The Orsborn Family

Mike's September Hunting Trip

2010-10-05T22:10:00.000-08:00

Due to the fall blustery weather, Mike and his hunting party had a tough time getting out of town and getting back to town. They were scheduled to leave on Friday, but didn't make it out 'till Saturday and then were scheduled to return Tuesday and didn't make it home until Wednesday. It sure was nice to see him back home. The kids were very excited to see him go when we dropped him off at Ward Air, getting to see the airplanes in the hangar and all the gear the guys hauled in. It was a lot of excitement, both Michael Jr. and Connor are already talking about when they get to join daddy on a hunting trip. Mike has promised Jr. to go shooting soon, starting with a .22 rifle this Sunday at the gun range!

Mike had talked with Jr. about how we had to cut the meat off the bones and process the meat. We ended up working on the meat while the boys were at my parent's to spend the night. The next day Jr. was VERY UPSET because he did not get to help daddy and mommy cut the meat off the bones!

With Mike only shooting one deer, we only ended up with 11 packages of meat for the freezer and we had enough scraps to fill 2 Quart Zip Lock baggies so we can do a little canning, I think we'll end up with 6 - 8 jars of canned venison, unless we also include the one package of meat from last year we haven't used from the freezer, then we may get 10 jars. We'll see!

Mr. Christian and his SmartiPants!

2010-09-06T20:40:00.001-08:00

Lately Christian has one hand down the front and one hand down the back of his pants! It's so funny, and tonight he managed to work his diaper down so much he's got a plumber's crack too. Priceless!

Haines & Whitehorse

2010-09-02T10:20:00.001-08:00

Our Road Trip Begins...We head to Haines to visit with Mike's sister, Jami, and her husband, Dan. We all had a good time and the boys had a blast playing around on the 'wheeler' on their property and playing with their dog, Sunny. After Haines we headed to Whitehorse. And, yes, for the record, the weather was fabulously DRY!!!!


One of our stops on the highway from Haines to Whitehorse (and there were many of them).

At Whitehorse we did a few things, one which was going to the Beringia and the Transportation Museums (but my batteries died just before the 2nd Museum).

And the kiddos all got a ton of outside playing time, of course, what else do you do when the weather's nice and dry?

Well, I guess, before it got warm enough to play outside, they were playing inside.

And then we had to head back to Haines....

With some stops along the way and beautiful scenery thru the bugs on the windsheild.

Back to Haines... We went and viewed the Bears there out the road past the Ferry Terminal, it was amazing, but the shots barely turned out, it was too dark...

And the only picture of Mike and I together without kids; how gorgeous is the view behind us?

Now, back onto the Ferry for another adventure...much easier this time that we rented a room with 4 bunks and a sitting room, well worth the $. So much less stressful being able to let the kids and us relax.

Then we were able to take each of the boys out on a walk around the boat to take pictures

(and we let the boys take their own pictures as well...)

Now for Connor's Photos...

And Michael Jr's Photos - our budding photographer!

Michael Jr. and his creation...

2010-08-18T13:56:00.000-08:00

Michael Jr. was quiet in his room for a while and then he called me and said, "Mom, look what I made!, Can you take a picture of it?"

This Week In Pictures & Fence and Playset (in the works)

2010-08-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

we're climbing...double trouble...

2010-08-09T13:28:00.000-08:00

Firefigher of the Month!

2010-08-08T16:32:00.001-08:00

Mike's picture is in the Juneau Empire today!
I'm so proud of him! He's worked so hard at getting to where he is with the Fire Department!

But here's what's in the paper (you can click on the link above too):

Capital City Fire Rescue

Mike Orsborn

Credentials: Firefighter 1, ETT

District: Auke Bay

Employer: State of Alaska, Health and Social Services

How long with the fire service: Two years.

Why did you join the fire service:

To give back to the community.

Favorite aspect of the fire service:

The family-like atmosphere, friendships with the career and volunteer staff, the great training opportunities and serving the community.

Reason nominated:

Mike is a father of four small kids and works full time, but he still finds time to be a volunteer firefighter. Whether it's hose testing, station tours, spring clean up, firefighter 1 class or when something needs to be completed, Mike is down at the fire hall lending a hand. Mike has started coming in once a week to help the live-ins pull duty. When the call for a fire comes, you can be sure that Mike will be there. Give him a hose line, tell him to put the fire out, and you will see one happy firefighter.

• Volunteer Firefighter of the Month is provided by Capital City Fire Rescue Division Chief-Colunteers Beth Weldon.

Progress!

2010-08-03T22:03:00.000-08:00

Tonight my mom and dad took all 4 kiddos for about 2 hours and Mike and I worked on the fence. Lots more to go, but slow and steady wins the race, right? We're half way there!

I also was able to hang 3 loads of laundry today! Yipee! Flowers are in full bloom too...

What We're Up To

2010-08-01T20:42:00.000-08:00

So, we're putting up a new fence AND gaining yardage! Our original fence we put up for our dogs way back when we didn't have any kiddos. Now that Michael and Connor can climb it, we felt it was time to put up a new fence since we live on a very busy corner and drivers are pretty crazy in our neighborhood.

The fence suited it's purpose for dogs and it was originally stained a dark brown. Then I thought we would try painting it white last year and I hated white, then I tried another color and hated that too. So, with this fence being cedar, we're leaving it as it, nice and pretty, until it greys with age, then we'll paint a few years down the road.

So, needless to say, we've been busy and will continue to be busy for some time... probably the rest of the month! We have a VERY long yard - 130 feet to be exact! And it's rather expensive too. So we really wanted to do this nice.

I'm a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to fencing so I'm putting up all the fence boards and leveling each one and cutting if needed. Mike's in charge of putting up the 2x4's. Dad and Mike put up the 4x4's. After we finish putting up the new fence we'll take down the old fence.

Tonight's Walk

2010-07-26T22:08:00.000-08:00

Wow, this is the first time in it seems like forever that we've gone out on a good walk. I think we walked for about an hour and a half tonight. It took about 30 minutes to get everyone and everything in dad's van, but we made it and went to the brotherhood bridge trail and walked over to the school and let the kids play in the playground and walked back to the van. It was a great walk. It felt so good to get out in the sunshine (what was left of it) and get some fresh air. There were even a few berries left for the kids to pick and eat on the way! Enjoy!

Fun With Friends

2010-07-16T14:19:00.000-08:00

Here's some pictures of my kiddos enjoying their friends Carly and Issac. This Friday and last we've had them over to play. Today my camera's batteries died while we were at the park so I didn't get as many pictures as I had hoped, but at least I got a few! Enjoy!

Family Photos

2010-07-12T18:01:00.000-08:00

http://www.littlemomentsphoto.com/

We had our photos taken at 'Little Moments Photography' on Sunday afternoon. These pictures make it look like it was easy, but it was pretty difficult to get all the kids to cooperate. ENJOY!

What do you get for 400+ hours of Fire Fighter Training?

2010-07-07T21:21:00.000-08:00

OK, so, Mike spent over 400 hours last year participating in Fire Fighter Training, and got this really cool jacket from his Volunteer Division Chief, Beth Weldon. It has his name embroidered on it.

To put it all into perspective; he works his regular job 37.5 hours a week, so this is like working at a second full time job for 11 weeks. Baffling! I know he was working hard at getting in some training, but 400+ hours? Awesome!

Berry Picking Today

2010-07-05T22:13:00.000-08:00

Well, today we went berry picking, after we did our errands and the twins had fallen asleep in the car - we found an awesome berry picking spot (or spots) in the area of the local University grounds. Bushes are everywhere. Mike and I lost track of time, but think we picked about 2 hours with the boys. We think we got about 3 lbs of Salmon Berries and 2 lbs of Blue Berries. I thought these pictures looked best with leaves :). Next time we go picking I'll try to remember my camera! Connor was so cute and loved eating as he was picking - Me: "put some berries in the bag" Connor: "no mama, I want to put them in my mouth, see..." I'm hoping to really pick a good lot of them this year so we have enough for all of my berry cooking / canning dreams. Hahahahaha. LOL.

