tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26135180164386236812024-03-05T12:05:19.730-08:00The Happy HousewifeSPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-21140674077682246642008-08-31T19:21:00.000-07:002008-08-31T20:22:04.934-07:00To Buy or Not To Buy, Or Dilemmas at the Dollar StoreAfter many years of wrinkled nose disdain, I have made the dollar store a regular stop on my monthly shopping schedule. My original dislike was rooted in a little bit of snobbery and a little bit of practicality. Practically speaking much of what can be found at such places is simply junk. I'm not the type of person to go trudging through a place that smells of plastic looking for hidden gems, but one thing kept me occasionally visiting the dollar store, one of my favorite things, Wrapping Paper. <br /><br />Unlike most people, I take gift wrapping seriously. I refuse to give gifts in a bag, to me it says, "I barely had time to buy you something, much less spend any energy making it look nice." There have been rare occasions when the shape and size of a gift was impractical wrapped and I did use a bag, but it was always tied with a balloon or two to make it just a little bit more special. But I digress, wrapping and a card can easily add ten bucks to the price of gift and with a daughter in school now, birthdays started multiplying, so I sought out the dollar store to save a little green.<br /><br />I have compiled a list of things I find are really worth the extra stop at a strip mall, and a list of things that are a waste of money even at the price of $1.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">To Buy</span><br /><ul><li>Wrapping paper (gift bags too if you are of that persuasion)</li><li>Mylar balloons-these can easily cost $3 to $6 at party stores and you always want more than one</li><li>Greeting cards-the selection is a little cheesy and you would not want to buy your wife's anniversary card there, but great for those never ending kid's birthdays. While $3 to $5 at the gift stores they are usually two for $1<br /></li><li>Hand soap-So many of my friends and family buy that great pumping soap from Bath & Body Works for their bathrooms and kitchens, but my kids go through hand soap like crazy and if you find a nice dollar store they should have a nice selection of name brands.<br /></li><li>Body Lotion-I'm sure I will lose a few of you here, but I'm a cocoa butter girl and a giant vat of cocoa butter for $1 that will last me two months is irresistible.</li><li>Toys-When I'm looking for stocking stuffers or party favors this is the first place I go.<br /></li><li>Stationary-My local dollar store has a great selection of note cards and grocery lists, not to mention a surprisingly nice group of scrapbook items, and stickers, my kids love stickers.</li><li>Kid's Learning Workbooks-I have paid $7 at Target for similar books. Recently I picked up a Disney Princess Math for my 6-year-old and a Disney Princess Alphabet Writing for my 4-year-old.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold;">Not to Buy<br /></span><ul><li>Household Cleaners-I've tried them, they suck (I think the pretreat spray I bought was just scented water). Even if they have the brands you love, they are usually in smaller packages that aren't really worth a dollar. </li><li>Food-Oh, the junk they sell. Expired, tiny packages, creepy ingredients, the whole food aisle is an organic advocate's greatest nightmare.<br /></li><li>Hair products-When it comes to the hair you just need to stick with what you love. Apparently, I do not love balsam protein conditioner or generic scented kids shampoo, Stinky!</li><li>Pens-It is amazing how angry you can get when an entire package of pens won't write.<br /></li><li>Floral arrangements-No explanation needed. </li><li>Toys-Toys make both lists because they are hit and miss. Many, many things in the toy aisle are cheap in all the worst meanings of the word cheap. <br /></li></ul><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span>SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-19605842792139060432008-06-26T13:53:00.000-07:002008-06-26T14:25:48.365-07:00Summer FunThese first few weeks of summer have been jam packed with social activities and just plain fun. So I thought I might share some of the great things we've been doing, just in case you were running out of your own ideas. <br /><br /><ul><li>Pick some local fruit--We went to the Owasso Tree and Berry farm and picked six pounds of blackberries. At $3.00 a pound it was a bargain and lots of fun, although they should have charged us for all the berries that the 1 1/2 year old downed before any made it into the bucket. There are still several weeks left in berry season and peach season is next month. One caveat, I had a friend who ended up buying 12 pounds because she took several older children, so unless you are ready to freeze a bunch you might limit the amount they pick.