One of My Fav Songs

Go watch this video (because I have no idea how to properly link it)! This lady has a beautiful voice. If her recording was on good equipment I would have to add it to my page for a while. It is crackly, but her talent is awesome!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rknVkcGNNJ0&feature=related

Life Is Hard (God Is Good) -- by Pam Thum

You turn the key
Then close the door behind you
Drop your bags on the floor
You reach for the light
But there's darkness deep inside
And you can't take it anymore
'Cause sometimes living takes the life out of you
And sometimes living is all you can do
Life is hard, the world is cold
We're barely young and then we're old
But every falling tear is always understood
Yes, life is hard, but God is good
You start to cry
'Cause you've been strong for so long
And that's not how you feel
You try to pray
But there's nothing left to say
So you just quietly kneel
In the silence of all that you face
God will give you His mercy and grace
Jesus never said
It was an easy road to travel
He only said that you would never be alone
So when your last thread of hope
Begins to come unraveled
Don't give up, He walks beside you
On this journey home and He knows
Life is hard, the world is cold
We're barely young and then we're old
But every falling tear is always understood
Yes, life is hard, but God is good

The Chain Gang and Being Realer Than REAL

We make our kids bathe each other assembly line style and my husband wears a T-shirt that says, "Failure is not an option" just for the occassion!! LOL!!

Well, we do sometimes get them all in the tub at the same time to make it quicker! Notice Caden is even doing his share by washing the Ken doll! Hehehe! Cody is a public school teacher and the shirt is for the two TAKS testing days.... another good reason not to send our kids to public school. Teachers do not even like all this testing or the concept of "having to" teach the TAKS (or other test).

I started out my homeschooling trying to do "all the stuff", but I have to say that I have stopped some of the testing. I know what he/she understands and if he/she gets it we just move on. If he/she does not get it, then we work on it more or move on and come back to it. Some of the testing is unnecessary unless you are just testing to see how well the child "tests". Should we really be spending so much time teaching "testing" if we have made the choice to homeschool? Well, not I!! I am going to use those "tests" this summer like regular worksheets to keep the knowledge we have learned fresh in these little minds (math and phonics). Spelling is obviously a bit different, so we do test that in that I call it out and let my child write it down on paper.... or dry erase board... or just tell me the correct spelling. Let's just say grading is optional. Sometimes I say, "100!" or "Your grade would be 90", but for the most part we just re-write missed words or talk about the spelling rules that go with it. There are no recorded grade books here!

While I am keeping it real I will just say that by mid-week this week I made the decision to take the rest of the week off (W, Th, F) from schooling because I realized I had a few extra things going on this week. Rather than add to the stress I decided to just postpone schooling and focus on cleaning and special projects. Guess what? I should have just kept on schooling. I have not had any real accomplishments in the areas I thought I would and all the "extra things" got changed around!! Ughh! Now I just feel unaccomplished. As I look around not ONE THING has gone smoother... laundry has been piling up... the kids have been lazy... like me... and I have dishes in my sink (my pet peeve)... we have not even done anything I planned. So I am depressed!

So... WHEW!... That was this afternoon and now it is late in the evening hours. I have to GIVE MYSELF A BREAK! Upon reflection I remember that on Wednesday I had a nice lunch out and shopping trip with my kids for about 2 1/2 hours... and back at home they played... and I watched them. On Wednesday we took a walk into the town square and spent some time at the library, wandered into a children's boutique/resale shop, played in a "secret garden" we found, observed the dye in flowers, pondered thoughts on a dead frog, and returned home to eat lunch. Again, the kids played while I observed and later that day the two older ones made bracelets. Today my kids lazed away the morning (as did I.. as much as one can with four kids and their arms full), had a lightning speed breakfast, played with another family of five kids, had a quick lunch and the kids played some more. I then, cut up some more meat for make ahead meals and threw everyone in the van for a much needed venture out of the house where we went to a friend's home to prepare dinner and enjoy a rare visit with my dear friend Kim and her wondeful family.

We are home now and as I ponder these thoughts I realize I have not been lazy... nor have my kids been. I am just not the SuperMom I have built up the expectation that I try to be. My mother-in-law called me a SuperMom recently and while that is an honor it is just not real. I am just a normal mom trying to make it through. Now, what is it that makes me so hard on myself? Part of it is a high expectation for myself and part of it is not being able to control all that can sometimes change in a blink of an eye. Another part is finding out sad news and not realizing how much it affects you until it manifests itself in a moment of depression. These are a few of my thoughts and "change of schedule" moments this week that threw me into momentary depression and self-pity:

• I ran into a special lady from my former church and the switch has been a recent one. I miss those people!.. and love those people!... and one of those people died and was buried the day before without me knowing!... He had just found out he had leukemia and suddenly died of a heart attack. Obviously, God was ready to see him! This man was a co-worker of my Daddy's years ago and I am reminded of the little toy that is in my car that he purchased upon Sierra's birth. Sahara enjoys it now. He is my Daddy's age. If you follow my blog you may remember that my Daddy had a heart attack recently. He survived. This makes me more aware of the possiblity we could have faced with my own daddy.
• I did not get all my laundry done and I know that will now consume part of my weekend and once again my husband will feel he has to chip in on that. I know he would like to relax some, too.
• I thought I would be running out for some daytime visits with friends, but upon hearing about my plans my husband wanted to go. A great thing, but that changed the plan to evening and weekend visits. I am thankful he wants to be with us and our friends!!! He so desires those getaways more than I do sometimes. He is a "GO-go-goer" and NEEDS to get out of the house. We could not leave him behind. And it looks like some of that weekend visiting might be changing again to avoid a sickness... Hmmmmm... ;) .. not sure, yet.
• Today I was supposed to teach a young girl some sewing and we had to change that. We will do it next week, but I wanted to spend the day sewing with my kids, too. My fault... I did not do it.
• The very appointment that made me realize that I wanted to take the three days off... well, I cancelled that today, also. See, I just do not think that I want to go to the doctor's office with the Swine Flu thing going on. The first U.S. death was in Houston only two hours aways from where we live. That nine month check-up is not gonna happen!! We have never skipped a well check, but I just do not want a well check to turn into a get virus visit.

Is any of it a big deal? No. To me right now everything is a big deal and then, I feel ridiculous. I hate to let people down. And I have hardly been home ... or still long enough to get the things done that I sometimes aspire to do. So, this is me... REAL ... with all my imperfections and crazy thoughts... and crazy depressed moments... and then, sane or somewhat sane, again! :)

He turned the water into wine

Looking back I see the many times

He made the simple things divine

With the touch of your hand

You changed this heart of mine...

Song Reference: Water Into Wine by Kathy Troccoli

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC_uCE5Agxg

Thank you Lord for turning my bad into good!!

