A Homemaking Journey

Shiloah and I chatted briefly about our blog today and realized that, what do you know, we had 5 whole posts the month of November! Sorry about that, Dear Readers. I didn't realize that Fishville and Country Life on Facebook was sucking all my blogging time up that much. As I turned over my calendar today for December, I glanced at November's journal of appointments. I had maybe 5 whole days on there without something penciled in. I'll let out a sigh of relief that I was actually, legitimately, busy for the month of November. I don't know that December will be any better.

I thought I would share some pictures with you of what we have been up to.

1. Kitchen Renovation

I'll just show you the before and after pictures and that should be enough said. Sorry they are kinda fuzzy. I happen to be camera retarded and couldn't figure out how to set the camera on auto-focus.

Before: pink and blue plaid wallpaper and check out those curtains. Yeah, Baby!!





After: Enter cozy, country kitchen. Seems rather appropriate here in Nebraska.


I know you can't see it well, it's a tiny kitchen, but I put up a whitewashed board wallpaper under the border. The paint color is Belgium Waffle.



2. We ripped the carpet out of the living room. This revealed a "rustic" hardwood floor under some pretty nasty carpet. I'm still working on refining the floor a little, wondering if I should get an area rug or not, but honestly, who wants to deal with carpet when potty training a three year old?



As you can tell, it is not a perfect wood floor, but I kinda like it with the kitchen decor. Marred floors are good. You don't feel so bad when your kid races his car on it and leaves a mark.



I don't have pictures up of the walls yet, but we are painting the living room as well, so I will post pictures of that project once we get started on it again. It's half way done now. We'll also be replacing the vertical blinds with some curtains too.


3. Thanksgiving. This is the only picture of Thanksgiving we got. Probably sums up the whole event pretty well.



4. Here's a safety tip for you: Do not allow girls with long hair in your kitchen near your precious kitchen aid.



(FYI, she wasn't hurt and we didn't have to cut her hair either. And yes, this is going into the Never Let Her Live It Down File..I will always ask her if hair is safe if she calls to tell me she got a new mixer.)

5. Dogs. First the pregnant dog scare, then the calm that she wasn't, then she got out for an hour and a half one day and now we are suspicious again. Oreo won't sit still to take her picuture, ever, but I did catch her doing this:



Thank goodness for a hardwood floor!! It works with potty training dogs as well.

So, there's my life for the last month. I don't know what it is about not having carpet in the living room but I swear it explodes about 72 times a day. I think it gets to stay clean for a whole 2 hours during naptime in the afternoon.

I also started a once a week preschool with our friends in the area. We've only gotten to meet two times, but I enjoyed it and it was fun to see 5 little boys playing together. Joshua started calling them "The Guys".

I'll try to get up some other articles this week for Christmas and other life trials I experience. Till we meet again!

For once, Black Friday was on a payday this year. Not that I ran out in a big rush with a fist full of money for Christmas shopping; groceries take priority. I did however venture out for one item for Christmas that was on sale, a play kitchen for 30.00. The rest of my shopping consisted of some good food deals I found.

In the past however, I avoided the Black Friday crowds. It sounded too scary with the cart run-overs, pushing and shoving, and who in their right mind would show up at 3:00 a.m. at Walmart for the Black Friday sales in North-cold-as-all-get-out-Platte, Nebraska? (You know I love you, for those friends that really do that) I just couldn't bring myself to that. So, I stayed around our small town of 5500 people. I ventured out at 7:30.

This is what I came up on in the Alco parking lot, assuming it would be swarming with people that early. Two cars. Mine made three. I drove over to Pamida for their canned food sale (12 cans for 5.88!) and there were a few more cars and a few more people. No waiting at the registers either! Then I drove all through town to the grocery store. It was dead. All the downtown stores were closed, hardly any cars were milling about. The grocery store had maybe four customers in the whole store.

Hmm...Black Friday shopping isn't so bad.

