Yogurt Making (The Easier Way)

So my crock pot yogurt was a bust.  But I thought I'd show you this super simple way to make yogurt in case your crock pot yogurt doesn't work either.  This takes a whole 5 minutes.

This yogurt maker is fantastic.  I was surprised to see how expensive it is though.  I've had mine for several years and I think I paid 1/2 of what Amazon is asking.  But even so, I'd buy it again.  It's easy to use, no frills, and very reliable.  Besides if you are buying a lot of greek yogurt you will make it up in the savings at the grocery store in no time.  

So here goes.  

1. Fill up the removable canister with a quart of milk. 

I use whole milk. 

2. Heat it on the stove until it's about 120 degrees.  Give or take.  It doesn't have to be perfect. 

(WHY is my picture turned the wrong way??)

3. In the empty canister pour in 1/4 C. powdered milk and 1/2 C. yogurt.  

Now you can leave out the powdered milk but it makes it thicker.   Using your own homemade yogurt is optimal but you can also use greek or regular.  Just whatever you have....but make sure it's plain. 

4.  Pour the warm milk in the canister and mix it all up.  

5. Put it in the yogurt maker and plug it in.  

You can let it "cook" anywhere from 4-24 hours.  Play around with it and see what you like.  I usually leave mine anywhere from 10-12 hours.  Then pull it out and put it in the fridge until it's cold.  Save out 1/2 C. to use for your next batch and ENJOY!!  

You can also strain it through cheesecloth to make it thicker.  But if you are using whole milk, greek yogurt (or your own homemade) plus the powdered milk, it'll be pretty thick already.  

What Happens When I Don't Sleep

I ended the day at 8:30pm sharp.  And when I say I went to bed, I don't mean I came to bed and read until my real bedtime.  I mean I went to bed...sound asleep.  I fell asleep with a lot of things on my mind, and praying for my extended family.

But then.  I woke up at 10:15.  Like it was just a nap and not really going to bed for the whole night.  But the funny thing is that now I'm WIDE AWAKE with the same things on my mind but thinking a bit clearer.  

So here's the deal.  I'll never get back to sleep until I talk some of it out and my man is asleep and would probably frown on me talking his ear off.  And I'm guessing that once I get started it'll be too long to text my friends that still might be awake.  So forgive my random babbling (as if that's something new) as I try to talk out the circus going on in my head.....

Hard Things I Need To Figure Out...

~Food.  Food is hard.  And here's why.  My family eats a lot of food.  A lot of food costs a lot of money.  We don't have a lot of money for food.  A lot of food takes a lot of time.  Time to organize it. Time to think through it (hello neglected menu planning).  Time to drive to town to buy it.  Time to cook it.  Time to clean it up.  And I'm starting to have a very bad attitude towards the whole thing.   

~School.  I'll just say it...I'm not the homeschooling type.

I'm not the kind of homeschool mom that creates a lap book and glittery craft for everything we study.  I don't require my kids to write a report on everything new they experience.  I don't hit every co-op, field trip, and park day.  I don't buy into most government school conspiracy theories.  I don't go to conferences every year or read Old Schoolhouse Magazine.  And I will never ever get excited over anything history related. I don't feel like I fit in with the typical homeschool crowd.  And while I'm ok with that part of it, I do wish I could share some of their enthusiasm.

However, I do love being with my favorite people all day every day.  I love being the mom at home, reading, cooking, hanging clothes on my clothes line, and everything that Ma Ingalls probably did back in the day.  Except the whole outhouse business.  None of that.  Or wearing dresses.

Don't get me wrong.  I love learning.  I love books.  I love reading and trying new things.  I love it when my kids pour over a new book every day for a month.  And I especially love it when they discover something brand new all by themselves.  It's just that I don't like the part that involves actually doing school.  Like sitting at the table and doing math.  And grading people's writing projects.  But I'm not at all comfy with the unschooling movement so it must be done.  I recognize the importance and it must be done well whether it's my favorite or not.    And yes, I understand the privilege it is.  I know how blessed I am.  I get it.  But can I just be honest and say I don't like the school part of it?

~My schedule.  It's all wrong.  I can't quite put my finger on it....or maybe I can.  I'm doing ok with housework.  Laundry is fairly easy.   I can fake the food thing and do enough to get by.   But something is wrong.  I think I'm wasting too much time on my phone.  In other words...checked out when I should be engaging life.  And part of the reason I check out is because I'm feeling overwhelmed with the hard stuff.  

