And so... the story goes...

Saturday was a total BUST for strawberries. The plants were burned and shriveled and ... well ... strawberry-less.

I whined and complained to the girl at the counter about how this time last year we were picking strawberries, and she confirmed that we INDEED were... but the start of summer has been brutally hot and has burned off the plants. They picked their last batch of Ovation Strawberries three weeks earlier this year than last!

Humph.

So we picked black raspberries instead.

And we got red raspberries, too -- but honestly? I love the taste of the black raspberries far more than red. AND? I can't WAIT until blackberry season. Mid-July.

So far, as of this posting... I have canned Black Raspberry Jam, Red Raspberry Jam, Strawberry Jam (Yeah -- I cheated -- I bought strawberries) and Pina Colada Jam.

Did you catch that??? Pina Colada Jam!

Oh, MY WORD -- it is the Jam of Kings -- Hawaiian Kings, that is. It is so delicious, and the recipe is a State Fair award winner. I may just enter it in our State Fair... if I can work up the nerve.

Final Jamming Tally:

9 half pints of Black Raspberry Jam
1 pint of Black Raspberry Jam
6 and 1/2 half pints of Red Raspberry Jam
1 pint of Red Raspberry Jam
8 half pints of Strawberry Jam
1 pint of Strawberry Jam
9 half pints of Pina Colada Jam
1 pint of Pina Colada Jam

Very patriotic, dontcha think?

One comment: As I'm not a raspberry lover, I must say that I find the seeds in the jam to be bothersome. Annoying, actually. Maybe next year, I'll try a different recipe.

I may not eat toast for a few weeks.

Who am I kidding?

It's What Memories Are Made Of! (and Monday Menu Plan)

This weekend was a bit of a blur. Busy picking berries, crushing berries, jamming berries... but more about that in a later post. Promise.

But, in the rush-about of this busy weekend, I also managed to squeak a trip in to Costco on Saturday, and was shocked at how much MEAT is going up! Now, you need to understand something -- I'm TOTALLY a beef girl. And to see my precious and beloved meat SKYROCKETING in price just breaks my heart! Even ground beef!!! Phooey!

I must have looked at all the meat for over a half hour trying to decide what to do, and finally chose a pack of fat tenderloin pork chops (not my favorite, but cheap), some ground beef, a package of London Broil, salmon, a big bag of frozen chicken breasts, and some asparagus. And when I grabbed the package of Salmon, I was only thinking of my sister and brother in law, because they are practically the only people we can enjoy grilled salmon with. They love it as much as we do, and for some odd reason, I really enjoy Costco's salmon over any other! Maybe it's because it is farm-raised, and lacks in that wild-sockeye-fishy flavor (oh, don't get me wrong -- it's fishy, just not OVERLY fishy), or maybe because I'm spending less on the package at Costco. That really makes me happy.

So when I got home, I called my sister-in-law (forgetting they were at the beach for the weekend) and invited them for dinner on Sunday. They called back to say they would join us! YAY! Hunter was over the moon with excitement!

So Sunday, we enjoyed a wonderful meal of Caesar salads (with homemade dressing, of course), Asparagus with a lemony mayo topping, Teriyaki Grilled Salmon, and Pene with tomatoes, onion, garlic, Parmesan cheese and a splash of cream... and a yummy fruit salad with a dollop of homemade whipped cream with Splenda on top. It was such a wonderful and delicious way to cap the busy weekend off. So good. So easy. It's what memories are made of!

And let me just say -- my boy can chow DOWN on salmon. At one point, he even reached over to the serving dish and grabbed a second slab of salmon without us noticing! Naughty boy! But how can you fault him when he's eating something so healthy!


Moving on to Menu Plan Monday -- You simply must join Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for TONS of tips and ideas for fresh and easy menus for your busy week! This week, it's being hosted by Laura at Heavenly Homemakers... Here's mine:

• Hamburgers, salad, leftover Pene with added sauteed sweet onion slices, chunks of tomatoes, squash and zucchini chunks
• Rigatoni and meat sauce, salad, whole grain bread
  
• Shredded Pork tacos with corn tortillas, fresh corn and black bean salad
  
• Salmon and Cheddar Impossible Pie, sauteed garlicky spinach
  
• Marinated London Broil, salad, grilled potatoes and carrots
• 4th of July picnic at my in-laws home (I'll be making a coconut cake for my FIL, and individual cheesecakes, and maybe a side)
• Dinner out at the Japanese Steak House with out of town guest (maybe -- depending on budget)

Weekend Goals -- It's Good to Have 'Em!

So... my personal goals for this weekend are:

1) Pick strawberries -- LOTS of them -- maybe some other berries, too!
2) Husband might be goinging out of town for the day
3) Make jam and can, can, can -- by myself -- ugh
4) Do all the above with a 32 month old in tow AND without overheating
5) Keep sanity
6) Clean house for out of town guest arriving on Friday
7) Laundry
8) I can do it
9) I can do it
10) I can do it
11) Pass out with a pantry full of canned jam and a clean-ish house

WANTED...

Older parents desperately seeking one complete night of sleep without interruption, possibly with the added fortune of sleeping in the following morning.

Uninterrupted night should include toddler staying in his own bed and sleeping past the crack of dawn.

If anyone has seen this particular night, please contact me immediately.

***********************************************************************************
IN OTHER NEWS...


Have you been over to Sandy's blog... 4 Reluctant Entertainers? She's got a FUN summer giveaway that includes a beautiful pink apron (customized just for you), along with Harry & David chocolate-covered cherries, cherry towels and potholders and a Picnic cookbook! YOU could be the next winner... hop on over and see what you need to do -- winner will be announced on Sunday, June 29!

