Waiting....

I ate another frog today by finally deciding on & ordering our homeschool curriculum for the fall. I was agonizing over this decision & was going back & forth between two options. I scoured homeschool forums & read as much as I could. Things were so much easier {and cheaper} when my student was younger & I could just print off some free internet worksheets or buy a workbook from Wal-Mart or just get her cutting and pasting things. First I felt God leading me to a specific program, then I thought He was leading me to the other one. I finally came to the conclusion that He really wasn't leading me anywhere particular and as long as I keep Him as the focus in all we do, it really won't matter who my curriculum publisher is. So, we are staying with Heart of Dakota, by moving on to Beyond Little Hearts for His Glory. The three things I like best about these programs are:

• the Christian focus is well-integrated into all aspects of the program. Not just a tacked-on Bible study in some "Christian" programs.

• the Teacher's Guide is just "open & go". There is a formatted lesson plan for each day. Being a creative-type, I didn't think I would like this, but I love it! Less planning!

• Use of living books. I just think learning from a textbook is not as exciting as learning from good literature. I think books makes things come alive, from an educational standpoint, that textbooks just can't duplicate.
  

I am *so* excited and can't wait to start receiving all the materials, so I can move into the planning phase. I spent hours trying to find the best prices & make the best use of the resources I have. I truly wish we lived near an amazing library system or at least had access to a library at all. But such is life. I will just have to slowly and frugally work towards building our own home library. So now we are waiting for "box day", as homeschoolers call it. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

Eating the Frog

I recently came across the saying "Eat the Frog". I. like. it. What it means is that you do the hardest/yuckiest job first, to get it out of the way. Our old fish bowl was rapidly turning into a fascinating science experiment & hubster told me he'd take care of it. I finally told him to just "Eat the Frog". He was so glad he did! I often find that a task left undone actually sucks up more energy from me dwelling on it, than it takes to actually just complete the task. {Unfortunately I doubt this is true for the bazillion bins & junk that needs to be sorted through in my basement.} Particularly as it relates to crafting, I know that I am a greater "starter", but I tend to lose motivation if a project is particularly long. Considering this, I'm astonished that I have actually completed not one, but two pairs of knitted socks. Amazing. Another reason why I don't finish or have a hard time finishing is if I run into a "roadblock" during the project. If an aspect proves to be especially difficult, it's almost as if that difficulty sucks the life/joy/excitement right out of a project. I do *love* the feeling of completing something that I had previously abandoned or lost motivation for, which is what I have been trying to do lately. I will feature some frogs in the posts to come.

Are you a "starter" or a "finisher"? Have you eaten any frogs lately? Or are you on your way to do that now? :>)

Say What?!

Me: What kind of dress do you think you'll want for your birthday party?

Tatiana: Maybe like a brown one with pink polka-dots. {One she already has.}

Me: No, not that one, maybe something new.

Tatiana: Well, definitely a beautiful one.

Me: OK.

Tatiana: Yep, you better make it beautiful or else I'll make you and dad... *spoken in a sneaky secret whisper* ...talk about your marriage.

Uh, guess I better get to sewing something beautiful.

H2O Woes

I did not do any laundry today.

I have not run the dishwasher or wash any dishes in the sink.

I have not taken a shower or given the kids a bath.

I have not watered my plants.

I did not make spaghetti for dinner as planned.

Lest you think it is all because I'm lazy or am just taking the day off, it's NOT. We had a water main break in town. Again. Yep. This seems to happen about 2-3 times a year. SO I HAVE NO WATER. I'll spare you the rest of the ugly details . I had to at least wash the baby's bottles in a big soup pot. I really want to submit all my receipts for my purchased gallons of water to the water department & short them the amount that it has cost me. I just pray this nonsense ends soon.

Weekend Fun

Here's a little weekend fun. I made this mosaic from flickr photos using the instructions here. You search flickr using the answers to a dozen questions then choose a photo for each answer from the first page of results. I opened the mosaic maker here in a separate page to make it easier to copy & paste the photo links. This is the mosaic that the answer to my questions produced:


Let me know in the comments if you have a blog and decide to give this a try! Have a fun weekend, ya'll!

I'm Hiding

"A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ that a man has to seek Him first to find her." ~ Maya Angelou

I came across this quote recently & I. just. love. it. I've been mulling over what it means & how that looks in a practical way. I think in a dating relationship, this quote would ensure finding a godly husband. In marriage, it keeps us both seeking after Him. I read this post about the same quote & agree that a man having to seek God to get to the heart of his beloved is, indeed precious. The author of that post also discusses how young woman today try to "hide" themselves in so many other things just to fit in: boyfriends, fashion, diets, drugs, but I think married women can fall into the same trap of looking to earthly things for satisfaction and happiness: exercise, a super-clean home, a nice car, even our dear children. Not that those things are bad in and of themselves, on the contrary, many things *I* try to hide myself in are good things, but are nothing compared to loving Jesus. I should be pursuing the things He loves so passionately that my husband has to look to Him, if he is to understand me. That sounds like such a high calling *gulp* that I don't know if I can even ever get to that place. I guess all I can do is try.

7 months

My little guy turned seven months old over the weekend. I really do not know where all the time has gone. Seriously. Hubby even agrees that it seems like it was just the other day that I took a nap, went to my doctor's appointment, was told I was 8 cm, and the boy popped out. Sebastian is such the little fella. We just want to squeeze him & cuddle him all the time. This last month he perfected rolling over {a little late} and also sitting up. My Spud can push pretty far up on his arms, but no signs of crawling yet. He is pretty sturdy on his feet as well, and hubby keeps hoping he'll be an early walker. Um, yeah. I rather not encourage it! He moved up to Stage 2 foods & loves him some Zweiback toast. He still only has two teeth, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing some tooth action tooth, as he has all the symptoms of serious teething. Sebastian is not much of a talker. He is a rather quiet baby {as all my babies were} and only makes some noise if he is super interested in something or is crying about something. I cherish all the little moments I have with him, not knowing if he will be the last of my babies that I carry or cuddle or rock with. *sniffle* The little guy loves his big sisters & they are still just as ga-ga over him as they were on the day they first met. Happy 7 months little man! I can't wait to see what things God has in store for you :>)

Three Cheers....

