Netta's Niche - Quick Kitchen Fixes

Here's a few quick ideas to spice up things.

FRUIT DIP





Sour Cream

Brown Sugar

(dot of vanilla, optional)

Mix until it's smooth & brown.
It'll be kinda runny,
but so good for
apples, grapes, etc...





HOT CHOCOLATE
Sugar Free & Fat Free but full of yumminess!



2/3 C nonfat powdered milk

1 T cocoa powder

2 T Splenda (or other sweetener)

1 1/2 - 2 C Boiling Water

dash of salt
Optional - dot of vanilla
1 t of creamer



I mix the dry ingredients together first... mix'um well.
Then add hot water & any liquid flavoring you desire.
Stir... alot & often.

But mmm, so yummy & much cheaper than hot chocolate
packages... especially when you have a house full of
kids. When ONE asks for hot chocolate they all ask for it!

mmm

Shush

(This little cute girl below is not one of mine)








When as child doesn't understand what's going on
and she fees unsure, she often clams up - won't talk-
and clings to the pantleg of her parent.

When we're going through a transition that we don't
understand we should do the same.

Shhh...and hang on tightly to Daddy God!

"Oh Mr. Sun, Sun..."

(If the title of this blog prompted you to start singing an
old BARNEY song for 90's.... well, ha! Sorry you have
that in your sub-conscience!) Not the reason for blog though...

In Michigan we haven't had a lot of sunshine this fall...
or even any "fallish-weather" for that matter.
We crave it.
Want its warmth.
Desire the joy that it brings.

Today, the sun has popped out.
My once gloomy little abode has brighten up.
Warmth & joy stream through the windows.

And wow... what's that in the corner?
What huddled under my desk & around the bottom of the piano?

DUST BUNNIES!
LOTS of them!
They were NOT there yesterday... when it was cloudy.
I'm quite sure of it! Yes, pretty sure. Yeah. um...Right?

We crave the light of the presence of JESUS in our lives.
Want the warmth of His "closeness."
We desire the joy that it brings.

But when He really starts to shine His truth into our hearts
we suddenly become aware of the junk we've let live in the
hidden corners, or even the obvious ones...












It's as if they weren't there yesterday...
but they've obviously been there a while.

We crave the Son.
In reality, we actually crave the very light that exposes our
yuckiness inside. So, don't ignore them.

Get out the "Broom of the Spirit" and cut through the cob webs
and dust bunnies.
Weep. Repent. The enjoy the joy that's flooding in your heart!
(I had a serious experience of this today! SO GOOD!)

Son.... shine in all the corners of my life!

What's His light exposing in you

Menu Plan Monday 10/19/09 & A CONFESSION

Confession....
Last week my "I'll think I'll use coupons-again" was frustrating &
time consuming. Neither surprised me. Sigh.
I spent tons of time on Sunday night & Monday AM
planning, cutting, sorting, etc. Sigh again.

Then, after a 2 hr. shopping experience inside of MEIJER
and a cash register that kept ringing things twice, but a
really kind employee who worked hard to make it right...
I realized on the way home that the coupons were never used!
I'd handed them to her, but could picture RIGHT where they
were sitting... unused! UNUSED!

My eyes filled with tears. I was ANGRY!
ANGRY with myself for NOT reminding her.
GRRRRR.... more tears.
What a stinkin' waste of time & money!
And approximately $20 of coupons... gone! GONE! Grrr... again!

When I got home, my kind & patient husband encouraged me
to call the store. I did... and I'm pleased to say that the manager
sent me $20 gift card! Ok, so I'll got back there... in a few weeks.

So,
The "Skip-Aldi-use-coupons-again-Challenge" continues
through the month. And my sister-in-law, Lana, gave me
lots of ideas about how to find on-line coupons & load'um
onto the store card of your choosing.

So, this week... it's KROGER. We'll see how it goes.
Next week I'll probably go back to Meijer again.

