"Enjoy the LITTLE THINGS in life for one day you will look back and realize they were the big things."


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What blog is about Intro

Come on in and sit awhile while I talk about the "Little Things" in life. I will share my journey of everyday life.... homeschooling, raising my children, homesteading, gardening, health and wellness, and real life.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Homeschool Pros by Savannah

Savannah: "You know what I like about homeschool?" She holds her foot up and says, "You get to match your shoes to your outfit!"

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Time For Some Funnies!!

A few times recently, Sierra has been coloring. For the skin for people she is coloring I have heard her say, "He has a tanburn. Ooooh, and a tanburn hurts!"

Savannah just walked up to my computer and said, "Momma can you play Deal or No Deal on that thing?" She was pointing to the "DELL" name on it.
I grinned and said, "You are so silly. That says Dell, the name of the computer."
She walks off grinning and saying casually, "Oh, I didn't know." She even thinks she is funny! I love that she can laugh at herself. Recently, she has started giggling after everything she says and her Daddy gets such a kick out of that.

And why is it that Caden can sing, "A, B, C, D, E, G, H, K, J,.... " and I think he is a genius?!

I love the things they say. In fact I often think that if they weren't so darn cute in looks and the things they say we would never make it through parenthood! ;) Many times over the years I have said, "Thank God they are cute!" when we are in the heat of a tantrum. I am not really talking about their looks here, either. I mean, I am ... bear with me this is confusing... not MY KIDS looks.... I think they are beautiful, but all kids are. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and Momma's always think their darlings are the most beautiful... even the ones that have funny ears or odd head shapes or more serious imperfections. They are beautiful to me in all their "normalness". I would love them no matter what!! Anyway, on with the funnies...

Caden is chasing bugs right now. He suddenly turned all boy a couple of months ago and is loud and talks constantly about lawnmowers and tractors, boats... all that stuff and runs around making "Rrrrrruuummm.... rrrrRRRRR rrruuumm" noises as he shifts gears. The funny thing is that he is the sissy of my group! He is chasing the bugs and screaming the whole time! Screaming like a little girl!! Last week at lunch a fly had gotten in the house and kept landing on Caden. He would scream and go hysterical, then suddenly burst out laughing (very loudly) at himself while shouting, "Booog! Ahhhhhrrrrrrr!" (that's "bug" followed by a growling sound).


Another funny thing about Caden that just bewilders me is when he gets caught with something he is not supposed to have (i.e. markers, pens, scissors, candy,... chef's knives) I can say, "Caden, give that to Momma. Caden, you are in trouble and you have to give that to me right now." He simply grins and looks at me ... or runs off with it. As soon as I say, "Girls, get that from Caden, please." He will run and give it to me!!! That just happened with the scissors!! And for those of you who think I am a mean Momma for not letting him play with scissors, he does get to during craft time. I do not let my kids freely roam with scissors for fear of bald, gapped up haircuts or newly designed furniture! ;)

Monday, May 25, 2009

Cooking Ahead Series: BBQ Ribs & Brisket

While brisket & ribs were on sale I decide to try to stock some meals in the freezer. I have never eaten ribs! It is probably because of the way I have seen them cooked. I do not like the appearance of meat, so I have a difficult time with eating it if it is fatty or does not look appealing. My oldest daughter feel in love with Chili's ribs back in November and has been begging for them since. We have gone back, but the cheapskate in me can't seem to get why "bones" are so expensive! Let me remind you once again that I had never eaten them.

So, being cheap I decided that I should try to cook them at home. It has taken me this long to actually risk it. Why? Because I had this vision of me doing all this work and no one liking it. I thought I would try a similar recipe for Chili's Ribs, but I soon realized I was missing a couple ingredients. Rather than make a store run I pulled out some bottled BBQ sauce. I coated the ribs (pork ribs) with sauce in a pan and covered it with foil. I baked this for approximately 3 hours on 300 degrees until TENDER!! Then, I fired up the gas grill and let it heat to about 300 degrees. While still in the pan, I basted the ribs with their juice. After that I placed them on the grill and slathered them down with BBQ sauce. Then, I TURNED OFF THE GRILL. and let them continue coooking in the heat of the grill without risk if burning. After 10-15 minutes I flipped them, then slathered sauce on that side. I fired up the grill and let the temperature rise, again. I let them sit in the heat for another 10-15 minutes and placed them on a platter.

