The Bergamini Family

HSV Garden Challenge

2011-03-31T16:12:00.000-07:00

I’ve been following this really neat blog called Homeschool Creations since we decided to take the girls out of preschool. I really enjoy reading Jolanthe’s posts and decided to take the most recent HSV Garden Challenge. In order to play along I have to share the following bits of information: photos of the garden location, my gardening plans, any rescources and involvement of the kiddos. So here goes! I will post more photos of this unit study as we get to it.

First, I’ve had to do some maintenance on my little chinobilly garden because the Arizona weather has taken its toll.

I'm so thankful that Matt is generally in charge of this kind of stuff or we would be in great big trouble. I did succeed though in staining the fence.

My strawberry bed was a disaster. I left it alone the past two years and now I see that was not the brightest gardening decision I’ve ever made ~ not that I've had to make all that many yet.

Thankfully, the weather has been good to us and I was able to get the bed all cleaned out. I added more soil and gave it a good soak.

(This photo was taken before the fresh soil was added)

Now it is ready for some fresh plants.

After spending many evenings reading up on all sorts of seeds and methods I ordered some fresh seeds and I splurged a bit too. I ordered some strawberry plants and onions. Both are varieties that intrigued me and I knew I wouldn’t find anything similar at our local Home Depot/Lowe’s.

My very favorite gardening book is the Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch. My friend Audrey introduced me to this book and I've read it and marked it so much that I had to get it rebound. It's really a great book. Another book I reccomend is All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholamew. I learned a great deal about gardening from this book and have adapted a lot of his theories in my chinobilly garden.

I'm kinda addicted to tomato varieties now that I am learning the lost art of canning.

I read that seeds will last many years if stored properly and I’ve been working from seed packets that are going on 4 to 5 years old now. I store my unused seeds in canning jars and keep them in the refrigerator out in our garage.

Since I loosely follow the Square Foot Garden method I am able to get a lot of use out of my 10 x 10 garden. This year we are planting: Pole beans, cantaloupe, carrots, corn, lettuce, onions, peas, radishes, spinach, strawberries, yellow squash, tomatoes, watermelons and zucchinis.

We started our tomato seeds on Monday with our friend EJ. She is such a doll! It was so much fun to let my girls show EJ the ropes. They are old pros as this is their 3rd year in planting a garden you know…

Aubrey showing off our 16 hopeful tomato plants.

Abby expressing her love of gardening...and fashion....

It was neat being able to share our unit study with Ella and to see how much our girls have learned over the last two planting seasons.

We will be planting a bit more of our seeds indoors next week but the rest of the seeds are going right into the garden. Our plans are to top off the soil in the garden this weekend and get all the cool weather plants planted. I know I should have done this during the first part of March according to our zone. However life doesn’t particularly like to play by the rules of frost dates and climate zones so we are going to wing it and hope for the best.

I’m so excited to use the garden preschool pack with the kids! Hopefully this will be just the kick in the pants I need to get back on track!

Wish me luck…
The chinobilly garden wannabe

1-1-11

2011-01-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

I know.

I haven’t posted anything in a long time.

But if I’m being totally honest, which I am, I haven’t even felt like it. Or really even thought about it since I don’t have anything outstanding to post. Like I ever have in the past but that is beside the point. Although I did fiddle around with a new blog background the other night which felt like a step in the right direction until I began pushing pixels and thought WOW, THIS SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF WORK I THINK I'LL GO TO BED.

And now I’m ignoring all the partially completed backgrounds and the pictures that never made it to my blog porch.

In other words, my motivation is at an all-time low. We’ve been home for a majority of the past week. Only leaving the house on two occasions. Seriously. Two. Occasions. It was bliss I tell ya! One was a trip to buy milk, eggs, and tortillas to get us through the much anticipated “great snow storm of 2010”. (I swear it would be cheaper to buy the whole dang cow than to buy 2 gallons of milk at Safeway) Then yesterday Matt took us out to eat lunch at Arturo’s before two of our nieces came over. Suffice it to say this Monday is going to be a big slap of reality to us. A shock to our system that will require us to once again be out of our pajamas before noon and get back to our so called routine and quit considering three iced gingerbread cookies to be part of a balanced, healthy breakfast. In other words, January 3rd is going to be a major fun fungus full of organizing and cleaning and steamed broccoli and the 30-day shred.

I wish I had something profound to share with you. Some sort of deep reflections about 2010 and all the ways I grew as a person this year. But I’m not sure I do. I feel like it’s been one of the fastest years I can remember and, although it was filled with many blessings, it was also filled with some hard times and tough lessons and a general overall feeling of WHAT AM I DOING WITH MY LIFE?

And so I think that’s what 2011 holds for me. I want to be more intentional about how I use my time and all the blessings God has given my family. I want to be a better mother, wife and friend. I want to listen more than I talk. I want to quit being so afraid of failure that I don’t even try. I want to listen for the voice of God and go where He leads even if I’m not sure what that looks like. I want to be the person He created me to be and realize that He knows all my flaws and frailties and there’s no sense to beat myself up about them on a daily basis.

I fell in love with a recent post over at Inspired to Action called 12 Words on Selecting Goals for the New Year. Stop right now and go read it. It will change your life.

So, in short, I have my work cut out for me in 2011.

I wish you all the happiest New Year. I hope it’s filled with everything you hope for and even better things that you didn’t even know you wanted.

Pumpkin Pie Dip

2010-10-28T15:13:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago it was my turn to provide snacks for the kids at preschool. I really wanted to make these cuties but I had to bring enough food to feed 50 kids. Um-yeah Not. Gonna. Happen. So I settled for this recipe and let me tell you it was delicious. I was a bit worried that the kids wouldn't like it they just requested I make more of it. Yay! If you want a copy you many download a pdf of this card for your stash.
xx

Bree's song of the week

2010-10-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

This is a song the kids are learning and they love to sing it often. It convicts my heart and hope it does the same for you.

There Must Be Something In The Water

2010-09-16T04:14:00.000-07:00

click to enlarge

Weighing in at 4 pounds this zucchini was discovered hiding among the lower leaves of a tomato plant in my garden. I swear I think our rain water has steroids in it. One day the cute little zuchs are almost ripe the next day they attempting a complete take-over of my garden! We shredded this sucker up and made 1 zucchini bunt cake, 2 dozen zucchini muffins, 2 loaves of zucchini bread, and put 6 cups shredded zucchini in the freezer for later.

Anybody want any zucchini?

Why Daddys Should Never Grow Up

2010-09-15T08:47:00.000-07:00

Matt is on vacation this week so the girls are having the time of their life. I remember the days of my own childhood doing the same thing with my brother and daddy too.
Except we didn't have grass...
Or cicadas making it sound like we lived in a pressure cooker...
Or a video recorder...
Oh never mind!

I think Daddy just might be their favorite person.

Mr. Salamander Goes To School

2010-09-14T04:40:00.000-07:00

Journaling Reads:

One weekend, towards the end of August, Matt was pulling weeds from the flower bed in front of our house. I remember noticing how cold it was that morning and feeling a relief that autumn is just around the corner. I had put the girls in the bathtub and was doing the usual swish and swipe of their bathroom when Matt came traipsing in with a huge grin on his face. “You’ll never guess what I just found!” he said to the girls as he opened his hands to reveal his newest treasure. Matt had found a salamander. in our garden. in the land of “I’ve not seen a salamander since I was 8 years old”. NEATO! The cute little bugger was enjoying being passed around from warm hand to warm hand. Matt totally scored some cool dad points for finding THAT creature! He made sure he tucked Mr. Salamander back in the flower garden under the lily plant.

Fast forward to last week. The girls both had the honor of brining something to preschool for show and tell. Many of my facebook friends saw the comment I made about Abby taking a toad for show and tell. Let me just say he was the hit of the class and Abby declared she had the best day of preschool ever. Never mind she’s only been in school all of five weeks. It was still the best day ever.

Matt and I were wondering how we were going to live up to the coolness of bringing a toad to show and tell when it was Bree’s turn. She had captured a few cicadas and even a weird looking beetle but nothing was really fitting the bill. On Wednesday night she had tearfully settled for a Praying Mantis from the garden. All was not right in Bree’s world. Thursday morning rolled around, much too early in my opinion, and as I was sending Matt off to work and wrangling two grumpy girls to get their hair combed when the light bulb went off in my head. Matt headed out to the flower garden with high hopes of finding Mr. Salamander hangin’ out in the flowers. YES, Daddy scores again!

By this time daddy is running late for work and puts me in charge of finding proper accommodations for Mr. Salamander to travel to preschool for his turn in the hands of every. single. preschooler.

Oh yes Mr. Salamander…the places you’ve been.

You are a world traveler in this Chinobilly’s eyes.

Hopefully he didn’t tell all of his salamander buddies to head for the hills. We may need their assistance again someday.

Spittle Bug Spittle Bug Go Away

2010-09-13T14:00:00.000-07:00

Oh no! My grapes, my grapes! See the nasty white blob of foam in the pictures? That icky froth is the spittle bug’s way of invading my grape vines and getting all snugly-cozy like and well I’m not going to take it. No I’m not!

After doing a little bit of online research I found a recipe for organic bug killer to rid these pests of my grape vines once and for all.

I think.

So here is my plan of attack.

Fresh habañero peppers are not a kitchen staple in the Chinobilly house. We use the canned stuff; don't judge me it’s just how we roll. Oh and cheesecloth was another item I had to purchase at exorbitant prices here at our local grocery store.

The author at ehow.com recommended I “spray each of my plants with the spittle bug spray. Squirt some on the ground around the plant, too. Then spread a band of the spray around the outer boundaries of my garden, creating a spittle bug barrier. It will repel other garden pests, as well.”

First, I sprayed down all of the white frothy stuff before I sprayed like crazy in hopes to really get the bugs not just their happy little love nests. Hopefully that will send a message to all their buddies and we won’t have further infestations issues.

I used the entire spray bottle in one visit so maybe my barrier is more like Fort Knox.

Here's hopin' anyhow...

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

2010-09-08T17:09:00.000-07:00

I made this cake for a family picnic over the Labor Day weekend. It is one of Matt's favorite cakes and we like to top our slice with fresh fruit like strawberries or blueberries and of course whipped cream.

click to enlarge

If you would like this recipe card, I'd be glad to email it to you in a pdf version.

Well, that's all I've got for today...back to canning tomatoes.

xxoo

Tomatoes

2010-09-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

Wow! In the last two days I have picked over 10 pounds of tomatoes from our little garden. It's very exciting to see our little garden do so well yet quite intimidating to think I have to can all this goodness. I've been skimming through a few canning manuals that my mom gave me. For now I think I'm going to stick with the basics of canned tomatoes then work my way into the sauces and pastes. I think I might have bitten off more than I can chew...ha!

click to enlarge

Journal reads:

I planted 17 tomato plants in our garden this year in hopes that three would survive. All 17 plants are thriving…much to my dismay. The plants are yielding about 5 pounds a day so I guess I better get this canning thing figured out again. I know it will be so nice this winter to make salsa with tomatoes grown in our very own garden.

Tap, tap, tap...Is This Thing On?

2010-09-02T05:33:00.000-07:00

Hey,
Yeah, um…. so, you know how when you haven’t talked to a special someone in a really long time, you think about calling her up, but you know that you will have so much to say, and right now you really need to round up the kids and get to swim lessons, so maybe you’ll call after, but then you have cranky kids begging you to make dinner so maybe you’ll call after that, but then there’s dishes and bath time and “mamma when is daddy comin’ home?…will you cuddle “wif” me till he gets here?” and then it’s just too late, so maybe tomorrow, but then tomorrow comes and you wake up with a migraine so you’re behind all day and then…you realize it’s been weeks and weeks and then you don’t call because you know you’ll never have time to properly catch up and so you kind of drift apart but you think about her lots ‘n lots and wonder how she is and so finally you just email at 11:45 at night just to say, “Hey, I just wanted to tell you I was thinking of you,” but you wish it was more, because she’s your friend and you love her and you’d like to tell her all your stories and you’d like to hear all of her stories, but right now you’re doing your very best to just keep your head above water, so you just think, “some day soon I’ll call” and you hope she’s not mad, but you know she’s probably not because she’s a real friend, a good friend, and she knows how it is. She knows how YOU are.

You know?

It’s been like that.

I’ve missed you.

I’ve thought about you.

I’m trying to slow down…to just breath...to have a moment…here and there…where I can let my thoughts wander…draw close to my Lord…wander down memory lane cuz my cuties are growing up too fast…to just regroup.

I’ve just spent the afternoon with my friend Jen² scrolling through the photos taken at the girl’s birthday party. After she left I sat down and looked at all the photo’s I’ve taken and not yet posted here.

Since May 18, 2010!!!!

Um yeah, that was the last time I visited this ol’ blog porch. Wow, I’m gonna need to be a bloggin’/scrappin’ ninja to plow through this list!

click to enlarge photo

Here’s the Chinobilly Notes version, so that we can move on, and act like this long and awkward absence never happened:

1. We planted a garden; it’s going really well but the zucchini are on a mission to take over the garden and my freezer.

2. We’ve spent special time with sweet friends, at the zoo, at the mall, parades, fireworks, camping, playing in sprinklers, and just visiting; you know doing the summer thing.

3. Vacation Bible school was the highlight of May for the twins.

4. But their daddy still rocks their world

5. Matt and I (read Matt totally did all the work) finished the tile job and Abby became Cinderella…I have pictures to prove it.

6. Olivia ate the wall in our laundry room…seriously…she ATE the wall!

7. The wall was only the BEGINNING of the laundry room saga. (You won’t want to miss reading abut THAT adventure…)

8. We took a trip to Colorado, camped out with some of the family, it was wonderful.

9. The girls took 4 weeks of swimming lessons at the YMCA.

10. Abby & Bree turned 4 and they had a “Carni-cus” birthday party shared with friends, fun and food…more on that later…

11. We have preschoolers now…what a rollercoaster of emotions and doubts…for mamma anyway!

12. Summer was just too dog-gone short.

Anyhow, I promise, I’ll tell you the rest of these stories and share pictures soon.

