I liked this...

"A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently and die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."-- Robert A. Heinlein

I know, sounds like it belongs on a Man's Blog :-)

But it gives me ideas for homeschooling, if not for my own furthering education!

Menu Plan Monday

So I did actually do last week, but it went out of control. I ended up not making one of the meals, but it was the right one, as it is still waiting in the freezer for next week!

Here's this week!

Monday: Work
Tuesday: Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich
Wednesday: Date Night
Thursday: Asian Chicken Salad
Friday: Corn Chowder
Saturday: Family Birthday Dinner
Sunday: Work

I am so excited that it is warming up outside! I love this Asian Chicken Salad, but salad just doesn't seem right in the winter, especially when it is the main meal. And hopefully we can coerce some company to join us for our Tuesday meal... I haven't asked yet, but my sister and her hubby are home for a few days this week, and I'm hoping they will want some personal time with their nieces!

Our Saturday Project

Our project yesterday had to do with our stockpiling mess. With all the great deals God has blessed us with the past few months, our stockpile has grown bigger than what we can handle. So yesterday, we moved a giant shelf into a closet, bought two pantries from Shopko ($60 off!), and cleared out a space to bring a freezer down from the garage. I am hoping to use it more to store flours and such in for a day to kill any weevil eggs (or whatever they are) to help prolong the shelf life of our long term storage.

After finishing with one of the pantries, the girls woke up from their nap, and they definitely saw something I didn't. A slide; only inches high, but a slide nonetheless!

And you know what I am really excited about? Other than, you know, a little organization? I get to claim the top shelves of the pantries for our Homeschool tools! Now they have somewhere to live other than our countertop! I know, isn't that just thrilling!!! My heart went a pitter-pat as I lifted the first item from it's home of a year, and placed inside, and SHUT THE DOOR! AACCKKK! Out of sight!

Annie! Aren't you proud of us! :-)

Heads Up.

I want to call your attention to this article, because if you're like me, you don't watch the news or listen to talk radio, and this is something that you need to be aware of.

Independent Trucker Strike

I know some of us are still in denial about what is happening in our country, and we can pray that these truckers make a difference with this strike, but I believe this is a good indicator of the rising inflation that we will continue to be seeing in the near future.

Please, for those of you with your heads in the sand, please, please for your family's sake, prepare for what is to come as much as God leads you to.

Good Morning!

It's snowing this morning.

Melia had the great idea to go outside and catch snowflakes.

It was also her great idea to go out in her pajamas and flip-flops.

She loved it-- Now she is just waiting for enough snow to fall so we can make Frosty again :-)

It's a Woot Off!

Hey all! If you haven't heard about Woot.com, you should check it out. We have bought several different items from there, all for pretty good deals. It's a one-day, one-deal place.

But today is a woot off! Every time something sells out, they start another one. It's kinda like clearance ;-)

And it is a lot of fun :-)

So head on over to Woot and join in!

Saturday: Spend some time cuddling him. :-) Done!

Sunday: Give him a foot massage. Well, how about a back massage?

Monday: Look up the word RESPECT. Now show it to him today! Oops, I didn't look it up, nor did I really get to spend any time with him today...but we ate chips and salsa when I got home from work and watched AFV!

Tuesday: Give him a surprise visit at work. I really can't... plus he wasn't working today. So how about the fact that today I made a dinner he really really liked...

Wednesday: Let go of something that bothers you. Pray about it and give it to God. This is today. I am not sure what I am going to give up. I will pray about it and get back to you on this.

Sorry I haven't been more up-to-date with this, but after all, it was Easter Weekend! You can remind me too, I don't mind!

Interesting activity at Our House

I have a confession to make. I didn't tell you something. I didn't have the heart, because my heart was broken.

I think Marsha abandoned her kittens. The next day after we discovered their birth, I found them all dead. I ached for them.

But now a new development has arisen that I far from expected.

Yesterday, Ezri had her litter; four little snows, plus one stillborn. (This happened last time, so I was a little prepared.) But every time Gabe and I have gone in to check on her and the babies, Marsha has been in the little house nursing the kittens!

I don't know what to think now, other than maybe she didn't know exactly what to do with hers, and now she does? Maybe because these four look exactly like hers? And since it has been two weeks, where did the milk come from?

Amazing, in any case. I am thankful though, because Ezri really got skinny the last week of her pregnancy, so this will help not put such a strain on her body.

Easy Corn Chowder

This is a Pampered Chef recipe that I have adapted for our family-- My hubby loves it! He says to put a double batch on the menu every week!

Easy Corn Chowder

2 med unpeeled red potatos
1 cup cubed cooked ham
1/2 cup diced red pepper
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 t butter/marg
2 T all purpose flour
1 can chicken broth
1 can fat free evaporated milk
1 can creamed corn
2 T sliced chives
salt and pepper to taste
crumbled bacon topping

Cut Potatos into 1/2 inch cubes, set aside with ham, celery and peppers.

