Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Mad about "Cars"

Pin It Now! The boys love the movie, "Cars", and our newest fan happens to be their sister, Shiloh. She loves playing with the toy "Cars", and she even sneaks them into her bed at night! The other day, she came downstairs in this outfit. Nice.

I wasn't really in the mood to carve a pumpkin today ( I would rather be at the PMS Diner), but in honor of everyones' love of "Cars", especially Tow Mater, I attempted to carve Tow Mater into our pumpkin. Yeah. Looks like I will have explain... the black circle is his busted head light, those things sticking out by his eyes are his rear view mirrors. Hopefully it will look better tonight all lit up. The boys added paper wheels, and Lightning McQueen being towed.

I took them to my mom's work (high school) this morning so they could trick-or-treat in the offices. So far so fun, and I know they can't wait to go again tonight!

Disinfect Kitchen Sponge Fast!

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A few years ago my mother-in-law shared a wonderful tip with me: To get get rid of nasty germs/bacteria on your kitchen sponge, just zap it in the microwave for 20-30 seconds!! I have become pretty obsessive about it, too. I nuke it about 5 times a day, now!! (Make sure it is WET first!)

For more Works For Me Wednesdays, go here.

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Fall Giveaway!!

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Well, I have decided to participate in this giveaway hosted by rocksinmydryer. I almost didn't because I hate being late for anything, and it is already Tuesday night!!! Since I have entered my name in so many other people's giveaways, I decided to go ahead and join in as well.


Here is what I am giving away, free shipping and everything. (US residents only) For all of you scrapbookers out there, I am giving away 2 Fast Formulas idea books and a gold Precious Elements pen. I have already used so many of the great ideas in these books, I can just consult my own scrapbooks now! The books are in super condition and the pen is brand new.



To enter the drawing, just leave me a comment, and I will pick a winner on Friday, November 2nd around 12 noon. I will announce and contact the winner sometime on Saturday. If you don't have a blog, make sure you leave me an email address so I can contact you!!!
To enter more drawings go here.
Good luck!

Monday, October 29, 2007

Unbelievable

Pin It Now! I don't know about you, but I cannot imagine some boy being able to barge in the girls' bathroom at a public school while my daughter is in there!!!
Often people will ask me how long I plan to home school, and my answer is, "As long as God gives me the health to do so." And if He ever takes it away, then I would pray that somehow we would be able to afford to send our kids to a school of our choosing.

My pastor says we are living in exciting times. Indeed.
Being a momma, though, I can't help but worry about my kids!!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Special of the Day

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National Chocolate Day

Pin It Now! To celebrate this special day, I wore all brown, and made a Double Chocolate Silk Pie from scratch! Oh my goodness, it was soooooo rich! Good but rich. I still need to perfect the art of making chocolate scrolls, as it was my very first time to attempt it.











Saturday, October 27, 2007

Advice Please!

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I have been looking for bows and I am not having any luck!! Help! See the bow in Shiloh's hair? Where can I buy some that are just like that? I did find a site online, but the bows there were priced at $4 per bow. That is too expensive for my budget. The one in her hair came from Chocolate Soup, which is a store in Memphis. Their online store didn't have what I was looking for. I really wanted a brown bow for this Sunday, but I guess it is too late for that.

I went to Michael's today in hopes of finding some ribbon and what I call "alligator" clips, but they didn't carry the clips that I wanted. I was planning to attempt to make my own bow and hot glue it to the clip.

I haven't really ever been a very crafty person, so any advice would be greatly appreciated!! I need new bows to match fall clothes!!

Thanks!

Friday, October 26, 2007

Booger Bandits

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We did another "Disgusting Science" project today.

Boogers are great as long as they don't end up on the wall! The boys learned that we need mucus to keep dust and other junk from clogging up our lungs. Hopefully they will still understand the importance of cleaning out their noses before going out in public!!!

Mullin did not want to pose with a "booger", so Lincoln gladly took the opportunity!

Trick-or-Treat!

Pin It Now! As part of a home school lesson this year I decided to do a study on the origins of Halloween. As a Christian parent, I want to instill in my children a desire to seek TRUTH on all matters and to test all things in light of Scripture.

