Starlight Cookies for the last week of Advent

We found this recipe for a gift mix online and adapted it to use as a special Advent cookie. They would make lovely pre-Christmas gifts, made into mix kits, with the following instructions printed out and tied on with a ribbon. You might also want to just commemorate the journey of St. Joseph and Mary with your own family by making these the last week of Advent.

Starlight Cookies

To be made on or for Christmas Eve

in Honor of our Blessed Mother's and St. Joseph's

Journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem

Contained in this jar:

Chopped Walnuts to represent the rocky road the little family traveled on

White chocolate chips for the stars in the sky

Dried cranberries whose tarness symbolize the doors shut to Mary and Joseph

Sugar to represent the snow

Brown sugar for the brown hills of Bethlehem

Rolled oats to symbolize the animals in the stable where they found shelter

Flour for the simple goodness of the shepherds in the fields they passed

To make the cookies:

Think of the preparation St. Joseph and Our Blessed Mother must have made for this journey to Bethlehem: Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper.

For the light of Heaven: In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg, and 1 tsp of vanilla until fluffy.

Add the hardships of the journey to the light of Heaven: Add the entire jar of ingredients, and mix until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets

Remember the hardships of Jesus' life on earth and His passion: Bake for 8 - 10 minutes, or until edges brown.

Anticipate His coming: Cool on baking sheets or remove to cool on wire racks.

Appreciate the joy and promise of His birth: Enjoy eating them!

Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas!

(Makes app. 18 cookies.)

*We made several of these gift jars to sell as fund raisers at our parish St. Nicholas Festival last weekend. To pepare the jar ingredients, layer the following:

1 C plus 2 T all-purpose flour

*mixed thoroughly with*

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

*followed by*
1/2 C rolled oats

1/3 C packed brown sugar

1/3 C sugar1/2 C dried cranberries

1/2 C white chocolate chips

1/2 C chopped pecans

Here's how they looked when we were all done.

Now, you really should run on over to Rocks in My Dryer for all the amazing tips and tricks at Shannon's weekly Works-for- me-Wednesday extravaganza!

Making Faces

Inspired by this book ~ Making Faces, by Norman Messenger ~ we put together a simple, fun game for the children. Fun for all ages, it's a great cognitive tool for our toddlers, and silly enough to keep our teenagers busy, too.

And, it's easy-peasy.

All you need is a camera that can download to a printer, scissors, glue, construction paper and clear contact paper.

1. Take a picture of your child(ren), husband, self, whomever. More than one is better; half the fun is mixing and matching faces. Make sure you center each face so that the top of the hair and the bottom of the chin are framed the same in each photo.

2. Print out each photo.

3. Gluestick onto construction paper.

4. Cut each picture into thirds, measuring to make sure they are all the same, and that each contains the same facial features.

5. Cover each section of each picture with contact paper, leaving some overhang to fold around the edges, to keep the edges neat.

6. Voila! You're done! Now mix and match! Too much fun!

(That last one there, the mix & match of all three girls, just cracks them up!)

If you don't have a camera/printer, or just want to save ink, you can also just draw cartoon pictures to play the same game, like so:

Now, run over to Shannon's at Rocks in my Dryer, for literally hundreds of fun and useful tips!

Backwards WFMW

This week I get to ask you all for help!

Here's the problem.... This scrumptious, sweet, little fluff of fur that I introduced back in March,

Little Bella...

...has grown into BIG BELLA!

Bella, the sweetheart ~ the most loving-est, tail waggingest, big wet kissing-est dog you'll ever meet. That's the problem. We have four children under five feet tall that she attacks with BIG LOVE every time they walk out the door, but especially if they are without an adult. If hubby or I are outside, Bella behaves fairly calmly; we've got her trained that much. But, we can't figure out how to keep her from jumping up on the children when we're not there.

Is there a solution to this problem? We hate for the kids to be afraid to go outside because of this big, over-enthusiastic galute! And we just can't (and don't want to have to) go outside with the children every time they want to go out to play.

