Thursday, December 19, 2013

Christmas

Merry Christmas!!! I would like to a say a thing about Christmas.. (or several).Let's love one another, be kind, be help full, be nice ,be excepting, Lets just remember WHO this season is about!! It's not about gifts or things! It's about you, and me, and our families, about Jesus and his gift to the world. Don't let things get in the way of having a celebration to rejoice in our Saviors birth! Let us give thanks, and praise, for the one that saved us, and forgives all!!!!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Thankful

It is so easy to be thankful when all is well. It is really hard, but yet so much for meaningful, when times have been rough. Jeremy and I (my husband) have been through sooooo much together. More then a lifetime of struggles. He has always had my back. He is my hero! Thanksgiving is a very special time for our family. We have a huge supper after we visit our family. Just the 6 of us. We have turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, squash, corn, mashed potatoes and gravy, applesauce, and pumpkin pie. This year will be even more special. We had a rough year. But we still have each other. We set the table with candles, and we all go around the table, saying what we are thankful for. This year I am most thankful for my best friend/husband, my kiddos, all of my family members,and my new friends. This year I will take more time to thank Jesus for all his many blessings!

Monday, September 23, 2013

Holy Cereal Appocalips

I Love to be cheap!!! It makes me happy! It is the wind beneath my wings! I have been sick all week with a terrible cold and Jeremy,(my husband)offered to go with me to get groceries. I made a list according to my meals planned for the week.(more on that to follow). I always(try)to go with a list. It keeps you on track, in and out, no extra spending. I always am "scanning" the aisles when shopping. There is always sales that are not in the flyer, and clearance(insert Oprah voice. CLEEEEEEERAAAANCE) I know lots of you are afraid of clearance food! Don't be! It makes me swoon, like a love sick girl! The real reason they mark things down is NOT scary! The reasons they do is-
1. A new package/box is coming out.
2. The expiration date is coming up.
3. Huh... can't think of the others. I will let you know if I think of it.(yes...:( this is what my husband deals with)
Ok, so the first 2 reasons, not scary. I was soooooo excited when this week I found boxes of cereal for .99 cents! Full size boxes! So I bought 23 boxes! Yes that's right, 23! I have 4 kids, and we go thru cereal like crazy! I know. I should cook for them in the morning. But, I don't. Trying to get everyone out the door is the goal. Not being mommy of the year.(sorry kid's)Anyway... Back to what I wanted to talk about... We get home from groceries. The kids all come out to help us bring in our bags. I tell Sam to bring this bag and this bag etc... down to the basement. I start shelving ALL my boxes and boxes of cereal. Chewy(our youngest) comes down and all the sudden I hear "HOLY CEREAL APPOCALIPS!!!!!!" Yup that's how cheap I am. They think I am preparing for the end of the world. Nope. Just a cheap, poor mom! Trying to make the most of what I have. So here's hoping they don't get sick of strawberry stars! Fingers crossed.(Don't worry... you can always turn yucky cereal into marshmallow treats for school parties. hehehe) So here's to cheap Mama's! Let us keep scarying our kids and making them sick of strawberry stars!

Friday, September 20, 2013

Bad Mom? VERY Dirty Kids?

Soooo I have a confession... I know all Moms will relate to this but especially those with larger fams. It is HARD work to keep up with keepin' my kids clean. Our days are crazy! As is yours! We have 4 kids. Our day starts at 6am. Husband and 2 big kids are out the door at 6:30. Little kids up at 7am then out the door at 7:30. I clean and do laundry, feed and care for our dog, 10 hens and 3 goats. Garden. Can and freeze our veggies. Sew. Patch endless numbers of knee worn out jeans. Crochet and knit. Clip coupons and meal plan. Pay bills and pray my checks will not bounce!(Please don't bounce!) We also are remodeling(very slowly as money will allow)Then they all start trickling in around 3. Then its homework! Make dinner. Then trying to get #3 ready for football. (Please say a prayer for me! I swear this kid has molasses running in his veins!)Leave at 5:30, home at 8pm. Then a second supper( they are "starving, I didn't eat enough") Try to get all that done by 8:30 for 30 minutes of reading. Then fill out reading logs and other school papers. (how much homework do these kids need!?)Then on Saturdays its a football game. Chop and stack wood. All the other chores. Clean our disgusting van, garage, house, barn, chicken coop. Then ohhhh my gosh!!! When was the last time 3 and 4 had their last shower???? I check their feet...:( I discover I am NOT super mom of the year!!! BOOOOOO!!!!! Well... They are alive, well fed, learning, learning responsibilities, are sorta respectful... What can I say. Anyone relate to this? The real kicker is, I scroll thru my week and hmmm... was it Wednesday the last time I showered? Thursday? Did I really just blog about this? I am just saying these are the things the should talk to kids about in health class. They don't tell you that having 4 babies in 5 years will reduce you to blogging about this! Oh well. They are my world(dirty or not)!!

