I was thinking about what I should post today. Thinking and praying, and thinking that maybe I should write a post about what I've been reading this week in my quiet time (two things: Psalm 63 and about Lot's wife, separate studies). Yesterday, I read a blog that I immediately felt that I needed to share about.
But I didn't.
And I didn't do it because it is a difficult thing. Its not pretty, or encouraging, or even comfortable. Then this morning, I read another blog post. And immediately I knew that I needed to share about what I had read.
In fact, its ugly, sickening, and exactly what God was referring to when he said to care for the orphans and the widows.
I am disgusted and heart broken that children are suffering in this way. And that we try to hide them away and smooth it over. Its very easy to pretend that it isn't happening.
I tried. I couldn't do it. I have to share this. Because it is what I can do. And I hope that you will pray and consider what you can do. I wasn't going to share this because I cannot even contribute
financially to the campaign that I am about to link up to. And how can I
ask you to do something if I myself cannot do it? But my contribution
will be prayer and creating awareness for others.
Do the hard things. Love others and care for them, even when you will not receive the same. Its what we as Christians have been called to do. Its these things that will matter when I am gone. That I have done my best to show the love of Christ to those around me.
I don't have the words to even begin to share about how these children are suffering, so please click here and see what Adeye has shared.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Nine Inches to Freedom and a Blessing
"I want my hair cut short."
And she kept saying it.And I kept fighting and struggling to get it brushed out :every: :single: :morning:.
"How short?"
"To here," she said, as she pointed to a spot somewhere between her chin and her shoulder.
One more morning of struggling to tame it, and I said, "Okay!"
Nine inches. She got a nine inch ponytail cut off. And it will be going to Pantene Beautiful Lengths to be crafted into a wig for patients who have cancer.
She also lost a tooth the night before getting her hair cut. She now has only one front baby tooth left, and its barely hanging on.
Below, she is pictured with her favorite toy and book. She had to take pictures with these for a class project this weekend. These were her choices.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Lent
The Lent season is upon us, and every year at this time I hear people around me start discussing what they are "giving up." Being raised in the Nazarene church, Lent was not really a part of my upbringing, and I was not fully aware of it until I was probably in college. The Nazarene denomination is beginning to observe this season more, and so, I've learned more about it. The idea behind giving up something in my mind was always to put away one thing so that we may more fully focus on Christ and our relationship with Him. However, I've also heard it explained that we give up something we enjoy as a form of penitence.
I have never given anything up before for Lent. I'm not sure why, I just never had the desire or feel that this was something I should be doing. However, this year, I feel that I need to observe this season. And I'm sort of doing it in my own way. Rather than give up something, I want to add something that will help me to grow in my spiritual life. I've decided to memorize scripture. Its something I've always wanted to do, started to do, but have never been very successful at completing. I have difficulty with follow through sometimes. Okay, a lot. But I want to do this. And I'm going to encourage my girls in this also. Actually, we may just make it a family affair. I'm going to start with the schedule that my Hello Mornings group is on. I'll tell you about that group another time, but we are individually together doing a Bible study, and there is a weekly memory verse to go with each week. Since we are on week 6, and I have not memorized any of the verses yet, that should keep me busy for a bit. We'll be starting with Psalm 1:1-2...
I have never given anything up before for Lent. I'm not sure why, I just never had the desire or feel that this was something I should be doing. However, this year, I feel that I need to observe this season. And I'm sort of doing it in my own way. Rather than give up something, I want to add something that will help me to grow in my spiritual life. I've decided to memorize scripture. Its something I've always wanted to do, started to do, but have never been very successful at completing. I have difficulty with follow through sometimes. Okay, a lot. But I want to do this. And I'm going to encourage my girls in this also. Actually, we may just make it a family affair. I'm going to start with the schedule that my Hello Mornings group is on. I'll tell you about that group another time, but we are individually together doing a Bible study, and there is a weekly memory verse to go with each week. Since we are on week 6, and I have not memorized any of the verses yet, that should keep me busy for a bit. We'll be starting with Psalm 1:1-2...
1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
I am also going to be starting a more focused Bible study. I'm thinking of studying David, and using Beth Moore's 90 day study. I haven't purchased the book yet. I'm trying to wait until I get another swag buck gift card. (you should check it out. So far, I've gotten $35 in gift cards to Amazon just for using the search engine!) I just cashed in my points for one. That way, I can get it for free!
So what are you doing in your life to observe Lent? How are you drawing nearer to your Lord? Leave a comment with what you think about Lent, whether you observe it or not.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
At Last, My Love Has Come Along...
He finally did it. After four years (or more) of this....
"I should start a blog."
And this....
"You should start a blog."
He finally did it. And he's good at it too. And I'm a little jealous. Because I think he has more followers than I do, after only 12 hours. And I'm just little bit competitive. So is he. And he let me know this morning just how many hits he had already had on said new blog.
