30 Recipes of CrockPot Madness

Ahhh...nothing like knowing that dinner is basically already made as you are running your errands, doing your chores, playing with your kids. If you saw my post from earlier this week, there was quite a "mom" day there where in, literally, one of the best parts of the day was knowing that dinner was made! And as most CrockPot dinners go, there was plenty left over for another day and another lunch for me.

After that day and glorious realization, the very happy comments from my hubs who thought it was phenomenol, I decided I needed to do that more often! So I'm going to challenge myself to this task. Just 30 Crock pot recipes...that's all. Not too long, but of course you must know it'd be silly to CrockPot EVERYDAY as I would have more leftovers than I knew what to do with. I still may! Also, hubs has declared Friday, Fruity Friday and we are going to eat meals based primarily around fruit. So, unless I find a crockpot/fruit recipe (and there are some), my goal is to choose 3 main dish recipes a week and then 3-4 side or dessert dishes to go with it. This will require 2 crockpots, or likely I will just slow cook one in my large, deep casserole dish. Don't forget, there are those lovely liners you can put in the crockpot before you get to cooking to make the clean up sooo much easier.

My first 6 days worth of recipes will be as follows:

1.Meatloaf w/ potatoes with
2.Greenbean bacon bake

3. Poor Man's Steak (smothered-esque)

4. Roast w/ potatoes and mushrooms

5. BBQ Chicken for buns w/
6. Mac and Cheese

7. Lasagna

8. Sesame Ribs w/
9. Candied Sweet Potatoes

10. Chicken, Rice, and Broccoli Casserole

Still looking for a few more complimentary food recipes to go with some of the main dishes, but this should set me for the first 2 weeks. Today will be shopping day and then I shall begin shortly after that. I'll keep you posted!

Whew! Menu planning is alot of work, and just so you know, I chose recipes based on the meat that is on sale this week. Since this is enough to feed us for at least 2 weeks I won't have to buy meat again for at least that long! Now to match the menu to the grocery list! Yikes!




If I don't get to some of these, we'll try them the next week.

Another Induction into Motherhood

Ah, every woman who has been a mother for any length of time has had one of these days...

The usual can't seem to get anything done due to the constant demands and interruptions, began. No big deal...I can roll with it. Morning nap time is a perfect time for that. Since I just got my sewing machines fixed, I pulled one out and some almost finished outfits from my Grandma, Katie, and decided to get at least one project from the pile done...then a shower.

Of course, I did it exactly wrong and had to redo it, so the short project took longer than I had hoped, but I still had time for the shower. However, I didn't have time to fix my hair like I had hoped (with my new set of rollers). Got M, came home, ate, played with kids, then it was nap time.
I lay W down for his nap as he was bringing me his blankie and saying "sleepy", "rockery" (which means he wants to rock and/or rock and read. M and I were to lay in my bed. She was on absolute nap today due to her sassy, stinky attitude, which I was sure was due to exhaustion as she had tossed and coughed all night. We both slept. I slept a little and she slept alot.

I woke her early enough so that she would be ready for bed at a decent hour and let her watch a bit of a movie while we waited for W to wake up. When 4:45 arrived we decided to wake him up only to find him covered in throw up! Poor guy had coughed himself into a frenzy I suppose. Only thing is, he didn't fuss about it...And then he slept! Sheesh!

So of course I get him in the bath and strip down the bed and put it in the wash. But, as it would happen, he proceeds to poop in the bath as well. Good grief! Funny that hubs would call in the midst of this. Of course I didn't take the call as I had my hands full enough. When I called him back he wondered what I was up to that I couldn't take his call! Haha!

If I could say one good thing...at least I had chosen earlier in the day to crock pot dinner, so we still had nice hot dinner when he got home. The house was a total wreck, but food was on the table. Thankfully, I was able to get all the dishes done after supper, so I was able to see the bottom of the sink when I woke up!

Unfortunately my induction wasn't over yet. When I got laundry out after finishing the dishes, I found out that hubs had put crayons in his pocket! Luckily it hadn't escaped the confines of his pocket, but it did ruin those pants. When putting the kids to bed, as you can imagine, I fell sound asleep! I NEVER do that! Hubs woke me up when he was going to bed at 11 something...I couldn't believe I had slept so long! Oh well. I missed him and the whole night, but he said that was ok cause he was able to get lots of work done. We'll try again today.

I wonder how bedtime will go during lenten season when I give up naps! Hmmm...

What to do, What to do...

I think we may be rounding the corner of this ridiculous illness. Whatever in the world it was...some type of sinus thing. Not ears thank goodness. M is at the stage where she coughs incessantly and if I hear myself or hubs say "cover your mouth" one more time I may need to check myself into the asylum. W seems to be finally beating the fever. Our thermometer has all of a sudden given out, so I can't be sure, but if he still has a fever when the meds wear off it is very low grade. This is a huge leap forward from what we've been dealing with consistently for the last 6-7 days. I can't really imagine fever for that many days. One day of fever really wears me out! Now he gets (and we get) to experience the residual side effects of a hefty antibiotic! Only 8 more days of that! haha!

