King J's Queen

And the winner is....

2011-11-25T22:39:00.000-05:00

...soon to be announced!

First, let me tell you that I used Random.org to select the winner. There were a total of 11 comments on my blog and I didn't count comment #7, since it was a clarification of comment #6. Had comment #7 been generated, I would have run the number generator again.

The number generator identified comment #4, which was from Crickett Brown. Congratulations Crickett! I'm sending you a note right now. Kroger does have an excellent selection of gluten free items and I hope you are able to stock up on a few of your favorites!

Thank you, everyone, for entering!

Passing Along a Winner of a Deal - Kroger

2011-11-18T23:16:00.001-05:00

Right now, there is a promotion going on at Kroger grocery stores. If you purchase any four participating General Mills products, you will either receive free milk (up to $3; limit of 2) or to receive $3 off your shopping order!

I shop at Kroger here by home. They have great sales and I often am able to stock up on pantry items. It helps that they double coupons up to fifty cents, too. If you’ve read here long, you know I like Cheerios. We eat a lot of them in this family. Anyway, they are part of the promotion! Woohoo! I think that’s one of my favorite parts! So, with the current sale, I get to stock up on Cheerios and get my milk for (almost) free. Around here, milk is a little more than $3 per gallon. Still, that’s a huge savings. But, here’s the deal….this promotion ENDS NOVEMBER 26, 2011. You’ve got to hurry if you want to get in on the promotion. Like, go this weekend. Seriously.

Check out the Kroger Facebook Page for more information and learn about other ways to save on your grocery bills.

Know what makes this promotion even sweeter? Kroger, General Mills and My Blog Spark have offered me the opportunity to host a giveaway related to this promotion. One of my lovely readers is going to win a $25 gift card to Kroger! Is that awesome, or what? I know they don’t have a Kroger in every area, but this gift card is good at any of the Kroger family of stores. So, you folks who shop at Ralphs, King Scoopers, City Market, Dillons, Smith´s, Fry´s, QFC, Baker´s, Owen´s, Jay C Food Stores, Hilander, Gerbes, Food4Less, Fred Meyer, Pay Less Supermarkets and Scott´s Food & Pharmacy can use the gift card at your local store, too, if you are the winner.

So, how do you enter the giveaway? Easy-peasy. Leave a comment on my blog. Tell me how you would use the $25 gift card. Will you use it to stock up on General Mills cereals for breakfast? Will you use it to make massive quantities of Chex-Mix for your holiday parties? Just share with me how you will use the Kroger gift card. Make sure your comment links back to you, otherwise I won’t be able to reach you if you are the winner.

I will select the winner Friday, November 25, 2011, using a random number generator. I will contact the winner and give 24 hours for a response. The winner will need to provide mailing information to an address within the U.S., which I will submit to My Blog Spark for fulfillment. If I do not hear from the winner within 24 hours, I will select an alternate winner.

Disclosure: The Kroger gift card, information, and giveaway have been provided by Kroger and General Mills through MyBlogSpark.

It Was a Simply Homemade Party!

2011-11-06T00:23:00.001-04:00

MommyParties and Fleischmann's Simply Homemade provided me the opportunity to host a Mommy Party for their new line of bread mixes. Now, anyone who knows me, knows I love to eat good bread. I usually make my own, as I've mentioned in my posts. But, sometimes, I really want covenience without sacrificing flavor and goodness.

I had to test out the product ahead of time, so we made a loaf before the party. Princess E couldn't wait to try the bread, so I let her help me make it.

I should clarify that. By "help", I mean I let her make it while I took pictures.

Here is our finished sample loaf. It had a thick crust and the loaf was super heavy.

Then, it was time to get cleaned up and ready for our party. After I learned how easy it was for Princess E to make the bread, I changed the party plan. Instead of all us moms making the bread, we let the kid's have fun. Sure, we were there to supervise, but we let them have the fun.

We try to blend homeschooling into everyday activities. So, we turned our little party into a cooking lesson, hygiene lesson, and a chemistry lesson.

They took turns adding the ingredients for their creations. They got a kick out of watching the yeast begin to work. The recipes are very simple and are great for an after work dinner. Everything is premeasured and packaged for ease, except for water. All you need to make these loaves is a cup of water. What could be easier?

We let the children plan their own loaves and shapes. Just look at all these awesome loaves!

Did I tell you it takes less than an hour, start to finish to have a fresh loaf of bread? Of that, less than 10 minutes is active time. Just 10 minutes.

This was our smallest "loaf". She decided to save this morsel of yumminess to share with the pooches.

Here's another of the loaves.

Now, let me tell you a little abou the Fleischmann's Simply Homemade bread mixes. They come in four varieties:

          Country White
          Stoneground Wheat
          Multigrain
          Italian Herb

At our party, I asked which was everyone's favorite. It was pretty well divided between Country White, Stoneground Wheat and Italian Herb. Personally, my favorite was the Italian Herb.

We talked about different ideas for making different bread creations. One suggested stuffing the Italian Herb bread with pepperoni, mozarella cheese and spaghetti sauce. That would be delicious. A similar recipe is posted on the Simply Homemade recipe page. Other suggestions were to make cheese rolls, by mixing in cheese sticks, cooking hot dogs inside shaped dough, and cutting up the leftover bread and making croutons. All of those sounded like kid-friendly ideas except the last one wouldn't work. What leftover bread? Ha!

I think my favorite thing about this line of bread is that I can allow Princess E to make it, pretty much by herself. It's a great way to practice her baking skills. You don't even have to knead the dough. You just stir it all together. She can do everything except take the bread out of the oven. Okay, she probably could do that too, but we're not ready to let her pull hot pans out of a 400 degree oven.

You can pick-up Fleischmann's Simply Homemade Bread Mixes at your favorite grocery store. A list of chains is provided on their website. I encourage you to visit the website and take a look.

Many thanks to MommyParties and Fleischmann's Simply Homemade for providing me the products to host this gathering. We had a lot of fun! We moms (and dads!) enjoyed watching the children enthusiastically craft their loaves, and we enjoyed sampling the end results. The children enjoyed being "in charge" of the kitchen, wearing their own oven mits, and proudly showing off their designs. It made for a great party!

Disclaimer: The bread mixes, coupons, apron and oven mitts were provided to me to be able to host this party. The opinions expressed in the post are mine or those of my guests.

HEXBUGS!!

2011-10-25T07:43:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, we had a party at our house. There were bugs everywhere ….HEXBUGS, that is.

We were first introduced to HEXBUGS at our local homeschool convention. E thought they were cool. J would have spent the entire time at the display. I knew he’d enjoy helping host this party, and I was right. Once everyone arrived, we started with a little lesson on micro-robotics. All of the other children who were able to attend are homeschoolers, too, so we weren’t about to pass up an opportunity to incorporate a little science lesson in there. I was really impressed at the knowledge a couple of the girls had of robotics and micro-robotics. Did you know that in South Africa they call stoplights “robots”? Me neither. We learned from our guests, too.

After the short lesson, it was time to play. And play. And play some more. We were provided generous quantities of everything we needed to make the party lots of fun. Each child received a glow-in-the-dark HEXBUG Nano Galileo Collection bug and a Limited Edition HEXBUG Nano Halloween Zombie Bug to keep, plus extra batteries. HEXBUG and MommyParties also provided me with Glow-In-The-Dark Habitat sets for playing. The habitat sets reminded me of a cross between a racetrack and a skating rink. We held a raffle and each family was able to receive some additional HEXBUG product.

“These are amazing!” shouted one of the children. The kids had a blast playing with them. Frankly, they looked like oversized roaches scurrying along the track. The kids thought it was hilarious to see the adults’ reactions to sending them flying all over the place. We even had to move the couch to rescue one HEXBUG. He learned not to go back there again, because it is a dark and scary place where dust-bunny monsters live. Ha! We had HEXBUGS everywhere! They were in my mixing cups, the slowcooker, a salad bowl, the table, and all over the floor. At one point, we had HEXBUGS crawling in hair and on clothing.

After the party was over, several of the children stayed after to play more. They played with the HEXBUGS for NINE HOURS, stopping only to eat. I figured the novelty would wear off at some point. Well, it’s four days later and the novelty has not worn off yet. We have had to replace the batteries, as they seem to last about 12 hours. E has played with them at every opportunity since the party. One of the neat things about the habitats is they are customizable. I cannot tell you how many times the habitats were taken apart and reassembled into new designs. Some worked, others didn’t. (Physics lessons in the making??) Check out this short video of the children playing with their HEXBUGS.

If you’ve never experienced HEXBUGS before, I encourage you to check them out. They are intended for age 3 and up.

The HEXBUGS in-home party was sponsored by Innovation First labs, Inc and MommyParties. I received a HEXBUG Nano Halloween Zombie Party Kit to be able to host the party. The opinions expressed in this post are mine, or are comments from party attendees.

Freecycle Generosity

2011-10-01T21:53:00.000-04:00

I don't know how many are familiar with Freecycle, but I've been a participant in our local Freecycle community for nearly four years. During that time, we've given away a whole lot of stuff, and we've received a few items, too.

Today, we were given an item that has been on our personal wish-list for several years. A local Freecycler had a chipper/shredder he was ready to pass along and we were the family he chose to pass it along to. We are so grateful to have it! We've been renting them periodically for several years.

If you've never tried Freecycle, I encourage you to try it out.

Happy 10th Birthday!!

2011-09-14T11:46:00.000-04:00

Ten years ago today, we welcomed our baby girl into this world. Her birth came days after the terror attacks. We had expected her arrival on September 11; but when the

was attacked, all elective procedures were cancelled for that day. We were to start the induction process later that morning. Instead, we visited my doctor to make sure all was well and we could wait another day. I had pre-eclampsia, so we were taking it one day at a time at that point. The goal had been to make it to September 11, one day past 37 weeks. Given the risks associated with pre-eclampsia, we made a decision that I would avoid too much news. I was on bed rest except for one hour a day, so television was my friend. Striking a balance wasn’t the easiest thing to accomplish.

She ended up making her appearance during the wee hours of the morning on September 14.

It’s hard to believe ten years have passed since then. Like many other babies born around that time, she was (and is) a symbol of hope for our future.

Happy 10^th Birthday, E! Mama and Daddy love you very much!

“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

School!

2011-08-30T06:15:00.000-04:00

We started back-to-(home)school here last week. How did the summer get by me so fast? We decided to start school a little earlier this year. I’ve gone back to work part time, and I know there will be weeks when I need to adjust our schedule some, so we started early to give that flexibility. If it turns out I don’t need it, we’ll just take a few not-snow-days later in the year.

You know how public school kids get snow days? Well, we don’t. We might take an hour or two and play outside in it, but we don’t miss a day. However, when Spring Fever hits, we might just miss a day each week. It works for us.

Munchkin started middle school this year, sort of. She’s a bit young, not quite 10; but academically she is ready. She completed all of her fifth grade work last year. Her standardized test results are only one component we use to determine if she is progressing well, and they certainly support that claim.

I’ll share more about our homeschool as time goes on.