Loving Well - A Retreat in a Box

The women of our church have a retreat each fall. Normally, we invite a guest speaker, but due to the rising cost of our venue, the inability to locate a new place so soon, the rising cost in travel and food... this year, we just can't swing it. Well, we could ... but we would have to charge our ladies way too much. Pooh.

So this year, we're doing the Beth Moore Retreat in a Box. It looks so good. Any time I get to hear Beth Moore is a plus in my book, but a whole weekend? It should be awesome. Even better??? The colors of the kit are lime green and violet (or purple, or lavender) ... so pretty. The flower? Daisy. LOOOOVE it. I know, I know... it's the little things that excite me. But as I was reviewing the contents on line, I had a serious goose-bump-hair-raising moment. That's usually my cue that I'm being prompted by the Holy Spirit. As in ... DO IT. Pastorman's wife was pretty confident it was a good God thing too. Confirmation in numbers.

The only downfall that I can see is the lack of one-on-one interaction with a speaker. But ... we will have lots of one-on-one interaction opportunities in small breakout groups, during the craft time, and during some of the fun activities planned. It will be a great weekend, and it should be interesting how it turns out.

Sadly, though... I missed the opportunity to win a used kit on eBay for $64 (instead of $99) and I'm just SICK about it! Good GRIEF!!! Every penny counts! Drats, drats, double DRATS. This is where I add: If anyone out there has this wonderful retreat in a box by Beth Moore (Loving Well), and it is in good shape - fairly unused - and would like to sell it to me for $64 ... let me know!

So, I'd love to hear from you if you've used this retreat before!!! Good and bad comments will be welcomed!

In Other News...

Last weekend, we discovered that my keys were lost.

I did what every Christian woman I know would do.

I prayed and prayed that God would help me find them.

Then I blamed my husband.

What??? He was the one that used them last!

We looked everywhere. EVERYWHERE. But oddly enough, I had this "niggling" feeling that they were in my car. I looked all over the car, but did not find them. In fact, it wouldn't be at all strange to find a set of keys to our car ... IN the car, because my husband has a strange and very BAD habit of leaving his keys in the console or under the seat. In fact, he's been known to leave his wallet, phone, well -- you get the picture.

Warning to all car thieves reading my blog: I'm coming after you if any of my vehicles mysteriously disappear. Got it?!?

Anyway -- I kept praying over these keys, because we only had one other set, and shockingly, it was NOT attached to one of those convenient push-buttony-unlocky-thingies, and being that I am a pampered and highly posh princess ... I NEED my push-buttony-unlocky-thing. Especially when the only key-hole to unlock my entire vehicle is located on the drivers side. Very inconvenient if you're trying to get a squirmy hyperactive two-and-a-half-year-old in the car on the PASSENGER side ... you know ... the squirmy hyperactive two-and-a-half-year-old who's sole purpose in life is to escape his mommy's grasp in a busy parking lot when she has 500 grocery bags in her hands. Yeah. That one.

So on Wednesday, I made plans to have lunch with my girlfriend at work on Thursday. She had asked me if I would drive, and I happily agreed. So yesterday morning (Thursday), on my way to work, I began to worry about how long it would take me to unlock the door for her if it was raining, or how embarrassing it was that I actually had to ... you know ... put the key in the key hole to unlock a car (it is, after all, the twenty first century). Then, my eyes fell upon various loose napkins, an envelope, a pen, a book, an umbrella, and heaven's knows what else was resting on the floor board of my front passenger seat.

I know. It's all so confusing, but stay with me. There IS an ending. Promise.

I quickly realized that I had to clean the front seat up a bit if I expected my friend to think I had some semblance of order in my life. And so, I bent over from the drivers side to try and pick everything up, which really, is the lazy man's way of cleaning the floor board all the way over on the passenger's side of the car... but anyway, I just couldn't reach the last napkin that was wedged all the way up front under the air thingie, so I grabbed the umbrella to reach for it and pull it towards me.

Guess what fell out of my umbrella?

That's right. My keys. That my husband lost. Because he was the last one to use them. In my umbrella.

So see? I was right! They WERE in my car.

But seriously -- God cares about the things in our lives that may seem very trivial. If we are concerned about something, then it is important to him. Our Father in heaven knows our needs. He's awesome like that!! But, he just doesn't want us to worry about ... stuff.

In other news... the youth in our church are having a yardsale tomorrow -- I purchased two tables (which is odd to do, when I'm trying to MAKE money but it is, after all, a fundraiser). I haven't priced anything. I think I'll be selling all the clothing and shoes at $1 per item, but I'm pricing my equipment at half of what I paid for it, and if they don't sell, I'm taking them home and listing them on CraigsList. End of discussion. (For now.) It's supposed to be 97 degrees tomorrow, and the heat index will make it feel like 105-107 degrees. Joy. AND ... my face is really puffy today. Just thought you might want to know.

Now, I really need to get busy ... I've got things to do at work... and lots of stuff to do at home ... especially since I now have to get busy preparing myself for a Nuclear War that is said to begin next Thursday, and I'll also need to figure out what to do about the Global Warming that is being caused by S+Ds. Be informed.

I'm just saying.

Craaay-zeee.

"So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." Matthew 6:34 (NLT)

Yes -- I'm Going There...

Because as of Friday afternoon, I haven't seen anyone else going there.

There are few topics I won't normally discuss on this blog -- and politics is one of them, but I'm SOOOOO going there right now. Actually, no. I'll be setting the whole political rhetoric aside, if that's at all possible, and I'm going to try to play nice.