Heat butter in medium saucepan over med heat. Add peppers and celery; cook 3-4 minutes while stirring, until crisp tender. Stir in flour, heat until bubbly. Gradually add broth, evaporated milk and corn, whisking until blended.

Add potatos; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cook uncovered 10 min or until potatos are tender. Stir in ham, heat through. Remove from heat, add chives, season w/ salt & pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with bacon.

My adaptations: I don't use the chives. I did the first time, but buying them from the store is too expensive. I may pick up some dried also... I am trying to adapt it for the crockpot- but the first time it burned it, although it tasted fine, and the second time it was too runny. So, a work in progress :-) I also just cooked it with the bacon because we didn't have any ham, and that was pretty good, but we definitely like the ham flavor better.

If anyone has any suggestions for adapting to crockpot cooking, I would love to hear them!

WOW! Two hours later....

Thanks to my one good helper, we had a super two hours! Notice the bubbles in her hand-- Yes, I bribed her. But it worked!

I know, shut that pantry door.... And it does look still cluttered, but such is our life. We are cluttery people. Speaking of which...
And not as clean as most people, but hey- that pile can wait until another day. This is our "clutter" counter. We work on it constantly, but it constantly finds things that "live" on it's smooth surface, right within reach at all times...

Monday Clean Up

I thought I would share a few pics this morning of how crazy my kitchen looks. It is representative of the whole house :-)


Just stuff- EVERYWHERE! And this.....
is the gallon sized bucket of sugar from Easter.... the motherload :-)

I have just a little over two hours between now and when MIL arrives to get girls before I go to work. I promise-- pictures of the result! But probably not posted until tomorrow....

Happy Resurrection Sunday!

The more I grow in my relational walk with my Lord, the more I put my own names to things. Or rather, the more I adopt the names which represent the holiday to my heart.

I love the description of Resurrection Sunday. It reminds me of my Empty Tomb necklace Gabe bought for me. Resurrection Sunday represents my hope. When I was a sinner, my hope was in Christ sacrificial death on the cross. Now, as a believer, my hope is in our future resurrection. Both aspects resonate so deeply within; I suppose this is part of what it means for "he to become greater, I must become less."

I pray you have a wonderful and deeply personal Resurrection Sunday. Take time out tomorrow morning to spend with your Saviour, our Risen Lord, our Christ.

Thank you Jesus, for Your life. What You didn't have to do, but that Your love for us nailed You to the cross. I pray that You would speak to peoples' hearts today, a day which represents Your victory over death; the price is paid, and we are free!

Soo. I went looking...

The very last post I did on my other blog was of this quiz, only it never posted. That's when we knew something was wrong.

Tonight I went searching to find that quiz; I thought it was way too much fun! But I found another one... And my result was different! I was quite surprised! See below for the two different quizzes. Elinor Dashwood was my original quiz, and the second one is the one I found tonight.

What Fun!

Which Austen Heroine Are You?

Take the Quiz here!

Which Jane Austen Heroine Am I?

Which Jane Austen Character are You? (For Females) Long Quiz!!! created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Jane Bennet As someone who would rather see the good in people, Jane is a true pacifist and caregiver. At times, her shy temperament and naive outlook of people can land her in a compliant position, but those who know her love her for her positive spirit and cheerful view of what surrounds her. Jane Bennet 75% Elizabeth Bennet 69% Emma Woodhouse 66% Marianne Dashwood 63% Elinor Dashwood 56% Charlotte Lucas 28% Lady Catherine 19%

Keepin' it in Perspective

Today I stopped by Fred Meyer to grab some eggs and butter, since in their flyer they had coupons for darigold butter 4/$5, and lucerne eggs BOGO. They were out of Darigold Salted butter, so they were substituting Fred Meyer butter- which was fine with me- and I could get a raincheck.

But I asked at the register for the raincheck, and the gal completely forgot, as did I. So no raincheck.

Plus, out in the parking lot, while scrambling for my keys (which were in my hand, shouldn't have been so difficult) a bag slipped out of my salted buttery fingers (hee hee). Guess which bag that was! We only lost 2 eggs out of 36, so I felt that was a blessing at least!

Now, how to get that raincheck.......

Day Eight: .............

Make a good meal for him. Put effort into making something he will really enjoy!

I tried, but it wasn't as good as normal. I used the cheapo chips that we like for nachos and salsa, but for these nachos (Chicken Jerk) they are too thin. I guess I need more heavy-duty chips to handle the weight of the chicken, cheese and peppers. But it was good anyway. I hope it was good for him!

Your thoughts?

Do you think I went a little crazy on my "Request List" from the mail order library?

Day Seven: My birthday

Thank him for doing a simple task today.

I did not do this. But I did thank him many many times for giving me such a great birthday! Do you suppose that is worth half credit? :-)

Here are the highlights:

He came home from work with whip cream and strawberries-- Helped me make a pancake and eggs breakfast. Then, he had to go to sleep. But my mother-in-law called; she and my sis-in-law wanted to take me out to a birthday lunch. I chose Country Boys, a fabulous BBQ place in the next town. Gabe and I LOVE this place, but we only go when we are out there, maybe 2-3 times a year. The fun part was that they had never eaten there! And, of course, they loved it. I don't know anyone who doesn't. After lunch we stopped by the Sleepy Hollow Nursery to drool. And drool we did! I learned that the shrubby-tree I wanted is called a Hinoki, and they are not cheap. But they are very cute. We did buy some roses and some summer blooming heathers- Just darling, I will share pictures soon. Then we came home for 1.5 hours before heading out again!

