my little world

Decisions

2011-05-14T08:37:00.005-06:00

Now that we know Andrea's little pea is a boy, I'm trying to decide which blanket pattern I'd like to use for him. I have it narrowed down to two:

I love the texture of this stitch and think it would make a really warm, snuggly blanket. And I was thinking heather gray, charcoal gray, silver mist, taupe & linen for the colors. Of course, I usually end up changing my mind as I'm shopping.

Or this circles blanket. The gal that crocheted this one also did a version with sock yarn:

I love the multicolored look. Not sure if I can get this look without the $20 per skein sock yarn (yummy, but not so practical). I am partial to these kinds of projects because every circle you work will be different and the surprise of each makes it fun.

What do you think? Color suggestions? Maybe something different all together? And Andrea, feel free to chime in with your preferences of pattern and color.

Meatloaf...Perfected

2011-05-02T17:17:00.003-06:00

There are few meals that everyone in the house enjoys. But meatloaf is one of them. I was bummed to have to miss out on it, with all those breadcrumbs and eggs. It seems, though, that I have perfected an allergy-free, and dare I say, tastier version.

2 tbs flax seed meal
6 tbs water

1 1/2 lbs ground meat (Any combination of turkey, beef or pork will work. I use turkey when I feel like being good, but 1 lb hamburger to 1/2 lb pork is my favorite)
1 onion, finely chopped
3/4 C oats (gluten free if needed)
3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp worcestershire

1/3 C ketchup
1/3 C brown sugar
1 tsp worcestershire

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with foil.

In a small bowl mix flax seed meal and water. Let set for a few minutes.

In a large mixing bowl, mix meat, onion, oats, salt, pepper, ginger and 1 tsp worcestershire. Form into a loaf shape on the cookie sheet.

In a small bowl mix ketchup, brown sugar and 1 tsp worcestershire. Spread over the top and sides of the loaf. Bake for 1 hour.

I always serve this with mashed potatoes and green beans.

Enjoy!

To start your day

2011-04-27T08:51:00.001-06:00

Accepted

2011-04-26T15:00:00.005-06:00

We finally received our acceptance letter! Claire has been accepted as a student at The Ambrose School. We're excited for Claire to start school this fall and even more excited to be a part of such a great school and program! And can I say, I'm just the tiniest bit anxious to see Claire in her cute little uniform...

No words, just cute

2011-04-23T11:52:00.005-06:00

Indecision

2011-04-23T11:02:00.005-06:00

Hard to decide when there's room for two drinks on my mug rug...

Finally.... finished

2011-04-22T21:23:00.004-06:00

The monster hexagon afghan I've been working on for almost a year is complete! Considering it's the project that was always second to a number of other projects that came up, I'm pleasantly surprised to have finished it in under a year.

Eleven colors.

196 Hexagons

1590 ends to weave in.

I love it so much... and it's all mine. The first blanket I've ever crocheted for myself.

And a sneak peek and one of my next projects for someone's little angel.

Ta-Dah!

2011-03-11T08:49:00.006-07:00

The granny ripple for my niece Katelynn is finally done!

I'm going to have a really hard time letting this one go. It's about the size of the area rug in our living room. 24 skeins of yarn, 12 colors & A LOT of work, but she's worth it.

And here's a little spring...

I forgot to share these little cuties. Claire and I made these for Valentine's Day and she shared them with her friends at school.

And because he's just so darn adorable!

We had a family get together of few weeks ago. Elijah decided he needed to join Claire and Sam for a bath, and of course, Coen couldn't be left out. It was a little crazy, but one life's sweet moments. I'm so glad that Claire and Sam have cousins close in age!

Last night of dreamed of crochet

2011-02-19T11:14:00.006-07:00

Yesterday I had a whole two hours to myself. Two hours to watch Bright Star and do a little crochet. I love this movie. The scene at the end, the most convincing crying scene I've even seen, gets me every time. But strange as it sounds, I couldn't keep my eyes off the crochet.

I did a little googling to discover that Sophie Digard created the pieces used in this movie.

The textures, colors, design... divine. So, I dreamed about crocheting pieces as beautiful as hers. All night long. And when I found this pattern, that reminds me a bit of Sophie's work, I just knew I had to add it to my super-long list of things I want to crochet for myself.

I had a great post...

2011-02-14T20:55:00.002-07:00

I had a great post started for you. A post full of updates and photos. A llloooooonngg post. A post I'll probably never finish. But here's what I really want to share on Valentines. I saw this quote today, and I just love it. It reminds me of the pre-marital counseling Jeff and I did. Pastor Everett told us that love is a choice, not an emotion. It's that one wise statement that has gotten us through more rough patches than just about anything else. This quote shares that wisdom:

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because, that is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being 'in love' which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two."

-St. Augustine

Now we're getting somewhere

2010-11-29T16:37:00.002-07:00

Finally... I can see a light at the end of the tunnel!

The day Sam was born I was already counting down the days to having my body back. Losing weight, sleeping well, feeling well, getting back to a pre-baby me. But my road to getting back has been agonizingly slow. No weight loss, still no sleep, feeling pretty crappy and just discouraged by it all. I've been reading books, blogs and websites desperately seeking some answers. I've tried a few different approaches to my diet and have had mixed results. After nearly a month of head to toe unexplained itching (causing me to lose hours of sleep every night) I resigned myself to going to the doctor. Let me tell you, I HATE GOING TO THE DOCTOR! I hate that the usual 5 minute appointment results in a prescription for medications that I really don't want to take. Medicine has it's place, but in general I don't buy into the "A Pill for Every Ill". So, knowing I needed an answer, but not being able to bring myself to make another useless appointment, I searched for a new doctor. An N.M.D. to be specific. I feel so fortunate to have found Dr. Rodgers at Boise Natural Health. Can you believe that our first visit was 2 hours long?! And I walked away with a tentative plan, a few supplements, and not a single medication. Today I had my follow-up visit. What a mixture of being overwhelmed and encouraged. My blood work revealed that I am deficient in Vitamin D (easy enough to remedy with a supplement), but also that I am allergic to... hold on to your hats, people...

Casein
Cheese (Cheddar, Cottage, Mozzarella)
Milk (Cow & Goat)
Whey
Yogurt
Eggs
Banana
Cranberry
Pineapple
Crab
Oyster
Almond
Lima Bean
Corn
Peanut
Rye
Sesame Seed
Spelt
Whole Wheat
Asparagus

Yikes! Enter, overwhelmed.

So, I've got some major diet changes to make. Like going dairy-free and gluten-free. This doesn't mean that I may not be able to enjoy some of my favorite foods on occasion in the future, but for now my diet has been seriously reduced. I'm encouraged that I have a defined plan that should have me feeling better (and hopefully, lighter) soon, but holy cow, this isn't going to be easy. If you have any suggestions or great recipes feel free to share :)

Disconnected

2010-09-16T22:18:00.002-06:00

I'm feeling a bit disconnected.

I'm feeling disconnected because I deactivated my facebook profile. I'm not complaining. I don't know how you all manage it, but for me, facebook is a major time-sucker. "Just checking" always turned into at least 15-20 minutes of browsing. And not just 15-20 minutes a day, but 15-20 minutes several times a day. Considering how little free time I have these days, when re-evaluating how to manage my time better, it was obvious that my beloved FB had to go. All in all I'm on the computer FAR less these days, and that also means I'm missing out on all the updates from my friends. I miss the days when the only way we knew what was going on with our friends was to pick up the phone or get together.

I'm feeling disconnected because I have to spend so much time at home. It's a mixed blessing. I love staying at home and I don't even mind going days without leaving the house. I'm a homebody and I find the daily routine much less stressful if I don't have to fit in an outing. But I miss the days when it was just Claire and I and leaving the house wasn't a major production that had to be squeezed in between bottles and naps.

I'm feeling disconnected because Jeff is so busy. He's not home a lot more than normal the next few months, and when he is home, he's still so busy. The few minutes of conversation we get each day are usually about his work or the kids and are always filled with a plethora of interruptions. I miss the days when it was just Jeff and I and we had the time (and quiet) for our conversations to evolve and move past "How was your day, dear?"

I'm feeling disconnected because God hasn't been my centerpiece. He's been a lovely lamp. Glowing, warm, inviting, helpful... but on the end table. I miss the days when I was on fire.

I'm missing a lot of things. I'm not complaining, because all the things I miss can be mine. I'm blessed beyond measure but I still want more.

To my dear friends and family: I'll miss your smiling FB profiles, but I look forward to our real conversations. Let's have patience, Sam's baby days will soon be drawing to an end and our play-dates, lunches, girl's night out and other get-togethers will resume.

To my dear husband: I look forward to dates, vacation and kids sleeping over at grandma's.

To my dear Lord: I know you're still working on me.

On the Move

2010-09-16T22:01:00.002-06:00

(Click on picture to view video)

Wow, as if I weren't busy before, I'm busy now!

But, busy or not, I've got a new post on the way...

Busy with the little things

2010-07-21T12:08:00.009-06:00

I think I've been doing pretty well with the transition from one to two kiddos. But I've now entered the homebound stage of Sam's infancy. 4+ hours of naps, 3 meals and 4 bottles doesn't leave a lot of time to leave the house, and just barely enough to get my weekly and daily chores done with a smidgen of play time thrown in. I'm LOVING that we are out of the newborn phase. It's not that I don't love cuddling a sweet, precious newborn, but I am happy to be done with sleepless nights, sore boobies and not showering till noon.

Sam

(Sam & Coen)

*is rolling over like crazy now (diaper changes are a challenge to say the least).

*can sit on his own for about 5 minutes when he's in the mood for it.

(When the Mum-Mum is gone)
(Peace is restored with a new Mum-Mum)

*ADORES eating (yogurt, bananas, avacados, apples, pears, plums, nectarines, peaches, peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and rice/oat/barley/spelt cereals), especially his Mum-Mums!

*should have a tooth soon. He chews and drools like some kind of monster.

*squeals when he's tickled.

*has definitely formed an attachment to his blankies.

*puts everything within reach into his mouth including his entire fist and his toes.

*just about loves his sister more than his mommy.

Claire

(Elijah and Claire)

*has become increasingly creative. She recently drew her first picture of our family, cut out fish to represent each of us and can't get enough glitter and shimmer paints on her projects.

*always has some kind of pet bug (moths, beetles, roly-polys) and is learning the harsh reality of death as her friends succumb to life (or rather, the lack of) in a glass jar.

*shows me just how high she can jump about 50 times a day.

*is really enjoying swim lessons and does everything the teacher asks.

*loves Sam like crazy and makes me smile every time she calls him "little one".

*has taken to calling me "mama" and I love it.

*picks flowers for me every single day.

Jeff
*work, work, work, works! I love/hate it. I love that he works so hard to provide for us, but I can't say I love being a summer widow. We're lucky to get about an hour at most with him each day.

Bethany
*is still grain-free (except for the Friday night cheat meal). Not to say they don't occasional slip past my lips, but I'm doing pretty good.