Earthquake

2011-08-29T11:46:00.000-04:00

While I don’t share our exact location on my blog, I have shared that we live in the Mid-Atlantic region. Like most folks, the recent earthquake took us by surprise. The night before, our daughter commented that she hoped she’d never live through an earthquake. Of course, she meant she didn’t want to experience one. The very next day, we have a notable earthquake. It was really strange. I’ve never felt one before, although there have been several in the 3.0-3.9 range over the last decade. They weren’t strong enough to feel.

At first, I thought our washing machine was off balance. It took me a second to recall that I wasn’t washing clothes. It seemed to last a long time; but I suppose it was really 20-25 seconds. The whole house shook and our stuff scooted around some. Thankfully, we had no damage. We have several friends who had minor damage, picture frames broken and the like. One friend had quite a bit of damage.

I felt and heard the first two aftershocks. Ordinarily, I probably wouldn’t have noticed them, since they were so small. I was driving when the third aftershock hit and had no idea. There have been several more, but I’ve only felt a couple of them. One of those was last night. I had my hand on my computer mouse and could feel the table vibrating. I discounted it, thinking I was imagining it, until I read about it this morning. We had four aftershocks between bedtime last night and early this morning.

We’ve talked with E about what to do during severe weather and had touched on earthquakes. We travel often enough that it was something we’d covered. She’s used to the routine for tornado activity. This frightened her, though.

I’m sure folks in California become somewhat immune to the “what if’s”. We haven’t.

I have a little clutter in a few places in my house. I’m blaming it on the earthquake.

Blogging

2011-08-24T00:41:00.000-04:00

Blogging has really taken a back-seat for me for a while now. I know some of you blog daily. I just can’t seem to do that. Sadly, I haven’t been great about commenting on your blogs, either. I do read them though.

It’s a balancing act. As much as I want to blog, I need to run our home, teach our daughter, meet church commitments, run errands, etc. When there’s time left, I sit at the computer. Usually, that time is after E is in bed for the night. She goes to bed about 9:30 most nights. It’s almost 1 am now. I get up just after 6 am. That reminds me, I need to go to bed. Where did my day go?

There’s more rattling around in my mind. Maybe tomorrow I’ll find the time to put some of it in words.

Why Won't My Garden Grow?

2011-08-14T13:10:00.000-04:00

Alright bloggy friends, help me out here please.

My garden has not done well again this year. According to all the experts, a home garden is supposed to produce enough to save money on the grocery bill. That has definitely not been the case for our garden.

A little history…

We live in Zone 7. Our soil is red clay, and the lot is sloped, so the topsoil tends to erode quickly. We have a retaining wall running the length of our backyard as a tier to minimize the erosion. Because of these issues, we decided to build raised beds rather than dig around in the yard itself. To prepare for the raised beds, we tilled the soil about 4-6” deep, which was as far as we could dig with a residential tiller. Furthermore, failure to coordinate among utilities resulted in several strands of wire/cable running the length of our yard, greatly restricting where we could plant. There is only one area where we get full sun for much of the day, and that area is where we placed two of our beds, both 4’X8’. The third bed, a 4’X4’, is in a medium sun area and is used solely for growing salad greens. Our raised beds are 12” deep.

When we put in our raised beds three summers ago, we had raised bed growing medium trucked in. We spent over $250 to build the beds and get seed stock. That first year, our plants grew large and lush. They didn’t produce much, though. I did not use any commercial fertilizer, only compost from our yard which had been composting over the winter. Typically, our squash plants would produce one squash per week per plant. Our tomatoes produced well; but not until late-August into September, which is much later than typical for our zone. It was enough to eat and put some up for the winter, but certainly did not begin to justify the cost of the garden. However, we didn’t expect a return on our investment the first year.

The second year, we amended the soil with compost and purchased our seeds. Our plants grew tall and spindly, but really did not produce anything of significance. I discussed with our local extension office and learned that the problems we were facing were very common in our area because of draught and temperatures. We ended up buying a small bag of organic fertilizer to try and boost the growth. During the dry season, we watered three days a week, according to local ordinances regarding water restrictions. We did get a decent crop of lettuce for one to two weeks in the late spring. Our zone is not conducive to growing lettuce during the summer.

This spring, we amended our soil with more compost, building it up a bit. We had our soil tested and those results were normal. Our lettuce bed produced enough for one salad for our family. That’s it. Our vegetable beds have produced (so far) 1 zucchini, 1 regular cucumber, and 1 pickling cucumber. We switched to a commercial fertilizer this year (Miracle Gro Tomato Fertilizer), hoping it would help. We are using it according to package directions. The zucchini plant has grown well. Right now, it has a single 4” zucchini growing that has not changed in size in over a week. The tomato plants (cherry, roma and slicing) are pencil thin and range from 18” to 30” tall, after 4 months. Some were grown from seed, others purchased. They have no blooms. The cowpeas didn’t even germinate, as the birds ate the seeds. We purchased 10 strawberry plants to replace them and 4 of those are still alive. Those are about 6” tall, and were about 3” tall when we bought them in early June. The okra is about a foot tall and spindly. It’s the same with the kohlrabi. I also planted a few marigolds, as a natural bug repellant. We don’t have much of a bug problem, but our hope was to eliminate any. Grass grows beautifully in the garden. I have fought grass all spring and summer. I pull up large clumps of grass, including roots, and a week later the plot is filled with grass again. We have a good population of earthworms in our soil.

I’ve called the extension office again and they recommend spending yet more money to have our soil tested several times during the growing season. I simply cannot justify dumping more money into this. We’ve already spent at least $300 in supplies, plus the cost of supplemental watering, and the garden has yielded around $25 worth of produce over three years. I’m not going to spend more money testing the soil again.

Our roses, azaleas, roses of Sharon, spring bulbs, mums and hostas are all thriving in their various locations through the yard. Our lawn is decent.

Do any of you gardeners out there have any suggestions for getting this garden to grow? I’m ready to pull them up and lay down a patio instead.

MyExtra Customized Slim Packs Gum Review

2011-06-03T14:51:00.000-04:00

Recently, I had an opportunity through MomSelect to review MyExtra customized gum packs. This is a fairly new product from Extra™, and I thought it would be pretty neat to check them out. So, they provided me with a code to order my own sample packs for review.

Their website is pretty straightforward and easy to navigate. You can pick a theme for your custom Slim Packs™, like graduation, babies, travel or summer. You upload a photo (or several), pick your colors, add any text you want, and decide on a position for the Extra™ logo. Then, you get to proof your packs, select a flavor, and finish the order. It really took me longer to decide on the photos than anything else. The custom Slim Packs™ each contain 15 sticks of Extra sugar-free gum. They are available in Extra Peppermint, Spearmint and Sweet Watermelon flavors.

I designed several packs, just to see how they would look. Here are a couple of my designs.

I received my sample yesterday. The graphics are excellent! E was really excited to see a pack of gum with her photo on it. The hubby was really impressed, too. His went to work with him today so he could show it off. Each pack is cellophane wrapped to keep it fresh. I may not open it for a long while. I chew Extra™ gum on a regular basis and it holds flavor well while not sticking to my crown and fillings.

This would be a really cool way to celebrate an occasion. Imagine a senior portrait on a pack of gum for school friends. Or, a way for parents to show off their new bundle of joy. At Christmas, a family could create a photo-gum pack instead of a photo card.

While I really do like this idea and am impressed with the final product, it is extremely unlikely that I would place an order for the gum. Simply, the cost is too great for regular use. They are ordered in sets of 5 packages for $24.95 ($4.99 per pack) plus $6.95 for standard shipping (or $15.95 for Next Day Air). The first price break comes with an order of 55 packages, and drops $0.50 per pack. The second price break comes with an order of 105 packages, and drops an additional $0.50 per pack. Shipping costs per pack decrease with orders over 10 packs.

So, if I were going to buy 10 packages to share with family using my daughter’s recital photo, it would cost $56.85, with shipping, or $5.69 per pack. A regular pack of Extra™ gum costs around $1.50 locally, so the upcharge for customization is more than $4.00 per pack.

Since there’s a bit of a break with larger quantities, a family could choose to hand these out as baby announcements to 55 family members, friends and coworkers. That would cost $263.90 with shipping, or $4.80 per pack. Given the price of some other announcement options, some might find this to be an affordable alternative.

What about for a wedding? Perhaps the happy couple could hand out packs of customized Slim Packs™ with their engagement portrait to their 250 guests. With shipping, that would cost $1049.10, or $4.20 per pack. I still think it’s rather expensive per pack, but it seems to be inline with other types of wedding favors.

Overall, I think it is a great idea and the end product is delightful. The only real drawback is the pricing, making it cost prohibitive for many applications.

Disclaimer: This review reflects my opinion of the MyExtra customized Slim Packs™. I received five packages for my own use as part of the review. The opinions are my own.

Not-So-Random Act of Kindness

2011-05-24T14:11:00.001-04:00

This past Saturday was E's final soccer game of the season. One of the girls on her team has made tremendous gains in her soccer skills over the course of the season. She hadn't, however, managed to score a goal.

As the game was about to end, the young lady in the white jersey set up a plan to let "D" score a goal. They didn't give it to her; but created an opportunity where she could do it. E threw the ball in from the sidelines and D intercepted it. She dribbled it toward the goal, then gave it a good kick. It went in! Her teammates...and the opposing team...shouted cheers for her. When D realized what had just happened, her face lit up and she started to cry. That loving act, organized by a small group of girls, helped make a memory for D that will last forever.

There weren't too many dry eyes on that field that afternoon. I'm thankful I was able to witness it happening.

E has participated in Upward sports for several years now, and we've seen similar acts before. One of the blessings of working with Upward is that they teach good sportsmanship and teamwork, rather than focusing on winning at all costs.

Breadbaking

2011-04-15T06:59:00.003-04:00

My friend Sarah, who is not a blogger, gave me a recipe for the most delicious bread. At first, I was really hesitant to make it. In the past, when I’ve made bread, it was with the help of a bread machine. This recipe doesn’t need a machine. Even if you think you can’t make fresh yeast bread, try it. It’s really a whole lot easier than it seems and it doesn’t take very much time.

First, let me tell you how much time you are going to need to do this. Then, you can decide if it will work with your schedule. You will need 5 minutes or so to assemble the ingredients and get started. Then, you will need to wait 15 minutes (check facebook, read a few blogs). When you come back to it, you will need about 7 minutes of active time. Then, you will walk away for an hour. After the hour passes, you will either spend 10 minutes preparing to bake, or just a moment to stick the dough in the fridge until you are ready to bake it.

Still with me? Okay, here is a list of the items you will need to bake this awesome, delicious bread. Trust me, you can pronounce and recognize everything in here.

Water – 3 cups
Honey – 2/3 cup
Yeast – 2 Tablespoons
Olive Oil – 2/3 cup
Salt – 4 teaspoons
Whole Wheat Flour – 8 cups

That’s it. Just six ingredients you probably already have. Yes, you can substitute white or unbleached flour, but it will change the taste and nutritional value. Yes, you can also substitute your favorite oil (canola, corn, soy, etc), but it will also change the taste. Make it once by the recipe, then mix things up the way you want them.

Okay, so let’s get started. I make mine in my KitchenAid mixer. If you don’t have one, you can do this by hand. First, you have to activate the yeast. To do that, you need to get it into warm liquid. So, in a large bowl, pour in 3 cups of warm water. I use it hot straight from the tap. Add the honey to the water and stir until it is well mixed.

