Posted in Homemaking

I love to take a long bath.  In our house we say, "I'm going to go soak in the tub!"  I take a book, and a caffeine-free diet soda and crawl in among the bubbles to soak until my skin wrinkles.  So, when I got a package from Virginia Soaps and Scents, I was tha-rilled!  I received this package of soaps and a laundry soap kit in exchange for my review here on this blog.  I've got to tell you.  Even the box smelled good!

First of all I loved the packaging.  It was simple, and country.  The soaps have a little Vss stamp/brand on them and their shape, along with this brand is very charming.  This is not a square or rectangular bar of soap.  Three sides are straight with the top showing how the soap was mounded into the mold.  My soap sampler had three soaps, and a shampoo bar in it.  The soaps I received were smaller than the normal bar you would buy on their website, but even with the smaller size, I find them to be very long lasting.  One bar has lasted me almost a month!  More on that in a bit.

In my sampler bag, I received one bar of Fresh Orange, one bar of Oatmeal, Milk and Honey, and one bar of Coconut Lemongrass.  I used the Fresh Orange bar first.  The first night I used it in the shower, my husband called out from our living room (remember from this entry, we have a small house), "I can smell it out here!"  That was definitely a good sign.  I tried using this soap without using a wash rag, since I usually use a shower gel and a bath-pouf.  I didn't find there was too much lather when used  it without a wash cloth.  So, I got out the lacy cotton wash cloth I had crocheted several months ago and used it the next time I used the soap.  WOW!  Now I had lather to spare.  It was luxurious.  One problem I did have was with the bar getting kind of mushy if I didn't have it in a well-drained soap dish.  They actually talk about this on the web site and Virginia Soaps and Scents sells a beautiful handmade soap dish for $2.50 that will solve this problem.  When you go to the website, click on Products at the top center of the page, and then soaps from the drop-down menu.  At the very bottom of the soaps page, you will find the soap dish.  I'll need to order one of those.  I am currently using the Oatmeal, Milk and Honey bar and I love it even more than the Fresh Orange.  It is really wonderful and I want it to last forever.  I have yet to try the Coconut Lemongrass, but I'm sure it will be great.  The first bar I will order (after the shampoo bar) will be the Oatmeal, Milk, and Honey bar based on what I've tried.  The regular (not gourmet or Christmas) soaps sell for $4.50 for a large 4.5 oz bar.  If you buy three bars, the price is $12.00, but buy 4 bars and you get the fifth bar free.  They now are also offering a 10-bar purchase for $35.

And now, the shampoo bar...ah the shampoo bar.  I have very dry, naturally curly hair.  I mean VERY dry hair.  I usually only wash my hair once a week, and even then, it is dry most days.  I was really scared to try this shampoo bar.  But, I gave it a shot.  What I found was that it only took a little rub on my hair to get a full lather.  I washed and rinsed twice.  My hair felt clean, but not too dry.  I did use conditioner, but I ALWAYS have to use conditioner, so that is nothing new.  I promptly wrapped up this bar and put it away so the boys and Big Dog don't find it...this is too good for yucky old boys!  I'm keeping this shampoo bar all to myself!  I loved it.  I loved the way my hair felt afterward.  I had a really good hair day after using this shampoo and that's hard to come by when your hair is dry/frizzy naturally curly.  You can buy one 5.5 oz shampoo bar for $5.50 or get two for $10.  They have three scents for the shampoo bars (mine was ginger lime) and they also have an oily-hair clarifying formula which I'll never have to buy.

There are more products than I can tell you about on this post tonight.  Please go to the Virginia Soaps and Scents website and click the Products button at the top of the screen.  Definitely look at the Gourmet Soaps.  They look fantastic!  I'm also really interested in the Pet Shampoo bar (called Pet Poo).  I have two little itchy dogs who would much appreciate a good soap to help in that area.

