Look what I've been buying...

It has turned out to be a lovely Saturday after all! I have thoroughly enjoyed mine and I think it's can be attributed to my relaxing and just no stressing about getting things done...doing what counts and that's being a good wife and mother! We had a nice, delicious lunch and have just been enjoying each other's company. The 2 oldest men of the family have gone squirrel hunting with Papa (FIL) and the rest of the littles are asleep. I have some peace and quiet! It is not too rare that I get peace and quiet, thankfully beings I have grandparents close by who want to get a piece of their grandchildren quite frequently. :o)
My favorite store in the world is a burn-out type store and it's where I get all my name brand goodies, including my all natural-organic body products that I love. Just look at all my goodies and savings!! PS. These are all internet photos..I was too lazy to take real pictures of my stuff! :o) The pillow photos are stolen from someone's blog! Sorry! :oP

Erin's dollhouse that she got from money she had saved up: Regular Price $70-$75, We paid 50% off: $35.00!
Pillows for the girls' room (when I get it fixed up for them)...I got 2 of these and they were 90% off of $18!! Like, a little over $1!! They both had a scorched place right in the middle of them, but with a little Shout and a washing on Gentle Cycle, it came right out!!
And up close.... They are from the Shabby Chic Kids line from Target..

Well if you know me, you know I like All-things-natural and my body products are no different. I love the Jason Naturals products and love it when I can find good deals. This stuff is absolutely heavenly! It is Apple Spice Body Wash/Lotion and you will want to eat it....I'm in love with it and bathing never was so fun! :o)

Oh yeah...70% off of $12 and some change!! They have another set there that I could've kicked myself for not buying yesterday.

Okay, up next are 2 books that I purchased yesterday that were book 90% off!! I paid barely over a buck for each of them. The first one I have been wanting to read for awhile! It is the Five Love Languages by Dr. Gary Chapman. I have read the first 2 chapters and it is good so far! The second book is Green Baby and it is a very nice little read about going Green with your baby (including bfing, cloth diapers, organic...etc...u know the stuff I heart!!)....such nice STEALS!!


I would love to see some of your deals sometimes!
We don't celebrate Halloween, per se, but I am going to bake some Pumpkin bread this afternoon and we are going to carve a pumpkin. We do this every year. :o)

Help me...

put a picture up there in my header. I could probably figure it out...eventually...but, frankly don't have time to figure it out...so how do I do it?? Anyone?
Thanks in advance!

Kid Park Pics...

It seems that my computer has a faulty cord, so I'm having to fore go any blogging done during the day hours. As if I could do any anyway. I would love to get in about 3 good blogs a week, but it ain't happening, it seems. Thanks to hubby for loaning his computer to me for the day.
One day, earlier this week, we went to a nearby park in hopes of just enjoying 'getting out'. I knew this park didn't offer much in the way of etertainment, just a swingset, but it WAS a park nonetheless. I was so surprised when we arrived to notice a brand new jungle gym type thingy situated right by the swings. I also noticed an adult swing nearby (there goes my walking-while-the-kids-play plan). The kids immediately dropped their scooters and hurried off to get in some good play. Ella and I got to relax a bit and just watch the kids well, be kids. It was such a nice day and the foliage at the park was beautiful. There wasn't another soul there and it was sooo nice to just be still and listen to childish play (well, ok, I probably wasn't really listening too well...). We had two interruptions...a man came out to dump some wood shavings under the new jungle gym and the last interruption was a little starving dog (how someone could mistreat a dog, I just don't understand) came over, sniffing us out for food. Of course, when it went across the street to sniff the neighbor's garbage, my 2 yr old followed him and preceded to go up to the front door after the dog (of course, I was calling the entire time....). Since I was feeding the baby, I sent my 6 yr old after him. He didn't take too kindly to that, so after much protest (which caused the owner of the tresspassed property to come out of the house), I had to go get him myself. We promptly left after that and dealt with his actions later. I understand him wanting to go after the dog, but he knows that the world stops when mama calls, yk? He knows, but he failed to heed. Anyway...I'm sure you have times like that?? Right?? :o) Here are a few pictures from our park trip...

Just a little humor...

Mom, can I get in the bathtub?

Yee-haw! Check out those cowgirl boots...WAIT..what do I see in the background?? Maybe we need a closer look......

