A Snow Storm

Current outlook (professionally gotten by looking out the window) light snow and light wind.

What have we heard

4-6 inches...

and...

6-8 inches...

and...

7-10 inches...

and...

10-12 inches.

Wind...

and...

no wind...

Do you get the idea. No one has any idea what is going to happen. We are going to get snow, possibly a decent amount, there may or may not be wind, temperatures are going to drop.

The roads suck. They are 100 percent covered in snow...and ice...I'm glad to be home and off the roads.

The morons are out in droves. I know, I know this is common any time there is a winter storm. A semi about ran me off the interstate because they can't see the red van. Watched a car decide to cut across traffic, lose control and spin into the ditch.

I'll be happy when my sister gets home. I'll be even happier if school and work is canceled tomorro, or they super clean the roads. Either one is good for me.

Happy Birthday Bubba

Today was my little brother's birthday. He turned 15. Wow....

He was born when I was 10 years old. I was in the little mommy phase and I loved playing with him. We lived in Missouri at the time (and we do have to show him the proof before he'll believe anything).

The summer he was 1 1\2 I watched him while he played outside. I would generally be reading while he played.

When I was 14 I was going through the phase of life sucks. I was alone on Valentine's day and all my girl friends were dating people. They had gotten cookies (our drill team sells cookies on valentines day) and I hadn't gotten any. I came home, curled up on the couch and turned on a sappy love movie (stupid, right?). He came up to me, asked me what was wrong in his cute 5 year old way, and I told him that I was sad, he asked why, I said because I didn't have a boyfriend (oh how I yearn for the simplicity of those days). He curled up on the couch with me and said Don't be sad, I'll be your boyfriend. He was always such a sweetheart.

Now he is 15. I can't lie, I'm glad he's growing up. But at the same time I miss those times. He's moody sometimes, I swear boys pms just like girls. I hate knowing he has a girlfriend even while I'm happy for him. I am terrified of him learning to drive. But he is growing up to be a great guy. And I am so proud of him.

I love you bubba boy.

Busy Monday (and a recipe)

I started work today. It was fun but I am definitely tired. I got very use to sleeping until 7 and then being lazy until 9. That doesn't work anymore. My alarm goes off at 515 and I have to be out the door by 630. I start work at 8. And so because I am tired, cleaning is taking more effort than it should.

And because of this, I am going to assign myself chores for the rest of the week, allowing myself to slack off on some things while still, hopefully, keeping the house from falling apart.

Tonight I didn't do a whole lot. I found a home for all my new benefit information. I gathered the documents and information that I need for work tomorrow. I did the dishes and cleaned up the kitchen. I picked up the living room, with the help of Alexis.

Tuesday - Dining room - this will include folding any baskets of clothes, sweeping, decluttering the table.

Wednesday - Living room - this will include putting away the toys that Alexis pushes
to the side of the floor instead of picking up, vacuuming, sweeping.

Thursday - Kitchen/bathroom - clean the clutter from the counters, transfer leftovers to the freezer if necessary, gather dirty clothes

Friday - clean sweep - just do a runthrough of the entire downstairs to get everything for...

Saturday - sweep all rooms, vacuum, clean fridge, gather laundry from bedrooms, grocery shop


That is my week in a nutshell. Should be busy, but kind of fun.

Oh and just a side note...I found a super easy, super yummy way to make a quick supper.

Meatball  Open Faced Sandwiches

Servings 2

4 pieces of bread (any type will work. I used sandwich bread because that's what I had)
16 meatballs
Spaghetti sauce
Garlic salt, to taste
Parmesan cheese, for sprinkling
Mozzarella cheese, for sprinkling

Toast 2 pieces of bread per family member. (I did not butter my toast)

Cook meatballs (do you have meatballs that you've prepared on a weekend and put in the freezer for later use. This is what I was using. If not you can buy them or make them from scratch, just makes it take a little longer) in spaghetti sauce.

When heated place meatballs on the toast. Sprinkle with garlic salt, mozzarella and parmesan. Serve with steamed veggies or a salad.


Just a quick idea for dinner that I found delicious tonight.

Menu Plan Monday...On a Sunday

I am participating in Menu Plan Monday from I'm an Organizing Junkie. As I explained last week every other two weeks I don't have to make dinner, my mom does. And so I will plan my breakfasts and lunches for those two weeks. Here we go...

Monday - Breakfast - yogurt with granola
Lunch - provided by work (orientation)

Tuesday - Breakfast - Special K cereal bar
Lunch - provided by work

Wednesday - Breakfast - Toast with strawberry jam
Lunch - provided by work

Thursday - Breakfast - yogurt with granola
Lunch - leftover lasagna, spinach salad

Friday - Breakfast - Special K cereal bar
Lunch - soup, turkey sandwich, apple slices

Saturday - Breakfast - french toast
Lunch - homemade spaghettios, garlic cheese bread

Sunday - Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, applesasuce


I also wanted to share a link for a giveaway. I'm an organizing junkie is giving away an awesome magnetic menu planning board. I wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to enter, these look awesome. I may buy one even if I don't win! I've become addicted to menu planning and let me tell you why...

1. I know at the beginning of the week what meals I am having, allowing me to plan when I am taking leftovers for lunch and when I need to have easy stuff on hand for lunch. It also makes it simple to plan a meal so I can have leftovers for the family on dance night.

2. I can make 1 grocery stop a week, maximum. I don't have to stop Monday and Wednesday and Thursday for 1 or 2 little things. I also use my coupon book for menu planning.

3. I always know the answer to the often asked question ''What's for dinner?''

4. I can build meals from leftovers throughout the week (like leftover roast) and ensure it gets ate before it gets bad. I also know what the weeks meal plan looks like so if I need to just put it in the freezer right away it doesn't go bad.

Those are just my top 4 reasons. I'm sure I could honestly go on and on about why I love meal planning but I'll leave it at that.

Funday

It's Saturday. That means we should do something fun right? I thought so too.

I'm going to take Alexis to the library. This is one of our favorite weekly activities that we do. I am going to see if Jaime wants to come along, but who knows.

I'm going to pick up my engagement ring. I had to take it in to be resized and they called to let me know it was done today. $50 for an engagement ring, including sizing. Heck yeah! (Oops, I shouldn't know that should I? Oh well, no secrets between us)

Then I think we are going to spend the night at his house, with his mom. She has been wanting us to come stay the night so she can play with Alexis and I just need to get out of the house. So we'll go over there, she said something about ordering pizza and playing dominoes. I have never played dominoes but they say you learn something new every day, right.

Tomorrow my older sister and her 3 kids are coming down and we are all going sledding. I'm not big on it anymore, I've had really bad motion sickness ever since I had Alexis. This apparently includes sledding, amusement park rides and riding in the backseat of the car. Who would've thunk it.

And then it's back to reality for me. I'm not a stay at home mom, even though the idea has a definite appeal to me, and I might be able to swing it when we have another kid. And I have to go back to work. Don't really wanna, but such is life, right. Gotta do what you gotta do.

I am looking forward to a new challenge. And feeling like I'm doing something good for the community. I'm working in the county dental office. They accept any and all insurance and also patients without insurance. The people who come in are generally in pain and I feel good when they leave and I know they are going to feel better. The group of girls that I work with are awesome. (How do I know all this when I start work on Monday? I did my externship there during school and fell in love) We get along great and they like to have fun. Plus we have dental students from the local university do there rotations here. It's fun to help them learn how to use an assistant and watch how they grow.

So all is good in my universe today. And I'm loving it.

A Wedding

In 5 months and 5 days I am getting married.

*Does a happy dance and squeel*

Now it's time to focus on the nitty gritty. What do I have figured out? This...

1. My half of the wedding party. It will be my daughter and youngest two nieces as flower girls, my little sister as my maid of honor, my best friend as my bridesmaid and my oldest niece as my usher\junior bridesmaid.