Sprinkle the yeast over the water, stir lightly and walk away.

Read a couple of blogs, send out a tweet or two, or fold some laundry if you must. Come back in 15 minutes. The mixture should be foamy looking and not at all appetizing.

Pour in the olive oil and add the salt. Stir the mixture. (Note: If you are using a mixer, now is the time to add the kneading tool to the machine and turn it on “stir”.) Add the flour, stirring after each cup, until it is all in there. Now you have the basic dough.

Next comes the kneading step. If you are using the mixer, just step up the dial to “2” and keep an eye on it while it kneads. If you are doing this by hand, turn it out on a lightly floured surface and work it with your hands. You will knead the dough for a full 5 minutes. Don’t skimp here. Whole wheat flour does not have as much gluten as white flour. If you skimp on the kneading, the bread will be heavier and not rise as much. It will still taste fine. It just won’t be as light and airy. If you have never kneaded dough before, here is a link to a tutorial from Allrecipes.

After you knead the dough, it’s time to let it rest and rise. You will need a large bowl (or a dutch oven). Pour a little oil in the bowl and spread it around. You can also use no-stick spray. Put the dough in the bowl and roll it over so that the oil coats both sides. Cover the bowl with waxed paper or a clean towel. Leave it sitting out on the counter for an hour. Walk away and go do something else.

After an hour, you are ready to bake the bread. However, if it is a weeknight and you want to finish tomorrow, you can do that, too. If you want to bake it later, just punch down the dough so that some of the air gets out. Then, put it back in the bowl, cover it loosely with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake it. If you are going to bake the bread now, preheat the oven to 350°. Punch down the dough and divide it into four equal portions.

Quickly shape each piece into a rounded loaf shape and put them into oiled loaf pans.

Let them rise for 30 minutes while the oven is preheating.

Pop them in the oven and bake them for 30-35 minutes, until the top is just as brown as you like it. We like ours a little crustier, so they bake the full 35 minutes.

Pop them out of the baking pans and let them cool on baking racks. I store mine in gallon size freezer bags. You can keep a loaf on the counter for a couple of days. If you want to keep it longer, store it in the refrigerator. There are no preservatives, so the loaves will not stay fresh as long as store bought bread.

See? Easy peasy.

Now, want to mix things up a bit? Yeah, me too. What if you want fresh bread for dinner each night with enough left for sandwiches the next day. Go ahead and divide the dough into four equal portions. Bake one. Put the other three into individual gallon sized zipper bags and store them in the refrigerator until you are ready to bake them. Bake them one at a time. The dough will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a week. When you are ready to bake a loaf, pull it out, knead it for a moment or two, put it in the oiled pan, let it rise and then bake it.

What if you need hamburger buns? Take one of the four portions and divide it into 8 pieces. Roll them into balls and squish them flat. Put them on a baking pan (or stone) and let them rise for 20 minutes or so. Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes. Or, turn those 8 pieces into breadsticks.

How about pizza dough? Take one of the four portions and divide it into 2 pieces. Keep stretching and pulling the dough until it is the diameter of your pan. I bake mine on a stone. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Use it like you would a store bought pizza dough. You can also freeze the baked crust.

Hungry yet?

Swimming Lessons

2011-04-13T08:20:00.000-04:00

E has been taking swimming lessons for much of the winter.

She's turned into quite the little fish.

They've asked her to join the swimteam. Mom and Dad think that's just too much for her schedule, since she also plays soccer and takes dance.

At least she's active.

Legos

2011-04-11T06:58:00.000-04:00

Have I mentioned that Legos are pretty popular in this house? E and her friend decided to create a Lego boy. Here he is, wearing her friend's shoes and jacket.

Visiting Birdie

2011-03-20T06:45:00.002-04:00

Spring is close. This bird was pecking around in my garden. Any ideas what it might be? I haven’t figured it out myself. For perspective, it’s about as bit as a pigeon. I’ve included a close-up of his markings. I managed to convince E that it is NOT a hummingbird. She was just certain it was. At least she tried to identify it using her photo guides. She gets an A for effort, if not for accuracy.

(Please excuse the grainy photos. These were taken with my telephoto lens, from inside my house, with two panes of dirty glass and a screen between us.)

The Moon

2011-03-19T00:38:00.001-04:00

I took this with my camera last night. Not bad, eh?

F 32

250 mm

1/25 sec

ISO 400

Our New Pet

2011-03-09T22:50:00.000-05:00

We got a new hamster today. Isn't he cute? We can love him and pet him and feed him and call him Hammy. Would you like to play with him, too? Go ahead! You know you can't resist.

Would you like a hamster of your own? Visit here to get one. You can love yours and pet him and feed him and call him...well...not Hammy.

Mama Time

2011-03-04T21:58:00.001-05:00

Sometimes, I just need to get away by myself. It's been one of those weeks. J is still home sick, but thankfully starting to feel better. E has been in rare form all week. She can be the most wonderful child...loving, obedient, compassionate, giving etc, etc, etc. She is like that MOST of the time. This week, though, she has pushed every limit, disobeyed continuously, lied, sassed us and basically behaved like an absolute brat. Simple things, like toothbrushing and hair brushing, she refused to complete without being told twice and then having something taken away. In other words, we had to resort to punishment to get her to do things she's been doing for quite a while. These are not new skills. By today, this mama was DONE.

So, how does this mama get a little time for herself? This mama goes to the grocery store...ALONE. Bwahahaha! I can price compare, walk the aisles and read labels. Not once did I have to say "STOP THAT" (like when she wants to rub her fingers on the packages of raw meat) or "GET DOWN" (like when she climbs on the freezer doors).

Two hours. I spent two hours wandering through two different grocery stores today. Just me, myself and I. I came home feeling so much better. Plus, I got some really good deals, and that always makes me happy. Fresh chicken breasts and fresh strawberries were both $1/pound. I got yellow and orange peppers for $0.25 each. Woohoo!

The Flu...

2011-03-02T20:59:00.000-05:00

King J is down with the flu. Poor guy is really feeling badly, and sounds like he's trying to cough up a lung. At least he went to the doctor as soon as the symptoms started and started Tamiflu early on. Today, we added narcotic cough syrup to the mix.

We get our flu shots every fall...except this year. Between illness in the house, his knee surgery and just bad timing, he and I didn't get ours. Thankfully, E did get hers. What we are hearing though is that the strains going around are not the strains in the vaccine.

I don't like seeing him feeling so rough. At least he is a nice "patient".

Thoughts on Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T07:57:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's a reminder of the greatest Valentine ever! This is a beloved song for me, performed by a favorite group.

I'm baking bread today, to share with my Valentine. E has gone with a friend to a Valentine Breakfast at his school. Later, we'll bake a ham and fix a special Valentine dinner for Daddy.

How are you spending your Valentine's Day?

Life

2011-02-07T07:05:00.000-05:00

It's been over a month since I last updated. Slacker. Writer's Block. Brain Dead. Yeah, all of the above. I've got thoughts swirling around in my head, but they just don't seem to make it to my fingers. Then, there's that pesky little issue of "real life". Somehow, I've got my priorities mixed up...you know, blog first, then do everything else. That's the way it should be, right? Ha!

My birthday was this past weekend. I turned 42. How'd that happen, anyway? I wouldn't trade it though. To paraphrase a friend of mine, so many people don't get the chance to make it this far and I know how blessed I am to be here.

I hope to be posting a bit more regularly. I need the discipline that blogging provides. It's an outlet for ME and I really should put a bit more effort into it.

Three Kings Day

2011-01-06T14:26:00.000-05:00

Our family observes the 12 Days of Christmas and this day commemorates the visit of the Magi. Tonight, at bedtime, we will turn off our tree for the last time this year.

Wishing the blessings of Christ for your home and family on this holy day.

2010-12-25T10:24:00.001-05:00

MERRY

CHRISTMAS!!!!

Our Christmas Dance Video

2010-12-14T16:31:00.002-05:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Rudolph Gets a Lobotomy

2010-12-08T23:33:00.000-05:00

We have had the opportunity to walk in this parade in previous years. I can't say I'm surprised it happened. Those larger balloons just don't fit under the street lights very well. We were part of the crew that escorted Raggedy Ann along the route. We struggled against those same lights. Unfortunately, that was Raggedy Ann's first and only appearance in that parade. She was just too large for the streets. Those balloons are really hard to handle, especially when it is windy. It's all done by volunteers, too, with on-the-job training. The next year, we were able to help lead a moderately sized snowflake. It was so much fun! I wish I could find some video from then. Boo!

Hilarious

2010-12-06T11:19:00.000-05:00

This showed up in my inbox one day, and I thought it was soooo funny. Well, I ran across it the other day, it's on SenorGif.Com along with a bunch of other funny (and not so funny) videos. (Warning: There is a naughty word.)

Enjoy!

see more Gifs

Blogging Survey

2010-12-01T23:09:00.000-05:00

Back when I was in college, one of my courses (Statistics) required me to design and administer surveys. Finding willing participants isn't always easy. That said, I just completed this survey for a university project and it was requested that I post this to assist with finding other bloggers.

"If you are a woman who writes a blog with content predominantly about her family, and you have 10-15 minutes to spare, we would love to hear from you! We are doing research on bloggers, and invite you to take a survey at www.surveymonkey.com/s/mommyblog Your participation will help one graduate student get one step closer to completing her thesis, and one step closer to graduation! Thank you for your input and for your time!"

Thank You, Veterans

2010-11-11T06:15:00.001-05:00

Not what I expected in the cemetery

2010-11-10T08:25:00.000-05:00

Whenever we visit an area, we like to tour a cemetery. It tells you a whole lot about a community, the way they care for the final resting place of their community members who have passed on.

What I wasn't expecting in Key West was to find a thriving community living IN the cemetery. Not human, but still. There were roosters everywhere. This guy walked right up to the car. The iguanas blend in so well, they can be hard to spot. When a small bush starts to run away, it's probably an iguana.

Look at the coloring on that rooster. Beautiful.

The Wakodahatchee Wetlands

2010-11-09T08:02:00.001-05:00

I promise the Florida trip photos will end soon. I have hundreds I could post...these are some of my favorites from Wakodahatchee.

For the birds...

2010-11-08T06:16:00.004-05:00

I just can't get enough of these. Aren't they beautiful?

We all know how a good back-scratching feels...

2010-11-05T14:16:00.000-04:00

see more Gifs

You lookin' at me?

2010-10-30T13:15:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, I take pics of odd things...

2010-10-30T07:40:00.001-04:00

...like road signs.

Robbie's

2010-10-29T12:15:00.000-04:00

On our way to and from Key West, we stopped at a little tourist place called Robbie's, where you can feed the Tarpon and watch the birds. Check these out:

Quack!

2010-10-29T07:38:00.000-04:00

(He had his eye on me.)

So this guy walks up to a bar...

2010-10-28T16:10:00.000-04:00

Key West

2010-10-28T11:55:00.000-04:00

I never got around to posting pictures from our trip to Key West last month. Here are a few from that trip.

Fort Lauderdale

2010-10-28T07:37:00.000-04:00

Always known for my current postings (snicker, snicker), I thought I'd share these highly processed images from our vacation in Florida. We were visiting the Fort Lauderdale Beach at night, while Tropical Storm Nicole was approaching. Since this was a sea turtle nesting area, lighting was limited and I didn't use a flash. Considering the lighting limitations, I don't think the photos are too bad.

