childrenrablessing

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.....

2010-01-03T20:28:00.002-06:00

Not that I really want it to..but we did get about 3 or 4 inches last night and today. There really isn't much of interest going on around here right now. The kids start school up again tomorrow. They had fun playing outside today, but came in after a bit..."It's too cold out there mommy" were the cries. Lol. It has been a busy couple of weeks. I for one, am glad the holiday season is over. I got all the decoration down and packed but still need to put them in the closet downstairs. That is a job for tomorrow, I just don't feel like hauling it all down the steps tonight. Wishing everyone good health and a great week!

Mary

Happy belated holidays to all!!!

2009-12-27T21:16:00.002-06:00

I'm sorry. I know I said the posting would be regular again. Things have just been chaotic though. I'm trying to get my 2 older girls where they need to be with school as they will be going back to public school this fall. The twins will also be starting kindergarten, so it has been busy. Last week, we all had the stomach flu...bleck!! Some of them are still feeling the after effects of that. Our Christmas was very nice. The kids awoke to Christmas snow so they were all excited. There wasn't much on the ground though, so mom was happy! It's a good thing I hadn't planned on making a big meal Friday, no one ate much. I didn't even get Christmas cookies made. That will be a job for this week though. We will just have them for New Year's instead. Hubby has been busy stripping down the upstairs bathroom. We are going to tile the floor and paint the walls. The plan is to redo the vanity and tile the counter and back splash. I believe it is ready for all the new work to start. We picked out tile yesterday while we were at Lowe's. It isn't what we had decided on originally, but it was on sale and I like it better anyways.

So, I hope everyone had happy days for Christmas and wish you all a Happy New Year in case I don't make it back to post before then.

Mary

Turkey day..

2009-11-25T10:10:00.002-06:00

So, what's everyone doing for the big day? We are staying home and I'm cooking for the eight of us. No company for us. I'm not doing a huge dinner, but will be making some traditional things.
My hubby doesn't like turkey so I looked for just a small breast. The large turkeys were cheaper. I got a 12 pounder for $7 and the breast alone was almost $9. Needless to say, I bought the whole bird. We'll also be having ham, mostly to satisfy the man of the house. The rest of the menu will consist of: mashed taters, candied yams, green bean casserole, dressing (i won't be making my grandma's boiled dressing cause I'm the only one who likes it), homemade rolls, giblet gravy, and cranberry sauce. I'll also make a relish tray and deviled eggs (our chickens have been outdoing themselves, course they are starting to slack off now that it's getting cooler out). Gee, that was quite the run-on sentence. I'm not making much in the line of desserts. Just Cherry pie, pumpkin pie and brownies with lots and lots of chocolate frosting. Was gonna make a pecan pie, but I'm the only one who likes it now that my step daughter isn't here. I would just eat it all if I made it, and I don't need that much sugar..lol! Hopefully we will have plenty of leftovers so I won't have to cook for a day or so. That will be a nice break.

The kids have this week off school, so not much has been going on in the schoolroom.
It's starting to cool off here. It was 40 this morning. We have had a few fires in the fireplace in the past couple of weeks.

There really isn't much more I can think of right now...so...

Later ya'll,
Mary

Well...

2009-11-16T00:09:00.002-06:00

I am officially back in blog land. My sweet 'computer guy' was able to set up a desktop upstairs for me today. YIPPEE!! So now I will be able to keep this blog up.
Let me see...what have we been up to for the past few months. Of course school is keeping us very busy. I seem to be having a hard time doing school with our 3rd and 4th graders while keeping the three little ones entertained. As many of you know, most little tykes do not have a very long attention span. I must admit that my housekeeping is taking a toll. That is something I am trying to get under control....I am not an organized person and I do not live by a schedule. I realize these all add up to chaos. Any way, our chickens and ducks are doing great. We have been wanting to start a rabbit harem....ahem....breeding set up for meat rabbits. We got a New Zealand buck this weekend. He is a beauty! Hubby built a cage for him. Now all we have to do is find a couple of does and we'll be in hare heaven...he he! Oh and both of our kittys met with disastrous ends. I need to find a mouser in the next few weeks..Yikes! We don't need mice in the house.
So, I think that about catches y'all up on what we've been doing. I will try to get some new pics up in the next couple of days. I always like looking at photos on other blogs.
I will sign off for now. I'm glad to be back and hope all of my readers haven't left for good.

Bye now,
Mary

Oh where, oh where....

2009-08-05T16:29:00.000-05:00

Have I been? I am sure some of you have been wondering. Well, my laptop died and the only computer available is in the safe room in the basement where I can't keep track of the kids. Of course it doesn't help either that our modem got fried by lightening and I had no access to the internet for a couple of months. But....now it is back up and I thought I would post a short note to let ya'll know that I'm still here, just limited to my time online. I still have no computer upstairs so I won't be able to do any routine posting for a couple more weeks. We are all fine and busy with summer things. Hope ya'll are doing well also.

Til' next time..

A very busymama,
Mary

Changes...

2009-03-25T02:52:00.001-05:00

I thought it was time for a facelift around here. I was getting bored with the appearance of my page. Hope you like it! I think it's easier on the eyes. Let me know what you think!

Mary

Kids...gggrrrrrrrrr!

2009-03-23T20:40:00.003-05:00

Okay, I may be the mother of many..but would someone please explain to me, why kids do the things they do. Especially when said child is an 'adult' and has the 'freedom' to do what they want. Now, take a look at this and tell me what you see. My description is under the pic.

Punk kid with piercing! Blahhhh!!

Yes, this is my oldest blessing...isn't that a handsome pic of him? Hmmmm?... UGH!
Oh and by the way..I found this out on myspace...this pic was on his page (he doesn't live at home). And how long ago did this happen??? New Years...well, there is a reason the internet is called the information highway.

Oh my...

2009-03-23T14:33:00.006-05:00

Well, I see it's been a while since I was here. Sorry to all those who check in with the hope of something new. Time just seems to get away. Let's see...almost 2 weeks ago, we got 4 ducklings they were about a day or two old at the time, so it would be safe to say they are 2 weeks old now. I don't have a current photo though. I'll put that on my list of things to do :)

Last Wednesday was K's 8th birthday. I took some pics to share. My step-daughter came down from Indiana with a friend and stayed Thursday through Saturday. We all really enjoyed their visit.

I made her a strawberry ice cream cake with chocolate frosting..yum..here is a pic of the inside of it

Yesterday, we bought some paint and hubby started painting the coop

Oh and in case you didn't notice...drum roll please.............I finally got around to putting a REAL pic of myself on here. Now you can see who is writing all this drivel.

Well, have a nice week...

Mary

New pic of the chicks

2009-02-25T10:07:00.003-06:00

Here is a new pic of the chickies taken just a few minutes ago. Aren't they getting huge? They are one week old.

one week

newly hatched

Mary

DVD giveaway over at...

2009-02-23T12:53:00.003-06:00

Sharri's place...she is giving away a christian homesteading DVD called Inherit the Land.

Please visit her blog to find out more! Thank you Sharri for letting me know about this and for visiting here.

Blessings,
Mary

The coop has a roof

2009-02-23T11:07:00.005-06:00

My husband put the rest of the roof on the coop yesterday. I took some pics. There are only a few cosmetic things to finish inside and out. There is trim to be put on, doors to put on the outside of the nest boxes, ventilation windows to install and roosts to put in. I probably forgot something in there, but you get the general idea. There will also be a fence going up.

Here is the front. I really hate when my shadow gets in the photo!

Here is the back with the nest box bump-out. There will be three doors here for egg collection.

Here is the door

Here is the interior box view. You can't really see the one on the far end in the pic.

This is the inside

Here is the chicken door

And here it is open. There is our lab Nestle wondering what I'm up to.

I'll keep you updated on the progress.

Blessings,
Mary

The new babies are here!

2009-02-18T19:54:00.003-06:00

Our new chickies are here! Out of all the trays of Black Jersey's they incubated only 5 hatched. So...we didn't get any. Instead, we chose to get 2 Black Australorp cockerels and they didn't even charge us for them. They are doing very well and are eating and drinking like little pros. Here are a couple of photos.

And to those who might be concerned, I added more bedding after taking these photos. They kicked more of it away than I thought they would. We don't want any of them getting hurt on the slick bottom of the container.
Well, I just wanted to show them off.

Blessings,
Mary

Chicka, chicka, boom

2009-02-12T21:22:00.009-06:00

Hello! We pick up our chicks at the hatchery on Wednesday next week. They will be hatched that morning. We have ordered 15 Buff Orpington pullets which will look like this:

These are day old

These are full grown

We also ordered 2 black Jersey Giant cockerels which will look like this:

Again, day old

and full grown

We will be keeping them in the garage for three to four weeks before moving them out to the coop. We took the coop apart and set it up outside last weekend. Dh built on the nest boxes which extend out the back of the coop and will have doors you can open for outside access. He will be roofing the coop this weekend probably. I will take another pic and post it soon.

It rained and rained here the past couple of days. Lots of thunder and lightening. There was some minor flooding and a tornado not too far from here. It was finally sunny for most of the day today.

Last of all, I will be having a birthday tomorrow. Nothing special though. Ever since 2005 it has been a very sad day for me as my mother passed away on my birthday that year. I don't celebrate anymore, but alas will be adding another number to the total.

Well, here's hoping all of you are doing well. Spring will soon be here...at least where we are.

Blessings,
Mary

We 'weathered' the storm!

2009-01-30T09:25:00.005-06:00

Well...we didn't lose our power!! We got about 2 inches of ice on the ground...our trees had about 1/2 an inch on them. On top of that, we received about 3 inches of snow. Not far south of here in Northern Arkansas, the power went down and is still out...some places they predict will stay that way for quite some time. The power company we had just North of the MO/AR border before moving, is one of the companies who lost power...whew!! I would have updated sooner, but hubby was home for 3 1/2 days because of the roads. He has about a 45 minute drive to the office on secondary roads. They finally got a plow down the road yesterday afternoon. We live way out in the sticks and I was surprised they even plowed the gravel road out here. Hubby took the trash down for pick-up yesterday morn and barely made it back up the hill. We have to haul it a little over a mile for pick-up. Our lane is about a half mile and then another half mile or so down the hill on the gravel to the black top. They won't come up our road! I have been trying to convince dh to get a burn barrel so we can burn, but I haven't won him over on that idea quite yet! Incidentally...the trash never made it yesterday, so we are stuck with a full barrel. I took some pics over the past couple of days I wanted to share. The first two were taken about six hours before the ice stopped falling.

