We have his and hers peanut butter. I come from a family where the parents like crunchy and the kids like creamy, and because the parents will eat creamy, we usually just got that. Or my dad would get his own jar of crunchy. But now Caleb and I purchase creamy and crunchy peanut butter. I stay out of the crunchy and he stays out of the creamy, except for that time he baked me cookies. But creamy goes into recipes a lot more, so we go through hers peanut butter quicker.
That being said, when I got groceries yesterday, I needed to get creamy peanut butter. I started out at the Meijer nearest the car repair shop. My plan was to get the big jar of Meijer peanut butter. It wasn't on sale, but it was a bigger jar than anything on sale and a pretty good price. I found everything else, but when I got to the peanut butter, all the Meijer peanut butter (except the natural, which is gross) was gone! There were spots for it, but every single jar was gone. The small size and the large size! Of course, when I checked out, the cashier asked if I found everything okay, because they have to ask that. And I said that no, I couldn't find Meijer peanut butter. She said if it wasn't on sale, they probably didn't get their truck in this week yet. Okay, whatever.
On to the Meijer near our apartment (sort of on my way home). They were also out of the big size Meijer peanut butter! I ended up buying a different brand in small size because it was on sale for cheaper than the Meijer price. I was just so confused! Where has all the peanut butter gone?
In other news, I have a pile of maybe 8 wedding thank-yous that I've been meaning to hand out to people and I keep forgetting the thank-yous when I'm going to see people. So I'm finally mailing them today... if I remember. I feel so badly about how long it's been - but I've had them written for a month at least!
Well, I better go put some addresses on them.
Happy Wednesday!
Love and Postage,
LeahJoy
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Romantic Comedies
I'm a little late today because I spent the morning taking my car in to get the coolant flushed, going to Meijer for groceries, getting gas, and picking up some Harry Potter movies from the library. (Caleb hasn't seen them all, so we're going to have a couple-week marathon so we can watch 7 part 2 together.) When I got home, I had to start chicken soup for dinner. This is the first time I've ever cut up a whole chicken. It was interesting, to say the least.
Anyway, the soup is now simmering on the stove and I have an apple and some peanut butter, so I can post this hilarious video. I love romantic comedies as much as the next girl, but this video is really true.
Enjoy!
Now I'm going to go watch a chick flick!
Love and Magic,
LeahJoy
Anyway, the soup is now simmering on the stove and I have an apple and some peanut butter, so I can post this hilarious video. I love romantic comedies as much as the next girl, but this video is really true.
Enjoy!
Now I'm going to go watch a chick flick!
Love and Magic,
LeahJoy
Monday, November 7, 2011
Why Can't We Be Friends?
Last night, Caleb and I were ready for bed at around 6:00. Partly because of the time change, partly because we hadn't slept well the night before, and partly because it was Sunday and we're always tired on Sundays because of church (he works there). We decided it was too ridiculously early for bed, so in order to stay awake, he decided to sample some new (to us) shows on Netflix. We watched a few episodes of "Storage Wars" and an episode of "Pawn Stars". In "Storage Wars", while the whole concept of people bidding their money on something unknown sickens me, what made me more angry was the way they treated each other.
Those bidding against each other were jerks to each other. They called each other names, made mean jokes, and were all around rude. The worst to me was how a husband and wife team treated each other. If they were losing money, it was his fault. He got mad at her for being so tight with money and she got mad at him for spending it. And they called each other names, too. Then there was the father and son team. The father was so mean to his son. He made him unload all the boxes, and then got impatient when it was taking a little longer with a particularly heavy one.
In "Pawn Stars" the pawn shop is run by a father and son, along with another guy. They also employ "the village idiot". The father and son made biting sarcastic remarks back and forth, as did the other guy with the father and the son. Everyone was a jerk to "the village idiot", who, get this, was also a jerk.
Honestly, these shows made me sick. Why do they have to treat each other like that?
And then another thought occurred to me: what if the show is making them say those things? What if it's just the Hollywood people knowing that conflict sells? That really sickens me. I don't think it's adorable when families fight. Why can't they just get along?
So much on TV stinks.
Love and More Love,
LeahJoy
Those bidding against each other were jerks to each other. They called each other names, made mean jokes, and were all around rude. The worst to me was how a husband and wife team treated each other. If they were losing money, it was his fault. He got mad at her for being so tight with money and she got mad at him for spending it. And they called each other names, too. Then there was the father and son team. The father was so mean to his son. He made him unload all the boxes, and then got impatient when it was taking a little longer with a particularly heavy one.
In "Pawn Stars" the pawn shop is run by a father and son, along with another guy. They also employ "the village idiot". The father and son made biting sarcastic remarks back and forth, as did the other guy with the father and the son. Everyone was a jerk to "the village idiot", who, get this, was also a jerk.
Honestly, these shows made me sick. Why do they have to treat each other like that?
And then another thought occurred to me: what if the show is making them say those things? What if it's just the Hollywood people knowing that conflict sells? That really sickens me. I don't think it's adorable when families fight. Why can't they just get along?