And yet, here I am. Telling you about it. So you can go read it and give him more hits. Leave him a little welcome note while you are there.
Just make sure you come back here again after you visit his. :)
"I should start a blog."
And this....
"You should start a blog."
He finally did it. And he's good at it too. And I'm a little jealous. Because I think he has more followers than I do, after only 12 hours. And I'm just little bit competitive. So is he. And he let me know this morning just how many hits he had already had on said new blog.
And yet, here I am. Telling you about it. So you can go read it and give him more hits. Leave him a little welcome note while you are there.
Just make sure you come back here again after you visit his. :)
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
The plague hit us
This weekend, I was looking forward to a family night of pizza and movies, sleeping in, and doing some household chores to have a clean house to start the week. We DID get the family night of pizza and movies with the Bowman family, but the rest of my weekend did not go as planned.
Friday evening started out great! The guys took the kids to the park for a bit while Bekah and I did some crochet and tried to figure out what type of movie would entertain 2 boys and 2 girls, ages 2-6. That is a large task! Boys want action, and girls want princesses. We landed on Smurfs. They enjoyed it. I think a few times a couple kids were playing with something else, but all in all, it worked.
THEN came Friday night.
Bianca came in to wake me and asked me to tuck her in....
Okay, I'll be there in a minute.
Suddenly I wake up to Bianca asking me again.
Apparently I fell asleep. Oops. So I go into the girls' room. "Get in your bed."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"There's throw up."
"There's no throw up in there, see?" Cringing as I put my hand in the 'not there' throw up....
So Bianca slept on the floor in our room, where she continued to get sick and miss the bowl nearly every time. Fortunately, she had emptied her stomach the first time, so there wasn't much to clean up.
Saturday was spent on the couch next to Bianca, trying to make sure she got to feeling better. I also spent the day doing laundry: 7 sheets, a blanket, a blanky, a bear, a comforter, and a pillow.
Sunday dawned with everyone feeling well, but not wanting to spread germs, we decided I would stay home with Bianca.
Scott showed a house, and then brought lunch home after church. About an hour after eating a late lunch, I lost it. And everything else within me over the next 4 hours. At one point I camped out on the bathroom floor. Scott had to walk me back to our bedroom, because I couldn't make it by myself without passing out. I. was. miserable.
I'm not sure I'll want fried chicken again for a VERY LONG time.
That night Bella woke up losing her supper. She slept on our floor.
Fortunately she only lost it once. And just didn't eat much on Monday.
I think we may be past this. We'll see. The boys haven't been touched by it. And I pray they are not.
We are in recovery mode now. Dishes are in the dishwasher (I usually handwash them), and laundry is going. I've eaten (almost) an entire meal today and felt a bit queasy. I'm trying desperately to drink water as much as possible. Jacob is dependent on that. He was nursing every two hours yesterday, which is not good at nearly 6 months. And he is clinging to me today as well. Desperately attempting to get back into a routine and some sense of normalcy. Oh, and did I mention we started using cloth diapers full time today? The laundry detergent I ordered finally came yesterday! Yeah.... I love them that much.
OH! And how could I forget?! During all of this plague visiting, the blog received its 5,000th hit since March, 2011. It was a visitor from Surrey, British Columbia. Just a little side note :)
Friday evening started out great! The guys took the kids to the park for a bit while Bekah and I did some crochet and tried to figure out what type of movie would entertain 2 boys and 2 girls, ages 2-6. That is a large task! Boys want action, and girls want princesses. We landed on Smurfs. They enjoyed it. I think a few times a couple kids were playing with something else, but all in all, it worked.
 |
| credit |
THEN came Friday night.
Bianca came in to wake me and asked me to tuck her in....
Okay, I'll be there in a minute.
Suddenly I wake up to Bianca asking me again.
Apparently I fell asleep. Oops. So I go into the girls' room. "Get in your bed."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"There's throw up."
"There's no throw up in there, see?" Cringing as I put my hand in the 'not there' throw up....
So Bianca slept on the floor in our room, where she continued to get sick and miss the bowl nearly every time. Fortunately, she had emptied her stomach the first time, so there wasn't much to clean up.
Saturday was spent on the couch next to Bianca, trying to make sure she got to feeling better. I also spent the day doing laundry: 7 sheets, a blanket, a blanky, a bear, a comforter, and a pillow.
Sunday dawned with everyone feeling well, but not wanting to spread germs, we decided I would stay home with Bianca.
Scott showed a house, and then brought lunch home after church. About an hour after eating a late lunch, I lost it. And everything else within me over the next 4 hours. At one point I camped out on the bathroom floor. Scott had to walk me back to our bedroom, because I couldn't make it by myself without passing out. I. was. miserable.
