A Traditional Homemaker

Updates, Updates, Updates

2011-09-26T21:23:00.001-05:00

Updates on 1st Day of School, My birthday, Our week with no TV or internet/computer by choice! and much, much more! Zooming to a computer screen near you... Stay tuned!

New Posts Coming Soon!

2011-09-05T09:33:00.005-05:00

I will be starting to blog again soon... I've decided to continue without censoring the content... If the breech in security causes an issue... I'll alert my readers and put it on password protection... New news... Photos... Updates arriving soon!!!

Blog Security Breech - Decisions

2011-07-01T06:50:00.002-05:00

As many of you know, my blog is where I write my inner most thoughts and feelings... I do so without fear of judgement from you my beloved readers... Unfortunately it was made known to me over the summer when I took time off from writing that this safe haven of mine has been compromised... I'm not sure when it took place for the first time or how many times there after... I just know it has happened... I am being watched or was watched... I'm unsure if it has stopped... However, it makes me upset, anxious, and nervous about what I place upon this blog now... I no longer feel safe to speak freely... It saddens me, for I am unable to say what I want without fear and it saddens me, for you my readers, who have come to know me to speak from the depth of my heart and soul... This angers me... I haven't quite decided what to do with this... I have several options... Just keep writing and try to push away this shaky feeling I have about what I'm writing will be used against me sometime in the future in a malicious manner... I'm unsure if I can even do that... The wound is sooo new... I just didn't think I would be in this position when I started this blog... Maybe over time I could overcome these feelings and pretty much say BACK OFF... This is MY place and YOU won't make me feel unsafe here... Right now, I'm not at a point I can do that... Another option would be to stop writing all together... I think that would be wrong to you my wonderful friends from around the world who I love dearly... For you shouldn't be punished for this... You have done nothing wrong... You were my faithful companion in the ups and downs of life... My last option I can think of is to put this blog on private status... This would mean that you would have to contact me and I would have to place you an 'approved list'... Only those on the list would have access... You would then have to sign in with a User ID and Password to read my thoughts and feelings, but I would be safe again... I don't really like this option either because I want my blog available for that mother who so desperately needs to read I AM NOT ALONE! There are soo many women I've only read one comment or email from telling me how grateful they are that I shared the deepest darkest moments of my life... How comforting it was to see that they weren't alone in moments like this... I too had experienced them... Not only did I experience them, I wrote about them! I then over came them and was a stronger woman giving hope to those who would follow... I know many of you are out there... Silently reading... Knowing that this blog gives you hope and strength to overcome your own fears... I don't want to chose the private setting and cause unnecessary burden upon my readers who I need so much to give me that virtual hug, encouraging word or cheer of joy and also you the reader who need me, just as much on those days, when all doors seem to slam in our face and we cling to the hope we can just make it to bedtime so we can softly cry ourselves to sleep... Hanging tightly onto to thoughts that tomorrow will be a better day... I would like each of you to contact me VIA email, comments section (feel free to write whatever you want because comments will be kept private unless you wish them to be published for others to read) or Facebook and let me know what you think of my options... My next scheduled posting will occur at the end of next month... I hope to have my answer for you by then... Please say a prayer for me while I think about all of this... Thank you for understanding...

The Last Day - Thursday

2011-05-26T17:38:00.001-05:00

Today was the last day of school... It is a bittersweet time at the end of a school year... While not having to wake up in the morning many times before the sun had even come up itself will not be missed... The experience and people of school surely will... Yesterday I spent a large part of day outside... Peanut walked to a park near her school... We had a picnic, chased bubbles and I watched her tick away the minutes and hours while playing on the playground... It was hard to go home but we had to meet the bus that Monkey was coming home on... I also spent nearly all day outside today... I have pink skin to prove it... ::smirk:: Today the children had Field Day... There were 12 stations... Musical Chairs, Parachute, Limbo, Volleyball, Fox tail (not sure what that even is), Kick, Catch and Throw the Football, Horseshoe Ring Toss (2 different size rings), Frisbee Throw & Catch, Tug of War, Marshmallow Races (replaced the egg on the spoon race of our childhood), Story time and Scooters in the Gym... I spent part of the time with Peanut and part of the time with Monkey... I pushed the double jogger stroller and Linebacker's stroller back and forth across the school yard... After I paid for lunch at 1/4 to 9 AM, I headed outside and Peanut was closer so I visited and watched her first... She went through the parachute, limbo and volleyball stations... I traveled across the school yard to watch Monkey participate in tug of war, marshmallow races and story time... I met back up with Peanut at snack time... I watched her participate frisbee and tug of war... It was time then again to head across the school yard to watch Monkey partipate in parachute and limbo... It was just after 11 AM... The children gathered together and they took a whole school photo... Next, we filed into the gym/lunch room to pick up our lunches for an outside picnic... I'm not sure if I was just really hungry, it was a good lunch or a little bit of both... They served today a 'bagged lunch'... We usually have a choice between a sandwich and hot lunch dish... In it today was crustless PB & J, string cheese, your choice of milk, apple, baby carrots, and granola/chocolate chip bar for 'dessert'... After we finished lunch I watched the children play on the playground till almost 1 PM... It was time for Monkey to walk to the High School to swim... I packed up the trio and drove over to the pool and watched him swim (indoors, too cool for outdoor pool) for about 90 minutes... I packed the trio back up and headed back to school for dismissal... I started first in Peanut's room and loaded all her end of the year gear... We walked to Monkey's classroom (2 doors away; very small school) and gathered all his end of the year items... The children then hugged and said goodbye/have a great summer to all the staff and teachers as we made our way down the hall and out the door to leave... ::sniffle:: I'm soo glad we had such a wonderful year at our new school... I'm excited to start the next year... I am now the mother of a 6th grader, 3rd grader, 1st grader and pre-k child... Time sure does fly... Peanut had her last Speech Therapy session today... She has graduated! We are all proud of her hard work... They had a donut party to celebrate... Enjoy the photos below of all of today's activities... We are all going to sleep good tonight!
Peanut playing 'popcorn' at the parachute station...

Peanut at the limbo station...

Peanut being creative at the limbo station....

Peanut at the volleyball station... Her's the green ball about the go over the net... They were divided girls vs boys... The goal was to have fewer balls on your side then the other side... Two rules... No kicking the ball... No throwing under the net (has to go over or through a hole in the net)...

Peanut becoming passionate about winning at the volleyball station... ::smirk::

Monkey and his best 'girl' friend (pink skirt), J, in his class at the tug of war station...

Up close photo of Monkey and J at the tug of war station.... Her mom told me she insists on wearing skits all the time and even refuses thermals/leggings in the winter... ::smirk:: She likes her knee socks the best! She owns pants but never chooses to wear them...

Monkey at the marshmallows races station... He is at the moment of this PIC winning against his friend N...

Now Monkey going backwards at the marshmallows races station...

Monkey doing the crab walk at the marshmallows station...

Peanut having her snack at the snack station aka Horseshoe/Ring Toss Station... I rarely ever catch my shadow in a picture... I usually very careful about that... Shows how excited I was... ::grin::

Peanut and her best 'girl' friend, S, at the frisbee station...

Peanut at the tug of war station... Mrs. O the gym teacher helping out a bit on the end...

Monkey playing 'popcorn' at the parachute station...

Monkey is now playing 'sharks and lifeguards' at the parachute station...

Monkey at the limbo station... He actually made it and didn't fall on his knees... Impressive!

Monkey using his creative skills at the limbo station...

Monkey at the pool... He will take his first series of swimming lessons this summer... The pool went from 4 ft to 12 ft deep...

Mr. J, 3rd grade teacher, giving monkey a swimming lesson...

Mr. J helping monkey back to the side after his swimming lesson...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-25T20:44:00.000-05:00

Trio Tuesday

2011-05-24T19:38:00.001-05:00

Linebacker had speech this morning... I then picked up Monkey to have the first two of four teeth pulled... He did very well... We were both very nervous... He has had a few negative dental experiences (dentist not procedure, we switched dentist)... It was wonderful that now he has a positive experience under his belt... Little Guy and Big Boy had their last physical therapy session today... They have come a long way from before they were rolling to rolling, crawling, sitting up, pulling to a stand and cruising furniture... The physical therapist will call in the fall to see if they need another consult and possibly restart therapy... We expect them to start walking soon... They will be up and running before we know it, I'm sure... If all goes well they won't need to restart therapy again...

Morning Monday

2011-05-23T17:33:00.000-05:00

I was busy this morning but a very quiet afternoon... Little Guy had his weight check up... He is now 16 lbs 7 oz... That's a gain of 1 lb 4 oz in 28 days... Go Little Guy! Linebacker had his 3 year well check... He is doing wonderful... He is growing good... We talked about his plans for the summer and what his education plans are for fall... I answered another online survey and made $3... Woo hoo! It is good to have a quiet day today because the rest of the week is going to be BUSY... Only 3 more days of school left...

Sitting Saturday

2011-05-21T20:25:00.002-05:00

The world didn't end as predicted... On to more important things... Little Guy and Big Boy now will sit themselves up and not fall over smashing themselves into the floor without making any effort of catching themselves... They don't sit for long... I'm so proud that they can now go from crawling to a full sit and then back to crawling again... They are also cruising furniture now too... Stay tuned because I'm sure 1st steps won't be too far off into the future... I also started answering survey's to bring in a little extra cash for myself each month... It isn't much but every little bit helps...Little Guy

Big Boy

Fatigue Friday

2011-05-20T23:21:00.000-05:00

Let's say the burning the candle at both ends caught up with me this morning... It manifested itself in the dropping a glass bowl of 2 lbs of hot taco meat... It shattered instantly when it hit the floor... I cleaned up the mess... I went to the store and bought more hamburger... I finished my Taco Casserole... I had planned to go out and do a few things but decided to take it easy most of the day until later in the afternoon when I put a check in the bank, installed the license plates on the van with registration stickers then return the dealerships generic plates to them... I also payed a couple bills... I mostly tried to rest and regroup...

Terrific Thursday

2011-05-19T20:00:00.000-05:00

Linebacker had speech this morning... I took Little Guy in for a follow up to his perpetual drippy nose... We are trying a different antibiotic... Peanut had speech this afternoon and then we went to school to watch her musical performance... The kindergarten and 1st grade preformed "The Bear Went Over The Mountain"... Peanut had a speaking part and was part of the general choir... She did a wonderful job! She was a rabbit...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-18T11:14:00.002-05:00

Tricycle - Tuesday

2011-05-17T13:03:00.000-05:00

For Linebacker 3rd birthday also recieved a 2nd hand tricycle... Here are a few pictures from this afternoon of him enjoying it... I also went to the Dentist and he had Speech... It was otherwise a very quiet day...

Linebacker's 3rd Birthday - Monday

2011-05-16T21:31:00.007-05:00

Linebacker's 3rd birthday... He had Hardees DQ Icecream Cake... He are the pictures from his party... A few of the presents I don't have him unwrapping because my camera was out of space and only had a few shots left... ENJOY!

We also had our family picture taken for the church directory... I will share that as soon as I have a copy...

Squishy Saturday

2011-05-14T20:56:00.000-05:00

It rained, rained and rained... Not really heavy but for a long time... It finally cleared off in the late afternoon... This morning Monkey and Peanut participated in the First Annual Walk-A-Thon for their school... People could pledge so much per lap or just give a donation no matter how many laps completed... It was raining off and on the whole time... Temperature was in the mid 30s... Peanut walked 5 laps and Monkey walked 12 laps... The money raised helps fund school activities like our Children's Theatre, Back to School Supplies, Fields Trips and many other programs... I'm really proud of how well they did despite are icky weather! Monkey and I went to Mass and then spent an hour at the Spring Celebration... It is our parish's largest fundraiser of the year... We had a soda brought from home and enjoyed some of the Live Auction (watching not bidding) plus Musical Entertainment from our Priests 'The Three Pod-Rays'... This years theme was 'Nautical'... So, the priests dressed two of them as 'Pirates' (Fr. W & Fr. F.) and third was a Navy Sailor/Captain of a Cruise Boat (Fr. C.)... That was quite entertaining in an of itself... Previously the 'Three Pod-Rays' dressed as Mafia Men... ::smirk:: They played several songs on the organ (Fr W.), accordion (Fr. C.), triangle/tambourine/bells (Fr. F)... A few I remember were Theme Song from Hawaii Five-0, Surfin' in the USA, and Helena Polka... After their first set we went home because we were broke and hungry... I'm living like no one else, so later I can live like no one else!

Our Lady of Fatima - Friday

2011-05-13T10:13:00.001-05:00

Feast of Our Lady of Fatima
Summary:
On 13 May 1917, three children were pasturing their little flock in the Cova da Iria, parish of Fatima, town of Vila Nova de Ourém. today the diocese of Leiria-Fatima. They were called: Lucia de Jesus, aged 10, and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, aged 9 and 7. About midday, after praying the Rosary, as was their custom, they were amusing themselves building a little house of stones scattered around he place where the Basilica now stands. Suddenly they saw a brilliant light, and thinking it to be lightning, they decided to go home. But as they went down the slope another flash lit up the place, and they saw on the top of a holmoak (where the Chapel of Apparitions now stands), "a Lady more brilliant than the sun", from whose hands hung a white rosary. The Lady told the three little shepherds that it was necessary to pray much, and she invited them to return to the Cova da Iria during five consecutive months, on the 13th day at that hour. The children did so and the 13th day of June, July, September and October, the Lady appeared to them again and spoke to them in the Cova da 0a. On the 19th of August, the apparition took place at Valinhos, about 500 meters from Aljustrel, because on the 13th the children had been carried off by the local Administrator to Vila Nova de Ourém. At the last apparition, on October 13, with about 70,000 people present, the Lady said to them that she was the "Lady of the Rosary" and that a chapel was to be built there in her honor. After the apparition all present witnessed the miracle promised to the three children in July and September :the sun, resembling a silver disc, could be gazed at without difficulty and, whirling on itself like a wheel of fire, it seemed about to fall upon the earth. Afterwards, when Lucia was a Religious Sister of Saint Dorothy, Our Lady appeared to her again in Spain (10 December 1925 and 15 February 1926, in the Convent of Pontevedra, and on the night of 13/14 June 1929, in the Convent of Tuy), requesting the devotion of the five first Saturdays (to pray the Rosary, meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary, confess and receive Holy Communion, in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary), and the Consecration of Russia to the same Immaculate Heart, This request had been announced by the Apparition on 13 July 1917, in what is called the "Secret of Fatima". Years later, Sr. Lucia related that, between April and October of 1916, an Angel had appeared to the three seers on three occasions, twice in the Cabeço and once at the well in the garden behind Lucia´s house, who exhorted them to prayer and penance. Since 1917 pilgrims have not ceased to come to the Cova da Iria in thousands upon thousands from all parts of the world, at first on the 13th of each month. later during the summer and winter holidays, and now more and more at weekends and any day all the year round.

