mjmuth

four months

2012-01-04T20:46:00.004-05:00

Cadence is four months old. I can't believe it! Here are some of the things she's been doing lately:

1. grabbing toys and passing them from hand to hand
2. watching all the action all around her
3. sleeping a lot
4. grinning at us all and giggling a lot
5. eating her toes
6. sitting up almost all by herself
7. getting kissed and hugged by her brothers (almost to excess)
8. rolling over
9. making us all smile
10. helping reality set in - that we do, indeed, have a girl child in our home.

Cadence, my dear - you are a joy! We love you!!

blah diddy blah blah blah

2011-12-06T16:04:00.002-05:00

Ever feel like you're talking, and all that your kids hear is noise? Or that you've said the same thing a kajillion times and they just can't seem to remember.

I do.

And I don't have any answers. So, if you have some suggestions on how to motivate kids to listen, really listen - I'm all ears.

I've been learning a lot about how selfish I am lately - how much I want approval and love and cooperation from those three little people I serve, how much it bothers me when I don't get it. (and How stupid that sounds to say out loud.) How thankless it is to be a mom at this stage. It makes me a lot more thankful for my own mom. A lot.

It also gives me a perspective on my relationship with my own Heavenly Father that I wasn't expecting - especially when it comes to trivial thank you's. We've been having our kids say thank you before they can be excused at a meal. It's kind of ironic that the way they thank me after a meal is often the same way I thank God FOR my meal. And let me tell you, there are days that the thank you is heartfelt and sweet, and there are days that thank you is as careless as can be. I prefer the first.

Yep, motherhood is so much more than I expected, and in some ways, so much less. I DO love my kids, so much, and I'm grateful that God has seen fit to have me be the one to teach them about Him, about life, and about what it means to love others. What a heavy, heavy responsibility. What a loving God, and what a vast storehouse of His grace is there for me. Every day.

One of many

2011-11-18T19:45:00.002-05:00

Joy To World Religious Christmas Card

Create from the Heart: photo Christmas cards from Shutterfly .

View the entire collection of cards.

Adjustments

2011-11-15T14:46:00.004-05:00

People keep asking me how we're adjusting, and let me tell you, my answer is this:

Better than I expected!

Cadence is a super relaxed baby. She sleeps a lot during the day still - and when she's not sleeping, she is very happy to hang out in her swing, kick her legs around while lying on the floor, work on her rolling over skills, and smile at anyone who is within her sight. She's really really awesome. It helps that she has two brothers who adore her, of course.

When we had Aaron, I thought he was pretty laid back, a good baby.

Then Evan came and I thought, "wow, good thing Aaron came first!" Evan was a dream baby who blew away my concept of laid back.

Now Cadence! WOW! Am I ever blessed.

On the other hand, we still have rough days - take yesterday, for example. A mess up at the bank (their fault), followed by a 3-kid trip to Meijer (which went very well!) followed by a miserable loading-of-the-van experience in the parking lot and some cutting words from a no-doubt-well-meaning stranger. Then we had a whine-all-the-way home trip, which wore the nerves right out of me. Cadence was crying at that point because she'd been awake for an hour with no food. When we finally made it into our house, I had a screaming hungry baby, and whining, complaining, temper-tantrum throwing children screaming their lunchtime demands at their mother. Top this off with an entire collection of family toothbrushes shoved down the sink drain by a curious three year old?

When I opened my mouth to respond, it was not my finest moment. Not by a long shot.

So when I caught a whiff of this article on a friend's facebook page during (attempted) nap time, I read it eagerly. Some very good reminders, some interesting thoughts, and you know what? I am so SO glad that I have God to help me through those rough days. I'm sure he used that friend's timely post to help give me some extra coping tools.

In the midst of it, of course, all I could think about was throwing in the towel, calling Michael and telling him the kids would be listed on Craigslist when he got home. (I jest. Maybe.) But I do have an anchor, a rock, and even though at the end of yesterday I was D.O.N.E., God quietly reminded me of His mercies, new every morning, and His grace, sufficient for each day. His grace, extended in forgiveness when I fail. Miserably.

Today has been infinitely better. I'm so glad bad days are most often followed by good. I am so glad I have a Savior, a shelter, and a God who cares about me, my small children, and our terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad days.

Triple Date Day

2011-11-11T15:33:00.002-05:00

In honor of the second-to-last triple date day I ever have a chance of seeing, three new things for our family:

1. We just took an extended-weekend family vacation. Photos here. We had an awesome time just relaxing and making memories and will be forever grateful to Tiffany for letting us borrow her rental for the weekend.

2. Aaron can now tie his shoes with no help. When that kid sets his mind to something, it gets done.

3. Cadence has been doing great, sleeping through the night, smiling, growing faster than any other Muth prior. I'm going to have to break out the 3-6 month clothes before I know it.

And, Happy 11th anniversary to K & J. Hope you do something fun. Because this date is certainly fun. 11-11-11.

Gluten Free Morning Muffins

2011-11-04T11:38:00.002-05:00

These muffins are an adaption of a recipe from the Bob's Red Mill website, adapted because of what I had and did not have on hand. I've made them twice in as many weeks, so you know the whole family loves them! They keep at room temperature much better than most GF items, although I did throw them in the freezer after 3 days.

1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup ground almonds (I put almonds in the blender until they were ground but still a little chunky)
1 cup gluten free oat flour (GF oats in the blender again)
3/4 cup flaxseed meal
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 cup raisins
1 cup chopped nuts (I omitted these; unsweetened coconut would also be fabulous, or use sweetened and reduce or omit the sugar)
1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots
2 apples, peeled & shredded
3/4 cup milk (the first time I made these it needed a little more)
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350* and combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the carrots and apples to the dry mix. Combine milk, eggs, and vanilla, then add to the dry ingredients and stir until moistened. If needed, gradually add small amounts of milk until the batter looks like muffins.

Line a muffin pan with paper cups, spoon the mixture into the cups and bake 15-20 minutes until tops are slightly browned and spring back when tapped lightly. 15-24 muffins depending on ingredients added (size of the apples, whether or not you add nuts, etc). Today I made 12 muffins and poured the rest into a loaf pan.

Enjoy!

recent happenings

2011-10-20T17:54:00.006-05:00

Today I finished up the pie filling. Grand total, 35 jars. 1 did not seal (awwww...) and 2 have gone away already to new homes.

I still need to do up some more applesauce, and meanwhile we need to eat squash so there's room on this shelf.

Aaron is becoming a champion gum-bubble blower. Here's a 2-for-one.

Evan still hates wearing pants. Here, he demonstrates how versatile his pants can be. He wishes it was still summer.

Cadence models her hat from the fabulous Aunt Rosemary. We've gotten so many compliments on this hat, and the matching blanket. We LOVE IT!!! I'm going to be so sad when she outgrows it.

And here, Cadence's newest skill - smiling. So sweet. Love this girl!!

the story

2011-09-12T13:50:00.008-05:00

Cadence arrived on Labor Day, but she had us thinking she would be coming for an entire week before she actually got here. I was having 2-3 hour segments of contractions that would come 5-7 minutes apart and of course those would get my hopes up that that day would be the day. But apparently, not. My uterus was playing a cruel joke, ha ha.

So Labor Day morning, I woke up around 6 with some different feeling contractions, but followed the advice of my midwife and said, "ha, whatever!" and decided to get up and dressed and see if they stopped. I remembered that we were out of the boys' favorite cereal and a few other things so I told Michael I was going to run to Kroger and try to make it back before they woke up.

I got to Kroger with my short list and during the time I was in the store I had seven more contractions. Yep, time to get home. I added some greek yogurt to my cart for some protein loading for me and headed home. On the way home I called mom & dad (again) and told them with slightly more certainty that this was the day, and I just wanted to make sure they were up and awake. (it was 7:30) I told them I'd call when they needed to come.

Got home, told Michael I was going to eat some breakfast and take a shower to see if my contractions would let up and then would call Kelly (my midwife) to tell her (again) that I thought it might be for real this time.

I didn't make it out of the shower before I was calling for Michael to call Kelly! The contractions were speeding up fast and I didn't know how long it would take for this birth! He also tried to reach mom & dad but they were already on their way! We prayed with the boys and let them know that we thought God might let our baby be born that day. Kelly arrived at our house around 9 with her assistant, and my dad took the boys to play for awhile while we waited.

The labor itself was pretty good - I felt more aware of my surroundings and the people that were there this time - with Evan I felt like I dove into the "zone" and barely noticed anyone. This time I had a nice break between contractions and was able to talk a little more. I did have several times when I felt like I was going to pass out and had to lie down - NOT a fun thing to do in labor - I don't know how anyone does it, honestly. The midwife checked my blood pressure and baby's heartrate (both were great) and made me eat. We still don't know exactly why all that was going on but she thinks maybe due to the lie of the baby? We do agree that the whole sit up, lie down, sit up process really slowed things down.

I finally felt well enough to get back to the birthing stool and about 15 minutes later, Cadence was born! We could not believe - and still cannot believe - that we have a daughter. Aaron is thrilled - "Oh, I was HOPING for a sister!" and Evan thinks his new sister is fantastic. They both are overjoyed with the bits of pink, purple, and flowery clothing coming into our house. And also the hair bows. They love that there are hair bows. Michael is still pinching himself. He knows he is in big trouble.

About her name - I've loved it pretty much always. The word cadence has a great set of meanings that appeals to me in my poetic sense. My favorite definition is #5. When we were expecting Aaron, we picked out this name, thinking that if we had a girl her name would signify the momentary end of our section/phrase of married couple to married couple with kiddo, and now it is a sweet meaning to signify the momentary end of our run with boy children.

Anywhoo, that's probably TMI for those of you reading this. Or you're rolling your eyes, at any rate. The definitions are:

1. rhythmic flow of a sequence of sounds or words: the cadence of language.

2. (in free verse) a rhythmic pattern that is nonmetrically structured.

3. the beat, rate, or measure of any rhythmic movement: The chorus line danced in rapid cadence.

4. the flow or rhythm of events, especially the pattern in which something is experienced: the frenetic cadence of modern life.

5. Music . a sequence of notes or chords that indicates the momentary or complete end of a composition, section, phrase, etc.

And Abigail means "my father's joy" and it is a great name. If I didn't have that rule about most popular names being out, Abigail would probably have been her first name. But I love it as a middle name too.

So that's the story! Home birth is awesome! My all time favorite part is being able to sleep in my OWN bed that first night and not hear beeping all.night.long. Well, that, and all the germs in the house are mine and my family's and not some random stranger's. I like that part too.

The whole transition is pretty rough from having a 3 & 5 year old to adding in a newborn. After 3 nights with less sleep than I ever thought possible, I am not going to lie, I felt overwhelmed, emotional, and weak. I am sure those feelings will continue, but as God's grace prevails, we are making it. And getting a little more sleep, too. God is good, and His mercies are new, every morning.

And the support of friends & family is amazing too! Today, for example, my neighbor volunteered to keep the older boys for a couple hours so I could take a nap. BLESSED NEIGHBOR! They have 2 boys too and I guess the kids all had a blast together. We talked afterward about swapping shopping days. Yes, please. Another friend took them for a couple hours on Friday so Michael and I could sleep some more. Mom & dad have been helping whenever they can. I've had a couple of yummy meals delivered, and there are bags of baby girl clothes starting to accumulate in my living room. God knows, He provides!

Labor Day Fun

2011-09-05T17:17:00.004-05:00

Well, part of it is fun. We have a daughter! Cadence Abigail Muth arrived this afternoon at 1:06pm, a gracious gift from God! We are so humbled and blessed to have had a second successful home birth, and are praising the LORD for what HE accomplished today!

Welcome, sweet daughter!

projects

2011-09-04T14:21:00.005-05:00

Michael reminded me that I hadn't posted any pictures on the blog of my bassinet makeover. I was wanting to try something other than our pack n play this time around - I was actually thinking a Moses basket, but then I got this bassinet at a garage sale for $5 (!!!) and decided to give it a makeover. The ruffles wouldn't have mattered to our baby, but I do prefer the more streamlined look! All these little projects are helping the time go by!

I froze 1/2 bushel of peaches this week and am beginning to wish I had more - those bags in the freezer look too few and too lonely - so I'm trying to decide if it's worth the risk of the baby coming before I can get to them to go get another 1/2 bushel. They are soooooo good!

Michael is playing cowboys with the kiddos while I type this. They have hats and scarfs on from the Imagination Box that Aaron got for his birthday and are giddy-upping around the house, and it's adorable. Michael's doing his best to wear out the kids despite the fact that he has hurt his foot somehow - the arch is so sore he's been using crutches. He thinks he tore a tendon or something in there. Hopefully the crutches will help his foot heal all by itself.

Aaron is getting anxious for the baby to arrive, telling Michael the other night, "Dad, we have been waiting for EV er for the baby!" and Evan just keeps talking to my belly and telling the baby to come out, and that he loves him/her, and a few other things.

Today Aaron came out of the bathroom and said, "Mom, I cleaned the bathroom sink for ya so you don't have to bonk your belly on it!" And proceeded to tell me all the parts of the sink he'd remembered to clean. Such a sweetie - most of the time!

waiting, and laughing.

2011-09-01T07:51:00.002-05:00

Today, Aaron was helping me put his and Evan's dirty clothes in the washing machine, and I was telling him what a great job he was doing and thanking him for being such a good helper.

He, matter-of-factly, replied, "Well, I learned it from you, mom. You're a born natural teacher!"

It's so fun to have a five year old. The three year old is pretty adorable too. And this baby, well, we can't wait to meet this child!

We're Jamming.

2011-08-23T06:55:00.003-05:00

I'd forgotten how fast and easy jam making was, until yesterday. I put a couple hours in and made a few batches of jam. Now, the label on the pectin says not to double the batches, but I did with the blueberry and strawberry, and everything jelled just fine. The four little jars are sweet cherry jam, which I'd never made before. All the batches were made with no sugar needed pectin and I greatly reduced the sugar content. I think it makes the cooked jam taste more like the original fruit to omit some sugar.

