Hopeful Housewife

I had butterflies the size of pigeons in my stomach.

Ten years ago today, I sat in a Las Vegas hotel suite trying to figure out what to do with my hair.

I contemplated whether or not to wear pantyhose, as my shoes were a bit too big and I was worried about falling.

On that day, I miscalculated time and ended up having to get ready in less than 2 hours. I had so much “body armor” that it was no simple task to get ready by the deadline.

Ten years ago today, I tried not to throw up from nerves as we walked through the Hotel lobby.

We hailed a cab only to find that my dress didnt fit in the car, so valet called in a minivan for us to ride in.

On that memorable day, my mother met me in my “dressing room” and put my grandmother’s pearls around my neck. The same pearls she wore on her big day.

 I fussed with my hair, opted out of pantyhose, and nervously applied lipstick over and over again.

The wind kicked up outside the chapel. My veil nearly flew off, and my dress was halfway over my head. I could see him, though, through the glass panes in the doors. He looked so handsome.

I walked down the aisle on my Fathers arm, listening to him sniff and sigh.

The backdrop of the chapel was loaded with potted poinsettas, which coordinated nicely with the red roses I carried, and the red in Art’s vest.

Hapi, (yes, pronouced Happy) was our minister, and he performed a traditional service for us, with some corny metaphors. At my request, he left out “and to obey”, which I now wish I hadn’t done.

His best friend, and best man actually chuckled behind him, shaking his head in disbelief. No one could believe someone actually tamed him, lol.

Ten years ago today, it snowed in the desert. Hell truly froze over

Ten years ago today, I began my married life with Art. The road has been filled with surprises, unexpected detours, roadblocks, shortcuts, and lots of great scenery. It’s a tricky road, but worth the ride. I want nothing more than to stay buckled in beside him. Oh, the places we’ll go…

Happy Anniversary, my Love. Here’s to our first decade together.

So I share quite a few recipes here, but I have a few that I tend to hold close. It’s terrible, I know, but you have to admit its kind of nice to be able to make something that becomes your “specialty”. One of my ambitions in life has always been to publish a cook book, but in all honesty, I wouldn’t even know where to start. SO, I’ve decided to create an email-able cookbook for any of my interested readers, which contains my FAVORITE recipes. Everything from dining on a dime recipes to my ultimate specialty: Mashed potatoes.  I’ve got holiday baking recipes, easy bread recipes, and some killer desserts too. Many of them are passed down through my family, and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you all too.

So because I dont know how the whole e-book hosting thing works, I figure that for now, if you’d like a copy, you can paypal $5.00 to me, and I’ll email it right to ya, where it can be printed out and popped into a three ring binder. (I’d put it in page protectors first!) If you’d like to order a hard copy w/protectors and binder included, send $12.00 The book has the following categories:

Dining on a dime

Mexican Masterpieces

Country classics (which includes my chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and biscuits and gravy! This is some serious rib stickin’ food people.)

Somethin’ Sweet (desserts..yum)

Breaking (and baking) Bread (includes tortilla recipe too!)

and

 I’ll have the soup and salad. (I guess that one is self explainatory)

This would be a good book for a first time cook, or for someone out on their own  for the first time. It’s got detailed instructions, and no pretentious hard to find (or use) ingredients. 

Leave a comment if you’re interested

Happy Cooking

With so many people on our list, I’ve come up with some crafty ways to give everyone a little something without having to file bankruptcy in January. Some I’ve picked up from other sources over the years, some I have come up with, and some are family favorites that I simply passed on to others. Here are a few of my tried and true projects:

Personalized Gingerbread men ornaments. I made these out of a salt dough. Rolled out the salt dough, cut out little gingerbread shapes, pierced the top with a straw for hanging, and baked according to the recipe. Once cooled, I painted them brown with acrylic paints, and accented the ankles and wrists with “icing”, and applied little faces and buttons as well. Sometimes I would add something personal like a person’s favorite football teams colors for “boots” and “mittens”, or glued little crafting pom poms to their hands for cheerleaders. One year, my MIL who works for the Sheriff’s department took one to each detective in her unit that I had glued a little sheriff’s star to.  I havent made these in two years, and I honestly cant remember what else I have done with them, but I sure had a lot of fun doing it!!

