Mar 30, 2009
Winston the Great
Through a series of very fortunate events we get to have Winston every day from now on. It is very exciting and we are all giddy with anticipation. This will be a blessing for both John and for us in many ways. Maybe this is why the Lord has not seen fit to give us a new baby? Or maybe this is a way the Lord is providing for our financial needs as we strive to be debt free? I don't know ... but it's fun and we just love the little guy! Mike is home for two weeks and we hope to get some Spring maintenance finished. The garage organized (sleds put away, boots/mittens put away ...) and new shelves put up in the storage room. We also have 5 April birthdays coming up, possibly a mini-trip for me (I can't give details yet or it may spoil a surprise) and Mike is going to Israel for work in May. There's so much on the horizon my stomach tumbles thinking about it all. But, it's all fun stuff and when June rolls around we'll relax ... ha! We then have 2 June birthdays and ....
Mar 27, 2009
Winston and Rachel
We have Winston today. He and Rachel have become buddies and shared their afternoon snack. After they ate I remembered that they don't recommend popcorn for kids under the age of two ... oooops. Sorry John.
Rachel was happy to share.
Oh, and Rachel is forever a puppy so she was eating her snack out of a bowl on the floor like a dog ... I guess Winston figured it was easier to embrace the silly in my house rather than fight against it. On the topic of silly here's Elizabeth making a little nest by the front door ... she had a little pillow and her cup and just camped out here for a while this morning ...
Rachel was happy to share.
Oh, and Rachel is forever a puppy so she was eating her snack out of a bowl on the floor like a dog ... I guess Winston figured it was easier to embrace the silly in my house rather than fight against it. On the topic of silly here's Elizabeth making a little nest by the front door ... she had a little pillow and her cup and just camped out here for a while this morning ...
Finally SNOW, Friday Chores and Daddy's Return
We finally have snow! And it's wet, deep and beautiful! We have at least a foot of the gorgeous stuff and the kids are climbing the walls waiting to go out and play. We're just praying that Mike can get into the airport tonight and that he can get from the airport to home. Surely by tonight things will be plowed and ready for him. I was humbled yesterday when I realized the box of diapers in the garage was really a box of wipes and I had only 4 diapers left for Elizabeth ... after all of my planning and supply storage here I had missed diapers! The thought of shoveling out our van and trying to get to the store was pretty daunting so Uncle John rescued me by driving over in his AWD with a brand new box of Huggies ... what would I do without family.
For Friday Chores we'll focus on the main floor and basement this week. Last week we really worked upstairs so other things suffered. Grandma and Grandpa may be moving into our basement in May and I want everything cleaned up so I can have a good grasp of what we'll need to move, get rid of and re-organize before they arrive. We're all excited for this new adventure. I had hoped to also get some work done in the garage but think I'll wait until it warms up again. It will be a cold, wet day today.
Yesterday I made hot, buttered Naan and Curried Lentils and Rice for lunch and it was absolutely the perfect cold weather meal. In fact, the kids love the Naan and by afternoon snacks had eaten all the leftovers. Today I'm thinking grilled cheese and tomato soup are in order after working hard and playing in the snow. On the subject of food, the Hillbilly Housewife has a new article about cutting your grocery bill in half ... it's interesting and I really want to dig into it a bit because we actually have been spending half of what she considers half. Does that make sense? With our Texas house on the market we're paying extra for our mortgage down there so I have cut our grocery budget way way way down until it sells. I honestly don't think anyone around here has noticed. I have been using some of my food storage but also have made some major adjustments to what I buy! It's kind of a fun challenge in the short term but might get tiresome over time. She lists the Department of Labors analysis of what the average family should spend per week on groceries ... the frugal list shows we should be spending $316 per week on food and I've been spending $150 per week on everything including paper products and cleaning supplies (obviously I forgot diapers last time ...ha). I pretty much have eliminated all snack foods except tortilla chips, anything processed, most paper products except toilet paper and diapers ... pretty much I've just been buying necessities with no exceptions. Even when I'm on our normal budget we spend more like $250 per week to feed eleven of us. I could go back to cloth diapering and save more but ... I'm not that desperate yet and Elizabeth is almost ready to be potty trained. So, on that note I'm off to rally the troops. There is a great lack of motivation around here ...