Personally, I have never felt that is was blatantly wrong to dress up, carve pumpkins, and go door to door to receive candy. In fact, I really like that last part. Dressing up is so much fun, and if I had the extra $, I would even want to participate. I have always wanted to pretend to be Arwen, the Elven Princess! And pumpkins, well, I just think they are so beautiful! The carving part is a lot of work, but seeing the result with the candle glowing inside is fun. The pumpkin squeezed in between my boys was carved in honor of my love of M&Ms!

In all of my research on Halloween, I found out some very interesting things. Trick-or-treating for example, is an American activity that originated around the 1930's. It was created by local city clubs, such as the Boy Scouts, in an effort to control and displace mischievous pranks. Well, to me it is a good thing to provide alternative to bad things. So my views on this activity remain the same.

I did find out that the celebration of Halloween can be traced all the way back to the ancient Celtic Fire Festival, Samhain. Since November 1 was the beginning of their New Year, October 31st was to them as December 31st is to us. And yes, they did make animal sacrifices and crop sacrifices to their god/gods on this night. God knows my heart. When we dress up, trick-or-treat, and carve pumpkins, I am in no way honoring anyone but God alone. I am personally not going to get caught up in the "origin" thing, b/c then I wouldn't be able to celebrate Christmas or watch the Olympics, etc, etc...

Many things that have been practiced on Halloween have been nothing but pure evil, so don't get me wrong, I am not trying to promote this holiday as some holy event. I just think it is great, though, when Christians go to the trouble to provide wholesome alternatives to worldly activities!

For anyone interested in further research, I found a few interesting sites on the subject. My favorite articles were these 2:

http://www.new-life.net/growth/holidays/the-history-of-halloween-its-probably-not-what-you-think/

http://www.new-life.net/growth/holidays/the-history-of-halloween-part-2/

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Halloween Flashbacks

Pin It Now! 2003--my two cute, little puppies
2004--a very disgruntled conductor, and a brave soldier

2005--Mullin battles the evil wizards
2005--Lincoln kicks some shell!

2006--Finally a sweet little, cuddly Care Bear enters the picture.


For the Love of Chocolate!

Pin It Now! October 28th is National Chocolate Day!!! I didn't even know there was such a day until very recently.

This is a day for us to just let go, indulge, and slake our desire for this heavenly treat! Looking at these images is making me go crazy right now, for I have NO chocolate to eat.
I have been pondering how I want to celebrate this holiday, and really I am having such a difficult time deciding. The choices are endless. Just eating candy bars, like the ones pictured above, sounds delicious. Mmm, or that yummy Bryer's Triple Chocolate ice cream sounds good, too. I am definitely a sucker for assorted chocolates, especially the ones filled with nougat, but those are usually expensive. Maybe I should take the opportunity to make a new chocolate dessert. Oh, I just don't know!!

How are you going to celebrate?
For those who live in New York, how about celebrating with the $1,000 ice cream sundae from Serendipity?
Good grief, I can't even imagine ever buying one of those even if I had the money!!!

Goodness, now I won't feel so guilty when I order PF Chang's $8.00, to die for, chocolate cake!




Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Arizona Anniversary

Pin It Now! I should have actually posted this a few weeks ago, but I am just now getting around to it...

In honor of surviving my first year of living in the Arizona desert, I present you with some very quirky Arizona laws:

*Donkeys cannot sleep in bathtubs *Hunting camels is prohibited

*It is unlawful to refuse a person a glass of water *In Maricopa County--No more than 6 girls
can live in any house.

*In Tucson-- Women may not wear pants. *In Glendale--Cars may not be driven in reverse.

Too funny!!!


Even though this has truly been a difficult adjustment for our family, God has been so good to us. When we first moved here one year ago this month, we didn't have a house, we didn't have a job, we didn't have any couches, we didn't have a second vehicle, we didn't have a church home, and we didn't have any friends here. We had left so much back home. I am sure I am probably leaving something out. We almost felt hopeless under the weight of it all, but we knew in our hearts that God had called us to uproot our family.

I am blessed to report that after one year, God has provided all of these things for our family!
Mark got a job just 3 days after we moved. We moved into our very own home at the end of January I believe. Much thanks to my mom and her husband for housing us until we found a home! My sister and her husband sold us a car for $1.00. My mom and her husband gave us their old couch set. God led us to a wonderful church home, Queen Creek Calvary Chapel, where Mark now helps to lead worship. God has also been so gracious to provide me with an amazing friend, Staci!!

