Tuesday Ten: Things I look forward to over the Christmas Season

1. Remembering what it means. Celebrating Jesus' birth is something that can happen any time, should be remembered more, but it is wonderful to have it even more at the forefront of our lives during December.

2. Putting up the Christmas tree. A real one, of course; I'm afraid that is one thing that I haven't yet given up in the conservation effort.

3. Time with family.

4. Christmas morning in our home. This is a new one since we bought our house a few years ago, and it is becoming a family tradion.

5. The baked goods. Spritz cookies and eggnog ... mmmmm.

6. Finding things I know people will be excited to receive.

7. Making gifts. I still have several people I want to give things I've made to but I procrastinate too much. I will get to them, I promise.

8. The kids' school Christmas concerts. This is a relatively new occurance in our lives but I cannot wait for this year's! It's so exciting to have them involved in that stuff.

9. Opening my Christmas stocking. One of my favorite parts of Christmas day itself - my mom used to hang the stockings weeks in advance and stick a things in the bottom to tease me, so Christmas morning I was always excited to find out what those things were. I haven't done that for my kids (I don't think they are big enough to not give in to temptation and peek!) but hope to down the road.

10. Being done with the wrapping. I never truly understood how time consuming this was until I had kids ... every year I end up with an aching back. I really need to switch over to gift bags for more of our gifts!!!

Tuesday Ten: Ten of my favorite foods

Today is a zoo so I picked something that doesn't require very much pondering time.

1. Amaretto fudge

2. Pineapple

3. "Doctored" Kraft spirals and cheese (I make it "my" way)

4. Clear soups - cheddar and broccoli doesn't fall into that category but that's another big favorite

5. Homemade tacos & yellow rice

6. Grilled hamburgers - either with blue cheese dressing or cheese, pickles, ketchup and mustard

7. NY style pizza with pepperoni or vegetarian

8. Teriyaki chicken

9. Chicken patty grinders

10. Oatmeal or oat bran cereal with brown sugar, dates, and milk

Granted that is only the tip of the iceburg ... but these are the things that if stranded on an island I could very cheerfully eat for a fairly long duration. How sad that I just looked and my list is awfully fruit and veggie free. LOL!

Faith's Beef Stew

I have a couple of beef stew recipes that I've thrown together that have become hits in our family. This is the one that ended up in the crockpot yesterday. You can also simply simmer it on the stove until the veggies are tender, but I prefer the ease of the crockpot, especially on a busy night.

Faith's Beef Stew

2 pounds stew beef*
2 medium white or yellow onions, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped fairly small (it's okay to use some leaves in this)
3 tsp jarred minced garlic (or 3 cloves, minced fine)
2 tbsp olive or canola oil
6-8 medium baking potatoes, peeled and cut up into bite sized pieces
6 medium carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal into 1/4" rounds
1/4-1/2 cup blackberry red wine (use whatever red you like - if you don't care to use wine, deglaze with some beef broth)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4-6 cups beef broth (add enough to just cover the veggies and meat)
8 oz. tomato sauce (you can use tomato puree or an 8 oz can of diced tomatoes - whatever liquid type tomato you have on hand and like)
scant tsp molasses or unpacked brown sugar
3 tbsp melted margarine or butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour

Peel and cut up the potatoes and carrots. Place in crockpot. Sear beef on all sides; place in crockpot. In same pan, saute onion and celery in olive oil until translucent (if they start to brown, it's no big deal). Toss in garlic for about 30 seconds (or just until you can smell it). Put sauteed veggies in crockpot. Deglaze the pan with the wine, then pour that into the crockpot. Put broth, tomato sauce, molasses, salt and pepper in pot. Stir. Cover and let cook on low for about 6-8 hours, until 15-20 minutes before serving. Combine melted butter and flour in a separate bowl; stir in a few spoonfuls of the stew liquid, then (gently) stir the flour mixture into the pot. Turn the crockpot to high, leave the cover off, and in 15-20 minutes you'll have a lightly thickened beef stew.

Serve in shallow bowls with fresh buttered Italian bread.

*I never, ever by stew beef - it is usually unevenly cut and riddled with fat. I buy cheap steaks or roasts which I trim and cube myself. It's an extra step but (IMO) well worth it.

Self Discipline

Self discipline is something I struggle with. A lot. You can see it in the condition of my house, the piles of "stuff" floating around, unfinished projects, the way I handle finances, in all honesty, the list is long enough it makes me cringe. I believe that it - or the lack of it - is one of the biggest problems in my marriage. So, I'm on a mission to develop some for myself. I found myself reading The Book of Virtues for Young People - granted, I'm not particularly "young people" anymore, but I find that - sometimes - books on a younger level sometimes get the point across better than adult books. I bought this book for my kids but ended up reading it myself.

"Self-discipline is the virtue we use to manage ourselves and the different parts of our our lives. It involves controlling our tempers ... controlling our wishes ... controlling our appetites ... and even controlling our egos. ... Self-discipline also requires recognizing your limites, not wanting too much too soon, and not reaching so far beyond your abilities that you're asking for trouble.

"In short, self-discipline means saying yes to the right things and no to the wrong things. It means taking charge of yourself. (italics mine)

"... The bottom line is that learning self-discipline is very much a do-it-yourself project. [Other people] can help, but in the end, it takes lots of practice, and no one can do that for you. It takes time and it takes patience. Use the virtue of perseverance to learn self-discipline. You'll find yourself a happier, healthier, better person." pp. 7 and 8

"Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who lacks self-control." Proverbs 25:28

"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7