Kids Praying and Other Funnies

I was praying over breakfast and the kids added to it:
Savannah -- ".. and for everyone to have a Momma and Daddy."
Sierra -- "... and for no one to be orphans."
They have recently been watching "Annie" (which by the way has some provocative talk that I never noticed before kids... my kids totally don't get it thank God).


So, we were out and about as a family and I jokingly said to someone, "I think we are gonna get shirts that say WE ARE THAT FAMILY. My husband quickly said, "I am getting a shirt that says I DON'T KNOW THAT FAMILY". Shame, shame on him.... Made me think that I truly want a shirt now that says I AM PROUD TO BE THAT FAMILY!!

So, that is my G~I~G~G~L~E to share for the morning... have a wonderfully blessed day!

How I "Spice It Up" With My Favorite Spice -- Cooking Ahead Series PART 2

My top five seasonings are: Salt, Onion Powder, Paprika, Garlic Powder, Bay Leaves.

(Maybe pepper ought to be on here, but as much as I use it I could probably do without it. It does get a mention, at least, for the fact that it just makes things "taste cooked".)



And the winner is... drumroll, please... Onion Powder! I bet you thought I was gonna say garlic. I L~O~V~E Onion Powder. It started with me not wanting real onions in my tuna. I did not like raw onion no matter what it was in. Oddly, my fifth pregnancy changed that for some reason. Anyway, I wanted that onion taste without the crunchy raw onions. It just kind of grew from there. I tried it in baked beans and omitted the onions.... loved it! Same thing with potato salad. I mean, what is with all the raw onion lovers out there... well, I like them now some. Next was hamburgers! I make the patties and sprinkle with s&p and a heavy dose of onion powder. I also sautee onions to go on my burgers. Moving own to another big thing at our house... Thin pork chops sprinkled with s&p and a heavy dose of onion powder and then, broiled. It doesn't stop there... Chicken chunks sprinkled with s&p and a heavy dose of onion powder and then, broiled. I have to have it in almost every soup I make and even in spaghetti sauce. I almost forgot... I use it in browned ground meat that I use to make meaty cheese dip and Picadillo Quesadillas.... oh yeah, and on my loaded french bread and french bread pizza. Are you getting hungry, yet. Of course, I love it in Roast, also. I now use the onion soup mix to do my roast, but I used to buy the 50 cent spices and use the WHOLE THING in one roast!!

So, does that give you any meal ideas? Or does it just make you hungry?!!!

Cooking Ahead Series -- Round Two

Anyone ready for Round Two?!!! Well, I am needing some inspiration. How about you? I have no pics to post this time. My post to share is to try to cook some double meals. I am not always good at this and sometimes leftovers are not that appealing; however, they can make life run smoother.

Sunday I cooked a pasta soup that is very common around our home. It does vary depending on what we have on hand. You can use fresh or canned ingredients. Simple variations in the types of pasta can make it fun for the kids or make it seem like a new recipe. Basically, I use ground meat OR chicken breat chunks that I season with salt, pepper, and onion powder (you could use fresh onions or both). I brown this and when it is done I add canned tomatoes (diced, chunky, stewed, whatever) and let them cook mushy. I then squish it up, so my kids do not see "too many" chunks. Beyond that I just add water (4-6 cups) and lots of seasoning. I sometimes add sliced mushrooms and for "those who don't like mushrooms" I mince up some, so they never know they ate it. Shhh.. don't tell! You could add carrots or anything your crew will go for. My seasonings are SALT, pepper, ONION POWDER, garli & garlic powder, 4-5 DRIED BAY LEAVES, PAPRIKA (ONES I THINK ARE A MUST IN CAPS). Seasonings are all personal preference. Cook to rolling boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente. DO NOT OVERCOOK OR THE SECOND DAY MEAL WILL NOT BE AS GOOD!! Adding grated parmesan cheese at the end of cooking is yummy, too. I love to add grated mozzarella or croutons, but my crew is not so adventurous.

Now, I would not really call this a recipe (this is not a recipe swap) and I make this SUPER FAST, but my point here is to cook double what you want with the key being stopping it at a stage that it does not get mushy for later. So, I served this with salad and fresh baked rolls the first day. This pasta continues to cook in the hot liquid and absorb the liquid, so it is less of a soup and more of a main entre pasta. The second day (today) I served it with salad, corn, steamed brocolli, sliced cucumbers.

It is not about just "having leftovers". I try to skip a day so we do not have to eat the same thing for two days in a row. Also, I try to vary the sides or make the dish morph into something else (soup becomes a pasta entre). I am currently thawing a HUGE commercial size double pack turkey breast (10 lbs. or so). My mother shared this with me and I had some she cooked at her house, but I plan to do more than JUST roast it. My Momma was saying that she was not sure what to do with it because it is such a HUGE quantity. I said, "Oh, I think I know what I would do with it...." Think outside the norm... everyone ROASTS turkey, but I am gonna treat it like boneless, skinless chicken breast!! I'll let you know later, but I am thinking of:

• Broiled Chicken Chunks (seasoned with salt, pepper, onion powder), Quick Veggie Sides or packaged side dishes
• Gumbo with Rice
• Turkey Parmesan with Pasta, Salad, Homemade Bread
• Turkey Strips w Cream Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots
• Turkey Almost-Chik-Fil-A Nuggets), Quick Veggie Sides or packaged side dishes

I'll post a follow-up to let you know!!! Just writing this helps me plan. One more thing... What is your FAVORITE SEASONING? I have about five must haves, but ONE transforms everything for me. I'll try to post on that tomorrow. Join me and tell me yours and what you do with it!!

We were studying Birds...

Okay, since I stumped TWO of you that is enough for me!!! I am so suprised you did not know what the pic was. Are you both tricking me to make me feel good???!!! Not serious... I guess I believe you... and it does make me feel good in some strange way that even I do not quite understand that you two do not know what this pic is. I must be having a "needy" moment. Cody is usually the one needing an ego boost... hmmm, so that is what it feels like... strange for me. And now is the time that I can officially apologize to the world for normally feeling way over-confident. Sorry world... especially Cody and Michelle for putting up with arrogant me... Okay, On with the BIG REVEAL!!

Birds... that was the missing word. We were studying birds! We did some W~E~I~R~D stuff to a chicken egg for our Science project. Have you heard of the rubber egg project or the soft shelled egg project? It is so simple because you only need an egg, vinegar, and a bowl/jar. We used a clear jar for observation. I am NOT posting pics of all that, because you should do it and see it yourself. In place of vinegar we did try to use pickle juice in an effort to be frugal, but that did not appear to be working. The following were our OBSERVATIONS:

(And don't read this just yet, if you plan to do the project)

Natural Egg--

Savannah = Bumpy, white, no noise

Sierra = It's hard. There is something in it.

Egg Place In Vinegar - IMMEDIATELY --
Savannah = covered in bubbles; starting to float; It looks like and ocean plant.
Sierra = It has a crack.

Egg Place In Vinegar - 1 HOUR --

Savannah = It's foaming.