We dropped the girls off with my parents and grandparents, then Gabe and I went to see the Bucket List. It was good- not exactly spiritual or Christian-based, but a pretty lighthearted look at a serious time of life. Then we went to Garlini's-- another favorite. To say the least, I ate well on my birthday!

Then we stopped at Costco for a quick sugar/flour stockpile run. With Gabe joining the Rubicon, we are definitely moving in the direction of being more prepared for what things may come. We are barely scratching the surface, but moving in the direction none the less.

And then, DQ for some yummy ice cream. Like I said, I ate well. :-)

Day Six: I lose our bet...

Give him alone time after he gets home from work, to do whatever he wants.

Well, he DID peruse the Rubicon, and Did check the Diablo mbot, but he did NOT drink a protein shake.... because he stopped at Freddy's and picked up some fresh strawberries and whip cream so he could help me make pancakes/crepes for breakfast! And he DID change the first poopy diaper of the day (I kinda called him on that one... it is my birthday after all)

So I guess it could be said that I did not complete today's task very well... but I will make it a point to give him space when he comes home. I do normally try to, but mornings are different than if he came home at night-- I am not a morning person, so I get a *little* grumpy when I could really use some help and I don't get any. Or I could really use some attention, and the computer gets more than I do. But he said it well this morning-- When he is this tired (after a 12 hour shift overnight), he has a hard time keeping up with my topics. The computer only says what he wants it to.

:-) But I get to look forward to our date all day long!!!!!

Movie Review: The Business of Being Born

I loved this documentary. I think every woman should watch it, especially if she is going to have children. If you already have been dissatisfied with your birth experience, you might want to avoid. Too much stress over what cannot be changed.

Now, let me clarify something first. I know that what happened with Melia's birth happened for a reason. My Father had a talk with me two years later (it took me that long to be open to the answer) and it is part of my whole pride-"I-Can-Do-This" issue. But what gets me all riled up is that I am not "allowed" to try to labor with my following births. I know this is a local thing, but it is so unfair and truly pointless that I can barely stand it. (Insurance issue with the hospitals)

Back to the review. While this film may seem to be pretty one-sided, I did notice that they gave full credit to the ability of doctors to save lives in the proper situations. I appreciate that, because it is very important. However! Most births can be a very natural and beautiful process, not one that requires emergencies to be created out of normal, albeit hard, labors. Real Live Example Here. The film also explores the role of midwives and dispell the myths surrounding their profession. The section which went over how midwives' reputations and abilities were tarnished was especially interesting to me, although not suprising.

Tammy's unbelievable birth story is a great example of what could have been viewed as an speedy birth emergency, but rather theirs was a quiet, intimately personal experience!
I am definitely one of the believers that say we have lost touch with an experience that God gave to us as women-- not to mention the amazing ability of our bodies to perform a nearly impossible feat! He made us this way and told us to multiply!

Note:
Gen 3:16
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. I personally do not know what I agree with regarding this verse. Labor is painful, this is fact, although this depends on one's perspective! But the birth of a child is also one of the highlights of a mother's life. So, honestly, I have no problem believing that a portion of our curse is pain in labor, but from the testimonies of women who labor naturally and love it... my only response is that I just don't know.

I hope enough women view this film who want to scale this mountain, who want the natural, surreal birth, who want that exceptional hormone cocktail (!), that we can take a stand and tell the medical world to educate themselves on what it means to birth instinctively, and to be able to offer support to these scores of women and the midwives who serve them. Amen.

Note: Nudity in the course of recorded labor and birth.

Days 4/5 report: Not much action here :-)

1. Give a comment of appreciation for something well done.
2. Give him a hug for no apparent reason.

Done. I don't remember what the appreciation was for, but I do remember doing it. Is that weird?

Hugging done, and I will do more as he is headed out the door for work. :-)

And, I just want to warn you, if you are keeping up with me... I will be switching tomorrow with another day. This is what tomorrow says..
Make a good meal for him. Put effort into making something he will really enjoy!
And, well, tomorrow is my birthday. And yes, I will be reminding you of this a few more times before it has completely passed you by. But I digress... Anyway-- let's see. I will switch this with Day 8, because this won't apply to that day. But it will for tomorrow.
Give him alone time after he gets home from work, to do whatever he wants.

Let's play a game. You have to wish me happy birthday every hour tomorrow if I am correct in what he will do...
He will peruse the Rubicon, he will play a little Diablo, he will drink a protein shake, and he will go to bed.

I'll keep you posted.

Menu Plan Monday, March 17

Happy St Patrick's Day! We are having Crystal's baked oatmeal dyed green this morning in honor of the Irish :-)

Ok, so I did really feel like having a menu helped my brain last week! So I am going to try it again!