Let me just say that now I know why people eat them!! They were yummy and I was able to get 3 huge meals out of two racks of ribs. I could hve probably made it four meals, but I am not sure how much my crew will eat, yet. Now I just have to get that brisket trimmed and in the oven tonight (Cook unseasoned 7-8 hours @ 250 degrees). That will make 4 meals. So, the grand total is 7 meals and all for under $30. That is almost $5 a meal, but the point is to avoid eating out. I can cook cheaper meals, but these meals are considered savings over the cost of eating out and are for those days when we need a quick meal.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Friday, May 22, 2009

Yearly Schedules

In our short homeschooling journey I have been pondering schedules lately... not just the day to day rituals, but rather the Yearly Schedules. I think this is pretty radical for a newbie homeschooler, but I am thinking of schooling year round. My thoughts on this are:
  • We could avoid the Summer Memory Loss Syndrome and avoid so much focus on reteaching those "lost" skills.
  • We could feel free to take days or weeks off at leisure throughout the year without worrying about "getting behind". On days we have appointments we could just take the whole day off without concern and enjoy or venture out if the house. I could call a cleaning week break... or day.
  • When we hit the "blahs" we could have a "holiday" and address the issue causing the "blahs" and start again refreshed.
  • I still would seperate school years sometime in the Summer with a one-two week Summer Break.
  • I am thinking of using the whole month of December to focus on mostly "Other" activities. At our house that is stuff other than the 3R's. Maybe do the 3R's one or two days a week during that time to keep it fresh.
  • I have heard of people doing 6 weeks on and 1 week off, etc. Those intrigue me, but with a toddler and baby in tow I like the idea of waking up one morning and looking at the chaos and saying, "No school today. We are going to focus on ______ today." If someone is sick, we can have the flexibility to deal with those issues.
  • ...and on and on and on.... :)

For all my loyal commenters out there what Yearly Schedule do you follow? What makes it work for your life? Do you like flexibility or structured? Or both combined? Do you have any tips for my Random Yearly Schedule?

I have to say that I am a person who desires structure; however, as God has blessed me with children I have had to be willing to change a lot. Since we began homeschooling I have struggled with my desire to be structured, but be flexible. We drop everything for "company". I want my kids to value relationships and not have their head in academics all day, but how do you do that and stay on track with academics. I think the key for us will be to spread out the academics year round.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

A Love Of Reading

I was talking to Rebecca, 6th grade homeschooler and neighbor friend, today about her homeschool experience. She was telling me some details and mentioned they did a lot of reading (being read to) and it made her love reading. She was talking about how it made it easier for her to learn to read and she became a fast reader. I was commenting on the fact that in public school there was so much focus on rushing the kids to read. Savannah chimed right in and said, "Yeah, in public school I did not like to read and now I love reading."

I need to note that we are hardly even reading, which I intend to change. We have simply removed the stress of having to read and read quickly. Now that she is learning to love reading we will start to add more reading to our day. I am sure that you can guess her comment was sweet music to my ears!!! Success is sweet and this is a BIG ... no, HUGE!!!

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

KIR: Watermelon Rednecks?

We had the sweetest watermelon today! YUM! It just confirms to me that life is good!!! All things melt away when you have watermelon. As I sat out on the deck today I began to ponder if we might be watermelon rednecks! (photo courtesy of http://www.oregonstate.edu/)

Keep in mind this is my "Keeping It Real" post, so I am going to be embarassingly honest. After we ate some watermelon I said,"Oh, my belly feels like it is gonna burst!". Then, I burped! As soon as I burped Sahara let out a burp! Savannah burst out laughing! And yes, we know that is gross, but somehow burping is cute when babies are involved.

