How Do You Deal With Your Trash?

I've always lived in subdivisions.  It's expected that the homeowner pays a fee for curbside pickup.  We also pay a fee to have them accept our recyclables. Never really gave it a thought.  This was just how it's always been done.

Until 2008 and a little thing called a "gas surcharge".

If you recall, gas spiked that summer.  Diesel too.  And our trash company added a surcharge ("Fuel Recovery Fee") of $3.90 per household, per quarter.

Now that doesn't sound like much.  (My total quarterly bill is $56 or $18.67 a month.) Which is bad enough.

If I have 100 homes in this subdivision paying a surcharge of $3.90, that equals $390 a quarter or $130 a month or $32.50 each week.  (They probably DO use $32 in fuel to drive around the neighborhood)

So why does this annoy me so much?

This little trigger really set me off.  And SM too.  (He actually called them about it.  They said they'd call him back. Yeah right.)

It's the nickel and dime-ing that goes on in our lives.  Everytime you turn around you pay a little bit more.  Until a "little bit" becomes alot.

SM grew up in the country.  His small town STILL doesn't have "curbside" collections.  They recycle and drop off when the bins get full.  Everything else is either mulched back into gardens or burned.  They have these huge metal drums to do that with. 

So this got me to thinking.  My background is suburbia.  It's all I've known.

How do you deal with trash?  How much do you pay?

My "prepaid" service ends 12-31.  I've spoken with SM and we're thinking about cancelling.  We only generate 2-3 bags a week.  Our recycling center is maybe 10 miles away.  Small amounts are free.  Larger amounts...$5 bucks.

If I'm paying $56 a quarter ($224 a year), I might be able to save a good chunk of change...assuming I'll be paying the $5 as needed.

Tell me what you think.  (I'm heading into work today but I look forward to reading your responses tonight.)

It's A Festivus Miracle!

This morning I baked an Oatmeal Apple Crisp (seems a little dry).  I used some gala and pink lady apples I had laying around.  Probably not the best cooking apples.

The boys are all getting together to watch football at our neighbors MAN CAVE this afternoon, so I thought I'd make a veggie tray and something sweet, along with the chips and dips that SM will take over.  GO BUCKS!

I started to decorate our 24 year old artificial Xmas Tree...

SM went out and got some exercise then went out back, played with the dogs and pulled one of my carrots...

"Whadga do that for?"...."I wanted to see how big they were!"... "Here, let me take a picture."...."Don't put me in it!"

I talked to my Mom who is FREEZING visiting Bob's family up in Maine. 

"Why are you freezing?"...
"Well, they have baseboard heat."
"Do they have a wood stove?"
"No, but they've had the fireplace on to try and keep me warm.  I sit in a beanbag chair as close to the fire as I can get."
"Well...start moving around, get some exercise!"
"It's too cold outside!"
"Don't they have an electric blanket you can wrap up in?"
"No, but I bundle up as best I can and sit and read a book and drink alcohol."
"Mom!  You only THINK alcohol is warming you up!  You need to drink some hot tea or cider and let the cup warm your hands up!"
"They left to run some errands the other day and I turned the heat up to 77."
"MOM!!!  You're chasing these people out of their home!  I only keep our heat around 65 degrees.  If you ever come here and turn the heat up that high I'll be running around naked and trust me...That ain't something ANYONE wants to see."
"Well I guess I won't be coming to visit you then will I."

I looked out my front windows and see Husband #2 decorating his front porch.
(Don is my go-to guy when SM is not around...hence the Husband #2 title.  Anybody else got a second husband?)

"Don!!! What are you doing? DECORATING???" (Incredulously)
"Yeah...you should see the inside.  Did that yesterday."
"But Don!  You never get into Christmas!"
"Well, we thought this year we'd go ahead and celebrate."
"It's a Festivus Miracle! Do you have a tree up yet?"
"We haven't decided if we want the tree...maybe."
"Well if you decide against the tree you can a least decorate the stripper pole."  (teasing)

Words to Live By

JD at Get Rich Slowly has posted a wonderful poem that he says he reads every Thanksgiving.  I've heard it before, but it's been awhile.

