Opinions are like anuses. We all have them, and they all stink. This is where I give my odiferous opinions. You're welcome to comment, but if I don't like your opinion or you're not on topic, you're gone.
The week before Christmas, my DH Randy became deathly ill. What started out as a cold-like flu morphed horribly into a very bad case of pneumonia, though I didn't know it at the time. When Randy asked to see a doctor, I knew then he was very sick. I took him to Solantic and they called an ambulance!
I had minutes to make the necessary phone calls, grab up our roomie, and drive to the hospital. I knew better than to break speed laws, much as I wanted to. While at the house picking up our roomie, I also quickly packed a few necessities for my husband's comfort. Then, I remembered one thing I'd need-- my Control Journal.
In my Control Journal was many of the things that kept me organized and --as the name implied-- in control. While our roomie drove us to the hospital, I updated the journal and made a few notes to myself as to who to call. The emergency section wasn't as filled out as I'd like, but you live and learn. That minor problem has been corrected.
As my husband was transferred from the ER of one hospital to a bed in another hospital and finally the ICU, my Control Journal and my FlyLady routines kept me from chaos both at home and while sitting at my DH's side. Now my DH is recovering, yet my house is clean and my sink is shiny.
I highly recommend the Control Journals. There's one for almost everyone and every need-- the housewife, the student, the teacher, the working woman, the financial problems, losing weight (called Body Clutter), and even one just for keeping control during the holidays.
www.flylady.net/images/OCJ.pdf is my personal control journal choice because I work at home, but if you Google "FlyLady Control Journal" you'll find a nice selection. You can also go to http://www.flylady.net/ to see and learn how to finally love yourself (FLY) and gain control over CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome.) You'll be glad you did.
Well, it's time for the writing challenge I like: A Round of Words in 80 Days. You set your own reasonable goal, and for 80 days you do your best without obsessing or being unable to function for your home and family. The link below provides more info. I especially like the part where I just post my goal-setting and reports in my own blog. Not only will I have the factor of reporting to the ROW participants, but my blog also connects with my Facebook Notes. Therefore, I'll be accountable to all my fans. Yeah, I know how to make myself responsible, don't I? LOL!
In this day and age, a penny saved is worth doing. This recipe came from FlyLady.net, and I give FlyLady full credit for this wonderful recipe. If you are disorganized, cluttered, and stressed trying to do it all, then FlyLady.net is for you. Everyone praises me for being so "together" and I again credit FlyLady's system. So, here's FlyLady's recipe for saving yourself that daily cost of a mocha coffee:
Making your own Café Mocha does several things.
1. Saves Money
2. Saves Time
3. Saves the Environment when you use your own travel mug.
4. Warms you up on a cold day
5. Best of all; You feel loved
That is five good reasons for a cup of something warm and wonderful.
Here is my recipe.
Café Mocha
You will need a:
box of good powdered milk,
a jar (8 oz) of instant coffee (decaf or regular)
Nestles Quik chocolate milk powder.
I take the jar of coffee and pour it into a mixing bowl. Then I use it as the measuring cup, because this is a proportional recipe and the jar is the guide. Then I add two jars of the chocolate milk powder (16 oz) and three jars of powdered milk (24 oz). Stir with a spoon. If you use a less expensive/coarser powdered milk, you can put all of it into a food processor or blender and mix it better. I have even used the Hazelnut instant coffee and it is great too.
To Use: Scoop out 1/4 of a cup for each mug (mix with 1 cup of hot water) you make.
I keep the Mocha Mix in a glass canister with the 1/4 cup scoop in it. It also makes a great Holiday Gift! I did purchase some really fancy chocolate milk mix once and it didn't taste as well Nestles. LOL
This is a great no cook recipe for a gift! Put in a glass jar with a pretty mug lined with plastic wrap, add directions, a measuring spoon and a bow and you have a nice little gift.