Pics of Sprucewood Fire

2010-07-03T19:19:00.001-08:00

The other morning (at about 2:30am) Mike's pager went off and there was a fire at the trailer court across the street from where we live. He's in these pictures that his Chief Weldon took. It was a total loss, Mike went inside with Captain Furgeson, wish I could have seen it in person, although, I could see the smoke and glow of the fire outside our bedroom window!

today in photos...

2010-06-28T23:10:00.000-08:00

Well, Christian and Sophia are now a year old (as of June 18th)! We haven't celebrated their birthday, though, because my parents are out of town and Mike has been rather busy with his ETT training and out of town for work.

Today has been the nicest day in, I don't know, maybe two weeks? So I took the boys, just by themselves, after Mike got off work, to the 'duck pond,' for a quick visit before we went to my cousin Janet's to celebrate my Grandpa Maurice's 94th Birthday with the family, we even Skyped mom, dad and Brent during the celebration. I failed to take pictures, so maybe I will get copies from cousin Janet, she took some with her iPhone.

And just trying to get one shot of all four kids looking at the camera... Mike's trying to take the photo of me and the kids... By the end of this month I hope to post a photo of all six of us because we have a photo session scheduled with a photographer for family photos, yipee!!!!

These past two weeks in pictures...

2010-06-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

This Week In Pictures

2010-06-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday: Brothers (Can't Live With Them, Can't Live Without Them!)

2010-05-26T09:52:00.000-08:00

11 Months and Counting!

2010-05-25T22:47:00.002-08:00

On May 18th the twins turned 11 months! I can't believe they're going to have their first birthday in less than a month! This year has gone by so fast!

Generally when I'm on the floor and taking pictures of Christian and Sophia, they're a magnet to the camera, and like to crawl all over me, so it's really hard to actually get a good shot. So most of these pics are while I'm battling to keep them at a distance to get a focused shot. Enjoy.

Brown Rice Pizza with Venison, Mushrooms & Green Onions

2010-05-16T18:32:00.001-08:00

I was trying to figure out what to do for tonight's dinner. I had a ton of left over brown rice and some mozzarella cheese that needed to be used. I Googled rice pizza and all the recipes seemed to be about the same. This is what I ended up using:

3 C Brown Rice
2 C Shredded Mozzarella & White Cheddar Cheese
2 Eggs

Combine ingredients well and place on greased baking surface. Bake for 10 minutes at 400 to set crust.
(I will try longer next time, or a thinner crust - it was not the kind of crust you can pick up, we had to eat with a fork). After crust sets put on your pizza sauce, cheese and other toppings. Put back in oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on how well you like your cheese melted and how you like your crust.

What A Day!

2010-05-08T20:20:00.001-08:00

We spent a good part of our day at Dipac today with Grandpa Maurice. What a gorgeous day!

They got balloons...

And watched shadows...

And played around...

And did crafts...

And looked at fish...

Rainbows & Going Potty Outside

2010-05-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

Why is it that rainbows always look less exciting when you're looking at a picture of one? This was a spectacular double rainbow, but these pictures don't do it justice.

I was putting dishes away this morning and the boys were outside playing, then I hear Connor come inside proclaiming "I LIKE TO PEE OUTSIDE!" - and this was the first scene of the first crime of today with Connor. I actually took a few pictures of Connor too, but my camera for some reason didn't keep it? Weird.

This is the second 'pee-pee' crime today. I was just feet from him and he pulled down his pants to pee outside on the driveway, and still got his pants and shoes. I refused to help him take his shoes and pants / underwear off, I made him do it all himself so maybe it would be an unpleasant memory to remind him not to do it again??? We'll see what happens tomorrow!

Haircut

2010-04-23T22:38:00.000-08:00

Well, on a whim tonight I decided to cut my hair, but forgot to take a 'before' picture! Ugh. The boys will be surprised tomorrow when we pick them up from grandma and grandpa's. I think I cut about 6 inches, I just was having a hard time fixing my hair, just pulling it back all the time and babies pulling it. Feels good, but think I cut too much off. Oh well!

Food, Inc. & Natural, Organic or Non-GMO?

2010-04-20T23:22:00.003-08:00

Well, I don't have a huge amount of time to touch on this subject tonight, but I really wanted to post something on this subject briefly so I could also get the word out that Food, Inc. is going to be on PBS this Wednesday night and I want to encourage everyone to watch it. It shows for Juneau's local listing, it is on from 9.00 - 11.00 PM (Channel 10 if you've got Cable).

I am super excited to watch this film, I suppose, to enlighten myself more about food and how it gets to my table.

For a while now I have been on an Organic and All Natural kick, trying to buy organic when I can and if not, purchase all natural. But now that I have been doing some of my own investigating on Genetically Modified Foods, I am just about completely switching to an All Organic way of life. Of course, you can't completely avoid some foods, say, such as when you go to the Church Pot Luck and such, but to be aware of what you are putting into your body (It Is Christ's Temple - Now Isn't It?) and make the best choice possible.

Even the U.S. Government states that 53% of US Crops are Genetically Modified. I personally think that we're just all guinea pigs for what they are calling the Human Genome Project.

It's very scary to know that we don't know that we are eating Genetically Modified foods because the U.S. Government doesn't require labeling!

I encourage you to read the following sites and make up your own minds:

First, I encourage you to read the following article from No Greater Joy's website: Science Fiction Horror Story, it specifically gives great scripture on why Genetic Modification is defiling God's Creation. I am not only looking at the health benefits of avoiding GMO's, but by faith I should also be avoiding GMO's.

http://www.nongmoproject.org/

Check out the 'Non-GMO Project' they are a great source for find what foods / companies pledge to be GMO-free and what to avoid when you're looking at labels. Lots of great articles to read as well.

At Non-GMO Shopping Guide.com they give 4 tips on how to avoid GMO's:

1) Buy Organic - organic producers are not allowed to use GMOs
2) Look for "Non-GMO" Labels
3) Avoid At-Risk Ingredients including: Corn, Soybeans, Canola,Cottonseed
4) Buy Products listed in their Shopping Guide

Greenpeace also has articles on Sustainable Agriculture and Genetic Engineering.

Even the World Health Organization has information.

Whatever you do - at least give yourself at least 5 minutes to look up some information on GMO's. I guarantee you won't look at food the same way after you read up on the subject. I also hope that you have some time to view Food, Inc. on Wednesday, or at least watch it online for free or rent the video.

Mister Christian

2010-04-13T22:11:00.001-08:00

This little guy is 100% Boy! He's always on the move. He loves getting into everything, has a short attention span and always has bumps and bruises on his head. If he's not pulling himself up to stand, he's crawling like crazy or climbing all over his sister! I'm betting this guy is going to walk in a couple of weeks. He's always got to be chewing on something, he's got his fourth tooth coming in - it's a BIG one on the top. He's a non-stop spitter-upper and I've got stains in my carpet and clothing to prove it! Good thing we scored a free carpet shampooer from my massage therapist!

Christian has almost always has a pee-pee diaper, this kid can out-pee an adult! I have to be careful when I nurse him in bed because the sheets will be wet too. And, yes, that means he does not sleep thru the night like his sweet sister Sophia. God knew we needed a girl to balance out this little boy.

Miss Sophia

2010-04-09T12:56:00.000-08:00

Miss Sophia is going to be 10 months on the 18th of this month. So far she doesn't quite crawl, but rather gets around by using her arms (the part between her wrists and elbow - not her hands) and then the opposite leg/foot. It looks rather funny when she gets going, I call her 'gimp' when she's in action. She finally started getting into the sitting position by herself just recently, she's been able to sit on her own for several months, but just not able to get into the position. Sophia still doesn't have any teeth, but that's OK, because I don't think I could handle two babies teething at the same time. She's a rather serious baby, just soaking everything up and observing, it takes her awhile to warm up to people, even family members that she sees on a more regularly. She was the first to stay in her bible class on Sunday mornings without fussing. She was also the first to pickup things with her thumb and pointer finger. It's so fun to see that even though Sophia is a 'twin' she's her own individual and you probably wouldn't even know she was a twin if you didn't already know!

Sophia is already wearing some 18 month clothes including the adorable dress she's wearing - courtesy of KC, she sent me some great girly clothes recently and this is one of my favorite dresses! KC and Ryan have four kids of their own, two older kids and two of which are closer to our childrens' ages. We are looking forward to visiting them in Montana this November so Mike can go hunting with Ryan. We can't wait! It will certainly be interesting traveling with all 4 kids... I'm sure you'll see some blog posts on that later this year.