Sierra = It's foaming.

Egg Place In Vinegar - SEVERAL HOURS --
Savannah = Soft, Slimey

Sierra = Soft, Slimey

Egg Place In Vinegar - NEXT DAY --

Savannah = Where's the shell?
Sierra = Soft, Slimey, Gross

*Our yolk slipped out of the shell because I had slightly cracked it when placing it in the jar. I let the kids "observe" that, also. They made a mess as you can imagine.

Due to the yolk slipping out our egg collapsed. We set it aside for further experimentation.

Collapsed Soft Egg - NEXT DAY -- See the picture from the previous post!! This is what we found.

Savannah & Sierra = Cool! It's hard now. Cool! Ooops, it cracked [when they squeezed it].

~~~This was a super cool experiment and amazing to see it work. I highly recommend it!~~~

~~~I can't wait to try this with chicken bones and tie them in a knot!~~~

Guess What This Is?

I'll give you this hint only... It's another homeschool project and it was our science the day we studied ------. Well, I can't give you too much info. You have probably all done this before. Remember I am a "newbie". Anyway, post your guesses and I'll do a follow-up post to go with this pic.

Trying to share some of our "little projects" and not just my gift for gab!! ;)

I WILL POST THE ANSWER LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY MORNING!

A Great Find... Bargains!

Savannah went on a church outing this weekend, so my husband took Sierra to a yard sale. He thought I might be interested, so he came back to get me. I found some great finds!!
These are foam stamps in the package never used for $1 each. The Alphabet set has Upper and Lowercase plus numbers and more. The other two sets are just for fun!

Fifty cents for this loom set was a steal... I have been wanting to get one of these, but putting it off until we are ready to do this project. It IS old, which I find charming. The mustiness... not so charming, so I will try to wash the fabric and dry it or buy replacement fabric.

I started NOT to buy this book, but I am so glad I did... and for $1 !! This little book alone would make a great Toddler/Pre-K Circle Time starter. Actually, I have been wanting to use something for our schooling and I think it will be fun even for Savannah (8), because she can help "teach" and learn at the same time. The lessons are 1-2 pages and easy reading that Savannah could do and we could all do together for fun. So easy that we can just enjoy it... no pressure here!


I hope you can read the excerpts. If not, see if you can click the pic for it to enlarge. Each page has a short scripture at the top, the topic, poems/fingerplays/songs, adult lead activities, and sometimes more suggestions or illustrations on the next page to go with it. I especially like the one below that encourages music play in the kitchen (BUT SUGGESTS A QUIETER WAY TO BEAT POTS AND PANS ;) They suggest using plastic bowls and plastic spoons.)

These are just a few of my bargains this weekend. The last time I found unopened mini-craft projects, etc.. Remember that old frames can be made new when your child decorates it and other items... Look at the item and think, "What could we do with it?" Look beyond what it is. You will teach your child many valuable lessons this way. They can learn to recycle things, to re-purpose things, to see the artist/creative side of themself. They can learn to be good stewards of their money at yard sales and re-inforce math skills to calculate their total. The list goes on. Well, I am off to bed... 2:45 AM !~!~! The baby had a bit of insomnia tonight!!

Now That's Just U~G~L~Y !!

Awww... isn't that cute!! Uh-Uh-UGLY!

~~Baby Opossum~~

My husband (Cody) just loves catching critters for the kids... and HIM to examine!

Sierra is letting it curl it's tail around her finger. She looks a bit uncertain about it, though. I love that face she is making!! In the past when we have caught one of these little guys Savannah has held it by the tail. When they wrap their tail around your finger you can let them dangle. I have a photo of that somewhere, I think.

Savannah's expression speaks volumes. Hurry up and take the picture!! He's sooo uuuugly Momma!

And if you are thinking we live in the country, think again!! We live in a small town, but we live IN TOWN.... as in you can walk 2 1/2 blocks and be in the town square at the movie theater, library, funeral home, banks, shops, etc.. For whatever reason we seem to have lots of critters.... opossums, armadillos, rabbits, squirrels, moles, pigeons, doves, cardinals, geckos, lizards, newts, salamanders, snakes, etc.. I realize that some of that is normal, but not the bigger critters (the first three).

Our home is over 100 years old, so part of it is on pier and beam (blocks). The critters take refuge under the kid's bathroom by our room and we here them crawling around under there at night. Creepy sometimes!! They bump the water pipes and so we get these clanging sounds that wake us up. Yeah, we could kill the little guys, but look how cute they are!! Uh-hem... anyway, they don't hurt anything, so we let them stay and we returned this little back to where we think he was lost from so he could find his Momma... under the bathroom!!

Simple Projects... In Steps

I admit I find lapbooking to be overwhelming, but I realized this week that it might be the way I am percieving it. For the most part it seems that a lapbook is just a compilation of smaller projects that are gathered to form one big project. Still I am not jumping into it!! I am going to stick with the simple stuff, but I could see where some of my simple projects could become lapbooks and could be great for my kids to see a "book" GROW out of their projects.



My example is our Planet Study that ... uhm... was supposed to last one day. With a toddler involved it all gets a bit crazy sometimes. So, I a would call this a "phase project".

• Phase 1 = We started with watercolors!! Yippee! My kids ADORE watercolors. I simply printed a coloring page with alll the planets for them. They painted these outside with their painting Tees on and then, we laid them in the sun to dry. Note: While the kids painted their planets I read a mini-book/coloring book to them that had information about the planets, asteroid belts, and meteors.



• Phase 2 = Time for some magic... simple magic!! I used two pages of white cardstock paper per child (use any sturdy paper... if I did it again I would use a file folder and skip having to staple/glue this in later). Back to the magic... you need paper, crayons, black tempera paint, paint brushes in that order... hide the paint untill you are ready for that if you have a Caden... Uh-hem... I mean, a toddler!! Have the kids make stars (which can be squiggles, circles, plus signs, etc.) all over their paper (or inside of file folder). These are going to be your stars for the solar system. After the stars are on, Give the kids the paint and brushes and let them paint over their stars and the whole page. As they paint the crayon wax will repel the paint and like magic their stars will appear!! These can be set in the sun to dry, also.



• Phase 3 = Time to cut out the watercolor planets! Have the kids cut them out along with cutting out a scrap of yellow construction paper if you want/need to add a sun. Assist smaller children with cutting... Let's just say I have a five year old that can slice and dice some tiny planets!!! I stapled the "night sky" to the inside of a file folder while the kids were cutting. Arrange and glue your Solar System to your night sky. I recommend school glue, because glue sticks might not adhere to the tempera surface. Let your globs of glue dry for several hours!! :)


• Tell them how great their Solar System art is!

We did NOT do this, but some other things that you could add too this would be to cut out numbers for the planets and glue them on to reinforce counting or number writing practice. You could use ordinal numbers (1st, 2nd, ...). You could use specific colors with color names. Whatever goes along with the theme.

