happy birthday

when i turned 29, i wrote a post about my age.  and stuff.  it's been 2 years, and this is what my wisdom teaches me this year:
"He (or she, in my case) seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him (or her, in my case) occupied with gladness of heart."  ~Ecclesiastes 5: 20

age doesn't matter as long as i'm following God's will for my life, He keeps me occupied with His joy. 

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31

monday menu. on tuesday.

• white chili  (i'm pretty sure i friday food posted my own recipe... but i didn't find it immediately.  i need to organize my posts and my links so that this is helpful to me.  that is, indeed the reason why i post menus and recipes here.)
• tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches
• chicken/broccoli/rice casserole
• creamy broccoli cheddar soup (new)
• roasted cauliflower soup (new.  gluten AND dairy free.)
• chicken bake
• twice baked potato casserole (new)
• PW's sour cream noodle bake

i was wanting to try some new recipes out, so back to pinterest i gravitated.  they all looked super easy, so that's good.  i've been struggling with my schedule and fitting in "make dinner".  it seems like it's either, "help kids with homework" or "make dinner" and the first one's been winning lately.  there should be a way for both.  i think there is.  it's called crockpot.  we'll see.  that's what i'm using today.

how've ya been doin' lately?

i've had an eventful week full of events and stuff.  well, not really events i guess.  but i've been a busy little house keeper.  our house looks so nice for a few minutes each day.  it's really nice.  i've been going through things and de-cluttering, and throwing lots in the closet to donate.  actually our closet is pretty maxed out.  things are now getting set outside our front door... which isn't good... but it'll all get taken care of next tuesday am. 
i also had a friend come over and help me start my decorating project.  this is VERY exciting and i'm on the tips of my toes with excitement.  that kinda makes it hard, but i'm short so it also helps a little.  we got a little jump start.  she's had me start looking through magazines to see if, indeed, i have a style to go off of.  and i do.  so that's good.  hopefully otter pop likes the style...  we'll just have to wait and see.
little buttercup cut her first tooth the other day.  i had a feeling it was coming through ---just going off of her poop--- and i was right.  she wasn't drooling or cranky.  just poopy.  very very poopy. 
today the wolfie and i are going to a hockey game.  that should be fun.  i think.  i've never been to one before...
i ordered prints of our family pictures.  that, also, has been REALLY REALLY REALLY exciting!  i can't wait for them to get here!  now, on search for some frames! 

i'm wondering how you all have been doing?  it seems like a long time since i've heard...

come home soon!

oh i miss my other half.  when he's gone it really does feel like i'm missing half of me. 
sigh.
on the upside, i've been completing lots of tasks.  tasks that i've been putting off like the plague.

but when it boils down to it... i'd rather have my other half, than the plague.  :D

jan. 15 '13 post

today is tuesday. 

a few of my favorite things: icicles and wind chimes!!!

otter pop left for a work class in arizona on sunday.  he comes home tomorrow evening.  we are getting by without him.  we're coping.  although he is gone full-time working outside of the home -when he IS HOME-  he is very much a big part of all of our lives.  we miss him.  every time he is scheduled to leave, things start happening around the house to stress him out about leaving us.  this year, like last year, it was the pilot light randomly going out.  it is so frigid outside.  when the pilot light goes out, the heater vents feel like they're blowing out air conditioning.  i'm not kidding.  it feels SO COLD! 

anyway, no worries.  this mama knows how to light the pilot light.  AND (opposed to last year, when i had a large baby-growth on my front side) i can squeeze my frame back to where the heater-thingy is. 

there's a good layer of snow on the ground outside right now.  there has been since christmas.  this isn't usual, but i sure like it!  the roads are really slick though so we must drive safely.
we got our family pictures back.  i am eagerly waiting for some big prints to put up on our walls.  we have a beautiful family if i must say so myself.  i like us!
we, our family, are working on several things right now.  some of them include:

• getting our grades up.
• reading better and more.
• becoming more responsible (including, but not limited to: doing our chores without being told the right way).
• finishing our projects in a timely manner.
• listening better.
• math skills.
• walking.
• finding new recipes to try out.
• being content (including, but not limited to: not whining).
• getting things accomplished.
• love and logic classes.
• writing.
• girl scouts (starting cookie sales next month)
• an after-school reading class.
• starting a family community service project (at the veteran's home)
• enjoying each other.

some of these apply to everyone but not all of them do.  together we are helping each other in working on these things...  that's kinda what family is about.  not completely, but part of what it's about. 

happy mid-january.  :)