Wordless Wednesday - Bathtime & Playin' Around

2010-03-31T09:24:00.000-08:00

New Diapers!

2010-03-30T14:04:00.001-08:00

These are my new 'Smarti Pants' diapers (er... not my diapers, but the twin's diapers!). After my diaper disappointment with Kushies, I had a wild idea of making my own, but that was a failed attempt at best, with little time on my hands, I just couldn't get that project accomplished, so I was frantic looking online for a good replacement WITHOUT velcro! That would wash and wear better than those other diapers I was using. I found Smarti Pants by chance and thought I'd try them out, as there was a $20 off coupon for 10 diapers and soakers! It was also free shipping, so I only paid 79.99 for 10 diapers! That's a STEAL!!!

So far, so good, they are really working out well, and I LOVE snaps. These are also less bulky than the other diapers I was using. They're so good, I can't always tell if the diapers are wet, because they keep the wetness away from the babies' skin so well! (Is this where I'm supposed to say that I'm not being paid for writing this? I read somewhere that when reviewing a product, you have to make a statement?) Anyway, on with this...

This is where I found them... At... Bulk Cloth Diaper.com, and just now, looking at that site, you can get 10 diapers for 69.99, but it doesn't include inserts, but you can use a folded regular cloth diaper as an insert too, if you wanted. They arrived quickly, from the East Coast! I think I got them in 3 or 4 days. And they came with WONDERFUL directions on how to take care of the diapers.

You can read more about them at Smartipants.com which offer them for a

3 pack for 39.95 and 10 inserts for 19.95.... Bulk Cloth Diaper's Seconds is a great deal!

More pictures...

these are the inserts, micro fiber... do a GREAT job at soaking it up

here's how it looks as you're putting in the insert

Giveaways I've Found!

2010-03-26T09:31:00.000-08:00

Raising Olives - Bisquick Prize Pack

My Little Hen - MAKE! Book Giveaway

Make It and Love It - Resweater - Sweater Giveaway

Eagle Beach

2010-03-25T10:49:00.000-08:00

Sunday afternoon was beautiful so we decided to drive out the road to Eagle Beach. When we got there it was really windy and Connor didn't want to walk on the beach with Daddy and Michael, so the twins, Connor and I stayed in the Explorer. There were a lot of geese hanging out there too...

Homemade Buns

2010-03-24T07:38:00.000-08:00

I got this recipe from one of my favorite blogs -

Raising Olives and the recipe is here.

One thing she doesn't mention is how many buns you'll be making, I counted 41, so depends upon the thickness you like and the diameter you use (I used what she recommended - wide mouth mason jar ring).

Plus, it took me more time than she suggested, just because I have so many distractions in my home. These turned out wonderful! I've used them for sandwiches, toast and rolls, I haven't actually used them for hamburgers yet!

I guarantee that you'll love them!

9 Months Now

2010-03-19T20:05:00.000-08:00

Trail Mix Bars

2010-03-18T22:07:00.000-08:00

For some time now I have been looking for a good 'bar' recipe, and just happened to stumble across this when I picked up some of our peanut butter at the store the other day. Adam's to be specific! I had almost all the ingredients in my pantry except for the sunflower seeds! So today when I went to the grocery store I picked some up and then just finished making them about 1/2 hr ago!

Of course, I had to add some chocolate chips, everything needs a little chocolate in my world!

3 cups crispy rice cereal
3 cups toasted oat cereal
1 1/2 cups raisins
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup honey
3/4 cup sugar
1 (16oz) jar Adams 100% Natural Chunky Peanut Butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
no - stick cooking spray

combine cereals, raisins and sunflower seeds in large bowl
combine honey and sugar in medium saucepan, heat over medium heat until boiling, boil one minute.
add peanut butter and vanilla, stir until peanut butter is melted, pour over cereal mixture, mix well.
spray baking pan with no - stick cooking spray, press mixture into pan, cool

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-17T10:23:00.000-08:00

using mom's measuring cups as phones while I'm making bread

using measuring cups as goggles

take a picture of me mom!

I can do it by myself mom!

like mother, like son...

Christian's sitting up on his own...

cool shades...

checking the mail then off to the park

so happy

Miss Sophia

Keeping Busy & New Crafty Blog To Check Out

2010-03-15T22:32:00.000-08:00

Well, I've been keeping rather busy with the kids and doing multiple projects around the house, I just haven't had much time to blog, I have really been needing my sleep! I will post pictures of projects later, but for now I'd like to post my most recent blog find...

http://www.chicaandjo.com/

They have cool projects like this phone book organizer:

or this sandwich wrap:

and they feature other bloggers' cool stuff:

as well as cool ideas for kid's craft time:

and this really awesome blue jean pocket place setting:

You've got to check this site out!

Random Pictures

2010-02-26T09:05:00.000-09:00

I have been so busy this week I haven't had much time to post anything, so before I have to start getting ready for my weekend ladies retreat I thought I'd post some random pictures from the last two weeks.

Bella in her usual state of being.

Connor after coming home from a walk with grandpa. He was so tired he thought he'd sleep in the entryway.

Sophia with blanket.

The boys helping me pin my material while I'm sewing Aunt Lindsey's scarf - which I totally messed up on because I tried to hurry and sew it, but it's that kind of material if you rush it doesn't turn out, so I've got to rip and re-sew!

Michael Jr. acting goofy...

I must say that I'm having a heck of a time with this post, writing between the pictures, the formating is all messed up and I don't know why.

The below picture is of Connor watching TV.

Christian playing.

Boys at the fire station...

Michael Jr's Birthday Shirt

2010-02-18T12:42:00.000-09:00

The 23rd is Jr's 4th Birthday, and we're celebrating with family and friends this Friday, the 19th. Michael is so into 'number' shirts that I thought I would make him a #4 shirt for him to wear to his birthday party...

I made two shirts, not knowing which one I'd like better, but both the boys want a shirt anyway, so which ever Michael Jr. doesn't want to wear tomorrow, Connor will gladly wear. As they both covet 'number' shirts and 'fire fighter' shirts!

Honk if you love Jesus...

2010-02-13T22:14:00.000-09:00

I couldn't resist posting this picture my girlfriend (thank you Maureen!) sent me via email. Just Love It!

stuff, stuff, stuff

2010-02-13T12:24:00.002-09:00

Why is it that I get so stressed out by STUFF?

Why is it when I try to clean things up and de-clutter, I make more of a mess than if I would have let things alone?

But I can't - can't let this STUFF sit there?

I look at it and it stresses me out, I clean it and it stresses me out, some days I want to start fresh and throw it all out (that is until I start going thru things and tell myself I need it for this reason or that).

It's amazing how stuff acumulates (does anyone know what happened to the blog spell check? - I can't spell this word!)

OK, so I was saying... It's amazing how things pile up, this here, that there...and it's clutter turned into a big messy pile of "I don't know what to do...let's buy some plastic storage bins, label it and hide it in the closet (or cabinet or under the bed)." - you know what I'm saying!

I don't know how it happens, it creeps up on me, and I still manage to donate items, give things away on freecycle and have garage sales and the stuff still doesn't go away. Do you ever feel like me?

So this weekend I have begun purging and I'll give you an update later next week...

Yes, and some of this is due to me being inspired to participate in...

Frugal Friday

2010-02-12T11:55:00.001-09:00

This is my first post to Frugal Friday on Life As Mom

I've been wanting to participate in this for sometime now, but I've forgotten or have been too busy.

Today I'll keep it simple...

I try to save my plastic baggies, tin foil and plastic wrap - wash and reuse! I purchased (several years ago) a hanging baggie dryer and I love it! I actually need two, since sometimes I don't get around to washing my baggies everyday. I will save them up for a week or two weeks sometimes and have a baggie washing marathon day! Then I have to hang some by clothes pins because I've run out of room.

if you want a laugh...

