of the original. This makes it easy to read old memories ...

I suppose you don't have to do it at dinnertime, it just happens that this family found that was when they were all together and it provided good dinner conversation coming up with something to write for the day.

I Great Ideas!!!

Thougts on 2009

My Thoughts On The Last Year


1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before? Rode in an ambulance with me as the patient!
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I really don't make resolutions but I do pick things to work on...I said I would try to 1) call my parents more...I have; 2)make amends with my sisters...um, I sort of have, 3) be more positive in the things I say...not so much complaining....well, lets just say some days are better than others!

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? YES! Patti (my oldest "baby") brought sweet little Evalyn Brodi into the world on July 13 as a present for Lila : ) We all love her!

4. Did anyone close to you die? A lot of wonderful people from my ward...Neomi, Janie, Pansy and of course Bro Leslie who we will miss so very much.


5. What countries did you visit? Costa Rica for our 25th anniversary...it was great!

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A Left knee that works perfectly, a larger,very faithful seminary class, a hobby that I really enjoy and have time for.
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? July 13 Evalyn was born, December 9 Stewart and I took a wonderful vacation together just the two of us, April something....Hannah graduated from college.

8. What was your biggest personal achievement of the year? .....ummmm can't even think of one thing! Better make that a priority for next year!


9. What was your biggest failure? Calling it quits on TSI...I'm just too old to help Stewart do really hard physical labor....

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? December 26...fell on ice and totally wrecked my knee (MCL) resulting in missed shopping trip that day and weeks of no driving, no fun, no patience and plenty of pain and expense.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Oh good grief....probably the water softener : )


12. Whose behavior merited celebration? Afton and Stewart....they have been my faithful minions during the weeks of recuperation.....I am SO grateful to them....
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? My own on several occasions!
14. Where did most of your money go? Gas, Insurance, Taxes and Medical expenses....well, then there were two trips to Disneyworld and one to Costa Rica : )

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Getting a new granddaughter....Getting Skype....celebrating 25 years of marriage....having Hannah home with us for awhile.....getting Patti to bring herself and the girls to our house....I loved showing snow to Lila!

16. What song will always remind you of 2009? Where Do We Go .... Sandrine (from the movie Last Chance Harvey)
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? 
b) thinner or fatter? 
c) richer or poorer?
a) Sadder....I can't walk
b) Fatter. enough said.
c.) Richer.


19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Falling

20. Did you fall in love in 2009? at least a few times...always with the same man : )

21. What was your favorite TV program? Survivor, Deadliest Catch, reruns of the first season of Newhart


22. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I cant think of anyone that I hate.
3. What was the best book you read? The Uglies,Pretties, Specials and Extras, Edgar Sawtelle, The Geurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Little Stranger, The Book Of Mormon


24. What was your greatest musical discovery? Sandrine


26. What did you want and not get? out of debt

27. What was your favorite film of this year? Julie and Julia

28. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Nothing special...I turned 53.

29. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Paying off some bills.

30. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? Hoodies, T Shirts and anything large enough to hide the epanding waistline of a midlife menopausal woman....btw there really is nothing that does that : )

31. What kept you sane? Reading good books, talking almost daily with one daughter or another, exercise, being healthy and feeling gratitude for all those things.
32. When you think about 2009, what sticks out in your mind? My children and how proud I am of them, the blessing of family, how great it is to be a grandma, the joy of working for yourself.

33. Best moment of 2009? Riding a zipline through a rainforest...., holding a new granddaughter, sitting in church with my husband and children and grandchildren, there are so many....

Interval Training

A few years ago ... in April of 2000 I faced a health crisis in my life. I decided I needed to take better care of myself and I committed to exercise 6 days a week, resting only on the Sabbath day.

It was hard at first to keep to the schedule but over a few months it became easier and easier. I lost a lot of weight but that was never my goal. I just wanted to be healthy and have my heart last until I was tired of using it

After a couple of years I heard about interval training....a way to make your workouts even better without necessarily spending more time....I didn’t have more time to devote to exercise than the one hour a day I was already committed to.

