Be A Publisher

Have you ever wanted to have your blog thoughts captured on paper? Have you ever wished for all of those stray recipe cards to be bound in a book? Have you tried Snapfish or Shutterfly's digital scrapbook publishing and found it to be time consuming.

Well, my hubby went to Guatemala this past summer and decided to make a digital scrapbook to capture his time there. I had published a digital family scrapbook on Snapfish and he loved it. He actually bragged to his friends about my scrapbooking!! Well, then he had to "one-up-me" and found blurb.

Blurb is really cool because you do not have to upload any pictures. You just download their program. There are lots of layouts and last night I downloaded their most recent version and it is way cool. You need to check it out. I think a copy of all of your recipes bound in a book would make a great Christmas present to me. The interesting thing about blurb is that after you make a book you can actually sell it at a different price and make money off of it. Look at those mom-making-money-wheels turning :)!!!

Check out more ideas like these at Rocks In My Dryer.

Socks, the Cat!

"Yeah, Socks, that's why I bought that basket, to let you sleep in it. Forget the napkins that I like to put in there. Go ahead and sleep on em'. The guests won't mind wiping their faces with cat hair on their napkins."

Monday, Here I Come!

This post is to celebrate the fact that my Monday blahs are over that I have had for the last two Mondays. Between homeschooling my darling son and working about 30-35 hours a week for AL, I have not been looking forward to Mondays. Ok, so I know that I am counting my chickens before they hatch, seeing that it is still just Sunday evening. (which just a tidbit of trivia "count your chickens before they hatch" is a phrase coined by that Aesop Fables guy who wrote, The Milkmaid and her Pail. Just read that one the other day with that cute home school kid. Also, in case you didn't know, I am experiencing culture and education on the backside of life by homeschooling my son. I am learning along with him and am perhaps a little more interested than him.)

You know the saying, "Failure to plan is planning for failure!" That phrase is at the bottom of my collaborating home school teacher's emails and it is nothing less than true. I have planned to the best of my ability tonight hoping for success tomorrow. Hopefully next Sunday I can look at this post and say "check, did that, did that, Yay!"

1. prepared lessons for the WEEK
2. grocery shopped and made dinner list for the WEEK
3. made to do list for work (Phone Interviews, Follow Up With, and Conference Calls)
4. the best thing that I did tonight. . . I called someone from my daughter's school and told them that Mondays were too difficult for me to do prayer group and she was so flexible and we changed it to Tuesdays! That relieved like 98% of my burden. I was filling bad about not being a prayer warrior for my kids and realized that I cannot fulfill my duties as a working mom and actually get out of my house an hour earlier than normal to pick up my gal. Just not doable, without me being frantic about my work.
5. figured out something simple to take to small group tomorrow night and something difficult if time permits (the something simple will be a watermelon that we are still growing! and the something difficult will be caramel apples rolled in nuts; oh my word!!!)
6. this was pretty close to the best thing.. .I cleaned out the litter box that is in the bathroom off the side of my office. Usually I have to hold my nose while talking on the phone because it stinks so bad. . .not tomorrow! :) I can talk on the phone in a regular voice!
   

The only thing I have not managed to do is go to sleep. . .so post unedited I am signing off.

Great Family Discussion Activity

Last year my daughter was starting kindergarten and my son was going to first grade and I was concerned that socially they would not know what to do in various situations. I had a thought (rare occurrence!) to type up some questions like. . .

What can I do to help my teacher?

Will other kids be nice to me?

What do I do if I have to go potty?

Will my mom and dad come and get me after school every day?

When I am done with my work what do I do?

A few weeks before school started, I put them in a pretty silver heart shaped jewelry box and put them on the dinner table. I told them that I had a secret and every night at the dinner table they would get to draw out a secret and we could discuss them. I thought this might work for a couple of reasons 1) they love secrets and 2) dad and I pretended that we knew the answers to the questions, but really we let them come up with the answers. We would say things like, "if I have to go potty I hop up and down and scream I am about to pee in my pants!" They would say, "No!! You have to raise your hand and let the teacher know that you needed to use the restroom."

My kids loved the "Secrets game." I ran out of questions and did not think much more about it until my kids kept saying at dinner, "When are we going to have some more secrets?" This year I typed up some different questions since I am homeschooling my son and my daughter goes to a little private school. I made home and school secrets where I asked them safety issues as well as things like,

What do I do if I do not feel like doing my school work? a. do it anyway!:)

Well, ya'll get the point. If you want me to email you the Microsoft Word questions I made up I would love to do that, just leave me a comment. My hubby took my camera this morning or I would post a pic of my box with the questions in it. This really works for our family! For more great ideas like this one, join Shannon and the gang at Works for Me Wednesday!

