Around

Well I did say that it would be sporadic here for awhile...

Ok so summer is here! It's hot! Things are still busy, but not in the same way.

There is still baseball, although that is coming to an end. Then we start swimming lessons, but that is just for a week. This past weekend we had a big beach birthday party for my two oldest girls. It was a lot of work, sort of expensive and only 1 of the girls came that we invited!!!! So that really took it out of us!

Mainly, I had just gotten so used to not using the computer that I forget to check the blog and write on it. My plan is to remember though!

Another thing is my camera is not doing so hot, and part of blogging for me is using pictures. So I forget that too. And sometimes you just don't have much to say.

But I do have some things to say now :) However I hear some children whining so I have to go for now...

Just Thinking

I have been absent a lot. I know, sorry....you all understand though.

You know there are times when you are filled to overflowing with stuff to talk about and need to get it out. Then there are times when you are busy pondering and thinking and praying about things that you keep hidden inside for awhile before it's ready to come out.

That's where I've been.

The last few weeks I've been introduced to some ideas that just seemed weird at first, but the more I looked into it, the more it really resonated with me. So I've been using my computer time to research it and think about it, talk with my husband about it and pray about it.

Also, I had a major injury last Saturday. I did not break my foot, but a shelf from a bookcase fell on it and it has been BADLY swollen and bruised all week. I have not been able to do much at all. We have had a major lowering of standards :) But this has taught me something; for one, I am not so tired when I am spending more time doing things slowly, doing less things and resting more. Duh.

The other thing is that some things really aren't that important. I may have only 5 things on my to do list, but it is a challenge to actually do them. I am so slow! Working in the kitchen and making the bed is difficult!

This brings me back to the interesting ideas I've been pondering. For the past year I've been so drawn to the blog SouleMama. Their way of life looks so meaningful and simple, and while I don't know if they are Christians, their life is one to be modeled. So I started searching some of the things they do which brought me to something called Waldorf.


Not the hotel :) But a method of teaching children and a way of living. The man who created it has some beliefs that I don't agree with, but he spent his life studying children and how they learn. What he developed is that children are spiritual beings (duh) and should be treated as such. Of course I don't believe in reincarnation or anything at all, but the truth is we are spirits that live in physical bodies.

So the way a child is handled and taught is a lot different than mainstream society. Not only that, but the people I've been reading talk a lot about rhythms, like routines, that construct the day and week and year. The idea is that little ones depend on a daily rhythm or flow to learn and grow and be at peace. Seasons and marking special days during the changing of seasons helps to differentiate the year to them.


There is also an emphasis on natural things. Natural simple and few toys, natural fibers for clothes, no screen time at all (tv or computer etc.) and simple whole foods diet is recommended. In fact, if you send your children to a Waldorf school, you have to agree that there will be no TV watching for them or loud rock music at home. Thought that was sort of funny since rock was the only thing that calmed my second daughter.

There is much much more to it, but that's the basics. I have found a lot of Christians who also use this method of education and home life and that really helps me see it from that perspective. What are some things I want to do?

Well, I've been really deeply purging out stuff. Most of the girls' toys will be leaving. These will be replaced with handmade and more natural toys from various online shops and from Etsy.com There are some really neat things out there. My girls just don't play with loads of toys anyways and it sure makes cleaning difficult. We are keeping the Barbies, although they will be pared down. Sarah just loves them too much :)


I plan to work in a lot of nature into our rooms including a nature table, which is the norm for Waldorf families/schools. I sort of already do this anyways.



Mainly though, is creating a family rhythm that flows well and accomplishes all it needs to. Waldorf education emphasizes the need for children to do practical work, called meaningful work. But it is not done in a hurried or grudging way. It is taken slowly, to enjoy the process. My goal for the beginning of the summer is to teach the girls how to wash dishes after each meal, how to make their beds pretty, how to lovingly take care of everyone's clothes and things and how to do some cooking. This likely will take a lot of time. We have other things coming that will be worked in, such as swimming lessons, a family vacation at some point, fun outings, ball games, I will have a few cakes to make and so on.


But, I also want to work in lots of crafts and projects, such as dying yarn, watercolor painting, trying something called needlefelting and a little hand sewing.

