Timing is everything...

Well, not actually in our house. It is more like school or no school. For the last 12 years, since my teenager began Kindergarten, I have had to wake her up EVERY morning, one way or another, flickering the light, nudging, whispering, talking, yelling, hollering, pulling off the blankets and pretty much everything else. School is now out for the summer, but she still has commitments, cheer practice, and now today, her first day of work. And guess what...she is awake and getting ready for her day...ALL ON HER OWN! Now, as in every year past, that will change the minute school begins again, I know it! I have proof, just by looking back at the last 12 years.
Anyway, hair cuts are on tap for the rest of us, at least the little girls and I, we cannot see anymore through our veil of hair that covers our eyes, so it is time! Tried to go yesterday, but I think that it must be a rule that all hair salons must be closed on Mondays...
I am hoping to make toast for everyone this morning so that there will be minimal mess to pick up in our rush out the door not to be late for our appointment! That is just a hope so we will see!

What to do when your Birthday is coming...

You know, there is always that dread for me, as I get closer to the BIG "40" that, I really am getting older. Younger people or "kids" at a store say "Excuse me, Ma'am", or something that make me feel even older than my 38 years, to be 39 in a few days, and I almost look around for some really elderly woman with a cane. Am I wrong? Does this happen to anyone else out there?
I mean, my body, with all of my health issues makes me feel about 80 somedays, but do I really look so bad that I am a "ma'am"? I do sport a few, well maybe more than a few grey hairs, but I still have enough of my natural dark brown hair to mask most of it...I may walk with a limp, but I do not currently use a cane with the feet, or orthodic "old people" shoes...I do not wear elastic polyester pants with a button up shirt that has overtly ugly flowers and a lace collar. But, "ma'am"...wow!
I was even feeling maternal, and felt the need to make something homey and domestic to eat for the kids, so I made them pancakes, but I refused to put chocolate chips in them because of the mess that they will leave on the table...wait a minute...omg! Maybe I am becoming a "ma'am"...aaargh!
I always wanted to be the "cool" Mom, you know...the ones that in our teenage opinion, is not our own parents, but the ones that our friends have...Sorry, Mom, I do love you, but in my skewwed teenage mind, my friends parents were way cool. But, instead, I find that I am actually a "ma'am"! What to do!

My garden will be pretty, my garden will be pretty...

my garden will be pretty...
Well, I can hope, right? I had to cheat though. After all of my intentions and buying the seeds and the starter containers, and plant food, and taking the time to start seeds not only once but twice, due to the weather, I had to still make a trip to the local greenhouse and buy plants. I am not as put off as I thought that I would have been, there is nothing I can do about the weather. I remember in church that we were praying for moisture, and we are getting it, so I can't complain too loudly.
Today, my Mom is coming down for a site visit for work, and so she is also planning to stop over and visit for a bit this afternoon. The kids are getting excited, so the plan for today...clean house! That is usually the plan when I know people are coming to visit. I am not sure if I will be feeding her along with the rest of the family, so that is still up in the air, at least for now.
The muffins that I made a few days back are all gone so I will have to think of something else. I am probably leaning more towards granola cookies. There do not take very long, and everyone loves them. Plus, we all know I have a "surplus" of a lot of different granola.
Have a happy day all!

Last Day of May...

It is still more like April though if you look at the weather. Hubby did a wonderful thing, and got my garden beds ready for me to plant in, but we shall see, I still have to get the plants in, and keep them warm enough with the water tubes that we have so that they get a better chance of producing something. So, we shall see! If things do survive, they will be late at any rate...oh, well, what can I do?
Everyone seemed to enjoy the muffins that I made yesterday, so much so that there were a few ground-in mini chocolate chips in my fairly-recently shampooed carpet...Yes, I did flip out, just a little, and hubby was really good about cleaning the spots for me!
As for today, we are having left overs. As, I still have to bake some loaves of bed that I had hoped to do myself yesterday but was unable to. My body didn't last much past around 11 a.m. I hope that this new pain management trial works and so I can at least get some relief! We are down to two weeks from today for that, but who is counting?
Yesterday, I returned a call to a women from church asking me to assist in taking a meal to a elderly man who is on crutches and alone, so of course I said yes. So, next Wednesday is my day. She did give me a list of food items that he is allergic too, but luckily I do not have most of what he is allergic too here, nor do I cook with them regularly. So, we should be safe. Have you ever taken food to someone you barely know? I always hope that they like what I take, maybe that is the pride that I feel for what I do, whether it be for family, or friends, or a person in need. Is pride a bad thing in this case? Have a great day all!

Summer vacation...Bring it ON!

Okay, well, not so much, but I have so much to get done and finally a teenager, here in the house for more than to sleep, or so I think, that can help me! I have such high hopes, and a knowledge even still that every spare moment she is not at cheer practice, working or hanging out with friends, she will do her best to be sleeping! But still I have the hope that she will not only actually help me, but want to! ha, ha!
As for today...so happy. My garden will finally be cleaned up so that I can begin planting! Hubby said so! Why so late? The weather! It has been truly yuck, and there has been little that I can do about it. Even the garden that my church plants for it's members just got started this past week, so I am not too late in comparison.
I am even going to make Pumpkin Spice Muffins this morning, and hopefully get more bread in the oven later. Feeling a bit domestic on this Memorial Day actually. I hope that my body holds out! Today for me, I will reflect on my Grandfather, Great-Grandfather and Parents who all served in the military, and have hope and faith that those currently serving will know that I, myself and my family are thinking of them and thanking them for their sacrifices!

To Catch Up Would Be Devine!

Yeah right! Which thing do I need to catch up with FIRST? Laundry, Dishes, Hugs, Kisses, Dusting, Gardening, more hugs, more kisses...
When you get behind in something, is it ever possible to truly catch up? I don't think so, because the extra time you spend catching up means that something else is being neglected...who knows for sure?
As for yesterday, speaking of catching up...I made the infamous breakfast sandwiches, with eggs, cheese and bacon. Yum! My teenager even woke up and was half coherent to come out and eat with me and the little girls. Poor hubby missed out, he had to head off to work before they were finished...so sad. Then, my same teenager went back to be until 2 p.m. What is up with that? I let her do that, that once, as she just finished her year of school on Friday, but no more. I figure if the rest of us are up and around she needs to be too! Plus, she should be starting her job this coming week, so she needs to be "awake, alert and alive" for that, don't you think?
As for today, we will be having breakfast for dinner! I love that, I really do! French toast and scrambled eggs with cheese, is what I am thinking...Breakfast anytime, as long as family is together is perfect! Have a wonderful day all!

Love is...Banana Bread...with Chocolate Chips!

Among other things that is!
It is time to make more banana bread and pumpkin bread! I have finally fed my family the rest of our stash. So, it is time to make some more...which I can hopefully get baked and into the freezer, BEFORE anyone smells what I have been up to, otherwise this exercise will be for not.
Last night, hubby, and the little kids and I went for a drive to see, a formation in the Snake River that is called Caldron Linn. It really does look similar to a witch's caldron too. If you look at the river upstream a bit it is very calm and serene, then you walk precariously over a rock filled path, that if you are not careful the whole time you could trip over, you get closer and closer to the river, then there it is! A roaring spot that is really a small area where the entire river goes through, and down a water fall to the rest of the larger canyon. It sure was a sight to see, but very dangerous. No wonder sign at the start of the grade down to the area reads, "HAZARDOUS AREA!" Hubby has lived in Idaho his whole life, and had never seen that before, so it was something we experienced together. I think next time we will go visit Shoshone Falls, the more commercialized visitor spot on the river, with a lot more gaukers, and tourists...but most importantly...handrails and protective fencing! Have a great day all!

Breakfast for Dinner! Yum!

What can I say? Having breakfast food any time other than in the morning, makes it taste so yummy! Am not sure why. Maybe it is the extra time taken to do things correctly, instead of rushing so people can get out the door...who knows.
On tap for today? Garden duty! I am so behind in getting our garden in, because of the wind, rain and constant cold that I am afraid that I will have to scrap the idea of planting from my own seeds and go instead to the greenhouse nearby and buy some plants that are much more ready for planting...that is so sad!
On another note, I have been watching my 4 y/o the last couple of days, since preschool ended, and noticed that while she can somewhat count past #10, and knows her alphabet, she only knows the words, and cannot recognize them. That is truly sad, especially after the amount we paid for her to attend preschool. I have gotten some workbooks, and a disk with school things to work on that I can print off myself, and so we are going to set aside time each day to do "homework". A question might be asked, "Is she ready for Kindergarten?", My answer, "No!, But she will be." As for next year, Pre_K, at the same location, as of now, I will be working with her at home at this point, I don't want to pay $18 per day for 3 days a week, to relearn and possibly be behind still, before Kindergarten begins...

Good and Bad all in One...

Have you ever had one of those days? Where it begins one way and ends in another? Well, today was that for me! I got up this morning, knowing that I was not going to make it to church, because hubby's sister was coming over, so I wanted to be home, and not miss her visit. I decided to make a nice lunch because we had plans for around dinner time, so I made funeral potatoes, just cheese potatoes that people seem to make for a family after a funeral. Anyways, then I put two loaves of bread in the oven, and lemon bars for dessert, which I have never made before. All to go with hot dogs. Something simple right? ha, ha!
Anyways, got everything started and actually on the way to done, when plans got shifted to a little later, which is perfectly fine, food stayed in the oven a bit longer, no big deal. My sister-in-law arrived with her daughter, and we were having a nice visit, sat down to eat, all is well, then I got up to get something, and low and behold...a fairly good sized spider was sitting in the pan of lemon bars.....oh my goodness...I freaked out! You might think that dessert was ruined, right. Not so, I had actually cut the bars and plated a few before this moment, and set them out on the table, thank goodness, and a huge sigh of relief, but how dare that pesky spider rain on my parade! After lunch and a bit more of a visit, they headed off to visit other friends, and then to travel home tomorrow. We wish her safe travels!
Then, after lunch, we put the little kids down for a bit of a rest until we needed to head out for a graduation party in the afternoon. I even laid down, only to be awoken by another pesky thing...a teenager, wanting permission to call a friend...when has she ever asked my permission to call a friend before? I can't remember. At that moment, the littlest one decided that she was going to awaken, and cry out for Mom, So much for my rest.
Later on, we then piled into the vehicle to head out for a graduation party. Which, I will admit, it was nice to see some of them that I haven't seen in a while! Everyone got a piece of cake, of which I finished 1/2 of one that was leftover. Then, the little kids got to play on the swing set and have fun with other, only for our 4 y/o old to come in abruptly and ask when we were going home...it seems that she had had an accident, and was truly embarassed. You see, we were at a strange place, and she didn't know where to go our who to ask...we felt so bad for her, and left soon after.
Now, after an eventful day, I sit here, hunched over the keyboard of my computer, in extreme discomfort and pain, wanting, no needing to go to bed after taking a very large pain pill, but I am wide awake. So, despite being wide awake, I will sign off, take a pain pill, and force myself to lie down, and wait for the meds to kick in and hopefully bring relief, as tomorrow is a new day, and I still have dirty dished to do, plus an extra load of laundry.
Oh, the Joys of Being a MOM!

