Merry Christmas

This is a fun and hectic time of the year. Love getting to see family and eating good food, but I am also looking forward to going into town and now being stuck in traffic or long lines at stores.
I love the smells of Christmas. I found a candle at a store in the mall called "fraser fir" Seriously a wonderful smelling pine candle--not overwhelming but this light perfectly reminiscent scent of christmas trees. I want to go buy it after the holidays...because I'm hoping it won't be $35.00 anymore! I like the idea of reflecting on the birth of the son of God. I find it odd that we hijacked a pagan holiday to do it though. I don't like the idea of Christmas being anything you want it to be though either. Celebrate it or don't.

Finished watching the BBC series Little Dorrit. I have to say I absolutely loved it, up until the very end. The chemistry between the two characters wasn't there for me. It was sweet--I liked the story of it, I just didn't see the chemistry they should've portrayed. That was slightly a let down. The whole series was so well done and perfectly acted--until the last part in my opinion. I love Charles Dickens. When I was young my mom read to me and my brothers "David Copperfield". It was such a long book but I was so enraptured by it. I couldn't wait for the next time she would read it too us and always wanted an extra chapter more.

My kids are so crazy..bouncing off the walls in anticipation of Christmas. They are pretty cute though. We've been reading a special Christmas book each night before bed and it's been really fun. They love to cuddle in my bed with me in their warm jammies and listen. I hope this is building good memories for them. Today we are going to make cookies and brownies, hopefully that will add to their holiday memory jar as well.

It's a bright, beautiful Christmas Eve late morning. It's cold out and slightly breezy. The weather forecast had been looking favorable for a white Christmas--now not so much. That makes it better for travel if nothing else. Tomorrow we will be having Christmas brunch with my husband's family, then Christmas dinner with my family. It's going to be an incredibly busy day. My family is having a huge dinner with over 30 people- it should be fun. We do a Yankee swap and everyone always gets into it. There are family members on my dad's side that we won't be able to see. I miss them. The older we get, the larger the family grows, the harder it is to see everyone for Christmas or any holiday. It's bittersweet. I didn't get to send out as many cards as I'd have like this year. Things just get so hectic!!!


I am thinking of venturing out into the crazy shopping hub bub to see if I can grab a pair of shoes. We'll see if I make it.

Mark and I watched Mad Men for the first time last night and couldn't get through the episode. I thought the concept of the 60's theme was great, but it was so raunchy and had nothing more to it then scandal after scandal and glorifying the way NOT to live, making it seem exciting and fun, when in truth people living that way I am sure feel empty. It didn't even seem slightly realistic, overly sensual and unbelievable.

Well if I don't blog again until the new year. I wish everyone a happy holiday season and I'll catch up with you next year. I can't believe it's already 2011..Sometimes I still feel strange writing 2010.

Sufjan Stevens - Once in Royal David's city

Something Fun:

Re-using Greeting Cards

some stuff

Cool gift from old wine bottles

UncommonGoods

UncommonGoods

Thanksgiving Eve

Things I am thankful for in 2010(in no particular order):

my bathtub
extra virgin olive oil
news that my township has brought recycling levels up 60%*
Potty-trained 20-month-old
Public School Back Up Plans
BROWN RICE PASTA
Bio-degradable plastic trash bags
health
my scheduled phone calls
creeping jenny and all her friends in my pot(see pic)
great deals at target
the ocean
MW2, and now Black Ops**
my Sherpa/faux mink blanket
paint on my basement walls
a new roof
solar powered things
silence
bath robes and slippers
my husband and how far we've come these 6 years
not being allergic to bee stings anymore!
memory foam
conversations about eternity with my son
"tea" and "coffee" made by my daughter
never having to clean up puke--seriously.
new homes for pets
wonderful bible studies
weekend getaways
my pioneer girls
hot and sour soup
walks with a friend on warm summer nights
purex 3-in-1 sheets
Bird-E towels
finally printing off all the pictures for Evie's album
Sufjan Steven's music
"Parenting isn't for Cowards"
the opportunity and privilege to parent my children
the wonderful family I have been blessed with


all the life lessons I've learned--including;
Being sure of important decisions I've made and then realizing I don't know what I am talking about, and getting over the guilt associated with that.

Dealing with issues head on, instead of letting them linger and get way worse.

Assuming the best of people and giving them a chance to redeem themselves!

That forgiveness can sometimes only be possible with the help of Christ who has forgiven an eternally larger wrong than what I am facing.

