The Story of Smith

A tale of home improvement

2012-02-15T12:56:00.004-05:00

Once upon a time, a lovely (I mean REALLY lovely) maiden and her dashing (I mean REALLY dashing) valentine determined that their laundry room/mud room did not meet their needs. And the floor desperately needed to be replaced. Upon further inspection, it appeared that pretty much all the floors needed replaced but due to limited resources in their kingdom, they determined they would just do the laundry room and kitchen floor. And paint the walls. And put up some beadboard. And paint the doors. And hang new curtains. Immediately. *sigh* The lovely maiden is now tired and there is still much to be done. The End.

I have begun a whirlwind project that has left my house in shambles. I start my babysitting job next week, so I wanted to have all the painting done before the baby came into the house. Mission accomplished. Check out some pics of what all has been going on here:

It begins! Bye Bye wallpaper!!

This is about the way it came off--in microscopic pieces. What a nightmare! Thankfully, my aunt told me to use vinegar & water to remove it. Saved my sanity. The kids picked off pieces at the bottom (which will be covered up, but don't tell them that!)

Paint choices-DH came home, took one look at it and picked out the winner!

Patching-Sanding-Priming done!

Painting done!

Painted yellow doors white-also touched up all trim

BabyLove wanted me to get a GOOD picture of the newly painted door. :)

The stacking kit came for our washer/dryer and Dad pulled off the baseboards to make putting up beadboard easier. (Do you like my old Garfield beach towel from my childhood? It is now a rag/washer-dryer protector!)

So what is next?
Thursday: Baseboards painted and flooring guys come to measure.
Friday: Go to The Home Depot (or as we call it: THE Home Depot) to order flooring and schedule installation.
Weekend (hopefully): Find & purchase beadboard and paint.
Next week: Beadboard installation!

Whew! I'll keep you posted on our progress! :)

The Simple Woman's Daybook-February

2012-02-03T13:08:00.002-05:00

"Would you like to linger on the simple things? Then join me and many others in taking a little look into the day plans and thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...beauty of the everyday moments."

You can do this too at The Simple Woman's Daybook blog!

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...sunny!! Temps have been between 45*-60* this week, so I guess the groundhog doesn't know everything!

I am thinking...about our laundry room re-do, flooring and carpet that will appear once we get our tax return. I need to make my final decisions on some flooring, carpet, and wall colors!

I am thankful...that the sun is shining, our sniffles are going away, and we are growing spiritually around here!

In the kitchen...homemade pizza tonight--ham, bacon, caramelized onions and green peppers. MMM!

I am wearing...my favorite Old Navy gray "lounge" pants, red v-neck fleece & gray tank top.

I am creating...a "vision" for our laundry room, filing system for some paperwork & trying to figure out a way to repurpose an old coffee table into a bench with shoe storage.

I am going...to make homemade granola and can bbq sauce this weekend.

I am reading...my Bible. I am 1/3 of the way done with my Through the Bible in 90 Days challenge and am just waiting on some books from the library for some less thought-provoking reading. :)

I am hoping...that a 2nd family who expressed interest in my babysitting for them decides to use me.

I am looking forward to...starting my new babysitting job at the end of the month.

We are learning: SuperGirl (on her days off from school) -Awana, math (number sense, operations, place value, computation, money, fractions) and journal writing/handwriting. BabyLove-ABCs (using some cool Dr. Seuss flashcards I found at the teacher's store) and counting 1-10.

Around the house...laundry, cleaning & grocery shopping are done!! I just need to put together some spice mixes, bbq sauce & granola whenever I feel like it this weekend.

A verse for today: Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 (NIV) "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."

A favorite quote for today..."Do not argue with an idiot. He will only bring you down to his level and beat you every time with experience."

One of my favorite things...Cuties-my kids call them "baby oranges", super sweet and easy to peel.

A few plans for the rest of the week: SuperGirl and DH have a free class at The Home Depot tomorrow (making a wooden Valentine's box), I am planning to visit to some office supply stores to find some filing products, church on Sunday.

A peek into my day...

This picture is in my living room, and I think it shows a perfect example of love: sisterly love.
Even with all it's ups and downs, it is unshakable, unconditional and steady.

Happy February!

2012-02-01T13:05:00.000-05:00

Ahhhh...a new month. There is something nice about turning the calendar page and seeing all those open, empty boxes. Like a mini-fresh start...until I realize I have 59 Stickies practically covering my Mac's desktop background. (Side note: If you don't know what Stickies are, it's a pity and you're using the wrong computer. Lovin' me some Stickies.) I spent the morning making sure all my Stickie info got transfered to my wall calendar and realized that most of my open, empty boxes are now scrawled with to-do's and don't-forget's.

I want to do better this year in my blogging so my far-away family can be a little more connected to what is up with us. The rest of you are welcome to come along for the ride, because (as SuperGirl would say) "I loves you too". Here is an update for January, and a look ahead to our February.

2012 has been quite a year so far, as I blogged a while back. God has done so so so much already!!
SuperGirl: 1.)January was a life-changing month for her, as she accepted Christ on January 19. She almost immediately began talking about her need to be baptized, so I am praying that God will make her step(s) of obedience clear to her and that she will listen to His voice and obey. What a blessing!! 2.)I also determined after her month-long dairy fast that she is certainly not allergic to milk. She was a good sport and is going back to dairy as soon as the non-dairy milk/yogurt is gone. 3.)She also might have to have her tonsils removed, so we are all praying that the enlargement is healed between now and Feb. 28 when she sees the ENT specialist. Please pray with us.
BabyLove: 1.)Life is not too eventful when you are "two-and-uh-haff", but I think the Terrible Two's are attempting to rear their ugly head. (or more accurately, my daughter was born with a sin nature and she is having difficulty resisting it.) 2.)In between "opportunities for discipline" (LOL!) she is really taking more responsibility for her own personal care and household chores. She loves to help and is doing well listening to directions and doing them!
Mr. and Mrs.: 1.)Taxes are done and filed. Hallelujah. There is a refund headed our way! 2.)We also began looking seriously at our new-old church and seeing what ministries we could be involved in.
3.)We got our van fixed and almost immediately afterwards the "check engine" light came back on. No further comment. 4.)I am 1/3 (30 days) into my Through the Bible in 90 Days challenge. Whew! Challenge is a good way to describe it. DH is reading along too, but at a slower pace.

This will be a fun month. I am excited to see what God is going to do and how we might play a part in it.
The kids: They love Valentine's Day, probably because we tint white icing pink and pipe very unprofessional blobs onto cupcakes and cut up paper doilies and red construction paper. SG also gets to take Valentine's cards to school...which she has had finished for a month. Hee hee!
The mom: I also start working again this month, which means a new little short person will be around the house. Yippie for babies!! I like hangin' around with someone else's baby and then sending them home. I am much more rested (and skinnier!) then back in the day when my own short people were born. :) I spoke with another mom who was interested in babysitting...maybe. I am praying that I can meet their needs also and have 2 kiddos to babysit. We'll see. Now I just wait. I am also launching headlong into the next 60 days of my Bible reading challenge. I made it this far and will not give up. I am a little behind, as SG had an upset tummy and was up all night the other day. I was too sleepy to live, let alone read 1 Kings. It's my goal to get caught up tonight while SG is at Awana.
The dad: My DH has a pretty low-key schedule, so not much is scheduled for him. Just mostly hanging out being husband and dad. I'm cool with that. :)

Stay tuned in the next day or so as I will be posting the February edition of The Simple Woman's Daybook. I want to post my Chicken Stock & Noodle Soup recipes too and I'm sure something mildly crafty (Don't get excited. This is not my giftedness.) and not at all romantic will appear concerning Valentine's Day. See you soon! :)

Accidentally (almost) vegan Blueberry Bread

2012-01-25T20:21:00.001-05:00

I got creative with my cooking today. I kinda sorta got carried away. And I ~~wasted~~ spent a lot of time in the kitchen. It was one of those days when the beef stew ended up with sun dried tomatoes in it. (And it was goooooood.) But we needed something sweet. We needed a deserty-breakfast. After discovering some "clearance" blueberries at the store, SuperGirl and I were planning muffins...but after a conversation about Bob Evans' blueberry bread, we got way distracted and ~~wasted~~ spent 45 minutes looking for blueberry bread recipes online. And I made some modifications and accidentally ended up with a super-moist vegan bread. Kinda sorta.

I googled up "vegan" and I guess this is not vegan in the strictest since as it contains eggs. At any rate, it is the closest to vegan I'll ever get and it made me feel cool and like those other moms whose blogs I sometimes read but don't really understand. If you don't wanna be an almost vegan today, you can make it without my changes and it would still be delicious. Live on the edge and try it like this first. Even my mom and DH liked it. :) (SuperGirl hated it, which is weird because she loves soy/almond milk and soy yogurt. I will make her the original version instead! UPDATE: SG decided she loves this bread and ate almost all the leftovers herself. Maybe she ate an orange before the bread the first time or something. :) )

Give this bread a try and go natural today. Or almost natural, like me. I skipped the mascara and ate almost vegan blueberry bread. I didn't use any products in my hair. Or wear a fur coat.

Accidentally Almost Vegan Blueberry Bread
(adapted from this equally good fully non-vegan recipe)
8 oz vanilla soy yogurt
3/4 c sugar
1/3 c vegetable oil
1/4 soy or almond milk
2 eggs
2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder (I think it needs more--seemed a little flat)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
pinch cinnamon
splash lemon juice (or zest)
1 c blueberries

Preheat oven to 350*. Coat 9x5" loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside. In large bowl combine yogurt, sugar, oil and milk. Whisk in eggs until combined. Add in flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and lemon juice. Stir until well combined. Gently fold in blueberries. Pour batter into pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until done. Cool in pan 10 min. and remove to wire rack to cool completely.

Good News

2012-01-19T12:42:00.001-05:00

After many many many many prayers, God has faithfully answered and removed a burden so heavy I could hardly bear it. SuperGirl asked Jesus to be her Savior this morning! After she prayed, she jumped up off the couch, threw her hands in the air and yelled, "I'm saved! I'm saved! I'm so excited! I can hardly believe it!" And then she made a hundred phone calls. :)

Sin's curse has lost it's grip on her, for she is His and He is hers! She has been bought with the precious blood of Christ!

Cold Toes Warm Tummies

2012-01-18T10:05:00.002-05:00

I. Am. Freezing. For reals. This time of year I cannot manage to drag my body out of the warm bed each morning. I cannot manage to part with my fuzzy monkey pants and put on real clothes. I drink cup after cup of coffee to warm up my livers and get mad shaky in the process. Maybe I could get over it, if it would just get cold and stay cold, but every other day it is nearly 60* so when it drops back to 21* I feel like my teeth are going to chatter right out of my head. For reals.

Winter calls for hearty comfort food. On the oddly warm January days I made DH grill us some chicken while the girls ride their bikes in the driveway. On the seasonally 20* days I made something stew-like in my crock pot. And I bake bread. Today is a stew-like-crock-pot day. I need something (caffeine-free) to warm up my guts so I can then wrap up in a blanket and wait for bedtime. Today is Beef & Noodles.

Beef & Noodles is one of those meals that has so much potential, but seems to be done badly no matter where you go. Like Chicken Pot Pie. And Meatloaf. And Chicken & Noodles. And Chicken Noodle Soup. It is my goal to perfect these classic, hearty, winter meals so you can actually eat them. And not gain 100 pounds and give yourself heart disease in the process. Revamped; healthy, frugal and still classically delicious. This recipe has a few extra steps, but it is worth the effort. You can even make this in a dutch oven for a campfire! This is the perfect thing to eat on a cold night. Ugh...counting the days until Spring.

Beef & Noodles (based on the Gooseberry Patch recipe)
3-4 lb beef roast (I have used "stew meat" too, whichever is cheaper)
flour, salt, pepper, olive oil
3 T balsamic vinegar (Aldi sells a good one)
3/4 c water
12 oz beef broth (I use Tone's Beef Base from Sam's Club and water)
1 stick butter (can omit or reduce the amount, but it does add an awesome flavor)
16 oz bag of egg noodles (uncooked)

Flour, salt and pepper both sides of roast. Heat olive oil in large pan. Brown both sides of roast and transfer meat to crock pot. On stovetop: Reduce heat to low and add vinegar to pan and deglaze pan with a wooden spoon, scraping up all the brown bits on bottom of pan. Add 3/4 c water and beef broth, continue to scrape bottom of pan until all the bits are incorporated into sauce. Remove 3/4 c sauce and add to crock pot. Cover and set to low heat setting. Add butter to remaining sauce in pan and stir until melted. Set aside to cool and refrigerate. Cook meat 6-8 hrs on low or until done. Shred meat and set aside. Add sauce to crock pot (I usually microwave it until hot first.) and add noodles. (You many not need the whole bag.) Cover and cook on high 10+ minutes until done. (Depending on which crock pot I use my time here varies. Just check your noodles from time to time.) Stir in meat and cook until warmed through. Serve with warm bread!

Some guilt, doubts, cool stuff and misc. updates

2012-01-09T11:02:00.001-05:00

Happy Monday! Yeah...I don't really feel that way, but all in all I cannot complain. My peeps are chill this morning and we've gotten a lot accomplished with minimal complaining. Sweeeet. I poured my second cup o'joe and am ready to face the day. But NOT ready to take off my fuzzy monkey pj pants. Don't hate.

2012 has been weird. Not a bad weird per se, but just odd and unusual. More has happened in 9 days than happened in 365 days last year. OK...probably not, but it feels like it. This is a little long, but bear with me.

