Crafty?

SQQQUUUUUUEEEEEE!!!  I am SO pickin' proud of myself right now. 

I (on my own and of my own volition) went to the store, bought a grass broom and silk flowers to make a CRAFT!  Yep, you got it...Debbie Didreckson made a CRAFT ladies and gentlemen!  I think I have removed the finger prints from my right forefinger and middle finger with my glue gun, but a small price to pay, right??

I know it may seem so simple to my many crafty-gifted friends, but it's a BIG deal to me and all I could think to do was be vain and share.  So....here it is.  Not fancy, I am a pretty plain gal...but I LOVE IT!!  Better yet, the whole project only cost me $5.00! 

**cheesy grin** 

 

My passion as of late...

...has been making my own, well, just about everything!  I have made my own:  toothpaste, lotion, carpet deodorizer, shampoo, play-dough, finger paints, deodorant, scrape/burn/rash ointment, shaving cream, window cleaner, laundry detergent, counter sanitizer, furniture polish, air fresheners, canned food, bread, sprouted flour, etc.

I have a PASSION for making and using as many 'natural' products (or pretty close to natural) as possible.  I really enjoy making them and using them as well.  I believe that God wants us to take care of ourselves the best way we know how.  What better way to take care of ourselves but ensuring all manner of things which go in or on our bodies is homemade?

This is a fairly new passion of mine.  It all came about when I was pregnant with Luke.  My husband, Darren was very ill and I was taking 12 pills a day for high blood pressure.  (I have not asked Darren's permission to reveal his illness in this post so I will withhold it out of respect.)

Darren was in one of the Bible book stores in Edmond, OK one day and happened to glance at a book entitled, "The Maker's Diet" by Jordan Rubin.  He didn't purchase the book that day.  However, that night he tells me about the book he thummed through and says, "I feel God wants me to go back to that bookstore tomorrow and buy that book.".  I am so proud of him for listening to God speaking to him and obeying.  It has been one of the best things that has ever happened to our family.

Darren read the book and then so did I.  I was particularly drawn to this way of eating as it is based on biblical principals (post flood).  We participated in a 40 day "trial" if you will, per the books suggestion.  By the time the 40 days was up, I was down to 3 blood pressure pills a day and Darren was weaning himself off his medication.  Within 3 months we were both of ALL medication and have remained that way for 2.5 years! 


Since then, of course, we have been FAR from perfect in following our eating guidelines.  Life happens, sometimes it is very overwhelming and one can only do what one can do at the time.  More often than not, we stick to them and have reaped wonderful benefits by doing so.  Out of that came my passion for healthy eating and healthy living.


My son will be 3 in December and has never had a soda (diet or regular), has never had artificial sweeteners, has never had a twinkie or the like, has never had cool-aid, never a TV dinner, never a low-fat food, never a meal out of a box or can and is a happy and VERY healthy little boy for it.


It may sound like what we eat is boring, but I tell you, that is certainly not the case.  We eat QUITE well.  Very rich foods, as I do not skimp on fat or flavor.  We eat as our great grandparents might have.  All food is REAL food and not from a manufacturer.  No cheese that doesn't melt, no bread that is as stiff as cardboard, no science fiction low-fat, low-calorie, low-tasting foods. 


I wrote all of that because I got a little excited and once it was written I was NOT going to erase it...LOL!  The original meaning for this post was to get any and all recipes you, my readers, may have for REAL food and/or homemade household or personal products.  I would really be interested in trying them!!

 

MOPS 2010

I joined an organization called MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) last year.  Unfortunately, due to the many family emergencies I had last year I missed quite a few meetings, but I always REALLY enjoyed attending the meeting and other get togethers.

It was my fellow MOPS moms (along with my family) who helped me survive the loss of my son Daniel this last January.  They were all so supportive and helpful.  I was overwhelmed!

This year I have chosen to be a "Table Leader" or "Discussion Leader" whichever title you prefer.  I will have 8 other moms at the table that I will be leading.  I am very excited about it.

