Mexican Meal
1 pound ground beef, fried and drained
24 oz. salsa
1 can nacho cheese sauce
Mix together and heat. You can eat it like a soup, pour over nachos, or even add lettuce to stretch it a bit further.
Super easy! And super good!
Help With Leftovers
I use a monthly menu plan, but I am not super strict about sticking to it. I am super strict about trying not to waste money by wasting food!
I have all of my meals written on a monthly calendar. If I don’t use a meal, I circle it so that for the next month, I know I have that complete meal already bought and paid for. However, if I decide to make Monday’s meal on Thursday, I circle Thursday’s meal, then write down what I actually made. Next, I put a check mark beside the name of what meal we had.
For every night that I actually make the meal that is written on the calendar, I put a check mark beside that meal.
Why? This way, I know exactly when it was made. This way, when going through leftovers, I know what foods need to be eaten first. My goal is so that come trash day, I am not throwing money in the trash by wasting food.
Saving money by not wasting food? That works for me!!
Homemade Fabric Softener
This is my favorite homemade fabric softener recipe!
Fabric Softener
3 c. white, distilled vinegar
2 c. hair conditioner (I get something from the dollar store that is white or very light yellow.)
6 c. hot water
Add a few drops of essential oil.
Pour in a large bowl and stir with a whisk so the conditioner breaks up and is smooth.
Once done, I pour mine in an empty vinegar bottle since those stay strong for a long time.
Reevaluating and Energizing
After the unexpected loss of my dad in March, I began to reevaluate my life. I knew not to make any rash, life changing decisions while in the earliest stages of grief. During that time, I waited on the Lord, praying for His help in making the right decisions.
For years, I have worked some overtime. However, during the lockdown, I was quickly thrust into months of working 50-60 hours a week — a feat that is not easy when you are in your upper 50s. Many years, I worked 5 out of the 6 observed holidays — special times I could have spent with my family. Now, I will never get to celebrate another holiday with my daddy. That still makes me cry when I think about it.
Another big thing to consider was that Mom doesn’t drive. How was I going to keep working 60 hours a week and have the time and energy to help her, now that Dad was gone?
The best boss I have ever had retired at the end of 2020. I quickly transitioned to working under one who ruled with an iron fist, talked down to us, and tried to pit herself against us instead of working to be one team. She proved herself to be a liar and not trust worthy within a couple of weeks. With working all of those overtime hours, being on call 24/7, and having to deal with her, that also moved me to reevaluate. My shoulders were tightly fraught with tension on a daily basis.
One day while sitting at my desk, I was impressed by the Lord to check the internal job postings. Within a few minutes, I saw why. He was preparing to move me out of that department! This change would result in the loss of $10-$12K per year. While that may sound foolish to give that up in these times when inflation continues to rise, I knew I needed to trust Him and apply for the job.
I have been working at the cancer center now for 5 weeks. I work no weekends, no holidays, no overtime, and I am not on call 24/7. I come home tired because learning a new job is very taxing on the body. However, I do not come home stressed. (As for that terrible boss, she no longer works for the organization, so I was able to work my final weeks in that department without dealing with her.)
While working all of those hours during the pandemic, I barely functioned when I was off the clock. I did only the necessities — paid the bills, did monthly menu planning, grocery shopping, and laundry. Cleaning the house went on the back burner most of the time. I might dust once a month. Mopping was only done once every month or two, unless my husband had mercy and helped me. I simply couldn’t do it. I fell into a bad habit — vegging on Hulu. I thought it was an escape, and perhaps it was, to a point.
After working my new job for several weeks, I have noticed that I don’t want to veg on Hulu. I find it draining, and I want to be energized. I have also seen why the Lord has put me in this new position. He has opened doors of opportunity to minister to staff and patients. I am astounded at what He has done. It infuses me with joy and energy to use the gifts He has graciously given me.
Now that I have been enjoying more rest and less stress, I am gaining some energy. I actually look forward to cleaning the house. I am mopping weekly. I have done some deep cleaning. I even bought carpet (still waiting on it to arrive.) I bought a few small, decorative items to update the house.
Today alone, I managed to strip the bed, did 2 loads of laundry, ordered some new kitchen knives since we are still using the set given as a wedding gift over 30 years ago, watched two preachers on You Tube, studied my Bible, planned meals for this weekend, cleaned out the bottom of my side of the closet, cleaned a junk drawer, dusted, swept the cat hair off the furniture, vacuumed, cleaned the blind in the bathroom, cleaned the curtain in the bathroom, and I am getting ready to go through a box of photos to determine what to keep, what to pitch, and what to give away.
I am learning that less is more. After ordering the carpet, I started removing small things from the family room to make it easier to move the big items when the time comes. One of the things I did last weekend was clean out an end table that was filled with photo albums. I decided to go through all of those photo albums. I actually got rid of 4 of them — two of which were very large albums. The older I get, the more I am thinking “Do I really need this?” “Less is more” is a motto I keep telling myself. I was so glad I went through those photos. I found one of my dad holding my oldest nephew when he was just days old. I found another where he was posing with my youngest nephew. Both of these precious photos will now go to my nephews. I have several other photos for family members to go through. It feels good to be able to let many of them go, bringing memories to others.