Rag Quilt Finished

Don't mind the messy room, but look at the cute rag quilt that I made for my gal! Now, I need to paint the room to match the quilt! Not!

My Girl

This morning my kids (7 almost 8 and 6), husband and I were debating who was going to cook breakfast. The kids told us that they did not know how to make anything for breakfast. My daughter who is the six year old said that she wanted gravy and biscuits. I asked her if she knew how to make it and she said well, "no!" I challenged her and she said "ok, just milk, flour and sausage and don't burn your self when you are getting the biscuits out of the oven." Wow, she is so young to have learned so much from me!!! Sounds like before long I'll be laying on the couch while she is cooking for me!

Jewelry Organization

I used to sell Premier Designs jewelry and I bought a fishing tackle box for about $5 or $6 at Wal-mart. It has four pull out plastic trays and in the tackle box are little plastic dividers that you can divide the tray however large or small that you need the compartments. So I put necklaces in large compartments and rings and earrings in the smaller areas. I toted around at least 100 pieces of jewelry this way. Another thing that I did so that my jewelry would not get scratched was to put cosmetic cotton pads down in the bottom to protect if from the plastic. Even though I do not sell jewelry anymore I still use my containers and I even slide them into my jewelry armoire. An organizer in an organizer. Visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer to find more helpful hints. Let me know by commenting if this was fun information and you would like more posts like this!!!

By the way, if you are a thief the jewelry is high fashion, not the real deal! Don't bother! :)

Home-schooling is Going Great!

Help for My Small Bathroom

I would pay top dollar to find a solution to this! My bathroom not only has a toilet and bathtub, but as a bonus includes a hot water heater as well as my washer and dryer. Impressive, eh! Listen, while it is wonderful to be able to drop your drawers in the same place that cleans those drawers, it is not an attractive place. I have added a splash of paint as well as some impressive and cute handles on the doors (which are not on these cabinets shown yet), but I need some separation somewhere. These are the things I have thought so far. . .

1. add closing doors, but will this make it smaller?
2. add a tankless hot water heater; better but expensive
3. take out the washer dryer and use a washboard and line dry, NOT!
   
4. add some material to make like a curtain, uhm like is that trashy??
5. add some decor to the hot water heater, maybe build a box around it or a screeen

It is just tight quarters and I really need a bathroom make-over. I have spent a lot of time on HGTV sites and their design ideas were a little pricey! Like I said, I have actually lost sleep at night over this and I would love some advice from you decorating QUEENS! for more posts like this, pop over to Shannon's at Rocks in my Dryer.

Rag Quilting

I learned this really fun way of making quilts this summer. I am not a quilter and this is as close as I will probably ever get. I am not finished yet. I have sewed all of the blocks and the rows together. I still need to go around the edges as well as fringe the sections. This was over 600 combined quilt blocks including the batting in the middle. Can you say, ouchy hands!! Fortunately, I have a rotary cutter and a lot of TV time under my belt! I will let you see the finished product hopefully by this weekend!

Challenge Update

That was difficult. I would call myself a Forgiven Failure! :)

I am so glad that I took the challenge because I learned a lot about myself. Mainly, that I need to guard my tongue and that I am a work in process! I hope you did better than me.

Issuing a "Talk Switch Challenge" to Myself and My Friends September 28 - 30

Phillipians 2:14-15 Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the world

Note: The image above is taken from google images and I thought it was very appropriate for the topic. You got it. . .for the weekend let's try not to grumble (complain) or argue. Actually let's do better than try, let's DO IT!!! This weekend I am going on a "Girl's Weekend" to do some crafty things and to shop. I started thinking about how when girls get together sometimes it can leave you feeling empty and down when it was really meant for fun. My heart asked me why and what I think happens sometimes is that when women get together we start complaining. Did you get that? I did not say they start complaining, but we! I am the biggest baddest whiner, complainer there is. I complain about my husband, my kids, my job, my car, my stinky birthday. . .well you know here I go again starting down that road again!

We pause to take time to remember Whitesnake, the band!! Going down the only road I've ever known, like a drifter I was born to walk alone. But I've made up my mind. . .I ain't wastin no more time. . .cause here I go again. . .screaming guitars in the background. . .did you hear them? Sorry I hate it when those old songs get in my head like that. . .I just needed to get that out. ahem. .anyway no whining this weekend!!! Like one of my roommates in college used to say "you want some cheese with that whine!"

