Pat's Run

Two years ago a day like this last Saturday would never have crossed my mind.  Never.  Husband and I had started to run so I could start losing the baby weight and help deal with stress of losing my dad a few months prior.  About two weeks in I broke my leg.  A stress fracture of serious proportions and I was subsequently diagnosed with osteopenia (the precursor to osteoporosis.)

What a crazy time.

I was just trying to heal, build bone mass back up, and gain confidence not only in myself but also in the bones that carry me along.

Finally, this last January I had enough.  I had to start doing something.  I was the heaviest I had been. Ever. Time do something about it. For my family is nothing else.  So, I started walking (Husband was still running and doing SO well) and we changed how we ate.  Good thing started happening. Husband ran in the Pat's Run  (4.2 miles) last year and wanted to do it again.  He encouraged me to do it, too.

I was scared.  For so many reasons.  But finally I said I would do it and stepped up my time working out.

My goal going into the run was to NOT have 20 minute miles.  Most of my workouts I averaged a 15-17 minute mile so I felt pretty good going into the race.  Husband and I started together but because he runs I knew I would just find him at the finish line. It was a good challenge. Husband beat his goal time of 40 minutes by 2 minutes!  I was so proud of him.  I finished in 1 hour and 7 minutes. YAY!!  I was pretty excited and may even attempt to do it again next year.

Our kids want to do the kids run next year.  That will be fun.  

Knock, Knock....Housekeeping!

Once upon a time, a long long time ago... okay, okay... the summer of 1999 (yikes! 14 years ago!) I worked in our nation's first national park, Yellowstone.  It was nothing as exciting as being a park ranger but rather I was there to clean rooms at Old Faithful Inn as part of a summer project with Campus Crusade for Christ (now Cru.)  It was a summer that impacted my life in various ways and apparently is still bearing fruit in other areas still today.

You see, one becomes very familiar with the details and rigors of housekeeping when work is done in one of the busiest hotels in the nation over the summer months.  While I was not the fastest room cleaner in the est I found an appreciation for those who do it day in and day out for years on end.  Not just for the summer, you see.  The solitary work about drove me mad and so management had mercy on me and when they could they moved me into a position of picking up buffalo poop grounds keeping and cleaning public spaces.  I was thankful to be around more people and I LOVED that job.  No, really.

Today I find myself nearing the end of a two month stay at a hotel.  I am always reminded that it is well worth knowing the names of the people around you.  Especially in the service arena.  I'm pretty sure I know everyone who works here from management, to housekeeping, to food service.  They work hard.

However, I will say that our relationships with those in housekeeping are by far the most significant.  We see them just about everyday.  My kids run down the halls in little-girl-screeching-delight when they see Mrs I and Mrs E, the women who run the housekeeping department.  The day that I told Mrs. I  that I had worked in housekeeping for a time she was surprised and asked all sorts of questions.  We talked about the hard work of it all and the difference in how things work here versus what I experienced.  It seemed like that sealed our relationship.  Well, that and the fact that my girls easily endear themselves to almost anyone. HA!  We have had conversations about family, life, church, and other things. We have made great friends here and while we are excited to go home we are sad to leave the people that we have met here.

My girls have this notion that the housekeeping crew will just come home with us.  Yes, I wish.  HA!  We'll take food service with us as well.  My girls even pretend clean after housekeeping leaves and when we come back to the room they do the famous "knock, knock! Housekeeping!" at the the door and then burst into quiet giggles.  If anything it has been a social education for my girls and I think they are doing fabulously.

Fourteen years ago I wondered how on earth my being a housekeeper would have any sort of impact or be of any sort of significance.  I merely thought it was a vehicle to do ministry at that time.  Nope, apparently there would be another reason that would not be fully realized until 14 years later.  I wonder what that summer still has in store for me?

Honeysuckle, Creosote, and Trainsmoke | A Book

So, I finished my first book since my last post.  Actually, I finished it a few days ago and have started something else.  I find my desire to be on social media, playing games, etc dwindling a bit.  Mostly in the game department... I do like Facebook but I am not there nearly as much.  Good things.

I digress...

I read this book in memory of my dad.  The author was a classmate of his and I have met Mr. Cook on several occasions.  I still remember that Mr. Cook had a book signing in Albuquerque while my dad was out hunting.  My Aunt Dee took me to the store to have a book signed for my dad as a birthday present.  That was in 1990 and I am now the owner of that book.  Just opening the book to that inscription brought back sweet memories.  While there were parts that I didn't laugh at I remembered my dad laughing with tears running down his face, especially in the telling of the funeral story (it is pretty humorous).  However, there were other stories I was totally laughing and rereading to my husband.