If you would like to learn more... Visit: Santuario De Fatima (upper left hand corner you can change the language of the site)

I went to Engineer's transition meeting today... It is a meeting you have with the school for those on IEPs/Special Needs when they switch schools... Engineer is moving from his elementary school to his middle school... This was his 3rd Transition meeting... He had one when he went from Preschool to Kindergarten and one when he went from Kindergarten to Elementary School... His Kindergarten was a self contained Kindergarten only building at the time... Part of a 10 year study I believe... The Kindergarten has since been reintegrated into the Elementary Schools... It went very well... I'm excited to work with the Middle School... I think he is going to do well there....

We had our last Autism Support Group meeting tonight... We socialized and we had a speaker from one of the two local hospitals come and talk to us about Orthotics... We will have a few Family Fun Events this summer but our traditional meetings are done until the fall...

Teeth Thursday

2011-05-12T21:54:00.001-05:00

Linebacker had speech this morning... We then headed out the door to Peanut's Show N' Tell... This is her last Show N' Tell of the year... She wanted to bring Little Guy and Big Boy... Teacher thought that was a good idea... We showed up and they returned from their trip to the Zoo and had Show N' Tell... Her class had a great time asking questions and playing with them...

We then went to a friends house who is near the school and visited... My friend S. made a DELICIOUS baked chicken lunch... She also taught me how to make a Lady Bug out of pretzels, apples, PB and raisins/craisins... I then went back to pick Peanut and Monkey for their dental appointments... Peanut is CAVITY FREE! Monkey is also CAVITY FREE! He however has adult teeth that need to come in... So, we are going to pull a couple of baby teeth to make room for these adult teeth... Peanut also had speech....

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-11T09:51:00.000-05:00

Twins and Trim - Tuesday

2011-05-10T22:30:00.001-05:00

Little Guy and Big Boy are learning to pull up... Watch out world... They will be walking soon... They are 10 months old today... Here are a few photos of them 'standing' and otherwise being CUTE!
Big Boy coming out... Little guy going in...

Big Boy on the Left and Little Guy on the right... Little guy on the left... Big Boy on the right...

Big Boy on his knees... Little Guy on his tummy...

Little Guy standing next to the couch...

Big Boy standing... Little Guy hanging out in the seat...

Little Guy and Linebacker...

Little Guy...

I also gave Linebacker and trim... He was starting to look like the 'British Invasion'... His birthday just around the corner... I wanted to trim it up so he would look nice but wouldn't have that I just had my hair cut look... I worked on FPU Lesson 2: Relating With Money - Nerds and Free Spirits Unite! I watched the DVD again and completed the workbook section for Lesson 2 while watching... My homework is to start collecting credit card offers for 13 weeks... Should be interesting to see how many we are sent in just over 3 months... I'll let you know and share a PIC... Normally I just rip them in half, unopened and throw them in the trash... I started using my envelope system and I put my first deposit into Baby Step 1: Emergency Fund of $500.00 (since I by myself make less then 20K a year)... I also registered and started my FPU Membership online...

Mother's Day - Monday

2011-05-09T22:15:00.000-05:00

Sunday:
I had a wonderful Mother's Day... Peanut and I went to the 10 AM Mass... We then ate a delicious french toast and sausage breakfast hosted by the Knights of Columbus... I called the mother's in my life and chatted... I ate a snack of taco dip and tortilla chips... Chris ran out for some errands including extra Mother's Day shopping... He and the children gave me my gifts... I had a leisurely nap... I woke up to a delicious salad with all the fixin's, t-bone steak (grilled outside!; {Mother's Day is our kick off to the grilling season}), french fries and broccoli... My hubby had bathed and put all the children to bed but Little Guy and Big Boy... We ate together just the two of us and chatted... We bathed Little Guy and Big Boy... I read a bit of Total Money Makeover... Off to sleep I went...
Monday:
As for today... I had myself a minivacation... It is rare I have a day without an appointment during the school year... Today was that day... I'm going to running like crazy the rest of the week but took today to relax and pamper myself... I watched more of my FPU DVDs... I worked out my 'Basic Quickie Budget' and started using my envelope system... I also filled out Lesson 1: Super Saving - Common Sense for Your Dollar and Cents in the work book... Tomorrow I will review the questions and rewatch the DVD to make sure I completed all the activities then start on Lesson 2... My husband made burgers and hotdogs/sausages for the start of the week on the grill yesterday... I enjoyed a hotdog for lunch and cheese burger for dinner... Melt in your mouth good! I sure missed flavor of charcoal grilled food! We eat steaks, burgers, and hotdogs/sausages year round... Sure does taste more flavorful when grilled...

Standing Up - Saturday

2011-05-07T13:57:00.000-05:00

We participated in a Jericho March this morning... We stood up for all the unborn who can't voice their right for life! We marched from downtown bike shop parking lot to our only abortion mill in the entire state... North Dakota Right to Life organized it... Marches have taken place in the past for the other abortion mills that were open in our state... Shortly after the march they closed... We marched with seven religious leaders to the abortion mill, followed by seven trumpets, seven American flags, seven Christian flags, a child’s coffin, and unknown number yet of people wearing black arm bands. Silently we marched seven by seven. After circling the abortion mill the horns let out and the crowd shouted together seven times “Let Our Children Go!” We also had the replica of the original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Juan Diego garment was there... It is credited with several miracles already... It was a powerful and moving event... I took my 5 youngest children and myself... We had beautiful weather... They had predicted 70% chance of rain... We were truly blessed... I'm there with the trio every Wednesday at the abortion mill praying when the weather isn't too harsh for the little guys... We stay and pray a minimum of one hour... Please take the time to become involved in your area... Thank you!

First - Friday

2011-05-06T13:45:00.000-05:00

It is the 1st Friday of the month... Has a whole week of May almost gone by? WOW! Time sure does fly... We had our last CCM formal meeting... Other then a few park days during the summer... I won't see everyone till the Fall... Big Boy saw a SLP for a feeding eval... It was concluded he is a slow/lazy but impatient eater... You may ask yourself... How do those two things go together? Well, when he is ready to eat solid food... You have to feed him when he's ready to eat it... However when he's eating it... It is a slow process... If you don't start feeding him when he is ready he protests... He wants nothing but his liquid food and to be left alone! After eating that he will nap and you can try again with the spoon... I started watching Financial Peace University Home Kit DVDs... WOW! I thought I learned a lot from the borrowed CD set... LOVIN! the DVD presentations... I'm learning by leaps and bounds now... Dave Ramsey is entertaining, informative and no-nonsense... I really like his style... I just casually browsed through my kit... Right now I'm just watching the DVDs without filling out the workbook... I plan to go back and do that... Watching the DVDs over and over will be the key to making this stick in my mind...

THRILLED - Thursday

2011-05-05T19:45:00.000-05:00

Look what the UPS guy brought me!?!?!?!

I'm sooo excited!!! I can't wait to start the course and become DEBT FREE! I've already done a little bit like figure out my debt snowball... I'm off to unwrap the shrink wrap and see what all the goodies are in the box...

Wordless Wednesday

2011-05-04T20:49:00.002-05:00

Two Hours - Tuesday

2011-05-03T17:45:00.001-05:00

It took me two hours to put together the children's new swing set... I hope you enjoy the picture tour of it's assembly...

PS: I've never put together a swing set before... However, I'm the 'put it together' person in our house...
You need one swing set and 'tools'...

You have to make sure your supervisors are watching so you don't slack on the job... ;-)

What it looks like in the box...

All the hardware...

All the big parts...

Monkey and I working on the top of the main frame (taken w/ timer feature)...

Ice cream truck came by while we were working... We just took a picture... Monkey thought ice cream trucks were fictitious...

Frame done...

Swings almost done...

All the swings done...

IT'S DONE!

Linebacker going down the slide... Peanut waiting...

Linebacker swing...

All the 'big' children having fun...

It's May! Really? Monday

2011-05-02T10:22:00.014-05:00

It's May! Well, you could have fooled me because there is SNOW on the ground... What is up with that? I will tell you what is up with that... We were told that a big rain storm was coming... So, the children and I prepared by cleaning up the lawn... Here is what the yard looks like all cleaned up... Talk about a rare occasion... Our yard says 'we have children'... LOTS of Children! I love it! We definitely enjoy the space... Like having our own private park right behind our house...

Children's toys neatly stacked next to the house for the big rainy/windy storm predicted to strike later that night...

North Eastern Part of the Yard

South Eastern Part of the Yard (photos over lap)

Little side bar here... You may have noticed our yard looked a bit empty if you had seen PICS of our yard before... That is because our swing set of almost a decade has been put to the curb along with the rear tires from my hubby's car... Our swing set was the neighbor's two doors down (who had it a while too) and when they moved instead of putting it at the curb... We took it... It gave us many years of fun... However it being so well used and the harsh weather had really taken it's toll on the structure... First reason for it leaving, it was no longer safe to keep using... It had lost one permanent swing (like a swinging see saw) and the slide... So, out to the curb it went for what we call clean up week... More about that in a minute...

Continuing on 'Is it really May?' story... It turns out the temperature DROPPED so there you have it... Rain storm becomes snow storm... It was just a light dusting... Enough to make things pretty but it all melted away... You never known it snowed at all... The temperature is still quite chilly... Here are a couple pictures of the snow dusting we had.... I took these photos just before 6 AM... Little Guy had woken me up... I looked out and saw it had snow... Fearing it would all melt as soon as the sun was high in the sky... Making all my 'evidence' disappear... I went out in my PJs/flip flops and snapped a few PICS... My van with a layer of snow...

Backyard... Snow on the lawn and picnic table...

Children's toys with snow on them... It wasn't enough for the patio to have snow on it...

Now back to clean up week... Clean up week is an annual quad cities event (2 ND cities and 2 MN cities)... Basically you can put anything at the curb (minus hazardous, building materials and a few other exceptions) to be picked up by the city for FREE... Any other time of the year you have to take it to the proper disposal facility or fit it in your trash can (one single city issued trash can, everything that doesn't fit is fined) and a FEE is usually attached for disposal when visiting the facility/landfill... Second reason why our swing set left our yard this past week... I have a few PICS below of our 'pile'...

This is behind our shed... Where we put the big things then add everything else before hauling it to the street... I'm using a broken toy to hold the gate open...

Front view almost 1/2 way done... You can see the double glider of the swing set sticking out on the right side of the photo...

Back view about 1/2 way done...

Front view completely done... You can see the double glider of the swing set still sticking out on the right side of the photo...

Back view completely done... Yes, the swing set is still under there...

We collect all year long... It is mostly cardboard boxes (packages being shipped to us for b-day/cmas, b-day/cmas presents we have bought, large purchases {high chairs, strollers, etc}), large broken toys (like ride-ons, and other outside plastic toys), occasionally an appliance (in years past refrigerator, dryer, dishwasher {this year}, etc), and unusable furniture {dressers mostly but we have put out our one and only crib, 1st plastic toddler bed and books shelves}... A percentage of our furniture is 2nd hand and after a few years of usage it goes to the curb unable to be used by anyone else unless you are furnishing your backyard or using it for spare parts... The children take after their mommy and are hard on things... You have to be a pretty hardy item to survive our family... So, there ya go... A peek at outdoor fun in our house the 1st week of May...

1st Son Saturday

2011-04-30T09:15:00.001-05:00

I'm going to share about my oldest son... For those who are new to my blog... My oldest is Engineer... He was diagnosed with Classic Autism (mild to moderate) and ADHD... He is large for his age... He's 11 but pretty much the size of a 14-15 year old... He doesn't understand his strength and hasn't been able to learn to control his aggressive behavior... It is hard to figure out what triggers his out bursts... He is currently living in a group home of 6 residents (he is one of 6)... The home is a regular single family home that has been divided into a duplex (single story) and has the added requirements of a residential facilities like sprinkler systems... Since it is a duplex he is in practical terms one of three... He has 24 hour staffing... We are still his legal guardians so they have to have us sign or give a verbal ok to changes (meds, register for activities, etc) in his life... We see him often because he is less then 2 miles from us... He is preparing to go to middle school (6th grade) in the fall... He has been in the public education system since March 2003... He is doing pretty well educationally... One of the subject he excels in is geography and he dislikes probably handwriting/penmanship about the most... He is currently in a Horseback Riding Therapy program... He enjoys that... His interests include geography, construction, and trains (real not toy or cartoon)... He is not a big camera person so it is hard to catch him on film... Here are a few photos from Christmas till now...ENJOY!

Engineer and Big Boy...

He wanted a chocolate cake this year with no frosting... In years past he refused to eat birthday cake at all... He doesn't like ice cream cake either... One year we put a candle in a bowl of ice cream scoops...

Opening presents... He's fast so don't blink...

A Menards Lionel Train!

Helping decorate the tree the week before Christmas... Not an activity he was interested in the past...

Opening Christmas Present... I had to snap the pictures FAST!

One of his many gifts... More Lincoln Logs...

All his presents packed up and ready to take to his house...

Final Photos Friday

2011-04-29T07:15:00.000-05:00

This is the remaining photos from Easter weekend...

ENJOY!
Peanut outside in her Easter Attire...

She's wearing the sweater...

I love how the wind is blowing her skirt...

Here I am in my Easter outfit...

Peanut at the Cathedral near the Divine Mercy Side...

Tomb on the Mary side of the Cathedral...

Altar server was in a hurry to put out the candles and put everything back... Fr. C. is busy taking care of after Mass activity... It is currently set up for the Tridentine Mass... Hence the set up of the altar and kneelers for communion at the bottom of the photo...

Time for baskets - Thursday

2011-04-28T09:35:00.000-05:00

Here are a few photos of the children and their Easter Baskets... Mr. Easter Bunny thought it would be fine to fill and leave the baskets on the table for the children to discover in the morning... Only one flaw in his thinking... That was Linebacker waking up first and raiding everyone's baskets... ::smirk::

ENJOY!

Will you look at that... Wednesday

2011-04-27T09:15:00.001-05:00

I will share with you all about our food and other fun from Easter weekend... First the food... I made a smaller then meal then usual... Tried to keep it simple... So, I made Spiral Sliced Honey Glazed Ham, Stuffing, Red Garlic Mashed Potatoes (skins on), Gravy, Carrots, Broccoli, Green Bean Casserole, Applesauce, Cranberry Sauce and Biscuits... Here are a few PICS of the spread... My hubby likes to tease me because every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas... I insist on taking a PIC of just the food all lined up on the counter... He calls it my 'Martha Stewart' moment...Yummy...Just another angle... :-) See, I even look like Martha Stewart... I'm kidding... ::wink:: Hubby helping with the children... See he was here on Easter too... Just not as easy to catch on film as the children... ::grin::Linebacker patiently waiting for prayers and then it's time to eat! Story time after dinner with Mommy... We read 5 Little Bunnies by Linda Hayward... It is a First Little Golden Book; Copyright 1985... Children enjoying the weather... Playing late into the day (shadow showing outline of the house, this is looking East)... This was taken from the window as not to disturb their play...

Take Two - Tuesday

2011-04-26T08:25:00.001-05:00

Easter Egg Hunt - Take Two (like in the movies)... First egg hunt didn't go so well... Mr. Easter Bunny didn't know the rules... So, once all but one egg was found... We had a 2nd egg hunt and it was all caught on film...

