The thoughts of Mrs.Wilson

Ugh, this woman!

2010-04-27T00:30:00.000-07:00

We went to Target tonight. We spent $89.12 and save $80.50. I would say it was a wootable trip. We got some great deals on things that we needed. Except cat food, because I forgot those coupons at home. See, this is why I keep a coupon binder.

Ok, on to what the title of this post is about.

After Target (and Payless) we stopped by CVS. They were about to close and I only wanted to get a few things. I have two rainchecks from when they were having their sale on Aussie and Herbal Essence. I have a coupon for "Buy any Aussie styling product get $2 off any shampoo or conditioner." The rainchecks make one styling product $0.99 and one shampoo or conditioner $0.99, which with the coupon would make those two free with a little overage. I grabbed those plus two small packages of Wheat Thins and two small packages of Fig Newtons. Those were each $0.99 and I had $1 off coupons for all of them. Oh and I was getting paper towels, but I didn't have a problem with those. So I put all of my purchases on the counter and "the lady" rings me up. I hand her my rainchecks and she tells me I "should have given those to her first". I apologized to her for it and handed her my coupons. All of them ring up fine except for the Aussie. Her explanation is that the coupon is for more than the price of the products. Now keep in mind that I had done this same exact transaction (Aussie coupons with the rain checks) a couple of weeks before and everything went smoothly. This was actually my second time to try it with these particular rainchecks and coupon. Since she was refusing it I asked that she take off the Aussie and give me back my rianchecks and coupon. She got all huffy and said she had to void the whole thing and ring everything up again. At this point I really didn't care what trouble she had to go through. So I ended up getting two packages of Fig Newtons, two packages of Wheat Thins, and an 8-pack of Scott paper towels for $3.18, and a $1.ECB back. When I got in the car I was telling Jarrod that I really don't want to go back to that CVS again and what happened. Then I realized... there was overage after the coupons for the Wheat Thins and the Fig Newtons! Her reason for the Aussie coupon not working should have applied for the Wheat Thins and the Fig Newtons! Oh this lady aggravates me! So I shall be making another call to corporate and the store tomorrow. And, this time I am complaining!

CVS Last Night

2010-04-20T22:57:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to CVS. I wanted to buy a Green Bag Tag and use the ECBs to buy two Starbucks Frappuccinos and two 3-packs of Ivory soap. Well, they were all out of the bag tags so I set my other purchases on the counter along with my coupons (two for the frappuccinos and two for the soap). The "difficult" woman was there. I think I've decided that she's not really difficult, just very particular about coupons. You will get some that will push the coupons without making sure they are legit and you will get some that will pull out a magnifying glass to read the fine print. Ok, a slight exaggeration there, but you get my point. This lady would pull out a magnifying glass, if she had one, I'm sure. Anyway she starts ringing me up and when she gets to the second coupon for the frappuccinos she tells me she has to do two different transactions. I look at the coupon and tell her that it says "per purchase" and that means per item, not per transaction. She tells me that they had a meeting earlier that day and they will now have to do all of these seperately. I was very nice. We did two different transactions and I told her that she's going to get a lot of people arguing with her, because this is not what the coupons say.

Out of curiousity I looked up the number for CVS today and called them. I talked to a very nice woman who assured me that this is not their policy. She even credited me a $1 ECB. I assured her that I was not trying to complain, I just wanted clarification. After that I called the store in hopes of getting some more clarification. Perhaps this was a new store policy. I was able to talk to the Head Store Manager that told me he thinks this lady was mistaken in what they discussed in their meeting. I did learn that if any of your coupons beep then they will refuse them. I'm thinking maybe I should just avoid this woman. Now that makes it sound like I want to use coupons fraudulantly or something. I don't. I just don't like that this woman makes me feel like a criminal even when all the coupons work. It's not like they won't get reimbursed for them. I got a CVS coupon for $1 off some CVS product the other day. I don't remember what it was, but I used it to get $1 off a travel size face scrub. So I got it for free, I think. Or, maybe $0.50. This lady practically rolled her eyes as she rung me up. I understand being particular about coupons, but she can lose the attitude. I just might really complain next time.

Now I'm in a tizzy and I'm supposed to be going to bed. Ach!

Target Tonight!

2010-04-14T01:18:00.000-07:00

I'm not a "Frugal Blogger", but tonight's Target run has got me so excited. This is the second time I've "rolled" at a store. The first time was at Safeway, but wasn't anywhere near this capacity. We did four transactions tonight. That's right, four. But we only spent $18.51, saved $58.26. This is what all we got:

1 (free) bag of Sun Chips

2 Scrubbing Bubbles Power Sprayers

2 cans of Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner

2 Scrubbing Bubbles Power Sprayer refills

8 cans of Del Monte Green Beans

8 cans of Del Monte Peas

1 loaf of Target brand bread (because we needed some)

2 boxes of Stoufer's Toasted Subs

5 boxes of Special K Granola

All for just $18.51, with the help of shopping sales, using coupons, and 3 gift cards. Oh! And, I can send in for two $5 rebates for the Scrubbing Bubbles. Now do you see why I'm so excited about this?

The only thing that went wrong was a certain coupon. I was supposed to get the refills for free, but wanted to see if I could also use the $1 off coupons for them. Instead of letting me get them for free the register, it seems, voided that coupon and just took $1 off each. A lesson learned. I honestly thought they would just object to the $1 off coupon. I don't know what made me thing that, though. Oh well.

Now for CVS, if that difficult woman isn't working. But, that's another story for another time.

If you'd like more details about how I did it you can email me. The receipts are downstairs and I don't want to go get them to type out all the details.

A new perspective, sorta

2010-03-18T22:42:00.000-07:00

There's something refreshing about rearranging a room. It's nice to get a new perspective on things and find a new place for things.
About a year and a half ago Jarrod and I decided that we would be moving to New Mexico. That is where we thought God wanted us. Certain events have taken place that have changed our decision about moving there. For now we are here.
Well, a year and a half ago I started boxing up our stuff in preparation for the move. We had a yard sale, but eventually bought some things to replace the ones we sold. The other day I decided to unbox everything. Well, not everything. We don't have anywhere to put the million and one books. So spring cleaning has been a sort of redecorating. It's been nice, but exhausting. Now our house feels more like a home. Now I'm not embarrassed to invite people over. Just call first so I can clean up the mess the tornadoes have made.

A victory and defeat in the coupon world.

2010-03-11T23:10:00.000-08:00

Remember my post about The Grocery Game. Well, I don't do that anymore. Well, I don't use The Grocery Game. I now use CouponMom.com. It's free there, and there are more stores to choose from.

