Thanks Stephanie!!!!! It must be my lucky week!
Go visit Adventurese in Babywearing for her next contest from Cheeky Jewelry!. I don't often wear too much jewelry besides a necklace my hubby gave me and my wedding rings. I know I'm the exception so go get yourself entered to win!!!
I won!!!! We all know that the wonderful women at 5 minutes for mom have terrific contests each week. I wanted to say thank you to Susan and Janice for having a great site (which I thought even before I won!) and for making blogging that much more fun for the rest of us!!!
So in about 2-4 weeks I'll be able to show you a wonderful personalized alphabet book from Amy at Sweet Arts Design. These are so sweet, and Amy's customer service has been wonderful. We'll be getting the English and Spanish one. I think it will be a perfect gift for our little guy!!
Plus there's another contest going on at Adventures in Babywearing. Stephanie's giving away a bunch of great stuff from Mason & Matisse. I'm kind of last minute posting about this but you have until 9am tomorrow to go and enter!!!
It wouldn't be a normal day around here lately without my son asking to use the computer. "Mommy want to click on Clifford." Or Teletubbies or Elmo or whoever from the PBS website.
I'm amazed at how fast he's able to use the mouse and click on things and figure the games out. Not to mention that I think he's too little to be playing games on the computer. Oh, well! I know that he's happy to now be able to have his own time on Mommy's computer!
Tonight I made a dinner that my husband referred to as "the most frequently eaten meal in our house." I had never really thought about it that way but I do make it quite often - about 3 times a month or so.
I bake chicken thighs coated with Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce and tonights sides were cous cous and broccoli. Fortunately since my hubby made that comment tonight I already had a different spin on things.
I didn't have any of my favorite teriyaki sauce on hand so I decided to make my own. I found a few recipes online that sounded good and I mixed and matched and just "eyeballed it" as Rachel Ray would say. My hubby raved about it, I thought it was even better than the other and my son said "This awesome!" (After about 5 times we figured out what he was saying!!)
Here are my guesstimates on amounts for a recipe:
Whisk together all of the following:
I have rice vinegar and sesame oil as a staple in my pantry but I'm sure you can substitute other types of vinegar and oil and the final product would turn out just as well. Remember - I didn't measure anything - which is one reason I'm writing this so that I can try to remember for next time!!!!
BTW this took about 5-10 minutes, basically about the time it took my oven to preheat and I was ready to go.
Linds of Rocking Chair Reflections tagged me for this fun meme about 7 things you don't know about me. I'm not sure if you know them or not but here goes!
Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they have been tagged and to read your blog!
1. I don't follow the news as much as I should. (Take the rise in the price of stamps this week, I found out from a friend the next day. Yup I mailed stuff on Monday with the old postage. Oh well.)
2. I'm most comfortable being barefoot around the house.
3. I make up random songs throughout the day besides singing "normal" songs. I'm afraid my son might think it's normal for people to just bust out singing amidst every day life! :)
4. I have 2 tattoos. One on my ankle that is a Chinese symbol that means "dancing clouds" the other a butterfly on my left shoulder blade.
5. I never really liked writing in school. In fact if someone told me in H.S. that I'd be writing on the internet where anyone else could read it I'd have been SO embarrassed for my future self!
6. I don't like shopping for myself at all.
7. I am often wishy washy when it comes to making decisions and I can often see both sides of an argument or issue. Basically I do a lot of research and thinking before I obtain an opinion of something.
If you're reading this you are tagged if you want to play, just let me know in the comments!!!
This past Saturday we went to a hike and Mother's Day craft at a local nature learning center. It was totally free and my son loved painting me this gorgeous pot and planting the little yarrow plant. Can ya'll tell I'm loving my first little crafty Mother's Day gift!!!???!!!
I love looking through the paper on Saturday mornings for a family activity for us. Many times things are free like this one was which is an added bonus. We also love to pack a picnic lunch and find somewhere to eat - we've done this almost every nice weekend this spring so far.
Anyway, having a new potted plant around made me really miss my garden. This time last year we had beets, broccoli, spinach and lettuce coming up already and my tomatoes were almost ready to get into the ground along with others. This year the only thing in the garden is lettuce - a ton since I let a couple plants go to seed last year and a few spinach plants. We've been enjoying these at most meals but I'm wishing I had just planted stuff even though we are selling our house.
I don't want to complain because I am lucky to live in a place with many farmers markets to purchase wonderful local produce, I just love tending to the garden. It's my soul food in the summer, a time when I can see God's hand at work in the soil and when I can get some treasured quiet minutes each evening while I weed or harvest a squash for dinner.