So much on TV stinks.
Love and More Love,
LeahJoy
Friday, November 4, 2011
Stencil T-Shirts
Good Friday Morning!
Here's an idea I found years ago. I immediately went out and bought freezer paper so I could try this project. I stenciled stars and hearts to a bag. I stenciled my name in Hebrew on a sweatshirt. Which I then coated in sparkly paint (just the letters) so I never wear it in public anymore. I made three identical t-shirts for my two best friends and me.
But here's a good tutorial and I hope you like it. It's pretty easy. The design made in this tutorial is fairly complex; you can try something much simpler. I just printed mine from public domain images, or free-handed the Hebrew from what I saw in my concordance.
Ready, Set, GO!
Love and Freezer Paper,
LeahJoy
P.S. Today, I'm grateful for Cran-Grape juice, because it's delicious. And I'm grateful for the ability to craft, because it makes Christmas presents way more fun and frugal.
Here's an idea I found years ago. I immediately went out and bought freezer paper so I could try this project. I stenciled stars and hearts to a bag. I stenciled my name in Hebrew on a sweatshirt. Which I then coated in sparkly paint (just the letters) so I never wear it in public anymore. I made three identical t-shirts for my two best friends and me.
But here's a good tutorial and I hope you like it. It's pretty easy. The design made in this tutorial is fairly complex; you can try something much simpler. I just printed mine from public domain images, or free-handed the Hebrew from what I saw in my concordance.
Ready, Set, GO!
Love and Freezer Paper,
LeahJoy
P.S. Today, I'm grateful for Cran-Grape juice, because it's delicious. And I'm grateful for the ability to craft, because it makes Christmas presents way more fun and frugal.
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Easiest Recipe Ever
Okay, okay, so Mac & Cheese is pretty easy, but I feel like if it comes in a box, it's not really a recipe. This is a from-scratch recipe that is so easy and so delicious. These blueberry bars are like a blueberry banket coffeecake (without the crumble, although I really want to try this recipe with a crumble on top).
Gather:
1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1-3/4 cups flour
2 cups blueberries
Grease a 9x13 pan and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Throw everything except the blueberries in a bowl and mix well. Gently stir in the blueberries and then pour into the pan. Spread to even out. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Frost with:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 Tbsp butter (melted)
These were the frosting directions that came with the recipe, but anyone can make a powdered sugar frosting better. I added milk and more powdered sugar to this until it was more of a glaze.
These are the most delicious blueberry bars I have ever eaten.
Oh! - And as always, either fresh or frozen blueberries work great.
Love and Blueberries,
LeahJoy
Gather:
1 stick butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
1-3/4 cups flour
2 cups blueberries
Grease a 9x13 pan and preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Throw everything except the blueberries in a bowl and mix well. Gently stir in the blueberries and then pour into the pan. Spread to even out. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Frost with:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1-1/2 Tbsp butter (melted)
These were the frosting directions that came with the recipe, but anyone can make a powdered sugar frosting better. I added milk and more powdered sugar to this until it was more of a glaze.
These are the most delicious blueberry bars I have ever eaten.
Oh! - And as always, either fresh or frozen blueberries work great.
Love and Blueberries,
LeahJoy
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Wednesday Ramble
I've decided that every Wednesday can't be about something weird. Why? Well, some weeks I don't get out of the house much, and I don't want to write about how weird I am every week. Instead, I'll try just blogging on something, and it will probably achieve the same effect anyway.
I've heard about people blogging every day of November about something for which they are grateful. It being the 2nd of November already, it might be technically too late, but I think I'll try to include something at least when I do post.
Today, I'm thankful for electricity and heat. Fall is beautiful, but it's really cold outside. I'm so grateful to be able to stay inside and warm. And I'm so grateful for a warm bed. It's so comfortable and lovely in there.
Monday, as you probably know, was Halloween. I know a lot of people get upset by the holiday and think that we shouldn't celebrate it and then, by way of protest, they celebrate Reformation Day. You know, I think this is just one of those subjects on which we won't always agree. I don't think there's anything wrong in kids dressing up (as non-scary things, of course) and trick-or-treating, since all that means anymore is getting candy. Dressing up is fun and kids can exercise their creative talents (or lack thereof, coming from someone who was a cheerleader for 6 years in a row). And I love candy.
Anyway, this isn't about whether or not one should celebrate anything on October 31. This is just a review of some events. The camp (where Caleb works and we live) has a Family Harvest Celebration and churches, families, or other groups can sign up to decorate a cabin and pass out candy from there. Then kids come and trick-or-treat at the cabins. They can also go on a hayride, see a puppet show, get hot cider and doughnuts, and visit a campfire. It's a really fun evening, and this year my family decorated a cabin.
We chose a garden theme, mainly because we have a lot of supplies to decorate that way and I have a box of scarves and big skirts that instantly makes anything look decorated the way you want it to be. We dressed up as gardeners and it's a shame I don't have a picture of my dad, because while my mom and sister used eyeliner to make freckles, he had a goatee and mustache.
