2012 in 2012 – Week 4 January 29, 2012

(Here is the first post in this series: Weeks 1-3) Here I am at the end of Week 4  and I have worked really hard to catch up! Actually, I must commend Diva as she was pretty selfless this week in her donating. It’s difficult sometimes to teach this to children, so I am so glad she is learning it early. At one point, she wanted to keep ALL of her clothing as she grew out of it “for her little girl.” I had to explain to her that an awful lot had to happen in order for her to be able to do that; not the least of which was the storage of all these items… We have compromised on a few of her favorite dresses instead of everything she has ever worn! She has also, on her own, decided to donate some of her puzzles and toys. She has come a long way. This coming week, we tackle LegoFan’s clothes…

Oh, we were blessed with our tax refund this week and we finally purchased a new blender! Yay! Our old one was so pathetic – the center part of the lid no longer stayed on by itself! So, even though we bought a new one, I’m still listing the old blender as a throw away. I am oh-so-glad to get rid of it!

So let’s see where we are as of the end of Week 4:

Donations:

• 6 Puzzles
• 1 Pair of Boots
• 1 Pair of Dress Up Shoes
• 1 Baseball Hat
• 2 Head Bands
• 1 Pair of Pants
• 1 Small Purse
• 1 Belt
• 1 Play Wand
• 1 Placemat (still looking for its counterpart…)
• 1 Child’s Hat
• 1 Wooden Crate
• 1 Bag of Foam Pieces for a Foam Craft
• 1 Christmas Garland
• 13 More Ornaments
• 8 Articles of Kids’ Clothing
• 1 Christmas Stocking

Thrown Away:

• 2 Pair of Tights
• 2 Christmas Garlands
• 1 Pair of Pajama Bottoms
• 1 Broken Hanger
• 1 Dragonfly Magnet with Broken Wing
• 1 Pair of Socks
• 1 Broken Flashlight
• 1 Damaged Picture Frame
• 1 Brush
• 1 Rocking Chair (sad…)
• 1 Ottoman (sad…)
• 1 Broken Blender (oh happy day!)

Sold:

• Nothing sold this week, but I listed a bunch of items on eBay tonight. So, hopefully by the time I write this next week, I will be able to add something to this category!

TOTALS:

• Donated: 42 items
• Thrown Away: 14 items
• Sold: 0 items

Week 4: 1933 – 56 = 1877

Boy, I sure do like seeing that number go down! And as I sit here thinking about it, the new blender is really the only thing we brought into the house. Other than food and toiletries, etc.

But there is one more funny thing I want to add… Diva is really getting into the spirit of this project! She wanted to count every piece of paper she recycled too!

Now, I am off to get some sleep and enjoy a day of rest at Mass, with God, and with my family before I start to tackle LegoFan’s clothes…

How did your week go? Were you able to donate, sell or throw away anything to de-clutter your home? Tell us about it in the comments!

Encouragement January 27, 2012

This time of year is a great time to examine the past and make changes for the future. It’s also a good time of year for organization. This post involves both!

I come across a lot of blogs that I really like and tend to sign up for every subscription I can find. It’s a sickness. I know. Is there a 12 Step program available?

So, every once in a while I need to take a look at all the email coming into my inbox. If my top priority is my family, I can’t justify spending that much time each day on email subscriptions. I unsubscribe from a few each time I do this to keep my email at a manageable level. I’m always hoping I won’t hurt someone’s feelings – it’s not personal really!

However, there’s one email that I always keep. I’ve been receiving Mrs. Lorrie Flem’s Eternal Encouragement Newsletter: Serenity for Your Soul for a while now and I enjoy reading each issue. I like them because they are short but packed with great tidbits; and because they live up to their name: they offer encouragement. Each newsletter begins with a personal anecdote from Lorrie that always manages to make me smile. In fact in one recent newsletter she mentioned she had a new weight loss plan. She wrote, ” Instead of changing my eating habits, I’m just switching my shower body wash for Dawn dish soap. Its label reads, “Dissolves fat that is otherwise difficult to remove.”" I laughed so hard! (And secretly wished that it actually worked that way!)