A few moments later I realized Savannah (8 y) had paint on her shirt, so I told her to wash it off in the kiddie pool (bending over it). She decided that was not working, so she stripped her shirt off and continued playing! Yes, out in the backyard for all to see. Caden was already completely nude and splashing around in the pool. I said, "Savannah, aren't you worried about being shirtless?" She shrugged her shoulders and simply said, "Redneck" as she hopped on her bike and laughed.

Hmmm... Did I mention watermelon WAS lunch?!!! Well, an hour later we had a regular lunch, but we were all content with the idea of WATERMELON being lunch!!

And one more thing... a couple of month's ago we tore our dryer apart thinking we were going to fix it. Well, that did not quite work out and we bought a new one. So, I told my husband to let the kids play with the dryer drum (the round part that spins the clothes ... or in our case it spins our kids ... Hehehe). They rolled all over the house like little hamsters until we got aggravated with stumbling over the huge thing. Then, we took it outside for them to roll it around in the yard. Thinking of the tire swing theory I said something about it making a cool swing. One thing led to another and before I knew it there was dryer drum hanging from a tree in our backyard!!! Our kids and all their buddies had the best time. It was like a ride at a fair. We worked it over and broke the rope 2 or 3 times, so it is out of commission until we fix it. In it's place for the time being is another redneck "swing" that I scored at the beach compliments of Hurricane Ike. It is a huge knotted up rope my husband hung from the tree.


I would NEVER consider myself a Redneck, but I have to admit it might seem that way... ;0 (Uh-hem... don't look at the way my kids are dressed... hmmm.. looking a bit redneck! ;0 )


Be sure and visit Quinn for more "Keeping It Real"!

Poop Talent

At our house we see a lot of talents, but Sahara likes to shows us hers the most. She is such a show-off !! ;D This one is not too bad... really! Sometimes she manages to have poop coming out the back and front at the same time. And just tell me how it is that one manages to poop out her hip!!? It somehow channels up the groin area and out by the velcro fasteners. Remarkable talent!!!

Recently, my husband loaded all the kids in the car while I packed up a few things for a little venture. Suddenly, he is running back in the house screaming for help. I was passing him on the sidewalk with arms loaded down, so I had to go on to the van. There was poop in the car seat.... poop that came THROUGH her clothes. I ran in to help because I knew this one was gonna be bad .... and bad it was! I am yet to figure out how on this earth she managed such talent, but somehow when she pooped it came out all directions (front, back, top, sides... ALL) and went back down into her bloomers. Being that bloomers are fabric it squeezed right out through the cloth!!

Is it the diapers I use? I have tried various ones and after four kids I have come to this conclusion ... She just has T~A~L~E~N~T !!!

Special note: If you have a "talented" child flip them on their belly for a "reverse diaper change". It works wonderfully!

Monday, May 18, 2009

Report For Duty

Grab a timer and getting ready for some fast-paced chore assignments!! That's what we are doing RIGHT NOW! I am on a "nursing sit-down". Here's how it works:

First, set the rules. Enforce the "Yes Ma'am Chart" in my previous post (I will link it later). Tell them what you want them to do. Decide on a time frame. We are doing 5 minute time frames. It is hustle, hustle, hustle (that means for this game they can run and do it super fast). You can use chore cards or call out their "assignments".

Second, use some fun things... We have a megaphone. You could make them "salute" while using their cheerful Yes Ma'am responses. Remember this is about getting them to have fun while cleaning. Do not make it awful for your little soldiers!

Third, get started! I am gonna tell you what we did to give you an idea. This game was about getting some help, but not perfection. Set your expectations low. I set the timer for 5 minutes and said, "Report for duty! Clean up all the toys in the dining room and return them too their appropriate place." When the timer went off I said, "Great job! Now take a five minute break and play. When the timer goes off you need to come back here and report for duty, again." So, when they came back (all the while I am announcing, "Report for duty!") I changed it up by sending them to our main living area and gathering shoes that needed to be put away. They took the 5 minute break. Came back and I had them remove toys from the kitchen. They took a 5 minute break. Came back and I requested that they stack up books that they had knocked off a table this morning (about 20), then I called them in to put whites from the washer into the dryer. They love to do this and even climb in my washer and pass the laundry to each other assembly line style to the dryer. Then, I had a load of towels ready for them to put in the washer. In case you are wondering, I kept working right through their breaks and and helped them during their "duty" time. I also pointed this out that I was continuing to work and that I appreciated their help.