I PLAN to use the front page of the coloring book for a front on Sierra's file folder (I will print and glue something to cover the words "Coloring Book" etc.. ). I will then use another blank file folder to insert the FOLDED pages of the coloring book like a mini-book. In this folder I will eventually add some other Solar System stuff. Savannah's file folder will become the back of the "book". If we want we will always have the option to add to this... as time allows... or maybe as my other little ones study this topic over the years. So, MAYBE THIS IS LAPBOOKING... I just know we can not do too much off this for time management reasons. It will have to be something that comes together as a "Phase Project".

We also did a Paper Plate craft. We used the Astronaut template and the Space Shuttle template. We changed it up somewhat by using Bingo Markers to dot paint one paper plate with blue and green to be our Earth. While this was drying the girls colored their Astronaut and Space Shuttle with markers and cut the pieces out. I used a point to pierce a tiny hole through their "earth paper plate", the end of the Astronaut and Shuttle templates, and a "blank paper plate". Using tiny brads we joined it all in that order with blank plate facing down. The original instructions do not include the blank plate, but I added it for stability and did not use cardstock fir my template pieces. I will have to try to post a pic of the finished product later.

Controversy Doesn't Scare Me!! :)

I knew when Bridget posted her post titled "The Pill...." a couple of days ago there was about to be some controversy. I did not realize how insane it would get, though. I just want to say I support her. Yep, I support her!!! And I mentioned the whole thing to my husband tonight and he said, "Well, you should support her then." I said, "Well, I am and I did when I left her a comment." That was that and I went about the rest of my evening, but while outside with my kids I started to ponder it a bit more and I realize that I have an opportunity to truly support her and share this important information. RIGHT HERE!!! Now I know I am not reaching the masses, but maybe I'll reach one ... or more! If someone had shared this information with me I might have made different choices. Who knows what blessings I may have robbed myself of over the years. This is the thing (and go read her post because she says it very clearly)... if you knew the Pill (and IUD's, etc.) would possibly kill your baby would you take it? If you believe that the very moment an egg is fertilized (conception) that that fertilized egg is a baby, then you are gonna want to read her post. If you believe that fertilized egg is a baby and you are against abortion, you need to read her post before you make a decision to take the Pill, etc..

Do know this is about passing on the information that could be useful to you. It is not to judge anyone, so don't get all crazy on me with negative comments. I will simply refer you to the small novel that is forming in Bridget's comments, because I am pretty sure that all the controversial issues have been covered there. :) Controversy doesn't scare me, so Don't Blink... you're not gonna want to miss this one!! ( Pardon the pun.. :) I couldn't resist!

Special Note: I took the Pill for nine years (before our first baby) and we have recently considered a vasectomy or an IUD. Did you know that the wife has to sign papers for the vasectomy?! Well, I couldn't get my tubes tied because of my convictions, so guess who could not bring herself to sign that little paper for the vasectomy? Me!! That brought us to considering an IUD, which I have been having feelings of conviction about, too.... uh, now what?! You know we all face these dilemnas sooner or later in life.... and it's hard..... you want and need the best information to make these decisions!!! If you are a Christian, you also will desire to be in the will of God.

God gave us free will to make our own choices. He could have made us all His perfect little followers doing no wrong, but He wanted us to want Him. He wants us to want His ways. Do we always WANT His ways? Maybe or maybe not.... I can't say I WANT to be pregnant twelve times or have a dozen children. I am being real about this... the Bible says that children are a gift from God and happy is the man that has his quiver full. So, does that mean the more you have the happier you will be? Whew!! That is heavy stuff! I don't know where my life will lead, but I know that the IUD will not be an option for me now. Thank you God for putting Bridget in my path before I made a huge mistake!! God is using you Bridget (if you read this), so do not be discouraged. And uh-hem ... I guess we will be back to the ovulation method after breastfeeding ends... until someone shares something convicting about that one. :O

Saying It Forward Friday

I am feeling very honored and humble today!! Quinn sent me this award and had the most wonderful things to say about wee little me. I love her blog and spend many moments rocking babies and reading her wonderful insight. Who knew I could get an award for having way too much to say and saying it.. LOL!!

So, now I guess to add to this "carnival" I should pass this on to my "loyal commentors". And LOYAL they are!! If you notice, I do not have a huge "following", but I am RICH with the ones I do have. True friends are hard to find and I am blessed to have these to fir sure!! So, without further ado I am "Saying It Forward" to:

Michelle at Little Red Schoolhouse is my "in the real world buddy". I moved to her neighborhood when I was eight months old. We have a LONG AND STRONG friendship and have recently added another new level to our friendship by blogging.

Tara at Too Many Kids In The Bathtub is a friend that I have met "in the blog world". I feel like God truly had a hand in bringing us together through blogging.

Thanks ladies for being loyal commentors on my little blog in my little world. Your friendship is a treasure beyond worldly measure!!

So, ladies... IF you want to partcipate then follow this LINK to the site to find out more and add to the Mr. Linky.... ask me if you need help!! I don't get it all either!! LOL!

"I've Got A Wild Hair"

Well, I've got a lot of wild "hairs" at my house. I have naturally wild curly hair and all four of my kids have gotten my curls!! Bless their little hearts. Oddly, the misconception is that their hair would be curly at birth; however, you can't really tell right away. There is a bit of wave at moments, but nothing definite until the curls just spring up one day... literally, spring up!! About a week ago I started noticing a little "flip" to Sahara's hair when she got a bit warm and sweaty. So, today when Sierra was in the tree (read previous post) I had Sahara sitting on a blanket and I noticed this:

Look at all those little wild flips!!

Sahara S~I~T~T~I~N~G (on her brother's blanket) !!

And sitting... this is new, too. Just this week she started really sitting, but she is soooo unstable and will just throw herself back! So adorable! Uhh... did I mention she is almost 9 months old. She is a bit "delayed", but don't worry. She is healthy and has healthy muscle tone. She has just been "guarded".... I use that word because my primary issue has been to keep her safe. Her brother adores her, but he is one rough little guy. I get a lot of complaints about her delays, but sometimes it is better to just keep them alive. :) Don't you think?!! I think it is so great that babies are all different and I am so thankful that mine is healthy. If you are reading this and your child is "delayed" just don't fall into the trap of worrying or letting others cause you to worry. All babies are different... so different! Some things are just common sense, too. Mine is an example of this.... If they spend all their time up high (and safe) in a highchair, then they can not possibly develop their skills, such as, sitting up or crawling, etc. If they are obviously healthy it is just not cause for worry. E~N~J~O~Y them. So soon.. too soon they will be up running and into all sorts of "adventures.

Thank you God for my healthy baby and all my healthy bigger kids. My heart goes out to all of you that are not so blessed!!

Funny Little Tree Monkey !!

