Category Archives: Family

Socks.

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Heaping.  Mountainous.  Overflowing.  

These are just a few words to describe my ever-growing pile of things to be mended, sewed, or patched.  I actually don’t mind grabbing a pile of such work and planting myself in front of the tv for a couple of hours to catch up.  It’s just that I’ve really let it go this time.

And then there are the socks.  

I am pretty good about using a small, mesh laundry bag (like the ones intended for lingerie) to corral the family socks (especially the little ones!), but no matter how hard I try… there are stragglers.

The ones that don’t match.  The ones that are missing.  The ones that are entirely too worn out, but have a perfectly good mate.  What’s a girl to do?

(Read more on laundry shenanigans here:  Laundry Quandry.)
If the sock is not too worn, it makes perfect sense to stitch it up.  It takes about 10 seconds and it’s good as new.  I am careful to make the seam on the outside of the sock or my girls will complain of discomfort. 
In the old days, women would mend holes in the toes of socks indefinitely.  Consequently, the sock would become shorter and shorter and continually be handed down to the next child in line!  I do this, too.  They also did something similar with sheets.  When bed sheets became worn in the middle, they would cut them down the center and sew the outsides of the sheets together to make a new “middle.”  Ingenious.  
Eventually a good sock gets so worn out that it is impossible to mend and seems of no use at all.  Nonsense.  This is when our socks get a second life in the rag drawer.  I love using old socks to clean with.  Turn the sock inside out to use the warm, fuzzy side for maximum scrubbing power.  You can even wear the sock like a glove.  (Great for those really disgusting jobs that you will inevitably encounter when you have kids!)


Back to the kitchen for coffee round 2.  Perhaps I will get to my sewing today.  Perhaps not.  Either way, there will be coffee.  
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This post is a part of the Frugal Tuesday Tip.


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Oops.

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It was Monday.  

Peanut would be away most of the day for a school activity.  We were to leave at 8:45 am.  I was sipping my coffee at 7:00 am when it suddenly occurred to me:  I was supposed to send a snack with her.  

Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but my life has been in a bit of top spin and grocery day was still a day away.  

I.  Had.  Nothing.

Raisins?  (Yeah, right, Mom.)
Pickle spear?  (No thanks.)
Leftover spaghetti?  (This received that sort of a menacing glare that my 7-year-old is notorious for.)

Ay yi yi.

Then, I remembered this recipe for homemade graham crackers I had been dying to try.  At first, I was skeptical, but judging from the way my kids gobbled them up, I would say they were a success.  They were super simple and done just in time for my daughter to walk out the door.  Tossed in an apple as a side and she had a snack for mama to be proud of.  

Honey Graham Crackers

1/3 c. honey
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. water or milk
3 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
(1 tsp. cinnamon)

1.  Cream together honey and butter.  Add vanilla and milk.  Add dry ingredients.

2.  Knead gently into a ball.  Roll thin on greased baking sheets.  Prick with a fork.  (If using cinnamon, sprinkle on top before baking.) 

3.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8 – 10 minutes.  The cooking length will depend on how thin the crackers are. 


NOTES:  In hindsight, I would have rolled them thinner.  My baking sheets have sides, so that was difficult.  I think they would do better on the sheets that are flat with no lip around the edge.  I made some plain and some with a sprinkling of cinnamon (and a smidge of organic sugar) on top.  My girls preferred the cinnamon crackers, but they ate all of them anyway.  Either way, these were a simple, healthful snack.  I’ll be making these again!

Check out my Recipes page for a downloadable copy of this and many more recipes.

As always… a perfect compliment to an afternoon coffee.

 
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This post is a part of Real Food Wednesday,Simple Lives Thursday, and Fresh Bites Friday.

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Happy Birthday, Ladybug!

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She is 5 today. 