First Easter Egg Hunt RULES....

Rule #1 - Everyone is assigned a Color, no fun if you find all the eggs and I only find a few, everyone finds the same number... Each child had 2 eggs to find...

Rule #2 - Hide that color based on who it is assigned too... (ie, not up really high if it's a little one)

Rule #3 - If you SEE someone else's egg... You keep your mouth SHUT and walk AWAY... It is no fun if SOMEONE ELSE finds ALL your eggs and then POINTS them out to you...

Ok, now that you know the rules... ::smirk:: Let's have some FUN!
Egg Hunters READY!
Linebacker (green) found his first egg on my chair... When ever I stand up he likes to 'steal' my seat...
Linebacker found his 2nd egg... In the toy vacuum... His current favorite toy when outside... Also, near my chair...
Here he is with both eggs... He is pointing and telling me his egg was in the vacuum... Too cute or what?!?!
Peanut finds her 1st egg (pink) in the Kitchen Sink...

Monkey finds his 1st egg (blue) in the oven...

Peanut finds her 2nd egg on her favorite swing on the swing set... She is very excited to have found all her eggs...

Monkey finds his last egg just inside his fort...

All eggs have been found! Hopefully the weather will be just as nice next year and we can hide more eggs... Plus Little Guy and Big Boy will have their hand at finding eggs... Stay tuned for more Easter Fun Tomorrow... FOOD and Story Time!

Memories Monday

2011-04-25T22:30:00.003-05:00

This weekend we spent some time making memories... We dyed Easter Eggs, had an Easter Egg Hunt OUTSIDE! (usual to have such nice weather), went to Easter Mass and enjoyed Easter Dinner as a family... ENJOY the photos below that captured our memories of Easter Egg Dying...
The first step to a successful Easter Egg Dying Session is a good work surface...

Step 2 is to gather all your supplies...

This is what comes in your typical Easter Egg Dying Kit: Cups, Dye Tablets, Dipper and Crayon for 'decorating'...

Step 3- Have everything set up BEFORE you invite any children to come and participate...

Engineer dying his egg...

Monkey dying his egg...

Peanut dying her egg... Linebacker patiently awaiting his turn...

Linebacker's turn to work on his egg with some help from Mommy...

Little Guy having his turn dying his 1st Easter Egg ever!

Big Boy having his turn next to dye his 1st Easter Egg Ever!

Our Easter Egg Family - Daddy, Mommy, Engineer, Monkey, Peanut, Linebacker, Little Guy and Big Boy (left to right)...

Thank you for sharing in our memories of Easter Egg Dying 2011... If you didn't dye any eggs this year... Maybe this will inspire you to dye a few of your own next year...

Little Guy and Big Boy had their 9 month well check... Little Guy Officially is 15 lbs 3 oz and 26-1/4" and Big Boy Officially is 18 lbs 1 oz and 28-5/8"... They both are doing well and are scheduled for their next check up when they are 1 years old in July... Has it almost been a whole year? Seems like they were just coming home from the hospital to meet their siblings... The year sure has flown by... Until tomorrow... Sweet Dreams Ya'll...

Second Son Saturday

2011-04-23T14:55:00.000-05:00

My 2nd son is Monkey... He is 8 years old and in the 2nd grade... He likes Transformers, CARS, Spiderman, Batman and Dinosaurs... He likes to play pretend, race his trucks around, run, play with dinosaurs, and draw/write his own story books... Monkey's favorite foods are ice cream, broccoli, ham, cereal, apples and bananas... He also likes watching DVDs, playing Wii Bowling, climbing outside, building his own creations with LEGOS and reading books... He is reading on Level 2 of the I Can Read! series... He works hard each night on his homework of writing spelling words, adding single digit facts memorization, single paragraph story comprehension/fluency, and learning to read books... He has really excelled this year since switching schools... He was 1 of 35 students and now is 1 of 18... He now spells, better handwriting, adds, tells time, counts money and reads simple books... He is working hard to become a more advanced reader, spell larger words, subtraction, fractions and simple multiplication/division plus simple math word problems... He also enjoys attending Mass, going to the library, hanging out with Daddy, helping Mommy cook and going to CCD... He had his 1st confession in February 2011... Here are some photos of him from Christmas to Now... ENJOY! Monkey with his Santa gift on Christmas morning....

Hanging out on the couch...

On top of the big snow pile in the backyard... Monkey pulling his sled...

Monkey showing off his sled...

Monkey opening a bucket of the little green toy soliders on Christmas... Little guy watching...

New t-shirt for his birthday...

Monkey with his LEGO creation - Optimus Prime (Transformer); Peanut being silly in the background...

Up close of the 'Optimus Prime' Monkey created all on his own...

Standing in line waitin for 1st confession...

All done with 1st confession... :-)

Five Friday

2011-04-22T18:49:00.001-05:00

It took me a while to think of this title... I was thinking what would describe Peanut and go along with Friday... I realized hey she's 5 and Five goes with Friday... So there you have it... Five Friday for today... Peanut is having many 5's happening in her life... First of all is this will be her 5th Easter... Her top 5 favorite foods are: Broccoli, Pancakes, Apples, Chicken, and Ice Cream... Her 5 favorite things are Playing Outside, Writing, Singing, Reading, and Watch DVDs/Instant Nexflix... She has five brothers... She is reading on Level 5 in the Rigby PM books... She has only been reading for 5 months... Her top 5 favorite book series to read are Biscuit, Dora, Scooby Doo, Clifford and Seasons (Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring)... She also enjoys praying the Rosary, attending Latin Mass, covering her head (wearing her Jesus Hat), attending CCD, and saying prayers at meals and bedtime... Here are a few PICS of her from Christmas to Now... ENJOY!
Christmas - Opened a Dora Puzzle...
Coloring in her Strawberry Short Cake Coloring Book from Christmas...

Trying out her new princess 'sleeping blanket' from Christmas...

Playing with her Legos from Santa...

Playing Candyland with Monkey on New Year's Eve just before the Ball Drop...

Sledding with Monkey in January...

Playing Leapster 2, wearing an outfit from Christmas...

Playing with Little Guy... Showing off her 'Kindergarten Shirt'... It has a photo of her class on the front and classmates 'signatures' on the back...

Her hair all pretty for the circus and to go for a ride in the new van to pick up daddy's car... She is also wearing her rosary....

Peanut at the 3rd Annual Ladies Tea... Peanut and I at the 3rd Annual Ladies Tea...

Wearing her Easter Outfit that just arrived in the mail...

Toddler Thursday

2011-04-21T16:25:00.000-05:00

I'm going to update you all about how Linebacker is doing... He is 2 years and 11-1/2 months... He was just screened to attend pre-k through the local public school system... We will be discussing his scores and writing his IEP in the coming weeks... He loves Diego, Scooby Doo, and Thomas... His favorite activities are legos, puzzles and making messes... ::smirk:: I can't believe his 3rd birthday is just around the corner... I've included a few photos of him over the last 6 months... ENJOY!
Enjoy the Snow

Playing Thomas...

"Playing" Chess...

Trying to escape the camera... I caught him! LOL....

Enjoying a Strawberry....

Playing with Big Boy

Being silly with Little Guy in the background...

Napping...

A chair/bed he made all by himself with couch pillows and blankets...

Big Boy, Linebacker, and Little Guy going left to right....
Hanging out with his little brothers... They all 3 have the drippy nose in this PIC... ::smirk::

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-20T19:03:00.000-05:00

Twins Tuesday

2011-04-19T21:27:00.006-05:00

I thought I would write about my duo... Their nicknames for now are Little Guy (Twin A) and Big Boy (Twin B)... Little Guy was 15 lbs 8 oz & 25-5/8 and Big Boy 18 lbs 9 oz & 28-1/4 just shy of their 9th month birthday... They haven't gone in for official 9 month well check because they have both been fighting the drippy nose... Little Guy has two teeth on the bottom and Big Boy is still toothless... They are both crawling around like crazy... They can sit up if you sit them up but haven't figured out how to sit up on their own or what to do when they decided they have had enough of that sitting business... Pretty good at just falling over on their heads... So, we are working on teaching them how to transition from crawling to sitting to crawling... Little Guy thinks it is a hilarious activity and giggles the entire time... Big Boy does not like it one bit and is stiff as a board plus makes many sounds of protest! Enjoy the photos I've included from Dec-Mar... I've labeled below the PIC who is who... It goes from most recent to oldest (Christmas ones at the end)...
Big Boy

Little Guy

Big Boy in Green and Little Guy in Blue

Big Boy

Little Guy

Big Boy in Blue, Little Guy in Green

Big Boy

Little Guy

Little Guy Big Boy

Maybe I should blog More often Monday

2011-04-18T21:23:00.007-05:00

I was reading some of my past postings and realized how much Joy my blog brings me and how much I MISS it! So, let's try blogging again... So, each day I will try to post something new and something that happened while I was gone... Boy have I been gone a long time! The snow had melted then it snowed again for about 48 hours now it is melting again, yet I woke up this morning to yet another dusting and had to brush off the van before we could leave... Then I spent the rest of the trip using my wipers a little streams of water from the melting snow ran down the windshield... Maybe Spring will arrive before Easter? I bought a new dress to wear on Easter... What you think? You can see me actually wearing it on Easter Monday... Retail? $100 (dress, cover, and shoes)... Cost to me? $5.00 (which Hubby actually paid)... Gotta love Sales, Coupons and Giftcards left over from Christmas... LOL... School is almost over... Less then 29 days to go... Lent has been going well... Not losing as much weight as I would like... However a bit is coming off... Hopefully with Spring coming... I can melt off the pounds like the snow melted... I heard Monkey sing in his first musical... He's in 2nd grade... He was part of the chorus... He did an awesome job... They preformed with the 3rd graders and it was titled "Spaced Out" it was all about Outer Space... Very cute! That is all the past I'm going to try to catch on... As for current events... Little Guy and Big Boy had another Infant Congitive Development Lab study today... They had lots of fun... It was about 'color'... They participated in the 'pattern' and sister study to today's study when they were 4-5 months old... As a Thank You gift they received these toys... Little Guy received the keys and Big Boy the Turtle 'car'...

Linebacker had fun playing with the other college students while his brothers participated in the study... I ran to the bank and to the dealership (more about that on Wordless Wednesday)... I decluttered one box from the closet... It was a pretty quiet day...

For The Record - Friday

2010-09-10T22:45:00.001-05:00

A and B had their 2 month well checks today... They are 2 months old today exactly... A is 8 lbs 6 oz and 21" long... B is 10 lbs 1 oz and 22" long... They are both doing really well... They had their 2 month shots as well... It made them quite fussy in the late afternoon... I went to the first Autism Support Group meeting of the year... We are meeting in a new location... It is the office of the SLP... Our old SLP has a son with Autism... They had a fitness instructor there from a local gym... He is open to working with our children on the spectrum... He gave a really nice talk and was looking for help in setting up individual and group sessions... He is also interested in the public schools transporting our spectrum children to the gym for a session a couple times a year... Everyone enjoyed snuggling and oh/ah at A and B... It was a good night... I enjoyed relaxing and talking with other parents with children on the spectrum... One mom realized that I was Engineer's mom... Her son is in his class... She just never put the two and two together that he was my son or that I was his mom... I don't know her son too well since he is quite a bit younger then Engineer... However we both think it would be very good for her son, Engineer and all the other children in their class to have the opportunity to take classes with this guy... Engineer couldn't attend regular Phy-Ed... So, they put him in an 'adaptive gym'... He couldn't handle that sensory wise either... He doesn't have any 'Phy-Ed' except for some made up nonsense about him pushing carts/pulling wagons around the school... It will be good to see what a TRUE 'Phy-Ed' program would do for him...

Temperature Returning To Normal - Thursday

2010-09-09T21:34:00.000-05:00

Thankfully we are all starting to feel better... Children missed school today and yesterday... I cancelled ST for Wednesday and today... Our SLP didn't need to be exposed to this too... I also didn't make it to the Abortion Clinic to pray either because of our illness... It was a pretty simple virus... You had a fever of 101-102 and horrible headache... No other symptoms... It was about 24-36 hours course... I was afraid we would miss our class tonight but everyone healed up just in time... They told us we would have our books next week... I can't wait... We watched a DVD video about the Principles of a Nurturing Parent and played the Hokie Pokie (I watched because A wanted to nurse) with the 3 and up group... Nursing A the 2nd half of the night worked out well... Last week he SCREAMED all the way home (5-6 minute drive) because he was hungry...

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-08T23:33:00.000-05:00

Teeth Tuesday

2010-09-07T18:24:00.000-05:00

This morning I had a dental appointment... Just a routine cleaning... I also briefly attended the LLL meeting because of the time my dental appointment was scheduled... Linebacker had speech as well in the morning... Afternoon was pretty quiet... I caught what Linebacker had over the weekend... Monkey came off the bus and he had caught it as well... We layed around quite a bit... Thankfully the non sick children behaved for us who didn't feel well...

Labor Day

2010-09-06T23:08:00.000-05:00

For Labor Day despite the rainy weather... We went on a road trip to Fort Abercrombie... Here is a bit of info...

Known historically as "the Gateway to the Dakotas," Fort Abercrombie was the first permanent United States military fort established in what was to become North Dakota. It was also the only post in the area to be besieged by Dakota (Sioux) warriors for more than six weeks during the Dakota conflict of 1862. During the Dakota Conflict, Minnesota Volunteer soldiers manned the fort when area settlers sought shelter there. The "regular" U.S. Army soldiers had been withdrawn during the Civil War and had been replaced by the Minnesota Volunteer Infantry. The fort was not protected by blockhouses or a palisade during the siege, but these defensive structures were constructed soon afterward. The fort guarded the oxcart trails of the later fur trade era, military supply wagon trains, stagecoach routes, and steamboat traffic on the Red River. It also was a supply base for two major gold-seeking expeditions across Dakota into Montana. Fort Abercrombie served as a hub for several major transportation routes through the northern plains. After the fort was abandoned in 1877, fort buildings were sold and removed from the site. A Works Progress Administration (WPA) project in 1939-1940 reconstructed three blockhouses and the stockade and returned the original military guardhouse to the site. Beginning in the summer of 2001, a project to refurbish major portions of the WPA project and to reinterpret the site was initiated.

Check out the link for more... We took a PIC inside the 'interpretive center'... Our last trip there was in 2007... Just before they built the new interpretive center...

Super Busy Saturday

2010-09-04T22:46:00.002-05:00

I went and saw Engineer... We took 1st Day of School PICS...

Engineer - 5th Grade:

We also did some birthday shopping together... I had received some money yesterday and today... I bought a nursing cover at a new store in town called 'Eco Chic'... It is a really cool store... I look forward to going back when I can just browse leisurely... Engineer is a no-nonsense shopper... It is in and out... We bought popcorn for him and a smoothie for me after our shopping was done at the Mall...

I picked up the middle ones and we did their 1st day of school PICs...

Princess - Kindergarten and Monkey - 2nd Grade

I will have just these 3 home during the day...