Monday: Working
Tuesday: Corn Chowder (because Gabe LOVES this!) with bread bowls
Wednesday: MY BIRTHDAY! so I am planning on not cooking!
Thursday: Chicken Jerk Nachos (with my .69 chips!)
Friday: Good Friday Dinner at Grandpa's house
Saturday: Lasagna with french bread
Sunday: Happy Resurrection Day! It looks like I may be doing a ham, but this is still up in the air....

Have a Triumphant week!

Day Three: Report

"Request his opinion about something you might not usually request his opinion about. Thank him for his opinion and do not criticize it at all."

This one ended up being very difficult. I asked him about something, not considering it to be my "daily activity," and after we were done discussing, I thought, oh hey-- I just did my day three "thing." Boy, that sucked.

Difficult-- I agreed, but disagreed, because it had to do with a friend of mine. But Gabe's answer was absolutely no, even if it is your friend. I knew what I had to do, but that doesn't necessarily stop the enemy from introducing ideas and suggestions into my head, like "He'll never know." or "He doesn't really understand your perspective."

Thank you Lord for the knowledge and wisdom You had already placed in my life-- without the Help Meet book experience I had, I probably would have circumvented my husband. I would have said "I am right anyway, so I will just do it my way." But I know that I have to submit my heart first and foremost, no matter the circumstances. And once I said "NO" to the enemy, the naughty thoughts stopped.

Thank you Lord, for the power You give us in the name of Yeshua to "go and sin no more!"

Day Two: Report

So, I was supposed to start (re) reading Created to Be His Help Meet by Debi Pearl, as my day two activity.

Didn't happen.

But! I did get a LOT of cleaning and organizing done. I thought of posting pictures, but to be honest, I was too embarassed. If you have seen our computer area, you would understand. Gabe seems to think he has to have everything within arms reach. I even found an ice scraper from one of the cars! (Actually, it is my special purple one, so I was really excited!)(And, no, I did not bring it in. I have been missing it since I switched from driving the suburban to the van. It stayed in the 'burb, and I haven't seen it since.)

But now I have many of the cords in boxes, so he can sort through them at his leisure and I am not tripping over them. That was almost triping, but I caught it :-)

And I did all our "switch from 2007 to 2008" filing done, so that felt great! Only 3 months late.. not bad. And, I got to go on a 2 hour walk with my dear sis-in-law, which was very fun. We got to catch up on a few weeks. And! I watched a short documentary I have been dying to see. I will update you on that a little later.

Sounds like a busy day, doesn't it? God blessed me with motivation and strength this weekend, for which I am extremely grateful. Thank you Lord!

Scavenge Shopping Trip

This is a slightly different Super Savings Saturday post than I normally do. I went Scavenge Shopping at our local Prospectors' Liquidators store. And my, it was an interesting trip.

Set up: Gabe really likes this store. He can go in there and come home with all sorts of stuff. Last week he found some protein bars with 30(!) grams of protein per bar, and they are big bars. Before he left for the weekend, he asked me to go get him another box. I initially resisted, but as you know I have been dealing with this rebellious spirit the last few days, and once I talked to my Father yesterday, my heart was in a better place. So I was ready to fork over the $10 for a box of these bars.



So I sucked it up, and walked in.

Here is what I came home with: (Not everything pictured)

This bag of chips is expired, and I never would have bought it except Gabe bought one last week, for .69! and they are thin and crispy like restaurant chips-- very yummy with a Mexican meal!

Melia has been needing some casual summer dresses, so I was willing to pay the $7 for this one. I will be more frugal about this in the future, but she only has one, and she wants to wear it everyday, so it will help to have another.

You can see the box of protein bars-- these are for Gabe :-)

The little picture frame coathook thing was $5, and we have been looking for one to put down at the girls' level. I thought we could put their pictures in it, then they know where their sweaters go!

But my big excitement was the diapers. In addition to this box, I also got a 1/2 box for $7.49. This box was $13.99. I knew I needed to buy diapers, and to get the best price locally, I buy them at Costco, were I can get Huggies or the KS brand for .20/diaper. But these, when I calculated it out, were .19 each! I was thrilled, because I was not looking forward to forking over $40. So I did half :-) and didn't have to pay more per diaper!

I also bought two tomato frames for .50 each.

Why I am cautious about Scavenge shopping. This particular store buys from a Costco somewhere, and while most of the time their prices are comparable, I found two things that were marked up 100% over what Costco had them marked down to! Those raincoats I found recently for $4? They had them for $10. And a little cat house that I was watching was marked down to $20-- here it was $40.

And a particular box of Ronzoni pasta I was looking at for .69? It had visible weevil skins in the window of the box. Blech! I almost puked right there in the store!

So, all in all, I felt I did pretty good. I spent more than I intended at this store, but I saved in the long run!

For My Locals...

Does anyone know who left a bag of goodies and a bag of carrots (!!!) on my door today? (friday)

And where do you get carrots fresh out of the dirt in March?