The best way to describe this book would be as the roughed up, sometimes crass, but has a soft side uncle of "The Help."  This was a more vivid look into life in a north Louisiana town in the 1940's.  While some things were tragic and heart breaking, I know from stories of my dad's youth they are not far from the truth.

I have heard that Mr. Cook has a second book out and possibly a third in the works.  I will have to work my north Louisiana connections to find out as I cannot seem to find a second one listed online.

Reading this book made me think of stories of my dad's family and how I want to make sure that they are passed down to my girls.  I'll share them here when I have more time.  For now, I'll put a reminder to write about them soon.

On to more books...

Meal Plan Monday

Yes, I know it's been awhile since we have done menu planning.  Yes, I know I generally do it on Wednesday.  But, I have my meal plan done today so we will roll with it.  I may actually have a lot of it done for next week, too but I won't really have that nailed down probably until Wednesday.  HA!

So, the freezer meals are basically gone.  I realized I had a couple left that I will put into next week's rotation.  Sometimes forgetting is a good thing.

The goal of any meal right now and for the next several months (years?) is simple, simple, simple.  My mother-in-law is around during meal prep time generally 4 nights out of the week.  I know that this will not always be and can change at any moment so I try to have very little hands on time.  Here's what's on the dinner docket for this week...

• Ravioli w/ butter sauce, Parmesan, roasted potatoes and green beans.
• Cranberry Chicken with creamed spinach
• Leftover Mashed Potato Soup
• Breakfast Pizza
• Fish Tacos w/ broccoli slaw
• Moms Meatloaf with twice baked mashed potato
• Pizza (back-up meal)

What's for dinner at your place this week??

The Family Calendar

When I was in college, my brain and a fun planner were how I generally kept things straight.  When I started working with college students in my vocation I had electronic devices at my finger tips that let me know where I needed to be and when.  Oddly, I would default to paper when those electronic devices didn't deliver quite what I was looking for in a planner.  Then for the last four or five years I have gone back and forth trying to figure out what works best for me in tracking with our household.

A regular spiral bound planner didn't always work well for me because I wanted to see the whole month at one time and the need for it to be on the counter at all times so I could look at it when needed.

A wall calendar that I could put in a central location.  While that generally worked well I always had to find one that had large boxes.  Of course, it had to be pretty, too.  Those two requirements limited me... a lot!

My smart phone.  I know people LOVE this option.  Nope.  Not me.

Ultimately...

I am a paper girl.  Much to the chagrin of my all-things-electronic, software engineering husband.  I love how paper feels and looks.  Call me old fashioned, I'm okay with that.  I have learned to embrace my old soul.  I can usually remember things better in my noggin if I have actually written it down.  Sometimes, it takes more than once. ha!

So, what is the happy medium for this mama of three littles (two in diapers)?

I have found that a combination of Amy Knapp's Big Grid Family Organizer and my smart phone do a pretty good job...for now.

• It's big!  Plenty of space for me to write (and it's lined!)
• Extra space to write notes for the month.
• Designated area for dinner meal plan.
• It beings in August and goes to December of the following year -- plenty of space to plan ahead.
• It's pretty enough for the season that we are in and I can doodle if I am feeling really creative.
• Spiral bound so I can put it up and take it down as much as I like to update, etc with minimal wear and tear.

My smart phone acts as a reminder system for me.  I update it when new things go on the family calendar.  It's also helpful to have when we are out and so-and-so wants to know if we can do dinner or whatever on a particular evening.  I don't have to make room for a planner in my already full diaper bag... I just need to remember my phone.  My husband will tell you that is a feat in and of itself!  So, it's helpful in that regard.

I had it color coded for each person but my children like to abscond with my pens.  Even when I try to keep them in one particular place.  However, I admit sometimes I leave them in a wrong place from time to time.  Anyway, I think now I just go with what ever color I can find that pops.  I also keep this in my pantry.  It's the most central place for me and I can hide it, too!

I realize that I will have to do more specific meal planning for lunches in the near future when there are four of us to think about (5 on the weekends and for breakfast and dinner) and it will be harder to just pull it all together split second.  I will need to think through snacks items to have on hand, etc.  The calendar doesn't accommodate that now but I have some time to think through other options.  Meal plans significantly reduce my stress level for sure!

Anyway, things may will change and I am sure at some point and so will my style of planning.  Maybe.  I am looking at some other of Knapp's products to see if they fit with how things will change.

