Many Lists Monday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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...

We Love Gravy - Wednesday

Ok... I'm stretching my title today... I admit it... However it is very relevant to my activities today... I made Sausage Gravy and Biscuits early in the morning and then I made hamburgers with sauteed onions in a brown gravy for dinner tomorrow... I refilled engineers rx at the pharmacy... Rescheduled the appointment I missed on Monday for next Monday morning... I worked more on Peanut's hat... I fought with my old computer... It doesn't want to accept my camera so I can't download and share PICS... Our new computer has completely died... It won't boot up at all now... It was booting up randomly when I spent 3-8 hours continuously turning it on and off trying to make it work... I made a quilt block for a secret birthday project I'm apart of... I actually made two... One to mail off to be joined with others who are working on the project and one for me to keep... They are only 3" x 3" and 14 pieces... Sooo cute!!! I listened to some great CDs I received in the mail from the Mary Foundation... I received 8 CDs and listen to Scott Hahn's Conversion Story and the Rosary/Divine Mercy Chaplet...

Tenacity Tuesday

I think the title of my publishing says it all.... Every time I think I'm blogging again my life is blindsided and I am sent into a tailspin... Once I hit the ground I come up disoriented and it takes me a bit to figure out which way is which... I will continue on... I'm trying to think all that happened since my last publishing... Engineer is finished with ESY and we are enjoying our sleeping in the morning... A whole extra hour... ::grin:: I still seem quite tired before bedtime can arrive... August had seem to sneak up on me... I was counting down the days then all of a sudden I'm like oh it's August and I have these things I agreed to do... I'm still trying to tackle this Addicted to Stuff Monster... My latest project that I can't seem to tackle is the Clothing Monster... I wash mounds and mounds yet the drawers are always packed full of clean stuff and the baskets are over running with dirty stuff... We are still having severe computer issues... No word yet on Engineer's placement... Monkey is doing well... He lost his first tooth today... He is very excited about that... Peanut is amazing how much tubes made a difference in her hearing and speech so far... Linebacker has entered the climbing phase... He climbs up onto the couch, on the desk in the library and if the gate is left open to the kitchen he pulls out a chair and can be found standing on the table... So, I've been keeping an extra close eye on him as of late... Saving him and correcting his behavior... They are all enjoying the cool but beautiful weather... Spend many hours outside every day... I started working on the children's hat and scarf sets for winter... Bit of a late start but I hope I finish in the two short months I have to make them... 4 Sets! I guess that is all for now... My major decision I spoke of is that I'm taking a year off from homeschooling... However, I have decided NOT to send Peanut to Head Start so I may be thrown back into homeschooling if she isn't accepted back into her ECSE class... The director of special education is out of the office... Hopefully he will return soon and her fall placement will be more clear be it in ECSE or at home... If I neglected to update on something drop me a note in the comment section... Hopefully I will see you all again tomorrow...

More Monday

I know I have been gone for a while... Life was busy... Peanut had tubes put in her ears and 3 hours of dental work done under sedation... We went on vacation over 4th July weekend... This year we took our annual family vacation at Theodore Roosevelt National Park - North Unit... We primitive camped 4 days and 3 nights... Things were crazy but here I am... The problem we had in May finally had some results... This is a good and bad thing... So far with us cooperating things won't be come any more of a mess... As far as our little engineer's situation we are looking at another 6 weeks till we have an answer or not... We had a meeting and updated the files... Everything looks promising... We talked about other options if things don't go as planned... He has less then 2 weeks of ESY left... YEA!!! Peanut had her 4th birthday... It was a 'princess' Dora theme... She received some new clothes, Leapster 2 (pink/purple), 2 Leapster games (Dora and Disney Princess) a book and a Dora DVD... We grilled out burgers, hot dogs and chicken... Our computer was giving us all kinds of trouble but seems to have calmed down... Linebacker and Monkey are both doing well... Everyone is healthy... My husband made an amazing recovery from a issue he was having late one Saturday evening... I can't do anything but Thank God each and every day that we are rid of that evil that was in our home... Ordered and started using Catholic Woman's Daily Planner for 2009-2010... I read a wonderful book called Addicted To Stuff by Dale O'Leary... I signed for Full of Grace: Women and the Abundant Life Foundational Study in the fall... I'm currently working my way through A Mother's Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot... I made a major decision regarding the fall which I will reveal on Saturday... I have received as a gift, bought, or newly rediscovered on my bookshelf several other books I'm going to read this summer/fall/winter... They are When the Heart Cries (Amish Fiction) by Cindy Woodsmall, Domestic Church: Room by Room by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle, The 25-Day Financial Makeover by Francine L. Huff, The Cross Country Quilters (quilting fiction) by Jennifer Chiaverini, Food Storage 101 by Peggy Layton and Holiness for Housewives by Dom Hubert van Zeller... I hope that catches everyone up... I hope to be blogging again now on my regular schedule...

Struggling Saturday

I haven't posted much lately do to lack of time and struggling with many events that are currently happening... I hope to update soon with as much as I can share...