Fourth, suprise them with a reward. My girls did not know there was a reward... and I did not plan one, but I was so pleased that I wanted to do something special for them. I painted their nails... fingers and toes!! I despise doing it, but it makes them happy. Shame on me for not liking it, but I am not a girly-girl and it takes more patience than I have most days to paint little wiggly fingers and toes that usually get messed up more than once. We did manage to not have any spills this time!!

Another point I feel I need to make is that we have NOT done our school today, YET! We will break for lunch and then, start schooling. Another point... Caden did drag some more toys back in the kitchen while we were nail painting. Like I said before, this is not about perfection. It is more about training them to serve... to be joyful and helpful at the same time. Hope this helps you.... even if you break it into to 15 minute sections or whatever. The five minute makes it wild and very fast-paced, but accomplishes a lot in a short time.... while they did some physical exercise. You may find it difficult to keep up with the pace yourself! :) Try it and let me know what you think! It is no real "grand thing", but it worked for us today. It may not everyday, but I am gonna try it. If they get burn-out I will change up what we do. I was thinking that you could tie it in with unit studies, too. I am gonna think on that... Like play the police officer game and do the same as above. We could have "office day" where we focus on straightening our books and papers.... I know I am strange, but it is all for the cause....

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Circle of Friends

This is what friendship means to me... I'll highlight keys words that touch me. I run in small "circles", but they have depth!!

We were made to love and be loved
But the price this world demands will cost you far too much
I spent so many years just trying to fit in
Now Ive found a place in this circle of friends
In a circle of friends we have one father
In a circle of friends we share this prayer
That every orphaned soul will know
And all will enter in
To the shelter of this circle of friends
If you weep, I will weep with you
If you sing for joy the rest of us will lift our voices too
But no matter what you feel inside there's no need to pretend
Thats the way it is in this circle of friends
In a circle of friends
We have one father
In a circle of friends we share this prayer
That well gather together no matter how the highway bends
I will not lose this circle of friends
Among the nations, tribes and tongues we have sisters and brothers
And when we meet in heaven we will recognize each other
With joy so deep and love so sweet
Oh well celebrate these friends
And a life that never ends
In a prayer
That will not be long before
All will enter in
To the shelter of this circle of friends
That it will not be long before
All will enter in
To the shelter of this circle of friends

Friday, May 15, 2009

Timing For Starting MY Homeschooling Journey

Do you ever wake up and think, "I think I feel like trying a whole new plan!"... while in the midst of an already somewhat overwhelming stage of your life? Some things just do not HAVE a good time and sometimes if you wait for a good time you miss part of the benefit of making that change. The only thing to do in that case sometimes is to jump in feet first... swim or drown!... or in my case tread water for a while... a long while!! :) I can't say I am "swimming" through it, yet. I'm not dead just yet, so I must not be "drowning". LOL! That only leaves "treading water"... yeah, you know you are just barely staying up sometimes... your head bobs below the surface some and you come up FIGHTING for the strength to keep going. That is where I am. Do I sound dreary? I don't mean to. I think in these times it is when God can truly work on me. Let me say ME, again. I know when I have a problem the first place I need to look is ME! OUCH! That hurts. Consider this... do things seem too tough? Look at YOURSELF. How are you reacting? How are you feeling? What are your secret thoughts that no one hears? Now think on this.... are you CONTENT with that? If you are, then this is as far as you can go. If you are NOT content, then God can work on you. I don't want to ever be content with ME. I want to be better. So, if you look at me right now (and always, I hope) you will see someone that always wants to be better... always striving to improve... mostly treading water! I am very critical of myself, but I believe God can use that!

