Seizing My Day

I can really relate to Frog and Toad today.

Do you all know this Frog and Toad story?

The one where Frog is excited about Spring in April

but Toad is grumpy about it…

(for the record it is NOT even April here folks… really!)

anway…

Toad knows the truth

Even though there are signs of Spring appearing

all over the land of Frog and Toad in APRIL

it is best to stay in bed

but Toad knows the truth

the warmth of Spring does not REALLY appear until May

the story is filled with delightful dialog between Frog and Toad

about the signs of spring and the grumpy attitude from Toad

b/c Toad is smart and he knows that Spring should not be enjoyed until May

when the weather really does improve and warms up for Reals

and he covers his head and tries to go back to sleep..

In the end Frog manipulates Toad into getting out of bed

by changing his calendar to May … even though it is only April…

and he tricks Toad into enjoying Spring early.

I am not quite sure how I feel about that.

I mean it was only a little white lie…

the kind where you are doing it for the better good of the other person.

or in this case Toad.

anyway… it conflicts with my morals .. ya know?!

(ha ha… please tell me you know I was kidding)

anyway…

I have decided that Washington Weather is evil.

evil, evil, evil!!     =)

Look at this…

the Sun shining brightly on my blooming honeysuckle bush…

Making the water droplets look like diamonds

all sparkly and bright…

teasing me to stay outside and enjoy the sunny day…

in early February!!!

really?  in February?

Maybe that is normal and I am crazy

but pretend with me if you will…

that IT IS STILL WINTER!!

and yet signs of SPRING are everywhere!!  *sigh*

it IS still COLD…

The Sun is shining

the birds are chirping

and delightful little buds are growing on the bushes

I LOVE it…

Oh how I LONG for warm weather again

this is the first year that I was SO NOT READY for Winter

and I have had this overwhelming urge to move to a Warm Sunny State!!

where the bushes & flowers probably never stop blooming??

I love that the honeysuckle and lilacs  are blooming

I LOVE that the Sun is making every thing so pretty

the grass is even growing for pity sakes

in 40 degree weather

Last year we had a few weeks like this…

only it was 60 degree weather

and people were MOWING their LAWNS in February!!

I blogged about it here (b/c I have a whole year of blog history now… fun!)

Anyway that is NOT normal in Washington folks

it just ain’t!!

don’t get me wrong

I love sunshine

and little buds on all the trees and bushes

and flowers blooming

and green grass

and well

I love spring!

but it is so depressing sometimes

when you KNOW

beyond a shadow of a doubt

that this is just a little tease

it is really ONLY a little tiny taste of what you have to WAIT 12 more weeks for

UNTIL MAY…

12 more weeks people!!  12!!!

12 more weeks of Cold, windy, WET and probably Snowy days

because it ALWAYS snows at least once between March  and  early May…

it just does that in Washington

nobody believes me … but it is TRUE

TOAD speaks TRUTH!!  =)

maybe it is better to stay in bed until Spring really arrives in MAY?!

You know what?

I am a sucker   … JUST like Toad

and I go out and blissfully enjoy the sun, the green grass and the buds on the trees

knowing full well

I will be devastated in a week or two

when the COLD blustery WINDY WET days return to Washington.    =)

I am getting old people.

I have this horrible urge to be a snow bird already!!  =)

just saying…

I am going back outside to enjoy this little window of Sunshine

even if it is still 40 degrees outside!!  =)

What is the Weather like in your neck of the woods today??

(don’t answer that if you live in Hawaii, California or Florida.. b/c I might cry!!!   =)

Blessings~

Toad’s pretty Twin Sister

(what is wrong with me today?)

Ashley’s Sunday Scavenger Hunt Items for the week were:

Inspiration from Page 25 in a magazine, Water, Quote, Window and Activity

Sunday    30/365 Page 25 in a Magazine (source of inspiration)

I am curious to see what inspiration y’all found on Page 25…

I figured this one would be easy

um… Not so much!

Page 25 had mostly prescription ads …

you know the kind where they use 2-3 pages telling you the risks…

there was ONE  magazine with a bra ad on page 25 … uh… no thanks!

I couldn’t believe it… magazine after magazine… it was so funny!!

I give up!!  … so I am counting this one…

Page 24  Family Fun magazine… features a craft we will  do soon! =)

I even thought… well fine… I will look in the Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook

maybe it will be Inspiration for something I can cook for dinner this week

uh… NOT so much!!

The Above picture is what I found on Page 25 of the The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook…

in case you were wondering  =)

I took a photo of her photo on page 25… b/c well… it was funny that even her cookbook

did not offer me inspiration for cooking …

what is it with page 25?    =)

Monday      31/365 Quote

I had good intentions of photographing a favorite quote or bible verse

but come Monday morning… This made me laugh out loud!

and It really does have some truth in it!!

It reminds me of a quote I say to my kids ALL the time

Suck it up Buttercup!  =) ( Let it go…  Be Happy… Don’t sweat the small stuff!)

Tuesday     32/365 Window

Or in this case a classic Vase in a Window painting

my sister painted  it in 1985 … her senior year of high school

she went to throw it away in 1989 ….my se1nior year of high school

I rescued it … and  I have been carrying it around with me ever since

it is funky… I like it…

I had Many many roommates over the years….

They… um… well… grew to like it… I think…

My sister is probably horrified I am showing her painting!!

