Favorite Subject, Lunch. . .

Big T had a great first day and is psyched about his last year of middle school.  The hubbs and I enjoyed a great first day of school /peace and quiet.   Sprat had a pretty good day yesterday too, he likes all of his classes and is thrilled he has lunch with all of his friends.  He is even excited about getting to drive himself to school this year.  All in all it was a good day and our clan feels blessed.
Went to my beautician magician for an update on my hair style before my interview on Wednesday,  she gave me a little color and some style.  She even sculpted my brows, I was truly pampered.  

The hubbs and I did our dry run today on where I am going for my interview.  I am very excited and very nervous, I have not been on a job interview in twenty years.   I am going to ask for your prayers for tomorrow, not that I get the job but that God's will be done, also to calm my nerves and give me peace.  

I know that I can do this job and that it would be very fulfilling to my life and to others, it just feels right.  That is all I will say for now about the job.  

The hubbs is still looking and I will also ask for prayers for him.  This is getting more frustrating every day.  My husband is very knowledgeable in his field and he has a tremendous work ethic that is not found today in anyone.  For my dear hubby I pray for peace and comfort in knowing there is a plan and in due time everything will fall into place.  

Thank you and stay tuned for more to come. 

Ready or Not, Here Comes Monday. . .

Sorry for the lapse in posts, it has been  a little hectic around here as I am sure it has been for all of you.  We are trying to get the boys ready for school.  Football is already going strong with two wins under their belt. 
We had meet the teacher for Big T and I have some reservations about his group this year.  I will be sending up prayers for everyone going back to school this year. 
I have big hopes for my boys and their future as I am sure all parents do. 
Picked up school supplies and some new shoes for the boys.  I used my "school" envelope money for school supplies and school fees so that these things did not derail our budget.  I used our "clothing" envelope money to pay for shoes so they did not derail our budget either.  If you are doing the envelope system and have children I recommend you add these two to your envelope categories. I use the school money for their lunches through the year and for field trips. 
I budget a certain amount for these envelopes through the year and I do not pause during the Summer. Using the school envelope is how I am able to cover school supplies with no problems.  I am still adding money but nothing is coming out for those three months, my school money is gaining momentum through the Summer.
I honestly do not know what I would do without my envelopes, especially in our current situation.
This week is going to be crazy; the kids start school, I have an interview,  and the hubbs continues to look for his new career.  Hold on to something it is going to get bumpy.   Oh, and did I forget to mention Sprat will be driving himself to school in a week. 

No pictures this morning, I will have to do day two of school pictures for the boys tomorrow.  The hubbs and I enjoyed our annual first day of school breakfast date too.  

Sweet Peppers from My Sweet Hubby. . .

A tribute to my wonderful husband.  Being downsized after almost twenty-four years with the same company will affect everyone differently and for some it might be a big blow to their ego.   He was devastated that day but he has been determined to get back to work as soon as possible.  All of his buddies were telling him to take a few months and relax go on vacation and things like that.  I know some that did just that, they enjoyed their severance to the very end before they began looking for other employment.   That would not do for my husband, he began contacting friends for advice and their contacts to get him started to find a new job.   He has not stopped looking either, he has had several interviews both phone and face to face since this adventure began.   Through all of this he has stayed up beat and positive and he has been a huge help around the house.  The hubbs is not one that can sit still, he reminds me a lot of my Dad in that respect.  He has been doing my grocery shopping for me, yes that is a little scary but he has actually kept our grocery bill down.  There are plenty of men out there that would not dare volunteer to do grocery shopping but not mine.  The hubbs has been a huge help around the house since his displacement.  He has also been cooking more too, that part I am also enjoying.  The hubbs is a great cook.   He has made salsa at least four times this season and his salsa is the best.   Our peppers are really starting to come in now and last night he fixed this amazing pepper dish for our dinner.  He found this recipe online at Italian Food Forever I am going to share this recipe because it was so good.  I fixed some couscous to serve it over.

