You've Got Mail

There is just something about mail that gets me giddy.  I wait patiently everyday to hear the sound of the mail truck coming down the street. 

It has always been this way for me.  As a little girl we had a wonderful mailman.  His name was Clarence.  We lived in a cul-de-sac and ours was the last house in the circle, so once I saw him across the street, I knew it was time to run down the drive way and hand collect our daily mail.  Sometimes Clarence and I would chat briefly about the day, sometimes we would just exchange mail.  As a young girl, this would be the highlight of my day (other than chatting with my neighbor of course!) Clarence also liked chocolate, so many times I would bring him a treat (my mom has a thing for baking chocolate chip cookies, they are ALWAYS in supply at her house!)

I don't know if it's just the anticipation of something everyday or the mystery of what could be delivered or just the cheer it brings to know that someone was thinking about you enough to send a kind note, but I just love it when the mail comes!

My girls apparently have inherited that gene.  Unless it just comes from seeing a different face than mom's all day... Or the fact that we have a WONDERFUL mailman named Tom. 

Tom has been the the mail delivery business for quite a while and doesn't mind in the least the interruptions he gets almost daily from my daughters.  They just love meeting him at the mailbox and telling him all about our day.  He kindly takes more time than he has to listen to them intently and show enthusiasm for what they are sharing.  He even gave the girls candy canes all Christmas season when they came to greet him at mail time.  And what mom can turn down candy canes from the mail man (even if they contain all types of nasty ingredients, including food dyes.....)

Whenever we makes goodies, I always try to remember to share some with Tom. He has been the recipient of baked breads and jams and always shares his thanks.

This Christmas he got our gift of pumpkin bread and fresh home grown spices that we shared with our friends and neighbors (a little sugar and spice from the Bradley's...get it?...sugar and spice...).

Imagine my absolute ecstasy when I received a letter from my mailman!  I mean, can it get any better than that!  Mail from THE mailman, amazing!  He didn't even have to use a stamp :)  It was so thoughtful that he took the time to send me a thank you for the small token we gave him at Christmas time.  It warmed my heart.



 

 

What a perfect card for the mailman!  Someone was smart to create a line of cards just for mail carriers!

Personalized and with a signature..maybe it will be worth money someday :)

P.S.  If you were wanting to send me some mail....I would gladly give you my address...

Homemade Corn Dogs

 Who doesn't love a good corn dog?  That crunchy outside with the surprise of a salty hot dog in the middle covered with ketchupy goodness!  YUM!  Unfortunately, corn dogs are usually store bought and frozen, hardly healthy and nutritious!  All those yucky preservatives and chemical, blek! 
I was so happy when I found this recipe at one of my new FAVORITE blogs, Heavenly Homemakers.  She just seems to have all the right recipes for our family!  This is not the last time you will be hearing about one of her recipes! 
This is such a simple, novel idea on how to make natural, whole foods corn dogs for your family. It is SOOO easy!  I did find that her recipe was a double batch for our family, so following her suggestion, I just froze the extra.  The entire recipe only uses 8 hot dogs!  So to think that I had half to freeze!  What a money saving meal!

 

I also modified her recipe and used my mini loaf pan for the bigger bellies in our house (ie: Josh and Emily).  I was able to use half a hot dog instead of just a third.  These are perfect for the days I forget to make extra food for Josh to bring to lunch the next day. He can just stick a couple of these in his lunch box and take them to work!  (As long as it's not a Wednesday or Friday, as those are typically fasting days :) 

Unfortunately, my mini loaf pan bit the dust after making these (which is probably good, since it was full of aluminum anyways), so I am going to have to find an alternative....maybe Pampered Chef????

 

Here is our full meal! This is all that one batch made us, only 8 hot dogs.  So easy and satisfying! Served with baked beans, carrots or even some mac n cheese.

Becoming Orthodox

All Saints Antiochian Orthodox Church

I have a whole string of Orthodox posts that I would like to do, but before I get ahead of myself, I think I should take the time to explain how our family became Orthodox in the first place. So, sit down with a hot drink in your favorite chair and get nice and comfy so you can enjoy a good story!