After our hike and picnic on Saturday my hubby took our son to the grocery store so he could get a few things for dinner for that night and Sunday. (He grilled me a delicious eggplant at my request and it was the best!) Usually when they both go somewhere I wander, not knowing quite what to do with myself. Wander around putting laundry away, debate taking a nap, blogging, doing the dishes, watching tv, etc. But that day I went out to my little seedlings, I planted them a little late, but I'm sure they'll grow to give me fruit. I potted two tomato plants and two basil plants. The tomatoes will need to be potted up once more since these pots are still to small but they work for now and I'll still be able to taste some fruits of my labor this year even with a new baby due and a move in the future.
UPDATE: Thanks for your feedback!!! I've decided to clean and box up my wedding dress and keep my flute since I remembered how to play a scale or two. I kept a few magazines from after 9/11 but decided that the newspapers can be looked up at the library or online in the future if needed.
Wedding bouquet = garbage (pictures do it WAY better justice) Cassette tapes = garage sale except 4 (couldn't part with Billy Joel and a few mixed tapes people made for me) - then trash if they don't sell. Bank statements and old bills gone. Random gifts - most are being sold (I've re gifted everything that could be already) or given away.
So far 5 bins and 3 boxes of stuff have turned into 2 bins of stuff to keep!!!!! 1 overflowing bin and 2 boxes to sell/ give away, and a couple bags of garbage/recycling!!! Hello, that is 6 less boxes to move!! Wahooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!
Our subdivision is having a huge garage sale the first weekend in June so in the next few days I'm putting everything on ebay or craigslist. Whatever doesn't sell by the garage sale will be sold there and anything left donated and we'll be FREE from more stuff!!!
I'm going through more stuff and I'd love to know what you did (or would do)with some of this stuff! Note: my inclination is to sell/give/toss away most of this.
Your wedding bouquet - assuming you didn't have it professionally preserved and it's just a dried pile of flowers now!
On that note your wedding dress.
Your old cassette tapes that have been in a bin for at least three years and it's probably been much longer than that since you've actually fired them up in the tape player.
How long to you keep bank statements for? For a closed account?For that matter old bills?
My flute - which I gave up playing my freshman year
Some random gifts that you've never used but feel obligated to keep?
ALL of my 1/2 finished or not started craft projects are in the give away or sell pile (one and a half bins full)- I kept a pad of tracing paper and a few other small things for kids craft uses. The only other unfinished crafts are my wedding/honeymoon albums and my son's baby album.
Can you believe that I even had a rubbermaid tub full of newspapers from the couple of months after 9/11. I have NO idea why I saved them all nor do I know why I moved them - twice now...never again!!!
I'm just loving not feeling the tug on my heartstrings about keeping all this stuff - it is after all just stuff!
Happy Mother's Day!!! I'm so grateful to have so many wonderful mothers in my life. My Grandma who is our family matriarch, she leads us by her example in her faith, strength and love - she still keeps us all together!!! My own Mom who has taught me so much and is the most wonderful person - love you Mom! My MIL who I also call Mom since she's just the best. I even have a step MIL and many Aunts who are also wonderful examples of Moms! I'm wonderfully grateful to have friends who are Moms to learn from and cherish wonderful visits with!!! (Even virtual visits!)
Somehow I missed this great post of Sarah's over at Walk Slowly, Live Wildly. It's long but worth the read, I like her inspiring views of the Proverbs 31 Woman.
Have you heard the song by Martina Mcbride called "In My Daughter's Eyes." I recently heard it for the first time and I just love the lyrics. (If I was a super-duper blogger I'd embed it here for you to listen to but I still haven't spent the time to figure that out!!!)
In my daughter's eyes I am a hero, I am strong and wise and I know no fear. But the truth is plain to see, she was sent to rescue me. I see who I wanna be, In my daughter's eyes.
In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal, darkness turns to light and the world is at peace. This miracle God gave to me gives me strength when I am weak, I find reason to believe In my daughter's eyes.
And when she wraps her hand around my finger, oh it puts a smile in my heart. Everything becomes a little clearer I realize what life is all about.
It's hangin' on when your heart has had enough, it's giving more when you feel like giving up. I've seen the light, It's in my daughter's eyes.
In my daughter's eyes I can see the future, a reflection of who I am and what will be though she'll grow and someday leave, maybe raise a family, when I'm gone I hope you see how happy she made me. For I'll be there, In my daughter's eyes
My son's current favorite thing to do is play outside, if we're not out there he's asking to go. Today most of our day was spent in the back yard and I'm loving it...he's even taking naps again!!!!
We have a pond in the back yard that's about 18 inches deep so I feel that he still needs supervision out there but if I'm extra tired, I can lay on a couch and see him playing in the sandbox or on his toys. I'll also open a window so I can hear him - which prevents me from falling asleep!
Ahhh, if only we could do this everyday - when our house sells I suppose we can, at least more often!!!!
