Do Not Call Registry

So that I won't have any more annoying sales calls from telemarketers, I registered at donotcall.gov. You should do the same thing if you have not done so already!!! The state of Florida wanted to charge a fee for this service, but the national registry is free.

Why oh why?

DH & I have been inundated with sales calls ever since we moved. I know, I know, we need to register for the "Do not Call" list. Can you believe that this state CHARGES you to be on the list? Then you must pay a yearly subscription service fee. Crazy. I need to just join, but we haven't yet. Therefore, we must suffer. And, suffer we do. Every day we receive calls pressuring us to do this or that. The most persistent are the exterminators and water testers. One lady caught me when I was weak and distracted. She called during the everyone-is-falling-apart-and-I'm-trying-to-fix-another-dinner-they-won't-like-hour. I was not paying attention (why not with a baby pulling on my leg and screaming, children running in & out of the house & a sick child?) and she was relentless. She said, "Just for letting us test your water, we'll give you a $50 gift card. Do you want one from Target, Home Depot or Lowe's?" I replied, "M'am, I'm not interested".

She wasn't finished. "Oh, are you scared you'[ll have to buy something? You won't. We're from a high end GE appliance store. We just want to test the water so we can see what customers need in your area. Then we'll do some targeted marketing."

I wasn't listening very well. I should have replied, "Isn't THIS targeted marketing?" But I was busy making homemade pizza and choosing the toppings for my part. "Okay, so we'll send someone tomorrow night at 7:30. We need both of you to be home".

"How do I know you're not someone coming to kill us or stake out our house?"

She laughed.... I wasn't being funny. "Oh, M'am, I can PROMISE you we're not doing that!" Snicker snicker snicker.

The children's voices are now at a very high level, I'm trying to roll out dough, and I succumbed to her ploys. I was so mad at myself when I hung up the phone. What was I thinking???? I am not letting some idiot come to test our water at NIGHT? Dumb dumb dumb. But she had promised that $50 Target card & I had told her he better have it in his hand.

He was late. He did not arrive promptly. He did not give us the confirmation number, wear a uniform, or present his ID. We asked to see the Target gift card. "Oh, they'll mail it to you in a week or so." DH was at the door. I walked away. Furious. "See, I knew it was a scam." I wasn't mad at him. I was mad at his company, at the woman who coerced me into letting him come to our house in the first place, at the fact that it was dark & scary outside, and at myself.

And that's when it happened. He became very angry. He was very unjustifiably angry. Shouldn't he have just laughed and said, "It's not a scam. I'd love to test your water & I'll let you enjoy your evening. I'll personally make sure they send you the Target card." But he didn't. He started yelling, "This is NOT a scam. I wouldn't have driven 75 miles for a scam! I've been doing this for 15 years! Just forget it. FOrget it." He began walking to his car. Sweet Dh. He said, "Sir, you're welcome to come in. Just test the water." The very mad man whose name we didn't even know yelled back, "No. Never mind." He drove away.

Dh asked me not to aggravate people. I wasn't trying to make him mad. I just felt like it was a trick. I am tired of tricks. I'm too old for tricks. I am too educated to have been tricked into letting him come in the first place. I felt foolish. I felt sad. I felt guilty that he had driven 75 miles. But I didn't ask him to drive that far. His lousy company had him do that. And I felt afraid. I worried all night that he was going to come back because he knows where we live. And he hates me. DH thought I was overreacting. "Yeah, he's going to fire bomb us tonight." I replied, "What does that mean?" Dh said, "It's when you throw a bomb at someone's house." Great. I hadn't thought of that possibility. I was more worried that he'd vandalize our car, break in our house, or shoot me through the window. I hadn't thought about fire or bombs. Guess who didn't sleep last night??

Why do these things happen to me? I haven't even told you about the magazine salesman who got mad at me in the street for not just giving him some money to pay for his dentures. I was foolish to let someone on the phone talk me into anything. But why oh why? Do these things happen to you? I've got to go check my dead bolts again!

Shepherd's Pie

The best CAMP in the world is Camp Greystone! I was a camper for 7 years as a child, and now our daughters have the privilege of going. It is a wonderful Christian camp for girls in the North Carolina mountains. Greystone is known for its delicious food!! I remember eating "Shepherd's Pie" as a camper, so I tried to re-create it at home tonight. It was delicious and fairly easy!!

You need:
potatoes (I used yukon gold)
ground beef
an onion
shredded sharp cheddar cheese
milk & butter to taste
salt & pepper to taste

Boil your potatoes in water until they are soft. Drain the water. Using a hand mixer, mash the potatoes while adding butter and milk until you reach the desired consistency. You can also add salt and pepper. I added some wonderful seasoned salt from Martha's Vineyard as well. Cover potatoes to keep them warm. Brown ground beef with an onion. You can add spices like parsley for a little flavor.

