A creative mom

This baby girls mom does this while she lays sleeping using things she has around the house. How creative. I think she is going to compose these into a book.

5 teens in an RV

Four of the girls in the bed room and Joy on the couch watching a movie on the computer.

I dont know if Mollie is trying to blow a bubble or throwing smooches. I just dont know why the girls think its crowded in the bedroom. I guess they are all heading over to Kristy's to play the Wi and watch movies. And then spend the night.

This camper was rockin last night

The wind was fierce last night, so much so that you could sit in the living room and feel the RV rocking. Not enough to scare you but still very windy just the same. Its still rockin this morning. Wonder what the forecast is?

Today's list is pretty simple. I have some things to pick up from Wal Mart and I need to return the water filter to Lumber Mart that is the wrong size. I am glad I keep all receipts now. At least until I get them logged onto my book.

I am hoping my e reader comes today. I did look and find out that it is suppose to be delivered by USPS so that is good. Easy to get.

Mollie and Hannah spent the night at friends in Hardesty last night and tonight they are all coming here. It will be a fun time. I think someone will have to sleep on the floor. We can get 5 girls in the RV easy peasey. I imagine they will be eating sub sandwiches for supper or lunch. We have plenty of lunch meat.

It will be more fun when the weather is nice to have friends over because they can hang out outside more.

This is Jeff's long weekend so we will be building the risers to go under the sectional. I am excited about that. We will also be taking the shower door out from behind one part of the sectional. Jeff put it back there when we first took it down in case we would want to replace it but we are sure we will not be doing that so we can get rid of it now. Jeff also figured out an easy and light weight way to make the risers so it will be easy to accomplish.

I have found that Jeff and the girls and I can pretty much accomplish anything we set out to do by thinking about it and making plans to accomplish our goal. I tend to think about each detail while I am suppose to be sleeping. That makes it easy for us to get things done because I already have figured out each step of the process. I am so happy that Jeff can listen to what I say and process it and then make it happen. It would be awful to be married to a man who wouldn't listen to me. He finds it hard to figure out how each thing we are making or doing should be done, so he listens to me on how to do it and then he can visualize it and even make improvements on the design. Works great most of the time. I do know that its not good to do projects together when we are not happy with each other. He tends to say couples shouldn't work together and I say they should but not when they are mad at each other.

I remember when we were still living in the big house pictured on the header and were making the transition to the RV and I wondered what I would do when there were no projects left to do. So far its been 3 months and that hasn't happened yet so I think I will always find things to do and improve upon here to keep myself busy. I know one thing for sure I will be doing this spring is totally reorganizing the trailer/shed. It has been such a blessing to us and I am so glad we were able to find a large enclosed trailer and build shelves in it. I go out there several times a day. If our stuff was stored somewhere else I would probably not use it like I do now.

I think God is so awesome. For a long time we had thought that if we did end up moving that we would have to make two trips. One to haul the RV and then one to haul the shed. Suddenly the other day when Jeff and I were talking about it I got the idea that we could just rent a u haul truck, fill it up to lighten the load from the RV and trailer, use our pick up to haul the RV and the u haul to haul the shed. I told Jeff about it and it was such a funny moment. Like why did it take so long to think of it? I know it was the Holy Spirit that gave me the idea because it came out of nowhere as an answer to something we had prayed about.

Oftentimes in our lives the Holy Spirit helps us and we never acknowledge it. I know Jeff asks God for help at work if he has a programming problem and God always comes through. This has been a great testament to Jeff that God does indeed care about his job. Jeff used to think that was a part of his life that God put him in charge of or that he really didn't have time to help with. I kept telling Jeff that God cared even about little things at work. Well Jeff finally began to let God help him at work and he was amazed. One day he came home and said, you know the Holy Spirit even knows about programming. I laughed, of course he does. Now Jeff asks for help from God at work all the time. Yesterday he even said he had something coming up that he was going to have to do extra praying about. Yep God is awesome.

Getting a slow start

The girls all stayed at Kristy's last night so there was no reason for me to get up this morning. Is this what an empty nest feels like? Ick.

I got up about 8, played around on my computer for a while. I did find out that they shipped my e reader on the 22nd but I don't know what method they used. I will just have to keep my eyes open.

I made my morning oatmeal and showered. Then I made a batch of Thieves Oil. I have an order for an 8oz. bottle. That's huge and costly. 8oz. $50.00. wow. I decanted the oil into the 8oz. bottle and packaged it for shipping. $5.00. It fit into a flat rate box. yeah.

I went to the shed and refilled the oatmeal jar and got a half dozen baby food jars that Chelsey had saved for me. I soaked the labels off and washed and filled them to the brim with carrot/apple juice. I figured that way I can drink an jar a few times a day. Tomorrow I will make and jar another batch. I hope to remember to send a jar with Jeff to work. Or maybe he can just drink it at home.

I had thought I had juiced 4 lbs of carrots but it turns out the packages are 3lbs not 2. Cool, that makes it even cheaper. If I juiced 6lbs of carrots and 6 apples and a bit of ginger and it made 2 quarts that would fill about 9 of the jars Chelsey gave me. Guessing that one jar is a serving of vegetables then if Jeff and I share this over two days we only get 2 servings of vegetables a day. I think I had better juice everyday. I just read an article that said instead of the 5 servings of fruits and vegetables the government says we should eat, its more like 9 servings of fruits and vegetables that we really need. I imagine that if your body needs healing that you would want to go with the higher amount. Ok, I will definitely be making juice again tonight.

I just read another really interesting article and maybe we are getting more servings than I thought. Read the article here: http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch412.html Its all about the carrot and its history. Interesting.

I will ask Mollie to get me some more jars from Chelsey tomorrow. Maybe I will make another batch of juice this evening when Jeff can help scrub the carrots. Then I would have it all jarred up and he could take some to work tomorrow. What do you think Jeff?

Its 10am and I don't know what to do with myself. I usually don't have any problem finding something to do. I filled the dish soap foam er by both sinks and washed the dishes. Guess I could vacuum the floor and then clean the bathroom. Or not. I could go over to Kristy's and sew but I don't know what to sew. Goodness, I am not usually like this.

Church snuggy

Its December 27th and I am sweating

Joy and Mollie went to do the laundry and Joy has a doctor appt. While they are gone I decided to clean house. Its not too cold today here in the Oklahoma panhandle but who would have thought I'd be sweating? First thing I did was unplug the electric heater then I lowered the temp on the furnace. Jeff will have a fit but oh well.