Josh and I met at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas.  I grew up attending the Church of Christ my entire life, the same church in fact, every Sunday and every Wednesday night, faithfully.  Josh "came to the Lord" through Young Life. He attended a Presbyterian church throughout High School. Once he learned he could get a degree to work in a church with teens, he was hooked!
Since he was older than I was, he started his career in Youth Ministry while I was still in College.  He worked for a Church of Christ for a little over two years while I finished up getting my education degree.  He then moved back to Arkansas so that we could get married. 
Once I graduated he got a Youth Ministry job in West Monroe, Louisiana.  We were both pumped to work as a team with the teenagers there.  Unfortunately, that position only lasted a few years.  Josh was faced with a cross roads in his career and decided it was time for a change, you can't be a Youth Minister forever and he had no ambitions to become a preacher.  So, with an 10 month old baby girl and being 37 weeks pregnant with the next, we packed up and moved to North Carolina to live with my family while Josh went to nursing school at UNC. 
It was a very stressful time.  We ended up moving out of my parents house after 10 months and in to what we like to call "The Brown Apartments."  Little did we know how that move would change our lives FOREVER! 
Soon after we moved in, a cute looking young couple moved in diagonally from us. After a failed attempt at getting them to cook out, we eventually got to hang out and became instant friends.  Our dogs are still best friends :)  Missy, the wife, is a fellow teacher, and Erik, is a fellow nerd with Josh (I say that with all the love I can muster in my heart, they are good nerds, cool nerds....)  At the time, they attended an Evangelical church meeting in a movie theater. 
After living there for a couple of years, it turns out we both were able to buy a house at the same time as well.  Now we were 30 minutes apart, which hinder our getting together a bit, but we were still able to maintain our friendship.
One day Erik introduced Josh to Orthodoxy.  They were playing their nerdy games together and I'm sure he shared some book for Josh to read.  Josh LOVES history and church, so he gladly obliged.  They began reading and discussing Orthodoxy through e-mails and time together.  We learned eventually that Erik has started going to an Orthodox church. 
"Poor Missy" was all I could think.  Her husband has completely lost it!  I must comfort her, were my thoughts!  When we would get together I would try to make sure she was doing ok and handling this crazy "phase" of her husband.  Little did I know that slowly, but surely, she was beginning to enjoy the Orthodox church.  I noticed one day that when we were debating with Erik at how silly this whole Orthodox business was, she was defending it....what was happening?
I also noticed that my husband was reading more and more. Was he merely just trying to please his friend, or was he getting interested too?  That is just silliness!
After repeated invitations, we finally gave in and visited the church as a family.  I was COMPLETELY blown away by the service.  I was in my first trimester with our 5th daughter.  The incense was overwhelming and heightened my nausea.  There was absolutely no child care whatsoever, so we had to handle all 4 of our young girls during the seemingly endless service, all while standing!  There were candles, chanting, processions, Icons...so many strange things.  None of this made any sense.  Both Josh and I left the service thinking how impossible Orthodoxy was for our quickly growing family, not to mention all the crazy stuff that was done in service.  I was glad to finally shut that door...or so I thought. 
Josh kept reading...
and reading...
and reading...
Then he had me start listening to podcasts.
Then he wanted to visit again.  He was slowly becoming convinced that Orthodoxy went back to the beginning, right back to the Apostles. 
There was a Ladies Retreat to the beach coming up at my church.  It could not have come too soon!  I was so stressed out by my husband.  What was he thinking?  Was he going to tear our family apart?  Were we going to have to start going to two different churches?  Where would the children go?  I discussed all of the questions with women who I considered mentors in the church.  The most ironic part of the whole weekend was Friday night.  We did a beautiful reading, prayer and singing time where we were invited to light a candle as a symbol of our prayers...how...Orthodox!  So, I lit a candle for my husband.
Easter was about to hit in the Orthodox church, which means an all night service.  We decided to wait until after that to start visiting.  I grudgingly came along.  I attempted to fumble through the liturgy, examining every word to find some sort of problem.  We listened to podcasts constantly at home.  I can't remember how, but somehow I stumbled across Facing East by Frederica Matthews-Green. It's a simple read of how a preachers wife made the transition to Orthodoxy. It takes you through a Liturgical year through her eyes. 
It was just what I needed.  She explained things in a way that I could understand.  I connected with Frederica.  I hit a turning point.
From that point on I was studying to understand, not just to disprove.  There were many times I would call my friend Missy (now a full Orthodox convert) in frustration as I was trying to make sense of this new knowledge. 
Sometime in the summer we became Catachumens and began studying to convert.  It was thrilling and scary at the same time.  I remember we witness and Chrismation service shortly after that and had some doubts.  She looked so happy joining the church.  I wasn't ready yet.
The more we studied the more I realized that the Orthodox church was truth.  It came directly from Jesus through the Apostles and the Church Fathers.  There is a preserved church that I can trust the doctrine.  We all believe the same thing.  We all believe the Bible and Jesus Christ. 
With great excitement, August 15th, 2012, our whole family joined the Orthodox Church.  Our daughters were baptized and Josh and I were Chrismated.  It felt so good and so right to finally be a part of the Orthodox church. 
And that is just the very beginning of our journey! 

