Tasty Tuesday

I made a fun recipe today... ENJOY!

Blueberry Focaccia

May We Please Be Done Now Monday

Today was another busy running day to squeeze in all my to do before Peanut's Ears and Vacation... I also took my oldest to ESY for the first time... Peanut had her pre-op for her Ears and Linebacker had a recheck to make sure his ear infection had cleared up... We also did a quick weight check and he now weighs 18-1/2 lbs ....

Flurry of Activity Friday

Today has been a crazy busy day... The morning started early with a call from our Disabilities Case Manager... The word for my oldest is the opening will be coming available soon and that his application is on file... Just a waiting game now... After that it was a pretty quiet morning with things picking up just before the noon hour... I chatted online with a friend for a bit then cooked breakfast... After that we were off and running... My husband run out for a few errands... Next it was remodeling... It ran later then my husband had said it would... Finally I said I have stuff I need to do and ran out to do it... I went to the local Catholic bookstore... I picked up the children some items using their gift certificates they won for reading lots during CCD... They have several new books and a 'quiet time' tote for during Mass... Next I headed to Walmart and returned 5 things that were either too small or just impractical for our family... I ran in Sam's to see if they had Linebacker's 'milk'... They don't carry the children's version only the adult... So, I went back to Walmart and shopped till I drop... I bought 4 - 6 pks of his 'milk' bleach, fabric (hey a girl has to treat her self every now and then), a retractable clothes line and 100 clothes pins (now where to hang it), a ball for Linebacker to play with in the back yard, 2 classic board cames in HARD plastic boxes vs those the old school cardboard ones that always rip and bent up right away, cooking magazine and several items for Peanuts birthday coming up in just a few short weeks... Next I went to the mall and bought a $50 dress for $2.12... Aren't I a savvy shopper... It's for our camping trip... I ran into my fav 2nd hand store but they didn't have anything that would work for our camping trip... I remember where I saw what I was looking for and it was at Kmart so next I headed there... I picked up two of the dresses I was looking for, an apron, another cookbook, and some covers... I plan to ask a friend of mine some advice on covering... She uses the basic scarf type cover with bobbie pins... I think I will start with that route and see how it goes... It was good to have some time alone and pick up some much needed things... We grilled out burgers, sausages and hot dogs for dinner...

Thankful Thursday and Crossing More Off The To Do List

Top 10 Things I'm Thankful For This Week

1. My Children
2. My Husband
3. My FMCHE Friends
4. Plenty Of Money To Pay All The Bills
5. Good Clothing For The Children
6. Plenty Of Food
7. Air Conditioning (was quite toasty today before the rain)
8. Rain to Renew the Earth
9. My Strong Faith
10. Internet To Purchase Many Items I Can't Locally

Today was busy... I took Peanut out with me and run errands today... I picked up some food, went to the bank, stopped at Kmart for their 50% off swim wear sale... All the children are outfitted for our camping vacation that's coming... I tracked and recorded the date our camping supplies will arrive... I couldn't have timed it better... I paid my last two bills that are due this month... I planned out my day tomorrow... I put in a request for my Catholic Home and Garden Show N' Tell Mom's Night Out item.. I hope it arrives in time... I will know more tomorrow... I hung plastic up so the ceiling can be sanded in the kitchen... Peanut and Monkey had Speech...

What Else Needs To Be Done - Wednesday

I paid one of my last three bills due this month... I ordered Peanut her Aqua Head Band and earplugs for her ear tubes surgery... So, we all set for that... I picked out fabric for the anniversary mystery quilt...
I'm not sure when I will cut or sew the pieces but I have my fabric set aside... I also picked out fabric for a surprise birthday gift... I took Monkey to the store and picked up a few groceries including more Milk... It seems to be flying out the door these days... Going to have to do some milk intake/wasting adjustments... I visited a friend and took her a meal (a portion of my famous 17 lb lasagna)... She had surgery last week... She looked good but tired... We only stayed for a little bit then left so she could rest... I watched another episode of Highway To Heaven... I'm half way done with the disc... I planned out all I have to accomplish tomorrow...