For Friday Chores we'll focus on the main floor and basement this week. Last week we really worked upstairs so other things suffered. Grandma and Grandpa may be moving into our basement in May and I want everything cleaned up so I can have a good grasp of what we'll need to move, get rid of and re-organize before they arrive. We're all excited for this new adventure. I had hoped to also get some work done in the garage but think I'll wait until it warms up again. It will be a cold, wet day today.
Yesterday I made hot, buttered Naan and Curried Lentils and Rice for lunch and it was absolutely the perfect cold weather meal. In fact, the kids love the Naan and by afternoon snacks had eaten all the leftovers. Today I'm thinking grilled cheese and tomato soup are in order after working hard and playing in the snow. On the subject of food, the Hillbilly Housewife has a new article about cutting your grocery bill in half ... it's interesting and I really want to dig into it a bit because we actually have been spending half of what she considers half. Does that make sense? With our Texas house on the market we're paying extra for our mortgage down there so I have cut our grocery budget way way way down until it sells. I honestly don't think anyone around here has noticed. I have been using some of my food storage but also have made some major adjustments to what I buy! It's kind of a fun challenge in the short term but might get tiresome over time. She lists the Department of Labors analysis of what the average family should spend per week on groceries ... the frugal list shows we should be spending $316 per week on food and I've been spending $150 per week on everything including paper products and cleaning supplies (obviously I forgot diapers last time ...ha). I pretty much have eliminated all snack foods except tortilla chips, anything processed, most paper products except toilet paper and diapers ... pretty much I've just been buying necessities with no exceptions. Even when I'm on our normal budget we spend more like $250 per week to feed eleven of us. I could go back to cloth diapering and save more but ... I'm not that desperate yet and Elizabeth is almost ready to be potty trained. So, on that note I'm off to rally the troops. There is a great lack of motivation around here ...
Mar 25, 2009
Proverbs 24 and Psalm 90
Yesterday we read through Proverbs 24 during morning devotions. Verses 33 and 34 say:
"A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man."
I can't tell you how many times this Proverb has come to haunt me. It's so easy to justify setting things aside because I'm tired or weary or lazy only to find that ignoring a little thing spirals into a big thing. And time passes so quickly sometimes I feel like I wake up one day with a totally different child than I thought I had because I've ignored a bad habit instead of dealing with it immediately. I was pondering all this at BSF on Monday as we talked about Moses losing his patience with those darn Israelites just one time and losing his right to take them to the Promised Land. I mean, if anyone deserved a break in his patience it was dear Moses. That "little rest" cost Moses what he'd been striving towards for 38 years. Then in Psalm 90 he writes his thoughts ... he writes of God's power, wrath, strength, mercy, grace and then prays in verses 16 and 17:
"Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us,
yes, establish the work of our hands!"
Notice he doesn't say "establish rest" or "establish a break" or "establish a nap" but "establish the work of our hands!"
Now, I'm not going to lose the right to enter the Promised Land but by my laziness I lose precious time to train my children, grow in my walk and glorify God. The one thing I've learned lately about having children is that the character and behavior issues I ignored in my children when they were young are magnified and uglier when they are older. Sin just festers and grows over time so when I ignore a child who tends to whine or a child who tends to back talk those sins turn into a big whiney, back-talking teenager. Who wants that?! But, God is merciful and loves my children more than even I do. Despite my weakness I pray that he will show my children his, "glorious power."
"A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man."
I can't tell you how many times this Proverb has come to haunt me. It's so easy to justify setting things aside because I'm tired or weary or lazy only to find that ignoring a little thing spirals into a big thing. And time passes so quickly sometimes I feel like I wake up one day with a totally different child than I thought I had because I've ignored a bad habit instead of dealing with it immediately. I was pondering all this at BSF on Monday as we talked about Moses losing his patience with those darn Israelites just one time and losing his right to take them to the Promised Land. I mean, if anyone deserved a break in his patience it was dear Moses. That "little rest" cost Moses what he'd been striving towards for 38 years. Then in Psalm 90 he writes his thoughts ... he writes of God's power, wrath, strength, mercy, grace and then prays in verses 16 and 17:
"Let your work be shown to your servants,
and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us,
and establish the work of our hands upon us,
yes, establish the work of our hands!"
Notice he doesn't say "establish rest" or "establish a break" or "establish a nap" but "establish the work of our hands!"