And it feels wonderful to be productive again!
Practical Gift For Those Who Are Grieving
My dad died last month. We have gotten several cards in the mail, and one of them contained a very helpful and practical idea: A sheet of stamps.
What a lovely idea! So practical. So helpful. So timely.
There were many thank you notes we needed to send. Sometimes, for one bouquet of flowers, you have 4 thank-you notes to send, so stamps can go quickly. When you have lost a loved one, there is so much to do, on top of the grieving. Going to the post office to buy stamps is not something you want to have to do while grieving.
Flowers are beautiful, but so pricy. Even the simplest of bouquets can run nearly $100. Flowers die in just a couple of days, and there is also the potential of them stirring up allergies.
Stamps are much cheaper, and the grieving family will appreciate the practicality of them so much more.
Does Life Really Begin After Coffee?
I used to be a big believer in the above phrase. I loved drinking my morning coffee, treasuring that moment when the caffeine would literally touch my soul.
My body has changed so much in the last year. I discovered that I am lactose intolerant, and I am also very sensitive to gluten. I have made some adjustments to my eating habits, in hopes of feeling better.
Now there is something else nagging at my body in the morning. After eating breakfast and drinking my morning coffee, my stomach often starts to cramp. Sometimes I even break out in a sweat. There have been times when I have wondered if I was going to be able to make it out the door to go to work.
I decided to back off the coffee. In fact, I have gone many days without that morning coffee. And I noticed something rather peculiar. When I wake up in the morning, I feel refreshed and ready to face the day! And that is in spite of a lot of personal things I am dealing with in life. I was not expecting to feel better by giving up my coffee!!
I share this with you in case you find yourself feeling like you need to give yourself a break from that morning caffeine habit. Perhaps my story will inspire to go for it and see if you also feel more refreshed by refraining from your morning coffee.
Migraine help
I have occasionally struggled with the agony of a migraine. During the stress of the pandemic, the frequency of the migraines increased. I was getting them several times a month. I bought some of the OTC meds for migraines. They helped, but I wanted something that would help stop them from even happening, rather than treating them once they already had a grip on me.
I began using some Biofreeze on the back of my neck and across my shoulders every morning. It was amazing how much that simple treatment would help! However, as my day progressed, those migraines would start again. It seemed to be related to my tightening shoulders, as well as working at a computer all day. I did more research and decided to try a posture brace. Here is what I bought:
It has been such a blessing! It has really helped cut out those migraines. I don’t even have to wear it every day now because I have trained my shoulders to stay back. I notice it right away if they start to lean forward, causing me to hunch. I quickly round them and roll them back into the proper position. I have been using this brace since mid-December, and have only had to take the OTC migraine meds a couple of times since then! This was money that was well-spent! Migraine-free days are priceless!!!
This is not what I had planned!
As I was discussing this Thanksgiving with my husband, I made the comment that as our daughter was growing up, I would think about the future. I would picture what it would be like for our first holiday season once she was married. I have to tell you — I never pictured doing it during a pandemic!!!
Our daughter got married during the lockdown in the spring. She and her hubby are very low-key and frugal minded. They didn’t want all the pomp and circumstance, nor the expenses that come with a lavish wedding. So they got exactly the wedding they wanted!
While I never pictured celebrating our first holiday season with our new son-in-law during a worldwide pandemic, today will still be special because I am choosing to make it special.
While we cannot celebrate with my parents and my brother’s family, we can still celebrate with my daughter and her hubby. We are making different types of food than we normally eat for Thanksgiving. We are also going to play some games this afternoon. We are going to build memories that will last a lifetime.
After the stress of this year, the Lord has determined to give all of us a peaceful, restful holiday. I am grateful.
Thankful List
With the uptick in Covid cases, I am so very thankful to have a month where I am not working mandatory overtime. I am exhausted at the end of my 8-hour shift. I cannot imagine working 12s when it is so busy. I am also thankful that my shifts seem to fly by.
I am thankful that we will be able to have a very small celebration on Thursday, with my daughter and son-in-law. We have had contact with them throughout this whole pandemic, so I am confident we will be safe in sharing the holiday together.
I am thankful that my energy level really jumped over the weekend when I was off. I got so many things done: made 2 different batches of laundry soap, fabric softener, moisturizing hand soap, washed four loads of laundry, did some cleaning around the house, made my December menu plan, wrote a letter, studied my Bible, and more. I have even been making time to call people and stay connected with them when things are starting to lock down again. For someone who is on the phone all day at work, that is a stretch for me, but it has done me good mentally to connect with my loved ones.
Most of all, I am thankful for my precious Savior, who daily bears my burdens.
A Simple Tip for Migraines
The stress of this pandemic has resulted in an increase in migraines this year. I found a simple solution that works really well. Every morning, after I bathe, I put a bit of Biofreeze on the back of my neck and across my shoulders. It really helps keep a migraine from grabbing hold of me and ruining the rest of my day. I even keep some Biofreeze in my locker at work so that if it tries to rear its ugly head, I can add more throughout the day.
