All things homemade...

This past week I got a notice in the mail from Costco regarding a recall on their natural peanut butter they sell.  Ugh...another recall.  This one had to deal with the possibility of salmonella in the peanut butter.  My kids wondered how eggs got into the ingredients in the first place, seeing that only peanuts are in peanut butter.  Of course, I tried to explained to them that many factories make different items, but to be honest I didn't really know the answer.  It seemed a bit odd to me as well.

"Eww...think about what else could be in your food", my little girl said.  I closed my eyes and tried not to think about it.  But I couldn't. 

Why do I buy prepackaged peanut butter?  Hmm, convenience...maybe?  But seriously, how hard is it to make peanut butter.  It's nuts, right?   Homemade.  That's the way to go.  I could totally make this stuff.  So I decided that I would have some fun with this.  Make it like a game for me.  Just how many things could I make homemade. 

So here goes.  I'm putting a running list on the side bar of my blog that has all the things I've made homemade that otherwise I would have bought prepackaged.  I'm going to call it "all things homemade".  If possible I'll include the link to my favorite recipe (believe me, I probably did not create it without a recipe.  I'm a recipe girl) and we'll just see how far this goes.  So the more I cook (and remember what I've cooked in the past) I'll add it to my list.

Since I already make a boatload of things homemade, I've got a good start on this list.  I'd love take out the last of the processed foods we eat from our diet.  It may take some time.  I've got some "stubborn" ones who still very much like white bread....I'll have to work on that one.  Of course, I'll have to take diet coke out of my own diet (for now though it makes me happy...and "ain't nobody happy if momma ain't happy".  But I promise I'll try and work on it- maybe tomorrow). 

So let's start going back to the basics.  Get out those aprons and let's get cooking...

I have unleashed "the beast"...

About a month ago I decided to not do anything with my hair.  Wait, wait, I take that back.  I "try" to do something with my hair, but trust me...everyday it has a mind of its own.  The thing is I decided to stop doing damage to my hair and that meant taking some VERY drastic measures....going curly.

Did you know that God blessed me with curly hair?  Probably not.  I have for many, many, many years done everything I could to combat these wild curls with all measures known possible to man.  Curling irons, straighteners, hair straightener conditioner thingys...you name it I probably have tried it.  Why you might ask?  Well, curly hair went out in the 80's and didn't really seem to make that much of a comeback.  Straight hair seemed to be all the style, the rage and soooo, not what God blessed me with. 

So about a month ago, I gave up.  Threw in the towel.  Chucked my hair dryer, curling irons, brushes and have been going "oh so natural" ever since.  Here's what I've learned...

If you decide to go with your natural curly look you will have people come up to you and not even recognize you (even though you are holding your little brown one...thought that one would give me away). 

You will get more compliments on the wildest of hair days than you ever had and are afraid to tell them that you can't remember the last time you washed your hair.  (Did you know that curly headed people shouldn't wash their hair with the commerical shampoo out on the market?  No, I'm totally serious.  Lots of research here...trust, me.  Curly headed people have to protect their hair somethin' fierce.  You have to use an organic type of shampoo or make your own...which is what I do...make my own that is)

Since going curly, my husband is often afraid to see what I will look like when he walks through the door.  Although he has yet to admit it, I'm not sure he's on board with this whole curly thing I got going on, which I then conveniently remind him that I was curly when we got married.  (Of course, that was twenty years ago and I was thinner and had less gray hair as well...but I don't remind him of those things)

Weird thing is, the longer I go curly the curlier my hair is becoming.  And you have never seen such a healthy head of hair.  Soft curls that now have a chance of growing long (before with the straightening, my hair was dry, brittle and constantly breaking).  Now, maybe I'll grow it long.  That my husband would love.

So curly headed people, heed my call.  Throw out that shampoo and straighteners.  And let's bring back the 80's.  Don't make me do this on my own...


Before with straight hair

Curly...and getting curlier every day

Halloween fun...

Halloween for us was last night...don't ask me why we celebrate here a day early...no clue about that one...but we do.  We also don't really do much decorating for Halloween.  A pumpkin here or there, some leaves...nothing scary.   We really put the emphasis on just having fun "dressing up".  Heck, we don't even eat a lot of candy in this house so we don't even go to a lot of houses.  (I'm telling you that this candy will be in our house until Easter, weird I know).  But it's just fun to experience it for a little while...it's part of being a kid. 

Last night my Mom came over for dinner and then stayed to go trick or treating with us.  The boys (Daddy and our oldest) stayed at home to hand out candy.  I think they both thought we were going to make them dress up with the rest of us...we tried, but no luck. 

My mom though, is crazy enough to dress up with us so it was a lot of fun.  I have a "stash" of costumes to choose from...but we always seem to pick the same ones every year...because they are warm.  And believe me, it was cold.  It's always cold here on Halloween.  I'm thinking we need to move south. (I feel the need for warmth)

Our smallest one talked our biggest girl into joining forces to be "Penny" and "Bolt" from the Disney movie "Bolt".  He loves that movie...it's second only to Cars. 

 

Our smallest girl decided that she wanted to be a fairy...a purple fairy.  She designed it and I created it.  Love it!  She's been reading a lot of fairy books lately. 

 I love to sew and starting with Halloween costumes in the fall just gets me so much in the mood to do a sewing marathon through the winter months. Can't wait this year though, for the first time I've got my mom here to help...and she loves to sew just as much as I do.

Happy Halloween everyone...
 

About my day...