~Older kids.  Little kids are so easy.  You guys with babies and toddlers....you have NO IDEA how easy you have it (in my opinion).  But once kids get bigger, everything is not so cut and dry.  Because not only do you have your own life issues to deal with, you also have to help them navigate the turbulence.  And I totally suck at it!  I read a story from a mom who told how she had been upset with her 8yo all day, but then took the time to sit down and pull her into her lap and the kid opened up and talked about all kinds of things that were bothering her.  Ya'll...that's not me!  In fact, I feel so sorry for my girls that have to have me for their mom.  Because I'm sure girls need stuff like that and I'm so not touchy, feely, emotional.  I feel more confident with my boys b/c let's face it....boys are what-you-see-is-what-you-get.  And perhaps my girls are a little like that too just because they have no choice.  

~I'm splitting my hive this week.  This is both hard AND the funnest thing I have going on right now. 

I wish more of my family liked them as much as I do.  This is prime swarm season and this upcoming split is on my mind a lot. 

Some Ideas....

~Ma Ingalls said, "What must be done, is best done cheerfully."  

My attitude needs to change.  Sunday my pastor made a passing comment about "choosing your attitude" and I need to choose a more cheerful one.   Because let's face it, when I have a bad attitude I'm only feeling sorry for myself.  And (#1) my children will follow my example, (#2) it is unthankful, and (#3) it is a tool of Satan.  

~Engage life.  Help my kitchen worker in order to re-train some bad habits.  Stop griping about what I don't like and be more involved in changing it.  Have screen free days.  Play more games.  Get rid of the loser games that are crowding the closet.  Go outside.   Be finished with my own chores and Bible study by 7:30.  

~I need to talk less.  Judge less.  And love more.  

Some Observations.....

~ I am shamefully unsympathetic and offend ppl without meaning to.  But I also think we need to be less offended and quit wasting our lives being mad.  Because people are messed up and that's just how it is.  So can I say that it's a good idea to stop worrying about hurt feelings and just love regardless?  As long as we live on this side of the cross people are going to fall apart.  And we need to love them through it and quit worrying about how it affects us.  Love God, love people.  The end.  

~And part of loving people is praying for them.  Even hateful people that are hard to deal with.  Especially those.  It is actually a privilege to have these hard people in your life because God is giving you an opportunity to intercede and also to soften your own heart.  Oswald Chambers says without intercessory prayer that lives would be impoverished.  And God wants us to engage the hard and not judge and turn away from it.  

Time for bed.  Again.

Some Farm News And Other Stuff

Aside from some residual hacking I believe my family is finally well!  And with the weather being nice and birthday extravaganza about to begin, it could not come at a better time.  

Here's some random smiles of last week.....

First some farm news.

~I'm still not exactly sure what happened to my bees.  I took some frames to bee class and everyone pretty much ruled out parasites and disease.  That was a relief.   And because every beekeeper has a different opinion, I got some different answers as to what it could've been.  I think I've decided it was queen failure.  There wasn't much brood, indicating that my queen could've died.  And it being so late in the year they didn't have time to rear a new one.  

That said, I still don't feel entirely comfortable reusing that wax....just in case.  So my plan is to cut it out and save it for the summer when I can melt it in my DIY solar wax melter (I can't wait to try this!!) and to replace the wax.   I've never built my own frames or replaced foundation so this will be a first for me too.  LOVE beekeeping!!! 

OH!  And how could I forget?  I also learned how to split a hive last week.  So next month when it is warmer I'm planning on splitting my strong hive into two hives.  EXCITED!!!

Do you remember this guy?  He's the kitten Lane found that was hit by a car.  She found him on the day we were leaving for the STATE GAME and brought him home and nursed him back to health.  He's made a full recovery and since I couldn't talk anybody into taking him  has made himself quite at home.  He's really the sweetest little thing and I'm loving his cuteness.  

Insert intermission of the farm news to bring you this...speaking of STATE CHAMPS my shirt finally came in!  

(Farm news continues....)

We are still enjoying our pickles from last year.  In all the afternoons of canning I learned...

1. pick when they are small

2. don't use dill or cayenne 

3. half gallon jars are where it's at 

4. my family can finish a 1/2 gallon jar in 10 minutes 

Now we are discussing just what to plant next month and what is worth the space and what isn't.  My neighbor came and tilled up our spot and it looks so brown and fresh and ready.  

~The chickens have continued to lay well through the winter though we still have to buy eggs from the feed store.  I'm hoping to get 25 chicks from 4H next month.  

The end of farm news. 

~Last week I tried making yogurt in the crockpot.  There are lots of recipes floating around and everyone claims it to be so easy.  

Well it's not.  I wasted a whole gallon of milk and the last of my greek yogurt.   GRrrrrrr.....

BUT I did make it in my yogurt maker after that and I forgot how easy and perfect it is.  I'm eating a lot of yogurt these days.  

~I continued with the 4 weeks challenge and got some things cleaned up.  But with birthday fun around the corner, it'll still seem messy until it's over.  Oh so worth it!  

~I'll leave you with our menu for next week.....