That making peace isn't always about letting things go, or overlooking problems, but dealing with them correctly--and how freeing that will be.

That sometimes I talk to much about recycling and that may make people even less likely to give it a real try!


Last May



*After the new HUGE bins had been introduced--this according to a man I spoke with from the township
**Because I get to play it with my hubby and I get better every day :) :)

Surely there must be an antidote to the lumps?

So ever since my hubby found out he had high cholesterol things have been changing around here. I love a challenge, and this is definitely a big one for a family on a tight food budget. I have been roasting Chicken and Turkey breasts, slicing it for lunch meat and making soup with the leftovers. He was eating Healthy Choice-type frozen dinners for lunch--which were economical, but loaded with fat and sodium. Now I make sandwiches with lots of lettuce tomato and onion, no mayo...some super good, Drew's Italian dressing, and some feta sprinkled on the meat. He loves it! I also make him tuna or Salmon, I used plain yogurt and the same dressing as the creamy base...along with the cucumber and stuffs. He has been taking a lot of fruit too, and Light Baby Bels...he always needs cheese!! He really enjoys his new lunches, and I am so glad!! His night snacking has diminished a lot too, now he is really into eating carrots, celery and nuts. This is helping me too, I have been making sure I cut out the prepared foods and have also been making Red Swiss Chard for him...which he loves too! I really hope it helps bring his levels down.

I finally ordered prints from when my daughter was born 2.5 years ago!!! 299 prints are on there way and I am going to buckle down and get her baby book done! I have been feeling guilty about it since she turned 1! I finished my son's on his first birthday!

We started watching Little Dorrit on DVD and I am really enjoying it! We also started watching The Walking Dead...which is well done for a zombie show. It gets disturbing though.

So today a dear friend I've known since birth had her first child, and it's so exciting! Babies are such amazing miracles and blessings. I can't wait to hold this little one, and am so frustrated with this head cold that will definitely prevent that from happening anytime soon!

If there is one thing that I can't live without on Thanksgiving, it's stuffing.

After the Baby Book, I have getting my passport on the list.

I got Disney's Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition BD/DVD Combo for $9.99 today with $15 of coupons at Target! That was awesome. $5 off the coupons was from targets own printable coupons on their website, and you can put it toward any Disney movie, including the Toy Story 3 BD--on sale for $19.99...so pretty good afterwards! This ends on the 24th though so hurry!

Family is watching Adventure Time, Lets go party Ice King!

hi

Dear Blog,

Please forgive me for ignoring you for so long. I have been busy with a lot of things, but not entirely too busy to blog once in a while. It's already the latter half of November and I happen to be listening to Joy to the World (by Sufjan Stevens)as I type this. Its a shame for me to go so long without updates, because then I forget all the cool things that happened or that I want to blog about :)

Asa was upset with me today when he left for school. We all woke up late and I rushed everyone to get dressed and eat, and being the easily distracted five year old that he is...he didn't do what I told him too in a timely manner and only ate a squeezable yogurt as he walked to the bus. I was pretty angry at the kids too, yelling a bunch.. I think that hurt his feelings; he wouldn't wave, hug or say goodbye to me.. in fact I saw him on the bus through the tinted windows looking down instead of over at us :(

It's amazing how something like that can change the whole day for me. I love my little one so much. He's pretty sensitive. Evie on the other hand isn't. If I yell at her she'll figure out a way to talk herself out of getting in trouble!! And then go and find some snacks.
I am sad though, I feel like a jerk.

I have to dye a tee-shirt for his Thanksgiving program today...He is really excited about and sings his song a lot. It's very precious. I sometimes feel that this part of life must be the climax, the spot where everyone wants to get to--maybe because once you get past it, it's kind of less exciting because you've experienced the main "life changes"(Though I realize I am thinking this before I've experienced a whole life) So this is probably also the hardest part of life, because it's tiring and draining and emotionally challenging. I think about how it'll be easier when the kids are grown, but then think I'll be sad when they're grown because life will be getting away from me, and I'll wish I enjoyed them being kids longer. I definitely enjoy it, but I do get very tired sometimes. Hubby mentioned last night about how nice it'll be for him to retire with me. It's funny because 6 years ago I would've never imagined that we would be looking forward to the latter half of our lives...it's just weird. I think one moral of the story would've been to wait a bit before having children. Three months of marriage wasn't enough time together. Granted we always had my step son, but still. I hope I don't sound unthankful for my amazing, beautiful children, because I would give my life for them, I just wish sometimes that I had waited. I know God has the best timing so I am actually just wasting my time thinking and talking about it, who knows how long our lives will be.