Fried Sweet Peppers with Balsamic Vinegar

6 large sweet peppers  (we used red, green, and orange)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 garlic cloves (we pressed ours)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup fresh parsley (we did not have any so we skipped this part)

Wash and dry your peppers remove your seeds, stems, and membranes
Cut peppers into 1 inch strips

Heat your oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet and add the peppers, stirring well to coat in the oil.  Cook the peppers over medium heat until they begin to soften and brown.   About 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook another minute or tow until fragrant.
Add the balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Cook another three to four minutes until the peppers have absorbed all of the vinegar.  Toss with parsley and serve.
We served ours over couscous and it was wonderful.  I see this in my future since our peppers are really coming in now.

This and That on Monday. . .

I posted a Brazilian recipe last week that I really like.  I tried another one later in the week and it did not taste as good.  It was a meat and rice dish and my meat was very tough and for all the spices I used it was not very flavorful so I will not share it.  Just remember that I share only the recipes that I like I might tell you about the ones that I did not like or that did not turn out very well but I will not share them.   This one looked and sounded really good on paper but it was so very time consuming and like I said the flavor was just not there.  

Sprat had his first varsity football game on Friday and we won.  Yayyy, he got in at the end of the game and he did well.  Both of the boys are getting ready for school to start and Big T is a little nervous.  He will be in the eighth grade this year.  My how the time has flown, Sprat a Junior and Big T an eighth grader.   Sprat has been driving more and he will be getting his license very soon.  I am very nervous about this one.  These kids do not pay attention when they are behind the wheel.  They are goofing around with whomever is in the passenger seat or playing games going through the parking lot.  Parents I beg you, please remind your kids how important it is to be focused on the car and the road while behind the wheel.  I watched a boy in a huge truck, too big for him to be driving at such a young and inexperienced age, almost hit my Sprat because he was turned around and looking behind him as he showered down on the gas.  I have talked and talked to Sprat about the importance and the responsibility that comes along with being a driver.   These next weeks will probably be the most stressful so far for me as a parent.  

Prayers to all the parents preparing your kiddos for the new school year, prayers for the kids too as they face new adventures in learning.   

Friday Full of Prospects. . .

Feeling a little nervous today, I have a telephone interview this morning.  I have not interviewed for a job in many, many years.  I dare not tell how many because then I would be giving away my age. The hubbs had a phone interview yesterday and we are hopeful one of us will find something soon.  We have lots of folks that have been praying for us and I am very thankful for those prayers.
We still have not told very many people that my dear hubby was displaced and I am not sure why.  I tell myself I do not want anyone to pity us but there may be some pride issues in there too.   Several people have found out about our job situation at our Church and I do appreciate the love and prayers that they have shared with us and the very kind words.  It is very nice to know that our Church family loves us so very much.  
To prepare for my phone interview I went to Google and searched for help.  There are many sites for this type of thing.  I have found through my dear hubby searching and interviewing for jobs that the phone interview is the first stage and sometimes the last too.   It is a way to weed out people before they actually start bringing candidates in for the face to face interview.  I know that in our technology driven world that this is the wave of the future but I am not sure how helpful it is.  I am sure it is helpful to the employer but I believe it is detrimental to some of the prospective employees.  There is not a whole lot you can garner from a phone interview other than the persons voice quality and general biographic information.  This is just my opinion of course and we all know what folks say about opinions.
On another note:  my oldest has his first varsity football game tonight.  Asking for prayers for all.

A Taste of Brazil. . .

I have posted before about my book, "The Brazilian bikini body program" by Regina Joseph.  I have no intention of ever wearing a bikini again but I love this book.  It has such great recipes in it and since our garden is still producing I cannot resist trying some of these.   The Brazilians, according to Joseph, do not practice a diet of deprivation but a sensible approach to delicious food.   I would like to think that is what I am trying to do these days.  The hubbs and I have been eating lots of peppers and onions with most every meal.  They have the best flavor once they have been sauted just a bit.  They are not too hot for me to enjoy a very generous portion either.
I love lentils and they are a staple in the Brazilian diet and are a symbol of good luck in Brazil.  One of their customs; on New Years Eve as the clock strikes midnight they throw lentils on the ground and step on them, then they serve a dish similar to the one I am going to share with you today.