Ha... this was probably TMI.
You either think I'm totally insane or you completely relate.
RIGHT? WHICH?
____________________________________________

MONDAY
Lunch- Eggs & Gr. Peppers & onions
Dinner- Crockpot Chicken & Biscuits

TUESDAY
Lunch- Eggplant Parm, Spaghetti
Dinner- Veggie Wraps

WEDNESDAY
Lunch- Shepherd's Pie
Dinner- Hot Dogs, apples

THURSDAY
Lunch- ABC Sandwiches (Avacado, Bacon, Cheese grilled cheese)
Dinner- Crockpot Cowboy Stew, toasty bread

FRIDAY
Lunch- Giant Salad
Dinner- Homemade Pizza

SATURDAY
Lunch- Cheesy chicken & Biscuits (some form of this)
Dinner- Sandwiches

SUNDAY
Lunch- Crockpot Ribs, Potatoes, Carrots
Dinner- Open-faced sandwich melts

For more ideas check out www.orgjunk.com

It's Crossed My Mind Lately

Healthy people aren't necessarily beautiful people.
Beautiful people aren't necessarily healthy.
Skinny people aren't necessarily beautiful.


Sometimes it's better to be lonely when you're all alone
than to be lonely in a crowd;
and even harder to be lonely in a crowd of people you know.


Why do I get so excited when I have lotsa new emails
in my "inbox" when I KNOW that 3/4 of them are ads,
frugal newsletters or ebills?



I guess it's a good thing that saving money has become
a game - a sport of sorts.



If a child is made to clean a toilet as punishment but gets
in trouble often, is it still considered "punishment" since
the toilet stays so clean?

Why did God...?

A conversation during science with our 9 yr. old as she
was studying the solar system...

Zoe: "Why did God make all these planets if no one is living
on them, anyway?"

Mom: "God's so much bigger than we are,
so we can't possibly understand everything. I don't
know why."

Zoe: "I'll tell you why! Just to create MORE WORK for
us, that's why!"

LOL

One at a Time, Please

Multi-tasking is frying my brain.

I do too much of it, too often.

Of course, Moms (and everyone, really) are often
required to do several things at once...
but I don't HAVE to choose to add MORE to
that list.

Today I will pay close attention to what I'm doing.

Today I will not be doing two things and then
be thinking about several other things all while
my 4 yr. old is telling me all about the new
city he's just set up for his cars.

Today when I'm cooking a meal & listening to my
daughter read Pippi Longstocking I will not
check my phone for Twitter updates or flip
through my organizer to see what tomorrow's
dinner will be.

Today when my kids sit down for a snack, I will
sit down with them, listen, laugh and soak
up the moment.

Today I will decide where my attention goes.
No one and nothing will suck it away from me.

Menu Plan Monday, Oct. 12th, 2009

Returning to the old for something new...
I've not been please lately with our grocery bill.
It's been over budget, we we haven't had the same
quantity we normally have.

So, instead of JUST shopping at ALDI, I'm going
to venture back to Meijer (a giant department & grocery
store). I'm not a fan of it, but will try it again.
Plus, it's a 20 minute or more drive further than Aldi.
BUT....

Coupons are clipped.
Ad was carefully studied.
Menu planned.
So, my grocery shoppin' buddy, Zoe (youngest daughter)
and I will be heading out to the mega store and attempt
to do what needs to be done in a short amount of time.


MONDAY
Lunch- BIG Salad, toasted bread & cheese
Dinner- Lasagna (w/hm made w.wheat noodles)

TUESDAY
Lunch- Sausage, Onions, Peppers & Broccoli over Rice
Dinner- Hm Made Chicken Noodle soup

WEDNESDAY
Lunch- Tortilla Pie
Dinner- Sandwiches, Carrots

THURSDAY
Lunch- Boiled Eggs, Bacon, Iceburg w/Thousand Island
Dinner- Steak Fajitas, Rice

FRIDAY
Lunch- Butternut Squash Risotto Soup
Dinner- Pizza (homemade)

SATURDAY
Lunch- StoveTop Grilled Chicken, Gr. Beans
Dinner- Sansiches

SUNDAY
Lunch- Roast, Potatoes, Carrots
Dinner- Ramon Noodles & Veggies

For more ideas check out www.orgjunkie.com

Will you just...