We're glad Bella loves the children ~ But she just loves them too much! We need to figure out how to teach her to control herself around the little ones. Any suggestions???

Here's our girl in action:

This time she is giving two -year-old William a nice, well-behaved peck on the cheek. If I hadn't been standing there, though, she'd have had her two front paws on William's shoulders for about ten seconds before she knocked him down and started licking him all over the face... Also, do you see that wild tail? That alone strikes fear into the heart of a two year old who is at eye level with it!

Now, after you help me with my little problem, run over to Shannon's and see who else needs you!

"Out, out, dang spot!"

Our house is where stains go to die. Especially after recent renovations, we've needed all the help we can get. Unfortunately, there's no easy trick for getting sheetrock dust out of every nook and cranny of the entire house, but here are a few tried and true methods for removing other kinds of spots and unwanted gook.

To remove oil, grease, butter, and sunscreen spots from clothing: Rub in some Dawn dish soap before tossing in the washing macine. For extra stubborn spots, soak the spotty section overnight in a concentrated solution of Dawn and water before washing.

To remove gum from a shoe: put shoe in plastic grocery bag, push bag into gum until it sticks. Place shoe, within bag, into the freezer for a couple hours. When you remove from the freezer, the plastic bag should pull away from the shoe, bringing the gum with it. A squirt of WD-40 has also been known to do the trick.

Gum on clothes or carpets ~ Don't use WD40! But, do employ the same "frozen" philosphy as used to remove gum from shoes. Take a piece of ice in a baggie and "freeze" the gum on the fabric or carpet. Scrape up with a butter knife. To remove excess gook that doesn't come up, simple dish soap and water with scrubbed with a toothbrush usually does the trick.

Gum in hair ~ Yep, you knew it. Peanut butter really does work!

To remove old Contact Paper from shelves: Wet a thin dishtowel, place over paper, press with steam iron. Pull up towel and the paper will peel right off.

To remove candle wax: Easy peasy. Freeze the holders for a day or two. Tap or shake lightly. The wax will pop right out.

This little trick deals with a different kind of removal, but a useful one at a Sunday morning brunch for the gang. To remove frozen bacon from its neighboring frozen bacon: Start out not freezing them together. Pull out a sheet of plastic wrap about a foot long. Place bacon on the plastic wrap, 1/2" to 1" apart. Place another sheet on top and repeat layers with all your bacon. Top with one last sheet of plastic wrap and roll it up. Wrap it all in aluminum foil and place in your freezer. Now when you want bacon, it's easy to remove the exact number of slices needed. (When does our group not go through a whole package at a time, you ask? Good question. It's that portion of a second package that's the one needing to be pre-separated for us. And, even when you use the whole package, being able to separate it more easily straight out of the freezer is worth the trouble!)

For tons of great tips stop in for a visit at Rocks in My Dryer!

Cricket Thermometer

So, I put my leg in my jammie pants last night and a cricket popped out the leg hole! Yikes! It certainly startled me, but, you know, it didn't give me near the willies that it would have if it'd been a spider. My immediate thought was more like: "That's where you were, you little stinker!" We'd been hearing him all day!

Funny thing that crickets, unlike most bugs, are greeted in many homes with more a welcome than the bottom of a shoe. In Chinese, Native American, and even Irish folk lore, crickets are said to bring good luck. I understand that. While I sure don't want one sharing my pajamas, I've always liked the sound of them. Cricket song sounds like the country, like warm summer nights, like peace and contentment and home. All that from a bug!

But, that's not all; look what else I found out. Not only can we enjoy the crickets' serenade musically, we can use it scientifically! We just found out how to use the little guys as thermometers.

Here's what you do:

For the approximate fahrenheit temperature,

Count the number of chirps

in 14 seconds and add 40.

It seems that, since these guys are cold-blooded, their bodies are close to air temperature. As air temperatures warms, so does their body temperature, their activity, and thus, their rate of chirping. Fascinating, huh? And a fun front porch activity for a summer's evening!

