The New Focal Point..... NO T.V!

 
Whew, its funny how time flies when you're having fun!!  My family and I have gone through some transformations and have been thoroughly enjoying them.  One of our transformations was going CAR-LESS, but that changed after 3 weeks from being CAR-LESS to going CAR-LIGHT.  I was saddened to find after 2 weeks of going CAR-LESS that my town does NOT have adequate public transportation to get around town to shops, appointments, etc.  I had to bite the bullet and keep the car so that I could get to the important destinations that we could not get to on foot.  

We did however enjoy walking miles to the nearest grocery store and checking out the little shops in the mini malls that you don't see when you are in your car and zooming to your destination.  My son was not so happy about me announcing us not going CAR-LESS anymore but I promised him we would still do everything that we could by foot and only use the car for destinations that we can't get too by foot.  

T.V. LESS Decorating....LOL!

Our 2nd transformations and the reason for this post is..... *DRUM ROLL PLEASE*...... WE are officially a T.V. LESS family.  There is NO T.V plugged in at our home... it is currently unplugged and in the corner in my bedroom on the floor until I find another good home for it to be...lol!

The New Focal Point For The Family Room

With the Television gone I have created another focal point for our home, one that is inviting and less intrusive, that is calming and invites you to gather around and talk to one another and share things with each other. That focal point is our fireplace!  It has been a source of fun for us, lighting candles and drinking homemade hot chocolate while singing songs or playing games with each other.  The flickering and the soft glow of the candles on the fireplace and around the room just set a mood of calmness and simplicity that words truly can not describe. 

Just The Laughter of Family Are The Sounds We Hear Now

So, we have ditched cable and the internet, and that is the reason for my absence and will be the reason for posts that may come once or twice a month.  Overall we are happy with our decision and we are enjoying our new lifestyle.  

Our Musical Night Of Playing The Guitar

I will most definitely be keeping a diary of the things we are doing and are accomplishing without the television.  Hey… one quick thing that I really enjoyed last night was listening to the football game on the radio while I hemmed up a pair of pants that were to long for my 7 year old.  I liked the fact that I could enjoy the game and get something done at the same time!!  The consensus in our home is we are having fun and are happier without the T.V. and no one seems to miss it one bit!...well at least at this point…LOL! 

Simple & Delicious No Bake Enchilada Pie

I really love simple ingredients... they make the best meals!  I fixed this simple No Bake Enchilada Pie using meat left over from our Football Taco night yesterday.  I love getting two meals out of one....that makes me a happy momma!  I love that this recipe does not call for baking and it is so simple and delicious that it tastes as if you spent hours in a hot kitchen :-)

Simple & Delicious No Bake Enchilada Pie

1lb of Ground Turkey or Beef

1 Packet of Taco Seasoning (I use my homemade taco seasoning)

1 Onion Diced

1 Can of Mushroom Soup

1 Can of Diced Tomatoes with Chili Peppers

1 Can of Tomato Sauce

Bag of Spicy Doritos (you won’t need the entire bag)

1 Cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese

1 Small Can of Sliced Black Olives

Cook up your meat (drain if it is ground beef) then add your taco seasoning and mix well, add chopped onion, soup, diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and mix well and cook until mixture bubbles.  Add Doritos by pushing them into the meat mixture until you can’t add any more, turn heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes or until Doritos are soft then turn off heat.  Sprinkle cup of cheese on top and then sliced olives and cover,  let sit for 5 minutes until it firms up.  Serve with sour cream or sub sour cream for plain yogurt and sprinkle with a little lettuce.

OH MY! We Have Gone Car-less!

I am keeping a running journal of being car-less with children in the burbs.  This is just one of the many life changing things my family and I are doing to live simply so that others may simply live.  

 What a wonderful thing, what a wonderful opportunity, to be able to make a deliberate decision to live our lives on our terms and according to our moral and ethics.  I love this freedom! 

Here are a few entries in my journal about my 1^st entire car-less day. 

My 1^st Car-less Day

This Morning 10/22/12

Wow is the first thing I have to say about going Car-less!!  I never realized just how much driving from here to there keeps you in a anonymous state, I felt so exposed to all the cars whizzing by and people riding their bikes and walking along the same sidewalk which my son and I walked on for our .87 mile walk to school today.  I did not realize how much driving kept you isolated and kept you from not having to share your immediate space with others that you don’t know.   So with all that in mind my1st morning without driving my son to school was…. I am ashamed to say… pretty stressful for me! 

It was hard for me to fully enjoy our walk because I was concentrated on how uncomfortable I felt from being exposed and out in the open.  We took a busy and noisy path to school today, it was a little shortcut compared to the other route that is 1.17 miles.  My son enjoyed the walk at the beginning, he was admiring the leaves on the trees and noticing the littlest things that you don’t see from the back seat of a minivan.  After about  half way through he started to complain that it was taking to long and his legs were getting tired and kept insisting that we were lost and that we must of passed up the school because it does not take this long in the car… eye opener for him! LOL!

Some of the positives of our walk this morning would be I did notice the smell of fresh pine as we walked by some towering pine trees, and I did notice the pretty leaves on the ground because that is where I sort of kept my focus on so that I would not be so overwhelmed by all the noise of the cars whizzing by.  It was nice that I was able to hold my son’s little hand in mine all the way to school and not once did he complain about having to hold my hand.  We were able to experience something new together and lean on each other for comfort in our own little way, his way being overly talkative and mine holding his hand extra tight.  I also had an opportunity to smile and say good morning to a couple of people who shared the sidewalk with us. 