It is my personal belief that time is very short before Jesus comes. I want to quit messing around and do what I a called to do. I don't want to part of the herd, but willing to do something different to accomplish eternal work. That first work is my children. So what if things are left undone and messy? I want them to know that they are the most important, and that I love them enough to teach them.

This does not mean we are going to homeschool. At this point that is not the right path for us. Mixing all of these things should be interesting, but that's ok. The point is we do what we are led to do.

I am sure I will be talking more about this soon, there's just so much floating around in the head right now. I have pages and pages of thoughts written in my notebook on it!

Today I will be working on the Angry Birds cake for a little boy. Angry birds is an iphone game that is quite popular. It consists of slingshotting some angry birds to hit some green pigs inside a structure. Here's a picture :


I am making a cake to look like the iphone- flat rectangle- with the stuff standing on top in a 3d look. You'll just have to see it later! I can't explain it well.

I am back

Hi everyone. Of course when I make the decision to blog again I don't show up for a few weeks.

It's just out of my routine and it has been pretty busy. Children in sports is a new thing for us and it is time consuming! Our other home is the baseball field, and, there have been lots of birthdays (including mine...) and stuff going on as well.

Yes, I am 29 now :) To many that seems really young, which it is I guess, it's just weird when YOU finally hit that number. I have also been keeping myself busy working on projects like sewing clothes and knitting. There is always something that needs to be done, however I am working real hard to slow down.

One of the things I am badly in need of is a catching up on my sleep. I have not been goo d to myself that last oh, 2 years?! No matter what, it is always hard to get to bed at a decent hour, and then I really regret it the next morning.

I am in a real homemaking slump as well. I seem to have lost all motivation. Things are undone that should be, and one of the reasons is I'm just too worn out. That's bad.

Which is another reason I have not made an appearance here.

On a good note, my combined birthday/Mother's Day gift was a Blackberry phone. I have been on the fence on whether I wanted a fancy phone or not, because it seemed rather unnecessary. Plus, I get really mad at people that are always messing with their phones. But my husband felt I needed to update, so he got me one. I really like it because it has the actual keyboard buttons instead of a touch screen. Plus I can take better pictures and keep track of important dates better! AND, I can talk to my husband without actually talking- texting :)

Also, we have chickens. (did I say that before?) Six of them and they are growing fast! I'll be glad when they can go outside because we have a multitude of baby grasshoppers that need to get eaten before they eat my garden. I need to put up new pictures of the garden as well.

What am I doing right now?
I am dying loads of wool yarn with koolaid- one batch on the stove and one in the crockpot. I did this last winter and it came out awesome! We'll see how this one goes...It's like playing with watercolor painting. Or tie dye, but I have never done that myself. Plan to soon though.

There is much more floating around in my head, but I need to chill for awhile since the baby is finally taking a much needed nap!

Monday!

Happy Post-Easter!

We had a great weekend...well, everyone else did. I was TERRIBLY SICK!!!! From Friday night to Sunday morning I was ill with a cold/sinus infection/allergies/flu- whatever it was- it was NOT fun. It all came to a head in the wee hours of Easter morning, I had been laying in pain for hours, everything on my face hurt. None of the medicine I had taken helped. I had very little to work with naturally and no energy to anyways. I finally woke up my husband and he came to the rescue :) After applying a heating pad to my back, vapor rub to my chest, setting up humidifier right by my head, and massaging the nerve endings of my sinuses (in my feet!) the pain went away and I fell asleep. For about 3 hours...then the children arrived exclaiming at what was in their baskets :) More on that later.

Anyways, I know this was a total attack of Satan. I had NO symptoms at all, and then this thing just jumped on me full swing, no warning at all. I did name and claim my healing, and while it was very very hard to watch my mouth and speak God's Word only, I want to say that I am almost full recovered. By last evening, even though I was pretty weak from not eating and sleeping, I was able to cook dinner and do some light housekeeping. We took communion in church yesterday, and I just took my healing by faith. I got it. Thank you Jesus for those stripes you bore for me!