I have one short funny story to share with you that happened last year, just to give you a good chuckle. Last year I was in Alco again. You can see the other side of the store from the other side of the store, so we're not talking a big store here. For those of you don't know what Alco is, its a general store (same as Pamida), just on a smaller scale than Walmart. I was browsing through the end of the aisle sales when a woman and her mother blew into the store. They were ready! Radios on, check. Carts, check. Hair standing on end, check. Elbows cocked, check. Scary wild eyed look, check. Then in a loud voice they announced their plan. "Mom, you go that way and look for the sweaters. I'll get back to the toys!" And they raced off. I looked around myself. How many other people were racing around the store, frantically clearing off shelves? Um...there was the elderly lady down the aisle from me looking at candy. Then there was a person milling around in the clothes rack. Two checkers were at the registers. There might have been someone back in hardware. Then I hear the radios, "MOM! Did you find the sweaters? I got the toys!" Then I could hear the squeaky wheels race down the aisle as she met up with her mom.

This was actually happening in Alco? There were like, 6 people in the whole store. It was the best scene I've ever seen in a store. I still laugh about it. Maybe it was the wide-eyed look I saw on everyone else's face as they looked around themselves to see what they were missing, or what the big hurry was. Maybe it was the excitement these ladies had that would have been so well served in a bigger store, in a larger city, that here, became a comedic scene. Either way, whenever Black Friday is mentioned, I can't think about the day without remembering this episode.

Now that the official Christmas Season has begun, I'm looking forward to the shopping, baking and singing. I love Christmas! Its my favorite holiday. Having had my outing today, I'll be putting up my tree and decorating the house today. Hope you all have a safe and enjoyable weekend!

My words fly up
my thoughts remain below.
Words without thoughts
never to heaven go.
—Shakespeare

Over the years I have met some amazing women- women who changed my life through their example or their mentoring me. When they moved away we lost touch because they were doers and not writers. How many times I wished those women would write-write their thoughts, their experiences and share their knowledge. Oh, the things we could learn!

Many people say, “I’m too busy to write- too busy living life.” To that I respond that there are many people who could use your mentorship through your example and writing about it. Writing about life, the ups and downs and how you learned from your experiences is a form of journal writing. How are our children to really know us if we don’t write?

The amazing thing about writing online is you never know who you will touch and how far reaching your words really are. Sometimes you’ll get some wonderful feedback in person or online, or sometimes people quietly read and take in what you share and allow it to enrich their life.

While I love to share my feelings in person with friends and those I meet, I feel that writing online is my way of sharing my thoughts and opinions in an unthreatening manner. I can also give unsolicited advice and people can read and take it if they want or move on to the next article.

To those who are currently writing on a blog or elsewhere, don’t hide your light under a bushel. How many blogs have I been to that I fell in love with the content and feel of the blog? The answer is many. When I like someone’s writings, I want to get to “know” them better and am taken aback when after sharing such a wealth of information they hide who they are and don’t give us an insight into their real lives. Sure there are some weirdos out there, but don’t let the fear of them keep us from getting to know you. Your writings have credibility when we know you are a real person. If you touch our lives with your writing, please further touch our lives with a glimpse into yours.

Everyone who loves life and family has something to offer. Everyone. I especially love reading from those who are passionate about life, Christ, family, hobbies, reading, writing, etc. and not necessarily in that order. It’s easy to begin a blog and share with the world. Take a chance today to touch someone or teach us through your writing.

Two years ago I had two sets of furniture. The green set was for the kids to use. It was dark, durable, and they could sit on it comfortably. As for adults, it was so narrow, a normal sized adult could not lay on it without hanging off the edge. The other set was my rose furniture. It was overstuffed, comfy and cream colored. No children allowed on it. It was only 6 months when I walked into the front room and caught Hannah and her friend with scissors and a screwdriver performing surgery on a perfectly good cushion. They cut a square into the cushion. Well, I figured, I'll just turn it over. Maybe I could fix it at another time. That was the first I knew this couch was out to get me.

It lured me into selling my green set because of space and because it was the more comfortable of the two sets. I sold the green set and regained my school room. Only, instead of using the table and shelves we put in place of the green furniture, we went upstairs and sat on the rose couch with a table.

It's light color enticed my children to color on it with black and purple permanent markers, blue ink pens and red crayons.

The fabric was so fun to poke with a screwdriver that one arm now has 150 star shaped pin pricks in it.

