Here's a great way to use up extra squash from your garden. We are a non-squash eating family b/c I've never found a healthy recipe that we like. A friend gave me the squash and the recipe. I made it for my crew and all 8 kids liked it. WOW.
Squash Fritters
6T olive oil
3 eggs beaten
1 2/3 C. milk
1 1/2 C. corn meal
3 C. grated squash or zucchini packed
6 T. sour cream
6 T. Parmesan cheese
1 1/2t. salt
3/4 t. pepper
Combine all into a pancake-like batter. If too runny add a bit more corn meal, or additional milk if too thick.
Heat a little more oil in a skillet. Pour 1/4 C. batter into skillet and cook as you would pancakes, flipping once.
We had these with beans and salad. Some kids liked salsa with it, some liked ketchup.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Thursday, June 21, 2007
More Treasures
I've gotten a few compliments on my new wreath. I had fun fixing it up. It looks good on the front door. I admit that at first it looked like an old lady funeral type flower thing. I had my neighbor come over and help me tweak it. I like it now.
Walking this morning and I found more good stuff. Why do my neighbors get rid of these things? It's not even trash day yet but they had this pile of junk by the street. My next door neighbor was jealous of my wooden crate from last week. He told me he had had his eye on it the night before. He saw the pile this morning but I told him to stay away...that was *my* trash pile!
I got like seven big flower pots. Big, nice, heavy flower pots. I had my oldest son go over and help me carry them home. Since Honey and I just bought new pots for our house I knew how much they cost new. They'll look great in my new house. They also had a bike in the trash. We don't need a bike but the next thing I knew my son was headed back over there with a couple of wrenches! He wanted the seat for his bike. HA! He wasn't able to unscrew it though. Too bad.
So tonight I went walking again and I notice that all the junk is gone. Gone! Where did it go? Trash day isn't until tomorrow. So that leaves a big question mark in my mind. Was it really trash or were they just stacking it there for some other purpose? I hope I didn't just *steal* their flower pots!
Walking this morning and I found more good stuff. Why do my neighbors get rid of these things? It's not even trash day yet but they had this pile of junk by the street. My next door neighbor was jealous of my wooden crate from last week. He told me he had had his eye on it the night before. He saw the pile this morning but I told him to stay away...that was *my* trash pile!
I got like seven big flower pots. Big, nice, heavy flower pots. I had my oldest son go over and help me carry them home. Since Honey and I just bought new pots for our house I knew how much they cost new. They'll look great in my new house. They also had a bike in the trash. We don't need a bike but the next thing I knew my son was headed back over there with a couple of wrenches! He wanted the seat for his bike. HA! He wasn't able to unscrew it though. Too bad.
So tonight I went walking again and I notice that all the junk is gone. Gone! Where did it go? Trash day isn't until tomorrow. So that leaves a big question mark in my mind. Was it really trash or were they just stacking it there for some other purpose? I hope I didn't just *steal* their flower pots!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
I remember when my 4 big kids were all little at the same time. That was hard. Now they are all getting big at the same time. This is harder. Yes, teenagers are much harder than little kids. Everything is so emotional. It is not so black and white anymore. I'm always left wondering if I handled it right or not. Who knows? I just pray for the wisdom of Solomon...yes I need *that* much!
It is also harder b/c I am running out of time. The clock is ticking and soon they will be gone. There is much less room for error. Yesterday I followed my 4yo around the house busting his bottom all day long! He had a very bad day of disobedience. I was discouraged at the day's end and welcomed the fact that it was bed time. As tiring as that was, I can take comfort in the fact that he's only 4. We still have time.
My neighbor warned me that it would be like this. Now she tells me that it's not any easier when they are adults. No wonder my parents only had one.
What work could ever be better than this though? Shaping these minds and growing these bodies for God? It is a good work that God has begun and I pray that He carries it on to completion in Christ. I love these little people.
It is also harder b/c I am running out of time. The clock is ticking and soon they will be gone. There is much less room for error. Yesterday I followed my 4yo around the house busting his bottom all day long! He had a very bad day of disobedience. I was discouraged at the day's end and welcomed the fact that it was bed time. As tiring as that was, I can take comfort in the fact that he's only 4. We still have time.
