ScrapWarrior

Opinions make me laugh

January 11th, 2012

What a weird day today! The weather was strange… the moon was full… and people seemed to be out to get everyone today. I made the mistake of posting on my facebook account a very touchy subject in our small town. The 4-day VS 5-day school district work week. I enjoy the fact that

Berlyn can’t physically / mentally do anymore classes during the week so he is only at school 4 days a week.
I enjoy my husband working 4 10-hour days instead of 5 8-hour days.
Every weekend with both my husband and my children are 3-day weekends!
As a parent, I want my children to be at school for less time. I want them home more and not feel that I am using the school district as a babysitter. (When my kids are gone for long periods of time with school activities, I feel like a failure as a parent because someone else is raising my kids.)
To change the back to the 5-day a week schedule, it mean that they school district will have to come up with $300,000 (approx) more and that means more job cuts!!! Can we really run a district with LESS TEACHERS / EMPLOYEES?

I ended up deleting 6 people off of my friends list from facebook. I was called selfish. I was called one-sided. I asked for no debate on my facebook page… and got a debate so I deleted posts.

I love my small town… I love living here and I love making our town a better place. That is what I will continue to do as well as I can!

January 11th, 2012 by Kris Mazy | Comments Off

When God gives you lemons… and oranges… you make marmalade (or marmalade sauce)

January 9th, 2012

We had a coupon of dozen oranges that were getting old left over from several cases I bough last month. I decided to be smart… and make marmalade. I don’t even like marmalade, but, I figured… I would give it a go.

I made 2 batches. The first batch… YUMMY!!! Set GREAT! The kids are using it in sandwiches and on biscuits.

However, the second batch… Well, C’est la vie is really all I can say… It’s Orange slush. Or… Orange Ice Cream Topping!! EPIC FAIL!

How can I fix this? It is the marinade on my roasting chicken now! Roasted Orange Chicken – Doesn’t that sound tasty?

Oh… and that chicken was so GOOD!!!

January 9th, 2012 by Kris Mazy | Comments Off

Beans in BULK! BBQ Recipe from Scratch

January 7th, 2012

Canned beans can get expensive… since with 7+ at our house at any given time, we need 2 or more cans of beans as a side dish.

I have been buying my pinto beans in bulk for several years. They come dried and in 25 and 50 pound bags from Costco or Sam’s Club for less than $10. I store mine in recycled wheat buckets. (Another story… but I do grind my own wheat for flour)

After I make my beans, I freeze them in either mason jars or in zipper bags. (I will talk canning beans on another day!)

(THIS IS A LOT OF BEANS!!) I add about 16 cups of dried beans to my stockpot and add water to just below the top of the pot to soak over night. The next morning, dump out the old water and refill the water to above the beans and cook on medium until tender.

8 5-cup bags of cooked plain pinto beans

This is where it gets FUN! You get to decide what kind of beans that you want.

Normally, I bag up half of them plain with no seasonings to use with tacos, in soups, etc.

Then the other half I add sauteed onions & garlic and italian herbs and BBQ Sauce, a can of tomato paste, a touch of brown sugar, salt and pepper. And stir is all in. (These remind me of “ranch” beans with onions.

For the BBQ Sauce, I get so many FREE off of the coupon list, buying them when they are 10 for $10 and having $1 coupons… But, you can easily make your own sauce as well.

My 16 cups of dried beans made 8 5-cup bags of pintos ready to use in tacos, etc. and 4 4-cup bags of beans with onions, garlic, tomato paste, BBQ sauce and salt and pepper.

Home-made BBQ Sauce(from foodnetwork):

Ingredients

Cooked Pinto Beans with BBQ Sauce mixture ready for the freezer.

1 (7-ounce) jar or can tomato paste
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons spicy Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons BBQ seasoning mix
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
4 cups water

Directions

Whisk all the ingredients together in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half or to desired thickness, about 1 hour.

Cool completely before transferring to an airtight container and storing in the refrigerator.

Cook’s Note: Use the BBQ sauce within 1 week or freeze for up to 6 months.

January 7th, 2012 by Kris Mazy | Comments Off

New Digital Scrapbook Store

January 6th, 2012

I am selling at a new online store for all of my digital art. Check out the site at http://www.berrysweetscraps.com/

They are currently having a grand opening and EVERYTHING in my shop is on sale for 50% off. I am adding new items each week so stop by and visit the site for games and freebies!

My store is located at:

http://berrysweetscraps.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_106

January 6th, 2012 by Kris Mazy | Comments Off

Sometimes you need to embarrass your teen… other days, she loves it!

January 5th, 2012

For the last few months, I had joked with my sister that I needed a sock monkey hat for winter so that I could walk my 13 year old to her violin class. Shelby insisted that was NOT an option because I would embarrass her. My sister got me a sock monkey hat for Christmas… I laughed so hard opening that gift… Shelby look mortified!

Several days after Christmas, the kids got to go chopping and spend Christmas gift cards that they got from family. Shelby, with a gleam in her eye, bought herself an owl snow hat. Her dimples showing, she beamed that now, she would walk her dad and I to our church service wearing her hat!

Ephesians 6:4 – Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

I have found that making life fun for the kids makes life fun for the rest of us! Shelby is an AMAZING teen and although at times does some of the most interesting and highly questionable things, she is growing through life with an amazing sence of humor!

If you ever get a chance… but a sock monkey hat!