I scrubbed the wall in the living area and the ceiling fan. I vacuumed the floors and carpet and scrubbed the floor on hands and knees. I don't even have a mop. I shook out the area rugs and took down the table. I also took down all the Christmas cards which were our only decoration this year as I never did find my tree.

I took the table down because the girls have been playing the Wi a lot and this way they have more room. For now we can use TV trays until the fancy strikes me to change it up again. Who would have thought I would be able to change an RV around as much as I do?

Next I cleaned the bathroom which is a bit tricky because its so small. I have to lean on the toilet to scrub around it because there is no getting beside it. I gotta do that more often, I didn't realize it was so yucky. I cleaned the tub, shower surround and the sink.

Earlier today I made a WalMart run because I had read you could get razors that are gift packed for pretty cheap. Yep. I got some packages with a Venus razor, Olay body butter ribbon wash, Satin shave cream and a puff ball you scrub with, this came in a plastic tote, for only $5.00

I also picked up a couple of Gillette gift packs for men that had a fusion razor, hydrating body wash, deodorant, and a small tube of cooling lotion for $4.44. I will remove these from their packaging to make more space and probably store them under the bathroom sink.

I have enough body wash now to last at least a year. Razors are harder to come by though.

I have a sweet potato baking for lunch which I will top with cottage cheese. I really don't like butter on a sweet potato. Cottage cheese or plain yogurt is the best. When Mollie gets home she will make some sub type sandwiches. She makes the best sandwiches. She toasts the bread and its really good.

The RV really does look a lot bigger with out the table in the middle. I think I will like it this way for a while.

Have any of you ever ordered anything from QVC? Do they have fast shipping? I am anxiously waiting on my e reader. A friend of mine got a kindle for Christmas and she is loving it.

Have a wonderful day. Its almost a new year.

Frozen this frozen that

Christmas morning we woke up to no water. Frozen lines. Had to wait a few hours until the sun thawed the lines out.

Today after Jeff showered the tank was full but the valve was frozen so when I took a shower it didn't drain just collected in the tub. No problem. It will thaw this afternoon.

Girls came to church and told us that the tub leaked into the living room. Great. Mollie bailed some of it out but not all. They had also put a towell down to mop up the water. I am thinking, huge mess.

I left church, got home, heard my phone. Looked at the message, it was Jeff, can you hurry back to church, Joy has something special for you. I had already changed my clothes. I was going to be bailing the tub ya know, so I jump in the truck and head back to town. I messaged and called Joy, Jeff and Mollie but they are all in church so of course they don't answer. Finally, when Mollie goes to take care of the nursery she calls, I am in town by then. I asked her what was going on and she says, nothing. I told her that her dad asked me to come back. She said Joy isn't going to do it now. I am almost out of gas, so I go get some gas and head back home to bail out the tub.

I get home, bail out the tub. Try to open the valve, its still frozen. The tub isn't leaking very much, thank you Jesus. Washed the dishes and am now waiting for the family to get home from church.

Its not even noon and already its been an exciting day.

Oh I forgot to say that when I was trying to text Jeff I accidentally sent the message to my niece who is in California. I asked what is going on? She text ed back that she was getting ready for church and hoped that I had had a merry Christmas.

My life. So crazy.

Easy Jalapeno Poppers

A lady at WalMart was picking out some jalapenos yesterday. I asked her if she was making jalapeno poppers because I was going to too. She said yes, but she just mixes bacon bits with the cream cheese so she doesn't have to wrap with bacon. Plus its less fattening. Win Win.

While we were at the pepper section another lady was picking out some Poblamo peppers. I asked her if she was make chili rellanos. She said no, spaghetti. My ears perked up. How? She said you roast the peppers just like you would for rellaonos, then chop them up with sour cream and add some garlic salt. Pour that over the spaghetti. She said its really good. I wanted to write it down here while I remembered what all she said. Sounds like a super simple recipe.

Wow, I learned two new things by the peppers at WalMart. How fun.

The weather is warming up here with a high of about 40. Hope you are all safe and warm where ever you are. God's blessings to you.

Edited to add: I think next time I make these I will pre-bake the jalapenos because now with not having to cook the bacon all that really needs to happen is for the cream cheese to get hot. I might boil them so they don't dry out. If you make these this way and find a better solution, please let me know. Or maybe putting a little olive oil in the bottom of the pan would help.???

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you all. I found this unusual Christmas tree today and thought I'd share it with you. Maybe I can do something like this next year.
We woke up to frozen water lines this morning. When it got light out Jeff went out and switched out the hoses. He said there is about a foot of hose that wasn't wrapped for winter. He said he will change to the smaller hose and make sure its wrapped really good. Its always something isn't it?

Happy Birthday Jeff

Today is my sweet husbands birthday. I am getting ready to make french toast for his birthday breakfast. We will do what ever he wants to today. For years he tagged along to visit relatives and never complained, so a couple of years ago we changed it up to be about him on Christmas Eve.

Plus with his job he is on call for 4 of the major holidays including 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas as long as he is working there. For some reason they don't rotate the on call for holiday schedule. He doesnt not get any bonus or anything, he just cant go anywhere. Doesn't seem fair but then who said life was fair?

Thernal cooker

I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I would like to buy a thermal cooker. I have been looking at them but they all want something like $35.00 for shipping. I finally found one on eBay that has free shipping. I may order this as soon as I can save up enough money. These are its features:

Just 10 minutes on the stove, leave for work or play and return home to a delicious meal. Thermal cooker saves energy costs and preparation time. Simply place the ingredients in the inner pot, cover lid and bring to a boil on your stove (approx. 10 minutes). When brought to a boil, remove from stove and place in outer thermal pot. Thermal technology creates a convection effect by using the steam produced inside to circulate and continue cooking for up to 30 minutes and warms for up to 8 hours. Food is cooked in its own moisture and steam, so nutrients are preserved. Compared to a pressure cooker, thermal cooker is 30% more energy efficient

Features and Functions

- 6 liters capacity
- Portable
- Non-electric
- Energy efficient
- Stainless steel inner and outer pot
- Continues to cook for 10 ~~ 30 minutes after heating
- Keeps cold or warm for up to 8 hours


6 liters is over 6 quarts so that should be sufficient for our family. My stove here in the RV runs on propane and the small oven is electric. My convection oven is at least. Anyway, it would really be a fuel savings to have this thermal cooker. Its like a non electric crock pot. I think I will read some reviews on it and see what others think about it.

Cracker Candy

World’s Easiest Christmas Candy

1 sleeve Saltine crackers
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips

On a baking sheet, spread out Saltine crackers. Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until gooey. Pour over crackers and bake at 350 degrees for five minutes, or until bubbly.

Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips on top. Let sit for a few minutes until chocolate chips begin to melt. Then, spread over crackers evenly with a spatula.

Stick in the freezer for an hour, or until chocolate hardens. Break into small pieces and put into gift containers or baggies. Store in the freezer until ready to eat or give away.
For a full tutorial visit:
http://moneysavingmom.com/

An update

My family is so funny. Jeff said he was going to quit reading my blog because I haven't been updating it every day. Joy says reading my blog is the only way she knows what is going on in her family. Sounds like we have a communication problem here.

I got enough birthday and Christmas money that I was able to order an E-reader from QVC last evening. It looks like this.

It has lots of features including:

•Includes 4GB eReader/tablet, rechargeable lithium-ion battery, stylus, AC adapter, USB cable, cradle/stand, leatherette case, ear buds, and 100 pre-loaded eBooks from the Barnes & Noble Classics Series
•7" diagonal digital TFT LCD touchscreen display with 800x600 resolution
•4GB shared internal memory
•Google Android operating system
•Supports PDF and EPUB text files; JPEG, PNG, GIF, and BMP image files; MPEG-4 video files; MP3, WMA, and AAC audio files
•Built-in 802.11b/g wireless connectivity
•My Library lets multiple users customize their own library
•Audio and video player
•E-mail access
•Web browser
•Virtual keyboard
•Automatic screen orientation
•Built-in dictionary
•Word search
•Adjustable font size
•Multiple bookmarks
•Text highlighting
•Digital photo album
•Alarm clock
•Measures 7-1/4"H x 5-1/4"L x 1/2"D
•UL listed; 1-year Limited Manufacturer's Warranty
•Made in China

I am excited that it already has 100 classic books loaded on to it. I will download the Bible on to it and it will be perfect. When you live in a small space this reader or one similar makes sense. I have not been reading like I usually do because of limited space. This may be something my daughters might want to save up for, they like to read too.

Joy is here for the Christmas break and Hannah is gone to her dad's, so the house is at its usual fullness. When Hannah returns we have made arrangements with one of my dear friends for Joy to sleep at her home so she doesn't have to sleep on the couch.

Jeff's birthday is Christmas Eve and he wanted to go to a movie, but I think the one he wanted to see will not be out yet so I don't know what we will do. Christmas day we had planned to make a bunch of snacks, read the Christmas story, open gifts, then watch a movie or two and just hang out.

We have not been able to find the Christmas stockings so if we don't the girls will have to do what they used to do and just hang up one or their actual socks. They don't wear stockings. Or maybe we will have to buy some of those cheapo red and white ones. I sure hope I didn't accidentally get rid of the stockings and ornaments that are keep sakes. I thought I had them here but we cant find them. I guess its a good lesson on placing too much value on earthly things. I also thought I had a 2 foot fiber optic tree and I cant find that either so who knows. I was sure I saw the box for the tree since we have moved but who knows? I cant find the nativity either so I either just cant find it all or its all gone. I will go the day after Christmas and at least buy a new nativity. I know I had two brand new ones in boxes that I got rid of.

Todays plan is to deposit my Christmas and birthday money into the bank to cover my E-reader purchase, do laundry (that is an almost everyday thing), buy a new filter for the water faucet water filter and get some groceries.

What are your plans for today?

How to make lotion bars

Two feet of snow

This is what two feet of snow looks like.

Honeville Grain Give Away

Hello ya'll!!!! Ready for a Give-Away?!? We are giving away 3 Combo Packs!!!! You have until Monday, December 20th at 8pm pacific time.
You have multiple ways to enter the give-away and you can enter up to FIVE times! So enter away and up your chances of winning a fabulous combo pack! Here are the rules....really, they are simple! Just remember two things 1. Leave a separate comment for each entry and 2. Please leave your e-mail address with each comment, so when you win we have a way to contact you!


Rules:
1. Become a follower of the blog (if you are already a follower that's okay too!) and leave a comment on this post.
2. Gain another entry to the giveaway by "Like"ing us on Facebook. Come back and leave a comment on this post.
3. Post our button on your own blog. Come back and leave a comment on this post.
4. Post about the giveaway on your own blog. Come back and leave a comment on this post.
5. Post about the giveaway on your own facebook status. Come back and leave a comment on this post.

A total of 5 entries are possible for this drawing. Winners will be announced TUESDAY MORNING (December 21st). Please leave your email in comments so that we may contact you when you win.


The Combo Packs we are giving away:
1. Fruit Combo:
-1 Honeyville Farms Freeze Dried Strawberry Slices 6 ounce LARGE #10 Can
-1 Honeyville Farms Freeze Dried Apple Cubes 8 ounce LARGE #10 Can
-1 Honeyville Farms Freeze Dried Raspberries 8 ounce LARGE #10 Can
-1 Honeyville Farms Freeze Dried Peaches 12 ounce LARGE #10 Can
-1 Honeyville Farms Freeze Dried Blueberries 12 ounce LARGE #10 Can
-1 Honeyville Farms Freeze Dried Banana Slices 12 ounce LARGE #10 Can
2. Veggie Combo:
-1 Honeyville Farms Freeze Dried Corn 20 ounce LARGE #10 Can
-1 Honeyville Farms Freeze Dried Peas 20 ounce LARGE #10 Can
-1 Honeyville Farms Dehydrated Carrots 24 ounce LARGE #10 Can
-1 Honeyville Farms Dehydrated Onions 28 ounce LARGE #10 Can
-1 Honeyville Farms Dehydrated Celery Slices 20 ounce LARGE #10 Can
-1 Honeyville Farms Instant Potato Flakes 24 ounce LARGE #10 Can
3. Potato Combo (sold only in stores at this time)
-6 LARGE #10 Cans of a variety of Honeyville Farms Potato's


Other things to keep in mind:
-Winner will need to respond to us within 48 hours
-We can only ship to physical address's, no P.O. Boxes, and must be in US
-Comments will NOT be posted for public viewing so no worries, we won't share your information.If you don't feel comfortable leaving a comment you can always shoot us an e-mail at: blog@honeyvillegrain.com.
-Lastly, winners will be drawn at random



Whew!?! That seemed like a lot of info to me! But really, it is simple, so enter away and win a combo pack!

Go to the site via the button on my right side bar and enter for your chance to win.

Russian Friendship Tea Mix

"This is a delicious orangey tea that just smells wonderful! I portion out some of the mix in little holiday ziploc baggies to give as gifts at the holidays. I am always surprised how many people have never had this tea. I have used this recipe for 8 years and have had many positive comments. A nice way to present this tea is to fill a zip-plastic baggie with some of the tea mix and place in a gift mug. This is an instant version of the real Russian tea, which is more like a hot fruity tea punch. Imagine a warm, sweet spiced apple cider, only with a citrusy/orange taste instead.