I really do have a weird attachment to it!!

it has been displayed in my homes for 20 plus years   =)

it is currently acting as a DOG gate to keep Merlin out of Abby’s room

when I realized it was the perfect fit for the door jam

the same door jam we have tried many baby gates  on… that didn’t seem to work right

I was very pleased the canvas fit… and it actually keeps Merlin OUT!!

Inspired by the idea of Functional Art in our doorways like that

I went in search of 30 inch canvases…. for the kids to paint as gates for their doors!

I could only find one 30 inch canvas “gallery style”  … for $50 bucks!!

*sheesh*  I think that project will have to wait for a little while!!

unless my friend Amazon comes through for me!?  =)

Wednesday        33/365

A Coke and a smile  anyone?

I drove past this delivery truck add

with the old glass coke bottles on it

I love soda pop in a glass bottle!!

Thursday        34/365 Water

I think clouds are 98 percent water??

aren’t they??  =)

Thursday we had this amazing sky of clouds

AMAZING  clouds

They looked even more Amazing as edited clouds

with the click of the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button in Picasa

it turns my pictures into this

it looks like a painting doesn’t it?  =)

Friday       36/365

I admit it…

I like this picture of carrots for some reason

I cooked carrots… and reserved them in a bowl

while I prepared a pot roast on Friday night

Pioneer Woman style ~ modified ~ it was SSSoooooooo Yummy!

always a huge hit with the Whole family!!

Roasts were half off this week… $6.00  for the $12 roast!!

I think I will go back and get a few for my freezer!

Saturday  37/365 Activity

Sew Fun!!   =)

Just a little sewing project I started Saturday ~ yesterday that is!!  =)

Can’t wait to finish it Sunday after church …

it is the first time I have sewed something like this…

and it is turning out Beautifully!!

It is a baby bag tote an overnight tote for Abby!!

She is excited to use it!!

Alright… speaking of church… Gotta run!

See you all later this afternoon… when I am NOT watching the Superbowl!!

Are you watching??   =)

TTFN~

Mrs. Unsporty  =)

Hope y’all have a lovely day!

Blessings~

and

Inspired by

All for Love Photo Challenge :  Loved Deeply

hosted by Jeanne Oliver and Courtney Walsh

and

Trina’s 52 week Photo challenge :   Sleep

Let me tell you folks…

I LOVE my children deeply …

especially when they are sleeping deeply!  snicker snicker…

and They sleep on my bedroom floor

when I let them watch a Percy Jackson movie the night before

safe and cozy near the mommy and daddy!!  =)

I would not recommend Percy Jackson for littles…

Medusa about gave me nightmares!!!  =)

oops ….These loves of mine …they weren’t sleeping so deeply..

I think my Loves told me to Go away!

they tried to go back to sleep

but mama begged for a sleepy pose

yay

they love me enough to give me one

or they were just too sleepy to care

Be still my heart I love these little peeps!

I love that they still  sleep with their blankies

and the sea of stuffed animals that they love deeply!  =)

My littles get SOOOOOOOOOO attached to their stuffed animals

like they were REAL or something!!!

I Can’t Handle the thought of my little boy NOT snuggling or talking to his Tiger!!

or my sweet girl not snuggling with her white bear that she has loved since birth!!

These sweet little peeps entered the depths of my heart

from the moment they entered my world

Be Still My heart!!

I love how smart, sweet, funny and loving these little off spring of mine are

I could never have imagined the love that fills a mommy’s heart

and … Oh how they make me laugh

when I should probably be crying or screaming…

Little Monster face!!

this was 2 days ago!!

Drawing on is face at age 8?!!  seriously?!    =)

My heart is full!!

Can you hear my heart beating?  =)

It all started with this guy…

don’t let him fool ya

he is not rockin out

he is probably listening to the news on his android phone

Yep… This funny guy  stole my heart first

He’s My man… I like to call him The Poster Boy now…

b/c  my silly husband was being a goof at work…

and landed himself on a POSTER… printed for reals…

A poster promoting Safety for Washington State Transportation workers…

He not only stops my heart …

he makes me laugh so hard it hurts!!

The only thing greater than the love of my sweet little family

is A Loving God who granted me these amazing peeps in my life~

what more does a girl need?

(which makes me wonder …why do I whine so much?!! ha ha)

Oh right…

You love them deeply as well…

They fill your heart too… just like your real babies…

however….sometimes they are  a pain in your… *cough* cough*  tooshie!

Oh Merlin how I love thee … let me count thy ways…

MERLIN!!!!    why?  why do I love you?!!  =)

ha ha… Another Blessing that fill my heart!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is still early in the day… feel free to Join in one of these photography challenges!

I love photography challenges ~ they encourage me to capture more of my day!!

and hopefully build my photography skills along the way!

Hope your Weekend is filled with Love and Sleep!!

Blessings~

The Poster Boy’s Wife

All For Love:  Loved Deeply

and Courtney Walsh!!

52 Weeks: Sleep

It is not as fancy as it sounds

Really!

My kids love cashews so it is a great way to get them excited about dinner!

rare in these parts!

I have been eating mostly gluten free for 2 1/2 weeks now

and for the record this meal is NOT gluten free

(but it only has a little tiny bit in the soy sauce and oyster sauce!!)  =)

Pull out the oyster sauce, low sodium soy, any oil ~ I tried coconut & olive oil , herbs ~ I used basil and oregano, garlic ~ I have had 3 moldy garlic cloves lately (ew) … so I am using jarred for a while now … =)

Next Chop up some veggies

This Very Important to my littles…

Baby Corn ~ Cashew Chicken MUST have baby corn!