Okay -- so I'm sure by now you have all heard the audio (either on TV or radio) of Father Michael Pfleger speaking about Hillary Clinton at Obama's church (delivering a Sunday morning SERMON, no less). If not, you can read about it HERE, or go see it on You Tube HERE. Stop rolling your eyes. I'll repeat -- this will not be a political discussion.

I'd like to focus specifically on what Father Pfleger said (you can read it in paragraph 7 of this blog) because I will not repeat what he said on this blog.

Have you caught what has me in an uproar??? Yes, an UPROAR?!?

No? Then let me share the one question, that in my humble opinion, BEGS TO BE ASKED. Apart from the whole inappropriateness of any and ALL of his remarks ... apart from the whole political overtone ... apart from the cruel and mean spirited, mocking and pompous tone (coming from a priest, for crying out loud) ... apart from the fact that I'm a really conservative republican and this man is a blazing liberal ... does anyone have a PROBLEM with a PRIEST saying the "D" word from the PULPIT??? In a CHURCH??? HELLO!!!??? And he wasn't saying it to refer to condemnation in hell -- and NO, I'm not typing the word out for you -- after all, this is a family friendly blog.

Seriously -- when did that become OK? Acceptable? Is no one but me shocked?

I know that a building does NOT make a church, but when I walk into our sanctuary, I consider it to be Holy Ground, where I will be worshiping the Creator, the Healer, Abba Father, the Almighty. WORSHIPING. And LEARNING. And PRAYING.

Furthermore ... and, YES, I'm getting testy right now ... why were the members of the congregation standing up and lifting their arms in the air as if they were in worship and raising their Bibles in the air in agreement? What is that? Who or what exactly are they worshiping? And then, the the person that introduced him said, "we thank God for the messenger, we thank God for the message..." What message? What "Sunday Sermon?"

Put aside that he ripped into Hillary. Put aside all political feelings. As a Christian, I am insulted that a priest -- a person who publicly claims to be a man of God -- would speak like that from the pulpit, and not see anything wrong whatsoever with what he said.

Obama's response? He is "...deeply disappointed in Father Pfleger's divisive, backward-looking rhetoric..." HELLO?! Who CARES about divisive, backward-looking rhetoric? Father Pfleger claims to be a part of the "faith community" and a priest in a Catholic Church. There is more to be disappointed about than just divisive, backward-looking rhetoric.

What is wrong with this picture?

Ick. I need a shower.

Finding a new doctor and fun stuff we're doing over the summer...

I received an excellent comment from Jen at A Good Cup of Coffee on my post about Hand-Foot-Mouth, and I thought I'd share it, because it dawned on me that if Jen had these questions, then maybe MORE OF YOU did too!

"You know I have had a disappointing 2 years with Miller and Madison's pediatrician. Actually his staff too. But I'm chicken to change. His group is some of the best in Western Ky and it scares me to venture out. How did you do it? So what do you have planned with Hunter this summer for fun? I need ideas....I so hope he feels better by the weekend."

Oh, this will be a doozy of a post. Sorry for the length. Okay -- the way I see it... this is a three-part question.

The first question is one that I also wondered about, struggled with, and dragged my feet on, despite my husband's "ready for action" attitude. You see, I also felt scared to "venture out" because I am a first-time mom, and didn't have the first clue about picking a good pediatrician. So, I asked a neighbor (who is a nurse, but in a different county), and she recommended Ped #1 because she had a "good experience" with one of the doctors on staff 6 years ago (that should have been my warning bell -- too long of a time frame had passed). We went there for two years, and in those two years, they "missed" countless ear infections, PNEUMONIA, and misdiagnosed his cystic hygroma, which was ultimately removed by the chief surgeon at Children's Hospital.

Needless to say, this was very frustrating, because as a parent, you only want the best for your child! And of course, that would include the doctor that will be treating your child in both emergent and non-emergent situations!

Now, you should probably understand that I have severe "loyalty issues," meaning that I will stay loyal to someone/something, almost to a point of obsession ... er, I mean ... even if I've been burned. Which is precisely what was happening here. But folks, you DO NOT mess with my kid. All loyalties fly OUT THE WINDOW when you mess with his health. Can I get an AMEN?

So, I began asking around again. I spoke with my sweet friend (her husband is "A Wretched Sinner" - Dude, you GOTTA post again, okay?). As I've mentioned before, they have three children, and one of them has down's syndrome. He has had numerous emergent needs, including heart surgery. Both parents are devoted to their children, and wonderful parents, and I respected their opinion, because I knew they loved their kids just as much as I love Hunter, and have had major "experiences" with pediatricians and specialists. She told me about Ped #2.

Then, I asked my Pastorman's wife -- not because I felt she had a direct line to God or anything like that (ehem), but because she works in the Pediatric Ward at the hospital in our city, and is familiar with numerous pediatrician's "bed-side manners" as well as clinical expertise, she recommended the same pediatrician my sweet friend recommended.

Finally, in a casual conversation with another friend of mine at church over one of Hunter's ear infections (and my frustration over the doctors), she mentioned that her sister-in-law used a GREAT doctor in my city, and I should check them out... the doctor was... are you ready for this? The same as the last two friends suggested. AND, as if that isn't enough confirmation, I was talking about this with a co-worker of mine, and she said that she used to be in that very practice until they changed their insurances, and she LOVED them. That confirmed it in my heart that I HAD to change over. Seriously. I need a brick to hit me upside my head as confirmation.

With my mind fully loaded with information (which in itself can be a very dangerous weapon), I set off to change doctors, only to run smack dab into a cement wall. They didn't accept our insurance. This was a problem. But thankfully, my husband's open enrollment was in November, so we went ahead with Hunter's surgery under the old insurance, and changed insurances so that we could get in with the new pediatricians in January.