We need a strategy girls; instead of complaining we will follow the plan. The plan is as follows:

1. I will swallow my whine and complaint and I will think of something I am grateful for cuz God gave me the thing I am complaining about
2. I will not only think of something I am grateful for, I will say it out loud!
3. I will try to think of something to change the conversation when those around me complain. . .the high road girls, take the high road!
4. I will do my very best to shine like a star in the universe. . .and if I don't do my best. . .I will become a falling star! Just kidding. . .read some verses or something if you feel a complaint coming on!
5. Last but really not least, pray and thank God for all you have and all that you are, because He deserves it!

Comment if you are taking the challenge. It's not fair if you start on Sunday and write and say you did great! :) See, don't give me nuthin to complain about!

Cheaper than Dirt!

Last spring was the first time in about three years that we have been able to plant a garden. My husband graduated from seminary in Dallas last year. While we tried to grow a nice organic tomato plant in a pot on our downtown Dallas apartment back porch, we failed miserably.

So when he graduated and we moved I was more than eager to try out my garden hands. The bad thing about gardening is that it can get expensive really quickly. We sold most of our gardening equipment before we left for Dallas. We borrowed a tiller from our neighbor, picked a square in our yard that would get plenty of sunlight and started to work.

As we were tilling, we realized that half of our soil was rocks. We paid our kids a penny for every rock and then realized after $5.00 later that they barely scratched the surface. Fortunately, while I was talking to my neighbor who loaned me the tiller (great reason to get to know your neighbors, by the way) that he worked for Wally World at night. He said that one of the ways that he got less expensive soil was to buy the damaged packages at half off.

So I am letting you in on my little secret, during the summer especially, Wal Mart gets a lot of damaged packages of potting soil, rocks, flower and garden soil by them either receiving them that way or by me tearing little holes in them as I walk by. . .just kidding. I think from all of the handling. . .over time the rips just happen. They are usually in a specific place. . .like under a shaded pavilion on some crates out in the parking lot. . .at least that is what they do at my hometown location. They load them up for you and give you a receipt for your half off products. Yay!

Now, I tried this at Home Depot and they said that they send theirs back to the manufacturer and get their money back. Good for them, but they are doing a lot of extra work for nothing. If they would just sell them to me I would take them off of their hands. Oh well, that's all she wrote this week on Works for Me Wednesday. Make sure to check out more tips with Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.

Song Stuck in My Head

This song by Natalie Grant has been in my mind all day. Especially, the "o so crazy life has got me spinning around and round, hanging upside down." I love all of her music, but I can truly identify with these lyrics. Can you? I want my focus to be on today, not on the past and not dreaming in the future. . . but on today alone. Live for today!

Sittin' in my room staring at the wall
Wonderin' about the meaning of it all
Why is it this thing called life
Has got me goin' crazy
So I open up your word and let it speak to me
The purpose and the plan that you've designed
Is clear to see, and I believe

Chorus:
I'm gonna live for today
I'm gonna follow in your way
I'm gonna let my little light shine
Like there's no tomorrow
I won't worry about the past
I know my future is intact
So I'll choose to live my life one way
I'm gonna live it for today

You told me not to worry
About what lies ahead
So I am gonna focus on today instead
Making every moment count and counting
Every single blessing
I'm gonna set my mind on the
Here and the Now
This is what I want my life to be about
And this is How...

Yea

My o so crazy life
has got me spinnin round and round
hanging upsidedown
Taking one step at a time
holding your hand all the way
and it'll be okay
yea yea yea yea

Manners Candle

What works for us in a major way? The Manners Candle!!! The Manners Candle originated out of well you know. . .bad manners at our dinner table. I read something in Family Fun Magazine one time and then we elaborated on it. We have a four wick candle on our dinner table. When dinner begins we light the wicks on the manners candle and then the compliments and incredible atmosphere begins. If someone displays poor manners (burping, gassy conduct, complaining about my cooking. . .well you get the idea) including mom and dad then we blow out one wick. If we have any wicks left lit then we get to have dessert (or some form of treat, possibly a game night). If there are no wicks left then we forfeit our right to dessert or fun.

Also, my husband and son and their passionate love for bonuses (I think from playing too much game cube) came up with a bonus candle. We have added two candles to the edge and if there are extraordinary manners displayed then we light the "bonus candle!" Our kids immediately begin thanking me for cooking hot dogs for the fourth time this week. Ok, maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but they really shape up at dinner time. We have been doing this for about a year and I can think of only a handful of times that we have not had all four wicks lit at the end of the meal. Impressive, huh!!!

We light the manners candle when we have special guests too, especially when other kids visit our house and even if the child does not like what I fixed I hear very little complaining. It more than "Works for Me!!" For more great ideas of What Works for others, visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer.