I usually use celery too ~ my kids love it stir fried!  I was out.

and I usually  soak my cashews in Hot water while I prep dinner

I forgot ~ no big deal!

cube your chicken, put oil in your pan, stir fry it on med

toss it around for about 3-5 minutes until it goes light brown

sprinkle with herbs and cook a few more minutes

I used a bit too much oil … but it worked out well for the sauce!!

some of that is excess chicken juices too!

anyway at this stage turn your pan down to med/low (cast iron is hotter I think?) =)

add a heaping tablespoon of garlic, 2-3 table spoons of oyster sauce and a teaspoon of soy

and stir it up!!

Oh and a night or two before you make this meal…

make something with rice on the side and make a double batch!!

so you have one whole batch of leftover rice!!

I blend white & brown rice ~ my kids eat brown rice that way!!

(I soak the brown rice for a 1/2 hour before I blend them to cook!

At this point transfer Chicken to a smaller pan (or just another pan)

on low heat while you stir fry leftover rice  in your saucy pan!!

but add more oil first!!  =)

I am not good at this part… I think I need a wok…

anyway… it worked well enough… the rice sticks to the pan…. grrr…

just keep stirring!!   and scrapping in my case!

I also needed a bigger pan… I made a mess!!  =)

I can hardly lift that cast iron pan… with my carpel tunnel issues…

so messy I will remain with my current 10 inch pan!!  =)

OK speaking of pans … pull out another one…

and stir fry your veggies now!  =)  I promise you will only use 2-3 pans…

the reserved chicken could sit in a bowl!!  =)

I added a bit of oil and toss the veggies and cashews around for about 5 minutes.

Half way through I used a splash of boiling water (from the tea kettle)

to steam them up a bit .. you feel like a real chef when the steam rises off the pan!!  =)

then I added the chicken and stir fried another 3-5 minutes.

I don’t use a lot of sauce b/c it is better for my heart and well…

I don’t like a lot of sauce anymore… I out grew that phase of my life I guess??!

My littles don’t use a lot of sauce on anything…

seriously … they like a thin layer of peanut butter, a thin layer of jam, a tiny bit of pasta sauce, a drizzle of maple syrup on their pancakes… etc. etc…  frankly… I am OK with that!!  =)

anyway

Thats All Folks!!

dish up some rice on your 1970’s dishes that you grew up with as a child

add some yummy goodness on top the rice

and Serve it to your peeps!!

Enjoy!

A quick list of Cashew Chicken recipe items:

2-3 Chicken breasts cubed

2-3 carrots chopped

1 cup broccoli and celery chopped (I didn’t have the celery this time)

I can baby corn drained and chopped

(1/2 onion if it doesn’t make your kids flea from the table!~)  =)

(I didn’t use one this time)

2-6 tablespoons of Oyster Sauce depending on your taste

Olive oil… and/or  Coconut Oil… the blend was great for me!!

1-2 teaspoons of low sodium soy

1-2 heaping table spoons of chopped garlic from a jar (or a few cloves)

Herbs of choice ~ basil and oregano are my regulars!  =)

and cooked rice ~ enough to feed your family for a  meal

I think that is all!   =)

um… or not…

2/3 a cup O Cashews!!  or 1 whole cup?!!  fine… I just use handfulls!!

(sometimes I make Cashew Curry Chicken too… that is a mommy and daddy fav!!)

Let me know if you try this one ~ it is a favorite in our house!!

Happy Cooking!

Blessings~

The Cowboys wife  ~

(wait til you hear that story!! my man is full of surprises!!)

Many moons ago I wanted to marry a cowboy…

b/c I love horses and the hats & The BOOTS!

Thanks Mr. McFunny ~ for making me a cowboys wife for 1 minute last Sunday!  =)

Someone has been home sick today
I am not naming any names

you can decide on your own why I posted this picture

of my little girl (no names)

she may or may not have woken up at 5 something AM

coughing

and coughing

and coughing

and her little cheeks were warm enough

for me to keep her home with me for the day

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She is drinking Lots of Hot Tang and Reading because she LOVES reading,

She is laying around and Resting on the couch and

we may or may not have played many many rounds

of one of our favorite little games

this is not the kind of card game you can find just anywhere

it is a special little game  =)

We found ours when Abby was about 5 years old (5 yrs ago)

in our favorite place in the PNW

Cannon Beach, Oregon!

There is a sweet little Gift & Pottery Shop called The Potters Clay    (I think!?)

anyway… we bought it there.

It is a wonderful game!

The box says for 3 and up…

you can use it as a memory game or Rummy.   =)

There are 2 of Every card.

A to Z

Each Letter is a Flower Name.

With Beautiful Illustrations!

Most are common flower names like Zinnia for Z.

or Tulip for T.   Honeysuckle for H.

Daffodil for D.

Though I have never heard of the flower Jack-in-the-pulpit  =)

or the flower Ranunculus.   nor have I heard of Xanthium flowers either.

So as a bonus … Your little girl will learn 26 flowers names!

knowledge she may or may not use

later in life when she plants her own flower garden!

you never know?!   =)

I am assuming not many boys will be interested in this game!

(no worries keep reading… there is a link for boy friendly card games)

For Flower Rummy ~ Each Player is dealt 7  cards.

