suezqueathome.com

Edition #2

Thirteen things that bug me about the office:

1. “Adults” that can’t clean up after themselves.

2. Having to replace things (paper towels, printer paper, toilet paper) that the previous “adult” used up and didn’t replace.

3. Managers that turn the A/C on at the first hint of warm temperatures- and make everyone freeze in their offices in the middle of summer because it’s cranked up so high.

4. The language that co-workers use, non-professional, grotesque, profane language.

5. Cleaning up after so-called “adults”.

6. Stocking supplies for “adults” that won’t replace what they use.

7. Housekeeping employees who don’t “keep house”- (i.e. not dusting- not taking out trash, messing with worker’s personal items (like a unique ball-chair)

8. Double standards for certain empolyees

9. Raiding the employee fridge for food- other people’s food (it sucks to be the one who goes to get your own food out only to find it’s not there- or has been sampled for you…)

10. Tenured employees who get offended beacuse you don’t take their advise about how a task needs to be done- and you get it done quicker/better than how they suggested.

11. Ignoring company mandates because you just don’t agree with the changes implemented.

12. C’mon people- clean up after yourselves!!! Wash the dishes you put in the sink; if your lunch spatters in the microwave- wipe it up!!!

13. And for pete’ssake if you use the last paper towel (or last square of toilet paper) on the roll- get out a new one!!! 

If you didn’t catch on- there are a few people in  my office that won’t clean up after themselves It does get very frustrating to have to go along behind them and clean up (especially when the last time took three days of cleaning the microwave because of the person who burned their popcorn so badly that the office smelled for a week- and was reminded everytime the microwave was used again after that- we can still smell it at times three weeks later)

These are a few things I will NOT miss when I don’t have to be a part of “Corporate America” anymore. (Which will not be anytime soon- I might add…but I can dream! )

See what other Thirteeners are writing about this week!

Being a homemaker who works outside the home as well, I often find that I don’t want to come home after being at work for 9+ hours, and make a big meal. So at least once a week, I put my slow-cooker to work for me! It usually ends up being on Wednesdays, because of mid-week Bible study at church, we are pressed for time to get dinner prepared and eaten, and then drive back to church.  Now that it is getting warmer, we mix it up a little, and Gary will cook on the grill a lot too- which will be the case tonight. But since I knew I wouldn’t have much time to cook for our company this past Monday night, I made this week’s slow-cooker meal then. Here’s the recipe if you’d like to try it too.

Carne Rellanos

4 Anaheim Chili Peppers

4 Flank Steaks (pounded to about 1/4 inch thick - I actually have found some already prepared this way at Wal-Mart that I use)

1 brick cream cheese

1 16 oz jar Salsa Verde

Cut the stems off the peppers. Cut out the seed pod, rinse out with water to get any stray seeds out (If you are like us and don’t mind the heat- you don’t need to rinse them). Divide cream cheese into 4 equal pieces. Stuff one piece of cream cheese into each pepper, making sure to get it all into the pepper, not overflowing from the top. Next wrap each pepper in one of your steak pieces, and place, seam side down in your slow cooker. After all four peppers are wrapped and in the slow cooker, pour the Salsa Verde all over the steaks making sure they are all covered with some of the salsa. Cook on low in your slow-cooker for 7-9 hours. We serve them with brown rice (which has lime juice and fresh chopped cilantro in it). Hope you enjoy this as much as we do- it has become one of our new favorites!

So as you can see, for this working homemaker, slow-cookers work for me!

Last night we had company for dinner. One of the newly installed elders and his wife came over to visit with us and we fixed dinner for them (more about what we had for dinner later!). I thoroughly enjoyed the time we got to visit and have fellowship with them. It was quite encouraging! But the most encouraging thing was that they came to talk to us about what our experience at the church has been since we’ve been there. It could not have come at a better time, as I was starting to get quite discouraged about church. I have struggled with the fact that I moved from a large church to a very small one that doesn’t have many other people/couples our age, and where it has been hard to find a place in the church. And lately I’ve had a lot of trouble with the preacher being stuck on only two subjects in his sermons, and neither subject applies to about 95% of the congregation. But that’s all wekept hearing -the same two messages- every week! I was beginning to feel like I didn’t want to go to church anymore. But then last night, the elder started asking us how we were doing, spiritually, how we were feeling we fit in, what could be done differently, etc. And they honestly listened to our answers and asked what they could pray for us about. And he told us about changes that are going to be made and addressed with the congregation. It gives me sooo much hope for whatever time we have left here, whether that be a few months, or more. I couldn’t have ask God for better timing, because it has helped me to grow being a part of what is going on in the church here, and has encouraged me to stay involved even when I get discouraged.

