The broom fell...company's coming!

What is it about the knowledge that you will be having company over that makes you finally open your eyes and 'see' the mess that your house has become?  It was fine (as far as you were concerned) just yesterday, but now...no, no, no...it will NEVER do to have someone ELSE see your house in this manner!!

Just tonight Darren says to me, "I think the secret to a happy home is having people over."  He meant that, even though we keep the house relatively live-able...it's never as clean as when we are expecting company.  Not to mention the perks to having friends in the house.  It seems to lighten the day and strengthen the soul.

Our friends Dave and Denise Highfill (and their children) will be coming over for dinner tomorrow night.  Earlier in the week I had noticed that the house needed a little straightening, but today, I noticed FAR more that needed to be tended to.  Now all of a sudden I am able to see the cobwebs in the corner.  I can now see the fingerprints on the sliding glass door.  Huh, how long has it been since I dusted my nightstand?  LOL!

When I was a small child, if my Mom told us it was time to clean the house we asked, "Who's coming over?".  We did very little house cleaning, that I remember, unless company was coming.  Well heck, there were 4 children living in the house.  I am sure at times, housecleaning seemed like an exercise in futility.  As I got older and the number of children in the house was only 2, our house was cleaned much more often.

Was my mother a bad housekeeper?  Before I had children I would have said a resounding, "YES!".  But our house was not foul.  It was cluttered, yes, but not scary.  Now that I have my son (and only 1 child so far), I can already well appreciate the mad dash cleaning ritual.  

I like to think I am a pretty good housekeeper.  My house is not filthy.  The dishes are done nightly, and the rest of the household chores are done on a weekly basis if not more often.  Still, there is that lull that happens, everything is pretty much picked up.  The house has been dusted, for the most part.  You know how it goes. 

If none of this is ringing true for you, perhaps you have no children. Better yet, perhaps you are a housecleaning goddess, in which case I need you to be my mentor for about 6 months.

Cheerful cleaning ladies!!

I'm on a roll

Thanks to my friend Jen's wonderful blog Lipstick and Laundry and her tutorial, I was able to make her 'No Sew Pumpkin'.     

I also made the jar covers below for my MOPS Moms.  I will fill these jars next week with homemade hand moisturizer!

I am so excited!!  I have never been a crafty person.  My mother and my two sisters have always had an amazing knack for things of that nature, but I never felt like I did.

I am also blessed with many friends who are crafty.  I have always been so overwhelmed when looking at their latest creation because it was so intricate and beautiful.  

However, the other day I decided I was going to get up off my duff and learn how to do some crafts dag nab it!!!  All my friends had to start with the simple stuff too, at one point in time, so here I am.  Simply happy with my simple creations!!

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....