Peace,

The wonder woman wannabe

Where oh where have I been?

2010-09-01T05:17:00.000-07:00

Listen.

Do you hear that?

I'm pretty sure you can actually hear crickets on my blog porch right now.

Doh!

In case you were wondering, the answer is no.

My computer didn't crash.

I didn't close up shop.

I didn't spend time in the looney bin.

I was, however, juggling those busy summer days with our girls.

We had a crazy hectic schedule

which required amazing mamma “skilz”,

and quite often feats of strength with a bit of sheer faith to get through the days...

and maybe just a little bit of lazy summerdayitis.

What?

People blame seasons for allergies so why not blame them for absences?

Although this ol' blog porch has gathered quite a few cobwebs,

I have been right there for my sweety and our two precious girls - who aren’t staying little for long.

So, while I know I should feel horribly guilty

(and sometimes I do)

I am not going to say I'm sorry.

Sorry.

I just won't do it.

Oops.

Okay, but seriously...look at this face:

"Sorry, baby girl, but mamma can't play princess with you

because she has to post on her blog,

share with Facebook what I ate for breakfast and what I may or may not eat for lunch and dinner

and answer 823 emails."

Beeeeeeep!

Wrong answer.

See what I mean? You say no to that face! :)

In all seriousness though,

I have had fantastic time with my family this summer

and thank you for stopping by for a visit...

I plan on chillin’ with ya’ll on my blog porch more often.

xoxox

One Lazy Chinobilly Mamma

Ruff-N-Tumble

2010-05-18T09:12:00.000-07:00

Lost/Found

2010-05-17T03:17:00.000-07:00

I was browsing through my posts and found this scrapbook page that was saved as a draft but never posted. I guess this is better late than never. Easter was only a month ago, could be worse.

Maybe I should start my Christmas Cards now so I may have a shot at getting them out on time...

A journey of a thousand tiles: Part 4 (yes this could take a while)

2010-05-16T05:02:00.000-07:00

Step 4: Let the tiling begin!

Here is a sneaky peaky...It matches Chino dirt beautifully. (Is that an oxymoron?)

To be continued, when I'm old and grey.

"A journey of a thousand tiles begins with 19,387,489,1347,917 trips to Home Depot. "

Jenn, The Chinobilly Mamma
Chinobilly philosopher (not to be confused with Lao-tzu~Chinese philosopher)

A journey of a thousand tiles: Part 3

2010-05-15T04:42:00.000-07:00

Step 3: Remove A LOT of glue

This was the most time consuming step. Partly due to the beating Matt took in ripping up the wood with that crazy hammer gizmo. (His hands were numb for days)

My hands were numb from using a teeny tiny razor blade to scrape up all the glue. If you squint and look really hard at the lower right corner of the picture above you may see said teeny tiny razor. Ouch! I cringe looking at it!

Then Matt brought this beauty home. (Yes, it takes us a few "go-rounds" before we figure things out)

This scraper and some magical chemicals made everything right with the world again.

Thank goodness that leg of the journey is behind us!

"A journey of a thousand tiles begins with a thousand and one nerve endings in your fingers dying a slow.painful.death."

Jenn, The Chinobilly Mamma
Chinobilly philosopher (not to be confused with Lao-tzu~Chinese philosopher)

A journey of a thousand tiles: Part 2

2010-05-14T04:09:00.000-07:00

Step 2: Wood floor demolition

We thought these tools would be all we'd need.

It became quite obvious we were mistaken!

This photo was taken a few hours into our...a-hem.... adventure

My job was to remove all the pieces as Matt wore "his self plum out"

We borrowed my dad's crowbar...it was a bit easier.

The next weekend Matt borrowed this thing-a-magig from our brother-in-law, thanks Mark

That worked a little better.

Are we

done yet?

"A journey of a thousand tiles begins with a lot of demolition. "
Jenn, The Chinobilly Mamma
Chinobilly philosopher (not to be confused with Lao-tzu~Chinese philosopher)

A journey of a thousand tiles: Part 1

2010-05-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

Step one: Remove awful carpet.

Our carpet was toast.

It was embarrassing.

It's gone! Out-a-here!

Let's do a happy dance!

They had no idea...

"A journey of a thousand tiles begins with a single cut. "

Jenn, The Chinobilly Mamma

Chinobilly philosopher (not to be confused with Lao-tzu~Chinese philosopher)

Mud

2010-05-05T15:45:00.000-07:00

I've been spending quite a bit of time in the garden lately. The garden wannabe bug has bitten me again but more on that later. I just wanted to show you what can happen when you allow two little girls to water your garden for you. All of this occurred in less than ten minutes even! They claim the earthworms "need'n a dwink"...mamma thinks they just wanted to make sure they got another bath!

Sweet Prayers

2010-04-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

When I walked into the kitchen with a load of laundry in my arms this is what I found. Abby and Bree had every.single.little people toy they own gathered in a circle. They were teaching them to "pway".
They were taking turns saying "wepeat after me...dear Jesus...fank you for this day..."
Today I am reminded of His goodness and mercy to me.
Psalm 66: Shout with joy to God, all the earth! Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious! Say to God, "How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies cringe before you. All the earth bows down to you; they sing to you, they sing praise to your name."

Tasty Tuesday: Blackberry Cobbler

2010-04-13T15:37:00.000-07:00

I made this for dessert last weekend. Oooohhh it was really good. I've included the PDF version to download too so you can print it out for your recipe box. Just click here. Enjoy.

Happines is...

2010-04-12T15:31:00.000-07:00

Easter hats...

our newest project...

cousins...

bubbles...

spring blossoms...

My birthday present and some rambling

2010-04-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

Matt bought a Mino HD camcorder for me on my birthday. Wow is it easy to use! Here is the first video I took with it. These girls of ours are so cute!

I've been finding it harder and harder to visit the ol' blog porch lately. Blame it on spring fever maybe. Here's what we've been up to though:
We've been working in my garden and flower beds...
And a little demolition in the living room...
A little baking for the family...

And a few family projects...

I'll get back into the swing of things soon.
Kisses,
The chinobilly procrastinator

Ahh, now that I've got THAT off my chest...

2010-03-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Flylady,

We need to talk. Yes, we do. For more than three years I relied on you, but, well, things just aren’t working for me anymore, dear. This may come as a total shock but I must inform you that I am on to you like a fly stuck on a sticky strip. You are not what you seem. Don't get me wrong we once had a thing; I even thought I was in love with you. All those 27-fling boogie sessions, hot spot fire drills, and zone missions we did together you might ask? Fake, sweetie. All. Fake.

Really, let's be honest. I couldn’t possibly read all the emails you cram in my inbox instructing me of what you want me to do for the day. Every stinkin’ day you ask if I “feel overwhelmed, overextended, and overdrawn?” Yeah I feel overwhelmed! Overwhelmed with you sweetie! Oh and don’t eeeeven get me started on the “think of those emails as sticky notes.” I’d be better off thinking of them as sticky strips cause I aint going anywhere for a long while if I try to read all those sticky strips. I’m tired of you gettin’ in my face telling me all the things that I have to do today, even with your little “you’re not behind–you’re just getting started!” ditty at the end of all your reminders, I feel like you just always wanted more. I’d rather find a bottle of rum than take 15 minutes to start attacking that list of yours.

Don’t get me wrong–you have a lot going for you girl, and you brought a lot to the table. I have enjoyed some parts of our relationship. Your shiny sink 101 was inspiring, I’ve identified those hot spots and I realize it doesn’t take all day to clean if I do it in small chunks. But really, it’s time to say goodbye. No, I haven’t found someone else. Mr. Clean and I well, we’re just friends…acquaintances, really…actually he hasn’t spent much time around here lately.

I wish you the best of luck. Don’t cry, FlyLady. There are plenty of fly babies with empty inboxes who are in desperate need of your wisdom...And your rubba scrubba. You may think it’s just stinkin’ thinkin’, and that I need to really Finally Love Myself a little more, but really, the bottom line is this. You’re smothering me, babe, and I need a little space. AND my inbox! It's over between us.

Sincerely,
A fly washed chinobilly

PS. I get showered and dressed every morning and what's wrong with Fannie in the pink sweats? I get a lot of work done in my sweats and I aint wearing shoes in my house no matter what that dirty ole fly says.

Happiness Is.

2010-02-25T16:45:00.000-08:00

Catching snowflakes.

Cletus the chinobilly snowman.

Proud chinobillies.

Apricot blossoms.

Eager daffodils.

Promise of spring.

This sweet guy.

Blessed with Bree.

Blessed with Abby.

Snowboots/Rainboots.

Cuddles.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

2010-02-15T20:49:00.000-08:00

Debby and I made chocolate covered strawberries together. I love spending time with this lovely lady more than I love chocolate. Thank you friend, praise God for our friendship.

Germ-in Chocolate Cake

2010-02-12T16:25:00.000-08:00

Today is my daddy’s birthday. The girls have been fighting off the sniffles though so instead of doing our usual Friday run to town we decided to cuddle in mamma’s bed a bit this morning. We called my dad to sing him Happy Birthday and I asked him what kind of cake he would like me to make. After a bit of pondering he decided on German Chocolate Cake. Perfect! I thought. After lingering in the bed longer than usual, we made our way to the kitchen. I checked the cupboard for the cake mix and whatayaknow, no German Chocolate cake mix. Hmm, there is no way this Chinobilly is going to Safeway in her pink ducky pajammies for an overpriced cake mix. Uh uh! You may now Praise the Good Lord above for the internet. Trust me I wouldn’t have been a pretty sight. Anyway, I found Tricia Yearwood’s recipe for German Chocolate Cake and decided to go for it.

A good Southern gal like Tricia should now how to make a tasty German Chocolate Cake. A good Chinobilly like me knows how to make a lopsided cake.

I had all the ingredients except buttermilk; mine was
s-aaa-o-u-r.

While making the cake with my sweet girls Bree asks, “Mommy- since I’m sick can I put the germ in the cake?” It took me a second but then I was laughing hysterically! Get it? Germ-in Chocolate Cake?

She kills me!

Oh how I love this girl.

Oh my word this is an ugly cake, sorry dad, I can explain, really...

Valentine P-a-r-t-y

2010-02-09T12:11:00.000-08:00

Today I took the girls to the library for story time and a Valentine Party.

hosted by the dearest librarian, Mrs. Darlene.

We played games.

Just look at the joy on my girl's face! (above)

Grace was diggin' it too.

Cupid's hearts were everywhere.

We exchanged Valentine's.

And enjoyed the company of really great friends.

Playhouse Progress

2010-02-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Back in January, Matt decided it was high time the girls leave the nest. But babe they're only 3! I pleaded...and his hands flew in the air. They can't live with us forever darlin'. We gotta love 'em and let 'em go...

to the back yard anyway!

Seriously, if he had his way his babies wouldn't marry until they turned 39!

He NEEDS them, they NEED him!

The weather hasn't been so cooperative.

But that hasn't stopped him.

He worked on siding the little house over the weekend.

Rain or shine

He has worked hard.

And the smiles are worth it all!

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt

2010-02-07T15:23:00.000-08:00

We're suffering from a bit of spring fever. Even though it was chilly we built a fire Wednesday night and roasted hot dogs for dinner.

Bree and Abby were totally on board.

They knew smores were on the menu too.

They were not prepared for their mom and dad to bust out the ol' campfire songs.

Oh yeah, it's like riding a bike, you never forget campfire songs.

Bree wishes the previous statement wasn't true.

Sweet Annie's Simple Sliced Apples

2010-01-12T08:08:00.000-08:00

I haven't shared a recipe in a while so here is one of the kids FAVORITE tasty snacks. Our girls practically worship "Miss Annie" and their fwind Ella. I must say I like 'em a lot too ;)

Oh! And if your kiddos aren't feeling well and want something warm just pop these little sweets in the microwave for about 2 minutes (depending on your microwave) and you have warm apple slices...like apple pie but without the good stuff like butter and pie crust.

Please feel free to download this recipe card for your collection.
Enjoy!

Softy

2010-01-11T14:31:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time, in chinobilly land, there lived two little girls who dreamed of having a playhouse. A playhouse with pink walls, a shady porch and a flowerbed like the one mommy has. Their handsome chinobilly father was kind, loving and couldn’t say no.

I just love that man!

Greetings from the slacker

2010-01-09T21:05:00.001-08:00

I’ve been such a Cracker Jack blogger lately. Life and stuff, y'know?

FOR THE RECORD: any of you who said to me "Jenn, after 2 you’ve got it made! 2 year olds are the hardest! bla bla bla" you are all grounded for a week, because that is a tub of poo! 3 is WAY tougher than 2. End.of.story. Dad B, you get a gold star for being the only one to offer any kind of warning.

All joking aside, I am happier than I've ever been in.my.entire.life. Being a mother is such a treasured gift. The joy these little girls have brought into our home is so far beyond the realm of description it's unbelievable. Seeing them grow up before my eyes is breathtaking. It's miraculous. Most of all it's humbling.

We are slowly getting back into our routine around here. Nana has been with Jesus for almost a month now. I still think of her often and especially the night I stayed with her while she was in hospice. It was such a precious night as we did a lot of reminiscing and apologizing and forgiving and praying and crying. I thank the Lord for allowing me to dwell in so many sweet memories. No they weren't all perfect and wonderful but they were part of my story.of who I've become.of who God wants me to be.

Please continue to pray for my Papa, Uncle and Mom as they continue to sort through and process all that has transpired. I don't want to even imagine what it must be like to live without the love of my life of 59 years, or the mother who gave me life. It must be so very difficult.

So thank you for being patient while I take some time to enjoy these precious days with my family.

Since I’m still waiting to replace my camera lens I will just have to recap with more words than pictures in the coming days. For now, I’m off to prepare for church tomorrow morning.