Chicken Parmesan Bundles *Revised Version*

I recently posted an article on a new yummy recipe we tried called Chicken Parmesan Bundles. I didn't have any pictures of my own and I've learned some things as I made my second attempt.  

 

 

I'm not all that fancy when it comes to pounding out my meat.  I don't have a meat mallet, so I just use my handy hammer.  This time though, to provide for even poundage, I decided to use my Pampered Chef flexible mat to cover my meat.  I can't say this is how they advertise using their flexible mat, but it worked! 

 

Ahh... look at that nicely flattened chicken...it's actually kinda gross looking, as all raw meat usually is.  This time, I accidentally used chicken tenders, instead of breasts.  It actually worked wonderfully!  The majority of the mouths in my house are still small, so it make for some better portion sizes for my family. 

 



I have seven bundles in my 8 by 8 pan with the extra spinach mixture stuffed in the sides.

 

 

Here is the finished product!  Served with a spring mix salad, it made for another yummy meal!

Orthodox Meal Planning

So finally Blogger and I are getting along well enough to be able to finally write this post (we have been having some photo loading issues...grrr...)! 

 

After talking with a few of my mom friends, I have learned that not all people find menu planning easy.  I have heard from so many moms that they usually just throw something together at the last minute either from the freezer or just end up going out.  I admit, trying to figure out what you are going to cook for your family, yet again, night after night can be a bit daunting!  Spaghetti is great, but every night...not so much.

 

Although this post is titled specifically for the Orthodox family, I think this can be a great idea for any family.  Orthodoxy just likes to put a nice little twist on the ease of menu planning with all of the feasting and fasting. 

 

I will admit, we are only at the very beginning of our Orthodox journey, so we are not up to full fasting yet, but I do like to make myself aware of the patterns of the calendar, so that I will be ready for each step we take towards fasting as we grow in our faith. 

 

So, here is a little look at what I do each month (or at least would like to do) to plan our menu. 

 

*please note: I do not go grocery shopping for the whole month at a time.  Trader Joe's carts are just not big enough for our family of 7, plus our budget doesn't work that way...yet.  So although I plan for the month, I only shop for one week at a time.  I just like to get it all done at once!  

 

 

 

First of all, I have created a handy dandy master menu calendar on excel.  I write the numbers in myself so that I can easily print off a new copy each month.  Notice I have created a row at the bottom for notes, always helpful.  I am limited in computer knowledge, but if you like my calender, just let me know I can e-mail you the file, right now I don't know how to make that a link.