Lentil Salad

1 1/2 cups small green lentils
1 tomato finely chopped
1 onion chopped fine
1 green pepper seeded and chopped finely
1 red pepper seeded and chopped finely
1/2 cup pitted black olives chopped


Dressing

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp whole grain mustard
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar

Rinse your lentils and cook until tender, about twenty minutes in boiling water with a bay leaf.  Drain and discard your Bay leaf and run the lentils under cool water.  In a separate bowl mix with the chopped vegetables.  In another bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, mustard, soy sauce, and sugar.  Toss your veggies with your lentils then pour your dressing over the salad and serve cold.

Dating: Boys Vs. Girls. . .

I had Sprat locked in for a bit on the way to Church the other day.  He was driving and I thought this would be a great time to discuss dating.  ha ha ha ha ha!!!  I have to grab my chances when I can.  Sprat has not been that interested in girls yet and I am totally cool with that.  I would prefer him to focus on sports and school work and not be distracted by girls.  I told him how his dad and I met and fell in love.  My hubby did not start dating until he went to college and it would be fine with me if Sprat did not date until he got out of college.  I, on the other hand, was completely boy crazy and dated a lot in high school and in college. I will not lie, I enjoy being pampered and taken care of what woman would not.  I am not bashing my own sex but I know how we can be and how much trouble we can cause and I do not want that to happen to my boys.   It seems like the girls are getting more manipulative at earlier ages these days.   I have seen this just watching some of my friends kids dating and hearing their stories.  It is sad that people just cannot be honest with each other, that they have to play such childish games with another persons' feelings.
I would like for my boys to meet someone that is funny, attractive, smart, likes sports and is not afraid of getting dirty.  I have seen these boys with these Barbie doll types and watching from the sidelines you just know that it is not going to work out.  I told Sprat the reason I picked the above qualities is that when the beauty fades you need something to fall back on and intellect and a sense of humor will last longer than looks.  I fell in love with my hubby because he knows how to make me laugh, especially when I am upset.  Yes, he is usually the one that causes me to be upset 98 % of the time but his sense of humor has and will probably always pull his bacon out of the fire.
These are my random thoughts for today.
Stay tuned, tomorrow I will be talking about some yummy Brazilian recipes.

My Hubby the Farmer. . .

With no job offers on the table at the present time and lots of backyard just sitting there, my dear sweet hubby has it in his mind to expand our garden.  I am in big trouble!  Our garden is huge now and we can barely keep up with it and now he has decided he wants to grow more peppers and tomatoes.
Our garden has been a huge blessing to us this year, if it were not for the kids the hubbs and I could live out of the garden.   The hubbs and I both have enjoyed our veggies.  I am also very thankful to my brother-in-law for the peppers he started and cultivated so that we could plant them in our garden.  I will share a picture of the peppers that my hubbs picked on Saturday.   He sauted these with some onion for our lunch on Saturday.  I love it when he cooks, there is nothing sexier than a man that knows his way around a kitchen and likes being there.
We had some new peppers this season and they are so good.  I love the orange Popsicle the new ones were:  Jimmy Nordello (long red), Biscayne hybrid,  sweet heat,  and jalapeno.  The jalapeno is the only one that is really hot, the others have a little heat but great flavor.  We used some of these in our salsa.

Friday and Finances. . .