This morning I recovered the house. Well, now, after we got home from church and dinner at Granna's, my husband had the girls clean up the house, he got the laundry going and did the dishes. WOW! Super dude! So, anyways, there was still plastic Easter grass and candy wrappers all over the house! And remnants of plastic eggs. After drinking some very hot tea and resting on the couch a little this morning, I did the dishes and mopped the kitchen; picked up the main rooms, vacuumed, mopped the entry area, did some laundry, got the baby to bed and sat down with more tea to knit. I did quite well considering.

I am very thankful to be able bodied. For awhile I really wondered if the pain, congestion and terrible sore throat would ever go away. The Lord did sort of convict me though. If I had been taking better care of myself, I wouldn't have been so run down in the first place. I must learn this lesson! I need to get regular sleep, eat well enough and not overload myself- duh!

Well, I have some cute pictures to add later, but now I need to start a pot of soup and reboot the laundry...again...

My week

Big Sigh here....

Wow, life has been very busy.

My daughters that are playing ball this year have had scrimmages and practices and are going to start games next week. My t-baller has 3 games next week! The other one has a game and a practice....some of their future games are at the same time! So, it starts.

Also, my husband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary yesterday. Ten years! Hard to believe it.

We had always wanted to return to our honeymoon cabin for our 10th, but it didn't work out. So, he made me a Japanese meal complete with sitting on the floor and chopsticks, and the green tea ceremony from the movie Karate Kid II. (well, it was similar) Don't forget to turn my music off on the right hand sidebar. He also got me some pearl/diamond earrings, because he gave me a pearl necklace when we got married. Awww....



Karate Kid 2 Tea Ceremony by oldmansnots

So, the next thing is getting ready for all the Easter family gatherings this weekend. Coloring eggs, finishing the sewing, did some shopping for shoes etc. and some cooking. Wow.

Anyways, my posting here may be sporadic in the coming weeks. Probably after school is out it'll be easier because we won't have to go anywhere but the baseball field and the store!

Happy Easter!

Busy

It's been a very busy week.

Lots of sewing, t-balling, cleaning and preparing for the holiday. Hopefully soon I can do a real post :)

Everything Post

During my baby-is-finally-napping time, this is what I did. I sure did need some down time!


Doesn't it look scary? It took me awhile to figure out how to use double pointed needles, but I decided to try making some socks after Christmas and finally got the hang of it. I still don't love it, but I can do it easily now. I decided to try making Samantha a wool diaper cover in the round, which means you knit it in a tube so there's no seams to sew. I've come a long way on it since....

This is what Sarah was doing. She is obsessed with Barbies- loves loves loves it. Samantha was asleep, and that's where the massive Barbie mansion is, so she moved into the living room.


My living room looks like this a lot of the time. Not necessarily Barbies, but definitely random shrapnel that everyone has scattered, usually the baby.

Did I mention that my two middle girls are playing t-ball this year? This is the first time we've ever done anything "extracurricular". Wow these people are disorganized! I've gotten at least 3-4 'surprise' calls about practice being in like an hour from the call! Most of it is my husband's fault because they send him text messages and he is so busy he forgets to tell me. But sometime the coaches just spring it on us. They've been practicing 3-4 weeks now, and so far we have no schedule of future games/scrimmages, no uniforms (although they did both get sponsors so we don't have to buy them) and like, no numbers of people to contact. We spent $140 to put them in baseball, then we spent like $150 on equipment- helmets, gloves, bats and cleats. Dang!

When I was a kid all we had to provide was shoes and gloves. Maybe we bought the uniform, I don't remember. Still...Sarah's team is called the Rangerettes and Alexa's team has the dumbest name ever!!!! The Diamond Dolls- stick finger down throat here. How does that relate to baseball?

Anyways, what I was knitting is a wool diaper soaker for the baby. I haven't been using cloth diapers because I only had newborn sized and toddler sizes. But I think we're going to get back into it soon. I'm getting closer to the finish line!