1.) I have been in a virtual texting marathon with my BFF over a health concern with one of her family members which has resulted in some concern and loads of prayer. That has been an emotional roller coaster for her and I feel like I strapped in and went along for the ride. Because I did. That is what BFFs do. :) I got some good news this morning from her which is a relief!
2.) Her husband also had a big test for some employment last week that we had been praying about for months so that was a big deal too. It also turned out well. God has been good!
3.) We also kinda sorta maybe have decided and started going to a new old church. Yeah...I know. We've been praying for clarity and God's leading for 2 1/2 years and I think we've come full circle and ended up where we started! Strange, but wonderful. DH told me to get some offering envelopes yesterday so I guess that indicates permanence. He has had a hard time knowing the right way to lead us and it has been a big struggle for him these past few years. I am ready to put down some roots and get settled in.
4.) The snots decided to move in right around the New Year. We launched full scale heavy duty warfare against them and by the time SuperGirl has to go back to school she was 100%. No meds, no doctors, just better. Yippie! I got her to use the NeilMed Sinus Rinse bottle (like a NetiPot) and she got better super quick. BabyLove was having NO part of it, so her goop lingered a full week longer. Once they were 100% and the house fully disinfected and Lysoled, I began sneezing--I thought because of the dust I cleaned in the process of disinfecting. I am now fighting something and I sound like a man when I talk. I can breathe and am not coughing, but something is backed up in my head. Blah. Maybe (hopefully) it is allergies. How does my husband stay healthy?? So unfair.
5.) I am reading through the Bible in 90 days. I am 9 days into it and am staying on track. Already this year I've read more of the Bible than I read in 2011. I'm not too proud of that fact but I can't change the past and I need to learn from it and make changes. I am also fully versed on the wave offering, grain offering, sin offerings, and which animals the Israelites could and could not eat. Yep, Leviticus is almost done. I got DH to join in too, although he is taking a looser approach to it as he uses something else for his daily Bible reading. We have had some interesting conversations about the fat, kidneys, and liver coverings and their role in sacrifices. :) Yuck.
6.) After some conversations with my sis and some research, I decided to try some dietary changes with SuperGirl to help her better control her stomach upset and acid reflux. Our goal is to control the problem with diet, exercise and healthy living (NOT MEDS) as much as humanly possible. I am trying to completely rule out dairy intolerance. We switched to almond/soy milk, soy yogurt, no/little cheese, no milkshakes, etc. To encourage her to try these new foods, I am trying them along with her. (Soy yogurt is nasty, but so it regular yogurt. I love the almond milk and have been using it in my cereal.) We are about 5 days into this experiment and have quite a ways to go. At the end of January we'll evaluate it and see where we stand.
7.) My DH cashed in some sick time at work and we took the money and are using it to pay for some repairs on our (almost 12 year old) van. The check engine light has been on and off for more than a year and we knew this was gonna be pretty major, but would extend the life of our van substantially. We were told the catalytic converter need replaced ($1100), some power switch in our transmission and the timing belt ($715) all needed done. Yipes. I has been praying for direction so I would know exactly when to take it in and last week God made it clear the time was right. Thankfully the van has run perfectly all this time, especially because I have to take/pick up SG from school. (That is another cool God-thing in and of itself!) When the repair shop called on Monday, we learned that the catalytic converter did NOT need replaced. The van basically didn't like the brand it was so it kept throwing the check engine light. Who knew we had a prejudiced van?? All that had to be done were the other repairs, so our bill went down more than $1000! What an answer to prayer! God led us to just the right repair place, at just the right time, and for just the right cost! We have been stranded at our house all weekend, but my parents helped us get to church and we got loads done around the house while we have been stuck here. :) Hopefully the van will be done today and life can go back to normal. BabyLove wants to go to the library!
8.) I have been praying more consistently and specifically for SuperGirl's salvation. I have been asking God to send the Holy Spirit to convict her of her sin and show SG her need for a Savior. Much to my surprise ( I feel a little guilty that I am surprised. Why am I so shocked when God answers?) I have begun to see a change in her attitudes. I can see when the enemy is messing with her and trying to distract her. I can see when she is struggling and feeling...something. She is crying a lot when I address the spiritual aspect of her disobedience. I will not stop praying for God to tenderize (hee hee! That makes it sound like meat!) her little heart and make her sensitive to what the Holy Spirit is telling her. I love her too much to let the enemy have her and I will fight this battle for as long as it takes. I will not cave in to fear and doubt about my failings as a mother and whether it is my fault that she is not saved yet. I will not dwell on hypotheticals, like what would happen if the Rapture happened before she accepts Christ. I cannot see into her sweet little mind. I don't know if she fully understands. I don't know if she is willfully rejecting Jesus. Please pray along with us as this burden is impossible to bear alone.

I don't think 2012 will be a boring year. It is off to a tremendous start, and I am excited to see what else God has planned. I think what He has planned for this year is much more interesting than what I have planned. :)

The Simple Woman's Daybook-January

2012-01-03T13:22:00.003-05:00

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...gray and cloudy (like always!), with scattered snow flurries and 21*. Brrrr!

I am thinking...about the repairs that need to be made on our van, who we should have do them, blah blah blah. Yuck.

I am thankful...for health! 3/4 of us have had a cold and we are *almost* 100% again.

In the kitchen...nothing! After all the holiday cooking and baking I have NO desire to make anything. Tyson chicken strips and potato wedges for dinner! Hooray for heavily processed, heat-n-eat food!

I am wearing...jeans, plain button-down shirt, red v-neck fleece....and I am hiding under a fuzzy blanket.

I am creating...nothing really. Kinda unusual, but I'm a little burnt out after December. Creativity will return in time. :)

I am going...to Goodwill to drop off some clothes & to the library to pick up my books.

I am reading...Uglies by Scott Westerfeld & my Bible (I'm reading through the Bible in 90 days. Whew!)

I am hoping...we can plan a weekend family getaway for the 4 of us sometime this winter...maybe after we get our tax return money. :) I'd like to go somewhere within the state and with a heated pool!!

I am looking forward to...life getting back to normal after the Christmas/New Year's holiday season. Time for short people to GO BACK TO SCHOOL! Time for tall people to GO BACK TO WORK! Time for our schedule to get back on track!! :)

Around the house...the cleaning is DONE! I did it while taking down the Christmas decorations. The house is quiet (mostly), clean and smells gooooood- thanks to some orange peels and cinnamon sticks simmering on the stovetop.

I am learning/pondering...Ephesians 4:24-25 and Colossians 3:10--choosing to put on the new self (continual/daily) and being renewed to be more Christlike.

A favorite quote for today..."Promise me you'll always remember that you're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think." (Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh)

One of my favorite things...Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cider. Mmmmm. It is our go-to holiday celebration drink since this is a dry household.

A few plans for the rest of the week...the never-ending laundry is waiting on me, the cleaning is DONE! since I did it while taking down the Christmas decorations, bills need to be paid this week & menu planning and the subsequent grocery shopping await me.

A peek into my day...

An unexpectedly calm moment of sisterly love while SuperGirl shows off her sweet reading skills

The kids LOVE art of any kind--trying out the Color Wonder paint

Finger painting with Color Wonder-BabyLove doesn't like to be messy or have dirty hands so she was diggin' the finger cleaning sponge that somes with this!

Thanks for stopping by! You know you want to do this too, so join us at The Simple Woman!

2011 in review

2011-12-28T20:37:00.002-05:00

It is almost time to throw the old 2011 calendar into the trash and unwrap the brand new 2012 one. If truth be told, I already did that. My parents and I hit up our local Christian bookstore's After-Christmas Sale and I got a sweet one for practically nothing. It is one of those "Mom's Planning Calendar"-type and I finally bit the bullet and admitted that I needed something like that. I took down all the 2011 calendars except for the big one on the fridge because I needed some info that was on it for this week. It is slated to hit the recycling bin sometime tomorrow.

2011 seems like it went really fast. I don't know that I accomplished anything either. I wrote last year about my goals for this year and you can read the original post here. I still think New Year's Resolutions are dumb, but just for fun here is how we did in 2011:

Resolution #1: Read something other than a kid's book.
I actually did quite well with this. I ended up starting a second blog called "Read Between the Lines", mainly because I was reading so much that it was clogging up space here. I joined a blogger website called BookSneeze and ended up getting books for free in exchange for an honest review. Between BookSneeze and the library, I paid almost nothing for the books I read this year. Sweet. (I only purchased a cookbook and one book on clearance about being a better mom!) I read 32 books this year (two were actually kid's books) and I did not count any re-reads (like the last Harry Potter before I watched the last movie) of books previously read. I also did not include the Bible in my list, although I am reading through the Bible in 90 days starting in January so I will include it on the 2012 list. :) Here is the final list, as I refuse to read anything other than Entertainment Weekly or the IKEA catalog for the remainder of the week.

A Conversation with God-Alton Gransky
A Mom After God's Own Heart-Elizabeth George
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland-Lewis Carroll
Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day-Jeff Hertzburg/Zoe Francois
Catching Fire-Suzanne Collins
Daily Gifts of Grace-Women of Faith
Debt Free for Life-David Bach
God's Love Letters to You-Dr. Larry Crabb
God's Wisdom for Mothers-compiled by Jack Countryman
In Constant Prayer-Robert Benson
Inside Out-Larry Crabb
It Couldn't Just Happen-Lawrence O. Richards
Lead. Serve. Love.- Gregory E. Lang
Madame Tussaud-Michelle Moran
Mirror, Mirror-Gregory Maguire
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children-Ransom Riggs
Mockingjay- Suzanne Collins
Right From the Heart-Bryant Wright
Smack Dab in the Middle of God's Love-Brennan Manning & John Blase
Stained Glass Hearts-Patsy Clairmont
The Encounter-Stephen Arterburn
The Final Summit-Andy Andrews
The Grace of God-Andy Stanley
The Hunger Games-Suzanne Collins
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks-Rebecca Skloot
The Jesus Storybook Bible-Sally Lloyd Jones
The Magnificent Obsession-Anne Graham Lotz
The Night Circus-Erin Morgenstern
The Noticer-Andy Andrews
The Promises She Keeps-Erin Healy
The Seraph Seal-Leonard Sweet/Lori Wagner
Time with God for Fathers-Jack Countryman

In my head, I thought I would be doing quite well if I read one book a month, and I assumed I'd get through 12-15 books. I was quite pleased with how many I read and here are my top 5 picks in no particular order:
"The Hunger Games" trilogy by Suzanne Collins-I know this is 3 books, but I am counting it as one. :)
"The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
"Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs
"A Mom After God's Own Heart" by Elizabeth George
"The Magnificent Obsession" by Anne Graham Lotz

Thanks to my sister, I have already started on my 2012 list and have quite the number of books on reserve at the library already. :)

Resolution #2: Try to eat breakfast more often.
This one was a struggle. I think I probably ate breakfast 50% of the time this year, so I was up about 49% from 2010. :) As SuperGirl says, "Mom drinks her breakfast." (That sounds really bad...it is coffee, I promise.) I think I'll aim for 60% for 2012 and 100% for coffee.

That about sums up my resolutions, but I wanted to update you on our personal goals that were begun in 2010 and seem to just get carried over (and over and over).

1.) I would like to pay off our van and all other consumer debt (except the house). We are so close to paying off the van I can taste it. Only a couple hundred bucks more!! We still have some credit card debt from this year with no babysitting income but we're working on it.

2.) I am starting a babysitting job in February! I don't want to work again, but we need the money and they need the help. God has made it clear to me that this is what I am supposed to do now. I am praying that I can be a blessing to this sweet family.

3.) We want to find our "place" at a new church, in a small group and in a ministry area. Praying praying praying that God's voice would be clear to us.

4.) SuperGirl's knowledge and understanding is rapidly expanding. Pray for her salvation, and for us that we will be faithful in laying the groundwork. This is such a heavy burden on our hearts. Please pray with us!

5.) We have made major progress in building into our neighbor's lives and deeper relationships with them!

6.) Spiritual growth with our BFFs through a weekly Bible study plus Tuesday mornings "with the girls"

7.) 11 year wedding anniversary (my personal favorite) and moving right along towards #12!! :)

My real New Year's Resolution (again this year) is to follow God and be involved where He is working. That way it will be impossible to fail. :)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-21T13:50:00.001-05:00

As Christmas draws nearer and nearer, I want to spend every free second I have enjoying the holiday and my sweet family. I'll be back early next week to recap 2011 with a look at my reading list and a glimpse into what 2012 holds for us. (It is not that exciting so don't get too worked up.)

The Smiths want to wish you a joyous Christmas and it is our prayer that you would receive the best gift of all: a personal relationship with Jesus. Merry Christmas!!

(this photo is public domain and not mine)

Ben Stein and the "Holiday Tree"

2011-12-15T13:52:00.003-05:00

Apparently the White House referred to Christmas Trees as "Holiday Trees" for the first time this year which prompted CBS presenter, Ben Stein, to present this piece.

(The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.)

My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God ? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not, then just discard it.... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

Christmas Baking- Week 3

2011-12-12T14:21:00.002-05:00

It is not beginning to look a lot like Christmas here. It is not beginning to feel a lot like Christmas here. The sun is shining brightly, the temps are rebounding, and it is supposed to be 50* and raining this week. We don't usually have a White Christmas and I am starting to think this year will be no exception. I can't complain about the nicer weather, but would like to see some snow.

At least the house looks like Christmas. And it smells like Christmas too. It sounds like Christmas around here. And most importantly..it tastes like Christmas. I am totally done with the Christmas cookies. Now, I am left to work on the "last minute" holiday treats; those things that get stale: caramel corn, gingerbread rice krispie treats (the second batch!), chex mixes and whatever else catches my fancy between now and then. I have been baking like mad and freezing cookies and doughs to use for Christmas and New Year's. I just can't stop. I made 3-4 things that weren't even on my list. (I told my mom that it has turned into a compulsion! I must bake! I must have more cookies! Don't worry...I'll see a therapist. ) At this point, I am not sure what all I have stuffed into my freezer. I think it will be like a fun party next week when I start pulling it all out. :) I'll post a full and complete list next week when it is officially done. This week I'll give you a recap of what I did last week and plan to do this week. My list for this week is short, as I have to wait until the beginning of this week to do the "last minute" things listed above.

Last week's baking:

*Winter Spice Scones- had SuperGirl help me and they turned out great! The girls ate 2 of them for breakfast the next day.

*Glazed Eggnog Cookies-MMM! Would definitely use homemade eggnog in this recipe if I made it again. Let SuperGirl glaze them and she loved it!

*Gingerbread rice krispie treats- SG and I cut out gingerbread boys with a cookie cutter and decorated their little faces/buttons with M&Ms. We shared them with our friends at Bible Study.

*Black Botom Cupcakes-not saving or freezing any of these, just eating them as fast as I possibly can. Tried to have BabyLove help me with this one, but that was a disaster. Going to use her help next week on some things instead.

*Chocolate chips- divided the dough into 3rds; 1/3 with mini baking M&Ms, 1/3 with milk chocolate chips and 1/3 with chocolate chips and walnuts. Froze the M&M and chocolate chips and gave all the gross walnut ones to my parents.

*Cinnamon Chip cookies-my new favorite in recent years, found the recipe in the newspaper and will share it if anyone is interested.

This week's baking:

*Coffee Bonbons-last minute addition to my list, an all-time favorite that I cannot believe I almost forgot! I usually glaze them with some vanilla/white chocolate melting bark or chips instead because we like them better that way.

*Caramel corn-I'm going to 1/2 the recipe and give it to SG's Awana leaders as their Christmas gift

*Cinnamon-Apple Chex Mix-for my mom, gonna try to get her to come over that day and help/hang out

Week of 12/19-12/24:

Christmas Tree Sandwich cookies

Caramel corn (2x the recipe to gift and eat)

Cinnamon-Apple Chex Mix (2x the recipe to gift and eat)

Knox Blox (strawberry, raspberry and lime)

Gingerbread rice krispie treats

All this cookie talk is making me hungry. I've got a big pot of chili bubbling away in the crock pot and Coffee Bonbons on the kitchen counter. I think I'll go sneak a cookie while the girls aren't paying attention. :)

The Simple Woman's Daybook-December

2011-12-06T12:46:00.001-05:00

"Would you like to linger on the simple things...then join me and many others in taking a little look into the day plans and thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...beauty of the everyday moments. " The Simple Woman

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...gray, wet, cold. At least the days and days of heavy rain have ended! Snow flurries are in the forecast for the end of the week!

I am thinking...about my Christmas baking. I have much to do, but it is my favorite thing to do all year. If you're interested, check out my last few posts about what I've done so far and am hoping to get done next.

From the learning rooms...SuperGirl (on M/F when she's not at school): Advent activities, Christmas-themed art projects, reading through the book of Luke (hopefully-we're struggling to get to this one), handwriting, critical thinking/logic skills. BabyLove: ABCs/123s, Christmas basics (ie: That is Baby Jesus, not Baby Moses)

In the kitchen...homemade chicken noodle soup in the crock pot, black bottom cupcakes to make after dinner--hopefully I can recruit SuperGirl to help so we can secretly practice fractions and following directions.