Since it is Friday and I try to talk about finances on Friday I am going to talk a little about them today.  You all know how much I like Dave Ramsey and I will start by saying if you have not read his book or at least looked at his website, Dave Ramsey, I highly recommend it.  You may not agree with everything he has to say but he does make a lot of sense about money matters.  I do not agree with everything, but there are areas that he really helped my family.
I would suggest you also check out his "Tools" section on his home page.  He has what he calls "ELP's"  this is an endorsed local provider.  This is a real estate agent, insurance provider, or financial adviser that follows the Dave Ramsey plan but is located in your area.  The hubbs and I looked up an ELP to help us move our kids 529 plan that we had set up years earlier and just to talk to someone else that followed Dave Ramsey.  They have helped us for the past ten years and they were one of the first folks I called when my very sweet hubby was displaced.  We knew we were going to have to move his 401K and possibly his pension and a few other benefits.  We had no clue how to proceed, thankfully these guys knew exactly what we needed to do and they made this part of our displacement very easy.  
One other thing I will point out that was a big benefit to us is Dave's debt snowball.  This helped us get out of debt except for our house and helped us get our emergency fund in place.  That emergency fund is really important because, should the worst case scenario play out, that will pay our bills.  The funny thing is, since they stopped contributions on his 401K and his HSA his severance pay is actually more than when he was actually working.  This has allowed us to add to our emergency fund and to add extra on our house.  I am also still using my envelopes just as I did before our displacement.  The envelope system is great and I encourage you to check it out too.  The envelope system helps you stay with your budget and helps you save for specific items like:  vacation, a car, college tuition, or the braces your kids might need.  I have an envelope for each one of those myself.  I put my college on hold when my dear hubby was displaced but we used my tuition money I had already saved to buy him a new laptop and a printer.  That money did not upset our regular budget because I had already saved it in my envelope.  If you are going to use a particular envelope's money for something other than what it was intended it is very important that you and your partner are in agreement on that move.  A budget and the envelope system only work when both parties are in agreement and work together.
The most important thing to remember is that a budget is a living organism, it grows and changes with each month or even week depending on your life style and where you are in life.   You must look at it each month to make sure you have everything covered.
Have a good weekend!

Drum Roll Please . . . Salsa . . .

I am not sure where my hubby got this recipe but, he is just like me and tweaks it each time.  He knows it by heart and he seasons to taste.   We have made three batches this year already.  Our tomatoes are really doing well.  We have used roma tomatoes in the past because they are supposed to have more meat in them.  This year we planted celebrity tomatoes and they are really doing well.   The celebrities have a lot of meat and a great flavor.
This is the hubbys baby, he does all the work on this, all I do is work the blender for him and zest the limes.  Here we go, now remember, this recipe has been tweaked and please feel free to add your own taste to yours.  We always add our own zip.

Twenty or so tomatoes
3-5 peppers varying varieties (a few for heat, a few for flavor)
1 medium onion
2-4 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of fresh cilantro
2 limes zested and then juiced

Boil your tomatoes, when the skin pops they are done, remove them from the water and let them set.
Boil your peppers until they are soft, let them set.  Press and saute your garlic until fragrant.  Chop onion and saute until translucent.  Chop your cilantro.
Once your tomatoes have cooled and you can handle them easily peel the skin from them.  We put ours in a strainer over another bowl.  This way you get the meat and not so much juice.  Once the tomatoes are peeled my hubby like to mash the tomatoes with his hands to get a little more juice out of them.  You do not want your salsa to be too runny.  Chop your peppers.  Now depending on how hot you want your salsa you can leave all of your seeds with the peppers or you can seed a couple of your peppers.  The seeds are where the heat is in your peppers.  The hubbs left a few too many seeds for my taste this time but it is still good.   We used some hot peppers and some mild peppers.  I zest the limes into the cilantro and then they are ready to juice.
We use a blender, like you are making a smoothie.  I put a couple scoops of the tomato mush, some of the: garlic, onion, cilantro, peppers and then the hubbs juices half of one lime.  Then I blend this together, once it is blended I pour it into our eight cup mixing bowl.  We repeat this until all of our ingredients have been blended together.   This gives you a beautiful reddish brown mixture.  The hubbs then proceeds to add his seasonings to finish this up.

1 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp cumin
2 tsp Mexican oregano

He may also add more lime juice if needed.  Keep in mind he juiced two limes during the blending process.
This is really a good recipe and in my opinion could rival any authentic salsa from any restaurant.  I am biased of course.  The hubbs has said that at least one of the boys must learn to make this recipe so that it can be passed down to the next generation of our clan.
Enjoy!

Meatball Sub. . .