Sierra, 5, had been playing outside all day today in this beautiful weather we are having. Today she discovered how to get up in our magnolia tree by herself ... no boosting required! She spent much off the morning climbing around in the tree like a little monkey and walking the limbs like they were a tightrope. And, YES, I was holding my breath and trying not to watch too much. After much fun I insisted the kids come inside for a late lunch and Caden, 2, fell asleep at the table. I nursed and rocked the baby and she also fell asleep. Now if you are homeschooling you know this can be a great time to do some school while the little ones are snoozing away. So, I told Sierra not to go back out. Have you already guessed what she did?! She came running through the house like a wild child, flung the door open, and in moments was up in that tree climbing to her hearts delight. You have to now that Sierra is a sly little thing, so when I came out the door she was perched on a limb grinning at me. She was wearing a sly little grin and had a sparkle in her eyes.

I said, "Sierra Faith I told you not to come back outside." I admit I was grinning myself. ;)

She said, "Are you gonna whip my butt?"... still grinning.

I said with a laugh, "Well, I can hardly get to you can I?" As if I am going to climb a tree... and she did look really cute!! ... and, uh, yeah... I know I should not allow her to say butt, but it is short for buttocks. I have never gotten why that is so bad a word. My kids think hate is a "bad" word. They do no even comprehend "four letter words" or notice the words are being said, since they do not hear them in our home.

Yep, that's the grin I am talking about!

She is a cute little wild one!!

Check out this post by Large Family Mothering. It is called "Why I Love Homeschooling". I confess I am not to the point that I can say I "love" homeschooling. I am hoping to start loving it soon, though. :) Homeschooling comes with a lot of responsibility that our culture has taught us to quickly pass off to others. Taking back that responsibility is no easy feat.

I can say I love having my kids with me. I love being with them. I do not love feeling ill equipped and I wonder why our fore fathers/mothers ever allowed the world to change the way it has. Why did they not continue passing on family values and a knowledge of how to do things!? It baffles me! I want to pass on all the knowledge I can to my children... I am talking about family values and Godly wisdom, not worldly knowledge. I want them to be able to do simple things like make bread or sew a baby blanket. Yes, I said "simple". A couple of years ago I thought rolls were hard to make. Seriously, if you can read the box to make Hamburger Helper you can make rolls. The world and advertising have convinced us that everything is too hard.

And this really does tie in with homeschooling. You see I thought it was also too hard to do, because I have been programmed that way. The very system that "educates" us will turn around and tell us we are not "educated enough" to teach our own children. I find the irony in that a bit comical. ;) And they are right in some aspects. I have to say the first thing I had to do when we began homeschooling is teach my kids what to do when they are around each other most of the day now. They are still adjusting. LOL! I remember feeling lost when my first daughter went away to school. I wanted to have her near me all the time and never miss a moment. Sadly, it became easier to drop them off. So, now I find myself stumbling through how to teach my kids and make it fun. School was not fun growing up and we have to break away from that example that has been set for those of us that have been through public school. I read something recently that said, "I survived public school and that is why I homeschool my kids".

Quoting Me & Keeping It Real

"I have many talents and I want to share them, but I have much to learn and I want to learn." --Shannon

If you want to know what I am talking about go visit The White Picket Fence and read her post today and always read comments. Reading the comments is how we get to know each other in the blog world... our conversation. I often go back to a post and read what others have to say. Not to be nosey, but to get their insight and "hear their voice" on the issue.

Let's Keep It Real!

Refashion: Added "Detail"

And about the refashion yesterday... I forgot to note that the strap I used around the neck was the elastic edging I cut off at the top off the original piece. It had a serged edge, so I ran it through my serger again to "catch" the raw edge I had from cutting it off. You could use a zig-zag or cut the excess fabric completely off... depends upon your item. I cut it the length I needed and sewed it on. Because it is stretchy it will stretch over the head and nothing extra (i.e. buttons, snaps, ties) is needed.

Strange Things Are Happening

So, the pics say it all, right!!?

But, something strange has been going on around here. Normally, Savannah is the only one who will eat Pumpkin Pie around here, but today they ALL DID! And a few days ago they ate carrots.... and were begging me to cook more!! None of my kids have ever liked carrots. Baffling because I would even craved carrots during my pregnancies. Hmmm... I better go get some sweet potatoes... maybe it's an orange foods thing!!

It's Raining, It's Pouring .... Refashioned Dress?!

It's Raining.

It's Pouring.

I'm finally sewing!

Well, it is just a quick "refashion" that I promised Sierra about a month ago. We were at a yard sale and a held up this Trendy Junior' Tank Top and I saw a sundress!! I held it up to Sierra and knew it would be the right size. I asked how much it was and the lady said it was 25 cents!! Well, that sealed the deal.. even if I never got to it.

Originally, I thought I would use it just like it is and just take it up a bit in the back to fit around Sierra's chest. The only addition would be a strap around the need in a solid fabric/ribbon. I have to say I just don't like that straight across the chest look too much on my kids and the more I thought about it I knew that I would be "bothered" by it when I would see it on her. So I decided to give it a little shape around the bodice. Nothing fancy.... just quick and easy (see last pic).

So, this is how it turned out and Sierra loves it and says it is "beautifulish"! I have not sewn for her like I have for Savannah, so she really gets excited to get something... umm, and Savannah is a bit jealous, I think. So, guess what I will be doing next!!? Savannah does understand, but you can still tell she wants something, too.

The chopsticks in her hair were to get her hair out of the way for try-ons, but she thinks she is Chinese when they are in her hair. Even strangers have said that she looks like a little China doll (especially as a baby), so it is very fitting for her to have chopsticks in her hair. I find it interesting that some things are the way they are .... oddly... Her favorite animal has always been a Panda and she is drawn to Chinese types of things and even speaks Chinese some thanks to Chik-Fil-A and cartoons on TV.
So, you see I just serged the edge and folded it down to where I wanted... Nothing perfect. When I sew for my kids we sew for it to work and get through with sturdy seaming, but as long as it looks good on the outside I don't care too much about the details inside. When I sew to sell I do all that details stuff... even used to add my own hang tag. Anyway, I think using topstiching is my secret to no one knowing all that when my kids wear it. I can't say enough about how much simple topstitching adds to the quality of clothing.

Idea Sharing for Sewing Frugal Sewing

FIRST OF ALL, GO READ MY CLUSTRMAPS POST, PLEASE (page down... I want to know where you are from).