These were taken the next day. Here is our driveway.

This was taken off the east side of our front porch. Isn't it pretty?

This one was taken from the back deck. I took this using the distant landscape setting on our cam which I didn't even know we had. I think it turned out gorgeous.

I finally took a pic of our mostly finished chicken coop...Yay!! It's looking very nice. Hubby designed it himself. It's about 4 feet by 8 feet. See the little chicken door on the front?! He will put 3 nests in and some perches. He said to make sure I mentioned that it will be taken apart and set up outside as soon as he gets the materials for the roof which will probably be this weekend. It will be set up on skids...as you can see if you look at the bottom...so it can be moved. We will be enclosing the front in the run which will be I think about 20 feet long...I can't quite remember though. We will not be free ranging as there are too many critters around here to do that safely. We've seen a few coyotes in the drive, lane and yard during the daylight hours since moving in. Besides, I do NOT like to step in chicken cr**...yuck!! Child hood memories of that are still very fresh. Running barefoot through the yard and splat....EEEEWWWW!!! Of course I did like to walk barefoot through the cow lot and squish my toes in the fresh paddies...hehe...and no, that is NOT gross...when you're a kid anyway!

Well, now that you all know we weren't frozen solid, I'll end this post. Hope everyone is staying warm and doing well.

Blessings,
Mary

Preperations

2009-01-26T20:41:00.004-06:00

We are under a severe ice storm warning...It has actually been sleeting here since shortly after 1:00 this afternoon. We are supposed to get about an inch. YUCK!! I have been busy getting laundry done and filling as many containers as I can find with water. They are predicting major power outages. I have about 20 gallons of water collected. 6 of which is for flushing the stool when necessary and the rest for washing, drinking and watering the pets. We have several candles, 2 oil lamps, a couple of flashlights and a couple of camping lanterns we can use. If necessary, I will cook on the wood stoker in the basement and we also have a propane camp stove. I suppose I could use the fireplace, but I don't think that will be necessary. I'm not sure what hubby will do if he has to stay home. He has been building our chicken coop...I still haven't taken a pic of it...and his power tools will not work if we lose power. Neither will the television. I'm sure he'll think of something. As for the kids and me, we have school to occupy our time...storm or no storm. I just checked out the window and it is really coming down out there. So much for hoping it doesn't get too bad. They have been running school closings across the bottom of the t.v. screen for the past 2 1/2 hours.

Tonight, I made lentil soup and it was delicious. I figured we could use some warm-you-up comfort food. Hubby even said I could make it again. He's not much of a soup eater. I just threw a bunch of stuff in and made some corn bread. The ingredients were: lentils, split peas, quick cooking barley, diced ham, carrots, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, water; beef, chicken, and veggie bouillon, and salt. YUM!!
When I got out my garlic press, I discovered it had a problem:
It seems my 9 year old dd tried to crack a hickory nut with it...LOL! Ah well, I didn't use it much anyway...the little stinker!!

Well, hope you all are staying warm.

Blessings,
Mary

Daybook entry

2009-01-26T20:13:00.004-06:00

To read more daybook entries, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY...Monday, January 26, 2009

Outside my window...We are in the midst of an ice storm

I am thinking...I wish we were off-grid, so if the electric goes off it would not be such an ordeal.

I am thankful for...a roof over our heads

From the learning rooms...We have switched most of our curriculum to something less time consuming and more interesting for the kids.

From the kitchen...the lingering smell of supper...lentil soup and cornbread.

I am wearing...khaki pants, blue top and white sweater

I am creating...too many things to even mention

I am going...to try to start getting up earlier in the morning. That will be tough for me, as I am a major night owl!

I am reading...my current issue of BHG

I am hoping...that this storm will not prove to be as severe as they are saying.

I am hearing...the television and the blessings...it's almost bedtime!

Around the house...Trying to make sure all is ready in case we lose power

One of my favorite things...candlelight/lamplight

A few plans for the rest of the week...I'm not sure yet...depends if hubby is iced-in or not.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

This is a pic I took Saturday. The farmer across the way was burning his fields. It got real smokey for a while and I wondered if the fire had gotten away from them, but all was fine.

Here is a neat giveaway!

2009-01-22T09:14:00.004-06:00

Notquitejuneclever is giving away the book "French General Home Sewn" and an apron. Click on the button to enter!

Good luck!

Blessings,
Mary

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2009-01-19T13:41:00.006-06:00

Click here to read other's daybook entries

FOR TODAY...Monday, January 19, 2009

Outside my window...the sun has finally come out. It was snowing a little this A.M., but it has stopped.

I am thinking...about supper prep later. We are having meatloaf.

I am thankful for...my family.

From the learning rooms...nothing today...no school on Monday.

From the kitchen...the kids had chicken nuggets, string cheese, crackers, pickles and chocolate revel bars (that I made last night during a "chocolate attack") with milk for lunch.

I am wearing...blue sweat pants, light brown, long-sleeved t-shirt, socks and my moccasins.

I am creating...well...my hubby is building our chicken coop. It is looking very good.

I am going...to start planning my garden. It has been many years since I had a decent one.

I am reading...my Above Rubies magazine that came in the mail Saturday.

I am hoping...the new school books I ordered will be here soon.

I am hearing...not much, it is nap/quiet time.

Around the house...I cleaned yesterday, so am just catching up on some laundry.

One of my favorite things...cinnamon and nutmeg oil that I have in my simmering pot.

A few plans for the rest of the week...take apart a comforter that has seen it's better days and make curtains from the material for the older girls' bedroom.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...
I wish I could sleep like a baby! :)

Blessings,
Mary

Maple Nut Sticky Buns...tutorial

2009-01-13T11:47:00.014-06:00

Okay, before I start, do I have time for a complete slobbering, bawling, emotional breakdown. I can't believe that I just uploaded 28.....28!!!!! photos in under 30 minutes! I can't believe it! I knew that blogger was having problems with photo uploading and that they were trying to fix it...but, oh.....my.....golly.....gee....wiz......!!!!! Okay....I'm done now. I'm putting on my cool, calm demeanor again. *sigh*....Are you ready?

Maple Nut Sticky Buns..............makes 12

Ingredients:

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

1/2 cup maple syrup

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 package quick-rising active dry yeast

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup warm water (120 F - 130 F)

6 tablespoons softened butter, divided

1 egg, at room temperature

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Step 1... grease a 13-x9-inch baking pan and spread pecans and maple syrup evenly over the bottom. I use butter to liberally grease my dish. I also used pecans...as you can tell in the photo.

Step 2 ...combine 2 cups flour, granulated sugar, yeast and salt in a large bowl.

If you have a stand mixer, I highly recommend you use it. My Kitchen Aid that I have had for the past 15 years is great.

Stir in water, 2 tablespoons butter and egg. Beat until smooth;

gradually stir in remaining flour until soft dough forms.

Cover with plastic wrap; I just use my mixer bowl...works fine. Let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, look at the caged bird in my living room...isn't he cute. I believe I should call him a hovering bird...waiting to move in for the kill...he can smell the dough!

Step 3...after dough has doubled,

put on a lightly floured surface and roll out to 15-x12-inch rectangle.

Spread with remaining butter. Mix brown sugar with cinnamon; sprinkle over surface.

Starting with a 12-inch side, roll up tightly.

Step 4...cut into 12 slices. I use thread to do this so as not to flatten my rolls. Just loop around the rolled dough, cross the ends and pull tightly to cut off each roll. Place cut side down in prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place about 30-45 minutes.

While you are waiting, make yourself a nice hot cup of tea. This is one of my favorites.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Uncover rolls and bake until golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Notice the pudgy little hand on the counter.

While waiting, take a photo of precious child doing school work. :)

And another of hovering bird...

Take rolls from oven. I think a few of them got a little too excited! I just stuff the middles back down inside.

Notice I am using the prize I won from Country Mom during her skirt challenge. These are actually dishcloths, but since I don't do many dishes by hand, I use them as hot pads...Thanks again Kris.

This is my 'pretty' serving tray...a cookie sheet covered with aluminum foil! HEHE!
Let cool for 1 minute. Loosen edges; invert onto a serving plate.

I turn my tray over on top of my baking dish and then flip the whole thing over.

The rolls will come loose immediately if you greased your pan well.

Take baking dish off and admire your creation.

Notice the yummy topping left in the dish...scrape that off and put on your rolls. We don't want to waste it!

Now, wait...yes wait...for them to cool enough to eat. Unless you like a scorched mouth. This takes about 20 minutes.

Next...take a picture of your adorable little blessings devouring their treat. "Thanks mom...these are yummy", all I hear from the vicinity of the table is "MMMMMMM......YUMMMMM...." I guess they are good. I take mine and eat it...oh man! These are great. You should try some. They are very simple to make. ENJOY!!!

Now to make some for hubby...he doesn't like nuts! I think maybe he is nuts! Just a little joke between us. ;)

Blessings,
Mary

Mmmmmm....mmmmmmm....mmmmmmm!!

2009-01-13T11:44:00.002-06:00

Uploading photos to my computer. It will take a while to upload them to blogger however. We are on dial-up way out here in the boonies. I promise to post asap!!

Blessings,
Mary

Prelude to...sticky buns!

2009-01-13T09:38:00.003-06:00

I am in the process of making maple sticky buns...with photos. As soon as they are done, I will post a tutorial. Please stand by.......................................................................................

Blessings,
Mary

Kids...they're so cute!

2009-01-12T22:01:00.002-06:00

Here is a little conversation between T our 4 year dd and myself while I was making supper tonight.

T...What are you doing?
Me...Pealing an onion.
T...What is that stuff?
Me...The skin, onions have skin like you do and it has to be pealed before we eat it.
T...(after a moment of reflection)...oh, so onions have onion skin and we have people skin?
Me...Yep...HEHE!!!

What a cutie!

Daybook entry

2009-01-12T11:09:00.008-06:00

Wow...I haven't done one of these in a while. Since these are posted on Monday, I only have one chance a week to remember. I usually remember on Tuesday...LOL! Monday is set aside for cleaning and catching up on other things, so we don't do school. I am usually so busy that I forget my Daybook entry...so here goes!

To read more Daybook entries please visit

http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/

FOR TODAY...Monday, January 12, 2009

Outside my window...It is gray and cold...we haven't had but a dusting of snow so far this winter. That is okay by me though, as I am no snow bunny! When we lived in Indiana, I hibernated during the winter!