Made my amazing meatballs the other night and I make amazing meatballs, if I do say so myself.  I added a new trick to preparing the meatball sub.  If you already know this trick kudos to you, if not you should try it.   I use sub rolls and slice them open and put them in the oven at about 275 until they are a little crispy.  I peel a clove of garlic and after the sub roll comes out of the oven I rub the garlic over the bread.  Sounds simple, right?  It makes the sub so yummy though.  After the garlic rub down add a little sauce to the bread and then your meatballs.  I slice my meatballs in half, it just makes the sub easier to eat.  I add cheese, sometimes Swiss and sometimes mozzarella I will leave that choice up to you.  I then put the sub back in the oven just to melt the cheese.  These are amazing subs and amazing meatballs.  I think I have given the meatball recipe recently but I will share it again because they are that doggone good.

Meat Balls
2lbs. ground beef
1 cup of bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp milk
2 eggs beaten
1 tsp garlic powder

Mix together and make into balls

Sauce
1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
2 cups beef broth
2-3 Tbsp tomato paste (I like the kind that comes in the tube)
1 Tbsp ground dry mustard
2 tsp thyme

Place the meatballs gently into the sauce try not to stack them on top of each other.  I use the crock pot because I think the slow cooking makes a big difference.  I cook them on low for at least eight hours.

I cook when I feel stressed so I may share that salsa recipe this week too.  We are on our third batch of fresh salsa.

New Week, Trying to be Positive. . .

Hard week last week, the hubbs did not get the job that we thought he would get and we go back to the drawing board this week.  I know that God has a plan for us and that he is moving us in the path that he wants us to follow.  It is just very hard to watch the person that you love go through such a difficult time.  I pray every day for peace for him and I have asked my family to pray also, for some reason we have only told a few friends and I do not know why.  It is so frustrating to know how truly talented and passionate someone is and nobody else sees their value.  I guess this week is going to be hard too.
Why is it that employers see that someone has been with the same company for almost twenty-four years and they assume they  are old and all used up?   My husband was loyal to his company, and for what?   He did not take any vacation after he had fallen and hurt his knee and had to be out for so long on disability.  He said he felt guilty for even asking to take vacation after all of that.  His company has not felt any guilt when they  told him he did not have a job anymore.  These employers need to wise up and realize that this age group are the very ones that have an intense work ethic.  These are the people that can teach the younger generation about hard work.  So many people today are trying to do as little as they can and still get paid.  Not many have the work ethic of my hubby's generation.

Our sermon at Church yesterday was fabulous.  It was about God calling Moses to be his messenger. Moses did not think he was the right person to be God's messenger.  God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called.  Those are not my words but I am not sure who actually said them.   Most Sunday's I feel like our preacher is speaking directly to my heart.  Yesterday was no different.

I am feeling very scattered today so please forgive the random babble.

Back to Square One. . .

We were so hopeful that this would be the one.  The hubbs had two face to face interviews this week with this company and we were so sure an offer would follow.  Sadly, he got the we are going a different direction phone call.  Back to square one. 
The hubbs took Sprat to a concert last night as an early birthday present.  Big T and I went for some back to school shopping.  I was very down after finding out that my very sweet husband had been dumped on again.  At about 9:30 last night I asked my 13 year old if he wanted to go get doughnuts.   He of course agreed, what little boy would turn down doughnuts.  He asked me on the way what was wrong.  I told him nothing was wrong, mommy just wants a doughnut.  I remember making runs for milkshakes or pizza or whatever I had a craving for when the hubbs and I were first married and when I was pregnant.  

I remember one weekend when the hubbs and I were first married I had a craving for crab legs and we packed up and drove to the beach for the night.   Those crab legs were the best I had ever eaten.  I miss the days of being able to just pack up and go.  We are so tied to our schedules these days and it has taken some of the fun out of things.  Maybe this is why the Lord has put us in this position, to reclaim some of that spontaneity that we use to have.   I do believe we have become, if you will pardon the expression, old farts.   I feel like I am still spontaneous and maybe I can interject some of that old feeling back in our family.    

The Ghost Tour. . .