Whoever you are, it was a special blessing to find when we got home today! Kiera didn't even think twice before sticking a dirt-y carrot in her mouth!

Thank You!!!

Day One: Report

So, I didn't get dressed up for him when he came home. But he left this morning to go with the youth group to a conference, and I packed him a goody bag. I included a love note. Hopefully, he will read it and not some youngster scavenging for food!

I am also going to try and clean up the house while he is gone, so it is nice and organized when he comes home. This is a huge project, but I am praying for the motivation and diligence to at least make a significant dent.

I am going to do this.

http://www.seriousmoms.com/marriage/seriouswifescalendar.htm

My darling friend Lindsey shared this with me as we were discussing some of our very similar issues as wives tonight. It is a very great thing to have a friend who thinks like I think, and who is encouraging instead of discouraging. Thank you my friend. :-)

So, I am going to do this. The thought has entered my head more than once the past few days that I need to go through the Help Meet book again, so I am going to substitute it for the first book.

And tomorrow: Day One: Dress up in a nice outfit just to greet him at the door when he comes home.

Well, I might have to tweak this one a little bit, as I truly hope I will still be in bed....(He works at night...and comes home early). But I will do something special and report back to you!

Also, I would love your prayers and encouragement, as I do feel that I am probably experiencing some attacks on the sensitive spots lately. Or I have PMS. But the timings not right (sorry to any of you guys out there). So your prayers are coveted!

Corn Chowder w/ Bread Bowls

My Menu for today included Corn Chowder w/ beer bread, but Gabe had mentioned that this soup would be great with a bread bowl, and I had remembered seeing a recipe for them on Tammy's. I looked it up, made them, and we loved them!

The girls were so funny; they slurped up the soup, then Melia took a bite out of the edge of the bowl. Kiera immediately copied her example, and pretty soon they were gone! Melia even rolled her own dough out for her bowl-- this makes her meals much more fun for her, knowing that she made it herself!

Gabe says this can be a weekly staple, he likes it so much. The soup is a Pampered Chef recipe; I will post it here probably sometime for Kitchen Tip Tuesdays. It is really easy and frugal, so perfect for a weekly addition!

Details: The bread bowls were really easy-- you mix it up, sit for 10 min, roll out, cover bowls, sit for 20 min, bake for 20 min, and cool. Not too much work, and very easy to do ahead of time. They are a very mild flavor, not to wheaty, not too sweet. Just a very basic bread, which goes well with a flavorful soup!

My Mommy Dream-Bubble Collapses

Somehow, Someway, I just thought I could make through my kids life without all that "normal" stuff happening to me. Yesterday, I finally burst the bubble. Everyone makes mistakes, and I guess while I feel horrible when it happened, it is exactly that: normal.

I hoped that I could be strong enough, persistant enough, pay enough attention... try hard enough! that these things wouldn't happen to me. But, time and time again, we've had something happen that happens "all the time." Kiera's nursemaids elbow... falling on things... skinning knees... falling off the bed... Kiera eating dish soap...

And now? I shut Melia's hand in the car door. And it was locked.

I didn't even have my lavender with me! I dumped Fennel on it instead because it was the only thing I had! But it still stopped the bruising. Her middle finger is just a little bit red now.

Ugh.

We Have Babies!!!

This morning when I went out to check on the cats and put the birthing boxes in, I found that I was too late! Marsha had a beautiful litter of four darlings last night sometime! They are all screaming well, and nice full tummies, so she did a great job! Yea Marsha! (only 3 in picture because she took off with one)

I am really excited because Marsha is a seal mink, while the daddy is a seal lynx. All of the babies have pretty visible markings, so that hopefully means they will be minks. Minks have much more striking colorations, so I can't wait to see how they turn out!

Hooray!

The Power of the Oils

I know I talk alot about my oils without offering you evidence, other than what I say. So here is a pretty solid example that occurred at our house yesterday.

.

Set up: Kiera loves groceries. Yesterday morning, she was carrying around two cans of evaporated milk. While walking through the kitchen/dining area, (linoleum floor) she slipped and her little head landed right on the edge of one can.

.

She didn't even cry immediately, just held her head, and I looked because it sounded like a crash, even if there was no screaming. About 5-10 seconds later, she began one of those "breathless cries" as I call them, because it hurts so bad they can barely cry.

.

There is no picture of the original wound, because if I took one that would make me a bad mother! She had a 1/2 inch long dent in her forehead, almost as deep as the edge of the can, with an obvious bruise and swelling in progress.

.

I immediately laid her down, and started rubbing YL Lavender on it. Very gently, and very carefully because it CANNOT get in the eye-- great irritation. Within a few minutes, the dent was filled in, and the wounded swelling area turned white. This is when I paused to take pictures. It is shiny because of the oil.

Oh, and the screaming? Stops almost immediately. She continues to whimper and indicate that her head hurts, but you can see that her face is not red from crying.