I contemplated many times selling the rose set when it was in good condition, but my love of this couch prevented me. Obviously, the feelings were not mutual.

It invited so many people to sit on it that eventually the fabric wore thin in places. The cushion with the surgical hole? The other side split one day. The arm on the chair split shortly after. All attempts to mend only made the holes worse.

I thought if I bought some huge, pretty matching towels, they would protect the cushions from further damage and stains. My children used the towels as blankets or stuffed them into the back of the couch.

The final straw came this morning. The couch sits behind me as I check my emails, facebook, blogs, articles and news. I think it saw me check out this couch.

A Duct Taped Couch

Maybe it sensed me contemplating taping over its lovely roses and leaves with a nice sage green duct tape...or brown tape and we could pretend its a leather couch.

This morning after I stripped off all the couch cushions thinking if I washed everything maybe that would improve the look of the sad couch. I hid the cushions in my bedroom. There they sat. Whispering "Cookie!!!! Joshua......Come play with me....." And there it allowed the cushions to be shredded into unrecognizable bits of fluff. Strewn from my bedroom to the front door, Cookie running around with bits hanging from her muzzle. Joshua sitting in the middle of one cushion with it exploded around him.

Something is not right with this couch. I really, really think its out to get me.

I wanted to share this on here for those of you trying to find creative ways for your kids to eat. This was sent to me in a link, (Thank you, Kris!), and so I'm reposting it here from Confessions of Homeschooler.

Wow this is a great idea!

Muffin Tin Monday

Enjoy!!

When we went to bed last night, Ammon was running a fever of 103, and Simeon wasn't far behind at 102.6. It was a miserable night. Simeon woke up crying and in a panic at 2 a.m. to which I jumped out of bed frantically looking for barf, sure he had thrown up, but no, his fever had spiked again and he was just miserable and cold. I medicated him and then had to take the dog out that was yapping because obviously it was time to get up. At 5 a.m. I was up with Ammon who was burning up with his fever and had soaked through his clothes with a leaky diaper and was freezing cold, both because of the wet clothes and fever. I put him back in bed and laid beside him praying for an hour to know what to do. Illness has been plaguing our home for 6 weeks now.

Something that came to my mind during that time was a few things I witnesses at my friend's house. After every meal, the counters, table, chairs and refrigerator were wiped down with an antibacterial cleaner. She didn't use rags that could lay in your sink and get sour. She also used a sponge on a handle (I'd post a picture but my husband is downloading an Ubuntu system on the computer and I can't figure out how to get pictures loaded yet), which I have been trying out since the middle of September, and I've noticed they do not get sour like the regular sponges that can fall into the bottom of the sink and go sour after kids pile their dishes in the sink. Now, granted, she only has two kids, and I have six, but I noticed she stayed up on her laundry which didn't give anything a chance to sit around and become a science experiment. On a day that was 18 degrees, she still threw open her windows for a good airing out.

Keep in mind, it is one thing to get overly critical of yourself and your housekeeping skills when comparing yourself to someone who has a touch of OCD about their house , and another to watch and learn and see if some of those things can help you out. I chose the latter.

These things were brought to my mind this morning, so instead of roasting with my hot tamale of a baby in my comfortable bed, I tackled the bathroom at 6 a.m. Curtis asked if I was nesting. No, I was disinfecting. I've already gotten rid of the sponge. I'm already opening windows every day to air out "sick" rooms, well, actually the whole house. I did some research today about how to disinfect your home and not necessarily using all sorts of chemicals, but here were some things I thought I would share with you that I found.

First, what I have read over the last few weeks is about isolation. One friend said that when her kids came down with something they were quarantined to the bathroom. The tub was made into a bed, and they lived in there for the next 24 hours (make sure your bathroom is clean before doing this). If the bathroom is too inconvenient (I don't know that I could shut my 20 month old up in there...but a nine year old with a good book might stay put), isolate them to one room, and keep the rest of the family away. If possible, allow the sick individual to have their own bathroom as well, and clean that daily.