I was looking for inexpensive things to do around town and found a ghost tour.  We have done a couple over the years, Big T is big fan of true and historic ghost tells.  Our first ghost tour experience was at the beach and it was a ghost/pirate tour, it was fabulous.  I love the ones that incorporate some history in them and the one we did on Monday night did just that.  It also helps to have a good guide that knows his or her stuff.  As I was finding the information to get this tour scheduled I was very sad to find out they would no longer be doing them.
Sprat asked one of his good friends to go along and the hubbs even went a little reluctantly.  It is always interesting to meet the other people in your group too.  We were of course very early and were just hanging out on the street corner talking and Sprat and his friend were playing Pokeman Go.  We met the people that run another ghost tour in an adjacent city and they invited us to come and do their tour some time.  Their tour involves a lot of Revolutionary war and Civil war history.  Our guide for this tour was very interesting and the reason he is leaving is that he is moving back to his home town.  He was a great orator and he really got into character with his actions and clothing, he knew his history of our area too.  We also had a lady and her two daughters from out of town in our group too.  I did not know it at the time but apparently the young girls were attracted to the boys, there was one Sprat's age and the other was around Big T's age.  According to Big T and my hubby the older girl could not keep her eyes off of Sprat and his friend.  Ahhhh young love, found on the ghost tour.
This was a walking tour and we went around this one particular neighborhood.  There were several tells of accidental death and hauntings by ghosts that did not realize they were dead.  One in particular was the haunting of a bed and breakfast that my hubby and I stayed in when we were newly wed.  I was so glad we did not know that story when we stayed there, I think it would have changed things just a bit.
One story involved a young man disobeying his father by taking his father's car to go on a date.  The age old tale of young love and wild abandon that ends in tragedy.  This one ended with a bit of a mystery and that bothered Sprat, he wanted to know the end of the story.  Our guide told him it was a mystery and we moved on to the next corner and the next tale.
We ended our tour back where we had begun and our guide asked if there was anything more that we wanted to know.  Sprat piped up and asked about the story that had caught his fancy before, and the guide obliged the best he could.  Come to find out that story was actually a compilation of a couple of different stories but the end was fact and was more recent than the other stories.  Our guide also shared that the trio that was with us for our tour from the neighboring town will be taking over this tour when he leaves.  I was very glad to hear that, I just hope that they take as much care in telling the true historic stories that our guide did.

This is our tour guide

This is the bed and breakfast

Another shot of the B & B

Lots of Possibilities this Week. . .

Positive things happening this week at our house.  The hubbs is on his second face to face interview with a company he thinks will be a great fit.   I get to be a mock juror this week for a local law firm.  I am so excited!!  If you do not know what a mock jury is, here is what I learned in my criminal justice classes last semester.  When a law firm has a big case and is not sure how a jury might perceive their client they will enlist the help of a mock jury to run their defense strategy by and see how they react.  This is going to be very exciting, I am like a little kid the night before Christmas.  I also applied for a couple jobs myself other than the mock juror position.  Now I have not been in the workforce since Big T was born and he is thirteen.  I got my first, I am sorry you do not fit with our company the other day.  I must say, I was a little hurt.  I sort of thought the "I don't fit" was a little odd, are they trying to stuff me into a container.  I know that God has a plan for us and in His plan I may not be working so, I am going with the flow.
I have been searching indeed jobs for what I think I would like to do, I have also looked on monster jobs.  These are two very good sites to check out when looking for employment.  If you are looking for more professional positions I would highly recommend Linked In.  This is where the hubbs has found all of his contacts and prospects for jobs.  He has also connected with some of his old college buddies and past colleagues.  A friend asked me the other day if anyone goes to the employment office anymore.  I told her I was not sure but, I think indeed and monster would be more help than the employment office these days.  I guess if you are filing for unemployment reimbursement then you would have to go to the employment office periodically.
Looking forward to a wild and crazy week.  Praying for the hubbs and that God's hand will be in what ever offer he receives.  I know He holds us in His hands and for that I am truly grateful.
Stay tuned for tells of our adventure we took last night. . .