"Mommy... I want a cuppie."
"Mommy... can I have a snack."
"I'm hungry."
"Can I go outside?"

Wait, Baby. Hang on. I'm taking care of you.


"Hey Mama, You're pweety."
"You're nice, Mommy."
"Wow, you're so cool, Mommy."

Thank you, Baby. But will you please
just be really quiet and listen to me for a minute?"

___________________________________

"Jesus.... I need this situation taken care of."
"Lord, please help me figure this out."
"Jesus, can you please do this for me?"

"Wait, Child. I'm taking care of you."

"Lord, of course You are. You're so great."
"Jesus, I love you & you're so awesome and cool."
"Wow, Lord, you do the most amazing things."

"Thank you, Child, but will you please just
be still and listen to me?"


Ps. 46:10

Menu Plan Monday, Oct. 5th, 2009

Wow!
I love the fall... and the beginning of SOUP season,
weather that's suitable to backing and wearing
snuggly clothes! My menus don't really reflect
much of this cuz it' s a busy week. My Mom is
here from Colorado & we've got places to go &
people to see! :)


Monday
Lunch- Homemade Mac & Cheese, broccoli
Dinner - pizza (probably gunna buy it)

Tuesday
Lunch- Enchiladas, Rice, Peaches (or possibly
a picnic by Lake Erie)
Dinner- yet to be decided

Wednesday
Lunch- Cream of Broccoli Potato Soup (crockpot)
Sausages, apples
Dinner- Homemade "Lunchables"

Thursday
Lunch- Pink Celebration (my Mom's a cancer survivor)
Creamy Pink Pasta (use food coloring) & veggies
Pink Jello Salad
Dinner- Crockpot Chicken & Biscuits

Friday
Lunch- Warm (turkey) Ham & Cheese Sandwiches
Veggie Salad
Dinner- Pizza Pockets

Saturday
Lunch- Mozzarella Tomato Broccoli Crepes
(inspired by the yummy food at Paris Crepe's in Detroit)
Dinner- Hot Dogs

Sunday
Lunch- Crockpot Spaghetti & Meatballs, Salad
Dinner- Biscuit Cups

Several of you inquired about the "Biscuit Cups."
I saw a pic of them in a magazine or website,
but can't remember where. But here it is...

A batch of biscuits, pinched into round balls
and spread over the bottom of a muffin tin.
Bake approx. 10 minutes.

















Fill each cup with scrambled eggs and
bake until cooked through. Add cheese
the last 5 minutes!

















Biscuit Cups were a big hit with the WHOLE family...
and that's sayin' something!
(I wanna try'um fill them next time with pie filling and
other yummy sweet treats!)


For more ideas go to Organizing Junkie.

I'm expecting...

HA!

I am NOT expecting a BABY...

But I've been thinking about what I DO expect...
from people.

Sometimes I expect too much.
The kinda thing where I'm thinking they're do
this & that and when they don't
I'm disappointed & frustrated.
(I forgot to give them the "script" of our friendship...
how dare they not be able to read my mind.)

Sometimes I expect too little.
The kinda thing were I just figure the other person
is probably gunna take the easy way, the wrong way,
and let me down. So I put up my defenses and hold
them at a distance so it won't hurt when they, of course,
let me down.

Both kinds are WRONG!

My love for Jesus should fill me with kindness & compassion
so that I'm understanding & considerate. (Colossians 3:12-14)

His love should give me courage to look for the best in others
and learn to "hope for all things" good. (1 Corinthians 13:7)

My expectations are changing.
I'm expecting myself to expect the BEST & LOOK for it..