Fleece ponchos and scarves. With approximately one yard of fleece fabric, you can create a little girls poncho and matching scarf! Cut the fabric at the end so that it makes a square. Cut approx 2 inches in every inch or so all the way around the fabric. Slide a little crafting bead on each strip, and tie it off. Now take that little strip of fabric you cut, and do the same to the edges of that for the scarf. Dont forget to cut a hole in the center of the poncho for the child’s head, lol!

One year I gave all the kids’ teachers and therapists, etc whisks that I filled with hershey kisses. I tied a little note on them with Christmas ribbon that said “We whisk you a merry KISS-mas” Super cute. And tasty

Play dough! I made four colors of playdough for my nephew several years ago and included a pack of cookie cutters from the dollar store. He loved it, even if mom was a little concerned about having playdough around.

One thing I had a lot of fun doing this year was making a pillow for my mom. If you can sew a straight stitch, you’re capable of this project. I took a quilt of hers that she had on her bed as a little girl. My grandmother made it for her by hand, and it was special to her even though it was falling apart and definatley not functional anymore. I used that fabric to make a  pillow for her bed, so a little piece of that memory can still remain when she’s hangin’ out in bed. I sewed piping to the inside of the stitch, so it was nicely finished looking. The whole project cost me about 6 or 7 dollars, and that’s only because I bought a discounted throw pillow to make it…yeah, I was way too lazy to make the pillow itself. This project could be done with a favorite blanket, or even an article of clothing. If it is not large enough to make a pillow, it could be cut into a cute patch pocket for the front of the pillow.

 Not only are these cost effective choices, but they are simple and quick too. Perfect for those oops I forgot about him/her moments. Dont act like you dont know what I’m talkin’ about!!

One of my favorite hobbies. I LOVE baking!! The kids and I made sugar cookies about a week ago and decided on using royal icing instead of butter cream or something similar.  If you’ve never made it, its SUPER easy to do. Mix one small box of powdered sugar w/three eggwhites until smooth and creamy. I added a splash of vanilla for extra flavor. Pipe an outline onto cooled cookie then fill in. Add sprinkles and voila. Gorgeous sugar cookies!

The kids had SO much fun decorating them. It was a great way to spend the evening. Makes me wonder why I dont bake cookies with them very often during the rest of the year, ya know?

Here’s a handy video for first time royal icing makers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nFnQiAB_BU

Why? Because my brother is awesome and gifted my kids with a little tin containing “A Christmas Story”. With the movie came an apron w/the movie title printed on the front, and get this:

Five cookie cutters that are inspired by the movie. We made gingerbread cookies in the following shapes:

A turkey. Cant help but think of the mother’s response when they end up going out for Christmas dinner and the cook chops the duck’s head off.

A House. Nothing too exciting here, but a cute cutter anyway.

A Star. Again, nothing super exciting, but a good way to make lots of little cookies, LOL!

An outline of the infamous bunny pajamas. Other than the fact that its almost impossible to get the dough out of the cutter w/out the ears falling off, this cookie is hysterical.

My personal favorite:

The leg lamp. Yes, I have gingerbread cookies in the shape of leg lamps. Nothing quite like your small child asking you if they “can have another leg lamp cookie please.”

 Now if only they could find a way to make a kid-with-his-tongue-stuck-to-a-frozen-pole cookie cutter!

As frugal as I am, I really enjoy going a little overboard at Christmas time. I know that I shouldn’t, but my kids dont get toys at any other time of the year. Matter of fact, Trin has a total of 3 toys, and they are all Hannah Montana Dolls. We have found some wonderful deals, for what its worth, and then there’s the “Big gifts”…Its sort of how things work in our family…a few things that make you think of the child…and that one thing they REALLY want.  There have been plenty of years we werent able to get them much of anything, and certainly not that one most coveted gift…but this year we have been blessed with the ability to have some fun. Three years ago, we were given a gift certificate for Office Max in the amount of 50.00. The kids received loads of supplies for crafting and creating. It was all wrapped in brown shipping paper because it was all we had. I was SO sad that morning, until I saw the kids squeal with joy over scissors.  I intend to always hang onto that contentment with simplicity, but I’d be lying if I said I wasnt super excited to put something under the tree this year that the kids are never expecting they’ll actually get. I assure you though, nothing was purchased at full price.

