Annie, Unabridged

The Bossy Bench

2012-03-02T20:04:00.000-05:00

This is Bossy the Cow (hide)- well, it probably was a steer once - that our kids bought us a few years ago.

This little footstool is next to become a Bossy Footstool.

After looking all over town for an ottoman to recover, I picked my old, faithful pine coffee table.

By removing the drop leaves, Laney and I made a bench.

She's a good worker.

Yup, it works as a bench so far.

This green stuff will make it even more comfy. We like comfy.

The steer hide draped over - there will be plenty!

Trimming the 3" foam to fit the old
top of the coffee table, now bench.

Done - needs some more trimming.

It is passing Molly's comfy-ness test.

Stapled straps to roughly keep it in place - I didn't want to glue
the foam to the table.

A stapled silky cover to further keep the foam
in place and to be a liner for the steer skin.

Helper Extraordinaire.

Looks good underneath, too.

The hide is cut to fit and stapled underneath the bench.

Almost done - just some decorative tacks for the thicker
ends need to be applied.

Now it's done.

In two parts when we found him - fixed him and put him up.

The steer hide continues a theme of dead animals in our living room. It really is nice that people will spend time with us. Critters are staring from all angles. Poor things. The only way I can live here is that we did not kill any of them. We bought them after their demise.

Coony - so cute and fuzzy

Prongy - as old as Phil and me!!

Her poor tail was falling off, but we
fixed her and now she stares out of
a china cupboard.

Of course, to complete the ensemble,
the ever popular and rare Jackalope,
ringed with feathers from some exotic
bird, I'm sure.

The Bossy Bench - also to be used as a footrest for the sofa. I like it.

More favorite things...

2012-02-10T11:14:00.000-05:00

Some little things that make me happy are: good selection when looking for a product and, if it needs to be shipped, free shipping. At iherb.com both happy things are available!

Recently I needed more castile soap for making homemade cleansers. My sis-in-law gave me the heads up to try iherb, which I especially appreciate because I had already checked three local stores. Gotta try to buy local, ya know!

At iherb I found everything I needed, including the lavender and tea tree oils. The prices were very good, free shipping, plus FAST shipping - Fed Ex! - made it a great deal and good shopping experience. (If shopping is an "experience"!)

I also found one of the top three teas I've ever had -

Not a tea drinker, but desiring a warm cup of something healthy in the evening, I chanced it on this. No need for milk or sugar - this stuff is just delicious all by itself! (Oh, do add some hot water, though, for those non-tea drinkers out there. )

My friend Kara is aware of my sweet tooth, so suggested a licorice tea a few years back. It was great, but my family didn't like the aftertaste - what aftertaste, I ask? - so I didn't buy it anymore. Another tea I had that was incredible and I know nothing about, other than it's made the 'southern' way, was at the home of the family Phy is now with in Virginia. (waiting for the apartment to be ready) I need to ask Rhonda exactly the details, because I think I drank a quart! And it was on ice! So yummy and refreshing.

I'm now a little more well-rounded. I've enjoyed iced tea, not any ice-tea, though, special iced tea, and now I have a warm tea for those evenings when a book, a warm mug, and a comfy chair are calling. If anyone else would like to check out iherb.com AND get a discount, just put DUR761 in before checkout and I think you'll get $5 off your order. Enjoy - but allow enough time - the selection is amazing! (At least to us rural folks!)

For Pete's Sake

2012-01-30T07:05:00.000-05:00

http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/technology/communication-etiquette/facebook-etiquette-00100000072701/page4.html

Above is a link to an article in Real Simple. There are some good points within the article about facebook etiquette. But I have to say, that after I read it, it bugged me! I thought about all my facebook friends. I thought about each individual personality. I thought about how much a part of my day the changing landscape of facebook statuses kept the day hopping along.

One friend has a new baby. According to Real Simple's author, Ms. Appenbrink, the multiple updates and photos and short videos WHICH I LOVE shouldn't be included on Facebook. They're irritating. They're excessive. They're bothersome. They're (gasp) against 'social media etiquette.' Who died and made her the Social Media Etiquette Police? Or more accurately, Ms. Appenbrink gets to the write the manual that we all must agree on for social media etiquette? (I know I'm making Ms. Appenbrink the bad guy in this, but just humor me. She compiled all the opinions and published the article.)

We have a friend or three who are very politically active and involved. God bless them!! I don't have to search for the latest news article; it's there if I want to read it. IF I want to read it. No one is forcing me to click on it. That's the beauty of freedom- their freedom and mine.

What about my daughters' friend who posts updates a few times a day that literally make me laugh out loud? (I've refrained from typing LOL on her status, since I want to try to remain a mature adult in her eyes.) Her status updates, her take on life, especially through the summer when she had a job where she met with the public pretty constantly, kept us in stitches! According to Ms. Appenbrink, my daughters' friend really should stop. If anybody tells her to stop they're going to have to deal with me. She's funny, and I'm glad she shares her sense of humor with us on FB.

Another status post has been shared a million times of late. It's below. But it's incomplete. There are so many other personalities at work on that site.

If someone doesn't like the fact that Facebook is a melting pot of personalities all FREE to post and express to one's heart's content, then maybe don't join, or don't 'friend' those who will annoy you. Sounds to me like some folks just ought not to partake. Sounds to me like those who are of a critical, controlling nature ought not to seek out Friends on Facebook and lurk. But maybe that's why they're on FB in the first place. The real deal friends don't want to hang with them because they can't please Mr. or Mrs. Persnickety. Enjoying people for how they are and for how they react to or enjoy life in their little Facebook way is a lot more fun than policing the site for the grave errors in "Etiquette" (said with a rich, English accent and a sniff).

A disclaimer to my rant about the article: the suggestions about photos are relevant. It's mean to post pictures without someone's permission. But the second and third from the last on the photo list are fine, in my opinion. I guess with the whole Facebook thing, do like the doctors are supposed to do: First, do no harm. And secondly, how about getting and keeping a sense of humor? Third, and final: Post and let post, don't post and let post, or don't post and let not post....you get my meaning. And shoot the High Horse after dismounting.

Homeschool Perks

2012-01-27T07:34:00.000-05:00

Seventeen years ago, when we began to homeschool, I saw it as a day job. And while it is a lot of work, I have watched our kids experience what, when growing up in my family, we'd call "The Life of Reilly." Who Reilly is or was I never did find out. But he or she had a wonderful life, I inferred, due to the times and places my parents exclaimed the phrase.

I loved school as a child. Almost all parts of it. So choosing to homeschool was not to slam the public school system. There are many wonderful teachers devoting their lives to educating America's young people. I know I was blessed to be a part of a good school system for 13 years - no moving around - and my parents were involved somewhat and pretty solid, until the messy divorce, but I digress.

As a homeschool mom being of the 'driver' personality, motivating the masses has not been too difficult. Road blocks are a problem, though, until the 'driver' learns how to drive around them, stop, inspect & take it down, or just call the cops and wait. I prefer to call the cops, because Phil is extra handsome in a uniform. But again, I digress.

Since my kids haven't experienced 'real' school, they don't really appreciate the perks of homeschooling. But you can bet I remind them. Kind of like the Grandpa who trudged through snow 12 feet deep up hill both ways to get to school, my memories of the pitfalls of school can rear up. Especially when I see my daughter curled up in a recliner in front of the pellet stove with a minky soft throw across her legs, a steaming hot chocolate within reach, and a purring kitten on a shoulder while she watches her Geometry lesson explained on her laptop - and this is her 'normal'??! I have to control myself or I'd yell, "Do you even realize how good you've got it???? May I just take 30 minutes of your time and bore you to death with an in depth description of the discomfort of school desks??"

Nope, they don't realize how good they've got it, not fully. But as they've left for college, each of our two daughters has said and written how grateful they are for comfy chairs in our homeschool - oh, yeah, and they were grateful for other things, too, which makes it all worth while.