My neighbor warned me that it would be like this. Now she tells me that it's not any easier when they are adults. No wonder my parents only had one.
What work could ever be better than this though? Shaping these minds and growing these bodies for God? It is a good work that God has begun and I pray that He carries it on to completion in Christ. I love these little people.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Fun Last Night
We went to friends' house last night and had the greatest time. It was their weekly family wiffle ball night and we were invited. We made the teams a lot bigger! Everyone played except Bird and Zekey. It was a good time of togetherness, sloppy joes, homemade ice cream, and baseball. What could be better? Maybe soccer???? Just kidding!
The kids still haven't stopped talking about it. So I told them that that is what we can have someday if they don't all move off! Oh, how I hope it's really like that. Lots of little grandkids running all over the yard with Honey and me wearing great big smiles.
The kids still haven't stopped talking about it. So I told them that that is what we can have someday if they don't all move off! Oh, how I hope it's really like that. Lots of little grandkids running all over the yard with Honey and me wearing great big smiles.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Friday, June 15, 2007
Yay for Maeggy!
Some friends at church are giving her a CAR!! It's a 1978 big sort of car. He described it as "reliable and virtually indestructible". That's just what she needs to learn with. She went wild with excitement. CT knew which car he was talking about and was telling her how cool it is. He said it's "crayon blue". She likes that color. Really it wouldn't matter though, it could be puke green and she'd still be thrilled. Me too.
Update on Mom
This is good news we think. Mom has a MRI on Monday. The docs all think it will be good. If so, she'll have a lumpectomy (day surgery!) on Wed. Then radiation for 6 weeks and that's it. Possibly no chemo! I'm so happy with this news. Please continue to pray. More after Monday....
Trashy Treasures
I was walking along this morning listening to my Christmas music and not paying any attention to where I was going. I look down to see that I'm 1/2 a step away from a disgusting dead squirrel! Gasp! I swing right and come toe-to-beak with a flattened dead bird! Hello? I need a street sweeper here!!
It's trash day in my neighborhood. I walk along and find something great. In my elderly neighbor's yard is his discarded wreath from his front door. Actually two of them. True, it had seen better days but with a little TLC it can be spiffy again. I picked out the best one and carried it home. I considered both of them, but after all I only have one front door.
I walk around to my old neighborhood and found something else. Someone had thrown away a perfectly good wooden crate thingy. It would be great for magazines or books. 2 of the planks on the bottom are broken but I think I can fix it. One side of the wood is a little worn, but I'll put that side toward the wall. I carried it home and put it on the porch beside my new wreath. I need to walk on trash day more often!
What's on my agenda today? I think a trip to Hobby Lobby is in order.
It's trash day in my neighborhood. I walk along and find something great. In my elderly neighbor's yard is his discarded wreath from his front door. Actually two of them. True, it had seen better days but with a little TLC it can be spiffy again. I picked out the best one and carried it home. I considered both of them, but after all I only have one front door.
I walk around to my old neighborhood and found something else. Someone had thrown away a perfectly good wooden crate thingy. It would be great for magazines or books. 2 of the planks on the bottom are broken but I think I can fix it. One side of the wood is a little worn, but I'll put that side toward the wall. I carried it home and put it on the porch beside my new wreath. I need to walk on trash day more often!
What's on my agenda today? I think a trip to Hobby Lobby is in order.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
This week I bought myself a big hat to wear at the soccer games. No more sun burns for me. I remember when I was little that my mom had a big hat that she wore on the boat. I thought it was funny and ugly.
I put on my hat to model for the kids and heard comments like..."Why did you buy *that* one? Was it the only one they had?" Hey! I thought it looked pretty good.
Oh well, I told them to go ahead and laugh. I guess it served me right. Like mother like daughter I suppose.
I put on my hat to model for the kids and heard comments like..."Why did you buy *that* one? Was it the only one they had?" Hey! I thought it looked pretty good.
