A Homemaking Journey

Housekeeping and Renovations

2009-12-01T13:17:00.000-08:00

Shiloah and I chatted briefly about our blog today and realized that, what do you know, we had 5 whole posts the month of November! Sorry about that, Dear Readers. I didn't realize that Fishville and Country Life on Facebook was sucking all my blogging time up that much. As I turned over my calendar today for December, I glanced at November's journal of appointments. I had maybe 5 whole days on there without something penciled in. I'll let out a sigh of relief that I was actually, legitimately, busy for the month of November. I don't know that December will be any better.

I thought I would share some pictures with you of what we have been up to.

1. Kitchen Renovation

I'll just show you the before and after pictures and that should be enough said. Sorry they are kinda fuzzy. I happen to be camera retarded and couldn't figure out how to set the camera on auto-focus.

Before: pink and blue plaid wallpaper and check out those curtains. Yeah, Baby!!

After: Enter cozy, country kitchen. Seems rather appropriate here in Nebraska.

I know you can't see it well, it's a tiny kitchen, but I put up a whitewashed board wallpaper under the border. The paint color is Belgium Waffle.

2. We ripped the carpet out of the living room. This revealed a "rustic" hardwood floor under some pretty nasty carpet. I'm still working on refining the floor a little, wondering if I should get an area rug or not, but honestly, who wants to deal with carpet when potty training a three year old?

As you can tell, it is not a perfect wood floor, but I kinda like it with the kitchen decor. Marred floors are good. You don't feel so bad when your kid races his car on it and leaves a mark.

I don't have pictures up of the walls yet, but we are painting the living room as well, so I will post pictures of that project once we get started on it again. It's half way done now. We'll also be replacing the vertical blinds with some curtains too.

3. Thanksgiving. This is the only picture of Thanksgiving we got. Probably sums up the whole event pretty well.

4. Here's a safety tip for you: Do not allow girls with long hair in your kitchen near your precious kitchen aid.

(FYI, she wasn't hurt and we didn't have to cut her hair either. And yes, this is going into the Never Let Her Live It Down File..I will always ask her if hair is safe if she calls to tell me she got a new mixer.)

5. Dogs. First the pregnant dog scare, then the calm that she wasn't, then she got out for an hour and a half one day and now we are suspicious again. Oreo won't sit still to take her picuture, ever, but I did catch her doing this:

Thank goodness for a hardwood floor!! It works with potty training dogs as well.

So, there's my life for the last month. I don't know what it is about not having carpet in the living room but I swear it explodes about 72 times a day. I think it gets to stay clean for a whole 2 hours during naptime in the afternoon.

I also started a once a week preschool with our friends in the area. We've only gotten to meet two times, but I enjoyed it and it was fun to see 5 little boys playing together. Joshua started calling them "The Guys".

I'll try to get up some other articles this week for Christmas and other life trials I experience. Till we meet again!

Black Friday in a Small Town

2009-11-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

For once, Black Friday was on a payday this year. Not that I ran out in a big rush with a fist full of money for Christmas shopping; groceries take priority. I did however venture out for one item for Christmas that was on sale, a play kitchen for 30.00. The rest of my shopping consisted of some good food deals I found.

In the past however, I avoided the Black Friday crowds. It sounded too scary with the cart run-overs, pushing and shoving, and who in their right mind would show up at 3:00 a.m. at Walmart for the Black Friday sales in North-cold-as-all-get-out-Platte, Nebraska? (You know I love you, for those friends that really do that) I just couldn't bring myself to that. So, I stayed around our small town of 5500 people. I ventured out at 7:30.

This is what I came up on in the Alco parking lot, assuming it would be swarming with people that early. Two cars. Mine made three. I drove over to Pamida for their canned food sale (12 cans for 5.88!) and there were a few more cars and a few more people. No waiting at the registers either! Then I drove all through town to the grocery store. It was dead. All the downtown stores were closed, hardly any cars were milling about. The grocery store had maybe four customers in the whole store.

Hmm...Black Friday shopping isn't so bad.

I have one short funny story to share with you that happened last year, just to give you a good chuckle. Last year I was in Alco again. You can see the other side of the store from the other side of the store, so we're not talking a big store here. For those of you don't know what Alco is, its a general store (same as Pamida), just on a smaller scale than Walmart. I was browsing through the end of the aisle sales when a woman and her mother blew into the store. They were ready! Radios on, check. Carts, check. Hair standing on end, check. Elbows cocked, check. Scary wild eyed look, check. Then in a loud voice they announced their plan. "Mom, you go that way and look for the sweaters. I'll get back to the toys!" And they raced off. I looked around myself. How many other people were racing around the store, frantically clearing off shelves? Um...there was the elderly lady down the aisle from me looking at candy. Then there was a person milling around in the clothes rack. Two checkers were at the registers. There might have been someone back in hardware. Then I hear the radios, "MOM! Did you find the sweaters? I got the toys!" Then I could hear the squeaky wheels race down the aisle as she met up with her mom.

This was actually happening in Alco? There were like, 6 people in the whole store. It was the best scene I've ever seen in a store. I still laugh about it. Maybe it was the wide-eyed look I saw on everyone else's face as they looked around themselves to see what they were missing, or what the big hurry was. Maybe it was the excitement these ladies had that would have been so well served in a bigger store, in a larger city, that here, became a comedic scene. Either way, whenever Black Friday is mentioned, I can't think about the day without remembering this episode.

Now that the official Christmas Season has begun, I'm looking forward to the shopping, baking and singing. I love Christmas! Its my favorite holiday. Having had my outing today, I'll be putting up my tree and decorating the house today. Hope you all have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

We Want to Know You: Blog

2009-11-17T08:02:00.001-08:00

My words fly up
my thoughts remain below.
Words without thoughts
never to heaven go.
—Shakespeare

Over the years I have met some amazing women- women who changed my life through their example or their mentoring me. When they moved away we lost touch because they were doers and not writers. How many times I wished those women would write-write their thoughts, their experiences and share their knowledge. Oh, the things we could learn!

Many people say, “I’m too busy to write- too busy living life.” To that I respond that there are many people who could use your mentorship through your example and writing about it. Writing about life, the ups and downs and how you learned from your experiences is a form of journal writing. How are our children to really know us if we don’t write?

The amazing thing about writing online is you never know who you will touch and how far reaching your words really are. Sometimes you’ll get some wonderful feedback in person or online, or sometimes people quietly read and take in what you share and allow it to enrich their life.

While I love to share my feelings in person with friends and those I meet, I feel that writing online is my way of sharing my thoughts and opinions in an unthreatening manner. I can also give unsolicited advice and people can read and take it if they want or move on to the next article.

To those who are currently writing on a blog or elsewhere, don’t hide your light under a bushel. How many blogs have I been to that I fell in love with the content and feel of the blog? The answer is many. When I like someone’s writings, I want to get to “know” them better and am taken aback when after sharing such a wealth of information they hide who they are and don’t give us an insight into their real lives. Sure there are some weirdos out there, but don’t let the fear of them keep us from getting to know you. Your writings have credibility when we know you are a real person. If you touch our lives with your writing, please further touch our lives with a glimpse into yours.

Everyone who loves life and family has something to offer. Everyone. I especially love reading from those who are passionate about life, Christ, family, hobbies, reading, writing, etc. and not necessarily in that order. It’s easy to begin a blog and share with the world. Take a chance today to touch someone or teach us through your writing.

Signs Your Furniture is Out to Get You

2009-11-09T10:28:00.000-08:00

Two years ago I had two sets of furniture. The green set was for the kids to use. It was dark, durable, and they could sit on it comfortably. As for adults, it was so narrow, a normal sized adult could not lay on it without hanging off the edge. The other set was my rose furniture. It was overstuffed, comfy and cream colored. No children allowed on it. It was only 6 months when I walked into the front room and caught Hannah and her friend with scissors and a screwdriver performing surgery on a perfectly good cushion. They cut a square into the cushion. Well, I figured, I'll just turn it over. Maybe I could fix it at another time. That was the first I knew this couch was out to get me.

