More Snow!

Taken from my favorite room of the house, our family room, sitting next to the fireplace watching the snow fall all day. I can't believe how much snow we have gotten over the last couple weeks. I hope this isn't a sign of what's to come for the rest of the winter. To be honest, if I didn't have to drive in it, I wouldn't care how much it snowed. It sure looks beautiful and I love how everything is so quiet and sill outside after a big snow. The kids snowman in the backyard keeps getting taller and taller as the inches keep falling. I half expect to see an abominable snowman when I look out the window!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Thankful Thursday

Special Thanksgiving edition of Thankful Thursday!

Of the many blessings I have, I am thankful for:

• My Mother. Who has always stayed true to herself and reaches for her dreams. She taught me the true meaning of unconditional love through both words and actions.
• My Daughter. Who will always be my baby girl. She is open and honest with me even as she grows into a young lady and isn't too 'cool' to hang out with her Mom.
• My Son. Who is our little comedian. He is always smiling and his giggle is contagious. He's a Mamma's boy and always wants to snuggle.
• My Best Friend.  Who has been there for the kids and I through good days and bad for years now. He supports the kids and spends time with them when they ask, and helps lighten the load when I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders.
• My Job. Some days I hate it, but it's been great for our family, allowing me to work only while my kids are in school. My dream of being a stay at home mom might not be possible but this is the next best thing. 
• My Home. Which we have enjoyed making our own. I love our modern, yet cozy family home. I love the kids art gallery wall, the skylights and big windows, fireplaces and wood burning stove, I love having a garage to park in so I never have to scrape snow off my car in the winter or it be unbearably hot in the summer, our backyard, fruit trees, garden, and deck to enjoy the stars from.
• Happiness. The feeling of true bliss. To find yourself smiling often for no particular reason. 
• Technology. The ability to keep in touch with family and friends throughout the country and across the world in a mater of seconds.
• Sense of Smell. It may seam trivial but the sent of lilacs, cut grass and fresh rain when it's warm and pumpkin spice, cinnamon and pine when its cold are truly things I am thankful for. It can refresh and rejuvenate the soul.
• Food & Cooking. The colors, textures, smells & taste of good quality fresh foods are small blessings people take for granted everyday. I love making amazing tasting meals, teaching and cooking with my kids, and sitting down at the table to enjoy it together.

Wordless Wednesday

The next comedian to the stage is Jackson Madsen....

The kids were cleaning up some stuff the left in the hall when Jackson walked up to me with a pair of pajama pants in hand and asked me for a pair of scissors. I asked him what he wanted scissors for and he said, "well you said for me to clean up HALF and Ashleigh to clean up half."  LOL He is such a comedian.

Icicles!

We had our first ever Blizzard warning last night. That, after a big snow storm on Saturday. So we have no shortage of snow and Ice around here!

The icicles are front to back along the west side of our house and quite a few are all the way down to the ground!!

A Very Snowy Sunday

We woke up to so much snow this morning!! Our power was off most the night and we lost a big limb on a tree in the backyard, but it was so beautiful to wake up to. It looked like our own personal winter wonderland!

I woke up every time the power would flicker back on. The gift of motherhood has made me a very light sleeper! I would hear the fish tank filter kick back on, or the printer turn on and would wake up every time. Sometime around 6 AM while the power was off I started thinking of how to get through the day with no power. We have our wood burning stove for heat, but was out of firewood! I figured our gas fireplace would still work fine so that would at least keep the living room warm. I couldn't imagine feeding my kids cold cereal in the dark and in a cold house, so I was planning on using the trusty old camping stove to cook up the bacon I had sitting in the fridge, that was supposed to be for breakfast. I knew the old fashion family time with cards, board games, Legos (we LOVE Legos), stories, etc. would be fun. Luckily, the power was on by the time we woke up and not a single outage all day. We've spend the day hanging out in the living room together enjoying the fire, and out playing in all the fresh snow. Great day!

Snowmen!

Oh and Jackson lost his 4th tooth yesterday! Look at that cute toothless grin!