I am thinking...There are a lot of things to do today. My 9 year old was being difficult during school on Thursday and refused to do her lessons. After a meeting with the school board...daddy...she cooperated on Friday, but had to do Thursday's work. Since we were gone most of Saturday, she will be doing Friday's work today...my no school day...adding to my list of things to be done: general housecleaning, purging, and Mount Laundry is about to erupt. Our washer and dryer are not working properly.

I am thankful for ...smiles on my kid's faces, hugs, and chocolate!

From the kitchen...let's not even go there...

I am wearing...black pants, t-shirt and a cardigan...oh and slippers on my footsies.

I am creating...besides this post...I still haven't but need to start cutting my quilt pieces out.

I am reading...nothing but other blogs right now.

I am hoping...that my hubby can get the materials for our chicken house this weekend. The middle of February is coming on fast and I want those hens!

I am hearing...Dragon Tales on PBS.

Around the house...The kids are watching television, but it goes off after the show they are watching and we will all get busy.

One of my favorite things...fall leaves!

A few plans for the rest of the week...get the girls ready for their English tests, start my quilt, make maple sticky buns, and try to have a good week!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Little C didn't want to go to bed, so he came upstairs and sat on the step. When I checked on him a few minutes later, this is what I found. I'm just glad he didn't fall! WHEW!!

Dusting....the ceiling?

2009-01-07T10:57:00.006-06:00

I never did like to dust...and then we moved here, my dream house. I still don't like to dust...looky what we have here.

I bought a duster with an extension handle and I suppose it works okay, except I'm not tall enough to reach the peak of the ceiling even with the long handle. Hubby has to do that part for me. My complaint is, the dust that falls down gets on everything and then everything has to be dusted. It's a never ending thing. I would like to find an extension for our shop-vac that has a 90 degree angle attachment for dusting those beams. If anyone has ceilings similar and can give me some advice on dusting them....I would be eternally/internally/externally grateful. HEHE!! Happy Dusting!!

Blessings,
Mary

Something fun...and oh my gosh!!

2009-01-06T10:29:00.003-06:00

I was just over at purityseekers and she is asking, "how many diapers have you changed?" Well...I added up the 7 babies I've had, remember one is still in diapers...and I came to an approximate grand total of 56,940 diapers. Isn't that interesting. I never really gave it much thought, I just wanted to get it over with as fast as possible. I never really considered how many there were. I thought this was kinda fun to figure up. I'm sure there are those of you who have changed even more. Mind you, this figure is only for my babies...not the many diapers I changed in years past as a baby sitter. LOL!!!

Blessings,
Mary

photos

2009-01-05T12:25:00.009-06:00

I finally got my pics uploaded. My computer was being finicky. Here is the fabric and pattern I am using for my quilt. The solid green and the yellow will be borders, the green print will be the pinwheels and the muslin will go everywhere else. The quilting design that they used on the picture below is very pretty, and I think I will do the same on mine. You can't really see it well, maybe if you click to enlarge the photo it will be easier to see. (Oops...I loaded that pic sideways. It takes too long to upload to blogger though, so it will have to stay that way). :)

Here is the dolly I crocheted for baby H as a Christmas gift. She really likes it. I think I will have to redo the hair though...she seems to be suffering some loss. She is supposed to have a white pinafore also, but I haven't had time to make one.

Here are the other gifts I crocheted for Christmas. The scarves were for the twins and the hats for the older girls. I saw the photo of the scarf and just had to make it. In case you can't tell, those are bears.
Well, I guess that does it for this time...

Blessings,
Mary

What's going on around here

2009-01-04T01:11:00.002-06:00

Hello all...Happy New Year!! We've been out shopping two days in a row...that is pretty amazing, cause I really dislike shopping. It is one of my least favorite things to do. Friday, even though hubby had the day off, he had to run into the office for a bit. We all went along and then I did the grocery shopping. Well...the Wal-mart super center we went to didn't have a craft/sewing department, so We went back to another super center in the other direction today. I bought some fabric for a quilt I will be making for our bed...finally. I have been wanting to do this project for a few years now. It seems that something else always comes up though. Hubby and I both like earthy tones, so I wound up buying green and pale yellow. I will take a photo and post it asap. I have picked out a pinwheel/nine-patch pattern that is fairly subtle. Hubby doesn't want anything too 'busy'. Speaking of photos, I want to upload some of the Christmas gifts I made for the five younger kids.

Our other stop today was Lowe's. Hubby wanted to price the materials to build our chicken coop. He will be doing this project in stages, I think he may start this week. We will probably be getting our hens in mid February. It will be so nice to have fresh eggs. Hopefully, the first ones will be here sometime in early April. Well, I suppose that's all for now.

Blessings,
Mary

Calling all Followers

2008-12-28T21:59:00.002-06:00

I have just added the Followers feature to my sidebar. I just wanted to point this out. I know sometimes I find a blog I really like and would love to return to, the I find out I didn't bookmark the url and can not find it again. Well...if you really like reading here, you can sign up to be a follower and be able to find me again...isn't that great. I know, right now I am not posting very much, but I will...just give me time. Busy, busy, busy lately. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and wish you all a Happy New Year!

Blessings,
Mary

Another birthday

2008-12-18T00:52:00.007-06:00

Wow! It's been almost 2 months since I posted, what a slacker!! Actually, with five little peppers to take care of...time does fly by. School is going well, although the girls are complaining that they don't care for the Rod and Staff curriculum. They think it is boring and don't like do the extensive seat work. We'll see...
We celebrated our twins' fourth birthday this week! My, how they change! I dug up some pics of them...little C hasn't changed much, but his sissy sure has.
Here is the day they came home from the hospital at 3 days old
Little C................Little T
Here They are this week.

What a couple of sweeties! Now that their birthday is over...it's time for the holidays...I don't like to shop!!! Oh well...

I will definitely try to update again soon. It just seems like not much of interest is going on around here. Everyone stay safe in the coming days! Happy Holidays to all!!

Blessings,

Mary

Happenings around our place

2008-10-21T16:39:00.007-05:00

Hello everyone! Here's another update. We had a wiener roast the other night. It was cool out and the fire felt nice. I took a couple of pics.

Here are the twins. Here are some dogs a roastin'. I couldn't resist this one of little C having just eaten a s'more! Here is the view I saw off the back deck yesterday morning about 6:45. The pic does not do it justice. I love looking across the valley at this particular farm, it's so pretty.

We have almost emptied the storage unit that we had about half of our belongings in. Now there are boxes piled in the garage. Hubby has one more load to bring home and then we are finished paying rent on the unit. That's a good thing and getting the deposit back will be nice!

School is going well. The schedule I have made allows for a one week hiatus every eight weeks with a two week break the beginning of March. Our first break is next week. I am looking forward to it since it will allow me some much needed time to finish unpacking and getting things squared away.

We will be getting our tiller from my brother in another couple of weeks, Lord willing, and get the garden broke in. I still have to figure the specific dimensions, but it's almost decided. We will have a main plot, a salad garden, an herb garden and one for things such as melons and the like. I will be so glad to have a large garden to take care of again.

I'm a little late, 'cause we've been a dollar short, stocking up on food stuffs...especially the main staples. I will start doing so in another couple of weeks. We have some more to pay on our deposit for the house and then I will put some more towards the pantry list. Once that is done, I will feel much better. It is too bad we didn't have a garden harvest to put up this year...next year though. For those who have been storing up and canning a lot. I don't know if you have checked out my side bar or not, but I have an RSS to Granny Miller who does a lot of things in this regard. She did a post about rendering and canning lard the other day. She is great and has a lot of very interesting info on her blog. I encourage you to check her out. Well, I need to start supper, ttyl!

Blessings,
Mary

Update and some pics

2008-10-03T16:07:00.006-05:00

It's been a few weeks hasn't it? We have been busy. Our school year started on Sept. 4 and it seems like there hasn't been time for blogging. I had promised some pics of our pets so here they are:

This is Simba...we think he is about a year old, very good mouser!

This is Berly...he's about 10 weeks now. Isn't he cute?!

This is Nestle...he's five months and very much a baby still.

I took some pics the other morning before the fog burned off. It is like being on a cloud...very neat. I got a couple of good ones.

We also lit our first fire in the fireplace Wednesday night...it got down to about 40 degrees and was windy. I am happy to report that the fireplace works wonderful. It draws very well and the blower works like a charm. However, the damper is gone. Hubby says it looks like it rotted and fell off. I suppose someone could have removed it, but why?

We are going to be trying to get the money together to build a storage shed for lawn equipment, bicycles and other things. After that, I believe hubby will be wanting to start on the chicken coop. Time is flying by and autumn is in the air. It's a good thing it doesn't get that cold and snowy here in the winter. My husband grew up in Northeastern Indiana, so Missouri winters are very mild for him. I think we may go ahead and get a rooster. It has been years since I woke in the morning to a rooster crowing. We are enjoying the sounds of the country again. The tree frogs, crickets and other night critter sounds is so soothing. We can't here many vehicles up here on the ridge. We finally have found our dream home and I thank God daily for showing us the way home. Thank you also to those of you who asked Him to help us find this place we now call home. Good night!

Blessings,
Mary

Hi all! I'm back!!

2008-09-10T16:43:00.003-05:00

It has been a long couple of weeks, but we are mostly moved in. We just got our net connection hooked up today. It is dial-up but isn't too bad as I'm getting about 45 kbps. My hubby has been doing quite a bit of yard work and snake hunting. There are copperheads here and he thought he saw one the other evening behind the house, but it was too dark to tell. Last weekend after hanging my...drum roll please....CLOTHESLINE...woohoo, he found a freshly shed snake skin that was over 6 feet long...eeeewwwww!!! It had to be a black snake though, as that is about the biggest around these parts. He also saw a very...and I mean very...large tarantula. Yep, the Ozarks are full of them. I didn't see it, but he said...and I kid you not...that it's body was about the size of a silver dollar and flattened out, would have a leg span of 8 inches.....double eeeewwww!!!!!! I hate large spiders...and the worst thing...it went under the front porch...YIKES! I've been on the lookout ever since. In the last week, we have acquired a 12 week old black kitten which my step daughter named Berloise (not sure how to spell it) from Aristocats. We have nick named him Berly, as the youngers can't quite pronounce his name. She also brought home a yellow tom named Simba. He is about a year old and has already been killing mice...Yay! Last Sunday, the neighbor down in the Holler brought us a 4 month old chocolate lab which we named Nestle. He is a really good dog. He isn't full blood, but he is chocolate. I will post some pics later. Well, I just wanted to update all of my loyal readers, and those lurkers out there...don't be afraid to leave me a comment. I hope you all have been doing well. I will have to spend some time catching up on my blog list. Have a wonderful evening!