2. The wardrobe -- Flower girls - white sundresses
Ring bearers - black jeans, white button up shirt, red bow tie
Bridesmaid\Maid of Honor\Junior Bridesmaid - black dress, mid calf length, maybe a red sash...maybe
Groomsmen\etc - black jeans, red button up shirt
Groom - Black jeans, white button up shirt, red tie
Father of the bride - black jeans, white button up shirt (what's your opinion - tie or no tie?)
Bride - gorgeous wedding dress...still need to buy the veil and the slip so the picture will come, just not quite yet

3. The flowers - calla lilies and red roses

This is what I want for my bouquet. The guys will have a calla lily for their boutinerre, except the groom, fathers, and ring bearers. They will have a red rose. The mothers will have red rose corsages and the flower girls will throw red rose petals. The bridesmaids will carry this



4. The reception dinner - hamburgers and hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, potato chips, pasta salad

5. The cake

Where this shows green, it will be red to match my colors. A very dear friend of mine (and my dd's uncle's gf on her father's side) works at Hyvee in the bakery and loves to decorate cakes as much as I do. She has agreed to do this cake for me.

6. The venue
-The wedding is going to be held in a small church in Nevada. Jaime has lived in Nevada all of her life. I have grown up aroudn this area and this is the same church my older sister was married in some 12 years ago. It is a sentimental choice for me, Jaime likes the smaller area and it has gorgeous stain glass windows. Plus it has a fellowship hall that we can use to have the rehearsal dinner (taking out the time of driving somewhere else after the rehearsal. And with small children, that is GREAT)
-The reception is going to be held at a company hall. My mother and brother-in-law both work at a factory in ames that has a rec building. I can get this FOR FREE. I have to pay a $25 deposit that I get back afterwards as long as I clean up after the reception. I can have my best friend's hubby bring his grill (a tailgating grill that can hold 100 hamburgers) and, if the weather cooperates, we can spend the time outside. Plus there is a basketball court and baseball diamond that the guests can amuse themselves (or the males can get themselves into trouble for not dancing with their significant others lol)

7. Photography - Currently I am going to have my sister, my daughter's nana (again on the other side) and other family members take pictures with their digital cameras. I will then have them email me ALL of the pictures (or I will give them CDs to send to me) and pick out my favorite. On top of that my older sister has a friend who will turn a photo into a canvas art for me. I'm thinking I definitely need a picture of Jaime, Alexis and myself.

8. Invitations. I made my invitations completely by myself. I am sending them to Staples to print them for me. My total budget at this point, including deposits is looking like this

$25 deposit for reception venue
$100 for the pianist (this is still not decided for sure)
$100 for the use of the church
$200 for the fee for the pastor
$150 for the use of the fellowship hall and kitchen
$45 for my wedding dress (and yes I've paid this already)
$83 for invitations (printing and mailing)

This comes to a total of $703

I still will have to pay for flowers, my daughters dress, my slip, my veil, food for the rehearsal dinner (my dad is paying for the reception dinner), the cake, and decorations. My goal had been to stay under $1000...I don't think it's going to happen. But I have a plan. And this plan includes sites such as Craigslist and Ebay. And hopefully this will help!

If you have any ideas on how to help keep the costs down, PLEASE PLEASE leave a comment below.

Preschool

Here in the good old state of Iowa this topic is getting discussed by everyone from parents to politicians.

Our governor wants to cut the amount spent on preschool program...This is where a good portion of people seem to stop listening. They hear this part of what he is saying and proposing and getting up in arms. But what they aren't hearing is the rest...and have the parents who CAN afford to help pay, help pay.

Now this is one of my soap boxes. And so, unfortunately, you are going to get kind of a rant.

People put their children into public school systems. They want to drop them off or put them on the bus, and not worry about them for the rest of the day. They don't want to pay anymore in taxes to help fund it, they don't want to pay more in enrollment and book fees, they don't want to write out a check to the local school district to help fund improvements. They want to be able to pay the same amount in taxes and be done.

On the flip side of the coin, these parents want their children to have the best education possible. They want state-of-the-art technology, a broad spectrum of courses available, and top notch teachers. They want their children to have small class sizes and every advantage possible given to them.

Time out. We want them to spend more on new books, new computers, new technology, more training for the teachers, new classrooms, and more teachers to teach the newer subjects, but we don't want to have to help foot the bill? This seems a little contradictory to me.

What better way is there to invest in our future than in our children? Why do we expect the state to pick up the majority of the bill? Why do parents not understand that to be state-of-the-art, to have the best, it costs MORE money?

I know that if I want a new computer with all the new capabilities, I am going to have to pay more to get it. The school doesn't get brand new computers with state-of-the-art technology donated. Definitely not enough to cover the whole school.

I wish parents would either put up or shut up honestly. If you have enough money to go out and buy yourself that brand new 52'' flat screen HDTV then you probably can donate some money to the school. Or better yet, start a fundraiser (or offer to donate if someone with more time can start it, since that seems to always be the excuse) to help raise money to go to the specific issue you want addressed (new computers, new textbooks). Or even just stand up at that next school board meeting (you do go, right) and say ''I think our school district needs to have ****. I am willing to help with finding the funding, what would we need to do'' Too many times the school administrators are hesitant to ask for more, because they don't want to get turned down, or told they ask for too much, etc. Stand up for them.

And more important, stand up for our kids. If we don't, who will? And if no one stands up for these children so they can get the best education that we can provide, who is to blame when they flounder later in life? It's not all on the parents in that case, but why not give them every advantage? School should be fun, but sometimes, the schools don't have the tools they need to teach and have fun.

My point is this. Don't complain because the school system needs funding. Don't assume the money is going to grow on the money tree in their back yard. If it won't grow for you, I promise it isn't growing for them either (and if it is growing for you, send a seed to your school, my school and one for me too please). Help out. It's still cheaper than a private school

HELP

So I am here to admit the following weaknesses

1. I am not an organized person. Not by any stretch of the imagination.
2. I am not a frugal person. I love to shop when I have the money to do so. And I'm not so good at saving.
3. I am not a domestic goddess. I hate cleaning, I hate laundry. (ok I LOVE to cook but we'll pretend that isn't part of this. You will understand in a minute)
4. I am not the world's best mom. I do my best in this arena however and I always love my daughter, even if I'm frustrated and ready to pull my hair out.


Now an example of what I mean for each.

1. I have great plans. And I will even go through and organize things. My desk for example. I went through and put my standing filer on my desk, I emptied my drawers and made one for my notebooks, one for books that I peruse frequently (the bible, early childhood activites, etc), and one for magazines that I need to read, clip articles I want, and toss. Now my desk is covered in papers, mail, clothes that need put away, items that need a home and don't have one. My drawers have become a catchall again to help with the eye sore. And I am ready to pull out my hair.
2. I went to the dollar store today to buy an alarm clock. That is ALL I needed. I walked out with an alarm clock, 2 packages of looseleaf paper, 2 small notebooks (one to carry in my purse for those oh crap moments in the car and one for wedding plans that can also go in my purse because people always call back when I'm away from home), a family organizer (for bills), and a small weekly planner (again for in my purse so I don't have scraps of paper with appointments in my purse).
3. I had my entire house clean on Saturday. Sunday I mostly sat back and enjoyed it, trying to keep up with a 4 year old hurricane, a 14 year old tsunami and 17 year old tornado. Monday I was mentally and physically exhausted and couldn't find the motivation to do more than the dishes. Today I'm disgusted with how long I've put things off and am waiting until I have ''more time'' tomorrow to do it.
4. My daughter does not want to pick up her toys. I do not want to fight with her. I do not want to listen to her scream. (If you read my previous blog post you know I took Grandpa to the doctor today and that is a day in and of itself. And it takes as much patience as it does with a small child because you want to help to pick up the pace but you know it will only frustrate them if you do and take away a piece of their independence that he is already losing)

None of these make me a bad person. I know this. However (and the reason I am devoting this much time and effort to explaining these downfalls of mine) this is the year that I plan to do better at all of these. And........that's right I have another list of how I want to achieve this.