And then... I did it. I made the phone call in February (after I received my new cards) to our insurance company and made the change. Then, I called the old ped office and asked them to make copies of all his charts (which, shamefully, I haven't picked up yet). He is now seeing new doctors, and so far, I've had good experiences with them. They and their staff have great bedside manners.

So, Jen -- and everyone else frustrated with your pediatrician -- it doesn't matter if they are the best in Western KY, or in the biggest metropolitan city. If you are unhappy with the care your children are getting, then you need to change. That is, in a sense, your "momma flag" going up. LISTEN TO IT... it "KNOWS!"

My suggestion for anyone that is looking for a change in any medical practice is that you begin by asking your friends that actually work in the medical field. Radiologists, nurses, even receptionists at a medical practice -- they will have an idea of the good and bad things with local doctors. Then, I recommend calling the appropriate department at the hospital or emergency clinic closest to you (or just visit) and ask for suggestions from the nurses. They work closely with doctors, and will be able to tell you who has the best bed-side manner, who has good staff, and will be able to recommend someone to you.

Or you can call my Pastorman's wife.

No, don't do that.

I hope those tips help.

The next question Jen asked was, "So what do you have planned with Hunter this summer for fun?" Oh, my ... this is a HARD question. We both have boys in the same age range, but Jen has a daughter who is several years older, so the age span is far greater, and a bit more difficult to work with.

First of all, I am not a stay-at-home mom. This actually makes it a lot easier for me, because I only have to fill weekends, whereas a SAHM has 7 days a week to fill. Ugh.

Anyway, some of the things that I have planned to do (not all of them have been cleared by my husband yet) are as follows:

1) Visit the local Aquatic Garden -- they have cool fountains that Hunter is enamored with, a lot of wild life, birds, turtles, and such -- and they have tanks and tanks of beautiful fish. He can run wild and work off a lot of energy, and we can enjoy a picnic lunch.
2) Visit the local Zoo -- we have a small zoo close to us, but we are fortunate to have the National Zoo within driving (or metro) distance. This will be saved for a cooler weekend.
3) Visit the local Railroad Museum. I can't wait to do this. Hunter LOVES trains, so I think he'll really enjoy this road trip.
4) Go for long walks on the toe path along the canal (Potomac River). Pull out a fishing pole and have at it. Picnic lunch would be most appropriate.
5) Go for a long weekend (or two) to the beach.
6) Visit the local Amish Market and Farmer's Markets.
8) Visit a local Children's Museum that has a manor house, gardens, a blacksmith shop, carriage collection, log cabin, and an ice house.
9) Go to a concert at our outdoor theater, and enjoy a fun picnic dinner.
10) Visit the Renaissance Festival.
11) Attend the local Fair (ours comes in the fall).
12) Take Hunter to a place close to my in-laws house that has buildings in miniature for children to tour (can't remember the name) -- they have a miniature hospital, fire station, police station, etc.
13) Visit the Science Center (not free)
14) Visit the Aquarium (not free)
15) Visit the local hobby shop. They have an indoor race track for remote control cars, and have races on weekends. They also have a great area set up with three large tables for toy trains, and Hunter loves to sit there and play.
16) Go fishing and for boat rides with Daddy
17) Visit some large Museums, monuments and parks in Washington, D.C. (mostly free)
18) Visit Lancaster and walk around the big Amish market
19) Bake with Hunter
20) Pick fruit at a pick-your-own farm, and make and can jams, freeze fruits, and make yummy desserts and popsicles.

That should keep us very busy for the most part. Many states (like Kentucky) have awesome state parks -- seriously awesome state parks with a lot of fun things to do. You can even stay at their on-site lodging or cabins for very little, which would make for a nice and long weekend vacation. Try googling your city and/or state to see what you can do for free or cheaply.

ALSO ... you can go to Rocks in my Dryer next Wednesday. Shannon is hosting a "Mom, I'm Bored" edition of Works for me Wednesday, and will have a lot of participation. Guaranteed.

The last "question" was... "I so hope he feels better by the weekend." Me too, Jen... me too!

Hand-Foot-Mouth

Can I get an Amen?

Oh, wait. Sorry -- that was out of context.

Usually, if someone were playing a word-association game with me, and presented me with the words Hand-Foot-Mouth, the first things that would come to mind would be: Praise God in worship and honor him with our mouths shouting out his glory, with our hands lifted up in praise, and our feet dancing in his presence.

But today? I would say: Blisters in mouth and down throat, bumps on hands, and on feet too. Some red bumps creeping up legs and arms, and some on f@nny, too. And THAT'S not FUNNY. Bumps turn into blisters. High fevers, long naps, interrupted sleep at night, screams from pain in mouth.

It has been a long weekend. Over the last two weeks, Hunter hadn't been "acting right" and in the last week he had some odd bumps pop up on his face. He has pretty smooth, white skin, and to see bumps that turn into blisters concerned me. My first thoughts were chicken pocks. I took him to the doctor Thursday evening, and two more times in a ROW before we finally got a diagnosis... Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease. And sadly, there's NOTHING more they can do about it than Tylenol or Motrin. It just has to run its course.

Poor baby! He complained that his head hurt, his ears hurt, his neck hurt, his mouth hurt, his f@nny hurt... he was "sick and hurtling." But praise God, he's feeling better today. 3-1/2 days of high fevers, and they finally broke on Monday. The doctor said he wouldn't be contagious any more after going 24 hours without a fever, but he's still not himself so he stayed home yesterday and today. Tomorrow, he goes to day care, and I know he'll have a great time with all the kids, but I'll miss not being at home cuddling with him.