Finally, I received a laundry soap kit...  The kit I received retails for $4.95.  If you try the kit and like it, you can buy their cleaning bar for $3.95 and follow the recipe on their website to make your own.  In the package, the first line to the crew members said that what we were holding was NOT curriculum.  I have to tell you, I used the laundry soap kit in our little homeschool.  The boys and I followed the recipe and mixed up the batch of laundry soap and stirred it while it cooled as directed.  So it was a little like curriculum.  I was a bit skeptical because years ago I tried a homemade laundry soap that was floating around the internet homeschool community and I found it didn't really get the boys clothes clean.  Today was the true test.  The boys cleaned their room and I had 2 loads of laundry to do from their bedroom floor!  I know.  I know.  Shameful.  ANYWAY, the first thing I noticed is that the laundry soap doesn't stick to the measuring cup like store-bought liquid does.  When I took the wet laundry out of the washer, the next thing I noticed was the smell.  The clothes had a fresh-clean smell.  It's hard to describe, but it's not the perfumy smell you get from store bought detergents.  It's a really clean smell.  All-in-all, I'm impressed.  The soap works well and one batch has made a good amount considering you only have to use 1/2  a cup per load.  The bar is a good value for the money because it makes a much larger batch than what the kit contains.

Do you want to know the age range for Virginia Soaps and Scents?  Well, in my house, it's female adults-only.  But you might not be nearly as selfish as I am when it comes to bath products.  So, in your house, these products may work for all ages.  Actually, Virginia Soaps and Scents offers soaps just for children, like the kiddiwink all-in-one bar here.  And there are a lot of scents that would appeal to men, as well as a man's shaving soap.

If you would like to contact Virginia Soaps and Scents, go to this page for more information.  To read the other reviews of my fellow crew-members, check out the crew website  I give Virginia Soaps and Scents an A+++.  This was a fun product to review and I will become a regular customer.  You should too.

Posted in Homemaking

I had a revelation this week.  Wait, let's back up a bit.  A little over a month ago I got a job.  I'm working from home, but I need to work 20 hours a week.  When I took the position I thought this would be a piece of cake.  It has been a challenge, however, to find 20 hours in a week!  Some days have found me crying out to God about how to fit everything into a day!  One way I've been trying to fit more in is by getting up a little earlier each day and working before the boys are out of bed.  I can get about 2 hours of work in before the boys are really up and moving about. 

But our homeschool has sufferend.  I haven't really been taking the time to prepare and plan, so we fly by the seat of our pants and some days we weren't getting too much accomplished.  This week, I didn't get any planning time over the weekend, so instead of working on Monday morning I planned our lessons for the week.  So far, it's been going so well.  The old addage is true, "Those who fail to plan, plan to fail." 

But still, I was not getting some of the routine housework and my devotions completed every day.  Here comes the revelation.  Each morning, after breakfast, I tell the boys, "Chores and morning routine."  They each have 3 daily chores, plus they must brush their teeth, have devotions and write in their gratitude journals.  It was like a clap of thunder when it hit me...I can do my chores and read my bible when they do!  Usually I was preparing lessons materials, printing pages, or getting out books, while they were doing chores and morning routine, but since lessons are already planned, I can take the time while they're doing chores to sweep the kitchen and living room and throw in a load of laundry (my daily chores).  While the boys are reading their bible and journalling, I can read my bible and journal.  And yes, I am brushing my teeth when they do in the morning, too!  Oftentimes, the boys are done with devotions before me but they know what lessons to start when they're finished so that I can finish my devotions.

Ok, so now you've lost all respect for me.  You're saying, "Oh please...this is a revelation?!?  Come on!"  I remember being told at my baby shower, "Sleep when the baby sleeps."  It's that same principle, isn't it?  But I gotta tell you, this has revolutionized my day.  I feel great, and I had to share! 

Posted in Homemaking

The other day I was talking to the Big Dog and I said, "You'd be amazed by the number of things I get done in a day."  Then he said something revolutionary.  He said, "You should write down everything you do for one day.  It would be great to see." 

First, I was thinking about how long that list would be if I really went into detail.  Instead of "Made lunch."  I could write, "Boiled hot dogs.  Dished potato salad.  Poured 3 glasses of milk."  This would be quite a long and detailed list.

But, the more I thought about this list of things I've done, the more I realized there would be a much deeper reward to listing the things I've done in a day.  Are you ever overwhelmed by your To Do list?  I am.  I pray over what I need to do and I make a list, but invariably, that list is rarely completed by the time I lay down at night.  So, I start the next day with a list already started that I add to as the day progresses.  In other words, I begin the day "behind the eightball" many days.  This can be overwhelming.  I also have a master "to do" list that I keep in my organizer.  It seems that no matter how much I do in a day, I rarely cross very much off that list.  All of these To Do lists can leave me feeling as though I don't accomplish much.  As I mentioned earlier, it's overwhelming.