Since I've started this I've heard so many times about people getting stuff free. I want to do that!, I thought. Last night I was going through my sales papers and I saw that Marie's salad dressing was on sale for $0.99 if you buy 5. I could've swore I had coupons for that. I looked and sure enough I hade 3. I looked online and found 2 more. They were $1 off 1! That would mean that I would either get 5 free or get paid $0.05 for 5! That's called overage! I was so excited I woke Jarrod up to tell him. Plus we needed to get ready for church.
After church we went to the store. Well, I lost one of my coupons getting out of the car. I have no idea where it went. Maybe the wind blew it away. We picked out 5 bottles of salad dressing and got some other stuff. See, they had it on sale for $0.99 if you buy 5 and then you get $5 back. So we got the 5 bottles of dressing and some of the other stuff on the promotion. Then Jarrod spots some cereal on sale. Not that we need cereal, but he's been bitten by this sale and coupon bug too. As we are going to the register I remembered that there were supposed to be some blinkies (coupons that are spit out of those blinking red boxes on the shelves) and wanted to grab some. There was a deal going on yesterday only where if you buy the cereal listed on this blinkie coupon then you will get a $4 back catalina (coupon that spits out with your receipt). So, I grab 5 boxes of that cereal.
We finally get to the register and I tell Jarrod that I want to pay for the dressing seperate to insure we get the $5 back, since we were doing 10 items from that promotion and not just 5. For some reason his rings up to $27. That is not what we were expecting, but we didn't want to say anything, because people started lining up behind us.
When the salad dressings were rung up my total was $0.95! I was so excited. But, there wasn't a catalina for the $5 back. I asked the guy and he called over someone else. She said that she thought it was supposed to be taken off on the receipt. She looked at the receipt and didn't see anything. She went to where the dressing was and looked, but came back saying she didn't want to make me wait. She opened the register and gave me a $5 bill. I thought we were getting blessed!
When we got home I looked at Jarrod's receipt to see why it turned out to be so much. Ach! We bought the wrong cereal. We had to buy certain cereals together in order for them to be a certain price. That cereal that I picked up with the blinkies was supposed to total out to $0.80, but instead was $4.50 a box! We bought 5 boxes!! And to top it off Jarrod and I were discussing why I didn't get $5 back with mine. Safeway doesn't do overages! On Jarrod's receipt you can see where they took the $5 off like a coupon for the items he got for the promotion. So now I want to take the money back to them. But, I still got 5 bottles of really good salad dressing for $0.95!! So one victory and one expensive defeat. Next time I'm going to read the sales tags more carefully.

Cranberry Pecan Muffins

2010-02-19T16:29:00.000-08:00

We have like 100 little bags of dried cranberries.

The kids don't really like eating them right out of the bag so I decided to find a way to use them.

I found a recipe for Cranberry Pecan Muffins.

I added some coconut, because I had it and it sounded good.

YUM!

Especially if you put butter on them.

You should make some!

Especially if you have like 100 little bags of dried cranberries.

I joined The Grocery Game - Again

2010-02-16T16:05:00.000-08:00

A couple of years ago a friend told me about The Grocery Game. It sounded wonderful so I signed up. At the time it would only cost me $1. I figured, at that price, I was willing to give it a try. I think I saved some money, I can't really remember. But, recently I rejoined. It cost me $15 this time, but I knew it was worth it. I paid $10 for the first store I chose and $5 for the second (each store after the first would cost $5). Honestly, I think it's worth it. But, don't be alarmed! If you would like to join then it's FREE for you for 4 weeks! Simply go to https://www.thegrocerygame.com/con_Free_Trial.cfm?function=order&smt=0&srm=1 and sign up. If you say that I refered you (vernitta_w at yahoo dot com) then I get a couple of weeks free (if I refer a certain number of people)

Not sure what I'm talking about?
The Grocery Game is a website that can save you hundreds of dollars on your grocery bill each month. Log in, spend a few minutes with a pair of scissors, and you're off to win The Grocery Game!
When you play, you'll get a weekly list (called Teri's List) of the lowest-priced products at your supermarket matched with manufacturers' coupons and weekly specials -- advertised and unadvertised. The Grocery Game does all the hard work and research, and presents it to you in a straightforward format.
It's not a contest or really a game. It's just a way to save money on groceries and other household items.

A couple of days ago I got my list and coupons together and we headed off to Safeway. But, things were not going as I had planned. There were things that were supposed to be on sale, based on my list, that weren't. I had the wrong list! Why? Because we lived in one zipcode, but shopped in another. Yes, there was a Safeway in our zipcode, but this one was closer. But, even though I had the wrong list we still saved $45! $45 people! I was so excited! But, at the same time I was disappointed. Disappointed, because if I had had the right list we could have saved even more money. If you join I recommend putting in the zipcode of the store that you frequent instead of your's, just in case you don't live in the same zipcode.

Now on the list that I had printed out it had said that Del Monte Fruit Naturals Cups were on sale for $1. But, guess what? I had found a coupon that wasn't listed for Buy 3 get a $1 off! Doesn't that sound wonderful!? So go and find other coupons. Do you have favorite brands? Go to their website and sign up for their newsletter. Google " 'favorite product' coupons" and see what you get. You would be surprised.

Also, sign up for newsletters from your favorite restaurants. Jarrod and I like to go to Chevy's. We signed up for their newsletters and about 2-3 a month we get a coupon for "Order one combo and the second (of equal or lesser value) is only $2.99" (sometimes $3.99). Their combos are so big that it's two meals. So we end up spending roughly $16.49 on four meals. That's less than $5 a meal!

Also, take a look at this website. Jarrod had googled "feeding a family for a week" (He was looking for more information about this.) and found this. It is what got me interested in couponing again. That, and I saw my sister, Rebekka's, posts on facebook about using coupons.

