How Much is the Load of Laundry Really Costing You???

Can you tell I got a HUGE electric bill today, twice what it normally is, I mean it's not this high even when I'm running my central air 24/7. So I have been doing some research. As a point of reference most everyone can relate to a light bulb as they come in 60 watts, 40 watts or 100 for you really adventurism gals.

Clothes Dryer, for a 45 min. load .34 for gas .36 for electric
For anything higher then a dollar I might be willing to hang it out but not enough to make me haul wet clothes into the back yard, however my dryer is in the basement, if it we're in an area where I use air conditioning it would cost me more since it heats the air around it.

Now for the washing
this is the non - front loading

Total cost per load (electricity + water + water heating)
Wash / Rinse setting
Electric water heater/ Gas water heater
Hot / Warm
69¢ 52¢
Hot / Cold
50¢ 39¢
Warm / Warm
50¢ 39¢
Warm / Cold
32¢ 27¢
Cold / Cold
14¢ 14¢
So for me with an electric dryer and a gas water heater considering soap at .12 per load and a dryer sheet at .02 a load ranges me from .64- 1.00 and I do approximately 10 loads a week. I'm sure going to be using more colder rinses.

Presbyterian Rummage

Our church has a twice year rummage/bake sale. So it's time again for me to go through the house and get rid of stuff I don't want. I'm sure my cast offs will bring in the big bucks as everyone wants a piece of the Pastor's Wife's rummage : )Just as they all line up for an authentic Pastor's Wife cinnamon roll. Maybe I'll try to sneak in some Armenian theology books to keep the Women's Society members on their toes...

This time I've decided to give away my "thin" clothes,( I almost laugh because I wasn't "thin" by any stretch of the imagination when I wore them but for conversation sake I'll call them that) , otherwise they are known as pre baby clothes, I've come to the realization if I ever do became that size again, the clothes will no longer be in fashion. The high heals are going to, I wore high heals every day in Bible College, and I did a LOT of walking, how on earth did I do it? I guess I had better calluses built up back then. I wore a maternity shirt yesterday and my baby is almost 9 months old if that gives you an indication of how my dieting is going.

Making Faith an Action

This week I got a call from a good friend. Mary and I went to Christian school together, but for the last 10 or so years I haven't known her to darken a door of a church. She was as she describes "burnt out" on religion. specifically the ultra conservative brand she had been raised in. She wasn't opposed to church but she knew she would never feel God in the denomination she had been raised yet with her upbringing felt like it was either that church or no church.

The reason she called was a friend of hers, that was an acquaintance of mine had recently had open heart surgery (only 33) and needed her house to be cleaned BADLY, Mary said I was the first person she thought of! (Gee, wasn't that nice of her) she had been in the hospital for weeks and her hubby and two small children we're home all the time and she knew how bad it was when she left it and could only imagine how bad it was now, and she just couldn't be released from the hospital and go back to it.

Mary in her words said I would know how to "get it done" so we recruited another friend who was less then enthusiastic and we got at it. It was pretty darn bad, but for some reason it' a lot more fun to clean someone else's house then to clean your own. It was actually a single wide trailer and 3 of us working for 6 hours made it brand new and sure it was a treat for the sick gal but more then that I saw Mary sneak into the back of my church last Sunday, afterward I told her of course I was thrilled but what made her come? Her answer "you make your faith an action".
What could you do for someone else this week that would give actions to your faith?


How to Clean a Really Messy House

1.Go through and throw away all obvious garbage.(wear rubber gloves)
2.Sort through bedrooms and throw all items on the floor onto beds, take laundry out at this time (we actually sent our friend to the laundry mat because there we're about 16 loads of laundry to do.)
3. Put cleaner into toilets, spray shower, sink
4. Start dishwasher washing
5. Clean off all kitchen counters, go through fridge and cabinets and throw away food items.
6. Go back and clean bathroom
7. Dust and cobweb bedrooms and living areas
8. Put away all items that you threw on the beds
9. Put away all the clothes you just laundered, vacuum mattresses and make beds.
10. Vacuum, sofas, chairs, all floors
11. sweep-mop all floors

M.I.A.

The crock pot is missing in action...I have no recollection of removing it from the house and in my tiny kitchen there is no room for items that get lost. I hate the idea of buying another and am hoping the crock pot fairy will bring to mind where I put it.
Meanwhile the Presbyboy had a allergic reaction to something this week which led to a trip to the Dr. several prescriptions etc. the only bad thing is the Dr. didn't know what it was though detergent and or fabric softener was his best guess since the Presbyboy broke out where clothing would touch him (except for feet, diaper area and face.

Ina Cookies

This recipe is in Ina's new cookbook. I LOVE Ina or "The Barefoot Contessa",some people are all about Rachel Ray, honestly her food is too "tex mex" for my liking but Ina, now she can cook! I much prefer watching her soft voice explaining the process and the beautiful Hamptons view from her house, she does seem to have an excessive amount of gay friends to lunch with, but a girl does need SOMEONE to lunch with...Anyway,these are just about the best cookie ever, she recommends toasting the pecans and it does make these extra good. Honestly I never use raisins, just more pecans...mmmm

Raisin Pecan Oatmeal Cookies
from The Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics

makes 30 to 35 cookies

1 1/2 cups pecans
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temp
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed (I used light brown sugar)
1 cup granulated sugar
2 extra large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp kosher salt
3 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1 1/2 cups raisins

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place pecans on a sheet pan and bake for 5 minutes, until crisp. Set aside to cool. Chop coarsely.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. With mixer on low, add eggs one at a time, and the vanilla.

