Congratulations ladies, please email me your addresses so that I can pass them on to the wonderful folks at Bella Sara. They'll be sending the prizes straight to you!
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The Mighty Queens of Freeville
Ok now for the winner of the book I reviewed here.
You know those mornings where you wake up and right from the bat you KNOW you're going to have a nutty day?
Well I slept through my alarm which is something I never do. NEVER! But thankfully I actually was woken up by the sweet Eden, who was calling me to ask me a question. She left a message on the machine and I went to go call her back on my cellphone....and this is where I lost my marbles.
Let me give you a little backstory first. Every afternoon, I go and pick up the kids from school and I always take a snack for them, I take juice and some crackers or apples or whatever. When I get back home, I throw out the empty wrappers and the plastic bags they were in, but far too often, I pop my cellphone in the same bag to make it easier while carrying backpacks and jackets and whatnot.
So I get to the kitchen.....are you with me still? *snicker*
I look at the counter where I usually leave the phone, and it's not there. So I check in my purse thinking I put it away and it's not there. Then the paranoia hits me, I do a quick mental check and realize that I may have thrown out the cellphone inside the plastic bag.
Next thing I know, it's 7am and I'm digging through my trash. DIS.GUS.TING! Keep laughing, because I hadn't even had coffee and was elbow deep in empty juice pouches, leftover cereal and other things that I can't even describe.
Then I hear it....a ring and I start digging faster and deeper. I'm surprised trash wasn't flying around the kitchen. The phone kept ringing and I kept digging.....until I stopped for a second and realized that the ringing was coming from my purse. Somehow when I first searched through it, I missed it. The cellphone was in the purse all along!
Here, take a kleenex and wipe the tears from your eyes, I can hear you all cackling from over here....and now that it's over, it's actually pretty funny. HAHAHAHAHAH
But it gets better because apparently I had one single marble left which I done lost right as I started typing this post.
After cleaning up the mess, taking a shower, and grabbing my coffee, I sat here at the laptop ready to check email and blogs etc....and I reach over and grab my cellphone and start moving it around (thinking it was my mouse). WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME? I was getting pretty irritated because the pointer wasn't moving at all, then I hear Jasmine's voice "Mommy, what are you doing with your cellphone?"
BUSTED! By my own child, in a moment of insanity! Folks, I'm only turning 35 years old, there is no excuse for these things happening LOL
Now I'm going to get kids ready for school and start my day, I'll leave you all laughing over here and here's a little bit of advice....next time you hear your cellphone ringing, make sure it's in your purse before you dive for the trash can.
and because it's relaxing and because I love the look on my children's faces when I show them one of my latest projects.
Like these adorable crochet eggs, so quick to make and so darn cute, they make me smile. I am making at least half a dozen for Easter, but earlier I went into the refrigerator while preparing dinner and found this....
One of my kiddos decided they belonged in the egg tray, replacing the empty egg spots. Who am I to say otherwise? I am thinking I may just make a bunch to use in there to replace the eggs as I use them.
And when I'm wanting a break from Crocheting, I pull out the sewing machine and make some fabric eggs. I want to make at least one each for the kids to add to their Easter Baskets.
I followed the super simple tutorial from Retro Mama and used up some cutsey red fabric from one of my old dresses.
You can download the egg pattern right here and when you're done, why not go ahead and post your eggs to Retro Mama's Flickr Group.
One thing though, I made this egg almost double the size of the pattern she gives. I wanted one BIG Easter egg in there.
Tomorrow, while the kids are in school, I'll be making a bunch more.
Moving on to other things, I just started The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff and even though I'm only on page two, I'm hooked, I think it's the author's wit, the way he writes so fluidly as if in conversation with the reader and the story itself. I can't wait to finish it and let you all know what I thought.
I also have Into The West from Netflix, I'm thoroughly enjoying it, I think it's written extremely well, because for me, I have found it hard to find a good story about the west where I don't feel that either the Pioneers or the Indians are being portrayed in a negative way. I'm learning SO much which is wonderful for me.
Now I'm off to get my babies to bed and then post my new Two Week Menu plan at the food blog, I have so many goodies to try the next few weeks, I can't wait to share it all with you.
Welcome to my Monday feature, a place where I'll be writing about my day, what I've learned the past week, any new recipes I've tried, scriptures that made an impact and everything else in between.
Every Monday, I will post a Mr Linky, you are more than welcome to join me, all you need to do is grab the button, copy the categories and fill in your answers, then come back here and add your post so that others can come and visit you.
On my bedside table: A Country Called Home by Kim Barnes The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff - I'm dying to start this one, I've heard such great reviews about it.
On my TV: Paranormal State Dancing with the Stars Into the West - Disc 1
In the craft basket: Crochet Easter Eggs Fabric Easter Eggs
Looking forward to: Starting my new 30 Day Shred DVD from Jillian Michaels, today.
Homemaking Tip for this week: I'm sure a lot of you know this one already, but I love it. Everytime you use a jar of spaghetti sauce or anything else...pour a little bit of water into the empty jar, close the lid and shake it up as well as you can. You will get all the extra sauce that would have been left in there.
Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other): I have to say Bonnie's post with the grasshopper picture, that was SO neat. Go and check it out.
Favorite photo from last week: Earth hour
Lesson learned the past few days: You can NEVER have enough sunscreen, NEVER. Even if you think that you are don't ever burn, believe me, you will.
On my Prayer List: Soldiers overseas My husband and children Baby Stellan
Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Proverbs 12:25-26(KJV): 25 Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.
The Mighty Queens of Freeville was a great read, I won't say I absolutely loved it but I did enjoy her wit and her sense of humor.
These are the memoirs of Amy Dickinson, the author of the syndicated advice column ASK AMY. We are led through her journey in life, the trials and the tribulations and her relationship with her daughter Emily.
I was able to relate to her in the sense that she speaks of the women in her family as strong and amazing, which is exactly how I feel about the women in my own family.
The book tells the story of life as a single mother, Amy moved to London because of her husband's job but then finds herself divorced when their daughter is only two years old. The switch from married and dreams of a happy life to facing the unknown and raising a child on her own, send her back to Freeville....back to the arms of the women in her family who have all been through divorce and are now single mothers themselves.
One thing I did enjoy was the fact that Amy refrained from blasting her ex husband or even her own father who abandoned them when she was young. I think she tried really hard to be fair in her writing, even when you feel her despair and her sadness and anger at certain actions and situations, she stayed true to her own feelings through it all.
In the summertime of 2002, after spending months living off of her credit cards between freelance writing jobs, Dickinson sent in an audition column to the Chicago Tribune and became the papers replacement for the late Ann Landers. Here, Dickinson traces her own personal history, as well as the history of her mothers family whose members make up the Mighty Queens of Freeville, N.Y., the small town where Dickinson was raised, and where she raised her own daughter between stints in London; New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Chicago.
I'm not a single mother, but I AM a military wife which means that far too often, when my husband is deployed for months on end, I do become the only parent in the house, so there were a times in the book where she mentioned one thing or another that struck a cord, that made me go "uh huh, I know that feeling".
All in all, I really enjoyed the book, if not just for the story of how Amy Dickinson became a syndicated columnist but for her way of writing, reminiscent of sitting on the back porch with your friend talking about life and it's ups and downs.
If you're interested, you can buy the book here.......BUT, I'm also giving away my copy to a lucky reader. Just leave me a comment and make sure I have an email to reach you if you don't have your own blog or website.
The lights just came back on after one hour in darkness. One hour by candlelight, and one hour spent with laughter and jokes and a game of Gestures where trying to act out clues became even more funnier when you can hardly make out the person standing before you.
Why you may ask? Because we contributed to Earth Hour 2009. Just 60 minutes of turning off the lights in your home can do so much for Global Warming and I can't even begin to describe the excitement in my children's faces knowing that they're a part of something so important.
Forcing ourselves to switch off for that hour was the best thing we could have done, we had so much fun together as a family. I'm thinking we should carry this on not just once a year but maybe once a week.
Nicholas was beyond thrilled to be doing this, look at the excitement on his face.
Listening to daddy's stories
Have you ever read by candlelight? I think it just adds to the relaxing feeling of opening a book and immersing yourself into the story.
It makes me feel like I'm back in the pioneer days, sitting near the fire with my shawl wrapped tightly around my shoulders and my book in my lap, with nothing but the candlelight reflecting off the pages.
And now here I sit, in bed, preparing my menus for the next two weeks, surrounded by new cookbooks and delicious recipes from the internet.
It's getting late and my eyes are starting to close. It's funny, I vividly remember the days where I could stay up into the early hours of the morning without blinking an eye, but now, by 9:30pm, I'm ready to snuggle under the covers and get some sleep....which is exactly what I'm going to do.
The cutest horse collectible card game for little girls.
If you're interested in winning a set of the Bella Sara trading cards, please go HERE and enter the giveaway.
I will randomly pick two winners on April 1st. Good Luck!