Not My Favorite Week

2010-02-08T23:16:00.000-08:00

Ugh! This week! I'm hating this week and I'm eager for it to be over.
Thursday, I think it was, we got a letter on our door letting us know that there will inspections this week. The day before that we got one saying a meeting has been scheduled for us with the manager of the place we live in. Also, there is a guy that's going to come and inspect our fire sprinklers... tomorrow. So that left me Friday day, Saturday, and today to make this place shine. Let's just say that it's an exhausting thing to do when you have 2.5 tornadoes living with you.
It's the end of today and although my house is cleaner, it's still not what I would call clean. The guy starts inspecting each place at 7:30 in the morning. That leaves me somewhere between 45 minutes to an hour and a half to finish everything. I should be in bed right now, but I'm in a little bit of pain (Aunt Flo) and I don't want to lay there stressing about the manager leaving another note on our door saying our place is too cluttered and she needs to inspect it again. Only for her to not show up, but leave another note saying she's coming and still not show up. Yeah, she really did that. It stresses me out every time. I hate living here. I hate the invasion of privacy. But, I guess I have to deal with it until God moves us. No telling when that's going to happen. Certain things have taken place (I've been asked not to tell yet) that might change our plan of moving to New Mexico. So now that's up in the air.
We've been having some awesome services at church! We are in the middle of transitioning from one building to another and we've been having revival services Sunday night, Thursday night, and Friday night. Along with the normal services Sunday morning and Wednesday night. That's the light that shines during this week.
Oh, and I have a dreaded doctor's appointment Thursday. I don't want to talk about it. I just want this week to be over.

Ingredient of the Week - Oregano

2010-02-02T22:54:00.000-08:00

Tonight I threw stuff together and called it enchilada casserole. But, it wasn't really a casserole.
I browned some meat, threw in crushed garlic, chopped, fresh oregano, and a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles. Before that, though, I had cut up some corn tortillas and fried them just to add some moisture in my cast iron skillet I got for Christmas. I mixed all that together, sprinkled cheese on top and threw it into the oven. I served it with guacamole, sour cream, and cheese dip. Afterwards I wished I would've remembered to add the can of corn and make some rice. And, buy a can of refried beans. But, that's what I made tonight with oregano. My husband just told me he didn't notice any in the food tonight. I'm thinking this one doesn't count.

Ingredient of the Week - Week 2

2010-02-02T12:09:00.000-08:00

Oregano!

Oregano is an important culinary herb. It is particularly widely used in Turkish, Greek, Spanish, Latin American, and Italian cuisine. It is the leaves that are used in cooking, and the dried herb is often more flavourful than the fresh.

Oregano is often used in tomato sauces, fried vegetables, and grilled meat. Together with basil, it contributes much to the distinctive character of many Italian dishes.

It is commonly used by local chefs in southern Philippines when boiling carabao or cow meat to eliminate the odor of the meat, and to add a nice, spicy flavor.

Oregano combines nicely with pickled olives, capers, and lovage leaves. Unlike most Italian herbs, oregano works with hot and spicy food, which is popular in southern Italy.

Oregano is an indispensable ingredient in Greek cuisine. Oregano adds flavor to Greek salad and is usually added to the lemon-olive oil sauce that accompanies many fish or meat barbecues and some casseroles.

In Turkish Cuisine, oregano is mostly used for flavoring meat, especially for mutton and lambs meat. In barbecue and kebab restaurants, it can be usually found on table, together with paprika, salt and pepper.

The dish most commonly associated with oregano is pizza. Its variations have probably been eaten in Southern Italy for centuries. Oregano became popular in the US when returning WW2 soldiers brought back with them a taste for the “pizza herb”.

Oregano is high in antioxidant activity, due to a high content of phenolic acids and flavonoids. Additionally, oregano has demonstrated antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes. Both of these characteristics may be useful in both health and food preservation. In the Philippines, oregano (Coleus aromaticus) is not commonly used for cooking but is rather considered as a primarily medicinal plant, useful for relieving headaches and coughs.

Ingredient of the Week - Potatoes

2010-01-28T20:03:00.000-08:00

Last night I made Crash Potatoes and it turned out pretty good. I think I boiled the potatoes too long, though. And, they kind of fell apart when I mashed them on the cookie sheet. But, I found that if I used a spatula to take them off then all of the potato stayed together. I made some gravy that went wonderful over the potatoes. They were a little dry without it.

Tonight I made potato gnocchi. This was my inspiration for making it. Boy do I not want to make that again. Well, it wasn't so bad. I guess I just need more practice. It came out too big and so tasted like we were just eating big dumplings. I don't know if I will make it again. Maybe when I'm in a creati ve mood and we're not in too much of a hurry to eat.

I was planning on making potato lasagna (just like lasagna, but with sliced potatoes instead of lasagna noodles) tomorrow night, but we would need to go to the grocery store and neither Jarrod or I are feeling up to that.

Ingredient of the Week?

2010-01-26T23:30:00.000-08:00

So, as I posted yesterday, the Ingredient of the Week is potatoes. I found the first recipe I wanted to do. Actually, I've already decided on three, but will let the other two remain a secret for now. The first one I was going to make is here. I decided to make this with some chicken and I would make a sauce to go over the top. But, there's a big hitch in those plans. I have all of three potatoes! How can I make something that's supposed to have potatoes in it when I don't have enough potatoes!? So, tomorrow I will be sending Jarrod to the store.

Ingredient of the Week - Week 1

2010-01-26T00:38:00.000-08:00

Potatoes!

The potato contains vitamins and minerals that have been identified as vital to human nutrition, as well as an assortment of phytochemicals, such as carotenoids and polyphenols. A medium-sized (5.3 oz) potato with the skin provides 27 mg of vitamin C (45% of the Daily Value (DV)), 620 mg of potassium (18% of DV), 0.2 mg vitamin B6 (10% of DV) and trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. The fiber content of a potato with skin (2 g) is equivalent to that of many whole grain breads, pastas, and cereals.

Nutritionally, the potato is best known for its carbohydrate content (approximately 26 grams in a medium potato). The predominant form of this carbohydrate is starch. A small but significant portion of this starch is resistant to digestion by enzymes in the stomach and small intestine, and so reaches the large intestine essentially intact. This resistant starch is considered to have similar physiological effects and health benefits as fiber: it provides bulk, offers protection against colon cancer, improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, lowers plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, increases satiety, and possibly even reduces fat storage. The amount of resistant starch in potatoes depends much on preparation methods. Cooking and then cooling potatoes significantly increased resistant starch. For example, cooked potato starch contains about 7% resistant starch, which increases to about 13% upon cooling.

The nutrients of the potato seem to be fairly evenly distributed between the flesh and the skin. For a medium potato, with and without the skin, nutritiondata.com gives the following:

Almost all the protein content of a potato is contained in a thin layer just under its skin.

The cooking method used can significantly impact the nutrient availability of the potato.

Potatoes are often broadly classified as high on the glycemic index (GI) and so are often excluded from the diets of individuals trying to follow a low GI diet. In fact, the GI of potatoes can vary considerably depending on type (such as red, russet, white, or Prince Edward), origin (where it was grown), preparation methods (i.e., cooking method, whether it is eaten hot or cold, whether it is mashed or cubed or consumed whole, etc), and with what it is consumed (i.e., the addition of various high fat or high protein toppings).