Now, granted, I had all the fruit ready to go - the strawberries were cleaned and frozen a month or so ago - I seriously lacked energy to do anything with them, plus we had no sugar (or fruit juice concentrate) which always puts a damper on jam making!

The cherries were salvaged from sure spoilage and frozen 2 weeks ago and the blueberries - I'm surprised they lasted - had been in a stock pot in our fridge for about 3 weeks. I had to sort through them again and wash them but they were champs. I think I lost about 25 berries total, which I can handle!

So, now I have all these jars of yummy jam to eat and share with neighbors. Two houses on our street have been purchase in the last month or so and I'm very excited about meeting the new families and saying "welcome to the neighborhood" with a jar of jam.

The best part? The only thing I paid for was the blueberries, new lids, and sugar. I already had or was given everything else. WOO HOO!

Homemade Electrolyte Drink

2011-08-22T16:08:00.004-05:00

So I've been a little dehydrated lately, evidenced by my swollen ankles...and although I love Recharge, it's not exactly reasonably priced on Amazon at the moment, nor is it available locally to me (since Kroger quit carrying it). So I got out my old "recipe" and tweaked it further.

1 quart Juicy Juice Kiwi-Strawberry (we had this on hand but any juice would work)
2 quarts water
1/4 tsp real salt
1/4 tsp 100% stevia extract

and, tada! a tasty, hydrating, electrolyte-replacing beverage that is easier to come by, and slightly more effective for this pregnant lady than plain water.

BTW, I did a nutritional analysis on my recipe and compared it to Recharge.

My recipe, per 8oz:
Calories - 40
Sodium - 54mg
Potassium - 76.8mg
Carbohydrate - 10g
Sugar 8.7g
Vitamin C - 40% RDA
trace amts of other minerals

Recharge, Orange, per 8 oz:
Calories - 70
Sodium - 25mg
Potassium - 60mg
Carbohydrate - 18g
Sugar -17g
Vitamin A - 30% RDA
Vitamin C - 6% RDA

just like the boy scouts.

2011-08-19T15:48:00.006-05:00

So, Evan surprised us by coming early - at our garage sale, as you know. We were throwing baby clothes in the washing machine while I was in labor - they came out of the dryer just-in-the-nick-of-time and Michael made a run to Walgreens for the home birth supplies when I was finally convinced it was really labor. We were definitely unprepared.

This time is different. I'm more prepared, so I'll probably be pregnant until September 20. Ha ha.

Freezer cooking is well underway! Here are some meals I am making:

Marinated Chicken - so easy! I just trimmed up the chicken and threw it in the bag with the marinade mix. We can either grill it or bake it later. Flavors: Cilantro-Lime (olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt, pepper), Savory Marinade (it's a new and different combo I've never tried before),
Italian (with homemade italian dressing, yum)

Chicken and Rosemary Roasted Vegetables (er, minus the rosemary, which is not my favorite flavor. The veggie blend has potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini, carrots, and onions in there with chunks of chicken, olive oil, and some seasonings)

Chicken Leg Quarters - these were 59cents/lb this week so I bought the ten pound bag to divide up with salt, pepper, olive oil - or some italian seasonings - and they'll be set to thaw and throw in a pan. yay.
Pre-seasoned burger patties (to grill!)

And the stuff that actually requires me to cook it before freezing:
Chicken taco filling (cooks in the crock pot - tomorrow's job for crock pot #1)
Shredded pork for BBQ pork sandwiches (in the crock pot #1 now!)
Shredded Qdoba-style pork (in the crock pot #2!)
Pre-cooked meatballs (yay, shortcut!)
Pre-cooked taco meat
Filling for stuffed bell peppers that we are sure to keep getting via our CSA
Minestrone soup - lots of veggies!
Possibly some chicken/rice soup - we shall see!

And some sides:
Brown rice
White rice
Cheesy potatoes
Cilantro-lime rice
Possibly some pre-made mashed potatoes - we shall see on this one, too.

I also bought some zip n steam bags for veggies we'll get in our CSA boxes - have you tried zip n steam bags? They are so, so cool. I almost always pack fresh veggies in them when I take a meal to someone - they go in the microwave and presto! Plus, I don't have to worry about keeping veggies hot for whomever is infirmed.

I'm about halfway done with today's work. I have been taking lots of breaks. That, and the beef isn't quite thawed yet. (here it is, thawing in our utility sink with my shortcut potatoes) Hopefully I can finish up tomorrow and we'll be set for a month- if I can keep out of the freezer until the baby actually comes, that is. I'm excited to report that I spent under $150 on the stuff I needed to make all those meals - yay! That includes two jumbo packs of paper plates and some extra foil pans and freezer bags, along with some extra pantry/ staple items (bread for the freezer, etc) but if you divide it out, it is a little over $3 for each main course for 40 days. Better than paying takeout prices for sure. Of course, the beef (and some ground pork) was all in my freezer, so it probably does come out to more than that per meal, although I do have extras of certain things I bought. Most of the veggies are from the CSA, which I also get for free from the farmer for making the trip and bringing in business for him.

In other news, I finally renewed my driver's license today. And, I've been having more Braxton Hicks contractions than usual, along with increased discomfort. I'm not totally disappointed with that. But like I said, I'm more prepared, so...

I might get those 3 varieties of jam made yet!

Updates

2011-08-17T09:07:00.002-05:00

1. Aaron turned 5 two weeks ago. Evan turned 3 Monday. Last night at dinner, Aaron asked whose birthday was next, and whilst I was racking my brain to see which family member's birthday was next, Michael said, "our new baby" and I about spit out my water. Oh, yeah, that is coming up soon, isn't it?!

2. Saturday will mark 37 weeks of pregnancy. On that note, I've never felt "READY!" to have a pregnancy be over. I've always felt that gestation was the easiest time to be a parent. This time is much different, just the way I'm carrying this baby. Lots of pain and discomfort, but it will be worth it. And, I now have cankles. So come Saturday, I will be delivering (heh, heh) an eviction notice to the child within.

3. I am now taking guesses for birth date, size, and gender of our baby. The winner will get something. My due date is 9/10/11.

4. I love summer produce, but right now it is overtaking my kitchen and my life. I have 3 kinds of jam to make, this week. I can't find my jam jars, despite my empty garage. I was going to cook up a storm this week and next to fill the freezer with precooked meals for post-baby family nourishment, but it's full of berries to make jam. And the clutter around here is getting worse, not better. I need a personal assistant.

5. The TV Karts at Meijer are SO not worth the extra $1. It ended up that I paid more for a headache that could have been avoided by just getting a normal cart. The spelling error should have tipped me off. Someday I will learn. At least the $1 goes to a good cause.

6. Michael and I had a great weekend away last weekend. We were going to go up north but decided to go shop at IKEA instead. We slept, we ate out, we shopped. We slept IN until 9:40. Now that was bliss. And then we shopped again and just enjoyed not having to think about nap time or sippy cups or potty stops for 24 hours. Thanks, mom & dad. It was so nice to get away.

7. Speaking of potty stops, it's Evan's turn to potty train. Oh, dear. He's got it about 2/3 of the time. When I remember to remind him. Oh, dear.

That's it. Now, please excuse me. I have some nesting to do.

Giveaway Winner!

2011-08-11T07:44:00.004-05:00

My Happy Birthday giveaway ended this past Monday, but in the excitement of Michael's sister visiting and the activities we did this week, I neglected to post the winner!

Random.org selected comment #22 - Rachel! Hurray! Congratulations!

And thanks, everybody, for all the birthday wishes and delicious ice cream flavor ideas. YUMMY!

My favorite, by the way, is a local flavor called Spring Break - it's toasted coconut in coconut ice cream with thin chocolate pieces sprinkled throughout. It is delicious!! And it just so happens to be what is pictured above - an entire "cake" made just for me, of ice cream only, my lucky day.

I do have to be honest - when it comes to ice cream, I'm pretty much up to trying anything.

Time FLIES!

2011-08-02T07:45:00.008-05:00

It's my birthday. I'm 32 today. And for the last couple of years I've made a huge hairy deal about it, written a oft-drafted post, given away virtual cake, and done a real life giveaway.

This year, I'm exhausted. I stayed up a little too late a couple nights in a row, and I'm pregnant, and it's humid. So, no great creative post. However, if you want to, you can scoop a bowl of ice cream and eat it in my honor. I will take your extra calories, if you feel the need to bestow them on me.

But, still, I can't resist doing a giveaway.

The only thing is, I'm a sucker for surprises. So, I'm not telling you what the little birthday package is this year, in honor of the unknown-on-purpose gender of our new little addition coming very soon.

I will give hints:
1. there will be something Pampered Chef in there. of course.
2. there may or may not be some reading material involved.
3. there may or may not be something delicious included.
4. you will like it.
5. if you don't, you will be able to give it to someone who does.

And now, in order to be entered to win my annual birthday giveaway, you must first have a US mailing address. Then, you must do a happy birthday song and dance. I will go with the honor system on this one, unless you feel this simply will not do and just have to set up a video chat.

Then post a comment here (on the blog, not just on FB) telling me your favorite ice cream flavor(s) and how many scoops you typically eat. I know, they seem unrelated, the task and the comment.

I can be random like that.

Giveaway ends next Tuesday!

in conclusion...

2011-07-25T06:52:00.004-05:00

A few months ago I started reading Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel. I finished it yesterday, and it is really, really good. Really. As I finished the last chapter, my extra pregnancy hormones and God's goodness mixed together for a flood of tears. Here's the excerpt that opened the floodgates.

[God] chose you to assist Him in a miracle. He gave you children and then said, "Now go, and give these precious lives meaning." It's a mandate that comes with a great reward if you succeed, but a heavy price if you fail.

This is where many parents panic. When they realize that their job is to raise up children to love and serve God, they wonder how on earth they will do that.

The answer isn't on earth. It's found in heaven. It's sitting on an eternal throne. he has many names, but among my favorites is "The God of Grace." You wonder, How am I to raise up children to love and serve God? The answer is actually not that difficult. You simply need to treat your children the way God treats you.

He does it in His grace.

And here's the good part. If the only thing you get right as parents is His grace, everything else will be just fine.

SO...pick up a copy of this book. Buy, borrow, beg, whatever you need to do, just get a copy of the book. And read it. And prepare to have your perspective changed. It's a really good one.

what would you do...

2011-07-22T13:43:00.002-05:00

If you're a mom, please weigh in on this - what would you do if you had a day to spend by yourself? As in no kids, no spouse, just you. And a $50 spending ceiling.

I'd love to hear your answers!

God Provides. Again.

2011-06-14T17:35:00.003-05:00

So, as it turns out, our old van sold today, at the exact price we were asking. When you add that price to the settlement from Michael's Jeep rear ending...wait, I didn't mention that?

OK.

Michael had a fender bender and the back hatch doesn't open, the hitch got bent down - anyway - the Jeep was considered a total loss BUT our insurance company took a fraction off and let us keep the very driveable Jeep. So we got a settlement. (the body shop can fix the hatch, they say, for less than $100 in a non-beautiful way.)

So when you add the price of the settlement to the price we got today from the Dodge minivan: it totals exactly what we paid for our new minivan.

The happy dance is most definitely called for. We are praising God for His many blessings.

God Provides.

2011-06-09T06:15:00.006-05:00

About 3 months ago, we called off our search for a minivan. Yesterday, we found the "perfect" van, unexpectedly, but not by accident. We drove about 45 minutes to see it, as the ad on Craigslist (photo from the ad) only had an address, no phone number and no response to the email I'd sent.

We went using our recently refreshed Dave Ramsey deal making skills, particularly the power of cash, the skill to shut up (and listen) and the ability to walk away. We had a set price, which was $800 below the asking price, and we had the cash in hand (nerve wracking, to say the least, carrying around that much cash). And the whole way there I was coaching myself not to get too attached so that I wouldn't be disappointed to walk away - I knew there was only a very slim chance our offer would be accepted. And I was praying, too, that God would make it very clear to us whether we should purchase a van.

But really, it was worth the risk of that drive. The worst that could happen is that we'd get there and turn around and re-deposit the money in our savings account.

Much to our amazement, they took our offer and threw in a couple of cupcakes for the boys from their son's 12th birthday party. And now we are the owners, for better or for worse, of a one-owner (it had 2 miles on it when they bought it), very clean 2003 Chevy Venture with 8 passenger seating, AWD, and some other nifty features, including a working air conditioner for our sticky summer days. A definite bonus blessing. We paid about 2500 less than the private party blue book value. God is gracious to us. We are praising HIM for this blessing, and pray that we can use what He has provided to honor Him and serve others!

my little sweaties

2011-06-08T06:45:00.003-05:00

It's summertime, or at least it feels that way. My little guys are growing up - they're becoming very independent, interactive, verbal. It's wonderful. And terrifying. Am I ready to basically start over with a newborn? Not really, but I do love that baby stage too.

Both kids have been coming up with adorable things that are just out of the blue, Aaron especially.

He's been trying to quantify his love for us - saying things like, "I love you taller than the house" etc. Well, the other night he said, as he was squeezing me tight, "Mom, guess how much I love you?" I, expecting to hear some off the wall comparison, was not ready to hear, "As much as my heart can hold!!!" And cue the tears. *SIGH* I love being a mom.

Then, a couple days ago, when we were riding in the van and listening to a tape of kids' songs, Aaron said, "Hey mom, can I have some rock-a-roll music?" Knowing how crazy my kids can be I just said, "what? what is that?" He came back with, "You know, when the guys bang on the drums really hard and play guitar like this (demonstration) and move their heads like this (headbanging demo) and it's really loud?" We haven't had ANY music discussions with our kids, I'm pretty sure he's never seen anything like that on TV and he hasn't been to any concerts - I have no idea where he came up with all the details but I was laughing pretty hard about that.

I told him that mommy didn't like crazy music because the people seem like they are out of control. But I did eject the tape and turn on my favorite local station, featuring easy listening oldie-type music, and John Denver was playing - "Sunshine on My Shoulders" that seemed to do the trick for him. Ha ha.

Next time, Evan stories. I can definitely tell that he's almost 3.

Cheese Cake (not that kind)

2011-06-07T07:56:00.003-05:00

Michael had a birthday, yesterday. And as he could live forever never tasting another dessert (WEIRDO!), for the past couple of years, I've tried to come up with a celebratory substitute.