This will not taste like a brewed black tea. The lemonade mix called for is one tiny packet, enough to make a 2 quart size pitcher (although you only use the mix dry). If you are subbing in sugar-free versions of any ingredients (which do work just fine) be aware that they will weigh less than anything made with sugar, so measuring by volume (such as US type cups and spoons) is key here if you are converting the recipe."
Ingredients
1 -1 1/2 cup sugar ( or less, to taste)

2 cups instant Tang orange drink

1/2 cup sweetened iced tea mix powder

1 (1/4 ounce) envelope unsweetened lemonade mix

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions
Combine all ingredients well and store in an airtight container.
To use, fill a mug with boiling water and stir in 2-3 teaspoons of mix, to taste.
If all you can find is presweetened lemonade, then use the amount of dry mix needed for a 2 quart pitcher according to the package instructions and leave out the sugar.

source:

http://www.food.com/recipe/russian-friendship-tea-mix-16632

Spiced Tea Mix

1 1/2 cups instant tea powder
2 cups orange flavored instant breakfast powder
1 (3-ounce) package lemonade mix
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Combine all ingredients until well blended. Store mix in an airtight container.
To make 1 cup of spiced tea: Place 2 teaspoons tea mix in a cup, add boiling water, stir and enjoy!
Makes 64 servings or 3 1/2 cups mix.

Chai tea mix recipe

Ingredients:
•1 cup nonfat dry milk powder
•2 cups powdered non-dairy creamer
•2 tsp. vanilla powder
•2-1/2 cups sugar
•1-1/2 cups unsweetened instant tea
•2 tsp. ground ginger
•2 tsp. ground cinnamon
•1 tsp. ground cloves
•1 tsp. ground cardamom
Preparation:
In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. In a blender or food processor bowl, place 1 cup at a time, and process until mixture is blended and the particles are fine.
Add 2 heaping serving tablespoons Chai tea mixture to a mug of boiling water and stir to mix well.

*If you can't find vanilla powder, mix 2 tsp. vanilla extract with some of the sugar until blended and dry. Then process with remaining ingredients in blender or food processor.

Another crochet flower

Crochet flower button

Crochet corkscrew

Crochet rose pattern

Yolanda's apple pie filling and picture

This recipe claims that it will make 7 quarts, but I only got 5.5 quarts from it. It comes from a book, So Easy to Preserve, published by The Cooperative Extension of the University of Georgia, 5th edition, 2006.

Apple Pie Filling

6 quarts blanched sliced apples
5 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups Clear Jel
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 cups cold water
5 cups apple juice
7 drops yellow food coloring (optional)
3/4 cup bottled lemon juice

Use firm, crip apples. Stayman, Golden Delicious, Rome and other varieties of similar quality are suitable. If apple lack tartness, us additional 1/4 cup lemon juice for each 6 quarts of sliced apples.

Hot Pack ~ Wash, peel and core apples. Cut apples into slices, 1/2 inch wide. Place in an anti-darkening solution. Remove from the solution and drain well. To blanch the fruit, place 6 cups at a time in one gallon of boiling water. Boil each batch for one minute after the water returns to a boil. Remove fruit from the blanch water, but keep the hot fruit in a covered bowl or pot while the Clear Jel mixture is prepared. Combine sugar, Clear Jel, cinnamon and nutmeg in a large sauce pot with water, apple juice and food coloring. Stir and cook on medium high heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Add lemon juice to the boiling mixture and boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Immediately fold in drained apple slices and fill hot jars with hot mixture. Leave 1-inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process immediately in a boiling water bath for 25 minutes, pints or quarts.

Do not substitute ordinary corn starch in place of the Clear Jel. It will break down from the heat and be runny.

This recipe is from my friend Yolanda's blog. I reprinted it here so I can remember where it is. If this is not ok Yolanda let me know and I will remove it. A friend called today and said her mom has a bunch of apples she needs to get rid of so I am trying to figure out some things to do with apples so I can take some off her hands. I think I will dehydrate some too.

Joy

Joy, we didn't forget you but you are pretty good at figuring things out so I will just say this.
You will be blown away. He he

Mary did you know? Buddy Green

Mary did you know? Mark Lowrey

Mark Lowrey wrote this and Buddy Green wrote the lyrics.

The fruit of the Spirit

Gal 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Gal 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Notice that the first fruit of the Spirit mentioned is love.
Joy is loves strength
Peace is loves security
Longsuffering is loves endurance
Gentleness is loves conduct
Goodness is loves character
Faith is loves confidence
Meekness is loves humility
Temperance is loves victory

Questions for Linda and Lori

Linda and Lori,
Tell me how the people who are on my prayer list that are your friends or family are doing. I was looking through it the other day and updating it and was wondering how they all are doing. I would like an update please.

A different kind of poem

Rosetta Stone giveaway

***
Now is the perfect time to give your child the gift of possibilities for the holidays with Rosetta Stone Homeschool — and you can WIN a Level 1 Homeschool program, language of your choice (valued at $249)!

Right now Rosetta Stone is having a special Holiday promotion on our Homeschool Edition program and we’d like you to help spread the word! Everyone can save up to $150 on Rosetta Stone Homeschool by visiting our website at http://www.RosettaStone.com/hsw1110.

By helping us spread the word you can win a Rosetta Stone Homeschool Edition Level 1 program, language of your choice, valued at $249.

This is a computer based curriculum and Rosetta Stone will also include a headset with microphone, and a supplementary “Audio Companion” CD so you can practice lessons in the car, on the go, or where-ever!


Students participate in life-like conversations and actually produce language to advance through the program. Rosetta Stone incorporates listening, reading, grammar, vocabulary and writing along with speaking and pronunciation lessons. For parents, the new Parent Administrative Tools are integrated into the program to allow parents to easily enroll up to ten students in any of 12 predetermined lesson plans, monitor student progress, grade completed work (the program grades the work automatically as the students progress), and you can view and print reports for transcripts. Homeschooling a lot of kids at your house? This program is designed to enroll and track up to ten students (five users on two computers) and will work for nearly all ages — from beginning readers up to college students.

To win this program, copy these paragraphs and post them in (or as) your next blog post, and/OR post about this contest on your facebook page. Then go to the original page at
http://www.othersuchhappenings.com/2010/12/rosetta-stone-giveaway-yay.html
and leave a comment saying that you’ve posted about, or have linked to, the contest. Please make sure the link works to get back to the original contest page when you post, and good luck!