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For the grown ups, I have a copy of Amy Dickinson's memoirs "The Mighty Queens of Freeville" to giveaway. Go and read the review here and leave me a comment.
I will also randomly pick a winner April 1st. Good Luck!
I'm sure as a parent and having at one point in time, been kids ourselves, we're all aware of collectible cards right?
But what if I were to tell you that there is one specifically made for girls? One that is so adorable and so filled with the cutest horses EVER, that you will wonder how you made it so long without it.
That's what I want to share with you today. Jasmine first got these cards when they were sent to me last year to try. I handed them to her and she looked at them and immediately fell in love, she was even more excited because they have an online website filled with adorable horses and adventures, printables etc.
If you have young girls around, this is the perfect toy for them. Bella Sara just came out with 2 new products.
Bella Sara Miniature Series 1 Collection, you actually get to collect figurines of the Bella Sara Horses. They are ADORABLE and so tiny. Keep in mind they are for ages 5+.
Bella Sara Treasures. Ok, now this one Jasmine was going crazy about. They are playing cards BUT get this, they come with codes, stickers or tattoos AND you can play online with each corresponding code. Jasmine said that with the code on each card she could access a different area of the website.
I am telling you, she spent about two hours glued to the computer, playing with the different horses and exploring different areas. When she was done, she actually called her best friend in Virginia and told her all about Bella Sara.
Ok, so now that I've told you about it, I will tell you that the wonderful people at Bella Sara are offering two sets.
1 Miniatures Set(one random velvety horse, a random bonus code redeemable online and a full color checklist)
1 Treasures Set(5 random horse and/or treasure cards, a random sticker card, a random tattoo card, a mini-game, a card checklist, online codes, and positive messages.)
All you have to do, is leave me a comment, make sure you have an email account listed where I can reach you if you win, and tell me which of these sets you think your daughter would like the most. Easy as that. I will random generate two winners on April 1st!
Go ahead and sit down, I have a few things to share with you, or rather, show you.
It's a quiet morning here, the base is having a wing down day which means the guys are off for a day of rest. I think they deserve it, they've worked extremely hard the past few weeks, first pulling in 13 and 14 hour shifts during an exercise and then the Air Show. So, they're all home, sleeping and catching up on their rest. I'm sure the internet will be completely bogged down soon once they start getting up and making their way to the computers to play games *snicker*
Ok, so here's the first thing I want to show you. You all know about Google Reader right? I mean, you should, because if it weren't for you guys, I would still be sitting with Bloglines, completely frustrated with feeds not updating and other things.
But did you know about the NEXT button? Oh if you don't, you don't know what you're missing.
Come here, let me show you. If you go to your Google Reader and click on Settings up top, near Your Account.....you can add the Next button to your browser. Let me show you how easy it is.
Isn't that the coolest thing?
Ok now something I want to talk to you about is Earth Hour. If you haven't heard about it, you can go here and read more, or watch the video below. It brought tears to my eyes, I don't know if I'm hormonal or what, let me know if it does the same thing for you.
We didn't participate last year, but we are tomorrow and the kids are super excited about it. I think it's a great opportunity to turn off the computers and the tv's (even though they just mention lights), and do something as a family.
So tomorrow night, between 8:30pm....no matter WHERE in the world you are, at 8:30pm YOUR TIME....you are to turn off all the lights for just one hour, just until 9:30pm. I'm sure we can survive one little hour can't we? And just think we'll be helping the wildlife and the planet, so what better way to get your kids involved?
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Turn out. Take action.
Be part of this historic event. March 28, 2009, 8:30 pm local time
World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour – to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate commitment to finding solutions.
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We'll be lighting candles, we'll go outside with flashlights and look at the night life, we'll also just sit on the couch and talk, tell stories, laugh whatever comes to mind. I'll be taking photos and posting them here on the blog too, so you'll see.
And if your kids want to learn more, there is even a great site for them called Earth Hour Kids, they can play games, learn about animals, there's a place for teens, a place for teachers and parents etc.
If you plan to participate, be sure to Sign Up so that you will be counted in.
I'll be putting up a giveaway this afternoon for Bella Sara products. Jasmine is completely hooked on them and loves them, so much so, that Nicholas is actually wanting to play too. There will be two winners, so stay tuned.
I think that is all I wanted to talk about, I can't remember anything else, if I do, I'll let you know.
For now, I'm going to wake up my hubby and then we're going out to lunch, just the two of us which is something we don't do that very often at ALL.
Then it's back home for a few more loads of laundry and cleaning before the kids come home from school. They're so happy that daddy is home today.
Speaking of kids, I need to make an appointment at the eye doctor for both, I think it's time for them to go in and have an eye exam done. Also after the antibiotic ointment they were both fine, but this morning Jasmine woke up again with a little bit of that gunky stuff and her eyes looked a little red again in the corners. I honestly don't understand what is going on and I'm done playing with the normal doctor, I think the eye doctor is the way to go.
Wish me luck and say a prayer that whatever is going on with the eyes gets resolved soon.
Don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky and a link back to your SCT post so others can come by and see your recipe too.
As always, share your slow cooking recipes but if you REALLY REALLY don't have one and still want to participate, then you can share any kind of recipe.
Mustard-glazed Ham
3 pounds cooked ham - (to 5 lbs) -- drained 10 whole cloves - (to 12) 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon prepared mustard 2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons orange juice 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Score ham in a diamond pattern; stud with cloves. Place in slow cooker. Combine brown sugar, mustard and lemon juice; spoon over ham. Cover and cook on HIGH for 1 hour; turn to LOW and continue cooking for 8 to 10 hours. Remove ham to a serving platter; keep warm. Turn slow cooker to HIGH. Combine orange juice and cornstarch to form smooth paste. Stir into drippings in slow cooker. Cook stirring occasionally for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until sauce is thickened. Spoon over ham.
There's so many wonderful projects and ideas that I come across while blog hopping and web surfing, that I thought they needed a place of their own.
Since Wednesdays I really don't have any kind of features going on, I thought this would be perfect. It doesn't mean that I won't post another entry if I want to, but at least every week, on Wednesdays, I will post my Wanna Try That Wednesday!
- When I'm working on the computer, I love having the radio on in the background or the tv or something, so when I came across iSerenity online, I just knew it was exactly what I wanted to try. With sounds such as Rain (my favorite), Roaring Ocean, Thunder and Lightning and even Birds, you can be sure to relax.
- My husband actually came across this one when his alarm clock stopped working....I decided to take a look at it and see what the big fuss was about. Imagine if you will, an alarm clock on your computer, even if the internet goes out, once the alarm is set it will still work. You can set the time on Kuku Klok and even choose the sound to wake up to, including a Rooster. Nothing like that wake up call to make you think you're out in the country.
- With our summer trip to Texas coming up, I really want to try these Fabric Car Organizers. I have some cool fabric the kids would love and I think this would be perfect for keeping Nintendo DS's and games, books and snacks and even empty wrappers and trash that may otherwise end up on the floorboard.
- Speaking of trips, I'm going to plan our trip online with the Yahoo Trip Planner. You can add as many cities as you want to stop over, you can make it public or just private, which means if you go public you can actually share your trip details with family and friends.
- I'm getting the kids more involved in the kitchen, they love cooking, so I want to try some of the tips offered by Simple Mom.
- I'm going to have to try this Apple Dessert in less than 5 minutes from 4 Reluctant Entertainers. It's simple and I think will be perfect for the summer when we're craving something sweet and simple.
- I'm thinking these Baked Doughnuts are JUST what I'm looking for, the recipe is from 101 Cookbooks. I'm a huge doughnut fan, so much so that I avoid buying them often because I can easily get through half a dozen on my own. But I'm craving some, so this may just be today's snack.
- I want to start Spring Cleaning and I'm thinking of making my own cleaner, so I can't wait to try these great tips from The Simple Dollar.
Some crocheting while waiting for the clothes to finish washing.
Cupcakes and Donuts....they look good enough to eat.
A new set of curtains I'm making for the living room
I hung them up so I could pin where I needed to hem. I love the colors, the main panel is a sage green and for the bottom I added a stripe in a red flowery pattern.
A trip to the Airman's attic to donate some clothes and then a quick peak inside where I found the cutest vintage lines. FOR FREE!
Pretty pillow case
Another beautiful pillow case....they've all been washed and bleached and look good as new.
Pretty white curtains with little pink flowers embroidered. I don't know yet where these are going but I couldn't leave them behind.
My new nightgown. I absolutely adore it. I found it a few weeks ago while out shopping.
It's so girly and so me
Gorgeous pink flowers and a pink ribbon
It makes me smile!
What about you? What are some of the pretty things you keep around the house?
I have to say though, having a Medicinal Aloe plant around is OH SO WONDERFUL. It's what has helped me through the past two days, I don't burn people, I go brown, but this Arizona sun is a killer and it got me good. I can almost hear it cackle way up in the sky *shake head*
Anyway, what a wonderful weekend, full of airplanes and boys in uniform, well my husband in uniform is what I concentrated on. I love it! What can I say, there's something about a man in a military uniform WITH children around....it melts my heart and it makes my uterus start crying for another baby. Shame on me!
