Proverbs 4 Read by Gandalf the White

I started reading the book of Proverbs to my children everyday, and in preparation for today, I read chapter 4 yesterday.

Half way in to the proverb it was as if Gandalf had seated himself on the edge of my bed and started reading. In my mind his voice rang crystal clear, "Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evil men........"

For the rest of my quiet time I had the privilege of Scripture being read by my favorite Lord of the Rings character.

Speaking of Gandalf, I cannot wait to see him again in The Hobbit. I hope they use him (Ian Mckellen) anyway. I am a bit disappointed that Peter Jackson will not be directing it. I was hoping he would pick me to be an elf in the production! Guess I will have to keep dreaming.

Edited---Oops ignore the link--it is over a year old. Forgive me for not checking my facts as I was tired and ready to go to bed!

Bloggy Giveaway Carnival: Care Bear book

This giveaway is now closed.
Thanks to all who entered! I will announce the winner soon...

Shannon is hosting another huge bloggy giveaway here. You will definitely want to take a few minutes, or even hours, to enter these amazing drawings.

My daughter and I absolutely love the Care Bears, so I have decided to give away an adorable, hard cover, Care Bears counting book. We already have one just like it, and my toddler enjoys listening to me read it again and again.

This contest is open to anyone in the 48 states and will close Saturday, Feb. 2 at 8pm. (Arizona time) Winner will be announced on Sunday, Feb. 3.

To enter just leave a comment and let me know which Care Bear is your very favorite!

Isn't It Ironic?

So, I am driving all around town yesterday with 3 kids in tow to run various errands.

First stop, Target. Had to return a quilt.

Second stop, Wal-mart.

Third stop, Dollar Store. We have a "house point" system in our home, and after earning 100 points they can spend $1.00 at this store.

Next door is Sprouts, the health food store. Going to this store and the next store is really why I wanted to get out in the first place. Unfortunately it isn't very conveniently located. Takes about 40-45 min. to drive there from our house. But, they have the most yummy, healthy bread there! Plus, I had a few other items that I needed. Glad I went because they had the most beautiful cherries on sale!!!

On my way back to the car, I realize that it is almost 11:30. My kids eat every day at 11am. Every day. I still have one more stop to make before going home, and it is to a place that I have never been. I am thinking, "Oh great, it'll be 1:00 before I can get home, they will be starving and it will be nap time!"

What is a mother to do who needs to feed her hungry kids while out and about on a very tight budget?? Exactly. McDonald's. As we pull into a parking space, I gently warn my children, who by the way have behaved wonderfully the entire morning, that we don't have enough $ to buy happy meals, or enough time to play on the really cool playground. Once we sat down with our food, I told them to eat fast so we could get to our next stop before 1:00 since that was this particular place's closing time. My kids were absolute angels!

Okay now for our last errand. A farm. A farm that sells raw cow's milk. This was my very first time ever to buy raw milk. For years I have bought organic cow's milk, goat's milk, and soy milk, but I am ready to move on to something that may even be a healthier choice. My kids thought is was neat going to this farm to buy milk, and they even got to see a few sweet, little, baby cows. I will let you know how the milk tastes after I open it.

Isn't it ironic that I am out driving all over town to buy healthy food for my family, then swing by McDonald's to quickly and cheaply fill my kids' bellies?!! I am still questioning why b/c every time I eat there, my body immediately recognizes that what I just put into my mouth is not food.(Obviously I didn't order a salad.) Thankfully my body is working properly and can quickly purge the poison from my intestines. Yum. Hopefully my kids won't be scarred for life from eating there every once in a while. There were lots of customers at McDonald's that looked like they ate there quite a bit, and they were still kickin'. Brad or Catie, this would be a great time for you to comment and tell your Happy Meal story. I would tell it myself, but it has been a while since I have heard it and I don't want to botch the details.

Happy eating, especially if you're going to McDonald's. :)

Home school: Just an Excuse to Make Tasty Treats

Mullin just finished reading Homer Price, and chapter three's book report project was making homemade doughnuts. I made up the dough, Daddy cooked 'em in hot oil and the kids decorated. They got the fun part. They actually turned out pretty good--more of a cakey type doughnut. Of course I made them as healthy as possible by using white whole wheat flour and coconut oil, but I guess when it's all said and done, a doughnut is a doughnut.
Lincoln got to help decorate, too. But oh goodness, Shiloh was not a happy camper as you can see in photo #1. The rule in our house is: to get dessert, you gotta eat your dinner. I kept pressing her to eat her dinner so she could eat a doughnut, but she just wouldn't. So, yes I made her suffer the consequences. It kills me to see my little Sue cry, but we just can't have a spoiled brat on our hands, now can we? Don't worry the story has a happy ending--she got one the next day.
Shiloh eventually got over her fit and enjoyed watching the boys, and I did even let her decorate one. She just didn't get to eat it. Until the next day.