Something I wanted to do differently this holiday season, was to get as many handmade and/or local gifts I could find for family members. I am having so much fun looking on Etsy. I really would like to receive some re-usable fabric sandwich bags! and a bar of handmade organic shampoo--like a bar of soap.
Gotta go get some housework done

fall

Is is just me or was it in the 80's and 90's less that two weeks ago? I am so cold now. I was contemplating putting the heat on last night. Asa took his leather jacket to school today.

Asa is now in school, the local elementary school. He is doing really well there, only complains of it being too long of a day--but he's been learning and working and his manners have even gotten better! I miss him terribly, but love cuddling with him when he gets home. It's so much harder going through it yourself than thinking about sending your child off to Kindergarten without actually having gone through it. Evie misses him too, but things are settling down here and I know it's the best option for us now.

Our roof was leaking last week when the remnants of TS Nicole hit town. We quickly had it replaced. I wish I could see the new roof better so it could maybe make me happy after spending so much money on it! Oh well, it's the peace of mind I guess. I picked up a solar powered attic fan to help with energy costs mostly in the summer. Love the fact that it costs nothing to run it!

It's amazing how you can train yourself to be more efficient and self sustaining. I think by not buying things that are disposable you can really change the way you look at everything. Recently I was somewhere where so many plastics and disposable items were thrown into the regular trash in front of me and I was cringing!! I hate plastic bags (ziplock) and try not to look when recyclable containers are disposed of incorrectly. I don't want to sound like a snob either because I religiously used them until I was turned on to being less wasteful and the reality of how when we use a plastic bag once then toss it, it'll be around forever in a pile under the ground!!!
Right now I am debating in my mind whether Corn based plastics are better than bio degradable plastics. I know that the type of biodegradable plastics I use will not biodegrade anywhere but the landfill--but that is where most if not all of them will end up. They are superior strength which I think is important because it is more efficient than using more than one bag when one rips and falls apart(which is more likely with the corn based products which also cost significantly more $$)
The good thing about (some)corn plastics is that it'll biodegrade anywhere, in water, in dirt, in a compost pile, a landfill. They won't last as long though, they may fall apart on you if a lot of food products have been able to sit in them.
I'm all about lessening our dependency on oil and biodegradable plastics--while they do use some recycled plastics to their batches--still require oil.

It's a hard call, I am not sure which is best, but I am thankful that either kind will not last forever in the landfill!

I have been doing great with having the one bag of trash a week again! I know strange things tend to make me happy, and most people may not understand it, but it feels great to be efficient, I save a lot of money this way too :)

We are getting new windows soon and I am thrilled about the fact that we should be feeling a lot warmer this winter because of them! That and the fact that they are double hung which will feel like a luxury for me :) :) :) :)

I am getting over some sort of illness, but I feel so great mentally! I am thrilled to know that the sun is shining brightly above the rain clouds. The sky is perfectly blue up there, and it's bright(and warm?). Sometimes I wish I could fly on days like this just to reiterate this feeling! The end of the week is supposed to be warmer again and sunny :) :)

Making things

I've been making a lot of things lately. It feels good to make things. Something kicked into gear in my brain and I was able to let go of some of the laziness inhibiting my housekeeping skills. The house, laundry, finances and other things are all organized currently. This is the longest streak I've been able to keep up so far. It feels great though. I love being able to do just minimal house work and have a neat house and spend time with my most precious possessions: Evie and Asa.

Asa turned 5 last week. We had a small family party. Small is subjective however, it was just family, but still around 15 people. I made an ice cream cake:

24 Ice cream sandwiches
1 container of cool whip
1 Jar of Hot Fudge

cost me 6.50 and it tastes GREAT

I just layered the Ice Cream sandwiches with fudge and cool whip twice, then sprinkled sprinkles on top and froze it. I let it thaw out a bit before serving. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it! Love easy, tasty, inexpensive things like that!