But just look, tell me that doesn't pull at your heartstrings?
And this? What about this? A man who loves his children and his family and is not afraid to show it. A man decked out in a military uniform ready for battle but yet calmly walking along the flight line holding his daughter's hand tightly in his, and pulling a wagon with his son. It's heaven :)
So Saturday because of the sunburn and the heat, we came home and didn't get to see the Thunderbirds, but we decided to go back yesterday. Well, we went, but we came home without watching the Thunderbirds again because....this is so ridiculous.....a wind/dust storm kicked up during the Air Show. I was whacked by flying boxes, I saw a couple trash cans go barreling down the air strip and everyone was so covered in dirt at one point that all you saw was a dark film on their skins.
Oh well, I guess my backyard show on friday was a sign LOL
But let's get back to my day. With the kids both off to school I jumped right into cleaning. You know how it is after a weekend, it just seems like the house is turned upside down, there's dishes everywhere, drinks in the living room and blankets and shoes thrown around, there's toys all over and Wii remotes laying on the couch.
I started off with opening all the windows in the house and allowing the cool breeze to come in, with the curtains blowing in the wind, I set to work.
Washed all the laundry, hung it out to dry, ironed and put away. Swept and mopped all the floors, vacuumed the living room area AND the couches. Then I changed all the bed linens and dusted everything.
By the time I was done, I had to head out and pick up the kids from school, Monday's are early days.
While the kids played and watched TV, I finished cleaning Jasmine's bedroom and then started dinner, Stuffed Meatloaf....SO GOOD! And some Brownies for dessert.
I have been letting the kids help, they both love cooking and being in the kitchen with mommy and it's also a way of everyone contributing. I made the meatloaf, Nicholas did the mashed potatoes and Jasmine made the brownies. I love it, it makes me happy to see my children so invested in learning to cook.
And that is how my day went, I'm going to put away one last load of laundry while helping the kids with homework, then it's bath, book and Bible reading with the kids and they're off to bed.
I'll probably watch Dancing with the Stars and then later Paranomal State.....unless I nod off to sleep before. Who knows right?
Well I'm out of here, I am coming your way for a bloggy visit, hope you have coffee and cake *snicker*
Welcome to my Monday feature, a place where I'll be writing about my day, what I've learned the past week, any new recipes I've tried, scriptures that made an impact and everything else in between.
Every Monday, I will post a Mr Linky, you are more than welcome to join me, all you need to do is grab the button, copy the categories and fill in your answers, then come back here and add your post so that others can come and visit you.
On my bedside table: Farm Chicks Cookbook In the Woods by Tana French
On my TV: Paranormal State Dancing with the Stars
On the menu for tonight: Slow Cooker Thai Pork
On my To Do List: Sweep and Mop floors Change bed linens Wash the last load of laundry and put away
New Recipe I tried last week: Lemon Tea Cookies from the Farm Chicks Cookbook. LOVE them!
In the craft basket: Crochet cupcakes Crochet Donut
Looking forward to: Spending some time working in the backyard....love the spring weather
Homemaking Tip for this week: One of the best plants you can keep around at home, is medicinal Aloe. I got a really bad sunburn this weekend and applied some Aloe from the plant. Immediate relief and it's so much better today.
Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other): This post "Quiet Online Games for Kids" from Like Merchant Ships. My kids love playing online so I'm always looking for great sites for them.
Favorite photo from last week:
There's nothing I love more than seeing a man in uniform with his children, this one is my favorite from last week. Watching my kids with daddy, asking tons of questions about his jet and getting a tour of every single nook and cranny.
Lesson learned the past few days: That you don't need to spend money to enjoy yourself. Just stepping out into your backyard for an afternoon with the kids, is a great way to have fun while still being at home. Have a picnic out on the patio, turn on the sprinkler and let the kids play with the water, sit under the trees and read a favorite book.
On my Prayer List: Soldiers overseas My family
Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Love is unselfish, giving more than it takes, and no matter what happens, love never forsakes. (A Helen Steiner Rice Collection)
"As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." Joshua 1:5 NIV
My what a day, let me start by saying that I had forgotten how nasty the Arizona sun can get. I pretty much covered the children in sunscreen, I mean from head to toe, they were like white little sticks walking around but I didn't put much on myself and now here I sit....burnt, I mean BURNT, the good thing is that by tomorrow morning I'll be a nice caramel brown, I tan extremely easy....but still, right now I'm hating this.
Anyway, sunburn aside, we spent 4 hours at the Air Show and it was amazing. We didn't get to see the Thunderbirds because well, there so many people there and it got too packed and too hot and our feet hurt and the kids were getting cranky and we decided to just return tomorrow for their demonstration and call it good.
But the time we did spend there was great.....wait, I already said that didn't I? Maybe the sun fried my brain cells, I can't think straight. LOL
This is Curt's jet and here he is answering the kid's questions. They LOVED daddy's jet and had so many questions and observations to make.
The Thunderbirds
I can't remember the name of this plane, I apologize but I'm all airplaned out and I seem to know all the fighter jets but when it comes to these other ones, I just don't know LOL
These were so cool, I have to give props to all the pilots in these air show's, they are AMAZING!
Here are my kiddos, all decked out in pilot suits and helmets....they looked SO cute.
The rest of the photos are HERE. I'll add more tomorrow and even some great videos I got of the F-22 Raptor. BY FAR, the best aircraft in the show, personally I think it even outdoes the Thunderbirds.
I know you're probably sick and tired of hearing about this Air Show and I promise after tomorrow I will say no more about it....but for now, just enjoy LOL
I'm off to slather myself in Aloe Lotion and urge my sun burn tan to get better. Have a great night everyone!
We have been enjoying the best weather yet, granted we're already up in the 90's and if you can believe it, I've already gotten my first tan LOL
I'm lucky, I tan extremely easy and quickly, I don't burn, I just become dark right away and this afternoon I walked by Jasmine and she says "Mommy, you got a tan, you're all caramel now" Hahahah
Anyway, I want to tell you, or actually SHOW you how we spent our afternoon. I tell you that living on a military base does have it's ups and downs, mostly ups for me because the benefits and that feeling of security far outweigh anything that may be viewed as a nuisance. One of the best things for me is having an Air Show right in my back yard.
Don't believe me? Every day we have the F-16's flying above, but when it comes to this time of the year and we have the Air Show, then our backyard becomes the stage for some of the most amazing stunts ever.
This afternoon the kids got out at 1pm and it was SO hot already that we came home and headed out to the backyard....the sprinkler was turned on and the kids got to play around in their swim gear while mama snapped pictures and videos of the air show practice RIGHT above our house. The Thunderbirds flew so low it almost felt like you could touch them....amazing!
So here you go, just a preview of what's to come, because you can bet your sweet behind that we'll be over there tomorrow, indulging in aircrafts, watching the Thunderbirds and the parachuting and all that fun stuff.
Now how's that for our own private show? It was so much fun following the planes around and I'm so happy with my camera, the zoom on it is amazing.
The kids loved being out playing in the sprinkler and then I slathered on tons of sunblock and they sat in the sun for a few minutes enjoying the Thunderbirds above us.
It was such a great afternoon, and it left me yearning for all the summer days ahead.
I'm off to watch the last episode of Lark Rise to Candleford, I can't believe it's over, I'm so sad I don't know how I'll survive until next year waiting for the new season....I also have some more cupcakes to crochet, with so many of you interested in them, I may start making a few to giveaway and sell.
I'll leave you with a video I shot earlier, there are a couple of fly by's that I was able to shoot REALLY close, even my hubby is amazed at how awesome it looks...so enjoy.
I think I should start by offering you a cookie because there's so much I want to talk about and I fear you will fall asleep or loose interest if I don't keep you entertained.....I doubt you would want to see me jump up and shake my booty. LOL
I feel like I've been running on full speed all day and am just now getting to sit for a few minutes to compose this post. Let's hope I don't forget everything I wanted to say.
So the kids had an early release day which means they were out at 1pm, I still don't understand why they don't just give them these days off, all they do is go in, watch a movie, eat a snack and come home...I am quite capable of providing the same kind of entertainment LOL
Anyway, after I picked them up, we made our way to the school Book Fair. You know me, there is no bookstore, fair, library or anything remotely to do with books, that I do not go and stick my nose in. We browsed around for a bit, it was kind of like being in pixie hollow but for books, you know the same kind of magical feeling.
You walk around completely surrounded by books on both sides, small ones and tall ones, thick ones and thin ones, bright covers and subdued tones and cookbooks and nursery rhymes and activity books and so forth. It's a battle of the mind in there, you want to get carried away but have to remind yourself constantly that you can NOT take the whole shelf LOL
After getting some books, we went over to the Parent/Teacher Conferences. Both my kids are extremely smart, and I don't say that just because they're mine, I say that because they really are. We've been blessed with good students, they are respectful to others, they are hard workers and straight A students and the teachers absolutely adore them. Makes this mommy very proud.
