Living On a Raft!

I live kinda close to lots of places, but not close enough to any place to stop and pick up a quart of milk, go get takeout, or buy something on a whim. It takes at least thirty minutes for a whim. Shopping requires planning. The up side is we save money not going out to eat. Getting pizza at Papa Murphy's in Colville is a treat. Coffee drinks are few and far between.

The down side is when I do my "big shopping trips" I feel the urge to stockpile enough supplies and food for six months. I buy tomato sauce like it will never be on sale again. Yes, when olives are marked down it is a good deal, but how many cans do we need? Don't even get me started on what I think I have to bring home on my infrequent trips to Costco in Spokane.

I think part of it stems from being raised by my "depression baby, Bargain Betty, coupon cutting" mother. I used to find joy and rearranging the canned goods in our basement pantry. I still like that feeling when the shelves are stocked, the paper products are organized, and I have enough Campbell's soup for three years.

Then it gets out of control. There are too many bags of chocolate chips I didn't use for Christmas baking. Why did I buy maraschino cherries? How can we use the extra oatmeal? My friend SueDean introduced me to the term "living on a raft". That is what her sister calls it when they work to use everything  up. SueDean has a husband that loves to stockpile food also. She has also participated in the "living on a raft" project.

My goal is to live on the raft until the shelves are down, the freezer is ready to defrost, and the lazy susan in the cupboard can turn again. We will buy fresh food and staples, but that is it. So far we have had healthy meals using up canned beans, ground deer meat, frozen chickens, tuna, whole wheat flour (the breadmaker came out), and pasta. It will get interesting in a few weeks when I will be creating meals from canned tomatoes, water chestnuts, frozen berries, rice, dates, sliced almonds, mandarin oranges, maraschino cherries, and sesame seeds!

I feel blessed to have an abundance of food. I feel secure having shelves of canned goods. I share that abundance at food drives and local food banks. I just don't always need to stock up for the next year, even if the sign by the mayo says buy five get two free.

If I create any divine recipes with the combination of food I have left I will be sure to post them!

Another Sign of Spring

Spring is just around the corner.

The End of the Rainbow

As I got ready to sit down to dinner on St. Patrick's Day how fitting it was to look out the window and see a brilliant rainbow over Lake Roosevelt. I had to do some decision-making. If I jogged down the hill, jumped into Lake Roosevelt and swam to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow would it still be there? Would I survive the journey? Was it worth it?
After pondering these difficult questions I captured the image then sat down to eat dinner. I left the pot of gold intact for another treasure hunter.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Sibling Assignment #124: Happiness: Capturing Ordinary Moments on Film

I am continuing with the Happiness theme with Sibling Assignment #124 this week. I will link my siblings' posts soon. I finished reading The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin last night. Her book inspired me to once again examine happiness this week with this post. Here is the assignment:

Read "Happiness" by Jane Kenyon and share your thoughts about where happiness comes from for you in a poem, essay, or reflection. Due Sunday, March 14th. You can find Happiness by Jane Kenyon here.

This poem has always resonated with me. I don't know exactly when she put the words to paper. It was published after her battle with cancer and her death. She reminded me that is isn't necessary to save your finest garment for a special occasion. Keeping the fine china in the cupboard for a holiday is unnecessary. Make the occasion breakfast today. Rubin calls this " spending out" in her book. How many times have you heard somebody say "I am saving it for a special occasion"? Thursday chicken dinner was when we decided to sample the gourmet sauce that was given to us at Christmas. Happiness creeps into the room and sits on your shoulder when you eat meatloaf off of fine china. Taking the afghan that my grandmother crocheted and placing in on the chair made me smile much more than thinking about it in the hope chest. Sometimes now I actually burn scented candles!

 In the poem I am also drawn to the ordinary images of happiness. The woman with the birch broom, dog chewing on a sock, and the clerk stacking cans of carrots. My not-so-fancy Canon point and shoot digital camera has given me a means of capturing those moments in my life. It made me open my eyes and notice. The morning walks in the garden began with a desire to practice with my camera. Our ten-mile road trips started as a way to explore new places in "our own backyard" and capture the images on film. When JEJ came in to announce the first crocus was in bloom yesterday he knew I would want to snap a picture. I found happiness in that picture. When I caught a series of silly shots of Isabelle our cat on the dryer that made me happy. Seeing the first buds on the rose bushes makes me smile. Seeing them on my computer screen later larger than life filled me with happiness. These are simple pleasures that work for me.

I feel happiness thumbing through my photos and remembering the day I stacked the clay pots in the greenhouse, put the Rolling Rock beer bottle on the roof of the truck, or put a small bouquet of spring flowers in JEJ"s hands so he could "pose" for me. I can remember the exact moment my mom put on my "Russian Woman" hat while talking on the phone at Christmas. I have a picture as an added memory.

I gave my mom a digital photo frame for Christmas. One of the happiest days I spent in December was clicking through albums of pictures choosing the best ones for her first collection. I sat later in the chair in her living room and enjoyed the vivid colors of a summer bouquet, Kit hanging upside down in the tree, and a weathered picnic table at Lake Chelan. I was filled with happiness. I was difficult to choose a series of images for this post today, but here is a start. Trying looking around today and noticing small things that make you smile. Keep the image in your memory. Fill your heart with happiness.

Pumpkins at Yoke's in Kellogg.

 

winter sunset

 

JEJ's footprints on the trail

 

Grandma's afghan enjoyed by Isabelle.

 

Mom searching in the frig for something!

 lilac and blue

" It is by studying little things that we attain the great art of having as little misery, and as much happiness as possible"   -Samuel Johnson

A New Twist on Mac and Cheese and a Keeper from the Recipe Box

My traditional macaroni and cheese recipe has always been the tried and true Pioneer Macaroni and Cheese from the original Betty Crocker cookbook. It is usually a Friday night comfort food dinner at our house. Today I mixed things up in two ways. We had our favorite comfort food on Saturday and I tried a new recipe. I found it at Recipezaar, but it originally came from Paula  Deen's cooking show.  We decided we liked it even better than the traditional recipe! It is more filling with the eggs added and I mixed up the cheese, using a small bit of jack cheese also.  Here is the recipe: 

The Lady's Macaroni and Cheese  
SERVES 6 -8

• 4 cups elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
• 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Once you have the macaroni cooked and drained, place in a large bowl and while still hot and add the cheddar.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add to the macaroni mixture.
4. Pour macaroni mixture into a casserole dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes.
5. Top with additional cheese if desired, and bake a few minutes more until cheese is melted.

March 13, 2010: First Bloom of the Year!

Finally!