I had a hard time on Asa's birthday. I don't see the changes he goes through unless I step back and realize how much he's grown in the past 5 years. I still have the new mom mindset. My heart was really aching realizing how quickly time goes and precious that time is. I hope I am growing up at the same time as him, getting wiser and such. When he was really little I was pretty young still, him being my first, I was adjusting to not being so self centered and I had a really hard time getting used to the changes in my body. While I remember loving that time, I also remember getting really down and feeling sorry for myself a lot. I also though I was in control of motherhood and knew exactly what I was doing. So foolish! With Evie I was better because I tried to enjoy even the hard times with her since I knew how quickly the hard days of new baby-hood go. I feel like I was just telling myself I have a lot of time before he goes to school. Now he is being home schooled..something I was sure I wouldn't do. I love this little boy beyond words. He is an interesting little character. He is beautiful to me and I love his brain. I wish he didn't have asthma, allergies and eczema, but it has given me extra time with him that I wouldn't have in the administration of medication :) He is very VERY strong willed, and I feel I will have a hard time with adolescence but I am praying and trying to develop a healthy parent-child relationship with him so that it will go a smoothly as possible. I want the best for him. I feel so bad for him when I see him get jealous of his little sister and bewildered when his cool big brother chooses her side. I know he'll be OK though. I love being his mom. I love all the important lessons I would never have learned without him. I love his beautiful eye color and his amazing ability to beat me in Castle Crashers and other video games. I love how he is starting to read even though he tries not to very hard ;) I love his love for animals and bugs. His love for building legos and drawing with chalk. His crazy obsession with certain songs until another takes it's place. Much more too..

On a completely different note:

Recently I was thinking about trash. About how it sits outside--or inside(if you only have a bit) and SMELLS in the summer. Especially meat containers, wrapper and papers. YUCK! I was thinking of ways to get rid of it. Could I leave the chicken pads and papers and foam out on a table to bake in the sun? Then it won't rot in the trashcan? haha I was also thinking about grinding up scrap foods from meals and flushing them? Am I crazy? It's so hard to eliminate waste!

I have been shopping at a grocery clearance outlet and reduced my food by 25%+. The only problem is there aren't as many choices when deciding what to get based on packaging.

I recommend checking out:
Green Genius trash bags
New Dress a day

I really want to try these:
UncommonGoods Garden Bon Bons
and these:
(from REI)

summer

Summer is well under way. It's been a scorching one too. I turned 26 a few weeks ago. It feels old. Comparatively speaking I know it's still young, but when I tell myself I am 26 I feel like I am past the prime of my youth.

My kids are getting bigger and learning so much--so quickly! Asa is learning to read from the book I am using called "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" It really works, seriously. It's totally different from the way I was taught, but it's good and he gets it really well! Evie likes to sing songs about everything, she reminds me of Frances. Songs like: "I'm walking down the stairs, I'm walking down the stairs" "It's raining on my arm, it's raining on my arm!" She's very original in her lyrics.

When I am 52 my youngest (as long as there are no more) will be 29. I think that is crazy and good. Hubby just celebrated his birthday as well, though it felt like it lasted forever..birth-week it should be called. Growing up we had a saying "birthday brat" Everyone became the birthday brat on their birthday, this is how I am defining the Birth-week...the week of too much attention on one person given by themselves and others and causing a serious case of the birthday brattiness.

I bought these cotton towels recently that work like paper towels only are washable and re-usable! I love them and now I see the woman who makes them has new ones with different colored borders which I am interested in to designate certain towels to certain jobs. Blue for Bathroom, Green for kitchen etc etc..

I also started making paper. I figured out how to make the seeded kind which you can plant in the ground. I was going to use it for invitations to a large shower, but now I think it'll be a bit too much work!! Time is running out. When the shower is over I will make a post on all the details. I am so excited for it, it's going to be great.

This summer has been pretty quiet so far though. Vacation is in August and I am so excited for that.

I have been only throwing out 1 to almost 2 bags of trash a week for our entire family..kitchen sized trash bags mind you. Someone asked me how I did it and honestly it's just being aware of all the waste that is generated from everyday use of everyday items. It was prompted by the smelly trashcan out back, I didn't want to sit on my patio near it. So I decided to be careful with what I threw out and it became pretty easy. I am saving more food instead of scraping it into the trash, compacting every little thing I can and of course recycling everything I can recycle. It's fun and worth it. I like to go easy on the hardworking trash-men who come out every week in the heat and carry heavy bags of smelly waste to their trucks.

I recommend:

being conscious of the packaging of your weekly purchases; buy the least amount of waste possible.

cotton Bird-E towels

Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

More stuff...

I have a hot dog cutter called the Guard Dog which scores the hot dog horizontally but keeps it intact. That way when my kiddies bite into the hot dog it'll fall apart into small pieces they won't be able to choke on. It's a lot of fun to use and I was really excited to see it mentioned in The New York Times!
It was invented by the creator of Pop Corn Chicken and Steak Umm's: Eugene Gagliardi of Creativators. They cook really well once they've been scored...it actually tastes better!