I also put one application of Frankinsense on it, because that is good for head wounds. Within half an hour, the dent "mark" (the slight line you can barely see above) is completely gone. In about an hour, the white area is smaller, and has turned red. This below pictures are taken about 8-10 hours later.
And this is her this morning. I know, not so good a pic, but she wouldn't hold still for me.

There is a slight discoloration, a little bit blue, but no visible swelling. When I run my finger over it, I can barely feel a raised portion, but small enough that I wonder if it is my imagination. The mark is just a red line; it looks like a scratch.

I wanted to share this with you because it is hard to imagine what the oils do without physical evidence or having witnessed it yourself. I hope this helps to further your faith in the power of the oils!

Check out this picture!

I cracked up when I saw it.

Here! You are looking for the baby in the first picture!

So Cute!!!!

Sometimes I Amaze Even Myself...

Please. If you are an attractive member of the male gender, just don't talk to me. It won't turn out well. It might even be painful. Or mortifying, depending on how shy you are.

Tonight at work, I was discussing a recipe with my co-worker friend. She had given me her authentic Spanish rice recipe, and the first time I made it it was very good, but it had me burping up tomato flavor for hours. Not that I minded, as I love tomatoes. It was just weird. The second time I used a different type of rice, and it turned out completely bland. No flavor whatsoever.

So anyway! I am discussing with her the different experiences I had, including the burping of tomatoes, and I, in passing, notice there is a really really good looking guy in front of her. But I don't really notice, as I am not inclined as of yet to control my conversation.

But wait! He focuses on me, and I notice this in my periferal vision. I look at him. He is looking thoughtful. He speaks.

"Your name is Denaye? Do you have a sister named Darcy?"

I respond.

"Yes, I do..."

He speaks again.

"I know you. I remember you from when we were this big." (He motions to his thigh region, indicating we were children, elementary age.)

I look at him closely.

"What is your name?"

(Suspenseful, isn't it??)

"Brandon B." (last name withheld to protect this poor boy's privacy)

Oh Wow! How are you? You grew up tall! You aren't the chubby little baby face shy boy anymore, are you? It's so good to see you! I am sure Darcy would want me to say hi for her, so Hi! Have a great night! See you around! You are quite the hottie now aren't you?

Except, the only words to escape my lips were

"Oh woooowwwwwwwwwwwww..................................................."

He smiles slightly, gathers his change and groceries, and walks away.

My face is furiously red. My co-worker friends are howling. "Smooth, Denaye. Smooth." At least they agreed that he was really really good looking. Like belongs-on-a-California-beach-with-a-surf-board-in-a-movie good looking.

I know I am a genius. I am sure of it. But sometimes it takes my mouth and my brain a long time to catch up with those genius-y parts of me, wherever they disappear to in my desperate times of witlessness.

Like I said. Sometimes I amaze even myself.

More Kiddo Pix to Fix You All!

Ha! Get it? Kiddo Pix Fix? You all want your fix? Ha Ha-- I crack myself up--

This is Kiera and her daddy's hat. She put it on herself!

Good thing she doesn't have any boogers today...

And here is the wonder girl!

Menu Plan Monday!

Ok, so I know you all think I am crazy for starting this, or crazy for having taken so long to start this. But I am going to try it! I am hoping to avoid the "what do you want for dinner? I don't know, what do you want. I don't care, what sounds good?" rendition that happens at our house a LOT. So here we go: Just dinners for the first week-- we normally have sandwiches and leftovers for lunches.

Monday: working
Tuesday: dinner at Grandpas
Wednesday: Corn Chowder w/ Beer Bread
Thursday: Bertolli quick fix dinner, left over beer bread.
Friday: Margarita Pizza (from Costco) (Gabe's gone-- he hates tomatos, so we can only have this when he is gone.)
Saturday: Leftovers (or dinner out, we have a wedding today!)
Sunday: working

There, now that wasn't so bad! Was it? Actually Saturday was pretty hard, considering Gabe is gone all weekend and I knew we would be out and about during the day. But I guess that what being flexible is all about, right? See, I knew I would do this-- if I started it I would want to do it "right" and end up being anal about it.... I have so many issues.

Thanks for loving me anyway guys!

And for more ideas on Menu Planning, head over to OrgJunkie!

Frugal Genetics

I think everyone would agree that one of our roles as parents is to teach our children the basics of life.

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Kiera is picking up the frugal theme quite nicely.

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Example: On Sundays, when I go to pick the girls up from my grandparents house, I normally raid their coupon/sale ad pile. Both girls now come running when I sit down on the couch with a stack of papers to sort through. They each grab their own and plop down next to me, doing their duty as my frugal heirs.

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Another example? Kiera has taken upon herself the job of providing toilet paper whenever anyone has to go potty.

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And this is how much you get:

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Good luck!

This weeks Savings

SAFEWAY:

This picture looks crowded. Hmmm...

So my total at Safeway came to $46+change. It was pretty good, considering I got 10 boxes of cereal for $2, both those cans of almonds for .10 each, two boxes of popcorn for .80 each, 8 cans of Pillsbury crescent rolls for around 1.25-1.30 each (can anyone say apple dumplings?) And the evaporated milk is for corn chowder next week sometime.