It lured me into selling my green set because of space and because it was the more comfortable of the two sets. I sold the green set and regained my school room. Only, instead of using the table and shelves we put in place of the green furniture, we went upstairs and sat on the rose couch with a table.

It's light color enticed my children to color on it with black and purple permanent markers, blue ink pens and red crayons.

The fabric was so fun to poke with a screwdriver that one arm now has 150 star shaped pin pricks in it.

I contemplated many times selling the rose set when it was in good condition, but my love of this couch prevented me. Obviously, the feelings were not mutual.

It invited so many people to sit on it that eventually the fabric wore thin in places. The cushion with the surgical hole? The other side split one day. The arm on the chair split shortly after. All attempts to mend only made the holes worse.

I thought if I bought some huge, pretty matching towels, they would protect the cushions from further damage and stains. My children used the towels as blankets or stuffed them into the back of the couch.

The final straw came this morning. The couch sits behind me as I check my emails, facebook, blogs, articles and news. I think it saw me check out this couch.

A Duct Taped Couch

Maybe it sensed me contemplating taping over its lovely roses and leaves with a nice sage green duct tape...or brown tape and we could pretend its a leather couch.

This morning after I stripped off all the couch cushions thinking if I washed everything maybe that would improve the look of the sad couch. I hid the cushions in my bedroom. There they sat. Whispering "Cookie!!!! Joshua......Come play with me....." And there it allowed the cushions to be shredded into unrecognizable bits of fluff. Strewn from my bedroom to the front door, Cookie running around with bits hanging from her muzzle. Joshua sitting in the middle of one cushion with it exploded around him.

Something is not right with this couch. I really, really think its out to get me.

Muffin Tin Meals

2009-11-06T09:54:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share this on here for those of you trying to find creative ways for your kids to eat. This was sent to me in a link, (Thank you, Kris!), and so I'm reposting it here from Confessions of Homeschooler.

Wow this is a great idea!

Muffin Tin Monday

Enjoy!!

Disinfecting The House

2009-11-03T11:37:00.000-08:00

When we went to bed last night, Ammon was running a fever of 103, and Simeon wasn't far behind at 102.6. It was a miserable night. Simeon woke up crying and in a panic at 2 a.m. to which I jumped out of bed frantically looking for barf, sure he had thrown up, but no, his fever had spiked again and he was just miserable and cold. I medicated him and then had to take the dog out that was yapping because obviously it was time to get up. At 5 a.m. I was up with Ammon who was burning up with his fever and had soaked through his clothes with a leaky diaper and was freezing cold, both because of the wet clothes and fever. I put him back in bed and laid beside him praying for an hour to know what to do. Illness has been plaguing our home for 6 weeks now.

Something that came to my mind during that time was a few things I witnesses at my friend's house. After every meal, the counters, table, chairs and refrigerator were wiped down with an antibacterial cleaner. She didn't use rags that could lay in your sink and get sour. She also used a sponge on a handle (I'd post a picture but my husband is downloading an Ubuntu system on the computer and I can't figure out how to get pictures loaded yet), which I have been trying out since the middle of September, and I've noticed they do not get sour like the regular sponges that can fall into the bottom of the sink and go sour after kids pile their dishes in the sink. Now, granted, she only has two kids, and I have six, but I noticed she stayed up on her laundry which didn't give anything a chance to sit around and become a science experiment. On a day that was 18 degrees, she still threw open her windows for a good airing out.

Keep in mind, it is one thing to get overly critical of yourself and your housekeeping skills when comparing yourself to someone who has a touch of OCD about their house , and another to watch and learn and see if some of those things can help you out. I chose the latter.

These things were brought to my mind this morning, so instead of roasting with my hot tamale of a baby in my comfortable bed, I tackled the bathroom at 6 a.m. Curtis asked if I was nesting. No, I was disinfecting. I've already gotten rid of the sponge. I'm already opening windows every day to air out "sick" rooms, well, actually the whole house. I did some research today about how to disinfect your home and not necessarily using all sorts of chemicals, but here were some things I thought I would share with you that I found.

First, what I have read over the last few weeks is about isolation. One friend said that when her kids came down with something they were quarantined to the bathroom. The tub was made into a bed, and they lived in there for the next 24 hours (make sure your bathroom is clean before doing this). If the bathroom is too inconvenient (I don't know that I could shut my 20 month old up in there...but a nine year old with a good book might stay put), isolate them to one room, and keep the rest of the family away. If possible, allow the sick individual to have their own bathroom as well, and clean that daily.

Next up, Surfaces. You can use a number of things for cleaning surfaces, but vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (NOT MIXED TOGETHER), but sprayed separately 10 minutes apart can kill a number of germs. Bleach, soap, detergents, alcohol and antiseptics are acceptable too. Follow directions carefully, but all these things are effective against viruses and bacteria. Do not use bleach in a baby's room. Pay attention to door knobs, keyboards, counters, tables, and phones. Remember those videos of someone sneezing and them filming where and how far the spray went? Think like that when cleaning these areas. Make sure you label your containers if you do your own (like peroxide, vinegar, alcohol or bleach...all are clear and all could be mistaken easily).

Remove trash daily. Use rubber gloves or wash your hands after handling it. Clean your trash cans too.

Three places of interest to keep clean:
The bathroom
The trash
Surfaces

Next up, linens. Wash them in hot water, dry on high heat. Also, I read not to "hug" dirty laundry to yourself as you pick it up. Get a basket! Don't use towels or blankets used by sick individuals. This is where I have messed up. My kids drag around 3-4 blankets each, and at least four of my kids share a bed with each other. I have tried to hide, collect, sell or get rid of excess blankets my kids love, but match nothing and have no use except to collect cat hair.

Excuse me while I dream a bit about those Pottery Barn bedrooms they have in catalogues.

Ok, I'm back. While this next one is a no-brainer, I'm still guilty in this department. How many times has your kid dug a sippy cup out from under the couch and you realize you haven't seen that cup in a week? Wash dishes in hot water or a dishwasher, probably better if the dishwasher has a heater in it. I send my kids on a dish search every night (although this isn't foolproof, we are keeping up on our sippy collection now). So, keep up on your dishes, sanitize your counters and table and high chair every night. Don't forget the trash and doorknobs.

Lastly, air out the house. I open some windows in the house every morning, even on the coldest days. Rooms I pay attention to: bedrooms, kitchen and living room. These are our main living areas. Keep your filters in the furnace and A/C clean too.

Having written all this out and clearly seen where I've not been so diligent, I'm off to raid the blanket and linen collection. And do some laundry. And take care of my sick babies.

Pregnant Dogs?

2009-11-02T20:53:00.000-08:00

I gave myself a heart attack today. We noticed some, um...suspicious signs about Cookie that made us wonder if puppies might be arriving soon. Every month we discussed getting her spayed and every month, for one reason or another, making that appointment slipped our minds. She is 10 months old and now in heat, at least, we think she is in heat.

What caused this panic attack was the mention by one of the kids that her belly looks a little big. To be honest, it did. She sits in some hunched back way that makes her look like she has a pot belly. Then I hear "I think I feel a leg in her belly!" WHAT?!?!! The rest of the day was spent poking and palpitating Cookie's belly (of course, she never seemed to object).

I finally gave up my obsessive search online and called the vet. How can you tell if a dog is pregnant? What if she is just in heat? Do you have a pregnancy test for a dog? Will I wake up to Cookie and eight puppies in her kennel one morning?

Let me back up here a minute and explain how this might be plausible. 6 weeks ago we went to Utah for a job interview. We were going to board Cookie at the vet, get her shots, get her spayed, etc, but our neighbor girl really, really wanted to watch Cookie for us. She had watched Cookie and the cats for a weekend over the summer and did a very good job, so I dismissed all my plans for Cookie at the vet and let the neighbor take her. Cookie did get her vaccinations, but not the spaying. I thought all the dogs the neighbor had were neutered. Turns out, Sherman the Pug was NOT neutered.