On another note, its kind of nice to know Hunter's pediatrician's office has 4 locations, and is open every day of the year except for Christmas. Sunday's too (which is one of the days we took him in)! We just changed over to them after a disappointing 2 years with another pediatrician, so its nice to know I can get him in at almost any time.

Well, hope you all had a better Memorial Day than I did. My parents were here visiting from North Carolina, and my Dad rode in the Rolling Thunder parade in D.C. -- I was so proud of him.

I'll be catching up with your blogs and my emails in the next few days.

Hugs!

Yard Sale Help...

Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie has a great post on Monday about Yard Sales (she's getting a lot of link love over here!)... she shared two other links that I found helpful: Sandy's post on Yard Sales, and Lynnae's post on 10 Tips to a Wildly Successful Garage Sale. Which has me thinking...

We're currently enrolled in the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University, and have funded baby step #1 ($1,000 emergency fund), have knocked out most of baby step 2 (pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball method), and are now working on baby step #3 (three to six months of expenses in savings). One of the things he recommends we do is have a yard sale. Now, this has been a really hard decision for me to make. I hate yard sales. HATE them. Not the sales themselves, but the work leading up to it. Sorting, folding, hanging, pricing -- ooooohhhh, the pricing!!! And usually, I like to pass Hunters clothing down -- sort of like paying it forward, which now, I wont be able to do.

But, needless to say... we're having a yard sale in the next few weeks with the goal of having cold, hard cash in hand (or rather, in bank account for baby step three!).

So, I have a couple questions for all of the experienced yard sale shoppers out there, so please... come out of lurkdome and leave me a comment about your experiences and tips for yard sales.

1) How should I price kids clothing? I have a TON of clothing (6 full bins, 2 trash bags, and 2 space bags FULL of clothes anywhere from new born to 24 months). Should I price everything at $1 or $2? Or should I price accordingly??

2) How do you prefer to go through baby clothing? Hanging on a hanger, or folded nicely and flat on a table? (NO BINS -- my sister-in-law told me clothes wont sell if they are in bins, so that's out)

3) How do you price baby equipment that is virtually new? Fisher Price Baby Swing that cost over $100, Fisher Price High Chair that was over $100 too (or should I keep that???), an Baby Einstein exersaucer that was about $80, bouncies, push toys, and so much more...

4) Any other tips?

C'mon -- share all your secrets, peeves, and successes!!!

I am SOOOO real... it HURTS!

I'm getting ready to be totally real with you -- lest you think I'm perfect, organized, and ... well ... perfect.

This past Sunday, a friend of mine confessed to me after church that she felt so much pressure to be a superduperdeeorganized mom like many of the blogs portray. She felt like she wasn't being all she could be and basically, measured short.

I'll take a few seconds to allow you to get passed the fact that I actually do have friends in real-life.

Anyway, I empathized with her, because I know of what she complaineth (I mean... confesseth), because I've been there too. Let me give you some background on her life ...

She is a SAHM with three kids (one is a special needs child) all under the age of 5. She homeschools her oldest. Her home is clean and organized, her children are well loved and cared for, and she is involved in church. Folks, as you can see... her hands are full!! She is indeed, superwoman.

Now -- admittedly, there ARE people that have the gift of organization, have the same or similar type of family life, and are able to stay on top of everything. I know there are. My mom is a great example -- she has always had the gift of organization, and she can take chaos and turn it into order. Laura is another great example of that. And while she is super organized, she's a very encouraging, and supportive person, and she is so helpful in motivating people to tackle tough jobs. She does it with a spirit of love and gentleness and is TOTALLY non judgmental and completely Christ-like. Her skill of organization is a gift... and I'm willing to bet she has areas of weakness she would readily share.

I, however, am NOT one of those organized people that can look at a pile of mess and make a wall of organization out of it. I would LOVE to be, and my friend admitted the same thing, but sadly, I doubt I'll ever be. I look at a mess, and get totally overwhelmed. TOTALLY. I don't even know how to begin tackling stuff like that -- it takes me a while to work up to it and to come up with a game plan. Just so you know -- Laura has personally been a great help in this front. She always has awesome tips on her blog, and she's just an email away. It is so good to know that there is support and encouragement out there.

But it dawned on me that if two of us were voicing our desire to be something we're not, then there must be many out there! So, here's my advice to you (which I shared with my friend):

"God desires us to be orderly, clean people. When there is chaos in our lives, it becomes more difficult for us to focus ourselves on Him, or even to HEAR Him or communicate with Him. Its true. Chaos equals distraction. Trust me. So, while I wish I had an organizational chromosome,
I don't, and many other women don't either.

It is important that we strive to be the women God made us, honing our gifts for HIS glory, but maintaining a semblance of order in our homes."

And you can quote me on this!!

Now, I'm not giving you a green light to be filthy people -- heaven's no -- but there are some common sense things we need in our homes that I've learned by both my parents, and organizing friends like Laura and Barbara (praise God for women like them!!!):

1. A place for everything, and everything in its place
2. Cleanliness
3. Orderly living
4. LESS is more
   

Notice, I did not say perfectly organized, and I'm sure Laura would agree. Further, I told my friend that what gifts God has given some, he hasn't given all (if that makes any sense with my poor grammatical structure). I truly think God has given some people the gift of being super organized to help motivate people like me -- and in turn, God has given me gifts that they lack in that allows me to compliment them. Sadly, though -- despite Laura's best efforts to encourage me, I did not get this done in time for her Monthly Organizing Roundup. I just couldn't bring myself to take pictures of my room and closet, let alone ... SHARE them with anyone! Oh, the shame.