Blessings,
Mary

Bad news...not as bad as I thought!

2008-08-21T00:19:00.004-05:00

I guess I misunderstood. My husband says that just because our phone provider can't offer us dial-up at the new place, doesn't mean we can't go through someone like Net Zero. That is not so bad after all. I do dread being back on dial-up though. I guess I have been spoiled having DSL for the past 2+ years. It is real nice. However, my laptop is a wireless connection that S (previously referred to as my husband, hehe) has set up through our home computer network. I actually only get around 54 mbps . I suppose I will survive.

Blessings,
Mary

Some good news and some bad

2008-08-19T12:19:00.004-05:00

Well...hubby got a pay raise...YAY!!!! We won't have Internet service at the new house...BOO!!!! It is too remote, there is not even dial-up. We were put on the list for service when it becomes available and should receive a call to let us know how far from the house the progress is. I don't know yet how we will proceed on that issue. Hubby does have an air card for work, and that is the important thing. He can at least still work from the house. He is on call 24-7. I'm not sure if he will opt for satellite Internet or not. He says it is not worth the price you pay for the speed you get. So....I may not be blogging for quite some time after the end of August.

One other thing...I received my prize from Kris today for the 3 day skirt challenge. It is beautiful! Thank you Kris!

Blessings,
Mary

Happy Birthday to my baby!!

2008-08-14T13:47:00.003-05:00

Today is my oldest baby's birthday...he is 18...*sob*, they grow up so fast. I was only eighteen when I had him. Just a baby myself. I remember not long after delivery saying..."That wasn't so bad, I think I want another one". To most first timers, that may sound crazy, but that's what I am! LOL! Well, 6 additional blessings and 2 step-blessings later, I'm not sorry. Happy Birthday Baby!!

Blessings,
Mary

Too cute!!!

2008-08-13T11:11:00.009-05:00

Yes, I know what I said...but this was just too cute to pass up. I was busy and noticed our twins were dancing and had to get a video. Excuse the no pants on little C...he is still training and I have a shortage of shorts for him. You can tell "who wears the pants" in this relationship! In case you can't hear it...T says "No...I have to turn and go under your arm" LOL!!

And just a couple of pics from this morn...

little C built this bridge...

little T built this barn, see the horse in the corral...

and here are the architects...

took a couple of snaps of the garage...

The pile in the middle are flattened boxes...I think we got too many. I'd rather have too many than not enough though.

we need to take about 3 loads to the storage unit. We cleaned all the camping gear and Christmas stuff out of the attic last night.

Blessings,
Mary

Just a quick post...

2008-08-13T02:38:00.008-05:00

to say, I'm probably not going to be posting much for the next few weeks what with the move and all. We are busy packing and I just don't have time to do much else beyond my basic everyday responsibilities. I'm still not sure what kind of connection we will have at the new house. If it is dial-up, I may not post but once a week. Anyway...I wanted to leave you with a book recommendation. This is a great book, in my opinion. I'm only half through it, but have found nothing that I disagree with. I would recommend it to anyone raising up blessings.

Edited to add, I just received another book that was put on back order a few weeks ago...I'm glad it got here before we moved, I may not have gotten it. I think it will be very good.

another edit...after flipping through the table of contents on the above book...I'm not sure it is what I was hoping for...I'll read it and let you know!

Blessings,
Mary

craft pics

2008-08-08T13:13:00.006-05:00

Okay...so I know I mentioned this a while back. I have taken a few pics of things.............

The afghans I made the twins

Comforters I made big C and K

The afghan I am still not finished making for baby H

The quilt I made for J a couple years ago. I don't have a pic of the one I made my oldest boy, A. He has it with him so I probably won't get a pic of it for a while. I will have to dig out the afghans I made big C and K. They are packed right now. There are a few sewing projects I would like to post also, but probably won't get around to doing for quite some time.

Here is a bun cover I made for myself.

These are bun covers I crocheted the girls

Well that is all.

Blessings,
Mary

fun stuff

2008-08-07T16:15:00.003-05:00

I have been playing around with my avatar...soooo...if you see it change from one visit to the next, it is just me being indecisive. :)

I thought I would post a video of Little C...he likes the show Super Readers from PBS. He is saying "Super Y to save the day, W...with the power to help". Notice he is wearing his cape! So cute. Sorry it is so dark.

Today, his Thomas the Tank Engine's battery ran down and he brought me a screw driver and some C batteries. He said "Mommy, will you change the battery please?" I said " Thomas takes a smaller battery (AA), why did you get the bigger one?" His reply "If you put bigger batteries in, Thomas will run faster and the battery will last longer"...how cute!
Here is another pic of Little C:

Another giveaway!!

2008-08-05T13:37:00.002-05:00

Wow...these are popping up all over the place! Brandi is having a giveaway at her blog. She is giving away a copy of

The Apron Book: Making, Wearing, and Sharing a Bit of Cloth and Comfort

EllynAnne Geisel

This sounds really fun! EllynAnne Geisel has commented on the blog and offered an additional incentive...go check it out. Thanks Brandi for the opportunity to win such a fine book!

Blessings,
Mary

Vintage apron giveaway!

2008-08-05T01:33:00.003-05:00

I found a link to this at Kari's place. Mercedes' World is hosting a giveaway for The Apron Queen at Rick Rack Attack. Go to Mercedes' World to find the rules. The aprons are very pretty...go have a look!

Blessings,
Mary

Trip Sunday...and pics

2008-08-05T00:05:00.004-05:00

We took my 15 yr old son home to his dad's Sunday. I decided to take a few pics on the way. Some of them turned out real nice. These are taken just north of Branson.

It's very pretty down here. Lots and lots of hills and trees. Lots of traffic during tourist season too...that's not so pretty sometimes.

Here is a pic of some very filthy children...they were having fun though!
The blond haired boy is my nephew...isn't he cute. Hope my brother and sis-in-law don't mind me posting that. If you do, let me know and I'll take it off. :)

Well, I suppose that's it for now.

Blessings,
Mary

Baking

2008-08-04T23:54:00.004-05:00

I made bread today using a recipe I found at grannymiller's blog.
This recipe makes wonderful bread! I actually thought to take some pics. The yield is 6 loaves. I made 4 loaves and 11 buns. We had steak sandwiches for supper and the buns were really yummy. I didn't get a pic of my dough before and after the first rise though.

Thanks granny miller!

Blessings,
Mary

Daybook entry

2008-08-04T19:46:00.007-05:00

To read more Daybook entries please visit http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/

FOR TODAY...Monday, August 4, 2008

Outside My Window...It is getting dark, and it is still very hot. I don't think it has cooled down any.

I am thinking...I sure have a lot to do this week and I have pinched a nerve in my back.

I am thankful for...blue spotted monkeys! hehe!

From the kitchen...Supper dishes are waiting, I have been on my feet too much today and my back is letting me know. Those dishes will just have to wait a while. I made bread and buns today...yum!

I am wearing...*clothes*...sssshhhh!!

I am creating...This entry and that is about it for know.

I am going...To see if I can locate some boxes for packing. We are in dire need of them.

I am reading...my bible and nothing more.

I am hoping...for some cooler weather for push mowing tomorrow.

I am hearing...my sweet 7 yr old talking...she is slightly clueless a lot of the time. I love her to pieces, but she is blond.

Around the house...The blessings are playing and winding down for the night.

One of my favorite things...A tall glass of sweet tea! mmmm!!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...Just sorting, conquering and packing!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

The blue monkeys!
Little C was not so bad, but T colored herself pretty well! You can click the pic to see the details better.

Have a nice evening.

Blessings,
Mary

We're moving, we're moving....

2008-08-01T13:39:00.006-05:00

LA, LA, LA, LA, LA, LA!!!! Sorry, I'm just so excited...We got the log house...YIPPEEEE!!!

Ahem....'scuse the little outburst but,...YEAH!!!

Okay, really, I'm done now!

!!!!!!!!

We are starting to pack and making decisions on what needs to go immediately and what can be put in storage for a few weeks. What a busy month it will be. I am getting rid of so much stuff! Okay...since we know for sure...Thank you Lord...I will tell more about the house.

It is a red cedar log home. 2800 square feet...which is huge for us. We are in about 1400 right now. There are 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. The master is on the main level with the main bath. There is a big walk-in closet and linen closet in the master and lots of windows with a pretty view of the valley below. The trees and brush need trimmed back to take full advantage of the view. The house has been used as a vacation retreat for the past 12 years. The main living area has knotty pine walls and beams and trusses are exposed on the ceiling. This is an open area with living room, kitchen, and eating area. There is a field stone fireplace in the main living area. It is about 7 feet wide. Very pretty. There is a dining room...yeah, I haven't had one for about 9 years. We will need to provide a range and fridge because the current ones do not work. The garage has been partially converted into a private suite, so we will need to decide what to do with it. Downstairs in the walk-out basement, there are 2 bedrooms and a 3/4 bath. Also is a family room with a log burner. The utility room needs finished and will probably be a computer room for hubby. The laundry room is also downstairs. Everything is hardwood except the baths and the family room. The family room is carpet. There is a sliding patio door in the family room also. Upstairs is another sliding door to the back deck. There is a large yard for the kids to play that is basically fenced in with trees and undergrowth right now. There is a fence down the hill a little way also. We are looking forward to getting moved.

I will be holding off the start of school til after we get moved. Although I will be busy, I will still be updating here, so don't go away!
Here is a pic of the driveway...very private.

Blessings,
Mary

Books, decisions and waiting

2008-07-29T11:41:00.003-05:00

Our order of schoolbooks arrived today. I really like the Artpac we got. Big C looked through it, and is ready to start her art class today! I told her she must wait.

I am trying to decide what needs to be donated and what needs to be saved. I am somewhat of a pack rat. My whole family is. We don't like to get rid of anything. I do try not to be, but sometimes I just can't help it.

We are waiting to hear from the couple with the log home for rent. We are just praying that they choose us as their renters. We try not to get our hopes up too high just in case. However, we are starting to make plans as to which breeds of laying hens and meat rabbits we will be raising. Since we have high hopes of getting a place in the country that will enable us to raise our food, we need to be making these decisions anyway. I believe we have decided on Buff Orpington hens and New Zealand rabbits. I definitely do not want Leghorns. My step mom raised them when I was a kid and I remember them not having very good dispositions. The roosters were especially ornery. We will only be getting one rooster to start, we will be waiting to hatch and raise our own chicks for meat. I like to hear a rooster though.