(Grain-Free Granola/Soaking Pepitas and Sunflower Seeds/ Sourdough Starter Day 2)

*is attempting my first sourdough starter. I plan on trying to re-introduce some grains into my diet but will start with only soaked or sourdough as they are much easier on the digestive system, more nutritious, and YUMMY. I've been learning more from Nourishing Traditions and attempting to implement more of her food preparation methods. I've tried soaking nuts to try this tasty grain-free granola. (Added some ground flax and cinnamon and it is to die for)

*will be starting P90X! Well, I was able to borrow the discs from David & Summer and did them for two weeks to find out if I really liked the workouts. I do. They're not easy, but effective (lost a couple of inches of my waist), so I decided to bite the bullet and buy the set including the guides (found it used/new on Amazon).

(Solomon sporting one of his bald spots)

*is finally on the road to getting Solomon better. After several doctor and specialist visits and a skin biopsy we've discovered that he has an auto-immune disease of the skin. His immune system has been attacking his skin. He's been scabby and balding and miserable. After a week of high-d0se steroids, a 45 minute grooming session and a bath I think he's finally on the mend.

Looking forward to a relaxing weekend, and hopefully some time with my lovely niece.

Diapers, Dishes & Dirty Laundry

2010-06-18T13:16:00.014-06:00

It's hard, at the end of each day, to recall anything I've done that doesn't involve childcare or housekeeping. It is my job, and I do love it, but it's nice to have days I can say I did something outside the realm of stay at home mommy. So I'll bore you with a little of the day to day with a splash of something fun (at least, what I think is fun).

Here's the Apple Cozy I made for Mrs. Dockweiler. Didn't it turn out so cute? It was a fun little "less than an hour" project that was perfect for an end of the school year gift.

You can add this to my "Why I wish the cat would just run away" list. We've had several (hopefully just drug-induced) accidents around the house lately. One involved the bean bag chairs. Chasing light as a feather, static crazy, minute pieces of foam around the house for two hours is not how I enjoy spending my evening.

HOLY COW... this girl is growing up way too fast.

Claire got to spend the night with my mom a few weeks ago. She just couldn't wait for grandma to come pick her up.

Watching a movie before bed-time.

Finally got a chance to plant my pots. I think these are my favorite find. They stay closed until the sun shines on them.

Claire checks her tomatoes every day to see if they're ready to eat.

Claire got to go on her fist camping trip! Jeff, Sam and I went to Spokane to see my niece, Kirsten, graduate. (Congratulations, Kirsten!) We didn't think Claire would enjoy it, so my parents agreed to take her camping instead. She had SO MUCH fun.

I made a batch of orange marmalade for my dad as a Father's Day gift. He loves it, so I figured I'd try making some with agave and raw sugar. I'm still not sure how well it will set up, but it tastes delicious. It turned out a really pretty amber color since I used raw agave and raw sugar.

I've been sneaking in crochet here and there (I rarely get more than a few minutes at a time during the day) and just happened to be working up this hexagon when I noticed that it matched my apron. Just thought it was cute.

Here are the colors I picked out for my niece's afghan. It won't be done it time for her birthday, but I think she's excited about it nonetheless. I'm really excited to try out Lucy's Granny Stripe Pattern.

HOLY COW... this boy is growing up way to fast.

And I can't get the photo to import, but I've been making baby food all week. I've made apples, pears, peaches, sweet potatoes and peas. Green beans and squash are next on my list. So far Sam's not a huge fan of bananas or avacados, but overall he's a really good eater and I just love this age and love trying out new foods.

Enjoy the domestic.

Snippets

2010-05-23T12:26:00.003-06:00

Look who learned to roll over this week! It only took a few days before he discovered how much mommy loves it when he rolls over during diaper changes, and that side sleeping means waking up in pain from a sleepy arm. You can also see how well his arms are healing up (they look even better now).

Sam also likes to fall asleep in mid-play.

Loving my daily green juice.

Somehow it's easier to eat your veggies when you prepare them ahead of time and keep them in cute little jelly jars. These are my scrambled egg veggies: broccoli, red pepper, zucchini and shallots.

Say hello to these lovelies. I was inspired by this delicious colour palette. I'm really in love with vintage colors right now. I've got a long list of crochet projects I'd love to make for other people, but I've been craving an afghan for myself. I had such a hard time giving away Coen's Blanket

I knew I needed to make a hexagon afghan for myself. I'm constantly thinking of how I can steal

Claire's Rainbow Blanket without breaking her heart, this should solve my dilema.

Here's a sneak peek.

Have a great week!

Randomness

2010-05-14T21:40:00.004-06:00

Too long, I know. And life has changed so much I couldn't possible fill you in on it all. So, I'm just going to pick back up as if I never left you.

Sam... the burn victim. The yellow with bumblebees isn't shirt sleeves, it's bandages. We went on a 3 hour walk yesterday. Like a good mommy I had Sam all covered up as I carried him around like a marsupial in the baby carrier. What I couldn't see was that his cute, chubby little elbows were sticking out the sides of the carrier. By that afternoon, they were pink. By that evening they were angry red with hint of a blister. By this morning they were weepy, yucky blisters, bigger than a quarter and accusing me of being the world's worst mother. I took him into the doctor and the blisters were open sores by the time we got there, so they bandaged him up and did their best not to make me feel any worse than I already did. Sam is such a happy little guy, he hardly noticed. In fact, he was loving the visit until they gave him his shots. It took him the entire ride home to get over the crying hiccups. He then took a 3 hour nap. What a traumatic day!

Sleepyhead Sam.

Bitter-beer-face Sam.
Making-sure-mommy-will-never-have-a-flat-belly-again Sam (one week before his arrival).
Melt-my-heart Sam.
Make-my-heart-swell Claire.
Daddy's-gonna-buy-a-shotgun Claire.

Tired of the kiddos yet?

Here's the piecing together of a quilt I made my mom for mother's day. I'm such a dummy, I forgot a picture of the finished project. I'm really happy with the way it turned out and even happier that I was able to use up a bunch of my stash making it.
I just did another plastic purge in the kitchen, including most of Claire's sippy cups. She's four, she shouldn't need them, I'm just not brave enough to sit through a meal watching her almost spill her drink at least 400 times. Here's my solution. Super-cute, safer than plastic, big girl cup that has a wide enough base it hopefully won't tip over.
Everything evil. Tasty? Well, honestly, not so much anymore. I recently read Going Against The Grain by Melissa Diane Smith and it changed the way I think about food almost as much as the documentary Food, Inc. I've had a lot of stomach pain lately and have had known wheat sensitivities so decided to do a little research. After reading this book as well as The No-Grain Diet I've made a few changes to my diet.

No grains. Wheat, oatmeal, corn... if it's grain, it's out.
No sugar. I've still been using honey, maple syrup and stevia in small amounts.
Tons more veggies (all organic if possible) including a green juice every morning.
Increased intake of flax seeds.
Baking with almond flour... YUM!

What I've experienced.

A headache the first few days as I detoxed, but nothing since.
More pleasure in the foods I eat. I never realized how sweet asparagus is, or that I actually really like celery. I am much more aware of the flavors of my food. It's as if the grains in my meals were coating my mouth and keeping me from enjoying the flavors of my meats and veggies.
Not a single stomach ache.
When I floss, there's not much there. I know this sounds weird, but I can see how a grain/sugar free diet will make for more pleasant visits with the dentist.
My morning breath isn't quite as nasty. I wouldn't say open-mouthed morning kissing has suddenly become desirable, but I hardly feel like everyone should keep a 4 foot distance from my mouth before I get a chance to brush my teeth.
Hardly ANY cravings. I actually watched Jeff eat a bowl of ice cream and didn't even want a bite. And you all know how I love to make and eat bread? Haven't craved it once. It's almost kind of creepy just how much I don't have the crunchy, salty, carb-y cravings I used to have all the time.
Thinking this may be the thing for me and hoping it may even result in a few lost pounds along with the health benefits.

OK, enough said for tonight. I'm sleepy. I'm off to feed Sam and delve into the book, Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, I need to finish it by Wednesday for my book group.

Nigh-night.

Did you think I was gone forever?

2010-05-14T14:10:00.001-06:00

Not so. I've got a post brewing. I'm putting on a whole pot. Taking time to add a little cream and sugar. Come back soon for a cup.

My babies

2009-10-10T19:14:00.000-06:00

26 1/2 weeks

Not the best quality picture, but adorable nonetheless.

Not that I blog much anyway

2009-10-06T08:52:00.002-06:00

But I've been considering a break of sorts. Well, from the computer. I know, I do this often, but every few months or so I begin to feel a little guilty about all the time this cute little box eats up. While sitting at church this weekend Pastor Bob just made an offhand comment about all the time most of us spend watching TV. TV isn't too much of a problem for me, I barely watch a few hours a week, but this computer is another story. So then I got to thinking how I could/should scale back. (Why was God talking to me and distracting me from His own message at church? Isn't it funny how he does that sometimes?) You know how there are always people who say, "God told me to do _______." It's hard for me, because not very often do I hear God speaking so plainly to me. I don't get the specifics about my life straight from His mouth all too often. But for some reason, this Sunday, I did. He said, "Why don't you fast from the computer during the week and catch up on e-mails on Saturday?" Whoa!! You mean, go ALL week without knowing everybody's FB status? Go ALL week without knowing if there is a sale at Old Navy? Go ALL week without seeing the latest pictures and stories about my girlfriends kids and latest endeavors? When I put it that way, I suppose I'd survive :) You know, it was only 10 years ago Jeff and I didn't have the internet, e-mail or even cell phones. I should be able to reach back in my brain and remember how I survived life. So, that's the goal this week. Of course, if I need to look up a quick recipe or Jeff's latest flight itinerary I'm not going to beat myself up for hopping on the net for a few minutes. Honestly, I'm looking forward to all the time this will free up. So, if you need anything urgent, give me a call. Otherwise, I'll be checking in on you all this weekend...

20 Week Belly

2009-08-26T09:33:00.002-06:00

Are you up for the challenge?

2009-08-26T08:44:00.003-06:00

We are. The oatmeal challenge, that is.

My first trimester diet was the furthest from ideal. When I finally mustered up enough appetite to eat something, I just ate whatever sounded good. Mostly McDonald's cheeseburgers, crackers, chips, french fries... you get the idea. But now that I'm feeling really good (and Jeff was tired of eating such heavy meals for dinner) I decided it's time to start feeding my body, and my baby, better food again. In comes the oatmeal. I'm a sucker for boxed cereal, and it's just so easy to feed it to Claire on mornings when I'm rolling out of bed right when I should be feeding her breakfast. But really, there isn't a lot of nutrition to be had in these highly processed foods. I had kind of forgotten about oatmeal until stumbling upon this post. What a great idea! I love oatmeal, I love the idea of not having to think up what to make each morning, and I really loved the price tag. So, I decided upon this recipe and we had oatmeal Monday morning and today (of course, one day into the challenge I ran out of oats, not great planning on my part). YUM! I was a little worried that Claire might not be as excited about it as I was, but letting her choose her toppings makes it fun for her.

Claire's bowl: Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, peanut butter and a dab of honey.