Please comment if you found this in the least bit helpful!

Swimming with Purpose

Today, in the midst of getting ready for lunch with some friends and homeschooling my 7 year old as well as answering my work phone I was reminded of this poem. It was my favorite poem in college. I found it in a devotional book that I was reading at the time. It especially encouraged me to persevere through my senior year. Sometimes, I just get overwhelmed and I think the struggle is for nothing. I feel like giving up and I want to take the gloomy view!!! I am reminded today that I want to come out on the tip top of the butter!! Hope you enjoy the poem as much as I have! Don't forget to keep swimming!

Two frogs fell into a deep cream bowl;

The one was wise, and a cheery soul.

The other one took a gloomy view

And bade his friend a sad adieu.

Said the other frog with a merry grin,

"I can't get out, but I won't give in;

I'll swim around
till my strength is spent,

Then I will die the more content.

And as he swam,
though ever it seemed,

His struggling began
to churn the cream

Until on top of pure butter
he stopped, And out of the bowl
he quickly hopped. The moral you ask?
Oh, it's easily found! If you can't get out, keep swimming around!

The Stinkiest Birthday Ever

I have had the plumber at my house the whole day. Big bucks later, we find out that our septic system is clogged and it needs to be drained. I promise it has barely rained more than an inch in months and today it is pouring rain. So, the plumbers and I are out most of the day in the rain looking for a place to plug in the BIG POOPY HOSE to get out all of the stinks. Just FYI, when your toilet is gurgling that means that your septic system is about to explode. It is time to call in the big kahoona. The funniest thing about the day, is that the guy in the septic system truck pulls into our yard and he has a big sign on the truck that reads, "We are #1 in the #2 business!" These are my kind of friends.

Yep, a crappy birthday it has been! But, now that it is all over it is time to POTTY. . .Did I say POTTY, I meant to say PARTY!!!! :) Love, Your 32 year old friend.

Magic Eraser

I know no other product like the Magic Eraser. When I was moving (just pick one of the many times) I used the magic eraser to get the crayon off of my walls. This was after I ironed paper towels to the wall to pull off the crayon! I am so glad that I found something a tad bit easier than ironing my walls. Also, I heard that it works to get off soap scum in tubs. I am going to try that asap so that my family can take baths again! I am sure they appreciate me sharing that with the rest of the world too!

This is just one of the many Works for Me Wednesday posts. To see the rest of the best, visit Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer!

Help Me Rhonda!!

I am not sure who Rhonda is, but I was sure asking her for help a while ago. Yes, it is that time again. Time to decide, "What is for dinner?" Some days I just get stubborn and say I am not cooking and then we pull out some sandwich meat or scavenge for chips and dip. Tonight, I really needed to make up for lost time and I started to panic. I do that when my blood sugar gets low too. My eyes stare glassily into the fridge. My hands start the jitters. Sometimes I just lay on the couch and say there's nothing in there and my darling husband says sure there is honey, you just have to find it.

Tonight, I had one brain wave left and I moved my computer into the kitchen and got on one of my favorite websites, All Recipes. I clicked on 15 minute or less meals because that's all I can stand tonight and guess what I found. Spaghetti!!! I know it sounds ridiculous, but sometimes I can't think about the simple when I am so hungry. So the supper mystery is solved. Rhonda came to the rescue! Thanks Rhonda. Oh and by the way, just so you know . . .I googled "Help Me Rhonda" and it is by the Beach Boys. Happy Cooking!

Really need to be cookin supper but. . .

I thought I would catch up on my homeschoolin, demolition crew workin, coffee drinkin, kiddo lovin, almost birthday comin self!

Yeah, all about me! Isn't there a song about that? :) and a passage or two of Scripture against that. Well, you know us mom's, not a lot of time to think of yourself during the day. Anyway, homeschooling is still really fun for me. Who knows if it is fun for the student. I see glimpses of enjoyment when he is finished with his work and playing game boy in the middle of the day when most kids his age are at school standing in a line for the water fountain. (sorry for the snide comment, he will probably be back in that water fountain line next year anyway!) So, I get to use my God-given teacher passions and he gets to use his God given gaming fingers!

My darling diva was disappointed when she came home from school the first and second day and only learned the rules and did not get to do any WORK. Now, that is who I need to be homeschooling!!! :) A workin' woman! She had "the best day of her life" though today. I am not sure where she gets the drama from. Her birthday is coming up on Friday and I cannot wait to see how insane I make it! I am sure that I will post in another week or two or three after I get over the melt down of adrenaline and sugar that we all have after her "tea party."

ba di ba di ba di . . . that's all folks! Time for sup!