Love ya lots!The chinobilly blog slacker

“Make me to know thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.” Psalm 25:4 RSV

Merry Christmas

2009-12-22T18:37:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-02T21:17:00.000-08:00

click photo to enlarge

Sheesh! It took me a whole week to get these pictures posted. But there is a reason...
My Nana, my mom's mom, has been in the hospital since November 23rd with a really bad case of pneumonia. On Friday, she was moved to CV ICU and had surgery on her lungs to remove a bunch of fluid that was turning to "gel". Nana, barely survived surgery and is literally hanging on for dear life. Please pray for my Nana.

Their first hair cut

2009-11-18T18:23:00.000-08:00

click on photo to enlarge

My oh my! The twins got their first hair cut and style on Monday. Both of the girls were thrilled to pieces to get pampered in the big girl salon. After a few tears I was thrilled too. Our girls are just beautiful inside AND out.

Chinobilly Kitchen Organization

2009-11-16T07:52:00.000-08:00

My kitchen cabinets were driving me crazy. They had become so unorganized that stuff was overflowing onto the counter tops. I had no idea what was even in some of the cabinets. It was time to do something about it.

While I was recouping from surgery my mom helped me pull everything out and we sorted and cleaned and purged and adjusted shelves and put it all back again.

Ahhh I feel so much better now. It's even more enjoyable to work in my kitchen now. Thanks mom!

Slick

2009-11-10T08:05:00.000-08:00

click to enlarge

I just love our kids sense of adventure. Very little deters them from trying something at least once. But they live and breath to ride horses (gee, I wonder where they got THAT from?). Slick was the cooperative subject at my in-laws church harvest party this year. They are two lucky little girls.

Just too cute

2009-11-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

Our girls love to play dress up all year round. It is a normal sight around here to see Abby in her princess dress and shoes (thank goodness she hasn't asked to wear it to the store YET). After church on Sunday we took a trip to good ol' Wal-Mart and let Abby and Bree pick out a costume since all the Halloween garb was 50% off. Bree choose a super girl costume and Abby chose an angel costume (no surprise there). They pretty much haven't taken them off since then and they are just too cute!

Welcome Mason Douglas

2009-11-04T07:40:00.001-08:00

The girls and I had the privilege of meeting the newest member of our family Monday night. Our brother-in-law Brad and his wife Jen added sweet baby Mason to their brood Tuesday, October 27th. Mason is adored by his brothers and sisters and certainly a big hit with Abby and Bree too. He is just a little bit of heaven and I'm so glad he's here! Thank you Jen for allowing us to stay a while and soak in all his sweetness.
Life is good!

Toads

2009-11-02T07:42:00.001-08:00

Some Day Her Prince Will Come

Click to enlarge

I was just browsing through a bunch of photos from the summer and found these little gems. I had to scrapbook these because they make me smile every time I look at them. Our yard is taken over by toads during the summer. They love our pond and it becomes quite the gathering place once the sun goes down. *wink It is our tradition to let the kids catch toads for a bit each evening to run off that last bit of energy. They both love it but Bree started a NEW tradition of kissing all the toads goodnight. Nothing would stop her.

Squeekers!

click to enlarge

Abby wasn't so much into kissing the toads but she did love to name them. Her favorite one she named squeekers. He was the only one that would make a funny little squeaking sound when he was held. Abby would delight in holding the toad up to my ear and ask me what he was saying. I'd make up silly things like "he wants some anchovy pizza" and she'd just giggle and giggle. I love these memories and I'm thankful God has allowed me to be their mommy!

The Griswold “Will-amini” Family Vacation: Day 5

2009-10-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

September 24, 2009

Lego Land-Take 2

They finally let us in! We all had a blast and the kids did really well on all of the rides. There were only a few we couldn't go on due to some obvious vertical challenges.

Bree and Ethan explain how big and how high they went on the dinosaur roller coaster.

The girls and I enjoying a boat ride through fairytale land.

Abby and Bree flunking out of Volvo Driver School. Bree ended up in tears and didn't even complete the course. Abby hung in long enough to get her Lego license but I think the owner/operator of the joint drank too much kool-aid that day. There is noooo way she's getting behind the wheel for awhile!

The lovebirds on a romantic train ride, chaperoned of course! You can see JenW and baby JJ behind them. We've decided all future dates will be chaperoned as well.

Aubrey having a roarin' good time.

Abby had her lions share of fun too! (sorry, it couldn't be helped)

Boy that was a close one!

Aarrgh!

Ever since sweet Ella's birthday party these girls are infatuated with horses!

Especially ones they get to ride on by themselves...

Watch out E. Here is your competition! A man in a tool belt will get a girl every time!

I have no idea what Abby is doing. Good thing we called it a day after this. I think she had too much exposure to the salty air or maybe it was those delicious fried apples she devoured. Either way, we had to get her out of there.

The End!

And that my bloggy porch friends is all I've got from our Will-amini Family Vacation. I hope you enjoyed the photos as much as I enjoyed reliving the memories. Have a great weekend!

The Griswold “Will-amini” Family Vacation: Day 4

2009-10-29T07:00:00.000-07:00

September 23, 2009

Old Town & Belmont Park
This is where the Griswold part of our vacation comes in.

We planned on going to Lego Land on this day. The kids were so stinkin' excited to finally get to ride a real roller coaster. WE were so excited to take the kids to a park that was geared toward the 4 foot and under crowd. The girls even woke us up at the crack of dawn, literally, to inform us that the sun was shining and we needed to get our lazy bones out of bed. There were churros to consume and photos to be taken and bathrooms to visit and fears to be conquered for goodness sake. So we loaded up the cars made our way to Carlsbad.

We arrived at Lego land approximately 45 minutes early in order to get the kids all sunscreened up and pottied. The parking lot looked like a ghost town so we knew something wasn't right. I of course begin to panic; thinking things like; It's a scam! We just lost a whole bunch of money on tickets that I purchased for all us on online; Am I having a very bad dream?...No in a very bad dream I would have forgotten to get dressed before entering Lego Land but I don't realize it until it's waaaaaay. tooooo. late. But that would explain the ghost town scenario...

Well the guys went to solve the mystery while I continue to try to keep it together and answer 8,937,851,098 questions coming from the pipsqueaks in the back seat AND devising a plan B so the day wouldn't be a total bust. The guys return shortly after I broke into a cold sweat only to inform us Lego Land was closed. The sign did say it was open but that was for the Sea Life Aquarium next door. Eric tried to console us by telling me he punched Wally in the nose for me and Matt said he knew he should have brought his gun. After they witnessed all the color drain from my face Matt informs us "but the park will re-open on Thursday". Well that's a fine how do ya do! Fortunately, I like to surround myself with emotionally stable, well rounded folks who are problem solvers. We all agreed we wouldn't let the day be a total bust. So we loaded up the cars again and went to Old Town San Diego to do some more...you know...cultural stuff...that and drink the. best. margaritas. this side of Mazatlan.

Bree, Abby and Ethan hammin' it up in a covered wagon.

Cafe Coyote

We relaxed at our favorite Mexican Restaurant in San Diego. It's known for great margaritas and even better carnitas. It's fun to watch Tortilla Ladies make fresh tortillas “a mano” (by hand). We were serenaded by strolling Mariachi’s while we ate in the outdoor courtyard.

Abby got to shake her groove while the Mariachi’s played for us.

After lunch we went down to Mission Beach and set the kids loose at Belmont Park. They loved the boat ride, the submarine ride and best of all the carousel. Then it was back to our place for some pool action and dinner.

It turned out to be a great day even though this OCD chinobilly's plans didn't pan out.

Thank you Prozac! Over and Out!

The Griswold “Will-amini” Family Vacation: Day 3

2009-10-28T07:00:00.000-07:00

September 22, 2009
da Beach!

Abby wiggling her toes in the sand for the very first time!

(click to enlarge)

Our day at the Beach.

I am refreshed!

The Griswold “Will-amini” Family Vacation: Day 2

2009-10-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

September 21, 2009

No San Diego vacation would be complete without a visit to Sea World right? We arrived before Sea World opened and left after Sea World closed!

Bree at Polar Bear exhibit

Abby...worried the Polar Bear was going to eat her...at Polar Bear exhibit. It's OK Abs the Polar Bear just had sea lion for breakfast and is now taking a nap. You're safe!

This walrus was a hoot!

It would swim around the tank spitting out and sucking in this little fish it was munching on.

Then he would swoop up the glass and terrify any unsuspecting person.

Daddy and Bree at the Pet show

Jen and "E" at the pet show

Abby & me...at the pet show...

Eric taught the kids how to say 1-2-3 Shampoo instead of Shamu. It is now one of Aubrey's favorite lines. She thinks it's hilarious.

Matt & Bree on an Elmo fish.

Matt & Abby on the Elmo eel.

Bree and "E" on the Elmo spinning saucers.

Abby and I feeding the Bat Rays.

We had so much fun that I didn't take too many pictures. I was having such a great time with the girls making memories and enjoying the day. That and somehow my camera dial got switched to Shutter Priority instead of Aperture Priority so 80% of the pictures I DID take turned out way too dark. Note to self... check, check and double check your camera every time you pick it up again or you will kick yourself at the end of the day.

The Griswold “Will-amini” Family Vacation Day 1

2009-10-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

September 20, 2009
Our sidekicks Eric, Jen, Ethan & JJ were crazy enough to go on vacation with us...or did we go with them?...We went with them to celebrate their 10 year anniversary. Still, they're crazy enough to let us join them. We had a great time, as always.
On our first day of vacation we visited Balboa Park because we, Chinobillies, are oohhhh soooo cultural. Seriously though it is always on our must see list every time we visit San Diego. The park’s beauty certainly attracts us and there are so many things to do that won’t cost you an arm and a leg either!

Eric and Matt admiring the architecture.

Matt & the girls checking out the Koi pond in front of the Botanical Building (always beautiful and free too!)

My sweet girls in the Botanical Garden.

This little cutie is J.J. He's so sweet I could just eat him up!

Lovebirds?

Everyone’s favorite this time around was the Model Railroad Museum.

It features the world’s largest model railroad museum.

And features four layouts

which depict railroads of the Southwest.

Most of my photos from this day are really grainy due to horrible lighting in the museums. I'm pretty sure it is a conspiracy to ensure no one makes it out of their with decent photos. Don't worry I have my people checking into it...as soon as I get some people...oh never mind.

Bree and Abby holding hands over the wind machine that is making the beach ball float in the air. They loved it! My personal favorite is the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. We watched "BUGS" in the dome shaped IMAX Theater and experimented with hundreds of hands on type science exhibits. We also visited the Automotive Museum where we saw Louie Mattar’s Fabulous $75,000.00 car. Unfortunately I have no photos of this museum because I was, well, I was just plain lazy.

So there you have it folks.

Highlights from Day 1 of San Diego Vacation 2009 (Williams and Bergamini Families)

Let the children...Do chores!

2009-10-22T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was raised by…homebodies…you thought I was gonna say wolves didn’t you? Well that is a whole ‘nother blog post folks once I block my mom from reading my blog. I kid…I kid…I wasn’t raised by wolves but by well meaning, over protective, loving parents...in the middle of nowhere. So naturally I tend to be a bit of a homebody too. Around our house, we’re here most of the day, most of the week, most of the year, and if I don’t really stay on top of things, this chinobilly house can quickly spiral downward into a pit of baby doll clothes, craft projects, empty Capri Sun containers, filth, and squalor. Oh and laundry I can’t forget laundry.

Now that Abby and Bree are old enough Matt and I decided they are perfectly capable of pulling their own weight around here. Actually we were just trying to come up with a solution to better manage those oh so lovely whining sessions while teaching a few character traits as well. My genius husband (see this post) came up with this idea and we all love it. Let me explain the concept.

Each child has a jar (we let them make their own)

Each child earns a ticket for good behavior or completing a chore, washing one’s hands after going to the potty, etc. Each child looses a ticket for whining, being asked several times to do something, fighting with one another, etc.

Mommy has a rewards basket filled with goodies from the dollar bins at various stores. Each reward has a value placed on it. Inside the basket are items ranging from pieces of gum to chocolate-covered granola bars to gummy bears to small bath toys to a set of sidewalk chalks to books to craft kits to princess figurines…all the way up to really sweet items, like a Dr Seuss DVD to the amazing voice magnifying soop-a-staaah -microphones to wind up fishing games. Everything is priced appropriately and remains in the box until someone buys it…or I eat it, which has been known to happen.

Each child has the choice of saving up the tickets or “cashing” them in for rewards (whenever mommy remembers usually once or twice a week).

What I love about it is, it’s totally flexible and can be used in different ways to achieve the objective you want. It also teaches the little hooligans valuable lessons about contributing to the machine of a household, the benefits of being a kind, caring, civilized human being, as well as the value of saving (vs. spending) money.

I think it has helped them to see that when everyone chips in, the house is a much more hospitable and harmonious place. Plus, it eliminates the mommy nagging All. Day. Long. AND it doesn’t take long for one of the kids to watch their sib buy things at the reward basket before they get with the program.

The idea is, each week when the reward basket is open, the kids have to decide whether they want to blow whatever tickets they’ve earned that week…or save it and let it accumulate over a period of weeks in order to buy one of the nicer items in the box. It’s always fun watching the minds of my three year olds churn each week as they internally evaluate whether to give in to the immediate temptation of the candy and gum, or save their shekels for something better.

We’ve been using this system for over a month now and I think the system is working beautifully. Or maybe I just have really great kids. Well, yeah, I do have really great kids. Now I have really great kids that pull their own stinkin’ weight around here. Just kidding. I love my kids very much and I’m quite proud of them.

Welcome To The Nuthouse

2009-10-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

An old friend of ours happens to be one of Matt's customers.

An old friend of ours happens to be one of Matt's customers and her cat had kittens.

An old friend of ours happens to be one of Matt's customers and her cat had kittens so she convinced Matt that our girls life would not be complete without a kitten. (thanks Tara)

So on September 28th Abby & Bree became the proud owners/parents of a 6 week old kitten they have chosen to call Peanut. She is just the light of our little girls lives and they even argue over who gets to be the mommy and who gets to be the daddy for the day. So far each of the girls have been really good with the tiny little thing. The little rascal is already spoiled rotten and thinks she rules the roost.

But she is darn cute!