My bowl: Butter, honey, cinnamon and pecans. (I'm also a HUGE fan of coconut oil in my oatmeal).

I've also been reading Nourishing Traditions. Whew, talk about an eye-opening book about food. Most diet/nutrition books regurgitate the same info I've heard in every other, but this book has my head spinning. It's going to take a couple of reads because she throws a lot of science in there, but I'm really starting to look at food in a new way. Over the past few years I've made a lot of healthy and positive changes to my diet, but this book would call for an overhaul. It'll take some time to make the changes, but I'm excited. For starters, I'm going to be more diligent about soaking my grains, including my oatmeal, and using whole fat, organic dairy products.

Let me know if you decide to take the challenge with me.

It's a ....

2009-08-12T16:18:00.002-06:00

Meet Baby Coen

2009-08-06T12:02:00.003-06:00

Coen Michael Hendrix
8-6-09
1:32 am

8 lbs 3 oz

I was blessed to help greet Coen as he entered the world early this morning. Megan had a perfect and healthy home birth. What a wonder and miracle to witness one of God's most amazing gifts!

Projects and a Big Belly

2009-07-25T21:57:00.004-06:00

I finally finished my 'Pay It Forward' projects.

I've been wanting to make this hat for a long time, and just happened to have this skein of cotton in my stash. I really like it, I'm going to have to make one for myself this fall. (Thanks for the button, Andrea, I can't believe how perfect it turned out!)

And this cute little bag was just so easy to make. I'm loving granny squares right now.

I wanted to get these projects done before our ultrasound next month. As soon as I find out what we're having I'd love to get started on this blanket.

It's called the wooleater and I've been wanting to make one for quite awhile now.

Isn't this belly the perfect excuse? Is this how big you're supposed to look at 15 weeks? I'm feeling enormous already, what's 5 more months going to be like?!?

This is the yummy orange I picked out to make this scarf for my dear friend.

Hers will be a bit skinnier, but I think the orange will make for much more fun.

Meet Baby Fackler

2009-07-14T15:55:00.003-06:00

I'm 14 weeks today and we had our second ultrasound.

The baby was too big (measuring 15 weeks) to do the testing we were there for, but I was happy as a clam just to see our little one moving around like crazy (almost too crazy to get a still shot), to hear that precious little heartbeat and to bring home a few pictures.

Cute little button nose...

"Hi, mom!"I'm just so in love already!

Oh, and though we won't be finding out the sex until 20 weeks, the tech (after hearing Claire refer to the baby as a "he") said she wouldn't be surprised if we found out Claire was right.

More crochet and other things

2009-07-05T14:38:00.002-06:00

I finally finished this project last week. The hexagon afghan for my new little nephew, Coen, coming next month.

I loved every minute of it, but geez, what a tedious project! I haven't yet decided if I'll ever do another. I think really bright colors would be fun.

Needing something a little lighter, I decided to whip up some baby beanies for Project 3 on the Craft Hope blog.
I love that they are so quick to finish, and that I'm able to use up some of my growing yarn stash.

Today I started another fun project for the 'Pay it Forward' challenge I volunteered for back in February.

I'll let you in on what they are and how they turned out after the recipients receive them. By the way, I only had two people join in, I'd still be willing to add another if anyone is interested...

Claire finished her first round of swim lessons last Friday. I'm so proud of her. She listened to her teacher very well, tried everything including the water slide and jumping off the diving board. She's not quite ready to move up to the next class since she's so young, but I'm excited to see that she loves the water and does so well in it.

How to wipe a poopy bum

2009-06-22T09:09:00.002-06:00

Pregnant, nauseated, sensitive to smell, style:
(Not to be confused with the quick, easy process that we used pre-pregnancy)

1. Answer child screaming, "I need some help in wiping!"
2. Enter bathroom holding breath.
3. Gag anyway.
4. Grab spray and hose down the bathroom. (No fakey floral spray, only the real citrus stuff works).
5. Flush the toilet. (Hold on to the child so she doesn't get sucked down).
6. Gag because you just caught a glimpse of what was going down.
7. Listen to child imitate the gagging she hears all day.
8. Grab a wipe (or two, or three, or four) and proceed.
9. Continue gagging.
10. Flush again.
11. Instruct child in pulling up pants and washing hands.
12. Gag one more time, for good measure.

How to wipe a poopy bum at JC Penney:

Same procedure as above. Insert the following without the benefit of citrus spray:

*Throw away accident filled panties.
*Leave the dinner you just ate in the toilet.
*Rush to the girl's department to buy emergency panties.
*Cry a little.
*Lots more gagging.

How would you like an update?

2009-03-30T13:04:00.007-06:00

First of all, this little girl turned three!

I can hardly believe that it's been three years since she came into our lives. What a crazy few years. So full of blessings beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Though she has grown so much, in so many ways she is the same as the moment we first met her.

Proudly showing off her new boots birthday morning:
LOVING her new dress up clothes:

Fun with Chuck:
The cake balls that resulted from deformed Hello Kitty:
The best start to strawberry cake:
An embarrassed but "totally loving the spotlight" birthday girl:
On to other news. I am excited to announce that this little man is going to be a big brother. A big brother to a little brother, that is. Could the next little Hendrix possibly be this cute?

Now, I'm excited about this project for the little one. At one time, I started a hexagon afghan for myself, but along the way, discovered an error I was making. I got discouraged and quit. But as soon as I found out what Ben & Megan were having I ran out and picked up these totally boy colors:

And accomplished this on Saturday and Sunday:
A little more than one row, 13 hexagons completed and connected. 8 rows, 90 more hexagons to go...

Excited for this...

2009-03-24T08:00:00.002-06:00

new book.

I have several of her books. I love how they are no nonsense and just so practical. I think every wife should read The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands. I'm still in the process of reading Stupid Things Parents Do To Mess Up Their Kids: Don't Have Them If You Won't Raise Them. And I'd really like to get The Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage.

Has it really been over a month?

2009-03-21T08:47:00.002-06:00

I know, I know. I'll try, but really, there isn't too much to share. I'll try to muster up the energy to put together some b-day pictures of Claire to share. For now, just a really great quote:

“If God had perceived that our greatest need was economic, he would have sent an economist. If he had perceived that our greatest need was entertainment, he would have sent us a comedian or an artist. If God had perceived that our greatest need was political stability, he would have sent us a politician. If he had perceived that our greatest need was health, he would have sent us a doctor. But he perceived that our greatest need involved our sin, our alienation from him, our profound rebellion, our death; and he sent us a Savior.”

- D.A. Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation

Pay it forward

2009-02-11T08:37:00.002-07:00

Anybody wanna play? I read about this on Andrea's Knitty Bitty Blog and thought it would be fun to join in. So, here's how it goes:

If you want to join in the fun and get a little something in return ... be one of the first THREE people to leave a comment on this post and you'll receive a hand made gift from me during this year. There's a small catch...You knew there would be didn't you? Post this on your blog (or Facebook* wall if you don't blog) referencing this post then come back and leave a comment on this blog post, telling me you're in. Fun, huh? And by in, you do know that means you have to Pay It Forward and give something to three people on your blog or Facebook page. I don't even care if you make something ... just giving something is good with me!

Remember, only the first 3 comments receive the gift from me. When and what will be a surprise.

And if you didn't check out the link above, now is the time to check out the Knitty Bitties blog. Andrea's stuff is adorable and you may just want to treat yourself to something if you didn't comment in time, or just can't wait to receive something from me.

Delicious Disaster

2009-02-06T15:40:00.002-07:00

Claire has been very clear about wanting strawberry cake for her birthday cake. I really wanted to make a gunk-free cake (without enriched flour, refined sugar, food dye, etc.) so I decided upon this recipe. It's the only one I find, and looked pretty delicious. I figured I'd make a trial run today knowing that there are a lot of things that can go wrong when baking a cake. Especially since I was changing things up a bit. Good thing, because my house now smells like burning batter. Why you ask?

Is it because I used whole wheat pastry flour instead of white cake flour? Nope
Is it because I don't know how to use an oven? Nope
Is it the use of organic cane sugar instead of refined white sugar? Not a chance

Is it because I failed to notice that pictured cake was three layers and I poured all of my batter into two 8 inch cake pans? BINGO

It looked more like an elementary school volcano experiment than the happenings of a culinary masterpiece in my oven.

And it's really hard to tell whether the burning in you nostrils is coming from the smoking batter on the bottom of the oven, or the overflowing cake pans that have been kept in the oven way longer than the recipe calls for because those darn toothpicks won't come out clean.

So, one of my cakes came out looking like this (after trying to flip it onto the cooling rack).

And the other, though done all the way through and frosted with this little bit of heaven, doesn't look a whole lot better. I guess you could say it has a "great personality".

All is not lost. I ate my fair share of cake pieces and finger-fulls of frosting, and it is darn delicious! I'm thinking strawberry cupcakes for birthday girl.

Speaking of...

Because it took me over an hour...

2009-02-04T21:15:00.002-07:00

Because I've been tagged in one way or another by just about everyone I know via blog or Facebook over the last several months, and because it took me over an hour to think up 25 things about myself on Facebook, I figured I might as well get double credit and post it for you here too.

1. My nickname in High School was "Barf", short for "Barfany". It really wasn't that bad, I'm sure they all meant it as a term of endearment.

2. I tend to think the best of people. I'm sure it gets me in trouble, and it drives Jeff crazy, but I think it's a positive quality and I'll keep it.

3. I have an explosive temper with a long fuse. We're just now discovering that Claire has inherited my temper. It doesn't mix well with toddlerhood.

4. Some day I want to be a doula. Natural childbirth is something I'm very proud of, but I do understand that it's not for everyone. I was very lucky to witness the birth of my nephew and the experience changed me. Other than the first sight of Claire, it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen.

5. I was boy crazy from the moment I was born. Boys have never been gross, carried cooties or any other of that school girl nonsense. Ask anyone who ever went to church camp with me...

6. No one ever told me that 31 is when you start forgetting how old you are.

7. I rarely forget just how blessed I am.

8. I can't remember dates at all. Don't ask me in what year I was in 4th grade. In fact, I don't have a lot of distinct memories of childhood, school or even the first years of our marriage. What I remember most about any situation or time in my life is how I felt. If I do have a vivid memory, most likely it was emotionally charged.

9. Some day I'd like to try acupuncture. Not that I desire an ailment that would require treatment, but I'm fascinated by what the results would be. And no, needles don't scare me.

10. I'm even more curious about EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques). I know it sounds a little "out there" for some, but I believe that God equips us with many means to heal and repair our bodies and our souls. I certainly don't think every remedy needs to come in the form of a pill.

11. God is determined to teach me that just because His time line and mine don't match up, it doesn't mean His answer is "no".

12. I hate fresh, slimy, snotty tomatoes. I adore all things made with cooked tomatoes. Sun-dried tomatoes are to die for.

13. My BIGGEST pet peeve is when people do not pick up there feet when they walk. That shuffling noise makes me want to step on the back of their shoe causing them to fly face first into the ground. Especially lazy teenagers, chawing their gum, mumbling to one another or into a cell phone, who DO NOT PICK UP THEIR FEET in those stupid flip flops.