We arrived back home just in time to say goodbye to daddy who was making his way out the door....again the back of the uniform and the reflective belt is the last thing we see. It breaks my heart but at the same time my heart swells with so much pride and love for this man, that it all balances out. It's a good thing.
Sitting on the kitchen table waiting for me was this:
Oh YEAH, my Farm Chicks Cookbook. It's so pretty, no I mean it, it's just a beautiful pretty girly book to look at, apart from the wonderful stories inside, the history of the Farm Chicks and who they are, and the amazing recipes....it's just nice to look at.
While the kids played outside in the backyard and the roast chicken cooked inside in the oven, I sat on the grass with my book in my lap and started browsing through the pages.
I must have ooohhhhed and aaahhhhhed a million times. There's so many recipes I'll be trying soon but one I couldn't wait any longer.
See I was sitting right underneath my lemon tree and all I had to do was reach up and grab one juicy lemon and then head back inside to make their Lemon Tea Cookies. TO.DIE.FOR!
Imagine if you will a decadent shortbread topped with sweet lemon frosting. My goodness, they melt in your mouth.
While the cookies baked I stepped back outside and enjoyed watching some of the jets overhead preparing for the Air Show tomorrow. You'll see the Thunderbirds overhead and those other small stunt planes that leave the smoke trails, and you'll also see tons of these placed throughout the housing areas.
I'm just going to avoid the drama and go tomorrow when it's open just for the base residents and military personnel. I'll have tons of photos to show you I'm sure.
But while I was out there, I snapped a few more pics of my clothesline, it's become my latest fascination, I don't know what it is.
It's just so pretty. I sometimes stare up at the pegs and imagine I'm somewhere else, maybe out in the country somewhere hanging my clothes to dry, nothing but a breeze and the scent of wildflowers.
Right now though, I have barking pugs at my feet, kids asking for my attention, dinner dishes in the sink, camera batteries to charge and laundry to fold and put away. Oh well, snap back to reality and away from the country life....I best get to it....here, I'll leave the plate of cookies on hand, just help yourself.
(if you notice in the background, I just realized that some little hands have removed my cupcakes from my plate LOL....I really need to make some for them to play with otherwise I'll always be looking for the decorative ones)
Don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky and a link back to your SCT post so others can come by and see your recipe too.
As always, share your slow cooking recipes but if you REALLY REALLY don't have one and still want to participate, then you can share any kind of recipe.
We absolutely LOVE curry and I make it quite often, so I'm always on the lookout for different versions and when I saw this one at Jam and Clotted Cream....I couldn't wait to try it.
My kiddies went off to school this morning, there was a mixture of excitement and sadness, we all felt like we've had a week off school but didn't get to have any fun or do anything other than lay around drinking tons of fluids and nursing fevers.
But still, I was happy to see them go off, because it made me relax, it made me finally stop and take a deep breath and say "Ok...we're back on track!"
I spent the day cleaning the house, doing laundry and enjoying the quietness that I've so come to love.
I ran errands, I cooked dinner early so that it would be ready in time for Curt to take some to work. These long hours are tough on him and the poor guy hardly has time to eat and if I don't send dinner with him, chances are he will skip it all together and wait until he arrives back home in the wee hours of the morning.
While the house was quiet, I made this little Wishing Well. I had a tiny glass jar where I've been throwing all my pennies and now they'll be used for fun. All I did was take a Mason Jar, fill it with water and added a few drops of blue food coloring, threw in a few coins and set it on the windowsill.
When the kids got home from school, they were so excited to make a wish and they couldn't believe they had their very own wishing well to use whenever they want to.
Tomorrow the kids have early release from school and I have their Parent/Teacher Conference right afterwards. We're also going to check out the school Book Fair while we wait and then we have to run a few errands, so it will be a busy day.
Friday we may head to the Base Air Show Rehearsals, the actual Air Show is not until this weekend but it's going to be absolute pandemonium on base and I think we're better off staying indoors and out of the way.
I'm going to go wash the dinner dishes, tonight we had one of the kid's favorites Cheesy Tuna Casserole...and then we're doing homework, taking baths and sitting down to read from Beatrix Potter's book and the Children's Bible before putting them to bed.
I will probably make some more crochet cupcakes, catch up on my reading and watch American Idol. Which brings me to my question, do you watch American Idol? And if so, who is your favorite this year?
I am absolutely in love with Danny Gokey, but, I also like Lil Rounds.
Anyway, I hope you're having a wonderful Wednesday, I best get to it....see you tomorrow for Slow Cooking Thursday!
What a week it was, I think it would be easier to wrap everything up about the past week and few days, by using photos, at least the ones I can get my hands on as all the others were in the miserable hard drive that is now stuck somewhere in computer land.
:::BOUGHT
I sit patiently waiting, constantly checking the mailbox until I can bet my hands on this beauty. I'll share it all with you when I get it, though it may be a day or two while I devour everything inside.
:::LOVED
Spending time at the library, going through all the new books available and the hundreds and hundreds of older ones sitting on the shelves. There is something so relaxing about it.
:::CHANGED
Removed some of the photos off the wall and added new ones, also added the new Easter Garland.
:::WATCHED
The 3 disc series from BBC "Lilies". Tough, sexy, funny and heartbreaking, Lilies details the lives of Iris, May and Ruby Moss – sisters coming of age in a dockland terrace house. Familial love sustains them, and their fortunes are bound to those of their brother and their father.
Set in the years immediately following the First World War, Lilies pulls no punches in its storytelling. It depicts a sensual, vivid and sometimes savage world, where life is lived on the breadline, yet fuelled by various kinds of love. All three girls must make their own way in the world.
:::STARTED
These adorable crochet cupcakes. I'm planning on making 6 in total to sit on this cake plate as a decoration for my kitchen. Inside I've tucked some Lavender scent, my favorite. I also have some patterns for a cake, cake slice, cookies etc...I plan on trying those out too.
:::FOUND
A bunch of small cookbooks on Amazon...recipes from all places like Lancashire, Scotland, Ireland, Around the Shires, Herefordshire and the Welsh Marshes, Isle of Wight and a few others. I can NOT wait to get them in the mail, they combine some of the things I love...cooking and England.
:::DECIDED
What activities we're doing this summer, signing up kids for swimming lessons and the library reading program, plus a few other day trips.
I leave you with a photo of my newest cupcake with sprinkles and all. I love them...and apparently so do my kids who I've found holding the cupcakes and pretending to eat them, they've even asked me to make them some to play with.
Mornings are one of my favorite times of the day. There's just something about it, not that I can pinpoint, but maybe it's the beautiful sun creeping in through the small slits on the curtains, or maybe it's the expectation of a full day ahead with so many possibilities.
Or maybe, just maybe, it's the fact that after I do my usual routine of popping a load of clothes in the laundry, clearing up any stray dishes from the night before and feeding the little hungry mouths around me....I get to sit here, right here in this spot with my laptop, my cup of hot coffee and my breakfast.
But don't go thinking this type of restful and splendorous breakfast happens every morning....there's days that I drag myself around, pull little tired bodies into the car for the trip to school and then arrive back home with a jumbled mind and an appetite for only a piece of toast....and then of course there's the days that I don't even make it to the computer until nighttime or the next day.
But shortly after the above photo was taken (on sunday morning), my new pretty laptop stopped working. Yep, it just stopped working and we took it in to the Geek Squad at Best Buy and were told that "it's a hard drive failure". You know what that means....it was kept, it was sent in to the Toshiba Site to get fixed and there's a very high probability that I've lost everything on the hard drive.
It's so frustrating to me, I feel like I have luck with computers, but such is life. So now I'm using hubby's laptop until mine is fixed "around 20 days" I was told. NOT.IMPRESSED.... considering it's only about a month old....but oh well life goes on.
I feel like I haven't updated my blog in forever, but between the laptop needing repair and all the usual housework and responsibilities that come with that....my kids both came down with bacterial eye infections caused by whatever virus gave them the cold.
I thought it was pink eye at first and I won't even tell you how horrible Jasmine's eyes looked yesterday, I couldn't even look at her without tearing up. She had these swollen eye lids...puffy eyes that were so red she looked like she hadn't slept in months and all this constant gunk. Nicholas was only affected on his left eye and thankfully it wasn't as bad as hers.
But being that they're not home schooled, I knew that their school would NOT allow them on campus if they had pink eye. So first thing this morning I set up appointments with the doctor. Instead of returning back to school like they were supposed to, they are home and they will be here tomorrow again.
They were prescribed antibiotic eye ointment and the doctor says by wednesday morning they will be ready to return to school. They'll miss the Spring Pictures tomorrow but they can always do the make ups.
So that's what I've been busy with....you understand now my absence the past few days. But let's talk about better things shall we?