<br /></li><li>Cool off--Yes, I know water parks are a no brainer, but look outside your local area. We went to the River Country Family Water Park in Muskogee and had a blast. It's smaller than Big Splash, which is here in Tulsa, but that was what made it so great for us. Since my kids are all under 6 a smaller park was just perfect for them and at $5 and $4 for admission we could easily afford the gas to get us there.<br /></li><li>Make friends--A lazy summer day is always more fun with new friends. We have had friends over at least once a week and Mommies and Kids love to socialize. For the cost of chicken salad sandwiches and brownies any summer day can be a party. Sometimes we want to wait and have people ask us over, but go ahead and decide to be the neighborhood hostess for the summer. <br /></li><li>Join a group--Most bigger churches have Mommy and Me groups and lots of communities do as well. We have Bible study every Tuesday, it has a class for moms and a class for kids. Our church nursery has a Mommy and Me group every Friday, usually we go to a park or kid themed restaurant.</li><li>Community Freebies--Several local theaters have free kids movies once a week in the summer, they are usually movies that are several years old, but fun nonetheless. Tulsa is brimming over with great libraries, not just filled with books, but reading programs and puppet shows and activities.<br /></li><li>Community Outreach--One of our best days this summer was visiting an older friend from church, who was homebound because of a recent surgery. She was delighted with the children and she let us clean her kitchen and bathroom and make her lunch. Talk about a great way the spend the day, you should never underestimate the joy of helping others. Your children will get it.<br /></li></ul>SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-62682898191465281542008-06-10T21:09:00.000-07:002008-06-10T21:39:15.975-07:00A Charmed LifeRecently, I was working at my desk when my screen saver slide show caught my eye. Photos of our children at various ages, Christmas pictures in front of the fireplace, friends on water skies, the traditional family photo album slide show. I've seen all these images flash by a hundred times, but for some reason this time I was moved by what a charmed life I lead. <br /><br />We have a very ordinary American life. We have a beautiful, blessed, amazing life. Of course we have bumps and setbacks, but what are they compared to those snapshots of joy and abundance? I live, any very likely you do too, the dream that people are willing to lock themselves up in a freight container and cross the ocean to achieve. Warm holiday meals, get togethers with mobs of friends and family, lazy summer days punctuated with a cracked open watermelon and kids dripping with pool water, dark evenings on the couch with my husband and Netflix, lake excursions that send you home exhausted with fun, school plays more satisfying than Broadway...how I could go on indulging myself with the sweet moments of my life.<br /><br />I am constantly telling my children to stop being upset about the things they don't have (typically a popsicle) and be thankful for what they do have (probably a peanut butter & jelly sandwich) I am determined to apply this principle to my own life as well, so I am off to enjoy my new home and quit fussing about all the new furniture I don't have to fill it.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-59102071770639271742008-05-31T19:42:00.000-07:002008-05-31T19:53:13.816-07:00Goo GoneSpring cleaning recently found me in the "way back" of our minivan. My children really love gum and apparently they really love to string gum all over the floor and leather seats of our van. After several moments of inhaling deeply I went and grabbed the Goo Gone. We have used it successfully in the past to remove candle wax and sticker residue, but I wasn't sure if it was up to this challenge. <br /><br />It was amazing! It completely dissolved two giant clumps of gum off the floor mats and left no oily residue behind. The strings of ancient gum on the leather seats required some scrubbing and scratching, but it's all gone. Don't mess with ice or peanut butter, if you need to remove gum, wax or anything sticky Goo Gone is the perfect tool. I have even used it on a pair of cream wool dress slacks with success.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-12250606399557446772008-04-09T08:06:00.000-07:002008-04-09T08:29:27.092-07:00Eyelash ImplantsDid you know that for a mere $300 you could be the owner of eyelash implants?<br /><br />They are only semi-permanent and need maintenance, but thick dark lashes are only an economic stimulus check away. As an eyelash disabled person, I have to admit that this is very tempting. I have recently become a member of the Tammy Faye Baker club of mascara. My routine consists of three coats of Estee Lauder's Magnascopic expertly separated by a metal Chanel eyelash comb then retouched by what ever free trial size Lauder mascara I have laying about. So my current eyelash investments in time and money already have me halfway to implant mark.