I'm not sure I'll want fried chicken again for a VERY LONG time.
That night Bella woke up losing her supper. She slept on our floor.
Fortunately she only lost it once. And just didn't eat much on Monday.
I think we may be past this. We'll see. The boys haven't been touched by it. And I pray they are not.
We are in recovery mode now. Dishes are in the dishwasher (I usually handwash them), and laundry is going. I've eaten (almost) an entire meal today and felt a bit queasy. I'm trying desperately to drink water as much as possible. Jacob is dependent on that. He was nursing every two hours yesterday, which is not good at nearly 6 months. And he is clinging to me today as well. Desperately attempting to get back into a routine and some sense of normalcy. Oh, and did I mention we started using cloth diapers full time today? The laundry detergent I ordered finally came yesterday! Yeah.... I love them that much.
OH! And how could I forget?! During all of this plague visiting, the blog received its 5,000th hit since March, 2011. It was a visitor from Surrey, British Columbia. Just a little side note :)
Friday, February 17, 2012
What it means for me to have Factor II/Prothrombin
I've been looking at my blog stats lately and I'm noticing that one post gets a lot more hits than any other I've ever posted. Its the one where I find out that I have Factor II/Prothrombin. I remember when I wrote that post, I thought my life was going to be drastically changed. I was overwhelmed with this new diagnosis, and was not given much information on it. Pretty much I was told that my blood clots too much, that I should take an aspirin everyday to help with this, and that they would watch me closely during pregnancy.
It turns out that finding this hasn't done much except cause a lot of doctor appointments where I got to see my baby and bills. After my history of pregnancy losses, I am thankful that they watched me more closely and checked on the baby more. But they still will not say that the losses were due to the blood clotting issue, nor will they say that the baby aspirin will prevent another. Its all very confusing. I was told at one point that I would have to have a shot of blood thinner daily while trying to get and being pregnant. Then my new doctors concluded (after new research) that I would not need the Lovenox because I have no 'history'. I struggled with that information, because in my mind, I have had 3 miscarriages due to this, but I trusted them as they monitored me closely, and everything went well. I have a healthy 5 month old to prove it. Honestly, I'm pretty sure that my doctor has had very few, if any, patients before me with this diagnosis. He had done some research prior to our first appointment in preparation for it.
Overall, I think the issue is that there is not enough research on it at all. This is a genetic mutation that was only recently discovered in the scientific world (I believe 1998?). It is one of the leading causes of women who are on birth control experiencing a clot. I have found that nearly any female who has this has experienced multiple miscarriages, and that most doctors won't run any tests until there have been 3 losses.
But that is almost all I know. Even after going through every internet search link I can find. This is it. Most people who have Factor II will go through their entire lives not knowing that they have it. My parents are in their 50s and we still do not know which one is the carrier of the gene. Mine was found due to extensive blood work to find the cause of multiple miscarriages; most are found due to blood clots that sometimes cause strokes while on birth control.
I guess, like most mothers who have experienced the loss, I wish that it was cut and dry. Just tell me that this was the cause, and the aspirin would prevent it from happening again. But they can't and won't. Because really, they don't know. In fact, we do know that at least one loss was due to 3 sets of chromosomes instead of 2, so the Factor II had nothing to do with that.
Anyhow, I just have been thinking a lot about how as women, we are given this diagnosis after a long, emotional road, and then we go searching for answers that the doctors couldn't or wouldn't give. For me, I rest in the peace of knowing that my three babies are in heaven being rocked by my grandmother, playing with Jesus and the angels, and didn't have to know the pain or troubles of this world. All the more reason to look forward to being there someday.
It turns out that finding this hasn't done much except cause a lot of doctor appointments where I got to see my baby and bills. After my history of pregnancy losses, I am thankful that they watched me more closely and checked on the baby more. But they still will not say that the losses were due to the blood clotting issue, nor will they say that the baby aspirin will prevent another. Its all very confusing. I was told at one point that I would have to have a shot of blood thinner daily while trying to get and being pregnant. Then my new doctors concluded (after new research) that I would not need the Lovenox because I have no 'history'. I struggled with that information, because in my mind, I have had 3 miscarriages due to this, but I trusted them as they monitored me closely, and everything went well. I have a healthy 5 month old to prove it. Honestly, I'm pretty sure that my doctor has had very few, if any, patients before me with this diagnosis. He had done some research prior to our first appointment in preparation for it.
Overall, I think the issue is that there is not enough research on it at all. This is a genetic mutation that was only recently discovered in the scientific world (I believe 1998?). It is one of the leading causes of women who are on birth control experiencing a clot. I have found that nearly any female who has this has experienced multiple miscarriages, and that most doctors won't run any tests until there have been 3 losses.