On another note, we usually bathe the kids every other day if they haven't had excessive outdoor play or mud puddle episodes. Well, tonight would have been our night off, except that M decided to douse herself in vicks (not a bad idea with the cough) only it was a bit much and good portion actually ended up in her hair. And certainly you can't bathe one without bathing the other. W LOVES bathtime. So that is where they are now.

And yet another note, I was trying to clean the kitchen and cook. And though I'm not extremely short, I'm not really tall either, so their are many things out of reach to me in my own kitchen. This is not a fact I'm real thrilled with, but I don't seem to have many choices. I had a simple step stool that was specifically mine for the kitchen, but being that it was a kitchen necessity, it got very dirty. This item drove hubs crazy. He constantly tripped over it and thought it was unsanitary (which it likely was), so he threw it out in the yard to (supposedly) hose it off and clean it. Then proceeded to "accidentally" run over it. That long story to say that it is no more. I do have a step ladder that is a pain to get out, but is at least useful. I was trying to avoid getting it out, but also trying to reach things too high for me. I managed to drop a rather large and heavy duty pot lid on my head (handle down) and now I have a decent headache.

Now that's a SNOW!

Well, momentarily we are receiving an actual decent snow! If we weren't all sick I'd be entirely more excited about the possibilities and snow men that tomorrow will surely hold. I believe W will miss most of these festivities if his health doesn't improve significantly by the morning.

Actually, he is being delightful right now. Seems to be feeling at least a bit better. He has been so pitiful it'd break a mommas heart. Sitting around with weak eyes and congestion like crazy. Not to mention the constant fever. It would go down a bit with meds, but we would have to alternate them to get it to go down significantly. Then when they wore off, his fever would shoot back up.

Today was no different. Seemed lethargic and only wanting mommy. So we called the Dr. got new medicine and had to get out in the freezing weather to go the pharmacy and get this medicine. Since we were headed that direction I went ahead and kept going to Spartenburg to pick up my 2 sewing machine that were in the shop. Yay! Soooo glad to have my machines functioning again. Since December they have been out of commission.

W didn't eat any lunch, so I couldn't give him his new medicine. I finally convinced him to have some yogurt and gave him the medicine with that. He had a long nap and then ate a pretty decent supper, so I gave him his other dose with that meal. I'm hoping this helps him turn the corner tonight. I'm ready to see my little boy again.

J went grocery shopping! I would have loved to be a fly on the wall for that, but I couldn't have been more thankful as I certainly didn't want to do it in the snow with 2 sick kids! So no coupons and $50 later, he got everything on my list! Oh well for the $50...I guess we'll call that a convenience fee.

On the W front, we found him using the plunger and trying to plunge the toilet. Funny and disgusting all at once. Also, the kid dropped his blanket down a very precarious space between M's mattresses and the actual footboard of her bed. In his zest to retrieve it, he fell there himself and got wedged sideways. Lucky for him m and I keep a close eye on him and were able to fish him out rather quickly with only a tiny scratch on his face. Now if we could just keep him from climbing onto her bed in the first place...

...Time passes...Cookies were made (from scratch)...kids were put to bed...more snow has fallen

I just put a sweet fever free baby boy to bed! Hallelujah. So sweet to get to pray over your sleeping children. The blanket of snow here is pretty awesome and still falling quite a bit. Can't wait to see what it looks like in the a.m. Wonder about how the well will hold up. We had it filled in again on Tuesday...but it's been sinking a little since then. The snow won't help any. We certainly won't be getting anywhere near it. Well, time to enjoy the cookies I made and try not to fall asleep too early.

400th post!

This is my 400th post. didn't want that to go by without at least acknowledging it...
Now on with my post...

I have blue ink ALL over my hands. Actually, I have blue ink all on the inside of my purse which is how it got all over my hands. How did I manage this you ask? Obviously a pen lost it's top and ink inside my purse without my noticing.

This a.m. has been a doozie. W is still sick and feverish. But M is fine. Congested, but able to go to school. Sort of. My car will be needing minor attention today, so the question was how do I make sure she gets picked up from school. Our ride to school is also sick with fever, so I'll be taking her this a.m. So I call the only other back up I have to see if she can pick M up from school. Straight to voicemail. So I text...no response. We get m ready for school, but don't leave till we know how to make this work. On top of that, I'm to provide a sweet snack for the party that is tomorrow...but they want the sweet snack today! Hmmm...