<br />I have been trying fake eyelashes since high school, but I cannot master the application. <br /><br /> I don't know what this says about me as a person but I want them. I suppose for now I'll just have to imagine waking up looking like Brooke Shields.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-62942161077147178092008-04-03T20:31:00.000-07:002008-04-03T20:54:17.126-07:00A Quick RecommendationI rarely read Christian living books. When I do read them I usually find them pretty mediocre but several months ago I started reading John Bevere. I picked up<span style="font-style: italic;"> Driven by Eternity </span>after hearing Bevere preaching on the internet and it made me sob uncontrollably. Right now I'm reading <span style="font-style: italic;">Under Cover<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span>and it is positively life changing. <br /><br />The Godly principles in his books are like T-bone steaks for the soul. Do not read them if you have a weak spiritual stomach. While each one is on a pretty simple topic like Obedience, they are strong, scripture heavy works that will make you question who you think you are in Christ. The person who first introduced me to his writings said that she once threw the book across the room she was so convicted.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-23036738560235321732008-02-27T12:07:00.000-08:002008-02-27T12:21:31.499-08:00Factory TileWhen I set out to find tile for my breakfast nook I naturally started at the big warehouse stores. They have pretty decent selections at pretty decent prices, but I wasn't satisfied. I wanted something unique and cheap. A quick google search surprised me with tons of listings for tile warehouses in the Tulsa area. I eventually purchased some beautiful tile for a song at Factory Tile on 46th and Memorial. Even though they only have a small showroom, it was stocked with tons of reasonable tile, stone and woods. It has encouraged me to continue my redecorating shopping off the beaten path.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-61038868739936901142008-02-27T11:51:00.000-08:002008-02-27T12:06:16.141-08:00Unleashing my Inner ArtisanOur cozy new home is a blessing from God...but it needs some work.<br /><br />Chief among it's flaws is the carpeted breakfast nook. I'm not sure who thought it was a good idea to put white carpet underneath a casual dining area, but my guess is that they didn't have three small children. So I've bought tile and picked out paint colors and I'm ready to make over my space, but now I actually have to do it. My husband is not so Happy about the challenge of laying 300 square feet of tile in our main living area, so I've been researching different flooring and installation methods and it has got my creative juices flowing.<br /><br />I imagine myself a master artisan creating a mosaic of elegant proportions on my breakfast floor. Of course I am also a master seamstress with blue silk curtains in the works and an upholstering genius ready to recover my aging wing chairs. I've been pouring through books and the world wide web for tips and plans. I can feel the excitement in my fingertips. <br /><br />Delusions of grandeur aside I'm started to get really excited about slowly buy surely making this house a beautiful, comfortable place to live.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-67041669937334942002008-02-16T21:18:00.000-08:002008-02-16T21:47:50.449-08:00The Accomplishments of ManMy Grandmother once told me about how her father was renown for his impeccable lawn. The neighbors constantly rewarded his hard work with glowing compliments and pats on the back. However, she told me, what no one knew is that my Great-grandmother nagged him into it. He didn't perfect his yard because he liked doing it or liked to impress the neighborhood, he did it because she wouldn't get off his back on a Saturday until it was done.<br /><br />I love this story. I love just thinking about all the marriages in my sphere of acquaintance and the seen and unseen dynamics that make them work. I have the great privilege of know many "happy" healthy marriages that function in completely different ways.<br /><br />How do we as women get what we want from our husbands? Ideally we both agree on what should happen, but what about when we don't agree?<br /><br />Negotiation<br />Subterfuge<br />Nagging<br />Begging<br />Flattery<br />Favors<br />How about giving up?<br />Or just doing it yourself.<br /><br />The world may never know all the accomplishments of man that were prodded into existence by a loving wife.