Put mashed potatoes on your plate, then add ground beef, and sprinkle cheddar on top. I served this with Sister Schubert's rolls and LeSeur's wonderful green peas. It was delicious!!

A Dream Come True

What a precious morning! Our 2 oldest girls were able to take their first horseback riding lesson. They both loved riding on a visit to see Mimi last summer. Yesterday was their first official lesson! D has especially dreamed of riding horses. She reads lots of horse books and has studied horse vocabulary words. What a treat to see them enjoying their first ride with Smokey!! He was a sweet horse. The weather was perfect. It was sunny and warm with a breeze in the shade. The children all enjoyed seeing the horses eat and even relieve themselves!! Hilarious!

The Angus Barn

There is an institution in Raleigh, NC called The Angus Barn. If you have never been, save your pennies so you can GO!! It is filled with character and the food is reliably delicious. Van Eure is the owner, and she works hard to insure that all of her guests receive the BEST service and food cooked as ordered. On the rare occasion that things are not perfect, Van will do everything she can to make it better. With service like that, her patrons happily choose The Angus Barn when celebrating special occasions.

As you walk in the door, you will be greeted and the large wooden doors will slowly be opened for you. The lobby is very interesting with mounted animal heads, artwork, rich wood walls, and interesting articles and pictures from the past. You can sit in front of a roaring fire and flip through wonderful books full of pictures. Or, you can sit in a lounge and sip cider in the winter. If you prefer a stronger beverage, head upstairs to the Wild Turkey lounge which is known for a wide variety of libations and spirits. Those who are short on time may want to eat up in the bar as well. One thing you absolutely MUST do when you enter is eat some of their delicious pickles and cheese spread. They also have olives, celery, and carrot sticks. The cheese is sold in a crock in their store, and you will LOVE it. They even make wonderful homemade crackers!!

Once it is time to be seated, you will be buzzed and they will take you to your table. All of the dining rooms have an elegant barn feel, complete with feeding stalls, hay, farming tools, and all kinds of interesting things upon which to feast your eyes. If your date is not fun, you will not be bored! You will be greeted with more of the delicious cheese and relish tray once you are seated. DH & I usually split the 10 oz filet, but the menu is quite conclusive and all will find something to eat! The food is predictably good. I love their filet, baked potato, and salad with homemade blue cheese. DH has to have their baked sweet potato every time. Still others prefer au gratin potatoes and the warm spinach salad. Your palate is sure to be delighted!

I am not a big dessert person, but you MUST save some room for dessert!! DH prefers the blackberry cobbler with ice cream that simply melts in your mouth, while I prefer the chocolate chess pie and ice cream. It is AMAZING!! When you have little ones with you, they will usually take them on a tour of the kitchen and then allow them to decorate their own ice cream sundae! Our children look forward to Christmas every year because Papa P started the tradition of taking us to the Angus Barn with the children every December. We have lost our Papa P, but we carried on his tradition with Mimi this year!

By the way, it is the perfect place for November and December because it is ALL kinds of decorated. Santa Claus even came to our table this year!!


As you leave, check out their cute General Store where you can buy cheese crocks, crackers, pies, and gift items. This is a North Carolina Institution that you MUST patronize!! While you're there, eat some cheese & chocolate chess for me, and tell Van hello!! I'll have to go when I visit NC!

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is not one of my favorite holidays because I feel like it is just a way for businesses to make money. I already know how much DH loves me. At the same time, because of the pressures of the outside world and what everyone else is doing/receiving, I can't say I don't like a little remembrance from time to time!! On the flip side, I do not want him to buy overpriced chocolates or spend money on highly inflated flowers. I'm a tricky thing to please, aren't I?

I'd love to hear how YOU will celebrate the holiday! We are showing our big girls some love by letting them take their first riding lesson here. We'll love on our whole family all day long since Valentine's Day is on a Saturday this year. If I can find a sitter, I'd love to sneak DH away for a movie on Sunday. He LOVES movies. I have bought a big bag of his favorite Twizzlers, and would love to give them to him with a note about a Sunday movie date. If I don't find a sitter, the note will say we're having movie night at home! I have some great black seed popcorn to pop too!

How will YOU celebrate?

Sam & Esther

This is a disturbing and sad video, but we CAN help. I found it by reading soli deo gloria. It broke my heart. I even shared it with our children so that they would understand what we mean when we say there are others who are not as fortunate as us. It may have been too heavy of a mental picture, but I felt they needed it. They went to bed praying for Jane, Sam, and Esther!