Back up plan finally texts to say she can pick M up. So I throw on clothes. Look terrible, but no big deal. Chances are we'll be late to school. As I get just 2 blocks down the road the gas light comes on. Sheesh! So I have to stop for gas. I try the debit card...twice in the freezing weather with lots of wind. It doesn't work. I forgot...we had to order new ones because someone stole our number when J was out of town. So, luckily I have cash in my purse and thus run in and get a pre paid amount. Since we are already sooooo late, we just head next door to the store, get a store bought v-day cake. Now we are really late!

Finally we get to school with the cake...but I forgot to tell them someone else is picking M up from school. Guess I'll have to call! When I got home I had to clean out the massive mess in my car due to lots of kids and errands...and food, in the freezing windy weather! Yuck. But, M has made it to school and has a ride. My car has made it to the shop, and W and I are warm and cozy in our house...resting. Hope I have time to do all the dishes that are taking over my kitchen!

TTFN!

Sickness Be Gone!

Well, I just rocked a precious little one to bed upright so that he could finally fall asleep without being reawakened with a coughing fit. He was soooo tired! Of course the only time we could get to the Dr. was smack in the middle of what should be naptime. My goal then was to skip it and put him down early, but due to his illness, that was basically impossible. I would venture to say that by the time we made it home after the Dr. and the pharmacy, it was about 4:15? And it took him all of 30 seconds to pass out in my arms in the rocking chair. I let him rest for an hour. He woke himself up though with a coughing spell.

Like last night, he ate almost nothing. At least he's been eating during the day. So adorable though! He will straight up tell you what he does or doesn't want! Do you want some Green Beans(which he normally loves)? "No." "Waker" (supposed to be Water and pronounced the same except for the middle consonant). So he gets water. He did eat a bunch of orange and a bit of hot dog and crackers.

I won't blog long cause I'm anticipating a LOOONG night with the coughing spells and medicine that only lasts about 4 hours at a time.

M stayed home today too as her congestion was backing up into her eyes. I had originally scheduled a well visit for today to catch W up on his shots. That didn't happen and then on top of that we got to pay our outstanding bill and double the meds! 2 meds for each! Thank you Lord, though, for blessing us with the ability to pay it and the blessing that is is available to aid our children in their recovery. Hard to complain about having access to medical help when there are so many in the world that don't.

I am hoping and thinking that it is actually true that M will be able to go to school tomorrow. I'm hoping that hubs doesn't get any sicker, as he too appears to have this raging illness. I'm resigning myself to the fact that I will most likely not be able to prepare made from scratch cupcakes for M's V-day party on Thursday. I'll have to hit the store on the way to pick her up from school tomorrow. In addition, I have no idea if all this will even work out cause I have to have my car worked on tomorrow at some point. Hoping to get all of the "Hallquist" clan together at Mom and Dad's for Valentine's Day.

We'll have to celebrate our super romantic V-day getaway later...

Say a prayer for the sickness bug to be gone. Poor M has been sick with various types of illnesses for 3 weeks! W's been dealing with congestion for about as long and is cutting teeth on top of that. He had a pretty decent fever today of 101.6 after the Motrin! He was pretty pitiful today. I'm hoping he starts to recover quickly. Gotta get well so we can catch him up on some shots in order to enroll him in PDO (Parent's Day Out) once a week. He and I both could benefit from this. Eighteen/ Nineteen months is the age when the separation anxiety really sets in! Well add to that the fact that he has always been a bit of a Momma's Boy and you have a scene from Family Guy! Just hope the whole transition doesn't keep him sick all the time too. Oh the give and take of it all! Off to bed.

Crazy Times at Home

Well if it's gonna happen around here, seems like it will, and right now!

M is still having tummy issues, her brother seems to be teething and is amazingly cranky. On top of that he has taken to skipping his nap every other day. M doesn't want to eat much and I don't blame her, but she's doing well considering. I had a touch of it myself today but have taken it very easy and haven't eaten much. We shall see.

I woke up and my back was tight and tired...bet it has something to do with the fact that W is OBSESSED with me right now. I'd be flattered if I wasn't annoyed and didn't actually already know that 19 months is a very strong time for separation anxiety. When Auntie B came over the other day to take M to school, he seemed to think that I might be going with her somewhere (as is the case on occasion), and he started fussing, repeating "mama" over and over, and started pushing B. It was amusing. I still am experiencing headaches on a fairly daily basis. I also suspect some nightly teeth clenching...which would explain alot of things. The question is what's with the tension?

I think next week will slow things down a bit. I was blessed by a visit from B to watch the kids for a little during the day so that hubs and I could run errands gathering things to make this place more efficient and livable. I had lots of plans. Unfortunately, my plans were drastically altered when we went out to the car and noticed that the old well had caved in about 10 feet! Yikes! So off to the landlord's house we went...who knows when we'll fix that! We are due for another big rain Tues!

But we did manage to get to Target and find a fantastic buy for a replacement coverlet for our bed! We couldn't be more thrilled! The to lunch at Wild Ace in downtown Greer, and then home again to our lovely children. Best part? Auntie B had been the good cleaning fairy! I just love her! Not to worry, we compensated her for her generosity even though she would never require it! I'm seriously considering asking her over at least 2 times a month to help remedy the mess problem.

