baby's breakfast

gotta love the eco-packaging

next time - La Fiesta

I really wanted to go out to eat tonight.

I'd left some of the dishes and pans from last night

(I know - always leave the sink shiny...)

add in all the dishes and pans of today

and I was still cleaning the kitchen at 6:30 tonight.

I really didn't want to go messing up the kitchen again.

But

we'd already blown

our eating-out budget (and then some) Saturday.

The envelope was beyond empty.

Grocery money's been going fast,

I didn't figure I could squeeze out an extra $30.

Gas - how could I finagle this as a 'gas' purchase?

(I was pining for Mexican...)

I almost talked myself into using some of the 'blessing money'

but blessing myself just seemed a bit wrong.

So

I dutifully put away the dishes I'd just washed

so I could get to the mill & mixer

and set about making dinner -

meximelts on homemade tortillas

with rice and Nate's fabulous green salsa.

Somewhere in the making of dinner

Brandon stepped on a fork

in just the right(?) way

that it punctured his toe.

To make matters worse,

some of the skin was pushed up into the wound.

I called my momma.

I cried.

He cried.

He soaked his foot all through dinner.

We both quit crying.

Mom said we probably needed to take him to the ER

grr.

We've been to the ER

once already this past month.

It wasn't a pleasant experience.

We haven't even paid for that visit yet.

I knew it would hurt like the dickens to get that skin out, though.

I was going to try numbing it with clove oil.

Tyler said I may have to cut the skin

then pull the piece out.

Do you people think I am made of steel?

(Lana thought I might do an at-home circumcision for Aiden;

no worries - she had a book I could use detailing the procedure)

We sterilized the needle and tweezers

and placed the clove oil soaked cotton ball on his foot.

And then we got him ready to go to the hospital;

there was no way

either Tyler or I would be able to inflict the pain

pulling that piece of skin out would cause.

Clove oil is good, but I don't know that it's that good.

~

Next time,

we're going to La Fiesta;

it'd a been a whole lot cheaper

and a bunch more fun

than a trip to the ER

one tiny thing

A few weeks ago

I ordered The Messies Manual

after reading that Jen was excitedly waiting for her copy

after she ordered one

cause one of her readers highly recommended it.

So desperate to get this house in order,

I seriously considered paying the extra 4 bucks

to have it overnighted.

As soon as it arrived, I hightailed it to my room;

I didn't even make a cup of - well - anything first.

This book was going to solve all of my problems.

You can see that this doesn't bode well

for the poor book.

Rather than being hasty,

I should have at least checked the profile

of Jen's commenter who did the recommending.

She has two dogs.

no children.

While reading the first half of the book,

I discovered

that I am not

what one would call

a messie.

I simply have a larger than average sized family

housed

in a

smaller than average sized

house.

and some of them are messy.

Tucked into the second half of the book

along with some elaborate systems

that I certainly don't have time for

was one little jewel.

The 30 second rule.

Which states

'if it will only take 30 seconds to do - do it now'

or something along those lines.

I haven't gotten anybody else to abide by the rule yet

but I have found myself

many times

going to set something down, to put away later

and thought, "30 seconds - that's all it'd take. 30 seconds".

Even when I'm super rushed

I can probably spare 30 seconds.

It's revolutionized my house.

No - not really.

But

it has helped my mindset.

And that's a good thing.

open mouth, insert foot

"You shouldn't say that;

it sounds like you're tempting God," Tyler told me last week

when I told him I could not get sick right now.

That it would put me over the edge.

~

I spent about a third of the summer sick

- which is totally unlike me -

and that

coupled with some other stressful issues

and

being home - alone - (while sick...) with the little ones

while Tyler, Tony and Brandon

put in a collective 500+hours on Luke & Lana's house

'bout did me in.

I'm still in recovery mode;

one step forward

and three steps back

lots of days.

So

it makes perfect sense

that I do not want to get sick.

So far this week

I've got 3 sick kiddos.

As my friend Susie would say, they're droppin' like flies.

To say I'm hoping I'm not next

would be an understatement.

~

I really didn't mean to test God!

under the sea

thanks (again) to teachkidsart

we went from whining

"I can't draw a fish"

over and over and over

to

"Thank-you, Momma, for doing this with us!"

multiple times

Lily had difficulty with the 'paint the entire page' concept;

she much prefers to thoroughly saturate a spot with color.

If you look closely on the right side of her paper,

under one of her baby fishies

you'll see her very first person!

Josiah's lionfish (and baby)

Jeremiah added babies, a turtle, and a jellyfish

(fabulous scissoring, Bud!)

Brandon and I

wished we would have been more generous with the salt

(love this guy's eye & mouth!)

This could certainly have been a two day project;

I think we spent about an hour and a half painting.

It was fun to do it all together

but the boys want to do it again

and make sea turtles instead of fish

and I think we'll paint & salt the background one day

and make the turtles the next

then come back later and cut & paste.

beauty in the rough

Tyler and I have talked

about how important beauty is to our well-being

but we'd never really realized it before.