...for the red, white & blue! Hope your 4th of July weekend was filled with Fellowship, Food, Fun & thankfulness for our Freedom. Since this blog hasn't been gettin' much love lately, I thought I give you a big weekend scoop, starting with....

The Crafts
The creative juices were needing an outlet so I made some little themed decorations. The first two are courtesy of Martha Stewart:

::garland of ribbon stars::

::a close-up::

::striped sand candle holder::

::practicing my face-painting skills::

I also made these {alas, no photo} and stuck them into a few of the little jars that were too full of sand for votives. {I knew those used baby food jars would come in handy for something!} Now if only I can store them carefully so as not to muddle up the sand for next year! It helps if you use a funnel to pour the sand into to get somewhat evenish layers. I think the unevenness does add a bit of charm though. As for the ribbon stars, If I would've had more time, I would've printed out some little sayings to go in the middle of the larger ones. It's hard to tell from the photo, but the little stars have two punched out hearts in the middle of each one. The face-paints {$2.99 at Hobby Lobby} were definitely the hit of the weekend with the kiddos. I would paint something different on their faces each day. So far I've done hearts, patriotic stars, a patriotic butterfly, swirls, and a shooting star with a rainbow coming out of it. The only thing I didn't like about the purchased paints was that they got really cracked on the child's face after awhile. Hubby looked up some recipes on-line to make some face paints, but I didn't have enough time to purchase one ingredient I would need {cold cream}. I figured I could pre-mix the colors & store them in those 7-day pill boxes. Sometime I will try this recipe! Great for birthday parties, ya think?

The Plans
We began the weekend on Thursday, kicking it off with the end of the week Showcase for Tatiana's CYT Summer Camp. What fun! She had an amazing time & I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this program to someone else. We had my dad & step-mom here as weekend guests, and they arrived as we came home from the Showcase. We had A LOT of food this weekend. I will need to step-up the exercise plan this week to make up for it! Shrimp, Ribeye steaks, Asian Coleslaw, Baked Beans, Homemade Onion dip & more. YUM-O. Somehow in the midst of all this entertaining, I somehow managed to make 5 meals for the freezer too.

Friday brought more entertaining as we enjoyed the company of hubby's sister, her boyfriend, and my niece, who joined us for a BIG cook-out, a local fireworks show, and spent the night as well. That is the most people I have ever had sleeping in my house on one night: 10!! We were all comfortable, with plenty of room to spare. Yesterday, we went to a cook-out at my mom's house, along with my brother&wife and my step-brother&wife. MORE FOOD, ya'll. We played a bit of ladderball there. Never played before, but I rocked it, winning the match for hubby & I.

The Aftermath
Today, our weekend guests headed home. Hubby drove to Chicago to get a lawn mower from my dad for free, since ours conked out. He took the girls & decided to leave them for a sleep-over at his parents' house. This will help with the cleaning up, but only a little, as my Spud seems to be teething. {Poor guy!} Our DishNetwork dish is on the fritz, so hubby is working on moving that around, since now there is a tree blocking its view. DUH. You would think those DishNetwork guys would notice the smallish tree there next to the dish & somehow realize that the tree ain't always gonna be that size. Nope. But I digress. To me, the worst part of entertaining, is the clean-up. Yuk. I've always that a party clean-up business would make big bucks and today I'm reminded why.

At least I have a house to clean, a baby to care for, and freedom to do most of the things I love. So there's the scoop :>)

You Get Used to It

I've found, that whatever circumstance you're under when it comes to parenting, you get used to it. If you work outside the home, you get used to only having the kids around for a few hours at night and on the weekends. By Sunday night, you're ready to go back to work on Monday {or at least that what's people in this situation have told me}. If you homeschool, you get used to having the wee ones around most of the time. That's your norm. It kinda makes me chuckle when moms whose kids GO to school are pulling their hair out during the long summer days of having the kids home all the time. They just have a different norm. If your hubby works long hours, you probably get used to it, not having him around as much, doing what you can to manage most things on your own. If your hubby works from home, you get used to that too, an extra pair of hands for helping or another set of eyes to keep on the kiddos for a second. Until....

WHAM!

The rug gets pulled out from under ya. Yep. Ask me how I know. Tomorrow hubby is going to be taking his mobile office on the road as he will be going out practicing to get his CDL. He already has his permit, but needs hands-on training. Bummer for me. So I guess I just need prayer that I'll....

....get used to it.

P.S. I sent my mom an email that included this which you may find funny too:

Hubby leaving home + monthly cycle + 3 kids = crazy wigged out mommy

But I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Dear Blog...

....it's not that I don't care about you. I do. If I didn't, I wouldn't have spent all that time and creative energy to give you a little facelift. Maybe after writing that last post, my internet love/hate relationship just swung a little bit the wrong way. I have just been busy doing other things. Like family stuff. Sewing. Researching for something super top-secret. Traveling to Chicago for massage therapy. Trying to exercise. Writhing in pain from my latest affliction. Enjoying not having to homeschool. Things other than blogging. I hope that maybe we can catch up soon. I just wanted you to know that I haven't abandoned you. I am just loving other parts of my life way too much! And whoever is {still} reading, I hope you are lovin' life too.

Talk About It: The Internet & Relationships

I have a love/hate relationship with the internet. I am an avid learner, so I love the endless information aspect. On the other hand, I could sit here endlessly soaking up all the information. Not good! I can barely remember life before Google, but I definitely think that the library and heavy encyclopedias may have been involved. I think many people enjoy the connection that they get to the outside world, especially if you are a homemaker, like me, who previously had little daytime adult interaction. I can't underestimate the importance of connecting and relating to others who have similar views, beliefs, and interests. Sometimes I wonder though, is this really a true connection? Can you really consider the internet a relationship builder? I have used email to build a relationship with a friend and to maintain my relationships with old friends, but something about just seems not real or maybe it's just that, at least to me, it pales in comparison to sitting face to face with someone chatting, laughing, sharing. Don't get me wrong, I'll probably still continue to use my email to keep in touch with other people, but if you find me dropping by unannounced or calling a little more often, it's just that I'm a little old-fashioned and rather see your facial expressions and hear your laughter instead of looking at a little emoticon or reading the abbreviation "LOL".