Canning - Applesauce and Apple Peel Jelly

2010-10-25T21:54:00.001-04:00

I've been learning how to can this season and my sweetheart of a husband bought me a pressure canner this weekend. We've been debating for a while now. I really didn't want another pressure cooker, since ours exploded last year. However, unless I wanted to be limited to canning acidic foods, I had to "get-ovah-it", so that was that.

Anyway, while we were in Pennsylvania early last week, we bought a little more than 10 pounds of mixed apples. I made applesauce and apple peel jelly. A couple of my friends asked me to share the recipe, so I thought I'd post it here in case anyone else is interested.

Applesauce and Apple Peel Jelly

Special Equipment:
*Pressure Canner
*Boiling Water Canner
*12 Hot, Sterile Jelly Jars (half-pint)
*8 Hot, Sterile Canning Jars for applesauce (pint)
*Slowcooker (at least 8 quart size)

Ingredients:
10 lbs of mixed variety apples
Bottled lemon juice concentrate
7 cups sugar
1 package fruit pectin
2 cinnamon sticks (optional)
Vanilla extract

Process:

The applesauce and the jelly are created from the same 10 pounds of apples, so the beginning steps will be completed together.

Pour 2 quarts of water plus 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into a dutch oven.
Pour a quart of water plus 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into a large bowl.
Pour 2 cups of water, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon vanilla into a slowcooker set on high. I prefer unsweetened applesauce. If you prefer to sweeten, add 1/3 cup sugar to the juice mix.
Wash all 10 pounds of apples and set aside.
Core, peel and rough chop each apple.
Put the core and the peels into the dutch oven, making sure the liquid covers the solids.
Put the chopped apple into the bowl of water and lemon juice. As the bowl fills with apple pieces, transfer them to the crockpot. (I use a colander inside the bowl). Don’t skip the soaking though. The acidic water will help prevent them from turning too brown.
Let the apples cook in the slowcooker for at least 3 hours on high. Stir a couple of times to move the top pieces into the bottom. The liquid will NOT cover the apples in the slowcooker.
While the apples are cooking in the slowcooker, start the jelly.

Bring the pot of peels and cores to a boil, stirring occasionally, and boil for at least 20 minutes. Continue boiling until it is reduced to about 2/3.
Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner.
Stir in 2 cinnamon sticks, if desired.
Put the lid on and let the pot sit undisturbed until it is cool, or even overnight.

After the apples have cooked in the slowcooker for 3 hours, use a potato masher to mash them. If they are not completely mashable, allow them to cook in 30 minute increments until they are fully cooked (similar to a cooked potato). I like my applesauce chunky rather than smooth. If you prefer smooth, process in a food processor until they are the consistency you like.
Return the apples to the slowcooker, keeping them on high while you prepare the pressure canner according to your canner manufacturer’s directions.

For safety, the applesauce should be processed in a pressure canner only.
Once the pressure canner is ready, fill 8 pint jars with the hot, bubbly applesauce, leaving ½” headspace.
Process for 8 minutes.
After the canning process is over and the pressure is off (again, follow the manufacturer’s directions), set the jars in a draft free place for 24 hours before disturbing them.
After 24 hours, check seals. If they are sealed properly, wipe them down, label the jars and store them. If they are not sealed properly, either reprocess according to manufacturers directions or store in the refrigerator and eat within a week.

Prepare the boiling water canner for the jelly.
After the mix has rested until cooled, pour through a strainer to separate the solids from the liquid. Patience is key. If you force it through, the jelly will be cloudy (but it won’t affect the taste).
Measure the remaining liquid.

If there is more than 5 cups, discard the excess. (You can also drink it after you reheat it to boiling and let it cool).
If there is less than 5 cups, return everything to the pot, add more water and bring back to a boil for at least 15 minutes. Let it cool and strain again.

Once you have 5 cups of strained liquid, return it to the cooking pot and stir in one pouch of pectin. Bring it to a rolling boil on high heat and keep it boiling while you continue.
Pour in 7 cups of sugar, stirring continuously to dissolve it. Once dissolved, return to a rolling boil and keep it boiling for 2 minutes. Make sure it is a hard boil.
Turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner.
Pour the jelly into 12 prepared half-pint jelly jars, leaving ½” headspace. Wipe the rims, seat the lids and put the rings on finger-tight. Process in boiling water for 10 minutes.
After processing, remove the jars from the water and set them in a draft free place for 24 hours before disturbing them.
After 24 hours, check seals. The jelly may take up to 2 weeks to set. Don’t worry if it appears runny. If they are sealed properly, wipe them down, label the jars and store them. If they are not sealed properly, either reprocess or store them in the refrigerator and use within 2 months.

To reprocess any that did not seal, open the jars and empty the jelly into a pan.
Prepare the boiling canner.
Reheat the jelly to boiling and boil hard for 1 minute.
Re-pack in hot, clean jars with new lids.
Process for 10 minutes.

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Part 5 - Turtle Garden

2010-10-12T09:46:00.000-04:00

Out front at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center was a “Turtle Garden”. Here, there were life-sized, realistic sculptures of the sea turtles. Children were welcome to climb all over them, touch them, and enjoy them. E would have spent almost all day in the shade of that garden, if I had let her.

Can you imagine encountering one of these creatures while out on a swim? I think I would pass out and drown. They are mighty cute on land, though.

This last one is a leatherback. They are the largest species of sea turtle and can grow to around 1000 lbs.

Don't they look real?

This is the last posting on Gumbo Limbo. I hope you have enjoyed reading about our visit and looking at the photos. It is well worth a visit.

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Part 4 - Jalapeño

2010-10-11T06:35:00.004-04:00

In yet another tank at Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, there was a 1-year-old loggerhead turtle, named Jalapeño. He was about a foot long, but will eventually grow to be 200-300 pounds! Jalapeño was a social turtle. In talking with staff, it seems the little turtle has learned to associate humans with food. Since interacting with humans results in feeding, at least daily, then he chooses to socialize in order to get food. Pavlov, anyone?

He hangs out underneath the mangrove roots as a form of protection. Unlike land turtles, sea turtles cannot retract their heads into their shells for protection. So, when they aren't out and about, they like to park underneath something that provides protection for their heads.

E really wanted to touch him. That's against the rules, so she talked to him..a lot. Whole conversations. She even took a few videos of him.

We visited with Jalapeño all three days. Since we've been home, she has continued to talk about the little guy and can't wait for an opportunity to go back and see him again.

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Part 3

2010-10-10T06:15:00.001-04:00

During our first visit to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, we also took a walk on the boardwalk trail. The boardwalk is there to allow visitors to explore a mangrove tank, or a forest of mangrove trees, without damaging the fragile area. Mangroves grow only in tropical and sub-tropical climates, but they are able to grow in southern Florida in the land areas between the ocean/gulf and the intra-coastal waterway. E was allowed to collect one seed from the black mangrove for dissection and studying. What makes mangroves so interesting is the tangle of roots protruding from the water. Those roots form a habitat known as the ocean’s nursery. Under those roots live many young animals that thrive here as they mature, such as shellfish and crustaceans. These areas are also popular nesting areas for pelicans and other native birds. We saw hundreds of fiddler crabs in the area.

Along the trail is an observation tower. It reaches 40’ above sea level, so we could see panoramic views for miles around. Since there was so much damage from a hurricane five years ago, many of the trees are still recovering, so we were above the tree line.

On our second visit, we explored another trail. This one included a butterfly garden. It had just rained and was incredibly muggy, so there weren’t a whole lot of butterflies out. We did see the zebra longwing, which is the state butterfly of Florida.

I think this next one is a Julia Longwing. Please feel free to share the correct name if I have mislabeled it.

We also saw this incredible spider, the banana spider. She was huge! I’d guess she was around 5” in diameter. Her mate was only about 1.5”, which is a good thing since she is going to eat him after she lays her egg sack. There were quite a few of those spiders around. I guess it’s a good thing I’m not afraid of spiders!

There were some beautiful flowers in the butterfly garden.

This particular flower was attractive to ants. I took advantage of the opportunity to shoot a close-up photo of the little ant. This is not one of the fire ants that pestered us while we were out and about.

At the back of that second trail was a Chiki Hut where classes are held adjacent to a small opening into the Intracoastal Waterway. We spent a little time down there at the water’s edge. E found a piece of palm bark partially buried in the sand and decided to study it for a bit. She scraped out the sand with a mangrove pod.

Nope...not done just yet.

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Part 2

2010-10-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

The seawater tanks at Gumbo Limbo were a fun place to visit. In one, there were hammerhead sharks and a gigantic lobster looking thing. I forgot to ask what kind of lobster it was. In another, there was a large sea turtle that was rescued from the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Thankfully, they are able to rehabilitate the turtle, as it is one of the most endangered species of sea turtles. In those tanks are also nurse sharks, a moray eel, and a bunch of local fish.

Nearby is the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center. There, we met Shrek, Leroy and Jason, three greenback turtles who were nearly well enough to be released back into the wild. Gumbo Limbo opened the rehabilitation center in December 2009. Then, Florida had an atypically cold winter, resulting in a large number of sea turtles becoming ill. The rehabilitation center was able to rehabilitate around 150 sea turtles that otherwise would not have survived. All sea turtles are either endangered species or are threatened species, so saving that many is a big deal. A benefit of the rehabilitation center is the opportunity for scientists to study the behaviors of the sea turtle. Much is known about the hatching process, but not nearly as much is known about their lives after they return to the water.

We met a couple of volunteers at the rehabilitation center, Joyce and Carol. As with the other volunteers and staff, they took E under their wings and shared as much with her as possible about these beautiful creatures.

Just outside the rehabilitation center is the Gopher Tortoise Exhibit. Now, I had never heard of a gopher tortoise prior to our visit. On our first visit to Gumbo Limbo, I didn’t see any. But, on our second visit, the clouds were heavy and they were out to visit. The striking differences between the tortoise and the turtle were quite apparent when they were so close to each other. The tortoise had a rounded shell, while the turtle’s was flatter and broader.

Stay tuned...there's more to this place...

Gumbo Limbo Nature Center, Part 1

2010-10-08T06:15:00.001-04:00

One of the places we visited on our trip to Boca Raton is the Gumbo Limbo Nature Center. When I started looking for activities to do while King J was in class, this facility looked promising. A little fun, a lot of education, and a chance to see different wildlife. Little did I know that this would be THE highlight of our time in that city. We were fortunate that Gumbo Limbo was accessible to us through the hotel shuttle. Otherwise, we might have missed the opportunity.

Anyway, we showed up just after 9:00 am Tuesday morning, and discovered we were the first visitors of the day. Gumbo Limbo doesn’t charge admission, but they suggest a donation of $5 per person. If you ever have the opportunity to visit Gumbo Limbo, please do so. It was a truly amazing place.

While I was at the counter getting a map and becoming oriented to the facility, one of the Program Interpreters, Evan, had already taken E over to a marine aquarium and began showing her the creatures in there. The sea cucumbers were fascinating to me. I wish I had a photo to post of a sea cucumber.