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."  1 Cor. 10:31

punkin pie help

last night i tried to make a pumpkin pie for the first time.  why?  well, because we had a pumpkin that i cooked up and i didn't want to make cookies or bread this time.  i don't like pumpkin pie...  never have.  but, i have some pumpkin pie LOVERS in this house, so, i figured this way they can eat it and i won't be tempted to indulge. 
i used this allrecipes recipe.  it was very easy.  very VERY easy.  and the pie tasted superb!!!  as i stated above, i don't like pumpkin pie... never have.  but i tasted it (my idea didn't play out i guess...  well, i didn't INDULGE perse...), and it was good.  good enough for two bites good.  maybe even three...  ---i said MAYBE!  geeze, don't judge!!!  sheesh!---
anyway, here's the deal.  i made my own crust.  and i am perplexed! 
i had this gramma that used to be a pie-makin'-fool!  she made pies like some people make coffee.  (every day and sometimes twice a day.)  ok, maybe not every day, but i'm pretty 100% certain that she had a pie for every day that she lived whether or not she made one every day or not is left to be determined.  and she died when she was 82 years young.  so, that's a lot of pies!!!  but all this jibber jabber to say, she made her own crusts.  so so shall i.  and i shall use her recipe because her crusts were always PERFECT and DELISH!  when she had leftover crust, she would make tarts by putting jam in between two small circle crusts...  and those were awesome!!!  mmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!  i'm so glad i had such a remarkable gramma...  two of them actually.  but the other one is granny.  so that's different.
i used her recipe.  it goes like this:
3 c. flour.
1-1/4 c. shortening. 
(mix until it's like corn meal)
water sprinkled in and toss together.
do not knead.
put on flour board and roll to put in a pie pan.
the least handled the better it is. 
fairly easy recipe, right?!  yeah!!!  but it ISN'T!  it's almost impossible.  thankfully that was enough dough to put in a pie pan and then cover the pie too because i threw half of it away.  !!!  ugh!  it tasted right, but i couldn't find the perfect amount of water where it wouldn't stick to the board and/or the rolling pin.  i eventually just threw all of it into the pie pan and smooshed it down with my hands (even though she specifically said, "the least handled the better it is"!!!) 
it turned out crumby, but it tasted alright (to me.  everyone else left it on the plates.)
so... i need help.  what can i do differently next time?  how do you make pie crust to be all one piece?  how do you then pick it up without it breaking/tearing?  HOW IS THIS ALL POSSIBLE?!?!!!
thanks in advance for all your help.  also, if you don't know... don't give me tips.  i'm looking for real life pie crust making people to give me tips here...  i want tips that work.  therefore, only those who know what they're talking about can chime in here. 
...and if i get absolutely no comments at all, i'll completely understand.  (everyone buys their crust pre-made!)

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."  1 Cor. 10:31

twenty thirteen post

hopefully this won't be my only non-food post this year.  yikes, i'm turning into a real food-fatty.  and on that note, i'll post some new ideas that i'd like to try this year:

1. decorate my living spaces.  in an actual style.  and that style not being mamaT-style, but an actual DECOR style...  :) in this idea/goal, i'd like to proclaim my thanks to having such awesome friends to help me with this!  (hint hint hint.  oh wait, no hint needed.  you all know i need ya!)
2. have our family pictures taken twice/year.
3. sew more.  yarn more.  craft more.  talk less.
4. be more empathetic when disciplining the kids.  say, "bless your [little] heart" more.  use words like dear and sweet. 
5. do something extra and sweet for my honey every day.  something, anything, each and every day.
6. play a game with the kids AT LEAST once/week.  each kid or all the kids together.  that's 6 kids.  every week.
7. call my dad more.
8. write letters and mail them to people i think about spontaneously.
9. communicate love to those around me.  patience, kindness, not envious, not boastful, not proud, honoring, selfless, not angry, not vengeful, truth-seeking, protecting, hoping, trusting, and persevering...  (God)  'cause it's all about relationships.  it really is.

nine should be plenty.  i hope to become a better person all the time, not just at the end of the year.  i'm not a new year's resolution-type person.  i'm a all the time trying to become the person God created me to be-kinda person.  these are just some thoughts and ideas...  and it's about time i posted on my blog!!!  thanks for staying tuned.  :)

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

8th birthday for a big girl here!

1/11 is a special day at our home.  we have a beautiful girl who celebrates this day of her birth.  this year it is year numero 8 with us.  woop woop!

here's her amazing birthday dinner request:

• pancakes poured over bacon (i'm not sure what they're called, but i saw it on pinterest and tried it -with otter pop's prodding- and we're hooked!)
• eggs

• corn, "on the side"

and, for cake?

• angel cake!!!

i love this girl.  she's amazing in all sorts of ways.  she's very smart with a good God-centered moral.  she likes to see what others are doing before she chooses her choices.  she cares about others.  she's extremely competitive.  her favorite color is blue.  she likes deer and cheetahs.  she wants to be a mom and grandma when she grows up.  she has a natural talent at ice skating.  she is beautiful and likes to make others laugh.  she adores her siblings, mostly her big sister who she aspires to be like.  she enjoys horseback riding, long walks and talks.  her love language is words of affirmation and quality time (not in that order). 
i thank the lord for blessing me with her 8 years ago and still to this day.  what a treasure!

my amazing photo-eye captured this where it looks like she received a new pair of feet!!!

it's not really the case.  she actually got some new DS games...  you'll have to ignore the background.

jones was all dressed up for the special day.

spectators...

more spectators...

"happy birthday to you...."

8 lit candles

8 blown out candles. 
8 years old!

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."