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A Cooking Hit and Miss

Posted on June 23, 2009 by auburnchick

Hold on to your hats, people.  I’m getting adventurous lately…venturing into the land of muffins!

Oh boy…AuburnChick has gone off the deep end this time, eh?

Actually, I’m having a bit of fun…trying new recipes.  Some are hits, but most are misses.

I don’t know why, but last week, I decided that I just had to make muffins.  A quick search on Google led me to this site.

Muffin Heaven!

I decided to try the Cinnamon Muffin recipe, and Oh My Goodness!  What a mouth-watering treat!  The cinnamon/sugar topping sealed the deal.  This recipe is a WINNER!

I know they don’t look very pretty, and they are kind of small.  Chalk that up to me not filling up the cups all the way.  They were more like muffin bites, easily fitting into Rooster’s mouth with one pass.

With this success under my belt, I thought I would try another recipe that I had seen…Apple Muffins!

Now, to illustrate how little cooking knowledge I have, I had to google how to cook apples.  I opted on boiling them until they were soft.  My house started smelling sooooo good…almost like apple pie.

I proceeded to mash up the apple and mix the rest of the ingredients.

Because the Mr. and I are lactose-intolerant, I thought it would be a smart idea to replace the required milk with some of the water I had cooked the apples in.

Such a smart girl I am, eh?

The mix was looking and smelling better with every ingredient I added.

After popping the first batch in the oven and setting the timer for 20 minutes, I started cleaning up.

That’s when I discovered that I had made a grave error.

In my haste to grab the apple water, I had, in fact, grabbed the pot of  oil I had used to cook french fries for dinner.

Oh

My

Goodness

I debated what to do.  Do I tell Chicky, who was eagerly awaiting those muffins?  Do I wait and see if she notices a funny taste?

I started giggling at my secret.  That I could make such a stupid mistake was funny.  She was engrossed in Facebook and paid me little attention.

I wondered how I could make this kind of mistake.  I remembered thinking that the “water” was awfully thick and chalked it up to the natural sugar in the apples turning into a syrup.

Well, I decided to let bygones be bygones and kept those babies in the oven and not say a word to Chicky.

After the buzzer went off, I checked on them.

Hmmm…they weren’t rising much.  They were light-blond.  I decided they needed more cooking time and set the timer for another ten minutes, when I repeated the process.

Hmmm…I figured I’d set the timer for another ten minutes.  Chicky started looking over my shoulder at this point, wondering why it was taking so long for them to cook.

The muffins still hadn’t risen after the second ten minutes, but the tops were starting to turn golden brown.  I didn’t want them to burn, so I pulled them out and scooped one onto a plate to let it cool off.

I cautiously took a bite, Chicky looking on in keen interest.

I rolled the bite around on my tongue.

At first, I tasted the apple.

Whew!  No harm done.

I tried to get Chicky to take a bite, but she had been sick all day and didn’t have much of an appetite (not that these looked very appetizing).  She declined.

And that’s when it hit me.

The french fry taste.

I was, in fact, eating french fried apple muffins.

Not only was the taste strange, but the muffins were not light and fluffy.  They were heavy…like bricks.

I started laughing, and Chicky eyed me warily.

“Mama, what did you do?” she asked.

She knows me too well.  I cannot hide anything without my face telling on me.

I filled her in on what had happened.

To say she was angry would be an understatement.  That I had tried to get her to eat a bite ruffled her feathers.

I can’t blame her.  I had wanted an unbiased opinion, and she failed to take the bait.

Smart girl.

Back to the drawing board.  I still want to make apple muffins and will be on the hunt for a fool-proof recipe.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | Leave a comment »

Evolution of a Housewife

Posted on June 22, 2009 by auburnchick

Being unemployed this summer has been an interesting experience.

Oh, to be sure, I’m totally enjoying staying up late and sleeping in, although the flip side is that I have no idea how I’m going to pay some of my bills this month.

But, other than my sleep patterns and income changing, another strange thing is happening lately.

I find myself actually, gulp, enjoying housework!

I’ve been thinking about this lately and wondered how it happened.

The Mr. and I have been married almost 20 years.  I don’t remember especially liking housework at the start of our marriage.  I had to work full-time from the get-go…supporting us while he finished school and job-hunted after.