Also, I took some pictures of cooking yesterday. I usually make my bread in the bread machine, as in I have it mix up the dough and then I shape it and bake it. I needed to make a larger amount of dough this time, so I did it by hand, and I had a helper! I realized it is nice to have a machine to do the work for me, but it really doesn't take a long time to do it yourself, and it's a nice change. And Samantha really enjoyed it as well :)




This dough was great. I wanted to make pizza rolls and cinnamon rolls, so I just found a dinner roll recipe and added some extra ingredients. I didn't get pictures of the end result because they are GONE!!! I made mini cinnamon rolls, very cute, easier for the girls to eat and they are gone. I made at least 24 of them! I'll have to post the recipe sometime.
Anyways, today I'm going to browse around looking for fabric for dresses. Time to go!

My Garden

This past winter I started learning about something the French have called Potager gardens. Basically, they are functional gardens that are pretty to look at :) You grow your pretties, veggies and herbs all together in an eye pleasing way.

Here are some of my inspirational pictures:



In my dreams!!



So, anyways, we had to move our garden plot from last year because we figured out it was right on top of the septic system :( There were still many trees to clear in the back before we could set up a garden back there, so we chose this spot right next to the house.

Still, um, in the planning phase here.


So, we have sand. This makes things a bit harder. Our plants just haven't grown as fast as we thought they should. So what are we growing?

We have two english pea trellises. The right side bed has cabbages, lettuces and Red Swiss Chard.




The other rectangle has medicinal herbs- chamomile, horehound, lavender, echinacea and some eggplants :)


We have a large area for a variety of tomatoes and lots of herbs for cooking. We just planted most of them a week or so ago, so they're still small.


We now have a berry patch, two blueberry bushes and my mom's strawberry plants in between They look like there will be lots of berries this year.




Then there are different kinds of squash in this bed. I can't remember what they are!


We also have lots of decorative elements in the works. My husband is planning to build a lattice covered seating area between these rose bushes. (it'll go where the wood stakes are)



We plan to covered the dirt paths with rocks or stepping stones. There will be a picket fence and arches covered with something that climbs. I plan to put my peppermint in large pots so it doesn't take over. (it WILL!) Anyways, in the middle, where that circular spot was, we want to get a stone bird bath and put some potted plants around it. So, lots of future plans that may change. Last night we were able to pick a pea pod and eat the peas out of it- sugary sweet!

Most of the plants have been grown from seeds, which we buy online here. They are heirloom varieties that are guaranteed NOT genetically modified. We have had great success with these seeds.

Way out in the woods, my husband finally got some trees cleared and the dirt plowed up. Now we have rows and rows of corn, hot peppers, potatoes, green beans and cucumbers. I want to put cukes in my garden too, after the peas get done. Phew, that's a lot of growing plants! I better start stocking up on canning jars and ziploc baggies.

Getting some understanding

So, getting back into blogging is still becoming a habit for me. I probably will not do it everyday of course. Yesterday I took pictures of my garden, so that will be an upcoming post all by itself.

Today I took Sarah, my five year old to the dentist. She was so excited! And, it really is a neat place with a cool hippie like doctor :) After that I went by my husband's new office. I got the tour of the place and he showed off part of his family :) (no he didn't get a new job, they just moved to a new building)

It was later as I was driving home I got a revelation. The last several months I've been in kind of a homemaking/housewife lull. After doing it for close to a decade, it's lost its luster sort of. I'm just much more lackadaisical about my duties, which isn't necessarily terrible. But still, it has been devalued in my mind.

However I've read all the books you know, Fascinating Womanhood and Created to be His Helpmeet. For a time, when dh and I were going through some difficulties, I was tempted to call those books a lie. It just seemed like even though I did everything right, the desired outcome did not happen. Anyways, all the Christian homemakers talk a lot about our husbands going into the world and wanting to come home to a safe, clean happy haven. I thought I understood that, but I think my understanding was skewed.

After taking the tour of the offices where dh works, I realized something. Yes, he does go somewhere everyday and interacts with a lot more adults than I do. But the place he has to spend all day in is not home. Nor is it homey in any sense. It is sterile and computers and cords and white boards and screens and ringing phones and big meeting rooms. You might go to a clean and well decorated hotel, but it still ain't home.

My husband would tell me not to worry if the house wasn't picked up or there was undone laundry and dishes. Or even if I didn't make dinner, he would say it's ok. I didn't understand why, but now I do. When he comes home, it's a sigh of relief, to finally be in his own world. He knows that I am here, for him, and the girls, working at home to keep it up the best I can, stretch our dollars, do creative work and so on. I've decorated according to my tastes, so it's very personalized to what we like. It's comforting to come home and feel like it is a home.