It's always great to have easy food options that are kid friendly and safe!

Another thing I wanted to talk about was the 7th Generation dishwashing tabs I mentioned before. Though I only used the Free and Clear type, I really didn't like it at all. I probably wouldn't try the scented kinds because they are all lacking rinse aid. They cost more than other brands which include it. Oh well! Back to my old Cascade Tabs!

I am still loving the laundry detergent though, bought it again and love how little I need! My washing machine has been staying nice and clean too since I've been making sure not to use too much soap!

Next plug: GoGo Squeez Applesauce pouches.
What a great idea! I love the no mess idea. So great for packing a lunch too! The kids like them too and the different flavors are great! About 50 cents a pouch but nice for a treat!
My baby turned two a few weeks ago. She is 95% for height! I can't believe it, she seems so petite to me! She is really getting verbal though. She loves colors and told me her flip flops were purple and pink today...I was shocked!

I sure love having a girl. She enjoys helping with dinner and calling in the boys for me. It's so amazing how differently male and females are wired even from birth.

good deals

Since everyone in the world could potentially read this I thought I would let the world know my good deals


$4.09 total for all of the following:





Bertolli Olive Oil and Garlic Tomato Sauce
reg. $2.29 sale 1.89. cpn: .75 doubled Final: .39

Classico Vodka Sauce
reg. $1.99 cpn: 1.50 Final: .49

Capri Sun Sunrise Valley(x2)
reg. $2.00 cpn: 1.00 Final 1.00

Viva Single Roll Paper Towell
reg. $2.19 sale: 2.00 cpn: .85 doubled; Final .30

Carolina Yellow Rice packet (x2)
reg. $0.66 sale 0.59 cpn: .75 off two doubled; Final: two for free

Scott Flushable Wipe refill
reg. $1.99 cpn.50 doubled; Final: .99

Silk Almond Milk
reg. $2.99 cpn: Free!

Silk Almond Milk Vanilla
reg. $2.99 cpn: Free!

Reg Total $19.76
Sale Total $18.83
w/Coupon Total: $4.09

YAY!

rainy day

Today is a pretty boring day!

I read an article saying that most americans use too much laundry detergent and that some loads can be washed without any soap at all. The agitation from the machine loosens dirt and it's then rinsed away. Interesting. I am going to use less now. It also said that if you use too much it causes the suds to come up too high in the machine where the lint and dirt that are also lifted with the suds cannot get rinsed away. This makes bacteria grow and causes odors...they say it can also cut the life of your washer shorter. Its funny because I always think to myself, the more soap I use the cleaner the load will be...they said most people feel that way but it's not true!

A little helpful tidbit I hope!

I am starving right now.
Time for a snack! oh, and to wash some laundry....

Do YOU really need it?

So after trying the laundry detergent, i can say it works great. Though I used too much the first time, filling the cap to "3" is for normal loads, but I guess our water is really soft of something, so the second load got less. The smell is wonderful though, I love it.

I was thinking about how I used to reach for the plastic wrap, or plastic baggies regularly about a year ago. Now I don't even think about them. It wasn't like I stopped using them on purpose. We ran out and I forgot to get them at the store. I started using re-usable(and recyclable!) plastic containers with lids instead. Now I just say to myself when I'm in the that aisle of the store, "Do I really NEED them?"

Obviously not if I've gone so long without them!! They are convenient but not necessary! It seems really wasteful if you sit down and think about it. Tin foil on the other hand is a must and can be recycled, unless it's totally soiled. Even still I don't feel bad about some of it going to a landfill--it will break down.

Speaking of breaking down, We live in a town home, so cleaning up pet waste gets annoying. I usually keep a bag outside and wait till it's half full before putting it in the trash ON trash day. It's still gross though to have outside waiting to be full. I found this product which I think is ingenious for my scenario--or others with sewer connections and tight outside quarters!It's a flushable doggie bag! I love that idea, because it gets rid of it quick, and the doo-doo goes to a place where it gets cleaned out of the water! It seems like such a "sanitary" solution.

I have to see if they have them at pet smart now.

I also have to say, before I run and get my children out of the mess they've made while I've posted this is:

What and incredibly faithful God we have. Faithful to us when we wonder. He is so faithful to me, and I want to be faithful too.