Oh ~ they are BIG cards too.

you start with a classic draw pile and a discard pile.

It is played just like regular Rummy.  Gin Rummy.  Long hand Rummy.

its Rummy.    ABC Flower Rummy.

So the object is to get pairs and/or runs of three or more

like this

It is played just like Rummy.  Rules are in the box.

Easy Sneezy, Lemony Squeezy!!

each turn you draw and you play pairs as shown

or runs like A, B, C   or  X, Y, Z….

OH… and there is a wild card!

a Garden Gnome of course!!

each card has little fairies on them too!

Abby LOVED fairies when she was little

I loved the fairy phase

so sweet and magical!

Remember this post about Fairy Books I wrote?  =)

anyway

the Gnome can be used in place of any letter

in this case a Y.

We even used it as a G today!!  =)

keep drawing, playing and discarding until someone discards their last card.

who ever has the most cards down wins that hand.

The box says your child :

Plus they will Learn Lovely Flower Names

each card has a Sweet Fairy to find

if the child is little they begin by learning letters

then learn the matching game and later work into Rummy!  =)

hm… I might even use them as inspiration for the kids to draw or paint flowers!!

not copying exactly… just for inspiration!!!   =)

You can find this Wonderful little card game on the eeBoo Corporation Website!

and if you don’t have a little girl to buy for

don’t worry ~

they have many other fun card games and toys to choose from for boys!

This is not a game I will ever LET my little girl out grow!!  ha  ha

er… well…   I will keep these cards forever and ever!  =)

Abby can have them one day if she gives birth to a little girl..

WAY WAY WAY in the future

b/c my brain just CAN’T go there.

I can’t believe I even said that out loud!

nope. not going there.

My little girl is home sick and wants to snuggle

and play cards with her mama!

Right where I want to keep her forever!

the snuggle and play cards part anyway!  =)

I was going to write My post about jars today.

Maybe tomorrow I will get more blog time.

For now I must make some more Hot Tang, snuggle and play cards.

snicker snicker

Blessings~

The Flower Rummy Mama

Its Sunday again…

Time to take a sneak peek in my world this week.

Every Sunday I am following along with a couple of fun photo challenges.

The 365 day challenges are a Fabulous inspiration…

taking a picture a day encourages me to capture more moments in my week

I love the challenge of capturing at least one thing a day!!

Ashley Sisk’s Sunday Scavenger Hunt photo challenge encourages me to capture things I would not have necessarily stopped to take a photo of…

This weeks challenge items were:  Texture, Button, Seventies, Beverage and Fog

This is how they played out in my world this week:

Sunday      23/365       Beverage

a Birthday Beverage for my sister Linda

it has become our tradition to buy each other Latte’s on our birthdays

Very satisfying birthday gift 3 bucks.  Time together ~ priceless.   =) 

Sunday was our Late Birthday Coffee date

Since I needed a beverage photo I took sister Linda to my favorite Coffee shop

b/c they never fail to give you foam art on your Beverage!!!

Monday      24/365

I made home made Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies

Not a great picture!!  I really hate our indoor lighting in winter!!

The recipe was compliments of Land O Lakes Butter!!  =)

I modified it… a little … I do that … a lot.   =)

The whole family LOVED them… Devoured them!!

*happy mommy*

I have been pretty successful eating mostly gluten free for 2 weeks now

and my fussy digestive system is forever grateful…   I think.  =)

Tuesday     25/365     Seventies

1974 to be exact

once upon a time my hubby played with this cool toy when he was a boy

ok.. that sounded funny… I think I will not edit it!!  =)

I love that our little boy plays with toys my hubby used to play with

A couple of them are made in England

Dinky Supertoys

this one is my favorite I think

it kinda reminds me of the bus Harry Potter rides in Prisoner of Azkaban

doesn’t it??

anyway this baby goes for a pretty penny on ebay (er it did a couple years ago)   =)

I looked it up for fun!!

taking these pictures inspired me to take photos for a 1970’s post

of the things my hubby and I kept from our childhoods

the things our littles now use

and I found a few funny things in the kitchen that are 70’s as well!!

hoping to get that post up later this week!   =)

Wednesday      26/365     Fog

Lucky me… we had a foggy morning this week!

We walked Abby to school in the fog

it was cold… but beautiful!

and I love birds… birds on light posts… birds on a wire…

or in this case birds on a baseball batters cage?  what is that called?

anyway…

I think Sammy really enjoyed looking at the foggy world !

We couldn’t see very far in front of us that morning…

which really is the way Sammy sees every day anyway…

interesting reminder for the mommy this week.

*sigh*    sometimes it breaks your heart

when you remember your little boy will have 20/200 vision his whole life

sometimes you wish he could see the details of this beautiful world we live in!

Thursday  January 27

it was warm and dry enough to ride bicycles outside…

crazy!!

It was great for the kids!!  =)

it was kinda cold… but fun!

Friday  January 28

On Thursday I happened upon a wonderful post about JARS…

I heart Jars!!    So FRIDAY I ran around MY house taking photos of my jars…

Monday or Tuesday I will publish my own post about fun ways to use Jars …

I will also link you Lindsey’s Jar post … as she inspired me to share my jars with y’all!

please don’t think I am crazy…

come back and you will see…

Jars are wonderful for you and me!!

sorry.  can’t help it.