This year, it was a cheese-cake. Cheese, olives, bacon, cream cheese. That's it. It was appreciated. Happy 31st to my fantastic husband!! (we also had homemade maple ice cream, which was sweet, for the rest of us, ha ha!)

By the way, the statement that he is fantastic is quite possibly the understatement of the millennium. I am a very blessed woman.

Evan Sings

2011-05-29T18:46:00.000-05:00

If you have the PBS kids show "The Cat in the Hat" fans in your house, you might recognize this catchy tune

ups and downs

2011-05-23T06:45:00.000-05:00

So, I'm 24 weeks pregnant, and I am so grateful for a healthy pregnancy thus far. God is gracious, and my ultrasound last week showed perfect progress on track with my due date of September 10, and a beautiful, healthy baby (gender is, happily, unknown). We are so blessed.

But isn't it just like us to get frustrated in the midst of blessing?? I am starting to once again be frustrated by my maternity clothes. Anyone figured out a solution?? If someone could start a company with cute and appropriate maternity clothes, I would be so happy! (oh, did I mention inexpensive??)

Pants/Shorts: I have some jeans with a full, very stretchy, panel. They do stay up at first, but once I've had them on for a few hours, I feel them losing their staying power. Plus, that stretchy panel is HOT! The underbelly styles seem to creep down, too. I have this step-step-tug gait that is *just* as appealing as the late pregnancy waddle! And I need to find some shorts, pronto! I've been pregnant for 3 summers and still no shorts? EEK!

Shirts seem to be cut to show more than I've ever been comfortable showing - which would be fine if I didn't mind wearing 2 shirts but summers are sticky enough and sometimes it's just too hot!

A lot of the clothes this season are made from jersey - the clingiest fabric ever! Now why would someone want to wear clingy fabric when crazy things are happening to create bulges where none were there before? And who decided a stretchy band on the bottom of the shirts, under the belly, would be a good idea?

My solution so far is to wear more sundresses, and I do have a couple of skirts that are just stretchy regular sizes that seem to work well. The downside to this is figuring out how to play with and chase 2 active preschoolers and retain some level of modesty!

When I was pregnant with Evan I got so annoyed that I got out my sewing machine. And then proceeded to make a tent - ha! The pattern looked so cute and easy - but the result? um, not so much!!

I've had the best result shopping at garage sales and thrift stores, and even the "regular" clothes section for loose fitting tops and altering as needed. I know what I need to do is have a garage sale, sell a bunch of what I already own that I'm not wearing or that only "kinda" works, and shell out the extra for some basics. Then, just do more laundry. Or maybe I'll try sewing a tent again - I'll just grab some super cool and breezy cotton and make some of those mumu-style stuff our moms wore. I really think they were onto something.

quick and powerful

2011-05-18T06:36:00.002-05:00

I'm continuing my reading in John 12

⁴¹Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. ⁴²Nevertheless,many even of the authorities believed in him, butfor fear of the Pharisees they did notconfess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; ⁴³ for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.

I'm not so very different from the Pharisees. God, help me love YOU, and be more concerned with Your glory than my own.

This song I learned at camp years ago keeps running through my head:

You are beautiful beyond description
Too marvelous for words
Too wonderful of comprehension
Like nothing ever seen or heard
Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom
Who can fathom the depth of Your love
You are beautiful beyond description
Majesty enthroned above

And I stand, I stand in awe of You
I stand, I stand in awe of You
Holy God to whom all praise is due
I stand in awe of You.

copyright Hillsong United

lessons from Lazarus

2011-05-16T09:51:00.002-05:00

OK, I know I'm still relatively young, but...how is it possible that I've been learning about the Bible for YEARS (at home, in Sunday School, Christian School, Bible College) and just now read the verses following Mary's annointing of Jesus' feet shortly after Jesus had raised Lazarus from the dead?

John 12:9-11
⁹When the large crowd of the Jews learned that Jesus was there, they came, not only on account of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. ¹⁰So the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death as well, ¹¹becauseon account of him many of the Jews were going away and believing in Jesus.

My (husband's) ESV study Bible had an interesting note on v10: "When the chief priests made plans to put Lazarus to death, it betrayed an astounding refusal to allow their beliefs to be changed by undeniable facts. They would rather destroy the evidence than change their minds. This is not rational behavior, but sin produces irrational action."

Sin produces irrational action. I'd say. When we are unwilling to admit that we're wrong, when we look facts in the face and choose to come to the opposite conclusion, it is indeed astounding.

I was struck with the fact that these chief priests were willing to take a life in order to remove the evidence that Jesus had performed an unbelievable miracle in raising Lazarus from the dead. Prior to Jesus, I imagine that these religious leaders taught about life being a gift from God, about murder being wrong - but when Someone dared to cross their traditions and beliefs, instead of facing the facts that Jesus might possibly be Messiah, they compromised in a big way with a plot on Lazarus - who wasn't "at fault" for Jesus' miracle at all - just a happy recipient!

So what truths do I ignore in the face of undeniable facts? Is there something - anything I hold more dearly than the truth? Do I hold "convictions" that are merely tradition? Do I value anything more than God's Truth and God's people? I hope not - I pray not! But if chief priests can plot murder when faced with uncomfortable truth, I certainly am more than capable of sinning along the same lines.

It's been good for me to ponder.

pudding

2011-05-15T17:52:00.004-05:00

So I had a hankering (hee hee) for some pudding the other night. I had extra milk from the farm and needed to use it up. And I wanted vanilla pudding. And so I went to my friend allrecipes for some help.

Found a 7-minute pudding recipe but it used the microwave, which sounded like a disaster waiting to happen. I could envision little chunks of scrambled eggs in my pudding. So I used the ingredient list and the suggestion of a commenter to dump all ingredients in the blender and blend for 1 minute, then heat over medium heat until thick. It worked beautifully and tasted fantastic. Yay for easy!

1/4 cup sugar
2 T cornstarch
2 egg yolks
2 cups milk
2 T butter
1 tsp vanilla (I may have added more...)

Blend 1 minute in the blender then heat over medium heat until thick. I whisked continually. ENJOY!

surprises

2011-05-12T06:32:00.000-05:00

Something fabulous happened after church last night.

We got a wedding present.

One of dad's cousins came to our wedding, 8 years ago come December. We were so glad she could join us. And we certainly did not notice that she didn't bring a gift!

Anyway, through a slightly bizarre and still somewhat obscure (to my knowledge) set of events, this beautiful quilt was gifted to us. She did a beautiful job of applique and I just love the variety of colorful fabrics.

And really - this is the perfect time for wedding gifts - when the originals are starting to show their age!

Happy Wedding to us!

a little difference

2011-05-11T06:17:00.002-05:00

Please check out the new button on my sidebar to see how your small donation could make a huge difference in the lives of expectant women in developing nations. My brother Nate worked with YWAM for awhile - this is a great opportunity! Check it out!

perspective

2011-05-10T16:19:00.003-05:00

I'm halfway through Grace Based Parenting, by Tim Kimmel. I can't keep quiet any more - this book is awesome. I love the Biblical perspective on grace - love it.

I agree with the author that too often our understanding of grace stops with the saving grace provided by Christ on the cross - we forget that we need grace to live, grow, and be. Here are several of my favorite quotes so far:

"The most distinguishing part of the Christian faith is grace - that wonderful gift offered by God to undeserving people like you and me that makes us fall in love with the Savior. Grace is what attracts us to Him and what confirms His love for us over and over. God's grace has the power to transform the most hardened, indifferent soul into a person spilling over with kindness. If God our heavenly Father is the perfect Father, and the primary way that He deals with us as humans is through the power of His grace, it stands to reason that grace forms the best template for bringing out the best in our children."

"...raising [sic] safe Christian kids is a spiritual disaster in the making. Your effort will produce shallow faith and wimpy believers. Kids raised [sic] in an environment that stresses safety are on track to be evangelical pushovers. They will end up either overly critical...or naive about the world system...Safe Christianity is an oxymoron, like "jumbo shrimp." Living your life sold out for Jesus Christ has never been a way to enjoy a safe life. It may be a way to enjoy a good life, but not a safe one. That's because Jesus isn't safe, but He is always good."

"I didn't want my children to grow up in a home where they felt that God's pleasure was determined by their behavior. Nor did I want them to feel that there was no latitude in how they lived out the different nuances of their personalities...We just didn't want arbitrary boundaries based on unsubstantiated Christian opinion. We wanted to rely on the boundaries the Bible clearly drew and then trust God to help us make balanced decisions when faced with the usual "stuff" that hits parents. I realize that many will want to criticize the basic tenets of grace-based parenting because it knocks the props out from underneath the teachings that say you can raise [sic] great Christian kids by simply putting them in the right environment and programming the right information into their heads. You can't."

"Grace based parenting works from the inside out. Fear based parenting works from the outside in. That's why I think so many of the superficial measuring rods of fear based parenting are so foolish - even destructive to our children's relationship with God (ie, how many verses they've memorized, how conservatively they dress, the fact that they listen to only Christian music, etc.)...As our children grow and mature in their relationship with Christ, things they need to adjust will happen far more easily when they are prompted by God's Spirit rather than coerced by their parents."

You know what? This is the first parenting book that hasn't sent up any major red flags for me. A lot of times parenting literature is WAY too crazy one way or the other. You know, let your kids out of the house in the morning and they'll come home when they are ready - OR - lock your kids in the basement and they'll have great character. You know?

And yes, I'm only halfway through - so take my glowing review with a pinch of salt - but for me, this is a much needed shot in the arm - a reminder of the perspective I need to have when dealing with my precious kiddos.

God loves me, despite my many shortcomings. He deals with me graciously, tenderly bringing me along. I'm sure there are many times I would have rolled my eyes at me, at my self-righteous attempts to "please" Him, at my audacious sinful behavior. But God continues to extend His grace. His love for me never changes - ever. He loves me equally when I'm pouty and selfish as when I'm sitting in church or worshiping Him with a full heart.

So. Why do I get so frustrated with my kids after God has dealt so graciously with me? Well, I'm human, and God is not. I fail, God does not. That's the bottom line. But I'm certainly not going to give up - I'm going to ask God for more grace. Wow. I'm unworthy of that. Just thinking about the stark contrast between my indescribably GOOD God and me totally blows my mind.

I kind of think that's the point.

kindergarten begins

2011-05-09T11:58:00.002-05:00

Today is the first official day of kindergarten for Aaron. I finished my lesson plan for this week and we started right in. We're using Singapore Math - Earlybird Kindergarten Mathematics (supplemented as needed) and continuing on with the Hooked on Phonics program I already have (supplemented as needed also). There will be science lessons from this website (gotta love premade lesson plans) as well as normal supplementation from life, and the answers to questions that Aaron asks constantly. Love this boy! Art, music, and Bible will also be a part of our days. At this point I'm shooting for 3 days/week of regular academic stuff and two days for the hands on and field trip type learning.

Why start now? Well, Aaron has been begging for school since Christmas time, and we've been doing HOP since then, off and on, but nothing formal enough for me to feel like we could call it "school." For starters, we desperately need more structure in our days or the housework and playing and errands and reading books and watching PBS and free play and sibling battles and unexpected cleanups and art projects and...well, the day, overtakes us and it's past noon before I know it. Writing down school plans and checking that off along with being consistent to make my regular checklist *should* help.

Also, we have a little someone coming in September, when other kids are typically starting school. There is no way I want to think about carting Aaron to school - ACK! And I don't think a new baby and a new schedule at the same time would be a great idea. So, now is the time. We might break from September through December, or I might just keep going so, you know, Aaron can graduate when he's 14 and be done with grad school at 20. JUST KIDDING.

Anyone else schooling through the summer months?

starting the journey - traditional foods

2011-05-04T06:31:00.003-05:00

About a year ago, a friend of mine was working her Pampered Chef table at our local Taste of Home Cooking Show and was providentially placed next to an Amish farmer who was advertising CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares for the season. She thought it sounded like something I'd be interested in, so she grabbed a couple of flyers. The rest is history. A history that I've been starting to blog and running out of time - so here's a short, very condensed version.

As I was filling out the forms, writing my letter (that I had to send in the mail - gasp! that took some getting used to!) and recruiting people to join the group to cut down on the gas costs, I noticed some fine print on the bottom of the page - "herd shares are available for those interested in raw milk, butter, and cream." Being the curious person that I am, I sat down at the computer to search for the answers to my sudden questions - what is a herd share, why do you need one and what is the benefit of raw milk? To make a very long story somewhat shorter, I found the Real Milk website, and through the farmer, was introduced to our local chapter leader for the Weston A Price Foundation. I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into.

I picked up produce share boxes for the rest of the summer, and as summer wore on, tried raw dairy and came off again at the recommendation of my nutritionist - my system wasn't ready for dairy of ANY kind yet - and then went back on. By the end of the summer, I was bringing back herd shares for 6 families. We'd purchased pastured fryer chickens from the farm, I was getting soy-free pastured eggs, farm fresh butter, and we were looking at making some changes in our diet. Since then, the route has grown. There are 20 families in our group, and I bring back herd shares each week. Raw dairy has been awesome for us.

We've also switched to a more traditional diet in some other ways - adding in traditional fats like butter, olive and coconut oil, taking out most other vegetable oils like corn and canola. *Trying* to cut out refined sugar and a lot of things we'd been eating that are in packages. Eating more meat products (yes, I said more) that are pasture raised, antibiotic free, fed things they were created to be fed. Fruits and vegetables that are local when possible, organic or pesticide free when possible. In other words, more traditional.

We are still on the journey - the BEGINNING of the journey. A friend and I were recently chatting about how food preferences can quickly get out of hand - and become an idol in your heart. She mentioned that when God provides something for her family, she is learning that it is pride for her to turn that down or throw it out because it doesn't meet her high standards of acceptable food. I can see her point, especially after my interactions with some super food snobs. :-) Balance is key, right?

In fact, while you will find large tubs of several kinds of coconut oil at our house, raw milk in our fridge and pastured beef in the freezer, you'll also find some tortilla chips and processed american cheese, coffeemate in the fridge door, boxed cereal in our pantry and mini snickers bars stuck way up in the back of the top shelf. I made gluten free pasta last night from a box. And added pastured ground beef. Irony, yes. Progress? Also yes.