Waiting for the Storm to Pass

I bought a little wooden sign about 7-8 years ago. I saw it and had to have it because it spoke to my heart. It said " Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain". Isn't that sooo beautiful? So hard to remember that when you are down, but so true. There is always something good, and beautiful in your life! Really, it is true. When you are going thru something tough, that sounds like total crap!! But its true! So for all of us having a rough day,(or year)(or life), look for something that makes you smile today. Today, lets dance in the rain!

Monday, July 29, 2013

Tonights Supper: Garden Veggie Salad

All the veggies are coming in from the garden! Yea! So tonight we are having salad. The best salads are always what's fresh! That's what's so great about having a garden. So tonight we will be having salad, with fresh broccoli, onion, cabbage, lettuce, cucumber, peppers and grape tomatoes. Chewy has offered to help me make biscuts! Yummy!

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Raw Goat Milk Spa

My oldest, Sam, has become the little farmer! I am sure his Great, Great Grandpas, Silas and Frank would be proud! He spends so much time out with the goats, and chickens everyday! So proud! It takes a lot of time and love to take care of animals. Well, Sam has been learning to milk Lady, our Mama goat. He is doing a great job! He has been doing it about a week. Lady decided she needed to kick the pail. Sam was not holding her hind leg as much as needed, and Sam got a very nice spa treatment! Raw milk in the face! It was a full on soak of the whole body! Poor Sam! Really funny for the rest of us, but not so much for him! He was a trooper and took a shower and was back at it the next day! Good for you Sam! By the way... He did NOT appreciate me yellin' "IN THE FACE, IN THE FACE!" What's a Mom to do?! They know I am NEVER a grown up!!

Monday, July 22, 2013

Tonights Supper: Chicken Pasta Salad

Chicken Pasta Salad
1 lb pasta, cooked according to package
2 chicken breast, poached and diced
1 bag frozen peas, thawed
1 T honey mustard
1/3 c. oil
2/3 c. vinegar
1 small diced onion
Cook pasta and rinse under cool water. Place in a large bowl. Add cooked chicken, onion and thawed peas. Place the mustard, oil and vinegar in a mason jar with lid. Shake well. Just before serving, pour on enough dressing to toss to coat. This is really good cold or room temp. This is really great picnic food. Tonight I am serving it with a green salad.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Tonights Supper: Pasta

My Quick Pasta
1 lb ground turkey,
1 lb pasta,
1 diced onion,
1 diced green pepper,
1 c. sliced mushrooms,
1 can tomato paste,
2 c. water
2 minced garlic cloves,
salt,
1 t. sugar
Brown meat. Add all the veggies and cook until tender. Add tomato paste, water, salt and sugar. Simmer. Add your cooked pasta when it has 1 minute left to cook. Simmer another minute or two. So good! You will love it!

Saturday, July 20, 2013

Tonights Supper: My Easy Turkey Tacos

Easy Turkey Tacos
2 lbs ground turkey
2 c. salsa(we use our spicy homemade)
2 t. cumin
Brown turkey. Add salsa and cumin. Simmer together 15 minutes or so. I like to serve them with corn tortillas, shredded lettuce or cabbage, onions and tomatoes. Sam, my oldest LOVES it when I serve it with green pepper. Elijah loves it with my pickled onions and radishes. Enjoy!