So, as I thought about the "Did List"  I realized that every now and then, it would be nice to look at a list of the things I DID accomplish.  This list would be an encourager, not a discourager.  Writing a did list could give me the sense of accomplishment I seek from crossing off items on my To do list.

So, below is my "Did List" for today.  Why don't you try one of your own?

Completed a chapter of my bible study.

Made breakfast.

Did two loads of laundry.

Played Monopoly, Scrabble, two games of Scrabble Scramble, Mancala, Mr. Big Mouth, WWE board game, and two games of ASAP.

Made popcorn for afternoon snack.

Made lunch.

Made supper.

Swiffered the kitchen.

Made the bed.

Straightened the bedroom.

Emtied the filing cabinet.

Answered emails.

Left a facebook birthday greeting for my neice.

Talked to my mother on the telephone.

Wrote a note to a sick friend.

Wrote a letter to my neice in MN.

Wrote a letter to my MIL in MN.

Wrote this blog.

checked the moneysavingmom blog.

Scooped icecream.

Showered.

Did my hair.

Got dressed.

Got out steaks to defrost for supper.

Wound some blue jersey strips into a ball.

Loaded the dishwasher.

Finished a magazine.

Read a magazine article to my boys about decluttering.

Sorted the mail.

Posted in Homemaking

On Wednesday, we had our yearly homeschool evaluations and our youngest, T-bone, was tested. (required in the state of PA at 3rd, 5th, and 8th grade)  So, to celebrate, we took Thursday and Friday off of lessons.  On Thursday, I spent the day clipping and organizing coupons.  When that tast was complete, I scoured the sale papers and any notices on www.moneysavingmom.com to find the best bargains.  Thursday night the Big Dog and I did the shopping at our local grocery stores. (and squeezed in a mini-date of a cup of coffee at McDonald's!)  I did pretty well, spending about $120 and saving more than $40 with coupons.

Then, on Friday the boys and I headed out of town to hit Wal*Mart, Target and CVS.  Here is a picture of everything I got for free.

You are looking at two bags of IAM's kitten food ($4.97 each at Wal*Mart, I used 2-$5 coupons); four Johnson's buddies soaps ($.97 each, I used 2-$1 off any Johnson's products and 1-$2 off any Johnson's Buddies product); 2 bags of Shick disposable razors ($1.97 at Wal*Mart, I used 2-$2 off coupons) 2 packages of Reach floss ($1 each, used 2-$1 off coupons); 2 zone bars (I had 2 buy one get one free coupons); and one bottle of cascade rinse agent for the dishwasher (I had a free coupon from the Homemade Simple coupon book).

Not bad right?  But wait!  There's more!

THIS is what I got at CVS for free!  The Colgate toothpaste cost $2.99 but you got $2.99 in ECBs at the end of the transaction.  The razor was $6.99, I had a $2 coupon, bringing it down to $4.99.  The deodorant was $2.99 each and I had a coupon for $1 off of 2.  SO, I went to the checkout with my coupons and my merchandise.  I checked out and used $13 in ECBs from prior purchases.  My total bill?  $0.00!  Woo Hoo!  But that's not the best part.  The best part is that everything I purchased gave me more ECBs.  So when I go back to CVS, I'll use the $10 ECBs that I earned today towards another purchase.

It was a pretty good day.  And then we got home and I found two samples and a free magazine in the mail.  In the "every little bit helps" category, these will come in handy.  Also, the popcorn sample came with a coupon book.  Nothing better than more savings!  I use www.moneysavingmom.com to find many of the freebies and samples I request.  Check them out today!

Posted in Homemaking

One of my favorite blogs (other than mine and my sons' blogs!) is www.moneysavingmom.com  I get SO many great coupons, bargains, freebies, and ideas from this site.  One idea that has been tickling my brain recently is "baking day."  The blog owner (Crystal Paine) occassionally blogs about taking one day to bake and cook several items.  This helps to stock your freezer and store up meals for those times when you need something quick.

I had just such a need last week when we invited a family home after church for a meal.  I had a very simple lunch in the crock pot, but felt that to have someone over for a meal I needed to add to that.  I was wishing that I had something for dessert in my freezer, but I did not have anything in the freezer for dessert!

Several days ago our neighbor called and asked me to make her some fudge.  I had sent over some goodies at Christmas-time and she must have enjoyed the peanutbutter fudge.  So, I got the final ingredients yesterday and I planned on making the fudge for her this afternoon after we returned from church and had our lunch.