This summer I am hoping to try a few new things - like making homemade lacto-fermented pickles (again) and cutting out even more of our processed go-to items. I'm really wanting to try sourdough bread (hoping gluten is soon a GO for me) and I'm definitely looking forward to our produce shares starting up again. We all do better when fresh veggies are delivered to our door - a new box each week to hurry and use up.

If you are interested in learning more about how traditional eating can benefit you, here are a few links to get you started.

Fat Head (a good place to start - some very good animations about cholesterol and diabetes)
Why Butter is Better (and there are more great articles on this site)
Real Milk (keep clicking the links down the left sidebar to learn more)

I'm quite sure that more of you are also on this journey, and have more great resources also - please feel free to share your experiences and resources in the comment section. I will remove nasty comments so - fair warning! :-)

at belly level

2011-04-18T06:27:00.002-05:00

I came down the hall Saturday morning, still in my pj's, and Aaron looked up to say good morning and did a double take. "Whoa, mom! Your belly is SO BIG!" Ha, thanks Aaron - it's only going to get bigger. I imagine things look different when your eyes are right at belly level.

Later that day, Aaron got to feel the baby move - it was so fun! I think having a 4 year old during a pregnancy is a ton of fun - it's a different perspective than having just a 2 year old! Evan is excited too - his favorite thing is to "tickle the baby" which gets old, but it's fun to see that mischievous grin.

Sunday morning, I was having some pretty intense contraction-like pains, so I called the midwife. (I didn't want to - she was getting her family ready to head out the door to church!) She ended up coming over to check everyone out. She thought they are probably Braxton-Hicks contractions, which are good and normal, but I need to work on drinking a lot more, and I need to set up an appointment with the doctor just to touch base with him in case things go haywire, and also to set up my ultrasound. My midwife was concerned that the BH were painful. I do remember this type of pain with Evan, but not until about 30 weeks.

So anyway, yesterday I was 19 weeks pregnant, and I'm measuring at 21, which I guess is pretty typical for 3rd babies. Everything else looked great. This little one is moving around like crazy! I can't believe I'm almost at the halfway point!!

the new face of clean

2011-03-29T14:22:00.005-05:00

The photo on the left is me, about two months ago, vvvery tired, nauseous, and fatter. I also have peely, dry skin. The photo on the right is me, today. While the most obvious difference to me is the weight loss, the hair is different, too. And I'm wearing makeup in the right photo.

Yes, I've lost 17 lbs since getting pregnant. This happens to me. I'm not sure why, it just does. No need to be jealous. Hang on, once the baby is born and starts nursing, I'll start gaining. This is how whacked out my body is.

But this post is really about my skin, and my new facial cleansing method. I've noticed a vast improvement in my skin and just have to share. I've been using the Oil Cleansing Method, or OCM, for a little over a week now. I could NOT be happier. I have been using straight coconut oil, though - I don't have castor oil and olive oil is a little strong in odor. Plus, I found out later that coconut oil has some very good for your skin properties.

My skin is usually very dry, and when I use coconut oil to wash my face at night, my skin is hydrated and soft for 24 hours. It also does an awesome job removing makeup! Honestly, my skin is really, really different. I've noticed that some of the tiny lines around my eyes are disappearing. I don't really mind the lines - it means I've been smiling! But at the same time, I like to look as young as I feel.

So thanks to my friend Rebekah for bringing this new cleansing method to my attention - I definitely recommend giving it a try for a week or so and seeing how it works for you! Let me know if you try it!!

The purposeful no

2011-03-28T08:51:00.003-05:00

I've been pondering this concept lately - saying no in order to say yes. Personally, I hate disappointing people, so "no" isn't something I take lightly. However, sometimes saying no now means more yes-saying later. This is how it has been looking for us lately.

1. Saying no to more involvement with projects/service/programs at church.

I realized this with clarity at the end of last summer - one particular incident made me realize that I was so busy doing that I wasn't seeing needs when I was at church or with church family - and that is not what I wanted at ALL. I want to see and meet needs, so that might mean keeping my schedule somewhat open so that I can be available when I'm needed. This might not apply to everyone - I'm sure tons of you can multitask and still be human, with fully functioning brains. That's awesome. My brain tends to be task-oriented. So, we've found a good level of involvement for us and while we do say yes to occasional one-time things, we've decided this year to say no to new ongoing commitments. God has really allowed us to see the benefits of this plan.

2. Saying no to spending now even if the finances are there.

We've been looking for 8 passenger minivans so that we can have 3 kids in easily accessible car seats plus 2 comfortable adults as passengers. (our current rear bench seat will not accommodate 3 car seats) We have a good chunk in our savings set aside for that purpose. However, we don't actually need a new minivan right now - ours is old and sort of decrepit, but it's running fine for the time being. And instead of clearing out that portion of savings immediately, we are able to wait until either the current vehicle gives up the ghost or we find the perfect used van for the best price. Who knows? Maybe God has a different plan for those funds? Maybe His provision of a vehicle is going to look different than we think!? We want to be free to say yes at the right time.

3. Say no to comparing and guilt trips.

This one is hard for me - on the outside, I want to appear as if I don't care at all what people think of me, but that is simply untrue. Every time I think about comparing myself - "oh I'm not as thin, as organized, as creative, as energetic, as good of a mom, wife, housekeeper, as nice, as talented, etc" I've been really trying to make an effort to remind myself of what I know to be true about God and the fact that He made me just the way He wanted me to be. And I don't have to be someone else. So instead of focusing on others, I'm really working at focusing on God and meditating on the woman He wants me to be. That's a big enough job without comparison to others and guilt trips. God's grace is sufficient for my struggles and my failures, and He is gracious to give me days of successes too.

Anything you've been saying no to lately in order to say yes?

more or less

2011-03-02T12:55:00.003-05:00

Thanks so much for your words of congratulations and your excitement for us! We are thrilled to be welcoming another Muth. I'm due September 10, so I'm 12 weeks along, and still feeling very tired and constantly nauseous. God's grace and Michael's support have gotten me through the worst of it, I HOPE!

The plan for now is to pursue a second home birth but again do ob co-care. I just have to get my rear in gear and actually call the doc and get an appointment. It will be minimum co-care, with an ultrasound to check out all the internals and make sure there is not an obvious reason to give birth at the hospital.

Aaron is convinced we are having a girl, and he wants to name her. Huh. Interesting. (Not gonna happen) He says he knows that God decides what we are having and he will be okay with whatever we get. But he still thinks it will be a sister. Evan doesn't really seem to get it, but we have 6 months. Ha!

People have been wishing a girl child upon me and I will tell you that I am equally terrified of having 3 boys as I am of having a girl added to our family. I'm sure this has something to do with #3 being the first situation where we are officially outnumbered. I'm hoping it will help that the kids will be a little older (5 and 3).

I'll tell ya what's crazy

2011-02-24T08:46:00.006-05:00

It's been over a month since I typed a blog entry. That's craaaaaazy. I've been trying to get my routine together and spend less time online. But I do miss the outlet. Facebook is nice but at times unimaginative. Ok, most of the time.

Also, you know it's time to blog when you get spammy comments.

So, February.

I've been tired. SO tired.

The laundry has been piling up. First the dirty, then the clean. It's a mess.

The children have been sick.

I have been sick.

We have been adding people to our raw milk co-op like crazy. I don't even want to think about this Spring/Summer and the veggie CSA added to the milk - what a haul I'll be bringing from there to here each Tuesday. I do enjoy the drive, without the children. Our babysitter is fantastic, and it's nice to have silence for background noise for 2-3 hours a week.

We don't usually celebrate Valentine's Day - it is just a "Hallmark Holiday" and I have some odd history with Valentine's Day that I don't really like to remember, ha ha. But I found the perfect card for Michael this year at Cranny. So perfect, because he always explains to people that the pronunciation of our last name is "like moose, with a lisp!" He loved it.

Michael got me a great Valentine's card. He's so funny, and talented with his sketches. I just have to share. You might have to click it to enlarge so you can get all the details.

So...how was your February?

Crazy

2011-01-25T16:02:00.002-05:00

Here's my newest project - turning my scraps of fabric into a usable item instead of sitting in the closet in bins. I have a little bit done so far and already I am thinking I would rather just use squares. Ha! My attention span is so short. I also need to round up more of my scraps. I'm toying with the idea of putting together sections like this and then cutting them into uniform blocks so that it's a little more manageable, and putting a border between the blocks.

This all started with me trying to figure out how to reuse a mattress pad. The elastic sides came off and the top is still in great condition, so I cut off the stretchy parts and it's sitting in a basket just waiting for new life. I figure it will be a nice big blanket to use on a twin size bed, or to snuggle under with a book on a rainy day (in my dreams).

I'm blogging about it for accountability purposes. Ha!

Anybody ever made a crazy quilt before? Or any kind of quilt?

microwave love

2011-01-18T13:29:00.004-05:00

So, I haven't mentioned anything about my new microwave that I can remember, but it's times like this, times when I spilled a full travel mug of fresh-brewed chai tea between the glass panels of my 3-month-old oven and taking it apart myself to clean it voids the warranty and the jury is still out on what it will cost us to get that done by a licensed technician, times like THAT...

Well times like that make me thankful for my microwave. Which is also a convection oven. So I can make dinner or a loaf of gluten free banana bread without blinking.

Worth the investment. And as a bonus, it gave us this awesome bump out feature in our kitchen and looks like a built in, even though it is the most massive countertop microwave I have ever owned. Custom cabinets are not overrated.

Yep, cookie houses on top of the fridge, waiting for the cookie house fairy to whisk them away in the night. Because I managed to convince the kiddos that they are only for decorations. How mean of a mom am I?

SO thankful for this bonus of a gift from God, totally unnecessary, but ever so nice.

Home Reserve postscript

2011-01-07T12:21:00.002-05:00

Sandy from Home Reserve read my blog, and sent me these, which arrived today.

Covers for the storage lids. No more wood showing, no more splinter scares when I use the storage bins. And when I emailed to thank her that I didn't have to make an effort to get these covered, she said I could use the extra time to take a power nap. HA!

So now my gripes are very few.

And the "pro" list on the Home Reserve customer service side are growing rapidly. Talk about service!

Thanks, Home Reserve!!

Home Reserve (Part 3)

2011-01-05T18:51:00.016-05:00

OK, thank you for your patience! This is the last installment!! See the little wooden box over to the left? That is an arm frame. A dense foam piece goes on top and then you have to wrestle the fabric on. It gets your blood pumping, and I do not recommend doing that part alone OR with curious, energetic children around. Definitely not with both variables.

The chair frame is pretty obvious, it's right in the center of the photo. The foam and pillows come all vacuumed into these giant plastic bags and expands as soon as you open the box. Pretty funny.

The third picture is a top-down view of the seat part of the sections, before the storage bin top is put on. It's a pretty good size storage area, would be good for a blanket or some reading material.

You can see, if you compare photos, that the fabric has come down over the top of the frame like a pillowcase. You can also see the arm piece has been connected to the seat part. That happens with bolts and wing nuts. Very easy to reconfigure.

The picture was taken right before we bolted the two sectional pieces together to make the loveseat.

The fourth picture is of Michael stuffing the fiberfill pillow for the back of the seat into the fabric case. Those were much easier than the seat pieces - fiberfill is easier to manipulate than dense foam.

Speaking of dense foam, we both like a firmer seat on our couch, so the Home Reserve dense seats are perfect for us. We love the firmness. It's not so firm you feel like you are sitting on styrofoam, but it doesn't swallow you whole like some of the couches at the furniture stores. The company website says the seats will loosen up with time, but I kinda hope not. And if it someday happens that the foam loosens too much, we can just order new seat cushions.

The final photo is the finished product - and my little thumb sucker. I like how you can see in that picture that the fabric has a variegated brown color. I really ended up liking how it looks.

We have another love seat that is the same length - 56 inches - but this one is so much more efficient with seating - 44 inches of space for sitting. I have even been able to steal little power naps on it a time or two with my head on the armrest and my knees bent.

As far as final verdict, we will definitely be getting more pieces from Home Reserve to either make a sectional or at the very least, a longer couch. The quality is as good as it gets in this price range, id not better, and while I am not against all outsourced goods, it is so nice to know that this is a US company.

And I'm confident that I can get ahold of them if something goes wrong. They have a 5 year guarantee on the frame pieces, so if anything breaks they will send us a new one. So maybe in 5 years we will be in the market for a new seating situation, who knows, really.

I do have a couple of small gripes. Very small. One is that the ottoman is a little higher than the one I am used to. It;s not that bad, but I like an ottoman to be 1-2 inches lower than the couch. it's the same height.

I also wish that the seat bottoms (storage bin covers) were actually covered with something so they weren't exposed wood stuff, but I have a sewing machine, and I know how to use it. I may rig something up to make it "prettier" when the kids take the cushions off for fort building.

The other gripe is that the furniture slides super easily on our flooring, which would not be as much of an issue with carpet or if I didn't have crazy children.

See? I told you. Very small gripes. My only other wish is that I had another section so I could stretch out a little better when I get the urge to take a 10 minute nap when the kids are sleeping! We are very happy with our purchase! Now we just have to wait and see how it lasts, and I will keep you posted on that. Oh, by the way, this is the Laney Style in La Paz Coffee, and it is a right sectional arm piece hooked to a left sectional arm piece (for future flexibility) and a (stand alone) modular ottoman.

One more thing, in case you were wondering. I was not paid to write this review.

Home Reserve (Part 2)

2011-01-05T18:29:00.011-05:00

We had ordered some fabric swatches from Home Reserve - my stipulation was that it either had to be machine washable, or wipeable. Lucky for me they have both options. We are nice boring people when it comes to furniture colors so our swatches were all solid brown. But you certainly don't have to be boring, and you can change your mind in the first 30 days, so we decided to go with LaPaz coffee, which is a bonded leather, and hope for the best.