14. I'll admit it. I pee in the shower and feel no shame.

15. I never really cared for working out, but have found CrossFit to be slightly addictive.

16. I love to take pictures. I'm not very good at it, but I do have a nice camera that makes up for some of my lack of talent. I wish I had the natural talent, but I don't, and I don't want force it. I settle for a few nice shots among the hundreds of mediocre.

17. I'm thankful that after many, many years of growing apart from my brother, that the last few years have brought us closer than I ever thought possible. Not as close as many siblings may be, but it's a close that I am thankful for nonetheless.

19. One of my greatest fears and greatest hopes is that I will become my mother.

20. I'm a cat lover. But somehow having a child has greatly diminished my need for pets. Maybe I always had cats to fill the longing for children.

21. Being a stay at home mom is something I try not to be snotty about, but it's a hard job sometimes and I'm really proud of the fact I choose to raise my child and that my husband works very hard to support our choice.

22. I wish I were a better Christian. Of course I wish I prayed more, read my bible more and even shared the gospel more. But mostly, I just wish I LET God be the Lord of my life more.

23. I don't have an eye for interior decorating. Jeff is responsible for all the nice parts of our home.

24. I'm a mouth-breathing, snoring, thrashing, sleep-talking sheet hogger. Jeff's not a pretty sleeper either. Eventually we will sleep in separate beds if not separate rooms. Otherwise, divorce may be inevitable.

25. I really hate being "tagged", but love all those who tagged me. I refuse to tag anyone else.

A few photos

2009-01-31T19:54:00.003-07:00

There is a piece of scrap metal on my desk that is holding all my pictures hostage. Luckily, there are a few on the camera, so I thought I'd share.

First, here is the project I worked on this week. It was just a whim with some scrap yarn, but I love it!

These are from a couple of weeks ago. We had freezing fog, and I just happened to catch a glimpse of the grasses in my front yard on the way back from the mail box, which led to some pretty pcitures.

Last, due to the fact that we rarely celebrate Valentine's, I had a crummy week, and Jeff will be gone on Valentine's Day, yesterday my hubby surprised me with a dozen roses, chocolates, dinner at the Cottonwood Grille, a movie and an evening at Anniversary Inn. What a lucky girl I am!

Just hanging on

2009-01-31T18:06:00.002-07:00

Without boring you with details and to avoid sounding like a whiner, I'll keep it simple:

Life has been rough lately.

That may partially explain my desire to hide out from the world by avoiding blogging, Facebook and e-mail. No promises, but I hope that gets better soon.

And as soon as my external hard drive is un-crashed, I hope to share a few pictures with you as well.

Until then...

A BIG bite

2008-12-18T14:56:00.004-07:00

It feels as if I'm about to bite of more than I can chew... and I'm really excited about it! I've already broken my "computer rules" this week and still haven't managed to catch up on e-mail, read any blogs or even thought about Facebook, but I did take some time to browse. I came upon the blog post "The World's Best Bible-Reading Program", and it was as if God was nudging me in the ribs with his elbow saying, "Ooh, what about this one?"

I read the bible all the way through a few years ago and decided that it would be a great idea for 2009. Last night I pulled my "One Year Chronological Bible" off the shelf and set it out so that I could promptly start on January 1st. And while I was excited at the thought of reading it again, I felt a familiar hesitation as well. Sure, I could read through it again, but how much was I going to get out of it. Here's a point where I'm sure God wouldn't mind a little selfish thought passing through my head. So, I hopped on the computer in search of alternative bible-reading programs, and when I came across this one the author had some of the same reservations about traditional bible-reading programs that I did. And it would be impossible to do this program and not get something out of it.

Here’s how The World’s Best Bible-Reading Program works:

1. Find a quiet, undisturbed place to read. Start in the New Testament since the New Covenant is necessary for perspective on the Old Testament. Might as well begin with Matthew.

2. Read through one entire book in a single sitting. Obviously, the first five books of the NT are going to require some time. But do it. (You’re eternal. Live like it!) These books are whole units and are meant to be read as such. We need to experience their coherence. Trust me; the Holy Spirit will bring the entirety of the book to your mind in the future in a way you’ve never experienced before.

3. When you’ve read the book once, don’t move on! Read through it again. For the first five books, if you must break them into chunks, go with five or six chapters—whatever maintains the arc of the narrative.

4. Re-read that one book. Note the way the narrative and themes flow. Commit those stories and themes to memory. Note where they exist in the book.

5. Re-read that one book. Pay special attention to the way the Lord is portrayed.

6. Re-read that one book. Examine the relational aspects of the book, God to Man, Man to Man, Man to God.

7. Re-read that one book. Note the Lord’s redeeming and salvific acts within the greater arc of Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. (This first pass through the NT assumes you have a modicum of OT understanding. After reading the OT through, the second pass through the NT will clarify things further.)

8. Re-read that one book. This time around, note all the Lord’s commands and how we’re told to practice them. Consider how they might work practically in your daily activities.

(By this point, you’ve read the same book seven times. Depending on the length of the book, it may have taken seven days or seven weeks. It doesn’t matter. This is about changing your life and relationship with Christ. This is about sixty years of discipleship. It’s not about getting through the Bible in a certain length of time.)

Now comes the hard (and controversial) part…

9. Take everything you’ve learned in this book and put it into practice. Take a month (*see comments below) to do nothing but concertedly meditate on what you’ve just read by making it real in your own life. It might mean that the only Bible you read this month are the parts of this one book that you still aren’t getting and must re-read. Doesn’t matter—do it. (If you absolutely have to read something every day that isn’t part of this program, consider a few Psalms or a cycle of Proverbs. They’re the most suited to broken-up reading patterns since they are collections of wisdom and less unified than a book like Romans.)

10. After your month, take stock of all that you’ve learned by reading and practice. Make a mental assessment of the themes of the book and how they apply to your discipleship. If you’re confident you’ve read and practiced this book, move on to the next one. Once the NT is finished, move onto the OT. (I realize some of the OT books are daunting in length for a single read-through. Make a concerted effort to read them in one sitting. Failing this, some of the OT books are narrative, which allows for breaks in the story. Psalms and Proverbs are easily segmented, as noted above. All prophets must be read in one sitting the first time through. A book as enormous as Isaiah is hard to partition, so consider reading it on a weekend day.)

Repeat these ten steps for the rest of your life.

WHEW! Not for the faint of heart, that's for sure! But I know that this is what I've been looking for. And better yet... why wait a two weeks, there's no timeline. I'm not naive to believe that I won't fall off the wagon a time or two (or three, or four, or twenty even), but I really am excited about this approach to reading the bible.

Here's where you come in. I do so much better when I'm accountable to people. So, the next time you see me, ask me how it's going. Next month, ask me what chapter I'm on. Next summer ask me what I've learned. Next year, tell me if it's changed me. Next time you think of me during your prayer time, ask God to keep me focused and to help me follow through.

Thanks, friends.

Why can't I be consistent?

2008-12-08T09:38:00.003-07:00

This blogging thing has me stressed again! It's silly, I know. I feel guilty when my few readers don't have a new post, then I feel stupid, because it's nothing to feel guilty about. Then I think of about 50 things I should blog about and 200 pictures I should upload and that just makes me feel like I'll never be caught up and I might as well give up. It's all just a silly, weird mess in my mind. And to top it off, I'm still experiencing a serious dislike for the computer right now. Every time I walk by it I know there are WAY to many blog post waiting to be read, e-mails to sort through and entries in facebook to catch up on. It's like that cute little white box sitting on my kitchen counter is taunting me, "You know you want to sit down and waste half your day mindlessly browsing and networking. You know you want to. Just sit down... click for awhile..." I don't want to lose the easy access to communicating with friends and the wealth of information at my fingertips, but some days I really want to throw the whole thing out the door. And to top it off, God has really been talking to me about how much time I spend with Him. Long story short, I spend way more time on the computer than I do with God. How stupid is that?!? So, here is my short-term solution... my plan of attack:

*No computer until I've done my devotions/pray each day.
*No computer while Claire is awake.
*Computer time priorities:
1. Read/sort e-mail
2. Pay bills/update iBank
3. Catch up on friend's blogs
4. Catch up on misc blogs I like to read
5. Browse Facebook
6. Blog/upload pictures
(insert in things that need done, such as Christmas cards)

I have a feeling that the last few will seldom get done. And I'm telling myself now that it's just fine. Getting my priorities straight is far more important than blogs or Facebook, right? Of course. I think this will also help the "down in the dumps" feeling that has been lingering lately.

On a lighter note... I'm excited for our upcoming ten year anniversary. Loving the Christmas season and our attempts to focus less on gifts and more on charity and the celebration of the birth of our Saviour. Our little skiff of snow this morning and our cozy little fireplace. My beautiful family and loving friends.

The wiggles

2008-11-25T15:33:00.005-07:00

This is what happens when I try to get a good picture of

a toddler with the wiggles & bed head:

Ebates

2008-11-23T16:24:00.002-07:00

Have you heard of Ebates? It's great, you just sign up and then make sure to go through their website before shoppping online. That's it, and then you earn cash back. I earned over $50 just ordering Claire's bedroom furniture. It's not much considering how expensive bedroom furniture can be, but hey, $50 is $50. Whose complaining? Check it our if you plan on doing any Christmas shopping online this year.

small

2008-11-22T17:46:00.002-07:00

If you don't subscribe yet, check out the newest issue. SO CUTE!

Giveaway!

2008-11-20T16:48:00.001-07:00

Check out this super-cute blog and giveaway!

Custom Camera Strap GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grrrr...

2008-11-20T09:35:00.002-07:00

This blog has been giving me fits! I almost just deleted it. I found this cute template and decided to keep the blog once I managed to get it to work. I think the snails are worth it. Now, if I were only motivated enough to update the photos...

Potty Progress edited

2008-11-10T19:21:00.002-07:00

2 Potties *make that 3*
2 Poos
in the last
2 days

Yeah!!

Little Bits

2008-11-10T16:03:00.006-07:00

I'm still avoiding my computer... can you tell? But, the house is clean, laundry done and put away, bills paid and Claire is asleep. There aren't any excuses why I can't share a little bit with you.

*Last week I tried my hand at homemade tortillas. They were delicious! Messy to roll them out, but oh-so-worth-it.

*Grandma Eve came over to make belated Halloween cookies with Claire. They had a blast.

*I finally finished this for Andrea.

*This is my latest project. I've been in love with this scarf from the moment I laid eyes on it. My yarns (Mustang & Marino) are quite a bit more vareigated so they overall look is different, but I'm loving it. I was nervous to start a project with a fingering weight yarn. I wasn't sure if the scarf would take me four years to finish, but it's going pretty fast considering.

*Saturday night my family got together for a Mexican dinner. Yummy... Chile Rellenos, Enchiladas, Tacos, Cheesy Bean Dip, Fresh Guacamole. Check out this handsome young man. We were all surprised to see this come through the door.

No more "Jesus" look for my brother, Ben.

Double handsome, Ben & Brian.