2010-02-10T09:12:00.001-09:00

You have got to check this out - I have been laughing since I stumbled upon this site...

http://thereifixedit.com/

Positive Parenting 3-6-5

2010-02-08T23:44:00.002-09:00

I just stumbled upon this site:

http://positiveparenting3-6-5.blogspot.com/

It is a fabulous Christian parenting resource. I highly recommend you checking it out!

It includes articles on a multitude of child rearing topics including:

tying heartstrings
character training
preventive parenting

Not Me Monday

2010-02-08T22:53:00.003-09:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not work hard this weekend at getting my daycare reopened and spent $ grocery shopping only to not have my parent drop their kid off (or call) today, and I most certainly did not wake up at 5:30am in anticipating and feel super tired today!

I certainly did not decide to give in to my almost 4 year old and sew numbers on his t-shirts so that he'd wear more than 2 articles of clothing hanging in his closet.

I would never feed my kids fruit, cheese sticks and mini pretzels with peanut butter for lunch, no I would never feed snacky food to my kids for a lunch time meal!

I absolutely did not go off my budget this week and buy 3, YES - 3, coffees this week. Seriously, I couldn't have purchased 2 bags of coffee for the same price!

I am not seriously considering purchasing a package of disposable diapers so I can attend a women's retreat (and bring my twins with)...

And lastly...

Peanut Butter on a spoon and Chocolate Chips were not my evening snack, nope.

All Generation Class Today

2010-02-07T21:32:00.000-09:00

Today was our all generation class at Church. It is always enjoyable, and the children get to participate, we are usually split into groups with a mix of adults and children. Today Bill had our table discuss the following passage and then draw it out on paper for illustrational purposes. I really enjoyed today's passage (and enjoy reading it in the New Living Translation):

Psalm 1

¹ Oh, the joys of those who do not
      follow the advice of the wicked,
      or stand around with sinners,
      or join in with mockers.
² But they delight in the law of the Lord,
      meditating on it day and night.
³ They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
      bearing fruit each season.
   Their leaves never wither,
      and they prosper in all they do. ⁴ But not the wicked!
      They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
⁵ They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
      Sinners will have no place among the godly.
⁶ For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
      but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

Polluted Babies and Genetically Engineered Crops

2010-02-05T15:27:00.001-09:00

Things that are of most importance to me are my children and what they eat.

What parent wants their child to be born with pollution in their bodies?

What parent wants their child to be eating genetically engineered foods?

I want what is best for our children, the best start in life and the best life they can live as they grow into adults and be stewards of this Earth.

The Environmental Working Group is working on our behalf to make this world a better place.

They have a petition that I recommend signing. Please read below (I copied this from their website):

BABIES ARE BORN PRE-POLLUTED WITH 100’s OF TOXIC CHEMICALS.

OUR BROKEN TOXICS LAW IS FAILING THEM.

WE NEED YOUR HELP TO CHANGE THAT.

EWG tested the umbilical cord blood of 10 newborn babies and found nearly 300 chemicals, including BPA, fire retardants, lead, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and pesticides that were banned more than 30 years ago.
Speak up for change. Our kids deserve it.
The Kid-Safe Chemicals Act would require that all chemicals be proven safe for children before they can be sold. But lawmakers in Washington need to know that you want them to reform our broken toxics law.
Please sign this petition to demand that Congress take action to make chemicals in consumer products kid-safe.

ALSO... Please read this I recieved in an email from Organic Valley Family of Farms regarding information from The True Food Network on genetically engineered crops.

Stop Genetically Engineered Alfalfa and Protect Organic Food!

Speak Out on Genetically Engineered Alfalfa

In 2006, the Center for Food Safety (CFS) sued the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for its illegal approval of Monsanto’s genetically engineered (GE) Roundup Ready alfalfa. USDA failed to conduct an environmental impact statement (EIS) before deregulating the crop. An EIS is a rigorous analysis of the potential significant impacts of a federal decision. The federal courts sided with CFS and banned GE alfalfa until the USDA fully analyzed the impacts of the GE plant on the environment, farmers, and the public in an EIS. They released a draft EIS on December 14, 2009. Draft EIS
Supplemental documents

It appears USDA again intends to deregulate GE alfalfa without any limitations or protections for farmers, consumers or the environment. In the new EIS, the USDA has completely dismissed the fact that GE contamination will threaten export and domestic markets and organic meat and dairy products. And, incredibly, USDA is claiming that there is no evidence that consumers care about GE contamination of organic. We know that's not true.

Your Participation is Critical! Take Action by February 16

A 60-day comment period is now open until February 16, 2010. This is the first time the USDA has done this analysis for any GE crop, so the final decision will have broad implications for all GE crops. The failure of the agency to address the impacts of GE alfalfa will have far-reaching consequences for farmers and organic consumers. Let's not be Monsanto's guinea pigs!

Learn more and get talking points on our website. Then take action at the Center for Food Safety, or submit comments online to the USDA directly.

After you write, let us know at rootstock@organicvalley.coop.

Where to Take Action:

Submit comments via the Center for Food Safety Action Center tool. If you have time to write an original response, you can also submit your comments directly to the USDA.

By Mail: A written letter is very powerful. Mail your comments to:

Docket No. APHIS-2007-0044

Regulatory Analysis and Development, PPD, APHIS, Station 3A-03.8

4700 River Road Unit 118

Riverdale, MD 20737-1238

Learn more and get talking points on our website.

Then take action at the Center for Food Safety,

or submit comments online to the USDA directly.

After you write, let us know at rootstock@organicvalley.coop.

My Confession - My Kiddos Are Not Angels!

2010-02-02T21:45:00.001-09:00

Tonight when I told my boys it was time for bed, I was looking into the eyes of my oldest boy who was glaring at me with the darndest hard core look you'd ever seen. You've got to be kidding! MY LITTLE ANGEL? Some days are awesome with hugs and kisses and "mom, I love you" and "mom, you're my friend" then I get the "h*ll no, I'm not doing what you ask me to do!" look and I'm thinking "where am I going wrong?"

Seriously!?%$#

I really do pray every night and morning for God's guidance to raise these charming children of mine, and then when something like tonight goes on - I litterally feel like my child is possessed and I need to perform an exercism.

I do notice some trends in behavior and so I really try to avoid certain things that set off bad behavior or attitudes in my children such as watching TV and avoiding being on the phone or internet. And I try really hard to bond with my children and train them up. It just breaks my heart to see my children act in such a way, and in my mind I immediately flash forward to the teen years and think "I'd better get these boys under control now!"

I hope I'm not the only mom out there that's having these days, nights, mornings, etc.

Please, please, leave me a comment and pray for a better tomorrow!

Here are some comforting scriptures I try to remind myself of as I reflect on my job as a mother.

Deut 6:5-7

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up."

Prov 22:6

"Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it."

Prov 13:24

"He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently."

Prov 22:15

"Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; The rod of discipline will remove it far from him."

Prov 23:13

"Do not hold back discipline from the child, Although you strike him with the rod, he will not die."

Prov 29:15

"The rod and reproof give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother."

Eph 6:4

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord."

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2010-02-02T07:55:00.002-09:00

So here's the recipe that I use to make my own Laundry Detergent.

I've been meaning to post this for months now, but just found time this morning.

I first was introduced to this idea by watching one of my favorite shows on TLC:

The Duggar Family's 18 Kids and Counting.

They have it posted here: Duggar's Homemade Laundry Soap Recipe

Ingredients:

1 Fels Naptha soap bar, grated

1 cup washing soda

1/2 cup borax

I use the old laudry detergent containers to put the mix in.

I also wrote the recipe on the container so I wouldn't loose it.

I had to divide the recipe because the Duggars use so much,

and I didn't have enough storage in my home for a 5 gallon bucket!

Grate the soap bar into a small saucepan. Cover with hot water.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring continually, until the soap completely dissolves.

Put washing soda and borax in a 5-gallon bucket. Pour in the hot, melted soap mixture. Stir well, until all the powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot tap water. Stir, cover securely, and let set overnight. The next morning, stir the mixture. Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water in a smaller laundry-detergent dispenser or container. Shake before using.

For top-loading machines: Use 1 cup of the soap mixture per load.

For front-loading machines: Use 1/2 cup per load.

Monday's Multiple Posts...