Now, I'm not going to lose the right to enter the Promised Land but by my laziness I lose precious time to train my children, grow in my walk and glorify God. The one thing I've learned lately about having children is that the character and behavior issues I ignored in my children when they were young are magnified and uglier when they are older. Sin just festers and grows over time so when I ignore a child who tends to whine or a child who tends to back talk those sins turn into a big whiney, back-talking teenager. Who wants that?! But, God is merciful and loves my children more than even I do. Despite my weakness I pray that he will show my children his, "glorious power."
Mar 24, 2009
Weekly Meal Planning Made Easy
I honestly thought I had posted about this before but can't figure out where ... so I must not have. One of the interesting, if not funny, things about big families is that we all seem to come to the same conclusions over time. Necessity being the mother of invention, I guess. I'll come up with a life-changing way of managing things only to find out a friend has been doing the same thing! The same thing goes for how I cook. When reading through posts on MOMYs about how other families cook frugally several of us have come up with the same method.
To start with watch ads and sales and only buy meat when it's on sale. Stores alternate their sales so this makes it easy to keep your menu diverse. If there are not good sales you can always use Walmart's .59 chicken leg quarters as a fall back. I've also been grinding portions of cheap cuts to use for things requiring ground meat. One week the sales might be cheap pork like .99/lb. pork chops, $1.69/lb. pork roasts or loins, $1.69 beef chuck roasts, .99/lb. ground beef ... the .59/lb. chicken leg quarters are almost always cheaper than any sales on chicken. Once you have your meat of choice that is the starting point for your weekly menu.
Day One - This is your work day so make sure it's a free day so you can process what you cook. The reward for this day will be a big "meaty" meal at the end of the day and a load of beans to use throughout the week. As our schedule has changed this day has changed for us and it always takes me a while to adjust to a new day. So, cook one type of meat and a big crock pot full of one type of beans. Make extras to freeze.
Day Two - Mexican meal using meat and beans from cooking day.
Day Three - Soup meal using meat, beans and leftover veggies from previous two days.
Day Four - Egg or Potato meal using leftovers again.
Day Five - Beans and Rice using beans from cooking day.
Day Six - Pizza night at our house ... not using leftovers unless money is tight.
Day Seven - Leftovers from the week or if nothing is left ... Pasta!
So here are some ideas:
CHICKEN/TURKEY
Day One - Roast Sticky Chicken, Chicken Spaghetti, BBQ Chicken Legs, Roast Chicken
Day Two - Chicken Quesadillas, Enchiladas, Tacos, Burritos or Nachos
Day Three - Chicken Noodle/Rice Soup, Chicken Chili, White Chili, Chicken Minnestroni
Day Four - Potatoes with Chili on top, Spaghetti and Eggs, Omelettes
Day Five - Beans and Rice ... need I say more.
Day Six - We're usually getting a little sick of chicken by now BUT there's always Buffalo Chicken Pizza or BBQ Chicken Pizza
Day Seven - Leftovers or I freeze anything we're sick of
HAM
Day One - Ham with Scalloped Potatoes
Day Two - Ham and Cheese Quesadillas
Day Three - Ham and Bean Soup, Cream Ham and Broccoli Soup
Day Four - Hashbrown Potatoes and Ham, Ham Omelettes, Eggs Benedict, Creamed Eggs
Day Five - Fried Rice, Beans and Rice, Cream of Ham over rice
Day Six - Pizza or Ham and Mushroom Pizza/Ham and Pineapple Pizza
Day Seven - Leftovers or I freeze anything we're sick of
PORK/BEEF
Day One - Roast with gravy, Italian Roast, Brisket
Day Two - Quesadillas, Enchiladas, Tacos, Burritos or Nachos
Day Three - Beef Vegetable Soup, Chili, French Onion Soup, Pork Wonton Soup, Green Chili
Day Four - Potatoes with Chili on top, Spaghetti and Eggs, Omelettes
Day Five - Fried Rice, Pork and Beans, Shredded Beef and Beans
Day Six - Pizza
Day Seven - Leftovers or I freeze anything we're sick of
GROUND MEAT
Day One - Meatloaf, Stuffed Cabbage, Meatballs and Spaghetti
Day Two - Burritos, Tacos or Enchiladas with crumbled leftovers
Day Three - Chili, Beef Vegetable, Italian Beef Soup
Day Four - Potatoes with Chili, Omelettes
Day Five - Leftover Soup over Rice, Beans and Rice ...
