Garden Crazy. . .

The cucumbers and zucchini are really going strong now.  I thought I would share a couple of recipes that I am using to keep up.  Yesterday I made my yummy zucchini cornbread casserole with jalapeno peppers.  I had to use my peppers from the freezer because our peppers are not ready yet.  I have been eating our cucumbers just with a little salt.  Now that they are really going strong I needed a recipe that would use more than one.
I was reading something on the Internet the other day about cucumbers and their health benefits.  I thought I would share some since cucumbers are going to be in full swing in the next few weeks.  One point was relieve joint pain (arthritis) and inflammation, as I have gotten older I have noticed my knees aching more and my hands sore at times.  I am willing to try anything that is natural for joint pain and I love cucumbers so this is a no brainer for me.  This article also said it helps with weight loss, this one I am more skeptical about but I have seen several posts about cucumber water on Pinterest lately.    It is also supposed to help blood pressure, diabetes, hydrate the body, and reduce cholesterol.  I love cucumbers and I always have, I am not sure that I believe all of what they said cucumbers can do but they are very tasty.
I fixed these the other day:
3 cucumbers peeled and sliced (thick)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tbsp dill
1 or 2 garlic cloves or 2 tsp garlic powder
1 jalapeno pepper
3 small onions sliced
I used a large mason jar and put my vinegar in then added my cucumber slices, dill, onion, and pepper (whole), then filled with water.  It was hard to leave them in the fridge because I wanted to eat them right then.   I held off for 2 hours and tasted, they were good but the longer they sit the better they get.  I love these!!

We have a lot of zucchini too so, I decided I would make zucchini muffins.  This is not the original recipe, as usual I tweaked it just a bit.
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 egg beaten
2 1/2 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp molasses
1 cup finely chopped zucchini
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Combine first six ingredients and set aside.  Combine egg and oil then stir into dry ingredients.  Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips.  Oil your muffin cups bake 350 for 20-25 minutes or until pick comes out clean.

Below is my cucumber vinegar combo:

Techno Tuesday. . . Social Media

What is it about social media that makes people think they can just say anything to anyone?   I have clicked on news feeds comments section and I am amazed at what some people say and how rude they are to people they do not even know. 
Is it because they are not saying it  in person that they believe it is ok?   Why say something ugly and hurtful to someone, especially someone you do not know?  What purpose does that serve?  Not that it is ok to be hurtful to the people you know.  I just think I would understand it better.   I know some  are just out to cause drama and see if they get a reaction from people, they crave the attention. 
This is one reason I have not let my kids on social media.  Kids are mean enough in person, add a little distance and anonymity and you are just asking for trouble.   I have a few friends that let their kids have a social media account and they shared terrible things their kids have had to deal with.  
It is sad that we as adults cannot set better examples for our kids and others.   I believe it all goes back to the respect issue.   There is a huge lack of respect all over but, especially among young people. 

Babbles on Famine and EOG Testing. .

Update on the 30 hour famine.  The kids were divided into tribes corresponding to those in Ethiopia.  Some of the kids were given disabilities; Big T was mute, one of the girls had a hurt foot,  one boy had no hand, and one was blind.  They were divided into their tribes and competed in challenges. 
During this 30 hours together they played and learned about Ethiopia and the Ethiopian children that go hungry everyday.  Our youth leaders are the best.  Big T told me all about the games and the food they were given.  They fixed a type of crepe and a soup that the children of Ethiopia eat.  Big T and Sprat said the crepes were good but the soup was not.  The soup was a coconut milk base with corn, and sweet potatoes.  They also had a peanut butter mixture with powdered sugar.   They both loved that.
The hubbs and I helped fix lunch for the kiddos and youth leaders after Church for the finale of the Famine.   We served breakfast for lunch; eggs, biscuits,  pancakes, sausage, bacon, and grits.  It was a good day. 
My mom always told us that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.  It gets your engine rolling (brain).  I was terribly picky when I was younger when it came to food.   The thought of sitting down to breakfast made me nauseous,  I hated breakfast.  Luckily,  my mom sold vitamins when I was growing up and they had a protein shake that was really good.  That is what I ate or drank for breakfast from the time I was in maybe 6th grade all the way through college.  It was easy and I was not tied to the table during breakfast,  I could carry it with me room to room while I was getting ready.  The whole breakfast is important thing has stayed with me.  I try to make sure the boys get a good breakfast before school which is sometimes difficult because they are a lot like  me.   Big T likes muffins, so he gets muffins in the morning and an occasional pancake.  Sprat eats hash browns and sausage or biscuits and sausage.  He has always been the meat eater.  

EOG's are finishing up and final exams are right on their hills.  Every year during EOG's and final exams I try to make it more fun and kind of an event for the boys.  We take the boys out for breakfast each morning to make sure they get a good start to their day.  I hope that they will remember these little things that their daddy and I have tried to do.   I hope that they will do the same for their own children some day.  I think that is what we as parents all want.  We want to leave our kids with great memories and traditions to carry on with their own families when that time comes.