Saturday        29/365         Texture    (and Buttons)

I made Cashew Chicken Stir fry for dinner… YUM!

look at all those yummy textures!

is that stretching it a bit?

and Saturday was my last day to capture

Buttons

buttons really had me stumped most of the week

I have nothing with buttons

well… ok … nothing interesting with buttons

all week my mind kept drifting back to this little dress I used to LOVE on Abby

when she was 10 months old…

she is 10 years old now… who’s counting!!  =)

I think these were the first pictures I captured of her standing on her own ?!

She was cute as a button in this little outfit!!!

One of the things I loved about this dress

don’t laugh at me ok…

is that the back had buttons all the way down it   =)

I love love loved her little button down dress…

there are buttons from the neck down to the bottom of the dress…

when she had the sweater on … you could only see half of them…

sweet memories…

funny some of the sweet weird memories a mommy holds in her heart!

anyway…

Today I took photos of those old baby photos (hard copies)

and made a collage out of them…

they turned out pretty good for photos of photos!!

Thats all she wrote folks!

Off to church …

Blessings~

Jenn

PS   they are having a family fun talent show at church tonight…

What would you do in a fun family talent show if you had the chance…

just curious!!    =)

I tried to talk my family into dancing the Achy Breaky Heart dance jig…

we learned it for a horse birthday party Abby had a few years back

it was SOOOOOOOOO much fun teaching 10 little girls that dance…

and then watching them enjoy dancing after…

Sweet memories…

My family is having NOTHING to do with the talent show…
shy and reserved they are!

I am not doing it on my own either… I am a little shy!!   ha ha!

We’ll watch everyone else I guess…

What would you or your family do??   =)

ta ta for now!

Sunday Scavenger Hunt

and one 365 day challenge

the other 365 day challenge!! =)

Do you naturally see the glass half full or half empty??

I am naturally a half empty kinda gal.
I hate that about myself.

always have.

I get tired of my own half empty attitude!!

So I work hard to keep my mind on the glass is half full side of life.
but it is hard work.
and Sometimes I get Tired of that. =)
Tired of Trying to keep my head in the half full space.
Trina’s theme for her 52 week photo challenge this week is tired.
I took a few sleepy pictures of Merlin (and my hubby as he was sick Sat-Wed)
but I just couldn’t bring myself to post another picture of Merlin.
(maybe it is because I am TIRED of his mischief!! =) Seriously ~ he got into our room and ripped open a cat food bag and proceeded to eat an obscene amount of cat food yesterday… after he ran off with one of the kids writing books, after he got into the TP because we left the bathroom door open… seriously dog you are killing me!!  I try to tell myself… it wasn’t his fault… we left the doors open… right? Somebody please tell me he will outgrow this stealing & chewing thing!!! anyone?? he is only 18 months… it just feels longer to me b/c we had Lewis before Merlin… ) anyway… NO tired pictures of that MUTT! not today. even though I AM tired of his mischief! =)

You are all probably tired of me posting Merlin pictures, right??   =)

right!!

Anyway!!

I have been walking past this all week

dreading it

dreading going in there to help Sammy clean it

Again!!

didn’t we just do this before Christmas??

My thoughts have been floating in the half empty glass…

“I am tired of cleaning that kids room”

“will he ever keep it clean??”

“one day he will be big enough to keep his room cleaner and I won’t have to…”

then it occurred to me…

A few times this week I have commented on some blog friends posts…

friends with little kids who are sharing how they know they will miss this time…

Sharing that they know their babies/toddlers will grow up so fast…

I was quick to comment and agree with them…

affirming that time playing with their babies/toddlers  is so precious

because it WILL go SO FAST…

and then this morning it REALLY hit me

LIKE A BRICK

THIS

is an opportunity

an opportunity to spend one on one TIME with my little boy

sure he is not a baby anymore

nor is he a toddler

but I should NOT be weary or tired of having an opportunity to spend time with him

Time for him to freely chat away with me

to show me his creations and how his imagination is unfolding in his play

Time for him and I to have the chance to giggle together

Time when we are not doing school work

Time when we can Goof off a bit while we are cleaning

Time Together  =)   Just he and I…

I don’t want to feel tired and weary of helping my kids do things

because one day they won’t need my help

one day they won’t want my help

*sigh*    =)

When I am feeling Tired of the everyday grind… I need to remember this!!.

here is a quote from my favorite little devotional book first published in 1904 =)

“Nothing is small or great in God’s sight;  whatever He wills, becomes great to us, however seemingly trifling, and if once the voice of conscience tells us that He requires anything of us, we have no right to measure its importance.  On the other hand, whatever He would not have us do, however important we may think it, is as nought to us.  how do you know what you may lose by neglecting this duty, which you think so trifling, or the blessing which is faithful performance may bring?  Be sure that if you do your very best in that which is laid upon you Daily, you will not be left without sufficient help when some weightier occasion arises.  Give Yourself to Him, Trust Him, Fix Your eye upon Him, Listen to His voice, and then go on bravely and cheerfully.”

Jean Nicolas Grou

it is written in old English style writing… when I first starting reading this devotional…. I had to read everything 2 or 3 times to make sure I was understanding it!!  =)

anyway… this quote is for January 24.   I read it today.

b/c I do that.  I read a few days at a time and catch up.  =)

It stirred my heart to remember to cherish those every day things I “get to do” with my littles… shaping their hearts and minds while we spend time together… offering them the chances to enjoy the daily things in life with love and support.   Offering them time to talk to me.  offering them myself!   God gave me an awesome job of raising little people … in His likeness… the same likeness  I must not be weary of surrendering myself to either…  even in the daily grind!  =)

Today I am grateful for this little Big reminder:

I shall not grow weary or tired of the precious TIME with my littles…

no matter what we are doing!   =)

Seize My Day right?!!