Am I the only mom that feels infinitely emotional about every one of her kids’ birthdays?  They seem so eager to grow up.  And I long to keep them small.  I expect this will only get more difficult with time…

She is my ladybug.  That is what we have called her since birth.  She is so snuggly, sweet and sensitive.  Her tenderhearted spirit is unmatched.  And she is silly.  Oh, how this child makes me laugh.  Her giggle is entirely infectious and everyone who knows her, loves to hear her laugh.


Ladybug is sophisticated in her tastes.  When planning her special day today, I asked her about all the things she would like me to make.  I was thinking along the lines of chocolate cake and pizza… but no.  

For her cake, she requested our family’s favorite pumpkin cake recipe, Harvest Bars.  (Not gonna complain about that!)  For dinner she has asked for “Daddy’s Chinese.”  My dear hubby rarely cooks, but not because he can’t.  He is just too darn busy all the time.  When he does, “Daddy’s Chinese” is one of his specialties.  I don’t know what else to call it.  It’s a combination of rice, chicken, steamed veggies, and our favorite classic stir fry sauce.  And its yummy.  (And I don’t have to cook dinner!!!)

She also asked that I take her to my favorite local coffee shop for spumoni gelato!  I’m telling you, this kid has great taste!  (I really must post about this newish coffee shop in our quaint little town.  It’s fabulously cozy and they serve gelato, gourmet chocolates and to-die-for cupcakes!)

We are planning a “Pinkalicous” birthday party (Ladybug’s favorite book character) in a couple weeks.  More to come on party planning later.


Going off the grid today to spend some time with my little lady…

 

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Music to my ears.

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“Mama, put on your listen ears.”

At first, I wasn’t sure what she was trying to say.  Then, my loveable 2-year-old brought me the earbuds from my iPod.  She wanted to listen to music.  (Consequently, as a family, we now affectionately refer to all listening devices as “listen ears.”)

As a musician, it thrills my soul for my young girls to have an appreciation for good music.  And in our family our tastes are very broad.  You name it, we probably listen to it at some point.

My sweet girls love their Bieber (gag) however, they often beg me to turn on Ella Fitzgerald, Beethoven, and Bing Crosby.  And oh, how we dance.

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen (like most mothers, I suspect) and it’s often quiet and tiresome.  Good listening is a must.  (Old time radio shows are my guilty pleasure.)  If I am not careful, I would spend good wages on too much music.  

Thank God for Amazon!  Each month, they come out with a new selection of free mp3 albums.  (Yes!)  Currently there are 11 pages worth of free albums.  There are some real gems hidden in those pages.  Over the course of the last year, I have acquired some really great stuff from here!


Some of my favorites currently available for free:

Chacra World Music Holiday Sampler
Native American Flute Lullabies
Allegro Classical Fall 2011 Sampler
Cedarmont Kids Sampler for Moms
The Wiggles Summer 2011 Sampler

Amazon.com also had a great selection of featured albums available for download for only $5.00!  (Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me is on this list for November!) 

One more great free resource can be found at ancientfaith.com  The Chronicles of Narnia books by C.S. Lewis audiobooks are available for FREE download!  Check it out here.

Now it’s back to my coffee.  The Christmas music is on… and the homemade cinnamon rolls are fresh out of the oven.  It’s gonna be a good day.

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This post is a part of Frugal Tip Tuesday.


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Falling Back.

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Time Change.  One of my favorite moments of the year because it’s a sign of things to come.  Things like early darkness, (I find this incredibly cozy), colder weather (an even better excuse to sip more coffee), and the holidays.  

It can also be a time to “fall back,” and re-evaluate and prepare for the upcoming excitement of all things homey, sparkling, and smelling of cinnamon spice.

I am a planner so I adore the list-making.  Christmas cards. Gifts.  Party Planning.  Menus. Holiday goodies.  Even a list for the grocery store to buy those ingredients you only buy once each year is special.

It’s easy to get caught up.  Distracted.  By the parties.  By the sales.  By the the things that don’t really matter. 