Do you think the internet gives us a false sense of connection with other people? Does it help you or hinder you from building what you consider to be real relationships?

Rules: Play nicely. We all have our own opinion, but let's be thoughtful and respectful of one another.

Phew!

I'm finally finding a little time to catch my breath. It seems like I've been going and going since last week, with all my spare time going to keep up with homemaking & spending time with my loved ones. So here is my long update. My trip with my mom went wonderfully! After dropping her off at the convention center, I made my way to the local CVS. Here's my loot:


The Chex mixes were all free as they were 5/$5 and there is a $1 IP. The Johnson's Buddies Foaming Shampoo were a great find as they were on clearance for $1.90 and I had a $1 Q for each. It was kind of an expensive trip, with my OOP being around $6, but since I have recently weaned the baby, I needed the feminine products. YUK! My eyes nearly fell out of my skull when I opened the door to our eensy-weensy hotel room. Mom & I both agreed that it was the worst hotel room we had stayed in {in the US at least, for me}, but that rural Guatemalan huge-tropical-bugs-in-your-bed, concrete-floored, shower-is-a-pipe-sticking-out-of-the-wall hotel is a story for another day. The bed sagged & creaked and the noise from revelers outside our building kept us up til the wee hours of the morning, but at least we kept a sense of humor about it. It sure was memorable. The Bead & Button Show was A-MAZING! Seriously. Even though I'm not a beader, I sure can appreciate a passion for a craft when I see it. Miles and miles of beads. I purchased two things for myself. One is a beaded cross-stitching project. I am making that as sort of a Thank You gift for Mom. She picked out the design. The second one is a funky bracelet kit. Since it's sold as a kit, I think it should be fairly easy. I totally fell in love with these, but at $8 per bottle cap, I would need to spend about a weeks worth of grocery money to make myself a junky-funky bracelet. Couldn't justify the purchase at the time, but maybe next year. Now I am working on designs for Mom to make with all her bead purchases. I wore this to the bead show since it is the only beaded project I've ever made myself:

::Odessa by Grumperina::

::top view::

I got several comments/inquiries about it, as well as the tote bag I was carrying. My mom was cracking up by the end of the show & insisted that next year I carry some business cards with me. Immediately upon my return, Tatiana had her year end dance recital. Twice. This was the first year that she was in two shows, which was a little crazy. Here she is in all her glory:


After that I've been spending time doing my part-part-part time job for Metrostudy. When people ask if I work {meaning outside the home} I usually just say "NO" since this job is only a once every 3 months gig. It's works out kinda nice because I basically can do the surveying at my leisure as long as I return my materials within the allotted time. I have been "working" for them for 2 years now & am thanking God for recently expanding my territory {it nearly doubled!} as an answer to prayer for extra income. He's too good to us, isn't He? Hope you're having a lovely week & I plan to meet you here tomorrow for another Talk About It session.

Talk About It: Sibling Love

I've always wanted a sister. It seems like everyone I know {and I do mean nearly all my friends} have sisters. I have one friend who is an only child & one close cousin who does not have a sister {she does have a few step-sisters though}. I guess since I don't have one, I've built up in my mind what I missing. It is something like what you'd find on one of those made for TV movies on the Hallmark channel. I'd imagine us painting each other's toenails, late-night giggle and gab sessions, borrowing each other's clothes, keeping secrets from our parents. As adults I'd figure we'd be bridesmaids in each other's weddings, calling each other for parenting advice, crying on each other's shoulder. We'd be best friends. Um. I guess from people I've asked so far that my lovely little picture usually only happens in the movies! One older woman I asked this Talk About It question just looked puzzled and kept repeating, "I don't know." Another Christian man I asked, quipped a bit harshly, "What siblings?" {He does have siblings.} So, here it is:

Considering your own childhood, what can a parent do {or not do} with their children now to lay a firm foundation for sibling closeness as adults? If you're close with your siblings, then maybe you can say what your parents did right. If you're not, maybe you can discern what might have gone wrong.

Rules: Play nicely. We all have our own opinion, but let's be thoughtful and respectful of one another.

A Train, A Cab, An Automobile

Travel. Travel. Travel. That's this week's theme at our house! Today the girls and I spent some quality time together by taking the Metra from a nearby town to Chicago. Although I picked the morning Express train, cutting down the travel time by about 25 minutes, it was still an 1 1/2 hour commute & required an early rising time of 6:45 am. {I can't imagine having to wake my little pumpkins that early in the day, or earlier, to catch a school bus!} We barely made it in enough time to purchase our tickets at the station, which I was thankful for, because otherwise that would've meant a $2 surcharge. We leisurely snacked on dry cereal, trail mix & water as we rode along. Once we arrived in the Big City, I had a mildly difficult time catching a cab from our stop. It seems like that particular station is a bit out of the way, unlike the station downtown, so there aren't a plethora of cabs to be had. If you're a suburban girl like me & you ever find yourself in need of hailing a cab, here's two pieces of advice: 1) Stand at an intersection. It increases the likelihood of cabs passing by as opposed to just the side of one street. 2) Know which direction you will need to travel to your destination. i.e. I knew {only because I asked my dad} that I was heading North, so I made sure to stand on the East side of the main street, that way the cab wouldn't have to circle around to get where I needed to go which wastes time and in this case time = $$$. I got a much needed clinical massage & a quick lunch with the girls' grandma & then we were on our way back home again. My littlest pumpkin was so tuckered out, she was asleep and drooling on the car ride home from the station. All that and it was barely 1:30 pm!!

I made sure to spend extra kid time today, because tomorrow I am going to Milwaukee with my mom for this event. She is totally into beading & jewelry making, so this is really her thing. We are staying overnight in a hotel & I am traveling kid-free. I was having a bunch of mommy-guilt about it, but am trying to just Let. It. Go. Know what I'm talking about? I am praying for rain because then hubster's work will be slower, giving him a little less to worry about. It will be so weird to just be out and about by myself. Tatiana has her big year-end dance recital this weekend, so I will be busy with that immediately upon my return. Busy. Busy. Busy.

I will be kind of glad when this weekend is over, then I can just focus on the family, the house, and my part-part-part time job. I will be scheduling another Talk About It post for tomorrow for all to enjoy while I am gone!