And the cuties, Claire & Elijah. Luckily Megan remembered her camera.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T14:18:00.003-06:00

Pepita Heaven

2008-10-30T14:10:00.003-06:00

A little salty, a lot sweet... they are heaven!

I used this recipe and used butter instead of oil.

When I die, you could bury me in these...

More Homemade Goodness

2008-10-30T09:12:00.005-06:00

Where do I start?

Let me say this. I don't know what has happened to me in the last few months, but I seem to have developed this unquenchable thirst for knowledge, specifically about how I can create a more healthy/frugal lifestyle. I think part of my computer burnout has come about because there is SO MUCH information to be had. Whatever pops into my head, I can search out an answer. I feel so blessed that we live in a place and time where all this information is sitting in a little white box in my kitchen (I'm about to wear out that cute little Mac). So, besides wearing out the computer, here's what I've been making:

*Deodorant - My first attempt was this recipe. Although is seemed that all was well, and I'm sure it works, I couldn't stand the smell. No matter how much essential oil I added I just couldn't mask the overwhelming cocoa butter and shea butter smells. And though I happen to like the smells, they nauseate me... especially when wafting from my armpits. So I resumed use of my Tom's of Maine Apricot until I came across this recipe. I added lemon essential oils. It has a light lemon scent and works so well! I've been very happy with the results.

*Bath salts - Pretty simple. Just epsom salts, baking soda and lavender essential oils.

*Shaving cream - Nothing too crazy here either, I've just been using straight coconut oil. I've always had a problem with razor burn, and this has given me the least irritation. I'm hoping with consistent use I'll be free from it.

*Lotion - Again, just plain old coconut oil, except I added lemon, sweet orange and lavender essential oils. Yum! Oh, and I use this as lip and face moisturizer as well. I know it sounds crazy to use it on your face, especially considering I have oily skin, but my face is the least oily it has ever been since the onset of puberty.

*Personal lubricant - OK, I haven't been brave enough for this one yet, and it would be too much information for you to know just how well it works for me, but apparently it works well.

*Toothpaste - I was pretty hesitant to try this, but I've been pleased with the results. It doesn't taste like you average toothpaste, but with the addition of a little strawberry extract, even Claire likes it. She's actually the reason I considered this. She's insistent on eating her toothpaste and I didn't like the idea of her ingesting 200 ingredients I can't pronounce. I suppose she could eat the whole container of this and it wouldn't hurt her.

*Dishwasher soap - I first tried this recipe. No good, it didn't clean all that well and left a white film on everything. However, it does make a great sink/toilet scrubber. Then this recipe. It cleaned well, but again, left a white film on everything. I could remove the film with an extra rinse and white vinegar, but I'm too lazy for that. I'm thinking that these recipes would probably work better if our water wasn't so hard. I'll give Seventh Generation a try when I finish up what I've got.

*Bread - I found this great step by step recipe for making bread. My first loaf turned out fantastic. Last Sunday I did a double batch and added flax seed, buttermilk and egg. Even better. (And 20 minutes of kneading is quite a work out!). Next I'll try soaking my flour. It's a new method that I've recently been reading about and am excited to try. I'm also going to give it a try along with homemade tortillas this weekend.

*Doughnuts - I came across this healthier version and mad them last night while Jeff and Claire carved pumpkins. I still need to get tweak the oil temperature and cooking times, but they were pretty darn good.

*ACV tea - I've been drinking this first thing in the morning and 1 or 2 more time throughout the day. A bit tart at first, but I'm beginning to love it and crave it. It seems to be suppressing my appetite a bit as well.

2 tsp raw apple cider vinegar

2 tsp honey (I just bought the orange honey in bulk at WinCo - yummy)

8 oz filtered water (I use warm water)

*Kefir smoothies - I've been tempted to try kefir for a long time and finally decided just to give it a try. I didn't care for the taste, a bit too sour for me. However, blended with a banana and blueberries it was delicious. The health benefits make me want to add it to my daily diet. It's a bit pricey, so I might just brave buying a kit and making it myself. We'll see...

Oh, and about the Dish Network debate... we canceled our service. We haven't even installed our antenna yet, so we've been TV free for about a week. Honestly, I'm not really noticing, probably because I've been busy homemaking.

Computer Burn Out

2008-10-22T21:52:00.000-06:00

Do you ever just get sick of the computer? How about electronics in general? That's how I've felt these last few weeks. Blogging, blog reading, e-mail, Facebook, balancing the checkbook, answering the phone, TV, movies ... UGH! I could just do without right now. I got on the laptop this evening to catch up and discovered over 50 unread emails and who knows how many unread blog posts. My Reader Notifier said I had 2,174,267,811+ unread! That's really what it said. And even though there weren't that many, it sure felt like it. So, if I haven't commented on you blog, returned an email, answered your phone call, or ignored you in any other way this is why. I know I need to rejoin the land of the technology soon, but I'm just tempted to leave it all behind. I've seriously thought about canceling our Dish Network service. We've often talked about getting rid of TV someday. I think I could do it. Of course, there are a ton of shows I love to watch, but I think if couldn't watch them I wouldn't miss them as much as I think I'm going to. The only thing that has kept me from canceling it already is breastfeeding. Yeah, you heard me, breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is the reason we have 200 channels right now. We only had basic TV when Claire was born. But after a few months of watching infomercials and B movies at all hours of the morning, and spending about 8 out of every 24 hours sitting on the couch or in a rocking chair, I broke down and just HAD to have something else to watch. I know I haven't nursed a child in a year and a half, but the hope is to have another child within the next year or so, and I don't want to disconnect the Dish and then have to sign another contract after the next baby is born. So, we still have it. And, I'm completely addicted to the DVR. I never watch anything when it's actually on, and I love the option of forwarding past all the commercials. Of course, we'd keep the TVs, since we do love movies and now have an Apple TV.

Enough rambling. Here are a few of my favorite pics of our walk the other evening. Completely electronic free (except the camera... couldn't do without that).

OK, I am loving the baby monitor right now. Claire loves to sing to herself when she should be sleeping. It's 9:45 and at the top of her lungs she is singing "Love Your Neighbor" (VeggieTales). But it sounds a little like this... "LOVE YOUR NEY-NER!"

When I grow up #2

2008-10-13T21:46:00.004-06:00

If you thought that first quilt I showed you a few posts back was cute, check out this one!

How gorgeous is that!?! I love it and it just inspires me to get sewing so I can do something like this... when I grow up. Since that will be WAY down the road, I can at least try to win it, and so can you. Just click the link on the sidebar.

Thanks for the tip Andrea!

Andrea would be proud

2008-10-12T15:54:00.003-06:00

My dear friend Andrea has been the queen of coupons and good deals lately. She's been trying to help me learn the ins and outs, and even though this one was a no-brainer, I think she'd be proud.

Rite-Aid:

$56.57 - Total Spent for 13 items

$53.37 - Amount of Rebate Check

$3.20 - Total spent after rebate (just the tax)

94% Savings!!

What did I get? Well, usually these really good deals are on junk, or products I would never use, but today I got:

*Sambucol Immune Support/Cold & Flu Relief (Homeopathic)

*Bee MD Organic Honey Throat Drops

*Sucrets Ice

*Hyland's Sniffles & Sneezes 4 Kids (Homeopathic)

*Hyland's Cough Syrup 4 Kids (Homeopathic)

*Sucrets Herbal

*Softlips Pure (95% Organic, 100% Natural)

*LypSyl LypMoisturizer (Organic Shea Butter)

*LypSyl LypRadiance (Organic Shea Butter)

*Mentholatum Cherry Chest Rub

I added the comments in parenthesis because I was just recently complaining to Andrea that it's hard to use coupons or get great savings when you shop for natural/organic products. Well, not today! And the best part is, when you walk in Rite-Aid all the items that are free after rebate are all grouped together right at the front of the store... you don't even have to walk around the store to find these great deals. How about a pat on the back for me?

The Perfect Autumn Day

2008-10-10T14:19:00.004-06:00

I can't even begin to tell you how much I love fall. The cool breezes, the beautiful colors and most of all, the heavenly scents. Today has been all of the above. I started off my morning with Pumpkin Butter on my toast (how could it not be a great day with such a delicious start?). Well, back up to yesterday, I made homemade chicken noodle soup and baked pumpkins, so the smell was divine yesterday as well, and then last night I whipped up this recipe for pumpkin butter. I found so many different recipes on the internet, but so glad I chose this one. It was smooth and spicy and oh-so-pumpkiny! And for those of you who don't know, I'm kind of a freak for pumpkin, so it perfectly satisfied my cravings. Just before I started shoveling pumpkin butter in my mouth this morning I popped a batch of pepitas in the oven.

Did you know they were called pepitas? I just learned that this year, and it so much more fun to say than pumpkin seeds, so from now on it's pepitas. Here was my recipe for the pepitas:

*Seeds from 2 pumpkins (the pie variety)

*4 tbsp melted butter

*1 tsp garlic salt

*2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix together and spread onto a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

So, after pumpkin butter, pepitas and a long, hot shower I tackled the applesauce. I made 3 batches, ended up with 12 pints and bowlful for the fridge. Do you know how heavenly your house smells after 4 hours of making applesauce? I could just about lick the walls. Ok, maybe not the walls, but I've managed to lick every pot, pan and utensil that's been in contact with the applesauce. With nibbles of pepitas in between. I looked up a ton of recipes and decided to wing it. Here's what I ended up with:

*20 apples
*2 1/2 C water
*1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
*2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
*2 tsp vanilla
*1/2 C brown sugar

Peel, slice and core the apples. Place in a large pot with all ingredients except sugar. Bring to a boil and boil until apples are soft and mushy. Add brown sugar. Blend (I used a stick blender because I like my applesauce with a few chunks). Continue to boil until you've reached the desired consistency. Ladle into clean/sanitized canning jars. Process for 20 minutes (I processed for 31 minutes with altitude adjustments).

It's got a pretty strong cinnamon flavor, but I love it that way. Claire had a rather large helping with lunch, so it's not too crazy-spicy.

What a wonderful autumn day! And to top it off, I'll get a break from the kitchen because we're going out to dinner. My life is sweet...

Just Peachy

2008-10-07T12:39:00.005-06:00

In the last 24 hours I have:

*Made one peach pie
*Eaten 2 1/2 peaches
*Canned 22 cars of peach jam

Tomorrow I'm on to canning applesauce...

...

Disney World

2008-10-02T17:04:00.001-06:00

Here are some pics from the trip. We had SO MUCH FUN! We can't wait to go again in a few years with Claire. Although we missed her, I'm not sure she would have enjoyed it nearly as much as she will in a few years.

Tuesday: Got there in time for a quick dinner, hanging out at the resort, and a quick trip to Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island. We stayed at the Polynesian Resort. It was so nice and easy to get to everything since the monorail made a stop there.

Wednesday: We thought it only proper to start the week off in Magic Kingdom. I loved every bit of it! I really thought that it might be a little too juvenile for my liking, but I loved being a kid again. We picked the perfect time of year and never had to wait more than 10 minutes for any of the rides.