Anyway, I know I left you hanging with my last post, so here are some small details... to ME they have been huge!! This is where my homeschool journey started..... We ended public school on October 31 this fall, but I have to go back a little further to set the scene... let's see.... we will go back to Mid-May 2008 when I began my last trimester of Sahara's pregnancy. Suddenly, I was drained and feeling unable to find my energy. A month later I found out that my iron level was low. For whatever reason I had all the symptoms of someone that was severely anemic. I would get up to walk 5 feet and be breathless. I could not take care of my kids! That is hard for me to admit, but I felt like I had some serious life threatening illness. This is coming from a person that can NOT stand when people treat pregnancy like it is an illness. I LOVE to be pregnant. Fortunately, for me and my kiddos my husband is a teacher and he was able to pick up the slack as summer began. I was around and trying to appear useful, but I simply was not much help around here. That meant that a lot of things were not getting done. Imagine the desperate feeling of nesting, but being unable to accomplish much.

Now let's jump to July 30th! My sweet Sahara is born and I immediately start to feel wonderful... good pain meds do help. Hehehehe! No, really I did feel better all around. In the hospital they thought I was super human because I did so well with my recovery and kept telling me to take it easy and how impressed they were with me. Looking back it was quite impressive, but I get huge adrenaline highs after I have a new baby. We went home from the hospital and time rocked on no matter how high the adrenaline is there is only so much you can accomplish after being somewhat down for the previous 3 months! I had a lot of catch up to do. Summer ended a couple weeks later for public school and my husband went back to work leaving me here to manage the baby and three other kids. A new scenario, but we were making it! I had to manage getting the two older girls prepared for back-to-school time and that two weeks passed quickly. Soon I was balancing all the schedules of my bunch and running like a mad woman. I did not like the juggling of schedules, but decided I could survive it. I did not like it, though.

All the while we are in Hurricane season in Southeast Texas. And let me say this... I lived all 36 years of my life here and until the last 3 years we really have not seriously given thought to hurrincanes. Three years ago changed that with the EYE of Hurricane Rita going over our town. This year would be eventful, too. So, on with the story... When Sahara was a few weeks old we had a serious hurricane threat in the Gulf. We were under mandatory evacuation! I could not imagine evacuating with such a tiny baby, so we waited it out until the last moment. A couple of days before it would have been necesaary to evacuate we realized this hurricane was making landfall well to our east. That made it safe to stay. As fate would have it another "system" started to develop and much our shock it started barreling towards us. Hurricane Ike made landfall when Sahara was only about 6 weeks old and this time we did evacuate VERY QUICKLY and as close to the last minute as we could. We drove two miles away to our the in-laws house and spent the night and then, we headed out the next morning following my parents where we spent the night and waited it out in Waco for the day. That night we headed home to see the damage. Not really just to see the damage, but to avoid a disaster of a different nature. Imagine... no electricity, which would mean a thawing freezer on wood floors. Not only did we decide we did not want to have rotten food in our house. We did not want to have to replace that food or that freezer or THAT FLOOR. My husband even commented that we could maybe get new floors out of the deal, but I did not see the humor in having the busiest part of my home in destruction with a baby and three kids in the mix. EXHAUSTION! All was well with our home, by the way, but the yard was a mess and needed lots of yard work time. Did I mention that we were exhausted from the travelling during evacuation. The other thing I did not mention is that this event would change our lives FOREVER. When this "sytstem" STARTED forming my Savananh began to pray diligently for this hurricane to hit our area!!! @!@!WHAT!@!@ Yeah, that is what I said... imagine that. Her reason was so she would not have to go to school. Most people would laugh this off, but I was appalled that she disliked school that much! Click here and read a previous post about this and the decision we made. It really goes along with this post. Anyway, we did decide after some weeks pondering it that we would make the switch starting November 1st.

So, we have the new baby, a few Hurricane events and a lot of decisions to make about homeschooling and a lot of research and uncertainty. We jump in feet first! ... at the busiest time of the year.... lots of birthdays happen in our family at this time and I go overboard for their parties.... along with Thanksgiving and two rounds of houseguests.... then, Christmas... another round of birthdays follow and all the while I am trying to figure out how the balance all the changes. If I had it to do over... I would do the same... maybe... maybe not! :) I would definitely not recommend it this way! It has greatly added to my stress, but like I said in the beginning some things just do not HAVE a good time and sometimes if you wait for a good time you miss part of the benefit of making that change!!!