Having said that... my parents are on their way from North Carolina for a week-long visit... can you guess where I'm going with this?

RIGHT!! I cleaned and organized! It took me 5 hours to clean out and organize my closet. And, NO, I did NOT take pictures -- war are totally NOT doing a tour of homes right now! My bedroom was so disgusting, my bathroom even worse. My husband scrubbed our bathroom while I waded through hip-high piles of clothing, etc. I took out all my winter stuff, put in my spring and summer clothes, got rid of two bags worth of old clothing and shoes, and everything is beautifully folded, color coded and lined up. There's a place for everything. My room is tidy and the carpet was steam cleaned by my father-in-law. My mother-in-law helped by folding laundry for me, and watched Hunter for us. We spent about 5 more hours cleaning and putting in order the rest of the house with the exception of two rooms -- my living room, which has all my yard sale stuff, and our den, which is pretty much a storage room right now. My father-in-law steam cleaned our family room carpet too. Oh, how the black water did flow. Who knew apple juice and a dog could cause so many stains?

When we finally collapsed in bed late last night, I sighed heavily and said, "well, at least we've got another year." To which he said, "another year for what?" And I replied, "another year before we have to clean again." OH I JEST. Actually, I told him that even though my back was killllllling me, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted from my chest. My home is clean, my room is clean-ish, and I feel much better now. There was just no excuse for the chaotic state I had allowed our home to get into. I'm on a roll now, ladies! My next goals: removing clutter, simplifying our lives, getting rid of knick-knacks. I'm half way there.

The moral of this whole convoluted story? If I have a place for things, and put things away where they belong, I won't have this massive headache of a deep clean to do, and I wont have to sacrifice over 10 hours of my life to cleaning in one crazy marathon. Of course, this is the fourth time in 10 months that we've steam cleaned our carpet...

You can go HERE to see other people's messy closets...

Bike Day

Today is Ride Your Bike to Work day... I don't own a bike, although I would really love to... anyway, I had polished my son's battery-operated John Deere Front-end Loader to drive to work today, but it was raining cats and dogs, and I'm pretty sure Hunter wouldn't want his "tracky" to get wet... AT ALL. So I had to climb into my big-ol SUV and have at it. Fortunately, I only live 8 miles from my job, so I only burned about $3.80 in gas ... but along with that, I failed to do my part to support healthy alternatives to drive-alone commutes, but rather ... contributed to traffic congestion and poor air quality.

Sorry.

In other news, Hunter almost choked last week on ... are you ready for this??? HIS PACIFIER.

Yes, he's 2yr-7mo old... and YES he still took a pacifier at nap and bed time -- so sue me. Evidently he was seriously sucking his pacifier during nap time at the day care provider's home, and bit off the very tip of it. It lodged in his throat and he began choking. Praise God she noticed, and having worked as a geriatric nurse for numerous years prior to becoming a mom, and having been a daycare provider for over 30 years, she knew what to do, acted quickly, and turned him face down on her knee and pounded him on the back two times.

The piece of pacifier dislodged, and all was well. A sleepy Hunter looked up at her, bewildered and "injured" and said (sadly with puppy-dog eyes): "Hey! You hit me!" To which she replied: "You're daggone right I hit you, and I'll hit you again if you choke on me like that again!" Needless to say, he was pretty traumatized, and didn't want to talk about it for days ... poor thing.

So, of course, being the stellar parents that we are, we decided to take advantage of this frightening situation and prey on our child's emotions by telling him that he couldn't have his pacifier any more because we loved him so much, and we didn't want him to choke again. Folks -- THAT'S effective parenting, in fact, it is parenting at its very finest... but hey -- it worked! He only asked for it a couple times over the weekend, and not much throughout the week, but trauma really does wean a child off of something you don't want them to have ... although, I don't recommend you "cause" a child to go through trauma -- just take advantage of it.

Next up: Self-combustible Pampers -- Diapers that self-combust when child urinates in them -- a new tool that aids a parent in potty training.

Trauma, I tell you -- trauma.

Finally, I'm furiously working on a special project -- a ministry that we're starting off at church, and I'm reading books, creating a blog, organizing my thoughts, coming up with a structure, starting lessons ... there's a whole lot of excitement going on over here as I begin forming my 'game plan' and God has certainly been busy sending confirmations my way! He is so good!! Now, if my wonderful sister-in-law would just break down and accept the fact that God has spoken to me about her being a co-leader ... and just GET ON WITH IT... sheesh! then we could really get rolling!

Okay -- I'm off to get busy at work (read: look busy while fiddle-f@rting around) -- oh, stop -- I know as a Christian I'm supposed to give my job my all, and when I actually have work, I do -- but right now, we don't have any work -- I'm an estimator and there are no jobs to estimate yet (June is going to be busy, though) -- so I'm fully and perfectly within an acceptable mode of operation -- internet surfing and ministry planning -- and if you really want to get right down to it, you should probably be cleaning toilets or scrubbing floors, or doing laundry instead of reading blogs-- wink, wink! -- but I'd rather have you here).

Y'all have a WONDERFUL weekend! Hugs and smooches!

Attack!

Does anyone else feel like they are drowning out there? SERIOUSLY -- there is just so much water falling from the heavens and raising on the ground that I feel like a drowned rat... but while the rain keeps falling, I have much to celebrate, because we have... are you ready for this...

PAID OFF SIX CREDIT CARDS!!!

I'm going to be transparent here, and my husband is probably rolling around saying, "NO, honey -- don't go there" but I just HAVE to share ... I know six credit cards sounds like a lot of debt, but it wasn't ... it was only $2,500 worth of debt, but it held us in bondage -- literally. We were slave of the lender no matter how much it was.