Thursday: EPCOT! There was so much to do and learn, it was like an ENORMOUS museum of sorts. I preferred World Showcase to Future World. I loved to see the countries. When you would go to a country, everyone that worked there was actually from that country. Throughout the week we had great, authentic meals in Germany, Mexico and China. I even had my first taste of duck!

Friday: We visited Animal Kingdom. It was so fun. It was seperated into different parts of the world and the did such a great job making it feel as if you were really in different countries. The Kilimanjaro Safaris were my favorite, though it was a bit strange just driving right up to the animals with no fences between us, especially the lions.

Saturday: We spent most of the day at Typhoon Lagoon. That is hands down the coolest water park I've ever seen! Even though it gave me tremendous anxiety (I had a not so fun experience with waves in Mexico), my favorite part ended up being the Surf Pool.

Sunday: Oh so tired, but one more park to go, we toured Hollywood Studios. It only took about half of the day. We planned to head over to Blizzard Beach for the rest of the day, but found out at the bus stop that it was closed for the day, so we headed back to Typhoon Lagoon for a few more hours of fun.

Monday: Traveling ALL DAY, but home just in time to snuggle with Claire before she went to sleep.

Just had to share

2008-10-02T08:52:00.002-06:00

The Disney World post is coming... it's almost done. I just had to share this letter I read on Dr. Laura's blog today.

Dr. Laura, I want to thank you for the special moments that you helped me have. As a listener, my husband and I decided that I would stay home with our 2 month old baby boy even before he was born. I must admit that it’s hard financially, but we understand that our son is more important than luxury.

Yesterday, I had a “tear-jerker” moment. After feeding my son, I got up and started to clean the room. After a while, I saw him moving. He was putting his little hand above his head, feeling for the place where my arm had just been. Then he stretched his arms and legs in front of him where I had been lying before. I realized he was looking for me. His little face began to prepare to cry. I then placed my hand on his side. “I’m right here, baby.” He then opened his eyes. On seeing me, he smiled his gummy smile.

I stayed there, smoothing out his hair, until he fell back to sleep, but I couldn’t help thinking, what if I had been at work? What if he was with a sitter or at day care? I wouldn’t have had that moment, and he wouldn’t have been comforted. I know, because I used to work at a day care center - he would have been left crying, because he had been fed and his diaper had been changed.

As an ex-day care worker, I know that children are not cared for lovingly. They just have their physical needs met, but not their emotional needs. There were so many kids who called me “mommy,” and that was only because I was doing her job while doing mine. The fact was, “mommy” wasn’t there. But I was and am here for our son. Thank you.

We're home

2008-09-30T09:24:00.001-06:00

Exhausted and ready to be home! I've got a week's worth of stuff to catch up on (including loving on Claire), but I'll be back to share our fun with you soon.

When I grow up

2008-09-19T13:17:00.002-06:00

This is what I want to be able to quilt. I just love quilts that are crazy, messy with colors. Isn't this beautiful? I was able to find the free pattern, so I'll keep it in my folder of "some day I'll do this" projects.

I'm learning

2008-09-18T21:50:00.002-06:00

To sew, that is. Here are the pajama bottoms I made today. I had to adjust the length to make them a bit more pleasing to my husband (yes, that means shorter), and I still don't quite understand the instructions, but happened to make it work anyway.

Disclaimers:
*No, my armpit isn't hairy, it just kind of looks like it in the picture. However, it is evening, and I haven't shaved in over 12 hours, could just be my five-o-clock shadow.
*In spite of the fact that I have lost ZERO pounds since being pregnant, I did want to show that I am looking a bit better. And my boobs look good in this shirt. Is that vain?
*I can't figure out why all the pictures I upload to Blogger look funky. The color is never quite right, it just never looks as good as it does in Lightroom. I don't know what my problem is.
*I don't know what's on the floor behind me, I'm just hoping it's not a hairball from the cuties on the bed.

I'm putting my sexy self to bed now. Hairy pits and all.

Per your request

2008-09-17T20:08:00.004-06:00

My cute little loaf pan is a gift from my mom. It's Le Creuset and she got it at TJ Maxx for a great deal. In fact, I have several bakeware pieces she's gotten for me and I love them all.

The recipe is from my Healthy Cooking magazine (my favorite recipe magazine).

Makeover Pumpkin Spice Bread

With less than half the fat and just one-fourth the calories of the original recipe, more people can feel good about eating this fall favorite. Heidi Figiel - Bridgeport, W. Virginia

SERVINGS: 32

CATEGORY: Low Fat

METHOD: Baked

TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 45 min. + cooling

Ingredients:

2-1/4 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour, and you couldn't even tell)
1-1/3 cups cake flour (I didn't have cake flour, so I just used bread flour)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 eggs
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup canola oil

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. In another bowl, whisk the eggs, pumpkin, buttermilk, applesauce and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened.
Transfer to two 9-in. x 5-in. loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 2 loaves (16 slices each).

Growing Bread

2008-09-17T20:08:00.002-06:00

Claire never ceases to humor me with her cute little sayings.

*Tonight I baked Pumpkin Spice Bread (in my cute new loaf pan) and Claire declared that we were "growing bread".

*After dinner, while eating a doughnut, Claire says, "Not bad, not bad at all."

*When she goes outside to pick a tomato she comes back to say, "My own red, ripe, juicy tomato plant."

*We've started the phase, "What's this, mommy?"

*And my favorite, "I love you, mommy."

(I took a quick break from making market bags to whip up this cute little hat for Claire)

I'm so proud

2008-09-16T08:44:00.004-06:00

Sorry to keep you hanging. I meant to tell you about Jeff's big news sooner, but I was waiting for the official news. For those of you who don't know much about Drum Corps, I'll just say this, in the land of marching band, it's BIG. This is professional, this is the big time, this is like the NFL for football. I'm so proud of Jeff, he's finally realizing one of his dreams!

Feeling lazy

2008-09-09T20:58:00.005-06:00

I've been feeling lazy today, so I decided to make a quick list of the past few days to remind myself that even if I've had time for a nap and extensive blog reading I've still managed to accomplish a few things (even if that doesn't include cleaning the house).

Saturday:
*Got up and worked out (this should count as two, getting up to work out on Saturdays is hard)
*Crocheted most of Jessie's bag
*Quick trip to WalMart (not a good idea on a Saturday)

Sunday:
*Cleaned up the sewing machine and learned how to do all the basics on it.
*Baked a Sweet Potato Pecan Pie - YUMMY!

Monday:
*Early workout
*Eye doctor appointment
*Lunch with my mom
*Made a few appointments
*Went to Home Depot, purchased and replaced the kitchen sprayer with this bad boy ALL BY MYSELF (who needs a man?)

*Went out to dinner at Famous Dave's to share Jeff's big news with his parents (I'll post it for you when it's officially released)

Today:
*Another early workout
*Winco and Costco shopping
*Picnic in the back yard with Claire

*Enjoying these last days of summer!

Goodbye, Hello

2008-09-05T19:34:00.004-06:00

We're back! We decided to take a quick trip up to McCall for the week. We had a GREAT time, except I forgot my camera... so no pictures for you. I know you're broken-hearted, but time will heal. Or maybe this will do. Just pretend the shiny, happy faces are Jeff, Bethany and Claire.
We didn't do a whole lot, just relaxed, ate, slept, swam and did a little sight-seeing.
As always, it feels so good to come home, even if there's a mountain of laundry hiding in my closet. I came home to some Happy Mail from the lovely Erin. Yummy Vanilla Chai Organic lotion, the cutest scrapbook of Claire, Body + Soul magazine and little sticky notes. THANK YOU ERIN!! I love my Happy Mail!

I also came home with this GREAT find! Well, I didn't find it, Jeff's grandma gave it to me while we were visiting her this week.

It's a Dressmaker C-55 A. I'm dying to know what year it was made, but I can't seem to find the info on the internet, and the manual didn't even have the model # on it, I had to search to find that. But I do know that grandma had it serviced in 1998, so even though it's old, it should work just fine. I'm excited to try it out! Here's a couple more pics...

I hope you all had a great week and have an even better weekend!

I should stop reading

2008-08-29T15:42:00.003-06:00

It freaks me out.

Here's what I mean.

I've been on a bit of a quest to become more "green". And really, it's quite selfish. It's not that I'm a tree hugger or anything like that, I just want to make sure that I keep myself and my family as healthy as possible. Most of my crunchy adventures lately have all been to improve health. Well, this week I made the mistake of reading about 400 too many articles about plastic and all those nasty little chemicals that have been leaching into my food and *gasp* whatever is in Claire's sippy cup! So, now I''m on a mission to clear out my tupperware cabinet and replace it with glass containers, and find a stainless steel water bottle for myself and probably one for Claire too. One of the sites a came upon (and it's now in my Reader list as well), NatureMoms even has a great giveaway for a BPA free water bottle.
Browsing this site, I also came across this great recipe. Now Claire asks for her green smoothie every afternoon and I'm having no problems getting a little spinach into her. I altered it a bit to according to this and to fit my diet...

Blend 2 C water and @ 2 C spinach

Add 1 banana, 1 C frozen strawberries, 1 C mixed berries

1-2 Tbsp flax oil

And there you go, I yummy way to get veggies into the kiddos!

Really, you can't taste the spinach at all...

Happy Mail Sent

2008-08-28T09:16:00.002-06:00

I sent off my happy mail last week and Erin has received it! If you can't tell, she likes red. Along with the market bag I sent cute little red fish salt & pepper shakers and a box of Organic Strawberry tea. Now I'm looking forward to getting my happy mail!

A Very Full Week

2008-08-26T15:48:00.010-06:00

Tuesday:
Watched Kristian while Summer went to Roaring Springs with all the rest of her boys. He was so good and so much fun, and I couldn't resist snapping a couple photos of him cause he's just so cute.

Claire has some sharing issues to deal with...

Wednesday:
Went to the Fair with Andrea and Ethan. We didn't plan very well and showed up about an hour before the gates opened so we made a quick trip to Starbucks (yeah for green tea!), and took the kids to a park to burn off a little energy before heading back to the fair. It was a quick, hot, sticky afternoon, but oh-so-fun!
Jeff had BBQ on the brain all day and decided that we should give Famous Dave's a try. I was impressed, I had a BBQ chicken salad that was great, and Jeff really enjoyed the Texas Brisket.

Thursday:
Went to lunch at my mom's house. She shouldn't be out and about too often, so my grandparents, Claire and I met at her house for some yummy Whitewater sandwiches.

Friday:
Playdate at the park with so many of my favorite people. Amanda, Andrea, Andrea, Kelly, Summer and all the kids.
After a "no-nap" we went to Monkey Dooz and got Claire's hair cut. I did opt for bangs and an A-line cut. It's pretty cute, but it still gets in her face. She was pretty excited to sit in the Barbie car, eat a watermelon Tootsie Pop, and have her hair sprayed with sparkles.
Here's a preview of her "before" hair... on a bad day...

Fuddruckers for dinner. We ate out A LOT this week, but I'm proud to say that my cheeseburger was my only "cheat" meal.

Saturday:
Great BobyPump workout! Hanging out at home for the morning. Back to the fair and met my parents. Claire had a great time (again).