Thanks JD for the reminder!

Desiderata
(Max Ehrmann, 1927)


Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others — even to the dull and the ignorant — they too have their story. Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism. Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Backyard Exploring

I took this morning's rain break to see if I could capture a bit of what the season is offering us right now.  Come along if you like.

Suprise!  I have broccoli!

And cauliflower!  I haven't picked either yet, they're still pretty small.  I've been watching them though and (since the weather seems to be holding) I thought I'd give them a bit longer to size up.

Gray day today.  Heavy rains expected later this afternoon.

Berris on the bambo bush.

Berries starting on the holly bushes.

Texture with the daylily leaves.

Thanksgiving Wrap-up

Monday I had the day off and went to see HP Deathly Hollows with a friend who had scored free tickets.  (Yes, I'm a HP fan.) 

The movie was quite dark and very well done...(This was Hermione's movie hands down).  I always feel that the books are better than the movie adaptations, but out of all the HP movies, I felt DH Part 1 is one of the best.  I expect DH2 will be something else.

I went in to work on Tuesday and noticed that our schedule for Tuesday and Wed had lightened considerably.  I went ahead and took Wed as a paid day off.

Now, I HATE shopping and never do the "Black Friday" thing but I had a Kohl's coupon and I needed new tennis shoes badly.  So SM and I went and stimulated the economy a bit on Wed morning.  New socks, shoes and a "Cool One" pillow for me.  A nice fuzzy blanket for SM.

I like a "cool" pillow.  I spend half the night flipping my pillow around in search of a "cool" spot. (2 thumps up for this pillow.)  It could be thicker, but I just put my old pillow under it and it works just fine.

Later that afternoon we accepted delivery on our new dryer.  (Yeah Me!)

It's a Whirlpool...very nice with a huge drum and much more efficient than our old Kenmore.  SM bought this dryer with little to no input from me. (He's the shopper in the family) Very good job, Baby!!!

Thursday, SM and I went to his sisters for Thanksgiving dinner.  Quite possibly the quietest Thanksgiving we've ever had!  SM always wants me to cook a separate T-day dinner...which I'll do on Saturday or Sunday.  Me?  I'd be content with the dinner we had at his sister's, but SM is pretty nostalgic, so I'm happy to oblige him by cooking all his favorites here at home.

Southern Exposure

Mamma Pea at A Home Grown Journal had me smiling yesterday with a photo of her Hubby eating breakfast in his coat.  Her post was about the transition of moving from more moderate weather to the colder days of winter. 

This got me to thinking about what SM and I do to beat the cold.

We usually keep the house at about 65 degrees during the winter.  Like everyone else, we have blankets "everywhere" and while SM lounges in T shirts and shorts, yours' truly is bundled up like the Michelin Man.

During the day I kick the heat back down to 64.  We are up and moving around so we're generating our own heat.

Our home has lots of windows that face into our backyard.  I adjust the blinds to maximize the sunshine to help heat up the house.  At night, the blinds and curtains are closed to help keep the cold out.  Another trick I like is to boil a pot of water.  The extra humidity makes the air feel much warmer.

Today we were blessed with a high of 71.  Have I mentioned lately how much I love living in the South.  (Go back in the archives and listen to me whine about our blistering hot summer.) Oh yeah!  I missed Ohio then! 

This is why we moved!  Sunshine and moderate winters.  I just couldn't take 6 months of gloomy gray skies and bone chilling temperatures.

Today I had the doors and windows open by 11am.  I sat outside and sucked up some vitamin D. 

I know, I know.  It's like rubbing salt into a wound.  For all you up in the more northern climes...I feel your pain! 

Oh wait...that's the sunburn I got this afternoon.   (Wha ha ha...evil laughter)

De-Fragging

Wow...What a week!  So here's the re-cap.  (I'm thinking if I can get all of this out of my head, it will be like I'm de-fragging the computer.  Maybe I'll sleep good tonight.)

Update on Sam.