I love all the little things Lorrie includes in her newsletter. There are helpful hints, Biblical stories and applications, family anecdotes, quotes, and more. But you don’t have to take my word for it, you can sign up for the newsletter yourself on the Eternal Encouragement website. Just scroll about halfway down the homepage and the sign up is right there. It’s quick, easy, and (most importantly) free! Once you sign up, you will also receive a free ebook on Organization. Not a bad deal, eh? Check it out! And enjoy the Encouragement!

This review is part of the Gabby Moms program. I was asked for my honest review of this free newsletter. None of the links included are affiliate links; and other than the newsletter, I have not been compensated for this post. I read the newsletters myself and my opinions are entirely my own.

Chocolate Waffles – Pinning It Down {3} January 24, 2012

This week I was looking forward to pinning a few things down. This link-up party has really made me think about doing these things on pinterest NOW instead of some arbitrary day in the future. The only problem? We can’t seem to kick this cold – it’s been passed around from Diva to LegoFan to me to Mr. Lifesaver, back to LegoFan. And the only person who can’t seem to get rid of it completely is me. So glad my family shares with me!

So, instead of pinning down a couple of things during the week, I found myself looking for a recipe for Sunday night’s dinner. I had promised Diva that we could have waffles a few days before because I knew Mr. Lifesaver had to work an overnight shift. Breakfast for dinner is common on those nights! But the problem was that I had lost my favorite waffle recipe when I lost everything on my hard drive this summer. It was from Crystal Paine’s (Money Saving Mom) Make Ahead Batters {Crystal, if you read this, how do I get another copy of your wonderful book?} Boy, do I miss that recipe… It was quick, simple, and delicious. Can anyone help a Mama out?

Anyway, I found this recipe for Chocolate Waffles and decided to give them a try. After all, I also needed some serious comfort food after the Ravens lost that game. What heartbreak! I mean really, that WAS a catch in the end zone. They should have gone for the tie field goal the first time. Then, they should have made that last field goal. I mean, who misses a 32-yard field goal, especially when the Super Bowl is on the line?! But I digress…

So, as I was saying I made Chocolate Waffles from here. They were relatively easy to make, but did require three separate bowls to make the batter. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but when you’re physically not feeling up to par and your team’s no longer going to the Super Bowl, well, three to clean is just too much. But, they were delicious.

Here they are right after they came out of the waffle iron:

And here they are after we added the necessary topping:

I was told by both children that this was a “keeper!” So I guess we will be making them again. I’m looking forward to seeing what everybody else Pinned Down this week!

This post is linked to Pinning It Down.

2012 in 2012 – Weeks 1-3 January 21, 2012

The other day I was visiting At Home, At Work, At Play and this is what I saw (Catalina gave me permission to use her graphic – thanks!):

Catalina had started a quest to get rid of 2012 things in the year 2012. Here is that original post. I told her that I really liked this idea and was going to tackle this as a goal for myself and my family – although the family members in question are unknowingly participating. The problem is that when I do the math that comes out to almost 40 items per week! And I’m three weeks behind…

Now I have 41 items to get rid of each week. Sigh. I still think it’s a doable goal though. Between the four member of this family, we can purge enough to make this goal a realistic one. So, here I go:

Donations:

• 2 pair of pants
• 12 articles of kids’ clothing
• 32 kids’ rubber stamps
• 1 teddy bear
• 1 tree topper
• 26 small Christmas tree ornaments
• 1 doll

Thrown Away:

• 1 pair of tights

Sold:

• 1 book
• 1 collectable catalog
• 1 fairy ornament

Totals

• Donated:75 items
• Trashed: 1 item
• Sold: 3 items

Weeks 1-3 ~ 2012 – 79 = 1933

As of January 20th, 2012 I have removed 79 items from my home. The problem is I have no idea how many items made their way into my house. I suppose I should keep track of that too, but that may become too depressing. The idea is that we should get rid of more than we bring in, so that there is a net loss at the end of the year. However, I wouldn’t look at it as a loss…

It would be a gain of space. Less clutter means more open space in which to live and breathe.

It would be a gain of time. Less stuff means fewer things to clean, dust, and launder.

It would, in a way, be a gain of money. I would be spending less on cleaning, laundering supplies if I had fewer things. (Ok, maybe that one’s a stretch, but it feels good to put that in there.)