I am wearing...long sleeved brown tee, striped cardigan, jeans, LONG JOHNS! Brrr....

I am creating...small stockings (easy, pre-sewing skills) with SuperGirl

I am going...to pick up SuperGirl from school, to the library to pick up my reserves and to the gas station!

I am wondering...as I wander out under the sky, How Jesus the Savior did come for to die,For poor on'ry people like you and like I...wait a minute! That would make a good song.

I am reading..."The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern.

I am looking forward to...Christmas Eve. I host a family "party" and it is made of awesome.

I am hearing...my neighbor's snowblower. Guess he is feeling optimistic about this winter's snowfall possibilities?? (giggle giggle)

Around the house...BabyLove is napping, pine scented candle burning, baking this evening, laundry (does it ever end???), cleaning (blah)

One of my favorite things...the Lego Advent Calendar. It is not very girly, but few Legos are. SuperGirl thinks it is funny that each day relates to what came the day before. For example, we have a bad guy, a police officer, and a jail!

A few plans for the rest of the week: household chores, school for SG, Bible study, maybe a trip to Kohl's with my mom, grocery shopping. (I know; I'm livin' the dream. Try to control yourself.)

A funny video:
<a href='http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/bing-originals-bumble-less/1vqjkdrpj?cpkey=34c44600-6f0f-49b4-a0da-1d796871f2b9%7c%7c%7c%7c&src=v5:embed::' target='_new' title='Bing Originals: Bumble-Less' >Video: Bing Originals: Bumble-Less</a>

Merry Christmas! Thanks for stopping by! :)

Christmas baking-Week #2

2011-12-04T13:57:00.001-05:00

Joyeux Noel, bloggie friends! Three weeks from today will be Christmas Day! Are you ready? We are! :) I played Santa's elf last night while the peeps watched Polar Express and wrapped all our presents. SuperGirl came down the stairs this morning and yelled, "Mom! Did Santa come last night?" (of course, there are only like 4 gifts under there, but she is used to that!)

Today begins a new week and marks the second week of Christmas baking. Last week's treats were a BIG hit. I saved back a few Oreo Truffles and will have to make more Knox Blox and Pigs in a Blanket. :) I didn't get to the Black Bottom Cupcakes so I'm rolling that over to this week's list. Here is what I want to make:
Winter Spice Scones (super easy and so so so so good!)
Glazed Eggnog Cookies (using up some leftover nog from Eggnog Pancakes)
Gingerbread Rice Krispie Treats (using Kraft Gingerbread marshmallows...AKA: "Mommy Crack")
Black Bottom Cupcakes (from last week's list)

By the way, did you try the Chicken Pot Pie?? You MUST! I am using the crust recipe for Quiche later this week. Mmmmmm!

Stay tuned for baking updates and the December edition of the Simple Woman's Daybook.

Be good. Santa's watching!

Foodie Friday

2011-12-02T11:59:00.001-05:00

Black Friday outlet mall shopping = New pie pan (I bought two. For WAY less than this.)

New pie pan + new Chicken Pot Pie recipe = A meal my DH actually complimented me on. Twice.

THIS is why I love math.

I so desperately want to love pot pie. It is such a hearty, one dish meal, that is chock full of veggies, meat and gravy. They always look and smell amazing, and then make me want to cleanse my tongue and endure a 7 day detox after tasting them. I think the frozen name brand pot pies have forever soiled my opinions. The obvious lack of quality ingredients and dry crust make me want to run away screaming. I still can't shake the feeling that these little pies could be delicious. If only someone cared enough about this dish to use real chicken and veggies, instead of some mechanically-separated-water-added by-product and smooshy fluorescent vegetable-like substance. (And a real crust, instead of leftover drywall.)

Turns out, someone cared enough about little unloved pot pie. Some genius named John from Florida wrote in to Taste of Home magazine with his take on the lowly pot pie. And it is flippin' awesome. The day my holiday Taste of Home issue arrived I ripped this page out of the magazine and stuck it on my fridge before our super mail-lady, Penny, turned the corner. I made a few minor adjustments when making this last night just based upon what I already had on hand just to help lower the grocery bill. It was a perfect meal for a cold December night. My two biggest complainers in the house were impressed: My 6 year old ate it without complaining (a miracle!) & my husband had seconds. (a rare feat!) Of course, my 2 year old wouldn't touch it...probably because there was no ketchup on it.

Try it and love it. I dare you. You'll never eat a store bought or restaurant version again.

Makeover Pot Pies (adapted from Taste of Home)

2 c + 4 T flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

5 T cold butter

4 T plain yogurt (or buttermilk)

2 T vegetable oil

4+ T of cold water

1 can mixed vegetables (or saute up some carrots, celery, peas, etc)

chopped onion to taste

5 c chicken broth

1 1/3 c skim milk

4 c chopped cooked chicken

salt and pepper to taste

1 egg white, beaten

1.) In medium bowl combine 1 1/2 c flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in 4 T butter until crumbly. Add buttermilk and oil; toss with fork. Gradually add water until dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2.) In large skillet or pot melt remaining butter. Add veggies and stir to coat and heat through. In another bowl combine remaining flour, broth and milk. Whisk until smooth and add to veggies. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in chicken and spices. (Some basil and thyme would be awesome in this!) Set aside.

3.) Divide dough in half. On lightly floured surface roll out dough to fit pie pan. Press dough into pan and parbake at 425* for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, fill crust with filling. (I had some filling left over, so I froze it to make this again another time.) Roll out remaining dough and place over filling. Trim and seal edges. Cut slits in top of pastry to allow steam to escape. Brush crust with egg white and bake at 425* for 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Allow to stand 5 minutes before eating.

The most wonderful time of the year

2011-11-30T13:24:00.001-05:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Hey...that would make a good song.....anywho, I love love love this time of year. Not as much as summer, but an awful lot. There is just so much fun stuff to do and the preparation for Christmas and teaching the girls about Advent is one of my favorite things. Last Sunday was the first week of Advent and since we've got all the decorations up, it is time to start celebrating.

We've been talking about "hope" this week for Advent, making gingerbread boys (on paper) while practicing our shapes and colors (black triangle eyes, green square vest buttons, etc) and I've begun the first of the holiday baking. Each year I do 3-4 of our favorites each week leading up to Christmas, freezing a little of each to eat on Christmas Eve/Day. All the baking and making is spread out and fun and there is no stress at the last minute! This week is Pigs in a Blanket (the first of a million batches),Knox Blox (those fun chewy jello squares from our childhood), Oreo Truffles and Black Bottom Cupcakes.

I don't really know why we eat certain things around the holidays; I guess that is what my mom did so now I do too. :) We love Pigs in a Blanket and eat them for all meals and as a snack too! I make them in big batches, freeze on a cookie sheet, pack in a big ziplock and freeze until I need them. I just pop out as many as I need and bake from frozen. Super easy! We love Knox Blox too and I have my recipe perfected. SuperGirl and I love to cut out Christmas-y shapes with cookie cutters. They are the perfect mess-free snack for kids too. I make them with sugar-free jello the closer it gets to Christmas to ease up on the junk intake! Oreo Truffles are my new favorite holiday treat. You can find the recipe here. They are not hard to make, but can be time consuming. I like to dunk them in white chocolate and drizzle milk chocolate on top. If you need to impress someone, this is the recipe for it! Black Bottoms are not so holiday-ish either, but require ingredients that are cheaper this time of year (cream cheese, chocolate chips) and take a little more time. I rarely make them unless it is a special occasion. Or I am craving them. This is my go-to recipe here. I use milk chocolate chips in place of the semi-sweet minis here purely out of personal preference.

What are you making this holiday season? Stay tuned for the baking lists for the upcoming weeks! :)

My big "AH HA!!" moment of the week

2011-11-09T13:41:00.003-05:00

Shortly after my successful homemade Windex adventure, I had another glorious "AH HA!!" moment. Apparently I am little stupid because sometimes I wonder why I've never thought of these things before. Better late then never, right?

Did you know that you can cook pasta in the crock pot? A while ago I came up with a fusion recipe for both beef and chicken with noodles. And they are SO SO good. And I've been making them a lot. I was lazy one Sunday afternoon and I decided that instead of thickening the juices in the crock with flour and then stirring in cooked noodles, that I would just dump in the noodles uncooked and let them soak up all the juice (and flavor). It worked like a champ and took almost no time at all. (10-15 mins) This led to my newest "AH HA!!" on Friday evening. I had been cleaning all day, the kids were playing outside and we decided to push dinner to 6 or 6:30 so the littles could enjoy the warm air and daylight while it lasted. The menu said spaghetti and meatballs, so earlier in the day I dumped the following in the crock pot:
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 spaghetti sauce jar full of water
1/2 bag of leftover frozen meatballs that I uncovered in the back of the freezer a few days before

I figured the sauce could heat itself and I would just cook some pasta at dinnertime and make a quick salad and we'd have dinner. Then about 6:00, I decided to dump some pasta (I chose elbow mac-I love it for some unknown reason) into the crock pot and let it cook itself. It was awesome! Delicious spaghetti and meatballs with NO clean up! No pasta pot to wash! No strainer to wash! No sticky sauce pot to wash! No stove top to clean! We just dumped the leftovers in a plastic container and put the crock into the dishwasher.

We had lots of free time so we spent the evening eating popcorn and watching "Mary Poppins". (Is there such a thing as TOO wholesome? "Mary Poppins" is so sweet it makes my teeth hurt. Not my thing, but SuperGirl LOVED it!) My DH taught me long ago to work smarter, not harder. If I can do it well while making it easier and cheaper, then I'm all for it. :)

Frugal Friday

2011-11-04T13:26:00.005-04:00

Friday has kinda turned into cleaning day around here. Unless something more interesting comes up. Anywho, SuperGirl is at school on Fridays, so BabyLove and I roll up our sleeves and tackle the dusty picture frames and disgusting toilets. That girl is dirt's worst fear when she is armed with a Clorox wipe, but as they are costly, she has been going at it with a paper towel or clean rag. It is a good time to teach my youngest some of the womanly arts that will someday become her responsibility. (I am one of those mean moms who actually make my kids do things around the house.)

Lately, I have been trying hard not to buy cleaning products or disposable things like paper towels and Clorox wipes. We are down to the bare basics in the cabinet now, and I had to get creative today. I am a sucker for Windex, as I cannot seem to make anything that even comes close, in my opinion, to cleaning as well as it does. My mom actually has a recipe (that seems weird to call it that since you can't eat it...) for window cleaner, but I don't find it to be cost effective and I never have a container big enough to put it in. I decided to do a small science experiment today using common household ingredients and it paid off BIG time.

I first googled me up some info to make sure I wouldn't blow up my house or release toxic fumes that would leave me and BabyLove lifeless and my glass surfaces unwashed. I knew from my mom that apple cider vinegar and hot water make a good window cleaner (Non-toxic too if your 2 year old tends to lick the cleaner bottles...no? Just mine then, huh?) I wanted to add something that would dissolve filminess, dirt or hair spray so I added a microscopic drop of Dawn dish soap. I then wanted something that would aid in dry time so I didn't get carpel tunnel wiping the glass a bajillion times. In went a small amount of rubbing alcohol. I added water, gently tipped to mix and VOILA!! Homemade windex!! It worked great too! And it was free! And I did not let BabyLove near the spray bottle. :)

Homemade Windex (do not eat this recipe)
Apple cider vinegar (maybe 1/4-1/3 c)
Dawn dish soap (small small small drop)
Rubbing alcohol (splash)
water to fill the spray bottle

Mix and tip gently to mix (don't shake or it will be too sudsy). Clean as usual!

The Simple Woman's Daybook-November

2011-11-02T12:43:00.002-04:00

"Would you like to linger on the simple things...then join me and many others in taking a little look into the day plans and thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...beauty of the everyday moments." Join here: The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...SUN! Chilly, but SUNNY!

I am thinking...about SuperGirl. She is getting a cold and I was a little worried about her when I dropped her off at school today. She was tired and had quite the runny nose!

I am thankful...for the "big" days this month: 11th wedding anniversary, SuperGirl's 6th birthday, Thanksgiving & Black Friday shopping :)

From the learning rooms...Awana/Bible, handwriting and thankfulness for SuperGirl on her days off, ABCs and 123s for BabyLove (she finally has her colors down!)

In the kitchen...ingredients for chicken enchiladas and homemade spanish rice

I am wearing...purple long sleeved tee, hoodie, jeans

I am creating...placemats and placecards for the Thanksgiving table

I am going...to pick up SuperGirl from school and to drop off the library materials

I am wondering...how long I can hold out before I start putting up Christmas decorations.

I am reading...nothing! Kinda enjoying the break and waiting on two books from the library

I am hoping...No one else gets sick in our house. Love me some Lysol!

I am looking forward to...Parent-Teacher Conference tomorrow-it is our first one! It will be fun to experience one from the parent side of it and not the teacher side!

I am hearing...BabyLove whispering to herself in bed. Apparently she has to talk (or whisper) herself to sleep. :)

Around the house...Need to launder some hand-me-downs and socks. Random, I know, but BabyLove has an unexplained lack of socks all of a sudden.

One of my favorite things...when the local radio stations start playing Christmas music. And caramel corn. (I just made a batch that was AWESOME!)

A few plans for the rest of the week: school (SuperGirl), Awana, laundry and cleaning (barf), more caramel corn making, caramel corn eating, parent-teacher conference, and lots and lots of hand washing and lysol spraying.

Here is a verse I am sharing: Colossians 4:2 "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."

Here is a song I am sharing:
I. Love. This. Album. Even my kids love it! So fun and lighthearted!
Come on! You know you want to do it too! Join here: The Simple Woman

If the hat fits......

2011-11-01T12:37:00.001-04:00

I. Freakin'. Love. Halloween. I can't even pretend like I don't. Even as I type this, I am eating a Green Apple Jolly Rancher Stick that I have stolen from last night's candy haul. Halloween is one of those "touchy" subjects amongst Christ followers. Some feel it is evil, while others are cool with it. I think it is up to your own personal beliefs. If it offends you, don't do it. It's not a heaven or hell issue, so I am not gonna debate either side of it or lose friends over it. In the Smith casa, we celebrate "Happy" Halloween ONLY. My kids love to play dress up (Apparently I do too) and love to eat candy. (Yep. Me too.) If it is not family friendly than we don't do it. (That will include sleazy costumes and haunted houses as the girls get older too.) I think the biggest reason I loves me some Halloween is because we have one last chance to hang out with our neighbors before we all hunker down for the winter. If last night wasn't Trick or Treat, We would not have spent 2 hours outside, freezing our sweet bippies off, hanging out with 10-12 people who desperately need Jesus that we have a close relationship with plus countless others who randomly came by our house for some candy. If we are supposed to love our neighbors and share Jesus with them, how can we deny that opportunity when it LITERALLY comes knocking??

Anywho.....after taking SuperGirl to school this morning BabyLove and I went outside and put away the Halloween decorations and replaced them with turkeys. I took down the porch swing and put away the outside chairs. I boxed up all the smiley jack-o-lanterns from the house and pulled out cutie turkeys with kitchy sayings on them about thankfulness. Thanksgiving's not really my thing. I'm not a totally selfish idiot, I just don't really like turkey. Or stuffing. Or Pumpkin pie. Bleech. But I will enjoy the next few weeks as we have much to be thankful for: our 11th wedding anniversary, SuperGirl's 6th birthday, and Black Friday shopping. :) And I will secretly start listening to Christmas music. BUT...in the meantime, here are some pictures from Trick or Treat 2011. Only 364 more days until the next one.