 

 My next step is to go on the great website that our Deacon has set up.  He has a beautiful color coded calendar that lists the recommended feasting/fasting for our parish.  You would want to check with your local parish for your feasting/fasting, since there are always differences.

I get out a red pen (you can use whatever color you want, I promise, I won't tell anyone if it's not red :) Then I mark down in code which days are fasting and what type of fasting they are, wo=wine and oil, s=strict fast, etc.  I just make up whatever will be easiest for me to understand.

 

 Then I get on our wonderful Cozi website that has our main family calender. I have everyone's appointments, Josh's work schedule, birthdays, whatever on this site.  Best of all, we can access it on our phones so we have our calendar anywhere!  Even better than that, Josh actually uses it, so for most  part, we are on the same page.

Next I mark down Josh's work schedule.  As a nurse, it changes every week.  I need to know if he's working day or night shift.  I plan my meals so that on the day before he works I am sure there will be extras for his lunch box. Also in a different color pen.  I promise, I am not OCD...completely...

Next I write down the Liturgy and other special church services we have for the month.  With a Liturgy service I know that I need something quick and easy just for the kiddos since we won't be eating before hand.  Josh and I either eat the leftovers when we get home, or treat ourselves to eating out after church.

Then comes to planning notebook.  Cooking is my big responsibility, along with homeschooling and raising kids, but cooking is the only job that gets a notebook....so far...

Don't you just love a great notebook with cool dividers?  It gets me excited just looking at it!  I have a thing with school supplies...and color coding...
I have our favorite recipes in this notebook.  Each divider represents a type of meal, ex: breakfast, lunch, dinner, desserts, etc.  Anytime I find a yummy recipe, I print it off and stick it in the appropriate section.  Then when I'm ready to plan, all of our favorites are in one spot!

 

 Then I pick a nice and cozy spot, say..the couch.  I have my notebook, recipes, my menu planning calendar (with all of it's pretty color codedness) and a cup of something yummy (tea is in this cup, just in case you are wondering.)  I try to pick a time when I won't be bothered, say nap time/quiet time (which happens daily for EVERYONE in our house) or after bedtime.  This is where the majority of the work takes place.  I go through my notebook and I pick out meals that meet all the requirements of our calendar, whether fasting or Josh working or just a busy day.  Also notice that I do this all with a PENCIL.  Inevitably, despite all of my meticulously perfect planning, I am going to forget something, or not notice something and need to swap or completely change meals.  Also notice that I only plan dinners.  I have not gotten to the point of our healthy eating journey to plan out eat and every meal.  PB&J works for us, along with leftovers or some buttered noodles for lunch.  We still eat cereal from Trader Joe's, oatmeal, eggs or smoothies for breakfast.  Breakfast and Lunch require no extra planning for me, I can wing those.  I do make sure to add items we are low on to my grocery list.  If you are they type that needs these planned out, you might want to make a bigger planning calendar :)  I use the notes part of my calendar to remind myself about any extra cooking or shopping that I need to do.

Finally I take all of  my planning back to my uncluttered desk.. I have pulled out all of the recipes that I will need for the week for easy access.  Ideally I will put them back during my next planning session.  Either that, or I will just stuff them into the front cover, but I would never be that lazy...

 

And I look through my recipes to type our grocery list on to our Cozi account.  Since we can access it from our phones, I can type it in on my computer (or phone) and whoever is going to the store can access the list from their phone.  It makes a cool sound when you enter an item, so I feel like I'm doing a superb job (whatever motivates you, right?)  I keep my monthly planner and my weekly recipes together and stick them on the fridge so I can easily see them everyday and have my recipes within reach when dinner time comes. 

So that's how it's done! Easy, right?!  It might sound like a lot of work, but I only have to do it once a month.  Sometimes I like to pick theme nights, like Mexican, Italian, Homestyle.  That helps me get started on recipe ideas.  Sunday nights at our house are always Pancake nights, and we have started to institute homemade Pizza night as well.  I will have to include some recipes for those later! 

How do you Menu plan?