Sunday morning I got up early and decided to make the kids a special treat. I think my babies needed some cheering up from all the sickies and eye stuff going on....so I whipped a dozen of these delicious Pecan Sticky Muffins....so good!
After lunch, I got to house cleaning and yes I know....I was supposed to have started my spring cleaning this week but it just won't do. I'll have to wait until the kids return to school and then thursday and friday is an early release day so they'll only be at school for 3 or 4 hours. I think I'll wait until the following week to really throw myself into some good old fashioned Spring Cleaning and I'm hoping you'll join me.
I'm sorry if I am babbling, I feel like I haven't seen my friends in a while and have all this stuff to say, it just feels like it's pouring out of me.
Oh, let me tell you what I watched. Yesterday afternoon while the dishwasher and the washer were both running with their respective loads of laundry and dishes, the kids settled down in front of the tv to watch a movie and hubby was on the computer, so I got to sit in my bedroom with piles and piles of laundry scattered around me, folding, separating, putting away and watching Lilies from Netflix. I really enjoyed it and so have many others, here's a review if you're interested.
Now take a look at this next photo, can you understand what it says? The kids had asked me earlier today for some paper plates to draw on, they were supposed to make masks for themselves but apparently decided against it....and I found this on the kitchen table when I went to set it for dinner.
It brought tears to my eyes and melted my heart. Jasmine drew it and if you can't tell what it says...it says "I love God". How beautiful is that?
Ok but I think I've gone on long enough, it's late and I have a feeling that a few of you may doze off while reading this book. So I'll end by showing you my newest crochet creation, well, the first of many. I plan to make at least 5 more to add to the plate.
Looks good enough to eat doesn't it?
It only took me an hour to make it and the lighting in this house is atrocious, makes everything yellow, but it's actually a chocolate cupcake with pink frosting and a cherry on top.
What's even better, is that inside, I tucked away some lavender scented yarn. All I did was use a few small strands dipped in lavender oil. It smells heavenly too and in the future when the scent wears off, I can just take a little syringe or something and squirt a few more drops in there.
So there you have it, I believe we're all caught up and you know what I've been up to. It's 10pm and the kids are finally asleep after a wrestling game between me and them to get the ointment into their eyes. It was sort of a tackle, jump on and squirt into eye kinda thing....very tiring I must say, who knew little ones could move so fast and put out so big of a fight? LOL
I'm off to finish watching Paranormal State and then it's off to bed with me, at least I know I can sleep in tomorrow since they're still at home as per doctor's orders.
Welcome to my Monday feature, a place where I'll be writing about my day, what I've learned the past week, any new recipes I've tried, scriptures that made an impact and everything else in between.
Every Monday, I will post a Mr Linky, you are more than welcome to join me, all you need to do is grab the button, copy the categories and fill in your answers, then come back here and add your post so that others can come and visit you.
On my bedside table: The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson
Little House in the Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
In the Woods by Tana French
On my TV: Paranormal State
Lilies (BBC series from Netflix...love them)
On the menu for tonight: Parmesan Chicken
On my To Do List: Put away laundry
Iron and put away laundry
In the craft basket: Crochet cupcakes - I'm making a few to use as decorations in the kitchen
Looking forward to: The kids returning to school this week and finally getting over their colds
Homemaking Tip for this week:
If you drop something into a tight corner or down the sink, try reaching it with a crochet hook.
Let the kids help with dusting! Take an old sock and let them use it as a dusting mitt - their little hands can easily get into places like chair railing, wood molding, etc. Plus they have fun doing it.
Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other): Didn't get much blog reading done last week with both kids sick at home....so I'll just throw in my post My Feelings Exactly, just because I love the quote.
Favorite photo from last week:
Lesson learned the past few days: That no matter how clean you think your house is and no matter how hard you try to disinfect everything around you, you just can't keep your children from getting sick.
It's a part of life, it's a part of growing up and even if it kills you watching them with high fevers and miserable, all you can do is continue to do your best and let the Lord help you take care of the kiddos.
On my Prayer List: My sweet friend Linds as she heads to the hospital in Bath for all sorts of therapy. Please keep her in your prayers.
Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Looking to God
"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love." (NIV)
“A house without books is like a room without windows. No man has a right to bring up his children without surrounding them with books, if he has the means to buy them.” - Horace Mann
Everyone is feeling much better today, so this morning I grabbed the kids and took them to one of our favorite places to visit. The library.
The kids have both gotten their love for books from mom and dad. There is this passion when they pick up a new book, this twinkle in their eye as they turn to the first page and immerse themselves in whatever story they are reading. In a book there is NO limitations, you can be in your bedroom one minute and sailing across the world in the next...or flying through an amazing rain forest surrounded by the most beautiful and colorful birds you've ever seen.
A room without books is like a body without a soul. (Seneca)
One of their favorite rooms is the Children's area, with it's bright stuffed toys and pillows, tons of books everywhere, from tiny ones to child size and even a piano to practice on.
We always have this kind of ritual when we enter the library, our first stop is the Children's Room and then the Young Adult Room where Jasmine gets to browse the computers and throw herself into American Girl Books, Junie B. Jones and now....just you wait....NOW.....she's into Little House on the Prairie.
My word I never thought I would be more excited to see my daughter reading the kind of books I have always loved and remember loving as a child. It was great sitting there side by side looking through them all and picking which ones to read.
I also have Little House on the Prairie on my Netflix Queue and she wants to watch them when they come in. How fun will that be?
Let books be your dining table,
And you shall be full of delights
Let them be your mattress
And you shall sleep restful nights.
~Author Unknown
So we got a couple of those and Nicholas also picked up a bunch of books about animals and a huge Beatrix Potter Hardcover. I can't wait to read those to them.
There's something so relaxing and calming about a library, isn't there? It's like life slows down dramatically, everything moves at a snails pace and no matter how busy you are outside of those walls, you tend to stop and take it easy inside.
I could spend hours browsing the cookbook shelves and I have to force myself to keep my little hands off. If not, I would probably bring the whole collection home.
We were in there for an hour and then headed out to run some errands. I had to post this photo because both kids look so out of it *snicker*
One is yawning and the other looks like she's already taking a nap.
Back at home, the books go on the shelf in the entry way, this way I always know where they are and don't forget to return them to the library, on time.
A closer look....I rechecked out the two Tana French books, I never got around to reading them last time.
And to end this off I just want to say that I miss my husband...so very much. I know it has nothing to do with books, but the kids and I have been really missing him, these 13 and 14 hour days that he is working is resulting in us not seeing him at all. It's been about two weeks since we've shared a meal, sat down for more than 10 minutes and enjoyed each other's company.
To top it off, he has weekend duty which means, if they don't get everything done today, he will be working tomorrow and Sunday too.
So I miss him, I miss his hugs and his kisses and I miss his voice and his laughter. He looks exhausted but he puts on a brave face every day and heads off to work....leaving in our minds, one specific image....his uniformed back heading out the door.
"I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon, and letting the world roll on as it liked, than to occupy the most splendid post, which any human power can give" ~Thomas Jefferson
I apologize for posting this so late today, I didn't get much sleep last night and have been sort of, kind of, maybe, just maybe, dragging myself around this morning. I promise next week I'll have it up much sooner.
Don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky and a link back to your SCT post so others can come by and see your recipe too.
As always, share your slow cooking recipes but if you REALLY REALLY don't have one and still want to participate, then you can share any kind of recipe.
Meatballs In Mushroom Gravy
Simple and delicious...
* 1 pound ground beef (use 98% fat free) * 4 slices soft white bread * 1 tsp. salt * 1/4 tsp. pepper * 1 Tbsp. minced onion (why one Tbsp.? - you don't want to over power the meatballs) * 1 can cream of mushroom soup * 1/3 cup water
Pull apart bread into small pieces.
Combine ground beef, bread, salt, pepper and minced onion in large bowl. Shape into medium size meatballs. Brown meatballs in hot skillet
Tip: use small amount of oil; make sure the oil is hot, but not smoking.
Turn them occasionally so all sides are brown
Place meatballs in crockpot. Add soup and water. Cook on low for 6 to 12 hours, or high for 6 hours.
This morning Nicholas woke up with his left eye completely shut and full of gunk. Poor guy was freaking out at first but then I was able to calm him down and held him while I cleaned all that stuff off with a cotton ball wet in warm water. In no time he was able to open his eye, it did look really irritated and red. I don't think it's pink eye, it looks more like he either scratched himself or got something in there. The rest of the day the eye has been fine and it's pretty much back to normal now. Who knows...maybe it's part of the cold too.
I did call up the doctor and he said to keep an eye on it and if it does the same thing tomorrow morning then bring him in.
In the meantime, he is well on the road to recovery, but he is a sneaky little boy, he passed whatever he had to his sister and even I'm sitting here tonight with a sore throat. We've loaded up on Vitamin C and hot tea with honey and lemon etc, so hopefully Jasmine and I won't get as sick as he was.