Something New

2010-01-22T15:28:00.000-08:00

I'm going to start something new. A new section/part/hobby of my blog. I'm going to call it Ingredient of the Week. Every week I'm going to let Jarrod, my husband, choose an ingredient. I will then find 3-4 recipes that incorporate that ingredient in a, hopefully, major way and make them that week. Jarrod suggests I begin the week with a simple recipe and end with a more difficult. I'll see what I can do. I will begin this endeavor/hobby on Monday. Jarrod has already chosen the first ingredient and I have agreed to let him choose whatever he wants with no questions asked. You will see what I mean on Monday.

Homeschooling

2010-01-20T14:11:00.000-08:00

This is why we homeschool.

http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/144135.aspx

The Beginnings of a Garden

2010-01-18T12:29:00.001-08:00

Here are the litle pods newly watered and awaiting seeds.

Here they are all ready to grow.

There are two rows of grape tomatoes and the rest are green beans.

A bag of potatoes!

Here's another tray.

I had just put the seeds in need to cover them up before putting the lid on.

This a picture of the green beans I planted.

I planted them on Tuesday and this picture was taken Saturday.

Simeon says, "They're round like do-nuts."

I didn't take pictures, but we have some green showing through with the strawberries outside.

Everything is looking good!

Are You Prepared?

2010-01-15T15:34:00.000-08:00

Every time there is a disaster somewhere in the world this question is raised. Can you answer it honestly? Are you prepared for a disaster?
A disaster can be anything. You or your spouse lose a job. Your child becomes very sick and you don't have health insurance. Your house catches on fire. A tornado is coming towards your neighborhood. You are in danger of a flash flood. You live on a fault line and are in danger of an earthquake. You are in the path of a hurricane. These are the ones that most people think of. But, most people are not prepared for.

What can you do to be prepared? You can have money saved for when/if you or your spouse loses a job. Or, if your child becomes very ill. You can have your important documents, and copies, in a firesafe box. These are very basic and "common sense". But, there are other ways you can be prepared. You can pack a BOB (bug out bag). A bug out bag is a backpack for each person in the family. In that bag are things that you will need to survive for 48 hours.

Say your house catches on fire while you are asleep. You wake up. Wake up your spouse and children. Do you have time to get dressed? Do you want to take the time to get dressed? Grab your family and BOBs (which should be in a very accesible place for such emergencies). Get outside and to a safe place. You can run to the neighbors to warn them and to call the authorities. There you are outside and cold. Your child is crying and worried. They don't know what is going on, but know that it's not good. Mommy and Daddy seem worried. At this point you can pull out of their BOB a small toy that will hopefully distract them. You may have packed in there an extra Lovey. You can give them a snack or bottle of water that you packed in their BOB. If you didn't get dressed before leaving you are probably going to start feeling a little uncomfortable right now as you watch your house burn down. You can reach into your BOB and pull out a pair of pants or extra shirt. Maybe just a blanket will do. A little while later you are going to want to start thinking about where you are going to go. What are you going to do? Hopefully you or your spouse put some extra cash and important papers in their BOB. Maybe an extra set of car keys. Because you have your BOBs you will be ok for the next 48 hours. Now think about that same scenario without the BOBs. Your child is crying and you are trying to console them. You maybe be able to console them, but you probably don't have anything to distract them from the ghastly sight of their home burning down right in front of their eyes. If you didn't get dressed before leaving then you are standing there in your pajamas for the whole neighborhood to see. Your car keys and cash are burning up inside your home. You hope someone will open their home to you, because you can't pay for a hotel right now.

That's just one scenario where a BOB will come in handy.

Another way you can be prepared is to always have plenty of food, water, medicine... basic supplies to survive for at least three months in your home.

Let's talk about a scenario where this would be good to have. The major breadwinner in your family has just been laid off. They can get unemployment, but you know that won't take care of every bill. But, you know you will be alright, because you've been saving up enough supplies that you won't have to buy any for at least three months. You have food. You can cut down on water usage to lower your water bill by taking fewer/shorter baths and drinking some of the bottled water you've saved up. Your baby drinks formula. That stuff is expensive! But, you've been stocking up whenever you had some extra money. You stockpiled some gas so you don't have to worry about being able to put gas in your car in an emergency. You can use the oil lamps and candles you bought to cut down on your electricity bill. So because you've stocked up on all of your daily supplies you don't have to worry too much right now. The money that you would be spending on food and household supplies can go towards other bills. And, because you have these supplies you are able to cut your bills down.

What about after this situation is over? You've realized the logic in cutting down on your water bill, gas for you car, and electricity. It was nice not having to go to the grocery store as much. Well, you can continue to not use as much water. You can also save rain water, if it's legal in your state. Ran water is great for your hair. When you do leave the house you can do all your errands at the same time to cut down on the gas you use and wear and tear on your car. You can eat by candlelight to save electricity. You can also grow a garden. Don't have the yard space to do it? Use containers. You can keep chickens, if allowed in your neighborhood, for meat and eggs.

It's good to be prepared. You need to keep your future in mind. Worry about the things of today, but plan for the things of tomorrow.

Garden Time!

2010-01-13T22:34:00.000-08:00

Today I have a headache. And, I didn't want to go to church. But, it's when you don't want to go that you really need to go. I really just wanted to stay home and sleep. But, I'm glad I went.

I started our garden. Did I tell you about the accidental potatoes? Well, (just in case), Jarrod, out of curiosity, threw a potato into our front yard. The other day we noticed that it started sprouting green leaves. So, we now have that potato plant and two others (in trash bags) growing in the front yard. I'll, hopefully, post pictures tomorrow.

We, also, bought a greenhouse tray thingy to start plants in and then we can transfer them to a bigger pot or the outside. It holds 72 plants. I did two rows of grape tomatoes and the rest pole beans. I had too many pole bean seeds so I gave them away tonight. I'm so excited to be doing this! Jarrod and I have talked about it for years, but we are finally really doing it. I can't wait to see some green growing!