The boxes arrived in good time, (the company is based in Ft. Wayne, IN) and were so well organized, with easy-to-follow instructions and cool expandy foam and pillows. The wood parts were very clearly marked - the numbers are actually routered into the piece itself. There is very little chance of getting confused.

Michael was home on vacation, so when the Fed Ex truck pulled up we were both almost giddy with anticipation.

Yes, we are total nerds.

See those little T-shaped things? Those are the key to the whole design - without them, says Michael, the boards wouldn't hold the screws.

The instructions say you only need a screwdriver to put the furniture together, but we both agreed it would take years. A drill is a good idea.

We started with the ottoman, and even with children underfoot, it went pretty quickly. The fabric is a VERY tight fit, so when we went to put the board under the foam part of the top, we had to adjust it and remove it and try again. but then, when we were all done, we had a very nice ottoman. With storage inside.

In fact, ALL the furniture has storage inside, so along with being a smaller furniture piece, it is a multi-tasker. BONUS! None of the storage bins are hinged, so it is not as easy as it could be to use the storage, in fact, ours is empty now, but I'm sure as the years go by we will find the perfect use.

So here is Michael working hard, and the next post will be after pictures and my review. I promise. I am having difficulty adding them to this post for some reason.

Home Reserve (Part 1)

2011-01-03T11:33:00.003-05:00

We have a slightly smallish living room, and up to this point we'd furnished it with a long green couch and a short brown loveseat with a rocker off to the side, plus a self-crafted ottoman that will never win any prizes for beauty. We would switch up the layout here and there but something is always a little off.

We had shopped for couches and sectionals at furniture stores in the area, but the stuff that was available made us cringe. The quality in our price range was pretty bad, the comfort level was bad, and the look? EW. I have a thing against microfiber. Even if we went up a couple notches in the "how much money to pay for a couch without cringing" scale, it wasn't much better. We just wanted a sleek, shortish, non-overstuffed and easy-clean couch in a neutral color. And we didn't want to have to save for 35 years to get it.

"Craigslist!" is what you are all shouting, right? Well, let me tell you about Craigslist around here. Selling, we have great success. Buying, not so much. People want hundreds of dollars for a "Real Nice Couch" which turns out to be an orange and olive floral beauty with "pet stains". Thrift stores are not much better for furniture around here. I'm not sure where all the good used furniture goes.

So awhile back, I asked if any of you had any experience with Home Reserve and no one really had. So Michael and I were still doing the routine of adding a bunch of pieces to our shopping cart, agonizing over the whole thing, and canceling out of the shopping page. We're indecisive like that.

Then we put our big couch on Craigslist, deciding that if it sold, we'd put that money toward the purchase of some pieces from Home Reserve. Guess what? It sold, immediately. So after much speculation, Michael came up with the great plan to purchase a left arm sectional piece, a right arm sectional piece and an ottoman. That way we'd have a loveseat and ottoman now, and if we liked it, we could fill in the middle sections (a corner and two armless chairs) to make a sectional later. Michael is brilliant, I tell you.

And I have already written too long. More later!

Long Silence

2011-01-01T10:12:00.002-05:00

Sometimes it is good to stop blogging. I have needed a little break, and obviously, have not been taking the time to blog lately, but hopefully this month I will be able to change the trend. I have some great posts percolating. So to speak.

1. We did end up buying a few pieces from Home Reserve and I want to share my thoughts and some photos!

2. My brother and his wife and daughter came for a week long visit and we had a great time and some fun adventures.

3. I have some projects to share!

4. We have a second vehicle again and Michael is thrilled that it is a Jeep!

I know it sounds cliche, but I am overwhelmed looking back at all the blessings God has heaped on our family this year. Can't wait to blog some of them! Happy New Year!

friday

2010-12-10T15:16:00.003-05:00

The table is
sticky with glue,
there are
crooked sequined grins
on two
hastily cut
painstakingly crafted
brown paper
gingerbread boys

The toys
are strewn,
couch cushions askew,
I have two hastily fed
sleeping boys
the house is
happy to be silent
breathing in and out

warmth
and love
and twinkle lights
piles of mail
receipts and crayon doodles
half-unpacked bins
of Christmas sparkles
this is
my happy life.

Cranny

2010-12-09T11:27:00.005-05:00

I won these in a giveaway.

But here's the truth - not one week before I won, I was over at Cranny, very seriously contemplating buying them for this very spot in my house.

God is so good to give us these bonus blessings! Thank you, Sarah, for being a direct hug from God to me.

Sarah Kate has some gorgeous other items for sale in her shop, but hurry - Cranny closes for the season on December tenth! (Don't worry, it will re-open on January first with (no doubt) some lovely additions to the shop.

I won this little fella, too...isn't he cute?

Preview of Christmas Cards 2010

2010-12-08T16:08:00.003-05:00

Rejoice Lord King Religious Christmas 5x7 folded card

Shop Shutterfly for elegant custom Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Home Reserve-ations

2010-12-07T20:09:00.003-05:00

So, we are thinking about a new couch. We are looking at the possibility of a small sectional to maximize the space we have. As we researched, going to furniture stores and shopping online, we came across Home Reserve. Everything looks good - maybe too good. The boxes come UPS and we're always up for a DIY (obviously), we can take the fabric off and throw it in the washing machine if (and when, I'm certain) we need to. There is storage under every seat. Also on the plus side, we can get the size sofa/sectional we need without spending a HUGE amount of money. On the down side, it's kind of hard ordering furniture sight unseen. So that is the BIG downside. Does anyone know anything about this company?

We put our old couch up for sale on Craigslist, deciding that we would replace it if it sold...and we got a call today that looks like a done deal. So, I ordered a few swatches today, and if we like the fabric, maybe we will order a chair or a chair and a half just to give it a shot. It's a hard call, though.

So has anyone ever heard of this company? Purchased anything? Sat on a couch from here? Help!

Advent Begins

2010-12-01T08:03:00.002-05:00

So, I didn't get my super-cool Advent calendar done for this year - but I was visiting with a friend yesterday and I remembered what we'd done last year with Aaron - a cheap little cardboard Advent Calendar with which we taught him the Story.

(Here is a clip of his version)

He's changed so much in a year - this was totally worth a revisit for me. What is your plan for the Advent season? Do you have any special traditions as you count down the days to Christmas?

Christmas Cards!

2010-11-24T10:32:00.005-05:00

Every year, I procrastinate with cards. It's not so much the acquiring of the cards - there is always some great deal going on where I can get a discount on photo cards to send out to the family - I love Shutterfly's Christmas card designs this year, by the way! I procrastinate in the updating of address lists, the sticking the cards in the envelopes, and the mailing of the cards. OOPS.

One year, I even sent some New Year's Cards. That was before kids, so you know this problem hasn't been a new one. A woman from my BSF group sent Thanksgiving cards this year, which I thought was a great idea!

Shutterfly has been a great company for me to work with - I bought a photo calendar one year for my parents with kiddo pictures in it - they loved it! Here's a desk version that would be a cute gift! You can ask Kris & Andrea how they like their crazy photo mugs we got them last year. Plus they are giving me some free photo cards just for writing this blog post - woo hoo for me! So go check out Shutterfly's website and see what you can create this season!!

Tomorrow!!

2010-11-24T10:26:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and today is jam packed with things to be thankful for! My mom is coming over! Woo hoo! I know there are lots of little second graders and their families who are super glad mom teaches, and I am too - but I really miss my parents in the school year time. I'm glad their work is appreciated and that they are loved. I am also thankful for summer break and days off from school, because I love spending time with my mom! We have pie baking and side dish planning on the docket for today.

And then tonight I get to have some girl time with some friends from high school. It's been way too long, and I need a good laugh, the kind of belly laughs that can only come of laughing at your high school self from a new perspective.

Have I mentioned that I am thankful for our new camera? It's nothing fancy, but it gets the job done with more megapixels than the last model, so that is a definite improvement.

Then tomorrow is Thanksgiving! I'm ready with my 18-day long list of things to be thankful for! Do you have any special traditions for Thanksgiving Day?? I would love to hear!

Two Days

2010-11-23T13:47:00.003-05:00

It's just two days before Thanksgiving. It's finally starting to feel like November in Michigan - yesterday was balmy, today it can be balmy in my heart. Ha ha. My parents are picking up the turkey today and I'm excited to try brining for the first time. Let me know if you have any great hints for this!

I'm always thankful for naptime, but today especially so. I am grumpy, very much so, and a nice quiet house and some time in the Word is the recipe I need for a great afternoon.

I'm super thankful for my husband, who, while I was working on a project last night on the computer, singlehandedly took on another project that has been sitting for awhile and finished it up. He is, without a doubt, the world's greatest. And not just because he helps me around the house. He loves us in so many ways - I am so thankful to be married to him!

Unexpected surprises came in the mail! I love freebies, especially from Pampered Chef! Woo hoo for Tuesday!

What are you thankful for today??

3 days!

2010-11-22T14:46:00.002-05:00

Wowsa, it's getting really close!! We set up tables yesterday to make sure we had enough space for the people coming to our house for Thanksgiving dinner! It's going to be cozy, but we have room - as long as no one cares if we get out the front door or not, ha ha!

I didn't mean to alarm anyone with my post yesterday - nothing huge and horrid is going on in our house; yesterday's sermon was just a fantastic reminder to me of the sufficiency of Christ.

Today I have a list of more things I am thankful for!

1. Our successful refi. I feel like I've been beating this to death, but I'm very thankful! The additional funds came at the perfect time, there were (and are!) several items that we've been saving up for and the funds will allow us to have the money available when the needs happen, and gives us a huge head start on our savings. It was also nice to skip a payment on our mortgage this month.

2. Freezer Meals. Every Monday should have one. I know I'm not the only one who wishes Monday was more like just about any other day of the week!

3. Family close enough to celebrate with. And far away family, who, God willing, we will see sooner than later. We miss you, far away family!!!

4. My diaper sprayer. It's the little things, I tell ya.

5. To-Do Lists and timers. Helps me focus, helps Mondays, helps kids. Why don't I do this more often? I'll never know.

6. The promise of a good old fashioned GNO later on this week. Already looking forward to it! Love ya, girlies!

What are you thankful for today?

day 5/ day 4

2010-11-21T20:02:00.003-05:00

Combining days again because I am forgetful. :-)

Today in church, our pastor reminded us that sometimes, giving thanks has to be an act of the will. He reminded us that sometimes there are blessings, sometimes there is loss, and ultimately, everything is okay because God Never Changes.

I think, in light of that truth, He alone is enough to praise today - so glad I am able to know and love the God who never changes, the Creator, the lover of my soul.

6 days

2010-11-19T14:04:00.002-05:00

I can't believe there are only 6 days left. That mess up in the countdown really sped things up (ha ha). I am looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving for some members of my extended family this year, complete with gluten free turkey (thanks, mom & dad!) and hopefully, at least one gluten free pie. Test baking of pie crusts commences tonight!

I am very thankful today!

1. for PBS, which made my super-fast cleaning spree a happy time for me and for the kids. Thank you, Word World!
2. for spaghetti squash and farm fresh butter. LUNCH!
3. for sweet little boys who ask to play tic tac toe with O's and R's.
4. for "I love you, mommy" several (hundred) times a day.
5. for the hugs that accompany the words
6. for makeup to hide dark circles
7. for God's grace to let me see the beauty of my simple, blessed life.

What are you thankful for?

8 days/7 days

2010-11-18T14:39:00.003-05:00

OK, I realize it's getting a little ridiculous - I know it is a week away so I'm combining. :-) I have been counting the day AND Thanksgiving, but really we should not count Thanksgiving! Silly me, I never was any good at math.

1. Thankful for BSF and the Isaiah study. Today we were reminded that God has a plan, and He will prevail, that no one can thwart His plans. What a comfort in the midst of living in this crazy world!!
2. I am thankful that the kids love LOVE their BSF classes. And that they can be counted on to take good naps on Thursdays.
3. I love naptime! Ahhh, quiet house.
4. And today, I am thankful for the 5 quarts of Northern Spy applesauce sitting on the counter, popping away as it seals. Aaron helped turn the crank on the foley food mill. He's quite a helper! Tomorrow I may try pie filling.
5. Thankful for being alive and getting to enjoy my two precious boys, all day most days. The challenges are there, the craziness is definitely there. But I wouldn't trade these guys for the world.
6. Thankful for friends who don't mind sharing great coupons. (thanks, Erin)
7. Thankful for REBATES ON APPLIANCES that just came in the mail. Yeehaw!

What are YOU thankful for today??

9 days

2010-11-17T09:57:00.002-05:00

9 days left and at LEAST that many things to be thankful for!

1. Junior Highers. I love junior highers. Tonight is our annual food drive, and I'm really looking forward to it.
2. Friends. ((HUG)) to all my friends.
3. Sleep. Just keep it coming. (ha ha)
4. Sunshine on this gorgeous November day.
5. Clean windows to see the sun (even if nothing ELSE is clean!)
6. Taking a few minutes to read the Bible. AHHH, says my spirit.
7. Reece's peanut butter cups. The mini ones. I need an intervention.

So, what are you thankful for today as we count down the days until Thanksgiving?

10 Days

2010-11-16T15:45:00.004-05:00

Thankful for
1. Raw Dairy at great prices.
2. Friends willing to help retrieve said dairy items. (Thanks, Hannah!)
3. Green Tea Lattes (TIFFANY!!!)
4. Leftover Potato Soup for lunch
5. THE KITCHEN IS DONE (well, except the backsplash...)
6. The promise of sleep, t-minus 6 hours, and counting.
7. A great sitter who did fun projects with the kids and kept them happy and healthy while I was gone for a few hours this morning.

Praise God with me for little and big things today!

And yes, pictures of the kitchen will be coming - but, unfortunately...we have to replace our camera first!

11 days

2010-11-15T07:40:00.002-05:00

Whoops. I WAS thankful yesterday, I just failed to blog.

11 days until Thanksgiving, and I am thankful for a nice, cozy bed. I'm thankful for a great weekend of getting things done - my kitchen and mudroom will be back to normal before I know it. And I wanted to post some photos of the kitchen this morning, but my camera is out of commission. SOON, hopefully!

I'm also thankful for boys who wake up happy, most days.

And for gluten free oats, which I will be having for breakfast.