(*sheesh how do I forget that so easily??)

Blessings~

Jenn~

if you are interested in a fun 52 week photo challenge for 2011…

click here to join in and find out more!!  =)

So some of you know I  home school one child

and the other is in public school

I have a love hate relationship with this set up

all for another day….

that is Just how the cookies crumbled around here

……………………….

I volunteer every year in my little girls class…

THIS YEAR I have been the art mom once a month

stepping out of my comfort zone and walking her whole class through an art project

I am more of a 1 on 1   or a  1 on 5 kinda gal, ya know?

I don’t LOVE being in front of the whole class

especially not with other adults around   =)

WAY out of my comfort zone…

anyway… it has been good for both me and my little girl

who is VERY shy and has anxieties of her own…

In the Fall I walked the class through a Collage Podge Leaf Art project

it was fun and showed Abby it is good to step out of your box… even mommy can!!

the kids art turned out GREAT!

and The kids loved it.  yay!

In December I guided the whole class through a fabric art project

it was Great fun, the kids loved it, they were all proud of their art… etc. etc.

they all went home with an extra Christmas pressie for the fam.  yay!

fast forward to today.

………………………………………..

This months project.

HOUSTON…. We have a problem!

Abby’s teacher mentioned they have an author visiting the school soon

and wondered if I could do an art project around the theme of her book/books

I agreed without looking up the author… oops.

What I did know is it includes belief in characters like big foot and the loch ness monster

I am ok with that… not that I believe in those things  =)

the idea of a KIDS author highlighting those things seemed ok to me

how bad could it be?

I figured can’t be worse than the kids learning about evolution as fact

even though it is actually a theory ….and well… I don’t believe in it…

I choose to use those moments as teaching moments to teach what I believe…

what I believe is Biblical truth.  =)

It is how I roll in my heart and my convictions.

SO… with that said.

I Googled …under Google images… the Loch Ness Monster.

and found some CUTE kid friendly stuff…

all these images were found with Google Images

all from either books/authors who have written on the topic

and or were artwork off of blogs… yep… blogs…

Here are a few of my favorites close up!

by an Author of a sweet book about a girl named Katie who explores

in this case… in Scotland!    He even has a blog!

James Mayhew

love it!!  though his stories look too young for my kids…

I might see if I can find them in the library!!  =)

they looks so inviting!!  and full of imagination, fun and even a little geography!??

another cute tale about Nessie …

clearly kid friendly!

he wrote a book about Scotland too…

=)

this one is from a blog…I love it!!

I thought it would print with her blog name…

but it did not… I am sure I could find it again…

anyway… Very cute take on the Loch Ness Monster…

and this one… well… I figured boys would like this one best…

again from a blog I think??

a little sly looking this dude…

but I like him…

All of these images keep the Loch Ness Monster in the

might not be real category

keeping that factor in perspective

especially for kids like mine that would NEVER go out on a boat again

if they thought serpents were real… and one might surface… *sigh*

My idea was to do a watercolor art project with the kids

having them maybe draw a bit of Scotland, water and the Nessie…

using the above illustrations as inspiration…

What exactly is my problem then??

Well… I finally got the name of the author who is coming to Abby’s school.

and googled said author

and well…

I am NOT impressed.

it actually bothers me a bit that this author is coming.

and may or may not influence my/our kids

in a way ….that…. well… I think is on the edge

on the edge of what I would call appropriate for elementary school KIDS.

I have not seen the books.

just read the authors web page and browsed books from said page

here are a few things I learned on the web page… .of the author… the author’s ex-spouse is a cross dresser,  the author says things like  “OH God” or writes them on the webpage anyway…  words Karma and Zen are noted… never mind the characters and books seem a bit… on the edge too… including slightly creepy content and illustrations…. NOT my cup o tea!!  AT ALL!  I am NOT impressed that this person is going to offer any kind of encouragement/teaching/influence to my little girl ….thankyouverymuch.

words.  biting so many words.

notice I am not mentioning the authors name, books, location, nada.  not going to highlight this person one teeny tiny little bit.  nor am I slandering anyone.  just sayin… I am having trouble with the choice in author who coming to influence MY child in a public school.  YIKES.

Never mind I agreed to do an art project highlighting some of the said authors subject matter…

**I feel sick**

*cough. cough.*

narrowminded?  maybe?

Mother hen.  Yep.

opposite my beliefs. yep.

freaking out.  yep.

curious if I am pre-judging. kinda.

wishing I could be in Hawaii that week.  yep.

wondering what to do now? yep.

What would you do??   DO TELL!!

Do you think if I did the art project, the kids would associate the beliefs of the author with my own?? *ugh*

Would you keep your child home from school that day??

What to do… What to do??

I am looking for gentle honest opinions please…

I am not picking on anyone for having different opinions to my own.

I am stating my concern fora self proclaimed liberal, a self proclaiming author who says she is weird, she says she supports and co-writes with another author who is “risky”… “on the edge”, and in my opinion some of the content/images of said author are a little creepy… especially for a child with anxieties… I am worried about what is being taught to my child in a public school setting… schools are not allowed to teach conservative views… but they are certainly allowed to teach liberal ones…  UGH…

Please note… this is NO reflection on my little girls teacher either… I love my daughters teacher!!

it is another teacher in the school who is bringing in this author…

Seriously … what would you do about the art project … knowing the kids will associate it to some degree with the author… and would you keep your child home from school on a day when you know someone is visiting … someone you know you would never take them to see  at a bookstore signing??  =)

Help!!