Day Six - Pizza or Crumbled Beef Taco Pizza
Day Seven - Leftovers or I freeze anything we're sick of
This is a really simple way to cook frugally and ensure that you use up any leftovers you have. Waste not, want not. I also use the beans I cook on day one for lunches and the leftover veggies for omelettes for breakfasts. I try to have at least one kind of each type of meat in my freezer at any one time in case I miss a sale or don't have the time or money to shop one week. I also freeze any leftovers no matter how meager because there are just weeks when you need a fall back and will be happy for anything easy. Pasta is also an easy fall back.
To start with watch ads and sales and only buy meat when it's on sale. Stores alternate their sales so this makes it easy to keep your menu diverse. If there are not good sales you can always use Walmart's .59 chicken leg quarters as a fall back. I've also been grinding portions of cheap cuts to use for things requiring ground meat. One week the sales might be cheap pork like .99/lb. pork chops, $1.69/lb. pork roasts or loins, $1.69 beef chuck roasts, .99/lb. ground beef ... the .59/lb. chicken leg quarters are almost always cheaper than any sales on chicken. Once you have your meat of choice that is the starting point for your weekly menu.
Day One - This is your work day so make sure it's a free day so you can process what you cook. The reward for this day will be a big "meaty" meal at the end of the day and a load of beans to use throughout the week. As our schedule has changed this day has changed for us and it always takes me a while to adjust to a new day. So, cook one type of meat and a big crock pot full of one type of beans. Make extras to freeze.
Day Two - Mexican meal using meat and beans from cooking day.
Day Three - Soup meal using meat, beans and leftover veggies from previous two days.
Day Four - Egg or Potato meal using leftovers again.
Day Five - Beans and Rice using beans from cooking day.
Day Six - Pizza night at our house ... not using leftovers unless money is tight.
Day Seven - Leftovers from the week or if nothing is left ... Pasta!
So here are some ideas:
CHICKEN/TURKEY
Day One - Roast Sticky Chicken, Chicken Spaghetti, BBQ Chicken Legs, Roast Chicken
Day Two - Chicken Quesadillas, Enchiladas, Tacos, Burritos or Nachos
Day Three - Chicken Noodle/Rice Soup, Chicken Chili, White Chili, Chicken Minnestroni
Day Four - Potatoes with Chili on top, Spaghetti and Eggs, Omelettes
Day Five - Beans and Rice ... need I say more.
Day Six - We're usually getting a little sick of chicken by now BUT there's always Buffalo Chicken Pizza or BBQ Chicken Pizza
Day Seven - Leftovers or I freeze anything we're sick of
HAM
Day One - Ham with Scalloped Potatoes
Day Two - Ham and Cheese Quesadillas
Day Three - Ham and Bean Soup, Cream Ham and Broccoli Soup
Day Four - Hashbrown Potatoes and Ham, Ham Omelettes, Eggs Benedict, Creamed Eggs
Day Five - Fried Rice, Beans and Rice, Cream of Ham over rice
Day Six - Pizza or Ham and Mushroom Pizza/Ham and Pineapple Pizza
Day Seven - Leftovers or I freeze anything we're sick of
PORK/BEEF
Day One - Roast with gravy, Italian Roast, Brisket
Day Two - Quesadillas, Enchiladas, Tacos, Burritos or Nachos
Day Three - Beef Vegetable Soup, Chili, French Onion Soup, Pork Wonton Soup, Green Chili
Day Four - Potatoes with Chili on top, Spaghetti and Eggs, Omelettes
Day Five - Fried Rice, Pork and Beans, Shredded Beef and Beans
Day Six - Pizza
Day Seven - Leftovers or I freeze anything we're sick of
GROUND MEAT
Day One - Meatloaf, Stuffed Cabbage, Meatballs and Spaghetti
Day Two - Burritos, Tacos or Enchiladas with crumbled leftovers
Day Three - Chili, Beef Vegetable, Italian Beef Soup
Day Four - Potatoes with Chili, Omelettes
Day Five - Leftover Soup over Rice, Beans and Rice ...
Day Six - Pizza or Crumbled Beef Taco Pizza
Day Seven - Leftovers or I freeze anything we're sick of
This is a really simple way to cook frugally and ensure that you use up any leftovers you have. Waste not, want not. I also use the beans I cook on day one for lunches and the leftover veggies for omelettes for breakfasts. I try to have at least one kind of each type of meat in my freezer at any one time in case I miss a sale or don't have the time or money to shop one week. I also freeze any leftovers no matter how meager because there are just weeks when you need a fall back and will be happy for anything easy. Pasta is also an easy fall back.