Enter my panic today when I was reminded of this. Let's see, it takes 60-63 days of gestation for a dog. Counting on my fingers, that means if Cookie is pregnant, I will be waking up to a kennel full of puppies in the too near of future. This is the last thing we need!

I called the vet clinic in a panic. I'm sure the lady was ready to ask me to breathe into a paper bag and calm down. Pregnancy test for dogs: an ultrasound for $57.34. Signs she might be pregnant: protruding belly, enlarged mammary glands. Signs she's in heat: um....well, since this is a family blog, I'll hold off on those details but let's just say she has them now.

I know that many people would say "It's just a DOG! For crying out loud, who would shell out $8973.00 for the dog to get an x-ray and set its leg after being hit by a car!?". Well, I put out $400.00 for one of my dogs to get cured of heart worm. And I know my parents have gone out thousands of dollars for their dog that learned how to climb chain link fences and would cut his foot open all the time. What I'm about to bring up can only be explained away by relating how I was raised about dogs. They were a member of the family, they had feelings (and very tender feelings at that), they were to be babied, pampered, and enjoyed because their status was elevated to a furry sibling. Ok, we didn't dress them up...wait, we did when they were a puppy. But we didn't take them places with us... .... wait, mom and dad would take them to Sonic and buy the dog an ice cream cone once in awhile. Ok, they received the first Christmas present every year and the dog slept on the bed. There, they were spoiled rotten! Dad disciplined them just like he did us, sometimes a spank and sat in the corner. You know, I don't remember our family dog ever chewing through another lotion bottle after that.

Anyway, back to my Dog in Heat story. After waffling over all the possibilities that Cookie could have been or is now for about fifteen minutes, this is what I found out. They can do an ultrasound on her to see if and how far along she is if she is pregnant. We discussed how often they go into heat (twice a year, about 6 months apart). They can have a silent ovulation as well. If she is pregnant, they can still spay her, which means aborting her puppies.

Immediately, I was taken back to 5th grade. One of the kids in the grade lower than me had a dad who was one of the only vets in town. He had spayed a dog who was pregnant and saved the dog foetuses in a jar for the science department at school. But they came to school with the kids so they could do Show and Tell. It was so disturbing to me, that even after all these years, it is still a very vivid memory. Then fast forward to when I was 26. I was going to get on birth control but suspected I might have been pregnant already. I wasn't sure, and it was too early to tell by pregnancy test if I was. I inquired at Planned Parenthood about birth control and a pregnancy test, but was offered a RU4-86 pill, also known as The Morning After pill. I couldn't take it. No matter what the circumstances were, I would not abort any of my babies.

I have to say, I feel the same way for poor Cookie. All I could envision after asked if I wanted them to abort the pregnancy, was Cookie hunched over, head hanging low, thinking about her babies and how close they were to arrival, for them to be just snatched away. I COULDN'T DO THAT, EVEN TO A DOG! I couldn't stand the thought of gentle, goofy Cookie being depressed.

I got off the phone and immediately stretched Cookie out and poked around on her belly. I didn't feel anything suspicious. I didn't see anything that looked like a puppy leg or a nubbin about to start lactating. I think she's just in heat *everyone sigh with relief with me*. Cookie's regime for the next two weeks will be short walks to the fenced and gated backyard, and naps in her kennel. I don't want any possibility for Sherman the Pug next door to get ideas, or any other dog in the neighborhood, for that matter. And her spaying (without puppies), will be scheduled in the very near future.

On that note, I'll be crawling off to bed now. I'm exhausted from all this puppy panic, which was essentially, all for nothing.

Egg Substitutes

2009-10-27T14:05:00.001-07:00

Egg Substitutes

Using Flax Seed:
For each egg needed, place in blender:
1 heaping tablespoon of whole organic flax seed, blend until it becomes a fine meal. Add 1/4 cup cold water blend 2-3 minutes until thickened and has the consistency of eggs. Each 1/4 cup of Flax seed mixture will replace one egg in baking

Using Gelatin:
Before starting recipe for cookies, cake etc... Combine 1 tsp unflavored gelatin with 3 tblsp cold water and 2 tblsp plus 1 tsp boiling water. This mixture will substitute for 1 egg in a recipe.

Using Tofu:
Tofu is great for egg substitutions in recipes that call for a lot of egg (like quiches). To substitute for only one egg in a recipe, whip 1/4 cup tofu and add to your cooking.

1 whole egg = 2 tbsp water and 1 tbsp oil and 2 tsp baking powder.

To make one egg use 2 tbsp water and 2 tsp baking powder.

To make one egg white, dissolve 1 tblsp plain agar powder in 1 tblsp water. Whip, chill and whip again.

1 heaping tblsp soy powder and 2 tblsp water = 1 egg.

1 tblsp soy milk powder and 1 tblsp cornstarch and 2 tblsp water = 1 egg.

One average size banana = one egg, adds flavor to product. Product may be gummy.

1/4 cup soymilk in place of each egg.

3 tablespoons pureed fruit = 1 egg.

Substitute 3 tablespoons mayonnaise for each egg called for in a recipe.

1 egg white is 1 tablespoon of meringue powder plus 2 tablespoons warm water; 8-10 egg whites = 1 cup

1/4 teaspoon agar powder and 1/4 cup lukewarm water and 1 teaspoon low sodium baking powder . Whisk all ingredients together well before adding to recipe .

1/2 tablespoon agar flakes and 1/4 cup water and 1 teaspoon low sodium baking powder- In a large microwave safe container, combine water and agar with top on cook on high in microwave for 45 seconds. Carefully remove container from microwave and whisk baking powder into mixture. Use caution, the baking powder causes a rapid expansion of the liquid and has a tendency to foam over.

2 tablespoons liquid (room temperature water or milk or substitute) and 1 tablespoon potato starch or tapioca starch and 1 /2 tablespoon shortening and 3 /4 teaspoon low sodium baking powder.

1 tablespoon any mild flavored oil + 1 tablespoon apple cider or wine vinegar or lemon juice and 1 teaspoon low sodium baking powder and 1 teaspoon potato starch or cornstarch or arrowroot + enough carbonated water[plain soda water) to equal a total of 1 /4 cup . Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl to allow room for the ingredients to increase in volume as baking soda and vinegar react. Whisk, then add per mix or recipe instructions.

1 tsp of arrowroot powder + 1 tsp of water, sometimes you may want to add a little extra milk or water or oil to make up for the bulk that you would get with a real egg. Good for pancakes and waffles.

As bad as this may sound 15 ml (0.51 oz) Vinegar = 1 egg. Mainly used in baking, products will stale quickly, use within four days. Freeze until used. Adds flavor to product. Product may be gummy.

1 tsp yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water = 1 egg.

Xanthan Gum.
Mix about 1/4 tsp. with about 1/4 cup of water. Let stand. It thickens, and can be whipped like an egg white. It's okay to replace one egg.

Egg Yolk Substitute:
Mix 2 cups water and 1 cup flour in a blender until thick. Cook in a double boiler 45-60 minutes. With a mixer, whip in 2 Tbsp. cooking oil and 1/4 tsp salt. use 2 or 3 Tbsp. for binder in hamburgers or meat loaf.

Egg White Extender:
Add 1 tsp cold water to 2 egg whites. Makes 3 egg whites.

And Now For Something Completely Different, But Works:
Snow can be used as an excellent substitute for eggs in puddings, pancakes, etc. Two heaping tablespoons snow will take the place of 1 egg, and the recipe will turn out equally well. Use fresh-fallen snow or the under-layers of older snow. The ammonia in snow imparts to its rising properties, and the exposed surface of the snow loses ammonia by evaporations very soon after it has fallen.