This video is standing in the doorway looking out over the deck in the backyard.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

The Mom Song

We had a rough patch earlier today since the kids both decided they shouldn't have to do chores because it is the weekend (even though they hadn't done them the last couple days).  I explained that no one likes doing chores, it's just something we need to pitch in together and get done. I thought this was the perfect song to share with you after our hectic afternoon. Enjoy!

Bountiful Basket

This weeks basket:

• 7 Bananas
• 6 Pears
• 8 Oranges
• 7 Apples 
• 11 Tangerines
• Honeydew Mellon
• 2 Onions
• 2 Green Peppers
• 8 Red Potatoes
• 6 Tomatoes
• 2 Bunches of Radishes
• Head of Lettuce
• Bunch of Celery

I missed ordering a basket last week so I was extra glad to pick up our basket this morning. There was a lot of food which I was grateful for but nothing new or exotic this time. I'm looking forward to making more applesauce with the red apples. Last time we got pears they were out of this world so I'm excited for those in a few days when they are perfectly ripe. 

I've really come to enjoy cooking over the last year. I always took pride in cooking for my family, knowing I was providing a hot meal cooked with love.. but it's becoming more of a hobby now. It's nice that some of my friends share the same hobby. We've enjoyed sharing recipes and watching some great documentaries about healthy food & cooking.

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Thankful Thursday

Of the many blessings I have, I am thankful for:

• Sales
• Coupons
• A dependable car (knock on wood)
• A good workout routine
• Delicious recipes for foods I thought I didn't like
• Healthy snacks
• The sound of my kids laughing and playing together
• A nice hot shower
• My printer
• Waking up to see it's been snowing throughout the night but it's not sticking to the roads!

A penny saved is a penny earned.

Thank goodness for large tax returns! I save mine for certain things throughout the year. Most of it is used for home improvements, and items for the kids, but it's also how I'm able to go on a vacation during the summer while the kids are spending time with their Dad. I work part time, but also earn bonus checks large enough to make up for that. I can make full time wages only working part time, which allows me to be home for my kids. The down side is that 40% of every bonus check goes to taxes, the plus side is that I get it all back come tax season. This however is the time of year where every penny of my taxes has been spent. Rent, car insurance, phone bill, guitar lessons, karate class, gasoline, and day to day expenses sure add up. It time to be creative.

In this big huge world there is money out there for the taking... and I want some.  I'm not thinking about knocking up a bank or looking to win the lottery, so don't worry. First of all, I now have a few sponsors adds on my blog. You probably noticed but to the right are some adds and when people click on them, I get paid. Also, underneath that you'll see "Swagbucks" (which I recommend everyone who uses the internet take advantage of) I basically use Swagbucks to search the internet like I usually would but I get points to do so. The points are then used to buy real items or giftcards. Also, when I have friends sign up and use Swagbucks.. I get points as they get points so I will be able to redeem even quicker. I know these aren't get rich quick tactics, but with so many companies paying out millions every year for marketing, it seems silly not to take advantage of those. Other than taking a few minutes to sign up I will be doing absolutely nothing different than I always have, yet I will be building up money that I wouldn't have had otherwise.

The last thing I'm doing is the most basic... sales and coupons. I've always been known for finding really great deals, in fact, I almost never pay full price for anything. I've found a couple blogs that are dedicated to share great deals for grocery shopping. I've gotten away from hunting for the best price and doing what is most convenient,  If we need just a few things, we go to Fresh Market down the street. If it's a major shopping trip we go to Walmart because I know it will cost much less. I had the day off today, so I looked up the best deals and went to three different stores. I traveled no further than 10 miles round trip from my house, so it was worthwhile since I had the time and this was the outcome:

At a combination of Smiths, Walmart and WinCo I saved $33.20 and only spent $51.79. I used a $25.00 gift card I won at work so I ended up spending $26.79 for $84.99 worth of groceries!! 


The key is finding the time since that's one thing I'm short on. I've always believed If something is important to you, you will find a way to make time for it. Thats my challenge to myself right now because I should be shopping like this all the time!

Gold Star!