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-83516124225215519182008-02-10T21:43:00.000-08:002008-02-10T22:02:50.290-08:00The Movin' On BluesOur Happy household has successfully transplanted to our new home. We love the house and the neighborhood and the school...but I have the blues about the state of our home. I keep telling myself that it took three weeks to pack up our old house and it could take longer to get settled into our new house but that does little to salve my irritation at the mess that still lingers in the corners of each room. <br /><br />How can a bigger house not have a place for all our old stuff?<br />Do wires and cables breed and multiply in storage boxes?<br />Should I do laundry before I get all the clean clothes unpacked?<br />How can the floor be the best place for previously precious valuables?<br />Will I ever, ever be caught up?<br /><br />To our credit, we have passed several major milestones. On Monday all cardboard boxes were officially moved out of the residence. Two days later the car was officially parked in the garage. Best of all, on Thursday every single toy in the universe found it's Happy placement in the playroom. The latter was accomplished in the midst of a stomach virus outbreak four persons strong. <br /><br />Give a little prayer for me as I muster all my housekeeping skills and try to turn this new house into a home.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-67213906765779170372008-01-22T21:23:00.000-08:002008-01-22T21:31:36.951-08:00My First Wedding Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9qNDrCABmBhyphenhyphenbmNCHKH3BNgOTCPg_CGG3o21st5TJCbzCAENdL-y1Gp-Acy5FnW584tF71l-uhHzgLx6S3NV_u75XewdguJei3w6jdaZS2rbyNmZ7lV3MR_-xb6TasVmZ9tP-NcvePo/s1600-h/9-17-07+120.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9qNDrCABmBhyphenhyphenbmNCHKH3BNgOTCPg_CGG3o21st5TJCbzCAENdL-y1Gp-Acy5FnW584tF71l-uhHzgLx6S3NV_u75XewdguJei3w6jdaZS2rbyNmZ7lV3MR_-xb6TasVmZ9tP-NcvePo/s320/9-17-07+120.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5158540275704388754" /></a><br />While striving to throw my firstborn daughter the world's best first birthday party, I ran into a few books on cake decorating. It has been my favorite hobby ever since. I've gotten pretty good at buttercream cakes, but when my cousin got married in October, she asked me to make her a fondant covered cake. So my first wedding cake ended up being my first fondant cake, it kicked my butt. It's far from perfect but It holds a special place in my pastry heart.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-60409132024813313122008-01-16T20:48:00.000-08:002008-01-16T21:31:22.033-08:00Moving<span style="font-family:georgia;"> My home is a cluttered patchy mess of our belongings, and it makes me excessively happy. Next week we will move five miles south into a quiet little neighborhood in the elementary school district of our dreams. I have moved too many times in my life to remember, but my entire married life has been spent in this home and I keep waiting to be weepy or nostalgic about the whole situation. I am not. This isn't even a bittersweet moment it is simply time to go.<br /><br />I love these moments of divine clarity of action. This moment comes after many months of weeping, praying, questioning and indifference. It's amazing how something as common as selling and buying a home can try one's soul. At the risk of sounding dramatic I have to admit that I am a different person from when this whole thing started in April. God has really used this as a catalyst to reshape me and draw me near. Vices and failings have melted away, worldly desires have disappeared and been replaced with an intense love for the people around me. I can't even describe the difference in me and perhaps no one has even noticed it but I am so grateful that this trial came my way. I am grateful that it's almost over and I am excited about moving my family into the next little chapter in our lives.<br /><br />Not to mention all the unpacking and organizing! For good or ill I still have my insane love for making order out of chaos and I'll get to wallow in it for the next few weeks.<br /></span>SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-2924877151142133702007-12-28T18:42:00.002-08:002007-12-28T19:00:55.971-08:00Recycled Christmas CardsAre you hesitant to throw away those beautiful Christmas cards from all the people you love?<br /><br />My college roommate tipped me off to several creative ways to reuse them next Christmas. This year she wrapped her presents in washed and dried paper grocery sacks and did a type of decoupage of last year's cards on top of them. I didn't get to see it but it sounds crazy creative.<br /><br />Next year I plan on using mine as gift tags. Just cut up your favorites, punch holes and tie them up with ribbon. You won't even have to write a name on a gift if you use last year's photo card to give your niece a present with her picture on it.<br /><br />You could also buy blank cards for next year's Christmas cards and decorate them with a hand written message and a collage of last year's cards. You could start this now and send everyone a very special greeting.<br /><br />Be creative and give your Christmas cards a second life.