Funny moment came when she walked into the joint bedroom and found it trashed...not 10 minutes after she had cleaned it. M was to blame of course, but B couldn't believe that M had managed to undo her closet, dressup, drawers, and bed all in that short amount of time! I had to laugh and say, see...it's not that I'm a terrible housekeeper... On a side note, M redeemed herself in cleaning all of the mess up with very little help or prompting. She was rather proud of herself, as was I.

In addition to nothing going quite how I had planned today, we found out that we could now join the club of other Rosebowl attendees in that our de*bit card number had been stolen and used by someone multiple times at various CVS's in another state. Lucky for us the company flagged the card for suspicious charges. I wonder what tipped them off...the fact that someone was spending $50 at a time at CVS! You know I never do! Ha! So now we are cash only for everything till we remedy that situation on Monday.

So let's recap. Wake with headache and back pain...early! M still having tummy aches. W teething and all that comes with that. Someone using out card and therefore deactivating it for the entire weekend and longer. The well falling in, resulting in a rearranging of the errands we were going to run. Me ending up with M's stomach thing. The good things were; I got to spend time alone with my hubs however short it seemed, my house was lovingly clean when I got home, I got to rest (even though it was due to tummy ache), even though we didn't get to run all the errand's I'd hoped we did find an awesome deal at Target on a clearance coverlet and matching bedskirt and shams! So the goods and the bads level out a bit, but do leave us pondering what to do about this living situation that certainly doesn't seem to be getting any better.

Another Day in the Life...

What is it with Murphy's law? All the 15 minute increments in the day and as soon as I'm in the shower the doorbell rings! I knew this would happen. Yard men were coming some time today...no time frame given. Well, a girl's gotta get clean! Sheesh!

At least the yard trimming and such has now been accomplished! I swear for that cost we could have bought the tools and done it ourselves, but it is done and I didn't break a sweat! Since I was once again home bound all morning, I buckled down to clean. This is one of the necessities that housemom/wife just has to get over and succumb to its reality. I do indeed clean all the time. Not that the house is ever clean...fully!

But I got realistic and looked at the minimal amount of time I actually had to get anything done and decided to work one room at a time. Generally. So it was the kitchen. I had done a good bit of work in there yesterday, so I thought it might be easier to make a dent that actually appeared as if I'd done some kind of work. And I did. I finally organized and took care of nitty gritty things that I've been putting off in there. Still not fully clean as you can imagine! One or two more naptimes should do it.

W was so adorable today! I was going to have him skip that morning nap this a.m. as he had slept till 7 this morn, and then get my 2 and the friend that stays with us 2 afternoons a week down for an early nap this afternoon. But little man was saying "nap" and "sleepy" and trying to climb into his bed. I decided I'd better take the hint and put him down. It IS easier to get things done without any little person underfoot. But an hour goes by fast...

Veggie Tales, then naptime up on the docket. I definitely feel a nap in the works for me as well. And I got a package today! From my grandma Katie! she's cleaning out her sewing room and sent all the cutie things in the sizes of my children! I few things for me to finish with buttons and what now, but M is very excited. She's already put one on!

Then the tea party. M's home center now includes a working coffee maker (kids that uses water). So, the 3 kids sat down at the princess table from Uncle John, Aunt Connie, and Cuz B, and ate little debbie's and coffee "water" in their tea party set from one of hubs relatives. I think Gammy and Pawpaw, but I don't remember! She was so excited that this was her first REAL tea party. We will definitely have to do this again, with our tea hats!

Though I intended to actually try to fix my hair today, the yard men threw off the plan! I searched for the faithful Noodle hat and couldn't find it! I laughed off the thought that my hubs may just have discarded it so I'd get the hint, and threw this hair into yet another pony tail! Sheesh. I gotta figure out what to do about that.

I think I may finally get to take my sewing machines to the shop tomorrow! Can hardly wait to get them back! So much to do!

BTW, God has really amazed me and taught me alot about myself this week! Praise to Him for answering some very serious and constant prayers! And for those who faithfully prayed alongside me!

Keepin it Real

This is a post of somewhat random things that pop into my head from time to time. Don't try to make sense of them or overanalyze...I'm just trying to be honest and keepin it real.

I sang today...something other than The Little Mermaid. I actually thought it was pretty good. We are certainly our worst critics, but considering the round and round that I went through to choose, purchase, and practice these songs, I was kind of proud. I was a little anxious about it, mostly because I didn't want my inadequacies to get in the way of what God wanted to say/wanted us to hear. What a silly concern really...I could hardly get in the way of God's plan.

Sometimes I forget WHO God is. I forget that He isn't like me. Though Jesus was more like me, I forget that they (the trinity) were altogether "other"! And when I try to humanize them (unintentionally) it seems I limit them. I'm trying to be more aware of this and to avoid it in the future.