Oh well, I told them to go ahead and laugh. I guess it served me right. Like mother like daughter I suppose.
We're HOME!!
Oh it's good!! Such a looooong drive but it went well up until the end. Bird lost it about an hour away from the house. Screaming at the top of her lungs!! I know a good mom would've pulled the car over to spank her. She needed it. However, I was unwilling to alter our ETA set by the navigation system. We made good time, but 14 hours is still a long way. Finally she gave up and rode quietly the rest of the way. My sweet MIL was so sad for her.
FUN fun trip. We looked at 6 houses with the realtor. I met 2 soccer families that were super nice. Great soccer. Good family time. Beautiful place. I'm eager to call it home.
My mom meets with doctors today and tomorrow. Please pray for her. More news later when I hear back from her....
FUN fun trip. We looked at 6 houses with the realtor. I met 2 soccer families that were super nice. Great soccer. Good family time. Beautiful place. I'm eager to call it home.
My mom meets with doctors today and tomorrow. Please pray for her. More news later when I hear back from her....
Sunday, June 10, 2007
So Zekey and I were the ones under the umbrellas yesterday and we're the ones that are sunburned. Since he is too young for sunscreen I don't know what we could've done differently. His little face is red. Not too bad...but still! I feel like such a bad mom. I'm keeping him home today. I hate missing the championship game though.
Honey has his first photo gig in CO! They asked him to take the team photos. It's a freebie, but that's ok.
Our hotel plans fell through when we were about half way up here. BUT...the school is letting us stay in the student housing for FREE!! This place is fantastic. It has 2 bdrms upstairs, 1 downstairs, 2 baths, 6 beds, w/d, full kitchen. Best of all, NO TV! It's just right. This was truly a blessing from the Lord.
It's beautiful here. We're farther from the mountains than I would like. But yesterday we drove to Boulder for the games and we were much closer. It was so pretty. So the good thing is that the mountain drive is very close. I hope to drive around and see more later today.
Oh yes, CT's team is just what we had hoped for! The whole team is good, the whole team is talented...not just a select few. There is a lot of room for growth for him here.
His coach is nice. They played a team from Hawaii yesterday...imagine coming from Hawaii to play in a tournament! We were beating them pretty badly when Coach Dan told the boys to stop scoring on them. Just play and let them have fun. He reminded them of how they feel when they travel and get beat and how it's not that much fun. We want these guys to have fun too. I appreciate that good sportsmanship example. At the end of the game, the Hawaiian boys gave all of our boys a bag of nuts from Hawaii.
Except for the sunburns, it was a wonderful day.
Honey has his first photo gig in CO! They asked him to take the team photos. It's a freebie, but that's ok.
Our hotel plans fell through when we were about half way up here. BUT...the school is letting us stay in the student housing for FREE!! This place is fantastic. It has 2 bdrms upstairs, 1 downstairs, 2 baths, 6 beds, w/d, full kitchen. Best of all, NO TV! It's just right. This was truly a blessing from the Lord.
It's beautiful here. We're farther from the mountains than I would like. But yesterday we drove to Boulder for the games and we were much closer. It was so pretty. So the good thing is that the mountain drive is very close. I hope to drive around and see more later today.
Oh yes, CT's team is just what we had hoped for! The whole team is good, the whole team is talented...not just a select few. There is a lot of room for growth for him here.
His coach is nice. They played a team from Hawaii yesterday...imagine coming from Hawaii to play in a tournament! We were beating them pretty badly when Coach Dan told the boys to stop scoring on them. Just play and let them have fun. He reminded them of how they feel when they travel and get beat and how it's not that much fun. We want these guys to have fun too. I appreciate that good sportsmanship example. At the end of the game, the Hawaiian boys gave all of our boys a bag of nuts from Hawaii.
Except for the sunburns, it was a wonderful day.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
1st soccer game in CO
Undefeated! Championship tomorrow. I'm sunburned even though I was under the umbrella all day. How could that happen?
More news on Mom next week.
More news on Mom next week.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Gone to CO til Wed!
