Casserole logistics

How many 9x13 casserole dishes do you have?

I'm pretty sure I didn't have any until we were married.  Small ovens in Japan could only hold an 8x8.  But I quickly learned that Americans can't cook without them.  I think it's because the food is spread out, so it can cook/ heat/ or re-heat quickly, and the ovens are gigantic, so there's no limit on size (I can fit six 9x13s in my oven). 

We received a Pyrex and a French White one as wedding gifts.  At the time, I thought that was more than sufficient.  Little did I know!

The French White, I found out, are not made as well as they used to be, and ours bit the dust. In the meantime, I started buying up 9x13's at garage sales and thrift stores, the old glass 9x13's, the kind that survive anything and remain unscathed, the kind that little old ladies who are downsizing have used for decades and have lovingly served multitudes from.  And then one day I also found a French White 9x13 on a local sale site. So, I should be set. Right? Wrong again. :)

After I was married and had 9x13s, then I realized the accessories that are helpful -- insulated carrying bags, serving baskets, and lids.  One year for Christmas my main gift was a 9x13 serving basket made by the Amish.  Then one Black Friday or Cyber Monday, I bought not-as-heavy-duty baskets.  They came with a 9x13 glass dish, one of which I was able to pass on to a missionary family on HMA who had nothing in this hemisphere for their kitchen. 

And then Thanksgiving came ... and I needed to transport two 9x13 pans of strawberry jello pretzel salad, one 9x13 pan of green beans, one 9x13 pan of sweet potatoes, and two 9x13 pan of stuffing.  Except, of course, it was more complicated than that!  I don't have (nor do I normally need or want) five 9x13 pans!  The mashed sweet potatoes got divided up into smaller 8x8s for heating and then lumped into a large round serving dish for transporting & serving.  The stuffing pans got combined into one 9x13 after baking, because I have a limited number of insulated carrying bags. 

And, then at the end of an 8-hour Thanksgiving extravaganza with 45-50 relatives, more than one of us went home minus a blue lid.  Cue the Black Friday sales!!  I was on there quicker than you can say, "9x13," and found that a replacement blue lid would be $5 (plus $10 shipping) or I could buy a 9x13 with lid AND insulated carrying bag for the Black Friday price of $9.99 with free store pickup! 

I don't need carrying bags every day, but apparently when I need them, I need two or four or six! So, hopefully I'm set (unless I go into the catering business-ha!) with my two new Black Friday bags (and LIDS!), the insulated carrier that came with our wedding present French White, a Thirty-one gifts double carrier purchased from an outlet sale, and an Alladin Tempreserve Insulated Casserole Carrier found at a thrift store. 

Apparently, Americans (who go to potlucks and family events) need a lot of 9x13s and insulated carriers (and lids!).  I think I'm ready for Thanksgiving next year. :)

Village

It truly takes a village.

Jim was home with a bad cough.

I took the children to a potluck supper at church.

First I parked by the door, left the car running, and dropped off my food & the booster seat right outside the entrance.

We parked and walked to the lobby. We hung up our coats.  A tween boy came to greet us and help us.

The children got settled at a table. A lady at the table strapped the booster seat to the chair, while I went and got the children's food.  A tween boy came to help carry their plates.

People at the table kept the children focused on eating while I went to get my food.  

A lady at the table took Little Guy to get dessert.

A teen-aged boy offered to take my food and the booster seat across the parking lot to my car between the meal and the program.

Two ladies kept the nursery, even though Little Miss was the only one there.

Other adults taught the 4-7 year old class about Africa and the gospel. 

It truly takes a village.

And we are grateful for ours!

Items of note

Things that are improving my quality of life these days -

• cup holder coasters (I use Thirsty Stone ones I received years ago, but my favorite coffee shop in the world sells handmade crocheted ones)

•  warm socks (Aaaahhh!!!  My feet are so cold, but not anymore, now that I took that 30% off coupon to Kohl's and bought wool socks and Cuddl Duds knee socks!!  It truly is the little things!)