SInce I have had breakfast for dinner...

Why not have dinner for breakfast...now that is confusing, right?
Actually, I got some really nice looking pizza dought at the grocery store, and want to try it today, so I am debating on making abreakfast pizza with it, cinnamon rolls or scones? I am thinking that they cinnamon rolls are sounding pretty yummy right about now, with a great big glass of cold milk!
Tomorrow will be busy, busy, busy! Sister in law will be coming over in the evening, so, knowing me I will overdo it cleaning in preparation for her visit, friends who own a home decor franchise are having a big sale and so I hope to check things out Saturday A.M. then the cleaning will commense afterwards.
Little girls are up and around so, off I go! Have a great day!

A love hate relationship...mostly the latter, right now...

Not with a person mind you, more and inadamate object. That being my internet, or rather a certain social networking site that I usually play a certain pioneer game on, that has locked me out and will not load. When it happens to load, at least in the recent past, it is so slow, that I get frustrated and refresh, only to be locked out again. Why did Qwest have to go out on their own and go away from their past internet service provider...aaargh!
A lot has happened in the past 24 hours though. First thing, I passed the class that I just finished! A great big sigh of relief that was, and now...onto the next one! Secondly, my 4 y/o just finished up her first year in preschool! She brought home a "book" of her work, showing what she has learned this past school year. She knows her alphabet(if you count singing it so fast that you can only understand the first 5-6 letters, and again 5-6 at the end. We need to work on slowing that down and pronunciation this summer. She can count with conviction to 13, knows several shapes and a lot of colors, and there was even a class picture of the 5 of them together. My baby has decided that she likes to lick things, especially Mommy, instead of giving me a kiss, but she waits until it is too late for me to back up, and so I am expecting a kiss, and instead I get a big slimy lick across my face. Which was cute the first time or two, but now, I almost need a towel. Hopefully this is a phase that will pass quickly!
Thirdly, I have a date set for the trial for the next step in my pain management. I am excited for the possibility. but now. my hubby decided to rain on my parade, and get all concerned and worried. I told him that it is jsut a test to see if I can handle the meds. If not we can go another route, and if so, then we know at least. And lastly, about an hour ago, I woke up my teenager for cheer practice. What is the big deal? Well, she was not able to get up at the sound of her own alarm, and so she downloaded an "app" of some sort, that was suppose to wake her up...yeah, right! She was all "surprised and miffed", then when I was walking out of the room, she laid back down like she was going to go back to sleep, only for me to say that she had better get moving...I think she made it there by five. I only hope that she brushed her teeth!
As for our breakfast experience in the last few days, it has been going well. We have had breakfast sandwiches, homemade toast, and eggs, and the plan for last night's dinner was to be a breakfast casserole, but it ended up being the hubby's "special". I do have to say, when I started making loaves of homemade bread, I was hoping to save some money, but what ended up happening will probably be the opposite, and I am making two loaves of bread every 3-4 days. We were able to get over to the bread store and buy the bread that hubby usually would eat in the past, and all six loaves are untouched, and he told me yesterday, with a sad face that he just finished the last four slices that were in the fridge, so I needed to make some more...with a pout in my direction. I truly am happy that he like food that I prepare, but does he realize what a pain homemade bread is? I know that he does, but if he is happy, I will gladly endure! Have a great morning!

Breafast Sandwiches and a whole lot of Wind!

That was what we experienced yesterday...I made those yummy sandwiches for breakfast with ham and cheese and eggs, and we were all set for going outside then I opened the door and the wind hit us, so no outside time yesterday...As for today, that is the same hope. The trees outside the window are not bent sideways, but it is still early, and a bit cold yet. We can hope and wish! Family will be visiting this weekend and we are looking forward to that! So, lots to do! Have a great Day!

Almost time to make the calls...

Every Saturday, almost like clockwork, I call both of my Grandmother's. The one, I can pretty well count on being there every single Saturday, which is great! She is 91 and she really is a home body of sorts. We talk a lot about different topics of discussion, usually what sparks it is what she has watched on CNN or Fox News. But, we talk a lot about different things. She also like to reminisce. Which is fine. So, we get to talk each week, but I do have to say that my breath catches each week as I wait for her to answer the phone, I know that there will be one day when she doesn't answer, come on, she is 91, but I still don't want that day to be today!
As for my other Grandma, she and Grandpa are a little younger, but not a lot. They are not always there when I call, because they like to get things done on Saturday morning, they love auctions, especially Bernie's, they grocery shop on Saturday mornings, and there is the occasional Senior Trip with their church. But, when we catch up, it usually is geared more around what family members are doing, what their plans are and things like that, which I really enjoy because I live so far away from all of them. They all live on the East coast, and I am here in Idaho...
The reason, I share this is because saturday morning breakfast, are moreoften than not planned around those two phone calls, if I get up late or if breakfast is going to take a bit to prepare, then everyone has to either wait for it, or eat really fast, so that I canget things cleaned up. And no, I do not want them to get indegestion, but sometimes hurrying food along is hard.
So, off I go, call are to commense in half an hour and I still have kids to get dressed, hubby to get off to work, and of course breakfast to make... Have a great day All!

So, my internet was trouble and...

still was able to get things done...amazingly! I got stuff done that I needed to do, other than sit at my desk, and computer, wanting to only play Farmville and Frontierville...Scones today, with honey butter, is there anything better? Almost nothing if you ask the folk in our house! I have an amazing dough recipe, better than I have had made by anyone else, ever! If I do say so myself! Hubby even admits that mine is better, and I know that after almost eight years of marriage, he no longer tries to keep from hurting my feelings!
Tomorrow is going to be fun! teenager is watching the little kids for me so that I can meet a friend from CSI, who lives outside Boise and is visiting her family for the weekend. We are set to meet up for lunch! Looking forward to catching up!

Pumpkin Bread and Physical Therapy...

Got a loaf of pumpkin bread out of the freezer this morning, after all but two of us left...shhhh...don't tell, it will be our little secret. Only kidding, because everyone scattered so early, littlest one and I will save it for them when they get home. PT this morning, but I have to call the PT office and find out what time, I am so bad, and I didn't write it down. Hopefully, I won't be too late.
Plus, got a call from Mom this a.m., and Dad is coming down, and needs me to open up their house down here. That is fine, and the kids will get to see Grandpa today, and don't even know it yet...that will be a great surprise! If he stay for dinner, he will get to enjoy some of that yummy pumpkin bread, and homemade pizza...yum!

I am awake at 3 a.m....is that too early?

Can't sleep, and my mind starts working...I just wanted to let you know that our breakfast for dinner was a big hit, and the family actually saved me some leftovers...that in itself is amazing! Okay, okay, so the fact that I prepared a family favorite of french toast doesn't make it more difficult or anything, but I always want them to like the food I make. Maybe it is just an ego thing for me, but who cares!
Looking forward to later this morning, a friend and I are getting together and then I plan to run a few errands, in Twin. Is it wrong that I am excited? It will be the last time before summer hits that I can do something without the girls, and while I love them all dearly, it is nice to have time with just a friend who happens to be an adult, and not having to worry about car seats, snacks, drink, spills, remembering favorite toys, finding possible lost toys, placating them, when all they want to eat is "chicken and fries", oh, with a toy...yes, another toy...Then, the most important, rushing home at a rapid pace, trying to keep them awake, even though they are crabby, so that they will sleep more than 10 minutes in their own beds once we make it in the house...
Thanks so much for listening, I thing I am going to try and lay back down again, so I can possibly get a little more sleep before my day begins...Night!

The Day Has Arrived...for the final.

So, not excited, more like really, really stressed. I know what to study, from the Professor's point of view, and I think I know what I need to study from my point of view, based on his point of view, but I am a worrier, and always have been! There is just so many hours available before now and then, throw in a couple of kids and a husband, including the teenager that slept through cheer practice this morning, and who will be grumpy and mean as she gets ready for school, and two kids who want to go outside and play with their bikes and on their swing set, but cannot because of the rain last night, and therefore the wind this morning, and you have a possible day of disaster brewing...But, I know what I have to do...beside the normal amount of laundry, dishes that got left in the sink because my families arms appear to all be broken, meals throughout the day, phone calls to answer, emergencies to avert, etc.....STUDY! So, this morning, despite all of those things, I will first and formost, sit down at our "new" slash "old" table and talk to my family as they all get ready for their day, and spend a few moments "getting to know them". Just like I try too every morning! Then the chaos begin!

A Dentist Appointment and No time to Study...

This morning, teenager and 4 y/o had a dentist appointment, teenager had to go first because she had to be to school asap, as she was coming out, she was not smiling, like usual...my teenager with the "perfect teeth" has two cavities...I had to laugh, and so not parental as I was making her follow up appointment...then the 4 y/o went in next, she came out all smiles, with no cavities, showing me her new toothbrush with the princesses on it...Then we had to wait another moment so that both of the little girls could get an ice cream coupon, and a balloon for each of them...
The balloons were a huge hit...too much of a hit if you ask me. The girls fought over them from the moment we got home, then letting them go so that they were impossible for them to reach, crying and whining until I got it for them, over and over again...
I was unable to study until my teenager came home this afternoon, which was good, until about 5 minutes ago, only because I can no longer sit in the chair with only minimal pain. So, again I will begin tomorrow, as much as possible. Final is tomorrow...wish me luck!