5 inch heels + lots of eyeliner = Pure Awesomeness. Don't hate.

Construction paper + tape= Mr. Pumpkin Man. Hilarious.

Yet another use for eyeliner! I loves my PuppyLove!

The most beautiful bride EVER. I also loves me some SuperGirl.

My coffee crisis

2011-10-24T13:47:00.001-04:00

Yep. I am gonna talk about coffee again. One. More. Time. I pinkie swear. I might accidentally mention drinking it in passing, but this is the last "coffee as a topic" post. For now.

My coffee pot died. Not like a flaming, sputtering, smoking death. I have run a machine or two into the ground once or twice. Whatevs. This death was silent and sneaky. I got out of bed, poured a pot (all ready thanks to my delay brew function) and came back 30 minutes later for cup #2. Pot dead. Coffee cold. Me sad. No amount of begging or fit throwing could rouse it from the dead. After I gave up on trying to fix it, I got mad. Really mad. I bought it less than a month ago. I wanted a 5 cup pot instead of my big one for everyday use. I found a great one for $20 at Meijer, used a store coupon for 20% off and walked away quite happy. I was happy every day for nearly a month. Then it died. I promptly pulled out my MacBook and googled me up some info on Mr. Coffee Dead Pot. Seems this is a common problem and customers don't have much luck getting any help from the company. I knew that I threw out all those papers and warranty info that came in the box and didn't keep the receipt because I knew I wouldn't return in, so I was pretty sure I was screwed and should just go buy another lil' pot. I took a chance and emailed Mr. Coffee's customer service department and got a nice automated response that someone was reviewing my submission and would contact me in 1-2 business days. Seeing as it was Friday, I figured I wouldn't hear anything for a while, so I trekked out to the garage to dig out my 12 cup pot to use until I knew what to do.

This afternoon I got an email from Mr Coffee telling me that they were going to replace my coffee pot FOR FREE and since my pot was out of stock, they were going to UPGRADE me to a better one. Yippie! What tremendous customer service! I didn't think they could do anything for me and it turns out that it doesn't hurt to ask! :) Now I can get back to drinking my Green Mountain Pumpkin Spice! I think Mr Coffee definitely deserves a hearty recommendation. I'll be a customer for life now!

Happy "Fair Trade" Month!

2011-10-19T12:29:00.000-04:00

Did you know that October is "Fair Trade" month? Me either. I thought October was just reserved for mini-candy bars, plastic spider rings and cool spray-on purple hair color. Not that we have ANY of those things here.....

I have been hittin' my Green Mountain Fair Trade coffees pretty hard core. The weather took a turn for the seasonable-meaning chilly-and so my coffee pot has been working harder than it's worked since April. The results of the taste-tasting are in. And because I can, I am gonna share my findings with you.

Disclaimer: I received two full size bags of Green Mountain coffee to try and talk to my peeps about. I am not required to give them any kind of favorable review and I am not being compensated for this. I am a member of BzzAgent who is sponsoring this campaign. Feel free to check 'em out. Who doesn't love free stuff?

1.) Green Mountain Limited Edition Pumpkin Spice Ground Coffee
This is a really good coffee. At first. The more I drank it, some things really began to stand out to me. I think the flavor is a little off, maybe too "clove-y" for my taste. It could certainly use more cinnamon/nutmeg. It is also way strong. I happen to really like way strong, so this is right up my alley. The others that have tasted it-without hearing my opinions first-mentioned things along the same lines. We all agreed that it is really tasty and seasonally delicious. I mixed about 3/4 of the bag with 1/4 a bag of some plain, ordinary, regular coffee to help the taste for my own personal use. Overall, I think I would buy it again IF I could get it for a good price. Otherwise I'd just mix some pumpkin pie spice into my regular grounds and brew as normal. This one gets one thumb up from me.

2.) Green Mountain Fair Trade Organic House Blend
I certainly liked this coffee a lot more. It is smooth, balanced, and easy to drink. I think it must be a little strong too, because 2 different people mentioned it. I didn't notice, but maybe my tastebuds just like it that way. :) I could see myself as using this blend as my "go-to" coffee. I'd certainly be proud to serve it to guests or just to drink it every morning. This one gets two thumbs way up from me. It's a keeper.

I have really been pleased with this Green Mountain coffee. I certainly will buy it again AND I have coupons for you if you want one. :) If you're still not convinced about the benefits of buying fair trade (read my last post!) then here are some facts to convince you.

• Farmers are paid a fair price for their harvest
• Farmers can invest their Fair Trade premiums in their communities and
businesses
• Farmers must adhere to a number of environmental standards
• Fair Trade Certified farms must follow strict labor laws and practices
• Fair Trade investments and requirements help create high-quality coffee

Give fair trade a try. I bet you'll be glad you did. Now I am going to scrounge up a mini-candy bar to go with my cup of coffee......

A better cup-o-joe

2011-10-06T12:20:00.001-04:00

I have been drinking coffee for 23 years. True story. I started at age 10, slurping it out of my grandma's mug in rural West Virginia while sitting on her lap. Eventually she graduated me to my own mug and cut it with hot chocolate. Mmmmmm. When I moved out of my parents' house in 1996 and into the world of collegiate all-nighters I transformed from an occasional drinker to a frequent imbiber. That phase of my life gradually gave way to marriage, third shifts, and a steady day-in-day-out cup-o-joe. I gave it up entirely during both pregnancies and barely lived to tell about it.

Coffee has come a long way in 23 years. Basic bitter black has turned into lattes with soy and light foam and fancy Italian names that you can't pronounce and leave you with a small cup that you thought it would be much taller. Coffee comes in flavors now that you can toss in the supermarket cart right along side of your Captain Crunch, hot dogs, and deodorant. I wait all year for the Millstone Pumpkin Spice coffee to come out and end up buying a shameful amount of beans. I hoard up the CoffeeMate gingerbread spice creamer and use it well into the post-Christmas winter thanks to their hearty helping of preservatives. In large part, I am a coffee snob. I like my Starbucks and wouldn't be caught dead with a canister of Folgers in my house. Bleech. I am, however, quite poor. Being a stay-at-home mom means we cut out all luxuries and my Starbucks fix comes courtesy of Swagbucks. I will happily make meatless meals if it means I can rearrange the grocery budget to allow for quality coffee beans. I would rather (and have before) go without coffee than drink icky cheap coffee. Can I get an "Amen"??

A few years ago, Green Mountain Coffee ran a promotion on Facebook and I scored a full size bag of beans and a cool travel mug for FREE. I had heard that their coffee was really good and was not disappointed. I also got an unexpected mini-education in fair trade coffee and immediately changed the bulk of my buying habits. I don't agree with slavery in any of its forms, and I fully support paying someone, at MINIMUM, what they deserve for their product. Many coffee companies are treating coffee growers horribly in order to turn a larger profit for themselves. I'm not interested in preaching about this, but you can read more about fair trade practices here. All in all, I believe it is biblical to conduct honorable business practices and that God was serious when he talked about human rights. I make it a habit to only purchase fair trade certified coffee in the grocery store. I was super-happy when I found a Wal-Mart version that was around $5 a bag. Integrity doesn't have to be costly and this is something easy I can do to support those who work hard to help me start my day off on the right foot. I am still guilty of indulging in an occasional caramel macchiato at the 'Bux, but I can say 84% of their coffee is obtained using fair trade practices now. They certainly could do better, but I can always buy their Cafe Estima Blend and be on my merry way.

I feel strongly enough about it that this sticker is on my van!
(along with my Apple sticker and Ron Jon stickers. LOL)

So...what is the point of this random coffee-themed essay? Aside from the delight of talking about one of my favorite things, I am also involved in a promotional campaign for Green Mountain Coffee through BzzAgent. (You should check them out if you haven't already. So fun!! I basically get to try products and talk honestly about them!) I decided to join this campaign because the fair trade practices are important to me and I love me some joe. I received my packet to try today and here is what came in the box:

How excited am I??? I was jumping up and down and whooping!! My kids thought I had gone insane.... Can you see that there is a PUMPKIN SPICE blend to try??? Yippie! :) There is also a monster stack of coupons ($1 off, good on bags and K-cups), so if you want one, email or FB me and I'll get it to you. I want you to get in on the fun too and see how delicious free trade can be. More posts coming soon after I try both kinds of coffee...it's a rough life, I know...and have a chance to have some face to face conversations about this!

So do you have opinions about this? Are you in favor of fair trade practices or is coffee just coffee to you? I'd be interested to hear what my dearly loved readers have to say! I know that our input goes to the company to help them improve so your thoughts are welcomed!

The Simple Woman's Daybook-October

2011-10-04T13:18:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the October edition of The Simple Woman's Daybook! I'm striving (and often failing) to live a simple life and hope you'll join me. If you want to get in on the fun, check out The Simple Woman here.

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...grey, cold and dark. The weather keeps saying it will be sunny and warm but it hasn't bothered to show up yet. *Yawn*

I am thinking...about some guests that will come on Friday. Maybe I'll serve some dessert and coffee. :)

I am thankful...for the way God created the seasons-they always change right on schedule! He never fails! (I am most thankful that I can count on warm weather returning too!)

From the learning rooms...two Bible verses for BabyLove: Psalm 147:5 and Acts 16:31. I'm pretty proud of my little bit! SuperGirl is working on Mark 9:50b and Romans 12:18 + Awana. No real educational pursuits going on outside of Bible; SG is way ahead so I'm just reviewing what she's doing at school and BL is not really ready for much yet.

In the kitchen...homemade herb bread baking in the oven to go with our weekly meatless meal. Tonight is stuffed shells and salad.

I am wearing...magenta long sleeved v-neck tee layered over a brown tank with a grey fleece (that I keep taking off and putting back on) and jeans.

I am creating...framed beach-y art using the shells we found on vacation.

Here is one I've already done!

I am going...to drop off the recycling at the fire station, to drop off the library books, and to pick up SuperGirl from school.

I am wondering...when the currier company will be by to pick up these boxes that had the pieces we needed to fix SuperGirl's bed. (see previous post) I need that garage space back!

I am reading...nothing really. I have not been in much of a reading mood lately. I am trying to focus more on daily Bible reading to make sure I am doing it more consistently.

I am praying...for my daughter's salvation, my sister's meeting with her mission board tomorrow, my friends as they get settled in England, some family as they are working on major holiday travel details, my friend and her kids

I am looking forward to...my mom getting her cast off! And the Pumpkin Show in a few weeks.

I am hearing...nothing. It is quiet. SuperGirl is at school and BabyLove is napping.

Around the house...chores, yard work, the usual.

I am pondering...what to get my husband for his birthday.

One of my favorite things...candy corn! Halloween decorations! Anything made with pumpkin, apples, and/or cinnamon!

A few plans for the rest of the week: school, Bible study, BabyLove's playdate with our BFFs, guests Friday evening...probably should scrub some toilets and wash some clothes too. Blah. IF the weather really does get nice, I'd like to prep my gardens for winter, transplant a hydrangea, and wash the van.

A verse for the day...
Psalm 85:12 Yes, the Lord pours down his blessings. Our land will yield its bountiful harvest. (NLT)

A song...

I especially like the chorus:

But don't you know who you are?
You are more than the choices that you've made,
You are more than the sum of your past mistakes,
You are more than the problems you create, You've been remade.
'Cause this is not about what you've done,
But what's been done for you.
This is not about where you've been, But where your brokenness brings you to
This is not about what you feel, But what He felt to forgive you,
And what He felt to make you loved.

Happy October, friends. Thanks for stoppin' by. :)

Bedroom Redux Times Two-Part II

2011-10-02T14:09:00.002-04:00

And then there were two.....completed bedrooms, that is. SuperGirl's redux was supposed to be easier and much quicker than BabyLove's, but..of course..that was not to be the case. We really didn't do much to her room, but it has certainly been an adventure!

Day 1: Ordered bed online from Walmart. Found it on sale! $150 off!
Day 2: Disassembled old bed and started on BabyLove's room. (see previous post)
Days 3-7: Wait for bed. 3 boxes coming from California, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. Seemed weird to me with the Walmart distribution center less than a mile from my house. Whatevs.
Days 8-10: Bed assembly. Discover 2 faulty pieces. Call and email company for replacements. Discover company might be shady as email bounces and website is less than satisfactory. Discover this is a consistent problem with company. (Thank you, Google.) Call Walmart.com. Receive DELIGHTFUL customer service.
Day 10 Part 2: New bed is shipped from Walmart.com. Yes, I am a customer for life now. (I can do without the in-store experience though.)
Day 11: Receive all the pieces needed to finish/fix bed. DH finished bed and re-packed the boxes to be returned.
Days: 12-present: Wait for currier to pick up boxes of extra bed parts and take back to Walmart.com.

What a fiasco. Blah. However, I cannot say enough about the awesome people at Walmart.com. They rock. :) Here is what SuperGirl's room is like now!

Before- Circa 2009, brown headboard (now white in BabyLove's room) ....and no, I do not know what she is doing here. Typical SuperGirl. :)

After

Up to this point, nothing is different.

New desk with re-purposed chair,
desk slides under bed when not in use!

This was a free chair that I have had since college. I finally painted it to match her bedroom with paint I already had!

Bed! Shelves for books or toys, plus a new "reading light" and lamp

The whole loft bed: replaced bed, dresser and toy box!

SuperGirl's new favorite thing: a reading nook! I hit up the college clearance to find a fuzzy rug and furry pillows!

Price Breakdown:

Bed-$399

Mattress-free (one she already had, no box spring needed to it went to the trash since it was old and worn out-free to begin with!!)

Desk-included in price of bed

Desk chair-free (re-painted an old one)

Rug-$17

Pillows- $20

TOTAL: $436

+BabyLove's redux: $50

GRAND TOTAL: $486

I came in $14 under budget for this project, which I am pretty pleased about. I planned the $500 for furniture ONLY, and I was able to buy furniture AND decorations for both rooms and still come in under budget. This amount of money hardly seems "frugal", but for one of the big purchases in a household I think we did quite well. :)

Bedroom Redux Times Two-Part I

2011-09-30T13:15:00.000-04:00

It is a sad day in the Smith household. My baby is no longer a baby. She is walking, talking, potty trained......and HATES being called a "baby". I guess one is all grown up at age 2 1/2. I now only have "kids". A season of life is over for us. The time had come to transform the nursery into a big girl room. It happened for SuperGirl at age 3 1/2 when BabyLove was born and needed the baby stuff. She moved across the hall into my office, which then became a flamboyant explosion of feathers and pink. (My office now consists of my couch and MacBook. It's all good.) BabyLove has suddenly had a growth spurt or something, and was getting too small for her toddler bed. In shopping for her a bed, we also were looking for a desk for SuperGirl's room now that she is a big-time kindergartener. We discovered that neither one of these things are cheap and that just didn't fly with me. I devised a supercool plan to do both rooms for less money than the average price for a bedframe, boxspring, mattress, desk, and desk chair. (this means <$500) I'll fill you in on SuperGirl's room in my next post-Part II-but here is the lowdown on BabyLove's major nursery makeover:

Day 1-Take down Winnie the Pooh border. Pretend that you are not crying and sad that the baby stage is over in our lives. Run vacuum to suck up microscopic pieces of Winnie's face from the world's most adhered border. How BOTH girls managed to pick some off while standing in their crib and not taking a nap is beyond me. I digress.......