Prayers for Fellow Homeschooler

Please say a prayer for this family... They were traveling as her husband was being transferred to Japan (Military)... They stopped for the night and their large van was stolen from the hotel parking lot in WA... They lost many personal items... The van has been recovered but none of their personal items were still there including birth certificates, passports to travel to Japan, and a college age daughter's credit cards... Thank you...

~Choosing Joy~

Tasty Tuesday

I made a fun recipe today... ENJOY!

Blueberry Focaccia

May We Please Be Done Now Monday

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

Flurry of Activity Friday

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

Thankful Thursday and Crossing More Off The To Do List

Top 10 Things I'm Thankful For This Week

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

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

What Else Needs To Be Done - Wednesday

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

To Do List Tuesday

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

Many Minutes Spent Planning Monday

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

Subcontractor Saturday

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

Fact or Fiction Friday

What does it really mean to be Quiverfull?

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

Some cover and some don't...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thankful Thursday

Top 10 Things I'm Most Thankful This Week

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

When Did I Sit Down - Wednesday

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

Tasty Tuesday

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

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

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

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

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

Much Time Away - Monday

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

Thankful Thursday

Top 10 Things I'm Most Thankful This Week

1. Availability of Perpetual Adoration/Daily Masses
2. Vision to see all things God had created (children, flowers)
3. Hearing to hear children's laughter/voices and nature (rain, wind, animals)
4. Voice to sing/speak of Blessings/Prayers
5. Modern/Close Health Facilities
6. Wonderful Locally Owned Small Town Like Catholic Bookstore
7. Spring Rains to green up the world after a long winter
8. A fully repaired Roof (Thank You to Jacinta's BIL)
9. Two Local Catholic Radio Stations
10. God's warnings to keep me aware of the evils in the world

Tasty Tuesday

The recipe as promised yesterday... I've made several different 'chicken n' biscuit' recipes over the years and this one is very good and easy!

Biscuits (8-10) you can make from scratch like I do or buy the can kind

32 oz chicken broth and 17.5 oz chicken broth

1.5 - 2 lbs boneless, skinless, chicken breast cubed, browned in skillet w/ olive oil

.5 - 1 lb carrots, coarsely chopped (used can of carrots, drained {had on hand})

3-5 ribs of celery, chopped

1 med. onion, chopped

1/2 C. frozen corn (I omitted and put in 1/2 C. frozen peas and 1 lb. frozen green bean cuts)

Spices - I used my own 'secret mix' it calls for 3 t. basil and 1/4 t. pepper

1 C. flour

Bake biscuits according to can/your recipe... In large pot combine 32 oz broth, chicken, carrots, celery, onion, corn {peas, green beans}, and spices... Bring chicken mixture to a boil... Reduce heat and cover... Simmer 7-10 minutes or until veggies are tender...

Whisk together flour and 17.5 oz broth in bowl (I like to use my 4 C. Pyrex measuring cup)... Whisk into chicken mixture until smooth... Bring to a boil and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened...

Split biscuits and spoon chicken mixture over top...

ENJOY!

Making It On The Homestead - Monday

As many of you may have read on Facebook... I'm offering all my crosses this month (May) and leaning on the strength of the Blessed Mother... Praying for the intersession Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Anne, St. Monica, St. Gianna, my Guardian Angel, St. Micheal the Archangel, and Blessed Kateri to assist me in accomplishing many things as a wife, mother and keeper of my home... Things have improved... I've been focusing on the homestead and not on the world... There are bumps in the road as is expected... Still much room for improvement... Thank you to all of you who prayed for me while I was away... I appreciate that... We are in full swing as far as remodeling 'season' goes... I sanded our banister and it is ready for us to start staining it... The children and I made a fun game of spread the grass seed today to try and recover our snow mashed and flood drowned lawn back to it's former glory... All the dishes were washed and put away... I spent a good part of the day vacuuming and wiping down all surfaces of the 'dust' provided by our sanding job... Several loads of laundry were done and I made a delicious new 'chicken n' biscuits' recipe which I will share on Tasty Tuesday... It's simple and quick! I browsed through the June issue of Martha Steward living... She has a wonderful section on grillin'... The children and I had a wonderful drive singing the Divine Mercy Chaplet and checking out the latest construction projects at the Hour of Mercy (3 PM) this afternoon... I'm instructing yet another FMCHE member in the wonderful art of SFG... I look forward to sharing her 'creation' and mine once I find the key to my garden... ::smirk:: I'm off to continue in my homestead...

Tired - Thursday

I wasn't posting because I was busy but now I'm just in a bad mood... I doubt anyone wants to hear about how irritated and just plain spiteful toward anyone who dare even breathe near me...

Thankful Thursday

Here are my top 10 this week...