After I did 'first day of school' PICS with the middle ones... We went to Sam's for our once a month shopping and for them to pick out their monthly snack... We headed home with all our goodies... My husband and princess went to the library and 5 o'clock Mass... Linebacker behavior is beyond what either of us can deal with so we are going to be attending in split shifts for a while... Monkey and I will go to the noon on Sunday... I didn't accomplish as much as I wanted today and that makes me irritable...

1st Friday of September

2010-09-03T22:35:00.002-05:00

Today was 1st Friday... We had our CCM meeting... This years theme is Proverbs 31... It was fun seeing everyone I hadn't all summer... Everyone also saw all the new babies that had been born since the last 'official' meeting in May... We heard about our friend Sally's trip to Ireland... She lived there for almost a year... Her husband had a job opportunity... We also decided for the first time when to have an evening meeting... I'm not sure if I will make it or not... However it is a nice new option available for those who can't make it to the day meetings... A and B were developmentally screened this morning... They needed to score a 6 and scored a 13 on the Brigance Screening... Isn't that awesome... They will be screened again in about 2 months... After the children came home from school we went to our friend's house in Rural MN... It was our first visit... The children played... We chatted... She is also a mother of twin boys... They turned 2 in August... They are children #7 & #8 of 9 children... She gave me a tour of their house... It is huge and totally awesome... It used to be some kind of business... Pottery I think... I can't wait to see what it looks like once they have finished adapting it to their family's needs... It is a wonderful find... I know they are enjoying all the SPACE... Their previous home was quite small but of course they had 3-5 children (not sure what year they bought it) back then...

Thirty-First Birthday Part I

2010-09-02T12:26:00.008-05:00

I am 31 years old today... I scheduled my post to appear at the time I was born (12:26 PM)... I was due September 26th and weighted 6 lbs 4 oz... My mom teased me as a child that I was born just in time for lunch and never stopped eating...

My birthday didn't start out so well... I must have been very tired because the children woke up and I was awaken by a crash... This is what I found:
They were trying to climb the shelves so they could play a board game... ::sigh:: This was after I spent 30 minutes cleaning it up... So, I was kind of in a sour mood... My mood was soured even further by the fact I couldn't seem to leave the house... It took HOURS before I finally made it out to do what *I* wanted...

I also had to clean the computer desk off...

Before:

After:

My first stop was to drop off a dish towel to a friend... I was poured on... Next I stopped at Peanut's school because she had forgotten her library book... I finally then went to have my hair cut and donated to Locks Of Love... I donated 20"...
Pretty amazing huh?

I then headed home... We did some things around the house... My husband hadn't picked up my cake so instead of being at home with all the children... We decided we would all ride to the store for the cake... He took forever in the store and I was almost late to my first Nurturing Parent Class... It was a good class... I definetely belong there and fit in well... I'm very excited to receive my book and learn the Nurturing Parent Method and become a Nurturing Parent instead of what I am currently... ::frown::

Thirty-First Birthday Part II

2010-09-02T12:25:00.002-05:00

After my class we had my 'party'...
Steaks and Presents... What could be better?

Yummm... Cake...

Gotta blow out the candles and make a wish before you can open presents...

Opening Presents...
One of my many presents... Paula Deen Red Tea Kettle...

My other presents included tennis shoes, underwear, cash, twin sling, renewal CCLi subscription, book: Radical Homemakers, book: Oh Yes, You Can Breastfeed Twins, School Pictures, and Nursing Cover...

'New Year' Resolutions

2010-09-01T21:30:00.001-05:00

My birthday is tomorrow... I always do my 'new year's resolutions' around this time of year when I start a 'new birthday year'... Here are my top 10 things I want to work on during my 'new birthday year'...

1. Give Up Sodas, so I can lose weight...
2. Eat Better, I've been known to almost on a daily basis not to drink (not even water) or eat for 8-10 hours after waking for the day... Ex: I wake at 7 AM and take my first drink/food at 3-4 PM...
3. Drink More Ice Tea (low fat and help keep me hydrated), I hope to eventually cut back on this and replace it mostly with 8 - 8 oz glasses of water...
4. Pay Down My Debt and NOT run it back up again...
5. Take a Parenting Class (actually go!) Signed Up for 15 Wk Course, starts tomorrow...
6. Read FIVE Books that I bought because I 'had' to have them even though it ran up my Debt...
7. Go Walking 3 Times Weekly with the Trio because I will lose weight and it is good for me!
8. Pray Wednesdays at the Abortion Clinic (weather permitting for the Trio)...
9. Create and Follow A Take Care of ME Routine...
10. Pray A Daily Rosary and Divine Mercy Chaplet

I will update throughout the coming year to let you all know how I'm doing... Pray for me... Thank you...

Wordy Wednesday

2010-09-01T09:00:00.004-05:00

Well, I was going to start off my blog with just a photo and call it Wordless Wednesday but I can't do that... Maybe next week I can do a Wordless Wednesday once I'm back and given everyone and update of all that has happened since my last post (in APRIL! ::blush::)...

Well, the boys are here! I'm still working on 'nicknames' so right now they are going to be Baby A and Baby B... Feel free to leave a nickname in the comment section... I'm not sure if I want them related or have a team/twin/duo theme or not... I'm considering calling Baby A QB (or Quarterback) following the 'football' theme after Linebacker but can't think of a good 'football' theme name for Baby B... Only names so far for him are names I don't want him to live with the rest of his life like Chunky and Fat Cheeks... ::sigh::

For all that don't know... They arrived at 35 wks and 4 days gestation... Baby A - 5 lbs 2 oz and 17-1/2" was born all natural (no meds) vaginal birth (didn't even tear!)... Baby B - 5 lbs 10-1/2 oz and 18-3/4" had a prolapsed cord and face presentation... He was born via emergency c-section w/ vertical incision, 26 staples and me put under (asleep)... I'm not sure if they would have knocked me out if I already had the epidural in... However I deliver mine med free (no plans to change that in the future)... Just something to wonder about... Baby B spent 10 days in the NICU because he wasn't able to suck (very bruised face) to nurse or suck on a bottle and was tube fed (up nose, down throat) for the first 8 days of his life... Baby A was discharged when I was and roomed in during our hospital stay (standard 4 days, 3 nights) ... He is fully nursed... Baby B is formula; bottle fed but I'm trying to convert him over to nursing... It is slow going... I'm doing well... C-section (my first) was quite something new to recover from... I still look at my incision/scar and wonder if I will ever be "normal" again... I told my husband the other night "at least I'm looking less Frankensteinish"... ::smirk::

As for the rest of the family... My husband just had his 10 year anniversary of working at his job... WTG Hubby!!! That is a quite a milestone in today economy... Engineer is 10 and in the 5th grade... He is doing great in his program and we spend every Saturday together just the two (plus Baby A) of us... Monkey is 7 and in the 2nd grade... He is attending a new school and loving it! Smaller class size and none of the tension between us and the staff like at his old school... Peanut is FIVE (July Birthday) and in Kindergarten... She is attending the same school as Monkey and having a wonderful start to her first year of school... Kindergarten is all day here... They ride the bus together, eat breakfast together, then Monkey walks Peanut to her class (2 doors down from his)... At the end of the day Monkey picks her up from her classroom, they walk together and ride the bus home... We are in the middle of our first school fundraiser... So, if anyone is interested in a Butter Braid for $10... Send me an email... They are only available for purchase through fundraisers... Our deadline is Sept 15th... Linebacker is TWO (May Birthday) and at home with me and our almost 2 month old TWINS! Check the column on the right for updated photos of my crew...

I guess this is a good jump start to my blog... I am going to be writing regularly again Monday - Saturday... I look forward to reconnecting with all my readers... I look forward to your comments and questions...

PS: LOTS of PHOTOS to come... Tomorrow is my 31st BIRTHDAY!!! WOOO HOOOO....

Finally Making It Back - Friday

2010-04-09T14:37:00.005-05:00

We were struck by the stomach virus (4 of us), head cold with severe runny nose and ear infection this week... I had to visit the ER on Wednesday night for 3 liters of fluid... So, this virus was a nasty one! We are all starting to feel better... Still have one with a faucet like runny nose and on antibiotics for the ear infection (same child)... They still having the daily sickies... UGH!!! Hopefully this child will be able to keep more down the juicy water (100% juice extremely water down) and antibiotic... My oldest was also struck with strep this week and is on antibiotics as well... So, it seems all that nice weather we had revived all the 'bugs' that froze for the winter... Hopefully we are done with all that and can enjoy our spring... It is chilly again here... I sure miss those 60 degree days... My family back east was saying it was 90! Now that is just wrong for spring... I would very upset if it was that hot... However I prefer not to find a thick layer of frost on my wind shield at 1/4 to 8 in the morning that takes the defroster 5-10 minutes to melt so you can leave... For those who don't follow on FB... I add our family to our new van...

Not the best picture but you get the idea... LOL... Need to break out our Mr. Clean Car Wash Kit (we picked ours up at Walmart and love it) once it is warm enough... We sold our old van to the junk yard yesterday... I'm going to rest some more because after spending several hours in the ER and L&D in the middle of the night... I'm still tired... I'm not sure if I will write tomorrow or not... I may take the weekend off and just pick back up on Monday... Let's all pray I have uneventful rest of the day and weekend... Gotta catch up on Laundry... So, I will be doing a lot of sitting and folding...

Taking a chance and Trying again - Thursday

2010-04-01T08:11:00.008-05:00

It has been a while since I last blogged... Umm, like over 3 months?!?! ::smirk:: I've decided I'm going to try again... A lot has happened since my last publishing... An amazing event has happened which has lead me to try again so I can document this... I'm expecting again... Nothing too amazing about that... LOL!!! Here is my 20 week guess the gender belly shot (with Linebacker sneaking in there too):

However...
I'm expecting TWINS... Yep, right there in that ultrasound PIC you can see TWO heads which are connected to 2 seperate sweet bouncing BOYS! At the time of the ultrasound I was 20 weeks and 6 days... Baby Boy A was 21 weeks and 5 days and Baby Boy B was 21 weeks and 3 days... I bet you weren't 'expecting' that huh? So, our family is now a family of 8... Gender Count of Offspring is 5 Boys to 1 Girl... So, lately I've been filling my hours with eating ::smirk:: and talking with friends about their twin births plus reading online and various books I own what new things I'm to expect this pregnancy... If you have had twins and have recommended reading... Let me know... How do I feel about this news... Well, I have to say I'm still shocked (found out on Monday) but excited... I've decided during Lent to make Friday's internet free so my next posting will have you waiting till Saturday... On the bright side tomorrow is Good Friday and the last Friday of Lent...

In other news... We bought a new minivan (which will be FULL in a few months) 98 Plymouth Grand Voyager Expresso... Engineer is now 10, still in the 4th grade and doing awesome in his program... Monkey is now 7, still in 1st grade and he is doing well also... Princess is still 4 with a birthday coming up this summer and very excited to be FIVE and a Kindergarten this fall... Linebacker is 22 months and into EVERYTHING... I'm planning a trip to the clothing store with a friend of mine to ::gasp:: buy shorts (maternity for now)... Which she assures me will be modest and look good... ::smirk:: She promises to help me find jeans also that fit good/modest plus appropriate for a mom in her 30s without being frumpy after the twins arrive... Of course when I'm ready for jeans (aka willing to give up my maternity wear, hehehe)...

See you all on Holy Saturday...

PS: Don't forget to check me out on FB a.k.a. where I've been hiding the last few months... ::wink::

Finally Trying Again Friday

2010-01-15T09:52:00.001-06:00

I'm going to try blogging again... A lot has happened since my last post... I'm still here... Hope to be posting regularly soon...

Traveling Thursday

2009-11-05T20:29:00.000-06:00

Thursday was a day of traveling around town... We had our 'session' this morning after a couple weeks off due to ills and auto troubles... We discussed enabling issues... There was a small crack into fixing these things... So, there is hope of change.... I took Linebacker and Peanut to recycling soda cans for money... We had 19 lbs... It had been a while since I'd travel down south to the recycle station... Peanut was complaining of some pain in her mouth so I called the dentist... He's out of town but left the name and number of a back up dentist... I called them and they were able to fit us right in... I picked up Monkey early and we headed to the dentist... Despite them fitting us right in because of a cancellation... I wasn't sure how long it would take and didn't want Monkey sitting worrying when I was coming home... They looked around and couldn't find really much wrong... They did an x-ray and one of her teeth had a spot so they prescribed an antibiotic to clear everything up... I brought her home, gave her some pain meds and she laid down for resting time... We canceled ST for her... We took it easy and all ate soft foods with her that evening...

Weeeee Wednesday

2009-11-04T18:27:00.006-06:00

Today was quite the ride of busy excitement... We took the car to a repair man last week... He quoted us a carb and vac system repair to the tune for $450+... I don't know who has that kind of cash laying around these days but we aren't one of them... We said uh we will have to wait and just spend the 45 minutes it takes of fighting with the car to start it and keep it running then proceed to drive around town at the top speed of 10 MPH... I called to vent to my daddy about our auto woes... He suggested a repair... So, when my husband went for an oil change last Saturday he asked the oil change guy if that is something they do... He said if my husband bought the part he put it in for Free! God Bless T... So, my husband picked up the part and I took it to T yesterday and for less then $4.50 we have a 'brand new' car again! All it needed was a new fuel filter... Now we are going 110 MPH I like to tease... ::smirk:: It really does drive that fast but I haven't gone that fast in some time... I usually top out around 90-95 MPH at the highest on the empty interstate... ::grin:: I'm thinking what it is a blessing to not be wealthy at this point in the year because if we did have the money we could have blindly paid that repair man and still have a car that didn't run right... Thank you, God for blessing us and when we thought doors were being closed (unfairly) that other doors opened in the most unexpected places... Patience is definitely a virtue and proves that HE does always provide... We have grown with much Grace during this experience... So, I was able to go to our bi-annual meeting easily (now that the car is repaired) with the psych and the rest Engineer's behavior program team and special needs service coordinators... We caught the psych up on all that has happened since we enrolled Engineer in his program... It was a very good meeting and gives me at least some peace that we did make the right decision... I have struggled as any mother would with this decision... God is still holding me firmly yet gently in his hand during this very tough time... His behavior program can see why we use this psych for our medicine management... They were very impressed with his medicine philosophies (he wants him on as few and doses as small as possible and maybe even some day medicine free, not to mention his willingness to try 'natural' vs chemical treatments), his knowledge of Autism/latest available research as far as treatment/medication management and his passion for Engineer's care... He is the only person who has gave Engineer medication for his needs... He knows him (he's been seeing Engineer since he was 3/4 years old) and our family very well... It showed today in our meeting that we aren't just 'another patient'...He is truly an asset, a blessing and an advocate for him... Thank you, Dr. F... Peanut had ST... She is doing wonderful... We had religious education tonight... It was good to see all our friends again... I worried so much about making it to the various appointments this week because of our auto issues... Yet, again God carried us through and granted me the Grace I needed... I am truly a Blessed woman...