2010-02-01T20:52:00.001-09:00

Well, today I had multiple posts... You can keep scrolling down or you can click below:

Winner of Breast Pump Giveaway

One Small Change Challenge for Feburary

28 Days of Organizing Challenge

28 Day Organizing Challenge

2010-02-01T20:45:00.002-09:00

I have decided to participate in the 28 Day Organizing Challenge hosted by I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Here's some of my (gulp, embarasing) before pictures... So that you too can be inspired to do something about your space!

A lot of you know that we have an arctic entryway and then you enter into our livingroom, diningroom, kitchen area. There is a lot of stuff that our family has and it seems that the arctic entryway is a dumping ground as well as where we enter into the house from the arctic entryway. Plus, I am storing things under my dining room benches and above my fridge which drives me nuts! I really do prefer having NO clutter but with 4 kids I've let things go and it's a big stresser for me, so this is for me so I can feel less stress by the end of the month...

I'll be posting preview pictures of some re-organizing we've started later this week... Thanks for stoping by!

One Small Change Challenge for Feburary

2010-02-01T20:14:00.001-09:00

One Small Change is hosted by Hip Mountain Mama.

It is a monthly challenge thru April 22nd.

For the month of January my 'One Small Change' that I chose was to hang a load of laundry each day. See post here. And I am reporting that although I did not accomplish to do this EVERY day, I did manage to EVERY OTHER DAY, except for a three-day stint when our water was turned off during the day from 8am to 5pm each day, so I was forced to play catch-up with my laundry because of someone's pipes freezing in the park! However, with that being said, I certainly did learn how to gather water and use water sparingly for 3 days straight! And this spring I will have Mike install a rain barrel so that I'm not stressed about having enough water when it gets turned off for the day...

OK, so, for February's Challenge...I will continue to work on my DAILY laundry hanging challenge from January. PLUS I will now start using cloth only in the kitchen AND cloth wipes for my twins' diaper changes! I already use cloth diapers, so you'd think this would be a no-brainer, but it's taken a lot for me to get to the point of using washable wipes...Lots of prayers needed on this one! I have on and off tried to limit the amount of paper towels used in the kitchen and the amount of commercial diaper wipes by making my own, but will now forgo paper all together! I will remove what paper I do have in the kitchen and in the diaper basket and use cloth only!

Breast Pump Giveaway Winner!

2010-02-01T19:45:00.003-09:00

And the winner is... Ruth

A lot of thanks to Ruth and Rachel

for participating in my first giveaway.

It was very difficult for me to choose a winner!

I hope to post another giveaway soon!

Ruth - please email me at orsbornfamily@gmail.com !

Bread Baking - New Recipe!

2010-01-29T23:35:00.001-09:00

Mike's mom, Jeanette, passed this recipe on to me a few weeks back and I finally had time this Friday to test it out. She said she was given the recipe when she attended a cooking class in Skagway way back when they lived there!

My Kitchen Aid bowl was almost not big enough, do they make larger bowls? I think I need one!

Dissolve 2 TBS (2 pkgs) yeast with 1/2 cup warm water.
Set aside.

Blend 8 TBS Honey

3 1/2 cup warm water

4 cup wheat flour

Add yeast to blended mixture and Beat with mixer for 3-5 minutes.
This is called sponging.

Let this set for 1 hour.

Add 2/3 cup oil

3 tsp salt

6 cup wheat flour gradually

knead out with white flour. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.

shape into loaves and let raise until double

bake in 375-400 degree oven for approx. 20-30 minutes.

makes 4 loaves

These turned out awesome! They weren't as dense as my other wheat bread recipes, nice and moist and not at all doughy. VERY good. I will make this again next week! Thank you Jeanette!

Food Waste Friday - Peanut Butter Muffins

2010-01-29T14:33:00.001-09:00

I'm participating in Food Waste Fridays hosted by the Frugal Girl.

Well, not too much to report here! Only had some Peanut Butter Muffins that were sitting in the back of the fridge for at least 3 weeks, could have gone out with last Friday's toss. I suppose we could have eaten them, but not sure how long these really last.

Anyone care to tell me how long bread / muffins might last in the fridge?

Not Me Monday - Not Much, Just Poop

2010-01-26T07:33:00.001-09:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

This week has not been all that extraordinary at my house, just the usual going ons.

My hubby certainly did not help me with washing the diapers, and did not forget to check the diapers before putting them in the washer to make sure there weren't any 'paper towel wipes' in them. And we most definately didn't have little bits of paper towel all over the inside of the washer and all over the diapers when I took them out to dry them! And I did not proceed to shake out all the diapers and cause the floor to look like it had snowed inside!

I most definately have not done a good job at training my children to recycle, because I did not throw some paper into the wrong recycle bin and my oldest son did not come to me and say "Mom, you can't put paper with the plastic!"

There's never a time when I'm sitting down nursing the twins and I can't get up to get something for my older boys. So they certainly did not get up to get water for themselves and Michael Jr. most definately did not pour water all over Connor. So, I did not have a naked boy running rampant around the house for 20 minutes.

AND...Connor most definately did not go to the bathroom by himself, because, he's not potty training, nope. He did not come out of the bathroom and tell me he pooped on the floor and when I went back to investigate I most certainly did not see chunks of poop on the walls and floor and a nice smear on the toilet seat.

Nope, none of this happened at my house this week!

On Good Behavior - Resources & Articles

2010-01-23T14:51:00.008-09:00

Above all I believe in Child Training thru God's Word. God is specific in that we are to 'train' our children. That means consequences for unacceptable behavior. This has been on my mind a lot; when you have four kids under 4 years of age, there's a lot of training going on! And they're all at different stages and levels of comprehension. These verses help me focus on today for the future and the articles below are also great resources...

Proverbs 22:6

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Ephesians 6:4

And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

No Greater Joy.org has some great resources in their magazine that you can read online or you can subscribe to via the mail. They also have many child training books and videos (several of which we own, have read and viewed!).

From the Total Transformation Program there are two great articles, one on how to give consequences that work and the other 0n motivating the child, these are quick reads and actually give some specific examples that made me think 'duh' that's what I should be doing!

Other resources you can find out there on the web, and I most recently found a really good series of articles written on the Raising Olives blog called Your Child's Heart which I highly recommend!

Food Waste Friday - this n' that

2010-01-22T14:44:00.005-09:00

I'm participating in Food Waste Fridays hosted by The Frugal Girl.

This week I found some old moldy apple butter, pbj sandwich, broccoli & baby food! I seriously need to clean the fridge, it's starting to smell even though there's no expired food in there!

Giveaway - Medela Breast Pump

2010-01-22T14:12:00.004-09:00

Hi there Ladies! Thought I'd post a 'giveaway' today...

I have a (used) Medela Breast Pump in good working order with all kinds of accessories that I'd like to give away!

My twins won't take a bottle and aren't too keen on sippy cups either, so I thought I'd give it to someone who might get better use of it!

Check it out and then make a comment below about how breastfeeding is important to you!

I'll review all posts and then post a winner on February 1, 2010.

here's a picture of everything: bag, pump, accessories

this is a manual pump

it also has attachments for larger boosoms!

Save $300 with No Garbage Pick Up & Recycling

2010-01-21T08:22:00.014-09:00

Well, we did it, we canceled our garbage service. That was a few months back, and I have to say that it was rather successful. Good bye $75 quarterly garbage bills! (We now save $300 / year).

How do you do it you may be asking?

It's rather simple, REALLY simple.

We recycle almost all of our garbage, and I try hard not to have much food waste, and our wonderful dog, Bella, enjoys most of the boy's scraps from the table. I also wash and reuse baggies, tin foil & plastic wrap.

Usually once or twice a week - depending upon how full our recycle bin is, Mike will take the recycling to the dump on his way home from work. At the recycle center he gets a 'punch' on his 'punch card.' This punch card, when full, is good for one free dump run!

A FREE DUMP RUN?

YES!

So that's how we do it! Recycle, get a punch, take our garbage to the dump when we get a full punch card. It saves the environment and your budget! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Here's some information listed on juneau.org's website:

Gives a list of what is accepted for recycling:

http://www.juneau.org/pubworks/recycling.php

Other recycling resources (a list including: styrofoam, cell phones, six pack rings, toner, etc.):

http://www.juneau.org/pubworks/r-rec.php

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-20T13:19:00.007-09:00

Not Me Monday

2010-01-18T00:03:00.005-09:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created byMckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

This is my first post to “Not Me Monday” at Mck Mamma’s blog. I have enjoyed reading others posts, and with this past week having plenty of those moments, I’ll now start to share them with you.