Day 2- Take apart SuperGirl's bed and paint headboard white. (used spray paint I already had--super easy and free) Get minor high and probable brain damage. Prime and paint funny white strip on wall from border. Open windows to air out fumes. Get #2 minor high and additional probable brain damage. Get FREE twin mattress and box spring from parent's house. BabyLove sleeps in big bed and poor SuperGirl sleeps on mattress on floor. (She thought it was the most fun ever and wanted to do it permanently.)

Day 3- Shopping! Curtains, curtain rod, vinyl peel-n-stick decals for walls (I LOVE this things!! Easy to put up, rearrange, and take off!) Put headboard back on and decorate walls. All done!!

Price breakdown:
bed-free
white paint- $3 (already had one can from another home project, did buy one more can for final coat)mattress/boxspring-free
yellow paint-free (already had paint and primer from original paint job)
curtains-$30 (two panels, thermal lined for energy savings--worth the money!)
curtain rod- $10
tiebacks for curtains-$7
TOTAL-$50 (so far I am $450 under my <$500 goal!)

Before: Circa 2005, eventually became BabyLove's room in 2009, walls were painted yellow at that time

No more border! BabyLove's ultrasound/birth footprints are framed on the wall--that stayed. :)

No books...yet. Makes a nice stuffed animal home for the time being

Both kids have their names on the wall-blurred for privacy here, kept the "Smith" letter blocks from the nursery

BabyLove is DELIGHTED with her "garden", it even has a time ladybug in it. :)

Time to move into a big girl bed! No more toddler bed!! This was SuperGirl's bed that I repainted and used the decals from the walls to decorate. Her closest friends must be within arm's reach while sleeping.

An apple a day...

2011-09-27T15:14:00.000-04:00

We've had some fun lately. (And a few changes in the north wing of the homestead. More on that later.) We spent last weekend climbing trees, picking apples, playing in the dirt and enjoying the lovely fall weather. I then spent last weekend taking aforementioned apples and turning them into a myriad of delights including apple pie, apple cinnamon bread, applesauce, eating them with a caramel-cream cheese dip and a candy apple dip.....so many things in fact that I aggravated my carpel tunnel in my right wrist and have been a hot mess ever since. Awesome. Anywho, buckle up for a LOT of pictures of the cutest short people to ever climb a tree. Recipe for applesauce after the pictures!!

Homemade applesauce:
*Note: this is a VERY loose template and can be tailored to fit almost any amount of apples.*
10 lbs tart apples (I used Cortlands and Jonathons and basically did them in batches depending on how much time I had and how many would fit into my pot at a time)
1/2 tsp citric acid (I used Ball's "Fruit Fresh")
cinnamon to taste (I used a LOT)
1/2 c apple cider or water
Splenda or sugar (optional)

Peel and quarter apples. (I use this peeler. SO much easier!) Place in large stock pot with remaining ingredients. (except sugar) Cover and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally until apples fall apart into chunky applesauce. (It took around an hour, stirring every 15 minutes) Process until smooth in food processor. (I added a tiny amount of splenda at this stage because it was too tart and the kids didn't like it. If you use sweeter apples, this could be omitted.) Process in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Applesauce will keep for 2-3 years in a cool dark place once canned. Use fresh applesauce within 2 weeks.

Home again!

2011-09-12T13:33:00.003-04:00

Ahhhhh...vacation. It does a body-and mind-good. This past month has been a whirlwind of activity, and it was nice to get away on a long overdue vacay with the fam and relax a little bit. Tomorrow starts the whirlwind again as SuperGirl goes back to school, then Awana starts back up and a hundred other things will demand my attention once more. Today I am content to savor the (cool) breeze blowing in the windows and relive my vacation though some pictures. I wanted to share some of my favorites with you so you could live vicariously through me. I AM pretty awesome, ya know. ;)

Menu Plan Monday

2011-08-08T13:17:00.002-04:00

Do you plan your menus? It is a MAJOR time and money saver. After a few years of doing it regularly, I truly think it is an indispensible part of the household budgeting. The easiest way to start is with the grocery store weekly ad and your coupons! Buy and plan with what you can get for the cheapest! Here are some great websites that post/link up menus and provide some menu planning resources:
The Grocery Cart Challenge

Org Junkie

5 Dinners in One Hour

Organized Home

My plan this week centers around things that are ripe in my garden (greens, green peppers, snap peas), buried at the bottom of my freezer, won't heat up the house, and/or on sale at the store. Here is my plan:

*Stuffed Shells (spinach--garden!! free!!, egg, cottage cheese, mozzarella cheese stuffed into jumbo pasta shells or manicotti) salad--garden!! free!!, homemade bread

*Roast Beef & Swiss Melts (on italian bread from the bakery outlet store or croissants from the "clearance" bakery rack at the grocery store that I have in my freezer), tater tots, vegetable sticks

*Crock Pot Rotisserie Chicken , mashed potatoes & gravy, mac & cheese, bread (see above link)

*Crock Pot French Dip Roast Beef on buns (from the freezer & topped with provolone), chips & dip, sauteed snap peas

*Tangy Ranch Grilled Chicken (kabobs with green peppers and potatoes), rice pilaf

*Homemade pizzas (might even grill them! mmmmm! recipe for dough and caramelized onions comes from this book too), salad or leftover raw veggies and ranch dressing

*Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole (from this Dinner Doctor book, using leftover "Rotisserie Chicken" from above), broccoli, bread

Sooooo...what are you having this week?

The Simple Woman's Daybook-August

2011-08-02T13:13:00.003-04:00

Would you like to linger on the simple things...then join me and many others in taking a little look into the day plans and thoughts of those who are focusing on simplicity...beauty of the everyday moments. You can join here, at the Simple Woman's Daybook.

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...partly/mostly cloudy and HOT (90*+). I think a pop-up storm is coming!

I am thinking...about all the changes and excitement that will come in the next month or so--Super Girl goes finishes Preschool and goes to Kindergarden & a Florida vacation!

I am thankful...for the paperwork that came from the school district today. I put in for a school transfer for Super Girl and it was accepted! Whew!

From the learning rooms...same and different, geography, Bible for Super Girl and colors and numbers for Baby Love.

In the kitchen...nothing but a box of Twinkies that I plan to craft into a strawberry shortcake-like dessert. Thinking about Chinese takeout (S.G's favorite) for dinner to celebrate the good news about her school placement.

I am wearing...a white v-neck tee and light khaki shorts. (it was cleaning day so I am wearing clothes that can't be ruined by bleach stains!)

I am creating...some kind of school paperwork/calendar organization system. Still in the thought process right now.

I am going...on vacation in 31 days!!!!

I am reading...Stained Glass Hearts by Patsy Clairmont and re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before the DH and I go see the last movie.

I am praying about...Super Girl's salvation, more opportunities to show the love of Jesus to our neighbors, contentment

I am looking forward to...vacay-duh!

I am hearing...the air conditioner running (bleech-ready to open the windows again!) and classical music coming from the radio in Baby Love's room.

Around the house...cleaning is DONE! Laundry is DONE! I need to do some cooking, menu planning and grocery shopping and a little gardening.

I am pondering...getting a haircut. It is really long. And frizzy.

One of my favorite things...riding the SkyGlider at the State Fair with Super Girl and talking with her while we slowly coast the whole length of the fairgrounds.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Grocery shopping, calling the State Parks to make a fall camping reservation, calling S.G.'s new school to get teacher and parent's night details, Saturday afternoon lunch & movie date with the hubs (hopefully).

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Ahhhh....I love summer!

A lyric or two...

(taken from Brandon Heath- "Your Love" )

You’re the hope in the morning
You’re the light when the night is falling
You’re the song when my heart is singing
It’s Your love
You’re the eyes to the blind man
You’re the feet to the lame man walking
You’re the sound of the people singing
It’s Your love

But Your love
Your love
The only the thing that matters is Your love
Your love is all I have to give
Your love is enough to light up the darkness
It’s Your love
Your love
All I ever needed is Your love

Foodie Friday

2011-07-29T12:55:00.003-04:00

Hello! I am still alive, but the needs of day to day life have taken precedence over blogging lately. Much has happened since my last post and we've had a lot of chances to meet the needs of our neighbors while showing them the love of Christ....and learning a lot ourselves. Anywho, I have a minute of quiet this afternoon while BabyLove naps and Super Girl is at the pool with PawPaw so I thought I'd refill my leopard-print reusble cup (Oh yeah. You can't make this stuff up.) with another ice cold Diet Coke and tend to my blog for a bit. (How's that for a run-on sentence??)

Being that it is Friday, I thought I'd write about one of my favorite recurring topics: food! Summer is full of such good things to eat, with the gardens chock full of their harvest and the grill running non-stop. I did a very un-like me thing and did some baking. (With a record breaking heat index of 100*+ what the heck, right?) I have always wanted to make a peach pie and serve it warm with half melty vanilla ice cream sliding off the top of it. My mom had some random frozen pie crusts shoved in the back of her freezer, I had a million peaches (50 cents a lb at Wal Mart!), and I came across a recipe for Streusel Topped Peach Pie that didn't require me making another crust. Whew. I also found a recipe for Pudding Poke Cake, which is a DELICIOUS take on the good ole' Jello Poke Cake. Amidst all the healthy grilled meats and garden veggies, I had a hankerin' for some comfort food that would destroy any hope of getting back into my swimsuit for the rest of the summer. It was totally worth it. :) Do some summer baking! You're hot anyways. You might as well eat some pie while you sweat.

Streusel Topped Peach Pie

FYI: The topping makes enough for 3 pies and you can freeze any you have left over. I served ours with some vanilla frogurt (Anyone else miss LOST?? Anyone??)--AKA frozen yogurt for you non-1st season LOST watchers out there. Losers.

Pudding Poke Cake

FYI: Make the pudding EXACTLY as she instructs. I made mine too early and it was way too thick. Yummy, but too thick. I also let the kids suck the cake out out of the straw when I poked the holes!

The Simple Woman's Daybook-July

2011-07-03T09:39:00.002-04:00

Welcome!! I'm taking a minute to reflect on life all around me. If you want to join me, or read about others who are doing it too, you can check out the Simple Woman's Daybook here. Thanks for stopping by! :)

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...sunny!!! And HOT!!! :)

I am thinking...about fireworks, warm summer nights, picnics, and church this morning.

I am thankful...for my freedom--not just politically but spiritually also. (John 8:34-36)

From the learning rooms...early readers for SuperGirl that I found at the library + a series at church on contentment for me.

In the kitchen...coffee & a donut (my breakfast), ingredients for Walking Tacos waiting for me to prep for tomorrow's picnic

I am wearing...a flowered skirt and yellow shirt.

I am creating...a vacation menu. (helps to pass the time while we wait wait wait for it to get here!)

I am going...to church, lunch with my mom & fireworks in a neighboring city.

I am wondering...why I cannot sleep all of a sudden.

I am reading..."Before Versailles" by Karleen Koen, "The Secret of Contentment" by Jaunita Purcell, and have the lastest issue of Entertainment Weekly waiting for BabyLove's naptime. (Don't judge me...EW is my one indulgence in this life...and the subscription was free.)

I am hoping...I can fit in some pool time.

I am looking forward to...the 4th of July parade tomorrow morning.

I am hearing...the washer spinning and BabyLove talking about her books to my DH.

Around the house...laundry and vaccuming. Bleech.

I am pondering...nothing really

One of my favorite things...White Chocolate Mocha Frapp from Starbucks. Or Caramel. Mmmmm! Thanks, Swagbucks, for my giftcard!

A few plans for the rest of the week: parade, fireworks, Preschool for Super Girl, play date with my BFF and her son, Bible study, pool

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...from a place you can get REAL fireworks!

Happy Birthday, America!

2011-07-01T14:00:00.002-04:00

Enjoy the holiday weekend! Remember that as important as political freedom is, spiritual freedom is much more so:

John 8:34-36

Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

A few of my favorite things: my plants!

2011-06-30T12:31:00.010-04:00

Instead of today's weekly tip, I thought I'd share the photos of my plants that I tried to upload the other day. I had a little helper who cleaned the chairs on the porch and removed random rocks from the yard. Make sure you check out the snap peas in the red trellis. They are over 6 feet tall! I also have 2 lilies in the front that are more than 3 feet across. We re-did the front beds this year (You can check out the post about it here.) so there is some space for the plants to fill in and I decided against adding any annuals in the meantime. We are garden-minimalists, I guess! (This means "poor".) Now that summer has finally decided to show up, I think the veggies that are struggling will perk right up and might yield a crop yet!! Enjoy!

2011-06-27T14:50:00.002-04:00

We are fried. We have had a mentally and emotionally exhausting 9 days and are having a hard time bouncing back from it. The kids have sailed off to Crazy Land--never a good sign when they wake up crying--and there is just no substitute for a good night's sleep.

Last night we all got some rest and today I decided I needed to do something that would improve my mental state. After I brewed the coffee (never skip the most important step), I headed out to the garden. Unlike most people, I like to weed the flower beds. I weed my neighbor's flower beds when they're not home. I even did my parent's beds when they were on vacation. I like to do the hard work that gardening often entails. I "walk the farm" every day and check on the veggies and berries and deadhead the marigolds (ah-choo!) and lilies. Yep. Everyday. And I almost always have a helper or two trailing right along with me.

Gardening is like therapy for me. It is certainly cheaper. It is my way of clearing my mind and listening to what God has to say to me. I know that sounds stupid, but it is really true. Between clearing the dead leaves out of my lilies and Jeremiah 29:4-6 I gained a little perspective.

Jeremiah 29:4-6 This is the Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel's God, to all the exiles I've taken from Jerusalem to Babylon: "Build houses and make yourselves at home. "Put in gardens and eat what grows in that country. "Marry and have children. Encourage your children to marry and have children so that you'll thrive in that country and not waste away." (The Message)

The Israelites were not at home. Babylon was NOT their home--it was a LONG way from it. Riddled with sin and refusing to obey God, they got kicked out of Israel and forced into slavery and yet God still had His hand of protection over them...loving them and preparing them to go home. Sometimes I feel so out of place. This world is not my home. There is pain, suffering, loss, hardship, struggle...and weeds. And yet God has His hand of protection over me too, preparing me to go Home. In the meantime, I can build a house, make myself at home (but not too comfy! Romans 12:2), put in a garden, eat what grows, marry and have children so I don't waste away. (I laughed out loud when I read that last part. Sometimes I feel like the kids are making we waste away, not keeping me from it!!)

My garden looks pretty good. It is certainly over-watered and needs some hot sun, but there are no weeds or dead leafy-ness. My mind is clearer and I am (grudgingly) allowing God to sculpt my character and make me more like Himself--I need some pruning too!

PS-pictures to follow...Blogger is grouchy and won't let me post them!

Foodie Friday-A twofer!

2011-06-17T08:49:00.003-04:00

I am *SO* over this week. For reals.

As part of my normal morning routine, I make (or prep) dinner while my short people eat breakfast and I swill coffee. A lot of coffee. I'm feeling better already.