I am free to do what I want basically. Everyday, I can choose what is most important. My only boss is the Lord. That's very special. I can manage our home and family in whatever way I desire. Sometimes it's daunting, but I am free to do what needs to be done. I have plenty of time to think and pray, though sometimes I feel somewhat lonely for adult conversation and get tired of meddling babies, still, I am able to listen to the still small voice a lot easier than dh.

Perfection isn't required, just some X's and O's (xoxoxo) and the promise of food is all that's needed really. It can be difficult to be in a good mood at that crazy time of day, but I will certainly work a lot harder on that one. My husband gives all his effort doing a job that isn't always fun, and he should at least have a joyful wife and time to chill when he gets home. Now I understand why he works so hard outside on the weekends- it's where he really really wants to be when he has to be at a computer instead!

I am very thankful that he is so willing to give me help. A lot of men would feel justified not doing anything when they get home, but Matt goes the extra mile. Maybe because I have made efforts to go the extra mile for him. I am constantly amazed that simply bringing someone a drink means a lot!

Kindness and consideration...sometimes overlooked in our homes with each other. I'm so glad I realized this now, and I sure do plan to do better on it in the future.

Anyways, just sharing my thoughts!

Cake!

For awhile I've felt like I needed to post pictures of my cakes somewhere, but didn't want to do much about it :) I guess now is the time. I am curious about other people's opinions, because I am very critical of my work. I've only charged for one cake so far, simply because I'm always afraid it will get screwed up!

Anyways, we'll go backwards just for fun! This is the most recent cake, my niece who turned 4 last weekend. She wanted Dora, and I could NOT find any Dora figures! So we just did all of her favorite things on the cake instead.



This was the biggest one I've ever done! It was like a wedding cake size. This was for a friend's little girl who turned 6. She wanted a Fancy Nancy themed cake. It was HUGE!!!


The week before this one was my daughter Sarah's birthday. She wanted a blue princess party, which of course would be Cinderella!

The Cake


The Birthday Decor

Lots of balloons and streamers you can't see.














The Birthday Girl

(yes I was nuts and made that dress too!)


Alright enough of that! Couldn't help it though....

These were all done in the month of March :) Busy...each cake takes me like a week because I have to break it up in small chunks of work.

Apparently I have lost a bunch of pictures that I took of various cakes. I've been looking for them and I only found a few. I guess that's why I should have posted them already!
Before this one was a boy baby shower cake, two hunting themed cakes, a bejeweled butterfly cake, a zebra print cake with pink flowers and bows, a Star Wars cake (very hard!), a sculpted real looking Eagle cake (hubby did that one), a rose cake for my mom, a fishing cake for someone else, and the original castle cake. There's probably more than that...to be continued....
This will be a to be continued post...

Changing for Spring

Back in the fall, or well, actually the beginning of September (not really considered fall here it's still so hot!) we painted our living room a lovely golden hue. Well, that's what we wanted. It turned out to be more the hue of THE SURFACE OF THE SUN :) Or marigold, sunflower, turmeric, yellow mustard...and so on. VERY yellow.

Since cooler weather was supposed to be on its way sometime in the next few months, I chose deeper colors. Deep shimmery green on the windows, red and brown and gold everywhere else. It worked really well, even during Christmas when things could have clashed. (it's a big living room and it really is THE living room where we all are all the time, so it needs to be nice on the eyes)

I've been wanting to trade off those colored things, while I liked them, for something more fresh. Ample supplies of money I didn't have and the need to do something now was something I couldn't squelch any longer. Also, the littlest one needed to have some special place to play in this big room, so we needed to do some rearranging. Well, I did anyways.

So, before on this table I had a large iron piece hanging on the wall, a large vase of green hydrangeas, my rooster and a basket of seashells. I loved it, but found a cute little aqua ceramic vase at a flea market the other day, and it didn't fit. So I started playing in this corner with things I had and this what I came up with.