Mother's Day Off is a Treat!

Yes, according to my husband and our teenager, I actually got the day off today...I beg to differ, somewhat. I went to church this morning, sans family, so that was peaceful, but teared up during the service a couple of times...When I got home, family had vacuumed and shampooed the living room, dining room and hallway rugs...okay another point for me having a day "off". I went to make myself something to eat for lunch, was told emphatically "NO!" By the same teenager, who made me a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with just enough mustard added but way too many pickles, yuck! Then...
It came time to start prep for dinner....screeching halt, well almost. Hubby did cook steak, on the grill, in his usual way, "slightly" charred, while he was out side, I made a macaroni salad. We had a nice dinner at our "new" dining room table, which is actually over 25 years old, a great hand me down from my parents, that has so many scratches and dings, but has had so many family dinners, that doesn't matter...Then I was told to go and lay down and take a nap, which after all, everyone keeps saying that it is my day off, right...
So, I lock myself in my bedroom, after about 20 minutes, get situated and relaxed...then the screaming starts, and the hitting and the yelling and the slamming doors, and all of the other normal noises that occur daily in my house. I tried to ignore it, maybe drifted off for about 15 minutes, only to be awoken by more yelling and crying...
oh...and a full sink of dirty dishes! Who says that Mother's Day ends before dinner dishes are done? Not me, but I am outruled in my house, 4-1! Happy Mother's Day! As for the family...they may just be buttering their own toast in the morning!

One rotten Apple can ruin...

You know the saying right, one rotten apple can ruin the whole bushel...Well, I found out that a rotten batch of blueberries can too. I was so looking forward to having the kids try my blueberry pancakes this morning, I even made six of them before I tried a piece of one, and I made the sourest, yucky face, and promptly threw them all in the trash, along with the remaining batter. I am not sure if I did something wrong or if the blueberries were just bad, so I am going with the latter. Oh, well we will begin again tomorrow, I guess!
I decided on having breakfast for dinner tomorrow night instead of tonight...bring on the french toast, and honey butter, at least for me, and with Velvetta for hubby and the little kids, with syrup on top for the teenager, what would a person do without condiments? Our lives might end, totally possible, I think!

Lacking, yes, but still really busy!

I have been lacking in posting on our blog! So, sorry about that, but I am as busy as ever! The end of my class was today, excluding the final which is on Tuesday night, so I am going to be really busy, as if I am not already trying to fit in as much study time as possible. As for our breakfast, we have been pretty steady with that. A lot of homemade bread for toast, and sandwiches. I even have been finding time to take the little girls for a "brisk" walk and for our 4 y/o to slide down the many slides at the park afterwards...By "brisk", just to clarify, for me that DOES NOT mean fast...I am a snail when it comes to walking, because I am so afraid that I will fall. Brisk meant COLD! The kid's hands were so red and cold when we got back in the car after out walk of twice around the high school track, which is the absolute limit for me, I am sore afterwards, but can still function though not for long. I have tried more than that, and I ended up lying on the couch in agony, so only twice.
Back to brisk though, the cold, red hands did not bother our 4 y/o, she was in the SUV long enough for me to move it from one side of the park complex and over to where the playground equipment it, and off again she went! She was so happy, waving and smiling at me when she got the the top of the slide, after she slid down the slide and off again she went, waving and smiling the whole time! Boy, I wish that I had her energy and enthusiasm, I would get amazing amounts of house and yardwork done! While her big sister was on the slide, our littlest one was perfectly content drinking her "chocolate" milk and eating pieces of cereal that I remembered to bring, just to tide her over until we got back home...Thankfully, though a bit of a daredevil, she is still content on our smaller swing set and slider here at the house, for a little bit longer!
I hope to feel ambitious this weekend, and even though hubby is going to take time to himself and go on a ATV ride with the club that we now belong to, with the 4 y/o...that should be relaxing, ha, ha! I am going to make french toast for dinner on Saturday night...we like to do that occasionally, and so after they get home we can all eat together, after all that is what matters right, time together with those you love?
Will keep you posted!

Did I tell you of my last trip to the Grocery...

Oh, my...where do I start?
There are staples that I buy at the store, you know we all have them...milk, bread, cheese slices, eggs, ham slices (for sandwiches), apple juice, you, know staples. At least those are some of the basics here. Anyway, our fav bread is $3.09 a loaf now, the cheese slices have gone from $9.99 for a large package of 72 slices to over $15.00 for the same size of package. The ham slices that I normally buy when they are on sale for about $3.79 for a one pound package, to now $5.29. And I already might have mentioned the Apple Juice, that was $4.29 for a gallon before, which is now $5.99...You cannot squeeze blood from a turnip people... What can we do about this?
One thing that I have done is taken to making bread here at home, and sadly, instead of buying things here at the local store, about 2 miles away, I now stop at the Walmart Store in a bigger town about 20 minutes away after class or after a doctor's appointment, since I am already there. So much for hoping to keep money in the town where I live.
Another thing, my hubby is a farmer, it is truly sad when I cannot go into a store and be able to afford those things that he grows...such as potatoes, corn and the like. That is truly sad.

Another morning, early but with high hopes...

I know, I know it is early, especially for me, but as I said, I have high hopes! I have the usual to get done today, laundry, dishes, get my preschooler off to her first day of class for the week, and also study for my Final in the class I am taking, that is in two weeks...but I really have a good feeling about accomplishing all of that and more today...Optimism is a great thing! "Optimism...Not Just a Good Thing, But Great!"
Anyway, Teenager has made it to Cheer Practice all week this week, and am amazed that we were only startled awake by her activity on that first day...and when she even gets home so she can finish getting ready for school, she is more polite about that...yes!
I saw a blog from a person I know that was listing thing that she was greatful for, I just thought I would share something that I am greatful for with you...I am greatful for my family, which is a given, however I am greatful for not just the good time, but also the trials! Those are the moments that make us stronger as a family and me as a person. I was told once to not just pray for help when you are going through trials and diversities, but when you are praying remember to thank God for those trials...That is Great Advise! Ooops! There I go again with the Optimism. Have a Great Day Everyone!
p.s. Need to make some more bread today, so we will be having warm rolls and homemade jelly for breakfast. Why is it that we appear to consume more bread this way, than when we buy it at the store? Am I really saving any money with doing that?

This Cheerleading Stuff is Stressful!

Our teenager is a cheerleader, and while that is fine and dandy, her getting up at 4 a.m. is not...I wake up, only to nod back off, then wake back up again, plus the little kids are waking up a different times, and that throws off the schedule for the day...so much so, my 4 y/o old just walked into the office just now and told me "Mom, I had cereal..." Daddy must have given her some before he left for work, but I didn't realize that. That is really okay, because she will be hungry again in an hour anyway, and so we can have a warm breakfast then.
Have you ever been compared to someone you feel is you idol? Well, I was, last night. MY hubby was saying how much he liked dinner, and said to me..."You are the next Paula Deen after all..." To that I of course, said "What?" Then I was quick to add, "No!" But his reply was, "I think so." I guess that is all that matters, that I prepare and feed my family to the best of my ability, and that they like it.
Today, will be a simple morning of pancakes, and for a treat, maybe I will add blueberries to the mix...that sounds really good... I am off to the kitchen! Have a great day!

Being awoken at 5 a.m. is NOT fun!

The problem is that this will be the norm for the rest of the school year, then it will be a little later in the summer and start again in the fall. Why you ask, because our teenager is now a Cheerleader, and that is when practice is...Yuck! This morning, she woke us up just to tell us she was leaving, then she woke us back up at 6:15 a.m. to tell us that she was home to get ready for school, by then four of the five of us were awake...again, I say...Yuck!
This morning, I decided to take an easier approach than yesterday...We had scrambled eggs, bacon, hash brown along with toast made with homemade bread, but as for today we had turkey and cheese slices on crackers. That is a favorite of the little girls and doesn't take much time when they have it for lunch so I figured that it might work for breakfast too.
The Food Nanny will once again be our friend! I am planning the next two weeks of meals this morning, so I am once again friends with that wonderful calendar!
I do want to share a thought though...Love One Another and Jesus Loves You, Try and do Kindness in All that You Do...Have a Great Day!

You would think that I would be out, right?

Well, I am not out...of banana bread that is. I took out banana bread for everyone to eat for breakfast, and first off, I was shocked that there was still some in the freezer, but also, there is still a "nub" off of the end left after everyone else "had their fill" today. That is shocking!
Busy, exhausting and painful day today...Transplanted veggies into bigger pots, did some laundry with the help of my teenager, supervised her mowing the lawn, while watching the little kids play outside, with the occasional shout to stay away from the hot fence of the pasture. Helped roast hotdogs for dinner with roasted, or rather burnt marshmallows for smores for dessert. Now I smell like the campfire, which was fine when we were outside, but now, in the house my hair just stinks!
As for tomorrow, the kids will go outside and pick up plastic eggs that we will be filling after they go to bed. And I will do my best to make sure that they at least eat something other that chocolate and other sugary concoctions first thing...Wish me Luck!

Okay, so I have been thinking alot...