Now for sharing.... this is for those sewing people.... I am one of those, but for now am just the idea sharer... Aren't you glad I'm not stingey!!! Here gos:

man's long sleeve turned into a dress
http://vermillionrules.blogspot.com/2009/04/another-easter-dress.html

man's shirt into dress
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=170402.0

baby shoes
http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/?p=699#comment-89703

Rockin' infant gowns
http://thismamamakesstuff.blogspot.com/2008/08/tutorial-t-shirt-to-newborn-gown.html

page down to the onesie cut-up transformed into dress and bloomer set
http://dana-made-it.blogspot.com/search/label/Refashioning%20Ideas

various girl clothes ideas
http://dana-made-it.blogspot.com/search/label/Girl%27s%20Clothing

Caden My Diaper Man

Most of us know that when you are potty training one of the important steps is to take your little one to the potty ASAP upon awakening in the morning. This what happened at my house this morning:

Sahara and Caden awoke at the same time, so they both needed their morning diaper changes. This is the part where you pray the two year will be dry .... and then, laugh because he is not! As I am removing Caden's diaper he says, "I want Cars." He is referring to Pull-Ups.
I say, "You have to go potty on the potty chair to get Cars."
I take him to the potty and he refuses, because he is not feeling very awake (not like him). He then proceeds to get and try to put on his own "Cars". I take the Pull-Up away and tell him that he can only wear the Cars if he goes potty on the potty.
So, I say, "What is it? Mickey Mouse or Cars?"
Caden says, "Mickus Mouse!"

I was over at Rebbeca Jones' site and read her post for the day to which I felt compelled to comment. It was such a sweet post about how in it all the Lord provides for us. Go read it and be prepared to receive a blessing. Anyway, I started coomenting and it turned into a mini-blog (oops! :0 ) of which I wanted to share here with my readers.

In "the fine print" she comments that the Easter dresses have worked for three years.

My comment: "And I must say the dresses look beautiful. One of my first thoughts was how nice they all looked in their Easter attire. I am a SAHM mom, my husband is a teacher, and we have four kids (8, 5, 2, 8 mos). Our cup always runneth over on clothing. I hear others that do not seem to "get" the clothes we do and I am amazed. We always have givers or I find bargains via Goodwill, resale shops, & clearance sales. We rarely have a need other than shoes and many times that is met. Really it is always met!!! God provides! We live on $34K a year with 6 in the house. Imagine what we could do with a 3 figure income! :) I feel blessed and others are in awe of how we make it. We don't MAKE it, God MAKES it! Most people gawk and say, "and on a teacher's salary". They do not understand it is worth the summer and breaks off alone to live on a "teacher's salary". I grew up with my daddy working shift work and I rarely saw him. I never wanted that life... even with all the money it came with."

Anyway, I hope this touches you in some small way. And if you are thinking how poor we are... think again! We live at what is considered "poverty level", but not when God is multiplying it! We have and have always had a life of excess in my eyes. I actually get embarassed sometimes because I know people assume that we are wealthy. My niece was here shortly after we moved in our house and looked at her mother and said, "Are Uncle Cody and Aunt Shannon rich?" Her mother said, "Yes, yes they are (in blessings)." I pulled her aside later and told her that we are not wealthy only because I want her to understand the difference. When I ponder it like this, I think we are "rich", too.... but, I am human and I do not always "see" my blessings even though they are all around me. I wish and pray that God will make me aware of my blessings constantly!! It is easy to overlook even what is right before your eyes.

Matthew 14: 17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes. 18 He said, Bring them hither to me. 19 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. 20 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. 21 And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

Great Grandma Is A Poet!

I meant to share this sooner, but it slipped my mind. I think I need to add this to our homeschool reading list. Walk Softly On The Autumn Leaves is a book of poetry written by my husband's grandmother and her twin sister. It seems like we would have been doing this already, but I will have to start. I am still and probably always will be ironing out the wrinkles in our homeschool regimen. Of all things can you imagine having the opportunity to teach your kids from a book of their great grandmother's poetry. It is wonderful I must say and such a beautiful legacy for these two women to leave behind. They actually got this book published. You can read more about them on their website and purchase the book.

ClustrMaps is cool!

I added ClustrMaps to my blog a while back so I could see where my blog visitors are from. I love seeing the little dots all over the map and I am amazed that some have been from outside the U.S. even. Overseas!!! Can they even read it, ya think! I do realize they may have just glimpsed my blog, but still I think it is way cool! There is this really big dot growing above Texas. I am thinking it is Oklahoma or possibly Kansas. Hmmm... it us kinda getting me curious, too. So, here's the thing. If you stop by leave me a "comment"... even if you don't have anything else to say just type in your approximate location (ex: Southeast, TX).

Okay, so click here and you can see my map close-up and the statistics. I am soooo impressed... I have had 224 hits on my site: United States (US)=214,Canada (CA)=4, Netherlands (NL)=1, France (FR)=1, Finland (FI)=1, Japan (JP)=1, India (IN)=1, Australia (AU)=1

Hmmm.... I am gaining popularity (LOL) in Canada or someone keeps mistakenly dropping by... Who are you? What about OK or KS? Anyway, hope you find my "little things" interesting and a big Thank You for dropping by! Come back often!!

Sharing some PAIRS...

First of all, Michelle and I are buddies and in no way did we plan or imagine this, but look what we GOT!!! Missing from this display are our smallest "pairs" and her two older boys. She shared a pic (this top one) on her blog and noted that the only two sitting long enough for her to get a pic were these two... THE TWO YEAR OLDS... Amazing!!

Caden & Emari (3rd pair)

So, I am sitting here looking at my pics and I notice that I got pics of some of our other "pairs". Now this was not intentional on my part. This has been God's way with our friendship. I think it is by no mistake that God showed me once again that he formed our friendship. In the tiniest of ways God works out the details. TOGETHER we got pics of our pairs!! Now the little ones I am not counting... I mean, they'll be grouping up with each other soon... too soon.

Anaiah & Sierra (2nd pair)

These two are a hoot!! They will rule the world one day!! Mariah & Savannah

They have their lives planned out already! Imagine that at their age. And Mariah is not mad or anything. She is thinking about whatever and this is a "snapshot" not a fine photo. I got the pic.. not being picky about the details.

So, if you are counting that is four pairs, plus Michelle has two older boys. "Everybuddy" should have some pairs! It makes for some great fun! (Easter 2009)

Catching Up

I just added this daily scripture link to my page on the left sidebar. I hope it will be a reminder to all that visit my blog, as well as, to myself to stop for a moment and "study" the verse of the day. For some that may be to read it and think about it, while others may want to break it down and research it. However you do it I hope you will prayerfully apply it to your life. (And if anyone knows how to "fix" it, please send me a tip.)

Today the verse is:

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
Romans 12:2 / KJV

Today my oldest daughter was asking if we are "caught up", yet. For those of you that do not know this we started homeschooling the first week of November of this school year. I choose to begin the school year over at the beginning with our A Beka curriculum to make sure we did not miss something of importance. We have been trying to get caught up to one lesson a day... we are still not there. Keep in mind I do not follow the curriculum completely. We leave out a lot of the extra stuff or busy work to catch up. It sometimes makes it all miserable to try to work through the lessons so quickly just to catch up. In fact, we are not truly behind anyway... not behind her public school. We are even ahead in many areas. This verse really speaks to me. Am I proving "what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God"? Not really... I am trying and failing. I am not so proud that I can't admit that. Is Savannah learning? Yes, but that is not what I am failing her in. I am failing her in providing a "good, and acceptable, and perfect" example. When we slow down and live in the moment we do better than when we are trying to catch up. I am certain that is more pleasing to God.