What do you use for a family calendar?

Organized Home Week # 3: Pantry

I have been working on maintaining and thinking through the first two weeks of this challenge.  We are spending a few weeks in the kitchen which is a great thing!  The first week was counter tops.  That is hard right now with bottles and this and that on the counters.  So, my goal is to get it under control first and make it suitable for what it is doing right now.  In about a year I can reevaluate that again.  My cabinets and drawers for the second week are another thing.  I am trying to figure out what needs to take a hike and what really needs to stay.  I am on a purging binge right now so I should probably take advantage of that because I am such a just in case kind of person.

However, this week we focused on the pantry or food storage areas in our homes.  YES!  Mine was desperately needing a good makeover.  Stock-up overloads and just not thinking about putting thing away made for one big MESS.  One of those pantries where things just randomly fall when you move something.  Yes.  It was that bad.  I went through everything and put it where it belong and grouped things.  Tossed out spices galore.  Found a few food items that we will not eat before expiration dates and hopefully a couple of families I know will be able to make use of them.

Here's where I get vulnerable.  Before (UGH!) and after pictures of the pantry.

Shelf 1: I have to heel some pans and cutting boards here.  Not my favorite but it works.  The very top of the stacker needs some more love as that is where my cake decorating and cookie cutters are.  I have some containers that I will use up there and will hopefully have room for another box of cutters that I have up there.  That would be great!  Creating more room in other spaces and getting everything together!

Shelf 2:  The spice shelf.  Kill me.  Seriously, I think that I had some spices that were well over 10 maybe 15 years old.  Yes, really.  They are gone now.  There are some that still may be a little too old but we will roll with it.  Gone is the full bottle of Lemon Pepper that I have been toting around all these years.  You know, just in case.  I am going to look into acquiring some air tight containers and start buying spices in bulk unless I use it often enough to buy a jar, etc.  Over time the containers will all look the same and there will be less waste.  I may even remove the spice stacker that I have in here that causes a stadium effect here.  I think about a Lazy Susan but wonder if I will lose space?

Shelf 3:  This is where I keep most of my baking items and a coupe of random things.  I invested in some Tupperware awhile back and here it is.  I had some wasted shelf space and opted to make the most of it by putting some extra items that are completely sealed in the back of the containers (two bags of powdered sugar, and bisquick) and that helped some.  I can see it back there, too.  No worries of it being forgotten.  When I took the pictures I forgot two things on top of the containers that go on the spice shelf... oh well.

Shelf 4:  Drinks, grains, and canned items.  Not much here.  I took the bags of open rice, beans, and lentils and put them in an air tight container and the closed ones are out.  I need to move a bag of pasta back up to the top shelf but that's not a big deal.

Shelf 5:  Storage stuff, dry goods, baby food, and some miscellany.  Pretty simple and I finally can see it all!

Shelf 6 (the floor):  What a horrid mess, right?  Now it is clean and somewhat organized.  The bummer side is realizing we only have one bottle of Powdrell's BBQ sauce left.  Oh well.  We don't go through it too fast. We have time to restock.

Well, there it is!  My pantry is also where I keep my family calendar, some Scripture to encourage, and I think this is also where I will figure out a way to display my pantry inventory.

Inventory.  I had hoped to get to that today but a nap took precedence for sure.  So, maybe tomorrow.  I have the rest of the week to get that completed.

Do you have pantry tips or suggestions?

2012 Homemaking/Crafting Plan

I was reading a post over at The Modest Mom where she shared 12 things (I believe from her Pinterest boards) that she wanted to work on this year.  Some simple some not so simple.  Brilliant, right!?  Surely, I can do one thing a month.  I shared this with Husband and his response was not to over do it.  He knows me and he's right.  So, I am trying to keep them fairly simple and I am stating from the get go that if that month's "craft" doesn't get done... well... then... it doesn't get done.  I am just not going to get upset because I cannot foresee all that will happen this year, etc.  Plus, we have a new baby in the house and that always adds some random dimension to the mix of things.

So, here's what I am thinking I'll work on -- many are from my Pinterest boards but a few are not! :)

January

I have tried making my own foaming hand soap with a natural soap.  The foaming part does well we just don't like the soap.  So, I am going to give this one a try and the final verdict will be up to Husband.  If it doesn't go over well then I am just going to go back to buying soap.  I may give one brand another try but he's not been so impressed with my concoction as of late.  Oh well... neither have I.