Reading assignment in supreme comfort!

Kitten helping with daily work.

Students' best friend keeping vigil
until break-time.

Cozy kitchen computer work -
while in one's bathrobe.

More Tebow Twitterpation

2012-01-26T12:26:00.000-05:00

This book, with affectionate sticky note, was on the breakfast nook this morning.

Hmm.

I have a little free time today -

maybe I need to look through my four daughters' makeup

and try to match the shade.

Or pick up a DNA test at the local Walgreen's.

They've got them over the counter

by now, I'm sure.

I guess I underestimated the appreciation for the man,

the mission, and the morals.

Tasty and Quick Meal

2012-01-20T12:43:00.001-05:00

10 Chops, Worcestershire sauce,

parsley, salt, onion powder, thyme

Yummy recipe

Braise in butter and OO

Cover and simmer 20 or so minutes -

remove chops from skillets

Add milk & flour for the gravy

Hungry crowd

Add brown rice and a salad -
Yum! And Quick!

Sign of the Time

2012-01-19T10:36:00.000-05:00

For years above the stove hung a plaque that said

"Never trust a skinny cook".

Recently, I changed it out for my new theme of nearly always needing to be cooking

for this family and the entire family's love of chocolate.

Now if my favorite comfy couch or chair would fit into the kitchen,

it really would be a Chocolate Lounge.

The sign was easy enough to make:

scavenge a board from Phil's shop

pick a font on computer and print out the words

find the carbon paper and trace words onto board

use a sharpie to go over the carbon words

a little brown and copper metallic paint on the chocolate bar wrapper

a little left-over trim with warm fuzzies hot glued on the edges

We have a wonderful snow day today -

no snow days from school work for homeschoolers,

but we do usually bake and enjoy some sledding to punctuate

the arrival of tons of the white stuff.

Be assured, chocolate will be involved...

Creative Cheapness

2012-01-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

What do you get when you put these things together?
A really inexpensive light refractor for photography!!

Laney donated her outgrown frog umbrella - silly enough to bring a smile from the person being photographed - plus the inside, once spray painted,
would refract some light to our subjects!

50 cent umbrella from Walmart
donated to the cause of better
lighting for photos.

I sprayed the two umbrellas and let them dry in the shop. Then I snuck one of Phil's older halogen lamps mounted on a stand out of the shop, and a couple clamps. After clamping the larger umbrella backwards onto the lamp, the light refracted back onto the posing subjects! I'm saving the frog umbrella to be used as a portable refractor - adding a powerful flashlight shining up into it and moving it around where more light is needed.

This is one of the finished products - we'll see if it'll still fold up for easy
carrying, but even if it doesn't, we're happy.

Below are some of the results!

Molly - the dear, sweet kitten

Laney - the dear, sweet child

Georgie - the dear, slobbery best friend

That's My Boy

2012-01-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

Please don't judge the lattice work - too much frittering for me :)

After a long day toiling at his job and then on his snowmobile, our son Anthony ate a huge roast beef dinner. I did not think he'd even have any room for the cherry pie I baked.

Very funny. When I offered him a piece, this is how he solved the question of how small or large of a piece to slice.....

The rest of us had ice cream instead. And we still love him.

DIY Cleansers

2012-01-12T20:01:00.000-05:00

A number of posts back I wrote Michelle Duggar's laundry detergent recipe with changes that I have made to it for our family's use. Now I'd like to share some recipes for household cleansers.

I love these! I really did not think I would. I made four in just a few moments and with a minimal expense. I should note that I had the ingredients on hand - and each bottle only took a few drops or teaspoons. A couple of the ingredients are not the norm, so might need to be found at a health food store, but that's what makes these so great of products! (check Grain Train and Oleson's)

The favorite of the bunch is the sink and tub cleanser. Mix in a pourable bowl, unless you have a funnel, because it's thicker and will bubble and foam up some. Plus, this should be in a squirt bottle, not a spray bottle due to the thickness.
Recipe:- 2/3 Cup baking soda
- 1/2 Cup castile soap
- 2 Tablespoons vinegar
- 1/2 Cup water
- A few drops of Tea Tree oil

This stuff did not seem all that impressive, but once I tried it on our 2nd sink in the kitchen - the one I fondly call the "Garbage Sink", holding the cuttings from the salad, the spilled coffee grounds, etc. - the sink just shown like the moon! (And lately that's saying a lot! Anyone venture outside at night with that full moon? Oh, I digress...) And the smell - if you like Tea Tree and its super clean scent - is great! So this one gets an A+ from me.

The second cleanser is a grease cutter, for in a spray bottle. I have a glass top stove so this one will do nicely for the top.

Recipe: - 2 Cups water

- 1/4 Cup castile soap
- 10 drops lavender oil

The scent is wonderful and it does the job nicely! I felt I needed to dry the top with a lint free towel and then it really gleamed. I am still working through the baggage of having a Dutch mom :) She was and is the best cleaner around. So cleansers, cloths and towels, even buckets, all have to perform properly because in the back of my mind I am thinking, "Would this pass mom's tests?" This stuff is good. We don't fry much - except for eggs in the morning - so grease is not a really big issue, but now I have this on hand just in case.

The third one is an anti-bacterial spray and freshener. Great smelling and easy to make!

Recipe:

- 1 Cup water
- 20 drops lavender essential oil

I could see spritzing this on some door handles and backs of chairs, where hands have been, and also freshening the house in a natural way. The beauty of these cleansers is that they are so natural - and easy on my hands and head! The strong chemical cleansers leave me dizzy and needing air. When I was younger not so much - but now that my brain cells are at a premium, need every ONE of those babies, these sprays are seeming so mild and yet hard workers.

The final cleanser is an all purpose cleanser - for counters and such. This goes in a spray bottle, but mix it up in a large bowl, maybe even inside the sink, since it will suds and bubble. I usually use a "hot soapy" cloth on our counters which works well, but this spray even improved upon that!

Recipe:- 3 Tablespoons vinegar
- 1/2 Teaspoon washing soda - not baking soda
- 1/2 Teaspoon castile soap
- 2 Cups hot water

The spray bottles I filled were from Family Dollar. For $1.50 they are large, around 16 ounces, and the sprayer will do a mist to a stream. There's even a spot to write the recipe on the bottle for the next fill up! Somebody was thinkin'. The cleanser above worked great on mist, with a damp cloth.

The real test will be when my mom comes over and wants to clean something. (There's never been a time when there wasn't something to clean, sadly.) If these babies pass her inspection, then I say everyone on the planet should try them. Again, the bonuses besides cost are that as I type this my kitchen smells great, looks great, is probably more germ free, and my hands are still soft - not all dry and stiff from chemicals like Comet or Lysol, and I can think (pretty) clearly, too, from the fresh scent vs. the chemical smells.

Enjoy! And please let me know if you like them! Special thanks to the Pinterest posts - many of them - for DIY household cleansers!!!

Fun with the Singer

2012-01-07T19:03:00.000-05:00

We stalked Goodwill today. I am blessed with a husband that actually likes to check out what treasures might be found there! Since we have a horde of children, we've saved a lot of money finding sports equipment, desks, clothes, replacement coffee carafes and drinking glasses, of course, and I could go on and on.

Tucked within the ladies clothes I found some girls' sized clothing that Laney would love - and at half price - so just a dollar or so. I also found a Gap cable knit sweater, ladies medium, that I hoped to turn into a tunic for Laney. And Laney found an appalling velour sparkly dress in some sort of browns and blues - oh, my, it was hard to bring it home - but I am softening in my old age, and she IS the baby....

Once home, Laney tried on a horsey sweatshirt/tunic thing that was a girls' 14/16. Due to being shrunken in the dryer, I believe, it fit well as a tunic, except for really long arms. So I lopped those off and knit stitched the hem, since the collar and skirt were finished that way. She loves it, since she loves all things horsey.

