Dec. 4, 2006 - my poor neglected little blog |
I've not updated here in quite awhile.
Reason being, I have another blog over at Xanga that has been taking up most of my blogging time. I'm not sure if I can or want to keep up with two blogs. My Xanga is more for real-life friends and family members. This one here is much more anonomous. I notice I tend to edit myself much more when people I know will be reading it.
We went and cut down our christmas tree yesterday. It was COLD! No snow on the ground yet, but COLD!! I needed leggings or long johns or cuddleduds or something underneath my skirts next time I go tromping around in the woods! BRRRRRRRRRRR!
We always get our tree at very small,locally owned chrismas tree farm. DH went to school with one of the owners son. They drive you back to the tree lot on a flatbed trailer hitched behind a tractor. Haybales to sit on! Its fun! Anyhoos, I was wearing a long denim skirt, brown leather boots, black wool peacoat and a black scarf hood wrapped over my head. Yes, one can very elegantly ride on a haybale, in a skirt. Its was kinda cute! Everyone else was just jumping up on the side of the trailer and clammering on. I went to the front "step" and stepped up as my eldest son held onto my arm. He helped me up and also jumped off the side as soon as we stopped and ran to the front to help me down. It was SOOOOO sweet! We got alot of stares and quawks for sure! I'm sure the crowd thought I was amish, and what was I doing buying a christmas trees along with a bunch of boys wearing leather coats and NASCAR hats!
LOL!!
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Nov. 9, 2006 - They arrived!! |
My pink shoes just arrived via the UPS truck.
Oh.
My.
Goodness!!
They are CUTE,CUTE,CUTE!
CUTE!!
Nothing like a nice PINK pair of shoes to make a girl feel oh-so pretty and feminine!!
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Nov. 5, 2006 - PINK shoes! PINK!! |
I am not usually a "shoe person".
I own just a couple of pairs of shoes; a pair of brown clogs, running shoes, brown ankle boots and one pair of black "clunky" shoes. Shoes normally don't excite me. However when I saw these, I HAD to have them! HAD HAD HAD to have them RIGHT NOW.
DH ordered them for me this morning!!!
I simply can not WAIT for them to arrive!
(Those loveerly little shoes can be found at hannanderson.com)
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Oct. 28, 2006 - falling back |
I can not forget to reset the clocks tonight.
I can not forget to reset the clocks tonight.
I can not forget to reset the clocks tonight.
3 of our clocks will automatically reset themselves tonight, no problem. I can not forget to reset our bedroom clock, the microwave and toaster oven and the boys alarm clocks.
Bah.
Thanks, Mitch.(not)
ok, rant over.
I totally blew my 2nd day of "rising before dawn" challenge today. blew it bad. I got up at 7:45 am. The only reason I woke up at that time was because our bed was vibrating. Yes, vibrating. My DH has suffers from profound hearing loss in both his ears. For all intent and purpose he's deaf. So our bed has a "shaker thingey" in it that is hooked up to the phone line so when the phone rings, the bed shakes, when his alarm goes off it also shakes the bed and flashes a super bright light. Someone called here at 7:45 am and shook me awake out of a sound sleep and in the middle of a dream. I got scared because no-one EVER calls us at that time so I was afraid it was bad news. When I checked the messages, it was just a colleage of my hubbys.
Even though I arose late, I still had about a half an hour or so before the rest of the family got up and moving. I've been really super struggling lately with some issues with the church we attend. I had a goooood, long, honest talk with the Lord about it this morning and while nothing is really resolved yet, I do have a very real sense of peace and even His caring about it.
I cooked breakfast this morning and all 5 of us actually sat down at the table and ate together. DH and the boys were super impressed! Then we all worked on cleaning out the basement. We are remodeling it, adding another bathroom (we only have one bathroom for the 5 of us) and eventually adding our master bedroom to it. DH and I will have our very own, very first master suite! He and the boys are doing it all themselves so that makes it even MORE special to me!
Son#3 is gone tonight from 5 til 10 for church. He is acting as an extra in a "play" called "Judgement House". They ahd over 300 people attend Thursday night and 50 decisions for Christ were made! Tonight is expected to be even BUSIER!
