A Letter

Dear Sorely Neglected Blog,

It's been far too long, hasn't it? On a few rare occasions over the last couple months, I have thought about deleting you, but that would be like throwing out a journal just because it's been awhile since the last entry. I would never do that and I still have journals from 10 years ago to prove it. I guess I've just been busy. Busy making new friends, busy cherishing the old ones, busy living life, busy grieving, busy entertaining, busy homeschooling, busy crafting, busy with a little Etsy shop, busy building things, busy decorating. Just. Plain. Busy. And then after so much time passes, I wonder where to even begin. Just pick up where I left off? Jump head-first into the details of my latest project? Tell of all the ways God has shown up in the last few months?

We have celebrated each day that the Husband has had his full-time job and this Thursday will be his 4-month-iversary. We are thankful. Although, I'd be lying if I didn't admit to carrying around a lump of uncertainty in my heart. When bad news has stricken so many times, it leaves one feeling jumpy. I have been relishing the security that a regular paycheck provides and continually reaffirm in my heart that 'it all comes from Him anyways'.

We celebrated 12 years of marriage back in October and decided to forego an anniversary getaway in lieu of decorating our master bedroom. I say 'decorating', as opposed to REdecorating, on purpose. One would have to have had something already decorated in order to redecorate it. With these last several lean years, cans of paint and curtains have been the last thing on our purchasing list. Heck, they haven't even been on the list. But I think God is slowly fanning the flame within me to make my home more of a haven, to use my creative skills to feather my nest, and to really think & plan out how I can make this house a softer place to land. I can't wait to tell you all about the big bedroom projects that the Husband and I undertook together.

My only son turned 3 yesterday and it leaves me feeling bittersweet. I clung to his babyhood so fiercely because of Olivia's death. In God's mercy, Sebastian was still young enough for snuggles, rocking chair lullabies, walks in the stroller, and cries of "Mama". But there is no denying that his baby days are long gone, only to be replaced by a young boy who is smarter than his years, who thinks in paragraphs but talks in fragmented sentences, who is witty but shy, who is crazy about Spiderman/Iron Man/Superman, who loves the measuring tape, who hates baths and still suffers from eczema, and whose favorite song is "Jesus Loves Me", which he refers to as " 's I know".

This time of the year will always leave me missing Olivia more than the other seasons. I discovered I was pregnant just two days before Thanksgiving and the holidays make me think about family more often. We do lots of things as a family, have our family picture taken, hang up the stockings for our family, get together and celebrate with family, and yet, although some 19 months have nearly passed, I am keenly aware that our "whole" family will never be together on this earth. She will always be missing, until the day when everything will be made right. The girls desparately want Olivia to have a stocking to hang up with the others and I'm supposing I will have to get to making one. The rest were hand-made by me and I really should make one to match. I'm thinking only a tiny stocking will do, but my heart needs to brace itself just a bit more before I undertake it. I pray that before Christmas day I will be able to add that little reminder to our holiday decor.

I hope this letter finds you well, dear blog, and all my friendly readers too.

Until I write again,

Super?

 I came across this comparison on another blog recently and have really enjoyed reading through it. Not only enjoyed it, but have been blessed by it. There are some areas where I am, in fact, super. And many areas where, praise the Lord, I am abiding in Him. I am going through this chart in during my quiet times and am sure I will refer to it again and again. I find it especially fitting as today is my first day back on the job as a full-time Mom ( I think Mom deserves a capital "m", don't you?), as the Husband returns to full-time work. So just for today, I am focusing on 'pleasing the Lord' and 'finding peace through Jesus in the midst of any storm'.

If you visit the original posting, there is a downloadable version for you to print as well.

If just for today, which abiding quality would you pick to focus on?

Looks Like Fall!

Took me long enough, eh? I just didn't feel like decorating, but after much pestering from my eldest daughter, we finally put up all our fall things. It really is my favorite season. We don't celebrate Halloween around these parts so I try to focus on pumpkins, leaves, and other 'harvest' decor for our home.

They probably won't be up for very long since Christmas is right around the corner. Eeeek!