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-12716440927770117762007-12-28T18:22:00.000-08:002007-12-28T18:42:05.871-08:00Will Bake for Food IIAmbition is a wonderful thing. Satisfaction with reality is even better.<br /><br />I didn't even get half of the items on my wish list baked, but I am mostly happy with the ones I did accomplish. The baby's first birthday cake was tall and dense and spicy. His second birthday cake was light, sweet and cute (he had four cakes total, if you count his smash cakes). There was no toffee, brittle or cordials and my pralines failed, but I tried a new recipe for peanut butter bites and they were pretty good. <br /><br />Everything else I accomplished was pretty standard, chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, sugar cookies. The highlight of the season was probably helping my Mother-in-law make a raspberry and almond whip cream tart, the desert was really hers but it was new and it was fun helping.<br /><br />Of course the season isn't quite over and tomorrow I'm making the blueberry coffee cake for a visit from my real estate agent. If you see me ask me to make your favorite holiday treat, I'm still looking for excuses to bake.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-9774058185421358072007-12-28T17:57:00.000-08:002007-12-28T18:20:57.864-08:00Relax and RegroupOur family had a truly Happy Christmas and I hope yours did as well.<br /><br />After a month of perpetual motion, I find myself with a little down time. My Happy husband is still on vacation and I even got to steal away for an afternoon movie. However, the future is always present in my mind and I have begun taking inventory of the chores that have been neglected during the holiday insanity. Closets have gotten cluttered and the refrigerator is now almost as gunky as the microwave, let's not even discuss the garage. My New Year's Resolution should be to keep the aforementioned spaces clean and organized at all times, but it's just not possible. Little girl's pajama drawers just can't stay tidy for any extended period of time. So my intended Resolution is to set up a weekly schedule for the maintenance of messy spaces.<br /><br />As simple as this sounds you all know this is painfully ambitious, but it is my goal to stay organized and on top of my daily chores.<br /><br />Weekly<br /><ul><li>Microwave</li><li>Refrigerator</li><li>Pantry</li><li>Hall Closet</li><li>Bookshelves</li><li>Toys</li><li>Children's drawers</li></ul>Monthly<br /><ul><li>Garage</li><li>Car inside and out</li><li>Junk Drawer</li><li>Laundry closets</li><li>Desk<br /></li></ul>SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-75427048377361220452007-12-19T13:30:00.000-08:002007-12-19T14:01:51.842-08:00Hired HelpWhile folding my tenth load of laundry yesterday, I watched a few minutes of an old Doris Day movie. There are so many cultural differences between the early sixties and today, to start with practically all of her movies have a moral dilemma that she is trying to navigate with good humor. That Touch Of Mink and Move Over, Darling couldn't even be made as Hallmark movies today because the sexual morality is so innocent. But that isn't what struck me the most.<br /><br />With all of my holiday chores compounded by being out of electricity for half of last week, I couldn't help but be jealous of Doris Day's hired help. I collect vintage cookbooks and they often discuss the role of the domestic employee. Forty years ago housewives of a certain economic status had staff. Housewives, not lawyers or movie stars. Today's equivilent of these women may still have gardners and a cleaning service but live in staff has been relagated to the very wealthy. Even the lower classes of bygone years had grandmothers or spinster aunts that lived in the house to help with the children and chores.<br /><br />We may have many conveniences our predecessors didn't have but being a housewife has always been a sunrise to sunset job. It's a wonder we're all running around frazzled, and I can't even imagine the stress on the single mother or the working mom. There literally aren't enough hours in the day to get all their work done. <br /><br />For now I'll just have to take it in stride and remember that I'm working so feverishly in order to relax and enjoy myself over Christmas break.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-19941419134314435682007-12-07T20:45:00.001-08:002007-12-07T21:16:26.624-08:00I Think I Have Christmas OCD<span style="font-family: georgia;">I love Christmas. I look forward to every last little part of the whole season. I even love to be in the middle of a busy mall and watch people bustle by, their arms loaded with bags...<br /><br />...but I have a confession to make, I think I have Christmas Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It has always manifested in my selection of Christmas Cards. I start looking for the perfect cards before Thanksgiving and usually purchase two to three selections just to make sure everyone gets the right card. I purchase a new calligraphy pen and they cannot be sent out unless they have Madonna and Child stamps.