Made with Love

Not being an overly craft person, I decided that the kids would make a sign for their father's birthday. I rolled the idea around in my head for about a week before heading to Walmart to buy supplies. Then once I had the supplies I had to figure out what exactly would be made from the supplies.

We woke up on Sunday and I had a plan. I just needed brown figure paint, which was no where to be found on this particular day. I passed up buying a paint set that had more colors than our finger paint set. I also could not find stencils that were the right size which meant I either waited to finish the sign or I used free hand. Free hand was a scary prospect since I have horrible handwriting.

I told the kids that this was the day, we would be making their father's birthday day sign. He worked all night on Saturday, so I knew on Sunday he would sleep in. I was a bad mommy on this day and skipped church. The reason was weak, if we went we would be home about the same time he wakes up and we might not be finished. I wanted time to do it well, to plan it out and work in steps. Sunday was a beautiful day and I wasn't sure what the weather would be like the rest of the week.

Before we left, at this point we were still going to church, I put a coat of cream colored paint on our sign. 

I set it outside on news paper to dry in the warm sunshine. When we came home everyone changed into their art clothes (old pajamas). Then we laid out a lot of news paper on the back patio. I also had a stack of extra for "just in case". I had purchased a washtub at the Dollar Tree, and this I filled with dish soap and warm water.

 I had an old hand towel and dish cloth at the ready also. Then I pulled three Dollar Tree sectioned plates out of my cabinet to use as paint palates. I attempted to make brown paint from the green, yellow, red, blue, but was unsuccessful.

The plan was for the kids to make a "You are My Sunshine" sign. Their feet would be trees and their hands the top of the trees, instead they loosely made tall flowers. There is a sun in the left corner and a crude phrase "Poppy U R Our Sunshine" due to space limitations. I think for a first time big craft project it looks pretty good, although a little rough on the edges.

I painted my son's foot, rinsed, my daughter's foot rinsed, my son painted his own hand, and I painted my daughter's hand. I assisted them with placing their hands and feet on the sign. We did this very slowly and very carefully. I was surprised at how easily it went.

I am fairly certain that their father will be impressed because they made it and also because he knows how much planning and convincing myself that this took. I am not a mess person. I struggle letting the kids into the kitchen. Mess makes me panic and not be able to breathe, but I did this and I know that we will be doing more.

On a side note, I did use my "Mommy's Time Out" oils blend.


Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

Letting the Inner Artist Free

 After a birthday craft I decided to let the kids continue painting. It was a very beautiful day outside and the kids were behaving so well. Even our little Chihuahua was enjoying the time outside. I realized while the kids were enjoying themselves that we don't do this nearly enough. Each of them were fully engrossed in their pieces of papers and the paints. We used up an entire set of finger paint in one sitting, but hey they had fun and that is exactly what matters the most.

 

 

 
 





As you can see, it was their moment, what they created was completely up to them. I have a lot to learn from my children, and moments like these are the best times to learn how their little minds work.

Ephesians 6: 2 Honor your father and mother, which is he first commandment with promise.

 

 

 

What I've Learned so Far

Today an all time low for my online school. I spent hours on the multiple choice questions about the Eight Intelligences, and personality types. I checked, re-checked, matched eliminated and three hours later when I submitted the quiz I made a 40. So disappointing! My first two quizzes were both 100s and my essay was a 93. It made me feel like I didn't try hard enough. My husband told me it would all work out. Yes, it will. I just have to try even harder and not let this slow me down.

I did learn that my personality falls between two types ESFJ (The Caregiver) and ENFJ ( The Giver). In a nutshell, says that I enjoy many friendly relationships, popular; love to help others; do not take criticism very well; need praise; need to work agree with people; organized active and also very concerned about others' feelings; respect others; good leaders; usually popular; good at public speaking (I am not) can make decisions to quickly; trust easily. I say that is me in a nutshell.