Sat - Pizza 

Sun - Burgers and fries, oreo cake (Lane's birthday )

Mon - frozen pizza and strawberry cake (Josh's birthday)

Tues - roasted chicken, broccoli, salad

Wed - Burrito Bowls

Thurs - Baked potato and chicken casserole

Friday - roasted veggie enchiladas

Today I'm having some kiddos do some freezer cooking for me.  

Carrot cake and cocoa muffins.  We will pull these out next week on the days when we don't have time to make snacks.

24 Days And A Bee Update

So.  According to my calendar my kids and husband have been sick for 24 days.

Y'all.  24 days.

And last night I had heard the last croupy cough I could deal with and finally broke down into a good self-pity cry.

But now.  Life is good again.  And sometimes tears just help that happen.  Amen ladies?

So today I made a trip to Walmart and picked up a nice big bottle of Lysol.  And it cracks me up that it is Fresh Linen scented.  Because the best time to unleash the Lysol is when you're in the middle of puke and flu and all manner of everything that is the opposite of fresh laundry.   So I've decided the good makers of Lysol made that scent special for the frazzled mom who would LIKE to have fresh laundry, but instead has barf all over the bathroom.

Then I headed for the Nyquil section.  Did you know they make HUGE jug-like bottles of Nyquil?   Now this made me feel much better.  Because apparently there are folks out there that are so sick that they decide ahead of time they are going to need the 2 liter size before it's all said and done.  So 24 days suddenly seems rather short.

But it's not over.  I think the worst may be behind us though.  4 of us made it to church Sunday.  Nobody has fever.  My man is back at work.  I've washed sheets and blankets and I'm sleeping in my own bed again.

Thankful for God's healing power and the awesome way He made our bodies.

Saturday brought some bad news.

Remember I told you that one of my hives didn't have any activity?  Well Saturday was nice enough that I could get in there and see what was going on.  And I can't even tell you the sick feeling of finding all those bees DEAD.  The super was still full of honey but empty of bees.  So we removed that and dug into the brood chamber to find some very funky looking frames and lots of dead bees.
It was a very strong hive going into the winter and I'm not too sure what has happened.  My bee people looked at the pictures and have suggested parasitic mite syndrome (PMS).

I can't tell.  The comb is so dark I can't distinguish the brood pattern and I don't have any supercedure cells.  So I don't know.  Bee class is tomorrow and I'm taking in several frames to show them.   The boys and I added that super to the other hive and removed the dead hive.  I'll paint it and get it ready for the next colony.

But my other hive looks crazy strong!  Like it's already ready for a split.  Which I have no idea in the world how to do but I figure it's time to learn.  

More Cleaning Day 4

I'm plugging along at the 4 week challenge and getting quite a bit cleaned out. 

 

I combined 2 days worth because I've got sick people again and things can become messy quick. 

 

Besides the regular "get dressed and follow your morning routine and make a list", the assignments for the last 2 days are...

 

~Quick clean the bedroom

~Clean out the freezer

~Clean the bathroom

~Clean underneath the bed

~Find 7 (x2) things to get rid of

 

I concentrated most of this on my bathroom.  It was a wreck!  But no more!  I even cleaned out my bathroom drawer, which surprisingly didn't have a lot to get rid of....just relocate and straighten up.

 

My freezer is clean.  Well, except the one in the garage and that doesn't count because it's too cold to defrost it and I'm not going to clean it out without defrosting it so that has to wait. 

 

The 14 things were easy.  This is just a small part of it.  There's a pile in the girls' room to drop off at the church this afternoon for our missions garage sale. 

 

 

Under the beds will have to wait too since I have so many sick people in beds right now.  :-(

I'm hoping there's a "wash everyone's bedding" assignment coming up b/c well,  PUKE FEVER COUGHING .....yeah. 

 

This Week's Menu Plan

I didn't realize just how important coconut was to us until now.  Azure Standard didn't delver my coconut last month and I have still not gotten any at the grocery store.

This puts a huge kink in breakfast since my kids eat granola almost every day.  And it's just not worth making without the coconut.  So why can't I remember to buy it??

So there's been some other breakfast foods going on.  Some baked goods like coffee cake and muffins.  But mostly oatmeal.  Because let's face it, EASY!  

~~~~~~

Lunches are predictable.  I just can't count of enough leftovers anymore.  So I rotate these 5 things during the week....

~tuna and crackers

~nachos

~soup/sandwiches (split pea soup this week)

~bean burritos

~leftovers (by Friday there's bound to be something!)