We wandered through the visitor’s center for a bit and took in the sights there. There was a hands-on display (perfect for E) to feel various creatures and guess what they were. Like me, E was hesitant to stick her hand into a place she could not see, especially considering there were snakes nearby. The staff assured us there was nothing alive in any of the cubbies. Ha! We must’ve made an interesting sight.

They also had a wall with photographs of sea shells and descriptions of those shells. The challenge was to match them. It wasn’t nearly as easy as one might think.

There weren’t too many snakes, three I think, but I was glad to see them hanging out in the corners of their cages.

One of the buildings out back houses the FAU Research Gallery. Students at Florida Atlantic University conduct studies to help learn more about sea turtles, stingrays and seahorses. In one container, they have a sea turtle that is lightly attached to a wire that prevents him from hurting himself by bumping into walls. Then, there were lots and lots of little sea turtles that were housed in little containers that looked a lot like strawberry baskets. Apparently, the sea turtles can be very aggressive with each other, so this allows them to be studied while keeping them safe from each other.

Taking photographs of subjects in water is difficult, especially since flash isn't allowed and would reflect back anyway. These are some of the best.

Another Vacation?

2010-10-07T12:13:00.000-04:00

Yup! Well, sort of. Hubby had to travel out of town last week on business. He was heading to Boca Raton, Florida for a week. Having never been to southern Florida, we decided that E and I would join him. He left Sunday, because he had to be there Monday morning. We flew on Monday, since that's when the flights were less expensive. Anyway, while he was taking care of business, E and I were off exploring.

At the end of his business trip, we added a few days and visited Miami and the Florida Keys.

Over the next few days, I'll be sharing more and more of our trip. There's so much I want to share (and record for our family journal). Stay tuned!

Oh, yes, I do remember that E has asked to do a guest post. She still has to get it together rather than just talking about it. We'll see how long that takes.

Wheat Thin States

2010-09-29T07:28:00.003-04:00

One night at dinner, we were having Wheat Thins on the side. Princess E picked up this one and said, "Hey, this one looks like Vermont." Lo and behold, it surely did. As we looked at it, we realized it was similar to several states, depending on its orientation.

I suppose this is a good reason to play with your food. Ha!

Guess!

2010-09-27T07:47:00.002-04:00

I recently took these photos of something that intrigued me. Would any of you like to take a guess as to what these are from?

Music Camp

2010-09-25T07:56:00.000-04:00

The girls were able to attend music camp for a week this summer. It is much like Vacation Bible School, except that they use music rather than a packaged VBS curriculum.

A local music director wrote a musical "The Clue of The MisSing Gift", and the children learned it over the course of the week. Here they are performing one of the songs. It seems that Miss Sing was missing from church and they were trying to figure out the mystery of her disappearance.

It was at this moment that the mystery was solved. See, all week, while the children learned the music, they were trying to figure out the mystery, too.

Here they are singing and using their creative movements.

Happy 9th Birthday, Princess E!!

2010-09-14T10:30:00.000-04:00

Our little cowgirl is 9 years old today!

We had a cowgirl party Saturday afternoon. Here are the children wearing their decked out cowgirl/cowboy hats.

My girl, you've grown so much this past year. This time last year, you were wearing a size 2 shoe and now you are in a size 6 1/2! I guess we can't buy your shoes in the kids department anymore. You are doing well in the 5th grade, even if you do fight us tooth-and-nail about doing any schoolwork other than reading. Speaking of reading, you remain an avid and voracious reader (YAY!). Right now, you are fascinated with stories about girls and their horses. You still enjoy biographies, and I hope you always do. You are learning to sew, both by hand and using a machine. You are still struggling with decimals and percentages, so we are spending extra time working on those, much to your frustration. (Get over it! You WILL use them for the rest of your life, so you really DO need to understand them.) You enjoy reading your Bible and memorizing scripture verses. Recently, you wrote your very first poem, and you did a really nice job. You are playing soccer again this season. Daddy and I are your team's coaches. You are also taking ballet and tap again this year.

Oh, and you've requested to write a guest post for my blog to share on of your own recipes. Look for it soon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COWGIRL E!

DADDY AND I LOVE YOU VERY, MUCH!

Waitin' on Earl

2010-09-02T07:33:00.000-04:00

Hurricane season. We're just about ready. Tonight, we'll top off the fuel tanks in the vehicles and generator, then we're done. Our home is not in the direct path of the storm, as we don't live on the coast. I doubt Earl will have much of an effect on us at all, other than some rain. But, a little shift and we could get slammed. After Isabel and Gaston, I'd rather overprepare and not have to think about it.

King J and I have a lot of family in the coastal areas of North Carolina and Princess B lives in the coastal area of New England. We covet your prayers for safety for them and for all of those in the way of the storm.

Is it the last day of August already?

2010-08-31T15:15:00.000-04:00

How did that happen? This summer has just flown by! Princess E is at the pool this afternoon with her little buddy, G, so that has given me a few hours to myself. I love spending the days with my daughter, but I relish a few hours to myself, too. So, what have I done with myself? I should have taken a nap, but I didn't.

All downstairs floors have been swept and vacuumed. They really needed it! We recently took a whole load of stuff to consignment and the gathering process had taken over the living and dining rooms. I'm so glad that stuff is out of here. I'm taking a break before I go and "oil the floors" as I call it. We have soft pine floors and they get very dry. So, I add furniture grade oil to them regularly.

I swept and vacuumed the kitchen, then cleaned the floor by hand. Sometimes, you just have to get snug up under the cabinets. I'm thinking I should get the dishwasher unloaded, too.

I'm plowing through the laundry as fast as I can, too. Usually, I do laundry on Monday. King J took off yesterday to tackle some things on his to-do list (NOT a honey-do list...I don't do that), so I spent the day with him instead of doing laundry. Poor me...not! I enjoyed having him home for the day.

Tonight is the first night of soccer practice for the fall season. King J and I are co-coaching the team this season. I'm definitely stretching outside my comfort zone to coach a sport. I'm excited for the upcoming season though.

Next week, we're back to (home)school. E is pretty frustrated because she says she didn't have a summer. Her mean parents made her do a couple of math lessons a week, just to keep her sharp. Funny, she didn't complain about several hours of reading each week.

I hope to be back to posting much more regularly over the coming weeks, once we are back in a more normal routine. Maybe I'll even post a photo or two. Ha!

Winner - Walmart Giftcard/Box Tops for Education

2010-08-28T10:40:00.000-04:00

And the winner is....

Mari...for her comment
"My favorite is Cheerios."

Mari, I will be contacting you via email.
Congratulations!!

Canning

2010-08-23T07:09:00.000-04:00

I'm learning something new this summer...how to can. Each summer, we try to run down our freezer contents so that if a hurricane hits and we are without power for days, we don't lose a whole lot of food. Well, a month or so ago, a friend of ours convinced me to give canning a try. I can only can acidic foods, since my pressure cooker incident last year*, but it's been fun. So far, I've canned:

-salsa
-bruchetta
-antipasto relish
-corn relish
-strawberry preserves
-blueberry-citrus conserves
-tomato juice
-tomatoes

It's been a fun learning experience. Next project: spaghetti sauce.

But, first, I have to paint the kitchen. Princess E's birthday party is less than 3 weeks away, and I want that task behind me.

*I don't think I mentioned it, but my pressure cooker exploded last year. That's not something I wish to experience ever again.

Nursing Covers Inspired by Julia

2010-08-11T06:15:00.005-04:00

My in-real-life friend has a business I’d like to share with you. This is not a sponsored review and I am not being compensated in any way for introducing her to you. I just really like what she is offering and asked her if I could share her information with you. Debbie is a homeschooling mom with three sweet children. The youngest child is Julia, for whom the company is named. Debbie sews lovely nursing covers. I’ve seen quite a few local woman using them, and I only wish I had had something like this when my princess was a baby.

They look a lot like an apron, except there is more coverage at the top to allow baby to nurse without being bunched up in the fabric. One feature I really like is the boning at the top, which allows the baby to remain visible to mom during nursing, while maintaining modesty for mom.

She has a really neat selection of fabrics, including prints that will help hide any spit-up and minimize the appearance of wrinkles that are bound to come along when it’s toted around in a diaper bag.

This would make a lovely gift for a new mom. Please visit Nursing Covers Inspired by Julia and check out her covers.

Hickory Aviation Museum

2010-08-05T13:13:00.000-04:00

Earlier this summer, we visited the Hickory Aviation Museum, where we had the opportunity to walk around and explore military aircraft.

This one is on loan from Great Britain. It's made largely of wood.

This one found new life as a Fedex plane.

Does anyone else see this and think of Top Gun?

It seems the back of this one is missing.

Wow! Summer...

2010-07-30T07:39:00.000-04:00

The last couple of weeks have been really busy for me.

We've had Vacation Bible School, and I was up until midnight-ish every night updating the photography website for that. It's really and exciting time and it's so thrilling to watch the children's enthusiasm as they participate in games, music and crafts that help them learn about Jesus.

Our family joined the YMCA back in June. We're trying to get more exercise, but it has been really difficult to fit it in. Slowly, we're getting there. We're taking an Aikido class as a family. Interesting. It's been a long time since I've rolled around on the floor. I know it's good for me. Princess E is going to be taking swimming lessons in August. She does know how to swim, but it would be nice if she learned official techniques for breathing and specific strokes. They have an indoor track, so we've been using it, too. Princess E is "training" because she is going to enroll in a kids mini-marathon next Spring. King J is most enthused about the weight room. He and I work out with weights and do cardio exercises in there. For me, the best part of cardio is I can safely listen to my MP3 player while I work out. Woohoo!

My family prepared dinner Wednesday night for our church. I don't quite know how many attended, but there was food for 80 people. I planned, shopped and cooked for 80 people...with help of course. That was a first. I've not been above about 40 before. Two days later, my back is still tired from all the standing. I'm thankful for the great help I had. Princess E worked right along side me for all but about an hour of the nine we worked. Yesterday, I took her out to lunch as a thank-you for her hard work. We went to Firehouse Subs because she's been asking.

Part of me wants to apologize for missing out on the blog world so much. Most of me is enjoying this active time. Winter will be back soon enough. In the meantime, we're enjoying our summer. I do try to keep up with reading, but I do want to do better on commenting.

Stay tuned in August. I've got a good giveaway coming up.

And the winner is...

2010-07-27T07:06:00.000-04:00

The winner of the Cheerios Do What You Love Giveaway was selected using Random.org, based on the entries that were received before midnight on July 23, 2010. My apologies for the delay in posting the winner.

The winner is mami2jcn! I'll be emailing you as well. Please respond within 24 hours.

Bunker Hill Covered Bridge

2010-07-10T08:02:00.000-04:00

There are only two public covered bridges remaining in North Carolina. One of them is the Bunker Hill Covered Bridge, in Catawba County, which is named for the farm that once stood nearby.

This one is the only remaining of this particular structural style.

It was miserably hot that day, so we didn't linger. However, the canopy of trees provided a brief respite from the beating sun and allowed for a sweet breeze. I couldn't resist taking a few snapshots of Princess E.

She is a huge fan of Strawberry Shortcake. Can you tell?