Possible Careers include nursing, which I will never ever do,  social worker, which I have considered, I have worked in customer service, I have also considered journalist, a type of entertainer, I once said I would grow up and be president, ( that is not going to happen now). I does include office manager, which is loosely what I am going for.

My Lead (Learning Evaluation And Assessment Directory) was Visual Learner, but I'm not real sure I fit exactly in that box. So this should translate as my learning style. I personally think I learn better hands rather than just seeing, but who knows maybe this assessment knows me better than I do.

Now I am mentally preparing to write my Discussion Board Answer and I have to figure out how best to answer the question using this information. My mind is in a jumble, so I am not sure I am ready to jump right in. I like to think things like this through before I write it out.

Exactly Four Years Ago

Exactly four years ago on March 6 2011, I became a stay at home mom. I had been employed at Tennsco since September of 2007, but it was time to move on.

I remember the day clearly, just like it was yesterday. I remember all of the days leading up to it were filled with prayer. My husband had been in ESL (English Second Language) since January 6, 2011. I was struggling taking care of my two boys, and working. I was also trying to go to the gym. Tennessee had a rough winter that year. There was a lot of snow. I remember the loneliness, the uncertainty of what would come next.

With the husband being a part of the Army, I had to get the paperwork done myself. Because he was in school he wasn't able to do it. I was learning the ropes of being an Army Spouse while not officially being one. Until he graduated ESL there was no guarantee that he would a soldier. Phone contact with him was limited to weekends only. I spent five long months counting down the days to the weekends and spending hours at a time on the phone with him.

But back to the job. I was miserable. My co-workers and I didn't always see eye to eye. There was a lot of gossiping, a lot of distrust, a lot of worrying about who was or wasn't pulling their weight. I was one of those not pulling their weight. Our middle son was finally enrolled in an early childhood development program, and they realized that he needed physical therapy. Once at physical therapy they were telling me he needed to be there every week and that he needed occupational therapy. But I was only able to get two Wednesday off a month for physical therapy and that was my lunch break.

I knew that my co-workers were less than thrilled with me. I had to make phone calls and on my breaks or at lunch that was how I spent my time. I had phone calls coming in that I couldn't ignore. My oldest son was having more issues at school and I had him in therapy once a month in the evenings. My Dad was helping me out as much as he could. The kids and I were eating fast food a lot. I was tired. I was frustrated and overwhelmed. I hated the snow that seemed to fall a lot that year.

So finally after a lot of prayer, and I mean everyone I knew was praying for God to show me the way, I finally figured out that it would be possible for me to quit my job. Before ever approaching my husband I figured up all of our bills. There were  a lot of bills. Most of them were medical related for our middle son. He would turn three before the last of his medical bills were paid off. And that is because I had insurance at work, but he copays were high. I crunched all of the numbers. I knew we wouldn't be rich, but I knew we wouldn't be hurting either. We paid $90 a week just for my middle son to go to a babysitter we also had to pay after school care for my oldest and that was over $20 and then there was his lunch. money.

At that very moment in time I was an emotional wreck. I was crying a lot. I was afraid of this new life style where I would need to fill the spot of two parents at times. I was stressed out because my husband was stressed out. So I sent him a huge letter with all the bills we owed. It was right down to how much and estimated pay offs. It was all of monthly bills. Approximate cost of groceries and gas money.

I knew when he received it because he finally called. He was worried and wanted to think about it. A week later together we decided that it was time for me to stay home. It was going to help our older son get the time with me he needed. It was going to give me the time to get our middle son into the therapies that he needed.

This was not a decision that was made overnight. It was made over weeks. And on Valentines day of 2011, I turned in my notice. I had prayed and prayed and I knew, because back then I could still hear God's voice, that this was God's will. My last day would be March 6, and I would leave at 12p.m.