Mar 22, 2009
A Home ...
Dietrich Boenhoffer said:
"The place where God has put the wife is the husband's home. Most people have forgotten nowadays what a home can mean - it is a kingdom of its own in the midst of the world; a stronghold amid life's storms and stresses, a refuge, even a sanctuary. It is not founded on the shifting sands of outward or public life, but it has its resting place in God, for God gives it its special meaning and value, its own nature and privilege, its own destiny and dignity. It is an ordinance of God in the world, the place in which - whatever may happen in the world - peace, quietness, joy, love, purity, discipline, respect, obedience, tradition, and with it all happiness may dwell. It is the wife's calling, and her happiness, to build up for her husband, this world within the world, and to do her life's work there. How happy she is if she realizes how great and rich a task and destiny she has."
Not a popular idea in today's broken and fallen world but a good reminder of the joy of homemaking. As my kids put their whipped cream on their faces to look like mustaches during dessert I wondered if Mike would find "peace and quietness" in our home but I know he'd find "joy and love".
"The place where God has put the wife is the husband's home. Most people have forgotten nowadays what a home can mean - it is a kingdom of its own in the midst of the world; a stronghold amid life's storms and stresses, a refuge, even a sanctuary. It is not founded on the shifting sands of outward or public life, but it has its resting place in God, for God gives it its special meaning and value, its own nature and privilege, its own destiny and dignity. It is an ordinance of God in the world, the place in which - whatever may happen in the world - peace, quietness, joy, love, purity, discipline, respect, obedience, tradition, and with it all happiness may dwell. It is the wife's calling, and her happiness, to build up for her husband, this world within the world, and to do her life's work there. How happy she is if she realizes how great and rich a task and destiny she has."
Not a popular idea in today's broken and fallen world but a good reminder of the joy of homemaking. As my kids put their whipped cream on their faces to look like mustaches during dessert I wondered if Mike would find "peace and quietness" in our home but I know he'd find "joy and love".
Mar 20, 2009
Friday Chores, Park Day and Daddy's Return
Whew, it's Friday! A long, busy, fun, chaotic week comes to an end. We'll race through Friday chores then meet our MOMYs/Above Rubies group at the park. Mike gets home tonight and I will go, alone, to meet him at the airport. I figure we have 41 hours with him before he leaves again ... maybe less depending on if his flight leaves at noon on Sunday or if he has to leave our house at noon ... I can't remember. I'd like to have a clean, organized house for him to come home to but looking around this morning we've got a long way to go. Here's my list of goals:X Pick-up back yard
X Fold laundry
X Whole house pick-up
X Vacuum upstairs
Vacuum downstairs
Vacuum stairs
X School room
Mop wood floors
Bathrooms
X Basement
Make bundt cakes for Sunday
Nothing is terrible but there are lots of out-of-place things everywhere (JOSIAH!). Maybe Mike will be so blinded by the beauty of our new refrigerator he won't notice Josiah's BDU boots on the kitchen counter.
Mar 19, 2009
What's Spring Break Without A Trip To Urgent Care?
For the third time in the last year we found ourselves driving over to Rocky Mountain Physicians yesterday to get stitches. While playing outside Timothy was dinged in the noggin with a stick right between his beautiful blue eyes. A brother, who shall remain unnamed, was throwing the stick pretending it was a bomb (boys!) and has been extensively lectured about the wisdom of throwing sticks towards people. He insists he was throwing it at the ground but OBVIOUSLY it did not hit the ground. Poor Timmy.
This all occurred during our visit with the Gonzales family and while our new refrigerator was to be delivered. The dear Gonzales family had to leave and the neighbor had to come sign for our refrigerator. I returned home with a stitched up Timmy, a new refrigerator and a gaggle of Box girls cleaning out my new refrigerator. I'm so blessed to have nice neighbors.
To salve Timmy's wound we went to McDonald's for dinner and the little boys got Spiderman toys in their Happy Meals while the little girls got Littlest Petshop critters ... it doesn't get much better than that! I let the big kids order whatever they wanted which was better than toys for them I guess. A good, greasy time was had by all.
Today we'll load up our new refrigerator, go to Karate, fold a weeks worth of clean laundry, go to CAP and do some school. Pretty mundane. I'll take a picture of Timmy to post. It looks like he's blinking a 3rd eye ... although he doesn't think that joke is funny.