Low Cholesterol Egg Substitute Recipe:
1 tablespoon of nonfat dry milk powder
2 egg whites from large eggs
4 drops of yellow food color

Sprinkle powdered milk over egg whites, then beat them with fork until smooth. Add food color, and beat until blended. This makes one-fourth cup, which is equal to 1 large egg. If you use this homemade substitute for scrambled eggs, cook it in vegetable oil or margarine so the eggs won't be too dry.

Best For Baking:
Try substituting 1 banana or 1/4 cup apple sauce for each egg called for in a sweet, baked recipe. These will flavour the recipe, however, so make sure banana or apple will taste good in it.
This is the one most often used in baking; it's really only good for recipes that call for 1 or 2 eggs. To make one egg use 1 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer powder + 2 tbsp water. It's made from potato flour and other vegan leaveners, this powder can be found in most health food stores.

Caramel Popcorn

2009-10-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

GO MAKE THIS NOW!!!!

5 quarts popped popcorn
1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. corn syrup
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place popcorn in a very large bowl. In a medium saucepan melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat. I do this half a batch at a time, so half the popcorn, half the syrup. Coat the popcorn and then place in two cookie sheets. Place in the oven, stir every 15 minutes for one hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Wash your pans immediately or the caramel sticks pretty bad. Enjoy that sugar high!!! Perfect with hot wassail or hot chocolate!

The Five Stages of Illness

2009-10-15T00:02:00.000-07:00

DENIAL
The day before you feel a little run down. Maybe more tired than usual and sneak off for cat nap in the car on your break, or dose off while the kids are watching PBS. You feel just...off. The next morning you don't really want to get out of bed because it is warm and you are still exhausted. Gee, you notice you're a little stuffed up and your throat is kinda tender (orange juice+ sore throat= awful burning pain). You go about your day normally. Sore throat wears off and you think, "huh. It must be getting drier due to the weather change". Never mind that you and the Kleenex box have now become acquainted. That night you think soup sounds good. You go to bed early because obviously you must not be getting enough sleep.

And then it hits in the middle of the night. Your sleep is restless because you've tossed and turned all night trying to find a position that allows you to breath. Your partner didn't get a wink of sleep from all your snoring and weird...your arm hurts. You try to talk and accuse your partner of beating you in your sleep and it comes out like "Why'd du hab to be so rude?!" in a half squeaky, hoarse voice.

ANGER
Then you realize it. You are SICK. Four million excuses run through your head why you can't be sick. I have work, kids, laundry, cookies to make, paper route, meeting, play date, trip, exercise, walking the dog, or a fun filled day cleaning your hairy couch with the vacuum cleaner. I CAN'T BE SICK!!!! you scream, well, if you had a voice to do so.

Then you search your brain for whatever places you have been that could have infected you with obnoxious germs. The shopping cart? The steering wheel? Did someone ELSE use my toothbrush? Wait...I saw my kid drinking out of my cup the other day! Keyboards! My phone? The cat, because he was sneezing last night? The rainy day. The windy day? The snowy day? The open mouthed baby kiss I got that I thought was so cute, but now is just gross?

BARGAINING
You think, I'll just call in sick for today, because surely this is the worst of it. You sit around all day, watching bad movies in the name of rest, drinking tea, inhaling cold medications, eating soup, sleeping with the cat you suspect got you sick in the first place and popping Vitamin C's like they are candy. Its okay the house is trashed because you are sick. You'll clean it up tomorrowo when you feel better after a long night rest with a humidifier/vaporizer.

DEPRESSION
You thought yesterday was miserable? Today, my friend, is 10 times worse. Now the Kleenex box has taken on a name and you hug it to your chest like its a long lost treasure. You're telling it secrets in your hallucinating delirium from fever. You have never felt this horrible in your life and swear you are dying. A shower will help, you think. Only when you emerge after putting on clean clothes and "think" your hair is okay, you catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. "I look like death warmed over!!!" Pale skin, red nose, watery eyes and black circles underneath glares back at you and why does it seem every pore in your face is visible when you're sick? "I'm hideous!" Hence, depression sets in as you spend an even longer, miserable day draped over furniture and feeling guilty you had to call in sick again because obviously they will think you are playing hooky for a day of fun.

ACCEPTANCE
I'm sick. "Take something!" your significant other hisses at you because you look, smell and sound horrible. You paw through the medicine cabinet looking for anything that will stop the drip of your nose, the ache of the headache, the burn of raw skin on your nose from the evil Kleenex. You laugh at the word rest, because while you are down, life is still going on and either you can't sleep because you can't breathe, or you can't sleep because everyone is lost without and constantly badger you for directions, advice, permission, and to show you that if they stick a coin by their (obviously non-stuffed) up nose and inhale, the coin will stay there! You thought yesterday's mess was awful, now you are knee deep in clutter, tissues, dishes, blankets and pillows that piled up in your inability to move off the still hairy couch. You don't care. You don't care that you are watching Barney on PBS. You don't care that you are thinking of ordering a set of ginsu knives. You don't care that you now have a sink full of toothpaste because the kids tried to brush their teeth unsupervised (it'll just make the fixtures really shiny when you do get back to cleaning them up). You don't care that you've been in the same clothes for two days. You've accepted you are always going to be THIS sick.

Barring any complications, by day five you feel like a miracle has been worked. You can leave your Kleenex friend/foe at home now. You're getting a bit of color back in your cheeks. You shaved! It's like you've got a new lease on life because you survived! It may have only been a cold, but you survived to see another day!

I'm always so amused at how good operating at a 100% feels when you've been sick and operating on 10%.

Just so this isn't pure fluff, I thought I would add a few remedies we use for our family:

Use Mucinex (guifesen) and Pseupedphrine (you have to get it from behind the pharmacy counter) together for the first couple days. This has saved me from getting a sinus infection several times.

Use a humidifier/vaporizer. Put a towel underneath so it doesn't soak your furniture. Maybe not everyone's does this because they still have a rubber stopper thingy on the bottom of the vent. One of my kids ate mine, or vacuumed it up.

Tyelnol for pain. Ibuprofen for inflammation.

Chicken soup:
2 big onions
2 cloves garlic
3 chicken breasts cooked with soy sauce and lemon pepper
1 lb. carrots
couple stalks of celery
3-4 potatoes
Noodles (I use a whole bag because we prefer stew over soup...easier to eat for little ones)
To taste:
Bay leaves
celery salt
garlic salt
basil
pepper
yellow curry or tumeric (just a little...its very strong)
Water to cover all ingredients

Brown the meat. Add the onions, garlic and celery and saute until tender. Add water, spices, potatoes, and the meat and veggies. Cook until veggies are almost tender and add the noodles. Cook until they are tender.

Baths help with fevers.

Wash your hands frequently and Lysol everything.

Hope you all stay healthy this season. It seems like winter is setting in early. We've been sick for three weeks with various illnesses. I NEED it to end!!

Supper or Dinner?

2009-10-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

Tonight around the dinner table our usual unusual conversations were flowing. Everything from the proper color of urine to compliments on the dinner and ideas for the next time we make the dish. One of the kids brought up the question as to why we call "dinner" "dinner" and why other people call it "supper".

I grew up with my parents calling the evening meal "Supper". I just never liked it as much as the way dinner sounds, so I changed my habits and saying "dinner" is now so second nature to me.

My question to you is, what do you call the evening meal? Supper or Dinner?

Man-Bodi

2009-10-12T15:06:00.000-07:00

“Nothing is more memorable than a smell. One scent can be unexpected, momentary and fleeting, yet conjure up a childhood summer beside a lake in the mountains...”
-Diane Ackerman

Scents create memories, stir up feelings and can even change our moods. Scents are both pleasant and unpleasant.

The most three most unpleasant smells to me are poop, someone else's gas, and the old corn-chippy smell of body odor. Blech!