Heres a picture of me, cleaning the kitchen in a skirt. I want to try and dress nicer and more feminine even when I'm just home taking care of the house and family.
(hehe, I'm barefoot! In the kitchen! Not preggers though :(
I'm almost always barefoot!)
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Oct. 27, 2006 - Friday |
Its 8am.
I've been up since 5:30am!
Yes, I am excited about that. 'Tis Day One of my "Rising before dawn" challenge.
So far this morning I have:
Showered
Let doggies out
Spent one full hour listening to worship music, praying and reading my bible(!)
Dressed (not all the way to shoes though, I lurve to run around barefooted)
Made the bed
Caught up on our attendance book (only a week behind, usually its a month)
posted this coming weeks breakfast, lunch and dinner menus on our whiteboard
refined my shopping list (I'll be leaving here in less than an hour to be at Aldis when the doors open)
started a load of towels in the washer.
I figured I'd done enough to reward myself with a little computer sit-down and bloggering!
I kinda like this getting up early. I've been such a slug-a-bed lately. Its nothing for me to sleep in past 8am. Sometimes well past it! One day last week it was 930 before I got up. YIKES! Grant it, I went to bed well past 1am, but still......
I had to get all 5 of us up and out the door before 6am on Wed. That was HARD, but it proved to me that it can be done and we all can survive. The time-change is sat/sunday so that might make things more interesting. May I just add that I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE this time-change. Indiana never changed time and now, this year, we do and I HATE it. I hate the fact that our "dear" state government went ahead and changed the time despite the fact that no-one else really wanted it. Leave it to the goverment to think that they also control time! :p
Got my frig nice and clean yesterday. DS1 used the steam-cleaner on the insides and it looks almost brand new!
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Oct. 26, 2006 - Todays To Do |
Since today is Thursday I want to make a dinner plan for next week, grocery list and clean out both refrigerators. Tomarrow is shopping day when I do most of my weekly shopping.
I'm working on re-vamping my household notebook also. It needs a re-do. So does my house, my schedule, routines and kids homeschooling schedule. I've kinda let alot slide here lately and I REALLY need to get it back on track.
And, I'm (yet again) failing miserably. Its 10 am, I"m still in my pj's, sitting in front of the computer, drinking coffee, 2 of the 3 kiddos are still in bed.
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Oct. 23, 2006 - Taco Soup Recipe, as requested! |
Slow Cooker Day: Taco Soup
Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey
1 can chili beans, with liquid
1 can kidney beans, with liquid
1 can whole kernel corn, with liquid
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
2 cups water
1 package of taco seasoning mix
In a medium skillet, cook the ground beef until browned over medium
heat. Drain & set aside. Place the ground beef, chili beans, kidney
beans, corn, tomato sauce, water, diced tomatoes, & taco seasoning
mix in a slow cooker. Mix to blend and cook on Low setting for eight
hours.
Serve alone or can be topped with shredded cheese & sour cream.
Thats the original recipe. I found it on this site http://momadvice.com/food/aldi_meal_plan3.aspx (wanting to give credit where credit is do)
I modified it alittle. I used ground beef as we aren't big fans of ground turkey. It was good and it made ALOT. It fed all 5 of us (DH, myself and my 3 alwaysgrowing, everhungry, hollowlegged teen boys) with leftovers to spare. The boys really enjoyed the sour cream and cheese toppings. Oh, and I crushed up a bag of "Frito" chips to add on top too. That was also a big hit. The only complaint I have is that it tastes more like chili and less like tacos. If I make it again, I don't think I'd use the chili beans and I'd add more taco seasoning. Maybe season the meat with a pack of taco flavor and then add another pack to the "broth".
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Oct. 20, 2006 - What we did today |
Went grocery shopping and bought about 20 pounds of pork ribs to cook and eat tomarrow in our 1st annual October RibFest.
DH brought a Saws-All home from work and 2 of my boys spent a good hour working together (nicely!) sawing an old sofa up into pieces so we could fit it in the back of the van tomarrow and take it to the dump. Nothing like a good power tool to bring back the brotherly love!