Tennsco is a wonderful company to work for. There are many perks like company family days, and Christmas dinners, and gift cards at Thanksgiving, and a small spring bonus. It was hard to get a job there, and most people retired from there after being there for well over 20 years. I knew that when I turned in my notice that there would be no going back. That my spot would be filled before I even walked out the door on my last day, and it was.

So Friday March 6 comes along and several coworkers give me cards and picture frames. It is a tearful goodbye. And then it is 12 pm, I gather up all of my stuff and clock out for the last time. The second I stepped out that door it was like a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders. There had been a darkness surrounding me and it was gone. The sky was a clear blue, it was a beautiful day. I bet somewhere there were even Angels singing.

I never looked back. I cranked Foghat's "Slow Ride, Take it Easy" as I pulled out of the parking lot. I was free! I even felt free. Things didn't automatically get easier. There were still issues with my older son, but I was able to cook him a very good breakfast every morning. I started baby sitting and going to the gym. I was also preparing my kids and myself for the inevitable move that would be coming up.

This is why it was so hard for me to finally go back to school. I am finally doing the one thing that I always wanted to do: stay at home. I remember being young and dating and if the subject came up I would be laughed at. Even as an adult when I would lament going to work and leaving my older son in someone else's care. No one believed that it was feasible for one parent to stay home. But I am. I have and we are doing better than we ever were when both of us worked.

I know that eventually I will need to go back to work. My husband and I have discussed my going back to work once both kids are in school. It sounds good, but it isn't what I want to do. I want to stay home and cook and clean and do the laundry. It was so hard for me to return to work in 2009 when our middle son was born. I begged and pleaded to stay home, but at that time it wasn't a reality. We really needed both incomes in order to pay the bills.

So here I am enrolled in college classes four years after becoming a SAHM. I am blessed beyond belief, and who knows where God will send us next.


Luke 7:27 This is he of whom it is written: Behold I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.

A New Sweet Bread

Tonight I decided it was finally time to try out the Snicker doodle Bread that I found on www.lilluna.com/snickerdoodle-bread. It looked easy enough and just as I began to measure out the ingredients my oldest son called from Tennessee.

"Mom, I have this bag of muffin mix you left here, it says add water, how do I do this?" I went over how he needed to have Granddad help him, but it was really easy and just do exactly as the box said. As I am attempting to mix and I have cinnamon all over my hands, the phone rings again.

"Mom, do I just put the mix in the muffin pan?" So I explain that I left cup cake liners next to the mix, and we got all of that sorted out. I lay my phone down only to have it immediately ring.

"Mom, how no wait when do I add the water to the mix?" Now I am confused, umm you add the water to the mix and then you stir out the lumps, but this wasn't very easy for him to comprehend, and he hands the phone to my Dad. And my Dad proceeds to ask the same question. Are you kidding me??? Okay, you do not put the mix in the muffin pan and then add the water, you must add water to mix, stir it and then spoon into cup cake liners. My Dad responds that the box leaves you hanging that at no point anywhere does it say when exactly you add the water. REALLY??? I am thinking to myself isn't this self explanatory? All this time I am mixing my own ingredients and shaking my head and my husband is laughing and saying my son's name over and over.

Somehow through all the phone calls, no less than ten I am sure, I made our bread and got it into the oven and the kids into the bathtub. I am starting to break down, starting to stress and I grabbed my Mommy's Time Out oil blend and slathered it all over my neck and arms so I could get a grasp on the tasks at hand and my son's many phone calls.

While bathing the kids I received another five calls about how to tell when they are done, how to get them out of the oven, the consistency, etc. It was rather entertaining, and my own bread turned out great.

The husband, kids and I sat down to try this new bread while it was still fresh from the oven hot, and it was AMAZING. I thought it would be too sweet, but it wasn't it was just right. It kind of smells like cinnamon toast, or cinnamon rolls while it is cooking. One of the bonuses to making this recipe was the fact that just after Christmas I got the cinnamon chips on sale for $1.50 at Krogers. I had been saving them trying to figure out what to use them in and here this was.

