Because something like this is just not redneck enough…

And besides, my redneck heating pad is down-right frugal!  And I bet you have all the materials already on hand!

You’ll need:

• 1 bandanna
• 1 pony tail holder
• 2 cups of either wheat berries or rice (still dry and uncooked)

Lay out the bandanna, maybe drape it over a cereal bowl.

Pour the wheat berries or rice into the center of the bandanna.  Wrap the sides of the bandanna up to form the pony-tail around which you will wind the pony tail holder firmly, but about 2 inches away from the wheat.

That way the wheat can sit inside the bandanna in a relaxed and sorta floppy state, instead of being uptight and hard.

OK, that’s all there is to it.  Yer done with the construction phase.

For the application phase you need to pop that bad boy into the m’wave for about 1½ minutes.  Test the warmth of your redneck heating pad before giving it to a small child or placing it on your sensitive parts.

I hear a question forming in your mind, don’t I?  You’re wondering ~

“Hey!  Mother Hen, why do you need to make a Redneck Heating Pad today?  What in tarnation has befallen you, Mother Hen?”

Well, I’m glad you asked.  It’s my wrist.  Hurts like the dickens!  And if ya promise not to spread the heinously bad news around I’ll tell what I think is goin’ on.  When I sit at the computer  I rest my wrists on the top of my desk while I type (gasp!  I know, I’m terrified!)

I guess this desk is too high for proper typing posture.  I think I can see some furniture rearranging in the near future for some of my taller, stronger Cowboys.

Have you been following my math saga?  I must be getting old.  I don’t think I had such drama teaching the older kids their math.  Especially on Mondays.  Especially on Mondays after having taken any time off for illness or any reason.

Do any of y’all have that problem too?

Grrr!  I have started to abhor Math on Mondays!

Especially with Slim.  I think he knows I’m a sucker for a cute Cowboy with a super smile.  The boy plays me with the math.  He really plays me on Mondays with the math.  That boy.  I am a sucker!

I think I told you about the feigning of a tummy ache to get out of the math.  That was on a Monday.

Well, folks, there have just been too many Mondays!

Cute smile be hanged!  That Cowboy needs to do his math.  Even on Mondays!

Today I wrote out his assignment and had one of those Alka-Seltzer moments just before handing him the page.

So I didn’t.

Not right away.

First I made some little note cards for the boy.  Four of ‘em.  One to be read after completing each row of problems.  I explained that the first note was boring and the notes got progressively more fun and note #4 was grand! But he was not to look at any note until the right time.  That’s when he started grinning!

After completing row #1 he read note #1.  Note #1 said, “Go use the bathroom, don’t forget to wash your hands!  Then get a drink in the kitchen.  Hurry!  You have 3 minutes!

See? kinda boring.  But his curiosity was piqued.  What would the other notes say?  Hmm?  Well, only one way to find out!  DO THE MATH!

{he he he}

Note #2 said, “Go stand in the middle of your bedroom and shout these words – I’M HALF WAY DONE WITH MY MATH!”

Yes, the grinning was rampant!

Note #3 said, “Go out front and hop up and down on the sidewalk 9 times.  Do not laugh.  Do smile!”

Ooops!  Cowboy got carried away, jumped 11 times!

Note #4 said, “Go to the refrigerator.  Open the door.  Find the chocolate chips.  Get 9 chocolate chips out of the bag (yes, he’s 9 years old).  Seal the bag carefully.  Close the door.  Eat the chocolate.  Wash your hands!  Kiss your Mom!  You’re done with MATH for the day and it didn’t hurt a bit!”

If grinning were a Rodeo event, Slim would be wearing a belt buckle bigger than his head!

Fastest, most pain-free Monday Math he and I have had in, um,  forever!

Linked to:

• Works for me Wednesday

I set out to make some Macaroni and Cheese on Wednesday, but it just so happens that I was woefully low on cheese.

New plan needed.

And what with all the green, hairy STRESS from Rowdy gettin’ all hurt I really had a hard time processing the fact that I had some ham in the fridge and some potatoes in the pantry and I possess the ability to make a white sauce.

See what I mean?

Makes perfect sense on a normal day.  But Wednesday was not the typical day and I even consumed some sugar because it was in the chocolate bar I ate.  And everybody knows that when you have stress you need chocolate.

I really don’t know how to get around the sugar in the chocolate thing.  I’m not gonna eat artificially sweetened chocolate.  Even typing that phrase made me make a face.

Back to the point, or rather how ’bout I begin to form a point?

Ham and Potato Casserole for a Stressful Day Dinner

You’ll need:

• 2 cups diced ham
• 8 (or so) potatoes, peeled and sliced
• ½ bag frozen peas

and for the white sauce:

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 or 4 cups milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 boullion cubes (I really don’t know how to spell that, is it right?)

Preheat the oven to 375°, spray the casserole dish with oil.  I used my dutch oven, which is just a covered roasting pan, but it’s round so I call it a dutch oven.  (Don’t know if that’s right either.)

In a 2 qt. saucepan melt the butter over medium heat.  Then add the flour and stir it into the butter.  Let that cook for about a minute and then add the milk, salt, garlic powder, and b. cubes. Stir it pretty good until the lumps are minimal and then stir it every couple of minutes so new lumps don’t form.

While the sauce is thickening put a layer of potatoes into the casserole dish, next add a layer of ham, and a layer of peas.  Do that again until you run out of stuff.  You could even add some diced onion at this point.  (I was gonna, but I set the onion behind my tea cup and forgot about it until I was cleaning up and the casserole was already in the oven.  Oops!)

Now stir that sauce one more time and pour it over all the potatoes and stuff, pop the lid on, and shove it into the oven for an hour or until the potatoes are tender.

This was delicious!  I might make it again tonight!

Trixie-the-Wonder-Dog was on high alert for incoming, airborn bits of ham fat.  For really fabulous treats that are even remotely meat related she goes all out and catches the bits in mid air.  Very gymnastic!  It’s quite impressive!  And no, she is not a chupacabra, she just gets a really bad case of red-eye in most photos and sometimes it looks wicked-cool so I didn’t edit.  You’re welcome!

Here’s your link back to Food on Fridays.

Well, I did it.  I made some triangular math flash cards.  I thought about buying them, but, couldn’t make myself spend money on something I knew I could easily make with stuff I already had on hand.

But before I got out the poster board and scissors I looked at some pictures of ‘em to make sure I had the right idea.

I looked at Donna Young’s site and wished real hard that I had a working printer.  Then made a list of the facts that her cards showed.  Now if you have a working printer you might just wanna go on over there to Donna Young’s wonderful, free print-ables site and print off some of these do-dads.  But I don’t so I had to draw triangles on the backs of old posters and cut ‘em out and write my own numbers and +’s and -’s all on my own.  Not terribly challenging I admit, but I already taught math to several children today so I’m counting this as above and beyond!

Actually it was quite easy once Tex reminded me that what I wanted to make was called an equilateral triangle, and Hubs reminded me that each of those angles should have 60°s, then I was off and running.  They’re starting to get the hang of dealing with my “menopause brain” even if I’m not.  (Trust me, girls, “menopause brain” is even worse than “lactating brain”.  Sorry to be the one to break it to ya.  You may wanna warn your hubby.)

Anyway, I had to send Tex across the street to borrow a protractor, which, by the way, are like policemen, never around when you need one, but just roll through a stop sign one time…

This was so easy I should have done it years ago.  I’m tickled pink to have my cool, new set of homemade, triangular, addition/subtraction flashcards.  Nifty-thrifty, huh?