When I got into the kitchen, I figured, while I'm making the fudge I might as well get a few other things made.  So I pulled out the recipe for fudge, as well as one I recently printed for crock-pot granola.  I found this at Molly Green's econobusters blog:  www.econobusters.com  This is an experiment for me, so I'm not sure how it will taste.  I put the ingredients in the crock pot for granola and set it while working on some other things.

I then moved on to Boston Cream Cupcakes that I recently found in a magazine.  I can't remember which magazine because it was given to me.  I cut out the recipe to use and threw away the mag.  Basically, you make a yellow cake mix and bake them as cupcakes.  Then, while those are baking, you mix up a batch of instant vanilla pudding and make chocolate frosting (you could even used canned).  When the cupcakes are cooled, you use a piping tip and a bag to pipe the pudding into the cupcakes.  (tip:  be generous with the pudding filling!)  Then frost the cupcakes with the chocolate frosting and voila!  I decadent treat indeed!

Finally, I used some cereal that was given to us to make cereal treats.  You know the marshmallow treats that are named after a certain kind of cereal?  Well, I make them with ALL kinds of cereals.  In today's case, we were given some cereal and no one really likes it at our house.  So, in an effort to not let ANYTHING go to waste, I'm trying to use the cereal in other ways.  Today, I put a bag of mini-marshmallows and a stick of butter into the microwave.  I microwaved it for 30 seconds, then stirred, until the marshmallows were completely incorporated with the butter.  Then I threw 5 cups of cereal into the mixture and pressed it into a sprayed 5" baking dish.  After it cooled, we had another yummy treat!

Now, I did say that this was a MINI-baking day.  So, I stopped there and spent the rest of the afternoon in the living room.  Tonight, my crock-pot granola is really browning, and the boys delivered the fudge to our neighbor.  We had cupcakes for supper, and all is right with the world.

Posted in Homemaking

Over a year ago I lost a recipe.  This was a recipe given to me at a restaurant that is no longer in business in Lancaster County PA.  I was preparing to make it as part of my bi-weekly menu planning.  I had pulled the recipe out of my card file.  And then...it was gone!  I couldn't find it anywhere!  Since then I have been searching for that recipe.  I looked on-line to no avail.  I called relatives. (I thought my mom and sister were with me when I got this recipe)  They didn't remember this recipe at all.

Today, I tackled one of the items on my four-page to do list.  I cleaned out the desk apprentice.  We have a wonderful organizer for paper and school supplies called the "Desk Apprentice."  It sits in an honored place in the corner of the kitchen right by the table where we do most of our work.  But, as most things in our kitchen, it became a dumping ground.  My organizer was in desperate need of organizing.  So I completely emptied it onto the kitchen table.  As I got to the bottom of the organizer guess what I found?  MY RECIPE!  Yippee!  Praise God!

Now, in order that I never lose this recipe again.  I am going to record it here for all posterity.  Please try it.  It is the most delicious soup.  And now, if I lose my card again...I can find it in my blog!

Chicken Corn Soup

from The Family Style Restaurant

Lancaster, PA

1 lb chicken breast

1 quart water

4 chicken bouillon

1/2 C diced celery

1/2 C. diced onions

1/2 tsp. white pepper

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. celery seed

1-16 oz can whole kernel corn

2-16 oz cans creamed corn

1-103/4 oz can cream of celery soup

Dough Balls:

1 C flour

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking powder

In large pot, place chicken, 4 bouillon cubes and 1 qt of water.  Bring to a boil and simmer 1 hour or till chicken is done.  Remove chicken from pot, pick chicken from the bone and discard bones and skin.  Dice the meat and return it to the pot.

Add remaining soup ingredients and simmer approximately 15 minutes till celery and onions are tneder.

Mix dough balls by combining flour, egg, salt, and baking powder in a bowl.  Mix thoroughly.  Sift the mixture through your hand into the soup and continue to stir.  Simmer for about 15 minutes stirring occasionally.  now your soup is ready to serve.

Makes approximately 3 quarts or 12 cups.

Posted in Homemaking

I just had the greatest time at the grocery store today!  Last Spring I attended Cindy Rushton's Ultimate Homeschool Seminar.  One of the seminars was on saving money at the grocery store.  It was given by Crystal Paine.  Since then, I have frequented her website/blog www.monesavingmom.com to learn more about using coupons wisely.  I've also learned how to CVS.  Yep, it's a verb.  I enjoy CVSing!  But that's for another entry.

