Because I'm the Mama

A Little of This and That

2010-11-18T12:29:00.000-06:00

First of all, I want to say thank you for the feedback via Facebook on my last post. I'm thrilled that a few of you took the time to read my riveting thoughts! Glad to know that there are a few more of you out there working on the meal planning business. If there are hints or tricks that you have discovered that make it easier, I'd love to hear them. Next week, I will post a few recipes that I have found to freeze well. So, stay tuned.

This weekend, we will be celebrating the 60th wedding anniversary of my grandparents. A milestone for sure. One that we don't see often enough. I am thankful that God has blessed them with so many years of marriage and that I have been able to witness that example of strength in relationship. I am especially looking forward to time with family--I love seeing the littlest cousins together. Four generations in the same place is something that my kiddos don't get to experience nearly enough. But that means I need to finish packing, so I better keep moving!

Have a great weekend, Everyone!

I've Got a Plan!

2010-11-16T07:02:00.001-06:00

Psst. Wanna know a secret?

Although I really do enjoy cooking--baking especially, if you haven't noticed, but meal times are tough for me--specifically the evening meal. Supper? Dinner? The terms are interchangeable around here, but other places not so much. Anywhoo, I digress. Lunch is easy for me. We typically have sandwiches or work on the leftovers. But the evening meals? It's our only meal of the day that we are all together. I want it to be a nice meal--maybe not super elaborate and certainly not gourmet but more than the same PB sandwich the kids and I had for lunch. Not that there is anything wrong with that--we've had our share of PB sandwiches. But ideas are scarce for me when it comes time for preparing something. I guess you could say I am not good under meal planning pressure. The only way I have found to counteract this is to do meal planning.

I first started doing meal planning after The Little Man was born. It was a good way for me to balance the meals that our friends were bringing, the food I had pre-made and placed in the freezer pre-baby as well as the cooking I occasionally felt up to. It was a God-send for me to just look at the calendar, go to the freezer and essentially pull out the evening meal.

And I have tried to continue with the planning. Some months are better than others, but when I don't meal plan it's bad. I get horrible idea block, I never have the right ingredients in the cupboards and we eat out way more than we should. Thus spending way more money on food than necessary.

I resisted meal planning for a long time. My big argument was "how am I suppose to know what is going to sound good two weeks from Tuesday?". The crazy thing is this--when I have it scheduled out, it nearly always sounds good. And if not, I can easily switch it with another night's meal from later in the week or month. If we end up with dinner plans with friends or we end up not at home at meal time, it's fine. I just flex the planned meal to another night. I also plan a meal or two out--and that goes into the monthly budget. The other added benefit of meal planning it that we have less waste. I PLAN to re-purpose leftovers or make full recipes and freeze half so that I have a quick meal for another time.

What I do is this--I print out a blank calendar and plan out 3-4 weeks at a time. I use meal plans from previous months for ideas, as well as my cook books, websites like allrecipes.com and ideas from blogs that I read. I coordinate the meal plan (main dish, veggie and usually one other side) with the grocery ads and coupons that I have so that I can get the best deals. And I try to do one new recipe a month. I generally do one or two (at the most) big grocery shopping trips a month. I make my grocery list as I do the planning.

I just re-read that last paragraph and it sounds like I have this big, complicated process. It's not. I promise you. To plan the whole month, it usually takes me less than an hour TOTAL and I don't usually get it all done in one sitting.

So, what's been on the plan so far this month?

Cheese Enchiladas
Chicken Broccoli Braid
Homemade pizza
Roasted Chicken
Spaghetti
Tacos
Beef Stroganoff
Spanish Rice
Chicken Stir-fry

And yes, my kids eat it all. Some meals go over better than others, of course--just like at any one's house!
I am always up for new recipes and open to new ideas for the process. Are you a meal planner? If not, what's holding you back? If you are a meal planner--how does your process vary? Do you have a "go-to" recipe or family favorite?

One More Fall Favorite

2010-11-12T15:56:00.000-06:00

The last favorite fall recipe that I am going to share is for a quick bread that is on my list to make again this weekend. It freezes super well so I almost always make a double batch--one for now and one for some day when I am completely unmotivated and need some thing "different" for the family breakfasts. It always hits the spot!

Pumpkin Bread
1 1/2 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. solid pack pumpkin (approx. 1/2 of a can)
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. of each-ground cloves, ground ginger and nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5x3in. loaf pan. (Yes, I use the spray with flour.) In a large bowl combine all ingredients. Beat until well mixed; pour into prepared pan. Bake approximately 45-55 minutes or until wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen edges; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Makes 1 loaf.

Not Now

2010-11-10T14:49:00.000-06:00

A little over a year ago, I wrote a post about our decision to put our home on the market in hopes of moving closer to DH's job and our family. We had prayed about it considerably and the timing felt right. I just KNEW that it was right. Winter faded into spring and spring into the warmth of summer. Now the crispness of the morning air lingers more with each passing day. And the nearly barren trees witness the house off the market and us waiting. Shows how much I know!

The decision to cancel our listing had been coming for some time. There were moments when we were ready to pull the plug, and a small flicker of hope would glimmer and a tiny flurry of sudden activity would catch us by surprise only to see any possibility wane. I have been left frustrated, not necessarily because of the process or the economy but because it is obvious that God is saying "Not now." I've cried many tears in prayer begging for understanding. I know what a considerably shorter commute for DH would mean to our family. It breaks my heart when Princess Pigtails declares that she wishes we had "more time (with Daddy) at night", because my soul is saying "amen". I feel caught and twisted in the guilty reality that we are truly blessed and yet some how I long for more. We have a beautiful home, my husband has a fantastic job which he loves and God has blessed us beyond measure.

The life of faith calls us into a trusting of the Unseen in all circumstances. To rest in faith is to know that God is in control and is able to "do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us" (Ephesians 3:20). So I suppose it is the sinful nature of my humanity that causes the desire to lie on the floor and pound my fists, to ask why our home couldn't be the one to sell for full asking or before even hitting the market, why couldn't our home have been the one for XYZ family. There are examples all around me...and yet when I take a deep breath, when I can begin to get my head and my heart on the same page I know it is because God is saying "not now". Not "never" but "not now". I know that God's timing is perfect and so the struggle continues.

With each day I have to consciously give it over to God--to literally acknowledge that "this is in YOUR hands". I have struggled, cried and done all that I can only to find myself at literal definition of the phrase "out of my control". When the questions begin to come, I am learning to turn that into prayer. Because there is only One with the answers to the questions that bubble out. I wish I could say that the answers have been revealed, that daily I feel the disconnect shrinking between my brain (what I know the Gospel says, what I know to be true from experience) and my heart (my manic emotions). But the gap is still there. I choose to be thankful that the Lord covers that void. With each day I choose to believe the promise held in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." That give me hope for today and it is enough.

I've Got Dreams

2010-11-08T07:54:00.000-06:00

I've got some lofty holiday baking goals. Yes, I do.

Check that out. It makes the regular bag look like a fun-size bag! Love it.
So, what's on your holiday baking list?

Challenge of the Day

2010-11-07T06:41:00.000-06:00

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Definition of Yummy Goodness

2010-11-06T06:53:00.000-05:00

Here's another favorite of mine that always, always fits the bill when the weather starts changing. It's great with milk for breakfast, over yogurt or on fruit, and even tasty sprinkled over ice cream. I'll warn you now--you will either need to do a half recipe, split the recipe across two 9x13 pans or use a roasting pan (which is what I use). A full recipe is a lot of yummy-ness--but you could share! I've been known to share with friends and neighbors as gifts...It is so fantastic! Here you go:

GRANOLA
8 C. Regular (not quick cooking) Oatmeal
1 C. sweetened coconut flakes
Spread in a large pan (see above recommendations). Bake at 300 degrees for approximately 45 minutes. Stir every 15 minutes.

1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. brown sugar
1 C. honey
2 tsp. vanilla
Heat until brown sugar dissolves. Add vanilla. Pour over dry mixture; stir well. Bake 20 minutes. Add 1 C. wheat germ. This is where you would add anything else you want--raisins, slivered almonds, pecans,craisins, other dried fruit... Stir every 10-15 minutes as it cools. If you fail to stir it frequently as it cools (like I did the first time I made it...) you WILL have one giant piece of granola! :) If that happens, just pop it back in a warm oven and let it warm the sugar once more and then it will be soft enough to stir! Enjoy!

A Fall Favorite--on Friday!!

2010-11-05T09:34:00.000-05:00

There are so many things that I love about fall--the colors, the visible change in the landscape, the excitement of regular schedule and routine starting, the anticipation of what the school year will hold, the dull roar of farm machinery, the crispness of the air, and the motivation that I find once again to get back into my kitchen.

Fall also brings to mind a couple of dishes that are family favorite and always on my list to make at least once as the leaves change. I will share a few recipes over the next couple of days that are on this list. First up today my grandma's Apple Crisp. I have had bites of a few apple crisps in my day and hands down this is my absolute favorite. Of course, I may be biased, but go ahead try it. Maybe add a scoop (or two) of cinnamon ice cream. You will not be disappointed. I guarantee it.

Apple Crisp
8-10 medium to large apples, peeled & sliced
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup white sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
Mix and place in an 8x8 inch baking pan. Add topping.
Topping:
1/2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. butter or margarine (I use salted butter.)
1/8 tsp. salt (I skip this since I use the salted butter.)
1/8 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
Cut together with fork or pastry blender. Place over apples. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes-one hour, or until apples are tender.
I do usually make a recipe and a half of the topping--just makes it that much better! :)
Enjoy!

The Scent of Memories

2010-11-04T09:04:00.001-05:00

Do your favorite memories smell? What scent invokes nostalgia? For me, one of the strongest is the link between the aroma of diesel and sweet recollections of times spent with my grandparents as a child. Tomorrow is my grandpa's birthday and I am taking time to be thankful for all these years I've been blessed to have both my grandparents in my life. They are amazing people, the only grandparents I've ever really known (my paternal grandmother passed before I was born and my paternal grandfather when I was a preschooler). I have learned many things from their lives, their example and I am full of gratitude for those lessons. My life is more full because of them. I have a more clear understanding of what our Heavenly Father designed families to be. And for that I will be forever grateful. Happy Birthday, Grandpa. Love you.

I Got My Vote On, Did You?

2010-11-03T07:12:00.000-05:00

I love our country. Truly. I am so very thankful and blessed beyond a shadow of a doubt to be able to call it home. I love days that give me opportunity to have a real-life Civics lesson with our kids. Yesterday was one of those days. I know that our right to vote and our freedom has not come easy or free. And I am never more mindful of that sacrifice than when I go to vote. It is literally a lump in my throat, tears in my eyes experience for me. Every single time. Yesterday was no exception. I loved being able to stand in that line with my husband and children. I loved holding the hand of my daughter and showing her the ballot. I loved the precious conversations that we had about how voting works and how important it is as citizens to exercise that right. Yes, she is only five, but to have these conversations now--Gives me hope that our children will begin to understand the importance of our civic responsibilities.

And this morning, the election process is winding down for the moment. (Well, unless you live in Minnesota, like me. Then, who knows when we will have a certified result in the Governor's race. But I digress...) Checking Facebook this morning, gave me pause as I reflected on the many status updates with a political message. Some voicing frustration with the results. Others, excited by the hope of things to come. The emotion of the results is powerful and the future pregnant with possibility regardless of the side on which you fall.

One thing most can agree on, however, today is great day in that the political ads have ceased. I for one was strangely starting to miss good old regular commercials. Did I really just type that?

I hope that you voted, that you participated in the process and that you took a moment to really reflect on it. Thank you to those of you that have fought to protect our freedoms. I know that our country is truly "The Home of Free BECAUSE of the Brave". May God continue to bless America.

Five

2010-09-22T17:38:00.000-05:00

Five years have passed too quickly by.

In five years I've learned what it is like to have your heart live outside your chest.
I've learned the fine art of kissing boo-boos.
I've learned how to operate a nail clipper while wrestling a small, flailing body.
I've learned that no matter what time a small child goes to bed, they almost always get up at the same time.
I've learned that there is nothing more sweet than a smile on the face of a sleeping child.
I've learned the human body can function surprisingly well with substantially less sleep than most doctors recommend.
I've learned that ketchup is great on everything.
I've learned many things, but most importantly, I've learned that just when you think you can't love any one more, God blows you away.

Happy Birthday, Princess Pigtails. I love you so very much.

A Small Gap

2010-09-21T07:56:00.000-05:00

Okay, so seven months break from blogging? Hmm...I'm back. I think.

Update on My Mom

2010-02-18T14:18:00.003-06:00

Just a quick update on my mom. The surgery went well. She has been moved to a rehab/PT facility and we are hopeful that she will be discharged home soon. God is so good. I just keep praying that each day will be a little easier for her, that she will have energy and determination to work through the pain and that her care givers remain compassionate and encouraging.

From a Distance

2010-02-10T06:49:00.002-06:00

Saying loads of prayers for my mama (and her medical team) this morning. In about 45 minutes she is going into surgery. Out of respect for her privacy, I will just say that it is a fairly common procedure, but I'm still nervous for her. I'm hoping to head down there today. I've been trying to get there since Monday but with the recent snow storm, the roads were just not good enough to make the trip with the kids and dog in tow. So, I will have to pray from here. Which is enough. But I so wanted to be there with my dad today. I wanted to be there ahead of surgery to help my mom and so the kids could see her outside of the hospital. It didn't happen and I need to let the disappointment go.
My prayers are equally effective from here. I know that. I just wanted to be with my mom.

^"16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16 (NIV)

Today

2010-02-04T16:49:00.002-06:00

I am not even sure where to start. It has been a long time since my last post and to be honest, posting is something that I have been putting off. So much has happened since I posted last. Many things I'd rather not try to wrap into words and yet I feel compelled to get back at this. It is my prayer that somehow by getting back to blogging that it will once again have a therapeutic quality for me. A healthy way for me to some how sort through things as well as document this crazy life that I have.
Today. Today was a good day. God is so very good.

Little Pumpkin

2009-10-22T13:49:00.005-05:00

Two years ago, my dad spent the day with Princess Pigtails. That was their play day and my mom and I went shopping. My dad and Princess Pigtails went to the pumpkin patch, to the park to play, out to lunch...they had so much fun. So, a couple of weeks ago my dad suggested that he would like to take both kids (bless his heart) and do the pumpkin patch, etc. There may or may not have been the promise of shopping for my mom and I.
We picked last Friday as the day for the outing. Friday, my dad took both kids and headed out. Apparently my baby boy is terrified of large amounts of pumpkins. Dad said The Little Man was fine until he was out of the truck. Once out of the truck, my dad set him down on the ground and fit began. The Little Man screamed and cried. And screamed some more. Needless to say, I do not think that he enjoyed himself. What do you think?

Just a Little Patience

2009-10-21T13:41:00.003-05:00

I would have never guessed that it has been over a month since my last blog post. It has been a crazy full month and why the blog has been so neglected.

We are currently battling the same gunk that it seems everyone has. It started a week and a half ago with The Little Man randomly waking up with a fever and has essentially been non-stop since then. Princess Pigtails is the last victim and has missed two days of school because of it. I sincerely think I am going to go stir-crazy if we don't kick this stuff soon.

The mudroom is finished. Every detail (I think) is complete. I am so pleased with the results and frustrated that we didn't do this project years ago. So much better use of the space. I'll post some pictures soon.