But that is almost all I know. Even after going through every internet search link I can find. This is it. Most people who have Factor II will go through their entire lives not knowing that they have it. My parents are in their 50s and we still do not know which one is the carrier of the gene. Mine was found due to extensive blood work to find the cause of multiple miscarriages; most are found due to blood clots that sometimes cause strokes while on birth control.
I guess, like most mothers who have experienced the loss, I wish that it was cut and dry. Just tell me that this was the cause, and the aspirin would prevent it from happening again. But they can't and won't. Because really, they don't know. In fact, we do know that at least one loss was due to 3 sets of chromosomes instead of 2, so the Factor II had nothing to do with that.
Anyhow, I just have been thinking a lot about how as women, we are given this diagnosis after a long, emotional road, and then we go searching for answers that the doctors couldn't or wouldn't give. For me, I rest in the peace of knowing that my three babies are in heaven being rocked by my grandmother, playing with Jesus and the angels, and didn't have to know the pain or troubles of this world. All the more reason to look forward to being there someday.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Thursday Brain Dump
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| This was while we waited at the pharmacy. |
2. We made crayon hearts for the goody bags for Valentine's Day parties for the girls. They turned out alright. All of the wax from the crayons rose to the top/back of the heart when they were melting/baking. So the back of the hearts is white-ish and the front is greasy. But it worked. Bella and Bianca were excited to do it, and we all enjoyed it.
 |
| No, she didn't touch the knife! |
3. Scott and I did nothing for each other on Valentine's Day. We're not really anti-celebrating it, but we don't require something on THE DAY. So last night, after putting the girls to bed, we (and Jacob) went to Jose Peppers for a quiet little dinner and just time to chat. That was it. Our Valentine celebration. A little over the top, don'tcha think?
4. Today Scott is at Bella's school as the WatchDog. This is how the school gets dads to volunteer more. So far, by lunchtime (at 10:45), he had worked with fifth graders on their math, fourth graders on spelling, and played games with Bella, in addition to holding the door this morning while the children arrived.
 |
| Bianca was awesome at peeling the papers off! |
5. I was WAY EXCITED about the 2 inches of snow we received on Monday night/Tuesday. I love snow. It makes life so much more... exciting. We rushed home after school and the girls went out to play in it. Which was a very good thing, because it was almost all gone by the next morning. Still, it wasn't enough to make me wish for spring yet. So I'm still wishing for snow. Sorry.
6. I'm supposed to be making a menu and a shopping list. Hhhmmmm, probably should do that so I can get groceries before I go pick up Bianca in 1.5 hours!
7. I just watched the pilot episode of the show Smash. Loved it. Can't wait for this evening so that Scott and I can watch the second one after the girls go to bed. So which girl are they going to pick for the part? And what's the dark haired girl's name? There's Ivy and...... ? I can't remember. I also still need to watch The Bachelor. Yeah, its my guilty pleasure. There's always so much drama. And I get to hang out with the girlfriends while I watch it usually. *Winning.*
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| My view in the morning when I wake up :) |
8. I have not been grocery shopping *for us* since my original trip, except for bread and milk. Oh, and that extra box of tea bags I picked up on the Super Bowl shopping trip. And the Oreos. But really, that's it! And now I need to go again, but we do still have chicken from the Roast chicken I made. We've eaten it twice now, plus I had a few pieces for lunch, and I have at least one more meal to make out of it, plus the broth to use. And it was only 85 cents per pound! Score!
9. I am almost finished with Bianca's scarf that I've been working on. I have to put the eyeballs on one puppet. I'm not sure what my next project will be. Any ideas?
10. Bella really wants to cut her hair. Well, she did last night and this morning. I think she just wanted to it to be special for her day with Daddy today at school. We'll see if she keeps asking. She also keeps wavering between just a trim, and getting 10 inches off to donate to Locks of Love. So we'll see. Every morning, I'm ready to chop it, she is SO tender headed.
11. I still haven't gotten the SD slot to work yet, so while I have taken pictures, I am still unable to get them off my camera!
12. I'm going to go make that list now so I can rush off to Aldi before I have to get Bianca. We'll all be home by 3:45 today! I'm way excited about that!
Monday, February 13, 2012
I am away today caring for my littlest baby. He has his first cold, and it is a doozy!
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| He still has smiles, even though he's congested, coughing, and has watery eyes :( |
Today, we'll be visiting the doctor, picking up a few mainstays at the
grocery, and coming home to hunker down until we get to feeling
better.
 |
| Two little girls took my phone and had an impromptu photo session.... |
We also have laundry from the weekend to do, and Valentine Parties to prepare for.
 |
| Aren't these pictures just flattering? :) |
I'm going to try to make this for the girls' classes. So we'll see you again in a day or two.
 |
| Good morning! Have a great day! |
How are you celebrating Valentine's Day?