Next up, Surfaces. You can use a number of things for cleaning surfaces, but vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (NOT MIXED TOGETHER), but sprayed separately 10 minutes apart can kill a number of germs. Bleach, soap, detergents, alcohol and antiseptics are acceptable too. Follow directions carefully, but all these things are effective against viruses and bacteria. Do not use bleach in a baby's room. Pay attention to door knobs, keyboards, counters, tables, and phones. Remember those videos of someone sneezing and them filming where and how far the spray went? Think like that when cleaning these areas. Make sure you label your containers if you do your own (like peroxide, vinegar, alcohol or bleach...all are clear and all could be mistaken easily).

Remove trash daily. Use rubber gloves or wash your hands after handling it. Clean your trash cans too.

Three places of interest to keep clean:
The bathroom
The trash
Surfaces

Next up, linens. Wash them in hot water, dry on high heat. Also, I read not to "hug" dirty laundry to yourself as you pick it up. Get a basket! Don't use towels or blankets used by sick individuals. This is where I have messed up. My kids drag around 3-4 blankets each, and at least four of my kids share a bed with each other. I have tried to hide, collect, sell or get rid of excess blankets my kids love, but match nothing and have no use except to collect cat hair.

Excuse me while I dream a bit about those Pottery Barn bedrooms they have in catalogues.

Ok, I'm back. While this next one is a no-brainer, I'm still guilty in this department. How many times has your kid dug a sippy cup out from under the couch and you realize you haven't seen that cup in a week? Wash dishes in hot water or a dishwasher, probably better if the dishwasher has a heater in it. I send my kids on a dish search every night (although this isn't foolproof, we are keeping up on our sippy collection now). So, keep up on your dishes, sanitize your counters and table and high chair every night. Don't forget the trash and doorknobs.

Lastly, air out the house. I open some windows in the house every morning, even on the coldest days. Rooms I pay attention to: bedrooms, kitchen and living room. These are our main living areas. Keep your filters in the furnace and A/C clean too.

Having written all this out and clearly seen where I've not been so diligent, I'm off to raid the blanket and linen collection. And do some laundry. And take care of my sick babies.

I gave myself a heart attack today. We noticed some, um...suspicious signs about Cookie that made us wonder if puppies might be arriving soon. Every month we discussed getting her spayed and every month, for one reason or another, making that appointment slipped our minds. She is 10 months old and now in heat, at least, we think she is in heat.

What caused this panic attack was the mention by one of the kids that her belly looks a little big. To be honest, it did. She sits in some hunched back way that makes her look like she has a pot belly. Then I hear "I think I feel a leg in her belly!" WHAT?!?!! The rest of the day was spent poking and palpitating Cookie's belly (of course, she never seemed to object).

I finally gave up my obsessive search online and called the vet. How can you tell if a dog is pregnant? What if she is just in heat? Do you have a pregnancy test for a dog? Will I wake up to Cookie and eight puppies in her kennel one morning?

Let me back up here a minute and explain how this might be plausible. 6 weeks ago we went to Utah for a job interview. We were going to board Cookie at the vet, get her shots, get her spayed, etc, but our neighbor girl really, really wanted to watch Cookie for us. She had watched Cookie and the cats for a weekend over the summer and did a very good job, so I dismissed all my plans for Cookie at the vet and let the neighbor take her. Cookie did get her vaccinations, but not the spaying. I thought all the dogs the neighbor had were neutered. Turns out, Sherman the Pug was NOT neutered.

Enter my panic today when I was reminded of this. Let's see, it takes 60-63 days of gestation for a dog. Counting on my fingers, that means if Cookie is pregnant, I will be waking up to a kennel full of puppies in the too near of future. This is the last thing we need!

I called the vet clinic in a panic. I'm sure the lady was ready to ask me to breathe into a paper bag and calm down. Pregnancy test for dogs: an ultrasound for $57.34. Signs she might be pregnant: protruding belly, enlarged mammary glands. Signs she's in heat: um....well, since this is a family blog, I'll hold off on those details but let's just say she has them now.