February

I have two doilies that belong to my grandmother (possibly my great-grandmother) that I have moved around and shoved in closets here and there.  They are lovely but not my style to put out on a dresser or on the piano.  However, when I saw this I fell in love.  I thought I had more than just the two doilies but I think I know where I will put the two that I know that I do have.  I am pretty excited about this project. I just need to gather the supplies.

March

It seems like I am always on the look out for some fun words to put up here or there.  I like how these use a fabric.  So, I think I may put something up like this in my laundry room.  Although, someone mentioned putting the word rest in a bed room or the girl's names up.  I have some time to ponder exactly what I would like to do.  However, if you have some fabric suggestions I will gladly take them.  I am pretty much a disaster when it comes to fabric selection.

April

Pizza Dough.  So simple yet drives me insane.  Okay, really I am just too lazy to make my own generally.  However, I tried to go on the cheap one time and purchased a mix and the results were no bueno.  So, my bread machine has a recipe and we'll just go that route.  I like my bread machine because while I live in one of the hottest cities in the nation my house generally has cool spots and I generally don't get things to rise very well.  I am sure one of you has a solution for that so comment away.  My solution right now is my bread machine and I don't have to think about it much.  HA!

May

We got a spiffy new camera and I want to make the most of it!  (No, the above is not our camera - different brand and well, I just don't want to disclose what it is here... if you want to know... ask.)  :)  I would like to find a few websites to read for beginners to learn the basics as well as watch the other video that came with our camera.  Just learn more about it.  So, photography friends (ahem... I know you are out there...Heather) if you have suggestions on what to read, let me know!

June, July, August, September

So, maybe I am cheating by lumping these months together.  Hear me out here.  There are several projects here that I would like to work on for Christmas gifts.  However, I think some of these things may end up in the hands of some of my readers and I don't want them to know exactly what I am working on.  It will at least keep them guessing.  Maybe when we get here I can give you a sneak peak of things I am working on.  We will see.

October

I need to get the ornaments printed and colored or just get them printed at some place and then laminate them.  I want this up and ready to go well before the Advent season and this gives me plenty of time before things get crazy with Thanksgiving, etc.

November

Wouldn't you know that I just deleted the picture of a crochet project in progress that I wanted for this month's project.  Oh well.  I started a blanket for Husband oh-say about three years ago.  Yeah.  It's still not finished.  I think that it is lacking a few more rows and some edging.  I think the edging freaks me out the most.  Husband laughed when I told him it may actually be finished this year.  I hope to prove him wrong.  HA HA!! 

December

Well, I know that Pinterest was full of holiday goodies.  A few caught my eye.  However, when I went back and looked through more this one had drool factor for me.  Cappuccino Shortbread.  Yum, right?  I have had several recipes catch my eye that require instant espresso powder and I can never find it.  So, this gives me time to find it.  I have some ideas and have looked around online.  I should be able to nail it down.

Cloth Diapers & The Front Loader

I have a on off relationship with cloth diapers.  I'm okay with that.  When I first started to use cloth diapers I loved them.  I am pretty sure I drove my friends batty with diaper chat.  I found other cloth diaper companions in church and with "old" friends across the miles.  We were the few...the odd.

I was on again off again with them.  Morning sickness pushed me over the edge with Miss A and this one that I didn't want to deal with any sort of diapers really.  We are at a point that I am loving them again.  Not to the point where I can barely contain myself when new ones come out or I am always trying to figure out a way to justify some new diaper purchase.  I am pretty happy with what we have and I was "gifted" some cloth diapers for the newest addition in newborn sizes so we'll see how it goes when she arrives and once again I have two in cloth.

I think my biggest struggle has been fine tuning our wash routine.  Cloth diapers wash up beautifully in a traditional top loader.  It can be more of a trick in a front load washer, which is what we have.  I had our routine down pretty well in our old house where the water was soft.  Now we are in a place where the water is fairly hard which doesn't always let the soap do what it needs to be doing.  And while front loaders save on water I need more water in with my diapers.  What's a mama to do?

Awhile back I had bookmarked a page on the Knickernappies website that had several videos of different women and their wash routines.  I guess there really is a video for just about everything on YouTube!  I watched them all and finally came up with something that I think will work for our family.  Maybe this will help you?

FYI:  We wash about every third day, small load or big load.  That will probably change to every other day when #3 arrives.  I have mentioned this before but generally, when I am doing cloth my regular laundry routine gets better, too.  I am still working on that this go round.  HA!