Alot, about the economy and the consequences of my family's habits, and what we could possibly do without if need be, you know contemplation. As for things that my family can most definately do without...TV, and by TV I mean the highest number of Satelite Channels, we can do without all of the name brand things that we enjoy...Name Brand Clothing, Name Brand Food Items, the only thing that the Name Brand does for the item is bring along with it a status symbol. There is nothing wrong with buying knock off jeans at the outlet mall, especially when they cost me less than $7 a pair, versus $50+...also, store-brand tuna fish, tastes just like the name brand tuna fish when it is slathered in mayo on a piece of bread, and you are hungry. What difference does it make? The milk my kids had with breakfast this morning did not taste any different just because it had a store brand label on it instead of a the fancy packaging that usually accompanies the name brand.
I am not saying that we do not indulge in some of the name brand items, because we do. A big ticket item in our house is Mayonnaise. You see we are a split down the middle household. I like Hellman's/Best Foods, and my hubby loves Miracle Whip. With my teenager siding with me, and the little girls are undecided, but have had both kinds. We have tried the store brands, but we just do not prefer them in this case. Another for my hubby is, he enjoys Pepsi to drink occasionally. I don't mind the store brands of soda, actually in some cases, like orange and grape soda, I prefer the store brands, but for him Pepsi is it... So, I do make sure that he always has that. But with the economy going in the direction that it is, we have to be more mindful of our spending habits.
One think I have started doing, especially when the Case Lot Sales come around twice a year, is buying bulk, and not just flour and sugar, but also canned food items, toiletries, and similar items. I even have a friend who is emailing me a Food Calendar, so that I can figure just how much that I will need to have on hand for my family of five, for one year. That is something everyone should consider. If you or your spouse were to become unemployed, or some other event were to occur where you would not be able to sustain your lifestyle as you know it for a time, what would you do? I am not saying that you need to go out and get all of the items you need for one year, all at once, that is not it at all, but you and I can start a little at a time, one or two items a week, or what ever we all can. Every little bit helps, because you never know what will or could happen, and we all need to be able to be a help to our family.
Just a thought.

Monday Morning in Panic Mode...

Just logged onto the Assignment website for the Math class I am taking to realize that the homework was due LAST NIGHT...Oh, CRUD! I emailed the Professor, and am hoping that he will allow me an extension, this one time. I have never had to ask that before, and am truly hoping that I can at least have today to get the assignments done. What happened you asked...all my fault, I wrote the due date down as that 18th, which is today, instead of the 17th, which of course was yesterday...
aaargh!
Blueberry Muffins for breakfast this morning, but I literally should not have to put as much sugar into them, because of all the marshmallows that were eaten last night out by the fire pit...I think we were all really sticky fingered after that experience. So, there might even be a residual sugar high, who knows!
I have to share something I have discovered though...
Went to the grocery store. Have you also noticed how much prices have jumped, literally over night? The apple juice we buy for the kids is pretty pricey, but the taste is so much better, it usually runs $4.39 at the local store, when I went two days ago...$5.99, yes, $5.99...for the same gallon of apple juice. I guess until I can get to Costco again, we will be sacrificing taste for sustinance...
What have you niticed about prices in your area, are they about the same here...Gradual price alteration would not be such a shock, but as my hubby pointed out. When they raise prices on something, and it can be anything, it goes up quickly, if the price for something is set to drop, people and companies take their sweet time doing it...another, aaargh! Just something to notice.

Breakfast Pizza and Marshmallows...yum!

And so, not joking about the marshmallows y'all! Ha, ha...we are having the marshmallows this evening actually. Hubby wants to "make fire", and so we are going to roast hot dogs on the open flame and what goes with them better than burnt sugar? Nothing, if you ask me. But, pretty much everyone else just likes the marshmallows straight out of the bag, what is wrong with them, I ask...
As for the Breakfast Pizza, a very dear friend of mine sent me a recipe for that, and so I will be adapting it for our family, and making that this coming week. As for today though, the kids are set to eat Daddy's Special, you know, the eggs and Velvetta, on toast, open-faced sandwich...they seem to like it, so who am I to judge...
Off to Church I go, in about half an hour...and sometime this afternoon, I am going to go over to my parents house here and dig up raspberry bushes to transplant here at our house. I have their okay on this, and I am actually looking forward to seeing if they do well here. My parents house is closer to the river than we are, and their soil is more like sand than our so we are hoping that the bushes do well.
One thought before I go...The Lord loves you no matter your faults, just don't keep reminding Him or he might say to you, "Enough Already!" Have a Great Day!

I so agree with blog that I saw...

Actually it is someone that I know. I use to work with her husband, and the wife is a stay-at-home Mom, just like I am now...Some of the points that she shared about being a stay-at-home Mom, and comments she and others have heard?
~So, when the kids get older are you going to go to get a real job?
~I wish my husband were rich, so I could stay at home all day.
~So, what is it you do all day?
~I wish that I could waste my college education.
There were others, and of course this is not exactly what was said, only what I could remember, but I so hear something similar, and along those lines all the time...my favorite being, So, what is it that you do all day?
Let's see...
Feed the family 3-5 times, clean up spills, do the laundry, clean the house 2 or 3 times, run errands, wrangle little ones, get them cleaned up, not let them stare at the TV for longer than 15 minutes at a time, not let them paint the dog, or each other, read stories, try and eat something myself, possible get a shower in for myself and brush my own teeth, and many many un-named things...that is what being a Mom is...A FULL TIME, NON-Paying, but the MOST REWARDING Experience I have EVER had!!!
Just saying!
LOVE is full circle! You love them enough until they love you back, then you just keep it up!

For a Monday and a Tuesday...

things yesterday were an omg...what was I thinking?
Okay, what was I thinking when I needed to start laundry, and ended up doing eight loads. At the start of which, I ended up spilling 3/4 of a brand-new, full bottle of Chlorox 2 all over the floor in front of the dryer. Which wouldn't have been too bad, because my laundry room floor was dirty, and needed to be cleaned, but that lovely bottle of laundry stain booster cost almost $11. Yes, I said $11. What an expensive product to try, as it was an impulse to purchase that product, and at that the largest size possible at the store. What was I thinking...
Also, I have been trying for days to hook up the Netflix that I have a "trial" for, I bought the Roku machine, hooked it up, bought the adapter for my broadband internet, even upgraded it's installation software, and still no wireless reception reaching the Roku machine less than 20 feet away...Am at a loss as to what to do, and still don't know what I was thinking...
As for today, need to finish the laundry, YES, I said finish, I still have two or three loads of sheets to do. Time to go get the baby out of her crib before she starts climbing out herself! I think today will be a toast kind of day, am not feeling so good!

A Quiet Moment...

I need to catch up a bit. My internet connection has had some spotty moments in the last few days, so I figure that I might as well catch a good minute, since I can! We have been trying to spent some time together as a family a lot in the last week, and since we have had snow and wind for 3 days out of the last five and wind the other two, that has been possible! I am getting antsy though! As you may know, I started some vegetables in a seed starter kit that I bought and as I also mentioned, I had sprouts in most of them after 3 days...I now worry, I don't want them to start to get too big before I can either transplant them into bigger pots or actually put them into the ground...Plus, this time last year, the little girls and I were able to walk at the track by the middle school, and get no only exercise, but also some fresh air and sunshine, which we are craving right now.
This past week has been busy for me. I had my first of many physical therapy appointments, we are now going to try a different approach to my pain. We, and I mostly mean the Physical therapist with bits of assistance from me, are going to try and realign my hip position, so that I can try to put a more equal weight on both of my legs. The two exercises that he gave made the back of my hamstrings so sore, but that was good. Then on Friday, I had another dental appointment, just for a cleaning and to fit my crown, but I was still sedated. The funny part was, you know with sedation you cannot eat or drink after midnight the night before, so I was really hungry, my stomach was growling and everything, and we were going to be really early to my appointment, so I asked my dear hubby if he wanted something to eat before we got there. We stopped at the drive-thru of a fast food place and got him a sausage, egg and cheese sandwich meal, with a large orange juice, to which they "forgot" the hashbrown, how rude. As he ate his breakfast in the parking lot of the dentist office, all I could think about was how good the sausage patty smelled...my tummy started growling all over again! Aaargh!
We are still enjoying the granola cookies that I have made and put in the freezer. The general consensus seems to be that the applesauce oatmeal with the butterscotch chips are the best...but I have said that before I make more of those, the others need to be eaten first!
Since it is Sunday, I would like to share a thought...Don't forget to thank the Lord for the trials as well as the blessings in your life, they are both put there for a reason! Have a great day!

There is nothing like toast!

Toast with butter, not all the extra jelly, peanut butter or made into a sandwich when you are not feeling well. The only thing missing was Sprite. Not very hungry today at all, and had plans, but nothing got done, except one load of the baby's diapers, you see if you didn't already know, we use cloth, thanks to my wonderful and talented Sister-in-Law who made them for us.
The exciting thing, after reducing our cable channels down to almost the basic package, which is suppose to save us some money, our Roku box arrived, so that we can watch Netflix. That will hopefully get hooked up either tonight or tomorrow. The exciting thing, the kids shouldn't miss Nickelodeon at all...the shows that they liked are in abundance on Netflix, so I am really happy about that! As for show I like, there are quite a few, I am sure that the teenager will find some that she likes, and as for the hubby, I saw some that I know he will enjoy, I just hope that he likes some of the others.
Teenager's car is giving us trouble, again. She hasn't gotten a job, which I now see as her not really making a major effort, she seems to only want to work certain "cool" places, and she isn't as persistent as she should be, and as we have wanted her to be, we told her that we would give her until this month, then we would have to cancel the car insurance, and sell her car, and she doesn't seem too worried. But, with the trouble that her car has been and her lack of care as to if she actually works or not, her lack of responsibility when it comes to our family, and her opinion that we "owe" her...We are done. We pretty much know that her nice attitude will diminish, much like it always does when we cut back on buying her things, but she is 17, and should be getting some things for herself, instead of expecting it to be handed to her...

So, we made a decision...

I talked with hubby over the weekend about putting food at From Seed to Store, and we decided that with the effort, time and money it was going to cost, it is too much of a risk on our limited budget. Plus, I do not know if my body will hold out to bake that much. There is just a lot of risk involved. If anyone wants something though, you can contact me for a list of items, and I would be happy to discuss with you pricing and shipping if necessary, but for right now, we are going to hold off on baking items for the local store.
As for the items that I had set out to thaw, so that I could package them up really cute, almost all of them are put away again. Hubby picked out a gallon sized bag of applesauce oatmeal cookies with butterscotch chips and is perfectly content to take the whole bag to work. To which I said no, but he is in the kitchen by himself right now, so we shall see.
Hubby did give me a really nice compliment this morning though, he said that I could be the next Paula Deen, to which I scoffed, but that is really nice for him to say.

Sausage gravy, toast and After Prom Info...