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Me, me, me... Happy Birthday to me! :)
Today is my birthday. I rarely post about myself, so I'm gonna do that today! Everything I love or am thinking about.... well, just about everything :)
+I am finally feeling like I'm home again. We have settled into our little apartment, its very cozy and comfortable. I'm surrounded by things I love. Our little family has settled into a routine. We love our church! We are making dear friends. It just finally feels like home.
Some of this I think is coming from some freedom I've found recently.
+The Lord has been working on my heart. It was and has been broken repeatedly by miscarriages and hurts from being a family in the ministry (though there was also much joy), and at some point I decided I was done and pulled into my shell. The healing has been taking place over the last year, but especially in the last month or so. I remember a sermon by our pastor a few weeks ago where he challenged us to let go of our fears. At the time, I didn't think I had any real fears, aside from the normal fear of losing my family. I mean, we've faced most of the fears I had over the years, some by choice and some by force... loss of pregnancy, job, home, what else is there to lose? But I had a fear of getting hurt again. I've been protecting myself by keeping others at arms' length. I let go of that fear slowly but surely recently, and it is so FREEING! I have a joy that I remember having at a time when things were 'normal' in our life. There is much I could say on this, but I want to cover some other things today too. :O)
+I love our small group. We all connect on many levels. If it weren't for needing to let the sitters go home, we could probably discuss and chat all night long when we meet. The guys are meeting once a week on their own to do Bible study and just be accountable to one another. The gals get together for play dates, etc, and we all get together to just have fun at different times. They are becoming dear friends. We all support one another and help out where we can. Its been a great example of what the church should be, and I look forward to what the Lord has in store for us!
+I have been busy with a hobby of mine that I love... crocheting. I have made a few things over the past two years... baby blankets (3), a 'hoodie', fingerless gloves, and now I'm working on puppet scarves for the girls. I was given a subscription to Crochet Today last year for my birthday from Dad and Sandy. I devour it each time it arrives, and there are always projects I would love to do in each issue! I'm a little obsessed, and Scott wants to know when I'm going to start profiting from this. Not sure about that, honey! Yesterday two gals from our small group came over and we talked crochet all morning. They wanted to learn, so I started teaching them during the Super Bowl game while we were 'watching' with the guys. I really enjoyed that.
+I started a new habit recently as well. I've subscribe to Kat's blog over at Inspired to Action for a while now. (Check her out. I am often challenged by her posts.) I decided over Christmas break that we really needed to do something about our morning routine in order to make it go a little more smoothly getting Bella ready for school. Every season, Kat puts together a challenge to moms to get up before the kids and exercise and meet with Jesus every morning. I randomly put it out on Face book that I was thinking about doing this to see if anyone was interested in doing it with me, and an interesting group formed. There are 7 of us who get up every morning (nearly) and do this, then text one another and encourage them on in our roles. So, I've been getting up at 6 am most mornings to shower and read my Bible. Exercising has been slow to be added, but I'm working on it. Its been fun with these gals. There is one from nearly every place I have lived, so while I know everyone in the group, but the group doesn't really know one another. Even so, each lady has been a blessing. We are encouraging and praying for each other throughout the day.
+I'm looking forward to a weekend in Illinois.
+I'm planning a Pinterest Party in my mind, where we have food and make something from what we've found on Pinterest.
+I'm still working on cooking frugally. Scouring the web for low cost meals. We've eaten two meatless meals this week! (very unusual for us)
+I can't wait to spend some time with Scott tonight. We are going out to eat and then going shopping to spend some gift cards I received for Christmas.
+Our church is getting ready to break ground on our building. I'm so excited about what ministries will be accomplished using the facilities.
+I have to go so I can finish dishes, bathe Jacob and get him ready (he's going with us tonight), and do some more laundry!
+I promise more pictures upcoming. I'm using a different computer, and apparently all of the 'outlets on the front of the tower are turned off, which includes the memory card spot. :( Have to figure that out!
+I am finally feeling like I'm home again. We have settled into our little apartment, its very cozy and comfortable. I'm surrounded by things I love. Our little family has settled into a routine. We love our church! We are making dear friends. It just finally feels like home.
Some of this I think is coming from some freedom I've found recently.
+The Lord has been working on my heart. It was and has been broken repeatedly by miscarriages and hurts from being a family in the ministry (though there was also much joy), and at some point I decided I was done and pulled into my shell. The healing has been taking place over the last year, but especially in the last month or so. I remember a sermon by our pastor a few weeks ago where he challenged us to let go of our fears. At the time, I didn't think I had any real fears, aside from the normal fear of losing my family. I mean, we've faced most of the fears I had over the years, some by choice and some by force... loss of pregnancy, job, home, what else is there to lose? But I had a fear of getting hurt again. I've been protecting myself by keeping others at arms' length. I let go of that fear slowly but surely recently, and it is so FREEING! I have a joy that I remember having at a time when things were 'normal' in our life. There is much I could say on this, but I want to cover some other things today too. :O)
+I love our small group. We all connect on many levels. If it weren't for needing to let the sitters go home, we could probably discuss and chat all night long when we meet. The guys are meeting once a week on their own to do Bible study and just be accountable to one another. The gals get together for play dates, etc, and we all get together to just have fun at different times. They are becoming dear friends. We all support one another and help out where we can. Its been a great example of what the church should be, and I look forward to what the Lord has in store for us!