Sam is a jumper.  Up and over my fence he went.  He came back that night and we took him in again but he went up and over again the next day.  This time a neighbor caught him and took him to a no kill shelter.  We were asked if we wanted him back but unfortunately there's not a lot you can do with a dog like Sam.  (Other than annoy your neighbors.)  Once dogs learn how to "escape" they never "un-learn" it.  And I'm not into electric fences or tying him up.  Hopefully someone with a farm will adopt him.

A friend of mine bought a Shark. 

You know...the floor steamer.  She loves it and encouraged me to try it.  Not impressed.  I've had my sponge mop for a few years now and it does the same job.  (Sorry...but I won't be spending my $100 to stimulate the economy with that.)  

Same idea with a "Swiffer".  I used to have one and liked it but it seems silly to pay for all those cloths that you have to buy and then throw away.  My broom works just as good.

Now my Dyson Animal Vacuum cleaner is worth the $$$.  I bought it about 5 years ago and was astonished at what it picked up that my old Hoover didn't.  And NO BAGS!  Yeah!

Its time for my company's 2011 Benefits discussion.

I carry the health insurance for our family since SM is self employed.  I had a traditional "buy-up" PPO for over 5 years now.  Well...the times they are a changing.  Our company is no longer offering PPO's but going to CDHP and HSA's.  (Consumer Driven Health Plans and Health Savings Accounts)

So I'm doing my homework online and will be attending a conference call Monday night.  (SM and I can listen from home.)  Not like I have a choice, unless we want to jump ship and go with a private plan.

I guess I'm glad I got all my health issues out this year.  My out of pocket?  Probably around $600 total.  (With this new CDHP I would probably have had to pay out around $4,500 out of pocket.)

Health care is really going to break every ones back.  Kiss your savings goodbye.  Or do without.  Move to another country?  Yuck.  I just can't think about it...depressing.

After 3 loads of laundry today our 30 year old Kenmore Dryer has finally bit the dust. 

We've nursed it along with repairs the past few years but as SM points out, we could have bought a new more energy efficient dryer for all the "moula" we've put in to it. 

I teased him that all we need to do is go to the dollar store and pickup a clothes line and some pins.  SM says he lived with stiff clothes growing up and vowed he'd always have a dryer.  Well, all-righty then!  (I called my neighbor and she said "come on over" so I could finish my last load.)

I'm working my way through "The Pillars of the Earth". 

It's OK.  I find that I'm able to put it down and not come back to it for a day or two.  This tells me that I'll be lucky to finish it.  The really good books capture my attention and I just suck them down. 

That's all I can come up with for now.  Hopefully something more interesting will happen tomorrow so I can keep Y'all entertained.

Do You Walk the Walk?

Here's today's lesson kids..."Do you walk the walk?  Do you talk the talk?"

(The following is from 'The Phrase Finder') 

Meaning - Back up one's talk with action.


Origin - Walk the walk' is almost always said in combination with 'talk the talk', for example, "if you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk", or "walk it like you talk it".


This is a 20th century American alternative to various old sayings which epitomise the notion that 'talk is cheap', for example 'actions speak louder than words' and 'practice what you preach'.


The context for the use of any of these expressions is in response to what is seen as empty boasting. People who are accused of such are said (in the USA) to 'talk a good game' or (in the UK) to be 'all mouth and no trousers'.

SM found this young man today...

He's been wandering around the neighborhood for the past day or so.  He came up to SM and laid his head against SM's leg.

A Pointer/Lab mix I think.  Around 2 years old (clean teeth).  Amazing temperament. No aggression that I've seen and Casey (aka Pig) can bring out the aggression in any dog with her constant need to play. 

Intelligent too.  But he's never been on a leash..(that was fun getting him home.)  He must belong to a farm somewhere around here since he's friendly but not leash trained.

We put out the neighborhood email on him and SM is dropping off flyer's to the vets in our area.

We gave him some food and a bath.  He's been sacked out (as in DEEP sleep) for over 2 hours now.  Poor baby.

SM asks how can we afford another dog?  I told him we'll see what happens this week.  Hopefully we'll find his owner.  If not, a good home.  Whether that good home is ours or not remains to be seen.

We'll do what we can and let life take care of itself...