• Libby app to listen to audiobooks from our libary over my phone in the car (Frog & Toad, anyone?)

• carseat desks (here) 

• boots for Little Miss (they stay on her feet better than shoes do)

• glasses that are the right prescription for my changing eyesight (so nice to use my old Bible with all my notes again! as opposed to the large print one I was dependent on!)

• Color Girl (easy & pretty home manicures)

• Imagination Station books (like a Christian version of Magic Tree House books)

• Paws & Tales available free on podcasts

On the go

Another day ...

Pull out of the garage at 7 AM.
Carpool drop off at 7.30-7.40-ish.
Drop bill payments in post office drop there.
Walmart pick up at 8.
Home at 8.30-8.40-ish.

Pull out of the garage at 9.30.
Drop Little Miss off at aunt's.
Stop by pharmacy. Hmmm.  Prescription is missing.
Call allergist's office.
10 AM dental appointment.
Pharmacy to pick up maintenance inhaler.
Pick up Little Miss.
11.30 AM home.
Lunch.

Pull out of the garage at 12.45.
Post office.
Library drop-box.
Drop Little Miss off at sitter's.
Little Miss naps for the 1.5 hours.
Annual mammogram.
Pick Little Miss up.
Pick Little Guy up (late for carpool, so at friend's home).
Little Guy naps on the way home. 

Pull into garage at 4.20-ish.

Whew.

Turn on "Daniel Tiger" while I collect my breath. :)

All over

Drove Little Guy 30 miles one direction and dropped him off for carpool.  He continued another 30-40 miles in that direction to school.

Drove 10 miles north and dropped off Little Miss at sitter's.

Drove 20 miles the opposite direction of Little Guy for my hair appointment. 

Drove 10 miles from there for a special visit and another appointment.

So, we three spent the day in three cities ... but under God's protection!

Tea

I love a good strong cup of hot tea.  Don't you?

It's hard to find that kind in a grocery store.  My top 3 are:  PG Tips, Tetley English Blend (purple box), and Red Rose.  Tazo Awake used to be good, until they changed the blend about five years ago. 

My favorite loose caffeinated tea is Rishi Tea’s China Breakfast and Letterbox Tea’s Anthology. Peet’s Pride of the Port would be in that same category. 

A friend asked the other day for a recommendation of decaf loose tea.  I’ve not found a good decaf one.

I like Red Rose decaf teabags (but they’re hard to find, so I usually buy them on vacation). Tetley used to have decaf tea bags, but I haven't seen them lately.  PG Tips decaf is good, too.

What do you drink for decaf tea?

Going to Disney

Wednesday was going to be Little Guy's costume parade at school.  He was literally all abuzz about his (shh! homemade) bumblebee costume.  

Monday had been a late night.  Early Tuesday morning, just before pulling out of the garage, I woke Little Guy, he got dressed and buckled in to go to school, I handed him some breakfast to eat in the car, and off we went!

We were not even a half mile from our house and in his sleepy state he asked, almost in a whining voice, “Mom, when are we going to go to Disney World?” 

WHAT?!?!  [We have seen no Disney movies that I know of, and I wasn't aware that he knew anyone who had been to Disney.]

It turns out one of his classmates is going to Disney World.  His class has been using Cinderella for their current unit, and LG was amazed that there’s a real Cinderella at Disney World. And then he said, “Wouldn’t it be amazing to see a costume parade at Disney World?!”

And so it begins.

I don’t think there any homemade bumblebee costumes at Disney World.

::one week later::

This morning, on our 4 or 600th trip under the railroad tracks on the way to and from school, we saw an Amtrak train for the first time!

LG loved that it was a passenger train.  I told how I've ridden it, and how Daddy and I have ridden it, and tried to elicit excitement about one day wouldn't it be nice to ride that train and go to Chicago???

Pause.

I was about to suggest another destination, when LG piped up, "Or Disney World!"

I asked again, "What's in Disney World, LG?"

"Cinderella is real at Disney World."

Ah, yes. :)