+I have been busy with a hobby of mine that I love... crocheting. I have made a few things over the past two years... baby blankets (3), a 'hoodie', fingerless gloves, and now I'm working on puppet scarves for the girls. I was given a subscription to Crochet Today last year for my birthday from Dad and Sandy. I devour it each time it arrives, and there are always projects I would love to do in each issue! I'm a little obsessed, and Scott wants to know when I'm going to start profiting from this. Not sure about that, honey! Yesterday two gals from our small group came over and we talked crochet all morning. They wanted to learn, so I started teaching them during the Super Bowl game while we were 'watching' with the guys. I really enjoyed that.
+I started a new habit recently as well. I've subscribe to Kat's blog over at Inspired to Action for a while now. (Check her out. I am often challenged by her posts.) I decided over Christmas break that we really needed to do something about our morning routine in order to make it go a little more smoothly getting Bella ready for school. Every season, Kat puts together a challenge to moms to get up before the kids and exercise and meet with Jesus every morning. I randomly put it out on Face book that I was thinking about doing this to see if anyone was interested in doing it with me, and an interesting group formed. There are 7 of us who get up every morning (nearly) and do this, then text one another and encourage them on in our roles. So, I've been getting up at 6 am most mornings to shower and read my Bible. Exercising has been slow to be added, but I'm working on it. Its been fun with these gals. There is one from nearly every place I have lived, so while I know everyone in the group, but the group doesn't really know one another. Even so, each lady has been a blessing. We are encouraging and praying for each other throughout the day.
+I'm looking forward to a weekend in Illinois.
+I'm planning a Pinterest Party in my mind, where we have food and make something from what we've found on Pinterest.
+I'm still working on cooking frugally. Scouring the web for low cost meals. We've eaten two meatless meals this week! (very unusual for us)
+I can't wait to spend some time with Scott tonight. We are going out to eat and then going shopping to spend some gift cards I received for Christmas.
+Our church is getting ready to break ground on our building. I'm so excited about what ministries will be accomplished using the facilities.
+I have to go so I can finish dishes, bathe Jacob and get him ready (he's going with us tonight), and do some more laundry!
+I promise more pictures upcoming. I'm using a different computer, and apparently all of the 'outlets on the front of the tower are turned off, which includes the memory card spot. :( Have to figure that out!
Monday, February 6, 2012
My Experiment with Ham, Cream Sauce from scratch, and what I did with it
A few weeks after Christmas, I found a ham on sale at Aldi. I LOVE
Aldi. (We'll hit on that later this week, but I can feel my grocery
budget stretching just by walking through the doors of that place!)
Anyway, back to the ham, I cooked it for supper a few weeks ago. And froze the leftover ham. I think it was an 8 pounder; so far, it has fed us for 2 meals, I blessed my MIL with some (its her fave!), and it was a part of the meal for the family with the new baby.
Here's how I cooked it (Thank you Dawn Reynolds and my Mother for sharing their recipes! I used information from both to cook this ham, since I didn't have some other items on hand):
Ingredients:
Ham
Brown sugar
Sliced Pineapple, canned
Begin with a thawed ham in a roasting pan. Poke the ham with a toothpick. Combine 1 cup of brown sugar with the juice from the pineapple can and pour it over the ham. Using toothpicks, 'pin' pineapple rings on the ham. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes per pound. (If its sliced, its supposed to be a little less)
So that was a meal in itself for us (with leftovers, obviously).
The second meal we had was a recipe I got from Heavenly Homemakers (LOVE that site. If you are looking for new recipes, I would recommend anything over there!).
It was Ham with Scalloped Potatoes.
I've never made anything with a homemade cream sauce, and, while I had my doubts, it turned out delicious! (The whole time I was trying to think of what I would make if it didn't turn out, seeing as how I was planning to take a recipe I had never made to a family I had never met!)
You can find the recipe for that here. I adjusted it because I wasn't sure the pineapple/brown sugar cured ham would mess with the taste of the potatoes, so I warmed the ham separately.
The meal was very inexpensive, as a 5 lb bag of large Idaho potatoes cost only $2.69, and I used 4 potatoes (They were large), and the ham has made 3.5 meals and I'm not done with that yet. I had everything else on hand already. That doesn't make it less expensive, but it helps!