My current favorite scent is the Tambodi candle by Party Lite candles. It smells like the perfect combination of a man's cologne and pheromones. My girlfriends and I call is "Man-bodi". Ahhhh...it smells just right! Glad I have my "Man-bodi" at home- he sure is wonderful!

Some other favorite smells of mine are:

Baby skin, especially around their faces
Wings Perfume
Coconut Hawaiian Tropic sun-tanning oil mixed with the salty ocean seaspray
The smell of dinner cooking, especially if it's Italian or Mexican food.

My husband insists that smell isn't that important. I say there is nothing like getting to know a book by smelling it, walking into my home and being greeted by the familiar smell of cinnamon spice mixed with our "home" smell, or smelling a freshly cleaned kitchen.

"The cup of tea on arrival at a country house is a thing which, as a rule, I particularly enjoy. I like the crackling logs, the shaded lights, the scent of buttered toast, the general atmosphere of leisured coziness.”

-P. G. Wodehouse

Finding New Definition

2009-10-10T04:32:00.000-07:00

It has been two weeks that the kids have been back to public school. Most of that time one or two of the four have been home sick. We are currently battling cases of pneumonia and croup, plus me with an infection as well and some pretty bad back issues. So, I don't know if I have gotten to fully experience the whole "kids in school and I have time to myself" phenomenon. At least, not for a whole week. What has really got me thinking about this blog post was a discussion group we had at MOPS on Friday. It started out trying to balance your life as a mom, and what you used to be like before kids. You probably knew yourself pretty good before you had kids. But after you had kids, you had to define yourself again, and this time as a mom. I'm sure it took a few month-years to finally feel comfortable in that role, but one day did you lay in bed thinking "I used to sleep in till 10 a.m. but now I call it good if I sleep in till 6:30."?

I've been trying to redefine myself. I used to be in the military, and really felt that defined me. I liked my job. I felt proud to be serving in the Air Force. I liked to wear the uniform and combat boots. I always had in my mind though, if I became a parent, I would get out of active duty. That came sooner than I anticipated, but I held onto the military by going into the Reserves. I still had a little bit of my old self when I left for the drill weekends, or attended to the 2 week annual tours. However, I loved motherhood. After the fourth baby came along, it just wasn't conductive to our family life for me to continue my career. I got out, went inactive, and felt that door slam shut on that part of my life. I felt a little lost. Trying to be an optimist, I made full use of that extra weekend a month though. I now had 4 full weekends a month I could spend with my family! At that point though, I turned my efforts and energy into homeschooling.

Now I wasn't just a stay at home mom, I was a homeschooler mom. This came with an adjustment to a new lifestyle. People wondered how I could spend all day with all my kids. I enjoyed them, I loved them! I didn't really feel too stressed out, in fact, I felt a lot of stress had drained away from our life. Life swung into a new schedule: breakfast, chores, school, lunch, naps, playtime, dinner, chores, baths, bedtime. I got my time away at church functions, going shopping in the evenings by myself, talking with friends or family late into the night.

Then came the diagnosis of autism for two of our kids. Now I had a new label, which yes, eased some consciousness that there really was something wrong, that I wasn't a horrible mother, that homeschooling hadn't done this to my kids, that maybe now I could get support, help, and direction. That didn't come so easy. Most people didn't believe they had autism, some people didn't know what autism was, and I found myself sometimes going in circles trying to find what worked, didn't work, trying medications, the medications stopped working, new medication, new appointments, and around we would go. But this was another definition to me as a mom. I was a mother to disabled children. And I needed help!

Now I'm trying to define myself again as a mother. I have kids in school. I have two at home. I never realized how much the older kids entertained the little kids because that 1 year old is BUSY! My house is cleaner than it has ever been! (Mostly). I thought, wow! I can do crafts, I can make quilts, I can finish that medical transcription course, I can do exercises, I can clean and it will stay cleaned up! What do I do while the little guys are taking a nap? I take a nap. Wow. Ok, not every day, but some days I'm taking a nap, and the other times, I'm cleaning or watching a movie or show...in peace and quiet, without some smaller noggins getting in the way or little fingers shutting it off right in the middle of the good part.

So I find myself defining myself again. I've already determined I'm not giving up homeschooling forever, and I'm going to take this time to figure out ME again before we start back up (hopefully next year). Maybe this is all part of the learning process in life...nothing ever stays the same. And for some us that are a little more inflexible in that department, it is quite an adjustment.

Lady in Red

2009-10-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

Wednesday we deliver papers. Whenever I count out the papers, I seem to short us 2 papers, but if I let my nine year old who is obviously more skilled in math than his mother, we come out with 2 papers extra. Anyway, go figure. Back to my story: we had to drive clear back across town (this takes a whole 4 minutes) and pick up two more papers and while I was in the area, I picked up Curtis from work. He asked me if I had messed with his phone at all. No, in fact, I hadn't even seen it except when digging it out of the dog food bag.

Now I have to back track for this story to really get the full humor of it. When I was 13, I was completely in love with Chris de Burgh. You know, the guy that sings Lady in Red, something about Vodka in Russia and Don't Pay the Ferryman? I was even going to see him in concert for my birthday but that fell through due to bad weather or low funds or something. I just knew I could have been his future wife had we met at that concert (well, till I found out he was ALREADY married). And yeah, I'm completely embarrassing myself with that admission because now I look and him and think: EEWW!

This is Curtis' "experience" with Chris de Burgh. Remember back in the 80's and 90's you could call the radio stations and dedicate songs on the radio to your latest crush? One night him and his friends were driving around when they hear "I'd like to dedicate Lady in Red, to MY Lady in Red." It was his brother. I'm assuming they teased the poor guy mercilessly for years since it still comes up even in general conversation.

So, back to my story (again). We're in the car driving back to deliver the papers, clear on the other side of town (another whole 4 minutes away) and he asks if I messed with the ring tone on his phone. No, I say. He tells me to call it.

"Lady in red/is dancing with me/....."

BWHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHAH......hahahhahahahahha!!!!! hahahahahahahah

Followed by:
"Yeah. All the guys at work are like "Dude. Are you gay?"

Needless to say, the phone is switched back to the Star Wars theme song, to which he answers every time I call as "Yes, Emperor!"

Still...I like me some Chris de Burgh.

Life Changes

2009-10-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

We decided last week to put all our kids in public school. This would have been our 5th year homeschooling and I hate that I caved now. Part of me feels like I have to justify myself to get out of the guilt I feel for putting them in school and part of me feels a huge relief to just have two little ones at home during the day. Does anyone know how clean my house is staying? Which makes me wonder: who was messing it up if its not the one and three year old?

I can't remember if I wrote about our summer on here or not. Heck, I can't even remember yesterday, let alone a month ago or two months ago. The stress level in our home reached a breaking point. I have to say that even in times of pregnancy, unemployment and moving (all at the same time), I never felt as stressed as I did over this summer. Isaac (Asperger's and ADHD), Simeon (Autism and Traumatic Brian Injuries totaling three now), and Hannah (diagnosed with Asthma) kept us on our toes this summer. It took us most of the summer to get Isaac on medications that worked for him, and so in the meantime we dealt with violent and destructive behaviors. Simeon chose this summer to experiment with penny swallowing, bead storing in the nose and then getting a concussion, shock and seizures all at the same time. I tried to homeschool through the summer, but it just wasn't working when it felt like just as we got our feet back on the ground, they were wiped out from under us again. I made a huge effort, and witnessed some beautiful answers to my prayers, but by the end of the summer, I just couldn't find my footing.

Burn Out.

I sought out the public school to get some help for Isaac and his disabilities. Along with everything else that child has, on top of it, he has learning disabilities. He tested 2 grades behind where he should be, so the school offered some assistance: 2.5 hours every day, all week, plus occupational therapy and some behavior therapy. After one week of him in it, we still couldn't get on back on track with our home schooling. I threw in the towel. I was at the end of my rope.