Sew and Sew: Reconstructed

Once upon a time, there was a cute pair of Old Navy girls' jeans. They were well constructed, but also well loved. They developed a large tear at the bottom hem of one leg, probably from a slightly too short owner. They wound up at a thrift store, dreaming of a new home. Then I came along & saw what they might become. Here they are now. Reconstructed.

:: front::

::back::

:: on their new owner::

They look a little Disney-ish for some reason, probably the red & white polka dot fabric making think of Minnie Mouse. Now she just needs a red shirt to go with them. This was a fairly straightforward project. I used the cut-off legs to the add the triangle shaped piece in the front and back. The back was a little tricky as I had to cut off a little extra fabric that kind of sticks out when you lay the pants/skirt flat. I added a little red top-stitching around each triangle piece and also around the bottom where the denim meets the ruffle. Not bad for a first attempt, eh? I think it's a great way to give a little love to a pair of holey jeans!

Talk About It

I'm going to be making a few little changes around here {looks mostly}, but I think I want to add some kind of weekly feature where I ask a question that's been lurking in the back of my mind & we all discuss. I really enjoy a good stimulating discussion now and again & I think sometimes it helps to "sort things out" in my own head when I can bounce my ideas off other people. Know what I mean?

When we went on our little getaway this last weekend, after checking in you are instructed to go to the Concierge desk & receive a coupon book. The lady at the desk talks you through all the coupons in the book, starting at the back of the book & working her way forward, while asking relevant questions like "Are you traveling with kids?" "Are you interested in a fine dining meal?" and things like that. Then at the end of her little coupon book presentation, she arrives at the first coupon in the book: $50 off one night's stay {either that night or on a future visit}, if you attend a timeshare presentation/tour. Eh, I thought, $50 would not be worth it, would it? She then says that she'll take off $80 instead plus she'll give us $10 worth of tokens for the arcade. Kinda hard to pass up, considering my ever-growing frugal sensibilities. We decided not to do it, but continually joked throughout the weekend about what that $80 would've been able to pay for and is it too late to take the tour?? Hmmmm........I began thinking though......

Would you attend a presentation of some sort to get the benefit/gift, with no intention whatsoever of buying the product?

Rules: Play nicely. We're all have our own opinion, but let's be thoughtful and respectful of one another.

Weekend in Review

We spent the weekend here. It's our favorite family vacation spot because there's lots to do at the resort, it's not too far from home {2 hour drive}, and it's pretty cost effective {especially in this case since Grandpa & Grandma paid for our stay}. The weather was decent, of course being the nicest on the day we left. We had lots of water fun. I got to go down a big tube slide with my dad & even talked Tatiana into going down a tamer one with me. She made me pray for her right before we got on the ride! I had lots of opportunities to practice successful thinking & kept trying to make the best of things, repeatedly telling myself that at least I don't have to cook or clean or do laundry! That surely kept it all in perspective. I was reminded of the difficulty of traveling with a baby. {Maybe the more you do it, the more you get used to it?} You don't have all the necessary baby items handy, his schedule was completely out of whack, plus he was trying to sleep in a foreign place with a foreign bed. Hubster & I kind of took turns caring for the little spud and just did the best we could. Today though, I am thankful for home sweet home. Hope ya'll had a lovely weekend!

ABCs of Me

I stumbled across this at Confessions of a Craft Addict & was in the mood to play along. So here we go......

Accent: Nope. Although when I visited out east a loooooong time ago, they thought I talked funny. I really don't think Midwesterners have any accent to speak of though. {Sidenote: when I read the word "accent", being the crafter that I am, I first thought of "embellishment", ya know, like room decor, not a funny way of talking.}

Book that I like: Just one? Any cookbook really. Especially ones with straightforward recipes & amazing photography.

Chore I don’t care for: Most of them. Maybe I should stick to the short list of chores I DO like: vacuuming, wiping things {weird, I know} cooking, baking. Hey, I'm sure some people consider those last two to be chores!

Dog or Cat: Neither. I am anti-pet. It might sound terrible, but I'm kind of glad in a way that our fish died last weekend. It was the girls' pet, but guess who was taking care of it. {Is it okay to admit that?}

Essential Electronics: my cellphone, a computer {any will do}

Favorite Cologne: I like nearly any mens' cologne. I love it when Rick wears cologne!

Gold or Silver: Silver.

Handbag I carry most often: I don't have too many handbags {now totebags are another story}, so I just try to rotate them to something befitting of the season.

Insomnia: Sometimes, yep. Especially if I took a long nap during the day or had too much caffeine {for me, one regular pepsi around dinner will keep me up til 2 am}!

Job Title: Domestic Engineer

Kids: Tatiana {Tats} 6 1/2, Sienna 3, Sebastian {Spud} 5 1/2 months

Living Arrangements: Honey, the kids, and my hobby supplies live together in rural Northern Illinois

Most Admirable Trait: I really have no idea. {Suggestions?} I'd like to think it's genuineness. I am who I am from the moment you meet me. I don't try to impress you or be someone I'm not. I really care about people. When I ask, "How are you?" I'm truly interested in the answer.

Naughtiest Childhood Behavior: Being super mean to my brother. Things like convincing him he was adopted & giving him a bloody nose by kicking him in the face come to mind. I have been living a lifetime of remorse for these things......

Overnight hospital stays: Three related to delivering babies. A two night stay and a one night stay for severe stomach flu & I did sleep in the hospital for 5 nights when Tatiana had her appendectomy.

Phobias: Probably fear of heights.

Quote: I am aware that I am less than some people prefer me to be ... but most people are unaware that I am so much more than what they see.

Religion: Christianity, although I like to think of it more as a relationship/journey, not a "religion", which makes me think of a set of prescribed rituals and practices

Siblings: One younger bro.

Time I wake up: As late as the kids will let me. Usually between 7 and 8 am.

Unusual Talent or Skill: I can't think of anything unusual. I will say this though. When I was a teenager, my friend Jessica and I used to see how many cherries we could put in our mouths at one time AND de-pit. If you swallowed the pit, then of course it didn't count. I could do 15.