The biggest news around here is that we have decided to put our house on the market. It's not a decision that we took lightly or made easily. We've been talking about the possibility of this for quite some time. And now the timing feels right. Our hope is that we will be able to move closer to DH's work, which will in turn put us closer to family. Please say a prayer for us that it goes smoothly, quickly and favorably. I am nervous, scared and excited all at the same time. I know that God has a plan in all of this and I am trying to relax in Him. Patience is not necessarily a virtue that comes easy for me.

Four

2009-09-17T06:52:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday, Princess Pigtails! In four very short years, you have made life more full. I love you so much my heart aches. You are simply amazing and have taught me so much! Thank you for allowing me to slow down and see life through your eyes. I am blessed to be your mama!
Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Weekend Recap

2009-09-08T06:01:00.002-05:00

What a weekend! We filled every moment of the weekend to the brim. We accomplished much and are finally so very, very close to the finish of the mudroom. It looks really good and I am so excited! DH has done an awesome job! I'm so happy that he has the skills and abilities that allow us to do much of the work ourselves.

Other high lights: Saturday night found us out for dinner with the kiddos and let me just say, the whole experience was so great! The kids were absolutely amazing. I am encouraged that there is hope to enjoy dinner out with the family. Sunday we had the pleasure of enjoying a BBQ with some great friends from church. It was so much fun! Great conversation, good food and beautiful weather. What a night. We've got to do it again soon.

I have been on a mission to find a bike for Princess Pigtails' birthday--which is next week! How on earth is it already the middle of September? Anywhoo the bike search has been incredibly frustrating, but I was finally able to locate one on Sunday afternoon. There was much rejoicing! Who would've guessed it was be so difficult?!

So that's the scoop around here. What about you? What did you do over the holiday weekend?

Death by Chocolate

2009-08-27T11:14:00.003-05:00

Have I got a recipe for you! Oh. My. Seriously. Unless you are not a fan of chocolate. Then, my deepest sympathies because you are totally missing out. I sincerely believe this may become my new ace-in-the-hole recipe. You know the super easy recipe you save for just the right occasion. Although, perhaps I will adopt it as my new signature recipe. Hmm...perhaps I will have to make another time or two before making that commitment. Be warned of it's super addictive-overly chocolately goodness. If you are a coffee drinker, you might want to have a cup or five close by. Heaven help us.

Double Chocolate Cookie Bars
24-30 chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos)
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Set aside 6-8 cookies. Grind/crush the rest in a food processor. In a small bowl, stir together cookie crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Press into the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
Over a double boiler (or in a MICROWAVE), melt 1 c. chocolate chips together with the sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Stir frequently until smooth. Spread over crumb crust evenly.
Sprinkle the remaining cup of chocolate chips over the top. Break remaining cookies into pieces by hand and sprinkle over the top.
Bake 20-25 minutes in preheated oven.
Chill completely before cutting to serve other wise it will make a big mess.

2009-08-26T09:23:00.003-05:00

Well, I promised two weeks ago that I would be back to my regular bloggy schedule soon. So I guess I am back, as I am predictably unpredictable about my posting.
We had a great summer, filled with lots of fun memories. Hopefully I'll get a few pictures posted soon. A trip to the zoo, a fun 4th of July with great friends and family, vacation Bible school at church...the month of August has been full of trips back and forth the state of Iowa to visit family. And then this last weekend, I went to Des Moines for a girls weekend with some of my best gals from ye ol' college days. It was glorious. Those ladies are forever friends--you know the ones that you can just pick up right where you left off. (I am fighting the urge to launch into the chorus of Michael W. Smith's "Friends"...) I just wish the times for us to get together weren't so far apart. Lots of thanks and love for DH surviving the entire weekend with the kiddos. There was some drama and lots of laundry, but they all survived. And I am grateful!

Excuses, excuses

2009-08-13T09:15:00.003-05:00

I really didn't intend to take most of the summer off from blogging. Just like I didn't plan to take part of spring off. But it just is how it goes. Trying to find a balance and establish a routine. I am heading to Iowa today but when I get back I'll try to get on a regular schedule of posting.
See you soon!

Things I Love Thursday--A Tasty Snack

2009-07-02T07:01:00.003-05:00

Everyone love a tasty snack, right? Have you tried Wheat Thin's Toasted Chips? Oh. My. So yummy. I'm not sure why they are called chips, because it really is more of a cracker, but certainly not your average cracker (or chip for that matter). I bought the Garden Valley Veggie variety a couple of weeks back to go with an olive spread that I had made for a party. Just bought opened another bag the beginning of the week for an alternative snack for the kids. The bag is nearly gone already, because once they are opened, we can't stop eating them! There is also a multi-grain variety that I am sure is equally tasty. And would be great for one of the BBQs or picnics you are heading to this weekend! Enjoy!
So, there you have it. Something I love. Head on over and see Jill at The Diaper Diaries and see what others are loving! And have a fun and safe 4th!

Techy Tuesday

2009-06-30T07:20:00.005-05:00

It's hard to believe that it is Tuesday again and time for me to get right to the Techy Tuesday highlight. This week's item is something I fought especially hard not to have. For some reason, I thought that it would be a complete nightmare. I don't know why. Seriously, I have no idea why I was so against it. I am totally rational like that.

This spring we, and by we--you know that I mean DH, painted our two side doors, which truly are our main doors) and changed out the hardware on both. You see, last fall we put in new screen/storm doors and the hardware on those was a brushed nickel. The existing hardware on the exterior door was brass. Certainly not my choice. It also helped that part of the dead bolt was starting to stick. I just couldn't stand it. And the doors needed to be painted. So, we painted the doors and put on new hardware. I gave into the whole electronic key pad and I am soooo happy. Again, why did I fight it so long? There are several different brands/types of keypads out there. The one that we selected is a Kwikset Smart Key. I love the way it looks and the super cool part is that you can easily rekey it yourself with their little tool. In fact DH rekeyed it upon installation so that the keys already on our key rings worked. (The old hardware was Kwikset as well.) Nice. Didn't even have to swap out keys.
Other features that I love:

It's beautiful. Beautiful.
I can lock it as I am leaving by just pushing the button. I don't have to fumble with keys while making sure the kids don't fall down the steps and juggling the diaper bag, my purse and whatever else I have in my hands. Quick. Easy. Push the button and I am on my way. So wishing that I would have had that while hauling that baby carrier/infant seat around. That would've made my life so much easier.
You can program it for a temporary code or rekey it instantly yourself so if there is contractor that is coming by or your neighbor is bringing in your mail while you are gone, you can give them access and then change the code or rekey it when they no longer need access.
The key pad is back lit with one touch so you can easily see it at night if you fail to leave the porch light on or if it is, ahem, burnt out. Not that I would know anything about that.
The interior has a little light that flashes red or green so you know immediately without even walking over to the door if it is locked or not.
Did I mention it's beautiful?

So, thank you, DH, for once again making my life easier. My apologies for not wanting a key pad earlier. I loovve it!

Sweet Summertime

2009-06-26T06:43:00.003-05:00

Here's how I know summer is here:
1. Staying in jammies until mid morning or later.
2. The kids have had hot dogs off the grill for at least one meal nearly every day for the last week.
3. The purple kiddie pool has made it's way to the yard.
4. A pitcher of Kool-Aid in the fridge.
5. The peonies are in bloom. That is truly the signature of summer if you ask me.

How about you? How do you know it's summer? Are you enjoying it?

Publish Post

Things I Love Thursday--The Pampered Chef

2009-06-25T08:54:00.003-05:00

A while back I did a post about my love for the smooth edge can opener by The Pampered Chef. Which got me thinking about how many of the kitchen utensils that I love and use frequently are actually items from The Pampered Chef. Let me say that I am not a demonstrator. I am not affiliated in any way with The Pampered Chef. I am simply a happy customer that is consistently pleased with the quality and utility of their products. That being said here are my "top 10" favorite items and most frequently used.

In no particular order:
smooth edge can opener
bamboo spoons
large batter bowl
small batter bowl
large serving spatula (the perfect spatula for cookies or lasagna)
mini serving spatula (the go-to for serving bars)
Measure-all measuring cup
Mix 'n scraper
small Mix 'n scraper
rotary grater

What it takes to make my list of favorites:
-These are hands down the items that I reach for with every recipe or meal that I make.
-Easy to clean--I run all these items through the dishwasher.
-With the exception of the rotary grater and can opener, I own multiples of all the rest. Seriously. I use them that often.
-Durability. I have owned similar utensils purchased through other venues. And replaced them with items from The Pampered Chef.

What is your favorite kitchen gadget or utensil (from The Pampered Chef or not)?

Go check out what other people are loving! Visit Jill over at The Diaper Diaries. You'll be glad you did!

What's Cooking? Wednesday

2009-06-24T12:53:00.003-05:00

As you know, I am a little bit of a cook book/new recipe junkie. I love trying new recipes! Frequently when visiting some where, I'll fill a few quite minutes by flipping through the cookbooks that reside there. Of course, at my mom's or grandma's I'm usually digging through their recipe files--the tried and true that I have missed when digging on previous visits. The thing about the recipes I am most often drawn to, is the ingredient list. The ingredients need to be items that I frequently keep on hand, know I have on hand or that I can easily pick up at the local market here in the sticks.
When the kids and I were in Ohio to visit our sweets friends, I took time one afternoon to flip through a few of Jill's cookbooks. I found a few recipes that I am so anxious to try. The first one made it's debut on Monday night. It was quite tasty. I did a little improvising based on what I know our family likes and the ingredients on hand...

Alabama Style Pork Tenderloin
3 cups OJ
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons dried rosemary (I subbed a little thyme)
3 oz. frozen lemonade concentrate
1 1/2-2 pound pork tenderloin
2 tablespoons oil
1 tablespoon flour (all purpose)
1 onion, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced (I omitted this)

Combine OJ, soy sauce, garlic, rosemary and lemonade. Divide in half. Place half in a zippered bag, leave half in the bowl and set in fridge. Slice tenderloin into 1 inch pieces and place in bag with marinade (I used a 9x13 pan and just turned the meat every once in a while). Fridge for several hours or overnight.
Heat oil in a skillet. Place marinated meat in the skillet. Brown on both sides. Remove from skillet and drain. Place flour, onion, peeper and tenderloin in a plastic bag. Shake. Pour in to a 9x13 pan. Pour over remaining reserved marinade from fridge. Bake 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.
**I actually just browned on the stove and then baked it in the 9x13 on a 350 degree grill.

Techy Tuesday

2009-06-23T07:44:00.004-05:00

DH is a bit of a tech geek. Not in a tape his glasses and wear a pocket protector kind of way, but in a super helpful, trying to make our life better sort of way. He has suggested many solutions over the years that I have not always gotten immediately on board with. Ahem. But he is persistent. In honor of his persistence, I intend over the next couple of weeks to high light a few of his suggestions and additions. In every instance, after installation, I have wondered how I lived with out it to this point. Why do I doubt him some times?

This week, I give you...The motion sensor light switch.

Do you have one of these? If not, you need one. It is so nice. DH installed one in the new pantry closet--which is perfect. Since nearly every time I open that door I either have my hands full going in or coming out and sometimes both. The switch is on a timer that you can adjust. Where ours is installed the motion of the door triggers it on so no frantic waving of your arms like many of the motion sensor switches in the public restrooms.
We had one in our old house in the laundry room--again a situation where most times my arms were full when I walked through the door way. Love it. You can buy one at most home improvement stores. Ours have all come from Home Depot.
What room in your house does the light tend to be left on or that you often are fumbling with the switch when you have your arms full?

Spring 2009

2009-06-22T14:04:00.019-05:00

Sharing some random moments from around here this spring...
The Little Man was not so impressed with his first time swimming...
Ready to hit the Zoo...
Princess Pigtails up close and personal with the penguins...
Three generations:Some of the best pizza we've had in recent memory, Zio's Pizzeria in Omaha...The Little Man enjoying his slice at Zio's...Yum!Princess Pigtails with my grandparents at my niece and nephew's birthday party:
The Little Man and my cousin's son, Cason...On a jet plane, heading to Ohio...
Finally made it to Young's Dairy in Yellow Springs, OH...The Little Man, Our friend, K, and Princess Pigtails...Feeding the goats at Young's:Princess Pigtails and K...This picture just makes my heart happy...My friend Kari and her family stopped by this weekend...seriously, had it really been 8 years?Happy Father's Day, DH! You are a fantastic father to our kids...on a side note, I have no idea what Princess Pigtails is doing with her hand here, but this is the best of the pictures I got. She has her grandmother's innate ability to close her eyes every time the camera snaps. :)So there you have it, in pictures a bit of what we've been up to lately. Hope you had a great spring and that your summer is off to a good start!

Here I Am

2009-06-19T08:40:00.003-05:00

Hard to believe that it has been well over a month since I last posted. I'm not really sure where this spring went, but it is gone. We've been busy the last month. Some highlights have been:

Mother's Day in the homeland with my parents (DH went to South Dakota hunting...that's a story for another day)
a trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha with family over Memorial Day
birthday parties for family on both sides and for a family friend or Princess Pigtail's "best friend" (as she informed me yesterday)
a big trip (airplane and all) to Ohio last week for me and the kiddos to see some long time friends
early childhood community education classes this week for Princess Pigtails

Our favorite babysitter, Heather, is home from college (yeah!!) so we've had a sitter more the last month than in the last year. I've made a couple of kid-free trips to the grocery store (it's the little things, isn't it?) and DH and I even had a date night this week. Summer is off to a great start.
I have tons of pictures to sort through and when I get through those, I'll post a photo journal of spring and summer thus far. Until then, I'll leave you with a new recipe from Gooseberry Patch...it's perfect for these warm summer nights! Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Fudge Pie
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
9 oz. graham cracker pie crust
1/2 cup cashews, chopped and divided
1/2 cup jar fudge topping, warmed
Garnish with whipped topping, additional warmed fudge topping and chopped cashews.

Combine PB and honey; stir in ice cream. Spoon half of ice-cream mixture into pie crust; sprinkle with half of cashews. Drizzle half of fudge topping over cashews; spoon remaining ice cream over top. Sprinkle with remaining cashews and drizzle with remaining fudge topping.
Freeze about 8 hours or until firm. Garnish with whipped topping, additional warmed fudge topping and chopped cashews. Serves 6-8.

Two things: pay attention to the amount of ice cream you are using. I completely spaced out and used a half gallon instead of 1 quart. Lucky for me, I had bought a second crust, so I ended up with two pies out of the deal. But really didn't intend to make two. Secondly, this says it serves 6-8, but it is really rich so I cut the pieces pretty small. More realistically, it probably serves 10-12.

I Rocked It

2009-05-07T07:09:00.003-05:00

Every once in a while I make a meal that was just, quite simply, great. Don't you love how humble I am? Ha! I feel it necessary to broadcast it, because it seems lately that I've been in a rut. I've been having difficulty coming up with ideas or the motivation to plan!
So, the menu last night? Coconut and Almond crusted salmon, candied sweet potatoes and Prairie Brown Bread. Yum. Have you had Prairie Brown Bread? You really must make it...Seriously.
Here's the recipe...go now, make it for supper, you won't be disappointed. Promise.

Prairie Brown Bread
4 C. Whole Wheat flour
1 1/3 C. all-purpose flour
1 qt. buttermilk
2 C. brown sugar
4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Thorough mix all ingredients, pour batter into greased bread pans. This will make 2 large loaves or 4 small ones. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour (if making small loaves, check after 40 minutes) Remove from pans to cool.