1. A husband who loves me despite all my faults
2. Spring Sunshine
3. Movies that Transform your Heart and your Soul
4. Generosity of Others
5. Knowing others personally who are open to Life
6. Spring Flooding is almost over
7. My children
8. My home
9. A table where no one leaves hungry
10. My parish

Where? Wednesday

Where does the day seem to go? I'm not really sure... I don't want to board my readers but right now I need my blog to list my accomplishments during the day... Right now at the end of the day I'm thinking what did I do today? I feel that I didn't do much... I know that isn't true... Starting today I'm going to work on listing all the many tasks I preformed on most messages till I'm out of this so what did you do today? Only to think did nothing...

Breakfast
Taxi Mom
Peanut ST
Laundry - 3 loads
Oldest Psych Appt
Lunch
Nap
Monkey ST
Dinner
Return Library Materials
Cook Dinner For Tomorrow - BBCue Chicken in Oven
Apple Pie
Pick Up House
Nurse/Change Linebacker - Several Times

More to come later...

3rd Tooth - Tuesday

Linebacker's 3rd tooth arrived over the weekend... It is on the upper right side...

Easter - Monday

We had a wonderful Easter... I will work on posting daily again this week... We survived the history making flood... We never had to evacuate but we were prepared if that was to happen... The ones in bold below are all the ones we have lived through since our residence here... We did make it down to 30 something or lower feet but it is going back up to 38 something feet in the next couple of days and then expected to go back down and cease flooding at all till next spring... Many things have happened since I last published it seems like months ago even though it was just a little over two weeks... I will have lots of 'back' messages to put up as well as new messages with many photos...

Here is now the new Top 10 Historical Crests:
(1) 40.82 ft on 03/28/2009
(2) 40.10 ft on 04/07/1897
(3) 39.57 ft on 04/17/1997
(4) 37.80 ft on 04/11/1882
(5) 37.34 ft on 04/15/1969
(6) 37.13 ft on 04/05/2006
(7) 36.69 ft on 04/14/2001
(8) 35.39 ft on 04/09/1989
(9) 34.93 ft on 04/19/1979
(10) 34.65 ft on 04/16/1952

Kitchen Remodel FINISHED!

What do you all think?

::photos to come::

I still have some more work to do but wow what a difference...

Kichen Remodel - First Project

Here is the first project I did... Just something small till I can do the 'big' project... This is a small cutting board/cookie sheet cabinet next to my cabinets that are under my sink...

Here is a 'before' I started:Everything that was in the cabinet:
Here it is 'after' I finished:
What a difference!

Weather Wednesday

As if historic flooding occuring we didn't have enough to deal with but yet ANOTHER 'mini' blizzard blew through our area... It was a blessing because it helped slow the river so we could strength, build or build higher all the various levees around town... It is beautiful... I'm glad I could just stay home...
This what it looked like when we first woke up mid storm...

This was later on after things had calmed down... I always find it interesting how sometimes the snow clings to our roof and other times it doesn't 'stick' at all...

This is out of 'library' window... The snow is almost up to the 'sash'...

This is a view from outside when the snow is melted... Helps give you some idea how high the snow is!
::photo to come::

Remember our Mid March Blizzard... Look at the PIC of Peanut playing... She would now be completely hidden from view of our backdoor now...

This is me showing how high the snow is next (left) to our driveway...

Kitchen Remodel - Let's Start

I've decided to give my kitchen a makeover with the help from some friend VIA the internet... Here are some 'before' PICS of my "mess"... LOL!!!


::photos here::

Flooding - Friday

I'm writing to let you know that I won't be posting here until the flooding stops... We haven't decided if, when, and where we are evacuated... I will have updates on Facebook... If you aren't already my 'friend' on Facebook, I consider doing that soon because I may not have computer access for long... I will have a running comment section for a friend VIA phone to update once we do leave...

Thankful - Thursday

Ten Things I'm Most Thankful This Week

1. Working Utilities
2. Dry Land Around My Home
3. Plenty Of Food/Water/Emergency Supplies
4. Flood Protection Materials/Machines
5. Volunteers
6. Internet Access
7. Radio Stations Devoting 24/7 Programming To Flood Coverage News
8. Safety of My Family
9. Faith and Grace
10. Global Network of Support

Here is a list of our top highest flooding levels... The bold ones are the ones we have been here for...

Historical Crests

* ft on 03/ /2009 (what ever the new record will be)

(1) 40.10 ft on 04/07/1897

(current level when last measured 39.61 ft)

(2) 39.57 ft on 04/17/1997
(3) 37.80 ft on 04/11/1882
(4) 37.34 ft on 04/15/1969
(5) 37.13 ft on 04/05/2006
(6) 36.69 ft on 04/14/2001
(7) 35.39 ft on 04/09/1989
(8) 34.93 ft on 04/19/1979
(9) 34.65 ft on 04/16/1952
(10) 34.41 ft on 04/02/1978

I last read our projected crest went up a foot to 42' feet now... I will know more after the 10 PM news... I know I've told some of you there are 7 evacuation zones that the city officials mentioned... I looked at the maps provided by the city and we aren't in an evacuation zone... I'm not sure what that means for us... The other zones are told to leave the area by coming into our unnumbered zone... So, I guess they move everyone to the middle and when water goes down we would branch out... Seems strange but we have only been here 10 years and never experienced anything like this prior to living here either... So, we have to trust that the officials know best... I will update when I can...

