April 2005 Archives

Banana Oatmeal Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Mix the following in a large bowl: 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3. Cut in 3/4 cup shortening.
4. Add one beaten egg and 1 1/2 mashed bananas. Mix.
5. Add 2 cups oats and 1/2 cup nuts (we used almond slivers). Mix.
6. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 8-12 minutes.

Hello, my name is Mrs. Happy Housewife and I am a TV addict. Each year when TV-Turnoff Week rolls around, I get a little hopeful that this year I can take the plunge. Each year I fail. It would be a lot easier if TV-Turnoff Week wasn't scheduled during the last month of the TV season when all of my favorite shows are filled with dramatic plot twists. I have, however, spent the last few years reducing my TV viewing. Five years ago, DH and I watched nearly 3o hours of television a week. Shocking isn't it?! Now, because my favorite shows do not run at the same time of the year, I watch about 5-6 hours a week. Not great but an improvement.

In honor of TV-Turnoff Week, here are some great links:

• Turnoff Network
• LimiTV, Inc.
• Kill Your Television
• The Kill Your TV Website

My family has an unusual hobby: we pick items unfamiliar to us from the produce section of the grocery store and take them home for investigation. This week our suspect was sugar cane. I had eaten some in Kindergarten but my husband and children had never tried it. Being the head cook of this ship, it fell to me to figure out how to eat this thing. A search of the internet located a very interesting website, "Produce Oasis," where you can look up different produce items and find out how each is used, what to look for and avoid when picking them out, seasonal information, and tips and trivia. As far as the sugar cane is concerned - it was like chewing sweet, soft wood and not near as fun as I remembered it from Kindergarten.

1. Pray
2. Go to bed on time.
3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.
4. Say No, to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.
5. Delegate tasks to capable others.
6. Simplify and unclutter your life.
7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
10. Take one day at a time.
11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you to do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
14. K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut.) This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.
16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
17. Get enough exercise.
18. Eat right.
19. Get organized so everything has its place.
20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
21. Write thoughts and inspirations down.
22. Everyday, find time to be alone.
23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until its time to go to bed to try and pray.
24. Make friends with Godly people.
25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus!"
27. Laugh.
28. Laugh some more!
29. Take your work seriously, but yourself not at all.
30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
32. Sit on your ego.
33. Talk less; listen more.
34. Slow down.
35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

Author Unknown

I found a wonderful new website this weekend. Some recent articles were: Buying a freezer, Handwashing the Dishes and Mealtime Cleanup, and Caring for Your Blankets.

I finished "Miss Manners' Guide to Domestic Tranquility" last night and have begun "Miss Manners Rescues Civilization." I have been told that Miss Manners is hoity-toity but I find her honest, humorous, and fair. I try to be kind but, like Marianne Dashwood, I am sometimes oblivious to propriety and reading Miss Manners' books and articles gives me a bit of a wake-up call.