Apples on the brain

2009-10-20T07:00:00.001-07:00

I fell in love with a very cute apple caramel apple kit idea at Jessica Sprague's website last week. You can view the idea here but I'm warnin' ya'll will fall in love too. The scary thing is I had all the supplies needed to complete this project minus the treat box. Can you say ADDICT?
After a search of every craft store in town for the gable style treat box I settled for a different kind of treat box but I wasn't completely satisfied. The following day I was mindlessly surfing the net while the kids napped when I discovered this idea here and angels wept tears of joy. I immediately called my friend Debby and ~~demanded~~ asked her to get me a Sonic drink holder. It's the raging hormones kicking in and I'm gonna milk it for all its worth by golly. Debby ~~feared for her life~~ is such a sweet friend and promptly brought me a drink container that very evening. All I can say is don't mess with this Chinobilly Mamma!

In order to redeem our friendship I made this little darling for Debby.

I also made one for our neighbor friends. It turned out completely different but still way cute. Unfortunately the girls and I were so excited to give the gift to Annie and her family that I completely forgot to take pictures of that one. Just trust me is was adorable too.

Today I am going to be making miniature caramel apples with my friend Stephanie. Our kiddos are going to "help". I'm thinking I will use the not-so-perfect treat boxes I bought for this project.

Right after I check myself into crafty-apple rehab. Wish me luck as my Applemania symptoms are very acute. Apple officials say the bug will likely remain in my system during the months of September, October and November. Right up until the Christmas lights go up.

Today Abby

2009-10-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

(click image to enlarge)

Raided my cupboards and announced she was going to be me. Does that mean I get to take a nap this afternoon while she folds the laundry? One can only hope...

Give Me Words To Speak

2009-10-18T22:25:00.000-07:00

Here I sit on my blog porch at 10:30 at night feeling the need to pour out my heart. I'm wondering where to start. It’s been a long time since we’ve visited hasn’t it? I’ve missed you all.
I guess I’ll start with a quick update to let you know that the surgery went super smoothly. I've been resting at home, I am healing and I am feeling better and better every day. I'm so blessed to have had such an outpouring of love and support. Thank you from the bottom of my ♥ for all of your thoughts, prayers, and kind words. You all mean so very, very much to me. The Lord has blessed us with THE. MOST. AMAZING. Family and supportive friends EVER. Everyone has been very compassionate and understanding. For that I am thankful.

As many of you know, we have struggled with infertility for most of our 13 years of marriage. And for the last 3 years I’ve been literally fighting the inevitable hysterectomy because I HATE feeling like a failure and a hysterectomy just seemed to have failure written all over it. No matter how irrational that may sound, even to me at times, I fought failure. Failure of not being able to do the job that I was created to do. Looking back through Genesis, Eve was created as a help mate for man and to have babies. I couldn’t do that. So, usually I felt like less of a woman because my parts didn't work right. Tonight was one of those bitter sweet moments when that word…failure…was heavy on our hearts (more on that in a minute…or two...or three…)

I compare the pain of infertility as similar to the grief over losing a loved one, yet it is unique because it is a recurring grief. We grieve the loss of the baby that we will never know. We grieve the loss of that baby who could have had mommy's freckled nose and daddy's green eyes. But, each month, there was the hope that maybe that baby would be conceived after all. No matter how hard we tried to prepare ourselves for bad news, there was still an unspoken hope that “this month” would be different. Then, the bad news came again, and the silent grief washed over us anew. This process happened month after month, year after year. It is like having a deep cut that keeps getting opened right when it starts to heal.

Tonight my family and I attended a benefit concert for our local Community Pregnancy Center. Crisis Pregnancy Centers across the country are near and dear to our hearts. You see, our babies would have been another abortion statistic had it not been for the precious vessels God chose to use during our birthmother’s difficult journey. We praise God daily that she chose life.

During the concert Jamie Slocum shared a song with us about the joys of being a father to his son and how he realized how difficult it must have been for God to allow His Son to take our place and die on the cross for our sins. My sweet husband turned to me with tears in his eyes and said to me in astonishment. “We’re never going to have a son.” And we both wept as we cradled our sweet, oh so feminine, gifts from God in our arms. I felt that punched-in-the-gut feeling of failure to my husband once again.
Funny how certain thoughts hit each of us differently as it seems like Matt just realized this fact yet it feels like it’s all I have thought about since the doctor gave me the news.

These days my Bible remains closed more often than not. I feel so far from God. My mind is a cluttered mess of fears and worries and complaints, and when I try to pray, I can't even form a coherent thought. Most of the time I just sit with my head in my hands. Sometimes I implore, "What is WRONG with me!" which is not so much a prayer, but a cry of frustration. Have you ever been so wound up that you couldn't even pray?

I remember a message our pastor at Calvary Chapel taught about the soul being like a door. We can keep it firmly shut and not let the Holy Spirit in at all, or we can fling it open and allow Him to fill us completely. Or, we can open the inner door, but leave the screen door shut. This lets the Spirit filter in, but we can still keep a part of our soul closed to Him. Right now, it feels like I'm talking to God through a screen door. I can see Him, but His face is blurry. He's right there on the other side, and I want so much to talk to Him, but I just don't know what to say. I know that He is what I need, and all I have to do is open the door and let Him in, but I feel numb, and my hands are frozen at my sides.

During times of weakness, the Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit can guide, inspire, and strengthen us. If need be, he can even pray through us, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” Romans 8:26-27

Whenever I read this passage, I think of the Aaron Shust song, "Give Me Words to Speak"
I'm praying that the Holy Spirit will give me words to speak, because I can't think of anything worth saying.
I'm at a loss for words. Me. I bet you never thought that would happen!

Autumn

2009-10-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

When the trees their summer splendor

Change to raiment red and gold,

When the summer moon turns mellow,

And the nights are getting cold;

(an owl visitor 10-2008)

When the squirrels hide their acorns,

And the woodchucks disappear;

(Bree 11-2008)

Then we know that it is autumn,

(Abby 11-2008)
Loveliest season of the year.

(Bree & Abby 10-2009)

Charlotte L. Riser

Goldwater Lake

2009-09-16T16:07:00.000-07:00

*click on photo to see larger image*

Today was a beautiful fall day. Just a little chill has crept into the air over the last few days and it has been wonderful. There is something about fall that makes me want to go fishing so fishing is what we did. My friend Stephanie and her daughter joined us for a little fishin', a little hikin', a little playin, and a little picnicin'. Oh and check out Stephanie's ~~not so~~ favorite part of the day...right next to the "Day Trip" label is her friend Mr. Snake. Poor girl about turned white as a ghost but all the kids wanted to touch it. Bree even argued "but mamma, it's not a rattlesnake...". Yeah I still don't think so Bubba Lou but your daddy sure would be proud of you. (and you held it together well Miss Steph as I know how much you loath snakes!)

I just love these last lazy days of summer. I praise God for allowing me to experience life again through my children. He is so good!

Getting It All Together: Emergency Contact List

2009-09-12T18:24:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I shared anything with you from my Household Notebook. I've gotten most of the sections done (that NEED to be done anyway). It's been more of an undertaking than I thought it would since I've had to weed through a lot of unnecessary papers that have been shoved into the notebook over the years.
I've been working on updating our Emergency Contact List. A new one was definitely in order so I created a fresh one in Excel and I saved off a master copy just for you to download (here) and fill in on your own. If you need it in a PDF file just leave me a comment and I'll add that one too.
Have a great weekend!

Warm Oatmeal Cake

2009-09-11T05:10:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Gail sent in a request for this recipe. It is one of my favorites given to me by a gal I used to work with at the school district - hi Laura! This time of year seems to be the perfect time to make it since fall is right around the corner. If anyone wants a printed version of this recipe card just send me a comment with your email and I'll get one over to you.
Enjoy!

Garden Reminisce

2009-09-10T05:04:00.000-07:00

I was sorting through some blog posts the other day and realized I had this page scheduled to post but I never posted it. How funny I find this after my rant on garden invaders. This gives me hope to try again. Good thing I have a few months to “lick my wounds” before I start again. You can’t keep this Chinobilly down!

Garden Friends and Foes

2009-09-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

This Chinobilly has worked pretty dang hard on preparing and planting our garden –

only to have these annoying pests move in and destroy what we’ve worked so hard to build up. It seems that aphids can damage plants within a matter of hours and what they don’t consume the pesky grasshopper chomp away at the fruits of our labor. Aaaaahhh! No one wants to see their labor of love go down the drain by losing their plants to those icky pests who are shacking up in the garden.

Even our helpful friendly pals like ladybugs and spiders…the best bodyguards a Chinobilly garden could have aren’t able to combat this evil brood.
The aphids are so bad that even the recommended simple solution of anti-bacterial soap and water can’t combat them.

Well, maybe we’ll have better luck next year. For now I’ll try to nurse the remaining tomatoes through the rest of the season.

Getting It All Together: Menu Planning

2009-09-04T16:27:00.001-07:00

The Menu Section of my notebook…hmmm…hasn’t seen much action lately. I have seriously let this department go for quite some time which is why I’ve been racking my brain the last few days trying to find inspiration for this post. After a great talk with my friend Stephanie yesterday (Thanks Steph) I finally got some motivation. Yay!
I was out of healthy dinner ideas. Making nutritious meals my kids will actually eat is no easy feat. It’s no wonder I’m stuck in a rut and end up making the same food time and time again. But no more! The age old question of “What’s for dinner?” will now be neatly placed in my notebook in the form of a menu plan. Menu planning actually used to be one of my favorite weekly “chores”. Far too many times recently, making a menu plan is something I intend to do . . . when I get around to it. Somehow the days fly by and I’m faced with a hungry brood with no idea what to prepare. I tell myself "Oh well, another week shot, maybe I'll get to it next week, when I'm more organized." (In my head I'm a perfectionist and tend NOT to accomplish anything if I can't do it ~~my way~~ right the first time.) I know it doesn't have to be complicated. I know a small investment of time can reap great rewards: like saving money, saving time, and saving your health. Can you hear me still muttering, "But I don't wanna ..."?

Well, let’s keep it real, anyone who knows me knows that I think it is great fun to think about indexing my recipe collection, entering the data in a relational database and crunching menus till the year 2015, but I shall resist the urge. Hi my name is Jenn, I'm a list-a-holic. These days elaborate hoop-lah becomes just another failed exercise in home management overkill. So repeat after me “I shall break into menu planning easily by starting small and simple.” Think, next week- seven days- one trip to the grocery store.

Where to start? Here’s my game plan:
Inventory
I wandered to my cupboards and refrigerator to check what I had on hand only to discover a few of last week's purchases that were languishing beneath wilting lettuce or hardening tortillas. Bad girl! So the first step for me is to take a pantry inventory. You can download my cheat sheet here. Once I do this I will have a good idea of what I already have on hand. I know I’m overstocked so I should probably proclaim a no spend month just to clean out those darn cupboards. Crickets chirping

Moving on…

What does my family like to eat?
Next I will make a list of everything I like to cook or things I know my family will eat. This will give me a start on my list of meals.
What is on sale?
Then I will dig out the grocery fliers from my local newspaper. I'll use the ads to get a feel for the week's sales and bargains and use that feeling to guide my menu plan.
Okay. Ready? Time to rough out a simple menu plan.
What does my week look like?
Now I drag out the good ol’ household notebook and open it to the calendar pages. I will flesh out my menu plan by matching it up with the family's calendar. This way I can save the oven roast for a Sunday afternoon and the quick-fix taco salad for Survivor night *wink, etc.
Lists~oh I love thee
Make your shopping list. You can print my blank family shopping list here. Post it on the refrigerator. I generally keep 1 extra of our most used items on hand. Say I use the last of the grape jelly. No big deal, I go to the cupboard pull out the next grape jelly and immediately write grape jelly in the corresponding category on my shopping list. It has worked great with ~~boys~~ husbands who don't write "Frosted Mini Wheats” on the list when they empty the box eat Trix cereal for the rest of the week.
Ready, set, shop--but shop WITH COUPONS
Some sites that I’ve had a reasonable amount of success are
The Grocery Game (membership required but worth the small investment)
Coupon Mom (free but sometimes difficult to get the deep discounts found using the grocery game.
Practical Saver My friend Stephanie uses this one. I have just been too lazy to try it yet, although Stephanie’s GINORMOUS savings at Safeway a few weeks ago has me on the verge.
Accountability
Post the menu plan on the refrigerator door. Refer to it during the coming week as you prepare meals.
That's it! The bare bones of menu planning. You've made a draft plan, shopped from a list, firmed up your plan and held yourself accountable. The devil, however, is in the details. Here are some points to ponder as you bring menu planning under control:
Yes, there are some well-organized souls among us (don’t look at me) who don't make formal meal plans. I bet if you look close though you'll discover that household meal time dances to a routine. Sunday's a big dinner, Monday is burger night, Tuesday gets the leftovers from Sunday, Wednesday sees spaghetti, Thursday's the day for a casserole, and Dad grills on Friday. Saturday night, it's take-out or pizza.
Create a routine around your menu planning. Sure, you can try new recipes just don't let your enthusiasm for the glossy pages of the latest Taste Of Home issue con you into doing so more than three or four times month. Cooking tried-and-true speeds dinner preparation and streamlines menu planning.
To do it, look for cues in the family schedule. Make the routine yours, and it will serve you well. Remember though to stay flexible as menu plans aren't written in stone. If you are dodging cramps on the "big" cooking day? Swap it out with Pizza Night and go to bed early. The purpose of a meal planner is to make the dinner decision time less agonizing and to help you with your grocery shopping.
Recycle
After you've made menu plans for a few weeks, the beauty of the activity shines through: recycle them! Your family won't mind, and you'll save even more time and energy.
Instead of an ambitious plan for 30-day menus, tuck completed menu plans in your notebook. Next time chicken is 59 cents a pound at the store, pull out the plan you made that week. Done!
With that said all you first-born-organizer-slightly-OCD-types I have found THE TOOL OF THE CENTURY for you. Go to this website and scroll down to the weekly and monthly menu planner and download whichever one tickles your fancy (I downloaded both just in case the aforementioned indexing of recipe collection compulsion sets in). The creators of this template, Jon and Maria Wittwer,God bless their pea pickin' hearts state “For each main dish, side dish, breakfast, and lunch entry, you can select an item from a drop-down list within the cell. You can edit the meal lists based upon your own favorite foods and recipes. The weekly meal planner also has a notes and grocery list section.” Oh how I love a good list. I’m just giddy with excitement to try this one out.