Biltmore

2010-07-08T07:01:00.000-04:00

During our recent vacation, we took a day and visited Biltmore, the largest private residence in the United States. King J had visited previously, but it had been many years. Princess E and I had never been.
This photo was taken by our server at the Stable Cafe. They converted the old stables into a restaurant and shopping area, while maintaining the structural integrity of the place. We were sitting in a stall that we think was originally used to wash horses. I guess that means we were eating in a bathroom. The food was delightful!

Here's Princess E standing out front. She was fascinated by the place.

A view from the bowling green...

The trumpet vine was in full bloom while we were there. It's a beautiful plant.

King J challenged me to try to capture a photo of this bumble bee. Not too bad...

...but this one is better.

Pretty flowers

These grapes were growing over the walkway leading to the Biltmore Winery, where we sampled a variety of the Biltmore wines.

Beautiful hydrangeas and a beautiful Princess E

On the way out, we passed this pasture where the sheep were grazing. See that little lamb in front? He kept calling for his mama. We stopped and watched while he searched for her. The picture doesn't show it, but he was really quite small.

Ears...

2010-07-02T22:49:00.000-04:00

I've still been really quiet in the bloggy world. I try to keep up my reading, and I've tried to (somewhat) keep up on my commenting. We went on vacation for a week, but I was still fighting this issue with my ears.

Anyway, today I went back to the doctor. It's been 3 1/2 weeks since this all started and I was still too far from "well". It turns out my ear infection has not healed. It IS greatly improved from where I was, which I knew simply because I can sleep lying down now and couldn't early on. However, it's not over. So, now I have an even stronger antibiotic to hopefully knock this thing out. I'm tired of it. In fact, I'm just tired. I know that my ears are nothing compared to the illnesses and pain so many suffer. I am thankful it is nothing worse.

On another note, this past week, the younger sister of one of Princess E's friends passed away. She was just 2 years old. From what we understand, she managed to swallow the battery out of a musical greeting card. When the battery disintegrated in her stomach, her stomach and esophagus were burned so severely that it was irreversible. My heart goes out to her family. Please remember the family of little "S" in your prayers.

Some People Amaze Me...

2010-06-29T07:18:00.000-04:00

…and not always in a good way.

Recently, we made a trip across town to run some errands. Along the way, we had to cross over the river. Running parallel to our bridge was a railroad bridge with a span of nearly a half-mile. Imagine my surprise to see two people walking across that bridge! What were they thinking?

Had a train barreled through, they wouldn’t have been able to outrun it, and the river below is maybe seventy-five feet down and rocky. The area is known for the whitewater rapids. I simply cannot imagine why they would have taken such a risk.

I did the only thing I could. I called the police. I have no idea if they caught the people walking across. There was nothing on the news about anyone being struck by a train in the area, so I’m assuming they made it across okay. Maybe they thought it was fun. I lost sleep over it.

Family Reunion

2010-06-19T22:53:00.000-04:00

Today was our family reunion for my Mom's side of the family. We get together every two years, all who are able and willing to travel to the area where my mom grew up. We had a good visit. Afterwards, we drove a little piece and visited several cemeteries where my maternal grandparents and great-grandparents are buried. Princess E didn't remember visiting before, since it's been 4 years (we missed the last reunion). She started making connections today with her family roots on my side, and that is kind of nice. I'm glad to know she is interested in her ancestry on both sides of the family.

It was HOT out today. At one point, it rained. I had hoped the rain would cool things a bit. Not so. The air became stifling hot after the rain. No relief at all.

I'm still fighting this mess with my head. I'm not contagious anymore, but the pressure in my ear is still causing problems. My doc says they are seeing a lot of this lingering stuff right now. I'll be glad when the pressure is down and I can hear well again.

Be Back Soon

2010-06-14T13:53:00.000-04:00

Nope, I haven't given up on my blog. I'm taking an unplanned hiatus.

A little more than a week ago, Princess E came down with a cold. Soon after, I caught it. After a few days, I was feeling better, but over the weekend, I started getting worse. I saw my doctor this morning and have the right meds to tackle this thing.

I'll be back in a few days when I'm feeling up to par and don't have blurry eyes.

If you'll excuse me, my pillow is calling me...

What's Up?

2010-06-07T11:12:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I posted. In fact, May was probably one of the lightest posting months I've had in a while. It's been an interesting few weeks.

Yesterday was our annual Homecoming Sunday at church. It was packed! We had a special speaker and a joyous time of celebration and worship. I really enjoyed the service yesterday (even though it was hot in there and the worship center was packed). One part that was extra special for me is that I had the opportunity to take the official Homecoming photograph!

Last weekend, King J had a long weekend. He works for a large state university, and the Friday before Memorial Day was a furlough day. In the days just before the furlough day, he had to work a few long days, since he was on a temporary project. They have a budgetary policy requiring them to not work overtime other than for emergency situations, so whenever he works extra during the week, he takes off early at the end of the week. In this case, the extra time off came after the holiday weekend. He took off the day after Memorial Day, which gave us a five day weekend.

We decided to take a short staycation for our anniversary weekend. For the most part, we disconnected from the our electronic tethers and left the internet world behind.

Friday and Saturday, we spent the days working on a few projects around the house. It is so nice to tackle some of the ever-present homeowner tasks!

Sunday, we had the opportunity to serve at our church's first Military Appreciation Brunch. Active duty and reserve military personnel and their families were invited to our church for a brunch as a small "thank you" for their service. That afternoon, we had a cookout at our house. The temperature hit the mid-90s that morning, so we finally gave in and turned on the A/C. It didn't take long to realize we had just the fan and no A/C. We were all glowing a little by the time the evening was over. Princess E had the opportunity to spend the night with her cousin, so King J and I had the night to ourselves. Being the wild couple we are, we spent the evening sitting in the swing out front, sipping on a glass of wine, watching the lightning bugs glow and listening to the symphony of frogs, crickets and birds.

Monday, we still had most of the day to ourselves. After a leisurely breakfast, we decided to take in a movie. We don't go to the movies, at least to grown-up movies, very often. We only found one that even remotely appealed to us, and it was a stretch. We had no A/C at the house, so a movie was a good way to spend a couple of hours staying cool in that heat. When we arrived at the theater, imagine our surprise (shock?) to realize movies are now $10 for adults! Frankly, neither of us wanted to see the movie badly enough to pay that much for it. Instead, we did some of the things we enjoyed in our early years. We took a long drive on the backroads of some of our neighboring counties. We enjoyed the quiet time together, just looking at the fields, cattle and horses. We stopped at a little country store and bought two lottery tickets, too. We don't often have time to slow down and just enjoy each other's company for a few hours. It was a real treat.

Tuesday, we again tackled a project off the to-do list. With that, our staycation was over. It was productive and relaxing at the same time.

We had the A/C serviced later in the week. Thankfully, it was a relatively minor repair. Unfortunately, our heat pump's days are numbered. We are hoping it will last through the summer, but it will surely have to be replaced before winter. At least we have time to shop around and find the best deal, and hopefully take advantage of the tax credits available until the end of the year.

I'm really behind on visiting blogs. I promise I haven't forgotten all my online friends.

10 Years...

2010-05-27T13:30:00.002-04:00

For the last 10 years, we've walked side-by-side.

Happy Anniversary, my King J! I Love You!

I am looking forward to the next 40 years.

Thank You...

2010-05-24T07:20:00.002-04:00

Losing Alexander was difficult. He was such an important part of our daily lives and his presence is missed.

We planted a couple of hostas over his grave and added a birdfeeder. He always enjoyed "barking" at the birds he could see from the window. It really did sound like a little bark, rather than a meow.

I want to say "Thank You" to all of my internet friends who left words of comfort and encouragement for me, whether here on the blog, on Facebook, the forum, or through Twitter. I have saved each comment for my little scrapbook about his life. (Yes, I am scrapbooking about my cat.) I am so grateful for the friendships that have developed through this online world.

Goodbye Alexander

2010-05-19T13:19:00.000-04:00

Today, we said "Goodbye" to my beloved cat.

His Royal Highness, Alexander the Cat

May 31, 1995-May 19, 2010

As a tribute to his life, I am repeating part of the post I made in honor of his birthday last year.

*********************************************************************

Alexander entered my life nearly 14 15 years ago. I found his mom hiding in the stairwell in my condo building. She looked like a small kitten herself, but she had her four tiny kittens with her. I contacted a local rescue organization to see what could be done. I didn't care much for cats, but greatly preferred dogs, so I had no intention of keeping one. I did agree, however, to safehouse them until they were old enough to be adopted.

At the time I found them, the vet estimated they were about 10 days old, so their birthday was calculated to have been May 31st. The mama kitty tested negative for major diseases, so the kitties were assumed to be healthy too. Alexander nearly didn't survive his first few weeks. While not exactly sickly, he was not thriving. In fact, none of them were exactly thriving. I've always assumed it was because the mama kitty was still just a young kitten herself. She must have been someone's pet though, because she was litterbox trained from the beginning. She trained her kittens as well, lucky for me.

Anyway, given their weak start in life, we gave them strong names. Mama kitty became Cleopatra. The two make kittens became Alexander and Sampson. The two female kittens became Allegra and Reina.

Once they were weaned, it was time to hand them over for adoption. I had grown extremely attached to all four of the kittens and found it quite difficult to let them go. Cleopatra was not as difficult. She was not a friendly kitty, and was not an especially good mama to her babies. I ended up adopting Sampson and Alexander myself. I couldn't keep four of them in my condo. I didn't want to separate them, either, so I kept both of the boys.

Alexander and Sampson were with me through my divorce. They moved with me to my new home. They were with me when I remarried, and when we moved into our new home. They were with me through the birth of our daughter, Princess E. Sampson died when Princess E was just a year old. Alexander searched for him for well over a year. Watching him grieve for his buddy was terribly sad.

Alexander spent his final years as an indoor/outdoor cat. In the winter, he stayed indoors most of the time. In nice weather, especially during the spring, he preferred to be outside.

Just yesterday, Alexander was curled up with me on my bed, purring. But, I knew something was wrong. He hadn't been eating much for about a week. I didn't think a lot of it at first, since he would occasionally go through spells when he would barely eat for a couple of days and I also knew our neighbors had been feeding him as well. I've kept him indoors completely, so I could watch him more closely. This morning, I took him to the vet, because it was clear he was miserable and becoming sicker. After examining him, the vet diagnosed him with late stage kidney failure. We agreed that the most humane option was to end his suffering.

I called for my husband to join us. When he arrived, we spent a few minutes saying goodbye, and then were able to hold him as he crossed the Rainbow Bridge. We brought him home, put him in his bed and buried him with his bowl and toys.

My heart is heavy and I am terribly sad. I miss my Alexander.

Follow Me Back Tuesday

2010-05-18T12:08:00.002-04:00

I found out about this new blog hop this week at Putting The FUN in DysFUNctional. It looks like a great way to be introduced to some new bloggers, so I'm following along.

Follow Me Back Tuesday is hosted by Survey Junkie, Little Yaya's, Review Retreat & Boobies,BabiesAndABlog.

If you'd like to meet some new bloggers, click the button and it will take you to the hostess' page and you can start finding new bloggers, too.