The most crucial aspect about our walk was that I learned that being in the car driving from here to there creates an artificial bubble, a fence around you that keeps everything surrounding you at bay…. You don’t hear the birds chirping, the trees rustling in the wind, see the leaves on the ground, or smell the scents that nature provides. All the sights and sounds are dulled or silenced out by the windows and the radio.  I am truly blessed for this eye opening and awakening this morning… this is just one of the many adventures I look forward to sharing with my family on this road of being car-less and living a life that is “Simplicity Homemade”. 

 

The Afternoon/Evening Walk 10/22/12

Well I must say that the walk to school to pick up the children was a lot better than the walk this morning.  I think that some of my anxiety on the morning walk was due to a lack of sleep, I had only 2.5 hours of sleep before I took my 1^st Car-less walk to school.  I am glad that I switched things up a bit and took the longer route to pick up Coby from school this afternoon and that route was a lot more relaxing but it seemed so much longer.  J.J and I counted the number of bird nests we saw in the naked trees.

It seems as if walking brings out the talkies in the children, J.J talked and talked…. and I listened.  I was a bit concerned that I may have left a little too late to pick up everyone from school on time.  Hmmm… that is something that I have to get use to…which is leaving a lot earlier because a  2 minute ride in the car is a 18 minute walk!!  It was a nice walk, we were drizzled on by the rain, we saw bird nests in the naked trees, a pond behind some houses that we never noticed while driving in the car, the children and I talked and talked about whatever came to mind.  I felt energized when we got home and went straight to fixing dinner for the night, all and all the afternoon walk was pleasant and the children seemed to enjoy it as well. 

Plain Eggless Muffins

 My family love these eggless muffins, they are soooo delicious and are the perfect cure to having a homemade baked good when you don’t have any eggs.  These muffins use simple ingredients, so you probably already have most of these ingredients in your own “Grandma’s Pantry”.   I like to add a cream cheese frosting (recipe included) to these moist and just plain ol good muffins!

Plain Eggless Muffins 
2 cups of flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Cup of Sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoons of Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon of Nutmeg
1 1/2 Cups of Whole
1 Tablespoon of White Vinegar
1/3 Cup of Canola Oil
1 1/2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract (the real stuff)

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl and whisk well. In another bowl mix all wet ingredients and whisk well...then pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into oiled muffin pan or muffin liners and bake at 375 degrees until when inserted with a fork or toothpick it comes out clean.

Cream Cheese Frosting

3 tbl spoons of softened butter
1/4 cup of cream cheese
1/4 cup of powdered sugar
Sprinkle of salt
1 to 2 tsp of Vanilla Extract (the real stuff)

Cream butter and sugar together then add cream cheese and cream all together, add sprinkle of salt and vanilla extract and cream together until smooth and fluffy.  Spread over your eggless muffin and enjoy!

Simple Russian Tea Cookies

 With my “Grandma’s Pantry” I am able to whip up yummy treats that are simple in ingredients but BIG on TASTE!  I SO love simple recipes that have great taste and require little time to whip up and these little darlings most definitely fit the bill. 

Russian Tea Cookies  

  2 sticks of butter

   1 teaspoon vanilla extract

   7 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

   2 cups all-purpose flour

   1 cup chopped walnuts (I used Almonds from out out of the mixed nuts can and crushed them very small) It was the only thing I had

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration 

*I added White Chocolate chips to the last bit of mixture I had and it came out DELICIOUS! I needed to find something to use my White Chocolate for.

1.   Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 

2.   In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Mix in the chopped walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar. I also like to roll mine in the sugar a second time.

Mmmmm Yummy….. Soft Snickerdoodles!!

Today the sky is gray and cloudy and the sun plays peek-a-boo from time to time.  Well, while Mr. Sunshine refuses to stay out, I thought I will bake up something tasty to bring some sunshine to the taste buds. 

  

Our Goodie Dish

The house smelled so good while these tasty soft yummy snickerdoodles rolled in cinnamon sugary goodness baked in the oven.  We love snickerdoodles and my children are going to be happy campers when they come home to see the cake (goodie) dish filled with these yummy buttery and simple cookies. 

   

 Soft Snickerdoodles

• 2 sticks of butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 3/4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon

  Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl.
3. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
4. Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture.
5. Chill dough, and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in the fridge.
6. Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.
7. Scoop 1 inch globs of dough into the sugar/ cinnamon mixture.
8. Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the sugar mixture.
9. Place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 10 minutes.
10. Remove from pan immediately.

-via online

Kitchen Swap It

Sometimes a recipe calls for a certain ingredient or item that we may not have on hand.  So, "If not on hand....if you can…. SWAP IT”!


A pastry bag: Is a cone shaped bag used for piping of icing onto cakes or for more complicated cake decorations. You can also use a pastry bag to create decorative food arrangements of semi- solid food.

The Swap: A plastic bag. For a simple “Happy Birthday” or “I Love You” design on a cake you can use a heavy freezer plastic bag and turn it into a handy dandy pastry bag for basic decorating, frosting, melted chocolate, whipped cream or piping of dough (like Churros..etc).  Spoon in your ingredient and snip the corner with scissors to your desired diameter and then gently squeeze out onto your cake.