So, yummy. Great with salmon or chicken. Perfect with a salad! Makes two loaves, so make one for supper and pop the other in the freezer for a quick meal later!

My Dream Job

2009-04-17T08:25:00.000-05:00

All my life I've wanted to be a stay-at-home mama. I guess you could say it's my dream job. It's just what I've always wanted to do once I had children. I am certain that it is my calling for this time in my life. I've not been more certain of anything. Although, there are days that are so difficult and frustrating that I question whether I understood correctly!

I've been home full time for almost four years now. I've learned a lot about myself during the last four years. I am proud to be home with my children. I am blessed to have the opportunity and I realize that it is not a possibility nor a desire for every mother. I understand that. For our family it is the right choice at this time and I ask that you respect that.

The same four short years have also given me an education on how society perceives a stay at home parent. It has been very interesting. Many people are supportive and encouraging. I appreciate that. Some are not so supportive or encouraging. Please don't imply that I am some how less empowered or single-handedly setting back women's lib because I am not currently working "outside the home". Or that I am at home with my children because I am for some reason unemployable. Please don't assume that I am able to take on endless volunteer roles. Those assumptions are hurtful. If you don't understand my role right now or know that it wouldn't be the right choice for you, I still ask that you respect it. I am proud to home with my children. I am college educated. I had a professional career prior to children. My life experiences have prepared me to be a mom, an advocate for my children, my family.

Parenting is difficult. Challenging. Extremely rewarding. Heartbreaking. Exhausting. Most parents need more encouragement than they let on. So bring on the stories from the trenches. Bring on the coffee and play dates. Lament about how different it was "back in the day". I love to hear those stories-those experiences enrich me and encourage me. Sharing those moments help me to feel connected and a little less like an island. And these days I desperately need to feel connected to adults, to community. Believe me.

²⁵Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:25

Glorious News!

2009-04-12T21:27:00.002-05:00

"After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. ²There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. ³His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ⁴The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. ⁵The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." ⁸So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. ⁹Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. ¹⁰Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me." Matthew 28:1-10 (emphasis mine)

Christ is Risen! He has risen indeed! Alleluia! Alleluia!

No Ordinary Friday

2009-04-10T07:49:00.005-05:00

"Six hours. One Friday.
If it really happened... if God did commandeer his own crucifixion...if he did turn his back on his own son...if he did storm Satan's gate, then those six hours that Friday were packed with tragic triumph. If that was God on that cross, then the hill called Skull is a granite studded with stakes to which you can anchor.
Those six hours were no normal six hours. They were the most critical hours in history. For during those six hours on that Friday, God embedded in the earth three anchors points sturdy enough to withstand any hurricane.
Anchor point #1-My life is not futile.
Anchor point #2-My failures are not fatal.
Anchor point #3-My death is not final."
--Max Lucado, Six Hours One Friday, page 24 and 25

My life has been full of distraction. Full of blinding frustration and laced with continual failures. Those failures never seem more large than during a Lenten journey. Especially on Good Friday. Yet the hope, the message of salvation and forgiveness never more real. Easter is coming! A resounding reminder that my failures, my continual sin, my humanity are being put to death every day. Praise God for his mercy!

May this Friday be a Good one for you! Be encouraged--grab hold to the anchors of the cross! Easter is coming!!

Back to the Grind

2009-04-06T10:31:00.003-05:00

We had a great weekend. It is always so fun to catch up with friends, make new friends, relax a little, and wonder how we ever had the stamina to make it through college!! I staged my own mini-reunion a few girlfriends on Friday night and that was absolutely awesome to see those ladies. I wish that I would have had more time with them! We will definitely have to do it again very soon. Huge thanks to my parents for taking care of the kids so we could enjoy the weekend.
There was essentially a blizzard yesterday morning that tore through the mid-section of Iowa. We had the pleasure of driving in it. Actually, I'm glad we left when we did, because although the driving was very tough, we were able to get north to my parents'. The interstate was closed shortly after we came through. Gotta love a blizzard in April. It was 55 degrees on Saturday. Blizzard on Sunday. Awesome!
Getting back to the routine was a little rough this morning. Princess Pigtails has been on spring break from preschool for two weeks. Although I've missed having those few hours twice a week, it was fantastic to not scurry around in the mornings. I'm not too proud to admit that there were a couple of mornings we were still in our jammies at 10a (or later). It was a nice break. Needless to say, getting everyone dressed and around to be out the door at 8:45 was tiring. And difficult. But we made it!
Hope your weekend was fab as well.

And We Are Off!

2009-04-02T21:26:00.003-05:00

Just taking a quick break from cleaning the kitchen and packing the suitcases! We are heading out tomorrow for a fun weekend at DH's Alma Mater. My awesome parents agreed to take our kiddos for the weekend, so we are heading to hang out with some great friends to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his fraternity's local chapter! Looking forward to catching up with old friends, meeting new ones and bonus--it's our first weekend together sans kids since the arrival of The Little Man! Woo-hoo! Have a fantastic weekend. Rest, relax and enjoy!

Got Milk?

2009-04-02T07:18:00.006-05:00

I've been busy thinking up things I can make that will use nearly a gallon of milk that is about to expire...There is nothing more annoying to me than to throw out food. Leftovers are one thing--I really try very hard to get through those or cook smaller amounts to limit the amount of leftovers--but unopened food? What a waste.
Normally, I would just do some baking and make short work of it, but we've been dealing with a house of sickies (again). We are also getting organized to be gone for the weekend. No time for baking so, this week I've made:

Pancakes--the ultimate go-to meal here, breakfast for dinner. Made a double batch, added some blueberries. Froze the remaining pancakes for quick breakfasts down the road...
Baked Custard--a childhood favorite of mine. Yum.
Milkshakes--a treat with burgers and fries!

I've got probably about 2 cups left. I'm thinking homemade pudding...we'll see if I get to it. Not being wasteful--that's something that I love. For more ideas, pop over and see Jill at The Diaper Diaries.

The Mudroom Part 2

2009-03-30T03:55:00.000-05:00

Because the mudroom is a converted porch, it has always been kind of an awkward space. It is long and narrow. It had closets and cupboards on the entire north wall which was great for storage but contributed to an incredible amount of wasted floorspace. Or perhaps the issue was more that I was uncertain how to best utilize the space that was available.

We have taken the space and divided it into three spaces. A room that will eventually be at least a half bath but for the time being will be an office cubby. There will be a small walk-in pantry. And then the larger room for a more formal entry to our home. Because, although it is a side door, it is the only door anyone uses and the house needed a more welcoming and defined entry area.

The new wall dividing the office cubby and the pantry:

We chose laminate wood flooring for this space because of the durability and the abuse it will take. Fingers crossed that it was the right choice.

The entry area:
We would like to do some sort of bench with coat hooks or cubbies along this wall. Still discussing the best configuration and design.

Bead board on the ceiling and crown molding to echo some of the details found else where in our home. Here's a little closer look:

Remaining to-do list:

install the doors
purchase hardware for the doors
measure for trim and window casings
purchase supplies for trim and casings
paint and install trim and casings
paint front door
figure out configuration of bench/coat cubbies/cabinetry for north wall

My Little Birthday Boy

2009-03-28T15:03:00.003-05:00

The Little Man,
One year, already? This year has been full of so many sweet moments. I love your smile, your belly laughs and that you are my snuggler. I love to watch you play with your sister and how quickly you are learning ways to pester her. Your little voice melts my heart. Your mushy kisses bring tears to my eyes. You are a precious blessing that has made me a better person. And I pray, a better mom.
I love you, Buddy.
Mama

The Mudroom Part 1-The Demo

2009-03-28T11:31:00.007-05:00

I've been promising for awhile now that I would post some pictures of our mudroom/back entry remodel. I must preface this post by saying that this remodel has been long overdue. We've wanted to do something with it for a long time. Just never could figure out what so we waited. And waited. And waited. I can't believe that I don't have a full on "before" picture of it's former glory but here are a few. I am sure that you will quickly get the idea. Prepare yourself for a hideous display of faux wood paneling. Here we go:

BEFORE

Northwest corner:
Looking back toward the side/front door after the formerly "white" carpet was ripped out:

Northwest corner after demo-ing the closet, cabinets and paneling:I am certain that this was a former open back porch that was at some point in the mid 60's enclosed and converted into a more functional back entry. Needless to say when it was enclosed they did a lousy job of insulating and this room has always been freezing in the winter. I am glad we were able to take it all the down, insulate well and replace the drafty windows.

Fun thing about demo-ing all the way down is that occasionally you discover that doorways have been moved somewhere along the line.

The Little Man is waking up from his nap...I'll be back with more soon!

More Rambling...

2009-03-26T16:13:00.003-05:00

I'm sorry.

I have no excuses. I really did not intend to leave that last post sitting out there so long. I apologize in advance for the bloggy whiplash you are about to endure.

Are there topics or things you'd like to see me blog about? Questions for me? A give-away? More recipes? More endless rambling? I'd like to know.

It's been an absolutely crazy couple of weeks with two consecutive weekends of birthday celebrations because The Little Man? He turned one last Friday. I can not believe how fast the year went! When I have a minute I will pull the pictures off the camera and post a few here. Promise.

Monday marked the beginning of a two week hiatus from preschool. This week was parent teacher conferences and next week is spring break. It may actually be a miracle if I survive this break. I have not been the mom I want to be lately. This week has only highlighted it. I've been short tempered. I've been unmotivated. I've been undisciplined. I've been struggling with some feelings of resentment and frustration.

I know that I have yet to post pictures on our mudroom. I will get to that as well. Some time soon. I hope.

I hope that the last couple of weeks have gone well for you. And that spring has sprung in your corner of the world. Ours not so much. Cold. Windy. Snow flurries. Ugh.

Open Letter to Local Business

2009-03-13T10:44:00.004-05:00

Dear Local Business Owner,
I adore that you have hours posted that you don't keep. It thrills me to no end that I have made multiple trips uptown to give you business or complete our business transaction, only to find the lights off and the door locked. I truly appreciate that you agreed to complete some work for me, I paid you the small sum with the understanding that the work would be done by a certain date and it was not. It made my week that you asked me to come back when you failed to meet the timeline you set. I love that there is no way to leave a message for you as you apparently do not have voicemail or a machine. It is inspiring to me that apparently your customer base is so broad that you do not need my referrals or repeat business. I am grateful for reminder that my business or satisfaction as a customer is not important.
I am indebted to you.
The Mama

I Let Them Help

2009-03-04T15:33:00.005-06:00

Ever wonder what the end result of having a three year old and a five year old grease bread pans would be? Wonder no longer:

LOVE it! Princess Pigtails and her friend JK helped me make banana bread yesterday. Oh, my word. Who knew so much fun could be had "mushing" the bananas and greasing the pans?!

We've already established that I have some control issues so aren't you proud of me for not being a control freak about this? It was tough, but those girlys had so much fun it was totally worth it!

Confessions of a Magazine Junkie

2009-03-02T20:49:00.004-06:00

I have confessed here before that I am a bit of a magazine junkie. I am a sucker for the slick paper and beautiful pictures. It takes a great deal of will power to make it through the check out lane without purchasing one or five. Serious will power. It's not so much the celebrity gossip that gets me or the fashion mags that draw me close. It's the perfectly accessorized mantle. The deliciously glazed chicken and couscous. The vibrant photo spread of a Victorian rose garden. As I flip through the pages, I sit and soak up the inspiration and dream. Dream of how beautifully my mantle would be decorated if only I had a mantle. I savor the thought that some how, some time I will learn to be a more adventurous cook. And I can fixate on the rose garden of my dreams--you know one that will maintain itself! It is my escape. I love printed media for that reason. There is some thing dreamy about running your fingers over the slick paper. The intoxicating photo journalism and the creative journey that can be sparked by a single photo. It is transforming to me.
I have subscribed to many, many magazines over the years and Lord knows, drug many, many more home with me as stowaways in my grocery sacks. But there has been one magazine that I have always received or picked up nearly my entire adult life. Country Home. My favorite. The one magazine that I couldn't wait to flip through, time and time again. A standard go-to gift subscription. Last summer I finally parted with 10 years of back issues in my efforts to purge the clutter around here. I wish now that I hadn't.
I learned shortly after the February issue arrived that Meredith Corp would no longer be publishing my beloved magazine. The March issue would be the last. Did I mention that my subscription was paid through 2012. I think it would've been better not to know ahead that the March issue would be the last. Really. By the time that it actually arrived I had built up in my brain all that last issue would be that I was disappointed. And bitter. But mostly disappointed.
I know that there are thousands of decorating blogs and e-zines out there. I know that I could get transported to another place by a means other than printed media. And I do frequent many of those blogs. And while I am inspired by many--I often find myself feeling inadequate and overwhelmed. I want to create an inviting and warm place for my family and friends. I want my house to be beautiful and comfortable. Somehow the perfection or results are less intimidating to me when I am gazing at a photo spread that I know was done by professionals for a publication. I can reason with myself that real houses don't look like that. Then in a matter of clicks, I can see that many real houses DO in fact look like that. Sigh. The reality of my lack of talent in this area stings.
I have been notified that the duration of my subscription will be converted to Family Circle. I am sure that is a fine magazine. But Meredith Corp, if you are listening: Family Circle is not the same. It's not the same AT ALL. And I am annoyed. And I am wondering what is going to fill this void. But mostly I am annoyed.

**I promised Jill that I would post some pictures of our mudroom project and progress. So that is my goal for the week. Keep me accountable!!**

Questions for You

2009-03-01T20:40:00.002-06:00

Things I am wondering about:
1. Why is it necessary to explain on the package of Cottonelle that 12 double rolls of toliet paper is equal to 24 single rolls?
2. Why is it that no matter how exhaustive my grocery list is I still get home and the very next meal I try to prepare--we are out of key ingredients? Why? Does this happen to anyone else?
3. Do you decorate above your kitchen cabinets? What do you have up there?

Just an update on the kiddos--The Little Man now has whatever virus Princess Pigtails had the beginning of last week. I thought Princess Pigtails was on the mend but she woke up this afternoon from her nap complaining that her ear hurts. Ugh.

Hope you had a great weekend!

It's Noon and I'm Ready for Bed

2009-02-25T12:22:00.004-06:00

It is one of those days. You know, where you would happily crawl back in bed, pull the covers over your head and sleep until tomorrow?
Princess Pigtails was awake this morning at 4:30 with a fever of 103.3 and coughing, coughing, coughing. All attempts at settling her and getting her back to sleep were futile. Apparently no number of trips to the bathroom, sips of water nor any amount of Motrin was going to convince her that 4:30 am. was an inappropriate time to be awake. Awesome. I was able to buy a few more short minutes of sleep by winding her music box (which is actually an ark...but I digress...). But 5:15 am. found me snuggling a clammy, feverish girl and her glass of orange juice and reasoning with her about why she wasn't going to school. We were both disappointed, for different reasons, but equally so. I have come to really enjoy the few hours I have on Monday and Wednesday morning while she is at school. It is a chance for me to work on a few things around here, catch up with girlfriends, get the rest of my day organized. And today was warm weather day/beach day at school. A day to wear summer clothes and sunglasses and pretend you are at the beach all in the toasty confines of our preschool building, obviously, because, well, we live in Minnesota and it is February.
By 6:00, The Little Man had determined if no one else in the house was sleeping, he was not going to either. Fantastic.
I really thought the morning was going to be fine. Really. Princess Pigtails was content to just relax in the chair, The Little Man played well and then went down for his morning nap. Really, it was going to be fine. Princess Pigtails was coloring at the dining room table. And it was then that morning began to melt down. I am not entirely sure how it began but there was sassing, yelling and lots and lots of crying which landed her in her bed. The screaming all the way up the stairs led to the waking of The Little Man and it was then that fully realized the day was shot. Princess Pigtails did fuss herself to sleep and took a two hour nap, but I'm guessing that may be it for the day. Did I mention her fever and that she has been up since 4:30? I know that God redeems even the worst of days, but right now things are not looking good for the home team. Thankfully tomorrow is a new day, filled with new mercies. Praise God for a new start, another chance to get it right! And thank God for his grace which is sufficient!

"Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22&23

Weekly Recap

2009-02-21T16:15:00.004-06:00

Another crazy week is in the books. Here's a few of the highlights from the week that are still rattling around in my brain:

Had a great time at my friend Lisa's Tastefully Simple party. Probably spent too much money but I really love their products and I enjoy supporting my girlfriends! Thanks, Lisa!

Have you read this post over at SCL? Jon really speaks to something that I've struggled with all my adult life...

The book my Bible study group is doing right now is really interesting...we had a great discussion on Tuesday. I so enjoy those ladies!

Saw this darling little trench for Princess Pigtails in a store window yesterday:
Isn't just the cutest? Princess Pigtails informed me that it was her color and her size. It was a perfect fit. So cute. The price? Not so cute. $168. Seriously, J.Crew. Are you kidding me? $168? For a size 4T jacket? Umm, I'll get right on that.

Finally, had dinner last night with some friends that we have gotten reacquainted with through Facebook. It was so much fun. The kids ran crazy and it was fantastic! So happy they are in The Cities now and love that we were able to catch up! Looking forward to doing it again soon!

Hope you had an awesome week!

Princess Pigtailsese

2009-02-17T08:23:00.005-06:00

I like to think that I fall into a wide category of moms. The moms with good intentions of documenting the lives of their children who somehow get side tracked by life and it really doesn't happen. At least not to the extent that you had hoped or dreamed it would.
I do a little bit of scrap booking and when I go to scrapping retreats I always feel wholly inadequate. There is always one mom there (at least one) that is on scrapbook number 15 of her two year old's life and I sigh because I am not that mom. I want to have beautifully complete scrapbooks complete with journalling and momentos from all their activities. And yet my kids have partially complete scrapbooks and this lowly blog by which their lives are somewhat documented.
I realized the other day that time is fading events and moments that I thought I'd never forget. When you are in the trenches, the wisdom of "writing it all down" is sometimes lost or on the list of "to dos" that never get done. Or in my case, the to do list is probably buried somewhere. My Princess Pigtails is growing up. One no longer needs a glossary of Princess Pigtailsese to converse with her. But there was a day not that long ago that she had her own words for things. When she toddled around and was just learning to speak. So if you will please indulge me, I want to document some of her "words", her Princess Pigtailsese so that when I forget, when I wonder what happened to my baby, I will be reminded. Sweetly reminded.

Potholders/hot pads/oven mitts="pot pots"
Happy Birthday="happy do-do"
Lisa (a dear friend of mine that has allowed us to use her day care as drop in care at times)=SeeSaw
Yogurt=yogrut
Gravy= graaby
Pretzels=prencils

I love that the last two are still in her vocabulary. I hear myself correcting her. Wanting her to pronounce the words correctly. Reflecting upon those times I know that she will figure it out. She will not be a thirty year old serving her baby "yogrut". And if she is, so be it. I mean there are adults that pronounce wrestling as "rastlin"!

The Kitchen

2009-02-13T14:04:00.008-06:00

So, here are some "after" pictures of the kitchen. Go here if you missed the "before"... go ahead, I'll wait. Back? Okay, here we go:

My new ceiling:

I know. Pretty much looks like a ceiling. Thanks for humoring me.
(If you look closely at the door frame to the left, you'll notice we have some painting left to do...shhh.) The door on the right is the walkway out to the mudroom...

I'll apologize in advance for the glare in some of these pictures. A professional photographer I am not.

Some shots of the new floor:

I'm happy with the job the contractor did...

The cabinetry (which is not new, but I still love it) on the opposite wall:

My pot rack:

So, there you have it...thanks for asking, encouraging me and generally putting up with my whining over the last six months while this was in various stages of done.

Happy Friday!

Things I Love Thursday--Smooth Edge Can Opener

2009-02-12T08:53:00.002-06:00

Jill over at The Diaper Diaries is hosting another "Things I Love Thursday". This week I want to talk about my healthy appreciation for quality cooking utensils. Please know that this is not a product review--as in no one is paying me to gush. That being said, I could go on and on about my love of many things Pampered Chef and maybe some time I will. Wouldn't THAT be gripping? A run down of my personal Top 10 Pampered Chef utensils...Now there IS something to look forward to. Yikes. Anyway, where was I? Have you tried the Pampered Chef Smooth Edge Can Opener? The whole reason I bought mine was that unlike standard hand-held can openers it WILL open those pull top cans. Am I the only one that hates those? Here is the answer:
It will open those stupid pull top cans, it leaves a "smooth edge" (go figure) on both the can and the lid and I love mine. In my opinion, it is totally worth every last penny of the $17.50 it cost.

To share something that you love or for more things that you can't or shouldn't live without, head on over and see Jill.

Wednesday Randomness

2009-02-11T15:14:00.004-06:00

Happy Wednesday! In an effort to recollect my brain here's an update of sorts. I apologize now for the randomness of it all!

Thank you so much for the encouragement regarding Princess Pigtails and her stalling techniques at the dinner table. I appreciate your thoughts and advice. I've really been limiting her snacks/drinks and she seems to be eating in a more efficient manner...hoping that it continues! Fingers crossed!

The Little Man will be 11 months on Saturday. Which hardly seems possible... Have I told you he is walking? Walking!! Has been at it for two weeks now and each day he is gaining more speed and confidence. He so badly wants to chase after his sister! Watch out Princess Pigtails!

I think that the kitchen is finally put back together. And the floor? Love it. If anyone is interested, I'll post some pictures.

We are making slow progress in the mudroom. Hoping that we can install the bead board ceiling this weekend. Then flooring, trim and doors...maybe we can be done by spring??

I've really been having some serious writer's block. Did you know that the number one google search that lands folks on my blog? My post about reheating ground beef. Interesting? I told you I have writer's block.

That's all I've got. What's on your "by spring" project list?

Things I Love Thursday--Homemade Jewelry Cleaner

2009-02-05T06:45:00.006-06:00

Wow. Okay, so I've been completely off track the last few months with posts, but I discovered something yesterday that I just had to share.
Maybe some of you own one of those sonic jewelry cleaners. If you do--lucky you. For those of us that don't--I found a "recipe" for homemade jewelry cleaner! Very easy and from the little I used it yesterday, very effective!

Here you go:
1 cup of water
Foil to cover the bottom of a bowl
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. dishwasher detergent
Directions:
Heat the water in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. While that is heating, line the bottom of a bowl with foil. Pour the heated water over the foil, add the salt, soda and detergent. Add jewelry and let it soak for 5-10 minutes. Maybe longer if heavy soiled. Use a new "batch" for additional jewelry.

The directions caution the use of the cleaner on certain stones/metals. Like don't use it to clean your pearl ring or Grandma's cameo...

I found this "recipe" on Recipezaar. Which is a pretty amazing site, if you haven't stopped been over there...I had to chuckle, however, because the recipe was complete with nutritional information. Apparently, if you were to digest this concoction, you would consume like 1000% of the recommended sodium intake. I'm thinking that dishwasher detergent might be more of concern...

Got something that you love? Head on over to The Diaper Diaries and see my friend Jill. Link up and spread the word. Check out the other links and while you are there wish her safe travels. She's heading to Nashville this weekend for Blissdom.

Please Advise

2009-02-03T12:51:00.004-06:00

For a good part of the last year, our darling Princess Pigtails has been driving me/us crazy at the dinner table. We have been working with her on the typical table manner things--not playing with her food, not taking her food off her plate and placing it on the table, not tipping her chair, etc. These are typical antics of a three year old, right? Or do I have unrealistic expectations. I know that a three year old isn't going to be an expert with utensils yet. That's fine with me--well, I wish she was, but I know that will come and I can deal with that.
Here's the issue: That girl will not stay on task at the table for anything. During most meals, she plays and fusses and talks and picks at her food. She does eat eventually. But not until we've encouraged her, nagged her and sometimes, I admit, bribed her.

What I've tried so far:

I've re-evaluated the serving sizes I've given her but that doesn't seem to make a bit of difference.
What the menu is doesn't seem to make a bit of difference either.
We used to have a rule and will in the future that everyone needs to be done before people can be excused from the table. But currently that is unrealistic considering it takes her for most meals over an hour to eat. Sometimes an hour and a half.
It doesn't seem to bother her that I clean up the table and move to another room.
I've tried not letting her have snacks at all and that has had limited results.

So, please tell me. Is this normal? What else should I try? I'm nearly ready to pull my hair out. HELP!!

How to Induce a Sugar Coma

2009-01-27T08:19:00.004-06:00

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe that I think you really must try--which is amazing, because there for a while it was feeling a bit like all I was doing was posting recipes. Which I was. Only posting recipes. DH was asked to bring "bars" to our church's annual meeting on Sunday--which truly proves that we are "Lutrans" as they say around here, because a church meeting isn't actually a full fledged meeting with out bars. Or coffee.
Anywhoo, I often times keep the good old "boxes" of brownie mix on hand for such occasions--but when I went the pantry, there were no boxes of brownie mix only 7 boxes of yellow cake mix. And one white. And I really wanted to make brownies. So, I pulled out a cook book and started flipping through...page 146. Bingo. A recipe that I wanted to try. And I did. And those brownies? A little piece of heaven. Which I suppose is appropriate considering they were headed for a church meeting.

Because I think that you really should try these, I am passing this recipe on. I will warn you, it's a bit more work than just opening a box. Okay, a lot more work than just opening a box. But so worth it. And you might want to be certain that you have some place to take these or are having folks over. Because it makes a lot and I can't be held responsible for my readers consuming the entire pan. In one setting.

Buttermilk Brownies
Sift together:
2 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa powder
2 c. flour

Bring to boil:
1 stick butter
1 c. cold water
1/2 c. oil
Once it has come to a boil, pour over dry ingredients and beat until creamy.

Add:
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 tsp. soda

Beat thoroughly. Bake in large, greased cookie sheet for 18 minutes at 400 degrees. (This is actually a huge amount of batter. I used a sheet pan and it was perfect.)

Icing:
1 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla
4 1/4 c. powdered sugar (use own judgement)
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1/3 c. buttermilk
Bring butter, cocoa and buttermilk to boil. Add sugar and vanilla; mix well. Stir in chopped nuts, if desired. Pinch of salt can be added to each.

From "Favorites at Flora Lynne's: A Collection of Recipes", pg. 146.

Enjoy!

Drop in the Bucket

2009-01-22T13:54:00.003-06:00

Since the first of the year, Princess Pigtail's preschool class has been talking about the concept of love buckets. The idea is that each of us carries an "emotional" bucket. When some one is kind to us or shows us compassion, they help fill our bucket. When someone is rude or uses unkind words, they empty our bucket. The preschool class has made buckets too illustrate the point and use this language when discussing their interactions with one another. This terminology has also made it's way to our home.
I love this concept because it is such an easy way for preschoolers to learn that their actions affect others. That what they say and do is a part of those around them. If only us adults could keep this top of mind how much more we could accomplish! Shortly after "buckets" were introduced at school, the kiddos and I were pulling into the garage here at home. I had stopped at the end of the drive way and got the mail, so in addition to helping Princess Pigtails with her backpack and wrestling both her and The Little Man out of their respective car seats, I had my purse and the mail to contend with as well. Anywhoo, as I shut the truck off, Princess Pigtails said "Mama, you could just put the mail in my backpack. Then you wouldn't have so many things to carry." I told her that I thought that was a great idea and thanked her for being so thoughtful. She smiled and said "You're welcome. I just filled your bucket." I laughed and agreed that yes she had filled my bucket. It was such a sweet exchange. My heart just melted right there.
So this past Monday, Princess Pigtail's class learned the Bible story of Joseph.
Me: "So, tell me about Joseph. What did you learn?"
PP: "Well, he had a fancy coat."
Me: "He sure did. What else did you learn?"
PP: "Umm...his brothers pushed him in a hole."
Me: "You're right. His brothers were not very kind to him."
PP: "Yeah. They emptied his bucket."

(They sure did alright. Plotting to kill him. Selling him into slavery. Telling his father that he is dead. That would empty any one's bucket.)

As a mom, I'm always feeling like mine is half full at best. And those around me? Can't say that I'm always that great at filling their buckets either. Snapping words. Barking orders. Gentle nagging. Empty. Empty. Empty. Just keeping it real...the buckets around here could stand to be filled more frequently.

How's your bucket today? What have you done to fill someone else's bucket today?

Foiled

2009-01-11T21:22:00.003-06:00

Can someone explain to me why a roll of foil is so expensive? Is it foil speculations? I literally stood dumb-founded in front of the shelf of foil yesterday at Wal-Mart. Perhaps it's just me but $7.37 for 200 sq. feet of tin foil seems a little ridiculous, right?

Just an observation. Carry on.

The Picture of Health and Wellness, We are.

2009-01-06T15:12:00.004-06:00

I just want to crawl in my bed and pull the covers up over my head. Because if the last six days are what 2009 are going to be like for us, I'm not sure I am ready.

I will back up and say that we had great times with our families over Christmas. We nearly missed time with my grandparents due to an ice storm. There was about a three hour span on the Saturday after Christmas that I didn't think the two hour drive from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's house was going to happen due to the ice. To say I was heart broken was an understatement. In light of the health things that have gone on with my Grandma over the last couple of months, I just felt it so important to get down there. I also knew that my grandparents were looking forward to having ALL their grand kids and great-grand kids (there were five new greats in 08!) together and I didn't want to disappoint. I knew they would understand given the weather, but still...We made it and had some sweet moments with my grandparents as a result. I am so glad that God allowed us to get there. Grandma is on the mend, by the way! Thank you for the prayers on her behalf.
We got home and had barely enough time to unpack, pick up a few groceries, stash the Christmas gifts/plunder/groceries and get organized to have a few friends over on New Year's eve. It was craziness getting that all accomplished, but I am so glad we did. What fun we had.

Enter 2009.

Friday morning, the kiddos both woke up with a sniffle. DH reported from work he thought he was coming down with a cold too. I was in denial.
Saturday, we definitively all have colds. And great! woke to the furnace clanking! Not as bad as this time, but not healthy sound for a furnace. In January. In Minnesota. Fantastic! (I have to say I am a little disturbed after looking up that link, to find that the last episode occurred on January 3rd 2008. A year exactly? Bizarre. Do you think I should just go ahead and book the HVAC repair guy for next year? )
Sunday, woke up and definitely still all have colds. And just for variety's sake, I have the stomach flu to go along with mine. Lovely. My darling, darling husband took such good care of me and the kids while I was sick. Thank you, thank you, thank you, Honey. You are amazing.
Sunday night, Princess Pigtails, despite all of the remedies I could come up with, was up practically the entire night coughing. She had 102.7 temp yesterday morning and began complaining in the middle of the night that her ear hurt. I'm sure you can see where this is going.
I called the clinic first thing because as it turned out I already had an appointment scheduled yesterday morning for The Little Man's well child check. So, took them both in. Princess Pigtails has a double ear infection. The doctor's words were "her ears look like hamburger". Great. Her first ear infection and it is a double? That's harsh.
The Little Man? Oh, yeah. He also has an ear infection. He was supposed to be my WELL child. So, antibiotics all around and little Robitussin AC for good measure and we are back on the road to health and wellness.
I forgot to mention that DH had called while we were in route to the clinic to let me know that his "consultation" appointment at the endodonist was resulting in an immediate root canal. Outstanding.
So, I pray we are on the mend now. The kiddos have been on their meds for 24 hours now. My cough is easing up. I'm keeping Princess Pigtails home from dance tonight and going to miss my Bible study. But hopefully tomorrow will be the start of some healthier days for us all.

