Now, there are three alarm clocks in our home – one in each of the children’s rooms. And they are sounding NOW. For the first mandatory git-yer-butt-outta-bed-and-start-the-day day ever. I have VERY mixed emotions about this. And not only revolving around my sincere appreciation of the morning’s quiet as children slowly rise with their own little body clocks. But that’s another post, should I ever blog again.

So, for now, in contribution to Organization Junkie’s  Menu Plan Monday, I will super quickly jot down what we’re eating (isn’t this weird to some degree) this week and skedaddle. Because I don’t want my children to remember my face in a screen. I want them to remember my face smiling back at them.

MONDAY  (Students to see, baseball training, friends to hang with)

B- oatmeal and peaches

L- Quickie Cheese pizzas

D – Hearty Tuna Casserole

TUESDAY  (Cake Decorating, SOBs)

B-Blueberry Flop

L – grilled cheese toast, fruit

D - adobo chicken, rice, salad

WEDNESDAY (4-H meeting here)

B – cereal (and a Movie – Beauty and the Beast where we’ll learn more about vanity!)

L – spinach quiche

D – BBQ, Slaw, rolls

THURSDAY (piano lessons here)

B – eggs in toast

L – sandwiches

D – chili, salad, rolls

FRIDAY

B – grits, toast

L – pasta and kale salad

D – Pizza!

SATURDAY

B – biscuits and ham

L – leftovers

D – grilled venison, salad, some starch

SUNDAY

B/L – Brunch TBD

D – venison stew and yeast rolls

Had I known the “tour” was self-guided, I would have ignored the “no preschoolers” false rule and gone through WITH my children. I wanted to see the Rembrandts, too. But no – my four kids were walked into the exhibit and left. When I realized the tour was self-guided and I saw both “chaperones” walk out with only their own kids, I just walked in through the exit and got my kids. Oh. I am hot about it.

I won’t even go into the money issue – how it was all, unopened and random cash falling out. I’ll stop. That’s all I have to say now because we have a big day including our class at the Ackland this afternoon.  And we had a great time all afternoon at a science museum with my sister. ALL AFTERNOON including driving home in a driving rain which was totally worth it.

We took our time building this home. The land was purchased in 1999. The grading began in 2000. And, if I recall correctly, we may have had a basement somewhere in 2001. We received the Certificate of Occupancy on November 20, 2005. Yeah. We took our time.
There were times I wondered what on earth were we doing. Could we take this any longer? There were times I did not think we could. It was not easy. But it also wasn’t hard.

One of the many benefits of taking our time to build a home is that once I placed things where I wanted them, they’ve pretty much stayed. The toaster lives in the same place. The plates and glasses live in the same place… all where I visualized and thought through where they should be and why.

One of the few downsides of taking our time to build a home is that once we got to the point of getting that CO, we were done. D.O.N.E. Done. My Husband stained every piece of wood in the house minus the floors and treads of the stairs – he even stained the railings and risers. To give you a sense of how much stained hard wood is in the house… we have NO painted wood in here minus two of the five bathroom vanities. That’s it. Every outward corner has corner trim, all woods are hardwood minus three of the bedrooms and the playroom (and we wish those were hardwoods now), and all the window trim, cabinetry, shelving, etc is stained. My Man spent countless hours outside of the basement door spraying, sanding, spraying, sanding, etc… hours. So, when it came to extras like bathroom shelves, laundry cabinets, and broom closets, we just left those to sit in the basement. Until recently.

Last Spring my Husband finished the laundry cabinet and countertop with the help a supercool handyman we know. And then the week between Christmas and New Year’s… he finished the kids’ bathroom shelves and hung them, the upstairs bath vanity and set it, and…drumroll, please… the broom closet!

the beautiful broom closet

Here’s to my re-joining Organization Junkie’s Menu Plan Monday!

So this morning we are having a blueberry bread that I started last night and finished this morning. It’s in the oven now. The kids are sleeping awfully late. Must be the dreary skies. In order to make this blueberry bread, I had to open the next-to-last quart of blueberries we picked and canned in early August. So.Sad. I only used about 1/2 cup, though. I must make them last!

Now remember, the following are all dinners…

Monday – Venison, Kale, and Barley Stew

Tuesday – baked ziti, salad (I get to enjoy SOBs with my Husband!)

Wednesday – Garlic – Rosemary Chicken in the crockpot – because we’re going to see REMBRANDT!