Well, that is about all for now. I have plenty of work to get done today.

Blessings,
Mary

Looking at a house

2008-07-25T10:15:00.003-05:00

I hope this doesn't jinx it, but we are going tomorrow to look at a house. It's a log house on 40 acres and sits on a bluff here in the Ozarks. Hopefully all goes well. I pray that God wants this house for us. We could raise some animals, have a garden, and a clothes lines. Not to mention, get our kids out in the boonies where they can run and play and even be loud outside if they want. Please Lord let this be the one.
There is shopping about 20 miles away from the house. I did some research on that. There are a Wal-mart supercenter (I don't shop there too much), a Dollar General and a Price Cutter. I have never shopped there, but have heard they have very good prices. There is also an Aldi about 30 miles away, so we can go there about once a month or so to stock up. Right now we are about 50 miles away and never get to the city it's in, so it isn't really worth it.

There has not been much going on here this week. A lot of house searching. I was able to order the rest of big C's third grade books and the twins' books. Hopefully this week or next I can get the rest of what we need for K. She will need several workbooks for math and phonics, so I am only ordering the first ones to get us started and then get the rest probably in September.

I made a big batch of banana bread earlier this week and we are still eating it. Last night I was going to make a meatloaf, but didn't get it in the oven early enough. So I threw a few things I had into a big skillet and it was really good. I will be posting the recipe on my recipes page. Everyone liked it, so it will probably be a new dish on my menu.

My step daughter lost one of her retainers, so she has to get a replacement. She is very upset, but only because she paid for it herself. Maybe she will be more careful with the next one. Lessons learned. Anyone who has children knows that you can tell them things til your blue in the face, but personal experience is the best lesson of all.

Well, whether there is a move in our near future or not, I need to do a major purge on our belongings. I have a lot of clothes that could be given to thrift stores. We will be living closer to some good thrift stores if we move and it will be no problem to find more clothing for the kids. There are some things that little T can't wear for another 2 years that can be donated. We also have a lot of school items to get rid of.

I think that about wraps it up for an update of our week. Have a nice weekend!

Blessings,
Mary

Quilt giveaway!

2008-07-22T23:35:00.001-05:00

I'm almost too late to enter! Oh no! There is a quilt giveaway at old red barn co.
The deadline to enter is midnight. Hope I made it!

blessings
Mary

PIE FACE!!

2008-07-22T12:52:00.004-05:00

Here are pics of baby H after eating her blueberry pie. She is actually a very neat eater for a 1 year old. These are in order. I wasn't sure I would get a good pic, but I finally got the one!

At last!

Mary

School book inventory

2008-07-22T12:31:00.005-05:00

I have sorted all the books we have gotten so far into grade level. These were all bought used.

These are K's second grade

these are C's third grade

here are the 70 sheet notebooks...40 of them...from Wal-mart @ 5 cents each

this is an extra third grade Arithmetic teacher manual by Rod & Staff that I wound up with. If anyone is interested in buying it let me know.
This is a "Mommy, what are you taking pictures of? Take a picture of me!" photo. So here are little C and little T our 3 year old twins.

We have been very lucky to find all of these books used. Thank you Lord!

Mary

Contest!

2008-07-21T23:07:00.002-05:00

Bridget over at Purity Seekers, is about to celebrate her 2nd anniversary of blogging. She has decided to have another contest. The rules and specifics are on her blog, so why not go on over and check it out! It sounds like fun and I will certainly be entering!

Mary

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2008-07-21T13:39:00.004-05:00

To read more daybook entries,
please visit Peggy at:
thesimplewoman.blogspot.com

FOR TODAY ...

Outside My Window...It is 94 out and feels like 101, says the weather channel

I am thinking...About blueberry pie...think I'll have a piece!

I am thankful for...Having half of our school books bought

From the kitchen...Need to get lunch...a late one, the kids had a late breakfast

I am wearing...Just my normal get-up

I am creating...Shopping bags...they are going along fine

I am going...To order some of our school books for rodandstaffbooks.com

I am reading...The Excellent Wife by Martha Peace...look in my sidebar for a sneek peek!

I am hoping...To get the rest of the laundry finished today

I am hearing...The kids playing

Around the house...This and that...I have several things I need to do while the blessings are napping

One of my favorite things...Beautiful weather...thank you Lord!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Just routine things, nothing special...gee, I'm not very descriptive today.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing:

allposters.com

Wouldn't this be refreshing with a cool breeze and a huge glass of iced tea? Mmmm!

Mary

Blueberries!

2008-07-21T00:29:00.002-05:00

Today we went to the berry farm not too far from here and picked blueberries. We only picked for about an hour and got 14 pounds! Wow! I was surprised. We also bought some blackberries...they aren't yet ripe for mass picking, but they had a few boxes sitting at the register. We bought some persimmon butter and some gooseberry walnut jam. Yum! We wound up with about 25 pints of blueberries.

Yes there are some green ones and lots of stems, but children tend to do that. The pan they are in is a 12 quart stock pot. It was almost to the 12 mark. I made 2 pies (this was after I took out the ones for pie)....

We all stuffed ourselves. Hubby grilled rubbed chicken. We also had corn on the cob, beans and I made potato salad today. Then we had pie and ice cream...I'm still stuffed. The pies took 12 cups, I saved out a pint and put 12 pints in the freezer. Hubby wants to make ice cream with the blackberries. I think we will be going back in a couple of weeks to pick blackberries.

The twins were goofing around:
and here is baby H:
That's all for now.

Mary

Yes...it's still me!

2008-07-17T02:13:00.003-05:00

I just decided it was time for a new look. Please don't skip on by thinking you got the wrong site. Things just needed some more color. So...do you like it?

Mary

Pics of some flowers in our yard

2008-07-16T22:02:00.004-05:00

This is a Mimosa tree in the neighbor's yard...it's gorgeous

Here is a close up of the flowers on the tree

Here is a pic of our "huge" garden, LOL! You can't really tell, but there are 3 tomatoes and 2 peppers. I don't think this will feed our "small" family over the winter!

See the butterflies on the flowers

This rose is about done in, but still pretty

Have a nice evening!

Mary

Just some pictures

2008-07-16T21:32:00.008-05:00

Here are some pictures of the kids playing this evening.

K and C having a serious discussion about something...don't you just love the bangs half grown out. They never stay where you put them!

Playing with a toad

T swinging

and checking out a bug on her arm

Big C being an acrobat

J swinging baby H

Baby H is intent on her path

I love this pose!

And a few of the piggies after supper yesterday...

Baby H

Little C

K

and Big C

J sporting his "cool" new 60's style sunglasses

As you can tell, the novelty of the new camera has not worn off yet!

Not a lot going on here so far this week

2008-07-16T01:05:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I did some cleaning. 15 year old and I did the mowing as it was too wet this last weekend. Tomorrow, I need to tackle Mount Laundry. I have not done any since Saturday...that's awful, since I usually do some every day. I guess I'm suffering from laundry burnout. I'm just glad God has provided a washer and dryer for me to get caught up quickly.

Today, I received 8 year old's reading books in the mail. We got them used and they look brand new. I am expecting her English, Math, and History as well as some of 7 year old's reading books this week. All are used. I haven't bought anything new yet, but it looks like I will need to soon. I haven't had much luck finding the items left on my list from the used book sites that I check on a regular basis. Most of them are workbooks or sets that do not cost much new. I will be so relieved to have the curriculum all bought and ready for school. I will need to sit and make up lesson plans before too long. School will be starting up in about 4 weeks. Time flies, doesn't it? Wal-mart was having a supplies sale this week. My step daughter picked up $2 worth of 70-sheet notebooks for me @ $.05 each. That's 40 notebooks! I think we are all set there!

I have been on the computer more the last few days than I would like. I have been searching not only for used school books, but a house to rent in the country. Not much luck with the house search. I did discover that my suspicions were true...we are paying way too much for rent. We are on the lake and so are paying for a "lake view" even though we can't see the lake from our house. We could get a bigger place for less farther from the lake. I'm praying that God has the right place for us picked out and is just waiting for the right time to reveal it to us.

Well...it is late and I really need to try and get some sleep. It seems like the older I get (and I'm not that old yet), the harder it is to get to sleep and stay asleep. I suppose it will only get worse as time goes by.

Bye for now,
Mary

New recipes posted!

2008-07-14T21:40:00.003-05:00

I have put a bunch of recipes up on my other page...go check them out!

Mary

Pictures!

2008-07-10T15:27:00.006-05:00

They're so sweet when they are sleeping:

Don't they look like they are starving?

A few of the blessings:

The three stooges:

Life is back to normal....

2008-07-10T11:06:00.004-05:00

We had a very nice visit this week. My mil left early this morning. The children really liked having her here. We only get to see her once a year and that is hard on them. Now though, things are back to normal. Hubby got to sleep in this morning...the first time during his vacation.
We finally got a new camera, so I can share pics. It was hard not having one, the opportunities to take photos of the kids come and go in an instant. I will load some here when I get some time.
I was also able to buy a few more school books at a huge discount. That will save the budget. We will be starting back up in about six weeks, so I must finish getting the necessaries that we will need. Some of the books can wait a few more weeks though. I am buying as many used as I can find before getting new ones.
I also really need to add more recipes to my site. That takes time though. I will need to do that when the kids are in bed.
We have gotten some more rain this week, I wish it would stop for a week or so. There are others who need it worse.
Well, I should really get busy doing some things. The day goes by so quickly, sometimes I don't know where the hours go.
Have a nice day!

Mary

What a busy, busy day!

2008-07-07T22:39:00.003-05:00

My mother-in-law, brother-in-law and his wife arrived today for a 3 day visit. They live in Indiana, so they had about a 10 hour drive. I had a busy day preparing for their arrival. Here is what I did:

After breakfast,

did kitchen chores
cleaned refrigerator out
did 5 loads of laundry
scrubbed kitchen floor
cleaned laundry room
dusted
vacuumed
cleaned bathrooms
made a birthday cake for 15 year old son
made beef pot pie
ran dishwasher twice

Of course there were bottles to be made, bottoms to wipe, lunch to make, clean up. Hubby and 15 year old mowed and hubby hosed down the deck, drive, and front walk.
Then we sat down and ate, cleaned and visited. Now we are all relaxing....aaaahhhhh!!

Hope your day was as productive!