Fixed a BIG crockpot full of Taco soup (very good and you can make it from ingrediants bought at Aldis. cheap and filling) and a batch of "tender cornmeal muffins" from off of the hillbilly housewifes site. I really enjoyed the muffins, they were super filling. Youngest son wasn't thrilled with them, I think it was the texture. They were more like baked polenta than muffiney muffins.
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Oct. 12, 2006 - |
DH left tonight, he's headed to Maryland with guys from church for their annual mens retreat. They left tonight and will be home very late Sat. night/very early Sun. morning. They are going to FREEZE!! They're camping out in the total wilderness somewhere in MD. No running water, no showers, no outhouses. DH was SO looking forward to it.
I miss him already. :(
Kids and I have a busy day planned tomarrow. I think we'll go have lunch at our favorite chinese buffet, do some shopping, maybe rent some movies. We'd like to have our own campfire here tomarrow night, if its not so windy.
It snowed here today. I think it set a record for the earliest snowfall. It was 80 degrees here on sunday!! Now its FREEZING and snow. I love the cold weather though, I've been ready for it. We had lake effect clouds today, those are my favorite. They come in so low you feel like you could almost reach up and touch them.
We brought our goldfish inside from the pond. They got HUGE out there over the summer. I was so worried about them. I know they are just 29 cent fish, but I like them. I've enjoyed watching them all summer outside. Poor things, having to come in to live in a 10 gallon tank rather than the pond, little though it may be.
My little dog is OBSESSED with the fish. She sits on the sofa and just watches them swimming around. Too cute!
I think I'll post pictures of my doggies and my fishes!!
The little dog on the right is the one obsessed with the fish tank.
Fishies in the pond.
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Oct. 11, 2006 - |
I like the new template.
Very bright and cheery and smiley-making.
Haven't been writing for weeks. Dealing with this lovely depression that has decided to rear its ugly head back up in my life again.
Blah! I hates it.
Have been making some lifestyle changes and some spiritual changes as well. Doing better, LOTS better, but it still dogs me, daily.
Allllllmost to the point of going and talking to the dr. about medication. But I really,really,really,really do not like the idea of having to do that.
I'm not against the idea of anti-depressants. I just don't like the idea of ME having to be on them.
I'd appreciate your prayers.
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Aug. 27, 2006 - long ago.. |
was going through some old posts this morning and came across these from 3 years ago. It made me smile and remember.
{OMG.
OMG.
We put a bid on a house tonight.
I'm dying here. We'll know by 6pm tomarrow if it was accepted or not.
Its perfect. Just perfect. Its got a garden, a clothesline and an apple tree.
Its just a small starter home, a ranch. 3 bedrooms, one bath. The basement is HUGE and finished into another bedroom and a family room. Its a few miles outside of town in a small, quiet, well-kept subdivision. There is one house to the north of it and then its cornfield. Its nothing fancy, but the price is incredible.
I'm never going to sleep tonight. Never.
Cross your fingers, say a prayer, send good vibes or think positive thought for us.
I'll keep ya posted.
- posted by Carol @ 10:07 PM | 0 comments
Saturday, August 23, 2003
WE GOT THE HOUSE!!!!
We move in one month.
Remind me to breathe!
- posted by Carol @ 5:58 PM | 0 comments
Monday, August 25, 2003}
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Aug. 9, 2006 - |
You have not lived until you stick both hands as far back into your dogs mouth as you can go to try and pull out a string that has been wedged inbetween her teeth tighter than you ever thought possible making her choke and gag and foam since it is not only wedged between tooth and gum it is also hanging down her throat. Kids are crying and carrying on around you as not only is their precious dog choking to death on the string but Mom has both hands down her throat while she is sitting on the now terrified-bordering-on-berserk dog trying to hold her down (sans hands) long enough to pull the jammed string out of her teeth and throat.
Mom swears long and hard, pulls long and hard and (flashing back to giving birth except this is pulling with all ones might rather than pushing) as the feeling goes out of her fingers and they turn purple because the darn string is wrapped so tightly around them trying to get some leverage in the unbelievably slick-sliminess that is the back of a gagging dogs throat.
