Where Will It End???

     There is a reason that greed is considered one of the seven deadly sins. There are repercussions all around like the ripples in a pond when a stone is tossed in. Our country is experiencing a huge problem with greed and it starts at the top and works its way down to the average man.
     We have long been manipulated by the big companies into thinking we have to have their products and services and it doesn't matter how much we have to pay. They use any excuse, or no excuse at all to raise prices and we pay unquestioningly, or when someone does question it, they get a bunch of lame excuses. Remember how the cost of gas went up a couple of years ago and everything went crazy. The food in grocery stores shot up, airplane flights soared, the cost of goods went crazy. When the gas prices went down, guess what? Food still went up airplane flights stayed high and the cost of everything just keep going up. And it continues to this day.
     We live in scary times when our generation is the first to see a decrease in the standard of living since WWII. Our children may never have the opportunity to live the lifestyle that we have or should I say had.
     We don't have to look far to see greed in action (Washington DC.) Corporations are making billions of dollars a year and apparently it's not enough, because prices just keep going up.
     I makes me wonder if it will only end with the collapse of our way of life. How much money does one person or one company need to make before they say we are doing fine lets not raise prices? The world may never know.
     Do you see the cost of living going up everyday like I do. Are you as nervous as me about where it will all end. It makes me fearful for my children and grandchildren.
   

Clone Me Please

     Do you ever wish there were more than twenty-four hours in a day? Or that your body didn't need sleep. I do. I have so many things I would love to do and it feels like I have so little time. I can't expand the hours on the clock and I still need to sleep so I am eagerly waiting for science to perfect the whole cloning thing. If there were four or five of me I could get every thing done that I want and need to do.
     I would have one of me that did nothing but clean the house all day long. I would have another to watch over the kids and make sure they are brushing their teeth and doing their summer reading plan. I would have number three do nothing but reading and learning all the things I have ever wanted to learn. I would have another specifically assigned to make sure we never run out of stuff around here like paper towels, re-fried beans and Cocoa Puffs. It would be her job to go back and forth to Walmart ten times a day. And then there would be me. I would do...whatever the heck I wanted to do. I could nap, go hiking, watch a movie, read or write, or play on my computer. It would be a very different life than the one I have now where almost everything is scheduled around other family members needs.
     I can just hear my mother saying, "You should have thought about all that before you had ten kids." And it's true, when you have a family your life is no longer your own, but the rewards out weigh the obligations, for the most part.
     Still, if science would get it's heiny in gear, I sure could cross a lot of stuff off of my to do list.

Pasta Fagioli Soup for a Summer Night

     So last week I asked for some new recipes which no one had so I thought I would share a new one of mine with you. Here it is. It's Pasta Fagioli soup. I love the Pasta Fagioli soup at Olive Garden and I have tried several times to make something similar and this comes the closest. I found this recipe and totally changed it to make my family like it. First it was meatless... meatless rarely flies around here. We are carnivores of the highest order. So, I added meat. Here is the recipe and I hope you like it. It is really pretty quick and easy and it doesn't heat up your house too much on a summer night. I made toasted garlic bread with it and that heated up the house, but it was delish. This was the amount I made for my family and we had plenty leftover. I would cut the beans to one can, use smaller cans of tomatoes and less water if I was doing this for a small family. I would still use both meats, perhaps only a 1/2 pound of each. Let me know what you think
1 lb. Italian sausage
1 lb. ground beef
In a large pot brown these together. There was very little grease so I didn't drain.
2 carrots skinned and chopped up
1 rib celery chopped up
Add to meat when meat in done. Cook for a few minutes.
Then add
1 large can tomato sauce 29 oz
1 small can diced tomatoes 14 oz
3 cans great northern beans
3 cans pinto beans
3 cans kidney beans
3 Tb spoons of dried parsley flakes
1 Tb spoon dried basil
1 Tb spoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 bay leaves
10 cups of water
Heat until almost boiling then add your pasta of choice. I used small shells.
Serve with grated Parmesan cheese on top. Eat and enjoy.