But enough of that talk, come and sit with me, let me show you what I've been up to, the creative bug bit me and the rest as they say is history.
Before I show you, you can see my little one is feeling 100% better, he is back to his nutty, adorable, funny as heck self. Remember the friend he made to watch tv with him? Well he brought him into the kitchen while I was doing dishes and cleaning up and started throwing him up in the air. I caught some pretty funny photos.... *excuse the NO PANTS thing, he was in the middle of getting dressed when he stopped to play lol*
After breakfast, both kids were settled down reading and drawing so I whipped up this quick Easter Garland. I got the idea from Monica over at The Homespun Heart and I knew right away that this was something I really wanted to make. I'm so thrilled with the results and it took me but 20 minutes from start to finish.
With that done I went about housecleaning...I'm gearing up for a big Spring Cleaning next week. Won't you join me? I'll be doing a different room each day, even if you decide not to join in, I'll still be showing you before and after photos and letting you know what I did.
This afternoon while the kids took a nap, I stepped outside with my basket in hand to pick some lemons for some homemade lemonade. YUM! It is so good and there's nothing like fresh picked lemons. But I have to tell you, the wonderful scent out there from the lemon blossoms is amazing, though my tree is now full of bees and it's frustrating as they take over every blossom and chase after any hand that dares push between the leaves. I persevered though and got a full basket.
Miss Lola loves the smell of the fresh lemons too
So easy to make a good batch of lemonade. One of my readers Allie, actually left her recipe on the comments section of the previous post and though I usually make mine just by eyeballing, I gave hers a try and it really is good.
12 medium lemons 1 pitcher of water 1 2/3 cups sugar
You know the rest...squeeze the lemons, then I run the juice through a strainer to remove any seeds that may have gotten through. Add it back to the jar, add the water and sugar, stir well and pop it in the fridge.
Remember the other day I mentioned terrariums? I've been wanting to get a few up for a while and just haven't gotten around to it. Jasmine had these tiny little fairies sitting around and she asked if I could make her one with just a few seedlings and the fairies. I think it turned out so cute. Can't wait to make more!
Then as I was sitting in the living room crocheting this afternoon, I took a look around and noticed all the books and toys that had migrated from the bedrooms and made it to the middle of the living room floor. I wanted to keep them close by for the kids but not just leave them all over the place....and I am completely out of organizing boxes or bags or anything.
But I remembered seeing this project a long time ago, I can't remember whether it was on a blog or a website....but anyway, sorry to get off track....I had two Girl Scout Cookie boxes that were about to be recycled, so I grabbed them and cut off the lid part.
I found some of my favorite fabric that I have laying around...covered the boxes as if I was wrapping a present. I used clothes pegs to hold it in place while I worked.
Now I didn't want to make them permanent, in case I got tired of using them in the living room area and wanted to move them somewhere else. I want to be able to easily remove the covering and reuse the fabric or cover with a new one.
I'm not too worried about how it looks inside. So I just used some packing tape that we had leftover from the moves we did and taped it down inside.
One is for books, the other for toys and they're sitting underneath my bench, well within reach of the little hands but also out of the way.
Perfect way to get more storage and just think of all the possibilities with the different size cardboard boxes we usually have laying around and that leftover fabric you may have sitting around.
So there you have it, I got a quite a bit achieved today and then tomorrow I'll probably putter around the craft basket some more. I have these cute skirts I want to make for Jasmine with some leftover fabric....just right for the warmer weather we're starting to get.
I'm off to supervise the kids baths and get them ready for bed. Nicholas just got a bloody nose, poor guy can't seem to catch a break...all these nose blowing and sinus is just messing him up. Please keep my little ones in your prayers and if you have any advice on the best way to disinfect after colds and flu's, please let me know.
I do disinfect everything I can but I'm starting to wonder if I'm missing something...all this constant virus stuff is getting annoying.
Have a great night everyone and I'll see you back here tomorrow for Slow Cooking Thursday.
First I want to thank you, all of you, every single mom who took the time to step in to my little ol' blog and offer me such kind words, such wonderful insight and such wise advice. I appreciate each and every one of you and you have no idea how much I wish I could reach through the monitor and hug you personally....but alas it will have to be a cyber hug.
Nicholas is doing good....I've continued to do what I had been doing for the cold and apart from the cough and a little bit of a runny nose, he seems to be well on the road to recovery. The fever seems to have finally left last night, which resulted in a good night's sleep for both him and I and I can't tell you just how much that helps.
You wake up in the morning and everything seems brighter, the colors seem more vivid, the birds seem to chirp louder and the sun seems to shine on you and you alone. I love the feeling of a restored soul and mind, nothing like it.
One quick thing I wanted to point out, because I feel that yesterday during my vent, I forgot to. I have had good luck with the military doctors we've seen, yes, we've encountered some strange characters for lack of a better description and it IS extremely hard to get used to a doctor when every time you go there, it's someone new. I think they change doctors on military hospitals as often as I tell my kids I love them, which is a couple times a day. *ROLL.MY.EYES*
Anyway, it's a new day, and I won't dwell on that anymore, so I decided I would take you outside with me, to my backyard, where the fence has been put up, they pretty much just removed the grey chain link fence and put in a black one. Go figure!
But some of you had asked about the lemon tree, I have to show you because the Lemon Blossoms have started to bloom and the scent in my backyard is too delicious for words. If I could just bottle it all up and mail it off to my readers, I would. So come on, let's go see how the tree is doing and then we'll come back and I'll show you my kiddos....
More lemons than I know what to do with
I love the lemon blossoms, they're not only beautiful but if you've ever smelled one, you would know exactly what I mean
One thing I always enjoy is looking at the various textures and colors of the lemon tree...all those juicy yellow lemons in a sea of white and pink blossoms
A spider has made it's web amongst the branches...love the reflection of the sun on it's web
You can see the black fences, I really don't care much for these community yards, I much preferred the solid wood fences back in Mountain Home AFB.
So yeah, there ya go, that's how my lemon tree is doing, in the meantime, inside the house I have two adorable children, trying to keep themselves entertained during the Spring Break.
Nicholas made himself a friend out of paper, he made the head and the arms and legs and body and then glued them all together. It's so cute LOL And there he sits on the couch with him as they watch cartoons.
Jasmine knows how much he loves Yoshi, so she drew him a picture to make him feel better
See his friend watching tv? *snicker*
My beautiful girl, she loves drawing so she spends hours in the bedroom surrounded by paper and crayons
Here she is drawing Nicholas' picture
And there's even on for daddy
You see, I believe in everyone having a bad day, in having one of those days where you doubt everything you, you wonder if you're being the best mother and wife you could be, you wonder if your family even notices that you're struggling.
I think it's normal, it's a part of being a woman, of being that integral part of the family and home. It's OK to be sad and to need reassurance right?
I'm thrilled to have such an amazing family and such amazing friends like all of you who stop by daily, who always have a sweet word to say. It means the world to me, I hope you know that.
Hope you're having a wonderful Tuesday, I'm off to putter around the house. Oh and before I forget....what are some recommended home remedies for kid's coughs?
I'm not one to give them a lot of medicine, other than Motrin and Tylenol when the fever gets really high, I don't believe in pumping their little bodies with meds. I do the Vicks on the chest covered with a dry cloth, like a washcloth to keep it nice and warm. I also have started doing the Vicks on the bottom of the feet, and it really does seem to help. But other than that...do you have any tried and true home remedies to alleviate the coughing? Please let me know!
I'm one of those moms that have learned that a common cold or flu is normal and for the most part, I deal with them at home. Lots of TLC, fluids, motrin and tylenol when the fever gets high and rest. In no time they're back to normal, but there are so times when even I admit defeat and make the trip to the doctor.
Like today....I've noticed that since Nicholas started Kindergarten, he seems to be stuck in a cycle of having a cold and then being fine and then having a cold again and then fine again and so on. It doesn't help that he goes to a public school and every day there is someone else sick, especially at this time of the year.
If you're one of my usual readers, you know that he's been sick on and off for the past few months, and when he started with the nastiest cough on friday, I decided I need to take him in. There's way too many kids at school right now with ear infections, pneumonia and bronchitis.
So why do I have the doctor make me feel like I'm over reacting and wasting my time visiting him when Nicholas is "in very good health and he looks just fine"? Nevermind the fact that he was running a fever and I gave him motrin about an hour before the appointment so by the time he got there he didn't have a temperature....I got the "is that all you needed? It's cold and flu season, there's really nothing you can do but ride it out?"
For a brief instant after leaving the doctors office I was so irritated and felt like marching back into that examining room and giving him a piece of my mind, but after a minute I realized "You know....I'm only a mother. I'm not a doctor and I'm in no way qualified to see the signs of something more serious....."
I did my part, I took him in and I feel a LOT better knowing that everything is fine and it's just a cold, imagine if I had ignored it and he got worse and I took him in only to get yelled at for waiting so long.