No, not me, I certainly did not feed my children cereal and toast for dinner twice this week.

I absolutely did not pop one, but two, of my children’s balloons because they did not listen.

I most definitely did not ignore the gigantic pile of clothes on my couch so I could bake bread.

I really should share that I did not leave a dirty diaper sit all night on the top of the toilet tank because I was exhausted.

You just wouldn’t believe that I did not use baby food for other than feeding the babies – this week I certainly did not run out of regular apple sauce and give baby apple sauce to my older kiddos. And I most definitely did not substitute a few jars of baby food (carrots and sweet potatoes) because I didn’t have enough tomato sauce to put in my chili. (And I swear no one noticed.)

No, my kid did not pee his pants at my hubby’s office because I forgot to put him in a pull up and forgot to get him to take a potty break. And he certainly did not leave the building only wearing one of his little brother’s cloth diapers and a pair of rubber boots.

My kid certainly did not take off his underwear to put on his sister's head so she could wear them as a hat.

Happy Birthday Mike!

2010-01-17T22:23:00.005-09:00

My fabulous hubby of 8 years turned 33 today, it's hard to believe that we've actually been together almost 12 years, so I've known Mike since he's been 21. Wow! How time flys!

Mike's sister Amber (and family) and his brother Timm (and family) came over to celebrate... I should also mention that this year Mike's mom, Jeanette, was in town this weekend, so she also was able to share this day with us!

Mike is so AWESOME! I made dinner for his birthday, or maybe I should say... I prepared the ingredients and Mike made his own dinner, as I was stuck on the recliner nursing the twins. He's such a good sport, and has come a long way since I first met him. What a catch! He even helped clean up the kitchen tonight after his siblings and mother left.

I do have to say that of course I made rolls on Wednesday and made Mike's cake yesterday (using his grandmother Dorothy's recipie - This is my favorite cake by far, and oh, so easy to make! I'll post more photos of how and the recipie later).

One Small Change

2010-01-17T14:55:00.009-09:00

1 Corinthians 10:26

"for the earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."

I have become more aware in the past few years while I have been conciously working on being green, eco friendly and frugal that we are stewards of God's earth and should do our part to create less waste and be more aware of our actions on the environment.

So, having come accross Hip Mountain Mama and it's 'One Small Change' challenge, I thought it would be a perfect match for me and to add to my already growing list of things I am trying to do to be more aware and concious of my actions.

In their own words...

"Our vision with Hip Mountain Mama is much larger than selling environmentally friendly products. We are passionate about educating others about sustainability and passionate about building community. Our desire to create a community of individuals who want to make a positive change has led to the creation of our One Small Change project.

We want to challenge each of you to make 1 change each month leading up to Earth Day (April 22, 2010). It can be small or it can be huge, but all we ask is that you decide on something you will do to make a positive green impact and follow through with it. If everyone makes 4 changes between January and April, this can have a huge effect."

This month, although already half over, I have decided to still participate. I already think that I am somewhat green and eco friendly. But feel like I can continue working on this earth friendly path. As being green is often synonymous with being frugal, I feel like it is something that I need to do, to show my kids how to live responsibly.

This month I have decided to hang dry at least one load of laundry per day. Now, some of you who don't live in our area might think, "what's so difficult about that?" But those of you who do live here (or who have lived here before or visited) are asking, "are you crazy?"

We live in a 'Rain Forest' and here it seems like it rains just about every other day!

So, my only option that I have, unless I want to hang my laundry in the rain, is to hang it in my bathroom and above my washer and dryer! I have a closet rod above my washer and dryer in the hallway and an extra shower rod above the tub in the bathroom (See Photo of Diapers Below).

Baking Bread

2010-01-15T19:04:00.008-09:00

We go thru A LOT of bread!

It seems like my kiddos really prefer to only eat bread and fruit these days, although, I make them try other things at dinner time, and then use dinner rolls as my leverage to get them to eat 'that other stuff' they're not too keen on.

Wednesday was my 'baking bread day,' nothing else really got done around here, it was a sort of crazy day, bread baking, laundry piling up, etc. At least I made some pizza for dinner, but I had to run to the store to pick up sauce and cheese - on the sauce note - I'm going to attempt in the future to make and can my own spaghetti/pizza sauce and will post later.

What you'll see is that not every loaf is the same, as I have so many distractions, some loaves of bread have risen more than others, and I have two different loaf pan sizes: 9x5 and 8x4.

I hate to waste anything - so after I sliced all my bread, I kept the bread crumbs and put them in an old Adams Peanut Butter Jar.

mmm... Pizza for dinner!

Food Waste Friday - Sour Cream Gone Bad!

2010-01-15T09:00:00.003-09:00

I hate throwing out food, it's money down the drain! I'm starting to participate in 'Food Waste Friday' - hosted by The Frugal Girl.

Last night I made soft tacos for dinner and went for my sour cream and it looked like this:

The thought actually went through my mind "hmm, I wonder if I can salvage some of this, not all of it has mold growing on it" - but I was worried that I would make us sick. Has anyone actually done what I was only thinking?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-13T10:49:00.006-09:00

God will fully satisfy every need...

2010-01-12T21:20:00.008-09:00

Since we've started our 'Financial Freedom' bible study by Jim Sammons (http://iblp.org/iblp/discipleship/financialfreedom/) I have tried harder to let God supply our needs thru prayer and patience.

Today was another one of those wonderful days in which God supplied our needs.

We have been wanting some folding chairs for when we have family and friends over to the house - since we have limited seating - and I have been putting off purchasing folding chairs to see if God would supernaturally intervene and he has! We received two very nice metal folding chairs thru Freecycle.

The other need we've been putting off is getting our carpets cleaned. I really want to get them clean since the babies are starting to play on the floor more and I can't put down a blanket without them rolling up in it anymore. Last week I priced out renting the carpet cleaner and decided to wait till this weekend to rent it while the boys were at my parent's for their weekly night over. However, today, during my Chiropractic Massage, thru small talk with my massage therapist, she has a really nice carpet shampooer she doesn't need anymore and is going to give it to us!

God is awesome!

Philippians 4:19

And my God will fully satisfy every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

I want to challenge you to let God work in your life supernaturally and supply your needs. Sometimes his response is instant and sometimes it takes time.

Remember - God's timing is always perfect!

Conquering the New Year…

2010-01-11T07:43:00.005-09:00

OK, so it’s almost the middle of January, but I finally feel like I’m ready to begin a ‘New’ year starting TODAY. I have a few GOALS that I’d like to accomplish this year and thought that posting them would make me feel more accountable.

I’ve thought about my LIST for a few days now as well as HOW and WHY these items are on my list. What are my priorities? What would I be proud of accomplishing when this year comes to an end? How can my GOALS positively impact me and my family?

There are many things I could put on this list, it could easily be 100+ items long, but if I narrow things down and make some general and some specific, I think my list would be all-encompassing without being too long (I’d get tired writing it). Plus, I think I’m going to use these as SUBJECTS for FUTURE POSTS.

So, here’s my list, and I challenge others to making GOALS as well.

I want these to be LIFESTYLE changes…

· Spend more time reading the BIBLE and in PRAYER
· Turn the TV OFF

(I’d really just like to throw it out the window, but Mike wouldn’t be too happy)
· Limit my time on the INTERNET and be deliberate in what I’m doing

(it’s easy to waste time)
· Continue towards FINANCIAL FREEDOM, being DEBT FREE

and out of FINANCIAL BONDAGE
· Strive to be FRUGAL (easy on the wallet and the ENVIRONMENT)
· Wake up EARLY – go to bed EARLY – have more quiet time and reflection
· Spend more QUALITY time with my HUSBAND and CHILDREN
· EAT HEALTHY – I hate dieting, but it's easier if I focus on HEALTH
· Be more JOYFUL in all that I do

Our BIGGEST FUTURE GOAL we are working towards…

· Purchasing PROPERTY for a home with CASH ONLY

Some small PROJECTS we would like to accomplish this year…

· Putting up a PRIVACY FENCE around our home
· Putting up a CLOTHES LINE
· Building a greenhouse for a GARDEN
· Replacing our back DECK
· GRAVELING our driveway

Magna Doodle Excitement

2010-01-01T15:16:00.004-09:00

We've been working with Michael Jr. on reading and writing. He's done really good and is writing his first and last name now for a while. He's so funny, he'll write 'notes' for us and come and tell us what he's written.