The cable knit sweater was so fun - turned it inside out, took it in 1.5" on each side and narrowed the arms, plus raising/narrowing the armholes in the process. Cute and easy, and around $1.80.

Then, with her sweet face, she asked if I'd make the ghastly dress fit. Size 14, it would need some help for her size 7 frame. Thankfully, it ties in the back, so I just worked on taking it in at the shoulders, which would raise the bodice, minimize the arm holes, and shorten the whole dress. But by taking it in at the shoulders the tops of the sleeves would pucker funny, so I made a seam on the inside (which on THIS dress is fine to do) from the shoulder that runs out just below the elbow. The sleeves are flowy, which Laney loves, and this kept them flowy, but more narrow on the top part of her arm.

Before

After - probably won't be worn
outside the house, though!

I had help sewing. She is Molly Millington, as Anders calls her, our most darling of kittens. She loves the sewing machine's needle, which scares me. Will she finally be overcome with curiosity and I sew her little paw to Laney's dress? Actually, that might help that dress...oh, no, that wouldn't be good. And a free plug for Singer: I have had this machine for over 19 years and it's been only cleaned for maintenance. It's one of my favorite things. I love it so much that I don't let my girls use it. Does that mean that I love my machine more than I love them? Um. It just means I am trying to practice stewardship, yeah, that's it! Stewardship! I have two other machines that run that they may use if they want to. And once they are proficient on those, yes, I'll share then.

And breaking news from the kitchen - I made the cheesecake chocolate chip cookies AGAIN and added two tablespoons of peanut butter, plus this time I used a 1/4 c. of regular sugar and 3/4 c. stevia. And I used my homemade vanilla. That's the best they've turned out. (The cream cheese was the 1/3 less fat version, too.) With a cup of coffee, oh, my, so yummy. Great texture, and just sweet enough, with the hint of peanut butter.

Yummy Minus the Guilt!

2012-01-04T19:54:00.000-05:00

Tonight we settled in to watch Probition, a series we're working through, as a family. Snacks are a must. So I made the cookies from the last blog post, but this time I substituted the white sugar with Stevia, and used a 1/3 less fat cream cheese. The cookies are still very good!! Oh, I used even fewer chocolate chunks this time, too. My dear brilliant husband suggested adding a little peanut butter next time. I think he's absolutely right, but we love peanut butter around here, so there is a bias.

Less sugar, less fat, but still good texture and flavor! I hope you give them a try!

Yummy!

2012-01-02T17:38:00.000-05:00

We girls in the family are enjoying Pinterest. Even Laney, who is seven, has a board on my account. That will explain the many, many lions, tigers, kitties, dogs and other cute things clogging up the boards! I enjoy the recipes the most and found a winner recently.

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies...as if chocolate chip cookies need any improvement! The addition of the cream cheese makes them moist and even more cake-like. I used chocolate chunks, instead of chips, and not the12 ounces called for in the recipe, since I spilled fully one-third of the bag onto the floor. Our dogs are not allergic to chocolate. We know for sure now.

Try these and you will not be disappointed!

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies
2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. baking powder
1/8 t. baking soda
10 T. butter
1 c. sugar
1 egg
3 oz. cream cheese
1 t. vanilla
12 ounces (or less!) chocolate chips

Oven 375 degrees. Combine first four ingredients and set aside. In mixer, blend butter, sugar, egg, cream cheese and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients, mixing with each addition, until all incorporated. Stir in chips.
Grease the cookie sheet lightly. Drop by spoonfuls onto sheet. Bake 10-11 minutes or til tinged with golden brown.

New Year Cards

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

New Year Cards are something I might buy after this year. I have a pile of Christmas cards staring at me and the reality that they will be in the mail after Christmas day. Truly, I sent out a few, and sent some with the arrangements that we made. But friends that are farther away will not be hearing "Merry Christmas" from us - at least not when the exhortation would still be relevant.

The arrangement we kept for our table.

If I look in the mirror there will be a backwards "L" on my forehead. I'm tempted to blame my husband. When it comes to Christmas, it's 99.9% my job. But the truth is I enjoy it all, until I fail! Then the temptation to blame. So I won't - but I will send out cards a little late, hopefully catching people while they're enjoying a week off from shuttling kids to school or a week off from the normal work day.

Please forgive my tardiness, dear out of town friends! We'll get those greetings out soon! Merry Christmas!

Another Re-do

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

My mum gave me a velour sleeveless sheath dress in a lovely blue. The size is a junior's 7, but I put it on Laney who is a child's 7. It puddled on the floor and gaped around the neck. The perfect dress to try a redo!

I shortened the dress at the shoulders, making the bodice fit better and raising the armholes. Then I took it in on each side by 1/2 inch and cut off over one foot in length. A simple hem using a fancy stitch that Laney picked out and the dress was done.

Best sewing machine in the world!
19 years old and still going strong!

As Laney and I sat at the sewing table, we eyed the extra fabric from shortening the dress. This knit velour fabric might work for the frilly t-shirt scarves that I made as a few gifts. The idea to do so was found at Restitch Me, as usual. Kelly made a beautiful red frilly scarf for her daughter.

So, in under 10 minutes we cut out and stitched a matching frilly scarf, using up all the extra fabric. Laney may wear it with the dress, or with her dressy coat which is a dark blue and grey.

Wow, was that fun and rewarding. A big thank you to Mum for the dress! And to Laney for the modeling!

AAA

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

It's getting time to box up some gifts for family and friends. One thing we are putting together are some food gifts. I am going to spoil it for some - if you read further you will know what you're getting! As we've written out favorite foods and snacks of our loved ones, a particular item has been mentioned quite a few times. Partly because we have an addict among us. And he is related to another addict in the family.

My dear husband and his brother are perfect in every way, EXCEPT that they are both addicted to cocoa dusted chocolate covered almonds. Their argument is that they are SO healthy for us! More on that later...

AAA = Almond Addicts Anonymous - they need to start their own club.

Personally I am the chocolate lover of the family, so these little babies should be a favorite of mine, as well. But only so many can I eat - maybe because they are a little healthy?

As a treat, I'll bring home a bag of them and put them in the lazy susan corner of our kitchen. Where do I find my husband rummaging, guiltily seeking, at all hours? Yes, sirreee. The once mocked secret stash is no more mocked but ravaged!

These fancy almonds are sold at lots of stores, but none can match the Bulk Foods department at Oleson's!! Not good. Because they are sold in bulk, at a fair price, these guys are able to go buy copious amounts of the delectables! And we both live about two miles from Oleson's as the crow flies! Yes, another problem for these poor tormented guys.

Honestly, it could be worse, right? They could be addicted to lobster or caviar. Chocolate covered almonds are a lot easier to wrap, too - compared to a pinching lobster!

Not a creature was stirring, not even a MOUSE!

2011-12-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

This blog is for moms with kids who like to help in the kitchen. This project is easy and cute! And it's a finger licker. I found the recipe/idea on Meijer's site.

The punch we make each year for the Cookie Exchange contains a little marachino cherry juice, so we have the cherries kicking around in the frig. This recipe utilizes the cherries and other ingredients we're more apt to have on hand - slivered almonds, chocolate candy coating/almond bark, Hershey's kisses, and dots of frosting.

After rolling the cherries around on paper towel to partially dry them, dip them in the warmed candy coating. Place on wax paper and attach the almond ears and squish the kiss in front of the ears. They'll set up quickly and the ears will freeze into position. Add a couple dots for eyes. If the cherries had stems, the stem would be a tail for the little mouse.

I made one of the mice with red eyes for my mom. She HATES mice. So that one represents the mouse that would like to 'Get 'er.' (said in one's best Red Neck voice) These are cute, but I think they'll be really tasty, too. I'll use them around the edges of an appetizer tray we're bringing to a Christmas party this weekend.