We Need Flood Prayers - Wednesday

I'm asking for all my family and friends if you could please pray for ND and MN residents fighting flood waters... We are expecting the river to crest at 41' on Saturday which is 23 feet above flood stage... They canceled school today and for the rest of the week... Thank you for your support...

We are 1.6 miles from the river and still pretty safe if the river hits 42' (according to the 'prediction' maps)... It's our neighbors, stores, schools and friends that are being directly affected... People in the rural areas not even 4 miles south of me are calling the local radio station in tears please come and help us...

More Water - Monday

So, what do you think of my backyard? This isn't flooding from the river... This is what happens when the snow first melts... Lovely huh?
My oldest is having a good time... The tops of his feet are completely covered... He wears a Men's size 6... He's wearing his 'mud boots'... They are just pretty much the standard issue farm boots... Solid black w/ the orange soles...
Here he is building his own 'levee' to hold back the water...
Today was a quiet day... I made a chicken, noodle dish for dinner... I also baked more cookies... This time I made Monster cookies... I scrubbed the fridge... I chatted with a friend on the phone... I started and finish the Walton's Season 3 Disc 1... I have many errands to run tomorrow... I will be dropping in the box... I'm excited for the next disc... This one only had two episodes... It seems like there was no time inbetween when I finished the 2nd season (library has that) and started this 3rd season... I dream about my own large family living out on the mountain some where like the Waltons do... I can't wait to go back to a slower time and move away from all this go, go, go and technology... I did several more loads of laundry today... I'm looking forward to empty baskets and filled drawers... Off to fold mine and Linebacker's... I wish mine with baby when I'm nursing and use a gentler 'baby' type laundry soap... No dreft! I don't like the way that stuff scented at all... We used Ivory snow for years too... I grew to not like that scent either... I'm all about no perfumes and no dyes now... Today I struggled with eating enough grains... Otherwise I did quite well...

My eating day went as (recommended in parenthesis):
Grains 8-1/2 oz (10 oz)
Fruits 2-1/2 C. (2-1/2 C.)
Veggies 3-1/2 C. (3-1/2 C.)
Milk 3-3/4 C. (3 C.)
Meat/Beans 8 oz (7 oz)

I could use some prayers for Linebacker and I tomorrow morning... Thank you...

Study - Saturday

Here is my counts for today in regards to my eating...

My eating day went as (recommended in parenthesis):
Grains 7 oz (10 oz)
Fruits 1-3/4 C. (2-1/2 C.)
Veggies 3-1/2 C. (3-1/2 C.)
Milk 4-1/4 C. (3 C.)
Meat/Beans 12-1/2 oz (7 oz)

I will update on the rest of the day later... Linebacker is calling...

Failing Friday

Today was a failure of a day... I didn't do much of anything... I've been tired all day and haven't wanted to do anything either... Roofer came by and put plastic up for the rain storm due to arrive in a few days... You can see I didn't do much eating either... Here is my counts for today in regards to my eating...

My eating day went as (recommended in parenthesis):
Grains 3-1/2 oz (10 oz)
Fruits 1-3/4 C. (2-1/2 C.)
Veggies 3/4 C. (3-1/2 C.)
Milk 1-1/2 C. (3 C.)
Fish/Beans 7-1/2 oz (7 oz)

Thankful Thursday

10 Things I'm most Thankful this week

1. A Freezer Full Of Food
2. A Clean Clothing
3. My Children
4. Internet Access In My Home
5. Enough Dishes For Each Member To Have Their Own
6. Hot Water For Bathing
7. Ability To Hear My Children's Voices
8. Ability To See My Children's Many Daily Accomplishments
9. Ability To Splash In Puddles While Walking With My Children
10. Safe/Crime Free Area Outside For My Children To Play

Today I did many small loads of laundry today... It is so much easier to go through the 4 stages of laundry when you don't have 50 pairs of socks, 35 pairs of underwear, 20 undershirts, 8 bath towels, 10 dishcloths, etc to wash, dry, fold and put away in one load... I also wrote my Congressman and 2 Senators today in regards to the President's proposed budget plans... I ran quick to the store during the lunch hour and picked up a list of juice, eggs, PB, milk, ceral, and cheese... Amazing how you run out of things all of a sudden... I just opened the fridge and poof no milk... I know the other day we had a gallon and half... Of course that was the other day... ::smirk:: I finished one of my Netflix DVDs... One more till I have my 2nd Walton disc... I can't wait to watch them over the weekend... My husband started on his 'Vietnam' movie that he wanted... He is enjoying it very much he told me this morning... Here is my counts for today in regards to my eating...