To hear some cricket songs, head over here, and then over here for a really cool cricket study to share with the kids.

And for a whole world of amazing tips and ideas, head over to Shannon's for Works for me Wednesday!

(I couldn't post a picture of Jiminy Cricket without including his signature tune.)

Five Ingredients or Less

This is a Family Favorite:

Mexican Cornbread:

2 boxes or two 12-muffin recipes of corn muffin mix

(Krusteaze is our favorite)

2 lbs ground beef

2 cups salsa of your choice

1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, jack, whatever you like best)

* optional 1 can corn , 1 small can jalapenos

Preheat oven to 350.

Brown the ground beef. (You can spice this up, if you like.) Drain, add the salsa, and set aside. Follow the directions on your muffin mix, while your beef is browning; let set for a few minutes for a brief "rising" before beating down. (You can add a can of drained corn to the muffin mix before rising, if you like.)

Spread half of the muffin mix onto the bottom of a jelly roll baking pan (8"x12" or so). Crumble all the ground beef on top of the muffin mix. Add the jalapenos, if desired. Sprinkle with the shredded cheese. Pour the remainder of the muffin mix on top of the cheese and smooth out.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cornbread is done in the middle.

Our kids like this with extra salsa and sour cream.

* For fewer growling tummies than we have at our house, halve this recipe.

To totally fill your recipe file with Five-Ingredient Recipes (and some of these are really, really awesome looking!) run over to Shannon's today!

Free Fun Stuff To Do

These days it takes our whole entertainment budget just to drive to where the fun is. Granted, we live about 50 miles from the nearest city... but I think everyone is suffering the crunch these days. When you have to shell out $89.00 for three bags of groceries and a box of diapers like I did last night, you know you have to cut corners. Unfortunately, entertainment is the first to go. Or, um, well, it should be.

Here are some ways to help shave that budget to almost nothing, but still have a good time:

Every city and state has a "free stuff" directory. Just google it. "Free stuff to do in ________." Our Colorado directory lists everything from the Coors brewery tour in Golden to the Frozen Dead Guy Days in Nederland. As a bonus, it tips us off to where we can get free beer, mead, watermelon, and ~ CHOCOLATE!

This Denver directory lists out the free days at the area museums, botanical garden, and zoo, as well as some off-the-beaten-track, quirky, fun places that are free of charge. Every city of any size has like lists.

You can also take advantage of:

Free movie rentals

If you haven't already discovered this gold mine, you need to know that the library is not just about books anymore! Our tiny town library takes great pride in keeping up with the latest releases, and we take advantage!

Kid Days: Magicians, Jugglers, Animal Exhibitions

We live in a tiny town, but our local library provides a parade of special events for the children, including game nights, computer classes, and such. The library truly is one of the greatest resources around. You might be amazed at all they have to offer! And it's always free!

Free outdoor movies and concerts

Many cities and even smaller towns have open air movie nights at parks, as well as free concerts. Check out your local parks and recreations websites. Or ask at the library; they always know these things. (Librarians Rock!)

Take a hike, ride a bike

If you take a picnic along, especially, these simple, healthful pastimes become events. But what makes them extra special is finding out new trails to follow. Whether you live in the city or the country, there are always "roads less traveled" to explore. Look online for trail guides for your area, or inquire at your parks and recreation for city trails.

Organize a family treasure hunt

Except for the gasoline involved, this requires little more than time, imagination, and an inexpensive "grand prize" of some kind. And some advance planning ~ which I actually think is the fun part. Think "scavenger hunt" with a twist. Make maps, leave clues that lead to clues. Encompass your house, your neighborhood, or your city.

* Take several stages to lead up to a newly borrowed library movie and a box of popcorn in your home.

*Lead the kids around the neighborhood or yard, clue by clue, to an invitation for a family "pool party" in your wading pool, with smoothies, and a picnic.

* Leave a bag of jolly ranchers at one destination, and a coupon for drinks at McDonalds at another to liven up the hunt for a wide ranging expedition. End up at the park with a picnic and frisbees.

