Saturday Thoughts and Deeds

This morning, I was on the phone chatting with Linda and I think she must still be laughing at me. She commented on how quiet I have been and wanted to know what is keeping me so busy. Well I have not been quiet...some of you can vouch for that...but I have been busy. I told her I have been spending alot of time in the kitchen. She asked how Sweet Hubby was liking that and I assured her he was enjoying it very much. He made a comment "I did not know you knew how to cook." Now we have been married 28 years and I cook all his meals!!!! He clarified his statement with "scratch cooking" being the meaning of his comment (dug himself out of that hole, huh?). Linda found this very funny! Really, I am enjoying cooking. I would have never believed that. Last night I made Niki's Swiss Steak. When I told Sweet Hubby that swiss steak was on the menu, he made a face....you see I have made swiss steak many times before. I put cube steaks in the crock pot, throw a can of diced stewed tomatoes over it and turn it on. Put a scoop of minute rice and canned green beans on the side and viola!!! Niki's recipe was very different, and I will ask her to post it, as it was one of my all time favorites AND Sweet Hubby LOVED it. I served it with homemade mashed potatoes and peas.
Oh, do you notice the buttered biscuits? Zachary and I made homemade biscuits. It was my first time ever and they turned out wonderful...and they were so simple. Are you wondering where Charlotte is? Well, Charlotte spent much of her day working very hard at not working. Some of you may understand this concept. Alot of teenagers do this and recent generations of children have an affinity towards it. I can not understand why you would want to spend extra effort doing a job poorly, on purpose. This is a habit little Charlotte has fallen into and she needs some guidance in this area. Yesterday was especially difficult for her. She works hard at doing the bare minimum with some of her school work, but when her 1st grade brother knows something she does not, but should, she is very upset to the point of tears. Somehow, the lesson does not get learned and she continues to work very hard at not working. This is VERY common with children who come from a background of having little. Entitlement raises its ugly head, while children in the same family, who have never known lack, are overly thankful for the things they are blessed with. During this season of thanksgiving, I want my children (and myself) to remember that everything in our lives is a blessing that should not be taken for granted. Is it wrong to require your children to take care of their toys, to make their beds properly, to hang up their clothes in a way that meets a standard, to do household chores, or to be responsible for white lies regarding a chapter book that was skimmed through instead of read? I hear all the time from parents "I am not here to be their friend". Well a good parent OR a good friend does not let their child skate by, doing the bare minimum. Where is the satisfaction in that? So, Charlotte was feeling a little put out with the fact that she had no payoff for working hard at not working. Cheryl linked to a great article today. If you go to her post you can follow her link...it is a great article worth reading! Whew!! Being a parent is hard work...I do not want to do the bare minimum, or "skim through" this job!
Early next week, I want to do a little tutorial for those of you who are not yet quilters, but you have expressed an interest in learning. It will be a simple checkerboard table topper and matching napkins. These can be done in a day and make great gifts. Plus it will help you get a taste of quilting, which can be a wonderful thing to bring into your life. Maybe it can be your "something new" for 2008!
The rest of my weekend will be spent making Hannah's apron for the Apron Swap, finishing up my napkins, and spending time on my knitting. There are also cookies to bake and time with my family. Zach is going to his brother's house for the day/evening and Charlotte and I may get those cookies baked....hmmmm, I wonder if there could be a lesson in that. Maybe if we "skate by" on the recipe and not do it to the standard it requires....I wonder how those cookies would turn out?