WFMW: Bedroom Door Lock

Hubs & I decided that all parents should have a locking bedroom door for, well....er...obvious reasons. Upon determining that we wanted one, we didn't want to actually go buy one. *Insert frugal solution here!* Our master bathroom DID have a lock on it and since only Hubs and I use that bathroom, it really wasn't too critical to have the lock. So we performed a switch-a-roo and in about 15 minutes changed our bedroom door lockset for the bathroom one. So, if you don't have a locking bedroom door, you might be able to "shop" in your own home for "new" door knob.

Visit We are THAT Family for more Works for Me Wednesday!

Beauty, Boy with a Basket & Blessings

How's that for a post title? Guess no one is too interested in Baked Potato Soup, eh? Meh. I guess my feelings are only hurt a little. {*giggle*} Here's a couple snapshots of my day:

:: before ::

:: after ::

Does anyone else cut their own childrens' hair? I am just too frugal to fork over $10-$15 {times each kid} for a kid's hair cut. I really need to get some sort of book or find a website for cutting girls' hair. Suggestions? I think for the first major cut {just trims up until now}, I did not half bad. Sienna got hers cut as well, but it was more of a trim. I nearly freaked out after making Tatiana's first cut, but I know it will grow back. It was just soooo long and straggly looking and very high-maintenance. Hopefully this shorter do will be a little more brush-n-go.

And since this somewhat fits under the beauty category, here was my score at Wal-greens today:

Total OOP: $1.13 for the tax and one candy bar.

I plan to go back to get 2 more free Garnier products, since they were limiting to 2 per day. I *so* want to do the Huggies deal, but unfortunately they only had 2 Gentle Care products instead of the 3 I needed. I was so bummed. I may try a different store later in the week, but think because of the popularity, I may have a hard time succeeding. I'm trying to do more Wal-greens/CVS deals, even if it's just one or two a month, to keep my stockpile going for myself and any other families that may need it. It can kind of be a pain to collect all the coupons & research the deals, but I think of it as my opportunity to possibly bless others. Guess it fits in the blessings category too!

Now for my boy.


That's my handsome son, concentrating hard on putting raisins into a little toy basket. He loves this basket. Go figure. I think because it's just his size & opens and closes. I've been sitting him in the booster seat from time to time, instead of in his high chair and he looks like such a big boy! Kinda makes me sad and happy all at the same time. He got so excited when he saw the camera. What a little ham!

And finally, here's a wonderful blessing that was given to me by a lady in my small group:

It's a basket filled with fancy shampoo, conditioner, Bath & Body Works hand soap, a body loofah, and a bag of chocolates {yum!}. She had won it as a door prize for something & passed it along to me, saying in a lovely card that she knows how hard pregnancy can be and wanted me feel pampered a little! It made me feel so special and like God cares about even the little things, like me.

Hope your week is filled with blessings both big and small alike!

C-RAZY Question

This might seem a little bizarre, but does any one else use Real-Time Pricing for their ComEd bill? I was inspired to see if we had something like this based on a frugal tip I came across. In a nutshell, instead of paying a fixed price per Kilowatt hour for energy, you pay the going market price for that particular hour. In the off-peak hours, the energy costs less. I am looking into this option for our family & was wondering if/how it has saved money for other families. If no one responds, I guess I might just be the guinea pig.

A Snapshot

Of life at the moment.

Thinkin' about: Thanksgiving, what else?

Not looking forward to: Hubby being out of town.

Totally diggin': Cookthink {might I add that this is super genious?! Searching for something that you're craving instead of/in addition to specific recipes?}

Reading: A Woman's High Calling {It's so good, I might just get the growth & study guide....}

Working towards: Making my home a haven {I'm considering this} and a losing a few pounds

Homemade Yogurt: The follow-up

You domestic divas are surprisingly more interested in homemade stuff than I thought! Andrea asked about cost comparison and the taste factor, so here goes:

1 quart milk: $.60 {at about $2.40/gal)
1/3 c. non-fat milk powder: $.28 {box costs $3.36 and has 12 1/3 c. portions}
starter: $.20 {my Yo-Baby costs $.60 each & I used about 1/3 of one}
Splenda: maybe $.50 worth?

Total for 1 quart: $1.58 at the most
W/o milk powder & using current batch to start next batch: $1.10

The non-fat milk powder is optional, but I read it makes a thicker yogurt. My Dannon Light & Fit cost $2.19 for 1 quart @ Woodmans, but it's next to impossible to find it at WM/Meijer/Jewel for that price; more like $2.99 and up. Not sure about Aldi's pricing, although I never liked the taste of their low-fat version anyways. This is all besides the fact that homemade yogurt is superior in quality.