I know those frozen veggies aren't the cheapest way to get veggies, but I cannot cook vegetables worth a cent. These- they cook themselves. And at this stage in the game, I am simply happy to be getting edible servings of veggies on the table each night. I will learn more as I grow! And the Bertolli was on sale, plus coupon, so it will end up being a dinner for 4 for $3.50. I will take that for our rushed and hectic Thursday nights!

I am slowly coming around to the idea of a weekly menu. For as much of a detail oriented planner individual as I am, menu planning was an odd turn-off. But I am seeing the light, so someday soon I may participate in Menu Plan Mondays... another bloggy roundup. Or not. But I think I will give it a shot. Later. (That makes me a detail-oriented-planner-procrastinator. Bad combination, I am sure.)

WALGREENS:

You know how you go somewhere with a plan, and then they mess it all up by being out of something? This is how Walgreens has been for me the last few weeks. And I am really getting tired of it. Today I went with at least 6 things on my list, and came away with two rainchecked items from before and None of the original items! But, I did walk out with 4 cans of Bumblebee Albacore Tuna, and two boxes of Celestial Seasonings tea for a grand total of $2.51. I know she messed it up somehow, but there were ladies behind me saying rude non-repeatables in front of my two munchkins, so I left.

Apple Dumplings

Warning: This recipe is not for the faint of heart, nor those with weak willpower.

With the first bite, Gabe and I looked at each other. Wow. These are fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. Taste-bud-tingling.
This will become a staple recipe at our house. It was exceptionally easy-- and it could be made into a less fattening, low sugar recipe with just a few changes.

Some changes I made? I used Pinata apples instead of Grannies, I used one less cube butter, 1/2 cup less sugar. Fabulous.

Here's the recipe.

Oh, and please ignore the congealed butter in the picture. These were taken the morning after... :-) We were too eager to devour them to remember to take fresh shots!

A Highlighter Post

I want to bring your attention to the right side of this page, to my "Frequent Lurks" list. I have added another one, and I want you to see it.

Eternal Perspectives is Randy Alcorn's blog. It isn't too deep or anything, much of it is light-hearted. But I wanted to plug him in here.

Of all the books I've read, you will hear me reference a few that made a significant impact on my life. I read Randy's book Heaven not long after a dearly beloved relative passed away. For growing up in the church, I never came away with a solid grasp or understanding of the eternal afterlife. What it is? What do we do for eternity? What exactly does the Bible say? What about what it doesn't say? What about all my beloved pets? (Sorry, but that is a question every desperate child asks, and no parent can answer. Now, I can)

This book was so full of answers and scriptures and everything I needed at that point in my life, I know that God sent this book to me. It is one I can read annually for the rest of my life, and never tired of. Every time I read it, I cry repeatedly. Tears streaming down my face, can't read the print, bawling. When I finish, I long for, no really really long for, my true home. Those saying I grew up with in the church never meant anything in my heart, but now they are a treasure to my soul. Especially this one

"Marantha, Lord Jesus, Come quickly!"

Financial Failure

Well, I asked earlier if you thought I could make it through the next two days with only $1.

I couldn't.

I was planning on making Apple Dumplings for dessert tonight as a special treat. The problem lie in my fridge. The recipe calls for two rolls of refrigerated cresent roll dough. I knew I had some in the bottom of my fridge, so I didn't bother picking any up the last time I was shopping.

Tonight I had the apples all peeled and ready to wrap, and I went to get the packages out to use.

"What! You've got to be kidding me... What are we going to do?"

Out of the FOUR rolls I had in there, none were plain. They were all garlic. That tells you what I was craving when I went shopping last time.
So the girls and I headed out to the store because I had already told them what we were having-- keeping promises is more important than budgets, right?

And while I was at Fred Meyer, I had to grab some wheat berries for when we want to try Tammy's Wheatberry soup.... I always forget, so I thought while I am here, I will just get them.

Over budget? Yep, a whole $3.50.

Oops.

Suggestions on Garden Poop

Works-For-Me Wednesday: The Backwards Edition

I need suggestions on how to keep nasty little neighborhood pooping machines (dogs) out of my garden. Fence is not an option. Help Please? I spread the black pepper stuff around (Critter Ridder), but then our cat walked right over it without batting an eye...

Is there anything I can plant or spread around that doesn't cost so much? This can of stuff was $12 for a month-long application.

March Financial Check-Up

Hosted by MoneySavingMom

Our month of February went pretty well, all things considered.

I stayed inside my weekly budget of $100, $30/$20 (personal mad monies), and made the payments of more than "what we spent +10% goal" on the credit cards. The balances are moving downwards! We are spending much less on them, mostly just the gas on our Costco Amex since we get the 3% back on gas. And any online purchases we are trying to use our debit card instead of the credit card.