Here's to hoping that your 2009 is off to a much better start than mine! That 2009 will be a year of HEALTH all the way around and that it will find you feeling blessed beyond measure!

Fa La La La La La La La La

2008-12-23T05:56:00.003-06:00

I have been scurrying around here the last few days. Friday evening, I was able to finish most of my shopping. Alone. In. A. Store. I mean there were other people there, but no one that I was related to or that I had to try to keep in a cart. :) It was truly a Christmas miracle!

Saturday morning, we headed out in the snow storm to finish the remaining shopping I needed to do and to go Home Depot to purchase the flooring for my kitchen. Rumor has it our contractor may install it while we are traveling. Fingers crossed! I managed to get most of the gifts wrapped and under the tree. And for the most part, The Little Man left them alone. Amazing.

Sunday we went to church, DH worked out in the mudroom, hanging the last of the drywall. I frantically put the final touches on the gifts and worked on cleaning up around here. Because in light of all the frantic Christmas related scurrying, the house was closing in with the piles and heaps. And the piles.

Sunday evening, we had a very traditional holiday meal of Chinese take out and opened our gifts. Since we always travel over Christmas, DH and I have always opened our gifts the Sunday prior to Christmas. And I guess it is now becoming our family tradition. It was such a sweet time for our family. The Little Man was nearly oblivious to the activity around him. Princess Pigtails was honing her gift opening skills and it pleased her that she was able to open her brother's gifts as well. Apparently, by opening his gifts as well, she felt she could claim his toys as hers. Hmm. This could come in handy...hmm.

I pray that you all have a fantastic and meaningful Christmas. May Christ be in all your celebrations and grant you a sense of Peace. We will be traveling over the holidays. So excited to see our family and catch up. Princess Pigtails will be exhausted from the cousin extravaganza! It will be so fun. I will try to check in sometime next week. Blessings!

8And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ^[a] the Lord. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14"Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
15When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."
16So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told."
Luke 2:8-16, NIV

A Little Progress

2008-12-17T06:43:00.003-06:00

I am so done already with the cold. It was -24 yesterday morning. That is just wrong. However, I will say, it's weather like this that reminds me of how blessed we are to be able to provide a warm house for our family. And thankful for the remote starter on my truck.

Remember this? We have progress! The contractors were here yesterday. There is no longer a giant, gaping hole in my kitchen ceiling. Merry Christmas to me! The Taper will be here today and maybe, fingers crossed, he will be done with the whole thing tomorrow.

Did you check out some of the great home tours going on right now? Some pretty remarkable homes. I spent some time the other night clicking through some tours. Thank you to those that stopped by here are looked around. But good grief. After looking through some of those homes, I came to three conclusions:
1. My house looks like a Charlie Brown tree in comparison to most of those homes.
2. My kids must be more "ornery" (to use my Grandma's favorite expression) than others, because there is no way 75% of those decorations would survive here. And The Little Man is only 9 months. I fear the destruction that will occur in coming years!
3. Decorating to that extent would require loads and loads of trips to the attic and back with totes. I despise that part of decking the halls. And I am lazy.

There is one tour that I keep thinking about however. One entry way that caused my mouth to drop and my mind to fixate on it. I can. not. get over this entry way. Oh. MY. Word. I seriously spent like 10 minutes just staring at that garland, trying to take in every last detail.

Take a moment or two to relax today. Give yourself a time out from the preparations to enjoy the season. And really, you should swing through a few of the over 600 homes on BooMama's tour of homes for some inspiration and distraction.

Blessings to you all!

The Halls Are Somewhat Decked

2008-12-15T11:06:00.013-06:00

Christmas is right around the corner and I thought it might be fun to participate in BooMama's Christmas Tour of Homes. ***Edited to add that I realized Julia at Hooked on Houses and Rhoda at Southern Hospitality are also hosting Tours.
Welcome! Let me introduce you to your hostess for the tour, Princess Pigtails:
Mama says the best place to start is with our tree:This is the big tree in our living room. Mama says maybe some day we'll be able to put ornaments on the bottom part of the tree! But not anytime soon since my brother is in to everything!

Here is the built in hutch in our dining room:
Mama made one of Nester's "Ragamuffin" garlands to hang our Christmas cards from:
Mama said that it might be hard to see in the picture and she's not sure she likes it there. It's hanging on our front door that opens up onto the front porch. I think it is fun to be able to see all the cards while I am coming down the stairs.

So here is the wreath Mama hung on the stairs landing:
It is right beside my favorite window in the whole house. I like to stand at the window and watch what is going on outside! Especially when Daddy is plowing snow or when our friend, Farmer Wayne is loading or unloading his grain wagons! Or to await the arrival of visitors!

And here is my room:
This year Mama surprised me and put a tree in my room while I was at school! I make sure that my mama plugs it in right away when I wake up in the morning and she lets me go to sleep with it on! The ornaments are my very own. Mama says that most of them are from my Godparents (they give me a ornament every year) and my first Christmas.

Oh! Did you hear that? Mama says she has some cookies ready for us:Let's grab a cookie. And maybe if we ask nicely Mama will make us some hot chocolate!

Thank you for stopping by! Have a very Merry Christmas! And make sure you go back to BooMama's blog, Julia's and Rhoda's to tour some more houses!

She Gets It, She Really Gets It

2008-12-11T12:58:00.008-06:00

My sweet friend Jill and I were talking the other day about "growing up" church and having parents that set the excellent example of living out faith in community. I suppose that it could be argued that it was expected of my dad. But my mom has always been involved and engaged in the congregations that my father has served and likewise, the presence of my brother and I was not optional in our family. When you are a teenager, either you embrace it or rebel. I chose to embrace it.
As an adult, and particularly as a parent, I have found it be important to be involved in a faith community for so many reasons. When we moved out here the first thing we did was begin to search for a church home. We are nurturing faith in our children and doing our best to live our faith authentically.
As Princess Pigtails is getting older, we have begun teaching her about giving of our resources--primarily our financial resources. One of the main principles that we have been working with her on is all that we have belongs to God. I know that may seem lofty and to be more than a three year old can reasonably internalize. However she gets it. In fact she just took up an offering in our living room.
PP: Okay, Mama, put this money in the basket when I hand it you. (Hands me a plate from her tea set.)
Me: Alright.
PP: Mama, it's not our money. It's God's money. Put God's money right here in the basket.
Me: Why do we put God's money in the basket?
PP: So that we put God's money in the basket because God's money needs to have enough money to help people who don't have enough. (Really the only editing I did was to eliminate a couple of "ands" and a few more "becauses".)

On a side note, we went to get our tree on Saturday and to see Santa. As frequently happens on a car trip, Princess Pigtails was serenading us from the backseat. The songs are some times known to us and often times nonsensical tunes or a combination of two or ten songs. Thus her rendition of "Zaccheus" on Saturday. Does anyone else remember this song from Sunday School?
Zaccheus was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see.
And as the Savior passed that way
He looked up in the tree.
And he said, "Zaccheus you come down.
For I'm going to your house today."

Princess Pigtails version:

Santa was a wee little man
And a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree
For the Lord he wanted to see.
And as the Savior passed that way,
He looked up in the tree.
And he said, "Santa! You come down.
For I'm going to your house today."

Ah, my girl. Love that Little Bug.

Works for Me Wednesday--Activity Bag

2008-12-03T05:12:00.004-06:00

Last winter as preparations were made for the arrival of The Little Man, I was naturally concerned about Princess Pigtails. One of my main concerns was how to entertain a 2 1/2 year old during the sweet times that I would be feeding the baby. My friend Sheri, suggested that I put together an activity bag for her. Brilliant. Why didn't I think of that??
The activity bag consisted of several new books, Magic Pen coloring books, a couple of easy puzzles from the dollar bins, a magnet board, etc. The one rule was that the bag and items contained there in, could only be out when I was feeding the baby. Once done, the bag had to be put away until the next time. She loved it. It kept her occupied and entertained without the television involved. It was fabulous. And it Work(ed) for Me.

For more great tips, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer.

A Christmas Meme

2008-12-02T15:40:00.005-06:00

I am having trouble focusing these days, so I thought I would try a little Christmas meme that I ran across to focus some of my energy. Feel free to play along!

Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Occasionally gift bags. But especially for Christmas--wrapping paper and lots of ribbon. I actually love to wrap gifts and love to indulge in real ribbon but the last couple of years I have been so scattered and in a hurry that I simply haven't taken the time with the wrapping...

Real or Artificial tree?
Both. I have a couple of the smaller artificial trees and we always have a real tree in the living room.

When do you put up the tree?
The real tree usually goes up the first weekend of December. Ideally the other trees and decorations go up right after Thanksgiving, but now with kids the process is slower.

Favorite Christmas gift received as a child?
Probably my roller skates or the purple "boom box".

Hardest person to buy for? My hubby.

Easiest person to buy for? The kids.

Do you have a nativity scene? Of course. Two, actually and the Fisher Price Little People one for the kiddos. Too cute.

Mail or email Christmas cards? For sure...MAILED! I love getting cards and pictures and especially the goofy little letters that brag up the family. I love Christmas mail!

Worst Christmas gift you ever received? GI Joe Walkie Talkies. Actually, that year I got a CD player, which was a great gift, but my mom in all her efforts to keep things secretive, didn't put the tags on the "big" gifts for my brother and I.

Favorite Christmas Movie? I really love all the Christmas movies and specials but if I have to pick a few as favorites they would be: White Christmas, Christmas Vacation, Charlie Brown's Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas.

When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually some time mid November.

Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I plead the 5th.

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? My mom's sugar cookies.

Lights on the tree? Are they optional?

Favorite Christmas song? "Oh, Holy Night" or "Mary, Did You Know?"

Travel at Christmas or stay home? Always travel. Our family is all elsewhere.

Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? YaSureYaBetchaYa.

Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel

Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning after some coffee and the reading of the Christmas story.

Most annoying thing about this time of the year? The preoccupation with details that are inconsequential and short tempers that detract from the Real Reason of the season.

Favorite ornament theme or color? Red and snow flakes.

Favorite for Christmas dinner? Growing up we always had cheese burgers on Christmas Eve. Since my father's a pastor, the meal always had to be something quick that could be put together after or between Christmas Eve services.

How about you? What are your favorite Christmas traditions?

Turkey, Stars and Garlands

2008-12-01T06:36:00.007-06:00

Another Thanksgiving is in the books. We had a fabulous weekend. We hosted. We used the good dishes for the first time in eight years. It was awesome. Don't know what kind of occasion I've been waiting for, but this was a good one. Thanksgiving and the celebration of my parents' 37th anniversary.
Now, I'm in the midst of dragging out the totes of Christmas. I love having a well decorated home for the holidays. But am I the only one that hates the multiple trips to the attic to haul boxes? We will get our tree next weekend and I would like to have the rest of the house ready so that the tree is the final touch. So, I must push on. Ugh.
I have holiday crafts to finish. Here's a little glimpse of what I've been working on:
Item #1:Item #2:Item #3:

These stars are my favorite of the things I've been working on. I got the idea from Sherry over at Creations from My Heart. (Thanks, Sherry.) I had so much fun making the two I have done, that I bought supplies to do another two. Can't wait to get started.

Finally, (and I don't have a picture of the two I have done) I've been making some of Nester's ragamuffin garlands with a holiday theme. Here's a sample picture from Nester's website:
I just think her garlands are absolutely adorable. I made a couple this fall as valances for Princess Pigtails' windows. I had so much fun I decided that the garlands would make a great touch for the holiday decor. I'm thinking you could add ring hooks and display Christmas cards?

My brain is just swimming with ideas and to-do's. How about you?

Happy decorating!

Gobble, Gobble

2008-11-27T06:51:00.002-06:00

Enjoy your day. Relax. Eat too much. Watch some football. Break out some board games or a deck of cards. Whatever you do, how ever you celebrate, take a moment to reflect on the many ways that you have been blessed. Meditate on those blessings as you begin to prepare your heart for the coming holidays. Focus on all that you have been entrusted, not what you are lacking.
Have a fantastic holiday.
Happy Thanksgiving.

Boo!

2008-11-24T21:40:00.006-06:00

I give you The Cheerleader:

And the Boo Boo Chicken:

Down on the Farm

2008-11-24T20:34:00.006-06:00

Finally. Here's some pictures of our trip to A Maze N Farmyard back in October.

Couldn't get them both to look at me at the same time for anything. Oh, well.
What a great day!

I Bet They Wished There was a Tool for That

2008-11-24T13:07:00.002-06:00

When I picked up Princess Pigtails and JK from preschool today, I glanced at the parent note and saw that they had talked about the Pilgrims today. The note usually contains some questions to ask in hopes of getting the kids to tell you more about their time at school. I generally use the time in the truck with the girls to go over these questions. As we drove away from preschool this morning, I began asking the girls what they had talked about today. After some discussion and prompting, they informed me, "Pilgrims". The next question on the note was "What did the Pilgrim children do?" The answer from the back seat? "They worked to earn money for their families. And they picked berries and scooped up goat poop."

So, there you have it folks. Your lesson for the day.

A Cheerleader, A BooBoo Chicken, and Other Random Details

2008-11-17T21:49:00.008-06:00

Oh,Internets, I've missed you. Really, I have. It has been ridiculous around here and I am feeling a need to explain my absence. Here's the scoop since I last posted:

Halloween: Princess Pigtails was a cheerleader and was completely bummed that she left her pom-poms in the truck during trick or treating. Said disappointment was quickly overshadowed by the sheer JOY of going from house to house with her sweet friend, Addy. The girls were equally amazed that someone would give them candy for their buckets simply for saying "Trick or Treat!". It was hilarious. The Little Man was a chicken--frequently referred to as BooBoo Chicken, as he was not so impressed with the costume. But goodness it was cute. He and Addy's baby sister, Reese, enjoyed the trick or treating scenery from the luxury ride of Reese and Addy's wagon. The Little Man also thought it was entertaining to attempt removal of Reese's ladybug attenae during the course of trick or treating. Good times, good times.

The Little Man: Pretty efficient with the Army crawl now. Really it's more of a dragging of his body, as he only uses one arm and one leg to accomplish forward motion. It's the funniest thing to watch, but it works for him. He has also managed the whole moving himself into a sitting position from the back/stomach. The edge of his third tooth came through over the weekend and we are in the midst of transition from baby food to table food.

DH: After a couple days off, he is into WEEK 2 of the new job. So far, so good. (Thank you for the prayers!) Loved having him home for a couple of days, but it totally through off our routine! Still having an on-going dental saga continues. We are on month 4 of this drama. I should check if the dentist has some kind of frequent customer punch card or something. Hopefully we have rounded the corner on this now.