I’d really rather take my little girl to see the Pioneer Woman!!   Perhaps to the book signing of her new book about Charlie the Ranch Dog !!!   My heart would be very relaxed seeing Ree at my daughters school talking about writing books about the love of your pets… or your family… =)  Abby is actually thrilled about this book… even though it is a little kids book… Abby LOVES Charlie… She even quotes dialog from this post... it is a hysterical post about Charlie eating sausage!!  Even funnier to hear Abby and her friend quote the dialog!!  =)  anyway… that is the kind of influence a mom would NOT bat an eye at… her heart would Not skip a beat… or two … or three.  or Stop!

Anyway… Do you all know my little girl wants to be an Author??

its her dream!!  Which I will encourage until she has a new dream…

if she changes her dream!!  =)

The idea of Authors like the Pioneer Woman influencing my daughter is easier on the soul than the one I know she is about to meet… yikes!   Abby did get to meet Jan Brett once… do you all know her books?? Oh so  Wonderful!!

anyway… distracted.  I am going to hit publish now… and hope for respectful comments… which I know most of you who already comment would offer!!… =)

Do the art project or respectfully decline?

Keep my little girl home that day or send her in and hope/pray she is not terrified to go hiking in the PNW where we live… after seeing (creepy) images of Bigfoot and having her head filled with the idea that she will bump into him one day… ??

remember my little girl has anxieties already…

would you keep your child home that day?

just curious… curious enough to see what would others do…

I am volunteering in one hour.  many of you will not even read this in that hour.

I think my mind is made up.   and I will talk with her teacher and see if she has visited the authors web page.

I already consulted hubby.

waiting his opinion too.  =)

(eyes closed)

(publish)

=)

Mother Hen.

Corn Meal Mush that is   =)

When you hear that you think

orphanage food right?

if you grew up in the 70’s you might think about

Shirley Temple eating mush

or in the 80’s?

Annie singing a song about the sun coming up right after she ate mush?

anyone?

I love the stuff!!

It is like Tamale Pie only easier I think?!!

and it is gluten free.  Bonus!

I keep meaning to talk about that switch in my life!!

Maybe tomorrow.

today I want to show you my 15 minute dinner from last night!!

Corn Meal Mush!

Here is the finished product… yummy!

I can’t wait for lunch today… leftovers!  yummy!

sorry.

Want to know how to make it?

Pull out the Corn meal box and read how to make the mush!

it takes 5 minutes.   (don’t start with it… just read it for now)

*chop veggies at this point ~  ahead of time too*   see below  =)

Then pull out ground turkey.

put it in a frying pan with olive oil, herbs and garlic…

fry it up…  about 8 minutes?

I used basil and oregano.

while that is frying

steam or fry up chopped veggies

any kind really ….here is what I had in my fridge

cauliflower, zucchini, garlic cloves… whole and carrots

I cried later b/c I found a pepper and onion under the spinach bag… *sigh*

saute them until they are kinda soft  but not too soft

then pull out any ole jar of spaghetti sauce

(I am new at the gluten free thing… but I think this sauce is GF?!!)

there was nothing suspicious on the label to indicate otherwise!  =)

my kids don’t do chunky…

slim pickins for NOT so chunky sauce these days!  =)

its ok… I like Ragu!

pour it over your ground turkey

don’t be shy … more than that!!

(oh ~I reserved 1/2 the turkey to freeze for another day.. our kids don’t eat much *sigh*)

anyway

Start boiling 2/3 of the water for the corn meal at this point

holding 1/3 of the water cold to stir in the cornmeal before it goes into the hot water…

trust me important step

or you will have lumpy cornmeal

Back to the turkey… stir it up and add the veggies

I love a good meat/veggie sauce… especially ground turkey!

you can use vegetarian “meat” too… Ground Round…

it is just as yummy!   =)  I use it sometimes!

Turn the meat down, cover and simmer while you make the corn meal.

2/3rds of your water should be boiling

pour the other 1/3 of the water over dry cornmeal

and stir it up before adding it to the boiling water

it keeps the cornmeal from going lumpy

works like a charm…if only I had REALLY read the box before last night…

all those years with lumpy cornmeal!!  *sigh*

I like mine a little thick…

and should have used a little less water…

it was too runny for my taste.

if your kids are picky eaters

you might want to boil pasta in the back there…

=)

anyway… after it boils

turn it down

stir often…

it bubbles and when they pop they burn you

so really don’t stop stirring

ever.

=)

in 5 minutes

YUMMY corn meal!

dish it onto your plate or bowl

put the meat sauce on it

add some feta and or fresh Parmesan

salt and pepper to taste

ENJOY!!

this is comfort food for me

Honestly I love it!

It is basically corn meal mush (direction on the box)

and a hearty meat sauce over the top!!

with cheese

MUST have cheese.

I love cheese.