Today, I went to a local grocery store with coupons in hand.  I spend Sunday afternoon clipping most of the coupons out of the Sunday paper.  We buy two papers on Sunday.  Then I go through the sale papers for the two major supermarkets in our area.  I list the items on sale that week at each particular store and then I pull out my coupons and figure out the price of the items after sale and coupons.  I don't buy everything that's on sale and for which I have a coupon.  I try to stick to the bargains.  I have a little notebook for all of my shopping lists.  I have a page for each store and I write my grocery list by writing the items I wish to buy per store.

Well, today I had a discount I could use at one local grocery store.  I had accumulated enough points through prior purchases to receive 10% off my total order.  Also, for this store, there was a coupon on the front of the paper for $5 off a purchase of $50.  One other reason I was shopping at this store was that I could get a turkey for 37 cents a pound if I made a $25 purchase.  So, with all of that being said...here's what I got for $51.71.  I think I did pretty great!!!

Want the list?  For $51.71 I got:  1 large bottle of extra virgin olive oil, 1 sm. bottle of reg. olive oil, 1 dozen eggs, 2 boxes soft pretzels filled with mozz. cheese, 2 containers of cool whip, 1 spreadable butter, 1 bag frozen corn with butter sauce, 2 tubes of crescent rolls, 1 bag decaf coffee, 1 large bag of rice, 1 tub of buttery spread, 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 2 cans cream of mushroom soup, 1 22-pound turkey, 4 bags of salad croutons, 2 gallons of skim milk, 1 bag frozen vegetables in cheese sauce, 4 rolls of toilet paper, 6 boxes of pudding, 4 cans tropical fruit salad! 

Posted in Homemaking

Well, it's not Wednesday (Wednesday is oatmeal day at our house), but I've got another oatmeal recipe for you!  I wrote in another post that oatmeal is NOT my youngest son's favorite breakfast.  But, in the interest of frugal feedings, we have oatmeal every Wednesday morning.

I've tried several things.  We had an oatmeal bar one Wednesday.  A few weeks ago I made a delicious peanutbutter cookie oatmeal that we all loved.  That recipe is still my favorite to date.

But last Wednesday I also made a really good one.  The recipe is simple.  Instead of using water to cook the oatmeal, use apple juice.  We were given a bottle of natural apple juice that the boys don't really enjoy drinking.  So, I used it to make oatmeal.  I added brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract and it tasted like apple cobbler!

Try it...you'll like it!

Posted in Homemaking

The boys and I were visiting friends for the afternoon.  I wanted to leave by a certain time so that I was home in time to start supper and great the Big Dog when he came through the door.  I knew that when my girlfriend and I started talking I would lose track of all time, so I set the alarm on my watch.  When the time came for me to collect the boys and head home, my little clip on watch began to chime and I said, "Time to go!"  Well, my girlfriend could not get over it!  She made fun of me and was silly about how I set a timer to get out of her house on time.

I wasn't offended by her silliness at all.  I was confident in the fact that I was using the tools available to me.  I use timers all the time.  When the boys are arguing over a toy, the computer, or a video game, we set a timer.  When the timer rings, it's time to switch!

This summer, we watched one of my boys' friends.  This little guy has Juvenille Diabetes.  Because of the JD he had to eat at specific times of the day.  I had to count his carbohydrates at lunch, so preparing the meal was a little time consuming.  I was concerned that I might get lost in an activity and not give myself enough time to plan lunch.  I also needed to give him an afternoon snack at a specific time in order to keep his blood sugars regulated.   We would often take outtings in the afternoon, so I wanted to make sure I could remember his snack-time.  I set two alarms on my cell-phone.  One rang 5 minutes before lunch.  The other rang at snack-time. I now had a twice-daily reminder to keep me on-track with our meals.  On my cell, I can set it to ring even when the phone is off, so I was always assured that my reminder-alarm was ever-ready.

I have a watch that clips to my belt.  Big Mac bought it for me for a present a few years ago.  I love this watch, not only for his thoughtfulness, but also for the watch's usefulness.  Of course, I can tell time with it, but there is also an alarm, and a stop watch.  I use the alarm at various times for different needs. When I was visiting that friend I mentioned earlier I set the alarm on my watch to ring when it was time to go!  When we are at a park and the boys want me see who can run through the jungle-jim faster, I break out the stop watch feature of my watch. 