I'll expound later, there is shrieking going on...

for becky

I went to the grocery store today. I bought a lot of "green" cleaning products--which I had coupons for. We have a very tight food/household needs budget, yet I do pretty well with being able to get organic fruits (apples and greens today) and natural-ish cleaning products. The products which I have used before really do work too, you don't sacrifice anything, well maybe except headaches from fumes or overly strong scents.

I got some Seventh Generation Laundry detergent because I had a $2 coupon, which brought it down to $3.99. It's usually so much more than my normal stuff(Purex Natural Elements)--which I still love btw--that I don't even try it. It has a very fresh scent that smells real, haha.. First load is just about ready to go into the dryer, then we'll see how good of a job it does!

I also always get Seventh Generation all purpose cleaners. They were on sale too plus I had a coupon. When it comes to window cleaner though, I usually just get cheap-o store brand vinegar cleaner--92 cents is good for me!

Another thing I am trying out for the first time is the Seventh Generation Dishwasher Tabs They come in a easily recyclable cardboard box, Finish also has recyclable packaging...but Cascade doesn't. If this stuff works well, I might buy it again, the ingredients aren't as harsh as the ones I normally buy. It was on sale for $3.25 for 15 washes. I usually get the Cascade which is $3.99 so I thought I would try this kind out. I ONLY use their Dish Soap which works amazingly and has such a wonderful fresh REAL scent--so the company has a good reputation with me!

I have also been buying Marcel Small Steps Paper towels, toilet paper and napkins. Out of those three, the paper towels seem to go very quickly, like there aren't as a normal roll or something. They are all great quality and cheaper than the leading brand---which at least doesn't advertise as recycled paper.

I also got a hand soap refill bag: Method brand. It was on sale for $4.5 and fills about 3 normal sized pumps -- I have a bunch of those plastic pumps in a cabinet so I got to re-use them which was cool. Less waste is good, plus the soap is biodegradable and made from plants--meaning no petroleum. (I like this because as I've said a while ago, less dependency on oil and plants are quickly renewable)

All of these products are great for people with allergies too--like mi familia.

But the best thing I did today was go through my cleaning cabinet and get rid of the products which I don't use anymore...mostly floor cleaners. I have a Shark Steam Mop now and love the fact that it only needs water and it sanitizes and easily gets up stuck on food. I read a while ago about how indoor air quality is however many times more polluted than outdoor air because of the cleaning products. I wouldn't be so gung- ho about it if these cleaner, healthier products weren't so readily available and affordable.

I guess saying that was the best thing I did today is pretty shallow. It was even better to take my kiddies to the park and play with them on this amazingly gorgeous sunshiny spring day :)

good deals

I shopped at Aldi today. It was my first time and I probably won't be back, at least for a while. It's pretty far away. I did really enjoy shopping there though. VERY inexpensive. The produce was so cheap and nice! I got a beautiful Del Monte Pineapple for 1.49. I got two bags of iceberg garden bagged salad for .39 each! Hots dogs for .79. The stuff is their own brand for the most part, but nothing is out of date and dented or bruised! I wish we had one close to where we live! I wouldn't shop for everything there, because I try to get whole foods as much as I can, but for produce (from the US) and freshmeats, frozen meats, deli and dairy, I was super impressed. I don't mean to sound snobbish, the products I mean mostly are cereals that we are used to, and crackers, frozen meals for hubby's lunches and so on. They had some health food options too, overall, i saved a big penny and like I said, wish we had one close by!

One thing I will appreciate when the kids are grown, is not having to clean up every possible body liquid that a child could manage to spew. Today was one of those day... wow I guess it's better to all happen at once than to have a little bit every day?

Evie hasn't been napping well lately. She isn't going to sleep well at bedtime either. In fact, she is in her room screaching right now. Ear plugs would be nice.

I have been working on my family tree through Ancestry.com. It's very addictive! I want to spend the extra $10 to get national records so I can try and find the families left behind in Europe. Yes all my ancesters came from Europe. Italy, Germany, Ireland, England, Lithuania and possibly Poland. My family migrated from Italy mostly in the 1910's, and that was only two generations ago. Same with Lithuania. Half of the Germans too. So that would make all of my great grandparents from those countries, naturalized here. The Irish and English have been here as far back as I can trace(1790). I would guess they came over before the country began. Though some may have, and some may not, there are many families involved in them.