I'm so proud of him! (I do have to add that we sometimes instigate things by bribery - but it works!).

Michael will be turning 4 in February, so I'm pretty proud that he's acomplished writing his name this early.

Connor likes to get in on the action too and says, "I'm going to write my name, see - I did it!" and comes and shows us and there's about 20 'o's - but at least he's getting the idea!

Humor Me!

2009-12-31T20:03:00.004-09:00

I don't know if I want to laugh or cry.

Tonight Mike arrived home and we had an early dinner, as I had a small list of things I wanted to do and get out of the house for a little fresh air.

1. Pick up laminate flooring offered on Freecycle.
2. Return shredded moldy cheese to Costco.
3. Return things to Fred Meyer's.
4. Get Coffee!

A bit before we leave the house, I like to make sure the babies are fed (nursed) and happy - there's nothing worse than 4 upset kiddos in the car! Well, Christian decided to throw up all of his dinner on my shirt and in my lap - I'm used to him spitting up, but he really threw-up! And was really crying. He was having a not-so-good time today, really fussy. I realized he hadn't pooped in a few days, so, I tried to help him with a suppository - it took 3 suppositories (and pee all over my couch and multiple layers of wipes) to make this little kiddo feel better.

Ok, so the throw-up, pee-pee and poop incidents were done with. Perhaps we could get in the car and get my list of things done?

I really wanted some Coffee, really bad, you know, the $4 coffee that that I like to treat myself to about once a month when I can make it out of the house, and we passed about 4 coffee houses, and they were all closed! I ended up compromising and getting a drip coffee at Breeze-in, but was so out of my element that I didn't know what I was doing and didn't really get what I want. Coffee Flop!

So, we did end up making it downtown to pick up the laminate flooring pieces, but it didn't fit in my Explorer! Ugh. Duh! I hate wasting gas! Now Mike's got to take his truck tomorrow to pick it up.

On the way home we drove past Costco, which was closed as well, LOVELY!, so Mike will have to exchange the moldy cheese tomorrow, or maybe Saturday, whenever they end up opening!

Wow, this evening has gone smoother that I expected (hah!) - at least the kiddos were all content (and sleepy).

At least the last stop at Fred Meyer's was a success and all items we wanted to return we were allowed to return (now we had a whopping $13 extra to spend) and I really need another shower rod (which I will explain in the next post).

I Hope that your New Year's Eve was just as exciting as mine!

Diaper Disappointment

2009-12-31T20:02:00.006-09:00

Most of you know that I (almost) exclusively use cloth diapers.

Having three kiddos (well, soon to be only two) in diapers, you can imagine how many I go thru and how many loads I wash and dry each day.

I have been very happy with Kushies all-in-one diapers, except for now - now that I've been using them for 5 months (the first month I used disposable - since babies were too small for the Kushies I had).

I have noticed that they are really wearing out.

I think the main problem is that living here in Lovely Juneau, I have to dry them in the dryer, and that EATS the outer lining producing little holes, first along the legs of the diaper and velcro areas. I have to say that I am rather disappointed, I would line dry them, but here that might be next to impossible - say 10 out of 12 months!

However, now that I am accustomed to changing cloth diapers, I hardly use a liner, which I used in the beginning (the kind that helps peel the poop off and then flush down the toilet), and am going to switch to regular cloth diapers and use a Snappi with a wrap as my other Kushies diapers wear out.

To try to extend the life of (what I have left of) my Kushies I am going to attempt to "line dry" them in my bathroom. We have forced-air heat and I figured out if I put up another shower curtain rod over the middle of my bathtub, I can hang those diapers to dry, and it will take about 24 hours to dry. However, I will still have to put them in the dryer for a few minutes so they're not board stiff. I'll take a picture for you and add to the post when I get it put together (hopefully tomorrow!).

No Greater Joy

2009-12-30T19:22:00.003-09:00

http://www.nogreaterjoy.org/magazine/

I highly recommend reading and subscribing to this free magazine. Articles usually focus on chid training and marriage. I recieved mine in the mail yesterday and have already read it cover to cover!

Making Christmas This Year

2009-12-25T14:49:00.021-09:00

This year we didn't put up our tree until the week of Christmas, and then took it down last night, next year I want to put it up closer to Thanksgiving. I really enjoyed having Christmas this year. It was rather special, as I tried making most of my gifts in the kitchen or on the sewing machine.

We misplaced our box of ornaments and lights, so I decided we didn't need to buy any, we could bake them! I used a salt dough (I think it's the same as home made play dough) and let the kids help me roll it out and cut out ornaments with cookie cutters. I'm kicking myself for not taking pics of the kids when we did them. Here's a few of the ornaments:

My Grandma Carolyn sent me these flowers:

Which was perfect as my centerpiece for Christmas Eve when Mike's brother and sister's family came over for dinner. I baked a ham (for the first time) and it turned out great! Here's a pic of the boys (and Connor had already gotten into the cookies - as evidence is on his face!)

I also made several batches of Cinnamon Rolls, of which some were successful and some were not, I need to make these more often, and not just during the holidays!

These were some of the crayon/coloring bags I made for my nieces.

This sewing project was my favorite - canvas tote bag. I made about a dozen of them and really had fun picking out the ribbon for the handles.

I also enjoyed making these mixes to hand out: Corn Bread, Swope Bread and Salt Dough.

Michael Jr. helped me with the ginger cookies, he had a lot of fun and called the dough, when he rolled it, 'dinosaur poop.'

Here's the stockings I made for Jr. & Connor - next year I'll make stockings for the twins.

Here's my first crayon/coloring bag that I attempted - which I adore, and sent to my dear sister, Jasmine!

This is a garbage sack for the car (or truck) that you put on the back of the chair and hangs off of the headrest.

Well, I sure had fun this Christmas, but will start A LOT sooner than I did this year to get some of those cooking and sewing projects done so I can get more sleep next year!

I will post pictures of the boys opening their gifts on another post.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!

Fruit Of The Spirit

2009-12-11T10:33:00.004-09:00

With four kids constantly needing my attention, as well as my husband and frequently forgotten dog, I find it rather challenging at times to maintain composure.

I find that the more I practice these fruits of the spirit, the happier I am, and the happier everyone else is as well.

For a constant reminder of how my attitude should be I have the following verse in my kitchen and read it several times a day:

Galatians 5:22-23

The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

Connor's new pants (I made them!)

2009-12-09T12:26:00.005-09:00

I am so excited! I sewed my first pair of pants! Connor has a problem fitting his pants because he's got cloth diaper bulk and it's hard to pull up and pull down his other pants (it wouldn't be a problem if he were wearing disposables).

Anyway, I am just so thrilled that I completed such a sewing project. Of course, I had a few bumps, I was so excited about sewing that I wasn't careful when I kept being interrupted and wasn't paying attention to the knee pads I sewed on - so the 2nd knee I put on I forgot to sew the 2nd circle around and sewed the pant legs together, so I had to rip the stitches out TWICE! First because I wasn't paying attention, and 2nd because I sewed them back up without sewing around the circle!!!

If you're interested in making a pair for yourself or your kiddo, here's a link where I got my inspiration:

http://makeitandloveit.blogspot.com/2009/08/repurposing-boys-lounge-pants.html

Pictures

2009-12-07T14:05:00.005-09:00

It seems like I'm taking fewer pictures these days, these are of the few that I've taken since Halloween. Twins will be 6 months on December 18th!!!

A Homemade Christmas (Crafty Blogs To See!!!!)

2009-12-06T13:45:00.006-09:00

It's been a while since my last post, and I've been rather busy! I've been preparing for the Christmas Holiday trying to use my craftyness this year. I have decided to make all gifts either in the kitchen or with my sewing machine! So you are all put on notice! LOL.