I began my home-making journey trying to follow the methods of flylady.  (www.flylady.net) She was an  avid timer user.  She would set a timer for 15 minutes and work in a room for just that amount of time.  When I have a large task at hand, I use this method and set my timer.  I work for 15 minutes and when the timer goes off, I move on to another task.  On days when I have LOTS to get done, 15 minutes at a time is the way to go!

I remember a  time when one of my boys didn't want to use the timer.  Our T-Bone is a justice boy.  He ran to me complaining that Big Mac was refusing the timer.  In a stellar Mommy-moment I just said, "Find something else to do."  T-Bone looked at me and with deep-pleading in his voice he said, "But Mommy, IT'S OUR TOOL!"  Guess what?  We used the timer.  He was right.  It is a tool.

Our timers (and yes, we have many of them) are one of our useful tools.   They're not just for baking any more!  Settle those sibling arguments, with a timer.  Be sure you leave the house in time, with a timer.  Stay on track during the day, with a timer.  It's a tool that will be immensely useful to you.

Posted in Homemaking

Last year I was at a mom's meeting where a woman was talking to us about healthy nutrition, aromatherapy, and herbals.  She mentioned that she drinks herbal tea instead of water.  Many medical authorities say that we should drink 8 glasses of water a day.  This woman said that since we need that much water, why not give it a vitamin/mineral boost by making the water into herbal tea and drinking that.  Ever since then, I've had a tea jar in the refrigerator.  I have a glass gallon tea jug that has a spout at the bottom.  I make tea in that jug and place it on the top shelf of the refrigerator.  I drink from that for a few days before I need to make more.  Today's tea is blue berry/orange.  I always add 1/2 a cup of honey to sweeten it.  I get the boost from the tea, the water, and the honey.

Here's exactly what I do.  I love Celestial Seasonings teas.  I only drink decaffinated, so that does limit me on my choices.  But Celestial Seasonings has a wonderful selection for different tastes in decaff. tea.  I put anywhere from 8-12 tea bags into the bottom of my glass jar.  Then I add the 1/2 cup of honey.  I fill my tea kettle and bring it to boil on the stove.   Then I pour it over my bags and honey and stir until the honey is dissovled.  I let this sit on my kitchen counter until the water is room temperature.  This allows the tea to steep.  Then, leaving the tea bags in the water, I add a lot of ice and fill to the top with cold water.  I place this in the refrigerator and drink from it for two or three days before needing to fill it again.

When it's time to refill, I empty the bags and begin the process again.  Sometimes I will add fruit slices or a few splashes of fruit juice to the tea while steeping.  My favorites are oranges and lemons.  White grape juice is also wonderful.

This is a great way for me to get the hydration I need, but it's also enjoyable for me!  I love the taste of this tea and it's always icy cold whenever I want it!  Give it a try.

Posted in Homemaking

Question:  How do you eat an elephant? 

Answer:  One bite at a time!

For reasons that I will tell you in another blog at another time, it has become drastically necessary that I clean our basement.  We have a large basement, it is the full size of our house.   Although our house is small, the large cinder block and cement basement is sometimes overwhelmingly large.  Again, because our house is small, we lack storage and so many items end up piled in the basement awaiting further action.  Maybe they need repaired, or given away.  Sometimes we are just waiting for a permanent location to arise.  Sometimes, we're just lazy and need to get something out of our sight so that we don't have to think about cleaning, fixing, or putting the item away.  Regardless of the reason, our basement is one of those "pile" locations. 

I often find myself putting off a task because it seems too large to me.  I tell myself that I can't possibly clean the basement because I have to educate the children.  That takes the morning and part of the afternoon.  When am I supposed to clean the basement?!?  You see, I must clear an entire day.  Maybe even a weekend to get this basement in order!!  It's an all-day job!  And so, the basement doesn't get cleaned, because I don't have all-day.  Weekdays are filled with lessons, cooking, trips to the library.  Weekends include a football game on Saturdays and, of course, church on Sundays.  So there isn't a day that is wide-open for me to clean the basement.

It's funny how God will speak to you when you let him.  For me, when I stop listing my excuses and get quiet, He shows me a way to accomplish things.  Concerning the basement, God gave me a mental image of the basement divided into quadrants.  It is very easy to envision because the steps already divide it in half and there are posts that divide the halves into halves.  I have four sections to my basement.  Why is this important?  I can clean a section at a time.  I can clean a section in a little over an hour, if I don't try to tackle the entire basement at once!  This is do-able!!!  Praise God!