~~~~~~~

I'm trying to do better about snacks.  But really, they just aren't a priority to me.  I used to do a lot of popcorn for school days.  But I think I burned everyone out on that.  Right now I have oatmeal cookies in the freezer.  We also do a lot of peanut butter and crackers because the littler kids like to make that for everybody.  

~~~~~~~~

I'm making some THM foods this week.  I have not been crazy about the snack foods or drinks, but the dinners have been pretty good.  Still not sure what I think of it all but I've enjoyed some of the recipes.  

~crabby patties (my kids loved these!), buffalo cauliflower, salad

~buffalo chicken in the crockpot, fish (because I didn't have enough chicken for everyone), cauliflower mac&cheese (yummy!), peas

~chili and cornbread

~enchiladas and refried beans w/chips and salsa

~cheeseburger pie with baked beans and salad

~pizza

~Date night! Nachos (I think) 

4 Weeks To A More Organized Home Series

I'm linking up with Money Saving Mom and 4 Weeks To A More Organized Home.

The thing I like about this particular challenge is that it involves small steps and easy assignments.
Usually when I try to achieve a goal, I will load myself down with 37 different things on my to-do list.  Just looking at it makes me tired and I never get even 1/2 of it done.   I don't have time for big projects and I need something that will be quick yet make a difference.

So today's assignments are...

Day 2 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life!}

(I'm wearing jeans and a sweat shirt.  I'm not too picky about what I wear around the house. This is evident by the fact that I rotate between my 3 favorite t-shirts.) 

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

(Goals today: work on cookbook, plan history, clean out bathroom drawer, work on Z's scrapbook, do something fun with COW)

::Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}

This is the one I keep in my notebook. 

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick-clean of your kitchen: wash the dishes/load the dishwasher, clear off the countertops, and, if you have time, wipe down the countertops and the outside of the cupboards with wet rag or cleaning cloth.

(I did this after lunch.  In a perfect world, or in somebody else's house, this might take 15 minutes.  In my house, it's more like an hour.)  

::Clean out your refrigerator. There’s a step-by-step guide for cleaning out your refrigerator here.

(This is a project for after supper.  The fridge is pretty clean so this won't take long.)  

::Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

(3 books, a pair of baby socks, a jacket, a metal pie pan, and a bracelet.  Check!!)

Messy Muffins And Fancy Planners

So how do you know Jesus?

This is what came up when I opened my laptop.   And I can only assume that it is left over from Honey's youth lesson last week.  But this morning it seemed like my laptop was trying to start a friendly conversation with me about a mutual Friend.  Like..."So how do you know Susie?  Where did ya'll meet?"

And I thought how pleasant a way to get to know someone or to even begin to witness.  A lot nicer than, "If you died today do you know you are going to Heaven?" And I don't mean to say that we should ever take out the essential components of the Message of sin and hell, but just that sometimes there might be a friendlier approach at the beginning.   People want to feel loved...and liked.  And not like they are your current project.

Now for my memory work this week... It's from 1 Cor 13

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I am ashamed to say that RARELY can I relate to this at all.  The fact is, that I am grumpy, proud, angry, unkind, and probably impossible to live with.  Memorizing this and internalizing this are two different things.  I want both.  

~This week we have ice and snow.  And oh the moans and groans on Facebook. And I'm like...it's WINTER people!!  It's fine!  And winter moisture is a good thing.  I learned from my Colorado experience that its good to be content no matter what kind of day God creates.  Not that I always DO this especially during football games , but it is a good thing to pray about when I find myself becoming discontent.  

~Mally is COW this week.  2 nights in a row she wanted to stay up and make tomorrow's breakfast.  She's getting to be pretty good in the kitchen these days.  The first night she made Cinnamon Toast Cake from start to finish without a hitch.  It was perfect.  

And though this has nothing to do with it, the next morning she observed that even though she doubled the recipe it was gone in 10 minutes and everyone was still hungry.  She got a teeny glimpse of how much food and effort it takes to really feed a crowd.  And she wasn't discouraged by it, but was just thinking of how to do it better next time.  

Last night she wanted to make muffins.  A little trickier so I stayed to help.  Just when we were all finished, she picked up the muffin pan to put it in the oven and DROPPED it!!  Muffin batter all over the floor, stool, and cabinets.  I could tell she wanted to cry.  I did too.  

~This is how Mally and ZBoy like to decorate the pages on my planner.

They think they are just passing the time but they have no idea how much I love to turn the page and see these drawings.

~All 3 of my teenagers are working the Growing Kids Sale today.  That means all cars are gone and the younger kids and I are home to enjoy the day together.  Have I mentioned how much I LOVE being home with them?

On A Saturday

So remember I said we were all better and the puke fest was over?

I lied.

In fact we were hit 2 more times. One of them being very dramatic, extremely messy, and involving 1/2 a gallon of bleach and a new mop.