Basically interval training is working at a very high level for a few minutes followed by a short period of less intense exercise. I found this worked well for me and again I lost weight and gained more energy. I felt stronger, and good about what I was doing.

The following year I was still using the “interval” training method but it became easy for me....I had obviously been doing the same thing for too long...even the “strenuous” periods were getting way too easy. It was hard to get my heart rate elevated....a sign that it had become very healthy and strong.


It was about this time that I read an article about cycling and how it is a great form of interval training if you can find a course with enough hills. Lucky for me I live in an area where I can make a daily 12-14 mile ride with lots of hills along the way. The first day nearly killed me!!!
In fact I only made it because once I was 5 miles from home I had no alternative but to ride back.

The last two hills before my house that day I had to “walk” my bike up....very embarrassing. The next day I barely made it up ....only by gearing my bike to the least possible amount of exertion. I knew that over time I would get stronger and then I’d be able to make it up the hills without using the gears for assistance.

Months went by....no matter how hard I tried the hills on the way home were just too hard. I could never make it to the top without shifting to an easier gear. This went on for almost a year and then I got a job as a teacher of teenage youth...an early morning class .... my class was smallish...only 13 students and I found I loved both teaching and being with them each day.

As I prayed for them each day, and for myself...that I could be a good teacher....I began to feel the weight of their problems and the difficulties they faced each day not only at school but at home and in other social settings. I felt a deep compassion for them and a desire to help. One day I was riding my bike....the normal 13 mile route....and I was thinking a lot about one of my students. I silently prayed to Heavenly Father that he would help this wonderful young person face the challenges they were having.....before I knew it I was home.....the first thing I thought to myself was “Hey, I made it....I never had to use my gears on the hills”. I was elated!!! I did it!!!

Later that day I was still thinking about how that had happened and suddenly I received the distinct impression that my Heavenly Father was teaching me something. Just as interval training can make our heart stronger....so can our trials, sometimes they will last for what seems to be an eternity but as long as we keep “pedaling” we are building strength slowly but surely and eventually we will be strong enough to make it all the way. Secondly I recognized that I was able to complete the ride with ease once I quit focusing on the hills! That day my mind had been focused on things of the Spirit....the physical pain had been non-existent as I spoke silently with my Heavenly Father.

I gained a great testimony that day of two things....it’s important to keep pedaling when the hills never seem to end, and ... if we focus only on the hardships we may never feel we have the strength to get through it and we’re in danger of giving up. I will always be grateful for that day and my newfound testimony of the Lord’s Interval Training Plan...

Still money for all the really good things....

Yes the economy is poor, my wallet is thin, and I know better (much better) than to spend unnecessary money on frivolous items. BUT THIS is not friviolous...it is absolutely, completely and totally necessary.

It began with my discovery of this site and her totally incomparable bread recipe, which somehow led me to this site where I watched a man (A MAN!!) make bread using the tool you see above. As he made it he barely even mentioned the cool little gadget but after the 6 minute video I was completely hooked and knew I had to have one for my very own (I know, what kind of sick person covets another person's whisk?)

Anyway, amazingly enough this wonderful little miracle only costs $8.00! However when I tried to order one they were completely sold out and I've been on a waiting list for two months. Today they e-mailed me that a new shipment of the Danish Dough Whisk (Large) has arrived....two are now on their way to my doorstep....

I've learned a lot over the past few weeks while waiting for my whisk to arrive. First of all that the "sponge" is the secret when making really fantastic 100% whole wheat bread, and second that his no-knead method is wonderful, and last but not least I am no longer a slave to my bread machine. I always thought if the electricity went out I'd have to do without bread (although we would have a myriad of doorstops). No more! This bread (using the recipe from the first site and the mixing method from the second site) is fantastic!