So, will anyone else join me on this journey? Let me know in the comments. If I get a couple of people, perhaps I can look into putting a linky-thing on here in the coming weeks so we can support each other in this endeavor. Who’s with me?

This post is linked to Titus 2sdays, Women Living Well, and  Raising Homemakers.

My Birthday January 16, 2012

I got to celebrate my birthday this weekend with my family and a Baltimore Ravens’ victory! But my birthday also gave me the opportunity to try some of my pins on pinterest!!!

For the last couple of years, Mr. Lifesaver has voluntarily made both dinner and dessert for my birthday. It’s been a bit of trial and error, but the food we’ve eaten has always been enjoyable! Last year, we had some kind of slow cooker potatoes with a nice chicken salad; and we had The Pioneer Woman’s Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever. It was amazing!

Now this year, I have pinterest boards! I love using my boards to store ideas and recipes to try. This way I don’t have a zillion pieces of paper getting lost in the black hole of my house – yes, my house can suck in papers like a magnet! No, really, I don’t know how it happens…

When Mr. Lifesaver asked what I wanted to eat, I printed out two recipes; one for dinner and one for dessert. For dinner, I selected: Three Cheese Chicken Alfredo Bake; and for dessert, I chose: Sugar Cookie Bars. Both recipes turned out delicious!

Here are a few pictures of his versions of these recipes:

So, thanks to pinterest and Mr. Lifesaver, we had a delicious, but definitely NOT calorie-free, dinner! Now, that wasn’t everything – they got me a pretty little something for a gift too!

Wanna see?

They got me a pretty little charm bracelet! Each person selected a charm to get me started. Diva picked the Jesus fish (Ichthus) with cross because she knows how much I love Jesus. LegoFan chose the Heart Key because he said we were locked together. The middle charm is from Mr. Lifesaver. As I have mentioned before, he is a Firefighter/Paramedic, so he selected the Firefighter Helmet.

I really like this gift because we get to make this set of memories together. We can add to it at any time, and I can have a visual reminder of where we’ve been and what we’ve done. Nice gift, guys! Thanks!

This post is linked to Pinning it Down – come join in the fun and let us see how you’re using your pin boards! I am also linking to Titus 2sdays  and Women Living Well.

Contentment January 8, 2012

As this holiday season comes to a close with Epiphany, I find myself reflecting on how this last month or two went. As I think, I realize that this has been one of the best Christmases ever.

• It wasn’t because I got the best gifts.
• It wasn’t because we hosted the best parties.
• It wasn’t even because we attended the best parties.
• It wasn’t because we had the best clothes.
• It wasn’t because all the food turned out great.

I am realizing that for the first time, I really put Christ in CHRISTmas.Here’s how:

• We participated in Holy Heroes Advent Adventure;
• We took my daughter’s doll cradle and some shredded paper (added for acts of kindness and sacrifice) and made a bed for Baby Jesus;
• We wrapped Him in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a Manger;
• We followed the genealogy of Jesus with a homemade Jesse Tree:
• We celebrated the lives and Feast Days of some Saints who loved Jesus long before we were alive – we discovered we can learn a lot from their faith and example!
• We made many of our gifts, removing ourselves from the malls (we did go to a couple of stores, but were determined not to participate in the madness);
• We made Christmas Eve Mass a priority – it was something special – we arrived early and didn’t rush out. We lingered. We studied the beautiful Creche. Then we went home and read The Night Before Christmas, but the last thing we did as a family was to read the Nativity story from the Gospel of Luke.

It was such a beautiful time this year. There was no stress. There were no worries about the ‘perfect’ gift. There was just family and love. From the First and Holy family, to our immediate and extended family.

I am convinced now that this is a lot closer to the way things are supposed to be. It’s amazing that the more I let go of the way the world thinks I should do something, the more I feel at peace. How about you? How did you make your Christmas season centered more around Christ? Happy Feast of Epiphany!

Handmade Holidays December 31, 2011

Well, now that the hustle and bustle of the holidays is complete, we can sit back and just relax while we enjoy the remainder of the Christmas season! I am so glad that this season does not just end at 11:59 pm on December 25th.