We'll do a shopping list breakdown later this week for our meals.
On the menu for tonight, Spaghetti, of course. I'm using this recipe from Keeper of the Home for the spaghetti sauce. Wish me luck!
Anyway, back to the ham, I cooked it for supper a few weeks ago. And froze the leftover ham. I think it was an 8 pounder; so far, it has fed us for 2 meals, I blessed my MIL with some (its her fave!), and it was a part of the meal for the family with the new baby.
Here's how I cooked it (Thank you Dawn Reynolds and my Mother for sharing their recipes! I used information from both to cook this ham, since I didn't have some other items on hand):
Ingredients:
Ham
Brown sugar
Sliced Pineapple, canned
Begin with a thawed ham in a roasting pan. Poke the ham with a toothpick. Combine 1 cup of brown sugar with the juice from the pineapple can and pour it over the ham. Using toothpicks, 'pin' pineapple rings on the ham. Cover and cook at 350 degrees for 15 minutes per pound. (If its sliced, its supposed to be a little less)
So that was a meal in itself for us (with leftovers, obviously).
The second meal we had was a recipe I got from Heavenly Homemakers (LOVE that site. If you are looking for new recipes, I would recommend anything over there!).
It was Ham with Scalloped Potatoes.
I've never made anything with a homemade cream sauce, and, while I had my doubts, it turned out delicious! (The whole time I was trying to think of what I would make if it didn't turn out, seeing as how I was planning to take a recipe I had never made to a family I had never met!)
You can find the recipe for that here. I adjusted it because I wasn't sure the pineapple/brown sugar cured ham would mess with the taste of the potatoes, so I warmed the ham separately.
The meal was very inexpensive, as a 5 lb bag of large Idaho potatoes cost only $2.69, and I used 4 potatoes (They were large), and the ham has made 3.5 meals and I'm not done with that yet. I had everything else on hand already. That doesn't make it less expensive, but it helps!
We'll do a shopping list breakdown later this week for our meals.
On the menu for tonight, Spaghetti, of course. I'm using this recipe from Keeper of the Home for the spaghetti sauce. Wish me luck!
Saving $$ on Groceries: Meal Planning
Meal planning is my obsession right now. We have a love-hate relationship, meal planning and I. I love to eat, but never want whatever I have around to fix for supper.
For example, I always have spaghetti, but never want it; that is, until we have no pasta sauce on the shelf. (Just as an example, because my husband might tell you that I dream of anything in pasta sauce :) So I am learning to be a good little soldier and fix whatever is on the menu whether I'm feeling it or not.
I spoke in my recent posts of trying to cut costs in our groceries line item of the budget.
Really, previously, we didn't budget for groceries. I just bought what I thought we needed, and then we budgeted around that. We always ended up spending way too much on food because we weren't paying attention. Now that we are paying attention, I cut our weekly shopping trip in half.
Just by making a plan, sticking to it, and not buying things that I can make at home (poptarts, granola bars, waffles), I cut it in HALF. (admittedly, this weekend our snackies for the Super Bowl threw us off a bit, but all in all, we still saved money) Our shopping list can be viewed here.
So my recent grocery shopping trip included a meal plan. I am not planning meals for specific days because our days can change at the drop of a hat. But at least I know I have meals that I can make.
Like Thursday, when we were going to have spaghetti, but I failed to plan ahead and see that the sauce would take an hour to make (probably should make that ahead of time!) and started dinner at 6 pm.
Yeah, we had frozen pizza that night.
And then Saturday, when were yet again going to have spaghetti, but some friends called and we ended up getting pizza and playing games all evening.
It was a great pizza and friend filled weekend.
And I'm okay with that, because I know that we will eat healthier this week, and I still have spaghetti to make (guess what's for supper?!).
And I love our friends.
OR, like Friday, when I had no clue what I was going to cook, and then realized at noon that I had committed to take dinner to a family with a new baby (when I finally checked my calendar :); I hadn't planned for that because I am just getting started with this planning process again, but PRAISE GOD, I had a meal planned that would have been 5 meals for us and I was able to split it up and bless another family.
So lesson for the week?
Meal planning....
Next up: Recipes!
For example, I always have spaghetti, but never want it; that is, until we have no pasta sauce on the shelf. (Just as an example, because my husband might tell you that I dream of anything in pasta sauce :) So I am learning to be a good little soldier and fix whatever is on the menu whether I'm feeling it or not.
I spoke in my recent posts of trying to cut costs in our groceries line item of the budget.
Really, previously, we didn't budget for groceries. I just bought what I thought we needed, and then we budgeted around that. We always ended up spending way too much on food because we weren't paying attention. Now that we are paying attention, I cut our weekly shopping trip in half.