1. Organize better
    A. With moving out of my parents house I will be able to set up an organizational system that works for ME and that will be the norm from the beginning.
    B. Until that time I am just going to give myself 2 days a week that I reorganize my areas. Thursday and Sunday. (Wednesday being the day that I am least likely to care about organization on any level with leaving home at 630am and not getting home until sometime after 6 if I'm lucky and Sunday being the day before the week starts)
    C. Make a conscious effort to put things in their homes, not just where I can put them down. Also make their homes be simple and easy to do.
2. Spend less
    A. Make a list. If it isn't on the list, add it to the list for next time. If, when I make up the new list, I still want then look at if it is something I need now, something I can wait until the end of the month to see if I have the money in the budget, or something I just want and can put on my Christmas\Birthday list
   B. Clip coupons. Shop from the coupons.
   C. Keep a journal of all items I purchase. At the end of the month add up the ''silly'' or ''unnecessary'' purchases and see how much money I ''wasted''
3. Clean better\more
   A. Set up a schedule. Stick to the cleaning schedule. Post somewhere easy to see, like bedroom door.
   B. Do not be afraid to ask for help. A 14 year old and a 17 year old should not be forces of nature to destroy, rather allies to ask for help.
   C. Use a basket system. (I will expand on this tomorrow when I start it)
   D. Do not allow things to 'wait for tomorrow' Tomorrow I will not want to do it anymore, additional items will be piled up, and I will have more reason to procrastinate.
4. Be a better mom (I do want to say that every mom wants to be a better mom, this is just the areas I want to work on)
   A. When we move out work on nutrition, and not being a short order cook.
   B. Set up a routine for in the evenings. Do not vary. Include bath, pick up, etc in this.
   C. Have a set discipline. Do not change based on who is home, even if they try to override it. Speak with my parents about how I am going to discipline my child and let them know I need them to respect this.
   D. Allow for special 'treats' such as baking cookies together, doing a puzzle, playing a game, on weekends when she has followed the routine and picked up her toys all week.


I am learning. My daughter may be 4 but I am 24. I am still learning what works for us. I am starting a new job, no longer going to school. Instead of going to school from 8a to 1230p, I will be working from 8a to 430p. I have to find things that work. If you have any ideas, thoughts, etc please feel free to comment. If you have a blog and you think it might help, or maybe even just give me someone I can feel for and laugh with, leave the link for me.

Home again

It was a fun day at the doctor with my grandpa. Actually, because I'm sure that came across as dripping with sarcasm, but it wasn't all that bad. It was pretty typical, no problems, no complaints. Yay.

Grandpa likes to take me out to lunch when we make these trips. Today he asked where I wanted to go and, after some thought (and with the knowledge that this 80 year old man does not want to pay a whole lot for a meal, nor will he hear of me trying to pay for the meal) I asked him if he wanted to go to Hardees. Now Hardees have gone out of this area and are just starting to creep back. They still haven't gotten any closer to my town than the capital 45 minutes away but, being we were already there, what the hey. And that is where we go.

I am not a big fan of fast food. My daughter loves it and I allow her to have it once in a while. She knows that I do not want her eating it all of the time, nor should she, and even at 4 years old I have begun explaining to her that fast food is not healthy and so it can't be eaten all of the time. I generally will wait until I get home to eat rather than eat McDonalds, even if it is her special treat. However this actually tasted good. McDonalds tastes crappy to me, but I liked their cheeseburger, even if it was coated in grease and swimming in calories, as every fast food hamburger is. More importantly, Grandpa liked it. He usually picks at his food, eats about half, and throws the rest away. He ate half, took the rest with us, and ate it on the drive home. I was impressed.

I had to stop at the dollar store on my way home because my current alarm clock is not waking me up. This is a serious problem and so I bought a new one. Maybe now I'll actually be able to wake up when it goes off instead of an hour later when someone comes into my room to ask when I wanted up.

I also purchased a half gallon of soy milk. I am allergic to the milk protein (not lactose, that's the milk sugar) and so if I eat anything with very much milk in it I end up sick. I really like cereal people! But it has gotten to where it isn't worth the yuck feeling the next day. And so I'll try soy milk and see what I think. Worst case scenario, I'll mix in half and half with my daughters milk and she'll never know lol

Menu Plan Monday....And More

I do want to let you know that until further notice (sometime in April ideally) I only make the meals every other two weeks. I currently live with my parents and when my mom's on afternoons I am in charge of dinner. When she works days she, in theory, makes the dinners. So while I honestly love to menu plan, she despises it and so...I will not post dinner menus for those weeks but I will post breakfast and lunch menus for me to take to lunch instead.

Anyway this weeks menu plan

MONDAY - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn
TUESDAY - Leftovers (chili, potato soup, or meatloaf)
WEDNESDAY - Roast, potatoes, carrots (and maybe homemade rolls because they sound delicious)
THURSDAY - Beef tips and gravy, rice, green beans
FRIDAY - Tacos, spanish rice, refried beans, tator tots (for the ones who don't like spanish rice or refried beans)
SATURDAY - Date night
SUNDAY - Leftovers (chili, meatloaf, roast, tacos) -- Also apple streusel quick bread sometime for Monday morning breakfast

Also any leftover potato soup will go in the freezer on Tuesday, any leftover chili will on Sunday.


Today has been a mixed bag of tricks as far as weather goes. Rain, sleet, frozen rain, snow. It has not been pretty. However Grandpa got home before it got dark and so he and Alexis made a snowman. It was super cute!

I got my coupon binder put together today. I love it. It will be so much easier for me to find coupons and I love it.

Also, a quick note on the 52 weeks of organizing. I am going to tackle a few more things this week. Here is my schedule...

TUESDAY - I'm taking my grandpa to the doctor however I would like to organize the laundry area. Instead of laundry detergent, oxyclean, laundry sheets, etc all being on top of the dryer, along with loose change and other items that have been left in pockets, I would like to get it organized in the cupboards next to the dryer. And instead of having to sort the laundry every time I walk downstairs, I would like to have baskets put together for darks, lights, towels, and bedding

WEDNESDAY - This is Alexis' dance night but I will have all day to work on stuff. I would like to tackle the pantry cupboards, as well as my daughters toys. Does any child really need 5 baby dolls? Or 15 barbie dolls?

THURSDAY - This day is completely open, at least for now. I would like to clean out my closet this day. I have already completed Alexis' closet, and both of our drawers.

FRIDAY - This day is also open, except for a trip to the library and the grocery store. For this reason, and its my last week day before I go back to work outside the home full time, I'm just going to do general clean up and enjoy my daughter.

Hope ya'll have a great day!

Saturday.......yeah.

Today was not at all like it was meant to be. Here was my perfect plan. Get up decent, make breakfast, clean the house, go to lunch with Jaime and Alexis, let Alexis and Grandma Jenny play (Jaime's mom), go to Sammi's house and let Alexis play with her cousins.

Here was my not so perfect day. Woke up at 10. Yes 10. This is bad in so many ways. I got too much sleep, leaving me cranky and ready to be irritable at a moments notice. Alexis slept too late meaning she is STILL awake at 11 at night. Breakfast was served around 12, meaning no lunch with Jaime and Alexis. At 2 I was finishing up cleaning the house and had still not heard from Jaime. Then, while texting Sam to see what she thought for dinner (there would be 7 of us, 3 of which are under age 10) I found out her mom took her kids for the night. So when Jaime finally texted me I asked if he wanted to hang out at his house or mine. He had a headache and wanted to stay home. This meant I wasn't leaving. And so at 11 at night, I am sitting here feeling very bored and very dissatisfied.