I made the sausage gravy and instead of making biscuits, I made toast. Everyone at all that was put on their plate, so it couldn't have been half bad. Our teenager was grumbling about having to get up to eat, but she did anyways. She gave us the 411 on her night. She picked up her friend, they met up with 4 other people, had dinner, talked...made it to the high school by 7:30 when the "grand march" happened, for the parents to see all of them, and I guess there were a lot of parents, too. She stayed until midnight, when the dance got over, wearing her heels the whole time...what is up with that, I took mine off right after pictures, when I went. After the dance, she waited for the parking lot to clear out a bit, which was very responsible of her, since she had my vehicle, then dropped her friend off, they talked for a bit, then she was home by about 1 a.m. Not too bad, I got home about 4 a.m., but don't tell her that, okay. Did I say before that I was glad that she was going with a group of friends instead of on a one-to-one date...still am! Right after breakfast was cleaned up, teenager, hubby and little girl all went to bed, 4 y/o is playing with the play horse that Daddy brought home for her yesterday, and I am thinking about a nap too...have a great day all!

Labels, Laundry and Prom...

I am working on labels for the cookies I am making, which in my head are so cute, hopefully will turn out even cuter on paper. Lots, and lots of laundry to do. Had to go to the store and get some more soap, I can't believe how much the High Efficiency Laundry Soap is, I never had to buy it before, but with the new washing machine that we got because our old one died, and the warranty dept. allowed us to get a newer version instead of fixing the old one, I now have to buy certain soap, according to the directions/instructions.
Tonight is Prom! Our teenager went to a friends house this morning and got her hair and makeup done, by the time she got home, the wind had picked up so much that she had to zip her coat around her head to protect her newly curled hair. The wind has not died down yet, so the trip out to my vehicle, to her friend's house, to the restaurant, then into the school will be a challenge. Her hair looks nice though and I am sure that she will look great once she is all put together. Speaking of that, she wants to go and get dressed, so I will need to sign off for now!

According to the Hubby...

According to my dear sweet hubby, "We will win the lottery if we play today..." It took me just a few seconds to remember that it is April 1st, or rather April Fool's Day...ha, ha, ha...ha!
Monday is the day, so I am still making batches of cookies and freezing them, so that they stay fresh. I bought some food bags yesterday before class, and some raffia, to tie them with, and I will be making the labels, and print up my "menu" for the Owners of From Seed to Store, so that they can look at the items I would like to provide to their store. I have decided though that if they are interested in what I have to offer, I am going to make the dough, then bake the cookies off a little at a time, hopefully doing that will be easier on me.
Saturday night is Prom here, and our teenager is going, with a bunch of girlfriends, instead of on a boy/girl date, to our relief, thanks to my Mom and wonderful Sister-in Law, she has a really cute dress, with matching jewelry, and high heels, that match. She and another friend are getting their hair and makeup done by another friend in the morning, then before the dance, a bunch of them, some with dates, some without are all meeting at a local restaurant to have something to eat, then off to the dance. I am even letting her drive my vehicle instead of hers, so she is happy about that. So much so, that this afternoon, after school, she is going to clean and vacuum out the interior and wash the exterior by hand. All without me asking...that is truly a shock for me!
Sunday will be fun for the hubby, there is an ATV ride in King Hill, if the ground is not too wet, and he is thinking of going. I know that if he does, he will have a great time! I want to go too, but if I do, we will need to take the smaller kids and that may be a stress, and hubby only has one day off a week now, so I want him to enjoy himself!
The house smells like applesauce/oatmeal cookies right now, and my tummy is rumbling! But, you should be glad to know that I did not burn breakfast, like I did yesterday. That everything bagel is, after all a thing of beauty, especially with a fried egg, piece of cheese, and a sausage patty on it!

Will be talking to the local store here on Monday!

Nervous and Excited! As I was talking to Tom, the Owner of From Seed to Store, he wanted to have me bring in the jellies that I have made, and mostly he sounded interested in the cookies that I have been making with granola. I am nervous! I have only ever baked for family and friends. We shall see if he likes them, and would like me to provide them for their store. So, I need to package some up really cute, and make some tags for them with the name of the cookie and the ingredients list. That won't take too long, thankfully! Wish me luck! Have a great day all! P.S. Can you believe that in between making cookies today, I burned hash browns? Well, almost, but had to throw them out nonetheless. That stinks! But the cookie smell is amazing in here...come over and smell them for yourselves, we would love to have you!

The Everything Bagel...

Whatever you put on an everything bagel just seems to taste better! I am not sure why, maybe it is just the different tastes and textures that it offers but it sure is yum!
I went to WinCo last night, just so I could get a better look at their bulk food section, and I am amazed. I didn't ever know that they had that much variety and choice for bulk food items. I did get some more granola to make the granola cookies that everyone liked, and I also got some seasonings and pastas that we needed. I am thinking when we need more I will be going back there. The prices were reasonable on a lot of the things that I would be able to get in that section versus paying an arm and a leg for a name brand boxed item on the shelf.
The bad part, I was gone a lot longer than expected and hubby called me at 9 p.m., I was just leaving Twin and he had already put the little kids to bed. Our 4 y/o had not been behaving, and she had been arguing and talking back. I understand that it is the age, but what can you do when it goes too far? But, then our little one was a "totally different person" when her big sister was not in the room. Hugging, and snuggling more than usual, being so much more sweet. But that happens too with her big sister, when they are alone with us, while the other is in another room or taking a nap, their true personality shines...I sure do love them so much!

School Started again this week...

Last week was Spring Break, and it was nice for a bit to have all the girls home with me, but I am happy that school is back. Both for them and for me! We are back to the hectic times in the morning when our teenager can't find something or her hair is giving her problems or when our 4 y/o and 19 month old have to give Daddy 4 hugs and kisses a piece and he is running late and can only give them back 2 or 3. Then there is the waving...we have to wave at Daddy as he gets in his truck from the dining room window, and run and wave at him again from the living room window as he drives by the front of the house on his way to work. I actually am not complaining, those moments are so precious and make me smile both inside and out!
As for me, school is back and so I will be back to the Food Nanny as best I can again! Gotta love the calendar that keeps everyone from asking, "what's for dinner Mom?" Plus, I also use that in the morning, so I don't get question too often in the morning either! Plus, you may have read that I did a lot of baking yesterday, I have to go get more eggs, I am actually running out! I can't wait until it warms up a bit more, then I can just go to any of the numerous neighbor's and buy fresh eggs anytime I need them! The little girls will love that too! But, hopefully not too much, I don't want to have my own chickens right now. Have a great day!

Bread, bread and MORE bread!

Okay, so I want to see what other people think of my baking skills, so I have made 4 loaves of white bread, 2 loaves of herb and cheese bread, 2 loaves of banana bread, and 2 loaves of pumpkin bread. These are all in the freezer to keep them from going bad, then hopefully on Wednesday, I will make some more apple, blueberry granola cookies(the original ones are all gone), and some chocolate sandwich cookies, and maybe even some of the 4 in 1 cookies that are so yummy...I know that I overdid it today, and am so stiff and sore and can hardly move, but if someone else who isn't just trying to be "nice" likes them well, there you go! I am going to have the Owners of the store here in Buhl try the jellies that I have already made, and if the like them, then I can always make more...Love to All, and Have a great Day!

Paula Deen would be Proud...I think.

I am still using the pots and pans I was given for Christmas practically everyday, and pretty much everything is edible and the family likes it, a lot. I am still trying to think about putting some of the family's favorite items in that store here in town. It will be a lot of work for me, with buying, baking, packaging, and I still am unsure if I am up for it, especially if no one buys the items, and I lose money. I am not sure about that, and that is pretty major.
Life takes a turn sometimes, and the Lord shows you a way, but I don't know if it is a way that I want to go for myself, or if he is guiding me in that direction, I guess we shall see. The granola cookies were a hit from yesterday, so unless the kids want something else, that is what we are having again today.
As for tomorrow, hubby and I are going out on a "date", yeah, right. We are actually taking the truck to pick up my parents old dining room table. They got a new emsemble and are letting us have their bigger table, which we need now that we are a family of five, instead of four, and we have put off getting a larger table for too long. The baby wants to sit with everyone else, and it is time. The good part is spending time together, the bad part, I will be so stiff and sore and unable to move by the time we get home, I will be useless. What a great way to spend the last day of Spring Break...Have a great weekend all, you are loved!

Apple & Wild Blueberry Granola Cookies.....

Yummy!
Plus, I went to the store today and picked up the seed starter kit for my garden! Was just going to do the usual tomatoes, cucumbers and possibly cantalopes, but after paying $2.11 for one small, half wilted, and rusted head of iceburg lettuce, I am going to experiment with a lot more produce. Plus, went over to the greenhouse here in town to check out what they had going on. For one small tomato plant, that stands about 2 1/2 inches thus far, they wanted $3.25. That is still an option, if I have to but I am going to try to start my own from seed this year...plus, it was $1.99 for a packet of 20 seeds, you do the math.
Then went to a Made in Idaho type of store where you can purchase local goods, canned and baked items, etc. Got to talking with the Owner, and I might think about making some things to sell there myself...would love some thoughts on that...
The house smells so yummy right now, have more cookies in the oven as we speak, plus for the first time in weeks my large kitchen counter is cleaned off! An amazing sight that is, just ask the kids!
But, now I have to say bye-bye...I have a 4 year old who must have early onset mood swings...aargh! Wish me luck!

Gloomy, depressed, and ready for Spring!

The weather is gloomy, rainy, and they are even forcasting for more snow...can you believe it? The gloomy weather is quite depressing! I am so ready for a big glass of ice cold lemonade, and to be able to sit outside watching the little kids run around and see the pretty flowers, how about you?
I have a question. I know some people who are able to find solice and comfort, and a quiet peace, as they daily live their respective religions, but I am having a slight bit of difficulty with that. I tell myself each night, that I want to be able to read my scriptures the following morning, or during the kids nap, or just anytime. At the beginning of the year, I even promised myself that I would even have my scriptures read in the entirety by the end of the year, even starting out strong. However, it is almost April, and I have not made so much as a dent. I know there are so many reasons, or rather excuses for not doing this, whether it be kids, sickness, laundry, doctor visits, PT, or just being tired from a long day...But I need something!
Yesterday, I even took all three kids with me and we went to pick out flower and vegetable seeds to plant, but wouldn't you know...it rained and the wind blew so we couldn't spend anytime outdoors. Plus, the weather man, using his usual "educated" guess, said that it was going to rain and possibly snow for the rest of the week...so for me, not only will we be stuck inside for another week, but I will probably spend a large amount of that time, curled in a ball trying not to move because of the coldness and the arthritis that I now suffer with.
As for our breakfast endeavors, things are still plugging along, I am planning some fun things for our family for the warmer weather especially, but some hints are banana bread, and outmeal cookies, using granola. A lot different from the cold cereal and plain eggs that would would have had before this little experiment.
My wish for everyone today is that if there is sun where you are, that you are able to get out in it, and turn your face towards it and welcome the day!