Friday, July 19, 2013

Moving Furniture

I felt like the worst wife yesterday! We are in the middle of a heat wave, and I got it in my cra-cra head that my furniture had to be moved. Now. Has to be now. Am I the only person out there that feels the NEED to switch things up every 4-6 weeks? I am on constant relocation of my furniture. My husband has come to grips with it. My oldest thinks I am weird but he helps. I saw a great quote on pinterest that said Guess what? It is a little true!:/ I am not afraid of work... but, hey... If Sams there... So my Husband comes home tired, it was 95 with over 80% humidity, we have NO air condition. Just good old fans! Yay! Not really. Parts of your body are sticking together that you did not know could touch, not alone stick. I am in full on sweat stache! I am a thing of beauty this day! My hair is huge, frizzy, I have a sweaty stache. Every mans dream wife! Anyway...What I was getting at is it was HOT. He is tired. I made him move furniture. Bad wife! He did not mind, he is a very loving and kind husband. But sometimes I wish I was not so ocd. Sorry Jeremy:( Love you!

Tonights Supper: My Rice Casserole

My Mom always made this when I was younger. I have massive food allergies, so I have changed it up a bit. RICE CASSEROLE 1 lb. ground turkey, 1 lg. onion diced, 1 1/4 c. water, 1 c. rice, 2 cans cream of mushroom( 1 will work also, just increase your water), Brown meat and onion. Add water, rice and soup. Bake 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees in a greased casserole dish. Its really good served with steamed broccoli or steamed green beans from the garden!

Girls Gone Wild!

We are free ranging our girls! Our hens are out and running wild! They love it! They eat bugs out of our yard all day long. And they poo everywhere! They fertilize our lawn great, but it means if you(the kids)are bare foot, you are going to wash your feet by the hose! It is really great to free range. They produce richer eggs, get bugs out of the yard, are happier, enrich the yard, it is a win win. We LOVE our girls! We love watching them. They have become our pets. And then this happened... Elijah was yelling my name by the back door. I went and saw what he needed. He had Fog Horn, and they were hanging out! So I went and got my camera and this is what happened. He was fine. But I laughed my butt off!!!! Funny! BTW No boy or chicken was harmed in these photos.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Tonights Supper: Taco Cornbread

When I was growing up we lived next store to my Grandpa and Grandma. It was great! Always had cousins to play with, my Great Aunt lived in her R.V. in the yard... It was fantastic! Lets put it this way... I had no trouble scoring a cookie from someone. Anyway... My Mom and Grandma would take turns having each other over for supper. When Gram had us over Taco Cornbread was something she made. I loved it! It is simple, cheap, and yummy! So here it is! Enjoy! Make this tonight. Seriously. Do it! Taco Cornbread 1 1/2 lb ground turkey 1 pkg. taco seasoning ( I make my own with garlic powder and cumin and hot peppers) 1/2 c. water 1 can corn drained 1 8 oz can tomato sauce 1 pkg corn muffin mix (jiffy) 1 can French fried onions (don't you just love those?!) Brown meat, add seasoning, water, corn, and tomato sauce. Make muffin mix as directed on box. Spray a 2 qt. baking dish. Place the meat mixture in the bottom, top with the cornbread mix. Sprinkle onions over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes! When I make it I add diced onions, green pepper and tomatoes. I try to get as many veggies in as I can! Sneaky, sneaky!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Around My Town

I have been working on a project. I have been taking pics around the little lakeside town I now live in. Thought I would share a few of them with you!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Pintrest

I have been taken hostage... by pinterest! Oh my gosh! I know we have all been through it! I want to paint my fridge. It is cream, all the other appliances are white. It still works and I can't get rid of it till it dies. Well... I can. I am just cheap, as you know. Anyway... I was checking out pinterest for inspiration. And now my husband has a world of hurt coming when he gets home! Cuz boy, I have a LOT of ideas on a lot of things! ;) did you know that you can stick a cutting of a rose bush, stick it in a raw potato, plant it and it will grow a new bush? What?! Mind blown! And you can take a mens shirt, stick your body through the head hole, fold it in a certain way, and you have a strapless top?! For real! So be careful out there! It will get you and you will be trapped. You will need a child crying, or a pot boiling over to save you! Good luck my friend. Good luck!