This has to do with more than my day falling apart. It is because even though I got the house picked up I feel like I have done nothing today. I am use to working. And I haven't worked in a month. I finished school, and had a job offer 2 weeks later. In this economy I should be ecstatic. And I am, don't get me wrong. I not only have a job starting Monday, but it has good pay and excellent benefits. But all this time sitting at home is beginning to drive me crazy.

I am seriously craving.........adult company.

And so I have been looking through quotes

Insanity is hereditary; you get it from your children.
 ~Sam Levenson

"By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class."
-- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

A woman is like a teabag. Only when in hot water do you realize how strong she is.
-Nancy Reagan
The real menace in dealing with a five-year-old is that in no time at all you begin to sound like a five-year-old.
-Jean Kerr

I want to have children, but my friends scare me. One of my friends told me she was in labor for 36 hours. I don't even want to do anything that feels good for 36 hours.
-Rita Rudner
Those are my favorites. But my precious child is finally asleep. I think I'm going to read for 5 minutes and go to sleep myself. Morning is on its way. I can feel it....

Whispering

Allow me to give you a brief run down of the day.

Woke up at 730. Let the dogs out. Yelled for them to come in. And yelled again. And yelled again. My throat is hoarse by the time they actually come in.
Go back in the house. Turn on the news. ''MOMMY!'' (Because if you are not right in front of them you may have disappeared. A 4 year old understands that toys don't cease to exist because they can't see them, but moms are a different story). Go into the bedroom. Give her jeans, clean underwear, a long sleeve shirt, and a tshirt (it was a whopping 9 degrees today). She looks at me like I'm crazy.
Coming from the dining room I hear dad say ''what about trucks?'' Ok I'm assuming this has something to do with the news, stick my head out of my bedroom door and say I have no idea, I'm getting Alexis dressed.
Go back in. She is still not dressed. Tell her to get dressed and come to the living room. Go back to the living room. Sit down. ''Mooooooom'' She's having trouble with her jeans. Help her into her jeans. Go find socks. Hand her socks, sit down. ''Moooooooooom'' She can't get her turtleneck on. Help her with the turtleneck and just stay put. End up helping her get the tshirt on. Layering is still a challenge.
Turn on cartoons. Stand up to get a drink. She then wraps herself around my leg. ''No mom stay here. Stay here. Stay here. Stay here.'' She is barely breathing in between these statements, not even close to giving me time to respond. Finally gether to listen, tell her I'm getting a drink and coming back. Now she wants chocolate milk. No strawberry milk. No orange juice. No lemonade. No strawberry milk. No....At this point I stop her, tell her to stop for a minute and decide what she wants. Chocolate milk.
As I come back in she looks at me and says I want breakfast mommy. This continued on all morning.

Leaving the room became a wrestling match.

Going to the bathroom because a public performance (I really need to start locking the door).

Asking her to do her chores becomes a lesson in patience.

And then I think that going to town will be better. We stood at the corner for 3 minutes (which wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to keep waving drivers past) because she wouldn't hold my hand to cross the street.

She wanted to take off her sweatshirt (oh yes, I forgot to mention that she spilt chocolate milk all over her shirt before we left, so she had to change). I say no and try to distract her.

She wants to get the horribly gory movie because it has dolls on the front. IT IS A SLASHER FILM! Who thinks of the packaging for these, really?

She wants to scan her own books. Which would be fine except it takes her too long between each book which results in the computer logging me out and me having 6 slips for all of our books.

Then to the grocery store. What can I say, I was niavely optimistic. Or a glutton for punishment. Or a little bit of both. And feeling a little bit guilty about having to go back to work full time next week and not having days that I could spend goofing around with my child.

She wants a lemon. And fruit by the foot. And brownies. And cheese sticks. And we need more vitamins mom. And a lollipop. And a...You get the idea. I said yes to some, no to others. She went to melt down once. I looked at her and very quietly told her that she could stand up and act like a big girl so we could finish our shopping or we would have to leave and she would not get anything that she picked out. She got her act together.

And this has continued into the evening. At this point I have walked away a few times, telling her that when she was ready to talk to me, I would listen but if she was going to scream I would leave her until she calmed down. I have refused to give her a toy that has to be kept up except when she's playing with until she cleans up the current mess. And I refuse to speak above a whisper.

My throat is burning like the sun. A combination of yelling at the dogs, trying to be heard over a tantrum, and most likely getting sick (it's murphys law...I start work monday, I am getting sick). And only when I whisper does it not hurt.

Today has been a day. Tomorrow will hopefully (please please!) be better.

Girls day out, talapia, and a clean sweep

It has been a fun day. But lets start yesterday...

After I got home from dance class last night I did a clean sweep. I did the dishes, swept the kitchen, washed the table, folded the laundry, swept the dining room, picked up the toys and vacuumed the living room. I got all of the cleaning that has always been a weekly chore and is now becoming a daily/every other day chore. (Other than dishes obviously, I don't think we'd have any dishes left after 2 days). I have been doing this anyway but last night when I got home I looked around and realized in just this one day the all my work over the last week and a half was falling apart.

My brother had his yo yo on the counter...

His hat lay on the dining room table...

His xbox controller was on top of the entertainment center.

My daughter's school bag was on the kitchen floor...

Her dance bag was under the table...

Her toys were creeping out of the living room into the dining room.

There were 2 loads of laundry sitting on the dining room floor...

Coats on the back of every chair...

A sink full of dishes...

Dust bunnies starting to collect in corners...

Coffee stains around the coffee pot...

Jewelry all over the table.

In one day this had happened. I sighed. And then I got to work. Starting Monday I will be gone to work from 630 in the morning until 530 in the evening (including drive time). I refuse to go back to spending most of a day cleaning every Saturday or Sunday, the time that I should be doing fun things with Alexis and Jaime, because it needs done.

In just under 2 hours I had the house back to clean, a cake baked and was decorating the cake. It is my hobby to decorate cakes so my daughter tends to want to take this when she has the snack bucket (once a month, per preschool). Her one preschool won't allow anything that is not prepackaged. This I tend to send healthy snacks for (yogurt, cheese sticks, etc). I also try to send healthier snacks for her other preschool (she is in a 4 year old program and a preschool, both are half days, because of my work and school schedule). However about every 3 months I let my daughter pick whatever she wants. This was that month.

I still was in bed by 10 last night.

This morning I woke up and my friend and I had discussed going shopping today while our children were at school. I debated a little with myself (it was a whopping 2 degrees outside when I woke up with a windchill of -10) and then decided that since I had nothing that needed to be done at home, I deserved to go out with a friend and just enjoy myself before work starts again.

We ran a few 'need to' errands, like taking my engagement ring to the jewelers to be sized, and going to Salvation Army to pick up another pair of slacks for orientation next week, but we did some fun window shopping and went to lunch. It was fun and peaceful.

When I got home I made Lemon Garlic Talapia, roasted potatoes and green beans for dinner. It was delicious. Now I'm not a big fan of fish. Seems like most types have a very fishy flavor (and if you dislike fish, you know exactly what I mean, or if you've ever had a bad piece) and I don't care for it. Talapia however does not have this flavor. It doesn't really have a flavor except for what you cook it in. With all the health benefits of fish, it's wonderful. And the recipe (which I threw in below just for laughs) is super easy. Could easily be a week night meal.

Tomorrow Alexis doesn't have school so...we are going to have a fun mother-daughter day. We're going to get up and start making french bread (to go with dinner, spaghetti with meatballs, salad and homemade garlic bread). Then we are going to make pancakes (her favorite breakfast). We're going to play around home until the bread is done (about 4 hours) and then have lunch (pizza). Then we are going to go to the library, pick up a few boxes, and stop at the grocery store. After dinner we are going to play a game or 2 and then have popcorn with a movie (allowing her to stay up just a little late).