I'm sure my kid's friends now think they have the most clingy and over-protective mother on the planet. Of course, what would school be without all the socialization? They've made friends, and not just one or two, but several, and they all happen to live near us. When we were homeschooling, we had the perfect schedule, I thought. School and chores till 3:30, then when the other kids got out of school, they were free to go play with their friends. But now, they come home and charge right back outside. I miss my kids!

On the bright side, I have my house cleaner than it's been in YEARS. I got all the laundry caught up. Dishes are done, floors are clean, ceiling fans are dusted, walls are wiped, toilet is scrubbed, and toys are confined. I waffle between wanting my dear children home again, and feeling guilty because while they are gone, the house is cleaned and I've fallen into a natural schedule....at least one I've always dreamed of keeping.

Life is not perfect, mind you. Isaac is coming home in melt down status. Able to keep it together all day at school, once he's home he looses it. We have impulse control issues, memory loss, violent behavior, crying and screaming. At times I wonder if I should put him back to the 2.5 hours a day, leave the others in school, and bring him back home. Still an option, I suppose, but he does enjoy school, so that is a comfort.

I am not used to quiet time in the afternoon with little ones asleep and essentially about two hours to myself. I don't have fires to put out (sometimes literally), I don't have screaming, crying or fighting children, and I can go to the bathroom by myself! It is a relief in some aspect, but still, I miss our old schedule and I miss our children.

This isn't a forever solution, and I realize that, but for now, it is nice to have a break, to have some down time, and hopefully, most of us can heal and recover from this summer that was so much more stressful. Sometimes I think (well, I know) we can be so hard on ourselves, and yes, even our children.

The Middle Child and Only Daughter

2009-09-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

Hannah turns 7 next week. I took her to a movie tonight and allowed myself to float along with the movie in my pink bubble fantasy world about her. Don't all mothers have some kind of fantasy about their children? Hoping they grow up and become successful, happy beings, maybe they resemble a more youthful form of ourselves. As Hannah gets older, she's gets more beautiful. I feel a like I'm getting a little too protective of her: don't wear that shirt, those shorts are too short, comb your hair, when you're wearing a dress sit with your legs down and together.

I envision Hannah as an adult in her own little house, sitting at her table with her, reminiscing about her childhood, sympathizing with her over life's woes, laughing over hot chocolate at the antics of her children, and still, mesmerized by her beauty and her spirit.

We spent the weekend in Utah with one of my best friend's in life. She's a girly girl, and so Hannah was smitten. Kim had long hair she straightened, wore make up, wore earrings, oozed a confidence and ease that Hannah's mother seems not so good at. Hannah got to wear REAL make up, and had Kim do my makeup so she could see how it was applied. Oh yes, I could see the wheels turning and Hannah memorizing everything Kim was doing. I have a feeling that my own make over is not too far in the future, done by my own talented and creative daughter. Hannah got her hair curled. She got her first dance with a boy (Kim's 14 year old son, Seth) who was so kind and considerate to Hannah and played with her when the other boys were doing boy things. I won't say Hannah has a first love, but you could see the adoration in her eyes for Seth.

Anyone that tells you the only difference between boys and girls is the ability to do hair is either lying or never had a girl. Even from a young age, Hannah has been stubborn, competitive, emotional and loud. She makes herself known. Her voice is louder than the boys, her fury more scornful. Hannah seems to be a bit resistant to change, and sometimes we find that frustrating, and sometimes endearing. Frustrating in that she doesn't want to ever move, try something new or accept any change to schedule. Endearing that she is so emotionally attached to her brothers, she doesn't want any "leaving the nest". I've mentioned before the difference in the younger boys having an older sister than my older boys who did not have that influence. The younger boys are more compassionate, more loving and more "loved". When mommy has hurt their feelings, they turn to Hannah for comfort. Hannah has been the Little Mama.

One of Hannah's most asked question is why was she not the first child. It's not a question any of us can answer, but I do see how being the middle child, 3rd in line out of 6, and the only girl, could make life hard sometimes. With no girls, no pretty things are sacred, feels like everything gets stomped on as soon as she makes it perfect, you know, because boys just aren't that into tea parties, or understand why Barbie needs her hair washed and outfit changed 14 times a day, or why it is so fun to put on make up and a pretty dress, life is just so....frustrating!

When I turned 7, it was just before the Christmas pageant at school. My mom let me wear some lipstick, curled my bangs, and I wore a dress my grandmother had made me. For my birthday I got some blue zirconium earring studs. My birthday party was a tea party followed by a slumber party. I felt so girly, so pretty! Its funny how life seems to repeat itself sometimes, as that is what Hannah is hoping for, minus the slumber party (her best friend moved away this spring). Kim did all these things for Hannah over the weekend, and taking a cue from her, I hope to follow up with a bit of makeup and nail polish for her for her birthday.

I used to be so terrified of having a daughter. I think it has made me more feminine and more understanding of girls. Sons always hold a special place in a mother's heart, like they are your first love times how many you have. But girls...girls hold a few more places, like that of best friend, sister, mother, daughter, mentor. Sometimes I think when we all decided to come to earth, Hannah was the one to say "Ok, you be the mom and I'll be the daughter." Only, I think it should have been the other way around. I think I have a lot to learn from my daughter, which is why I feel incompetent as her mother sometimes. At loss for words, at loss for advice, at loss for discipline and at loss for understanding. I'll say the boys are so much easier because they are pretty literal. Hannah is emotional, has the memory of an elephant, and can be one of the most stubborn people I know (I have no idea where she gets that from. *whistling nonchalantly*

Homewrecker

2009-09-10T07:14:00.000-07:00

What is my idea of a "Homewrecker"?

Even though, the first thing that ~~drops~~ pops into my head is my favorite burrito at Moe's called a Homewrecker, it's really not my true idea of one.

The urban dictionary's definition of a homewrecker is, "A person who takes a taken individual with the intention of breaking up the relationship and creating a relationship of their own. Meaning not a homewrecker unless the person in the relationship leaves for the other person." The grammatical errors were not edited but I did edit the spelling errors from the "dictionary". By the way, I wouldn't recommend looking that word up in the urban dictionary as it contains offensive material. (YIKES)

Leaving aside the Urban dictionary's definition of a homewrecker and the catchy lyrics of the country song, my idea of a homewrecker is a combination of the following:

Crumbs
Water
Paper Clippings
Sticky Substances, usually from food
Poopy diapers, especially leaky ones

Yes, generally the items in that list are messes created from kids. The kids I love and will gladly keep, the messes, well, they are homewreckers.

Nesting is a Chick Thing

2009-09-09T12:57:00.000-07:00

Eight pregnancies, one miscarriage and seven lively, happy children make for an interesting life and many stories. During my each of my pregnancies I have been known to crave strange things, but during my madwoman nesting phases the stories are even more bizarre.

During the pregnancy with my first daughter, I had the feeling that nothing was clean enough. I worked full time and went to school part time, but during my spare time I was found sitting in closets scrubbing the walls and the baseboards. The bathrooms were another area that I targeted daily. Our bathrooms were tiled two-thirds of the way up the wall and three-fourths the way up the wall in the shower. Using a special toothbrush, I scrubbed all the grout with cleanser and bleach water. In addition, the entire house received a thorough cleaning and mopping each day. No one liked to visit me because I put them to work with me.

There was little time for obsessive scrubbing with my second pregnancy as my husband was away in Boot Camp and I had a toddler to care for full-time. I also bought our first home and moved us in my eighth month of pregnancy. The house had more than the average amount of trees on the property for its size. Ten trees on our property lined the busy road we lived on and the house was on a corner lot. The overgrown trees had branches hanging into the road, taking up two-thirds of the second lane. The house was previously owned by a bachelor who had a dog and I don’t think he ever deep cleaned the house the entire time he lived there. Too tired to clean house, I had the real estate company hire someone to clean it before we moved in.