Easy fun sweater to pillow project

2011-12-16T11:56:00.002-05:00

Thanks to my friend, Kelly, at Restitch Me, I look at fabrics and clothes with new eyes. Kelly has a knack for crafting and sewing beautiful creations - perfectly done. She's inspiring. Back in my personal reality, I like to hack and stitch, crossing my fingers as to the outcome. My older daughters will all attest to that feeling in the pit of one's stomach when, over the years, I've asked them if they needed me to 'refashion' a dress or fit it more properly. How does one say, "Uh, mom, I'm just not sure you're going to get it right...." I can take it. And I continue to learn things as a self-taught sewer. (I refuse to call myself a seamstress. Kelly is a seamstress - accomplished and talented.)

I think it was through Kelly's blog that I saw sweaters being turned into the cutest throw pillow covers. Phil had a couple of Cabela's vests with plenty of knit with which to work. I picked up a couple of $1 pillows at the Goodwill - I just want the pillow form inside, so they can be ugly. Make sure to smell them - if they are smokey from cigarettes it'll be wafting all over your house.

The buttons on the front of the vest, I thought, would look best running along one side. Turn the vest inside out, fold with the buttons off to the side, and sew around the perimeter, a little smaller than the pillow form so it's snug. After trying to sew through a wooden button a couple times, (the button wins, by the way), both covers were done. With a cardigan or vest it was possible to sew all the way around, no need to leave an opening to turn right side out, since I just unbuttoned them to turn and insert the pillow forms.

I like them. And the girls, who are a difficult audience to impress after all the duds over the years, liked them, too. They almost seemed impressed. Almost. Well, maybe next time.

Making Arrangements...

2011-12-14T19:00:00.000-05:00

Each year for about eight years now I make floral and greenery arrangements or centerpieces to give as Christmas gifts for some family and friends. I love to make them, mostly because of the flowers. If I could, I'd have fresh flowers in every room all the time!

This year Laney helped me quite a bit. In years past the older girls have pitched in and the guys always cut the greens. This year my sister-in-law had leftover greens from her wreath and kissing ball projects - which turned out beautifully - and so the guys did not even have to lift a finger.

The beautiful and inspiring Kissing Ball!!

After buying a few carnations and roses, Laney and I collected the other supplies that I bought throughout the year when I saw them on sale. I especially watched for the baskets and vases or bowls that might look nice within which to build the arrangements.

Bucket holding wet foam under water

Miscellaneous bases

Phil's table

Oh, I forgot. At the Christmas Tea last week I saw a beautiful arrangement made from three birch logs. Phil happened to ask me if I needed any birch logs just the other day - he was getting rid of some from which he had made a really cool rustic table, so I asked for a few of the three-log bases. He made some and tonight Laney and I fancied one up.

We delivered this one right away - to the Kissing Ball family.
I need to bring them a bow
for around the candle. Oops.

Laney was given the china bowl - a small one - to do an arrangement within. I used one of the sleighs.

Wet foam is the green stuff used by florists. Soak it in a bucket of water, trim to fit, and the stab in the greens and flowers. It's that easy. It'll usually keep the flowers looking good for up to a week, especially if the recipients add water.

I like to use a candle in most of them, but Laney's was just too small. It'll be nice on the recipient's side table, not as a centerpiece.

Laney's creation

1st one - sleigh base.

We finished six in about one hour. Next year I told her she could be the big boss and I'll be her helper.

This morning, while it was still dark, I finished the rest so I could clean up the kitchen!

I have to call my neighbor and ask her what colors she's decorated
with this year. Then I'll decide which one to send.

This one is for a lady who has the perfect mix of rustic elegance in her home;
I think she'll like the black, even though it's Christmas.

I'm not sure who's getting this one - maybe the neighbors?

The Christmas Tea

2011-12-07T18:58:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had an out of body experience? I think I did two nights ago. If it's when you can't get a bearing on where you are, what year it is, who these people are around you, then maybe I did.

Next to me on my left was my mom - white-haired, warm and plump, cheerful and generous; on my right was my friend Amy - let's see if she reads my blog and say that she's just like my mom except brunette....Ok, she's not plump, either. :) Around the table were some of the nicest ladies I know: Kim, Shireeny, Kara, Marcy, my mom-in-law Carolyn. We were all together for a Women's Christmas Tea at our church.

The out of body part was when I looked toward the front of the room and there were my three daughters, all grown up, two playing instruments and singing, and one the speaker for the evening.

How can they be there - shouldn't they be playing Barbies? How can I be sitting here next to my mom, feeling like a 20-year-old and behaving like a 9-year-old, with my DAUGHTERS off doing their things in an adult fashion? It was like a generation gap explosion in my head. It truly seems like yesterday that I was matching up Garanimals tags and picking out size 5 Toddler, 3 Toddler and 12 Month outfits that, yes, all matched.

What struck home was the fact that they really didn't need me. They were invited to play/speak at this function. They planned what they would play/speak about on their own. They packed up, drove there, ate dinner, picked out outfits - all things that I used to do with them, or for them, when they were younger. I was off in another town getting their grandma to the Tea.

And then when it was over, they fit right in with our group of ladies. No generation gap explosion in my head, or anywhere, just a bigger bunch of ladies standing around and gabbing like we do so well.

I'm a grateful lady tonight - for friends to share these times with, and who love my daughters and fit them right into their own lives, and grateful for these daughters, who love and honor me, their 9-year-old mom, and who also honor their Lord with their lives.

DIY Sweater projects

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-05:00

The older girls send things to the donation pile on a pretty regular basis. After perusing some really great DIY blogs, including my friend Kelly's, ReStitch Me, I've decided to look through their castoffs with new eyes. Recently I grabbed a couple sweaters from the pile and hacked away (my sewing and crafting style), attempting to re-purpose them into knit skirts or knit tunics for our youngest girl.

The sweaters were really forgiving, and so was the model. She actually likes them!

Fetch

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

One mild, lovely morning a few days ago I sat on the front porch drinking my coffee and waiting for the sunrise. What a lovely way to start the day. Then someone let the dogs out.

Around the corner from the garage door they came - assaulting me with barks and ruffled up fur on their backs. Surely I was a Bad Guy. I thought dogs have a great sense of smell? Do they really not know who I am? Or is this an act, a demonstration, to reassure me that they'd take good care of me and the premises, willing to charge into the unknown and save my life?

Lassie and Georgie wiggled and gyrated their hyper, attention-seeking, hairy, slobbery selves as close as possible to me, nestled in a chair. Oh, they're going to spill my coffee; the coffee mug must be protected from the Otter Tail; gone is the peace, the quiet.

Oh, but look how cute they are. Look at Georgie staring at me, drip, drop, drool, holding her ball, tense with hope that I would just throw it. Just once. Okay, twice. Oh, ZILLIONS of times, really. If she could talk she'd be promising me the moon for just one good throw. (And there really is just one good throw, since after that first one, the ball is so goobery with slobber there is no goodness left to touching it. A good solid kick toward the far end of the lawn works best.)

Georgie was at attention, ready for my command - if that command had anything to do with the ball anyway. "Give," I said and she dropped the ball directly into my hand, then spun out trying to get toward the lawn, surmising a toss was imminent. A throw toward the apple tree, scooped up on the first bounce, not missing a stride as she whips around back to the porch to deposit the glazed orb in my (gulp) hand. Oh, I do not want to touch it! Ah, the sooner I throw it, the sooner I'll be rid of its mess. But here she is back again with it, and this time she's taking a little extra time to goober it up before the hand-off. It's a sign of love and devotion, I'm sure. This repeated a dozen times, until I squibbed a throw off the porch column (too much slime, I'm sure, not a lack of skill, of course) and the ball bounced downward toward the sidewalk where Lassie was lurking.