Include whatever your family likes to do best. You're only limited by your imagination.

A tight budget does not mean you can't have a memorable summer with your family! Get out there and have some fun!

For tons of fun ~ tips and ideas ~ run over to Shannon's place!

Snacktime!

So, all the kids (well, most of them) are home (well, most of the time) these days ~ and they're eating us out of house and home! Mealtimes are one thing. I keep a stocked freezer and plenty of rice and noodles and usually manage to come up with something to eat most nights. But, snacks are getting to be a real problem.


Snacks. Snacking.


We've always had a written-in-stone rule: snacktime around here comes at 10:00 am and 3:00 pm, which you think would control the march of food out of my pantry. But, of course it doesn't. The Littles obey the rule, asking me every fifteen minutes after breakfast and lunch, "Is it snacktime yet?" But the Big Kids are stealth snackers. It's not like I don't know it. And while it doesn't make me happy, I do understand it. Especially with the teenage boys. They really are growing. They're hungry. And if they're gonna snack, I want them to snack healthy. At least comparatively so... So, what to keep on hand to feed these eating machines that's healthful, but won't break my bank?


Here are some of our standbys:


* Whole wheat or multigrain saltine crackers (the off-brands are just as good), with peanut butter available. We also love graham crackers with peanut butter and raisins.


* The big outlet grocery stores have humongous, inexpensive cans of peanuts that are especially good paired with raisins ~ which we also buy in gi-normous bags. Paired ahead of time in baggies and stored in the cupboard, this makes for a quick-grab snack that can be "kicked up a notch" with m&ms or chocolate chips on occasion...

* Any fruit that's priced well, but especially bananas! Cheap-rack bananas make for lovely banana bread. But, any homemade baked goody is snapped up around here.


* Alternatively, freeze darkening bananas to use in smoothies.


* Pickles and olives come fairly cheap (particularly the off-brands) and pair up well with crackers or pretzels.


* Speaking of pretzels, large bags come pretty inexpensive and pair up well with raisins, too. Our Littles love to bite off pieces of twisty pretzels to make letter shapes. They also like to tuck raisins into the little holes in the small pretzels and eat them that way.


* Homemade hummus is inexpensive, healthful and good to dip those pretzels or crackers in.

* Plenty of finger-size veges, like cut up or baby carrots, and celery, both of which are still economical to buy. Dipped in Ranch dressing, boughten or home-made. It makes life easier to take the time to chop these up and bag the veges ahead of time.


* Popcorn! Good with cheese and apples, especially.


* English muffins or toast with jam. Bagels are too expensive most of the time for snacks.

* Keep boiled eggs on hand in the fridge. They're an excellent protein pick-me-up. We scribble a "B" in pencil on our boiled eggs to avoid the otherwise inevitable...


* Home-made fruit pops.


* Store-bought granola is too pricey for us, but homemade granola is a popular option, and not too expensive to make, depending on the ingredients you choose. We haven't made any in quite a while, though... I think I feel an afternoon project coming on.

Do you have any good healthy snacktime options we can add to our list? We're always looking for ideas!


Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer has scads more tips from clever and insightful bloggers today. It's always well worth a visit!

Raising Teenagers

It's one of the most debated and fretted-over problems of all time. Raising teenagers. I don't mean just keeping them out of jail and the maternity ward before marriage. I mean how do you raise hard-working, nice people, with good character and integrity? People you like to spend an afternoon or a life with. People you trust with your good name. And the keys to the family car.

We have some wonderful teenagers in our family, I'm pleased and proud to say. And they have some really wonderful friends. I know that sounds kind of like I'm tooting our horn, but I don't mean it that way at all. Much of the credit we give to Divine Intervention. We've had many blessings in our lives, including a wonderful extended family network, and good friends who share our Faith. But, my husband and I have really thought hard, worked hard and prayed hard on all of these children cum teenagers, too. It would be wrong to give the impression that childraising is just a matter of luck and isn't a lot of work. Believe me, we have not been without mishaps and mistakes with our growing teens. We're the first to admit that. But, in our floundering, God's made sure we've stumbled upon some good ground rules for raising up good people. Mostly we've learned that we've got to continue to pray for His mercy and grace on us all.