I double dog dare you to do it!
Take the vow with me. "I, [state your name], hereby promise not to visit the supermarket again until I've made a simple menu plan!" Amen

PS. Kris over at ScrapWarrior has made some PDF and Excel files for us. So visit her blog for these downloads. Thanks Kris!
Have a great weekend everyone!

City Girls With Country Hearts

2009-09-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

The chinobilly girls were invited to a birthday party for our very favorite neighbor friend Ella. Ella's party proved to be the party of all parties in Abby & Bree's book. Oh yes, there was a real-live-horse. They couldn't have been more excited. These chinobillies might not be growing up as country bumpkins like Matt and I did but they are pretty darn lucky to be country at heart.

Today's Special

2009-09-01T15:15:00.001-07:00

"Every word that comes out of our mouths has power in it- creative or destructive, positive or negative"
Those are the words I've been mulling over lately. We've been talking a lot about this concept in our home recently. The girls and I have been working on understanding Ephesians 4:29 "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen." In simple 3 year old terms I've been driving home the point that God instructs us not to use polluting language like COMPLAINING about everything. Complaining pollutes our body mind and spirit.
Yesterday I declared, "from now on we will start each day with gratitude and thanksgiving darn it all!" God is not only dealing with my children on this but repeatedly dealing with me about it too. Your thinking well...where do you think they are learning it. Well this chinobilly is a tad bit slow in this realization. I was studying in Hebrews 13:15 when I realized I need to purposely choose to offer up praise and thanksgiving rather than complaints and grumbles.
This morning the girls just weren't really "getting it" so I grabbed a Ziploc bag and placed a piece of bread in it (this was something I remember teaching to my class of 3rd graders back in our Calvary Chapel days). I sat down on my dirty kitchen floor and gathered my little ones around me. I held up the bag and said "our hearts are like this piece of bread and God is like this sandwich bag. Nothing can get to us to destroy us as long as we respect the seal of the sandwich bag. But if we are not careful and let air into the bag the bread will become stale and hard in a few short hours. It makes God sad when we use careless words and complain a lot. We are not protecting the seal. So today our goal is to be as positive and thankful as possible."
I think I might have seen light bulbs go on as they were mumbling ok mamma but I wasn't quite sure yet. We went about our morning preparing for the Tuesday outing at the library and not much happened. I think the kids knew I was growing weary and cranky. So maybe the combination of the talk and the look in mamma's eyes motivated them. Library went well. We came home and I set to work making lunch. Today's lunch was grilled cheese sandwiches and apple slices. I called the girls to the table and asked them to bring a book they checked out from the library. I read to them while they ate their lunch. After I finished the book and was busy eating my lunch Abby pipes up and says, "Mamma, you make the best gooey cheese samiches...you must weelly wove us." silence...then "fank you for wuving us"

Lawsy mercy I think I've died and gone to heaven! I think it's sinking in!

Proverbs 18:21 "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit".
It's amazing the awesome power we have right under our nose...to produce life or death...

Abby's sincerity motivated me to want to do more for them. Just think of how much more generous our Lord and Savior is.

Getting It All Together: Weekly Cleaning Schedule

2009-08-31T05:00:00.000-07:00

“Being a homemaker, full-time or part-time, is a gift. Every woman should realize that she has the greatest profession in the whole wide world. ~ Emilie Barnes

So are you seeing the benefits from your routine yet? Experts say habits may take 21-28 days to officially be ingrained in your daily patterns so don’t despair. Just keep up the good work!
Did you take the first important step in getting started? Did you make a list of all of your regular chores, errands, commitments, and activities? It can be overwhelming and even eye opening to do this task.

When my own routine is working to my advantage it allows me to complete my chores daily with little frustration. The house can be clean by 10:00 in the morning leaving the rest of the day to go to the park, run errands, cook or bake, enjoy some scrapbooking, play with the children, and serve others. Please don’t get this wild idea that my days run smoothly, I fall off the proverbial wagon more often these days with busy little ones. I have to keep reminding myself that’s ok, there is always tomorrow.

I believe housework can be accomplished easily if done regularly. For instance, cleaning the kitchen during meal prep or immediately after takes only 15 - 20 minutes. But cleaning the kitchen after 2 or 3 meals when the day is done can take 2 or more hours. That’s no fun!
It seems I am forever tweaking my routine too and one of these days I know I will have nailed it but until then I’ll just keep working on it.
If you do an Internet search you will find several types of cleaning plans available. Here are some examples I know of: The once a week clean-a-thon, the Cleaning one room per day method, dividing the house into zones and cleaning a specified zone for the day or week plan, or doing certain tasks per day so that by the end of the week the whole house is clean (task-by-task cleaning)

In our household I have followed the cleaning one room per day technique which learned when I married my sweetie peachy 13 years ago. The idea is to work in one room at a time each day so by the end of the week you have covered all the rooms in the house. Due to the season of stay at home mommyhood this method hasn’t been working so well for me. Maybe because it is difficult to focus on one thing for more than 5 minutes at a time or maybe the task just seems so overwhelming that I let that “stinkin’ thinkin’” set in and not do anything at all or maybe the house is just “lived” in more now than ever before. I am considering trying out the task by task cleaning method though. I think the cleaning one room at a time method will be great when I get to deep cleaning situations, etc.
This is why my morning and evening routine became so important. In following the routines I am able to make sure the every day needs of the house are taken care of (so the kids won’t have to run commando through the house; although that hasn’t stopped them yet, 3 hot meals are prepared and the house is in a general (term used very loosely) sense of order) while I figure out a better way to manage the home. It’s a never ending cycle. I am considering trying out the task by task cleaning method though.
In an effort to ~~recuperate from last week~~ keep my head above water I am just going to send you to this post I did back in January regarding my weekly schedule.
You can also download my schedule here if you want to print it and put it in your notebook. I would love to know what anyone else is doing for a weekly cleaning schedule. Anyone? Anyone? Tap-tap-tap…this thing on?

Chinobilly Infirmary

2009-08-27T14:44:00.000-07:00

One of my little chickadees hasn’t been feeling well the last few days. It’s been a bit challenging at times as the lack of sleep is taking its toll on all of us. Bree has been very needy and wants to be held at all times.

Yesterday I decided to let the kids go camping…
in our living room…
I busted out the tent and their sleeping bags.
They got to stay in their jammies ALL-DAY-LONG.
I even indulged them by allowing them to watch a few movies from the DVD collection.

Wathcing "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!"

Abby is just like her Aunt Cathy...The suspense is almost more than she can bear. It totally cracks me up! They had quite the time and it brought a smile to Bree’s face and a twinkle to her eyes, the first I’ve seen since I crushed her little heart by telling her we couldn’t go to the library due to her fever. The tent made a perfect Chinobilly Infimary and I might have won the mommy of the day award too!

Hopefully we’ll be on the mend soon so I can continue my organizing, notebook making, gettin’ it all together mission.

Encouragement for the week

2009-08-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Bree @ 16mo couponing

One who fears failure limits his activities. Failure is only the opportunity to more intelligently begin again.
~Henry Ford

Getting It All Together: Mid Day Routine

2009-08-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

Welcome to day 3 of building our binders. This will be a pretty light day for me since my mid-day routine varies so much. Truthfully I didn’t even have one written out, until today. If you would like to print mine out you can do so here. It would seem that once my morning routine is completed we just tend to follow our daily schedule/plan which I will post next week. I have a general structure such as when I would like for the kids to eat, nap, etc. but other than that we’ve just been doing what feels good. Now that everyone around us is getting back into school mode I will probably add more structure to our day with picking up where we left off in our preschool work.
So here is a little assignment for you to be thinking about. Back in the “good ol’ days” even June Cleaver had a basic weekly routine. Though times have changed many of us still know what day we are going to do certain things. You might remember seeing my laundry schedule on the morning routines for example. I’m sure you have a certain day you like to grocery shop or run errands, pay bills. Maybe you have specific days you take the kids somewhere or have a date with your spouse. Maybe you regularly attend church or a bible study group. These are the things to be filling in the blanks.
Here is where I would start.
Take out a sheet of notebook paper and write out the days of the week down the left side of the paper leaving plenty of room for your notes. Then fill out a main task you complete on specific days.
I will share my basic weekly plan with you next week so you will have plenty of time to be brainstorming/collecting your thoughts.

Now, the weeds are taunting me in the garden so I'm gonna go show 'em who's boss!
Wish me luck :)

Getting It All Together: Morning Routine

2009-08-19T15:11:00.000-07:00

Hello again! We’re on day 2 of building our notebooks. How are y’all doin’? Establishing routines takes time up front but you’ll reap the rewards in extra time later. I do however need to clarify something that my dear friend Stephanie pointed out yesterday. Her comment was very good “My evening routine is drop everything and chill with [her family]. As soon as [her husband] walks in, my day is done, except for dinner.”
You are right on Stephanie and good for you for keeping your priorities in line. Our family time is waaay more precious than following any routine. A few years from now our kids will be grown up and moved on (cringe). But for now we are to enjoy the little ones who want to examine every single pot and pan in the cupboard, or make a line of Fruit Loops out the front door to entice the dog to go outside and leave their dollies alone. It is far more important that your children remember you as a mom who is involved in their lives and interested in who they are rather than someone whose house might pass a white-glove test. Your husband wants and needs time with his bride to unwind from a stressful day at work. Be there, in the moment, enjoy it!

That said and for clarification purposes, my “evening” routine starts when the rug rats get up from their nap. Dinner time is when the house starts winding down and by 6:30 or 7:00 I have 90% of my “evening” routine complete and ready for Daddy to come home. Hopefully I didn’t mislead anyone or make them feel I was trying to add another burden to your day. Lord knows we don't need anymore burdens!
Back when I worked outside of the home my day began something like this: 6:00am alarm blasts me from my dreams. I’d pull myself out of bed, half asleep stumble into the shower, dress, kiss my still sleeping sweety peachy, leave house for work by 6:45am, on the daily commute drink an Instant Breakfast and an English muffin, get to work by 7:30 am, say my good mornings to coworkers with a plastic smile, check some emails and visit with my boss and my assistant then jump right in and start the day once the sugar from the donuts the girl down the hall brought kicks in oh somewhere around 9am. Does any of this sound familiar? My days still tend to start out quite harried with trying to get my husband off to work and the kids fed and settled so I could try to appear life-like. Life got a little easier when I implemented my evening routine since the house was fairly in order before I collapsed into bed the night before. Then my quest for the perfect morning routine really seemed to flow when I realized I needed to rise at least 30 minutes before anyone else to get my shower in and get dressed. Since it would appear I tend to set the tone for our day...happy, showered and dressed mamma is better than half-asleep, where do I start mamma. This doesn’t happen as often as it’s supposed to in my book because Abby thinks it’s quite a fun challenge to make sure she is the first one up. We are working on her though.

I have often read that most people have more energy in the morning than any other time of the day so many organizational books will tell you to get with your tasks first thing when your energy level is at its peak. I’ve never been much of a morning person so this has always been difficult for me. Just remember that You know yourself best so make the routine work for you not the other way around.

As you can see in my morning routine (available for you to download) I haven’t added daily devotions. Many of you have that precious time with the Lord in the morning. Yay! I’m finding it more feasible during this season in life to have my quiet time when the kids are napping. I believe with all my heart that each of us should spend time the Lord every single day. Morning might be best or some other time. Do what is right between you and the Lord, just do it!
Some other ideas for your morning routine might include

balancing/updating the checkbook

taking vitamins

taking a walk

computer time

Here is a link to FlyLady's morning routine if you want to take a peak.

Since I struggle so much with a morning routine I am going to focus on making my morning routine a daily habit for the rest of this month. And here is my last confession for the day.
The computer is my enemy. In the hour after we wake, if I so much as check my email my routine is shot. I’ll still be working on getting the dishwasher unloaded at 3 in the afternoon, the kids won’t have any structure, and my brain will be on overdrive the entire day. So if you guys could please pray for me in this department I would truly appreciate it.

Do you do a morning routine? What's on your list? I’d love to know.

When Satan Attacks

2009-08-18T12:39:00.001-07:00

He uses Google to do it. I tried posting the first in the notebook series yesterday but Google wouldn't let me into any sites operated by them. Strange I know. It seems to be fixed now so hopefully we can continue our series. So sorry for the delay.

Getting It All Togeter: Routines Baby

2009-08-18T12:25:00.000-07:00

The first section I want to work on is the Daily Routines Section of my binder. It will be divided into three sections (routines): Morning, Afternoon/Midday, and Evening.
I will start with an evening routine. Why you ask? There is nothing more aggravating to me than getting up in the morning, goopy sleep stuck in my eyelids, dragging my feet across a dirty floor covered in crumbs and entering a dirty kitchen with a sink filled to the brim with dirty dishes from the night before. It makes me really, really grumpy when I have to finish yesterday’s work before I can even begin today’s work.
A few months after becoming a stay-at-home-mom I realized just how much I ~~liked~~ missed having structure to my day. I was accustomed to working in an office, with a schedule and fine tuned routine and defined expectation. I’m the kind of girl who needs order and routine. Motherhood offered me neither with my new job having no beginning or end, no boss to tell me what to do and when, no schedule, no plan. I became undisciplined and unmotivated. During my undisciplined and unmotivated days I was doing some surfing around on FlyLady, and found her routines. Once I implemented an evening routine I began to feel a sense of structure and peace return to the home. Yes, it will take some commitment but unless you commit to following your routine, it will never work. And not to sound like your mother but I’m sure you’ve heard it before…”when you don’t feel like it – do it anyways”.
Don’t feel bad if you can’t always follow the routine. Don’t let it become a burden, it’s there to help.
If you don’t know where to start I’d like for you to stop by FlyLady to see her routine. Also, here is a link to My Evening Routine for you to download, print out and place in your new handy dandy household notebook.