I know that many people would say "It's just a DOG! For crying out loud, who would shell out $8973.00 for the dog to get an x-ray and set its leg after being hit by a car!?". Well, I put out $400.00 for one of my dogs to get cured of heart worm. And I know my parents have gone out thousands of dollars for their dog that learned how to climb chain link fences and would cut his foot open all the time. What I'm about to bring up can only be explained away by relating how I was raised about dogs. They were a member of the family, they had feelings (and very tender feelings at that), they were to be babied, pampered, and enjoyed because their status was elevated to a furry sibling. Ok, we didn't dress them up...wait, we did when they were a puppy. But we didn't take them places with us... .... wait, mom and dad would take them to Sonic and buy the dog an ice cream cone once in awhile. Ok, they received the first Christmas present every year and the dog slept on the bed. There, they were spoiled rotten! Dad disciplined them just like he did us, sometimes a spank and sat in the corner. You know, I don't remember our family dog ever chewing through another lotion bottle after that.

Anyway, back to my Dog in Heat story. After waffling over all the possibilities that Cookie could have been or is now for about fifteen minutes, this is what I found out. They can do an ultrasound on her to see if and how far along she is if she is pregnant. We discussed how often they go into heat (twice a year, about 6 months apart). They can have a silent ovulation as well. If she is pregnant, they can still spay her, which means aborting her puppies.

Immediately, I was taken back to 5th grade. One of the kids in the grade lower than me had a dad who was one of the only vets in town. He had spayed a dog who was pregnant and saved the dog foetuses in a jar for the science department at school. But they came to school with the kids so they could do Show and Tell. It was so disturbing to me, that even after all these years, it is still a very vivid memory. Then fast forward to when I was 26. I was going to get on birth control but suspected I might have been pregnant already. I wasn't sure, and it was too early to tell by pregnancy test if I was. I inquired at Planned Parenthood about birth control and a pregnancy test, but was offered a RU4-86 pill, also known as The Morning After pill. I couldn't take it. No matter what the circumstances were, I would not abort any of my babies.

I have to say, I feel the same way for poor Cookie. All I could envision after asked if I wanted them to abort the pregnancy, was Cookie hunched over, head hanging low, thinking about her babies and how close they were to arrival, for them to be just snatched away. I COULDN'T DO THAT, EVEN TO A DOG! I couldn't stand the thought of gentle, goofy Cookie being depressed.

I got off the phone and immediately stretched Cookie out and poked around on her belly. I didn't feel anything suspicious. I didn't see anything that looked like a puppy leg or a nubbin about to start lactating. I think she's just in heat *everyone sigh with relief with me*. Cookie's regime for the next two weeks will be short walks to the fenced and gated backyard, and naps in her kennel. I don't want any possibility for Sherman the Pug next door to get ideas, or any other dog in the neighborhood, for that matter. And her spaying (without puppies), will be scheduled in the very near future.

On that note, I'll be crawling off to bed now. I'm exhausted from all this puppy panic, which was essentially, all for nothing.

Egg Substitutes


Using Flax Seed:
For each egg needed, place in blender:
1 heaping tablespoon of whole organic flax seed, blend until it becomes a fine meal. Add 1/4 cup cold water blend 2-3 minutes until thickened and has the consistency of eggs. Each 1/4 cup of Flax seed mixture will replace one egg in baking

Using Gelatin:
Before starting recipe for cookies, cake etc... Combine 1 tsp unflavored gelatin with 3 tblsp cold water and 2 tblsp plus 1 tsp boiling water. This mixture will substitute for 1 egg in a recipe.

Using Tofu:
Tofu is great for egg substitutions in recipes that call for a lot of egg (like quiches). To substitute for only one egg in a recipe, whip 1/4 cup tofu and add to your cooking.

1 whole egg = 2 tbsp water and 1 tbsp oil and 2 tsp baking powder.

To make one egg use 2 tbsp water and 2 tsp baking powder.

To make one egg white, dissolve 1 tblsp plain agar powder in 1 tblsp water. Whip, chill and whip again.

1 heaping tblsp soy powder and 2 tblsp water = 1 egg.

1 tblsp soy milk powder and 1 tblsp cornstarch and 2 tblsp water = 1 egg.

One average size banana = one egg, adds flavor to product. Product may be gummy.

1/4 cup soymilk in place of each egg.