Feel free to ask for specifics if you feel so inclined....if not....order one of these just as a conversation starter....oh, and be sure to watch the bread video....it's inspiring!

The world is troubled...

But we need not fear...

Ever wonder how to handle today's problems? Sometimes we all do and this past few months has seen more world turmoil than we are used to. It's an unsettling time but thank goodness we can trust our Heavenly Father to give us help and advice whenever we are in need. As always if you watch the video scroll to the bottom of this page and stop the music player first (unless you like listening to two things at once).

Stole this idea from Patti!

What's the 4th picture in my fourth folder? Hmmmm.....let's see (I'm going to die if it's food! but here goes anyway.....)


Hey, at least it's a timely "fall" picture.....good grief my life is boring....who takes pictures of a pile of burning leaves.....and then actually SAVES it for posterity?!

Hot Chocolate I've dreamed of....

Quite a few years ago my sister Brenda gave my daughter a book for Christmas....The Polar Express. This became our favorite book to read on frosty wintry nights. The pictures are awesome and the descriptions are so vivid......I simply loved the story but what I dreamed about....what has haunted my thoughts night and day since the first day I read that book was the phrase "hot chocolate so thick and rich it tasted like melted chocolate bars".....since that first reading I have searched for this chocolate.

Today.....I found it!

Polar Express Hot Chocolate for 1 (or 2)

1 1/4 cups milk (I even used skim but I'm sure whole or 2% would be best)

1 egg yolk

1 Tbsp Cornstarch

Stir all above ingredients together in a glass dish and microwave one minute at a time for about 4 minutes until it is thickened slightly then add:

dash salt

1/4 cup sugar

Microwave again 1-1/2 minutes to dissolve the sugar completely then add:

Grated good quality unsweetened chocolate until you get the desired depth of flavor. You can use sweetened chocolate if you prefer but leave out the sugar in the above step.

Add vanilla, orange extract, almont extract, or peppermint if you want (I love it plain) and top with real whipped cream. It's the real thing!

WARNING! This is not your average drink, it really is kinda thick and very rich...it's a dessert in itself, not a beverage....you're gonna love it!!!!

(Note if you want to play the song "Hot Chocolate" below, scroll down to the bottom of the page and stop the song player first.....much better experience!)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

(Wish I could say this was my front porch but ..... alas, it's from Martha Stewart's Halloween show....coool!)

I watched Martha's special yesterday and absolutely loved the pumpkin snake....it has a string of christmas lights inside to provide the perfect illumination. I would so love to do this next year (unfortunately I don't have an entire staff to hollow out 30 pumpkins of various sizes so it probably won't happen)....anyway, great idea.

Last night was "Trunk or Treat" at church. After looking for oh, about 29 days for a trunk decorating idea on the web I actually ended up with one of my own design, prompted by Afton's costume.....even at 16 her greatest dream is to be a princess .... in this case ... Mulan (on the left....she's so cute huh!?)

Sooooooo you know the saying "Behind every Mulan ....is a great MuShu!" Voila!

That was fun. Had I been thinking ahead (remember it took me 29 days to even get an idea) I would have gotten one of those fog machines and set it inside the trunk so MuShu would be showing his MoJo! Oh, and the best part!? We won most creative trunk!!!! Yay for us!!!!! (The prize......a two pound Hershey bar....Afton was stoked!)

Oh, and one more thing.....in case you were planning on making that plastic jack-o-lantern your "personal feed bag" (as "Hungry Girl" calls it) here's something REALLY SCARY for Halloween!

Tootsie Roll Midgee

1 Midgee = 23 calories, .5g fat

Milky Way

1 Fun Size = 75 calories, 3g fat
1 Mini = 38 calories, 1.4g fat

Three Musketeers

1 Fun Size = 63 calories, 2g fat

1 Mini = 24 calories, 0.7g fat

Individually Wrapped Twizzlers

1 twist = 40 calories, 0.25g fat

Smarties

1 roll = 25 calories, 0g fat

Mini AirHeads

1 Mini = 45 calories, 0.5g fat

It's all about attitude...