This morning I also made some dessert/fruit that my peeps LOVE because we require desserts to live and I had some fruit that needed to be used up. (Check out the recipe here at Hip2Save. ) I usually double the recipe, but didn't need that much today so I was left with 1/2 can of evaporated milk sitting on my kitchen counter. I hated to throw it away, so I googled me up some recipe sites to find a use for it. I ended up with a recipe for homemade coffee creamer-DUH! Why didn't I think of this before??-that seems like it will save me buckets of money. I can find nearly all the ingredients at Aldi too! It is also easy to customize to your tastes or ingredients on hand.

You can find the original recipe here-the reviews and comments were helpful!

Homemade Coffee Creamer:

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 can evaporated milk

1 tsp vanilla extract (I will use Torani Hazelnut or Caramel coffee syrup since I have it in my pantry already and use less condensed milk so it is not too sweet.)

10 oz water

Combine and enjoy! Store in refrigerator. Also can be frozen!

Thursday's Tip

2011-06-09T13:48:00.005-04:00

Thursday is here again! That means we're only one day away from the weekend! :) I have big plans to hit up our local dried fruit outlet and stock up on yummy healthy snacks + some major pool time. Rough life, I know.

Today's tips are from householdtips.org . (I have never seen so many spelling errors in one place before in my whole life, but they have some helpful tips. They also seem mildly shady, so I wouldn't waste too much time over there. You can just take my word for it. ) Here we go:

1.) I spent Baby Love's naptime today painting my toenails my favorite shade: "Maple Syrup". If you want your nails to dry super fast, try plunging then into a bowl of ice water (I heard this from Julie Chen who hosts about everything on CBS) or sticking them in the freezer for a minute or so. (Now, how am I supposed to do that with my toes?)

2.) Got sand? Try baby powder! The kids have a little sandbox and there is a sand pit at our favorite park, so I always keep a bottle of baby powder around to clean up the mess. Just sprinkle a little bit on and the sand falls right off, leaving no mess to get tracked into my house or van! I plan to take a trial size bottle with us to Florida this year to keep in the beach bag for no fuss vacay clean up. I was amazed at how well this worked and Baby Love and Super Girl smelled SO good afterwards! :)

3.) I also read that you can use baby powder to dry up blemishes on your face without destroying your skin with those harsh anti acne meds. I am not a teen anymore, but still have breakouts and need something a little more gentle for my 30-cough cough- something skin. I like to have multiple uses for a product so nothing goes to waste. I'll certainly be trying this one!

Happy Thursday and I'll see ya soon with a yummy recipe!

Menu Plan Monday

2011-06-06T15:02:00.003-04:00

Howdy friends! Hungry? Here's what's on our plates this week:

-Sausage & Chicken Kabobs (I sub canned whole potatoes for the pineapple) and rice pilaf

-Taco Salad (or maybe a soft taco bar, depending on how my lettuce is doing in the garden!) and spanish rice

-Steak, baked potatoes, garden salad, homemade bread (birthday dinner courtesy of my mom as I would never buy something so expensive!)

-Stromboli and veggie sticks

-Grilled chicken (I use the marinade from this recipe) broccoli cheese rice (from a mix) and corn

-Grilled Greek Chicken Kabobs (with red onion and canned potatoes--I also use mayo instead of the yogurt in the marinade) and green beans

-Cookout @ the neighbor's house

What are you eating this week?

Great resources for parenting

2011-06-03T14:03:00.002-04:00

Check out this post over at Raising Homemakers. I am always interested in ways I can train my girls to become godly women, and they are hosting a giveaway loaded with some awesome resources! You could win a prize pack from Tomorrow's Forefathers.

Check it out! :)

The Simple Woman's Daybook-June

2011-06-01T13:32:00.007-04:00

Yippie! June is here! It is finally summer! :) Here is the June edition of The Simple Woman's Daybook. You can add yours here.

FOR TODAY:

Outside my window...the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing and it is about 85*. Not bad!

I am thinking...about things Baby Love and I can do together on the days Super Girl goes to Preschool. (see "From the learning rooms")

I am thankful for...warm weather and sun!!! I was getting pretty close to unstable there for a while with all the rain and 40*. Bleech. I feel like a new person!

From the learning rooms...Super Girl starts Preschool on Tuesday--two days a week during the summer to get her used to being out of the house for when Kindergarten starts in the fall.

From the kitchen...chicken for Oriental Chicken Sandwiches marinating in the fridge--gonna toss on the grill and top with shredded red cabbage. Mmmmm! "Fried" Rice-A-Roni and stir fried snap peas on the side!

I am wearing...a brown v-neck "Perfect Tee" from Old Navy, tan shorts and my trademark summer ponytail

I am creating...nothing right now. Creating tends to get expensive and we're saving for a beach vacay at the end of the summer.

I am going...on a playdate (OK..not me, my kids) to see the kids I used to babysit. We are very excited to spend some time with them tomorrow. :)

I am reading...waiting for "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins to come in at the library and trying not to read "Mockingjay" while I wait. Just finished (yesterday) "The Seraph Seal" by Leonard Sweet/Lori Wagner. It was ok.

I am hoping...the application I submitted to the school district approves SG so she gets into the elementary school I want her to go to. Won't find out until August and having bouts of nail chewing over it. Having a hard time trusting God at times.

I am hearing...wind chimes and a contractor talking to my neighbor down the street. Nice, quiet afternoon!

Around the house...laundry and a dishwasher waiting to be emptied.

One of my favorite things...nothing to do. No school work, no neighbor to take to the bus stop (although that was fun!), no Awana for a while, no Sunday evening service at church until fall...just relaxing and refocusing while working on my tan.

A few plans for the rest of the week: I should probably clean some toilets (blah!), will drink some iced coffee, help my dad sell both of our junk during the community yard sale on Friday, work on my tan and get sweaty, go to the pool, eat an ice cream cone...yeah, it's a rough life but someone has to do it!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...my two bosses. Do I have a great job or what?? (P.S- I have no idea what SG is doing with her face. She just thought it would make a funny picture!)

Foodie Friday

2011-05-27T12:35:00.002-04:00

Memorial Day weekend is always one of my favorites. It is the unofficial start to summer in the Smith household. We grill year round (Yep. We're weird. Ever grill in January while wearing your husband's Carrharts? Don't be jealous. ) and have already had out the kids' plastic pool and sandbox. It just seems like somewhere around this weekend each year our mentality changes. I suddenly couldn't give a flying rip about getting the household chores done. (Not that I gave that many rips about it normally....LOL) I'll open the windows and let the living room dust itself with the wind. I'll hang up the laundry outside (technically in the loft in my garage, but whateves.) just because it smells so good. I'll plan weeks worth of meals that require no oven because it makes the house hotter and I probably won't turn on the A/C because we like to be hot. Yeah...my neighbors think we're weird too.

We love to grill. I have been known to lure neighbors out of the A/C to come ask us what we're cooking because the intoxicating smell of marinated meat has drifted over to their house. You can cook almost anything with fire and a sturdy pair of tongs. Or skewers. Or those cool marshmallow/hot dog sticks. Or in a pie iron. OOO! Or a cast iron skillet....sorry...I got distracted. At any rate, we have figured out how to cook tons of stuff on the grill or fire ring for any meal or occasion. Yep, even breakfast. Yep, even dessert. --More on these delicious topics later-- We also love to go to the park and eat. Of course we grill, but sometimes you need something portable that resembles a healthy food to lay on the table alongside of your three different kinds of chips, a deliciously fatty pack of brats, something called a "salad" that is the furthest thing from salad, and the desserts. And it must require no cooking and almost no brain power or effort whatsoever. Heaven forbid we cut into our sunbathing time for any reason whatsoever.

I have the perfect recipe for your Memorial Day events: Fruit Kabobs. In fact, assembling this is the perfect task for your short household servants...I mean "kids"...to do for you while you are doing the aforementioned sunbathing. Although I love to cook and grill, I too want a day off. And my kids need something healthy to eat at some point. And I probably should lay off the iced capps and eat something healthy too. After all, I've got to get into a swimsuit soon. Yipes.

Fruit Kabobs:

fruits of your choice-bananas (cut into coins), strawberries (leave whole), blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, pineapple (chunks), kiwi, etc.

mini-marshmallows (I use the fruit flavored colored ones & Kraft makes seasonal flavored ones-stars, gingerbread boys, snowmen, etc. that are cute too)

skewers (use wooden ones for easy cleanup-just throw away!)

Thread fruits and marshmallows onto skewers. Serve and enjoy! You can do a red-white-blue theme for a patriotic kabob, or color coordinate them for any occasion! You could even set up a "Make your own kabob" station and let everyone customize to their own tastes. Just make sure to refrigerate or pack into a container and keep in the cooler. Refrigerate any leftovers too. Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Thursday's Tip

2011-05-20T12:20:00.003-04:00

OK...it's not Thursday. I get that. I pulled out my MacBook this morning and realized another Thursday had gotten away from me and I'd failed to post my weekly, life-changing, world-shaking tip. (OK..it's not that great. I get that too.) Better late than never, I guess, and since the world ends tomorrow I'd better get one last blog post in. (On the Apolacypse note, check out this post on the Center for Disease Control's website. Yep. It's for reals, people. Wow.)

My tip for the day: Be prepared.

What you choose to be prepared for is your choice, but be ready for it.

-The end of the world is not tomorrow, but it IS coming. Are you ready? Have you accepted Christ as your Savior?

-Dinner time comes with amazing regularity each and every day. Are you ready? Make a menu and buy some ingredients so you don't blow your diet or budget by going out to eat.

-Work, church, and a hundred other things all have a start time. (most of them the same time every day or week) Are you wandering in late? Be prepared the night before and get yourself ready. Lateness is annoying and rude.

-Bills come all the time, some planned and some unplanned. Do you have a budget and a saving stash to cover those expenses? Be a good steward of your resources and honor God by paying off your debts.

Be ready!

Howdy!

2011-05-17T09:07:00.004-04:00

Hello, Bloggie friends! Long time, no talk to! Blogger was down for a few days last week and the weather here was unexpectedly nice, so we dropped everything and went outside to play and finish the landscaping/gardening. Needless to say, I dropped you too in favor of some sunshine. No offense. :)

Much has happened in our time apart:

1.) Baby Love turned two! (I guess I can't call her that for much longer, but "Kid Love" or "Toddler Love" just sounds stupid. It's a work in progress.) We had a nice time celebrating with some friends and eating cake!

2.) We added a whole new veggie garden that runs the length of the garage, in the back yard. We ripped out the sod-no easy task, but made easier by the torrential rain from April- and all 4 of us were a muddy mess! J borrowed a tiller from our neighbor and made the ground usable and we got a few veggies planted-chased off by cold and rain AGAIN-and will finish with some others hopefully this week. Pics to come when the rain stops!

3.) We re-did the landscaping bricks/flowerbed in the front yard. They were settling down into the ground in a lopsided way and the curve in it made it hard for J to mow, so out it came and all got re-done. Bleech. That left us with some gaping holes that took at least 12 bags of topsoil and 3 bags of mulch to fill. I then had to buy some plants to fill in the space and it turned out to be a VERY expensive project. BUT, my DH is much happier when he mows and I have to admit that it looks awesome. :) Pics to come when the rain stops!

4.) Super Girl went to Kindergarden screening. She wowed them and we got some valuable info for the fall. I think we will have to wait until the 2nd week of August for her official school placement, but after talking with the Dept of Ed people yesterday I feel much better about her getting in to a better school.

We lead a very boring a quiet life, but things have been busy and exciting here lately! Hopefully we'll have more nice weather soon and be able to get back outside! Stay tuned for more--you never know what we'll be up to next!

The Simple Woman's Daybook-Spring Edition

2011-05-05T13:56:00.005-04:00

FOR TODAY
Outside my window...SUN SUN SUN!!! Finally a break from the rain!
I am thinking...pleading the 5th
I am thankful for...my sweet Baby Love who turns 2 next week.
From the learning rooms...NOTHING! Yippie! The Great Preschool-Homeschool Experiment is over-- 15 school days early because Super Girl is super smart and there was no point in prolonging it.
From the kitchen...Chicken marinating for the grill
I am wearing...my favorite gray Old Navy "lounge" pants, tourquiose v-neck long sleeved tee
I am creating...plans for the garden--we expanded the front flower bed and now I have to fill in some space and it is almost time to put veggies in the ground!
I am going...insane. Maybe less so today since the rain stopped and the sun is out.
I am reading...nothing, outside of a few leftover magazines my BFF gave me last night. This is very unusual for me.
I am hoping...I can stop wearing long sleeves and get my tan started soon.
I am hearing...Between the Lions (that's Super Girl), quiet (that's Baby Love) and a lawnmower outside.
Around the house...I am putting up thermal lined curtains (and tiebacks) in the laundry room to block the hot summer sun and keep the house cooler (that is assuming summer actually shows up) and cleaning out all storage spaces and getting organized again.

One of my favorite things...Torani Hazelnut Coffee Syrup--makes the perfect homemade iced coffee.
A few plans for the rest of the week: Clean out the attic space upstairs, house cleaning (barf)

Scripture thought: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:6-7 NLT
Here is picture for thought I am sharing... Two years ago: May 5, 2009--My due date and Cinco de Mayo! OLE!

Why don't you join in the fun too?

www.thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com

Need a good book to read?

2011-04-27T14:00:00.003-04:00

Check out my new book reviews over at "Read Between the Lines"!

Out of the mouth of babes...

2011-04-26T13:47:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I was sitting on the couch using my laptop when my youngest daughter, Baby Love, came running into the room. She smacked me on the leg and said, "Get off you pooter ("computer"), Mom. I need to go pawty!" ("potty"). Then she took off running for the bathroom and yelled, "Come on, Mom!"

I nearly died laughing.

Not too bad for an -almost- two year old. She said two full sentences, is fully potty trained and even can tell me when she has to go. And she's SO darn cute, too.

O Grave, where is thy victory?

2011-04-23T19:27:00.004-04:00

1 Corinthians 15:26

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

Philippians 2:10-11

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Answered Prayer

2011-04-20T13:46:00.002-04:00

I know that God is in the business of answering prayers, but I am still surprised sometimes when He answers "yes". I think that might be a testament to my lack of faith, but I'll analyze myself on my own time. At any rate, here is the scoop and my former dilemma:

1.) My daughter finishes (homeschool) Preschool May 6 and starts Kindergarten the 2011-12 school year.

2.) The elementary school SuperGirl will be assigned to is failing academically, in a horrible location, and overcrowded.

3.) I have the credentials, experience, and ability to homeschool but feel that it is not in the best interest of my child.

4.) Time is against me and I need to make some major decisions. Now.

I have been praying for months that God would show me what to do. I am not exaggerating when I say that I have been praying freverently. And urgently. And without ceasing. I have been horribly burdened about what to do about this (and for her salvation--but that is a different story!) and I have lost more nights of sleep than I can count. I would do whatever I had to to best serve the interests of my child; whether that is homeschool or requesting a transfer to another school in the district (which is nearly impossible) or anything else I had to do. The only thing I have heard from God on the matter (up to this morning) is Psalm 139:14-16, but especially verse 16b:

"...all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

I said this over and over and over in my mind, day after day, night after night; trying to trust that God planned all of SuperGirl's days before the creation of the world...including her first day of school. Could I trust Him that He has her best interests at heart and loves her even more than I do? Turns out I can.