Weekend Wrap-Up

2010-05-17T07:20:00.000-04:00

This was a whirlwind weekend. Princess B flew in Friday night to spend the weekend with us. Her flight changed route to avoid the storms. THAT was interesting to watch on the satellite view. Her plane was somewhere we didn’t expect it to be, and that can be a little disconcerting. We also knew about the weather issues and were assuming that’s what had happened. We were right. (At one point, though, the satellite tracked her flight as being near Nigeria.)

By the time her flight landed, the storm was right on top of us. We were under a severe thunderstorm warning. There were threats of 60 mph winds and ¼” hail. Not fun. So, while King J was trying to get home safely with Princess B, I was home with a panicky Princess E preparing for the worst. We have a closet that we use as a shelter, so I got it ready. In went Princess E, followed by Alexander the Cat. I had to capture him with a laundry hamper, but it worked. I waited close by, ready to jump in if I needed to. The rain was coming down in buckets and for about five minutes, I couldn’t see the driveway from the front of my house. I did not hear of any damage, but it was certainly an interesting night.

Saturday, we chose to not take Princess E to her soccer game. This has not been a very good season. Without going into great detail, she has not been happy with how the season has gone, and neither have we. While we normally would not allow her to back out of a commitment like this, we have attempted to reach a resolution without success. So, we are allowing her to choose whether or not to participate further. The last game is next weekend. She will be attending one last time, whether she plays or not.

That afternoon, the King and his Princesses assembled my garden swing. My parents gave it to me for Christmas last year, and we were waiting for the weather to stabilize. They did that while I ran to the grocery store. Once the groceries were put away, I went outside and took a nap in my new swing. Pure bliss.

We didn’t go to church yesterday. They had to leave for the airport just after 1:00, so it was just too much to try to get it all in. At Princess B’s request, we had a hearty “breakfast” of chicken salad rollups with a side of Texas Caviar.

How did Monday get here so fast?

Show Us Your Life - Favorite Books

2010-05-14T09:08:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I participated in the Show Us Your Life meme from Kelly's Korner. I am an avid and voracious reader, and have been since I was a young child. So, the hardest part about this was deciding which books are my favorites.

Long before I ever learned to read, Corduroy was my favorite books. My parents have told the story many times that they thought I had learned to read at three years old because I could follow along with this book so well. Then, one time, they realized I was "reading" pages ahead of the story. Turns out, I had memorized the book. When Princess E was born, this book was in her library. Oh, how I loved Corduroy.

When I was a little older, maybe 3rd grade or so, I discovered Paddington. Paddington was a polite little bear who was sent from his home in Peru to England. His adoptive family found him at the Paddington Station, so that was his new name. He had a fondness for marmalade sandwiches and a penchant for creating mischief. This reminds me, I need to suggest this book to Princess E.

I love a good mystery. My taste in story lines has changed quite a bit, but I think I read most of the original Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries. I remember watching The Hardy Boys on TV, too.

Now, the Baby-Sitters Club came after I was an adult. However, they have recently become popular again. Princess E is working her way through the series now.

In high school, I enjoyed literature...when I was able to read it for pleasure. Edgar Allan Poe was, and is, one of my favorites. By the way, if you have never heard "The Raven" recited by James Earl Jones, you have missed an incredible experience. I highly recommend it.

As an adult, I discovered Piers Anthony and the Magic of Xanth series. He has a rather unique writing style that would not appeal to everyone, and it definitely is not appropriate for a younger reader. These stories are a cross between science-fiction, fantasy and mythology.

My favorite suspense writer is Mary Higgins Clark. Her stories are filled with suspense and I struggle to put them down. I also appreciate that these books are appropriate for anyone mature enough to handle suspense.

Robin Cook, MD is another of my favorite author. He presents thrillers based on what could happen if our medical technology were used in an unethical manner. What if?

Just last year, I was introduced to Nicholas Sparks. So far, I have read The Wedding, The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe. No, I have not seen any movie adaptations of his books. I've spent a lot of time in the areas where these book are based, and his writing allows me to sit in the room or walk down the street with his characters.

There are so many more incredible books and authors. Jeanette Oke, Karen Kingsbury, Patricia Cornwell...my list goes on and on.

Please visit Kelly's Korner and explore the other favorite book posts.

Miles for Myles

2010-05-10T22:48:00.002-04:00

I’d like to introduce you to a little friend of ours.

This little fellow is Myles Gebhardt. His big brother, Brent, is a friend of Princess E. His parents and grandparents are in-real-life friends of ours.

Myles was born in March 2009 and was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis two weeks later. He’s a precious little guy! Thanks to an early diagnosis and excellent care, Myles is flourishing. He smiles a whole lot and is a super happy baby.

Myles’ parents, Stacy and Rob, have formed a team called “Miles for Myles” to help raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Here is a link to their Great Strides page. This organization invests in programs that support research, caregiving, and education for issues vital to fighting Cystic Fibrosis. (Please note that according to the Better Business Bureau report, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation meets the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.)

The Great Strides campaign is one of the primary ways the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation raises funds. Different communities set up walks, people build teams, and gather sponsors to make donations on behalf of the team. Stacy and Rob are participating in TWO Great Strides walks this weekend, May 15 and 16, 2010! Not only that, they have held other fundraisers, including one a couple of weeks ago through Chick-Fil-A. They have been working diligently to raise funds for this organization.

Their team has a goal to raise $15,000 between these two walks. Would you like to help? Every single dollar will help them reach their goal, and I know they appreciate any donations. If you can help, please click below and it will link directly to the donation page for their Great Strides team.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE

Also, would you please help spread the word about Miles for Myles?

Thank you!

Announcing...

2010-05-10T07:13:00.002-04:00

Update: Well, we discovered tonight that I had made an error and my travel blog wasn't viewable. That is fixed now.

I've been working on a little project.

If you've been reading my blog very long, you already know that we travel a lot. Well, with all that traveling comes some valuable experience with travel planning. And, see, since we travel so much, we have to find ways to minimize our travel costs. Otherwise, we wouldn't be able to travel quite so much.

So, I started thinking about how I could share what I've learned with you. I decided I'd create a second blog, one dedicated to travel. I moved quite a few of my existing travel posts over to the new blog, and am beginning to put up more posts.

Let me officially invite you to check it out.

Traveling with King J's Queen

I would be grateful for any feedback from you about the new site. Are there questions you have about planning a trip that I might be able to answer? Please leave a comment or email me at kingjsqueen (at) verizon (dot) net.

Please consider following the new blog as well, and that way you can have posts from both sites in your reader. I look forward to seeing you there as well as here.

Putting My "Best Foot" Forward....

2010-05-05T11:58:00.000-04:00

Bwahahahahahahah.....I couldn't resist, given what happened last week.

I guess that's better than my being "holier than thou".

Yeah, yeah, I'm really putting my heart and "sole" into it.

****************************************

Seriously, my foot is healing nicely. Yesterday, I even ventured out to the grocery store. I hobbled and ached, but I made it through. Thankfully, I didn't have to unload the groceries and carry them in the house. My sweet hubby took care of that for me. He didn't insist that I go to the store either. I chose to go, just to get out of the house for a breather.

I've been trying to keep up with reading blogs...in my reader. Now, I think I'm sufficiently healed to get back to blogging normally. I've missed visiting with my online friends.

Thank you all for your well wishes and prayers!

Holey Moley

2010-04-28T17:01:00.000-04:00

I messed up.

Monday afternoon, I was given a new-to-me pair of aerator shoes. My plan was to wear them whenever I was working out in the yard. In case you aren’t familiar with aerator shoes, they work much like strap on roller skates. The straps across the front and back of your regular shoe hold a platform to which large spikes are attached. There are a dozen spikes on each shoe. They are about 2 inches long and about the diameter of a roofing nail.

When I put them on my shoes, I made sure they were strapped down snugly. I didn’t want to fall down. I took a step with my left foot, then my right, then another with my left foot. When I picked up my right foot, the shoe remained in the dirt. My foot slipped out the front of it, while the back remained attached. It flipped upside down so that the nails were exposed. Unfortunately, my balance was off. In my effort to regain my balance, I stepped on the inverted nail bed. Three of the spikes pierced my shoes, and two of them went into my foot. One of the spikes was about an inch into my foot and the other about half that.

We left the shoe impaled on my foot until it was removed in the ER. (With a puncture wound, the impaled object should not be removed in the field unless it is through the cheek and you can see both sides of the wound.) This image was taken in the ER while waiting.

I’ll leave out the gory details, but after the aerator shoe and my tennis shoe were removed, the wounds were cleaned and I got an updated tetanus shot. They gave me IV antibiotics, and a little bit of narcotics to ease the pain. I had a nice trip to LaLa Land. Ha!

Anyway, I’ll be off my feet a few days. King J took me to my doctor today for a follow-up. Everything is healing as it should (yay!). I can start walking on it tomorrow night, as long as I keep using my crutches to bear the weight. Within a week, I should be good as new. I have no driving restriction after tomorrow. However, the antibiotics are very strong and I’m sleeping a lot. So, it is unlikely I will choose to drive before I’m done with them, or at least get past the groggy state.

So, I’m not doing a good job keeping up with blog reading. I’ll catch up in the next week or so. For now, I’ll sleep and let my foot heal.

Soccer Game

2010-04-27T07:15:00.000-04:00

Princess E is playing soccer again this season. It's fun to see just how much she has improved since last year.

Notice her hands. I think she's daring them "Bring it on"

Kick!

Science Fair

2010-04-26T08:34:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday evening was the Homeschool Science Fair. Since it is our first year homeschooling, it is our first year to participate. Not only that, but Princess E has never participated in a Science Fair during her years in private school. So, this was really her first time creating a project and having to present it.

There were many hours of frustration for all of us. The project itself, measuring the conductivity of various substances, was not incredibly difficult. The painful part of the process was trying to help her understand the importance of doing her research and checking her spelling. The munchkin would much rather make up her own definitions and couldn’t care less about spelling words properly. In any case, her work was not perfect, but it was truly hers. Our involvement was limited to ensuring safety and I helped her format her printouts. (This is her first year of really learning about technology and we have chosen to focus on keyboarding rather than formatting. I’d rather she be able to type a letter before she starts using different fonts and designs.)

My favorite project was this one that tested the germ fighting capabilities of dog spit. It was most certainly original! Another I really liked was a test of ketchup packets from several fast food chains. The budding scientist provided samples! (In case you are wondering, yes, we did test to see if a French fry will conduct electricity. No, it won’t.)

Each child was recognized for his/her work. One of the pleasant surprises for me was that it appeared most of the work was done by the children. I remember growing up and participating in events like these and being frustrated because the “best” presentations were ones that were clearly the work of the parent. With this group, that didn’t seem to be the case.

She was recognized for the project with the “Best Wow Factor”. Kids and parents alike seemed to enjoy checking out her demonstration.

She is already brainstorming ideas for next year. I’d consider that a success!

Is Our Garden Thief Back?

2010-04-23T07:05:00.000-04:00

It's about time to put in our garden. I have a few seedlings growing in pots in my kitchen and they need to go out into the beds. We've had a bit of a cool snap recently with a couple of nights in the upper 30's, so I've waited.

Anyway, this little fellow visited the other day.

I wonder if he's related to our Garden Thief from last year? I guess I better watch my tomatoes.

Thankful Thursday

2010-04-22T07:02:00.000-04:00

I am thankful for this little girl, who isn't so little anymore. She's growing up way too fast.