We have a great mug that keeps your café mocha hot. You know how we
forget to drink it after we make it. You don't have to travel to use a
travel mug to keep your mocha hot. It is good for those of us who get
Lena here. I keep a box of dry milk powder around. It's amazing how you can stretch an expensive gallon of milk into two gallons by making up a gallon of dry, then mixing the two. You cut the fat and carbs as well! The nice part is, I can cook with the milk I make with the dry powder in emergencies.
Leftover gravy, heated
Leftover turkey, chopped
Leftover stuffing/dressing (whatever you call it at your house)
Leftover mashed potatoes
Leftover veggies
Leftover cranberries
Preheat 375 degrees.
In an 8 to 9 inch pie pan, press the leftover stuffing into a bottom to make a pie shell of sorts. Next, make a layer of potatoes, then veggies. Add the chopped turkey to the heated gravy and mix well. Pour that turkey mixture into the middle of your pie and put it in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or so until completely heated through. Serve with leftover cranberries.
Note from Lena: Yeah, yeah! I know, you're not sure this will taste good. Trust me. The dressing/stuffing makes a fantastic crusty pie shell. In fact, you may want to make this in a casserole dish. The guys were disappointed there was "so little."
Doing these five things ahead will save you time, stress, and money. Do it now, and write them down. If you don't have the FlyLady Holiday Control Journal, go get one. http://www.flylady.net Search "Control Journal" and you'll find it.
1) Guest List. Pretty basic, but seriously, make your list; check it twice and start making those all-important phone calls. Knowing how many to plan for is an integral part of successful holiday planning.
2) The Menu. What are you having besides turkey? Make your menu and appropriate grocery list and get everything purchased except the perishables (do that a few days before). If you have stuff that might get mistakenly eaten before the big day, put it in a box and stash it in the linen closet or label it instructing your loved ones to stay far, far away from this Thanksgiving food item.
3) The Turkey. If you're going to order a fresh one, time's running out. Make that phone call now. Make sure you get a confirmation number (put the confirmation number on your calendar or checklist). If you're buying frozen go ahead and purchase it now, double bag it and stick in the fridge to start thawing.
4) Serving Pieces. Do you have everything you need? Platters, serving utensils, extra plates, napkins, etc.? Pull them out and set them aside; that's one less thing you'll need to do. If you don't have what you need, buy them or make phone calls to borrow and pick them up as soon as possible.
5) Linen Check. Pull out your tablecloth and napkins. Are they clean, are they pressed? If not, wash and iron them now then hang them up on hangers and put them in your hall closet (or wherever you can hang them). Doing them the night before or the day of will exhaust you! There's way too much to do on those two days.
Remember that holidays are for everyone, INCLUDING the cook! Don't forget to ask for help, allow others to bring some of their favorite dishes and on cooking day, make time to stop, put your feet up and be very thankful for the faces that will be sitting around your Thanksgiving table. Enjoy yourself this year!
As some who know me may remember, I'm a big one for organization. Years ago, I found a place where women like myself can share organizing tips and tricks--FlyLady.com. This came across my email this morning from FlyLady:
Note: I added a few comments.
11 Points of Preparedness in Case of Evacuation
flylady, 5/2/2010 8:23 pm
11 Points of Preparedness in case of Evacuation
Dear Friends,
With all the flooding in Tennessee and tornado season upon us, are you prepared to evacuate?
Here it is that time of year again when we are faced with the threat of Evacuation from our homes. We never know when we this could happen because of fire, tornadoes, storms, floods or hurricanes.
It is up to us to be prepared! Don't wait think this can't happen to you. We have seen power outages from ice storms and raging fires down under. Please take this plan and pull it together to help keep you calm in a storm.
1. PEOPLE: Have a plan for getting out of the house and make sure everyone knows it. Have an emergency bag of food and water for your family. Include wholesome snacks and treats for the children: dried fruit, nuts, peanut butter, crackers, and granola bars.
2. PETS: Keep pet carriers and leashes readily available to lead pets to safety. Also, take pet food with you.
3. PICTURES: Keep negatives or CDs of pictures in a lock box or at a family member's home. Have picture albums in one place ready to grab and go at a moments notice. If you have time, scan the most precious and upload to a trusted picture site like Photobucket or Flickr. These online storage methods will ensure you don't even have to carry CD's.