Just by making a plan, sticking to it, and not buying things that I can make at home (poptarts, granola bars, waffles), I cut it in HALF. (admittedly, this weekend our snackies for the Super Bowl threw us off a bit, but all in all, we still saved money) Our shopping list can be viewed here.
So my recent grocery shopping trip included a meal plan. I am not planning meals for specific days because our days can change at the drop of a hat. But at least I know I have meals that I can make.
Like Thursday, when we were going to have spaghetti, but I failed to plan ahead and see that the sauce would take an hour to make (probably should make that ahead of time!) and started dinner at 6 pm.
Yeah, we had frozen pizza that night.
And then Saturday, when were yet again going to have spaghetti, but some friends called and we ended up getting pizza and playing games all evening.
It was a great pizza and friend filled weekend.
And I'm okay with that, because I know that we will eat healthier this week, and I still have spaghetti to make (guess what's for supper?!).
And I love our friends.
OR, like Friday, when I had no clue what I was going to cook, and then realized at noon that I had committed to take dinner to a family with a new baby (when I finally checked my calendar :); I hadn't planned for that because I am just getting started with this planning process again, but PRAISE GOD, I had a meal planned that would have been 5 meals for us and I was able to split it up and bless another family.
So lesson for the week?
Meal planning....
- SAVES $$
- Blesses your family and others
- Ensures you will have something to feed your family
- Helps one be flexible (but not too flexible!)
Next up: Recipes!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Our Life Story: Part 2
This is the second of a two part series. If you missed Part 1, you can find it here. Job offers came in for Scott, and we prayed fervently. Not one of the job offers he received felt like the 'right' one, and then Scott had a realization. He LOVES the real estate industry. So in 12 days, Scott was a licensed Realtor working under the father of a long time friend. He had a really good first year. However, most first year Realtors are not solely responsible for supporting a family of 4 (surprise - 5). Because of my diagnosis of Factor II, I cannot buy insurance myself, so we had to go with group insurance, which was very expensive. And then the medical bills started flowing in. Every month, we were wondering where the money would come from to pay for the insurance, and it came in every month. We made hard decisions, but with God's help, we did it.
Then in August, we realized we only had so much savings left, and would not be able to make insurance payments in November without a more consistent income. So Scott put in his resume a few places, and within two weeks of applying, started working at Farmer's in their HelpPoint division. He processes auto insurance claims.
So now we are beginning to pay off the debt we acquired through all of this. We have medical bills, a student loan that has been hanging around far too long, and two credit cards. So I am trying to feed our family as inexpensively as possible. Really, its gotten much more healthy. Junk food is expensive! And I don't say we are eating cheap, because to me that does not mean quality. (For whatever reason, cheap has a negative connotation in my mind!) What we can't survive without, I am trying to make from scratch. This month will see me trying out homemade poptarts, granola bars, and possibly breakfast bars. I'll share the whole process with you. This week, I spent around $100 on groceries that will feed the four of us for close to 1.5 weeks. Well, most of us. Bella may starve due to her pickiness, but she'll eat when she gets hungry enough.
Which brings me to my new blog series... Family Meals on a Budget. I've been doing the coupon cutting, and that helps, but I can't find coupons for fresh veggies and quality meat (let me know if you can!). So, meal planning and watching sales is my strategy. (The coupons have helped in the toiletry, clothing, eating out, and general merchandise areas.) A break down of our meal costs, recipes, and such are coming. Stay tuned!
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Our Life Story: Part 1
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| Bella and Bianca played outside yesterday (2-1-12) with NO coats! |
Our budget is squeaking by the skin of our teeth these days. We've had a hard few years in all areas of our life, and those hits have brought us back to square one financially. It has taught us SO MUCH, and our lives are different because of it. I can honestly say that I would not change one thing we've been through in our short almost 10 years of marriage.
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| And Jacob watched. |
There's more.... find it in Part 2!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Wordless Wednesday: Shopping list
Slow Start...
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| Bianca |
 |
| Bella |
Perfectionist that I am in my mind (with a capital P), I wasn't going to let myself start this blogging thing again until I could do it and do it right. Know what I mean? But I have come to a terrible realization, and it has to do with my Word of the Year. I've never done a WOTY, but I decided this was a good year to start. Wanna know what my word is? Yes? Well, that's another post. :) You'll have to come back for that.
So here I am. I am who I am, and no one is better at being me than me, so I'm going to be me to my fullest. In the meantime, I'll leave you with some pictures. Because I know you've been biting at the bit to see new ones of my little ones. Who are now 6 1/2 years (Bella), 4 years (Bianca), and 5 months (Jacob)! Where does the time go?!
Here's what's on my blog list for the month of February:
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| Jacob |
- Word of the Year
- Meals on a budget
- Cloth diapering
- Crochet projects
- Pinterest projects
- Living in tight quarters
- Reinstating routines in our lives
- Book review
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