The Simple Life at Home

Ok, as you read this I'll be busy at work on my first day of employment in 14 years. Beginning to work will now require me to be even more organized than I've ever been. I'll get home around 4 pm most days, so there will still be time for dinner prep, but shopping and thinking it through in advance will take on new importance. Here's this week menu plan:

Sunday - Sticky Chicken, garlic & onion mashed potatoes, garlic green beans

Monday - Spaghetti with meat sauce, garlic bread and a caesar salad

Tuesday - Mahlouba

Wednesday - Swedish Meatballs over egg noodles and a tossed salad

Thursday - Hummous, kubbe, cheese, bread, pickles, olives

Friday - Jambalaya over rice

Saturday - Chicken tacos in the slow cooker (recipe below)


For the chicken tacos, I toss a package of chicken breasts in the slow cooker, toss in a can of mexican style corn, a chopped onion, a can of rotel, some cumin and salt and pepper. I let it cook on low all day and then about 30 minutes before we eat, I toss in a can of either black beans or kidney beans. I serve it up in either tortillas (for soft tacos) or taco shells (for hard tacos). Easy!

For more menu plans, be sure to click on over to The Organizing Junkie!

Remember this? Way back when, I came up with a list of 101 things I wanted to accomplish in 1001 days. I got about half way finished with it. Kind of disappointing, but I'm not going to beat myself up about it. As most of you know, it has been a tumultous thousand days. So much has changed in my life that I feel like a huge success story just for surviving it!!!

Still, I'm in the process of working up a new list. I think it was really helpful for me to have things put down in writing rather than just stray thoughts that run through my head to the effect of, "Yeah, I should do that some time." You know that old saying, if you aim for nothing, you are sure to hit it. Or however it goes. (I'm not real strong on cliches.)

If you'd be interested in doing a 101 in 1001 list, let me know. We can start on the same day and encourage each other. I'm planning on starting mine as of April 1, so that gives me about a week and a half to collect my thoughts and make a plan.

And hey, even if you only get half of the things on the list accomplished, that's still 50 things more than you would have accomplished without the list!

Oh, yeah, baby!! Sing it, girl!!

Well, it seems as though I am spending my last days as a woman of leisure. (Ha!!!! Who on earth thinks stay-at-home-moms are women of leisure!?!? People who have never done it, that's who!!!)

The "trial day" went very well on Thursday. I enjoyed the work that I would be doing, as well as the people with whom I'd be working. It was fun, actually. The salary leaves quite a bit to be desired, but when you balance that against having the same schedule as my kids and being able to see them occasionally throughout the day, well, I guess it's worth it in the end.

I haven't officially accepted the job yet, as I am waiting for word if they will include a break in either tuition or some of the fees as part of my compensation package, but I'll probably accept the job either way. (Boy, I hope the human resources manager isn't reading this right now before she decides to offer us that break!!)

So today and tomorrow are my "clean the house like a maniac so it has a hope of staying clean since we will all be out of the house all day" days. I've got a huge to-do list and have to get cracking on it.

Then, of course, I'll have to don my slinky nightgown and high heels and make googly-eyes at Hubby tonight and "never let him forget he's a man!"

'Cause I'm a woman.

W-O-M-A-N!

I just did a post yesterday outlining all the happy things that happened to me on Tuesday. I have to say, life is at a good place right now. It feels great to be able to say that.

One year ago next week, my children and I left everything and everyone we knew and loved and set out to join Hubby in our new life here in Doha, Qatar. It's been a year of tumultuous change. We have had to adjust to a new culture, a new climate, and a new home. We've gone from Hubby working long hours 5 days a week to working somewhat shorter hours 6 days a week. I've had to learn the currency and I'm still confused as to how much money I spend each week on groceries! My much-loved 8 week menu plan has been tossed out the window, as it's virtually impossible here to predict what items will be in the stores on any given day.

I've gone from a committed homeschooling stay-at-home mom, to being a mom with two kids enrolled in school who is actively seeking to rejoin the workforce. After 14 years of being at home, that's no small matter. I'm nervous and excited and scared all rolled up into a bundle of jangled nerves.

I've lost access to Target (:::sob:::), the library, rational grocery stores, decent customer service, and honestly, some of my sanity.

We've had to give up our friendships and then try to build new ones here in a land where most people come and go within 4-5 years at most. Many of the friends we've made within the last year have already moved during the course of our year here or will be leaving this summer.