Here was her chance to show Georgie what she was made of! She was no ordinary herding doggie, nipper of heels - she, too, could scoop up the ball in a single bounce and return it to the master! Except that the ball was large, and she is small, and it's probably hard to breathe and run with the thing. Anyway, she lost the ball, Georgie recovered it and trotted proudly to me on the porch. I pretended not to notice, preserving Lassie's self-respect.

I threw the ball as far as I could and went in the house to wash my hands.

The Saggy, Baggy Sofa

2011-12-01T10:30:00.000-05:00

Comfortable furniture pleases me. Over the years we've had some really comfy chairs and sofas. They might not have been the prettiest, but I kept them around because I couldn't part with them or their squishy, warm comfort they provided.

One chair was a dark floral, with fruit mixed in (!), that I cuddled our kids in for years. When the oldest few could finally speak clearly what did they say? "That chair is so ugly, Mom." Yes, the blinders fell off and I had to admit it was ugly, but it surely was comfy. And the obnoxious floral and fruit pattern camouflaged every spit up and peanut butter Ritz cracker ground into it's tapestry upholstery.

Fast forward to present day and our living room's focus wall, with the picture window to the country side view, is painted Fandango Red. A color selected from Lowe's in a snow storm after hauling our sofa cushion there and bringing the paint chips out to the parking lot to compare in real light. So as I have watched our supremely comfortable red chenille sofa begin to deteriorate, I've not wanted to replace it. Its construction is still fine, just the cushions were beginning to sag and bag.

One would feel sorry for the sofa upon looking at it - as if it had just had a hard life. Which it has, with six children - and an ox of a lab when I am not looking - enjoying it!

I got to thinking that if the cushions could just be more full looking again, tighter fabric, it might revive her. The chenille had stretched and so wrinkles and bagginess of the cushions made the whole thing look like it was sagging to the center.

Armed with a 40% off coupon, I went to JoAnn Fabrics. In the back corner they sell foam. All thicknesses - but pretty pricey. I found a piece of 1" foam, exactly the width I needed and had the gal cut 2 yards. The total, after coupon, came to $17!

Back at home I enlisted my husband, lurking out of curiosity as to what the foam was for, to help me remove the old cushions, fluff them, square them up a bit, then add the 3' chunk of foam to its top, and squish the sandwich like thing back into each cushion. It was a challenge to zip them up without damaging the zipper, but we did it, and what a difference! The added foam gave those cushions quite a boost, and the supremely comfortable sofa is even more comfortable now (if that's possible!).

Finished project.

Green is the new foam.

We replaced the pillows and throws to the corners and must have looked guilty or something because our son Anthony came in the room, paused, and said, "What?", then jack-knifed himself into the air and landed full on his back on the couch like he always does - oh, the poor cushions - immediately exclaiming, "Hey, somethin's different..." He settled in and mumbled something like "Whatever you did, it's good...."

Naptime.

That was a great $17 project - I got to keep my comfy sofa that matches the focus wall AND it's even more comfy than before.

People.

2011-11-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

Each winter our family gets out a card table and begins work on a puzzle or two. This year I bought one at the Goodwill that was 750 pieces, 22" x 22", and a watercolor type painting of a florist's shop. It was beautiful with all the pinks, reds, greens, and white. It was very challenging, but really enjoyable to sit with one or two of the kids and chat while we pondered the pieces.

There is a special place in hell for people who donate puzzles to the Goodwill with a piece missing.

We finished the puzzle, except for the red and white awning piece, noticeably missing from the top center. We promptly ripped the whole thing into eight large pieces still conjoined and put it in the burnables bin - off to the burn barrel tomorrow. That's one less person to burn in the fiery place, and one puzzle that should have burned weeks ago!

We'll begin again on a new puzzle tonight or tomorrow, with high hopes that all the pieces are present and accounted for.

Momma's Always Right

2011-11-26T09:05:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, the day after Thanksgiving, all I heard from the children was, "That was the BEST Thanksgiving EVER!" I don't do favorites - I just like to keep wrapping up excellent things, like friends and recipes, in one big ball of "GREAT", not 'Best', but I'd have to agree that Thanksgiving was extra special this year.

My big brother, his wife, and family came over, picking up Grandma Betty on the way. My mom, G. B., does almost all the cooking and insists on it being this way. I certainly don't put up much of a fuss, since she is an excellent cook. She's been taking up space in the big ball of GREAT Cooks for a long time now. The van load of people and food arrived right on time and we set up a huge buffet. After giving thanks we proceeded through the line, five OLDEST to two youngest to starving teenage/adult offspring was the order. Everyone should try this at least once. We married adults, and the excellent cook, actually got first dibs on the food for the first time in over twenty years!

My daughter Autie has more pictures on her blog!

After eating and laughing, with EMT Ella at hand for the inevitable choking scenario, the big game was turned on downstairs. From the shrieks we ladies overheard, we ascertained a loss for the Lions and many bad calls by the refs. The game inspired a flag football game of our own outside. My brother, hubby, and I, plus Anders and Laney, 9 and 7, against the SEVEN teen/adult offspring. These young people wanted us to pay. Pay for what? I guess for giving them life, liberty, an education....not sure, actually, but they wanted us not just beaten, but demoralized. As stacked as the young team was, we put up a good fight, actually scoring and holding them to a slim win.

Then back inside we went to graze on cookies, pies, fruit, coffee, punch, rolls and, of course, turkey and ham. More chatting and laughter and some help from my sister-in-law to complete a puzzle with which we were struggling. Laney got her annual tickling by her uncle. My brother only has sons - big, tall, All-Guy sons - so he adores little Laney, his sweet niece. She adores him, too. But this year I had clued her in to how I had dealt with my brother when he had tortured me with tickling. Chin him! Sneak up from behind, stealthily, grab him by the arms and drive one's chin into his shoulder a few inches from his neck. He hates that! So she did just that, and his reaction was perfect! A little seven-year-old making him squirm!

My mom, who has had cataract surgery and can see really well now, looked around our house and gave it the thumbs up for cleanliness. Seriously. She's Dutch, and I know the inspection will commence whenever she comes over. We were ready. But before the cataract surgery, I must admit, I didn't rush to dust or vacuum because she couldn't see it! She was actually legally blind, which is really sad, because the stinker still drove! But we got her approval on Thanksgiving.

The previous post on this blog is about a favorite corner cupboard in our dining room. Before mom left, she said again how nice our house looked, to which I thanked her. Then she shifted her weight uneasily and looked around guiltily and said, "But do you want to know one thing I'd do?" I nodded eagerly. Mom is always right, you know. "I'd get rid of that thing, for sure," she said as she pointed to the corner cupboard!

What?! My find? My sweet deal? Well, that thing is getting a paint job for sure now! Or maybe a new home. We'll see.

A little paint

2011-11-10T10:43:00.000-05:00

Garage sales are a lot of fun. But so are resale shops. I've been more faithful to the resale shops than the garage sales in the past year, sadly, just due to being busy most mornings. Garage sales close pretty early, it seems, or the good stuff is gone right away. But there are still things at the resale shops in the afternoons!

Last spring I found a corner cupboard used and for a deal. It has some dated hand painted flowers along the top, but I like it the way it is. I don't have the heart (YET) to paint over some nice lady's work. However, the inside was painted cream, like the outside, and it needed a little something. Since one of our focus walls is painted Fandango Red, I thought I'd try that to give the inside some punch.

It was a really easy way to tie it into the rest of the house's decor. Someday this winter I'm sure I'll break down and repaint the whole cupboard. But for now, it'll do.

Plates and chickens back inside.
I might line the doors with chicken wire
if I repaint the whole thing.

Before second coat.

I think the color is good.

Animal Advocacy

2011-11-08T15:52:00.000-05:00

Having teenage daughters is old news. Eight years now we've endured the ups and downs of this phase. The teenage boy is a completely different animal. And I use the word animal purposely. Let's see - rooster, ape, monster, stubborn bull, goat, buck - all nouns that come to mind when observing my oldest son. Now, make no mistake, I am an animal lover. Always have been. I love that guy with fully a seventh of my heart. Ok, more than that, but I do have seven here in the house to love.

