“What’s in the box?”

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My husband is used to boxes arriving at the door. His face kind of screws itself up into a question mark as he sees another package arrive and I try to stop it before it turns into a full scowl.

The exchange usually goes like this:

“There’s another package for you.”

And then me:

“I only bought three things for ten dollars each! They shipped them all in separate boxes. I swear!”

But by this time, I am usually holding an armful of plastic or cardboard and my audience has left to pursue something more interesting.

Kinda like what is probably happening with this blog post.

The other day a large box came. Large enough to pique his curiosity.

Big.

Big enough to hold anything.

Big enough to hold something fun.

Maybe something masculine.

So, he brings the box in from outside and he asks me, “What’s in the box?”

And I tried to think of something funny to say. But my brain was blank because I could honestly not recall ordering anything. No clothes. No books. Nothin’. Those same answers could be used if you swapped out the word “box” and inserted “your head” instead. Just so ya know.

“I don’t know,” I replied honestly.

“It’s not mine. Did you order anything?” I like to pass those big cardboard surprises off as soon as they are dropped upon my doorstep.

My husband examined it further. “It’s from Walmart,” he said without enthusiasm.

I knew the box was definitely not for me.

“Well, it’s not mine,” I proudly snorted.

So, my husband took the ginormous box and placed it on the floor. We stood around it, as though we had never received a delivery before. My hopes were not too high about a box from Walmart.

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My husband opened the box.

Then he looked at me. And he rolled his eyes. From the depths of the box, he began to pull out long blue cylinders. The cylinders had one word on them, “Wondra.”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot. I ordered some Wondra from Walmart.”

“You ordered some Wondra?” He said his voice dripping with sarcasm (Wondra would take care of that) as he was still pulling cylinder after cylinder from the depths of the box.

He stacked them side by side. They formed a long row of floury heaven. A caterpillar formed from discounted baking products.

It was wonderful.

My inner hoarder clapped her hands with delight. She sighed with contentment. She danced a little jig and rebelliously began shaking the flour all over the house.

Real life Jenni stood facing the amusement mixed with the irk of her husband and tried not to smile.

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“It’s only a three month supply,” I smugly proclaimed. Because if I had given into my hoarding temptation, I would have doubled the order and had a healthy six month supply at my ready.

“Why couldn’t she just go and get Wondra at Walmart?” Good question. Yes, I can hear your thoughts.

I can no longer go to Walmart, because I had a very real-seeming dream in which I was shopping at Walmart and I was held hostage by the scariest man.

So, you can see why I can no longer go there.

It is for safety’s sake. I am nothin’ if not careful.

And guess what? Walmart delivered my Wondra for free!

It is astounding the things that I know the lengths I will go to to avoid going to the store.

My husband is so proud.

It’s The Little Things: Wondra

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I am about to share somethin’ kind of embarrassing.

I know.

Shocking.

And the thing I am going to say won’t be very shocking either.

I hoard food.

And when I find something new I like, well, I buy as much as I can of the stuff.

Just in case,

You never know.

They could stop making it.

Or, um, there could be a zombie apocalypse.

Just so you know, each of those sentences caused a tightness in my chest.

I first bought some Wondra to add to my Momma’s Goin’ Out Crockpot Chicken that I make for my family. Wondra is a special type of flour that does not clump when added to a recipe. It is very fine. This makes it perfect for gravies.

I had never heard of it before last year. And I really cannot remember how I first heard of it. But if I were to guess, I would guess my best friend t.v.

I found it, of all places, on Walmart.com. And I assumed since I had never heard of it, well, they must not carry it at any of my local grocery stores. Of course, I did not check. Because when you are online shopping, everything is justifiable.

Everything.

So, I bought five containers of it.

As one does.

When they are a hoarder.

Or watch too much “Walking Dead.” Because if there was a zombie apocalypse, the first thing one would seek out would be non-clumping flour.

I wanted free shipping with that order, so I added some snack items to the mix to make my food order come to $50.

And I waited.

And Walmart shipped my small food order in four different huge boxes.

And my husband thought I was crazy.

More than usual.

As my food. From. Walmart. Arrived. In several boxes at the door.

I do have a point, I swear.

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Anyhoo, the other day I was making chocolate chip cookies from this recipe. And I ran out of regular flour. I guess my hoarder side did not recognize that this was a possibility. The shame. I ran out of flour right as I needed it to add to my cookie recipe.

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So, I checked my pantry. And I saw my Wondra.

I added 1 1/3 cup of Wondra and 1 cup of regular flour (all that remained of my stash).

And I baked my cookies.

The cookies were good. I could not tell the difference.

Until…

The next day, when I pulled a cookie from the cookie platter I usually keep them in. And the cookie… It was still soft! My dears, this never happens! My cookies always get hard overnight.

The next day… Still soft!

I made the cookies again. And it was the same occurrence. By substituting a little over half of the real flour with Wondra, my cookies kept their original fresh-out-of-the-oven texture!

It is a miracle.

I had to share.

It’s The Little Things: Soft Cookies!

Have you heard of Wondra? Have you tried it? In cookies? Who knew?

My cookie recipe available in the link above uses 2 1/3 cups of flour. I tried the Wondra trick a few days later substituting 1 cup of Wondra and using 1 1/3 cup real flour. The cookies were still softer than usual, but you definitely need the first ratio of 1 1/3 cup Wondra and 1 cup regular flour. Although, if you like your cookies really flat, than the one cup of Wondra was a perfect amount. They just were not as soft the next day.

The cookies made using the Wondra flour also seem to take less time to bake. So make sure you watch them so they do not burn.

And just so you know, the other day my husband and I were shopping together at the grocery store. He nudged me and said, “Hey! Isn’t that Wondra? The Wondra that you said was only available online? And now we have a whole shelf filled with it?”

I ignored the question. I ignored the little blue containers staring accusingly at me from the shelf. I ignored the other accusing stare as well.

But…

Yea. You can probably find this in your grocery store. And you probably don’t need to hoard it.

Probably.

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* this post is not affiliated with or sponsored by Wondra. I just like to write about products that I enjoy using. As with any product I review, your experience with it might vary. : )

Outdoor Firepit

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I had always wanted a firepit, but I did not want the hassle and expense of installing one. My sister has a fabulous built in one. I am so jealous.

I did not realize there were other options until three years ago.

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I found: This LP Granite Firepit. I bought mine from Walmart of all places. I paid $500, but it is currently on sale for $450. It runs on propane tanks. The tanks you use in your gas grill. It is wonderful. We have had it for three years and have had no problems. They also carry a newer, prettier, more expensive version that was not available at the time we purchased.

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Easy. Convenient. And I like that we can turn it off and just slide our tired selves back inside.

We use ours strictly for s’mores. We use it all summer. The kids love it.

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I am weird. I do not like s’mores. I just like the toasty marshmallows (not as toasty as in the pic. That was a sad reject).

Do you have a firepit? And, more importantly, how do you feel about s’mores?

I shared this on Savvy Southern Style

And My Romantic Home