This all occurred during our visit with the Gonzales family and while our new refrigerator was to be delivered. The dear Gonzales family had to leave and the neighbor had to come sign for our refrigerator. I returned home with a stitched up Timmy, a new refrigerator and a gaggle of Box girls cleaning out my new refrigerator. I'm so blessed to have nice neighbors.
To salve Timmy's wound we went to McDonald's for dinner and the little boys got Spiderman toys in their Happy Meals while the little girls got Littlest Petshop critters ... it doesn't get much better than that! I let the big kids order whatever they wanted which was better than toys for them I guess. A good, greasy time was had by all.
Today we'll load up our new refrigerator, go to Karate, fold a weeks worth of clean laundry, go to CAP and do some school. Pretty mundane. I'll take a picture of Timmy to post. It looks like he's blinking a 3rd eye ... although he doesn't think that joke is funny.
Mar 17, 2009
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Irish Blessings ...
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
We'll enjoy corned beef, cabbage and grasshopper pie tonight!
Mar 16, 2009
This is for you Rebecca ...
Rebecca's family found my refrigerator enthusiasm very amusing so this is for her (she has a "Lizzy" in her household too):
Do you think my new refrigerator will come with that accessory?
Do you think my new refrigerator will come with that accessory?
Mar 15, 2009
Spring Break ... a paradox to home schoolers ...
It's Spring Break this week. As home schoolers we use Spring Break to make up for all the time we've taken off during the rest of the year while all the parks and play lands are full of Spring Breakers. Or at least that's usually my plan ... and then I start feeling sorry for my kids and get sucked into doing fun things in spite of my planning. Actually I seem to get sucked into doing fun things instead of school quite frequently but that's a topic for another post. So my new plan for the week is to do school all morning, with vim and vigor, and then do something fun in the afternoons. Tomorrow we'll go to the river and cook hotdogs, splash in ice cold water and soak up the spring air. Later in the week I might look into a $2 theater movie or a trip to fish in the lake or treat everyone to Happy Meals at McDonalds ... I'm still thinking on those things. My kids are very easily amused ... marshmallows over a fire pit are almost like Disney World around here. But, the most exciting news of the week ... drum roll ... we're getting a new refrigerator! Hallelujah! It will be delivered on Wednesday. Anyone who has seen my old refrigerator can post comments relaying our need for a new one ... even if you've never had the privilege of opening the door of the dilapidated appliance, the duct tape and huge gap in the seal around the door are just hints at the pathetic sites inside. We've been saving and watching for a good deal and finally we found a fantastic deal at a store in Denver. We took the add to our local discount appliance place and they gave us an even better deal! We're just so excited. Mike is laughing at me because I am so happy over a refrigerator. I may even post pictures and you can all oooo and ahhhh at this beautiful appliance. In fact, in all of our 18 years of marriage we've never had an ice maker ... which many people find amusing ... but I've never really missed having one as it's not terribly hard to make ice ... but I'm pretty excited about having one now. Ohhhh, it's just all so exciting!
Ok, enough basking in the glory of a new refrigerator. Dear Mike is gone all this week, returns home late Friday night and leaves again at noon on Sunday. Poor guy. He was gone all last week as well. We miss him terribly ... and he won't get to christen the new refrigerator with me. I may have to save the first ice cubes for him. Ha!
Mar 10, 2009
If you need a good laugh...
This is me in middle school! Bahahahaha! It's ok, you can laugh too.
My friend Becky, who I spent most days with growing up, had an '80's birthday party last weekend which I had to miss. This is just one of the many ridiculous photos she found in her secret vault containing embarrassing photos of my past. Becky and I spent our days playing Snoopy, watching silly movies, eating Reeces Pieces and chips dipped in ketchup ... all things fun. Do they even make Reeces Pieces anymore?
Mar 9, 2009
Our family last year ....
Our family last year..
The entire family in at the Air Force Academy after Josiah's week long encampment.
This was our New Year's Card saying "From Our Nine In '09"
This was at the Continental Divide when the Fitzgerald's visited.
Getting ready to play in the first (and almost only) snow of the year!
These are not in any order ... they are just as I stumbled onto them. In every picture I see something I don't like which is why it's impossible for me to get a good picture of us all . But it's fun to remember our fantastic year.
The entire family in at the Air Force Academy after Josiah's week long encampment.
This was our New Year's Card saying "From Our Nine In '09"
This was at the Continental Divide when the Fitzgerald's visited.
