Sundays

I'm thankful for Sundays. Sipping coffee, eating a bagel and watching CBS Sunday Morning, taking a long walk in the open space with husband, daughter and dog. Having family dinner with my dad and stepmom. Taking it easy and just being.

A rant

In the interest of getting my grocery budget under control, I've been clipping coupons.

I honestly don't get how people make such a killing on this. I've read the coupon websites. I've read stories of how someone will go shopping and buy a cart full of groceries for $1.62. I've diligently clipped coupons for months now. I go to the store, clutching my list, coupons, pen, reading glasses, make my way through the aisles, dropping each of these things at least three times as I foray through the aisles.

On my last trip, I arrived at the checkout stand, cart loaded, sweating like a dock worker, and . . . HORRORS! . . . I couldn't find my coupons! I was beside myself. I ravaged through my purse to no avail. I dug through my groceries as the teenage clerk is pulling them out of my cart. After checking out, to the tune of $242.16, I begged him to watch my cart, I was goin' back in to find those coupons. I prayed to St. Anthony, patron saint of lost things, as I headed up and down the aisles, and sure enough there they were, neatly stacked and held together with my red bright red paperclip, right smack in the middle of the pasta aisle, where they had no doubt fallen through the metal rungs of my cart. I grabbed them off the floor and took my overflowing cart to the Customer Service desk, wiping the sweat from my brow. The clerk gladly took my coupons, rung them up and handed me my $6.25.

I figure with the time spent clipping, shuffling and searching the store, I made about 27 cents an hour. I give up. It's just not worth it.

Today, I am thankful that clipping coupons is not a necessity. I realize that for many people it's an option that can save them lots of money. More power to them!

A bit of earth

Where I sit at my desk, tapping away on the computer, there's a nice a big window where I can see a little grove of aspen trees, some ours and some that belong to our neighbors. They've shed most of their leaves, but there are a few left and when the breeze picks up they dance around and a few more fall to the ground.

I would love to live in a place surrounded by a few acres, and lots and lots of trees. But there are advantages to living where I do, in a suburban area with conveniences close by. It's the life my husband and I have made together and while we sometimes dream of having more space, we're really very happy here and make the most of the small bit of property that we have. It's a "bloom where you are planted" kind of thing. There's been a warm spell this week and I'm enjoying just puttering in the yard for a short while each day, emptying flower pots, cleaning up a corner of the garden. Tomorrow we'll get the whole family outside to rake leaves.

Today I'm thankful for my home. I'm especially thankful for this little piece of earth that we can call our own, to plant trees on and flowers and rosebushes.

Attitude of Gratitude

In the spirit of Thanksgiving this month, I'm joining another challenge. It's the Giving Thanks Challenge, hosted by Leah at South Breeze Farm. Leah has challenged us to come up with one thing everyday for which we're thankful, to encourage an attitude of gratitude. (Hey, that rhymes).

Since I'll be posting daily, I'm going to make a note of what I'm thankful for at the bottom of each post. And, hopefully, I'll come out on the other side of November with a better appreciation of things and a more grateful heart.

A recipe

My 12-year-old daughter has become a vegetarian. This is something that she's toyed with on and off for about a year, but usually a quick trip through the McDonald's drive-thru will cure her of it. (I know, how mean am I? But as someone who for years thought Vegans were aliens on Star Trek, I knew this would be a huge challenge for me, and I wanted to be sure she was serious about it.)

For several weeks now, she has stuck to her guns and not put a morsel of beef, chicken or fish in her mouth. She gets the vegetarian meals for lunch at school, and I know this because I checked the invoice online to see what she's been ordering. And I've made it a point to cook a few of her very favorite recipes that include meat, and she opts for peanut butter and banana sandwiches.

I finally caved and bought a vegetarian cookbook a couple days ago. Last night I tried our first dish. It was so delicious, I have to share the recipe with you. The picky eater in the family would have nothing to do with it. But the three of us non-vegetarians were sold. This stew is filling, flavorful, a bit sweet and the servings are huge. No side dishes required.

Southwestern Stew with corn dumplings
from Betty Crocker Easy Everyday Vegetarian

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
l large onion, chopped (1 cup)
2 cups cubed peeled dark-orange sweet potatoes or butternut squash
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 can (15 oz) garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed
1 jar (16 oz) chunky-style salsa
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pouch (6.5 oz) golden corn muffin mix and bread mix
1/2 cup fat free milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon roasted sunflower nuts, if desired

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. In ovenproof 4-quart Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender. Stir in sweet potatoes, corn, beans, salsa, water and cinnamon. Heat to boiling, stirring occasionally.