And yet, now one year later, we have survived. I don't know that I would say we have thrived, but we haven't withered on the vine either. And for that, I give all the glory to God. He has helped me learn to be content in whatever circumstance I find myself. He has been teaching me patience, a trait which I am sadly lacking in and have been praying for as long as I can remember. He has comforted me when I was desolate. He has been the one I rejoice with when I'm happy.

He is my rock. I love him and am so grateful for the fact that he led me here to this wilderness to use it as a time of teaching and growth in my life. Everything that he removed from my life has been restored in some form or fashion. Well, except Target. But I can live with that!

So today I am grateful for a God who will do whatever he needs to do to make me more like him.

For more Thankful Thursday posts, be sure to visit Lynn at Spiritually Unequal Marriage.

all my troubles seemed so far away!

Seriously, yesterday was a pretty great day.

Not only does it appear that I may have found a great job (I will know for sure tomorrow), but there were all these other cool little things that happened that just made me smile.

• * I found a box of Triscuits. Triscuits!!!! I love them and haven't seen them in months and months. I won't admit to what I paid for them, but they were worth every little dirham (our penny)!!!
• * I made some yummy black beans and rice for dinner.
• * Lost was on. Need I say more? How can any woman not love Sawyer?
• * The ladies on the Women's Ministry Leadership Team were so sweet and encouraging when I informed them I would probably have to step down because of my return to the working world. I hate backing out on a commitment, but they were so gracious and wonderful.
• * I had a nice chat with one of the other "church" moms last night. Not a big deal, but this is a woman who has kind of seemed to run hot and cold and it was nice that she came over and sat with me and chatted for about 20 minutes.
• * I got to go to the mall ALL ALONE last night while Emily was at a team meeting for her upcoming missions trip.
• * During said trip to the mall, I found it! I found it! What, you ask? The newest Jodi Picoult book, Handle With Care. And, to make it even sweeter, it wasn't THAT expensive. More than I would have liked to pay at around $17, but I love her writing so much that it's worth it.

So overall, it was just a sweet day with lots of little moments. And now, I'm off to do my grocery shopping a day early so that I can spend the day tomorrow at the school investigating the new job prospect. Wish me luck!!

The interview went well, really well. I told my husband that a monkey could have walked in there and they would probably have hired it. LOL!!

After reviewing my resume, he just had me tell him a little bit about myself and then basically asked if I would be interested in working in this area or that area. When I mentioned something about my experience, he out and out said, "I have no worries about your experience, I'm just trying to see where you are interested in working." He seemed most interested in using me in the 4 year old class, saying it was his hardest to staff, but because of my experience running the preschool program at our church in Miami, I'd be perfect for it.

When I mentioned that I hoped to eventually move into something full-time in administration, he mentioned that several positions in the school library would be opening up in the next school year. So I left thinking I'd sub (pretty regularly, from the impression he gave me) until that happened.

As I was driving home, my cell phone rang. It was the vice-principal of the high school, telling me that he is interested in hiring me for another position. It would be working with the school's computer program which is used to update students and parents with all kinds of information, from grades and attendance to announcements and more.

I will be going in to meet with this man on Thursday, so I'd covet your prayers. It sounds like it would be great, but I want to make sure I do what God wants me to do.

Well, not exactly.

In just two hours, I have a job interview. It's been a looooong time since I've done that. Like, 15 years. I'm nervous and still trying to decide what to wear. Do I wear the beautiful pink blouse that I grabbed yesterday for a steal? Or the black and white print blouse my hubby likes? I think the pink one is more professional (button down, long-sleeved) than the black and white (short-sleeved, kind of funky print, pretty open at the throat), but hubby thinks pink is not professional. (Ok, just reading back on those descriptions has pretty much convinced me to go with the pink.)

I'm still torn about the whole issue of working, to be honest. I know that with subbing I can choose when to work and it probably won't be overwhelming. However, eventually I hope (NEED!!) to find something more regular to bring in the money we need to cover the kids' school expenses. That's what scares me.

If you've ever visited Jess' blog, you will have fallen in love with her just like I did. Well, Jess recently went back to work. And it was hard for her. Hard to find the balance to maintain her home, be there for the kids, take care of herself, and still be loving and kind to her husband. That's what I'm afraid of.

I'm worried that my house will be even more chaotic and messy than it is. That we won't have clean clothes to wear. That dinner will end up more nights than not a pizza ordered in.

But still I know that this is the right thing to do, so I'm trusting God that He's going to provide the right job and provide the time that I need to make life work.

After all, He's in the "making-life-work" business.