Driving with Halmony, MIL, and 9 kids. We need a Daddy fix! We'll also get to meet CT's new team and watch him play this weekend. Ahhhhh.......
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Hospitality
My good MIL comes tomorrow and is bringing Halmony. It'll be a good time. I'm also looking forward to the break from school.
I wish I had the gift of hospitality, but I don't. It's a good thing that my family isn't shy b/c they might die of thirst before I would think to offer them something to drink. It's not b/c I don't want to, it's b/c it doesn't occur to me. I guess I am so selfish that it is hard for me to think of others. Isn't that SAD?!
I realized this a couple of years ago and I've been on a quest to learn the art of hospitality ever since. I've read a couple of books but have never found one to be of much help. I've learned better by watching others. My next door neighbor is the queen of hospitality. Whenever I pop over unannounced, she answers the door and steps to the side fully expecting me to come in. I noticed that that was different from the way that I answer the door. Meaning I just stand there and visit with you until you leave. After you're gone, then it hits me! Why didn't I invite them in?? AHHHH.
My parents are also hospitable. My dad and step mom's house has a little guest house that is just right for us. When we visited over Christmas, it was stocked with all sorts of foods that they knew we liked. Before then, they just had a guest room. When I stayed with them there, the guest room was so comfy with candles and things that were convenient. I felt like I was in a bed and breakfast. Sweet.
My mom has everything that any guest would ever need. She is prepared for anything. It doesn't even matter how many come, she can be ready. She has every drink you can think of and tons of food. I don't even have an extra pillow for my guests!
Every visitor is a new chance for me to grow. So when we know that G'ma is coming, the kids and I have a meeting to discuss what we can do to make G'ma's visit good. LB thought of a great one.....keep dixie cups in the bathroom for Great G'ma b/c she always needs a drink at night. Isn't that thoughtful? I would've never thought of that. She also likes paper towels in the bathroom so we bought a paper towel holder.
Tomorrow I'm going to unpack the coffee pot and make apple muffins. They are Halmony's favorite. I'm looking forward to having them...the company, not the muffins.
I wish I had the gift of hospitality, but I don't. It's a good thing that my family isn't shy b/c they might die of thirst before I would think to offer them something to drink. It's not b/c I don't want to, it's b/c it doesn't occur to me. I guess I am so selfish that it is hard for me to think of others. Isn't that SAD?!
I realized this a couple of years ago and I've been on a quest to learn the art of hospitality ever since. I've read a couple of books but have never found one to be of much help. I've learned better by watching others. My next door neighbor is the queen of hospitality. Whenever I pop over unannounced, she answers the door and steps to the side fully expecting me to come in. I noticed that that was different from the way that I answer the door. Meaning I just stand there and visit with you until you leave. After you're gone, then it hits me! Why didn't I invite them in?? AHHHH.
My parents are also hospitable. My dad and step mom's house has a little guest house that is just right for us. When we visited over Christmas, it was stocked with all sorts of foods that they knew we liked. Before then, they just had a guest room. When I stayed with them there, the guest room was so comfy with candles and things that were convenient. I felt like I was in a bed and breakfast. Sweet.
My mom has everything that any guest would ever need. She is prepared for anything. It doesn't even matter how many come, she can be ready. She has every drink you can think of and tons of food. I don't even have an extra pillow for my guests!
Every visitor is a new chance for me to grow. So when we know that G'ma is coming, the kids and I have a meeting to discuss what we can do to make G'ma's visit good. LB thought of a great one.....keep dixie cups in the bathroom for Great G'ma b/c she always needs a drink at night. Isn't that thoughtful? I would've never thought of that. She also likes paper towels in the bathroom so we bought a paper towel holder.
Tomorrow I'm going to unpack the coffee pot and make apple muffins. They are Halmony's favorite. I'm looking forward to having them...the company, not the muffins.
Monday, June 04, 2007
Cute picture of Froggy. Check out those cheeks!
http://thetaggs.smugmug.com/gallery/2950782#159448642
http://thetaggs.smugmug.com/gallery/2950782#159448642
Sunday, June 03, 2007
No More Open Houses
This was quite a day. Actually it never got better from yesterday.