My eating day went as (recommended in parenthesis):
Grains 12-1/2 oz (10 oz)
Fruits 1-3/4 C. (2-1/2 C.)
Veggies 2-1/2 C. (3-1/2 C.)
Milk 4-1/2 C. (3 C.)
Meat/Beans 9 oz (7 oz)

First Step!

Linebacker stood up and took one completely unassisted step then squatted and crawled away... I think he maybe be walking by Easter... How exciting!!!! I will share PICS when he does it long enough to catch on film...

Weeee Wednesday

Today was a crazy wild ride... It was up and down and up... I made it through the day in one piece... I did several loads of laundry... I tried doing smaller loads in hopes it would make it easier to wash, dry, fold and put away more... Peanut and Money both had speech... Peanut didn't pass her hearing test again yesterday so we are waiting for a referral... We will see what this person says... I will be seeking a second opinion from someone we know... Other then the children being wild and crazy it was a quiet day... Two more Netflix DVDs came and I'm about 1/2 way through the first one... I'm hoping to finish them both tonight so I can start the Waltons 3rd Season which is next in my queue... I did much better with my eating... I didn't have to do odd things like eat an entire can of peaches to meet my dietary needs...

My eating day went as (recommended in parenthesis):
Grains 10 oz (10 oz)
Fruits 3-1/2 C. (2-1/2 C.)
Veggies 3-1/2 C. (3-1/2 C.)
Milk 3-1/4 C. (3 C.)
Meat/Beans 9 oz (7 oz)

Tasty and Time Clock - Tuesday

I felt like I was punching the time clock day long today... I dropped the boys off and dropped Peanut off... I stopped in the grocery store for some juice, Linebacker snacks and breakfast... I ate the breakfast as I drove to the monthly meeting for my oldest... We had a good meeting... We are working on another extension and ways to coordinate his education with his general home life... I left there and went over to the PO to mail a book from my husband... I stopped in the local Ace Hardware store to use my 'rewards' coupon... I found an awesome stainless steel 'measurements' magnet... The one I have now is from a Tyson Chicken package... It is 'well loved' to say the least... I left there in plenty of time to pick up Peanut and head home for lunch... We are having fresh from the freezer my famous Mexican Lasagna that I made my friend when she had her twins... It tasted like I just made it this morning... I called the roofer about putting a tarp on the roof before the rain this weekend... Peanut, Linebacker, and I all took another walk today... It was shorter only about 10 minutes because I didn't realize the time and we left later then I wanted... I did a bit better in my eating but it was a struggle near the end to meet my daily recommendations... I had to eat a bunch of 'snacks' to fill in what was lacking... I was still a bit short...

My eating day went as (recommended in parenthesis):
Grains 10 oz (10 oz)
Fruits 3-3/4 C. (2-1/2 C.)
Veggies 3-1/4 C. (3-1/2 C.)
Milk 3-1/4 C. (3 C.)
Meat/Beans 8 oz (7 oz)

Now I'm going to fight my house back into an acceptable state... It seems to falling apart in the housekeeping department for some reason... I'm sure how since we haven't been here to make a 'mess'...

Monster Cookies

Ingredients
3 eggs
1 1/4 C. brown sugar
1 C. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. vanilla
1-1/2 C. peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 C. M & M baking bits
1/2 C. chocolate chips
1/4 C. raisins
2 t. baking soda
4 1/2 C. oatmeal

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2.In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in, in this order baking bits, chocolate chips, raisins, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop onto cookie sheet.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not over bake.
4.Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

ENJOY!

My Day Off - Monday

Today was my first day off from the usual... The way it works right now to start is I have one morning off a week... I had a bit of a rough leaving the house... I wasn't as prepared so it was a late start and still recovered and had 90 minutes of ME time... It was wonderful... No errands, appointments or household shopping... I found myself a pair of tennis shoes I like and added to my wardrobe at my favorite clothing store Saver's... So, I have a few new things for spring/summer for myself and Peanut... Including an awesome baby pink corduroy jumper for Easter... I feel refreshed and ready to face the week... Peanut and Monkey both had Speech today... Monkey's Speech was a make up from the Blizzard... Peanut, Linebacker and I took a 20 minute walk this afternoon... I dropped some computer games in the library slot, put gasoline in the van, and mailed a letter... I receive a complimentary copy of No Cry Sleep Solution: Toddlers and Preschoolers...

My eating day went as (recommended in parenthesis):
Grains 11-1/2 oz (10 oz)
Fruits 2-1/2 C. (2-1/2 C.)
Veggies 2 C. (3-1/2 C.)
Milk 2-1/2 C. (3 C.)
Meat/Beans 11-1/2 oz (7 oz)

We will see what happens tomorrow...