Tasty Tuesday - Chicken Burrito Bundles

2009-11-03T22:52:00.002-06:00

Chicken Burrito Bundles

2 lbs chicken, cooked and cubed/shredded
1 pkg Taco Seasoning

2 C. or 16 oz Can Refried Beans (I have a recipe if you like)
1-2 C. Cheese (Cheddar, Jack, Colby/Jack, etc), shredded
2-3 Tomatoes, chopped
1-2 Onions, chopped
Flour Tortillas

Salsa

Preheat oven to 350 degrees... Place chicken and seasoning in a zip lock bag and shake till coated...

Spread refried beans on a warmed tortilla (they won't break if warm when you got to roll them), top with chicken, cheese, tomatoes, and onions.... Roll up, folding in the ends to contain the filling... Wrap each individually in foil...

Bake for 15 minutes and serve with Salsa....

Side Note: You can make these wrap them in foil... LABEL THEM... ::smirk:: Then pop them in your freezer... You have your own homemade 'freezer section' burritos... They can go straight from the freezer to the oven... Heat until hot in the center... Also, great on the nights when the family eats in shifts because of activities... You can make them up in the morning or the day before.... Sit them in the fridge and when they are ready to eat it's in the oven, to the table and eat...

Mystery Bean - Monday

2009-11-02T22:28:00.005-06:00

Today I'm going to relate a funny event that took place today... I went out to my freezer and there were two unmarked containers... I thought they were both Refried Beans... I took the smaller of the two and brought it into the house to thaw for a recipe (will share tomorrow) and to eat with Tacos... Well, you can imagine my surprise after it was thawed I realized... This isn't Refried Beans... It must be Chili... ::smirk:: So, I used them in my recipe anyway... Hey how different is Chili from Refried Beans any way... I'm eating mine not quite sure why it tasted 'sweet'... I asked my husband if he was enjoying his... He said yes and it was ok... I'm like well that sounds off... That statement almost contradicts itself! Today he decides for me to put his 'refried beans/chili' on the side of his entree instead of using it in the recipe... He is eating it as I was folding laundry before he headed off to work... He says something isn't right about this Chili... It doesn't taste like that awesome Chili we just had last month... Why is it sweet? Then we realized... They were BAKED BEANS!!! I put Brown Sugar in my baked beans which would account for the hint of sweetness we were tasting... So, I took it out thinking I'm thawing 'refried beans', used it as 'chili' and in all reality it was Baked Beans... My husband such a trooper eating it anyway... Despite my funny encounter with the 'mystery' bean... It teaches me to ALWAYS label my containers... EVERY time! ::grin::

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T22:25:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween!

Here are the children in their costumes... Hope everyone had a great Halloween... We had delivery pizza and went door to door Trick or Treating...

Monkey - Dale Jr. Peanut - Chocolate Chip Cookie Linebacker - Snowman The Candy:

Wednesday 28th - Friday 30th

2009-10-30T10:21:00.000-05:00

It was another quite and typical week.... We are having car troubles which will hopefully be fixed soon... So other then my daily walks of 0.8 miles... I stayed home... Still setting things up on the new computer... I also took the time to catch up on laundry... Not much else to say really... Hopefully next weeks blog will be a bit more... ::smirk::

Tasty Tuesday

2009-10-27T10:44:00.000-05:00

Caroline's Peanut Butter Criss Cross Cookies

2 C. Flour
1 t. Baking Soda
1/2 t. Baking Powder
1/4 t. Salt
3/4 C. Butter, melted
3/4 C. Peanut Butter
3/4 C. Sugar
3/4 C. Brown Sugar
2 Eggs
1 t. Vanilla
Sugar and Fork

Mix ingredients together till well blended... I use a 3 T. scoop (we like big cookies) to make mine but you can roll them into balls and place on cookie sheet... Dip a fork in a bowl of sugar and press the tops to make the criss cross pattern (see photo)... Bake 10 minutes at 375 degrees...

ENJOY!

Menu Planning Monday 10-26

2009-10-26T21:00:00.001-05:00

Here is my monthly menu (about $500 for a family of six) for October 25th - December 5th... ENJOY... Watch my blog for recipes... Some have already been posted as they are family favorites... If you want to find the recipes on my blog click on the 'label' "Recipe" that will take you to them all...

Super Bowl Chili
Chicken Parmesan
Swiss Steak
Chicken Quesadillas
HALLOWEEN Pizza – Delivery
Chicken Burrito Bundles
Tacos
Chicken Oven Baked w Barbecue Sauce
Philly Cheese Steaks
Martha’s Rosemary Fried Chicken
Spaghetti Meatballs
Ham Dinner
Chicken Stir Fry
Sloppy Joes
Chicken Weeknight Pot Pie
Lasagna
Chicken Fettuccine
Cheese Burgers
Thanksgiving
Onion Salisbury Steaks
Chicken Fingers
Tomato Crockpot Beef Roast

Wednesday 21st - Saturday 24th

2009-10-24T20:28:00.002-05:00

This week kind of flew by... I was quite busy... However when I look back it's like what did I really do... Funny how life is that way... You are running, running but then when look back you are what exactly did I do? I guess it's just hard to remember things when you were so busy that you didn't even take the time to remember them... LOL... A few things I did were of course laundry, remodeling, baking, cooking, playing with the children, reading books, cleaning (LOL), I spent some time catching up on sleep... We have a 4 day weekend... It's been wonderful! I haven't really gone any where... Just stayed here at home taking care of home... Just a step back away from the run here, run there, kind of life... The Walton's Season 4 has rolled around in my queue so we have been taking time to sit back to a time when things didn't move at the speed of light... So, funny in one episode they are driving and one is saying my goodness how fast are going? the driver replies oh 20-22 MPH! The other replies slow down before you kills the both of us... Can you imagine driving anywhere at less then 25 MPH? Funny how times change... How I wish we could all go back to those simpler times and when everyone knew what really mattered most in life... I know times then were hard but still... Something to think about...

Tasty Tuesday

2009-10-20T10:29:00.000-05:00

Chicken Broccoli Cups

2 tubes refrigerated biscuit dough (I always make my biscuits from scratch but not sure how to adapt it to this recipe)
2 C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese (I usually use a blend like Colby/Jack or Cheddar/Jack or mild/white Cheddar)
1-1/3 C. Crispy Rice Cereal
1-1/2 C. Boneless Chicken Breast Cooked, Cubed/Shredded
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup (I used 2 C. Chicken Gravy)
2 C. Broccoli Florets cooked, chopped

Place biscuits in muffin cups, pressing dough over the bottom and up the sides. Add 1 T of cereal and 1 T of cheese to each cup.

In large bowl combine chicken, soup(gravy) and broccoli till well mixed; spoon into cups. Bake at 375 Degrees for 20 minutes... Sprinkle tops with cheese and bake another 5 minutes... Serve...

Yield: Approx 20 Single Serve 'Cups'

ENJOY!

Marvelous Monday

2009-10-19T20:27:00.000-05:00

I went to Engineer's 30 day meeting at his program... After enrolling they do a 30 day review... The meeting went very well... He is doing awesome in his program... We wrote his plan for the up coming year till his next review which will be done annually now... We have lots of fun things planned for him and wonderful independance skills for him to work on and master... Hopefully he will graduate from the program soon... However I should not get ahead of myself... It will be many years I'm sure before that... I'm so glad we placed him in this program... Still their are feelings of are we really doing the right thing... KWIM? However I remain very optimistic about the future... It was an otherwise quiet day the rest of the day filled with the usual laundry, and other homesteading duties...

Son Saturday

2009-10-17T22:09:00.000-05:00

Engineer
9-1/2 Years Old

Saturday is the day I spend a good part of the day just Engineer and me... Today I took some PICS of his latest 'creations' he made via his train set, Lincoln Logs, and LEGOS...

He is doing much better with his log buildings... He used windows and other accessories this time... Before he just made square and rectangle shapes... Just stacking the logs vs creating something... These look like the ones on the box...
This is 'Bob's Yard' from his favorite TV Series Bob the Builder...
Weren't they impressive... Next we loaded in the car to check out the 'new' Walmart being built on the south edge of town... He was very excited by the 'Road Closed' sign... He loved to ask me during the entire time there... Why is it closed? He would then answer himself... Because there is no road... He thought that was quite the entertainment...

The other sign that caught his eye was this one... He wanted us to walk and 'find' the Dead End but it was too cold... We saw it from the street that passes by the Walmart... He was thrilled... Shouted to me "it ends at the unloading depot"... LOL!!!
His staff is really enjoying his extensive vocabulary in regards to construction and trains... I said well he learned it from his videos... He does... He's like a little sponge soaking up each little detail has he watches the video over and over...

It was quite chilly and windy since there is nothing to stop the wind way out there in 'farm' country... We had a great time any way... We also spent time picking up sticks at home, and I found two more pairs of gloves for him... I really need to finish knitting his 'new' hat... We had a wonderful afternoon just us...

What to do next weekend? Any ideas?

Fs Friday

2009-10-16T18:01:00.001-05:00

Couldn't pick just one F today because today was Full of all kinds of F... First F of the day was Fitness... Do to vehicle issues I walked 1.5 miles so I could complete errands... I first walked to a local parish... Spent a few moments in Adoration... I then dropped off some papers... I started my walk to the bank... I deposited two checks, chit chatted and then I was off again... A short walk over to the grocery store to the 'blue' mail boxes... I dropped in a bill I had been meaning to mail for some time... Next I headed home... I haven't walked this far in a long time... Goodness knows it was good for me... I'm proud of myself... I had doubts that I could accomplish such a task... The next F leads me to Foul Mood... I was extremely unhappy starting Thursday night and most of Friday that I had no vehicle and may not have one for some time... However my mood Flipped when my husband with the help of a coworker brought both vehicles home tonight after work... So, there you have it... My Friday...

Thankful - Thursday

2009-10-15T21:27:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I did one of these and wanted to start up again... So, here is are my Top 10 things I'm most Thankful for this week... I hope it helps to remind you of the little things you are Thankful for too!

1. Plenty of Healthy Food
2. Warm, Dry, Safe Home
3. Freedom
4. Healthy Family
5. Engineer is receiving the behavior help he's needed for so long
6. Quality Medical Services Close to Home
7. Good Friends
8. Love of my Husband
9. My children have 7 living Grandparents
10. Functional Computer and High Speed Internet so I can stay 'connected'

Well Wednesday

2009-10-14T23:14:00.000-05:00

All is well here today... I dropped Monkey off... Made a loaf of bread... Ready Linebacker and dropped him off... Picked my husband and Peanut up for our session... Everything went well there... I stood up and took charge... It was definetely better without Linebacker there... Peanut was quiet and barely noticeable... My list was helpful... I left it to be put in the file... Should be interesting to see what happens in our next session... Picked Linebacker up... I have this awful sinus headache just over my left eye... UGH!!! Picked Monkey up... Walked 0.8 miles today... Turned the dryer on several times.. Takes forever to dry a load of jeans... Put Linebackers clothes in the wash... Monkey had ST...

Ts Tuesday

2009-10-13T23:33:00.000-05:00

I couldn't just name today Tasty Tuesday because so many other Ts happened to us today... Thrilling day because our Little Flowers / Blue Knights order arrived... We are all ready for year II... I just love this program... I look forward to the day when I can just Travel and start this program in parishes... Sharing my Time and Talent with others... Looks like the Threat that appeared just after Mother's Day will finally be gone hopefully by the end of the month... We should have a letter stating to the fact soon... Woo hoo!!! Today is a double Tasty Tuesday because I'm sharing my Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine Recipe and my Old Fashioned Cookie Recipe...

Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine

1 stick Butter
5 Cloves Garlic, pressed (adjust to personal tastes of garlic)
1-2 pkg Mushrooms, washed and sliced (depending on how mushroomy you like it)
2 C. Milk
1-1/2 C. Powder Parmesan Cheese (I rarely use this form and usually grate my own fresh)
1/4-1/2 C. Flour (thickening sauce)
1-1/2 lbs Chicken, cooked and cubed
16 oz Fettuccine Noodles (cook as directed on box)

Saute mushrooms and garlic in butter over medium heat until tender... Add milk and cheese... Whisk till 'smooth'... Once mixture is warm add just enough flour to thicken and increase heat to medium high... Continue to whisk... After mixture is thicken reduce heat to low and stir in chicken... Stir occasionally till entire mixture is heated through... Combine chicken/sauce mixture and noodles... 8-10 Servings.
Old Fashioned Cookies

1 C. Butter
2 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Brown Sugar, firmly packed
2 Eggs
1/3 C. + 2 T. Milk
2 t. Vanilla
4 C. Flour
2 t. Baking Powder
1/2 t. Salt
Icing
Sprinkles (we call them pretties ::grin::)

Cream butter. Add sugar and eggs, beating well. Stir in milk and vanilla. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl; add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Chill.

Roll dough to 1/8" thickness on a lightly floured surface; cut into circles (I used a floured biscuit cutter). Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool. Decorate as desired.

Yield: about 5 dozen.

Of course there was all the tantalizing fun of laundry, dishes and diaper changing today... ::smirk::

Moments in My Life - Monday

2009-10-12T18:54:00.001-05:00

Here are just a few moments from my life on this particular Monday... This morning I photographed some beautiful snow that is now gone... Wasn't it beautiful?
Here it is on my lilacs:

At moments it was coming down pretty good...
A view down the street:

A lovely up close photo of the individual flakes... Beautiful: I picked up coats for all my blessings and myself today... I'm washing them so photos will be come in a bit... I made Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine... Recipe to come on Tasty Tuesday... Made a few homesteading phone calls... We finished the rest of our 'Family Movie Night' movie... We watched Race To Witch Mountain... Interesting movie... My husband picked it...

Slow Saturday

2009-10-10T23:01:00.002-05:00

Kind of a quiet day... I went through Engineer's clothes today... Packed up all the 'warm' things and reorganized all his shelves with all his 'cool' weather things... It should make it easier for dressing for school and dressing for bed... I watched Ladder 49... Pretty good movie... I didn't care much for the ending... I guess not every movie can have a 'happy ending'... Definetely a tissues movie... I didn't expect it to effect me so deeply... I chatted with a friend on the phone and another one in IM... It is good to catch up with friends... The day is gone now... I'm off to throw in a load of laundry, start the dishwasher and head to bed... Night All...

Feeling The Cold - Friday

2009-10-09T21:55:00.002-05:00

Brrrr... Winter is coming... We had our first really good frost this morning... Right now our drawers are packed with warm and cool clothes... So, that had to be taken care of today now that it will stay cold and not flip flop back and forth... So, out came all the warm stuff minus one outfit for that odd day and in went all the cool weather stuff... Talk about a PROJECT!!! Whew! Every one's drawers were a messed... We had drawers w/ a pair of shorts in them, t-shirt, pair of jeans, socks, underwear, etc... All in ONE drawer! I'm like no wonder everything looks like it was in a crumpled heap on the floor when you put it on... ::smirk:: I'm glad that is taken care of... I don't know if I updated.... I did some reorganizing and found those missing pieces for the quilt I wanted to work on... I'm ready to sew next week... I only have one appointment and the rest of the days I'm sewing!!! I had my 2nd Women of Grace Study Group meeting today... I just love Johnnette... She is just a breath of fresh air in this flat world I live in... Short post today but changing of seasons is a big task for a family of 6 which I know many of my readers with families of my size and larger can completely relate to... Talk to you all tomorrow...