I miss cheddar

I am ok. =)

this is what my kids meal looked like.

they complicate my life.

it is painful for my girl to have things touching

we are working on her

and the meat has no veggies … I pick through it for her…

PAINFUL I tell you… food sensory kids are painful

BUT I LOVE HER!!!  =)

Little Rascals.   (also a 70’s thing)

anyway

it was delicious!!

even Nana was licking her lips!!

ha ha

no she did not get any

nor did Merlin!!

she was really just sitting there cleaning herself

and I happen to catch that… Last night after dinner…

too funny!

Don’t be Afraid of Mush… it is yummy!

even my sickly hubby ate it…and enjoyed it

after I woke him from this nap  at  5:30 pm

my “boys” spent the whole day like that…

and seriously… when my poor sick hubby wasn’t on the couch sleepin

he was outside checkin his mole traps…

3-4 weeks now

still no dead mole

hubby is turning into Chevy Chase in Caddy Shack…

even in his miserable state!!   LOL!!  =)

I should take pictures… the “bucket/trap” is moving ALL over the yard…

hysterical!!  =)

anyway… Moles have nothing to do with mush…

except maybe the Caddy Shack came out in the 70’s??  or 80’s??

Do tell…

Do you eat mush??  How do you fix it??

What is one of your favorite comfort foods??  =)

Hope y’all have a comfy day!!  =)

I am off to treat my sister to a “late” birthday latte!!  =)

Blessings~

Jenn

Hello folks.

It is week 4 of my A picture a day for a year in 2011~

since I failed last year… I am a girl on a mission this year!!  =)

anyway… my weeks pictures are also inspired by

Ashley Sisk’s Sunday Photo Scavenger Hunt List!

This week’s items are:  Memories, Silhouettes, Doorways, Reflections and Silver.

I decided to highlight the pictures inspired by Ashley in Blue

and the days of the week pics will be in black.

and a picture a week for 52 weeks is hosted by Trina will be Pink

Looking forward to bouncing around and seeing all your weekly pics!

Have a beautiful, Blessed day!

Sunday         16/365

Monday       17/365

Silver

the lovely silver baking tools I can’t live without

nice and clean after baking my first batch of Gluten Free Cookies

I have successfully gone one week with no gluten…

no tears.  no frustration.  only one “icky” meal.

I am attempting to go gluten free and mostly dairy free

for a while… I will explain in another post soon!

Tuesday        18/365

it all started with a couple of beautiful birds

I snapped this first shot through my sliding door with my snap and shoot.  nice.

and then a whole flock showed up

they were flying between our yard and the neighbors yard

every three minutes they would lift off together

so I grabbed my camera and went upstairs to my bedroom window

and managed to snap a blurry… but kinda cool shot of them in lift off!

from my bedroom window… zoomed into the neighbors back yard

with my little snap and shoot!!   kinda neat!

We also had a couple different woodpeckers show up

and a bunch of robins too…

Tuesday was apparently WILD animal day

later that night is when we went to see the Reptile Guy at Abby’s school!  =)

My last post was about Lucy… The Alligator and all her reptile friends.

Wednesday       19/365

Memories

Wednesday I took a fuzzy photo of this photo

in memory of my mama

whose 62nd birthday would have been this last Wednesday

I posted a little ditty on my blog remembering her that day.

She passed away not long after that picture was taken

10 years ago this coming March.

Sometimes memories are what you have left of someone special.  =)

Silhouettes

Though Wednesday was a hard day

it was a lovely day of making new memories too

Sammy and I took a walk with Merlin b/c it was so beautiful out that day

I was snapping a picture of the shadow (er Silhouette) of that three

when Sammy broke into this Michael Jackson looking pose

playing with his shadow!!

**make a mommy’s heart sing** er giggle**

and Reflections

down by the bay…where the watermelons grow…

(name that tune)  ha ha

this is really what Sammy and I had come to see downtown

a little boy has to see exactly what a giant crane was doing ON the water  =)

we drove past it an hour before

and went back for a closer look

I was in awe at the beauty of its reflection on the water!

while Sammy was in awe of the JOB it was doing!

this is a closer shot … my favorite of the week I think!

I LOVE that little boat … it is 101 years old…

an Olympia Classic ~  Mr. Sandman bring me a dream…

oops… Just… The Sandman  =)

** OH **  and get this   **  these pics were taken with my PHONE!! =)

they turned out SO nice for phone pics!!

Thursday      20/365

Macro

I am not having much luck with macro with my new snap and shoot

in time… I am just beginning…

patience is not a strong character trait I possess!

Last year I took a ton of water macro shots with my Nikon

before I broke it

so I am playing with my cannon to see if it can measure up!

it did ok.  the  photographer has a learning curve maybe?  =)

Friday      21/365

Silver again =)

Sammy acquired this rocket ship

at a white elephant gift exchange with our bible study group

he has been dying to paint it sliver ever since

I finally remembered to pick up SILVER paint this week!

I love his facial expression in this pic!!  hysterical!

Speaking of facial expressions and hysteria …

this picture totally cracks me up!!

=)   Oh Merlin!!

Saturday   22/365

Doorways

some doors you would just like to close forever

and forget they ever existed

Sheesh… anyone else HATE laundry????

hate hate hate it!!  =)

but these… these are the keys… well … the holder of the keys…

Macro again =)

the ones that drive you to the spa for a 60 minute massage

b/c your LOVELY friend Susan spoiled you on your 40th Birthday!!

A little tiny slice of bliss.

Speaking of bliss… My Pillow is calling!!

G’Night Everybody!

(well G’mornin by the time y’all read this!)

Blessings~    Jenn

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or just want to see some great photography

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