Snicker doodle bread

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup butter softened
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup of sour cream

For the Topping
1TB. Sugar
3 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:

1.) Cream butter, sugar, salt and cinnamon until fluffy. Add eggs and mix well.
2.) Add vanilla and sour cream and mix well
3.) Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add to wet ingredients and mix until all combined.
4.) Add cinnamon chips and stir into batter. Set aside
5.) Spoon batter into 4 mini loaf pans until about 2/3 full
6.) Mix 3T. Sugar and 3t cinnamon in a bowl and sprinkle over the batter in each loaf pan.
7.) Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes. Let cool before removing from pan.

The mix is very thick and I had my doubts that it would rise correctly, but it did. This is a great bread. I will be making it again.

Jonah 2:7 "When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple.
3/4 sour cream
1 package Hershey's Cinnamon Chips.

Javier the Chihuahua Adjusts to the Chaos

Javier the Chihuahua is beginning to feel like we are his people. I think I may be his favorite person, but he has even opened up with the kids. I caught him teasing the kids into chasing him and it made me happy.

 

"Hey, someone let me in, it's cold out here!"

He follows me everywhere, and one day I snapped this from over my shoulder. Sometimes I just walk back and forth to see if he is really following me.

this is his laundry basket, he likes to burrow under the blankets

This is Javier and the kids after playing at the park.

He goes with us for the park and red box runs and this was a Burger King run

He is a silly dog

standing outside in the cold

outside while the kids play, but not so close that they will disturb him

 

Sitting on the couch by the sleeping princess

 

He sleeps a lot

 

 

 

He is beginning to cuddle with our son.

 

 

 

I make him cuddle with me a lot. I like to hold him and rock him. As you can tell he was less than thrilled to be taking a selfie with me.

 

 

He sits next to me while I do school work or work on my blog

 

He likes to sit outside in the sun when our sweet daughter isn't chasing him around

Javier also fits under the arm of the couch when he wants to hide from the kids

 

This is him Peeking in the back window wondering why we were sitting on the couch and he was outside in the cold.

 

Our little Javier has warmed up to us quite nicely. Our daughter calls him baby and our son likes to hold him tightly while whispering that he loves him.

 

I am really glad that we opened our home to him.

 

 

 

 

Matthew 6:22 The lamp of the body is the eye, if therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.

 

 

 

 

The Making of Mexican Noodles

Mexican Noodles look like something so easy to make. I have been watching my husband make them for nearly six years now. The few times I have made them, I was more like an assistant and my husband was in the kitchen just giving instructions. While he was gone I got this crazy idea that I could make them, and I could make them the harder way.

There are two ways to make the mix, one is with the onion and tomato prepared like salsa, which is the way my husband used to make them, but one day he discovered the mix and began using that. Now when he called to check on us and I told him what my plan was I could hear the doubt in his voice. I could also tell that he thought I should make that extra trip to Walmart to get the mix, but I said nah, I got this. Well, that was a big laugh.

When he came home and demonstrated how easy they were to prepare he also told me that a three year old could make them, whatever. I did fail and I failed miserably.

So I am going to lay it out here, what I did and what I should have done.

The easy way is with the little box of mix, add the chicken bullion powder and some onion. Or if you are really good, probably already Mexican, or experienced with how their foods work, you can use the ingredients on the right.

 
 





Now I put the oil in a skillet, and let that warm up, then added the noodles. When I explained this to the hubby he said that I was wrong and never stood a chance of getting them right. For best results oil in a sauce pan then add noodles stirring until they turn a light brown.

The saucepan on the right is my attempt to boil the onion and tomato to salsa consistency and then add to the blender. The sauce pan on the left is how it should look. Once the noodles are a soft light brown you add the sauce, onion, and the bullion and then boil.

 

This is not how they should look. My kids wouldn't even touch them because they knew this was an epic fail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hosea 6:1 Come, and let us return to the Lord; for he has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but he will bind us up.