::before and after PICS to come... need to download them from my camera::

Tasty Thursday - SD Meatloaf Recipe

2009-10-08T21:18:00.006-05:00

Since I forgot to post something Tasty on Tuesday and need to go back into the swing of sharing recipes... I thought I'd throw it out on Thursday because I don't have much to write about other wise... Next week Tasty will be on Tuesday with hopes that Thursdays can be Thankful again... ::grin:: We will see how that all goes when we come to it... Engineer had his dental visits this morning with his staff... He did well... They are waiting for his baby teeth to fall out, and his molars to come then we will schedule another sedation dental visit at the hospital so they can clean, x-rays, sealants, etc... He also had his late (we switched drs this year) 9 year well check with staff there... He recieved a seasonal flu shot... It is part of their policy... I don't agree with it... It will be interesting to see what his reaction is if any to it... I wonder how much mercury the current flu shots have in them... So, everyone has been introduced for future appointments... Peanut had ST today... She is doing so well... She's working on F and S sounds... I spent a good part of the day hunting for a remote... They need to put tracking devices on these things... ::smirk:: I can't seem to find it any where... I have the Notebook (yes i know I'm so 'outdated) which I have never seen but people keep talking about how 'great' it is so I'm watching it... ::grin:: I also have Ladder 49... I'm very excited to see that... Off to watch netflix... Enjoy the recipe...

South Dakota Meatloaf (never made this before till this month)
by Best of Taste Of Home 2009

1 Egg
1/3 C. Evaporated Milk
3/4 C. Quick-Cooking Oats
1/4 C. Chopped, Onion
2 T. Worcestershire Sauce (I never buy this and just use Steak Sauce)
1 t. Salt (I always leave this out unless baking)
1/2 t. Rubbed Sage
1/8 t. Pepper
1-1/2 Lb Ground Beef (I will use 2 lbs so it will hopefully last 2 days)
1/4 C. Ketchup

1. In a large bowl, combine the first eight ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture, and mix well. Press into an un greased 8" x 4" loaf pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 1-1/4 hours; drain.
2. Drizzle with ketchup; bake 10 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink and meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.

Yield: 6 Servings

Comments:
Lauree Buus - Rapid City, SD
"I've tried other versions of meat loaf, but I always end up coming back to this one. It's based on my mother's traditional recipe."

What A Day - Wednesday

2009-10-07T21:51:00.000-05:00

It was one of those days... ::smirk:: It was picture day at school... School picture prices are ridiculous! I hope they turned out well... I'll share when they come in... This year we have Engineer and Monkey in public... I will have Peanut and Linebacker's done in a private session locally... I need to schedule that before our membership expires and I lose my discounts... eekk! Sitting Fees are killers! I just seriously want a break from appointments so I've been putting off setting up a day/time for that... Time is ticking... Some things I'd like to share with my blog readers but not sure how to word them because this is a public form... So, if I struggle with things and they sound kind of cryptic I know you my regular readers understand... Let's just say this mornings 'session' started off very well then went quickly down hill... ::sigh:: Hopefully the next one will be better... I've talked to a few friends in detail and I need to just step up and say what needs to be said at the 'sessions' or it's just a waste of time because REAL change needs to happen... I've come to a point where it's A. just give up and live with things the way they are and forget about any hope of change, B. leave and say forget it's not worth fighting to change/can't live with it unchanged any more, or C. step up and despite the consequences make change happen because things can't continue this way any longer... Sorry for the repetitiveness... I seem to lose my vocabulary when I'm upset... ::sigh:: A girlfriend of mine and I have a plan and hope to start working on it so I'm ready when the next 'session' rolls around... I'd appreciate any prayers... I'm usual so very assertive yet this has my knees shaking... Monkey had ST and that went well... Don't you just love how I just blink change subjects... ::grin:: Sometimes I'm hard to follow... Sorry, just how my mind works... We had our first CCD class tonight... It was good... I was wondering why the 'theme' was You've Got Mail... We learned/will be teaching this month at home about "Epistles" which pretty much means 'old letter that was read to large groups of people'... Pretty creative of the curriculum writer... Next month is "The Final Coming" sounds pretty foreboding... ::smirk:: Should be interesting... I made Chicken Enchiladas... I signed the children up for the Epiphany Play... It will be our first year... I'm excited... I guess that is pretty much what today consisted of... Catch ya again tomorrow...

Mixed Up - Monday / To Do List - Tuesday

2009-10-06T20:35:00.005-05:00

Monday was kind of an off day... I went to an appointment only to find I had remembered and wrote down several times the wrong day... I caught up on laundry... I reorganized my quilting drawers... I guess a while back the children knocked it over and my husband being helpful picked it all up but everything was mixed up... I also realized I'm missing 10 pieces of fabric for a quilt I had planned on working on... That's frustrating... I rested in the afternoon/evening... I have a little bit of a cold...

I rested most of the morning... I still have that cold... It's about the same as it was yesterday... I ran a ton of errands today... One place had a waiting time of almost 2 hours before I could be helped and take care of why I was there... It was downtown... I was in 1/2 hour parking and ran out and moved to 90 minute parking... Glad I didn't have to move again... It is all taken care of so I'm glad I took the time to just wait it out... It was really bothering me that I hadn't been able to do this last Thursday/Friday... I dropped off paper work at a couple of places... It was another thing that had been bothering me that I wasn't able to take care of last week... I dropped off donations to a local clothing pantry... I went to the post office to mail bills and my brother's birthday gift... I stopped in person and paid our car insurance... It is due within a few days once the month begins so by the time payday comes and everything I rarely have time to mail it... I'm glad the office is only a few blocks from our house... I shopped at Walmart for this years supplies of undershirts and PJs... I found Peanut's Christmas Eve PJs... I know she is going to be excited when she sees them... I picked up an electric pencil sharpener... Our manuals have been just eating the pencils... It will make homework pleasant... We have been using pen... I made sausage gravy n' biscuits and chicken enchiladas today... I need to get the laundry moving again...

Shopping - Saturday

2009-10-03T21:54:00.000-05:00

Shopping is the prefect term to describe today... I shopped nearly all day long... First place I went to was Walmart to restock our pantry... I arrived at 11:45 AM and left at 2:15 PM... I didn't realize how long I'd been in there till I came home and saw the time... WOW! I rested for a bit after unpacking... Next I picked up Engineer and we headed to Sam's... We were in there about an hour... We dropped off my Netflix in the box and then I dropped him off... Roofer came by to see if he could find the leak... Our main roof is shot... Looks like we will be replacing that in the spring most likely... UGH! He is sending us some estimates on costs... It will be twice what the kitchen repair was because that was only 3-4 squares of shingles and the main roof will be 9 squares most likely... I rested for a few hours while my husband took the middle ones to the library and run errands... When he came home I finished up the last of the shopping at the grocery store... Another 90 minutes of shopping... We have about 10 things I couldn't find at my usual locations that I will have to search for around town for but we are fully stocked! The pantry, freezer, fridge, you name it... It's packed... This months budget was $500 since I had to restock many of our 'staples'... The rest of the month will be a perishable here and a gallon of milk there and that's it as far as shopping in concerned till after November 7th... Look for my new monthly menu that week from Oct 25th- Dec 5th... After all that shopping we cleaned cabinets, drawers and shelves so we could pack away all our purchases of the day... Amazing all the junk you can collect... LOL!! Have a great rest of the weekend...

Guardian Angels

2009-10-02T10:19:00.005-05:00

St. Michael the Archangel

Guardian Angels

The term guardian angels refers to the belief that each person has an angel who is available to shepherd their soul through life, and help bring them to God. Belief in the reality of angels, their mission as messengers of God, and man’s interaction with them, goes back to the earliest times. Cherubim kept Adam and Eve from slipping back into Eden; angels saved Lot and helped destroy the cities of the plains; in Exodous Moses follows an angel, and at one point an angel is appointed leader of Israel. Michael is mentioned at several points, Raphael figures large in the story of Tobit, and Gabriel delivered the Annunciation of the coming of Christ. The concept of each soul having a personal guardian angel, is also an ancient one, and long accepted by the Church.

The feast celebrating the angels who helped bring us to God began in many local calendars centuries ago, and was widely known by the 16th century. Pope Paul V placed a feast venerating the angels on the general calendar on 27 September 1608. Ferdinand of Austria requested that it be extended to all areas in the Holy Roman Empire. Initially placed after the feast of Michael the Archangel, it was seen as a kind of supplement to that date. Pope Clement X elevated the feast, celebrated 2 October, to an obligatory double for the whole Church. On 5 April 1883, Pope Leo XIII raised the feast to the rank of a double major.

Prayer to Your Angel Guardian

Angel of God,
my Guardian dear,

to whom His love commits me here,

ever this day be at my side,

to light and guard,

to rule and guide.
Amen.

Full Friday Changed To Free Friday

2009-10-02T10:00:00.003-05:00

I had a whole lot of things I was going to do today... I am not going to do them... I going to stay home all morning and not leave the house and relax... After the anxiety/panic attack of worrying/stressing about doing everything today in the short period of time I had available to do them... I decided I'm not going to do it... I'm not going to be all stressed out... I said tomorrow I'm not doing it... This is not good for me and it's not taking care of me... I need to take care of ME right now... So, we all slept in this morning... Monkey, Peanut and Linebacker all slept till 9:30 today... Sure beats quarter after 7! I'm not a morning person so 9:30 is still early for my standards... ::smirk:: I will go out in about an hour to put some money in the bank and drop off some papers but then after that my day off begins again... I'm going to spend my day doing the things I enjoy like cooking my family a delicious meal (Santa Fe Chicken), folding fresh smelling laundry (too much rain to hang out so I will have to settle for warm dryer), if the mood strikes me I might even sit down and sew a bit... Tonight after dinner I'm going to sit down with hot air butter popcorn and watch a movie... A night of laughing with my children is just what I need... Everyone have a wonderful beginning of the weekend...

Thankful to be Blogging Again - Thursday

2009-10-01T10:02:00.001-05:00

Things have been mostly good... Engineer is doing well (photos below)... The other children are doing well also... Linebacker has a bit of the sniffles but with the weather/season change that is expected...

Monkey and Peanut had well check ups... They are doing good... Peanut is on the small side (20s %) but healthy... Monkey is right on for the average (50s %)... Nothing too exciting... We declined the H1N1 vaccine and seasonal flu vaccine...

We had some reworking of our finances but looks like we will make it financially with God's graces to our goal of February (tax refund)... God willing we might be better off then we have been in a long time... September to February is our hardest part of the year financially...

I'm looking forward to the holidays with much optimism... I praying for a different kind of holiday where we focus on the true meaning vs the societal/commercial views of the holiday...

I'm still working on my self improvement plan of taking care of myself... No more burning the candle at both ends...

Goal 1: Sleep 8-10 Hours a night with the rare exception of less...
Goal 2: Eat 3 meals and 1 snack at regular intervals not all in 1 hour in the late afternoon/evening...
Goal 3: Have 20 minutes of uninterrupted of alone time every day...
Goal 4: Take care of personal needs daily or every other day...
Goal 5: Remember I am a person and deserve all the above the same as anyone else in this family....

I will update and change the goals when goals are accomplished and well established as habits...

Engineer had a psych appointment and introduced his new staff to Dr. F... It went well... Dr. F. is excited to work with the staff and together as a team help Engineer...

I didn't do all I wanted today but the weather is icky... Rainy and very chilly... I think staying home was the best option... Hopefully I can squeeze my tasks into my already stuffed Friday tomorrow... I've been doing a ton of laundry... Fell a bit behind this week but picked up on other things like unloading, loading, and running the dishwasher by 8-9 PM instead of turning it on at 1-3 AM and heading off to bed... I loved to be quilting today but my sewing desk is in the perfect location and height to be a catch all... I cleaned it off today...

Before:

Sometimes when you are cleaning you should never ask yourself "I wonder what is behind X?" You may not like the answer.... LOL...

Behind:

Not too bad right? Could have been worse... See that brown paper bag? That's my brother's birthday present... Purchased 4th July weekend while we were at the Teddy Roosevelt National Park... His Birthday's the 8th of July... I'm mailing in a few days... Opps... At least I found it... I tore the house apart a few times in search of it and never found it... Now I know why... ::smirk::

After:

Like my new 'lamp'... Birthday present... Gives just a little bit more light on my working surface... There is a 'room' light but it casts shadows since it is a chandelier behind me...

Also, for my birthday I picked up this because I thought oh that's kind of neat... What do you think I should use it for? Leave me a note in my comments section... Thanks! (Size: 10-1/2" square)

Closed:

Open:

As promised recent PICS of Engineer:

Last Group Photo Taken:

St. Therese of Lisieux

2009-10-01T09:21:00.006-05:00

Saint Therese of Lisieux

Therese Martin was the last of nine children born to Louis and Zelie Martin on January 2, 1873, in Alencon France. However, only five of these children lived to reach adulthood. Precocious and sensitive, Therese needed much attention. Her mother died when she was 4 years old. As a result, her father and sisters babied young Therese. She had a spirit that wanted everything. At the age of 14, on Christmas Eve in 1886, Therese had a conversion that transformed her life. From then on, her powerful energy and sensitive spirit were turned toward love, instead of keeping herself happy. At 15, she entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux to give her whole life to God. She took the religious name Sister Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. Living a hidden, simple life of prayer, she was gifted with great intimacy with God. Through sickness and dark nights of doubt and fear, she remained faithful to God, rooted in his merciful love. After a long struggle with tuberculosis, she died on September 30, 1897, at the age of 24. Her last words were the story of her life: "My God, I love You!" The world came to know Therese through her autobiography, Story of a Soul. She described her life as a "little way of spiritual childhood." She lived each day with an unshakeable confidence in God's love. "What matters in life," she wrote, "is not great deeds, but great love." She lived and taught a spirituality of attending to everyone and everything well and with love. She believed that just as a child becomes enamored with what is before her, we should also have a childlike focus and totally attentive love. Therese's spirituality is of doing the ordinary, with extraordinary love. Therese saw the seasons as reflecting the seasons of God's love affair with us. She loved flowers and saw herself as the "little flower of Jesus," who gave glory to God by just being her beautiful little self among all the other flowers in God's garden. Because of this beautiful analogy, the title "little flower" remained with St. Therese. Her inspiration and powerful presence from heaven touched many people very quickly. She was canonized by Pope Pius XI on May 17, 1925. Had she lived, she would have been only 52 years old when she was declared a Saint. "My mission - to make God loved - will begin after my death," she said. "I will spend my heaven doing good on earth. I will let fall a shower of roses." Roses have been described and experienced as Saint Therese's signature. Countless millions have been touched by her intercession and imitate her "little way." She has been acclaimed "the greatest saint of modern times." In 1997, Pope John Paul II declared St. Therese a Doctor of the Church - the only Doctor of his pontificate - in tribute to the powerful way her spirituality has influenced people all over the world. The message of St. Therese is beautiful, inspiring and simple.