I have been having fairly consistent early morning wake up calls from my kids. Usually somewhere between 6-6:30 a.m. This is not early to some of you I realize, but it is an hour or more early for me. I know that it is because we moved the kids into the same room and the littlest wakes the older one up and then there is no turning back...but I'm a morning person, so other than being much tireder these days, I don't really mind. It does mean their dad is waking up earlier too, cause there is entirely too much activity going on for him to bear sleeping through it. Bet he's wishing he could find those ear plugs he misplaced.

On that note, I am a ton tireder than I am used to being and I am a little concerned. I know part of it is the lacksidazical way I have been exercising lately...not enough consistency. I am curious if I'm having iron issues, which is something I have battled more than once in my life. I really LOVE to sleep...and if not sleep, lay quietly in my bed with the covers pulled up around me. If I were in college, I would do exactly that...alot, but I'm a mom and a business owner and I don't have time for all that. I don't have time to get a lot of things done around here, so sleeping and lounging around isn't really a luxury I can afford on a regular basis. I wonder if I just need a break (little vacation for myself or with hubs--sans kids), or something else...life change. Who knows. But some thing I ponder none the less.

BTW, I didn't know that tireder was an actual word, but it doesn't appear to need spell check. Hmm. It really is true that you learn something new everyday.

I don't like my hair as of late. It's long...and though that's not my favorite hair do, I don't mind it so much. I think maybe I just need a reshaping? I just can't seem to do anything with it. In other words I wear alot of pony tails. Worst case scenario is the ball cap...and i seem to be wearing that far more often than I would like. My fave ball cap is blue and says Noodle on it (something about golf) which I stole from my hubs years ago and never returned. I have just about decided that this is the stage of life that I will likely refer to in years to come as the Noodle years. I wear my hair long due to my profession or business. It makes certain characters altogether easier if I use my own hair, but it makes wig wearing easier as well. Hard to conceal and contain that short hair.

My house is a wreck! Ever since I moved the kids into the same room the house went through the remodeling sort of upheaval and I have yet to entirely right the whole situation. Even after several trips to Goodwill. I seriously contemplated hiring a made for a few visits or months.

I miss my FOO (Family of Origin). Haven't seen them in a while. I'm not a real miss you when your / I'm gone kind of person, but I think I'm gearing up for a visit. Just gotta make sure my car is in good enough shape to go. I'm starting to get annoyed with the car actually. One morning the volume button was struggling to function. Today it was all I could do to get the children's CD out of the player. I did manage to retrieve it, but am not even thinking about putting something else in there. I don't think I really want to press my luck. Maybe I'll try it with one of my favorite ones, so that if it doesn't get permanently stuck, I will at least like what I have to listen to all the time.

All the randomness I can handle for now. I have to wake the kids so they'll go back to bed later. Bed time is the trickiest part of joint bedrooms.

Stormy Weather

Ice storms that is...yes we had some snow but it wasn't much fun for the kids as everything sort of melted together and made most any kind of play impossible. We did some exploration, some swinging, some stomping through the ice and into mud puddles...but not really any pics. We did take pics last night when the kids had a wild dance fest! Funny actually! I don't think I've seen M exercise so much in one sitting... Maybe she's ready for dance class after all.

I ran to CVS since it's across the street. I had some really great coupons that expired yesterday, so I wanted to get the deals, and get out of the house since we've been iced in all weekend. Here is the run down.

Starting with $3 ECB's...

Transaction 1:

Men's Dove Body Wash--out of pocket: $1.57
ECB's : $5.49

Transaction 2:

Men's Dove Body Wash
Colgate Max Fresh
---out of pocket: $1.50
ECB's: $7.49

Transaction 3:
2 packs of huggies
(used $4/20 CVS coupon but forgot ECB's)
out of pocket: $13.96
ECB's: $5

Transaction 4:
4 Ragu
2 Skippy pnut
out of pocket: .52 cents
ECB's (still have $5 from when I forgot to use it earlier) and $3 = $8

Transaction 5:
1 12 pack coke
4 febreeze fab refreshers
3 2 liters
out of pocket: $7.98
ECB's $10

Total visit spending:$25.53
Total Value: $98.29
ECB's: $10!

New Favorite Things!

One of my new favorite things to do these days is buy groceries! Multiple reasons actually! You know me and my love for hunting the bargain. Well, with southern savers, this girl is now hooked on the oh so great deals of Publix and CVS! The couponing is going fast and easily. Something that once frustrated the heck out of me and took forever, is now easy and only takes about an hour or maybe just a smidge more of the entire week! Perfect to do during morning nap!

Today that is what I did. I prepped for Publix and CVS while M was at school and W was sleeping. I had already done the computer portion. checked the things I wanted and printed the coupons I needed that I didn't already have. yesterday, M and I sat down and cut out the computer printed coupons. She enjoyed the cutting and doing big girl things with Mom and she didn't even realize she was helping me!