So while I’m relaxing I thought I’d share some of the handmade gifts my children and I made for our recipients. I joined pinterest earlier this year and began saving ideas of gifts to make and recipes to try for Christmas. Feel free to check out my boards.

The first project Diva and I made included a few varieties of Sugar Scrubs. These are really expensive in the stores, but are oh so easy (and much less expensive) to make at home. Here’s the links to what we tried: Sugar Scrubs, Coffee Scrub, and Foot Soak.

And here’s what we made…

The kitchen smelled so wonderfully when we were done, even though we used a variety of scents. I won’t go into details on the recipes for each of these as you can go directly to each tutorial from its link on pinterest. But I will tell you how we personalized them. After mixing each batch, we put each scrub or soak into a clean canning jar and tied a pretty ribbon around the lid. I cut tags using Papertrey Ink’s Tag Sale #1 Die and wrote some basic instructions on each one. For the labels, I used Papertrey Ink’s Limitless Layers 1 3/4″ Circle Collection (Letter E), wrote the scent on it and ran it through the Xyron Sticker Maker and attached it to the lid. We then added the completed jars to a basket for an at-home spa gift.

We gave this to my cousin who is pregnant with her second child. Her daughter, who was about to turn two a couple of days later, absolutely loved the coffee scrub! She loved its aroma so much that she refused to put it down and open any other presents!

Next Diva wanted to make some gifts of her own for her Godparents. She collaborated with LegoFan to make a set for their Grandmother as well. What did they make? Well, they made their own versions of these Post-it Note Holders and Decorated Clipboards. We forgot to take pictures of the ones for Diva’s Godmother, but here are the ones for her Godfather and their Grandmother…

I think it’s obvious which set is for the Grandmother and which is for the Godmother! It doesn’t show up really well, but we used glitter mod podge on the blue clipboard. On each piece we die cut a label using Papertrey Ink’s Angled Labels Die Collection (scroll about half-way down the page) and attached it with more mod podge.

This last gift I’m going to mention here is my absolute favorite. I made this for my brother and my sister-in-love who have been married for a little over a year. Anyone who has been reading my blog for the past year knows that my marriage has been a rocky one at best. We have had some major issues over the last 11 years because we didn’t make our marriage a priority. We are actively working on changing that – a New Year’s Resolution of sorts.

I recently came across a blog called Dating Divas, which has a wealth of ideas on how to keep the romance alive in your marriage. One post was how one of their readers took their date ideas and turned them into a gift. They provided some printables that made putting this together really easy. The only real work I had to do was decide on the dates and format the instructions. Once that was done, I printed them out and placed everything into a couple of pocket folders. The idea is that each spouse plans a date on the alternating months, so that they get 12 dates during the year. They are not supposed to share the date ideas with each other so that each month is a surprise. They are also not designed to break the bank. They are simple, fun, creative ways to continue to grow in love as a couple. I really hope that they have fun with this gift – it was my favorite gift to make! There are a few other couples in my circle that may see one of these gifts in the future – it’s a simple, homemade gift that has the capacity to last a lifetime!

Well, that covers most of our handmade gifts this year. If you give any of them a try, please let me know how they turn out.

On this New Year’s Eve 2011, I pray that you and your family will celebrate safely and that we will all welcome in a wonderful New Year. May God continue to Bless you all this coming year.

This post is linked up to Pinning it Down at Amongst Lovely Things.

* None of these links are affiliate links.

Feast Days December 15, 2011

Growing up we didn’t celebrate a lot of feast days, so I never really thought about it. It wasn’t until a few years ago, when we really started homeschooling, that I thought about celebrating feast days with the children. However, they always seemed to creep up on me and I was never prepared. I would find a great idea here or there, but it would be too late to do, or I wouldn’t have the right supplies/ingredients to make it happen.

But I decided to change that this year. Since Advent is the beginning of the Church year, I thought it was a good time to start and we actually began celebrating some feast days. Keep in mind that we are new at this, so our celebrations are not huge or elaborate in any way. However, I’ve also realized that they don’t have to be – the children enjoy the celebrations and they learn something about someone who loved Jesus. Just stopping the ordinary, changing the routine, is a way to signify that this is something to remember.