Spending my days in this ugly (really ugly!) house

has made me even more aware of my need

to be surrounded by beauty.

I wouldn't have considered that a need before

but I sure do now.

(I still argue with myself over this - I shouldn't need to look at lovely things

sure, I like to - but to need to? It almost feels like a character flaw to me.

but, alas, that is where I am right now.)

That's probably why I've been more diligent

to 'do art' even though I don't feel competent in that area.

In learning about art and artists

we are bringing more beauty into our home.

~

Ann writes often about beauty

and recently concluded that

because

God is everywhere

beauty

is everywhere.

We need only to look for it.

~

What can you find that is beautiful today?

budding artist

I can almost taste it

It's been 3 long weeks

since we've had any real milk in the house

and

3 1/2 months

since we've had the really good stuff

(fresh, never frozen)

Back then, I could only have a sip or two

but

Lexi seems to be handling dairy just fine now

so long as I don't go hog-wild.

In just a few hours

Tyler and Brandon

will make the long trek to Claremore;

I'm so excited

I can almost taste the goodness!

Thank-you, Tyler,

for sacrificing your morning for us (again)

I love you!

oh, and I love our milk.

Lex' loves school

every.

single.

day.

NOT!!!

poor little sweetie

somethin' I'm lovin'

~

oh yeah

peppermint oil!

We use it for several things around here

but my favorite way to use peppermint oil right now

is in the bath or shower.

When I'm slow to wake up,

which is

pretty much every day,

the delightful aroma of

a few drops of peppermint essential oil

and maybe some orange oil, too

on a cloth, thrown on the floor of the shower

just makes my brain happy.

And when my body aches

a few drops in a hot bath is just about heaven.

(well, it would be if my tub were comfy - for now, I pretend)

Sort of an icy heat;

the right amount leaves me feeling invigorated

too much, though,

leaves my hind-parts a bit too tingly

all day.

~

to find out what others are lovin' today, see here

I sorta caved

I know;

I said I'd never do it.

Apparently, I lied.

I'm doing it.

If I commit any FB faux pax

I trust everyone will just forgive me

and

point me in the right direction.

~

anyone wanna be my friend??

going green got easier

Reversible wal-mart style shopping bags!

Aren't they so cute?!

~

It's easy to use re-usable shopping bags at some stores

(the hard part is remembering the bags.)

but other stores, like Walmart?

I kinda think they frown on it.

Sure

they sell flimsy re-usable bags for $ .99

but

actually using them,

I think the checkers wouldn't like so much.

And so I thought

if the bag was just like a wal-mart bag

the checker wouldn't be inconvenienced any.

You could just load your groceries on the belt

then

go load your bags on the bag-turn around thing.

~

They use 2/3 yard for each side

with some scraps leftover for quilts :-)

and go together in about 30 - 40 minutes.

The hard part

will be remembering to bring the bags...

li'l Lex'

she sho do has what it takes

Today

Lexi added Lily to her list of words

and

said, "I love you" this evening

which, while I'd like to think she said it to me first,

Brandon told me a few weeks ago

he was pretty sure she'd said it.

Still no teeth.

She crawls all over the place

and, of course, pulls herself to standing.

Tonight

she got herself back down from standing.

Normally she either falls or cries for help

when her little legs get shaky.

Well,

add 'hey' to the list.

She just pulled out my earring and I said, "Heyyy!"

She laughed

and said it right back.

Maybe I should try telling her 'goodnight'

and just go to sleep;

maybe she'll do the same.

It could happen.

prize-winner

As I was surveying the aftermath of dessert

I thought to myself

I really am the cheapest person I know.

It gets worse;

I re-used

one of the 1/2 plates

for a snack later.

I've done it again

I am beyond tickled with myself this time.

I've had a project idea for a few weeks now,

perfected

in my mind, at least.

I searched online for a tutorial;

no need to reinvent the wheel.

Didn't find one

so a week or so ago

I made my pattern (out of newspaper, of course)

Today's shopping trip

was to buy cheap - or rather - inexpensive fabric

so I could do a test run.

I was so certain it would work, though

that I bought enough different fabrics for six of them.

I reasoned

that if adjustments were deemed necessary

2/3 yard would still be enough.

It would be naptime when we got back home

so I'd have time to sew.

I'd timed it perfectly.

But

I was unsure of my fabric content

so I knew it'd be foolish of me to not pre-wash.

argh.

I decided to be patient and throw them in the washer.

I added towels to the dryer

so it'd go faster.

I was just beginning to iron my fabrics

when Lexi woke up from her nap.

Rats.

But

I've managed to steal a few minutes here and there

and

viola

I finished my first one.

and

it's perfect!

No adjustments needed.

And

it's so darn cute!!

how's that?

The kids and I were shopping and wanted a little snack

for on the way home.

I grabbed some sugar wafers.

You can't choke on a sugar wafer

and I figured

in a pinch, Josiah could give Lexi a tiny bite.

Horrible, I know.

As we were leaving

I decided to check the icecream aisle,

see if something better grabbed me.