Checking out the bunnies

Um, he's just cute...

Yumm-O

This is almost better than the carnival

Papa's Hat

Feeding the Sheep

Feeding the Goat

Can I ride, please?

Papa gives in

So does mommy
Some cotton candy to ease the pain of leaving the carnival

One tired girl

Sunday:
Lunch at Blue Sky Bagel making plans for an upcoming sewing-bee. Shopping at Best Buy so that we could set up Jeff's new toy. I was a little skeptical at first, but after thoroughly checking it out I'm pretty excited about it. And dinner at Cheesecake Factory (I told you we ate out a lot this week, but I did have a GC for this meal).

Monday:
Watched Elijah the whole day. Watched Ethan in the morning. Watched my little punk (she was SO much better once Ethan got hear). Did the laundry. Had a quick little lunch date with Andrea. My parents came over for dinner and surprised Claire with her new favorite toy.

Today:
Cleaned the house. Worked out while Claire napped. Looking forward to a shower. Looking forward to BUNKO (I think the ladies will appreciate the shower). Really looking forward to a few slow days!

2008-08-22T13:13:00.002-06:00

Isn't that just the cutest? I discovered Renee & Jeremy yesterday while I was reading the latest edition of Small Magazine. I bought the music for Claire this morning and we already love it. We're off to try it for naptime...

Elijah and the Hat

2008-08-18T18:44:00.004-06:00

Today was my first Monday watching Elijah. I was a little nervous about watching a baby all day and keeping up with Claire, but we had a great day. He was about as perfect as a baby can be and Claire was about as perfect as a toddler can possibly be (only a few fits).
Andrea recently requested a hat for Ethan. This is the one she wanted.

And this was what I was able to come up with.

I didn't have an exact pattern so I had to make it up a bit. And of course, seeing how well it fits Elijah, I obviously didn't quit make the size I was aiming for. I did follow part of a pattern that suggested this size for a 5 year old. Apparently my stitches are a tad tighter than average. Oh well, after a fitting this week I'll make a new one up for Ethan and I'll try to post a picture of the finished product for you.

Quick Update

2008-08-18T14:19:00.002-06:00

Thanks for your prayers!

Steven is home again and recovering from his scary allergic reaction.

My mom is also home and recuperating. Her surgery went really well, by the time I went to see her that evening she had been up and walking around several times and was eating dinner. At home she's been able to scale back on her pain meds and last night she actually got some good sleep. She still has a three month recovery ahead of her, but knowing she is doing so well already makes us confident she'll get there easily.

And the Winner Is...

2008-08-15T08:14:00.003-06:00

Scratch that.

And the winners are Andrea and Jessie!

You see, Andrea really was the closest, it is a Market Bag. But since she pointed out that Jessie was pretty close, and it really could be a purse too, and she was the first to comment, we've got two winners. So girls, here's the deal. I also made this super-cute green bag this week. It's super stretchy and can hold a lot.

So, e-mail me with the style you'd like, give me some color guide lines, and I'll whip 'em up. And if anybody else would like one too, just let me know, I'd be happy to make you one for a super deal.

Don't worry, I'm not giving up on my afghan, it's just such a winter type of project.

Prayers Please

2008-08-14T12:38:00.002-06:00

I am so blessed to have friends and family that I know will pray for me in a heartbeat. So I'm calling on you all to say a few for my family as well.

My mom will be having surgery tomorrow. She'll be having a few of her cervical spine vertebrate fused. It's a pretty routine procedure, but nonetheless, a little bit scary. So please remember her tomorrow.

My cousin, Steven, has had a severe allergic reaction to poison oak and is in the hospital. I'm not sure of all the details, but I know he could sure use your prayers as well.

Thanks, you're the best!

20 Minutes to Pickles

2008-08-13T14:51:00.006-06:00

Today we made pickles. Yum! If you like pickles you should really check out this recipe. And seriously, you've got homemade pickles in a little over 20 minutes.

I didn't have dill seed so I just used dill weed. I didn't have mustard seed either, so I just used about 1/4 tsp of ground mustard. They still tasted just like my mom's.

And here's a sweet pickle with peanut butter...

Finishing Touch

2008-08-12T14:53:00.002-06:00

Here is the last little bit I needed to finish my Happy Mail project. And because I have never done a contest, here it is...

The first person to guess, or the closest guess to, what the project is will win a custom made "project" of their own. Your odds are good, I only have a few readers.

Entries are due by Friday.

Happy guessing.

Nice Little Weekend

2008-08-11T14:58:00.004-06:00

What a nice little weekend. Even though Jeff had to work, it turned out pleasant.

Friday:
*HOT! But had a nice dip in the pool with Megan and Elijah.

*Managed to avoid these menacing, but beautiful, clouds on the way home.

*Had my "cheat" meal at Applebee's. I love the Oriental Chicken Roll-Up. And topped the evening off with a long overdue margarita. YUM!

Saturday:

*Vowed not drink margarita's just before bedtime ever again. I had a terrible time getting to sleep.

*Still managed to drag my butt to the gym and thoroughly enjoyed my Body Pump class.

*Did a little shopping during Claire's nap and found the perfect new "house shoes" since my fuzzy pink slippers are a little worn.

*I also got some cute shoes for Claire for fall and a couple items for Happy Mail Swap.

*Enjoyed my overgrown but oh-so-delicious garden.

*Spent far to many hours on my Happy Mail Swap project. Here's a sneak peek.

Sunday:

*More hours on the project.

*Visited Grandma and Grandpa Hendrix. We checked the progress on our Halloween pumpkins. They're so round and big already. I almost can't wait for fall!

*Claire came down with a cold. I had to spend a bit of time rocking and cuddling her just before I went to bed and again at about 3:30 in the morning. Since it's been nearly two years since I've had to get up with her in the middle of the night I actually enjoyed the extra cuddles.

Here's to a nice week to follow!

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2008-08-07T11:30:00.012-06:00

The homemade hair care may not have been a total success, but I am still in love with all my homemade cleaners, and this last endeavor has been success so far as well. I made laundry detergent last week and so far I really like it. It was cheap and easy and seems to clean just as well as anything else I've ever used.

Homemade Laundry Detergent:

1 Bar of Fels-Naptha, grated

1 Cup of Washing Soda
1 Cup of Borax
Mix together. That's it.

Just use 1-2 TBSP per load of laundry. So far I've only used about one and been happy with the results.
And in place of fabric softener just use 1/4 Cup of White Vinegar. I washed all of our bedding yesterday and it came out just as fresh smelling and soft as ever. If you'd like a bit of smellies you can just add a few drops of essential oils to the vinegar. And if you have sensitive skin this should be fine, but if your hesitant you could use pure castille soap instead of the Fels-Naptha.

If you decide to try it let me know.

I fell off the wagon

2008-08-07T09:52:00.004-06:00

That is, the no-poo wagon. Well, not completely, I still have one leg on, but I'm not on for the long haul. I gave it a good try, but after yesterday, I decided I couldn't give it another three weeks at a fair try. Really, my hair was looking great, it was really clean. It just didn't feel like I wanted it too. It felt kind of dry and I've never had dry hair, so it was really bugging me. Of course, I figured the answer would be a nice deep conditioning treatment. So I found a good homemade recipe and gave it a try. When I got out of the shower, my hair combed out so nice, it felt smooth and conditioned and I was sure this was the going to be a good hair day. I had a lot to do, so instead of letting it air dry, I decided to blow-dry. So, I blowed, and blowed, and blowed, but no drying was happening. Then I discovered that my hair was not wet, but GREASY! Gross! Well, it wasn't totally gross, it didn't smell bad, and even as greasy as it was, it still felt clean, not greasy like going 10 days without washing. Apparently I had over-conditioned. As I was closely inspecting my hair in the mirror I also kept finding white flakes. How could my hair possibly have flakes with as "moist" as it was? The answer: They weren't flakes, they were little pieces of egg. See, the conditioner had eggs in it. Either the water in the shower was too hot and cooked the eggs, or I didn't get it completely rinsed out and just fried up a little egg while blowdrying. Either way, it was nasty. I didn't really want to use the baking soda again just to go back to where I had started that morning, so I decided a quick trip to the store for some emergency shampoo was in order. I pulled back my greasy hair (I'm not sure I even needed a hair band, it might have just stayed where I combed it all on it's own), grabbed Claire, and flew out the door. I realized when we got to the store, in all my distress, I had forgotten make-up as well. Needless to say, if you had seen me at the store you would have had to follow through with the obligation to tell me I looked like a greasy hippie.
I didn't want to go back to the regular old shampoo with all the nasty chemicals in it, so I found some by Avalon Organics. It's yummy and my hair loves it. After doing a little more reading, I've decided the reason my hair wasn't taking the baking soda washing so well is because we have hard water. I think with soft water it would have done much better. I'm not disciplined enough to haul purified water into the shower with me every morning, so, when we get a water softener one day I'll definitely try it again. For now, I'll stick with my new shampoo and use the baking soda wash occasionally for a good clarifying treatment.

Poo Free

2008-08-01T09:50:00.003-06:00

Yep, that's right, I'm going Poo Free, well at least I'm going to give it a try. It's not what you think, I'm not giving up "pooing" as I will still be taking my much needed visits to the ladies room, I'm going shampoo free. As you'll remember, I switched over to homemade cleaning products, and somehow, in the process of all my research, I came across this intriguing article. What, no shampoo?!? This is really out there for someone who absolutely loves the way a good lather feels. But, the idea of being able to get rid of my perpetually greasy hair (and not have to spend hours in the shampoo aisle deciding whether to choose by the cute bottle or the yummy smell) was appealing to me. Besides, do you know how cheap baking soda is?

Day 1:
Before shower: I'm a little nervous. I've woken up with the typical greasy head feel and I'm not quite sure I'm willing to give up my lather. But, I haven't decided against shower gel yet, so I'll get my lather fix one way or another... here goes.
During Shower: So far, so good. I didn't really feel I was accomplishing much and was afraid Jeff might comment on the smell of vinegar wafting from the shower, but my hair does have a bit of squeak to it, so it can't be to bad.
After shower: After drying and styling it looks pretty normal, no tropical island scent, but nothing bad either, and it doesn't feel greasy. So far, so good. And wouldn't you know it, during my playdate at Kelly's house she says, "Did you do something different to your hair, it looks good." Well, well, something about it must be working!
The Verdict: I'm going to give it an honest try. At least a month. According to the article, there may be an "de-tox" period of greasiness during the transition to no-poo, but if I can persevere, I just may be quitting my shampoo habit altogether. But next time you see me, be honest, if I look or smell like a dirty hippie you are obligated to let me know.

Odds & Ends

2008-07-30T10:54:00.006-06:00

*I cleaned the house yesterday. I know, nothing special, but I cleaned the whole house with homemade cleaners. I've been running seriously low on cleaning supplies, and have been wanting to switch over to products that are a bit safer, and cheaper, to clean with. I had a few Clorox Green Works cleaners, but even then, I wasn't sure of all the ingredients. After a bit of research, I decided on these recipes, and after trying them yesterday, am quite pleased with the results.