I'm Tired

2010-01-09T01:11:00.000-08:00

All I ever want to do anymore is sleep. It has nothing to do with Eliana not sleeping through the night, because she is. I'm just so tired every day. I wake up, we get dressed, eat breakfast, do schoolwork, and then I sigh. I sigh and think, "Ok, what do I need to accomplish today? What needs my immediate attention and can not wait until the girls go down for a nap?" And then I trudge along trying to get things done amid cries of hunger, dirtiness, tiredness, another mess to clean, cries for another drink... The list seriously goes on forever. Sometimes I tell myself to suck it up. So and so has three kids and look at them. Yeah, well so and so has like four years between their kids. I'm telling you that makes a difference. Especially when you think of having one preschooler that you are trying to encourage out of "night-night underwear", one toddler you are trying to teach what a potty is for, (It's not a place for your toys to sleep, Sweety), and a very active infant that wants to be in the room with someone all the time. You've got all that on your plate and I'll say you have the right to hide in the shower when your husband comes home. Ok, not hide... relax. I love my kids. I really do. When I'm not with them I miss them. Right now my world revolves around them. They are my world. Actually, my whole family is. My world involves teaching them manners (Stop burping, Simeon! I know you're doing it on purpose, I used to do it.), their letters, colors, shapes, numbers... (Yes, your poo poo does look just like a C. Yes, that bathroom tile is a triangle. When the light turns green then we can go.), teaching them modesty (Crimson put your dress down. Simeon, please pull your pants up before you leave the bathroom. No, you can't answer the door. You still have your pajamas on.), and teaching them safety (Look for cars or they will run you over. Stay with me or someone will snatch you. See, that's why we don't jump on the bed).
Oh, I love being a mom. It has it's really frustrating parts. It seems like I've finally gotten it through Simeon's head that we don't get water on the floor when taking a bath. Now I have to teach Crimson. That's when I realized that we either get sliding glass doors or stop having kids. Just kidding. But, I hate cleaning up that mess.
But, it also has so many joys. Simeon will hug me and tell me he loves me. Ten minutes later he will tell me he doesn't and ask me to cry. He is his father's son. Crimson will hug me real tight then ask for a kiss. We got her a baby that pees and poops to help her potty train. It also cries tears if you squeeze it's elbow. I tried it. When she saw the "tears" she wouldn't let go of that doll for at least an hour. Eliana is little Miss Curious. Everything must be investigated! That includes tasting it. Thankfully our cat doesn't mind being slobbered on. She loves for you to talk to her or sing to her. Her favorite song simply consists of her name being song over and over. That makes me wonder about her future.
I said all that to say that I'm tired. I'm always tired. I wake up tired. I continue about my daying praying the coffee helps and then I go to bed tired. I'm tired. And then I stay up with Jarrod so that I can have a few minutes to talk to him. Or just share funny youtube videos. And when I get too tired I start to slur my words, like I'm drunk. I can't help but laugh at myself. And then go to bed. Because, I'm tired.

Please Pray For My Dad

2009-12-31T13:26:00.000-08:00

A few months ago my dad, Kent Wallin, went to set up his doctor at the VA hospital. It's customary for them to run tests. Upon running tests they found that he has a mass in his lung the size of a soft ball, signs of a stroke on his brain, and high blood pressure. They now know that he's diabetic, also.

They've been trying to get his blood pressure down, but nothing seems to be working for very long. He's been hospitalized several times because they don't know what is causing the high blood pressure and it won't stay down. My dad has always been pretty healthy. He doesn't usually have high blood pressure.

The last I heard they are going to do a biopsy on the mass in his lung to see if it's cancerous. Because it's not growing they don't believe it is.

The stroke that he had has affected him greatly. He's not able to do a lot of simple tasks, or it takes him longer than normal to do them. He'll be driving and forget how to get where he's going. He's lived in Houston for most of his life. He'll forget how to do things that he's been doing for years. He's having migrains and pain on left side of his head. He looses strength in his left side and drops things and he's not able to hold things or grasp them tight They are going to continue to run tests for further damage from the stroke..

Because of all this he is not able to work. The doctor has asked that he not drive until his next appointment on the 14th.

My dad has always been a hard worker. He's always sacrificed to provide for his family. He's the one that has always been there when everyone else has left my siblings and I. He's only 56 years old! I'm very thankful that we were able to see him for so long and he was able to meet our children. This has been very hard for him. Understandably, he's depressed. The doctor has prescribed antideppresents. He doesn't want to talk about what's going on, because he doesn't want his family to worry. Please pray for him. And, for his family. It's rough seeing my dad like this. Thank you very much.

Cameras!

2009-12-29T14:30:00.000-08:00

A little before Simeon was born Jarrod's wonderful sister (one of the three wonderful sisters he has) gave us a digital camera. She wanted a new one and was so wonderful and gracious to give us her old one. Up until then we had been using a Polaroid and disposable cameras. Well about a year ago (I probably have that wrong) it broke. So Jarrod went online (Ebay, I think) and bought another one exactly the same. A month ago I lost it somewhere in our house. So my wonderful husband bought me a new camera off of craigslist. It was a Kodak Easy Share. Two weeks after enjoying it's wonderfulness it broke. Yep, two weeks! So, my wonderful husband bought me a new camera for Christmas. This one was from the store! I don't like it. The pictures are delayed. You can't do that when you have kids. Your camera needs to be quick. Real quick. Because, those kids won't smile forever. Then I found our other camera. I was so happy! But, then I broke it. It won't turn on. I have our Christmas pictures on that thing! And guess what? I lost the second one Jarrod got me for Christmas. I am not a happy camper right now!

Humility?

2009-12-12T19:18:00.000-08:00

I think God is trying to teach me humility.

Last night Jarrod invited some friends over to our house. I wasn't at home and did not know that he was planning on doing this. So our house was what I would consider a mess.

Today we had errands to run. Which means several different stores to go to. Starting with Wal-mart. There we are shopping and Crimson keeps kicking her shoes off. I finally get tired of continually putting them back on so I put them in the basket, right beside her. When we are paying for all of our stuff I notice that her shoes are no longer in the basket. I rushed through the store, going down every aisle we had been down to no avail. Her shoes are gone. We were not going to go home to get her some more, nor were we going to buy her some more. (I try not to pay more than $10 for a pair of shoes.) So she had to go about the rest of her day without shoes.

Then we were at Safeway. I went outside to get a coupon out of the car. When I came back in the store I see Jarrod taking a big, opened, and partly eaten candy bar away from Crimson. The cashier had seen her do it. Of course Simeon shared in the spoils.

Yep, it must be that I need to learn humility.

What's been going on

2009-11-15T22:04:00.000-08:00

Well, it's cold here. I'm in a baking and creative mood and we just got supplies for baking last night. I already made some shortbread bites (small shortbread cookies you can just pop in your mouth). Good!

Jarrod sold the Marshmallow. We made a $1,600 profit! Thank You, Jesus!

I'm considering taking Eliana off the pacifier. She only uses it at night and I have to get up to put it back in her mouth. I'm not cool with that, but at least she's not wanting to eat.