Two Great Alternative 'Scout' clubs For Catholic Girls/Boys:

Little Flowers Girls' Club® is a four year Catholic program for girls ages 5 and up based on learning Catholic virtues through the lives of Catholic saints, Scripture and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Developed by a Catholic mom of eleven, Rachel Watkins, and based on Fr. Lasance's Catholic Girls' Guide, the Club strives to bring the Catholic faith alive and inspire the girls to become authentic Catholic women.

Little Flowers Girl's Club® Blog

Blue Knights Catholic Club is a boys' club aimed at teaching the truths of the Catholic faith to boys through Scripture, saints' biographies, games, crafts and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Based on the popular Little Flowers Girls' Club, this four year program developed by Major Dan McGuire maps out nine virtues for boys ages 5 and up in the first year, and then follows up with three years covering nine catechetical lessons each.

Blue Knights Catholic Club Blog

Menu Planning 9-27/11-7

2009-09-27T00:01:00.002-05:00

Here are the meals I have planned for September 27th - November 7th (some are repeats because I never made it last month {too much food didn't need it} or because I doubled it and froze it or because we just love it)... 99% of it is homemade and I would be happy to share any recipes... ENJOY!

September 2009
Lasagna
Chicken Oven Baked w/ BBCue Sauce
Onion Salisbury Steak

October 2009
Santa Fe Chicken
Chow Mien
Chicken Enchiladas
S. Dakota Meatloaf
Chicken Fingers
Stuffed Broiler Burgers
Chicken Tetrazzini
Super Bowl Chili
Chicken Parmesan
Tomato Crock Pot Roast
Chicken Broccoli Cups
Beef Stir Fry
Mr. Food
Chicken Mushroom Fettuccine
Sloppy Joes
Chicken Quesadillas
HALLOWEEN Pizza -Delivery

November 2009
Tacos
Chicken Burrito Bundles
Swiss Steak
Rosemary Fried Chicken

We Begin Again - Wednesday

2009-09-16T10:22:00.002-05:00

I'm going to take a blogging break then begin regular blogging again on Thursday, October 1st... See you all then...

?

2009-09-10T08:59:00.002-05:00

I can't even think of a subject for today... It is just not going to be a good day and I've been wake barely 2 hours... Engineer is exhibiting one of his worse behaviors and we can't even ready him for school... There isn't much more I can say... I would appreciate any prayers... Thank you...

Wealth Wednesday

2009-09-03T00:10:00.001-05:00

After a day like today... I am truly a woman of wealth... I am rich in so many things... It was my 30th birthday... Today started out like any other day... I walked the boys to school... Peanut, Linebacker and I went to finish Peanut's ECSE testing... We will have the results next week... We came back home and rested a bit before I opened my first birthday present... It was an Electric Griddle...
::insert photo here::
I cooked bacon and eggs on it... They were delicious!! It is the prefect size, easy to use and the food tasted great... I can't wait to make pancakes for the whole family on it... I can cook 8 eggs individually at one time on it... We looked at the box and saw our bacon was the same size as the one on the box... How funny is that... My husband then took Peanut out to finish the birthday shopping... Linebacker and I relaxed at home before walking to pick up the boys... I had a potato salad snack... I didn't want to eat too much because I had a fancy birthday dinner all planned out not to mention cake... ::smirk:: Linebacker and I picked Monkey and Engineer up from school... Monkey had ST... He did well.. It was also his first 'library' day... When Peanut and my husband returned home... I went out... I went to Walmart to finish the rest of our monthly shopping of staples and last minute things needed for dinner... I also ran in Sam's real quick for fries, chips and the last of chicken for dinner on the menu plan... I headed home and we started cooking... The menu I created for my birthday was...

Ribeye Steaks w/ Steak Seasoning Charcoal Grilled then Topped with Teriyaki Mushrooms and Sauteed in Butter Onions

Parmesan Roasted Red Potatoes (recipe below)

Salad (Leaf Lettuce, Carrots, Onions (raw), Shredded Colby/Jack Cheese, Tomato Wedges, w/ Provolone and Summer Sausage Garnish) w/ Raspberry Hazelnut Vinaigrette Dressing

To Be Continued (life happened... ::grin::)

Thrilled Tuesday

2009-09-01T16:54:00.005-05:00

I am so proud of myself... I finished 3/4 of the food shopping today at my favorite little store by my house... I still have $150 of the 'budget' still left to pick up the rest of the staples tomorrow at Walmart... We are feeding a family of six, 3 meals a day (minus school meals for the older two) on less then $400 a month (plus misc perishables we will pick up throughout the month)... I feel great!!!! That is what menu planning is meant to do... Cut your grocery bill... We have been know to spend $600-800 in a month or more!! Isn't that obscene... Considering our income, a lot of that would be put on credit then we are paying interest on something we ate months ago... We just weren't planning like we should... Our family doesn't need to spend almost 50% of our monthly income on FOOD! I'm very excited about my birthday but still have no idea what to tell my husband to buy for my birthday... He's running out of time to shop... ::smirk:: Peanut had speech today and is doing very well... They are working on adding the F sound on to the end of words now... Her therapist is so impressed with how she is picking up each new thing they try so quickly... I scrubbed the climber (ours is 'primary' colors, was purchased when Engineer was 20 months old) out back with my fancy soap that works miracles... I will work on it more on Thursday... I also washed a few windows... The weather here is beautiful... I also knitted a bit on Engineer's hat... It's slow going... I hope to have it finished before his big day in a couple weeks...

Many Lists Monday

2009-08-31T21:50:00.005-05:00

It was a quiet day... I ran to the store and the bank... My husband had a dental appointment... Peanut had speech today because her regular day has an appointment so we moved it... I worked on several lists today as it is the beginning of the month... So, I had to make perishables list, freezer/pantry list, and non eatables list... I had a mom's night at my house with some friends... I made a new grilled chicken recipe... ENJOY!

Golden Glazed Fryer

8 Thighs and 10 Legs (2 nights worth for our family) or 3-4 lb Broiler/Fryer Chicken, cut up

1/2 C. Oil
1/2 C. Cider Vinegar
1 Egg, lightly beaten
Chicken Seasoning
Salt/Pepper to taste

Coat grill rack wit nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill. Preheat grill. Grill chicken skin side down, covered, over medium heat for 15 minutes. Turn; grill 15 minutes longer. Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients; brush over chicken. Grill for 5 minutes. Turn and brush with glaze; grill 5 minutes longer or until meat thermometer reads 170 degrees in the breast and 180 degrees in the dark meat. Discard unused glaze.

Simple Saturday

2009-08-29T21:47:00.000-05:00

My husband had to work today so we didn't go any where or do anything... Our new Netflix discs came so we watched Little House on the Prairie the last disc of the 1st Season... We spent some time outside... Not much else really to say... Just a simple day...

Friends Friday

2009-08-28T21:44:00.001-05:00

Boys were off to school... Peanut went to test to see if she qualifies for any services or not... I have a feeling with all her gains she won't be in ECSE this fall... That is a good thing because she will be able to spend a whole year with Mommy before starting Kindergarten... She has shown an interest in knitting so that will be our fun 'girl' project we are going to do this year... Once the cool weather comes we are going to quilt together if she shows an interest and maturity for such an activity... She finished all her early childhood testing except for a few things... She will do those when she meets with the speech therapist next week.. The teacher who tested her and the speech therapist both worked with her all year last year and they also worked with Engineer his first year of ECSE... So, they know us well... Today is our 5th Anniversary for our marriage convalidation... We didn't do anything exciting to celebrate it... We watched half of Forever Young... We do more on our civil anniversary (10 years this year) which will arrive in a few months... I dropped the bars off at a friends to be taken to the parish bake sale... We rested and picked Monkey up from school... On Friday's respite staff picks Engineer up directly from school... We walked from school to home to drop off things then walked to our friend's garage sale... We were there 2 hours... I found 2 dresses for Peanut and if we can switch the handle from our wagon to theirs we will have a new wagon too!!! I had planned on heading over to MN for Play Date at the Park but the van was acting funny so we stayed close to home... We walked back home and did 'mail'... Thank you to my friend (and blog reader) for the wonderful card... It was special to read it... ::smile, tear:: Yes, I will try to be as prompt as I can be with updates so you and all my readers know what is going on here... Remember my some times cryptic messages are because this is a public forum... Always feel free to email me for the decoded version... ::smirk:: We had our first Sloppy Joe dinner... We also had Alfredo broccoli noodles and steamed broccoli... All the children went to sleep without much fuss... Woo hoo! I walked 16 blocks (1.6 miles) yesterday... Go me!!! I transferred my chicken scratch menu planning into a printed version... I design the layout... I also now have a complete respite schedule till move in day that I also designed (layout for that too) and printed copies for every one... My program I usually use I can't find the disc to install it on this computer... I didn't like any of the 'free' ones I could download so I just designed my own 'form' to fill in, that's printable, in the word processing program...

Menu Planning 8-28/10-4

2009-08-28T00:01:00.000-05:00

Here are the meals I have planned for August 28th - October 4th... ENJOY!

August 2009
Sloppy Joes
Grill
Golden Fryer Chicken

September 2009
My Birthday: Steaks, Grill
Chicken Fingers
Tacos
One Dish Chicken
Spaghetti
Chicken Enchiladas
Grill
Chicken Tetrazzini
Mexican Casserole
Weeknight Pot Pie
Lasagna
Baked BBCue Sauce Chicken
Homemade Pizzas
Thanksgiving in A Pan
Tomato Crock Pot Beef Roast

October 2009
Santa Fe Chicken
Onion Salisbury Steak

Tasty Thursday

2009-08-27T21:16:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I shared a recipe and I will share two today to catch up... ::smirk:: First I will update on the days events... We had our monthly pow wow with all of Engineer's service providers... Those who are uninvited were there... When we shared our latest news about the placement you could see the winds were taken right out of their sails... Should be interesting if they continue to harass us as they have been... They are supposed to call to set up an appointment to finally go over paperwork that we should have been given a month ago... Hopefully they will crawl under the rock that they came out from under and leave us alone!!! We set up another meeting with the placement people to talk about who great Engineer is and all his likes... School will also be in attendance to talk about what structure supports they used to help his day run more smoothly... What an exciting time in his life... I picked the boys up from their 2nd day of school... They had another awesome day... TBTG!!! I didn't have staff tonight so I filled our night with the baking of 4-1/2 dozen bars (recipe below) for the Parish bake sale this weekend... I also made from scratch Sloppy Joes (recipe below) to have for dinner Friday and Saturday... I worked on a monthly menu plan... I worked out dinner for August 24th - October 4th... Isn't that awesome? I am trying out several new recipes and will be sharing them... All that's happening with Engineer we will have to make some changes around here... It's also part of my Burn Out repair program... I walked 8 blocks (0.8 miles) today.. It feels good to be walking again... Peanut had her 2nd speech therapy at the new time... It went very well... We will be adjusting the schedule next week due to appointments I can't move... I worked on Engineer's hat a bit... Almost ready to make the brim... Here are the recipes... ENJOY!!!

Caroline's Bars:

2 Eggs
2 C. Sugar (I use cane not beet)
2 C. Creamy Peanut Butter (PB)
1 t. Vanilla
1 bag of your choice of chips... I made one with PB and one with chocolate...

Combine the first 4 ingredients until well blended... Stir in gently the chips... Press into a 9x 13 pan evenly... Bake 20 minutes (watch so they don't burn on the edges) in a 350 degree oven... Cool completely... Cut into bars...

Approx 56 bars (if I cut the pan evenly ::smirk)

Sloppy Joes

2 lbs Hamburger browned, drained
1 Med-Lg Onion, coarsely chopped, sauteed in butter*
2-4 cloves Garlic, pressed*
1 C. Ketchup
3 T. Steak Sauce*
3 T. Brown Sugar
2 T. Mustard
2 T. Cider Vinegar

Place browned meat in crock pot... Add remaining ingredients and stir well till meat is well coated... Add 1/2 - 1 C. of water if needed... Cook on High 1-2 hours or low 2-4 hours... Serve 2-4 T. of Sloppy Joes on Buns with Cheese and Mustard (as desired)...

*Onion, Garlic depend on personally taste as to how much you put in...
* Steak Sauce - Recipe calls for Worcestershire Sauce which we never use so we use Steak Sauce (A1 or Generic)...

ENJOY!

Wee Ones Wednesday

2009-08-26T20:27:00.004-05:00

Today was the first day of school... It went great... Everything was remember and on time for both the start and end of the day... Both boys had fabulous first days... I am very pleased... Engineer was picked up for his month psych appointment... It went well also... I cooked a nice breakfast for myself, my husband, peanut and linebacker... We had omelets with shredded cheddar cheese and grilled onions that were leftover from the kabobs when we had steak and a sausage patty... I brought in breakfast from the freezer for tomorrow and Friday... I caught up on the tons of laundry... I even hung out a load on the line to air dry... I need to go and bring that in when I'm done here... I also walked 12 blocks (or 1.2 miles) today... Woo hoo!!! I haven't walked in weeks... I hope to walk another 8 blocks (0.8 miles) tomorrow... Depending on how the meeting goes with the uninvited will probably have an effect on how much I accomplish tomorrow... Hopefully we can put the unwanted in their place... ::scowl:: Off to laundry, work on Engineer's hat and bed...

Tidy-Up Tuesday

2009-08-25T21:39:00.005-05:00

Today was whip the house in shape to show it to the realtor so he could make an estimate as to it's market value.... He was impressed with all the projects we have completed and the ones we are mid way through... Still a lot of work to be done before it is ready to sell... After he was done my husband and Monkey went out to take care of some errands... Peanut had ST at her new time... She is doing fantastic... I went out to run a few errands myself with Engineer... Nothing fancy... We stopped at the library to return a book and the mailbox to drop another Netflix envelope in the mail... It was a pretty uneventful day... Baths and off to bed for the children... I'm going to work on a bit of Engineer's hat and then it's off to bed for me... We have a early morning tomorrow... Should be an exciting day!

Marvelous Monday

2009-08-24T21:11:00.000-05:00

Today was pretty fantastic... Lots of good news has been coming our way lately... I ran out for errands to the bank, church and grocery store for a few misc. items like juice, eggs, bananas, milk, and bread... I'm feeling unusually optimistic of the future... I had a great sense of inner peace all day today... Tonight was back to school night... I'm taking a year off this year from homeschooling and sending the children to public... Engineer is in 4th grade and Monkey in 1st grade... We toured the school which has been newly remodeled... I think they are both going to have a really good year... They are both excited to start in a few days... I had a ton of paperwork to fill out... YECK! I finished it all up and packed it away in their backpacks to bring to school on the first day... I am a sweaty mess because they don't have central air in the school only a few rooms like the library, office and lunch room I think one of the teachers when I commented they didn't have the air on... I am off to shower...