3 tablespoons pureed fruit = 1 egg.

Substitute 3 tablespoons mayonnaise for each egg called for in a recipe.

1 egg white is 1 tablespoon of meringue powder plus 2 tablespoons warm water; 8-10 egg whites = 1 cup

1/4 teaspoon agar powder and 1/4 cup lukewarm water and 1 teaspoon low sodium baking powder . Whisk all ingredients together well before adding to recipe .

1/2 tablespoon agar flakes and 1/4 cup water and 1 teaspoon low sodium baking powder- In a large microwave safe container, combine water and agar with top on cook on high in microwave for 45 seconds. Carefully remove container from microwave and whisk baking powder into mixture. Use caution, the baking powder causes a rapid expansion of the liquid and has a tendency to foam over.

2 tablespoons liquid (room temperature water or milk or substitute) and 1 tablespoon potato starch or tapioca starch and 1 /2 tablespoon shortening and 3 /4 teaspoon low sodium baking powder.

1 tablespoon any mild flavored oil + 1 tablespoon apple cider or wine vinegar or lemon juice and 1 teaspoon low sodium baking powder and 1 teaspoon potato starch or cornstarch or arrowroot + enough carbonated water[plain soda water) to equal a total of 1 /4 cup . Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl to allow room for the ingredients to increase in volume as baking soda and vinegar react. Whisk, then add per mix or recipe instructions.

1 tsp of arrowroot powder + 1 tsp of water, sometimes you may want to add a little extra milk or water or oil to make up for the bulk that you would get with a real egg. Good for pancakes and waffles.

As bad as this may sound 15 ml (0.51 oz) Vinegar = 1 egg. Mainly used in baking, products will stale quickly, use within four days. Freeze until used. Adds flavor to product. Product may be gummy.

1 tsp yeast dissolved in 1/4 cup warm water = 1 egg.

Xanthan Gum.
Mix about 1/4 tsp. with about 1/4 cup of water. Let stand. It thickens, and can be whipped like an egg white. It's okay to replace one egg.

Egg Yolk Substitute:
Mix 2 cups water and 1 cup flour in a blender until thick. Cook in a double boiler 45-60 minutes. With a mixer, whip in 2 Tbsp. cooking oil and 1/4 tsp salt. use 2 or 3 Tbsp. for binder in hamburgers or meat loaf.

Egg White Extender:
Add 1 tsp cold water to 2 egg whites. Makes 3 egg whites.

And Now For Something Completely Different, But Works:
Snow can be used as an excellent substitute for eggs in puddings, pancakes, etc. Two heaping tablespoons snow will take the place of 1 egg, and the recipe will turn out equally well. Use fresh-fallen snow or the under-layers of older snow. The ammonia in snow imparts to its rising properties, and the exposed surface of the snow loses ammonia by evaporations very soon after it has fallen.

Low Cholesterol Egg Substitute Recipe:
1 tablespoon of nonfat dry milk powder
2 egg whites from large eggs
4 drops of yellow food color

Sprinkle powdered milk over egg whites, then beat them with fork until smooth. Add food color, and beat until blended. This makes one-fourth cup, which is equal to 1 large egg. If you use this homemade substitute for scrambled eggs, cook it in vegetable oil or margarine so the eggs won't be too dry.

Best For Baking:
Try substituting 1 banana or 1/4 cup apple sauce for each egg called for in a sweet, baked recipe. These will flavour the recipe, however, so make sure banana or apple will taste good in it.
This is the one most often used in baking; it's really only good for recipes that call for 1 or 2 eggs. To make one egg use 1 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer powder + 2 tbsp water. It's made from potato flour and other vegan leaveners, this powder can be found in most health food stores.

GO MAKE THIS NOW!!!!

5 quarts popped popcorn
1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. corn syrup
1 t. salt
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place popcorn in a very large bowl. In a medium saucepan melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat. I do this half a batch at a time, so half the popcorn, half the syrup. Coat the popcorn and then place in two cookie sheets. Place in the oven, stir every 15 minutes for one hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.

Wash your pans immediately or the caramel sticks pretty bad. Enjoy that sugar high!!! Perfect with hot wassail or hot chocolate!