Awhile ago I mentioned about making homemade laundry soap. It worked very well but I did notice that it took awhile for the grated soap pieces to dissolve in cold water washes. I decided to try making a liquid version - the same basic ingredients the soap is just melted first.
The recipe (which I found all over the internet):1/3 bar Fels Naptha (or ivory or zote) soap, 1/2 cup washing soda, 1/2 cup borax powder ~You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size~
Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. add 6 cups water and heat on medium until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax, stir until it is dissolved and remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket and then add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use 1/2 cup per load.
I didn't really think ahead and thought we had a bucket - apparently we don't! I'll be finding one before my next batch though because I couldn't add the last 6 cups of water which would probably make it more liquidy. It's a pretty stiff gel this way but it works!
It dissolves much faster on cold setting - and even if it's a little more work this should be enough for 64 loads and cost me about $1 to make one batch. Worth it if you ask me!
Seen any good movies lately??? Last month we saw 300 in the theater and other than the gruesome violence (it is a war story after all) I thought it was very good.
Other than that the movies we've rented in the last few months have been pretty bad. Currently, however we are halfway through Dream Girls which I'm finding I quite good, we paused it so my hubby could go have a chat with our new neighbors. They have about 6 kids running outside screaming and playing like 14 year olds do at 9:45 PM. Totally fine since it is in their yard after all but my son's room is about 6 feet away from the side yard where most of the loudness seems to be coming from. Hopefully they won't think we are rude for asking them to keep it down just in the side yard - otherwise we're selling this house and moving anyway so they won't have such prissy neighbors for long!
Back to movies, we also rented The Pursuit of Happyness so I'll have to see how that one goes - I'm assuming I'll be crying a bunch.
Oh, we recently rented A Night at the Museum which I thought was great - funny and predictable but very light and entertaining. I used to LOVE a good scary movie or psychological thriller, I don't know if I'm just getting old or what but I just don't like them anymore. I think now I'm happier with movies like A Night at the Museum!!!!
Yeah, I've been on an environmental kick lately - as well as learning to be more frugal with our money.
I know that Eco bags are all the rage lately and rightfully so, they are wonderful. I have had a couple that have lasted years and years sitting in the closet since my son was born. I recently got them out and dusted them off ;) while trying to justify spending the money right now for a few more.
Things are tight and I just couldn't do it BUT last week when I did my shopping I saw that my local Fred Meyer had these Earthwise Reusable Bags for $0.99 each. I could justify that...and bought a few. Just thought I'd let you know that while I still like the large mesh style of the Eco bags they are sort of pricey, so if you are on a budget the earthwise bags are also an option.
I was shocked when I read on one of the links on their site that...
The U.S. uses 100 billion plastic bags annually, consuming about 12 million barrels of oil. As less than 1% of plastic bags are ever recycled, using a sturdy reusable bag will eliminate hundreds to thousands of plastic bags over its lifetime. That spells huge savings to your state, city or town. Take California for example: it costs taxpayers $20.5 million to collect and landfill plastic bag waste each year. And that's not counting external costs, such as pollution, risk and threat to marine life, etc.
***Also, keeping up with Heather's recovery and the scripture that her hubby shared really spoke to me today. Checking my bloglines it was a nice reminder to say another prayer for her when almost every blog I read had something posted - praying now for her strong recovery....
Heather's surgery is tomorrow (Thursday) it overwhelms me to imagine what her and her family are going through. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
The gals at 5 minutes for Mom are having yet another contest. (They are totally the best!) This one is for a Mei Tai baby carrier from All Natural Mommies. They are having many other give aways from now until Mother's Day and you don't even have to be a blogger to sign up to win! (If your not a blogger and you don't want the Mei Tai you could still sign up to win it and give it to someone who's having a baby say mid-August - hint hint!!!)
Steph from Adventures in Babywearing is also having a contest. She's also got fun prizes going on and all you've got to do is post your pic without make up. Since I hardly wear make up I'm just re posting this picture - cropped!
This pregnancy I've been dreaming about random people that I haven't seen in years - like people from high school. I've also had other scary dreams but last night's was just silly
Basically I dreamed that I had this baby a few days before Christmas, about 4 months late!!! Hello! And I delivered at Church. The church was very large (much different from the church we really go to) but all the same people were still there.
Then after delivery they took her away somewhere and I showered, dressed and went out to the service where my Mom promptly told me that she hated the name we chose. Hello, I know she'd never do that! So I went looking for my precious bundle that was no where to be found and ended up outside the church - which was apparently a large boat. I went onto a smaller boat which was attached to it and I found my hubby and baby. We changed her middle name and then I woke up....
Have any weird pregnancy (or not) dreams you'd like to share? I love to hear them!