Today was my appointment to register E for Kindergarten. Since God had been mostly mum on the subject I just kept on--filling out paperwork for the district, but researching the state requirements for homeschool and looking for curriculum--and today was just another step along the way while I waited. Or so I thought. I honestly was dreading this appointment. Part of me felt like I was being disobedient and pushing my own agenda, but part of me felt like I was stepping out in faith (blindly) to trust God would take care of her in a public school and part of me thought I would cuss -loudly- or scratch some poor secretary's eyes out if she gave me any flack for requesting the school transfer paperwork. (Disclaimer-I have been praying that I would act in a God-honoring way and be a blessing to those at the enrollment office. And I was.)

My appointment took 5 minutes because I had all my ducks in a row (shocking, huh?) and the lady who helped me was awesome. She gave me a green piece of paper that turned out to be the answer I had been seeking for so long. Turns out the school is officially on academic watch by the ODE and thanks to former President Bush, the No Child Left Behind Act guarantees my kid a spot in a better school in the district if I want it. AND the district will pay me $200 bucks to do it. No long paperwork forms, no rushing to be the first in line to get the open spots, no chewing my fingernails to bloody stubs while I wait for August to find out if the district approved my application for transfer, no last minute buying of homeschool curriculum or turning in paperwork to the state. All I had to do was sign a paper saying "Why, yes, I want an alternate school! How thoughtful of you to offer!" and drop it in the mailbox. Which I already did. BAM! Done. In 5 minutes. God opened the door and made the path clear and I feel like a thousand pound burden has been lifted off my shoulders. I got in the van, closed the door, took a deep breath, laid my head on the steering wheel and cried. All I could say was, "Thank you Jesus!". I didn't realize how heavily this has been weighing on me and just how much of the weight was of my own doing.

I have been thinking a lot lately about James 1:

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

I wonder how much more God could do through me and in me if I would believe. Really really believe and not doubt. I know He has ordained all my days and SuperGirl's days before even one of them came to be. And He knows her first day of school. And now, so do I. And now,so do you. :)

New Blog!

2011-04-14T13:41:00.003-04:00

I am pleased to announce that I have started a new blog, titled "Read Between the Lines". It contains books reviews and recommendations that were clogging up The Story of Smith. I'd love for you to join me over there too and chime in with what you're reading! :)
Come check out the new blog here. OH...scroll down too because there are a few new posts today!

Book Review: "Daddy Dates" by Greg Wright

2011-04-14T12:49:00.002-04:00

I am always on the prowl for any book that offers some sound parenting advice. "Daddy Dates" by Greg Wright is a valuable resource for any father looking to cultivate a strong relationship with his daughters.

I have two small girls and an amazing husband. I want the kids to have the same relationship with the DH that I had with my dad. I was spared from so much pain and poor choices by simply holding the goofy boy I was most currently interested in up to the standard of my father. Relationships like that take a lot of work over a long period of time, and let's face it: men are clueless. They know how to relate to other men (and sons), but girls are a different ballgame. This book provides a firm foundation for helping a man to get involved in their daughter's life in an easy and painless way: the Daddy Date.

The idea behind this "date" is that the dad gets to know the daughter the same way he got to know his wife: by actively pursuing her and spending time with her, talking and doing activities she is interested in. Obviously the desired end result of the "date" is vastly different but the basic principle is the same. Ideas and personality profiles are included in the appendices of the book for further practical application.

Overall, I didn't learn anything from reading this book but my husband really will. Wright provides candid advice and "manspeak" to help any dad and he writes about things I wouldn't have thought to remind my husband about before he spent some one-on-one time with my daughter(s). I certainly recommend "Daddy Dates" to any man who has a daughter and wants to make a "powerful and lasting difference".

I received a complimentary copy of this book from BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Thursday's Tip: Make your money work harder

2011-04-12T19:04:00.003-04:00

I think as often as possible, my money should work double -or triple- duty. I don't have a lot of it, so I have to make what I do have stretch 'till it squeaks. I have found a few easy, little-effort-required kind of ways to get more than my money's worth:

1.) Store loyalty cards- I use the Kroger, Giant Eagle, CVS, and Discount Drug Mart loyalty cards (NOT credit cards) to get the maximum discount on the weekly specials and to earn extra rewards like fuel discounts and free movie rentals. I also just found out that Panera has one too where you can earn free drinks, coffees, etc. with x number of purchases. I'm certainly gonna be investigating that one! :)

2.) Gift cards- I buy gift cards for things I have to buy anyway (like school clothes at Old Navy, a washer/dryer from Home Depot, a new cordless home phone from Best Buy, etc) from Kroger or Giant Eagle and earn free gas! Then I am not going into debt, I stay within my budgeted amount and I am one step closer to a free tank of gas!

Example: We had to buy 4 appliances last year (washer, dryer, refrigerator and dishwasher) and bought Home Depot gift cards each time from Giant Eagle. We drove down the street to Home Depot, bought our appliances and paid with our gift card. We ended up with so many free tanks of gas that we ended up giving them away!

3.) MyPoints and Swagbucks- if you are not members of these two things, you should be. You can sign up for MyPoints here (You can tell them I referred you and I get some extra points!) and Swagbucks here. Here is how they work:

MyPoints-get points for reading emails (they send a lot, so you might want to opt out of this) and clicking on the sponsored link. I do all mine in one sitting and it takes less than 3 minutes. You also earn points for shopping through their site. They have a list of 400 merchants and you click on who you want and shop online as you normally would. Your points are credited to your account and you can cash them in for gift cards to a ton of places. I just got one for Macaroni Grill and we're going on a date night!

Swagbucks-there are lots of ways to earn "swagbucks" (points) but I only do internet searches. You can also do surveys, watch selected videos, take polls, do some limited shopping, etc. I installed a toolbar and it works like a search engine, or like Google would. I type in what I want and am randomly awarded swagbucks for my searches. It is easy and takes no time at all. I get rewarded for doing what I would normally do on my computer. Fridays are MegaSwagbucks Day so you have more chances to earn the bigger amounts. (I just cashed in some swagbucks for a Starbucks gift card...which I DO NOT have to share for my date night! :) They have a loyalty program too: if you register your gift card on their website than you get a free drink on your birthday and earn "stars" towards another free drink!)

Eaxmple: I buy an Old Navy gift card at Giant Eagle (see above). I get home and get on my computer and type in "my points" in my Swagbucks toolbar and possibly earn anywhere from 7-50 swagbucks. I go through the MyPoints website to the Old Navy website and earn 4 points per dollar spent. I pay with my gift card and stay within my budget!

It sounds like a lot, but it is almost no effort at all. And the rewards are well worth it! How are you making your money work for you?

I miss you!

2011-04-04T13:34:00.004-04:00

Things were just starting to chill around here when the weird meter went through the roof and this week's plans went down the toilet. Not gonna say any more, except that I think God has a REAL sense of humor sometimes when He answers your prayers. At any rate, I have scrapped E's Preschool lesson plans and Spring Break to accomodate aforementioned weirdness and started from scratch to invest some time and effort in something else that is very important. I planned several blog posts to catch ya'll up on the Smith's but that ain't gonna happen just yet. I have been busy trying to re-do lesson plans and rearrange our schedules and make sure we don't starve or have to wear dirty clothes in the process and once again my sweet sweet blog has fallen by the wayside. Because I heart you, here is a super quick update so you know we're still alive:

1.) Baby Love is fully (yes, really) potty trained. Totally easy. And it's about time something was easy. She even comes to me and tells me when she has to go--even in the store. :) It took one week of us misunderstanding each other + one day for me to figure out I was making it harder than it needed to be because she bypassed all the steps I thought she'd go through = fully trained 22 month old. Sweeeeeet. (Disclaimer-she is usually dry @nap and just a little wet overnight so she still wears a diaper for those. But it is cloth-definetely a story for another post)

2.) One more grading period and the Great Preschool-Homeschool Experiment will be complete! Yippie! Super Girl is doing so well, and goes for her K-screening next month.

3.) No, I do not know what I am going to do about her schooling for next year. Ugh. You can pray about that.

4.) Baby Love and I have been fighting sickness for weeks and now we're all healthy. She escaped unscathed but I had a round of antibiotics. I can finally sleep without waking up with a nasty earache.

That is the abbreviated version but mostly gets you back up to speed. I have two book reviews due; one today or tomorrow and one Monday, so watch for those posts. I am excited about all the cool books I've been getting FOR FREE! I will be out of town with Super Girl later this week, so I probably won't have time (or the WiFi) to post much else. More soon, I promise!

Some time off...

2011-03-10T14:19:00.004-05:00

I won't be posting much in the very near future (a week or two) as I am more than overwhelmed with the day to day around here.

Potty training is in full force. Training BabyLove is about to make me die (I was sick of it before it even started. After SuperGirl and the twins...yuck...suffice it to say my heart's not in it.) and she is not making any progress, due in large part to my attitude about the whole thing. More details on the potty training/cloth diapering/baby wipe making madness in the coming weeks.

Spring cleaning has descended upon the Smith household because I was in fear the health department would shut us down if I didn't drag out ye ole' mop and bucket and swab the decks. (Sorry, we just watched "Pirates" for the millionth time!) We've been so busy with Preschool (Only 27 days left! YIPPIE!), church, Awana, Bible Study, Potty training, blah blah blah, that cleaning day kept slipping through the cracks while arts and crafts or some Preschool mini-project took its place. I am a teacher at heart, huh?

However, I am proud to say that school is done for the week (we follow the local Kindergarden schedule that she'll follow next year), the entire upstairs is DONE and clean!!, I took stock of what clothes the kids' have for warmer weather and the last load of laundry (all our regular laundry plus all the kids' summer clothes) is spinning in the dryer right now. Whew. Now I am on the the rest of the house for Spring Cleaning, potty-ing (not me, of course), playing catch up on my Sunday School homework, shopping and getting my HouseParty ready for Saturday, Preschool lesson plans done, bills paid and about a billion other things. Sigh. And I have to fit brushing my teeth and making more coffee in there somewhere too.

SO.....no more posts for a while. I'd love for you to share some tips with me for this lovely Thursday because the only tip on my mind right now is how to clean the carpet when your child promptly goes on it AFTER sitting on the potty for 15 minutes. I think I'll keep that one to myself. :)

The Simple Woman's Daybook-March

2011-03-08T12:28:00.003-05:00

My Sunday School class (on parenting) has inspired me to read read read read Proverbs 31 and assess where I stand, what I am doing well, what I need to work on according to the standards set forth in God's Word. (as opposed to the "world") I am working hard on simplifying-thinking about "What do I REALLY need?". I found The Simple Woman's Daybook from a godly friend's blog and have been tossing around the idea of "joining" and giving you a glimpse into the inner workings here at Chez Smith. If you hate it, let me know and I'll keep my thoughts all to my lonesome. :) Why don't you join in the fun too?

FOR TODAY
Outside my window... the sun is shining! HALLELUJAH!
I am thinking...about the Church's past & future response to sinners (homeless, prisoners, homosexuals, etc) and what it means to be the "hands and feet of Jesus"
I am thankful for...the sunny day! Did I mention the sun is shining??
From the learning rooms...reptiles, addition, and shoe tying (ugh)

From the kitchen...freshly baked Italian Herb Boule (french bread) and beef stew crocking away in the pot
I am wearing...my favorite gray fleece from Old Navy and velour pants
I am creating...a system for hanging up (and keeping track of) a billion little girly hair barretts for the girls' bathroom
I am going...shopping (hopefully) for an Easter dress/Church clothes and ribbon (for above hair clip project)
I am reading...The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
I am hoping...to be an encouragement to my dear BFF on Wednesday and Saturday
I am hearing...the dishwasher-but quiet in the rest of the house!
Around the house...cleaning MUST be done!
One of my favorite things...Diet Coke with Lime with lime wedges in it
A few plans for the rest of the week: Take Baby Love for her 1st haircut (Goodbye Mullet!), clean the house, trim Super Girl's hair, laundry, Preschool

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...I wish I was here!

Thursday's Tip

2011-03-03T13:29:00.005-05:00

Happy Friday Eve, Blog Friends! The weekend is so close I can almost touch it. Ahhhh.......(BTW-Us SAHMs like the weekend as much as the rest of you--and yes, we work too. We finally have some 'round the clock backup!)

The arrival of this Friday Eve can only mean it is time once again for Thursday's Tip. Here we go!

Got socks? They are not just for warming your pigs in the dead of winter.

My shorties always have a hole in one of their socks. I sew them up and then they wear it until it won't hold anymore or they complain that the stitching hurts their wee toesies. They then are repurposed in one of two ways:
1.) I make sock puppets with some yarn and those extra buttons that come on the tag of dress clothes. (Since I mostly shop at the thrift store now, I raid my mom's 40-year button stash if we can't find one funky enough.) They make really funny puppets and they are easy enough for the baby to get on.
2.) They become dusting cloths. It is no secret that I hate cleaning day. I am training up some free slave labor in the hopes that I may not have to clean at all until they move out, but in the meantime they are still pretty short so the bulk of the work is mine. The girls have to help a little, so I just slip the sock on the kid's hand (or if it is Super Girl's sock it will fit on my hand too or adult socks will work easily!) and spray a little Pledge on it and they can go to town wiping off any dusty surface in the house. You can get into tiny cracks this way too so nothing gets missed. I also dunk them in soapy water, wring out well and then slide it on their girls' hands and let them clean in the bathroom or kitchen. Viola! Clean house. I just toss the socks in the with the laundry and reuse them the next week!

If you have no short people to help you with your chores, you are welcome to borrow mine. Just make sure you bring them back when you're done. :)

Out with the old...

2011-02-27T15:42:00.003-05:00

Just when I think I know who is reading my blog, someone unexpected, or unknown, shows up. It is understood that if I post something here that it is open to anyone on the internet, even though they might not be my intended audience. In a continued effort to keep our priviate life priviate I have removed all my archived posts that were written before January 2011. I also have seen a dramatic shift in our attitudes, lifestyle and relationship with Christ in the past year and thought it might be wise to remove any earlier posts that may not reflect our current, and more God-honoring, heart attitude.

Remember that old song we used to sing in Sunday School, "He's Still Workin' On Me"? We Smiths are a work-in-progress, and I'm sure we will be until the day we die. It is fun to look back and see the progress we've made. I'm glad I'm not the person I was 10 years ago...5 years ago...1 year ago...6 months ago...yesterday.

Romans 12:2-3
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.

Thursday's Tip

2011-02-24T07:39:00.002-05:00

Today's tip is about food! That is mostly because I am hungry and can't stop thinking about that batch of snickerdoodles I baked yesterday. mmmmmmm.......

This tip cames from an unlikely source: The Cleveland Seniors website. How I ended up there I may never know. Too many snickerdoodles, probably. Enjoy! I'm off to eat more cookies. :)

When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving.

Thursday's Tip

2011-02-17T14:22:00.002-05:00

Today I am taking the lazy way out. Those close to us know that Super Girl ran, literally, into a metal door frame last night and we spent the evening getting stitches in her forehead. It was a late night for all of us and I didn't sleep at all last night because I kept going to her room to check on her and make sure she was ok. (She was. Lots of loud snoring.) I'm so tired my eyes are burning and my brain is not really working.

So anyways....back to the lazy way out. I was reading some of my favorite blogs today and found that the tip I had set aside to share for my Thursday's Tip just happened to be in a blog post I was reading, so I'm going to share the link with you. Seems pointless to re-invent the wheel so check out my Thursday's Tip here. Enjoy! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-13T19:55:00.002-05:00

My prayer for you today is that you may be surrounded by the overwhelming love of God and that it changes you more and more into the likeness of His Son.