Mary

Daybook entry

2008-07-07T22:13:00.004-05:00

To read more daybook entries,
please visit Peggy at:
thesimplewoman.blogspot.com

FOR TODAY ...

Outside My Window...It was sunny and gorgeous out.

I am thinking...I had a lot to do today!

I am thankful for...No rain!

From the kitchen...Things are clean now. I made a birthday cake today and then a deep dish, beef pot pie for supper.

I am wearing...capris and a t-shirt.

I am creating...More dishcloths.

I am going...Eat another piece of cake later...sshhhh!

I am reading...Mother Stories From the Old Testament to the kiddies.

I am hoping...To buy a complete grade 2 set of curriculum for $40 from the used curriculum link in my sidebar. Original cost...over $200! I'm waiting on an email confirmation. Keep your fingers crossed.

I am hearing...The television...hubby is watching the news.

Around the house...Things are fairly quiet. My mil is visiting and took 7 & 8 year old dd's to the hotel with her. The other blessings are sleeping.

One of my favorite things...Flowers

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Visiting with in-laws. Hubby is on vacation this week too.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing:
allposters.com
Have a nice week!

Mary

Recipes

2008-07-04T14:52:00.004-05:00

I have added a recipe page to my blog. The link is at the top above my posts where it says "Click here to visit my recipes page". If the link does not work for you, please let me know. There are not many there yet but I am adding them slowly but surely. Enjoy!

new project

2008-07-02T18:45:00.004-05:00

I know...I have unfinished things to see too, but I can't resist. I have been wanting some reusable shopping bags. I decided to make my own. I found a pattern for one, but will be adapting the handle into handles for easier carrying. here is a picture:

This bag expands when it is being filled...very nice. I will be putting loop handles on. This pattern is from lion brand. I haven't decided which colors to use yet. I have a lot of green so will probably use that. Hopefully I can start on these soon.

I need to pull supper out of the oven. Have a nice evening.

Mary

Coming soon...craft pictures

2008-07-01T14:08:00.004-05:00

I plan on posting some pics of a few finished projects I've done. I like to see other's finished projects. It's neat, and I know there are those of you who like to see as well. I did get a dishcloth completed yesterday. I worked on it every time I had a spare moment to sit down. It turned out really well. I used dark red and will be doing some in off-white. These will match the apples and blossoms curtain that I made and have hanging in my kitchen window.
The littles are getting ready for nap/quiet time and the older girls will be going out to play in the backyard. I should go and get a few things done while I have the chance.

Mary

Daybook entry

2008-06-30T14:20:00.009-05:00

To read more daybook entries,
please visit Peggy at:
thesimplewoman.blogspot.com

FOR TODAY ...

Outside My Window...It's a beautiful day...about 83 degrees. We have lots of tomatoes on our plants and a few peppers too.

I am thinking...I need to finish some projects that I have started...crafts that is. I started an afghan for baby H over a year ago. After she was born, I got it almost assembled and then got sidetracked. This is the first time I have not finished one of the kids' afghans before the birth. OOPS!!

I am thankful for...the fact that all of our kids are healthy and happy.

From the kitchen...Nothing right now. I have an abundance of bananas, graham crackers and eggs...I am thinking about making some banana pudding. Yum!

I am wearing...comfy clothes.

I am creating...I'm knitting some dishcloths. I'm tired of buying them...they never last very long because they are so cheaply made. So, why not use some of my overstock of yarn!

I am going...To be having company next week. My mother -in- law, brother -in-law and his wife will be here for a few days.

I am reading...nothing right now.

I am hoping...To be able to replace our digicam soon. I don't like having to borrow my step daughter's camera. She usually has it with her anyway. Especially when that "right" moment to snap a picture come about.

I am hearing...A lawn mower outside, K playing with a leap pad, the twins not taking their nap, and the keys to my computer tapping away.

Around the house...Just another Monday.

One of my favorite things...babies.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: making a few dishcloths, maybe finishing that afghan, and keeping up with my walking routine...I've lost 2-1/2 pounds since starting last Monday...wooohoooo!!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing:

allposters.com

Mary

Homesteading on the brain!

2008-06-26T15:28:00.018-05:00

This is something hubby and I would dearly love to do. To buy our own little piece of God's green earth and start our own homestead. Now, we are renting a home. I can't even plant a garden. The ground is way to rocky out back and we would need to build raised beds and have "black" dirt hauled in. (Yes, selling black dirt is very popular around here and a big money maker. The dirt tends to be red/orange and not very fertile. We live in SW Missouri in the Ozarks.) Not only would this be expensive, but I don't think our landlord would allow it. Right now, I have a small...and I mean small...flower bed at the side of the house with tomatoes and peppers. It is probably 2'x36'. However, there is a big bush at one end and a large peony on the other. We have 3...yes 3!.. tomato plants and 2 peppers. This, to me is a joke...since a few years ago, I had a garden that was about 75'x150'. I loved it! We must get by on what we have though.

As stated in an earlier post, I would love to have a clothes line. However, there is not much of a sunny area for one.

With the outrageous rise in food costs, a garden and some animals would be wonderful. But alas, I can't even predict when we would be able to afford to do it. It would probably be more likely to find a place to rent in the country. A place with room for gardening, livestock and a clothes line. Hubby also wants to have alternative power so we can stop lining the utility company's pockets. I keep saying that I would not be averse to (after our debts are all paid) buying land (20 acres or so) and living in an old RV, pop-up or even a tent while saving and building our own place. I am so tired of the rat race and paying other people for the "privilege" of living in/on their property and using their utilities etc...

My ideal homestead would be: a small cabin with 2 bedrooms, living room, eat-in kitchen, sun room(this would come in handy for cold weather when the kids can't play outside), and bathroom. Something similar to this

This one actually has a loft with a master suite, but that is not necessary. Just narrow the stairwell to lead to a basement and make the one bedroom a little larger. The kids' bedroom would have bunks. All they will need it for is sleeping and clothing storage. The bathroom would have an indoor composting or similar toilet.

<--------toilet

<---------composting chamber.

I have done the outhouse thing and that is not an option except for short-term. There are other options other than a conventional toilet system. I know this has been a very long post about wants...and in places gripey...but some days I just can't get this hope out of my head. To be true stewards of the land would be wonderful. I will probably be posting more on this subject in the future. If anyone has read any good homesteading/agrarian type books, let me know. My 2 faves are Back to Basics by Reader's Digest

and Putting Food By by Janet Greene, Ruth Hertzberg, and Beatrice Vaughan.

Well...until next time!

Mary

Fairwell to a woman I admired very much...

2008-06-24T00:22:00.008-05:00

Tasha Tudor passed away June the 18th at the age of 92. For those of you who do not know, she was a famous illustrator of children's books. Some of these include: Pumpkin Moonshine, Mother Goose and Corgiville Fair. One that many homeschoolers may be familiar with is Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses. Her way of life intrigued me. You can read more about her here and here.
Fairwell Tasha Tudor and I hope you find your way back to your beloved 1830's.

Daybook entry

2008-06-23T12:40:00.008-05:00

To read more daybook entries,
please visit Peggy at:
thesimplewoman.blogspot.com

FOR TODAY ...

Outside My Window...It rained a lot last night and is overcast now. It is actually fairly cool though.

I am thinking...It's time to get lunch for the kids

I am thankful for...The tiny tomatoes on our plants

From the kitchen...Not much right now...but soon

I am wearing...capris and a top

I am creating...A list of barbie clothing patterns to make for the girls

I am going...To do my new walking exercise video after lunch

I am reading...Cheaper by the dozen to the kids

I am hoping...For some sunshine to dry up the yard so the kids can play

I am hearing...The kids playing

Around the house...It is fairly quiet baby H is sleeping, the twins are watching a video and big C and K are playing barbies

One of my favorite things...Simplicity

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: nothing really beyond regular household doings

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...allposters.com

A nice country garden...aaahhhhh!!

laundry & organizing

2008-06-20T19:25:00.004-05:00

Today...as usual...I did about 3 loads of laundry. It seems like it is never done, and that is with everyone having about a weeks worth of clothing. This keeps down on the laundry, plus, we just don't have room to store more. I would really love to have a clothes line, but there isn't one here and the ground here is too rocky to dig a hole. We would have to rent a drill! The only other place would be between the trees and then the line would be subject to bird doody. YUCK!! So...for now, I will have to make do with the dryer. Gee I sure miss the smell of sun dried clothes. *sigh*

I had a project that really needed to be tackled today. I should have taken a pic before and after..but alas, our digi cam is kaput. The children's closet was in terrible shape. I had not been supervising the putting away of clothes the past few days, and it was really showing. Soooo....I emptied it out, folded everything (I keep the chest of drawers in there) and organized drawers. Then hung the hang-ups and put the shoes in order. This took about 1 1/2 hours, but was well worth the time spent.

Well that about wraps it up for today...have a nice weekend!

Mary

Avatar

2008-06-19T22:38:00.005-05:00

I finally got my avatar finished and published. I really like it! It was very fun to create. Of course there are a lot of options that are risque, but I just looked until I found something suitable for me. I have an account with Photobucket and found the link to Meez there. If you are looking for an avatar creator, you should really give them a try at www.meez.com. I sure am satisfied! Also, if you get tired of your clothes or background or whatever, you can change. Anyway, go have a look...it's worth it!

Mary

Daybook entry

2008-06-03T12:01:00.010-05:00

To read more daybook entries,
please visit Peggy at:
thesimplewoman.blogspot.com

FOR TODAY ...

Outside My Window...It is 90 degrees out today and sultry. There is a branch at the corner of the deck that fell from the sycamore tree during the storm we had two days ago. Hubby hasn't had time to get to it yet :') Our tomato plants are enjoying the sauna today!

I am thinking...It is almost time to slop the piggies. They start squealing about 12:15 or so!

I am thankful for...The lord speeding the healing of my knee.

From the kitchen...I need to mix up my batch of bread or we will be running out soon.

I am wearing...Comfy, casual clothing today.

I am creating...A list of things to mend and sew. I would like to get the girls some play dresses made. The oldest has been bugging me about it!

I am going...To put my 3 year old dd in the corner, she is being very sassy!

I am reading...Nothing right now. I need to get a library card. We have lived here over a year and I still don't have one! Isn't that sad?

I am hoping...To find some more used school books soon.

I am hearing...my 7 year old dd playing dolls in the corner. She does their voices!

Around the house...The kids are doing zone play. I had them sort all their toys into containers and locked them in the closet. Now they must ask for what they would like to play with and go to seperate areas of the room to play. Everything goes back in the container when done and behind the locked door. It sure helps keep things tidy. With 5 littles playing, things can get messy very fast!