This whole subject is much on my mind right now, with all our big kids home, and I thought I'd write a post on it, but it struck me that it might be more telling to go straight to the guinea pigs source. I definitely have some of my own ideas on the subject, and I still may write my own post. But, I wanted to hear the kids' take on it. What impresses them the most? What do they think it takes to raise great teenagers?

I asked seven of them who happened to be hanging around here this afternoon. And here's what they wrote.


How to Raise Great Teenagers
(Written By Great Teenagers)

*In my opinion the most important factor of how to raise a great teenager is to raise them great before they're teenagers. To raise them with an equal mix of love and discipline and to not be too strict or give in to their every desire. Most importantly to instil a love of God and a desire to please Him.

*In my opinion, treating each person differently, according to their own needs and personality creates an atmosphere conducive for success - there's no one way to raise everyone.

*One thing that sticks out in my mind about how my parents raised my sister and I is they always had to draw the line somewhere. This went for everything like dating, curfew, going out to do things with friends, who our friends were etc etc. Growing up we hated that line because it was never where we wanted it, but now when I look back it was right where it needed to be.

*A huge factor in a teenager's conduct and personal developement of character is finding a way to keep God important in their life. There is nothing easier for a teenager to dismiss God as a childish thing, or at least nothing to be taken seriously; finding a way to make God seem, indeed the first priority, and an adult one, as well, is key to any teenager's being "great".

*Never assume that your parents know exactly what you mean by something. We must make ourselves very clear when saying something that could be misinterperated. I think one of the biggest problems between teenagers and their parents is not communicating what we mean effectivly.

*I think that one of the more important things to raising a teenager is to make them work. This builds their character and also keeps them occupied...

*I think an important thing to raising a teenager is breaking them of bad habits when they're younger. You should give them love and attention, but also show discipline and not bend to their will. You should also keep God an important factor in their lives.

(Woops. A smudge on the lens, doggonit! I'll replace this pic with a clear one as soon as they all show up again...)

Food for thought for me, I know. I wouldn't be surprised if they've been talking about it since they've been out tonight, and have come up with some other suggestions for us. I'll have to ask them. I've got to admit, I'd love to know what they'd say if they weren't writing it out for Mom. I know they firmly believe the points they made, but I bet there are more they might not feel as comfortable sharing on this public platform. I did put them rather on the spot. Thanks to our young ladies and gentlemen for being good sports and playing along. I may keep this list and give it back to them in a few years (twenty or twenty-five years, maybe...)

**For oodles and caboodles of other great tips on a world of topics, visit Shannon over at Rocks in My Drier.

Bored Kids?

Summer's almost upon us.

Yikes.

Our school year ends this Friday, in fact, but I'm already getting:
"Mooooooommmmm..... I don't have anything to doooooo....."

Puh-lease. We live on forty acres. We have a baseball diamond, a treehouse, a playhouse, a sandbox, two jungle gyms, trees to climb, a multitude of brothers and sisters to choose for playmates... You get the picture. Nevertheless, they're bored. Already! Oh, to be a kid.

Anyway, following are some summertime must-haves that can be a help. With these things on hand, you can at least say with authority that the kids** have no real excuse to be bored!

* Buckets of sidewalk chalk ~ cheap at the dollar store, or make your own. (We're dying to try out the 3-D sidewalk chalk!)

* Bouncy balls ~ also cheap at the dollar store.

*Kick balls, as puncture proof as possible.

* Wading Pools ~ you know, the cheapy kind work just fine. (We find that 2 are much more fun than 1)

* If the wading pool thing is too much of project, get out a dishpan of water, with small cups and scoops and such for playing with on the patio or in the grass.