A little boy slapped Crimson in the face tonight. A friend's daughter told me and I told the little boy that he is not to slap my baby in the face. I told him to tell her sorry. He said no. I told him to get out then and go tell his parents what he did. He said no. So, I got out (of the McDonalds play thingy) and went to tell the mother and she started yelling at me that I shouldn't talk to her son like that. Now, to be honest, I was quite stern with this little boy. But, I did not talk to him any different than I would have my child if they had done this. She went on to say that she would never talk to my kids like this and how would I like it if someone talked to my child like that. I told her that I wouldn't have a problem if someone talked to my child like that if they slapped someone else's child in the face. She called me a curse word and I told her that's great. Cuss in front of your kids. That's being a lady. And I left it at that. I wouldn't let Simeon and Crimson play with that little boy anymore. If he's not taught how to properly treat people then I don't want him around my kids. The lady heard me tell Simeon and Crimson this and was like, "Oh my goodness". Hey, woman, teach your child! But, I didn't say it. I just thought it.

A Mood

2009-11-01T17:49:00.001-08:00

I'm in a creative mood. I think it might be the changing seasons. I want to make topiaries, flower pins, and hats. Being creative costs money though. I spent it all at the Gilroy Outlets. It's hard for me to resist a sale.

Tuesday's Date Night

2009-10-24T12:32:00.001-07:00

I don't know if I've mentioned this or not, but every Tuesday evening we drop the chitlins off at Jarrod's parents' house and head out for some much needed alone time. Some people call this date night. We do too. Well this Tuesday we couldn't decide where to go. So Jarrod just started driving. We ended up in San Ramon. This is not too far from where we live. We were driving along when we saw a cute little italian restaurant. We pulled up and read the menu outside. It looked expensive, but it's date night. Sometimes you need to splurge. We go inside and they looked a little surprised to see us. They had more than one fork on the table. It was a really nice place. I regretted my decision to wear flip flops for this date.

We ordered our food. Jarrod ordered what he was thinking would be mozzarella sticks for an appetizer. But, it turned out to be prosciutto covered with a small salad with pieces of real mozzarella in it. That's not our usual salad, but it was pretty good. For our dinner Jarrod ordered Lasagnette Alla Napoletana, Individual baked lasagna filled with tomato-basil sauce, pesto and fresh mozzarella. I orderedGnocci Alla Piemontese, Home made potato gnocci with fontina cheese and truffle sauce.

When they brought our food out I looked at mine and thought, "We are paying $15 for this?"
Then I tasted it.

It was wonderful. It was awesome. It was like the tastebuds in my mouth were saying, "This is what we've been waiting for. This is the elixir of life!" It was that good. I made Jarrod taste it. I forced myself not to put some in my purse so that my sister-in-law, Rebecca, could taste it. I wanted to mail some in an envelope to my sister-in-law, Jessica. It was that good! I raved about it to Jarrod. So much so that when we got home he looked up how to make it. When he looked up the truffle sauce he decided he wanted to grow the truffles. Truffles are a type of mushroom. And the cheapest ones sell for $300 a lb. That explains why this Gnocchi was so expensive. It was like heaven in my mouth, people. It was that good.

Sleep. There's nothing like it.

2009-10-20T13:47:00.000-07:00

Sleep is a wonderful thing. I didn't know how much I truely enjoyed being able to sleep until I had Crimson. After I had Simeon I did what every mother is told to to do survive. I slept when he slept. Sure, I slept at weird times, but I slept. With Crimson I was introduced to the wonders of coffee. I always thought it was too bitter, but with enough cream and sugar it become my elixir to survive the first few months. I'm going through this again. Sleeping when Eliana sleeps is not an option. Well, I guess it is. I can take a nap when she does because that's when Crimson takes one and sometimes Simeon. But, I look at this time as an opportunity to get things done uninterrupted.
I'm sitting here today exhausted, wanting a nap, but more importantly wanting ideas on how to get Eliana to sleep through the night. See, my thing is that I want to get up with Jarrod when he leaves for work. I want to make him breakfast, iron his shirt, hand him his lunch, and send him off with wishes for a good day. But, I also want to be able to spend some quiet time with him after the kids go to bed. This means that I stay up too late. Add to that the fact that Eliana will wake up anywhere from one time to four times during the night wanting to eat. Then I get up, or just woken up, when it's time for Jarrod to get up. It might take me just a couple of minutes to go back to sleep after he leaves, or 30 minutes. Then Eliana wakes up about an hour or two before Simeon and Crimson and wants to start her day. I try to doze while she plays on the bed next to me, but let's face it. That's wishful thinking.
I have Eliana on a schedule where she will get rice cereal, or oatmeal, for breakfast and some kind of vegetable for dinner. This is along with her nursing whenever she's hungry. I don't know if I should add lunch in with that or what.
So, I'm looking for answers on how to get a better night's sleep when I should be taking a nap. And if none of this makes sense then it's because I'm tired and should be taking a nap.
Yesterday I was tired. Friday night we went all the way to Stockton (an hour's drive for those that don't know) to have dinner with friends. Then we drive all the way back home. Meanwhile we have a birthday party to plan for Crimson, shopping that needs to be done, butterfly wings that need to be made, cakes that need to be made. But, we are, instead, piddling around and eating with "friends". That stressed me out. So, we get home (it was almost midnight, I'm sure) and I get started on the wings and the cakes. I finally decided to go to bed and start again in the morning. But, I'm so tired that instead of getting up at 6 I get up at almost 8. Around 10 we have to hurry and go because there are a few last minute things to get at the store and I ran out of supplies for the butterfly wings. Did I mention that the party started at 2? We get to my in-law's house around 11:30. I had butterfly wings to finish, a cake to put frosting on, a house to clean up, good bags to fill, and food to start cooking. Two and a half hours were barely enough time to do all this. We stay there until around 9 that night. My sister-in-law was having a karaoke party. I tried to stay, but I was tired and still had to get ready for church the next morning. We get home and I don't even give the kids a bath. They were tired too. I got up at 6 to get everyone ready for church. We got out of church a little later than usual (but it was a totally awesome service!) and lunch took longer than usual. So by the time we got back home we had roughly an hour for a nap. It's better than nothing. We had a meeting at the pastor's house. We ended up staying longer than we expected. We got home around 10:30, but I didn't go to bed until almost 12. I woke up with Jarrod, but couldn't drag myself out of bed. When we did start our day I had to fight with Crimson to make her bed. All she had to do was pull the sheet and blanket up and put her pillow on her bed. I wish my bed was that easy to make. So I said all that to say that I was really tired yesterday and sleep deprived. I was depressed. I went through this after having Crimson, but it was worse with her. I had a thought that sleep deprivation could be linked to depression and post partum depression. I looked it up, but didn't have much time to read about it. When I get depressed like that I like to clean. So, I rearranged the living room yesterday. It's something I've been wanting to do so I did it. And now I want to throw all of the kids' toys away and just give them sticks to play with. Because, their toys are all over the living room again. But, they would hurt each other with sticks.
Wow, this is a long, babbling post. Can you tell I'm tired? I'm going to go take a nap now. Hopefully I still have time.