Giving. . .Child Hunger

I told you earlier about my kids participating in the 30 hour famine for World Vision.  I would like to share a link to their site.  We are raising money for child hunger.   Here is a link to the website www.30hourfamine.org  our church is Christ Moravian Church.   Our youth is trying to go without food for 30 hours in support of all of those kids that go without food all over the world.   Our kids will get plenty of fluids and they do eat but in very small amounts similar to what children in other countries consume on a daily basis.  Our kids are learning about other countries and their customs and how their children live.
I know before we started participating in the 30 hour famine my kids did not know what famine was or what being hungry felt like.  I am so glad our church started this fundraiser because it introduced my kids to the world around them.   There are other churches in our area that have fundraisers that help bring awareness to how others, less fortunate than us, live.  One church, a dear friend attended, had their youth spend a day and night outside with nothing more than a box for shelter and water to drink for 24 hours.
You can also check out the World Vision website www.worldvision.org   My kids do not easily go without food for 30 minutes much less 30 hours and I am sure mine are not the only ones.   This is a good program for a good cause, please check it out.

Good News and Garden Goodness. . .

I know today is supposed to be about a recipe, I will get to that.  Good news,  my dear hubby will be back at work in 2 1/2 more weeks.  Very thankful the company he works for has been understanding and willing to work with him as he has been recovering.  We saw his surgeon today and he was very pleased with his progress.  He has been working very hard at home and at physical therapy to increase his stability and strength in his leg.  He has been very determined throughout this ordeal.  I am very thankful for everyone who has been praying for him and has offered us help during this time.  
From the garden I bring fresh onions on the grill.  Our local meat market had a special on steak so this past week we had steak on the grill.   We had some spring onions that were about the size of a small tomato.  I cut them and put butter on them and some garlic powder and fresh sage leaves.  I wrapped them in foil and put them on the grill.  These are so sweet off the grill.  I also recommend finding a local meat market for your needs.  You cannot beat fresh, and knowing where your meat was raised.  Everything that is going on in this world today it is much safer to grow your own or buy local.  

I would love to have cows although, I am not sure if I raised one that I could take it to slaughter. That is the whole reason my dad did not let my sister and I have cows or pigs.  He knew we would name them and they would never go to slaughter.  We raised horses, it was still hard when he decided he wanted to sell one of them.   At least we knew when we sold one of the horses it was not going to be eaten.  

Warning, Proud Mama

So proud of my family.  Big T completed Confirmation and took his first Communion yesterday.   My mom, dad, sister, and niece came to share in this special time.  I am so thankful and blessed to have such a supportive family.  After Church we went to see Sprat in his double header.  Great way to spend a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.   Sprat's team won both games and he had some pretty  impressive plays. 
My hubby is improving every day and we are hopeful his surgeon will release him to go back to work in the coming weeks.  He still has to wear his brace when he is out of the house and on uneven ground.  He is able to drive now and that is a huge step in a positive direction. 
This Memorial weekend we are thankful for many things:  family,  blessings,  and all of those that gave their lives for our freedom.    My dad, Mark's dad and several uncles all proudly served  in the military.  Today we honor them and all of those that did not make it home.

A Little More Tightwaddery. . .

So a funny thing happened late last week as I was doing laundry.  I had just finished a load for the kids and put everything in the dryer and turned it on, and silence.  Silence is not really what you want to hear after you have loaded all of your kids clothes in the dryer for at least a 40 minute cycle. You can imagine the panic I was feeling, I called my appliance guy and they had already closed.   Yes, I have an appliance repair guy, everyone should.  You never know when things like this will happen.
With a load full of wet clothes I began  hanging and draping all over the house.  I took somethings outside and hung them over the rail on the back deck.  Thank goodness it was breezy and sunny so most everything dried pretty quick.  This made me think I might need a clothes line of some sort.  My sister has a neat one that is a pole in the ground that opens kind of like an umbrella so that you can hang clothes on it.  When you are not using it you can fold it down, this would be ideal.  I remember my mom hanging most everything on the line to dry.  The only thing I did not like being dried on the line were my blue jeans, they would be terribly stiff.
Two points to this story:  1.  have a home repairs envelope in your envelope system.  This envelope would be strictly for any repairs for your home, like a dryer or your AC.  Fund it every pay period with what ever you feel is adequate and fits your budget.   My dryer repair did not affect our weekly budget because I had my envelope.  2.  It occurred to me that a clothes line would save some money and energy during the warmer months.  I may have to look into this, I will just have to be careful where I put it, I do not want to create a bird hang out.
With the larger washers now on the market, they say as long as you can close the lid it can all be washed.  That is not the case with a dryer.  Amy, of the Tightwad Gazette, says that smaller loads for a dryer are actually more efficient.  This is not the first time that two things that are supposed to work together are contradictory.   I have now started washing smaller loads, actually mine are now probably more like regular loads, so that they will dry quicker.
Stay tuned for more from the Frugal Zealot, as I read her book again I pick up on more I want to share with you.