And so, last Friday I marched down the basement steps with my two boys, a broom, dust pan, and garbage bag.  We worked until the garbage bag was full and the floor in a quarter of the basement was clean.  This morning, Monday, the boys decided to take a bath after I gave them hair cuts, so off to the second quadrant I marched.  This time, I cleaned the basement and filled the steps with things to be either moved to other parts of the house, or given to charity.  I called the boys and they worked on clearing the steps while I finished up the second quadrant of the basement.

An hour later, half of my basement is beautiful!  The floor is swept there is a place for everything.  There are wide-open-spaces in which to walk.  It is a thing of beauty.  As I walked outside to put something into the van which would be taken to the thrift store I looked at our screened-in porch (the boys call it the "screaming" porch) and said, "You're next!"  And I'll tackle it one 3 foot strip at a time, beginning in the front and working daily until I get to the back.

Why am I telling you all this?  Because each of us has a basement looming in our future.  There is some project that in our minds seems to large to tackle.  Don't let perfectionism paralyze you!  Take your task to the feet of your Father and ask Him to show you how to accomplish it.  Maybe He'll clear your schedule so that you have an open day to accomplish your task.  Or maybe He'll give you a new and creative way to accomplish your task.  He'll show you that to eat your elephant, you just take one bite at a time! 

Posted in Homemaking

Oatmeal is not my sons' favorite breakfast.  It is on the breakfast rotation once every two weeks.  Every time I serve it, my boys run to the breakfast table with hungry bellies and then groan when they see the hot steaming bowls of oatmeal...except today.  Today, God gave me a fabulous idea!

This morning when the boys ran to the table, they found my tupperware sectioned server filled with oatmeal "accessories."  As they were oohing and aahing over the items in each section I explained that they could make their oatmeal anyway they wanted.  I had my teapot filled with hot water and covered with the tea cozy for warmth.  The boys selected a packet of oatmeal and added water to their bowl.  Then they chose from sunflower seeds, raisins, apples, bananas, honey, brown sugar, and/or peanut butter to add to their oatmeal.

It was the first time I served oatmeal without groans!  I also included a few packets of hot chocolate for them and some mugs to make a warm beverage to go with their warm cereal.  My oldest son said, "Mommy how do you come up with these great ideas?"  My answer?  "God!"

Posted in Homemaking

On Friday I tackled the daunting task of cleaning my pantry.  I am very blessed to have a small pantry just off the main entrance to our home and kitchen.  This large closet with shelves is located right next to our back door and remains quite cool during the winter months.  I removed everything from the pantry shelves and the pantry floor.  I put all of the food and storage items on the kitchen table, which soon overflowed to the counters and the floor.  Keeping busy hauling dry goods, coolers, and old lunch boxes kept me warm in spite of the below freezing temperatures which permeated our entrance and pantry area.

Although it took the better part of my afternoon, in the end I had a lovely, clean, and organized pantry once again.  I did throw away a few items that were "leftovers" from past cooking experiments, but I tried to find a use for almost everything.  One thing I had left at the end of my cleaning jag was a pile of dry cereal ends.  I had four to six bags of cereal with an inch of cereal left in the bag.  I didn't have the heart to throw away cereal when the regular price of it at the market is so high!  That's when I decided to make what will now and forever be known as "pantry-treats."

I pulled out my rice krispie treat recipe from my favorite recipe box and proceeded with the recipe.  In my treat recipe I mixed four different types of cereal.  Only one cup of the cereal had a sugar coating, the rest were very plain-types of cereal.  I doubled the traditional rice krispie treat recipe.  I used a little more than 10 cups of cereal, a stick of butter, and a large bag of mini-marshmallows.  After melting the butter and the marshmallows using the microwave and stirring after each minute, I added my conglomeration of cereals.  I poured all this into a 9x13 cake pan and let it sit.

We ate our pantry treats as part of a car-picnic on our way to a great thrift store that has a half-price sale on Friday evenings.  My husband thought that the use of different cereals gave the treats a better texture and some added flavor.  I will definitely be using this recipe again to clear out all those left-over cereals!

Posted in Homemaking

For the first time ever, I gave my guys an official break for a few weeks this summer.  In PA we have to have an evaluation by a person with a teaching license.  Our evaluation occurred early in June, so I told the boys that we would not have lessons from the evaluation until we returned from our beach vacation in July.  Usually I just keep our routine year round, with a few days skipped here and there.  But this year, we've got a summer break of a few weeks.