Simply Saturday

It's simply another Saturday... Today I've done simply things I would do most any other Saturday... I woke up and fed Linebacker carrots and oatmeal... I sauteed onions in butter and fried up a lb of bacon... I made 6 scrambled eggs and shredded cheese... We had breakfast burritos... These consist of a tortilla filled with breakfast type items... Today ours had scrambled eggs, shredded cheese, onions, a slice or two of bacon and salsa... Roll it up and eat... We also had tater triangles on the side with ketchup... I ate a bowl of strawberries and blueberries while feeding Linebacker... I haven't done so well with drink of water today... I'm in a bad mood again... I did remember to take my vitamin... I fixed the tub faucet after our oldest stripped it by being too rough with it... This required the use of a flat head screw driver, adjustable wrench, and a tiny Allen wrench aka a hex key... Luckily it was the cold water... After I disassembled it and stopped the water I reassembled it and it's working perfectly now... I ate a snack of PB & Banana sandwich... Returned two of my husband's DVDs to the library... Scrubbed blue Xs off the wall my oldest decided to draw all over upstairs... Hopefully the stain of blue crayon left behind on the wood won't show after we stain it... Oldest and his staff finally have his rooms cleaned to our standards... I did a bit of laundry... Wrote a few emails and played a couple computer games... My husband is working so I wasn't out running tons of errands today... We spent the day at home trying to reclaim it from the chaos... It's not really dirty just cluttered up again because of laziness and busyness... I found a neat tool to help me track what I eat My Pyramid Menu Tracker... Today I'm behind on Grains (4 oz) and Veggies (2-1/2 C.)... It recommends for a nursing mother like myself to consume 10 oz of Grains, 3-1/2 C. Veggies, 2-1/2 C. Fruits, 3 C. Milk and 7 oz of Meat & Beans per day... I plan to do it each day for a week and see if I'm consistently behind in a certain group or if it varies and all even out by the end of the week... I'll let you all know...

Free Friday

After talking to my good friend and mentor Michelle (she is really awesome and I admire her greatly) last night I decided to make some changes in my life... I know I posted a while back about a full plate... I made the positive step forward of emptying things off my plate... However I made the negative step forward of just filling those places with other harder to recognized comments because they were not routine but sporadic in nature... I became even more over worked then before... I've another change... I'm going to take one day for myself a week... Right now it's just about 2 hours in the morning but I hope to expand it to a longer time... I won't be spending these days catching up on housekeeping, grocery shopping, or running to appointments... It is about time for ME... I also changed some other things in my life like going to bed and when I take a shower... Since it's Winter can't take one in the morning before the children wake up because my hair would freeze... I don't own a blow dryer so that's not an option... I do enjoy a nice shower when my hair won't freeze... Good way to help you wake up... I'm also making an effort to remember to take my vitamin and eat 3 healthy well balanced meals in a day... Does anyone have any links with print outs where I can write down what I ate so I know I know if I had all my servings of each of the food groups? I thought about looking on a diet set I won't be using it to lose weight but I'm sure they might have that sort of thing.. Any input would be helpful...

Thankful Thursday

10 Things I'm most Thankful this week

1. A freezer full of food
2. A clean home
3. Celebrating another birthday with Monkey
4. A family doctor
5. Outside help to provide the best environment we can for our oldest
6. Linebacker is a healthy growing boy
7. Loving, Faith-ful/filled Husband
8. Staying At Home to care for household
9. Family
10. My husband's employer

Not to much going on today... Monkey had Speech... Peanut had Speech to make up because one day the therapist son was sick so she had to reschedule... My oldest had a psychiatry appointment... It was only 1/2 hour and we didn't talk about all I wanted... So, we will go again before the end of the month... We also need to do labs... I will do those that morning and see him in the afternoon to discuss the rest of what's going on and lab results... It was a good day... Talk to many friends online and on the phone... I'm going to make some changes in my life but that will have to wait til tomorrows message because it is late... Night all...

Winter Blizzard - Wednesday

We survived our March blizzard... It was a lot bigger then our December Blizzard... My devoted and loving husband cleared the drive way after the Blizzard went through and was gone at 1 AM... He shoveled almost 2 hours to clear it out... I still had to fight the drift the plow made but it wasn't too bad... He's a good man to his family... I'm very grateful... Everything was on delay today because everyone had to dig out from the big Blizzard... Peanut had Speech in the afternoon and Monkey didn't have Speech at all because his therapist was out of town and finally made it home to the Blizzard in town... They closed many roads and no travel advisories were every where... The weather channel came and visit for our last Blizzard in December... They should have some for this one instead...

Tasty Tuesday

I know I promised Lenten recipes but I made this on Sunday and now I have to share because it was so delicious...

Creamy Cajun Chicken w/ Pasta

2 T. butter
1 t. garlic, minced
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 T. Cajun Seasoning

1 T. Parsley

2 bunches of green onions, chopped
1 pint Heavy Cream
Cooked Pasta (we used wide egg noodles but you can use whatever you may like such as spaghetti or spirals)

1. In skillet melt butter and cook garlic for about 30 seconds over medium heat. Stir in chicken and cook until browned... Add Cajun Seasoning and stir until mixed well... Sprinkle on Parsley... 2. Add Green Onions and cook until tender... Add Cream and turn heat to high, boil until slightly thicken.
3. Stir in cooked pasta and serve immediately.