Okay, off I go to my DISASTEROUS house to start the afternoon portion of schooling around here. Did I mention I have had a good week? (Read the last post.) Also, there are those that may think they are seeing a huge change in me.... you are... I hope you ALWAYS will. After this trial God will move on to another area of my life... this is just the current issue!!
"And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." Galations 6:9

Thursday, May 14, 2009

A Good Week

Okay.... I am not meaning to spread my blahs around! I just want everyone to know that I had a good schooling week with my kiddos. Monday we did nothing... the blahs and exhaustion from Mother's Day weekend. Tuesday I had no direction until I decided to jump in kind of late in the day. I fought the blahs and won! Wednesday and Thursday I did have my struggles, but I got the kids on board and we got it done. By that I mean I got my oldest too get on track and then, we had some afternoon Pre-K/2nd Grade Crafting (with some sneaky learning). Tomorrow we will be doing the same sort of thing.

I am seeking direction and piece by piece I am finding that direction. For Mother's Day my husband bought me the Duggar's book. He gave it to me Saturday morning. I don't know when I read it, but I was suprised to find myself on the last page on Tuesday. I read in the car travelling, while I nursed the baby, while I rocked both babies, ... I don't know really, but all 234 pages flew by and I could have kept reading double that! I knew this book would be inspiring for me and it was. It is very insightful! As I read it I underlined (as my husband gasped at the very idea of such a thing. Ha!) and took notes throughout the book. I look forward to looking back through it and using the information to give me direction! I am inspired!

Yeah, I am an emotional rollercoaster!! Who knows what you will get tomorrow from me, but bear with me. This is a strange and wild journey I jumped into back in the fall... homeschooling, I mean. Have I ever mentioned my timing in starting my homeschool journey? Well, maybe I will blog on that soon... not tonight, though. Well, I seem to have picked the worst timing to begin this journey... but I will tell you all that later...

KIR: Quick .... AND FOCUS !!!

Here it goes... my Keepin' It Real:

First, I will have to add the graphic later because I want to go to bed before 2:00 A.M. , so sorry ... sadly that has become part of my KIR. I am taking time to quickly post in support of Quinn, because I know how hard she worked on getting the KIR together... (and go read her post at http://www.insidethewhitepicketfence.blogspot.com/ because she is REALLY keeping it real).

Second, my KIR confession is that I can't seem to feel "bloggy" lately. My focus has been on other things this week... I am still out here and flying low. Still reading everyone's stuff, but not commenting as much (even when I should). Shame on me, but I AM ADMITTING IT and therefore, keeping it real.

Third, and my main topic is regarding organization (which actually ties in with my #2). My focus has been on organization theories and I must tell you I have lots of them, but in the spirit of KIR I have to admit I do not stay on track and even when I have a good system I seem to fail. My fault entirely! So, I am going to share an organization tip that is wonderful that I came up with a couple years ago. It only works if you use it, though! LOL! Yeah, the more you get to know me the crazier you will realize I am.. Ha! Anyway, I call it the "Focus Room". The theory is that you have a focus room a day. For smaller workload rooms you could do two focus rooms a day.