***
http://www.othersuchhappenings.com/2010/12/rosetta-stone-giveaway-yay.html

Big exciting weekend plans

Last evening my family took me out to eat at the Pub on the Bricks. It was really good. I got to sample eggplant they were cooking for someone who wanted a vegetarian plate. It was really good. I believe I will be buying it some time. I think they sliced it about 1/4 inch thick or so and doused it with olive oil and for spices they used a little of this and a little of that and cooked it on the grill. Now all I have to do is find a spice called a little of this and a little of that, lol.

Today Hannah is working from 8 to 11 so while she is at work I want to color my hair and get everything ready to go to Liberal. We want to take her guitar to the music store to get new strings and have them put on. That's what she wants for Christmas.

I also need to do some shopping at the Dollar Store and Dollar Tree.

Mollie is excitedly waiting for her Ugg boots she ordered. We paid a portion as our Christmas gift to her.

I have already given Kaleena and Justin their gifts and I need to wrap Brooke and Daniel's and the girls.

Jeff asked me to make gift baskets for the ladies in his office, that's an easy one. I will give them Pink Monkey products. I just developed a new lotion that is great. Its my regular body whip with thieves oil added. It smells great and seems to absorb into the skin even faster than the regular body whip.

I stopped by the bank yesterday and gave a couple of samples of thieves oil to the ladies and they asked me to come back next week after pay day so they can make some purchases. I think I should stop by the other banks in town too. Why leave them out?

It has been a real blessing to have the larger propane tank we rent from the propane place. Now we don't have to constantly check the propane level and always run out in the middle of the night on the weekend. They are suppose to stop by when they go past and check the level and they said they would keep the tank topped of to 80%. The $6.00 a month will be saved by the cheaper propane using a larger tank and also in the gasoline saved not having to drive to town and across town to the propane dealer.

The fix for the shower did not work so Jeff was searching the Internet and found what we think may be a good solution. Its a whole new bottom you install over your existing tub floor. It doesn't seem to be too expensive either, about $60.00 plus shipping. We have already spent $36.00 on sealers that have not done the job, like other things I wish we had found this in the beginning.

Well I better get busy and get the junk put on my hair so I can get that done and get a shower and get this day rolling.

I hope you all have a great day today and you accomplish all you had hoped to.

From the mouths of babes.

Hot Chocolate Cones

A perennial winter favorite, hot cocoa with all the trimmings (mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and a cherry-red gumdrop) sports an even sweeter look packaged as a cone. This makes a great gift for babysitters, teachers, and neighbors. Be sure to add a tag letting your recipients know the cone contains enough for four servings.
Ingredients
3/4 cup cocoa mix
2 (6- by 12-inch) cone-shaped cellophane bags (available at party stores)
2 clear rubber bands (we used ponytail holders)
Scissors
1/4 cup mini chocolate chips
3/4 cup mini marshmallows
1 large red gumdrop
Instructions
Pour the cocoa mix into one of the bags. Close the bag with a clear rubber band, then trim the end of the bag 1 inch above the band.

Place the cocoa-filled bag into the second bag and flatten its top so the end doesn't stick up.

Layer the chocolate chips and the marshmallows, then top with the gumdrop. Secure the bag with the other rubber band.

This looks like a nice small gift to make up to have on hand for those unexpected times when you want a small gift to give.

source:

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/hot-chocolate-cones-687223/

Bread baking again

I am loving making homemade bread often again. It always smells so wonderful while it bakes. I am sure the family will ask for homemade bread from now on because it tastes so much better than store bought. We have a tendency to forget that and fall into the trap of store bought bread. I also like the fact that I can shape it however I like.

This morning I also made the slaw I featured a few posts ago. I changed it up a bit by making the dressing from store bought salad dressing, sugar and organic vinegar. I will try it at lunch.

Up next on the list for today is to make some hot cocoa mix. Its getting colder and I have had a hankering for some cocoa.

I did finish the curtain panels for my friend and now just have the side table to make.

Got the fabric Bible cover made. It will look better when I pull it out of my purse.

My dad went to a nursing home a few days ago. I want to call him today to see how he likes it. I hope he is enjoying having meals made and people to talk with. He is pretty social so I think he will enjoy being around more people and be where he can get help when he needs it.

I wanna do this~~~~~

I love this fan redo. For the tutorial go to the link below. Jeff said I could do this to our fan. I am excited. Kristy, do you have any fabric I can use????
http://angelapea.blogspot.com/2009/07/ceiling-fan-makeover-tutorial.html

A good day for sewing

The weather outside is cold and dreary. Its a good day to sew. When I take Hannah to work I will go over to ~K's~ and sew at her house. I have 3 curtain panels to finish and then I want to make a fabric envelope for my purse Bible. I keep it in a zip lock bag but it looks funny when I take it out to use it. I don't want to just stuff my Bible in my purse cause when I stuff other things in there it could get damaged or bent or worse yet, torn. The zip lock bag keeps it clean and safe. The other day at Sunday school when I pulled it out of the zip lock, it occurred to me that I could sew a fabric envelope for it very easily. I plan to make the envelope like the folding sandwich bags you can buy. The kind with the little flap that you fold over once you have what you want in the bag.

I also want to make a pillow case for one of Jeff's pillows. We gave away one too many pillow cases and ended up short. I could buy some but this way it will be more personal if I make it.

Then if I have time today I would like to sew some fabric sandwich keepers so we don't have to use plastic zip lock bags for Jeff's lunch. I want to make them the same way as the Bible cover with a little flap to fold over. I will make sandwich size as well as sub size since we like homemade sub sandwiches. I have tried to get Jeff to carry a small cooler with his lunch in it but he thinks a wal mart sack is more manly. I think he sticks it right in the fridge at work so whatever he wants is good.

We still have yesterdays laundry hanging on the line because we washed it later in the day and it didn't get dry before night so I left it there. Now its really cold. I sure don't want to go get it but I suppose I had better do it.

I hope to find some bottles I can use to decant my homemade vanilla into at a junk shop or thrift store. A friend of mine gave me a wonderful bottle yesterday but I need more and then corks to stop them up. Then I need to make labels and decorate the bottles. Maybe Joy will help me with that when she comes home. She is quite artsy/crafty.

Its not on the menu list but chili sounds really good today. Maybe I will make that for supper. I recently found out that Jeff's does not really care for chicken noodle soup. Bummer. He did say he like beef and noodle so that's good, especially since I had just bought the worlds largest bag of egg noodles at Sam's recently.