Fun-FILLED Easter Weekend and some Tips

What a busy Easter weekend this year. Cody was off for Good Friday, so we started out by getting the kiddos up and dressed in all white outfits for a little Momma photo shoot. That went ... uhhhh... well????!!! Hmmmm, I got some shots, but not of all of the kiddos in one pic. So, we are going to have to try for that on another day. I will try to post some of the pics over the coming week, because I know I have you curious now. Sorry for that! ;o

The day got away from us quickly (time flies somehow) and I did a necessary store run and then we jumped into the weekend with a bang by meeting up with friends and going to the Last Days of Christ presentation in Beaumont, Texas. As expected it was awesome and a wonderful way to bring the story of Easter to life. I know kids have vivid imaginations anyway and probably don't HAVE to have this type of presentation for it to seem real to them, but you can't go wrong by giving them a visual. After the presentation we came back to our house and enjoyed visiting.

Saturday morning I dragged myself out of bed to make a marathon run to the lakes area (Sam Rayburn) for family visits with each set of grandparents. What a day of SUGAR it turned out to be!! We had a quick cereal breakfast here, but by the time we got out the door there were screams of hunger... sad starving children that they are. :) We made a quick run to the Donut Palace for kolaches and donuts/donut holes (the best around.,..yum). We went to the in-laws first... in the boonies... think I am kidding?!... it is FIVE miles back in the woods and you see NOTHING but woods until you get there!! Strangely, they have two other neighbors right beside them that think this seclusion is normal, also. :) Anyway, there we visited with MeMe, Poppa, Uncle W, Aunt D, Cousins E, H, & B. All the kids played "hopscotch" on the new checkerboard sod that was freshly put down. I am sure my girls thought that hopscotch was the reason for the sod (as opposed to my in-laws desperate attempt to have grass rather than dust for a front yard). It was cute watching them hop around on their new hopscotch grid. We had early Easter dinner, hid and hunted eggs, played some more and ate lots of sweets and after about four hours headed to my parents.... Shhhh! It was a suprise! I did not tell them we were coming because I did not want them fretting about doing anything special. My Daddy just happened to be outside when we were driving up and he was suprised. Kinda funny to see that look on his face. He is supposed to be relaxing and taking it easy after his recent heart attack, but he thinks he can "do it all" still. He really has me worrying, but what do you do?! So, we visited with Nana and PaPa and, of course, my Momma (Nana) thought we all needed to be fed. She whipped up some chili and hot dogs/frito pies and then, the kiddos went for a golf cart ride with PaPa and their daddy to visit some other kids in the neighborhood. Momma and I stuck around while Sahara cuaght a much needed nap and chit-chatted. We were supposed to stay there for about two hours to avoid tiring them out, but ended up being there about four hours, also. We headed home, so we could attend church on Sunday morning... Whew! Would have loved to stay and REST... oh no.. we don't dare do that, though. I told Cody that if he loved me at all and I was to survive this weekend he was going to have to let me try to sleep on the way home. A miracle happened and I DID... at least, some! We Got home around midnight and crashed for the night... well, somewhat. There is not really much sleep to be had here, but we try. :)

We awoke with approximately 1 1/2 hours to bathe, dress, feed, and get all six of us out the door for church!! We were moving and grooving and we made it. After church we we went to Michelle's parent's house for an Easter/birthday celebration (one year for miss Marowynn, Michelle's youngest) where we spent the afternoon eating, visiting, egg hiding/hunting. It was a great time to spend with lifelong friends. That evening we came home and I made a quick dinner. I put together a family Easter basket for my kids while they were playing. They came to dinner with this big basket as a suprise in the middle of the dining room table. Now, I have to say I did not go all nuts with the "Easter stuff". It was simple and I encourage others to follow a "less is more" policy for Easter (etc). I have had the basket for over 15 years and when I realized it would hold the stuff I had I grabbed it up and it became "the" basket. So, you see there was no great planning here. Keep it simple... use what you have even if you use it in a different way than normal. This basket normally holds cloth dinner napkins and sits in the floor of the dining room. I just moved the dinner napkins out temporarily. In my effort to give the kids a "gift" without it being too much I purchased sand buckets for each of the ($1 at WM) as their treat which I stacked together and placed altogether in the big basket. I then tossed in a few bags of candy, some Peeps, and a small chocolate bunny for each of them along with a book (The Easter Story) that we ALREADY HAD. After eating dinner they were allowed to dive into the basket and I handed Cody the little book to read to the kids. That pretty much brought us up to bedtime, so off they were to brush teeth and all that jazz. Whew! What a whirlwind weekend!

TIPS: Okay, this is random... some on the topic of Easter and some not... just what is on my mind:
*1st* About that basket in the dining room... Want to save some money and some trees on paper towel usage? I have some fabric napkins that I just use and wash. The ones in my basket or nice, but only because I just happened to have them. I also, use my kitchen hand towels for the same purpose. Change to this and you will be suprised to see that you can almost stop buying paper towels. I only buy the cheapest paper towels and those I use for draining greasy food. Occasionally I grab a paper towel in a hurry, but usually I use something I can wash and re-use.
*2nd* A new book is great to have, but if you do not have time to go shopping the kids don't care. The GIFT OF READING ANY BOOK will do for them. Now, our book was not brand new and I had read it to them a couple of times this week, BUT Daddy had not. That was a wonderful gift and having Daddy talk to them about their salvation and baptism is PRICELESS.
*3rd* Gifts that you know they will actually use over and over are much better than all those little trinkety things that fall apart or just junk up your house. Those that add clutter and stress to your house or better never to enter in! Somewhere out there there is a landfill of party favors that we are ALL contributing to... I am guilty, too.
*4th* Making memories... Attending events together, such as, plays, a movie, presentations (Last Days of Christ), McD's for ice cream, free local events like firework shows, flying a kite, or going on a quick picnic are so much better than anything you could purchase. Watch a home video, view photos, etc. If we all stopped buying so much "stuff" for our kids we would see their world change. Trade an expensive "thing" for special time together and see the difference... I DARE YOU!!! We have even told our kids that less stuff will mean a chance at better fun things this summer will we are on vacation.

Natural Prayer

For some of us praying does not come so naturally. Sad to say, but it is truth. I was not raised in a home where praying was the norm. In fact you would have gotten a funny look, if you dared to pray or it might become the brunt of a joke. My mother would say that she prayed for her children every night and I believe that to some degree, but it was not something that she or my father taught us to do. They did not know how to pray themselves and were not comfortable with it. Anyway, today my parents were here and we were all sitting down for lunch when Savannah just starts praying over the meal. No one told her to. In fact, I had not even made it to the table yet. She just did it. I can't express how pleased I was. I know my parents are impressed by that and it is wonderful for Savannah to be able to be a living witness to them. In fact, Savannah and my other little ones may very well be the influence that has brought my parents to church. They have been attending a small church near there home for a few months now.