So, so late, and so, so sorry!

Have you ever just wanted to begin again...on anything, it doesn't really matter, just start over?
I made those "surprise" muffins that I was oh, so excited about and thought that everyone would just LOVE, but what happened...not so much! The teenager, who absolutely loved them and had to have them all the time as a kid, no longer likes them, our 4 y/o ate until she found the jelly inside, and got all excited for about 10 seconds over her "prize", then flopped out. The baby could care less, and just wanted more to eat, and hubby wasn't too enthused, after all it was just food!

The big hit though, and to me it is no surprise, was the breakfast sandwiches that I made to go with the muffins. The ham steak, cut to size, on a grilled roll with egg and cheese. I made six, I knew that they would get eaten rather quickly, but the surprise was just how quickly...they wanted more, to which my reply was, just have another muffin...grown, sign... The baby and I even had one for breakfast/lunch today with the scraps of ham that were leftover just for that purpose.

Hubby surprised us and came home for lunch, so 4 y/o went back to work with him as he was only 1/2 a mile away working, in a loader. The fun part about that, other than I got a breather from two little ones, and a teenager home all day on Spring Break, was that the two of them drove by in the loader 5-6 times with a load of dirt, and the baby went just nuts, smiling, laughing, and waving, as she knew that that was Daddy...then they drove by the last time in the "monster truck". A semi with a low boy trailer, with the loader on the back, ready to take it back to the shop in Castleford. So, after that I knew that they would be home on time, if not a bit early, so I started making dinner...at the request of the teen, we are having tuna casserole, and also at her request, with lots of cheese.

I hope that everyone had a great weekend, and as it is not Monday, let's look forward to warm weather and sunshine, so that we can get out and enjoy it!

So much to do, and just ate...

So, bright idea that yesterday's triumphant breakfast, would be so again today.....So, NOT! I felt like all I was eating was a ball of grease. Do not recommend this! But, tomorrow is going to be yummy! Surprise Muffins, with pomegranate jelly, and maybe even grape jelly in some too...yummy!
Anyway, the baby was up at barely 6 a.m. this morning, and so now is back down for a nap, for the moment. Which is all well and good, except that is completely throws off my schedule for the rest of the day...I have to actually go to the laundromat this afternoon. You see, our washing machine stopped spinning a week and a half ago, during a load of clothing, so I had to wring out the clothing by hand, which was a real chore because my hand strength is not very good at all, then when I first called the warranty department, got the most rude and condescending person on the planet, who would not assist me, at all. Hung up with her. Called back, thankfully got a really nice, and helpful person, who actually acted like I was not disturbing her day. Made an appointment for a warranty service tech. to come out. Which he did on the big day last week of my dentist appointment. Come to find out, a seal had been slowly leaking water on the motor, and shorted it out...Luckily all covered by the warranty. The extra $30 that the warranty cost, added to the price of the appliance when we bought it was so worth it! But now, we wait. Exactly one week after the service tech looked at the machine, I sit here, still waiting, on a part...no doubt on a slow boat from somewhere...So, for the second time since buying our house, I am off to the laundromat...wish me luck!

St. Patty's Day...and NO Green Eggs!

Thank goodness, I know that they are eggs no matter the color but that is just NOT right! Instead I did sausage patties and cheese on buttered toast. Not exactly healthy, but so yummy! So, I did make patties for St. Patty's...ha ha ha! Even sent my 4 y/o to preschool in a green shirt, and my teenage wore a shirt she made with my Sister in Law in Boise that had green ribbon and green fabric, so they were covered, and hopefully no pinching. As for the hubby, not sure what color shirt he picked to wear, but I can tell you that it is not full on green! But, for many of you who know him, I am not so worried about him being pinched... As for me and the baby, no green, so sorry. We are not planning to leave the house until later so I am not worried about being pinched right at this moment... later maybe, but not right now. Enjoy the holiday, and for those of you who enjoy green beer, do so in moderation, and find a designated driver!

March 15 & 16th...The Green Egg Story.

Have you ever thought that you did something only to find out that you hadn't...well, that is what happened to me. I swear that I had posted what we were up to on Tuesday...I promise! But, come to find out, I did not. Our big event for the week actually is tomorrow...St. Patty's Day? Should I make green eggs and ham? Should I dress the girls in all green, or myself even? Who knows?
About the green eggs and ham, years and years ago I worked for Oriental Trading Company in Omaha. I was part of a new department at the time, and we were really small, five or six people. We celebrated Dr. Suess's birthday by having a lunch potluck. One very sweet and wonderful woman, who was a caterer, and who since has opened a rather successful soul food restaurant in Omaha, brought in the contribution of green eggs and ham, consisting of deviled eggs and the egg yolk mixture was tinted green and some ham. Well, I would not eat it...Not to say that it wasn't good, it is just that to me, the yolks are not suppose to be green! She tried to get me to eat it, telling me to "stop being a baby," in her comical and jovial way...I still remember Pat, and have to tell friends who haven't heard the story, about those green eggs. So, to all, I will probably not be as festive and make green food, but I will reminice about a dear sweet friend, who probably no longer remembers me, and those darn green eggs!

Can you really make canned Corned Beef Taste Good?

The answer is "yes," only you really have to be prepared to Doctor it up! To make it taste less like something out of a can, I cubed a large potato, fried that in butter, with pepper, and when that started to crisp up and brown, I added the canned corned beef hash, cooking everything until the corned beef was crispy. Serving it along side an over easy egg for me, and fried eggs for the little kids. They really liked it. I did too, for the most part, only I am still having trouble chewing still after my dentist appointment. Hopefully eating will get easier! I am still wanting to eat soft items, with no texture, but texture is the fun part of cooking, right? Have a great day all! Test tomorrow night for me, so off to study!

Dental Procedure, and missing food...

You know as for Saturday, the day after my dental appointment, it wasn't so bad, other that I was so hungry for "real" food. Sure, I ate a few bites of scrambled eggs with the family, sans our teenager who was visiting family in Boise, and watched them all eat their eggs with the yummy muffins that I hade made for them Thursday, I was actually okay with that, even eating leftover soup after a little while longer. But, when my dear sweet hubby pulled out his leftover submarine sandwich, I had had enough...So not fair! So, guess what I did, I ate a small piece too, albeit one pinch at at time, and only chewing on the opposite side of my mouth, it took about half an hour to eat the 2 1/2 inch rectangle shaped sandwich, and my tummy was still growling when I was finished but it was so yummy! Plus, after about an hour my jaw was so stiff and sore, I do not recommend doing that again, but at the time I was enjoying the sandwich, it was pure bliss!
Today, is a different story...you know, I am sure we have all heard about "Day Three" for whatever reason, after surgery, be it minor or major, dental or medical, I have always been told that Day Three is the worst..."you ain't kiddin'!" The side of my face is swollen and puffy, and my jaw is even more stiff that it was before, and I can hardly talk...okay, those of you who know me, quiet down! But otherwise things are getting better!
As for today, muffins will be devoured again, and hopefully at the table this time! My little kids love to try and eat anything they possibly can in the living room so that they can watch a favorite TV show, and inevitably leave a massive amount of crumbs in their wake, "for later". Will be meeting my Mom half way between here and Boise after church to pick up our teenager from her fun and adventurous weekend up there...Then when we get back, she gets to pick up her room, again...We put a different desk in our office, and to do so, her room became the overflow, and I do mean overflow...
Have a great day all!

Today is the Day.....

Okay, so this morning is it! My long stressed over day...the Dentist appt. Probably the first in a line of them that will follow. Thank goodness for CareCredit...which is as some might know a line of credit offered so that whatever your insurance doesn't pay for, if you have it, will allow you to still get work done, with a reasonable payment plan...thank goodness for that! Both little girls are off to the daycare center for the morning, and so I had a talk with our 4 y/o about showing her sister around again and being nice to her, and being sweet, which I know that she can be, but I feel better reminding her! You may remember from yesterday, I had planned on having my Mom spend last night here, but plans changed and she and the oldest daughter went back to Boise last night, so there will indeed be leftovers for hubby to feed the girls tonight, they loved the spaghetti and meatballs last night, so that should be good. And, as for the blueberry muffins that I also made yesterday, there still are plenty, so that is what is for breakfast today. The girls will take them in a ziplock baggie to "school". That is what we called first daycare, and now preschool, so that when she does begin school, she will be use to getting ready and going someplace for the day. Wish me luck, and help me give thanks to a wonderful, and kind husband who will sit at the dentist with me, and drive me home because his wife is "wimpy, whimpy, whimpy..."

Anticipation and a lot to get done...

No joke...I have that major dentist appointment in the morning, and so I am so jumpy already...have been trying to get meals for tonight and tomorrow started, as well as breakfast for tomorrow done, I will be unable to eat but I will prepare for everyone else. So, for dinner tonight, spagetti and meatballs, meatballs are cooling now, then there will be leftovers, ideally for everyone to eat tomorrow night also. Breakfast for Friday morning will be blueberry muffins, the from scratch kind, not from a box mix. My Mom will be so proud! Speaking of Mom, she will possibly be spending the night at our place tonight, so she will be getting a home cooked meal from me, even though I will not be here to eat it with everyone. I have class tonight, as it is Thursday, a big night actually, the review will be given for the test next Tuesday, and I want the practice problem, so badly!
As for the plans for the rest of today, clean...I am always worried what others will think, so I go a bit neurotic, just ask the hubby! ha ha ha...Plus, I have to get done anything that I might need done on Friday...aaah, the joy of impending sedative dentistry, there is a strong possibility that I will be rendered useless for all of Friday, after mt appointment, so I am trying to be prepared.
News about my doctor appt. yesterday...the Doctor wants me to try one last round of a different medication and has set up a series of appointments with yet another physical therapist, this one is according to her, the one she sends her more difficult cases too, almost as a last resort. Yes, I can be difficult, but this is a different difficult, physically difficult. That is what I am to expect from adult CP, I suppose. The only thing left after this if it doesn't help is more surgery, so I am hoping that even if it takes more time and patience on my part, that it does work.