Cleaning was out of the way and all I could concentrate on late at night was chopping the branches off the ten massive trees. Just imagining it wasn’t enough and I was not about to wait for my husband to come home in three months to do it. I called my doula up two nights in a row telling her my obsession with the trees. The Texas heat that summer was almost unbearable as it stayed a sweltering 115 degrees on a daily basis. Nothing was going to stop me, though- nothing. I bought a large manual branch trimmer and spent hours cutting branches, reaching up with my short five foot, one inch body. I got half way finished with the line of trees and looked around me at the piles of large branches needing to be hauled into a pile and out of the street. I couldn’t do it because at that point, I couldn’t move another muscle. My dad and my sisters came to my rescue and pleaded with me to stop trimming trees as I was almost nine months pregnant. No way, Hosea! I wasn’t finished yet.

That night, I called my doula again and shared with her my woes of the unfinished project and how it was just eating at me. The next afternoon I was at it again until I finished. My dad and sisters came over again and helped me even though they thought I was completely insane. I refused all offers for my dad to do it for me. It is what I wanted to do and I wasn’t about to share my project. I used to wonder why my daughter kept flipping in my stomach just days before she was born. Tree trimming, maybe? Thankfully she ended up in the right position for me to give birth naturally.

The trees were done and the housecleaning was covered thanks to help from my friends and family during the last month and a half of my third pregnancy. I spent a month on bed-rest due to early dilation and threats of my young man wanting to come into the world too soon. He didn’t come early. In fact, he came a week late and was born in the car, but that is another story.

It was the holiday season and I was in the mood for cookies. I received the green light to be on my feet so I started baking one sunny afternoon. I kept baking cookies and baking cookies and baking cookies. I filled the entire kitchen with cookies of every kind. No counter, tabletop or empty surface was left uncovered. My family dropped in to visit around the same time my husband came home from work. They couldn’t believe their eyes. “Why, this many cookies?” they kept asking. I couldn’t say; I just wanted a lot of cookies. My husband called some friends over and even they were dumbfounded with how many cookies I made for no “reason”. I had a reason. I was nesting! A few weeks later I gave birth to our third child and only son. We didn’t have any cookies left to enjoy at the birth. Sigh. I just bought a “birthday cake” instead. Another thing my husband just didn’t understand.

Women tend to get the nesting urge to prepare their home for the arrival of the new baby. It gives them extra energy and some women are very productive during this time. I too, am very productive while pregnant and nesting. I’m also good at cracking the whip for the family to help me. All this productivity does tend to inspire me to do some unusual things and my loved ones still laugh at me during some of the more bizarre nesting moments. What can a girl say? Nesting, it’s a chick thing. You wouldn’t understand!

Loobalee Giveway

2009-09-04T09:44:00.000-07:00

Our winner of the Loobalee Giveaway is Fawn Ashby! Congratulations!! Thanks so much for everyone's participation!

Nesting Stories

2009-09-02T20:55:00.000-07:00

Today I was cleaning the house with my kids and after getting a little bit OCD this week (scrubbing my stove with a toothbrush), I was reminded of going through something like that when I was nesting. That usually set in for the last three months of pregnancy, but there have been times I really wish I could get that urge to clean something to the point of sterilazation. I think what makes nesting so humorous is that you feel these things are imperative prior to the baby entering your house. She will definately notice that you alphabetized all your books or that you deep cleaned and organized the food storage. *eyes rolling*

Just before Isaac was born I had very little energy (lots of false labor) but I found time in the week before he was born to organize our built in book shelf filled with romance novels by color.

Just before Jesse was born, I could not go to bed one night until one of the dogs had a bath. I insisted she be given a bath and Curtis refused (he being the one with a normal brain at the moment). In a huge huff, I lugged the dog into the bathroom, threw her in the tub and scrubbed and scrubbed until she'd lost half a bushel of hair. I'm pretty sure the intense workout started some kind of contractions, but sadly didn't put me into labor. I had a clean dog ready for the baby to come home though. I'm sure by the time Jesse was born, she was just as dirty as she had been when I insisted she have a bath.

We moved in my eight month with Hannah and there was no end in sight of getting that house prepared for her. It was infested with fleas, the cat was sick from them, the house was leaky (roof caved in from a rotted roof and the a/c was going bad), and it was just not a comfortable house. The month before we moved though, I packed most of our house and scrubbed it clean. That must have satified those urges for me after we moved. Somehow the nesting transferred to Curtis because he was the one staying up late painting dressers and getting her bedroom ready the night I went into labor.

I worked almost the entire pregnancy with Simeon. Curtis took a contract overseas in the last month and so I came home that last month of the pregnancy to nest, finish moving into the house we'd moved into a year before, and reconnect with the kids before the baby came. I organized the garage, cleaned every room (this included washing curtains and painting some rooms) and scrubbed. I didn't realize I was truly nesting until my mom and sister came over and I showed off my spotless refrigerator and cabinets with all the food in alphabetical order. Because we all know that those new babies are going to be looking in our cupboards.

We moved again in the seventh month of pregnancy with Joshua. Actually, we moved in the 1st, 3rd, 7th months and then 6 weeks after he was born. There wasn't room to nest because I was cleaning and reorganizing 4 different houses during that time. Enough said.

I wonder if at some point you have that 6th baby and have kind of given up on hope that your house would ever be spottlessly clean? I was put on a short term bedrest and some ladies from church came and cleaned my house for me. There was not a crumb left when they were done! The morning I was in labor I decided we needed to move the food storage from Hannah's room to the downstairs. While I didn't do a lot of the lifting, I got to supervise. Thank goodness for a husband and mother in law that indulges a crazy pregnant woman! I did insist on cleaning the garage at one point. And Isaac reminded me about the living room fiasco. I spent the day moving all the furniture, only to put it right back where it was at the end of the day.

Anyone care to share their nesting stories?

Funny Marriage Sayings

2009-08-29T16:56:00.000-07:00

You know what I did before I married? Anything I wanted to.
-- Henny Youngman

The best way to get most husbands to do something is to suggest that perhaps they're too old to do it.
-- Ann Bancroft

Any husband who says "My wife and I are completely equal partners," is talking about either a law firm or a hand of bridge.
-- Bill Cosby

I think men who have a pierced ear are better prepared for marriage. They've experienced pain and bought jewelry. -- Rita Rudner

Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, half shut afterwards.
-- Benjamin Franklin

My wife dresses to kill. She cooks the same way.
-- Henny Youngman

My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.
- Rodney Dangerfield

A good wife always forgives her husband when she's wrong.
-- Milton Berle

I was married by a judge. I should have asked for a jury.
-- George Burns

What's the difference between a boyfriend and a husband?
About 30 pounds.
- Cindy Garner

When women are depressed, they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It's a whole different way of thinking.
-- Elaine Boosler

I bought my wife a new car. She called and said, "There was water in the carburetor." I said, "Where's the car?" She said, "In the lake."
-- Henny Youngman

Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight.
-- Phyllis Diller

My mother buried three husbands, and two of them were just napping.
-- Rita Rudner

The secret of a happy marriage remains a secret.
-- Henny Youngman

People are always asking couples whose marriages have endured at least a quarter of a century for their secret for success. Actually, it is no secret at all. I am a forgiving woman. Long ago, I forgave my husband for not being Paul Newman.
-- Erma Bombeck

At the cocktail party, one woman said to another, "Aren't you wearing your wedding ring on the wrong finger?" The other replied, "Yes, I am, I married the wrong man."

After a quarrel, a wife said to her husband, "You know, I was a fool when I married you." The husband replied, "Yes, dear, but I was in love and didn't notice."

A man inserted an 'ad' in the classifieds: "Wife wanted". Next day he received a hundred letters. They all said the same thing: "You can have mine."

When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her.

Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence.
Second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience.

I married Miss Right. I just didn't know her first name was Always.

Losing a wife can be hard. In my case, it was almost impossible.

I haven't spoken to my wife in 18 months -I don't like to interrupt her.