Sunday was a particularly trying day...disappointing since that's the day I look forward to ...just for some peace, uplifting thoughts, etc.







I know times are tough but does talking about how terrible it is really make any sense? I mean you can be financially strapped and grouchy or financially strapped and trying to see the good things in your life.....both are hard but one has significantly more appeal.....right?









Last night we had a family home evening and one of the quotes (attributed to "unknown") was particularly meaningful to me:



"From guidelines given to us in the scriptures and by the words of prophets, we learn that life is a teaching experience. Self-pity and discouragement do not come from the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. But life can be both bitter and sweet. It is up to us to choose whether we want to reflect the voices of gloom or gladness."

Anyway, I agree times are tough, budgets are tightening, jobs are scarce, the land of plenty may be less plentiful but there are lots of happy things around also and I'm going to enjoy life regardless! (That's my vow and I'm sticking to it!)

Along that line I've been trying to think of how to save money....live with less, cut back, etc. After a long discussion with my wise daughter I think my first step will be planning meals.....this probably seems ridiculous to most.....(I know everyone else already does it but I'm not one of them). After reviewing slightly over a month of expenditures yesterday I discovered we spent over $1,000 last month on "groceries!" THAT has got to be a record. I mean it's not like we eat caviar for breakfast or anything. The biggest problem for me I think is just not planning what we're going to eat and then cooking based on the latest dish Food Network presents.

This morning I tried to make out a menu for a week.....so far I have two days and that was the two days we just passed......I simply don't know how people think up what they want to eat a week or even a day ahead of time......(sigh) it's going to be a challenge....

An easy blog : )

I have found it almost impossible to blog (obviously) but this time Patti made it easy on me.....

MEME'S THE WORD.......

I Have a Memory:Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. :)

Is life too short?

Good question.... My mother-in-law called me this morning sad and terribly upset because they have called in hospice for her mother who is in a nursing home. "Great Grandma" is going to be 93 on the 24th of this month!!!!! She has been in the nursing home for the past 5 years. Amazingly enough she has done pretty well considering she has advanced Alzheimer's.

Aaaahhh the "blessings" of a disease such as this. I know it can be so traumatic for some families but in Great Grandma's case it didn't present a problem until she was well into her 80's and since being in the nursing home it has been sort of a good thing. Many times Grandma thinks she's on a cruise (if you think about it all those long hallways with rooms on either side do kind of look like a ship's passageway), when we'd ask if she was eating her vegetables she'd smile and say "Oh, yes, they're feeding you all the time on these trips! The food is so good!"....no complaining about the fact that a meal of pureed grilled cheese, tomato soup, and red velvet cake results in three compartments of relatively the same texture and color sitting in front of you at dinner.

Overall she has seemed to tolerate her time there well, due, I'm sure in part, to the fact that time is pretty meaningless given her state of mind. She is able to carry on a conversation and especially likes to tell us about her younger life. We play games with her trying to get her to tell us the name of every dog she owned or the first boyfriend she ever had. Once we asked her if she fell in love with Grandpa when she first saw him and she actually blushed! I don't think she has suffered too greatly although I'm sure there are times when she is lonely. A few times she has asked us to take her home (when she remembers she's not there), or to please come and visit more (we only see her a couple of times a month) but overall she seems content and just happy to have visitors.

We will miss her of course and I worry most about her daughter (my mother in law).....can a daughter ever say goodbye to her mom without worry about how she'll get along without her? I'm thankful to know that when Great Grandma does leave she will also leave this crippled useless body that has held her prisoner for far too long and return to that man she loves ... the one whose memory can make her blush at the tender age of 93.

Sometimes maybe life isn't too short at all.....sometime, I'm sure I'll feel like I imagine she does....that it's entirely too long. We love you Grandma!