Jimmy Dean and a Doctor Visit...

Okay, so first off, I have to share the best way to cook bacon...It come out uniformly crispy and not very greasy when finished...did you know that you can use the oven for this? The oven...I have heard of people doing this, but I had never done it before. For thinner bacon I put the pieces in a row on a cookie sheet, with sides, very important, in an oven at 375 degrees, for about 15-20 minutes, checking more frequently at the end. The all came out crispy, which I the way I prefer them, and strangest of all, the pieces were straight when they finished cooking, not the way I an use to...when in the frying pan they curl up and I have to use about a half a dozen paper towels to absorb the grease. What took me so long to try making bacon in the oven? I do not know...
Secondly, went to the store last night after class to pick up milk, bread, and batteries, which were the wrong size, I realized this after I got home and had opened the package by the way, but anyways...I walked down the frozen food aisle and a sale sticker caught my eye...Jimmy Dean skillet meals. The one I picked out has cubed potatoes, peppers, onion and bacon, so I figured that for $3.49 we could try it. If we like it, I can make it myself without the package, but what is the harm in trying it.
Thirdly, pain management appointment today at the Doctor's office. Our youngest one is coming with me, and so it shall be an exciting appointment, trying to fill out and updating paperwork, talking and answering questions to and from the doctor, all while keeping her hands off things, especially magazines, and stop her from taking off down the hall, I think that the stroller is in order, even though it is bulky and hard to maneuver...wish us luck!

Icy Roads & Hot Cocoa!

Today is as good a day as any to not leave the house, at least until I have to...Class tonight for me, so hopefully the roads will be clear by this evening and it will have warmed up, just a touch...well, more than hopefully! The little girls and I are therefore going to enjoy some sort of chocolate drink this morning though! Hot Cocoa for me, and chocolate milk for them...I don't want them to burn themselves, as I often do, plus they do love chocolate milk...I still sneak in Carnation Instant Breakfast, versus the other type we have in our cupboard, Nesquik, which is good, don't get me wrong...just ask the hubby. But, for the little ones, I prefer the one with more vitamins, etc.
Pain Management appointment tomorrow afternoon, so actually looking forward to that, but on Friday I have that Dentist appointment that I postponed once already, for a good reason, but I need to go. Thank goodness that I will be under IV sedation. The sounds, and smell make me really ill!
But, as for today looking forward to spending some more time with my kids in the warm house, hopefully they won't want to go out and play...it is just too cold.

A lazy Sunday, and busy, Monday...

Don't I wish! Sunday was a bit of fun for the kids. Their bicycles were still pretty cool, and the little ones wanted to go out and play, which was great because the weather actually cooperated. Our littlest girl, started off by wanting to go outside really bad, bringing Daddy her shoes, and asking for her "dote", then when it did get too cold for her, she still wanted to be outside and cried and screamed for about 15 minutes once she was brought back in...how sad! She loved having eggs and toast that daddy made for her, and he said she even ate the entire half a piece of toast that he gave her, but of course needed a "poon" and bowl to eat it.
As for Monday, today, we have been enduring a pretty bad winter "weather advisory" as the news has been referring to it, but I would say that it is a storm. Complete with wind, rain and snow, more wind and frozen rain, and more big fat flakes of snow...At a brief, and I mean brief respite of the storm, or so I thought, I made it out to the mailbox to check the mail, as I was coming back across the street, the freezing rain and wind just happened to pick up again, full force. I needed to try and stretch my hip and legs a bit, but I should have just left the mail, I didn't need it too bad!
One thing about today, I made homemade roast beef hash...not the stuff that comes from a can, with the strong hint of dog food smell either, but the real stuff, using left over roast, and cubed potatoes, cooked in butter until crispy...yum! The family loved it, as did I, but all I wanted after the sojourn out to the mail was enjoy a large cup of hot cocoa...but we didn't have any marshmallows, and since it just isn't the same, I had to forgo the warm chocolatey goodness for another day...bummer!

Breakfast was a rush this morning...

You see, hubby bought the little girls bicycles yesterday afternoon, so all they wanted to do was go outside and play...which is good, really good, except that it is still so cold. I told our 4 y/o that she had to wait until after breakfast to go out. She rushed through eggs and hashbrowns to go outside, and the little one followed right behind her. Poor little one though, she just came inside, with hands that were beet red. I swear I do have some gloves for her to wear, hubby must not have been able to find them. Just try getting her to wait while we find stuff for her when she has got a plan in mind... Will be making those surprise muffins later on, just to make sure they are what I remember them to be...wish me luck!

Yesterday was a do over day, I think... as for today?

Yesterday, I had such plans...bake muffins, as my dear, dear friend was able to locate a recipe for the surprise muffins that I really wanted to make, and I had such hopes of completing homework, and attacking some of the mountain of laundry that needs to be done, but all of that came to a halt when I could not hardly stand upright. I tried, but I ended up spending the day either in the recliner or wrapped in a comforter on the couch, almost in the fetal position. My poor baby, kept wanting to lie with me and snuggle, which I did the best I could, but I was so stiff and sore...
As for today, hubby and I are attending a funeral for a dear friend of his family who died at the age of 89. He had a full life and has so many friends and loved ones, we are expecting that the funeral home and gravesite will be overwelmed with caring people. Then, afterwards, the plan is to pick up the little girls and go look at bicycles for them...can you say, "excited" for Spring, and "suffering from a major case of cabin fever?" My plan is that on Saturday, I will make the surprise muffins for breakfast, and I am so hoping that everyone enjoys them!

Looking for a Muffin Recipe...

Year and years ago...my teenager was about 3...and now she is 17, so yes, years ago, I found a recipe on the back of a flour bag for "surprise" muffins. What made the surprise was jelly inside. I remember her loving those muffins a lot! Yes, a lot! She wanted them all the time! I have been trying to find that recipe, but cannot. I just figure that if she enjoyed them so much, maybe the little girls would too. Can anyone help? That would be great!

So, went to the case lot sale first thing and...

everything is everywhere, there is practically no method to the madness, plus, some of the things that I wanted/needed, the manager of the store could not even locate, even after he looked in the store room...what is up with that? A good thing that happened while I was there though was that I found snack sized chicken and biscuits, which we are having for breakfast, in the oven right now, and some yummy looking hashbrowns with cheese and bacon in the freezer section, that we will have at a later date. Now back to the chicken and biscuits for a moments...I noticed on the front in the corner in small print that I could get a refund on my entire purchase of them if I mailed back the attached form and sent in my receipt, got so excited, went to look a little closer, and the deal expired, YESTERDAY...what?!? How rude! We will see if they are indeed worth the $6.95 cents that I spent for them. Have a great day all!

Missed 4 Days...So, sorry!

So, I missed posting on Friday...went to Boise to spend the day with my sister in law! Had a great time. Hubby watched and fed the kids, sausage and toast! Then, instead of driving on home on mostly icy roads after dark on Friday night, I spent the night at my parents house, woke up a few times during the night, I am so not use to the quiet. Finally got up at 7 a.m. when I heard their dogs and my Dad start to get up and around, plus I was missing my little baby. The smiles and kisses first thing, are the best! Got home about 1 p.m. on Saturday, after one last trip over to the outlet mall, just to see if there were any really great deals on stuff that I cannot get in Twin. Sunday, off to church, and hubby again spent the time with the little ones. I have an amazing husband! He actually had been off of work for vacation since Wednesday, but didn't really get any alone time himself...after two trips to the dentist with me, letting me have a day to myself, that actually turned into two days, then Sunday...he is wonderful and so thoughtful!
So, today is Monday, and I am back to our daily routine...breakfast, which was more like lunch for everyone. I made egg rolls instead, so we will be having eggs and toast for lunch. Then , I am hoping to make something special for hubby for dinner, as a thank-you for all that he does for us! I am looking forward to the mail getting here today too. The local grocery store case lot sale starts tomorrow. The trick, after many years of them running out of most of the stuff that I need practically on the first day seems to be, get there right when they open, at 7 a.m. the first morning...and why you ask? All for tuna fish, cream of chicken soup, and other staples that we will use, plus hopefully they will have some brownie mixes, last year about this time, they were completely out when I got there later in the morning. One cashier told me that a women came in first thing that morning, and had filled a cart full of them. What?! Can you say "share"! Wishing a great day to all!

Day 44...Stressing still!

Another Consultation Dental Visit today, this time as mentioned yesterday, with a Sedative Dentist! The local dentist that I saw yesterday suggested to me that in his opinion, I needed to be sedated even for a cleaning, due to my obvious anxiety level. Very little sleep last night, and not so hungry this morning. But, just because I am not feeling oh so good, doesn't mean that the family has to be there with me, so I will be making them something. When we were in the office, btw I made hubby and the little one come back into the room with me for moral support, there was a TV on the wall, and one mounted in the ceiling, so if I wanted to I could watch, which I did not, but hubby was teasing that I could watch the "Food channel", otherwise know to all else as Food Network, which I normally enjoy, but I said to him, trying to lighten the mood, "I don't think so, that is probably why I am here." Only kidding of course, but next thing I know, Food Network was on the screen. The hygenist had changed it. That was very nice of her to try and help me be more relaxed. Wish us luck! P.S. Hubby is actually on vacation that started yesterday throught the rest of the week, and he ends up helping me, instead of taking naps, reloading guns, target practice, and more naps. I love and appreciate him so much!

Contentment and Stress All at Once!