Just think, if it weren't for marriage, men would go through life thinking they had no faults at all.

My girlfriend told me I should be more affectionate. So I got two girlfriends.

A husband said to his wife, "No, I don't hate your relatives. In fact, I like your mother-in-law better than I like mine."

A man meets a genie. The genie tells him he can have whatever he wants, provided that his mother-in-law gets double. The man thinks for a moment and then says, "OK, give me a million dollars and scare me half to death."

How do most men define marriage? A very expensive way to get your laundry and cleaning done free.

A man said his credit card was stolen but he decided not to report it because the thief was spending less than his wife did.

The most effective way to remember your wife's birthday is to forget it once.

Getting married is like buying a car. Once you get it off the lot, you're sure you could have gotten a better deal! -Anonymous

When Things Just Don't Go Your Way

2009-08-27T12:58:00.000-07:00

We started back to school this month and I'm using a Konos Obedience curriculum. I was so excited to find this as it was exactly what I wanted to do with the kids: a medieval unit study. It's been going along pretty good. But today, for the end of the week, I thought we could do a tea party in the morning rather than in the afternoon, so I followed the recipe for Queen Cakes they had in the book. It called for 1/2 CUP of baking powder. I don't know what happened, but they came out horrible.

I whipped up some regular biscuits and we had those with strawberries and whipped cream. Next, the kids were suppose to wear some royal clothing, kings and queen outfits they put together themselves. Money is tight, so no extras. Isaac and Hannah were the only ones who participated. I can always count on Isaac being a willing participant. They made their crowns last week and I thought they came out quite nice. We just used some glitter glue, sun catchers and gems on scrapbook paper.

We've done a few science experiments with light as well, and part of that was rainbows. We were blessed with a double rainbow last night.

Flashlight tag. They were moving so fast you can't see them.

When I can't get them motivated to do important things like school or chores, this is what they do to occupy their time:

Playing in the wind of the fan.

Wearing tights on their heads (Hannah has no knowledge of this):

Or we're just simply chilling out.

Sometimes I get frustrated because I think this is what happens in other people's homeschools: They sit down for scriptures where everyone listens, the kids are dressed and ready to go, school goes on for 2-3 hours without interruption where they all work quietly together and they have these fabulous afternoons full of science experiments and historical facts.

A case of "Why do my kids act like Rottweilers and their kids are Golden Retrievers?"

I think part of being a homeschooler is that you can't be so rigid all the time that it is no fun for anyone. You have to allow time for silliness and spontaneous activities. Don't get me wrong, we have times when we still have to buckle down and say sorry, its not going to be fun, but it has to be done. However, this week, I have to say it's mostly been fun we've been having.

Free Down Home Healthy Cooking: Recipes and Tips for Healthy Cooking

2009-08-24T12:57:00.000-07:00

Balancing healthy cooking with down-home flavor can be difficult. Especially when you have a family and are on the go a lot. We know! Not to mention cooking the same foods over and over again can get boring.

Down Home Healthy Cooking is a free cookbook that will help you and your readers create healthy meals while keeping the down-home taste.

We are a couple of down home girls ourselves and share our favorite meals in our ebook and in our Queen Bee Homemaking blog. Enjoy!

Loobalee Giveaway!

2009-08-22T14:18:00.000-07:00

Enter Our LoobaLee Subscription Giveaway!

Win 3 Free Months of Selling Time on LoobaLee!

LoobaLee is a new site for buying and selling children's designer clothing and accessories. It's exclusively designed to be custom to the kids clothing market, as well as be fun and easy for busy Moms too! LoobaLee promotes an "outfit your kids for virtually free" philosophy, and blogs about how to "Buy right, Care right, and Sell right" to help dress your kids in quality designer clothing for less!

Hurry! This opportunity closes on Aug 29, 2009

Note: Currently open to U.S. Residents only

Here's How to Enter

Step 1. Visit LoobaLee, and Register for a free Member account.

Being a Member on LoobaLee unlocks additional shopping features such as a Watch List, saving favorite searches, and the ability to exclusively hold items in your cart for up to 3 hours!

Step 2: Comment on this blog post with your LoobaLee User Name

Shiloah's Review:
Loobalee is a quality website where women can go to buy and sell like new clothing for their children. I'm all about thrift, especially high quality. So, what's the difference between this and say, eBay? For just $3.99 per mo., or as low as $2.50 a month (for an annual subscription totaling $29.99), Sellers can put up unlimited listings w/o any additional fees -- no 'premium' listings fees, no end of sale commissions, etc.

When I was signing up for the subscription service I loved how they asked if the items you were selling came from a smoke-free and pet-free home. Winning a free selling membership is a perfect way to try this exclusive website!

Dawn's Review:
I love the colors they used on the site! I also love the fact that it differs from Ebay in that you can buy it right then, no waiting around for an auction to close or risk being outbid. The clothes are cute, in style, and what a perfect way to pass on gently used clothes that our kids outgrow so quickly!

Things to do in a Small Town

2009-08-21T20:25:00.000-07:00

I was actually going to do a post on comparing brands of clothes, but I'm limited to Walmart brand or ones that nobody has ever heard of, so I thought I would try this topic instead.

We've been living in a town of 5,500 people for 3.8 years, not that I'm keeping count or anything. We moved here for employment, and the weekend we came out for the interview I toured the town in a whole 20 minutes. The job was good and we were determined to make the best of the situation no matter where it was. It must not have been too bad since we're still here and I'm still half sane.

So, things to do in a small town:

1. Visit the 6 public parks or two ponds in town.
2. Go to the movies for 5.50 a person or 3.50 a kid. (You can get the kids a combo popcorn and drink for 1.50 more).
3. Go to the library. I read a lot.
4. Walk the nature trail.
5. Run the 3 mile bike trail.
6. Play soccer, kickball, T-ball, tennis, football, baseball/softball, or run the track.
7. Come for the 4th of July fireworks display. You'll only sit in traffic for 20 minutes vs. 2 hours in big cities.
8. Visit the local museums. It may only take you 15 minutes to go through, but that's something to do to get.out.of.the.house.
9. Go to the lake. Day pass is 4.50.
10. Wander through the huge antique mall here. Even if you've been through it 14 times in the last 6 months, you'll still find something new every time.
11. Enjoy a treat from one of the 10 fast food restaurants or one of the 6 sit down restaurants.
12. Visit the cemetery.
13. Drive around aimlessly telling your kids you are lost and need help finding your way home. Do this until your 3 year old can give you directions to get home.
14. Watch the skateboarders crash and burn at the skate park.
15. Get a car wash.
16. Wander through the U-Save Buenz pharmacy home decorating department or Trail's End (truly a fabulous store).
17. You could do a shopping spree at Pamida or Alco, but you'll probably be hard pressed to spend more than 30 minutes in each store. (Word of advice, save that money and time for when you can get to the big city (North Platte, population of 23,000), unless you are desperate to get.out.of.the.house).
18. Walk around town. More than likely you will find a quaint back alley or unpaved road and see things of beauty there, like wildflowers, horses, or fields.
19. Take up nature photography.
20. Watch the stars. They are so close here, you'd think you could touch them.

Sometimes I fear that when we do leave this place, I'll miss all these things. The hustle and bustle of a bigger city appeals to us in a way that says we're safe because we have amenities close by, things to do like zoos or amusement parks or bigger museums and theaters. You have more options. I do have to say that living out here without all the "options" has humbled me, made me less materialistic (that's not to say I don't drool over every pretty catelog that crosses my threshhold), made me more patient. When we go to places like Omaha with tons of stores and things near by, its like culture shock and there's too many choices to make we get overwhelmed. You actually get a workout from walking from one side of Target to the other, because it takes more than a minute to do so.

This summer we've had more visitors stop in to see us than any other year. While it feels good to be the hostess, I do have to say I feel a little honored that our friends and family happened to stop by in Nebraska. Who said there's not much to do here?