<br /><br />This year my COCD has spread to my daughters Christmas dresses. I am always particular about what my children wear, but their Christmas and Easter dresses are the two most important outfits of the year. Last year I stumbled onto a great sale in Dallas and I was done early.<br /> For some reason this year I just cannot be satisfied. Every boutique, department store and resale shop in Tulsa and Owasso has been visited. So far I have bought two dresses for my eldest and I just lost out on one I really wanted on ebay, because I wasn't home when it ended. There must be 200 companies that make dresses for little girls, why can't any of them make something original? Even the World Wide Web is letting me down, why is everything I like online over $100? When will Le Pink learn to make a dress out of something other than shantung and tulle? Does everyone else feel satisfied with the banal cookie cutter offering this year???<br /><br />I'm afraid. Next year it might the cards, the dresses and a completely new Christmas tree (it's started bothering me this year). This Happy Housewife needs to learn to be Happy with three beautiful healthy children, even if their Christmas outfits do coordinate but don't match.<br /></span>SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-37783080472167149872007-11-28T08:43:00.000-08:002007-11-29T06:22:19.022-08:00Will Bake for FoodBaking season is here! Hooray!<br /><br />Finally, I have an excuse to try exotic recipes and stock my pantry with nuts and chocolate and five different kinds of flour. This is the only time of year we allow ourselves to make the truly decadent candies and morsels that satisfy the baker's soul. My fingers get all twitchy as I start making a mental list of the goodies I'll craft for friends and family. Shopping for presents is lots of fun, but baking for presents is sheer delight. All is well with the world when you can assemble a tin of nut brittle and toffee with pecan sandies sandwiched in between...or maybe pralines.<br /><br />Alas, my early season ambition is always thwarted by the busy reality of kids and chores and even illness. So I have decided to chronicle my seasonal quest for baking perfection and see how close I can get to accomplishing what I want. Maybe writing this all down will help keep me in the kitchen.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Confections and Baked Goods</span><br /><ol><li>Fruit cake (taken with rave reviews to Thanksgiving in Indiana)</li><li>Toffee</li><li>Pecan, almond and cashew brittle</li><li>Peppermint and chocolate bark</li><li>Chocolate covered cherries</li><li>Cheesecake</li><li>Coconut cream pie</li><li>Mounds of hot buttery rolls</li><li>Pecan tart</li><li>Blueberry coffee cake</li><li>Decorated sugar cookes</li><li>Giant birthday cake for my son's first birthday</li></ol>Potential Gift Recipients<br /><ol><li>Three Sunday School teachers</li><li>One Public School teacher</li><li>Six close friends</li><li>Several neighbors</li><li>Mailman</li><li>Trash Collectors</li><li>One giant gift and goodie filled basket for my aunt and grandmother</li></ol>I'll be pleased if I can get half of this done.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-38746596697857973632007-11-20T20:51:00.000-08:002007-11-20T21:34:58.109-08:00ColoramaMy parents love to take my children to Chuck E. Cheese. This is a tremendous blessing because the kids can get their semi annual fix and I don't have to brave the chaos by myself with three children.<br /><br /> This evening we discovered a new game called Colorama. It is essentially a simple roulette wheel for children with flashing lights and psychedelic patterns. Up to four people can slip in their quarter, chose from up to five colors and spin the wheel. You watch as the silver ball comes to a stop on one of the colors. This is Vegas for children! Unrestrained joy is the only was to describe my daughter when she won. Lights, tickets shooting out like the big pay off, she couldn't contain herself. "I won, I won, let's play again." We had fun chunking tokens and letting it ride on all five colors. At the end of the evening we had over 500 tickets and a good time was had by all. But I could sense a pattern developing...<br /><br />The last time I went to CEC with our church group I found myself using my check card at a token vending machine. This time the culprit was the little shovel game where you flick tokens at the shelf where hundreds of shiny gold tokens are precariously dangling over the edge just waiting for you to tip them all off in one great avalanche of ticket yielding glory. <br /><br />There are two thing I have learned about myself at Chuck E Cheese, first I think I need to stick to Skee Ball and secondly under no circumstances should I visit Vegas.