All the other cabin decorators did the inside of the cabin, and next year we plan on that. We were so cold by the end of the night. Chloe and I both ended up wearing one of the skirts from the decor, plus I had on a shawl. I had brought some extra warm things, also, so my mom had a green beanie and Chloe had an ear band. We still had fun, though.
At the end of the night, we took our decorations down, planned a little how it might look next year (inside!), and then they came back to our apartment for hot chocolate and cookies. Now, you should understand that our apartment had been a mess (I had a rough week last week and did barely any cleaning) and I had spent the entire day scrubbing, cleaning, vacuuming, and even dusting. (I rarely dust.) I thought I was company ready.
Cue my mom and my sister into the living room. Chloe immediately sees something pretty and rushes to look at it... her Christmas present. I pull a "Woah! Hold on! Look at this!", shove something else in her hands, shove her out of the room, and shove her present under some other things. They come back in and my mom looks at a frame that's sitting in a bin. "Oh, that's pretty," she says. "Oh... that's part of your Christmas present," I say. "Oops," she says. "It's my fault for leaving it out. I guess we may as well find out if you actually like it, since you've seen it."
No one will be very surprised on Christmas, although I'm hoping that my sister didn't actually figure out what the object was, only that it was pretty and probably for her.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Love and Warmth,
LeahJoy
I've heard about people blogging every day of November about something for which they are grateful. It being the 2nd of November already, it might be technically too late, but I think I'll try to include something at least when I do post.
Today, I'm thankful for electricity and heat. Fall is beautiful, but it's really cold outside. I'm so grateful to be able to stay inside and warm. And I'm so grateful for a warm bed. It's so comfortable and lovely in there.
Monday, as you probably know, was Halloween. I know a lot of people get upset by the holiday and think that we shouldn't celebrate it and then, by way of protest, they celebrate Reformation Day. You know, I think this is just one of those subjects on which we won't always agree. I don't think there's anything wrong in kids dressing up (as non-scary things, of course) and trick-or-treating, since all that means anymore is getting candy. Dressing up is fun and kids can exercise their creative talents (or lack thereof, coming from someone who was a cheerleader for 6 years in a row). And I love candy.
Anyway, this isn't about whether or not one should celebrate anything on October 31. This is just a review of some events. The camp (where Caleb works and we live) has a Family Harvest Celebration and churches, families, or other groups can sign up to decorate a cabin and pass out candy from there. Then kids come and trick-or-treat at the cabins. They can also go on a hayride, see a puppet show, get hot cider and doughnuts, and visit a campfire. It's a really fun evening, and this year my family decorated a cabin.
All the other cabin decorators did the inside of the cabin, and next year we plan on that. We were so cold by the end of the night. Chloe and I both ended up wearing one of the skirts from the decor, plus I had on a shawl. I had brought some extra warm things, also, so my mom had a green beanie and Chloe had an ear band. We still had fun, though.
At the end of the night, we took our decorations down, planned a little how it might look next year (inside!), and then they came back to our apartment for hot chocolate and cookies. Now, you should understand that our apartment had been a mess (I had a rough week last week and did barely any cleaning) and I had spent the entire day scrubbing, cleaning, vacuuming, and even dusting. (I rarely dust.) I thought I was company ready.
Cue my mom and my sister into the living room. Chloe immediately sees something pretty and rushes to look at it... her Christmas present. I pull a "Woah! Hold on! Look at this!", shove something else in her hands, shove her out of the room, and shove her present under some other things. They come back in and my mom looks at a frame that's sitting in a bin. "Oh, that's pretty," she says. "Oh... that's part of your Christmas present," I say. "Oops," she says. "It's my fault for leaving it out. I guess we may as well find out if you actually like it, since you've seen it."
No one will be very surprised on Christmas, although I'm hoping that my sister didn't actually figure out what the object was, only that it was pretty and probably for her.
Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Love and Warmth,
LeahJoy
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Happy Day
Happy Tuesday!
Happy November!
Happy Birthday to my baby brother!
Happy laundry day! (My apartment smells AWESOME!)
And so here's a video of one of my favorite groups, The Civil Wars. I saw them live at Calvin College Fine Arts Center a bit ago and they were wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. At the end of their long set, they came back out and did one more song - completely unplugged. It was so amazing to me that after performing that long, they could project their voices over the whole auditorium with no amplification and still sound astoundingly wonderful. Here's a video of the same thing, just at a different show. Enjoy!
Love and Laundry Detergent,
LeahJoy
Happy November!
Happy Birthday to my baby brother!
Happy laundry day! (My apartment smells AWESOME!)
And so here's a video of one of my favorite groups, The Civil Wars. I saw them live at Calvin College Fine Arts Center a bit ago and they were wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. At the end of their long set, they came back out and did one more song - completely unplugged. It was so amazing to me that after performing that long, they could project their voices over the whole auditorium with no amplification and still sound astoundingly wonderful. Here's a video of the same thing, just at a different show. Enjoy!
Love and Laundry Detergent,
LeahJoy
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