Believe it or not, the cloth on the table is a curtain! I just started digging around in some boxes that I keep home decorations in, or in this case I took a fruit basket filled with a bag of oranges (yes they're real and on sale) and a terra cotta pot thingie from the porch. I put a tea light candle in there with the seashells- very pretty. Our anniversary is this month so I put our wedding picture there. I stripped fall decorations off the wreath and grabbed a piece of ecru lace from my sewing basket, and voila. I really like the colors. I am more and more impressed at how versatile this wall color is.



Moving on....above the TV. I had a large basket of sunflowers and the two candlesticks from the above picture sitting on it. Here it is now:



Different I know. I had a random piece of heavy fabric that I didn't know what to do with. So I put it on top of the armoire. I have an abundance of sticks outside since many trees have been cut down. You know those Easter ornament trees they sell? This is kind of what I was going for. I clipped some glittery butterflies left from a cake I did to the branches and there is one easter eggs up there. I knitted the entire thing in an hour this morning- stuffed and ready to go! FUN! I had a lovely bunch of orange and yellow tulips, but no vase that really worked with the whole bunch. However, I did have a supply of bud vases, so I split the flowers up and they add great pops of color all around.



As anyone knows with a curious toddler, objects on the coffee table are often a battle ground. I decided to test it out again and put something out that she wants and that I don't mind her playing with. (the sea shells) A simple coffee table arrangement, with plenty of room to set things on:


Again, just pretty much shopped around my house, and I don't have many knick knacks.

Here is the new play area behind this here loveseat. It's working out great- very happy with it.



The tea table...which we did have tea and super awesome Lindt chocolates at yesterday.



And back to the front of the room, my new knitting area. I moved those big hydrangeas over here- I really need to actually trim them and make an arrangement, but this will do for now. I also made a "remote" bed- I put some quilt batting in the basket and covered it with a piece of fabric. I don't know, just thought it would be cute. It can also hold my knitting pieces in a hurry.


My grandmother made the afghan on the chair. I would have gotten shots of the rest of the room, but we'll do that another time. Today was just a peak into the corners of my home :)

It was a fun challenge, changing the look of things just recycling things around. I am so pleased with the colors too. When all is tidied and quiet, it is very peaceful and serene, especially with the lit candles. Even when it's on the loud and messy side, the room still feels peaceful. YAY for that!

Returned,...

In a split moment, I've decided to return to this original space on the web. Taking a break was really what I needed at the time, and I feel ready to start again.

I really have no agenda or 'point' for this space. It's just me, like it always was!

I am pretty much the same as before, with of course some growth in all areas of my life, as we tend to do.

Currently, my youngest little girl is 20 months and super smart and super busy! My third daughter just turned 5 years old and is so excited about starting school next year. My 7 year old is reading and spelling and doing math with lightening speed! My oldest, who has some special needs, is doing AMAZING!!!! She is writing her name and other words by herself and communicating much better.

Currently, we are in the midst of gardening- planting and weeding and watering and praying over our little plants. We will be getting our first flock of chickens soon, upon completion of the coop, and that will be, um, fun?

I have made about 20 cakes for people since I left you all. I have learned much and am getting more comfortable with doing it. Where it will take me I know not. I have become an avid KNITTER!!! Since I last posted I've made several pairs of fingerless mitts, socks, 4 sweaters, numerous hats, booties and this morning just knitted an adorable Easter egg! Knitting is perfect for me and I do love it.

I still bake our bread weekly, cook mostly from scratch and seek out natural things, BUT I am no longer the Nourishing Traditions freak that I was. Too much stress and time involved. Instead I focus on local high quality foods, prepared the best way I can, and don't stress so much about properly preparing grains, sourdough, fermenting etc. It's fun to do, when you have the time. My time is spent elsewhere now. However I am simmering some beans on the stove that I actually remembered to soak last night! My husband will thank me :)

My husband and I will soon celebrate our 10th anniversary on the 21st. SO HARD TO BELIEVE!!!! I will turn 29 on my next birthday, again, SO HARD TO BELIEVE!!!!! Wasn't I just 18 years old the other day?

Anyways, there will be more to come of course, and hopefully today I will get some pictures up of our home. Sort of a spur of the moment, look how I redecorated with stuff I already had, tour.