I have to be honest...being a Table Leader was the LAST thing from my mind.  I knew I wanted to volunteer for a job this year but thought it would probably fall more along the lines of hospitality or crafts or some such thing.  I was praying about it and I really felt like God was telling me I needed to be a Table Leader.  NOT what I wanted to do.  Actually, I told my friend Autumn that I would do just about any other job that had a vacancy EXCEPT for table leader.  LOL!  As the saying goes, "If you want to make God laugh...just tell him your plans.".

I have overcome my anxiety (for the most part) of this job and am now simply anxiously awaiting the MOPS first meeting.  I can't wait to meet the moms I will be involved with and I can't wait to make even more new and fantastic friends.

As a new stay-at-home mom last year, I really fell into the habit of doing nothing for myself.  I was so emphatic about being a good homemaker, wife and mother that I forgot to be "me".  I joined MOPS just to get me out of the house for a little bit.  I was hoping this would help me not maul my husband first thing when he walked through the door as he would be the only other adult I would speak with all day!  I knew I was losing it and I needed help.  And lucky for me, MOPS was just the place for me to obtain that help.

It was nice to speak with other mothers and realize I am not alone in my fears, doubts, solitude and other eccentricities I had accrued.  I also learned many helpful parenting and wifery techniques along the way.

Any stay-at-home mother of a child from mere pregnancy to age 5, I would HIGHLY recommend visiting a group near you.  They are a nation-wide group and I would imagine there is one not too far from where you reside.  It would be worth the look...

Trip to the **not so** Windy City

Me, my husband, son and mother-in-law all went to Chicago.  The reason for the trip was to see my brother-in-law, Dustin, graduate from Navy boot camp.  We decided it would be a waste of time and energy to just travel all the way to Chicago for 1 day, so we made a 5 day trip of the event.  We were hoping to get to "see" Chicago and take in some sights.


**Side Note**  I find humor in the title of this post for this reason:  Anyone who has ever visited Oklahoma City and Chicago...the term "Windy City" for Chicago is a joke.  I have lived in Oklahoma for a total of 9 years.  WIND is what one will find in Oklahoma year round.  There is almost no point in fixing one's hair as it is sure to be destroyed by wind at some point during the day.  A BREEZE is what one will find in Chicago.  It was humid like much of the mid-west, but windy.....not so much.


Anyhooo....we left Sacramento Airport on Wednesday afternoon.  Luke was NOT a happy traveler.  He was whiny, fidgety, and just painfully unpleasant for most of the plane ride.  It made me understand why some parents give sedatives to their children when they go on long plane rides.  Noe that I would do it myself, but I CERTAINLY understand why some do!!

We arrived in Chicago Wednesday night (taking into account the 2 hour time difference).  We rented a car, and good thinking on Darren's part that we did.  When traveling with a 2 1/2 year old...the term *luggage* takes on a WHOLE NEW MEANING.  Darren and I could have had one piece of luggage each for the entire trip.  2 pieces total.  While traveling with my mother-in-law and son, we had a total of 7 pieces of luggage.  Yep SEVEN!  No way were we going to lug all that luggage onto the subway.  So Darren saved the day with the car rental to get us to the hotel.


Thursday morning, we got up and traveled downtown to visit the Children's Museum, go on an Architecture boat ride of the city and then to Legoland.  We had lots of fun!  The most interesting part of the day, I think, for my son was all the means of transportation it took to travel to these locations.  We rode on a plane and in a car the day before.  And to get downtown from our hotel we took the subway and a bus.  He was THRILLED!  


Friday we traveled to Great Lakes, IL to see the Navy boot camp graduation.  We were told by the hotel staff it would take us 2 hours (with traffic) to get there.  We had to be "in our seats" by 8:30 am so we left the hotel at 6:00am.  We were in Great Lakes by a little after 7:00am.  WHAT TO DO FOR OVER AN HOUR?  We piddled around, got some coffee, ate breakfast and got to the graduation very early.  This was a mistake.  The graduation did not commence until 9:00am and by then Luke was tired of sitting.  He would have NOTHING to do with sitting still during the ceremony.  Luke and I spent the majority of the ceremony in the women's bathroom.  I did my best to stifle screams of defiance.  So much fun!!!  


When the graduation was over Luke was very happy to see Dustin and the rest of the day was relatively uneventful.  We got to spend some time with Dustin and he had the whole weekend off so he came back with us to the hotel after dinner.