Patio Planter

I wanted a planter on my patio table, So I headed to the thrift store. I found a angle food pan for .50 , added some dirt from the garden and a few marigolds and.... tadaa... a planter! Fits around the umbrella, looks great and is cheap! Are you sensing a theme? ;)

I AM GOAT MAMA!!!

Lady did it! We had 2 beutifull kids today! Yeah! I had just gone outside to take pics of our "redneck" camp that the kids were working on. Clothes line, tarp, stakes and sleeping bags, fire pit. Awesome? Yes! Anyway... I was taking pics for Jeremy, when.... could it be.... yes! I know the sound of babies crying! I tore off for the goat pen and holy crap! There they were! The first born Gracie was on her feet.And little Sofia had just come out and mama was licking at her nose and mouth to clear it out! I hollered at Chewy to get the kids and a towel! I have never seen that little dutch boy run so fast! Anna came in the pen with me(after I called Jeremy screaming) we dried off Sophia. The kids(my human kids) got a HUGE sex-ed lesson today!!!! We had lots of fluids and "stuff", that they experianced. But they are here and sooooooo dang cute! Here is to you mama Lady and to our new kids Gracie and Sophia! BTW We now have 15 female pets! Watch out Jack! The girls are takin' over!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Midwest Redneck Umbrella Stand

Last year I bought a new red market umbrella! Fantastic! Pretty! Cute! Well... It broke! A HUGE gust of wind sent it SAILING across our yard a straight into our mini van! Scratched and dented the crap out of the van! The umbrella was in so many pieces, we still have have not found all the parts. DESTROYED! So we headed of to Walmart. I found a $25 8ft beach umbrella! Cute! I needed a umbrella stand, but the cheapest I could find was $40. No. We got home, and I found a empty paint can,and a burlap sack. Iput the can in the sack, filled it with dirt from the garden, and bingo bango! $1.19 Umbrella stand! Woot woot! That's what I'm talkin' 'bout! In your face Walmart!


Waiting to be a Mama

   So I got it in my head one day that we needed a goat! Now. Today.And not just a goat, a pregnant goat! Due ANY day! Sounds like a great idea, right? No, its not. It almost caused a divorce. I found a cute little girl online, called my husband Jeremy and told him to get home ASAP. We own a older mini van, the "mini-up". We do not have a pick-up and we use the van to haul everything. I had my oldest boy,Sam 13, pull out the back seats. I ran to the barn to find a tarp and laid it out in the back of the van. Off we went.
  The first thing that caused a little frustration and teasing from my husband was.. OK don't think I am a wienie... I had wrote down that we had to turn on"Idiot St". Yup, you read that right. Idiot St. Mr. goat man didn't have a good connection and that's what I heard. After a lot of teasing from Jeremy we discovered we were looking for 88th st.Of course! simple mistake. Then we had trouble finding the house. After a lot of turning around we discovered we were looking for a elementary school. That makes sense. Goat, school, I get it. The nice farmer had converted a school building into a home and farm for his family. Next, in my excitement I just grabbed my flip flops. I am no city slicker. But that's not the footwear you want to wear when you are going to get a goat! And the best part was it had just stoped raining! Yay! Lets just say poop + water = slippery poopy feet! But we fell in love with our Nubian pregnant lady! So that's what we named her, Lady.So we loaded her in the back of the mini-up and off we went.Then the fun began!
  We had no pen, shelter or food! Nothing! When we got home Jeremy tied her to a tree in our back yard(she fertilized it VERY well) and got to work on a temporary pen. Yay! We did it! No,no,no,we did not do it! Our very large,pregnant goat did NOT like her new home! And by not like, I mean I got horns in the butt.She was ramming and climbing over the fence! Yikes! Jeremy, was yelling at Me to keep her in,while he got something stronger to keep her in. Well.... I am no light weight for my height, 5'3" and 125 lbs. I am not chunky, but no dainty girl. I always say I am sturdy. Well not sturdy enough to keep a mad as heck, pregnant goat in a pen! No! So whats a Mama to do with a frustrated husband talking loudly at you, a mad pregnant goat trying to butt you and run you over? That's right... CRY! In the end she was in the barn, Jeremy and I kissed and made up. All was well.
Jeremy's barn

 Our Lady


The mini-up!


Pretty spring sky