Sleeping babies

2009-10-16T12:30:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest feelings in the world is when a baby falls asleep on you. On of the most annoying is when that baby thinks she can't sleep anywhere else. I'm happy to report that Eliana has decided she can sleep in her own bed. We moved her bed into Crimson and Simeon's room. She's learning to put herself to sleep by crying it out. She hasn't had to cry for very long, thankfully. She sleeps so much better in their room. Well, I guess it's her room too now. When Crimson was a baby I had read something about babies sleeping better when they know their parents aren't in the room with them. I thought it was a little crazy, but I was willing to give it a chance. It worked! So I was willing to give the crazy idea another chance with Eliana. She's still waking up to eat, but not as often as before. Plus, I don't have to worry about her getting woken up when Jarrod's getting ready for work. I'm quite thankful for that.

A couple of things

2009-10-13T11:09:00.001-07:00

1. I hate Halloween.

I hate having to explain to my four year old son that the "man" in that yard will not hurt him. That he's just some stuffing in clothes and a pumpkin. I'm thankful that Jesus kept him from having nightmares about it. I've thought about getting away during Halloween, but where could we go to get away from it all? I thought of going camping. But, you have those weird people that like to sacrifice animals in the woods and stuff. I hate Halloween.

2. I'm so glad to be home.

Vacation is good for a person. It's nice to relax and get away from all the stresses and worries of life. It helps to get a new perspective on things. Like living in a 16 foot rv helps you appreciate your small townhome/apartment. Sometimes I miss the small space though. It's so much easier to clean.

Another reason why we will homeschool

2009-09-24T17:33:00.000-07:00

My niece came home from school today and was telling me about a book that her class is reading. She showed me the cover of the book and was saying that the boy in the story had to fight this (a picture of a man with a bull's head). Then he had to fight this (a picture of a rottweiler with three heads). Then he had to fight this lady (a woman with snakes for hair) and he cut off her head. It was at this point that I asked her what grade she was in. She replied that she was in gourth grade. Fourth grade and she's a reading a book like this. The book is The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan.

After looking up the book online I've learned that it's a fictional story based around greek mythology. Some people believe it's important to learn about greek mythology. To be honest I don't see the importance in it. I, honestly, believe it's more important for our children to learn Bible stories. There are more useful lessons to be found in the Bible than in greek mythology. And that's my two cents.

Playing around

2009-09-15T00:15:00.001-07:00

I took a picture of Eliana on Sunday. I really liked how one picture turned out so I played around with it at picnik.com. What do you think?

Original

Granola Bars

2009-08-27T09:43:00.001-07:00

I've discovered homemade granola bars. They are the easiest thing in the world to make and they taste so good. My first ones were made with peanut butter, honey, brown sugar, oatmeal, and dried cranberries. That's when I fell in love. They were so good. I put some globs of peanut butter in a pot and began to melt it. As it melted I added some honey and brown sugar. When all of that was pretty much in liquid form I added the oatmeal. I stirred until it was all mixed together. I still had the fire on. It wasn't sticking together too well so I added some more honey and brown sugar until it was sticking together. I turned the fire off and added the dried cranberries. Then, I spread it all out on a cookie sheet and let it cool.
I've made several different kinds since my first batch. Some things I've learned since then: Use peanut butter or some oil or your bars will stick to the cookie sheet, wax paper or whatever you use. They will also turn into bricks. Put wax paper on top and press down to make them nice and uniform as possible. Use a potholder, because it is very hot. Do not add more peanut butter if it's not sticking together. Your bars will turn out to be more like peanut butter bars instead of granola bars.

In the midst of the storm

2009-08-14T13:31:00.000-07:00

In the midst of the trial I'm glad I can say I have a God that knows my every need. I have a God that cares for me. Even the little things. I have a God that wants what's best for me. Even if what's best is to allow me to go through a storm. That storm is there to change me. It's there to strengthen my faith. That storm is what's going to get me to that next step. There's a purpose for that storm. And, He's there through it all. He gives me peace in the midst of the storm. He gives me strength in the midst of the storm. I'm thankful for my God. I'm thankful for His grace and mercy. It really does surpass all understanding. Because of Him I'm able to stand. I have strength through Him. I have joy in the midst of the storm. Thank you Jesus!

He is moving and great things are going to happen.

2009-08-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

God is moving in a mighty way. He's reaching out and changing people. He's preparing us for the work that's coming. For the revival that's coming. I can feel it. It's like we are right on the edge and He's about to push us off into revival. I didn't realize that this isn't just going on in our little ol' church here in Livermore, but all over the world. The Lord is preparing us. The devil is attacking us too. But, our eyes are open to his tricks. We are aware of what he's doing. We don't need to fight back, but to stand. He's attacking marriages, finances, families... He's attacking with sicknesses, depression... I think he knows we are on the brink of a great revival and he's scared. His time is almost up.

Jarrod and I are planning a trip to Houston the middle of next month. We will be driving to Farmington, NM first and preaching that Sunday, September 20. We are so excited that God wants to use us. The next Sunday we will be preaching for Bro.Spencer in Houston. The following Sunday we will be back in Farmington. God has a plan. He's preparing us for revival and He's going to use us for this revival. This is awesome and we are so excited!

For thou oh Lord are a shield for me.
My glory, You lift my head!

Power In The Name

Power in the name of Jesus
Salvation in the name of Jesus
Freedom in the name of Jesus
Everything I need
Protection in the name of Jesus
Deliverance in the name of Jesus
Healing in the name of Jesus
Everything I need is in that name

I wish I would known
About the cross, Your blood
Your tears, Your love
You did this for me
I went for so long
Wishing I would have been told
About how You love me so
I'll stand and testify
About the One who saved my life
Nobody greater and that's no lie
This s what I know and I believe it!

Words and Music by James Avery Simms

Here's my proof.

2009-08-10T14:59:00.000-07:00

Every parent thinks their kids are some of the cutest in the world. I'm no exception. Here's some proof.