The next day we had planned on seeing a couple of sights such as the Aquarium, the Zoo and something else I cannot recall just now.  Due to some technical difficulties with lack of appropriate garb for Dustin's uniform, we were unable to begin our sight seeing until the afternoon and only got to go to the Aquarium.  It was PACKED!  I would say it was well worth it though.  It was beautiful and much fun to see.


Sunday morning we had a flight out at 8:00 am so we were up and at 'em really early.  The plane ride back to Sacramento was MUCH more pleasant as Luke slept most of the way.  The rest of the time when he wasn't sleeping, we were able to feed him snacks which kept him happy.


All in all Chicago is NOT a place I would like to live but was fun to visit.  Next time, I would definitely consider going "adults only".

Internet Intermission

About 1 week before we went on vacation to Chicago, our internet modem died.  It was a couple of weeks past the 1 year warranty time frame and AT&T would not replace it.  Well, this really upset my husband and I am sure he had some choice words for the poor customer service representative with which he spoke.  


Suffice it all to say, we switched from AT&T to Comcast Internet.  We were without internet service at the house for about 1 week.  As soon as the internet was back up, it was time to go on vacation.  So I have not been on the internet for going on 2 weeks now and am WAY out of the loop!


I apologize to any and all who tried to contact me during this time and were unable to.  And to all my fellow bloggers, I will be frantically reading to get caught up.  Please bear with me....

Thoughts on Homeschooling

Since I have been given the gift of being a stay-at-home-Mom, I have wanted to also homeschool my son.  He will be 3 in December and I am wanting to start him in some "preschool" curriculum next school year.

I have been doing much research on the matter.  There are TONS of options for curriculum for homeschooling at any age.  It can be QUITE overwhelming!!  I simply did not know where to begin?!?!

I have narrowed it down (I think) to a couple of different options.  The one I am intrigued by the most is "Character Concepts for Preschoolers Complete Curriculum", by Marilyn Boyer (and many other authors as well, she is the one who compiled all the materials for the curriculum).  

This is a pretty comprehensive curriculum.  It incorporates all the "regular" school stuff and weaves an intricate pattern of Biblical and Character principals throughout.  I am very excited about it! 

I will continue to look for curriculum until probably the spring before school starts, but I am so far very happy with what I have found and am ready to begin the preparations!!

I have my doubts as I am sure many other homeschooling parents have entertained.  Will I be organized enough?  Will I be consistent?  Will my child LEARN from me?  Will I be able to do homeschooling and all the other things I am responsible for successfully?  Will this cost too much money?  What are the rules/regulations of homeschooling in my state?

Thank goodness there are a number of resources online that walk a parent through these doubts and more!  I am also blessed to have a sister who has homeschooled 4 children in the past 20 years and a sister-on-law who just started homeschooling her two sons this year.

I am nervous, excited, overwhelmed, critical and anxious all at the same time.  This will be a new journey for me.  I supposed I should just put my big-girl britches on, sit down, buckle up and enjoy the ride!!

Do any of you have any thoughts, ideas or suggestions?

Can you can, can, can?

The picture above is a small sampling of the canning I have done so far.  Left to Right:  Honey Fig Jam, Tomatoes, Pickled Beets, Pickled Green Beans

My friend, Mindy let me borrow her pressure cooker/canner.  I have been canning and freezing like a mad woman.  I have canned tomatoes, beets and pasilla peppers so far.  Will be doing MANY more tomatoes.  I have made some chili from my fresh tomatoes and froze it.  I have made home made veggie soup.  

It doesn't sound like a lot I'm sure, but I can assure you the task seems monumental at times.  We grew so much in our garden last year but much of it went to waste as it was not eaten or given away in time.  We did not have the foresight to plan to preserve any of our bounty.

This year we planted the garden with preservation for the winter in mind.  I would like to enjoy my summer harvest all year long!  Mindy said we could borrow her canner, to which I am very grateful as I had never used one before and didn't want to purchase one until I was familiar with the processes and the equipment.  I have been canning, freezing, pickling, fermenting, making jams, jellies and preserves.  

It's been very time consuming...but I am SURE I will be grateful for my efforts this winter.  Bon appetit!