House: Still have a hole in my kitchen ceiling. Waiting on our contractor to get to us. Which is totally fine. Really. Because did I tell you? We have now demo'ed our back entry/mudroom/main door that everyone uses. Why now? Guess we didn't have enough chaos in our lives. And we are hosting Thanksgiving. But DH has been really working hard out there. The three new windows are in and he worked on framing in my new pantry yesterday. Yeah! So excited! Let me say, however, that it is amazing to me how significantly having the mudroom under construction has impacted the rest of the house. Crazy.

Me: I have been totally engrossed in a slew of crafts that I am working on for Christmas gifts. It has been so much fun. And the best part? I am like 75% done with Christmas gifts! Woo-hoo! However, I feel like I am getting further behind with each new day. Agh.
There are a couple of things weighing heavy on me right now:
My grandma had surgery 10 days ago to replace her defibrillator. The surgery appears to have gone well but she is experiencing quite a few struggles in her recovery. She was admitted back in to the hospital today after she apparently began to bleed through her shirt while on the elevator on the way up to see the doctor. It has been a difficult couple of weeks for her and my grandpa who has been the primary care giver.
My uncle who has been in treatment for cancer the last year begins a new consultation and program in Houston this week. If you would please join me in covering my dear Grandma and Uncle Dennis in prayer, I would be so grateful.

It's a Souptacular and Crockpotalooza

2008-10-30T05:55:00.009-05:00

In case you haven't heard...Sophie over at Boo Mama is hosting a Souptacular/Crockpotalooza today! I may or may not have mentioned one or fifteen times that I am always looking for yummy recipes. I am going to rerun the recipes that I offered up for a Souptacular Works for me Wednesday back in January for those that missed it! I'll be over at Boo Mama's if you need me! Stop by and check out some fabulous recipes!

Country Cheddar Soup

2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 C. chopped carrot
1/2 C. chopped onion
1/2 C. chopped celery
5 Tbsp. flour
4 C. chicken broth
3 C. shredded cheddar cheese
12 oz. can of evaporated milk
Freshly ground pepper

In large saucepan melt butter. Add carrot, onion and celery. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until the veggies are tender. Sprinkle the veggies with flour, adding it 1 Tbsp. at a time, stirring until the flour is blended in. Add chicken broth to the saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat, add the shredded cheese, stirring with a large whisk until the cheeses is melted. Slowly add evaporated milk, stirring until the mixture is well blended and heated through. Add freshly ground pepper to taste. I also garnish with crumbled bacon--cause I can! :) Makes 6-8 servings.

Creamy Potato Soup

This is a soup recipe that I grew up with. One of my favorites...
Peeled, sliced potatoes (I usually figure 1 large potato per person that I am serving)
1/2 C. diced onion
1/2 C. diced carrot

1/2 C. diced celery

1/2 tsp. salt

Cook potatoes in just enough water to cover. Once potatoes have cooked, do not drain--add 1 can of cream of chicken soup. Stir to combine and cook on medium-heat until heated through. Serve. I garnish with crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar cheese and fresh ground black pepper. You could also garnish with sour cream and chive or green onions. (I have on occasion frozen the left overs and then reheated them in the crock pot later and it worked very well.)

Ahem, Is This Thing On?

2008-10-24T07:54:00.003-05:00

Hey all. Remember me? I'm Maria. I used to blog around here. It has been a crazy last 10 days. I've got a lot of catching up to do. Here's what's been going around here:

My mom came up last Thursday night. Friday morning she and I left for St. Paul to attend Women of Faith. I've lost track how many of these weekends I've been to, maybe 8 or 10? Always fantastic! Loved the time with my mom and few girlfriends!

DH did his first solo over night with the kiddos. Everyone did pretty well--even my Little Man, who happens to be quite the mama's boy. I was nervous for all of them. Mostly because I know how miserable it can be listen to a screaming baby for hours on end. But thankfully (Praise God) my concerns were unwarranted. Thanks, DH for making it possible for me to be gone!

Tuesday evening, the women's organization at our church hosted the Fall Gathering for our conference. Which probably means nothing to you. Basically, we were responsible for helping plan an evening for 150 women, including dinner, leadership training and worship. I am currently serving as President of our local unit and many of the details fell to me. And those details consumed much of my time over the last couple of weeks. It was a great evening and I am SO GLAD that it is over. SO GLAD. Again, my DH came to the rescue and ran the projection at church for the worship service. I don't know what I do without him!

My house is reflective of my time being spent ironing out details for that event and being gone to Women of Faith. There is a tour of homes going on today over at one of my favorite sites. I would love to participate, but good grief the amount of work that needs to be done prior to taking pictures is overwhelming. We'll see...but if you love to look at homes, you really should head over and see Julia. I could spend hours on her site. Oh, wait. I do spend hours on her site. Maybe that is contributing to the condition of my house?

We are going to be doing some work in our back entry. It is in desperate need of attention and has been on "The List" since we moved in six years ago. But you know how that goes, always something else going on! Last night, DH pulled trim off a couple of the windows to measure for replacements. So, the wheels are now in motion and I am going to be battling with my tendency to make the project bigger than originally planned. Any one with me?

DH is in the process of changing jobs. He put in his notice this week and has begun the transition process. Please keep him in your prayers as he makes this move.

Have a fantastic weekend! I've missed you all. Maybe I'll be back later with pictures. Speaking of, I still owe you all pictures from A Maze N Farmyard a couple of weeks ago!

Nursery Rhymes Princess Pigtails Style

2008-10-12T15:29:00.002-05:00

As I was cleaning up the kitchen after lunch today, I could hear Princess Pigtails in the hallway "reading" to her stuffed animals:

"Mary, Mary quite contrary how does your garden grow?
With silver bells and TACO shells and pretty maids all in a row."

Weekend Misc and Hubs

2008-10-11T07:42:00.007-05:00

Happy Saturday! What a beautiful morning.

While my kids didn't necessarily sleep in, they slept until a reasonable hour. (I'm wondering when 6a became a reasonable hour. I am so OLD.)
We baked the other pan of cinnamon rolls that I had in the fridge.
We are heading to Amaze N Farmyard today. They are having their Fall Festival--pumpkin patch, petting zoo, etc. We've never been and I am so excited to see Princess Pigtail's reaction. Stay tuned for pictures.
Tomorrow evening is Marriage Care at church. I've got to figure out what to make for the potluck. Any suggestions?
Jill posted this on Friday. I thought that it looked kind of fun and since I am at loss, I thought that I would play along. I will leave you with this...

Here's a little bit about my DH (Love you, Honey!):

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Well, he's a little of a TV addict, his TiVo list includes: The Unit, Chuck, Tougher in Alaska, and Good Eats. So, it's probably one of those unless he has gotten suckered by Princess Pigtails, then it is most likely Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He also could be good with constant streaming of the History channel.

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Bleu Cheese

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Tomatoes--although he tries to eat one slice per summer(when they are the BEST) just to check if he still dislikes them! He is also not a fan of the green pepper.

4. You go out. What does he order to drink? Depends. Either an Arnie Palmer, Dr. Pepper no ice or a beer (usually Blue Moon or a Bud Light).

5. Where did he go to high school? Champaign Centennial and Marshalltown.

6. What size shoe does he wear? 10 1/2.

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Guns and power tools.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? A great Ruben or cheeseburger.

9. What would he eat every day if he could? Pizza or burgers.

10. What is his favorite cereal? Coco Pebbles or Peanut Butter Crunch.

11. What would he never wear? Anything with the University of Iowa Hawkeyes logo.

12. What is his favorite sports team? The Iowa State Cyclones.

13. Who will he vote for? He can share in the comments if he wants you to know.

14. Who is his best friend? Me. :) hehehe I suppose this is referring to "guy" friends. Hmm. I can say when he has a good joke to share he will usually call: Scott, Aaron (his brother) and Bill.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? Spend time perusing real estate listings and then randomly emailing him the listing "just because".

16. How many states has he lived in? 4--Nebraska, Illinois, Iowa and Minnesota

17. What is his heritage? German

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what would it be? He would like German Chocolate or Red Velvet.

19. Did he play sports in high school? Yep. Soccer, football and wrestling.

20. What could he spend hours doing? Looking at/playing with/talking about guns or watching TV.

21. Does he belong to any men's organizations? He was a Theta Xi at ISU.

What I am Learning From Evie

2008-10-10T09:26:00.006-05:00

My Bible study group has just started Liz Curtis Higg's Bad Girls of the Bible. We met this week to discuss the first chapter, a lesson on Eve or "Evie" as the author refers to her. What a chapter. I think that each of us had mistakenly assumed that having heard the story of The Fall hundreds of times since childhood, that we were pretty familiar with the story. And while that is probably true, I can tell you that in all my life I have never thought on Eve as much as I have in the last week. It was a fresh Word.

I do not want to turn this into a political or "dire economic situation" post. I do want to share that as I have mulled this over in my brain this week, God has actually been using this week's lesson to speak to me about our Nation's current "mess". The economy. The election time mudslinging. The fraud and lack of integrity in nearly every news story. It keeps bringing me back to God's Word and The Garden. The serpent was there with two promises: "your eyes will be opened" Gen. 3:5 and "you will be like God" Gen. 3:5.

To be like God and know it all. I shudder to think of the times even this week that I have tried to "be like God". I have allowed myself to be deceived. I have blamed others for the sin that I have committed (it's not my fault, I was the victim). There have been hundreds of times that I have allowed myself to become distracted and focused on something (or someone) other than God. This world is full of beautiful, shiny objects that clamor for my attention, my money, my thoughts. The longer that I look, the more my focus shifts. The more I want, desire, yearn. And Satan sits back and breathes a sigh of relief and chuckles.

I am drawn back to Liz Curtis Higg's words:

"The tree that had been in the middle of everything yet obediently avoided--for how long we don't know--suddenly, that tree was it. The all-consuming, gotta-have-it thing. Like a child of Christmas past who put only one item on her wish list--Cabbage Patch Doll, Tickle-Me-Elmo, Beanie Baby--Eve had a fixation about that tree.
She stopped looking to God for the truth....
She stopped looking at the good, wholesome fruit already available to her."
Liz Curtis Higgs, Bad Girls of the Bible, pg. 30.

"She stopped looking to God for the truth." Friends, we can not let the events of the world distract us. Satan is having an absolute hay day right now. We have found ourselves consumed by the "gotta have it" mentality--knowledge, control, objects or what we "can't have" because of the value of the "market". Many are paralyzed, looking to the network news for the truth rather than God. We are not enjoying all that we currently have been given, all that is currently available. We are not focused on God and his goodness. We expect fellow humans to be our "saviors".

At the end of each chapter of my Bible study book is a section of personal application--a "what can we learn from_____". Here are three of the lessons that Ms. Curtis Higg's points out that we can learn from Eve:
(Excerpts from pgs. 39 & 40)

Don't get into a debate with Satan. "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. " James 4:7

Know God's Word so you won't be fooled. "I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you." Psalm 119:11
Let's avoid the blame game. "Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!" Romans 7:24-2

It is easy to get discouraged, to be fearful and hopeless. Every where you turn, the flow of information is slapping us in the face. I can easily be counted as one of those at times. Our God is still on the throne! I have been reminded multiple times this week that He is bigger than ANY mess that I have made. I have been consciously trying to focus on God and get into his Word deliberately. I have found it hard with kids to be consistent. I have been examining my thoughts and actions and confessing more--trying to avoid the "blame game". I have been trying to enjoy what I have and not be distracted by those things that I don't. It is hard but I am praying for strength to press on.

Works For Me Wednesday-Stain Removal

2008-10-07T15:36:00.004-05:00

It's another Works For Me Wednesday. To be perfectly honest, I almost posted a "Works For Me Friday" last week because I was so excited to share my new tip for stain removal. I know I am a sad and pitiful woman!
This summer, we had the pleasure of being the recipients of some very delicious and very, very cute "baby" peaches from my grandfather's farm. "Baby" because they were quite possibly the tiniest peaches I have ever seen--think Clementine size. Anywhoo, I am getting off track. So, Princess Pigtails thought they were the best ever--one because Grandpa Great had grown them and two because they were "just her size". She ate nearly every one of them herself. Enter the problem. Peach juice on more shirts and jammy shirt than I care to admit. Not a little juice, mind you. Lots of juice, which equals lots of stains. I tried everything, pre-treating, bleach water, soaking in OxiClean. No luck.
Last week, my mom told me to try soaking the shirts in dissolved dishwasher crystals. No kidding. About a tablespoon or so of the dishwasher soap in some warm water and soak the shirts at least overnight--I left them about 36 hours. The stains are gone in their entirety. Which is amazing, because the one pajama shirt, for sure, had been treated, washed and dried probably half a dozen or more times since the initial staining! Lame thing to get excited about, but I just could not believe it! I'm excited to tackle a few of those baby food stained bibs and shirt!

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips head on over and see Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer. If you need me, I'll be in the laundry room...

Things I Love Thursday-The Pumpkin Dessert

2008-10-01T09:28:00.005-05:00

Fall is upon us. It sounds so profound, right? Like I'm going to dispense some serious wisdom. Ah, but my faithful readers, all two of you, you know me better than to expect that! I will however share a new recipe with you. It's easy and the perfect dessert for fall. I would highly recommend it with a cup of coffee--which may or may not end up being my breakfast this morning.

The Pumpkin Dessert
Beat 6 eggs and add 1 1/2 cups sugar
Stir in 3 cups of pumpkin (basically 2 12 oz. cans of solid pack pumpkin)
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (I just use my own mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves)
1 12 oz can of evaporated milk
Mix well and pour into an ungreased 9 x 13 baking dish

In a separate bowl, cut 1 stick of butter into 1 Jiffy yellow cake mix to make a crumb mixture. Sprinkle over pumpkin in dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Allow to cool and serve with whipped cream.

There you have it. It might be a stretch to say I LOVE it, but it is something that I really enjoy! Take a moment and cruise over to Diaper Diaries and check out more things that you couldn't or shouldn't live with out!

Works for Me Wednesday--Kitchen Organization

2008-10-01T06:14:00.003-05:00

It's a themed Works for Me Wednesday over at Rocks In My Dryer. This week, the theme is Kitchen Organization. Yikes. If only you could see my kitchen, you would wonder why on earth I was even bothering blogging on such a topic when I am clearly not an expert in this area. But I will press on and pass along a few tips that help me maintain a small amount of sanity in my kitchen.
Here's what I've got for you:
1. When freezing items, label them (simply what is it and when was it prepared or the date you are tossing it in the freezer). I just keep a roll of masking tape in the drawer right beside my fridge. Makes it easy to slap a label on the container...
2. Meal planning. I wrote about it here. Seriously, people. This has been key for me to keep things organized. I don't know why I drug my feet (and kicked and screamed) about this for so long. I only plan the evening meals--lunches are nearly always sandwiches of some sort or leftovers. I could go on and on about planning the meals but here's the bottom line for us: less chaos in the kitchen, less stress for me and less waste and spoilage of food.

So, that's what Works For Me. For more inspiring and brilliant tips to kitchen organization, head over and see Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.

Three

2008-09-24T21:03:00.002-05:00

I had hoped to get this post done before now. But I finally had a few minutes this evening to pull the pictures over to the computer. So, here it is--a review of three!

Three is a great number!

Heading out to school on her birthday!

Finally, she gets to open a few packages!

A birthday treat at DQ!