Vegetable I Refuse to Eat: Brussels sprouts. Beets. Cauliflower. Cabbage. {Mostly cruciferous vegetables, although I *love* mustard & horseradish. Weird, I know.}

Worst Habit: I bite my nails when I'm nervous or under stress. I didn't always do this. It started when I was pregnant with my second daughter & somehow the habit just stuck.

X-rays: I think I've only had one: when I broke my collar bone in a car accident.

Yummy Stuff: Fresh french bread with sweet butter. Crustaceans. Freshly baked cookies chock full of goodies. A grilled ribeye. New York style cheesecake. Fresh berries & cream. I love just really good simple food.

Zoo Animal I Like Most: See answer to dog or cat. The only reason you'd find me at a zoo is because the kids like going there.

Anyone else want to play along?

Successful thinking

"This is just my bad day."
::what my precious 3 year old says if things aren't going her way::

That was yesterday. Hubs & I were having lots of deep conversations about different things, mostly about me & how he perceives that I respond to stressful situations and people that rub me the wrong way. One of these such people is a family member. We discussed boundary setting, which hubs doesn't seem to get. "Just let it roll off your back," he'd say. Um, yeah. Not so easy. I was just in a bad place mentally......fast forward a few hours to a conversation with world's-best-sister-in-law {sorry if you think YOURS is the best}. She was sharing something that her pastor had taught her:

It all starts with your thoughts. Then your feelings come from those thoughts, then your actions will come from those feelings.

I think that's why God tells us to:

...pray for those who persecute you...
{Matthew 5:44}

Because once you really pray for those people, then you will feel differently about them and then, as a result, act differently towards them. So I am changing my thinking. When I am feeling annoyed or some other negative emotion, I will tell myself that "this person needs Jesus" or "God loves this person" or "we are all sinners". Hopefully that new thought will trickle down into my feelings & actions. So I will be working on thinking my way to success.

I'd love to hear some encouraging words or to know if this will change how you think too.

Steals & Deals for the Week

No.....Thank you!

I got this $5 Starbucks Gift Card in the mail yesterday as part of a Catalina** promotion they were running. If you bought a bag of Starbucks coffee at participating retailers, you receive a Catalina with a special code to input online. My dad bought the coffee, noticed the Catalina & saved it for me. What a great dad! Also FYI: If you register your Starbucks gift card online, you can get extra benefits at participating Starbucks locations, such as free refills on your coffee & free extra syrup flavors.

**Catalina: a coupon that prints at the register from a separate machine after you check-out

Jewel: Last weekend I took advantage of their General Mills deal. If you buy 10 participating items at $2 each, you get an instant $10 off your order, making the items $1. You had to buy them in multiples of $10. Adding some coupons with that {they take expireds so I was saving them for such an occasion as this}, I was able to purchase 12 boxes of cereal, 4 bags of Cheerios/Chex Snack Mix, 4 boxes of Nature Valley Trail Granola Bars, and two packs of gum {for the Hubster} for a grand total of $11.73!

CVS: I haven't been CVSing as avidly as I did when I first started {March} as a) I have a decent stockpile beginning to build up and b) would rather devote the necessary time/energy to other things. They had a sale on Oral-B products {Buy $20, Get $10 ECBs} and hubster has an Oral-B Vitality Toothbrush. At $17.99 for a pack of 3 replacement heads, I thought it would be a good time to get them now. I also picked up a box of Crest Toothpaste, 2 boxes of Aquafresh, and some Schick shaver refills {$8.88, get $6 ECBS + I used $4 Q}. I ended up spending $10 OOP, but that was fine with me, since the refill heads alone cost nearly double that!

Pick up any goodies last week? Get any free samples in the mail?

Big Rocks

I read a story recently about a motivational speaker inspiring his crowd. He places a large jar on the podium in front of him and puts several large rocks inside the jar. He then asks the crowd, "Is the jar full?" Most of the crowd responds, "Yes". Well.....the speaker then pours some gravel into the jar which trickles into some of the unfilled spaces. He asks again, "Is the jar full?" A little wiser to his scheme, the crowd responds, "No". The speaker then adds some sand to the jar, further filing in the tiny spaces, again following up with the question, "Is the jar full?" An emphatic "No" resounds. The speaker takes out a pitcher of water, pouring in several cups before stopping. He then asks this question, "What is the moral of this exercise?" Many people respond something along the lines of: you can always add more things to your life, even when it seems already full. "No," the speaker says, "The point is.....

.....if I didn't put the big rocks in first, they never would've been able to fit."

This illustration spoke volumes to me and I've been mulling it over for the last week. For me at least, if I don't make it a priority to get certain things done on a daily basis, they just plain, DON'T GET DONE. I had a really enjoyable conversation with Hubs about his Big Rocks. We both realize that some Rocks that are in our jars shouldn't be and there are some that aren't in there, that should be. So, I've been asking myself what my Big Rocks are....

What are your Big Rocks?

Home for Mother's Day

Please pray for a friend, Jeff, and his family. Jeff's mom, at the age of 62 had a massive stroke last week. Part of her brain was without oxygen for 3 hours. The family prayed for a miraculous healing, but God had a different plan. She was just coherent enough to accept Christ as her Saviour shortly after, while in the hospital. On Mother's Day, the Lord called her home and welcomed her with open arms. She leaves behind her husband of 39 years, two children and two grand-daughters. Please pray specifically for comfort during this time for all those lives she has touched. Thanks in advance. Becki

Happy Mother's Day!

May we never take for granted the blessing and privilege of motherhood. Every time we comfort a screaming child, wipe a runny nose, change a poopy diaper, say "NO!" for the umpteenth time, let us not grow weary for doing good, as we remember women who long for the chance to do those things. May we pray a little harder, play a little harder, laugh a little louder, and have our hearts be a little fuller today as we cherish our children. Let us all enjoy this wonderful, exhausting, touching, seemingly never-ending journey together.

Happy Mother's Day!