2. In small bowl, mix corn muffin mix, milk and 1 tablespoon oil. Stir in nuts if desired. Drop dough by 8 spoonfuls onto vegetable mixture.

3. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of dumplings comes out clean.

This recipe is a great source of vitamins A and C. It meets 30% of daily iron requirements, which is one of the nutrients I've been struggling to get into her diet. I found a website on teens and vegetarianism that I think will be helpful. If anyone else has any resources, I'd love to hear about them.

For the Giving Thanks Challenge: I'm thankful for fall vegetables. Butternut squash, acorn squash, spaghetti squash, pumpkins. All part of the reason that fall is my favorite season.

Why Write

Since signing on for NaBloPoMo, I've given thought to the whole blogging thing again and the question, "why blog?" I guess the reasons for blogging change if you're at it long enough. My first reason is that I love to write and especially to keep journals. It helps me clear my head, clear my thoughts, clear the air, clear the room. I've kept a journal or diary for as long as I can remember, and one thing I've always struggled with is that I'm not very consistent. I have blank books that are barely started, many that are full, and a basketful waiting to be used. I always have good intentions, but some parts of my life are just better (or worse) than others and better documented than others.

When I first started blogging, I figured it would help me stay accountable, because if I didn't keep blogging then everyone would know. Well, at least the hundreds of, or all ten of, the people who read my blog. And the shame of it all would make me come here a few times a week and write something wonderful.

Well, like Weight Watchers, we all know how that can be. Pretty soon, you're not at the meetings anymore, nobody even notices you're not at the meetings (unless it's the friend you started with and since she doesn't go anymore, how would she know?)

So the "pressure" of my readers waned fairly quickly, and now -- even though I love comments and I do think about all ten of you who read this -- I blog pretty much for myself. Which is as it should be.

So NaBloPoMo? It's yet another attempt to help me stay disciplined. To get my thoughts on paper screen, put in the time and exercise that I need to put in, so that some day writing will be easier. And I'll love it. Like people who run tell me, if you keep at it you.will.love.it. I think they're all lying.

The truth is that while I do love to write, I hate not writing even more than I love writing. Does that make sense? If I don't jot things down, my thoughts aren't completed. They feel all jumbled and discombobulated, like this post. Stay with me here, and if I keep at it long enough, it will be as clear as mud. To all ten of you.

Pioneer Woman

Wow, it was some party at the Tattered Cover Bookstore in Denver last night. Hundreds of people showed up for Ree Drummond's, Confessions of a Pioneer Woman, book signing. She is lovely and gracious, and just as delightful in person as she is on her blog.

Kathy and I met at about 5:00 to have dinner at the restaurant next door. It was fairly empty when we got there, but gradually filled up with tables of two to four to eight women at each. We decided they must all be bloggers, there to see PW. We picked one lady out of a group, with a pink jacket, and decided to watch for her at the book signing.

The event was scheduled for 7:30. At about 6:00 we decided to get some coffee at the bookstore. We walked by the room where the book signing was to be and it was already filling up! So we grabbed a couple of chairs and were lucky enough to squeeze in the second row. In no time the room was packed and overflowing, with more people standing than sitting. I met a new friend, Bonnie, whose sister has a blog.

At 7:00, with little fanfare, Ree walked out to the podium to a very enthusiastic and welcoming crowd. Her mother-in-law and Missy were there, too. The applause continued for a bit and Ree was smiling and very gracious and smiling. She stepped to the podium and spoke for a few minutes and then said she was just going to take questions, admitting that public speaking is not her strong point, although I thought she seemed very poised. For the next 20 minutes, she took questions from the audience, mostly things that we've all read about on her blog, but it was fun to hear from her about it first hand.

Her favorite part of book store appearances is signing her books and it was obvious that she enjoys it, because she took her time with each person who went up and chatted easily, asking questions. She and Kathy were soon discussing a recipe for Kathy's manicotti, and when I told her I'd made the enchiladas in the cookbook, she wanted to talk about how to adjust the spiciness. I think she could have sat there all night, talking to people. She probably did, because the line was a mile long when we left.

We wondered what happened to the lady in the pink jacket, if she ever got her book signed!