The awesome cake Auntie Joyce made for the party!

Another Week in the Books

2008-09-24T06:59:00.004-05:00

A week already! I keep promising myself that I am going to get better about keeping this updated. So, here's the scoop since I last posted. Princess Pigtails had a great birthday and enjoyed her party at Grandma and Grandpa's on Saturday. DH's mom and brother and his family came up. My brother and his family as well as my mom's sister and two of my cousins. My cousin Shawna's husband came with her and they brought their little guy, Cason who is almost exactly two months younger than The Little Man. There were seven kids 3 1/2 and younger. It was crazy and so much fun! Huge thanks to my parents for offering to host the madhouse--I mean party! I'm not sure their house will ever be the same!

___________________________
DH and I went to the wake of a friend's mother last night. We never had the opportunity to meet her, but went in support of our friends. DH and I agree how important it is to just be there for your friends during such times. I asked our neighbors to watch the kiddos for the time that we needed to be gone, which was so helpful and allowed us the few moments to speak with our friends with out trying to corral Princess Pigtails and console The Little Man. Mike and Kris seem to be doing well given the circumstances. Mike's mom was 85 years old and, bless her heart, had been married to Mike's dad for 67 years.

As we stood in line to speak with Mike's dad, it was a perfect time to reflect as well as people watch. I find that weddings and funerals always bring out some interesting behavior and/or choices in wardrobes. I do not mean this to come across as flippant or snobbish, as I sometimes have difficulty determining how dressy or casual to be for an event such as this. But seriously. While we were in line, I noticed a gentleman several people ahead of us, was wearing a blaze orange cut off shirt. To a wake. As the line moved I was able to get a better view of the lovely choice of attire. The shirt had a bikini clad woman and a motorcycle on the back of it. Nice. To a Wake. Really? Does fringe dress something up or down? Hmm.

___________________
Today is picture day at Preschool. So, I best keep moving and go figure out what the darling is going to wear today. Something that doesn't require ironing hopefully. I suppose I should see if I can find that payment envelope. I'm sure it's upstairs in one of the piles on our desk.

Princess Pigtails Year 3

2008-09-17T05:40:00.003-05:00

Dear Princess Pigtails,
Happy Birthday, sweet baby girl. I can hardly believe that it has already been three years that you have been bringing joy and laughter into our lives. Sweet pea, your smile warms my heart. Your tender heart and caring spirit is the essence of your being. God has truly blessed us with a precious gift.

This fall has been a whirlwind of big experiences for you--dance, preschool, Sunday school and you have gone into each one with enthusiasm and confidence. I pray that you will continue to carry that zest for life.

You have been so excited about your birthday instructing me and Daddy that there will be party hats and balloons for your party. Yesterday afternoon, while we were out running errands you told me that you would like your cake to be chocolate and that I should "cut it in half and put part of it in Tupperware". When I asked you why, you replied "so we can eat it later". Alright then.

You have adjusted very well to having a baby brother. Thank you for being so kind and gentle with The Little Man (most of the time). Thank you for loving on him even though your hugs look (and probably feel) more like "headlocks". Thank you for sitting on the floor and dragging out toy after toy after toy to "show" your brother. I love that you call him "smiley boy" or "buddy boy". He is blessed to have you for a sister.

You love pink and purple. You love wearing dresses and "fancy dancy" shoes. You are typically happy and energetic straight out of the gate in the morning. You have a lot to say. I frequently over hear you "playing" (in your imagination) with your cousins, Doodlebug and Mogey. You love to sing (both songs Mama knows and ones you make up yourself). You love to read books. You love to "cook" and to be a helper. You are obsessed with schedules, agendas and what is going happen next.

My lovebug, you have such a sweet spirit. I am beyond thankful for you and the opportunity to be your mama.

Happy Birthday!

Things I Love Thursday--Easy-on Shoes for Kids

2008-09-11T06:20:00.005-05:00

One item of business first--Happy Birthday to my dear friend Jill!

Here's the deal. With now having one more person to get ready before we can walk out the door I need all the help that I can get. Finding shoes that Princess Pigtails can easily put on and off herself are key. And I'm really not all that interested in shelling out $40 for a pair of shoes for a three year old! I can be convinced to spend a little more than $15 or so if I perceive more value. In the past, I have bought something from Target or Payless...Late last summer I bought a pair that were the whole velcro closure assuming they would be a cinch for her to put on. Umm, no. I don't really know what the issue was, but they were obviously a waste of money. DH and I could hardly get them on her! Arg...so she wore her Crocs into the fall as her "outside play shoes". Which are super easy, but not terribly practical in sloppy weather or as it starts to cool off.

This spring I went on a hunt for something easy, washable and that didn't have little holes all over! Here's what I found:
The Croc's Pelican style has been PERFECT. More of a "tennis" shoe style, yet easy on-easy off and durable canvas. I order directly from Crocs--the best pricing I have found for any of their products. And because of the sizing, they have lasted through the whole summer and she still has some room to grow!

On a side note, I also love Bobux for the little ones! (Thanks to my friend Jill for telling me about them when K and Princess Pigtails were infants! They really stay put and keep the socks on--which is huge as it starts to get cold. Princess Pigtails wore Bobux when she was an infant and they proved their durability. The Little Man is sporting these...

So, that's something that I love. Shoes that do their thing, do it well and don't cost a fortune! For more things that folks love, head over to Diaper Diaries!

Works For Me Wednesdsay--Quick Breakfast

2008-09-10T06:14:00.005-05:00

Among the millions of things that I learned from my mom, are the easy things you can do to provide a great breakfast for your family and a quick alternative to toast or cereal (again).
I know lots of people buy either frozen pancakes or frozen waffles. This can get expensive and here is where my tip comes in...Anytime that I make waffles or pancakes (breakfast or breakfast for dinner), I freeze what is leftover. Right now there is a bag of pancakes and a bag of waffles in my freezer. Reheating the pancakes is super quick, pop them in the microwave for 30 second-1 minute. It could be just as easy to reheat the waffles, but I like to microwave them for 30 seconds or so and then drop them in my toaster to crisp them up. (Which is still quicker and with less mess than whipping them up fresh!)
For more great ideas and tips, head over to Rocks in My Dryer!

All by Myself

2008-09-09T14:00:00.004-05:00

"I can do it all by myself."

As the mom of a preschooler these are words (or some variation of) that I hear over and over. Princess Pigtails is becoming more and more independent with each passing day. She is learning quickly and gaining much confidence with each new experience. As her mama, I know that she still needs me. I know that she can't do everything alone. And yet, I know for her to learn and grow, I need to set aside my perfectionist tendencies. Save the scolding and step aside and allow her the opportunity to try. I suppose through those experiences she will learn that there are times she needs me. What she can do and can not do on her own is so obvious to me. To her, it is not.

How much am I as an adult like an over confident three year old? I insist that "I can do it all by myself". I stubbornly forge ahead and fail to turn to God, to rely on Him and seek His ways. Thankfully, I have a Father that is full of mercy and grace. He is there waiting on me with out a scolding or an "I told you so".

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:4 & 5 (emphasis mine)

The Potluck Cake

2008-09-09T06:56:00.002-05:00

Here's the recipe for the before mentioned cake I made for the potluck:

Cherry Jello Cake
1 (18.25 oz.) white cake mix
1 (3 oz.) pkg of cherry flavored gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 (21 oz.) can cherry pie filling
1 (16 oz.) container Cool-Whip

Prepare and bake cake mix according to pkg. directions for 9 x 13 cake. Remove cake from oven. Poke holes at once down through cake with fork at one inch intervals.
While cake cools, combine water and jello. Stir and pour mixture over cake. Top with the cherry pie filling. Cover with Cool-Whip. Refrigerate cake at least one hour before serving.

And We're Off to School

2008-09-08T15:31:00.003-05:00

Princess Pigtail's First Day of Preschool

Her breakfast of choice--waffles and a plum.
Already for school!

Do you think I could get this one to look at the camera once we got to school? Absolutely not! Too much going on, I guess!

A Week of Firsts

2008-09-08T06:19:00.004-05:00

So, I am coming off a short self imposed bloggy break. It's been a busy few days and this week will be filled with milestones. Princess Pigtails is heading off to her first day of preschool today, tomorrow she begins dance class and Sunday School starts on Sunday. She is fired up about all three and her mama? Well, I'm not sure I'm ready for this. I'll check in later with pictures.

Remember my insistence on trying new recipes to take to potlucks? We had another potluck thing at church yesterday and I made a new cake. Way easy and you'll want to try it. I'll post it later.

I'll be back soon. Off to take Princess Pigtails to school.

Things I Love Thursday--New Recipes

2008-08-28T16:42:00.003-05:00

So, I'm slow getting going with this today. This week was our women's ministry salad luncheon at our church. It is an annual fundraiser that benefits a number of ministry and missions that our ministry organization supports. One of my favorite parts of donating food for something like our salad luncheon is that I can make some old standbys that are easy and I always try at least one new recipe. (We also serve hotdish (translation--casseroles for those of you that live some place other than Minnesota), bars/cookies and sweetbreads.) I especially love when a new recipe goes over well!

Anyway, the new one that I made this year was for Salted Peanut Chews. Think salted nut rolls. Must've been a hit because the moment I stepped into our fellowship hall, I was nearly tackled by one of our ladies asking for the recipe and where I had gotten it. I told her, of course, it came out of a church cookbook--where all the best recipes come from!

I thought I would share with you as well. It's very easy--I promise!

Salted Peanut Chews
Crust:
1 1/2 c. flour
2/3 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. soda
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla
2 egg yolks
3 c. mini marshmallows

Topping:
2/3 c. corn syrup
1/4 butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 c. peanut butter chips
2 c. Rice Krispies
2 c. salted peanuts

Heat oven to 350. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup. In a large bowl, combine all crust ingredients except marshmallows until crumb mixture forms. Press in bottom of ungreased 9 x 13 cake pan.
Bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to over for 1-2 minutes or until marshmallows just begin to puff. Cool.
In a large saucepan, heat corn syrup, butter, vanilla and PB chips just until chips are melted and mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in cereal and nuts. Immediately spoon warm topping over marshmallows and spread to cover. Chill; cut into bars.

**I heated the PB chips and corn syrup mixture in the microwave.

For more great things that people love, head on over to The Diaper Diaries.

Works For Me Wednesday--Cheap, Improvised Dust Ruffle

2008-08-27T05:49:00.006-05:00

One of my DH's hobbies is wood working. It's a lot like my scrapbooking, he doesn't get much time to work on it. But when he finds time, he turns out beautiful items, like our bed frame and night stands, the crib and changing table, Princess Pigtail's bed...
I love the bed he built us, it has side rails that stretch between the head board and foot board. There are support boards that run under the box springs and rest on the side rail. When you put a dust ruffle on the box springs it gets all hung up on the support boards. I don't like how it looks with out the dust ruffle. So, I came up with a solution--use a fitted sheet. Perfect. It's really a great compromise. It hides and protects the box spring, looks nice and I was able to just use one of the sheets I had in the drawer. Which really? Can you beat free? That definitely works for me. For more ideas that work, head back over to Rocks In My Dryer!

Rose's Lasagna

2008-08-24T15:24:00.005-05:00

Here's the recipe for the lasagna I made the other night. It is a recipe that I found in a church cookbook. It is attributed to a woman that I know was an absolutely phenomenal cook, which is why I decided to try it. It takes a little time, but OH. MY. WORD. Totally worth it.

Rose's Lasagna

1 pound box lasagna noodles
Sliced or grated mozzarella cheese

Meat Sauce:
2 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped
29 oz can of tomatoes
12 oz can of tomato paste
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt & pepper

Cheese Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
2 cups milk

Cook and drain noodles. Cut mozzarella into strips.
Meat sauce: Brown beef & onion. Place in sauce pan with remaining sauce ingredients. Cook for 45 minutes.
Cheese sauce: Put in microwaveable bowl, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt & onion. Gradually add milk. Cook until slightly thickened, remove. Add cheese & cook until thick. (This is better to make ahead and refrigerate.)
Grease 9x13 baking dish. Alternate noodles, meat sauce & cheese sauce twice. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.

**I did not make one 9x13. I made two smaller pans (I think that they are 4x8s). One to eat that night and one to put in the freezer for later. Consequently, I did not need as many noodles. I could have just cooked 3/4 of the box and been totally fine.

I served with garlic bread and green beans out of our garden.

Five Things

2008-08-22T08:02:00.003-05:00

My dear friend Jill did this meme earlier in the week and I thought I would play along! Sit, back and relax, it's going to be a healthy dose of random!

10 years ago--I had just graduated from college, started dating DH, was finishing up my internship and looking for a full time job.

5 years ago--DH and I had already moved out to the farm and were commuting together to The Cities.

5 things on my list for today
1. Finish the laundry that I started yesterday--including folding and putting away.
2. Run to the church and pick up some info that some folks dropped off for me.
3. Get the groceries that I forgot earlier in the week.
4. Start the meal planning process for the next few weeks.
5. Mail Princess Pigtail's birthday party invitations.

5 things most people don't know about me
1. I am terrified of chickens. Yes, the farm animals.
2. Sadly, I have seen both Lee Greenwood and Ronnie Milsap in concert.
3. I once met Fred Grandy. You know, Gopher from The Love Boat.
4. I still keep in touch with my 4th grade teacher, Miss Duffy.
5. I participate in a fantasy football league. My team is the Rockford Peaches. :)

5 bad habits
1. Not being in the Word daily.
2. Not keeping in touch with friends as much as I would like.
3. Spending too much time on the computer.
4. Folding the laundry but not putting it away.
5. Watching too much TV. TiVo makes it so easy.

5 places that I have lived (in no particular order)
1. Edina, MN
2. Tabor, IA
3. Fairbank, IA
4. Indianola, IA
5. Eagan, MN

Have an awesome weekend. If I get back to it, I'll post the new recipe for lasagna that we tried last night. Yum.

Things I Love Thursday--Yummy Snacks

2008-08-21T08:07:00.003-05:00

I'm a little late to this whole "organic" craze. We live in a relatively rural area and our grocery stores have very small natural/organic sections. My choices of products are some what limited. But I have been venturing into that section a little more frequently and something that I routinely pick up are Cheetos Natural White Cheddar. Cheetos Natural are part of a line from Frito-Lay that contain no preservatives, no added colors or artificial flavors. And they are certified organic. Of course, they are now a favorite around here. Big surprise. But most importantly--they are very, very YUMMY.

Before you run off to the store to peruse the snacks in your organic section, head on over to The Diaper Diaries and check out what other things you can't or shouldn't live without!

Works For Me Wednesday--Bananas

2008-08-20T06:55:00.005-05:00

It's another Works for Me Wednesday and while Shannon is on the final day of her bloggy break, I am still going to post a tip. Next Wednesday, head on over to Rocks in My Dryer for an all new Works for Me!

I've mentioned before that I really despise throwing away food. I am always looking for ways to make it stretch--without sacrificing quality or taste. One of the ways that I do that is by freezing bananas. I know it sounds odd--but really, it works. If your household is anything like mine, bananas are bought, a couple eaten within the first day or so of buying them and then the rest sit there. By the end of the week I am faced with tossing them or making banana bread, cake, muffins, etc. I don't always have the time to make it right away, but I peel the bananas and put them in a freezer safe container. Label and date it and then when I am ready, pull it out and defrost real quick to toss in your batter. It works like a charm and is an old trick that I learned from my mom. I will say that it does look a little odd and DH was mildly grossed out the first time he saw me do it. But you seriously can not tell in the end product! I swear. Here's my stand by recipe--you can make it now and freeze the loaf for later too! And that works for me. Enjoy!