Thursday – Gumbo  (but I do alter this recipe a tad and include chicken and shrimp and use wild rice) in the crockpot – because I will be exhausted from Wednesday. And it will be cold. And we have piano. I really think ahead. Yay me!

Friday – Homemade pizza

Saturday - some form of venison on the grill, I hope!

Sunday – pintos and cornbread with baked cabbage and kale.

And that’s all I have. Sorry for no more links than I have. Many of this week’s recipes are ones I have in my head. For example, the venison and kale stew. It’s this hard…

Boil down the deer shoulder slowly through the day until the meat falls off the bone. Give the bone to the dog after it cools. Add a cup of beef broth to make it a wee bit richer, and add some chopped onions, carrots, and celery. Let those cook until tender. Add the kale and let it cook for a bit. Then about 20 minutes or so before you want to eat, add the barley. Serve with rolls. See, not difficult.

Now, two kids are awake and I am going to begin serving brekfast as before-breakfast chores are completed. I hope the week has greeted you well and that you’ll visit again this week.

If I were a gynecologist, I’d look at the woman who comes in saying her husband wants too much sex and I’d say to her, “You want too little sex. Now decide to be a wife and I’ll tell you how I can help you have great sex.”

If I were a gynecologist, I’d look at the woman who comes in saying she wants to lose weight and I’d say to her, “Quit eating crap, quit being sedentary, and have more sex.”

If I were a gynecologist, I’d look at the woman who comes in saying she is depressed and I’d say to her, ” Go outside even when it’s cold, do more of what you like, quit eating crap, move around more, have more sex, and enjoy it.”

If I were a gynecologist, I’d look at the woman who comes in saying she wants to avoid menopause and I’d say to her, “Live your life. A woman’s life includes menopause. Take this moment in your life to be outside during the hot flashes, do more of what you like, quit eating crap, get your body moving, have great, fun sex, and be happy and grateful you are a gift made for your husband. Here’s how I can help.”

(All of this incredible insight and medical training I gleaned whilst sitting in a gray office donning a gown, blanket and socks while staring at posters about menopause, sexually transmitted infections, and osteoporosis. It is my not-made-for-TV opinion that all three of the posters’ concerns can be avoided with my sound advice. You are welcome.)

Now that little detail is out of the way, back onto life.

Some time back, perhaps last February or so, I posted a silly post about 12 New Things. (I am posting from my mobile or else I’d link to it. Why don’t you search for it?) The basic concept is that I set in advance twelve things I want to learn in a year, one each month. Well, that’s too much pressure and requires too much management than I can commit at this point.

But I did think of another way I can more casually set some goals. I’m gonna just aim for a few things and keep a running list and as I accomplish those, I’ll add a new thing. So, for starters…

While it’s so cold here, I want to learn intarsia knitting, Tunisian crochet, and how to make a consistent loaf of bread. So there. And if any of you, dear Readers, can help me with any of that, please speak up. I need all the help I can get. I’ve lost my mojo…

Crossing my Ts across two counties.

I knitted this FOR ME. Not for anyone else. I LOVE this.

It is a knitted neck scarf that was long ago posted on marthastewart.com and just recently featured here on Amy Karol’s angry chicken blog.

It was quick to knit on size 8 needles with a muted lavender heather “classic superwash chunky” wool by ella rae that I picked up when at The Twisted Knitter before Christmas.

While at The Twisted Knitter, my youngest son who was buying a gift for my eldest daughter (they draw names for sibling gifts), chose the very same yarn in a soft aqua. Should I kidnap that yarn before she winds it? Hmmmm…

After a drab Christmas – I *despise* the shopping and greed of Christmas – and a struggling several days due to the late nights and emotional strain that have exacerbated this stoopid mono (I am *expletive* sick of mono) this lovely little scarf was exactly what I needed. Knitted in 15-20 minute chunks of time over two days, I was able to at least push the sore throat and swollen joints and nausea to the background.

I just LOVE this little scarf. And maybe. Just maybe. It’s helped me get my blog groove back on…

For now I want to just say, “Merry Christmas.”

I really enjoy all that is Advent and all that is celebrating Jesus Christ’s birthday. I hate shopping. Even for groceries. So This gluttonous and covetous season wears on me. I’m the “give a kid a stick and a piece of yarn and she’ll be happy” person…

No less, the time is always special once it’s finally allowed to move forward. And I am so very grateful for the ability provided us by my Husband to provide the extras this time of year. Very grateful.