So, during nap today, I organized. I looked up the coupons I'd need for the trip and cut them out, organizing them in an envelope with my list. I did this for both stores and put them in my purse. Since W had such a marvelous nap, we were going to make these runs together! This should be interesting and certainly aborted at anytime depending on children's behavior.

They were great! Thank goodness for carts that look like cars, buckles in the carts that look like cars, free cookies and balloons, a short list and a store I'm now familiar with to navigate rather quickly!

So here is the run down...

Publix: spent $25.54 (including tax)
saved $43.07

Aldi was out next stop...there are some things my kids will only eat from Aldi! Heaven forbid we ever move to a place that doesn't have one! So we stopped there and thankfully their prices are always incredible!

CVS: spent $13.54
saved $32.22
Extra Bucks for next time $3

Tons of freebies today too! Two 32 oz Gatorades--free, 7 bars of soap--free, TONS of stuff for less than $.75!

Great run today! definitely doing CVS next week as well for some freebies and ECBs on diapers!

Can't top the Diblets!

Well, no stories to top the Diblets today! sorry. Kids are fun aren't they?!

I have a brief moment here, so I thought I'd post. I've been up to all kinds of things. Mostly trying to get my home in order. Guess I got a jump on spring cleaning, throwing out, rearranging and what not. I started by moving the kids to the same room. This has been a bit tricky. But the room looks great! I lucked out finding some wall art stickers on clearance a walmart; a set that will coordinate with the existing color of wall (which is an odd teal color) for M and another set also on clearance for W! They are both thrilled.

After trying several different furniture arrangements, I was finally able to settle on one that is pretty great if I do say so myself. I even moved the curtains from W's old room right onto the window next to his bed in the joint room and it worked perfectly...except that I hung the valance upside down and with a staple gun at that, so it's permanent! The rocking chair fits in there, which both kids are thrilled about. M has a more grown up rock and roll theme going on in there. She didn't get her real stage with curtains and a microphone like she hoped, but maybe one day! And W gets Thomas the train! What could be better.

The playroom / eating space is still in the works, although that has been my main focus of late as the rest of the house appears to have been hit by the misplaced toy bomb. Today and tonight, it is my goal to find a place for all the toys (even if that means the consignment shop or goodwill for some of them)! Before I could have that room also house the eating space, I needed a rug to protect the carpet since our kids are horrifyingly messy and we only rent this house! I headed out to Old Time Pottery today with both kids. M had the day off for rest and recoup as she's not feeling 100%. I was hoping to get a big rug for about $40 or so. I was thrilled to find them having a huge sale for $32.99. Then I stumble upon a bin of 5 x 8 striped rugs for $10! Now don't set anything even remotely hot on this as I am certain this rug is made from recycled plastic bags or something and will melt into unrecognizability (not that I'm speaking from experience...first year of marriage in a tiny seminary apt.), but hey! the thing is $10 fits the requirement as food catcher for young kids AND as if it were definitely meant to be...the stripes are the exact color of the decorative items already in there! yeah baby!

So I tote home 2 kids, a large yellow plastic laundry type bin to hold stuffed animals and such, a large fabric remnant, a new funky broom and dustpan, and this huge rug! How I managed it was amusing, but more importantly successful! We came home and ate leftover pizza. Both kids decided to boycott nap for some odd reason (possibly the medicine?)...at least W finally gave up the ghost. I was able to stick M in my bed with a movie and get some of the actual rearranging done in that room, and now I wait till hubs gets home to move the table. Maybe, just maybe I'll have room for a dishwasher now in the kitchen! M has made it clear that she feels the kitchen needs a rug. I'm afraid that J (being ever so slightly clumsy and no small thing) is not a big fan of rugs however, as he finds himself stumbling over them quite often. That may be up for discussion when everything else finds a home.

Hmmm...and when do we think that will be? Not this week. There's just no way.

The Diblets

You are now entering the realm of the Diblets.

The Diblets are tazmanian devil horse farmer cowgirls that paint the sky. They paint sun, clouds, and rainbows, but never rain because Diblets are scared of rain. They are nice and rather than make a big mess like your typical Tazmanian devil, they clean up messes! I have also been informed that they place people into trees in their beautiful nice forest with rainbows, waffles, and something else lovely and odd that I can no longer remember.

One Diblet sister wears an irridescent pink cowboy hat, flipflops, a shirt and leggings, and carries with her a foam sword. The other Diblet sister wears bat ears, a black tutu with gold glitter on it. a bathing suit bottom, a pink top that is dirty with various types of stains, and carries her pointer which is actually the arm off a doll she got for Christmas (guess which twisted Diblet sister is mine?!).

This is the land that our house has entered since having picked up M and her friend from school! Such imagination!