"Focus Room" Guidelines:
This was my way of making sure that every room in the house occassionally gets a good thorough cleaning! Like I said, you have to actually follow the plan and it WILL work! The FIRST step is to grab the camera.... and don't clean first or you'll never implement the plan. ;) Just start taking pics. You need one snapshot of each room. At our house the Family Closet counts as a room. An example rundown might be: Master Bedroom, Master Bath, Family Closet, Child 1's room, Child 2's room, Child Bath, Kitchen, Living Room, Dining Room, Laundry Area, etc.. You might want to include the Garage or Entry Point, if you have those. After you take the pics you need to print them (yourself or developing). I printed mine the size of index cards and placed them in a zipper storage bag with a whole punch in the top for hanging on a hook. The SECOND step and most time consuming part is to list all the cleaning duties for each room on a tablet or typed list. I mean everything... wipe baseboards, wipe all ledges that hold dust, dust artwork, clean window on inside, floors, etc. I used a yellow legal pad, but if you find this system works for you I can see the benefit of typing this up and gluing the list to the back of the picture cards. The THIRD step is implementing it. Choose a card to start with and move it to the front of the zipper bag and display it with your chore charts, etc. Start cleaning!!! It is helpful to make sure you set realistic goals. Choose an appointed time and have EVERYONE get involved in cleaning that one area. Choose a schedule... do you want to do a room a day or every other day?... do you want to pair two easy areas into one day?... do you want to break these intense cleanings into two sessions during the day? I find bathrooms to be difficult to get it all done at once. I want to spray down every surface and bleach certain parts, sweep, mop, sweep again, wipe down all the surfaces and shine it up good (for the two seconds that lasts). It might work well to start the detailing and then, later in the day do the floors for a room like that. You decide! Let me know, if you implement this plan. I would love to know that it is actually working for someone... Hehehhee!!!

Sorry... no pics.... again, I plead the "I'm Keeping It Real" clause!!!

Friday, May 8, 2009

Sharing Your Gifts With Others -- Follow-up

Callie and I were discussing reasons why we "do things the way we do in sewing" as we pinned some pieces together. I like shortcuts and I love to share my shortcuts. And I truly can not stand pics of myself... at home I go for simple and natural, so no glam here!
One day I hope I take photos of my teenagers hands doing this very thing! I think this is so beautiful! From tiny little baby fingers with no coordination to teenage hands fully able. Yeah, it is Mother's Day in a couple of days... I am sentinmental!!
My "student" in full concentration. Shhhh! She doesn't know it yet, but she is a natural at this stuff. She won't need me long!Callie modeling the finished product back at her home. She was so kind to email me this pic and and thank you note. Thanks Callie for letting me "teach" you!
Go check out Callie's website at http://www.creationsbycallie.com/ .

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Sharing Your Gifts With Others

I am so excited! I got to get my sewing fix today. I have to say that sharing your talents with others is so joyful!! I have never made one of the bandana skirts that I shared in this post and Michelle has started making , but today I got a chance to teach Callie to make one!! And you may be thinking, "How can you teach something you have never done before?" Well, that is how easy this project is! Callie did it all with just my guidance. By the way, Callie is the oldest (14) of five homeschool children that we are so blessed to have met almost two years ago.

And isn't that a metaphor for what it is like to homeschool?! An epiphany!!!

**I'll post a photo update later. Callie is plannig to wear the skirt over next week.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Gifts From God

I saw it yesterday.
I felt it today.
It is so exciting,
Yet, it breaks my heart.

My tiny baby will not be tiny long.
First, it was her first curls.
Then, she sat alone.
Now it is her tiny tooth.

I'll blink and she'll be crawling,
walking, pulling up,
chattering sweet baby talk...
Then, running while I try to catch up.

The time is flying by
It is exciting and heartbreaking.
So many firsts and I want to freeze time.
If I did just think of all I would miss.

Yes, it is an amazing blessing
to hold a little piece of Heaven.
To touch a living baby
and know you have a GIFT from God.
--Ponderings of Sahara at 9mo 8dy... Love, Momma

Rebellion -- Keeping It Real

I bet Quinn did not know when she left this comment for me on my cooking post that she would inspire a post. :) And here I was thinking I did not know what to post for KIR.

"I was just thinking about you mentioning you were doing this last night. Like I said, I'm terrible at thinking ahead to what's for supper, let alone freezer meals. (This coming from a girl who's father daily swallowed his last bite of breakfast and said "What does everyone want for supper." Maybe I'm subconsciously rebelling ;0 ) ..." (Quinn's comment... and notice she is smiling and winking, so she is being humorous.)