Getting ready to play in the first (and almost only) snow of the year!
These are not in any order ... they are just as I stumbled onto them. In every picture I see something I don't like which is why it's impossible for me to get a good picture of us all . But it's fun to remember our fantastic year.
Mar 8, 2009
Whew ... Electives Ends and Spring Begins
After six weeks of fantastic Friday fun, Elective classes are over. Friday night was the Extravaganza and it was just fantastic. Do I have pictures you may ask? No. One of my photography students broke our year old camera ... which I was honestly worried would happen. But the ridiculous optimist that I am assumed the best and even with it broken I keep thinking "well, at least he didn't break Grandpa's camera". See what an incurable optimist I am! Being one who tends to break things myself I'm pretty forgiving. We'll replace it with our tax refund so in the mean time I'm suffering from camera with-drawl. Like when Elizabeth covered her entire face with purple lip gloss and we all thought she was choking I had no camera to capture the moment. Again, you may ask "why don't you use the camera you borrowed from Grandpa?" Well, the boy using that camera left it on and the batteries are dead. Easily fixed once we buy batteries.
We're all excited for a "normal" week. Mike is traveling each of the next three weeks which is rotten. I don't know why adding electives threw such a kink in our schedule but it did and it's time to get back on track. So while Mike's gone we'll get the house back in order and dive into school. I'm trying a new schedule this week and will post more about that later in the week.
Tomorrow our Texas house goes on the market! We're told it looks like it will sell so we are guardedly optimistic. Until it sells we'll be reducing the rent while our tenants show it for us making our budget tight in the mean time. It's a good opportunity to tighten our belts and I've already seen neat ways God is providing as we try to watch every penny. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it sold quickly ... can we even hope for such a miracle?
In the midst of the craziness last week the kids and I planted our Spring garden. The temperatures were in the upper '70's followed by a light snow on Saturday night ... perfect for planting. We planted lettuce, romaine, spinach, kale, onions, red onions, carrots and peas. We covered the garden with dead leaves in the fall and composted by the bucket all winter. I'm hoping this really helped our soil. I'm so excited for our first produce in a few months. I'm also working towards starting seeds in my front window which will not be pretty in the short run will allow us to start in mid-way with bigger plants. Ooo, I'm so excited. Now if I can stay on top of the water and weeks.
And, finally, tomorrow Jacob will be the 4th Stephens to be in orthodontia. He'll get his expander in and is pretty anxious about it. Josiah, Mary and Luke have all been through this so that should console him. He's an anxious little guy and I'm praying it is as uneventful as it has been in the past. Now I'm off to spend a little time with Mike before he leaves.
We're all excited for a "normal" week. Mike is traveling each of the next three weeks which is rotten. I don't know why adding electives threw such a kink in our schedule but it did and it's time to get back on track. So while Mike's gone we'll get the house back in order and dive into school. I'm trying a new schedule this week and will post more about that later in the week.
Tomorrow our Texas house goes on the market! We're told it looks like it will sell so we are guardedly optimistic. Until it sells we'll be reducing the rent while our tenants show it for us making our budget tight in the mean time. It's a good opportunity to tighten our belts and I've already seen neat ways God is providing as we try to watch every penny. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it sold quickly ... can we even hope for such a miracle?
In the midst of the craziness last week the kids and I planted our Spring garden. The temperatures were in the upper '70's followed by a light snow on Saturday night ... perfect for planting. We planted lettuce, romaine, spinach, kale, onions, red onions, carrots and peas. We covered the garden with dead leaves in the fall and composted by the bucket all winter. I'm hoping this really helped our soil. I'm so excited for our first produce in a few months. I'm also working towards starting seeds in my front window which will not be pretty in the short run will allow us to start in mid-way with bigger plants. Ooo, I'm so excited. Now if I can stay on top of the water and weeks.
And, finally, tomorrow Jacob will be the 4th Stephens to be in orthodontia. He'll get his expander in and is pretty anxious about it. Josiah, Mary and Luke have all been through this so that should console him. He's an anxious little guy and I'm praying it is as uneventful as it has been in the past. Now I'm off to spend a little time with Mike before he leaves.
Mar 4, 2009
The Inevitable Finally Happened ....