If you don't know what that means I'd love to tell you all about it. :)

Thursday's Tip

2011-02-09T12:58:00.005-05:00

Have some sticky measuring to do? Like molasses, honey, corn syrup or maple syrup? Try spraying your measuring cup with non-stick spray (like Pam) first, then fill it with your stickiness. The stuff slides right out into your mixing bowl! No mess!

If you don't like to use the cooking sprays, you can fill the measuring cup with super hot water and let it stand for about a minute. Dump out the water and dry well. Fill with sticky stuff and it should slide out with no reside.

If you don't have anything sticky to measure out, below is a link to a recipe to get you started! This is for the homemade granola I make all the time and spoon over vanilla yogurt. In the summer I toss in fresh berries too! MMM! It is very flexible and I usually omit the coconut, add in wheat bran and dried cranberries. Last week I was out of dried fruit so I put in yogurt raisins. They got a little melty and it was so good!!

Homemade Granola

Super Sunday

2011-02-06T15:12:00.003-05:00

I certainly don't think football is even remotely close to what makes Sundays super. However, I live in a CRAZED football town and I have to be careful who I spout my anti-football rhetoric around for fear I may lose my life. Seriously. (I think this area is a little less interested in pro football, but given the number of people who determined that a NFL jersey is suitable church-going attire this morning, I may be wrong.) At any rate, I am secretly celebrating today. Not because it is the Super Bowl, but because it is FINALLY the End-of-football-for-months-and-months-Amen-Hallelujah. Keep your rude comments to yourself.

I don't like football and I'd rather poke out my eyes with a plastic spork than go to a Super Bowl party, but I like snacks. And pigs in a blanket. And ANYTHING wrapped in bacon. (Mmmmmm! Bacon!) And hanging out with my friends and (occasionally) family. Since a football game can last upwards of 4 hours, I like to host such soirees so I can put my little bitties to bed and not have to deal with overly tired kids who ate too many football shaped cookies. I usually commiserate with my side of the family during such excruciating sporting events, but my sis is out of town and my parents are busy so I decided to invite my BFF and her family to eat, I mean "watch the game", here instead. They are not overly football-y either, so at least I'll be in good company.

I came up with a little menu and found some super (HA!) snack ideas. Lots of blogs and websites are sharing their menus and I felt left out, so here is mine.

Chicken Bacon Wraps (I may die. SO good.)

Pigs in a blanket (our family favorite)

Chex Mix/Chips n' dip/Assorted salty chip like things

Soft pretzels w/queso and mustard

Veggies and dip

Chili cheese dogs

French fries (which I may put chili and cheese on too...)

Sugar cookies- I piped football laces on a few of them and iced the rest and put on brown chocolate sprinkles

I am so excited that it is the End-of-football-for-months-and-months-Amen-Hallelujah today that I might go eat a chicken bacon wrap. Or something with chili on it. Or cook some more bacon and put it on my chili-cheese-hot-dog-fries. And top it with a pig in a blanket.

Thursday's Tip

2011-02-03T13:59:00.004-05:00

Today's tip is in honor of Valentine's Day! It is coming up really fast, and even if you don't have a "special someone" nearly everyone I know is helping their kids make Valentines, or putting together little gifts for nieces and nephews or their whoever. I saw a lady in the grocery store this morning with about $50 worth of little things, probably for her grandkids, that she could have done for $5 with the ideas on the website below. What a waste of money! Think about what you could do with $45 bucks!

Anywho....today tip is about how to save a little and make a super nice gift that you'd be proud to give anyone. These could also be easily tweaked to fit any gift giving occasion!

1.) Check out how the Frugal Girls do Valentine's Day here (I love the "Valentine's Kisses in a Jar"!) or check out a cute idea for your movie lover here.

2.) Find some great deals on candy using the coupons found here. (scroll down to "Candy Coupons")

3.) Buy your supplies.

3.) Pull out your hot glue gun and get to work! You have 11 days! :)

4.) Reward yourself for your frugal smarty-pants-ness by eating all the leftover chocolates that couldn't fit into the jar.

Wordless Wednesday-Snow/ice day(s)

2011-02-02T17:49:00.001-05:00

Thursday's Tip

2011-01-26T13:52:00.003-05:00

This time of year, it is nearly impossible to keep those windshields clean and clear. It is too cold to run through the car wash and WAY too cold go outside with the glass cleaner and try to get the filmy "fog" off the inside windows. Here is a helpful tip that works year round!

Buy a chalkboard eraser (usually a few bucks-I got one for around $1 a few months ago) and stash it in your glove compartment. When your windshields get that annoying haze on the inside just erase it with your new tool! Viola! Clear windshield! And you never had to contort your body into a circus-like position with the Windex and a paper towel. Sweet.

*My 2 cents:

I personally think it works better on a dry window. Use the defrost FIRST this time of year, then use the eraser.

New mercy for today

2011-01-24T13:57:00.003-05:00

Lamentations 3:22-23 It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

I am continually surprised at the faithfulness and peace of God. Why? Why am I caught off guard when God proves to be Who He says He is? Is my faith that shallow? Is my view of God that small?

I think I have been in desperate need of God's mercy and His unfailing compassion lately. (or is that always?) At the very least I am certainly more aware of my need for it, as God is working on me (and my fellow housemates) big time right now. I need His constant forgiveness for my failings as a parent: the impatience, the short-tempers, the frustration, the independent spirit. I need his forgiveness for my failings as a child of His: failure to read my Bible, a lackluster prayer life, an indifference to the needs around me, an apathy towards the lost.

I am in this great Bible study (like a Sunday School class) at church. It is about how to be a godly mom and is filled with moms who are older and/or further down this parenting road than I am. I have prayed and prayed for a "mentor" to come alongside me and help me do this mom thing for a long time. (I have a great mom and sister who are a tremendous resource for me, but I long for someone who is not related to me and emotionally tied to the situation.) I don't know that a mentor will appear from this particular group of women, but at least I can soak up their knowledge, experiences and wisdom for the next several months. Part of this class is a workbook that is full of "heartwork", not homework (yeah right) that is really an intense and detailed look at God (including Jesus and the Holy Spirit) and how the way He "parents" us teaches me how to parent my kids.

Last week's heartwork included a look at the first family: Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, and Seth. I realized that I had missed a lot of details in that family. (Did you realize that Seth was the one in the lineage of Christ?) I kept re-reading Genesis 4, when God deals with Cain. He was so unrepentant and brazenly hateful to God and yet the Lord protected him and preserved him in a merciful, gracious, loving way. If God will treat the first murderer this way, how much more will He care for me when I have "one of those days", when I forget God and get busy with my little existence? Will He not be merciful and compassionate when I repent and come to Him desiring change in my life and a closeness with Him?

I have been encouraged from these passages lately. Each day is a new chance to try again and experience God's mercy and compassion. It never runs out and never goes away. Just new each morning. And because of His unfailing care for me, I can give my tithe check and I can trust Him to provide for our daily bread AND money for my new glasses and contacts. (The eye doctor visit went better than I ever could have imagined, by the way.)

Psalm 108:3-5 I will praise you, LORD, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, higher than the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth.

A shower, broken glasses & IQ test

2011-01-21T16:33:00.003-05:00

Ever have one of those days? I am having one of those days. We got 6" of snow yesterday (according to the news) so DH has been working 'round the clock and I've been a "snow widow", as a friend of mine calls it. (I know a few of you are snow widows too! :) ) I am going to strangle one or more short people and climb out of my skin if I don't get out of this house. One of the smoke detectors started beeping this afternoon and it took me an HOUR to figure out which one AND I couldn't find any extra batteries. Thankfully I scrounged one up and figured out the alarm in question was in Baby Love's room. She has been awake all afternoon thanks to the beeping and her inept mother, so now I get to deal with Sleepy-grouchy-baby and her sister, Little-girl-I-don't need-my-nap but-I-am-still-tired-so-I-will-grouch-all-evening. I needed to go to the store yesterday, but ended up house-bound and don't feel too inclined to take the underly-cheerful screamers out into the balmy 1* night air. (We might end up eating toilet paper and peanut butter sandwiches if I don't go soon.) In between beeps and dashing from smoke detector to smoke detector, I actually got a menu and grocery list done and decided to take a shower when I gave up on the afternoon naps. I have to separate the girls when I take a shower, because I cannot turn my back on them. They instantly go insane and destroy my house and each other. I took Baby Love in the bathroom with me and got Super Girl settled with some toys. During my 3 1/2 minutes to myself to cleanse my body, my darling daughter BROKE my glasses. I mean busted them. Irreparable damage. I have one pair of contacts left, that I don't wear because one of them is torn. I guess I saved them because I knew deep down that one of my children would go insane one day and leave me blind. The eye doctor was on my list of things to do once we got our tax return back, but apparently God has a sense of humor, because I get to go tomorrow. I guess He has some divine payment plan in mind, because I sure as heck would like to eat next week. Bleech. I am done with this day. I thought my do-over was supposed to be better!!

I hate the eye doctor. Not him personally, just the process as a whole. It always is the most depressing thing I could possibly do. I always get to hear that I have terrible eyesight (duh) and that my insurance covers about nothing. Then there is the eye puff-the glaucoma test-that is really a test of nerves. Then comes my favorite part. When the eye doctor gets uncomfortably close to you (those who know me well know I have personal space issues anyways) and asks, "Now which is better? A or B? B or C? 1 or 2? 2 or 3?" I SWEAR that dude is showing me the exact same lenses to just to see if I am going to say the same thing. Have you ever had an IQ test? I took a psych stats class in college and I kept thinking that those dumb IQ tests were just like an eye exam. You leave feeling like you failed and like you've just been tricked into (or out of) something. And with a headache. And you still don't really know the answer.

Tomorrow will be interesting for sure. I have to squeeze in a trip to Aldi and WalMart before my appointment at 11 and them hit Meijer when I am done or we don't eat dinner tomorrow. I guess I could always make those toilet paper and peanut butter sandwiches. Hmmm....my peeps don't like anything I make anyways.....

I'm done with this post because I can't really see and my girls are screaming, yes screaming, at each other. Not only am I half blind but my now my ears are bleeding. Sigh. I'm ready for do-over #2!

Thursday's Tip

2011-01-20T10:33:00.003-05:00

I have been finding lots of thrifty and handy tips lately, so I'm going to share them with you (hopefully) each Thursday! Here is today's tip:

If you buy it (or would splurge on it), you can probably make it. For less.

Here is a link to get you started with lots of ideas. I started doing this out of necessity, when my oldest was living with a constant case of hives from soaps and fragrances. Then my sister clued me in on a whole lot more I could do and it has kinda snowballed from there. In addition to household products like soaps and cleaners, I also now make a lot of pantry items like chicken broth/stock, taco seasoning, and bbq sauce. It is so easy and I have saved a TON of money with very little effort.

This is a great way to approach any gift giving occasion too. I have made (and received!) homemade bath salts, body scrubs, lotions, lip balms, foot soaks, bath powder, laundry rinse, etc. I have also snagged some great freebies and stashed them away for gifts too! (more on that in another post, or check out this post about it)

Happy Thursday!

My 2011 do-over

2011-01-18T11:47:00.004-05:00

I hate 2011. My husband and I decided over the weekend that 2011 can just go back to wherever it came from. I haven't even been able to post anything here. I have had days where I could barely bring myself to get dressed. I have spent this year hugging the toilet and bawling my eyes out. I have spent it yelling and putting my foot in my mouth more than once. I have said hurtful things and I am done with it and would like to maybe just sleep through the next 50 weeks or so.

I guess that's not very likely to happen, is it? I think we've all just been...off. Just not quite right. Like we haven't had our V8. (remember those old commercials?) I don't know exactly what it is, but I know for certain it is spiritual in nature. God has been trying to teach me some things for while now and I've been VERY resistant to say the least. Super Girl is having moments of understanding and talking about salvation then switching to a moderately evil shadow of her former self. J has been discouraged and irritable. Baby Love seems mostly fine, but has been clingy-er than normal and has decided to throw HUGE fits during family devotions or prayer time. I think it is quite safe to say we've all been under spiritual attack, (or conviction, or a little of both) but for different reasons and in different ways.

I suppose I had a "breakthrough" of sorts a week ago, and really spent some serious time praying and confessing sin. I have been reading my Bible regularly again and praying over the girls and for them in intentional and specific ways. My prayer life had fallen off somewhere at some point and I have been trying to take inventory of where all the people in my life are and forming some prayer lists again. I've been reading some wonderful books and getting some godly counsel about parenting. God has just been gently reminding me about the Truths in His Word and how they apply to my everyday circumstances. I am physically exhausted, thanks to 7 full days of the flu in our house, but God is renewing me in my "inner being" and providing me with strength (physical and emotional) that has surprised me. Maybe after one more early bedtime tonight I'll be back to my old self. :)

DH was sharing some blessings he had chosen to focus on last night and I caught myself again turning them around to be negative. I decided I needed to find some blessings of my own to focus on to help pull me out of my funk. Super Girl helped me and here's what we came up with:
1.) lunch-it helps us to stay full and healthy
2.) Color Wonder and the Leapster-it is good to have fun
3.) the trash cans-so we can clean up and have something to puke in (yep...we've been sick!)
4.) warmer temps outside today-Melt snow! Melt!! Be gone!!
5.) parents-to tell us what to do and to help us (awww! I'm thankful for my parents too!)

I am claiming a "do-over". In my mind I kind of re-started this year and re-started my relationship with God and others. I am excited to see the changes that are going to take place (that have already been set in motion I think) and what God is going to accomplish in all of us. :)

New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-03T16:44:00.002-05:00

I hate New Year's Resolutions. I think they are dumb and seem to get forgotten almost immediately. DH and I had a nice conversation about our resolutions and as it turns out, his was lovely and meaningful while mine was snarky. Shocking, right? (I vowed to give up vegetables, whiskey and other men. I can pretty much guarantee those'll get kept.)

I am planning on reading something other than a kid's book this year and I want to try to eat breakfast more often. Just for fun I pulled up last year's post to see if anything got accomplished in 2010.

1.) I would like to pay off our van and all other consumer debt (except the house). -NOPE (but closer)

2.) I am "losing my job" this summer when the twin's mom has baby #3. This is very exciting for them but also scary for us as we will be without an income. God is increasing our faith once again!

3.) We want to find our "place" at our new church, in a small group and in a ministry area. -GETTING THERE

4.) E's knowledge and understanding is rapidly expanding. Pray for her salvation, and for us that we will be faithful in laying the groundwork. -NOT YET

So I didn't accomplish as much as I wanted to and spent a few days feeling discouraged. Then God began to remind me of what we did accomplish, with HIS help:

1.) Major progress in building into our neighbor's lives and deeper relationships with them

2.) Daily interaction and witness with my neighbor/family as I "babysit"/take to bus stop each school day

3.) Spiritual growth with our BFFs through a weekly Bible study plus Tuesday mornings "with the girls"

4.) 10 year wedding anniversary (my personal favorite)

Once again I was reminded that I often make plans and ask God to bless them instead of seeking out His will and finding where He is working and planning ways to get involved in that. My real New Year's Resolution is to follow God and be involved where He is working. That way it will be impossible to fail. :)