Lucky for him that he lives in a family that will tease him mercilessly about it for the rest of his life.

But now it's been 3 days. And there is even a possibility that I may get to go to church tomorrow. In fact, Meg came over for supper tonight and she has not stepped foot in this house since the plague hit. So those are both good signs.

I woke up early this morning with big plans. Plans of cooking about 10 different things. But those plans didn't materialize because the kitchen sink was broken and the water had to be turned off to the whole house. It ended up being a trip to town for more parts and several hours of no kitchen sink.

But I still managed to make spaghetti and a few more things. And the sink is working again. Did I mention that my man is a hero?

Gone!

Look what's missing!! 

Isn't this the sweetest little face EVER??  And being the baby of the family he has this whole tooth fairy thing figured out and knows that Mom and Dad always take you out to lunch when you lose your first tooth.  

I get a tad emotional over lost teeth.  This little smile will never be the same and he will be changing at lightening speed from here on out. 

I am totally smitten with this guy.  And his precious mouth. 

The Puke Fest Is Over

I think.
I hope it's over
I pray it's over.
And we are moving on with life as though it is over.

As a matter of fact, at this point, my children are forbidden to puke again for at least another year.

And get this. According to my nifty way of journaling inconsequential family news, the kids have been sick this very same week THREE YEARS IN A ROW!!

I have a theory.

It's all because of the Valentine Bowl. The very yucky valentine dessert my kids ask for every year that I refuse to make unless it's Valentines Day. It's the only explanation.

So now it's time to disinfect the bathrooms and wash the sheets again.

Speaking of bathrooms..... after several weeks, a few trips to the store, and waking up to soaked bathroom rugs, Honey fixed the potty in our bathroom. And people, when you have as much unpleasant bathroom business as we have had the past week, you need all the working pots you can get!

Since we seem to be very hard on potties, kitchen sink faucets, and door knobs, he also bought us a brand new door knob that I couldn't be prouder of. And It probably explains why we never get invited to anybody's house. They want to keep their door knobs nice. And who could blame them?

So we are back in business. And happy to be amongst the living. Next year we will be stocking up on some essential oils, vitamin C, and a valentine dessert stuffed with all manner of super foods.

Ramblings Of Recently

This morning started with a squabble involving 3 boys and a dozen eggs.  By 7am I had given 3 different speeches on peacemaking and the difference between cooked eggs and raw.

And cleaned up broken glass.

And stuck my hand in a web of nastiness that had FREAK OUT written all over it.   Only I was too tired to do that so I just washed my hands.  27 times.

~We have been battling the stomach bug all week.  Each kid has taken a turn on a different day.    

And this scene is becoming commonplace.  

Good news is that there aren't many of us left who haven't had it so it has to be over soon.  

In the meantime, there's been lots of crackers, juice, sprite, and cartoons.  

~In other news,  Josh finally lost a tooth! And I'm here to tell you it was long overdue.  At his last ortho appt, Dr Harper told him that he plans to retire in 15 years and he'd appreciate it if he'd get some teeth out before then.  It's about time.

~Did you go to the Savers sales last weekend?  Because if you missed it, you were the only one who did.  It was sooo crowded!  I came home with a big bag for $23 that included 2 purses, a winter coat for ZBoy, a pair of shoes and some miscellaneous clothes items.  

Now that Mally is older she has this Savers day figured out and knows it's a girls shopping trip that she doesn't wanna miss.  She takes turns shopping with her sisters, trying on clothes, and trying to talk me into buying everything.   This time she saw all the barbies hanging up in bags....naked.
In a heartbroken voice she said, "MOM!!  Do you see how they treat their barbies?!  Those poor babies."

~This is what I've been looking at this week...

These bunk beds are perfect.   We are wanting to replace the metal ones with wood.  I  LOVE these....but I don't love the price.

This blog shows how this family has organized their 1100 square foot house to fit 11 people.  She has some good ideas on all kinds of things.

Limeade! Because summer is right around the corner.  I've been wanting to try this but it requires a trip to the store and, well with puke and all, it ain't happening.  

On A Saturday Night

Watch this.

Mañana.

White girl from the south blogging in Spanish. Well I can tell you I was just as surprised as you. But when I was texting Meg to ask her about her plans tomorrow I decided to try to type one of the six Spanish words I know. And it worked even though I spelled it wrong. Thank you auto correct.

And now, in addition to washing dishes and changing diapers, I can add typing in Spanish to my list of talents. My kids will be impressed.

So today I made a ton of soup to be ready to take some to the church soup cook off. I texted Dana (in English) and found out that it really was this Sunday. I asked my kids what soup we should make and everyone had a different idea. My man said potato so I went with that even though my potato soup is not near as good as Nana's. So when dinner was ready, nobody was really impressed and the only comments were "next time Nana comes can we ask her to make soup?" I'm not counting on any prize.

Other than making soup I pretty much did nothing except walk with my neighbor for awhile and spy on my bees.