Okay so, today is a BIG day for me...but first let me tell you about my morning, hubby has the rest of the week off...woohoo, chores will get to be done! Anyway, first thing, he took 4 y/o to preschool, teenager off to school, so the baby and I sat down to read stories in the rocking chair, we were able to read the same two stories six times before Daddy walked back in from his errand. We picked out the turtle's facial features, eyes, nose, mouth, belly, you know, the essentials. She is so amazed when I read to her, and I am so proud and happy when she understands and listens. But, once hubby walks in the door he says to me, "I thought that you would have bacon cooking?" "But," I said, "we were reading stories." That was Okay, he assured me, because he knows that whatever they want to do at that moment takes presidence.
So, you are thinking that that is by no means stressful, and you are right. This afternoon, I have a consultation at the dentist office...Under normal circumstances that would be no big deal, but not for me! I have had such bad experiences when I was younger that I would get physically sick at the sounds, the smells, etc., and that is just when I would first walk in the door. So, this afternoon, sweet, and amazing hubby is going to hold my hand when I go in, to just talk to the dentist about getting some work done. I didn't sleep well last night, and I am so worried that I am all jittery...Any suggestions as to what will help me stay calm? Can you say sedative dentistry? Also, my baby is teething, and so all she really wants right now is soft food, so thank goodness for the amazement that there is leftover french toast for her, and Carnation instant breakfast and milk!

Okay, so here we are...

French Toast... We are having french toast for dinner, instead of breakfast, because everyone wants this and no one will be happy if they do not get their "fair" share. I mentioned earlier that I would explain about this, so I will try my best. Here goes.
French toast in our house, is not about what you add to the eggs, to make it taste better or even if you use water, versus milk, of which I prefer milk... It is all about how many you make and what you put on it. For us, our usual type of bread when I I still have some is Grandma Emilie's 2 pound loaf. The WHOLE thing! This bread is more dense, but is still soft in the middle, so for us it works great! Other types of bread that I have tried sometimes falls apart in the dipping step, and you want the bread to look nice when you eat it, right? This bread holds up, and so we prefer it.
Okay, so the "whole" loaf is actually...16-18 pieces of bread, including the heals. This is where I begin, then skipping over to the egg prep. That is safely, 10 large eggs, you remember when I did an egg count for a week for us a while back...this was not part of that count if I remember correctly. I mix the eggs, and enough milk to turn the eggs a lighter shade of yellow, no exact measurement here, just enough to loosen the eggs up. I have added thing like vanilla, and cinnamon, but the family doesn't usually prefer this, so the egg mixture is just eggs and milk. I dip and fry two pieces of bread at a time with a little bit of butter on the skillet browning each side. This takes longer, but that way I have less chance of burning more than two pieces at a time...ha, ha, ha...To keep the toast warm while the others are cooking, I put them on a cookie sheet in the oven on a low temperature, but in a pinch, a few second in the microwave after they are all done works too!
As far as toppings go, my oldest daughter like the traditional maple syrup, so does our 4 y/o. The hubby has to be different though, he makes a half sandwich by folding the bread in half after spreading honey butter over it and placing a piece of velvetta cheese in the fold. The 4 y/o has to add a piece or two of velvetta to her plate when she sees daddy doing this too. As for the baby, not stick or messy stuff for her yet, and please don't hassle me, about that, I know that she needs to experiment with tastes, but you don't have to wrestle with her to get her cleaned up...maybe someday soon, but not today. As for me, I actually like a little melted butter on mine, and sometimes a sprinkling of granulated sugar...yum!
The treat for everyone, and where the "fighting" ensues is when there happens to be a piece or two left over and they argue as to who will be able to have them to eat the next day. Who knew that so much strife could occur from french toast! Have a great day all!

Can you say....Wow, what were we thinking!

Sunday - went to church, and hubby took care of the kids so I could have some more "me" time... I would take them, but I cannot handle squirming kids by myself, especially when the baby steps on the scar from my hip surgery. So, he warmed up pizza that we had gotten from Papa Murphy's on Friday. I have to say that my baby loves what we got her in Boise on Saturday...we bought her her first new pair of shoes, she has only allowed them to be taken off so that she can sleep, under much extreme duress, literally. She cries and carries on for sometime.
Hubby and I went to Costco that afternoon, I am against shopping on Sunday, and have been for years, it is just something I don't like to do, but it was the only time we could go without the little ones, thanks to our teenager, by the way. But, being from a smaller town now, and going to a somewhat larger city, it is a bit of a shock. I was hoping that they weren't too busy, but I was so wrong. The parking lot was packed, and it was like we were mice in a maze in the store. I even asked hubby if that was the place people came to socialize and sample...There were people walking around with empty carts, or with only a small item or two chatting with others, blocking the path, and crowding the corners by the food samples, with a lot more chatting. I don't like crowds, I really never have, and it was very stressful! So happy when we got home, it was a relief, until I remembered that I still had to find a spot for the items that we had bought. But no worries, now that everytthing is put away, we won't be making another trip for pretty close to a year!
Monday - pancakes for this morning, and more shoe drama. The baby wanted her shoes on right away when she woke up...I have been telling her those are her speedy shoes, and so she can run, "fast, fast." I hope that she doesn't believe me...I will never catch her if she does, I cannot run even for a little bit anymore. Plus, I am so sore from the trip to the store yesterday, I can hardly walk anyway!
Is anyone else getting cabin fever? We are under a bit of an inversion, and so when the sun is shining it only does so through a filter of hazy clouds. It is depressing, a bit, and we will all be excited for warmer weather and more sunshine! Bring on the pretty flowers and beautiful colors, and in our case, the swing set!

Day 40...OMG!

Wow, 40 days and so fitting, this morning will be a test! We are all getting ready to head to Boise...banana bread for the ride, but I have a feeling that we are going to stop somewhere too! Everyone is ready, and will be waiting on me in a few minutes. Thank goodness for the portable dvd player for the 2 1/2 hour ride. The 4 y/o loves Horton Hears a Who, and the newest Tinkerbell movie so, those two are making the trip with us! It is priceless to hear her laugh unabashed at something she finds hilarious!
Speaking of priceless...last night at 7:45...I looked over at Jim and the girls, who were all snuggling in the lazy boy chair, rocking away, and Jim was watching tv, the girls were asleep...4 y/o was completely out, while the baby was nodding off, waking herself, then nodding off again! So sweet, and wonderful! I love them so much!

Day 38...and counting!

We will be going to Boise on Saturday, and so the planning begins. I still can't believe it takes so much effort, just to leave town for the day. The little girls need so much stuff, it amazes me! Plus, Grandma & Grandpa have a hot tub at their house, the little girls love to "swim" in the hot water, so swimsuits will have to be packed, plus because of the weather, winter coats, just in case...what a temperature shift.
This morning, I was the only one who ate a cooked breakfast, but not the case for the next couple of days, so I have found that thawing some banana bread that I had made will work perfectly for the drive up. We are also fans of pumpkin bread too. Who says that quick bread only need to be made and enjoyed during the holiday season!
Class tonight for me. I haven't starting down until it is time for finals week yet, but who know that may start soon! The hard part is sitting in those desks for almost two hours. My legs fall asleep. I just wish that they had an unattached chair, no leg room, yuck!

Day 37...

Today will hopefully be a quiet day, for rest, reflection, relaxation...yeah, right! It will hopefully be quieter than usual. Work, school, and preschool for three out of five of us. So, just me and the little one today! All that means is that I have to try and get as much laundry done as possible, study, and not strain my back or hip in the process. At least the baby is finally feeling better after her trip to the Doctor on Monday. That was truly horrible for her, and therefore us too! She likes, eggs, so I am thinking something along those lines. I have been thinking of something though. If I could not obtain eggs, for one reason or another, our daily meals would change drastically. even our non-daily treats would too. Think about it for a minute, how often do we use eggs, and for what...Still intend to only purchase them for the time being. I do not want to deal with chickens. They are not a very nice bird. But eventually, who knows.

Day 36...

I know that I have talked about this before, but I do have to say again that the Food Nanny is still so awesome! I have gotten away from the meal planning a bit, all because my printer ran out of ink...can you imagine. Almost the end of the universe for some. But, I don't like scrambling to figure out something to make for the family, plus more than anything, once I get a brilliant idea, and the lightbulb goes off, there is nothing worse at that moment than not having all of the ingredients. So, during nap time...meal planning! Nap time, what a novel idea. After the baby's harrowing appointment yesterday, she slept for her morning nap, but her legs hurt so bad from the five shots that she was upset and in pain for the rest of the day, and so needless to say, no afternoon nap, cat or otherwise. Her 4 y/o sister was a sweet as could be though. She knew that her sister was hurting and so she was ready with a hug, and kiss, a soothing word, and even her own blankie to calm her sister! Moments like that almost make me forget the cat fights that happen over the smallest thing, almost! I am thinking, a small batch of french toast is in order for this morning, I will explain what I mean by small later on...for a family of five, it will surprise you when I make a large batch. I promise!

Day 33, 34, 35...

Day 33...made pancakes that morning, but hubby wanted sugar coated frosted cereal, so the little kids joined him with that, and then we re-warmed the pancakes for lunch. Sometimes, a person just needs the sugar, I guess.
Day 34...Sunday, I went to church, and usually hubby watches them, and feeds them so that I can have some me time. Usually that is, but he joined his brother at a Gun Show at the fairgrounds. Teenager fed the little kids grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast, and all I can say is, at least it was something that was warm and not soggy! Back to the gun show, hubby walked in carrying a gun case, and I about passed out. In my opinion, he has enough guns, in his, you can never have too many! Actually, to my relief, it was only a case, and bullets, and casings for bullets, and maybe some powder too. That is a pretty big hobby that he has.
Day 35...as if other stuff isn't normally stressful...my baby had to get shots today. It was her 18 month doctor visit, and I couldn't go alone, hubby had to come and help. I can hardly handle the kids when we go to the store by myself, so hubby had to come and help, especially during the mean part. He is so wonderful! It is too bad the nurse wasn't cupid, and the needles weren't love arrows! But, now all is well, we are back home, sans hubby, he is off to work, and the baby is resting in bed, and hopefully about asleep. I just have to try and keep her legs warm so that they don't hurt too badly! I wish that there was another way around the shots. I feel so bad for them when they hurt! Just ask my Mom, I use to cry when our dog would get shots...