Monkey Birthday - Monday

I'm feeling a little bit better... Today is Monkey's birthday... First I will talk about the day then share photos of Monkey's wonderful day... I picked up mini cupcakes for him to share with his friends... Peanut had speech... We dropped my husband's car for repair... We went out and picked up the rest of the things we needed for the party... We made homemade pizza and ate ice cream cake... I decorated it... Monkey opened is presents and talked to his grandparents on the phone...

::photos to come::

Sick Saturday

I have this awful headache... I'm going to take some pain medicine and go lie down...

2nd Lenten Friday - No Meat

I was Thankful for a quiet day today... I had one appointment this morning and was able to be home the rest of the day... I had a choppy nap so I am a bit tired... I'm looking forward to my husband mini vacation when I can have some R & R... I made Shrimp Broccoli Alfredo w/ Bow Tie Pasta today for lunch with my husband... The children and I are having a traditional Lenten meal of Fish and Chips (fries) for dinner... I did do a bit of laundry today just to be caught up for the weekend... We are doing linens during my husband's mini vacation... I dropped my latest Netflix video in the box Monster-In-Law... It was surprisingly different then I thought it would be especially the ending... I would recommend all women who have a Mother-In-Law, are a Mother-In-Law or will some day be a Mother-In-Law to watch it... It does have a few things I generally don't watch in movies and those were same gender relationships (very mild only 'references') and cohabitation/premartial relations... Otherwise a good movie... The rest of the Christy series arrived today so I look forward to watching those and then the 'independent movie spin offs' are next in my queue... I also dropped of a giant stack of DVDs at the library... When I went to renew them online I did so on the wrong day so they were due earlier then our 'usual' weekly library days...

Linebacker's Teeth

Not the best picture but I hope you can see his two tiny teeth on the bottom...

Thankful Thursday

10 Things I'm Especially Thankful This Week

1. Warm Home
2. Functional Auto
3. Indoor Plumbing
4. Modern Medical Care
5. Plenty of Food
6. My Children
7. My Husband
8. Good Friends
9. Ability To Read
10. Religious Freedom

I dropped everyone off and headed to the dentist for visit... My second this week... It went very well... I stopped at Walmart to pick up Monkey's CARS Leapster game but they only had one and it the box was empty... ::frown:: So, I sat for 15 minutes and waited for TRU to open... It was cheaper there because I had coupon but I didn't really have time to wait for them to open... However I guess Walmart made the choice for me... I was about 10 minutes late coming home... I went and picked Peanut up and at a 'snacky' lunch... We had buffalo strips, mozzerella bites, pot stickers, creamed corn, pepperoni/sausage mini pizza and mini chicken egg rolls... We didn't want to fix a 'meal' because we knew we couldn't eat meat tomorrow... I picked up the house and vacuumed... The carpet man came and steamed cleaned the house... Monkey has ST in the kitchen because the carpet man was working where they usually work in the library... We took a quick drive around town while the carpets dried a bit... I didn't have respite because staff was attending a funeral out of town and wasn't unable to come back for their shift... I watched 1/2 a movie and did a ton of laundry... Almost ready for the weekend...

Whirl Wind - Wednesday

Today could not be describe better the the title above... I dropped the boy off and then wrote out the bills for mailing... Peanut had speech... I continued to work on the bills an other household items... I went out to run errands... I stopped at the PO drop box and put in almost 10 things to be mailed including my Netflix videos... All the bills are now paid or on their way to be paid... Always fills good to be over and done with that... I stopped in Kmart and picked up Linebacker an umbrella stroller... They only had one style and I'm not thrilled with the pattern but it's more about function vs design... It will perform the purpose I need it to... Umbrellas don't last long in our family so it's also a matter of what's the best deal over prettiness too... I will need it on my next trip to the dentist because I can't hold him while I have my tooth fix like I did when I had my cleaning done... I dread being numbed... At least the issue will be fix and I won't have that funny feeling forever... It was off to pay my husband's clinic bill off... When I was in there in February they said his was paid when I was paying on mine... I though that didn't sound right but the usual patients account lady was working with someone else who was having more serious problems then me coming in to pay off an account... We received a bill saying it wasn't paid off and so I finally made it back in there today to do that... I stopped at the Cake & Candy world, a cake decorating type store, to pick up the toppings for Monkey's birthday cake... I found a really cool Lightening McQueen Candle and some other little doo dads... I also picked up a tube of pre-made/pre-colored icing... No reason to make a whole bunch of icing and coloring it for a bit of writing... I picked up Monkey's Cake from Ice Cream Plus... Their ice cream cakes are 1/2 price on Tuesdays and Wednesdays... I made a quick trip into our bank (right next door to the ice cream store) because the ice cream store only takes checks or cash no plastic not even your check/debit card from the bank... My next stop was the grocery store... I picked up just a few things like Linebacker food/juice, bananas, bread, milk, juice, mustard, tuna, spices/extracts, and candles for Monkey's cake... I looked at my receipt and it had just turned noon... I headed home for lunch and kiss my husband before he headed to work... I unpacked all the items and put them away... I ate a bowl of stir fry and chatted with friends via IM... I found Monkey's Leapster CARS game (there are several) I will buy for his birthday present... It was time to pick up the boys... No nap for me today and now I'm starting to think maybe I shouldn't have skipped it... Monkey had speech... It is his speech therapist birthday today... She's 25... Happy Birthday R! We had religious education tonight... To Be Continued...