Jackson had parent teacher conference tonight. I was so proud of all the feedback I got from Mrs. Grubb. Everything she had to say was so positive. When we sat down to talk, the first thing she said was, "Jackson is at the top of my class" and thanked me because she could tell I was very involved with him at home. She went on to say how much she loves having him in her class, explained that all the kids want to be friends with him, how he's a great helper, and scholastically he is above average in all areas of study. Way to to Jackson!

Inspiring

I came across a blog. This was in the about me section:

"I have four beautiful, great,loving, crazy children. I have been married to the most amazing man for 11 years, what else really matters...."

Is is odd that I felt truly happy for a compete stranger? Anyway, I just wanted to share this because it made my heart smile.

Overtime

So much to do in so little time. I need a break. Wish I could hibernate for the winter... either that or hire maid, personal shopper, chef and private tutor for the kids. Honestly, how is one to do everything that needs to be done in a 24 hour period?

Wake up, get Ash to school, come home, help Jackson get ready for school while I'm also getting ready for work, drop him off, go to work, endure, off work and straight to pick Ashleigh up from school, help with homework for a bit, go pick Jackson up, after school snacks, finish homework, start chores, work out, start dinner, laundry, eat,  dishes, guitar lessons, karate,  family time, showers, teeth brush, floss, story, prayers, kids to bed at 9 PM... and I'm ready for bed. But wait.. there's more. I can fit in a good few hours of housework, finishing laundry, meal planning, shopping list making, catching up on emails and/or blogs, etc. before I hit the point of no return. Very rarely am I even in bed before midnight.

I was shampooing the carpet in the hall today (my day off since I'm working Saturday) and beating myself up for not doing it more often (why in the world the previous owner of this house installed white carpet, even in the dining room, is beyond me) because they were looking a little..well, not so bright white. Then I noticed the baseboards needed to be wiped down again, and then saw some fingerprints on the walls... there is no end. I could hear my Mother's voice in the back of my head saying "good heavens child,  you have enough to do, you shouldn't beat yourself up over that" Probably true. However, the old toothbrush in my cleaning bucket isn't going to walk into the kitchen and start scrubbing the grout in the tile on it's own.   I just had a sudden flashback to a scene in Fantasia where the brooms all come to life! HAHAHA Nothing like watching a cartoon to help relax you.

So of course I had to find it online and watch.. and post for your viewing pleasure as well. Anyway, other than being sleep deprived (which I am very used to that this point), I love my life. Love my kids, my family, my home, my friends... and work, well... I have a love/hate relationship with that! 

It's only 10 PM but I'm going to treat myself to a couple extra hours of sleep tonight. The baseboards can wait until tomorrow...

Thankful Thursday

Of the many blessings I have, I am thankful for:

• Yoga
• Quiet
• A good nights sleep
• Good smelling lotion
• Chamomile Tea
• Down filled pillows
• Soft, warm blankets to snuggle into
• Clean air
• Deep breaths
• Dreams

Wordless Wednesday

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Pickles!

I made pickles! I had 6 huge cucumbers to use up so I wanted to try something new. We love pickles so I wanted to try. Last night I made a batch using a basic recipe I found online but changed a couple ingredients and didn't use nearly as much sugar. Today I made dill pickles. The ones we made yesterday are delicious! I'm looking forward to trying the dill pickles tomorrow. I laughed at myself for feeling so domestic as I was filling the jars last night.

Thankful Thursday

Of the many blessings I have, I am thankful for:

• Battery chargers
• Chocolate chip cookies
• Bubbles
• Bubble gum
• Full spectrum lights
• Polka dots
• Snowflakes
• Basil
• Typography
• Puppies 

Wordless Wednesday

Pumpkin Seeds

We ate all the pumpkin seeds we roasted from our jack-o-lanterns in just 2 days this year! They were so good but now I'm craving more. I think we need to buy another pumpkin! I usually boil the seeds in salted water for 5-10 min (it gets the seeds super clean) then mix with a touch of light olive oil, spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with season salt. Bake at 350, stirring every 10 min until they are golden brown. Perfect combination; a little salty and a little crunchy. Yum!