Cinqo Meses

My sweet boy is five months old today! Five months old on 05/05! My, how the time has passed. He is still not rolling over yet {does he even lay down long enough to practice?}, but he's eating like it's goin' out of style! He loves him some good baby cereal & organic baby food. He is still nursing & *refuses* to take a bottle. Go figure. He has some bad eczema issues & scratches himself up when he is stressed. He wakes up some mornings lookin' like he had a little baby battle in there. Speaking of sleep, at his four month check-up, his pediatrician indicated that he should be able to sleep 12-14 hours at a time at night. Well you can bet that I got workin' on that: PRONTO. Especially considering he was waking up about 3-4 times a night up until that point {for four. long. months.}! Project Sleep only took about 2 nights to get him to sleep for about 10-12 hours at a stretch between nursings. If I thought it would be so easy, I'd a done it much sooner. His sisters still adore him & the novelty has lasted much longer than any Christmas present has. He loves his jump-a-roo {as we call it} & really likes his chupy {pacifier}. Sebastian went for his first walk in the stroller earlier this month and first time in the baby swing in the backyard. As if he wasn't growing fast enough, he woke up this morning with two brand new teeth! I still can't hardly believe it.

Happy five months Buddy, Spuddy, Spudicus! I *love* watching you grow, but won't mind if you slow it down a little ;>)

Good Reads

Here are some of the blogs I've recently stumbled upon that you might find to be "good reads":

Home Sanctuary ~ I *love* this blog. It fits right in with the vision I have for my home. I want this abode to be a sanctuary where people feel warm & welcome.

Blissfully Domestic ~ In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a renaissance woman, ya'll. I'm all about being domestic.

The Gentle Art of Ruling Your Husband ~ I'm not too down with the name {specifically the term "ruling"}, but there seems to be lots of good practical stuff here, with plenty of marriage humor to keep you chuckling. Take what you find useful & don't mind the rest. Just don't go throwing the baby out with the bath water.

Let me know if you find something particularly interesting!

J & K + 8

If you watch IT, then you'll know right away what the title of this post means! Tatiana really enjoys this show too for some reason. I'm not sure what the draw for her is, whether it's all the little kids running around or the peek into the life of a big family. She'll say things wistfully like, "I wish we had that many children", while I can't even entertain the thought! I think about Kate sometimes when I am stressing about having to take 3 kids to the grocery store. I bet that would breeze for her! I can't imagine having to sweep/mop as often as she does or having to potty train 3 tots at a time. I *seriously* don't know how Kate keeps it all together. Sometimes I feel like the household is crumbling down around me and I have less than half the number of children as she does! They've really got their hands full, but also, I bet, full hearts as well.

Do you watch? What do you think of their family dynamics?

**As always, I don't mind lively discussion, but keep your comments respectful!**

Good Deals

Here are some good deals I see to be gotten this week. I am not including any CVS ECB deals, as maybe you're not into that sort of thing.

CVS
Herbal Essence Hair Products are BOGO. {Price at my local store is $4.29} Combine that with coupons from recent inserts for $3/2 = $1.29 for two bottles. I just had hubby stop by and do this deal today. I had two coupons, so I got 4 bottles of shampoo/conditioner for $3.18!

Cereal
If you don't have enough in your stockpile, there's a few good buys out there. Kmart has General Mills {select varieties} for $1.50 a box, if you buy 4. Combine that with coupons that are nearly always in the inserts for $1/2 or $1/3. I have 2 $1/2 coupons so that works out to $1/box. An even better deal is at Valli Produce {if you live near me & get the flyer, you could always Price Match at WM} for $1.25 a box, if you buy 4. Combined with the aforementioned coupons works out to 75 cents per box. I am comping this deal at SuperWM either tomorrow or Saturday. {I am also comping a few other things from Valli as well, such as Dean's half-gallons of milk for 99 cents. Combined with a insert coupon for 50cents/2 works out to $1.50 for one gallon!}

For you health nuts {or aspiring health nuts like me}, you can read all about how to get Kashi for 50 cents a box. Now that's a sweet deal! {FYI: these coupons from "bricks" never work for me in Firefox, only in IE. If you attempt to print it in Firefox & it doesn't print, you will be out of luck. YMMV. Remember to hit your back button on your browser after printing the first one so that you can get the limit of two.} Edited to add: Regular price at SuperWM is $2 box, which means free Kashi, ya'll!

Jewel
Suave Hair Care Products are 89 cents. Combine with a coupon from last weeks insert for $1/2 works out to 80 cents for 2 bottles.

Did you know some Jewel stores accept expired coupons? I am going to call the store that I would go to & find out of mine does. If you do your regular shopping there, you can read all about how to earn yourself some free movie tickets.

What deals are you getting this week?

Are you a DASH? Then we MUST be friends!

You Are An Exclamation Point

You are a bundle of... well, something. You're often a bundle of joy, passion, or drama. You're loud, brash, and outgoing. If you think it, you say it. Definitely not the quiet type, you really don't keep a lot to yourself. You're lively and inspiring. People love to be around your energy. (But they do secretly worry that you'll spill their secrets without even realizing it.) You excel in: Public speaking You get along best with: the Dash

What Punctuation Mark Are You?

Welcome Distraction

I've discovered the blessings of podcasting, ya'll! I've been so stressed lately, mostly because of my fussy baby. {Both I and he are working on this.} I needed a pleasant distraction to take my mind off of his sleep issues, so I figured I'd snoop around for a podcast. My first one was from Grace Talk. I listened to the 12 Habits of a Wise Woman {2/21/08}. It only covers the first three habits, with a promise of more to come. I see there are follow-up podcasts scheduled for the rest of the habits. I am also looking forward to downloading this Thursday's episode titled "Overcoming Bitterness & Judgmental Thoughts".

The second podcast I downloaded was from Natural Moms. You crunchy mamas will love these podcasts! I listened to this one. Fascinating stuff! I mean, *super* interesting. It is about how best to assimilate our children into the urban culture. Don't let the technical sounding title scare you off. Two of the points that stick out in my mind are that 1) when we see other people parenting, it helps us to be better parents. If we see other women breastfeeding or even see a dad wearing a baby sling, it makes us more likely to do those things ourselves and 2) being around children makes us better people. We use better language, act better, use better manners, etc. Isn't that true? She mentions that there was a study where they brought babies & toddlers into schools and showed the effect that it had on the older children in that it lessened bullying. Really neat! It took my mind off of my long walk in the light drizzle. {Exercising = YUK.} I wish I loved exercising in the way I love cooking & baking. Maybe then everything would balance itself out. The podcast served as a welcome distraction and actually made my walk enjoyable.