I am a terrible pre-planner when it comes to meals. My mother was like Quinn's father, so maybe I am in rebellion, also. :) I think my mother's entire existance revolved around dinner! I think everything I ever asked my mother if we could do together would end in, "I HAVE TO cook dinner." Now, if you knew my mother you would know that she can come up with an excuse for anything.... but, that is another story and this post is about me. And really as I joke about it being rebellion I know that my issues really are a result of rebellion... no kidding!! I knew from a very early age that when I grew up I wanted it to be different for my family. I wanted it to be okay if we went for a visit instead of being constrained by meal planning and cooking all day. If we have to eat sandwiches for dinner so I can take my kids somewhere fun, then that is worth it to me.

I really did have an "Aha" moment when I began to reply to Quinn's comment. I found myself realizing that what she had typed in jest was reality for me! The issues that trouble me regarding meal planning are really a result of trying to be so different from the example that was set for me. I am not saying that it is wrong to be efficient in meal planning and such, but if it gets in the way of your quality of life then it becomes a problem that needs to be resolved.

So, with all that being said I now know what a big portion of my problem is! I can even admit it! My OWN rebellion. Seems silly, but I think this is going to be BIG for me. I have been working hard to fix the meal planning problem and have been seeing improvement, but knowing what is at the root of the problem will be a great help. We humans are emotional beings and I know that I have let my rebellious emotions get in the way of being efficient in this area of my life. So, now I need to find a middle ground. In my mind I can not spend a full weekend day cooking, because that is a day that could be reserved for family time. So, here's the thing that I could handle ... getting the kids in there to work with me or making double meal portions during my regular cooking time. I have been on the right track, but this will make me realize that it does not have to be one extreme or the other. I will need to find that middle ground! And, yes, I will pray for forgiveness for my rebellious spirit. ;)
Please join us in Keeping It Real.
Check the links to Quinn's site at the beginning of this post to see the Guidelines and how to grab the button!

Monday, May 4, 2009

Cooking Ahead Series -- Round Two Follow-Up

I almost forgot..... about that turkey. I am not sure anyone really cares what we ate, but bear with me. This seems really trivial at the moment, but I DID SAY I would let you know what I did with all that Turkey Breast. I seperated it into 7-8 meals. It was eight total, but we shared w friends so that made seven. Awesome! I really might start buying it this way (bulk) and splitting it up. I will have to check availibility and cost compare.
  • Broiled Turkey Chunks, don't remember... veggies, homemade braided bread
  • Turkey Tenders w Cream Gravy, Rice Dish, Steamed Brocolli
  • Diced Chicken in Marinara over Pasta w Salad (2 portions... Shared w friends)
  • Pre-made Breaded Turkey Parmesan an individually froze for quick-fix meal for future
  • Pre-packed 2 meal packs for future meals

*Note-- I do not recommend thawing and refreezing meat in most cases, but this was such a large portion of meat and I was VERY careful to keep it cold or even partially frozen as I worked with it.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Photography gone WILD

I wish I could post them all! Sahara was not impressed with our attempts to get a good photo. She was quite impressed when we allowed her a "Paci" break. My Friend Kim stopped by while I was doing this, so Sahara had two unipressive clowns to stare oddly at!
This is tulle that she is laying on. Great for photos! I wish I had realized that before now. She fell back here and got torque off at my not-so-fast response to her dilemna. She is cute even when she is mad! What a blessing!
Well, she is not as impressed by the whole tulle-for-photo thing like I was...
Sierra has the funniest expressions sometimes! She used to scream and cry when you tried to take her pic and now she is the "photo hog".
All of a sudden Caden thought it would be funny to hit the girls on the head and for whatever reason they thought it was funny, too. Uh... they don't always think getting hit over the head is funny!






Friday, May 1, 2009

Recycling DRAWERS

I can't say I am LOL because my eyes are buggin' wide open on this one!! :0

I am pretty cheap and I really do like to re-purpose things, but I have to tell you it is really more about the fabric for me.

You have GOT to go read THIS POST. And when I say "recycling DRAWERS" this is not a reference to furniture. This honestly shows CREATIVITY, if nothing else. :0 Uh-hem... if you decide to try this re-do yourself ... uh... let me know... uh... I just want to know....