So far, we’ve celebrated St. Nicholas (December 6th), The Immaculate Conception (December 8th), St. Juan Diego (December 9th), Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12th), and St. Lucy (December 13th). We’ve also made our very first Jesse Tree.

For St. Nicholas (sorry I didn’t take pictures, but it’s pretty explanatory) tradition has it that he helped a poor man with dowries for his three daughters and that perhaps one of those ended up in a hanging stocking. For this reason, the children put their shoes out overnight and received a small amount of chocolate (wrapped, of course). Throughout this feast day, we read several books about the life of this generous, Christ-loving man.

For the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we attended Mass at a local church. Our church is a little farther away, so when we have a Holy Day during the week, we usually attend a more local Mass. We remember at this Mass that Mary had to be without sin in order to carry Jesus as fully God and fully human within her womb.

The feasts of St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe are intertwined and tell a beautiful story that resulted in the conversion of Mexico. Mary appears to a humble widower and asks for a chapel to be built. The local bishop asks Juan Diego to ask for a sign. Mary shows Juan Diego where God has allowed roses to bloom in the winter, and he gathers them in his tilma. When Juan Diego shows the roses to the bishop, that’s not the only amazing thing: a beautiful image of Blessed Mary is imprinted on the tilma. That image still exists and scientists have not been able to figure out how it got there. We enjoyed some Mexican tostadas (prepared by Mr. Lifesaver!) and recalled the story as told on Glory Stories at Holy Heroes. Diva even colored some coloring pages.

For St. Lucy, it is a tradition (Scandinavian, I think) that the youngest daughter wakes the household dressed in white with a wreath of candles on her head (if you have Kirsten’s Surprise by American Girl, this is the image on the cover). She brings with her sweet buns and coffee/cocoa. While this is a great thought, Diva is not quite old enough to accomplish this on her own. Nor do I want lit candles on my daughter’s head! So, we compromised. She woke us up in an almost white dress with a paper wreath on her head. {This is where I know I’m not a professional blogger yet – I didn’t have my camera on my bedside table to get a photo!} Then we made some biscuits, cocoa and coffee (for Mr. Lifesaver) and we all had a nice breakfast together.

Lastly, we have begun making our very first Jesse Tree. This tradition follows the lineage of Jesus from Creation through His birth. Each day there are Bible stories and a new ornament to make. We kept it simple this year and are making everything out of paper. I went to get a piece of poster board and the only green they had was neon, so our tree is neon. As we discuss each day’s readings, either LegoFan or Diva draws the day’s symbol and attaches it to the tree. I love how they can look at the ornaments they have made and can tell the Bible stories in order. This auditory, visual, and tactile project has enabled them to internalize Biblical history even more! We are getting our ideas and explanations from the Advent Adventure Series by Holy Heroes. Now, please don’t laugh at my crude tree drawing or the neon color…

I really think these traditions have helped my children to learn more about people who have loved Jesus before them, as well as more about Jesus Himself. They are doing much more this advent then just making lists and succumbing to the commercialism and greed we see so much of nowadays. I pray that with Advent seasons like this, my children will grow up with the true “Reason for the Season” in their hearts.

* NONE of these links are affiliate links.

Medieval Feast December 5, 2011

We recently finished a history unit on the Medieval times, and I think Diva and LegoFan really enjoyed it. We had a lot of fun making things from the period, and finished off with a mock medieval feast. They started out by making their own Coat of Arms. They each selected an image or two that they felt represented their interests. They put their names at the tops, but for privacy reasons, I have cut that part of the photos out.

Diva chose tornadoes as she’s becoming quite the weather buff!

LegoFan was true to his name and chose Lego bricks, as well as some weapons.

Next, they tried their hands at illuminations in the style of the monks who painstakingly preserved so much of the ancient writings. I even joined in the fun with this one! They were allowed to choose any one of their three initials for this project.

Diva loves her flowers and pink!

LegoFan enjoyed the use of bright colors!