This weekend, with the blessing of unbelievably gorgeous weather, we wandered outside to putter. Does anyone know what puttering is? I come from a long line of putterers. Professional putterers, if you will. So after puttering for a while, it was clear that puttering was not going to exhaust the ____________ 's (insert animal type here) energy, so father/senior ___________ (insert same animal name here, but picture a fully grown version, bulky and handsome, smart and entertaining, able and accomplished - unlike the junior version) decided to "take the junior down."

This is a game repeated often here. It always goes the same. The results are identical. Yet it goes on and on.

Junior: "You're weak."
Senior: "Oh, yeah?" chuckle chuckle
Junior: "Yeah!" grunt puff
Senior: "So you think you can beat me?" just chillin'
Junior: "Uh, YEAH, no Question!!" beats chest
Senior: "Bring it." yawning
Junior: "Argh, grunt, umph..." flailing wildly, exerting
Senior: "Are you even trying?" still yawning and stretching
Junior: "AAAAAAiiii" war cry, rebel yell
Senior: "Hmmm, did a fly land on me?" quite passive really
Junior: "RRRRRGGGGG" actually struggling
Senior: "MMMmmm, well, you're getting stronger I think...." reads paper off to side

So this day, more of the same. But football. Oh football. If only I had known when I brought home the Tebow book that football would become a theme of manhood around here. I brought the book home as a biography about a godly guy, homeschooled, and obviously with a work ethic to be imitated. Not sure if boy/man caught any of that stuff, but he sure locked onto the football stuff.

Senior got up, brushed himself off, the clear victor. Did junior give up? Of course not. We wouldn't want him to! (Well, some days we would.) And the really neat thing is that that man of mine told me that that boy of ours really is getting stronger. He's actually wondering how much longer he will be able to take him down. It might be a sad day when junior does finally whoop senior. But just another phase, another season. Kind of like when my daughter made a better pie than me. We deal with it, and are actually really proud of them.

Laundry Soap the Duggar Way

2011-11-04T09:30:00.000-04:00

I really enjoy the show 19 Kids and Counting. The Duggar family really is one lovely example of family-life gone right. Because of the numbers, Michelle, The Mom, Duggar, offers tips on how to save money on the homefront. One is a recipe for inexpensive laundry soap.

I altered the recipe to my liking and have used it for the last couple years. Obviously I like it or I wouldn't go to the trouble of grinding, melting, mixing, and hauling the five-gallon buckets. The quality of the detergent is good, and it saves a little money. I rarely bought Tide, but if one compares the homemade to the price of Tide, then it is 3/4 less! But I love suds, so I buy whatever cheapie detergent is offered (usually I stock-up when they are $2 or so) and add a little to get more suds; plus the fragrance is a nice addition. I also add Tea Tree Oil and Lavender Oil to the detergent that I make - the first for more cleaning, the second for the smell!

This is the recipe from the Duggar's website: my additions are in Blue

4 Cups - hot tap water ( 1/2 full pasta pot)
1 Fels-Naptha soap bar ( I use 2 bars of Fels-Naptha and 2 Bars of Ivory; just better and still inexpensive)
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda* ( I use 2/3 c. washing soda)
½ Cup Borax ( I use 2/3 c. 20 Mule Team)

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. ( I bought an old, small food processor at a resale for $3. I recommend doing this since it gets so caked with soap - smelly soap. I also don't stir continuously - I turn it to low and check it every few minutes so I can get more things done!)

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap (doing it my way, add 1/2 the melted soap, saving the 2nd 1/2 for the 2nd pail), washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. ( Then I do this again with the second 5 gallon pail) Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. ( After it's cool, add the Tree Tee Oil and Lavender Oil, 15 drops or so each, stir again, then let sit overnight, covered.)

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel) ( I don't do this - I leave it in the 2 five-gallon pails with lids and scoop directly from those.)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads) (This is my machine, but I put in 2 cups! + the 1/2 capful of the store bought stuff; like I said, I like suds and super clean clothes.)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

The tiny grinder, FelsNaptha
and Ivory soaps.

Since our laundry room is pretty
secluded, I don't mind using these pails.
Stacked, they are easy to dip into.

Two bars of each, ground/shredded
and in the pot with 1/2 fill of water.

1/2 of the sauce pan of soap poured
into the pail, water added to the top, plus
the Borax and Washing Soda.
Stir well.

On low, stir every once in
the while until soap is
dissolved.

Cooling, waiting for the drops of
oil, then they'll be lidded and
carried down to the laundry
room; ready for use tomorrow.

This is the good stuff to
add to the pail of water
and soap, stirring to dissolve.

It helps to have Sir Buffness
to muscle the pail from
sink to floor.

The oils - added after it cools, but before it sets overnight.

Little Lass Laney's Lines

2011-11-02T19:39:00.000-04:00

Oh, to be the youngest of six children! What a perspective that child has! Laney keeps us on our toes. She often has a twinkle in her eye and a mini-lecture on her lips. And she's right about what she lectures more often than she's wrong! Being seven she's still easily tamed and quieted, though, at least by us parents. The brothers have more of a tiger on their hands. The best description of Laney is Spicy. We love this little chili pepper - make that a jalapeno.

Laney: Move your big hips. (to string bean Anthony)

(Laney preparing to wiggle, and possibly remove, a loose tooth....)
Laney (to all around her): Stop moving and stay calm!

Cousin Mark: Laney it’s too bad I couldn’t take you for that backflip on the snowmobile.
Laney: I’m sure I would like it. Maybe next time.

Dad: Laney, eat your food.
Laney: I can’t eat another bite, my stomach’s distended

Autie: Laney, here’s that picture I took of you trying to push over that pillar in Virginia.
Laney: But I couldn’t do it. I’m not Samson, even though I have long hair.

Laney: We need to bring stretchy spongebobs to the softball game tonight.
Mom: What?!
Autie: Huh?
Laney: You know, those stretchy things.
Autie: Bungees?
Laney: Yeah!

Laney: When can I get a new kitty?
Mom: It depends on when Fatty croaks. (our 15 year old cat)
Laney: But… I’ll be 19 when she doesn’t!

Laney: (speaking for Misty - the kitten we caved in and let her get) I’m allergic to pants.

Autie: Laney, what did Pastor Jeff preach on today? It started with an “M”. Blessed are the...
Laney: Meacemakers?

Autie: I’m so glad I wasn’t born in the 2000’s.
Mom: Why?
Laney: Cause the MUSLIMS would KILL ‘ER!

Mom: Laney, it’s 10 am and you haven’t eaten breakfast? What have you been doing, girl?
Laney: Made my bed. Got dressed. Then I roamed.

Mom: Laney, quit crying over Belle! She’s in doggie heaven!
Laney: No she’s not, there’s no such thing!
Mom: Well we decided there is.
Laney: God is the decider. Not you, Mom. (nervous laugh)

Autie: I was just watching Rob Bell’s NOOMA video about how the Holy Spirit could be a SHE?!
Laney: A ‘SHEEP”?

(After Laney watched, then smiled warmly at an elderly man at a restaurant)
Laney: (leaning toward Mom, looking earnest) I love old men. If I could, I'd scoop up all the orphans in the world and give each old couple one.....they'd just love them and love them.
Mom: Would you give them the naughty children, too? The ones that are high maintenance?
Laney: Oh, no, I'd keep those for myself until I could train them to be good....then I'd give them to the old folks.
(Elderly man and his wife stop at the table and talk with Laney on their way out of the restaurant - surely they'd get the first orphan, if she had her way. :) )

Girly Girl

2011-11-01T22:26:00.000-04:00

There's a little, chubby boy playing on the floor with three dump trucks, two excavators ('cause that's what those things with the curled scoopy thing are really called), a bulldozer, and a handful of goldfish crackers, crumbs all about, and what do you hear? "Well, isn't he ALL BOY?!" Yes, he sure is.