 Gavin’s bounty started collecting a few weeks ago after a visit to the flea market. He’s been asking for one of those stand up arcade style basketball games for three years. You know…those games w/the hoops and the three basketballs that come down the ramp? This year we considered it because Target had them for like 40.00. Much to our surprise, we found one new in the box for TEN BUCKS at the flea market. The box was damaged…so we weren’t sure about gifting it, but we decided we’d set it up in front of the tree for Christmas morning. So far the only other thing Gavin has is a little art kit I got him at a discount store for 3.99. I’m still hoping to get him a gift certificate to the book store, and a new football too. Poor kid has packing tape wrapped around his, LOL! Each kid has six gifts comin’ to em’ this year, so I’ve got to think of two more for him. Shouldn’t be hard! I’m not sure any of it will matter after he sees what his grandparents got him…My MIL got him his own little recliner..My mom got him a whole box of geology stuff (His other obsession after football), and my dad got him a bike. Not just any bike mind you, but a BMX bike licensed by the NFL with Giants colors and theme. Yeah. He’s going to freak out.

Piper was pretty easy this year, although she still doesnt have her “big gift” from us. Thats going to be tough to do because the grandparents ROCKED this year and basically got them the most wonderful gifts possible this year, so it left me wondering what was left, lol..Grandma Mary got Piper her first big girl bike. A little purple schwinn complete with streamers. MIL got her the bi-lingual baby alive that potty trains, which is the first thing she asked for, and my dad got her the little mommy gotta go doll…complete with sink and toilet, LOL!! Why my daughter asked for two pooping dolls is beyond me, but she did, and she’ll be thrilled. The only other things she has asked for are a “soup-case” and new blankets for her bedroom.  She wanted both of them to be purple. She also wanted her blanket to be just like her sisters (satin comforter) but purple. We managed to find a three piece small purple luggage set for 16.88! I also found a purple satin comforter for 12.99 at a discount store. I couldn’t believe my luck. My sister is gifting Piper with all new High School Musical sheets and bedroom accessories, so this finishes the project. I managed to find some darling HSM flannel pajamas for like 6.99 for her, and I also picked up a furreal friend baby monkey for 10.00 the other day. I think we’ll throw in a helmet for her new bike, and perhaps some baby alive refill packs and she’ll be done

Trinity is always the most difficult for me to shop for. She’s so pleased with just about anything, that its really hard to figure out what will really WOW her. She is also getting a bike, just like Pipers but a bit bigger, my MIL is picking up some hot stix rollers and her very own pink hair dryer, and my dad somehow managed to find a Hannah Montana Karaoke machine in stock at Target!!  She didnt ask for any of this, but I know her, and they are PERFECT presents. There is only one thing she asked for this year, and thats a Hannah Montana electric guitar. They were 119.00 on the disneystore website, and after shipping it was like 150.00!! I love my kid, but she’s seven and I didnt really want to spend that much! LOL! I managed to win one on ebay last night for 51.00 brand new in package!! WOOHOO! Whats really cool is that the karaoke machine is designed to accomidate the guitar as well. She’s SO going to be rocking out! Under the tree, Trin will also have her own curling iron (4.99 on sale), hannah pajamas w/matching robe (19.00 for both), a furreal friend monkey like Piper’s, and a gift certificate for a manicure (13.00). I’m looking forward to the two of us having a mommy daughter day with that She’s going to need a helmet too, so we’ll stash one for each of them in somewhere.

All thats left is a few of the gifts I mentioned and stockings (which is my fave part!) 

I can hardly wait for Christmas morning

With our charter program (which I’m still not thrilled to be a part of), Literature starts in 3rd grade. I have to say that I really enjoy this part of the curriculum, even if I really dislike other portions. Gavin was on 2 week plan to read Charlottes Web, doing mini reports every 2 chapters. He finished it in five days. In an attempt to help him catch up on all the report writing, I bought him a 150 page book about Christmas at the Salvation Army yesterday for a quarter. He finished it at 7pm last night. He’s also three chapters into Little House in the Big Woods now. That means we’re already one report behind on that one, lol…

I spent the day with my Pops yesterday, antiquing. I hadnt been to an antique store in forever, and it sure was refreshing to revisit an old hobby.  We happened upon a used book store as well, and I was stunned by how excited my son was to be there. You would have thought we just walked into Game Stop. The kid had to touch everything. He ran his little curious fingers along the spines of all the books within his reach, reading their titles. He marveled at the various Chronicles of Narnia collections, and practically squealed when he saw a set of E.B. White books. He stood in amazement in front of the vast selection of Little House Books, and upon this discovery, caught the attention of the book store owner. He watched Gavin for a bit and said, “Usually kids have no interest in those books.” I told him we had already read the first four as a family, and that Gavin was going back to revisit the first two for school. He asked Gavin about a few book titles, and Gavin told him the list of books he has in his mind to read next. He walked out with a 2.00 copy of Little House in the Big Woods, a free bookmark and poster, and a candycane too. I havent seen him that excited since we went to Disneyland. Honest.