1. I toss in all of our diapers and wet bag.  I set the washer for a regular wash on cool.  I then set my kitchen timer for about six or seven minutes.  This lets the diapers get nice and wet and tossed around a bit. NO DETERGENT.
2. I turn off the cycle and the water drains without a spin cycle.  This will trick your machine into thinking that it has a bigger load and will add more water when you start the next step.
3. I add 2 TBS of Rockin' Green laundry Detergent to the soap container.  Select Heavy Duty cycle (never Sanitize as the machine increases the temp of the water which may be too hot for PUL), Hot water, add the extra rinse/skincare rinse, and press start.  I set my kitchen time for about another six or seven minutes.
4. When I know that the washer is done filling I grab a pitcher from cupboard and get the water as hot as I can from my kitchen sink.  I fill the pitcher and pour this into my washer manually through the soap dispenser.  Depending on the size of the load I will do this 2 to 4 times.  You want enough water in there that they swish around but not too much where they are just hanging out in the water.  If you are trying this for the first time I recommend to pitchers of water, wait 5 to 7 minutes, and then look in your wash bin and evaluate from there.
5. After the cycle is finished I usually pull out my wet bag (as it can hold water sometimes) and hang it up to dry. (Sometimes, not always I repeat steps 1 and 2 here)  I then set my washer for another regular hot wash, NO DETERGENT, extra rinse to make sure all was rinsed well.
6. Hang everything out to dry in the hot Phoenix sun.  The sun's UV rays help to kill odor causing bacteria, will help to remove any stains or discoloring, it's cheap, and even the thicker diapers dry uber fast.  Even in the winter here I try to do this as often as possible.  Other wise inserts and prefolds (and sometimes fitteds) go in the dryer, AIO's and pockets are hung up in the girls bathroom.

There you have it.  So far so good.  It seems to be holding the ever popular microfiber stink at bay.  With each wash it gets better.

Do you have a specialized routine for your cloth diapers and a front loader?  Tips?  Tricks?

Looking Back: May

Why does the beginning of May seem like forever ago?  Wow.  At the beginning of May I had hoped to add some additional goals to the making of the bed, Scripture reading, etc.  I am glad I didn't commit to it because I would be feeling the pressure of not achieving those things right now.  I think I had enough foresight into what was coming my way to maybe hold off.  I did, however, commit to the Homemaker's Challenge from Joyful Mothering in correspondence with the book 31 Days to Clean.  About half way through the month that went right out the window.  I am okay with that and will probably resume this at some point as I thought that the heart challenges were good for me.  The task challenges we good and I have heard through the rumor mill that there are a new set of task challenges.  As I return to that I will probably blog more about it here.

As mentioned in a previous post I have a hard time recovering from trips.  We had a whim of a trip mid-May to San Diego.  Then about a week or so later we were on our way to Colorado deep in the San Juan Mountains.  We will be heading to Denver soon to celebrate with family a major milestone (will share about that later) and I think that will be all for travelling for a time.  I hope to recover before then but we will see.

Unfortunately, as of late, my bed making and Scripture reading have been...well...lacking.  I need to adjust back to a normal schedule and muster up motivation.  It's a challenge but I need to get there.  I guess, in a sense, those are my goals for this month.

Week 1: Purpose & Motivation

Let me just say...

              ...this has been a GREAT week!

I have way more motivation this week to do tasks that I would normally look at as overwhelming and daunting.  Which would then in turn lead to me just not doing them.  Even while chasing a toddler and a very fast-moving 8-month old things got done.  However, some things that I have been caught up on have been a bit lacking because part of our house is busy with renovation.  Laundry has me a little behind because water was off for a time.  I could easily catch up but I just haven't.  Hopefully, that will be remedied today and tomorrow.   But there is more to this challenge than tasks -- a change of heart is at the root of it all.

We were challenged to write our mission statement.  You can find my post on this here.  That was a process for me and I may still tweak it some.  But for now, I like it.  My husband even commented on it and that was helpful for me to know that he agrees with and approves of this vision.

The idea of giving life to my home is a bit of a challenge for me.  Well, at least when it comes to decorating our home.  There are places that are desperate for some sort or decorative love.  I just need to move forward with the plans and visions I have for those spaces.  Goals for that aspect of things are:

1. Finish decorative touches in Miss L and Miss A's rooms.
2. Collect supplies for Family photo wall.
3. Find and acquire decorative piece for above the fire place.
4. Word art for master bath, kitchen, laundry room

That should be enough for now.  While these are my goals for this area they are not my top priority...

...Nice segue, right?