Or here's a quick challenge for you:
Start by writing out just 5 things you can or should do every night
Stick this list in your notebook
Do it for just one night and see how the next morning runs SOOO smoothly
If you try it, you'll be hooked. And then you'll do it the next night and the next.

Do you do an evening routine? What's on your list?

More rambly ramblings

2009-08-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

I normally don’t post on the weekends but I feel my head might burst if I wait until Monday. Also with school shopping in full swing this might be a good time to purchase the supplies we will need for our binders while they are on sale if you don’t have them lying around already.
Here's my list:
Bible (this should be your first resource for keeping the home; study His guidelines first)
A Dictionary
A concordance if you have one (mine was borrowed and never returned) I miss my concordance so I'm hoping to find a new one for a reasonable price very soon.
A large 3 ring binder
Clear page protectors
Notebook paper
Stick on index tabs
A pen and pencil
A dry erase marker
A zippered pocket/pouch that is made to be put into a three ring binder to hold things such as pens and extra stick on tabs
Little Post-its that can be stuck onto certain pages in your binder, should you need to leave a note for yourself

If you are unable to obtain everything above, don’t worry about it. Whatever you do, don’t make that an excuse to not continue on. Work with what you have, and be creative.

Our women’s bible study is wrapping up on Monday. I was so saddened to learn they were skipping the chapter on “Keeping Up The Home”. So I decided to study it on my own since my heart has been longing for some guidance in this area. Here are some verses that the author asked the reader to study and pray over.
You are to “build” your home.
Proverbs 9:1
Proverbs 14:1
Proverbs 24:3
You are to watch over your home.
Proverbs 27:23
Proverbs 31:27
Proverbs 14:23
Proverbs 19:15
You are to manage your home.
1 Timothy 5:13-14
1 Timothy 5:3-14
Proverbs 31:10-31
You are to keep your home.
Titus 2:5
Proverbs 7:11-12
Proverbs 14:1
1 Timothy 5:13-14

I’m praying that the little things we are doing now will make a big difference in our marriages, our homes, and our relationship with the Lord. Remember that we need to give ourselves some grace – giving heaps of it to yourself and your family members, remembering that the stage of curtain climbing, boogery noses, and general mayhem at home is so short. But – I still need to keep up the house. This life stage doesn’t give us a Get Out Of Housework Free Card when it comes to keeping the home. In fact, I’m finding that this stage makes it all the more important to find a management system that works well. My kids are happier when our home is neat and tidy and so am I. I can hold on to that last string of sanity when there’s at least a tangible goal towards house cleaning. And Matt can come home to an actual haven, not a chaotic zoo. Well, most of the time. It’s a nice goal, anyway.
I need a place to go for some direction, goals, and checklists for my job here at home, and maybe these ideas have triggered some of your own. What are you constantly looking for throughout your day? Would it help you to have it in a master notebook, so that it’s quickly at your fingertips? I think the trick is to have your notebook complete enough for it to be useful, but not so crammed full or overcomplicated that it’s de-motivating to use (totally speaking from experience here).

This Chinobilly is on a mission!

2009-08-14T22:36:00.000-07:00

There is an organizing tool I've wanted to put to good use for a long, long, l-o-n-g time along with an innate desire to put things in my life in some sort of orderly fashion. Don’t cringe…A household notebook.

And this is why in a nutshell: I’m the type of gal who has to get my thoughts out on paper. For some strange reason ~~Procrastination and perfectionism set in every time I start one~~ I have yet to finish what I started.

There are three reasons that I need to do this. 1) As much as I love to use my computer/pda to keep things organized, sometimes I just need to write stuff down. And keeping it all in one organized place would be best. 2) I'm pretty good at remembering things. But one of my best tools for "remembering" is writing stuff down. And one of my worst enemies is the 425,904,825 things that I get interrupted with while trying to remember what it is I’m supposed to remember! Did I just hear an “Amen Sista”? 3) I’m having surgery in 6 weeks so my sweety, peachy will be running the show for a few days.

So, those are my reasons and here's what has been keeping me awake at night as plans for my notebook swirl around in my head and I begin craving peach pie and suddenly I have to pee but Matt’s arm is wrapped around my stomach and I’m trapped. You think I’m kidding? This was my mind at 2:48 this morning. Luckily I had paper in the bathroom once I wriggled free from the bed without disturbing the hubby.

The notebook will need to be pretty big but not too big. Let’s start with a 2 inch clear-cover binder for now.
I imagine stylish dividers inside. The dividers could have handy pockets for keeping things that I don't have time to punch with holes right off the bat. I think my notebook will generally stay on my desk or on the kitchen counter. This way it is accessible to me at all times but because it is a neat little binder and not a mess of papers, I don't mind it being out all the time. I won’t carry it with me on errands, I will continue to use a pared down version of my current day planner. It will be a tool I use at home.
And the cover...I will of course have to get crafty with the cover for my notebook. I want to make it pretty because things are so much more fun to use when they are pretty.

Sections/dividers (All to be discussed in greater detail later)
Daily routines
Weekly plan
Cleaning Schedule/Zones
Menu ideas/master grocery list
Emergency Info
Chinobilly Yellow pages and contact list
Children’s Stuff
Blog Ideas
Gift Ideas
Education
Personal/Family Goals
Budget
Devotions
Communication with Matt

You'll notice that I don't have a calendar in there anywhere. That's because I have a PDA that works very well as it synchronizes with outlook. But that would be a handy tab if I didn't have that sorted out.

So, that's my dream notebook. I think it will really help keep me sane by making sure that my poor little brain doesn't have to be responsible for too much information at once.

In the spirit of chronicling the chinobilly gardening wannabe adventures this spring while examining our progress in raising two wild and crazy chinobillies and our adventures in life, I will be starting a Chinobilly Household Journal over the next 6 weeks. I would be totally ~~held accountable~~ encouraged if you would like to begin this project with me. I will be formulating a plan over the weekend (hopefully) so I will have an idea of where I’m going with this crazy task. I have dreams of having this journal completed before I go under the knife so this fiasco may be a blessing to me AND my family as I begin to manage our home a little better each day. Not everyone needs everything I’ve mentioned. Feel free to let your specific need/desires “dictate” what you will incorporate. I want to start small and add as time allows. Let’s encourage each other and get started shall we?

Easy Butter Cream Icing

2009-08-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

Some of you gals asked for the icing recipe I used on these cupcakes.

I've always admired the swirly tops of the cupcakes you can buy at the bakery. They always look so pretty. And even though I am a chinobilly through and through pretty cupcakes speak to me. They do! And once I get something fixed in my mind I can't seem to let it go. (It's just a confirmation of the borderline OCD result I got on a Facebook Personality Quiz I took the other day.) Well that firstborn trait reared its ugly head and I was on a mission to learn how to make the swirly tops. A phone call to my mom led me back to my recipe box (which I've had since I was 14) to find the Easy Butter Cream Recipe. It also led to my very sweet husband making a dreaded trip into a Michaels craft store to get a 1M start tip during his trip to town. On the eve of the Princess Party I got the kids off to sleep and began Mission Swirly Top in my kitchen. Ladies I'm telling you it was so easy I don't know why I haven't tried it sooner. I'll tell you how to do it and advise you NOT to wait until 9:00 at night on a very HOT July evening to do this because you will have so much fun you will want to make more cupcakes and more icing just to practice your swirly top technique and then you will stay up 'til 11:00 at night on the EVE of THE Princess Party. And I do not want to be held responsible for your puffy eyes on the day of your little princesses birthday party.

Consider yourself warned.

1) Bake and cool your princesses favorite cupcake.

2) Prepare the easy butter cream icing recipe below and tint with your princesses favorite color.

3) Using the 1M star tip ~~you should have purchased yourself~~ pipe delicious buttercream swirls on top of cupcakes. Hold the bag and tip at a 90° angle to surface of your cupcake. Pipe a spiral of icing, beginning at the outer edge and working inward. And for extra "purtyness" and extra sugar pipe a second spiral on top.

4) Sprinkle with your princesses favorite sprinkles and there you have it:

A swirly top cupcake fit for a princess!

Materials for Recipe Card: Adobe PSE7; Little Princess Kit by SMJDesigns; coffe stains brushes free by Guerilla Graphics; Pea Alesa font free by Amanda

Princess Party For The Birthday Girls

2009-08-04T14:16:00.000-07:00

We hosted a princess party for the twins over the weekend. What fun we had! The girls invited six of their friends over for games and crafts and food and cake and fun! Abby was tickled pink that her daddy got to be there (Abby thinks daddy's don't get to go to parties) and Bree was tickled pink because...well...she got to wear pink.
I am truly blessed not only with amazing daughters but I have amazing friends too. Thank you all so much for spending time with us!
Enjoy...

Materials: Adobe PSE7, The Story of the Day Layered Template Set, Celebrations Journal Blocks, Everyday Brushes, Remember Brushes by Ali Edwards, Little Princess Kit by SMJDesigns and Ali Edwards Font.

Now I'm off to work on Ladies Bible Study, thank you notes, upload my photography assignment and catch up on lessons, make a recipe card for a blog post and I'm behind in changing my blog background. Thank goodness for naptime and the chorse being caught up for today. I get to play.

An Admonishment And A Prayer

2009-07-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

Our sweet girls playing at the park.

I’m a little behind in reading my emails. The following letter was in my inbox from my sister in law sent on July 27th. (I'm sure many of you have seen it before.) Do you think it is a coincidence? That I read this the day after I “twist off” in my blog post? I think it’s the Holy Spirit reminding me of what is important and disciplining me because of His great love.

“To My Daughter

Just for this morning, I am going to step over the laundry, and pick you up and take you to the park to play.
Just for this morning, I will leave the dishes in the sink, and let you teach me how to put that puzzle of yours together.
Just for this afternoon, I will unplug the telephone and keep the computer off, and sit with you in the backyard and blow bubbles.
Just for this afternoon, I will not yell once, not even a tiny grumble when you scream and whine for the ice cream truck and I will buy you one if he comes by.
Just for this afternoon, I won't worry about what you are going to be when you grow up, or second guess every decision I have made where you are concerned.
Just for this afternoon, I will let you help me bake cookies, and I won't stand over you trying to fix them.
Just for this afternoon, I will take us to McDonald's and buy us both a Happy Meal so you can have both toys.
Just for this evening, I will hold you in my arms and tell you a story about how you were born and how much I love you.
Just for this evening, I will let you splash in the tub and not get angry.
Just for this evening, I will let you stay up late while we sit on the porch and count all the stars.
Just for this evening, I will snuggle beside you for hours, and miss my favorite TV shows.
Just for this evening when I run my finger through your hair as you pray, I will simply be grateful that God has given me the greatest gift ever given.
I will think about the mothers and fathers who are searching for their missing children, the mothers and fathers who are visiting their children's graves instead of their bedrooms, and mothers and fathers who are in hospital rooms watching their children suffer senselessly, and screaming inside that they can't handle it anymore.
And when I kiss you good night I will hold you a little tighter, a little longer. It is then, that I will thank God for you, and ask Him for nothing, except one more day..............”

Wow!
Dear Lord, I praise you for loving me despite my sin, and for forgiving me time and time again. Thank You for dying on the cross so that I could have eternal life, even when I don't deserve it. Please fill me with hope and strength to overcome, and continue to bless me with Your grace and mercy. Help me to have a heart that longs to think and behave in ways that please You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Encouragement from Proverbs 31 July 29

The Chinobilly Housewife Twists Off

2009-07-29T16:20:00.000-07:00

Many of you have noticed that I have been uncharacteristically quiet on my blog porch this summer. Blogging has become really hard for me - I think it’s just the raging flow of life, and the fact that things don’t really feel like they settle down here until after the kids are fast asleep. This season of life makes it tough to even form a coherent thought, let alone think deeply. But I feel like I SHOULD be here writing down a few thoughts.
So let's see...oh...Ethel (my camera) and I have been hard at work with The Photographers Workshop. I’m learning so much and I have a renewed love for my camera. It's all I can do to keep up with the assignments but I think I'm improving little by little. I love capturing the everyday moments with my girls and this workshop has certainly kept Ethel clicking away!
I’m also attending women’s bible study, A Wife After God’s Own Heart, at my church. I know I have a lot to work on in this area yet it is so comforting to know that my Savior is patient with me and so is my precious husband. I am truly blessed.
I confess my spiritual muscles have grown week over the past three years. As I’m learning the art of motherhood I have foolishly allowed my prayer and quiet time to be placed on the back burner. Oh how I miss my quiet time with my precious Lord. I crave it and I feel so empty. I struggle with the simplest of tasks and thoughts…to utter a prayer amidst the chaos. My heart is burdened. Maybe I just need a break. Time to think, to be still and quiet.
I see this shift in priorities taking over other areas of my life as well. My house is no longer a comfortable haven. I struggle with indecisiveness in what needs to get done first since ALL of it needs to get done. Then I get overwhelmed feeling that EVERYTHING needs to be done and not knowing where to begin so in frustration I procrastinate and end up doing silly jobs that are not very significant. Lord give me direction…my dirty house is threatening to take over along with my dirty children. *wink
My morning got off to a strange start. I’m convinced the Tylenol PM I took last night is still lingering into the AM. I didn’t get a shower in before Matt shuffled off to work which makes mommy c-r-a-n-k-y and I’m mad at myself for not getting up earlier to spend some time with the Lord (something I’ve been trying to do since beginning this bible study). After getting the kids settled with breakfast I go to get a load of laundry to start and see a haze of dust has settled on our bedroom mirror so I go to get a cloth to clean that off. On my way to get the cloth Abby hollers she needs my help to go “peep” (use the potty). While I’m in the bathroom with her I see the bathroom sink is even worse shape than the mirror in my bedroom so I decided that is where I must start. Then the phone rang. On my way to answer it I trip over a box of foam beads the girls had gotten out and sent them flying in every direction. The Caller ID indicates that it is the doctor’s office FINALLY calling me back so I immediately scramble for a piece of paper and something to write with. I see a weeks worth of mail, most to be tossed, so I write a note on a mail scarp. Then Bree spilled juice on the floor so I begin to clean it up only to realize the whole floor needs a good mopping. So I head to the pantry to get the Floormate but the pantry reminds me that I keep forgetting to add some items to my grocery list. Where is that list anyway? I head off to write it somewhere. Then the girls need attention so my “work" period has thus ended for an indefinite amount of time. When all the “fires are put out” I can’t quite remember where I left off. All I know is there is stuff everywhere now and the house looks worse than when I began. So I find myself wasting time on Facebook instead of dealing with the issues at hand. What a discouragement!
How much longer can I do this? My brain seems to have left the building or is shrouded in a fog. I have had the constant feeling of just 'hanging in space' somewhere. Everyday seems like such a battle. My poor husband has hard days as well and I'm sure will be worn out when he gets home too. So, I must vent here. I know it's only a brief season. My little girls are going to be three on Monday. They are growing up so fast and I can’t turn back the clock or shout re-do! Anyways, I'm just in a place of great pressure, and I know it won't be like this forever. As long as I stand strong in faith and persevere, God will come through and we will grow even stronger. Then we'll look back and see how He worked.
Thank you all for “listening” I feel better just getting this out.
Oh yeah, interesting title huh? My gramma used to say the phrase 'twist off' for losing it, or freaking out. So that's why I used it. It just makes more sense now than when I was younger.