We decided to start our family early in the game, so working full-time and being a mom definitely did not contribute any love towards chores.  The Mr. and I made a deal when Rooster was born.  If I changed all of the diapers, the Mr. would cook.

You’d have to be a dummy not to, in the words of an enthusiastic Deal or No Deal audience, “Take the deal!”

I still had to clean up after…a chore I loathed after bathing children and getting them ready for bed.

Even after I started staying home full-time, I don’t recall a time when I “enjoyed” housework.  Maybe it was because I could never seem to get caught up.  Maybe it was because I never had help.

As the kids have gotten older, they’ve been able (and expected) to contribute.  They do everything from washing dishes to laundering their own clothes.  They scrub their tub, scoop dog poop, and iron clothes.

When I enrolled in college courses, I found myself with less time to clean the house, and the kids picked up the load exponentially.

In the process, I grew a wee bit lazy.

The yard and house went to pot because, although the kids tried, they were cutting corners.

The last couple of months, things have slowly changed.

The kids’ schedules have picked up substantially.  They are often out of the house…spending a lot of time with the church’s youth group, attending school functions (the last month of school), and basically just being teens.

The week they were gone to camp, I had to do everything.  You remember my “done” lists.

As I typed those lists, something began growing in my heart.  It was pride in a job well-done.  My yard, although not green and certainly not weed-free, is properly “groomed,” so-to-speak.  The house is dusted, vacuumed, and sort-of neat.  Not that it would pass the white glove test, but it’s so much better than it was.

Somehow, through the last work-free month, I’ve begun to enjoy the responsibilities entrusted to me.

I can’t help but wonder if it’s God working this inside of my heart.

I have, after all, been reading some fantastic blogs…True Woman and girltalk.  These blogs talk about Biblical womanhood.  They stress that women are to live their lives in a way to goes in the opposite direction of what the world puts out there.  We are to be our husbands’ helpers…an image that the media portrays as old-fashioned.  This post really plucked my heart and has given me pause.  I encourage you to take a few minutes to read it.  This link will take you to a series on Biblical womanhood on the same blog.

I’ve been convicted about the way I have often treated the Mr.  I’ve had hissy-fits…frustrated that he doesn’t help.  And, to be fair, he probably should a wee bit more than he does.  But it’s not right of me to insist on my way or else.  I shouldn’t be complaining about being asked to help him.  I’ve often looked at his requests as laziness on his part…something I just have no tolerance for.

And yet, God calls me to be the Mr.’s helper.  That was a vow I made when I said, “I do.”  Rather than feel resentful, I should be thankful that God has given me such wonderful opportunities to serve.  Serving my family models the way we are to serve God and imitates the ultimate model of servitude…Christ’s service to sinners.  Remember the story of Him washing His disciples’ feet?

Yeah.  Humbling and convicting.

True change comes about slowly…especially when you are the stubborn student that I am.  Onward I plod…one precept at a time…

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: , , , , | 2 Comments »

AuburnChick Knits Through the Pain

Posted on June 21, 2009 by auburnchick

As you may remember, my latest project has been the Leyburn Socks (free pattern found here).

I had been eager to use the Rio de la Plata I bought the weekend of Mother’s Day…

I thought the project was going to be easy and zoomed right through the first foot until I turned the heel and had to make increases.

Oh boy.  I got confused and had to finangle my way through the rest of it as I just couldn’t figure out how to make round 5 work after the increases.  And this was coming off of working a short row heel, which you know I love (the italics indicate sarcasm).  And, this was on top of the provisional cast on and short row toes (more sarcasm)!

Needless to say, I was not exactly thrilled to cast on the second one, but cast on I did as I tend to be a very monogomous knitter.

I worked and worked…and thought and thought as I had to tink a few times.

I finally figured out that I was over-thinking the fifth row.

People…how many times have you heard the phrase, “Trust the pattern.”

I had already googled for errata and could not find any.  I checked the comments on the pattern in Ravelry, and everyone bragged about how easy it was.

So yes, I felt kind of stupid when everything clicked two nights ago.