Now, these were a buck sixty-eight

more than the cookies,

but I figured

they are actually good for us

so put the sugar-laden treats back

and congratulated myself on my wise decision.

It wasn't until after I got home

and we'd already eaten some

that I thought to look at the label.

I wasn't expecting what I found

These all-natural pure fruit bars

are loaded with

fructose

sugar

and corn syrup!

Excuse me - how exactly is that Pure Fruit???

momma has a new helper

It makes me happy.

Really it does.

But it also makes me want to cry.

chock full of wisdom, I am

If your freezer seems to be going out,

don't ignore it

and hope it fixes itself;

Chances are pretty good

that it won't!

astronomy is awesome

playing parents

"We're mom and dad - we're playing cards."

(this proves it's been too long since we've had coffee on our dates)

welcome to the jungle

We knocked on the door

then cautiously pushed it open.

Things didn't sound good.

I looked at Jodi.

"He's trying to talk her into a C-section," she whispered.

I looked at Shelley, "What do you think?"

She silently shook her head 'no'.

I caught Lana's eyes, big and scared,

and firmly shook my head 'no' with a look that said

fuggitaboudit

~

four hours and 34 minutes later

Lana pushed out - and I do mean pushed out -

an adorable 8 lb 1 oz baby boy.

Aiden Timothy

Lana did an absolutely fabulous job.

She listened to

and tried

everything

Jodi and Shelley encouraged her to do.

I was so proud of her!

And so thankful that she had

both of them there.

And, of course,

immensely grateful that I was able to be a part

of the birth of my first grandson.

~

I doubt the nurses (who were very kind!)

had ever seen a soon-to-be-gramma

nursing her own infant daughter

in the labor room.

I must say - it felt rather odd to me, too

to go back and forth between

one baby girl

and

the other

~

Welcome little Aiden

you are so loved!!

you don't always know

The morning had started early;

I was frazzled.

again.

I fixed a half-cup of my GFIC decaf

and headed to my rocking chair.

I just wanted to 'still' a moment.

I needed peace.

uninterrupted quiet.

The door opened.

I felt frustration rising.

Can't these kids leave me in peace for two minutes??

Josiah

fresh from sleep

and completely unaware of his momma's state

headed in and climbed in my lap.

And

I held him.

And he held me.

And I stilled.

And

I realized

you don't always know what you think you know.

I thought I needed time alone

but what I really needed was a long sweet snuggle.

~

You just don't always know.

four little monkeys

sleepin' in the bed

I'm not real fond of it at 2 or 5am

but it sure makes me smile

when I'm not in the bed with 'em

art for the art-impaired

Teach Kids Art

is a great place to visit if you are

art-challenged like me.

I think art can finally have a regular place in our school.

Yay!

she knows what she likes

After being assured

it wasn't too early to begin Christmas shopping,

Brandon asked Lily what she wanted for Christmas.

"I want some chocolate"

was her matter-of-fact reply.

~

I may have inadvertently started something...

Josiah asked this morning,

"Do boys need more applesauce than girls do?"

it's about time!

Finally.

Brandon's quilt is finished

in all its crinkly, puffy goodness.

Happy Birthday, Bud!!!

It was pretty tough

making a quilt without my helper.

Good help is so hard to find.

Ton' - you're a nut

Brandon's favorite block

I love you, my Brandon!!!

the million dollar question

I gave the boys a chocolate chip after lunch;

Lily got two.

Jeremiah wanted to know why.

"Girls need more chocolate," I said.

"But, why?" he asked, again.

"God just made them that way," was my brilliant reply.

"But," he continued, "What is it about girls

that make them need more chocolate??"

freebie - tip of the day

Never

wash a load

of all aprons.

Ever.

hi

Our gorgeous little night owl

just crawled behind me

stood up and said, "Hi."

"Hi"

was also the subject line in a recent e-mail

from a young new friend.

She'd heard Lexi wasn't giving me much sleep these days

and wanted to know if I'd let her come over and help.

My first thought was,

"That's really sweet, but, no thank-you."

Not because I couldn't use the help,

but because

I don't 'do' help very well

not the receiving of it, anyways.

I forwarded her note to Tyler and asked what he thought.

"Well," he replied, "I asked God this morning

to continue to refresh you and love you;

maybe this is His answer."

How could I say "No" to that?!

~

Thank-you, Abby

thank-you

!!

small world

I just got off the phone with a friend from our Germany days.

I've thought of her often over the years.

We were worlds apart when we were in Germany together;

she a confident homeschooling 'older' mother,

me a young know-it-all snob.

I could have learned so much from her,

but I was too stupid to see that at the time.

I've wished, many times, that I would have allowed her

to befriend me and teach me.

But I didn't.

I mean

she was weird.

Yet, here I sit

twenty years later

weirder than she could even hope to be!

~

Anyways

I finally got up the gumption to call.

I wasn't sure if she'd even remember me....

Apparently

I am unforgettable :-)

And

their grown children

are living about three hours away!

from here!

and have been for the past several years....

It really is a small world

after all.