*POP*
goes the string.
*Sigh*
goes the mom.
*Awwwwww*
go the kids.
*RUN!*
goes the dog who then hides under the bed until Mom coaxes her out with pieces of hot dog.
I wash my hands, fix my hair and go met my husband for lunch at the chinese buffet.
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Aug. 3, 2006 - very old post from a long defunct blog I once had |
As I opened the van door and walked towards the entrance of the store, the grey, bitter February wind let loose a spit of snow and whipped my hair into a froth that fell across my eyes and tangled into my mouth. Brushing the hair from my face, the doorbell jingled, announcing our entrance. The grey haired lady at the counter looked up from her paperback and asked us-
"May I help you?"
"Primroses." I asked
"Where would we find them?"
"through the giftshop, to your right in the greenhouse." she grunted, obviously far more entranced with her novel than her customers.
We navigated our way through the "gift shop", a small room crammed to the rafters with knick-knacks, and trinkets, all expensive, all breakable. We turned to our right and entered the greenhouse.
The warmth and humidity hit our faces almost like a slap. You could feel our dry, winter-parched skin and lungs breathe in the moist, earthy-scented air and sigh with relief. Our eyes, having become accustomed to the colorless grey and white winter landscape that is Indiana in February, blinked in surprise at the shocking array of colors that spread out on the table before us.
Primroses.
Fuchsia, orange, yellow, purple, red, white, pink juxtaposed together, smiling up at us, waving dark green leaves and bobbing their heads coyly. They seemed to whisper and giggle amongst themselves; who was going to accompany us home?
$3.99 each or $3.75 for 3 or more, the sign above them blared.
I let the boys each choose one.
From my quiet, thoughtful, bookish son came dark, velvety purple with a tiny center of sunny yellow.
My youngest son- always cheerful and clowning- selected flowers of the hottest, brightest pink nature has in her palette surrounding star-like centers of yellow-gold feathered with white.
Oldest son, ever the artistic soul (who taught himself to paint flowers one Saturday morning while watching a show on PBS) picked a soft and gentle buttercup yellow, fairy-brushed in the centers with orange and peach.
Purchases gently wrapped in tissue by the woman at the counter who had become much more animated by either the sight of the flowers or the fact of a sale (she chirped at us cheerfully and in GREAT detail about the care and feeding of Primroses as she wrapped and rang us up), we made our way to the van.
"Mom, you're smiling." a boys voice piped up as I turned the key and started home.
- posted @ 3:26 PM | 0 comments
Monday, February 09, 2004
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Aug. 1, 2006 - struggling surrender |
"Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?"
Shall I not?
I wish not to.
I try and
fight and kick not to.
Shall I not?
I have no choice.
No choice at all in the matter.
Drink it?
No.
I won't.
So it is poured down my throat while I kick and scream and sputter and drown.
How do I stop fighting this?
How do I stop myself from drowning in this?
Stop.
Relax.
Soften.
Let Go.
Stop struggling and float upon the surface. Drift along wherever the wind and waves and currants take me.
Float
and trust that where God and the Spirit are taking me shall be good.
Shall be a far better place, a better plan
far beyond any of what my wildest imaginations could come up with.
Surrender to it.
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Jul. 31, 2006 - Idolatry |
Yesterdays sermon at church was about idols.
I sat down yesterday afternoon and opened my journal up planning to write the days thoughts. It had opened up to a page dated 7/25 and the first line I had written on that page was-
"Idols- ANYTHING we exalt over God in our thoughts and imaginations."
Hmmmmm. I found it fascinating that both the sermon and my journal page was on idols. Maybe its something God wants me to work on? Maybe its something I'm not overly excited to have to face in my life.
The 7/25 entry continued-
"Captivating thoughts are CONTROLLING thoughts-things I find myself mediatating on too often."
YIKES. Not a place I want to go.
Entry continues-
" Ok, Lord, what are they? Holy Spirit reveal them to me, all of them, in order I need to work on them."