Priorities (I'll probably fine tune these a bit and repost - these are my rough notes)

1. God - I have been getting up before Husband and children to get ready for the day and spend time in the Word.  However, I am realizing that I may need to get up even EARLIER! (UGH!)  But I think it will be worth it in the end.  I find myself rushing to read and praying as I walk out of our room to greet our children and start the day.  So, I need to adjust in this area.
2. Husband  - I am called to be a wife before I am a mother.  Sometimes that's a hard thing to wrap our minds around.  My husband is so sweet and easy going.  He has been encouraging as I learn to manage our household.  He's quick to tell me to not beat myself up about things and to keep moving forward.  He didn't really want to answer the question from Day 3 so as not too add more pressure.  But his request was simple and I really want to work to make it happen so that he feels less "chaos" when he comes home.
3. Children - I have been called to be a mom.  I would like to remove "overwhelming" from my vocabulary.  I want to teach them in loving ways that also communicate grace and realistic expectations.  I desire to be better at planning fun things for them to do and interacting more with other children/families.  Our plan is to home educate our children and that seems daunting to me.  However, I think that it is the best for our family.  This will require a great amount of discipline on my part in figuring out what each day looks like.
4. Home - I want a clean home.  I will not expect perfection.  I want to eventually declutter my home.  However, this house if full 24 hours a day.  It's not empty while people are at work, school, daycare, etc.  It will look lived in -- this is where I work.  Three meals a day for four people come out of my kitchen.  Toys are played with here.  It's okay if it looks that way.  I want it to be a place that all are welcome and feel like they are welcomed.  I want to take pride in what the Lord has provided for us.
5. Personal - There are a few things that I would like to try to learn -- making soap and sewing.  This is not the top of my list but they are somewhat exciting to me.

So, there you have it.  I think that I will close with a picture of my fridge.  It makes me happy each time I open it.  This was probably my favorite task this week even though I REALLY did not want to do it.  So very worth it.  I couldn't bring myself to take a photo before because it was blech!  Props to those who are far more transparent than I!  HA HA!

Baby Food

I am sure that I have blogged about this somewhere before.  Maybe not.  But this week I am all over making Miss A's baby food.  Well, at least her vegetables.  I may get to the fruit that she has in the mornings another day.  Recently, the price of baby food increased by ten cents.  I was not thrilled to have that added to my grocery budget.  I remembered that I had stocked up on quite a few bag of frozen vegetables (with no added salt or anything) that were about the price of one can of baby food... maybe less?  I also remembered one of the reasons that I told Husband as to why I "needed" to have a BlendTec was to make baby food.  Here's where the rubber met the road.

I remember having a bit of difficulty getting the vegetables just right in our old blender.  Same story for our food processor.  Boy Howdy! (Miss L's newest phrase) The BlendTec made light work of the baby food making.  Fast.  Super easy clean up.  Plus, I had just made seven meals worth of food in less than 10 minutes.  I scooped the food into ice cube trays and put them in the freezer for a few hours.  Then I popped them all out and put them in a freezer bag (with the help of my two year old).  It was actually great fun!  I made peas, broccoli (which you generally cannot get in the jars) and green beans.  I have some fresh yellow squash and zucchini that are waiting to be steamed and then blended.

How easy is it?  Steam vegetables.  Toss in blender.  Add a little water if needed.  Puree to desired consistency.  Put in ice cube tray.  Freeze.  Ta-da!

We may still buy a couple of jars to have on hand for convenience.  However, I just threw a couple of ice cubes into an airtight container and took it too a friends house.  I think the trick is to know that it will be melted by the time you need it or have access to a microwave to warm it up a bit.  Or, I guess you can go the hot water bath if you have some time and your baby is not screaming at you for food.

I love the way the food looks, too.  Not grey-ish green, but fresh!  Novel idea, right?  I love that I am paying about .62-cents for seven meals rather than for one or two meals.  There are so many ways to make your own baby food.  I just happen to really love my BlendTec.  You also need to do what is best for you -- it's not a crime to buy jarred baby food.  Please don't hear me saying that -- we'll probably have some around for times at church or other places.  We'll see.

Do hear me say that this is the most frugal way to feed a baby... unless you are managing to get jar food for free.  I am not that person.  ha ha ha!!

Husband thinks I have gone crazy green natural.  I just told him I am just stretching our food budget even farther.  That's always a good thing.

Challenge: 31 Days to Change

...my heart
                ....my mind
                               ....my motivation.