Having a Bad Day?

I was popping around a few new blogs I've found and came across
The Apple Pie Gal.

She has a post from September that made me bust out laughing...(Perfect if you're having a bad day)

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I cannot accept,

And the wisdom to hide the bodies of those people

I had to kill today because they pissed me off.


And also, help me to be careful of the toes I step on today

As they may be connected to the ass that I have to kiss tomorrow.


Help me to always give 100% at work... 12% on Monday, 23% on Tuesday, 40% on Wednesday, 20% on Thursday, and 5% on Friday.


And help me to remember...

When I'm having a really bad day,
And it seems that people are trying to piss me off,
That it takes 42 muscles to frown
And only 4 to extend my middle finger and tell them to bite me.

Favorite People and Favorite Places

I took a quick trip to the vets yesterday to pick up Ginny's medicine.

When we moved here 12 years ago, it was country all around us.  You could still smell the cow manure as you'd driveby the pastures and hear the roosters crowing in the morning. 

The "burbs" have been encroaching on us for some time now.  New subdivisions have blossomed and traffic has slowly increased.  The city expands and keeps taking more and more of the land.

Less than a mile or two down the road from my house, it's country again.  Thank God!

This is one of my favorite places to visit.

Cats roam the driveway and paddock area. 

Hello kitty!

This is a country practice where they also take care of horses and cows...and probably all the rest of the farm too.

The old lady who runs the front desk is 90 if she's a day...spry and knowledgeable and kind.  (I should be so lucky.)

She has an old JRT who is always found sleeping behind her counter.  I noticed a little Yorkie snuggled up on another bed beside the JRT.

"Who's the new addition?"

She told me that a man came into the office and said  "Does anyone want this dog?  Cause my wife left me, and I sure don't want it."

She said she was afraid that he'd drop the dog off on the side of the road so she took him.  "I'm having a hard time housebreaking him, but he climbed right up on my bed the first day and now I can't imagine life without him."

This is a woman on a mission everyday...no doubt she is deeply loved and respected.  Her future is before her and she doesn't stop to think "How will adopting this dog impact my life" she just does it and rolls with the punches.

I wish there were more like her out in the working world.  Not knocking the young, but I work with a surgeon who'll turn 70 next year, several ladies in my building are over 60.  They are gems...diamonds in a world of cheap jewelery.

There's such ease and wisdom and comfort in our older friends.  So much that I can still learn from them.  And they call me a puppy. 

Back and Forth

SM and I are having THAT conversation again.  Downsizing.  Should we buy a "fixer" out in the country?  Should we do it now or wait a few more years?

I've always been a saver.  It bugs me that our savings account has been stagnant for the past 2 years.  And so I start thinking.  And a "Thinking Tami" is a dangerous thing. (grin)

It's bad enough that the "great recession" has caused our incomes to drop.  SM has been self-employed with all the hiccups that that brings.  My employer has had us on reduced hours for over 2 years. 

But in a way, the "great recession" has been a good thing.  It's been a wake-up call.  What is our future going to look like?  We are closing in on the "golden years"...How can we help keep that future secure? 

We hope to always be able to work for our expenses, but what if we can't?

That's why I'm so interested in the "homesteading" lifestyle.  If we can supply much of our basic needs by having an orchard, garden and livestock (chickens, pigs, goats) wouldn't that "investment" help secure our future? 

What can we do to live on less?  The most obvious answer is to get rid of the mortgage by purchasing a smaller place.  A small house with enough land to allow for more freedom in pursuing this lifestyle.

So we browse the net for properties.  SM can work anywhere. But most places that appeal to us leave ME with an 1 hr to 1 hr 1/2 commute...one way.  That's not good.  Easily a 11-12 hour day.  We'd have to get a newer car and gas will eat up some more cash... sigh.  So I flip...and I flop.  One day I'm hot, the next day I'm cold.

I just don't know if it's worth it to do now.  But I'm grateful for the wake-up call.  I'm grateful that SM is starting to re-consider our future too. 