Mermaid Magic

And the singing telegram was a huge hit! I love being the mermaid! She looks so magical and sings such fantastic songs, and everyone loves her! Singing Telegrams are pretty great too, cause I make a little money, I'm forced to put my make up on that day, and they are quick so I can be back with my most favorite people in the world...my family.

The joint bedroom transformation is almost complete. There is a lot of organization that still needs to happen over all in the house. Most of the toys do not yet have a designated space in the playroom...so they are everywhere! I may tackle that some tonight if my working weekend exhaustion doesn't catch up with me. I'm so ready for organization and flow in this house...hmmm...sounds very chi or feng shui.

The children adjustment to their joint room is going pretty well. Bedtime is the trickiest, but we also took the paci away from the little man this weekend, so that's not really helping. Still, I can not tell you how much I LOVE having my house back. I can move around freely making noise and having a light on, and not have to worry about waking the little one. I even actually have more time to clean! That comment would make one think that I was excited because I love to clean...this is not the case, however I do detest the mess...so I suppose you can't really have one without the other. Unless you have an Alice (as in the Brady Bunch). That is my dream for a day in the future.

Off to put the other babe to bed...then maybe some organizing or sleeping. I haven't quite decided.

Tiny Tink

Well, I had a pixie party yesterday. It was really great! Me in a pixie fairy costume is a bit tricky. Sure makes me feel old and in need of a redo at the gym! Haha! Still it was a great party! The girls were fantastic! The games and crafts were awesome! Such fun and delight. And I even got to tinker and received a tip! I was able to take that tip and take my bff out to my fave Mexican restaurant for a girls night.

I am slipping back into my workout routine again this week now that things have settled down a bit at home. That should help my confidence level when wearing such tiny costumes haha! Now off to prepare a fun big breakfast now that all of my family is under one roof.

Wish I had the WHOLE day off, but I do have to be a mermaid later to sing for a little girl's fifth bday! Fun! Until later...

Waiting

The waiting game is no fun, but what i literally just realized is that waiting often signifies anticipation. The only real alternative to that is waiting with anxiety, and I'm not the anxious type. God has led my family through so much where in all we really had to look and depend was on Him, that there really isn't anxiety left. He's got this!

So, I'm waiting...literally...on children to wake up. On a husband to arrive at the airport after being gone for a week. I'm waiting to see if my personal business is profitable. I'm waiting to save enough to buy a house. I'm waiting to see what's going to happen next in our life. And as I wait, I choose to see it as waiting with the excitement that anticipation brings.

I am waiting for the kids to wake up because when they do they are going to be well rested and ready to see their dad. I'm waiting to pick up my husband, and I can't wait to kiss that face whether he has shaved or not! I am excited to see how God pieces together the puzzle of our life over the next year to reveal more of his orchestration and plan.

I wait not impatiently but eagerly.

in over my head!

I am posting when I ought to be cleaning. You married gals know that there are few things that husbands like more than a clean home. If that isn't true for yours, then you are lucky. Well, if I had a video cam that would allow you to peek into our home right now, it would remind you of an episode of the show Clean Sweep. It's not quite Hoarders material, but it looks like we moved in and then took all the boxes, opened them, and then dumped them out all over the floor in all rooms except the bathroom, and the kids room. The kitchen's not so bad...

All the dishes are clean, all the laundry is clean and swallowing the couch whole. I have redone the kids room and have to tackle the organization of all the other kids things that are all over the rest of the house. Our room will never be clean until we get the storage unit because of all the business stuff that is collecting in the vacant space of our room. The kitchen just needs a little elbow grease.

But...M is still awake because W is having a little bit of trouble adjusting to being moved into her room. And Thursday is the only time I care a thing about television...what to do. And J gets home tomorrow night. This could get interesting. On top of all that, I have two parties this weekend for the business.

Ah the Holidays...

Well, the holidays are in full swing now...I officially rolled out of bed after a late night with the girls and decided I'd better go to the Dr. Before we get out of town and there is nothing else I can do about it. My right tonsil was swollen and hurting and making me not want to eat or swallow. Tonsillitis no big surprise. So after waiting it out in the Dr's office this a.m., finally gtting to the end of my balance and having to shell out a wad for prescriptions, I was able to get home and dress the kids so I could run my 2 remaining errands.

Final preps for the fondue fest tonight which was mediocre at best... The house is nice and clean except for the dishes from the feast and our room which is only slightly messy. The kids are packed even though the grown up aren't. I didn't get to fix my hair, or pick a decent out fit, but I got my make up on and a festive Christmas green shirt to go with my blue jeans before the guest arrived...thank goodness she was late as usual. The kids were in bed a good hour late or more. And "Santa" is too tired to think about what is about to come next! Sheesh!