To my 4 year old, this will constitute a perfect day. To me this will constitute a perfect ending to a much needed vacation. And lots of memories. Now if I can just remember to use my camera....


A note about my 52 week challenge...

I will not be doing a new challenge tomorrow because I did my projects earlier in the week. And after this my project will be done either on Saturday or Sunday. Just an FYI if you are following this with me.


Lemon Garlic Talapia

4 talapia filets
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp butter, melted
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp dried parsley flakes
Black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Spray baking pan with non stick cooking spray. Put lemon juice in the bottom of the pan. Place talapia filets in the pan. Drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle on garlic, parsley and pepper.
Bake until fish is white and flakes with a fork, about 20 minutes.

My Laundry List

I have a full plate today. In fact, I think it calls for a list...

1. Visit grandpa. This isn't as much of a chore usually but I need to go help him unload boxes because they put in new carpet yesterday in his apartment. On the plus side, I'll get to grab boxes to box stuff up in my bedroom.

2. Grocery shop. I hate grocery shopping on the best of days. The fact that today I have to shop either while my dd is at school, trying to get back in time to pick her up and take her to dance, or after dance with my dd just puts more time constraints and stress on me.

3. Bake cupcakes. I like baking. The problem here is this has to be done today for my dd's snack bucket tomorrow and I don't have any frosting in this house so I will end up doing it some time tonight.

4. Dance night. I have mentioned this a couple of times already. Dance is from 5 to 530 which isn't bad except for the 30 minute drive each way. I generally try to tie this in with a trip to the library.

5. Normal household chores. This includes dishes, laundry (at least some), vacuum, pick up toys.

6. Todays organizing project. I just haven't decided yet what that will be. I'm torn between my daughters closet and the fridge\freezer. I will have to let you know later what I decide to do today.


Yesterday, I'm happy to announce, I took my own advice and went out and enjoyed the snow. I had to adjust my perspective a few times in order to truly enjoy the simple pleasure that is getting to play in the piles of snow instead of looking at them as another task. But I made shoveling the snow into a game with Alexis. Instead of just busting through as fast as I could, I made it into a pile for her to jump into. We went on a hike around the yard seeing how many different bunny trails we could find and following them. It was fun.

And now, today, it's back to reality and the real world. But it was fun to look through the eyes of a child for those few minutes.

Snowy Day

It is snowing. When I first looked out the window at the snow this afternoon, I had a typical Iowa adult response. 'Oh cmon, really?' But then I stopped. I readjusted my attitude. It's snowing. And yes we're suppose to get anywhere from 6-10 inches but there are good sides. What you ask?

1. I can take my dd sledding. We haven't gotten to go yet this year (except right outside my house on a hill grandpa piled up when moving the snow out of the driveway)
2. We are going to build a snowman
3. I have no where I need to go today or tomorrow.
4. I get to make hot cocoa to share with my dd, brother and sister
5. It is making it look like a magical winter wonderland outside.

Remember back to when you were about 12 or 13 years old. You didn't have any responsibilities to take you out of the house (unless it was to shovel the snow). Several inches of snow meant getting an extra day off to do the fun stuff you wanted to. You may have looked forward to building a snow fort, a snow man, making snow angels, going sledding, maybe even skiing. You knew that when you came in mom would have hot chocolate waiting, maybe some mini marshmallows, and maybe, if you were really lucky, some hot cookies.

Why can't we recapture some that innocence? If you are lucky enough to get a snow day tomorrow, I have a challenge for you. Instead of sending the kids outside because you are ready to pull your hair out, before lunch, or even after, bundle up and go out with the kids. Help make a snow family. Build a snow fort with them (extra bonus, this way you know where the snow fort is in case you've been made paranoid by parents talking about the risk of it caving in and trapping your child inside). Have a snowball fight. Just get out there and have some fun. And head inside, just a few minutes ahead of the kids, and make hot chocolate for them.

I intend to enjoy the snowy day tomorrow in exactly that way. I am making potato soup for dinner tomorrow to help warm us all up inside. And then tomorrow night, when the magic of the day begins to wear off, I'm going to cuddle up in a pile of blankets with my dd and read snow themed books.

On a different note, I finished 2 more projects today.

1. My bowl cupboard. This cupboard holds everything from shallow bowls for soup to cereal bowls to tupperware for storing leftovers. And in the last few weeks it has gone from barely disorganized to needing a sign warning of the danger of falling bowls and lids. (In fact my mother had gotten to where she was scared to open the door). It is now back to organized. How long will it last? That depends on my family putting their things back where they go. Same as the rest of the house.

2. The toys. My dd has her toys in the living room, since we share a room and there isn't space in there. However, since Christmas it was organized chaos. While everything was put away, it wasn't in it's home, nor did it make sense where things went. I tore the entire room apart and put everything back in its home. Yay!

I also started a few new organizational tactics.

1. I have a 14 year old brother and a 17 year old sister. And I am frustrated from having to clean up after them. My brother has xbox games, controllers, movies, belts and clothing scattered throughout the house. My sister has movies, CD's, clothes and shoes scattered throughout the house. And as I was straightening up this morning I decided that it was ridiculous that I put away more of their stuff than I did of my dd. She is 4. And now they each have a basket. I put their stuff in the basket and give it to them when they come home. And instruct them to immediately bring me the basket back (otherwise tomorrow when I want to do the same thing, the basket will be in their bedroom and do me no good.)

2. Before making plates at dinner I run a sink full of hot water. Then as people finish eating they can take their plate, scrape it and put it in the sink. After I finish eating, get my dd cleaned up and settled in the living room to play, I can finish up the kitchen.

3. As I walk from room to room (regardless of the underlying reason) I pick up at least 1 thing that doesn't belong in that room, putting it away as I go. This is helping keep down on clutter building in those key areas like the desk, table and counter right by the front door.


Hopefully by the time I start work next week I will have my system down and will be able to keep the house picked up so on Saturday and Sunday I can do more deep cleaning and less trying to get it back to clean.

Meal Plans

Here is the meal plan...

**Monday**
Breakfast - yogurt with granola, toast
Lunch - grilled cheese, tomato soup, apple slices
Dinner - Chili, cornbread
**Tuesday**
Breakfast - eggs, bacon
Lunch - Chicken margherita
Dinner - Meatloaf, baked potato, pork and beans
**Wednesday**
Breakfast - yogurt with granola, toast
Lunch - tuna noodles
Dinner - leftovers (it's dance night and I don't get home until dinner time)
**Thursday**
Breakfast - yogurt with granola, toast
Lunch - meatloaf sandwich, salad
Dinner - lemon garlic tilapia, roasted potatoes, green beans
**Friday**
Breakfast - pancakes
Lunch - hashbrowns, scrambled eggs
Dinner - Spaghetti, garlic bread, salad
**Saturday**
Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - mac and cheese, fish sticks, applesauce
Dinner - **My night off**
**Sunday**
Breakfast - french toast, sausage
Lunch - homemade 'spaghetti-o's'
Dinner - Beef roast, potatoes, carrots

And so I'll need to make corn bread tomorrow during the day, homemade bread, and I want to make granola bars by next weekend. Yummo. If I find a great recipe, I'll share.

A weekend

It has been a fun, if busy, weekend.

First off, I did complete my challenge of cleaning my desk on Friday. Pictures to follow later this week.

I also did a clean sweep of the entire house.

My older sis came over yesterday with her husband, dd A (6), dd B (3), and ds (2). The kids had a blast playing together and it was fun seeing my nieces and nephews. We made homemade pizza for dinner which was yummilicious.

After that my dd and I went and picked up Jaime, and went out to her other aunts house (on her father's side, also happens to be my bestie). She got to play with three of her other nephews C (12), M (9) and Q (6). We watched a movie, then a Jeff Dunham special and then some TV shows off their DVR. In other words it was a nice peaceful evening of nothingness.