One of my favorite things...Chocolate!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Just try to survive the week with some of my hair and sanity intact! :)

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

This is a photo of Table Rock Lake Dam at Branson. This was take in April after all the rain. They had to open all of the gates. The water level is still not back to normal. We had a lot of rain this spring.

Not moving so fast today...

2008-05-31T01:43:00.005-05:00

or I suppose I should say yesterday, as it is after midnight. My knee has been giving me grief today. About 13 years ago, I shattered my tibia, dislocated my knee cap and pulled tendons and ligaments loose on my left knee. It was very painful and there was no surgical solution. I had to wear a straight leg brace ( thigh to ankle) for 3 months. The bone knitted back together and things reattached, but I have been having trouble with it ever since. The doctor told me I would never walk again, but after a lot of physical therapy and determination
I did. Well, something has happened and for most of the day I was unable to bend my knee. It felt like there were rods or something on either side of my knee holding it in place. Gradually, I got to where I can bend it some but it is very sore. I am hoping it is better in the morning. I am praying that I do not need treatment for it as we do not have insurance for me. So, I have been hobbling around today. Funny though, it hurts worse when I am sitting or lying down. It hardly hurts at all to stand on it. I guess I'll see what tomorrow brings.

photos as promised

2008-05-28T16:14:00.012-05:00

Here is what I received in the mail yesterday:

Our R&S school books. From top to bottom clockwise: 2nd grade English teacher manual, test booklet, student textbook; 2nd grade spelling teacher manual, 2nd grade penmanship teacher manual, 2nd grade phonics teacher manual; 2nd grade math teacher manuals; 3rd grade spelling teacher manual, 3rd grade penmanship teacher manual; 3rd grade science teacher manual and student text book. I found these used for $57, about 1/2 price from new! They are in excellent condition too! I will be ordering more as funds allow. I'm soooooo excited!

And now, some pics of our 5 youngest blessings:

Baby H, she is 11 months, and sleepy eyed.

Little T, she is 3 and tickled that mommy took her pic!

Little C, he is 3 and sporting a shiner from big C!

Big K, she is 7 and holding our broken digicam that daddy gave to the kiddies!

This is big C, she is 8 can you tell she is ornery!

These are two pics taken a few months ago that I think are absolutely adorable. These are of our twins little T and little C. Yes I know, she has blue eyes and his are brown. I have been told by some "experts" that they can't be twins because, #1 they are boy/girl and #2 their eyes are different colors. But, I was there I know they are twins...about 26 minutes apart. Just goes to show what the "experts" know! :)
As you can see, little T is about 2 inches taller than her brother.
Okay, I'm finished showing off our small sprouts.

'Till next time!

Just a quick post...

2008-05-28T12:27:00.004-05:00

while the kids are eating lunch. They are having :

turkey
cheese
sweet potatoes
peanut butter/cheese crackers
apples
tomato &
brownies that I whipped up last night

I just put baby H down for a nap and the twins will do quiet time/nap after lunch. at 3 1/2 they don't always nap, but they are put in their room for a while after lunch to either sleep or play quietly. After I eat and the kitchen is clean, I plan to do an exercise video. I got this and this last week.
I also need to upload some pics of the kids to post and some pics of what I got in the mail yesterday. This was something I was very much looking forward to getting, and I am very pleased with them. I am having to borrow my step daughter's digicam because ours broke and we need to get another one.
Today is our last day of school for the current school year. We will be starting again in early to mid August. The twins will be starting formal school this coming year. Of course we have been doing ABC's, numbers, shapes, colors, picture flashcards and art projects, but now we will be focusing on some others things as well. We will be using R&S workbooks for this. I believe I posted about that earlier.
Well, I should go and get some things done. When I get my pics done, I will post them. Probably late this afternoon or tonight.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

2008-05-26T03:28:00.010-05:00

I found this idea here http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/. Isn't this neat?!!

To read more daybook entries,
please visit Peggy at:
thesimplewoman.blogspot.com

FOR TODAY ...

Outside My Window...It is dark right now

I am thinking...I really must go to bed

I am thankful for...My family

From the kitchen...Can still smell the cinnamon rolls I made earlier and the dishwasher is running

I am wearing...my pj's...it's 3:30 A.M. !

I am creating...My first Daybook post

I am going...To bed soon

I am reading...The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald...it's very funny

I am hoping...That when I wake up, I will have the energy for my 5 little ones...but I can't sleep right now...reflux....YECK!

I am hearing...The dishwasher

Around the house...Everything else is quiet...aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

One of my favorite things...Hugs from our blessings

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: Finally getting a schedule in place...especially cleaning, I just clean as I see things needing done and really need a schedule. I've been re-reading Cat's blog and am getting some great ideas!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... Our blessings

Just another thought...kind of a rant really :)

2008-05-24T23:42:00.004-05:00

I have to admit to jealousy. I have been reading about every one's gardening and must be sadly content that we do not have much of one. :..( The area we live in is very rocky (we live in the Ozarks) land on our property hasn't much topsoil. We rent, so do not wish to spend a lot of money on raised beds or such. All I have is a flower bed at the side of the house where I have planted 3 tomato plants and 2 bell pepper plants. 8 year old dd started a sweet potato for a science project this year and so that is also planted. I remember when we rented my great uncle's place several years ago and I had an acre garden plot. I loved it! Now I am reduced to less than 48 square feet. That is quite a difference. Oh well, I suppose it is better than nothing. If our hopes of getting our own place to homestead happens soon, then we will have a large garden again. The rising prices at the grocery sure make me covet a small garden plot! It gets increasingly more expensive to feed out small family of 8 ( three oldest boys do not live at home). Oh well, one must pray and wait! :)

Menu for the week

2008-05-24T23:16:00.004-05:00

I thought I would jot down what we will be eating this week. I will try to do this every week. I like to read on other blogs about the weekly menus. It is fun to see what others eat. I haven't done a per meal calculation yet. I also tend not to assign my meals a day until I know how that particular day is going. If we are having a particularly hectic day, I will make something easy. Anyway, here goes:

Taco salad
Garlic parmesan baked chicken, mashed tatties, veggie, homemade bread
Pork chops in country gravy, fried tatties, veggie
Ham cups, veggie
Egg, Canadian bacon and cheese biscuit sandwiches, veggie
Enchiladas, rice

I know we are having Mexican twice this week, but we like it and it's cheap! I also plan to make cinnamon rolls, cookies and gingerbread as well as our bread supply.

I found some good deals at our local Damaged Freight Store. They had a lot of school and office items, so I stocked up on post-its, correction tape, brass paper fasteners(I can never find these at Wal-mart), a supplies box and several other items. I also found one of those 4-in-1 pens. The kind that writes in 4 different colors. We used them in school, and I loved them. I wanted one for making grocery lists. This store sells all kinds of things, but mostly food. When a case or box of something is damaged, they send it there and items are marked way down. This is true of the whole box even if only one thing is damaged. There are lots of dented canned goods etc... but that doesn't change the taste of the food. As we do not have an Aldi (45 miles) or Save-a-lot (25 miles) very close, this is a great alternative. I do make the trip to Save-a-lot occasionally, but with the price of gas right now, $3.79 here, it is just as cheap to pay the higher prices at the Damaged goods store than to make a longer trip in our SUV.

Well, I think that will do for now.
Goodnight!

My goodness it's been a long while since I posted!

2008-05-21T15:48:00.007-05:00

Things have been so busy, I can't believe time has slipped by so quickly. We will soon finish up our school year. Our girls are in 1st and 2nd grade right now. We will be doing "school" one day a week this summer and will be starting our new school year around the first part of August. I have decided to use Rod & Staff curriculm next year. I found some used books, mostly teacher's manuals, from www.edaccents.com for about 50% off the new prices. I have ordered these and expect them within the next few days. I am hoping to find all of the manuals used as they are the more expensive items. We will be ordering more as finances allow. Instead of the reading series R&S offers, we will be using the Pathway readers. I am also getting R&S Kindergarten for our twins who are 3. For those who don't know, R&S Kindergarten preceeds their Preschool program. It only costs about $20. We will make copies of everything, so only need one program. This way the twins and the baby, when she's older, can all use it and then maybe we can resell it or donate it to someone who can use it. I am very excited about our choice for curriculum this next year. Thus far, I have been compiling my own curriculum. For me, a very unorganized person, this has been hard and I sometimes have to rush through to get things ready. I am really looking forward to having a "plan".
Today I made whole wheat bread using a recipe I got from Crystal over at thefamilyhomestead.com. She has a wonderful site and a lot of good recipes. I've got corned beef and cabbage in the crockpot for supper, also from Crystal's site. School went well today. All the younger kids are napping right now and I decided to take a breather and put up a much belated blog post.
I am still meaning to put up some pics of our home. I may even do a photo post of a day at our house. I don't have many readers, so this may not get out to anyone. Oh well, it's fun anyway.

Have a nice day!

What's your personality type?

2007-12-25T23:16:00.001-06:00

I took this quiz today here and here are my results

You Are An ISFJ

The Nurturer

You have a strong need to belong, and you very loyal.
A good listener, you excel at helping others in practical ways.
In your spare time, you enjoy engaging your senses through art, cooking, and music.
You find it easy to be devoted to one person, who you do special things for.

In love, you express your emotions through actions.
Taking care of someone is how you love them. And you do it well!

At work, you do well in a structured environment. You complete tasks well and on time.
You would make a good interior designer, chef, or child psychologist.

How you see yourself: Competent, dependable, and detail oriented

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, dominant, and stuck in a rut

What's Your Personality Type?

This was really no surprise. Just a fun little thing to do at the end of a busy day!

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Birthday

2007-12-17T15:47:00.001-06:00

Today is our twins'...T & C...third birthday. They grow up so fast! I just took their cake out of the oven, they are excited. They will only get a couple of gifts as Christmas is just around the corner. At their age, we can still get away with that!
Went Christmas shopping yesterday and got half. I was too tired to finish...Okay here's the big kicker...some of you may think I am not normal....but.........I DON'T LIKE TO SHOP...PERIOD!!! It's not normal for a female is it? Oh well...that's just me. I will finish up mid week.
Well, off to ice a cake and put some finishing touches on a few things, and feed baby H. She says "okay, I'm awake, I want food, NOW!!"

