Still in Limbo

Today is September 19th. We did not move on September 1st. We will not be moving on October 1st. I am not sure when we will be moving, if it will be within our current county or out of state. In some ways I know even less than I knew when I last wrote. It’s very frustrating this not knowing. I am trying to be thankful. I am trying my very hardest to be grateful for what I do have and stop wishing and stressing over what I don’t have. Let’s do a little inventory.

I may or may not have a job by the end of this month, hell, by the end of the year- I don’t know when or if I am losing my job

I do not know when we are moving or where

Money very tight and there is no possibility short of a miracle in sight to change that

Our vehicle is too small and an adult has ride in the hatchback for us to go anywhere as a family which is embarrassing (not to mention illegal and fine worthy if we’re caught)

Our neighbors dislike us and we are uncomfortable letting our children play with their kids or even going outside to take the garbage out or go for a walk

What I do have:

Health- everyone in the family is reasonably healthy. this is something healthy people take for granted all the time, but read just one story of someone with cancer, a parent of a special needs child, someone with a handicap and you will better appreciate this very important thing. Health is huge.

Love- I am lucky to have an amazing husband and 4 amazing children. We argue, bicker and yell but we all love eachother very much.

Income- it may not be comfortable but we have one. yes, money is tight but nobody is going to bed hungry.

A vehicle- yes it’s too small, but we aren’t riding the bus!

One nice neighbor that recently made us homemade jam and spicy green beans

A home- we may not like it, but we have a roof over our heads.

On pretty much every front, there is a positive way of looking at what feels like a negative most of the time. I am working hard to train myself to see the glass as half full instead of half empty. We want so much yet we are so blessed and things could be so much worse. That is something I am reminding myself of daily.

“Some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns; I am thankful that thorns have roses.”  ~Alphonse Carr

Necessity is the mother of invention

….and lack of funds can birth the creation of absolute deliciousness!

This is something my husband came up with

canned (that’s right CANNED) chicken (Costco brand all white meat is what we used)

green onions

spices to taste (we used garlic and powdered cayenne pepper)

mashed potatoes (we used Idahoan packaged)

shredded cheese blend

brown gravy (optional)

in pan saute the garlic and spices with the canned chicken to taste. Be sure not to over cook as canned chicken is already cooked. Cook mashed potatoes as directed. Layer chicken, mashed potatoes, green onions and shredded cheese (in that order) in an oven safe casserole dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes-watch it closely, you just want to warm it up and melt the cheese. make up gravy (we used plain brown gravy from a packet) and then drizzle gravy over servings when plating.

This was amazingly delicious and so simple! The amounts can be changed to accommodate how many are eating, we used one can of chicken for two people and one small package of the instant potatoes and we were both stuffed. This could be good for kids too with less spice and no green onions.

Update… sort of

Well it’s September 6th and we were unable to get our home sublet by September 1st. I still have no idea what is going on with my job and no idea where we’ll be next month. I cannot plan…ANYTHING and that majorly sucks. Al, myself and Elijah have a severe cold and Eli is going to get chest x-rays today to make sure he doesn’t have pneumonia C-: -not pretty at our house right now. The older kids are back in school and (day 3) so far so good. I just wish we could plan…something….anything! This not knowing is very hard. I have a feeling that whatever happens it’s going to happen very quickly with no time to plan which is exactly the opposite of how we like to do things… Oh well, nothing to do but keep pressing on….

TACOS!

Tacos are easy and the kids love the “buffet” feel I create by letting them make their own tacos

When trying to be frugal we came up with a great recipe for tacos using dark meat chicken last week and it was tasty- plus the kids liked it too so it was a win win!

1-2 pounds boneless chicken thighs

1 package steak seasoning (we used McCormick’s Fajita Lime)

1/2 cup olive oil

poke all thighs with fork to allow seasoning to penetrate meat. add seasoning mix and olive oil to 13×19 casserole pan and make a runny “paste” out of it. Add chicken to dish and coat thoroughly with mixture, cover with foil and bake at 400. Depending on how thick the chicken is, 20-35 minutes is usually the right amount of time. I check it often and then when I *think* it’s done I cut one of the thickest ones open. I never trust chicken is done by temping it I have to see it. When there is no pink and no shiny meat in the center it is done.

Add whatever condiments you like on your tacos and enjoy!

*tip: to keep children a little less messy- wrap hard shell in a soft shell as it holds in the broken shell pieces that are sure to fall on the floor if little hands aren’t careful. For added flavor you can even add some refried beans or nacho cheese sauce in between the hard and soft shells to hold them together. This is also slightly more filling for the older children.

Using the dark meat chicken versus ground beef was about half the price. If ground beef isn’t on sale it can be quite expensive, especially for the good stuff.