Taste? Hmm. What exactly taste-wise are you looking for? To me the biggest issue is sweetness, which is easily adjusted. My batch tastes richer. I'm guessing it is because of the 2% milk. Next time I will probably use skim, as I'm trying to watch my waistline. I would also say that the tanginess is more pronounced. Unsweetened, I would describe the taste as pretty tart sour cream. Comparatively, to my taste, commercial yogurt, particularly low-fat, has a chalky or slightly funny aftertaste, somewhat reminiscent of some artificial sweetners. My homemade batch tastes cleaner, if that makes any sense. {Phew! You're really putting my palate to the test here!}

**insert break to actually go taste the yogurt again to see if I'm missing anything**

The texture is thicker in my batch as well. My yogurt falls into thick ribbons from a spoon. The actual yogurt remains in the ribbon shape on the surface, instead of being thin enough to just immediately flow back into the jar. Thickness can be controlled by the length of culturing time, ranging anywhere from barely set to flan/custard-like.

Even I didn't think yogurt could be described so in-depth. Hope this helps! Any more questions?

Farewell Dannon!

I won't be needing you anymore. You served me well while I kept you around. You satisfied me with many a low-fat breakfast. You showed up in smoothies now and again. Even my husband, daughters & baby love you, bless their hearts. I might invite you back, time and again, if I am in a crunch. The reason I won't need you anymore is because I learned how to make my own homemade yogurt.

Yep. I'm just domestic like that.

{pictured here with homemade granola & berries}

This homemade stuff is thicker, richer, and better for you. Did I mention that it's cheaper too?

Cooking notes: I pretty well followed the instructions found here {I used the crockpot method, although I filled the crockpot about halfway with water}. I scalded my milk to 180° F, then cooled it to 110° F before adding the starter. The linked directions to not instruct this, but I've read that it is necessary for good results. After the yogurt cultured, I added 1/3 cup Splenda. That was the perfect amount of sweetness for me. Without sugar, the yogurt could be used {and tastes a bit} like sour cream. It can also be left to drain in a strainer lined with cheesecloth; you will end up with a cream cheese-like product but much lower in fat. I used Yo-Baby vanilla yogurt as my starter {my local WM did not have plain with live active cultures}. Live active cultures {six are present in the Stonyfield farms brand, as opposed to only 2 in other brands} are like good bacteria for your digestive system. Kinda like all those probiotics that are showing up everywhere. {Get your kids eatin' yogurt with live active cultures. They are great for the immune system!} You can always freeze the store-bought starter in an ice cube tray & then use one cube per starter. I have read that the longer you culture it, the tarter & firmer it gets. If you're not watching the waistline, you can also add heavy cream to your mix for ultra-richness. Try steeping the milk mixture with different ingredients too: vanilla bean, lavender, rosemary, etc. or adding stuff in after culturing. For more reading, a simple google of homemade yogurt will satisfy your curiosities.

Ever had a yogurt making adventure? Let me know if I've gotten you interested!

Punkins

Last weekend we enjoyed some family time when my dad & step-mom came in for a visit. In the three years we have lived here, we have never visited the little antique shop/pumpkin patch that is less than a mile from home. It was high time!

I've been playing with Photoshop lately {could you tell?} & using it to enhance my pictures. I love the way the technique I'm using makes the colors pop & almost glow. You can see some examples below. The first one is the original; the following photo is the enhanced version.

We picked out several cute pumpkins & a whole bunch of mini-gourds for home decor. I think those were a pretty good deal at 4/$1. There were mini white pumpkins that would look adorable, when hollowed out, as votive holders for the harvest table. I'm probably not going to carve any of the big pumpkins, but am considering some painted pumpkins, perhaps using one of the stencils here. The antique shop was charming & I can't believe how much the kids enjoyed it! These are real antiques, as opposed to new stuff made to look vintage. We admired really old telephones, an antique baby stroller, chests and wood burning stoves. I drooled over two big bins full of metal cookie cutters. I plan to go back for those when time permits. I fell in love with a big window pane with mullions making about 12 different sections. Cleaned up a bit, I'm wondering if it could be hung on the wall, with some photos mounted in some of the sections. At only $18, I think it may just show up in my living room. My dad took notice of my fascination with the vintage oil lamps & offered to buy me one. They remind me of something you'd see in a Pottery Barn catalog, only at a fraction of the price. I am told mine can still be used, so will need to purchase some lamp oil and a new wick. Here it is:

Remember those little knitted pumpkins & how I was so addicted fascinated with making them? Well, I'm back at it.