So tell me now? Have you ever been in this position where you literally feel like the doctor is judging your mothering skills or thinking you are panicking for no reason? I tell you, being a mother is so hard at times, I'm not perfect, I'm only human.
There are days that I feel invisible and I'm sure if you're a parent, and you are reading this post, you will know exactly what I mean. I don't doubt the love my children and my husband have for me, but sometimes I think it's easy to take for granted all the work that is done in this house, to just KNOW that dinner will be served, that clothes will be washed and ready to use, that whatever mess is left behind will magically get picked up.
As much as I love being a stay at home mom, wife and mother, it does get overwhelming and I'm bound to make mistakes here and there. Look I wasn't handed a manual when I got married and I definitely didn't get one before I had children, it's all been a learn as you go experience, so to expect someone to know everything and be everything, is just a bit too much wouldn't you say?
I'm sorry for the vent, I think dealing with all the sickies and being up at night with feverish children and then going on the next day as if everything is just fine, is getting to me.
I have my days, if you come over here and read my blog and think that everything is always dandy and that I lead the perfect life, boy are you in for a surprise. It's definitely not all hunky dory....yes the good times absolutely overshadow the bad days, but when there are bad days, I need to vent and I need to know that there are mothers out there in the same boat.
All of these little life lessons are a hard pill to swallow but when you're a military wife, it seems to get overblown because sometimes the shifts they work are equivalent to them being deployed. You don't really see them, except for that brief moment you cross each other in the hallway as he gets up from bed and gets ready to go back to work....it's tough and I do deal with it and am used to it....I don't like it, but it's what I signed up for and wouldn't change it for anything.
So there you go....I vented and I feel a lot better and I'm sorry if I bored you with the details of my nutty life but sometimes a girl has to let it out, right?
I'm going to step outside, breathe in some fresh air and enjoy another spectacular sunset.
Welcome to my Monday feature, a place where I'll be writing about my day, what I've learned the past week, any new recipes I've tried, scriptures that made an impact and everything else in between.
Every Monday, I will post a Mr Linky, you are more than welcome to join me, all you need to do is grab the button, copy the categories and fill in your answers, then come back here and add your post so that others can come and visit you.
On my bedside table: The Mighty Queens of Freeville. I'm doing a review on this book and then will give it away on the blog just like my last one.
Looking forward to: This week of spring break and everyone getting some rest from the sickies going around at school
Homemaking Tip for this week: Making Good Use of Time: While something is in the oven with the timer on, you can be folding the last load from your dryer. When you heat up the iron for something, you can use those few minutes to put away some dishes. While your pot of stew is heating up to a boil, you can be setting the table. If things are not quite ready from the stove, you can create a centerpiece from freshly cut flowers. The remarkable thing about women that God created within them is that they can do two things at the same time. But don't go overboard with this, as you may end up having "one of those days."
Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other): Really didn't get much blog reading done last week, hoping to get some time today to catch up.
Favorite photo from last week: Lesson learned the past few days: That sometimes you have to say you understand when you don't, you have to smile when inside you're sad, you have to say that everything is just fine when all you want to do is scream at the top of your lungs. And you have to say you understand you and the kids being the second priority in the military.
As rewarding as being a military family it is, it's also heartbreaking at times and it takes a very strong woman to understand and support her soldier.
On my Prayer List: Too many people to list
Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
The peril of prosperity is that we sometimes forget God and His blessings. Instead, we rely on self, enjoying the ease. The words of Moses ring true for us today. He said, "When you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD" (6:11-12).
Solomon's prayer also is vital in this regard: "Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is the LORD?'" (Prov. 30:8-9).
Whatever is going on with the sickies around this area is becoming very frustrating to deal with.
After getting through that horrible cold, Nicholas is once again sick. He had a high fever last night, and now it's a runny nose and a horrible cough. He has an appointment with the doctor on monday morning, so hopefully we can nip this in the bud once and for all...I'm beyond frustrated at this point.
Haven't had time for much else, I'm thankful that the kids are off next week for Spring Break, we could all use a rest.
So I've spent today cooking and cleaning. Curt is at a Promotions Banquet to attend at work, you know the military way, there's no such thing as rest even on the weekends. My poor husband is exhausted, he didn't get to bed until 4am and then at 9am was getting a call from work asking him to come in because of one of the jets. UGH!
I seem kind of bitter right now, but I'm really not, it's just been one draining day for me and I'm anxiously counting the minutes until he returns home from work so I can climb into bed and relax with my little boy.
For now I'll leave you with a photo of our beautiful sunset and tonight's dinner....hope you're hungry, there's plenty to go around.
Good night!
To my right is this:
And to my left is the beautiful moon. I love the zoom on my new camera, I mean, how neat is that?
It's so darn addictive and so relaxing at the same time.
I can't help it, it makes me smile as I watch the ripples take effect even though it's in no way perfect.
It's my first ripple project EVER and I've had to pull it apart twice and restart some rows and I've also had a run in with a ball of yarn that was apparently *without me knowing* made up of some short pieces which ended in me having to knot together some ends to continue the row.
But all in all, I am thrilled and I am already thinking of my next ripple project....some blankets for the kids, to enjoy while they watch tv.
This one is nowhere near big enough for anything other than a pillow for my bed. Oh I can't wait.
For some reason the colors make me think of Ice Cream....a Neopolitan or Chocolate Mint Chip. Mmmmmm!
Well, back to rippling, and if you want to follow along, this is the pattern I am using, it's super easy and once you start, you won't be able to stop. Don't say I didn't warn you.
You know it's been amazing learning all these neat little features in my camera and the more I learn, the more I want to do. But one thing I've also discovered is that there are certain features that I doubt I'll ever use, and trying to get them to work right is too much of a headache.
Like the Shutter Speed for example...UGH UGH UGH. I don't think I'll ever get it figured out completely. In a nut shell what I've learned is that shutter speed affects the motion of whatever you're photographing. Let's say for example, the kids are running around and you want to get a good motion picture. You need to have a fast shutter speed so that it freezes the object. If you have a slow shutter speed, then what you'll end up with is a blurry picture.
There is way too much info on it and I honestly don't have the patience nor the yearning to learn more, so I think Shutter Speed is one of those *forget about it's* for me.
Here's some examples:
This one was taken with a slow shutter speed, see how everything came out blurry?
This was a fast shutter speed and I was able to get a good picture of the flame without blurrying. So since I don't want to bother with shutter speeds, I just use the High Speed Shooting feature and leave it on all the time, that way I can catch moving objects. Your camera should have one too, or you can have it set to Sports or Children or whatever option you have.
But moving on onto something a lot more fun to mess with. I'm sure by now you know that you can change the color of your photos? You don't have to worry about taking a photo and then using a graphics program like Photoshop or Paintshop Pro to make it a black and white photograph. You can do that IN your camera before the photos are even taken.
My camera gives me 3 options. If I push the F menu, under the Color Mode, I can pick Standard, Chrome (vivid) or Black and White). My older camera also gave me the option of taking Sepia photos, which I LOVE.
So I stepped outside and took a few photos using the different colors and then I'll show you one of my favorite photo editing features. (Click on any photo to enlarge)
Standard
Chrome (Vivid) - Look how much brighter the colors are
Black and White - I LOVE B&W photos and can't wait to do a whole photoshoot with the kids
Tree in B&W
Standard
Chrome (Vivid)
Now here is one of my favorite things to do with the photos. I use Paintshop Pro, I know a lot of people prefer Photoshop but honestly, they do exactly the same thing.
When I want to make my photos stand out, I take them into PSP and apply the Unsharp Mask feature which can be found under your Image Menu. You can play around with the settings a bit until you get it just right. If you click on the photo below you'll notice that it's a lot sharper than the ones above, it makes the photos crisp and really stand out. Love it. Go ahead and give it a try.
Love these little guys, they stand outside my front door....here they are in standard mode
And in Chrome....a lot more brighter
And again in black and white
So there you have it. I know it may seem like a lot of info to go through, but I try to keep it as simple as possible, I always say "if you're going to teach me something, show me like I'm 2 years old" LOL
Go enjoy your camera, and if you post about any of these features on your blogs, come back and let me know so I can check out your photos :)
Don't forget to add your name to Mr Linky and a link back to your SCT post so others can come by and see your recipe too.
As always, share your slow cooking recipes but if you REALLY REALLY don't have one and still want to participate, then you can share any kind of recipe.
Georgia Corn Pudding
1 8 oz package reduced fat cream cheese, softened 3/4 C egg substitute, beaten 1/3 cup sugar 1 package ( 8 1/2 ozs) corn bread/muffin mix 1 can (16 ozs) cream-style corn 2 1/3 cups fresh or frozen sweet corn 1 cup evaporated skim milk 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Lightly grease Crock-Pot. In a mixing bowl, blend cream cheese, egg substitute, Advertisement:
and sugar. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Transfer to Crock-Pot. Cover and cook on low 4 to 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Since the newer crockpots run hotter than older versions, keep a watch on the dish if you elect to use the "high" heat setting. Serve. Serves 10 to 12.