To Do List Tuesday

I normally post some tasty recipe... I'm taking off this week because I had too much to do to whip something up and we ate the left overs... I ran to the library and dropped a DVD in the slot... I went to grocery store for a misc list of items... I ordered our camping items from BePrepared.com.... Awesome site... Peanut had Speech... I had an wonderful evening with a new FMCHE friend, Mary, and her two sons plus puppy... We chatted and looked at my recent quilting projects... I scheduled a Pedicure (Mother's Day Present)... I'm not big on them but this person likes to buy them for me so I'm like ok it's only once a year... Why not... My husband wants me to pick fuchsia nail polish this time... I may just have to post a picture of my toes... LOL... I bought Father's Day cards, mailed the ones that need it then hand delivered the rest... I ordered the middles a Mass Bag... It will be here in a couple days... I watched one episode of Highway To Heaven...

Many Minutes Spent Planning Monday

I have a lot to do this week and spent most of the day today planning what I would do on each day... It was pay day today so that is always fun... Middle of the month so most of it goes to bills... That part isn't so fun... One more week till my oldest starts ESY... I'm sooo looking forward to that ::said with extreme sarcasm::... I will go into that more later if you haven't heard what lovely fun game they are playing with us now... ::eye roll::

Subcontractor Saturday

Today we remodeled till we dropped... We spent a large part of the day cutting/hanging dry wall and taping/mudding drywall... My husband saw the eye doctor for his annual exam... I think his vision is becoming worse and now one eye is worse then the other so he has to keep track of which contact he puts in which eye... Doesn't that sound like fun! Once all the remodeling was done we grilled on the grill some burgers, hot dogs and sausages... We made a couple whole chickens to eat later...

Fact or Fiction Friday

What does it really mean to be Quiverfull?

Some only wear dresses, while others wear pants...

Some cover and some don't...

Some birth their children at home (assisted and unassisted) and some at hospitals (all natural and c-sec) or birth centers...

Some home school, while others send their children to private or public schools... A few do a little bit of both...

While most are Protestant Christians... There are a few Roman Catholics like myself.... Some are Jewish, or another faith and some are no particular faith tradition at all...

Some only eat whole-earth/organic foods, some eat chocolate and Big Macs.

Most are from the USA, but many live around the globe....

For some couples, both spouses are Quiverfull minded... For others, only one is...

Some have adopted, some have only children they've borne... A few have both...

Some have more than a dozen children, some have only a few, yet others have none...

Some are country mice who live off the grid, some are city mice and quite a few are in between...

To summarize those who are Quiverfull are as diverse as any other 'group'... The goal of being quivefull is to TRUST in GOD... Not to have as many children as possible as quickly as possible... As stated above some have many, some have few and others have none at all... We all share together that God will open or close our wombs when HE chooses... We are to surrender completely to HIS Will and follow HIS path that he has designed for each one of us individually...

I hope that clears up some confusion surrounding being Quiverfull... Excellent resource to access is http://www.quiverfull.com/

Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, So are the children of one's youth. How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them; They will not be ashamed When they speak with their enemies in the gate.
Psalm 127:3-5

Thankful Thursday

Top 10 Things I'm Most Thankful This Week

1. Friends (IRL and Internet)
2. Faith To Lean On In Hard Times
3. Extra Money To Always Go On Our Annual Family Vacation
4. Religious Freedom
5. Quality Movies Available To Watch As A Family
6. Library
7. Hardworking Husband Who Stays Up Late Into The Night Working On Finishing Up The House Repairs After Working All Day
8. Plenty Of Food
9. Warm/Cool Dry Places To Sleep
10. Two Working Automobiles

When Did I Sit Down - Wednesday

Today was one of those typical whirlwind of activity days... The morning was mostly quiet and I didn't do much except breakfast for 4 and laundry... Just before lunch the flurry of activity started and is finally starting to wind down a bit... I had to run out for new back porch bulbs... I dropped off my mileage sheet for the end of the year... I also had to pick up milk, eggs, cheese and juice before we ran out today... We had lasagna again today... I also had some of the boneless pork ribs with bbcue sauce for a twist... I replaced the lamps I bought in the back porch light... We picked up the house and I vacuumed... Of course mixed in with all that was a flower picking event, rest time (ie nap for the littles), dinner and baths for 2 and a 3rd in few minutes... We also trained in a new respite staff to pick up the rest of the open shifts for June and will work in July... We have had our staffing increased and will be making a decision soon about our oldest out of home placement... We are waiting to see if the opening is open and we are one of two families applying for it... I'm not sure what we will do if the other family is chosen to fill the opening... I don't really want to think about that... Right now we are only guaranteed the increased staffing for June because of the pending placement... We will see what happens in July... So, I'm off again to bathe the last little munchkin (Linebacker) then catch up on my Netflix... Currently going through the first season of Highway To Heaven...