Camping Day 3

2009-07-27T15:02:00.000-07:00

Well here are the final photos from our final day of our camping trip.

I hope you all have a great week!

Camping Day 2

2009-07-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

click on image for larger view

Our second day of camping consisted much of the same activities as day one...playing in the creek. Matt's parents did meet us at Clint's Well in the morning. We ate breakfast at a little cafe then headed back to our campsite. Bruce & Carole spent almost all day with us and we enjoyed every minute of their time. We grilled steaks for lunch and got to visit while the kids napped. That evening after mom and dad left we took a drive to see if there were any better camping spots for next time. We explored some beautiful country and even saw a few elk. After we got back from our drive we enjoyed a nice warm campfire and smores. The kids were in heaven!

Camping Day 1

2009-07-15T10:10:00.000-07:00

We went camping up at Clear Creek last week. We had a great time and enjoyed getting away from it all for a while. Because we camped in the middle of the week it felt like we had the whole forest and creek to ourselves. It was glorious!

The kids finally wet their lines for the first time. We got a lot of bites but mostly caught crawdads. The kids loved it though. When we weren't fishing we were back at camp. Abby was determined to dig to Beijing and I'm thankful she wasn't using my kitchen utensils to do it this time. Bree was content picking every single flower she could find. And Oli? Well Oli scored big time. He found an old bone to gnaw on.

Warning: Spending excessive amounts of time in the woods may cause an increase in unusual and sometimes hilarious behavior.

You might be a chinobilly...

2009-07-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

If yur buckit

kin hold more of yur yungins

thyn yur pool

ya might be a chinobilly.

Thanks for the laughs, Korell family! We're taking up a collection down at the Alco to get you all a bigger pool or smaller kids, whichever's cheaper!

Dr Hinton would be proud

2009-07-11T21:56:00.000-07:00

The girls are really getting the hang of imagination. I guess spending a few days in the woods with no TV will do that for a kid.
Today Bree was enjoying the fact that it was too hot for daddy to be outside for any length of time. Matt was trying to cool off and take a little rest on the couch when Bree brought out what we fondly call the Dr. Hinton kit (they L-O-V-E their pediatrician).

First she checks to "see if ya' have a hawt" (heart).

Uh-oh, daddy has a cough...tsk tsk

Now, let's see if he has a fever...

Oh dear this can't be good, he needs some "stwawbewy medicine".

Open wide...

Ok daddy this will only hurt a "wittle bit".

Daddy, your just not "gettin' any better, I'm gonna have to cut ya open to take the sick out"

"Twust me...I've done this before...I'm Dr. Hinton"

That's my girl...future MD!

A Chinobilly Playdate

2009-07-05T18:34:00.000-07:00

What a super fun day we had last Thursday with our sweet friends. I had the best time watching all ten kids cool off in the tiny chinobilly pool, visiting with amazing friends and of course eating tasty food. My girls loved every minute with their friends and even wanted to know if they were coming back for another play date the next day.
Have a great week everybody!

No-bakes

2009-07-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

I think Gary Chapman, the author of The Five Love Languages was wrong. This Chinobilly believes there are actually six love languages. And I feel it is my duty to share with ~~the world~~ the 4 people crazy enough to read my blog that yes food IS a love language, a beautiful love language. Just the other day I was sniveling on the blog about having the case of the grumpies. Later that afternoon my sweet friend Stephanie brought over 3 loaves of homemade bread to cheer me up. Oh yes, it did. I felt loved, refer to Love Language #3: receiving gifts, true ,but oh the bread was so good, so comforting, so buttery, so delicious. Gary asks the question “Could it be that gift giving is a fundamental expression of love that transcends cultural barriers?” Possibly, Gary, but I believe FOOD is THE fundamental expression of love that transcends cultural barriers. Maybe I’ll have to pull him aside one of these days, say like when I meet him in heaven, and explain my philosophy. Oh never mind, by then it would be too late. Aren’t you glad you have me to blog about such important matters?
Don’t answer that.
Sometimes though, I just want to self-medicate with a good cookie, and I don’t want to run the oven. Since I was 12, the answer to many of the world’s problems has come in the form of ~~anything served on a dessert plate~~ no-bake cookies.
I’ve had other peoples’ no-bakes, and (my least favorite) purchased no-bakes, but mine are really the best. (It’s a modification of my mother’s recipe and several tweaks here and there over the years.) They are also quick and easy to make, and (unless you need the cookies because your offspring are driving you nuts) they are a great thing to make with kids. Here goes:
No-Bake Cookies

2 cups sugar
¼ cup butter
½ cup milk
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter (I’ve used crunchy, but if you go this route you should use a little more peanut butter overall, maybe 1/3 cup more).
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups instant oatmeal
Place sugar, butter, milk and cocoa in large saucepan, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for exactly one minute. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and vanilla until peanut butter melts. Stir in oatmeal. Drop by the spoonful onto waxed paper or a silicone baking mat, and allow to cool.
*Note: you can leave out the cocoa but if you do I would recommend you up the oatmeal to 3 cups.
Love,
The crazy chinoiblly sharing this 6th love language with the world, one recipe at a time.

Playdate with Grace

2009-06-29T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hello bloggy friends. I've been meaning to post this layout for a while now....So stinkin' cute! Thanks Stephanie for the super fun day. Hope to do it again really soon.

I get to scrapbook with my friend Jen today then I'm off to bible study tonight. I'm very excited about it. I should be in my garden weeding today but I'm up for some much needed girl talk and scrap therapy (the only thing that keeps me paper scrappin' is the girl talk). Weeds, like laundry will always be there. I do have a bunch of veggies beginning to look promising so I'll try to post pictures soon.

Happy Monday!

Gloomy no more...

2009-06-26T14:07:00.000-07:00

*I read this quote that prarie chick wrote on her site and it totally fits my state of mind. Thank you praire chick for saying what I couldn't.*

One day you wake up and the forecast is gloomy,

for the weather and for your attitude alike.

One of those days steeped in the quagmire of melancholy

Wherever you look things are downright messy

and all you can do is pray helplessly for reprieve.

But just when you think you’re about to go down

God sends a helping hand

a listening ear… a shoulder to cry on

and all at once the sun emerges

and the flowers that had closed up tight

waiting for a softer light

open wide and smile at you.

and you smile too.

I finished my chores early today. My kids ~~are~~ were napping. My spirits are lifted after a rough couple of weeks. I promise to be back in bloggy land next week. Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts and prayers.

Fairwell Stinkerbell

2009-06-21T14:58:00.000-07:00

**Tissue Alert** For those of you who were blessed to know and love our sweet girl...

Bailee 12-3-96 to 6-18-09

Bailee our precious yellow lab lived a long, happy life. She was such a sweet, gentle, sensitive, loyal girl. She never complained and was a very patient friend. She brought a lot of joy to our lives even in her last days of old age.
Not wanting our sweet dog to suffer any longer, I had to make “the very difficult decision” on Thursday. One of the hardest decisions I pray I ever have to make.
I held her and loved her while the vet did the injections.

Just like that, it was over.

Our “Stinkerbell” was gone...

Now I have spent these past days with tears in my eyes, and wonderful memories in my heart. I miss her terribly already. It feels like there is a huge aching hole in my heart that she used to fill. No one could have asked for a more loving and loyal girl.
Thank you for being such a wonderful and faithful companion Bailee girl, we’ll always remember you.

Rambly Ramblings

2009-06-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hello, just sitting on my blog porch. Thanks for joining me! It’s been a strange few days; I’m in a funk and bein' a grouchy gus too! Snivel, snivel, snivel.
I babysat one of our nieces over the weekend; such a sweet baby. Having another body in the house sort of threw our whole routine out of whack though. The kids and I are still feeling out of sorts and she's been gone since Sunday morning! Good grief!
I got a great surprise from the mailman on Saturday though. I’m taking 9 week online photography course beginning June 22nd and the instructor, Karen Russell, sent a really neat binder all wrapped up so super cute. Maybe it’s a girl thing but I felt really special receiving such a nice “present” to put all of my lessons in. I'm hoping that I will gain some much needed experience in the photography department. I sure do love learning and hopefully Ethel (that's my camera's name) and I will do well. I'm very excited about this course!

My, my, my it’s a B-I-G binder.

We missed church on Sunday due to some conflicts in the babysitting schedule. I was sort of bummed to miss the last message in the “7 series” but it will all work out. Thank goodness I can listen online while the girls nap. Anyway, Matt and I decided to take the girls to see a movie, their first movie! We were amazed at how good they were through the whole movie. They never sit that still long at home! All of us enjoyed the experience and we are looking forward to seeing Ice Age 3 in July.

Well, I've been rambling long enough. As much as I'd like to hang out in my room all day.

This lovely chore awaites!

The picture is proof that sticking to a cleaning/chore schedule is woth it. So glad I don't have 4days worth (that's 2 loads a day) of laundry to fold EVERY day.

Blessings,

The Grouchy Chinobilly Housewife

Chronicles of a chinobilly gardening wannabe: Part 4

2009-06-08T07:00:00.000-07:00

Man do I have big plans, hopes and dreams for our garden. We planted the garden on the first of May, a little premature perhaps considering how cool it's been here lately. My great helpers lasted all of 3 and a half minutes before they got sidetracked by lizards teasing Oli. The nice thing about their short attention spans is that it meant they were out of my hair and I could plant in peace. Truly though they are great little helpers and the garden has been ~~a joy~~ a lot of work for all of us. The kids really love to help me weed and water the garden.
So in the past several weeks, I’ve been rambling about how this chinobilly gardening wannabe started a garden from scratch —preparing the soil, sprouting our plants, and now planting and caring for our new masterpiece. I treasured the garden so much as I watched it grow from nothing but a speck in our backyard to the prettiest garden I’ve ever seen. I’d ground even the dogs if they so much as thought about setting foot in it. But after The Great Strawberry Massacre One Sunday in 2009, as well as several stealing-more-than-one-unripe-strawberries-while-mommy-wasn’t-looking-episodes, and even a few plants suffered death by overwatering, I learned to roll with the punches and not take the whole dadgum thing so seriously.
So I hope all of you experienced vegetable gardeners got a kick out of watching these ~~rookies~~ chinobillies at work. I've enjoyed the journey too! You know where to find me…'til next time.

Of princess pedicures and cupcakes

2009-06-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

When Matt and I got married, he had his sights set on starting a family sooner rather than later. I was slightly more ambivalent; I knew having a child would probably wind up somewhere in my future, but I wasn’t exactly chomping at the bit to procreate. Still, we decided to take a "let nature take its course" approach to family planning—an interesting strategy for a woman who just married a man with 6, count them 6, other siblings. After 5 years of “letting nature take its course” we decided to get serious about starting our family and no one was more excited than Matt. After another year of fertility treatments and heartbreaking let downs we knew the Lord was telling us to stop beating our heads against a wall and adopt so we decided to travel the road of adoption. Again, no one was more excited than Matt – he’s an excitable guy! I was excited too!
So after Kim announced, "You need to meet us in 5 hours to pick up your twin daughters!" and it was determined that all fingers and toes were present and accounted for, I could feel the fear hovering so thick in the air, I could have cut it with a knife. Though I was beyond ecstatic, praising God for His blessings, I was also scared stiff, in one single instant, my life, my love, metamorphosed into something completely different than what I had imagined it would be.
So when I called my friends to share the news of our amazing blessing, all I could really say was, "So, what do you do with girls?" They all knew the answer, of course, "what you do with girls" is the same thing you do with boys!
During these last few short years, I gained and lost a total of 56 pounds, went through about 16,000 diapers and made approximately 6,840 bottles. I lost 2,523 hours of sleep and did 31,392,847,287 loads of laundry. God help my poor washing machine. And somewhere along the way, something miraculous happened: I figured out exactly what to do with girls:
We play together, we learn together, we pray together, we work together, we talk together…we make a dang good team! We do this together…

The girls had requested I make cupcakes "for daddy"~ yeah right ~ and we play princess and paint their nails (Bree had been coloring her toenails now for weeks and I was trying to avoid the inevitable).

We baked cupcakes before breakfast so they would have plenty of time to cool. After we got home from MOPS we ate lunch while wearing our tiaras. And had a great talk about princesses and how the girls are God’s princesses. It was a very sweet time just hangin’ with the girls. After lunch we realized the girls needed to wash their feet before I could paint their toenails so we soaked their feet in the bathtub for a bit. Then the nail polish was chosen and the fun began. After the girls toenails and fingernails were all dolled up I frosted the cupcakes, got out the sprinkles and let the princesses go to town decorating "daddy’s" cupcakes.

Life is good, very, very good!