This year I have decided to have an Intentional Christmas.  This means I choose to intentionally set my own priorities.  It seems that there are so many demands thrust upon me during this time of year:

Host this event.  Send this many cards.  Spend this much money on that person and that much money on this person.  Bake treats for this and bring hot cocoa for that.  Go caroling.  Build a snowman.  Buy cute Christmas frocks for my girls.  And a partridge in a pear tree.

And then I wake up December 26.  And it’s over.  And I’m exhausted.  And although we had a great time, sometimes it feels like I just finished running a marathon.  It’s easy (and dangerous) to reduce Christmas to a series of lists.

My priorities are revealed in the places where my time and money are invested and this year I plan to make some adjustments.

I want to make sweet memories with my little ladies and my sensational husband (like letting little hands measure out all the ingredients to our traditional Buche de Noel even though it will take three times as long to make).  I want to be a blessing to someone less fortunate than us (because I remember what joy this kindness has brought to our family through others when we needed it most).  I want to teach my sweet girls the value of a thoughtful gift (and not merely a trinket haphazardly snatched from the Walmart holiday gift aisle).

I want to remember the birth of my King in the most intentional way that I can.  My darling 4-year-old said to me last week, “Just forget about the presents, it’s really about a baby.”  Perhaps I have demonstrated something right so far, but even so…

We are well on our way to the grand crescendo of Christmas and things are going to be delightfully different this year. 



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The rake.

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I adore my dear husband.  Really.  And I love that he is frugal like me.  Really.  And I love his stubborn streak.  Really.  Or most of the time.

However…


When it comes to the fiasco that has become of our one-and-only rake, I must simply shake my head.

Let me begin at the beginning.

We have trees.  Loads of trees.  A plethora, if you will.

Which means that come autumn, we have even more leaves.  Legions of leaves.  At first, it’s great fun with all the piling and jumping.  For the kids it’s a wonderland and the colors are spectacular.  

But now it’s November.  And they simply must go.  But our rake…  *sigh*


The handle on our dependable rake failed.  Broken, completely in two.  Naturally, I thought it was time for a new rake.  After all, old faithful has certainly served us well and it was time for him to retire.  Silly old me.  

“Nonsense,” said dear hubby, “I have just the thing!”  After disappearing into the basement for several minutes, he emerged with a long metal pipe (consequently calling to mind the lead pipe from our trusty Clue game).  The pipe was taller than me.  (To this day we have no idea where it came from.  My husband might argue it was gift from above, a fall miracle.)  Surprisingly the pipe was threaded on the end like a screw and was a perfect fit onto the end of the rake.  Imagine that.


So now we have this monster of a rake.  I swear it weighs at least 25 pounds and its much taller than me.  I can barely wield it at all.  On the bright side, it’s a pretty intense workout just to rake the leaves.  And judging from the size of our yard and the amount of leaves on the ground, one of us is going to be looking pretty awesome by the time it’s all done.  But I don’t think it’s going to be me…  


Have at it, Sweet Husband.  I think I’ll sip my coffee and watch you from the window seat.  

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Consequences.

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I spent the better part of yesterday sore, barely mobile, and wondering what in the world I had done to myself to get that way.

Then.  I.  Remembered.

See those pumpkins?  Yeah, several of them are upwards of sixty pounds each.  They are from my father’s amazing garden.  He kindly issued this warning:  “I wouldn’t eat them if I were you.  I used plenty of chemicals to get ’em that big.”  (Thanks, Dad.) 

That was perfectly fine with me as they were going to welcome visitors on my front porch anyway.

The pumpkins looked so lovely and festive there yet someone (okay, it was me) had the bright idea that they would be the perfect scenery around the big oak tree for a few fall photos of my little darlings. 

Never mind asking for help from dear hubby.  I began hauling pumpkins down the hill and over to the big tree.  Wasn’t so bad until I was down to the big three.  Perhaps we can blame this next part on the mid-afternoon slump that comes around 2:30, which normally prompts another coffee break.

