October 29th, 2007
Dine Without Whine's Weekly Newsletter
An Extension of our Menu Planning Service
www.dinewithoutwhine.com
Publisher ~ Christine Steendahl
Read Past Issues In Our Newsletter Archives
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This Issue:
A Personal Note
Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe
Organizing Your Home the Quick and Easy Way
A Personal Note
Happy Halloween! If you are in need of last minute ideas head
over to
http://www.dinewithoutwhine.com/Kid Halloween Fun Recipe E-book.pdf for our
Halloween Fun Ebook, and
http://www.dinewithoutwhine.com/article-kids-halloween-recipes.htm for some
Halloween Party Recipes kids love.
We celebrated last night with our annual Trunk O’ Treats Party. Since we are out
in the country there are not a ton of opportunities for trick or treating, so
everyone from church lines up their cars and the kids Trunk O’ Treat to their
trunks. Then we had a big bonfire and snacks. Lots of fun! We’ll probably take
the kids into town on Wednesday as well for a short while, but this was their
big party.
Sunday we had some excitement. Being that my husband is a pastor…
it is generally good that we show up on time to church. Well, we have one of
those clocks that “automatically” knows when daylight savings time ends
supposedly. So at 5:30 a.m. according to our bedroom clock the kids come
prancing in and I told them it was way too early to get up. (not that they
listen) I get up at 7:30 and at 8:00 I come back from the shower to get dressed
and take a look out the window. There are several cars already at church – an
hour before it starts and I’m totally confused. Turns out our clocks set
themselves back a week early. So we were late to church. OOPS! Luckily we have
Sunday School first so I quickly found someone to cover Matt’s class and he was
able to shower and get ready before the church service. Hopefully next week we
will be on time for the correct “fall back” week.
I have been working on the new website all day – I’m HTML’d out. It’s still not
live. I’m plugging along as fast as I can.
Tonight we had our ladies quarterly meeting, and lucky me I got
elected vice president for next year. I was trying to campaign against myself,
but I didn’t get too far with that obviously. That means next year I get to be
president! I’m sure it won’t be too bad. Basically I am in charge of the 4th of
July Breakfast and the National Day of Prayer Breakfast. I’m sure the hardest
part will be finding speakers.
It was nice and frosty this morning when I got up. It was 31
degrees at 7:15. I guess now that it is the end of October we are finally
experiencing some cold weather. It is supposed to be 67 tomorrow afternoon
again, so perfect afternoons!
Have a great week!
Christine
“The Menu Mom”
www.themenumom.com
Recipe of the Week
Exerted from this week's family friendly menu plan
and convenient grocery shopping list.
Have you tried our
sample menu?
Sweet and Sour Meatballs Recipe
Makes 4 servings
Meatballs:
1 egg beaten
1 cup bread crumbs soft
2 tablespoons onions chopped
2 tablespoons milk
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 pound ground beef
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Sauce:
1 8 1/2-ounce can pineapple tidbits reserve syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 5-ounce can water chestnuts thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper cut in strips
1. For meatballs, combine egg, bread crumbs, onion, milk and salt. Add the
ground beef and mix well. Shape into 24 1-inch balls. In large skillet, brown
meatballs in hot vegetable oil. Drain off fat.
2. For sauce, drain pineapple, reserving syrup. In medium-size saucepan, combine
brown sugar and cornstarch. Blend in reserved syrup, water, vinegar and soy
sauce. Cook and stir over low heat until thickened and bubbly. Drain and thinly
slice water chestnuts. Stir chestnuts, meatballs, green pepper and pineapple
into sauce mixture. Heat to boiling. Serve with rice.
Serve with rice and orange slices
This Weeks Top Five Referring Sites
(These sites have a link
to DWW somewhere on their site and have sent the most visitors to
www.dinewithoutwhine.com this week)
http://www.catholicmom.com/main
http://www.nossgalenbaby.com/twins_resources.html
http://www.mom2mom.ca/ipbb/index.php
http://top100chicksites.gotop100.com/index.php
http://www.practicalhomemaking.com
Kitchen and Cooking Tips, Articles, And Product
Reviews
Organizing your Home The Quick and Easy Way
Keeping an organized home through your family life's ups and downs isn’t easy.
It can be easy to let your hectic schedule get the best of you and fall behind
in household chores. But don't get discouraged. Here we offer some quick and
easy home organizing suggestion to help get you started.
If you make the storage options decorative and fun, it’s doesn’t seem as much
like work. For example, if you want the kids to pick up their dirty laundry and
put it in the hamper, put a basketball hoop over it. See who can make the most
baskets in the least amount of time. That mound of socks and underwear will
disappear in no time. And your child will be working on their eye hand
coordination.
Under-the-bed storage boxes have been a staple of home organizing for years.
They have new ones that have hinges, wheels, and all kinds of improvements that
make them easier to use. They may seem expensive to buy enough for the whole
family at once, but if you pick up one every couple weeks, or once a month,
you’ll soon have all new storage for everyone. Take advantage of home
organization sales that occur several times throughout the year. If you get the
storage boxes on sale, you may find that you are able to afford more at one
time. They are great for out of season clothes or shoes, toys, and books.
Giving things away to charity not only helps someone else, but it helps you stay
more organized by freeing up valuable space. It also teaches children the value
of sharing and giving to those less fortunate. Plus some stores will give you a
coupon when you donate an item. For example, if you donate a used pair of shoes
they may give a coupon for 20% off a new pair. This is a great way to make space
in your closet for new items and saving a little money when it comes time to
replace your clothes or shoes.
Even if your children don’t have to share a room, a bunk bed can be a great
space saver. The top bunk can not only be used as storage, but it can make a
great homework area for an older sibling when there are toddlers around that
won’t stay out of their things. Use a thinner pad instead of a mattress, some
pillows, a lap desk, adequate lighting, and you have a wonderful workspace. It
also keeps all the homework in one area, so it’s less likely to get lost or
clutter up the dining room table.
A lofted bed is also a great organization tip. While it's popular in college
dorms it can also serve a purpose in your child's bedroom when you'd like to
gain some extra space. A lofted bed is essentially just the top level of a bunk
bed. Underneath you can place a desk where children can do their homework or
read. This is an especially great idea when you are trying to maximize space in
your child's room.
In order for the house to stay organized, the whole family has to be involved.
It's quicker and easier to have everyone doing one or two things then mom doing
all of them. Plus it teaches children the value of a tidy and well organized
home. If you are starting a new routine, be sure to explain the new rules to
everyone, practice it for a few days, reminding everyone what needs to get done.
If you stay consistent, it won’t be long before your whole home is in order.
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