Lemons

My biggest stress(ers?)  the last few weeks have been the hot water heater, car repairs that have been put off, and the dwindling food situation at the end of the pay cycle. We have enough to eat mind you. Just not always what we want. My three little girls definitely turn their nose up to pasta, after having it every other night. Chicken fifty ways in one week gets a sour look, and the dreaded..."can't we just order pizza??"

The last thing that had me worried, even a little, was my refrigerator. It is old, mind you. It was here when we bought the house, 9 years ago, and it looked like it had been there a mighty long time even then. It says "Food Locker" on the handle. It is painted, and some of the paint has scraped off through the years. It is covered in magnets, and drawings from the girls, and photos, much to Davids chagrin, that fall off constantly, but I like to think it looks like we live here, much like the rest of this house. (Very lived in!)

Saturday evening, Molly asked to have ice cream. She was feeling sad because her big sisters were next door, playing with their BFF. David went into the freezer, and took out the ice cream. Upon opening it, I heard him say, "uh oh". It was soup. Vanilla soup. He then checked the refrigerator and said nothing was cold. I checked the ice cube trays that I had filled earlier in the day (yes...it was so old that we made our own ice...unheard of today!!!) and they were liquid.

Really???? The fridge went?? The first place I went mentally was despair. Then frustration. Anger followed soon after. Then it turned to panic. How the heck are we going to fit in the purchase price of a new refrigerator in our already limited, no wiggle room for any appliance failing, budget??? I was feeling thankful lately that the weather was warming up, so it did not make our lukewarm showers so torturous. The hot water heater was the appliance getting our attention. Not the box that keeps things cold!!

Then, I realized that the once empty looking refrigerator, the one that I kept opening, and stressing about, thinking ,"what the heck am I gonna feed the kids out of this thing" refrigerator..suddenly looked overflowing! There was too many things I felt we could not afford to replace. Suddenly, there were too many meals, and too little time.

Sunday morning was eggs, and the frozen bagels, and cream cheese, and strawberries. Lunch was french fries, and chicken tenders. Frozen green beans to boot! Dinner was ravioli. My husband, the one who routinely tells me he hates ravioli, and was the reason why three bags of ravioli had been in the freezer for the last few months, had two helpings!

Last nights dinner was the most interesting. Three hamburger patties that had been tucked away in the freezer, were transformed into my own version of Swedish meatballs. A little gravy thrown on top, and the rest of the frozen peas on the side, was a major hit. Everyone was disappointed when the last of it went. You know how many nights I have made a meal out of a cookbook that was not well received, wrapped up as a leftover, and left only to be thrown out? This was the meal they all loved?

Tonight's menu...the last bit of thawed out chicken. Thanks to my friend Nicole, we have a dorm refrigerator that we have been using. I never actually knew you could store a family of fives food in one. I only have memories of them being jam packed with beer.

Today...my breakfast was not the usual. But after I cooked it, I decided it was perfect. Corn meal encrusted flounder. I threw a little bit of lemon on it. Surprisingly acceptable with my morning coffee. Lunch today is those two frozen salmon fillets I had been meaning to get rid of.

Moral of the story...when life hands you lemons...and flounder...have it for breakfast!