Elizabeth got her first little stitch today. She moved Rachel's booster seat onto the couch, buckled (or "guckled" as she says) herself in, tipped forward and fell into the corner of the coffee table. A lovely one inch gash a few inches above her forehead. The doctor put one wee little stitch in it to hold it shut while it heals. The funny thing is we were sure her first stitch would come from climbing ... she's been found on the top of desks, pianos, bookcases, the play structure ... a pathetic 1 1/2 foot drop from the couch to the floor seems almost anti-climatic.
This is the final week of electives. I've promised my Astronomy kids for six weeks that we'd have a Mentos and Diet Coke volcano on our last day so tomorrow the kids and I will be paper mache-ing our hearts out. I also have binders to assemble and copies to make.
We've also planted our Spring garden this week. Lettuce, Kale, Spinach, Romaine, yellow/red onions and carrots. It's just heavenly to be in the dirt. The weather is fantastic this week but is supposed to turn next week which will provide much needed moisture to my soil. I'm almost giddy in anticipation! A busy week.
Kids are still sick and struggling. We have an endless cough that drives us all bonkers at night. Poor Timothy is always the worst. Everything ends in his chest and it takes weeks to conquer. Spring approaching doesn't help as he's allergic to things that grow ... like grass, flowers, trees, plants, mold ... ha!
In the midst of all of our sickness we've been so blessed by the generosity of our family and friends. Dear Beth surprised me with a veritable feast that fed us for days! John and Joanie brought Boston Market last night and Joanie looked in the kids ears for me. We are truly blessed!
This is the final week of electives. I've promised my Astronomy kids for six weeks that we'd have a Mentos and Diet Coke volcano on our last day so tomorrow the kids and I will be paper mache-ing our hearts out. I also have binders to assemble and copies to make.
We've also planted our Spring garden this week. Lettuce, Kale, Spinach, Romaine, yellow/red onions and carrots. It's just heavenly to be in the dirt. The weather is fantastic this week but is supposed to turn next week which will provide much needed moisture to my soil. I'm almost giddy in anticipation! A busy week.
Kids are still sick and struggling. We have an endless cough that drives us all bonkers at night. Poor Timothy is always the worst. Everything ends in his chest and it takes weeks to conquer. Spring approaching doesn't help as he's allergic to things that grow ... like grass, flowers, trees, plants, mold ... ha!
In the midst of all of our sickness we've been so blessed by the generosity of our family and friends. Dear Beth surprised me with a veritable feast that fed us for days! John and Joanie brought Boston Market last night and Joanie looked in the kids ears for me. We are truly blessed!
Mar 1, 2009
Another recipe or two ...
Tonight we had hot buttered Naan with Curry Rice and Lentils and it was awesome! The Naan was super easy especially in the Bosch mixer. I threw all the ingredients in my mixer with the dough hooks, set the timer for five minutes, dumped it on the counter and formed it into a smooth mound and then put it back in the bowl with a little olive oil to set until dinner. It did take a good 3 minutes to get them all rolled out and cooked but well worth it!
http://www.recipezaar.com/Naan-203261
Really easy. Anna rolled out the circles for me which was helpful.
I didn't really have a recipe for Curry Rice and Lentils so this is what I did:
1 onion, diced
1 T minced garlic
2 T of olive oil
1 1/2 cup lentils
1 1/2 cup brown rice
1 T curry
1/2 t cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
8 cups water or chicken broth (I didn't really measure I just added more if it needed more)
Saute onion and garlic until tender. Add lentils and saute a bit. Add half of liquid and cook the lentils for 20 minutes. Add the rice and the rest of the liquid. Cook another 40 minutes or until the rice is done. Add spices and serve. It's pretty spicy. Mike filled his Naan with it which was tasty. Next time I'll add cauliflower and peas but I didn't have any tonight. Yum! Yum!
http://www.recipezaar.com/Naan-203261
Really easy. Anna rolled out the circles for me which was helpful.
I didn't really have a recipe for Curry Rice and Lentils so this is what I did:
1 onion, diced
1 T minced garlic
2 T of olive oil
1 1/2 cup lentils
1 1/2 cup brown rice
1 T curry
1/2 t cayenne pepper
salt and pepper
8 cups water or chicken broth (I didn't really measure I just added more if it needed more)
Saute onion and garlic until tender. Add lentils and saute a bit. Add half of liquid and cook the lentils for 20 minutes. Add the rice and the rest of the liquid. Cook another 40 minutes or until the rice is done. Add spices and serve. It's pretty spicy. Mike filled his Naan with it which was tasty. Next time I'll add cauliflower and peas but I didn't have any tonight. Yum! Yum!
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