Day Trained!

Peanut is day trained... I owe my thanks to this book -

Title: The No-Cry Potty Training Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Child Say Good-Bye to Diapers
Author: Elizabeth Pantley

Here are two Quick Facts About Potty Training from her book...

♦ The perfect age to begin potty training is different for every child. Your child's best starting age could be anywhere from eighteen to thirty-two months.
♦ You can begin training at any age, but your child's biology, skills, and readiness will determine when they can take over their own toileting.

This is 100% true and so helpful... After reading this book and taking the quiz I knew Peanut wasn't ready yet... She had just turned 3 years old... However when she was ready I knew and could help out where she needed me too... She will be 4 in a few months... There have a been a few bumps along the way but no tears from me or her... ::grin:: I couldn't recommend a better book (I've read a dozen or so)...

Tasty Tuesday

I'm going to write about the day then share a tasty Lenten friendly recipe... Today has been a busy day... I dropped the older three off... I made a stop at Kmart to pick up more pull ups for Princess... She is almost completely day drained... I also picked up Monkey a book for his birthday... I dropped a Netflix Disc in the Mailbox... I had a dental visit... Just a general cleaning... I have one tooth that is a bit rough and I have to floss that spot constantly... They are fixing that later this week... I called in my oldest prescriptions as to speed that up... I dropped off my form for mileage reimbursement... I went to the pharmacy and only had to wait a few minutes... I'm glad I remember to give them a call so I didn't have to wait too long... It gave me just the perfect amount of time to go across town and pick up peanut... I paid the electric/gas bill and the phone bill online... I also paid an eBay auction for my husband... He bought Monkey (who's birthday is around the corner) a coin bank... I went to the car insurance place and paid our bill... I also made a quick run to Sam's... I picked up a cooking magazine from Taste of Home and Love Dare the book from the movie Fireproof... I picked up the boys and did a 'recon' trip to the new doctors office... Linebacker has a check up next week and I wanted to make sure I had good directions and check to see how much time I needed to arrive on time... I also worked on the laundry... I am 'caught' up for the moment... I fixed the shower sliding door... I watched the rest of the Christy discs I have... I will drop them in the mail and excited to finish the series... I wish they had more then just a couple seasons... I'm really enjoying it...

Homemade Fried Fish w/ Homemade Tarter Sauce

2 eggs, beaten
2 C. crushed square crackers (saltines)
2 lbs of fish cut into 1-1/2" wide strips
Oil for frying

1. Beaten eggs in one bowl and crushed crackers in a ziplock. Dip fish in eggs and then shake in zip lock till lightly coated. Let stand for a few minutes before frying.
2. Heat oil to 375 degrees or when the water pops when flicked on the surface... Fry just enough for one layer of fish in your pan without touching. Fry 2 minutes or until golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towels.

1 C. Mayo
2 T. Sweet Pickle Relish
1 T. onion, finely chopped

Combine ingredients and chill well... Serve with fish...

Money Spent - Monday

Today I seemed to writing checks left and right... I walked to boys this morning... I caught a ride back with a friend... I should have dressed better... I thought it was warmer... I was thankful for the WARM ride home... We went and picked up the van... A new radiator, repaired door handle and reattached turn signal/runner light... Peanut didn't have ST because the ST son is ill and didn't go to school today... We will have to reschedule to later in the week or some time next week... Next was the plumber... The tub was draining a bit better then it was a week ago but still wasn't draining like it should... He also unclogged the toilet... The holder did become stuck... He managed to remove 2 of the 3 parts and the 3rd part hopefully managed to go the rest way through the line... We have two plumbing fixtures working at peak performance... He referred us to the estimate department for our vanity... The water doesn't want to come out of the faucet and the drain doesn't want to drain... It seems we will need to replace our galvanized pipe with new modern 'pipe'... We will know more once the estimate team comes out for an inspection... The next check to be written was to the Schwan's man... I paid cash for my order and the stuff my husband and I picked out I wrote a check too... Supposedly there is a joke the Schwan's man is the modern day 'milk man'... I told my husband our Schwan's man was not seen as that way to me... I wanted to mother him versus having a 'crush' on him... We had a good laugh about that... I had a good nap... I picked up the boys and made a drop at the library... We had Chinese stir fry we made last night for dinner... It has steak, pea pods, green beans, peas, carrots, broccoli, green onions, and mushrooms in it with lo mien type noodles... I need to put the troops to sleep... They are resisting... I'm sitting away here just tap tapping on the keyboard...