And for produce co-ops, which allow us to afford more organics and more avocados. YUM.

Hurray, Monday!

13 days

2010-11-13T17:33:00.002-05:00

My feet are about to fall off. I am thankful for the ability I do have to stand and talk to people all day, even when it hurts. Praise God for healthy bodies!

I had a great day at a holiday mart - vendor friends getting together for an open house. I sold a few cash & carry items and got some great leads, so that is always awesome. THANKFUL for friends and opportunities to build savings in this way!

Also THANKFUL for a fantastic husband who played with the kids all day and then is willing to come with me to a Pampered Chef show tonight for couples - it's the first time he's been able to come, so I'm really looking forward to it! Hurray!

AND thankful for the parents (mine) who are willing to come over and make our duo-show possible.

What are you thankful for today?

14 days

2010-11-12T23:45:00.004-05:00

WHEW! I just made it in under the wire today.

Thankful for a day off work for Michael, equaling a working sink and DISHWASHER, can I get an Amen??

Also thankful for the magical effect sleep seems to have on attitudes around here. Mine included.

I'm also thankful for my chiropractor, who adjusted the whole family again today. Evan LOVES the adjustments; actually, both kids do really well.

And one last thing - Lucy's. I found boxes of Lucy's Gluten Free Cookies for 49 cents at Blue Knight today. Sometimes I like to take a million hours to bake up fabulous gluten free snacks. Other times I like to open a box and eat delicious snacks that are gluten free. Emphasis on delicious. Which doesn't happen often. SO thank you, Lucy. And thank you, Blue Knight. The boxes still had their grocery store tags on them - $4.79.

15 days

2010-11-11T08:19:00.003-05:00

Today, it's easy to think of a BIG thing I am thankful for. It's Veterans Day.

1. I am thankful for freedom. In fact, I was just talking about this on election day with a friend. People have DIED because they loved freedom, and wanted YOU to have it too. This is something I cannot fathom, but I am so, SO grateful. For freedom, for those who serve, for families that sacrifice time with their soldiers.

2. This is a small one, compared to the above. I am thankful I am not getting a tooth extracted today. It was scheduled, but moved for various reasons. I am glad to avoid that today.

3. Another small one. I'm thankful that the garbage disposal is hooked up. These are baby steps, but GOOD baby steps, to a fully functioning kitchen.

4. My husband, who works all day and then comes home to slave away until late at night getting things done in our kitchen. Yesterday he worked on it after a long work day, and youth group. He's so cool. I love him.

Count down the days until Thanksgiving with me - what are you thankful for?

16 days

2010-11-10T13:43:00.005-05:00

Counting down the thankfulness days.

Thankful for more steps toward a working sink and installed dishwasher, and for friends who barter services to make it less expensive!

Thankful for God's peace

Thankful for another step toward kitchen completion - knobs and pulls and baseboard were installed today! (don't you love these sneak peeks?)

Thankful for wisdom from God, in the increments we need it and in His timing

Thankful for new neighbors, which means the real estate market on our street is looking up.

Thankful for escrow account refund checks. (YAY!)

Join me in the Thanksgiving Countdown!!!

17 days

2010-11-09T08:09:00.004-05:00

17 days until Thanksgiving, and I have a lot to be thankful for!

1. a fantastic husband who works tirelessly to provide for us - and show us he loves us in many ways
2. a short lived cold (thanks, neti pot and GSE)
3. a sweet friend who doesn't mind watching the kids for me even though she has family visiting
4. crispy fall air, and sweaters
5. the hope of a soon-installed dishwasher, and water connected to the sink.
6. These kids, singing at lunchtime. (we have a special family song based vvvvvvvery loosely on the first few bars - or really, just the title, of this. Yes, it's true. Please don't judge, just laugh, like we do.)

So, what are you thankful for today? Help me count down the days!!

18 days

2010-11-08T09:33:00.003-05:00

There are 18 days left until Thanksgiving (including today), so I'll be counting down the days with some little lists of little/big blessings. Here are a few for today:

1. A nice warm house (we turned on the boiler and turned up the heat last week)
2. A nice warm QUIET house this morning for a few minutes before the kids woke up. Hurray!
3. Kids waking up happy and rested
4. Sleep, to heal the body
5. Delicious coffee
6. A fabulous kitchen, slowly taking shape despite my indecisiveness about the kitchen faucet. *grin*

Join me, if you like, in this pre-Thanksgiving countdown. Would you leave a link in the comments if you do??

Far Too Long

2010-11-04T06:58:00.002-05:00

Karen likes to do brain dump posts. I shall follow suit, for it is a great idea.

1. I've been doing nothing but surviving. Sorry about the lack of posts. It's all I can do to upload pics to Facebook and update my status. The kitchen remodel took over there for awhile, and will continue. We are waiting for our kitchen sink (4 more days!) to arrive at the store, still need 2 sections of countertop done, the dishwasher needs to be installed, and we have a few finishing touches on the cabinets. I am loving our new setup, still can't wait for regular function to come back to the kitchen. I'm excited to start using real plates again and making menu choices based on things other than how many dirty dishes I will have to wash when dinner is over.

2. The kids are growing and Evan is growing into the 2's. He's been such an easy going kid but last night in the nursery he pushed over 2 kids in those play cars. And yesterday during the day he scribbled in sharpie all over the hallway walls. I strapped him into his high chair while I scrubbed the walls with Mr. Clean.

3. I have 50 daffodil bulbs that still need planting. If I don't hurry, the ground will be frozen. Ugh. And, YAY when spring comes and my yard explodes in daffodils. We also need to get the foot and a half of leaves off our grass, TruGreen keeps "yelling" at us because they can't do the final treatment due to the leaves. Obviously, I have far different priorities than TruGreen.

4. My kids are sleep deprived, which is not good. I have no idea how to fix it - they have been waking up in the middle of the night, multiple times, and refusing to take naps. We are all so grumpy. Well, Michael's not. I am hoping that it's just the fact that the house is unsettled, we've been letting them watch more TV than normal, eating more junk than usual, and we all seem to be fighting off seasonal sniffles. I hope that is all it is. I'm thinking of turning them loose in the backyard until they collapse in utter exhaustion. OK maybe not.

5. I bought a bushel of apples and I hope I have time to can some pie filling before it's too late.

6. When life is crazy, as it often does, I want to take my family and go somewhere all by ourselves, to see no one we know, hole up and just be together, and forget about the craziness. Anyone else feel this way? But then I think about how much work it would be to go away and I reconsider.

7. My new fabulous washer and dryer wash and dry clothes faster than I can fold them and put them away. This is not a new problem - I had issues with this with the old machines. There needs to be a folder-putter-awayer machine. Can I get an Amen?

More Music

2010-10-14T13:56:00.003-05:00

I went to BSF again this morning. What a challenge, what a needed blessing! It started out great, with all of us singing "Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven" and the blessing kept on going with our group discussion of Isaiah 6 - WOW. It was awesome. And then the lecture time blessed me again.

Thank you, Lord! You are holy, perfect, pure, righteous, full of power and glory - when I see You - even a tiny glimpse of your glory - it is in stark contrast to my sinfulness, I cry, with Isaiah, "WOE IS ME! I am lost!"

But you have cleansed me. Not with a burning coal, like Isaiah, but with Christ's blood, sacrificed because of your great love for me. Not because of anything I have done, but just because You are God and You love me. I have, because of Christ's atonement ONCE for ALL on the cross, been made WHOLE and CLEAN!

You ask, "who will serve me?" and I cannot hold back - I burst out, "OOH, ooh!" I say, "pick ME!"

And then, I am busy serving, busy doing, and so quickly I forget how bright Your glory is. How easily my eyes turn from you to look on myself. My comforts have been interrupted, my ideals crushed, my expectations flattened. I am sleepless and indignant over injustice. I feel without hope because I have forgotten Your glory. I forget that You call people to serve You faithfully, and that sometimes it will feel thankless, fruitless, futile, and most of all, hard. I have forgotten that it's not about any of those things, but it is about YOU and YOUR glory.

Lord, help me see You. Help me praise You. Help me serve You. You are the King of Heaven, You have not left your throne. You are robed in glory, You are splendid, You have been and will continue to be victorious. You are God.

Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven
Henry F Lyte, public domain.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;
To his feet your tribute bring;
Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,
Evermore His praises sing;
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise the everlasting King.

Praise Him for His grace and favor
To His people in distress;
Praise Him still the same as ever,
Slow to chide, and swift to bless:
Alleluia, alleluia!
Glorious in His faithfulness.

Father like He tends and spares us;
Well our feeble frame He knows;
In His hand He gently bears us,
Rescues us from all our foes.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Widely yet His mercy flows.

Angels, help us to adore Him;
You behold Him face to face;
Sun and moon, bow down before Him,
All who dwell in time and space.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise with us the God of grace.

It's a Monday Miracle!

2010-10-11T08:34:00.003-05:00

Aaron finally let me tape him singing - and he didn't SCREAM the words, he just sang in his adorable little 4 year old voice! I love the little hop in the strangely appropriate (lyrically) place. This little boy is growing up - and I love him!! Thank you, Jesus for this gift of motherhood and for the gift described in Aaron's song.

The Gospel Song
Holy God in love became
Perfect Man to bear my blame
On the cross He took my sin
By His death I live again

Speak, O Lord

2010-10-08T14:00:00.002-05:00

If you haven't heard this one yet, check it out here. (he talks first - try starting around 50 seconds)

Speak, O Lord, as we come to You
To receive the food of Your holy word
Take Your truth, plant it deep in us
Shape and fashion us in Your likeness
That the light of Christ might be seen today
In our acts of love and our deeds of faithSpeak, O Lord, and fulfill in us
All your purposes for Your glory

Teach us Lord full obedience
Holy reverence, true humility
Test our thoughts and our attitudes
In the radiance of Your purity
Cause our faith to rise; Cause our eyes to see
Your majestic love and authority
Words of power that can never fail
Let their truth prevail over unbelief

Speak, O Lord, and renew our minds
Help us grasp the heights of Your plans for us
Truths unchanged from the dawn of time
That will echo down through eternity
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promises
And by faith we’ll walk as You walk with us
Speak, O Lord, as Your church is built
And the earth is filled with Your glory

Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

and it begins

2010-10-05T08:03:00.002-05:00

The littlest Muth is starting to assert himself. We were laughing pretty hard at Evan's little faces, but we did let him know he cannot tell us what to do.

Bedtime Routine

2010-10-05T07:51:00.002-05:00

Here's a hilarious version of our bedtime singing. Evan climbs in bed with Aaron and we do some singing before schlepping him off to his own bed. Of course, as soon as the camera came out, Aaron's singing became obnoxious! At times it sounds like he's singing harmony, ha ha. If you watch Evan, he's trying to sing along. So cute!

winner, winner....but no chicken dinner

2010-10-02T07:47:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to Marybeth! She wins a free drink of her choice - woo hoo! Thanks to all who participated in my giveaway!

Gluten Free Meatballs

2010-10-01T08:28:00.002-05:00

I tried a new recipe for our freezer yesterday - meatballs. Now, prior to being gluten free, I'd make meatballs occasionally - once every 4-5 months or so, but after, not so much. I was nervous about making meatballs without my old familiar add ins that all contained gluten.

Then I found this recipe and suddenly there was nothing I wanted MORE than meatballs, except possibly meatLOAF but I think this could be adapted. It's crazy what you miss, let me tell you.

Anyway, I followed this basic recipe, but instead of adding parsely, basil, and oregano, I added 1T of that dried minced onion, just to make it more versatile later. I baked them, and froze a bunch then Michael and I snacked on a few leftovers. I'm excited to have a quick throw together on a busy night in the future.

Cute Little Cuteness

2010-09-30T11:37:00.005-05:00

I love Etsy. LOVE it. This week I bought some salted caramel samples (made from grass-fed, organic ingredients, be still my taste buds) and a gift for a friend expecting a girl.

You've checked out Shyla's Brown Eyed Girlies shop, right? Just so happens I was over there last week to buy my friend's gift, and then again today (bought some covered hairpins for myself) and Shyla has a ton of new fun things. It's *almost* enough to make me wish I had a little girl, but I'm happy enough to have a niece to buy cute little things for!

So...do me a favor and go check this shop out, ok? If you feel that you need to purchase something, Shyla's got a deal going just for my readers - FREE SHIPPING! Woo hoo! :-) Just put "MUTH" in the message to seller and wait for the corrected invoice before you pay. What a deal, right??

As an added bonus, you'll be helping Shyla save up for her kitchen remodel, and you'll be helping me earn a discount on my next order - win/win for everyone!!

What are you still here for?? Go see the goods!!

Happy Fall Giveaway!

2010-09-27T12:32:00.003-05:00

There are few things that give me enjoyment like a really delicious hot beverage. Especially this time of year, I'm really, really happy to drink a warm, comforting beverage. Hot tea, cider, coffee, chai, cocoa - it's all fair game to me!

Have you tried a salted caramel hot cocoa, ever? *bucks is my friend on this one. Hot cocoa, with whipped cream on top, caramel drizzle, and the best part - sea salt & raw sugar garnish. Oh, salty-sweet goodness. I have had a grand total of TWO short soy versions this fall thus far. I try to limit it to shorts due to the soy content plus, you know, it's a treat. It doesn't have to be a venti treat. :-) I suppose I could take my own raw milk for *bucks to use in the drink, but that seems to be a lot of trouble. Maybe if I visited every day. But my wallet will not allow that luxury. Nor would it be a prudent use of wallet contents, even if it DID allow.

And then of course there is a double-tall soy pumpkin spice latte, which I drank this morning. Good thing, too - I needed that extra shot of expresso to get me through the fateful trip to Dollar General for some fabric softener. DISASTER!

But I digress. This past April, I registered a *bucks gift card online. If you haven't checked out the pretty sweet rewards program, you definitely need to. I benefit from free soy milk for those occasional stops - usually it costs 50 extra cents, so it is worth it just for that - but there are other benefits too! Free drink on your birthday, and free drink every time you buy 15, etc. SOOO, I want to share!

I just got my free drink postcard in the mail and want to pass it on to one of you - all you have to do is comment on this post and let me know what you would order if you could get anything from *bucks, and what your favorite thing about fall is.