Banana Bread
1/3 cup shortening
1/2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup bananas (approximately 2-3 bananas, mushed)

Cream together shortening and sugar; add eggs and beat well. Sift together dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture. Add banana. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.

The Tale of a Fateful Drip

2008-08-12T08:38:00.007-05:00

When I last blogged, I was off to work on laundry and figure out dinner. Well, I did both--pulled the last bit of laundry off the line just as it was starting to rain and we had meatloaf for supper. While I was getting dinner ready, I noticed that a crack in the plaster of the kitchen ceiling seemed like it was bigger than I had remembered. Granted I don't spend a lot of time staring at the ceiling, but it did seem like it was different from before. Our home was built in 1919, so small cracks and some shifting are not unusual. So I made a mental note to tell DH. I got busy with dinner prep and forgot.

When Princess Pigtails was finishing up her dinner, she got off her chair and went to the kitchen. DH was cleaning up and sent her back to her chair to wait for her third serving of blueberries. He had washed the blueberries and carried the second serving in his hand to her bowl in the dining room. So when Princess Pigtails came out of the kitchen saying that her foot was wet, I really didn't think much about it. I figured that there were some water drips on the floor from the transport of the blueberries.

When she was done eating, I went in the kitchen. Then I saw the amount of water on the floor. It was a relatively small amount, I guess. Like a glass of water had been splashed. I commented to DH that the ceiling was leaking. DH ran upstairs. Checked the bathroom directly above. Nothing on the floor. Came back down. I asked if he had checked the sink or bathtub. Back upstairs. Opened the access panel. Hmm. Slow drip from a connection in the copper of the bathtub faucet. Hmm. Flipped the shut off on the water line. Okay, drip stopped.

Back downstairs, we put a towel on the floor to sop up the water. It was of course, bath time while all this was going on. Alternate bath plan enacted and accomplished. Princess Pigtails and The Little Man in bed. I said to DH as we are shutting off the lights in the kitchen to head to bed ourselves "What do you think about this ceiling? Is it going to crash down in the middle of the night?" DH assured me, that he thought it would be fine. It would need to dry out and then we'd have to repair it, but it'd be fine.

I suppose you can see where this is going...11:30, we are awaken to a huge crashing sound. We ran down the stairs and this is what we found in our kitchen:

Good times, good times. Anybody know a good plumber?

I'll Get By With a Little Help From My Friends

2008-08-11T14:24:00.004-05:00

It's Monday and I'm just taking a break from the laundry to check in. My parents were here this weekend and we had a wonderful time with them. It's all Princess Pigtails can talk about--how much fun we had with Grandma and Grandpa. On a completely unrelated note--Does anyone else think the Burger King commercials are disturbing? They seriously creep me out.

I need a little help with a couple of things:

I'm in a meal planning rut. Anyone got a couple of old stand-bys they would be willing share? If so, please post in the comments!
Anyone have any parenting wisdom for handling the meltdowns of an almost three year old?

Better get back to it. I've got laundry to get off the line and a dinner plan to figure out...

Things I Love Thursday--Awesome Sleep

2008-08-07T07:25:00.003-05:00

I must confess. I am a little of a sound spa addict. I guess it must've started back in college when we had fans and/or AC running non stop in the sleeping dorm of my sorority. The constant noise and energy consumption was necessary to maintain the appropriate air temp for a number reasons it also created the perfect sleeping environment. It was cold so three or four blankets were critical and it was quiet in a white noise sort of way. Whatever. I'm sure that doesn't make any sense but it is true. And to this day, I must have some sort of white noise by which to sleep.

Enter the sound spa. I am on my second one now. Both have been Homedics. The first one I had was small and designed to be a travel alarm. It worked really well but there were two features that I did not like. First, the sound was on a timer of an hour and I would find myself waking up when the sound shut off. I suppose it was because of whatever level of sleep I was in at the time. Secondly, the clock/alarm was hard to set. Not an issue if you don't care what time it is or what time you need to get up. If that's your life--awesome. Unfortunately, not mine. Nor was it even before kids. But I digress.

So, DH gave me a new one for Christmas. The best part of it and the KEY feature to me is that you can choose to have the sound run all night long. Perfect for me. It has six different "sounds" and an am/fm radio. It also, of course, has an alarm. Which I rarely use. It has the projection feature as well--so you can have the time up on the ceiling or the wall. This brings me to the one thing that I dislike about it. The light for the clock is ridiculously bright on dim. You could read by the glow of "bright". Seriously, I considered tanning goggles a serious option the first couple of nights. I also would ask you to use caution if you live near an airport. Pilots might be distracted. But I sleep awesome with it running. It goes with me on weekend trips and vacations. I would forgo a pair of shoes to make room for it in my luggage. We are talking serious addiction. I may need an intervention. Possibly.

For more things you really shouldn't live without, head on over and see Jill at Diaper Diaries.

A Date to Remember

2008-08-06T13:47:00.003-05:00

I would've never guessed ten years ago when I accepted a date to see "Ever After" that it would be my last first date. DH, I can't believe that it has already been ten years! What a great decade of dates!

I love you. I'm so thankful that God has blessed me with you as my partner in this crazy life. I'm looking forward to our next ten years. And the ten after that.

Bras, Orange Push-Ups and Laundry

2008-08-05T16:34:00.004-05:00

It's odd to me how something simple can evoke memories and emotions so quickly. This afternoon when Princess Pigtails woke from her nap, she asked if she could have a Push-Up for her snack. After I retrieved a ice cream treat for her, she snatched it away, pulled the paper off the top and then brought it to me to "get it started".

As I took the Push-Up in my hand to "start" it, I began to tell her how much I liked Push-Ups when I was little. And then the tears began to well up in my eyes and even now as I type, they are streaming down my face. The first time I remember having a Push-Up was at my Auntie Anita's house.

My dad is the youngest of eight and Auntie Anita was the closest to him in age. My dad is also one of the few on his side of the family that actually "got out" or moved outside of an hour radius of where they grew up. When I was elementary age, we lived nearly five hours away and really didn't see my dad's family much. I remember on a couple of occasions going to visit during the winter, but primarily when we went to visit, it was in the summer.

Aunt Anita and Uncle Dwight lived out in the country at the base of some pretty beautiful hills in western Iowa. Now, looking back and even returning to visit as a high school aged kid, I realize that they didn't have much, but as a child I was oblivious to that. Auntie was one of the most kind and generous people I have ever known and despite her economic situation, she was extremely wealthy. She had a family that loved her dearly and many, many friends.

Things were very different at Aunt Anita's than they were at home. They lived in the country and she would hang her wash on the line out behind their house. And although, my grandparents on my mom's side had a line when they lived in the country, I really don't remember hanging as much wash with my grandma as I did with Auntie. Maybe it was the fact that she had two teenage boys and there was just that much more laundry. They had dairy cows when I was really little. She eventually started buying a small jug of "store" milk for me when we would visit, because I just couldn't stomach the fresh milk.

Her birthday was in July. She loved to cook and take care of her family. She loved to talk on the phone. She was ambidextrous and loved to have her hair brushed. As an adoring niece, I was always happy to oblige. It meant some fun one-on-one times for the two of us. She cared so deeply about people and she had an incredible knack for making you feel as though you were the most important to her.

I remember once, sitting with her and two of my dad's other sisters in my Aunt Gardena's kitchen. They were telling me about my grandmother and most likely telling me stories of the many ways they tortured my dad as a child. I clearly remember them launching into a story about Grandma and pausing to instruct me that I must always wear a good bra--because by the end of my grandma's life "they were down to her waist". I was probably 11 or 12 at the time and was absolutely horrified and fifteen shades of beet red! Now as an adult, I'm thinking, no kidding-- EIGHT kids.

As a pre-teen, I used to get frustrated with her for sending me these little girly type birthday cards with cats or some cartoon character on them. I was way too "grown up" for such childish cards. Now, I only wish I had hung on to a few of those. Always a short little note--usually something like "Love You Lots" or "Hugs and Kisses", but always a little note. And I always knew that she loved me.

I don't remember now when she was initially diagnosed with cancer. I just remember that it really didn't seem like a big deal. She underwent surgery and treatment and she was fine. And then it came back. And when it returned, it was not fine. I don't know as much about it and the struggles she went through during treatment because I was busy. Busy finishing school and starting my working career. And meeting my future husband and getting married. And I moved to the Cities. And kept living life. She had always been there and I had no reason to think she wouldn't be. She was young and she had beaten it before--she would come back around. But she didn't.

In the spring of 2002, I made a trek out there with my mom. My dad was at a continuing education event and my parents were concerned that Aunt Anita might not hang on much longer. I hadn't seen her since my wedding two years prior. She was tired and worn. I'm sure that she knew why I was there and yet it was as if I was just stopping in to say hi. She was at my Aunt Gardena's and they were laughing and giving each other a hard time as always. She made me promise that I would call her when I got home. And I did.

She passed away later that summer. I still miss her.

I have a million sweet memories like those that I've already shared and many more like that she always had treats from Schwan's in her freezer. She was the one that taught me how to start a Push-Up by holding it in my hand for just a minute to soften the ice cream a bit and then push the stick.

Just Another Manic Monday

2008-08-04T06:41:00.003-05:00

Here we are at Monday again, already. I'm still trying to get my brain shifted out of VBS mode and back into regular life--you know where I have to plan meals, do laundry and generally not rely on my volunteer responsibilities taking over my life as an excuse. So, back to life as normal--and there is a lot of life to get back to judging from the laundry spilling out of the hampers! I've got a couple of thing rattling around in my brain that I want to sort out and then perhaps I will mentally be ready for the week! So, here you have it. My thoughts of the morning:

Last night, we were able to finally attend the marriage-care ministry that our Lead Pastor and his wife have started. How fun. We potlucked and there was child care provided (free babysitting, anyone? Sign me up!), a short video and then some "couple"' time to go off and discuss. The video series that we are using is absolutely awesome! Based on what we saw last night, I would highly recommend it! Hilarious. Looking forward to our next session.

Tomorrow night is National Night Out. Does your block or community have festivities? Our little town has a beach party each year. We will probably head up there for a while--and besides if I play my cards right, I might just get out of cooking yet another night!

Princess Pigtails will be three in mid-September. The cut off for school here is September 1. She technically will not be eligible to go to kindergarten for three more years. But there are some openings in the preschool at our church and we are back to considering enrolling her. That would mean she would have three years of preschool--which I don't necessarily think she is going to need. I've considered exploring some other pre-k programs, but in our area there really are very few options without having to drive a considerable distance. As much as I am not ready for this all to begin, I know she would benefit greatly from it and many of her little friends from church (with earlier birthdays) are enrolled for the fall as well. So, what to do, what to do. I have decided to enroll her in dance classes for the fall. Maybe that is enough. Need to pray about it some more.

Big week of birthdays in our family: Erin, my sister-in-law, Kylie, my cousin-in-law (is that a term?), Michael, another CIL and my grandmother are all celebrating this week. Also, our friend K's is coming up soon! Happy Birthday to all of you!! I need to get some shopping done! Arg. Perhaps I can get by without another trip to Wal-Mart.

Alright, deep cleansing breath. And I'm off to do laundry and get Princess Pigtails started on her breakfast. How about you? What on your list for the week?

Do I Get a Medal?

2008-08-01T14:47:00.004-05:00

Is there a record for how many times you can go through the check out in a single trip to Wal-Mart? It's possible that I may be the record holder.

Yesterday morning, I ran over there because there were a few last minute things that I needed to grab for our last night of VBS and ink for our printer. I was so proud of myself that I stuck to my list and only my list. I was checking out and a friend called asking if I was still in said retailer. After I confirmed that I indeed was, she asked if I could pick up some strawberries for her. So, I finished paying, and went back through to pick up the berries. Princess Pigtails convinced me that we also needed to take some strawberries home with us as well. Into the cart went five boxes of strawberries. Back to the check out.

Apparently, I'm not entirely with it this week. Because I paid for four boxes. Turned around to put them in the cart and there was the other box. So, for the third time in less than ten minutes, I paid at Wal-Mart.

Gracious. So, glad that the week is coming to a close. VBS is done and we will be returning to our regularly scheduled life. Hopefully your week has gone well and involved less time spent in the check out lane at Wal-mart than mine!

And I'm back...

2008-07-30T07:31:00.003-05:00

Good grief. Here's the run down since I checked in with you last.

So, last Friday, my laptop decided that it had served it's useful life and passed onto the peaceful gigabyte resting place, the docking station in the sky. I actually think that the spirit was willing but the screen was weak, as it appeared to be running, but the screen was done. Which, turns out is a key component to do most anything with a laptop other than using it for a paper weight.
Needless to say, I had to take a break from the good ol' blog because let me tell you--I love you all, but it is entirely too inconvenient to have to go, gasp, upstairs to the office to check in.

I had been saving my pennies and so yesterday afternoon, my new and shiny laptop came. It is red and sleek and very, very fast--the old one, bless it's heart was 6-7 years old and like a lot of us, just wasn't as quick as it used to be. Blogging on my new one is going to be a much more efficient and fun experience for sure. And besides, it's red so really I could just sit and look it all day, but apparently the kids need to be fed at some point. I tell you, some people's children.

Friday afternoon, the installer from the satellite company came. According to DH's conversation with the company, the installer was to come primarily to replace our current dish--as DH's suspected that it too had served it's useful life because of some miscellaneous issues we'd had with it over the last couple of months. Oh, and while the installer was here, two of our receivers would be switched out as well, because you know, why not? So, the installer gets here on Friday afternoon solely on a mission to swap out the receivers. Umm, hello? Dish not working. More pressing issue to me, because now the TV and the laptop are not working. I was fearing that we sadly might have to read a book or actually fold the laundry. The installer claimed he knew nothing about the request for the new dish and just when I was fearing the worst, he "fixed" the cables to the old one and we were back in business. Crises averted.

Sunday night Vacation Bible School started. It is my third year of directing it at our church and as usual, by the time VBS starts, I'm excited to see all of our planning come together and for the kids to experience the Jesus' love for them in a new way--but also, so ready for the week to be done. I am blessed to report that the week is going well (we have an awsome team of volunteers) the kids are having fun and the adults are tired--all true signs of a great kids' ministry!!

Monday morning we discovered that the AC was out, AGAIN. I made my weekly call to the contractor only to find out that he was going to have to order the parts which was totally fine. I can totally handle 90 degrees and 70% humidity, a toddler and an infant and no AC. RIGHT, because I'm a well adjusted pioneer woman. Oh, how I kid. While I was waiting for the contractor to call me back as to when the precious parts would be in to repair our AC--which by the way is only two years old--DH suggested that I grab the other fan from the attic and get it started upstairs. In theory, great plan. In reality, the kathunk, kathunk, kathunk noise the fan made when plugged in-not so great. Fortunately, there was just a hint of breeze Monday morning and with these big farmhouse windows flung wide open we were able to capitalize on it.

Lest you be concerned that my children and I melted in the sweltering heat and humidity, the HVAC contractor called back with the news! the good news! that the parts were in stock and that his son would be out to repair the fan in the afternoon. And he was. And the AC has been running since. Another crises averted.

That concludes my whining and sarcastic ramblings for today. Thank you for allowing me to vent. I feel better now. Really. Thank you.