Ready to book my way through to the end, I encountered a small problem…

How much more stupid could I be.  While trying to snip a wad of sticky stuff from Pele’s fur, he got scared, moved, and the scissors sliced two of my fingers.

As the Mr. gently applied bandages, I cried out, “Now I won’t be able to finish my socks!”

He looked at me incredulously and said, “Maybe you shouldn’t be knitting right now.”

Poosha, you unknowing man.

Not knit?!  Surely you jest!

I sat myself down, bemoaned my woes to my online buddies, and then picked up the needles…determined to push on through the pain.

And that’s just what I did!

It was slow-going, but I finally managed to bind off the last sock today.

Woo Hoo!

Rooster acquiesced to my request that he play photographer.  He did a fine job!

First of all, though, let me say that this was one skein of yarn that I wound into two separate balls.  My original intent had been to knit them two-at-a-time.  I wound up doing them separately using Magic Loop.  But, when I finished, I realized that they look like they were made from different colors!!  It’s very strange and not at all pleasing to me.

Oh well.  I’ll still wear them.  One thing’s for sure…nobody else will have a pair like them!

Quickie stats:  I began this project on June 6 and completed it today, June 21.  I used 80g of yarn on size 1 1/2 needles.  I completed 11 pattern repeats from the heel up.

And now, more pictures to show off my hard work…

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , , | 5 Comments »

AuburnChick Cooks a Yummy Meal

Posted on June 19, 2009 by auburnchick

I am more than willing to admit that I am not much of a cook.  I’ve never enjoyed it much.  Except for cooking desserts, I seem to be flavor-challenged and, hence, my dishes often do not live up to what I envision.

That’s why, a few nights ago, we were all pleasantly surprised when dinner was actually quite tasty!  I thought I would share the recipe which I based loosely off of this one, blending several of the suggestions in the comments.

Round Steak and Gravy

1 package bottom round steak chunks

1 pkg Lipton Golden Onion Soup mix

1 pkg Lipton Beefy Onion Soup mix

2 tbsp flour and 3 tbsp flour (divided as listed)

Dash of garlic salt

Dash of black pepper

Dash of red pepper flakes

1 can beef bouillon

2 cans of water

Mix flour, garlic salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes and coat the meat with it.

Brown the meat in a pan.  Put the meat in a crockpot when finished.  Pour some of the beef bouillon into the pan and use to remove the drippings from the pan, which you will add to the crockpot.  Pour remaining beef bouillon, along with two cans of water, and dry soup mixes into the crockpot.

Set on low and cook for 6-7 hours.

About 45 minutes before serving, mix three tablespoons of flour with cold water and pour into the crockpot to help the gravy thicken.

Serve over rice or egg noodles.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

Operation Children Stockings

Posted on June 18, 2009 by auburnchick

Dustina, a friend of mine, needs our help.

Do you remember the stockings I made for the troops last Christmas?  It was part of a larger effort to get 1,000 stocks knit for troops overseas.

Well, Dustina participated in this endeavor and even enlisted the help of those in her community.  They had a blast filling the stockings with goodies and making cards to put inside.

She was so excited about the project that she decided to approach those in her city to find out if there was a local need for these gifts.

You know…rather than me telling you about it, let me quote her blog post:

Last year, on KH, we made stocking for the troops, and I just loved the idea. We had locals here in town that donated candy, baggies, stickers, time, stockings, and signatures (they signed 850 cards for us)…We then had the children decorate the envelopes and other cards…we stuffed the stockings we made and placed them in baggies with the cards…then after talking to Becky we also went ahead and divided up the candy placed it in a baggie…this way all she would have to do was stick in a stocking for the troops. We then boxed up all those items and sent them to Becky.

This year I would like to continue the stocking idea but felt I wanted to do something for Coshocton. It has been hit very hard by the economy with many losing jobs. Last Christmas we had more children in need than in the past few years and knew this year would be even more children.

We have been in contact with the Salvation Army here in Coshocton who does a Christmas Castle for the kids. They get to go into a local store and pick out a winter coat, etc.

When we ran the idea of what KH and Coshocton had done last year for the troops by them, they got all excited. We heard a lot of “God bless you all” and “Thank you, this our answer”…

We asked them could they give us a rough number of of how many children would need a stocking with a card (thinking maybe 500)…we were stunned when they said 1,000 and each day it’s growing.