My bees.

Oh y'all. I'm so worried about one of my hives. There is hardly any activity. Several dead bees on the porch that I cleaned up and hardly a hum when I press my ear to the hive body. I just don't know....
But one hive seems strong and busy. Next year I will do a different overwintering plan.

Anyhow.

I have a Netflix show. My first one. And I won't tell you what it is because it's a British show that has some words and I really can't recommend it unless you have a man that watches it first and can mute that sentence. But suffice it to say its right up there with Star Trek and 1980s wrestling. And people, it's hard to beat 1980s wrestling. My man introduced me to it probably in a desperate attempt to add variety to our Duck Dynasty date nights.

I will leave you with this. The verse I've been memorizing in Philippians chapter 1

3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Adios ya'll! 

Half Way Into February

So remember my goal for February?  It had something to do with every cabinet, drawer, and closet being cleaned out and organized.  Welllll.......

It's slow going.  So far we've cleaned out from under the kitchen sink (which is messy again), the laundry room cabinets, refrigerator, and a couple of school cubbies.  But at least it's something and I'm hoping to get to a couple of rooms next week.  

We had a marathon cleaning day this week.  And nothing makes Momma smile like a clean house.  AMEN?  

Every floor, every bathroom, every flat surface, windows, porches, and dusting.  Ahhhhh....... 

~We've also spend a crazy amount of time getting ready for Valentines Day.  I tell you, sometimes Pinterest is the devil.  

Next year I've decided it will be simpler.  

But we had a fantastic night.  I was so happy to have all my kids home again.  And even though this is Meg's 2nd married Valentines Day, we've never had to celebrate without her.  This year June joined us and made it even more fun.  

But no Lane.  And that was sad.  She texted me early from her bed telling me she had been throwing up all night.  Then all day she slept and tried to keep food down while the rest of the kids steered clear.  My poor baby.  She had to stay in her room and miss everything! 

   

But today she woke up better.  PTL!  

Tomorrow is Sunday which means we need to spend this evening getting ready for church and then laying around all day after that.  I think it is a soup/chili cook off after church.  But I don't know for sure and how awkward would that be to show up with soup on the wrong day. 

  

New Rules And More Snow

It snowed!!!  Again.

Doesn't it seem like we've gotten an unusual amount of snow and ice this year?  Or maybe because this is my first year to have bees and the snow and ice make me worry about them and I didn't have that concern before.  Who knows.

Anyhow, it snowed.

And my people could not be happier.  Hot chocolate, snow clothes, snow men, video games, a Redbox movie that is long overdue, a new Kindle book, Daddy working from home, and some tomato soup.

Speaking of snow clothes.  This is what happened.  The first day I noticed that my little people barely needed any help at all getting all bundled up.  But I ignored it.  Then today!  They did it ALL BY THEMSELVES.

And I still haven't gotten over it.

I'm pretty sure this is the coldest Arkansas winter I can remember.  And other than a crazy electric bill, we are kinda enjoying it.  Or I am anyway.  Until I have to go somewhere.  Then I don't enjoy it anymore.

~Meg is coming over today but there is more snow so her daddy just left to pick her up.  Tonight we are making pizza and Meg is going to teach me how to make a cauliflower pizza crust.  I KNEW we were related!

~Guess what?  Only one week into Trim Healthy Mama and my man has lost 7 pounds.  I don't expect this every week but it's an encouraging start.  I'm still trying to figure it out. I've just now hit the chapter that includes recipes so next week ought to be fun.  Except I'm out of grocery money, which makes it not quite as much fun.  Gotta figure out the grocery budget leak!

~Little kids' bedtimes were getting later and later around here.  And since they get up early in the morning, I decided to change things up.  New routine..... after read aloud time and teeth brushing they can read in bed until 9.  At 9pm it's lights out and Mom comes in to put chapstick on little lips and kiss them goodnight.  Then their lips have to stay closed for the chapstick and kiss to sink in overnight.  The chapstick routine has made bedtime sweeter and they say, "Don't forget the lip thing!"

~I guess it was a week for new rules.  We've also had issues with frowny faces and wet noodles when Mom asked them to do something.  I hate pouts and whines.  So if this is you, you get to sit in a chair in the middle of the room and practice your smile for 5 minutes with a timer.  If you are caught not smiling your biggest smile, the timer starts over.  So far at the end of the 5 minutes they are in a much more cheerful mood.  And I've had one little girl, who after a warning look, said "I'm happy, I don't need to practice my smile."

~Before I forget, for those of you who have asked, Christian's graduation is April 26.  I hope ya'll come!

On A Saturday

It's February, and a whole month of 2014 is behind us. 

And I like February because....

1. It's close to spring. 

2. But it's still winter and that means all hot drinks and soups are fair game. 

3. Valentine's Day

And speaking of hot drinks wanta see my new recipe I made today? 

Sugar Free Hot Chocolate

In a saucepan, mix together..

1/4 C. cocoa

1 pinch salt

2 T. truvia

Add..

1/3 C hot water

2 C half & half

2 C milk

Cook this together and stir until it's hot.  