4. PAPERS: Have all your important papers in a lock box at a bank and only keep copies at the house. This keeps you from panicking. If you have them at home then put them in a folder that you can easily grab if you have to move fast. Color-code it so you can find it! Again, online storage can help here too. Scan these items and email them to yourself. If you use Yahoo or Gmail, you can store these emails in folders online.
5. PRESCRIPTIONS: Take your medications with you. Don't forget the ones that have to be refrigerated like insulin. Have small ice chest and cold packs readily accessible to pack and go. If you have babies, remember their formula or medications.
6. PURSES and PETROL: This is where you keep your identification, credit cards, and cash. Keep a stash of cash for emergencies and grab it. You may not be able to use an ATM in the event of a power outage. Make sure your car always has a half a tank of gas.
7. PROPER CLOTHES and COMFORT ITEMS: According to the weather conditions; gather up a change of clothes along with outer clothing: coats, rain gear, boots, gloves and hats. If you have babies remember diapers. Remember to grab your children's favorite blanket, stuffed animal, or toy. A game or a deck of cards could keep them occupied and calm too.
8. PLANNER/CALENDAR/CONTROL JOURNAL: These documents have all the information you will need from phone numbers, insurance numbers, and important dates. They are small and filled with things you don't have to try to remember.
9. PERSONAL PROTECTION: Many of us still have that time of the month. Be sure and grab a box of your preferred protection. It may be hard to find if you have been evacuated. Stress can cause our bodies to do strange things too. So be prepared. Take medication for cramps too.
10. PHONES, RADIOS, FUEL FOR THE CAR: Many of us have cell phones now. Always keep them charged up and have a charger in the car or an extra battery. They may not work in the event of power outages, but then they might. Know which local radio station has emergency bulletins. Keep your battery-powered radio tuned to that local station and have plenty of batteries for it. Also keep a old type regular phone that does not operate with electricity. GAS PUMPS don't work without power either. You can't leave if your car is on empty. So, keep your car fuel tank topped off when it hits a half of tank. This way you will have gas to drive at least a couple of hours. Evacuation routes are usually bumper-to-bumper traffic. Having a tank filled will keep you less stressed.
11. PATIENCE: This is one of the most important things to pack. Keep it inside of you so that you have a clear calm head. Having your P's to Preparedness list guiding you will keep you patient. In the event of an evacuation there will be lots of displaced people. Being patient will make things less stressful. Your children need to see you calm and collected. This will help keep them calm too.
We can FLY in the face of Danger and Emergency if we are prepared. Don't wait till you are being asked to evacuate. Everyone thinks that it could not happen to them. Well it could and it is up to you to make sure you are prepared.
I don't know about my non-US friends, but here in the US Thanksgiving is a huge feast usually spent with friends and family. Today, my daughter Susan and I went to the NAS Jax base commissary and spent $40 more than usual just for this one day's feast. This isn't including other purchases made here and there as I found a good deal, such as the jars of mincemeat found this past summer.
This year, Susan and I wised up and sorted the food reserved for the feast into paper grocery bags and put the traditional recipes with the non-perishable foodstuffs. We also took the time to measure out a few ingredients into zip-topped bags labeled with the recipe they belong to, such as the coconut, brown sugar, etc for the Praline Yams are now all ready in one zip-topped bag awaiting the day I assemble the dish. Same goes for the salt, sugar, and spices for the brine of the turkey. All labeled and ready for the day when all four of us pile into my tiny "two butt" kitchen and try to be helpful. LOL!
Four brown paper bags now sit in a line out in the Florida room-- Entree and stuffing, Sides, Desserts, Bread/Appetizers/Beverages. On the 21st, we'll pull out the ingredients to make the Cranberry Sauce and begin polishing the silver.
Hmm. Maybe I'd better schedule myself a manicure for the 25th. LOL!
Thanks for popping by! Don't sit on the whipping horse unless you want to find out how it's used. I speak my mind and annoy many people, but all of it is meant in good spirit. Feel free to argue with me. I like it.