It is fun. There is no one famous in my lineage, but it's fun to hear stories about people. I interviewed my grandfather and he told me stories that I was able to jot down. I hope to add them onto my tree. Ancestry really makes it very organized. My goal now is to save and file all the records I connected to my tree before my membership runs up!

I think she's about done whining. I hope she is.

Yum

Seriously the BEST jelly ever. I can't believe it has half the sugar because it tastes better than regular jelly. Everyone who I've made taste this has agreed, it's amazing. If you love the smell of concord grapes in the summer, this jelly is like that smell contained in a sugary sweet goodness spread.

I had to plug it because I really love it :)

Marching on...

Who cares? Well, I DID care, but thinking about it more now, I am really uninterested. I am starting to see no matter what, that GOD is all that matters. This country isn't Him, these people--many of them aren't His either. Bringing us to humility, experiencing some pain and suffering--this is what brings us back to Him. It's upsetting when people don't see things the same way you do, and when they impose their feelings into your life--however, it seems like it could be a significant help to all those lost in the comfort and ease of life in this country.

We have everything we need--basically. We have way more than we need--actually. Having less and being uncomfortable will only make me realize how NOT in control I am. I hope this in no way comes across in a way where I seem defeated--just the opposite. I care so much about political things that mean nothing in the end. Yeah, maybe my opinions make sense and would benefit the whole population better than if not implemented, but being politically correct isn't the point of our existance. I want to focus on my faith, on reaching out to others and growing a family in Christ and seeing my children carry on in life with Christ as their guide! Even if everything else around us crumbles, we can't and won't if we are focused and grounded :) Having ALL of this stuff, money--wordly goods, that we've been blessed with, we can survive without it, and survive well--maybe even better than with them.

I want to do the best with the least. I want to focus on Christ and not all these distractions. I want to see more people coming to Him and having their lives changed. I'll get involved the way I am supposed to when it comes to civic duty, but I want to re-center and re-focus my life right now on Christ not my libertarian leaning political ideas! I don't want to feel down about a loss of a vote, or of the election of people I disagree with. I want to vote, and prepare the way I believe and leave the rest to the Lord!

I was thinking about going to school for economics and getting involved in local politics in a few years. Maybe I still will, but -- I don't want to let my political ideas rule, and feel out of control when those ideas are fought and defeated!

Just a little rant, hope you didn't mind reading :)

burnt french toast

quick tip:
If you decide you don't really feel like making dinner one night, but also don't want to look lazy, you should say you are going to make french toast and bacon with fruit salad. Then, while the chicken bacon is in the microwave( does that not sound incredibly gross?) and the metal pan is heating up greased in butter, You can egg up your your wheat bread and then plop it on the metal pan. When a couple pieces have been frying for a bit you can try and flip them but soon come to realize they are glued to the pan. After you scape them up and flip them--ruined--over, you can shove the pan away from the burner, yell at them, put them in a trash can and the scalding hot pan into the sink while bursting into tears of rage. Your husband will most likely get his keys and make a mad rush to the door and you will only know what is going on by the sound of the front door closing. Then in a few minutes a perfectly tasty meal of fried chicken and store prepared macaroni salad may be on your table and you won't even have to prepare a bit of it!

i'm a new person, or--newer..

When I was in my final years of high school I was apparently either pretty happy or pretty sad.
Today I went through the junk I had kept in my parents attic for quite a few years. I threw out a lot of it. Most of it was pretty useless. Just memories from pieces of trash. It's amazing how much different of a person I am now. Throwing away so many things from my childhood made me feel like I was finally laying that person to rest. I cried a little bit, just because so many things I had forgotten about myself resurfaced. I kept most of my creative writing pieces. From those I read of my manic moods in poems. It's hard to let go of my past. Even though it's been collecting dust in my parents attic for a good 10+ years. There were so many boxes that my mom asked me to go through. I really was a sentimental girl. I saved so many things that meant anything to me. Things I would've never remembered on my own. So instead of going through everything. I chose to just throw some unopened containers away to be forgotten forever. I am who I am because of my past and because of the present. I was not made to be remembered, or to remember myself. So much has happened to me, so much happens to everyone. That's life. It is amazing though to look back and see a person so different from who I am. A person full of questions and excitement. Now I have the answers to those questions and the joy that goes along with them. I am sure there will still be so many more changes to my life as the next 25 fly by. I hope that just like these past years the only thing that stays the same is my yearning for the Lord. He has molded me and taught me so much. I am so thankful to learn more everyday of my life.
Things I saved of interest:
Cassette of "Car Button Cloth" -- Lemonheads
Scrapbook of my trip to Tampa in 1997(which I made for my aunt-who unfortunately passed away before seeing it)
Poems about how I Hate Fall, and then how I Love It.
School portfolios with samples of each subjects work for the year
My Awana and Pioneer handbooks
Digital portrait from Kid's R Us in Exton during its grand opening circa 1990?
Photo album I made from my birthday camera 1990
a few barbies
Lisa and Sue-baby, my cabbage patch kids
Cherry Merry Muffin doll "Chocolatti"
Cap and Gown from graduation(what in the world am i gonna do with that?)
Just Nikki catalog with Britney Spears on the cover(before she was famous) 1998 (will it be worth anything?)
Diary from 1995-1998 (I had a million crushes lol)