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-81951869207019276422007-11-09T17:31:00.000-08:002007-11-09T18:01:39.298-08:00The Joys of Multiple SiblingsBack when we were DINKs (Double Income No Kids), we had friends with two beautiful children; a boy and a girl. Then one day they showed up pregnant with their third child. My initial gut reaction was "why would they have another kid, isn't two enough?" I was surprised at myself and my inner dialog settled down remembering that they were great people with the means and desire to care for as many children as they wanted. But the feeling was out there, two children is more than enough. Of course here I am four years later with three kids.<br /><br />When you are pregnant with your second, third and beyond people always tell you, "It gets easier after two" or "it gets easier after three." True and False. There is more work and more helpers, if you can call a five year old a helper. But the best thing about lots of kids is lots of siblings. <br /><br />Tonight, my 5 year old walked around the house holding onto the 10 month old's hands helping him learn to walk. To them it was just simple fun, but I saw a lifetime of cooperation and brotherhood. I saw big family gatherings twenty years from now that will be filled with the joy of shared lives. I saw three grownups who helped each other grow up and that made me so Happy to have three kids.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-45823890121197529682007-11-09T17:25:00.001-08:002007-11-09T17:30:53.680-08:00Death by Daylight SavingsUgh! It has taken us all week to get used to the new daylight hours. My children have been waking up at 6:30 a.m. and the results have not been pretty for any of us. On Wednesday, my three year old was particularly irritable when she woke up.<br /><br />Me to Husband "It is killing these kids to wake up so early, but they do it anyway."<br /><br />My 3 year old "Mommy, am I going to die?"<br /><br />One more expression I didn't realize I used too much.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-57051892917326098092007-11-04T14:40:00.000-08:002007-11-04T15:14:04.750-08:00The Compassionate ChildMy oldest daughter started Kindergarten this year and the texture of all our lives has definitely changed. One of the surprises for me has been how much my child is asked to participate in charitable and fund raising endeavors. In the past two months she has been asked to raise money or procure goods for seven separate projects.<br /><br />First in School she has had a canned food drive, the obligatory shiny cataloge PTA thing(the only one we sat out) and a specific food item drive for the Salvation Army's Thanksgiving dinners.<br /><br />Then at Church she has had a canned food drive, a booklet of quarters collected for orphans in other countries, a shoebox collection of gifts for underprivileged children around the world and a monthly piggy bank collection to purchase literature for missionaries.<br /><br />This has all been in the past two months. We chose our church partially because it is very "outreach" oriented and we have always enjoyed being involved in the compassion ministries in the past. The school's community efforts I find pleasantly surprising. We live in a very working class/immigrant neighborhood and no one has resources to just throw away. All of this outward giving has made an impact on my five year old. She is routinely looking for quarters "for the orphans" and telling me why they need our money. <br /><br />I'm pleased that she is learning to give outside of the home...but I have to say I'm just a little overwhelmed. It's an effort to find cash (who uses cash anymore?) and I have started adding food drive items to my regular grocery list because she needs more items than I have stuck in the back of the pantry. Perhaps that is the way it should be, every time we get something for ourselves we should get a little something for those less fortunate.SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-63700976478576027982007-11-02T14:50:00.001-07:002007-11-02T18:20:39.630-07:00Cartoons I Have LovedEvery parent has watched cartoons with their children and you either found yourself laughing or grimacing. My husband has recently been ordering those eighties gems from Netflix, that hold after school memories for him. I have compiled lists of my personal current favorites and golden oldies that I have loved.<br /><br />Current<br /><ol><li>Little Bear--He is kind, creative and my personal favorite obedient. Each episode is like a little adventure and it is the least formulaic of the bunch.<br /></li><li>Handy Manny--"You break it, we fix it." Love the tools and Manny. How cute is a town named Sheetrock Falls?<br /></li><li>Veggie Tales--Wisdom and Morals in a funny, clever cartoon. Pitch perfect writing that I have used over and over again with my children. For example "a thankful heart is a happy heart," can be used in so many circumstances. Thank you Madame Blueberry.