I carried the smaller of the three (probably between 50-60 pounds) all the way down.  I was feeling invincible.  Now for the larger two.  I soon figured out there was no way that was going to happen.  So I carefully rolled them down the hill and over to the tree.  (Why didn’t I think of that sooner?)

Thankfully, my big, strong sweetheart lugged them back up the hill and to the porch when we were done.

Regardless, I was right.  Perfect scenery.   See?




Time for  another round of Tylenol and coffee…
Happy Halloween!!!


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Pretties.

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I love having all girls.  Three little princesses to dress and cuddle and love to pieces.  We play dress up.  And give makeovers.  And bake in the kitchen.
And there’s glitter.  Lots of glitter.  All things girly come sparkly these days… and those sparkles migrate to pretty much everything in the house.
And there’s stickers.  I don’t know what it is about girls and stickers, but they are inseparable.  I find stickers everywhere.  In the laundry, stuck to the bottom of my socks and when my 2-year-old angel is involved… on the tv screen. 
And there’s the snuggle love.  My favorite moment each day is in the evening before bedtime, nestled in with my three darlings and a good storybook.
And oh, the dresses.  If someone in my family were to have a little girl they would be blessed with dresses beyond all imagination.  (So far it’s only nephews for me!)  It’s impossible for his mama to say no to a pretty frock for my sweethearts.  One peek into their closets would surely reveal my obsession.  Especially Christmas dresses.  (I am embarrassed to say how many I counted in the closets recently…)
So the other day, we were feeling crafty.  (Hubby chuckles every time I say this… because he likes to think by “crafty” I mean scheming and devious.  Go ahead and laugh it up, Honey.)  And we also needed a little something to add to a birthday gift for my daughter’s friend.  
We made these hair clips:  Hot glue + silk flowers + bulk hair clips + a button.  
I’ve seen these anywhere from $5 – $10.  One, maybe.  But times three, they would be out of my budget.  
(The red one is mine, but the girls wanted their flowers big and floofy, of course.)
This doodad was my creative juices leaking out… haven’t worn it yet, but I think it could work.
Live long and drink coffee.
 “Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.
   The woman to be admired and praised
   is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.
Give her everything she deserves!
   Festoon her life with praises!”
Proverbs 31.30 (MSG)

This post is a part of Creative Juice Thursday .

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There and back.

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Life happens.  And when it does, it takes precedence (as it should).  I blog about life, rather than live to blog… thus the unusual several-days-long absence.


These last few days have required abundant amounts of coffee, but I am alive.  And I am well.  It’s been busy.  And good.  Good-busy.  But even good-busy can be bad.  (Is anyone still with me???)  Moving on…

In the midst of all this good-busy-ness, I was fortunate to be offered an amazing opportunity.  I and my family were invited to a FREE cooking class hosted by a local Bed & Breakfast under some sort of special grant (from the county, I think?).  I was lost on a few of the details.  (All I heard was “free” and “food” and “family” and after the week I’d just had, that was good enough for me.)
 
(Cleaning up a dozen raw eggs off the kitchen floor. And the 2-year-old.  Or a jumbo-sized box of baking soda.  Or Sharpie marker off of a little face.  And that was just one day.  When does age 2 end again?)

My dear husband did not seem all that interested so he opted to stay home with my darling little one.  (Probably a wise choice given the havoc she had already created in my own kitchen last week…)

So a date with my two big girls!  We were pleasantly greeted by three sweet ladies at the B&B who put us to work in the kitchen right away.  (This B&B also happens to be a licensed restaurant so it was especially interesting to get to work in their kitchen!)

The Menu:

Appetizer pizza
Whole grain pasta 
Vegetable salad 
Zucchini bread
Ratatouille (which I have always wanted to try since I saw the movie!!!)
Fruit parfaits

After going over the rules of the kitchen, I was assigned to tomato duty, dicing loads of local homegrown tomatoes.  They were the last of the summer crop.  So ripe, gushy, and red.  Perfect!  On of my girls began snipping fresh basil for the No-Cook Tomato Sauce, while the other one peeled carrots and cucumbers for the salad.  Another family went to work on the zucchini bread.