The local knitters here were going to be knitting the stockings, however this is beyond us, and we could really use some help reaching our goal.

So today I’m here to ask you all for a little help on the knitting and crocheting of the stockings.

We are going to start running ads now(was going to be Sept) for donations from here, to handle the cards/baggies/stickers/etc.

The stockings won’t be due till sometime around Oct/November so we can get them stuffed, put in a baggies, and make sure they have a card with them. We will be asking the local schools in Aug if they care to help with the decorating of the cards.

We were hoping to make the stockings a little bigger than last year, not too much…but we found it hard to keep the candy in that size.

Here is the pattern for Magic Loop and 2 Circs (link on my blog)
Here is the pattern for DPNs (link on my blog)

The pattern size is 6″ in length and 3″ wide. You can use any pattern that you want, any yarn, any colors!

Thank you!

I know it’s only June, but perhaps we can find the time to knit one or two per month, set them aside, and mail them to her later this fall.

Filed under: Knitting | 1 Comment »

Nothing on TV?

Posted on June 17, 2009 by auburnchick

What do you do when there’s nothing on TV?

Ok…so you could read, I know.  You could also knit…I know that too.

Last night, I visited Yidio, my latest favorite site to watch TV shows and movies for free.

I perused the list and saw an old favorite…Grease 2!  Setting aside the sexual innuendo, the movie is fantastic!

Yeah, I know it’s hokey, but I couldn’t help myself.

I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite videos from this movie.

Don’t be embarrassed to sing along.  You know you want to!

Back to School

Cool Rider (one of my absolute favorite songs from this movie!)

Who’s That Guy

Girl for all Seasons

We’ll Be Together

Rock-A-Hula-Luau

Filed under: This-n-That | Leave a comment »

Snack Time!

Posted on June 17, 2009 by auburnchick

We had a bit of fun with the dogs last night.

Now…no mean comments.  Those are organic Cheerios, and yes, I know we’ve created a monster (you’ll get what I mean after you see the video)…

Filed under: Pets | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

AuburnChick Repairs the Vacuum

Posted on June 17, 2009 by auburnchick

For some time now, we’ve had serious issues with our vacuum cleaner.  You know how, when something is sort-of broken, you tell yourself and everyone else that you’ll get to it…eventually?

Well, that’s how I’ve been with the vacuum.  Shame on me!  With three dogs, being able to vacuum is extremely important!  There’s a lot of dog hair in this house!

Just last weekend, the Mr. and I had talked about the need for a new vacuum; however, because of my lack of a job, it is not high on the list of must-buy items.

Yesterday, I decided to see if there was anything I could do.  I mean, last week, I fixed Chicky’s dehumidifier.  You’ve already read about me fixing the doorbell and the garbage disposal.  I’m in Fix-It Mode.

First, I retrieved the manual from the bag where I keep such items.  The back had a section for troubleshooting, and one of the things the manual suggested was that the hoses be checked.

I ambled over and peered down the long black coil.  I didn’t see anything amiss.

Back to the manual, where I read about taking apart such and such part off of such and such part.

Insert Tim the Toolman’s Ar, Ar, Ar.

AuburnChick was gonna get her hands dirty.

Woo Hoo!

Armed with a variety of screwdrives, I got to work.

First, I turned the cleaner on its side to look at the roller brush…

Oh boy.  Not good.  Chicky and I have long-ish hair.  I wondered if this could be the problem.

I found the reset button on the side…the one the manual suggested to get the roller brush turning again.  Could this be the problem?

Alas, no, it wasn’t.  Sure, the brush was turning, but it was still spitting out gunk.

No such thing as a quick fix, eh?  Time to get serious.

I unplugged it and began removing screws and eventually had the thing taken apart.  Look at what I found when I took the top cover off…

That’s dust and dog hair.

Gross!

I made a quick pass at the initial line of dust/hair only to spy this…sticking out of the hose that connects to the roller…

That was just the tip of the iceburg, so to speak.  I removed the rest of the hose and had to use the longest screwdriver to push out the rest of the junk that had gotten jammed inside…

What a nasty, icky job!  I meticulously cleaned the rest of the vacuum, cut the hair from the roller brush, and put all of the parts back together.  I didn’t even have any parts left over!