<br /></li><li>Little Einsteins--Beautiful music and art in an adventurous fantasy world. Probably my kid's favorites and I find them humming the classics all the time.</li></ol>Golden Oldies<br /><ol><li>Penelope Pitstop and the Wacky Races--My sister and I used to fight over who would be Penelope.</li><li>Bugs Bunny--The most classic of all, if you have watched any vintage bunny recently it's also a time capsule. There are tons of WWII references and even a few shameful episodes that deal with race.<br /></li><li>The Chipmunks--Probably a really dreadful cartoon, but I loved it as a kid.</li><li>Tom and Jerry--They still hold up today my kids argue over who is the mean one.</li><li>XMen--My favorite of all the comic book cartoons probably because they had plenty of cool girls to relate to.<br /></li></ol>SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-26668750360359430312007-11-02T14:33:00.000-07:002007-11-02T14:48:53.282-07:00Cartoons I Have HatedThere are two categories of cartoons I have hated.<br /><br />Merely annoying or not to my taste<br /><ol><li>Scooby-doo--I think I was four when I realized the show was formulaic, painfully, not endearingly formulaic.</li><li>Road Runner--He is just so smug, does the poor skinny coyote not deserve to win just one hot meal?</li><li>All anime'--Their mouths don't move when they talk, too creepy.</li><li>Max and Ruby--It does have it's cute moments, but Max is like five and he can only speak in monosyllabic responses. Why does Ruby have to bee so bossy? Maybe because they appear to be orphans alone in a big house.</li></ol>Cartoons my children are forbidden to watch due to content<br /><ol><li>Spongebob Squarepants--It's just not written for children under 10, it's gross and in the words of my five-year-old "all they ever do is shout at each other."</li><li>Dora the Explorer--She's too cute and innocent, what could be wrong with her? It's really just more of a feeling I get when we watch it. Too much chanting, too many brujas (a little crazy family history, but a witch in Spanish has a different meaning to me) and just an overall new age-y new world order vibe I get. I know, I know it's just me.</li><li>Jimmy Neutron--the kid's a genius and his father is a clueless fool.</li><li>All those mid afternoon Nick shows that are just about loud, obnoxious deviant behavior.<br /></li></ol>SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2613518016438623681.post-76442977427719838552007-10-29T19:34:00.000-07:002007-10-29T20:32:49.553-07:00It's Pomegranate SeasonFall is such an exciting season for produce!<br />Just when the peaches disappear and the watermelon gets expensive there is a whole new crop of exotic autumn wares. Even the most boring of grocery stores are carrying all those beautiful gourds and squashes not to mention the quince and persimmons, but tonight I purchased the king of fall fruits, the Pomegranate. It is such a manly fruit, all red, tough skinned and difficult to open. And what other fruit is both juicy and crunchy at the same time?<br /><br />In honor of it's arrival, I've listed out a few tips and suggestions for enjoying the sweet and tarty Pomegranate.<br /><br />Part of the fun of a pomegranate is opening it up, you want to get to the juicy seeds, but you don't want to pop them all over yourself in the process.<br /><ul><li>Never slice through it with a knife, instead gently insert knife into the bottom an inch or so and then pry it open with your hands. It should just crack apart leaving all those juicy pods intact.</li><li>Fill a large mixing bowl with water and submerge pomegranate and hands into the water, now you can gently pop off the seeds into the water without squirting juice everywhere.</li><li>Do several at a time and then save the seeds in a sealed container in the refrigerator.<br /></li></ul>While they are great just eaten from a bowl there are many other ways to enjoy their heart healthy goodness.<br /><ul><li>Juice them in the food processor then pass through a sieve to get rid of extra seeds.</li><li>Add them to vanilla ice cream.</li><li>Fruit salad with pomegranates. How gourmet!</li><li>I wonder if they would make good jam, think I'll have to try that.</li><li>They are a hit in holiday fruit baskets.<br /></li></ul>Official Happy Housewife Recommendation<br /><ul><li>Pomwonderful fruit and juice are truly superior to other brands, especially the juice. To my knowledge they are the only company who juices both skin and fruit which produces not only a deeper richer flavor but more concentrated health benefits as well.<br /></li></ul>Pomegranate Trivia<br /><ul><li>In greek mythology it was eating a pomegranate that doomed Persephone to spend three months each year in the underworld.</li><li>I once heard Martha Stewart say that she loved to sit up in her white bed with a knife and a pomegranate as an evening snack, as if she was defying the fruit to get her sheets stained.<br /></li></ul>SPRhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13268491699520701539noreply@blogger.com0