It dawned on me though that we must be doing something right. I’m going to have to step up my game to keep up with him, but I intend to feed this passion of his one way or another.

With Christmas around the corner, I’m considering giving him a gift certificate to a book store as his “big gift”. It thrills me to see him so excited about reading…and somewhere inside, my inner homeschooler is beaming too.

I cannot even begin to attempt an explaination of how I feel these days.  I will most certainly try, but I’m not hopeful.

 My house is such a blessing. I’m constantly amazed by how easy it is to stay on top of everything here. Everything has a home…and it brings me such joy to put them there. I’m even right where I need to be with the kids’ school work. Last year this time, I was already behind, and dreading having to work through Christmas break in order to catch up. This year is different. This year is like a dream.

Couple that with the fact that its the Christmas season, and I’m one happy camper. My home is already decorated, and I’m adding more this weekend. I’ve got two Christmas trees up, with plans for one more. I’ve got the most gorgeous wreath in my living room, (and another that needs some help, lol)…and my dining room is completely decked out. The best part? I’ve only spent 16 dollars to make it all happen. I dont know whats more enjoyable, decorating for Christmas or negotiating with a guy at the swap meet for an artificial Christmas tree. (I eventually won that negotiation by the way..even got free Christmas lights out of the deal!) I’m going to be doing some thrifting this week for a few more items. I really want to find a valance for my kitchen that has  a Christmas-y theme. I have a pretty plaid one up right now that I used for Thanksgiving, but I’m hoping to find something plaid that is red and green. I’m determined to find fingertip towels for my bathrooms, a Christmas throw blanket, and I need a frame for a print I just ordered for the kitchen. I’ve decided that for as inexpensive as it is to  get art prints and frames, I can change out the artwork in my kitchen according to the holidays. I get really sick of decor, so changing it out for the seasons or celebrations is the perfect solution for me. Gives me just enough change.

I take such joy in decorating my home, but it really has nothing to do with it being a different house. I thoroughly enjoyed decorating our last home as well. There’s just something about decking the halls I suppose. The difference here seems to be the sense of comfort in this house. Almost everyone that has come here has mentioned how comfortable they feel…or how relaxed it makes them feel…and it just warms me to the core.  My goal in this house was for people to feel warm and welcomed. Some realize that its the love of Jesus in this house, and others think its the color palette…but eventually, they will see that its not the house that is so comforting, but God’s love and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our home. This home was a blessing directly from Heaven, and I intend to treat it as such. To fall behind or neglect blessing my home and family here would be a horribly inadequate way to show my gratefulness for God’s provision. I want everyone who walks through here to feel welcome and loved…and perhaps that is one of our greatest ministries. Eventually, people will see where that love originates from, and I hope that I do not do anything to jeopardize that. 

 I once read somewhere that having your home in order and inviting promotes people wanting to be there with you…which ultimately  provides opportunities to love them as Jesus does. I try to remember that when I dont want to put the dishes away or wash yet another load of whites. Funny how housework can even be considered a facet of ministry…but then again, my role in this family provides so many opportunities for ministry.  I’m so grateful for God carefully showing me the blessing in striving to be the Proverbs 31 woman. What some may see as insulting or “old fashioned” I see as a glorious priveledge. What better way to live your life than having your “boss” be your Savior and your family  your co-workers? Furthermore, my “office” is my home, and all the fruits of my labor directly bless my family. I dont have to endure office gossip, and will gladly trade tough days with the kids for that.  Sure, I have to do the dirty work, but toilets, tubs, cat boxes, and stinky socks are nothing compared to the “mess” in the workplace that my husband has had to face. I admire his devotion and discipline at work…and I am reminded daily that my place in this home is nothing short of the title of “dream job”.

 I dare not take it for granted, as I know what a blessing it is. I remember vividly the days that I was not able to do the only thing I wanted. The days when I had to leave my children and spend 10 hours of my life every day in a cubical drinking endless cups of coffee. I know what a wonderful life I have, and it motivates me to treat it as such. 

Give her the reward she has earned,
       and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.  Proverbs 31:31