To protect and serve

2009-06-02T21:36:00.000-07:00

Always on duty...

Even with a sore foot...

Oli spent the day at the vet today. He mysteriously hurt his foot on Friday and it progressively got worse over the weekend. By Monday he wasn't even putting pressure on that foot so off to see the vet we went. Oli spent all day there getting x-rays etc. I think he wants to become the mascot for the animal clinic like that fat cat that greats him at every visit. Maybe their treats taste better or something...

The doctor says she couldn't find anything wrong with him but wrapped his foot up and told us to keep him in "confinement" for 3 weeks. I laughed. I think Oli did too. He knows he has a job to do and he doesn't take his job lightly. His little girls are too important.

Out of Africa Trip

2009-05-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to the Out of Africa Wildlife Park on May 6th (yes, I am that far behind on my posts).

Doesn't Matt look like his dad?

We ~~conned~~ invited Matt’s parents to spend the day with us. Truly, the kids are still talking about this trip. It was so amazing!
We started off on the Serengeti tour. It was a 45 minute Safari-like tour that felt like it lasted only 15 minutes. Each of us got a carrot when we boarded the bus. The tour guide drove the bus through the “Serengeti” where we got a personal introduction to Humphrey the camel, and the giraffe (can’t remember the poor guys name) who gave Matt a ~~gentle~~ slobbery, wet kiss. Awesome!
After the Serengeti tour we hopped on a trolley. The trolley took us on a tour of the Wildlife Preserve. We saw lions, tigers, wolves, hyenas, Boom-Boom the rhinoceros, a crocodile, grizzly bears and so many more critters. We got off the trolley at the lions habitat and walked the rest of the way at our leisure.

Matt wants the lions job...

The only disappointing part of our day was the meal we paid 46 bucks for (so NOT in our budget). I would highly recommend taking your own lunch or a 2nd mortgage.
Fortunately, we ended our day on a high from the Tiger Splash. We watched 2 tigers romp and play in the pool with their caretakers. It was so exciting even the kids sat still. Simply amazing…the sitting still part.
We needed another couple of hours to finish seeing the rest of the habitats but the kids were tuckered out after Tiger Splash so we took the trolley back to the entrance and headed for home.
It is a day I will treasure forever. Experiencing the wonder and excitement of two of the sweetest little chinobillies I know was so worth it. I’m tellin’ you it’s exactly the ideal place for two or four or six young whippersnappers to spend a day. So please, I beg of you; make the time to load the fam in the car and spend the day together ~ just pack your own lunch!

This is not a paid advertisement. Out of Africa Wildlife park has never heard of me. Out of Africa Wildlife park doesn’t even know I exist, and even if they did, they wouldn’t care. I’m a nobody to Out of Africa Wildlife park —just another fool that paid $46.00 for a sorry PB & J lunch. But dang we had a great day!

Memorial Day

2009-05-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

As many of you know I come from a military family and I am very, very proud of that fact. I'm also blessed that the Lord brought each of my loved ones home and I know I am very lucky for that. I had been working on a Memorial Day post of my own for Monday but I believe my Aunt Helen did a much better job than I ever could. So please take a minute to visit her blog by clicking on the link and please join my family in the remembrance of those fallen in service to our country. Let's not take this day for granted!
THANK YOU VETERANS!
A Proud To Be An American Chinobilly

Humphrey

2009-05-22T22:39:00.000-07:00

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that nose is a camel's nose. Humphrey the camel's nose to be exact! Thanks for playing my 3 faithful blog readers! I'll have a scrapbook page about our recent adventure to post soon.

Nighty night!

Hmmm...

2009-05-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Coming soon to a Chinobilly blog near you....

Daddy's Girls

2009-05-20T07:00:00.000-07:00

My family is the most important thing in the world to me. Since I was a little girl I had wanted to be a mom, and I am so grateful to have married someone who is just as passionate about being a good father to our children. This layout shows a "normal" evening at the chinobilly house but also a precious, tender moment that I am grateful has been captured forever. What a sweet thing it is to see my husband so lovingly holding my baby girls knowing that he will love them protect them and do anything in the world for them. There really is nothing in the world like a daddy's love for his little girls.

Chronicles of a chinobilly gardening wannabe: Part 3

2009-05-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

GOT DIRT?

There is nothing more reviving to a chinobilly as the smell of dirt.

And nothing brightened my day quite like running to the chinobilly greenhouse in the peacefulness of a spring morning to see if there is a wisp of green shoving its way out of the dark loamy soil. I needed the smell of dirt. Our neighbors started pulling their shades closed but I ignored that. Although, you have to admit that the sight of a grown, half dressed, wild haired woman huffing dirt has got to be unnerving to most people. Maybe this would explain why we currently don’t have any neighbors on either side of us…hmm...interesting.

Anyway if there's one thing I love about my garden, it's digging in it. It smells so rich, so life-giving, so...so much like bacteria?

No way! Waaaay.

Some of you smarty pants might know that the smell of dirt is not in fact the smell of dirt at all but a bacteria which produces a chemical which in turn is what we think of as “ahhh this smells like dirt”. *snoring Actually, the bacteria produces that smell when it is dying. In wet soil, it can’t breath and it suffocates. And that absolutely lovely smell of “dirt’ is the smell of dead bacteria. See mom and dad I really did pay attention in school!

Humans, and apparently all animals, are very sensitive to this smell. God programmed us to be attracted to the smell to indicate there is water nearby. Very handy for our ancestors that got stuck in the desert without a camel. Ha! It’s a symbiotic relationship really. We find water and the remaining living bacteria get a free ride out of a death trap on our boots to a new location where, hopefully, they will not die. Not a bad deal.

Of course now that you know this you'll probably stop reading my blog all together but for those of you who decided, for whatever reason to stick it out, it puts a whole new spin on my chinobilly garden. It is not a nursery for new seedlings now it’s a mass graveyard for bacteria! Lovely. Sometimes I can be a real killjoy…I know.

Oh well…it is the smell I will come to take for granted round about June, so use to it that it will be as normal as the smell of oxygen and horse poop (at least here in my little corner of the world). But right now, the smell is pure heaven and I’m off to weed my garden.

Happy trails!
The crazy bacteria huffin’ chinobilly!

25 Random Things

2009-05-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

I have learned to function on very little sleep since becoming a mother.
I love chocolate and rum and believe God DID invent them to make me happy.
I’m a Supernanny, Survivor and Extreme Home Makeover addict.
I freak if someone touches my knees.
Since adopting the girls, pink is my new favorite color.
Sometimes I just need a good cry so I pull out my chick flicks collection and let it out.
My favorite book is the Bible.
My favorite book of the Bible is James.
I love baseball.
I really, really really love to soak in a hot bath but I don't get to much anymore.
I had a crush on my husband in high school; he didn’t even know I existed.
I hated high school.
My dream of swimming with the dolphins came true 2 months before the twins were born.
I’m a scrapbook junkie.
I love cookie dough and brownie batter.
The Amish intrigue me.
I’m a worry wart.
Ice cream hurts my teeth.
Peter Piper Pizza seriously stresses me out.
The Christian group Third Day is my all time favorite.
I love the Anne of Green Gables series.
I can’t seem to get to bed before 11:00 anymore.
Elaine from Seinfeld dances better than I do.
I’m craving a Fuddruckers hamburger right now.
I am almost always cold but I wimp out in the heat. Yeah I make sense like that!

Chronicles of a chinobilly gardening wannabe: Part 2

2009-05-15T07:00:00.000-07:00

My fancy-shmancy garden was becoming one of those every weekend kind of projects. Both Matt and I tend to obsess about our projects until they are done. This tendency is great if you don’t have other domestic responsibilities looming about, or pets, or children needing to be raised and fed.

Fortunately, Matt and the girls whipped up the raised vegetable beds in no time. Speaking of the girls. They are great helpers. No really! They fetch things for Matt like the tape measure, drill bits, or screws. They even got to operate the drill with only a little bit of help from daddy. I love to watch the three of them work together while I just stand around under the guise of needing to document this moment for generations to come.

Shh…don’t tell them! I’m living the good life…don’t ruin it for me…

Yahoo! I have vegetable beds. I can now go on living. Someone hand me my seed catalog and check back for part 3 soon.

Chronicles of a chinobilly gardening wannabe part 1:

2009-05-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Do you remember that gardening journal I said would start? Well, I’m finally getting around to sharing it with you. Do you know what reminded me of the journal I said I would start? I was in my garden doing exactly what I was worried will happen in this post so long ago. I was Weeding dang it!

But that’s ok. I’d rather weed than do laundry.

So I'll begin with the garden fence.

Have I ever mentioned I have an AMAZING husband? Have I ever mentioned that he doesn’t do anything halfway? Have I ever mentioned that I love his forearms? I love his forearms!

Uhh were was I?

Oh yea garden fence. When I asked for a garden, I gave Matt a rough sketch of what I'd been dreaming of and he outdid himself! He gave me a fancy-shmancy garden that every chinobilly within a hundred miles is envious of!

Hopefully you enjoyed the photos of the garden fence Matt put together for us. I am blessed beyond measure.

Greetings from the pig pen

2009-05-11T07:00:00.000-07:00

Wow! It’s been a looong time hasn’t it? I’ve been missing you.
Forgive the absence! But real life happens, right? So in real life, I’ve been running around attending to one million and one things all crying out my name at the same time but not getting a darn thing accomplished.
Has anyone else ever felt this way?....Crickets chirping…
So. Lots of reasons why I hope you’ll forgive the long absence, but I won’t bore you with all the details. In a nutshell, this is what kept me away from my blog porch these past weeks:
*Dealing with computer issues: I’m convinced I contracted a rare case of the computer piggy flu from my new computer (I got a new computer for my birthday). Why would I think such a thing you ask?
1. My new computer was assembled in Mexico.
2. My new computer kept rejecting my password which made me want to puke.
3. I was aching about not being able to access my scrapbooking programs.
4. I had trouble breathing *read I was freaking out so much so that I turned blue.
5. I was extremely fatigued/tired *read I stayed up waaay too late trying to figure out why it wouldn’t work.
6. The new computer ended up in quarantine at a remote site, called my friend's husband's office, for a while.
This left me without use of a computer for almost 2 very long weeks. Not good my bloggy friends, not good. I even received phone calls from concerned friends and family wondering if I had died or something because they had not heard from me. Seriously! It's probably a sign that I spend too much time parked in front of the computer and not doing my job as a wife, mother, keeper of the home (refer to blog title).
*Starting a crash course in time management/self discipline/homemaking to answer the lifestyle changes required by the computer emergencies (see above). Uhm. I have to confess: when God was distributing the aforementioned time management/self discipline/homemaking skills, I was way over on the opposite side, lined up in the Digital Scrapbook Addiction area.
*Working on the chinobilly garden…planting, watering, weeding, removing Oliver, removing children, REplanting, watering, weeding, removing Oliver, removing children…repeat every 4-6 hours as needed.
Phew! That’s all for today, folks! More updates soon. Gotta get back to the saltmines!
((((hugs)))) to you!

Oh-By the way. Happy 13th Anniversary Sweety Peachy! I love you babe!

Kool-Aid Play Dough

2009-04-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

What do you do when a pretty little girl with big blue eyes tugs on your ratty ol' yoga pants and says "Mamma, can I pway wif pink pwaydough...stwaaaabewwwy kind..paweeeeease?" You make a fresh batch of strawberry kool-aid play dough that's what you do. And if you've been out in the hot noon-day sun pushing them on the swings for what seems like hours and hours you just might be delierous enough to let them help! But it will be so much fun and so very worth it to see them with the satisfaction of being helpers in the kitchen.

We make a new batch every three months or so unless one of the kids gets sick, then it goes right into the trash. I believe homemade play dough lasts much longer than store bought play dough and I like knowing that it won’t kill anybody if they do a little taste test now and then. I especially like the yummy smell the kool-aid flavor gives. The recipe I’m posting was shared in an Early Childhood Curriculum course I took while I was in college. So take a break and go make some playdough for the kids or grandkids. It's so easy...you'll be glad you did.

The cast of characters...snap your fingers...

And there ya have it! Yummy smelling pink playdough ready to go. (If only I could clean the kitchen that quickly.)

Tasty-Tuesday

2009-04-21T08:16:00.000-07:00

I got a little too busy to post yesterday. Oli went back to the vet to get his stitches out only to find out he has a little bit of an infection so the stupid E-collar has to stay on for 5 more days. I have to keep socks on his back feet with first-aid tape wrapped around the top to keep them on. I’m just not sure how much more humiliation this poor guy can take!
On a lighter note the weather was AWESOME yesterday and it’s supposed to be 85 today! Yay! Since the temperature is on the rise we invited Matt’s parents over for a cookout. I made “all-American loaded burgers” with homemade French-fried onions. Since I had the fryer out (I rarely use the darn thing) I decided to fry the potatoes too. To top off the meal I made homemade apple crisp for dessert. The burgers were only so-so (good flavor but not worthy of making again according to Matt) but the French-fried onions were deeeeelish and oh so easy! Yeah I know I can buy them in the can but I like to try to make things from scratch when I can. More for the challenge than anything else.

ENJOY!

Easter

2009-04-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

Easter Day was also a great day spent with just a few of our loved ones. The kids got up early as usual so they were hopped up on sugar before 8:00 AM (get it? hopped up? ha!). They were so excited to get dressed up in thier pretty Easter dresses so that part was easy for once. Their Grammy, my mom, joined us for church so we got to snap a few photos of the kids with my mom. Didn't they turn out cute? After our mini photo shoot we went to Matt's parents church then came home to fix our part of the Easter potluck and to change out of our Easter outfits. Then we hurried off to Mema and Papas house for the rest of the day. We had a blast playing with the kids on the new swingset and sandpile. The lunch was outstanding as usual and I always eat too much. After lunch Mema shared the Easter story with the grandkids using the Resurrection Egg set (if you don't have a set I highly recommend it...even our two year olds love it). Then we did the big Easter Egg hunt and scavenger hunt. We didn't get home until after 8:00. The kids were so exhausted we just put 'em to bed dirt and all. It was a wonderful weekend!