One of the things I love about my man is his supportive nature toward whatever I wanna try next.  Even if it means that HE is my project.  So I'm playing around with the Trim Healthy Mama plan and hoping to help him shed a few pounds.  He's a good sport.  And I assured him he would not turn into a mama when we were done.  

So all day I've been making him different THM foods and he loved the hot chocolate.  It's a keeper. 

~Guess what?  I went out of town all by myself with 2 girlfriends.  I know!  I haven't left my family since that time in CO when I came to AR to see Renee and Jodie.  We went to Little Rock to an adoption conference and had the best time.  We stayed in a hotel that had a tiny coffee pot and little bitty packets of jelly.  UPTOWN people!!  I brought jelly home as a souvenir for all my kids.  

We got lost, ate a ton of food, laughed, told our life stories, critiqued Dana's new hair do, visited the School For The Deaf , got lost, laughed, and ate more food.  

~Look who's in town!  Eddy Carmona! 

He called this morning to see if the boys wanted to kick with him.  UMM, YEAH.
He was working out some injuries and they took turns holding for each other and kicking and learning from Eddy's tips.

~Project February also includes organization of all types.  I hope to go through every drawer, cabinet, closet, nook, and cranny.  As I was sitting in the conference the lady said, "We want to equip you to do your work excellently."  And I wrote that down and decided that I needed to bring that home.  Because nobody can do anything excellently when there is junk all over the place and things are disorganized.

The first order of business is the menu planning/cookbook.  My cookbook is a mess and my menu planning has been lacking.

Next up is school planning.  That doesn't take too long but I spent some time lesson planning our new astronomy and making some notes.  It always feels good to have a plan in place.

It's almost dinner time and I will leave you with my other new recipe that came from Pioneer Woman...
It's delicious.  I didn't have cilantro or a lime so I substituted 2 T vinegar.

Restaurant Style Salsa

Yield: Serves 12

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Homemade restaurant style salsa that will MAKE you eat an entire bag of chips. It's that good!

ingredients:

1 can (28 Ounce) whole tomatoes with juice
2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced tomatoes And green chilies)
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 whole jalapeño, quartered And sliced thin
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (more To taste)
1/2 whole lime, juiced

directions:

1. In a large food processor or blender, combine whole tomatoes, Rotel tomatoes, onion, jalapeno, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, lime juice, and cilantro. Pulse until you get the salsa to the consistency you'd like. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

2. Refrigerate salsa for at least an hour. Serve with tortilla chips.

Some Weekend News

Did you have a good weekend?   I'm rather fond of the recent weather patterns in my neck of the woods.  Cold during the week, but sunny and 60 degree temps for the weekend.  That means kids and dogs are outside!  

~It also means my bees are busy and looking for something to eat.  It's always a sigh of relief to see them out because it means they are still alive.  Some folks have already lost hives this winter.  One of my hives is way stronger than the other so I'm a little concerned about the weakling.   But so far so good.  And I'm thankful.

~Just when we thought Tiger football was over, we learned there was a sports banquet to attend. An awards ceremony if you will.

Now the problem with not being in the public schools is that your kid usually comes home with only 1/2 of the information. And important information too...like tell your mom this is a dress up event and not a jeans and hoodie affair.

Our boy was recognized as Special Teams MVP!! Coach K was ever so sweet, saying it was a big blessing to have him on the team this year and credited him for 1/3 of the game.

Now here in the south when someone says banquet that means FOOD. Maybe BBQ, several variations of potatoes, food items that involve tooth picks, different chicken options, some fancy side dishes, and desserts with swirlies and sprinkles.

Turns out this was a cookies and punch RECEPTION and clearly not a banquet.  I need to work with these folks on titling their gatherings.

~In other weekend news, my kids hosted an airsofting event at grandmas. Not to be confused with a banquet or even a reception for that matter since this was a fancy affair where people were required to bring their own lunch. It was 8 hours of hunting down your friends and peppering them with air soft pellets. They declared it the best time. I'm thinking I got the better end of the deal by hanging out with Meg and cleaning the fridge.

~In the words of Hank The Cow Dog, "We had a murder on the ranch!"  Korrie somehow got into the chicken coop and we are one less chicken. A BABY chicken too!! One that we hatched from a real egg. And it wasn't even a rooster. Because if it were a rooster, well who cares.

~So I read that last sentence and it reminded me of a funny thing that happened last week. Renee texted me to say that their well-house lid blew off.

But when I read it, I thought it said "Well, the house lid blew off".
And I'm like WHAT?? And spent the morning wondering if she was calling her roof the house lid and how it could've blown off. And I think that's what they mean when people mention misunderstandings with text or email.