* Same thing goes with sand play. If you don't have a sandbox, get a small bag of sandbox sand at the hardware store and parcel it out through the summer in a dishpan (or you know that little tub they give you in the hospital after you've had a baby?), with cups and scoops. Moisten it with a bit of water to make it moldable, and let 'em have at it. (One pan of sand per child is ideal.)

* Squirt guns (But, be prepared... These invariable end up causing arguments... You may have to get involved as the referee. The beauty of this is that you get to use the hose!)

* Playdough ~ on the patio! (Don't you hate the mess it makes in the house?) Get the cheap six pax (or make your own) and expect to lose half of it in the dirt.

* Jumpropes ~ to be jumped with if you have girls, to be used as cowboy and Indian rope if you have boys.

* Bags of little plastic animals. You can find them for next to nothing in the dollar store and if you have children under the age of 7, they keep little hands and minds busy for hours, indoors or out.

* Bug jars and plastic magnifying glasses for insect study.

* Matchbox cars. Get them started on roads in the dirt or sand. Make ramps out of scraps of lumber. Show them how to make garages with bits of bark and sticks and watch them go!

* A stack of coloring books and crayons ~ for rainy or hot days, especially.

* Cards of all varieties to play with out on the porch or patio.

* A basket full of tea party supplies and a picnic blanket for little girls.

Now here's the important thing:

Gather all these things together and organize them in one place so they're easy to find when needed. (You can get fancy, or get $5 crates at the dollar store.) Try your best to have things returned every day to this "play station," which is preferably in your garage or mudroom. A fifteen minute toy retrieval time in the early evening is a great help, and a periodic all-kids-on-board organizing and replenishing day in the summer will keep both you and the kids happy for the long haul.

Now, let the games begin!

Run over to Rocks in My Drier to see all the great tips Shannon's readers are sharing this week!

**This list, admittedly, is best suited to the ten-and-under crowd. Big kids require a little more off-the-property, grown-up-kid stimulus to be kept happy, most definitely! For an idea of what we're doing to keep our Bigs busy this summer see last week's WFMW list of 100 Things We Learned the Hard Way. Check out #70.

Quick Tips For Cheap &/Or "Green" Moms

• White board cleaner=Windex
• Vinegar & Water = Windex, but not White board cleaner
• Vinegar & Water = tile floor cleaner
• 1 tsp bleach to 1/2 gallon water = kitchen sanitizer
• 1/4 c vinegar + 2 c water, zapped 2 min, sit 2 min = microwave cleaner.
• 1 roll (each sheet cut in half) paper towels + 2c water + 2 Tbs bby shampoo + 1Tbs bby oil in a ziploc = baby wipes
• yogurt in 32 oz cartons = way cheaper than itty-bitties
• tomato juice heated = tomato soup
• Gladware stackable disposable containers = cheap, multipurpose-able toys for toddlers

* Stay tuned; I'm sure I'll think of more...

This Would Have Worked For Me If I'd Had Sense To Do It A Long Time Ago...

OK, just had to pass this one along!

We're in the midst of packing up a four bedroom home, which shelters between 8 and 12 people and all their junk at any given time. While we've been unloading drawers and closets, we've run into a very disconcerting and annoying problem: hundreds of anonymous cords, adaptors and remotes.

Between my husband and me and our four teenage boys and all our electronic equipment, laptops, stereos, and cell phones, we must have collected 100 different kinds of wire-type thingamabobs and remote controls. And I haven't a clue which ones work and can be used, and which ones are broken or obsolete. Aghgh! So, I'm dumping them all in one box and hoping my sons can make sense of it all when we see them next week.

So what's the tip? Here it is: Somehow mark every adaptor and other cord that comes into your house with the name of the equipment to which it belongs! I'm taking a strip of electrical tape and marking with a sharpie all the ones I know for the time being. There is likely a more graceful way to do it, and I welcome ideas!!

Run over to Rocks In My Dryer for lots of great tips!

The Question Is...