It was now time to test it.

Would it work?

Of course!  Never doubt AuburnChick’s ability to figure things out!

Never has vacuuming been so much fun (except for the first time I used it after pulling it out of the box).  After cleaning on 1/2 half of one bedroom, here’s what I collected…

Almost an entire container of gunk.

Ewww.

I eagerly made my way through three bedrooms, rearranging furniture in the process.

If you ever want Chicky to do something, let her fix it first.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , | 1 Comment »

Ups and Downs

Posted on June 16, 2009 by auburnchick

The last couple of days have been full of ups and downs.

I’ve been very stressed because I just discovered that my last two unemployment payments were not put in my account.  Apparently the fact that my substitute teacher jobs have stopped for the summer put a red flag on my claim, and the powers-that-be are “reviewing” my case.  Sure would have liked to know that a month ago!

Meanwhile, I’d been happily playing house, keeping my eyes open for a job, under the assumption that I would still be receiving help with my bills.

Until I checked my bank account.

Crunch time.

I’ve revamped my resume and upped my efforts to find something.  It’s extremely frustrating because I do not want to accept a job that I might have to quit if I am blessed to find a teaching position.  I’m loyal in that way.  However, there is no guarantee that I’ll find a teaching job.

In addition, the kids and I have been arguing fiercely…over typical teenage issues.

I need my life to be organized.  Anyone who has ever seen my workspace knows that I thrive in an ordered environment.

This morning, before I got out of bed, I cried out to the Lord for help.  Lately, I have felt very convicted about the way I’ve handled money in the past.  The Mr. and I have not exactly been role models for frugal living.  We’re paying the price now.

Confessing this sin before God, I pleaded for His forgiveness and His guidance.

God is so GOOD!

He is so FAITHFUL!

In my mail today, I received two unexpected items.  One of them was a pay stub from my school district.  When I saw it, I couldn’t help but wonder why they were sending me something that had $0.00 on it.  What a waste of paper.

I opened it and discovered a nice little sum typed into the last box…my final wages for the school year…totally unexpected.  I thought I had already received my last check.

I was on the phone with a friend when I opened it, and my voice choked up as I told her what I was looking at.

Wow!

God’s graciousness did not end there.

I spied a brown padded envelope.  The sender was Rebecca, my blogging buddy.

I don’t remember what led me to start reading her blog.  Maybe I googled Christian blogs.  It only took one reading before I was hooked.  Her posts are heart-felt, joyous, and alive with energy.  We quickly became friends, commenting frequently on each other’s posts.

She took me up on my recent devotional book giveaway.  She will be using it as a resource for the teens she mentors at her church’s youth group.  A couple of days ago, she sent me an email letting me know that the money for shipping (the only money I had requested) was on the way.

So, although I wasn’t suprised to see her name on the return address, my interest was piqued because…who mails money in a large padded envelope?

I eagerly tore into it and exclaimed in joy as I pulled out this…

Happy Feet - Color 15

I immediately envisioned footies!!!  And my favorite color too…blue!!!

I quickly wound it up…

Her’s was a simple gesture that brought a huge smile to my face.  The words inside the card brought more tears to my eyes.

People can poo-poo technology and all of the bad stuff it’s brought.  For me, the world has become a much smaller place.  Homebodies like myself need to be able to reach out and connect with others in whatever way possible.

Now, I realize that God did not solve all of my problems today.  But He did make His presence known in a very tangible manner.

These weren’t coincidences.

God, my loving Father, knew that I needed something to fuel hope in my heart.  I feel rejuvinated.  I feel like I matter…I’m not just one out of the billions of people in this world.  He loves me enough to say, “Hello, AuburnChick.  I see you, and here’s a hug to let you know that you are not alone.”

God is so GOOD!

Filed under: Christian | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Itty Bitty Kitties

Posted on June 15, 2009 by auburnchick

Folks, you know I am a dog person, but a friend shared the link to this blog, and I just had to pass it along.

I was having a bad afternoon, but the pictures on the blog put a huge smile on my face.  I think they will do the same for you.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

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