Grain Mill

I am thinking about buying a grain mill that is not so big and bulky as the one I have now. Do any of you have one and do you like it? Feedback please.

Maybe I'd better just be happy and thankful for the great grain mill I already have and not want something else. Shame on me.

Its called Christmas

Homemade Granola

Ingredients
2 cups oats
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup vegetable oil
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
1-2 T brown sugar (optional - if you like it sweeter)

Preheat oven to 350 °F.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until all the oats are somewhat wet. The whole mixture should be a bit clumpy and wet. If you like clusters, you can add a tiny splash of water (like 1-2 tsp) to help some of the oats stick together.

I added 1 c. of grated coconut.

Recipe from:

http://www.tinyurbankitchen.com/2010/04/homemade-granola.html

Broccoli Salad

Ingredients:
6 cups organic broccoli
2 cups scallions/spring onions
2 cups celery
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds soaked and dehydrated
1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds soaked and dehydrated
1 cup organic blanched almonds chopped up into slithers

Dressing
1 cup raw vegan mayonnaise
2 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
2 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 Tbsp agave nectar

Preparation:
Chop up the broccoli, celery, and spring onions into small bite size pieces.

Pulse the almonds in the food processor or cut into slithers.

Throw the dressing ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth and creamy.

Toss through half of the dressing and then add gradually until dressed for your success! YUM!

Super Slaw

Ingredients:
1/2 organic red cabbage
1/2 organic white cabbage
2 bunches continental flat leaf parsley
1 bunch organic kale
2 – 4 organic carrots
8 – 12 green spring onions

Dressing
1 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup raw cashews soaked for about 4 hours
1/8 cup of fresh lemon juice or more to taste
4 cloves garlic
a pinch of Celtic sea salt

Preparation:
Chop up the vegetables individually in your food processor and toss in a salad bowl.

Blend the dressing in your high speed blender and toss through the vegetables.

Add in more lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt to taste to reach your perfect blend.

Serve on its own, or serve with boiled organic eggs or other clean protein.

This salad will keep for a few days in the fridge. Serves 4-6

Raw chips

Raw chips and salsa, another idea from Dawn. I have been hungry for chips and salsa and this would be perfect.

Raw food snack ideas

). Take shredded carrots and raisins and roll them up in lettuce leaves.

2). Take apple slices or chunks and sprinkle some cinnamon on them. Add raisins to the mixture for a different variety.

3.) Take cherry tomatoes (or tomatoes cut up), wrap them up in lettuce leaves for a quick snack.

4.) Take strawberries, cut them in half, take spinach leaves and wrap the strawberry in it.

5). Take an orange. Slice it up. Take spinach and wrap the orange it in. You can also slice up a banana and wrap a spinach leaf around the slices.

6). Take a few bananas and mash them really well, spread on celery sticks. Feel free to add a dash of cinnomon to the banana mash if desired.

7). Slice some peaches up. Then, cut open a coconut. In a blender, add the coconut water and the coconut 'meat' (which can be taken out with a spoon or melon baller). Blend the coconut meat and water up. Drizzle on top of your peaches for your very own 'peaches and cream' treat. :-)

8). Take bananas and wrap them in collard greens.

9). Raw Stuffed Red Peppers:— 1 head of Cauliflower, broken up into florets— 5 cloves of Garlic, freshly peeled— 1 bunch of fresh Chives, lightly chopped— Corn on the cob, 2 cups worth, cut straight off the cob— Extra Veggies you have on hand that need to be eaten— 4 Red Peppers, tops cut off & centers hollowed out— OPTIONAL: Sea Salt, Avocado— 1) Lightly blend cauliflower florets and garlic cloves together in a food processor until the consistency and appearance is something along the lines of couscous or quinoa.— 2) Add the freshly chopped chives, and lightly mix in food processor just until chives are evenly distributed.— 3) Transfer to a bowl, and with a mixing spoon mix in the 2 cups of corn, as well as any other extra veggies you have on hand which need to be eaten, and any of the optional ingredients that you might want to add.— 4) Scoop resulting mixture into the 4 hollowed out red peppers.— 5) Serve and enjoy!

10). Raw Vegan Donut Holes:
1 lb. of pitted dates, 2 cups of dry shredded coconut, tad bit of sea salt to taste.
In a food processor blend till everything is mixed together.
It will create a sticky dough. Roll into balls (donut holes), then roll in some dry shredded coconut and enjoy!

I found these ideas over at A plains gal's quest for truth:

http://biblegirl1999.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-09-03T17%3A08%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=7

She has lost over 100 lbs on a raw food diet and her husband more than 50lbs. Isnt that great? We have been on something a bit similar, my daughter Mollie has lost 10 lbs so far. I wanted to print all the things I find that might help us with our own quest to loose weight.

We were warned in 1948

Got the steps built

Jeff and I managed to get the steps built today. Yeah Jeff. He told me later that he had no idea how those steps should be built. He said I should have been a mechanical engineer. That made me feel good. I can usually figure out how things should go together but I don't always have the strength to get them done so Jeff and I make a good team.

Exciting weekend ahead

We all need to be preparing for hard times by canning and stocking our pantries however we are able.


I am excited because even though today is Thursday its Friday for Jeff. He gets a four day weekend every other week and this is it for him. The weather is suppose to be warm and we have some fun projects planned.

Tomorrow, I want to get our new steps made that lead to our bedroom. I have it all planned out in my head just how to make them and attach the hinges. I will be happy for the extra storage.

One thing I am not happy about is that the patch on the tub peeled off when Mollie was cleaning the tub today so that's $25.00 for the kit down the drain. I suppose we will just have to break down and replace the whole tub instead of trying to patch it.

If we have time I would like to get the skirting put on around the hitch end of the 5th wheel. All of the rest of it is done.

Also Jeff has to tweak the pipe that runs from the 5er to the dump hole to make sure it is just right and doesn't leak.

I also want him to hang up a rack for me to hang my necklaces on.

Guess I have quite a honey do list. I am so thankful that Jeff willingly does things around here. It would be hard if he just came home and sat around.

Mollie helped me cut the lengths for 4 large curtains for my friend (K) and sewed one panel. I left it with a note for her to see if that's how she wanted them made. If she likes them I will finish the other three panels on Tuesday while Hannah works.

Last week Jeff and I made 3 serving tables for (K) for her to use for Christmas parties. We also made a short step to place under our steps to the 5er. That sure has been a blessing. The steps were just a little bit too high and the new step really makes it easier to get in and out.

I am glad we turned the 5er around, for some reason I like it facing the way it is now. Now if we can just get some stabilizers on the sides to help with the motion when someone walks around it will help loads.