Not only did we pay those small credit cards off, but we have our $1,000 emergency fund fully funded, AND we have almost $1,000 to put against our final credit card debt! Praise God for the Stimulus Rebate and Tax refunds, and the discipline to put it towards our debt rather than vacation!

It feels great. It feels amazing. It feels ... LIBERATING.

And still, we move onward to obliterate all our debt -- it's small, but still -- it's debt, and needs to be wiped out, and I can't wait to get it all OBLITERATED -- that's a pretty awesome word! How about ... eliminate, eradicate, annihilate, reduce to nothing... Yeah, I'm feeling pretty motivated. We're on the attack!!! We're on the way to Financial Peace.

So step by step, we're working towards it... and it feels good!

Please -- if the Duggar's -- a family of 19 (soon to be) 20 can live totally debt free, with a newly built 7,000 square foot home, and a monthly grocery bill of $2,000 -- certainly WE can too!

God is good!

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's day to each and every woman out there.

If you are a woman that has lost her mother, has lost a child, or struggles with infertility, please allow me to be the first today to wish you a Happy Mother's Day. I know the ache is very real, but you are still a woman with real feelings, and I honor you today.

To the women that especially struggle with infertility, you are very dear and close to my heart ... please, allow me to tip my hat, and wish all the women who continue to struggle with infertility, and reconciling with not having a child, a wonderful, blessed, and peaceful day. You are brave. You are loved. You are precious to many. Especially Our Lord. Please know that I am honored to have such wonderful and strong women in my presence. And, my son will be a better man through sharing your love with him.

And for all the moms who stand at the front lines, struggling through, praying through, and living a mom's life -- Happy Mother's Day. It's all well worth it!

BloggedIn Bounty ($100 Target Card) and Menu Plan Monday

Did you say you need a new purse? Or those cute capri's you looked at the other day while you were strolling through Target? Oh, you know the ones.... well, the lovely people from Blogged-In Network are offering us all a chance to win, win, WIN! A! Free! Gift! Card! From Target! For $100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So what are you waiting for? Click on the box and start earning points by following a few easy instructions! Momma needs a NEW PAIR OF SHOES!!! (oh, okay -- baby and daddy do too.)

Moving on to Menu Plan Monday , Laura fromI'm an Organizing Junkie hosts the weekly edition of Menu Plan Monday -- make sure you check out her website! She's incredibly encouraging...

So, this week's menu is kind of loosey-goosey ... kind of ... and then again, kind of NOT. But I reserve the right to change it if I don't feel like cooking, because I'm BEAT, y'all, and I don't even know why. Darn hormones! Anyhoooo ... onto the food part:

1. Monday: Grilled Burgers with Chipotle (mmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!) Rub with potato salad and baked beans
2. Tuesday:Creamy Sherry Chicken over Rice with Broccoli (never quite got to it last week)
3. Wednesday: Dinner for a dollar at church
4. Thursday: Penne with Meat Sauce and Caesar Salad
5. Friday: Grilled Chicken Legs with Moroccan rub with Jasmine Rice and Salad
6. Saturday: Unknown at this time.
7. Sunday: Japanese Steak House -- Woot!!!!

So... what's on your menu???

On another note, my husband and I have taken a young couple in our church "under our wing," per say. She doesn't know how to cook, and I told her I would teach her how. So, I'm asking YOU for some ideas for meals that picky eaters can eat that fall within the following categories: easy, inexpensive, not exotic, child-friendly, crock pot ideas, casserole ideas.

Please... any ideas would be awesome, since right now, she only knows how to burn things, and her husband ends up cooking for the three of them (they have a 4 year old). I'd like to put together a simple cook book for her!! Thanks for your input.

Also -- is anyone interested in doing a recipe exchange via Mr. Linky for meals you can fix for shut-ins, sick friends and family, new moms, or someone that just needs a fresh meal prepared for them? You would post the ideas on your own blog on one particular day, and then sign up on the Mr. Linky. Give me your thoughts on this!!

Have an awesome day!

No Mother's Day Contest

I feel like I need to make a small announcement -- just to clarify --

While I did host a Mother's Day writing contest last year (2007), I will not be hosting one again this year. I hadn't advertised that I am, but yet, I have received many, many emails with entries. They are all beautiful and well written, but unfortunately, I am in the middle of a heavy work schedule, and am unable to provide the time and attention required for such a contest.

If anyone else is planning on hosting a Mother's Day writing contest, please let me know, as I would be happy to make an announcement for you!

Sorry for any miss-understandings, and I hope you have an enjoyable Mother's Day.

5 Classes I Wish They Taught in School

Michelle at Life with Three tagged me for this fun meme. Usually, I drag my feet on memes, but since my brain is pretty much empty and exhausted (for no good reason), I'm jumping all over this bandwagon... As usual, I've dragged my feet on this Meme -- but it was a ton of fun -- thanks, Michelle! She wants to know the five classes I wish they would have taught in school.

1) Joneses-economic-ology: This class will tech you how to Develop the courage to kick the Joneses to the curb by developing the fine art of creating adequate and balanced cashflow plans that help you pay tithe, the mortgage, your bills, feed your family, and buy gas without bouncing any checks or getting into credit debt. In other words, living with Champagne Taste on a Beer Budget without being intimidated to keep up with the Joneses. This class is a prerequisite to THINK-ACT-RUN Wildlife Economic Philosophy.