And here’s my contribution…

We discussed the castles of the time and the ways they were protected. One of those ways was through a portcullis – an iron gate that could be opened or closed as was needed. So they drew a scene of the castle yard and then added a portcullis on top of the scene. The gate made it a little difficult to see what was taking place within the walls of the castle…

Another form of protection was a thick, heavy wooden door. This door often showcased some elaborate metal work. So here’s their take on some castle doors:

Next, we discussed guilds. They learned that people of the same profession banded together and formed a guild to protect its members, ensure safety and quality, and keep prices reasonable. They would meet together and wear aprons with symbols of their profession. In keeping with their Coats of Arms, Diva and LegoFan formed guilds of Storm Chasers and Lego Builders:

The last project before our feast was our interpretation of brass portraits. The children took cardboard, wrapped in foil, and ‘engraved’ a knight with a toothpick. They added details like shields and swords. Then they used watercolors to paint their knights. LegoFan wanted his to remain mostly silver like the color of armor, so many of his details can’t be seen in the photo. Diva wanted hers to look like St. Joan of Arc.

Now, on to the feast! We made a very simple beef stew in the slow cooker (because we all know they were very popular back then!) that consisted of beef, gravy, veggies, and herbs.

We know they didn’t really use bowls like this, but it just seemed to be a less messy way to eat it! Instead of bowls, the people would use trenchers – bread plates – to hold their food. At the end of the meal, they were either eaten, fed to the dogs, or given to the poor. The children made a simple dough and flattened it out into trenchers for our feast. They were good with a little butter (I know, not authentic) or dipped into the stew.

The rest of the meal consisted of fresh fruit and vanilla pudding. We all ate our meal with goblets, but also added the modern convenience of silverware. We just couldn’t bear to eat stew and pudding with our hands…

All in all it was a fun end to our history unit. I think the kids really learned a lot and had fun doing it! Diva says her favorite part of the unit was that, “knights fought for their ladies and that there was cool jousting!” LegoFan’s favorite part was that “gargoyles spat out water to protect the roof and that the battering ram actually had a ram’s head.”

Yelling December 1, 2011

Well, it sure has been a while, hasn’t it?! Shortly after my last post here, I had to send my computer in for repairs (that was in early September!) Two and a half months later, my old computer has been deemed a lemon and I sit here typing from a new one. Yay! You just don’t realize how attached you are to this technology until you don’t have it for a while.

But now I’m back and I’m going to start writing again with a timely review of a great new ebook from Lorrie Flem of Eternal Encouragement. The book is called: Yelling: The Cause, The Casualty, The Cure. You see, I could have done a lot of yelling about this computer situation; and I did in the beginning, but with a bit of prayer and planning I was able to keep a cooler head than usual. It’s the simple strategies presented in Yelling that helped to turn this situation around for me; and allowed me to be a better example for my children…

I was hooked from her first paragraph! Yelling at our kids to get their attention is something all of us mothers deal with at some point in our season of motherhood. At least I know it’s something with which I have struggled… More. Than. Once.

Then she got me again… She admitted to being a yeller herself, and wondered if it was appropriate that she write such a book. I love honesty! I would much rather read a book from someone who’s “been there” than from someone who claims to be an expert, yet has never had to actually deal with the topic at hand. It’s so much more real that way. Don’t you think?

The first step in changing a behavior is realizing that there is something wrong with the behavior in question. Lorrie briefly and gently helps her readers to see that yelling offers no benefits, and then unfolds an eleven step plan to those of us who want to stop yelling. Of course, I can’t go into all of the steps here, because then you wouldn’t have any need to read the book, right? But what this book has to offer is helpful for all parents. I will say that she starts with the most important step of all: prayer. Yelling is not a positive character trait, and we need God’s help to overcome it. The inclusion of Scriptural references validates Lorrie’s points.

Yelling is short and to the point. Lorrie offers us doable steps and practical tips that really make it simple to put her plan into action. This is one book that you can read in an afternoon or evening, then put into practice the very next day. I appreciated that she inserted several excerpts from letters written by moms who also struggle with yelling ~ it helps to know you’re not alone when dealing with a tough issue.

I know I’ve struggled with yelling before. I have felt so guilty after yelling at my children, especially knowing that it really didn’t help the situation. This book, Yelling, gives me hope that with a few simple techniques, I can tame this beast! Heck, the tips included will help make my life, and my children’s, better in more ways than one!

* The Gabby Moms furnished the ebook, Yelling, by Lorrie Flem Eternal Encouragement Magazine in exchange for my honest review.