I've adjusted my "savings" mindset in that my home is my savings account for now.  I can always sell this place when the time is right for a complete shift in lifestyle.  Some point in the future when we don't need to live off the big city, when we can live in a smaller town with smaller paychecks and smaller lives.

Will it be tomorrow or 10 years from now?  Who knows?  Stay tuned.

Finding the Sunny Spot

Simple Wisdom

SM and I were talking about an article I read on Yahoo yesterday.  Here's the link:  Ecomony recovering, but recession's shadow is long

I tend to take everything with a grain of salt.  I've become more defensive in my thinking as I've gotten older and I'm not one to "drink the kool-aid" just because it's being offered.  Especially by the media.

Articles like this make me a little bit insane.  It's all over the place, trying to make too many people happy. 

I liked reading about the behavioral changes of buying habits, which I agree with, but do you really need to placate the "wealthy" reader with the "Boo Hoo...This year I spent $2K on a handbag (second-hand!) instead of a $4K Fendi."

State the facts (as you see them).  Don't bring in all this class envy stuff.  I find it annoying.  You make the weathly people in the world sound like a bunch of idiots to the rest of us who buy our purses at Target. 

I'm a live and let live type of girl.  Some people got money and some people don't, but I've never considered that the value of a person is based on their bank account.

Times like this I think about the movie Forrest Gump...a lot of wisdom in that movie.


Stupid is as stupid does...

Now, Momma said there's only so much fortune a man really needs and the rest is just for showing off. ...

Jenny taught me how to climb. And I taught her how to dangle.
 
Vacation’s when you go somewhere… and you don’t ever come back.
 
My Momma always said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.”

Momma always says there’s an awful lot you could tell about a person by their shoes. Where they’re going. Where they’ve been. I’ve worn lots of shoes. I bet if I think about it real hard I could remember my first pair of shoes.

What’s my destiny, Mama?

You’re gonna have to figure that out for yourself.


Lieutenant Dan got me invested in some kind of fruit company. So then I got a call from him, saying we don't have to worry about money no more. And I said, that's good! One less thing.

That’s all I have to say about that.

Hard Freeze

We got down to 28 degrees last night.  I had hoped that my fall garden might squeak out a little produce, but I think we've run out of time.  Lesson learned.

I need to get the plants/seeds in by August at the latest.  Just not enough time with my late start of mid September.

I thought I'd do a "straw bale" cold frame but I've decided that instead of putting money into keeping the fall garden going, I'd rather put the money into building up the frames/soil/manure to have a better Spring and Summer garden for next year.

That said, I still went ahead and covered the plants that I have in the ground now.  We've had freezing temps for the last 2 nights.  One more night to go and then we'll be back into the 70's during the day and 40's at night.  Not bad.

Things I Wish I Could Do

Leigh, over at 5 Acres And A Dream, has written a post on "Things I Wish I Could Do."  And she's "tagged" me to offer up my list of "wishes".

So here goes...

1.  Sing.  I love music and always seem to have a song playing in my head.  From "Crazy on You (Heart) to "Billie Jean"...(A friend burned Michael Jackson's greatest hits for me this week)...I can be found driving with the windows rolled up tight, music blaring loud enough so I can't hear my own sad, out of tune, broken voice.

2.  Write a Novel.  I LOVE to read a good story.  I've got all kind of stories floating around in my head, but I don't have the skills to put them down on "paper".  Hence, the blog.  Maybe someday I'll learn creative writing. 

3.  Be an Animal Shelter.  Notice I didn't say "work" at one.  I CAN'T work at a shelter, they'd all come home with me, right now...and then I'd be divorced because as great as SM is, even he draws the line somewhere.  I have mentioned to him though that if we had a small "farm" with enough land and outbuildings, I would do this.  Shelter them, care for them, find good homes for them if I could and if I couldn't that's alright...they already have a home.

4.  No puedo hablar español.  Ojalá pudiera, pero mi mente no funciona de esa manera.  (Translation?  I can't speak Spanish.  I wish I could, but my mind doesn't work that way.) Hopefully the online translator is correct and didn't just insult everyone who is reading this.