I have recieved a lot of inspiration from the following websites that I highly recommend checking out:

http://makeitandloveit.blogspot.com/ - you will miss out if you don't check it out!!!!

and

http://www.skiptomylou.org/ - another absolute must!!!!

and

http://makeitfromscratch.blogspot.com/ - more great ideas!!!!!

I will eventually post pictures of my craftyness, but not till the season is over - since they're all gifts to be given, I don't want you to see them here yet!

Financial Bondage and Purposing To Be Debt Free

2009-11-16T22:04:00.005-09:00

OK, so here's my second post on Jim Sammon's Financial Freedom Seminar we've been watching and reading. I'm going to try to keep it short because I'm so excited to be sharing some new resources I found in the Internet and want to get to updating my budget sheet right afterwards.

After several sessions, we have learned that the first thing we need to do is give it all to God - letting him be in control, after all, we are only stewards of God's gifts to us, including finances. We needed to tithe properly. I never did understand how to tithe until after this study. It doesn't mean picking an arbitrary amount and writing it on a check every week to put into the collection plate - it means giving exactly 10% of your 'first fruits' - before taxes, insurance, etc. are taken out. Plus, it means to tithe ANY amount of money that comes to you - yes, that means 10% of your bonus too, if you get one.

So that was our first 'correction' we made - tithing correctly - giving God our 'first fruits.'

Also, learning more from scripture about how we are stewards of God's money and that we need to be using it more wisely, in all ways, meaning that we examine each purchase we make, not to mention - using CASH and not going into DEBT for any purchase for any reason.

Purposing to be DEBT FREE is our next step - and I found a wonderful online source of a 'Snowball' spreadsheet - showing how to pay down your debts starting with the debt with the lowest balance so you can see (and celebrate) debts being paid off. It's really amazing, really. After you input all your debts it shows (among other things) how the 'snow ball' works, when your debt will be paid off, and an amortization schedule like the one you get when you sign up for that mortgage.

Just to clarify - a 'DEBT' is considered any bill that is unpaid - including: any and all loans (personal or bank), medical bills, utilities, the local hardware store charge account, etc.

Speaking of mortgages, this spreadsheet can probably help you figure out how to payoff your mortgage quicker as well (when paying more than what your regular monthly payment is required).

The new website I found tonight: http://www.christianpf.com/
The article that has the link for the spreadsheet: http://www.christianpf.com/snowball-your-way-out-of-debt/

Before I Was A Mom

2009-10-28T23:12:00.003-08:00

Thanks to KC for forwarding this to me tonight! I had read this before, but it's been a while and I really love it! Not sure who actually wrote it...

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a mil lion pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom .

Taco Soup with TVP

2009-10-28T22:42:00.005-08:00

Well, I can't say that I'm a health nut or vegetarian, but I like to try new (healthy) things, infact, I've had this 'TVP' for about 6 months and have finally decided how I wanted to try it out. So, really, it took me a while to test it on Mike. Hah. I did pretty good I'd say - as I asked him what he thought it was before I told him - and he thought it was ground turkey. Yeah, that was pretty slick on my part! But he ate it AND enjoyed it, had seconds too.

Some of you may wonder "what is this TVP?" - it's Texturized Vegetable Protein, and has been used as a 'filler' for years with different meat products and used as a substitute, as it has the same texture as ground beef (or turkey) - but it's tasteless and needs to be marinated or spiced-up. It also has similar nutritional value as beef, but without the fat. It's also CHEAPER! You can find it in almost any nutrition section, I bought mine at Fred Meyer.

I thought I'd throw together something from the pantry for dinner tonight and this is the recipie I thru together (this turned out to be awesome!):

TACO SOUP:
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 green pepper chopped
1 cup TVP reconstituted in 1 cup of boiling water, let set for 5 minutes
1 1/2 Cup Black Beans (you could use any bean you wanted, I guess)
1 Beef Boulion in 1/2 cup boiling water water
3 cups V8 Juice
1 1/2 Cup frozen corn
2-4 TBS Taco Seasoning (season to taste)

TOPPINGS:
Shredded Cheese
Sour Cream
Tortilla Chips

DIRECTIONS:
Saute onion and green pepper in oil, add beans and reconstituted TVP and Taco Seasoning, cook together for a few minutes, add V8 Juice, Beef Boulion, and frozen corn, taste and add seasoning if needed, let simmer for about 15 minutes.

Memories - Part I

2009-10-26T19:59:00.005-08:00

I recently reviewed some pictures that Mike put onto my new laptop and thought I'd post some 'memories.'

Live Fire Training

2009-10-26T09:41:00.007-08:00

In the picture above Mike is on the far right, standing tall.

Yesterday Mike participated in a live fire training on Douglas. There are supposed to be a couple more in the spring.

Also, on Saturday afternoon he went to a house fire off of El Camino which had started in the livingroom.

He's VERY tired from Sunday's training, as he was gone from 7am-6pm.

I copied these pics off juneau empire's site below: (there are a lot more pics to see...)

http://spotted.juneauempire.com/photos/index.php?id=1894618&page=1

http://juneauempire.com/stories/102609/loc_509170122.shtml

Teaching Children how to Give

2009-10-20T15:15:00.004-08:00

Recently with the Tsunami in Samoa - I have seen an opportunity to show Michael Jr. what it means to give to those in need. Because he can understand (for the most part) I explained what happened in Samoa and told him that "the water destroyed and washed away these people's cars, homes, clothing, food, toys, books..." and that we were going to go thru things in our home that we don't use that those in need would put to good use. He was very eager to share and suggested that we give some of his toys and cars to those children in need, and I let him pick out what he wanted to give, as I was doing some of my own gathering of items around the house. Several times a day he thinks about what has happened in Samoa and asks me questions and suggests "maybe people in Samoa need (fill in the blank)" and I find it has been a wonderful way to involve his little (big) mind in thinking about meeting the needs of others.

(There is a local family collecting donnations to send to Samoa via AML - let me know if you want more info on that).

Also, today in checking my email, I had come across the following article that I recommend (a short read) that is appropriate for this holiday season: http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/spiritual_growth_for_kids/teaching_servanthood/gimme_gimme.aspx

How do you take opportunities to share with your children the importance of giving to those in need?

Drawing Closer to God - Financial Freedom - Part 1

2009-10-18T20:57:00.006-08:00

Mike and I have been doing a bible study on Financial Freedom and it's amazing! It was on back order when we purchased it, so we've been waiting about two months and it finally came in the mail. We've only watched the first session - there are 20 sessions in all - and we've skimmed thru the 'Men's Manual.' The first session is "Learn What It Really Means To Be Financially Free," and is eye opening. It has a twenty question quiz "To What Degree Are You Financially Free?" and then gives 20 factors, scripturally based, showing how scriptural principles affect financial freedom. It also shows you how to identify evidence of financial bondage.

There are listed many factors of financial freedom which include the following:

Knowing God's purpose for money
Knowing how to Tithe properly
How to keep out of Debt
Living within your income
Learning how to live in abundance and in need
Knowing the potential of your home and developing it
Create a good family name
Avoid Partnerships
Avoid Slothfulness

Some scripture to ponder:

Deuteronomy 8:18
"But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth"

Philippians 4:12
"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want"

Hebrews 11:6
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him"

Romans 13:8
"Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law"

John 16:23-24
"...I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name...Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete"

Malachi 3:10
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, "says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

2 Thessalonians 3:10
"...If a man will not work, he shall not eat"

Proverbs 19:15
"Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry"

Proverbs 6:10-11
"A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest - and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man"

I highly recommend this study: http://store.iblp.org/products/FFSP/

4th of July Pictures - Finally!

2009-10-18T20:44:00.003-08:00

Well, the 4th of July was just two weeks after I had the twins, so I couldn't make it, but my parents took the boys and Chris and Lindsey helped out. Mike was walking in the parade with the fire department (see picture - closest to middle of street wearing his gear). I sure missed a good parade!

Pictures

2009-10-18T20:36:00.005-08:00

Tram Adventure with Gpa &Gpa

2009-10-18T20:26:00.003-08:00

Before the end of tourist season my dad and grandpa Maurice

took the boys for a ride up the tram and had lunch.