2) THINK-ACT-RUN Wildlife Economic Philosophy: Learn to Spend Less than You Earn so that you can live a debt-free life. In other words: view credit card debt as a Cheetah coming to get you and RUN with Gazelle-like Intensity! Think like a Gazelle. Act like a Gazelle. RUN like a Gazelle! (thank you Dave Ramsey!)

3) Avoiding the "June Cleaver Paradigm Paralysis": As you may already know, a paradigm is a model or a pattern. It's a shared set of assumptions that have to do with how we perceive the world. Paradigm Paralysis occurs when we poses the inability to see beyond the current models of thinking. For example: when some young couples first get married and have children, many think that their world will fall within the "June Cleaver Paradigm" or rather, the image of perfection, and paradigm paralysis sets in when they discover that real life is, in fact, nothing at all like June Cleaver's and they resist seeing beyond that unrealistic model of thinking. This class will help prepare your mind to see beyond ridiculous home models and encourage you to shape and mold your perspective in a more realistic fashion. Preparation is everything! Which leads me to...

4) The Revised 80/20 Rule -- The 80/10/9/1 Rule: This class is crucial for all to take so that they CLEARLY understand the 80/10/9/1 Rule. In fact, many people may confuse this with The 80/20 Rule, or the Pareto Principle which basically says that 80 percent of the value you will receive will come from 20 percent of your activities. However, the revised 80/20 rule -- the 80/10/9/1 Rule means that 80 percent of your time will be spent on changing nasty diapers, wiping runny noses, cleaning spit-up or vomit, nursing bloody scrapes and bruises, flipping grilled cheese sandwiches, smearing peanut butter, heating up chicken nuggets, chasing after balls, stepping on toy ninja warriors with sharp spears, moping up spilled milk and/or apple juice, etc. Ten percent of your time will be spent sorting/washing/folding laundry, sweeping and moping sticky and crummy floors, wiping down and sanitizing surfaces, vacuuming stained carpets, scrubbing marker off of the couch and crayon off of the kitchen table (among other surfaces), changing sheets, making beds, cleaning toilets, and sorting/washing/folding the rest of the laundry. Nine percent of your time will be spent on lavishing attention on your dear spouse -- take advantage of all 9%. And finally, 1% of your time will be spent on yourself -- showering, shaving one leg, one arm pit, rinsing part of the shampoo off your hair, and slapping some comfortable clothing and shoes on to face the rest of the 99% of your day. Make the most of it. (You may want to pair this class with the hands-on field trip to a filming of SuperNanny.)

5) Finding the Hidden Joys in Parenting: Despite the overwhelming reality of the "80/10/9/1 Rule", and despite the frightening truth of the "June Cleaver Paradigm Paralysis," there is joy in parenting. Joy so overwhelming that it often takes your breath away. This course will focus your attention on the beauty of being a parent: the soft sighs a baby makes when held by its mother; the pleasure of tiny fingers wrapped around your own; the joy of your little tike handing you their first bunch of dandelions; the pleasure of hearing "I wuv you" for the first time; the sweet intoxication of your little one planting a firm sticky kiss on your cheek, or nose, or eye lid, or wherever their uncoordinated limbs will allow him or her to plant it; the thrill of hearing your child say "tantu momma" (thank you) or "peas mommy" (please) for the first time; and many more.

Now I tag: Pam at Without Fear; Susanne at Living to tell the Story; Christina at Serenity How?; Barb at A Chelsea Morning; Beth at Life with two little Vikings; Oh, this is too hard... you're ALL tagged too. Just let me know if you did it.

And just to clarify: I love being a mom and wouldn't trade it for the world -- I'll keep all the good stuff and the bad!

I'm not EVEN going there!

To Google, that is...

I mean -- everyone knows I have my medical degree from Medical University of Google, but this time, I think I'll let y'all diagnose me ...

Here are my symptoms:

I am LOSING HAIR ON MY HEAD. Seriously -- in one spot that I'm aware of -- right above my bangs ... what is that, the crown of my head? Isn't hair supposed to be my crowning glory?

All righty then.

Here are my other symptoms: I'm exhausted all the time. Even after 10 hours of sleep. My skin (especially my hands) has gotten really, REALLY dry... and even though I'm exhausted, I still have insomnia. And the weirdest one of all -- I can't stand the heat. My face turns beet red and I get insufferably hot to the point of wanting to pass out. In fact, back in the fall, I thought I was going through menopause with wicked heat flashes, but when I mentioned that to my OB, he just laughed it off with "you're too young." Why thank you!

So -- I'm trying to stay away from Google because I don't want to know if I'm dying... ehem ... you know what I mean. Have any of you had these symptoms, or know what it might be? Really, I guess it could be just about anything -- but I'm thinking it's got something to do with those dreaded hormones.

Actually, I've made an appointment with an endocrinologist. Because, while I know many, many things... I'll concede that in this instance, I need to seek the help of a professional -- because a girl doesn't mess around with FALLING OUT HAIR. That's just sacred.

Get Service...

My sweet friend, Lauren -- founder of, and author at Blogged In News and Networking shared a really cool video today.

Edited to add: Speaking of Blogged in News and Networking... one of my posts was featured today! What an honor!

Anyway, the video made me think about how rushed I can get, how I look at other people (obviously), and the labels I place on them -- which aren't always accurate. I may label someone as "obnoxiously self involved" when really, their label should read "I need someone to love me." Wow! This totally challenges me on how I can serve others. How do your eyes see people? Thanks, Lauren, for giving me something to think about...



Get it??

Typing Around...

This is kinda cool ... I found it over at Watching the Flowers Grow. It's a fun typing test. Now, I'm not a typist, but I used to work in Administration a while ago, so I did pick up some speed there...

This is the first time I took the test...

72 words

Speed test

How'd you do??