Here is a video of Simeon and Crimson singing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqU3-8F_UdY

Simeon loves Eliana. And, she loves him. I have to really watch him, because while I'm trying to let her "cry it out" he will go and pick her up and bring her to me. He will, also, decide that she would like to play with them or watch a movie with them. So, he will push her around in her bouncy seat. He loves to talk to her too. She loves the attention. Sometimes when I'm busy I will tell him to go talk to her. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiMZOYudHM0

A conversation with Simeon

Simeon: Mommy I want to take a shower with you.

Me: You can't.

Simeon: Why not?

Me: Because you're a boy.

Simeon: But, I don't want to be a boy. I want to be a girl.

Something with leftover potatoes

2009-08-07T18:20:00.001-07:00

So, I was lying in bed the other morning. Awake because Eliana woke up to eat. For some reason I had trouble going back to sleep. So, I started thinking about things. Then, I couldn't sleep because I was thinking about things. It becomes a deadly cycle that keeps me awake. Anyway one of my thoughts were about a ziploc bag of potatoes in the refridgerator and what they would be like if I mixed them with eggs. So, I woke Jarrod up and told him if he got up and got dressed I would make him breakfast. He's always game for breakfast.

So, I went downstairs and got the potatoes. I had made potato salad, but cooked too many potatoes. I put them in the 'fridge with hopes of making something with them. I don't always remember that I put things in there. I mashed the potatoes and added some eggs I whisked. It was probably about 2.5 cups of potatoes and 5 eggs. I took some chicken out that I had been saving for sandwiches. I cut about 1/2 cup up and put it in the potato/egg mixture. Oh, I had added some seasoned salt to the potatoes before adding anything else. So, I mixed all this together, melted some butter in a pan, and spooned some of the mixture in. I cooked it like pancakes and added a slice of cheese when I took them out of the pan. Mmmmm good. Although Jarrod said they needed salt or something. I disagree.

I took pictures, but they have gone missing from the computer. Like everything else that goes missing I shall blame the kids.

Chicken 2

2009-08-03T18:13:00.000-07:00

So, this is what it looked like when it came out of the oven.

I was putting the Cream of Chicken in it and decided let's go for it and add the sour cream. Then, I decided let's go for it and do cheese and biscuits. You can never have too much cheese. Well, maybe you can.

Here's where I had added the biscuits. What? Those don't look like biscuits? I was informed that what I make is called "drop biscuits". I don't roll them out and cut them out. I drop them on the pan. Makes sense to me. Hey! When you have three kids and one of them is screaming becuase you actually left her sitting there and aren't holding her would you make the traditional biscuits? Not me!

And the end result was.... Yummy yummy for my tummy! The biscuits kind of soaked down into the other stff. I was good and I hope to make it again.

Chicken

2009-08-03T17:33:00.000-07:00

I think I cook chicken too much. There are a lot of recipes for chicken, but if you think about it there's only so many ways to cook it. When you are thinking about your health you don't want to fry it too often. Sure you can boil it and do some kind of soup with it, but that gets old. And, boiled chicken is bland. Very bland. I think I'm just bored with chicken. I want to try something else. We have hamburger meat, but there's even fewer recipes for that. I want to cook some lamb or veal. I want to be more adventurous with my cooking. If Jarrod were reading this he would probably tell me that I'm already too adventurous with my cooking. Maybe it's just one of those days.

Right now I have dinner cooking in the oven. I've taken a casserole dish (rectangular pan with sides) and let the butter melt in it, in the oven, while the oven warmed up. I cut up some chicken breasts, potatoes, carrots, and corn and mixed those in with the melted butter. I sprinkled some seasoned salt on top and it's now cooking for 20 minutes. I'm debating whether or not to add the can of cream of chicken soup with the sour cream or without. Should I add cheese on top of that or let biscuits bake on top? Do I really need to make more biscuits? Do we have enough cheese? I'll let you know what I decide. I might even take a picture.

That reminds me. I took a picture of what I made the other night. It turned out really good. My intetion was to post a recipe with the picture, but I've already forgotten how I made it. See this is what happens. This is why I cannot make the same things twice unless I get it from some other recipe. I make it up as I go along and plumb forget how I did it. I made this really good chicken and biscuits recipe (trying to copy the chicken and biscuits from Cheesecake Factory) and plumb forgot how I made it. I kick myself every time I think about it. Anyway, here's what I made the other night.

Bye bye clutter!

2009-08-02T20:37:00.001-07:00

We are reorganizing boxes of stuff. It's funny how we can go through the same stuff we went through months ago and throw away what we thought we should keep. Slowly, but surely, the clutter is going away.

Unpack?

2009-08-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

Unpacking from camping is a long process. I can't just put everything away. Why? Because I got an idea and so I have to reorganize everything. If you were at my house right now you would see the mess. Sigh, I must go get this done.

Potatoes

2009-07-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

I waited too long to plant my potatoes. Way too long. They grew, how shall we say, moldy, green and fuzzy, gross. I think it might be too late to try again. But, I got some red potatoes from teh market tonight. I'm going to try to grow some from them. I love red potatoes. They are so good roasted or boiled and then just covered in butter. Nummy nummy for my tummy. I did the strawberry kit. Nothing so far, but it might be too early. We shall see, I hope.

I forgot and an update

2009-06-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

Wow! I completely forgot that I had made this blog.

Well, I guess I'll let you know what's been going on with me lately. lol My thoughts. I want a garden. Not a flower garden. I have enough flowers. I want to grow some vegetables. I don't think we get enough direct sunlight, but it's worth a shot. Last week Jarrod and I bought some potato seeds and a strawberry kit. I saw some tomato plants on sale at Safeway. I'm going to see if Jarrod will buy me one or two.

I've been so tired lately. I'm surprised I have any motivation to clean, because I really just want to sleep. But, a dirty house stresses me out. There's the motivation right there. It's frustrating, though, because I have to stop what I'm doing every hour or so to feed Eliana. So, a lot of things only get half done. Like the laundrey. I've got one load in the washer and one in the dryer. But, unless I miraculously grow some extra arms it's going to be sitting there until I get more than five minutes of free time.

And so those are my thoughts for the day.

I miss it

2008-01-21T18:37:00.000-08:00

I was reading a forum on this website about feeling a particular spirit at a conference. It got me thinking about where I have been spiritually the last few years. I used to be on fire for God. I miss it. So, I put Crimson in her bed (Jarrod and Simeon were already asleep) and I took a shower. I spent that time talking to God. I realize there are some things I have let get in my way. I am taking it back, my relationship with God.