So, let me tell you what we're doing since we're not "doing school."  Over the weekend, we took a camping trip to Gettysburg.  We spent several hours touring the battlefield and then visited the Hall of Presidents.  But we didn't do school.

Yesterday, we visited some friends from church and taught them a couple math games.  We also made up stories about a fish that won a contest on a busy street.  After our visit, we went to the library's summer story hour and listened to local readers read stories about animals.  The boys made cute little animals out of pipe cleaners.  But we didn't do school.

Today, the boys were working on their packets from the library.  If they complete 15 activities they can claim a prize and a free book.  McLane made salt dough and is working on a diorama of a wooly mammoth.  Walker T. searched the web to find a dog breed he would like to raise and did a little research about that type of dog.  Over lunch we listeneed to an adventure tape about knight.  And the boys set up a pet grooming business in the living room.  I was the customer who had to bring them stuffed animals to groom.  But we didn't do school.

Several years ago, I had a friend who was homeschooling her children.  One day when we were visiting I set up a little obstacle course for those children and we had fun running the course and timing each other.  We kept track of the times and tried to make our time better with each round.  We were having a lot of fun, laughing, playing, and even learning.  The mother stopped everything in the middle to get her children's attention and said, "Look, we're doing school!"  This experience made me decide two things: 

1.  Don't call it school.  When we're at the table we call it lessons.  I know tomAto tomAHto.  But to me, they're not in school, that is where you go on a bus and sit in a classrom.  We are learning as part of our life.  These are lessons.

2.  Don't call your child's attention away from learning to point out school!  Yes, log it all.  Keep your log book with you at all times and record anything you deem educational in any way.  But don't tell your children it's school.  It's life and life is about learning.  Learning comes in all shapes and sizes.

One of my prayers for our home is that we promote a lifestyle of learning.  I don't want the boys to compartmentalize learning and say that it only occurs from the hours of 8 to 3 Monday through Friday, September to June.  Life is always a learning process and I want them to love that process.  As I slow down for just a few minutes over our break, I can see that learning is happening in large quantities when we don't even plan it.  Praise God for answered prayer!

Enjoy the ride.

Posted in Homemaking

There is a bag of bread ends and crusts in my freezer.  Well, actually there isn't a bag of bread ends in my freezer any more.  I made bread crumbs.  You see, my boys won't eat the ends of the bread unless it's from a loaf of italian or french bread.  They are also not crazy about the crusts, but we do make them eat the bread crust most of the time.  So, when the bread gets down to the ends or we cut the crusts off a sandwich, I throw them into the plastic bag in the freezer.

Today I retrieved the bag from the freezer and threw the pieces into the food processor.  Voila!  Bread crumbs.

This may seem silly, but just the process of saving the bread and making my own bread crumbs makes me feel like a Proverbs 31 women.  Yes, breadcrumbs may not cost all that much when purchased from the market, but these breadcrumbs are made beacause I love my family and I love the job God has given me to care for them.

Because we eat mostly whole weat or multi-grain bread, our bread crumbs are full of fiber and nutrition.  There's even ground nuts from the seed bread that we eat! These are power-packed bread crumbs!  So this afternoon after grinding out a big bucket of bread crumbs, I used them in my favorite chicken recipe.  My mom made chicken breasts supreme for us.  It was my birthday supper a few times when I still lived at home.  This is a great dish for company, or make your family just as special as company and make it just for them.  I thought you might like the recipe, so here goes!

Chicken Breast Supreme

6 split chicken breast halves, skin and bones removed

marinade:

2 C. sour cream

1/4 C lemon juice

4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

4 tsp. celery seed

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tsp paprika

4 cloves garlic

1 tsp. salt

additional ingredients

1 3/4 C. dry bread crumbs

1/2 C. butter

1/2 C shortening

Mix marinade in a large bowl and place chicken in marinade.  Make sure chicken is well-coated.  Allow chicken to marinate over night.  When ready to serve, preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Remove chicken from sour cream, roll in crumbs, coating evenly.  Arrange in single layer in large shallow baking dish.  Melt butter and shortening in small saucepan.  Spoon half over chicken.  Bake uncovered 45 min.  Spoon rest of butter mixture over chicken.  Bake 10-15 min. longer until tender & crispy.