How about a little crack to go with that mud?!?

(eww..good thing he got a good bath...check out the now germ-infested hand...no, I don't clean my toilet every day)

This is what I'll miss about summer. Frivolous play.

I'm Hooked!

Here I am, all snuggled under a quilt, sitting next to a fire, uh, I mean a gas-powered heater (it should be wrong to use that many commas in one sentence), pretty much enjoying the colder weather. The cold feet, the cold floor, the cold house, all of that is seeming very familiar to me really quickly.
These nursing sessions, er, marathons, have allowed me to surf a bit on the internet. Hands down my favorite thing to do with this nice invention they call the internet, is to read blogs. I have a very nosy (did I say that? Curious is a better word) tendency and an insatiable desire, it seems, to peek into other people's lives. Ok, so nosy is probably a better term.

Well, thanks to my sister-in-law, Amy, I'm now hooked on my nest, um, I mean my next, blog, The Nester. You can find the link on Amy's blog. That way it will take you a few seconds longer to get hooked than if I directly link you. So. Go on. Get hooked. You will look at your home in a whole new light. The craftiness in you will come from somewhere, deep down..in my case..WAY deep down. I mean, it's been a YEAR since I've used my glue gun. The Nester uses hers so much that she has named it. (yeah, I've read almost all the archives..guilty). And she is just so. totally. cool. Oh, and if a new blog addiction isn't enough, just click on her sister's blog linky button thingy. Just sayin.

Well, here are a few attempts to get my 'nest on'. Just some little touchups I've done around the place, a few spots I've cozied up, or bits of advice from the Nester that I've put into play. I'm totally inspired. If tomorrow is pretty, I will be sanding my porch furniture getting ready to paint. I envision black porch furniture with some cool pillows (sewn by moi, or hot glued..hehe) on my chairs, etc... Too bad I can't 'mistreat' my front screen door, because it really needs replacing and that will be $$. Hint..lest you think I would be taking a sledge hammer to my screen door, visit the Nester to see what I mean by 'mistreat'.

And now for la photos..

Just a simple centerpiece arrangement, actually done by my son Move a lamp to the kitchen..wow I love this..the soft glow of the lamp is so nice at night..especially in a clean kitchen (ps. the small glass bowl on top of the recipe card box is where I keep my 'running' list of chores that I draw out of the 'hat'...psycho, I know)

How 'bout some door with that wreath?
Moved this from the front porch (it didn't really 'go' there) it's got purple on it and I mean, it should be orange or brown to be a candidate for the front door. It almost looks like a spider with the 'legs' hanging down. Must fixt that. Looks good IRL.

Can you spot the missing bowl?

This area was Pre-Nester and I have managed to keep it clutter free and clean for about 2 months now. Love it.

And if every chair in your home doesn't have a pillow in it, you don't know the rules. Also, old chairs helps you score points. I win! (Stay tuned to see the replacement pillow...one day)

And what does 70% off of 12.95 equal? A very happy nester. A 'Dirt Cheap' find. Just in case you need a closer look:
Totally wonderful. And it's made outta burlap. That counts for a lot these days.

Mix all that up and add at least one cute kid (below) and you on your way to having a nice nest.

Getting bk on board...