I'll go ahead and pick a winner on Friday. Unfortunately, the coupon is only valid at US stores, but it doesn't expire until December 14th, so if you will be able to use this by then and you're not in the US, feel free to enter!

Kiddo Update

2010-09-24T12:01:00.002-05:00

We had a height/weight checkup for the kids the other day, and I was delighted to find that our boys are healthy and doing great! Praise the LORD for healthy kids. God is gracious to us - we are blessed indeed.

Evan had grown quite a bit in the last 6 months! At 2 years and a little bit, he's weighing in at 25lbs 4 oz and is 33 inches tall. He's really taking off in his speech and amazes me daily with his BUSY play, silliness and joking. I don't remember much about Aaron at this time - probably because I had a brand new baby which equaled sleep deprivation, and Aaron talked MUCH earlier so the progress wasn't as obvious at 2. Love our sweet-natured littlest boy!

Aaron weighs, at 4 years and a little bit, 36lbs 4 oz and is 41 inches tall - and is quite the kid. He cracks us up all the time with his facial expressions and "explanations" of things as well as his tall tales (we are working on making sure he remembers what he made up and what really happened!) He can count to 20 in English, and by 10's to 100 (thanks to a song tape), 10 in Spanish (with a little help) and is starting to grasp beginning reading concepts. We are looking forward to beginning K4 at our house in just a couple weeks! Aaron is really enjoying his second year of Cubbies and his 4 &5 year old class at Bible Study Fellowship.

What a privilege to have these two boys in our family. They teach me so much about myself (sinful) and my God (holy, just, loving, full of grace, ETC.). I'm so grateful!

a wink, a grin, and a thumbs up

2010-09-22T10:17:00.003-05:00

Today I was driving down the road and saw a perfectly good (although a tad soggy from last night's rainstorm) pallet sitting there on the side of the road waiting for big trash pickup. NORMALLY it wouldn't even cross my radar, but since a friend introduced me to Ana White and her fantastic projects, pallets have new value and worth.

The pallet I got will have to dry out in the garage for awhile, so no project for me for awhile (whew! I can decide what to make!) but the real story was in what happened while I was loading it.

I was in traffic, so I put on my emergency flashers and opened the van hatch. An older lady (probably in her 70's) was hesitant to pull around me so she waited while other cars went whizzing by. I felt pretty bad, so I was hurrying. I grabbed that pallet and stuck it in the back of the van and turned to wave at her in thanks. She grinned, winked, and gave me a thumbs up. I imagined that she was happy that I was saving something that was worth saving - who knows if that was what she was thinking or not.

Either way, it totally made my day.

Before & After

2010-09-21T06:45:00.001-05:00

I got the Facebook album done! Michael has been wanting to use our "before" pictures as a guide and take "after" photos from the same angle and position. So we did that last night after the appraiser left - probably the only time our home will be this clutter free, unfortunately. So for those of you without Facebook, here's the link to the album! Before & After

blessings!

2010-09-13T10:46:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd update on the house refinance situation. Hoping this week for an appraisal (or maybe early next week?) but all looks well on the refinancing front! We've been pre-approved pending our appraisal.

Michael and I went to the bank last week to talk to the loan officer, and it looks like we will be paying 2.2% less on our mortgage, plus losing our PMI, plus getting a new kitchen complete with new energy efficient appliances all for the same monthly payment - now, granted, we will OWE more, but our monthly costs are projected to stay the same and (hopefully) go down! I was just looking at our energy bill today and wondering how much of a difference energy efficient appliances will make.

I'm so humbled that God has led us along - we are so blessed. And when I think of how far our little house has come? WHOA. It was so sad when we bought it - and I can look around and remember how HE provided many of the materials that we've used to renovate, some from generous friends, other from jobs that Michael has been able to salvage materials from. HE has provided funds, HE has helped us to be patient in waiting for His timing. And in the past month, we've even been able to spruce up things and decorate! I am honestly moved to tears at His incredible gifts, and I couldn't wait to share with you.

I'll be uploading some way, way before pictures to Facebook soon along with the "after" pictures, but you can get an idea from this long-ago-posted slide show. I smile when I see what the "currently" in the slides looks like - four years ago! I will probably wait to do that FB album as we have a very busy week this week! Please pray for our youth group - having a special evangelistic emphasis week - pray that God would see fit to use us and the teens to reach out to others and to consider and reconsider what God's plan is for us.

BSF also starts this week - I'm so SO excited! And I have about 1/2 bushel of tomatoes and a dozen green bell peppers sitting on my dining room table waiting for me - and windows calling my name to be washed, and floors, and preparations for this week....WHEW! I've typed too long already!!

What are YOUR blessings this week?

Hello Kitty must have grown up Baptist

2010-09-08T06:38:00.002-05:00

Aaron woke early this morning, and as we sat on the sofa, snuggling, he was also playing with a Hello Kitty plush key chain that I'd picked up in college at some point and unearthed in the massive decluttering going on around here. The exchange went something like this:

A, as HK, to me: "Hey, wanna watch my dance?"
J: Sure!
(A proceeds to dance HK for a few seconds)
HK, frantic and panicked: "I can't dance! Nobody gave me any rhythm!"

Somehow, I can completely and totally identify.

Happy Wednesday, everybody!!

Kiddo Art

2010-09-03T07:06:00.010-05:00

Modern/abstract art can be tricky. On the one hand, it can look kinda (super) cool. On the other hand, sometimes you are thinking things along the lines of "Really?? Someone believed this guy was an artist???" More like I wish someone would pay me to produce art like that.

So, about 6 months ago, during one of Evan's naps, I got out my watercolors - my good ones from back when I actually made time to paint - and sat down at the table with Aaron. For the first couple of paintings, I was a mean mom and restricted him to a few colors - I had a plan - and then I let him go to town on his own once I had a few paintings I really liked.

Yesterday, I framed them in frames I found at Walm*rt for $2.50 and did a little grouping on his wall. The funniest part is that he didn't even remember painting them, but he thought they were super cool.

What's that? You wanna see them up close?? I knew it.

You know, in theory I despise Walm*rt. In nice-sounding theories, I shop only at locally owned businesses, eat only locally grown produce, and would never dream of darkening the door of any mass merchant. I love the idea of community, of cooperation, of reduction of travel-related environmental and big box economical consequences. In practice? I go there. More often than I want to admit. And I eat bananas, and pineapple, and lots of other delicious fruit and vegetables, mid winter. Not grown in Michigan, last I checked.

Really it boils down to my priorities. And right now, my priority to provide my family with a cozy place to call home and delicious food is taking over my nice-sounding theories, and that is okay for me. Honestly, I can't tell you how thrilled I am that this group of awesome paintings from a very local artist cost a grand total of $7.50, framed. Oh, BTW, I know his bed is a wreck. He is very particular about the blanket/pillow placement and I don't care enough to fix it. Posterity photos, you know.

Hopefully next week, I'll be posting pictures of our bedroom makeover, and living room spruce-up, also crafted from mass merchant goods, and costing far less than I ever could have dreamed.

When Aaron is famous, I promise to frame his art in locally crafted frames. Maybe I can even talk my resident carpenter into making them. Even better.

Clean

2010-09-03T04:32:00.004-05:00

So yesterday, our youngest had his poop escapade. Hopefully that is enough for him for LIFE. Somehow he ended up out of his crib, surrounded by blankets and poop and a very clean dry diaper. I'm not sure if he climbed out, disrobed, fell asleep, and woke up dirty, or if he woke up, climbed out, disrobed, and relieved himself. I kinda think it was the first situation, which only makes it slightly better.

Either way, we ended up calling a friend of ours from church who cleans carpets for a suggestion on how to neutralize the problem, and he ended up cleaning the carpet for us in both boys rooms. He is a total lifesaver. Well, sanity-smell-cleanliness-home appraisal saver. It was time for a cleaning regardless - off white carpet and 2 small boys do not a clean carpet make, and it has been in for at least 2 years. And the carpet was used when we put it in.

Thankfully for YOU, I didn't get before shots. But the after?? WOW. Isn't it nice???

everything's great

2010-08-25T12:48:00.004-05:00

Everything's fabulous, and I'm going crazy! (Or at least this silly picture makes me look kinda deranged. That's so you laugh.)

This summer, it seems, I've taken time off from blogging. I am hoping that as fall begins, I will get back to it, but there are no guarantees, for sure.

We have been VERY busy this summer, and we haven't gone anywhere since April. I don't know why I always look forward to summer thinking it will be a nice, uneventful time. It's not uneventful. It is nice.

Most of the summer has been spent
*playing outside when the humidity is low(ish) and enjoying my boys.
*trying to get the house ready for the big re-fi
*decorating said house, same reason
*CSA pickups and raw dairy education
*generally losing my mind
*church activities
*missing friends
*mowing the grass and picking tomatoes from the garden
*laughing with friends
*sweating
*trying to keep 2 busy boys busy in a constructive way
*endeavoring to keep up with friends
*being thankful
*reading Crazy Love
*taking pictures
*taking more pictures
*eating fresh fruit & veggies
*adventuring with my preschoolers
*praying
*postponing Evan's birthday
*washing the dishes
*sleeping
*getting great chiropractic care for an even better price
*visiting splash parks
*thinking and rethinking my thoughts about faith, theology, traditions, Relationship
*being overwhelmed by God
*falling more in love with Michael
*skype - dad in China, the Oregonian Forbes'
*sweeping the floors
*losing sleep
*saying "yes" to my kids more
*taking deep breaths
*pondering further education
*crying
*being inspired to create (like this, and even a little bit here)
*trying to make naturally fermented pickles, and failing
*baking gluten free snacks
*paying bills, lots of bills
*eating cilantro-lime rice
*saying no
*being content
*being too content
*being frustrated
*trying to relax
(in that order)
*picking blueberries
*thinking about canning salsa
*doing the laundry
*"and et cetera"

Well, you get the picture...and this list, while exhausTING is by no means exhaustive. In the next few months we will be starting a few new things - BSF, hopefully - and homeschooling a little K-4 student, who I'm sure will teach himself to read, given the opportunity. The timer will indeed be our friend.

God is giving, has given, and will continue to give us grace. I'm learning, slowly but deeply, more of Him. I'm truly overwhelmed by His goodness! I hope every one of you who still check in on occasion despite my summer silence will ponder YOUR walk with God and ask yourself when last you were truly overwhelmed with God. I want you all to feel HIM, to taste and see that HE is good. Very, very good.

the enlightened one (or so he thinks)

2010-08-18T15:07:00.003-05:00

So Aaron was talking to me today, and said, "Mom, when it turns winter and it is snowy again, maybe you will have a baby in your tummy and it will turn into a sister."

Kids. They say the funniest things.

(nope, not pregnant)

and the winnah is...

2010-08-10T06:34:00.002-05:00

Thanks to random.org, the winner is...

KAREN!!

Congratulations, Karen, and thanks to everyone who wished me a happy day and shared such funny, funny stories. Here's Karen's, in case you missed it.

For my 13th birthday, my parents let me have a sleepover. In my excitement (I'd never had one before.), I had a totally blonde moment when the cake came out.

It was lovely--a 13x9 with cream frosting and decorated with a lovely semi-circle fan on it. Embarrassed for the baker, I sheepishly informed her that... "It's spelled wrong!"

It read, "FANally a teenager!"

Ah, adolescence. I had several of those moments, and sadly, the worst was in college. I am still too embarrassed to share THAT moment. Oh, boy.

I did have a fantastic birthday, with a fun chiropractor/dinner/shopping date with my honey and lots of love and hugs from my family. I am very, very blessed to celebrate another year.

Karen wins...
*A $5 gift card to....Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors!
*a 3-pack of Pampered Chef Paring Knives!
*a coupon for a 31% discount on any one Pampered Chef product! (coupon is only good with me), if she should choose to use it
*a SURPRISE!

As a sort-of consolation prize, I'd be very happy to send a recipe card to whomever requests one - just email me your address and I'll send you a surprise recipe from Pampered Chef. I will also be happy to offer 10% off your order and free shipping to anyone (in the US) who commented on the birthday post, and who orders before August 15th. It's no birthday surprise package, but if you were already thinking about ordering something, it might be a little bonus for you. (just email your order to me directly and let me know if you need a catalog or a link to shop online)

Thanks again for sharing the love on my birthday. (oh, and Alicia - here's the reprise - the corrected version, thanks to you - I've been singing it wrong for years!) Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' alive, stayin' alive!

it's still hard.

2010-08-04T19:27:00.002-05:00

Today, no one in my family passed away.
No one was seriously injured.
No one had to have chemotherapy, kidney dialysis, or a transplant.
No one received a difficult diagnosis.
We are able to pay our bills this month; Michael has a job.
There is food in our refrigerator, pantry, deep freezer.
We have a beautiful home to live in.
I am in love with my husband, and he loves me.
I have two gorgeous, bright, curious children.
We are not oppressed, abused, or threatened for our faith.
We have freedom to live, to love, to worship.
There is much to be thankful for.

But it was still a hard day for me.

And it's okay for me to struggle with that. It's okay for my small trials to remind me of God's Big Grace. It's okay for me to fail and get back up, and it's okay to revel in God's love for me in spite of my failures. It's okay for me to admit that I am blessed and that I still struggle. I know I am not alone. I know I am human.

God is so good to me, so beyond words. Sometimes I taste His goodness in the form of blessings and selfishly want more sunshine, more happiness, more ease. Instead, I pray that no matter how my day goes, or what small or large trial comes my way, I would truly desire God's glory above my comfort. I've been singing this song today.