Saturday-Sunday

2009-08-22T21:02:00.001-05:00

I was still not feeling well either yesterday or today... Engineer was upset because the air show is in town and the jets have been zooming across the sky... Fr. W. had a fantastic homily... Linebacker's fever is finally starting to go away... Fr. W. gave him a blessing after Mass... We ate subs and watched the air show from the sub parking lots with the younger children on Sunday... I have finished Peanuts, Monkey, and Linebacker's winter hats and currently working on Engineer's... We watched Nim's Island for our family movie night on tonight... We have a Yes and final move in date for Engineer... We will meet soon to talk out more of the details and start setting up dates to being the transition... He is very excited... I am excited too... I can't wait to see how much this helps him...

Frantic Friday

2009-08-21T20:46:00.002-05:00

Today I had more then I care to have to do in one day... It started with a 3 hour visit to the ER because Linebacker had a fever of 103... They gave him a Tylenol suppository and sent us home (1:30 AM)... I chatted with my husband about what all we had to do tomorrow and finally fell asleep (2:00)...I woke up after only a few hours of sleep (8:00) to take Monkey to his last day of VBS (9:00) at the Cathedral... I stayed with him while we watched a picture slide show of the children that week participating in various activities... The parents then listened to the children sing a song... Off we ran to the next thing... We then arrived at home to take the van to the mechanic (10:00) to see if he could figure out what was going on with it... It as back home for just a bit then I packed their lunch to drop them off in the drop in child care while my husband and I went to an appointment... Again I was off an running (10:35)... I headed back home to pick up my husband to leave for our appointment (11:30)... We arrived at our appointment (11:50) and it went very well... Back to the mechanic (1:25 PM)... It wouldn't do what it was doing for us so we said we would take it to run errands and bring it back and hopefully it would do it's 'thing'... Picked up Monkey and Peanut {Linebacker stayed w/ us the whole time} (1:50)... Next we headed off to errands... We stopped at 4-5 different places... We went back to the mechanic (3:00)... The van did it's 'thing'... Mechanic dx the problem as the 'crank sensor'... Which since the "geniuses" who designed the thing put it in an awful place would cost us $200... We said ok and left it there to 'fix' itself so we could drive it back home (3:30)... We won't be repairing it for now and will just deal with this latest annoying 'quirk'... We unloaded and worked on dinner... We picked the van back up (5:25) and brought it home... My husband and Peanut went out to run errands while Monkey stayed home to help me out with Linebacker because I had a horrible sinus headache and at that point could barely see... When they came home it was baths (7:00) and all that jazz then off to bed (8:00)...

Truthful Thursday

2009-08-20T09:16:00.000-05:00

I am either burning out or headed on a fast train to burn out... I'm putting on the breaks but feel like I'm going to hit that burn out brick wall at any moment... ::sigh:: I'm just feeling overwhelmed and hard to tell which way I should go...

Are you burning out? <~~ link to quiz

Your score indicates that you have many signs of burnout

People that score in this range sometimes have trouble coping with the demands of daily life. They often feel overwhelmed. They sometimes lack energy and are unable to manage stress. They have trouble sleeping and have many physical complaints.

People who score in this range are not usually able to set realistic and attainable goals for themselves. They can be pessimistic about their work and future. They are often unable to relax and enjoy their non-working time. They have a very difficult time separating work life and home life.

People who score in this range cannot typically control and recognise their feelings or act on them appropriately. They sometimes have difficulty learning from their mistakes. They often lack compassion and respect for other people. They can feel isolated and alone.

People who score in this range can be excellent workers. However, because of their desire to get ahead they often take on too much work and responsibility. They often become so overwhelmed that they lose their focus and are not able to do their best work. They can become confused about what is expected of them and become distressed when they feel they are not living up to assumed expectations. They can become bitter, angry and resentful.

However, there is hope for people on the verge of burnout so don't give up! You can regain control and begin to enjoy your work again. People who score in this range can decrease their level of burnout by setting realistic work goals, making time for themselves, exercising, being open to the idea of changing jobs, reading books about handling stress, keeping a diary, pursuing an interest outside work, spending time with their families and friends, overcoming negative thoughts, getting involved in some community activity, and, most importantly, by learning to say no.

Wednesday to Wednesday

2009-08-19T20:21:00.002-05:00

Ever since my last post I've been struggling with ills... Sore throat, coughing, dry throat, runny nose, stuffy nose, sinus pain, fatigue, etc... Friday night I stepped on a bee... I was woke up every 1/2 hour in pain from 9 PM till 6 AM... The only thing that helped was putting ice on it... It took about a 1/2 hour for a cube to melt... Ice pack didn't work at all so I continue to use ice cubes... My husband watched the children knowing what kind of night I had from 6 AM (when ever they woke up) till 11 AM when he had to go run errands (we were out of milk) I couldn't then ready himself for work... Hopefully I am near the end of this illness and can start feeling like myself again...

Time Off Tuesday

2009-08-11T01:01:00.006-05:00

My husband had off from work today... Monkey had a dental appointment to fix something that was bothering him on the lower left side... We stopped for some ice cream (suggested by hygienist) afterwards... It was breakfast then phone calls... Due to my husbands bad private session we will no longer be going there together to that organization either... He called and made a new private appointment and I called to cancel our together one we had for that afternoon... I then did some calling around to find somewhere new we could go... We had our 'meeting'... It wasn't very long and was kind of intense... Not happy with our switch and Engineer whacked them in the back of the head... He reacts physically when he feels threatened and he does not like when they come visit the house... I'm sure he's picking up on all the tension... My husband called and talked with the car insurance people about that thing... He had bumped a car in the rain in June 09... It was an employee parked in the guest area of a hotel... They have an older 70s early 80s large sedan... The officer said oh no more then $100 of damage if that... The night it occurred... Now the guy is claiming it will be $1200 to fix the 'damage'... We are thinking gee his WHOLE car probably isn't even worth that much! Even if they don't pay that amount of the claim or any of the claim or the whole claim... Our insurance is automatically going up just because a claim is being made on top of what we already pay... An extra $25... Isn't that just peachy?!? These are the same people we have homeowners with... When our roof leaked in Feb 09 they said oh we will repair the interior damage but not the actual roof... ::eye roll:: Yes, lets repair the ceiling and not the roof so when it rains again, it can be damaged again... That makes so much sense... We hired someone ourselves to repair the roof and we are fixing the ceiling (first coat of primer is on, woo hoo) ourselves... We really need to switch companies... We had excellent service prior to our agent retiring... Now we have bounced around between 3-4 agents... Our dealings with them are becoming more unpleasant each time... They cancel the towing coverage on both autos because we had my husband's car towed twice (broke down) and the van once (broke down) in 2 years... Come on people... What's the point of having towing coverage if you never use it... They considered that 'excessive' use... Moving on... Engineer left with a friend... My husband took the two middle ones out to run errands while Linebacker and I had a 1/2 nap... He was asleep before they left... All the noise/commotion of them leaving and us relocating to a different room he didn't do much sleeping once it was quiet... By the time we settled in and fell asleep, Engineer and had come back with his friend... ::sigh:: Husband returned with the middle ones... He asked if I could run to the grocery and pick up a few things... I said sure... He was showing me the different things he had returned with including new library videos for the week... I inquired where Peanuts birthday present was... He says "we returned it with the library stuff... I didn't realize it was one of ours"... He had returned other videos that we don't own from the series... I head to the library and waited probably 30-45 minutes for them to find it... Nothing... Left my name, number, and title of the DVD... I will call them tomorrow if they haven't called me by a certain time... I saw a FMCHE friend, Caroline (she pronounces it Carolyn), who was headed to our Altar Society meeting... I didn't realize it was that night, my husband had some where he was going, and they don't have childcare... So, I'm in the group and make bars for parish events but never been to an actual meeting... I don't think... I was in my husband's car because when I left to go run these errands the van was doing what it did on Saturday and Monday... My husband stop by the mechanic (nothing but answering machine when we call) and he is out of the shop till some time next week... I went to the store and picked up milk, eggs, cheese, juice, cereal, PB, Wok Oil, and bobbi pins... After coupons it was $7 even I think... I made my way home... We had dinner and my husband went to a newly formed 'men's prayer group' that him and his friends made... The 'wives' are also forming a group... It's funny because we refer to our group as the 'mom's group' and the husband's call their group the 'men's group' not the 'dad's group'... Interesting how we are different... We hope to have our first meeting soon... The guys have been meeting since mid July... So almost a month... It has really been a great thing for my husband... They are a great group of guys... The children and I watched more Little House on the Prairie... Time to drop it in the mail and Netflix to send us a new one... I finished Peanut's hat... I think it might be good for two seasons... I gave her some 'growing' room... I'm working on one of the boys' hats (Monkey or Engineer)... They have the same circumference size but different lengths (brim to crown)... Linebackers should knit up in no time because his is the smallest... The boys' hats are all the same color, a variegated blue yarn... Peanut's is lavender and a variegated purple/pink yarn... I think the exact same color as last year... If I ever have a working computer that likes my camera I will share PICS... It's late and I need to head to bed...

Mean Monday

2009-08-10T19:04:00.005-05:00

Life was kind of mean to us today... I was up early and took all the children to an appointment... They were mostly good... I had feared the worst taking all 4 of them to such a small office... We came home... My oldest and I then went to run errands... We dropped off an update for some paper work for him... We mailed a quilt block I made... We came out and I had the same problem I had on Saturday where the van makes the sound like it is going to turn on but doesn't... We were downtown... It would be too far and too long to walk home... We had missed the bus we would have needed to catch to be home when we needed to be... Thankfully I saw an old homeschooling friend who was able to give Engineer and I, a ride home... My husband had a private 'session' with just him today and I didn't want him to late because of me... Thankfully he was just late on his own... I called around to see if A. I could find out what might be wrong with it and a ride back downtown to see if the van would start... On Saturday after it sat a bit it started just fine... It ran fine the rest of the day... I finally asked he neighbors if they were available to help... The neighbor lady (the one I mentioned before who's 80 this year) sat with the children while her husband gave me a lift downtown to see if I could start the thing... I tried it and it started right up like no problem at all... I drove it home... We received a call from our car insurance company... Not a good call... Something we were over and done with in June has come back that we have to deal with again... UGH! Now our rates will probably go up... Lovely... My husband comes home and here is bad thing #3... His session did not go well at all... He was 15 minutes late... The person is refusing to see him again... ::sigh:: So, we had not such a nice day today... We had a few nice things happen today so it wasn't all bad... A friend stopped by and gave us some fleece she didn't need... We were excited about that... Now the children and I will have to find some kind of project to make with it... We are anxious about tomorrow... I need to do some more cleaning to have the house ready for tomorrow... The laundry monster is growing!

Shakin' Saturday

2009-08-08T18:18:00.005-05:00

The day started off pretty normal... I was up early... I picked up school supplies for Engineer and Monkey... I saw and chatted with a few friends... I attended Daily Mass at the Cathedral... As not to provide TMI for the reader an event happened prior to Mass that left me shakin'... I was weak, slightly nauseated, and dizzy during Mass and was unsure if I would be able to walk up for communion or if I should just steady myself with the back of pew and hope I made it to the end of Mass without being sick or passing out... I was able to make it up to communion... I saw a friend after Mass and that helped steady me a bit... I was thinking should I go to the doctor now or later... I decided I would wait... I stopped at the bank to deposit a small check and came out to a van that refused to start... I walked home (4-5 blocks)... Around the noon hour Monkey and I walked back to where the van sit... It started right up and we drove home... I discussed the events that shook me up this morning with my husband... He said lay down while he took the middle ones on errands... Linebacker was napping and Engineer went to play with a friend... I watched a little bit of Dukes of Hazzard and fell asleep myself... When I woke up it was POURING! Everyone was home but Engineer... I decided I would go to the doctor then come home for a bite to eat afterwards... I would have waited for the storm to pass but the doctor office closed at 6... The ER is 3 times as much... I went and explained what I thought was wrong... They ran some tests and said nope that's not it... They also ran a pregnancy test... ::smirk:: It was negative... He said I was just probably irregular... I just said I'm never irregular... Maybe since I'm 'getting' old... LOL!! I'll be 30 in less then a month my body is doing funky things... It's just left me more confused then before I went to the doctor... My chart this month has been erratic for lack of a better word... I will have to see what my teaching couple says when I finally have a complete chart... I think it's not really age but severe lack of self care on my part... ::sigh:: There you have my Saturday...

Fruitful Friday

2009-08-07T19:27:00.003-05:00

I woke up to a wet day... I thought maybe I would do a little sewing but alas no sewing was done again today... LOL... I did knit some more on Peanut's hat... Little by little and hopefully it will be done soon... I know winter is just around the corner... I took hamburger out of the freezer for Sunday's casserole and breakfast stuff out for tomorrow when we make one of our super breakfasts that would rival IHOP... ::grin:: The children and I took a little drive so we could leave the house... We were suffering a bit from cabin fever... I was in no mood to clean mud off the their boots, them, their clothes, the floors and the carpets... We went to the library to return late books and DVDs... Opps... My husband keeps taking them to pick up new stuff but doesn't return the old stuff... Just remembers to return his own... ::eye roll:: However the most exciting thing today was dinner being interrupted... It went like this... I was annoyed when the door bell rang in the middle of dinner... I'm thinking who is ringing my bell... It's dinner time... I peek out the front window and see no auto... I'm thinking it's another door-to-door salesperson... I open the door to my surprise one of my favorite people... The UPS man... LOL!!! I said oh I was wondering who was ringing my bell during dinner... He blushed... I continued... I wasn't even expecting a box... What a wonderful surprise... He smiled.. I thanked him and he was on his way... As a compulsive shopper the UPS man has brought me MANY packages! I brought it in the house... Such a small box... I wondered what it was... I hadn't even ordered anything lately that I could remember... ::Smirk:: So, I opened it... What was inside? Complimentary materials from Christopher West for my husband... We were sent the CD Box Set of Winning the Battle for Sexual Purity: Straight Talk for Men and Good News About Sex and Marriage... How Blessed are we... God is sooo good!!! I am thrilled... I wrote him and told him about our situation... Isn't he such a wonderful man?!?! I had to share what a wonderfully fruitful day it was for our family...

To Do List Thursday

2009-08-06T21:45:00.001-05:00

I had many things on my to do list today... This morning I made garlic mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts in a butter sauce to go with our hamburgers I made last night... I made a few phone calls... My husband had a dental visit (routine check up)... Monkey and Peanut had Speech... I chatted with my neighbor next door... She is 80 this year (born in 1929)... I will be 30 in less then a month... She calls me 'kid' instead of by my name... Always saying how beautiful the children are and that they keep her young... She has 3 grown children and several grandchildren (all school age)... We were talking how Engineer will be in 4th grade this year and Monkey in 1st grade... When we bought the house Engineer was 2 years and 7 months old, Monkey wouldn't arrive for another 5 months, and I had just turned 23... Look how our family has grown! I didn't do any sewing because I'm more tired then I thought I would be... Guess the week is catching up to me... I knitted some more on Peanut's hat... It should be done soon... I then can start working on the boys' hats and then scarves...