And now we come to the big list of idols that I wrote down, the thoughts that I find myself meditating on far,far too often. I'm sure these are NOT in any meaningful order, 'twas/is bad enough I have to admit to them! Let alone rank 'em! :)
"1. being validated by other people. wanting aclaim for myself , being noticed (pride)
2. Money, materialism, wanting material goods to make me feel valuable.
3. helplessness, hopelessness, things will never change, i will never change, so why bother? (depression)
4. Perfection. perfect house, perfect mate, perfect kids, perfect look/perfect weight. (pride)
5. fear,worry,anxiety."
Pride.
yes, I got myself a whole lotta pride. It certainly does goeth before the fall. I've got lotsa pride, I've fallen lotsa times.
Thank You Lord, my sin was forgiven the moment I repented.
Thank You Lord, my sin was forgiven the moment I repented.
Thank You Lord, my sin was forgiven the moment I repented.
Thank You Lord, that that is TRUTH no matter how I feel.
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Jul. 29, 2006 - a productive sort of day or I wrote 2 posts in one day today |
Why do i go?
Why do i continue to go
when what i am searching for is not contained
in a building
of brick and steel?
Why do i go?
Why do i go when what i am longing for
is not to be found in the sea of eager,expectant faces?
faces that close up and turn away
(like flowers after dark)
when i walk by?
Why?
Why do i go
when the questions I dare not breath
go unanswered
and my prayers hit the roof and
thud back at my feet.
Why do i go when You just aren't there
for me?
I do find You in other places,
in the sky
and the sun
and the rain
Your laughter in a shower of apple blossoms and
Your strength in the roar of the clouds
in the soft, sweet breeze that ruffled my hair and
kissed my nose
at midnight
alone in the garden
Your breath at the back of my neck and my knees
Your eyes twinkling down at me
in
every
star.
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Jul. 29, 2006 - out of the mouths of babes |
She's two.
I'm thirty-six.
She's still a baby.
I"m a grown woman with children of my own.
She's a cute, little blond.
I'm a big brunette.
We both like cheeseburger Happy Meals.
She calls me her friend and tells me, "I love you".
Done.
I was walking away from Grace (story of my life in 6 words). I had one small problem, soccer camp. I'd volunteered to work in the nursery for that week.
Fine.
I had made that commitment. I would honor it, but after Friday I was gone. I had no friends there. I wouldn't be missed. That Tuesday night I'm in the nursery when she walks in.
"MY FRIENDS!"
"MY FRIENDS!"
She starts to holler as soon as she sees us. She didn't want to leave.
"NO, NO, I have to stay with my FRIENDS!" she'd yell every time she saw us. It was then that I finally realized that even if no one else there cared if I stayed or went, this little one loved me.
If God can use a donkey, then God can surely use a 2 year old little girl.
I hope, sometimes, God might even use me.
I hope I can be as uninhibited as my precious little friend is in telling people that I love them.
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Jul. 28, 2006 - Weigh-In #2 |
I must admit, I did not want to get on the scale this morning. I've been off-program this entire week. I've not been journaling, counting points or watching portion-size at all this wee. I've also not exercised one bit and I've not gotten ANY of my water ration in.
I blew it.
I went to the movies with the boys last saturday and I started gobbling movie theatre popcorn WITH butter (if I'm going to blow it, I am going to blow it BIG). It snowballed downhill from there. From that point, it was like, why bother? So, I didn't.
The good news?
I actually lost a half a pound.
2 things, I think, saved me.
1. I had NO JUNK at all in the house. All of my "binges" were on program friendly foods. The worst thing I ate was a tub of Cool-Whip Light. Yes, an entire tub of it, yes, straight.
2. I paid VERY close attention to eating ONLY when I was hungry and stopping as soon as I felt full.
Starting today, its back on the bandwagon. Starting Monday, I go back to working out 3x a week. I was having some knee problems and I took this week off to heal them up. They feel much better so I'll start over again this time at a much slower,gentler pace!
I'm going to just go ahead and put my weight stats up. It'll help motivate me (not to mention keep me humble) and maybe encourage someone else.
Starting Weight- 182
Last weeks Weight-181
Todays Weight-180.5
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