behind in blogging

i don't seem to make enough time for blogging anymore. not sure of my excuse - i feel like i sit at the computer way too much as it is and i don't know what i have to show for myself. yesterday i finally made myself put together a post for the "tightwadinutah" blog i contribute to and the thought occurred to me that i should get credit for blogging over here too. so, here's a link to my latest post. i'm a bit pleased with it if i do say so.

Vision

Look what I finally finished! It has a list of our values and goals along with pictures so we can visualize all we want to accomplish in 2011. Bret found the pictures and together we wrote the goals then today I glued it all together and hung it in the office.
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hope

i was talking to an old friend today. we were talking about hard things. when i got off the phone with her i felt really sad that i was unable to lift her burdens more. i immediately sat at my computer and searched for some message of hope. i intended to find something i could share with her, instead i realized i needed a message of hope. i needed to be hopeful for her and trust that god would care for her where i felt i had failed. anyway, i watched this clip on god's "tender mercies" and it did my soul some good. maybe it will do you some good too. we can always do with a bit more hope can't we?

navel gazing

that title makes me a bit uncomfortable. maybe it's the word navel.  anyway, i'm afraid i got caught up a bit in doing just that this morning.  i've heard the phrase used in terms of doing absolutely nothing.  i'm using it in relation to too much purposeless self reflection.  i went looking for a blog post on being frugal for something related to my tightwadinutah blog when i got distracted by a bunch of my old posts.  it's strange going back in time of your own life.  i got busy looking at all the posts related to my bunion surgery a couple years ago. my husband and i had just barely started dating.  our second date was on the weekend i got home from surgery.  so it was fun just remembering a time long ago.  anyway, later this morning i came across a blog post from my good friend julie - my ultimate blogging hero.  she used to be my teaching hero, but now i don't teach so she is my blogging hero.  she's still the best teacher i know, though.  for the record.  anyway, i decided i needed to follow the lesson she gave her students.  i decided i need a sentence for my new year.  i came up with "she made her family's progress a priority."  last week my husband helped me come up with about five basic values.  then we generated a few activities related to each one that we wanted to work on this year - trying to be specific.  i decided that i really need to make those values and activities a priority in my personal life to see true progress in our lives.  i love having someone to share my "visions" with and i love that he is so supportive. 

yummy cheap dinner

i'm not sure if i've mentioned it on here before, but i've become a blogger for tightwadinutah.  it's a kick in the pants since i enjoy being frugal.  the trouble is coming up with posts that are about saving money that don't go something like "stay out of the stores."  good posts use pictures.  there aren't a lot of pictures that go with staying out of stores.  anyway, my mother says i don't blog on here enough.  this post is an effort to please mother (even though she is out of the country and won't see this for weeks anyway) and also a way for me to make record of a really delicious recipe.  maybe it will be on tightwad some day but i have to take photos before that happens.

so anyway, i should first mention that i got this recipe from a book from the library called "dinner for a dollar" - what a great idea for a cook book!  but keep in mind i think it takes the approach that it's a dollar a serving.  i don't know - math isn't my thing.  anyway, this is a cheap yummy recipe.

sweet potato and peanut stew
3 large sweet potatoes (2 1/4 pounds) peeled and cut into bit size pieces (1"ish)
1 Tb olive oil
1 crushed garlic clove
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp red pepper
2 cans garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
1 can (14 1/2 oz) broth
1 can (14 1/2 oz) diced tomatoes
1/4 c peanut butter (creamy best)
1/2 c loosely packed chopped cilantro (optional)
1) Place sliced potatoes in 2 1/2 qt microwave safe dish.  Cover and nuke until they are tender, about 8 minutes.
2) In 5-6 qt pot heat oil over medium high heat.  Add garlic, cumin, salt, cinnamon, and crusehd red pepper, and cook stirring, 30 seconds.  Stir in beans, broth, tomatoes, and peanut butter until blended; heat to boiling and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 minute.
3) Reduce heat to medium-low; add potatoes to bean mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, 2 minutes.  Stir in cilantro if using.