Works For Me Wednesday: Candle Wax Removal

I learned a tip a few years ago about removing leftover wax from glass candle holders in a mess-free way. (I used to melt the leftover wax in the oven by turning the glass upside down on a cookie sheet with a paper towel in between. Time consuming and messy.)

Here's the tip: Just stick the entire candle, glass container/votive holder and all, in the freezer for a couple of hours, and the leftover candle will pop right out. Now you have a perfectly clean container ready for a new candle.

This works wonderfully for me! Don't forget to stop by rocksinmydryer for more neat tips.

Bloggy Giveaways

I keep meaning to post this link. But, I keep forgetting!

bloggygiveaways.com is hosted by rocksinmydryer, and people/companies are always giving away really neat stuff on her site. Seriously, there has been a new featured product every day this week! All you have to do is enter in the drawings for a chance to win. Good luck!

Yea! Den is Done!

Mark stayed up 'til 2am this past Friday to get the den painted. I pooped out around 10, so I really can't claim much of the hard work. It is Applesauce Cake just like our hallway. Looks great! It will be nice when we can get a futon and rug to complete the room.

Anyone Can Cook!

We were delighted to surprise Shiloh with her very own kitchen on Christmas morning! She loves it! And even though she's not a rat living in Paris, she cooks up some good eats!
She likes to "talk" on the phone to all of her grandparents, and she has more than most kids so that is a lot of talking!

Most of all, though, she likes "cooking" for her Care bears and Cabbage Patch Kids. She loves to bring daddy coffee, too. Her "bubbies" are so sweet to play with her when she asks them to.

I love watching her play. I am so glad we were able to buy this for her. Lots of great memories will be made here!

Works For Me Wednesday: Veggie Muffin Meatloaves

For a great kid friendly recipe go here.

Hide lots of veggies in these little "muffins". I have also provided pictures so you can see what they are supposed to look like. You can use ground turkey or ground beef, but I will be honest-- the ground beef does taste a little better. This recipe is on my menu for tonight, and I will be using ground elk meat instead.

This recipe works for our family! To find more great tips visit Rocksinmydryer.

Applesauce Cake

Mmmm, sounds delicious doesn't it? I wish I was pulling one out of my oven right about now, but I am not actually talking about something edible at the moment.



Applesauce Cake is now the color of our hall upstairs, and will hopefully soon be the color of our downstairs den and downstairs bathroom.


Before.................

During..................

After............... I really like this color!! I think it goes quite well with the chocolate walls we have.

This could be a bad thing--all of our walls reminding me of foods I love. Come to think of it, Shiloh's walls look like a tasty strawberry milkshake!!

Just Look At What The Cabbage Patch Kid Has Left Me!

By looking at the picture you would think that we have a doll that can actually poop. Thank goodness we don't, but my daughter thinks that her fake Salisbury steak is supposed to go in the doll's diaper instead of her oven!

6 Years Ago

Six years ago I gave birth to a chubby, little, red-headed, blue-eyed boy. Couldn't have looked more different than his 2 1/2 yr. old big brother. Couldn't act more different, either!!! Happy Birthday, Lincoln!!! Mama loves you with all her heart and soul!!

Here's the cutie when he turned a big 2. So hard to believe he's six now! Time just won't stand still even for a moment.

Here's the birthday boy today. Looks so grown up.

He just wanted a simple celebration this year, not a big party. This morning Grandma and Grandpa D. kept Shiloh while we took the boys to see The Water Horse. GREAT movie!! Shiloh brought the grandparents back to our house for dinner and of course cake and ice cream.


Lincoln got a few remote controlled cars, Lego's, crocks, art supplies, army toys, and $!

Lincoln, I hope this birthday will be a very fond memory for you! I love you!

In Which My Son Thinks I am Suffering From "A Pinch of a Turd"

For the past couple of days my body has ached like I have the flu or something. I do not have a fever nor do I have any other symptoms, except I have felt a little chilly off and on. I am extremely thankful that I don't have a fever as I am able to continue with school and chores etc., but I still don't feel very good. My body hurts!!