Hardwood Cleaner: 1/2 C vinegar, 1/2 herb tea (I used lemon), 2 gallons of warm water
Soft Scrub: 1/2 C baking soda, add enough liquid detergent (I just used dish soap) to make a texture like frosting.
All Purpose Cleaner: 1/2 tsp washing soda (found in the laundry aisle), a dab of liquid soap, 2 C hot tap water
Furniture Polish: 1/2 tsp olive oil, 1/4 vinegar or lemon juice
Mold Killer: 2 tsp tea tree oil, 2 C water
Window Cleaner: 1/4- 1/2 tsp liquid detergent, 3 tbsp vinegar, 2 C water
Tile Cleaner: 1/4 tbsp washing soda, 1 tbsp ammonia, 1 gallon of water

For the window and all purpose cleaners I used distilled water since we've got hard water.

*Part of what prompted the need to clean inexpensively was the need to clean our new coffee table so often. I really like it, and it was a great price at Costco, but Claire sure loves to leave her grubby little hand prints all over it!

*I think I'm ready to redecorate Claire's room. I had pretty much made up my mind that her room would be purple, but I wasn't totally sold on the quilt I'd picked out. Then I saw this. I LOVE IT! I think I'll paint her room blue and green. I think that these decals and butterflies would be totally cute too. Now I'm excited to get going on it!

*Here is my most recent favorite picture of Claire. I think it should be called "The Punk". Can't you just feel the attitude?

Something Yummy

2008-07-23T11:42:00.005-06:00

In my quest to straighten up my diet I made this recipe this morning. It's a bit like hummus. Yummy, easy and cheap. I love my veggies, but they're always better with dip.

1 (15 0z) can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 TBSP of chopped fresh rosemary (I just sprinkled in some Italian Seasonings)
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Just blend it up in the blender or food processor... that's it!

And for that Saturday morning muffin craving I tried these out:

Banana Blueberry Muffins

Ingredients:
2/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 medium ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar

2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, thawed

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line 12 medium muffin cups with paper baking cups or generously spray with nonstick cooking spray. Beat milk, oil, banana and egg substitute in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients except blueberries and mix just until flour is moistened. Place blueberries in a plastic bag and sprinkle with flour. Gently shake to coat berries with flour to prevent them from "bleeding" into the muffins. Gently fold in blueberries and divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Bake 18-20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan immediately and cool on a wire rack. Makes 12 Servings; Serving Size: 1 muffin

I substituted the flour for whole wheat flour, and 1/3 cup of Splenda for 1/3 cup of the sugar. They were yummy and delicious.

Enjoy!

Back to "Normal"

2008-07-21T08:39:00.003-06:00

I'm getting there. I'm finally starting to feel like my old self again, maybe just a little fatter... My body feels normal and though my belly isn't quite there, I purged my closet of maternity clothes (a little sad, I really love elastic waistbands) and managed to find a few pairs of capris I can squeeze back into. I went shopping for a few new tops yesterday, since new clothes always make a girl feel better, and this morning I got up bright and early for a date with my trainer. After a great workout, putting on my "suck your gut" underwear and a cute new t-shirt, I'm feeling pretty good. Now I have a mere eight weeks to trim down our vacation, but I really feel ready for the challenge. I supplemented my last few weeks of mild depression with a healthy dose of "eating-whatever-the-heck-I-want", so it looks as if an adjustment to my diet is in the works as well. Costco cupcakes and McDonald's will not get a girl the body she dreams of. Combine my new resolve with a visit from Merry Maids (time to cash in my mother's day gift card) and it's looking like it's going to be a pretty great day!

Three Proposals

2008-07-19T18:50:00.002-06:00

So, after my "stuff about me" post, I had a few questions about who the third proposal was from, and some of you may not even know about number two. Here's a recap:

After Jeff dumped me in high school I started "going out" with Rick. He was my high school sweetie for a little over two years. Most of my junior year and all of my senior year Rick was my best friend and boyfriend. And though I loved him, I knew he wouldn't be the one I spent the rest of my life with, and I certainly didn't think he felt that strongly for me. Once in college, I was pursued and won over by Brad. Breaking up with Rick wasn't easy and I didn't do a very good job of it either. He really didn't take it well and amongst his crying and lamenting his loss, he and Jeff became best friends. (Jeff and I jokingly refer to this as "when Jeff was dating Rick"). And at some point after I broke up with Rick and started dating Brad, Rick made a desperate attempt to save our relationship and proposed to me. I said no, convinced that I was madly in love with Brad. And I was convinced he felt the same for me since he proposed to me only three months into our relationship. After a whirlwind courtship and the beginnings of wedding plans Brad decided just three months before the wedding that he wasn't ready to be married, broke off the relationship and move to Oregon. Guess who was there to help heal my broken heart? Jeff, of course. We resumed our friendship and within a few months were dating again. Brad realized his mistake and tried to win me back, but I must have known that Jeff was finally "the one" because I stuck with him and after more than a year of dating I received my last and most precious proposal. Third time's the charm...

Free stuff!

2008-07-19T09:46:00.003-06:00

Want a chance to something great? For free? Check out Knitty Bitties for a give away.

2008-07-14T12:31:00.002-06:00

It's been awhile, and I was tagged SO LONG ago, Jessie may have even given up on me, but better late than never, right?

5 things on my to do list:
*Clean the house (well, I'm in the middle of doing it right now)
*Decorate Claire's room - this includes a whole list in itself, but she's just about ready for a big girl bed and I'm really excited to redecorate with a whole new color scheme
*Run to Costco for diapers
*Potty train Claire - I'm not sure she's quite ready yet, but it's worth another try soon
*Order pictures

5 jobs I've had:
*Planet Kid - Party Hostess and Manager
*Treasure Valley Hospital - Billing, Admitting and Supervisor
*Dr. Susan Hegstad - Receptionist
*St. Luke's - Registration and Education
*Claire's mommy

5 Places I have lived:
*Swan Falls, ID (Kuna)
*Twin Falls, ID
*Brownlee, OR
*Hagerman, ID
*Caldwell, ID

5 Favorite snacks:
*Garlic Trisquits with Pepperjack Cheese
*Salt & Pepper Pistachios
*Popcorn
*Yogurt and Cottage Cheese mixed
*Apples and PB

5 things you may not know about me are:
*I like to have my nails painted, but I'm embarrassingly bad at it
*I never really liked pink until I had Claire
*I LOVE math, if I had the chance, I'd take classes just for fun
*I used to play bridge with my boyfriend and his parents in high school, in fact, that's what I did the night after graduation, no parties for me
*I've been proposed to three times

5 things I would do if I was a billionaire:
*Of course, pay off all debts.
*Buy several houses around the world. I love to travel, but it'd be so much better if I could do it, and still be "home".
*Get a personal chef and a personal trainer and a maid.
*Devote myself to a charitable organization. I don't have a specific one in mind, but I think it would be better to focus my money and energy on just one instead of trying to give to all.
*I'd still make Claire get a job and have an "old beater" for a first car. I wouldn't want her to miss out on those learning experiences.

5 things I love:
*Smelling Claire's hair after a bath
*Kitties purring
*"After romance" munchies
*Pumpkin pie
*Sleeping in

5 people I tag:
*Anyone reading this who hasn't been previously tagged.... yes, you...

Life Means So Much

2008-07-09T14:22:00.004-06:00

With the loss of a life I've been given the blessing to see how much the life around me means.
My life, the lives of my husband, my daughter, my family, my friends... all given as a gift by the Giver of All Life

Teach us to count the days
Teach us to make the days count
Lead us in better ways
Somehow our souls forgot
Life means so much
Life means so much
Life means so much

My little man

2008-06-19T10:23:00.006-06:00

Ok, ok, so he's not my little man, but I wouldn't mind if he were. I guess I'll just have to settle for nephew. I got to watch Elijah Tuesday night so Ben and Megan could have their first date night since Elijah was born. What a good baby he is! We ate, played at the park, went for a walk, hung out in his room, and all with just a few cries. When I thought he was ready for bed, I laid him down, he cried for maybe two minutes and was asleep in five! What I would have given for such an easy baby! I'm so thankful for the opportunity to enjoy him!

Outside

2008-06-13T08:41:00.018-06:00

I will not complain about the cool weather we've had. I love it. I am not a fan of 100+ degree weather. I'll take rainy over hot any day. But I was happy to see the weather nice enough to get some yard work done. My garden is doing great! I finally got a chance to get my tomato cage in (I really didn't realize that my tomato plant will end up about the size of me), a cage for my arugula, and get some weeding done. Here's a preview of my lettuce and broccoli.

Don't they look delicious already?

My lovely sister-in-law, Megan, brought me a bunch of flowers the other day, so I decided it was about time to pot them up. Of course, my trip to Home Depot to get potting soil, also resulted in a few extra flowers I just couldn't resist. I finished up 5 more pots yesterday and now my back patio is looking lovely.

Even the kids had a nice time outside.

Can you see how fat Sheba has gotten? It's an embarrassment to the family.

But my Solomon is beautiful as ever...

A Burst of Energy

2008-06-09T18:30:00.002-06:00

I have been so lazy lately. I mean seriously lazy. I've been busy, but not with anything that actually needs to be done. Saturday I woke up feeling cruddy and spent the morning on the couch. I managed to shower by noon, but I can't honestly remember exactly how I wasted the rest of the day, but I did. After many sleepless nights and too many sleepy, lazy days I took a Tylenol PM Saturday night. Finally, I good night's rest and then my burst of energy.
I:
*Cleaned out/organized my closet
*Organized my yarn - a huge project that resulted in tidy little containers and a whole trash bag of yarn to donate to Hands of Hope
*A trip to Lowe's to pick up extra organizational stuff
*Picked up every little bit of clutter in the house
*Fixed dinner
*Did all the laundry and put it away
*Cleaned out the den and paid bills
*Rested and watched a movie during Claire's nap

I had another sleepless night, but still managed to continue my burst of energy into Monday
I:
*Got up early and worked out
*Cleaned to whole house ( a good deep clean, no pansy surface cleaning today)
*Tiny nap
*Quick trip to Winco for Polish Sausages and Macaroni salad
*Watered and fertilized all my outdoor plants
*Weeded my garden beds and all the flower beds
and
*Blogged about it all...

Praying for Playdough

2008-06-07T22:44:00.003-06:00

I told you this girl likes to pray! Yesterday she wanted to pray for her playdough. This morning we caught her praying for her plastic vegetables. Have we got a prayer warrior in the making?

Small

2008-06-07T22:34:00.002-06:00

Have you seen this magazine? Seriously cute stuff. I haven't had the time to do more than quickly browse an issue, but I'm sure there are great ideas to be found. Check it out!

Again?!?

2008-06-07T20:46:00.000-06:00

Yes, and may it be the last time I ever need to re-do my blog. What's the count now? This must be at least the 96th time I've recreated a blog that I barely use. But, iWeb was driving me crazy, I was craving the ability to post from more than one computer, and I really liked this layout. Isn't it cute? OK, so once I get everything just the way I want it, I'll attempt a real post.