Tonight is her first Science Fair. We're looking forward to it.

Nature Walk

2010-04-21T07:00:00.002-04:00

For the last couple of weeks, Princess E and I have had the opportunity to go for walks at one our our nearby parks. Most days, we've been able to join our neighbors and walk together. It's been incredible watching the changes in the park as the season advances. Here are a few shots from a recent walk.

HotPrints

2010-04-20T07:15:00.000-04:00

Several weeks back, a family member mentioned HotPrints to me. They are a printing company that offers photobooks (a HotBook) and photo calendars (a HotCalendar). The neat thing about them is that they offer one HotBook per month free. I like to make photobooks, and they can be rather expensive, so it certainly interested me. I looked at the website and decided to do nothing. It made no sense to me that they would offer one free each month. Granted, they are clear that each book contains easily removable pages of advertising that do not affect the appearance of the book, but still, it just didn't make sense to me.

I've heard several reviews of the company.  Most were positive, a few were negative. I just wasn't sure what to think of it.

This week, I finally decided to try it out. I created my account, designed a book and uploaded my photos. I arranged them as I wished, changing the default layouts to suit my style. My free book was 12 pages of photos, 16 pages including covers. I really didn't put in a tremendous effort, as I wasn't expecting much.  After I submitted my order for printing, I noticed their website said delivery should take 5-30 days from the date of order. The company is based in the United Kingdom, so there is extra delivery time to the US.

Much to my surprise, my first HotBook was delivered about 36 hours after I submitted my order! Apparently, they have a printing facility here in the US. It came with a cardboard backer for support and was protected by a plastic sleeve.   I couldn't wait to check it out. The center four leaves were the expected advertising. I glanced at them, then removed them. The HotBook is made of heavy paper, similar to a magazine. It's about the same weight paper as a magazine cover. The pages are slightly glossy, without being too shiny. The photo printing quality was what I would expect from a professional printer. The typeface was clear. In all, I am completely satisfied with my HotBook. The only downside is the mailing address label is printed on the back of the HotBook. I could have paid for the premium service and it would have had a separate label.

I can't wait to order my next one in May! Too bad I waited as long as I did. I could have had three others by now. (According to their website, you can order more books at a cost of $3.99 each plus $2.99 s&h. Not bad.)

Are you interested in making your own HotBook? Click this link and get started.

Disclaimer - This is not a sponsored post. I was not asked to do a review. It is 100% my opinion, based on my personal experience.

Dance Recital

2010-04-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

This past Friday was Princess E’s dance recital. She danced beautifully!

Woody?

2010-04-16T07:33:00.000-04:00

The other day, King J was outside working. This little fellow was hammering away at the top of a tree. He kept up the pecking for several hours, flying off occasionally to places unknown, but probably feeding his babies.

Sorry the pictures are rather grainy. He was a little bird, smaller than a robin, and he was way up in the tree.

Promise of Spring

2010-04-15T07:08:00.002-04:00

Spring flowers are so beautiful. No more words needed.

Man V. Food

2010-04-14T22:45:00.000-04:00

I saw a Tweet this afternoon that said Adam Richman was taping an episode of Man V. Food at a restaurant in a city not too far away. Being a total dork, I jumped in the car with Princess E, drove to hubby's work, picked him up, and we sped off to the taping location. Yes, I'm kooky enough to do that.

When we arrived, they had closed the restaurant. It was full. But, they were allowing folks to sit outside at the few remaining tables. They were full, too, but one group of friends scooted over and allowed our family to have a table. That was really nice of them.

We kept hearing that he was inside taping the kitchen portion, and we saw some of the camera crew while we were waiting. Food service was understandably slow. Our dinner arrived and we ate our sandwiches. While we were sitting there, the cheers started. Oh my goodness! There he was, walking by us. He looks just like he does on TV and he waved to the crowd. Princess E was beside herself. He is one of the two television celebrities who fascinate her. (The other is Mike Rowe.)

Oh, how I wish I could've gotten a few photos. I did take my camera. But, we were told not to take any photos, so I didn't. (I just can't teach our daughter that breaking the rules is okay for me but not her.) I did send out a couple of tweets, though.

So, do you want to know whether or not he won the challenge? Yeah, me too. We left before the challenge ended. Princess E wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret, so we didn't want her to see the end and have to stay quiet about it. I wouldn't have wanted to keep it quiet either, although I certainly would have. So, we'll all get to find out at the same time. If I understand correctly, the episode will air on July 4.

My only regret is that we didn't wait around to see if he was going to do a meet-and-greet. I think Princess E would have melted if Adam Richman spoke directly to her, shook her hand, or signed an autograph. (I wouldn't say she's star-struck or anything, but she did want to go to Eagle's Deli when we were in Boston and Lexington BBQ while we were in Lexington...just because Adam Richman had been there.)

Productive Day

2010-04-14T07:20:00.000-04:00

I'm pleased with myself for today. We had a busy day, and I just feel like I got done the things I needed to do.

I got up with King J to see him off to work, as I do almost every workday. I had a little time to do a few tasks around the house before we went off for a walk at the park. Princess E and I walked twice last week and once so far this week. It's hard because it has been so long. We walked with our friends from across the street. I think my friend is a race-walker. LOL! Nah, I'm just a little slow. But, I'll get there.

Then, it was off to Bible study. I've recently joined a new group of homeschooling moms for Bible study. Our first week went well. Princess E had the opportunity to spend the time playing with the children of the other mom's. I think there were a total of 20 children there.

After that, we were both getting really hungry, so we hopped over to Shanghai for a bite of lunch. Munchkin and I both enjoy Chinese cuisine, while King J does not. It's a rare treat for us.

Next stop was Tractor Supply Company. They have baby chicks and ducklings in the store. Princess E asked and was told she could pet them. We spent a good little while talking and playing with them. I picked up one duck and he was obviously frightened. I put him back with his pals. The chicks were more comfortable being handled. There was an open bag of food lying at the side of the tub, so we each grabbed a handful and fed the chicks. One of them kept jumping into my hand and eating from it. Several others came over and ate out of my palm. Princess E enjoyed feeding them as well. It was fun...until one of the staff came over and sternly informed me that we were not to be feeding the chicks. I apologized and we stopped immediately. My bad. I assumed (bad idea!) that the permission to handle/pet coupled with the open bag of feed meant it was welcomed.

(Please excuse the photo quality. This was taken with my cell phone.)

Too soon, it was time to head home and get the schoolwork finished.

A good day. I wish more of them went so well.

Dream Home?

2010-04-13T08:15:00.001-04:00

Maria, over at On the Road to Contentment, suggested a topic of discussing our dream homes.

My dream home would be a stone structure with a medium honey paneling throughout. You would enter directly into the great room, which would have a vaulted ceiling and skylights. The chandeliers would be rustic, black iron with Nomex paper covers (and use CFL bulbs). Dividing the room would be a stone fireplace, open on both sides. On one side would be a seating/gathering area with comfy sofas and overstuffed chairs. On the other side would be a gathering area with wood dining tables. I'm thinking this area would be around 30X30.

On one end of the great room would be the kitchen area. I would want a wall mount convection oven, an island with a cooktop and a raised counter (for breakfast seating). The counters would be tile or Corian. There would be a small room off to the side, it wouldn't need to be too large, but I would use it as a pantry/kitchen storage. Maybe 5X8. There would also be a half bath and a separate laundry room.

The hallway leading to the bedroom area would be lined on both sides with closets. We'd have three bedrooms and one full-bath on the bedroom side of the house. Each bedroom would be around 10X15.

The master suite would be on the other side of the house. Again, the hallway leading to it would be lined on both sides with closets. There would be one large master bedroom, maybe 15X20. The master bedroom would have two small walk-in closets. One for J, one for me. There would also be two smaller rooms, about 10X10, one would be the office and the other the classroom/library. At this end, there would also be a comfortable master bathroom. It would have a spa tub instead of a regular one, and there would be a separate 2-person shower. Not necessarily to share, it just makes it big enough to move around or deal with aging issues. The master bath would have a skylight and beside the spa would be one of those glass block window things. It sounds large, but I'm really thinking 2200-2500 sf.

I would have a good size wood deck, and a screened in porch.

There would be a detached 2 1/2 car garage with a loft above for outside storage. At the back of the garage, I'd build on a potting shed.

My first guest post...

2010-04-12T06:46:00.000-04:00

My friend, Liz, over at Loving Mom 2 Boys, asked me to do a guest post on her blog. She posed a question to her readers last week about managing laundry and I shared the recipe I use for homemade laundry detergent. Please visit Liz and check out the post. If you don't already know her, spend a while reading her blog about her family. Her little boys are darling!

THANK YOU, Liz, for this opportunity.

Too Good Not to Share

2010-04-10T09:34:00.001-04:00

Easter Photos

2010-04-09T09:44:00.000-04:00

Saturday, our church held a Community Easter Egg Hunt. See Princess E showing off her collection? She shared about half of those; but there were thousands of eggs for the children. It's so much fun.

And, just because she didn't get enough candy at the Easter Egg Hunt, here is the basket of goodies we gave her. No, the Easter Bunny doesn't visit our house. He's a cool bunny who hangs out at the mall and is a fun part of enjoying Spring.

Here is our Princess E in her new Easter dress, given to her by Grandma and Grandpa.

Our neighbor hosted an Easter Egg Hunt in their yard Sunday afternoon. Here are a few pictures of her gathering eggs and treats.

We had quite the fun day!

National Weather Service Field Trip

2010-04-08T21:00:00.000-04:00

Last week, my parents and I made a day trip to a little town where they make concrete statuary, benches and birdbaths. As we were heading there, we passed this place.

We turned around and went back. I figured it couldn't hurt to ask if they do tours. Sure enough, they welcomed us in. Yay!

The meteorologist said I could take pictures, so I did. Here she is in the control room. Above, she is under the signs and the old alert system is in the rear. Below is one work station. There are three or four monitors for each person (um, wow!). Each one can pull up different data.

Outside was the big soccer ball...more correctly known as a Doppler Radar.

Also outside were the satellite radars.

It was a fun field trip, especially since it wasn't planned. The meterologist sent her home with study guides for further learning. I can't think of a better way to learn about weather.

I can see without glasses!

2010-04-01T07:07:00.000-04:00

I am so excited! It's new technology, but they have finally figured out how to create a windshield for my car that means I don't have to wear glasses anymore when I drive. It's incredible! Check it out.

Do you think this is a good idea? I think it's pretty neat, just not sure about how hubby and I can drive each other's cars.

Wordless Wednesday (Almost)

2010-03-31T06:37:00.000-04:00

Spring has sprung...

Pool Time!

2010-03-29T08:32:00.003-04:00

One of the highlights of our travels is always (ALWAYS!) the swimming pool. The girls think they have gills and are part fish. So, I captured a few shots of the girls playing in the pool at our hotel in New England.

In the intersest of full disclosure, I do not ever post about our travels while we are traveling. It's a safety concern of ours. So, my posts about trips are always done after-the-fact. The photos are several days old.

Where did she go?

2010-03-28T10:24:00.001-04:00

Where did my baby go? Yeah, I realize she grew into a toddler. But, the toddler is missing, too. Preschooler? Nope, gone too.

Who is this?