So, sweet readers… Thank you. And Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah. God Bless.

OK, OK. I’ll play the right way. I don’t want to, but I will. So here is our week’s menu in coordination with Orgjunkie.com ‘s Menu Plan Monday. With some interesting links and one photo. That’s a good thing, right?

But before I post the menu…

My Husband took a deer a few weeks ago and it has been a real treat to enjoy. We processed it all in our kitchen and are cool aging the meat on our own. We ground a little, but are mostly enjoying it on the bone. We’re even tanning the hide on our own (with the fur). The dog is enjoying the bones after we have eaten the meat and then saved the bone and used it in stock. Oh, my. I really feel like we are making the most of this buck and what he gave.
Yes, I did say my Husband “took” the deer. I use this term because to say he “shot” it is a no brainer and somewhat, in my opinion, barbaric. We TOOK this deer from its family, from its environment, from its contribution. I don’t have any guilt at all. But I do have reverence to what the buck has offered us. There’s a difference. And it’s very important to us that we use as much of it as we can. We even gave what we would not use, minus a few organs, to the dog and cat.

So the first thing we enjoyed from this buck was some hamburger. No, no photos. We mixed it in with 80/20 ground beef for fat atabout 2 pounds of venison to 1 pound of beef. These were DELICIOUS. DELICIOUS. DELICIOUS. And the kids enjoyed them, too. The only odd part to me was the color. They were nearly purple. But, oh, my. SO good.

Then we cooked a “ham” although we had left the shank and the ham together on the bone so the grilled meat on our table was really leg o’ deer. And it looked like a leg of a deer. We used this marinade and rub recipe. Roy was over for this feast and wow. It was SOOO good. I think so, anyways. And it was pretty well eaten by all so I think it’s safe to say this is a good recipe.
A couple of days later I made venison and barley soup using what was left of the leg o’ deer. Here is what I did:

chopped up the standard celery, carrots, onion and cooked them down in a bit of olive oil

added 4 cups of vegetable broth made from my sister’s secret AND then 4 more cups of water

then I stuck one of the two leg bones down in all of it and let it all simmer for about an hour

Then I added the leftover venison and let it simmer for about 30 minutes

then the barley and let it simmer for about another 30 minutes.

OH.MY. Good. So stinkin’ good. I could barely stand it. And yesterday I made beef and barley with steak strips from the bent meat shelf and the other deer leg bone. SO GOOD.

OH! And what did I do with the leg bones when they were removed from the soup and cooled? Gave them to the dog. Good boy, he is!

So, that’s my story. Tonight (or Wednesday, can’t decide) we’ll enjoy the grilled loin of the buck. It’s supposed to be the finest piece of meat onthe deer. It’s been marinating since yesterday morning. And it’s still on the bone, too, so we’ll have more good stock to enjoy after. And in about another week, the rest of the deer will be finished cold aging so we’ll start to pack it for freezing. And I really do hope my Husband or my son are provided the gift of taking another deer this season. What a bounty!

And, so random, but after all the animal talk… I wanted to make oatmeal scotchies for my Husband last night as it’s one of his favorites. However, we were out of eggs. We go through about 5 – 6 dozen eggs a week in the cold months. Only slightly fewer in the warm months. One day our chicken house will be finished and we’ll just walk outside to get them. In the meantime, though, I was not going out in the cold. So I made those cookies anyways. The cookies already have baking powder as a leavener and then don’t need a binder with all that butter. And they were the best batch of oatmeal scotchies EVER in my opinion.

MONDAY

breakfast – cold cereal

lunch – mac and cheese

dinner – venison loin

TUESDAY

breakfast – cinnamon loaf

lunch – veggie wrap

dinner – cheesy chicken chili

WEDNESDAY

breakfast – hashbrowns and eggs

lunch – ham and cheese bites

dinner – baked penne

THURSDAY

breakfast – sweet millet

lunch – crab macaroni salad

dinner – kidney bean lasagna

FRIDAY

breakfast – homemade poptarts

lunch – kale and rice salad

dinner – homemade pizza

SATURDAY

breakfast – ham biscuits

lunch – venison and vegetable soup and grilled cheese

dinner – spaghetti and meatballs

SUNDAY

breakfast – Daddy’s Breakfast

lunch – leftovers

dinner – chicken florentine