Home-schooling First Day

What a fun day I had yesterday. It started a bit rocky though. Ever since the day that I found out I was pregnant I wanted to home-school my kids. I have a teaching degree and I thought who better to teach my kids than me. Unfortunately, we have never been in a position that I would have that opportunity. When we lived in Dallas I needed to work full time to help out our family and last year was such a year of transition that I did not think it was healthy for me or my kids. This year, I have randomly selected my firstborn to spend each day with and to inflict as much knowledge on him as possible. Lucky guy!

We are testing out a really cool home school program that the public school pays for. . .lucky tax payers! It is the Arkansas Virtual Academy. We are equipped with a computer, a flat screen monitor, a printer, all of the curriculum, a school teacher that we correspond with, as well as paper, paints and tons of other equipment. As far as my lesson plans. . they are online and already spelled out for me as well as a lot of his work. It was a pretty magical day getting all of that in the mail and opening the packages. The smell of fresh paper overwhelmed my senses. My only wish is that something would have been laminated! Ah, the smell of lamination!

As you can see it was due time that I taught someone other than my cats not to potty on the floor. I think my son was sensing my excitement and got a little concerned that something had gone awry. The last few day he had seemed a little apprehensive, but yesterday when we began our day he started coppin' a tude with me. Fortunately, principal dad and former home-schooler extraordinaire was there to have a man to man conversation with my my little disciple. Pretty soon we were rockin' and rollin' through math and then on to language arts. We even had popcorn in between. I insisted he wear his best pj's to school and he thought that was pretty nifty.

Today we have a fun day of science experiments, math refreshers and I think we are going to start cursive. If there is anyone who has excellent handwriting and is worthy of teaching cursive to, it is this guy. I might post some samples of his work soon. Pretty neat stuff around this house! Truly exciting. . .

Smash Brothers

My five year old girl is playing Super Smash Brothers. Yes, a fighting game! Some will say bad parenting, I say she may need to defend herself someday against the bad guys and she is learning some moves. And you dare not mess with her because I just heard her yell at the game, "Who wants a piece of meat!!!?" instead of who wants a piece of me! :)

The Monster At The End of this Book

Have you ever read, The Monster at the End of this Book? It is a Sesame Street book. I read it as a kid and so did John Mark. We have read it to our kids and they think it is hilarious. They just shriek at the chance to turn the page.

I started thinking about this, probably more than I should have, but if you know the story, it is about Grover from Sesame Street and he is scared about everything. He does not want you to turn the page because he does not want to get to the end of the book. He "seals" up the pages with bricks and ropes and all sorts of things to try to get you not to turn the page. At the very end, and sorry to ruin it for you if you haven't read it, Grover, himself, is the monster at the end of book. What a terrible realization that you are what you have feared all along. Should he have feared the monster? Maybe, but he decides he's just furry, loveable, old Grover and he was really embarrassed to discover that it was him all along!

Now let's think about that for a minute. How often have you wanted to seal up the pages of the book not wanting to discover what is at the end? You are fearful of the monster at the end. Are we the monsters at the end of the book causing the fear all along? Are we fearful that someone else might discover what's at the end of the book and not like it? I know I have felt this way so much. I feel like if someone really truly got to know me that they might not like what they see. I might not be so furry and loveable! I might be just downright despicable to them.

As I ponder this silly little children's book, I realize that it has more meaning than meets the eye. I, in the end, am what I fear. hmmm. . .

What about you?

Me and the Preacher

Last night I watched a really good movie at a Ladie's Night that we had with our church. We watched "I'd Climb the Highest Mountain". It stars Susan Hayward as the preacher's wife. It was really sweet. It exposed a lot of the difficulties of being in the pastorate. The thing I liked the best about the movie though is that it dramatically played out the great satisfaction of seeing lives changed after going through the daily grinds of sickness, death, marriage and everyday trials. The joy at the end of the movie would not be complete without experiencing all of the things I just mentioned. When we experience trials and joys together as the body of Christ we are brought closer to one another and to Christ Himself. I love how God shapes our character together.

This picture was taken after the preacher's ordination! The light was kind of in his eyes (as it should be! :)), but still a cute picture. I love you preacher man! and you don't kiss like a preacher!

Facebook

I entered the blog world, now I am entering facebook world! I have 9 friends. I feel like I am in junior high school again hoping someone will be friends with me. What if they don't like me or want to be friends with me? :) Now I know why teenagers have issues. . .they are waiting on the sidelines waiting to be picked to be someone's friend or to be on the right team. Yeah, that was me!!

So, let's get to the point. . .anyone want to be friends with me. . .pleeeaaaase!!!