For lots of different mom related podcasts, visit Moms Talk Radio. So many goodies here! Even though my kids to go to public school, this episode appealed to me & I can't wait to listen to it {on my next walk of course}. And I'm guessing it won't be long before I listen to a podcast from The Household Helper Talk Show. It's weird in a way, listening to these radio talk shows, especially considering the prolific TV watching in our society. Kinda makes you feel like a renaissance woman.

Do you podcast? Do you know how? Let me know if there are any other great "shows" out there or if you have any questions!

Sew and Sew: Kids

Edited to add: Blogger did not want to play nice with me. I tried & tried to reupload the pictures for this post and finaaaalllly succeeded. Now ya'll can see the stuff I made.

It's been awhile since I've posted an "issue" of Sew and Sew, mostly because I haven't been sewing much! I've really had to be selective about my projects, as my time is so limited. I can't wait until the baby is much less maintenance and frees me up a bit more, then again, I CAN wait, if you know what I mean.

First up is a girl's hair wrap! I *loved* this project & really is simple enough for a beginner. I used a $1.50 towel from Wal-Mart, just in case I couldn't get the end result to "work out". I made it using this tutorial. First I made it using the measurements she specifies, sewed it up, then put it on my daughter's head and figured out about how much I needed to cut off to make it smaller. {If anyone is really interested in this project, please email me & I can give you exact specs!}

She loves it! No more wet jammies after bathtime & she feels all grown-up wearing it too!

Next up are a pair of Easter dress for my girls. I am so UNtraditional sometimes. No pink ruffles or little bonnets for me. These were made using Simplicity pattern 3588. I got a chance to use some of the great features on my new machine, like overlocking the edges and using the blind-hemming foot. I looked *everywhere* for a pink frog closure to make the front look a little more Asian, but to no avail. Oh, well. I actually finished the one for Little Sister after church & sewed frantically right up until we had to leave for Easter dinner. Nothing like a deadline for a little motivation!

:: Happy sisters with Princess Leia-like hair-dos ::

That's all for today. I have made a few other things, but just don't have time to take pictures. Hope you had a blessed weekend!

BOGO x 2

BOGO = Buy One, Get One a.k.a B1G1

I always wondered what would happen if a store had a buy one, get one promotion & you had a BOGO coupon for the same items. In my mind, I figured you would buy one item and get TWO free. Not so. After reading this thread, I learned that essentially the store pays for the free one that they are promoting & the coupon/manufacturer pays for the other free item. Instead of buy one, get one, it's buy none, get two!! Sweet!! Usually these types of deals don't overlap with the coupons, for obvious reasons {free stuff, ya'll}. I tried it today at CVS and it works! I was actually kinda shocked. I purchased two Covergirl face products featured in this week's CVS BOGO promotion. I had a Covergirl coupon for "Buy any Covergirl foundation, get a Covergirl face product free". I bought a foundation for $5.99 and a face product for $7.99. The $5.99 came off for the store promotion since it was the least expensive item and the cashier just had to enter the amount for the facial product {blush} which was $7.99 for the coupon. All I paid was the tax. Now that's a sweet deal!

Wal-Mart's Price Matching Policy

Ok. I feel vindicated! After a comment on a previous post alerted me to Wal-Mart's price matching policy, I attempted it last week with milk. Meijer had their house brand of milk on sale for $1.99, so I brought my ad in to my local WM expecting to be able to get their house brand for that price. Request denied. My cashier even asked another cashier and they both chimed in together with, "Oh no. We don't do that here. See. It's the MEIJER BRAND of milk on sale." I tried to explain that I'd "heard" that WM does do it, but to no avail. I paid $3.29 for the milk I needed anyway. I did call their corporate office, but had not received a response. Until today. The manager from my local store called to answer my questions. He said that it really didn't happen that often, but that they had had a meeting & they will match house brand to house brand. *Insert Hallelujah chorus here* I was very nice about the whole thing & just said that maybe their cashiers weren't aware of the policy. I also asked who they considered a "competitor", as there really aren't any other major competitors in that small town. He said, "Bring in any ad." He even mentioned some southern stores {Publix?} & said to just bring in my ad. Needless to say, this guy's name is burned into my memory. Now I/you can get more things in one place! This week I even had a nearby SuperWM match the Airwick Freshmatic Mini that CVS has on sale for $4.99. Add a $4 coupon {click "print now" under Money Saving Coupons ~ requires registration} to that and you've got a great deal. My cashier was so funny. She just kept saying, "Wow. Now that's a great deal."

Cheap Cereal

So, now that I've learned more about using coupons, my new limit for cereal is $1/box, unless it is something really special, like Kashi. This good cereal deal on Malt-O-Meal falls into my new guidelines. Malt-O-Meal is kind of a generic brand of some popular cereals like Cheerios, Fruit Loops, Lucky Charms, etc. It was rumored that Wally World carried Malt-O-Meal cereal bags on rollback for 2/$2, but I've been unable to find it there. Supposedly there are boxes of it as well at WM, but I didn't have a chance to look & price it out {anyone?}. Meijer carries this product at a standard price of $1.99 per bag. This $1.50 coupon doesn't expire until 8/31/2008. So print yourself some {use more than one computer if you have to} & the next time you go by a Meijer, pick up some 50-cent cereal. There is also a $1 off coupon which would still be a good deal at $1 a bag. Don't like all the sugar for your kiddos? Give it to your local food bank!

Edited to add: I found the cereal at a local Super WM today in a bin in a main aisle near the groceries. It was $1. I had one $1.50 coupon and two $1 off coupons, so I earned 50 cents overage for three bags. Sweet!

P.S. Just wanted to mention that is a bricks.coupon which I can never get to print in Firefox. I always have to use my back-up IE. YMMV.

Questions to ask.....

....while reading your Bible:

Who? What? Where? When? Why?

What attitudes do I need to change?

What do I need to start or stop doing?

What do I need to believe or stop believing?

What relationships do I need to work on?

What ministry should I be having to others?

I found these questions in an old journal entry & decided to print them out as a reference for my quiet times. I think it will really serve to engage my mind and to glean more from what I'm reading. I thought it might help someone else as well.