We learned a few things tonight...M learned to obey, and not to play with sharp objects. (so glad I didn't see her stab herself in the eye with a fondue fork). J and I both were certain-at least for a second-that we were headed to the ER for Christmas Eve. Maybe fondue will be a nicer tradition carried on when the kids are older. Easier is better on nights like this. We learned that cell phones are fantastic for keeping families together even when we're apart. I felt connected after receiving a pic of my niece in her Christmas PJ's and my nephew in another part of the country, in his nice Christmas outfit. So then we were able to send a pic of M and J partaking of fondue...a family tradition from my family of origin. Also, we got a message that my bro in law was firing up the big green egg for their special dinner just as we were firing up our fondue pot.
Now to make it through the rest of the night with the royally sore throat and hopefully not too late a night.

Here goes...

Got Paid

I didn't think the day would come, but yesterday I went to Walmart and they paid me 2 cents to take a product home! Granted I only bought one thing...but I was next door to Walmart for wig perusing (for my party character business). So since I was there, and had the coupon, I decided to swing in and pick up the free fabric softener. I was going to peak down the book aisle to see if they had the last of the Twilight series anyway. They didn't have the book, so I just got the fab softener. At 1.98 and a coupon for $2 off, they actually gave me 2 pennies and I walked out with the fab softener as well. Too bad I only had one coupon or I would have gotten 3 of these.

I did really well yesterday at Target as well. Got some free swiss miss hot cocoa and gave it to a friend (cause I already have 2). Got DelMonte canned green beans (our most used veggies in this house) for 25 cents a piece, and a Tinkerbell and the Lost Treasure movie DVD/Blu Ray for $5!

Today I'm off to make a 5 yr old's day by surprising her in costume at her school with cupcakes! Off to the races.

Inching Ever Closer

Well I haven't blogged in a while. Not because I haven't had things going on, but mainly because nothing seemed to want to be written about. I'll explain...stories from my days and weeks come to mind in very storylike form sometimes. It is those that I blog about. If I make a list (like the last post) it's because the narrative form is lost for the time being. So, that's where I am. Still...

I am inching every closer to my 400th post! I should definitely use that as an excuse to throw a party...when it actually occurs that is.

Since the last post I have been to Disney World and Epcot, gotten to see one of my best friends from college, terribly missed one of my other best friends from college, driven to see my parents, flown in an airplane, read 3 of the Twilight books, very nearly completed my Christmas preparations with some last minute gift changing on the part of my 4 year old, past the 100,000 mile mark on my car (yikes!), had my 8th anniversary, and other fairly ordinary things.

I got to do a twins party this past weekend and that involved 2 of the princesses of their choice! Things didn't go as I'd hoped. J was supposed to be able to photograph the event for me since it was kind of a special deal, but we could find anyone to watch the kids at the last second since our usual plan b person was hospitalized for kidney stones. So he didn't get to photograph it, AND for the first time ever...I forgot the goody bags at home! So, to make up for it, I'm making pics and autographing them and slipping them in the mail with their goody bags to each child. That'll cost me...yuck, but I'm happy to oblige if it satisfies the customer. In spite of it not going precisely the way I would've liked, the mom was so ecstatic that she wrote me a raving review email that I will have to use on my site as a testimonial.

I have a singing telegram at a school on Tuesday (that should be quite fun). Tonight, though, I have a hot date with my hot husband! We are celebrating 8 years! It has been delightful...not perfect (we've been through a lot for sure), but compared to many stories of those around me, being married to him is rather easy. We will be spending the night in the swankiest hotel in the area and dining at High Cotton. I thought it a great excuse to buy a new dress (dress? what's that?!). Of course me in my ingenious plan was up till all hours trying to figure out my sister's sewing machine since mine are broken right now. It was an odd length that was very chic, but out of place for my height...would've made me look shorter and as he is 6'3" I don't need to look shorter, so I planned to hem it. In the end, I hand sewed it. Not ideal, but will work for this occasion. So, tonight I will don a classic, chic, red satin dress, some seriously high stilettos, huge earrings (I think...), but I have yet to figure out what to do with my hair.

Christmas has worked itself out as almost everything does (don't know why we worry about little stuff...God clothes and feeds the flowers and the birds, how much more will He take care of us). M wanted a violet incredibles costume from Santa. I ordered one online day after thanksgiving and got scammed apparently. Wasn't going to pay $60 to get one here by Christmas, so I had to improvise. We had a Mr. Incredible costume with a broken zipper from Goodwill, but the muscles would never do. It was too big and we needed to fix the zipper problem, so I asked her if I could scale it down and redo it so that it would be more "violet". That got a raving response. So we decided that Santa could bring her the wig and boots to go with the costume. ( I already had the wig put away). I actually had a hard time finding the boots and started to worry just a bit. Found the perfect ones the a.m. at Walmart on the way home from dropping her off to school! Yahoo!

Now all I have left to deal with for Christmas is anything that involves pictures. Haven't gotten to those yet...again it'll work itself out.