Yes my dear friends, today is Wacky Tacky Wednesday at the kid's school, so I stood by and watched my beloved beautiful children go to school looking like this.....
I had absolutely no control over what they wore today and as much as it made me cringe in a way, I had to laugh in another because the looks on their faces and the excitement as they threw their ridiculous outfits together, were just precious.
I guess for Nicholas it wasn't really that much of a difference, see my son has this habit of not really paying attention to what he's doing and ends up putting his jeans on backwards. I shouldn't tell you about this but I will anyway, just because..... *snicker*
We were at Walmart a few weeks ago and he told me he needed to use the bathroom, so off we go, I take him into the stall and pull his pants down only to realize they were on BACKWARDS. OH.MY.WORD.....how embarassing. I can't believe I didn't even notice, you may think I'm this horrible mother who doesn't pay attention but I truly, honestly, did NOT see it. I did make him fix the pants and put them on the right way before we left the stall LOL
I just love this girls hair, I mean really love it, look at that color and the curls?
It's been a crazy few days, remember I told you they were removing all the fences? Or wait, maybe I didn't mention that, I may have just talked about the house painting, now that I think about it. Ok well come in and sit with me, let me explain to you how the fencing on this base worked, because it's so ridiculous you will surely leave here shaking your head in confusion.
When we first got a house on base we were told right away that there were NO fences....ok let me rephrase that. There were back yard fences on some houses and NONE on others and we informed the Housing Office that we had dogs and needed a house with a fenced in yard. We were then told "Ok, that's no problem, we will put in a work order to have one put up in your yard BUT you do have to pay $20 a month for it". HUH???? Excuse me but WHAT?
You may remember at the time we even considered not putting one up and just taking the dogs out on a leash, but that would get annoying really fast and then I couldn't let them run around out there and having a corner house, I wouldn't feel safe leaving the kids out back to play either. So we put it up and we paid the monthly feel, begrudgingly, but we paid.
Well finally, they have decided to take down all the fences and put up new ones that we do NOT have to pay a monthly fee for. Thank You Lord. But for the past week, we've had NO fence so we're back to doing the leash thing and then there's all these loose dogs running around and it's just a huge confusion...so right now I don't have a backyard, it's a mixture of poles and fence and workers and trucks.
But enough babbling about that....let me show you our seedlings? Remember the ones we planted on Saturday? Well look how cute they already are.
Those are the kids....because mine, well...nothing yet. I told you I just don't have a Green Thumb, I can't even get the seedlings to grow LOL
So while all this is going on, I have a new obsession which I just have to share with you. I blame it all on Lucy and Alicia and a couple of others that I visit.
It's all about the ripple, oh yes....the wonderful ripple which gave me nightmares the first time I thought of even attempting this. The thought of decreases and increases and whatnot made me sick to my stomach, but I persevered and finally figured it out and now....well now....
It's all I can do NOT to indulge in the ripple action....all day long. Right now I'm making a little afghan only about 40 inches wide but my next project will be a big one for my bed.
So there you have it, that's what's going on on my side of the world. What about you? Anything interesting, any wacky days around there?
And here we are, the last day of our 31 Days of Prayer for Our Husbands and i just have to thank each and every one of you who prayed along with me for this full month.
It was wonderful and I have seen the changes in my husband!
Day 31 Pray that your husband will recognize the lies of the Enemy in his life. Pray that his attitudes and actions will be guided by the truth as he brings his thoughts into captivity to the Word of God. (John 8:44; 2 Cor. 10:4-5)
John 8:44 (King James Version)
44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
2 Corinthians 10:4-5 (King James Version)
4(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)
5Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
All 31 Days to print online. Remember I told you that this prayer was done on some blogs last year? Well I found the link on the Revive Our Hearts website, which is a wonderful site devoted to women's ministry.
For his little ones, The Woodpecker runs. For just a few crumbs,
He spends all the day Flying to and fro,
But ne'er will I know Just where he will go Each time he flits away.
*Jean Mallette*
* I love my little woodpecker friend, though there have been Saturday and Sunday mornings where he decides to peck at my wall in the bedroom, waking me up at 6 am with his constant peck peck peck....but for the most part, I absolutely love watching him from my kitchen window. This tree is right outside and he works diligently all day long, pecking here and there.*
Day 30 Pray that your husband will serve God and others with pure motives. Pray that he will obey the Lord from his heart, and glorify Him in everything. (1 Cor. 10:13; John 7:17-18; Col. 3:23-24)
Welcome to my Monday feature, a place where I'll be writing about my day, what I've learned the past week, any new recipes I've tried, scriptures that made an impact and everything else in between.
Every Monday, I will post a Mr Linky, you are more than welcome to join me, all you need to do is grab the button, copy the categories and fill in your answers, then come back here and add your post so that others can come and visit you.
On my bedside table: The Mighty Queens of Freeville. I'm doing a review on this book and then will give it away on the blog just like my last one.
On my TV: Paranormal State Lark Rise to Candleford Season 1
On my To Do List: Mop and Sweep the floors Iron and put away laundry
New Recipe I tried last week: Didn't try any new ones last week but have a few for this week lined up!
In the craft basket: Nothing, I'm in a funk, I have so much yarn and such a yearning to crochet or knit but haven't quite found the right pattern.
Looking forward to: The seeds we planted starting to grow
Homemaking Tip for this week: Never drain grease down the sink! It will clog up your sinks over time. If you forget and do it anyway, be sure to run some hot water with dish soap. Dawn is good for degreasing. If your sink does become clogged up pour 1/4 cup of baking soda down the drain followed by 1/2 cup of white vinegar. Wait few minutes and then pour a pot of boiling water down the drain.
Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other): Thurday's Long Walk by Bovey Belle at Codlin's and Cream. I absolutely LOVE her blog and the trips she takes us on, I've learned so much about England through her eyes.
Favorite photo from last week:
Lesson learned the past few days: That no matter how much I try, I can't always protect my children from the hardships and horrible things that surround us on a daily basis. On saturday afternoon we headed out to lunch and unfortunately were stopped at a light right next to the water canal just up the street. There were a lot of policemen and fire trucks, ambulances and divers around us and right there on the road, a body of a man who had been pulled from the canal. My children saw their first dead body and they were shocked to say the least. I only hope in time they forget the image that is STILL so vivid in my own mind.
On my Prayer List: My husband
Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. (Luke 19:41-42 NRSV Bible)
It's been a quiet, relaxing, go with the flow weekend. My favorites.
I am not one to ever over schedule or fill our days with places to go and things to do, we're just not that kind of family. We're very laid back, very *go with the moment* kind of people.
So yesterday around noon we were in the mood for chinese and decided to go to the base Chinese restaurant for lunch, it was supposed to be opened, but it wasn't. I don't know why, all I know is that I was left with an overwhelming craving for chow mein noodles, not a good thing is it?
Lunch ended up being at the Food court at the BX, I had Popeye's Chicken and the kids and Curt had Anthony's Pizza. Now if you're familiar with military food courts AND Anthony's pizza, you have to admit that it's really not that good at all, but I guess when you're in a bind and just want to fill your tummy with something, it will do. We shopped at the BX for about an hour or so....Nicholas and I were actually ready to leave while Curt and Jasmine aimlessly held hands and walked the aisles looking at every single knick knack on the shelves.
It was worth it though because I have wanted to get the kids their own children's Bible for such a long time and never got around to it. They have the baby ones where each book is about 2 paragraphs long and we always felt it wasn't enough.
I remember having this beautiful Bible when I was a young girl, it was full of pictures and drawings and I loved reading it, so to be able to find something like that for the kids is just wonderful. We'll be sitting down this afternoon and will start reading....they're both extremely excited too.
The rest of the weekend has been spent changing out bed linens and catching up on laundy and planting. The BX finally got their seeds in so we picked up a few.
It's an absolutely beautiful day, it's sunny with a little wind and 86 degrees. I plan to be outside enjoying the weather, reading my new book for a review, watching Lark Rise to Candleford Season 2 and working on my new puzzle.
I do need to make a quick trip to the BX to pick up some more white fencing to finish the front of the house and pick up some materials for a terrarium that I have in mind. I'll share all the details when and IF I find everything I need.
I hope you're all enjoying your Sunday, whatever it is you may be doing.
Day 28 Pray that your husband will be a man of prayer. Pray that he will seek and pursue God in purposeful quiet times. (1 Thess. 5:17; Luke 22:46; James 5:16)
Day 29 (today's prayer) Pray that your husband will surrender his time and talents to the Lord. Pray that his spiritual gifts will be manifest in his career, at church, and in your home. (Eph. 5:15-16; 1 Cor. 12:4, 7)
I'm a Christian SAHM
and wife to my Air Force
Husband.
We have 2 extremely active
kids, Jasmine and Nicholas.
It's a crazy and hectic life
at times with the kids and
the dogs, Lola and Bella.
We live a good, simple life
surrounded by chaos at time,
but always in the hands of God.
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