We stayed the night with them and my dd got up and played more with her cousins. Now that we're home she's enjoying sitting back and relaxing. All she wants to do at this present moment is sit back and watch some TV. I figure it will last about 10 more minutes before she starts coloring and playing lol.

I plan to get the kitchen back together tonight and then my plan for tomorrow is as follows --

1. Pick up boxes to start packing up unneeded items. I have less than 5 months until I move out with Jaime and there are plenty of things that I won't need between now nad then. For example, I shouldn't need our swim suits, our overwhelming number of books, or my entire wardrobe. I'll need my scrubs. I'll need a few pairs of jeans, a few t-shirts, some comfy pants and a nice shirt or two. The rest I can box, giving me more room.

2. Wash all my bedding.

3. Make a grocery store run. I need to plan my menu for the week first so I know what I need in order to make food all week.

4. Work on the baby blanket. My friend's due date is coming up soon and this baby blanket has GOT to be done.

I'll post the menu plan later. Hope everyone has had a great weekend as well!

52 weeks Challenge

Good morning my fellow housewives (and anyone else who stumbles across my page). It's a beautiful morning here in the midwest. What more could a woman ask for than to wake up to softly falling snow, temps in upper 20's, and a happy child?

Well actually 70's, sunshine and my nieces and nephews over for an outside day sounds great, just extremely unrealistic for the beginning of January.

Anywho on to my point for this morning. While searching arond the blog universe I stumbled upon An Organizing Junkie. And she has a challange. A 52 week challenge. While I figure all of you highly intelligent beings are capable of reading her specific post on the idea, it is, in a nutshell, to pick a project every week for the next 52 weeks. An organizing project.

Now due to my specific circumstances the way I do the challenge will be a little different. I'm taking on a big project, breaking it down, and including it for multiple weeks. Because I live with my parents and am moving this spring so I can only organize so much before I start packing things up to move them. But it would be nice to find like items first right?

My project for today....

First the shelves above my desk that have become a breeding ground for everything that I want when I move out but have no idea where to put for the time being.

As well as my desk itself that has become the catchall spot in my bedroom.

Now yesterday I spent 20 minute fragments of time in this room. This room has become my terror. I hate going in there at any time. I go in during the day and I get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of STUFF that is in there and my lack of any idea what to do with it. I go in to go to sleep and I spend a good hour thinking of things I could do to make this room better. But the bottom line. I hate it and can never get enough motivation to tackle it.

My other goals (no pics yet) are as follows

1. Clean out my closet (you know that place where things get put until suddenly you don't want to open that door because who knows what they might have morphed into)

2. Organize my dresser (so that everything has a home and I can find what I'm looking for, when I'm looking for it)

3. Organize my storage units (that have also become a catch all for clutter)

4. Organize the dd's dresser and closet (that have a mishmash of size 4T, 5T, and 6\6X clothes...she wears the 6's.)

5. And last but oh so definitely not least, clean out the unused space between the dressers (it's a corner space that has became a catchall for the big junk I have to space for)

Are you catching a trend. Any space I have is a catch all. I have been so busy with school, extern, my relationships, my daughter, and life in general I gave myself permission to not organize. I have 1 week before I head back to work (done with school, now the real world awaits I'm told) and I'd like to have this bedroom done by then. But first, I have a question...

Yesterday, for the sake of space, I went through and took all of our VHS tapes and DVDs and removed them from their cases. VHS' went into a drawer (for the moment, until I find a home for them) and DVDs went into a media case. The cases all went into a big box. Is it realistic to throw the cases or should I store them and move them and store them again? What do you think?

Coming soon to a blog near you!

Ok so some people shouldn't try to be cute and clever but here we are anyway.

First off I've been working on my reading list for this year. Some things have been removed due to my inability to find them at the library. Some things will be added as I go along because they look good, or I stumble upon them at the library. But here we go.

1. Confessions of an Organized Homemaker - Deniece Schofield
2. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
3. The Food Revolution Rediscover How To Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals - Jamie Oliver
4. Robin Hood - Howard Pyle
5. The Complete Tightwad Gazette - Amy Dacyczyn
6. Something More Excavating Your Authentic Self - Sarah Ban Breathnach
7. The Frantic Woman's Guide To Life - Mary Jo Rulnick and Judith Burnett Schneider
8. The Parenting Bible - Robin Goldstein
9. 12 Simple Secrets Real Moms Know Getting back to the basics and raising happy kids - Michele Borba
10. Is There Life After Housework - Don Aslett
11. Romancing the Ordinary A Year of Simple Splendor - Sarah Ban Breathnach
12. Lunch Lessons Changing the Way We Feed Our Children - Ann Cooper and Lisa M. Holmes


I would like to get this list up to 20. If you have any ideas PLEASE PLEASE leave a comment and give me ideas.

This morning I went to the library and the grocery store. DD decided she didn't feel up to going to school (a 4 year old program at a local daycare and preschool through the local school). Because she hasn't been sleeping well, has been coughing, and complaining that her throat hurt, I decided an early weekend wouldn't hurt her. We weren't sure that she would even be ready to go back Monday with her surgery this past week so 1 day isn't a big thing. However this made an easy relaxing trip to town into a hectic, stressful trip to town.

We normally don't go to the library in A town. It's a little bit farther and I generally don't have a reason to go. However I decided that it was time to start. They have a better selection both for me and my dd, as well as more services offered. I wasn't disappointed. She thought it was amazing how big it was and all the fun activities they have for kids. I was able to find all but 2 books I wanted off my reading list, and they are both ones that I was debating asking my mom to get me for a birthday.

The stress began when we stopped at Hyvee. I stopped here solely because they generally have a better selection. And in some ways they did today. I was able to get a new rice product that my normal grocery store doesn't offer. However they didn't have the pork cutlets for our dinner or the club crackers for my dad's lunch. And so, after my daughter melting down because she wanted a helium balloon, we left off for Fareway, where we were able to grab those last few things.

2 1/2 hours, lots of tears, lots of deep breaths, and a few close calls later, we are back at home. I have fed her lunch and she is watching a Barbie movie. I have started my new project -- Organizing my dd and my joint bedroom. This is a huge deal. I will post some pictures at a later date, before and after.

Well ladies and gents, let me know of any ideas you have for books.

Flying high -- It's Superwoman

It is a wild and crazy day here ladies and gents. I have got my dd off to school and while I was trying to complete my morning routine of catching up on my blogs I realized...I don't have time for that! I have to get down to the city today to fill out my registration for dental assisting, my trainee paperwork for my new job, and have a drug test. Before I leave I need to finish cleaning up the kitchen, get my dd's dance bag packed and ready to go on the table (in case grandma has to take her), take a shower, and pick up the living room. And in order to do all of that, I need to get a move on.

But I still decided I could take a few minutes and blog. Why? Because I have something on my mind.

As I read these blogs, the few that I got in today and the others that I've read regularly, I have been asked one question. Why is it that we think that we have to be superwoman?

We want to be stellar employees (if we work outside the home), excellent wives, over achieving mothers, above reproach as a housewife, there for our friends, and, more and more, be able to reach out across the cyber universe to make friends that we may never meet face to face but offer them the same hope and encouragement that we do our face time friends. Why? Because we are women, hear us roar. So many of those can be narrowed into three catagories.