Deals to Meals

     I went to Walmart yesterday and saved about sixty dollars with price matching. I love that! I want to share with you how I did it. I don't usually plug products or services, but I love this one. It's called Deals to Meals. It's run by a woman here in Utah, who started it as a way to increase her food storage without breaking the bank.  She compares all the grocery store prices and tells you what's a good deal. I take this info and price match. I know your thinking you can do this yourself. And that's true, but she also takes the sales and turns them into meals so you can feed your family for less. And on the web site you can make a grocery list and print it out, even adding some of your own items.
     It costs me $4.95 a month, but it is so worth it to me for several reasons: I hate having to take all the ads and search through them at the store because I can't remember which ad had the item I'm looking for. And I get confused with so many of them anyway. I have used many of her recipes and they usually are pretty good. I don't do the Asian ones though. My family has specific tastes. I save at least what I pay a month every time I go to Walmart which is four to five times a week, so for me it's a no-brainer. I spend a little to save a lot in time and money. She also lets you know if there are some really good coupons floating around out there. I don't do a lot of couponing because saving a dime on one item when I need to buy ten of said item isn't worth the time to cut it out. Now, if I'm saving a dollar on something that's different and it has to be something I'd buy anyway. I'm not going to use a coupon for something that will sit in my pantry for ever.
     I'm always looking for ways to save, but time is money. And for the money this saves both. Just passing it along.

Steak Marinate is Coming Up Soon

   I found this recipe on Pinterest and I think I'm going to give it a go. Even though I'm not a huge fan of basil, with it being dried it may be okay. Have any of you tried this one yet? With summer just starting, I would love to find several good grilling recipes so we don't heat up the house at dinner time. I'm going to get a couple of thick London Broils for this one I think. I'll let you know how it turns out.
 

     Best Steak marinade in existence. 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup olive oil 1/3 cup lemon juice 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder 3 Tbsp dried basil 1 1/2 Tbsp dried parsley flakes 1 tsp ground white pepper 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper 1 tsp minced garlic Combine all ingredients. Pour marinade over meat. Cover, and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. Cook meat as desired.

    If this rings a bell with you and you have another marinate you could share send it my way. There's at least 30 days in each summer month and, darn it all, my family expects to be fed on every one of them. What's up with that?! 

Write, Write, and Write

     I've been working on the editing for Into the Darkness. And, I started on its sequel, Out of the Darkness. What a roller coaster ride. One day I think it's good and the next I think its garbage. Now, you can chalk that up to hormones, or the wacky brains that most people that pursue something creative have. I think, in my case it could be both.
      Either way, its hard work and I remember someone saying, "I hate having to write, but I love having written." How profound is that? I know just what she meant. When it's all said and done I hope to write something that entertains and maybe makes you think about life, or relationships or whatever. I hope it's positive.
     Earnest Hemingway said, "Writing is easy, you just stare at the page until you start to bleed." That may not be an exact quote, but you get the meaning.
     Thanks to all of you who have been so supportive of Into the Darkness and I hope you like Out of the Darkness just as much.Now back to work. Over and out.
    

Seize the Day!

      It's the first day of summer vacation and I haven't stopped running yet. I hope we can get into a groove and things will slow down a bit, but somehow I doubt it.
     Last night I got one of those phone calls that every mother dreads. "Mom, I need you to come pick me up because I've been in a car accident."
     It's enough to make your heart skip a beat. Granted, he was calling and not the police, that was a good sign, but, still, when you hear those words, you panic. I have had police phone calls too, and let me tell you at five a.m. that's not who you want on the other end of the line. 
     This has gotten me to thinking about how precious life is and how quickly it can change. I don't want to be an old woman lying on my death bed thinking, I wish I would have told them more often that I love them. Or, I wish I had tried harder to have more fun and not take things, that don't matter, so seriously.
     Life is beautiful, precious and quick. If you blink you may miss the best parts. I don't want that.
     I pinned a pin on Pinterest that starts out in french and then there's the English translation and it goes:
   

                                        She said she used to cry at least once each
                                        day not because she was sad, but because
                                        the world is so beautiful and life was so short.


       These words touch my heart and make me appreciate each day. Before you know it, your kids are grown and you no longer have the opportunity to hug, kiss and snuggle with them, like you did when they were small. Don't take these precious moments for granted. Embrace life and seize the day before they are gone.