Then there's the little, chubby girl pushing the plastic baby carriage full of beanie babies, fuzzy stuffed animals, and dolls with mashed and missing hair while teetering in Mama's heels and what do you hear? (Yes, I'm not being tricksy.) "Well, isn't she a girly girl?!" Mmm, yes she surely is.

That's what we got the first time around. A girly girl.

Anyone who knows our oldest daughter, Phylicia, will now, once and for all, be able to fill in the blanks as to why she is the way she is. A picture is worth a thousand words:

Cosmetology School 101

This is why she needed bunion surgery at 15.

Mouth open, fun being had, much to say and do!

Phylicia has her own big girl life now, at twenty-one, still primping and fussing, if she isn't jogging or hunting with a brother. God knits them the way He wants them. We wouldn't have it, or her, any other way.
We love you, Phylicia.

Wow, that's a lot of liquor!

2011-11-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

When I came home with a pint and a half of Vodka and the same of Brandy, my family members were watching me suspiciously. We don't have a lot of alcohol in the house. Occasionally a bottle of wine - almost never anything stiffer. So I'm pretty sure I was under close watch.

Before anyone could get too concerned, though, I mentioned that I was thinking about Christmas. It was August. But they're used to me being like that. So I went on. I had decided to make real vanilla extract, from the good stuff, as part of gift baskets this year.

Just google how to make real vanilla extract and you'll find one needs liquor. Almost any cheap vodka will do, and I got brandy on the suggestion of one blogger. One also needs vanilla beans, and since Amazon sells almost everything, maybe not a kidney yet, I checked there. Yup. Vacuum packed and shipped to our door - lovely, dark, shiny, fragrant, skinny vanilla beans.

Vanilla beans after extract had been poured off

Vodka base vanilla extract

These beans were split open and dropped into the vodka and the brandy. One must pour off and do shots with ... wait, I mean, discard some of the excess liquor in order to fit the beans into the bottles. I labeled the bottles as to the date that it all began, put them in a cabinet and tried to remember to shake them up daily.

Two months steeping is good, a little longer is even better. I left them 9 weeks then decided to pour the concoction through a strainer and check the results. Oh, YUM!! I've made cookies and two cheesecakes with the vodka steeped beans. Superb. The brandy steeped vanilla is richer, deeper in flavor. Just different. I might keep that for us - but I'll give some to our Baking Goddess neighbor for her thoughts on it. If she gives it the go ahead then that vanilla will be in the gift baskets, too.

The beauty of this is not just the fun and the tension built by bringing home hard liquor. :) It's that we are left with a LOT of vanilla and it didn't cost as much as the little bottles at the store. My frugal mom never bought real vanilla extract - imitation was good enough for her and our family. Well, I'll admit to disdaining that stuff, but as a good daughter, I really never enjoyed spending the cash for the real stuff, either. So, tying this project to Christmas and being able to gift them, plus having some left for us, pleases me.

P.S. The verdict is in from Baking Goddess next door: she prefers the brandy-base vanilla! So now I decide whether to include both in the gift baskets, or if just our favorite people get the best stuff. :)

A Princess Party

2011-10-30T23:24:00.000-04:00

When I was a child, we enjoyed Halloween. Ignorance was bliss. I didn't know about its history - the druids, pagans, spirit worship, wicked things done during cover of night. All I remember was freezing cold pelting rain every Halloween (it seems), glaring headlights of cars, my brother's wickedly silly costumes each year, and the belly ache after eating all that scrumptious candy.

After we had children, or a child, I should say, we still had some fun with costumes. Our oldest little tyke was Raggedy Ann one year and a Hershey's Kiss another year. And then we began to research what Halloween was all about. We decided together that we'd just do other family things instead of partaking of a day/night that has such dark origins.

Raggedy Ann of 1992

The Kiss of 1991

But this year I heard a radio ad about Petoskey's downtown district's Harvest/Halloween Treat Day. Saturday morning from 10-12 some of the stores planned to give candy to costumed children as an early Halloween time. Yes, they recognized Halloween, but two days early and in broad daylight.

The Medieval Princess of 2011

Since Life of the Party (Anders) had a flag-football game during that time on Saturday, I asked our oldest daughter - who was Raggedy Ann and the Hershey's Kiss, so would be naturally drawn to costumes and candy - to take our youngest daughter Laney, who is 7, to the downtown and enjoy a piece of the action. Hopefully many pieces of the action (read - candy!)

Laney got the added treat that her friends, fellow princesses, could go along!! So after most of Anders' game was done, the girls changed in our vehicles and set off for the downtown with Laney's big sis, and her friends' big brother, to supervise. How darling they were!

The Princess Friends of 2011

The stores were very generous and the weather was perfect for the princesses with long-johns under their gowns. I am so appreciative to Petoskey's stores that participated in this event. The 'chaperones' to the princesses told me that other kids' costumes were not frightening or dark; super heroes, police men, soldiers, more princesses. What an enjoyable day for all and a reminder as to yet another reason we live near and enjoy this community.

The Life of the Party

2011-10-30T09:40:00.000-04:00

I'm not quite sure if anyone outside our family will want to read any further. We all know how inside jokes can be. Somebody's on the outside looking in; it's rather sad, actually. I want to document for posterity, and to use against my second son someday, some of his quips and conversations. I am afraid many will ring flat or humorless to those outside our household realm. For this I apologize, but if you read further, you've been warned. Anders = 9-year-old Life of the Party, Anthony = 15-year-old Rooster, Laney = 7 year-old-little sis, Autie = 17 year-old-sister, Ella = 19 year-old sister, Phylicia = 21-year-old sister

Anders: Dad, couldwe go snowmobiling with our friends?

Dad: “Our friends”? (fishing for Anders to explain who he was thinking of going with)

(pause)

Anders, exasperated with hand motions of disbelief: Okay. I have never met a guy who doesn’t know hisown friends.

After a play/drama at Sight and Sound theatre:

Anders: Why did Adam& Eve wear robes at Sight & Sound?

Autie: Did you wantthem to run around naked?

Anders: It would beauthentic!

Anders: And then Iwould die a happy death and go to heaven.

Laney: And I wouldget all your computer time.

Anders: (gasping) You know....I think....with the right medication, I might live to see another day....

Anders: Anthonyblasts in, raids, and leaves.

Anders: A plaidshirt with a skirt… never seen THAT before.

Anders: Success ornot a success? My future is anillusion.

Anders: Dad is aGrinch-monkey.

Anders: Tony’s nameis Lampy because he’s a jackass. (From Pinocchio)

Anders: Behold! May I earn anything? (Asking for a job that might earn dollars)

Anders: Does Jesusride on the back of the Holy Spirit?

Anders: Well, just forget about what I said.

Anders: I’ve got unearthly news....

(Mom and Dad are delayed in Aruba airport)

Anders: I knew it! Shot down by flak over Cuba!

Laney: (reading "Ferdinand") "As the yearswent by Ferdinand grew and grew until he..."
Anders: Burst!!

Anders: (to dad, referring to school) I've been in bondagetwo hours!!

Anders: You know, if the door popped open and the stratabounced out, I would faint with happiness!

(The 'strata' is a casserole I make each holiday; we were on our way with it to a potluck)

Anders: I don’t want to be President. They all get shot.

Dad: No they don’t! Only 4 out of 45 presidents have beenassassinated. That’s only 10%.

Anders. Well I’d be the fifth.

Anders: I can’t believe I have to do my garbages on aSunday. It’s not an ox!

(having heard about the ox that fell in the hole, and how the Lord won't judge the guy getting his ox out of the hole on a Sunday - maybe a few too many times??)