This challenge and this ebook came along just in time.  It was like it was meant to be.  I can do all the FlyLady stuff or read all the books by the local Queen of Clean but in the end if my heart, motivation, and reasoning do not line up for what my Lord has deemed for me as a wife, mother, daughter, friend... woman... then it is all in vain.  My ultimate desire is that my husband, my children... and then myself.... would feel comfortable in our home.  Safe.  Relaxed.  I want them to see that from me as well.  I don't want frantic and task to be my default mode.

While I have already skimmed over most of the month there are heart things that I will find VERY challenging.  I am not sure that the "tasks" will help get my WHOLE house clean it will help in some trouble spots.  Some of the tasks don't apply.  (For example, I don't have a window in my kitchen to clean)  But I will supplement other things that I am doing and try to keep up with what has been working so far.  There have been some recent developments that will challenge me further in a good way but those things will be revealed later in the month as we encounter different challenges and tasks throughout the month.

If you would like to join in on the challenge you can click on the photo in this post and it will take you to a series of posts that will let you know what to do.  I appreciate that we will be taking the weekends off for this challenge (Which also means it doesn't start until Monday, May 2nd).  It will take us a little beyond May 31st but that is just fine.  You can also buy the ebook as a download or for the kindle for $4.99 -- totally worth it even if you don't do the challenge.  It will be an interesting journey to take with other women (one of which is a long-time friend!)

Let the cleaning (of heart, mind, and house) begin!!

Laundry Room

Last week part of FlyLady's challenges were to clean up the laundry room.  We have this partial shelf that was driving me bananas.  Stuff was on there that didn't really belong in a laundry room.  Well, all that stuff has a new home or was tossed.  Everything is looking lovely in there and I know where it all is and what I have.  Novel idea, right?

I wiped the shelf down and wiped my freezer down as well as the washer and dryer.  It made me happy to see them shine.  Because of our hard water here I noticed some deposits on my washer "window" and need to look into how to get that gunk off.

I want to add some fun decorations in there.  There is a definition of laundry piece that I like but I am having a hard time locating the one that I want without having to spend a lot of money.  I saw a DIY project for it but I was SO not interested in all that it entailed.  I am also looking around at some fun vintage laundry signs.

Suggestions?

Looking Back

Weeks two and three of my "Good Habits" journey has been pretty successful.  I have more motivation as little things are accomplished along the way.  My husband has seen a difference and that means a lot.

As with the best of intentions it seems like something always gets in the way.  At the beginning of week three we were ALL sick.  Husband's ick only lasted for about a day.  The girls have been on and off all week and seem to be on the up and up.  Miss A has a funky nose but that's about it.  I am a bit better but am still in the thick of it... go figure.  But again, we press on.  We rest more than usual but that's okay.  I still get the itch to do this or that.  I push through.

Shock of all shocks... I enjoy making the bed every morning.  It makes me feel like I am hitting the ground running and it influences my thoughts on the rest of the day.

I have been getting a shower almost every day - about six out of seven.  Depends on what is going on, etc.

I am reading my bible almost every day - some more than others.  I just finished reading Amos in the OT and will move on to Obadiah.  I am reading Hebrews in the NT (heavy stuff for the morning!) and then I usually flip back to the Psalms to finish it all up.  I may find an actual plan to follow and maybe a study to work through to help focus what I am reading.  This has helped my patience with the girls.  Although, one day I found myself snapping at Miss L right off one morning and had to apologize to her and get myself straight.

Laundry is great with a a load or two each day depending on what day it is and what I am washing.  Husband commented to me after telling him that I would be doing "whites" the next day, "Well, I am not running low on those right now."  I told him, "I hope you don't, that's the point."  It would seem like I would let things get too low.  It's nice that every thing is clean when we need it.  I even have it all put away.  Little people clothes are still my greatest challenge in putting clothes away.

Dishes.  It's like a game.  I set a timer and crank it out.  I don't always beat the timer but it's fun to try sometimes.  I like that I am not overwhelmed by dishes at night or in the morning.  Just. Get. It. Done.  YAY!

I am thinking about what to add for next month.  I have a couple of ideas but need to think on it more.  You might think I was nesting with all the organizing I have been doing of different areas.  I was never like this when I was pregnant.  Ever.

Recipe Organization

I have a problem.

I have about a million recipes and they are all over the place.  Or I find recipes and have no idea what to do with them.  Plus, I think I have far too many cook books with many of them only having a couple of recipes that I really like or care to try.

UGH.

I have tried the box method and it just doesn't work for me.