Bye for now

This and that

2007-12-09T02:30:00.001-06:00

Last week I started the girls on some sewing projects. K will be making a quilt for her baby doll and big C will be making a pillow. I cut all the pieces for them and they will be hand sewing them together. They are very excited and can't wait until they finish. Meanwhile, I have been trying to finish the afghan I started for baby H before she was born. I got very side tracked and didn't get finished. I have made afghans for all of my babies and finished the others before they were born...oops! Oh well, am sewing all the blocks together now and should be completed in a day or two. The part I don't like about crochet and knitting is weaving in the ends, it seems to take forever. This afghan is crocheted. I will post a pic when it is complete.

The kiddies received 3 large boxes in the mail from Grandma...dh's mom...today. They are full of presents. I asked her why she didn't just send gift cards and a list of what she wanted to get them, I could have done the shopping. She now wishes she would have as it cost her $40 to ship them from IN. Oh well. Well, I believe that catches me up for now.

Till next time...

It's....MONDAY!!!

2007-12-03T13:00:00.001-06:00

Why is it that Monday is always so.....AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!! The kids just seem to declare war on Mondays. I think I might start putting them in straight jackets on Mondays. I am not a Monday person. I think I will rename Monday to Nonday. Do you think it would make a difference? I don't know, but I may go on strike starting next Monday. Can you tell I DON'T LIKE MONDAYS??!! Oh well....*sigh* I guess I will just live with it. Maybe my next post will be less...Monday oriented! :)) Sorry, I just needed to vent. Bye now!

Thanksgiving preparations

2007-11-21T19:38:00.001-06:00

Tomorrow is the big feast day! Our menu is:

turkey breast
ham
candied sweet potatoes
mashed potatoes
gravy
regular dressing
oyster dressing
green bean casserole
brocolli casserole
rolls
cranberry sauce
relish tray
deviled eggs
pumpkin pie
apple pie
cherry Pie
pink pineapple dessert

Today I made the desserts and boiled the eggs. Making a Thanksgiving feast is a lot of work, but it is well worth it. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with many things to be thankful for.

Another quick post today :)

2007-11-19T16:34:00.001-06:00

I know...2 posts in one day...that's amazing! We started a theme unit on Thanksgiving today and the kids really enjoyed it. The twins colored some turkey pictures to keep them occupied during the last part of school.
What is everyone doing for Thanksgiving this year? We are staying home and having a bit of company. I'm thankful not to have to drive anywhere this year.

Baby H is singing for her supper...See you later!

pics of our blessings

2007-11-19T10:03:00.001-06:00

This one is in the sidebar, but here is a better look at it. We snapped this one this summer while all the blessings were here.
Here is a pic that big sis took of twins a few weeks ago...aren't they sweet :)

The twins got into the apples this morn and 2 year old T's apple is almost as big as her face. 2 year old C got the small one! Baby H is doing her morning routine.

Yesterday was C's birthday she is 8 now. She is in first pic up front wearing purple and red. They grow up so fast. Well, I'd better get up and continue with my morning.

A little organizing

2007-11-16T21:35:00.001-06:00

After homeschool today, I did some organizing of our school books and supplies storage area. This area is in my laundry room. It is a fair sized room and there is an upper/lower cabinet and counter that I use to store our school things. The kids sometimes go through finding this or that and it tends to get untidy. It looks much better now :)
The kids are in bed and dh and I are getting ready to sit down to a movie. I'm glad it is the weekend. Sunday is big C's 8th birthday, she is very excited. I think dh is going to take her fishing. She will really like that, and so will he I know.
I have seen several blogs that post pictures of their homes room by room. I am considering this. Of course, right now I have no visitors so there is no one to share with. Maybe some day, people will visit my site and then the pics will be there for them to see. Well, I will call it a night :)

No homeschool today...not core anyway

2007-11-15T16:06:00.001-06:00

I declared today a homekeeping skills day! Even though our house is not a disaster, there are things needing done that I have fallen behind on. Unfortunately, not everything on my list is getting done and here it is almost 4 pm. Sometimes the children are less help than I would like for them to be. With 5 at home under the age of 8 there is always someone wanting to help a little bit too much if you know what I mean. My step daughter is working 3 jobs now so there is not much help from her in the domestic category. I just got my beef stew in the oven and thought I would sit for a few minutes before making cookie bars. My twins are not wanting to nap today, however I do think C has given in to the fight. He was so tired, he was just not having a good time of it. I do believe his partner in crime, T, has just woke him up though. Oh well, such is life with littles. Big sis C is being bossy today and will not let K play on her own, to K's frustration. Little H is sleeping, but from the sound of it not for long. I had better go round up the troops and have sit down time with them. Maybe they won't get cookie bars after all. Have a nice day!

cloth diapers

2007-10-30T23:50:00.001-05:00

Saturday, I recieved my new box of cloth diapers from little-lions.com. I used chinese prefolds with my twins, but gave them away. This time I bought unbleached Indian prefolds. I really like these. They wash up nice and are much softer and more absorbant than chinese prefolds, imho. My baby weighs about 13 pounds, but I bought the regular size for 15- 30 pounds and they work just fine. I just fold in thirds length-wise and then fold over about 3/4 of this to fit ( this creates extra absorbancy, a bit bulky but it doesn't bother either of us) and lay it in a wrap, fasten and voila! I bought 4 size regular proraps covers. I definitely do not recommend the contour diapers or the covers (dappi brand) from babybestbuy.com. I decided to try them first since they were frugal...with so many kiddies this is a must. However, you get what you pay for! I read a lot of reviews on the covers I bought from them. Several people rated them as working well. I thought maybe with a more absorbant diaper they would be okay. Well, if I change baby H every 1 & 1/2 hours with a prefold and dappi cover, things are fine. However, wait any longer and they get totally drenched. The dappi cover has a cotton outer cover and they leak badly. The proraps, work very well. They are polyester with a laminate backing and will keep dry even on my little one who sleeps alot at night. Last night I put a prefold and doubler on her with a prorap. She slept for more than eight hours (very good night sleeper) and her wrap didn't leak at all. I am impressed. The wraps are slightly large on her, not snug around her legs yet, but they work amazingly well. I bought the regular size in both since I didn't want to purchase more diapers and wraps later on. I have been very wordy here, but am so pleased with my purchase, I just had to share. I got a very good price too. The diapers were $17.00 per dozen (most others I checked were at least $10 more) and the wraps were, I believe, $6.95 each. I will probably buy a couple more of these later. Shipping is free over $60 too. I bought 2 dozen diapers so my total came to $61. Whew!! Anyhow, I am glad these work. It's nice not to be throwing money away on disposables any more, and I'm not contributing to the landfill crisis with diapers anymore. Although not proven, it is said to take 250-500 years for disposables to decompose! http://www.realdiaperassociation.org/diaperfacts.php

No post last week...busy

2007-10-24T22:47:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday or Friday, I woke at 6:30 to my twins emptying the refrigerator on the floor. What a mess. Needless to say I didn't have time to blog. So I decided to write a little something today. Baby girl was supposed to have a well baby visit tomorrow, but dh has to be out of town for work and we only have the one vehicle. She is getting big. I guess I haven't posted about her since my pregnancy. She is almost 4 1/2 months now and growing like a weed. I'll have to put up some pics of the kiddies. We had all 9 of them here this summer and got a good pic of them all together. It's been a while since that has happened what with my stepson living in Indiana. Well, I think I'll go. Till next time!

2007-10-12T21:58:00.001-05:00

It has been a long while since I was here. A lot has happened in the last few months. My dh got a new job, we moved, we had our baby girl who will be 4 months tomorrow and a bunch of other things. I feel like the last year has really flew by. I do hope to start posting a lot more often. I don't even know if any one will read this blog, but for those who might, please bear with me. Even though we only have 6 of our children at home, things still tend to be chaotic at times and I really don't spend much time on the computer. My computer time is normally after the kiddies are in bed and then I am usually too tired to do anything. I will try to commit to writing at least once a week. Anyway, I just wanted to write a bit tonight since I haven't been on here in 8 months or so. The baby should wake up soon to nurse before she lays down for the night. I will write more later.

Dr. appointment

2007-02-07T20:52:00.001-06:00

Today I had a Dr. appointment. The baby is doing fine. I found out we will be having another ultrasound next month, we will hopefully find out what the gender is.
I brought home a toy work bench from my Aunt's house for my 2 year old son. His eyes lit up and he was so happy. He's been playing with it all evening. What a hit!
We had burger and fries for supper, nothing spectacular. I need to clean house and bake bread tomorrow. Until then...

Burst pipe!...problems logging into blogger

2007-02-06T16:30:00.001-06:00

I suppose today has been rather uneventful. Besides cleaning we had a burst pipe in our bathroom, which is now fixed. I also baked a loaf of bread. So far things have been fairly common around here. I was having some trouble logging in to my blogger account, but here I am so I guess that issue is settled. Since I don't have a lot of time left on here today...log in issues using a lot of my time...I suppose I will go for now. Maybe my next post will be more informative. I am just tired today.

My very first post!

2007-02-05T18:34:00.004-06:00

Hello! Since this is my first post, please bear with me. I just wanted to write and tell what I did yesterday and today. I probably will not post on Sunday, so will update on Monday. Anyway, yesterday was a slow day I didn't really get my boost of energy until about 3 pm. I decided that I needed to satisfy my sweet tooth (pregnancy...what can I say) so I baked a loaf of zuchinni bread and a pan of fudge brownies with fudge icing. I also made some pudding. For supper we had homemade pizza. I tried a different kind of crust which was very easy, but not that good. It's called crazy crust. You mix flour, egg, milk, salt, italian seasoning together and pour it in a pan. Tilt the pan to coat the bottom, then put your toppings on except for sauce and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes then pour sauce over top and sprinkle with cheese and bake another 10 minutes. I didn't really like the egg in it. Everyone ate it, but I think it's back to the yeast method for me. After cleaning the kitchen and getting the younger kids to bed, I laid down to rest my back, it has been giving me trouble this pregnancey. I have also had a hard time with my hip since giving birth to our fraternal b/g twins two years ago.

Today, after breakfast we homeschooled, which went well. Then after lunch I made homemade herb rolls and started the beef for stew that we had for supper tonight. I still have the kitchen to clean, but thought I would sit for a bit and type out my first post. After the kids are in bed, I will probably work on the afghan I'm making for the new little one. I have made each of my children an afghan before they arrived. I have until June so there is no big hurry. When I get it finished, I will post a picture. We do not know what gender the baby is yet, but I'm pretty sure it is a boy. I will tell more about my family in a later post. Right now it's time to sign off.