Anyway, last night after Daddy prayed for Mommy to feel better, Lincoln in all seriousness said,

"Mommy, maybe you have a pinch of a turd."

"A what????"

"A pinch of a turd."

"I have no idea what you mean!" (I am trying to keep from laughing)

"You know, like Grandma has."

"Oh!!!!!! A pinched nerve!!!!" Of course, after that revelation we all just died laughing!!


Kids are funny. :)

Works For Me Wednesday: Backwards Day

I am so glad it's backwards day today because I have a few questions that I hope you all can answer for me!!

1. Has anyone ever used Sheer Cover makeup? I have never been an infomercial type of gal until I bought Pro Active. It has worked well for me, so now those Sheer Cover infomercials keep catching my eye. If you have used it, please tell me what you think!

2. How do I do auto posts and posts that "stick" at the top of my page?

3. Where can I buy inexpensive bows on line for my toddler? I don't like the big, fancy kind--just simple styles will do.

4. I home school and was wondering if you all could help me find a SIMPLE art/drawing program. It doesn't even really have to be a program, it could just be one book. It would be even better if it was something the student could do without my help!! I bought Drawing With Children by Mona Brooks, and I personally just don't have the time to go through those lessons.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my questions!!

Visit Rocks in my dryer to offer advice to lots of other moms...

Is It Back to School Already?

The past 3 weeks have gone by much faster than I thought they would! Rivendell Academy starts back up on Monday, and I haven't even looked at my lesson plans. I'm a bit behind on my to do list since I have been sick this week. =(

Just thought I would do a quick recap of all our Christmas fun. The kids have been very occupied with all of their new toys, much to my satisfaction!!

Here we are on Christmas Eve. It is tradition for us to eat tacos, read about the birth of Jesus Christ, sing a few Christmas songs, and then open presents from out-of-town family. We used to go light-looking as well, but this year we did that on a previous night. It made for a not-so-rushed Christmas Eve.

Shiloh and Lincoln want to "help" Daddy play the guitar.

Mullin was thrilled to open a bunch of new Harry Potter characters from The Order of the Phoenix.

Shiloh loves her new Pet Shop pal!

I love that moment on Christmas morning when all is silent and the glowing tree is surrounded by presents just waiting to be opened!

The kids know that all of those presents are from us. They know that the magical, modernized Santa is just pretend. I had planned to do a whole post on just that but didn't get around to it. Maybe next year?

Shiloh finally got the Care bear she'd been talking about all month--Grumpy!! She now has quite a collection. She loves them to pieces!

Mullin had a Star Wars Christmas. New ships, new men--he is all set to have some new battles!



Lincoln wanted all army stuff, so he is pretty excited about the jet he just opened!!

Later we went to my Mom's for a yummy Christmas brunch. Unbelievably, I forgot my camera!

Hope every one's Christmas was as wonderful as ours!!

NOW I Am Motivated

Since moving to AZ, I haven't really felt very motivated to register as a voter. For one, I know as much about politics as I do about computers. (Remember, I call myself an amoeba.) Two, voting for the lesser of 2 evils doesn't exactly thrill me. I was actually contemplating using my freedom to NOT vote.

But... now I have a reason to be completely motivated!!

Whether I vote or not, though, I rest in the fact that God is ultimately in complete control.

Works For Me Wednesday: Grapefruit Seed Extract

Since I am right in the middle of battling a cold/sore throat, I thought I would take a moment to share a wonderful, natural product that I use instead of antibiotics.

For a couple of years now, I have been using Grapefruit Seed Extract for the whole family. Mostly I use it when someone is sick, but I have used it as a preventative also. I have even added a few drops to water and used it as a multi-purpose cleaner. After doing quite a bit if research, I have found many other uses for it, too. Here, is where you can take a moment to read about Grapefruit Seed Extract.

The actual brand that I buy is NutriBiotic The Original GSE Liquid Concentrate.
This link will take you to the home page. It is easy to spot this stuff in a white bottle with a red cap. I buy it at my local health food store, and a 4 FL. OZ. bottle costs around $20.00. It lasts a long time, though. I have had the same bottle for over a year. It just takes a few drops, and there are about 4000 drops per bottle. We take ours in a little bit of orange juice instead of water since the taste is quite horrible!!!

I just found out that Elijah Wood uses this product as well. Now I really feel special!!

Anyway, I make sure that we never run out of this amazing formula--it has definitely worked for us!

For more fantastic tips go here.