AS LONG AS YOU ARE GLORIFIED
Words and Music byMark Altrogge

Shall I take from Your hand Your blessings
Yet not welcome any pain
Shall I thank You for days of sunshine
Yet grumble in days of rain
Shall I love You in times of plenty
Then leave You in days of drought
Shall I trust when I reap a harvest
But when winter winds blow, then doubt

Oh let Your will be done in me
In Your love I will abide
Oh I long for nothing else as long
As You are glorified

Are You good only when I prosper
And true only when I’m filled
Are You King only when I’m carefree
And God only when I’m well
You are good when I’m poor and needy
You are true when I’m parched and dry
You still reign in the deepest valley
You’re still God in the darkest night

Happy Birthday to meeeee! (a giveaway)

2010-08-02T08:05:00.003-05:00

It's my birthday, something I like to celebrate because I am so thankful to be alive. I'm not sure when or why people started to get embarrassed about their age -it doesn't make any sense to me! With age comes so many benefits (and the sad reality of having much less energy you can fully appreciate when you have it, let's say at the age of, oh, FOUR or so) and there are so many blessings that come with each year, I say...there's always room for another party!!

This year's virutal cake is definitely going to be gluten free, and I daresay if you haven't tried a gluten free cake recently, it's about time you did. So pull up a seat and slice some flourless cake from this delicious chocolate creation. It is totally fat and calorie free, so make it a big slice. It is not, however, dairy free. Good thing it's virtual. (Click the photo if you want the actual recipe)

I *love* doing giveaways on birthdays. In fact, I love giving things away in general, so my birthday just provides an excellent excuse. Here is what I'm giving away this year (drumroll, please) because I'm so happy to be 31.

*A $5 gift card to....Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors (we can make other arrangements if you live somewhere that 31 Flavors does not, or if you are dairy intolerant)!
*a 3-pack of Pampered Chef Paring Knives (one for every decade)
*a coupon for a 31% discount on any one Pampered Chef product (coupon is only good with me), if you should choose to use it
*a SURPRISE! (because I love surprises)

This giveaway is open to anyone with a US address! To enter the giveaway, just leave a birthday memory or just a "Happy Birthday" but who doesn't love those funny/awkward preteen birthday stories! (you can leave a comment even if you don't want to win the giveaway, just mention that!) The giveaway will be open until NEXT Monday, August 9th. I'll draw a winner and let you know on Tuesday who wins!

Now let's get this party started!!! (anyone know where that disco ball went??) Oooh, oooh, ooh, ooh. . .stayin' alive, stayin' alive!

Wow.

2010-07-30T07:59:00.003-05:00

SO, we have been getting some pretty great news lately, which is always nice!

Yesterday, Michael (who has had a looooong history with back pain) had an appointment with my nutritionist who is also a chiropractor. We have been looking for a chiropractor who does soft tissue work as a part of the adjustment. Not only did she do a great job with the adjustment, we found out that she has a Family Wellness Plan for those people whose insurance will not cover chiropractic care. What does this mean?

Well, our entire family can go to see her as often as we need to for a flat rate. The price is $140 for every 30 days. One visit for adjustments costs $40. Michael's new patient appt and adjustment would have been $100. This is a no brainer. And a special blessing from God. We are praying that, with continual care, we can see some real improvement for Michael - and the rest of us! (and what a deal for the next time I am pregnant and need the chiropractor every week! This is NOT an announcement. I just am thinking about our expense with chiropractic care during my last pregnancy)

Our next appointment is Monday - my birthday! So we will be heading to Bay City for adjustments and then going out to eat. How fun! I think we are definitely getting older when I'm thrilled to bits about getting an adjustment on my birthday! Ha!! Hey, I love my life, so why shouldn't I let everyone know?! If you think I'm a fuddy duddy then you just can think that. I'm having a great time!

Speaking of birthdays, you will definitely want to come back on Monday. I've been thinking of ways to celebrate my THIRTY FIRST birthday, and you will definitely have a chance to win something fabulous.

Because, as you may not know, being 31 is definitely going to be fabulous. (It's a prime number, after all.)

Nothing but Trouble.

2010-07-30T06:16:00.000-05:00

Here are a few reasons that we've been AWOL on the blog this summer. We've been having fun with our two littlest troublemakers. It's so much fun!!

Blessings!

2010-07-19T09:14:00.004-05:00

We haven't had a Works of God Monday around here in quite some time. I'd say I'm taking the summer off, but really, I've been lazy and busy...not usually on the same day, although that does happen.

So, here are some blessings! Feel free to link up your blessings this week as well, or mention them in the comment section.

1. Our far-away friends are in our time zone, and better yet, in our TOWN! We've already had some great times catching up and laughing together

2. Garage sale finds. This summer has been packed with great deals on books - especially those consumable books like paint-with-water that are super hard to find in the stores. I also love paying 25 cents rather than full price!

3. Birthdays in the works. It's 12 days until my oldest turns 4 (GASP) and my mom found the perfect cake accessories. Aaron has requested an ORANGE cake, so that should be fun. :-) My birthday is the 2nd, Evan turns 2 a short 13 days later, so it's going to be a month of birthdays.

4. My mom. She's been overworked and underpaid as grandma and mom extraordinaire this summer. I'm positive that she's saved me from a total nervous breakdown several times.

5. God's provision. All the time, He is good to us. He knows what we need, and when I fail to trust Him, He reminds me anyway of how faithful He is. Praise God!

6. Continued successes with my physical health! Hurray!

And finally, summer time brings fun prize winning opportunities (shameless plug alert) Please Vote for Evan (You have to "Like" Wojo Photography first). I can win a free photo session!

if I'd learned math this way...

2010-07-17T16:30:00.003-05:00

So it's no secret that I barely squeaked by in Algebra II. I did not understand Geometry, either. My math teacher was frustrated, and so was I. I'm sure he was more frustrated.

But I do use math. It's when I first realized that there really are practical uses for it that really mattered to me that I started connecting the dots - that I could use this info. (duh)

So for all you creative math teachers out there who help your students understand that math is indeed practical and is not, in fact, just another class which gives them excruciating headaches, this one's for you.

I have a recipe for iced coffee that calls for 1/3 cup of coffee grinds and 1 1/2 cups water. I happened to have 1/2 cup of grinds. How much water would I need? I figured it out! 2 1/4 cups.

Story problems about trains going different miles per hour don't cut it, nor do people with fictional names. Give me a recipe for ICED COFFEE and results I can drink on a hot summer day, and I'll gladly do the math.

Happy Saturday!

for what?

2010-07-15T13:20:00.003-05:00

I am pretty upset right now. Some might say I have good reason to be, but I am slowly calming down.

Health insurance. I hate it, and I love it. Generally speaking, we are pretty healthy, but who wants to be surprised with an illness or injury that takes us out financially for years to come? Not me. So we had a generic plan, with dental coverage as well for my genetically horrid teeth. The rates kept rising, so we decided to make a switch. Eventually we are hoping to switch to an HSA policy, but until we can get our savings built up, we found a traditional coverage plan that will do.

Today I got a letter explaining to me that my rate was going to be 30% higher than quoted. I called. Reason? C-section.

Why am I upset?
1. the policy doesn't cover maternity care.
2. the c-section was unnecessary, definitely, without a doubt, unnecessary.
3. there are no means to appeal except to find medical documentation that it didn't happen.
4. there are no breaks for my VBAC status.
5. THE POLICY DOESN'T COVER MATERNITY CARE!
6. I feel like the c-section keeps costing me. It cost me initially in ways financial and other, but here we are 4 years later and it is STILL costing.

Now, before you express concern over my current state of frustration, I DO know that God is sovereign and He knows about this. He will provide (and has!) for all our needs. He keeps His promises, all the time. I'm disappointed that the money we thought we'd be saving by switching policies just went away because of a doctor's decision based on who knows what. So all the hassle ended up being for nothing.

I do feel that there is injustice here. I think that is why I'm upset. I can see why people sue doctors - not that I am going to, I can just see why. Poor decisions by doctors end up costing in so many unexpected ways.

So here's another reason to avoid a c-section if it is at ALL possible, especially if you will ever have to pay your own health insurance. It will cost more every month.

Incidentally, about the lawsuits. Does anyone else think the reason health care costs are through the roof ridiculous is due in part to those lawyers whose commercials urge you to sue for health care mistakes? And then the insurance required to keep doctors "covered" if a lawsuit is ever filed against them? Oh, for simpler days...no really, more like - oh, for heaven and home!

Kinda Like Qdoba Shredded Pork

2010-07-13T12:58:00.003-05:00

Pork loin unexpectedly went on sale, so with our cilantro-lime rice and pinto beans, we had this delicious addition.

1/2 boneless pork loin roast
1 small onion or a few green onions
1/2 jar of mild banana pepper rings
1 8-oz can mild green chilies
1/3 4-oz can (or more if you like spicy, less if you're really bland) jalepeno peppers
1 T salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Rub 1/2 pork loin with salt and garlic powder. Slice onion very thin, place in bottom of crock pot. Put rubbed meat on top, add the peppers. Cook on high for 2 hours, then reduce to low and cook for a minimum of 6 total hours. The longer, the better. Shred, and devour. Makes tons but it doesn't last long.

YUMMY!

life's little snafus

2010-06-30T13:16:00.003-05:00

Please pray! The car that Michael has been using to get to and from work (my first car, ever, boo hoo hoo) has finally bit the dust. Would you pray that God would provide just the right vehicle for us? We don't always need 2 vehicles, but there are days when it is somewhat necessary. We'd like to find a vehicle that is reliable and inexpensive, and our budget is stretched pretty maximally now. I know God will provide, but would you pray with us to that end?

Thanks!

yipee!

2010-06-30T12:02:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I made a trade with the last two produce shareholders for a 1/2 pint of jam for their quart of berries. I was delighted, and for some reason they were too.

So I've got another batch of jam going. This time, I added the last of last season's blueberries, thawed in the fridge overnight. I am out of applesauce, so this one will be straight-up strawberry-blueberry. I've only added 1/4 cup of sugar to this batch, much to my delight.

Then, this morning my mom & dad gifted us with the last of last year's raspberries, so I'll make some jam and give some back to them - I may even make some raspberry-rhubarb, although that will take some sugar!!!

Thank you, Lord, for a beautiful cool day to make jam, lots of jars, and lots of fruit for free!!

Random and Unrelated

2010-06-29T15:04:00.004-05:00

Happy Tuesday! It's been way too long since I blogged - thirteen days, to be exact. A lot has happened, and yet, not much.

1. We're 3 weeks into our Community Supported Agriculture group (CSA) and I've thoroughly enjoyed my drive of solace every Tuesday morning. I've been thrilled with the produce, too.

2. I have a kidney infection that, in hindsight, has been around for about 2 weeks. The side effects for the antibiotic they put me on are scary. It's the same drug they use to slow the onset of anthrax. The doctor hopes to get me off this one to something more specific once he knows what type of bacteria got me into this mess. So, I also can't nurse Evan while I'm on it. We were down to once at bedtime, but it appears that most likely this will be the end of that. Mixed feelings, a little sad since I didn't really know it was coming, but ultimately it will be good. He's 22 months.

3. I made jam today. I started with a quart and a half of strawberries, and was going to make a small batch for the fridge, but things kind of got out of hand and before I knew it, I was dragging out the supplies. I ended up pureeing them (thanks, Carrie, for that great idea!) and adding pureed raspberries and about a cup of applesauce and making spreadable fruit. Well, it was going to be sweetened only with fruit juice concentrate, but it was a little tart. So the whole batch has only 1 cup of sugar, which isn't bad, considering. I ended up with 8 1/2 pint jars, for about $3 - not bad at all! (I had a lot of the items on hand) and it turned out pretty great. I was surprised!

StrawRazApple Jam

3 cups strawberry puree
6 oz box raspberries, pureed.
enough unsweetened applesauce to make the whole batch 5 cups
1 cup 100% juice white grape raspberry concentrate (thawed, from the can, do not dilute)
1 scant cup sugar (optional - you could use stevia if you wanted, or nothing if your berries were sweet enough, but tasted it and chose to use sugar)
1 box no-sugar needed pectin
jars and lids

Puree fruit, stir in applesauce, concentrate, and gradually add pectin. Bring to a boil, add sugar, return to a boil, stirring constantly. Ladle into jars and process, or try the inversion method, or store in the fridge and use it up fast. This is an adaption of a recipe from the Ball brand no-sugar pectin. It said it would yield 6 8-oz jars but I got 8 full ones.

4. I love my husband. A lot. That has not changed since last I blogged.

5. My parents are so sweet. They came over this morning to watch the boys and when I got back the yard was mowed, the clean clothes were folded, my mudroom was straightened, and more. They have always been great parents. This also has not changed since my last post.

6. (and final) after a sticky, humid and hot several weeks in a row, today is the perfect day. 68 degrees, sunny, low humidity. It's perfection. This has been a great weather day!

Breathe in, breathe out.

2010-06-16T14:41:00.002-05:00

Whew! it feels like I'm running a marathon this week.

Crazy Monday
CSA Tuesday
Crazy Wednesday
VBS Thursday...

I need a vacation! (or a very, very long nap and the ability to say NO)

I'll be back, eventually.

Fun on Friday, week 2

2010-06-11T13:26:00.003-05:00

This morning I got a call from my friend Michelle, reminding me that it was Friday Story Time at the Children's Garden in Dow Gardens. I'm trying to keep us all out of the house a little more, so I quickly finished the project I was in the middle of while the boys finished up breakfast and watched a quick cartoon (to keep things moving!)

So anyway, we did meet her there, briefly - basically just said hello to each other - the boys and I were too late for story time, but there was lots of fun still to be had. We only stayed about 40 minutes, but Aaron & Evan sure had fun playing in the bubble tables! Here's to many more fun Fridays at Dow Gardens!!

ohhhh, wow.

2010-06-09T13:17:00.004-05:00

Does anyone else have a temper-tantrum-thrower? Mine is almost 4, and will throw a big old tantrum at least once per week. I just got off the phone with my mom and she said she doesn't remember us throwing tantrums. Wow, and I would have pegged myself as a many-tantrum child, but I guess not.

I know what I do, how I handle it - not always well, not always effectively, but I am relatively consistent. But I'm curious - how do YOU handle tantrums, full out tantrums in a public place? Key thought there - public place!!! (ours are handled somewhat the same in public and in private, btw)

I want to clarify - the tantrums are bothering me less but that is more because of my outlook, and some godly counsel from some awesome women of God, and most of all - THE HOLY SPIRIT!!! But they are very concerning for me. I so want my children to understand the heart of God and true repentance.

So, please share. I'm endeavoring to be a student of your parenting skills!