What would I do if...

 ... I won the Powerball? Or any other large-sum-paying lottery-type game? I'll confess this isn't likely to happen since I've never  played & wouldn't even know how to ask for it, or all those numbers, and what the heck is that "power ball", or the red ball, for?? (wait, are they one & the same thing??)

So the question was posed over at Erica Vetsch's blog, and I had a little fun thinking about this for myself. 

FIRST thing I'd do:  pay off some of our hefty debt-- do you KNOW how much a law degree costs people?? Not me but the hubby. (I have my own student loans to remind me that I went to school without ever actually graduating or earning that degree, but they're not nearly as impressive.) But to pay off the house, and some other ancillary money-sucking  companies would be a little bit o' honey here on earth.

(Can I grow one of these by the way?)

Okay, SECOND thing I'd do:  buy myself & sock away the money for upkeep on a beach house.

Besides being at home in my hermit way, I love, love, LOVE the beach. There is nothing that stirs such a primal connection to the earth for me as sitting on the beach feeling a powerful ocean pound the sand in front of me. I love the smells, the taste of salt on my lips, the way it makes my skin feel, the laid-back atmosphere-- 

Cold with a sweatshirt or hot with a  bathing suit, it is where I feel most at home.

The THIRD thing I'd do (after I figured out where I was living):  hire a housekeeper. You know, someone matronly that wouldn't give my husband a second glance  ;-P but who'd clean up after all my "pig-people" (sorry, but you know I say it with love), my beastly animals, and WHO WOULD COOK!! I hate to cook but love to eat. I so want a cook... short-order or chef. I'm really not too picky.

FOURTH on my list might be one of those things that sounds good, while I wouldn't actually enjoy it?? As I've shared today & other times, I tend to be a hermit. I like my home, I have many hobbies & am able to keep happily busy playing the piano, sewing, quilting, reading, writing, blabbering, blogging, cross-stitching.... etc., and never get bored!! 

BUT I've always yearned to travel beyond our U.S. borders a bit more. When I was a kid I went to Canada & saw Niagra Falls. And a handful of years ago, my hubby & I went to London for just about a week.

I'd love to see the Egyptian pyramids, visit Jerusalem, hike in a tropical rainforest or lounge on a Caribbean beach. Maybe...

And last but definitely not least, FIFTH:  I'd invest in our retirement & some health insurance. Being self-employed people, we are in need of both in a big way!!

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF YOU WON THE POWERBALL?

You know dinner is a bust when....

...people head to Burger King afterwards!! LOL

I tried making spaghetti & meatballs, and I've made this numerous times with great success in the past. In fact, it's been a favorite staple dinner in our house for years. 

I especially love to let the saucy meatballs percolate in the crock pot for the day.

HOWEVER, I've been on this organic food kick lately. My older DD became a vegetarian a few years ago, which deepened my investigations into fresher foods.

After reading the book Skinny Bitch recently, I furthered my efforts to buy foods in a healthier way.

  

Lest I put off a certain unappreciated vibe, let's just be clear that I'm not really trying to be "skinny" or a "bitch"- just heard this book had good information!! 

I'm much more interested in just doing the best I can to feed my family as healthily as I can afford.

One downside to this fresher, greener eating is a slightly different food bill. And another downside would be starting to experiment with the brands out there & not having many people to ask, "Which brand do you think tastes great?"

So I bought this organic spaghetti, and I'm thinking it was made out of some kind of freeze-dried veggies, so that when it hit water for the directed time of 4.5 minutes, it immediately became mush. 

Our spaghetti was in 1-2" pieces & tasted very much like cardboard.

This picture has loaded funny, and it's showing the fettuccine when I, in fact, bought the spaghetti, but it's the correct brand & the boxes look almost identical.

**DISCLAIMER: I am not affiliated with any type or brand of pasta in any way, shape, or form!**

My DH & younger DD hit the BK this evening. I hit the Oreo bag...