Hannah asked me last night to buy a small heater for their room so today I stopped by Family Dollar and found one that is a combination fan/heater. I hope it will work for them. Family Dollar also had 24 packs of Scott toilet paper on sale for $9.00 so I picked up 2 of them. Also 2 twelve packs of Bounty Basic that were on sale for $8.00 each I believe. I think I am about set for paper towels and toilet paper. Now I just need to stock up on paper tissues for the winter. Hopefully there will be a good sale on tissues soon. Also there was a $5.00 off when you spend $25.00 coupon on our sales ad that came in the mail. There wasnt one on the ads in th store.

I am a little concerned about China deciding to dump the dollar. One world currency here we come. I wonder what that means for us? Will our money be worthless?

I will just trust in the Lord. He is my refuge and strength.

l

Coolest wedding entrance ever

When did we change?

When did the government go from asking and encouraging Americans to help themselves to asking them to rely on the government? Was it after WWII? I am curious why we let the government convince us to be so dependent on them?

I read a quote that I cant shake. Any government big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you have.

Monthly accounting~cash method

When we sold our home and moved into our 5th wheel, we decided we wanted to start paying cash for things and keep track of our spending. The first month was a bit mixed up trying to take money out of the proper envelopes and keep everything straight.

So Nov. 1st I thought I'd try a new way to pay. I got the same amount of cash out of the bank that we had originally allotted and instead of dividing it up into categories I just put all the cash together and each time I spent money I put the receipt in the back of the envelope.

Since this is Dec. 1st, I removed the receipts from the folder and wrote them out in a columnar pad. Man we shopped a lot. There were over 68 receipts in there. I have not added each category yet but they are written down and ready to add up. Maybe Mollie would like to do that part.

I am hoping this will help us understand where our money is going and what our spending habits are.

It was definitely easier to put the money all together and keep the receipts than it was trying to keep a bunch of categories of money in envelopes separated and straight. Lots of times I buy food and screws and towels all in the same store and that's 3 different categories, whew what a head ache.

First day of pheasant season in Oklahoma

Today is the first day of pheasant hunting season in Oklahoma. That has no effect on me because we don't hunt. But my friend (K) owns a restaurant that opens at 5am. I hope they are super busy and make lots of money.

I am making some bright orange stocking caps I hope to sell to hunters.

Our water line is frozen again this morning. Jeff said he was going to re wrap the line and also wrap the faucet when he gets home from work. It would be super inconvenient if we were unable to shower but I am thankful for the shower house close by. Now if only there was an activity center.

The weather is suppose to warm up to the 60's today so the faucet should thaw later on. Also since we moved the sewer line needs some adjustment before we can dump the black tank so Jeff will take care of that as well when he gets home from work. I will buy the parts so that he can get started on it as soon as he gets home.

Joy will be home from college for her Christmas break on the 17th. I think she will sleep at a friends house because she is not looking foreword to sleeping on the couch for 3 weeks. We will just rent the room for 3 weeks and hopefully she will be more comfortable there at night.

Now that we live in a 5th wheel, we need to make new traditions for holidays. Decorating and all that. When Joy gets here she can help us figure out what we want to decorate and where we want to put it. I am thinking it would be cool if there was a tree that is small that you could hang on the wall and maybe even put a few of your most special ornaments on it. I have some lights I think we can string around as well. We do have a very small tree but I really don't know where we could put it. The tiny amount of counter space we have is always in use. I have one idea of a place where it might possibly fit so we will see. Hannah was saying the other day that we need to get some Christmas music playing in here. Hummmmm

Today I am going to start making the tonic I featured a while back. I have some ginger, horseradish, garlic and a little bit of onion. I thought I would get them all chopped up and covered with vinegar and then try to get the rest of the ingredients and just all them to it. That way it can be working and the stuff I already bought wont get bad. Lets see, I need ginger, horseradish, garlic, onion, peppers, and vinegar I think. I will go back and look at the video again to make sure. It needs to sit and work for a while before you use it so I will get started on it.

Do any of you have any special Christmas celebrations you think might translate well for folks living in a 5th wheel?

Back to the grind

This was a windy and busy weekend. We had turned our 5th wheel around so that the morning sun would shine on the water lines and help so that they wouldn't freeze and also make dumping the tanks easier. Everything went fine except that we had some trouble getting the 5er level. We ended up buying 4 jacks and reinstalling the hitch into the pick up, I think we took it out a bit prematurely, and after working on it two different days I think its level enough to be able to live in it.

Then we found a leak coming from the bathroom into the living area. It only leaked when Jeff took a shower so I accused him of being reckless with the shower head. He promised he hadn't been and upon investigation he discovered a small crack in the bottom of the tub. Oh dear. He right away put a sealer on it and then looked on the net for a replacement tub or a better fix. We have not been using the shower since we found the crack. We are blessed that there is a shower house just a few feet from where we are parked. Anyway, Jeff found a product that is suppose to be great so I will try to find it at a lumber yard today.

Last night when it was time to retire, Jeff stepped on the steps leading to our bedroom and kaboom, the step broke. We knew we were going to have to make new steps so we actually had already purchased the treads to make the new steps. Jeff used a couple of screws to secure the step until this weekend when we can make new ones. The stairs had been weak for quite some time so we had already planned to make new ones with a hinge on them to allow for more storage. I never have figured out why they weren't made that way to begin with. I can put my had vacuum and several other things in that space. There are always maintenance projects no matter where you live if you want to keep your place nice and not let it get run down.

I think a lot of folks don't realize that to keep a home in good shape there are constant maintenance and improvements to make. When we lived in the big house on 16 acres of land it was the same only multiplied many times. We are enjoying the fact that the maintenance on this place is in a much smaller proportion than with the big house. Therefore we have more time to do things and more money to do them with. That has been a huge blessing for us.

Mollie is cleaning out the fridge and Hannah will wash the resulting dishes. I vacuumed the place and in a bit I am going to scrub down the bathroom. I will be using the homemade disinfecting wipes I made, which I love by the way. I even had to add more stuff to the container because I use the wipes, wash them with our other wash, and then toss them back into the container and eventually the liquid was used up. I just took a glass and added some vinegar, tea tree oil, a squirt of dish soap and then about a cup of water, I shook or swirled this and poured it into the container and flipped the cloths over so the bottom ones could be used first.

New Pink Monkey Affiliate

Congratulations to DJ, our newest Pink Monkey Affiliate. DJ's blog can be found at :
http://momladyb.blogspot.com/
DJ will be receiving a free bar of soap for becoming an affiliate as well as 20% of all sales she does from her blog.