God has been so good to bless my shopping-- this week I have already used up my budget, but because of all the food we scored on the last few weeks, I don't need to go to the store. I even used up the leftovers from last week-- we had some big purchases this week. Critter Ridder for the garden $13, stamps $41, batteries $12, baby shower gift $20, new collar for the dog $8, new fan for the computer $21. These ate up the $150 really fast. But God is good! Only today and tomorrow, and then we have a new week. I have $1 to last two days-- do you think I can do it?

They're Back.

If you come to my house from now on out until summer, please be gracious. Or just don't come. I would not blame you. Sometimes, I wish I would not have to come home. Especially at night. It really stinks at night.

They are back.

It is skunk season.

Last night, I dreamed of them all night long. "Someone" was having a fight right outside my window when I was blogging my Kitchen Tip Tuesday post. I could actually hear the growls and gravel as they moved.

It smelled so good I could taste it in my mouth.

Blech.

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays- What to do with those extra tomatoes?

I love those little grape tomatoes, especially the big cheap container at Costco! But, sometimes (not often!) we don't get through them fast enough before they start to get a little funk to their taste.

Last time, I decided whip out my food dehydrator and dry them. So I did! And now I have a little container of my own homemade "sundried tomatoes," only they aren't sundried. shhhh! Don't tell! They taste the same, I promise!

I sliced them in quarters, laid them out on their skins, and dried them. I store them dry in my pantry. I have not had any complaints so far, but I am curious... Should I be storing them in olive oil or something? If I do, should they be in the fridge? They are pretty crispy now, but I put them in foods that allow for some rehydration before consumption.

Thanks for any advice on my advice!

Movie Review: Jumper

Wow... how do describe?

Fun to watch, not fun to finish. I mean it had a fun storyline, plenty of fun action, special effects, but when it is over you are left with LOTS of questions. The plot is severely underdeveloped. Severely.

(And Rachael Bilson is shockingly skinny. IMHO. Put a little meat on that girl.)

Rent it if you want, but I do not recommend spending the money at the theatre. (No, we didn't. We used our free tickets from Safeway!)

For My Local Friends-- Great Deal!

Yesterday I found kiddo raincoats at Costco-- for $4! They have lots of boys designs, and some girls. The girl ones I was rummaging through had sizes 3 and 4; I didn't check the boys, but there were 3 x's more boys than girls.

So that is one birthday present taken care of!!!

What is your opinion of matching clothes? Is is tacky or cute? I personally think it is cute, but you won't offend me if you disagree!

Super Savings Saturday!

You know you've been blessed when the cashier says "Look at this! She's only paying $5.80 for all this!" At least I did-- My response? "It's a fun hobby!" (I am terrible at quick comebacks. No really, you have no idea.)

All this happened at Albertsons. My weekly story is that after getting sooo much groceries at Safeway for their Savings Rally, we didn't really need anything. So I just twiddled my thumbs and watched the ads. Out of my budget, I still had $50 left at the end of the week! (My budget is $100/week, but this is for everything I need to buy, not just groceries.)

Here are some of my best finds this week.

Albertsons is having a "Buy $10 get $3 off" sale. I found some items I knew I had coupons for in the 5/$10 section, and off I went. For the first "$10" group, I bought two boxes Honey Bunches of Oats Chocolate Clusters (Not in the picture because Gabe put them away for me and I can't reach them now1) and three jars Dole Fruit, and the second group I had one jar Dole Fruit, one Daisy Sour Cream, and three 12 count eggs. Total oop after coupons and $6 off? $5.80 Oh, yea, I already told you that! :-)

Safeway is having a "Buy $30 of participating products and get 2 free movie tickets" deal through March, because apparently, March is frozen food month. Apparently. So, after looking over the list online here, I talked to my grandpa and found out what I could buy for him (they eat alot of TV dinners) I went and spent $23 for him and $7 for my family, and should get a call soon because they didn't have any tickets.... of course :-) It actually worked out pretty good because he was suprised I got all that I did for $23. And for us I found the little boxes of Totino's Pizza Rolls, the cheese kind, were on sale for .99, and I had three .40 coupons! That is an easy quick pinch lunch for the girls and I, for .60! To really make the deal, I was able to use my last $20 coupon from the savings rally!

I went to Walmart for a few things, specifically a greenhouse tray and some sugar snap pea seeds. I found the the seed cart, and we were scanning, finding what we wanted... and the very nice gentleman next to me said "those on the end (picture a rectangle display, the small ends) are only $.10 and $.30- can't beat that!" Compared to $1+ that is a great deal. So Melia got to pick out some flowers, and I got some green beans because I know that is what I need to start soon, but I had to buy the $.97 packet to get the sugar snap peas. Ah well! I was more than happy with this week's shopping.

God has been so good to bless me in my pursuit of saving more and spending less. Gabe's comment to me one night was that he appreciates that I see this as a game, not as a burden. I had never considered that, but I know that some wives would see a budget as hindering and binding, while I have been enjoying it! It's so nice to know that I won't spend more than I earn, and never having to check the account to "make sure we have enough." Thank you Lord, for giving me joy in this area of our lives! I pray that my deals will be encouraging for others, that a budget is freeing and not binding. Amen!

My joys.