1. Setting high, but achievable, goals for ourselves inside and outside the home. To quote the army national guard, we want to be all that we can be.
2. We want our family to be happy, healthy and well cared for. This means so much more than does my child have the latest toy fad. In fact, sometimes it means NOT getting your child that latest toy fad. Now I'll admit my daughter has a zhu zhu pet. But she has 1. No accessories. A single zhu zhu pet. She also has silly bands (they're cheap enough and she wears them), a leapster 2 and a vreader (both bought by her godfather with limited amount of game time from me). But she has also learned that her crayons and some blank paper is a great way to spend her time. In fact she spends a lot of her time using that creative outlet.
3. We want to be the friend we want to have. Who wants a friend that, when you need her, she is NEVER available. That's not who I want. And that's not who I want to be. I was raised by the golden rule, and so I treat others how I want to be treated, even if that means taking 10 minutes out of my day to listen to a friend rant about how she is driving 90 minutes one way to pick up a duck (her son had a pet duck who died inexplicably) and how much easier it would be if her husband wasn't working 2nd shift. Or taking 20 minutes out of my day to help a friend look for some job listings because she is getting worried about not finding a job. Could I spend that time cleaning, organizing, cooking, baking, or playing with my child? Yes. BUT when it's me looking for someone to listen when my mom shoots yet another idea of mine out of the water for my wedding or about the dog that won't stay in the yard, will they be there for me? Pretty sure they wouldn't be for long if I wasn't there for thme.

The biggest part of all of this is being realistic. I have a friend who has 3 small children, ages 5, 3, and 2. She is potty training the youngest. The oldest is in Kindergarten, the middle started a 3 year old preschool program. The two older ones are in dance. She knits. She tries to keep her house running without any high fructose corn syrup. She sews. She wants her house to stay neat and clean. She wants to raise moral, kind children. But she knows that sometimes some of these have to be allowed to slide. She may have to buy bread through the summer when she is busy in the garden. She may have to buy prepared foods when she is sick. She may have to focus more on the knitting and sewing around Christmas and then take a break to get her house back in order. She is realistic in the fact that she knows she can't do it all all of the time. Life happens.

So when I get asked why do we think we have to be superwoman it's easy. Because inside every woman is a superhero. Why not make the most of that potential.

A Cup of Comfort

Before I get into the title, let me brief you on my day.

I took my dd in to school this morning, which she was not at all happy about. This may have had something to do with the fact that every hour to hour and a half last night she was up, crying, for at least 15 minutes at a time. It also may have something to do with a week and a half off of school. But regardless of the reason, she was crying and throwing a fit and telling me I don't wanna go mommy. Now I tried finding out why, but all she could say was she wanted to stay home. I have no idea what it was all about but there it is.

When I was filling my gas tank (at 3.01 a gallon. That's a rant all in its own) I got a phone call from the place I had applied to be a dental assistant. They were offering me the job. I have only been out of school for 2 weeks ladies and gents so I am super excited. To make it better they offer good pay (2-3 dollars higher than the average around here for similar positions) and good benefits.

This took out half of my running around for today because I was going to run to the city to fill out some paperwork but tomorrow I have to go in order to do a drug test and so, I didn't go. Still went to town and helped Gpa clean up his apartment but it was a 15 mile drive instead of a 40 mile drive. No need to go when I don't need to.

Also when I was in town I invested in a new Bible (don't ask) and a book that caught my eye. When I was in high school my mom bought me Chicken Soup for the Soul and I loved those stories. The books I had (For the teenage soul, etc) are well used and well loved. Today I saw a book A Cup of Comfort for Women, edited by Colleen Sell. Obviously not the same but similar in a lot of ways. One story in particular caught my eye, and my mind. I'm including it, however this is not my work.

The Mended Cup

I was a little anxious about how Maggie would recieve the gift. It was, after all, old and used and in less-than-prestine condition.
Maggie Maw, my granddaughter, was moving out of her parents' home and into her first apartment. She had come by to pick up Grandma's contributions to her new furnishings. She untied the bow, unwrapped the violet crepe paper, and stared down at the gold trim of an antique cup.
''Grandma, it's beautiful,'' she said as she lifted it from the packaging. Then, seeing the cracks in the base and the handle glued on with epoxy, she added, ''But...this cup is broken.''
''No, honey, it is mended,'' I said. And then I told her about the cup's history.

That cup was given to me long before you were born by one of my dearest friends, Dianne. Remember when you and I used to play tea party when you were little? Well, my friend and I would share tea times just like that. We'd get together often, to talk over tea about all the joys and challenges that life had presented us with. We always set a lovely table with fine china and embroidered napkins and home-baked cookies. That teacup has heard many interesting stories and more than a few secreets. Many teardrops have mixed with the tea and cream and sugar in that cup. Why, the very day you were born, we celebrated the joy and excitement with our special teatime.
In those days, women rarely went to therapists and psychologists with their problems. They went to one another. My friend Dianne lived just up the street. There were many mornings when I would run up to her house in my robe and slippers, and we'd sit by the fireside and sip our tea. When I had a problem, Dianne would listen and comfort me. And she would come to me in the same way. We were each other's confidantes and conselors, but more than that, we were friends.
Dianne and I both loved pretty things and looked forward to setting our teacart with fresh flowers and fine china. Our worlds ran parallel in many other areas as well. When she got divorced, so did I. When she lost a loved one, the same would take place in my life. We were constantly comforting and being comforted by each other. I'd show up at her door, or she would show up at mine, cup in hand, and then the healing process of talking and listening, of sharing and supporting, would begin.
It wasn't always a crisis. Sometimes - actually, most of the time - we would sit in pleasant company and discuss the color of wallpaper, where to hang a picture, and girly things, like makeup and hairstyles. I remember how excited I was when I bought a gorgeous dress for my class reunion. I couldn't wait to show her, and, of course, she offered to lend just the right piece of her jewelry to complement it.
Men were always a popular topic. When we were single, we'd compare notes on the men in our lives and on the attributes of the ideal partner. We could go through a gallon of tea on those nights, discussing all the toads we had kissed before we found our princes.
On summer nights we took our tea out on the patio with lit candles and fresh flowers, discussing life and the pursuit of happiness. We sipped as the season - and our lives - changed. When we were confused, after one of our teatimes everything seemed to make sense, if only for the time it took to brew and enjoy our tea together. As I look back on those many years, I can barely recall most of the heartbreaks and headaches that sent me shuffling of to Dianne's in my slippers, teacup in hand. But, I remember vividly every one of our teatimes, and treasure those memories.
Eventually, Dianne moved away, but I kept my teacup and would think of her whenever I used it. Then I sold my house, and while packing, I dropped my special cup. I did the best I could to put it all back together. The cup was never the same, but I realized that it really didn't matter. Even though it no longer holds liquid, it is filled to the brim with the sweet memories of years gone by.
And so, I would like you to have it.

''Thank you, Grandma,'' Maggie said after a short silence.
And when, as we hugged good-bye, Maggie invited me over to her new place for tea the next day, I knew that my special teacup was in good hands - and that it was the perfect gift for a granddaughter starting out on her own journey.

-Barbara Rich

This story made me think. I personally like tea. When my tensions are high, my mood is low, when I would like a bit of comfort. But I have never sat down with a friend with a cup of tea. Those are simpler times than now. But I have sat down with a cup of tea and read the blogs of those women who I am beginning to learn to love, just as I do my girlfriends. Maybe we should all try to take the time to have a cup of tea and talk to someone, face to face. Maybe we would all feel a little better if we could have face time instead of screen time.

Quiet time

I absolutely good music when I'm trying to relax. Many times I search for  artists that I know I enjoy and are relaxing to find other artists that I may enjoy, other times I fall back on tried and true songs. Tonight is a night I am relying on tried and true songs, like the one I included above. Celtic Women are one of the artists that I fall back on. Above is You Raise Me Up. I love their music because they tend to be mellower songs, with beautiful music.

I also have to say I enjoy watching my daughter play. She is currently cooking with her blender (just like the one Mommy got for Christmas) and setting up a picnic for Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie and Uncle to enjoy with her and mom before she goes to bed. She has such a vivid imagination that I love watching her explore and grow.

She also is doing a wonderful job with her chores. She has done put away her dirty clothes again before bath and picked up what was out. Of course she will have to pick up again since she has her food out but she doesn't mind too much.