Happy Thanksgiving

Thank You lord for all the blessing you give me every day. One propane tank emptied last night and Jeff had to get up at 11:30 to switch them over. Then he had inadvertently unplugged the water line heater so we woke up to frozen water lines. He is out there now trying to thaw them so I can get on with the cooking. I am thankful we had a second propane tank we could switch to and there is a bath house a few feet away where I took my shower and Jeff brought me water from to get started on the meal.

This is our menu for today.

BLSL chicken breast cooked in the crock pot with herbs

sweet potatoes

dressing

cranberry sauce

green beans (plain, not the famous casserole)

rolls

gravy

for dessert we may have brownies or I may make something else like a cobbler

What are you thankful for and what is on your menu for today?

Pink Monkey News

Pink Monkey will soon be offering two kinds of Thieves oil. Formula #1 is the original blend made with eucalyptus. Formula #2 will replace the eucalyptus with tea tree oil.

We are also developing thieves oil soap and tea tree oil soap. So now we will have Oatmeal, milk and honey, tea tree oil, thieves oil and plain.

Also in the works is online ordering. I am working on a way to enable my customers to be able to order product online no matter where they are. I hope to be able to offer this from my blog, this blog, and my affiliates blogs.

Had a good time in Branson

Our family drove to Branson this past weekend and spent time with two more of my daughters and my son in law. Joy, Kaleena and Justin. We went out to eat one evening and then came back to Kaleena and Justin's and exchanged Christmas gifts. This worried Mollie a little bit because she thought it was strange to celebrate Christmas before we celebrated Thanksgiving. Saturday we shopped and boy was it crowded. I enjoyed the beautiful weather but not the crowds. We tried to go to Dick's 5 and 10 but it was wall to wall shoppers and I get claustrophobic so I stayed outside.

On Sunday we all went to Kaleena and Justin's church. They have a small group but its growing fast and they are building a new building. When we were there the steel shell part had just been completed. They said it would have a roof by next weekend. Their current church is so small that they have to have two services to be able to fit everyone in. They have an old school building right now.

Then we can home and Justin deep fried a turkey while the rest of us prepared the other food items. That was one of the best turkeys we have ever eaten.

Later on Sunday Joy, Mollie and Hannah all left and went back to college with Joy. They went to church with her and spent the night in the dorm, we picked them up on Monday on our way through. They asked us to stay for lunch but we had such a long drive and it was two hours until lunch that we declined.

When we arrived home Jeff went to turn the water back on and he said we must of had high winds because all of the west side of the skirting was under the 5th wheel. So this afternoon we will reinstall that and put in some extra screws for good measure.

I have a list a mile long it seems today so I had better get started. Hope all of you reading have a great day and have a good time getting ready for Thanksgiving.

Belly Butter

I found a site that has instructions for making home made belly butter for pregnant ladies. I wanted to get it on here so I don't loose it.
Here is the link:http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2010/09/homemade-belly-butter-all-natural-pampering-for-pregnant-mamas-2.html

If you go to her site she has detailed instructions for making it as well as several pictures. Seeing as how I have a daughter who is hoping to have a baby soon I thought this would be a good thing to make for her.

Lipstick in schools------

According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington was recently faced with a unique problem.

A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lipstick, they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.

Every night the maintenance man would remove them, and the next day the girls would put them back.

Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses).

To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.

He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it.
Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror....

There are teachers .... and then there are educators.

Deer hunting season

My son in law Justin.


Justin got a deer. He loves to hunt and fish. He even owns a guided fishing service on Branson area lakes.

Have you ever seen a praising mantis?

The middle wife by a second grade teacher

I have been teaching now for about fifteen years. I have two kids myself, but the best birth story I know is the one I saw in my own second grade classroom a few years back.

When I was a kid, I loved show-and-tell. So I always have a few sessions with my students. It helps them get over shyness and usually, show-and-tell is pretty tame. Kids bring in pet turtles, model airplanes, pictures of fish they catch, stuff like that. And I never, ever place any boundaries or limitations on them. If they want to lug it in to school and talk about it, they are welcome.

Well, one day this little girl, Erica, a very bright, very outgoing kid, takes her turn and waddles up to the front of the class wit h a pillow stuffed under her sweater.

She holds up a snapshot of an infant. 'This is Luke, my baby brother and I am going to tell you about his birthday.'

'First, Mom and Dad made him as a symbol of their love and then Dad put a seed in my Mom's stomach and Luke grew in there. He ate for nine months through an umbrella cord.'

She is standing there with her hands on the pillow and I am trying not to laugh and wishing I had my camcorder with me. The kids are watching her in amazement..

'Then, about two Saturdays ago, my Mom starts saying and going 'Oh, Oh, Oh, Oh!' Erica puts a hand behind her back and groans. 'She walked around the house for, like an hour 'Oh, oh, oh!' (Now this kid is doing a hysterical duck walk and groaning.)

'My Dad called the middle wife. She delivers babies, but she does not have a sign on the car like the Domino's man. They got my Mom to lie down in bed like this.' (Then Er ica lies down with her back against the wall.)

'And then, pop! My Mom had this bag of water she kept in there in case he got thirsty, and it just blew up and spilled all over the bed, like psshhheew!' (This kid has her legs spread with her little hands miming water flowing away. It was too much!)

'Then the middle wife starts saying 'push, push,' and 'breathe, breathe. They started counting but never even got past ten then all of a sudden, out comes my brother. He was covered in yucky stuff that they all said it was from Mom's play-center, (placenta) so there must be a lot of toys inside there. When he got out, the middle wife spanked him for crawling up in there.'

Then Erica stood up, took a big theatrical bow and returned to her seat. I am sure I applauded the loudest. Ever since then, when it is show-and-tell day, I bring my camcorder, just in case another 'Middle Wife' comes along.

Shanna read this story at Christina's baby shower, I thought it was cute so I asked her to email it to me so you all could enjoy it too.

Steven Elijah Derixson

Dedicating Elijah to God.

Getting ready for a bath.

Daddy and Elijah.

He looks just like Sammy.

Hi mema Debbie.

Dedication. Mom is praying for Elijah.

Elijah's baby shower.

Some of the ladies at the baby shower.

More baby shower pictures.

Baby shower.

Shanna Flora, one of the ladies who put the shower on and her daughter Linen.

The gift table.

Christina sitting in the place of honor.

Christina and one of her daughters Kaitlyn.

Bill dedicating his son to God.

Sammy is sleepy.

Dedicating Elijah.

Baby Elijah.

oops, I put this picture in twice.

A group picture of those who prayed for baby Elijah.