~Here's something else funny.  Last night during date night, Honey was on the computer helping me with phone related issues.  I was standing over him, holding a bunch of stuff and I dropped my water cup right in his lap getting him all wet!!  .....Maybe you had to be there.  Or maybe not because Honey was there and he didn't think it was as funny as I did.

~This is what happens when his water is frozen.  He steps into the tub and laps up all the water after your shower.   Plus he walks around the house whining because his life is not perfect at the moment and it's just too much to bear.

~I'm not sure what happened but this month has been terrible for my grocery budget.  I have a week left until payday and $15 in my purse.  I planned our dinners for the week based on what was still left in the freezer and told the kids we'd be creative for breakfasts and lunches because I do NOT want to go over budget.   So far they are thinking this is great fun since everything is fair game.  They may be changing their tune come Thursday when we are down to a jar of pickles and a head of cauliflower.
But as for now, they are pulling out all sorts of junk that we somehow end up with but usually don't eat.  And Josh is sweet talking his chickens to be generous.  He's not such a fan of cauliflower.

~And now we are back to Monday.  Otherwise known as The Day We Have To Do Eleven Loads Of Laundry.   But school is done, there's a fire in the fireplace, and dinner in the works.

Life is good.

Distracted With Cookies

So it turns out that I didn't listen to a word my pastor said on Sunday.  And it was all because he started out by saying something about serving at the BCM and needing cookies.

And that's where I checked out.

Cookies.

So I sat there with all manner of cookie thoughts going through my head while everyone else was listening to what was probably a very fine sermon on something important.

Thoughts like...

I wonder if Meg is going to the BCM lunch?
What kind of cookies should I make?
I need to call Meg to see if she's going.
If she's going, I'll probably help serve lunch.
If I don't go, and she does, I wonder if she'll recognize my cookies.
Should I bring the cookies on a paper plate?
Do I have paper plates?
I think we're almost out of foil.
I'll have to see if I can ride with someone because parking will probably be hard.
Penguin cookies are good.
Meg would recognize them.
Or maybe I should try something new.
Wait. I wonder if they meant homemade cookies?

Then all of a sudden we were singing songs again and it was over.  Just like that.
And then, to top it off....I didn't even make cookies.

New Things Of The New Year

I've gotten some new tools this year that I'm absolutely loving! 

First off is this pan!  And ya'll, you should see my other cookie sheets/bar pans. 

Flimsy, crackling, discolored, and horrible.  

But Honey and I were browsing Kohls with my Kohl's cash (thank you Nana!) and I came across this pan.  Actually it's a Food Network brand but it's just about identical to this. 

Commercial grade, huge, and indestructible.  Plus it looks nice.  

I've used it for just about everything. 

Now I'm keeping my eye on the sales at Kohls and hoping to grab another one. 

.

If you're used to paying $2.99 for a cheapy potato peeler, you won't like the $13 price tag on this 

OXO Good Grips Pro Y-Peeler.

But it's worth every penny.  I promise. 

Easy to maneuver, super sharp, dishwasher safe and it gets the job done! 

This was just a necessity.  Plain and simple. 

My brooms and dustpan are tucked in a space between the dryer and the wall. 

They were always falling over, laying across the floor, and a mess. 

Best $7 I've spent all year. 

I wish I had a before and after picture of the shoe situation in my closet. 

Now my shoes don't look anything like these fancy ones, 

BUT I'd say it's a fair representation of what's going on in my closet now!

Except minus about 1/2 of them because I'm kinda a shoe minimalist. 

But doesn't that look nice? 

My kids bought me this book for Christmas and I've finished it, underlined it, and started it again. 

Lots of helpful advice!  

How 'bout you?  Did you get anything neat or helpful for Christmas that's making you smile in 2014?

Because I'm Not That Kind Of (Starbucks) Girl

Well we are nine whole days into the new year and I have nothing to report. 2014 has entered very quietly and a little boringly. Sometimes quiet and boring is nice. But sometimes you're like, HELLO! TIME TO MOVE ON. And I go back and forth between the two.

But Monday I had the most wonderful day with the most wonderful person. Our firstborn turned 22 and I got to spend the whole day with her eating and shopping and talking and laughing. I love that she still wants to spend her birthday with me.

While camping out at Target we made our way to the snack bar place and they have a Starbucks. Meg likes Starbucks. And she was sure I'd like it too. I'll just confess right here and now that it was my first time because I apparently live under a rock and have never understood the hoopla. So she ordered us a salted caramel something or other with complicated words. I don't even understand the lingo these coffee people use. Five dollars later (!!) we get a SMALL but very fancy looking drink with whipped cream and a straw. In a thin plastic cup. Which I don't understand because in my world when you pay $5 you should get a more substantial cup that you can take home and keep forever. But this was not the case.

I took a sip and EWWWW! It was coffee! And that might not be a surprise to you but when she ordered with the complicated words it did not include anything that sounded like coffee. So I was thinking this was going to be some chocolate type of frozen goodness. I was misled.
And it took forever to get that terrible coffee taste out of my mouth so we finally went to the grocery section and broke open a half gallon of white grape juice.

That's more my speed.