You just don't realize how important your friends are until you leave them!!!

Tennessee family, we miss you guys so much and hope to be able to visit as a family sometime soon!

Arizona family, I am glad to be able to spend time with all of you!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Works For Me Wednesday: Natural Carpet Deodorizer

Pin It Now! Want an alternative to perfumey, sneeze inducing, allergy inviting carpet powder? Well, search no further. Here is yet another way to incorporate baking soda into your everyday life!


Recipe for Natural Carpet Deodorizer:


* 10 drops Tea Tree oil
* 10 drops Lemon oil
* 20 drops Lavender oil
*1 16oz. box of baking soda


Mix baking soda and essential oils very thoroughly in a large bowl. Make sure the lemon oil is mixed well so that no undiluted lemon oil stains your carpet. ( I had no problems with this) Store mixture in a glass jar or airtight container.



When ready to use, sprinkle onto your carpet and allow to sit for about 10-20 minutes. Then vacuum it up! ( A clean large spice container that has holes works nicely for sprinkling onto the carpet.)



Recipe came from www.aromaweb.com


FYI:


Medicinal properties of lemon oil: antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal, antiviral, calming, diuretic, lowers blood pressure. Lavender oil: analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, anthelmintic (destroys intestinal worms), anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiviral, decongestant. Tea tree oil: antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, analgesic, decongestant, causes sweating.


Oil info came from the book, What To Do When Antibiotics Don't Work! By, Dirk Van Gils




I have used this recipe many times and it definitely works for me!!!



For more great Works For Me Wednesdays, visit Rocks in my Dryer.



My First Blog Award!!!!

Pin It Now! "Presented to awesome BLOG owners who keep their readers excited about their posts. Their blog posts are interesting (NOT spammy) and worth reading and keep their subscribers looking forward to each and every post."


Wow, I am so honored to be presented with this award from one of my "Cyber friends"!!

Blogging has really become a unique way to unite with like minded others around the world. I also enjoy being able to keep up with what is going on in my friends' and families' lives!

I would like to pass this award on to a couple of others who keep me excited about reading their posts.

First to my husband. I know this is probably more of a girly thing, but really, I wouldn't even have a blog if it wasn't for him, not to mention the fact that his blog is truly very interesting!!





Second to Carrie, who always has a new post no matter how many times I visit!!!




Monday, October 22, 2007

Twins' 1st Birthday

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Happy Birthday my dear, sweet nephews, Ryan and Kenny!



















They did not like having their faces shoved in cake. Spoiled the whole thing for them!




















Hard to believe, but the twins will be big brothers in March. My brother and his wife are expecting another boy. Wow, 3 kids in less than a year and a half. I am getting tired and worn out just imagining what that will be like!








Tickled Tastebuds

Pin It Now! While grocery shopping this past weekend, I was confronted with a huge bin full of beautiful, red pomegranates. I couldn't resist buying one--they were just too pretty! I had never eaten one before, so I picked up one of the handy dandy pomegranate pamphlets displayed next to the bin. I have only drunk pomegranate juice, so I wasn't really sure how to go about eating one.

I decided to try it today, and oh my stars, my taste buds were pleasantly surprised!! I just ate the fresh arils by the spoonful! Even the boys liked them. If you have never eaten one, then please let me encourage you to do so!!!

I can't wait to buy more on my next trip to the market! I was getting so bored of eating the same old fruits day after day, but now I have a new fruit to add to my favorites! I hope to be able to try some of the recipes featured here sometime.

To all of you who have already discovered these tasty, crimson treats, how do you eat them and what kinds of recipes have you made?

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Strawberry, Arizona

Pin It Now! Saturday road trip. First stop, Strawberry, Arizona. After a couple of hours in the car, it felt good to stretch our legs, and breathe in the fresh mountain air!
A little education--I guess that means I can count this as school!
What is this I see? A tree starting to change colors! Yea!
Of course, Shiloh didn't want to cooperate during picture taking time.
My wonderful husband and me sitting on the bench together. Awww, how romantic.


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