I am so blessed with my family. I love every minute I have with her.

Dinner tonight was simple. Beef burgers, french fries, and corn (that we froze at harvest). But it is a favorite of my dads and he requested it yesterday. Tomorrow I'm thinking about doing something with chicken so I can make my angel hair pasta with broccoli and herb butter. I just have to figure out how to cook it.

Manic Monday

Have you ever ran around in so many circles you no longer know if you are coming or going? Me too. Today is one of those days.

Here is my to-do list for today
1. Clean the bedroom (my dd and I share a room. Makes it very easy for it to become overfilled, cluttered and messy)
2. Keep working on laundry. My goal is to have all the laundry completely caught up by this weekend. Funny how fast it adds up when you don't look at it for a few weeks.
3. Organize and clean living room

This sounds like not a lot. However I will feel very accomplished if I can just get the bedroom done. Of course taking the time to sit down and blog isn't going to help is it?

I have 3 hours until I have to go pick up my dd from school. In this time I'd like to finish my bedroom (and of course keep the laundry flowing). Then she and I can work on the living room together.

On the chore chart, she is doing great. She got hot in the middle of the night and decided her night gown had to come off. How this night gown was too warm I'm not sure, it's a light weight flannel but she always has been my little heater. This morning when I woke her up and had her get dressed she got dressed, went into the bedroom, got her nightgown that she had thrown off in the middle of the night and put it in the dirty clothes. I didn't have to remind her at all.

I also would like to box up books this week to take to the local used book store. I have more than I could read in a year and most of them have been read and aren't ones I'll reread. So rather than allowing them to continue to take up space (and have to move them here in a few months) I will either trade them in or take them and donate them to a local charity that takes clothes, books, etc to the Appalacian Mountain community. Either way it is better than taking up space in my house.

Well I suppose I should go back and keep chugging away. If I can get it clean today, maybe Wednesday I can get it organized and functional. Tomorrow is my running day. I have to run down to the school I just graduated from, print off some paperwork, take it to the place I'm applying for a job, then go help my Grandpa get things ready for the new carpet he's getting, go to the grocery store, and then hopefully come home. I will spend the majority of the day in the car, and have to be back in town in time to pick up my dd.

But I think I should take my gpa out to lunch. Another simple joy.

A busy day

What a day.

I have washed, dried, and folded 6 loads of laundry, washed 3 loads of dishes (by hand, no fancy dish washers here), taken down the Christmas tree, picked up toys, made caramel rolls and biscuits (mom made gravy), cleaned my dd closet, and worked on cleaning my dd and my room.

My dd is finally feeling better. She is running around, playing with her toys, coloring, reading books, and coming up with a million ideas. And so we started our chore chart today.

My brother, as I was making the chart for her, asks me if thats what I'm doing and is utterly baffled as to why I am giving a 4 year old chores. My thought is that if I give her chores now then maybe when she gets older doing her chores will just be a daily part of her life, and not as big of a deal as it is to my brother who didn't do chores until he was older.

Now before I come off as a big meanie, when I say I am giving her chores, I'm not giving her a whole lot. All that she has to do each day is put her dirty pajamas (in the morning) and dirty clothes (at night) in the dirty clothes basket, pick up her toys before bed. So basically clean up after herself.

I also would like to make a part of her meal routine to take her dirty dishes to the sink. These little things will make my day go smoother. There won't be her dishes on the table waiting for me to take them out. Her toys will be picked up and put away when she goes to bed. And I won't be finding her dirty clothes in weird places, like under the footstool, behind the barbie house, and inside her kitchen playset, two weeks after she wears them.

My goal until I start working is to make life smoother in our household. Here are my plans --
1. Make the top drawer in my desk the spot to put my purse, sunglasses, etc. All the things I need when I leave in one spot.
2. Organize my dd's toys so that everything has a place and home that is easily accesible by her, but neatly put away.
3. Set up a routine. Such as cook dinner, eat dinner, clean table, wash dishes, wash table and counters. In that order. Every night. Or...Shut off TV, pick up toys, brush hair, brush teeth, put on pajamas, put away dirty clothes, read book, get in bed. After she goes to bed I will set out clothes for the next day, fold laundry, sweep kitchen and dining room.
4. Organize the movies in the bedroom and living room so there isn't a constant search.
5. Make the 2nd drawer in my desk the library book\movie holding place. Somewhere that I always know I will find these materials in.
6. Pack the dance bag every Sunday night. Have it ready for Wednesday ahead of time so there isn't a search at the last minute as I need to leave Wednesday morning.
7. Set weekend routines for deep cleaning. This needs to include dusting, mopping, vacuum furniture, vacuum dust bunnies on ceiling.

I am hoping that by setting a daily schedule it won't be as big a deal when we have something come up and it can't be done. Here's hoping it goes as smoothly as I think it should.

Well I'm off to swap laundry and fold it before I need to get dd ready for bed.

A Beautiful Simple Sunday

It is such a beautiful day out.

I was sitting on my porch this morning enjoying the sunshine. It doesn't matter that the temperature is under 20, the sight of the sun puts me in a good mood. And right outside the porch window we have a bird feeder. So not only did I enjoy the sunshine streaming through the windows, I got to watch birds enjoy the bird feeder. On a regular basis we have blue jays, cardinals, woodpeckers and chickadees. They are so fun to watch.

A simple joy in a complicated world.

It was my grandpa's birthday yesterday, so we have him out today. We made biscuits and gravy for lunch. He will eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as long as someone else makes them. But he is so happy with us making him anything to eat, it does my heart good.

 A simple joy in a complicated world.

And for dinner we are making enchiladas. It is my grandma's recipe and everyone in my family, except my dd, loves them. My fiancee thinks they are one of the best things ever. And it is such a simple recipe I decided to include it below. Sharing recipes is another...

Simple joy in a complicated world.

I have recently read a series by Wanda E Brunstetter. It is about a family of cousins who are Amish. They are another group of people who can find the simple joys. But what I saw that I loved is that they would share a starter dough for friendship bread. Now if you have never had friendship bread, let me explain how it works. Someone starts a batch of starter dough. They then mix it every day and add more ingredients a few times until, about a month later, they have enough dough for 4 batches. They then take 1 batch and bake it, keep 1 batch to start again, and give 2 batches away to friends (hence the name friendship bread) with the directions to finish. Each starter batch ends with 4 batches. It is a great way to give something to share with friends. I will include the starter recipe soon, along with pictures of the bread when I finally get to bake it.

A simple joy in a complicated world.

Now my new year has started off fairly well. Last Wednesday my dd had her tonsils removed. Yesterday morning was spent with her throwing up, however today she is feeling much better. She is up and playing and much happier. Yay!

My fiance has stayed the last 2 nights with us. It was nice to ring in the new year with my family and spend some time with him. Not that this has stopped me from getting my stuff done. In fact at one point today he pulled me down on the couch and told me to just sit for 5 minutes, the laundry, dishes, vacuuming could wait. He's a good man.

It's a quiet Sunday but it's spent with the ones I love. And that is a simple joy in a complicated world.

Enchiladas

2 lbs ground beef
Onion
1 package taco seasoning
3 cans enchilada sauce (we use 2 cans mild, 1 can hot, but it's up to you and how spicy you want it)
Soft shells
Cheddar cheese

Chop the onion. I use about 2 slices of white onion, but again this is up to how much you want. Brown hamburger and onion. Add taco seasoning.
Pour 1 can enchilada sauce in the bottom of 9 X 13 pan. Pour other 2 cans into a large bowl. Dip the soft shells into the bowl until coated. Place in pan, add taco meat, onion, cheese. Roll the soft shell. Repeat until pan is filled. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas. Top with cheese.
Bake at 350 for about 1 hour (until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbling)

Super easy to make, and a great way to use up leftover taco meat if you're coming to the end of it's life.