I hope you, dear readers, are having a great week! Yesterday was one of those insanely busy days where it still didn't look like I had done anything until about 5:00. :) I'm still spending a great deal on time on the couch nursing the new one. The good part is I get lotsa computer time without guilt (that is, if I've already read my Bible for the day)! :) The baby is sure growing, looking sooo sweet and today she is 4 wks old. We are doing well and by the end of the day, I'm actually still sane! :) I know the Lord helps me and gives me so much strength. I'm thankful. School is still really light right now..in fact I just ordered a new Spelling book and have yet to do Science (the book I want to order is so expensive). However, we are faithfully doing Math, Reading, Language, and History. We avg about 4 days a wk and that works for us right now.
Anyway...since my husband has been on the Daniel Fast, we have been eating a lot healthier than we were before. Since groceries have gotten more expensive, it was so easy to get the off brand, non organic, or a cheaper, less quality product..especially since we are on a grocery budget. I even *gasp* have gotten unhealthy cereal a time or two. We are still drinking our raw goat milk (that we get free fr my wonderful parents) and eating fresh, yard eggs, and haven't yet resorted to buying Lil Debbies (even tho I love me some snack cakes) or white bread. We are still taking our Juice Plus (fruits & vegs in a capsule) and occasional Barley Green (too busy to find links for these products..nak).
I have been motivated to get bk on the old health wagon. After grocery shopping, I am happy to report my shelves and frig has been stocked with organic foods, wheat flour, natural PB, frozen fruits for smoothies, etc. I'm also happy to report I bought no meat and no cheese...and no cheese is a BIG deal for us!! I only spent $30 over the budget (ugh, I hate that) and have healthy foods for us to enjoy.
So, the plan is no meat except maybe once a week and that will be something from our freezer or when we go to someone else's house. No animal products, no canned foods with preservatives, nothing with added sugar (I will be using honey and Agave Nectar and trying to wean myself off of sweet tea...yum), no MSG (which is in virtually everything now...canned soups, gravy packets, seasoning packets, chips, etc), and no white flour. We will basically be eating like my parents have done for about 10 yrs now.
How are my kids doing with this? My son is totally on board, asking if everything we set before him is an animal product. :) Now my 4 yr old daughter is starting to ask, "Is this healthy?" :)
Last night, I fixed a yummy meal and here are the recipes:
Pinto Beans (recipe fr http://www.mothering.com)
3 to 4 cups of pinto beans
2 to 3 onions, cut in crescent shapes
3 to 5 chopped garlic cloves
1 can tomato sauce (u can get org tomato sauce)
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional additions:Green peppers, Jalapeno peppers, Green chilis, Celery, Ground beef (I used green peppers and added a lil Agave Nectar to mine and the kids'--tasted like Baked Beans w/o the thick syrupiness)
Rinse well 3 to 4 cups of pinto beans. Soak overnight. Drain and rinse again in the morning. Fill a pan with enough fresh water to cover the beans. Cover pan and bring water in pot to a boil. Turn down to a simmer immediately. Simmer beans for 3 to 5 hours. Stir often. During the last 2 hours, add the onions and garlic. One half hour before serving, add 1 can tomato sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS: 3 large baking potatoes 1 tablespoon of garlic pwd 2 tablespoons of EVO oil 1 tespoon salt 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings 1. Heat the oven to 450­ degrees. 2. Cut potatoes into 1/4 inch thick matchsticks. 3. Combine all the ingredients in a gallon ziploc bag, add potatoes, shake to coat. 4. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and spread the potatoes on it in a single layer. 5. Bake them until they are golden and crisp, about 35 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
Makes 6 servings.
This was a healthy, hearty, supper!
Well, it's almost 12pm and I haven't done the first chore yet! I have picked a few green beans fr the garden (not getting many now) and put up a few pears. Lots more to do today!! The kids are running through the house like they haven't gotten any raisin' but it's so dreary out, I'm just letting them run. :p At least until someone gets hurt.....
As for now, I'm going to finish loving on my sweet, beautiful bundle and eat my breakfast that has been sitting on the table since breakfast! :p
Have a good day!

Freakies and Funnies

Hope you are getting lots of snuggle time under fleece blankets during this cool snap! I know I am. It gets cold quick in our old, drafty house. We go from running our air conditioner one day to turning on the heater the next. :) Extreme temps.
We have had a good week. The kids have been really good and my hormones are getting back to normal, so things have been smooth this wk. Little cleaning, little cooking, little schoolin, little lovin! :) My life, that's it.
For the freaky part--ever since we got bk from having Ella, Evan will say, "Mama, where's Mama and Daddy?" and "I want to go home." ?? I guess the short hospital stay got to him?
A couple of funnies from the wk...6 yr old Emory is 'dieting' with his dad on the Daniel fast (see link in previous post) and doesn't want any animal products to eat. He is so gung-ho on this and asks with everything I set before him...does it have meat or is it an animal product? He is so much like his father, already! His father has always been the type to do something 100%!
Erin, Tues night, wanted to know if we could plant some of those bubble gum seeds so we could have some bubble gum plants! :) Sounds good to me!
Have a good weekend! Lord willing, I'm having a yard sale this weekend. I would LOVE to do well with it!