I have to say it gets quite noisy and sometimes a little disorderly at our house when it is prayer time. It is not always what it should be, but over time we have been coaching them and we are seeing improvement. See, we do not have them recite a simple memorized prayer. We have them pray what is on their hearts. With an eight year old, five year old, and a two year old they do not understand taking turns or one may get upset because "their prayer" was said already. Actually, as I sit here typing this I am realizing that that very issue is diminishing. Yippee! As they get older they will learn and we will learn how to guide them in praying and they will grow up in a home where it is only natural to pray.

I can't finish this post without adding that when someone is on their heart they pray diligently for that person. A dear friend of ours was on dialysis and later had a kidney transplant and Savannah would always remember to pray for him even when we did not. Over the years they each have done this and most recently it has been for a friend whose mother had a massive stroke and Michelle's husband, Marion as he recently underwent back surgery. Hmmm... and my daddy for a heart attack, Cody's dad for cancer, and his mom for a stomach issue. They have been busy lately... much to pray for. I am always so impressed that in their innocence they remember everyone and I am humbled. I wish I could remember as well as they do. I know God hears their prayers. Not only do they pray to God with a request, they also thank God for the beautiful day or the day they have had so far (at 8:00 am this one is sometimes comical). Sometimes they tank God for making someone better or letting a visitor stop by, etc.. I am so proud of them and so thankful that even though we are not experts God is guiding us in teaching them in such a way that they can learn to pray and it will just feel natural to them as they grow up.

A Nurturing Father

Tonight Michelle and her crew came over for a short visit. When we are all together we have four little pairs of kids, plus she has two older boys. The only thing is that one of the pairs includes my little boy, Caden. He just plays right along with those girls and has a great time... most of the time. :)

So, tonight they are playing dolls and we hear some squabbling (nothing major), but it turns out that it is over "babies". I can't count all the baby dolls they have for options, but you know how little ones are. The ONE that is being played with is all they can imagine and they all want the ONE. The others are simply out of sight out of mind. No big deal, so I grab another one from the baby doll pile and hand it to Caden and all is well. They all have a baby of their own. Michelle and I continue talking and then she says, "Look he's feeding his baby!" I look at Caden and my sweet little man has his baby's head pressed into his chest! He is breastfeeding his baby!

Daddy's Shirt Is A Dress.... What?!

I came across this little dress project and thought I would share it with those of you that are busy sewing up some Spring dresses. Follow this link, because I do not want to us the pics without permission. I love re-purposing things and this is a great way for a little girl to "wear Daddy's shirt". I have a few twists on it... as I always do. A special T could become a special nightgown for your girly. Also, imagine all the second-hand ladies blouses that could be transformed into a dress. This is just a great spin on another idea... pillowcase dresses. I love this type of thing!

Follow this link for a tutorial. http://amazingmae.blogspot.com/ Then, page down for all sorts of cool skirts and dresses.... You won't run out of ideas all Spring!!! "SEW" ADORABLE!!!

Cooking Ahead Series

Hehehe! So, we are kinda doing a series amongst some of us in blogland. Anyone that wants to get in on it is welcome! The more the merrier! "Two heads are better than one" and maybe together we can lighten our load. There are no real "rules". We are just sharing cooking ideas and strategies for saving time and money by preparing some things ahead. I would say it does not have to be a "new thing". For instance, I am certain that I am not the only person that makes double batches of pancakes and freezes the excess; however, if someone were blogging by and saw such a thing they might be "reminded" to do it the next time they are making pancakes (or whatever). That is how this got started... Tara at http://www.toomanykidsinthebathtub.blogspot.com/ wrote a couple of posts about preparing meals ahead. I had just bought brisket on sale with the intention of cutting it in thirds and freezing it raw. When I read her post I decided to cook it and then divide it into meal portions. Much smarter!! So, I blogged about that. Michelle at http://www.littleredhomeschool.blogspot.com/ happened to be making cookies in mass quantity (some to freeze) and she jumped in and wrote a post about that. So, here we are.... Join in!! Leave a "comment" if you are posting on your blog. It we have some interested passersby I will see what I can do to get it "organized".... a button... and whatever.

By the way, my final tally for the brisket is 7 family size portions of prepared brisket and 1 meal portion and approximately 5 individual portions of chopped BBQ for sandwiches. Cost was right at $30 (at $1 lb.), so less than $4 a meal. That will save me from impulsive eating out on busy days.

Trying To Make Sense

I just realized that my April 5th blog entry does not really make too much sense in the closing sentence:

" In all seriousness the fact that we are "not limited" by public school for our kids combined with the fact that my husband is a teacher in public school will give us many freedoms. "

The first part of the sentence about my kid's is referring to location and schedules. The second part of the sentence about my husband is a reference to schedules, as well. I guess it also applies to location, if we did ever want to move.

So, now that we are as clear as mud you know I am only referring to

LOCATION and SCHEDULES.

I'm So Proud of ME !!

As long as I can remember I have wanted to learn to knit. For some reason I have always thought it would be hard. Maybe it was the TWO needles as opposed to one with crochet. A family friend taught me to crochet when I was eight years old and I guess I just never moved on. I made tons of things for my Barbies and baby dolls using a single stitch, double stitch, granny squares, and some "made-up" stitches. Even the crochet has been something I have not done as an adult because of the time commitment. I have to say that may be the case with knitting, as well. So far, I have a 3" X 4" piece... and what is it you say? To me it is just a learning piece.... to my girls it might get to be a Polly Pocket blanket (Barbie is too big... lol!)

I watched this clip on YouTube about a million times while rocking Sahara and about a million more times as I was trying to knit.... just absorbing it all. I started really sloppy and would get about 15 stitches on the needle and then, remove it and start again until it started feeling more natural. Also, at first I had to use my fingers to help it along, but that got better, too. Improvement was quite quick, so that was not frustrating and before long I was rocking right along. I even did some of it while rocking Sahara. As is the rule she awoke twice and had to be cuddled and rocked back out.... ya know, they seem to know when you are trying to accomplish something... Hehehe! As you can see above even "rocking right along" you don't get a lot for the work very quickly. BUT I do feel w~o~n~d~e~r~f~u~l just knowing that I FINALLY DID IT! I learned and will continue to play around with it and learn more. And a big thanks to http://www.youtube.com/ and http://www.cyberseams.com/ for having this stuff on the internet as tool for L~E~A~R~N~I~N~G ! If you have ever wanted to learn to knit, I encourage you to try it. For under $5 you can get a pair of needles and skein of yarn and the feeling of accomplishment is... PRICELESS ! I can't wait to teach my kids!