On Backwards Works-For-Me-Wednesdays, where I get to ask you all to help me...

Can you help me with

my Meatless Friday Rut?

We're just plain old sick of the two or three meals we fall back on every week. We've got tuna casserole, popcorn and cheese, and broiled salmon down pat. Any other ideas that are easy and quick enough for a hurried mom who's not a gourmet? That's healthful, but that the kiddos will actually eat? Can you help me add to my menu list? Then run over to Rocks in My Dryer and see who else you might be able to help out today!

Things We Love to Use...

Rocks in My Dryer hosts a wonderful fair (carnival, whatever) every Wednesday called Works For Me Wednesday. It's a great place, if you're not already familiar with it, to find tips on just about every topic under the sun. I could spend all day following the leads from there every week! This is my first attempt to add my two cents to the fun.

You'll find me there under "Lisa ~momof11," or something like that. I messed up my link information (I'm a real genius at these things!), and then I couldn't figure out how to go back and fix it...

Anyway, if you're starting from here, pop over and see what you can learn. If you started there and found me here, Welcome! And it's a miracle you clicked on me, considering... &:o)

Following is a short list of some of the things we really appreciate. I'm concentrating on appliances (big and small) this time. Admittedly, none of these products is absolutely perfect and completely without drawback of some kind. But, we find they function well for us, which is saying a lot, considering everything we use... well, it gets used A LOT!

On weekends, our coffee pot is cycled through at least 2 to 3 times a day (If they made as good coffee as the maker we have, I'd consider getting one of those industrial, large-gathering percolators like they have at church, just to handle the sheer volume)

Our washer and dryer are in constant use, Monday through Thursday (As a rule, I don't do laundry on weekends...). When the boys are home on holidays, I run at least four loads a day. Big loads.

Our stove has to be able to handle large pots and skillets, and have at least enough space for four jelly roll pans in the oven ~ or one 24 pound turkey, and then some. Not that we use up all that space on our range at all times, but we do upon occasion, especially during the holidays.

Anyway, here's a shortlist. I'm sure I'll think of more, but here's a start:

We love our programmable Cuisinart grinder/coffee maker. It makes good stuff and is easy to use, if a little awkward to clean up.
You can set it up for morning coffee the night before if you have a techno-person available who remembers how to program the silly thing. The carafe on this model is awesome; it keeps coffee hot for an eon. We wish it held more, but you can't have everything. We love the quality of the coffee this maker produces, though. Coffee flavor is a very personal thing, I know, but, one thing we've discovered ~ you can't beat freshly ground beans!


We've also been very pleased with our front-loading Maytag washing machine. It really has saved on water, and also has a "max extract" setting that wrings things amazingly dry, thus saving on drying time, as well. Ours is very large capacity, too, so works well for comforters or 20 pairs of dirty jeans during camping season. Ideal for large families all the way around. Economical, efficient.

As is our dryer, though I couldn't get a picture of it to print on here, but I love it, too, as it's humongous, and does an excellent job. It's not a twin to our washer, as that's just not something that's important to me. Nobody sees my laundry room but me, and I'm more interested in performance than having a matched pair. Anyway, we have a large capacity Whirlpool "accudry," that has settings for jeans and towels. It's so big, I keep a raquetball raquet next to the drier to reach into the back to pull clothes out!


After about a year of trying to cook on an apartment size stove when we first moved into this house (I'm talking itty-bitty stove!) , this range with the wonderful griddle in the middle (Though this pic doesn't actually show one), was like a gift from Heaven. I like having the broiler in the bottom, separate from the stove, so I can brown garlic bread, while I bake lasagna, for instance. Or broil fish, while I bake bread. We use the griddle practically every day. It cleans up easily and comes in handy for tons of stuff. And the large oval burner underneath the griddle is ideal for large canning pots, or vats of mashed potatoes.

There are larger, industrial ranges and double ovens that I dream about, but for the money, this GE range has fit the bill very nicely.


Coming Soon: Our favorite foods to feed a crowd.