I forgot my “good” camera (calling it good is being very generous) but I was able to get a few decent photos of our day on my cell phone (also badly in need of an upgrade).


Patiently waiting for the peeler to work on a kiwi for the fruit parfait.



 The little one was super thrilled about the fruit parfaits. (And, perhaps, the fact that she was going to measure out the yogurt all by herself.  Yikes.  Something I would probably never let happen at home.  But probably should.) 


 Assembling the Ratatouille…



 Back to work on the fruit parfaits.



 Success!!!  She really liked everything on the menu.



 She was happy, too, and ate everything!





While the food was cooking and baking, the ladies at the B&B taught the kids how to properly set the table, then talked to them about nutrition, whole grains, etc.  I especially appreciated the fact that everything we made was homegrown and local.  I didn’t really know what to expect from this experience beforehand so this was truly a pleasant surprise.  As a bonus, they sent us home with all the recipes and packaged leftovers.  (Yay!)

At the end of the day, the ladies asked for feedback and I had plenty!  They are looking into doing this kind of thing in the future, but at a small cost to families.  What an incredible way to learn new, wholesome recipes, while spending precious time with family.  I am sooo in on this.

This was by far one of my favorite days ever spent with my girls and they enjoyed every minute.  I still can hardly believe that they ate all of those vegetables in the ratatouille!

I loved the recipe for the No-Cook Tomato Sauce.  This is an amazingly versatile (and quick!) recipe that is most definitely being added into my recipe repertoire.  We used this sauce on the appetizer pizza, tossed with whole-grain pasta, and also tossed with the vegetable salad.  It could also be used as a base for Ratatouille (although we used something different at the B&B) or to make Bruschetta.



6 large fresh tomatoes
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 c. chopped fresh basil
1/4. tsp. kosher salt
Coarsely ground black pepper

1.  Chop tomatoes into a bowl.  Add remaining ingredients.  Toss gently.
2.  Cover and let stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours.  Toss with pasta, use on pizzas or make bruschetta or simply eat.  Could also be used as a base for salad, soup or salsa or as a sauce for baked chicken or Swiss steak.

(Letting the sauce stand allows for the flavors to fully come together.)







Check my Recipes to find these and many other great recipes!


  “For God is sheer beauty,
   all-generous in love,
      loyal always and ever.”
  

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Who approved this?

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“Kid Tested, Mother Approved.”
Or so they say.  I just came home with a full box of Kix cereal.  My kids (and my sweet, adorable husband) begged me.  And now I remember why it has been so long since the last time I made this mistake.  (Fool me once shame on you.  Fool me twice… well I guess we know where the blame lies.)
Exactly which mother approved this???
I’d like her name, number and address, please.  
I don’t care how healthy it is.  Any woman who would condone the likes of a cereal that is shaped like a little ball really should be hauled away to the insane asylum (or maybe she just missed her morning coffee).
Top 3 Reasons:
1.  They are round.  This means they roll.  It doesn’t matter if you are 2, 7, or 32… they will inevitably end up on the floor.  And they will roll to kingdom come.  And I will be finding those dreadful balls for weeks on end.
2.  They are round.  (Redundant, yet highly relevant.)  My broom sends them rolling at warp speed every which way, but the right way.  My vacuum will not suck them up.  They are just big enough that they simply get pushed around the floor.  The hose attachment fares no better, as it clogs every time.  Perhaps this is a fatal flaw by my vacuum manufacturer, but a travesty none-the-less.  
3.  They are round.  (Oh, did I already mention this?)
Sorry, kids (and Sweetheart).  Oatmeal has been reassigned to the breakfast menu until further notice.
Decaf?  No, it’s dangerous to dilute my caffeine stream. 
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