Tasty Tuesday

Today was a typical day... I ran one errand... Peanut had Speech at her new time... We met a good friend and mother of 8 (this includes twins!) at the park... The always constant picking up, vacuuming and laundry... My fun task for the night is cleaning off the desk so we can do drywall work in here... I will post before and after PICs later below the recipes... Thank you for all the replies to yesterdays publishing... Of course back by popular demand... It's Tasty Tuesday... ::smirk:: I guess this weekend I will share my latest version of the very common Mexican Casserole... ENJOY!!!

I modified the recipe to feed many... The recipe says you can make this in one of those tiny round 2 Qt casserole dishes... I expanded it to a 9 x 13 so we have more then a snack from it...

Flour Tortillas (2 pks of 10)
1 Qt. of Refried Beans (I make my own from scratch but you can use a can of the store bought kind)
1 Jar of Salsa
2 lbs of Taco Meat (hamburger w/ taco seasoning {I was out and mixed chili mix in mine})
2 lbs Cheese Shredded (I used mozzarella and colby/jack and medium cheddar {had several open so used it up})

Heat and mix the refried beans and salsa to make it a spreadable mixture... They recommending greasing your pan but I didn't... Who has time for such things... ::wink:: First is a layer of tortillas... Next is half the bean/salsa mixture... Next is a layer of 1/2 the taco meat... Follow that with a layer of 1/3 of the cheese... Repeat... Tortilla, Bean/Salsa, Taco Meat, Cheese... Finish with a layer of Tortillas and Cheese... Bake 25 minutes covered in a 350 degree oven... Remove foil and bake 15 minutes to finish heating it through and brown the cheese a bit on top... Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, olives, sour cream and guacamole as desired...

Computer Desk Before:
::photos appearing soon::
Computer Desk After:

Much Time Away - Monday

I really needed to take some time away... Things have been up and down here... I'm struggling with many things right now... I'm still trying to sort through them... My oldest, monkey and peanut are all done with school... Linebacker had his first birthday and is doing well... He is currently learning to walk while wearing shoes... He has always been barefoot and only walked indoors... Now that the weather is warming up a bit he is spending more time out back and needs the proper foot protection... He really enjoys exploring the backyard... He toddles around and checks every thing out... He recieved a swing for his birthday and he loves swinging with the breeze blowing... My garden hasn't gone so well this year... Linebacker was born mid-gardening season last year... The year ended well but I didn't do any end of the season prep before the snow came... We placed a lock on the gate... We didn't find the key till a week before Memorial day... The key (along with a whole group of others) was lost last Tues and we haven't been able to find it... Right now we have to do decide whether to keep looking for the missing key(s) or just cut the lock off and start over... We also added some 'compost' that wasn't right or something and the soil consistentcy is a mess now... I will probably have to empty each of my boxes completely and start over again... It makes me angry and I haven't even gone at to look at the garden in days... Remember when our kitchen leaked in February and the insurance company refused to do anything about it... We had the roof repaired in May... About 10 days ago or more we put up green board to replace the 'tile' ceiling... We are also in the process of staining our stair railing... The installer left it unfinished... We sanded it down and prepared it for stain... We are now staining it piece by piece... Each spindle has to be removed and stained the put back... We can only do a few at a time... We have 6 done and 6 more to go... We are still working here in the computer room as well with dry walling... We need to sand it down and put another coat of mud on... Hopefully it will be ready for primer then... I'm making a lasagna for a friend today who had surgery today... Today has been a pretty typical day... I picked up my oldest meds from the pharmacy... Stopped at the cathedral and registered for CCD for the fall... I went to the hardware store and picked up some more door keys (the little tuna can lookin' key) and a light bulb for the vent hood over the stove... I picked up the Italian link sausage I forgot yesterday that I need for the lasagna... This was all precedded and followed by the usual laundry, pick up, meals for the children, etc... I'm hoping to be posting regularly again now... I also spoke with a friend about my thoughts on discontinuing homeschooling completely...