I forgot how many stitches to cast on, so this first one is a baby compared to the ones I made before. So cute & slightly imperfect, just like a real punkin! A set of three will serve as a housewarming gift for a lovely family.

{{Kudos to you if you've managed to stay with me this far & not fall asleep!}}

Last but not least, a family photo from the punkin place {Photoshopped of course}. Think it's suitable for a Christmas card?

Whoooo.....Whooo.......

I am a night-owl. There is just something about the peacefulness of a quiet house that is very relaxing to me. Hubby goes to bed earlier & wakes up earlier, leaving me with some...well...me-time! I pretty much always do a craft: knitting, cross-stitching, scrapbooking or sewing. Sometimes I make to-do lists for the next day, research new recipes, or menu plan. I pretty much always try to do something productive balanced with something relaxed. Friday night, I cleaned the bathroom, vacuumed {got a bunch of sound sleepers here!}, and gave myself a manicure. Last night I went through several bins of clothes in preparation for an upcoming garage sale. Tonight, I will go through another bin, work on my to-do list for tomorrow, with a little cross-stitching in between. {Since we canceled our DishNetwork, I've been watching TidalTV from time to time as well.} I like getting things done at night. Almost makes me feel like I've got a little jump-start on the next day. Besides that, tasks go a bit a whole lot faster without three children and a husband needing to be cared for!

Any other night-owls out there? Whadda ya like to do at night?

Pretty Little Things

Because it might as well be pretty.... ...

This is a reclaimed salsa jar. I love these jars as they are pretty heavy for their size, plus they have amount markings embossed in the glass. I have a bottle of silver spray paint in the basement, leftovers of a long ago costume project, that came in handy for spraying the lid. A couple of baby food jar lids got makeovers as well.

{P. S. If you want to "test" the dishwasher detergent, but don't have the ingredients, just let me know & perhaps I can send you a sample!}

----------------------------------

A birthday gift for a friend {sure hope you don't read this before tonight!} that I designed myself. I picked out all the beads at the Big Bead Show I went to in June.


It bears a lot of significance for her right now & I hope she loves it! I also am having one made for myself with a stone at the bottom that says "create", so we will have semi-matching necklaces. Can't wait til it's done!

----------------------------------------

These little pretties are destined for some birthday goodie bags for our first-ever kids' party tomorrow.


Here is a tutorial for the yo-yo's, to which I just added a button & hot glued onto the metal hair clips {sold as quilting clips in the fabric department, who knew?} I kind of wish the clips where much smaller, so that the yo-yos would completely cover the clip, but I'm trying to keep it frugal by using what I have.

Aren't they cute? Super-simple project, made with things on hand, oh, and a bit of love too.

A Simple Solution

photo by Ben-Millett

I just discovered a simple, frugal solution to commercial dishwasher detergent. It comes from my new favorite book. Are you ready?

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
Use one tablespoon Borax & one tablespoon Washing Soda.

That's it. Was that so hard? I was skeptical about trying it at first, but I figured I don't have anything to lose. If it didn't work out, I'd just rewash the load using my purchased detergent. These two same ingredients are used in homemade laundry detergent, so if you make your own, you already have the stuff around. I also put vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser to help with drying {a trick you can use even if you aren't making your own dishwasher detergent} . The dishes were sparkly clean! Now I can mix up a bigger batch & keep in a {reused} glass jar. So, so, simple.

Ode to the Laundry

Sung to the tune of "O, Christmas Tree"

O, Laundry room, O, Laundry room
Your loads are never ending

O, Laundry room, O, Laundry room
Into your machines, I'm always bending

First wash a load, then tumble dry
Then fold 'em up, and pile so high

O, Laundry room, O, Laundry room
Your loads are never ending

Are you constantly doing laundry throughout the week? One load a day? Or do you have a designated day to just get it all done and over with?