5.  Decorate a Wedding Cake.  I find butter cream fascinating.  Piping and creating colorful roses.  Something about all those yummy tiers covered with flowers.

6.  Understand Investing/Financial Markets.  I am just too simple.  You make money, spend money and save money.  Everything else just seems like gambling to me.  I watch shows like Squawk Box and I think I understand some of this stuff but in the end I'm just too chicken sh*t to toss my money into investments.

7.  Skate.  Roller, Ice, Inline...Doesn't matter, I've tried them all.  I can't do it.  I'm a klutz on wheels and trust me, you put those babies on my feet, I suddenly grow into a 6'2" freak... all arms and legs...it's a scary thing to witness.

8. Skydiving.  We have neighbors who have done the deed.  They gave it to each other as birthday gifts.  I just can't see me doing it.  I think my heart would explode, or I'd pee my pants, or scream and choke on my tongue.  Any way you look at it, skydiving would be the end of me.

9.  Shut my Mouth.  Why, oh why can't I keep my mouth shut.  I have even gone into meetings with a rubber band around my wrist, that I snap to remind me to "shut it".  Works sometimes.  More often that not, I open mouth and insert foot.  I'm too blunt.  Honest, but blunt. And when you work with the "corporate" types who expect a certain "business protocol" you can expect to get the "stink-eye". 

Thank goodness I work with bosses who can sugar-coat my lingo and interpret "Tami-speak" into something the "upper mgmt" can understand.

What does your "wish list" look like?

Go Big or Go Home

Last time we went to Sam's Club, I found a small spiral sliced ham for $15.  I never used to be a ham person.  Bacon, sure!  I'd like to meet the person who doesn't like bacon.  But ham was never really my thing until last year.

SM wanted a ham for x-mas and I thought I'd give it a shot.  I wanted the spiral sliced so I didn't have to work harder slicing the ham for sammies.  I also knew that I wasn't going to use the "glaze" packet they provide.  I want food to taste the way I want it too and the only way to know to know that is to put the ingredients together yourself.

The ham turned out fine...what can you say it's a ham.  But I remembered using ham bones in soups growing up and since there was so much ham still stuck to the bone...I made soup.

And what a soup it was.  OMG.  Rich and flavorful and rich...did I say rich?  If cheesecake could be made into a soup...(Yuck)...Well, you get my point.

Sinfully delicious.  Right up there with She Crab Soup.  (I've gotta learn how to make that.) My point is put whatever you want into your soup, just don't forget the ham bone.

I really could become a Soup Nazi. (grin)

I've had a hankering for Ham & Bean Soup.  I've just been waiting for a day cool enough to do it.  Today was the day.  Tag along if you like.

My impromptu glaze.  Butter, Splenda brown sugar, honey, cloves and a bit of ginger.

I cooked the ham about 20 min @ 350 then poured some of the glaze over it.  Keep basting about every 15-20 for about an hour.

This ham is not for show, it's for flavor, so I pulled the slices apart to get more glaze in them.

Separate the ham slices for sammies and set the bone aside.

I put the beans in the crock last night to soak overnight.  I've got a secret to tell you.  I've never used dried beans before.  I've always had them in the pantry canned (convenient).  This time I used dried.  Easy.

The next morning, poof.  These are Great Northern (White Kidney) Beans.  They were larger but still firm.

I triple rinsed them.

Start with your "trinity"...Butter, carrots, celery, onion and I also added a bag of frozen red and yellow peppers for taste and color.  Separate the ham slices for sammies and add the bone to the soup.

10 cups of water 1 can of diced tomatoes and the beans.  Bring it to a boil then back it down to low.

4 hours later I pulled the bone out along with the larger pieces of meat.  I broke up the meat and put it back into the soup.  The bone went into a zippy bag in the freezer...it still has more to give.

Easily, 6 quarts of soup.  4 go in the freezer.  I'll be making the cornbread later.


Whenever I cook, I cook big.  Freezer bags are my friends.  I don't cook during the week. I get home too late for that.  But a soup, add a grilled cheese sammie or a salad...now you've got a meal.

Just wait until I post about my lasagna.  I cook it in the turkey pan.