Anders: Dad, you’re the best thing in the world. BesidesMomma.

Tony: I knew you’dwaste your popcorn. You gave it toLaney.

Anders: It’s not awaste, it’s a pass-over. Then all of uscan share the joy of popcorn from this time forth and evermore.

Autie: Anders, now it’s the 4^th of July! Whatwill you do?

Anders: Oh. No. Now I REALLY can’t move anything on myheadboard! It’s been there for TWO 4^th of Julys! (Ever seen the movie UP? Mr. Fredrickson likes everything in his house JUST SO. That's our boy Anders, too.)

Anders: (to Laney trying to sleep in Mom’s room)

Go to sleep

Little creep

Or a wolfman will get you

Or a fox or a bear or anything that will eat you!!

Anders: There’s nothing wrong with National Treasure.

Autumn: Right.

Anders: I like the skeletons. They’re cute. In fact, I talkto them.

As I said, many of these are probably just silly; but to us they are a smattering of the quips that keep us chuckling, sometimes choking it back so as not to encourage him in his silliness. Anders' little sister Laney has some quips I want to share, to remember them. She has been packaged away in the big girls' part of the house, and has a vocabulary quite a bit ahead of her head knowledge. That makes for some fun conversations. I'll say it again - what a blessing these people are.

Deals

2011-10-27T20:32:00.000-04:00

Growing up my mom was very frugal. She baked chocolate chip cookies without using chocolate chips. Seriously. And all my friends loved those bare naked babies. She just didn't want to buy the chips! I have tried to follow in her footsteps, but without a drop of Dutch blood in my veins, it's a task I will never measure up to fully.

I do, however, like to shop the flyers and cut some coupons. Then I match things up by using a site like Couponmom.com. One of my favorite stores is Meijer. I just like it - the size, lighting, number of items, friendliness of the staff.

This week I wanted to do some fall and winter stocking up, so Rooster and I went to Meijer. It's good to have muscle along for stock up time. He drives the cart like he's Mario Andretti and he's even pretty good with math, which helps since he buried my purse - and the calculator within - under $300 worth of groceries!

Normally I spend $100 a week at the grocery store. We buy some extra milks at the gas station throughout the week, so our total is probably around $125-130, adding in a trip to the bread store, too. I know that's not too bad for a family of eight, especially since my mom, the Frugal Mom, said she didn't think SHE could do it for that. (But I know she could.)

Anyway, we had a list itemized and priced out, with some coupons clipped and ready. After typing in my M-perks number at the checkout, the total was over one quarter less than it would have been if I hadn't done the little bit of planning. The total paid was $282.75, but would have been $384! I view this as a success, even though shows on TV like Extreme Couponing have us believing we should be able to leave the store paying 10% or less of the bill! Well, the reality is that without stores doubling coupons, it's next to impossible to live that shopping experience.

Rooster and I left with two loaded baskets - then remembered we'd driven the car and not the Yukon Tankmobile. So Roosterboy packed the trunk and back-seat in a tidy fashion and we headed home. Another shopping trip - more $$ spent to tend to the masses.

When we read Proverbs 31, we women are to be excellent shoppers, aware of the costs and quality of items. If we aren't aiming for completely FREE, it still is possible to save quite a bit at the store. I saved enough to justify chocolate chips for our cookies! Woot! Life of the Party baked some today that tasted great - even if the chips were Meijer brand and not Nestle's. :)

Those Boys!

2011-10-26T23:08:00.000-04:00

Two sons I've been blessed with. They are about five years apart in age. A towering fifteen-year-old and a nearly ten-year-old. The older, taller one I call Rooster, a 6-foot-tall rooster. A rooster struts around bossing around the hens, crowing and crowing, and generally is not a whole lot of help in the chicken yard unless something comes in to threaten the hens. It's the 'crowing' of the Rooster son that has me eyeing my butcher knife and stew pot. :)

But in some ways I don't blame him for his crowing. His younger brother is the master of pushing buttons; the master of observing what buttons to push on whom and when to push them. We knew we were in for some potential struggles from the very beginning. Due to his birth order, he was the baby after five years of No Baby around our home (after four babies in six years). So he was not just our new son, but The SUN. Everything and everyone revolved around him. We called family meetings and pleaded with the children to stop doting on the child. We reminded each other as mother and father to stop celebrating this child's every accomplishment - the cute smile, the giggle, the sunrise eyes, the gaping stare at the ceiling fan. (The fixation on fans concerned us, actually.)

So as this child has grown, and we've welcomed another baby into the family, we have seen the results of this loving attention: he loves the spotlight. We as a family truly enjoy the 'life' of any party, but daily to have the life of the party actively being that Life of the Party even when the Party's Over, has been a tad on the exhausting side. Wonderful, but exhausting.

Now, if I sent him off on the bus every day I can just picture the reams of papers home from the teacher and the principal at school. But we homeschool. So let's just guess who gets to deal with the Life of the Party?? Well, all of us, actually. Most days are good - but lately I have had to make some adjustments. Remember the kid at school who just couldn't sit still? Or kept talking all the time? The teacher is trying to teach, and he just keeps talking or even just laughing....did you think he was just a little crazy? :) I did. So God gave me one!

After educating four children, two through graduation, one presently a senior, and the fourth a sophomore, here is this 4th grader getting my goat. I've been doing this long enough to know that I can adjust things and he won't actually know that he's running me. :) But I also know that some things he has to adjust to, and to grow, stretch, buckle down, and just do.

One mistake that I made was to perch him right in the middle of our living room - his desk being the table behind the sofa. Basically, it is the center of everything that's going on in the house. If someone knocks at the door, he can see who it is. If Dad is working in his office, he can see and hear him from his desk. If someone comes up or down the stairs, yup, he knows it. If I am in the kitchen helping someone else, he can hear it all. It was a place MADE for this kid if Getting the Party Started was the goal and not a little school work. So, to his dismay, his little sister took over that locale, and he was moved to an equally comfortable desk, but one that faces a lovely, but blank, wall. He's still in the same room with plenty happening, but just not in the center with eyes on everything. I find it interesting that his sister has no problem getting her seat work done in that location. The difference in the personalities is so fascinating to me!

Each of our children is a gift from God, of course, and this one was given to us a) to keep us humble, lest we think we've got this child-rearing thing down pat and don't need any advice or the knees bent in prayer, and b) to keep us searching how best to meet our kids' needs and to appreciate how each child can be different. Actually, as I re-read this last sentence, we've been feeling the same way about each one of our children all these years. And the Lord has been so faithful and good to us. May He continue to show us the ways to enjoy the Life of the Party, and still be found faithful in the important stuff.

Thanks for stopping by....bring me a coffee next time. :)

Greetings, Earthlings!

2011-10-23T23:26:00.000-04:00

I'll date myself and admit this salutation originated from Mork and Mindy. Starting a blog is so awkward and my daughter, Autie, has gotten this blog up and running, so here goes something.
Today was a Sunday filled with football - from buying a new football, to watching two games on the tube, to taking a throwing-the-football-walk with the hubby and the tall son. Both, I believe, fancy themselves a cross between Tim Tebow (looks just like a younger version of my hubby!) and Barry Sanders. But it made it an enjoyable walk - dodging the occasional flubbed pass - and they even let me be a rusher. I think that's the guy who runs across the line of scrimmage and tries to sack the quarterback. At least that's what I did try to do. Kicking shins, screeching a shrill Rebel Yell, and wagging one's arms high in the air while running at the QB does help to mess up the passing game, by the way.
Tomorrow starts a new week. A week of running the home, spinning plates, or marbles in a bowl; educating children at home, supervising chores, transporting young people to various jobs and commitments; planning meals and finding time to exercise; remembering to enjoy these people I live with! Yes, I have to be reminded to do that - the curse of the Type A personality. Someday I'll have it fixed. Probably in heaven.
Welcome and thanks for stopping by!