I have seen some women that keep recipes in photo albums.  That works until I have full page recipes from magazines or something.  I want something that I don't always have to copy something down onto something smaller.

I noticed another friend had hers in binders organized a particular way housed in page protectors for easy removal.  I think I may try this way of doing things.  I will organize according to main ingredient or as that is usually how I search for things on sites -- pork, chicken, fish, beef, dessert, etc.  I will probably make a section for crockpot meals because I generally look for that kind of meal specifically. It's probable that I will need a few binders in the whole process.

I'll let you know how it goes.  It's on my "to do" list for next week.

Do you have suggestions for recipe organization?

Calling in Sick

As my husband left for work this morning I said, "I could really use a sick day today."  We both laughed.

Mamas don't generally get sick days.  Oh well.  We press on.

I have had tougher new born nights.  But it's been awhile since we have had sleepless nights so when one pops up it can really throw me off.  Three hours of laying awake and tending to a restless baby don't make for a restful night.  It's not that I am just not feeling well but neither is Miss L or Miss A.  Although, I think Miss A is doing better than the other two ladies in this household.

However, appointments must be kept, meals must be made, training to continue (with added dose of grace when all are sick), medicine to be dispensed, naps to look forward to, and more.

I am wiped out.  I had hoped to write about weeks two of new habits but I am not feeling the motivation.  It feels like Friday and we still have the whole week to go.  I had grand ambitions for today but we are barely getting the basics done today.

We're sick.

And that's okay.  Bodies need rest.

To those that are in far worse shape than we are... we are praying health and strength for you this day as well.

Making Beds

Unlike most kids I know today or even when I was growing up I was not required to make my bed.  Was it an only child thing?  Maybe.  I'm not sure.  My dad made his bed every morning (most likely a product of being in the military) and so did my aunt that lived with us most of my growing up years.  But me?  Not so much.  I had a water bed most of my growing up years and the only requirement was that it would remain covered so the heat would not readily escape.

I am not sure that I REALLY knew how to make a bed until I took a job as a maid room attendant in a popular national park after my sophomore year in college.  That's when I learned about hospital corners, became a little fanatical about how a bed should be made, among other things that came with that job.  You would think that I would be in the habit of making my bed after that summer.

No.

Not so much.

I once read that your bed take up about 1/3 of your room.  If you just make your bed you have already cleaned 1/3 of your room and that can really make a a huge difference.  Well, it's true.  The calm that it brings to our room is totally palpable.  It becomes more sanctuary rather than stress-inducing.

I am trying to work on the same habits with Miss L each day.  It is quite difficult to make her bed at this point in time because there are rails on her bed (which we are toying with taking off) to keep her from falling.  So, we make due with what we can do in folding the cover neatly at the end of the bed and arranging her menagerie of stuffed animals at the head of the bed.  She's pretty funny because she wants to be all over the bed when I am changing sheets and she wants to pull the covers off when I am folding them at the bottom.  Oh well.  We will press on.  At this point repetition makes practice and practice eventually will make perfect.

At least I will be able to teach her proper hospital corners.  Folding a fitted sheet?  Well, that's another story.

New Habits

I have heard that it takes 30 days to develop a new habit.  I am hoping that is true.  Here are a few things that I am working on this month (but I have been working on them for about a week now).

Taking a shower every day.
Making my bed
Reading my Bible (OT & NT)
A load of laundry each day
Dishes

Well, it may sound like nothing really to you but let me explain some of them.  As a new mommy I found it hard to find time to take a shower.  And if I did have some time then I totally wanted to do something else.  Now, I just get up before Husband and the girls and get ready. Makes for a more lovely Mama.

From the shower to the rest it all starts to fall into place.  I get dressed and make the bed which is where I read my bible.  I generally follow husband out of the room or just shortly after.  I try to take the load of laundry with me when I leave the room.  I have been able to keep Mt. Washmore at bay this week which has been a blessing to all.

Dishes have always been one of my least favorite things to do along with unloading the dishwasher and dusting.  ha!  I have a knack to just "let them go until morning" and it just becomes an overall pain.  However, I have been working on how I view these duties.  I want them to be a blessing to my family.  The other night I was tempted to just let them go because I was just plain ol' tired.  I looked around.  There really weren't that many.  What got me motivated was that I wanted Husband's coffee cup to be clean and ready to go for the morning.  I looked at the clock... it took me EIGHT minutes to get it all done.  Easy peasy.  I just need to remember the right view.  To the glory of God in all things and blessing my family through the little things.

First week had been great... we'll see how I am doing at the end of April.