Yesterday #1 messed up the lawn mower by putting in the wrong oil. My neighbor came over to help. It never started. My daughter felt terrible. We have another mower so she planned to finish it this morning.
Know what? That one broke too. Open house today and the back yard needs mowing. I couldn't think of what to do. I cried. At Honey's suggestion, I called a different neighbor that doesn't go to church and asked to borrow his. Even better, he came over and fixed it. Thank you Lord.
I got in a huge fight with Honey and screamed at him over the phone. Times are stressful, tempers are flaring. I apologized later but still didn't want to talk to him.
Open house today and two people came. Two. Oh well, it only takes one right?
Yesterday #1 messed up the lawn mower by putting in the wrong oil. My neighbor came over to help. It never started. My daughter felt terrible. We have another mower so she planned to finish it this morning.
Know what? That one broke too. Open house today and the back yard needs mowing. I couldn't think of what to do. I cried. At Honey's suggestion, I called a different neighbor that doesn't go to church and asked to borrow his. Even better, he came over and fixed it. Thank you Lord.
I got in a huge fight with Honey and screamed at him over the phone. Times are stressful, tempers are flaring. I apologized later but still didn't want to talk to him.
Open house today and two people came. Two. Oh well, it only takes one right?
Saturday, June 02, 2007
House Cleaning Blues
We cleaned house today. I started the day with grand plans of cleaning the kitchen myself, made list for everyone else, had jobs for the little ones, and planned shifts with the babies. This usually works ok. Today, not so much. Things were not moving very smoothly, babies were everywhere it seemed, my bed never got made.
By lunch time I was frustrated, tired, and still had a messy house. On top of that I was feeling irritated with my babies for being so needy when I had "important" things to do. How wrong is that!?
Time to change my strategy. No more blitzing it all in one day. Now I'm going to pass out 30 minute jobs everyday to each person in addition to daily chores. If all goes according to plan, by Friday we'll have put in a lot of accumulated hours of cleaning.
It was sort of important to have the house clean today because.......OPEN HOUSE tomorrow!! YIPEE!! Oh, I pray the Lord will send just the right one to my open house. I hope it doesn't rain.
So we all have to be gone tomorrow from 2-4pm, even Joey. That is smack dab in the middle of nap time. My plan is to go have snowcones, then hang out at the Circle Park.
Gotta go finish cleaning.....
By lunch time I was frustrated, tired, and still had a messy house. On top of that I was feeling irritated with my babies for being so needy when I had "important" things to do. How wrong is that!?
Time to change my strategy. No more blitzing it all in one day. Now I'm going to pass out 30 minute jobs everyday to each person in addition to daily chores. If all goes according to plan, by Friday we'll have put in a lot of accumulated hours of cleaning.
It was sort of important to have the house clean today because.......OPEN HOUSE tomorrow!! YIPEE!! Oh, I pray the Lord will send just the right one to my open house. I hope it doesn't rain.
So we all have to be gone tomorrow from 2-4pm, even Joey. That is smack dab in the middle of nap time. My plan is to go have snowcones, then hang out at the Circle Park.
Gotta go finish cleaning.....
Friday, June 01, 2007
Shop Til Ya Drop
Lots of fun with #1 this afternoon. We got the babies down for naps and hit the stores. First we stopped and got icees then hit the resale shop. She found 5 shirts and 2 pair of pants. I got 2 shirts for her sister. On the way back we stopped into the new antique shop. Cute place. Stuff in every corner. #1 got some stationery for $1 and a gift for a friend. After that, we poked around in Thrift Town and found a couple of other outfits. She got 2 more shirts, I got a pair of pants for $1 (yes, a $1!), 3 shirts, and a new book. I think we spent about $50 in all for everything. Not bad for so many new clothes. #1 was excited to have so many new things. I had a great afternoon with my daughter. Tonight I'm looking forward to digging into my new book. It's something about making your house pretty. Since I'm getting a new house soon I'm sure to learn something.
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