It's been f-o-r-e-v-e-r since I've blogged about our life here.  Rather than try and play "catch-up", it would probably be easier to just blog about my day today because EVERYTHING has been happening to us at once here.  And that, my friends, would be a monster long post (and no one wants to read that one).  So here goes ( a much shorter post)...

About my day....

Woke up this morning to this song (can't help but start your day dancing)...even with it cold, windy and rainy. 



Decided to make some of this...(had apples that I needed to use)...



Hmmm...what else can I make???  Maybe some of these...(and yes, it's extremely simple and tasty)



Still in the kitchen...needed some "chips" for our taco soup for the evening.  So I decided to make these...

Heard this song about 4 different times...I think it should be my theme song (at least for today)



Did a boatload of this...in the kitchen (where else would I be - other than my car)...



Spent a mountain of time in this...racing the kids to...well, everything...



Had to give some of these today...



A bunch of these...



And ended the day hearing this...




Good news...

I get to do this again tomorrow. 

Wow...that's loud!

A little while ago a big hail storm came through where we live. We lost a boatload of tree limbs and leaves, plants and even parts of my garden...wiped out. A few days later I noticed some water damage upstairs in my daughter's room. Long story short...we had to have a new roof. Being that I'm not quite knowledgeable in the roofing field and have a fear of careening off steep high places, I called a roofing company.

Today was the day for them to be here...and if I had any doubt, all I had to do was wait two seconds for the loud pounding to start up again. I mean crazy loud...super duper uper loud. It was at this time I realized two things....

One...hail storms can wipe out a roof in less than two minutes

and two...you will lose your hearing if you don't leave your house while they put the new roof on.

(Or at least your mind...because the constant banging for hours and hours and hours and hours will drive you C-R-A-Z-Y)

A family affair...

A few weeks ago, my husband's office had their annual 5k race. We usually run in the race every year, but since the little ones can't run that far my husband and I have to take turns. One parent runs with the older kids while the other parent gets to watch with the little ones. This year it was my year to run...ugh!

It's not that I mind running. Nope, that's not it at all. It's just that I am so much slower than the children. I lag behind them something fierce. Then that weird, strange motherly instinct takes over and I about kill myself trying to run at their pace so I can keep them in my "line of sight". Nope, this was not going to turn out well. I'm pretty sure that throwing up and dying at the end of my husband's office race does not bode well for career advancement for him.

This year though my mother saved me. She arrived at our house a few days before we were to run. So thankfully on the day of the race she watched the two little ones and my husband was able to run with the older ones...thank the Lord above for that one. Then I could just run at my snail's pace without any worry and just enjoy running.

The morning was great...a little overcast and slightly humid. My husband and the older kids did great. Our oldest girl came in second in her age division and our oldest son came in fourth. My husband did great as well. He ran an incredibly fast pace which, of course, blew my pace out of the water. That's okay though, just as long as I didn't have to run that pace with the kids.

At the end of the 5k race, my husband's office sponsored a "little kids" race (basically it was a race across the parking lot). Man, oh man, was that cute to see. The two little ones ran in their age division. They loved it!

Next year, we are signing up Grandmom to walk in the race so that it's a complete family event. I'm positive she'll be up for that one...plus it's seven chances to win some of the door prizes. Fun, fun, fun!

...before the race

...love, love, love this little one!

...such a wonderful picture

...notice who's in front...yep, that one's mine

...she was flying as well in her race (must have gotten her "running genes" from daddy)

...second place in her age division

...crazy about this one too!

Buh..iz...zeeee (That's busy for all you who don't speak southern)

Our life at home right now is one big, huge blur of action. It's been so bad lately that I haven't been able to post anything about anything but everything has been happening...are you following me?? Basically, I'm just flying through my days and weeks holding onto for dear life. Here's a peak into just one of my days...


At the beginning of the day I run this one up to the public middle school so that she can take a couple of classes from them. This year for the first time ever we decided to utilize the public system for a couple of classes. They are the ones that I do NOT feel qualified to teach...case in point...chemistry, physics, biology - anything that requires me to cut up an animal with beaded eyes and smells of formaldehyde. YUK! I am pretty sure that you are required to be alert and not passed out on the floor to teach those subjects.

After I race home, I have just a couple of hours to homeschool the other three "chitlins" before I race to a different school to drop our older boy off to take a couple of classes...at, of course, a completely different school - the high school. It would be way too easy of a life for me if it was all at the SAME school at the SAME time. I didn't even mention that our little one takes preschool classes a couple of mornings a week at what else, you guessed it...a completely different school (in a different direction than the rest of them). Let me hear you say - ugh!!!

At the same time my son is dropped off, my daughter is done with her classes. I race to her school, pick her up and go home to homeschool more with the little ones. Then I race back to pick up my son from his school and then our afternoon extravaganza begins.

Depending on the day and which child you are talking about, there are soccer practices, swim practices, piano practices, lego mindstorm team practices and just this week church festivities are being thrown onto the calendar. Whew...I need a nap just writing all of it down.

If that wasn't busy enough, add the fact that my mother has just moved in with us and we are frantically trying to find her a place of her own or just where to put all of her furniture. (This would be easier if we had the time to go and view several places - ha!)

However, on the flip side, having her here living with us does have some wonderful perks. She is by far, a fantastic cook and has helped with some meals. She has also been helping me pick up kids (when her car finally arrived) and has occupied several little ones when I needed to do some of the basics in life...say, cook and do some laundry. I love the extra help!

So that's it in a nutshell for us. I think now I need to go and take some child to some place in some direction...cause it's been five minutes since I've been in my car (that's a record for me).