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to butter mixture. Add the oats, raisins, and pecans and mix until just combined.

Using a small ice cream scoop (or a tablespoon), drop 2 inch mounds of dough onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper (ed. note: the parchment is not necessary, but makes clean up easier). Flatten dough mounds slightly. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly browned. Transfer cookies to a baking rack and cool completely.

Cooking for Sunday

I don't know what it is about church that turns generally nice people ravenous, any other day you can have had breakfast at 9 am and be perfectly fine till 1 pm, but on Sunday it seems the belly growling starts early. So on Sundays after church you have two options .

1. Eat out, except everyone else and their grandmothers is also eating out. If we eat out after church its always at a buffet so we don't have to wait too long.
2. Cook something that can be left in a crockpot so that its ready when you come home. I do this with many things that I 've cooked the night before then just left on "keep warm" setting.

This meatloaf recipe is one of my favorites, now, if you think you don't like meatloaf then you have to try this one! I usually serve it with baked beans and potato chips because its fast, mashed potatoes are of course the best!



Presbyterian Meatloaf

2 pounds lean ground beef
2-3 eggs
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs (I like saltine crackers, unsalted unless you really like salt because onion soup mix is also salty.
3/4-1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 package dry onion soup mix (Lipton)
dash liquid smoke
bacon strips

Directions
Mix all ingredients up (reserving 1/4 c. tomato sauce for top)
and put in greased baking dish.
Bake for one hour at 350 degrees.
Place back strips along top of meat loaf.

(Honestly, I almost never use the bacon)

Good Presbyterian Cats

Before we had the first Presby Baby we had two Presbycats, Luther and Calvin to be exact, well they are flame point siamese and LOUD which is fine unless you have LOUD children then it's just too much. So we gave Luther another family that promptly changed his name to Flame...So now we just have Calvin, this morning I brought up laundry and the Presbyboy had used neon green marker all over Calvin's face...I could try to wash it off but have a feeling he wouldn't approve of that either. So now he's running around the neighborhood looking like a very Catholic St. Patrick's Day cat.

Day Off

I just got my first 2 issue of Martha Stewart Living thanks to a link from www.moneysavingmom.com I am also not over some kind of nasty virus, a perfect excuse to read a little while the children color each other with marker...

Movie Winner

Tami!

I know all 7 of you we're staying up till midnight to see!

Movie Giveaway!

Road to Avonlea movie DVD giveaway, movie is not new in plastic wrap but I don't believe it's ever been watched. 97 min. Produced by Sullivan Entertainment who also produced Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea a very family friendly movie. You have till midnight 3-13-09 to enter and you may enter as many times as you wish winner will be chosen using random.com Open to USA and Canada only.

Advice for a New Pastor's Wife

When thinking up a title I first thought of "Advice for a Young Pastor's Wife", since I guess I consider myself young still (29). Then I though well maybe there are "new" Pastor's wives that aren't that young perhaps their husbands decided to go to seminary and are second carrier clergy? The Rev Dr. actually was a lawyer before he went to seminary but that was long before I meet him, he had already been Pastoring for a few years when we met, so upon our wedding I became a Pastor's wife.
I grew up in a small church of around 50 people, then I went to Bible College at one of the world's largest churches there is a much different dynamic at both. So this advice is what I've learned at our churches.

1. Don't have church members as close friends. plain and simple , you can be friendly but it will create jealously among other ladies. A close friend is someone you share your confidences with, you can go out to lunch with a GROUP of your church ladies but don't single one out.

2. Someone that tells you "stories" about another person, will tell another person "stories" about you.

3. Find your close friends among the other clergy families in your area. Have a group that fellowships together, if your in a large church fellowship with the other staff members, UNLESS they have extended family in the same church then keep in mind that nothing you say in front of them is really private.

4. Don't complain about ANYTHING to a church member, especially about your husband or something that occurred in the church.

5. Pour out your frustrations to Jesus not others, most of the time he's the only one who can do anything about them anyway.

6. Your congregation holds you and your family to a higher moral and spiritual standard then they hold themselves.

7. The instant you become a Pastor's wife people will automatically think you are a theologian and trained counselor. Most of counseling is simply listening to people share their heartaches and ANYONE can do that, anything you can't handle tell your husband about.

8. Keep the house clean and the kids tidy,make sure your husband is dressed well and his clothing is ironed. It will reflect on you if these aren't done, should it ?? Beside the point it WILL!

9. Never be alone in a room with a member of the opposite sex, never be in a car , alone with a member of the opposite sex. I personally don't hug male church members.

10. Never let a incident or injustice done by another Christian affect your joy in the Lord and in the ministry.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday:Manicotti stuffed with ricotta, feta and spinach
Tuesday: Meatloaf, mashed pot. gravy and green beans
Wednesday: BBQ chicken sandwiches, baked beans, chips
Thursday: Homemade potato soup with homemade bread
Friday: Ham, scalloped potatoes, rolls and coleslaw
Sat.: Chili with over rice
Sun.:Chicken quesadillas with chips and salsa.
I forgot that Saturday the Re.Dr. and i are going out to a birthday party dinner with other couples so I will probably make it anyway so the kids and Grandma have something to eay.