What are you thankful for this Gratituesday? Stop on over at HeavenlyHomemakers and share with us!

Here’s what the Colorado Whitlows will be eating this week! Stay tuned for recipes to come later in the week. (Yea- I know I keep promising later in the week- but I am still learning how to work with these new programs! I promise pictures and everything! )

Monday- Carne Rellanos, salad, chips & salsa, Chocolate Chip Brownines (having one of our elders and his wife over for dinner)

Tuesday- Biscuit Stew

Wednesday- Grilled pork chops (bumped from last Friday)

Thursday- Puffy Tacos

Friday- Dinner at a friend’s house. I am taking a Popeye’s Chicken Cloned Meal (there are a lot of good clone recipes at www.topsecretrecipes.com- since we live out in the sticks, and can’t go to the restaurant and eat, I can use these recipes that taste very similar and satify our cravings! We’ve had Taco Bell and Arby’s before that tasted just like the real thing!

Saturday- Breakfast; Whole Wheat Waffles Lunch; leftovers Dinner; Homemade ravioli (making double sauce to use later next week)

Sunday- Lunch; Chicken Fried Chicken Mashed Potatoes, Cream Gravy, Corn Dinner; Leftovers 

Visit OrgJunkie to see other Menu Plan Mondays!

Jayme won an Address Organizer Box! I find this easier to keep updated than an address book, because I can just take out one card and redo it if someone moves, instead of tearing out pages or crossing out names. Plus if someone has a business card, you can tape it to the back side of the index card for furture reference.

Please keep checking back later this week to see the Address Organizer Box and several other items in my shop (I will be slowly adding merchandise beginning this week.) 

Don’t take a nap!!! Because if you take a nap, you DON’T SLEEP when you NEED to!!! And you’re blogging at 12:45am, and your alarm is set to go off at 6:15a… Don’t EVER take a nap AGAIN!!! Sigh… Yawn… Tomorrow Today is gonna be a long day… And we’re having company for dinner tonight too… Long, long day.

We went to Pueblo yesterday to be with my family & my brother’s in-laws for his and his wife’s birthdays. Yesterday was actually his birthday- his wife’s is later in the month, so we usually just have one big party for both at one time.

These are my brother’s three girls. We call them Bug-a-boo (oldest) Tater-Bug (middle) and Doodle-Bug (baby)

I got a new camera, so we’ve been trying it out! I am so proud of it- it has 12x zoom! I also took some pictures of our puppies today (although today they acted more like cattle- grazing on our new grass! LOL! )

JAYME!!! Congratulations on winning the Celebration drawing! (I will hand deliver your gift to you when we come.) Check back later (tonight or tomorrow at the latest) to see what you’ve won! (Sorry- but I didn’t get pictures done yet… Too many tutorials I’m wading through to get other neat stuff ready to be added to my website. Thank you to all who entered- you will be getting a gift from me this week, check your inboxes!

For Laura- it’s not all the verses, but a good version still the same…

Here’s all the words to the song- thanks to Chelf’s comment on my last post. I dodn’t even know there were more verses!!! I grew up with three…And Chelf, I totally agree with you about CoC and their editing of songs.

I did not realize until last night how much we have changed our eating habits over the last few months. Last night we went to the high-school senior banquet at church. We had lasagna (which was catered by my hubby- yes folks he CAN cook!- it’s part of his job) and Italian bread, salad, green beans and dessert. Well- it didn’t hit me until later last night (as I sat down in the shower so I didn’t pass out because my blood sugar dropped so quickly because I have hypoglycemia)- that there was soooo much processed stuff at that dinner. White flour in the lasagna noodles, white flour bread, white flour & sugar in the cupcakes. It knocked me for a loop last night- and I am still feeling the effects of it now too… Since we’ve been eating more whole grains and unprocessed sugar and such- my blood sugar has been so much more even-keeled.

What a difference it makes to eat whole foods instead of processed junk!  Check back this weekend for the first of my recipes made with good-for-you ingredients!