Any other questions you keep in mind while reading your Bible?

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?

Easy Eggplant Parmesan

In an effort to slim down a little, I'm trying to keep my palate excited by trying new things. This week: eggplant. I went to a really great produce market with sooooo many vegetables. They actually had three (!) different varieties of eggplant! So, I came up with this recipe, based loosely on a recipe I found here. It is a much lighter version that the traditional eggplant parmesan as the slices are baked, not fried, and I am not using layer upon layer of sauce & cheese. Also, no need to bake for 40 minutes, as I just broil the top til brown.

1 medium eggplant
kosher salt
2 eggs
2 c. panko {coarse} breadcrumbs
1/4 c. parmesan
italian seasoning {if desired}

2 c. spaghetti sauce
1 c. shredded mozzarella
1/4 c. parmesan

Peel the eggplant and cut into 1/2" thick slices, discarding the very top & bottom. Sprinkle slices with kosher salt and leave to drain on a wire rack or some paper towels for 30 minutes. Pat dry. Preheat oven to 450° F. Mix together the breadcrumbs, parmesan and italian seasoning. Beat the eggs well. Dip each slice of eggplant first into the eggs, then into the breadcrumb mixture coating well on each side. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 5-7 minutes per side or until golden brown. Place the eggplant in a 9x13" dish. Warm the spaghetti sauce, either in a pan or micro, and pour it over the top {you can use more or less to taste}. Sprinkle with the cheeses, again adding more or less as desired. Broil until golden brown on top. Serve alongside whole wheat pasta.

Start Shopping CVS for Less Than $1

If you are considering shopping the CVS method {or are trying to convert someone}, this might be a good time to start. Here is a beginner scenario to get you started:

Buy 5 Excedrin for $1.99 $9.95
Use 5 $2 off coupons {here, here, or here} -$10.00

Just pay the tax and get $5 ECBs for your next order! {You might want to throw in a candy bar so they don't look at you like you're a coupon criminal!}

This scenario is great for several reasons:

#1 - It's super simple!
#2 - It doesn't involve any of the elusive free-after-ECB items such as the CVS Pain Relief Gelcaps or the Softsoap Spa Radiance {am I the only one who can't find any???}
#3 - Super low OOP {out-of-pocket}
#4 - It doesn't require any CVS coupons or coupons from previous newspaper inserts

Let me know if you have any questions or are giving this scenario a try!

P.S. There are boxes of Excedrin that are shrink-wrapped together that are a special "get one free" package. These also "work" for this deal, so if you can find them, you could get 10 boxes, instead of 5!

Deals for the Week

I got so many good deals this week, I've actually lost track. Here is all my loot from Monday, when I went shopping with my good ole' friend Michelle.

::Goodies from Target, CVS, and Hilander::

I think I've found a new shopping buddy, *wink, wink*.

Total OOP {from 3 different stores}: $11 and some change
Total ECBs received at CVS: $14

So even after going to 3 different places, I was still $3 ahead! I tried to show Michelle the ropes at CVS. Easier said than done as 1) even though it was still March {the 31st} some of the March deals weren't printing ECBs and 2) even though it was only Monday, they were completely sold out of the Softsoap Spa Radiance {checked two different CVSs} 3) nobody had any April flyers available even though the stores were already changed over for their April deals. Grrrr. We did get manage to get in on the Essence of Beauty deal {three little goodies for free after ECBs} and some free {after coupons & ECBs} Lady Speed Stick deoderant. One of my favorite finds though was the Ken's Dressing at Target for $1.87/bottle. I had 3 $2/1 coupons so I let Michelle get a free bottle & then I got two free bottles. I also got some free cat treats for my mom's cat. I had coupons for the AirWick & for the frozen veggies {which came to $.50 per box after double coupons}.

I hit the Target mid-week when I discovered the Target coupon generator over at A Full Cup. The Nature's Valley bars came out to $.86 after stack the Target & manufacturer's coupons. I hear that some of their organic Archer Farms cereal is on clearance for $1.68. There is a coupon on the generator for $1/1 = $.68/box of organic cereal. Now that's a sweet deal!



Last night, I hit the Hilander for Kroger's Mega 10 event.

::Hilander Goodies ~ 2 Minute Maid OJs not pictured::

In hindsight, I wish that A) I didn't go so late at night B) I knew where everything was located C) I had more time to shop leisurely and D) they would've accepted my Excedrin coupons. {Although, I see that next week CVS has Excedrin on sale for $1.99, which with the $2 coupon makes it free, plus you get $1 ECB. Sweet!} All in all, I got $55 worth of groceries for $18, so I guess I can't complain. I guess some of the best deals were the $.50 bags of Goldfish crackers, the free French's mustard, the nearly free Nature's Way rice mix {not part of the deal, but the regular price is $1.07 and there are online coupons for $.50 when doubled = $.07/box}, and the free Pillsbury rolls.

To see what deals other bloggers have snagged, visit this post at Money Saving Mom!

I never realized shopping and deal-grabbing could actually be a hobby! It is so much more fun when you do it with a friend too. Wouldn't you agree? Do you ever deal shop with friends?

I Want to Be the Kind of Friend....

...who you can call any time, day or night, and not feel guilty.
...who will tell you the honest truth, peppered with lots of love.
...who doesn't mind if you didn't shower today or haven't vacuumed in a week, but still want to visit with you anyway.
...who would rather call than email and rather meet for coffee than call.
...who sharpens your iron, makes you want to be a better mom, a better wife, a better person.

I want to be the kind of friend....
...who can discuss hard topics together & still leave each other smiling.
...who wouldn't let you go down the road where the bridge is out.
...who loves you despite your curves.
...who makes you laugh & keeps kleenex in their purse for when you cry.
...who goes to your grandmother's funeral, even if I've never met her, just to be there for you.

I want to be the kind of friend...
...who will not tolerate if our relationship is broken.
...who understands that relationships go through different seasons.
...who asks for your forgiveness when I've wronged you.
...who gives forgiveness when you've wronged me.

...who hurts when you hurt, who rejoices when you rejoice, who is down on their knees for you, who loves you with a Holy kind of love.

Not only because I believe that is the kind of friend I AM has called me to be, but also because that is the kind of friend I want you to be for me.