I have a million porcelain dolls that i need to find a home for. They look pretty antiquish now.
It's fun reading all the things I used to write. I used to write A Lot...

The things i struggled with seem so insignificant now. The people who were so wrapped up in my world are so far away from me in every way. I love where I am now, but I feel like a stranger to my old self! The refining work has certainly taken place so far.

I used to watch "felicity" and loved how at the end they would show the album of certain songs that were played throughout, I bought Heather Nova and Soul Coughing through that!!
I remember when Jennifer Garner was on that show as Noel's old girlfriend. So weird.
That show got kinda raunchy toward the end though.

I kept letters from my friends before email really shot off. We would send each other notes and decorate the envelopes excessively. "P.S. Let's write each other REALLY long letters now!" one said to me. How sweet and innocent they were. Talking about pets and parents and boys looking our way lol. I forget who I was back then. I really do. If not for these memorabilia it would never have come back to me!

I have gone on for a while now! Hopefully I can scan some old pics in an put them up.
I have to unload my car of all the boxes of mostly dolls I brought back. My hubby sat down with me and read a lot of the old things I had written back in the day. It was pretty special.

I really feel like a new person now. A Lauren 2.0. I love my life, family, environment, even the left over snow.

Lotsa Snow

Hi, It's been a while.
We're currently buried under a lot of snow here in our town home. This afternoon was a beautifully sunny one though, and it did it's job of melting quite a bit of the snow. When I look out my front window toward the cars, you can barely see over the mounds of snow. The wind was blowing and large thumps could be heard on our lower overhang (second story) from the third story roof. I though Evie was being loud in her room so I went up to chide her(she was supposed to be taking a nap) but when I loudly opened the door to her room saying "You are supposed to be in your bed!" I saw a sweet little baby sleepy on her back with her hand up above her head, so serenely. That is when I realize the loud thuds I heard were chunks of snow falling from the roof onto the overhang!

Family is doing well. I have something going on with my carotid artery--a blockage, kink or something putting pressure on it, though it's probably just a "fascinoma" as my doc called it. Nothing bad, just fascinating :) We'll see just what it is with some tests I will be taking soon. Curious, but not scared. I noticed it when doing my daily exercises. Very strange sensation only affecting the right side of my head. ANYWAY I usually don't put those kinds of things on here, but I thought it was interesting.

I am starting to stress about schooling for Asa, ok, not starting to, but have been for a while. Praying and hoping financial aid would work and we could put him in a local christian school. If not I don't know what I want to do. Hubby doesn't know either.

So I bought some sanitizing wipes the other day. They are just like the Lysol or Clorox wipes, but made from botanical sources and are not toxic. They release no fumes either which is awesome because I tend to use them in my daughter's little room the most. When you use them they smell strongly of thyme and some other plant. Very fresh and not headache inducing! They are by Seventh Generation.

Need to go watch the Office now. Will blog again soon :)

just a lot going on

there a lot going on right now. not neccessarily bad, or great. just a lot. Of the more poignant things I would have to say I am so sad and sorry for all of the Haitians affected by the earthquake. What a horrible, devastating event.


I found that by texting "Haiti" to 90999 you will send $10 to the Red Cross. I wish I could help more.

my kids are whining and crying simultaneously about food, apparently Asa is going to die if I don't give him something to eat, and Evie has brought the orange juice over to me. They have completely lost it. Evie won't take naps anymore but is obviously tired. Asa's addiction-causing use of the internet and NickJr, Nick Toons and Nick2 have caused him to revert to infantcy when he can't use them when he wants.
I feel as though I might be losing my mind as well, just until theres quiet though, i think by then I might be ok.

I pray for the haitians..and hope that through this many people grow closer to the Lord.